Chip's lunch: June 11, 2012

We're back in action!  For now, I suppose.  Apparently I'm not very good at keeping up with this thing, so we'll see how long this lasts.

I start a new job tomorrow, and I'm extremely excited.  In my excitement, I did a meal plan for the week, which I haven't done since, oh, October.  This means I have lunches planned for the rest of the week.  Usually if I have a plan like this, I stick to it, so I might go on a week-long blogging binge.  I have no idea what my motivation will look like next week.

I made this week's meal plan by looking up the one I did for this week last year.  I modified it a little bit, and noticed that vegan coffee cake was in a few of the lunches I packed.  Since I didn't happen to make that this week, and since I wanted something a little healthier, I decided to finally try black bean brownies.  I used this recipe, minus the chocolate chips, plus probably a teaspoon of baking soda, and they turned out fantastically!  They're not super fudgy, but they have great texture and flavor, and Chip actually likes them.  I was seriously shocked.  Because really.  Beans + chocolate = delicious?  I wasn't so sure beforehand, but now I think I'll be making these again.



Fried rice with organic tofu and organic broccoli, homemade black bean brownies, organic raisins, raw almonds, macadamias, Honeycrisp apple, and a salad with organic lettuce, organic spinach, organic carrot, and plum tomato.

Chip's lunch: September 26, 2011

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.

Chip's lunch: August 22, 2011

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

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

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.

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.

Chip's lunch: June 16, 2011

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).

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.

Chip's lunch: March 9, 2011

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

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 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 28, 2011

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

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 7, 2011

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

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: January 28, 2011

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 25, 2011

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

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 6, 2011

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

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.