Friday Favorite: In which I highlight one of my favorite experiences from the previous week. No description, no commentary; just a simple photo. Enjoy!
:)
Comfort Food Extraordinaire: Vegan Creamed “Tuna” Over Toast.
Look who’s back! (Again!) Lots to say, lots to update y’all on, but for now, let’s dig into a meal.
Tonight, I was hankering for a little bit of comfort food. For no reason, really – the workday went great and the sky was a sunny blue – but there I was hankering nevertheless, wanting something down-home and home-cooked just like I grew up on. In these situations, I can think of no better meal than creamed veggie-tuna over toast – with some English peas and tater tots besides. Homegrown heaven!
I’ve discussed my vegan creamed tuna recipe on these pages before, so I won’t reiterate the whole thing here again. But suffice it to say, the whole process took a scant minute more than 10 to complete – in fact, I had finished my part before LeeLee even arrived home from the gym! But that’s another positive trait of creamed tuna – it keeps beautifully on the stove while we wait.
The peas, of course, took no time at all to heat up, and the tater tots were done after 25 minutes in the oven. And then we were ready to chow down – which we did, with gusto!
I toasted two slices of Ezekiel bread (which I started using during last year’s Ironman training cycle and have fallen in love with as a result) and piled the creamed tuna high on each of our plates, and we filled out the dishes with the peas and potatoes. Two helpings apiece later and we were plenty satisfied – and have plenty of creamed tuna left over for lunch tomorrow! (The peas and tots, however, were decimated.)
:)
Sunday Cookout: Beyond Meat Burgers With Peas and Baked Beans.
We may have lost some daylight with today’s time change, but the Sunday cookouts are continuing apace regardless! It’s just as easy to fire up the grill as the sun goes down, after all, and with the weather so mild, we really have had no excuses to let our grilling time fall by the wayside. So tonight I found myself piling coals into my beloved red grill this evening and lighting them up as darkness began to fall, and the final product was no worse for the wear!
Tonight, two old favorites – baked beans and English peas – were paired up with a new-to-us product, Beyond Meat’s burger patties. Now, they’re a bit pricy, but I spied them at the grocery store last week and knew I had to give them a try. I wasn’t sure what to expect – I think I’m the only person in America who wasn’t bowled-over by Beyond Chicken – but as usual, I’m ready and willing to embrace any new veggie product at least once.
So once the coals were hot tonight and the beans and peas had been on for 20 minutes or so, I pulled the two Beyond Burger patties out of their case and placed them on the grill grates, flipping them over after three or four minutes (and then flipping them BACK over again after three or four more). Then I just toasted the burger buns, pulled everything off the grill, and we put our sandwiches together.
Oh, man. These burger patties are nothing short of amazing. It’s been about 15 years since I’ve had any meat whatsoever, but these Beyond Burger renditions were the closest I’ve tasted to a hearty, meaty hamburger since eschewing the real thing back in the day. For some people, the meatiness may be a turnoff, but for me, I really enjoyed the filling, even “fatty” taste of the Beyond Burger! LeeLee and I were both so impressed with the final product – especially so for me given my distaste for Beyond Chicken. We’ll certainly grill with them again – maybe sooner than we thought now that we’ve had a taste!
:)
I’m Back!
Friends!
It’s been a long time since I’ve written on these pages. Believe you-me, I’ve been cooking. And eating. And still doing my best to live on the cheap (or at least frugally, Recessionista-style). I believe I mentioned the little matter of the Ironman triathlon I was training for when we last spoke. Well, that sort of took over my life for a while there – which is, I’ve come to realize, what Ironman races do. Training for 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking, and 26.2 miles of running takes a long, long time every day, it turns out.
But. But! I finished! A few weeks ago, I became a member of the Ironman family, and it was indeed a life-changing event. I’m still processing the many ways it’s shaped me and changed me, and I’ll be happy to report back on that if you like, but I recognize that this is, at the end of the day, a food blog. And I intend to get back to the topic of food in very short order, thank-you-very-much.
So I reckon I’ll start with an update on the food front. Since we last spoke, I’ve brought a new Crock-Pot into the fold – my old one died after nearly 20 years of service, and I engaged in a suitable period of mourning before my new FSU-branded model came into my life. And a new blender, as well, because I inadvertently cracked my old glass one beyond repair when banging the top of it with a metal spoon in an attempt to loosen some peanut butter for my smoothie. (I blame the early hour that day, before one of my summertime races.)
I’m still cooking (and eating) primarily dairy-free and still feeling great as a result. The 21-Day Vegan Kickstart in March really settled well with me, it seems, and I have no doubt that my energy level (and race times!) have improved as a result. I’m the last one to prescribe a lifestyle on anyone else, but this has certainly worked for me. And along those same lines, this summer LeeLee and I realized we’ve been vegetarian for 15 years, which feels like a lifetime and a very short amount of time all at once.
So that’s a State of Chez Recessionista for the moment. I’ve got SO many fun meals to share in the coming days and weeks, and I’m so happy to be back on these pages again! And the next time I train for an Ironman – yes, I’ve already signed up for another – I’ll have a better handle on how to integrate blogging with training. Because I couldn’t stand to go this long without talking with y’all again!
Thanks for sticking with me, and thanks for reading, as ever.
:)
Veggie Fried Rice With Sweet and Sour “Pork.”
Ahhh, Chinese takeout-at-home night! I love whipping up a takeout meal in faster time, and with better results, than we’d get if we were actually picking dinner up from someplace.
As usual, our veggie fried rice was the anchor of tonight’s dinner, but it had a twist! Instead of the usual seitan, tonight we tried out Gardein’s new sweet and sour “porkless bites” to serve alongside the rice. The prep couldn’t have been easier – just a few minutes of heating-up time in the pan and then a minute to mix the sauce in and let everything marinate – and the final result was glorious!
And the fried rice itself turned out quite nicely too. I trotted out my trusty recipe from Christy Jordan at the Southern Plate and got straight to work, omitting the eggs and tweaking the seasoning a little bit based on what I had on hand tonight (swapping onion powder for garlic powder, for instance). Within minutes, everything was ready to eat, and LeeLee and I sat down to begin the feast!
I don’t mind telling you that there’s not a single grain of rice nor molecule of sweet and sour “pork” left. Nor are there any of the four spring rolls I heated up in the oven. These things happen when we’re hungry and the food is good! Chinese takeout-at-home never disappoints.
:)
Linguine With Summer Veggies and Chik’n.
Friends, the past couple of weeks have been Big Fun, but Big-Time Hectic as well! From a trip home to visit family to watching my Ironman training plan ramp up-up-up, I’ve been enjoying every moment, but I’ve certainly missed y’all. And I’m happy to be back updating these pages!
As training has begun to take more and more of my time, I’ve found myself looking for meals that are both filling (read: carby) and easy to put together on a moment’s notice. Tonight’s linguine certainly fit the bill!
I first enjoyed this recipe nearly 15 years ago, when LeeLee and I went to our friend Erin’s home for dinner and she made us a pasta dish much like tonight’s. (Incidentally, as I was cooking tonight, I asked LeeLee, “Remember how we went to Erin’s apartment after she moved back to town and she made us dinner? Remember this linguine?” He replied, “I remember going to her apartment that night, but I don’t recall the linguine.” HOW CAN HE NOT RECALL THE LINGUINE? But I digress.) The dish was genius in its simplicity: In a pan, sauté olive oil, diced onion, zucchini, a couple of cloves of minced garlic, salt, pepper, and plenty of cherry tomatoes while your pasta cooks in a separate pot. Erin’s version may also have had summer squash – even I admit I am a little foggy on that part – but the beauty of this dish is, the veggies are easy to swap in and out. Over the years, we’ve added mushrooms, asparagus, peas, and kale with no ill effects!
Tonight, I also added a package of Gardein chik’n in order to work in a little extra protein, as well as adding in some fresh basil, oregano, and chives from the garden. Once the linguine was cooked, I tossed it into the pan with the veggies and chik’n, mixed everything around thoroughly, and we were ready to eat!
I topped my pasta with some vegan mozzarella shreds, plus some nutritional yeast because that’s what I do. LeeLee went the more purist route, adding only a little extra salt and pepper. We both mowed down two servings apiece and were just tickled pink that we’ve got plenty left for lunches tomorrow!
I’ll always be thankful to Erin for turning me on to this dinner! It’s certainly served us well over the years.
:)
New Recipe: Kale-Polenta Sauté With Chickpeas and Tomatoes.
I’ve had a lot of cool foods in the fridge and cabinet over the past few days. Some kale from last week’s CSA box at Great Country Farms; a tube of polenta I picked up on a whim just because I love it. A tomato I brought home from Bigg Riggs’ stand at Saturday’s farmer’s market. An onion I purchased from Mr. Lopez’s stand at the same market, one week earlier. And some chickpeas just hanging out in the cabinet, waiting for an adventure.
Put it all together – as I did in the cast iron skillet tonight – and you’ve got yourself one heck of a meal!
The recipe itself is below, but in case you want to take the long and winding road to get there, here we are. I knew I needed a one-pot meal with minimal cleanup and minimal prep time tonight – we went to Guns N Roses last night, you see, and did not get home until nearly 2 a.m.! – and I also knew I wanted a healthy meal that made use of ingredients I already had on hand. And to be sure, I didn’t have to pick up a single new food for this dinner – a happy feat, indeed! I didn’t have the patience nor the time for tomfoolery in the kitchen tonight, and this meal fit the bill just perfectly.
Now, while I have you on the line, a word or two about Guns N Roses. The show was amazing last night! This was my first GNR show – and frankly, I’m surprised the day ever came, since I never expected them to get together again for a tour. But they were very much worth the wait. They played all the greats, including my very favorite, “Estranged,” and the party lasted for a good two and a half hours. TWO AND A HALF HOURS! I was amazed. It was a sight to behold, and I’m quite glad we went.
Of course, I know y’all aren’t here to discuss Guns N Roses specifically, but I thank you for humoring me. I’m just so excited, you see!
Anyway, back to the food. I put several tablespoons of vegetable oil into my skillet and swirled the skillet around to fully coat it with oil. Then I fired the heat up to medium and added half a diced onion. A minute or two later, I added the tube of polenta, cut into rounds and then into a dice (about four pieces per round), and then added a first go-round of salt and pepper. Once everything began to brown up a bit, I tossed in a drained can of chickpeas and let them heat up, moving everything around very gingerly.
Once the chickpeas had heated up, I added some washed, cut kale and again mixed everything up carefully (so as not to bust the polenta up too much). After about 7 minutes, the kale had begun to wilt, so I added a diced tomato, juices, seeds, and all. Then I added a second helping of salt and pepper and let the flavors mingle for a few minutes until everything was heated through and the kale was nice and tender.
Then it was time to eat! We spooned plenty onto our plates and topped it with vegan parmesan and hot sauce (and, in my case, nutritional yeast, because when don’t I?). And then we mowed down nearly every single molecule. I guess we were hungry!
Recipe below.
KALE-POLENTA SAUTE WITH CHICKPEAS AND TOMATOES.
Serves 2-4
What you’ll need:
2-3 tbsp. vegetable oil
½ onion, diced
1 tube polenta, diced
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 bunch kale, washed, destemmed and roughly cut
1 tomato, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet (cast iron if you’ve got it) over medium heat. (You may need to turn the heat down after a few minutes if you find the onion and polenta are browning too quickly.) Add the onion in an even single layer and cook for 2-3 minutes. Next, add the polenta atop the onion, nestled along the skillet floor, and cook another 3-4 minutes until it begins to brown and the onion becomes slightly translucent. Season with salt and pepper to taste (you’ll do this again near the end).
Next, add the chickpeas in an even layer and after 1-2 minutes shift the ingredients around in the pan gently, letting them settle for another 4 minutes. Then add the kale and gingerly stir the ingredients around again so that some of the kale is able to touch the bottom of the pan. Shift the sauté around every couple of minutes for the next 4-5 minutes.
Finally, add the tomato and another round of salt and pepper, stir gently to combine, and allow the tomato (and the rest of the ingredients!) to heat through. Take the pan off the heat and serve!
:)
Sunday Cookout: Chik’n Sandwiches With Zucchini-Potato Hash and Snap Peas.
Friends, tonight was one of my very favorite kinds of Sunday Cookouts – the all-grill version! From the sandwiches to the hash to the peas, everything we ate was cooked on the grill. I love nights like this!
The zucchini-potato hash was a concoction I just sort of made up as I went along, and it turned out beautifully. I knew we wanted to have a starchy side to go along with our snap peas, but I’d grown tired of the Usual Suspects – and, frankly, thought maybe it would be a better nutritional choice if we enjoyed a little less starch in our dinnertime routine. So I decided to cut the potato with a beautiful yellow zucchini, mix the two together with salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, a pinch of vegan cheddar cheese, and a pat of butter, and heat them in two foil packets (combined) on the grill!
The results were glorious. The zucchini and potato went together so nicely and, after a half-hour of cooking time, each bite was fork-tender and melted in our mouths. We mowed down the entire bowl’s worth and don’t feel a twinge of regret about it. The same goes for the snap peas, which I grilled in another foil packet with a pat of butter and some paprika. They were so tender by the time they came off the grill – and we made our appreciation known by leaving no pea behind!
The chik’n patties held up beautifully as ever, and despite our best efforts we did manage to leave two of them for tomorrow’s lunch. They’ll go very nicely in a couple of wraps!
:)
Tofu Scramble Taco Salad.
It’s Taco Tuesday around here again! Tonight, I used the remaining taco salad shells from last week while cooking up some tofu scramble – normally reserved for weekend brunch – to serve as the salad’s anchor. Then I topped each bowl with plenty of lettuce, tomato wedges, sliced black olive, vegan pepperjack cheese, sour cream, and salsa, and we sat down to eat.
It’s amazing how quickly this meal comes together! From beginning to end, the cooking time took less than 20 minutes, and we had a hearty, healthy, flavorful meal to show for it by dinnertime! LeeLee and I chowed down with gusto, mowing down our crispy bowls in no time flat and then adding a few tortilla chips to sop up the rest of the scramble (and its allies). We left not a molecule on either plate and aren’t a bit ashamed!
We’ve been at the beach for a few days, enjoying our annual summer vacation, and it’s definitely time to get back into good dietary order. This taco salad was just the ticket we needed to get back on the on-ramp to good health!
:)
Taco Salad.
Today marks the beginning of Week 2 of Ironman training (did I mention that I’m training for an Ironman triathlon? Yes, well, I am), and also served as the first two-a-day workout of the week. So by the time I got home from work, my stomach was rumbling and my patience for lengthy cooking times was … short. To say the least.
Enter: Taco salad!
We gave the cat her kidney fluids and then I got straight to work on dinner. In one pan: A package of cubed seitan, seasoned with adobo seasoning and cumin. In my trusty pot: A can of refried beans brought to a simmer. And in the oven: Two crispy taco-salad bowls, ripe for the filling!
As everything heated up, I went out back and plucked some lettuce leaves from the garden, then came back in and washed them off, setting them aside until Go Time. Once the shells were heated through and the seitan was fully cooked, I turned off all the eyes to the stove and got to work on the assembly line.
First, I heaped a generous portion of refried beans into each bowl. Then I topped the beans with plenty of seitan (but not all), and then the lettuce from the garden. Next I added the rest of the seitan and then some cherry tomatoes, sliced black olives, and Daiya pepperjack vegan cheese. We finished our salads off with some hot sauce from She Peppers and then the dressings of choice (I’ve been in LOVE with Daiya’s Ranch dressing lately!), and then we dug in!
There’s something so fresh, so filling, about a dinnertime salad, and LeeLee and I both ate our fill and felt perfectly satisfied after the fact. That’s not to say we didn’t pine for more – our appetites extended far beyond our hunger! – but all in due time. We’ve got two more taco bowls left, after all, and who’s to say what the rest of the week’s meals will bring?
:)
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