Ten On Ten: March

March 10th.

Ten pictures taken over ten hours.

Wrinkles, begone.

Tofu prep.

Solo ride: a rare treat.

Word building.

Lessons learned.

Author study.

Texas proud.

Teddy's hangout.

Comic relief.

Waiting.

Parking lot.

A handful of images captured throughout the day...

It was a long one.

Thursdays always are.

School, tutoring, traffic.

Home.

Finally.

Now if you'll excuse me...someone just spilled a whole bottle of grape juice inside the fridge.

I have some cleaning to do.

And then I need to wash my mouth out with soap.

It's spring, yo!

I'll see you in April with another set of ten.

What's For Dinner?

I wrote this week's menu after drinking a glass (translation: 3 glasses) of wine. Here's what I came up with...

Sunday: quinoa big bowl (from last week), salad

Monday: pasta with alfredo sauce and broccoli, salad

Tuesday: avocado-wasabi salad

Wednesday: black bean and sweet potato enchiladas, sweet corn, salad, avocado

Thursday: tofu scramble, veggie sausage, sweet potato home fries, fruit

Friday: veggie burgers (4th time's a charm, no?)

Saturday: out

So far, the wine made some good choices.

The quinoa big bowl was really good. The flavors involved were quite simple. I think that's what made it so tasty. I changed the original recipe a bit: I used roasted sweet potatoes, a red onion, and added roasted portobello mushrooms and sautéed bok choy. I think the sweet potatoes and mushrooms made the dish. The Mr. added a bit of balsamic dressing over the top. I needed no additional oomph.

The pasta and alfredo sauce was good, but I wouldn't call it a true alfredo sauce. It was more like macaroni and cheese. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The Boy ate three helpings. Little did he know that there was not one bit of cheese in his beloved mac & cheese. The Girl decided that it didn't taste good based solely on the shape of the pasta. She can be maddening.

Tonight I made the avocado-wasabi salad. Wow. Big yumz on this one. I doubled the amount of wasabi that the recipe called for, but I have little restraint when it comes to wasabi. I suggest tasting as you go.

I've started making granola and baking bread. More on that later...

Because of all the granola-making and bread-baking, other sweet endeavors are being postponed.

But I'm not having to do without. The Mr. has been bringing me a vegan chocolate chip cookie every few days.

I guess that warrants me shaving my legs. *wink*

Next week is our spring break. I'm taking the week off from menu-making. I'm putting away the cookbooks, getting out of the kitchen, and I'm determined to make something that doesn't involve a food product.

Because this ain't a food blog, yo.

But until then, you'll have to deal with my wild kitchen endeavors.

'Ta!

It Ain't What It Used To Be

The Boy: What is this?

Me: A burger.

The Boy: *pause* A burger of what?

Me: A burger of black beans and quinoa. It's good...try it.

*desperation move*

The Native Americans ate quinoa all the time. It's an Indian burger!

The Boy: I don't care about that, mom! I'm not an Indian!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No. Burger night ain't what it used to be...

But I'm thisclose to finding a very good replacement.

And no one will have to pretend they're an Indian.

A Noteworthy Salad...

Eating lots of raw vegetables is a good thing.

I know this.

But snacking on raw broccoli just ain't my thing.

The solution?

This noteworthy salad.

It's a mix of broccoli, cabbage, kale, and carrots that have been run through the food processor. Any raw veg-mix would work. I'm thinking the addition of cauliflower and squash would be good.

We add a cup or so to the top of our salad at lunch and dinner along with a handful of seeds or some beans.

Then we top it with this no-oil balsamic dressing:

1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup water
a few cloves of garlic
a tsp of onion powder
1-2 Tbs Dijon mustard
2-3 Tbs nutritional yeast
agave syrup, to taste

Put all the ingredients in a blender and let it whirl.

Please know that I don't measure anything. Those are total approximations.

I add agave until it's the right balance of sweet to the tang of the vinegar. So you'll want to taste as you go. Same with the mustard. I probably use closer to two tablespoons because I like a really intense flavor.

A few words on nutritional yeast: This is not the same yeast you use to bake bread. I get mine in the bulk section at Whole Foods. I really like its flavor, but I've heard it's one of those things that people either love or hate. I like to use it in dressings because it acts as an emulsifier instead of the usual oil. This saves tons of calories if you are a salad drencher, like me.

I use a Magic Bullet to mix my dressings. It is small but powerful and cleans up in a snap. Well worth the money.

*And this concludes the infomercial portion of this post.*

I'm shocked at how filling and...good this simple salad is.

Really, you should give it a try.

Your bod will thank you.

What's For Dinner?

Here's the plan, Stan...

Sunday: pizza margherita, ginormous salad

Monday: maple grilled tempeh, wild rice with green beans and mushrooms, roasted brussels sprouts

Tuesday: New Year's Soup

Wednesday: black bean tacos, salad with avocado and sweet corn

Thursday: quinoa big bowl

Friday: veggie burgers, avocado, tomato

Saturday: out

We have a monster salad every night with dinner. Usually just a mix of greens, cucumbers, sweet peppers, and tomatoes. I'm sure as the weather gets warmer, the salads will be taken to the next level.

I'm making the New Year's Soup minus the chicken. It is such a good soup. No way was I going to banish it from the rotation. I'll add a few more lentils and maybe some chickpeas. And use vegetable stock, of course.

I'm tweaking the quinoa bowl, too. I think I'll sub roasted sweet potatoes for the ones called for and add some bok choy.

I've made vegan versions of chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies. They were both really good, although the vote was split. Those under the age of 9 enjoyed the chocolate version, those over the age of 9 preferred the oat variety.

I haven't quite made up my mind what will be next in the sweets department. The Girl has been begging for some blueberry muffins...a total possibility.

You'll have to excuse the onslaught of food posts that will be coming your way. I've had my nose buried in cookbooks for the past three weeks.

It's what's been happening.

A little like a new hobby.

I assure you, I won't post anything that wouldn't be good to the masses.

Considering the food-centered nature of my mind right now, I found this post by Daphne quite timely. If I start to prattle on about the beauty of a block of tofu or the serenity of a bunch of kale...kick my ass, K?

Here's a little more foodie fun:

Salad in a jar, anyone?

These pots and pans fill me with want.

Nom, nom, nom.

I think someone needs to serve me these in bed.
But I'll settle for that someone washing the dishes.

I can't wait to listen to this in the kitchen.

OK, foodies. Charge.

It's Only Fitting...

It's only fitting that February conclude with a few things that are near and dear...

The casa.

There is no place I'd rather be come quitting time.

Or starting time, for that matter.

Her toes.

See them peaking out?

I want to pinch them.

Supper.

Every night we all sit down, as a family.

Now, there's just a bit more green.

The creatures.

All my furries.

I never want for cuddles.

My dishwasher.

He helps with the dishes every night. He always has, since day one.

I'm lucky. Good help is hard to come by.

Time-out.

I chose "pause" as my word for 2011.

I'm living it, as much as possible.

His play.

It's loud. It moves fast.

It won't last forever. Sometimes that's good. Other times, not so much.

Fresh baked cookies, piled high in the kitchen.

I needn't say more for this one.

So long, February.

xxoo

What's For Dinner?

Inspiration has found my kitchen.

The new eating plan has brought a renewed sense of excitement to the nightly dinner prep. I have spent hours looking through cookbooks, gathering ideas, planning for future meals.

I told you I was a party animal.

I've whittled the list of things I want to make down to a week's worth of suppers...

Sunday: spaghetti, sautéed summer squash & zucchini, lettuce and tomato salad

Monday: stir fried leafy greens, broccoli, carrots, asparagus, & mushrooms with magic sauce, brown rice

Tuesday: baked Italian tofu, hot skillet salad

Wednesday: red posole with beans, salad with avocado, corn, & tomatoes

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: veggie burgers, oven fries, tomatoes, avocado, salad greens

Saturday: out

A quick update...

Giving up all meat and dairy has not been difficult.
At all.
No lie.

I have yet to feel hungry.

My jeans are looser.

My crew has had minimal complaints.

So far, so good, I say!

I'll admit that I'm lucky. The Mr. is totally on board with the changes being made. The Offspring are young and, although they might whine a bit, will eat what's on the table.

A batch of vegan chocolate chip cookies lulled them enough for me to launch a sneak attack with kale and chard at dinner.

I can't end this post without a standing ovation for Angry Chicken's magic sauce.

Holy smokes.

I'll admit to eating a spoonful...or two, straight from the jar.

When I read her post, I knew the concoction would be seriously delicious or a sad disaster. I should never doubt The Chicken. She knows her condiments.

I made a jar full tonight.

I had to make another batch to use on our lunches tomorrow.

OK peeps. That's my story.