Brownies and Roasted Tomatoes, etc.

I've been so behind.  I'm really trying to catch up, but work was so busy for a while and now I finally have some time off to catch up on everything, from cleaning up, to taxes, to my beer blog, to this blog....it never ends!

They look good, don't they? They are! I got the recipe here. Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies! I changed it up just a bit by using whole wheat flour, MUCH less sugar, and more applesauce with just a little oil. To me, this was more like half blondie, half brownie because the cookie part was so thick.  Maybe I should've added more liquid so that I could've spread it more easily on top.  Nonetheless, still delicious :) I highly recommend it for that special once-in-a-while dessert (I can't make stuff like this very often, unless I want to put all my weight back on!).

I slow roasted tomatoes! Yup....so easy and so tasty.  Never done that before.  Here's how:

Take a pound or two of roma tomatoes and slice them in half.  Spray two cookie sheets (or however many you need) with some oil and lay the tomatoes on them, cut side down.  Put a few cloves of garlic in between them and cook in the oven on 250 degrees for around 2 to 2 1/2 hours.  Watch them and make sure they don't burn.  They are absolutely amazing done this way!

They go in like this:

And come out like this:

I had some with a few other roasted veggies alongside this Lemony Yellow Split Pea dish. The split peas were awesome....I cooked them a bit longer, because I like them soft and mushy. But maybe that's just me :) But I actually got the idea from this blog....

Other stuff I've eaten recently.....

Raw Marinara with zucchini/carrot spirals:

A sandwich of my own sprouts, salad, and kale, with sweet pickles and Vegenaise on sprouted grain bread:

Hey, does anyone know of a good "standalone" vegan cheese? One you can just eat a piece of by itself? I like to put Dr. Cow on crackers...I don't think I could eat it by itself though. And I use Daiya, Teese, and Rice Vegan slices to melt onto things.  But I've got nothing to just eat plain, or in a sandwich. Any ideas?

And don't forget to give me your travel ideas on my last blog post!! It's very important.

On another note, if you love beer, please let me know if you'd be interested in this book at all. I'm trying to decide if I should do a giveaway on my beer blog.....if there are enough people that want it.

Eat smart,
T.

Millet with Roasted Vegetable Sauce & A Cranberry Smoothie

Guess what? It's the start of satsuma season!! I've missed those things. I'm not a huge orange eater, but I do like clementines when those are in season. Satsumas are good too and grown right here.

We finally got to the farmer's market again after 2 weeks without (due to travel, etc.): mustard greens, lacinato kale (it's no curly kale, but it'll do), apples, zucchini, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, eggplants, bell peppers, okra, mizuna/arugula mix, yellow squash, and brown rice.

We had a friend over the other evening and I made some millet with a roasted vegetable sauce. Originally, I was just going to top the millet with roasted vegetables, but then I decided to put it in a pan after roasting and after I added things...it turned into a sauce!

Millet with Roasted Vegetable Sauce:

For the millet:
2 cups water
1 cup millet


For the sauce:
1 head broccoli, in small pieces
1 onion, chopped into medium-large pieces
1 green pepper, cut into chunks
2 large tomatoes, cut into chunks
(you're welcome to add more veggies, as they shrink when roasted)
2 cups strained/pureed tomatoes
1 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond milk-I think it works better than soy)
1/2 cup water
Creole seasoning, garlic, onion powder, cumin powder (or seeds), nutritional yeast, oregano, chili powder
2 tsp tomato paste
salt/pepper


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put all the cut vegetables in a bowl and add Creole Seasoning. Mix well to coat. (watch the salt...this stuff can be really salty). Put the vegetables on a baking sheet sprayed with oil. When the oven is ready, put the veggies in. Set timer for 25 minutes.


Make the millet: Put the millet in a pan and put it on medium-high heat. Shake the pan every once in a while. When it starts to smell nutty (don't let it burn!), add the water and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes until the water is absorbed.


After 25 minutes, stir the vegetables in the pan and put back in oven for 10 more minutes. When done, add them to a large saute pan on the stove with the 1/2 cup water.  Cook on medium heat.  Add the non-dairy milk, spices, and tomato paste. Stir well.  If it's too thick for you, add a little water. If it's too thin, add a little more "milk". Salt as needed. Serve over the millet.


Now onto the newest smoothie in my collection!

Sour Cranberry Smoothie:

1/2 cup 100% cranberry juice (no sweetener added)
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
1/2 cup frozen peaches
1/2 cup water
(sweetener-optional)


Blend! It's pretty darn sour, but I love it! Feel free to add a little sweetener if you need it...or use sweetened cranberry juice. But I'm telling ya.....you should try it the sour way first!


It's gotten so cool here.  It's been in the low 60's in the morning! What? Yup.....brrrrrr. I've had to actually put long pants on and a real shirt for walking in the mornings. It's only in the mid-70's in the afternoons. I think Fall has finally arrived. Yay!  I will definitely be doing a Fall beer tasting in the next few weeks, so stay tuned for that. Next post will be my Atlanta trip post.

Eat smart,
T.

A McDougall Day

I used the "Monk Bowl" idea for lunch today.  I cooked some brown rice in the rice cooker and steamed veggies on the stove.  For the sauce, I made the Shiitake Mushroom Sauce from The New McDougall Cookbook.  The only I did differently, was I used fresh Shiitakes, because I had a ton from last week's market! It made a lot of sauce, so now I have a ton leftover....which is good, because I also have a lot of leftover rice. And by the way, I used a flat leaf type of kale in the vegetables.  It was grown on the property at the Saturday market!

For dinner, I basically made my Cauliflower a la Lemon recipe, but I added some potatoes, because I didn't have a ton of broccoli and thought they would go nicely with the lemon flavor. However, I left off the couscous for this meal, since we had potatoes in there. And I didn't add oil, just a little spray on the pan first.

Tomorrow's market day!  I'm excited, are you?? (Is it wrong to look forward to Market Saturday every week?)

Eat smart,
T.

Roots!!

First let me say, I got my stash via UPS last night!!  My 5 lbs of oat groats, quinoa, israeli couscous, nutritional yeast (never used it before), almond flour, and chipotle powder (although they seem to like a different spelling).

On to dinner: Roasted Root Vegetables.  I made this a lot last year, when we lived in cold, cold Cincinnati.  It's really easy.  It's from the Local Bounty Cookbook.  This time, however, there were no leeks or parsnips to be found, so I left those out.  I had lots of turnips and sweet potatoes from the market though, so I used those.  And I used a yellow onion (I guess, instead of the leek).  And well, this time around, I left out the oil......well just sprayed a tiny bit on the pan, and a very tiny spray on top of the veggies before they went in the oven.  I highly recommend this recipe for a cold Fall/Wintery evening!

No blogging tomorrow probably....I work all day.  Definitely by Friday though.....ohhhh, I still have Shiitake mushrooms...I forgot!  Hmmmm.....something to think about.  And mustard greens.....what do those go well with?   They're kind of bitter....I guess I'll just steam them and serve them over rice or barley.

Ok then.....have a good evening!
Eat smart,
T.

Market Day

Slept in today.  So I didn't get to go to the other market.  Went to my usual market and got lots of good stuff.  I probably would've been overloaded if I'd gone to both!

Today's market finds: cucumbers, bell peppers, Asian pears, apples, satsumas, mustard greens, turnips, oak leaf lettuce, yellow squash (tiny ones!), shiitake mushrooms, sweet potatoes (am I going to have to have a sweet potato challenge??), popcorn rice, tomatoes, grape tomatoes, kale(YAY!), and green beans.

For dinner, I roasted some vegetables, but I added eggplant, since I needed to use it up.  Also added a little balsamic vinegar near the end, for flavor.  Served with polenta.  Wasn't that into it.  My husband liked it though! I could've used more vinegar.  Was thinking of making a balsamic reduction for it....not enough time.  Next time I'll try that.  Does it really take a couple of hours to make?  Anyone?

Maybe tomorrow I'll make a millet dish.  I came across some good recipes from various blogs......I think I'm becoming addicted to food blogs.  Is that wrong??  I look at Google reader everyday (ok, several times a day) to see what's new in my billion blogs I'm subscribed to!  I can't keep up with you guys.

Was such a nice day today....walked in the park for 45 minutes.  Lots of ducks, swans, geese, egrets, and even a heron.  Although we did get chased by some aggressive Muscovy ducks.....

Ok, that's all for now.
Eat smart,
T.

Roasted broccoli & cauliflower a la lemon

Hey everyone!

For tonight's meal, I roasted broccoli and cauliflower and served it with Israeli couscous.  This is a recent discovery of mine, and I love it!  It's really easy too, once you've broken up the broccoli and cauliflower. I suppose you can always buy the packaged florets, but it's fresher to do it yourself. But some of us have more time than others....so do what you have to do. Here's my oh-so-lemony recipe!

Tanya's Roasted Broccoliflower a la Lemon w/Israeli Couscous:

Broccoli and cauliflower, broken into florets (enough to fill a roasting pan)
1-2 lemons
1 cup Israeli (pearl) couscous
olive oil
spices: salt,pepper, lemon-pepper (if you have it), garlic powder
2 cups water


For roasting:
Put all broccoli and cauliflower in a bowl.  Add about 1-2 tbsp olive oil,salt, black pepper, lemon-pepper (I use Mrs. Dash), and some garlic powder.  Add juice of 1/2 lemon.  Mix well and let sit a few minutes.  Put in a greased roasting pan, spread out evenly.  Put in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.  After 15 minutes, mix them up so more sides can get that "ever so slightly burnt" look.  Once out of the oven, add the juice of 1/2 lemon and mix it up in the pan before serving.

For couscous:
Put 1 tbsp olive oil in a pot.  Add couscous and heat, toasting them nicely.  Once toasted, add juice of 1 lemon, salt, pepper, and 2 cups of water.  Bring to a boil.  Once boiling, turn the heat way down and let simmer, covered (or mostly covered) for ~15 minutes or so....however long it takes for the water to be absorbed.  In some cases, you may need to add a bit more water, if couscous is not fully cooked.

I love lemon, so I always add extra once it's on my plate!


And that's it for today, folks.  I don't know what's on the agenda for this week....haven't thought that far ahead.  But I do know I have lots of vegetables from the market this weekend, so I'll have to think of something.  Still wondering about that golden zucchini.....

Enjoy the last of your weekend!
Eat smart,
T.
                                                                            

Roasted vegetables with asparagus

I know, I know, I've already talked about roasted vegetables....blah...blah....blah...

BUT, today I added asparagus and white button mushrooms because I had to use up the mushrooms already (they'd been in the fridge a while) and asparagus was on sale! So that's my excuse. I also had to use up my tomatoes from last week's market (I'm sure I'll pick up more tomorrow). By the way, is it a stalk of asparagus or what? Does a "bunch" have several stalks?

And even though I still prefer my traditional roasted tomatoes, onions, and peppers, you can make it with pretty much anything! Next time I'll post my recipe for roasted cauliflower and broccoli a la lemon, with lemon israeli couscous. Good stuff.

It's gonna be a rainy weekend all around. So don't expect too much from me. We're still going to try and make it to the market tomorrow for our produce box (I think there may be more pattypan squash!!!!), you know....after we stop at Barnes and Nobles to pick up a few vegan cookbooks I've been drooling over. (no, I'm not vegan)

Ever since I had the most amazing vegan chocolate cupcake with peppermint frosting at The Tomato Head in Knoxville, TN, I've had cravings for vegan cupcakes. If you live anywhere near there, I highly recommend that place. The meal was perfect! With great local beer to go with it...on tap!

I can't get anything vegan here.....

Hmmm.....maybe tomorrow I'll make a list of my favorite veg-friendly restaurants from our travels!

Until then, happy eating.

Eat smart,

T.

Sneaking in the foods

Hehehe, I'm sneaking something into our roasted vegetables tonight: yellow squash. Think my husband will notice?? He hates the stuff. (oh wait, he's probably going to read this before he eats)

Anyway, it's so easy to make roasted vegetables...see earlier post. And easy to make polenta too! You just put yellow cornmeal in a pot of boiling water....there'll be instructions on the container probably. Boil 1 1/2 cups of water. Mix 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal with 1/2 cup cold water and spices in a bowl. When the water boils, add the cornmeal mix and stir until thick. Turn down the heat and let thicken. It's great with roasted vegetables and maybe a little tomato sauce on top!

My tongue is burning. I tasted the polenta, which has red pepper flakes in it. Ok, food will be ready soon (yes, we eat early in this household). If it were up to my husband, we'd have lunch at 10 am and dinner at 4 pm!

Will post pics later!

Eat smart,

T.

Roasted vegetables and something peachy

Ok, before I start in on tonight's meal, I'll start by saying that I've had a "roasting" bug for several months now. Three of my favorite roasting mixes: tomatoes/peppers/onions, root vegetables, and most recently cauliflower/broccoli.

Tonight I'm making my old favorite. I just cut up tomatoes, green peppers (or red if you can afford them!), and yellow onions. Put them in a bowl. Add italian spices (or fresh basil, oregano, etc), freshly ground black pepper, olive oil, and sea salt. Sometimes I throw in Herbes of Provence for extra flavor. I'm not even sure I know what spices are in herbes of provence. Anyone? I think there's some lavender.

Spread the veggies on a cookie sheet/roasting pan. Bake at 400 for around 30 minutes. So good. You can't go wrong. If you're light on the oil, it's a very low-calorie meal. Sometimes I serve it with plain polenta or whole wheat pasta.

Oh, and I've got peaches on the stove. Don't ask me what I'm making. Jam? Compote? Preserves? What's the difference between jam, jelly, and preserves anyway? Well that's a whole other discussion I suppose. But if you know, please do tell!

So I guess that's it for tonight's food. Tomorrow I think I'll make omelettes with yellow squash, since I rarely eat eggs and I have some. Also got yellow squash from the farmer's market. Maybe i'll even post pictures later, if you're lucky :)

Thanks for tuning in!

Eat smart,

T.

PS-The 1st 2 pics are the ready to eat pictures, the 2nd 2 are the before (raw) pictures.