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Try saying that five times fast! I’ve been on a hemp-milk smoothie kick for the past week, but up until today the smoothies have been pretty boring – just bananas, yogurt and hemp milk. I decided to play mad scientist today in my kitchen and throw some other ingredients into the smoothie, resulting in the masterpiece that I’m now slurping down.
Last week, I was using my beloved Wallaby yogurt in my smoothie, but the store I shopped at yesterday was sold out of the vanilla Wallaby, so I bought low-fat, plain Stonyfield Organic yogurt instead. The Stonyfield is probably better as a base anyway because it’s thicker than the Wallaby. And I enjoy eating Wallaby too much anyway – it’s better to save it for savoring by the spoonful (I end up eating half the tub while making the smoothie). I also bought some blueberries yesterday because everywhere I look, there is a news story about their antioxidant punch (and I’m a sucker for nutritional advice).
A couple of spoonfuls of yogurt, a pour of hemp milk, some crushed ice, one small banana, a handful of blueberries, a few drops of vanilla, some sprinkles of cinnamon, and I’ve got a smoothie masterpiece. I was wondering how the cinnamon would mesh with the blueberries, but they actually taste quite nice together.
I’m also really happy with the hemp milk I’ve been using: Hemp Dream. You may remember that I tested out a different hemp milk a while back and was disappointed to learn it contained carrageenan. Hemp Dream is carrageenan-free. And, it is overflowing with nutrients, so using it as a smoothie base is a great way to load up on vitamins. Of course, if hemp milk is too wacky for you, milk, soymilk, rice milk, or almond milk work just fine.
Greek yogurt is all the rage lately. It’s all over the place – today on The Doctors, they even suggested substituting Greek yogurt for sour cream. I’ve heard tons of recommendations for the stuff and have tried it several times, but I just can’t get into it. It’s too thick and tangy for me. My mouth is uncomfortable while I eat it, and I’m not a fan of the taste. I bet it’s good in smoothies though – it probably gives them great thickness.
Anyway, I’m on my own yogurt craze, and it’s over Wallaby yogurt (http://www.wallabyyogurt.com/). This yogurt is Australian-style yogurt, but it’s made in the US. The yogurt doesn’t use gelatin to add thickness (woohoo for vegetarians) and instead uses a special cooking process to achieve its consistency. The yogurt is much thinner than any other yogurt I’ve had, but it’s still creamy. I’m actually a big fan of the lighter texture. In terms of taste, the yogurt isn’t artificial and sugary like a lot of yogurt out there – it’s subtly sweet. And, it’s organic, so that is a big plus! Another added bonus? This yogurt packs iron (at least the flavors I’ve tried do – I haven’t checked the label on every flavor though), which is great if you’re a vegetarian (or anyone really) looking to balance your nutrition!
My favorite of the ones I’ve tried so far is the low-fat vanilla. It is by far the best yogurt I’ve ever had – tasty, creamy, light, and delicious. It feels like an indulgence, and I always find myself scraping the bottom of the container. If you see some in the grocery store, check it out, and let me know what you think!
I love reading the health section of CNN – my eyes always zone in on that section to see the headlines. Yesterday I noticed an article discussing increased mortality rates for people who eat animal-protein-heavy diets (http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/06/animal-based-protein-diets-increase-mortality-rate/). The article didn’t shock me – I’ve read up on the health benefits of a more plant-based diet and believe that the best diet is probably one based on vegetables, whole grains, and fish. I also believe in the idea of everything in moderation – if you like steak, have a steak, but don’t have it everyday.
That said, I choose to follow a strictly vegetarian diet. I stopped eating meat a few years ago, and I weaned myself off fish several months ago. While I know I’m missing out on the great omega vitamins in fish, I’m also avoiding the mercury. I know that with a balanced diet, I can achieve healthy eating and give my body everything it needs. And studies like these confirm that I’m not crazy – that plant proteins are just as valuable as animal proteins.
The problem is, I get a lot of slack for being a vegetarian. You would think I tell people that I eat pizza, white pasta, deli meat, fried foods, sugary snacks, and soda all day. When people learn I’m a vegetarian, eyes grow wide and lecturing begins – how will I get protein, iron, all of the vitamins I need, blah, blah, etc? It’s just not healthy to eat like that . . .
Sometimes people are truly concerned, and that is fine. If you don’t understand how to balance meals properly, you might think veggie-only eating is going to result in nutrient deficiencies. The thing is, becoming a vegetarian has made me so much more aware of what I eat. I scour labels, read tons of articles, and search for foods that are going to provide me with appropriate nutrients and vitamins. Protein isn’t just in chicken – throw kidney beans in your salad, add a big dollop of hummus to your meal, make a black-bean and brown rice burrito on a whole wheat wrap, slurp on lentil soup, eat whole wheat breads, have some organic dairy products (I’m not vegan), munch on a potato with broccoli on the side, pour a bowl of cereal, nosh on some nuts, blend an organic yogurt-based smoothie, heat up some oatmeal . . . need I go on? It’s all about researching your food and making smart choices. The same goes for iron, calcium, and other vitamins you need.
I look at how I eat now and compare to how I ate when I was a meat-eater and truly believe I am much healthier now. Because I’m a vegetarian and have to pay more attention to my food, I have a lot more knowledge about my food now. Armed with that knowledge, I buy more whole foods, balance my meals better, and believe I’m healthier than ever as a result.
Sometimes I have to laugh when people lecture me about being a vegetarian because I see the unhealthy, processed crap they eat. I keep my mouth shut because it’s really none of my business, and I also keep my mouth shut about people being meat-eaters. I don’t care if you’re a meat-eater; I used to be one. Our food choices are personal decisions, and it’s not my place to tell you whether or not to eat meat. So . . . why don’t you back off me too?
Advertising is magical and evil because it makes me eat cupcakes. I wouldn’t say I’m a fool for glossy ads and clever commercials, but if I discover something new that involves sugar, you can be pretty sure that advertisement is gonna snag me.
Chase has been rolling out TV ads lately for its Ink credit card, and the commercials feature a cupcake shop called Sweet Revenge. But, this isn’t any cupcake shop – it also serves wine and beer and provides suggested cupcake-wine and cupcake-beer pairings.
After spending far too long ogling the website (http://www.sweetrevengenyc.com/), I’ve determined that this cake joint is my heaven. And, unfortunately for my waistline (and my legs which will now have to run even longer on the treadmill), Sweet Revenge is right here in NYC.
I definitely will be making my way down to Sweet Revenge soon. I mean I owe it to the blog world to try this something new, don’t I? So, congratulations, Chase. You got me, but I kinda got you too because I completely ignored the credit card part of the commercial. So there.
Today I was missing my usual breakfast companions: bananas and oatmeal. I still have that steel-cut oatmeal sitting around – I made it yesterday out of desperation (it grew on me a bit more). But, today my tiny oatmeal-making pot was in the dishwasher, so I had to be more creative (and I didn’t feel like eating that grainy stuff again anyway).
I looked through my kitchen and found black beans, eggs, and feta cheese – I was being called to make an omelette. I opened my can of Eden Organic black beans (no BPA!), washed the beans, and then combined about 1/3 of the can with two organic eggs. I mixed the egg and the beans and then put the breakfast batter in a frying pan (I did not add any oil or butter).
After unsuccessfully trying to flip the omelette, breaking it into three large pieces instead, I let both sides cook and then moved the “omelette” – a/k/a chunks of eggs and beans – to the plate. I sprinkled some fat-free feta cheese (only 35 calories/serving when you use fat-free) on one piece of egg and then covered that with the rest of the egg pieces to complete my deformed black bean + feta omelette.
I’ve never made one of these before, but I was really happy with the outcome. It was incredibly easy to make, tasty with just those simple ingredients (no need to add anything else), and only around 300 calories! Also, this meal gives a big protein punch: 20 grams. It’s also nice to add ingredients I don’t normally have at breakfast, like beans, to mix things up a bit.
Try it tomorrow for your own breakfast – you won’t be sorry!
I drink a lot of water. I drink it all day; I can’t stop. Vacation can be tough for me sometimes because I don’t have my steady water supply, and I hate buying bottled water. In Europe, there isn’t much of a choice but to buy bottled water. Over there, you’ll have to search high and low for a restaurant that will serve you tap water (we asked and were told they wouldn’t serve it). So, on European vacations, we end up buying a ton of water – while we dine, while we walk around, for the room. The cost of the water really adds up, but I don’t think hubby and I ever noticed it as much as we did on our recent trip to Eastern and Central Europe.
Why? Because everything else was so cheap, water ended up being the most expensive item on our bill. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that I could order a liter of beer for $2, but our water would end up costing us $10 by the end of the meal. Oftentimes, our food would be cheaper than the total cost of water.
Maybe that’s why Czech beer is so amazing – it’s cheaper than water, so people load up on it. It’s like a staple in the diet, so it better be good. Heck, we saw people sipping on huge glasses of beer before lunchtime. At the train station one morning, I saw two different guys open giant cans of beer (breakfast of champions) – and they didn’t look like degenerates either – they looked like everyday guys waiting for the train.
I have to say, the beer was quite good – I indulged in quite a few (very cheap) glasses of the stuff, including at a traditional Czech beer hall. But, I’m just not bad ass enough to give up my water. Yogurt and granola with a side of beer isn’t the way I like to start my day (no offense train station guys). I guess if I started eating hot pretzels and big sausages for breakfast, it would be a different story . . .
I’m sure people go to Hungary and Vienna dreaming of sausage, schnitzel, and goulash. As a veggie chic, I went with a different food dream – cake. I had read that Hungary was famous for its cakes and knew about Vienna’s famous sacher torte (and of course Austria’s amazing apple strudel). So, I made one demand to hubby in both of these places – I will have a cake.
And cake I had! In Budapest, our hotel was close to Cafe Gerbeaud (http://www.gerbeaud.hu/), a well-known cafe, which I read had some of the best Dobos and Esterhazy tortes. Why not try the best, even if it’s a bit touristy? Hubby and I sat outdoors, and I chose the dobos torte – a spongecake layered with chocolate buttercream, complete with a hard caramel topping. This cake was phenomenal. The hard caramel top really added something to it. If you’re ever in Budapest, definitely stop here. If you’re not a cake fan, their ice cream sundaes looked unbelievable – they had a separate menu just for the sundaes. If you are a cake fan, the cafe had a sampler trio of their three classic cakes (dobos, esterhazy, and gerbaud) that I’m sure is amazing – I was eating alone because hubby doesn’t do cake, and I thought three cakes might be a bit much.
When we moved on to Vienna, I once again insisted on “having a cake” (I’m not quite sure why I kept saying “have a cake”). One lazy afternoon, we found ourself up in the wine-country hills overlooking Vienna. We made our way to a town called Grinzing (which apparently is quite touristy, but we were there in mid-afternoon, so it was quiet, and hey, we were tourists) and stumbled into a heuriger (wine tavern) called Hans Maly (http://www.heurigermaly.at/). We sat in an adorable outdoor courtyard and sipped on wine and apple cider. Then, I noticed that they had sacher torte – I had to have a piece. True, this wasn’t from Hotel Sacher so it wasn’t THE sacher torte – but sometimes things are better when made in a small kitchen, away from the hustle and bustle. The cake had a very mild chocolate flavor with a hint of fruit (which I later learned was apricot). It was yummy, and who can turn down a lunch of wine and cake?
So which was the winner? I have to give the blue ribbon to the dobos cake – its rich chocolate taste was scrumptious but not overwhelming, and the crispy caramel was a delicious add-on. Plus, I’m Hungarian, so I guess it should win by default. The sacher torte was good, and the apricot was an interesting surprise, but the chocolate was too dull for my taste (not that I wouldn’t eat it again if I had the chance!).
Recipe week is winding down to a close – a slow close. For my last two food creations, I went for simple. I didn’t feel well yesterday and was quite busy. In fact, I didn’t prepare dinner until 10 p.m. – so an easy meal was key. Today also was a busy day, and hubby and I are going out to dinner tonight (yay for dates!), so I had to do a day recipe. To be fair to myself, when I set the recipe-a-day goal, I had envisioned a 5-day business week, not a full 7 days, so these extra two meals are just bonuses!
Back to the food . . . . Last night for dinner I made quite the gourmet meal – peanut butter + bananas on toasted whole wheat bread. I know – Emeril better watch it. My grandma mentioned this sandwich when we were hanging out a few weeks ago (yea – we hang – we even watch the Bachelorette over chinese take out – my grandma rocks), and I realized I’d never tried it. It was easy, and I had the ingredients, so I figured why not try it. I’m glad I did – it was amazing! The sandwich is a great combination of sweet and basic flavors, and it is immensely satisfying. Plus, it gives you fruit + protein + grains – awesome! I’ve never been a big fan of jelly anyway. Adding non-processed, pure bananas seems like such a better option.
As for today’s meal, I took the plunge with steel cut oats for breakfast. Boiling the water and mixing in the oatmeal, I eagerly awaited this new breakfast treat. Ten minutes later, I sat down and took my first bite and . . . disappointment. I couldn’t believe it. I figured that given how much I love oatmeal, the steel cut version would blow my mind. Instead, I found it grainy and not as filling. Perhaps it was the brand I used (McCann’s http://www.mccanns.ie/p_QuickEasy.html ), but I really like their regular oatmeal, so I’m not sure. Oh well – can’t win them all.
My new recipe challenge continued last night and apparently I didn’t disappoint. I don’t know for sure because I couldn’t even taste the meal I was preparing – risotto amarone. Risotto is traditionally prepared with chicken or beef stock – I made this one with chicken broth for hubby because it was my first attempt, and I didn’t want to diverge too far from the taste to which he’s accustomed by using veggie stock. It looked like risotto amarone, it smelled like risotto amarone, and according to hubby it tasted like it too (and it was pretty darn good) – hooray! I had my veggie chili to keep me company dinner-wise, but next time I might use veggie stock in the risotto so that I can eat it too.
So, how did I make it? I looked on the Internet at a bunch of recipes and cobbled together what I thought would work best (http://www.nextag.com/Cesari-Amarone-Della-Valpolicella-590285832/prices-html , http://www.fox8.com/entertainment/hollywoodanddine/wjw-hollywood-dine-amanda-seyfried-recipe,0,1463840.story , http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/631721 , http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Amarone-Risotto). I left out the onions because hubby doesn’t like them, but if you’re planning on making this, I’d definitely include them if you’re an onion lover. I also didn’t use any beef marrow (yuck). Here is what I used and what I did:
Ingredients: 1 & 1/2 cups of arborio rice, 4 tablespoons of evoo, 4 tablespoons of butter (the recipes called for unsalted – I used smart balance spread, which has salt), 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese, 1 & 1/4 cups amarone wine, 5 cups of chicken broth (I asked hubby to get chicken stock – he brought home broth – worked just fine!), chopped parsley (a teaspoon full), black pepper, 3 pots, 1 wooden spoon.
What I did: Heat the amarone wine on low to warm in small pot (turn off after warm). Heat the chicken stock to a simmer in a separate pot (leave heating).
Warm the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in bottom of the third pot on medium heat. Add arborio rice and cook for 5 minutes (stir entire time). Add half of the amarone wine to the rice and stir until all liquid is absorbed. Start adding chicken broth half a cup at a time and continuously stir until all the chicken broth is done – takes about 20-25 minutes (don’t add the next 1/2 cup until all liquid is absorbed by rice). Add remaining amarone wine and stir until all liquid is absorbed. Once you’re done adding all of the liquid, and it has absorbed, remove rice from heat and add remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and 1 cup of parmesan and stir vigorously. Fold in parsley and add black pepper to taste. Serve right away – risotto does not do well if it stands. Bravo!
A few notes: The recipes said it should take about 20 minutes to add all of the liquid – it took me longer – probably closer to 30 minutes. Get ready to stir for 30 minutes straight when making risotto. You have to keep stirring the entire time – your arm gets a great workout.
The best parts of the recipe: Seeing hubby’s happy face was pretty gratifying. I also got a mini glass of amarone wine out of it, and the apartment smelled of delicious red wine.
What to do with leftovers? Risotto doesn’t stay well overnight apparently. I noticed some recipes for risotto patties (form the rice into patties, dredge in eggs and bread crumbs and cook in frying pan). Hubby won’t be here for dinner tonight, and I can’t eat it because of the chicken, so it doesn’t look like we’ll be trying this out, but maybe in the future!
Cooking is an adventure in my house. My husband basically only eats meat, and I only eat vegetables – our dinners are quite interesting. We can meet in the middle over a steaming bowl of whole wheat pasta with olive oil and garlic, but there are only so many nights we can feast on plain pasta.
Some nights I attempt to cook two separate meals – one vegetarian and one carnivorian (did I just make up that word?). Other nights, I buy hubby a piece of prepared meat from one of the local food stores, or we order out. One thing we’ve noticed between our pasta, cooked meals, and ordering out is that dinnertime is getting boring around here. When a girl’s gotta cook two separate meals, there’s only so much she can accomplish – she needs easy dishes. But, as part of my something new challenge, I want to integrate more recipes into our (well really my – hubby likes his old reliable dishes) diets.
This week, I’ve been trying a different recipe every day. I’m starting the week on Saturday because I make the rules. Saturday was the Christmas-in-July party, so I was whipping up food all day and using a few new recipes and food ideas. I was excited to make stuffed mushrooms for the party – something I’ve never tried but love to eat. I found Giada’s recipe on Food Network (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/stuffed-mushrooms-recipe/index.html) and jumped off from there. I left out the garlic and the mint and added a mozzarella topping (which I put on during the last five minutes of baking). Overall, the mushrooms weren’t bad – cheesier than ones I’m used to, which was a nice change. Next time, I’ll put more mozzarella on top and only let them bake three minutes once the mozzarella is on (some of the mozzarella overcooked). I was surprised how easy it was to make stuffed mushrooms, and now I’m looking forward to trying different kinds of fillings!
Another new recipe I used on Saturday was for pumpkin bread. I’ve made pumpkin cake before, but I couldn’t find that recipe, and I guess there may be a few differences between cake and bread. I whipped up my bread with the help of this recipe: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pumpkin_bread/ . But, I didn’t add walnuts, I used pumpkin pie spice instead of allspice, and I included about 2/3 can of organic pumpkin (more than the recipe calls for). The best part of cooking anything pumpkin is that it makes the apartment smell so yummy!
Sunday was an easy recipe day. In fact, it was more of an idea day. On Saturday, I made small pieces of french bread with olive tepenade toppings. I decided that I should make these a little bigger and make an olive tepenade pizza. I bought a small multi-grain loaf and cut it in half. Then I sliced that half down the middle and covered both sides in Witchcraft olive tepenade (a mixture of green olives and olive oil). I topped the tepenade pizza with organic mozzarella and popped it in the oven at 350 for 10-15 minutes. I liked the pizza so much, I had it for lunch again yesterday!
But, we’re not at yesterday yet. Let’s focus on Monday’s recipe because it was wonderful! On Monday I decided to try a new smoothie idea. I had 1/3 can of pumpkin left, and I figured why shouldn’t I blend that up into a smoothie (pumpkin is super healthy). I added ice, a bit of organic skim milk (didn’t have a milk alternative), a bit of apple cider, the pumpkin, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. I love pumpkin, so this smoothie was like a fall dream for me. If you don’t like pumpkin, don’t try it because it is very pumpkiny. I didn’t have yogurt around when I made the smoothie, and I think that would have added something – the smoothie needed to be a little thicker. I also should have added a little more spice. But, it was still a pumpkin dream.
Yesterday I moved to a dinner-time recipe and cooked up some vegetarian chili. I’m not stranger to making chili, but I haven’t made it in a really long time. In thinking about my chili-making days, I realized that I’m not sure whether I’ve ever made vegetarian chili. I used to make it a lot back when I still ate meat. It’s possible I made a veggie version once, but I didn’t have the recipe, so I searched online and found some help from Martha (http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/vegetarian-black-bean-chili). Chili is easy to make, and once you have the proper ratio of tomato sauce and spices, it really comes down to adding what you want – so I used this recipe more as a guide (and didn’t follow the guide too strictly). Instead of crushed tomatoes, I used 24 ounces (lower than the measurement of crushed) of organic strained tomatoes that were in a glass container (yay for no bpa). I also substituted the two cans of black beans for one can of kidney beans and one can of black soy beans. The black soy beans were a mistake – I thought they were black beans, but I wasn’t gonna throw them out! I wanted to use two different beans for variety. I used Eden Organic beans, which is fabulous because their cans are bpa-free. I also ditched the zucchini and the corn and instead included red, yellow, and green bell peppers. I thought the recipe was easy to follow – although the chopping and cleaning of veggies took longer than the prep time suggests. And, I usually like to simmer my chili for a while – something this recipe doesn’t call for (but I did anyway). I have two complaints about the recipe. One may be my fault. The recipe calls for 1 cup of water, but once I added that, my chili turned from a chunky masterpiece to watery soup. So, I dumped out some of the liquid and kept cooking. Perhaps mine was liquidy because I used strained tomatoes instead of crushed. I’m not sure, but if you use this recipe, be careful with the water. My other complaint is that the chili wasn’t spicy enough – the one tablespoon of chili powder and one teaspoon of cumin was far from enough to add chili flavor. I added more chili powder and cumin to taste, and I also threw in some crushed red pepper flakes, which brought the flavor more to chili rather than a bunch of veggies mixed together. Overall, the chili was great though, and now I have a big pot which will last me several days!
What will I make tonight?
A Little Something New 