Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Anatomy of a shopping run

Well... actually I was just stopping by Whole Foods after work to get fruit. Yeah right! I was way too hungry for that :) I only spent $30.05 though, so it could have been much worse!
Here's what I got:
3 bananas
3 Granny Smith apples
3 Bartlett pears
Naked Green Machine
1 firm tofu
1 extra firm tofu
2 lbs. red quinoa
miso soup
3 cashew Lara Bars
package of dulse seaweed
Tofutti Sour Supreme
1/4 lb. nooch
pecan sticky bun

I don't usually buy bananas because they are shipped from so far away and because of the labor issues associated with their production, but my Whole Foods just started carrying Earth University bananas, so I grabbed some. From the website, "For more than fifteen years, EARTH University faculty, staff, and students have been experimenting on EARTH´s on-campus banana farm. Together, they have developed new techniques to increase quality and reduce the environmental and social impact of commercial banana production. Several of the environmental management techniques developed at EARTH over the years have become banana industry standards." Pretty cool, huh?

Have a lovely evening, everyone! I can't believe I'm posting before it's dark out - now I can catch up on all of your fabulous blogs!

Monday, October 13, 2008

Another Veganmofo survey!

Thanks to Broke-Ass Vegan for passing along this survey!

1. If you have to choose between locally grown or organic, which do you usually choose?

Honestly, most of the local stuff here is not certified organic, but the farmers use organic methods so it isn't much of an issue. I lean towards local in general, though.

2. Favorite way to prepare potatoes:
Roasted; but mashed with Earth Balance, Tofutti Sour Supreme, and garlic is a close second!

3. Do you press your tofu before preparing/cooking it (if you eat soy)?
Not really. I tend not to prepare or plan much before I cook something... but if I'm cooking for other people I do. I usually just open up the package and squeeze it with my hands over the sink. Does that sorta count?

4. Name your favorite recipe that is a tradition in your family:
Sadly, we don't really have any traditional recipes. My Mexican grandma moved to Oregon when she was young to work in the shipyards, and changed her name to an America one, stopped speaking Spanish, and refused to cook Mexican food. My Mom cooked steaks and meatloaf and nasty stuff for her husband when I was a kid, and I mostly ate at my friend's houses. I'll have to start a tradition!

5. Any food allergies?
Not that I know of, though I have broken out in hives a few times in the last couple years...

6. When you want to go to a fancy dinner, where do you go?
The Farm or Nutshell.

7. When you have a cold, what do you crave?
Hot sauce and onions.

8. What kind of water do you drink? (Filtered, spring, tap, etc.)
Plain old tap water. We have good water here.

9. Name a flavor of soda you'd love to see:
I don't like soda, but I'd have to go with chocolate! Maybe then I would like soda?

10. If the recipes you ate as a child were compiled into a cookbook, what would the title be?
Cheese pizza, ranch dressing, cheese enchiladas, and jalapeno poppers - how to have a coronary on a vegetarian diet. (This reflects my teenage years).

11. If you were allowed to grow one food that can't grow in your climate, what would it be?
Avocado!!!

12. Favorite type of mushroom?
I can't really taste the difference from mushroom to mushroom, but I love how big portobellas are.

13. Most frustrating part of your kitchen?
There is literally no counter space. We have a tiny bit under this big glass china cabinet, but it isn't very deep because the cabinet sticks out.

14. Last food you burned?
Garlic. It cooks so fast!

15. Usual response to a veg*n's favorite question, "But where do you get your protein?":
"Actually, there's a lot of protein in veggies and even fruit! Not to mention beans and grains. I tracked my protein intake last year, and I had double the amount needed by an adult female. Protein deficiency in adults is really unheard of in the US."

16. If you were baking your own birthday cake today, what flavor would it be?
Chocolate. I wouldn't bake my own cake, though!

17. Favorite brand of chocolate chips?
Guittard semi sweet. They're always on sale at Fred Meyer!

18. You have $200 of your tax return reserved for Williams Sonoma- What do you buy?
A Magic Bullet, a nice platter, some wine glasses.

19. Do you plan your menus in advance? Any tips to share?
No, but I aspire to one day. It's really not in my nature :(

20. You have 3 minutes before you have to leave the house and you're starving- What do you eat?
Bad habit, but I don't. My body knows not to get hungry early in the morning, though.

21. If Martha Stewart, Paula Deen, and Rachel Ray got into a fight, who would win?
I'm gonna say Rachel. Her pearly white smile would blind them all!

22. If you eat oatmeal, what do you add to it before serving?
Nut milk, brown sugar, raisins and craisins.

23. If you got to travel to one country and learn all the traditional dishes there, where would you go (ignore commitments in your current place of residence)?
India of Lebanon. That's a hard one!

24. Favorite late night snack?
A bit of dark chocolate.

25. Favorite springtime food?
I can't think of what becomes ripe suddenly in the Spring... I think most of it isn't ready until summer here...

26. Favorite food-related magazine?
Vegetarian Times is alright, I don't really read magazines though.

27. Which do you prefer: shoyu, tamari, conventional soy sauce, or Bragg's Aminos?
Shoyu.

28. What vegetable or fruit do you dislike the most?
Watermelon. I wouldn't eat it for $20, it's that yucky to me!

29. Name a holiday food you look forward to all year long:
Does soy eggnog with rum count? I also love pumpkin pie.

30. If you could convert anyone to veganism with your magic wand, who would you convert?
My husband. I know that's selfish, but it would be awesome! Other than that... the President would be good.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Odds and ends enchiladas


I think one of my favorite things about enchiladas, besides how delicious they are, is how versatile they are. You can roll your tortillas, stack them up, or layer them casserole-style. You can whip up an individual serving in the microwave, or cook up a whole bunch in the oven. And what can you fill them with? Why, anything really! Tonight I made a casserole-style batch with what I had in the crisper - potatoes (ok those weren't in the crisper!), chard, heirloom tomatoes, zucchini, corn, chilies, and onion. Oh yeah!


I just realized that I've been neglecting the kitties in my posts lately, so now I have to make up! :)

Zoey and Cookie sharing the chair! Awwww

I &hearts kitty cat feetsies

Check out that toe hair!


Not a kitty, but these are the super cute Vegan Earth shoes I was talking
about that I got so cheap on Ebay... :)

My best friend's birthday


I'm finally home! Here's a quick recap of the night: drink at the Farm, dinner and drinks at the Montage, drink at my other best friend's bar, then we all went to Hungry Tiger. Woo hoo! Happy Birthday Steph!









My veggie linguine with cajun gravy at the Montage


Leftovers!



Awesome coconut squash ravioli wantons with sweet chili sauce at Hungry Tiger



Hungry Tiger's dessert special was apple pie from Sweetpea! Yay!!!

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Friday night surprise dinner

When I got home late from work last night, I discovered that Jesse had made me an awesome dinner! He doesn't cook often, but is a waaaaaaaayyy better cook them I am. Which makes sense, because he grew up cooking with his family and I didn't. Anyway, he gets home later than I do, so he usually eats whatever I make, or cereal, or chips and salsa (boys are so weird!). He made hummus, pita bread, tabouleh, and falafel and there is a TON left over. Woohoo! The falafel didn't hold together as well as he would have liked, but I didn't care because it tasted good!







Hummus and tabouleh















Falafel and pita bread

















P.S. This post counts for last night... I fell asleep on the couch after watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which was pretty funny!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

I'm hungry

But I don't feel like cooking! There's also a sink-full of dishes that need to be washed, so I've been avoiding the kitchen this evening (except to pour a quick glass of wine). So far I've had the last 2 sugar cookies from debate day and some grapes. I'll probably just end up eating a Tasty Bite (well, the Trader Joe's cheap version) with some leftover quinoa. Maybe salad. Or more wine? Haha! I'm totally thrown off by it getting dark so early now... I can't believe it's only 7:30! It feels like 9:00 to me.

Anyway, here's some good food I've eaten lately that I haven't blogged about. Maybe I'll inspire myself to make something!





Black beans, quinoa, veggies (all local of course!),
guac, salsa, and leftover cheezy sauce (it didn't reheat
very saucy, but still tasted good) which I ate with corn tortillas

















Tomato Basil Cream Pasta a la VeganYumYum, baguette, and spicy pepper olive oil













Tostones, spicy black beans, quinoa and tofutti














Milkshake of Soy Delicious Chocolate, frozen banana, chocolate hempmilk, and a handful of blueberries


















Taco salad from King Burrito in NoPo

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Hummus among us!

I love hummus. A lot. I love roasted pepper hummus, tomato basil hummus, white bean hummus, cilantro hummus... but most of all, I love traditional Lebanese hummus. The hummus is what I look forward to when I eat out at Lebanese restaurants or get a quick falafel on my lunch break. And do you know what I just realized the other day when I was standing in the nut butter section of Whole Foods? I have never made my own! So I grabbed some tahini and made some hummus as soon as I got home!

Here is the recipe I used. It calls for using 1/4 cup of the bean water, but I found it to be a tad too runny. Next time I'll go for 1/8 a can. It was also very garlicky, with it being raw and all... so cut that down if you're not into that. Other than that, this hummus was fabulous and just like what I get in the restaurants! And way cheaper :) Woot!







Ready to blend...




















Ready to go in my belly!