Tasty Pasta Salad

I made this tasty, tasty pasta salad this weekend for a party Chris and I hosted and WOW...yummy! It was difficult selecting a menu for the shindig but we tried to keep it as vegan friendly as possible. There was definitely a cheese role in some of the dips but the chili (recipe in an earlier post) and the pasta salad were vegan! Check out the recipe from Food Network, that I tweaked a bit:

Garden Pasta Salad
1 (16 ounce) package uncooked spiral whole wheat pasta
1/2 cup grated carrots
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 (16-ounce) bottle Italian-style salad dressing

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling water until al dente. Rinse under cold water, and drain. Mix carrots, celery, peppers, tomatoes, and green onion together in large bowl. Add the cooled pasta and mix together. Pour the dressing over mixture and chill before serving.

I actually doubled the recipe and made WAY too much but it was actually better the next day! Can’t wait to make this again!

Enjoy!

Eating Out..piece of cake!

Before deciding to kick our bad eating habits, Chris and I ate out...A LOT! Fast food, restaurants...basically anything that required almost NO effort on our part! Sometimes is was necessary due to travel schedules, event schedules, etc. But most of the time, it was due to laziness. We have cut eating from a window out quite a bit...but sometimes you just don't have a choice. Here are some options that we have found:

1. Taco Bell's Fresco Bean Burrito
2. Burger King's Veggie Burger (just get it without mayo and cheese)

If you have a little more time and want to sit down to eat, check these out:

1. Chelsea’s has tons of vegan options which are highlighted in their menu
2. Truly Free Bakery (Perkins) has even more vegan options

I know these four are not the only restaurants to check out, but it is what we have found so far. Share more please!

Oh no she didn't!

Let me vent for a second...

Yesterday I went to a restaurant for lunch that I was super excited about because they have tons of veggie options. I ordered a lunch bowl that was basically tofu, veggies and brown rice...right up my alley! It came with two soup options so I asked the waitress to order me the vegetarian soup. When it came, I noticed the tofu and was happy. As I took a few bites/sips of my soup, I munched down on something that felt and tasted a lot like meat. After a better look into my soup, I noticed that there was chicken in it. Awesome. When I asked the waitress about it, she said "yeah, it has chicken in it...it is vegetarian." I had to tell her that no...chicken didn't quite fit that category because it was a MEAT. Appetite be gone! I tried not to make a big deal out of it...but COME ON!

Carrot-Daikon Tea

As pleased as I have been with The Kind Diet...this Carrott-Daikon weight loss tea is for the birds! It took me forever in Whole Foods to find all the ingredients, 30 minutes to grate and brew the tea, and over an hour to chug it down. GROSS! Maybe I made it wrong, so I'm going to try again tomorrow because despite it's nasty smell and taste...I haven't craved anything all day. In fact, had to make myself eat just now because I hadn't all day.

I'm all about loosing weight...but I'm going to have to weigh the pros and cons of this weight-loss tea. Try it for yourself and let me know what you think:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup grated (into a pulp) carrot
1/2 cup grated (into a pulp) daikon
1/4 of one umeboshi plum
1-2 drops shoyu
1/4 Nori sheet, ripped into small pieces (optional)

Bring carrot, daikon, umboshi plum and 1 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Add shoyu and simmer for another 2 to 3 mins. Add nori, if using. Drink hot.

Cold weather treat!

Last night, Chris and I had a few people over to watch the football game and enjoy a cold weather treat...Chili! Entertaining is one of my very favorite things so I was so excited to have them all over and it was extra exciting to share a vegan dish with them too!
For starters, I set out some blue corn tortilla chips with a chunky salsa and some hummus with pita chips...yum! But the star of the show was the following chili recipe that I found on Epicurious and tweaked:

Vegetable Chili

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

6 large garlic cloves, chopped

3 14 1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice

1 4-ouncecan of mild green chilies

3 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 15- to 16-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-16-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 green bell peppers, coarsely chopped

1 14- to 15-ounce can corn, drained

Heat oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and let sauté for about 5 minutes. Add your tomatoes (with juices), green chilies, chili powder, cumin and oregano and cook for about 10 minutes to let those flavors really blend together. Add your beans, bell peppers and corn and reduce the head to medium-low. Simmer until chili is thick, stirring occasionally about 35 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

yum yum! Look at all those colors!

When serving, it is tasty to add some Fritos!

Even my carnivore friends enjoyed! Thanks Anna!

To top off the fun, one couple even brought vegan cookies! They were delicious so I'll have to steal that recipe from her and share soon!
Stay warm and enjoy the day!

Beans, Beans they're good for your heart....

the more you eat them, the more you....gross, anyway, you get the picture.

Being a lady, especially a Southern lady, the passing of undesirables isn't a topic I am comfortable discussing publically. However, with every book and blog I read pushing beans for every meal...concern wins. I found some tips online to combat and prevent the nastiness associated with beans. I've tried almost all of them with surprising success!

1. Skip the convenience factor of canned beans and go for the dry ones. Soak them overnight in water and then chunk it when you are ready to cook them. Make sure to cook the beans until they are soft. If you must use canned beans, rinse and drain them before cooking.

2. When cooking beans, scoop out that foam that tends to build on the water's surface. That seemingly innocent foam is full of gas bubble producers

3. Drink plenty of liquids. This is just a good tip all around.

4. Eat slowly, chew your food thoroughly and don't over eat. Also a good tip all around. My gal pal Alicia (ok, not really....but it is more fun to mention her that way!), suggests chewing each mouthful 30 times become consuming. I have been trying this and you REALLY have to think about it and your jaw will start off sore due to the new exercise. But I noticed that since I have started this technique, I eat a lot slower and less because I get full faster. Hot body here I come!

5. Take a walk after meals. Apparently mild exercise helps with digestion. I'll have to start this technique when it isn't 400 below outside! =)

Anway, last night Chris and I enjoyed leftovers, so nothing new to report! Enjoy the day!

Discovering Daikon

While strolling through the Southside Produce Market the other day, I noticed a white, oversized carrot looking vegetable with a funny name I recognized in a few of the books I had read...Daikon. Since it was only $0.79lb, I grabbed one for experimenting. After a quick Google search for more info, this is what I found out about this magical little veggie:

Daikon is a Japanese white radish that aids digestion and is considered a weight loss remedy in Asia. It contains diuretics and decongestants. So...regular use of daikon helps prevent the common cold, flu and respiratory infections. This restorative vegetable also has anti-carcinogenic properties...which is huge considering so many of the processed products we use and eat daily contain carcinogens! To add to its wonder...certain recipes containing daikon can treat hangovers while promoting weight loss! Ummm....thanks daikon! You are my hero!

Since I have been known to be a ninny, I wanted to try this wonder-veggie in a safe meal. So last night Chris and I had a chunky spaghetti with all sorts of goodness in it! The following recipe is not a culinary masterpiece but we liked it...so enjoy!

Chris and Rachel's Quick and Easy Everything Spaghetti

Whole Grain Spaghetti

Extra-Firm Tofu

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 medium sized yellow onion

1 green bellpepper

1 medium sized daikon

a few garlic cloves

salt/pepper to taste

pinches and shakes of your favorite Italian herbs (we used Oregano, Thyme, Basil, Parsley)

1 jar premade sauce (we used Bertolli's Organic Tomato Basil)

Heat a few tablespoons of EVOO in a large skillet over medium heat. Chop up your tofu into cubes (sized at your preference) and toss them into the skillet. Go ahead and add your Italian Herbs and salt/pepper. The tofu will start to absorb those wonderful flavors! As your tofu works in the skillet, chop up your onion, bellpepper, daikon and garlic cloves. Add each separately to the tofu mix, stirring and allowing all to sauté a bit. Feel free to season as much or as little between each addition as you feel fit.

Look how beautiful it looks here:

Look how much fun Chris is having!

Anyway...

While all the magic is happening in the skillet, you should be multi-tasking with the whole-grain spaghetti noodles in your pasta pot. Once the noodles are to the tenderness of your preference, drain and add your tofu mix with the jar of your sauce.

Stir, let cool a bit, and ENJOY!

(Photo disclaimer: I was about to head to yoga so I look gross!)

As you can tell, we had a blast! Feel free to add any veggies you wish to this dish and I'm sure it will be amazing! It was an easy way to get to know daikon and I can't wait to try it in another dish where it can shine a bit more!

Enjoy the day!

Planning Meals

To make sure all my nutrient needs are met, planning each meal is key. Lots of different books suggest lots of different things but the plan I like the best is in The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone....yes, the Clueless actress. I completely loved her book because it had enough scientific detail to prove her points but I wasn't overwhelmed by it when reading. Plus she looks fabulous and who wouldn't want to look like her! Anyway....she encourages you to plan your meals around whole grains, beans, and leafy greens. When you look down at your plate, 1/4 should be whole grains, 1/4 should be beans, and the remaining 1/2 should be the green stuff! Tons of protein, calcium, complex carbohydrates, vitamins and many more essentials to being healthy can be found in just those categories. Meat isn't the only source of protein and milk isn't the only source of calcium...so no worries!

Last night I put this plan to work with our dinner. We had some tasty couscous, fabulous green beans and the star of the show was some nom-tastic cabbage! Ok....so it wasn't the most aesthetically beautiful plate with only two colors displayed but it sure was tasty!

Now, I did cheat a little last night. Since the decision to become a vegan is pretty recent, Chris and I still have a ton of dairy in the house. I refuse to waste food...even if it is full of toxins and at the cost of beautiful animals. So instead of simply tossing the 2 remaining sticks of butter in our fridge, I plan on using them up and then turning to Earth Balance buttery spread! Last night our couscous had a tablespoon of butter as did our boiled cabbage. So sue me! Despite that hiccup, the plan of the meal was consistent with The Kind Diet and I loved it...and so did Chris!

The Kind Diet has tons of tasty looking and sounding recipes and tips so consider this your warning that you will be hearing more about Alicia's plan! I am super pumped about trying her Carrot-Daikon Weight Loss Tea and her Crispy Tofu Slices with Orange Dipping Sauce! Yum Yum! Check out her website: www.thekindlife.com to beat me to it!

Enjoy the day!

Getting Started!

Being from the South, I was raised to eat...a lot! All of my meals revolved around a meat with the sides soaked in butter, cheese or milk. To take it a step further, I'm from Louisiana so I have tons of culinary geniuses within arms reach and access to boat loads of local seafood. As tasty as all that sounds...I realized it wasn't the healthiest so I began to search for a better way. I feel across the book series "Skinny Bitch" and my eyes were opened to a whole new world. A year and several other books later, I am taking the plunge into becoming a vegan. The reaction I received from my friends and family after making this announcement didn't really surprise me. Some thought it was an interesting life choice, a few even offered support but MOST were shocked and appalled! Again, being from the South, I am used to everyone sharing their opinion because I'm guilty of it too! =)
I'm starting this blog to prove that you can be a proud Southern Belle while making earth-friendly choices and sticking to a plant-based diet. Follow me as I tweak beloved recipes, find great options at local restaurants and simply enjoy life as a Southern Vegan!