Going all the way...............

It's getting to the point that I am totally grossed out by all meat.

I was eating fish (e.g. see two recipes below), but that is an increasingly rare occurrance. I bought some tuna fish to make some tuna salad for lunch and I couldn't bring myself to eat it. I just had to throw it away. I wasted $1.99. I hate that. Thank goodness I also bought myself a yummy indian veggie microwave meal. I guess I'll give the other two cans to Lucas for lunch this week. yuck.

I also looked up some not-so-good facts about eggs. I really haven't concerned myself with cholesterol levels of foods because I eat mostly vegetarian (like 90% of the time). I do, however, enjoy eggs on the weekends for brunch. It seems that women really shouldn't eat more than 300mg cholesterol per day and a single egg has 220mg of cholesterol in it! ick.

Maybe I will try to make a tofu scramble this weekend. Of course, the occasional indulgence is OK ... and I probably don't come anywhere near 300mg per day on most days, but still ... I want to enjoy old age and travel my arse off!

So ... this tofu scramble sounds good and it doesn't call for nutritional yeast like most other tofu scramble recipes. (I am too lazy to search for this ingredient because I will rarely use it.)

Curried Tofu Scramble with Spinach
Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 countainer firm or extra firm tofu, pressed and crumbled
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
2 tomatoes, diced
1 bunch fresh spinach

Preparation:
Sautee the garlic and onion in olive oil in a large skillet. Allow to cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until onion turns soft. Add remaining ingredients except spinach and cook, stirring frequently for another 5 minutes or so, until tofu is hot and cooked, adding more oil if needed.
Add spinach and cook a minute or two, just until wilted, stirring well.
Makes two servings of tofu scramble.

Nutritional Information:
Calories per serving: 236, Calories from Fat: 96
Total Fat: 10.6g, Saturated Fat: 2.0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 166mg
Total Carbohydrates: 21.7g, 7% daily value
Dietary Fiber: 8.3g, 33%
Protein: 21.0g
Vitamin A 340% RDA, Vitamin C 116%, Calcium 55%, Iron 9%
* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Recipe Source: http://vegetarian.about.com/od/breakfastrecipe1/r/curriedscramble.htm

Lychee Martini

Photo source: Flickr

Ingredients:
1 can of lychees in heavy syrup
Your favorite vodka (mine is VOX)
Some ice

Method:
Put ice in a martini shaker, add 2.5 oz vodka, 2 oz of the syrup from the can of lychees, and shake. Pour into a martini glass and garnish with a lychee on a cocktail stick.

These are trouble. Delicious and easy to make.

Israeli Couscous ... and a Pumpkin Pie

I made the Israeli Couscous with Pistachios and Apricots from Veganomicon (p.117). It was delicious!
Note if you live in Brooklyn: I got my couscous at Sahadis on Atlantic Ave.

I also made a pumpkin pie!

I don't usually bake, but I was feeling especially crafty last night.
I made the traditional pumpkin pie from Martha Stewart Living, Nov 2008, p.82.

1 9" pie crust
1 (15oz) can solid-pack pumpkin
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 tsp coarse salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 (12oz) can evaporated milk
pinch of ground cloves
Whipped cream for topping

♥ Preheat oven to 325°F
♥ Whisk together the pumpkin, sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla, eggs, milk, and a pinch of ground cloves.
♥ Pour mixture into pie crust
♥ Bake for about 50 minutes

Yes, my boyfriend is spoiled. haha.

Fresh Dill-Basmati Rice and Pumpkin Saag

I made the fresh dill-basmati rice (p.116) and pumpkin saag (p.184) from Veganomicon last night!

Both were delicious. I added a bit more lemon juice on top of my rice once I had it on my plate because I really love lemon. I'll also add more cayenne pepper to the saag the next time I make it 'cause I love spice!

I'd never cooked a fresh pumpkin before (!!!) so it was really fun roasting it and seeing how fresh cooked pumpkin tastes compared to canned pumpkin. It was delightful. Plus, this was a fun twist on saag paneer which I make on occasion.

Pumpkin Baked Ziti with Carmelized Onions and Sage Crumb Topping

I made the Pumpkin Baked Ziti with Carmelized Onions and Sage Crumb Topping from p.194 in Veganomicon last night.

It's heavenly! ... and I really do think the cashew ricotta tastes like cheese. It was a little time consuming, but the result is definitely worth it. It's such amazing comfort food. Mmm mmm good. I'll definitely be making this again.

I think Lucas liked it. hee hee.


Here's a pic of a praying mantis that decided to land on a sheet I was drying outside this past August. :) (I just found this picture again when I was uploading these last night.)

White Bean Aioli with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Curried Carrot Spread

It looked like this, but I'm no good at taking pictures, so I got these thanks to google image search. haha



The white bean aioli is a combo of the white bean aioli in Veganomicon and one I found here on recipezaar.com.

I used two cans of great northern beans, some chopped rosemary, re-hydrated sun-dried tomatoes, and the rest of the ingredients over at the recipezaar recipe.
I added more garlic and oil though (more like Veganomicon's recipe) ... 3 cloves of garlic.
Then I processed everything in my food processor. It is friggin' delicious! I used some pita to dip... Mmmm.

I also made the curried carrot spread on p.62 of Veganomicon. It is REALLY good. Go buy this book; you will thank me.
I think next time, I'm going to throw a can of cannellini beans into the carrot spread to give it a smoother texture. Mmm mmm good.

Indian-Spiced Kale and Chickpeas

This is delicious! It's healthy, inexpensive, and easy too!



Ingredients:
extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch of kale, ribs removed, coarsely chopped
1 cup reduced-sodium vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed

Directions:
♥ Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
♥ Add kale and cook, tossing with two large spoons, until bright green, about 1 minute.
♥ Add broth, coriander, cumin, garam masala and salt.
♥ Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
Stir in chickpeas; cover and cook until the chickpeas are heated through, 1 to 2 minutes.

Source: http://www.realage.com/NutritionCenter/Recipes/Indian_Spiced_Kale_and_Chickpeas.aspx