Vegetable Stew and Crispy Tofu

I'm still on a roll with Oh She Glows and made two more of her recipes this weekend.  For the Crispy Tofu I really didn't change it up at all and it was very good, but I may add more spices or something next time to give it some added flavor without having to use catsup.  Her 'Husband's Healing Stew' I did make a few adjustment so see my creation below.

Also note, I found out that cayenne pepper can be very good for circulation.  Bad circulation may account for me being so cold all the time and may also account for knee pain that I usually experience in cold weather.  Because of this I've added a few different things to my diet to try to help, including cayenne... which I've pretty much started adding to everything.  I'll try to remember to let you know if it works :)


Vegetable Stew

1 tbsp canola oil
1 sweet onion, chopped

1 red onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
4 green onions, chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground corriander
2 bay leaves (optional)
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped 

2 red peppers, chopped
1/2 bag mini-carrots, chopped
2 cups organic chicken broth (low sodium)

2 cups water
1, 14-oz can diced organic tomatoes
1/2 cup uncooked raw buckwheat groats, rinsed (or grain of choice)
1/2 cup uncooked pearled barley, rinsed (or grain of choice)
4-5 handfuls of baby kale, chopped
1.5 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp minced parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder 

1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper
5-10 shakes red pepper flakes, to taste
1/2 tsp kosher salt + Black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pot over low heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil and the chopped sweet onion, red onion, green onion, and minced garlic. Heat over low until translucent, about 5-8 minutes.

2. Stir in coriander, cinnamon, and two bay leaves and heat an additional minute or two. Now, add in the chopped vegetables (zucchini, peppers, carrots) and cook for about 5 more minutes.

3. Stir in the diced tomatoes, broth, water rinsed buckwheat and pearled barley (or grains of choice). Simmer on low-medium heat (dial 3-4) for 20 minutes, checking often to make sure it doesn’t burn or thin out too much. Add a bit more broth or water if necessary and reduce heat when needed.

4. After 20 minutes, add in the lemon juice, kale and additional seasonings- all to taste (parsley, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, cayenne and salt & pepper). Cook for another 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves. 

Enjoy!!

Mushroom Soup... Yum!!!

So, I made another Oh She Glows soup and it was delicious!! Of course I changed it up to what I had on hand so here is what I ended up with:

Mushroom Onion Soup

1 cup short grain brown rice 

2 pounds fresh mushrooms (I had 1 lb button and 1 lb baby bella -- but use whatever you would like), sliced
4 chopped sweet onion
6 garlic cloves, minced

1 bag frozen spinach
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth 

3 1/2 cups water

1 tsp herbs de provence

1 tsp fresh rosemary
Salt & pepper, to taste
2 tbsp Worchester sauce 

Instructions
1.  Cook brown rice according to the directions.
2. In a large pot over medium-low heat, add a bit of oil (~1 tsp) along with the chopped onion, saute 4 minutes.  Add minced garlic and saute another 2 minutes.  Add mushrooms and herbs de provence.  Saute another 4 minutes or until onions are transparent and mushrooms are starting to cook.
3. Stir in broth, spinach, water, salt, pepper, Worchester sauce. Simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
4. Scoop half of the mixture into a blender and blend until almost smooth (but still a bit chunky). Add back into the pot.
5. Stir in cooked rice. 

Enjoy!!

Tortilla-less Enchiladas and Corn Bread

I haven't been blogging much because, well, I haven't been cooking much!  But, I have found my new favorite cooking website and made a slight spinoff of a few of her recipes so I have to tell you what I did.

If you want to follow an amazing blog with the best vegan recipes check out Oh She Glows.  For each recipe I'll link to the original so you can see her's too.  The originals are pretty amazing, you will love them.

First up, I made her Flat and Crisp Corn Bread.   I didn't really mix this up at all so check out the recipe and make it up.

Next is Oh She Glows Vegan Enchiladas.  Here is my version:

Sweet Potato Enchiladas

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil2 sweet onion, chopped (~2 cups)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large sweet potato, chopped

2 bell pepper, chopped
2 handfuls spinach, chopped
~ 2 cups black beans (I had dried that I reconstituted and then froze but you can use canned as well)
Enchilada sauce (see recipe below)
1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp fresh lime juice, to taste
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

1/4 tsp pepper, or to taste
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder, or to taste
guacamole

1. Pre-cook the chopped sweet potato, I steamed them in my rice cooker but you can do it over the stove too. Do not overcook. Drain and set aside.

2. In a large skillet or pot, add oil and bring to medium to low heat. Add in the chopped onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until translucent. Add in garlic and peppers and reduce heat to low and cook for a couple more minutes. Now add the chopped pepper, pre-cooked sweet potato, drained black beans, and chopped spinach. Cook for about 5-7 more minutes on medium-low heat.

3. Now add in your enchilada or pasta sauce. Stir well, and add in your seasonings: nutritional yeast (optional), cumin, fresh lime juice, salt, garlic powder, chili powder- all to taste. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Stir well.

4. Spoon into a bowl, top with guacamole, and dip in your corn bread (see recipe above) and enjoy!!  Delicious!!

The enchilada sauce from Clean Green Simple sounded amazing for this but I didn't have enough chili powder so I used what I had on hand.  It was quite spicy so if you don't like spice cut back a bit.

Enchilada Sauce

2 tbsp chili Powder

1 tbsp chili chipotle power

1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp flour
1 14oz can Tomato Sauce
1 1/2 cups water

Mix all dry ingredients together in a small bowl. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine tomato sauce, water, and spice mix and stir until well combined. Heat until the sauce is warmed through and as thick as you like (if it starts out thicker than you’d like just add more water). Use wherever you would use enchilada sauce.

Not so MIA

I mean, I haven't been updating here but I have been here:  http://newlifecambodia.blogspot.com/

I'm going on my second mission trip to Cambodia this year and it rocks!!! But, it also takes a good majority of my attention so that is what I have been blogging about.  If you want to keep up with me that is the best place to do it!!

Oh She Glows

Oh She Glows is my new favorite blog for food!!  She has some pretty amazing recipes up and I love making them at home.  Last night I made my own version of her Quinoa Almond Berry Salad... Both Jennie and I LOVED it!!! I would try a different grain next time for fun (and because I used up my couscous).

Couscous Berry Salad

Ingredients:
1 cup dry whole wheat Israeli couscous
1 pint strawberries, sliced
16 oz. frozen fresh blueberries (1.5-2 cups)
2 cup diced fresh pineapple
2 tbsp organic honey
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Dash of salt

Directions:
1. Cook couscous according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, chop the fruit and place in a large bowl.
3. Mix the dressing ingredients (honey, balsamic, lime juice, salt) in a small jar and adjust to taste if necessary. Note: You may have to double the dressing recipe if your salad is quite large.
4. Drain excess water from couscouc and add to large bowl with fruit. Combine. Pour on dressing and mix well. Serve immediately or chill in the fridge until serving time.

Hummus

Odessa sent me a recipe book recently that had mostly green smoothies in them because I was challenged by her to drink a green smoothie every day for 30 days.  I loved them so much that I've continued to do it long past the 30 days.  Anyway, in the recipe book there was a hummus recipe that I made and LOVED.  I've changed it multiple times to fit what I have at home but here is what has turned out the best every time I've made it.


Zucchini Hummus

1 zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup white bean
3 T lemon juice
3 T olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic (I've been using roasted garlic)
1 t paprika
1/2 t salt
1/4 t cumin
pinch of cayenne
6 T Tahini
a few leaves fresh basil
a few sprigs fresh rosemary


Combine all ingredients in a food processor (or blender) except Tahini, basil and rosemary.  Blend until smooth.  Add the Tahini, basil and rosemary and blend again.

I've been eating this with a ton of veggies and crackers for dinner.  Yummy

Who Say's Atlanta Is Nothing But Concrete??

Before I moved to this fine city someone once told me that Atlanta is nothing but concrete.  

Can you believe it?? These pictures were taken on random walks from three of the hundreds of different parks Atlanta has to offer.  Where are these?? Piedmont Park, Lenox Park, and the Duck Pond.

Random Greens and Other Stuff From My Fridge

It's sad when I realize I have a butternut squash just sitting on my counter that I forgot about.  Gotta love over indulgence in America!  So, what to do with said squash?? Make dinner...

It's not the first time I've made something like this. Recipe:

1 butternut squash
3/4 cup almonds

1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried unsweetened coconut
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff (save the seeds for roasting if you want). Put the butternut squash in a 9 x 13 inch pan with the cut sides facing up.

In a food processor, combine the rest of the ingredients and pulse until the nuts and raisins are coarsely chopped. Scoop the walnut mixture into the scooped out sections of the squash.

Fill the bottom of the pans with water 1/2 inch high. Cover pan with foil and bake until squash flesh is tender (about 1 hour is how long it took for me).

For the greens - I am calling them random because I don't know what they were.  I bought them at the H Mart because they were on sale but I'd never heard of them before... I should have taken a picture of the sign.  But, none the less I did what I do with most greens:

1 tablespoons refined coconut oil
1 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch greens
1 cup low-sodium vegetable stock
1⁄3 cup raisins
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of cardamom

Heat the coconut oil in a 4- to 6-quart stockpot over medium. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the greens, handfuls at a time, stirring until they’re all in the pot. Add 1 cup of the stock and the raisins. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, add cinnamon and cardamom and cover.  Cook until the greens are tender, about 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Too Much Fun

This was at work.  Is your work as much fun as mine!  P.S. nothing was caught with that net.

Andy is on the Radio

The head pastor of my church was on the Burt Show this A.M... thought you may like to hear it yourself!

Not a bad song to have stuck in my head...

And it has been there since Drive.



I won't complain.

Starbucks... desserts????

Have you noticed that Starbucks is now serving Petites???  Well, this past weekend they were giving them away free with a coffee.   So of course Jennie and I had to walk over and get ourselves one...

This is the salted carmel and it was lovely!! Sweet and salty together... melt my heart...

Where is Doc????

There is at least one habit that Preston has picked up from Doc and this is one of them...

Do you notice it, the ONE piece of food that he pulled out of his bowl and put on my bedroom floor.  Yeah, Doc loves to do that but I haven't ever seen Preston do it before. That is before now...

Turkey Tomatillo Chili

Last year at work we had a chili cook off and one was the clear winner.  Luckily they emailed out the recipes and of course I had to make it.  Well, not exactly the same way the recipe called for.  Here is my version:

Turkey Tomatillo Chili

1 package ground turkey, usually about a pound and a third
1 can fire roasted chopped tomatoes
1 can Rotel original (which is chopped tomatoes with green chilies, there's also a mild version)
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cans black beans drained and rinsed
2 cans corn drained
1 head cabbage, chopped
1 carton sliced mushrooms
1 packet of white chicken chili seasoning

• Brown the turkey in separate pan in a little oil, strain in colander and run very hot water over.
• Add to all above ingredients in crock pot.
• Cook on low for as many hours as needed (I put it all together before I went to work in the A.M.).

Don't cook in with the rest, but before you serve, stir in:
1 large jar salsa verde (which is tomatillo, cilantro.)
2 or more fresh tomatillos, chopped

But then, of course, heat it enough to serve after you pour those in.


Have cilantro, avocado, sprouts our whatever you would like to add in at the end.  Jennie and I have been eating on this for days and love it.

Behind the curtain...

What do you do if the dryers in the building don't work well and you don't have a drying rack???

Use the shower rod!! Notice the shower curtain sitting on a ball on the floor...

It's my favorite dinner... again!!

This time I added in some beats!! Yumm-o!!

Little Eli!!

I thought you need to see little Eli... he is too cute!!

He love his jumpie!!

My current favorite song...

This was sung on Sunday at church and I loved it.  I tried to find the exact same version as what they did on stage at Buckhead Church but couldn't find it.  So, the original will have to do.  If I ever do find the BC version I'll quickly upload it!

PS.  The original rocks too!

My current favorite meal

Yep you see it right!  And so sophisticated!! A veggie corn dog (bought at Trader Joe's), peas and baked french fries.  In the photo I had made regular potato fries.  Last night I made sweet potato fries.

In case you have ever missed it, I make baked fries quite often.  Very easy recipe:

At least 1 potato per person
I put on whatever seasonings I like
3/4-1 tablespoon canola or olive oil for every potato I cut up

Mix them all together, lay out on a baking sheet and bake at 400-425 degrees, stirring every 15 minutes for 45 minutes to an hour.  Simple right!

For regular fries I generally use black pepper, seasoned salt and chili powder.
For sweet potato fries its pumpkin pie seasoning and chili powder.

Yummy!!

My current favorite playlist...

Thought you would like to see my current favorite playlist.  This is almost in constant rotation when my computer is open.

Enjoy!