yay! organic kiwi on sale!
my stove is broken for the past week….so sad…one of the last things I made was roasted purple potatoes…the most potato-y tasting potato….
landlord come fix my stove! please. :)
on another note… what are your thoughts on toaster ovens v. microwaves? we are thinking of getting rid of our microwave to reduce irradiated food consumption, and opt for a toaster oven. On the onset and as potential new-toaster oven owners, maybe they are easier to clean? use less electricity than the giant nuker? they definitely cook better, I’ve eaten the food from them (see leftover past non-vegetarian chicken finger cellulite for proof)
Mom’s tabouleh :) My mom and grandmother have been making this since I was very little, before I was a veggie. Great energy before dance classes ;) I have a quart in my fridge now.
bulgar + lemon juice +parsley + green onion + tomato (I don’t like the mint in it unless it’s really really fresh….guess what’s going in my window box this season!)
hey, I’ve been thinking of setting up a FB or G+ or Pinterest chapter of this place, once I get some more content….whaddya think?
shown is my dinner from one night last week (brown rice seems to fill me up better than white and after eating it for a few days I won’t go back to white! well…maybe for guests…)
about 50 cents worth of fresh sauteed green beans + brown rice (about 2.50 for a bag of organic variety) + peruvian olives (about a buck at the neighborhood grocer that sells mucho international food) ….and if you can tell me how to properly pit an olive I want to know!
I found this while browsing through the interwebs and it was a comment at the end of a thread about a vegan documentary (one of a few that are out there)- this is what it said…
“Omnivores are 100x more judgmental about vegetarians than the other way around. People know a vegetarian diet is healthier. But when you eat in front of them, it forces them to confront their own behavior, which is threatening. The less mature of them react through insults and mockery.”
I can’t say every omnivore I encounter is uber-mean about other people’s eating habits (usually it’s more just being funny) but I can definitely relate to the part about each time we eat we confront our own behavior- that really is true of any eating habit, no matter what you want to improve or remove or add in order to grow.
remember red potatoes and green beans if you live/lived in the south?
lightly saute then green beans with garlic, then boil with a bay leaf instead of ham to get them just as tasty with no meat!
I am running across more blogs that are being written by cooks for households of varied and divided diets- some vegan, some carnivore, some gluten-free, and some a little of everything omitting and including based on personal ethics and health decisions. I think it is great that everyone is becoming more respectful of one another in this aspect. I remember when myself and other vegetarians I know were younger, a very popular excuse for our parents pushing meat-laden diets was a refusal to “prepare a special/extra meal”…. there really is no need for this and if you are reading this thinking you have to cook two separate dishes every night to support a vegan and a meat-eating diet, keep reading- Imma show you how to do it hassle-free!
For this I am using a stir-fry I made with my husband one night for dinner. I buy meat for his meals in very small portions, and he is very picky about distributors and if it is grass-fed or local (we probably watch too many documentaries..I have ranted here before lol) but usually enough to separate over a few meals. it will be cooked either in a separate pan or at the very end of the components. (we are using stainless steel and I have known some vegans to be picky about the pans even when they are not in use, but I just clean mine between meat and veg.)
We used:
***optional*** for meat-eaters- 4-6 oz any lean meat(cook separate- see below, we used some grass-fed beef)
fresh rice noodles- about $1.50 from our discount grocer (also at asian markets)
1 key lime - from an 8/$1 special :)
veggies of your choice (we had mushrooms and onions on hand, not the best combination for these spices but easy! suggested would be bok choy or napa cabbage, bell pepper,daikon, carrots, broccoli, bean sprouts)
some peanut butter- about $2, about 1/2 cup used
garlic (powder or minced or fresh, we used minced)
rice vinegar- was $5 when i got it, it was already in pantry- you only need 1 tblsp
about 1 tblsp of sugar (vegan) or agave syrup
*these bottom 4 ingredients combine to form your peanut sauce for noodles. easy peazy.
prepare your peanut sauce- this is one component of dish- good for dipping any of the veg or meat into, and excellent on the noodles.
in a large pan, heat a little plant-based oil. stir-fry chopped veggies over medium heat, seasoning with soy sauces or vegetarian stir-fry sauces as you like. when these are done, set aside and cover- this is one component of your dish.
you can then cook the meat in this pan if you want to keep things tidy, or another if you are picky like that ;) season however you like or add any sauces that were off-limits to the veg (like oyster sauce). this is that component. you can plate it over the veg or rice noodles at the end of cooking.
for the rice noodles, prepare according to package, but is essentially adding them to hot water for a few seconds- you are then able to add these components together as you like to form vegan and conventional dishes! Happy Nomz to all.
pics of both.
with meat (sorry…this is for the experiement that is this blog!)
and the vegan version…
you can pour the sauce over the noodles and it tastes like pad thai….
super-filling lunch (made this and worked in the studio all afternoon! whoo!)
pb ‘n’ banana sammich with a touch of agave syrup. i made a half sammich but ate the whole banana…
kale chips seasoned with smoky paprika :)
When I first moved into my building I learned the neighbor below me is also vegan. That is pretty much the only thing we have in common but we get along okay. I learned this through a little group potluck she set up inviting all the tenants to bring a dish. I brought vegan springrolls and a non-vegan dish to please that crowd as well (yes, I know). My neighbor had cooked toasted millet with roasted veggies and it was pretty good. I had never had millet before.
Then I saw it in the Whole Foods bulk bin for $1.29/lb. and one pound of something the size/weight of couscous is a decent amount. I bought enough to fill one of my bpa-free canisters and headed home to look for recipes.
*note* cooked millet doubles in size like pasta and rice etc. you will think you only have a little but you really have a lot!
I cooked it according to “Veganomicon” cooking directions with some onion and red pepper and it tastes like a rice-ish, couscous-is, polenta-ish pilaf, in need of veggies and spices to pump it up. I tried to feed some to Mr Meat and Potatoes but he started quoting a samurai movie “we only have millet?!? when will we have real rice!” he was joking of course but it needed….something. Like to be.. transformed.
Veganomicon also had a recipe for Millet Croquettes- that required broccoli which I did not have, so I just winged it and made my own in this fashion. I used the millet I had cooked and pumped up the flavor with nutritional yeast, garlic, salt, onion powder, and cumin. I added some flour and water to help make the croquettes stick (my leftover cooked millet was a little dry). Dropped spoonfuls of this mixture into a hot oiled skillet and fry until crispy golden on each side and done! These have a more fritter-like taste that will give you a fried guilty pleasure for not much money :) To save on oil I also used one of those mister things and they in fact do not have that much oil!
Little roasted veggie pockets made from leftovers….no better way to eat a leftover than to surround it in flaky crust! The roasted veggies I had on hand were mushrooms, carrots, onions, and fingerling potatoes, which I had roasted together with garlic and a little pepper last night. I cut them into smaller dice for ease of putting into the pockets, and added a tablespoon or two of veggie broth and a pinch of salt to give it some extra “oomph.” Pillsbury makes pre-made pie crusts that are vegan (as are their crescent rolls! for more things like this PETA has a page on their site called “accidentally vegan” listing several other brands), and during this pie-making time of year you can find them everywhere. I used one round and cut into two pockets, folded them up and baked according to the crust package directions. Easy as pie, but it’s a pocket!
I am thinking a broccoli-and-daiya cheese pocket might be pretty tasty…should try that next :)
