Quinoa and Collards with Chili-Lime Tofu

Quinoa and Collards With Chili-Lime Tofu

1 cup quinoa - rinsed well and drained in a fine mesh sieve.  I catch the water underneath the quinoa so I can catch the water to see when the water turns clear.

Zest of 1 small lime
2 cups cold water

Combine ingredients in a saucepan.  Cover, bring to a boil and reduce heat to low.  Cook for 20 minutes and remove from heat.  I take one cup of the quinoa and store in refrigerator or freeze for another use.

Sauce for the tofu:

2 tablespoons date sugar
6 tablespoons water
1-2 teaspoon braggs liquid aminos
1/4 cup lime juice
Zest of one large lime
1/2- 1  teaspoon red chili flakes
2 clove garlic minced
3 teaspoons onion flakes (optional)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
8 mint leaves chiffonaded plus extra for garnish if desired

1 block extra-firm tofu

While quinoa is cooking, combine all ingredients except for the tofu and whisk well to dissolve date sugar. Set aside.

Drain the tofu.  I gently squeeze to release some of the water content and pat dry with some paper towel.  It's not necessary to add heavy weight and let it set for a while like other recipes do.  Cooking the tofu will do that for you.

Next, cut  the tofu into 8 rectangles.  Cut the rectangles in half.  You'll have 16 squares.  Cut each square diagonally both ways to get 4 triangles per square.

Dry cook tofu in a 10" or larger skillet in one layer.  Keep an eye on the tofu so it doesn't burn.  I cooked it on medium-high heat.  I cooked my tofu in a cast-iron skillet and  a non-stick skillet.  The non-stick worked best.  I guess it's time to re-season my cast iron.

As it cooks, the tofu sort of forms a toasty outside and you'll end up with a crunchy texture which is nice.  Flip the tofu and cook the other side until lightly browned.  This should take about 10-15 minutes.  When finished, take off heat and set the tofu aside while preparing and cooking the collards.

The way I normally eat collards is to add frozen collards to my morning green smoothie with kale or romaine, strawberries, blueberries, frozen banana, flax and some soy milk.  I was convinced I wouldn't like it so I masked the flavor with all the other foods I like.

So this is my first time buying fresh collards and my first time cooking them as well.

When I saw the collards at my local food co-op this week, I thought they looked so beautiful sitting there in the produce section.  I quickly reached for the green jewels before anyone else caught a glimpse of them.  They looked like they might have been freshly picked right from someone's garden and displayed in the produce case just for me.  :)   I feel like I've hit the jackpot for quality and taste.

Trying out new recipes in the past when first becoming a nutritarian, I have been so disappointed and have even thrown some of the disasters in the trash if they were too awful to eat.  It took a while to like this new way of eating.  Quite some time in fact.

So, I was apprehensive and not sure I'd like the collards, but this is a keeper.   My favorites list is expanding nicely.  :)   I like to give credit where credit is due, but I found this recipe online at five or six different websites. Who knows, there may be more. I've made a few changes to the recipe like omitting salt to make it a little more nutritious.  I left out a couple of seasonings and added one or two or my own as well.  If you'd like to know what I've left out, add and comment and I'll let you know.

Collards
1 bunch collards rinsed, stems removed
2-3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon lime juice

Stack the collard leaves 3 or 4 at a time depending on size of the collards and what's comfortable for you.  Roll the collards tightly like you would a cigarette or cigar, and then slice the them into ribbons.  

Afterwards, rough chop the collards to make smaller pieces.  Then add them to a non-stick pan with the water and lime juice.  Add extra water or lime juice if you need too.

Cook the collards on medium- high heat covered for 3-5 minutes keeping an eye on them.  You want them steamed and tender enough to eat, but watch them;  I almost burned mine while attending to the tofu, so you may want to give  them your undivided attention instead of trying to multitask like I did.

While collards are steaming, add the tofu back to it's pan and heat through on medium-high heat.  Add the sauce that you set aside and stir to coat the tofu.  This only takes a minute or two.  Turn off the heat when sauce bubbles and remove pan from burner.

The aroma on the lime and spices play with your taste buds and it's time for plating and eating.  I couldn't wait and had to take a test-bite first.  Luscious, delightful, delectable!  Can't wait to eat this again.

The quinoa goes first at the bottom of your serving dish.  Next add the collards and top it off with the tofu chile-lime glaze mixture. 

If you'd like, you can garnish with lime slices and mint leaves if you'd like more of those flavors.  This will serve four smaller portions or if your following Eat To Live, you'll serve this with a nice sized supper salad or a smaller sized salad for lunch.  If I were to eat it by itself, it would be enough for 2 servings.

Asparagus and Mushroom Quiche with a Brown Rice Crust

I am a fond subscriber to Susan's blog:   http://blog.fatfreevegan.com as well as her website: http://fatfreevegan.com.

I prepared this quiche and I love it so much that I had to share it with you.  It's so flavorful that it's become a new favorite of mine.  I hope you'll give it a try and enjoy it as much as I did.

The only change I made to Susan's recipe was to add some red pepper flakes and since I didn't have shallots, I used a small amount of onion.  I have enough ingredients left over and may make this again when  I finish it up.  It's quite addicting!  :)

I cooked some brown rice the night before and refrigerated it for the next days use. That way you don't have to wait 45 minutes for the rice to cook before you can begin.   I prepared a cup dry which makes enough for two recipes.

I found some nice asparagus at Albertson's.  As you look for yours, you'll want to pass over the thin spears -  you don't want the really thick ones either.  Here's a picture of the size I bought so you'll know what to look for.

As you follow the cooking directions, less liquid is better as you saute the veggies.  The amount of water seems like such a small amount, but it really is plenty.  Once the vegetables begin to cook, they'll give off some liquid of their own as well.

As I was waiting for the veggies to cook, I was imagining what other vegetables I could use in the recipe.  Funny how one's mind wanders like that.  :) Spinach would be good and so would chopped kale.  I love to get plenty of greens in my dishes.  Broccoli would be another good choice, or carrots and peas...........the list is endless really.  If you use your favorites, you'll be making this dish many times over.

When I mixed the sauce and vegetables together, I added it to the pan instead of the baking dish as the recipe recommends.  I felt I could get a better blending that way and also keep the dish I'm cooking the quiche in from having some of the sauce sloshed all over the sides. You can do it the way she suggests, I'm just mentioning it because I found it to be easier this way. 

Click on the link above (the name of the recipe) and it will take you to Susan's recipe and her beautiful photos of this wonderful delicious creation.  While you're there, take some time to check out some of her other recipes.  I've tried many and have been happy with most of them.   I'm thinking I'll probably be posting more of her recipes from her blog here.  They will be ones that I've already tried and I'll show pictures of the recipe like I did with this one.

The cut portion serves well without sticking. I have a very small, metal spatula with a beveled edge that I used and it worked perfect.  I did use her recommendation to spray the pie dish with oil. 

The quiche serves four, but I cut it into thirds because I wanted more. :)  This is the type of recipe that is great for breakfast. lunch or supper.
Hope you enjoy!

An Easy Throw Together Meal

I had a few vegetables in the crisper, but not the right ones for the recipe I wanted to make.  So I decided to take what I had and come up with a simple throw-together meal.
I normally take pictures as I go along and also take one with the recipe plated.  I didn't really think that this would amount to much, but it actually was quite tasty. 

A friend of mine who is a SAD eater was not feeling well, so I went to visit with her for an hour and decided to bring her some of my stir fry.  I really didn't think she'd like it, but she did.  I was pretty surprised and she didn't add any salt like I thought she would.  So the reason I'm posting this is because of my friend who raved about this recipe.  I thought if she liked it maybe some of you would who are use to eating nutritarianly.   :)

Steamed Cabbage and Simple Vegetable Stir Fry


1/2 small green cabbage, cut into wedges

1 large onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 large red bell pepper, sliced

8 oz white button mushrooms, sliced

1 cup frozen peas

1 15 oz. can drained and rinsed kidney beans (or beans of your choice)

No-sodium spike

Chili powder

Water for sauteing

Steam cabbage low heat while cooking stir fry. Watch it for desired doneness. I like mine a little al'dente. I like my veggies in the stir fry a little crunchy too so if you like your veggies cooked well, you'll need to stirfry a little longer than I did.  When cabbage is done, remove from heat and leave in pan until stirfry is finished to keep warm.  Sprinkle chili powder and spike seasoning to taste.

Water saute onion slices and allow to caramelize. Add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add red bell pepper and mushrooms and stir fry 1-2 more minutes. Add a small amounts of water as needed. Add peas and kidney beans. Stir to allow peas to thaw. Upon serving, sprinkle with chili powder and spike seasoning to taste. Simple and delicious!

Great Northern Cream of Tomato Soup with Chopped Kale

I've tried a few different tomato soups and even made my own.  I still wanted something different and I took ideas from a few different recipes and combined it with one of my own. 

I was also tired of adding soy milk to everything.  Not that I don't enjoy the flavor, it's just after a while, everything begins to have that same base flavor.

So here's what I came up with and it's the best tasting I've had so far.  I'm sure there are other tomato soup recipes that are just as good and even better.

1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 carrots, chopped
1/4 cup V8 juice, low sodium
3 lbs. roma tomatoes halved
2 cups water
1 cup V8 juice, low sodium
*2 Tablespoons tomato powder - recipe below
 1/2 cup chia seeds
1 jar roasted red peppers with liquid
3 cups white northern beans
fresh basil to taste
fresh garlic chives to taste
3 large kale leaves, chopped
Black pepper to taste or crushed red pepper flakes

In a large dutch oven pot, saute the onion, garlic and carrots in  the 1/4 cup V8 juice a little at a time as if you are water sauteing stirring and adding the V8 for about 8 minutes on med/high heat.

Add the halved tomatoes to the pot with the water, the 1 cup V8 juice and the tomato powder.  Simmer on low until they cook down and some of the liquid has cooked off, at least an hour.

Add the soup to the vitamix and blend with the chia seeds and roasted red peppers.  Only fill the blender half way when blending hot soup.  The chia seeds add to the creaminess and also work nicely as a thickener.  If you find your soup is too thick, add a little more V8 or water.

Add the northern beans.  You could use any bean really.  I'm going to make this soup again this week and try it with pinto beans for variation and use the crushed red pepper.  I'll probably top the soup with some chopped avocado at serving. 

Chiffonade the kale after removing the stems.  Then chop as you would parsley and add to the soup.  Upon serving add some fresh basil and chives.

Let me know if you try some other variations.

*Tomato Powder

My food co-op sells sun-dried tomatoes in small plastic bag.  I dumped the contents into my vitamix and blended away and the results are a nice tomato powder.  Store in a container for future use.

An abundance of pears!

I was given around 40 pears .........what a wonderful blessing.  Most were already ripe, some weren't.  I had to think fast about what I was going to do with all that delicious fruit.

After eating a couple, I knew they'd go bad before we were able to finish them off, so I thought about making a cake with them.  But then there would still be most of them left.

So I decided to return to the drawing board.  Applesauce came to mind and I thought, "why not pearsauce?"  So I peeled half of them, cored and chopped away and threw them in a pan.  I  cooked them down and decided to leave them in pieces rather than sauce them.

I added spices - cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and allspice.  I used mostly cinnamon with a dash of  the others.  Wow, so yummy!!!  Dh loved it and you don't add sugar.  They have plenty of their own.  We've eaten it as is and it's a delicious dessert.

A couple days later I rolled some in a tortilla.  Wow, that almost tasted like I was eating a pear pie, similar to the SAD pies like you get at the fast food places.  I heated the tortilla so that it was a little crunchy.  My next try will be half of a whole wheat pita stuffed with some pearsauce.  I make the pita crunchy by throwing it in the toaster for hummus, so that's what I'll do for the pearsauce too.

This turned out to be a simple delicious dessert.  And it's a nice change from fruit smoothies or fruit ice cream from the VitaMix.

Chocolate-Blueberry Cake

I meant to take a picture of this cake, but after baking I couldn't wait to try it, so picture-taking took a back seat.  I'll have to make it again and add a picture later.

Those who eat SAD (Standard American Diet) will love this healthy cake............in fact I'm sure you'll all fall in love with it. And especially if you're a chocolate lover, you've got to try this recipe.  Even my dh loved it!

So click on the link and you'll be convinced just by the picture this is a decadent-delicious cake dessert.

For those following E2L closely and don't allow themselves maple syrup or agave, I found a recipe for date syrup.   It's a recipe I've seen posted in a couple different places and I'm not sure who to give the credit to.

Date Syrup (Iraq)

(12 servings)

    * 1 cup pitted Medjool dates
    * 1 cup water
    * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    * 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

In  a medium saucepan, bring water and dates to a boil. Reduce heat to low.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add vanilla and simmer for an  additional 5 minutes.

Allow mixture to cool to room temperature.  Place mixture in a blender with the cinnamon. Pulse until smooth and  completely blended.

Store in a sealed container in your refrigerator. Warm the syrup before using.

I used maple syrup, but want to try the date syrup next time I bake it.

Besan Pizza with Roasted Vegetables

I've been super busy this summer.  I helped dh at work as a volunteer.  His counter girl had brain surgery and I filled in for a couple months.  With the economy as it is, they couldn't hire a temporary.

And then summer kind of took over, but now I'm hoping to post more frequently.  I've got a new recipe I'm posting below. 

 I found this online, but I forgot to bookmark it and couldn't find it tonight, so I'm going on memory.  I'm going to make it again tomorrow and will report back if it doesn't come  out the same as the first time.  I do recall the recipe had you add the tomatoes and onions afterward, but I added it to the batter.  I used roasted onions and grape tomatoes.

The Pizza Dough - makes 2 servings

1 cup chickpea flour
1 cups water
1/4 cup onions (mine were roasted)
1/4 cup tomatoes chopped (I used grape tomatoes for their sweetness)
1 Tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary

I sifted the flour and added water slowly using a whisk to mix. It's easy to lump so beat well if it does. Add the rest of the ingredients. I let it sit for a few minutes.


I poured half the batter in a hot, cast-iron skillet. I wiped a small amount of oil just so the batter wouldn't stick or if you'd rather, you can use a non-stick skillet.

When it looks like it needs turning (just like a pancake) flip it onto the other side and allow to sit for a few minutes more. When done, remove and plate, then pour the rest of the batter in and do the same thing.

I found the garbanzo bean flour at Walmart.  It's also called Besan or Chana Dal Flour.  When I purchased it I had no idea at all what I'd do with it.  I stuck it in the freezer for a couple of months, took it out and decided it was time to do something with it. 

There was a lot of talk about lentil flour pizza at the member's center website, so that's where I got the  idea to use the garbanzo bean flour as a pizza crust.


Here's a picture of a package of the flour if you want to know what it looks like.  I usually eat 1cup of beans each day as a minimum, and one serving will be equal to the 1 cup beans.
  


I was roasting vegetables in the oven so when done I topped the pizza with a good portion and added some spaghetti sauce on top.  MUCHO YUMMY!!! Dh loves this recipe too!

I guess I could have traditionally put the spaghetti sauce atop the pizza crust first, but I decided to layer the veggies first.  I don't really think it matters much, but you can layer however you desire.  Either way it will be delicious.

To roast the vegetables, I used Japanese eggplant, onions, mushrooms, zucchini and bell peppers, but you can use any variety of vegetables you like.  I used a very small amount of oil to coat them evenly and tossed them onto a sheet pan.  I ended up using three because I got carried away and cut up so many vegetables. When roasting, make sure you have them as one layer and try not to have them touching each other as much as possible.  That way you get a good roast, otherwise they'll steam.

I roasted them at 450 for about 20-30 minutes.  Half way through I flipped them with a spatula.  I really love eating vegetables this way.  They have such a depth of flavor when roasted.  I've added butternut squash, sweet potato, small new potatoes, etc for variety.  Hope  you'll give this recipe a try as you, "Eat To Live"!

Hojo Spaghetti Squash Casserole

I got the idea for this recipe from a friend at Dr. Fuhrman's membership website.  

Her name is Holly and she inspires me and so does another member over there; Susan.  They both come up with new recipes all the time.  

Holly made a delicious pesto spaghetti squash recipe that I absolutely loved.  Dh didn't like it so much so I decided to try something he might like.  I can't lose with something spicy so here's my attempt at making something tasty and nutrition for my Dh.  :) 

You can find Holly's recipe on my blog.  http://eats2live.blogspot.com/search/label/Spaghetti%20squash

Hojo Spaghetti Squash Casserole

1 large spaghetti squash
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes low or no sodium
1 16 oz can of tomato sauce
4 teaspoons crushed red chili flakes or to taste
2 teaspoons italian seasoning
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon Braggs liquid aminos
1 jar pimentos
1/2 cup unsweetened dried coconut
1 cup nutritional yeast
1 cup frozen peas thawed
2 cups cooked red lentils
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 375.  Prick the squash really well so it won't blow up in the oven.  Bake for one hour in a shallow baking dish.  Allow to cool

While the squash is baking, water saute the minced garlic for a few minutes in a large sauce pan.  Add the canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, red chili flakes, italian seasoning, onion and garlic powder and the braggs liquid aminos.

Allow to simmer on low for twenty minutes.  Turn off heat.  Add pimentos, coconut and nutritional yeast when it's time to top the spaghetti squash.

When it's cool enough to handle, slice in half lengthwise.  Remove seeds and fibrous strings and throw away. 

Take a fork and pull the squash by forking the edge and bringing it toward the center all around.  You'll have beautiful spaghetti strands.

Place the spaghetti squash into a 7x11 rectangular glass baking dish.the baking dishspreading it evenly.

Next add the red lentils spreading them evenly over the squash and then the thawed peas.

If you haven't yet, add the pimentos, coconut and nutritional yeast to the tomato mixture.  Pour the sauce on top and spread evenly.  Add the almonds and bake at 350 for 35 minutes.  I served this with a spinach salad.

Tropical Delight

I've been making this ice cream all week.  Both Dh and I love it.  It's rich, sweet and oh so creamy.  If you like pineapple and banana, you'll love this.  If you're not fond of coconut and or pecans, you  can leave them out.

I tried different variations with this.  You may have to test this to see what works best for you.  I tried with the pineapple unfrozen and both bananas frozen, but it came out too soupy.

So I tried with everything frozen and it was really too hard to blend.  So I've found that the following works best.

To freeze the pineapple, I drain the canned (large)chunks in a colander really well.  I used a cake pan and stood them up so I'd have more room because you need to make sure that they aren't touching one another. 

I stuck them in the fridge in the morning so they'd be ready for our after-supper ritual. 

The week before it was chocolate ice cream and the week before that it was strawberry.  :-)  I think next week I'll try to do a pistachio ice cream.

If I had to choose a favorite, it'd be really hard to choose one, but I might have to choose the chocolate, over the Tropical Delight . . . . .  but they're really neck in neck because they're both so delicious. 

Tropical Delight

1 - 20 oz can drained pineapple chunks frozen - directions explained above
1 overripe small frozen banana cut into pieces
1 small overripe banana not frozen
3/4 - 1 cup of organic unsweetened vanilla soy milk
4 Tablespoons unsweetened coconut from health food store (optional)
4 Tablespoons pecans chopped (optional)

Blend in the vitamix until completely incorporated and serve.   Makes 4 servings.  Halve it for two people.

Without coconut and pecans it's 127 calories per serving.

With coconut and pecans it's 193 calories per serving.

My Dh's preference is with the coconut and pecans, while my favorite way to eat this is without both of them.  I love the tart taste of the pineapple mingled with the sweet smoothy texture of the banana and the soft creamy taste of the soy milk with a slight hint of vanilla.  But either way it's delicious.  Hope you enjoy it!

Better Than Lara Bars

I visited a blog recently that isn't vegan, nor is it E2L compliant.  But it has some good looking recipes that are vegetarian and/or vegan and will appeal to many nutritarians who eat a more healthy diet or those who follow Eat To Live, McDougall, or the Engine 2 Diet.

Some of the recipes can be adapted to eating the E2L way by omitting the salt and oil.  Some of the baked goods can be adapted as well.  There's some great looking soups that appeal to me, but the next recipe I'm trying will be the brownies. 

Okay, back to the bars.  :)

They're easy to throw together and if you follow her suggestions with the foil and wax paper, it makes it so much easier and less messy.  Hope you'll give these a try.  I think you'll be thrilled with the results.  You can vary the dried fruits, nut and seeds which I'll do the next time I make them.

You could add these to your children's lunch.  I'm sure they'll love them.  Have them help you make them and add their favorite dried fruits and nuts.

These would be great for on the go, after working out at the gym or before.  They'd be great if you go camping or trail walk. 

I'm looking forward to trying some of her other recipes soon! I hope you will too and leave a comment here as to what you decided to try and whether or not you liked it.

Eat For Health, Everyone! :)

You'll find the recipe here: http://enlightenedcooking.blogspot.com/2010/02/fruit-seed-nut-power-bars-no-added.html

Think That Bagged Salad's Safe?

Do you wash your already-prepared salad greens (including the ones that say they've been double or triple washed) that you purchase from your local grocery store?  You just might wish you had after reading this article from Consumer Reports.

Consumers Union has recently tested bagged salad greens and also greens found in plastic clamshells sold in supermarkets.  The results of this study may surprise you.

Bacteria was found in samples taken that are common indicators of poor sanitation and results also showed fecal contamination. In fact, some levels of samples tested were rather high.

National brands such as Dole, Earthbound Farm Organic and Fresh Express along with regional and store brands had at least one package with high levels of total coliforms or enterococcus.

The Food and Drug Administration needs to set stronger safety standards for fresh produce. Consumer's Union is supporting a Senate Bill that would require them to do that. It's called the Food Safety Modernization Act, Senate Bill 510.

You can find the full article here: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2010/march/recalls-and-safety-alerts/bagged-salad/

They suggested purchasing packaged greens as far as possible from their use-by date because they had less contamination. They also suggested washing the greens even if they say triple-washed, but their comments say that washing will remove extra dirt and not bacteria.

I've done a little research and found that Truth or Fiction reported, "Research published by the Journal of Food and Science in 2003 showed effective results of using hydrogen peroxide to decontaminate apples and melons that were infected with strains of E.coli."

Some websites I've researched recommended 1/4 cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide added to a sink of water while cleaning greens, fruit and vegetables. I haven't found anything official yet as to the correct amount to use, but I'll keep researching. So for now I'll use the 1/4 cup until I find anything that says differently.

Dr. Fuhrman's Eat For Health interview

Making juice with the vitamix

Want to make juice, but don't have a juicer.   Here's your answer to fresh, delicious juice using your vitamix with Raw Foodist, Rene Oswald.

That's my darling minpin, Bandit.  He's so spoiled . . .  and . . .  hyper . . .  and . . . he rules the house.

Our kids and grandkids live in another state, so we choose  to lavish all of our love and attention on this little guy who gives so much love back to us.  He brings us a lot of joy and happiness and fills the void that's there from not having our family living close by.

I've got some recipes I've been wanting to share with you, but this past month I've been voluntarily helping my husband at his work.

He's a manager for a heavy equipment rental store and his counter girl had surgery the beginning of February. I've been filling in for her and will be until she returns.

With the economy like it is, they aren't hiring anyone to fill her position so it's either my dh goes nuts trying to juggle everything that needs doing, or I go in and help out. I decided I wanted to help him as much as I possibly can. He's already on overload as it is.

I've been going in around noon and staying for three to four hours. For many, this would be an easy task. But I've got fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis so it's been a little difficult this past month, with pain, weakness and lack of energy.

I've over-indulged in some off plan foods. Just tonight I had too much cashew butter. I'm thinking I'll need to throw it out. I hate to do that though because it's expensive, but I don't want the temptation around either. When I first began E2L, I even froze the stuff thinking that would prevent me from spooning the sweet, yummy, creamy butter into my mouth. It didn't work so I threw it out. I've been doing fine having it around the past six months or so, but not lately.

I've also been struggling with diet coke. You'd think I'd have kicked it by now. But it still comes around to haunt me and I cave in. I kicked it once, I know I can do it again.

I think I justify drinking it because I'm tired all the time and think I need a caffeine kick. I think it's also become a comfort food. I enjoy the taste and it makes me feel better. Water just doesn't do the same thing.

I hope this doesn't sound like I'm complaining. I'm not. I think I'm just unloading my frustration with myself, so that I can readjust my thinking and head in the right direction again.

I came up with another chili recipe. And I made cornbread to go with it and it's a vegan recipe from Susan's website. I'll try to post it tomorrow.

I tried a black-bean burger which I liked, but dh didn't so I'm on the look out for a bean or veggie burger he'll like. The black-bean burger had great flavor to me, but for dh, it was soft and moist and that's not what he likes as a burger substitute. So I'm looking for a texture that's more dry and even crusty on the outside if that's possible.

If any of you know of a recipe like that, I'd appreciate recommendations. There have been some recommendations from fellow nutritarians at the member's website. So I'll start with those and keep trying until my quest is accomplished. I'm determined and I'm sure there's an alternative burger out there somewhere that will meet the requirements I'm looking for.

So hopefully I'll be back tomorrow with  a recipe or two.  Eat to live y'all!

Grocery Store Wars

I thought maybe you could all use a chuckle.  :-)

Pesticides

 FoodNews: Shopper's Guide to Pesticides

At the yahoo E2L group, one of the members referenced this FoodNews website that lists the worst and most contaminated produce. 

http://www.foodnews.org/

At the link above you'll find more information on the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen and the full list of vegetables and fruits that have been rated from worst to best. 

You may want to bookmark it for future reference.  You can also, if you prefer, download a pdf version or an iPhone app at their website.

 The list of the most contaminated produce has changed since Dr. Fuhrman wrote his book, Eat To Live.  This may be of importance to you if you purchase organic produce from his list because some things have changed.

 Dr. Fuhrman's dirty dozen included five items that are no longer on the top twelve list. 

 Dr. Fuhrman's List

1. Strawberries
2. Bell peppers
3. Spinach*
4. Cherries - USA
5. Peaches
6. Cantaloupe - Mexico*
7. Celery
8. Apple
9. Apricots*
10. Green beans*
11. Grapes - Chile
12. Cucumbers*

*No longer one of the top twelve

New list

1. Peaches - 100
2. Apples - 93
3. Bell peppers - 83
4. Celery - 82
5. Nectarines - 81
6. Strawberries - 80
7. Cherries - 73
8. Kale - 69
9. Lettuce - 67
10. Grapes - Imported - 66
11. Carrot - 63
12. Pear - 63
13. Collard Greens - 60
14. Spinach - 58
15. Potato - 56
16. Green beans - 53
17. Summer squash - 53
18. Pepper - 51
19. Cucumber - 50
20. Raspberries - 46
21. Grapes - domestic - 44 
22. Plum - 44
23. Orange - 44
24. Cauliflower - 39
25. Tangerine - 37
26. Mushrooms - 36
27. Banana - 34
28. Winter squash - 34 
29. Cantaloupe - 33
30. Cranberries - 33
31. Honeydew melon - 30
32. Grapefruit - 29
33. Sweet Potato - 29
34. Tomato - 28
35. Broccoli - 28
36. Watermelon - 26
37. Papaya - 20
38. Eggplant - 20 
39. Cabbage - 17
40. Kiwi - 13
41. Sweet  peas - frozen 10
42. Asparagus - 10
43. Mango - 9
44. Pineapple - 7
45. Sweet corn - frozen - 2
46. Avocado - 1
47. Onion (best) - 1

Note: We ranked a total of 47 different fruits and vegetables but grapes are listed twice because we looked at both domestic and imported samples.

Simple Salsa

Last night I came home and fixed a huge salad for supper.  I also boiled a pound of jalapeno peppers to make some salsa for dh.  He loves the stuff  and adds it to almost everything he eats.

 What I normally do is to add an onion and some garlic into the pan with the peppers, but this was one of those times I didn't. I let those green-hot beauties boil for about ten minutes and then cut off the heat and let them cool while I ate supper.

Afterwards, I destemmed them and plunked them into my Vita-mix canister.  And by the way, when I do use onion and garlic, I leave the garlic cloves whole and cut the onion in forths.  But as I said previously, I didn't add them in last night so I reached for the onion and garlic powder allowing them to pour like sand into the canister until I think I've added enough. 

Everyone's different when it comes to taste.  My dh is more of a plain and simple with some of his food and salsa's one of those foods.  If you wanted more flavor, you could add tomatillos, cilantro, oregano, cumin, etc., but for dh, onion and garlic makes him happy. 

I don't add salt like I use to, but the 28 oz  can of diced tomatoes I dumped on top of the peppers have 220 mg per 1/2 cup serving.  So that's not too bad for someone cutting down on salt.

I try to have only 300 mg of added sodium per day, but dh is not quite there yet.  So I've adjusted my eating habits somewhat to accomodate what he's able to handle and although he's cut down on his sodium intake quite a bit, he's not ready to follow Dr. Fuhrman's recommendation just yet. 

So at this point I turn the dial from low to high real quick and flip the power button off.  We like our salsa a little chunky, but if you want yours less chunky or completely smooth, you'll need to leave it on a little longer. 

Also, this salsa is really hot.  You may need to experiment with your ratio of peppers to tomatoes.  I have a friend who would make this and she added some tomato juice because it was just way too hot.  But that makes it more liquidy.  So it really depends on what you like.  You may want to try 1/4 of a pound of jalapenos to a 28 oz can of tomatoes.   Even that may be too hot for some. 

I use the home-made salsa every night when I roll up a flour tortilla with pinto beans in the center topped off with this fiery-hot stuff.  This is for dh's breakfast in the morning.  He's not quite ready for a green smoothie. 

I also peel and orange and drop it into a Ziploc bag and there are cans of low-sodium V-8 juice in the fridge and he takes one of those with him too.

Sometimes the jalapenos we get here don't have a lot of heat and maybe that's true for you too.  Dh is always disappointed when they end up mild so I  add some hot chili powder to give the salsa some heat.  If any of you try the salsa recipe, I'd like to hear how it goes. 

More on making life easier.

Remember the food saver from the previous post.  I showed you how you can remove the air from canning jars and store your cut up veggies for two or three days.

Well I only have the wide mouth sealer and haven't bought the regular size sealer yet.  But you can still remove the air from the regular jars without it. At least you can with the smaller jars. 

There's a 3 canister set that came with my food saver.  A small canning jar will fit into the largest size canister as shown in the picture. You attach the plastic tube to the lid on the canister and also to the food saver vacuum machine. 

Then you push the canister button and it'll take all the air out of the pint size jar. I plan on getting the regular mason jar sealer, but until I do, it's nice to be able to seal the small jars.  The jar in the picture has some brown rice in it.  You can store all your rice, legumes, whole wheat pastas, etc. this way, but you'll want to use the quart size and not the pints.

There are bags that you can purchase for the food saver and they also have a rolls of plastic in two different sizes.  It's sides are sealed and the top and bottom are loose to be sealed by the purchaser.  As you can see in the picture, I used bags to freeze some lasagna.  What I did was cut the lasagna into individual portions and froze them overnight on a cookie sheet.

The next day I sealed the lasagna in single and double portions.  If my dh and I both want lasagna, I'll pull out the double portion, but if just one of us will be eating the lasagna, I wanted the single portions available too.

I actually had fun operating the machine.  I felt like a kid playing with a new toy.  :-)  The directions say that you can place the bag in boiling water (not to exceed a certain temperature -  and no I don't remember what that is at the moment), or you can place the vacuum sealed lasagna in the microwave.  I don't think I'll do either.  I'll probably let them defrost and remove them from the bag onto a plate and heat the food in the microwave.  The bags can be washed and reused, but not if you've boiled food in them or put them in the microwave.

The only problem I see with reusing them is that you need three inches at the top for sealing so the food size would end up becoming less and less.  I guess I have some experimenting to do.  :-)

Make Life Easier

Have you been a vegetarian/vegan for a while?  Are you getting tired of chopping veggies every night?  Is there an easier way? What about convienence when you get home and don't feel like getting out the cutting board and knife?

Here's what I do to make life a little easier.  I cut up romaine and let 'er roll in my salad spinner.  I also shred some green cabbage and do the same. 

I have a rubbermaid plastic container that I drop all that beautiful green phytonutrients into.  Here's a picture so you get an idea of what I mean.  That is enough greens for about three days.

I also have a foodsaver.  I really love that appliance and don't even do enough with it yet.  I'm kinda slow when it comes to getting all my ducks in a row, but I eventually get there.

I thought I'd let you see what I'm talking about in case you're interested in getting one.  And no, I don't make a penny on any of the gadgets or appliances I recommend.  I just love them so much and find them useful and want to pass that information on to my fellow E2Lers, vegans and vegetarians.  Well actually anyone that might be interested.  Can't leave behind the SAD eaters, can I.

So what I do is fill up quart size mason jars.  The wide mouth type, not the regular.  Not only is it easier to get the veggies into the large size opening, but I also only have the wide jar sealer, not the regular size.

Well let me show you more of what I do.  You know the chop wizard.  I've talked about it before a few months ago.  I love that kitchen tool.  It makes my life so much easier, and it will yours too.

The food processor only shreds or slices.  I can chop veggies in the bottom, but sometimes it's hard to get them just the right size you want.  And I really like the uniform size of chopped vegetables I get with the chop wizard.  Here's a video in case you want to see it in action.

I had mine for almost 4 years and I broke it.  It was my fault, not the product.  I was so bummed.  I went to two of my local Walgreens because that's where I purchased my first one,  but neither one of carried it anymore.

So I thought I'd check out Bed, Bath and Beyond.  Golly gee they made my day!  Still $19.95 plus tax.  So I hurried home with my new, old kitchen tool and got to work on a few on my regular salad fixings.

I chopped away on some carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower and cucumber with that chop wizard.  After each vegetable, I stuffed a jar full of 'em, placed on the cap and put it aside until I had all five jars full.  Next step was to take them over to the foodsaver and begin sucking the air out of 'em.  It takes at the most, 30 seconds. 

So once I have them all done, I refrigerate the jars and have fresh chopped veggies when it's time to prepare my supper salad.  The only thing I add that's not already chopped is grape tomatoes, walnuts and an apple.  Next time I do the chopping, I'll chop a jar full of walnuts so I won't have to do those either.  That means I will be chopping only the apple.  I may even give them a try and dip them in some lemon juice so they don't turn color. 

I also add some type of bean, usually garbanzo beans to the salad and that doesn't require chopping so it makes my supper salad preperation so quick, easy and convenient.

Make your life easier and give it a try.  If you don't have the foodsaver I'm sure using the jars would still be helpful.  Some of the jars are used up within 3 days.  Some a little longer, but only a day or two more.  So you might be able to get away with not having to use the foodsaver.

My next task will be freezing some of my cooked items and using the foodsaver so that they'll last so much longer in the freezer.  That will allow me to make lasagnas, stir fries; any healthy dish and have plenty of frozen suppers so that when I don't feel like cooking, I won't have to.

I hope these have been some helpful hints for you.  They are time savers for me.  I have fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis and when I have a bad day, I don't want to prepare or cook anything.  So I'm trying to get a head of the game so that I don't cave into eating SAD foods.

Eat to live, everyone!  :)

Mini Crustless Tofu Quiches

I made these the other night so that I could have something other than a bean buritto in the refrigerator already prepared for dh's breakfast.

They were so delicious that I want to recommend that you all give them a try.  I forgot to take a picture, but Susan's photo is always much prettier than mine anyway.

Here's the beauties.  They taste as good as they look and were so easy to prepare.

The nutritional yeast added a nice flavor for a cheesy taste.  I didn't have fresh herbs, but the dried gave these great flavor and I used the recommended tahini, but omitted the salt.  I also used the regular muffin pan and sprayed it with olive oil as recommended.

I hope you'll try these.  I can't recommend them any more highly, they're that good! 

Mini Crustless Tofu Quiches

olive oil spray
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup bell pepper
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives (or one green onion)
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary (or 1/2 tsp. dried, crushed)
black pepper to taste

1 12.3-ounce package lite firm silken tofu, drained of water
1/4 cup plain soymilk
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon cornstarch (may sub another thickener such as arrowroot or potato starch)
1 teaspoon tahini (preferred) or cashew butter
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Spray 12 regular-sized muffin cups well with non-stick spray. (I used silicone cups like these.)

Lightly spray a non-stick skillet with olive oil and sauté the garlic, bell peppers, and mushrooms over medium heat until the mushrooms just begin to exude their juices. Stir in the chives, rosemary, and freshly ground black pepper, and remove from the heat.

Place the remaining ingredients into a food processor or blender. Process until completely smooth and silky. Add the tofu mixture to the vegetables and stir to combine. Spoon equally into the 12 muffin cups: it will fill regular muffin cups about halfway.

Put the muffin pan into the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350 F. Bake until the tops are golden and a knife inserted into the middle of a quiche comes out clean--about 25-35 minutes depending on your oven and muffin cups (silicone will take longer than metal, so if you're using a metal pan, check it at 20 minutes). Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for about 10 minutes. Enjoy! They're light, so plan on making more of these—or serve hearty side dishes—if you're serving more than 3 people.

4 mini-quiches contain: 96 Calories (kcal); 3 g Total Fat; (23% calories from fat); 11 g Protein; 8 g Carbohydrate; 0 mg Cholesterol; 459 mg Sodium; 2 g Fiber