Eating Tasty Things

So I ran into a slight glitch with my CSN Stores giveaway. Not to worry....as soon as it's fixed, I will let you know! Oh wait, I just got the email from them.....as it turns out, I will post the giveaway later this evening!!

And while I'm on the topic of giveaways, I will be having a Tasty Bite giveaway next month!

I recently won an awesome totebag and cookbook from Kathy over at Healthy.Happy.Life. blog!

And check it out....Kathy's got her own recipe in there!!

Thanks so much, Kathy!!

On to more stuff I've eaten in the past week or two:

Chocolate Banana Soft Serve with a cocao/agave sauce and crumbled brownies

Kidney Bean Chili

Chocolate Zucchini Bread (absolutely amazing!!)

(used soymilk instead of coconut, 1/3 cup oil, 1 1/2 cups sugar & whole wheat flour)

Cauliflower and Couscous a la Lemon

Roasted Veggies with Tomato Sauce

Green Smoothie for 2 (see below)

Creamy Cauliflower Bake

Brownie topped with Purely Decadent Ice Cream

Green Smoothie for 2:

1 1/2 cups cold, filtered water

1 apple

1 carrot

3-4 large kale leaves

2 stalks celery

Blend in a high speed blender. Has just a hint of bitterness (from the kale).

Coming up: A CSN Stores giveaway, a Tasty Bite giveaway and my Kale and Carrot Salad recipe!

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.

Spicy Pea Stew, Stuffed Tomatoes, and A Smoothie

I got a TON of pink-eyed peas from the farmer's market this week and last week, so I decided to go ahead and finally cook them!  Boiled them for about 1 hour.  Drain and done.

This week's market: pink-eyed peas, lima beans, baby shiitakes, peaches, nectarines, plums, fresh oregano, cucumbers, butternut squash, little eggplants, tomatoes, and bell peppers.

And that leads me to today's lunch!

Tanya's Spicy Pea Stew

1 1/2 cups cooked pink-eyed peas (or black-eyed)
1 cup strained tomatoes
1 cup corn kernels 
1 large bell pepper (any color), chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium/large tomato, chopped
1 tsp cumin
2 tbsp Creole seasoning (or a mix of cayenne & other peppers)
1 tsp salt
garlic powder & crushed red pepper flakes


Saute the onion in 1/4 cup water.  Add water as needed, so it doesn't stick.  When soft, add the celery and peppers.  Cook on medium for 2-3 minutes.  Add the corn and a little more water and cover.  Let steam for 2-3 minutes.  Add the peas and all spices, except the salt.  Stir and add the strained tomatoes.  Add in the chopped tomato and cook for another few minutes.  Just before serving, add the salt and stir.  Serve over couscous or brown rice.

I served mine over Near East couscous, as they were kind enough to send me a few boxes. I haven't had couscous in a while and it was very tasty :)

Speaking of couscous, they also sent me their Toasted Pine Nut flavored couscous, which went really well in the Sicilian Stuffed Tomatoes I made from Robin Robertson's 1,000 Vegan Recipes.

Some with a little Daiya on top, and some without:

One of the blog's I read is Mama Pea's Peas and Thank You blog.  You should check it out, especially if you have kids (her girls are so cute!).  And I've probably bookmarked a billion of her recipes by now.....so I decided I should finally make one. I made her Simple Black Beans and Corn and Millet Pudding. The only problem I had was that the millet would NOT grind up.  I still put it in, but I added in a few spoons of cornmeal to help.  Not sure why the millet wouldn't grind up in my food processor.  Maybe it would have, in the Vita-Mix?? Anyway, it was all delicious!  Now I have a ton of beans....I froze most of them :)

On to another smoothie recipe:

The "what do I call it?":

1/2 banana
1 peach, pitted
2 carrots
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup water


Blend. I think ginger might go nicely in there, but I haven't tried it yet.

Stevia:
Have any of you tried Stevia? I tried it (and spent a lot of money for the little container) and can't stand it.  I do love licorice flavor, but that was just toooooo much. Bleh.  I bought the powdered stevia extract.  But I also tried my mom's regular stevia powder (not extract) and still didn't like it.....I tried both in my oatmeal.  Maybe it's better in a smoothie?? Any other suggestions?

Other stuff I've eaten:

Nori rolls with Ani Phyo's "Sushi" Rice made from jicama:

My friend's eggplant dip:

Ok, that's all for today.  Glad we didn't get a tropical storm this week after all :)

Giveaway:

LeslieLovesVeggies is giving away 2 copies of "The 30-Minute Vegan's Taste of the East" cookbook!

Look for a post Monday or Tuesday about my giveaway!!

Eat smart,
T.

Market goods, Pad Thai, an awesome smoothie, and some giveaways

Stuff I got at the market on Saturday: white button mushrooms, okra, basil, nectarines, blueberries, tomato, peaches, eggplant, plums, cucumbers, pink-eyed peas, and sweet peppers.

Last night, it was Thai night here.  We had our friend, Josh, over and a good time was had by all, albeit a bit spicy :)

We started off with spring rolls (celery, carrots, cucumbers and green onions, wrapped in rice paper) dipped in plum sauce (no, I didn't make the sauce....sigh.....I should have):

Then came the main course: PAD THAI.

I scoured the internet for various recipes for this...including Noelle's from OperaSingerInTheKitchen.

So this recipe is inspired by Noelle's Pad Thai recipe (thank you, Noelle).

Tanya's Spicy Pad Thai

14 oz package of wide rice noodles
1 red bell pepper, sliced in thin strips
2 carrots, sliced in thin strips
3 green onions, sliced
1 package of tofu (optional, I used preseasoned)
2 cups bean sprouts
3/4 cup soy sauce
6 tbsp sunflower butter (or any nut butter)
3 tbsp hot chili sauce (I used Sriracha) use more if you're into amazingly spicy.
1/3 cup agave
1 tbsp sesame oil (or just use water)
1/2 cup crushed peanuts (or use other if allergic)
1 lime, cut into wedges for serving


Follow directions to cook or soak noodles.  Drain and set aside.


Mix sauce: soy sauce, agave, hot chili sauce, & sunflower butter. Whisk and set aside.


Put sesame oil (or water) in large wok or saute pan.  Add 2 of the 3 chopped scallions (leave 3rd for garnish).  Heat for a few minutes.  Then add the tofu (if using), cut into small pieces.  Let them brown a bit, for about 5 minutes. Add water if it's sticking to pan.  Add the peppers and carrots (and any other vegetables you have lying around...I added yellow squash and zucchini, just make sure they're sliced in thin strips). Cover the pan and let steam for a few minutes.  Add the noodles and sauce.  Mix up well.  Throw in the bean sprouts and let cook for another 3-4 minutes.  Done.  Serve with a wedge of lime, topped with green onions and crushed peanuts. 


This recipe makes A TON!  I would say it makes at least 9-10 good sized portions, so you WILL have leftovers.  Cut the noodle amount in half, if you want less. 


I made the most amazing smoothie yesterday!  It's a bit high calorie, but sometimes you just need a sweet snack :)

Tanya's Choco-Banana drink:

1 banana
1 tbsp almond butter
1 tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1 tbsp agave
1+ tsp cinnamon 
1/2 cup almond milk (unsweetened)
4 ice cubes


Blend in your Vita-Mix! It's a bit more on the thin side. If you like it more "frosty"ish, use frozen bananas and 1 cup of almond milk.


A couple of giveaways:

Averie at LoveVeggiesAndYoga is giving away a $100 CSN shopping spree!! I so want that :)

LeslieLovesVeggies is giving away some great coffee from Larry's Beans.  (I'm an addict and I want them!)

Question of the day:

How do you clean your Vita-Mix?  Do you put soap and warm water and run it on high?  Do you just rinse it out with hot water?  Do you scrub it down with a sponge??

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.