Evolution

For a little while now, I've been contemplating taking my blog in another direction. While there are a few great resources detailing the specifically vegetarian and vegan dining options there are in Boston, I feel like the web lacks in having something to tell the veggie world what a wide array of options they have available to them outside of the 10 or so all veg restaurants. So, maybe I should attempt to provide that. Key word: ATTEMPT.

I have come to realize that one of my biggest pet peeves is having people say "what DO you eat?", or "I dont know how you do it" when the topic of being a vegetarian/vegan comes up. I think the reason I get so frustrated is that I feel like there are SO many options, and it's really easy to do. Mostly just because I WANT to do it (if you dont want to eat something, you just don't eat it, right?), but these days, being a vegan or vegetarian is extremely easy (I say that like I was around when it wasn't easy...), and so many places are vegan/vegetarian friendly or accommodating. I want to document that.

So... veggiebean.com is born. I'm really hoping that it will be beneficial for people. I want to have an extensive list of restaurants, links, menu options, "reviews", and who knows what. It will be a work in progress. Suggestions are always welcome and appreciated.

here we go!

Shout out to Vegan Dad!

Tonight's dinner consisted of my c-tsar salad, and Vegan Dad's Broccoli Risotto. Matt did a fantastic job cooking the risotto. It was super creamy and reminded me of broccoli cheese soup.

I can't believe I hadn't heard of Vegan Dad before this weekend. I'm so impressed by the wide array of recipes he has. All of the food looks and sounds amazing and I'm really looking forward to making more. He officially won me over when I saw his post about having a "Harry Potter" themed new years celebration with his children. Those kids are some lucky ducks.

What the... what?

Came across this today.

Really? C'mon...

Home Sick

I've been eye-balling this recipe for a few months now. Black Bean Brownies? REALLY??! We'll see about this...

I'm home from work today (as you might be able to tell from my post-a-thon) and figured I would quit my headache whining, get in the kitchen, and make Matt a treat to come home to.

Might I quickly mention that I have the best husband ever? He takes such good care of me when I'm a grouchy migrane-ridden poop head.

Ok, so to be honest... although an odd concept (not for me, but probably for the non-vegan masses), these are incredibly yummy!! I urge anyone that might be looking for a healthy alternative to brownies to give this a try. So easy, and very satisfying!

While we're on the topic of treats...

I was very saddened to recently find out that my favorite non-guilty, guilty pleasure "Cashewtopia" (raw, vegan gelato) is no longer available at the Framingham Whole Foods. I imagine that a scoop would be delicious paired with one of these brownies. Sigh...

Sauteed tomato, mushroom, and bok choy with brown rice

Taken from: this/next month's issue of Vegetarian Times. I couldn't find the recipe online, so I'm not going to post it for fear of (not) giving proper credit.

This was great! The recipe called for bulgur and I couldn't find any at the store, so I substituted brown rice. I think it worked just fine. Everything was very light and fresh and cooking the rice with mushroom broth made a HUGE, tasty difference.

A favorite...

On my cheat days, this is at the top of my craving-list. I'd held onto the recipe for quite some time, as the crust requires an entire stick of earth balance (...for two people. *cough* *cough*). However, when I got some adorable purple baking dishes that were clearly born for pot-pies from my in-laws for Christmas, it was time to give in to temptation. Nothing running an extra mile can't take care of the next day!

Here's the recipe, along with a much better picture. I use whole-wheat flour and it comes out just as amazing.

Honey Lime Chili Grilled Veggies

Last weekend brought some pretty fantastic weather... FINALLY!

With warm weather comes the desire to play outside, cook outside, and eat outside. I'm very happy to report that Matt and I started to build the raised-beds for our garden (yes, this is what I consider "playing"), and I'm so anxious to get planting! Soon enough I'll be writing posts such as this one, and the veggies will be home grown. We've been waiting to be able to do this for a long time and I'm so glad we finally own a spot to get started. But enough about that...

Usually, when we grill I make sure to have a hoard of awesome grilled veggies to go along with whatever tofu/veggie burgers/etc. I am grilling as a main course. Most of the time the veggies end up taking over, and that was definitely the case with these.

In a small bowl, combine:

Zest of one lime (save for juice required below!)

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Set aside.

For the veggies:

2 large yellow summer squash, washed and sliced halfway, then lengthwise

2 large zucchini, washed and sliced halfway, then lengthwise

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

salt and pepper, to taste

Whisk lime juice and honey together, then pour over veggies. Toss to ensure veggies are coated, then lightly sprinkle with salt and some pepper.

Grill the veggies over med-high heat for about 3 minutes on each side, or until slightly charred. Once plated, sprinkle with lime-chili powder mixture and devour.

*Note: I'm almost positive the lime-chili powder mixture goes well with any grilled veggies. I got the idea from a Bobby Flay recipe I had made for grilled sweet potatoes a while back and they were SOOOO good. I thought the honey would make a nice, subtle, sweet addition instead of tossing the veggies with oil of any sort.

Pizza Party!

(this doesn't look as appetizing as it actually was. next time I'll add some greens to the top for appeal...)

Sadly, I made a grave error when making tonight's dinner... WAY too much oil, and I've got quite the belly ache to show for it. BUT, I feel like the recipe was decent otherwise... so it's not a total loss! I've altered the oil below to what I think would be appropriate. I used the Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage sausages and they (per usual) were superb. By far my favorite faux meat product.

1 package whole wheat pizza dough (I used Trader Joes)

4 tbsp grape seed oil, plus 1 tsp

2 large cloves garlic

2 tbsp fresh sage

2 fresh thyme

2 "sausage" links

4 shallots

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 cup non-dairy mozzarella

Let pizza dough sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

In a small saucepan, heat 4 tbsp of oil over low heat. Add garlic, sage, and thyme, and infuse until oil is fragrant- about 15-20 minutes.

Slice shallots into 1/8 inch rounds and saute over low heat with the remaining 1 tsp oil for about 15 minutes. Once shallots are soft, add a pinch of salt and balsamic. Stir until combined.

Slice sausages into 1/4 inch rounds. Saute over medium heat until golden brown.

Lightly flour a pizza stone, and roll dough into a 12" circle. Brush infused oil, along with garlic, sage, and thyme over pizza dough. Add shallots, sausage, and non-dairy cheese. Per usual, I used Daiya, but use whatever you prefer.

Spinach Lasagna and C-tsar salad

Hello...
Hello...?
Is this thing still on? Can everybody hear me? Hi, OK. YEP, still alive and kicking! Sorry for my lack of posts. I have no excuses other than sheer lack of creativity lately. I just haven't put my brain to much use.

Moving on... Can I tell you how fantastic this dinner was? I'm so very happy there are leftovers. Here's what you'll need:

Salad
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
10 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

Croutons
3 slices of whole grain bread, cubed
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tbsp grape seed oil
salt and pepper

To make the croutons, pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Spread bread cubes on a cookie sheet and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning, then bake for about 12-15 minutes.

C-tsar Dressing
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp grape seed oil
1 tsp vegan worcestershire sauce

Whisk all ingredients together, pour over salad, and add a little bit of vegan parmesan if you have it!

Spinach Lasagna

1 box whole wheat lasagna
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce (I used Trader Joe's basil and garlic)
1 package extra firm tofu
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 bag frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 tbsp fresh thyme
2 tbsp fresh sage
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper, to taste
1tbsp grape seed oil
handful of Daiya mozzarella cheese

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add pasta to salted, boiling water. Cook per package instructions.

In a saute pan, heat oil on medium heat and add 1 clove of garlic, sage, and thyme. Saute for about a minute, then add spinach. Keep spinach in pan over low-medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Add tofu, lemon juice, 2 cloves garlic, nutritional yeast, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to a food processor. Blend until smooth.

Add tofu mixture to spinach and stir until combined.

Once the pasta is cooked, set aside and start assembly. I start with a layer of sauce, then pasta, then tofu-spinach mixture, then repeat. I make sure to end with noodles, then some sauce, then the Daiya.

Bake covered for about 30 minutes, then uncovered for 10. Let sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.