Archives for September 2011

Meatless Monday: My Favorite Vegetarian Cookbooks + GIVEAWAY!

September 12, 2011 by 69 Comments

I’m not going to lie- the recipe I was hoping to have for this week’s Meatless Monday was a total fail.  It needs some major tweaks, but hopefully I’ll have it for next week!

In the meantime, how about a giveaway??  Keep reading to find out the deets!

I’m a bit of a cookbook hoarder.  When I went veg I actually got rid of quite a few of them that I knew I would never use again.  But I still have a lot.  Some are not vegetarian, but are fairly veg friendly or easy to make the recipes veg with a few simple substitutions.

But let’s talk about my favorite vegetarian cookbooks!  I get asked that question a lot- besides “where do you get your protein?!”, this is the most asked question I get… “what are some good vegetarian cookbooks?”

I am SUPER picky about my cookbooks.  They have to include a simple ingredient list.   I prefer cookbooks with pictures, but I’ll make exceptions for this if it’s gotten really great reviews.  They also have to have ingredients that are accessible to me and easy to find- NO obscure items that I would have to order online!

Here are a few of my faves that have passed the test!

All my veg cookbooks (I have many more that are not totally veg though…).

 

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My favorite vegan dessert cookbooks…

 

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I use this one time and time again- it has never failed me!  It’s worth buying just for the apple cake and cinnamon roll recipes alone.  To. Die. For.

 

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This one is fantastic, but honestly I prefer my own cupcake and buttercream recipes.  I do always come back to this book for inspiration and ideas though!

 

My absolute favorite overall veg cookbooks…

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Want a cookbook that’s PACKED with nutrition and some seriously delicious and simple recipes??  These are the cookbooks for you!  I can’t say enough about both of them. They’re both based on the findings of Dr. T. Collin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn’s research and the book “The China Study”. (Also, I really encourage you to see Forks Over Knives- it’s available on Netflix!)  P.S. don’t be fooled by the word “diet” on the engine 2 cookbook.  It’s not a “diet”.  I promise.

 

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I have made many many recipes from this book (including a holiday meal!) and it has never lead me wrong!  LOVE it, and love the author!

 

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This one is my newest obsession!  I have a major crush on Mama Pea and I just love this book.  This book is SO perfect for vegetarians and meat eaters alike.  It’s great for someone that’s just wanting to add a few more vegetarian meals to their arsenal!  I’ve tried several recipes from this cookbook and haven’t been disappointed yet!

 

And now for the GIVEAWAY!

I’m giving away a vegetarian cookbook of your choice!  It does not have to be one that I listed above- the sky is the limit! 

Is there a cookbook that you’ve been wanting to try but you weren’t sure you wanted to spend the money on it?  Are you wanting to try more meatless recipes but aren’t sure where to start?  Well, here’s your chance!

This giveaway will be running from the moment I hit publish until 5:00 pm CST on Friday September 16th! 

Also, this giveaway is limited to the United States and Canada only because of shipping expenses.

To enter the giveaway:

You can get up to three entries in this giveaway. 

  1. Simply leave a comment below stating your favorite meatless meal! 
  2. Tweet about this giveaway or facebook it if you don’t have twitter (and then leave a comment here telling me that you tweeted/facebooked it)
  3. Link to this giveaway in a blog post (and then leave a comment here with a link to your post)

That’s it.  No games to play, no hoops to jump through (don’t you hate it when there’s a giveaway on a blog and you have to jump through hoops just for one entry?  So silly!)

Good luck!!!

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Filed Under: Meatless Monday Tagged With: , , ,

Buffalo Baked Tofu Wraps

September 8, 2011 by 8 Comments

It’s no secret that I love anything spicy or covered in hot sauce.  I have freely admit that many many times here.  I especially love the buffalo sauce flavor.  Even when I ate chicken I really only ever got buffalo wings for the sauce.  No lie.

So when I got this bottle of Buffalo Marinade in the mail from Foodbuzz as part of the tastemaker program I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it!

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The marinade was great, but if you can’t find this specific brand, honestly you can use any brand or even make your own buffalo sauce to marinate in.  I’ve tried the Franks Red Hot brand of buffalo sauce and it’s fantastic as well!  And you’re especially lucky today because you’re also getting a ranch dressing recipe!

Buffalo Baked Tofu Wraps with Ranch Dressing (makes 4 wraps)
(Print this recipe!)

Ingredients:
1 package of extra firm tofu, pressed (I like the kind that comes already pressed- the Wildwood Organic is my fave)
1 bottle of your favorite buffalo sauce (you’ll only use about half of the bottle)
4 Whole wheat wraps of your choice
lettuce
ranch dressing (recipe follows)

Directions:
Slice your tofu into 8-10 slices (depending on how big your block of tofu is)

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Place sliced tofu into a ziplock bag or Tupperware container and pour half the bottle of marinade in.

Let the tofu hang out for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spritz a baking sheet with nonstick spray.

Take tofu out of the marinade and shake off the excess marinade before placing each slice in the pan.

Place into oven and bake for 7-10 minutes on each side.

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Slice or cube each plank of tofu so that it will fit better into your wrap.

To assemble your wraps, take your tortilla and top with lettuce, a drizzle of ranch dressing, your tofu slices or cubes, and top it off with a drizzle of the leftover buffalo sauce marinade (it’s okay- it’s not meat so you don’t have to worry about food poisoning from this. In fact, you can keep the leftover marinade in the fridge and reuse it!)

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Wrap and roll!!!

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And here’s the ranch dressing recipe for your wraps! (you can use bottled if you want, but I promise this is WAY better!)

Ranch Dressing
(Print this recipe!)

Ingredients:
1 cup low-fat Vegenaise (or you can use yogurt)
1/3 cup non-dairy milk
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
big pinch of salt, to taste
big squeeze of lemon juice (about 1 Tablespoon)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

If you want your dressing a little thinner, add a little more non-dairy milk.  If you want it a little thicker, add a little more vegenaise.

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I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!  And P.S. the leftover buffalo tofu makes a wicked salad- just toss on top of your fav salad with a few spoonful’s each of the ranch and the buffalo sauce!  NOM!

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Filed Under: Meatless Monday, Recipes Tagged With: , , , ,

WIAW #7!

September 7, 2011 by 10 Comments

Oh my goodness- this is my 7th What I Ate Wednesday!  I really love doing the WIAW, not just because I like to post about food, which I do- hello food blogger here! Winking smile  But also because I like that I can give a small snapshot into what I eat on a daily basis.  I get a lot of questions about what in the world I eat if I don’t eat meat and dairy, so I’m glad that I can give people some ideas that are either thinking about going veg or are just trying to include more meatless meals in their lives! 

So let’s talk about food, shall we?!

Breakfast was a combo of cereals + tons of fruit.  I did 1/2 cup of the Nature’s Path Heritage Flakes and 1/2 cup of the Nature’s Path Optimum Slim and 1 cup of almond milk.  I like to mix my cereals, I’m such a rebel!  I also LOVE throwing tons of fruit on top of my cereal- my faves are bananas and any kind of berry!

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Lunch was, of course, packed up and taken to school.  I love bringing leftovers to school for lunch. There are several places on campus where there is access to a microwave, so reheating is a cinch!

My lunch included pinto beans that I simmered with some Hatch Chilies.  ZOMG I could eat these all day long!  I also had a slice of cornbread, some baby carrots and cuke slices with a home made ranch for dipping (recipe coming tomorrow- check back!), and a peach!

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Packed snacks included a peanut chocolate granola bar, some apple slices, and a little baggie of pecans(from my HLS swag bag!)

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Then it was a brand new recipe I wanted to test out for dinner!  It turned out amazing and I’ll be posting it tomorrow, so make sure to check back!!

Buffalo Baked Tofu Wraps!  We also had some celery and carrots with a little home made ranch on the side and a few handfuls of baked chips.  Which I totally forgot to take pictures of because I was so darn excited about this wrap!  Haha!

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What a tasty day!  What are YOU munching on today?!

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Filed Under: WIAW Tagged With: ,

Meatless Monday on Tuesday: Spanish Quinoa (+ Taco Salad)

September 6, 2011 by 9 Comments

Hey friends!!!  Sorry I’m not getting my Meatless Monday recipe out on Monday, but I took a little internet break this weekend that ended up extending into Labor Day. But I figure since it’s a holiday there aren’t a lot of people hanging out around their computers reading blogs anyway!

This is one of my favorite recipes right now!  Sometimes I’ll make up a big batch of this Spanish Quinoa at the beginning of the week and just scoop it out and munch on it all week.  I’ll use it on a taco salad, or a burrito, or even just eat it plain!  And for all my protein obsessed pals, we all know that quinoa is packed with protein!  And adding it to a big salad with some romaine lettuce, black beans, corn and diced avocado makes for one mega nutritious meal!  If you’re not sure what quinoa is, check out my quinoa post to learn the ins-and-outs!

Spanish Quinoa (6-8 Servings)
(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • 1 Cup vegetable broth or water
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 15 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes

Directions:

Add rinsed quinoa, tomato sauce, and vegetable broth or water to a medium sized saucepan.  Bring up to a boil, then lower heat and let simmer for 15-20 minutes until liquid is absorbed. OR I like to just put it all in my cheapie rice cooker and turn it on and let it do its thing!

Meanwhile, sauté together the onion and the bell pepper with a little cooking spray or veggie broth.

Add garlic and chili powder to the sautéed vegetables and let cook until the garlic is fragrant.

Stir sautéed vegetables and the fire roasted tomatoes into the cooked quinoa.

Serve as a side dish or pile on top of a nice big salad!

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maybe a salad like THIS!

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Step 1: pile some romaine lettuce in a big bowl

Step 2: crumble up a handful of tortilla chips onto the lettuce

Step 3: add 1/2 cup of the Spanish Quinoa and 1/2 cup of black beans

Step 4: top the whole thing with your toppings of choice- a little cheese, some salsa, chopped avocado, and a small dollop of sour cream for example.

Step 5: devour and send me a thank you note!

 

Hope you all had an amazing labor day.  Make sure to say a prayer for all the people suffering devastating losses here in TX right now because of all the wildfires we are having.  We’re in an extremely serious drought and it’s very scary around here.  My heart is breaking for all of these families that are losing everything.  Let’s pray for some rain around here too!

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Filed Under: Uncategorized

Weekly Weigh In: Week 11

September 3, 2011 by 11 Comments

Hey guys!!  I’m taking a break from the computer this weekend, but I did want to check in real quick and do my weekly weigh in.  Mostly because I had a really good weigh in and I’m super pumped about it!

Last week’s weight: 174.6
This week’s weight: 173.4

Change this week: –1.2
Total weight lost:  36.6 lbs

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Yipee!!!  I didn’t really have a stellar week or anything but I guess my body was just being nice to me.  Whatever- I’ll take it!!

This week’s weight watchers meeting was about being successful at the grocery store, which of course, I’m pretty great at!  I was able to throw lots of tips in for other members.  I couldn’t believe how many people went to the grocery store without a plan and then complained about how expensive groceries were! 

I thought I’d share a couple of the tips I shared in the meeting for a successful grocery shopping trip with you!

  • ALWAYS go in with a plan.  Do not go in without a list.  This is when you come out with a gazillion items and nothing to actually make for dinner. 
  • Stick to the basics.  Grocery shopping doesn’t have to be expensive!  We’re on a pretty tight budget- sometimes I’m able to leave the store for $40-$50 with a weeks worth of groceries.  Sometimes it’s a little more. (I don’t use coupons- they’re a pain in the butt to me, but if you can find some good ones utilize them.  Otherwise scour your circulars that you get in the mail and build your meals around what’s on sale that week!) The basics are fruits, veggies, beans, grains, nuts.  Most processed foods do NOT fall into the basics category and you don’t NEED them! 
  • Set a routine. This makes a grocery shopping trip easier.  Here’s my routine… on Saturday mornings I go to my weight watchers meeting, then I go to Barnes and Noble (I usually have an hour and a half to kill between my meeting and kickboxing and B&N is right by my gym) and sit in the café and have some coffee and do a meal plan and my grocery list for the week.  Then I go to kickboxing.  I hit up the grocery store on my way home.  This makes my life so much easier because it’s become part of my Saturday morning routine!

These are just a few tips. I’m sure you guys have plenty you can share with me too- let’s hear them!  I’m always looking for good tips for grocery shopping!!

Hope you guys have a great weekend- I’ll be back on Monday with another great Meatless Monday recipe!

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Filed Under: healthy living, Weight Loss Tagged With: , , ,
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