beans & greens tacos

Confession: I'm not thrilled that I'm having to count calories right now. Sigh. I found a computer program that I am finding really helpful, (email me if you'd like details -- I'd be happy to pass along info,) and find that aspect of it EASY . . . I just don't love thinking that hard about what I eat EVERY SINGLE MINUTE.

Like, "Oh my god -- I forgot to input the eight animal crackers I had with the kids this morning! Was it eight crackers? Seven? Nine? OH WHO CARES!!!!!!" But I still input eight crackers, sigh.

The plus side? I have been eating healthfully for so long, I'm finding THAT aspect pretty easy. I am just watching portion sizes and adding more veggies. I have developed new relationships with my measuring cups and spoons I never thought I'd have. :)

Tonight's dinner definitely didn't feel like "diet food," although it came in well under 300 calories . . .

BEANS AND GREENS TACOS:

For each taco . . .
1 corn tortilla (I used homemade, from my freezer)
2 tablespoons refried beans (I used homemade)
1 tablespoon cooked brown rice
2 - 3 tablespoons cooked greens (I used spinach)
1 tablespoon shredded pepper jack cheese
1 tablespoon pico de gallo
1 teaspoon "light" sour cream
1 radish, sliced

I made myself two tacos for dinner tonight, which I found pleasantly satisfying . . . and left me plenty of room in my daily calorie count for a chocolate chip cookie for dessert. :)

"Supermarket" Success!

I checked The Supermarket Vegan out from the library a week or so ago, and have just gotten around to cooking from it a little bit this week. What a great little gem of a cookbook! All of the recipes seem simple and relatively quick to prepare, which is a plus in my house on busy weeknights! Too bad it's too late to let Santa know about this one! :)

I made . . .
Hummus Soup:

Now, I liked how EASY this recipe sounded, but I was wowwed by how tasty the finished product was! I ended up using about a teaspoon of harissa in the soup (instead of the suggested cayenne,) and finished the soup with some of the harissa-infused oil Anna and Langdon shared with us when we were in Milwaukee. MMMMMM! This was an incredibly satisfying lunch on my snow day yesterday, with a crisp green salad and some lightly toasted pita. Yum yum yum!

Next, we have Lentil Tacos:

This was another winner with both Dan and I -- we agreed that neither of us really cares much for ordinary lentils, but we like this recipe! (I ended up adding the juice of one lime to the filling, to counteract the over-saltiness I tasted in the finished product -- it helped!) We spooned the fillng into corn tortillas and topped with diced red onion, chopped tomato, sliced avocado, sour cream, some of the salsa verde I made last weekend, and shredded cabbage.

Now, my only complaint about these two recipes is that both tasted over-salted to me, and I didn't even add any salt at all to the first recipe! I'm wondering if it's because I used commercial veggie broth base -- has anyone ever tried "Better than Boullion" before? I picked it up because it was both cheaper and yielded more than the Rapunzel brand, which I used to buy all the time. (I have been making my own veggie broth base for years now, but needed broth and didn't have time to make more base last weekend.) Maybe I'm so used to my own version, (which probably has less salt,) that my tastebuds are just overwhelmed? What do you think?

soup and tacos

Even though Dan and I decided to go out for dinner on Tuesday night, (to Saigon! for banh mi!), I did end up cooking a little something so we had plenty of leftovers for lunches throughout the week . . .

"Red Lentil Soup," from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home. I added a huge amount of fresh spinach to this recipe, which was an excellent idea, as was more chili flakes than the recipe called for. Mmmmm! I also quickly cooked up a bunch of leftover half whole-wheat Artisan Bread dough into some chewy, flavorful naan.

Last night, it was time again for tacos!

Whole-wheat tortillas stuffed with black beans, cast-iron fried peppers and onions, chipotle gouda, fresh tomatoes, lettuce, homemade guacamole, sour cream, and salsa. MMM! I always think of tacos as kind of an "indulgent" meal, but when I looked at the piles of produce on the counter last night as I was preparing to start cooking, I may slowly be changing my mind! :)

TGIF! We have a quiet weekend planned, which I'm looking forward to. Woo!

I love you, tacos.

I really think tacos are one of my favorite meals -- they are quick, can be very healthy, and are extremely satisfying! Last night's dinner:

Whole-wheat tortilla, filled with home-cooked black beans, peppers and onions, cheese, lettuce, tomato, avocado, salsa, lettuce, and a dollop of sour cream! On the side, we enjoyed some leftover Lemony Coleslaw with Fresh Dill, which I took to a potluck barbecue at work last Friday night. This is my new favorite coleslaw recipe -- simple, fresh, lemony, and delicious! (I also took a peach pie, but there were NO LEFTOVERS, so, unfortunately, no picture!)

Gearing up for yoga month tomorrow -- care to join in? Let me know!

I heart weekends.

Really, who doesn't? I've had a good one so far -- plenty of time to catch up on errands and work around the apartment, hang out with Dan, and best of all, blog!

I was a busy girl again yesterday -- I went to the Farmer's Market, Asian grocery store, and co-op, washed and prepped two huge bunches of lettuce and FOUR huge bunches of kale, baked a couple of sweet potatoes, roasted a couple heads of garlic, baked up a batch of granola, cut a ton of corn off the cob and froze it for later enjoyment, baked a chocolate-zucchini cake (more on that later when we cut into it and I can get a decent photo,) went for a bike ride with Dan, did two huge loads of laundry, and enjoyed a long and leisurely dinner with Dan and his family -- belated birthday celebration for my sweetie. Whew! No wonder I was so tired last night!

Best of all, I was so busy last week, I have a huge blogging backlog. Let's get started!

Here's Dan's birthday dinner, way back from last Monday night:

When I asked Dan what he wanted for his birthday dinner, he said, "pasta and salad." I harassed him for something a LITTLE more exciting than that, and he came up with, "rigatoni with pesto." Okay! Nobody carries whole-wheat rigatoni, so we had to settle for white pasta (GASP! YUM!) with some sliced zucchini thrown in the pasta water for the last two minutes, all tossed with homemade pesto. (My pesto recipe is pretty basic, but I use almonds instead of pine nuts, since I always have almonds on hand, and pine nuts are ass expensive.) Tasty delicious! Truthfully, my favorite part of the meal might have been the little, local sungold tomatoes in the salad. Sungolds and "Kellog's Breakfast" tomatoes are a tie in my book for the best tomatoes ever. Mmmmmmmmm!

Tacos, how I love thee:

Whole-wheat tortillas from the Farmer's Market, topped with home-cooked black beans (with garlic, onion, and lime juice,) stir-fried peppers and onions, queso fresco, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and shredded cabbage. Now I'm craving tacos again!

Anybody found anyone who doesn't like tacos yet?

"Bulgur, Arugula, and Cannellini Salad," from VCON:

We needed a dinner that would be ready immediately upon arriving home on Thursday night, and this fit the bill. Healthy, chilly, and delicious for a hot and busy weeknight. I might even try this with chickpeas next time! (I'm starting to realize that I really don't like white beans, except pureed into homemade hummus. Is that weird?)

Tomato, mozzarella, and basil salad:

Local heirlooms, local hand-rolled fresh mozzarella, local basil, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Mmmmmmmmmm! I bought a small loaf of rye bread at the Farmer's Market to accompany this salad, and it was VERY tasty. The bread came from the nice man who I discovered is also making soft pretzels every week . . . heaven! I can't resist the artisan soft pretzel! I must buy one every week. :)

Gorgeous, local, fresh berries:

This is why I spend so much money at the Farmer's Market -- I can't help but buy local berries when they are in season! They are so expensive, but SO worth it! This dessert prompted me to say yesterday, "I LOVE summer! Wait, no I don't -- I hate the weather, but I LOVE the food!" Dan just laughed at me. :)

What do you love about summer?

I have another busy day ahead of me today -- more errands, more cooking, and more laundry. PLUS, Christine and I are making the trek down to IKEA tonight! Yay IKEA! Later!