Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Fat Head
If you watched Super Size Me, this was the anti-Super Size Me documentary. He argues against a lot of health claims and fad diets, discusses how fats aren't evil, and carbohydrates are not great things to consume. Overall my take away is to consume things in moderation...not too much of any one thing and you'll be ok. =)
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Bonus Points
So we are having some technical difficulties...no, that's not the excuse for not exercising both days...We walked for an hour 3:15 to 4:15 around the neighborhood...to the park...then checked out the unlocked tennis courts at JFK High School...and back home! There are no pictures of me, cause Andy took them on his phone, and we are currently unable to get his phone to connect in any way to the computer. But my proof is that he obviously didn't take the photos of himself!
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Exercise for Bonus Points
For bonus points, Lisa, Cora & I did some shopping and lots of walking! A few pics from our outing:
And, yes - Cora did get quite a few looks as we walked her around; she was pretty popular on our walk.
And, yes - Cora did get quite a few looks as we walked her around; she was pretty popular on our walk.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Hooray for the Adventure...
Wow! There's two of me now. lol Thanks Lisa.
So far it's been pretty challenging but fun to go meatless. To break up the monotony of peanut butter sandwiches, we enjoyed grilled cheese (w/grilled onions) at In & Out for lunch...yum!
For dinner, I made Bean & Pineapple Soft Tacos...
...on whole wheat tortillas! I also made two salsas to go with them:
And I've prepped some peanut butter spread (pb, banana, honey, golden raisins, and sunflower seeds) so I can make a quick sandwich tomorrow. :]
So far it's been pretty challenging but fun to go meatless. To break up the monotony of peanut butter sandwiches, we enjoyed grilled cheese (w/grilled onions) at In & Out for lunch...yum!
For dinner, I made Bean & Pineapple Soft Tacos...
Chunky Cucumber Mango Salsa
Asparagus Salsa
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Who says sandwiches are boring!
Super easy and yummy! Toasted bread, teriyaki tofu, a slice of lettuce and a veggie stir fry. =)
What yumminess are you making??
Thursday, January 19, 2012
The Remarkable Rabbit Race!
In honor of our new race of wonders, I did a little 2012 updating of our family site. =) My 3 previous posts include some recipes to inspire...feel free to post others you find inspiring along the way! It would also be awesome to hear about things that are easier or harder about this challenge than you may have thought. If you break down and have a giant slice of steak, share with us! Or if you are super strong and go to Veggie Grill even when you think you totally won't like it, let us know! (We'll be very proud of you mom!) Post photos and share your journey here...let's bring this blog back to life!! =D
Good luck!!
Curried Tofu Pitas
**If you enjoy curry, this is a REALLY easy dish to prepare! You just have to stop at Trader Joe's for a couple ingredients.**
Curried Tofu Pitas - from The Trader Joe's Cookbook
4-6 servings
Ingredients:
1 pkg. firm tofu, cubed
1/2 cup Thai Yellow Curry Sauce
1/4 cup Mango Ginger Chutney
1 cup grapes, halved
1/2 cup whole cashews
1 scallion, chopped
8 lettuce leaves
4 white or whole wheat pitas
Mix curry and chutney until well blended. Add tofu and toss to coat. Stir in grapes, cashews, and scallion.
Cut pitas in half. Stuff each half with tofu salad mixture and lettuce.
*Variation: Try substituting chopped apples for the grapes and pecans for the cashews.
Curried Tofu Pitas - from The Trader Joe's Cookbook
4-6 servings
Ingredients:
1 pkg. firm tofu, cubed
1/2 cup Thai Yellow Curry Sauce
1/4 cup Mango Ginger Chutney
1 cup grapes, halved
1/2 cup whole cashews
1 scallion, chopped
8 lettuce leaves
4 white or whole wheat pitas
Mix curry and chutney until well blended. Add tofu and toss to coat. Stir in grapes, cashews, and scallion.
Cut pitas in half. Stuff each half with tofu salad mixture and lettuce.
*Variation: Try substituting chopped apples for the grapes and pecans for the cashews.
Hungarian Goulash
**If you're looking for something a little easier to prepare than the moussaka, but still yummy.**
Hungarian Goulash - From The Native Foods Cookbook
6 servings
Ingredients:
1/3 cup olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, sliced
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 lb seitan, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup paprika
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups water
2 cups canned crushed peeled tomatoes
2 cups canned or bottled sauerkraut, drained
1 lb pasta (fettuccine or rigatoni works well)
Garnish
soy sour cream
chopped fresh dill
Heat olive oil in a skillet and sauté onion, garlic, and red and green bell peppers about 3-4 minutes, until lightly browned. Add seitan and paprika, and sauté another 1-2 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper, water, crushed tomatoes, and sauerkraut. Let simmer, partially covered, 25-30 minutes.
Boil the pasta according to package directions. Portion cooked pasta on plates and top with goulash. Garnish each plate with a dollop of soy sour cream and chopped dill.
Hungarian Goulash - From The Native Foods Cookbook
6 servings
Ingredients:
1/3 cup olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, sliced
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 lb seitan, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup paprika
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups water
2 cups canned crushed peeled tomatoes
2 cups canned or bottled sauerkraut, drained
1 lb pasta (fettuccine or rigatoni works well)
Garnish
soy sour cream
chopped fresh dill
Heat olive oil in a skillet and sauté onion, garlic, and red and green bell peppers about 3-4 minutes, until lightly browned. Add seitan and paprika, and sauté another 1-2 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper, water, crushed tomatoes, and sauerkraut. Let simmer, partially covered, 25-30 minutes.
Boil the pasta according to package directions. Portion cooked pasta on plates and top with goulash. Garnish each plate with a dollop of soy sour cream and chopped dill.
Moussaka =)
Oopa Moussaka - From The Native Foods Cookbook
8 servings
Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant
2 medium zucchini
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, sliced
28-oz can crushed peeled tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 large baking potato
1 Tbsp olive oil of drizzling on top
chopped fresh parsley for garnish
*optional: 1 1/2 cups soy ground "meat"
Vegan Bechamel Sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1/8 tsp nutmeg
3 cups soy milk
1 Tbsp cornstarch diluted in 1/2 cup water (or substitute 1 Tbsp kuzu for the cornstarch)
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut eggplant lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices. Salt the slices and let them "sweat" for 10 minutes.
Cut zucchini lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices, and set aside.
Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a saucepan, and sauté onion and garlic until onion is transparent and lightly browned. Add crushed tomatoes, oregano, salt, and pepper. Simmer 5-10 minutes.
Lightly oil the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish. Peel potato and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices. Layer potato slices in bottom of baking dish, and spoon one-third of the tomato sauce over. Then layer eggplant, one-third of tomato sauce, (soy ground if using), zucchini slices, and finally the rest of the tomato sauce. Drizzle top with olive oil.
Cover with baking dish lid or foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours.
While dish is baking, prepare Vegan Bechamel Sauce: Heat olive oil in saucepan, and sprinkle in flour and nutmeg, stirring constantly until mixture is lightly browned and a nutty aroma arises. Whisk in soymilk, cornstarch mixture, and salt, stirring until mixture begins to boil; then reduce heat and whisk until thickened.
Remove moussaka from oven and remove cover. Ladle Vegan Bechamel Sauce over top of casserole and put back in oven to bake for another 20-30 minutes, until top is nicely browned. Let sit a half hour before cutting and serving. Garnish each serving with lots of chopped fresh parsley.
You make this dish a day ahead of time and rewarm before garnishing and serving.
**If I start this dish about 3 hours prior to serving, it's usually done on time. Enjoy!! =D**
8 servings
Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant
2 medium zucchini
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, sliced
28-oz can crushed peeled tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 large baking potato
1 Tbsp olive oil of drizzling on top
chopped fresh parsley for garnish
*optional: 1 1/2 cups soy ground "meat"
Vegan Bechamel Sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1/8 tsp nutmeg
3 cups soy milk
1 Tbsp cornstarch diluted in 1/2 cup water (or substitute 1 Tbsp kuzu for the cornstarch)
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut eggplant lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices. Salt the slices and let them "sweat" for 10 minutes.
Cut zucchini lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices, and set aside.
Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a saucepan, and sauté onion and garlic until onion is transparent and lightly browned. Add crushed tomatoes, oregano, salt, and pepper. Simmer 5-10 minutes.
Lightly oil the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish. Peel potato and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices. Layer potato slices in bottom of baking dish, and spoon one-third of the tomato sauce over. Then layer eggplant, one-third of tomato sauce, (soy ground if using), zucchini slices, and finally the rest of the tomato sauce. Drizzle top with olive oil.
Cover with baking dish lid or foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours.
While dish is baking, prepare Vegan Bechamel Sauce: Heat olive oil in saucepan, and sprinkle in flour and nutmeg, stirring constantly until mixture is lightly browned and a nutty aroma arises. Whisk in soymilk, cornstarch mixture, and salt, stirring until mixture begins to boil; then reduce heat and whisk until thickened.
Remove moussaka from oven and remove cover. Ladle Vegan Bechamel Sauce over top of casserole and put back in oven to bake for another 20-30 minutes, until top is nicely browned. Let sit a half hour before cutting and serving. Garnish each serving with lots of chopped fresh parsley.
You make this dish a day ahead of time and rewarm before garnishing and serving.
**If I start this dish about 3 hours prior to serving, it's usually done on time. Enjoy!! =D**
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