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