Archive for Vegan

Last week made my heart sad.  Unexpected, tragic events have the ability to make you focus on all of the negative in the world – sort of that “when it rains, it pours” mentality.  There are so many questions and there is a struggle to understand why, but there will always be unanswered questions.

I think Patton Oswalt said it best when he said “The good outnumber you, and we always will” (If you haven’t already, you can read his whole response to Boston here).  This is something I whole-heartedly believe: that good will always win.

In the hopes of keeping things light today while I get back into the swing of things, I thought I would share something delicious with you all.  This isn’t so much a recipe as something you should try.  I only tried this a few weeks ago at my in-laws’ house but since then, I’ve been hooked.  I come home with strawberries whenever I find a good batch at the grocery store.

So… about once a week.

Now that it’s sort of strawberry season, I think this would be the perfect time to share this ‘recipe’.

Directions:

1)  Cut up strawberries into quarters (or smaller if they are large strawberries).
2)  Sprinkle a tablespoon or two of sugar on top of the strawberries and then drizzle a little bit of water over them.
3)  Place the strawberries in a sealed container.
4)  Wait two days before eating.

You can eat them the next day, but it’s definitely worth waiting until the second day.  By that second day, there will be some wonderful strawberry juices at the bottom of the container.  If you can make it to the third day then you’re pretty much golden (and you’ve totally impressed me because we cannot make it that long, although I bet it’s worth it).

The great thing about this is that it makes a great snack or dessert – and it’s something everyone can enjoy.  It’s also a wonderful treat to bring when you’re going over someone’s house.  We usually eat it right out of the container or drizzled over chocolate cake.  I believe this would also be delicious with some homemade whipped cream.  One day, I intend to have it as an ice cream (so, probably this weekend seeing as it’s finally sort of warm out).

So, let’s hear it: how do you prefer to eat your strawberries?  With chocolate?  Ice cream?  Do you hate strawberries but love strawberry flavored treats?  Anyone contemplating giving this ‘recipe’ ago with other fruits?

Before I went away to college, I was fairly hopeless when it came to cooking.  No joke, I had to ask my mom how to boil an egg.  Safe to say that the kitchen was not my domain.

For my Junior year, I moved off campus and into an apartment with an actual kitchen.  Gone were my days of dining hall food, only to be replaced by my concoctions.  Not everything was a success, which is weird since the majority of my meals were pre-made items that you only had to add a few ingredients (like pancakes or those Knorr (Lipton) side dishes).  Like I said, I was not a natural-born chef.

The year I moved off campus was also the year Joe and I got together.  He and I ended up cooking together often (which is one reason why I ended up being a decent cook).  This was also the year I got my first cookbook: Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis (which is the other reason why I got it together in the kitchen).

One of our favorite recipes from the book was the farfalle with turkey sausage, peas, and mushrooms – which you can check out here.  I highly recommend it.  Not only is it delicious, but it’s a quick and easy meal to make that’ll give you plenty of leftovers.

Sadly, I won’t eat this anymore since I don’t eat turkey but the other night, Joe was able to create something very similar.  Instead of using sausage, he used tofu ricotta (recipe found here).  I loved it so much that I ate it for dinner, brought some in for lunch, and ate the rest at dinner.

If you’re interested in making the vegan version, it’s pretty simple.  All you need to do is chop the mushrooms and cook them in olive oil until the water has evaporated, add the frozen peas and let them cook together.  When that’s done, add the tofu ricotta mix in and then mix it in with the cooked pasta.

Next time, Joe and I are going to play around with different seasonings, like fennel, in hopes of giving it the same flavor as the original recipe.  Either way, it’s nice being able to add a new updated recipe to our repertoire.

Have you played around with recipes as your tastes change?  And when did you learn your way around the kitchen??

It’s not really a secret that the only meat I eat is from the sea, but I am able to admit that I am always jealous of the beef chili Joe makes every week.  It makes the entire apartment smell wonderful and looks delicious.  Unfortunately, I cannot bring myself to eat it.

Thankfully, I don’t have to because Joe is a wonderful husband and made me a vegetarian version of his chili!  I can honestly say that this is the best bean chili I have ever eaten.  To make it even better, I’ve been serving it over brown rice – which is great touch!

I highly recommend giving this recipe a go, especially if you’re not sure what to do for a meatless Monday… or you’re looking for a way to warm up during this cold spell!

Veggie Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cans crushed tomatoes
• 2 onions, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 red pepper, diced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cumin to taste
• Garlic powder to taste
• Chili powder to taste

Directions:

1)  Add a little bit of olive oil in a pot.  Once it’s heated, throw in the diced onions, garlic, and pepper.  Cook until it’s fragrant and softened a bit.

2)  Add the cans of crushed tomato, followed by the beans, and the spices (I would recommend adding less first, because you can add more later).  Stir everything together.

3)  Allow the chili to come to a boil for five minutes, then lower the heat and simmer for at least an hour.  If you would like to add more spices, do so now.

4)  Enjoy!

PS – You can see more of our recipes here.