Deep Breath!

So I've finished my challenge. I'm finding that it's really flippin' hard to commit myself to something like this AND do crazy school and work hours AND attempt to be healthier.

But no worries, dear readers.

I managed to squeeze in two recipes from the Vegetarian Times cookbook last week....for the same meal....on a Sunday. Hey, it works, right?

#1 & #2 - Pesto Mashed Potatoes & Sesame Broccoli

Wow, this is a sort of lovely picture!

The potatoes basically soaked up the broccoli's juices. It was tasty, but something was missing from both. There's an espresso cake in the Veg Times book that I've been waiting for the perfect opportunity to make, so I'll be making my third recipe....in the future.

This week, I also made my challenge recipes from the Almost No Fat Cookbook for the same meal. I had a long, luxurious time in the kitchen, and I'm happy to say that it was time well spent. Well, except for the third recipe. The first two were delicious and used up sooooo many veggies I had laying around!

#1 - Enchilada Casserole


#2 - Spanish Rice (drowned in salsa)


#3 - (not pictured) tofu sour cream. I don't know what happened here. I think the tofu I bought THAT DAY was bad, cause this was awful. I've made variations of tofu sour cream before, so I know this wasn't supposed to taste rotten!

I have about 2 more weeks of school and then I can breathe and ready myself for the big kid's school. I've got Isa's East Coast Coffee Cake in the oven, variation chocolate chip + strawberries. It smells insane.

Inconsistency.

Sometimes I like to start things with the very best intentions.

Most of the time I falter from the task at hand, feel guilty and then quit entirely.

That's kind of what happened with the cookbook challenge, and always what happens when I try to improve my diet. Honestly, I'm surprised I've stuck with veganism so long. But then again, I stuck with a vegetarian diet for what, 6 years? I love how I eat now.

I'm making 2 recipes from the Vegetarian Times cookbook for lunch today, on the last day, sticking with the challenge in the best way I can.

And starting today, every damn meal will be healthy and in moderation. No more going back for more cereal, no more pasta as the main dish, no more Coconut Bliss as lunch. And I'm quitting alcohol, at least until I can feel I can go a day without having a blasted beer. Jeff has me hooked on yerba mate and it's almost sun-tea season.

But for now, I present some photos I turned in for the the "portrait" assignment in my photo class.
She's such a good model.

Veggies Veggies Veggies

The past two weeks have been a little crazy in our little household. Midterms, speeches and rent have all been due and you know I, the great procrastinator, dutifully put it all off until the last minute.

The challenge was adhered to last week, but not in the order I was supposed to do. And this week? Pssh, nothing. I stick to nobody's rules, not even my own.

Instead of making 3 recipes out of my Weight Watchers book, I made one and then made three other recipes out of The Reader's Digest Vegetarian Cookbook. Let's delve into a couple pictures, shall we?

That's right, I only have two.


#1 - Zesty Chickpeas & Shells


From the Weight Watchers book. I thought it was pretty good, Jeff didn't like the whole chickpeas in it. I may have also thrown in some tempeh that I NEEDED to use up, so there was a double dose of protein in that dinner!

#2 & #3 - Curried Lentil & Vegetable Pilaf with Hot Cajun Wedges

The pilaf is made with coconut milk, so it was incredibly rich and creamy. And SO MANY VEGETABLES!!!! It made a ton of food, so leftovers last week were pretty amazing. The cajun wedges got thrown in there to use up some potatoes and were also delicious. Then again, potatoes are an almost daily occurence here....

Next week I'll be on track with the Vegetarian Times Cookbook. I'm planning on making more than 3 recipes since the book is incredibly large.

Have I mentioned that I got into Portland State for fall term? Uber excited.

Know Your Onion!

The first book in my self-imposed cookbook challenge was Christina Cooks by Christina Pirello. Christina has a cooking show on PBS's Create Channel and focuses on whole, natural foods. As a matter of fact, I have heard her say the word "vegan" only once in the many times I've watched the show, but that's exactly what she cooks! She also introduced me to a family favorite: bok choy. As the blog title (lovingly hand-picked by the Shins) suggests, the recipes I chose were pretty onion-rrific. Not a problem 'round here, at least not usually.

The recipes I chose were exactly what I've been needing since this school quarter started: not full of processed foods (hello, Tofurkey slices!) and full of color. Yum. I also cooked the last recipe up with a special nostalgic dish that I will share at the end of the post. I should also add that while she says the recipes make 4-5 servings, I have a endless appetite as of late and the foods have not lasted more than one day.

#1 - Lentil, Red Pepper and Basil Saute.


I've mentioned before that mushy lentils creep me the hell out. I think I've gotten over that. As you can tell by the photo, these lentils are past the point of mushy and the overall dish was incredibly delicious. The pepper is roasted, but you can't really tell once everything is incorporated, which made me sad. Oh well.

#2 - Asparagus with Blood Oranges and Shallots.

AKA the dish of a million shallots. Seriously, it calls for eight. And if you haven't noticed, those are definitely not blood oranges. Silly me for not grabbing them. Sweet lemons slipped in unnoticed and filled the citrusy gap. The asparagus took a little while longer to get past the "raw" stage but this was so quick and easy to make it didn't really matter. But, you'd better like shallots.

#3 - Baked Onion Slices.

The reason I picked this is for Jeff. The boy is an onion fanatic. Annnnnnd, guess who didn't like it. He thinks it was too sweet and the onions got too soft. I personally loved it and I normally avoid red onions like the plague. We paired this with MYSTERY DISH #1.

MYSTERY DISH #1 - Peachy Not-Chops, adapted from my mother.

My mother is a fantastic cook. Peachy pork-chops is something that was made on very special occasions due to the very high amount of oil called for. I have made the original a handful of times but it's been at least 8 years since I've had it. Since Mommy will be thrilled that I shared this with the world, here you go.

Peachy Not-Chops

4 seitan cutlets (I used the V'CON recipe and while I had an incredibly difficult time getting the damn cutlets to flatten out, it still turned out fine)
1/4 cup flour
3 tbsp canola oil
s & p to taste
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp lime juice
1 lime, sliced (yep, forgot this too...)
1 16oz can sliced peaches (save liquid)

Dredge cutlets in flour and saute in oil in skillet over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes each side. Salt & pepper to taste. Remove cutlets from pan and add curry powder and lime juice. Saute 30 seconds. Pour peach liquid into pan and reduce over high heat 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add cutlets to pan and cook 5 minutes. Dump in peach and lime slices and cook 5 more minutes. Serve with steamed rice.

If you see a dish you'd like the recipe too, it's probably on here. If it's not, I will happily email it all over the world.

Challenges

I've decided to impose a cookbook challenge of my own to up my blogging rate and use books that I don't normally cook out of. I made a list of 5 books that rarely see the light and will cook out of a sixth that will be chosen by random. By random, I mean I will line the books up and see which one the big cat steps on.

My list, as follows:

Christina Cooks by Christina Pirello. When we were forced to switch to digital, I discovered we had 3 OPB channels, one of which carries Christina's cooking show. I haven't been able to catch it lately but watching someone cook vegetables and not much more....sigh.

Take 5, Weight Watcher. Yeah, I bought this the first time I went through the program and I've cooked out of it once? Twice? Anyways, both times have been lovely and most of it is easy to veganize. Well, the stuff that doesn't revolve around meat, but I'll probably veganize one of those!

The (Almost) No Fat Cookbook by Bryanna Clark Grogan. What, you think I should lose weight? 'Cause that's totally not why I picked this one.

The Vegetarian Cookbook. It's Reader's Digest, has pretty pictures and lots of dairy. BRING IT ON.

The Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook. Circa 1995, this thing is HUGE. I haven't cracked it open since scoring it at a vintage shop for $5....

Stay tuned.....