Pumpkin Crazy

Yup, it's that time of year. Pumpkin season! And now that I'm in the northeast, there are plenty to choose from:

Long Island Cheese Squash (more on that later), kabocha, buttercup, acorn, sweet dumpling, pattypan, ambercup, and delicata.

Pumpkin, squash, pumpkin, squash. What's the difference? Who knows.....the ones that are shaped like those typical orange sugar pumpkins....I'll call those pumpkins. How's that? Here's a decent site with pictures of various types of pumpkins/squash: http://whatscookingamerica.net/squash.htm

Here, I baked the delicata:

And here, I baked up the awesome buttercup (see how to do it here):

Now on to the Long Island Cheese Squash.

That's a scary-lookin' squash. I kept putting off trying to cut into it....but when I finally did it, it wasn't that difficult!

Then I cut it into quarters:

And baked it!!

Nicely wrinkled, no?

Then I scooped it out of its skin and mashed it up and put it away....all 10 cups of it!

I used it to make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin gingerbread! So good. Now I have plenty in the freezer for Thanksgiving......who needs this....

....when you've got the fresh stuff!

What will you make out of pumpkin this year??

Eat smart,
T.

What do you do with roasted tomatoes?

I love hummus. And there are so many ways to prepare it, like my "regular" tomato basil hummus or plain tomato hummus, or even just plain ol' hummus.

Roasted tomatoes are soooo good! And they really add a sweetness, like with roasted red peppers. I usually  throw in some garlic cloves to roast with my tomatoes. I like to do two things with these tomatoes:

Sweet Roasted Tomato Basil Hummus:

1 15 oz can garbanzo beans
1 medium sized roasted red pepper
2 roasted roma tomatoes (or 2 other small roasted tomatoes)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp minced garlic (or 1 roasted clove of garlic)
handful of fresh basil leaves, washed
black pepper and salt to taste

Puree everything together until smooth.

Roasted Tomato Pasta Sauce:

8-10 roasted tomatoes 
2-3 roasted garlic cloves
large handful of fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste (or Creole seasoning if you like it spicy!)

Puree everything in a food processor until the consistency you want. I just scoop it cold, right onto hot pasta. But you could heat it up, if you prefer. You can easily double or triple the recipe if you want more sauce.

What's your favorite thing to do with roasted tomatoes??

Eat smart,
T.

Merge Restaurant: Buffalo

This past summer, we performed at the International Viola Congress in Rochester, NY. And on the way, we thought we'd stay overnight in Buffalo. We ate at Merge, which is in a great part of town! It's not all vegan, but they had a TON of stuff on the menu that was and we were in heaven. 

Merge:

(really nice space)

(parts of the awesome menu! Yes, they have raw food as well as vegan!)

(we started with the seitan bbq wings...so good)

(S got the Potato Kale Stew...great too)

(I think this was the BBQ "pork" wrap with Daiya and it was incredible! Not so healthy probably, but tasty)

I didn't realize until after we'd eaten that they had a bar in the back with some good beer on tap :(  Good to know for the future (ok, when am I ever really going to go back to Buffalo...??)

If you're driving through or staying in Buffalo...I highly recommend this place!! (perhaps on the pricier side, but excellent food)

The next morning we even drove over to Niagara Falls, since we'd never been there. It was raining, but we walked around anyway...very cool.

Have you been to Buffalo?

Eat smart,

T.

The Vegan Yogurt Dilemma

Since I moved to New England, I noticed that my favorite yogurt is NOT in the local Whole Foods, though it was always available in my Whole Foods in New Orleans: Silk PLAIN soy yogurt in the large containers. Sniff.....they only had vanilla...with no plans of getting the plain in....ever....

So I tried WholeSoy. Fail. Something about the texture wasn't right. 

Trader Joe's soy yogurt. I can't remember if it was plain or vanilla. Not right either.

I tried WildWood. Nope. Not my thing. And these others were also higher calorie than Silk. 

So I tried a couple of small container ones (though these are much more expensive):

So Delicious Almond Milk (Greek Style) Plain:

Ok. Kind of a strange texture. And maybe too much of an almond taste??

So Delicious Coconut Milk (Greek Style) Plain:

You know...I'm just not a coconut flavored person for these kinds of things. (I know your mouths have all dropped in amazement by now...) I love coconut milk ice cream, but not yogurt, and NOT creamer for my coffee!!

Almond Dream Plain:

I would say this was my favorite of the small ones....though I still prefer Silk!

People have different tastes, I know.....I've heard people rave about the So Delicious yogurts or even Amande (which I'm still scared to try because I read so many bad reviews)!! Has anyone tried Ricera's rice-based yogurt?

But here's my own personal favorite....and guess what?? I finally found it at the River Valley Market in Northampton!! THANK YOU :)

(from the Silk site)

I usually put granola in plain yogurt and eat it that way. But I also use it in Kathy's most amazing Spinach Sauerkraut dip!! I could eat that stuff everyday :)

I did not try the other yogurts in the dip, only alone with granola. 

What's your favorite vegan yogurt? What's your favorite way to eat it?

Eat smart,

T.

Two Easy Sandwiches

Here are a couple of easy sandwiches to make. One uses baked tofu and the other uses tempeh.

Easy sandwich #1:

Baked Tofu Pesto Sandwich

1/2 of 7oz package of Trader Joe's Organic Baked Tofu (Savory flavor),

handful of raw, washed kale leaves

2 slices raw tomato

handful of sprouts

pesto 

2 slices sprouted grain bread

Toast the bread.Cut the tofu in  half, so you have two thin square layers. Layer onto the bread: the kale leaves, then the 2 slices of tofu, then the tomato and sprouts. On the top slice of bread, spread a thick layer of pesto, then top the sandwich and you're done!

Easy Sandwich #2:

Vegan Reuben Sandwich

1/4 of 8oz package of Trader Joe's Tempeh (cut tempeh down middle to make 2 squares, then cut one of those squares in half to make 2 thin squares-use one)

1/2 cup sauerkraut (my favorite is Gundelsheim, but I can't find that here, so I use Polish Farms)

2 tbsp vegan mayo

1 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp relish (or chopped up sweet pickles)

2 slices rye bread

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp salt

black pepper

Put a little water in a small pan and add the thin square of tempeh. Add the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Cook on medium heat until slightly browned, then turn over and do the same. You may need to add a little bit of water here and there to keep it from burning. When the tempeh is browned, add the sauerkraut next to it in the pan and heat through. Toast the bread. Mix together the mayo, ketchup, and relish in a small bowl. On top of one piece of toast, layer half the sauce, then slide the tempeh on top and put sauerkraut on top of that. Then spread the rest of the sauce on top of the sauerkraut and top with the other slice of toast. Enjoy!

What's your favorite sandwich??

Eat smart,

T.

Welcome to Vegan MoFo!!

Welcome to Vegan MoFo 2012!!

I know I haven't been posting since our big move to the Northeast, but I'm hoping this will get me back into the groove.

This month I will probably be posting more about the small snacky things I like to eat that are super easy to throw together, as well as new products I've tried or cool vegetables I got at the local CSA. I may have a few bigger recipes, but mostly small things. Hope that's not a disappointment to most of you...

And since I haven't transferred most of my photos to my PC yet, this is just a short welcome post. Welcome to those of you that have never read my blog before as well as those of you that keep up with me on a relatively regular basis. I'm also on Facebook and Twitter! 

I may have a gluten free zucchini bread recipe to share at some point. I will also share some of the new cookbooks and recipes I've made out of them. Maybe you'll want those cookbooks too!

I promise to keep up with posting this month :)

Eat smart,

T.

Roasted Buttercup Squash

Buttercup Squash

I guess it's the season for winter squash. My CSA gave me a Buttercup squash. Had no idea what it was or how to cook it. Now it's my new favorite!! It's so rich and delicious...you don't even need to add anything to it. But it's also tasty with my kale/tomato sauce on top :)

Thanks to Amy Dicks on Facebook for the cooking suggestion....so this isn't really a recipe, but if you've always wanted to know how to roast it, here it is!

Roasted Butternut Squash with Kale/Tomato sauce:
(serves 2-3 as an entree)

1 medium buttercup squash, washed
Kale/tomato sauce found here, under Mix 'n mashed potatoes

To roast the squash: Cut the squash in half (be very careful with the knife). Scoop out all the seeds and fibers. (optional: sprinkle with salt) Turn upside down onto a cookie sheet with tinfoil. Poke a few knife holes into the top of each side. Roast at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until a knife goes in pretty easily. Turn right side up and put on a plate. You can slice off any little pieces of skin that are bumpy, (see the picture on right). Spoon the sauce into the cavity. You CAN eat the skin too...it's quite good!

What's your favorite winter squash? Today, I got Delicata squash from the CSA and yesterday I got a Sweet Dumpling squash from our local farmer's market....I'm excited to taste them!

Eat smart,

T.