Gluten-Free Mid-E Platter

So, the other day I went to The Grit and had their Mid-E Platter. It's a tasty dish that comes with hummus, pita points, raw veggies, tabbouleh, and a lemon-tahini sauce. Oh, and two falafel. Well, I was really craving that Mid-E Platter, but was (and still am!) a little short on cash, so I thought I would make my own version at home. I decided to do a gluten-free version this time around though. I really wanted to make some GF pita, since I have a recipe, but I didn't. Because, after making the soyogurt sauce, tabbouleh, and falafel, and making the salad, I was a little tired lol. But in all honesty, these recipes are quick. I did all that in exactly one hour and have plenty of leftovers for tomorrow.

Pictured: Tahini-Yogurt Sauce, Baked GF Falafel, GF Quinoa Tabbouleh, Hummus, sliced cucumbers, and carrots on a bed of romaine lettuce.

The Falafel is a revised and perfected version of my previous falafel recipe. The hummus was store bought, the tahini-soyogurt sauce needs a little work (it's not quite right), and the quinoa tabbouleh is my version of the basic way to make it gluten-free. So you get two recipes tonight, my friends. 

Gluten-Free Baked Falafel:

1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tb. tahini
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. fresh grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tb. minced onion
1/8 c. water
1/4 c. gluten-free cornflake crumbs (be sure they're vegan)

1. Pulse chickpeas, parsley, tahini, garlic, lemon juice and peel, cumin, corianger, chili powder, onion, water, and salt in a food processor until mostly smooth, but still a little bit chunky.
 

2. Transfer chickpea mixture to a bowl and stir in bread crumbs.

3. Make about 15 small (ping pong-sized) balls and place on a nonstick baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (if not nonstick). Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until golden brown and crispy on the outside. Be sure to flip it over once while baking.

Stats for one falafel (if 15 are made): 55 calories, 1.7 g fat, 1.6 g fiber, 2.2 g. protein, and a little bit of Vitamin A, C, calcium, and iron.

And they still hold together pretty nicely as well. You can eat them as part of a platter or you can stuff them in a pita or a wrap. Your choice!

The tabbouleh is made gluten-free with the use of quinoa (a seed). It's a pretty powerful little seed and definitely good for you. I think it makes a fine substitution for wheat grain. Also, I know that authentic tabbouleh is more parsley than grain, but I still like a little grain with my parsley. If you catch my drift. This recipe is based off of one from Bon Appetit.

Quinoa Tabbouleh:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large English cucumber, chopped
1 1/2 c. mini heirloom tomatoes (or reg. tomatoes), halved
2/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/4 c. onion, minced

 

1. Bring quinoa, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1 1/4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

2. Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice and garlic in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Add cucumber, tomatoes, parsley, and onion to bowl with quinoa; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Once quinoa is completely cool, add the the bowl with the dressing and the chopped veggies.

 

The nutritional stats on this one is an estimated cause I'm not quite sure how many servings I'll get out of this one. I'd say about 6 servings at about 210 calories and 9 grams of fat. 

So that was my lunch today and will be my lunch tomorrow! It was quick delicious, and like I said, if you make all the pieces on one day, you can have very quick leftovers the next few!

I'll be making some stuff from Viva Vegan here shortly (I've already prepared my sofrito and bought the produce!) and I even tried my hand at yuca. I made Cilantro-Lime Yuca and it was delicious. Especially when served with Cuban Black Beans and a corn tortilla. More tasty things to come!

Poppy Seed Fruit Salad

I've really been hitting up those summer foods. Sandwiches, cole slaw, cool pickled veggies, and now fruit salad. Because really, I love fruit salad. I actually prefer it to other desserts that one might bring to a BBQ or potluck. Cold fruit just tastes better when you're hanging out outside!

That's right. I'm gonna eat this salad. 'Eff you urine test!

There's a lot of recipes out there that call for a creamy dressing made of mayo. Which aside from being not vegan, also makes it more fattening (completely negating the fact that you're eating fruit), and makes it more perishable. Not a good idea when you're going to be bringing a dish somewhere where it will be out in the heat. This fruit salad is unique because it's a perfect blend of ripe, tropical fruit and the summer berries that are at their peak now. Nothing boring in this salad! It also has a "dressing" made of pureed honeydew, which lightens the overall salad and gives it plenty of flavor. Oh, and it's got poppy seeds in it, which I'm a huge fan of, and can eat all the time now because I don't have to worry about losing my job. Lol.

Anywho, this recipe is based on one found on the Whole Foods website, only it's been changed to make it taste better and be more convenient. Don't get me wrong, I love papaya (which is what the original called for), but most of the time in stores they aren't ripe at all. And they're huge! Substituting mango with papaya still gives it plenty of tropical flavor, but they're easier to tell when they're ripe and you aren't left with a bunch of fruit. I also left out the cantaloupe. Cause that stuff is gross. Lol.

Oh, and just a piece of advice. Taste the fruit as you go. Nothing ruins a fruit salad quicker than fruit that's not at it's prime. Oh, and wash that fruit! Just make sure to drain off any excess water before you add the "dressing".

Poppyseed Fruit Salad:
2 c. sliced strawberries
2 c. honeydew melon, cubed, divided
1 c. fresh blueberries
1 c. chopped mango
1 banana, ripe but not overripe (it needs to be somewhat firm), chopped
2 kiwis, peeled and chopped
2 Tb. fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice
1 Tb. liquid sweetener
1 Tb. poppy seeds
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of ginger

1. In a large bowl, combine the strawberries, 1 cup of the honeydew, blueberries, mango, banana, and kiwi. Set aside.

2. In a blender, combine the remaining one cup of honeydew, lemon/lime juice, liquid sweetener, poppy seeds, cinnamon and ginger. Blend thoroughly.

3. Toss the dressing with the fruit, coating all of it. Cover, and let chill for a couple of hours before serving.

I didn't really do the math or anything, but it's about 150 calories a serving, and this recipe makes about six good-sized servings.

Maybe one of these days I'll veganize the fruit salad I grew up eating (swapping out mayo for Veganaise, marshmallows for Dandie's, etc.), but for now, I just really enjoy eating this one in all it's fruity fresh glory!

Vive Vegan and Other Good Eats!

So my Pantry Challenge has been going quite well. I managed to use up some of my pantry basics, like brown sugar and rice noodles, and a few boxed items, like GF pancake mix. I was even able to give away a few ingredients to my mom so that she could make some homemade peanut butter doggie biscuits. Progress has been slow, but steady, and after this week's cooking bonanza from Terry Hope Romero's Vive Vegan, I was able to knock a LOT of stuff out of my pantry. More about that in a minute. But first, let's talk about Whole Foods!

I had the day off the other day and I realized that I was out of tea (Republic of Tea's Vanilla Almond to be exact). Apparently in my book, being out of tea (and craving the WF salad bar) makes a 65 minute drive completely justifiable. Of course, I also needed some groceries, so I took this trip as an opportunity to do a little stocking up (on things that I would actually use over the next six weeks!!). Since I love the salad bar, I decided to take the salad bar home with me! I got a to-go box of all the things I love on my salad (shredded beets, zucchini, daikon; marinated gigante beans, and green onions.. because I felt lazy) and then I bought the lettuce parts separately. WF has much cheaper organic produce than my HyVee so I got a bag of romaine hearts and a 50/50 box of spring mix and baby spinach. While I was over in the refrigerated section, I also noticed my favorite dressing: Follow Your Heart's Organic Tamari-Miso. I had looked all over the store for that stuff, at least everywhere but the produce aisle!

Then I did something I've always meant to do but have never gotten around to doing. I prewashed and chopped all my salad greens and tossed them together in a huge bowl. That way, when I wanted a salad, all I had to do was grab my greens out of the big bowl. I used a salad spinner so that the greens were nice and dry before they were stored. Please don't store wet greens. Food poisoning really sucks. Trust me on that one! I also ate them within 3-4 days of chopping.

Once home I cooked up quinoa and toasted up some pepitas to complete my WF salad. Two pantry items knocked out!

Then, during a fit of serious PMS, I wound up craving a milkshake (which I haven't had in years and have never made a vegan one!). I went a little Thai with this one though, and blended together coconut milk ice cream, ginger beer (it's non-alcoholic), a banana, and enough coconut-almond milk to get it to the consistency I wanted. It was quite warm that day, so it really hit the spot. It was different (taste-wise) but it was exactly what I wanted! Bonus: it used up the ginger beer I had stashed back for who knows how long and one of my many frozen bananas!

Frosty!

So here's the biggest use of my pantry by far. I've packed up most of my cookbooks, but I left out a couple that I thought I might use. One of the ones I left unpacked was Vive Vegan. I'm definitely a Latin-food lover and I knew that with all the beans and spices I got hanging around that it would be a good book to cook from. In just this past week I've made two of her recipes, plus I've prepped to make two more. That way, when leftovers run out on Tuesday, I'll have stuff ready to just toss together.

I was real proud of myself here: I used all my dried black beans (which was only about a pound, lol). With most of them I made the Homestyle Refried Beans (subbed black for pinto), but I set aside two cups to make Isa's Black Bean-Zucchini-Olive Tacos from Appetite for Reduction. It's definitely one of my favorite taco recipes. I then mixed up some Curdito (from VV) which is a vinegar-based slaw, some homemade pico (my recipe), and two kinds of seitan. I did a half recipe each of the White Seitan and the Chorizo. It was quite a day of cooking! Right now I'm munching up the tacos with a side of curdito, refried beans, and pico. It's sooo good:

Please ignore the dry refried beans!

Since the seitan has a longer shelf life, I'm saving those dishes for later in the week. Next up, I'm making the Chorizo-Spinach Sopes (also served with a side of refried beans and curdito), and then Tuesday (or so) I'm making the Green Posole, which is kind of a corn and bean-based soup with spinach, seitan, and pumpkin seeds, and lots of garnishes (tortilla chips, avocado, slaw). I'll post all those pictures on here as well.

With all this cooking, I've been able / will be able to use a lot of stuff: dry and canned beans, frozen greens, spices, posole (dried corn), canned tomatoes, masa harina, vital wheat gluten and other various flours, and I even used up the last of my olive oil (at least I still have coconut and canola! LOL.) If all else fails and I don't get stuff used up, I'll probably give some stuff to my mom and donate others.

But lastly, I couldn't send you away without a recipe. This recipe is the only pico I make and it can easily be adjusted for your taste my adding more or less jalapeno, salt, or lime. People get excited when I bring out the homemade pico and guac!

Jess's Only Pico Recipe:
6 Roma tomatoes, chopped (I use these because they have less seeds/juice)
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
1/4 a large yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 a fresh jalapeno, minced
juice of 1/2 a fresh lime
a pinch of sugar (about 1/8 to 1/4 tsp.)
about 1 tsp. kosher salt (or to taste. I don't usually measure)

Put the tomatoes into a small bowl or serving dish and drain off any extra juice that settles to the bottom. Add the cilantro, onion, jalapeno, lime juice, sugar, and salt, and mix well. Let chill for at least an hour for the flavors to blend, and always taste test! You can also blend the ingredients together with a touch of olive oil to make a sort-of salsa fresca for your tacos or what not.

Buen provecho!

Chimichurri Baked Tofu and Confetti Rice Salad

I ordered a copy of Terry Hope Romero's Vive Vegan as soon as it came out. Unfortunately, I haven't really been able to cook with it until recently. I am a huge fan of Latin American cuisine and luckily, I live in a place where I can get authentic ingredients relatively easily. Eventually, I plan on tackling the more complex recipes, such as the empanadas, tamales, and various seitan-based dishes, but for now I'm sticking to the fairly basic ones. 

My local Hy-Vee finally got in some flat-leaved parsley the other day. For the longest time, they only seemed to have the curly-leaved parsley. After doing some research (because I can't let any question go unanswered), I discovered that curly parsley is available year-round while flat-leaf parsley tends to be seasonal. Generally, flat-leaf is used for cooking while curly is demoted to garnish duty. And seriously, you can taste why. Curly parsley is gross.

 

Curly and unpleasant on the top, flat-leaved and tasty on the bottom.

So, anywho. The minute I saw the flat-leaved parsley on sale, I grabbed a bunch. I had had the Chimichurri Baked Tofu recipe from Vive Vegan on my mind for a long time. And since I already had everything else the recipe called for, I knew it would be a snap to make. And it was! Provided you have a food processor, of course. Basically, chimichurri is an Argentinian sauce made of parsley, vinegar, onions, garlic, and oil. Kind of like a parsley pesto, but without any nuts. As per the recipe's suggestion, I made the sauce a day in advance of using it to allow the flavors to meld. Then I baked some tofu, putting the sauce on it about halfway through the baking time. Then I served it with some sautéed petite green beans. It was awesome!

So although sautéed green beans weren't the most authentic accompaniment to this Argentinian-style tofu, it sure was delicious! The recipe uses an entire package of tofu (cut into eight sections), so once the green beans were gone, I served the last of the tofu with my Confetti Rice Salad.

My Confetti Rice Salad makes a refreshing side dish. It's basically a mix of fresh chopped veggies, beans, and cooked rice in a very light vinaigrette. I see these sort of salads around here often at dinners and potlucks. Usually though, they're done up Midwestern style with lots of heavy oil dressing and cubes of Velveeta (ick. I know right? Even before I gave up dairy, I wouldn't touch Velveeta. That stuff shouldn't count as food!). But anyway, like I said, this recipe is light and refreshing and is awesome with quinoa instead of the rice (just use the same amount of the dry grain, and cook according to directions on the package. This also makes the recipe come together a lot quicker). You can also leave out the beans and add avocado (1/2 of a ripe one, cubed), or leave both in and eat it as a main dish.

Confetti Rice Salad:
1/2 c. dry brown basmati rice or quinoa, cooked according to package directions
2/3 c. frozen corn, thawed, and squeezed to get excess water out
1/2 c. canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 a red bell pepper, diced
1/2 an English cucumber, diced
1 Roma tomato, chopped
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
1/4 c. Pickled Red Onions from Vive Vegan or regular green or red onions, chopped
1/2 Tb. oil (I used walnut, my fave)
1/2 Tb. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. salt, or more to taste
1 lime, cut into wedges

1. After the rice/quinoa has completely cooked, drain it if necessary, and set it aside so it can cool.

2. Once the grain has cooled, toss it with the corn, black beans, bell pepper, cucumber, tomato, cilantro, and onions. Drizzle it with the oil and vinegar, and the chili powder, cumin, and salt, and toss everything until the salad is well-combined.

3. Serve it as a side dish, with a little bit of squeezed fresh lime. Enjoy!

Actually, I've been cooking out of quite a few of my vegan cookbooks. I finally have the time to make recipes that require more of my attention now that I've graduated and switched to days. Among the books I've been cooking from (other than Vive Vegan) are 30 Minute Vegan's Taste of the East, Blissful Bites, and Vegan With a Vengeance (an oldie but a goodie!). Stay tuned!

A Medley of Eats

So... I've been eating a lot of simple things for lunch/dinner lately, but they are hearty and comforting and that's what winter food is all about:

 

1. Roasted Vegetables with Kale

I simply roasted some cauliflower, sweet potatoes, garlic, onions, and baby Yukon Gold potatoes with a little olive oil and salt. I boiled some chopped kale for a couple minutes, then drained it and put it on the baking sheet with the veggies the last five minutes of cooking to crisp up a little. 

2. Grain and Veggie Salads

This one here is a packaged salad blend + romaine + baby spinach topped with cooked brown rice, steamed butternut squash, hemp seeds, and raspberry vinaigrette. A very tasty combination. I've also been drinking this Dark Chocolate Mate I found from the Republic of Tea (in the corner of the photo). I love yerba mate and this chocolate-flavored variety is no exception! It has as much caffeine in it as a really strong espresso (100 mg) so I generally limit myself to one cup before work. It gives a good boost!

3. Various Miso Soups

I've been loving the miso lately. For this particular soup I sautéed together some onion, shiitake mushrooms, and thinly sliced carrot. I also boiled some edamame and tossed it with some walnut and toasted sesame oil. At work, I combined together the sautéed veggies, the edamame, some leftover grain (red quinoa in this case), and water. After heating it up I added a tablespoon of white miso, some Bragg's, and baby spinach and stirred until the spinach was wilted. It made a real quick and easy lunch at work. I've been making lots of variations on this combination too (sautéed veggies + greens + edamame/tofu + miso).

4. Happy Herbivore's Chickpea Tacos

What an easy, tasty idea! The only thing I did differently was use one tablespoon of my jarred taco mix instead of all the spices she had listed (my mix has the same ingredients). I also used mashed avocado to help keep the beans in place in the taco. I then topped it with pickled onions from Viva Vegan (which really brought it together!) and romaine. Definitely a tasty lunch.

5. Nut Butter-Stuffed Dates

I don't have a picture of this one, but lots of other bloggers do! I had always seen almond butter stuffed dates but I was pretty "meh" about it. Sure, I like almond butter and I love me some medjools, but I doubted the combination as being anything special. 

At least, until I made my own almond butter stuffed dates! Alone, those two foods are tasty, but when you combine them, they are amazing! They complement each other perfectly, especially if you have those big, soft medjool dates.

Big Lots Find-O-The Month:

 Source

I found Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Lara Bars at my Big Lots this month! And not as individual bars, either. They are being sold in a five-pack box for $2.80 (that's $0.56 a bar!!!). So if you have a Big Lots near you, check it out and you just might find yourself a box (or two or three!). I also found some Arrowhead Mills no salt almond butter there for $2.50 and that was what set me off on my date-stuffing marathon. 

Luckily, if I move to Georgia, the city I would live in also has a Big Lots. I don't know what I would do without that place! Lol.

Whole Foods Salad: Take One

Like a majority of others, I am completely obsessed with Whole Foods' salad bar. It doesn't matter what I put on my creation, it will always taste good. As long as they have some of my favorite items: marinated gigante beans (delicious!), toasted pumpkin seeds, and shredded raw veggies of some sort, I am a happy camper.

Unfortunately, I live almost an hour and a half from the nearest Whole Foods, so if I wind up going there it becomes quite an excursion. It always take a few hours, involves a giant shopping list, and of course, eating an amazing salad at the salad bar and drinking a kombucha from the tap.

After eating wicked amounts of sugar over the holidays, I have been mega-craving salads, beans, and other healthy foods. And since I'd much rather be feeling like my usual vibrant and healthy self than a sluggish mess of brain fog, I decided to go ahead and start afresh with my diet. Why wait until the New Year to start over if I can do it today and feel great now?

So, due to the fact that I yearn for some crisp, clean vegetables and whole grains and beans, I did my best to recreate my favorite Whole Foods salad:

Basically, it's a layered salad made up of the following:
2 c. mixed salad greens and baby spinach
1 c. chopped romaine lettuce
1/2 c. steamed squash (delicata this time around, 10 min. to steam)
1/2 c. butter beans, rinsed and patted dry
1/4 c. cooked quinoa or brown rice
A heaping 1/8 c. raw beets, shredded
1/8 c. raw zucchini, shredded
1/8 c. raw carrots, shredded
1/8 c. daikon, shredded
2 Tb. low-fat raspberry vinaigrette
2 Tb. chopped green onion
1 tsp. shelled hemp seeds

The major difference between my homemade salad and the Whole Foods one is that I usually add a little bit of baked tofu and use pumpkin seeds instead of hemp on the WF one. Also, at Whole Foods I use the Follow Your Heart Oil-Free Tamari-Miso dressing. It is amazing! I will buy some the next time I down there.

Also, you might be thinking, "raw beets?? raw zucchini?? daikon??". These raw shredded veggies are a great addition to your salad. You don't really notice the flavor because they're shredded up so fine but they add lots of nutrition. Daikon tastes like a sweeter, milder radish when raw, and I like it a lot, but you could also leave it out. I just shred a good amount at once that way I have plenty on hand for awhile.

As for delicata squash, some people really like it, but I wasn't very impressed. I don't really like the skin on it (which is edible), so if I ever cook it again, I'll leave off the skin. However, that seems like a lot of work and I really love butternut (what can I say?) so I'll probably stick to steamed butternut for my salads. Although, I do have a carnival squash I have yet to roast and I'd still like to try a kabocha sometime this winter, if I can find one. 

Overall, this is a mega tasty salad. I will eat it until I run out of raspberry vinaigrette, then I will switch things up a bit!

Corn-Quinoa Salad

Here's another recipe from VT, tried and tested(and slightly modified) by yours truly, lol.

Anywho, I've been a subscriber to Vegetarian Times for many years. I love that magazine. With the exception of one recipe, everything I've cooked from their issues has been delicious, and, the one time time it wasn't, it was completely my fault (I had to substitute for available ingredients and it didn't turn out. Also, I didn't know what tapenade was at the time and I hadn't tried olives yet. Not to go on a tangent here, but I think I should definitely revisit that recipe...). So yeah, VT is awesome. I save all my issues and then go back and revisit the monthly issues so I can pick out a variety of recipes using seasonal foods and similar ingredients.

This time around, I was looking through a June/July 2010 issue and I found a recipe for Corn-Quinoa Salad. Not only did I just get some fresh corn, but I had cherry tomatoes AND quinoa AND red cabbage AND cucumbers. So basically, I was able to get in the kitchen the next day and make it! I changed the recipe a little bit (you can find the original here) but it was mostly to suit the amounts of ingredients I had on hand. It's basically a cold "grain" (quinoa's not a grain, it's a seed) salad with a simple dressing. I was kind of skeptical, but I am so glad I tried it! The salad was awesome! It was cool, refreshing, and makes a great side-dish, especially for a picnic or a BBQ. Everybody who tried it, including my mom and people at work, really dug it. It just has a really great flavor and texture. Next time I make this (and I will make it again), I'll probably add in some chickpeas to make it more of a main dish.

Thanks, VT, for your great photography!

Also, if you're like me and generally cook for only one or two people, you might want to halve it. It makes a lot! I used agave nectar in the dressing, but I normally shun that stuff because I believe it's worse for you than high fructose corn syrup. The original recipe called for maple syrup. I, however, was given a free container of agave and had no maple syrup, so that's what I used. You can also use local honey if that's your thing. This recipe is also gluten-free, just be sure you check the ingredients in your vegetable broth first, and use an all-natural dijon. Both Imagine and Pacific Foods veggie broth are gluten-free.

Corn-Quinoa Salad:
Salad:
3/4 c. quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 c. vegetable broth
1/4 tsp. salt
kernels from 2 ears of corn (or about 1 c. of fresh or frozen corn)
1 c. halved cherry tomatoes
1 c. red cabbage, finely chopped or shredded
1 c. cucumber, diced

Dressing:
1/3 c. olive oil
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice (1-2 lemons, depending on their juiciness)
3 Tb. agave nectar
1 Tb. dijon mustard
1 tsp. salt

1. To make Salad: Bring quinoa, salt, and 1cup broth plus 1/2 cup water to a boil in saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Once done, drain any extra water then set aside, uncovered, 10 minutes.

2. Bring 2 cups water to a boil in separate saucepan. Add corn, and cook 1 minute. Drain, and rinse under cold water. Drain again. Stir together corn, tomatoes, cabbage, cucumber, and quinoa in bowl.

3. To make Dressing: Whisk together the lemon juice, agave, dijon mustard, and salt. Slowly add in the olive oil and whisk until completely blended. Stir into the salad and toss well until everything is coated. 

This salad can be served immediately or made ahead of time and chilled.

Also, on a completely random side-note, I've finally decided to bite the bullet and get myself a decent digital camera. I love my blog and I know that better pictures would really help it out. I've been using my phone for a long time, and I'm pretty much tired of it because I can't adjust ANYTHING. So if you stay tuned, I hope to amp up my food photography in the near future! Have a great day!

AfR... How I Love You!

So, I apologize for the lack of blog posts. I've been taking physics as a summer lab course and it has seriously been draining all of my free time. Luckily, it's half over, so in four short weeks I'll be able to enjoy the last of my summer before it all starts again, lol.

Anywho, lately I've been doing a lot of cooking from Appetite for Reduction, which is Isa Chandra Moskowitz's latest cookbook. I seriously love it! Everything in there is pretty quick, made from ingredients you probably have on hand, and good-for-you!

The first dish I made was the Sushi Roll Edamame Salad:

I'm not gonna lie though, I totally left off the nori. I just don't like that stuff. So this was a fishy-less tasting sushi roll salad, but I loved it! I've already made it like, five times. The green onion-miso dressing is awesome too. In fact, I used some of the little bit I had leftover to dip some vegan gyoza in. The only thing I did differently was reduce the amount of toasted sesame seed oil with walnut oil, just since it can be a little strong. Oh, and I always added the optional avocado, since I lurve it so much. 

I also made the Pad Thai Salad:

 

If I launched this salad at 11.89 km/s, how long before it reaches the moon?

This was pretty good. Though I loved the veggie combination (I added a little cucumber and red bell pepper, and like, tripled the red onion...), the dressing was just alright. However, I think that's just a personal preference right now. You know how you go on "kicks" and only eat a bunch of a certain kind of food (hopefully I'm not the only one who does this, lol...), well right now I'm having a food aversion to soy sauce, so the thought of it is kind of grossing me out. I discovered that after making this salad...

Another dish I made was the Black Bean, Zucchini, and Olive Tacos:

These tacos were made from a mixture of black beans, olives, zucchini, and my favorite Mexican salsa and although they may sound a little odd, they were great! But you totally have to put the Lemon-Yogurt Sauce on them. It's what brings them all together. I added some additional chopped romaine and green onion and served them with some leftover brown rice to round it out. 

I also made the Smoky Tempeh and Greens Stew (which was not very photogenic), and although it had great flavor, I just CANNOT get past the texture and odd taste of tempeh. I even steamed it and cut it into very small cubes... they're was just no disguising it. So folks, I have given tempeh THREE tries and it strikes out!! No more for me. I'll just stick to my beloved tofu.

And last but not least, I shall send you off with some dessert. I made Katie's awesome Fudge Daddies and they did not disappoint! I used silken tofu, agave, and applesauce with one tablespoon of coconut oil, as suggested. I also added some 65% cacao dark chocolate chips for extra chocolate-y-ness (is that word even possible?!). My boyfriend and his friends (as well as me!) loved these. It's definitely a keeper recipe and one that I'll play around with to make even more decadent in the future. However, since you can get them down to about a 100 calories per serving, I'd say they'd make an awesome snack for just about anytime (like breakfast...).

Not pictured: the melted coconut butter goodness I slathered on top.

So that's all I've got for you now. I cannot wait for my class to be over because I've got a serious bread-making itch that just will not go away. Also, I've got a special post coming up about an old-fashioned Midwest special: the infamous gooseberry pie. Have a great evening!

Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad...

... for all your vegan cookout needs!

But first, I'd just like to make a quick announcement. The winner of my Third Friday Giveaway of a copy of Ani's Raw Food Essentials by Ani Phyo is:

Whitney of Vegan Sunshine!

Congrats, Whitney! I'll mail you your book and some snickety-snacks soon! And for everyone else, I still have one more book to give away, so stay tuned!

Okay, so I finally broke down and got myself a $30 food processor. My last one died this past Christmas while pulverizing some oreos. Since its untimely passing, I lamented all the homemade hummus, sauces, marinades, dips, and falafel that I could no longer make (unless I wanted to do it the long way with a bunch of effort). Needless to say, it took me a whole day to make something with it after it arrived in the mail!

Since I had a cookout yesterday, I decided I wanted to make some pasta salad. Good ol'-you-can't-tell-it's-vegan-because-it's-awesome pasta salad. Since I've had an insatiable desire for fresh basil and oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, I knew that those two ingredients would be important components in my recipe. A quick search revealed an easily-veganizable recipe from the Barefoot Contessa (whom I adore...). Overall, I cut down a lot of the salt and fat in her recipe, just because that's how I roll... Well, it was also because the commenters mentioned there was way too much salt. The original recipe called for sundried tomatoes, capers, kalamata olives, kosher salt, mozzarella, and Parmesan so you can imagine that it would be thirst-inducing (as well as cruelty-inducing). Also, I don't have much money and so I can't really afford to buy ingredients that I'm pretty sure I won't like (capers). AND, I had a coupon for the olives. Bwahaha!! My mom's getting into that extreme couponing and I think it's rubbing off on me... just a little...

Anywho, this pasta salad tastes bright and fresh, with just the right amount of salt and oil and a great depth of flavor from the tomatoes, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes. It makes the perfect side dish to any cookout. My boyfriend's parents even took leftovers before we went home and my boyfriend finished off what was left that night. So none made it past the first day. I will definitely make this recipe again and again!

Pasta Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Olives:
Salad:
9 oz. spiral pasta (3/4 a 12 oz. bag. I used the veggie spirals with the different colors)
1 lb. cherry tomatoes, preferably a mix of red and yellow, halved
1/2 c. chopped kalamata olives
1/2 Tb. olive oil

Dressing:
8 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained
1 c. fresh basil, firmly packed
2 Tb. red wine vinegar
2 Tb. olive oil
1 Tb. walnut oil (can sub olive)
1 Tb. minced garlic (2 cloves or so)
A few whole kalamata olives
1/8 tsp. black pepper

1. To make the pasta salad, cook the noodles according to package directions until tender. Drain, rinse with hot water (to keep them from sticking), drain again, then toss with the 1/2 Tb. of olive oil. Set aside to allow to cool, though occasionally give it a stir to keep it from sticking together.

2. To make the dressing, combine the oil-packed tomatoes, basil, red wine vinegar, olive and walnut oil, garlic, olives, and black pepper in a food processor. Process until pureed, scraping down the sides of the processor occasionally, to make sure everything gets combined.

3. Once the pasta has cooled, add the halved tomatoes and chopped olives and toss. Stir in the dressing and toss to coat. Cover and chill a couple of hours before serving. Makes a nice, big ol' bowl full with plenty to go around!

I hope you all enjoy your weekends!

Super Easy Italian Salad

Just take a look at this tasty salad:

Please excuse all the nooch. Lol. I love that stuff!

My boyfriend's Mom made this salad for us on Christmas Eve when I was having dinner at her house. It's super easy to make. My salad still isn't as good as hers (you know how that is... it's always better when someone else cooks!), but nevertheless, I've ate it for lunch the past two days. The olives add a nice oily, salty touch that makes up for any need of dressing. The only thing I do to finish off this salad is sprinkle it with nooch and lemon juice. I made this salad once with plain romaine and once with an "American blend" that had romaine, iceberg lettuce, carrots, and purple cabbage. It tastes MUCH better with the American blend! Also, I used nooch, but you can use vegan Parmesan (or even nothing) to your tastes.

Also, as a note, some people are dead set against eating raw mushrooms, so feel free to leave them out. I'm completely aware that the common button mushroom contains small amounts of hydrazines, but that's why I only eat them very rarely and why I top them with lemon juice. DO NOT eat any other species of mushroom raw, and especially not wild ones. As I was looking up hydrazines, I read a story where a bunch of people in California got sick eating raw morels (which grow around here). I was dumbfounded. Like, for serious? Even us Missouri folks fry them bitches up, and we all know what happens when we eat too many of the cooked variety... I couldn't imagine eating them raw! That's just no bueno! I also realize that many raw food recipes utilize shiitakes and portabellos, but they're usually dehydrated long enough at a temperature high enough to destroy those compounds.

So, anywho, what I'm saying here is eat raw mushrooms at your own risk. Do your own research and decide for yourself!

And now, here's this tasty salad. This recipe makes one huge bowl o' salad, perfect for lunch. I like to serve it with a nice slice of crusty bread buttered with some Smart Balance Light. Yum.

Easy Italian Salad:
1/2 bag "American blend" salad mix
1/3 c. canned artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed, and chopped (not the marinated kind)
10 black olives, sliced (I like olives, but they sort of "top out" in terms of enjoyment if I eat too many).
1 tomato, chopped
1/8 of a red onion, super thinly sliced
1-2 button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 Tb. lemon juice (estimate, just the amount in a slice or two)
Nooch or vegan Parmesan to taste

In a large salad bowl, toss together everything except the nooch/Parm, then sprinkle it to taste.

Black Bean and Toasted Corn Salad

Yes, I know that salads aren't exactly winter fare. But what can I say? When the body wants a salad, the body gets a salad.

Of course, I'm not about making any sissy salads that consist of some lettuce and fat-free dressing. No thank you. That is not a meal, my friend. That is a sad side salad found in a non-veg restaurant. My salad are meals. They include complete proteins, vitamins from the first half of the alphabet, a variety of texture, and a mad amount of flavor. They are the salads that make you fell full, satisfied, and proud to be a veggie-lover.

This salad is pretty easy to prepare. It's nothing that fancy. In fact, you can toast the corn while you prep the veggies and everything will be done at the same time. If you don't have any leftover grain, both quinoa and bulgur are pretty quick to cook. I personally recommend the quinoa in this recipe. Black beans and quinoa were meant to be together! This recipe is sized to make about two large salads, so you can share with a friend!

Black Bean and Toasted Corn Salad:
1/2 a green pepper, diced
1/2 a red pepper, diced
1/2 a red onion, diced
1/2 a cucumber, diced
2 Roma tomatoes, or 4 campanari tomatoes (super tasty!), chopped
1 c. canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 c. cooked leftover grains, such as bulgur, brown rice, or quinoa
2 romaine hearts, cored and chopped
1/2 a bag of fancy romaine blend (with romaine, carrots, frisee, and radicchio), or more romaine
2 Tb. raw or roasted sunflower seeds
1 recipe Toasted Corn

Toasted Corn:
2/3 c. frozen corn, thawed, and squeezed dry with a paper towel (I nuke it in the micro for about a minute)
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. smoked or regular paprika
Nonstick spray

To make the toasted corn:
In a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray, place the corn in a single layer and dust with the spices. Toast over medium-high heat until the corn is dry and slightly blackened and spices are fragrant. About 5-7 minutes. You'll need to stir the corn around occasionally.

To assemble the salads:
Thoroughly wash all the ingredients, and prepare as specified above. Layer all the ingredients, starting with the lettuces and then up through the grain, the beans, and the rest of the vegetables. Top with the toasted corn and the sunflower seeds.

 

There is a strategically placed fork in this photo. 

Not gonna lie, my salad is lacking the grain, because it was 8:30 at night, I'd been away from home all day, and I was ravenous. However, I've made this salad many times and I like it best with some quinoa added to it.

I've been eating the salad with a champagne caper vinaigrette (which is what is in the photo). It's made with capers, agave, champagne vinegar, dijon mustard, and garlic. I need to get it perfect and then post the recipe on here for this salad. However, I used to just eat it with salsa, and that is just as good. I prefer the ChiChi's brand of salsa for salads because it's pretty tomato-y (meaning, I don't exactly recommend it for chip dipping, lol). The toasted corn really gives it a little something special.

Also, feel free to add alfalfa sprouts and avocado chunks. They're also good with this particular salad blend.

Anyway, have a great Christmas! I hope everyone remembers to eat their veggies! Bwahaha!!

Vegan MoFo: Grapefruit-Soba Noodle Salad

I have a confession.

I love, love, LOVE grapefruit. 

I love it so much I don't even put sugar on top! 

Every year as it starts to get cold outside, I trade it my navel oranges and granny smith apples (fall fruits) for my clementines and grapefruits (winter fruits). With the grapefruits comes the one inevitable recipe: Grapefruit-Soba Noodle Salad.

This recipe came from the January 2009 issue of Vegetarian Times, and I've made it so often that the magazine page it once resided on is now half sticky and covered in juice stains. I'm sure I'll get around to putting it on a recipe card eventually... It comes with a peanut sauce, but I have a confession...

I HATE peanut sauce. I've tried 15 million different recipes and tried it on all sorts of things, but it gags me. It's just too rich or too vinegary or too goopy. I can't stand it. That's why every time I make this recipe, I don't make the peanut sauce...

Anywho, the recipe calls for radishes. Radishes are alright, but they're not a vegetable I would pay for. Instead, I used daikon. Daikon is radish-like, but it's sweeter and milder. It's also more fun to cut up! The key to picking out a good root o' daikon is picking one that is nice and firm. I had to wade through all the floppy ones up front to get a good one from the back (I love where this conversation is going!). So after cutting the ends of it, I peeled it with a vegetable peeler, then I cut it into matchsticks. It's flavor was perfect in this recipe. On a small note, aside from the fact that it is super low in calories (18 cals in one cup! Yay vegetables!), it contains about 30% of your daily vitamin C! Awesome. The label on it had a recipe for some shredded daikon salad. I think I might make a bowl with the little bit of root I have left over. I'll tell you how it is. :)

Oh, and buckwheat soba is a good source of protein. One serving of soba has about 7 grams of protein. The VT nutritional info is mostly correct, though it actually has more protein in it that it states, even without the peanut sauce!

The mystical root of mystery that is daikon.

So, although this recipe is from Vegetarian Times, I'm going to repost it here (it's available for free on the website already) with a link back to the original. My picture is slightly different than theirs (I added celery, subbed daikon, left off the cilantro, and forgot to take a picture of the sesame seeds), but I've many the original plus many variations and they've all been awesome. To have a step-by-step picture guide on how to supreme a grapefruit, click here.

Grapefruit-Soba Noodle Salad:
Peanut Sauce:
¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar
2 Tbs. smooth peanut butter
1 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp. agave nectar
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. chili oil
1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)

Noodle Salad:
1 small red bell pepper, sliced (1 cup)
5 radishes, thinly sliced (2/3 cup)
5 green onions, sliced (1/3 cup)
6 oz. snow peas
8 oz. buckwheat soba noodles
2 tsp. canola oil
8 oz. seasoned tofu, cut into 4 slices
3 grapefruit, supremed

To make Spicy Peanut Sauce:
1. Purée vinegar, peanut butter, soy sauce, agave nectar, sesame oil, chili oil, and garlic in blender or food processor until smooth (or use a whisk and some elbow grease... you have less to clean up that way).

To make Soba Noodle Salad:
2. Toss together bell pepper, radishes (do the daikon!!), and green onions in large bowl. Bring large pot of water to a boil, add snow peas, and cook 2 minutes. Transfer snow peas to bowl of ice water with slotted spoon; drain, and add to vegetables. Return water to a boil.
3. Cook soba noodles in same pot of boiling water according to package directions; drain, and rinse under cold water. Drain again, and set aside.
4. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu, and cook 1 minute per side, or until lightly browned.
5. Toss tofu, grapefruit supremes, and soba noodles with vegetables. Divide among 6 bowls, drizzle with Spicy Peanut Sauce, and sprinkle with cilantro and sesame seeds, if desired.

Here's my sideways-assed photo:

Blogger wouldn't let me flip it and I was getting seriously annoyed, so I've decided to just post it anyway! It is a cold noodle salad, and it tastes better once it's sat in the fridge for awhile, but I'm sure it would be just as good if the veggies were stir-fried. I might have to make that variation later...

Here's the link to the original recipe: Grapefruit-Soba Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce. 

Have a great evening!

Vegan MoFo: Poppy Seed Coleslaw? Why Not?

So, the other day my Dad came home with a bag of shredded coleslaw mix. It was a not-so-subtle hint that he'd like me to make him some. My Dad's pretty awesome and he does a lot for me, so I always give in to his "hints" and cook things for him. I don't mind one bit though, because the kitchen is probably one of my favorite rooms in the house!

Anywho, my not-so-secret secret to making this coleslaw is Veganaise. It's my go-to vegan mayo and I honestly think it is a dead ringer for mayonnaise. Actually, I like it BETTER than mayo because not only is it free of eggs and milk (and a million other things on its unusually long ingredients list), but I think it tastes... cleaner? You know, it's not so greasy on the tongue... That's kind of a weird way to say it, but eh. You catch my drift. Lol.

So yeah, my Dad eats my vegan coleslaw and he loves it. I love it as well. I only put enough veganaise on there to give all the cabbage a nice coating. I HATE goopy coleslaw. I also ensure that it's neither too vinegary nor too sweet and I balance everything out by giving it a nice dosing of poppy seeds. Though most coleslaw recipes here in the Midwest use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar, I always use rice vinegar because I find the flavor more pleasant. This is just my preference though, and you can use whatever kind you like. I previously posted this same recipe, but it was a guesstimate based on what I tossed in the bowl. In this recipe, everything is nicely measured out and the final product has been tested and approved! Enjoy! Even in November!


Also, I used two small heads of savoy cabbage to yield 5 cups, but I'm sure a large green one will yield five cups easy. Also, a mandoline makes real easy of the cabbage and onion shredding.

Poppy Seed Coleslaw:
5 c. shredded cabbage
3/4 c. shredded carrots
1/2 c. yellow onion, thinly sliced
2/3 c. Veganaise
2 Tb. sugar of choice (I use liquid sweetener)
1 Tb. poppy seeds
1 Tb. olive oil
1 Tb. rice vinegar
1/2 tsp. sea salt

1. After washing shredding cabbage, ensure that it is COMPLETELY dry by spinning it in a salad spinner and drying it with paper towels. If there's excess water, it will become goopy. Place the cabbage mix, carrots, and onions in a bowl, toss to combine, and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, combine the veganaise, poppy seeds, oil, vinegar, sugar, and sea salt. Mix well.

3. Pour veganaise mixture over the cabbage mix and mix until all the cabbage is coated. Cover and refrigerate at least two hours before serving. Ta-da!


I realize this is a very un-Thanksgiving-like post, but hey, I figured I'd spice things up a bit. Also, you can come back to this recipe later and make it for BBQs with the weather is nice! Have a great holiday!

Salad Daze

All I've been wanting is salad, salad, smoothies, salad, salad, grapefruit out the wazoo, and more salad. This is one of my favorites. To save time and money, I bake my own tofu and cook the rice ahead of time. I also waited patiently until the salad greens and mixed veggies went down in price. Yesterday I went out and stocked up on fruits, veggies, and tofu. Everything I bought was on sale for very good prices. I was so happy! I plan on eating delicious meal-sized salads for the next month. The weather got cold again, so eating all these fresh greens is a nice way to put a little spring back in my life. This particular salad is simple, tasty, and by far one of my favorites. It's also quite easy to make it into a whole meal for only a few calories (gotta work on that winter pudge).

Simple Asian Salad ("simple" because it doesn't use any fancy dressings)

Baked Asian-style tofu, diced
Leftover rice, quinoa, or other grain of choice
Red onions, thinly sliced
Red pepper, thinly sliced
Sliced almonds
Mandarin oranges, each segment halved
Mixed salad greens (I like to use a mix of frisee, baby romaine, baby spinach, mache, parsley, etc. No iceburg for me).

Feel free to add:
Some thinly sliced carrot
Thinly sliced celery
Snow peas

I like to layer mine up then I sprinkle it with just a little bit of tamari and rice vinegar for flavor.

When made using: 4 oz. baked, marinated tofu; 1/4 c. no-sugar-added mandarin oranges, 1/2 Tb. sliced almonds, 1/2 c. cooked rice, and 1/2 Tb. tamari over about 3-4 c. mixed greens, you're only looking at about 400 calories. This salad makes a great lunch. If I get hungry later on in the day around 3 or so, I usually follow this up with a healthy smoothie. Delicious.