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.

Marinated Chicken with Pesto Spaghetti Squash

Remember that pesto I made the other day? Well I had some extra after our dinner Saturday. Combine that with it being the season of all things gourd. I give you Pesto Spaghetti Squash. Pretty simple, especially since I already had the pesto made, and its delicious!! Spaghetti Squash is something I've had before but never prepped myself. But I really like the idea of using the squash instead of say a different starchy side dish. The squash itself is somewhat bland. Usually served with butter and s&p if a side dish or it could be subbed for pasta and topped with some marinara sauce for a main. I paired it with some marinated chicken and then some frozen(yes, I use frozen-pre-made items from time to time)veggies to round out the meal. It was good.

INGREDIENTS:
(marinated chicken)
4 chicken breasts, skinless
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbls lime juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teas ground coriander

*Place chicken in a large ziplock bag. Add in all the other ingredients, work around all the corners of the chicken. Marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Cook as desired(bake or fry-I fried in a couple tbls of olive oil in a skillet)

(pesto spaghetti squash)
1 spaghetti squash
olive oil
salt and pepper
3/4 cup prepared pesto
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup parmesan, shredded or grated

*Take the squash and cut in half length wise. Take out all the gunky innards and place rind side up on a cooking sheet. Cook in a 400 degree oven for 30-35 min, depending on the size.
*In a large skillet, heat a splash of olive oil over medium heat. Shred and scoop out the cooked squash into the pan. Sprinkle on some s&p, mix. Then add in the pesto and work it through all of the squash, evenly. Finally mix in your cheeses and let everything get all ooey-gooey and melty.

Tuesday Choupi

Last night proved to be a fun one in the kitchen. I've mentioned it before, but Tuesdays often end up being a soup day. Making something you can have over the next few days. This one ended up being spur of the moment, spontaneous if you will. I'm calling it the Tuesday Choupi. Choupi, being a cross between a chili and a soup. Its hearty like a chili, but not quite all there to put it in such a category. I was tossing in things left and right. "Oh, I have a few potatoes!" & "Lets put in carrots!!" may have been things I said. This dish has some kick to it, so feel free to modify the spice down to your liking. It makes a ton! My pot was simmering to the brim with this concoction. And not gonna lie, it turned out awesome. Once again, when Al came home, he inhaled a huge portion. Gotta love him.

TIP:
I am constantly using chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in my dishes. Not wanting the to waste a whole can, try this out for size. Take the whole can when you first need it and throw it in a food processor, process until nice and smooth. Use what you need the first time, and then put the rest in a ziplock baggie, place in the freezer. It makes it so easy to then, when you need it, break off a chunk and use! An extra step the first time around and a super time saver all subsequent times!

INGREDIENTS:
olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1 bell pepper, chopped
salt and pepper
2 tbls chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, food processed
2 tbls ground cumin
1 tbls ground corriander
1 tbls chili powder
1 teas oregano
1 4 oz can diced jalapenos
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
water(refill the tomato can with water, dump in...twice)
4 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 cans of white beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup bulgur

*In a LARGE pot, heat a bit of olive oil over medium-high. Add in the onion and garlic, sweat out for 3 or 4 mins. Throw in the carrot and bell pepper, throw in some s&p and cook until the veggies are tender. Sprinkle on all the seasonings and the chipotle peppers as well as the diced jalapenos. Work together so everything is covered in spicy goodness.
*Pour in the can of diced tomatoes in their juices. Refill the empty can with water, pour in and do it one more time. Adding in a total of 2 cans of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add in the potatoes and let it boil for 5 min and then reduce heat to a solid simmer, place the cover over the pot, tilted.
*Add in the beans and continue to simmer for about 10 mins, again mostly covered. Then add in the bulger. Simmer for another 10 min with the cover fully on, check to see if the bulger and potatoes are done. As soon as they are...serve!

Asparagus & Egg Lefse Sandwich

Al and I got to enjoy a relaxing weekend, spent mostly at home. We lounged around and did loads and loads of laundry. Sunday morning we decided we were going to splurge and go out for breakfast, a treat and a rarity these days. So we headed off to one of our favs, Takk For Maten. Picked out a few items and enjoyed them family style. There were forks and knives everywhere for the 8 minutes it took us to scarf down every last morsel. My personal favorite was the lefse sandwich I had. Ooooh! It was sooo good. This morning, I decided to recreate it for us. And I'd say it turned out stellar.

INGREDIENTS:
lefse
asparagus, chopped into pieces
eggs, scrambled or hard boiled&crushed
Jarlsberg cheese

*All depends on the lefse you have and how you want to fold it together. But its basically lefse with egg in the middle topped with asparagus pieces and then covered in some Jarlsberg. Fold the lefse over the top and fry. I cooked the asparagus a bit before putting it in the sandwich and it worked well. I would have used a panini press...had I had one.

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!!

Turkey Tamale Pie

Yesterday I mentioned how I enjoy spending time searching for edible inspiration...err, inspiration for edibles. Either way, its fun! There is so much out there! Another one of my sources is, dun dun dun...the Rachel Ray Show. Most of my days are currently spent home bound, and a giant portion in front of the computer. Doing photo edits, developing my website, searching for recipes, watching last nights episode of the biggest loser that I missed...you get the idea. In being home, during what some would call "daytime" I have also tuned into to daytime programming from time to time. And I love watching the Rachel Ray Show for the recipes! Most of which I alter, but that's another story. Cause this recipe I followed (almost) to a T. Any excuse to use my cast-iron skillet is also something I jump at. Plus, one word: polenta! We loved it, Al of course went back for seconds. Leftovers...tons! One of the changes I made was I didn't have any beer, so deglazing the pan didn't exactly happen. And I didn't have tomato sauce I only had diced. So...anyways, we enjoyed it. Here is the way I did it, you can check out the link for what was on the show.

INGREDIENTS:
2 tbls olive oil
2 lbs ground turkey
2 hot chili peppers, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper
1 tbls ground cumin
1 tbls ground coriander
2 ancho chili peppers in adobo sauce, chopped fine
2 tbls cider vinegar
2 tbls brown sugar
2 tbls worcestershire sauce
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 14 oz can chicken stock
1 cup almond breeze
1 cup polenta
1 tbls honey
1 cup shredded mozzarella

*Heat oil in a cast-iron or large skillet. Brown the turkey and then add in peppers, more peppers, onion, garlic, s&p, cumin, coriander, and chilies. Stir occasionally and cook for 10 min, until the peppers and onions are soft.
*Stir in vinegar, sugar, worcestershire sauce, and tomatoes. Simmer to thicken, 5 to 10 min.
*Preheat broiler and then in a sauce pot, bring the chicken stock and "milk" to a boil. Add in the polenta and stir in constantly for 2 or 3 mins, until it has thickened up. Add honey and mix well.
*Spread polenta over the turkey to about an inch from the edge. Top with cheese and throw under a pre-heated broiler until golden brown.

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!

Cornmeal Crusted Walleye

To put it simply, our vegan diet has been busted. I enjoyed the last couple weeks of food exploration and creation. But for now, we will be going back to an anything goes diet, rooted mainly in healthy full-flavor dishes that usually end up being vegetarian. This one however is based all around a fish.

My dad gave me some fresh walleye he caught a few weeks ago. I froze those bad boys, knowing we weren't going to be eating them for a while. But the other day I saw fit for a nice and easy fish dinner. I've always loved fish, since my dad put it on the table at least once a week during the non-winter months. I've also always loved its ease in preparation and cooking. A few little preps and seriously no time at all and you have yourself a meal. Just like this one. I paired it with some real simple steamed broccoli and garlic red skin mashers.

INGREDIENTS:
4 fish fillets
1/2 cup of cornmeal
pinch of salt and pepper
1/2 teas cayenne
olive oil

*Put a couple tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
*Mix all dry ingredients and coat by dredging the fillets on both sides, place in pan
*Flip after a couple minutes, depends on thickness of fillet. Enjoy!

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.

Candy Corn

Apparently I have a sweet tooth lately. And I'm not much of a chocolate fan, so that gets rid of a ton of options. Yet, somehow it doesn't take me long to think of something I want...and then I'm making it! This is not for the faint of heart. It is decently time consuming...or at least it was for me, perhaps I'm not a competent concoctor of candy corn. Nevertheless, I powered through. They aren't exactly like the candy corn you buy this time of year, but they suffice for a sweet tooth craving. They have a softer consistency as well, again, this may have been how they turned out for me. But yeah, I'd make it again. I'd be more likely to if I had a partner in crime to help in the shaping of the pieces. TIPS: use plastic gloves or cling wrap when working with the "dough". Don't roll out too thin, or it will break. They get better the longer they are left out, getting slightly hard on the outside.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup corn syrup 
5 tablespoons Earth Balance (or other vegan margarine)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
a pinch of sea salt
red & yellow food coloring


*In a sauce pan bring the sugar, corn syrup, margarine, and vanilla to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and boil for 5 mins stirring occasionally, then remove from heat.
*Sift the powdered sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl. Then add the sifted dry ingredients into the pan, stir to combine. Let stand for about 20 mins.
*Divide into 3 pieces. Add food coloring to create the yellow and orange and leave the white plain. Work each ball, kneading until color is established and they are smooth. 
*Roll out into 3 ropes of equal length(they will be long!) and push the ropes together. Take a rolling pin over the top to flatten just a bit, joining the ropes together even better. 
*Use a knife to cut into triangles, form as you wish!

Beignets

I made these on this past weekend when desiring something sweet. I could not believe my little brown eyes when I saw that these were vegan! Not to mention honestly simple. If you have the time I totally suggest them. They were awesome. Kind of ended up more like a light donut consistency rather than beignets that we're all used to. (I mean, we have all had them right?! Right?!!?) I'm going to make these again soon, with sliced apples inside, cause that sounds down right superb!!

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teas salt
2 tbls sugar
4 teas dry active yeast
1 teas cinnamon
1 1/2 cups of water (120 - 130 degrees)
1/2 teas lemon juice
oil for frying(I used veg oil)
powdered sugar

*Mix flour, salt, sugar, yeast and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add water and lemon juice, stir until well blended. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rise for about 45 mins.
*Heat oil to 350 degrees(medium to medium-high heat). Drop in the batter in heaping spoonfuls. Once golden brown, flip over once. With a slotted spoon remove and place on a cooling rack with a paper towel.
*Serve with powdered sugar dusted on top.

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.

Sweet Potato Muffins

Last night was my first post and I was delighted to start off with such an amazing meal. For todays post we've gone a bit of a different route. Tuesdays are Al's long day at school...well, really most of them are. But on Tuesdays he has class from 12-5 and 6-8:30, not to mention he usually goes to school around 8 in the morning to get things done. Long story...semi-long, he's gone all day. So I usually don't end up making a big meal, usually a soup or something that we can eat over the next couple days. Or I'll putts around making snacks or baked goods. That's what I did this afternoon. Last week my good friend Cherrie (hi cherrie!) let me borrow "eat vegan on $4 a day". A simple little cookbook with all kinds of vegan options and very reasonable prices. I copied out a few of the recipes in anticipation of this week endeavors. Todays baked good: sweet potato muffins. I looked at the recipe and I had my doubts, not gonna lie. My mind (and hips) immediately longed to see ingredients like butter and eggs and oil. Which were no where to be found. This recipe baked 10 hearty muffins. My kitchen has a wonderful fall scent still wafting into the rest of the house. They honestly turned out great. Next time I might do a little brown sugar & cinnamon topping, to make them more of a dessert type of baked good. But thumbs up from me...we'll see what the husband says when he, most likely scarfs one down within ten seconds of walking in the door tonight. 

INGREDIENTS: 

2 cups all-purpose wheat flour

1/2 cup sugar less 1 tbls

1 tbls brown sugar

1 tbls baking powder

1/2 teas baking soda

1/2 teas cinnamon

1/2 teas salt

1/4 teas ground nutmeg

1 large sweet potato, cooked and mashed(1 3/4 cup approx)

1/2 cup water

optional:

1/2 cup raisins

*Pre-heat oven to 375

*Put all ingredients except the sweet potato and water in a bowl and stir to combine. 

*Add the sweet potato and water. Stir to combine and make sure all is mixed together well.

*Coat a muffin tin with cooking spray. Fill each muffin cup just about full. 

*Place in the oven, cook for 25-30 minutes. The tops of the muffins should bounce back when lightly pressed. Remove and let muffins cool in tin for 1-2 minutes prior to putting on a cooling rack. 

Asparagus Stir-Fry

Day 1! Pretty sure I wont be counting everyday off like this, but the first day is kind of exciting, I gotta admit. Most of these posts will be dinner meals, with the occasional snack and dessert mixed in. Well, I guess I take it back, I put no parameters or limitations on this food blog. But for today, it was dinner. And it was smashing!!! I adore asian style food and this fit in the category of stir-fry for sure. I got the inspiration from here, and made a few minor changes based on what I had in my kitchen. Not to mention bumping up the recipe so that it would suffice for the needs of our family....aka dinner for myself and Al with leftovers for Al's lunch the next day, at least. I made some basic brown rice to go along with this dish. I am honestly considering it as one of my top five meals that ever cooked. It had so many levels of flavor and great textures. Al was also a fan. There was only enough left overs for one, and I am graciously giving it to him for his lunch...he should honestly give me a really good foot rub or do the dishes for that kind of treatment. This was a wicked awesome meal, will for sure make again.

INGREDIENTS:

3(or so) tbls sesame oil

1 14oz pack of extra firm tofu, cut into pieces

2 shallots, chopped

1 inch of ginger, finely chopped

1 teas crushed red pepper

1 bunch of asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces

pinch of salt

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup toasted cashews

2 cups spinach

zest and juice from a lime

3 tbls hoisin sauce

mint

basil

*Heat the oil in a skillet or wok over med-high. When oil is hot drop in the tofu and cook until golden brown on both sides. Remove tofu and set aside. 

*Add some more oil into the pan and once its hot add shallots, ginger, red pepper, asparagus, and salt. Cook for 2 minutes and then add the garlic, cashews and spinach. Once the spinach wilts, add the tofu back in. Then zest the lime and add its juice. After that stir in the hoisin sauce and let it all come together for a couple minutes.

*Take off the heat and add in the mint and basil to your liking. Stir & serve.

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!