Vegetarian Lunchbox

My lunch: October 3, 2011

2011-10-04T21:15:00.003-04:00

We got a butternut squash in our CSA, and I'm a little embarrassed to say that I had no idea WTF to do with it. Mom never really made squash when I was growing up, and it's never been one of my favorite things. So I spent over an hour looking up recipes, trying to find something I wouldn't definitely hate. This recipe (Pasta with Butternut Squash, Sage and Pine Nuts) looked really promising, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. Chip said it tasted like something from, "a restaurant. A fancy restaurant. But better, because I can eat it like this." He was slouched on the couch, with the bowl on his chest. No, I guess you can't do that at a restaurant, a fancy restaurant.

I added 10 ounces of organic spinach to the noodles in their last minute of cooking, to add some more color and nutrients.

Whole wheat rotini with CSA butternut squash, organic spinach, organic pine nuts, and Parmesan, strawberries, and grapes.

My lunch: September 30, 2011

2011-10-04T21:07:00.003-04:00

On Thursday night, we had what we call "kids' dinner" at our house. It involves fake meat (usually some kind of fake chicken, like vegetarian chicken nuggets), some kind of veggie (often broccoli), and mac and cheese. We got a 15-pack of Annie's organic mac and cheese at Costco (total impulse buy), and I figured we needed to start using it up! I grilled the Quorn cutlet with some spices and yum! I swear it's just like chicken, but I know better than to trust my 8-year-old memory of meat now!

Marinated and grilled Quorn cutlet, Annie's organic mac and cheese, organic Cajun cashews, organic carrots, and a CSA pear.

My lunch: September 27, 2011

2011-10-04T20:58:00.002-04:00

My version of this lunch has a perfect little plum from our CSA. Unfortunately, we can't eat these before they go bad, but the ones we get are awesome! I also packed some Cajun cashews. These are sold in bulk at the co-op down the street from us. I have no idea what's on them, but it's mild, lightly salty, and has just a tiny hint of sweetness. They are a great snack when I want something salty and spicy and can convince myself to lay off the crab chips.

CSA apple, CSA plum, organic Cajun cashews, homemade vegan pumpkin bread, and homemade pizza with whole wheat crust.

Chip's lunch: September 27, 2011

2011-10-04T20:49:00.003-04:00

The latest Clean Eating Magazine has a really tempting photo of a pizza taking up two pages...I couldn't resist. I used my usual crust recipe (doubled of course, so I froze half for later), and their sauce recipe. It was really easy: strained tomatoes, garlic, onion powder, red wine vinegar, and spices. This is a super easy recipe, inexpensive per serving, and very tasty!

CSA apple, banana, dried cranberries, pecans, homemade vegan pumpkin bread, and homemade pizza with whole wheat crust.

My lunch: September 26, 2011

2011-10-04T20:33:00.004-04:00

When we got a pumpkin in our CSA, I was excited to make my own pumpkin puree. I'd meant to do it last year, and I just never got around to it. This time, I did it right, and it turned out so well! I halved the pumpkin and scooped out the seeds and pulp. I baked the two pieces for almost an hour. When it was done, I just scooped out the flesh and tossed it in the food processor. It turned out lighter in color and it smelled less strongly than the stuff from a can, but it tasted divine. I used it in this pumpkin bread and froze the rest (to be used in another tasty pumpkin recipe next week).

Pineapple cashew quinoa with organic quinoa, organic edamame, organic local red bell pepper, and organic broccoli, organic kiwi, organic Cajun cashews, homemade vegan pumpkin bread, and an apple from our CSA

Chip's lunch: September 26, 2011

2011-10-04T20:18:00.003-04:00

I hate apologizing for my crap camera, but here I go again. It takes really unfortunate pictures indoors, but I didn't have daylight to take this photo!

This stir fry was really good, and it got me to break out the quinoa, which I had sort of forgotten about. A little bit of blog browsing the other day brought me to this recipe: Pineapple Cashew Quinoa. I discovered over Christmas last year that not only am I no longer allergic to pineapple, but it is DELICIOUS! I am so in love with pineapple now! I love sweet and salty things too (thank you, Jeni's salty caramel ice cream), and this seemed like the perfect way to do it. We both liked it a lot, and it was a nice, summery, packed-with-protein meal.

Pineapple cashew quinoa with organic quinoa, organic edamame, organic local red bell pepper, and organic broccoli, banana, organic macadamia nuts, organic Sultana golden raisins, homemade vegan pumpkin bread, and an apple from our CSA.

My lunch: August 22, 2011

2011-09-26T01:13:00.004-04:00

My version of this lunch includes some local Feta cheese (very tangy, and very delicious) and strawberries. I've been eating strawberries every morning with breakfast for the past two months. I think I'm about ready to move on, but for a while now, strawberries are one of the only fruits I've felt like eating. We got some great ones while they were in season here in Ohio, but I suppose I should try something else for now.

Salad with organic redleaf lettuce, organic carrots, local Feta, CSA heirloom tomatoes, and marinated/grilled Quorn cutlet, organic strawberries, raw almonds, and 1/2 a PB&J on organic whole wheat bread with natural peanut butter and organic strawberry preserves

Chip's lunch: August 22, 2011

2011-09-26T01:06:00.004-04:00

I managed to pack one lunch during the entire time we spent renovating the bathroom, and this was it. I don't remember having time to grill these Quorn cutlets, but apparently I did it! Those three weeks of insomnia were such a blur...

Salad with organic redleaf lettuce, organic carrots, Parmesan cheese, San Marzano tomato from our garden, and marinated/grilled Quorn cutlet, organic blackberry applesauce, raw almonds, organic Sultana golden raisins, and 1/2 a PB&J on organic whole wheat bread with natural peanut butter and organic grape jam.

My lunch: July 19, 2011

2011-09-26T00:28:00.003-04:00

My version of this lunch has some local blackberries in it instead of the cauliflower (which is delicious, by the way). I never really ate blackberries growing up, and have learned to love them in the past two years as an Ohioan. They're really prevalent here in the summer, and they've become one of my favorite local fruits.

Ginger soy tofu and edamame stir fry with organic tofu, organic edamame, organic cashews, local green beans, and organic bell pepper, organic brown rice, pecans, organic Sultana golden raisins, local blackberries, and a CSA apple.

Chip's lunch: July 19, 2011

2011-09-26T00:18:00.004-04:00

This is another recipe that we've tried from Clean Eating Magazine. I've found that most stir fries seem to taste the same after a while...soy sauce, garlic, ginger, veggies. So what's new? This one includes a few unusual ingredients that make it unique (honey and mustard, for example), and we both appreciated the change. Of course, I didn't tell Chip this one has mustard in it until after he ate it, because he thinks he hates mustard, but he might have to reconsider now!

Since I started working, I've been doing my best to plan meals for the week each Sunday. It's a lot of work, both in the planning part (leafing through blogs, cookbooks, etc) and the preparation part. But it makes life so much easier during the week, that it's absolutely worth it. I think part of what makes it so helpful is that I do some prep work on Sunday (i.e. for this recipe, I chopped veggies, pressed tofu, and made the sauce), but also that I just don't have to think about things during the week. I've got my little list of lunches and dinners for each day, and I can just fly through it all without a second thought.

Ginger soy tofu and edamame stir fry with organic tofu, organic edamame, organic cashews, local green beans, and organic bell pepper, organic brown rice, pecans, organic Sultana golden raisins, local graffiti cauliflower, and a CSA apple.

My lunch: July 18, 2011

2011-09-26T00:11:00.003-04:00

Here's the Katie version of this lunch. Mine has a pear in it; Chip won't eat pears. He is so missing out!

Rotini with homemade pesto and squash/zucchini from Laura's garden, CSA cherries, raw almonds, organic Packham pear, and a salad with CSA lettuce, organic mushrooms, and local pea sprouts.

Chip's lunch: July 18, 2011

2011-09-25T23:44:00.004-04:00

OK so it has been forever. Life has gotten crazy, in ways good and bad, and blogging (and even making lunches) has taken a back seat. We're doing some catch up here for now, and I hope to be better at keeping up with this, as long as more things don't come up. You know, things like...

-Chip traveling for work

-Fostering massive quantities of kittens (they were returned to the shelter 3 weeks ago so they could be adopted)

-Renovating the (only) bathroom (which means using the toilet at the market down the street, showering at the gym, washing my hair in the kitchen sink, etc)

-Our cat, Max, being diagnosed with Feline Interstitial Cystitis

-Fostering lots of dogs, like these guys:

Darcass the Nite ("Nite")

Woody the cocker spaniel mix:

JA's Omar ("Alonzo")

-Throwing a 4-day long wedding at our house over Labor Day

-Cal getting half of his left ear bitten off in a freak accident (this required two nights at the vet and two surgeries)

So yeah. Things have been busy! We're hoping that life takes it easy on us for a while now; we're eager to get back to normal.

Here is Chip's lunch from July 18. On the 17th, we had dinner at our friends' house, and they sent some leftovers home with us, including this amazing homemade pesto pasta, with basil from the CSA we share with them. Yum!

Rotini with homemade pesto and squash/zucchini from Laura's garden, CSA cherries, raw almonds, organic Sultana golden raisins, local apple, and a salad with CSA lettuce, organic mushrooms, and local pea sprouts.

My lunch: July 5, 2011

2011-07-19T22:14:00.004-04:00

Someone at work the other day had a turkey and avocado sandwich and I got really jealous. It's just not the same for vegetarians! I got some Tofurkey veggie lunchmeat and made some wraps, and they turned out pretty well. I got some beautiful lettuce from our garden; I bought the Revolution lettuce seedlings at the farmers' market, and they grew really well! It's a nice dark red color, and aside from looking pretty, it tastes fantastic!

Whole wheat rollups with vegan smoked turkey, avocado, Campari tomato, Revolution lettuce from our garden, and organic tahini, organic vanilla soy yogurt with CSA blueberries, raw almonds, raspberries from the farmers' market, and and organic D'Anjou pear.

My lunch: June 27, 2011

2011-07-19T20:11:00.002-04:00

I know I've mentioned Fudha here before, but I have to call them out again: I love that they're all about local businesses, and while they've recently merged with another company called Faveroo, that just means that we get even more local deals.

A few months ago, I bought a huge ($50) Fudha for Wellness Forum Foods. I'd gotten their prepared foods at the Clintonville Community Market, and was excited to try some new vegan stuff. I sent Chip over and he asked the chef (who also just happens to live 2 blocks from us) to just use up the whole certificate with whatever he had on hand that was tasty. We got lots of stuff, including a tempeh sandwich, Mexican split pea soup, oven fried tofu (SO delicious!), and these spicy Thai peanut noodles. They have a spicy, gingery sauce that I just love. They can be eaten warm or cold: cold is nice and refreshing in the summer.

Spicy Thai peanut noodles, organic vanilla soy yogurt with CSA blueberries, raw almonds, organic D'Anjou pear, and organic strawberries.

My lunch: June 22, 2011

2011-07-18T21:00:00.002-04:00

The farmers' market has been so good to us this summer! While our garden has gotten huge without producing any fruit, the farmers' market is always full of tasty local treats, like this cucumber, the pepper jack cheese, and the raspberries in the scone. In attempting a garden for the second year in a row (and seeming to fail again...but we'll see about that in time), I have such an appreciation for the farmers at our market. I guess next year I will either need to commit and spend some time learning to garden (and actually gardening), or skip it altogether.

Organic Gala apple, CSA cucumber, fruit leather, homemade raspberry scone with lemon icing, local pepper Jack cheese, and whole grain crackers.

My lunch: June 20, 2011

2011-06-21T20:42:00.004-04:00

This weekend, just as I was leaving the farmers' market, I noticed a vendor I hadn't seen before. He was selling green stuff in a baggie...and no, despite Clintonville's hippie reputation, it wasn't pot. They were sprouts! I'd been searching for pea shoots for months, maybe over a year, and had had no luck finding them. Chip's mom got some at her local organic market, and served them to us on a salad. We had them again at basi italia on their version of the caprese salad (their house made mozzarella, pea shoots, pesto, and tomatoes). I have finally found them again and am so excited. Not only are they super nutrient-dense, they have a mild flavor and fun texture that add a neat twist to a salad.

Lemon asparagus penne, organic pear, raw almonds, dark chocolate with caramel and sea salt, lemon raspberry scone, and a salad with local organic salad mix, organic sunflower seeds, organic mushrooms, local pea shoots, and Campari tomato.

Chip's lunch: June 20, 2011

2011-06-21T20:18:00.003-04:00

We had some friends over last weekend, to celebrate my job and their recent home purchase. Since their apartment was all packed up and ready to move, Laura brought dinner ingredients to our house and cooked here. She made this unbelievably delicious recipe, with just a few ingredients (including some beautiful asparagus from the Clintonville Farmers' Market). Laura is an amazing cook and baker, and has made us some fabulous food since we met her last year, including vegetarian Coneys, roasted vegetable lasagna, and raspberry scones with lemon icing (yep, I copied those too).

Which brings me to the scones. I was out running a few months ago and stopped at Laura's place on my way home (about 4 miles into my 5-mile run). As I was leaving, she offered me a scone, and far be it from me to turn down a baked good. She sent me home with two of these raspberry scones, with a lemon glaze that she invented herself. I chuckled as I ran the last mile, scones in one hand and iPod in the other. Some people run with energy gels; I run with scones. As soon as I got home, scone #1 was gone, and #2 was gone soon afterward. Even Chip liked it, and he flat out does NOT eat berries. I got some not-so-beautiful raspberries at the farmers' market this weekend, and figured they didn't have to look pretty to adorn scones. I veganized the recipe and used whole wheat flour, and it still turned out great. So great that Chip even ate these ones too, raspberries and all. Seriously, you need to try this recipe.

How to veganize:
-Instead of buttermilk, use 1 tsp lemon juice per cup of vegan milk (I used almond milk); allow to curdle for 5 minutes before adding to recipe.
-Instead of butter, use vegan margarine (I used Earth Balance)
-Instead of egg yolk, sub 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed and 3 tablespoons vegan milk

Lemon asparagus penne, organic applesauce, organic dark chocolate chips, pecans, dried cranberries, homemade lemon raspberry scones, and a salad with local organic salad mix, organic sunflower seeds, organic mushrooms, local pea shoots, and Campari tomato.

My lunch: June 16, 2011

2011-06-21T20:13:00.003-04:00

I enjoyed my falafel with some strawberries on the side (a fruit Chi would never touch). I also had forgotten until I ate this lunch how much I enjoy raw bell peppers. When I "went vegetarian" in middle school, I got crackers, cheese, and marshmallows in my lunch each day, along with a veggie. One of the "cool girls" always had raw green pepper, so I asked my mom to pack some for me too. I hated it, but I ate it to look cool. And I'm sure I did. These days, I actually do like it, and can't wait for the bell pepper plants in my garden to take off. We've got one growing so far, and I'm hoping for lots more throughout the summer!

Homemade falafel, homemade hummus, raw almonds, organic yellow bell pepper, organic carrots, and organic strawberries.

Chip's lunch: June 16, 2011

2011-06-21T19:56:00.004-04:00

I decided it was finally time to try my hand at falafel. And I figured that while I was at it, I would try some hummus too. I mean, it's just lots of chickpeas, right? It's just mixing things together and making them taste good. I should've remembered why I don't make hummus. The reason is that I'm terrible at it. Absolutely horrible. Maybe I haven't found a good recipe yet. Maybe the chickpeas I use (canned organic) aren't the best kind for hummus. Perhaps my crappy blender isn't the appropriate tool to use to mix it all up. Whatever the reason, this hummus was not delicious, though it was palatable. Chip seemed to think it was "fine," but I was just not a fan.

The good news is that this falafel was much better than the hummus was. Per the recipe's instructions, I formed it into patties about the size of your average hamburger. Instead of deep frying, I sprayed a pan with olive oil, and sort of pan fried it that way. I cooked it on high enough heat to get it crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside. It was actually quite good, and it was easy enough to make. I prepared the patties ahead of time (on Sunday), and froze them. I defrosted them during the day on Wednesday, and cooked them up for dinner in no time.

Homemade falafel, banana, homemade trail mix with organic Sultana golden raisins, dried cranberries, organic sunflower seeds, raw almonds, and organic dark chocolate chips, homemade hummus, and blanched veggies (local asparagus, organic red bell pepper, organic yellow bell pepper).

My lunch: June 15, 2011

2011-06-21T19:38:00.003-04:00

Similar to Chip's from the same day, with a few little tweaks. We've tried kiwi twice, and he just can't like it. So I guess I'll have to eat all the kiwis in the family! I found out recently that I'm no longer allergic, so I've been trying to make up for lost time. Yes, kiwi allergies exist, I swear.

Salad with organic local redleaf lettuce, organic local salad mix, organic corn, and spiced black beans, organic carrots, raw almonds, organic kiwi, homemade guacamole, and salsa.

Chip's lunch: June 15, 2011

2011-06-20T22:12:00.003-04:00

Chip and I had homemade Chipotle-style burritos the night before this lunch, with some spiced black beans (cumin, garlic, lime, and chili powder) in lieu of meat. I couldn't figure out a way to get a burrito in these lunchboxes. It was the first time I'd been really stumped, and I started to get really frustrated! Eventually I gave up and turned it into a sort of southwestern salad. Similar to the original ingredients, with more lettuce, and no tortilla. I whipped up the guac myself for dinner. It turned out really well this time...it's always different since I just throw ingredients together and cross my fingers. As usual, it was just avocado, red onion, tomato, a small amount of garlic, salt, pepper, and lime juice. It got a little brown while waiting for lunch time, but that was to be expected.

Salad with organic local redleaf lettuce, organic local salad mix, spiced black beans, organic corn, and Tillamook Cheddar cheese, banana, Kashi trail mix bar, organic applesauce, homemade guacamole, and salsa.

My lunch: June 14, 2011

2011-06-20T20:58:00.004-04:00

My lunch was similar to Chip's, but I got to pack a few things that would just be wasted in a Chip lunch. One is yogurt. I really love soy yogurt. I don't know why, especially since I'm not a fan of dairy yogurt, but soy yogurt is just such a nice, easy, tasty, quick snack. I love it! And I had a beautiful nectarine. Chip has a very short list of acceptable fruits, and some of my faves don't make the cut: kiwi, nectarines, peaches, pears, cherries (fresh ones), raspberries, strawberries, etc. I'm happy to mix things up here with this beautiful white nectarine!

Homemade Margherita pizza with whole wheat crust, Campari tomatoes, and buffalo milk mozzarella, raspberry soy yogurt, white nectarine, and a salad with organic local red leaf lettuce, organic local salad mix, organic carrots, organic mushrooms, Campari tomatoes, and a local pastured egg.

Chip's lunch: June 14, 2011

2011-06-18T14:05:00.003-04:00

Since I spent all of last Sunday meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking, we have dinner and lunch nearly pre-made for us all week. I made this pizza dough on Sunday, and made a double recipe so I could freeze one half, and use the other half right away. The soup had been in the freezer, and was part of the great purge I did last week.

Homemade Margherita pizza with whole wheat crust, Campari tomatoes, and buffalo milk mozzarella, white bean and kale soup, raw almonds, organic Sultana Golden raisins, homemade vegan coffee cake, and a salad with organic local red leaf lettuce, organic local salad mix, organic carrots, organic mushrooms, Campari tomatoes, and a local pastured egg.

My lunch: June 13, 2011

2011-06-12T20:09:00.003-04:00

A lunch for Katie? On a weekday? What is this? Oh yes, it's the other big news I mentioned in my last post. And that news is (sorry for those of you who were hoping for a pregnancy or something more exciting than this): I GOT A JOB! I don't need to go into detail here, but let's just say that it's been brutal, it's been a very long search, it's been emotional, and it's been very, very difficult. I am so excited to begin this job, and can't believe it's finally happened. I've been doing some shopping for work clothes (my last job had an extremely casual dress code), I got myself a lunch box, and I've been making plans like crazy. I'm almost as excited to eat this lunch as I am about the job :)

Homemade fried rice with organic local broccoli and organic tofu, red pear, grape fruit leather, raw almonds, homemade vegan coffee cake, and a salad with organic local redleaf lettuce, organic local salad mix, organic mushrooms, organic carrot, and Campari tomato.

Chip's lunch: June 13, 2011

2011-06-12T19:50:00.004-04:00

Sometimes, I think my lunches are really pretty. This is one of those times. It's so colorful, and the picture turned out great (I have a crappy regular camera, and approximately zero photography skills). It looks tasty and healthy, and when Chip sneaked a peek, he was excited to get to eat it.

We have a few pieces of non-lunch-related news here. The more fun news is that our foster cat, Naomi, finally gave birth this weekend. She saw a vet in mid-May who estimated she was due June 1. When June 10 rolled around, we took her to a vet, who did an X-ray. The vet told us that she saw the most kittens she'd ever seen on an X-ray: 9 to 11. Average litter size is 5! We were shocked, and very upset, but hopeful that things would turn out OK. Naomi began labor this Saturday morning, and as of now, we have 7 kittens and she seems to be done. Whew! We are so glad the vet was mistaken, and all the little ones are healthy and strong. There's one calico, three orange and whites, and three torbies.

Here is one of the torbies, nursing herself into a milk coma:

Here's Naomi with all 7:

Check out my next entry for our other big news!

Homemade fried rice with local organic broccoli and organic tofu, homemade vegan coffee cake, raw almonds, dried cherries, organic Gala apple, and a salad with organic local redleaf lettuce, organic local salad mix, organic mushrooms, organic carrot, and Campari tomato.

Chip's lunch: June 10, 2011

2011-06-12T19:30:00.003-04:00

During the colder months, I had time on my hands and a serious desire for soup. I made lots of different kinds, and while we both enjoyed them all, we also were unable to finish the huge batches I was making. So in the freezer the leftovers went, while I imagined some future weeknight being a little tastier because I had some soup left over. Except those weeknights never happened (or more like I always forgot to thaw the soup before it was dinner time), and before I knew it, our freezer was overflowing with stuff. So much stuff. I made it my mission two weeks ago to stop buying frozen things, and to work my way through the stuff we already had. The hot weather made it easy to thaw things on the deck, and Chip will really eat anything I put in his lunch (within reason...he'll eat anything he doesn't dislike, whereas I have to be "in the mood" for certain foods at certain times).

So Chip had hot soup on a hot day. He didn't mind a bit, and I'm thankful for that. The pea soup is super filling, so it was especially appreciated on a day he had to work late.

Salad with organic local salad mix, organic mushrooms, organic bell pepper, Campari tomato, and local pastured egg, half a PB&J on organic whole wheat bread, dried cranberries, raw almonds, banana, and homemade split pea soup.

Chip's lunch: June 8, 2011

2011-06-12T19:16:00.003-04:00

I made a pledge about two months ago that I would eat a salad a day. I realized that without any planning around food, I would just graze on all the easy stuff in the kitchen: diet soda, candy, chips, crackers, cookies, etc. I wasn't taking the (small amount of) time to put together decent meals for myself, and I was paying for it for sure!

In keeping with this, I have been making sure to keep the fridge full of lettuce, salad, hardboiled eggs, and other salad ingredients. I wash and prepare some things ahead of time, but I still have to assemble it when it's salad time. The salad mix here came from the farmers' market this weekend. It's been plenty rainy and overcast, which is perfect for lettuce, and there's been a ton of it at the market. Our lettuce in our garden is growing like crazy, and I can't wait to put it in some lunches soon!

Salad with local organic salad mix, organic corn, organic bell pepper, and avocado, organic Gala apple, pecans, dried cranberries, and Rising Moon organic spinach florentine vegan ravioli with organic marinara sauce.

Chip's lunch: June 6, 2011

2011-06-12T19:08:00.003-04:00

Over the weekend I grilled up some sausages from the Grain Meat Co. We love their Italian sausages: they're fairly authentic and nice and spicy, with plenty of salt. With some sauteed peppers and onions on a whole wheat roll, it's a nice complete meal that tastes like something you'd get at a ballpark or a backyard barbecue.

Grain Meat Co. Italian sausage with sauteed onions and organic bell pepper, steamed broccoli, raw almonds, dried cherries, locally produced pesto with homemade whole wheat herb focaccia, and an organic Gala apple.

Chip's lunch: May 26, 2011

2011-06-05T16:50:00.004-04:00

Every week, yahoo! publishes a list of seven dinner recipes. I browse through them sometimes, even though the vegetarian recipes are few and far between. I saw this one, and was shocked that it didn't include chicken. I adapted in a little to fit our needs (skipped the prosciutto, used vegan "heavy cream" instead of dairy heavy cream, used vegetable stock instead of chicken stock), and it turned out great. Satisfyingly creamy, with tons of protein and even some veggies. I froze some of the leftovers, and it is great reheated.

Organic whole wheat rotini with organic mushrooms, organic mushrooms, and vegan white wine cream sauce, banana, pita chips, raw vegan taco dip, and an organic Gala apple.

Chip's lunch: May 24, 2011

2011-06-05T16:23:00.003-04:00

Unfortunately, our Costco has stopped stocking the Gardein 7-grain Crispy Tenders. We haven't been eating tons of them now, because instead of costing about $.10 each from Costco, they're at least $.50 each from the grocery store. I needed a quick lunch on this day though, and these are about as quick as it gets!

I got goldenrod honey at the farmers' market from the guy in the photo in this article. Goldenrod honey is extra fancy, and has a distinct butterscotch-y taste. I've been enjoying it in green tea, but I can't say Chip has noticed how tasty it is himself.

Gardein 7-grain Crispy Tenders, local honey, organic applesauce, dried cranberries, organic raw cashews, banana, and a salad with organic redleaf lettuce, local cherry tomatoes, organic carrots, and avocado.

Chip's lunch: May 6, 2011

2011-06-05T16:08:00.003-04:00

Since the Snickerdoodles didn't really do it for me, I decided to try some vegan coffee cake. I've always loved coffee cake because...well, what's not to love? Cake, plus sweet, buttery, cinnamon-y, crumbly goodness on top. I used topping from one recipe and cake from another because I just had a hunch that it would be better. And it was amazing. Chip insisted that he doesn't like coffee cake, but then he tried a bite of this. It was gone within 2 days (though, to be fair, we shared some with our friends).

Sandwich on homemade whole wheat focaccia with hummus, organic redleaf lettuce, and tomato, homemade vegan coffee cake, organic raw cashews, dried cherries, and a banana.

Chip's lunch: May 5, 2011

2011-06-05T15:16:00.003-04:00

I have been on a Mandarin orange kick lately, and thought I'd have Chip give them one more shot. And...they came back home with him after work. I don't get what's not to like! They're sweet, a little sour, bite-sized, and mild. I love them. Chip is just not a fan, and I guess it's time to accept it.

He did, however, enjoy the vegan Snickerdoodles I packed. I've been making lots of sweets, and while I'm not sure what's prompting it, Chip sure isn't complaining. I used this recipe, and while I followed it exactly, it didn't turn out quite like I'd hoped. They were tasty, but they were a tad on the salty side, and did have that floury, chewy texture like my mom's Snickerdoodles. I mean, it's not like we didn't eat them; they're long gone now :)

Homemade fried rice with organic broccoli and organic tofu, homemade vegan Snickerdoodles, pecans, dried cranberries, Mandarin oranges, and an organic Gala apple.

Chip's lunch: May 2, 2011

2011-06-05T15:04:00.002-04:00

In my latest adventures in breadmaking, I decided to try focaccia. A friend told me about this amazing focaccia she'd gotten at Costco. I saw it there, and put it in my cart. As I was walking through the store, I said to myself, "wait...maybe I could make that myself." I replaced it on the shelf, and when I got home, I got right to work. As before, my stand mixer did the kneading, so I got to do the fun parts (brushing on the olive oil and herbs, and then eating the finished product).

The focaccia tasted awesome, and I might never forget it. As soon as it came out of the oven, I sliced up a few pieces, and got out some marinara sauce to dip it in. While I was doing this, the President came on TV to announce that Osama bin Laden had been killed. We munched on focaccia and were glued to the news for hours. Funny how some things just get burned into your memory.

Organic Gala apple, banana, pecans, dried cherries, organic marinara sauce, veggie pepperoni, and homemade whole wheat focaccia.

Chip's lunch: April 27, 2011

2011-04-28T23:41:00.005-04:00

So somehow, I made it to 28 years old without ever having stromboli. Chip is always telling me about how he used to eat it in high school, bought from the school cafeteria. I had a frozen homemade pizza dough in the freezer, and decided to find a stromboli recipe online. I actually didn't really know what stromboli was, except that it was kind of like pizza. So once I found this recipe, I was able to adapt it a bit. I filled my half with sauteed mushrooms and spinach, plus some marinara sauce. I added organic mozzarella to Chip's half. He came home from work and it was in the oven and he was so surprised! He's been talking about stromboli for years, so to finally have it was out of the ordinary. We both really liked it, and the leftovers kept really well.

Homemade stromboli with whole wheat crust, organic spinach, organic portobellos, organic mozzarella, and Newman's Own marinara sauce, homemade split pea soup, organic raw cashews, raw almonds, homemade vegan key lime pie, and an organic Fuji apple.

Chip's lunch: April 25, 2011

2011-04-28T23:24:00.004-04:00

For some reason this weekend, I decided I needed key lime pie. I decided to make one, and this recipe looked delicious, and, more importantly, easy. I (not surprisingly) couldn't find key limes in Ohio, so I used regular ones: five of them (much more than the recipe called for). It tasted fantastic, and was so easy! Next time, I will try the homemade crust too.

Sandwich on organic whole wheat bread with spicy red pepper hummus, organic redleaf lettuce, organic spinach, organic red bell pepper, red onion, and organic portobellos, banana, Veggie booty, homemade vegan key lime pie, and an organic Fuji apple.

My lunch: April 21, 2011

2011-04-26T21:44:00.002-04:00

On this day, I went on a road trip to Wheeling, West Virginia, with the president of our greyhound rescue group to get three retired racers from the adoption kennel. In brief, once dogs retire from racing, they are either euthanized or if a rescue group has space, they are "petted out." Most racetracks have adoption kennels on their premises, where volunteers care for the dogs until they are either adopted locally, or sent to rescue groups in other areas. The adoption kennel at Wheeling has about 40 dogs at a time (which is small compared to others: Daytona's kennel can have over 200 dogs at a time), and there are always more waiting to come in.This time we picked up Cry Dorthy, Starz Cry Bambam, and WW North Pole. While there, we picked out dogs for our next road trip in May. Those dogs are being vetted (spayed/neutered, dentals, etc), and we'll pick them up in a few weeks. The president of the rescue chose Braska Caleb, and when she saw how in love I was with this big black boy, she let me choose Darcass the Night. We will return in early May to get those boys and one more, and bring them to Ohio to be adopted. I can't wait!

Veggie Booty, organic baby carrots, raw almonds, pecans, organic raspberry soy yogurt, and a sandwich on local 10-grain bread with natural peanut butter and banana.

Chip's lunch: April 20, 2011

2011-04-20T11:42:00.004-04:00

Last night I was leafing through Terry Walters' cookbook, Clean Start, to get some inspiration. I've felt really blah about cooking lately, and needed something to get my butt back in the kitchen. I leafed through the Spring section of the book (it's divided into seasons, as it focuses on eating seasonally), and found a delicious-looking recipe for split pea soup. I've never really had split pea soup, though it is traditionally part of Slovak Christmas Eve dinner. I decided to give it a shot, and wow! I thought it would taste or feel like it was lacking something, like salty smoky ham, or some kind of creaminess, but this stuff was amazing. Low fat, high in protein, full of veggies (onion, celery, and I added 2 cups of chopped carrots), and delicious. And plenty of leftovers for the freezer.

We ate our soup with some homemade bread. I finally got a stand mixer, and have been trying to take full advantage of it. I made bread for the first time ever, from a really basic recipe, and it turned out surprisingly well! I used 5 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup of ground flax seed. Chip has been enjoying it with PB&J, and it also went really well with this soup.

Homemade split pea soup, homemade whole wheat flax seed bread, organic dark chocolate chips, almonds, banana, and an organic Fuji apple.

Chip's lunch: April 13, 2011

2011-04-19T23:04:00.002-04:00

One thing that Chip has been a fan of for many years is a good breakfast sandwich. When he worked at a bike shop as a teenager, he would stop at Dunkin Donuts every morning, and they'd have his breakfast ready for him: a large coffee with cream and sugar, and a bagel with sausage, egg, and cheese. He ate this pretty much every day, along with plenty of Ho Hos, pizza, and frozen chicken nuggets. When we were bike messengers, we would stop at Song's Deli in Baltimore, this tiny little hole in the wall on the ground floor of 10 S Charles Street. We would get bagels with egg and cheese, and Mrs. Song mixed the eggs in a bowl and microwaved them to cook them. So...taking a cue from Mrs. Song, I made this bagel sandwich with two big pastured eggs, and a big handful of chopped veggies. Two minutes in the microwave, and lunch was quick, easy, and healthy.

Here it is all scrambled up:

And as lunch:

Whole wheat bagel with pastured local eggs, organic spinach, red onion, organic tomato, and organic red bell pepper, organic Fuji apple, organic raw cashews, dried cherries, and Annie's whole wheat pretzels.

Chip's lunch: April 12, 2011

2011-04-19T22:58:00.002-04:00

Last week I had Chip stop at Whole Foods on his way home from work. I forget now what I sent him for, but I did tell him to feel free to pick up some of their house-made pesto if he wanted to. He did buy some, and told me how much he likes it; I had always thought he just kind of tolerates it. So, I whipped that pesto out on a busy morning, and ended up with this creation.

On a non-lunch-related note, I had the spinach on hand because I've been drinking a green monster every day for breakfast or lunch. A green monster is a smoothie with pretty much whatever ingredients you want, plus a big handful of spinach. You can't taste the spinach, but it adds some neat color, and more importantly, lots of nutrients. I make mine with a banana, a scoop of protein powder, ice, spinach, and some organic frozen berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries). Yum!

Organic Fuji apple, organic red bell pepper with spicy red pepper hummus, raw almonds, dried cranberries, Kashi oatmeal dark chocolate cookies, and organic whole wheat tri-color noodles with pesto, organic spinach, and organic tomato.

Chip's lunch: April 11, 2011

2011-04-19T22:49:00.002-04:00

I've been really into spicy foods lately, and decided to satisfy that with some Jerk "chicken." My dad always made great jerk chicken when I was growing up, but when I called to ask for the recipe, he confessed that he'd misplaced it. So I went off in search of a new recipe, and found this one. I decided to give it a shot, though I was nervous, since the last time I tried an unknown jerk recipe, I was not a fan. This recipe turned out perfectly: lots of smoky spiciness, and plenty of garlic and onion. I added some chopped green onion and extra cinnamon (1/4 tsp isn't nearly enough), left out the cumin, and used one Habanero pepper. Yum!

Organic Fuji apple, mushroom and brown rice pilaf, dried cranberries, pecans, steamed asparagus, and Jamaican jerk Quorn "chicken."

Chip's lunch: April 7, 2011

2011-04-19T22:36:00.003-04:00

The weather was beautiful here yesterday evening, so we grilled up some tofu and ate on the deck. I used the same Cajun spices as last time, and it was delicious as usual. Also, I just read in this article that roasted red pepper hummus is a great snack, and I'm glad Chip likes it so much. We get the hummus and pita chips at Costco and Chip goes right through them!

Sandwich on local 10-grain bread with grilled organic tofu with Cajun spices, organic redleaf lettuce, organic red chard, red onion, and Campari tomato, pita chips, spicy red pepper hummus, organic salted sunflower seeds, organic dark chocolate chips, dried cranberries, banana, and an organic Fuji apple.

Chip's lunch: April 6, 2011

2011-04-19T22:24:00.002-04:00

I was running short on time and ideas this morning, when I remembered that I'd made a trip to Trader Joe's earlier in the week. Chip loves their fake meat, and the "chicken-less stuffed cutlet with black beans and corn" is always a hit. It's an easy way for me to up the protein in his lunch by a lot.

Organic Fuji apple, steamed asparagus with Parmesan cheese, pecans, dried cranberries, Kashi oatmeal dark chocolate chip cookies, and Trader Joe's chicken-less stuffed cutlet with black beans and corn.

Chip's lunch: April 4, 2011

2011-04-06T13:11:00.003-04:00

I haven't been doing much cooking lately, but this weekend I got a bee in my bonnet to make pierogies. My dad's family is Slovak, and I grew up eating my Nan's amazing pierogies, halupki, pagachi, haluska, nut roll, poppy seed roll, and sauerkraut soup. OK, maybe I didn't eat the sauerkraut soup, but the rest was always amazing. I decided I could make pierogies...I mean, why not? I found a vegan recipe and ten hours later...pierogies! These things took forever to make, and the whole time, Chip and I were like, "how did this become a thing that people made, when it takes so damn long?" But the results were worth it. I added some chopped chard for some vitamins and such, as well as a touch of garlic, plus some cheese in Chip's pierogies. Chip was impressed, and has been enjoying them a lot.

The onions also make it amazing. These onions turned out great. My family also serves pierogies with onion, but it's more like melted butter with some onion in it. Butter is a condiment to Slovaks. And it's in everything, from soup to dinner to dessert. So this was like a taste of my Slovak roots, minus much of the fat, but still with plenty of flavor.

Homemade harira, organic applesauce, raw cashews, Kashi oatmeal cookies with dark chocolate, caramelized onions, and whole wheat pierogies with organic potato, Tillamook Cheddar, and organic red chard.

Chip's lunch: March 31, 2011

2011-04-06T12:25:00.003-04:00

Ah, we've been busy since Chip was gone. Just before he left, we took in a litter of orphan foster kittens. Four two-weekers with no mom. We bottle fed them around the clock, and once Chip left, I was operating on some serious sleep deprivation. Seriously, I don't know how actual parents do it. This was traumatic enough for me. Then, we picked up a Lab-mix girl who came in on a transport from Springfield, Missouri. The shelter there burned down, so she'd been living in an outdoor run. On top of that, it's a heartstick shelter, and, well...just google heartstick, and you'll understand why we couldn't let her die there. She is a younger girl, and one of the rowdiest dogs I've ever met. Fortunately, she and Cal are best buddies, and they tire each other out daily.

Since then, our greyhound foster, Starz Artiste, was adopted by a wonderful family. She is such a lover, and I know they enjoy that about her. The kittens have grown out of the bottle feeding phase, which means we get to sleep again. Penny underwent Immiticide heartworm treatment, and is healing very well. And we got one of our old greyhound fosters back: Perpetual Puff. She was having separation anxiety from being left alone for 9 - 10 hours a day. She's doing better with us, and I'm sure she'll be adopted any time now.

My favorite photo of Artiste, gently resting her head on my shoulder:

The kittens...

Carl (named after Chip's dad, because both have mustaches):

Patty the tabby:

Betty (we thought she was a boy until recently; we had named her Benny):

And Bethany (with Betty and Patty), who is so mellow and laid back that we named her after Bethany Hamilton:

And here's Penny. She's just gorgeous, right? We are fostering her through For the Love of Labs Rescue, and if you or anyone you know is interested in her, we can arrange transport to almost anywhere.

And here's Miss Puff (yes, that is Puff spit on my shirt):

And lunch, of course!

Organic Fuji apple, pita chips, spicy red pepper hummus, pecans, organic dark chocolate chips, organic salted sunflower seeds, banana, and organic quinoa with organic spinach.

Chip's lunch: March 15, 2011

2011-04-06T12:21:00.003-04:00

Um, does this look familiar? I realized after I'd packed it that it was basically the same lunch Chip got less than a week before, with slightly different ingredients in the rollups. He didn't notice, so I didn't say anything either. Once again, the rollups were a great way to use a few things up before Chip's departure for Italy.

Organic Fuji apple, banana, organic dark chocolate chips, raw almonds, dried cranberries, homemade vegan carrot spice muffins, and whole wheat rollups with organic avocado, local alfalfa sprouts, Campari tomato, organic red onion, and organic spinach.

Chip's lunch: March 9, 2011

2011-04-06T11:28:00.003-04:00

We're back in action! We've been doing a lot of traveling over the past few weeks, and things have been so busy. First, we spent a long weekend in Chicago with my brother, and we finally got to meet his girlfriend of almost a year. We had an amazing time with them, and it was so fun to finally see Chicago. I can't believe I'd never been there! A few days after we got home, Chip headed to Italy for the Milan-San Remo bike race. He ate some amazing Italian food, and saw a lot of beautiful sights. Italy is on my list, and I can't wait to get the opportunity to visit once we're living in Europe!

In Chicago, we went to Friends Sushi, and I ate an actual bento box (teriyaki tofu, tempura vegetables, rice):

And we checked out the Chicago River, dyed green for St. Patty's Day:

I packed this lunch a few days before we left for Chicago. The rollups were a great way to use up a few things before our trip.

Whole wheat rollups with hummus, organic black beans, organic quinoa, local alfalfa sprouts, Campari tomato, organic spinach, and organic Boston lettuce, banana, organic flame raisins, raw almonds, organic dark chocolate chips, organic applesauce, and homemade tomato saffron soup.

Chip's lunch: March 8, 2011

2011-03-09T14:49:00.003-05:00

Who doesn't love quesadillas? We had some red onion and green pepper on hand (which we don't usually have; usually I use a whole onion or whole bell pepper when I have one), so I made them into a quesadilla. Some local pepper jack cheese added some spice, and black beans added lean protein. Topped off with some Newman's Own salsa..yum!

Quesadilla on whole grain tortilla with local pepper jack cheese, reduced fat Colby cheese, organic black beans, organic green bell pepper, red onion, Campari tomato, and organic corn, banana, organic flame raisins, homemade vegan tapioca pudding, and salsa.

Chip's lunch: March 7, 2011

2011-03-08T00:06:00.004-05:00

Chip and I were looking through some photos this weekend of his last business trip to Spain. He went out to dinner with some co-workers (including native Spaniards) and had a gigantic paella. The pictures looked so neat, and since I love saffron, I decided I could make paella. Why not, right?

It didn't turn out at all how I expected it to look (bright yellow and fluffy), but it did taste great. The recipe called for short grain white rice, but I decided that short grain brown rice would be OK (I bought sweet brown rice without having any idea what it was). Sweet brown rice is kinda sticky and is what is used for brown rice sushi. Of course, I learned this after I made the purchase. I need a smart phone so I can look these things up when I'm at the store.

So anyway, I used this recipe as a guide, and added and subtracted things based on what was in the fridge. I added mushrooms and corn, and left out peas and artichokes. It smelled awesome, and with the addition of some extra paprika and garlic, plus some chipotle powder, it tasted close to perfect.

In reading about sweet brown rice, I discovered that it is commonly used in rice pudding. I love pudding so much. I wish vegetables tasted like pudding; I would eat a lot more of them. I asked Chip if he likes rice pudding and he made a face. Then he offered that he does like tapioca pudding. I feel like if you're going to dislike a pudding, it should be the one with the texture and appearance of frog eggs, but whatever. So I looked up a recipe for vegan tapioca pudding and whipped it up really quickly. It tastes much better than I expected (though a bit too sweet), and Chip might even like it more than I do!

Homemade paella with organic brown rice, organic corn, organic red bell pepper, organic crimini mushrooms, onion, and organic spinach, homemade vegan tapioca pudding, raw almonds, banana, and an organic Pinova apple.

Chip's lunch: March 3, 2011

2011-03-03T15:44:00.004-05:00

This Monday, I saw one of those websites that does a weekly list of 7 recipe ideas; one of the ideas was poblano chicken. Most of the ingredients were not vegetarian, so I started doing some googling. I decided to try to recreate the chipotle cream rotini from Betty's, since it's one of Chip's favorite things. I found this site that told me how to make my own vegan heavy cream, and I kind of just winged the rest. It went something like this...

Sauce ingredients:
1 block of silken tofu, firm or extra firm
4+ cups of vegan milk
1 7-oz. can of chipotle peppers in adobo
2 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons margarine
2 cloves pressed garlic
salt and pepper to taste

In a blender or food processor, puree the peppers in one cup of milk. In a pot over medium heat, melt the margarine; add the flour and cook 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Slowly whisk in the chipotle/milk mixture. While this is warming, puree the remaining milk with the tofu until very smooth. Whisk this into the pot and warm, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I mixed this with whole wheat penne (it was 5 cups dry) and lots of veggies. It was so good! Very creamy, and indistinguishable from a dairy version. Much lower fat too!

Also, today we said goodbye to a foster dog whom we've had for almost three weeks. On a whim, I offered to temporarily foster a blind senior cocker spaniel for a friend's rescue group. I am not a little dog person, and I'd never had a blind dog, and was starting to regret my offer until Fudge arrived. I was instantly smitten, and he was such a happy, wonderful addition to our household for the time he was here. He is such a sweet boy, and he really took everything in stride. Within 48 hours he knew the layout of our house, including the stairs, the couch, and the water bowls. He leaped onto furniture and leaped off, which amazed me, since he had no idea where the floor was. We both agreed that if we weren't planning an international move, we would've kept him (moving our own 4 pets is enough). I cried a lot when I dropped him off for transport today, but I know his forever family will love him so much. Safe travels, sweet Fudge.

Here's Fudge with Cal. He took his cues from Cal, and followed him everywhere.

Here he is today, thinking he was looking right at me:

And lunch:

Salad with organic redleaf lettuce, organic spinach, organic carrot, Campari tomato, and local alfalfa sprouts, organic applesauce, organic flame raisins, banana, and homemade chipotle cream penne with tofu and vegetables (organic corn, organic mushrooms, organic green bell pepper, and red onion).

Chip's lunch: February 28, 2011

2011-02-28T14:15:00.003-05:00

Our local co-op has had some really awesome avocados lately, and we've definitely been taking advantage. I've also been meaning to get some alfalfa sprouts, and finally picked some up on my last trip. These are produced right here in Columbus, and it's nice to be able to get *something* local at this time of year!

Sandwich on organic whole wheat bread with organic avocado, local alfalfa sprouts, Campari tomato, and organic redleaf lettuce, navel orange, organic flame raisins, homemade vegan peanut butter cookies, and homemade harira.

Chip's lunch: February 24 , 2011

2011-02-24T10:01:00.004-05:00

Have you ever had harira? Lavash Cafe, one of our favorite local restaurants, always has tons of vegetarian options, usually including their soup of the day. In December they had harira, which they called "spicy vegetable soup." I tried it two more times before finally asking them, "what the heck is this delicious stuff called?" They told me, but they wouldn't give me their recipe. I found a lot of recipes online, many of which involved meat and spices I don't have (and probably wouldn't use otherwise). This recipe fit our needs, and it turned out so well! It has garbanzos and couscous for protein, and tons of veggies. It has a tangy tomato base, with a slow heat from chipotle and paprika. It can be customized with toppings, like harissa paste, dates and raisins, or chopped hardboiled egg. This made a giant pot, and there's plenty of harira left in our freezer.

Homemade vegan harira, banana, raw almonds, organic flame raisins, organic dark chocolate chips, and homemade vegan peanut butter cookies.

Chip's lunch: February 18, 2011

2011-02-24T08:41:00.003-05:00

It's fried rice day again! I confess that I always make it same way: Trader Joe's fried rice with sauteed tofu and steamed broccoli. We were running low on broccoli, so I *gasp* threw in some green beans! Don't worry; it tasted just fine. We're still very much enjoying our Twin Oaks tofu, and are so glad it's available in Ohio now.

Homemade fried rice with organic tofu, broccoli, and green beans, homemade vegan peanut butter cookies, pecans, watermelon, and an organic Jonagold apple.

Chip's lunch: February 17, 2011

2011-02-17T12:09:00.006-05:00

For the past few days, I've been trying to plan our garden for the summer. I know what worked (tomatoes) what didn't (not a single strawberry grew), and what failed miserably (zucchini + squash bugs = disaster), and am hoping to bring some experience and effort this year to make our garden really awesome. All this thinking about veggies made me really want some summery produce! I picked up some watermelon, plus some beautiful lettuce and bell pepper. This looks like a really summery lunch, no? The weather has been teasing us lately (it's supposed to be 65* today, and not one week ago we were seeing 3* overnight), and I'm so ready for summer now!

Salad with organic Boston lettuce, organic corn, organic black beans, Campari tomato, organic red bell pepper, and organic avocado, homemade vegan peanut butter cookies (Tasha's recipe), raw almonds, dried cranberries, and watermelon.

Chip's lunch: February 15, 2011

2011-02-17T10:55:00.004-05:00

Chip really enjoyed his last crackers and cheese lunch. He was able to kind of snack on it all day, and the non-finger foods that were in it didn't actually get eaten because he was too busy to take a few minutes to heat them up and eat them with utensils. That sounds ridiculous when I write it out...but he is a really busy guy! I think he could eat all of this lunch with his hands, except the tofu. Yes, we eat green beans and asparagus spears with our hands...totally normal, right?

Kashi whole grain crackers, local pepper jack cheese, local Colby cheese, banana, dried cherries, organic dark chocolate chips, dried cranberries, tofu scramble, and steamed green beans and asparagus.

Chip's lunch: February 14, 2011

2011-02-17T10:25:00.003-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day! I forgot it was VD until I woke up in the morning. When Chip and I started dating, I was working in a restaurant, and Valentine's Day was one of three "all hands on deck" holidays (along with Fathers' Day and Mothers' Day). Being apart, coupled with my disdain for people who make a big deal of Valentine's Day (thus requiring me to work) meant that Valentine's Day just wasn't a big deal, and it never really has been. So, no hearts or flowers here, just a new recipe we tried out.

Tofu scramble with Twin Oaks organic tofu (our co-op just got it in stock!), organic tempeh, organic crimini mushrooms, organic onion, and organic red bell pepper, banana, dried cranberries, 1/2 of a PB&J on organic whole wheat bread with natural peanut butter, and an organic Cameo apple.

Chip's lunch: February 11, 2011

2011-02-11T11:30:00.003-05:00

When Chip is out of town, I find myself eating a lot of crap, whether that's frozen garlic bread or microwave dinners. I seem to have kicked the Cheet-os habit somehow, so there's that. Anyway, one of my favorites is Amy's Veggie Loaf. It's a nice whole meal, with protein, carbs, and veggies. I decided last night that I would try to make my own vegan loaf.

I found this recipe; it got so many great reviews that I figured, why not try it? It made a big mess, with all the chopping, mixing, food processing, sauteeing, and mashing. It turned out just OK. Chip really liked it, which is great, because, well, he eats a lot. It was a little bit sweet for me; it was missing a bit of something savory, I think. Overall though, it was pretty successful. Lots of veggies and protein in it, and it can be eaten alone or on a sandwich.

Homemade lentil loaf, organic peas and organic corn, pecans, dried cranberries, banana, and homemade organic mashed potatoes with vegan gravy.

Chip's lunch: February 10, 2011

2011-02-10T15:08:00.001-05:00

We had leftovers for dinner last night, which means...nothing exciting or new for lunch. Somehow we've amassed quite the collection of veggies though, so I was able to slice them and steam them up with some quinoa for a nice balanced lunch.

We've been getting some of our produce at Costco. While we do have access to a fair amount of organic and local produce at the co-op up the street, well...it gets expensive. So if it's not on the Dirty Dozen list, we get it at Costco. So far, so good! We were also buying organic dried cranberries at the co-op, and they were far more expensive than was prudent. So the ones you see here are Craisins from Costco! Whenever we can find unsalted nuts, we get those at Costco too. Can you tell how much I love Costco?

Organic quinoa with mixed veggies (organic yellow bell pepper, green beans, asparagus, organic peas, and broccoli) organic blood orange, dried cranberries, raw almonds, and a banana.

Chip's lunch: February 9, 2011

2011-02-09T18:16:00.003-05:00

When Chip is really busy at work, he likes to have finger foods that he can snack on quickly, rather than things that need to be warmed up or eaten with utensils. Usually he snacks on whatever he can eat when his hands, and then later, when he has more time, he'll work on the rest. Crackers and cheese usually do the trick for this sort of thing.

As expected, Chip came home and immediately broke out the soup and salad. He hadn't had time to sit down and eat them while working, so they became part of dinner.

Kashi whole grain crackers, local Colby cheese, local pepper Jack cheese, homemade tomato saffron soup, dried cranberries, raw organic cashews, dried cherries, banana, and a salad with organic redleaf lettuce, Campari tomato, organic yellow bell pepper, and a hardboiled local pastured egg.

Chip's lunch: February 8, 2011

2011-02-08T14:47:00.003-05:00

A friend of mine posts photos of amazing vegan food on her facebook page, and I was browsing yesterday to get some inspiration. She posted a photo of a meal she had at a local vegan restaurant, and it looked so good that I had to try to replicate it. So, I basically made vegan Thanksgiving dinner, including seitan en croute, mashed potatoes with vegan gravy, and lemon garlic broccoli. Chip loved it all; I was just OK with the seitan. It wasn't the seitan itself, it was the way it had been prepared. I'll try seitan again, but probably made a different way.

Homemade seitan en croute,steamed broccoli, homemade trail mix, organic Ambrosia apple, and organic mashed potatoes with vegan gravy.

Chip's lunch: February 7, 2011

2011-02-07T09:41:00.003-05:00

Maple! I had never considered using maple in a marinade until I came across this recipe in a search for a new way to make tempeh. I'm not huge on maple, but I do really love salty + sweet (mmm...kettle corn). I gave it a shot and it was amazing. The brown rice and plain green beans were the perfect complement to the flavorful tempeh. The marinade is really simple to make, but so complex when you taste it: salty, sweet, spicy. Yum!

Grilled organic tempeh with maple soy glaze, organic brown rice, and steamed green beans, banana, organic Sultana golden raisins, and whole wheat rollups with hummus, organic Boston lettuce, Campari tomatoes, and organic yellow bell pepper.

Chip's lunch: February 4, 2011

2011-02-04T10:00:00.003-05:00

I invented this pizza for dinner last night, and kept calling it "Mexican pizza"...until I looked up what Mexican pizza actually is. This isn't it. But it's modeled after the Southwestern Pizza from Whole World Natural Restaurant. I haven't actually been there, but since it's a vegetarian restaurant, and it's so close by, we are hoping to go soon. Chip and I have a deal that every time one of our fosters is adopted, we go out to dinner. So as soon as Hendrix is adopted (I picked him up last night), we'll be headed up the street to Whole World!

I made this crust with the usual recipe, with whole wheat flour. This was the third time I'd made it, and it turned out better than ever! I made a double recipe, and used half right away while freezing the other half for later. I cooked up some black beans with cumin, garlic, and chipotle, then mashed them and used them as the sauce. I topped Chip's half with local pepper jack cheese, and then added some organic corn, Campari tomato, and chopped organic yellow bell pepper. We topped it all off with salsa and avocado and YUM! We both enjoyed it, and are glad that we have plenty of leftovers for both of our lunches.

Homemade southwestern pizza with local pepper jack cheese, spiced organic black beans, organic corn, Campari tomato, and organic yellow bell pepper, banana, organic Sultana golden raisins, organic dark chocolate chips, avocado, Newman's Own salsa, and an organic Jonagold apple.

Chip's lunch: February 3, 2011

2011-02-04T09:27:00.003-05:00

Oh, fried rice, how we love you. Fried rice has turned into a once a week thing in our house. Fortunately, it seems that neither of us will ever tire of it, and it's a super easy and complete meal, with plenty of vegan protein, carbs, and veggies.

I forgot to mention yesterday the recipe I used for the blondies. I'd never made blondies before, let alone vegan ones, so I was a bit nervous. This recipe turned out pretty well, and I think I'll try it again in the future. I'll probably make regular cookies instead of blondies though; I don't have any idea how to modify cooking time for blondies vs. cookies, so I was checking these every five minutes for almost an hour, trying to figure out if they were done or not!

Homemade fried rice with broccoli and organic tofu, homemade vegan blondies, pecans, and a banana.

Chip's lunch: February 2, 2011

2011-02-02T15:46:00.006-05:00

I got onto a big vegan kick yesterday, even before I watched the latest "Oprah" (with the 7-day Vegan Challenge). For the record, I found it informative and interesting, and appreciated that veganism was presented in an accessible way.

However, I was annoyed with how glib Michael Pollan was about eating humanely raised meat. He said something like animals can live on farms happily and have one bad day. Seriously? Slaughter is just a "bad day?" Kathy Freston followed that up with saying that she doesn't feel comfortable looking at an animal and saying that its suffering and life are worth less than her appetite. She said it doesn't sit right with her soul, and I agree. For a show about veganism, it sure came off as meat-centric, and they definitely skipped any discussion of the environmental impacts of raising animals for meat. Obviously I understand that there are good and bad ways to go about eating meat, and I never EVER criticize people for eating it. But, I do think that a vegan or vegetarian diet can benefit people, animals, and the planet, and it's worth looking into.

Anyway, off of my high horse. I saw this tempeh at the local co-op, and when I saw that it said, "fakin' bacon," I knew I had to have it. I was prepared for it to be nothing like bacon, because really...what is like bacon, except bacon? I fried it in a small amount of olive oil, and it turned out wonderfully! It definitely didn't feel just like bacon, but it had that salty, smoky quality to it that bacon has. I made it into a BLT (TLT?) for Chip today. Neither of us can stand mayonnaise, so I spread some avocado on it instead. I had a half sandwich for lunch, and Chip had the whole one below. We both loved it! I'm really glad to have found one more vegan food that isn't just OK, but is great!

In other news, our latest foster greyhound went home this past Saturday, so we have been foster-less for a few days. For my birthday last month, Chip gave me the gift of fostering kittens! We haven't fostered kittens in three years now, and I really miss it. They are so cute, and relatively easy. We were approved by a local rescue, and have just been waiting on "the call." This morning we got an e-mail that their shelter had lost power in this crazy storm, and they needed temporary fosters for all the animals until power was restored. I hopped right in the car and drove over; I picked up a 3-year-old hound mix named Tamale, and a litter of three 8-week-old kittens.

Here's the pup. She has super-long houndy ears, and is a very sweet little thing. She was pulled from a rural shelter here in Ohio.

And here's one of the kittens. How cute is she?!

And lunch:

Sandwich on organic whole wheat bread with organic tempeh, organic avocado, Campari tomato, and organic Boston lettuce, homemade vegan blondies, raw almonds, organic applesauce, and a banana.

Chip's lunch: January 31, 2011

2011-02-02T15:40:00.004-05:00

Pop quiz: how was I feeling this morning?
a.) creative
b.) energetic
c.) wishing the sun would go back down so I could go back to bed

For a hint, check the top left corner of the lunchbox. That's right...rollups. Or as my dad would call them, "crap wraps." I guess they kind of are, in that I throw whatever crap is in the fridge into a whole wheat roll and call it lunch. Oh well...Chip loves them, and as soon as lunch was packed, I was able to get back in bed. Win-win?

Whole wheat rollups with saffron rice, hummus, organic carrot, organic Boston lettuce, and Campari tomato, steamed asparagus, homemade trail mix, banana, and an organic Honeycrisp apple.

Chip's lunch: January 28, 2011

2011-01-28T11:04:00.004-05:00

Chip actually likes this tomato saffron soup. He eats all the soups I make, but he doesn't usually ask for them if they're not around. This one was good enough to pack again!

Also, I am really proud of myself. When we were in Hawaii, we went to a restaurant called 22° North. I had a salad with lemon parmesan vinaigrette on it. It was SO good! I've been thinking about it ever since, and I decided last night that it was time to make it. I found this recipe, and it turned out really well. I left out the sugar, and added some garlic. Yum! I've never really made salad dressing before, and to my surprise, even Chip likes it! I packed some with his lunch today.

Salad with organic redleaf lettuce, organic carrot, Campari tomato, and organic chickpeas, 1/2 sandwich on organic whole wheat bread with natural peanut butter and jelly, organic Sultana golden raisins, dried cranberries, organic Honeycrisp apple, and homemade tomato saffron soup.

Chip's lunch: January 26, 2011

2011-01-26T13:28:00.007-05:00

The other soup I made while Chip was away is this Tomato Saffron soup, from the cookbook Clean Start by Terry Walters. Chip's uncle gave this book to us for Christmas. I was skeptical, because I assumed it wouldn't be vegetarian-friendly. It has tons of vegetarian and vegan recipes, however, and is divided into four sections: one for each season. This is my kind of cookbook! This is the first recipe I have tried from this book, but considering how delicious it was, I am sure it won't be the last!

Tomato Saffron Soup
1 large yellow onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 stalks celery
1/2 fennel bulb (I skipped it)
2 tablespoons mirin
Pinch of saffron threads, crumbled, or 1/8 tsp saffron powder
6 cups chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (I used dry)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (I used dry)
1 teaspoon maple syrup
2 cups vegetable stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Zest of 1 orange (I skipped it)

In soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, saute onion and garlic in olive oil 3 minutes or until soft. Chop celery and fennel into 1/4 inch pieces and add to pot. Continue sauteing 4 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Add mirin and saffron and stir. Add tomatoes, bay leaf, basil, parsley, maple syrup, and vegetable stock. Stir to combine and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and puree with blender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top each serving with a pinch of orange zest and serve.

Sandwich on organic whole wheat bread with avocado, Campari tomato, organic redleaf lettuce, and organic onion, whole wheat graham crackers with natural peanut butter, pecans, dried Montmorency cherries, banana, and homemade tomato saffron soup.

Chip's lunch: January 25, 2011

2011-01-26T13:12:00.003-05:00

While I was home in Maryland, I grabbed lunch with a friend at an awesome vegan restaurant, Great Sage. Afterward, we walked over to Roots for a little bit of shopping. I picked up some Twin Oaks tofu upon a very enthusiastic recommendation from my friend. She was right: it's great! It's organic, non-GMO, very firm (hardly any water to press out), and made by a co-op in Virginia (so it's local to the grocery store where I bought it). I love this stuff and wish it were available here in Ohio. I used it in yesterday's soup, and in this fried rice.

The potatoes are left over from the previous night's dinner. I made breakfast for dinner and made up these "country potatoes." Just organic potato, chopped organic onion, a few spices, and some margarine in a saute pan. Yum!

Organic Honeycrisp apple, homemade country potatoes, organic Sultana golden raisins, banana, and homemade fried rice with broccoli and organic tofu.

Chip's lunch: January 24, 2011

2011-01-26T13:02:00.003-05:00

Once again, we're back from a hiatus due to a business trip. Chip spent 9 days in Calpe, Spain, as well as Mallorca. I went home to Maryland while he was away, since I hadn't seen my family over Christmas.

As usual, I made soup while he was gone. I bought some celery, which we both absolutely hate raw. We don't mind it in soup, but rarely does one recipe of soup require an entire package of celery. So I found two soup recipes that would use up the celery, and both turned out so well!

Here is the tofu noodle soup. I found the recipe on the side of a jar of Better Than Bouillon No-Chicken Base, which is a vegan soup base. It is so delicious...I've never tasted anything (vegetarian) quite like it. This tofu noodle soup is a lot like chicken noodle, which is something I'd venture to guess that most vegetarians miss.

Tofu noodle soup with organic spinach noodles, organic tofu, organic carrots, and organic celery, banana, organic Sultana golden raisins, and a whole wheat roll with margarine.

Chip's lunch: January 10, 2011

2011-01-26T12:46:00.003-05:00

While we were in Hawaii, we ate at restaurants every day. It was frequently hard for me to find protein in a meal, since most of the menus were focused on fish and meat. I mostly ate salads, and found that a lot of places had hard boiled eggs to top them with. For some reason, I've never really been into hard boiled eggs. I remember that at the salad bar in the dining hall when I was in college, I would get to the hard boiled eggs, and only yolks would be left. College girls watch their fat intake...I guess because they're drinking so much beer. At least I was! Anyway...I'd never made them at home, but after having them for a week, I decided to make a few. I put them on salads, though Chip will eat them alone (which I think is weird).

We get our eggs from the co-op up the street from us. They are local, and produced by Manchester Hill Farm. The hens are pastured and vegetarian-fed...this is all very important to us. They're more expensive than grocery store eggs, but they are healthier for us, and definitely healthier for the hens.

Oh, and the babka? Delicious! We get it at Whole Foods, but it's a really special treat. Chip's aunt and uncle sent us a gift card for Christmas, and as soon as I saw it, I knew what I was getting!

Salad with organic Boston lettuce, organic grape tomatoes, organic carrot, and pastured egg, organic Gala apple, nuts (organic cashews, macadamias, raw almonds, pecans, cinnamon babka, and homemade spinach and white bean soup.

Chip's lunch: January 6, 2011

2011-01-26T11:34:00.002-05:00

This one was thrown together quickly in the morning with leftovers. Like our fried rice, this pad thai recipe usually makes about three servings: one for each of us for dinner, and one more for Chip's lunch.

Homemade pad thai with organic broccoli and organic tofu, Kashi whole grain crackers, organic Sultana golden raisins, banana, organic Honeycrisp apple.

Chip's lunch: January 5, 2011

2011-01-24T09:53:00.003-05:00

Reason number 45839472897 that we love Hawaii: macadamia nuts. I know you can get them everywhere, but it was neat to buy them where they're grown. They're a lot less expensive in Hawaii, too! We brought home a big canister of them. Yum!

Organic honeycrisp apple, steamed organic broccoli, raw almonds, organic Sultana golden raisins, macadamia nuts, homemade banana bread, and whole wheat rollups with Boca black bean burger, organic salsa, Tillamook Cheddar cheese, and organic Boston lettuce.

Chip's lunch: January 3, 2011

2011-01-24T09:37:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year! As has become usual now, we are only around for a few days. We spent Christmas in Hawaii, and now we have a few days home before Chip goes to Spain for work and I go home to visit my family in Maryland. Life will be like this for the forseeable future, with lots of trips in the next few months.

After returning from Hawaii, we made a run to Costco. To our delight, Gardein 7-Grain Crispy Tenders had returned! I was so bummed out when they were discontinued, because it was a great price, and they are a relatively healthy convenience food. We're so glad they're back!

Organic Honeycrisp apple, homemade banana bread, raw almonds, organic Sultana golden raisins, steamed asparagus, and Gardein 7-Grain crispy tenders with local honey.

Chip's lunch: December 23, 2010

2011-01-24T09:28:00.003-05:00

Have you tried Field Roast grain meats yet? We like their deli sliced Field Roast, which can be used like lunch meat. We decided to try the Italian sausage, and YUM! It was spicy and salty, with great texture. We grilled it and ate it on whole wheat rolls with sauteed bell pepper and onions. It was definitely a hit, and I'm sure we'll be having it again.

Organic Honeycrisp apple, homemade vegan chili, organic Sultana golden raisins, banana, and Field Roast Italian sausage with organic bell pepper and organic red onion.

Chip's lunch: December 22, 2010

2011-01-24T09:13:00.004-05:00

As a vegetarian, I admit that there are some things that I miss, and some things I miss out on. One of my favorite foods, and something I used to grab on the way into work, was a Chik-Fil-A sandwich. Buttery, sweet, juicy...yum. I still miss those things, both the taste and the convenience. I also miss the days of just going out to restaurants, without first poring over the menu to figure out if I'd be able to eat there. I hate being the high maintenance person, always asking the server too many questions. "Is this made with chicken broth?" "Is anything here vegetarian?" "Are you KIDDING me? THAT has meat in it?!" "So what exactly CAN I eat?"

So I am always excited to try something that tastes like something from my omnivorous days. I am also always excited to try something that I wouldn't have tried if I weren't vegetarian. This soup fits both categories for sure. It's creamy and hearty, like clam chowder, but it's vegan and has beans and poppy seeds in it, two things that would never have flown with me back in the day. It's great for a cold day, and is packed with protein, veggies, and fiber. Yum!

Organic Honeycrisp apple, whole wheat rollup with local hummus, organic cherry tomatoes, organic collard greens, organic mushrooms, and organic red onion, organic Sultana golden raisins, homemade banana bread, and vegan vegetable chowder.

Chip's lunch: December 20, 2010

2010-12-20T23:20:00.003-05:00

So we've got one more week of lunches before we take off for the holidays, and on top of me being rusty from not having packed a lunch in three weeks, we're also in "use up the perishables" mode. No new grocery shopping will be happening this week, so it's time to get creative! Fortunately, the last time Chip was away, I made some of Tasha's white bean and kale (I use spinach) soup, and it's been helping both of us keep warm in these crazy cold temperatures! Here in Ohio, it's been on average 15* colder than usual. Today, the high was only 25. Yikes! I know that's not terribly cold for someone from, say, Minnesota, but that is ungodly cold to us native Marylanders.

Organic Gala apple, homemade cornbread, organic Sultana golden raisins, whole wheat rollup with hummus from Lavash, organic cherry tomatoes, organic collard greens, organic portobello mushrooms, and organic paprika, and white bean and spinach soup.

Chip's lunch: December 17, 2010

2010-12-17T13:50:00.003-05:00

We're back in action for a few days here. Chip finally returned from his trip to California and the Canary Islands. He left Fuerteventura, where temps were in the low 80s, and returned to the tundra that Ohio has become this month:

Chip's back to work, which means I'm back to the work of making lunches! I made potato gnocchi last night for dinner. I made sure to find a very simple, easy recipe that would be hard for me to screw up. It was fine...not awesome, but not bad. I was hoping it would be absolutely amazing, but it was just kind of regular. Maybe next time will be better!

Salad with organic greenleaf lettuce, organic cherry tomatoes, organic carrots, organic portobello mushrooms, local Parmesan cheese, and pecans, homemade banana bread, macadamia nuts, organic Sultana golden raisins, organic applesauce, and homemade potato gnocchi with pesto.

Chip's lunch: November 19, 2010

2010-12-17T13:43:00.004-05:00

This is our last lunch before a long break. We will be in Maryland (and Virginia, and Pennsylvania twice) over Thanksgiving, and two days after we return, Chip will be embarking on another marathon business trip to California and the Canary Islands.

Homemade vegan chili, steamed organic brown rice with organic peas and organic corn, dried organic cranberries, organic Thompson raisins, banana, and a CSA Melrose apple.

Chip's lunch: November 18, 2010

2010-11-20T15:43:00.003-05:00

When I went on my Gardein-buying binge a few weeks ago, I must've inadvertently picked up some of the Gardein Beefless Tips. They're not my favorite, so I made them for dinner on Wednesday, a night on which I wasn't terribly hungry. I looked up a recipe for brown sauce that didn't include oyster sauce (not easy to find), and I had dinner on the table in a few short minutes. The brown sauce was not my cup of tea, though Chip loved it. It's not often that we get to eat Chinese food, since it so frequently contains non-vegetarian ingredients (oyster sauce, beef broth, pork, pork fat, fish, etc). Chip was happy to take these leftovers and he enjoyed them again at lunch.

Gardein beefless tips with organic broccoli, organic cauliflower, and steamed organic brown rice in homemade brown sauce, banana, organic Thompson raisins, and half of an organic Gala apple.

Chip's lunch: November 17, 2010

2010-11-19T16:57:00.002-05:00

It was really gross here on Tuesday: foggy, misty, rainy, icky, chilly. Chip and I both wanted some dinner that would keep us warm and fill us up. I surprised Chip with quesadillas...quesadillas that I attempted to make as healthy as possible. Whole wheat tortillas, reduced fat cheese, black beans, and veggies, plus plenty of salsa and avocado. It hit the spot perfectly, and fortunately, these quesadillas warm up pretty well, so in the lunch they went!

Quesadilla with whole wheat tortilla, reduced fat Cheddar Jack cheese, organic black beans, organic corn, green bell pepper from our garden, and Roma tomato from our garden, Newman's Own salsa, Navel orange, raw organic cashews, and a banana.

Chip's lunch: November 16, 2010

2010-11-18T01:08:00.003-05:00

It was grocery day in our house, so I used up what was left of a few things while making lunch in a rush in the morning. Chip made the sandwich while I made everything else. Before I could stop him, he cut the sandwich "the wrong way." In order for things to fit in the lunchbox, they have to be just so. And he did it wrong. I overreacted for a second and then as I looked away, he cut the sandwich again and lined up the four little pieces in the lunchbox. It fit perfectly and I felt like an idiot for having been so concerned. Sometimes we (OK, I) kinda get set on how things should be in our heads, and it can be hard to consider that just maybe a different way could work!

Salad with organic redleaf lettuce, organic corn, organic carrot, Roma tomato from our garden, and green bell pepper from our garden, organic avocado for the salad, dried cherries, raw organic cashews, organic blackberry applesauce, and PB&J on organic whole wheat bread with natural peanut butter.

Chip's lunch: November 15, 2010

2010-11-18T00:44:00.003-05:00

Even more avocado here. I kind of forgot about avocados for a while, and am so glad I rediscovered them! And even more tomatoes from our garden. I keep thinking that the tomato plant has bitten the dust, but it keeps resurrecting itself. On November 13th, I picked about 30 ripe tomatoes, and those may be the last. I gave away some to friends, and we've been going through the remaining few little by little. I hope the 'matoes do this well next year!

Oh, and Cuda "helped" me while I was taking the photo. He was pretty close to snagging a piece of apple, but I was able to fend him off in time.

And lunch:

Sandwich on organic whole wheat bread with organic avocado, organic redleaf lettuce, Roma tomato from our garden, and green bell pepper from our garden, brown rice pilaf, organic Thompson raisins, organic cauliflower, and an organic Gala apple.

Chip's lunch: November 12, 2010

2010-11-18T00:30:00.003-05:00

The night before I packed this lunch, I decided I was going to make cornbread from scratch. I love cornbread, and I'd never made it from scratch before. I bought my cornmeal and set to work finding recipes. Being a northerner, I never really realized that there are so many kinds of cornbread. We have the sweet kind (think Jiffy mix), and that's it. But in the South, they eat unsweetened cornbread, and in the Southwest, there are corn cakes, which are sweeter and often have vegetables in them (like corn kernels, hot peppers, etc). I finally found this recipe, and decided to lower its fat content and try it out. We both liked it a lot...it was sweet enough to be a treat, but not too sweet. I made four mini loaves and they were gone in just a few days.

Salad with organic redleaf lettuce, organic carrot, organic corn, and Roma tomato from our garden, banana, raw organic cashews, organic dark chocolate, dried organic cranberries, and homemade cornbread.

Chip's lunch: November 11, 2010

2010-11-18T00:08:00.003-05:00

Oh, how we love Trader Joe's vegetable fried rice. It's become a once-a-week staple in our house. It's so easy and so inexpensive (dinner for both of us, plus lunch for both of us the next day is about $6 for the rice, tofu, and broccoli).

We bought these cherries at Costco. They're Montmorency dried cherries. The bag had all sorts of claims on it, including that these cherries have the highest antioxidant content of any fruit. Being all kinds of skeptical, I did a bit more research on this, and found that these cherries do have remarkable levels of anthocyanins, which are antioxidants that can help reduce inflammation and pain. In fact, cyanidin (found in sour cherries) was more effective than aspirin at controlling inflammation. You can read more here.

While I don't usually choose foods for homeopathic purposes, it's neat to know more about what we put in our bodies each day. Chip has really come to love his dried fruit, and this makes me even happier to pack it for him!

Homemade fried rice with organic tofu and organic broccoli, banana, dried cherries, Kashi wheat crackers, natural peanut butter, and an organic Gala apple.

Chip's lunch: November 10, 2010

2010-11-15T13:07:00.003-05:00

That's right...still using up the chili I made last time Chip was out of town. It's been so convenient for the nights I don't feel like cooking, and for a quick easy lunch. It also makes a neat treat for friends. Friend does me a favor, I give friend chili. Friend brings me food, I give friend lentil soup. Friend tells me I look pretty, I give friend chili AND lentil soup. And so on.

Homemade vegan chili, organic peas, organic corn, organic dried cranberries, organic dark chocolate, organic brown rice steamed with vegetable bouillon, and an organic Gala apple.

Chip's lunch: November 9, 2010

2010-11-15T12:54:00.004-05:00

A dilemma we face frequently: there's just a little bit of something left...what to do with it? We had a few tablespoons of pesto left. Not enough to put on noodles, which is our normal use for it. So I made what I always make when we have things to use up: rollups. I can put anything in a whole wheat wrap, and Chip will LOVE it. A few fruits and veggies round out a tasty lunch.

CSA Melrose apple, Navel orange, organic Thompson raisins, organic raw cashews, organic steamed cauliflower, and whole wheat rollups with pesto, organic redleaf lettuce, organic carrot, and Roma tomato from our garden.

Chip's lunch: November 8, 2010

2010-11-09T15:36:00.004-05:00

This is the first time that Chip packed his whole lunch himself, and took the photo. Of course, he packed up leftovers from the dinner that I prepared, but he still did it himself. This rice is Chip's favorite. It has surpassed his childhood memories of chicken flavored Rice-a-Roni, which I never thought possible. Fried rice with lots of salt and butter...it's hard to beat that!

I breaded the tofu with this seasoning. We don't have it often, and it's a really special treat for Chip. He usually doesn't like peanut flavored stuff, or spicy stuff, and this is both. Tofu has to bake for a really long time to get that nice chewy texture, but it's definitely worth it.

Also, I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce our latest greyhound foster, Gabe Cuda ("Cuda"). He is a baby by retired racer standards, as he broke his leg at 17 months old. Greyhounds typically begin their careers at 18 months, so he has never officially raced (though he did schooling races). He's in some pain from a surgically repaired fracture in his right hock, but we are working on scheduling him to get some of his hardware removed. In the meantime, he is enjoying the fluffy beds in our house, and the companionship of our dog Cal.

And lunch:

Brown rice pilaf, CSA Gold Rush apple, organic Thompson raisins, organic dark chocolate chips, organic dried cranberries, steamed organic broccoli with sea salt, black pepper, and lime, more broccoli, and baked organic spicy peanut tofu.

Chip's lunch: November 5, 2010

2010-11-05T20:12:00.003-04:00

Gardein is back in our house in a big way. For a while, we had been buying the 7-Grain Crispy Tenders in a bag of 50 from Costco. It was only $12 or so...really cheap. When that was discontinued, we went into Gardein withdrawal, because at the grocery store, a pack of 10 is $5. When these went on sale half price at Kroger, I *may* have bought them out. We like them that much. They're super convenient, have tons of protein, taste really good, and are clean. So, they're pretty much perfect.

As always, Chip was extremely excited for the PB&J rolls. He expressed his excitement in the morning when he saw me making them, and even when he got home, he reminded me how much he'd enjoyed them. Seriously...it's the simple things that make this guy happy!

Gardein 7-Grain Crispy Tenders, local Ohio honey, steamed organic cauliflower with sea salt and black pepper, organic dried cherries, organic blackberry applesauce, and whole wheat rollups with natural peanut butter and jelly.

Chip's lunch: November 4, 2010

2010-11-05T19:54:00.003-04:00

I fired up the grill again for Wednesday's dinner. I had been in the mood for Red Robin (specifically the Whiskey River burger, sans mayo, with a Boca patty), but there isn't one really nearby. Plus, it's expensive. So...I made some homemade burgers that were almost as good. We had one left over for lunch, and I used our last homegrown tomato for this lunch. The nights have been getting below 30* here, and even covering the garden with a plastic sheet has not protected the plants, unfortunately. So...our garden was good to us, but it has now retired. Can't wait for next summer's garden!

Vegan Boca patty with Tillamook Cheddar cheese on a whole wheat roll, Roma tomato from our garden, organic redleaf lettuce, homemade clean oatmeal cookies, banana, and a CSA Gold Rush apple.

Chip's lunch: November 2, 2010

2010-11-05T19:42:00.003-04:00

I made sure we had plenty of leftovers from dinner so Chip could have a nice lunch. But...he packed this up himself! He even took the photo. This isn't what I would've packed or how I would've packed it, but he loved it, and that's what matters!

Also, I made turnips for the first time ever. I'd eaten them a few times growing up, but Chip had never had them. I found this recipe and veganized it. Chip enjoyed it and said he never would've guessed that he wasn't eating potatoes.

Gardein scallopini (grilled with Cajun spices), steamed asparagus, banana, Clif Builder bar, homemade trail mix (organic raw cashews, raw almonds, organic chocolate chips, organic Thompson raisins), and mashed CSA turnips.

Chip's lunch: November 1, 2010

2010-11-01T00:49:00.004-04:00

Yep, it's definitely November here. I went for a run this evening and it was cloudy and 43*. The entire time, all I could think of was some warm food for dinner. As soon as I got home, I heated up some lentil soup and baked this asparagus. It was nice and warm and filling and wintry.

I love this easy asparagus recipe that my friend Christina invented while she was here visiting last December. Spray a cookie sheet with olive oil (I use my trusty Misto), lay out the asparagus in a single layer on the pan, spray the asparagus with olive oil, and throw on whatever you want. I used organic panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan, sea salt, black pepper, and a touch of paprika.

Oh, and we got a new kind of apple this weekend in our CSA! While I enjoyed trying various kinds of apples that we picked up at the farmers' market last year from Ochs Fruit Farm, it's also neat to try even more kinds via our CSA. Last time, we got Northern Spy apples, and this time it's Gold Rush apples. The Northern Spies are very firm and fairly sweet, while the Gold Rushes are crispy and tangy, almost like a Granny Smith. Yum!

And finally, I made some clean oatmeal cookies tonight. I didn't have any eggs on hand, and wanted to see if I could veganize the recipe (the only non-vegan part is the egg). I used a flax egg instead of egg white (thank you for the idea, Sarah!), and used 1/4 cup applesauce and 1/4 cup oil instead of 1/2 cup oil, to reduce the fat. It turned out surprisingly well! Now that I know I can do this recipe vegan and lower fat, I think it'll be making a few more appearances.

Baked asparagus with Parmesan and bread crumbs, homemade clean vegan oatmeal cookies, organic dried cherries, CSA Gold Rush apple, and homemade vegan lentil soup.

Chip's lunch: October 29, 2010

2010-11-01T00:29:00.003-04:00

Another side effect of drooling over Tasha's blog was that I remembered how much I love avocado. We bought a few and promptly ate them. Chip had them on Wednesday's salad and today's sandwich, while I had them on a salad and spread on toast with some sea salt and black pepper. YUM! The toast idea is also Tasha's; it had never occurred to me to try that until I saw a picture of one of her delicious breakfasts. In any event, I made Chip one of his favorite sandwiches today: avocado. It's really versatile and works well with whatever we've got in the fridge. It's like a little taste of one of our favorite lunch places in California, Erik's Deli Cafe. The Del Monte Special was pretty much the only sandwich we could eat there, but that's OK with us...it's delicious!

Sandwich on organic whole wheat bread with organic avocado, Roma tomato from our garden, organic carrots, locally-made salsa, and CSA kale, banana, organic Sultana golden raisins, organic dried cranberries, organic raw cashews, homemade vegan chili, and a CSA Northern Spy apple.

Chip's lunch: October 28, 2010

2010-11-01T00:21:00.003-04:00

Chip called me from work while he was eating this to tell me that it was possibly his favorite lunch ever. I made it for dinner on Wednesday night, and made sure to have enough leftovers for the next day. This VegeUSA vegan pepper steak is kind of expensive, so it's a once in a while treat. It's so easy and requires no forethought or real preparation...awesome for a busy evening!

Organic steamed broccoli, VegeUSA vegan pepper steak, brown rice pilaf, organic blackberry applesauce, Kashi granola bar, and a banana.

Chip's lunch: October 27, 2010

2010-10-27T22:48:00.004-04:00

When Chip goes away on business trips (the most recent one was 12 days), I almost never cook, and I find it really difficult to eat healthfully. It's easy for me to munch on an apple or banana, but I never feel like cooking or eating vegetables. So once he got home, I was ready for some serious rabbit food. I was browsing Tasha's blog, and saw all her mouthwatering photos of salads. The woman eats a salad EVERY day for lunch! I was totally inspired, so I ran to the grocery store to get some lettuce. I threw in a few other veggies, and made it into sort of a Southwestern thing. I threw some BBQ Fritos on Chip's salad (for Tuesday's dinner), and he thought it was the best thing ever!

Salad with redleaf lettuce, CSA corn, organic black beans, organic avocado, and Roma tomato from our garden, pita chips, organic Thompson raisins, organic raw cashews, and organic blackberry applesauce.

Chip's lunch: October 26, 2010

2010-10-27T22:27:00.003-04:00

So I'm no gardener, and I have no idea whether this is normal or not, but our Roma tomato plant gave us 20 tomatoes on Sunday. I gave a few to the neighbors, and I've been trying to throw tomatoes into everything we eat. So...pasta with tomatoes it is!

Organic whole wheat tri-color cavatappi with pesto and Roma tomato from our garden, baked breaded mushrooms, organic Thompson raisins, CSA corn and organic peas, and a CSA Northern Spy apple

Chip's lunch: October 25, 2010

2010-10-25T17:02:00.002-04:00

We're back in action here, now that Chip has returned from the Netherlands after two weeks. While he was gone, I decided that since I don't know anything about canning, I would make some food that I could freeze instead. Since this was our first year with our garden, I spent a lot of time on just keeping things alive. I think that by next summer I'll be able to keep things alive and also produce enough veggies to be able to can. So I made some chili, some soup, and a few other things that we've been defrosting when we don't feel like cooking. This chili is one of those things. It's our usual recipe, and I was able to use a few things that had been lingering from our garden and the last CSA haul.

The watermelon is from our garden. Yes, I am still getting watermelons in October. I don't know how normal that is, but I don't care, because this watermelon is delicious! It's also fun to eat watermelon with real seeds in it! I can't remember the last time I bought a seeded watermelon at the grocery store...it's like they no longer exist!

And the pumpkin muffin is from some friends of ours. We watched their dog while they were out of town last weekend for a wedding, and we were paid in pumpkin muffins! Cal and Moly had pretty much the most fun ever, and kept each other occupied and out of my hair, which was delightful since Chip was away and I was a single pet parent for the moment.

And lunch:

Homemade vegan chili with bell pepper from our garden and from our CSA, Ellyn's pumpkin muffin, pretzel M&Ms, Cheddar/jack cheese stick, watermelon from our garden, and a CSA Northern Spy apple.

Chip's lunch: October 11, 2010

2010-10-25T16:01:00.003-04:00

This was Chip's last lunch before leaving on his business trip. For reasons I can't fathom, I bought a bunch of cheese the day before his departure. I don't really eat cheese. I have no idea what I was thinking. So I cut up a bunch of it and put it in Chip's lunch.

I was also able to include some leftover potstickers that I made with this recipe. I'd never made potstickers before, and I love them so much. I decided to just go for it, and spent an hour researching recipes to find one that sounded tasty and didn't require a food processor (I don't have one). They turned out really well, and tasted like they were from a restaurant! We were able to freeze the leftovers and they make a quick, easy, healthy snack. I steamed them instead of frying them, to reduce the fat content. Also, I did fry the first batch and they all stuck to the bottom of the pot, so...I decided not to do that again! You'd think I'd have realized that they're called potstickers for a reason.

Kashi whole wheat crackers, local pepper jack cheese, local Cheddar cheese, homemade vegan potstickers, organic Sultana golden raisins, organic dried cranberries, organic chocolate chips, organic dried cherries, banana, and a CSA Melrose apple.

Chip's lunch: October 8, 2010

2010-10-25T15:48:00.003-04:00

Aaaaaannnnnd...we're back! Chip took a two-week business trip to Belgium and the Netherlands, and I wasn't making lunches. So, he's back, and we're back to the blog, and back to making some tasty lunches!

Here's one from before he left. I found this amazing ravioli at the grocery store here. It's all super wholesome ingredients, nothing artificial, and it's made in Italy. It was really expensive, but man, was it delicious! I also got to use up the last of my homemade marinara sauce.

Spinach ravioli with homemade marinara sauce, banana, Kashi granola bar, organic applesauce, and a salad with organic redleaf lettuce, Roma tomato from our garden, organic pine nuts, and organic mushrooms.

Chip's lunch: October 7, 2010

2010-10-07T23:18:00.003-04:00

Who doesn't love some good pad thai? We keep it simple, with just noodles, sauce, broccoli, and tofu. To be authentic, we should probably add some peanuts, among other things, but we like our American pad thai!

We used Tofu Plus for this recipe, which is tofu that has added vitamins, specifically those that vegetarians and vegans can lack (like B12). I'm not usually one for fads or gimmicks, but since it was on sale, I decided to try it. It tastes and cooks just like regular tofu. We enjoyed it, and if it's ever cheaper than our regular tofu again, we'll definitely buy it.

Homemade pad thai with organic broccoli, organic tofu, and organic sesame seeds, banana, organic dried cherries, organic Sultana golden raisins, natural peanut butter, whole wheat graham crackers, and a CSA Melrose apple.

Chip's lunch: October 6, 2010

2010-10-07T22:55:00.003-04:00

These mushrooms have been sitting in the fridge for a while, being neglected and overlooked. A cool rainy fall day was the perfect time to roast them with some bell peppers and make Clean Eating Magazine's Chicken & Portobello Focaccia...minus the chicken. It's quick and easy, and we had the tomatoes and basil growing in the garden. I have to say that even though our garden wasn't a huge success, I've really enjoyed having it, and I hope next year's garden is even better.

Organic locally made whole wheat bun with roasted organic portobellos, CSA green peppers, and red peppers from Lori's garden, plus Roma tomato from our garden, basil from our garden, mozzarella, and organic pine nuts, CSA corn, organic dried cherries, organic chocolate chips, organic Sultana golden raisins, banana, and a CSA Melrose apple.

Chip's lunch: October 5, 2010

2010-10-06T00:58:00.002-04:00

W got some blueberries in our CSA share this week, so I decided to make some blueberry pancakes. Except once I'd mixed up the batter, I took the blueberries out of the fridge and realized...they're grapes! They are so delicious too. But they're definitely not interchangeable with blueberries for pancake purposes. So I mixed in some cranberries instead. Chip was so excited to see these in his lunch until he realized the cranberries weren't chocolate chips. Apparently we don't know our foods too well! He enjoyed this lunch just the same, and especially liked the scrambled egg...no surprise there.

100% pure maple syrup, homemade oatmeal pancakes with cranberries, banana, Kashi granola bar, pastured eggs with CSA Swiss chard, CSA corn, organic mushrooms, and peppers from my friend Lori's garden, and a CSA Melrose apple.