Tag Archives: pasta

No Sesame, Soba, or Savoy

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The plan for dinner tonight comes from an old (like, September old) issue of Health magazine: Miso-Marinated Tofu and Eggplant Over Soba Noodles.  You can click here to see the original recipe.  However, make the original recipe we did not.  Apparently the husband and I are both stupid.  Like, seriously.  And cheap.  So to recap; click above for the original recipe and read below for our changes.

  • I used 14oz of extra firm tofu
  • I skipped the garlic
  • I used evoo instead of peanut oil
  • I skipped the sesame oil (I would not recommend this, I’m sure it imparted a great deal of flavor.  We are too poor for nut oils though)
  • I used 10 oz of bok choy instead of Napa cabbage (because that is what the husband bought when sent for cabbage ….. he’s going to be a doctor folks!)
  • I used buckwheat noodles instead of soba noodles

Here’s what we ended up with –

It was actually quite tasty, although I can see how the sesame oil would take it over the top.  I loved the stickiness of the buckwheat noodles!

For dessert I stuck a spoon into the last serving of Biscoff spread.

Just, yum!

Do you own sesame oil?  What sort of dishes do you use it in?

A New York Kind of Day

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Today was perfectly fantastic!  I ate all sorts of great food and we ended up walking more than 5 miles; basically it was my favorite kind of day.  It just felt like a Saturday in the city.  Perhaps because I dressed like I was in New York?

I’ve been trying to drink less (less, not no!) diet soda this month.  If vegan month means I’ll be eating no dairy – bone building – then it needs to also mean I’m eating no less chemicals – bone leaching.  I think iced tea is the answer, especially because it well help me to drink more water too.  Last night I mixed 5 cups of water and 7 bags of Eggnog’n in my new pitcher,

and this morning I made myself a big gulp.

FYI – Eggnog’n totally works just as well better cold!  The husband loved it too, and he usually drinks his iced tea with tons of sugar.

Other things the husband is currently loving?

S.S. Sea Salt Somersaults.  He made himself a big baggie to carry around all day.

Our first stop of the day was the farmers’ market.  It was pretty picked over by the time we got there, but Adam got some great homemade maple candy and shared a piece with me.

Wegmans – our next stop – was apparently where all the local goods were at –

We also got some hibiscus iced tea lemonade.

Once we got home and had all the groceries safely shelved we headed back out, this time on foot.  Our original destination was the Greek Festival,

but there was an admission fee and the food tent was mostly meat.  We trekked on (and on) until we came to Mezza, a brand new Mediterranean place that just opened yesterday.

At that point it had been more than 16hours since I’d eaten any solid food so pretty much anything would have sounded good!  Thankfully Mezza was just good, period!

I got Baba Ghanouj,

and stuffed grape leaves.

Picture lots of pita with that too.  Everything was ridiculously fresh tasting.  Usually Baba Ghanouj tends to be kind of greasy and heavy but this was totally light.  The husband thought he only liked falafel, but he loved everything he tasted today.  He inhaled more than half of my orders!

I probably shouldn’t have been quite so generous, because we’d barely made it down the block before I realized that I was actually still pretty hungry!  When we walked past the co-op we made a hot bar stop.

Vegan cheesy noodles and Pad Thai, Hunan tofu with broccoli, and 2 pieces of Southern-style tofu.  I ate while I walked which was messy but fun.  By the time we reached our apartment we’d covered more than 5miles, love that incidental exercise!

Later in the afternoon I found it totally necessary to inhale this coconut milk tapioca pudding.

It gave me a tummy ache but was soooo worth it!

I have to get up early because we have fun plans tomorrow and lots of studying to do (my first soc exam is on Monday).  In the interest of time and laziness we are going to eat popcorn for dinner and cuddle on the couch before bed.  Peace out!

What is your favorite Mediterranean offering?  Mine is stuffed grape leaves, the texture and taste of the leaves is just so interesting.

BBQ + Beer = Bedtime

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Beware: Quick, uninspired post approaching.  Also, high probability of drogging.

Dinner came courtesy of a blog sample, in a cute little pouch.  [FYI, whenever I talk about a product that I was sent for free (rather than one I’ve purchased on my own) I always include a link to my full review page]

Allergaroo Chili Mac.

Seriously, seriously good.  It’s been years since I’ve had chili but I was kind of blown away by the sauce.  I feel like you could get a meat eater to enjoy this.  Additionally, the pouches can literally be thrown into your purse, then microwaved (in the pouch) for 45seconds, then eaten.  I highly recommend anyone who plans on traveling whilst doing Vegan Month with us to purchase some.

For my veggie I made an acorn squash using my mommy’s recipe.

It’s not actually supposed to look burnt like that.  This was the tiniest acorn squash I’ve ever seen and even after I reduced the cooking times I think I still overdid it.  Sadly it was pretty stringy and it had kind of a gross aftertaste.  I ate about 1/3 of it before moving on to dessert.

Vegan chocolate mousse from the co-op?  Yes please!

This was better than any “regular” mousse I’ve ever had!

I didn’t feel like bringing my purse to the party, so no photographs, but a good time was had by all.  I drank two beers (Red Stripe and something blueberry) and was inexplicably drunk.  Also – soooooo hungry.  They bbq’ed and I’ve literally never wanted a bite of hamburger more.  Which led to me insisting on buying and inhaling a large thing of fries.  Except, somehow halfway in I realized I’d be happier if I didn’t eat them.  So I had a cucumber instead.

Look at me with the healthy choices!  Bedtime?  Bedtime!

Hugh Laurie is a God

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Our run didn’t end up happening, but we did make a pretty banging dinner.

I veganized (and updated to fit our failing pantry) a recipe from “Fitness Magazine,” Lemony Fusilli with Chicken, Zucchini, and Pine Nuts.  My changes to the original recipe (which is available by clicking the link in the recipe title) –

  • sub in ww rotini for fusilli
  • halve the amount of evoo
  • use scallion whites and greens
  • sub in lemon zest for lemon peel
  • add the red pepper only to my plate at the end (husband hates the heat)
  • skip the basil
  • skip the parmesan
  • sub in 16oz of seitan for chicken

I don’t know if it was the extra 4ounces of “meat” or what, but we felt like this made closer to 6 than 4 servings.  Thank goodness it was tasty, because we have a lot of leftovers.

Post-dinner, during House watching (oh my god, the season finale, oh my god!) I snacked on 2servings of spice drops.

I was majorly craving something sweet but there was literally not a single piece of dark chocolate at Walgreens that didn’t have milk fat in it.

I am behind on my soc reading (already?!) so I’m trying to scoot my butt into bed so I can do some catch up in the am.  Happy Hump Day dreams!

Have you cooked with seitan before?  What are you waiting for?

We’re A Crock Pot Family

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I spent a lot of time today on my binder project and I’ve barely made a dent in it; I had a backlog of more than a year!

I’m super excited to get down and dirty cutting and pasting this weekend.

I spent time on other housewifey endeavours too, isn’t she beautiful?

Yes, I am finally a crockpot kitchen kind of lady!  The Cuisinart Slow Cooker CSN Stores kindly sent me to review finally came.  As I mentioned yesterday, I pre-prepped everything so all I had to do today was turn her on.  I felt so 1950’s organizing magazine clippings at the table while dinner simmered away on the countertop.

But before dinner, what about breakfast and lunch?  Breakfast was 1cup of Total with skim milk and blueberries.

And lunch was a roasted veggie bonanza.

Roasted green/wax beans are one of the husband’s favorites now and prior to last month he thought he hated them.  Behold the power of roasting!

He also ended up being a fan of the nut-butter crusted parsnip and carrot fries.

But really, who wouldn’t be?

I also snacked on a random baggie of trail mix,

and handful of dried apricots for dessert.

And then we headed out on a glorious walk!  Since my running sessions have to be so short they are a lot more enjoyable if I incorporate them into other activities.  We walked for 10minutes, ran for 7minutes, and then spent another 25 or so ambling home.  All total we covered 3.43miles.

Dinner, of course, came from the crock pot.

I figured for my first go I’d use a recipe from the booklet that came with it.  Sausage & Lentil Soup with Tortellini, makes 8cups

  • 3/4T evoo
  • 1lb chicken Italian sausage links
  • 8oz mushrooms, cleaned and quartered (we went with sliced)
  • 3/4 cup dried brown lentils, rinsed and drained
  • 8oz chopped yellow onions
  • 8oz carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped (skipped)
  • 3/4t basil (skipped)
  • 1 1/2t thyme (skipped)
  • 3/4oz sun-dried tomatoes, slivered (I used extra here, along with s&p to make up for the skipped spices)
  • 4 1/2cups low sodium chicken stock or broth
  • 6oz cheese-filled tortellini, refrigerated

Heat the olive oil in a Cuisinart 12inch Nonstick Skillet over medium-high heat.  When hot, add the sausage in a single layer and brown evenly on all sides, about 10minutes.  Remove and let cool.  Add the mushrooms to the same pan and cook until brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.  When the sausage is cool enough to handle, cut into 1/2inch slices.

Place the lentils in the ceramic pot of the Cuisinart Slow Cooker.  Add the chopped onions, carrots, garlic, browned mushrooms, basil, and thyme; stir to combine.  Sprinkle the mixture with the slivered sun-dried tomatoes and top with the slices sausages and any accumulated juices.  Add the chicken stock.

Cover and press the On/Off button to turn the unit on.  Set time to 3 hours and press High; once Slow Cooker switches to Warm, set time for 5 hours and press Simmer.  Slow Cooker will automatically switch to Warm when cooking time has elapsed.

Forty-five minutes before serving, reset the temperature to High – if soup is every thick, add up to 2 cups of water.  After 15minutes, add the tortellini.  Cover and cook for an additional 30minutes, until tortellini are tender and cooked. 

Nutritional information per cup:  Calories 312 (31% from fat) – carb. 30g – pro. 24g – fat 11g – sat. fat 3g – chol. 51mg – sod 1015mg – calc 96mg – fiber 6g

My thoughts?  The recipe was good, but certainly not socks rocking; my favorite part was the tortellini.  I do think the nutritional info was pretty stellar though, and I like things with leftovers.  I didn’t really understand having to go back to reset the damn thing multiple times, isn’t the whole point of a slow cooker that you can set it in the morning and walk away?  If I wasn’t a bum I wouldn’t have been able to make this.

Tomorrow I’m going to school with the husband in the morning because my bat wings have a date with the pool and the gossip-center of my brain has a lunch date with Katie 😀 

Do you have a crock pot?  Any major fails you’d like to share from it?

My “First” Run

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It’s a late evening, but I’m not that worried about bedtime because Adam and I actually took a long nap this afternoon!  We haven’t been sleeping very well and it felt great to catch some daytime zzz’s.

Post-nap, we headed over to the gym for my 1st run in 2months!  I hopped on the treadmill for 5minutes walking, 5minutes at a slow jog, and 5minutes of walking for 1mile and 15minutes.  I can’t even tell you how hard it was to make myself stop running!  I ended with 15minutes of strength training.  My fracture didn’t hurt at all, but I had a twinge higher up in my leg so I did use a cold pack when I got home.

I was dying to eat dinner, so I snaked on a big handful of dried apricots while I waited.

Dinner was mostly an excuse to demolish my daily veggie goal.

Here is the recipe link, but I basically topped thin ww spaghetti with roasted broccoli, mushrooms, and tomatoes.

Delish!  P.S.  I also ate a small serving of dark chocolate whilst Buffy watching.

Veggies eaten today: 3.5cups

Ah-Mazing!

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Every single thing I’ve eaten this evening has been amazing!!!  I feel like all I’ve done the last hour is “Mmmn” and “Ahh!”

First off, dinner.

Asparagus cooked in clementine oil.  I poured the oil in a skillet over medium high heat, added the asparagus and put a lid on it.  10minutes later the asparagus was perfectly steamed and charred.

Along side bacon, ranch, and chicken mac and cheese.

No words.

The Bacon, Ranch, and Chicken Mac and Cheese was a recipe from Cooking Light.  My changes –

  • subbed in 4 slices of 99% lean turkey bacon
  • added 1T of butter, and a bit more flour as well
  • skipped the dill and the salt

Next time I think I would substitute sharp cheddar in as well, I like my cheese with a little more bite.

After dinner I realized I hadn’t hit my daily fruit goal.  So I opened the gates to heaven with the world’s best dessert.

Stonyfield Fat Free Chocolate Underground Yogurt with 1/2 a banana and 1/2cup raspberries.  The “cherry” on top?

Biscoff spoon!  I’m not sure I could be much more contented.

Eat More Fruit Tip # 4 – I’m not going to recommend eating fruit for dessert (how sad!), but fruit can be delicious incorporated into dessert.  Fresh berries on ice-cream, a banana spread with Nutella, the sky’s the limit.

We have Buffy watching on the agenda and an early bedtime.  I realized that I’ve yet to study for my Anthro final on Thursday, whoops!  So I guess that’s the plan for tomorrow.

What’s your favorite kind of mac and cheese?  It’s not something I would eat all the time, but West Indian style mac and cheese tops anything I’ve ever had stateside.  It’s not runny at all and it has a super thick crust baked on top.  Some of my favorite childhood memories involve getting mac and cheese from the grocery store deli and eating it in the car on the way home.

Fruit eaten today:  2cups

Fantastic Fettuccine

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Happy Friday!  The husband and I are cuddling up to watch the latest “Bones” as soon as I’m done so I’ll keep this quick.

Tonight’s dinner recipe came from Cooking Light, Fettuccine Alfredo with Bacon.  Click the name for a link to the recipe.  Per usual, here were my changes:

  • Subbed in 6slices of extra-lean turkey bacon (and 2T butter); and stirred the bacon into the pasta
  • Subbed in 1/3cup chopped red onion for garlic
  • Subbed in fat free milk
  • Skipped the addition of cooking water

Our meal was fantastic!

I had a small serving of pasta with roasted asparagus on the side.

The pasta was creamy and chewy and oh-so-tasty!  It was filling without being too heavy and the sauce turned out perfectly.

I thought I hated Alfredo sauces, but I think maybe I just needed bacon 😉 Plus I’m not at all a fan of full-fat dairy so the fact that this had skim milk instead of cream was perfect for me.

And the asparagus was outstanding.

This was the first time we tried roasting and of course it was the best ever; roasting is my favorite method for every veggie.  It ended up almost hollow.  The stems were wilted and perfect and the tips were amazingly carmelized and crunchy.

Can you tell I was in love with dinner?

I’ve got mid-show dessert planned already.

Single-serving of dulce de leche ice-cream is sure to hit the spot.

I hope everyone else had a great Friday!  See you Saturday.

What is your favorite ‘lightened up’ dish?  Do you enjoy ‘lite’ options or would you rather indulge sparingly? 

P.S. My camera was charging but I also ended up snacking on a big bowl of popcorn and a serving of blue corn chips.