Quick Fix Cabbage

When I'm not cooking for my husband, I don't care much what I eat.  It's usually just nibbling food - cucumbers and hummus, chips and salsa, apples and peanut butter.  Super healthy, right?  But I'm just being real with you, because that's what I promised to do here.  Every once in a while, though, I feel like cooking something healthy for myself, like when my body starts yelling for some nutrition.  But it can't be just anything.  It has to take under 15 minutes to make and have only 2 main ingredients (or less!) or it won't happen.

Today it was:

Cabbage & Squash with Flax Seed Oil and Plum Vinegar
Serves 6 as a side dish


2 Tbs olive oil
1 small head green cabbage, thinly sliced
2 small squash (yellow or green), diced
flax seed oil
ume (plum) vinegar (available at most grocery stores)
soy sauce
sesame oil
black sesame seeds

Heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add cabbage and squash and saute for 5 minutes.  Lower heat, cover, and let simmer for 10 more minutes.  Turn off heat and drizzle generously with flax seed oil (4 or 5 tablespooons?  Taste and adjust) and ume vinegar.  Add a few splashes of soy sauce and sesame oil and toss gently to coat vegetables.  Top with a sprinkle of black sesame seeds and enjoy!  This is great both hot and cold.

Sprinkle flax seed oil and ume vinegar on almost any vegetable and it will make it taste like butter!  Alicia got me into this.

Fresh & Easy Asian Pasta Salad + A Little Soul-Bearing

I'm a perfectionist.  There.  I said it.  That took me about 10 minutes to write because I had to make sure I said it perfectly...

Ahhhh...

Okay, now that that's off my chest, I wanted to let you know that I'm making changes.  That's right.  I'm no longer going to worry about writing the "perfect blog" or posting the "perfect recipe" or taking the "perfect picture".  Okay, maybe I will a little, but my goal is to just do something I enjoy and hope that you all like it.  Otherwise I'll be missing for weeks (Months?  Yes, months....) on end again, and that would be lame, right?

I was reading a book today about why people procrastinate, and it said something really interesting about Action and Motivation.  Which comes first?  "If you said motivation, you made an excellent , logical choice.  Unfortunately, you're wrong."  (Oops!)  "Motivation does not come first, action does!  If you wait until you're in the mood to do something, you may wait forever!"

Amen.  Hence, my absence as of late.

So, thanks for being patient.  I'm back to cooking, inventing and experimenting again, and it feels good.

And you thought you just came here to read a recipe for Asian Pasta Salad!  Ha!  Poor things.. Thanks for letting me spill my guts.  I feel better now :)

Fresh & Easy Asian Pasta Salad
Serves 6

1-16 oz. package brown rice noodles (penne or spiral)
1-15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained
1-15 oz. can kidney beans, drained
2 cucumbers, diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
3 green onions, both green and white part, sliced thinly
1/4 cup red onion, minced
5 green olives (preferably marinated in hot oil), minced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped

Cook pasta according to directions on package.  Rinse and set aside.  In a large bowl, combine both beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, both onions, olives and cilantro.  Add pasta and toss with dressing (recipe below).  Serve over lettuce for extra nutrition.

*Note:  Brown rice noodles, strangely enough, tend to turn al dente when refrigerated (I didn't mind it, it just surprised me), so you may want to either eat it all in one sitting or try a different type of noodle if you want to eat it as leftovers.  The flavors marinate well though, and everything keeps its crunch.

Asian Dressing
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbs dried basil
2 Tbs agave nectar
2 Tbs real maple syrup
2 Tbs soy sauce

Combine all ingredients and whisk until everything is incorporated and consistency thickens a bit.

This dressing is so mild, making it very versatile.  You can use it on plain lettuce salads, 3 bean salads, or even as a sauce over cooked veggies.  I almost always prefer to use fresh herbs when cooking, but in this case I usually have all these ingredients on hand so it makes for a very quick dinner.  Feel free to substitute if you'd like.

This salad is perfect for summertime.   Hope you like it!

Food Truck Revolution - Vegan Style

If you, like me, have been envying the Truck Food craze but are disappointed that most don't offer a veggie option, there's no need to whine any longer (unless you enjoy whining)!  The newest Vegetarian Times mag has an awesome article called Munching on the Move, and in it you'll find mobile veggie food options from Portland, OR to Providence, RI.  I was bummed to find that there aren't any in San Diego, but then there's Seabirds in Irvine, CA (and other parts of Orange County when mobile)...and I'm up there often enough visiting with my Bestie that I'm sure we'll be hitting it up soon.  Check out their menu!  This place is perfect for gluten-free, soy-free and raw foodies as well.

***UPDATE:  After doing some research, I found that Green Truck has a location in San Diego!  Their menu is not 100% veggie, but they do offer a tasty looking Vegan Burger for only $6.  Check their website for locations around San Diego, Los Angeles and New York.

Spring Onion Soup

This soup needs no introduction (...except to tell you that it was adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe).

Spring Onion Soup
Serves 4


2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds spring onions (and I'm thinking Martha meant to add 'just the bulbs', since her soup doesn't have the slightest hint of green in it...)
5 sprigs asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tsp sea salt
1 1/4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
chopped fresh dill

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent but not brown, about 15 minutes.  Add asparagus, salt, broth and water.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Using an immersion blender, carefully puree until smooth, 1 or 2 minutes.  Ladle into bowls and top with dill.

The dill really adds a nice, fresh flavor to the soup and it complements the deep onion flavor so well.  Try not to leave it out if you can help it!

Next on the list:  Curried Lentil Soup ~ Coming Soon!

Soup Spoons

I've been washing a lot of spoons lately.  That's probably because I've been making a lot of soup lately.  It must be the weather.

Since my last soup entry (Zucchini-Asparagus Soup with Basil), I've made several more.  The first was Spring Onion Soup, mostly because I'd gotten almost a dozen of these in my weekly box:

It's hard to make green soup look appetizing!  In fact, I'm wondering now if this was actually supposed to be made with only the bulbs of the red spring onions... Either way this was surprisingly delightful.  I was sure that anything prepared with that many onions, and not a lot of other ingredients, was bound to overwhelm even my taste buds!  Why I imagined it would taste like biting into a raw onion, I don't know.  Instead I found the taste of the onions to be subtle and almost sweet, even creamy.  

The next night I made a Curried Lentil Soup that seemed to get better with each reheating.  

The same could be said of this Lentil Barley Soup...

We had leftovers today and the flavors had fused together perfectly.  Pictures with no recipes...am I evil or what??  Here's one, with more to follow very soon (I promise!).

Lentil Barley Soup

Serves 8

2 Tbs olive oil

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 onion, diced

1 medium parsnip, peeled and diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 tsp cumin

10 cups vegetable broth

3/4 cup barley

1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, no salt added

3/4 cup lentils

1 bunch kale, cute into 1" thick strips

chopped fresh dill, for garnish

Heat oil over medium heat in a large soup pot and add carrots, onion, parsnip and garlic.  Cook, stirring frequently, for about 7 minutes.  Add cumin and cook 1 minute.  Then add vegetable broth and barley and bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer and cook, partially covered for 25 minutes.  Stir in tomatoes with their juices and lentils.  Continue to simmer another 30 minutes, or until barley and lentils are tender.  Add kale and simmer 10 minutes.  Garnish with dill and serve.

*If you're eating macro and avoiding tomatoes, they can easily be left out of the recipe, but you'll need to add another cup or so of vegetable broth so the soup doesn't get too thick.

Love, Books, Photos and FOOD!

Hi, I'm back!  Now where was I...?

My husband and I celebrated our 9th anniversary last month at the Hard Rock Hotel.  Look how happy we are after 9 years...

It was fabulous!  The weather was gorgeous and we ate so many delicious things.  We decided to ditch the car and walk everywhere, which felt great.  We even partied like rock stars one night at Hard Rock's 207.  We're old, though, so we just danced, had a drink, and left after 30 minutes...

Let's see...what else?  I photographed my first wedding!

Wow, was that crazy or what?  I would have never survived if it weren't for the gorgeous and talented Tawny de Rue (who is also a major foodie, by the way).  We've been best friends for 30 years, and now we get to work together!  The wedding party was a ton of fun and so easy-going, they made our job easy.  Now I'm looking forward to the next one!

I bought a fabulous book today.  It's called The Foodie Handbook and it is full of fun and amazing pictures as well as recipes.  Granted, they're not vegan recipes but I don't mind taking the time to convert them and share them with you.  Check it out if you have time, though, because the pics will make you drool.  My favorite part starts on page 173 -  'Fifty Things Every Foodie Should Do, Or At Least Try, Once In Her (His) Life.'  How fun will that be?

Now that we're on the subject of food (FINALLY, right?), I want to tell you about the soup I made yesterday.  This pureed soup has not an ounce of dairy in it, but it is unbelievably creamy and delicious!  The best part is that it takes around 30 minutes to make.  No, no...that's not true.  The best part is that it tastes incredible!  Plus, it's a great way to use your spring veggies.

Zucchini-Asparagus Soup with Basil
Serves 3-4

2 Tbsp olive oil
6 small zucchini, chopped
1/2 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Cups low-sodium vegetable broth
10 sprigs of asparagus, trimmed and chopped into 1" pieces
1/3 Cup packed fresh basil leaves

Cook garlic and onion in oil in a medium soup pot over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add chopped zucchini and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes.  Add broth and asparagus to pot and simmer, partially covered, until tender, 15 minutes.  Add basil and carefully puree soup with an immersion blender until creamy, about 2 minutes.

*The major player here is the basil so make sure it's very fresh and fragrant as this makes up a lot of the soup's final flavor.

The ingredients of this soup may sound simple and the cooking method very basic, but don't let that fool you.  I plan on serving this soup as a first course at my next French dinner party!

Quinoa + Coconut Milk = Genius

When you write a food blog, you tend to view every meal, every sauce, every seasoning, as an experiment.  I have to say, lately it has not been going so well in this test kitchen.  I mean, I was happy with how the kimchi stew turned out, for sure, but some other things have kind of...how should I say it...taken a wrong turn?  For instance, I recently made a salad of seaweed (the green, rubbery kind you get at the Japanese restaurant), lettuce, and a dressing mixture I swore would be bottled and sold at Whole Foods by next month.  Blah, it was awful!  The dressing was super bland, and the seaweed turned out so mushy that the texture made me gag.  Even The Boy, who would eat cardboard if it was covered in hot sauce, said it was kind of gross (but still ate it).  I did a few other stupid things like that this week but can't seem to remember the details.  Better for you, I guess.  

But every once in a while an idea comes along that just saves the day.  Today it came from my friend Kate, who posted a photo of her quinoa salad genius, along with the recipe, on facebook.  Bless your little healthy self, Kate!  I've seriously been racking my brain for a good quinoa recipe recently so I was thrilled to be able to post this.  And get this:  The quinoa is cooked in coconut milk.  Brilliant, I tell you!  I ran to the store a few minutes after seeing her post and picked up everything I needed.  I couldn't find any blood oranges so I threw in a little avocado instead.  I'd love to try it with the oranges next time though, for that extra zing and nice burst of color!

Thai Coconut Quinoa Salad
Serves 6 as a side dish

1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1/2 english cucumber, cubed
1/2 poblano chili, diced
1 avocado, diced
1 mango, diced
7 basil leaves, cut into ribbons
10 mint leaves, but into ribbons
zest of 1 lime
2 limes

To prepare quinoa:  Put quinoa and coconut milk into a medium pot and bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Turn heat off and let sit for 5 minutes.  Then fluff with a fork.

While quinoa is cooking, in a large bowl combine cucumber, chili, avocado, mango, basil, mint and zest of limes.  Then squeeze juice from limes over the mixture.  Toss gently to combine.  After quinoa has cooled for a few minutes, add to mixture and toss gently.  Garnish with mint leaves, or just eat directly from the serving bowl...with the large serving spoon.

What I love about this salad, aside from the delicious, refreshing taste, is the fact that it refrigerates well so you can pack it for lunch the next day.  I have a feeling I'll be making it a lot this summer.

Kimchi! ...dedicated to Susanne, for being so patient...

You open the fridge and you get a whiff... Mmm...fermented cabbage...

That's right.  You bought a jar of kimchi last month and now it's on the brink of turning sour.  All the other food in your fridge is starting to taste like kimchi too, so you have to use it up.  By now the cabbage is probably turning clear which means that it's the perfect time to make Kimchi Jjigae.  This is a delicious, spicy Korean stew that is typically made with pork belly, but of course the version I made is vegan.

My sister-in-law is Korean and her dad owns a restaurant in Orange County.  Recently, he sent down a big jar of his house-made kimchi with her for The Boy and I.  Let me tell you, I have never tasted better kimchi than the stuff he whips up at his restaurant.  Holy Moly.  Anyway, I've been dying to make kimchi jjigae for months now, but I have to be honest.  I'm totally intimidated by Korean cooking!  It's completely different from anything I've ever done so I was sure I was going to completely screw it up.  So I texted my sister-in-law for her recipe, and I decided to use what she gave me mixed with a few other goodies, and this is what I came up with:

Vegan Kimchi Jjigae
Serves 4

sesame oil, 2 Tbsp, plus a little extra for garnish
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 an onion, sliced into half moons, about 1/2 inch thick
1 carrot, julienned
1/2 a small head of cabbage, chopped
2 1/2 cups kimchi, coarsely chopped
kimchi juices
1 tsp brown rice syrup (or more, to taste)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp mirin or sake

1 package tofu, cubed

2 green onions, thinly sliced

Heat sesame oil in a soup pot over medium heat.  Add garlic and saute 1 minute.  Add onion and saute 3 to 4 minutes.  Add carrots, cabbage, kimchi and kimchi juices and stir to combine.  (If there's not a lot of kimchi juice in the jar, squeeze the kimchi to get more juices out.)  Add enough water to just cover kimchi mixture.  Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.  Add syrup, soy sauce, mirin and tofu and simmer 5 minutes longer.  Ladle soup into bowls, drizzle with a little sesame oil and top with green onions.  Serve piping hot with a side of rice.

Tip:  If you really like it spicy, add red chili flakes, red chili paste, jalapeño peppers or spicy green chilies.

Macro Eaters:  If you like to include fish in your diet every now and then, try adding a few chunks of mild, white fish to the broth for added flavor and texture.  You'll want to add it during the last 15 minutes of cooking so that it doesn't cook too long and turn to rubber.

I'm Gonna Knock the Bitter Out of Those Greens

Mustard greens were one of the items in my weekly produce box from last week.  So for an entire week, those greens have been sitting in the bottom drawer of my refrigerator as every night I would push them aside to reach other, less bitter and less intimidating vegetables.  Today, another bunch of mustard greens showed up in my box and I sighed, almost wishing that the other batch had gone bad by now so that I could throw it away.  Terrible, I know, but when I'd tried to add them to my morning miso or stir fry they left such a bitter aftertaste in my mouth!  So tonight I was bound and determined to knock the bitter out of those greens.  This is how I did it.  I thank my mom for the idea.

Japanese-Style Mustard Greens
Serves 2 to 3

1 large bunch mustard greens, stems trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp brown rice syrup
1 tsp mirin (a sweet sake for cooking - occasionally used in macro cooking)
1/4 block of medium-firm tofu, patted dry with paper towels
crushed sesame seeds for garnish

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add greens and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Strain in a strainer and push out as much water from the greens as you can without burning your hands.  Set aside to cool for a few minutes.  Once greens have cooled, squeeze out any excess water from greens and set aside.  In a medium pan, heat sesame oil over medium heat.  Once oil is fragrant, using your fingers, separate greens as you add them to the pan.  Cook, stirring gently for about 1 minute.  Add soy sauce, syrup, and mirin to greens; stir gently until combined.  Crumble tofu with your fingers as you add it to the mustard greens.  Toss with greens and cook on low for another minute to warm tofu.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with brown rice, sauteed cabbage and adzuki beans with squash.  Oishii!

This is so good, I wish I'd made a double batch..

Back to Macro and Feeling Good

I admit it.  I've been a bit off track with my eating lately.  Yes, there has been a lot of eating out...there have been some sweets...even...coffee (gasp).  I know, I know!  So for the last three days I've been focusing mostly on macro again, and it feels so good!  My cheeks are rosy, my energy is up, and I'm just feeling more balanced overall.  Here's a sample menu, to give you an idea of how I kept my meals mostly macro:

Monday:

• Breakfast - Oatmeal with a small teaspoon of maple syrup
• Lunch - half a sweet potato (I had a late breakfast that day...I made up for it with dinner though)
• Dinner - brown rice, arame with carrots & onions, sauteed shredded cabbage drizzled with flax seed oil, ume vinegar and gomashio, and seasoned mixed beets (recipe below)

Tuesday:

• Breakfast - brown rice with leftover the arame/carrot/onion thingy
• Lunch - polenta cake and half a sweet potato
• Snack - brown rice cake (the crispy kind) with peanut butter and brown rice syrup
• Dinner - rice pilaf with Caramelized Onions and adzuki beans with kabocha squash

Wednesday:

• Breakfast - miso soup with bok choy and dark greens, leftover rice pilaf (added some sauteed cabbage to freshen it up), natto and toasted nori
• Lunch - stir-fried soba noodles with veggies

• Dinner - I'm planning veggie soup with a side of whole grain bread

I was so tempted to make coffee this morning, but instead I brewed some kukicha tea and tried to forget about the taste of rich, creamy espresso...(single teardrop)...

After finishing dinner on Monday, The Boy told me he was so glad to have me as his wife because I cook healthy meals that he likes, and needs, to eat.  Awwwww :)

Seasoned Mixed Beets:

Serves 4 as a small side dish

12 small golden and chioggia beets, peeled and quartered

1 Tbs brown rice syrup

4 Tbs apple cider vinegar

In a large pot with a lid, steam beets in 1/2 cup of water until tender, about 20 minutes.  Strain and toss gently with brown rice syrup and vinegar.  Serve warm or chilled.

...promises you don't intend to keep...

Okay, so I keep promising things and then not delivering.  That's just not right!  Especially when it has to do with FOOD!  So, as promised.....

Yellow Split Pea and Sweet Potato Soup
Serves 8

8 1/2 Cups water
1 large onion, chopped
1 Tbs finely grated ginger
2 Cups dried yellow split peas
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 Cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Bring 1/2 cup water to simmer in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add onion and cook about 5 minutes or until translucent.  Stir in ginger and cook 1 minute, stirring.  Add remaining 8 cups water, peas and sweet potato cubes and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Uncover and continue to simmer 15 minutes.  Carefully puree soup with a hand held processor until smooth and creamy.  Garnish with pumpkin seeds.  Enjoy with a French baguette.

Recipe courtesy of Whole Foods

Farmer's Market in Poway

I want to apologize for not posting any new recipes recently.  It's been a busy few weeks, but things should be settling down again in a few days so I'll be back in the kitchen and posting my findings soon.  Come to think of it...I never told you how the Yellow Split Pea and Sweet Potato Soup turned out, did I??  *gasp*  It was delicious.  It beat the Curried Cauliflower Soup by a landslide.  Will post soon.

In the meantime, I wanted to share a few pictures from my visit to the Farmer's Market in Poway last Saturday.  The Boy (my husband) and I had a great time browsing the booths and seeing all the beautiful colors.  I find that it's a great way to get to know what's in season, since the health food stores tend to sell most of their produce year round for convenience sake.  The live music and yummy samples were my favorite part!

All photos Courtesy of The Boy

Veg-N-Out: Eating Vegan in San Diego

As some of you know, it's not always easy to eat out when you're vegan.  That's why I was thrilled when I found Veg-N-Out.  They are a meat-free eatery in North Park, and everything there is vegetarian.  The wonderful thing is that around half the items on the menu can be made vegan!  I've been twice now and I'm in love.  They have a specialty burger called the T-Bird Burger, and I swear it tastes just like an In-N-Out Burger.  No joke.  It's made with a hash brown patty and piled high with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, vegan Thousand Island and avocado.  I didn't want to look like a total nerd, taking a picture of my food, so it's kind of hard to see all the goodies inside.  What was I thinking??  I'll do better next time, I promise!

T-Bird Burger

Last visit, I tried the Ali Burger, which is made with falafel.  Yummmm. Look how giant it is!

So ya.  You get the idea, right?  It's vegan heaven.

Curry Anyone?

I found this awesome recipe on my Whole Foods App and had to try it (thanks, facebookers, for your votes!  I'll get to the split peas tomorrow).  Imagine seeing creamy, curry, and soup all in one title...Irresistible!  And boy, did it deliver.  It was so creamy it tasted like a spicy bisque.  This recipe is super simple (don't let the seed-baking intimidate you, it's a snap) and it will make your house smell amaaaazing.  Oh, and try not to eat all the pumpkin seeds before the soup is ready.

Vegan Creamy Curried Cauliflower Soup


Serves 4
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds (or pumpkin seeds, which is what I used)
3 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk, divided
3 tsp mild curry powder, divided, and more to taste
1 cup chopped yellow onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
5 cups (about 1 medium head) cauliflower florets

Preheat oven to 350 F.  In a small bowl, toss sunflower (or pumpkin) seeds with 1 teaspoon almond milk and 1 teaspoon curry powder.

Spread out on a small parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake, tossing once or twice, until toasted and fragrant, 6-8 minutes (or 12 for pumpkin seeds); set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 1/2 cup almond milk in a large pot over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes.  Add cauliflower, remaining 2 teaspoons curry powder and almond milk, cover and simmer until cauliflower is very tender, about 40 minutes.

Taste and adjust seasoning with more curry powder if you like.  Using an immersion blender, carefully puree soup until smooth.

Alternately, puree in batches in a blender.  Transfer to bowls and garnish with sunflower or pumpkin seeds and serve.

Where's the BEEF? I mean...the BEETS!

I love beets.  But growing up, I always thought they only came in a can.  Don't laugh.  My mom is Japanese, okay??  Not a lot of communication in the pantry department!  Anyway, when I started working for Be Wise Ranch, a local organic grower in San Diego, they would give me a box of produce every week as a bonus.  One day, that box included beets.  So...I get it now.

I made this the other night.  It was so warming it made me wish it were colder out...

Vegan Borscht


1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced thinly into half-moons
4 medium sized carrots, grated
5 small beets, peeled and grated
2 large garlic cloves, finely minced
1 bay leaf
2 Tbs brown rice syrup
6 cups Low Sodium Vegetable Broth (or Water + 4 tsp Better Than Bouillon Reduced Sodium Vegetable Base)
1/2 large head or 1 small head of cabbage, thinly shredded
3 large red potatoes, skin left on, diced
salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
2 Tbs red wine vinegar
juice of 1 lemon

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat and saute onions, carrots and beets until onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the garlic, bay leaf and brown rice syrup and cook for 1 minute.  Add broth, cabbage, potatoes, and season with pepper.  Simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in vinegar and lemon juice.  Add salt as needed.  Ladle soup into bowls and dollop with vegan sour cream.

Tip: If you like things a little spicy...add a teaspoon or two of cayenne before simmering.

Now, a question for you guys.  Would you rather see a recipe for Yellow Split Pea and Sweet Potato Soup or Creamy Curried Cauliflower Soup tomorrow?  I'm making one of these tonight and can't decide which.  Help!

Crispy Peanut Butter Treats with Chocolate Chips

This is my new favorite dessert because it's super easy to make and it totally hits the spot.  They're like rice crispy treats.  It comes from The Kind Diet cookbook.  It's vegan, and it's also considered macro if you leave out the chocolate chips (although I do have some issues with eating something with this much sweetener in it, even though it is the good kind of sweetener).  If you're trying to go macro, I suggest eating it only once or twice a week.

Before I get on with the recipe, I just want to add my 2 cents about grain-sweetened chocolate chips.  As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I don't usually like things that try to disguise themselves as other things.  If I want to eat chocolate, I'm going to eat chocolate.  But then I tried grain-sweetened vegan chocolate chips.  You can usually find Sunspire brand at natural food stores, and Jimbo's sells them in bulk.  They are usually sweetened with barley and corn, but you honestly don't taste any weirdness when you eat them.  I try, for the most part, to avoid sugar because I would rather not have headaches, puffiness and lethargy.  But that's just me.  So next time you go shopping for chocolate chips, give these little morsels a shot!

I'll get into other sweeteners, like brown rice syrup, next time.  For now, you're just going to have to trust me...Everyone I make these for loves them.  Even my sister-in-law, who swears she hates peanut butter.

Crispy Peanut Butter Treats with Chocolate Chips


Makes 9 to 12 squares


1 box brown rice crisps cereal (I usually find the Erewhon brand at Henry's)
1 3/4 cups brown rice syrup
Fine sea salt
3/4 cup peanut butter or almond butter (preferably unsweetened and unsalted)
1/2 cup grain-sweetened, non-dairy chocolate chips

Pour the rice cereal into a large bowl.  Heat the syrup with a pinch of salt in a saucepan over low heat.  When the rice syrup liquefies, add the peanut butter and stir until well combined.  Pour over the rice cereal.  Mix well with a wooden spoon.

Once thoroughly mixed and cooled to room temperature, stir in the chocolate chips.  Make sure the mixture is cool, or you will end up with melted chocolate instead of chocolate chips in your treats.

Turn the mixture out into an 8"x8" or 9"x13" baking dish.  Wet your wooden spoon lightly and press the mixture evenly into the pan.  Let cool for 1 hour in the fridge.  I like to scoop out a bowl-full for snacking on while waiting for the rest to cool.  It's so good when it's still warm!

Be Wise Ranch - CSA

Look at this gorgeous head of lettuce!

And I don't call many foods gorgeous...

It comes from one of our local farms in San Diego - Be Wise Ranch.  They have a program called CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) where you can receive a box of fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables every week or every other week.  They have locations all around San Diego so most likely you can find a pickup location that's close to you.  I used to work for Be Wise so I'm kind of partial...but their produce is amazing (maybe you've already been buying their stuff at Jimbo's?) and the people who work there are quite wonderful too.

If you don't live here in San Diego, check your area for CSA programs around you.  Or visit your local farmer's market for some local, seasonal goodies!

Oh.  Did you want to know what I did with that gorgeous head of lettuce?  

I made this awesome salad:

Salad:

1 head red leaf lettuce, chopped or torn into bite-sized pieces

1 ripe avocado, diced

1/8 cup thinly sliced red onion

8 red radishes, thinly sliced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp salt

generous amount of freshly ground pepper

juice of 2 small lemons

2-3 tsp maple syrup (adjust to your taste)

Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl.  In a seperate smaller bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients until combined and slightly thickened.  Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat.  Serve immediately.

Update:

Just picked up my box of Be Wise Ranch produce and had to share!

We're talking beets, two types of oranges, some more of that gorgeous red leaf lettuce, red potatoes, apples, bok choy, leeks, red radishes, strawberries, collards, green kale, butternut squash and a grapefruit!  All organic.  I'm such a health food nerd.

Getting To Know MISO

This one's for all you miso soup lovers.  

What is miso?

Miso is made from a bean (usually soy but not necessarily), sometimes a grain, salt, and a special bacteria called koji.  Because it's fermented and unpasteurized, miso is full of live enzymes that are great for digestion.  High in protein, vitamins (like E), minerals, and alkalizing to the blood, miso keeps the body balanced and happy, so it's fine to have miso every day if you'd like.  I do.  Sometimes I'll even have it once with breakfast and then again that night with dinner.  The minerals in miso also help support immune function because of it's zinc content.  I'm guessing all you sickies are wishing you've been eating a whole lot of miso soup lately...go make some right now!

Varieties ~

The different types of miso include:

• hatcho miso (made from soybeans)
• kome miso (made from white rice and soybeans)
• mugi miso (made from barley and soybeans)
• soba miso (made from buckwheat and soybeans)
• genmai miso (made from brown rice and soybeans)
• natto miso (made from ginger and soybeans)

Since there are so many varieties of miso out there, you might be wondering...

Which type of miso should I buy?

Be careful when buying miso from an asian market.  Most contain MSG, which is just not natural (and can cause headaches, nausea, heart palpitations...need I go on?).  Miso made with barley and aged at least 2 years is considered preferable to other misos in terms of its medicinal properties.  You can usually find barley miso at health food stores, or you can buy them online here or here.  If you try barley miso and you're not wild about it, try alternating with other misos that are more mild tasting.  Personally, I love barley miso.  It warms me from the inside out on the coldest days...

How do I make miso soup?

I thought you'd never ask!

Restaurant-Style Miso Soup

Serves 2

1 scallion, thinly sliced

2" piece wakame, cut into small pieces with scissors

1/4 of a block of soft or silken tofu, diced into small cubes

2 teaspoons barley miso

Bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil in a medium pot.  Reduce heat, add scallions and wakame to pot, and simmer over low heat for 6-8 minutes.  Fill a ladle with some of the soup broth, dissolve miso in it, and then add it back to the soup.  Add tofu cubes and heat on low heat for 2 more minutes.  Serve immediately.

You can easily turn this into a hearty soup by adding all kinds of things - boy choy, dandelion greens, kale, cabbage, brown onions, carrots and other root vegetables - whatever your little "asian" heart desires!

Info for vegans about getting your calcium!

I just found this article on how to meet your calcium needs on a vegan diet.  Had to share!

It has begun. Again.

I have so many things on my mind right now that I'm trying to make sense of.  But right now I only want to talk about something that always makes sense to me - FOOD.  The other stuff, I'm sure, will trickle out in weeks to come.

I feel like I have so many thoughts and ideas about food to share, though, that I don't even know where to begin.  Seriously.  I started making a list.  Some of you have been asking specifically for recipes.  To you I say:  I'm back and ready to start posting some vegan/macro goodness!  I've had a few months to read up more on eating a macro and vegan diet (the reason I'm mentioning both is because I'm doing kind of an 80%-20% thing right now...I'll explain in following posts), and I've been experimenting with recipes as well.  So they're coming, I promise.  And they are gooood.

Some of you have been asking how to use certain ingredients, for instance, the sea vegetables.  And some of you are just wanting to know what a day's menu would be like on the macro diet.  My plan (which may include mini detours along the way...) is to take one ingredient per post, explain it's benefits, and then share a recipe using that ingredient.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know that I'm back and that good things are coming!  For waiting so patiently...here's a recipe for some vegan Thumbprint Cookies I made recently.  I like that they're not sweetened with sugar, and yet are very delicious, and super cute!

P.S. For iPhone users, my new favorite App: Whole Foods Market Recipes or you can check their website.  That's where I found this recipe...


Thumbprint Cookies

Makes about 30 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup almonds or pecans 
1 cup rolled oats 
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour 
1/2 cup safflower or canola oil 
1/2 cup maple syrup or brown rice syrup 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
Fruit juice sweetened jam (St. Dalfour has a good one)

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F. Put almonds and oats into a food processor and pulse until coarsley ground. Transfer to a large bowl and add flour, oil, syrup and salt. Stir to combine well. Roll walnut-sized balls of the dough in the palm of your hand to form each cookie, then arrange on 2 large baking sheets, spacing cookies 2 inches apart. Press your thumb gently down into the center of each cookie to make an indentation. Spoon a scant teaspoon of jam into each indentation. 

Bake cookies until golden brown and just firm around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to let cool completely, then serve immediately or store between layers of waxed paper in an airtight container.

Nutrition

Per serving (2 cookies/46g-wt.): 210 calories (110 from fat), 13g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 40mg sodium, 21g total carbohydrate (3g dietary fiber, 9g sugar), 4g protein