Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Interesting Find
This was taken in Oakland over the weekend. It was dark and Matt pulled over to park in front of this and for a second there it looked like a person peeking out. I think it was at an art gallery...
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Citrus Stir Fry & White People Tacos
I was hungry for a stir fry the other night and since Matt was not feeling well (due to dehydration) I thought a veggie packed stir fry was in order.
I used Gardein mandarin crispy chick'n (one of the few products in the line I am not allergic to) and a bag of frozen stir fry veggies. The Gardein was $3.99 at Target, which it is usually cheaper, but still beats out the grocery store by about $2. The stir fry veggies were less than $2 a bag. I like buying frozen, because I get a nice mix and the price is cheaper than buying a bunch of produce that the store may not even have. Since the sauce packet the chick'n comes with is not substantial enough I whipped up some more sauce with Braggs, rice vinegar, Sriracha and a fresh squeezed orange. I plated it on organic rice with some toasted sesame seeds (I kinda went crazy with them!) and a easy meal was born. About $7 for two beats take out prices any day!
White People Tacos - what the heck!? So last night after the gym I decided to make tacos. I had chickpeas at home, taco shells, guacamole and salsa...I had to stop by the store to pick up some produce and ran into a bunch of pretty organic kale while buying some lemons (I need to ask my neighbor for more - but she has been so generous I feel bad/greedy). I picked up some lacinato kale and headed home.
I sauteed kale, 1 can of drained and rinsed chickpeas with a bit of olive oil. I squeezed the juice of one super juicy lemon on top, added a big pinch of Mexican spice blend, a pinch of onion powder and a squirt of Sriracha. After tossing, I let it cook down for about 10 minutes. I stuffed each crispy taco shell with the kale-chickpea mix, guacamole and salsa. Served along with red rice it was totally good.
What makes it White People Tacos? Well, when I asked Matt what he thought he said "they were good, something white people would really like". Matt was not trying to be insulting, he really liked them (I did too!). It was just a departure from my 'trying to be a taco truck' style of cooking! This is a gluten free taco - for those that usually see my tacos loaded with seitan and wheat tortillas. Everything was cheap/on sale and another good meal for two under or around $10.
I used Gardein mandarin crispy chick'n (one of the few products in the line I am not allergic to) and a bag of frozen stir fry veggies. The Gardein was $3.99 at Target, which it is usually cheaper, but still beats out the grocery store by about $2. The stir fry veggies were less than $2 a bag. I like buying frozen, because I get a nice mix and the price is cheaper than buying a bunch of produce that the store may not even have. Since the sauce packet the chick'n comes with is not substantial enough I whipped up some more sauce with Braggs, rice vinegar, Sriracha and a fresh squeezed orange. I plated it on organic rice with some toasted sesame seeds (I kinda went crazy with them!) and a easy meal was born. About $7 for two beats take out prices any day!
White People Tacos - what the heck!? So last night after the gym I decided to make tacos. I had chickpeas at home, taco shells, guacamole and salsa...I had to stop by the store to pick up some produce and ran into a bunch of pretty organic kale while buying some lemons (I need to ask my neighbor for more - but she has been so generous I feel bad/greedy). I picked up some lacinato kale and headed home.
I sauteed kale, 1 can of drained and rinsed chickpeas with a bit of olive oil. I squeezed the juice of one super juicy lemon on top, added a big pinch of Mexican spice blend, a pinch of onion powder and a squirt of Sriracha. After tossing, I let it cook down for about 10 minutes. I stuffed each crispy taco shell with the kale-chickpea mix, guacamole and salsa. Served along with red rice it was totally good.
What makes it White People Tacos? Well, when I asked Matt what he thought he said "they were good, something white people would really like". Matt was not trying to be insulting, he really liked them (I did too!). It was just a departure from my 'trying to be a taco truck' style of cooking! This is a gluten free taco - for those that usually see my tacos loaded with seitan and wheat tortillas. Everything was cheap/on sale and another good meal for two under or around $10.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Vegan Valentine's Day Giveaway [CLOSED]
I am not a romantic person. I am not a fan of romantic movies or books...I do like hearts though, jewelry that is fun, vegan candy. I like the good ol' V-day without all that mush. So if you are like me and want some Valentine's loot check it out:
While out shopping I picked up a cute spiked gold-tone necklace. I really like it (here I am with it on!) and bought another one for one lucky winner. This is a simple necklace that can be worn alone or with multiple necklaces which is going to be big in Spring...
Can't leave out the candy. I went with something spicy and sweet! A dark chocolate cherry spice Chocolove bar!
On top of this I am going old school classroom style and sending you a card! All you need to do is comment below with the answer to this: Who or what do you love? No need to be romantic - you can simply state you love the fist downward dog pose of the morning! I will pick one winner on February 8th. Please leave a way to contact you. The contest is open to everyone! Good luck!
While out shopping I picked up a cute spiked gold-tone necklace. I really like it (here I am with it on!) and bought another one for one lucky winner. This is a simple necklace that can be worn alone or with multiple necklaces which is going to be big in Spring...
Can't leave out the candy. I went with something spicy and sweet! A dark chocolate cherry spice Chocolove bar!
On top of this I am going old school classroom style and sending you a card! All you need to do is comment below with the answer to this: Who or what do you love? No need to be romantic - you can simply state you love the fist downward dog pose of the morning! I will pick one winner on February 8th. Please leave a way to contact you. The contest is open to everyone! Good luck!
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Beer Battered Tofu Tacos & Moco Loco
I was inspired by a Dean boy to beer batter something...Well, I modified the recipe, no fish (duh), extra seasoning and I made the meal a taco meal! Beer battered tacos with Sriracha slaw (Matt is warming up to the slaw!)...
I wish the beer batter stuck a bit more, but it was really tasty, fluffy and puffy batter! So puffy that some of my tofu looked like Twinkies at one point! Served with red rice and fresh off the tree lemons!
By now you know I watch a lot of cooking shows. I always get inspired
by non-vegan food to recreate it and make it vegan and easy. Moco Loco
was one such dish that screamed to be made vegan.
I made these black bean burgers with a slight spice modification, served it over organic basmati with a packet of vegan golden gravy mix...If I had planned a week or so in advanced I would have maybe bought and added a Vegg Egg on top to make it a true Hawaiian classic...Matt called this meal interesting, I thought it was good and was way easy to put together after the gym!
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Citrus Tempeh
Our neighbor has given us a box of citrus fruit! Tangerines, oranges and lemons. Besides making fresh squeezed OJ for Matt in the morning I have been using it in marinades.
I mixed the juice of a small grapefruit, orange and a bit of lemon with Braggs, pepper and olive oil. I marinated the tempeh for an hour and baked it covered in foil for 20 minutes, flipping once and then leaving it uncovered and baking for 10 minutes. I find covering the tempeh with foil lets it steam in the flavor. I used the rest of the lemon to make lemon brocolini from the Meatless cookbook. I served it with a side dish from my childhood spaghetti with Earth Balance and vegan Parmesan cheeze. Simple but flavorful with all of the fresh from the tree citrus.
I mixed the juice of a small grapefruit, orange and a bit of lemon with Braggs, pepper and olive oil. I marinated the tempeh for an hour and baked it covered in foil for 20 minutes, flipping once and then leaving it uncovered and baking for 10 minutes. I find covering the tempeh with foil lets it steam in the flavor. I used the rest of the lemon to make lemon brocolini from the Meatless cookbook. I served it with a side dish from my childhood spaghetti with Earth Balance and vegan Parmesan cheeze. Simple but flavorful with all of the fresh from the tree citrus.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
DIY Heart Tote
I was inspired by the DIY section in the current issue (Fed 13) of Foam magazine for this simple project. Instead of stamping a pair of jeans I had a blank canvas bag that was sitting in my craft pile waiting for some action. I also switched up using a cardboard cutout to a foam cutout for my shape since foam is easier to cut.
Supplies needed: canvas bag - washed, dried (no fabric softener), a sheet of craft foam, fabric paint, cardboard for stamp and a piece large enough to insert into bag, glue/tape and a few cotton swabs or a paint brush. Try to iron the bag out if you can. My attempt here was not great but once I inserted the cardboard in the bag it was smooth.
First cut out a shape with your foam.You can free hand it or draw then cut. I did a simple free hand heart. I cut out a small square of card board to use as my stamp backing and glued it down using basic kid's school glue. If you use glue it will need to try for a few hours. You can also use double sided tape or a glue dot to attach the foam to the cardboard.
Insert cardboard square the size of your bag into the bag. Smooth out the canvas. Apply fabric paint onto your stamp using a paint brush or cotton swabs if you are like me and cannot find your brush! Do not use a lot of paint, a nice even coat will be cool. Press the stamp onto the fabric with a steady hand for a few seconds and gently peel off. Continue doing that in a random or not so random pattern. Have fun! If your paint is not showing up enough or leaving gaps go over the area with the cotton swab/paint brush dipped in paint.
I will be using my new bag at the market tonight picking up some food! I try to use reusable bags as much as I can! The cuter the better! If the bag gets dirty (which I wash my bags once a month) you just want to turn it inside out and wash it on a gentle cycle, maybe by itself the first time around....
Supplies needed: canvas bag - washed, dried (no fabric softener), a sheet of craft foam, fabric paint, cardboard for stamp and a piece large enough to insert into bag, glue/tape and a few cotton swabs or a paint brush. Try to iron the bag out if you can. My attempt here was not great but once I inserted the cardboard in the bag it was smooth.
First cut out a shape with your foam.You can free hand it or draw then cut. I did a simple free hand heart. I cut out a small square of card board to use as my stamp backing and glued it down using basic kid's school glue. If you use glue it will need to try for a few hours. You can also use double sided tape or a glue dot to attach the foam to the cardboard.
Insert cardboard square the size of your bag into the bag. Smooth out the canvas. Apply fabric paint onto your stamp using a paint brush or cotton swabs if you are like me and cannot find your brush! Do not use a lot of paint, a nice even coat will be cool. Press the stamp onto the fabric with a steady hand for a few seconds and gently peel off. Continue doing that in a random or not so random pattern. Have fun! If your paint is not showing up enough or leaving gaps go over the area with the cotton swab/paint brush dipped in paint.
I will be using my new bag at the market tonight picking up some food! I try to use reusable bags as much as I can! The cuter the better! If the bag gets dirty (which I wash my bags once a month) you just want to turn it inside out and wash it on a gentle cycle, maybe by itself the first time around....
Thursday, January 17, 2013
BBQ Tempeh Chili & Baked Breaded Tofu
So one of my goals for 2013 is to try at least 2 new recipes a month, so far I am making new to me recipes few times a week! I often get stuck in food ruts and I am always looking for new recipes that will satisfy both Matt and I.
I bought a bag of panko bread crumbs when I was at Whole Foods, because buying vegan bread crumbs around here is not working out. So I wanted to make something that included them right away. Usually in the past I just used bread crumbs as a baked mac and cheeze topper...I decided to try the crispy baked tofu recipe from Chow Vegan. I used a 30 oz block of WildWood (my go to tofu). I served it with stove top mac and cheeze, a baked potato and BBQ sauce for dipping. It was good, however next time I am going to eliminate 1/2 of the bread crumb, I had so much left over after breading the tofu. Also I will be playing around with spices to kick it up.
In the current issue of Vegetarian Times there is a article on 5 ingredient chili mixes. I was curios. Matt and I both like BBQ, pinto beans and tempeh, while I like slaw...so we went with the BBQ Tempeh Chili recipe. It was easy to throw together after a trip to the gym. I baked some sweet potato pieces as a side (which Mar ate most of unless I wanted to get scratched up). It was good, simple and made a nice sized pot.
What recipes are you making lately that you love? Any food goals for 2013?
I bought a bag of panko bread crumbs when I was at Whole Foods, because buying vegan bread crumbs around here is not working out. So I wanted to make something that included them right away. Usually in the past I just used bread crumbs as a baked mac and cheeze topper...I decided to try the crispy baked tofu recipe from Chow Vegan. I used a 30 oz block of WildWood (my go to tofu). I served it with stove top mac and cheeze, a baked potato and BBQ sauce for dipping. It was good, however next time I am going to eliminate 1/2 of the bread crumb, I had so much left over after breading the tofu. Also I will be playing around with spices to kick it up.
In the current issue of Vegetarian Times there is a article on 5 ingredient chili mixes. I was curios. Matt and I both like BBQ, pinto beans and tempeh, while I like slaw...so we went with the BBQ Tempeh Chili recipe. It was easy to throw together after a trip to the gym. I baked some sweet potato pieces as a side (which Mar ate most of unless I wanted to get scratched up). It was good, simple and made a nice sized pot.
What recipes are you making lately that you love? Any food goals for 2013?
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