Eat-down. 11/15/17

Posted on November 16, 2017 by Beebamom

Today John and I are trying to eat everything out of the refrigerator because tomorrow we are leaving for home. We copped out of making dinner yesterday and ordered a pizza so we are a little behind in our eating responsibilities. At lunch John suggested I put more stock in the ugly parsley soup so there is enough for both of us. This was an exercise in making something unattractive even worse.

Green sludge with carrots and celery (parsley soup)

John kept saying that it tasted fine but seriously it is hard to get past it’s dark green-ness. I also had a slice of bread with peanut butter.

Later we went out to dinner. It was forgettable.

I wonder what delights we shall find on the road tomorrow!

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Parsley soup. 11/13/17

Posted on November 14, 2017 by Beebamom

Today I made a very unattractive soup. I think the last time I made it ages ago I used milk instead of stock so it came out light green. With the stock it is dark green. It tastes fine and for the picture I dressed up with some carrot pieces and tofu but it is hard to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.

Parsley soup with carrots and tofu

Other than the soup no new dishes for today. We finished up the lasagna for dinner so I guess I will have to cook something new tomorrow.

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Yum! Lasagna. 11/11&12/17

Posted on November 13, 2017 by Beebamom

I have to admit that eating oatmeal with flaxseed has taken all the joy out of breakfast. I used to get up thinking, what shall I have for breakfast? I rarely ate the same thing two days in a row. Now it’s oatmeal day after day. Food has become fuel rather than a joy. I will keep eating my boring breakfast because I know it is good for me but, sigh.

Moving on to more exciting food, I finished up my cauliflower soup for lunch over the weekend and have bought a couple of bunches of parsley for the next incarnation of the soup.

Cauliflower soup with tofu

On Saturday I made a lasagna. It will definitely last for several days of dinners unless we decide to freeze it. It was really good although I am not sold on the American Beauty brand of no-boil noodles. They were too mushy after cooking the lasagna per the instructions. John really loved it though so I am pleased.

Lasagna

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Pacific cod, chickpea purée, and collard greens. 11/10/17

Posted on November 11, 2017 by Beebamom

Quick note about lunch – I had the cauliflower soup again but this time with tofu cubes. I also added the tofu to a tomato and lettuce pita pocket sandwich.

Cauliflower soup with tofu cubes
Whole wheat pita stuffed with tomato, lettuce and tofu
Later we went to the store and bought some Pacific cod which John roasted in the oven. In the meantime I julienned some collard greens and sauteed that with a little corn, made a parsley sauce, and puréed a can of chickpeas with some water and olive oil. The dinner was delicious.

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Pacific cod with chickpea purée and collard greens

 

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Cauliflower soup and grilled steak. 11/9/17

Posted on November 10, 2017 by Beebamom

Today for lunch I made a cauliflower soup using the guidelines of the celery soup that I’ve made recently. Sauté in 2 tablespoons of olive oil  a chopped medium onion, a head of cauliflower broken apart, and a small chopped waxy potato until the onion is translucent. I also added three sprigs of thyme and of course some salt. Add three cups vegetable stock (I used 2 cups stock and 1 cup water). Simmer until everything is soft. Whiz it up with a stick blender. Serve hot, cold, or room temperature. It has the look and texture of vichyssoise.

Cauliflower soup

After the vegan daytime portion of my day we settled into a small grilled steak, half a baked potato, and a broccoli salad. I am trying to follow the “portion plate.”

The Portion Plate recommends the plate should be 1/2 vegetables, 1/4 protein, and 1/4 grains, legumes or starchy potatoes

Here’s my dinner –

Grilled steak, 1/2 grilled potato, and broccoli salad

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Using tofu and flaxseed + chicken parm and spaghetti. 11/8/17

Posted on November 9, 2017 by Beebamom

Since my recent physical I have been trying to eat more foods that will have the effect of lowering blood sugar and cholesterol. My doctor suggested eating flaxseed and going with a more plant based diet. In reading up on flaxseed it appears to be a wonder super food. Try googling it and check out all the benefits.

In the morning we put it in our oatmeal (another food for lowering cholesterol) and I also add blueberries. This breakfast is so healthy!

For lunch I was planning on some defrosted Autumn Soup. I decided to make tofu croutons to put on top. I baked some extra firm tofu that I had squished the water out of, seasoned it with soy sauce and olive oil, and then coated it with flaxseed meal. (I use Bob’s Red Mill brand.)

Flaxseed meal encrusted tofu croutons

These were not super crunchy but they were chewy and gave a nice texture to the soup.

Autumn soup with tofu croutons

Because I am not doctrinaire about my vegan/vegetarian diet, tonight’s dinner is a mixed green salad, sous vide chicken breast served ala parmigiana, and served with spaghetti.

Chicken Parmesan with a mixed salad and spaghetti

 

 

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Treat yourself! 11/7/2017

Posted on November 8, 2017 by Beebamom

I am so glad to be in my own kitchen again! Now I can control what I eat.

I decided to treat myself at lunch and make something a little more complex than the usual leftovers or sandwich. Using the microwave I boiled 2 ounces of spaghetti. (Yes, you can use the microwave to do this. You just need to add a couple of extra minutes to the time on the package.)  While that was perking along I sauteed a little onion, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes in some olive oil and flavored it with salt, chili flakes and oregano. I added the pasta to the sauce along with some pasta water to complete the dish. Yum, what a great lunch!

Spaghetti with cherry tomatoes, zucchini, and onions

For dinner we finally had the chickpea stew which was actually on our menu for Saturday night. I just was not feeling it then. So a lot of the components made the trip to Utah in the cooler and it was time to get them eaten! I got the recipe from New York Times Cooking. On their site it is called Chickpea Stew with Orzo and Mustard Greens. I use ditalini instead of orzo and just buy a bag of pre-washed baby kale, or spinach, whatever.

Chickpea stew with ditalini and kale

 

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More adventures from the road. 11/6/17

Posted on November 7, 2017 by Beebamom

I am finding vegan eating difficult while traveling. I am sure that if I looked hard enough I could find places that cater to vegans but out here in the Nevada/Utah area near the freeways you just do your best.

Breakfast at the hotel was a thin piece of whole wheat bread and peanut butter and some cereal.

Lunch was at a Mexican place where I was hoping for rice and beans but got talked into the Monday special, street tacos. They told me they would be vegetarian so I said sure. I figured it would be rice and beans and some toppings on small corn tortillas. It turned out to be greasy cabbage and bell peppers on fried corn tortillas with some rice and beans on the side. I put the vegetables on top of the rice and beans.

Vegetarian street tacos (or plate of greasy cabbage and bell peppers)

We did a little shopping when we got to St. George but were not really hungry for a full-fledged dinner. I had an egg and a soy breakfast patty (Morningstar brand.) We call them snausages and I think they are pretty tasty.

Soy breakfast patty and fried egg on a whole wheat English muffin.

 

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Vegan on the road. 11/5/17

Posted on November 6, 2017 by Beebamom

We stopped at a Mediterranean restaurant, Hummus Express, in Bakersfield, California in the search of a vegan lunch that was tasty and quick. I ordered hummus, tabbouleh, and pita. The flavors were good but the food was awash in olive oil. I should have asked them to go light on it. Hopefully someday we shall find the perfect road lunch.

Hummus, tabbouleh,and pita

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Trying a new veggie burger. 11/4/17

Posted on November 5, 2017 by Beebamom

First a little business – John and I are leaving for Utah tomorrow. I will not have a new post until Monday, 11/6.

Since John and I have decided to make an unplanned trip to Utah my lunch today was basically a lot of bits and pieces from the fridge. I made my lunch from some quite old couscous, the remainder of baked tofu, and some of the vegetables that I had cut up for crudités on dinner party night. I dressed it with soy sauce. I enjoyed this invention and it was filling.

Couscous, baked tofu, and vegetables with soy sauce

For dinner we ditched our original chickpea stew plan  and I suggested burgers. John was happy for a chance to eat meat and I was looking forward to trying some new veggie burgers. The burger comes from Trader Joe’s and the brand is Quinoa Cowboy. It was okay although a bit too sweet and mushy. We also had some Alexia onion rings which I found tasteless.

Quinoa Cowboy burger with tomato, lettuce, and onion plus Alexia onion rings

 

 

 

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