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.

SuperPower Kale Salad

KALE: the most amazing green leafy vegetable!

Yesterday, I made the most delicious kale salad ever. Really. You HAVE to try it. Here's how it's done:

SuperPower Kale Salad

1 large bunch of green curly kale (or purple)

1 Hass avocado

juice from 1 1/2 lemons

1/2 cucumber, chopped

1 cup chopped broccoli florets

1/2-3/4 cup shredded carrots (or chopped)

2 TB raw sunflower seeds

2 TB hemp seeds

1 TB Creole seasoning (or salt + cayenne, etc) (optional, but adds a nice kick!)

Put everything in a very large bowl, including the scooped out avocado (minus the pit). Wash your hands well. Now massage the avocado and juices into the salad with your hands for several minutes, wilting the kale. Eat!

Nutrition

   Kale: high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, and calcium. Blocks growth of cancer cells.

   Avocado: healthy fat, rich in potassium and B vitamins, has been shown to lower cholesterol levels.

   Lemon: high in vitamin C, aids digestion, 

   Cucumber: good source of potassium, high in vitamin K, 

   Broccoli: very high in vitamin C, good source of dietary fiber, full of phyto-nutrients and anti-oxidants.

   Carrot: high in beta carotene and vitamin A.

   Sunflower Seed: contains natural anti-oxidants and vitamin E, helps protect skin & mucous membranes.

   Hemp Seed: High protein, contains all essential amino acids,perfect ration of Omega 3 to 6, good for immune deficiency diseases.

So eat up! It's healthy and delicious :)

Eat smart,

T.

New cookbooks!!

I'm not even going to touch that one! At least not in this post.....that's worthy of its own post.

Have you tried Daiya's new wedge cheeses?? OMG. I keep buying the Jack flavor because it's so good. I finally just picked up a cheddar flavor to try. But nothing will beat the Jack flavor. So good on crackers!

I recently got some new cookbooks:

Practically Raw by Amber Shea Crawley, Ani's 15-Day Fat Blast by Ani Phyo, and Let Them Eat Vegan by Dreena Burton.

I'll be working my way through those!

First, I tried a "Pina Colada" smoothie from Ani's book. My first time using coconut oil! I was very scared of it before. And actually, it was all white and everything before I opened it. Now...in the cupboard, it's totally clear. Is that what's supposed to happen or is there something wrong with it??

Anyway, the smoothie was pretty good, but a bit "sandy" due to the brown rice protein powder I used. Very filling though.

I also made "DJ's Hummus Salad Dressing" from Dreena Burton's book. SO GOOD!! I always liked hummus on my salad, so why not make a dressing out of it? I did leave out the extra oil though.

From Eat Vegan on $4 a Day, I made the "Easy Miso Dressing" and it was delicious. So easy and tasty! Again, I left out the extra oil. However, it didn't make very much...enough for my one huge salad :)

And from Hearty Vegan Meals for Monster Appetites, I made the "Sloppy Jo-Nis". I rarely use TVP, but did finally purchase some. They were really tasty! I cut down the amount of ketchup in the recipe (too much sugar) and added pureed/diced tomatoes. I also left out the steak sauce, as I didn't have any. I'll definitely make those again!

(served on top of toasted sprouted grain bread)

And with all the fresh zucchini we've been getting from my CSA plus what my mom has brought me, I made this chocolate zucchini bread (scroll down for this bread) again:

Well, there you have it. I need to make more recipes from all these awesome cookbooks I have! Our standard in this house is salad or steamed/stir-fried vegetables with tomato sauce or an Asian sauce of some sort. We end up eating that most of the week.....is that wrong? Next, I'm going to delve into Amber's book!

What good cookbooks have you gotten recently? 

Do you always make the same thing over and over again?

Eat smart,

T.

Spicy Arrabiata Sauce

I thought I'd experiment with a spicy tomato sauce. We love tomatoes in this house! I try to keep several jars of pureed or diced tomatoes on hand whenever possible. We put them on everything!

Arrabiata Sauce:

~3 lbs Roma tomatoes

3 TB tomato paste

1/2 cup red wine

4-6 leaves fresh basil

1 TB minced garlic

1/2 onion (I used a Spanish onion), chopped

2 tsp crushed red pepper (I used more on the first try....it was SUPER spicy)

1 tsp black pepper

salt to taste

Puree 1/2 the tomatoes with the basil. Chop the other half of the tomatoes. In a large pot, saute the garlic and onion in about 1/4 cup water. When soft, add the tomatoes, tomato paste, red wine, and both kinds of pepper. Stir and bring to a boil. Boil on medium for about 45 minutes, until most of the water has boiled off. Turn off heat and add salt to taste. 

This didn't last very long....S was eating it by the spoonful...adding capers and olives of course (yuck).

Did I mention I'm near a Trader Joe's now? :) I'd been buying the $5 coffee from Whole Foods in New Orleans, but I found that TJ also has $5 coffee:

I like them both. They're not quite a pound, but better than most bags that are now only 10 or 12 oz!

Which coffee do you like better? 

Eat smart,

T.

We're here!!!

Yes, we have finally moved into our new home in Massachusetts! We love it. Love the house, love the town, love the people...

Of course we still have boxes all over the place but I think I'll be able to start real cooking again! It's also a great place to walk...there's a great 2 1/2 mile loop from our house!

We are first-time homeowners now! So if you have tips, please let me know :)

I signed up for our first CSA with Red Fire Farm in Granby, MA. They have a sliding scale, which is great since we are now self-employed and with very little income at the moment. It's about a 15 minute drive from our house. The whole area is filled with farms! I don't think we'll ever have a problem finding fresh local produce around here....or local grains!

 

Here's the loot for this week: zucchini, broccoli, lettuce, chard, cilantro, green onions, green beans, okra (am I still in the South???), and I bought a few tomatoes too.

and tomatoes...

So there you have it! My first post back. I WILL be posting more....too much good food here :) And vegan restaurants too!!

Thanks for your patience through the move. Don't forget, you can stay up to date on my Facebook page too.

Any big changes in your lives lately??

Eat smart,
T.

I won Tofu!!!

(source)

I hope you're all having a nice holiday weekend! Recently, I won an awesome package from An Opera Singer in the Kitchen's blog. (Thank you, Noelle!) It was a huge package of all sorts of silken tofu, along with pudding packets and a recipe booklet from Mori-Nu!!

I made their chocolate pudding and it was delcious & super easy to make:

I also made my own stir-fry with vegetables and their firm tofu over brown rice:

I still have yet to open a few of the packages, but I found a recipe for Tzatziki sauce (I think it's in my new cookbook from Mama Pea) and that's definitely next on the list!

Thank you, Noelle and Mori-Nu for this awesome package!

Eat smart,

T.