My Vegetarian Obsessions..

So whilst becoming Vegetarian has proven difficult sometimes, for the most part I am having so much fun.

I pick up vegetables that often times I would have never purchased, just to see what I can do with them. (like a Daikon, I googled the heck out of that.. turns out it's a fancy and delicious radish)..

But there are a few staples that I rely on as a new vegetarian, and I've come to be obsessed with them actually. Here there are:

1.) Spinach! I have never been a fan of cooked spinach (or canned. yuck.) But fresh spinach.. I now crave it. I put it in everything I make for dinner, eat it as a side with a little dressing.. I love the stuff. You need to get in on that green spinachy goodness friends. Vegan, what? posted this nifty photo about how great Spinach is for you. 

2.) Black beans and lentils. I will try to buy anything with black beans in them. There are some great lentil soups and black bean soups out there. They are great fillers in traditional meals as well, too. (Lentil pot pie, black beans in place of ground meat in Mexican food dishes. The options are endless.) Beth has a great recipe for lentil taco's that I love and make frequently.. I throw in a potato as well for more filling. Find it here: Beth's Lentil Taco's. She's also got a yummy looking Mexican Lentil Stew I'm eyeing!

lentils photo courtesy of google search

3.) Yellow squash and Italian squash. I put these babies in everything. Pasta, rice dishes, I made a mushroom stroganoff with these in it. Last night we made veggie fajita's with both types of squash, red pepper, onion and mushrooms. Yum! Not to mention they are super cheap at most stores and good for your health!

photo courtesy of Wiki

4. Lightlife Brand Veggie Burgers & Backyard grillin' burgers. These babies are so good, and Lightlife is a great brand that uses non GMO soy and ingredients. Love them! Lightlife

Other things I am experimenting with that I'm certain I'll be obessesed with:

1. Polenta (there are sooo many delicious looking recipes out there. It seems so versatile!)

2. Quinoa (I know I'm so late. But I'm going to try it!)

3. Tempeh. It's a soy based product that I first tried when going vegetarian, and had no clue what I was doing. I think with a little help and a cookbook I can master it. 

Happy eating!

-Ash 

A nifty moving tip - liquor store win bottle boxes

So we are currently in the process of packing up our current apartment and moving into a house (woohoo!! We are thrilled to have a yard..)

So as you can see the place is a mess. But I had a lightbulb moment when I was at Spec's wine and finer foods recently (a liquor/beer store here in Texas that has fancy food as well..)

They have tons of boxes by the entrance, and a few that housed bottles as well as normal boxes. And then it hit me.. grab the ones that are used for boxes and put my glass cups in there.. instead of dealing with "newspapering" them all. GENIUS! (we are moving maybe a mile away so this works well for short distances..)

Well I picked up a few and then realized I could put all my shampoo and body washes in there as well, and they won't tip over and spill like in a normal box..

And then, even further, I was trying to figure out how to move my tall seasonings and sauces (i.e. marinades, vegetable oil, hot sauces, vinegar, etc.) and used a box for that, too!

So here is a moving tip for you folks that aren't moving a long distance, pick up some of these boxes at your local liquor store, and some regular boxes as well.

Happy Moving!

 The pooch is less than pleased about the mess that moving has created. ;) 

-Ash

A great graph on Vegan/Vegetarian protien

So PETA (people for the ethical treatment of animals) created this fantastic picture chart of a Vegan diet and where you get your protein. Hard to see? You can find it here in bigger scale: Vegan diet chart

This photo is property of PETA, I'm just relinking it :)

Now I'm not Vegan, but am working my way towards it slowly. I just bring this chart to your attention because I love the comparison on protein, calcium, iron, omega 3, and more. When you give up meat, and animal products for that matter, people always ask two things. 1.) what do you eat? and 2.) Are you getting enough protein?

I love that this graph shows you that a cup of lentils has (almost) the equivalent amount of protein to a 4oz steak. But let's get real, American's eat TOO MUCH protein, which is why we have an obesity epidemic. Have you ever had the chance to order a 4oz steak? I know I've only ever seen 6oz and above. 

I think it's a great chart to use to see what you should be eating as a veg/vegetarian, and how much protein you need. Enjoy!

Xoxo-Ash

Home made pizza and 5 minute tomato soup

So here am I writing a post with no pictures again.. I swear I have good intentions but don't think about sharing a recipe until I've devoured it. So I'll post pics of what I used instead ;)

This is one of my favorite "poor man's meals", seriously. Such a favorite I ate it all before I could photograph it :(

I've been trying to cook out of my pantry this week, and not to go to the store (more on that separately).. and I knew I could make a pizza because I had crust, sauce, and some veggies.

I like to use this Betty Crocker crust because all you do is add water, and it's about $1 at my grocery store. I tend to stock up on them, because oddly pizza is a great way to clean out your fridge (think half an onion, half a bell pepper, a few mushrooms. You get the point..)

p.s. the "24 pack" is via google search, you just need one bag to feed two hungry people :) 

So while I planned to make a salad for the side, we were lower on spinach than I thought, so I decided to whip up tomato soup out of the left over sauce for the pizza. I grabbed a jar of H-E-B Marinara (but any jar or home made red sauce will do)..

Note: be careful what jar pasta you use. They are FULL of sugar, I think I chose this one because of the low sugar count (3g vs much more in others)

So, here's the skinny:

Home made pizza and quick tomato soup

Pizza:

Ingredients:

Any pizza crust (I like Betty Crocker)

Any jar or home made red sauce, 1 cup for pizza, save the rest for soup

Any cheese (mozzarella or pizza blend is best, I used pizza blend and some feta I had on hand)

Veggies of your choice (onion,mushroom,spinach,bell pepper, olives, pineapple, banana pepper, etc)

Prepare crust using package directions. I bake mine for 10-15 minutes on it's own, then pull it out of the oven. Add 1 cup of sauce to pizza crust, then cheese, then raw chopped veggies. Bake for another 10 minutes until cheese has melted and crust is firm. 

While you are awaiting your pizza, start your soup.

Quick tomato soup:

Ingredients:

Remaining jar of red sauce

a pinch of brown sugar

milk or cream

herbs such as basil, parsley, oregano

Directions:

Put red sauce and fresh or dried herbs in food processor and pulse until smooth and soup like consistency. Remove and place in small saucepan. Add milk until desired consistency (I probably used 1/4 cup), add a pinch of brown sugar, and salt to taste. I also add lots of black pepper. Heat through, then serve immediately. 

I'll leave you with this rad pic I found via google searching pizza. You're welcome. 

Like I said, I'm a lame-o for not taking pics, but we inhaled it. Next time I'll add pics. This was really thrown together in terms of the soup, so you can adjust it to your liking. I like lots of basil, lots of milk, and lots of pepper. Make it your own last minute creation, and take pride in knowing you can make a meal out of one jar of pasta sauce!

This guy is cute too. "Snappy pizza". I'd order from him for sure. (but lose the pepperoni's dude)

Xoxo

Ash