Random

Summer is coming to an end for me.

I wish it wasn't so!

This week hasn't exactly been successful as far as recipe sharing goes. Earlier in the week I made a red bean and barley bowl that was definitely blog-worthy. The only problem... I skipped breakfast (tsk, tsk) and made lunch late, so by the time my lunch was ready to eat, I was ready to eat too- not ready to spend time taking pictures of the mouth-watering lunch I had made on a very empty stomach. Don't worry though, I do plan on making this again, and hopefully will find it in me to take 10 extra minutes to snap some pictures.

I also made some doughnuts that I first tried at Lacey's puppy party. They were so delicious and I was really looking forward to using my new doughnut pan as well as eating these sugary little treats. There was a slight problem though. You see, my baking soda and baking powder both come in red canisters. The recipe called for 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder. I bet you can guess what I used instead, because I wasn't paying attention. Lets say they looked much better than they tasted. The metallic after-taste made this recipe a fail. BUT they are a total success if you follow the recipe (found here) correctly.

Tonight, I was excited to try a new recipe, wild rice salad with oranges and roasted beets. From start to finish, this took me about two hours to make. Now, not all of that time was prep-time, but I had to wait an hour for the beets and rice to cook and I had to wait for them to cool before putting the salad together. Basically, I made a big, beet stained mess and all I have is a sub-par recipe to show for it. I ate it, so it wasn't horrible, but it is definitely not blog-worthy, and I will definitely not be making it again. Oh so disappointing, to spend that much time on something that turns out not as expected. It comes with the territory of trying lots of new recipes though!

Remember the green-horned caterpillar we found on our tomato plants? Well, look what Nate found today! EWWWWWWWW!

I think those are it's eggs? The first one we found didn't gross me out like this one did!

Actually, it's probably a good thing I am not sharing a new recipe on here today, because this would probably ruin your appetite. Surprisingly, none of our tomatoes have been eaten, and our tomato plants seem to be fine too. But apparently green-horned caterpillars come with the territory of tomato growing.

I'll end on a little success I actually had. Remember the moon pictures that Nate and I took? I was finally able to get some detail on a moon picture this time! It wasn't full, like last time, but you get the idea.

Hopefully, I've had my share of failures for a little bit. Now if only I didn't have to say goodbye to summer vacation in one week!!

But I guess that comes with the territory of teaching!

Grilled Artichokes

Normally, we boil our artichokes whole and eat them leaf-by-leaf, until we reach the scrumptious artichoke bottom, which is like heaven on a plate. Grilled artichokes were only something I had a restaurants... until Giada (who I am slightly infatuated with) showed me how easy it can be to do it yourself!

Grilled Artichokes
(Print Recipe)
Thank you Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients
2 lemons, quartered
2 large artichokes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or dried rosemary leaves

salt and pepper

lemon wedges and melted vegan butter for serving

Directions

In an 8-quart saucepan, bring 8 cups water to a boil over high heat. Juice the lemons into the water and add the squeezed lemon shells. Using kitchen scissors, remove the thorns from the tips of the artichoke leaves. Cut the artichoke stems to 1/2-inch long. Cut each artichoke into 8 wedges and, using a paring knife, remove the fuzzy choke. Place the artichokes in the pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and steam until the artichoke hearts are tender, about 20 minutes. Using tongs, remove the artichokes and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Drizzle both sides of the artichokes with olive oil and season with salt and teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle with the chopped garlic and rosemary. Grill, cut-side-down, until lightly charred, 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Arrange the artichokes on a platter and serve with lemon wedges and melted vegan butter.

Before the grill:

The grill left delicious char-marks!

Can I just say... oh.my.goodness. I could eat these every night this week. I love everything about them- The garlic & rosemary flavors, the smokiness the grill gives them, the heavenly taste of artichoke bottom you get in every bite... who could resist?

I served these with a simple chickpea salad. I just mixed a can of chickpeas (rinsed and drained) with fresh chopped tomatoes and cucumbers. I drizzled it with 1/4 cup of white balsamic vinegar and added fresh basil, salt and pepper. What an easy and fresh tasting side to compliment these grilled taste sensations!

If you need me, I'll be at the grill.

Every night. Making my new favorites.

 Or at least... in my dreams.

Homemade Milk and Cookies

Today is rainy and dreary. I am actually kind of loving it. We haven't had this kind of weather in so long, it is a nice change. I feel like I have an excuse to spend a lazy day inside, blogging, reading, watching movies, and staying in my yoga pants. I always love a good excuse to stay in yoga pants. Nate is not a fan- but I made it up to him by making almond milk and chocolate chip cookies to enjoy on this lazy day.

The only thing I am not loving about this rainy day, is the terrible lighting for my pictures. So I apologize for the dark shadowy images I may post (although they did start to come out better after some strategizing and light reflecting). Nate heard me grumbling about this as I was shooting in the kitchen... muttering to myself about the different equipment I need to buy so I can take a well-lit picture on a poorly-lit day. Sorry, Nate. Just a preview for the long dark winter ahead of us.

Back to the milk...

and cookies!

This was my first experience making almond milk and I have to say, it is WAY TOO EASY. How have I not done this until now? I did use the Vitamix for it, but I read that a regular blender will work too (which I was not aware of until yesterday).

Almond Milk

Ingredients
1 cup almonds
4 cups of water
Dash of salt

Directions
Soak almonds in about 2 cups of water for 8-12 hours. Put the almonds along with 4 cups of water total (the soaking water can be used toward the 4 cups) and salt in a blender. Blend for about 1-2 minutes. You can use the almond milk just like this, but for a smooth texture, strain the milk through cheese cloth. This takes awhile, so secure the cheese cloth with a rubber band, around the container you are straining it into. Then you will have your freshly made, pure almond milk!

Note: This almond milk will separate in the fridge so give it a quick shake and then it will be ready to drink!

If you prefer sweetened almond milk, add a few dates to the mixture (2-6, depending on your desired sweetness). You can also add the scrapings of one vanilla bean or a teaspoon of vanilla extract, for vanilla almond milk. For step-by-step pictures of making almond milk, look here. There are also other variations of almond milk recipes on the same page.

Then enjoy, with a fresh batch of cookies!

The cookies I made are from the new Peas and Thank You cookbook! These cookies have half the amount of sugar and butter compared to most chocolate chip cookies I have made, so I was a little leery of how they might turn out. I have to say, they certainly did not disappoint! I love that they still taste like a cookie (a light, somewhat fluffy cookie) but they are much better for you than a traditional chocolate chip cookie.

If you are not a Peas and Thank You blog reader yet, her blog is quite entertaining... funny, witty, and full of cute stories and yummy recipes. Her cookbook is the same way- Every recipe comes with a story, which is a nice change from your everyday cookbook. I have had her cookbook for 2 days now and have read almost all the stories that go along with the recipes. She cracks me up... as Nate and Lilly are both well-aware. Sorry, Nate and Lilly.

One more "sorry Nate" for today. Here is a picture of him pointing at the crazy lightning storm we were having. I think he was scared that he was going to get hit by it. So he came inside and I gave him a cookie.

Tofu Lettuce Wraps

I went through a phase a while back when I was obsessed with tofu lettuce wraps. It all started because I had PF Chang's vegetarian lettuce wraps for the first time and couldn't believe I had missed out on them all those years. I made so many different recipes trying to mimic PF Chang's lettuce wraps, but I never could quite get it. I finally realized that there are still plenty of fantastic lettuce wrap recipes out there, even if they don't taste exactly like the ones I was trying to copy. I couldn't get enough... or so I thought- I made them so much I had to take a break. As my dad would've said, it was too much of a good thing. So I haven't made them in a while... until tonight.

This recipe is a combination of many lettuce wrap recipes I have made. It is delicious, but I don't claim that it tastes exactly like PF Chang's recipe.

Tofu Lettuce Wraps
(Print Recipe)

head of iceberg lettuce
1 block extra firm tofu, pressed, diced in small pieces
1 tablespoon tamari (or soy sauce)
1 8-oz can water chestnuts, finely diced
1 small onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
1 teaspoon sesame oil
additional soy sauce, to taste
sweet chili sauce, for dipping

Directions
Preheat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Spray with non-stick spray, add tofu and cook for about 10 minutes, flipping with a spatula occasionally. Midway through, add 1 tablespoon of tamari. Remove from pan and set aside.
Saute the onion, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes, until the onion is soft and browned. Add the mirin and let cook for another 3 minutes. Then add the water chestnuts, hoisin sauce, yellow mustard, and sesame oil. Stir and let cook for another minute. Add the tofu and gently stir. Add additional tamari if desired. Remove from heat. Serve with the iceberg lettuce leaves (stuff the mixture in them like a taco) and sweet chili sauce for dipping.

Other add-ins I have tried that you may like too: Diced red peppers, diced shitake mushrooms, onion powder. Any of these could be added along with the onions to saute at the same time.

If you don't know how to press tofu, here is how I do it.

This process helps remove the water from the tofu, and firm it up even more. Slice the tofu and place it between absorbent towels. Top with something heavy and wait at least 15 minutes.

I served these lettuce wraps with brown rice. I added sauteed onions, garlic, and ginger to it, along with cooked peas and a few dashes of soy sauce.

I loved this return of the lettuce wraps into my menu... I will however, try not to make them every single week, sometimes twice a week, until I get sick of them again.

Have you ever made a recipe over and over until you had too much of a good thing?

White Bean and Artichoke Salad

Is it really August already? It feels like it was June yesterday. The summers especially fly by for me, since I am a teacher and on summer vacation. Vacation days are always shorter than work days. To celebrate the flavors of summer today, I made this bean, veggie, and herb salad. Simple summer flavors come together so easily when you have just completed your grocery/farmer's market shopping for the week. I had a hard time deciding what not to put in this, I could've easily thrown it all in there! I limited myself though- must keep it simple- must save some veggies for the rest of the week.

The cucumbers I used are called lemon cucumbers. I got them from the farmer's market because they looked interesting. They look kind of like a yellow tomato, but taste similar to a regular cucumber, with a little more crunch. Any kind of cucumber would be good in this salad.

White Bean and Artichoke Salad
(Print Recipe)

Ingredients
2 can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 jar artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped (I used the water-packed ones, with stems included on them)
1 red pepper, diced
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar (you could use regular balsamic instead)
3 tablespoons regular balsamic vinegar
1/2 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper to taste
Baby arugula leaves

Directions
Combine all ingredients except arugula, stir gently, cover and chill for several hours to let the flavors blend. Serve over a bed of baby arugula leaves.

I love the light peppery bite the arugula adds to the dish. You could easily add/take out any veggies in here- just use the basic ingredients: white beans and artichokes, then create your own favorite flavor combinations!

August, please hang around for awhile.

DIY Household Cleaners

Call me crazy, but I have decided to make my own household cleaners. Not all household cleaners... yet. Just a few simple go-to cleaners that I will use fairly often. There are several reasons to make your own cleaners- they save money, they are better for the environment, they are not tested on animals (I picture those poor bunnies getting strong chemicals put in their eyes. Seriously, why are they still doing that?) and there are no harsh/toxic chemicals involved that can harm you when you breathe them in. Oh, and they actually work! I am sure there are more reasons, but those are the reasons that pushed me to make my own. These are the three cleaners I made today.

The ideas I used today all came from here and here. There are other cleaning product recipes on those websites too, that I may try in the future. Look who came right over and posed when I was photographing these cleaners. I guess she is used to being the center of attention in my pictures.

Here are all the ingredients you need to make these and several other cleaners for your home.
UPDATE: Arm and Hammer tests on animals! If you are going to make these recipes, see if you can find an alternative baking soda brand!

Borax was the only thing I had never used before- you can find it in the laundry section. It has TONS of cleaning uses listed right on the box. The baking soda and vinegar were also in the laundry aisle. I got my pure-castile soap at Trader Joe's and my lavender essential oil at EarthFare- most health food stores should have both of those products. You can choose any essential oil you like the smell of. I love the scent of lavender and it is supposed to have a calming effect when you breathe it in. It is also a natural antibacterial oil. Who wouldn't want that? Tea tree oil is another great option- it cleanses and disinfects. My house currently smells of lavender right now and I am loving it.

Really the only other things you will need are measuring cups, measuring spoons, spray bottles, and a funnel.

The first thing I made was the antibacterial spray. This is the easiest thing ever.

Mix 1 cup of water with 20 drops of lavender essential oil. Put in a spray bottle. That's it! Lavender is very high in linalool which is naturally an antibacterial. I sprayed this on my couch instead of Febreeze (which I recently found out, tests on animals). I am also washing our sheets today so I sprayed in on the mattress. Maybe it will make me feel more calm when it is time for bed :)

The next thing I made was the all-purpose cleaner. I mixed 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon pure-castille soap, 2 tablespoons vinegar, and 1 and 1/2 cups of water. I used it to clean my counters and computer desk. It worked perfectly. The pure-castiile soap gives it a nice peppermint scent. You could also add a few drops of your favorite essential oil.

Lastly, I made the scouring powder. I mixed 1/2 cup salt, 1/2 cup Borax, and 1/2 cup baking soda. I used it to clean the sink and it came out just as shiny as when I have used any other product. I made a small recipe because I was almost out of salt- double the recipe if you want to make more at once.

And that's all there is to it! If you are interested in finding out what products do and don't test on animals, there is a list here. If you don't know much about animal testing, try googling it. I have read several articles that I should have bookmarked so I could share them. One short article to start with can be found here- this article mentions the Draize Eye Test- that was enough for me to realize that this is something I DO NOT want to support. I just think it is completely unnecessary to torture animals for things such as cosmetics and cleaning agents- there are so many companies that don't do this and I would much rather support them. I only recently actively started seeking out non-animal tested products (Don't worry, there are tons out there!) I used to not buy products if I somehow happened to know they tested on animals, but I didn't actively look into it. One of the many reasons I love trader Joe's- their little section of cosmetics/cleaning agents are all certified cruelty free! No animal testing at Tj's (no GMO ingredients in their food items either... thats for another blog though).

I'll step off my soapbox now... I am certain that so many people are not aware that this is even going on, so I wanted to let my small little blogger world know... it might strike a cord with a few of you. If not, I tried :) I promise I will keep posting yummy recipes for you to come back for.

On that note: Look what I get to use for a month!!

A Vitamix!! If you haven't heard about these, they are amazing (from what I have read). This is a SUPER POWERFUL machine that can make everything. Pretty much. Nate has a friend from work who has TWO in her home right now because her son is home from college. SO she was nice enough to let us borrow one! The first and only thing I have made so far is mint chocolate chip ice cream (made from almond milk).

I am also looking forward to juicing with it. If anyone has a favorite Vitamix recipe they would like to share, I'd love it! I look forward to all the yummy things I will make. Then I am sure I will dearly miss it at the end of August.

I look forward to sharing any recipes that I discover!

Update: Right after I posted this blog, I went to the grand opening of Eco-licous. If you are in the Charlotte area I would HIGHLY recommend this store! It has cruelty-free and eco-friendly products for you and your home. This article describes it better than I ever could. I wanted to buy one of everything!

Quinoa Pasta with Creamy Avocado Arugula Sauce

Tonight I made this wonderful pasta dish, inspired by my favorite chef ever, Giada De Laurentiis.

For several years (probably ever since I started watching Food Network) Giada has been my idol. When I watch Giada at Home, I often jokingly say to Nate... or Lilly, "I wish I could be Giada" (ok, maybe only half jokingly). I used to say the same thing when watching Everyday Italian and Giada's Weekend Getaways. Who wouldn't want to be an amazing Italian chef who lives in a beach house in Santa Monica, has a husband who is a fashion designer for Anthropologie (be still my heart), and an adorable daughter who eats everything you make? I have bought (and saved) every magazine I have seen with her on the cover. I DVR her show weekly, and I have some of her cookbooks (certainly not all though). I watch her show all the way through, even if the episode doesn't contain a single recipe I would ever make. Maybe I have a slight obsession? I love the little clips on the show of her family and friends living the good life on the beach in California. She has my dream backyard. And kitchen. And dinnerware. All perfect for food photographing.

[Source]
If you have watched any of her shows or made any of her recipes, you might have noticed that basically every single one has cheese integrated into it somehow. She is Italian after all. This dish is scrumptious even without the cheese- there were plenty of other flavors to liven it up! I also made it gluten free by using this delicious quinoa pasta. I would highly recommend it!

This is what it looked like before I mixed the avocado cream sauce all together with it.

Quinoa Pasta with Creamy Avocado Arugula Sauce

(Print Recipe)
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients
8 ounces quinoa veggie curls pasta (or 8 ounces of your choice pasta)
1 medium avocado, halved, peeled, and seeded
1 1/2 cups baby arugula leaves
1/2 packed cup fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 1 lime)
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 medium tomato, diced
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted (optional)

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water. Place in a serving bowl.

Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh from the avocado and place in a food processor. Add the arugula, basil, lime juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.

Pour the pesto over the pasta and toss together. Add the tomatoes and almonds and toss together until coated, adding the pasta water, as needed, to loosen the sauce.

Giada always saves her pasta water to use incase the sauce needs to be thinned out a little. I love this trick and do it all the time myself too. The starchy water is a better addition to a sauce, than straight tap water. This was one of the fastest dinners to make, ever. It literally took no longer than the time for the pasta to cook. The sauce was whipped up in the food processor while the pasta cooked.

I love how how healthy, simple, and delicious this meal is. I have submitted it to summer wellness weekends.

Thanks Giada! I bet you never would have guessed you are such an inspiration to a vegan blogger! 

[Source]

Maybe she needs a vegan assistant?