Getting Back on Track

It appears I've fallen off the cooking wagon but I will be getting back on track this week. I wasn't feeling well for a couple weeks and got in a habit of eating easy; soup, take-out, what have you. Went grocery shopping today for the first time in a few weeks, and yes, it was expensive as I was out of a lot of sauces and staples. What's coming up on the menu is: fajitas, stir-fry & brown rice, Almost Irish Stew, and Enchilada-Inspired Polenta Pie. I realize these are basically fall back recipes but hey, they're tasty and good for me. :-) I plan on slow cooking the Almost Irish Stew tomorrow for dinner so lookout for pics!

Enchilada-Inspired Polenta Pie

A new recipe I tried from Robin Robertson's Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker. To get the polenta going, I minced an onion, sauted it in some olive oil, threw it in the cooker with some chili powder, salt, cornmeal and boiling water.


A few hours before it was set to be done, I threw together the other ingredients to let the flavors mingle and meld. Ingredients consist of: pinto beans, corn, chunky salsa, green chiles, red onion & chili powder. Recipe also called for olives but I don't care for them. Mixed that all together, threw some Saran wrap on the bowl and in the fridge it went.


Now, this being my first time cooking polenta from cornmeal, my expectations were off. I expected it to firm up. It did become thicker but never firm like I figured it would. I had to reference another cookbook to read up on polenta and from what I read, the texture and consistency were right on. So I threw in the bean mixture on top of the polenta and set the timer for 30 minutes. Chopped up some cilantro and waited for some yummy goodness.


As you can see, the polenta is still not firm, but the dish was very tasty. I figured it would all blend together when I got it out of the cooker to store for leftovers, and it did. And that's alright; I don't mind it all mixed together instead of the beans sitting on top of a firm polenta base like I imagined because it tastes mighty good. And isn't that what really matters? :-)

Macaroni & Cheese

I have been trying to make things that are economical and that will yield leftovers I can eat for a while. Mac & cheese fell into that category.


I used the recipe in Nava Atlas' book, The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet. Simple enough: elbow macaroni, a little flour, milk, butter and cheese. The recipe had an alternative to bake it once done, so I did that as I like crusty baked things. :-)


It was good but a bit bland. I used a white cheddar so perhaps next time I will try a more flavorful cheese; sharp cheddar, smoked gouda, something along those lines. I added a bit of freshly ground pepper upon serving.


Had a lot of leftovers that reheated well. I used a bit of salt to try & bring out some more flavors and it didn't seem to help so I went by my weird stand-by for leftover mac & cheese: a splash of Italian dressing.

Pasta with Vegan Italian Sausage

Made this quick tasty dinner tonight. The sausages (not homemade) are made of wheat gluten, eggplant, fennel, red pepper, and spices and highly compliment pasta and Italian dishes. I have tried an Apple Sage variety of the same brand of sausage that is also fabulous and grills up great. But back to this.

I slice the sausage and fry it in a bit of olive oil while the pasta cooks. Since one sausage is a bit much for me with a serving of pasta, I usually measure out 2 servings of pasta and sauce to make. When it's all heated through, I divvy it up, half goes in my bowl and gets sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, and the other half goes in my glass container for leftovers. I had a bad habit of eating more than a recommended serving of pasta and have found that using the suggested amount actually is the perfect amount and fills me up without stuffing me. Imagine that!


Now, off to add a splash of milk and honey to my decaf vanilla chai tea that has been steeping while I write this post. Yum...

Veggie Chili Dog

I still have some of those veggie dogs and whole wheat buns left so I picked up a can of Amy's Spicy Chili to help use them up.

Very tasty and I put just the right amount of chili on so I was able to eat it by hand and didn't have to use a fork. Worked out well.

Easy Stir Fry

I've tried to keep some frozen veggies on hand for quick, healthy stir-fries and this is what I whipped up tonight.

I found a great organic brown rice that is grown fairly local by a family farm. It has a lovely flavor and cooks up perfectly. The veggies are an organic Thai stir fry mix of onions, green beans, broccoli, carrots and bean sprouts. I then splash on a Ginger Sesame Tamari sauce to flavor it up. I always have enough leftovers for at least one more meal and they heat up nicely..

Pintos Picadillo

Today's slow cooker delight was Pintos Picadillo from Robin Robertson's book, of course.


It was really good and had a unique flavor which I contribute to the Granny Smith apple. The toasted almond slivers were a delight when crunched upon. Prep was nice and easy. Sauted an onion & red bell pepper in some olive oil then tossed that in the pot along with tomatoes, pinto beans, green chiles, a Granny Smith apple, garlic, vegetable stock, salt and pepper.

About 10 minutes before serving, in goes the brown rice, freshly toasted almond slivers and some flat leaf parsley. The recipe also calls for olives and raisins but I don't really care for either.

Recipe says 4 servings but I probably have that much in leftovers still.

Veggie Dog on Whole Wheat Bun

Had this for lunch.

I don't usually have veggie dogs on hand but I was sent home with the leftovers after a get together at a friend's. It was very nice of her to get veggie dogs; especially since I was the only vegetarian. So I picked up some whole wheat buns, and added some spicy mustard and bbq sauce for a tasty quick lunch.


I can smell dinner in the slower cooker as I type this and it's making me hungry again. Perhaps a small snack is in order.

Happy Bamboo

If anyone ventures out to San Jose, I highly recommend the Happy Bamboo Vegetarian Cafe. I ate there Friday night with a friend and her nephew. The food was tasty, portions were good, menu had a lot of options, service was friendly, and the price was very reasonable. I waffled on what to get for a while but ended up with a burrito consisting of black beans, brown rice, cilantro, tomatillo, & lettuce in a whole wheat tortilla. Almost every bite had some fresh cilantro in it, yum!

I look forward to returning to try some more items next time I visit!

Leftovers Omelet

Here is today's lunch that I just thoroughly enjoyed.

I used two eggs, some leftover veggies from last night's fajitas and a couple strips of Morning Star "bacon". Was very tasty and I only got thru about 3/4 of it before I got full.

Only complaint came from my dog Jack who did not get any egg since it had spices on it.

Fajitas

I threw together some fajitas for dinner tonight. Started with a fresh onion and fresh bell pepper then tossed in a frozen mix of carrots, broccoli & cauliflower and a handful of cumin seeds.

I like to wait until the veggies are almost done before adding in chipotle chili powder and cumin seed powder as seasonings.


I use refried beans in fajitas for the protein and to make them a bit more filling. I used Amy's Vegetarian Refried Black Beans tonight. Beans are one thing I have yet to tackle making from scratch. Perhaps I will experiment this year.


A little sprinkling of cheese and some dabs of green salsa, and viola! Tasty, satisfying dinner.

Sloppy Lentils

Made Sloppy Lentils for dinner tonight.



Recipe from Robin Robertson's Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker. It's the second time I've made them and it was as tasty as I remember. I did not have any brown sugar on hand so I substituted pure maple syrup as the sweetener. Tasted just fine.



Ingredients fairly simple: brown lentils, bell pepper, onion, crushed tomatoes, chili powder, mustard, brown sugar (or other natural sweetener), soy sauce & salt & pepper and water.

4-6 servings. I ate 1 1/2 sandwiches and have leftovers for probably 5 more sandwiches I'd say.

A New Year!

Hello readers!
I am going to work on posting more often. I will not promise, but I will try.

I have been enjoying delicious, juicy oranges. Nature's reminder of the brightness and sweetness of sunny days to come during these dark, cold times.

I have also been drinking various herbal teas like a madwoman and stumbled upon a mighty tasty Chrysanthemum tea consisting solely of Chrysanthemum flowers and blackberry leaves. It has a lovely fragrant taste to it and is not flowery in the slightest. I have also discovered the joy of a splash of milk in chai tea ~ probably rudimentary, but I am still fairly new to the tea scene. I made a decision to quit caffeine 2 years ago so my teas are decaf or herbal in nature.

I am working on getting my love for cooking back even though it has been a hard adjustment only cooking for myself. Tomorrow I am going to make Sloppy Lentils in the slow cooker. It should yield quite a bit so I will have leftovers for awhile. My rechargeable batteries barely hold a charge these days but I will try to snap some pics.