Random Questions

What does your reading list look like? Do you take time out to read? I have a pile of books in queue to read next, but am having a hard time tackling them.
If you could live anywhere, where would you live? What would you do? Who would you be? Would you keep the same company?
What do you think this world needs more of?
What do you think this world needs less of?
Do you have a green thumb, or do you kill anything with roots, with maybe the exception of tiny humans?
What do you regret?
What do you say you regret but don't really regret?
Like as with Greek mythology, what do you feel is your fatal flaw?
What are some personality traits of your own that you are fond of?
What are some personality traits that you really aren't so fond of?
What is your strongest belief?
Do you have any beauty secrets?
What is your favorite animal?
Your favorite song?
Your favorite food?
Your favorite actor/actress?
Your favorite smell?
What makes you uncomfortable?
Do you like crowds?
What can you not live without?
What is your dream car?
If you could anything, for the rest of your life, without incurring any cost or adverse health effects, what would you choose?
What is something everyone likes, but you?
What is something YOU like, that no one else does?
Are you a loner, or a social creature?
What is your most endearing memory?
Do you remember being a little child?
Paper or plastic?
What do you like on your pizza?
Are you a dog person, or a cat person?
Based on your last question, what is your favorite breed?
Fiction, or nonfiction?

Moon Juice's Moon Dusts and Adaptogens

I've been going through the items I received in the Sephora Inner Beauty, and while there has been both hits or misses, I am really surprised to find I REALLY liked the Beauty Dust.- though not really for the beauty results. I found the Beauty Dust mellowed me out and put me in a cheerful mood. I looked into the reviews other people had left, to find that the dusts are, amongst many other things, intent on aiding with stress via adaptogens.  Who knew? I mean, literally, who even knows what adaptogens are? Am I late to the party? It's the first time I've heard of them. So I did what any red bloody American girl would do- Google it. It is now my understanding that adaptogens are herbs that are touted to protect the toxic effect of stress. Adaptogens are intended to promote homeostasis (balance, for the non-scientifically inclined) and to increase resistance to stress. It isn't a newer fad, we can thank the Soviets for creating the term adaptogens in 1947 and it gained popularity rapidly through the late forties into the fifties as they performed increasingly extensive research on the subject.  I have also read they are rooted in Ayurvedic medicine, which is a whole other subject I really don't know enough about to even attempt to touch on.

Now I'm a skeptic. A vain skeptic. Had this been marketed to me as a stress tonic, I would've blown it off. It just doesn't seem like something that I would see many results from- but the Beauty Dust definitely chilled me out. I researched the company, the product, other people's experiences, and decided I was going to by some cans of their other products along with a replacement can of beauty dust, until I found they offered the product in a sort of a variety pack for roughly the same price per volume. 

Sold.

I was originally interested In the Beauty one, and was torn between the Power one and the Spirit one. Now I can try all six that they offer, Brain, Beauty, Sex, Power, Spirit, Dream, and try to convince myself I am saving myself money. 

Add caption

Some teeny tiny letters right here.

So tiny they're blurry.

I added a protein they offer to my order as well- "Blue Beauty Adaptogenic Protein". I'll follow up with my results once I give them the good old college try.

So what do they call it blue? How does it taste? So many questions.

Wait- only fifteen servings? I hope it delivers

So what are your thoughts? Has anyone else heard of adaptogens? Have any of y'all tried them before? How am I just hearing about this? 

.

Such a rookie.

So I’m realizing I forgot to update you guys on my zucchini chips experiment, and I feel like maybe I should disclose the end results, since I had a few amateur issues. As I mentioned in the original post, I put garlic infused olive oil in my marinade. I was having the hardest time getting the zucchini to crispen up. I kept the concoction on the dehydrator for days. I checked the moisture levels, as I’m a nerd and a stickler and I have things like dehumidifiers and meters in my house, and nothing was amiss. After a few days of this game I realized that I wasn’t experiencing moisture in my chips, I was experiencing OIL. Oil that I had added. So there’s that. Rookie. They were delicious, for the record.  I really enjoyed the addition of the fresh dill, though I’d added a little too much pepper to the marinade. I would cut back on that, or possibly omit it all together if these are for children.

One thing I would probably do differently is make the slices a little thicker as some of the chips pretty much evaporated to nothing. Getting the optimal thickness would probably involve patience or a mandolin slicer, so that’s probably a no. On a loosely related subject, I am currently dehydrating mangoes, pineapples, nectarines, and grapes. No pretty pictures to show yet. 

Mind Your Elders

This whole box is what twelve pounds of Elderberries looks like. Twelve whole pounds of Elderberries- also known as 2,724 servings, according to my math. I’ve been hoarding for the upcoming flu season, though hopefully there will be less demand this year. No one on my good list will be getting sick.

Sephora's Inner Beauty Box

I am a real sucker for supplements- beauty supplements mostly. I diligently take my collagen, biotin, periodically divulging into beauty concoctions that promise luminous skin, as smooth and as wrinkleless as a twenty year old with wealthy parents and a spa budget- so when I discovered Sephora's Inner Beauty box whiles perusing their aisles, it was an easy sell. I'd already been in the market for a new bkr bottle, and always wanted to try the Beauty Dust supplements made by Moon Juice, so why not?

Please disregard my chipped manicure and the greenish tinge, but here is the packaging. 

The box contains one eight ounce bkr bottle. 

I'm trying to drink a glass a hour, so this size is perfect for my goal, though too small for some. 

Also included are three packets of Beauty Dust 

The next item in the box is a three day supply of Hum "Flatter Me" Dietary Supplements. 

The Beauty Chef's "Hydration" Inner Beauty Boost is also included in the box and is at six servings per the label.

Last but not least we have the 30 day supply of Ouai "Thin" supplements.

I have pretty thin hair and am a fan of the Ouai brand, so this is another product I'm looking forward to testing. The box was $35 USD, which is a decent deal.  

I'm going to sample each one of these products on their own to see what brings in the results and what doesn't, so this might take a while. I have tried the Beauty Dust and am really surprised to say that I did actually like the taste. It was almost like a watery lemon-y tea-ish flavor, which I surprised to taste. I expected it to taste foul, quit frankly. I'm going to try the remaining two samples to see if I see any effects, but I would buy the full size based on initial impressions.

In a Real (Dill) Pickle

Since I have an abundance of fresh veggies and fruits as I mentioned a few days ago, I have been on some kind of a crazy food preservation kick- but I’m still lazy. I have an over-abundance of lemon cucumbers, but had a problem with them having a thick skin. After some thought, I decided to make refrigerator pickles with them, choosing the refrigerator options to avoid the extra steps involved in a water bath. I peeled the skins and placed them in a mostly white vinegar brine with dill and garlic, Himalayan salt and cracked pepper.  I made a small jar with apple cider vinegar just because. Easily some of the ugliest pickles I’ve ever made. I hope these little bastards taste better than they look. 

Zucchini Chips Experiments

Zucchini post, margination, sans nooch, pre dehydration.

Part three of "Stuff I Bought Before I Got Sick Therefore I Had to Find A Way To Preserve It" involves some zucchini I picked up at the produce stand. I don't even know why I buy zucchini. I made myself sick of it a long time ago and usually just buy it to let it go bad in the fridge in the next few weeks- but since I had the dehydrator out I decided to get crazy. I found a formal recipe filled with pretty pictures, and immediately decided that I didn't have the energy for that. I took my spiralizer and two zucchini, and got to work using the slicing attachment. After a few seconds I decided to cut a slit down the zucchini, so now I have something slightly resembling a chip. From there a squirted a few drops of greek dressing, and quickly decided that would be way too strong for this, so I poured copious amounts of lemon juice on the zucchini, along with some garlic infused olive oil and plenty of fresh dill I bought for a pickling project I have also dogged off. I let the mixture marinate overnight, and the next day I ground some pepper and himalayan salt over the mixture, and added nutritional yeast (nooch) over half of the mixture for a variation. I gingerly laid the zucchini onto the trays and placed them on my ancient Ronco dehydrator, given to me years ago by my dear Pawpaw, and now we wait. And wait. And wait. Patience is a virtue when you're dehydrating things. I hope all my effort and patience pays off.

Behold the Cucuzza (Googootz!)

Yesterday I mentioned I had to my daughter's utter delight, picked up a cucuzza (pronounced googootz) from the local produce stand. Cucuzza is an Italian squash, similar in taste to a zucchini, but is very long and thin. I bought it mostly for the novelty, as my father in law is Italian and I had heard him speak of his mother cooking cucuzza a few times- I thought it would be fun for nostalgia's sake. I spoke with him Saturday night, was given instruction as to how to prepare the unwieldy squash, and plans were made to cook it in a traditional Italian dish.

Look at this baby and her squash! Anyways, Sunday morning, the day we were supposed to cook, I woke up with a splitting headache, a swollen throat, an aversion to light and noise- I may have woken up a vampire. I'm not sure. I sent my husband to my inlaw's house with the prepped cucuzza and a two year old, and those dear souls did double duty cooking and caring for the sweet little one- even braving the grocery store and bringing me Sudafed. On top of all that, dear husband came back with huge bowls of spaghetti sauce and the cooked cucuzza- could they be any more kind?

It is delicious! It was served with pasta, or course, but I'm going to try it with konjac noodles, as I try to keep my carbs low and I am generally just all around weird. So delish!

Always An Underachiever

It looks like my posts are becoming almost a yearly thing. I'm getting off a weird sickness right now, and with my reemergence into the real world I've gotten back into making foodstuffs. Simple things, as I've got a toddler and am still not 100%, but anything is something, I suppose. We are in the height of summer, and fresh fruits and veggies are in season, ripe and in abundance. I picked up beaucoup strawberries Thursday of last week before I got sick, along with a cucuzza (which delighted my little one), and some creole tomatoes. By the time I felt a little better Sunday night many of the strawberries had spoiled, the rest I sliced in halves and popped in my trusty way old Ronco dehydrator, and Elle was thrilled with the result. After that I loaded the dehydrator with some figs from my mother in law's tree she was kind enough to send my way, and they should be done tonight. Home dried fruits are my favorite- it's been years since I've messed with the dehydrator, but they are so easy and honestly that's all I can muster in this insufferable Louisiana heat.

September twenty-second, two thousand seventeen.

Friday, September twenty-second, two thousand seventeen. Today is supposed to be the first day of fall- but here I am, in South Louisiana, where it is bright and sunny and humid and 91 degrees Fahrenheit. This is despite my best efforts- wearing sweatshirts in the sweltering heat, shopping for coats and snow boots (in Louisiana?!?), drinking hot tea and warm lattes- God bless me, I've really tried. I've even changed out all the fragrances in my house to fall scents, and switched out my perfume. STILL SUMMER. STILL PERPETUAL SUMMER. It's a lost cause.

This was in a Mara Hoffman email I got yesterday, which is apparel wise totally appropriate for this weather.


Sayonara!

The Tempeh Shepherdess Pie Recipe for Veganomicon Review- A.K.A. That Time I Forgot To Add To Season a Dish But It Was Still Pretty Good

Hey Everybody! Today in my test kitchen I gave the recipe "Tempeh Shepherdess Pie" a try form Veganomicon a try. I chose the recipe due to the simplicity of its ingredients, though it contained tempeh, something I'd never tried or felt an urge to due to my general dislike of meat substitutes. The recipe is as follows in the book:

Tempeh Layer:

• 2 (8 ounce) packages of tempeh
• 1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, cut to 1/2-inch dice
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced (about 3 cups) (I don’t like mushrooms, so I don’t add these, but I usually add another package of tempeh to compensate!)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• Lots of freshly ground black pepper
• *1 cup frozen peas
• *1 cup frozen or fresh corn (*Instead, I use 2 cups of mixed frozen veggies, so you get string beans and carrots in there as well)
• 2 cups veggie broth
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
• 3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
• 1/3 cup plain soy milk, or other non dairy milk
• 1/4 cup oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• Plenty of freshly ground black pepper

1. In a large skillet, crumble the tempeh to bite sized pieces. Add the water, tamari, and 1 teaspoon of the oil. Cover, and let boil for 10 minutes. Start boiling the potatoes in the meantime.
2. Remove the lid from the tempeh, and continue to boil until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 more minutes. Drain the tempeh in a colander, and return the pan to medium high heat (no need to wash it).
3. Saute the onions in the remaining olive oil for 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Stir in tempeh, along with sliced mushrooms (if using) and spices. Cook for about 10 minutes over medium high heat until the mushrooms are juicy, and tempeh slightly browned. While this cooks, your potatoes should be ready now, and you can preheat your oven to 375F.
4. Add the frozen veggies and cook until heated through. You may need a little extra oil here.
5. Mix together the veggie broth and flour until pretty much dissolved (a few lumps are okay). Add to tempeh along with the parsley and stir. Let thicken for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Prepare your mashed potatoes. (Just prepare them like you normally do!)
7. Place the tempeh filling in a 9×13-inch casserole dish. Spoon the mashed potatoes over the filling (I like to put spoonfuls in the corners and work my way in, then using the back of my spoon, I spread them together).
8. Bake for 20 minutes; the potatoes should be slightly browned on top — if they’re not, stick them under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes.

I myself made substitutions- for one, I nixed the grapeseed oil and went with olive oil. Secondly, I FORGOT THE DAMNED THYME AND CORIANDER. Who does that? I also used canned corn and peas, and wheat flour in lieu of all-purpose flour  because that's what I had on hand. And you know what? It was pretty ok. A little on the bland side, but I'll take responsibility for that because again, I FORGOT THE DAMNED SEASONINGS. The tempeh pleasantly surprised me, I prefer it only about 6,000 times more than tofu. I was impressed. And the vegan mashed potatoes? Didn't miss the dairy. Not one bit. I'll have to give this recipe another test run to give it a fair grade, but in spite of my screwups it was a pretty solid dish and I would make it again. All of a sudden I'm all "Team Tempeh in the House!" 

Today's Lunch: Chili-Lime Rubbed Tofu

This has got to be the ugliest crap I've ever cooked in my life. 

Hey Everyone!

Today's lunch is Chili-Lime Rubber Tofu taken from Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. As I'm sure you guys have noticed I'm a huge fan of mexican food and citrus, but I am NOT a fan of tofu. I don't get it. Tons of vegans and vegetarians subsist on tofu alone, it seems, but I cannot muster a taste for it AT ALL. I figure I must be cooking it wrong, so I try to make a tofu dish every once in a while to see if I can figure it out. I chose the following recipe because it has everything I love in live... and tofu.

Chili-Lime Rubbed Tofu

Recipe from Appetite for Reduction: 125 Fast and Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

• 1 block extra firm tofu cut into 8 pieces width-wise
• 2 tablespoons mild chili powder 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Zest of 1 lime
• Juice of 2 limes (1/4 of a cup, to be exact)
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce 
• 2 cloves garlic

1.  Preheat oven to 400 F. Poke each slice of tofu with a fork a few times to allow the flavors to seep in.

2.  Mix together the chili powder and salt in a small dish and set aside.

3.  Pour the lime juice, oil and soy sauce into an 8 x 13 inch pan. Use a microplane grater to grate in the garlic and mix in the lime zest. Toss each slice of tofu in the pan to coat.

4.  Rub or sprinkle each slice of the tofu with a big pinch of the chili powder mixture, until well coated. Bake the tofu on one side for 10 minutes, flip it and sprinkle/rub with more of the chilli powder mixture and  bake for another 10 minutes.

5. Remove from the oven and serve.

I prepped my tofu by further pressing and freezing it because I like extra-firm, unslimy tofu. I cooked it just as indicated, placed a slice on my oh-so-chic white porcelain and matte grey Noritake dish, and reluctantly took a bite of the concoction. And how did it taste? Absolutely disgusting. I hate you, tofu. Never again.

The Green Lemonade Trials: Day Three

Hey Everyone!

So today's the final day of the Green Lemonade Trials, and Ladies and Gentlemen I feel we may have a winner. This juice omits the spinach featured in our last two recipes, is light on the kale, and is a total dupe for Whole Food's infamous, delicious green lemonade. Without further ado here's the winning recipe!

Green Lemonade

6 leaves of kale

4 celery stalks

1 cucumber

3 small green apples

2 lemons

You know the deal. Wash, peel, juice. Ta dah! I believe I have a new favorite! 

The Green Lemonade Trials- Part Two

Hello Everyone! Welcome to my second part of the Green Lemonade Trials! Today's recipe is as follows:

Green Lemonade
Taken from The Reboot with Joe Cross by Joe Cross

2 apples
4 handfuls of spinach
16 kale leaves
1 cucumber
4 celery sticks
2 lemons

Directions:
Wash everything, peel the lemons, and throw everything in the juicer!

This recipe was hard on my juicer. The kale leaves got jammed and hung up on the small blades of my Breville juicer, which was a real pain. That is due to the type of juicer I have, but that might be an initial deal breaker, because I don't want a juicer breaker.
Now on to the juice:
This is still a very green juice, however I find all the greens to be nicely balanced- if there is too much of spinach, kale, or celery, the vegetable in question's taste overpowers the juice. This juice has a nice tang and is nice and substantial. I prefer this recipe to yesterday's- but we have one more recipe to go before I can weight in for certain! Tomorrow I try my third recipe and weigh in on who is the winner!

Today's Recipe: Tortilla Soup, and Yesterday's Green Lemonade Review

So today I cooked Tortilla Soup from the Appetite for Reduction cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz for dinner and must I say it is DELICIOUS. I love tortilla soup, but I'm picky about it. I don't like it too much on the tomato soup side, so I never order it when I'm at restaurants because I'm just not willing to take that risk. The only thing I would change about this recipe the next time around is I would scale down the spice. This baby has HEAT.








Vegan Tortilla Soup

Recipe courtesy of Appetite for Reduction




Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil

1 small yellow onion, sliced thinly

2 jalapenos, seeded and sliced thinly

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped into 1/2 in. pieces

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp salt

24 oz whole tomatoes

24 oz vegetable broth

4 oz baked tortilla chips (~2 cups)

1 tbs ground cumin

1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup frozen corn

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

juice from 1 lime 

Preheat a 4 quart pot over medium-high heat
Saute the onions, jalapenos and green pepper in the oil until the onions are translucent, about 5 min. use a little nonstick cooking spray or broth, if needed, to keep it from burning
Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and salt and saute for another minute
Break up the tomatoes with your fingers and add them to the pot, including the juice
Fill the tomato can with broth and add it in
Mix in the cumin
Crush 2 oz of the chips into crumbs and add to the pot
Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat to simmer, add the beans, corn and cilantro and simmer for 5 min.
Add lime juice, ladle soup into bowls
Crumble remaining chips over the top, garnish with cilantro and serve.


Yield: Serves 4











As for yesterday's green lemonade recipe? At the risk of sounding redundant there was too much green, not enough lemonade. I think the recipe could use more apple and lemon- but I have two more recipes to try out so hopefully I'll find my Holy Grail. Tomorrow I'll have another recipe and a review. Fingers crossed I find what I have been craving!

The Green Lemonade Trials, Part One

My blueberries are blooming, spring has sprung, and for me that brings a shift in diet. Instead of loading up on warm comfort foods I start eating more cool foods such as salads, and start drinking more juices. One of my favorite juices of all time is Green Lemonade. I love the tartness, and it's a great way to sneak those pesky vegetables into your diet. There are tons of green lemonade recipes out there, and this week it is my personal quest to discover the perfect green lemonade. I have a few recipes in mind, and below is the first recipe I am going to attempt. I'll follow up with my review of this recipe tomorrow. 

Green Lemonade
Taken from 101 Juice Recipes by Joe Cross

Ingredients (makes two servings):

-1 green apple
-2 handfuls spinach
-8 leaves kale
-1/2 cucumber
-2 ribs celery
-1 lemon

1) Peel lemon. 
2) Wash all ingredients
3) Add all ingredients through juicer and enjoy!

So easy. Now if only someone would clean up my juicer and my prep mess for me!


Nutrition per serving:
Calories: 74
Fat: 1g
Trans Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0g
Sodium: 61mg
Carbohydrates: 17g
Fiber: 1g
Sugars: 7g
Protein: 3g

Negativity- The Elephant in the Room

Ok, so I know this isn't an article on healthy eating, healthy cookbooks, gym reviews, diets, or any of the usual fare I tend to write about- but it still weighs in greatly on your health. Your mental health. How often are you having a great day only to be bombarded by some Debbie or Donald Downer and their doom cloud, only because their life hasn't gone the way of their dreams and they are miserable? How many times have you woken up in the morning only to feel instantly anxious over something negative someone said to you yesterday? It would be nice if we were all ducks and these things could roll off our backs, but sometimes they don't. How do we deal with these negative forces in our lives? How do we handle the naysayers, the racists, the bigots, the perpetually down who want to drag you right with them? How do you keep from stooping to their level?
My coping mechanism is to *try* to keep these people at arm's length, but I know this isn't feasible in the short or long term. Negativity is contagious although unavoidable. If you surround yourself by negative people- by choice or not- you may find yourself falling into their little self-sabotaging habits of talking ill of others who aren't miserable or who they blame their misery on, real or imagined. So what do you do? How do you deal? What are the real answers to this? While there are no answers to this there are some preventive measures you can take to lessen the affects of other's misery. Take care of yourself. Take their negativity with a really large grain of salt- a salt boulder, perhaps. Let your positivity and you inner light outshine their negativity. And if nothing else accept the fact that you don't have to have anything other than a civil relationship with others if they are going to have a negative influence in your life. Be your own best friend. Keep only friends of quality. It is better to have one true friend of quality than a room of people faking it and trying to break you down all incognito-like.
Take care of yourselves. Don't let the small shit get you down. It's all just temporary.

Pasta de Los Angeles Recipe from Appetite for Reduction- Or The Best Pasta Recipe in Existence

So today in my test kitchen I tried the "Pasta de los Angeles" recipe from Appetite for Reduction cookbook and I've got to say this has got to be my all-time favorite pasta recipe HANDS DOWN. I mean this stuff is DELICIOUS. The best. I could probably live off this crap. The recipe? Oh. Here it is:

Pasta de Los Angeles

8 ounces whole-wheat angel hair pasta
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup thinly sliced shallot
3 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish
4 plum tomatoes, chopped (about 3 cups)
½ teaspoon salt
Zest and juice from 1 lime
1 (16 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed (about 1 ½ cups)
1 bunch spinach, coarse stems removed (about 1 pound), washed well

1. Bring a covered to of salted water to boil for the pasta. Then prepare the sauce.
2. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the shallots, garlic and jalapeno in the oil for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and let cook for about a minute. Add the tomatoes, salt and lime zest (reserve the juice). Cover the pan and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. The tomatoes should be nicely broke down and saucy, but some whole pieces remaining are just fine. Add the black beans.
3. By this time the water should be ready. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions.
4. While the pasta is cooking, add the spinach to the skillet, tossing to wilt. Once everything is added, cover and cook until the spinach is cooked down, about 3 more minutes. Squeeze in the lime juice. Turn off the heat. 
5. When the pasta is ready, drain and add to the sauce. Use a pasta spoon to toss it, making sure that the pasta is well coated. Serve immediately, garnish with extra cilantro if you like.

Per serving (when serving 8): Calories 220; Fat 1.75 g (saturated 0.25 g); carbohydrates 44.5 g (fiber 9.5 g); Protein 12 g; Sodium 200 mg; Vitamin A 125%; Vitamin C 50%; Calcium 10%; Iron 22%

So here's my subs: I couldn't find shallots so I used purple onions, I couldn't find whole wheat angel hair pasta so I used whole wheat plain ole' spaghetti pasta, and I used canned plum tomatoes. I also used baby spinach. I must say I think this is one of my favorite dishes sp far and can see it being a new staple. I would consider this recipe to be restaurant worthy. I can't say enough good things about it. Make this stuff. You'll love it.

Today's Vegan Lunch- Roasted Spaghetti Squash and Kale

Roasted Spaghetti Squash and Kale

Adapted from The Pioneer Wife

Ingredients
1 small whole Spaghetti Squash
Olive Oil
Salt And Pepper
1 bunch of Kale, Stalks Removed And Torn Into Pieces
½  Onion, Diced
Tony Chachere's, Salt and Pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

With a sharp knife, VERY CAREFULLY cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. (Stick the knife into the center of the squash, then cut down. Again—be careful!) Scoop out the seeds and pulp in the center and discard. Place the squash, cut side up, on a large baking sheet. Rub a little olive oil over the cut surface, then place the pan in the oven for 1 hour or until a fork is easily inserted into the squash.

While the squash is cooking, saute the kale: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion to the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until starting to turn color. Throw in the kale, sprinkle in some Tony Chachere's, salt, and pepper, and stir to saute until the onions are golden about the kale is partly cooked, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

When the squash is cooked, use a fork to scrape the stringy squash out of the shell. Add the squash to a bowl. Mix together 1 tablespoon olive oil with the balsamic vinegar. Drizzle it over the squash, sprinkle with Tony Chachere's, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine.

Add the squash to individual bowls, then top with a good amount of sauteed kale.

(Or, you can toss all the kale and half the squash together.)

Taa Daa! And it's done! Easy and healthy.

Appetite For Reduction: 125 Fast and Filling Low Fat Recipes- The First Impression

Appetitive For Reduction: 125 Fast and Filling Low-Fat Recipes is written by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, which is also the author of Veganomicon and runs the website Post-Punk Kitchen, a goldmine for vegan recipes. It goes without saying that these are 125 recipes in this book, all ranging between 200 and 400 calories per serving. They are all plant based, low in saturated fat and sugar, and high in fiber. There are many gluten and soy-free options available for those with dietary restrictions. 

There are eight chapters in this book dedicated to different food groupings:
1: Full-On Salads
2: Totally Stuffable Sides
3: Rub-Your-Tummy Veggies
4: Main Event Beans
5: Sink-Your-Teeth-Into Tofu and Tempeh
6: Talk Pasta to Me (& Noodles)
7: Soul-Satisfying Soups
8: Comfort Curries, Chili, and Stews

There is a section explain nutrition and all of the recipes have the nutrition information per serving. Gluten-free, soy-free, items taking 39 minutes or less to cook, and recipes with downtime are all labeled with recipe icons.