Tasty Tidbits

This happened this week! It feels so light.

It hasn't been a super hectic week, but we've been working opposite schedules. We're really looking forward to a weekend at home to just be together. Plans involve a long bike ride, some cooking/grilling, spackling the living room, & relaxing on the patio.

I can't believe it's already the end of June. 2013 is flying by! Anyone else feel like that?

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Pineapple yogurt with Mango Granola & black raspberries
• Puffed millet, puffed rice cereal, & corn chex with unsweetened almond milk, black raspberries, & strawberries
• Oatmeal with chia seeds, pb, & berries
• Bananas

Lunches

• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Whole wheat pita with grilled zucchini, mushrooms & onions
• Mega salad with roasted sweet potato, roasted beets, red onion, cashew cheese, & almond butter dressing
• Cabbage slaw
• Katie's Melty Pizza Hummus with rice crackers, carrots & celery
• Watermelon & strawberries

Dinners

Saturday:

Out to dinner at Vedge

• See this post for details. It was delicious!

Sunday:
Campfire!

• Pizza mountain pies
• Vegetable foil packets

Monday:

• Grilled portabella caps, avocado, & rhubarb bbq sauce on brown rice tortillas
• Grilled asparagus with lemon
• Green salad

Tuesday:

• Veggie bowls: quinoa, tempeh, broccoli, & cashew cheese with Makers Mark BBQ Sauce 
• Green salad

Wednesday:

• Shredded brussels sprouts with roasted sweet potato fries
• Green salad

Thursday:

• Mega salad - lettuce, spinach, black bean quinoa patty, radish, mushroom, red onion, strawberries, cashew cheese, & almond butter dressing

Friday:

• Avocado & hummus on whole wheat toast
• Green salad

Treats

• S'mores
• Banana soft serve with raw brownies
• The Jigger Shop - CMP Sundae (me) & Sticky Bun Beignet Sundae (Bup) - We went to see a show at the Gretna Theatre, courtesy of my parents who gave us their tickets because they couldn't go. Can't go to the theatre without a stop at the Jigger Shop!

Dining Out: Vedge

Over the weekend, we went to visit a close friend. We had a nice, relaxing day visiting, taking a bike ride, & heading into Philly to dine at Vedge. Vedge is a highly renowned vegan restaurant that we've been wanting to try. It took awhile to find a Sat. night reservation, because it's a popular restaurant.

The chefs take vegetables & make them appeal to vegans, vegetarians, omnivores & carnivores alike. After dining there, I have to agree. We were very impressed with the various preparations of our food. All without any animal foods!

The menu is a little intimidating, so we did ask the waiter a lot of questions. He was very informative & didn't seem to mind at all. The atmosphere was relaxed & comfortable, but yet special, so I think it's a great place to go for either a fun night out or to celebrate. We left feeling very well fed, but not stuffed like I sometimes do after eating out. I'd love to go back in the fall, because they have a side menu that highlights seasonal veggies.

Me:

• Grilled Cocozelle Zucchini spicy mushroom XO sauce, cilantro
• Brussels Sprouts shaved & grilled, smoked mustard
• salt roasted gold beets, avocado, smoked tofu, rye, capers, creamy cucumber
• chocolate mint ice cream

La:

• Brussels Sprouts shaved & grilled, smoked mustard
• wood grilled sweet potato paté, grain mustard, jerk cashews, toast
• braciole: smoked eggplant & cauliflower, italian salsa verde, cured olive
• white chocolate ice cream with coffee salt

Bup:

• Nebrodini Mushrooms as "fazzoletti", basil, olive oil
• saffron cauliflower soup, fennel pollen, green olive persillade
• spicy grilled tofu, gochujang, edamame, smoked miso, yuba cracklin
• Chocolate Über Chunk pretzel-peanut crust, malt custard, stout ice cream

Tasty Tidbits

Last weekend, we attended a wine festival in Harrisburg with some friends. It was fun & a great way to relax on a Saturday evening. We sampled a variety of wines & bought one to have with my mom's bday dinner.

There was a neat covered bridge to walk across that had a sign saying to make a wish & it will come true once you cross. So of course we had to do it!

 

We got some fun pictures before crossing. Cheers!

Apparently I didn't get the "wear a dress" memo. :-)

I did, however, wear my Toms. Have you tried these? They're super light weight, perfect for walking around in the summer. Plus, they actually have some cushion & arch support! I'm in love & want more. Maybe a more colorful pair! I also love that when I buy a pair, they have One for One movement in which they give a pair to a child in need. So cool!!

We're headed down to Valley Forge for some biking & dinner this weekend. It's supposed to be gorgeous sunny weather. Enjoy your weekends - get outside!!

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Pineapple yogurt with Strawberry Almond Coconut Granola
• Puffed millet & puffed rice cereal with unsweetened almond milk & strawberries
• Oatmeal with peanut butter
• Bananas

  

Lunches

• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Mega salad with snap peas, chickpeas, almonds, & strawberries - Our garden is producing lettuce that's out of control, so we're feasting on greens. Best time of the year!
• Hummus with blue corn chips & carrots
• Watermelon, pineapple, & strawberries

Dinners

Saturday:
Winefest with friends, then out to dinner on the way home

• Mama Pea's Strawberry Avocado Salsa with organic seasoned tortilla chips, crackers & cheese, & fruit salad (at winefest)
• Grilled veggie panini (me)
• Gnocchis with tomato sauce (Bup)

Sunday:
Campfire!

• Pizza on the grill with Ashley's Rhubarb BBQ Sauce, onions, mushrooms, asparagus, & pineapple

Monday:

• Stir fried rice with snap peas - Similar to this, but with The Heat is On Peanut Butter in the mix. Have you tried that pb? It's great for making peanut sauce & mixing into stir fries. Be warned, though - it's quite spicy!
• Green salad

Tuesday:

• Grilled tempeh with Ashley's Rhubarb BBQ Sauce - We're loving this bbq sauce. It was surprisingly easy to make & it's full of flavor.
• Grilled zucchini with cashew cheese
• SpoonForkBacon's Roasted Radishes - I read about these & had to try them right away. Roasting takes that sting out of the radish, but they were still crunchy. So good!
• Green salad

Wednesday:

• Mega salads - lettuce with roasted sweet potato cubes, leftover roasted radishes, almonds, mushrooms, spring onions, & strawberries, drizzled with balsamic vinegar

Thursday:
Mom & Pops over for Mom's bday

• Sourdough cornmeal tortillas
• Black bean taco filling
• Salsa, guacamole, cheddar cheese & shredded cabbage
• Green salad
• Lime birthday cake

Friday:

• Mega salads - lettuce with chickpeas, cashew cheese, leftover roasted radishes, almonds, mushrooms, spring onions, & strawberries, drizzled with balsamic vinegar

Treats

• Lemon poppyseed blueberry cake - Mom made this for a picnic & shared a few slices of the leftovers. It was delicious!
• Strawberry shortcake topped with fresh strawberries & Angela's Coconut Whipped Cream

Tasty Tidbits

This past week was very un-June-like. Lots of rain & cooler days. We're loving it, because it's like the weather in the northwest, so we're pretending our vacation is extended. :-)

Tink went crazy during the thunderstorms on Thursday morning. She was racing up & down the halls, jumping all around, & generally being chaotic. Crazy cat! It was her first real thunderstorm, though, so she was freaked out.

We appeased the cat by letting her come out to join us by the campfire last weekend. She sits at the window & paws at it when we're outside, so we feel bad. We're considering getting a leash so she can be out with us on her own. I think she'd like it.

We took a nice bike ride & then came back to relax outside. I'm trying to rush around less (ask me how that's going! ha!), so I've committed to spending more time on our patio this summer. Plus, we're not going to the beach & I'm pasty white. This should help.

My view of the kiwi plants while lounging on the patio. I think we should get a bunch this year, unless the birds beat us to them. We can't wait. Currently, we're gorging on strawberries & snap peas. They're both delicious!

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Pineapple yogurt with Strawberry Almond Coconut Granola
• Ashley's Rhubarb Berry Baked Oatmeal - I don't like my oatmeal to be sweet because I like eating it with banana + pb, so I didn't add any of the sugar. I was a little worried because rhubarb is very tart, but it works out perfectly!
• Bananas & crunchy pb

  

Lunches

• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Hummus with rice crackers, carrots & celery
• Watermelon & strawberries

Dinners

Saturday:
Campfire!

• Tofu dogs on potato buns
• Veggie foil packets with onions, mushrooms, garlic & jalapenos
• Green salad
• S'mores!

Sunday:

• Adrianna's Spicy Black Bean Cakes (leftover from Fri. night)
• Mama Pea's Strawberry Avocado Salsa with organic blue corn chips & rice crackers

Monday:
Dinner at Mom & Pops'

• Eating Well's Grilled Portobellos with Chopped Salad - While the recipe promised a quick dinner, this was a bit labor intensive. It was totally worth it though! So much flavor!
• Roasted red pepper & eggplant hummus with rice crackers
• Green salad

Tuesday:

• Eating Well's Thai Red Curry with Vegetables - We loved this! Plus, it was easy to make. Next time, we might try to increase the broth & make it more of a soup.
• Brown rice noodles
• Green salad

Wednesday:

• Eating Well's Snap Pea & Quinoa Salad - This looked so good, but was just ok. It was perfect to make ahead of time for a quick dinner, but I don't think I'd make it again. There are too many other great recipes out there!
• Chili & Lime Pistachios

Thursday:

• Eating Well's Roasted Garlic & Asparagus Salad
• Corn tortillas
• Green salad

Friday:

• Pizza with gluten free brown rice crust
• Green salad

Treats

• Chocolate Strawberry Frozen Yogurt Bars
• Katie's Chocolate Strawberry Truffle Pie (leftover from Fri. night)
• Banana soft serve

Tasty Tidbits

Home again, home again...though we got home mid-week last week, this was the first full week back to the normal routines. Last weekend, I traveled to western PA to visit Jen & go to my cousin's fiance's bridal shower. The time flew by & next thing I knew it was Monday again.

Jen made us some very yummy "spa water" with cucumber, lemon, & mint. It was super refreshing!

It's strawberry time at last! Our first picking (on Monday) yielded 3.5 quarts & we've been getting almost that much each day since! We're having no trouble keeping up with eating them. I've been waiting for this ever since last year.

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Pineapple yogurt with Pinepple Coconut Granola
• Puffed rice & puffed millet cereal with strawberries, bananas & almond milk
• Ashley's Strawberry Rhubarb Buttermilk Upside Down Cake - Ok, technically this is not a breakfast food...but we decided it should be! :-)

  

Lunches

• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Easy Three Bean Salad
• Hummus with rice crackers, carrots & celery
• Watermelon & apples 

Dinners

Saturday:
Out for Mexican with Jen

• Spinach quesadilla
• Steamed veggies
• Mexican rice

Sunday:

• Leftovers - brown rice, steamed broccoli, & baked sweet potato bowl

Monday:

• Black bean quinoa burgers on homemade buns
• Mango & avocado salsa
• Grilled asparagus, mushrooms, & onion
• Green salad

Tuesday:

• Veggie stir-fry (broccoli, asparagus, onions, & mushrooms)
• Brown rice
• Green salad

Wednesday:

• Grilled portabella caps
• Grilled zucchini & onions
• Grilled sweet potato
• Green salad

Thursday:

• Whole wheat rigatoni with tomato sauce
• Green salad

Friday:

• Adrianna's Spicy Black Bean Cakes
• Mango guacamole
• Green salad

Treats

• Fresh strawberries with Angela's Coconut Whipped Cream
• Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp topped with banana soft serve
• Katie's Chocolate Strawberry Truffle Pie - sooooooooo good!
• V.K Rees Photography's Vegan Cookie Dough Bites - I made these to freeze for future banana soft serve "blizzards," but we had to have several samples! They're made from chickpeas, but before you cringe, you totally can't tell. Try them!

Easy Three Bean Salad

 

Here's a perfect kick-off to summer recipe for you! It's healthy, filling, & delicious.

 For those of you with plenty of potluck picnics to attend, this is just the thing to bring. It can be eaten cold or at room temperature. No mayo or eggs to worry about spoiling in the heat.

It's also very easy to make & suits many allergies/dietary restrictions. It's vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, & dairy-free! What more could you want from a simple side dish? You can even make it a quick weeknight dinner by pairing it with a green salad and some hearty bread.

My mom made a lot of bean salad when I was growing up. She's the one who gave me this recipe, but I made a few tweaks. The main change was to take out the green beans. They aren't my favorite veggie, so while I do enjoy green beans in some ways (like grilled!), I don't like them in bean salad. However, if you are a green bean lover, feel free to add in about 1 cup of lightly steamed 1 inch pieces.



Easy Three Bean Salad
Serves 8-10

1.5 c cooked kidney beans (or 1 15 oz. can, rinsed & drained)
1.5 c cooked chickpeas (or 1 15 oz. can, rinsed & drained)
1.5 c frozen lima beans, thawed
1/2 of a yellow or white onion, minced finely
1/2 of a green bell pepper, diced finely
1/3 c sucanat or coconut sugar (or substitute with brown sugar)
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 c apple cider vinegar

Mix together all three kinds of beans, onion, bell pepper, sucanat, salt, & pepper. Pour apple cider vinegar over mixture & stir until coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving to allow flavors to meld. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Note: This salad lasts quite awhile when covered & stored in the refrigerator. I like to make a batch to go with lunches & it's perfect for 2 people for at least a week.

Tasty Tidbits - Northwest Edition!

We spent the last week walking & eating our way around the northwest! It was a wonderful trip, full of flavor, family, & fun. We flew into Seattle on Tuesday, then on Thursday we headed down to Portland to stay with my aunt. The weather was pretty good - rainy, but also some days with lots of sun. The visability was poor, so we didn't see the big mountains on the horizon, but we were able to spend some time at the coast and in the Columbia Gorge.

I'm so impressed with the environmental awareness in both Seattle & Portland. There were signs on trees & ordinances that prevent them from being cut down. Stores were promoting the use of re-usable bags, to the point that the Seattle city has laws against handing out plastic bags. It really seems like people are aware of what we're doing to our earth. Plus, healthy eating options are everywhere! We took advantage of many vegan restaurants, as well as the veg options at other places. It was so exciting to have an entire menu to choose from, instead of 1 or 2 items on a menu.

Tuesday:

Dinner at the top of the Space Needle!

• Mixed Baby Greens salad with rogue creamery blue, huckleberry vinaigrette, gala apple, salted caramel pecans
• Mushroom Bisque
• Seasonal Vegetable Gateau (saint andre, herbed bechemel, root vegetable dust) with roasted sunchokes

Wednesday:

Breakfast at Portage Bay Cafe

• Vegan Maple Cornmeal pancakes topped with fresh berries
• Classic Portage Bay pancakes topped with fresh berries & peaches

Dinner at Brouwers

• Pommes frites with curry ketchup
• Beet and Endive Salad - Boiled red beets, Belgian endive, toasted pecans, California chèvre over a bed of mixed baby greens with balsamic vinaigrette
• Brouwer’s Salad - Baby spinach & red onions tossed with our dijon-sherry vinaigrette. Topped with toasted hazelnuts and gorgonzola.
• Falafel fries

Dessert at Old School Frozen Custard

Thursday:

Breakfast at Mighty-O Donuts (vegan donuts!!)

• Chocolate peanut butter
• Cuckoo for Coconut
• Long john
• Apple fritter

Beer sampler at Deschutes Brewery & fresh juice from Portland Juice Press

Rolls from Flying Apron (vegan & gluten free!!)

Lunch at Prasad Cuisine (vegan!)

• Dragon bowl - quinoa, beans, sea vegetables, avocado, steamed greens,
  sesame seeds, scallions & red cabbage with peanut sauce

Dinner at Aunt Beth's

• Polenta with roasted asparagus
• Green salad

Friday:

Lunch at Tillamook

• Ice cream: Fireside S'mores, Tillamook Mudslide, & Strawberry Cheesecake

Dinner at Aunt Beth's

• Mushroom spelt risotto
• Green salad

Saturday:

Hiking followed by beer & snacks at Hopworks

• Roasted red pepper hummus with pita & fresh veggies

Dinner at Bye and Bye Vegan Bar (a vegan bar!!! eek!)

• Veggie Bowl - brown rice, black beans, cubed tempeh with nutritional yeast, broccoli, peanut sauce
• BBQ Platter - beans, sauteed collard greens, bbq tofu cubes, grilled baguette
• Tortilla chips with salsa

Dessert at Salt & Straw (handmade, farm-to-cone)

• Rhubarb Crumble with Toasted Anise
• Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache
• Chocolate with Gooey Brownies

Sunday:

Lunch at Canteen (vegan!)

• Verde juice (kale, parsley, celery, cucumber, lime)
• Portland Bowl - quinoa, black beans, baked maple tempeh, NW sauce, kale, carrots, chopped Oregon hazelnuts
• Super Veggie juice (kale, celery, cucumber, carrot, beet, garlic)
• Bangkok Bowl - avocado curry & red curry peanut sauce, long brown rice, aduki beans, broccoli, red cabbage, kimchi, black sesame seeds 

Dinner at Aunt Beth's

• Whole wheat penne with roasted butternut squash, chard, & mushrooms
• Green salad

Monday:

Late lunch at Fish Tale Brew Pub

• Vegan Wrap - Hummus, grilled onions & mushrooms, tomato, avocado, shredded carrots & spinach in a spinach-herb tortilla
• Portabella Burger - Marinated Portabella cap, zucchini & yellow squash w/chopped organic basil, goat cheese & mixed organic greens on a fresh herb bun