Chip's lunch: January 26, 2011

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: October 7, 2010

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 4, 2010

Once again, we had dinner with some awesome friends of ours, and they were wonderful enough to leave us with some leftover homemade lasagna. Laura made us an amazing dinner, and apparently lasagna is her specialty. She loves lasagna so much that she throws lasagna parties. For one of her birthdays, she made three different kinds of lasagna, and invited a bunch of friends over to eat it with her. I think that is awesome! Lasagna is something I haven't yet mastered, but I'm hoping Laura will teach me. This stuff was incredible. As Chip would say, it was really "restaurant-y."



CSA Melrose apple, whole wheat graham crackers, raw almonds, steamed asparagus, and Laura's homemade roasted vegetable lasagna (with red pepper and eggplant).

Chip's lunch: August 20, 2010

Chip's back from a short trip to California, so we've got one lunch for this week. I packed Chip some trail mix for the plane ride to California, so we are all out of dried fruit. I wracked my brain for something to put in the side compartment, when it dawned on me. What has been my food of choice* since he left? Graham crackers! I added some natural peanut butter, and made little sandwiches.

*When Chip leaves town, I am notorious for going overboard on junk food. Last time, it was Lemonheads. In the past, it's variously been frozen garlic bread, Cheetos, Laffy Taffy, and Tofutti cuties.

Sandwich on organic whole wheat bread with Smart Deli roasted "turkey" slices, hummus, Cheddar, and organic greenleaf lettuce, organic banana, graham crackers with natural peanut butter, Caprese with Campari tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil from our garden, and an organic Fuji apple.

Chip's lunch: December 14, 2009

In between the last lunch and this one, Chip went on a crazy business trip. To be very brief, this trip involved an overnight in London, four days in the Canary Islands, and another overnight in London. It was a whirlwind of a trip, and when he got back, he was ready for some tasty American food. So we went to Betty's. We first went to Betty's in March, 2009, when we were in Columbus for the weekend looking at houses to buy. It was recommended to us by the concierge at our hotel, and she was spot on. Not only was it kitschy and weird inside (like one of our Baltimore faves, Nacho Mama's), but the food was inventive and very vegetarian friendly. Since moving to Columbus, we've been back several times. Chip usually gets the chipotle cream rotini pictured below. It's warm and creamy, with a decent amount of heat.



Betty's chipotle cream rotini with tofu, farmers' market winesap apple, Snickers (very special treat), cinnamon grahams with peanut butter, and steamed broccoli with sharp cheddar (another very special treat...what a lucky guy).

Chip's lunch: December 2, 2009

I just like looking at this lunch. The greens, red, orange, white (banana)...it all just looks so pretty! Fortunately it's pretty healthy too!



Salad with romaine lettuce, tomato, organic spinach, and avocado, Utz crab chips (brought back from our Thanksgiving trip to Maryland...yum!), cinnamon grahams with peanut butter, hummus (Chip uses it for salad dressing), and a banana.

Chip's lunch: November 9, 2009

This lunch is the first of several in which I have begun to sneak in some pesto. I. Love. Pesto. I eat it on pretty much anything, and that includes directly from a spoon. I love it a lot. Chip isn't so much sold on it, for reasons that I can't possibly fathom. So beginning with this lunch, I started to sneak it into things, and he's growing to like it more and more now. Success!



Whole wheat rotini with vegetarian "meat sauce" (organic marinara sauce, to which I added garlic, spices, and Morningstar crumbles) and a spoonful of pesto, cinnamon grahams with peanut butter, Quaker reduced sugar granola bar, farmers' market Jonagold apple, and a banana.

My lunch: July 14, 2009

Still enjoying the fruits of my first Ohio Trader Joe's trip! Another light, summery lunch, and all finger foods; yum! I ate this lunch sitting outdoors under a tree on campus while reading in between classes.



Trader Joe's organic popcorn with olive oil, grapes, cinnamon grahams with peanut butter, more grapes, and a whole wheat/flaxseed/oatmeal wrap with quinoa, salsa, spinach, and lettuce.

I didn't eat the wrap at lunch time; I thought I'd save it for later. On my way home from school (about an 8 mile bike ride), I came across a homeless man who was sleeping (and getting sunburned) on the side of the road. I woke him up and offered some sunblock (I'm a nerd...but I was really worried). I gave him the leftover wrap, and he devoured it. I'm sure he enjoyed it much more than I would have.

My lunch: July 9, 2009

This is another yummy summer lunch. I really loved all the fresh veggies we were getting over the summer. The tempeh was delicious; the sauce was made of Sriracha, water, and some Sugar in the Raw. It was a touch spicy, but then again I love spicy food! As with the barbecued tempeh, I just sauteed the tempeh in some vegan margarine til it was warm and crispy, then I added the sauce and reduced it a little.



Tempeh with Sriracha-based sauce, organic blackberries, cinnamon grahams with peanut butter, hummus, and broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower.

Chip's lunch: July 7, 2009

This is a lunch that even 6 months later, I remember very well! On July 6, we got our mortgage commitment for our new house. To celebrate, we went out to dinner at a lovely little Italian restaurant in our new hometown. Basi Italia is an adorable little restaurant in Victorian Village in Columbus. The food is simple but unique, and they use a variety of local ingredients. It's SO tiny inside, but that also made it intimate and romantic. We loved our dinner, and Chip loved getting the leftovers in his lunch the next day! And yay for getting some color into Chip's lunchbox (even if I didn't actually make the food)!



Orecchiette with pesto and pine nuts, Margarita pizza with spinach, cinnamon grahams with peanut butter, and apple with peanut butter.