German Inspired Soup and Eating Out

Saturday:

There is no doubt about it, spring has definitely arrived. Winter didn't seem to want to let go but I think it is now gone. *woo hoo*

Breakfast was a green smoothie for both of us this morning. There is something about eating dinner out that makes me crave an uber healthy breakfast the next morning.  This morning we both had green smoothies for breakfast. They contained the usual ingredients: frozen bananas, raw kale, wheat germ, freshly ground flaxseeds, cinnamon, powdered ginger, water, and stevia and walnuts for Dan.

Lunch with my parents was a tough call again since I now need to avoid not only hot but also beans. Something tells me I will be making a lot of mushroom dishes on coming weekends.

This time I decided to make a soup with mushrooms that was my version of goulash turned into soup. I used the flavors traditional to German food to make it as reminiscent of the original as possible.

Flavors of Germany:

caraway seeds
dill
juniper berries
mustard
pepper
poppy seeds
sorrel
thyme
vinegar

Utilizing some of the flavors above I created the following soup:

Mushroom “Goulash” Soup
Serves 6

Ingredients:

4 cups dried mushrooms (I used the mixed mushrooms from Costco that are mostly crimini since they changed brands)
10 cups water
1 large red onion, peeled and chopped (about 3 cups)
8 carrots, cut into bite-sized chunks
¼ cup hulled barley (if you add much more it will take over the soup)
3 tablespoons tomato paste (for depth of flavor)
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 ½ tablespoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon thyme
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
2 tablespoons vinegar (I used apple cider)
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
½ cup raw cashews
¼ cup oatmeal (dry)

Directions:

Rehydrate the mushrooms and roughly chop them. Strain the soaking liquid to remove any grit.

Combine all the ingredients (except the oatmeal and cashews) and simmer for 45 minutes. If you are using a high speed blender combine the raw cashews and oats with about 2 cups of the soup liquid in your blender and process until smooth. If not using a high speed blender process the oatmeal in the blender by itself until it becomes oat flour then remove it to a bowl. Soak the cashews for a few hours to soften them then process them until smooth. Add the oat flour to the blender and some of the soup liquid and process until smooth; it may take a few minutes for this to happen. Add this mixture to the soup to make it thick and rich. Simmer to blend the flavors and adjust the seasonings as you feel necessary.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 227.87
Calories From Fat (18%) - 40.79

Total Fat - 4.9g
Saturated Fat - 0.82g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 251.26mg
Potassium - 958.23mg
Total Carbohydrates - 45.21g
Fiber - 9.65g
Sugar - 7.38g
Protein - 7.29g

Comments:

This soup worked out well and isn’t like my usual dishes. I should probably make more German and Austrian food given that my husband is of German ancestry. ;-) I liked the way the cashews and oat flour make this soup thick and rich without a lot of fat.

To accompany the soup I made a simple salad of mesclun greens, strawberries, apple, blueberries and black berries. I dressed the salad with a little lemon juice, lemon zest, and white miso. I finished the salad with a few sliced almonds

For a snack later that day we had a few prunes, Turkish apricots, Brazil nuts and walnuts.

We were up so late the prior evening that we ended up going to bed early and skipping dinner. This is what happens when people “our age” stay out until after 2:30 in the morning.

Sunday:

This time we remembered the farmers market and were early enough to help Rudy (one of the organic farmers) unload his truck.  Only week two and we are already but to our old routine.  LOL, it is nice to know there is some consistency in the universe.

Today we came home with: 6 basil plants, 2 lemon balm plants, 2 quarts beets, 1 bunch leeks, baby collards and 2 quarts of hot house grown organic tomatoes.

Since we had fresh beets today breakfast was a fresh juice of: beet, apple, collards, cucumber, ginger and lemon. I loved the way this tasted as did Dan. It was nice to have a little fresh local produce to serve as the base for our juice.

Dan needed more calories so he also had a bowl of oatmeal with wild blueberries and walnuts

We skipped lunch and ran errands. I had library books to take back and books on hold to pick up. I picked up a copy of “Veganist”, another belly dancing DVD and a few other books since you know I never get tired of reading. We did have some trail mix of nuts and dried fruit to snack on while we were out.

On a related note we decided to switch cars today since I rarely drive to make sure neither vehicle sits for too long. When we moved the cars around to keep one in front of the house we noticed that some little “darling” had stolen the tags off the back of the car we had taken to market this morning. I am mentioning this to tell the process since I had no idea what it was. You need to call the police and file a report then pick up replacement tags at Motor Vehicles. Before you ask, yes they charge you for new tags but in Maryland it isn’t the full amount. While this was mildly annoying at least we have two vehicles and one of them could sit today. It does make me angry to realize that someone is probably driving around without insurance with the tag stole off the back of our car. The tags are now on our cars with locking bolts that you can buy at the auto parts store. Isn’t it a shame that is necessary? *shakes head*

Dinner tonight was on the patio at our usual place. Ian was off but the kitchen made us what we refer to as “the vegan prix fixe”.

Stephanie (aka Steph) made us a tea blend with hibiscus which was very nice.

Our appetizer was salad of beets, oranges, red onions, avocado and pistaschios.

The soup course was gazpacho which has just enough heat to make it interesting but not too much to scare away the other customers.

Our entrée was Szechuan tofu which is always a favorite.

Dan was still hungry so we pizza topped with snow peas, shitakes, potatoes and lemon. The veggies were being served under a whole Branzino this evening but they sounded delicious so we had to put on a whole wheat pizza crust. That trick just never gets old, and besides Dan loves whole wheat pizza so he orders it whenever he goes out.

Stephanie and I were discussing drink possibilities for the new liquor Hum. That is the one I told you about on Thursday with hibiscus, cardamom, ginger and kaffir lime. I told her I would bring her a book to help with flavor combinations. We talked for a while and thought it would be good with Tuaca (Tuscan yumminess), tequila, coffee vodka, and various citrus. I suggested a particular book to Steph for more ideas. Now I just need to remember to take it to her. I swear sometimes I would forget my head if it weren’t attached. That is what happens when I try to do too much.

Jonathan and I were discussing his anniversary so I am going to help him out a little with that. I can’t say anything else since it is a surprise. I will fill you in once the event has passed.

Happy thoughts:

• I am thankful that we had such a good weekend. It was great to spend time with Jackie and Walid and to hang out at the restaurant on Sunday. Now if only we could learn to get to bed sooner …. but that isn’t likely to happen. In the end dragging around all day on Saturday was worth it since we had such a good time on Friday.

• I picked up some really good books at the library. I am always amazed when I can get the latest vegan books so quickly from the library. I joke that it is because there are no other vegans in Maryland which I know is untrue but it feels like it sometimes. However it works our really well for us. ;-)

• Chatting to the guys at the restaurant it seems as though the vegan items are selling really well lately which I was thrilled to hear. While I would love everyone to be vegan I also recognize that it isn’t likely to happen. However every dish someone orders that doesn’t contain unhealthy meat and dairy items is a step in the right direction I think. I believe that most people aren’t going to go vegan in one big leap like we did. By making small dietary changes they may come to realize that food without animal products can be delicious.

• As always I had a great time with sweetie this weekend. We can have fun doing yard work or running errands so it isn’t too surprising that we had a good weekend.

• I am also thankful that we have two cars and could let the one sit on Monday that had its tag stolen. I am also happy to now have our tags secured with locking bolts. Good thing my husband knows about such things I had never heard of them.

• Monday night Ian was back in town and the weather was glorious. We took the opportunity to hang out on the patio and have dinner. It was delicious and very creative. I will tell you all about that tomorrow. Here are two hints; the corn fungus and tempeh were both used for dinner though not in the same dish. Since we both love trying new things we enjoyed dinner immensely. Neither Dan nor I are timid eaters. The things we ate as omnivores would make most people cringe. ;-)

Signing out:

Tomorrow is another long day for me, and Wednesday will be hectic until lunch time and then life returns to normal around here. I am looking forward to a relaxing end to the week. I hope your Monday was great and that you have fun things planned for this week. Talk to again tomorrow when I give you the update on what Ian came up with for dinner on Monday. Enjoy what is left of your evening.

Dinner With Friends and Cute Cats

Like usual I had a very hectic Friday. I had so many things to do today that I bailed on most of my food on Friday, sorry. I will describe the first two meals at home and then go into more details about dinner.

I went for my usual morning walk but held it to two miles today since I was so short on time. Given the time constraint I opted to go up and down hills to get a little extra oomph in this morning. Darn those hills can be tough. ;-)

When I got home breakfast was green smoothie containing the usual suspects: raw kale, banana, chia seeds, cinnamon, powdered ginger, wheat germ, water and ice.

After breakfast I walked to the grocery store to pick up provisions for the evening with friends. I had a few things that I knew I needed to make but dessert was up in the air. I considered a few dessert items: tofu chocolate mousse, avocado chocolate mousse, fresh fruit salad, and chocolate dipped pineapple with coconut. However the beautiful organic strawberries that I found out the market dictated that chocolate covered strawberries were a strong contender. I did also buy soft tofu in case I decided to go with the mousse.

Knowing that I would be eating too many calories for dinner I decided a giant salad was a great idea for my lunch. This one was simple consisting of organic mesclun, salsa, cucumbers, shredded carrots, red peppers, and raw pumpkin seeds.

Then it was time to prep everything that I was taking to Walid and Jackie’s for dinner. First up were the chocolate dipped strawberries some that I rolled in nuts. These are very simple you melt chocolate (either chips or candy bars ... it isn't hard to find vegan chocolate) and then dip the strawberries and roll them in chopped nuts. Refrigerate them on parchment until the chocolate is hard. This is a very simple preparation and everyone loves them.

Since I had leftover melted chocolate I made some quick chocolates with fresh blueberries that I finished with chopped walnuts. For the mold I used a silicon heart shaped ice cube tray from IKEA. The only mistake I made with these was not putting a little chocolate in the mold first, then blueberries and finishing them with more chocolate. These disappeared quickly so I don’t think anyone minded. Both Walid and Dan really liked the combination of blueberry and chocolate.

I also made a batch of my cheeseless queso which Jackie had requested since both she and Walid really like it. Next time we get together I am going to make this with Jackie because they would definitely make this even though they aren’t vegan. Can you get any higher praise than that for a healthy vegan dish? ;-)

In addition I thought we needed some artichokes tossed with dill because you can never have too many artichokes. I am fairly sure my love for artichokes is an Italian thing.

I baked some tofu to take with us since Jackie was making a veggie stir fry for the entrée. Later in the evening we water sautéed the veggies and they turned out great. Jackie and Walid added shrimp to their stir fry and we added tofu.

Jackie had put together some crudités, hummus, pita, marinated cauliflower, peppers, olives, salsa and grapes. Do you think we had enough food? LOL, we were laughing that we had enough food for double the number of people that we in the house. Oh well, leftovers are good right? The funny thing is that we never even got to the soup I brought. I left some of that so they could try it later.

There was lots of talking (nonstop actually) and carrying on like usual. We had a great time as evidenced by the fact that we didn’t get home until after 2:30 in the morning. Just imagine how long we would have stayed if Jackie didn’t have to work on Saturday? LOL

Here are a couple of pictures of her adorable felines (Buddy has long hair and Skipper short hair) who were also part of the festivities. I adore Jackie’s cats because they behave just like ours. The entire evening they were right in the middle of everything that was going on.  I think the pictures of the cats say it all. They are so laid back and content. For years I have said Jackie is the only person I would trust to watch my fur children.

This is a picture of our friend Walid who is one of the nicest men I have ever met. Sorry I didn’t get any pictures of Jackie and I, we were both too busy talking. Something tells me all the ladies understand that.

Here is Dan looking a little tired but it was after 1am by the time I took this so he should look tired.

Sunday we were both dragging all day after being up so late. At least Dan managed to sleep in later than I did. For some crazy reason I was up by 8 that morning. I will try to get up an abbreviated Saturday post later today. There isn’t much to share about Saturday other than a German inspired mushroom soup that was well received.

Happy thoughts:

• We both had a fabulous time Friday night. It was great to spend time with Walid, Jackie and the boys (Buddy and Skipper). There is nothing like spending time with friends.

• Saturday we were fortunate not to have anything pressing to do so that we could take it easy after so much fun Friday night. ;-)

• I am pleased with how the German inspired mushroom soup turned out on Saturday. Even though my husband and father both have German backgrounds I typically make my favorite Italian food. However I do like German flavors so I should make that more often if for no other reason variety.

• The farmers’ market was great Sunday morning. We are back to our usual routine of helping Rudy unload his truck. We came home with more plants for the herb and tea garden (basil and lemon balm) as well as leeks, baby collards, beets and organic hot house tomatoes. With the beets and collards I had to break out the juicer this morning. It is nice to be back into juicing season.

Signing out:

Since yesterday was extremely unproductive we have a lot to get done here today. I am hoping to get another post up about yesterday’s soup late today. At least I documented the recipe so I need to do now is the write the post. ;-)

If any of you want to follow me on Facebook send me an email at veganepicurean@gmail.com that way I will recognize your friend request. I hope you are having a great weekend. Talk to you again soon.

Liquor Tasting and a Creamy Bean Soup Recipe Variation

Where has the week gone? I know I was busy this week but it seems like the week has flown by, not that I am complaining mind you. ;-)

Breakfast for Dan was his usual oatmeal with wheat germ, freshly ground flaxseeds, cinnamon, powdered ginger, wild blueberries (higher in antioxidants than cultivated blueberries) and walnuts. He never gets tired of this.

I had leftover Greek inspired bean soup over quinoa. I added a tablespoon of chia seeds to the quinoa in my bowl and topped the beans with fresh tomatoes and parsley. Thank goodness for intentional leftovers.

After I finished exercising I had a snack of banana with okara and almond butter (this nut butter never gets old for me). Then I decided to walk to the restaurant to talk to Ian, drop off the cuitlacoche and a few tempeh recipes to inspire him. I also thought he might like the cardamom tea I just bought (we both love cardamom) so I took that too.

While I was walking I took a few more pictures of the neighborhood to share. I tried to get some that show you how hilly the terrain is here. I love walking up and down the hills it is a much better workout than flat ground. However I will admit that by the time I get to the top of some these hills I am sucking wind big time. ;-)

I also liked these two pictures of garden entrances.  Aren't the tulip populars pretty when they are in full bloom.

I was not surprised to hear that Ian has used cuitlacoche before LOL but I had to try. We talked a bit and when I find things that I think are unusual I am going to pick them up for him when I buy some for me. I love to see how his mind works with food. Being around Ian is always great inspiration for me.

Next I hung out at the bar with a while drinking a pot of green tea. It was good to finally meet Taylor who I had talked to on the phone but never met. I was at the restaurant between the lunch and dinner shift which is fun. Everyone lets loose a little when there aren’t customers there which I always enjoy.

The liquor vendor came in while I was there with a few new items. Corey asked me to taste the new products too. I am really not kidding when I say we are part of the family. There is an interesting liquor that they will be carrying soon with hibiscus, cardamom (my favorite), ginger and sugar. The color is beautiful deep red/purple with a lovely aroma. Both Corey and I were thinking this would be good with Prosecco or sparkling water and either lime, orange or grapefruit. It sounds great right?

I stayed for about an hour and a half and hiked back up the hill home. Funny thing is getting there is easy (all downhill) but heading home is much tougher. LOL, I wonder why? ;-)

We are having dinner Friday night with Walid and Jackie at their place after work. Since they eat meat and Jackie had a great idea for dinner. She is going to make a big veggie stir fry which we will add different proteins to (shrimp from them baked tofu for us). We are also going to have crudités, hummus, salsa, whole wheat pitas, and baked chips. I am going to make a dessert, no idea what yet and a few other veggie items. Jackie asked me to bring my cheeseless queso dip which both she and Walid like. Sounds like a good spread doesn’t it?

We also decided that I would make soup to add to the menu just in case there wasn’t enough food LOL. She told me about a creamy curried red lentil soup that they buy which I knew I could make a variation of. I used my usual red lentil and tomato soup that Dan loves but pureed it with some raw cashews rather than coconut milk and finished it with lime zest, lime juice and cilantro. That is what we had for dinner tonight since I made a vat of soup like usual.

Happy thoughts:

There is so much to be thankful for that I am not sure where to start. That is always a good sign right? ;-)

• Thursday was a beautiful spring day. We had temperatures in the 60’s with a very gentle breeze. It made a nice walk through the neighborhood and to the restaurant and back. I also enjoyed having a pot of green tea (or two) while I was there.

• Thank you Corey for letting me taste the new liquor. It was delicious. Good thing we aren’t drinking much these days that stuff could be dangerous. I can’t wait to see how you use it.

• We have dinner with Walid and Jackie tonight and are also going out this weekend just the two of us. I love having time to spend with my friends and of course with my hubby.

• I am also thankful that this week is over. It has been a hectic week and not nearly as productive as it should have been. However now I have the weekend to make up for lost ground.

• Whenever I go out for walks I am reminded of how much I love old architecture. It is wonderful to live somewhere where the houses are old and all different. I also love the mature trees and the hilly streets. I hope you are starting to see Baltimore through my eyes rather than what is portrayed on TV. Baltimore really is a beautiful old east coast city but that isn’t news worthy I suppose.

Signing out:

Time for me to get moving and prepare the items I am taking to dinner tonight. I am really looking forward to seeing Walid and Jackie. I miss having them just a short walk away.

Talk to you guys again tomorrow. Hope your weekend starts off well.

Cooking Class, Green Juice and Baltimore Pics

Thank goodness I caught up on my rest Wednesday night. I never sleep 9.5 hours but I did last night so apparently I really needed it. I woke up feeling SO much better than yesterday. Woo hoo!

Dan had his usual oatmeal with wild blueberries this morning for breakfast.

After he left for work I did a couple of things and then headed out for a walk. I didn’t have much time today so I only did 3 miles but it was enough to get a little fresh air and ramp up my immune system. I took a few pictures for you while I was out.

Today I walked back through the side streets in the neighborhood that people don’t see unless they are local. The photos above are a few of the ones I took that I enjoyed. It is definitely spring time in Baltimore and I love that!

When I came home I made myself a blender full of green juice inspired by a soup Emily mentioned having at her mom’s house recently. Here is my rendition of that recipe but in a breakfast format:

Parsley and Veg juice
Serves 1 hungry vegan

Ingredients:

¼ cup raw cashews
1 cup fresh parsley
½ English cucumber, cut into rough chunks
1 lemon, zested and then peeled and seeded (using all of the flesh of the lemon and the zest)
1 tablespoon wheat germ
1 tablespoon chia seeds (could have just a well been freshly ground flaxseeds or hulled hempseeds)
1 clove raw garlic
water enough to process (somewhere between 1 1/2 - 2 cups)

Directions:

Toss everything into your high speed blender adding as much water as is necessary to process. Serve cold.

Nutritional information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 265.73
Calories From Fat (45%) - 119.64

Total Fat - 14.49g
Saturated Fat - 2.4g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 59.78mg
Potassium - 960.36mg
Total Carbohydrates - 36.13g
Fiber - 12.55g
Sugar - 4.46g
Protein - 11.46g

Comments:

I thought this juice was amazing but also understand that it isn’t for everyone. I used parsley because I had too much on hand not for any other reason but the flavor it added to this was great. I will be trying this soon with kale to let you know how that changes the flavor and texture. However I am also curious about the change in nutrition since I will share that as well.

Next it was time to run by Whole Foods for tempeh to drop off with Ian. Since he had agreed to make it for me but couldn’t get it from his food vendor I decided to help by dropping it off, before he forgot his promise. ;-) Can you tell how excited I am that he is going to try working with this for us?

After hanging out at the restaurant for a little while and chatting it was time to head to cooking class. Since I was very early I called my friend Sue to see if she wanted to do a little ethnic food shopping and thankfully she was available.

First we went to Lily’s Mexican Market where I bought a lot of stuff. I picked up cuitlacoche (corn fungus) that Rick Bayless is always talking about. I have never used it but what the heck, it is only food right? I picked up one for Ian too so he could play around with it. They also had interesting dried beans which I had never seen before as well as interesting spices.

Next we went to Nazar Market where I bought more things that were completely new to me. My friend Walid had brought me back an Egyptian cookbook a few years ago that had things listed liked “meat spices” which I had no idea what that meant. When I asked Walid he said it was sold that way which was no help to me. What did I find at this market in the Middle Eastern section but ... meat spices, fish spices and chicken spices? I had to buy them just to try out the combination. The meat spices contain: allspice, black pepper, cinnamon, mahlab, ginger, cloves and green spices.

Both of these stores were great and carried things that you never seen in traditional grocery stores like: grape molasses, Turkish eggplant and mushroom salad, cardamom tea, spicy fermented purple carrot juice (which was low sodium) and bulgur with sun-dried tomatoes. I love going into ethnic markets since they always have unusual ingredients.

Cooking class was also fun last night since this one was on homemade pasta. Being Italian I love to make homemade pasta even though I haven’t done it in the last year and a half since I stopped using flour at home for health reasons. I still love getting my hands into the pasta dough. All three recipes for pasta dough were vegan this evening, as were the sauces. Donna did finish the dishes with cheese or meat, except for ours of course which we appreciated immensely.

Here are the three dishes from last night:

The first dish was 100% whole wheat pappardelle with spring vegetables. In classic southern Italian tradition this was finished with bread crumb (in lieu of cheese) which is delicious. I recommend toasting the breadcrumbs for a nuttier flavor. In my less healthy past I would have added olive oil and garlic to the bread crumbs which is delicious if you use olive oil. This was Dan’s favorite since he likes the flavor of whole wheat now. Who is this man?

The second dish was Tuscan hand rolled pici which I haven’t made in a few years. The beauty of this pasta is that you don’t need a pasta roller which makes it a cinch for everyone to prepare. I will make this and show you how but is very easy ... I think you will be surprised. This was served with mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and topped with walnuts.  It was also fabulous.

The final dish was my favorite it was the Sardinian malloreddus. It is made exactly like I prepare potato gnocchi only with a semolina and saffron pasta dough. Brilliant! I thought this was a blast to make and very quick since I have made so many gnocchi in my past. It was served with a tomato sauce with artichokes (doesn’t that sound familiar?). Gee, I wonder why that was my favorite. LOL

After class of course I had to chat and then drop Sue off and her house before trekking back to Baltimore. It was a long day but a great one as well.

Happy thoughts:

• This morning my walk through the neighborhood was absolutely gorgeous. Temperatures were a little cool but the scenery really could not be beat. Additionally I am still always surprised by how nice everyone is here. Every person I pass when I am out walking says good morning or hello. How lucky am I to have so many great neighbors?

• I am still swamped but also getting a lot accomplished and that is a very good thing. I LOVED the small ethnic markets Sue introduced me to on Wednesday. There is nothing I love more than buying unusual food and spices. ;-)

• Today I am grateful for Ian and his willingness to make things that are outside his comfort zone. He is so wonderful to us and I appreciate that he will be making us tempeh in the next couple of day. I hope you all can see why when we got out to eat most of the time we are stopping to see Ian. Seriously, both Dan and I feel like we are part of the family. Everyone (in the front of the house and in the kitchen) at the restaurant is very friendly and accommodating. We are very fortunate to have them in the neighborhood.

• Cooking class was a lot of fun. I had not realized how much I missed making pasta until class. Since I am Italian and have made pasta many times before I helped prepare pasta during class. I swear I think pasta making is my blood; it must be an Italian thing.

Signing out:

Thursday was another busy day but it was a good one again. I had a few errands this morning and ended up walking the restaurant. The weather today was glorious. Any day when I don’t need a coat is a good one in my book. Also I loved being outside so much of the day today. There is really nothing like a nice long walk up and down hills to get my blood flowing.

It is time for me to get myself into the kitchen and get something going for dinner. I wish I had some idea what I was going to cook, but since I rarely do it isn’t a big problem. Hopefully you are having a great week and are looking forward to the weekend. I have some good stuff planned which will be great.

Talk to you again tomorrow!  Happy Thursday guys!

Tuesday = One Long Day

Late, late Monday night a storm system starting rolling through bringing high winds, rain and a tornado watch. Combine the storm with overnight temperatures of 71 and that meant I had trouble sleeping Monday night. There is nothing like being up for 2 ½ hours in the middle of the night to start my day off on the wrong foot. Honestly I had far too much to do on Tuesday to start the day off sleepy. I seriously considered making self a double shot of espresso but I know that doesn’t fix anything it only jolts my adrenal glands so I resisted the urge to indulge in caffeine. *sigh* I am proud of myself for resisting the call of my semi-automatic espresso machine.

Aren't my boys precious? To bad I couldn't curl up with them in their cat bed.  My fur children are very good sleepers.  I need to get them to give me lessons on how to sleep through storms apparently.

Dan had a large green smoothie for his breakfast this morning.

I started my day with an orange and two Brazil nuts. Nothing substantial for my breakfast but I also didn’t start my day with exercise which meant that I didn’t need as much to eat. Goodness knows I had more than enough calories to eat Monday night but they were good. ;-)

While I sipped my Tulsi and white tea I worked on the last post about the un-chicken stock. That is a really good stock by the way I hope you try it. Needless to say being sleep deprived didn’t help with my productivity so it took me much long to write that post than it should have. Due to my lack of sleep I was having difficulty focusing on the post and opted to distract myself by accomplishing some of the tasks on my to-do list.

Lunch for me was a small bowl of Greek inspired bean soup, no grain. I topped the soup with diced raw cherry tomatoes and fresh parsley to add freshness to the long cooked soup. Adding a fresh garnish to soup changes it, I hope you try that.

Once the post was up it was time to really get busy. *sigh* This day would have been so much easier with a little bit more sleep. After I did some organizing and cleaning I decided to pressure cook a pound of black beans since those are always good on salad, sweet potatoes or in veggie burgers. As you probably already guessed I had no real idea what I was going to do with the beans just that I needed to make some. I find beans to be very versatile, and to freeze well which is why I also make a pound when I cook them.

Today the beans were used to make a pot of black bean soup similar to this but as soup. It seemed like the easiest thing to make today given my almost continuous yawning. Some days I don’t feel like making a production out of dinner and this was one of those days. In addition to the black beans this soup contained: onions, garlic, tomato, chipotle in adobo, cumin, no-salt seasoning, chili powder, hot peppers, oregano, cocoa powder, and cinnamon.

While the soup was simmering I decided to see if I could figure out how to have go between my personal and Vegan Epicurean Facebook accounts. This may have been better to do when I was a little more alert but I wanted to cross if off my to-do list. It is a bit of pain to go between the two accounts so I may just use my personal account for everything unless I can figure out how to make it easier to switch between accounts on my phone. If any of you have multiple Facebook accounts and have any tips I would love to hear.  Also I am wondering how many of you are on Facebook and are interesting in following me there?

I served the black bean soup topped with a little fresh cherry tomato and parsley on top for freshness. Are you starting to see the soup garnish pattern?

Happy thoughts:

• Being exhausted today it was tough to think let alone come up with happy thoughts. I will admit I was a bit too tired to be upbeat most of the day. However it occurred to me that if I worked outside the home or had any appointments that I couldn’t reschedule my day would have been ten times worse. That leads me to my happy thought which is that I could take it easy today since I know not everyone has that option when they are sleep deprived.

• I was proud of myself for skipping the espresso this morning. In my less healthy days I would not have thought twice about grabbing a double shot of espresso to get myself going. It is good to know I have conquered that addiction. While this may not seem like much to some of you there have been many days where I had 8 double shots of espresso in a day so for me this is huge.  :-)

• I am happy to be caught up with my posts which I thought would never happen. It is nice to have something crossed off my to-do list that I expected to take much longer.

• It was nice surprise to get on the scale Tuesday morning and not see an uptick from going out to eat. When I go out to eat I never know what to expect but always brace myself for weight gain from water retention due to consuming more sodium than normal.

• While I wasn’t terribly productive today I did manage to get a few things accomplished. Based on how I felt today I got a lot more done than I expected to. *literally yawning as I typed that*

• Wednesday I have more fun planned which I am looking forward to. It is good to have things in your schedule that are fun to break up the monotony.

• We are also having dinner with our friends Walid and Jackie in a few days which will be great fun. Jackie is one of the funniest people I know. By the end of the evening I am sure my cheeks will be hurting from laughing so much.

• Wednesday morning was cold but sunny and with beautiful cloudless blue skies. It was a nice way to start the day.

Signing out:

Now that Dan if off to work and I have finished my exercising it is time for me to get busy and get some things done. Today is going to be a busy one but I also have some fun planned so that makes it all worth it. I hope your Wednesday is good. Talk to you again tomorrow. Happy Wednesday!

Homemade No-chicken, No-salt Chick’n Broth & Lemony Chick'n and Rice Soup

Here is a preview of the soup.  The chick'n stock worked out really well and everyone enjoyed the soup, omnivores and vegans alike.   That is definitely a win in my book.

Sunday:

We were back to the farmers market which reopened today. Good thing Pam (the farmer at our CSA) sent out reminder emails this morning or we would have missed the market. There would have been no excuse to miss the market since we both knew about. In fact the market reopening this weekend was even a topic of conversation at cooking class just a few days ago. Sometimes I wonder what my brain is thinking about when I forget important things like this. As much as I love going to the market you would have thought I would remember. *rolls eyes*

The market today was mostly plants and we picked the following for our tea and herb garden: 7 parsley, 1 marjoram, 1 bay tree, 2 calendula, 1 German chamomile, and 1 stevia. I managed to get these planted early Monday morning before running errands.

Breakfast for me was my usual savory oatmeal.

Next there was quick trip to the library to pick up a book on hold (Blue Zones) and a run to Whole Foods for organic parsley and celery.

As usual I had no idea what I was going to make for the meal with my parents on Sunday. Soup is always safe but my mother has asked me not to use beans, anything spicy and she isn’t fond of tofu which means it is getting progressively more difficult to find things that I consider healthy enough to consume that she will eat. *sigh* Why doesn’t anyone ever tell you that as your parents get older they become more child-like?

Many years ago I used to a make a lemony chicken soup that both my parents liked with veggies and rice so I decided to make a vegan version of that soup. First however I had to work on the no-chicken, no-salt chick’n broth. I think the broth is the best part of this soup personally. Here is what I did:

Lemony Chick’n and Vegetable Soup
Serves 6 as an entrée if you include some cooked whole grain

Chick’n Stock Ingredients:

1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced (about 2 cups)
2 heads garlic, peeled and smashed
4 cups water
¼ cup oatmeal
8 cups water
1 bay leaf
4 tablespoons nutritional yeast (or less if you aren’t fond of the flavor you want a little umami but you don't want the soup to taste cheesy)
¼ teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon no-salt seasoning (or to taste)
¼ teaspoon sweet paprika (not the smoked)
¼ teaspoon dill, optional (this isn’t necessary but I like dill)

Soup Ingredients:

4 carrots, finely diced
2 – 3 stalks celery, finely diced (or 1/8 teaspoon celery seed)
4 cups mushrooms, thinly sliced (I used 3 cups of dried mushrooms reconstituted in 4 cups of water)
1 cup green beans, cut into small pieces that will fit on a spoon
1 cups broccoli, cut into small pieces that will fit on a spoon
1 cup frozen peas
Fresh parsley to finish the soup (about ½ cup when finely diced)
1 lemon, zested and juiced, optional (this changes the soup dramatically but it is good with or without the lemon)

Directions:

Allow the onion and garlic to stand 10 minutes before turning on the heat so the chemical reactions have time to take place. In a large pot combine the onion, garlic, water and oatmeal and cook uncovered over low heat until the vegetables are tender. Check the pot periodically to make certain that you have enough liquid in the pot. Also don’t go too far away as the mixture will try to foam and boil over. When the vegetables are completely tender pour the ingredients into a blender and process until smooth. Return this mixture to your soup pot. Add the seasonings to taste.

Now add the carrots and celery and simmer for at least 30 minutes. The remaining veggies will be added in stages. The mushroom only need about 10 minutes to infuse the in broth but longer is fine too. If you are using dried mushrooms also add the soaking liquid but strain it so you don’t add any gritty sediment to your soup. The green beans and broccoli need less than five minutes to cook to al dente and still retain their nutrition. The peas and parsley should be added just before serving. You can save some of the parsley for a garnish.

If you would like to add more calories to this soup you can add some cooked whole grain, like brown rice or quinoa. Alternately you could add cubes of potato to the soup or even a ¼ cup of barley.

Nutritional Information (for 1/6th of the soup):

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 132.81
Calories From Fat (5%)-  6.99

Total Fat - 0.72g
Saturated Fat - 0.13g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 103.51mg
Potassium - 628.47mg
Total Carbohydrates - 23.15g
Fiber - 5.28g
Sugar - 6.52g
Protein - 5.78g

Nutrition Information for the entire recipe of chick’n stock:

Calories - 394.94
Calories From Fat (4%) - 16.66

Total Fat - 1.29g
Saturated Fat - 0.27g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 107.06mg
Potassium - 686.91mg
Total Carbohydrates - 56.78g
Fiber - 6.75g
Sugar - 6.28g
Protein - 9.56g

Comments:

I am sure some of you were wondering why I added oatmeal and pureed the onions and garlic right? You know how homemade chicken stock has an unctuous rather gelatinous quality to it? That was what I was trying to mimic by pureeing the onions and garlic and adding the oatmeal and it worked fairly well. *happy dance* I will probably try to refine this a little but I am very pleased with how this first attempt turned out. I hope you agree when you try it.

The soup itself is a very simple combination of the veggies that I had on hand. Feel free to use any veggies that are traditionally added to your favorite chicken soup recipe.

To accompany the soup we had a simple green salad of: mesclun, cucumber, tomatoes, carrot and topped with creamy “honey” mustard dressing.

After the meal with my folks Dan and I watched the Jack Canfield DVD, “ActivatingThe Law of Attraction”. Even Dan enjoyed it and that is saying something since occasionally these things are too woo woo for him if you know what I mean. The DVD was long, 2+ hours, so dinner needed to be simple.

Dinner was leftovers for Dan and me. I had some of the Greek bean soup and Dan had mushroom ragu. This is why I try to keep leftovers in the refrigerator and freezer. I love being able to get homemade food on the table in a few minutes.

We did manage to turn in much earlier than usual, thankfully. However for some reason I tossed and turned last night. *ugh*

Monday:

Because I didn’t sleep well we skipped the gym this morning opting to sleep in instead. Some days sleep is just more important. After all we can both work in exercise later in the day but if you don’t get enough sleep a nap isn’t always an option.

Dan’s breakfast was an enormous green smoothie this morning.

After Dan left for work I headed out to the garden to get my new plants into the herb and tea garden. First I had to do a little clean-up work but the weather was beautiful so I didn’t mind at all. In fact I was thrilled to see that my tarragon is about 8 inches tall, the golden oregano has sent out about 100 little seedlings, the borage has also survived the winter and has at least 20 little plants coming up. Ahhh, spring….. I love getting into the garden. Now I just need to figure out where I am going to put my basil this year since that is where the marjoram, chamomile, and stevia went in this morning.

I also managed to finalize the last post and get that up on the blog. Knowing that today was going to be a hectic one I tried to get everything in before I had to run out the door. It is just going to be one of those weeks. However with temperatures expected to flirt with the 80’s it will be a wonderful day to be outside.

My breakfast was a huge salad, as usual in a serving bowl. This salad contained: about 6 cups of mesclun greens, 1 organic Braeburn apple, ¼ cup blackberries, ¼ cup blueberries, a little fresh lime juice, a dash of vanilla and 1 tablespoon of chia seeds.

Knowing the salad would not hold me for long I backed some homemade trail mix in my purse with an orange. The trail mix contained equal portions: raw pumpkin seeds, almonds, walnuts, dry roasted edamame, and dried blueberries.

After running errands the weather was still absolutely amazing. Needless to say dinner on the patio won out which means we went out for dinner. When we call to make reservations we always ask if Ian is there and have the kitchen warned that we are coming in. Ian prefers more than a few hours notice, but since we are happy making up our own meals I knew he would just be happy to see us.

The weather was gorgeous today with a high of 87. *woo hoo* What a fabulous eating for dinner al fresco.

As always I started the evening in the kitchen so that I could chat with Ian. I like to get a hug and hear what he has on hand that is out of the ordinary so that we can plan what we are going to eat. While I was there I asked him if he had any experience with seitan and tempeh. His response was tempeh, a little, and seitan never. When I asked if he would be willing to play around with it for us he said of course. He doesn’t think he can get it from his supplier but I quickly volunteered to drop it off since it was only for us. I am very excited to see what he comes up for us on this. *happy dance* Sometimes you just have to ask for what you want. You never know when the person will say yes. *woo hoo*

While I was chatting to Ian in the kitchen Emily came in to tell me Dan wanted iced tea. What? Knowing that green tea was better for him she doubled checked with me and I decided iced green tea was a better idea. Isn’t it very sweet of everyone at the restaurant to look out for us?  Dan knew I was right, though that wasn't what he wanted.  He did agree with me that it was better choice.

We started with gazpacho at the suggestion of Emily. I ordered a cup and Dan got a bowl. The gazpacho had a little heat in the background which I really liked. Ian makes a very good gazpacho; in fact his soup has been voted Baltimore’s best gazpacho in the past.

Next we ordered Ian’s take on the samosa which we both really like. I was in the kitchen when Ian was prepping these and they have only a brush or oil between the phyllo so they have a lot less fat than the deep fried original but are still crispy. Ian’s cilantro dipping sauce really takes these over the top. I always say his sauces are amazing and this is another one of those.

Our dinner was sautéed snow pea, and mushrooms topped with sweet potato and lentil latkes. I have no idea how he came up with that combination but they were delicious. We ordered a second plate we liked them so much. I will be making my own version of this soon.

While we were enjoying dinner on the patio, which we do at a very leisurely pace, we talked to Alan and Donna for a while (the owners). Donna said they were tasting olive oil and asked if we wanted to join in? Sure, when has any Italian ever turned down olive oil tasting? Dan and I both liked the same one with the peppery finish characteristic of Tuscan oils.

Emily and I chatted about photography since I am considering a camera upgrade. Emily has a MFA and is wonderful photographer. We are going to make plans to get together and have a photography and nutrition day. She is very excited to tell us about a destination wedding in Bali she will be working on as a photographer later this year. Can you imagine going to Bali for work? Sounds like a great deal to me.

Jenn’s birthday is coming up this Friday so we chatted about that. She is going to visit her finance who is out of town to celebrate her birthday. When we asked which birthday this was for her the response did make me feel a little old. Dan and I have been together since before she was born. *sigh* When did we get old? Oh well, we are still young at heart at least.

Steph was also very sweet last night. She had made herself some strawberry hibiscus tea and brought me some since she knew I would like it, and I did. I always say that we are part of the family here so I wanted to give you more of any idea of what it is like when we are there.

As usual we were there for hours; literally we arrived at the restaurant at 5:30 and left close to 10. I suppose that is why we know almost everyone there as well as we do. Not only are we there often but for a long time when we go. When you do this for years you become a fixture of sorts.

Happy thoughts:

• What a fabulous Sunday and Monday. This is going to be one of those times when I will need to stop myself from writing too many happy thoughts. Don’t you just love those day? I feel very fortunate today.

• I loved going the farmers’ market on Sunday and getting to see our friends at Cat’s Paw Organic and Calvert Farms. I picked up some great plants for my tea and herb garden. *woo hoo*

• I am thrilled with my latest version of no-chicken stock. You can expect to see that turning up often now.

• Monday was equally as nice as Sunday. It was a busy day but still good… and the weather was absolutely spectacular. Who wouldn’t love a day in early April with a high of 87, blue skies and a breeze? The weather couldn’t have been much better in my opinion.

• We had a lovely dinner on the patio and enjoyed the food and company very much. Even though it was just Dan and I for dinner we talked to many other people all evening like we usually do. Are you starting to understand why I say it is like a restaurant version of “Cheers” for us?

Signing out:

Tuesday is going to be another hectic one for me. My to-do list continues to grow so I need to get productive today. With a little luck since the weather is grey and rainy today that will give me incentive to stay home and cross items off my to-do list. Well ... that is the plan we will see how well that works out for me.

I hope everything is going well for you. Today I need to make some intentional leftovers for dinner and lunch tomorrow. Hopefully that means there will be a recipe in the post tomorrow. I am trying to get back into the kitchen. Talk to you again tomorrow.