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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Today was another ridiculous day with the animals, and I spent a few hours with Jack at the emergency vet. It appears he was stung by something (bee? spider? wasp?) and it caused an allergic reaction. He was covered in hives, his face was all swollen and lumpy, and his eyes were swelling shut. It came on really quickly and got worse and worse. So...to the e-vet we went.
I got back kind of late, and just threw lunch together. Dinner had no leftovers, so I didn't have a good starting off point. It took me a solid half hour to make this lunch; that is far longer than usual, and reminded me why I usually try to have leftovers with our dinner.
Organic steamed cauliflower and broccoli with Smart balance, sea salt, and black pepper, hummus with organic pine nuts and organic spices, Stacy's pita chips, raw almonds, raw organic cashews, Kashi apple cereal bar, organic applesauce, and whole wheat rollups with avocado, organic greenleaf lettuce, organic baby spinach, local organic grape tomatoes from the farmers' market, organic carrot, and Newman's Own salsa.
Seeing this photo kind of makes me want to go steal Chip's lunch out of the refrigerator right now. Mostly for the pita. We had black bean burgers for dinner tonight with the other half of this avocado and oh man. This avocado is perfect. We've had a bunch of terrible ones lately and this one was delightful. The buttery texture and nutty taste of avocado, plus the sweet tang of grape tomatoes...irresistible to me!
Whole wheat pita with avocado, organic greenleaf lettuce, organic spinach, organic grape tomatoes, and CSA onion, homemade lentil soup, Kashi granola bar, banana, and an organic Fuji apple.
This lunch is a first, in that I needed a lidded container for each part of the meal. It is also the first time that I offered Chip a sandwich or a salad and he picked salad. I was so sure he'd want an avocado sandwich! This is our second time trying kiwi fruit. Last time, he ate it, but wasn't thrilled with the consistency. Maybe this time he'll like it a little better.
Also, meet Frank! He's a beautiful young boy who retired at an early age from racing. He's a big dumb lug, and I just love him.
We were also surprised today with another foster: WWW Kojak ("Jack"). He's an owner surrender, and has not been well taken care of for the past few years. I hope I can love him back to health and help him put on a few pounds. He's a very sweet guy who seems really confused as to why his previous owner tied him to a man's front porch and then drove away.
And here's lunch:
All packed up (the utensils are under the dried fruit):
Salad with organic redleaf lettuce, organic carrot, grape tomato, local Cheddar/jack cheese, and avocado, organic quinoa with vegetable broth, garlic, cumin, and chipotle, organic dried cranberries, organic Sultana golden raisins, organic kiwi fruit, and steamed broccoli and organic cauliflower with butter and sea salt.
Another "cleaning out the refrigerator" kind of lunch here. The only thing we didn't have on hand already is the bread. I don't eat much bread, so I don't keep any around while Chip is out of town. I bought a small loaf today and if we have too much by the time we're supposed to leave for Maryland, perhaps we'll have some sandwiches in the car!
This is another lunch that I got completely assembled except for one container that I just couldn't fill! I gave Chip the option of peanut butter and pretzels or quinoa. You can see what he picked!
Sandwich on local organic whole wheat bread, organic avocado, organic tomato, lettuce from our garden, and organic baby spinach, organic Fuji apple, Speculaas, milk chocolate from the Netherlands, organic raw cashews, organic crispy almonds, pretzel snaps, natural peanut butter, organic corn, and local green beans.
