More Big-Ass Salads

I tried to think of a more delicate title to this post, but let's call a spade a spade, shall we? These are some big-ass salads!

Baby romaine, chopped cucumber, celery, and tomato, drizzled with Jalapeno-Tahini Dressing from Ani's Raw Food Essentials. This dressing was kick-ass...fresh jalapeno, fresh garlic, tahini, lemon juice, and Braggs. The jalapeno was making my lips tingle!

This salad accompanied a bowl of Smoked Tomato and Jalapeno Soup, because, you know, I just can't get enough of that soup. This dinner was muy caliente!

This salad happened completely by accident...

It was 5:30 and I had no plan for dinner. Time was ticking away. Desperate, I started rooting around in my pantry and grabbed some canned lentils. I threw them in a pot and added a bunch of seasonings - cumin, chili powder, coriander, pepper, etc...

Then I opened the crisper and grabbed whatever was there. Luckily, I had some cucumber, avocado, and scallions in there, along with a couple of tomatoes from the kitchen counter. Chop, chop, chop!

I had the dregs of some baby romaine in the fridge, as well as an unopened container of Tofutti sour cream that had been sitting there since approximately April :) Aha, I'll make a Mexican salad! I tossed everything - lentils, veggies, sour cream - over the lettuce. It was a little bit lacking in salt, so I ended up crumbling some tortilla chips on top and drizzling it with lots of Cholula Chipotle hot sauce. Much better!

Finally, I was craving some Fig & Pistachio Salad from Choosing Raw and made some big bowls to enjoy. I also baked 4 softball-sized beets that had been lurking in the crisper for about a week. Then I added some cannellini beans, and finally some frozen broccoli for my broccoli-loving son. It was a totally random assortment of stuff, but it was good, and filling!

Summer may be almost over, but that doesn't mean I won't be eating more big-ass salads! I'll eat them even when it's 20 degrees out and snowing. My love for salad knows no season!

Indian, Mexican, Asian, and American!

No theme today, just a roundup of some yummy foods I've eaten recently!

Indian-Spiced Lentils with Spinach and Rhubarb from Vegetarian Times, served over some brown basmati rice. I had such high hopes for this dish, but I was a little underwhelmed. You would think that a dish with rhubarb, raisins, and ginger would be exploding with flavor, but I thought this was rather bland. I think it needed some lemon juice. I also would add the raisins later in the cooking process so they maintain some of their sweetness. My hubby really liked it, though.

Clockwise, from top: Hearts of Palm and Jicama Salad from Southern Living magazine; Mexican Millet from Veganomicon; and frozen roasted corn from Trader Joe's. This plate was a pleasing melange of textures, flavors, and temperature (cold salad; hot millet; warm corn). Yumbles.

Spring Vegetable Stew with Soft Polenta from Vegetarian Times. You can't see the polenta because it's buried underneath the veggies, but trust me, it's there. I've made this recipe before and loved it, but this time I had to make a bunch of substitutions - frozen leeks instead of fresh leeks; zucchini instead of yellow squash; yellow pepper instead of mushrooms; and canned whole tomatoes instead of chopped tomatoes. It definitely tastes better when you make it according to the recipe! I also think it needs way more salt, IMHO. Still, it's pretty tasty and nutritious.

Clockwise, from top: homemade coleslaw (I tried to replicate the awesome spicy coleslaw from Sweet Tomatoes, but I missed the mark); Marinated Asian Tofu from Veganomicon; frozen broccoli; and millet. Yup, I love me some millet!

Forty-Clove Chickpeas & Broccoli from Appetite for Reduction. Mushy, garlicky goodness!

Masala Baked Tempeh from Appetite for Reduction and Purple Kale Salad with Creamy Apricot Ginger Dressing from Choosing Raw. I loved the contrast of the spicy, crusty tempeh and the soft, sweet kale salad. Great combination!

Another favorite from Choosing Raw, the Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce. This dish is a hit in my family! The creamy bean-and-mashed-sweet-potato filling rocks my socks and I love the slightly spicy tomatillo sauce. A little melted Daiya Pepperjack cheese on top doesn't hurt, either :)

Have a wonderful day!

Appetite for Reduction Blitz

Anyone who's ever read my blog knows that I am quite fond of Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Appetite for Reduction. I have tried 79 recipes (and counting!!) from this cookbook, and it's the one that I reach for when I want something quick, healthy, and filling. Here are some things from AFR that I've made recently:

Tamarind Quinoa (left) and Curried Chickpeas & Greens:

Quinoa Puttanesca, arugula & tomato salad with white balsamic vinaigrette, and garlic bread:

Portobello Pepper Steak Stew, served over a baked sweet potato:

I substituted tempeh for the seitan, white onion for the red onion, and omitted the red pepper flakes. I wouldn't really call it a stew per se...it was more like what goes into a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich. No matter, it was still tasty! Next time I'm going to add some banana peppers, Daiya mozzarella, and a torpedo roll and make a vegan Philly Cheez!

Finally, this was a dish I wanted to love, but it fell a little flat for me. This is Pasta de los Angeles (with brown rice penne instead of whole wheat angel hair pasta):

It's fresh jalapeno, garlic, tomatoes, spinach, black beans, shallots, lime zest, and lime juice tossed with pasta. It's supposed to have 1 cup of fresh cilantro in there, too, but I didn't have any on hand. Maybe that would have made the difference?? I don't know. I mean, I love Mexican flavors, and I love pasta, but I didn't love them together. Oh well. My hubby and son seemed to like it, though. And besides, there was bound to be a recipe or two that I wasn't crazy about!

If you have AFR, what are some of your favorite dishes?

Vegan MoFo Day 31: A Smorgasbord of Vegan Food

It's the last day of MoFo, so I wanted to leave you with a smorgasbord of yummy stuff I've eaten the last few days. I haven't traveled to Sweden, but I'm Swedish on my mother's side of the family, so there ya go.

Lemon Lentil Soup from Peas and Thank You:

Oatmeal Bread from How It All Vegan!:

Lotsa Veggies Lentil Soup from Appetite for Reduction:

Everyday Chickpea-Quinoa Salad (with avocado), also from Appetite for Reduction:

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies from Vegan with a Vengeance:

Orange-Date-Walnut Bread from 1,000 Vegan Recipes: 

Bean & Corn Tortilla Lasagna with Avocado from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan:

I used black tortilla chips and Daiya vegan cheddar to make it look very Halloween-y :)

I'll be back with a MoFo recap soon!

Vegan MoFo Day 16: Newport's Breakfast of Champions

For my second Rhode Island-themed post, I want to take a trip back to my hometown. I was born and raised in Newport, "the city by the sea" of about 25,000 people (and approximately 400,000 tourists. Just kidding. Not really). Though I haven't lived in Newport for the last 11 years, I still consider Newport home. (Newporters are funny that way. Many locals wear shirts with "Native Newporter" embroidered on them.) When people ask me where I'm from, I say Newport. I don't say the town that I've lived in for the last 7+ years. My current town is sorta vanilla. But Newport? It's Salted Caramel-Dulce de Leche, baby.

Newport has a deep, rich colonial history. Founded in 1639 by English settlers, Newport grew into one of the most important ports in colonial America, rivaling Boston and New York. Though many of Newport's original homes were destroyed by British troops during the Revolutionary War, there are still some houses and buildings that date back to the late 1600's. Newport is home to the oldest tavern in America (The White Horse Tavern, established in 1673), the oldest surviving synagogue in America (Touro Synagogue, completed in 1763), and....whatever the heck this thing is:

Whether you call it the Newport Tower, the Viking Tower, or the Old Stone Mill (that's what I've always called it), it's a big stone behemoth in Touro Park that was built either sometime before 1492 (Christopher Columbus) or sometime around 1670. Was it a windmill? A Viking church? A watchtower? Who knows for sure. All I know is, I played sports for the city's only public high school, Rogers High School, and our mascot was a Viking. I'm going with the Viking theory.

One of my favorite buildings in all of Newport is the Colony House, the fourth oldest statehouse still standing in the United States. It was built in the 1730's and sits proudly at the top of Washington Square.

I remember visiting the Colony House many times as an elementary and junior high school student in Newport. I really appreciate how our teachers made sure we got to enjoy and learn about the treasures in our hometown. We would go to see historical reenactments of important events, or just tour one of the mansions that dotted historic Bellevue Avenue. When out on field trips, we'd sometimes stop and eat our bag lunches in Queen Anne Square, gazing up the hill at the majestic Trinity Church:

Or, just as often, we'd turn in the other direction and just watch the pedestrians strolling along busy Thames Street and America's Cup Boulevard:

Of course, no visit to Newport is complete without a trip to the beach:

I'd recommend going in the summer, and not on a cold, windy day in October, just FYI :)

There are so many cool things about Newport, and this is just a small taste of my hometown. And speaking of small taste...(nice segway, no?)

...One of my favorite food memories of Newport is going to Brick Alley Pub, a Thames Street-institution popular with both tourists and locals alike.

I'd pretty much only order one thing when I went to Brick Alley Pub, and that was their "breakfast of champions." I'm not talking about pancakes or Wheaties, my friends. The "breakfast of champions" is a platter of their Ultimate Nachos, a heaping helping of tortilla chips covered with cheese, refried beans, salsa, tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream, scallions, olives, and jalapenos. In fact, these nachos and my Auntie Beth are forever tied together in my mind, because I remember going there with her countless times as a kid and just gorging myself with nachos and Coca-Cola. Ahhhh, those were the days!

In honor of my favorite Newport treat, I created my own platter of nachos, which I proclaim as the "Dinner of Vegan Champions."

Blue corn tortilla chips were sprinkled with Daiya vegan cheddar cheese and then baked at 350 for about 5 minutes. I took the chips out and then topped them generously with some salsa, Tofutti sour cream, black olives, tomatoes, scallions, diced cucumber, guacamame, and a new recipe from Appetite for Reduction, Unfried Refried Beans. The toasted and crushed coriander seeds really elevated the flavor of the beans to something extraordinary!

Along with a nice cold beer, these nachos were a special treat for a Sunday evening dinner. Nachos, beer, and football - what could be more American than that?!

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

Okay, this cooking rut I'm in, it's for realz. I just haven't felt like cooking. I haven't been inspired by anything. I really just want to go back to Costa Rica and have someone else cook every meal for me. That was so nice.

But since THAT ain't gonna happen, I do need to get my act together. However, I really dread the idea of sitting down and making a weekly menu again. Somehow, just the thought of spending 1-2 hours pouring over cookbooks and inevitably making the same 15 or so dishes over and over again makes me want to cringe. I need a kitchen intervention!

I can say one good thing that has come out of my malaise, though - it has forced me to get creative and resourceful. Since I haven't been menu planning, I haven't been grocery shopping regularly, and I don't always have a variety of fresh ingredients on hand. I mean, it's hard to shop for produce when you have no idea what you'll be making. This afternoon, I was shuffling around my kitchen and poking in the fridge, freezer, and pantry, looking for something (anything!) to jump out at me. For produce, I had two giant sweet potatoes, one onion, some sad looking baby spinach, a knob of ginger, two limes, two lemons, and the ubiquitous carrot/celery/cucumbers I nearly always have on hand. Hmm...sweet potatoes. I love sweet potatoes. I had 5 brown rice tortillas and about 6 small corn tortillas in the freezer. I had black beans. Enchiladas? Let's see...

A few months ago, I had bookmarked this recipe from Gena's blog. Unbelievably, I had everything I needed to make the enchiladas, but almost nothing to make her tomatillo sauce. No tomatillos, no garlic, no jalapeno pepper. Still, I would not be deterred. I rummaged through my pantry and threw a bunch of stuff into my Vita-Mix to make the easiest, quickest, no-cook enchilada sauce you could imagine. And you know what? It was pretty good! Not at all authentic, mind you, but great in a pinch! :)

Pantry Enchilada Sauce
Makes enough for 1 pan of enchiladas

1 28-oz can organic whole peeled tomatoes
1/8 - 1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 4-oz can diced fire-roasted green chilies
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp agave nectar
1/2 tbs olive oil
2-3 dashes of Cholula original hot sauce
2 big handfuls of fresh baby spinach

Add all ingredients to blender and blitz until smooth.

Gena's enchiladas, by the way, were totally awesome :) Don't let the terrible photography make you think any different!

The filling is cooked and mashed sweet potatoes, onions, black beans, lime juice, and other spices. It's killer. I sprinkled a couple of handfuls of Daiya vegan cheddar cheese on top before I baked the whole enchilada (excuse the pun - I couldn't help myself). It's hard to believe how cheesy these enchiladas taste, considering there was only that handful of Daiya on top. Amazing! Sweet potatoes are the new cheese! LOL

Bean & Corn Tortilla Lasagna with Avocado

Nothing strikes fear and trepidation in my heart quite like the prospect of making homemade lasagna. Even though it's one of my favorite Italian dishes, I think I've made maybe 5 lasagnas in the last 10 years. I keep thinking I'm going to make another one of these days...and then I start thinking of the lasagna noodles. And the tofu ricotta. And the sauteed veggies. And the sauce. And the layering.

And then I make myself a smoothie to calm myself down.

But a Bean and Corn Tortilla Lasagna from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan? Yeah, I could totally handle that.

Step 1 - mix a bunch of spices, beans, tomato sauce, and garlic & onion (uncooked! yeah!!) in a bowl
Step 2 - spread half the mixture on the bottom of a casserole dish
Step 3 - top with some corn tortillas, avocado slices, frozen corn, and lime juice
Step 4 - top with more tortillas, remaining sauce, and crushed tortilla chips
Step 5- top this with a sprinkling of vegan cheese
Step 6 - cover and bake
Step 7 - devour

Let's see - no precooking or sauteeing required; no noodles to boil; no complicated ricotta to make. Just mix, layer, and bake. My kind of lasagna!

Here it is, all assembled and ready for baking:

Here's a slice, fresh out of the oven!

And the inside "money shot." The avocado layer gives it a little somethin' somethin':

If only Italian lasagna was this easy!

Aargh for Me....But Yummy for Them

It's Day Six of my self-imposed Bland Food Fest. Toast, rice, bananas, graham crackers. I'm getting a bit depressed over it. I mean, I love food. I love to eat. I don't love feeling like this. I also miss exercising. I look out my window and see people running and I want to throw something at them. Like maybe one of my innumerable bowls of rice. I finally broke down and called the doctor's office this morning, but there were no openings today, so I have to wait until Monday to be seen. Hopefully, whatever is ailing me will be gone by then. I'm starting to think something moved into my belly and has taken up residence there. Some kind of mad, rice-eating punk who hates running or something.

But alas, just because I can't eat anything, it doesn't mean I should deprive my dear hubby and son of food. Since it is also Day Sixteen of my self-imposed I'm-Not-Going-to-the-Grocery-Store-if-I-Can-Help-It project, I had to come up with another pantry-and-freezer-friendly meal. I browsed through a bunch of recipes I'd saved to my computer and realized I'd hit the jackpot when I came across the Tempeh Tamale Pie recipe from Mama Pea's awesome and pea-lightful blog. My hubby and son both love beans, tempeh, corn, and cornbread. I think we have a winner!

Tempeh, onions, garlic, pinto beans, spices, and some zucchini (my addition) were sauteed and simmered together, then placed in a casserole dish. You top this with a quick homemade cornbread batter  studded with frozen corn kernels. Finally, a light sprinkling of Daiya vegan cheddar cheese goes on top. Bake for 15-20 minutes, and voila, dinner is served.

I threw some frozen green beans on the stove to steam while the casserole baked. I am pleased as punch to say that both hubby and son ate it up with gusto. I can't wait to actually try it myself some day (soon...I hope!!)

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot

It's been really hot the last few days. I mean, this is New England, so hot is a relative term, but it's been in the mid- to upper-80s with high humidity and lots of bright sunshine. That makes for some pretty steamy weather!

My hubby and I went running early yesterday morning before he went to work. Despite the early hour, it was still plenty hot, and my poor hubby must have sweated out a quart of water. We just ran out of coconut water this weekend (which is the best thing for rehydration after a sweaty workout, IMHO), so I came up with another idea to get him rehydrated: chia pudding! Chia seeds are great for more than just chia pets, my friends - they are also helpful in maintaining body hydration. So, stop growing that Chia Garfield and eat the seeds instead!

Chia pudding is so easy to make, it's ridiculous. You don't even need a recipe - I almost always just free-form it. The one I made yesterday was: 1/4 cup chia seeds, 1 cup coconut milk, 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, some cinnamon, and a drizzle of maple syrup. Mix it up, give it a stir every few minutes, and in 15-20 minutes, you have chia pudding!

Today, I could have used some chia pudding myself. I don't know what possessed me to spend 2.5 hours mowing my lawn during the hottest part of the day, with the sun beating down on me and the temps hitting 89, but I did. My dirty legs testify to my insanity:

I love the "sock line" where my shoes began. Nothing like a mix of sweat, sunscreen, dust, and dirt to give a gal some fine lookin' legs! :)

Tonight, I made an old favorite for dinner: Vegan Dad's Sweet Potato Quesadillas. I always reduce the amount of sweetener (I use 4 teaspoons of Sucanat, and it's plenty sweet), and I love to add some chopped pecans to the filling. I used some gluten-free Food for Life Brown Rice Tortillas for the first time, and I really liked them.

Here's the yummy sweet potato filling, mashed and mixed with sauteed onions, cinnamon, cumin, salt, and Sucanat:

 I spread the filling on half a tortilla and sprinkle with chopped pecans:

 Then I fold the other half over the filling, and repeat.

 I served the quesadillas with some mango and black bean salsa I whipped up:

This salsa was really good considering it took me 5 minutes to throw together! Here's what I did:

Quick and Easy Mango-Black Bean Salsa
Serves 4 as a side

1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups frozen mango chunks
4 scallions, sliced
1/2 large English cucumber, cut into small cubes
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon mild chili powder

Toss all ingredients together in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for several hours to allow flavors to meld.