Green Chickpea Discovery & Soups I Forgot About

Did you know...a 1/2-cup serving of green chickpeas has 364 calories, provides 19.3 grams of protein, and has 17.4 grams of dietary fiber. Although it contains 6 grams of fat, only about 1/2 gram of that is saturated fat. It contains 10 grams of natural sugar.


I recently read up on Green Chickpeas while having this lovely vegan option for lunch. Although, I cannot remember where I found it because I bought it about 2 months ago I knew it was something I wanted for a work lunch!


This was SO creamy! SO sweet! SO YUMMY! I would absolutely get this again if I were to come across it! The flavors were so involved - YUM!

I can't believe I forgot to share this hearty soup with you when I originally ate it. It was from Total Evolution and one of their limited time offerings. It had Quinoa, Pumpkin, Black Beans, Kidney Beans, and spices. It was vegan and awesome!


The walks into work have been chilly again but 'tis the season. It's to be expected here but I can't complain too much. It could be a LOT worse! We could already have FEET of snow on the ground and we don't...YET. So, I'm thankful.


A quick furkid update...Paco has been doing ok. We are trying to time it right to take him back to the vet. We are going to opt for the exploratory surgery but I still have doubts about it. As for Charlie, he's still plugging along. He's still his feral self but slowing down (a little), tail-less, deaf, and 17 years old.

When I was telling you all about the Potato Peeling Contest I forgot to tell you about the soup I made.


3 Potatoes, pan-fried
Small Onion
1 C Water
1/2 tea Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
2 T Cashews
2 T Nutritional Yeast
1 C Almond Milk
Dill & Basil to taste

I topped with Smoked Paprika. It was tasty but a bit pasty...glue-like. Probably needed a bit more Almond Milk, but, still good.

MidWeek Munchies ~ Kaniwa

Hello everyone!  Thanks so much for the kind notes the last few weeks while my blog has been quiet and inconsistent.  I've been in a 'funk' lately that I really need to snap out of!  I have been trying and will continue to.  

One of the things I wanted to share with you today is one of the deals I found yesterday that I couldn't pass up!  The Kaniwa you see above!  It was the last box of its kind in the discount section of our local grocery store.  If memory serves - it was $2.52 - most Kaniwa I've seen over the last year has been between almost $5 and $9.  

I will go ahead and say this will be the post that will start back up the MidWeek Munchies Weekly linky, however, there will not be an actual linky this week, but, I would love for you to participate so PLEASE be sure to link in comments!

The difference between Kaniwa and Quinoa?

Kaniwa (pronounced ka-nyi-wa) is about half the size of quinoa but otherwise quite similar. It's high in protein, fiber, iron, and calcium; has a nutty, slightly sweet flavor; and comes from South America (primarily from the Andes Mountain region of Southern Peru and Bolivia). It's also gluten-free like quinoa and just as versatile; use it in salads, soups, and stir-fries, or eat it for breakfast.

One way that kaniwa is different from quinoa is that it doesn't contain the saponins that give quinoa that soapy, bitter flavor (the saponins get washed away when you rinse quinoa, which is why you really shouldn't skip that step). This makes kaniwa slightly less fussy and perhaps just a touch faster to prepare than quinoa. Otherwise the cooking process is pretty much the same, though it's common to toast kaniwa in a dry pan to bring out its flavor before cooking.

The reason this was on sale was because our former Bi Lo has officially turned into a Tops Market.  The redesign is under way and it's quite the switch-a-roo!  I LOVE it but a lot of people around here are complaining.  Sigh.

More Food Backlogging

I ended up finding more photos I never posted on my blog with foods I have eaten over the last several weeks!  Oopsy! 

I remember making this Kale Red Quinoa and Peanut dish and I think I over did it with the Flavored Nutritional Yeast Seasoning.  I used the Garlicky Green flavor.  It was ok but a bit salty.  I really like the idea of this dish but will have to tweak it down the road.  I thought the photo was neat so I thought I would at least share that now but the recipe does need a bit of work in the meantime.

WEEKS ago I dehydrated some Brussels Sprouts.  But not before I coated them in an intensely flavored sauce.  I originally got the idea from Tarah over at 40 Below Fruity's YouTube Channel.  I ended up using a different recipe, however, because I didn't have any Zuke's!  I should have stayed with HER recipe!  Oye!  BUT...they weren't too bad.  I do prefer by Brussels Sprouts cooked.  These were RAW and dried.  I really like the idea of this recipe and will do it again but HER way!  I have followed many raw foodists on YouTube for years and I have enjoyed Tarah's channel this past year, too, but I think I will be lurking around her site and channel more frequently moving forward because our climates are similar.

Something that definitely ISN'T raw...this vegan pretzel!  But it was a comfort food I consumed about a month ago and forgot to post here.  I did, however, post all of these on InstaGram, tho! 

I found a generic or discounted brand that didn't have any animal ingredients in it and grabbed 2 boxes.  My husband LOVES them too and you BAKE these instead of 'nuking' them.  I made a Agave Mustard dipping sauce for it, too!  YUMM!

I'm trying to finish all of my Holiday prep but work is really exhausting me!  Might have to shoot for smoothies every morning in the near future to kick my days off right!

Vegan Mofo ~ Leftovers & Multiple Dishes

Since I didn't blog yesterday - today is my first Vegan MoFo Post of 2014!  Happy Vegan MoFo!

I have a lot of things to blog about but want to hold off on the updates on Paco since we have another appointment later today.  I do want to THANK everyone who has sent well wishes, vibes, prayers, thoughts, and such!  I appreciate it so much, thank you! 

Jumping in with this first post for Vegan MoFo - I want to talk about using left overs as well as using a food that I have used in a multiple dishes this past weekend.

It officially started with a Chickpea Salad that I had made using Chickpeas, Chipotle Vegan Mayo, and Pickle Relish.  Even tho I don't have a photo of that - it was simple and it made a large batch.  I had a couple of sandwiches out of it as well as a side dish.  I then decided to take it one step further and made this mash out of it...I added the leftover Chickpea Salad to cooked zucchini and tomatoes that I did on stove top with a little Garlic Grapeseed Oil and a little Dill.  I combined the leftovers with the newly made dish here.  That was another meal.  From there I made some baked tofu as you can see in the first photo.  I used Hemp Oil and some Wildtree California Garlic Pepper as the seasoning.  It turned out pretty awesome. 

I snacked on the baked tofu.  But then I added it to the leftover mash combo for another meal idea. 

But I didn't stop there!  I then cooked up about 1/4 C of Red Quinoa and added the final leftovers to yet another meal.  You can see this photo below.  I have to say I was very impressed with myself.  Getting multiple meals out of leftovers but also creating new meals as well as new leftovers and then new meals from those leftovers!

I am not the best at re-thinking meals using leftovers.  I usually just use them as-is and eat them as straight-up leftovers.  But I want to take that to the next level.  I know we shouldn't eat the same thing over and over - we need to get a diverse diet with different foods and different food combos.  But at the same time I don't want to waste food.  That's another reason why I want to push myself in the leftover department.  This may be a sub-category to my 2014 Vegan MoFo Adventure.  But I want to stick with my annual theme and blog about new-to-me foods and recipes, too, so you will be seeing a lot of that here on my blog this month!

Lengthy Post ~ Eventful 2014 Start!

LONG Post Alert! 

Happy 2014!  I've been VERY busy!  In this post you will see a BUNCH of things that I have been working on!  Starting with this Quinoa Dish from a few days ago!  Unfortunately, I have misplaced the recipe!  DRAT!  But it does have various Spices, Quinoa, and Diced Tomatoes in it!  I hope to post the recipe as soon as I locate it tho!  Sorry about that! 

Eeeeek!

Another Mini Project that I have been working on is this Mixed Media Artsy-Crafty Piece.  I have but using various mediums and doing many layers over time.  It's so thick right now it's much like a canvas texture-wise!  I'm happy with the colors and texture and weight of it.  I will be revisiting this again soon, I'm not sure if I will use it in Art Journaling or Wall Art - perhaps do a collage over top or maybe just add a phrase and Frame.  I will keep you posted, tho!

As some of you know...I'm soooooo NOT a baker!  But I'm TRYING to at least TRY!  This was my FIRST attempt at Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies. 

Yes...they are a little flat...but they tasted YUMMY and kept well.

Recipe:

1 1/2 C Bob's Red Mills Flour
1 tea Baking Soda
1 tea Soaked Chia Seeds
1 tea Vanilla Extract
1/2 C Earth Balance
1/2 C Peanut Butter
1/4 C Chocolate Peanut Butter
1/4 C Applesauce
1/2 C Brown Palm Sugar (Wholesome Sweeteners)

My Craft Room is a MESS!

And...I mean...a MESS!  Beyond a MESS, actually!  One of my many MINI Goals is to fix that.  I start in on this a little bit yesterday!

You certainly can't tell from this photo!

What I will show you is HOW I started in on this MESS...

 I started in with the PENS - Markers, Pencils, Water Colors, etc...

You name the utensil...it's HERE...

I like the way it turned out!  I thought I would share it with you here...step by step!

There are 24 compartments - empty - for now...

We made these out of 10 feet of PVC Pipe.

We cut them into 5 inch "rings" for lack of better word, I suppose!

I really wanted a BACK on each one so it would STOP the items I put in there...and they wouldn't fall thru or fall out the back.

Decorative Duck Tape worked nicely.  We covered about 75 to 80 percent of the back because I knew we wouldn't fill them with pens all the way to the top!  I had two colors/patterns of Tye-Dye so I thought it would be cool to use 'em.  It worked pretty well!

We had 4 compartments left over.  As you can see here we could fit 5 across on each shelf for a total of 20 compartments.  With the 4 left over ones we covered completely with the Tye-Dye Duck Tape and set them right-side-up on the top shelf for 4 more containers.

Yes...I already filled all 24 of them.

I love the way it turned out tho...but...I do have a LONG way to go on this Craft Room OVER HAUL.

Here's a closer look at this project.

I have more photos, too, but I think you get the picture!

I also love that this was reusing something and multipurposing.

Cost-Wise it made me smile, too!  We figured it cost roughly 80 cents per compartment by doing it this way!  YAY!

One of the main reasons my Craft Room is TRASHED is because I am a Pack Rat and have too much stuff! LOL

One of the items...

I've been saving and have been given LOTS of tins!  This is just a small amount of the overall picture and problem.  I want to make a mini goal to do a few a week...I will keep you posted on that.

Another item is this...

Yes...those are empty Plastic Soda/Pop Bottles.

I have in the past and I want to get back into working with them again.

I make Plastic Beads out of them...stay tuned for that in the near future, too!  I posted about it a while back on my old Crafting Blog, too!

This is a photo of my 2 cats on New Years Eve.

Gabby on the left and Charlie on the right.

They stayed this close for about a half hour or so.

While I drank my smoothie that I posted about the other night!

And...finally...

Vegan Garlic Ranch Dressing!  Woot!

2 Small Zukes
1/3 C Soaked Cashews
4 Small Dates
4 T Lemon Juice
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Shallot
1 T Parsley
Sprinkle to Taste Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
1/2 C Almond Milk (or to texture/consistency)
1/4 C Nutritional Yeast

This is WONDERFUL!  I'm so happy with this flavor!  What have you been working on in 2014 so far!?

Vegan MoFo ~ Quinoa Lentil Garam Masala

Vegan MoFo 2013 has begun!  The last few years I have signed up late and altho wasn't listed on the Blog Roll of participants decided to do it any way!  This year I made sure I signed up a month or so a head of time!  I just stopped by and didn't see my link listed but left a note in comments.  It's OK tho, because, I'm really just doing it for FUN and for my own reasons and will still participate regardless if my blog is on that list or not.  I give them TWO thumbs up for organizing all of it because I understand how hard it is to do something like that!  What great people they have behind the annual event!  A great way to spread the word!

You might be wondering what I have for my first Vegan MoFo 2013 Post above!  Well, it's a twist on Garam Masala.  You might usually find Garam Masala with Lentils and/or Rice.  Instead of Rice I used Quinoa AND Lentils!  I loved it...if I do say so myself!  The flavor was tasty and it was FUN to make!  I also used Wildtree's NEW Garam Masala Blend!  So here's the recipe I used for this dish...

1 C Sweet Onion
1 1/2 tea Wildtree Garam Masala Blend
2 Tomatoes
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Medium Eggplant (About A Pound)
2 to 3 C Cooked Quinoa
1 C Red Lentils, Cooked
2 C Zucchini (1 Medium)
Water, Salt as needed

Next time I think I will do it with less Quinoa and more Lentils.  Of course - you could use various rices, too!  Either way I do really like it!  And the BEST part...this is SO VERY Nutritious!

With the Quinoa you have: a Complete Protein, Fiber, Potassium, Calcium, B-6, Magnesium, Iron, etc.  By adding the Red Lentils in this dish you are getting: Potassium, Fiber, Protein, B-6, Iron, Magnesium, "Good" Carbs, Vitamin A, Folate, etc.  You know how I LOVE Garlic and eat it nearly everyday, well, it's good for: Vitamin C and is a great anti-inflammatory among other things!  Now is the perfect time for Zucchini where I live and those are high in...Protein, Vitamin A, Thiamin, Niacin, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium, Potassium and Manganese.  Eggplant is known for the following nutrition...Vitamin K, Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Potassium and Manganese, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber.  And, of course, Tomatoes...Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Potassium and Manganese.

Every once and a while I like to list these things as a spot check for myself but also to inform others of the nutritional values of whole foods - fruits and veggies - and that it IS possible to get the nutrients you need from them!  Sure often people ask about protein - that's EASY to explain, really - but now more and more people are asking about calcium, potassium, and B Vitamins, it seems.  Well, if you take the time, you can see it's just as easy!  I know prior to my Sciatica Discovery I was assuming I needed to step-up my potassium intake but I really think I am getting a good deal of it - eventho I don't regularly consume Bananas, for example.  Opal and I have discussed this a great deal as well!  Sometimes I (temporarily) forget which natural foods are high in some things - such as potassium. I'm going to try and mention this more often here on my blog.

This dish was POWER PACKED full of GOODNESS!  I had some stand-alone but am thinking about doing some pita pockets, wraps, and such with it this week, too! 

CORRECTION:  I am listed on Vegan MoFo 2013 HERE under the 2013 The United States Of Blogging!  YAY!  Thanks guys!

Fiesta Quinoa, Fiesta Stuffed Peppers, Raw Happenings, A Little Cuteness!

(Click Photo to Enlarge)
Last night I wanted to make something stuffed and decided to do these stuffed peppers.  I have also declared it QUINOA WEEK as my own personal goal.  Try and do as much with Quinoa as possible, I guess.  On the left you can see the "stuffing" and it made a BUNCH so I used the left overs for my lunch and then on the right is the actual Stuffed Peppers.  Here's (roughly) what I used in this for the stuffing:

1 Small Sweet Onion
2 Cloves Garlic

3 tea Wildtree's Fajita Seasoning

1 Can of Black Beans

2 C Cooked Quinoa

1 Can of Diced Tomatoes

***I stuffed this into Mini Yellow Sweet Peppers - I cut them in half and scooped the mix into each one and baked it for about 25 minutes***

Raw Happenings

Yesterday I watched one of Matt Monarch's videos on YouTube and he's back in California for a while and while he's here is popping in to his business The Raw Food World.  It was neat to see a tour of their facilities.  I also like to watch the videos of the Raw Foodists and their visits to the Farmers Markets.  Especially the ones in California.  I have to live vicariously thru them, I guess.  I was so happy to see Matt purchasing some wild fruits!   Another Raw Food Happening for me this week - and I'm really excited about it - is I finally took that step and ordered one of Dan McDonald's DVDs.  I have been a follower of his on YouTube for a few years as well as part of his INSIDERS Club.  No...I didn't buy this DVD shown, here, but I haven't seen a graphic for his newest DVD that just came out today which is called "Blending Mastery".  It has over 40 recipes all done in a high speed blender and all done raw vegan style.  He said that with all the suggested variations it was more like over 400 recipes!  Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!  

After a full day of work yesterday hubby and I went to our county fair and worked on a new seating chart for the concerts.  He's a board member of our county fair.  When we got home I had a HUGE salad and ran out of a really awesome Lemon Garlic dressing/marinade so I'm eager to see what kinds of raw vegan blender recipes Dan's DVDs suggest.  After he went to sleep I was working around the house and sat down for a while and this is what Riley was doing.  I'm not sure why he was looking at the back wall like that or why he looks so pathetically sad.  I think he does that to get my attention sometimes.  Speaking of attention-getters...Paco was lazing out again last night.  While I was running back and forth from room to room I noticed he was under various blankets in the Living Room.  Last night was more muggy than it has been but he didn't seem to care.  Suzie seemed to keep to herself a bit last night.  All-in-all I feel pretty good about the last few days...with work at actual work, with home, with community events, and planning for events in the future!  What do you have on tap!?

Animal Friends, Dijon Quinoa & Veggies, and Vegan Buffalo Sauce

I took so many pictures this weekend that I had to consolidate them so my blog posts weren't too long.  I will have at least 2 entries today - this being the first.  I used a few free photo collage makers online and I will continue to tinker with them.

Here are some photos of Paco!  The top left one and the bottom left pic where of him while Dale was playing his new guitar!  He got quiet the deal on a Martin D41 - He's been a Martin Guitar Enthusiast for a long time and he's owned several since we've been together.  He traded in two valuable ones for this guitar.  NO...he didn't pay ticket price on that!  But he couldn't pass up the deal he got either!  It was UNheared of!  So, he's a VERY happy camper today!  We've noticed that Paco LOVES it when we play our String Instruments.  I loves being serenaded and he loves the 'concert'.  He calms right down and sits there and watches who ever is playing.

The other pictures of him are sleeping or almost sacked-out.  He was pretty emotional this weekend like that.  It was nice!  Dale took the photo of him sleeping on the upper right last night.  I am usually the one snapping the photos but he couldn't resist with Paco being SO sound asleep on his lap!  The cat remained pretty low key all weekend as did Suzie other than her barking at the neighbors during their yard work and the other noisy neighbors getting home VERY late at night.

Here's another collage of furry friends I took over the weekend.  Of course you can see Riley here on the bottom - he was pretty much a slug all weekend, too!  He decided to fall asleep that way - silly boy!  The top to furkids are my parents!  The orange cat is Jeter which is my Mom and Dad's beautiful boy and Wolly is my Mother-In-Law's kiddo!  You might be wondering why we/I spell WOLLY that way...well, YEARS ago my MIL had another Boston who's name was MOLLY and when they came across this one - a rescue - she wanted to pay tribute and turned the M into a W and that is how WOLLY came about.  This passed year she had two other dogs pass-on which was really hard.  This is the only dog they have now.  I'm tempted to bring Paco over for a visit soon, tho.

We FINALLY got to get groceries over the weekend, but I think I will go thru my whole weekend ins and outs in my next post.  I will stick with the Furkids and the Food Attempts in this one.

Here is dish that turned out REALLY well - that I am quite proud of, actually!  I think I will call it Dijon Quinoa & Veggies.

I ended up mixing a few flavors together that were sort of a ying and a yang but it turned out really tasty and very flavorful!  Here is what this dish has in it:


2 C Cooked Quinoa
1 C Frozen Peas
1 C Corn
1 Small Red Pepper, Chopped
1/4 C Fresh Basil - Finely Chopped
1/4 C Hemp Hearts/Seeds
2 T Grapeseed Oil
2 T Lemon Juice
1 tea Maple Syrup
To Taste - Wildtree's Lemon Pepper

Last night I threw this together - just because.  It ended up being my dinner and it was better than I thought it would be.  I know it's missing some green but I did eat another meal earlier in the day that filled some nutritional holes, here. Corn off the Cob with Wildtree's Spicy Chipotle Ranch Sprinkled on top and I cut up a spicy vegan "chick'n patty".  I thought it needed a dipping sauce so I tried to throw together a Buffalo Sauce of sorts.  I didn't write down the measurements but this is what I put in the sauce:

Wildtree's (now discontinued) Spicy Chipotle Hot Sauce
Water
Onion
Garlic
Tomato
Apple Cider Vinegar
Veganese
Agave Nectar
Ketchup
Potato Flakes (as a thickener)

What did you do this weekend for food?  Did you take any photos for your animal friends?  Stop back later today for another post!

Vegan Cabbage Rolls, Healthy Vegan Challenge Start, Norwegian Mustard Sauce, Silly Pups, and Stuff

First things First!  Hello Monday!  Today is the FIRST Day of the Healthy Vegan Challenge over at Carrie On Vegan and I'll be participating as I mentioned before!  I'm rather excited about it!  So keep an eye out on near future related posts!  Today's post includes several attempts that fit within this challenge as well!  Such as - one of my goals was to make at least one home made salad dressing per week!  I already accomplished this for THIS WEEK.  More on that below.  Another goal of mine was to continue on with the World Foods Veg*n Style!  I also am doing this!  BECAUSE...this week is Vegan Foods of NORWAY Week!  But before I get to that I have these Cabbage Rolls to share with you!

I was super happy with my very first attempt at Vegan Cabbage Rolls!  They took a long time to do which I am NOT known for at all!  I like quick and easy!  But I would 'treat myself' with these on occasion!  Here is what I did!

For the filling I used:

1 C Cooked Quinoa
2 C Black Beans
1 T Garlic Galore from Wildtree
and I cooked down in some of the sauce.

For the Sauce I used:
1 Medium Onion
2 Smaller Cans of Diced Tomatoes with Green Chili's
About 6-ounces of Tomato Sauce
1/4 C Agave Nectar

I covered the rolls in the sauce and baked for about 45 mins at 375.

 And now for my first Norwegian Addition for this week!  I'm part Norwegian!  I've done a lot of research on my Norwegian Roots with the help of an online friend named Ann!  She's wonderful and I couldn't have done it without her!

When I saw a recipe for Norwegian Mustard Sauce recently I was excited because many of the ingredients I had in my pantry but I wanted to tinker with some of my alternative products, too!

So I ended up doing this recipe last night that I altered quite a bit!  I also ended up using some of my Wildtree Products in this!

3 T Wildtree Dill Blend
2 T Yellow Mustard
1 T Agave Nectar
2 T Apple Cider Vinegar
2 T Wildtree Garlic Grapeseed Oil
1 T Lemon Juice

I added this all to my Ninja and came up with the photo you see here!  BOY OH BOY!  It packs a powerful punch!  I could probably do with 1 to 2 T at the most of the Dill in this case but I'm going to enjoy it regardless!

I can picture this on a salad, as a marinade for Kale Chips or Tofu, or even as a coating for Spinach or Cauliflower!

I had to add a few weekend photo's of the dogs!  They were overly silly this weekend!  The cats were pretty low key but still as cute as ever!  This morning Gabby freaked out a little and it made me laugh out loud!

Anyhow...here is Riley and Suzie!

Suzie's been doing this thing were she'll get REALLY close to Riley either on the floor or on the sofa...I mean, we have a large floor space and The sofa is pretty big, too, but were ever Riley is she'll nearly sit on him as if there were 'no room'.  Here...Riley was laying on his back.  He lays on his back more than any dog I have met!  Suzie went up to him and nearly sat on his shoulder!  Silly Kids!

And over here...is Paco!  If you look really close his tooth is sticking out!  He was totally attached to his "daddy" this weekend!  Even more than usual.

He's surely NOT a afraid of the camera!  He's a HAM.

Some of you know I am not the best at Meal Planning so I often call it Meal HOPE.  Here is what I have in mind for this week so far!

Monday -
Breakfast - Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal
Lunch - Vegetable Soup
Snack - Flax Crackers
Dinner - Leftover Cabbage Rolls

Tuesday -
Breakfast - TBA Oatmeal
Lunch - TBA Veggie Stir Fry
Dinner - Tofurky Kielbasa
Snack - Crackers & Maple Peanut Butter

Wednesday -
Breakfast - Fruit Smoothie
Lunch - Leftover Veggie/Rice/Stirfry
Dinner - Falafel with sauce
Snack - Apple

Thursday -
Breakfast - TBA Smoothie
Lunch - TBA Cauliflower Dish
Dinner - Leftover Falafel and rice
Snack - Dates & Maple Peanut Butter

Friday - TBA Oatmeal
Lunch - Leftovers OR Soup
Dinner - HUGE Salad
Snack - TBA Crackers

Saturday & Sunday - TBA

I already have TONS to post for tomorrow but realize this post is long enough for the day so I will wait.  Thanks so much for stopping by!  I LOVE comments - drop me one - if you have time!  Thanks! 

Participating In: Meal Plan Monday - Mellow Yellow Mondays - Catching The Light - Mandarin Orange Monday - Hello Monday - Mix It Up Monday - Macro Monday - Miscellany Monday - Sunday Snapshot - Camera Critters - Pet Pride - Just Another Meatless Monday - Made By You Monday - My Meatless Mondays - Project 52 - Simple As That - Veggie Mama's Meatless Monday - Marvelous In My Monday  - Clever Clicks 

Chipotle Lime Polenta "Chick'n" and Tomato Flavored Quinoa with Artichokes and Green Chilies

 Chipotle Lime Polenta "Chick'n" and Tomato Flavored Quinoa with Artichokes and Green Chilies.  I made this last night for my lunch today.  I had a little bit of Polenta left over (I will have a separate post about that in a bit) and really wanted to use my Chipotle Lime "rub" from Wildtree in something.

So...here is what I did...

A little less than 1/2 of a store bought Polenta "roll" but I cubed it (instead of my usually slicing)

I 'seasoned' the Polenta with...

Wildtree Grapeseed Oil
Wildtree Chipotle Lime Rub
Nutritional Yeast

all to taste and texture

I noticed this was an interesting alternative to "chicken" so that is why I named it that.

I added in regular Quinoa that I had flavored with Tomato Paste and Agave Nectar.  It was sweet and tomato-y.  Paired with the Chipotle and Lime it made for an interesting flavor that I ended up really liking.

I wanted more color...so...I added Artichokes and Green Chilies.  Had I had carrots on hand I would have added those, too!

So, this is one of my thrown-together dishes and I have it ready to go for lunch today.  I'm looking forward to the Chipotle KICK.

Participating Post in...

Freedom Fridays
Friday Chaos
Friday Flash Blog
Friday Food Fight
Healthy Vegan Fridays
Strange But Good

Top 20 Ingredients I Can't Live Without!

Alicia Silverstone over at The Kind Life posted about the 20 ingredients she can’t live without. As did Cadry at Cadry's Kitchen.  So I decided to follow suit!  Here are my TOP 20 Ingredients in random order.

TEA - As many of you know I drink A LOT of tea.  All day...all night...I have even started using it in dishes!  All sorts of tea...Black, Green, White, Yellow, fruit and herbal tisane's, Oolongs, Pu-erh, Blends, Purple, Guayusa, Rooibos, Honeybush...the list goes on and on!

CHICK PEAS & BLACK BEANS - I was going to list these separate but came up with too many items I MUST HAVE in my kitchen, apparently!  The older I get the more I LOVE Chickpeas.  They are so versatile!  I would have also put HUMMUS on the list but it's not just ONE Ingredient it's a FOOD, a dish, a delicacy, really.  Okay, okay...you can tell I LOVE hummus!  Well, Chickpeas are one of the ingredients so it works, right?

GRAPESEED OIL - Why GSO?  I think this sums it up nicely!  I LOVE IT!  If you want to order some let me know!!  I can have it shipped directly to you!

LEAFY GREENS - I know this is more than ONE but I couldn't resist!  There are so many Leafy Greens to choose from and they ALL have their benefits!

CASHEWS - And other nuts, really.  I'm very fortunate to NOT have allergies to Nuts!  I don't think I would be able to deal with that intolerance, to be honest!  I'm finding Cashews are very versatile as well and now that I'm NOT doing dairy there are many things I can do with them as a substitute. 

NUTRITIONAL YEAST - I have used it for YEARS - but have been using it on a weekly - sometimes daily basis these days!  Along the same lines would be HEMP HEARTS and CHIA SEEDS, I guess, too!  For Digestion Issues/Benefits as well as a protein option.

VARIETY of RICES - Again, I am a REBEL, here, and noting more than one but I really can't help it!  Just when I think I know which RICE is my favorite I discover new ones...like Medleys from Bob's Red Mills as well as FORBIDDEN RICE, lately, too!

QUINOA - Quinoa is in a category all of it's own for me!  I have been eating it for years but continue to be amazed by it!  I LOVE the nutritional benefits as well as digestion support but also the texture and flavor and the ability to make it MORPH!

TOMATOES - Any kind, really.  I could go on and on about THE TOMATO but I will let it speak for itself!  YUM!

BALSAMIC VINEGAR - Yes!  BALSAMIC VINEGAR...Wildtree Brand, specifically.  And I'm not just saying that because I sell it!  The flavor CANNOT BE BEAT!  Plus it has the Grapeseed Oil Base, too!

TAHINI - I thought it was just for HUMMUS but it's good for SO MUCH MORE!!!  I'm using lately in Cheese and Cream Alternatives, too!

GARLIC - Need I say more?  I just LOVE it!  I can't get enough of it!  I'd put it on cereal if it were allowed.  Okay...that might be a stretch...but...you know what I mean, right!?

ONIONS - They give flavor to EVERYTHING and they make the perfect base for many things!

LEMONS & LEMON JUICE - I almost over looked this one.  It's one of those things I really use a lot of but just USE it and tend to forget about it BUT if I run out...there is HELL TO PAY, Mister!

CORN - It's so sweet, It's so cute, It's SO GOOD!  I have been using it more and more to kick certain recipes up a notch as well as add to leftovers, wraps, salads, etc.  So simple - yet - SO effective!

COLORFUL BELL PEPPERS - LOVE them!  In every way!  I find myself adding them to EVERYTHING and then some!  The sweeter the better!

SPROUTS - When I was a toddler they used to be one of my 3 favorite foods (next to Dried Apricots and Lima Beans - which SHOULD also play a part in this list somewhere...there...they just did!) and I lost touch with Sprouts for a while but have been having FUN Sprouting my own Sprouts at home on and off again for a couple of years!

CARROTS & CELERY - Mostly because I can't have one without the other - and because they are right up the same alley as Onions and Garlic and Corn!

ALMOND MILK - I prefer Almond Milk to any of the other Milk Alternatives.  It's my default, really.

AVOCADOS - I wish I could have one everyday but they are really expensive here but when they are on sale!  I'm ALL OVER THAT!  Nom.Nom.Nom.

Hope you enjoyed my list!  If you do one let me know!

Quinoa Polenta with Stewed Tomatoes

I've been on a Polenta kick lately!  Not only did I find Polenta but I found Quinoa Polenta!  YAY!  You know I LOVE my Quinoa!  One of my FAVE ways to do Polenta is to do slices and cook on each side with Grapeseed Oil.  I top the sliced-circles with Stewed Tomatoes!

The best part of this whole dish?  It takes 5 minutes or less!  YUMMO!

Vegan MoFo 2012 Continues!

Orgran Rice Crumbs & Quinoa Pasta

 I was going to blog about the Spicy Cheese-E Quinoa Pasta Bake I did tonight but I thought it made more sense to tell you about two products I have been tinkering with, first!  Last week you may have remembered me mentioning Rice Crumbs...well, in this post I feature them - along with Quinoa Pasta!  Above you can see the Pasta I have been using!  For tomorrow's dish I specifically used the Shells!  This Pasta is Gluten-Free and the closest to 'real pasta' texture I have come across so far!

 

And here we have the Rice Crumbs I was telling you about!!!  Another Gluten Free AND Vegan Product!  I have to give a great big THANK YOU to my mother for finding them at Wegman's!  THANKS MOM!

These are pretty awesome!  The texture is right-on and they are SO convenient!  LOVE THESE!

So here are two more Vegan Products I wanted to feature today before posting my new creation for tomorrow!

Quinoa with Tomatoes, Corn, and Zukes

I have been going to the library WAY TOO MUCH LATELY!!!  BUT...it DOES get me out of the office, LEARNING, and on the move...so it's GOOD!

Last week one of the many books I looked into was LOVE SOUP by Anna Thomas.

This dish was originally inspired by one of her recipes, alto, it's not a soup that I ended up with...it was a mighty-fine starting point, tho!  I guess that is what happens when you stray from the recipes - you get to create your own off-shoot!

Quinoa with Tomatoes, Corn, & Zukes!

1 C Quinoa (doubles - at least - when cooked)

1 Super Large Tomato

1 Large Zuke

2-3 T Wildtree Grapeseed Oil - Natural

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

1/2-3/4 C Frozen (or Fresh) Corn

1/4 Large Candy (Dandy) Onion

Fresh or Dried Basil to taste

2 tea Wildtree Garlic Galore Blend

Splash of Wildtree European Balsamic 

Instead of a soup - this was more of a warm Quinoa Salad.  This made a TON and I had a small dish last night and brought a good portion for my lunch today.  I have enough for at least 2 nice-sized meals still, too!