My lunch: July 18, 2011

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

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: June 20, 2011

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

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 14, 2011

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

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

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

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

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: May 26, 2011

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: April 27, 2011

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

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.

Chip's lunch: April 11, 2011

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: March 7, 2011

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

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 15, 2011

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

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: December 22, 2010

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

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

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.