It's so sad that Brussels sprouts have gotten such a bad rap!  Now, I'm the first to admit that I hate cooked cabbage, in all forms.  The pungent odor is enough to keep me in another room.  In another building.  In another town.

And Brussels sprouts can, very easily, get that same taste.

But when done right, when done well... they're delicious!!  And so cute!  They remind me of baby cabbage patch kids. 

Anyway, I made some last night for dinner and had them over quinoa... and it was yummy.

Sauteed onions, minced garlic, and ginger in veggie broth, white wine and mirin.  Added Brussels sprouts and red pepper - sauteed til tender.  Mixed in a little hoisin sauce and ate over some mixed (red and white) quinoa.

Tasty!  And enough leftover for dinner tomorrow... win win :-)

I washed it down with some iced oolong tea that I made the night before.  Thankfully I was tired enough to offset the impact of the tea.  This at least isn't as caffeniated as black tea.

So after eating (and LOVING) my lentils last week, I decided to try another recipe of them this week.  I pretty much love everything about lentils, so I figured it couldn't hurt.

And it didn't.

I made a delicious lentil dish this weekend, and will be enjoying it over the next couple days.  My friend had sent me a recipe to try, and I of course modified it a little to suit what I felt like eating (and to suit what I actually HAD in the cupboards)...  I used:

Onion
Minced garlic
Crushed red cherry pepper
Red lentils
Vegetable broth
White wine
Diced red potatoes
Kale
Lemon zest
Lemon juice
Chopped mint
Frozen veggies
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

(I have no idea what measurements I used, since I don't really cook that way...)

I sauteed the onion, garlic, and crushed red cherry pepper in vegetable broth and white wine, then added the lentils, broth and potatoes.  I boiled and simmered that for about a half hour then pureed it.  (Already smelled delicious!)  Then I added the greens, lemon zest, lemon juice, mint, and frozen veggies (I think I threw in chopped peppers and green beans).  Added salt and pepper and enjoyed!

It's very similar to mulligatawny soup - which I know isn't authentic, etc etc etc but it's DELICIOUS and I'm OK with that.

I really thought I'd miss dairy... I never saw being able to get rid of that as something I'd be able to do.  But ever since I had that adverse reaction to Rita's italian ice/custard (that stuff is freaking deadly - seriously, avoid it!  And thank me with something pretty :), I really haven't had a strong desire to add that back in my daily lifestyle in any real way.  I know I've bent a couple times, but I haven't enjoyed the repercussions, so I think I'm good for a while!

Oh Thank God I Have Lentils

With allergies out, I'm feeling awful lately.  Which means I don't feel like cooking at all.  At all, at all, at all.  Thankfully I had some meals frozen and ready to go, so I don't have to extert too much energy right now, and can devote that to fighting off the devil-sent tree pollen.  Apparently MY version of hell includes a whole bunch of blooming oak trees and a Benadryl juuust out of reach.

I pulled out a container from the fridge, not really caring what was even in it at first.  But then I realized it was a lentil dish and I almost cried with happiness.  I vaguely remember when I made this - it wasn't really a "recipe" so to speak... more like "thrown in any veggies I see, and some whole grains and cook it up".  I had a whole bunch left, so I had frozen a couple containers of it.

As I opened this one up, the delicious smell overwhelmed me... if I had ever taken a drug, I think the "high" would be similar.

I'm planning on having this for lunch, and if I can bring myself to cook up some tonight, I'll make sure to keep my freezer stocked.

I don't know what it is about lentils, but I practically feel the energy entering me with every bite.

Back on track

So after my 20 miles Walk for Hunger on Sunday (after which I was sufficiently hungry!), I am now recommitted to health and wellness!  In that light, I made a delicious pasta dish last night - this is my basic, go-to meal, for a number of reasons.  It's uber-healthy, chock-full of veggies, filling, super quick to make, and is one of my favorite things to eat.

I have a bunch of frozen veggies ready to go whenever, so this makes it easy.  I basically boil water to cook whole wheat pasta (I went with rotini last night).  While that's cooking I heat up the sauce:

- Muir Glen portabello mushroom sauce (oil free, yeay!)
- 2 cans of diced tomatoes
- Chopped garlic
- Pureed roasted red peppers
- Pureed cherry peppers
- Frozen veggies: last night I used kale, broccoli, onion, peas
- Nutritional yeast

Other things I typically throw in, but didn't have on hand:
- Carrots
- Artichokes
- Basil
- Mushrooms
- Corn
- Asparagus
- Peppers
- Snap peas
- Green onions

I love that you can throw pretty much anything in there.  I try to cram as much greens in there as possible.  And the more hearty a sauce, the less of the pasta I eat, so it's win-win!  With a thin sauce, I've been known (in the past) to eat probably more than half a bag of pasta in one sitting, and still not be really satisfied.  This way, the veggies take up a huge volume, so by the time it has digested a little, I've realized I'm full.  This time, the pound of pasta will last me easily 4 meals.  Much much much better.

And I only do the 100% whole wheat pasta.

Yes, this could have been obvious to me, but no, it wasn't....

Tonight I cook lentils!  Also a huge personal favorite :-)

Quatro de Mayo

I didn't really feel like cooking much last night, but I was definitely hungry... so I debated with myself back and forth... did I want to order in, or suck it up and make something? 

Reason took over, thankfully, and I cooked up something quick.  And fairly delicious!  In thinking about it, we'll say it was a nod to Cinco de Mayo, since it was Mexican-inspired.

I had picked up some ready made corn tortillas. (These are soft - not tortilla chips.)  If you've never used these before, I highly HIGHLY recommend them.  They're made with 3 ingredients: corn, water, lime, and so soooo much better for you than the flour ones).  I had made my own a number of times when I lived in Mexico - and they even passed the very high quality test I was put through :-)  But I didn't feel like making my own last night, and these are cheap and so easy.  You can find them in pretty much most grocery stores. 

I used a can of fat-free refried black beans - the pinto ones are also good, but I was in the mood for black beans.  I heated up the beans in a pot on the stove with chopped onion, garlic, and a little vegetable broth.  That's it.  As that cooked, I warmed up a couple tortillas on an ungreased pan (turn the heat up high, put the tortilla on there for about 10 seconds or so, until it puffs a bit.  Flip it, another 10 seconds, done.)

I spread some beans in each tortilla, topped with some fresh cilantro and some store-bought salsa, and dinner was ready.  Under 10 min, delicious, healthy.

I used to make my own (super authentic) salsa, but again, I wasn't in the mood.  This totally passed.

No pics of it today - I was feeling a bit lazy.  But it's delicious and you'll see them soon since I plan to make more of them in the very near future.

Especially since I have quite a lot of the bean mixture left, and plenty of tortillas left.  I definitely am going to make my own salsa though.  It gave me such a flashback to making these (at the ungodly hour of 6am) in my kitchen in Mexico, to bring them to work and be judged...

Applesauce... no pork chops required

I made applesauce again last night... I was tired and didn't 100% feel like cooking anything, but I have to admit, this is probably one of the easiest things in the world to make. And it's so delicious.

I hate store-bought applesauce. Hate hate hate. Especially the bland tasteless crap they had in school cafeterias. As I think of school food, those memories are FLYING back... the rectangular cardboard-tasting pizza, the "salad bar" where I'd get a plate of lettuce and blue cheese, the "snack cart" thing stocked with hostess crap. I can't believe I made it out of there alive.

I digress...

I made delicious homemade applesauce, that doesn't resemble anything like the store bought crap. I cut up about 7 apples, put them in a pot with about an inch of water, dumped in some cinnamon, and let cook. Then I Foley-milled it and voila. Delicious. I'm having a large bowl of it for lunch, followed by some tasty huge strawberries. (HUGE!) I'm starting to think maybe having 7 apples and a handful of strawberries isn't the most reasonable lunch, since I think my stomach will revolt at some point.

But it beats the hell out of McDonalds or donuts ;-)

Oh and non-related tidbit:

I got on the elevator this afternoon and overheard this snippet of conversation:

Man #1:  He got arrested for it.
Man #2:  Oh really?  How did they catch him?
Man #1:  They caught him as he was releasing the squirrels.

Oatmeal Pancakes

I have to admit, historically I have loved pancakes.  Not the trashy IHOP version - I mean hearty, tasty, moist, delicious pancakes with real, REAL maple syrup.

I don't even want to hear from people trying to convince me that Aunt Jemima colored corn syrup crap is maple syrup.  That stuff is toxic and disgusting.  And yes, I'm judging you on that!

I've been a maple syrup purist since birth, and I am relentless on conversion.  I even went to a maple syrup festival in northern Vermont (up near Montreal) a couple years ago... (and chased it down with a trip to Ben and Jerry's - clearly in my pre-vegan days!)

I knew I wanted to find a good vehicle for the maple syrup consumption I plan on maintaining.  It's tasty in oatmeal but I don't always feel like a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast.

So I found a great basic recipe from FatFreeVegan.com and tried it out last night...

Mix together in a medium bowl:
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon

Beat in:
1 1/4 cup non-dairy milk

Cook in hot pan.

This was the basic recipe - I added a pinch of salt (prob should make it 2 pinches), and a pinch of sugar (may try it with agave next time).  And I doubled the cinnamon (cause I'm a rebel).  And it's actually quite tasty!!  Tasty, hearty, yummy with maple syrup and totally adaptable....

Mine came out a little thicker since I like them that way...  and trust me, they're delicious.

I will be experimenting over the next couple weeks with some other things:

• Topping with fruit
• Adding a little more sweet into the batter (honey, agave)
• Adding dried fruits into the batter (raisins, cranberries, blueberries)
• Trying other flours (buckwheat, oat flour, quinoa flour)
• Mixing in some powered cacao... (yuummmmm)