I’m working on something…

I was trying to make barbecued eggplant without using a grill. I have this idea that I can barbecue eggplant in a skillet or frying pan. It hasn’t worked but I’m determined.

What do you think of this?

I was making tempeh, lettuce, and red pepper sandwiches for a while. It was definitely a twist on B.L.T. but without the very mean and bloody bacon. You definitely need some spicy mayo on that and since it doesn’t really fit on the bread it ended up being a wrap. I will have to post this soon. 

I can feel my blog voice coming back. It just took a little writing and a little music to get the creative juices flowing again.

I was being very lazy.

Then when I wanted to blog again my computer decided that it wasn’t going to work consistently. It seems that my screen has decided to usually be fundamentally screwed up. It gets blurry and choppy. It goes dark for a few minutes. It’s generally not fun.

I don’t know about you but I can’t write like that.

Recently I’ve decided that I am getting a mac. I’m using my friend’s mac right now. It’s beautiful. I’m in love.

Today we made some very delicious recipes. Two of them are from Vegans Eat Pencil Shavings. One of them was something I whipped on the fly. We also made bellinis. Those are alcoholic and tasty.

This is Tempeh Souvlaki from Vegans Eat Pencil Shavings. We didn’t eat it like a kabob as the recipe would have liked. We instead turned it into a pita sandwich served with tahini and raw spinach. I took the picture before the spinach was added. OOPS!!!

We also made the Greek-Lemon Potatoes. I made Rosemary-Cilantro Asparagus. We ate a lot and drank many bellinis. I think I am going to take a nap soon.

I hope to be back soon. Until then, I will be updating as much as possible. I’m tired of taking pictures of my food and then not writing about it.

Also, since WIAW is all about sharing, maybe you want to check me out on facebook and click like? Send me an email or tweet so that I can return the favor!

My favorite breakfast was today’s breakfast of just oatmeal with honey and flax seeds!

Oh! It’s blurry. I’m sorry!!! Also, I don’t know if flax seeds are a veg but I love them and they are healthy. I love to add them to oatmeal. Do you like flax?

I love mustard greens.

This is just a veggie that I eat often and enjoy. I like mustard greens because they are super nutritious and very versatile. This week I’ve been eating them with nooch and asparagus. The greens in the photo were sauteed in a wok with broth, green onions, garlic, and shallots. YUM!

Let’s move onto a veg-centric lunch. Are you with me?

This is yesterday’s super delicious lunch. It’s called noochy asparagus pasta and it’s  very unique good. It has tons of asparagus and nooch in it. Therefore, it contains a lot of vegetables though technically nooch is a fungus, but that’s okay, right? Do you like nutritional yeast? Have you tried it?

Noochy asparagus pasta reminds me that I adore asparagus.

Why? It’s high in folate and inulin. Folate helps the body make red blood cells. Inulin is a dietary fiber that helps the healthy bacteria in the intestines. I’m sorry for talking about intestines. Let’s talk about dinner!!!

Dinner was brought to me by my good friend Trisha. It was subsequently left at my other good friend Katy’s house and then returned to me. 

I was happy to get it back because it’s Tempeh Helper from The Post Punk Kitchen. That’s Isa Chandra’s recipe and it’s damn divine. It’s definitely full of vegetables the way Trisha makes it. She used edamame and tempeh!!! Best dinner this week.

Happy WIAW! I’m looking forward to seeing many vegetable-centric posts!

Therefore, noochy is an adjective referring to the quality of being full of nooch or having a lot of nooch present in something that has been cooked. It’s a real word because I made it up. Now onto the good stuff.

This is really easy to make but you have to like this…

Which I really hope you like.

What you need

• asparagus (as much or as little as you like)
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pasta or a little more (per person)
• 3 tbs nooch
• 1 tbs olive oil
• a skillet
• minced garlic (optional)
• fresh cut tomatoes (optional)

How to make it

Prepare the pasta in advance and while you’re doing that cut the asparagus into small pieces like in the picture above. When the pasta is close to finished start to sauté the asparagus in a medium-sized skillet. Saute it for about 3 minutes. I like it crunchy. If you don’t cook it a bit longer.

You have options. When you sauté the asparagus add garlic or any spices that you like. You can also add fresh cut tomatoes. I added garlic and all I can say is that I wanted more garlic. I didn’t use tomatoes.

When the asparagus and pasta are done, add the pasta to the skillet that you used to sauté the asparagus. Stir all of it together well and then add the nooch. Keep stirring until you’re satisfied by the consistency.

Please enjoy!!!

What’s your favorite quick thing to make with pasta???

All thanks goes to Chocolate Chip Uru at Go Bake Yourself!!! Thanks for awarding me. I’m blushing. This is a very sweet award to receive, yes I can almost taste it, and it works a little something like this:

I choose to recognize these people:

• A Tablespoon of Liz
• Ryes and ‘Shine
• Spring of a Curiouseed
• Vegan Goddess

I wish you guys the best. 

Now here are some favorite recent posts!

Sriracha Soy Tempeh Stir Fry with Snap Peas

Spicy Bean and Tomato Soup

Vegan Southern-Style Collard Greens

I guess I have to go do something super bowlish though I don’t particularly care about it. Stay tuned for upcoming recipes. One of which will be for a simple roasted garlic split pea soup. Also, answer me a few questions!

Do you care about the super bowl? Have you ever gotten a blog award? What did you do on this fine Sunday?

Do you want to give it a try? It’s easy and delicious.

What you need

• 2 ounces of tempeh
• half cup of sugar snap peas or snow peas
• buck wheat noodles, brown rice, quinoa, or rice noodles
• 1 tbs canola oil
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• 1 tbs sriracha
• 1 tbs rice vinegar
• a wok or large skillet

How to make it

This recipe serves one. Make sure to have the noodles or rice ready in advance. Make sure the noodles and rice are relatively cool before cooking. I used buck wheat noodles. The final result with buck wheat noodles is not unlike yakisoba! Have the noodles ready to be added to the stir fry.

Mix the soy sauce, sriracha, and rice vinegar in a bowl. Cut the tempeh into small cubes or pieces relatively cube-like. It should like something like the picture below.

Heat the canola oil in a wok or large skillet. Add the snap peas and tempeh once it is hot and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Everything must keep moving so that it will brown slightly but not burn. Then add the noodles or rice and the sauce that you made and stir everything together well. Continue stir frying for another minute or a little more. After that, you’re done! Enjoy!

I enjoyed this delicious lunch with a glass of wine. I was a little hungover unwell from last night’s dinner party. It’s okay to have a glass of wine at 3:30pm, right?

Thoughts

Okay, I didn’t add any garlic or herbs. I should have. I ate this meal and I liked it but I suggest adding some ginger, garlic and shallot or some combination of those during the initial 2 minute frying of the tempeh and snap peas. It’s good but with some herbs it can be better!

What’s your favorite thing to make in a wok? Do you like tofu or tempeh better?

That’s my favorite time of the week. It’s pretty awesome to see what people are eating. It’s also really awesome when WIAW corresponds with a dinner party because it means I can post lots of pretty pictures. Are you ready?

I had to rush out the door in the morning. I was very hungry. I ate a Subway breakfast sandwich because I figured it was healthier than the other options. The other options were traditional fast food which just doesn’t work for me. What about you?

I wasn’t very hungry in the afternoon and my lunch was small so that worked out well. I had rice and beans. I made it with brown rice and of course I slathered it in sriracha and put a little soy sauce on it too. Who likes sriracha?

These people came for dinner. Who are they? I don’t know them.

Now that you’ve seen the inside of my house. Please don’t stalk me.

This is what the soup looks like when it’s cooking. I think the picture is sideways. That keeps happening. Does anyone know why? It’s garlicy split pea soup with dill. The recipe is coming soon. I just need to perfect it.

There were four of us and we ate nearly all of the soup. Isn’t that crazy??? I think so. I was hoping for left overs. Oh well. Trisha brought the savory swiss chard pie from fat free vegan kitchen. It was delicious. As always, if you aren’t familiar with WIAW check out Jenn’s site. She’s our lovely host on these Wednesdays.

What was your favorite meal thus far in the week?

Technically this is what I ate Tuesday…

Please check out our lovely host’s blog and see what What I Ate Wednesday  is all about. 

Breakfast and lunch kind of merged together yesterday. When I woke up I ate oatmeal with sunflower seed butter. Have you tried sunflower seed butter? It’s amazing. Then I had a doctor’s appointment for my foot. I ate breakfast at 11am and the doctor’s appointment was at 2pm. The guests were arriving at 6pm. I never really got around to eating lunch.

I ate snacks. They were things like toast, roasted chestnuts, and apples. I drank a lot of tea too. I love tea. What kind of tea do you like, if you like it? 

Then came dinner!

There were several courses to this dinner. I neglected to take photos of everything because I was busy serving my guests. The first course was fresh spring rolls, not unlike these. Then there was a soup and salad course. I served my spicy  bean and tomato soup. There was plenty of silliness. And perhaps some dumplings.

Why so serious??? It's just food.

Do you like wine? Do you like hosting dinner parties? How many courses are too many?

You should make this soup!!!

What you need

• 2 cups of vegetarian broth
• 2 15 ounce cans diced tomatoes (1 garlic & onion, 1 green chili or jalapeno)
• 10 ounces of shredded carrots (it comes in a bag!)
• 1 yellow onion
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 shallot
• 1/2 cup chick peas
• 1 cup pinto beans
• 1/2 cup dark red kidney beans
• 2 cups frozen green peas
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• up to 1 cup water

Here’s what you need to know

This recipe makes a lot. It will last for days and days. It’s hearty and great for the winter. When you are picking tomatoes, I urge you to look for the flavored diced tomatoes. They really make the flavor in the soup. I found garlic and onion diced tomatoes and green chiles diced tomatoes very easily. These products seem very common now. If you can get something along these lines that’s best for the recipe!

How to make it

It’s so easy!!! If you’re making broth have two cups ready, otherwise make your broth from bouillon. Have those ready in a big, big pot. Chop the onion, garlic, and shallot. Shred the carrot if it  isn’t already shredded.

Add the two cans of tomatoes into the pot with the broth. Add all of the chopped stuff. Add the olive oil, beans and peas, spices and carrots. Bring the soup to a boil.

If the soup is very thick after it comes to a boil add some water. Add as much water as needed to keep it a little thin during the cooking process. Simmer the soup for 20 minutes covered.

If you like the carrots a little crunchy, it’s done! If not, you can cook it a bit longer.

What’s your favorite winter warmer soup?

Related articles

• seasonal soups: what to do with.. TURNIPS? (yawacooks.wordpress.com)
• Tomato Veggie Garbanzo Soup (nancycreative.com)
• Easy Minestrone Soup (hungryhugheys.wordpress.com)

I couldn’t possibly pretend to have a process. Some folks have a culinary process or so they say. I don’t really know how I ate a Vietnamese spring roll and then ended up making my own with such non-traditional and even quite possibly southern fillings. It just happened. I had a flash of thought and flavor and pictured sweet ripe sweet potato, cool salty vegetarian chicken, and spicy scallions. Creating this recipe taught me one very important fact, a truth of life perhaps…

Carbs are the secret to happiness.

You’ll believe me when you eat these.

What you need

• Spring roll wrappers aka rice paper
• Baked or boiled sweet potato
• Vegetarian “Chicken”
• Chives or scallions
• Bean sprouts, rice noodles, lettuce or other veggies (optional)

More info

The non-optional ingredients are relatively easy to come by. I recommend using a very sweet sweet potato for the best results. I recommend a Korean sweet potato or a boniato. I used a shredded vegetarian chicken that I picked up at an Asian market. For best results use a vegetarian chicken that is a little salty. You could substitute a savory/ salty firm tofu for the vegetarian “chicken”.

How to assemble it

Cut one inch slices of sweet potato. One or two slices for each spring roll that you want to make!!! You want the veggie chicken to be about the same size and shape so that it can sit on top of the sweet potato. You want enough space to lay some scallion or chive and other veggies if desired on across these vegetables. It looks something like the pictures below.

Place the ingredients in the middle of the wrapper on a plate. Sweet potato on the bottom and everything else on top. Don’t add the scallions or chives yet.

Fold in the sides as seen above. Then place the scallions or chives.

Fold one side over the chives. Prepare to roll. It needs to be rolled a little tightly. You’ve got to be gentle though. It’s hard! Okay, not really, but it can be a bit challenging.

Here is an example of a finished product.

Since a picture diagram can be a little hard to follow my friend helped me to make a video showing how to roll spring rolls. I’m not using the sweet potato “chicken” combo but I am rolling spring rolls and drinking wine. It was such a gas. She’s great at editing and I love her so check out her youtube channel now.

Have you tried a regular summer roll?

Have a great week!!!