on sandwiches

I have a confession to make:

I kind of hate sandwiches.

Why?  Well, I can't really say.  Part of it probably stems from my early childhood, when I craved foods served separately.  You remember those huge sectioned trays you'd sometimes get at church potlucks, that had something like 7 or 8 holes in them?  Those made my day.  Even my roll had it's own compartment.  You know, so it wouldn't get "juice" from something on it and get a soggy corner.

Part of it is probably because there aren't many creative vegetarian sandwiches out there.  How many times have you had to choke down a mediocre-to-poor hummus and veggie sandwich/wrap because that was the only healthy/non-meat option?  Right.  I've had my fair share, too.

Part of it is definitely because, even though sandwiches are portable and that's probably their biggest selling point, sandwiches DON'T keep well.  Can you think of a single sandwich that is better 4 hours later?  I can't.  Soggy bread, soggy veggies, misshapen and squashed overall.  No thank you.

But, I don't hate all sandwiches.

I love egg salad.

I love avocado, mayo, and sprouts on toast.

I love sloppy joes.  (Well, sloppy lentils.  Or sloppy tofu.)

I love vegetarian "barbecue" sandwiches, made with homemade seitan and topped with tons of creamy coleslaw.

Every once in a while, I love a good PBJ.

And hot damn, do I love tofu banh mi:

More often than not, I really prefer to make my own -- and this recipe is one of the best I've found to date.  (However, I double the tofu marinade ingredients, and add a teaspoon each of grated fresh ginger and grated garlic to the marinade.  What Asian food isn't better with extra garlic and ginger?)  This sandwich has all of the things I love most about banh mi, in reasonable quantities -- plenty of flavorful tofu, plenty of sriracha mayo, and plenty of carrot/daikon pickle.  MMMMMMMM.

What are your thoughts on sandwiches?

pie to share, pie for keeps

I decided I was going to make TWO pies this weekend -- one to share with John's family at a post-4th barbecue on Saturday night, one for us to keep at home.  We ended up with a busier-than-planned Saturday, so I only had time to make one pie . . .

. . . that was promptly devoured before we left the party Saturday evening.  I don't know about you, but 1/12 of a homemade pie wasn't NEARLY enough for me; I think I'm due for a pie almost all to myself, wouldn't you agree?  ;)

Pie to share is great; pie for keeps is even better!

$37 can get you ...

... three daikon radish, a head of broccoli, a pint of raspberries, two pints of strawberries, two bunches of rhubarb, carrots, pattypan squash, cucumbers, green beans, and a big bunch of lacinato kale! My thanks to the farmers who grew all of this delicious food!

Red, white, and blue breakfast

Greek yogurt pancakes topped with strawberries and blueberries ... and I figured it was ok to use white flour this time, in keeping with the theme. :)

salad days

It's hot.  (And I don't have A/C!)

"Too hot to sit on the couch" hot.

"Too hot to sleep" hot.

"Too hot to turn on the stove" hot.

("Too hot to eat" hot, for that matter!)

Except, well, one still kind of has to eat.  Consequently, I have been eating nothing but salads for days.

Magic Kale Salad with "Tempeh Bacon" from Vegan with a Vengeance:

Taco Salads:

Mixed greens, steamed beets, goat cheese, and homemade balsamic vinaigrette:

Tempeh Nicoise:

What do you eat when it's too hot to eat?

don't eat this!

I don't know whether I've ever posted this recipe before, but I make homemade playdough for my students all of the time!  Cheap, easy, infinitely customizable, and lasts so much longer than the stuff in the little yellow jars!

You will need . . .

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tbsp oil
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup water
any food coloring or scent you'd like to use (unsweetened Kool-Aid packets add a lot of bright color and fruity fragrance!  Any extracts or spices work well, too -- I especially like adding lots of cinnamon to orange playdough in the fall!)

(And feel free to use cheap, non-organic ingredients.  No one will be eating this!)

(Or should I say, no one SHOULD be eating this?????)

Combine all of your ingredients in a saucepan.  (I made a quadruple batch last night, as I have 20 kids in my class!)

Stir over low heat.  (This will take quite a while, and will get pretty stiff and thick near the end.  Use your best, strongest, wooden spoon!)

When the playdough begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and hang together in a big lump, it's done!

Knead while warm until smooth.  I usually wear my kitchen gloves for this task, as the dough is usually pretty hot at first.

Done!

Store the playdough in the fridge in a ziploc baggie or sealed plastic container for maximum life.  :)

Have fun!

make your own Chipotle

You, too, can make your own Chipotle at home.  Although not as speedy as the restaurant fare, it's definitely healthier -- I can control my portions better, and don't feel compelled to drink a gallon of water after my meal.  :)

(Notice that I still felt I "needed" an extra-large portion of guacamole.  Other components are more in check, though!)  :)

In my "burrito bowl at home" --
cilantro-lime rice (i.e., cook up some brown rice and add minced cilantro and the juice of one small lime)
black beans (from my freezer, although rinsed, canned beans would work just fine, too)
fajita veggies (a small red onion and two small green bell peppers, fried up in a freaking-scorching cast iron skillet, seasoned with a pinch of salt and a few dashes of chili powder)
shredded cheese (I bought the pre-shredded kind in the bag!  It's hot!  I'm lazy!)
pico de gallo (I can get a beautiful, local, fresh salsa at my co-op!)
shredded romaine (local!)
sour cream (local!)
guacamole (containing a ripe avocado, a squirt of lime juice, salt, garlic powder, and a dash of hot sauce)

Scoop the whole thing up with Whole Grain Milling Company tortilla chips, if you are so inclined.

Dragon Bowls!

As summer settles in with all of its heat and humidity, (I'm not a fan, can you tell?)  ;) I crave vegetables more than anything else -- I love how fresh, crisp, and hydrating a big bowl of veggies can be!

However, I don't find a big bowl of JUST veggies very filling . . . so I'm constantly searching for new and exciting ways to add veggie-heavy meals to my summer repertoire, without feeling constantly hungry.  Ali recently posted about one of her new-found favorite summer meals, the Dragon Bowl with Tahini Dressing, and I had to try it!

I cooked up a mix of red and white quinoa, (as John astutely pointed out, cheaper to buy some red and some white and mix them together at home, than pay the extra $$$ for the pre-mixed "rainbow quinoa" from the bulk bin!), topped it with some Sesame-Sauteed Kale, and then piled on the veggies -- avocado, cucumber, red bell pepper, mushrooms, purple cabbage, chickpeas, shredded carrot, and some sugar snap peas and cilantro from the garden.  After making Ali's recipe for tahini dressing, I just wasn't sure about it . . . I really don't much care for nutritional yeast, and the sauce was so strong and heavy tasting on its own . . . but when drizzled cautiously over my bowlful of veggies, magic happened, people.  :)  We had HUGE bowls of this stuff a couple times this weekend, and I'm certain this recipe will grace our dinner table again and again!

What are your favorite hot weather meals?  I need some more inspiration, as all of the Dragon Bowl leftovers are at John's house, and I'm looking at one empty fridge right now -- time to go shopping!

kale "addiction"

I seem to be suffering from a serious case of kale"addiction."  I have been exploring many new kale salad recipes lately, and tonight, returned to cooking up what appears to be my all-time favorite green:

I thought, for a long time, that I just didn't care much for cooked kale, preferring lightly sauteed chard or spinach instead of kale's sturdier, more bitter flavor profile.  Tonight, I decided to give cooked kale another chance, deciding to treat it much like I would treat spinach or chard, sticking with a light, quick saute.  Success!  Cooked kale's back in my repertoire, and better than ever.

Sesame-Sauteed Kale
serves 2 to 4, depending on serving size
good hot, cold, or room temperature

Ingredients:
1 large bunch dino kale, stems removed and thinly sliced
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, grated on a Microplane or finely minced
1 tsp grated or minced fresh ginger
1/4 tsp sambal oelek
2 tsp low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Directions:
1. Warm the oils in a frying or saute pan.  Add the garlic, ginger, and sambal oelek and cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes.
2. Add the kale to the pan, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the kale is wilted and bright green.  Add the tamari and sesame seeds, and stir until well-combined.  Enjoy!

treats!

I can't believe I've forgotten to post about my last TWO baking projects!  The horror.  :)

First up, more rhubarb crumble:

This rhubarb crumble was supposed to be a strawberry-rhubarb pie . . . what happened, you ask?  Well, John and I had planned on going strawberry-picking this weekend, but decided against it at the last minute after calling several farms and hearing tales of the long lines and large crowds . . . we'll wait a week or two until all of the excitement dies down!  So then, no strawberries.  I thought I'd just make a rhubarb pie . . . and then I got to chopping, and realized I didn't have nearly enough rhubarb on hand for a pie!  Oh well -- crumble to the rescue.  :)

I made my standard Joy of Cooking crumble recipe, (3/4 cup sugar, 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, and 1/2 cup butter for the topping,) and mixed an additional 1/4 cup of sugar with 4 cups of chopped rhubarb for the fruit base.  The last time I made rhubarb crumble, I used only 2 tbsp additional sugar, and it turned out to be a bit too tart for John.  (He's not at all a picky eater, but it seems he's very sensitive to highly acidic foods.  Go figure!)  The additional sugar pleased both of our palates, and organic vanilla ice cream took things over the top.  :)

Next time, I promise I'll (literally) dust off the ice cream maker, and make my own for a change!

And here are some cupcakes I made last week for the church choir end of season potluck:

I whipped together a batch of "Banana Cupcakes" (with chocolate cream cheese frosting!) from Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers after work, the day of the party, and still had plenty of time to spare before heading out to the 'burbs to hang out!  Can you believe it?  Cupcakes on a weeknight?  (And I didn't need to go to the grocery store for any special ingredients, either!)  This just goes to show how amazing this cookbook is -- and I know I've written about how much I love this particular book at length in the past.  I have tried many recipes from that book, and every recipe has been simple, speedy, reasonably healthy, and incredibly delicious!  I love the Moosewood cookbooks in general, but Simple Suppers is my all-time favorite.

Anyone own that book?  Favorite recipes?  Favorite Moosewood books?

More kale!

Lately, we can't seem to get enough kale, so I keep searching for and trying new kale salad recipes. Dinner tonight was pretty incredible, if I do say so myself ... Kale, Apple, and Tempeh Salad (using this recipe for the tempeh,) with Wedge bakery bread and olive oil for dipping on the side. Vegetables sure do require a lot of chewing, but they are so worth it! Delicious, healthy, light, yet filling; a perfect summer dinner for hot, humid weather! (P.S. about half the kale we harvested from our garden this morning!)

rice and beans, beans and rice

Who doesn't like beans and rice?

Brown rice, black beans, corn, green onions, red bell pepper, queso fresco, salsa, and a little extra-virgin olive oil.  Tasty hot, room temperature, or cold; I generally make a vast quantity, as I never seem to get sick of this meal!

local eats

It's official . . . locally grown produce is starting to pour into the Farmer's Market, and our garden is starting to produce!  A few meals from this past weekend, all using local eats:

A simple stir-fry dinner:

Short-grain brown rice topped with onion, carrot, red bell pepper, tofu, and local sugar-snap peas, covered in my homemade stir-fry sauce, and sprinkled with cashews for extra crunch.

A delicious, deep-dish pizza:

I used this crust recipe (halved) again, as I was in a bit more of a hurry and didn't have time for my usual Artisan Bread dough to sit for two hours.  I shaped the dough into more of a rectangle, patted it into a well-oiled jelly roll pan, and topped with more oil, parmesan, mozzarella, a big pile of spinach and arugula from our garden, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, and oregano.  This soft, chewy, bready pizza hit the spot last night!

And dessert:

Rhubarb crumble, made with two big bunches of rhubarb from the Farmer's Market!  We also picked up a rhubarb plant, and cleared an area behind John's garage . . . wahoo!  I may have to wait until next year for more rhubarb, (at least rhubarb we've grown ourselves,) but that's ok -- it'll spread like wildfire back there, and then we'll have all the rhubarb we can eat!

What local food are you excited about right now?

beans and cheese

We've been eating lots of beans and cheese this week!  First meal involving two of my favorite ingredients:

"Tomato Tortilla Soup," from Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers, with quesadillas on the side.  I had never made tortilla soup before, and I was pleasantly surprised by this recipe -- the ground/pureed tortilla chips gave the soup an incredibly creamy, silky texture, and the simple recipe was a snap to whip together on a busy day.  The quesadillas were made with whole-wheat tortillas, homemade refried pinto beans, and shredded pepper jack, with jarred salsa and homemade guacamole for dipping.

Leftover beans and cheese were later incorporated into breakfast:

Huevos Rancheros!  More protein, please!  :)  Yum.

Lunch today

A bed of spinach, arugula, and mixed lettuces from our garden, topped with cucumber, tomato, olives, avocado, hard-boiled egg, and Annie's Goddess dressing. Delicious and extremely filling!

Hello, garden!

John and I spent about 3 1/2 hours on the garden this morning - weeding, chipping, planting, and installing the removable chicken wire frames he built over a month ago. (Our first bunny visitor took down a considerable amount of our chard ... drat! Magnetic fencing to the rescue!) The final planting:
Flowers: nasturtium, marigolds, and sunflowers
Herbs: mint, basil, dill, thyme, oregano, chives, parsley, and cilantro
Greens: spinach, arugula, chard, lacinato kale, and gourmet baby greens
Tomatoes: a red heirloom from Dora, a yellow heirloom from Dora, Romas, green zebras, and large cherries
Other veg: carrots, zucchini, green onions, summer squash, cucumber, bell peppers, eggplant, and sugar snap peas/green beans (green beans to be planted when sugar snaps are over.)

We'll enjoy our first major harvest for lunch today - giant salads with spinach, arugula, and mixed lettuces. WAHOO!

The first harvest!

Dinner tonight was a simple pasta, including some homegrown spinach and arugula! The first harvest from our garden!! Woo-HOO!!

back to it

I have fallen out of two very good habits in the past year or so, and I decided tonight would be the night I officially get "back to it" --

Good habit #1: using my reusable produce/bulk bags when buying groceries

Good habit #2: cooking dried beans and freezing in 2-cup portions

Good habit #2 seemed especially important to me, as money has been a little tighter than usual lately, and we all know how cheap beans are to start with, and how MUCH cheaper they are when you cook them from dried.  Also, I recently read an article in this month's issue of Whole Living that detailed a variety of environmental toxins that screw with female hormones.  I don't have any issues, but I figure it's good to be aware and possibly avoid issues in the future, right?  I'm not ready to give up canned tomatoes just yet, (and oh, how I wish the glass jars of tomatoes were cheaper!), but I figure, skipping the canned beans in favor of home-cooked is a win-win, right?  And I'm taking Michelle's advice this time 'round, and cooking 'em with a chunk of kombu each.

What are your feelings and/or opinions about BPAs?

Maybe we'll have a bumper crop of Roma tomatoes in the garden this year, I'll teach myself some basic canning, and I can actually say good-bye to canned tomatoes?  Fingers crossed!

tortilla pizza

Here's an easy, cheap, calorie-conscious (if you measure your cheese) dinner for one -- a tortilla pizza!  Why haven't I ever thought of this before?  I topped a whole-wheat tortilla with parmesan, part-skim mozzarella, sliced tomato, kalamata olives, and oregano, and baked the whole thing at 400 until bubbly and crisp around the edges.  Dinner served, belly filled, and mouth only slightly burned by boiling hot tomato juices.  ;)

Falafel!

Simple Sunday night dinner - homemade pita topped with falafel and all the fixings!

banana milkshake

I think I've finally hit that moment in my early 30s when my metabolism is slowing down . . . darn!  I was hoping spending my days chasing toddlers would take care of that.  ;)  Alas!  Anyhow, in order to avoid buying new pants, which I can't afford, I'm currently counting calories.  Again.  Ugh.  I'm not going to complain too much, but let's just say . . . I'm not a fan of feeling a little bit hungry most of the day, I'm not a fan of washing all of those extra measuring cups and spoons, and I'm not a fan of the tediousness of entering everything I put into my mouth into the app on my iPhone.

But there are some things I'm a fan of, like banana milkshakes:

Containing nothing more than a frozen banana, a cup of unsweetened almond milk, a teaspoon of agave, some Penzey's "Baking Spice," and 1/8 teaspoon of vanilla, this baby is definitely more than the sum of its parts.  High in calcium, potassium, B6, C, E, and fiber, but low in cholesterol, low in fat, and low in calories, (at only about 160,) this is definitely a "bargain" dessert!  Sweet, creamy, flavorful, and delicious.

And I have to say, this whole "counting calories" thing isn't really all THAT bad.  It's forcing me to be more planful about my meals, which is a good thing, and definitely reminding me to be more mindful in my eating each day.  (Being around kids and their endless snacks can be challenging at times!)

Any other tips, ideas, or simple recipes you'd like to share?

With that said, I better go pack my breakfast and lunch now . . .

today in food

After an incredibly busy day yesterday, which involved spending WAY too much time in the car driving all over the metro for a variety of reasons, we made today a quiet day.  We did little besides cook, eat, and lounge, although we did get out for a walk this afternoon.  Here's today in food:

Breakfast:

Homemade buttermilk pancakes, topped with strawberries and syrup, with a side of maple-glazed breakfast sausages!

Lunch:

Homemade pizza, using up leftovers from the party last weekend, with a spinach, cucumber, and tomato salad on the side.  (P.S. LOVE "Goddess" dressing.  The only bottled dressing I buy.  Anyone have a good recipe for a homemade version?)

Afternoon baking project:

I can't think of anything better to do on a dreary Sunday afternoon besides lounge around watching Forrest Gump, while periodically stirring the granola -- can you?

Dinner:

Chili-Glazed Tofu Over Asparagus and Rice was a new recipe, and a good one!  I, of course, didn't follow the recipe as written . . . I pulled the asparagus component out of the rice pilaf, roasting it in the oven instead, and added red bell pepper and mushroom to the pilaf, per a suggestion someone made the comments section of the recipe.  Kept the glaze on the tofu the same, though, which was excellent!  I'll definitely make this again -- healthy and easy.

Off to finish the movie . . . !

Simple, but fancy

Friday night dinners pretty much always have to be simple, in my opinion - I'm usually WAY too tired out from the week to attempt much cooking. Tonight's dinner was fairly simple, in my opinion, but kind of fancy-looking -- Cheese & Spinach- Stuffed Portobellos, from Eating Well:

5-a-day? Indeed.

Something about the whole 5-a-day thing has always confused me a little.  I understand the importance of eating fruits and vegetables, of course, but what I don't understand is, why is it so hard for so many people?

 I had at least 5 produce servings just in my dinner tonight!

Avocado, mayo, and sprouts on toasted wholegrain bread, roasted asparagus, and Terra Chips.

And a post-dinner baking project resulted in one heck of a fabulous dessert:

Honey & Goat Cheese-Filled Fig Muffins are TO DIE FOR.  (I did sub Neufchatel for the goat cheese, as I wanted a little leftover for my bagel tomorrow morning . . . !!)  I practically inhaled this muffin warm from the oven, and I can't wait to try them chilled for breakfasts or snacks.  A tad sweeter than the average muffin, these definitely walk the dessert line, but are still 100% whole grain (and pretty high in protein, for a muffin,) so they would still make a decent breakfast.  What is it about figs that makes things seem a bit more decadent?  I'll probably never understand.  But I'll keep eating these muffins, in the hopes of figuring it out.  ;)

baby garden

No, we're not growing baby people . . . baby vegetables!  Here are a few pictures of how the plants are doing:

Peas!

 Lettuce!

Spinach!

 Green onions!

 Cilantro!

 Mint!  (transplanted from another area of John's yard)

Everything else is coming up, too; my camera was just being difficult, and many of the photos I took were blurry and useless.  Oh well!  Growing food is fun!  I feel very lucky that I have someone that wants to try to grow food with me, and a space in which to do it!  Have I ever mentioned I've always wanted a garden?