Lentil Vegetable Soup

Lentils may not be much to look at but they sure do make a satisfying stew! Enter John and Mary McDougall’s Lentil Vegetable Soup from The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss—deceptively delicious fare for such a down-to-earth recipe. Cooked last Saturday afternoon, the only thing I added was a little salt to taste, as none was referenced. I even had the fresh parsley garnish on hand courtesy of my own little herb garden! Cool! 

I can’t say enough good about Dr. McDougall’s book. It's brimming with helpful information about why we put on the pounds (no, you’re not eating too much) and how to release the weight that plagues you permanently (and no, you never have to count calories!)  Not only is the concept of weight loss succinctly (and humorously) explained but it is also demonstrated practically via lovely, tasty recipes such as this one. Maybe the path to a fit and trim body isn’t as arduous as once thought...

The paperback pictured belongs to the Salt Lake County library and is obviously well loved. As for myself this is probably the third time I have checked it out from the system since first discovering it last summer. Maybe it’s time to break down and get my own copy?! In the meantime, I can always peruse the doctor's website www.drmcdougall.com for additional recipes, educational videos on every topic imaginable, and, (my favorite,) real success stories from regular people who found their health again simply by eating right.

Now it's your turn! Go treat yourself to a warm bowl of lentil vegetable soup. Enjoy!

A Delicious, Nutritious Day!

It's a little slow at work today, so I have a moment to create a post!  

I think about food a lot, not constantly, but quite often, when I'm not eating and when I am!   Sometimes, even while in the middle of a delicious, satisfying meal, I start contemplating the next one!  I'm not proud of that, but it's the truth.  :)

So as you may have guessed, I'm thinking about food right now.  :)  I am hungry.  (The organic grapefruit I had at 7 a.m. is long gone now!)  But I'm also looking forward to certain edible plans I made for the rest of the day...  Marcy and I are going out to eat for lunch!  Yay!  I love spending time with my sister.  But a Cutler's veggie sandwich is also a treat in it's own right!

classic Cutler's goodness...

Later, for dinner, I think I'll whip up Fantastic brand's falafel mix and a large kale salad.  I've been craving leafy greens lately, and for this I am grateful.  It's rather refreshing!  But this will be my first time trying falafel.  I'm excited!
 

I just peeled an organic banana and am now typing one-handed so I can hold it with the other and munch...  mmmm...  nom-nom...  This makes for extremely inefficient blogging, but it's a setback I'm willing to take!  :)

(These apricots look like a sunset!)

I also brought along some local, hand-picked-by-me, apricots and plums.  The apricots are from my generous neighbors, Blake and Nancy.  The plums, a gift from my dear childhood friend, Marinda, and her husband, Jamey.  (Thank you!  Thank you!)  I'll make a dent in these morsels when I get done with my banana.  Even though my breakfast is sort-of spread out, it is filling nonetheless.

Straight from the tree...

...a polished plum...

...is now a bitten plum!  :D

Looks like it's turning out to be a delicious, even nutritious, day, if I may say so myself, and I can't help but feel giddy about it!   

Yum-YUM!  :D

My New Mantra!

1. Rinse

2. Eat

3. Repeat!

It's my new mantra!  :D

 Lately, at the grocery store, I stock up on plenty of fresh, organic fruits and veggies for a change. It's also that time of year to stop off at a friendly farmer's market for some amazing local taste treats! Even my neighbors and family have offered to share their garden bounty with me!  It's a beautiful thing--the love, simplicity, and common sense of healthy eating.   

Now you be sure and get out there and "rinse, eat, repeat" for yourself!  I wish you health and happiness along the way!

"Tuna" Salad Sandwich

The other day, I found myself dearly wishing for something tuna-fishy.  Not actual tuna, no no, but just something similar, to soothe my cravings.  Enter blogger, Zucchini Breath, at "Big Raw Vegan Blog".  She is full of earthy, tasty, raw, compassionate goodness over there!   While roaming her web address, I found a wonderful adaptation on this old classic.  Sometimes I get scared off by recipes that appear difficult to put together, but her chickpeas formula looked simple enough, even for timid little me!  :)  And it was well worth the easy effort!  I didn't have any nori, nor dulse, available for my first batch, but still, it was tasty.  For my second trial, I made certain to include the seaweeds and also a dash of relish--it was even more delish than before!  Sandwich heaven!  I admit to using more Vegenaise than some people might like, and I did leave out the vinegar, but really, this recipe is ready to go, hardly an adjustment needed.  I hope you give this "tuna" salad a try-- it doesn't disappoint!  For the ultimate sandwich, pair it with a couple of whole-wheat toasts and some freshly cut, organic tomatoes and lettuce, even cucumber!  Or wrap it up in a leaf of collard greens along with some thinly-pared veggies and homegrown alfalfa sprouts!  Enjoy!  Makes two large servings.

"Tuna" Salad Sandwich

Organic Ingredients:
1 15oz. can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1 or 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1/4 cup sweet onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup Vegenaise
1 tbsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1 tbsp sweet relish
2 tsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 or 2 tbsp dill weed
2 tsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp onion powder
pepper, to taste
2 tbsp ground nori (equivalent to half a sheet)
1 tbsp dulse, finely chopped



Instructions:
Open the can of chickpeas, drain off excess liquid, and pour into a large, wide bowl.  Use a fork or a potato masher to crush the beans.  Smash them to a consistency similar to tuna, or to your preference.  Set aside.  To finely chop the celery and onion, use a food processor.  If you don't have a fancy machine, no problem, just mince them down to size the old-fashioned way--with a knife!  Add these veggies to the chickpeas.  Now, measure in the Vegenaise, Bragg's, relish, lemon juice, dill, nutritional yeast, onion powder, and pepper.  Stir lightly; set aside.  Next, grab the nori and dulse.  Hopefully, you have these two seaweeds in a dry, flake form, already ground up, and easily measurable.  If not, here's what you do:  For the nori, take half a sheet, roll it up tightly, then gently cut away at the edges of the roll.  It will start to flake apart.  After a few minutes, you should have the approximate two tablespoons.  Add it to the bowl.  To prepare the dulse, pinch a tablespoon sized section from the dry, crinkled mass.  Rinse this small amount under gently running water, to wash away impurities.  Once wet, the dulse will start to break apart, even between your fingers.  Just chop it a little and manipulate it until it is mostly in fine pieces.  Or use your handy food processor.  Add it to the bowl.  Finally, give the mixture a thorough stirring.  Hooray, it's finished!  Ideally, cover and refrigerate for an hour or more before serving to let the nori hydrate and the flavors blend.  But if you can't wait that long to enjoy your "tuna" salad, I understand.  :D

Miso Happy Soup

My blogging friend, Michal, inspired this mild, tummy-warming broth.  She calls it "Miso Happy Soup"!  Cute and clever, huh?!  Me so happy I found Michal!  Me so happy Michal makes delicious soup!  And although I did not follow her list of ingredients or ratios to the letter, the heart of this recipe still belongs to her.  In honor of this, I will continue to call the meal by it's witty nickname!  Thank you for the inspiration, "Earth Muffin!"  Makes four full bowls.

Miso Happy Soup

Organic Ingredients:
4 cups distilled water
1/8 cup Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1 clove garlic or 1 tbsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup onion
2 carrots, sliced long and thin
1 russet potato, cubed
6 ounces firm tofu, cubed
1/2 cup peas
4 tbsp mellow white miso
1 tbsp parsley

Instructions:
Heat the water at low simmer.  Season with the Bragg's, garlic, and pepper.  Add the onions, carrots, and potatoes.  (If you're using a leftover baked potato, you can add it later with the tofu and peas, since it only needs to be warmed up, not cooked through.  Same if using leftover cooked carrots or onions.)  Simmer on medium-high heat for 15 minutes.  Now add tofu and peas.  Simmer 5 more minutes.  Add miso and parsley, and give the pot another minute to assimilate the miso.  Now it's done and ready to serve!  Enjoy!

Happy Vegan Valentine's Dinner!

It was a very enjoyable Valentine's Day!  Jordan and I didn't have the funds available to go out to a restaurant or fundraiser this year.  But we more than made up for any imagined loss. 

Before stuffing our bellies we went on a four mile walk together.  It was such a nice day; it seemed a pity to spend all of it being indoors!  And I must say, it was a good thing we did burn a few extra calories, because we ate far too much later on!  :)

It took us hours to get our holiday dinner on the table; we went all out, tonight!  But it finally came together beautifully... 

I prepared an organic tossed salad of red leaf, red kale, and baby spinach, and all the organic trimmings: tomatoes, avocados, red cabbage, cucumber, carrots.  Oh and I can't forget the dressing of equal parts organic flaxseed oil and fresh-squeezed lemon juice, with a dash of Bragg's Liquid Aminos.  It was a dense salad, yet so sweet, flavorful, and refreshing! 

Days before, we concluded that a whole-wheat spaghetti dish would be dinner's main course.  But what kind of sauce would we choose? While cruising the blogosphere many weeks earlier, I chanced upon a tantalizing Alfredo recipe, courtesy of Matt at "My Veggie Kitchen".  And tonight seemed like the perfect setting for Pasta Alfredo!  The only problem was I'd never made this before!  We decided to give it a try anyway.  I quickly pulled up the recipe for easy reference.  It was then I belatedly realized that we didn't have half of the listed ingredients.  Oh well.  We forged ahead without them, forced to make some adjustments on the journey.  Matt's recipe called for cashews, but all we had was walnuts or hazelnuts.  We picked walnuts.  We didn't have shallots, but we an ordinary onion, which we utilized.  We didn't have unsweetened soymilk, but we did have the "original" variety, so we used that.  Lastly, we didn't have the wine.  We didn't sub anything for that.  After all our changes to the actual recipe, it's doubtful that our version tasted anything like Matt's!  But we still liked it!  We did note that it was missing something in it's flavor and texture.  But it WAS missing something--a lot of somethings!  :)  Yet it was warm, creamy, and fun to eat; a buttery, saucy dish, completely out of the ordinary for us! 

We hardly ever bake breadsticks.  But tonight was special so we did!  We followed my sister, Marcy's recipe.  It was fun!  We took turns kneading the dough, and stood at the counter together rolling it into traditional snakelike shapes.  But then I had a brilliant idea...  Bend the breadsticks into hearts!  I pinched them in just the right places and Voila! Breadstick Hearts!  They looked so cute!  Unfortunately, that's about as great as they got.  The recipe originally called for white flour and we used all whole-wheat.  And since we don't bake bread very often, we have little understanding of the repercussions of swapping one flour for another.  In hindsight, we probably should have added more liquid to the dough and slightly shortened the cooking time.  Maybe the yeast never activated.  Still, I'm still not sure that any of these ideas would have been the correct solutions.  Sadly, the end result turned out to be quite heavy instead of light and fluffy; they never really did rise properly.  And they were much drier than we'd have liked.  But we managed to enjoy them.  I remarked to Jordan that they would have made far better pretzels than breadsticks!  At least they looked appealing!  :)

We also added "Wagon Wheels" to the fare!  Jordan peeled and cut the carrots, and set them on the stove to cook.  They almost met a sorry demise, as we did not add adequate water to steam them for the allotted ten minutes; the "wheels" started scalding to the sides of the pan!  Luckily, Jordan smelled smoke and we managed to rescue them before the whole pot of carrots turned black!  Gratefully they still tasted yummy, even after that extra dash of drama! 

To top everything off, with no help from me, Jordan whipped up his specialty dessert, "Jordan's Chocolate Cake"!  Yummy!  He actually baked the cake before our walk.  He frosted it after we got back.  He works so efficiently!  (Unlike me!) 

After working in the kitchen for nearly three hours, the meal was at last ready!  I took pictures, Jordan lit candles, we said a prayer, and then finally,

...we stuffed ourselves silly!  

It was a long time coming, but it was worth it!  Good food and good company!  What more could we ask for?! 

I was so happy to be spending the evening with my very own Valentine!  Jordan always works on Sunday night, so it was extra special of him to take work off to be home with me!  And even though he didn't buy me a sparkly Hallmark card or boxes of chocolates or even flowers, none of that was what I really wanted--just him.  His presence made the very best present!  With Jordan by my side, walking and talking, cooking and eating, my evening was complete! Thank you, My Goo! I love you! 

I hope your holiday, at home or abroad, was just as grand, or more so, than ours! 

 Happy Vegan Valentine's Dinner! 

Wagon Wheels!

As a child, I remember many of Mom's dinners sporting a side of wagon wheels.  No, not the kind you find on the Oregon Trail, :)  but simply, carrots, chopped into thin little rounds and steamed on the stove top or served up raw.  It's a surprisingly simple dish!  And its fun, distracting title makes it easier to sneak a serving or two of veggies into any kid's meal. 

When I was young, I recall that if the carrots were not cooked, Mom provided ranch dip to daub them in.  But if they were, she always dressed my warmed "wheels" with butter, salt, and pepper, to taste--a very delicious memory!  Nowadays, as a vegan pioneer in my family, I eat a little differently than I used to.  You'll probably find me using organic flaxseed oil, dill weed, and Bragg's Liquid Aminos on my steamed roots instead.  And I no longer require dips and sauces to enjoy a crunchy raw veggie, although I'm not averse to the idea. :) 

But most importantly, I am grateful for my mom and her strong maternal effort to feed quality food to her growing children in any creative way she could.  What a good Mommy!  :)  She told me that her mother prepared this carrot recipe for her when she was small.  Later, as a mom herself, she served it to me.  And maybe someday, I'll do the same, and carry on this tradition with my own little ones.  I don't see why not! 

Enjoy your Wagon Wheels, everybody!

Tacos Grandes

I call this recipe "Tacos Grandes" in my own dubious honor... Whenever I layer a taco together, I eagerly pack it so full of deliciousness that I can hardly lift it to take a bite without half the contents falling out! I mean, just look at the picture--look at the size of that thing! It sure did taste good though!  My eyes are just bigger than my stomach, I suppose. One of these days I'll get my big, fat taco problem under control and rename it "Los Taquitos Poquitos." Until then, enjoy!


TACOS GRANDES

Ingredients:
your favorite soft taco wraps, corn or wheat
leafy greens, chopped
tomatoes, diced
avocado, sliced
corn kernels, frozen or canned
black beans, canned or cooked fresh
your favorite vegan burger "meat"
your favorite taco seasoning
ketchup
salsa

Instructions:
Heat your taco wraps in the microwave or on the stove. Cut the veggies. Warm the corn and the beans. Cook the "meat" according to the packaging. Then layer in the ingredients to your liking. Roll it up (if you can!) and enjoy. Easy-peasy!

Veggie Burritos

There are no beans in this burrito--vegetables only!  This fine meal was inspired by Minh Nguyen, from her 30 minute recipe DVD "Going Raw! with Ronnie and Minh".  I'd never considered placing my typical veggie sandwich ingredients on anything other than bread, and maybe into the occasional pita pocket.  But wrapping it up in a leaf of collard greens?  I didn't know raw food could taste this good or look so beautiful!  It wasn't even difficult to do!  Minh makes a special pate to spread on the leaf, but I simply used Follow Your Heart's Vegenaise and mustard.  It's not 100% raw with these condiments, but it's pretty close.  I specifically listed the ingredients pictured in my photos, (Thank you, Jordan, for holding my creation!) but you can use any assortment of veggies you want--whatever makes you happy!  Fresh food is healthy and fun!  I hope you give this raw recipe a try!  Makes enough for two large wraps.

Veggie Burritos 

Organic Ingredients:
4 collard green leaves, whole
1/2 head of red leaf lettuce, chopped
1/2 large cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1/4 head of red cabbage, chopped
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 avocado, sliced
1 tomato, diced
2 cups baby spinach
2 cups alfalfa sprouts
Vegenaise (optional)
mustard (optional)
dash of cayenne pepper (optional) 

Instructions:
Rinse and prepare all the vegetables.  Set aside.  Evenly cut off the stems and very bottoms of the collard greens.  Be sure to shave off any tough parts of the leaves' remaining center stems.  Note: the cut ends will be the top of the wrap and the rounded edges will be folded in, like a burrito, to keep the ingredients from falling out.  So when you begin building your wrap, be sure not to cover the leaves' curved edges so you can tuck them in at the end.  Now, place two collard greens onto the counter, one leaf overlapping the other a little bit.  If you want condiments, spread them on the leaves first.  It's finally time to layer in the veggies!  Pile them however you see fit, just remember not to cover the collard green's edges, excepting the cut edge.  When you are done building, tuck the bottom up first, then pull one side in, then the other.  You should have a cute little collard green wrap in your hands--a veggie burrito!  Set aside on a plate, folded edges facing down, and make the second serving.  Enjoy!  (If you have any left-over ingredients, throw them into a bowl together for a side salad at your next meal, or simply rinse off some more collard greens and keep wrapping!)

Dinosaur Salad

Occasionally, I eat healthy!  :)  So I thought for a fun change of pace, I'd post about something fresh and wholesome.  I present you with Dinosaur Salad!  I call it this because it features some produce I don't think many people know about or else fail to utilize very often: Lacinato Kale (or Dinosaur Kale, as it is playfully called).  This unusual vegetable appears to be a close relative of wild cabbage, and is also related to broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, and brussels sprouts.  The leaves are dense and have a strong flavor, like that of cabbage or broccoli.  But Dino Kale sports more of all the good stuff, like vitamins, antioxidants, fiber, etc, than other members of it's Brassica oleracea family.  Well, it looked mighty charming at the grocery store one evening, and I'd heard good things about it, so I purchased some.  Even though I think most people probably cook the life out of the poor plant before they eat it, I decided to enjoy mine raw, in a salad.  I don't have exact amounts for this recipe, mostly just a list of ingredients.  But that's the beauty of green salads; they're a work of art--different every time!

Dinosaur Salad

Organic Ingredients:

Vegetables:
dino kale leaves, remove stems and chop
red leaf lettuce, remove stems and chop
carrots, shredded
red cabbage, chopped
sweet onion, diced
avocado, sliced
tomato, sliced

Dressing:
a squeeze of flaxseed oil
a squeeze of fresh lemon
a dash of sea salt
a dash of pepper

If you make a huge bowlful, be sure to add the dressing to your individual serving only.  Plus, what you don't eat makes a healthy leftover to store in your fridge; you CAN get great nutrition while indulging those uncontrollable munching urges!  How's that for a change?!    

Be brave--try something new!  Enjoy!