Asian Kelp Noodle Salad

Guess what??? I found kelp noodles at Whole Foods last week! Ever since I had them at a raw cafe in Austin, TX (you can read about my experience here), I've been looking for them. I was about to cave and order them online when, lo and behold, there they were. So I bought a couple of packages. I even sent one off to my care package swap partner, though she hasn't received her package yet.

Here they are:

Rinsed:

And here's a delicious recipe for you!

Asian Kelp Noodle Salad:

1-12 oz package of kelp noodles, rinsed and cut to desired length (I'd use scissors)
1 cup shredded cabbage (red or green)
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup shredded broccoli (or chopped very finely)
4 stalks celery, sliced thinly
3 green onions, sliced thinly
2 large leaves of kale, torn off stem and into bite-sized pieces
black sesame seeds for garnish (optional)


For dressing:


1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup almond butter (or peanut, sunflower, etc.)
1/4 cup agave nectar
a few drops of sriracha (optional)


wedge of lime for serving


Combine all of the vegetables except the noodles, into a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the dressing ingredients together. Whisk until well-combined. Pour the dressing onto the vegetables and toss. Just before serving, add the noodles and mix them them in well (they will stay crispy longer if you wait to add them). Serve, sprinkled with sesame seeds and a lime wedge (or sprinkle lime juice over the salad first).

Enjoy!

And Happy Anniversary to my S :)

Eat smart,
T.

Happy Hanukkah!! Kale and Carrot Salad Recipe

HAPPY HANUKKAH!!!

 I can't believe it's so early this year...and right after Thanksgiving.  Phew.  Well, I won't be making too much in the way of "Hanukkah" food.

But I did want to give you that recipe for the salad I made at Thanksgiving, so here it is:

Kale and Carrot Salad
(makes 4 small sides or 2 large servings)


1 large bunch of curly kale
2 carrots, sliced
1/4 cup chopped, dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
*1 TB olive oil (optional)


Wash kale and remove the thick stems. Chiffonade the kale, so it's in thin strips.  Steam in a steam-bag in the microwave for one minute only (you're welcome to steam on the stove, I just prefer the microwave for smaller amounts).  Remove and put in a medium sized salad bowl.  Steam the carrots the same way, for only one minute.  Remove from bag and slice into thin strips.  Add to the kale.  Mix in the cranberries, walnuts, and balsamic vinegar (and oil, if using). Put in fridge to cool for at least two hours.  Mix and serve!

And on another note, today I made the most amazing butternut squash soup ever! It's from Lindsay's new e-cookbook.  You should definitely check it out. (I'd post a picture, but my computer is busy trying to sync/update my ipod, which is taking forever).

Coming up: A recipe for Cheeezy Broccoli Rice Casserole!

Don't forget to enter my $65 CSN Store giveaway....time's running out!

Eat smart,
T.

Thanksgiving 2010

Hope those of you that celebrate Thanksgiving had a nice day yesterday (and those of you that don't celebrate too)!  It was a busy day for me, but I still got time in to do some walking.

So here's the lowdown on our Vegan Thanksgiving table:

A trio of appetizer dips/sauces (arugula pesto, butternut squash dip, & lemon cashew cheese):

Tofurky Roast and gravy (we saved the dumplings for another time, and alas, no Amy's Chocolate Cake or coupons in the box, apparently I got an older box):

Field Roast Cranberry Hazelnut Roast

Roasted Root Vegetables (around the Field Roast):

Stuffing:

Cranberry Bread:

Whole Wheat Herb Biscuits:

Kale and Carrot Salad:

Pumpkin Pie:

Pumpkin Gingerbread with Spiced Buttercream:

And of course tart cranberry sauce! Our friends brought some extra cranberry sauce, fruit salad, beer, wine, and some non-dairy ice cream :)

My recipe sources:

Lemon Cashew Cheese (scroll down to download the pdf of all recipes, it's on pg. 4)
Pumpkin Gingerbread (I used all whole wheat flour & unsulphured molasses, also had to do the icing in a food processor  and then put it in the fridge to firm up)
Cranberry Orange Sauce
Kale & Carrot Salad (coming soon!)
Pumpkin Pie (I used a pre-bought crust I had leftover)
Stuffing (my mom's recipe...veganized)
Cranberry Bread (I used whole wheat flour and cut down the sugar a bit, used canola oil instead of shortening and used EnerG egg replacer instead of egg)
Herbed Whole Wheat Drop Biscuits (from "Vegan Brunch", used canola oil instead of shortening, was a bit salty)
Roasted Root Vegetables (from "Local Bounty")

So there you have it. Another year, another Thanksgiving!
We had a couple of friends over to share all the food and we had a good time :)

Yesterday it was 80, today it's 50.  The wind is so cold.....

Another CSN Stores giveaway coming soon!

Eat smart,
T.

I got a VITAMIX!!!!

So here I was......wandering into Bed Bath and Beyond to pick up a 50% off Aerogarden (yes, it's my third one) and what do I see out of the corner of my eye????  A VITAMIX! Sitting on the clearance rack.  I thought it couldn't be.....no way....just when I had decided to go for a smaller blender and buy a big fancy food processor.....yup, there it was.  Sideways.....piled on top of other items.  I thought to myself, "Oh no! The 20% off coupons I have with me say NO VITAMIX!!!" So I snatched it up and brought it immediately to the customer service counter to see if they could hold it.  Sure enough, they said they could, for 24 hours.  I went and picked up my Aerogarden, and asked at the cashier if you can use a 20% off coupon even if it says you can't use it on that brand. You know what her answer was??  You can use it on anything. ANYTHING!  So I   pushed my cart all the way over to the customer service desk and asked to check out there, with my Vitamix. It was on clearance for $319.99! AND I used the 20% off coupon, so I got it for around $256!!!  OMG! Yes, it's the 4500, but that's ok.  It's still a Vitamix :)

Then of course, I brought it home thinking "I'm sure it won't work.  That's probably why someone brought it back."  I tested it.....3 times. It works!

Test one: cleaned it out with warm water and soap, as per instructions.




Test two: green smoothie

1 cup cold filtered water
1/2 apple, cored
~3/4 cup broccoli florets
~2 oz spinach
1/2 carrot, sliced
BLEND. Much better after you put it in the fridge and drink it cold.

Test three: fruit smoothie

1 banana, in chunks
1 cup blueberries
1/2 apple, cored
4 large ice cubes
BLEND. Really good!


Was so excited to share this great news with you guys! I've wanted one of these forever and didn't think I'd ever be able to afford one.

Our first farmer's market back home: baby okra(I knew the season would come), blueberries, nectarines, peaches, cucumber, plums, speckled butter beans, yellow squash, bell peppers, baby pink eggplant, & baby shiitakes.

Stuff I made recently:

"Tuna" salad sandwich out of the raw falafel recipe.  I just added celery, onions, and dill! So tasty:

Same thing, but without the celery and onions, stuffed in a pepper:

My Indian curry dish, with lots of veggies (no potatoes or chickpeas this time):

Cold barley salad (cabbage, broccoli slaw, red pepper, celery, cucumber, & balsamic vinegar, salt, garlic):

Isn't she pretty??? (see below)

Giveaway:
Check out LeslieLovesVeggies for a Pomi tomato giveaway!! I love that stuff :)
MamaPea is giving away a chance to win a cookbook! (can't turn THAT down)

Ok, I believe that's it for today's post.

Eat smart,
T.

Catching up and lots of pics

Hey everyone! So sorry for not having posted in over a week.  And just to let you know, there won't be much posting over the next month.....but hopefully I'll be able to at least post some pics from various travels and eats.

First let's start off with the latest produce from the farmer's market: pattypan squash, peaches, blueberries, yellow grape tomatoes, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, hot peppers, horticulture beans (cranberry, maybe??), cucumbers, golden zucchini, yellow crookneck squash, fairytale eggplant, and green peppers.

I was a bit angry, as I noticed that the poster for my blog had been taken down at the market.  Grrrrr......not too happy about that. At first, I gave them several copies, to put on the table so people could just take them.  They decided it would be better to hang just ONE on the wall. I didn't think so....who's gonna remember the website? Anyway, now there's nothing and I know they still have several copies, unless they threw them away.  I don't think I'll say anything though......usually I would, but since I shop there every week....probably not the best idea. What do you think?

I made some of the pattypan squash from the previous week into that stuffed pattypan I'd made before.  You can find it here.  This time I used up the rest of my Teese mozzarella. Didn't melt as well on top, but melted really nicely when mixed into the hot stuffing. Still tasty though :)

Still have a ton of yellow crookneck squash, even though I've tried to sneak it into whatever I can (husband doesn't like it).  Can I puree it and freeze it? Maybe to make salad dressing out of it later? Any ideas?

Chocolate spread on matzoh! When you're craving sweets, you gotta do whatcha gotta do! Take a handful or more of vegan chocolate chips and put them in a bowl, into the microwave.  Heat them on high for 30 seconds at a time, mixing after each.  Add in a few drops of non-dairy milk and nuke another 30 seconds.  Make sure it's nice and smooth.  Work quickly and spread it onto your matzoh.  Put it in the fridge for several minutes to let the chocolate harden and there you have a nice quick dessert!

Cucumber noodles with raw marinara (my husband preferred the zucchini, but I found cucumber pretty refreshing):

I made Averie's Raw Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls, although to me they were more like oatmeal chocolate chip.  They are incredible!  I made them twice and the second time, I actually did 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup cashews and only about 1 Tbsp of sweetener.  Still incredible! Thanks, Averie :)

I made some Golden Zucchini Bread again. See my original post about it here. This time I added raisins, used all spelt flour, and it was REALLY good!

Here's a picture of my new steamer that I got for over 50% off at Dillards! And of course, a picture of my colorful steamed vegetables :)

Made some guacamole: 2 avocados, 1 chopped tomato, some cilantro, salt, and lemon juice, all mashed up together.

My guacamole, mixed with cooked brown rice, taco seasoning, and broccoli slaw for a great cold power lunch:

Made Choosing Raw's Zucchini Dressing (with golden zukes, since that's all I had) and it's really delicious! (her Tomato Curry Dressing is great too)

Cooked up some red quinoa and mixed it with a ton of chopped vegetables, added some balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic for a great dressing.

And last, but not least, I made up some of that great Tempeh Barbecue (used shiitakes this time):

Ok, I think I'm mostly caught up. It's been really hot here...in the mid 90's with high humidity.  Still trying to get my walking in, though.

Still contemplating the blender vs. food processor situation.  But...I think I've decided to wait on the Vita-Mix because it's so dang expensive.  I'm going to get a large food processor and get some sort of small cheaper blender. Any suggestions? Something good for salad dressings, smoothies (that can handle frozen fruit) and sauces.

Blogger of the Week: FatFreeVegan.  She's got TONS of recipes that are right up my alley: fat free (or lowfat) and vegan, yay! Check her out. This was one of the first blogs I ever started following.

Giveaway: CSN stores $40 gift card giveaway at OperaSingerInTheKitchen!

Eat smart,
T.

Book Review: Speed Vegan and other things

So the folks at Book Publishing Company were kind enough to send me a few books for review, and the first one is Speed Vegan: Quick, Easy Recipes with a Gourmet Twist by Alan Roettinger.

In the beginning of the book, Roettinger explains what kinds of appliances and kitchen gadgets you really need and what you could possibly do without, but would make things easier.  Then he goes on to tell you what you should keep in your vegan pantry (if only I had an actual pantry....). And the recipes are divided into the following:

Jumpstarts (purees, pastes, and sauces)
Snacks
Soups
Salads
Pasta and Grains
Vegetables and Legumes
Sweets

He lists a few online stores in the back of the book, but there are several vegan stores online he does not mention unfortunately.  He's got a couple of nice color photos in the middle of the book, but again, I really prefer to have lots of color pictures. Somehow, it makes the recipe seem easier and I can see what it's supposed to look like when I'm done.  I've tabbed several recipes to try, including White Bean Soup with Tuscan Kale, Grape Tomato and Garbanzo Salad, Asparagus with Sesame Seeds, and Miso and Garlic Mashed Potatoes.  They all seem to use items that I'd have on hand without having to make a special trip to the store for special ingredients.  I made the Quick Beet Slaw, which, as it turned out, was not quite as quick as I'd hoped.  It took me forever to grate the beets by hand, as well as the carrots and turnips (I used turnip, since I didn't have radishes).  And boy, was it messy!  Next time I will use the food processor, even though it doesn't have a grater attachment.....it will just be easier.  But, it was a delicious salad! I love the raw veggies and the dressing was excellent. Great for a summer day. Here's the recipe (with permission from the publisher), and you'll see my adjustments in parentheses:

Quick Beet Slaw
from Speed Vegan


Makes 4 servings


1 medium-size beet, scrubbed or peeled and grated
1 carrot, grated
1 roasted red pepper, quartered and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/2 red onion, quartered and thinly sliced (I left it out)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (I only had freeze-dried)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
2 radishes, grated (I used 1 large turnip instead)
1/2 cup flax oil (I used water)
2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
Grated zest of 1 lime (I used lemon)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (I used lemon)
4 cloves peeled garlic
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Combine the beets, carrots, red pepper, and onion in a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup of the cilantro, 1/4 cup of the basil, and all of the celery and radishes.


Put the flax oil, vinegar, lime zest, lime juice, garlic, mustard, salt, and pepper in a blender. Process until smooth. Pour over the vegetable mixture. Toss well. Eat.

I'm looking forward to trying those other recipes, especially the salads....they look like they'll be nice and refreshing for our hot weather.

Other things I've been eating:

Quick gluten free pasta mixed with Daiya shredded cheddar and a little almond milk, with garlic, salt, and pepper:

A beer sampler from the Avenue Pub:

Tex Mex rice, inspired by Bankrupt Vegan's Tex Mex Dip. Mine was a mix of brown rice, black beans, guacamole, and taco seasoning, eaten as a meal:

Mama Pea's Chocolate PB Protein Cookies (I used Sunbutter and agave and didn't have any protein powder!):

And that's it for today.  I've been walking a ton lately....and it was 88 degrees yesterday! Gotta go do my next walk of the day....

Blogger of the Week: Peas and Thank You She's always got the cutest pictures of her kids, so if you're a family person, this site's for you! And of course she always includes some great recipes with great pictures :)

Eat smart,

T.