Black & White Burger

In my pursuit of all things delicious, I am yearning for a solid veggie burger recipe. I have done black bean burgers before with minor success. They have all tasted great, but consistency wise fall below where I would like. Perusing the internet for some inspiration, I came across these from namelymarly.com. I find it quite nice that there is a never ending source of vegetarian/tasty/pretty/yummy/healthy blogs out there. I could literally spend all my time searching for new things to make!

I'd give these a good thumbs up, although I need to probably try them sticking exactly to the recipe. I still have problems with measuring, I'm a guesstimater you see. And frankly, I'm okay with it....it just proves difficult when trying to then reproduce my dishes on paper. Another fun fact about me: I will use the least amount of dishes and utensils possible when cooking and baking. So for this, when it called to put grind up some of the beans in a food processor, I wasn't exactly feelin' it. The parts were still in my dish rack from being used and washed earlier in the day. So I nixed that step. It may be the missing link between my pretty good patties with okay consistency and awesome patties with consistency that melts your face off. All in all, these had great flavor. They have already been eaten as left overs in the form of a wrap with veggies and simply heated up with a little sour cream on top(I wasn't feeling so hot yesterday but knew I could use a little protein).

FYI, this burger went on homemade ciabatta rolls. Yeah, that's right. I went there. A little time consuming but sooooooo worth it. And way cheaper than you would buy them for. I'll get that posted today too.

INGREDIENTS:
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup cooked brown rice
3 tbls flour
1 tbls lemon juice
1 teas salt
1 tbls chili powder
1/2 cup cornmeal
olive oil
salt and pepper

*Place half the beans and onion in food processor, pulse until coarse ground.
*Mash the rest of the beans in a bowl. Add back in the other beans, rice, flour, lemon juice, chili powder, and salt. Stir to combine. Add cornmeal and stir again. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. If its still to wet, add in some more cornmeal.
*Shape dough into 6 patties.
*Heat a splash of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, place in patties and cook about 5 minutes on each side. Keep patties hot in a 250 degree oven for about 10-20 minutes, while the rest of the patties cook.
*Enjoy!

Polenta with Kale & Beans

Confession: I have been a little slack on the blogging. Reality: I have still been cooking up a storm. I have six dishes waiting, longing, yearning to be blogged. But as a result of having some sort of cold and or flu the last few days cooking the food is about all the energy I have. Mustering up some energy for a little photo shoot this afternoon, revolving around yes, food! I'm very excited to do this!! Okay, so hopefully there will be a steady roll out of posts this week because I have a lot to post. 

This dish was something I was eagerly waiting to make. Not really sure why. Probably the balsamic reduction!! And yes, I mean the reduction that almost killed us. I've never made a balsamic reduction before so I'm not sure if this is true for everyone else...but the "burn off" was potent! Al refused to go into the kitchen, and I knew I had to cause I already started the process. Which took about an hour, FYI so I was invested and committed to it. Turned out great, but yeah, painful. Ha! And my polenta turned out a bit funky too. I didn't have much coarse polenta was the thing, and I didn't want to mix it with fine ground cornmeal. I don't know. I was experimenting to say the least. But it turned out great. The kale and beans with the balsamic...pretty sure I could eat that daily. So good. It'll probably become a nice little side for us in the future. 

Also, yes, for those of you on pinterest, that is the infamous pinterest potato. Thought I'd try it, worked great. Go figure.

INGREDIENTS:

polenta, sliced

olive oil

crushed red pepper flakes(optional)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 bunch of kale, chopped

1 can of white beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup of vegetable broth

salt and pepper

balsamic vinegar

*Heat a splash of olive oil and flakes in a skillet on medium-high, brown the polenta slices and set aside.

*In a stock pot, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and the garlic until the garlic is nice and aromatic. Toss in the kale and cook until wilted, about 6 minutes. Add in the broth and beans. Heat through and make sure the kale is nice and tender. Stir in s&p and balsamic to taste. (I used only a splash of balsamic at this point.)

*Plate up the polenta, top with kale and beans, drizzle with more balsamic. Enjoy!

Veggie & Garbanzo Bean Curry

Tonights dinner, well lets just say it was kind of a last minute change of plans. All day I kept thinking it was Friday-not sure why. But my thought process when cooking on Friday is not like that of Sunday-Thursday. See, on those days, I'm always keeping Al in mind. Leftovers for lunch that is. So I changed it up and made this tonight instead of tomorrow. And tonights dish(its a doosey)will be made tomorrow.

This is yet another inspiration from the vegan stoner blog. Al is mad in love with curry. The boy could eat it, like always. When he came home from work he was hungry, which is totally the norm. Usually we eat dinner around 5:30, depending on the day. But this was going to take a bit longer. Mainly because my motivation for making it didn't start until later and also because I decided to make naan. For the first time. Ever. Not that it turned out to be terribly difficult, just a little more time consuming. I'll toss out the naan recipe some time in the not so distant future. Back to the curry. It was made, it was consumed, it was good. Wish I would have had some more yogurt, could have been a little more saucy. Next time! So I'm doubling what I used as far as yogurt goes.

INGREDIENTS:
olive oil
2 green bell peppers, chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
12 oz plain greek yogurt
4 tbls curry powder
1 teas garlic powder
prepared brown rice

*Heat olive oil in a medium pot, add carrots and peppers. Cook for a few minutes and then add in beans, yogurt, curry, and garlic powder.
*Mix and cook until veggies are soft.
*Serve with brown rice.

Lentil Loaf

Today I am thankful for my parents. I got to pick them up from the airport today, they were off escaping the winter by golfing in Arizona for the past week. I got to puppy sit for their dog-loved having another animal in the house. But back to what I'm thankful for, my parents...there really isn't much to say except that I was once an unruly teenager and now, finally, at the age of 25 I can say that I am friends with my parents.

I'm going to call this dish a work in progress. I loosely followed the recipe from this vegan blog. When I make this again in an (inevitable) week or two, I will most likely put 2/3 in a food processor and blend. This is because I had some consistency issues. I would also add a little more ketchup into the mix....I've accounted for that in this recipe. But taste wise...fantastic. Al asked if I put "meatloaf spice" on it. HA! Oh, he'll be a vegetarian yet! :]

INGREDIENTS:
1 bag lentils, cooked
1 onion, chopped
1/2 a sleeve of ritz crackers, crushed
1/2 bag of frozen veggie mix(carrots, peas, and beans)
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1 teas garlic powder

*Heat oven to 350.
*Put lentils, onions, veggies, apple sauce, and ketchup in a large bowl. Mix well adding the garlic powder and crackers.
*Process a portion in the food processor. Mix back together.
*Pack in a loaf pan, top with ketchup. Cook in the oven for 45-50 min.
*Enjoy!

Grate Pepper Pasta

Today I am thankful for water! So so thankful for water. Not even just water, but the best water in the world. (Seriously, it's liquid awesome.) And I can actually say that because I've been to a bunch of different countries. Most of which you can't drink the water. When I lived in China I had to have one of those water coolers, and make the call every time I needed a new one in ridiculously broken chinese. True story. On monday there was a water main break a block away and we didn't have water for half the day. So for running water I am also thankful!

Okay, so I did not miss type the title of this post. I know how to spell great and I know how to spell grate. I'm calling this one Grate Pepper Pasta cause of how its made. Half the stuff you put in the sauce, ya grate it. Badabing badaboom. This turned out so good. It was creamy. It was spicy. It was flavorfull. Umm, yeah, I'll take seconds. Which I didn't, actually, because I wanted to spread out this goodness over a couple days. I'm about to reheat the last of it as soon as I post this. ::sigh:: I guess I'll have to make more soon!

 INGREDIENTS:
whole wheat penne pasta
2 red peppers, roasted, peeled and seeded
3 cloves garlic, grated
2 teas crushed red pepper flakes
1 carrot, grated
1/2 a small onion, grated
2 tbls olive oil
1 tbls basil
2 cups almond milk
1/3 cup grated parmesan
1 handful spinach, chopped

*Prepare the pasta as direct while making the sauce.
*In a food processor or blender, put the peppers, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, carrot, onion, olive oil, and basil. Blend until smooth.
*Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the milk to a simmer adding in the pepper mix and the parmesan cheese. Once its heated through and mixed well throw in the spinach and the cooked pasta.
*Enjoy!

White Bean Dip

Today I am thankful for YOU! Cheesy? Perhaps. But seriously. I started this blog about 5 or 6 weeks ago because people seemed to be enjoying the things I was eating for dinner. I never thought that in such a short time I would already be at 589 views!! Mind blowing! So thank you to all of you who read this faithfully, or you catch a dish every now and then or hey, thanks to you if this is the first time you've been here!! This is becoming a fun little hobby. And really for me, its kind of like a digital recipe book to go back to things I've made. Its just that all of you get to come here too.

Bonus: today you will learn a little more about me and my husband. Ahem. For us, life is...at the core, all about Christ. Our relationship is based with Him at the center. Al and I go to this really amazing home church. We meet at our pastors house each Sunday. We've been going for the past few years and couldn't have found more amazing people to fellowship with. Each week I usually try to whip up something to snack on. A few of us do. Its funny how one week we all bring sugar-loaded-desserts, the next crunchy-salty-snacks, and then the next we all cut up fruit. Ha! Remember the Apple Donuts, those were a huge hit there. Anyways, this is something I brought this past Sunday.

I am all about hummus. I make it all the time and we use it on everything. But a girl can use a break sometimes. Hence, a white bean dip. (I can hear the ooo's and ahh's now) This was born out of a simple concept...substitute what type of bean you are using normally. But then I had to experiment with the herbs. Result, a rosemary and thyme spread. I toasted up some thin slices of french bread to smother in the stuff. Delicious. Also, I made it in a hurry Sunday morning...so, umm, I hope I'm remembering all that went into it!!

INGREDIENTS:
1 can white beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup water
1 tbls lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbls grated parmesan
1 teas rosemary
1 teas thyme
1/2 teas black pepper

*Place all ingredients in a food processor.
*Process. :)

Quinoa Tostadas

Today I am thankful for organization. Now, this thankful moment I'm having is two fold. I'm thankful for having an organized room, things put in their place, everything neat and tidy. When and if that happens-I love it! Its effort but such a weight off when all is said and done. Secondly, I'm thankful for event type things that are organized. When you have a group of people that are doing something, going somewhere, all pitching in on something...when things run smooth that my friends is a blessing. Because so often there are bumps along the way. So here's to being organized, getting organized or aspiring towards organization.

Okay, so for those who have come here a time or two, remember the Quinoa Stuffed Peppers? Well this is using the base of that! We fell head over heals for the filling to those peppers and this is the second go-'round that couldn't come any sooner. This time I went the route of a tostada. I bought some small corn tortillas which I baked in the oven till crispy, saving some calories from going the frying in oil route. The assembly line went as follows: crispy tostada, slathered with refried beans(from a can, I wasn't that ambitious tonight), sprinkled with lettuce, covered in the quinoa mix, and topped with a few slices of avocado. YUM! The crispy tortilla really did the trick. All in all, a great use for this. Four thumbs up from the Reich's.

Eggplant & Spaghetti

Today I am thankful for mornings. The funny part is that it took me sleeping through one this morning to realize this. I'm normally an early riser, sleeping in means that its approaching 9 on the clock before I get out of bed. Today though, pretty much broke a record. It felt like any other morning. Expecting to see something like, 8:27 on the clock. Nope. Try 10:36. Really self?! No idea why I was/am so tired today. Getting back on track. I'm thankful for mornings because they are like this fresh start every 24 hours. Ya get to step out of bed and have all your firsts for the day. First good stretch. First glass of water. First pet of the puppy. First bite of breakfast. First chance to start everything off right and spend time with the Lord. First thoughts of all the things you can do that day. And when you miss a morning...it all just gets thrown off.

Life around the Reich household has been out of whack lately. Al is gone all the time and it just throws me off my game. Which has a ripple affect that works its way to our dinner time. AKA it doesn't really happen like to used to. So this is a meal from a few weeks back. The spaghetti, just boiled pasta and sauce from a jar. I've recently fallen in love with this sauce...more specifically the Chunky Garden, Garden Combo sauce. Its jam packed with veggies and has stellar flavor. Not to mention they go on sale all the time at the grocery store and sometimes there are coupons and you can pick up a jar for only $.99 which makes my day. The eggplant I made to add a bit to the spaghetti was a fairly simple breaded deal. We loved it. Here's the specs on this dish.

INGREDIENTS:
1 eggplant, peeled and sliced about 1/3 inch thick
(the breading is all based on the size
of your eggplant, so these are the things
I used, play around with the portions)
cooking spray
salt
pepper
basil
thyme
parsley
garlic powder
breadcrumbs
1/2 cup water
3 teas garbonzo bean flour
whole wheat spaghetti
marinara sauce

*Heat oven to 400.
*Place eggplant on a cooling rack on a baking sheet in a single layer. Spray with the cooking spray and season with s&p and basil. Turn over and repeat.
*Cook in the oven for about 15 minutes, eggplant needs to be done.
*Dissolve the bean flour in water in a bowl big enough to dredge the eggplant.
*In another bowl big enough to dredge, combine the thyme, parsley, garlic powder, and breadcrumbs. Set bowls next to each other.
*Dredge the eggplant in the flour water mix on both sides and then the breadcrumbs making sure it is well covered in crumbs. Put back on the rack in a single layer.
*Put back in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
*Serve with spaghetti and sauce.

Mac & Peas

Today I am thankful for something that I don't exactly have...all the time. Patience. I am choosing to be thankful for the patience that the Lord does give me. In the current season of life we are, well really Al is on the job hunt. He graduates in this May. I am currently trying to plan for an unknown future...and that's hard. Thankfully, yes, thankfully God has given me some kind of patience otherwise I could be going nuts right now. Are we staying home? Will we be moving across the country? How??!? Where!!? When?!?! Okay so...I have my moments.

Now that you have a peek into my current/constant thoughts...I would also like to introduce you to one of my new favorite blogs!! Drum roll please.....the vegan stoner. The layout...neat. The food...inspiring. The recipes...simple. And its where I have gotten a few of my latest from. Including mac & peas!! So rather than including the recipe on my site today I'll let you venture around on theirs. They don't give specifics for all the ingredients, which I like/don't like all at the same time. It gives room for your own twist but if you're clueless...it makes it that much harder. Anyways, my first crack at mac & peas was awesome. I did add some almond milk, and I think it made it creamier. Life is good when you have a creamy pasta dish. Al's comment was that it was more like a simple alfredo than a cheese sauce. My response was well, it isn't exactly a cheese sauce cause there is no cheese in it honey dear. Anyways, check out the blog and check out my other dishes as well!!

Six Veggie Stir-Fry

Lets just say, I'm writing this with remnants of this meal in my mouth and I'm contemplating not brushing my teeth for a couple days. I make stir-fry type dishes about once a week. Its fun to experiment with the basic concept of a stir-fry and make it different each time. Broccoli is a must. Peppers...always. The rest really depends on what looked tasty when I got the groceries last. Also, I finally remembered to get some chinese five spice seasoning...and I'm glad I did. Its a simple mix of a few spices...five, go figure. But the levels of flavor are complex and satisfying. Worth a purchase if you plan on making chinese food regularly. Anyways, here's my latest meal...hope it's inspiring you to try something new perhaps!

INGREDIENTS:
sesame oil
1/2 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbls crushed red pepper
8 stalks of asparagus, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 large head of broccoli, chopped
1 tbls chinese five spice
3 tbls lite soy sauce
2 tbls hoisin sauce
3 cups of spinach

*In a skillet, heat up oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Cook for 3 mins.  Then add in veggies, except for the spinach, and work in, getting all the veggies covered in a bit of oil. cook for about 5 mins.
*Put in the five spice, soy sauce, and hoisin. Make sure all veggies are again, covered in the sauce. Cook for another couple minutes. When veggies reach desired tenderness, throw in the spinach. Stir until it wilts. Serve with brown rice.

Broccoli Tofu Pesto Pasta

Basically I did I lot of cooking this weekend. So there may be a few double post days...stay tuned!

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! I got another person in this world to try tofu! Our dear friend Trav was over Saturday night, and I offered to cook dinner for the three of us. Originally going to simply make pesto pasta, I peeked into that big ol' fridge to see if I had anything else to add to it. The green heads of broccoli were calling to me. And then, out of the corner of the fridge, I heard...the tofu. In a unified harmony I heard "eat me!"  So, my simple pasta was now getting jazzed up. Also!! Unbeknownst to them, they ate-for the first time-nutritional yeast. A common cheesy like substitute for vegans. Mark this one down as vegan AND delicious!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup cashews

water

1/2 cup fresh basil

2 cups fresh arugula

1/3 cup nutritional yeast

1/2 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 package extra firm tofu, cut into pieces

broccoli, chopped

whole wheat pasta

*Soak the cashews in warm water for 10 mins. In a food processor, combine basil, arugula, nutritional yeast, and olive oil. After well mixed, add cashews, 1/2 cup of the water they were in and the garlic. Blend well. Set aside. 

*Cook pasta as directed. Steam the broccoli and start to cook the tofu by heating a tbls of olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Saute until browned on both sides. 

*Serve pasta, covered in pesto, topped with broccoli and tofu. Enjoy the heck outta it!!

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Oh. My. Good food! So I'm not a mom yet, but I know I'm going to be one of those moms who quietly hides veggies in food unannounced to the little mouths that will eat it. That is unless they come out like their mama, aka veggie loving! This is seriously a dish that is jam packed with awesomeness. In my pursuit of all things nummy, I scour the web and the growing stack of cookbooks I have for ideas. This one caught my eye and my taste buds wanted at it! I've made stuffed peppers before, but this one takes the cake. The combination of everything in it seriously wanders close to the line of perfection. I used poblano peppers this time, I might try good old bell peppers next time...its just hard when they're so expensive. Not to mention I got some mighty good sized poblanos this week. On a spicy scale from 1-10 this ranks at a "I noticed there was something there". But we love ourselves some spice here at the Reich household. (So we topped it with a little chopped jalapeno!) We ended up with extra filling, I only had 3 peppers, so I'm freezing it to use for a burrito filling the next time we are in need of an insta-meal. And like I said before, check out all the great super foods packed into these delicious peppers...

INGREDIENTS:

4 or 5 peppers(poblano or bell)
2 tbls olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tbls chili powder
1 tbls cumin
1 teas oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
a generous handful of spinach
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup frozen corn
1 large carrot, grated
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup shredded cheese
salt & pepper

*Heat oil in a large pot, over medium-high. Add in the onion and cook for 5 mins. Then add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, and garlic and saute for about a minute.
*Toss in the spinach and tomatoes, cook off some of the extra liquids for 5 mins. Then add in the black beans, quinoa, corn, carrots, and water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a medium to medium-low heat. Simmer for about 20 mins or until the quinoa is cooked.
*Stir in the cheese and s&p.
*Take your peppers and cut them in half from top to bottom. Strip out the seeds and ribs. Stuff with the hot quinoa mix. Place in a baking dish with tinfoil tented over the top. Put in a 375 degree oven for 30-35 mins.
*Remove tinfoil and top with a little bit of extra cheese, place back in the oven for another 5 mins. Serve and enjoy to your little hearts content!

Apple Donuts

So just a little update for everyone...on why there weren't many posts last week. Our happy little puppy, Bueller, got sprayed by a skunk! Ugh, and it seriously affected like everything! It was a rough week last week. But enough of that, back to food!

Its October, so that means apples are......everywhere. For those that read my post last weekend, this one has the same base recipe: beignets. When I made those last time it was way thinner then I thought it would be, so I added more flour and they came out more like donut holes. This go 'round, I followed the recipe exactly and then took apple slices and coated them in the batter, and fried as normal. After they cooled for a few minutes I then tossed them in cinnamon sugar. These were seriously divine!!! I brought them to church on Sunday and were gone so fast. Again, a bit time consuming but well well well worth it. It was like five steps up from mini-donuts....and to put it mildly I'm a mini-donut connoisseur. So make these. Seriously. Do it.

Chunky Chili

I want to start out with a confession. I am sad to say the vegan diet was broke a meal short of a full week. ::sigh:: We ended up eating with family yesterday and we ended up eating....chinese. I can't bat an eye at mongolian beef without desiring all of its saucy-ness. Unashamed we dined and chatted and enjoyed ourselves. Really enjoyed ourselves, and by that I mean went back for seconds. Uffda, now that that's off my chest I can move on.

To tonights main dish, er just dish. Chili! And since the above mentioned relapse happened, I thought it appropriate to jump back in with an "almost" vegan dinner. You're probably thinking....its either vegan, or its not. This would fall under the category of vegetarian not vegan simply because the meat crumbles that I used are alas, not vegan. They contain egg product.......or something, and milk too I believe. Anyways, I just about doubled this recipe by adding in more beans and veggies and tomatoes because left over chili is as good as just made chili-if not better. So this makes a TON of chili. For reals. We found this recipe to be absolutely terrific and enjoyed every bite of our obscenely large bowls.

 INGREDIENTS:
1 tbls olive oil
3 onions, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
12 oz of vegan/vegetarian burger crumbles
1 tbls chili powder
2 tbls cumin
2 teas cayenne
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
2 cans (28 oz) diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups corn
2 cans of kidney beans
1 can of black beans
1 can of large butter beans
3/4 cup medium-grind bulger
salt and pepper

*Heat oil in a large pot, over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, crumbles, chili powder, cumin and cayenne. Cook for about 5 min until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the bell peppers and jalapeno and work that together for a minute. Then add in the tomatoes with their liquids and water. Bring it to a boil and then add the corn, beans, and bulger. Dropped the heat down to medium-low and cook uncovered for about 15-20 min. Season, if desired with s&p.

French Onion Soup

I am not even sure why I made this soup today. I mean, it is soup season, we are well into October...right? But wait, it hit 80 degrees again today...what's that about?!? Seriously warmest fall I can remember. I guess my innards really want it to be fall so they can experience all the cozy-warm-things that come with this time before the world(ahem, the northland)goes snow white. So I made soup. Yepper doodle, I did. Found this on another blog actually, called (never home)maker. Fairly snazzy looking blog if you ask me. So anywho, I made it and it was well worth the effort. Its not that its super hard, just a bit time consuming. And tears, lots and lots of tears. The soup honestly turned out amazing! I wish I had enough to share with everyone right now, cause I would! I am drooling at the thought of how awesome it would be with melty melty cheese all up on top though. Ugh! But seriously, doesn't need it. We were going to have soup and salad for dinner but got caught up in the wonderment that is this soup and forgot about the salads. Oh well. I would like to note that I didn't have vegetable broth on hand, so I just made the equivalent with some veg bouillon cubes and it turned out fine. And the bread I used was some wheat that I had made a few days earlier in the week, I cut into big cubes and toasted the bread in the oven so it was like big croutons.

INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs of yellow onions, sliced
2 tbls olive oil
1 tbls maple syrup
salt & pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teas ground coriander
8 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
bread, cubed

*Heat 2 tbls of olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onions and let them cook for about 10 mins, stirring often. Once softened add maple syrup and s&p. Stirring well, mindful of the temp you don't want to burn the onions, for 20 mins. You want the onions to be golden. Add garlic, coriander, and broth. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for 30 mins.
*About 20 min after boil, heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil in a pan on medium-low heat. Add the flour to the oil and stir continuously for 10 minutes. The flower should become a deep brown and smell kind of nutty.
*Add the roux to the soup and simmer for another 5 or so mins. Serve with the bread.

Veggie Filled Pita & Fries

Dinners on Friday nights usually happen a little earlier and are gobbled up pretty quick. Cause its football season, and that means we are on the field. Well I'm down on the field snapping photos and Al is up in the box taping the game. We're such nerds...its true. That's a whole 'nother point though. This is all about the veggie filled pita! And fries! Tonights dish highlighted the loveliness that is: avocado. Finding vegan condiments and "cheeses" that aren't crazy imitations of regular condiments or...cheese is my ultimate goal. And yes there are ones out there. But I'm all about using stuff that satisfies, like avocados. They are buttery in consistency and mighty tasty if you ask me. Carrots were another highlight of the sandwich, I used peelings to offer a different texture, and loved it. The fries are another staple in the house. Normally they are sweet potato fries, but that would have been a bit much considering they were consumed multiple other times this week.

There's no real recipe to the wrap, I just used a whole wheat pita and the following veggies filled it: spinach, carrots, red peppers, onions, and avocado. Badda bing! Badda bomb! Done! And the fries are simply cut, dressed in olive oil, salt, pepper, and paprika and put in a 400 degree oven for a bout 45-50 minutes, until crispy. The trick is to put them on a cooling rack on the cookie sheet. That way they are off the sheet and all sides can crisp up, no flipping necessary!

Sweet Potato Falafel

A sweet potato dish again? Yes ma'am, and I'm okay with that. What I really appreciated about tonights dinner was that I was able to prep it all this afternoon. I had a photo shoot tonight and we were heading out and would be gone until closer to seven, so I knew I wasn't going to want to make anything then. With these falafels I was able to prep it all and then go off on our way, come back, pop them in the oven for 20 minutes and plate up the rest of the dinner. Like I'm a pro or something. Uhmmm, yeah, more like not a pro tonight. Not the falafel that was great. I was trying to come up with something to serve it with, having well, not many options in the fridge. I had broccoli and cherry tomatoes that I needed to use. So I found a little salad recipe and thought, let's go for it. Well, as I told Al when he finished his meal with almost all the salad I had served him left on his plate....you can't hit 'em all out of the park. And let me tell you, that kid has never not finished something I put in front of him. It just wasn't our style. I think it may have been the rice vinegar. It was a bit too potent. After I had a few bites I was fine and was definitely a member of the clean plate club tonight. But I don't think I'll make it again....the salad that is. So falafel, yay...broccoli & tomato salad, nay.

INGREDIENTS:
(falafel)
3 medium sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
1 1/2 teas ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 teas ground coriander
1/2 a bunch of cilantro, chopped
juice of a lemon
1 cup garbanzo bean flour
salt & pepper
olive oil
sesame seeds

*In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients up through salt and pepper. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour, should come out kinda sticky still. If its too moist add a little more garbanzo bean flour. Sometimes the sweet potatoes have varying water content.
* Oil a pan, and place scoops of mixture onto the pan. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Bottoms will brown, then you're good to go.

(broccoli & tomato salad)
2 large heads of broccoli, chopped
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
2 teas dijon mustard
3 tbls seasoned rice vinegar
1 tbls olive oil
2 tbls chopped fresh oregano or 2 teas dried oregano

*Steam the broccoli until just crisp-tender. Only takes a few minutes. Cool and add tomatoes.
*Place mustard in a small bowl and whisk in the vinegar and then whisk in the oil  and then the oregano.
*Pour dressing over broccoli and tomatoes, toss to coat. Season with s&p to taste.
*Chill and serve.

Spicy Vegetable Fried Rice

Bam! Double post day!

Plain and simple, we love asian inspired food. Not that this is terribly traditional...but it is easy and delectable. Its another one of those "whatever you have" kind of meals. Throw in whatever veggies you have or like. I always put bell peppers and broccoli in. Al is a big fan of mushrooms, I am not...so we don't have mushrooms. Ha! I've added carrots before or you could toss in some edamame. And if you weren't trying to go vegan like us, scramble a couple eggs and toss those in there too.

Short post tonight, but I'm being crafty and must get back to my crafts!

INGREDIENTS:
prepared brown rice
2 tbls sesame oil
1/2 an onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teas crushed red pepper
1 head of broccoli, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 cup pea pods
2 tbls low-sodium soy sauce

*Heat oil in a wok or large pan over medium-high heat. Add in the onion, garlic and crushed red pepper. Allow those to cook until they're fragrent, 1-2 minutes.
*Add in the vegetables and toss periodically for 2 minutes to coat and cook. Add in the rice, stir and cook for another minute. Then pour in the soy sauce, stir and serve.

Roasted Garbanzo Beans

In my many failed attempts to go against my natural tendencies, I have resolved that: I love to eat food! So, that brings me to finding things to eat that aren't a bazillion calories, loaded with sugar or salt, or any of those other taboo things. Especially when it comes to munching on stuff...cause man, do I love to munch! Among my findings are these bad boys...roasted garbanzo beans. And yeah, they aren't exactly the lowest calorie option, but they are packed with protein and fiber. Now, I am one that currently has 8 cans of garbanzo beans, otherwise knowns as chick peas, in my corner cabinet. I'm the hummus queen, self-proclaimed of course. (I'll share one of those recipes soon I'm sure.) Basically I'm not usually without a can or two. So this was an easy thing for that reason and the fact that, well its really easy to make. They come out as this crunchy-munchy-snack that you can season to your own liking. For instance, last time I leaned towards crushed red-pepper and paprika. This go 'round was cumin, cayenne and salt. You could do straight s&p, maybe some garlic and salt, or change it up and choose something sweeter, say cinnamon sugar. The saying is true...too each their own. My oven has some hot spots, so I had to mess around with the beans a few times so certain ones weren't burning. And I also like them slightly chewy on the inside...its really about playing around and figuring out what you like. I've also tried seasoning before they go in the oven and after...again, both work.

INGREDIENTS:
garbanzo beans(I do each batch with 2 cans)
olive oil

optional:
seasonings (whatever you like!)

*Heat oven to 400.
*Rinse and drain the beans, pat dry between some paper towels.
*Toss in some olive oil and lay flat on a cookie sheet.
*Place in the pre-heated oven for about 35-40 minutes, until they are nice and golden and crunchy.
*Remove and season.

day one, in so many ways...

To anyone out there who is reading this blog, I want to give a little bit of background on what's gonna go down on this blog and why I started it now...

Over the last year or so I have been posting iPhone photos of the meals I make to facebook. As time went by, more and more people kept saying "hey you, I like the food you post and stuff" and "your food looks so good! and stuff". After much talk of starting a blog about my kitchen antics, there came a recent choice in our house that has officially sparked this new blog into actual motion. Goal: see how eating a vegan diet (or for Al's sake since he's not a fan of the word vegan, he prefers plant-based diet) for a certain period of time would be. After watching several documentaries, reading exerts from books, countless articles online....my view on food has changed so much over the last few years. The combination of this and recently starting to really get into running has caused me to realize the impact my diet really has on a person. Immediate and long term affects.

Now, I don't want to stir up any craziness up here in the blog world...rather, this is something we are trying to see how we feel, what its like to fully commit, and to really experience the foods that are out there. If you check out the about me section of this here blog, I'll be writing up a little more background on myself, my husband, and our love of all things food. But this post is to say, hey, we're gonna eat some mighty fine vegan food over the next couple weeks (I only told Al we would do it for one week, so shhhh) and I would like to invite you on our journey. Or if you'd rather, check back in a month and 1. see if I'm still blogging and 2. perhaps we will have gone back to our more normal diet. Which mind you already is about 90% vegetarian, at least for me. Its that blast dairy that has held me back from trying out vegan all this time. I love cheese! And ice cream! And cheese! With some wicked passion, especially considering my body tends to wave the white flag of surrender when it comes to lactose...if ya know what I'm sayin'! ;) Because of this addiction, I mean passion, Al and I finished off the remainder of a block of colby last night, at about 11:30. It was so good....yet I was feeling the affects of a cheese hangover this morning...

So here we go. Day one. Of blogging. Of eating a new diet. Of having a little fun in my kitchen. Of telling Al, no, you can't have the nutri-grain bar and him saying, but I read the ingredients and then me pointing out the fact that there is milk in it. And the bottom line is, I'm probably going to slip-up, unknowingly(or cause I really want some nice sharp cheddar cheese). I am no expert on the subject yet. I'm just doing my best to put some good food on the table for my husband and I. Speaking of that....I should post my first meal, it was a doozy!