Recipe: Avocado Toast Thanks to my lovely foodie friend, Hala Saleh, try out this great little snack.
Toast English Muffin (I used the Ezekiel Bread brand) Smash 1/4 ripe avocado on each half of muffin.
Sprinkle with black pepper (salt and drizzle of olive oil too if you desire).
Yum!
Last time I went to Chen’s, I was a meat eater, so thought I’d give it another try… veggie style.
The Vegetable Soup was pretty good. But, I did have them add rice noodles because I wanted something Pho-like. The veggies were hot, crisp and flavorful. I used Hoisin and Sriracha for a little extra kick too-yummy!
I didn’t check out any of the other veggie dishes because I knew the soup would be enough by itself. I was right! Glad I didn’t order another dish as it would’ve been way too much food. I did notice they have other veggie stir fry options (with tofu) too.
Overall, thumbs up!
Oasis Cafe has some of the best dishes in Salt Lake for a vegetarian or vegan. Tried their Vegetable Grain Burger for the first time. It was fabulous! Very filling, flavorful and great consistency.
Ingredients as listed on their menu: basil aioli • avocado • romaine lettuce • alfalfa sprouts • tomato • swiss cheese • whole grain bun • spinach & avocado salad.
To avoid oil and animal product, I asked for no aioli nor swiss. But I bet that’s really yummy too!
I don’t think the garden burger is on the dinner menu, so if you go for lunch try it out. Bon appetit!
This is by far my most favorite hummus recipe – from the Fat Free Vegan website. I love this recipe because it is:
1) Easy to make.
2) Tastes great.
3) Makes the right amount to last for a week.
Of course, I have to Jennifer-ize every recipe, so below is my version, which is even easier than the first one. Keep in mind that I don’t like to use salt, so if you prefer add salt instead of the no-salt seasoning that I use… Several people have enjoyed my recipe and didn’t realize there wasn’t any salt.
INGREDIENTS:
DIRECTIONS:
Dump all ingredients into a high-powered blender and purée and until smooth. On my BlendTec, that is two blendings using button #5. Scoop into a resealable container and store in the refrigerator. Best if used within one week (if it lasts that long!).
SERVING:
Serve with fresh cut-up veggies like celery sticks, sweet small peppers, carrot sticks. Pita chips have a lot of refined carbs, but pita chips are yummy! Instead of pita chips, perhaps use tortilla chips. Everyone loves this recipe, so make extra if serving at a party (left overs are a bonus for the chef!).
I have found a new restaurant with all sorts of vegan and vegetarian love coming out of the kitchen… Eatery 1025 in Bountiful. Based off recommendations on UrbanSpoon, my friend suggested Eatery 1025 and I’m more than delighted that we went there for our business lunch!
For appetizer, Susan enjoyed the bruchetta with arugula and fennel. Messy just the way bruchetta is supposed to be. The balsamic drizzle allowed for a pop of earthy-tartness among the veggies. Wow.
For main meal, she tried out the cobb… Overflowing with chopped goodness. Before I became vegan, I always ordered cobb salads-hard to not fork a grilled chicken morsel!
I opted for another appetizer as my main dish: Hummus with pita and veggies. The roasted tomato hummus was creamy with just the right amount of texture. Fresh and crisp bell pepper, cucumber and carrot sticks were a welcome coolness to the hot summer lunch. The pita wedges were plentiful. Just the right amount of hummus to match.
Mike the waiter… fab is all I can say about this hot-headed, funny chap. He made the lunch even that much more fun. He treated us to a small bit of creamy veggie soup. I can’t remember what was in it, but there was ginger and a bit of chili oil suspended on top. The kale chip added crunch and texture. For my first bite at Eatery 1025, I knew that we’d hit a home run with this lunch choice.
At the end of our lunch, Fab Mike suggested the vegan chocolate mousse. Holy dark chocolate, Batman! One bite and I was done. Luckily Susan enjoyed a couple bites too. If someone wasn’t vegan, I don’t think they’d know any better. With slices of fresh pineapple, I couldn’t think of a better way to end a perfect meal. For the record, I had more than one bite of the mousse…
Bumped into Chelsa the head cook… She’s a veggie magician with eyes that sparkle while she talks about her food creations. If you get a chance to meet her, you’ll see what I mean.
Yeah, I’m in love and want to go back to find out what new delicacies will come from the swinging kitchen door.
Go. Support local. Experience the explosion of yumminess in your mouth. Eat vegan. Feel good.
Overwhelmed with too many veggies in the garden? Try this recipe for enjoying a marinara today… and freeze to enjoy later in the year.
Ingredients:
2 lb. fresh garden tomatoes rough chop – I used yellow pear, cherry, Roma, early girls and heirloom varieties
2 bell peppers, diced
4 clove garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 zucchini, cubed
2 yellow crook neck squash, cubed (Note: Use any squash variety)
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon no-salt seasoning
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes (Note: Omit if you don’t like spice)
Alternate ingredient: Add veggie sausage cut into 1/4 inch rounds
1 cup water (Note: You may want to add more water. I prefer a chunkier marinara)
Directions:
On medium high heat, water sauté garlic and onion for 3 minutes. Turn heat down to medium, add veggies, 1 cup water and spices and cook for 15 minutes. Remove bay leaves and use high-powered blender to rough chop 1/2 the marinara mixture. Return blended mixture to pot with bay leaves. Continue cooking for 15 minutes. Serve immediately over your favorite pasta – I used a rice quinoa pasta.
For freezing: Allow mixture to cool on stove top. On one-gallon sized bags, use marker to write down the marinara and date. (Note: Allow ink to dry before moving bags.) Fill bags half way and freeze. Defrost in fridge when ready… it’ll be a little bit of summer in winter later on and a great way to use the garden bounty today!
Meeting a business associate for lunch, so I checked UrbanSpoon for vegan/vegetarian options near her office. I love using UrbanSpoon for vegan/vegetarian restaurant ideas. I found a new place called It’s Tofu – offering Korean dishes with veggie and meat options. Hooray!
I enjoyed the Hot Stone Pot with tofu. I opted to add brown rice for $1 extra – well worth it. The veggies included carrots, bean sprouts, zucchini, and mushrooms. The pot is actually hot, so I had to mix the ingredients right away – otherwise it’ll burn on the bottom. With a chile sauce that I added periodically through the meal, it was yummy! I will absolutely get this dish again.
The Korean traditional sides of kimchi, potatoes, radish and spicy cucumber slices. The waiter will bring more of the sides as desired. I had some extra radishes… love the tart vinegar flavor.
Great lunch. Great spot for a business meeting. Fresh ingredients. Perfect portion size. Great wait staff. Reasonable prices.
Food eating contests are gross. Just plain gross. Especially when it includes hot dogs, or anything that is really bad for the body.
Joey Chestnut won this years hot dog eating the contest. The 28-year-old from California snarfed down 68 hot dogs. GAG!
While I wouldn’t dare eat that many hot dogs, I bet it would be a spectacle to watch! Coney Island has been doing this contest for 97 years.
I have a suggestion for an alternate hot dog eating contest: Instead of eating that many yourself, figure out how to deliver as many hot dogs to hungry people as possible.
What do you think of that idea?
When I’m working from home at lunch, I often have a lot of time to make lunch. That’s why I’m a big fan of left overs. I always make large enough quantities with other recipes so that I have left overs ready to go for quick lunches.
Today’s lunch was a bean burger patty reheated with a slice of pepper jack veggie cheese. Scoop of guacamole to top it off! (Eating vegan rocks, doesn’t it?!) A cup of diced tomatoes and 1/2 cup of diced cucumbers topped with a sprinkle of No-salt Seasoning and I’m good to go!
I really think that life is much easier when I have a bunch of quick go-to foods in the fridge. So, make extra when you’re cooking and you’ll find that putting together a fast and healthy lunch is a snap!
How are you using left overs to make your life easier in the kitchen?
One of my favorite snacks is dried apricots with raw peanut butter. Whenever I’m eating that treat, I feel like a “Turkish Princess”… So, it dawned on me – why not use that as a base for vegan cookies?! Chewy, sweet, crunchy, a bit of spice from the clove…mmmm! These turned out really yummy!
Yield: 4 dozen
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup raw peanut butter (I used Adam’s)
3 ripe bananas with lots of brown spots
1 cup NOTG
1 cup diced apricots
1 cup dried tart cherries
1/4 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raw unsalted pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoon chia seeds
2/3 cup chopped cashews
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon clove
4 cups rolled or quick oats
Note: I think that you could easily substitute other dried fruit too.
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Using large mixing bowl, mash bananas with fork, add NOTG and peanut butter, mix thoroughly. Add cinnamon, clove, apricots, cherries, seeds, and cashews and mix thoroughly. Using one cup at a time, add oats. Ultimately should be a lumpy mixture that sticks fairly well, but not too sticky – if too sticky, you won’t be able to get off the spoon or roll into balls in palm of your hand. Add more oats if needed – about 1/4 cup at a time. Using the palm of your hands, roll into balls, place on parchment lined pan and bake for 15 minutes. Cool on rack… wait a few minutes to eat so that you don’t burn your mouth.
How do you say bon appétit in Turkish?!
