Sunday Feb 16: The Week in Review

Despite my best intentions and planning, the week did not turn out as expected. Chip's work schedule was super-wacky so I was eating alone several nights, relying on whatever we had in the house. I mostly lived on potato soup, roasted potatoes, veggie burger and salads.



I ate dinner out a couple of times, too. One particular night I met my friend Susan at a Thai restaurant. I had perused the menu ahead of time, noted that though they had no tofu on the menu (strange!), they did have several vegetable dishes. I had my heart set on the Vegetable Curry until I learned that they put fish sauce in theirs. Darn it! I'm glad I inquired, but I settled for a plain bowl of brown rice & steamed veggies. I poured on a little soy sauce just for flavor. Ugh! Glad the company was wonderful because the food definitely left something to be desired.



Then, of course, there was Valentine's Day. I didn't go crazy, but there were a couple glasses of wine and a tiny bowl of vegan ice cream. Saturday we met up with some friends for happy hour where I enjoyed my weekly french fry fix and shared a Bruschetta with Chip. Our friend Rob (in the foreground) works at this restaurant so he personally spoke to the cook to ensure that our appetizer was 100% vegan. So sweet of him!

 

Back to "normal" today, made a pot of chili for dinner. This is another McDougall recipe, delicious blending of traditional flavors with some Moroccan spices thrown in. Super-yummy! I didn't include the peanut butter because I didn't want the added fat, but imagine it would've added a nice flavor to the dish.
 

Chili with Yams 

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I have been using a lot of red lentils lately because they cook quickly and thicken soups and stews very nicely.  I am also very fond of yams and they go together very well in this dish. This is delicious served with fresh, warm corn tortillas or pita bread.

Preparation Time:  20 minutes
Cooking time:  55 minutes
Servings:  6-8

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 ¾ cups water
• 3 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 4 cups peeled and chopped yams
• 1 cup red lentils
• 2 15 ounce cans diced tomatoes
• 1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed (I used my own pressure-cooked beans)
• 2 tablespoon peanut butter (optional)
• 2 tablespoons lime juice (optional)

1. Place ¼ cup of the water in a large soup pot.  Add onion, celery and garlic.  Cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the chili powder, paprika, cumin, cinnamon and crushed pepper.  
2. Mix well, then add the remaining water, yams, lentils, tomatoes, and beans.  Stir to combine, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the peanut butter, one tablespoon at a time, if using.  Season with lime juice and a bit of sea salt, if desired.

Per Serving (based on 6 servings, including peanut butter): 394 Calories; 4g Fat (8.5% calories from fat); 21g Protein; 73g Carbohydrate; 23g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 535mg Sodium. 

Note: I cooked this in the slow cooker for about 6 hours on High, turned down to warm until ready to serve. 

Source: McDougall newsletter, April 2007

Hope everyone had a beauty-full weekend!

Michele~

Today is my favorite holiday. Seriously. Don't listen to my hunny when he says that whichever occasion coming up next is my favorite. Valentine's Day truly is it. It's all about romance & love, and the decorations are my favorite colors.

And you know, this holiday is not just for lovers of the human kind! Some of the best cuddles and kisses I've ever received have come from my furbabies. (shh..don't tell Chip I said that!)
 

 To avoid the holiday rush and to insure that I can have something vegan for tonight's special meal,  we are planning to have dinner at home tonight but I haven't quite finalized my menu yet.  I'm leaning toward making my Lasagna Rolls..

Or maybe keep it simple with some pasta and Chick'n Cutlets..

And for dessert, maybe some Carrot Cupcakes?

I'm still on the fence, what are you all doing for this special day?

Love,

Michele~

Hot Dish: Comforting Potato Soup

While it's still warm & sunny here in Florida, I understand that many of my northern neighbors are gearing up for yet another blizzard. I hope everyone is warm & cozy and have plenty of food to last through the storm. I'll be thinking of you while I enjoy some nice comforting potato soup, wish I could share it with you all!

         

Potato Soup

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--------  ------------  --------------------------------

•   6               cups  vegetable broth, ready-to-serve
•   1             medium  onion -- chopped
•   1             cloves  garlic -- minced (1 to 2)
•   6             medium  russet potatoes -- peeled and chopped
•   2             medium  carrots -- chopped
•   2             stalks  celery -- chopped
•   1             medium  zucchini -- chopped
•      1/2           cup  fresh parsley -- chopped
•   1           teaspoon  dried dill weed
•      1/2      teaspoon  freshly ground pepper
•   1               dash  salt

1. Place a small amount of the vegetable broth in a large soup pot.  Add the onion and garlic.  Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
2. Add the remaining ingredients, mix well, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes, until vegetables are tender and potatoes have started to break apart.
3. Serve with some fresh bread to dunk into the flavorful broth.

Source:
  "the McDougall newsletter."
Start to Finish Time:
  "1:00"
                                    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Makes 6 to 8 Servings; Per Serving (based upon 6 servings): 107 Calories; 1g Fat (10.0% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 23g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 1074mg Sodium.  

Chip and I both loved this soup! Great flavors, savory and filling, perfect for a winter's night. I am definitely adding this to my tried-and-true recipe file, will be making this one again.

Hope everyone is toasty warm, stay safe!

Michele~

Monday Menu Planning: Week of February 10th

Since we ate out a couple of times, I didn't get to make all of last week's recipes, so I'm rolling them over to this week, along with a couple of new dishes to try.

• Black Bean Chipotle Burgers
• Vegetable Paella 
• Costa Rican Potatoes and Beans 
• Potato Soup
• Yam Chickpea Spinach Curry

Off to do laundry, have a beauty-full day!

Michele~

Dear Diary: The Week in Review

We had a pretty nice week here, lots of good, healthy food and a bit of exercise contributed to a 1-pound weight loss. Slowly but surely, I'm making progress.

Here's a couple of foodie photos from the week:

Diner Dinner: Greek salad (sans cheese) plain baked potato (I brought my own Earth Balance spread)

Italian White Bean, Kale and Potato Stew

Everyday Roasted Potatoes, my go-to breakfast

Weekly french fry indulgence (I shared!)

Tofu Scramble with Roasted Potatoes

Well, those are the highlights, here's to the start of another great week!

Michele~

Two Hot Dishes!

 

Even though it wasn't Taco Tuesday, I decided to make tacos last night. I served Chip the "traditional" hard shell kind, filling made with Boca Crumbles, while I decided to do something different.  I made up a batch of the Black Bean & Corn Salad with Lime, rolled some up into a 100-Calorie Smart & Delicious Tortilla, topped with fresh Chipotle & Tomato Salsa. Wowie! This was so much better than a plain ol' taco, I ended up having another one for lunch today.



Tonight I decided to make Pretty Stuffed Peppers, second time around for this recipe. I gathered up all of my veggies & spices, got the rice cooking, then looked in the fridge for the cooked black beans. Oops. I only had about 7 ounces, about half of what the recipe called for. What to do? Hmm..how about tossing that leftover taco "meat" into the mix? Sure, what not! That's just what I did, and the result was deee-licous!

By the time Chip got home from work, it was too late to take nice photos of the finished product, so I'm gonna cheat and share some from the first time I made this dish. Let's just pretend they look exactly the same, ok? My Ormond house is so much lighter and brighter than the one down here, the photos are always so much nicer anyway. Below is my version of the recipe as I made it last time, feel free to improvise on the filling depending upon what's in your kitchen.

Pretty Stuffed Peppers

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Ingredients

• 1 cup brown rice, cooked by your favorite method
• 6 medium bell peppers of your choice; I used 2 red, 2 yellow, 2 green
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 15 ounces cooked black beans; if using canned, rinse and drain well
• 1 cup seeded and chopped fresh tomato*
• 8 slices Cheddar-style soy or rice cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.  
2. Cut each bell pepper in half lengthwise.  Remove seeds and ribs.  Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil; add the pepper halves and blanch for about 4 minutes.  Drain and pat dry.
3. Heat the broth in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and saute for about 3 minutes, then add chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and black pepper.  Saute for 1 minute more.  Add the beans, rice and tomato and saute for 2 minutes.
4. Stuff bell peppers with mixture, packing them well. Top each bell pepper with a slice of cheese.  Place in an 8 x 8-inch baking dish. 
5. Bake peppers, uncovered, for about 20 minutes.  Set the oven to broil, broil peppers for 1 to 2 minutes, until the top is browned and cheese is bubbly.

*For added flavor & spice, you can substitute a can of diced tomatoes w/green chiles (such as Ro*tel) for the chopped fresh tomatoes. I found it also added some needed moisture to the mix.

Note: I'm a bit confused by the serving size of the original recipe..there are 6 peppers, which equals 12 halves, but only 8 slices of cheese. ? However, there was so much filling there's no way it could've fit into fewer peppers. I'm leaving it as is but noting the discrepancy here. I myself just used an extra slice of cheese, put 1/2 slices on some of the smaller peppers.

Nutrition Info:

• Calories:425
• Fat: 8.5
• Protein: 21.2
• Carbohydrate: 69.1
• Sugar 10.7
• Fiber 15.6
• Sodium 787

I think it's time for a nice cup of tea and a book. I haven't been sleeping well, blaming the little bit of stress I've been under, hoping a cup of Sleepytime will do the trick.

Have a beauty-full evening,

Michele

Monday Menu Planning: Week of February 3rd

Good morning, how's everybody feeling today? I'm sure some of you are still smiling about last night's football game, others are likely crying in their coffee cups.  Me? I was in bed by 9 pm, didn't know (or cared) who won until Chip came to bed and reported the results.

In order to insert more structure and discipline into my routine, I'm going back to weekly menu planning. I will also be logging faithfully into my food journal. Both of these habits have been very helpful in the past so I need to stop being lazy and just do the stuff that works!

This week's menu features mainly recipes from PCRM's 21-Day Vegan Kickstart, which, if you read my other blog, you'll remember that I joined in last summer. If you're new to the plant-based way of eating, or simply need a bit more structure in your diet, I highly recommend this program. There are also a few from The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook by Dr. Neal Barnard and Robyn Webb.  (I'm still crushing on Dr. B., by the way) *wink*

So, without further ado, below is the plan for this week. I've provided links to the recipes (when available) but will also be posting them along with pics and reviews.

• Curried Tomato Lentil Soup
• Black Bean and Corn Salad with Lime
• Brown Rice, Chickpea and Vegetable Soup
• Pretty Stuffed Peppers
• Tacos with Chipotle and Tomato Salsa
• Vegetable Paella
• Italian White Bean, Kale & Potato Stew
• Black Bean Chipotle Burgers

Have a great day!

Michele~

Hot Dish: Super Bowl Snacks

 Let me get this out of the way first thing: I hate football. Always have, always will. Numerous boyfriends and a couple of husbands have tried in vain to change my mind, attempted to "teach me the game" because then you'll "understand why it's so great" blah..blah..blah.  One even took me to the stadium, thinking surely I'd get caught up in the excitement and finally get what all the fuss is about. I ate popcorn and watched people get increasingly drunk and angry. Not my idea of a good time. However, just because I am not a fan doesn't mean I can't appreciate the Big Day in my own way: cooking and feeding. Super Bowl Sunday is a chance for me to whip up something different, a new tasty appetizer, savory snack or sweet dessert.  Even if it's just myself and the hubby, as it looks to be this year, might as well pull out all the stops and get into the spirit of the thing.

From what I understand, no football party is complete without hot wings. I can appreciate that. Before I went vegan, I loved me some chicken wings. Greasy & spicy, the hotter the better for this gal. No longer able to dig my head into the sand and ignore the plight of our feathered friends, I stopped eating all things chicken almost two years ago.  While I'm proud of my decision and will never again eat animals, I admit that I do occasionally miss some of those meaty foods. Wings are at the top of that list.  I realize, though, that what I am really longing for is not the taste of the animal (eww!) but the seasonings, spice and, especially, the experience that it provided.  Sitting around with friends, ordering up a batch of unhealthy-but-oh-so-tasty appetizers and a couple of cold beers, that's what I'm missing.  You know what? I can still do that. No animal should suffer and die for my belly or my taste buds.

Nowadays it is so easy to be vegan.  There are zillions of meat substitutes; from burgers to sausage to hot dogs, someone has come up with a plant-based alternative.  While I don't consume those faux meats on a daily basis, it's nice to know they're available should I want them.  These are also great transitional foods, especially if living with a vegan-in-training. I'm extremely proud of him for the progress he's made, for "allowing" me to keep our kitchen cruelty-free, so if keeping him satisfied means throwing a Tofurkey sausage in the skillet or a Boca burger on the grill now & then, so be it. I'm more than happy to do so.

Today I'll be whipping up some veg-friendly snacks that mimic the animal-based ones being served at  Super Bowl parties across the country. I promise the end result will be just as tasty as the originals, just a tiny bit lower in fat, calories, and totally without animal suffering. I'm going to cheat a little here, re-posting one of my recipes as well as sharing some from fellow vegan bloggers, I hope you don't mind. If you're like me and haven't quite finalized your party menu, this will give you the opportunity to plan, shop & cook in plenty of time for the Big Game.

Note: I've been saving up my extra Points Plus so that I can indulge a bit today. These recipes aren't exactly low-cal so I'd suggest picking one or two of your favorites and serving alongside a big green salad and/or veggie platter. A walk around the block before the game wouldn't hurt, either.

First up, my beloved hot wings.  These are a big hit in my family, who needs Hooters when you can whip up a batch of these babies in your own kitchen?

Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower "Wings" 

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• 1 cup water or soy milk
• 1 cup flour (any kind will work, even gluten free!)
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 head of cauliflower, chopped into pieces
• 1 cup buffalo or hot sauce
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil or melted vegan margarine

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Combine the water or soy milk, flour, and garlic powder in a bowl and stir until well combined.
3. Coat the cauliflower pieces with the flour mixture and place in a shallow baking dish. Bake for 18 minutes.
4. While the cauliflower is baking, combine your buffalo sauce and olive oil or margarine in a small bowl.
5. Pour the hot sauce mixture over the baked cauliflower and continue baking for an additional 5 to 8 minutes. 

Serve alongside vegan blue cheese dressing and celery sticks.




Note: This recipe produces a very spicy sauce, similar to the restaurant "Hot" version. It was too spicy for Chip who normally orders a "Medium" sauce. If you want a less intense flavor, I'd suggest adjusting your hot sauce/oil ratio. Also, next time I'll spray the baking sheet first as there was a bit of sticking, and perhaps bake a little bit longer to achieve a crisper "wing."  

For more football-friendly snacks, how about:

Warm Vegveeta Dip from Plant Powered Kitchen
Beer Soaked Fries from Edible Perspective
Fully Loaded Nachos from Lunchboxbunch
Vegan Brownies from Oh She Glows

Or perhaps you want something a little bit more filling; here's my super-simple chili that's sure to warm you up!



 I hope I've given you some "food for thought" as you plan your game day gathering.  Have a great time, and may the best team win! As for me, I'll be hiding out in my Mom Cave, will peek out to watch the commercials and the half time show.

Enjoy!

Michele

Hot Dish: Flippin' Good Banana Pancakes

They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and I agree! It's important to give your body the fuel it needs after the night's fast.  However, it happens to be the most difficult meal for vegans, especially if you're dining out. Most restaurant offerings rely on egg and dairy at the very least, even the oatmeal often contains milk. Since I've never been much of a going-out-for-breakfast kind of gal, I prefer to make my own at home.  My go-to morning meal is either roasted potatoes and/or a hot cereal, depending upon how hungry I am.  You know I'm avoiding white flour and processed carbs, but now then one enjoys a little puffy biscuit or fluffy pancake. For the past few weeks, I've been craving the latter. I haven't tried making a vegan version and honestly I was too lazy this morning to cook from scratch, but I recently discovered that Bisquick® baking mix contains no animal products, and that you don't need the egg suggested in every recipe on the box!  Well, I brought out my mixing bowl and with only three ingredients I whipped myself up a batch of golden, delicious pancakes. So good, absolutely worth the 11 PointsPlus it cost me.

Here's the recipe, such as it is:

Flippin' Good Banana Pancakes

• 1 cup Bisquick® Baking Mix (I used Heart Smart)
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
• 1 medium banana, mashed

1. Mix together, pour onto griddle, cook until golden brown on each side. Serve with slices of banana and syrup of your choice. For me, only pure maple syrup will do.  Enjoy!

Makes 3 large-ish pancakes, serving amount depends on how hungry you are, and whether or not you want to share.

It's a mostly-sunny day here in Florida, am going to burn off these breakfast calories with a nice long walk.

Have a great day, enjoy your weekend!

Michele~