Why oh Why...

do you tempt me sweet chocolate???? My coworker has a basket of candy on her desk and normally it isn't an issue...but today...

Me + crummy, stressful, stupid day + walking by her desk 100 times = Fatty Patty enjoying chocolate

and this:

Ugghhh....hurry up quittin' time! Hope y'all are having better days!

Sunday BBQ

Well, it has been CRAZY lately! With weddings and work revving up, I haven't had time to blog...let along cook! Let's just say, the Fresco Bean Burrito at Taco Bell has been served at my house more than once these past two weeks! So sad, I know...but quick, easy and I don't have to get out of my car to enjoy it!

Yesterday, I was determined to have a nice Easter Sunday BBQ...and that is exactly what we had! Chris put his outdoor grill to work with Veggie Kabobs while I whipped up Baked Beans and Potato Salad. Yum, Yum, Yum!

For the Kabobs, Chris chopped up bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, squash, and tomatoes. After marinating in a little olive oil/salt/pepper/garlic mixture, he popped them on some bamboo skewers and had a good ol' time grillin' outside again. We both thought our investment in a nice outdoor grill was wasted when we gave up meat...we were so wrong!

Now, I'll admit I got a bit lazy with the baked beans. Alicia Simpson has a tasty recipe in Quick and Easy Vegan Comfort Food but it served 12-14 people and I got a headache when I tried to redo the recipe for just two. SO, I found a can of Bush's Vegetarian Baked Beans, popped it open, dumped them in a pot and put it on the stove! I added some garlic, chopped onion, and a little salt/pepper and voila...yum!

I actually put effort forth for the Potato Salad. Alicia's recipe was easy and tasty! I tweaked it a bit, but enjoy!

5 new potatoes (cubed with skin left on)

1/4 cup chopped red onion

2 tablespoons chopped celery (I just chopped up two sticks)

1 cup vegan mayo (if you can't find the mayo and don't mind if it isn't vegan, ranch dressing is a decent sub)

2 tablespoons yellow mustard

1/2 tablespoon sugar

3 tablespoons sweet relish

Salt/Pepper to taste

Paprika to style

Place your potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Boil until tender (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat, drain and let cool completely. Once cool, add the rest of your ingredients (minus the paprika). After moving to your serving dish, sprinkle the paprika across the top for presentation. Best served cold!

After lunch, I can attest that this dish is an awesome next-day leftover!

Spinach Indulgence

Last night Chris and I completely indulged ourselves for dinner...with cheese! I know, I know...not vegan. To save myself from the guilt of cheating, I'm defining myself as a vegetarian with vegan tendencies. I'm not going to make it a habit of cheating but when I do...these are the recipes I'm going to grab:

Creamed Spinach

(source)

10 oz. pkg. frozen spinach
4 oz. cream cheese
1/3 stick butter
Sprinkle of bread crumbs
Salt
Cook spinach according to package directions; drain. Combine spinach, cream cheese, bread crumbs and salt. Place in casserole and bake until hot.
 
 

Cheesy Baked Pasta with Spinach and Artichokes

(source)

 

8 ounces mezzi rigatoni (or other short pasta)
1 14 ounces can of artichoke hearts (rinsed and quartered)
1 9 ounce package frozen creamed spinach, thawed (or just use the recipe above like I did...yum!)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan (1 ounce)
2 cups grated mozzarella (8 ounces)
Black Pepper
 
Cook the pasta according to the package directions, drain and return it to the pot. Heat broiler.
 
Add the artichoke hearts, spinach, Parmesan, half the mozzarella and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to the past and toss to combine.
 
Transfer the mixture to a shallow 2 quart broilerproof baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella. Broil until the cheese is browned in spots (2-3 minutes)
 

Both of these dishes were FABULOUS! I loved creamed spinach, so as you can see I doubled the first recipe so we could enjoy that as well. If you want to have a vegetarian meal that is tasty and relatively healthy, these are your tickets! Chris and I both made happy plates:

By the way, these fabulous turquoise dishes and baking dish are from the Southern Living at Home Collection, which I was able to purchase from my dear friend Anna. Shout out!

Earth Hour, March 27 8:30pm

The WWF annual Earth Hour is this Saturday, March 27 from 8:30-9:30pm. Participation is simple and the impact is huge! All you have to do is switch off your lights at 8:30pm (local time) for one hour. That is it!

Three years ago this campaign began with the goal of making a bold statement about climate change by doing something simple-just turning off lights for one hour. Last year this non-partisan campaign reached nearly one billion people in 4,100 cities and 87 countries! Go online and join the movement today! Check out these awesome pictures from past years...I can't wait to see what happens this Saturday!

Stylin' Out with TOMS!

So I recently purchased a pair of the red classic TOMS. At first I was really apprehensive about the purchase because they didn't seem like the most functional or most attractive pair of shoes....how wrong was I! I now adore them and wear them whenever I can!

To make the purchase more amazing, for each pair of TOMS purchased, a pair is given to a child in need. One for One! What an awesome way to put your purchasing power to good!

Word on the street is that TOMS is coming out with a stylish wedge. I saw a pic in my recent Real Simple Magazine and have already signed up for an alert when they become available for purchase! Can't wait!

Lastly, On April 8th, TOMS is sponsoring "One Day Without Shoes" to highlight the importance of their cause!

What a cool company!

Quick and Easy Veggie Casserole and Garlic Green Beans

Happy Friday!
I survived gallbladder surgery and am living a relatively happier life since! It amazes me what our bodies can now function without...wild! Anyway, Chris has been out of town all week and returned last night around dinner time. So I decided to have something yummy waiting for him when he walked through the door...how 1955 of me, right?
Both of these recipes are based on those found in "Quick and Easy Vegan Comfort Food" by Alicia Simpson. I tweaked them a bit but I adore this book! All of the recipes are SUPER easy and tasty! I highly encourage you to purchase this book, check it out here: www.vegcomfortfood.com

Chris and I ate these both until we were miserable! I hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Veggie Casserole:

1 10oz bag frozen mixed veggies (corn, carrots, and green bean mixture is what I used, awesome!)
3/4 cup veggie stock
1/2 cup couscous
1/2 chopped white onion
2 cups vegan cheese ( I used a vegan mozzarella....yummy!)
Canola Oil
Sea Salt and pepper to taste

Grease a 2 quart baking dish with canola oil and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350.

Bring the veggie stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in the couscous and bring it to a simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed. This should only take about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Put the couscous in a medium size mixing boll and add the other ingredients. Only use 1 1/2 cups of the cheese at this point. Once mixed well, pour the mixture into the baking pan then sprinkle the remainder of the cheese across the top of the mixture. Bake until cheese is fully melted and begins to bubble a bit. Alicia's recipe said approximately 10 minutes but it took me more like 20. I think it depends on the cheese and how well it melts, etc. Just keep an eye on it.

Take it out, let it cool a bit and enjoy!

Garlic Green Beans:

10 haricot verts (green beans), steamed
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped white onion ( I actually just used the remainder of the white onion from the recipe above and I found it to be the perfect amount of onion)
1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat your olive oil in a medium size skillet over medium heat. Add your white onion and sauté for approximately two minutes then add your garlic to the party. Once you notice the two melding together nicely and getting a little soft and browning a bit, add your green beans and salt/pepper. Continue to sauté for 5 more minutes or so and serve hot! So stinkin' good!

On a side note, I just found a recipe in my April Real Simple magazine that I CANNOT wait to vegan-ize! It is a Spinach and Artichoke Baked Pasta...looks yummy in the pics! I'll make sure to take photos of that cooking process!
 
Have a great weekend!

Slacker...

that has been me lately! I have been really sick for the past month or so and I go into surgery this Friday...soooo say it has been a little crazy! My gallbladder is basically quitting so the best thing to do is get rid of it. According to my doc, gallbladder issues are typically irritated by alcohol abuse, fatty diets or family history. Since I'm not an alcoholic, I'm looking at the latter two reasons for my faulty organ! My doc then told me to have a low fat diet until after surgery recovery...when I told me that I cut meat/dairy, he said if I would have done that sooner, this issue might not even be an issue and to keep it up! Good to know now! Pass the word!

Chris and I recently bought some excellent food storage containers at TJMaxx (of all places) that keep veggies and fruit around a little longer. We go home for lunch everyday and we only have an hour so I have been trying to think of something quick, easy and healthy for us to munch on. So I bought a bunch of salad items and made a huge one in the largest storage container we had and now everyday we come home dip in the container for our salad and we are good to go! I really like pretty salads so it is comprised of organic baby spinach, red and yellow bell peppers, carrots, celery, cucumbers, Satsuma slices, roma tomatoes and choice of dressing to spice it up! So tasty and easy!

With little tricks like this, I've already noticed a change in my waistline! I'm loving this new lifestyle!