Cake time!

It has been a busy month and I have a lot of posts to catch up on. Lets start with cakes. I made a couple of cakes for birthdays this month!

Andrew's Jumbo Slice Cake!

And Carter's 2nd birthday! I can't believe he is already 2.  He's so much fun now!

 More to come soon!

Weekend with the Parents

 My parents came to visit and we had a great time exploring the city. We walked around the city, had lunch at Founding Farmers, dinner in Chinatown, spent an afternoon at Mount Vernon, walked around Great Falls, went to the Fish Market, and our favorite crabcake place G&M.
I absolutely loved Mount Vernon. It was so beautiful and I think everyone knows I want to live on a farm someday. What a nice relaxing weekend with the fam. =)

 

 

Sunday Funday

Things I love: farmers markets, vegetables, my first good tomato of the season, creativity, good friends, my new herb garden, relaxing by the water,  a beautiful sunset after it rains, and having faith.

I went to Eastern Market for some produce for the first time this season. I have gone a few times this spring, but never had time to get much. I left with some tomatoes, green beans, arugula, asparagus, a carrot, strawberries, fingerling potatoes and spring onions. I made a salad out of everything except for the strawberries. I briefly simmered the potatoes, asparagus and green beans to cook them a bit, then added the rest of the ingredients. I made a lemon basil vinaigrette for the dressing. And the best part is I am going to get to eat this all week! Yum!


Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
Juice from 1 lemon
~1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
5-6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and enjoy! (I don't use a typical 3:1 oil to vinegar ratio because I like the mild lemon juice/ vinegar flavor.)

  

I ended the day at Cantina Marina on the SW Waterfront with my good friend Katie. It was nice to chat and relax by the water, and enjoy some fish tacos and margaritas. I must say that the jalapeno margarita is pretty tasty. And while this place can be a little pricey (like everywhere in DC) the atmosphere was great! 

 

My Weekend in Food

It was a beautiful weekend here, and I started it off with a trip to Baltimore to visit my dear friends there who I miss a lot. Stephanie and I went to dinner at a new pizza place in town and it was quite delicious. Below is our salad of arugula, red onion, feta, pecans, cranberries and balsamic vinaigrette and our pizza.

 My next stop was my old house for a spring party. After most people left Karina decided to make some homemade pizza (at 3am) and it was very tasty. Then in the morning, Karina and I made some coconut-pecan pancakes with blueberry topping. Yum-o! I miss that house and it was great catching up with the girls over breakfast!

I was also able to celebrate my good friend Katie's birthday with her on Saturday, and as usual she put on a wonderful barbecue with lots of  great things to eat. My favorite was probably the homemade onion dip!

 Sunday I had a healthful breakfast of granola with fresh mango and strawberries. Then I met my friend Ali at Eastern Market and we went to Tortilla Cafe after exploring a bit. I opted for the vegetable burrito this time, which was good, but I still prefer the pupusa's and plantains!

Overall, it was a great weekend. Good friends and good food- what more could you want?

Cinco de Mayo

Vegetable Enchiladas with Salsa Verde

1 red pepper, roasted, diced
2 large carrots, shredded
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1 can black beans
1/2 cup garden veggie cream cheese
12 corn tortillas
1 large jar salsa verde or green enchilada sauce
1/2 cup monterey jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover bottom of a baking dish with half of the salsa verde. Combine first five ingredients in medium bowl. Warm corn tortillas and fill each mixture with equal amounts of cream cheese mixture. Roll and place in baking dish. Cover with cheese and bake until bubbly, about 20 min.

Roasted Veggie Fajtas

Easter Brunch

I am sorry once again for the amount of time since my last post. I know it has been difficult without me, so I will try my hardest to get back on track. I will start with Easter brunch.

My wonderful friend Kate and I decided to make brunch for Easter at her place and invite a few friends over. We had a nice spread-- roasted vegetable quiche, cheesy hashbrowns, deviled eggs, fruit salad, carrot cake cupcakes, and oreo truffle eggs. The Easter Bunny even came and left some eggs for us to find and we got to color our own.

Kate is such an amazing decorator and got cute plates and table settings. The weather turned out great (a little warm I guess) and it turned out to be a wonderful day!

What to do with leftover babka?

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Chocolate Babka and Blackberry Bread Pudding

I found a basic recipe online, but made some changes.  Here it is.

4 cups chocolate babka, cubed
1 1/2 cups blackberries
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups almond milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
dash of cinnamon 
1 tablespoon butter (or smart balance)


Preheat oven to 375.  Melt butter in cast iron skillet.  Add cubed bread and blackberries.  Beat eggs, sugar, almond milk, vanilla, and cinnamon in small bowl until blended.  Pour over bread mixture and bake for 40- 45 minutes. 

 

Definitely one of my favorite creations in a while.  Yum!

Weekend Brunch

 I have been wanting to do weekend brunch with the gang since the end of my vegan month and it finally happened yesterday.  The menu: roasted vegetable quiche, mixed greens with red onion, oranges, and agave-apple vinaigrette, breakfast potatoes, and chocolate babka- complete with mimosas courtesy of Kate and Elyssa.  So nice spending mid-day with my awesome friends! 

 Quiche: Roasted asparagus, red pepper, red onion, and garlic with fontina cheese. 

The babka was a long process, but well worth it.  I am thinking up something to make with the leftovers- stay tuned. 

The End!

So- if you're wondering if I woke up this morning and had a cheeseburger for breakfast, the answer is no.  Although it did cross my mind.  It is now February and my little experiment is over.  However,  I do have to admit that I broke the rules a few times last week. A few days before the end of the month, I decided I had learned what I wanted to from this experience and it was time to spend the last couple of days working on my transition.  I didn't cook anything that wasn't vegan, but I didn't freak out if there was cheese or egg in something at a restaurant.

This was more than just a challenge, it was really about learning more about myself and my views on food and how it affects my body.  It was actually the fake mac and cheese we made that finalized my decision.  I liked a lot of things about being vegan.  I feel like I gained a greater appreciation for animal products and realized that animal products are in a majority of dishes, especially at  restaurants.  My final decision was to still extremely limit the animal products that I eat, but not to the point where it controls me. If I have a craving for macaroni and cheese, I will use real cheese. If I am at Olive Garden and want to eat a garlic breadstick, I will eat one. But I will prepare most of my meals and snacks without animal products.

I was surprised that I didn't have a craving for cheese or yogurt today.  Actually, the only non-vegan thing I ate today was a bite of dip that one of my coworkers brought into the office.  Below are some pictures of some of my vegan creations not yet posted.  I will keep updating on how my transition goes.  

Tortilla filled with spinach, avocado, rec pepper, and a barley, bean, and corn salad

                                               Pineapple Coconut Macaroons

                                          Roasted vegetables for fajita night

                                                          Fajita night spread

                  
Falafel salad with hummus, balsamic red onions, and roasted peppers and asparagus

Day 20!

Wow, it has been 20 days since I last ate cheese, milk, yogurt, butter- crazy.  I think this experience has been great so far.  It has caused me to really think about what I am eating.  I will admit that last night I was tempted to quit when my vegan cookies turned out...interesting, but I decided to stick with it.  Even if that meant that I had to be a little creative.  I made black bean burgers for dinner.  They were a little moist, so I added oatmeal to the mixture.  Once again, I just kinda went with what I had instead of a recipe so here it is.


Black Bean and Barley Burgers
1/2 small red onion
2 large cloves of garlic
1 carrot, peeled
1/2 small red pepper
1 1/2 cans black beans, seperated
1 cup cooked barley
1/2 cup salsa
2 pieces of dry bread
1/2 cup dry oatmeal
a few drops of hot sauce

Mince onion, garlic, carrot, and red pepper in food processor.  Add 1 can of black beans, barley, salsa, bread, and hot sauce to mixture.  Transfer to bowl and add remaining black beans and oatmeal.  Add more oatmeal if needed, but mixture will be very wet (putting in the refrigerator or freezer for a short time will make it easier to form patties).  Form into patties and cook in large skillet sprayed with cooking spray for about 8 minutes.  Flip and continue cooking on other side.  [Tip- if the burger is reall difficult to flip, wait.  It will be easier to flip once it is completely cooked on one side.]
Serve with tomato, avocado, red onion, salsa, etc.

Also, an interesting dessert I had last week: coconut milk yogurt.  I wanted to try some yogurt, but wanted something other than soy milk yogurt.  It was actually very good, but expensive.  A special treat, i guess.

More vegan goodness to come!

Vegan Wonderland

I apologize for the time since my last post, but I have a lot of good eats to share with you.  Let's start with some tortilla soup.  There was a lot of improvising to make this soup on Saturday, but it turned out pretty good.

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1-2 teaspoons good hot chili powder
1 15oz can fire roasted tomatoes
1 can condensed tomato soup (I used this because it was all we had- but a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste would work as well)
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
1/2 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon oregano
2 15oz cans black beans, rinsed
2 cups roasted corn (or frozen sweet corn)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (more to garnish)
Garnish with tortilla strips (or crushed chips, lime wedges, avocado, cilantro)

Instructions:
1. Saute onion, garlic and jalapeno in canola oil for about 5 minutes over medium heat.
2. Add chili powder, tomatoes, and tomato paste/soup.  Cook for a couple of minutes.
3. Add vegetable broth, water, lime juice and oregano.  Simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Add black beans and corn and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
5.  Stir in cilantro, remove from heat and serve with desired garnishes.

I am lucky to have a boyfriend who is supportive of this adventure, and found a great vegetarian (mostly all vegan) restaurant for our date on Sunday.  It was a very unique, asian style restaurant in NOVA.  Let's start with our appetizer:

                                      Steamed vegetable dumplings

                                       Curry vegetables with soy protein

                                       Pan fried noodles with vegetables

                                       Avocado Lemon Pie

Everything was very good.  The soy protein in the main dishes was pretty good, but I am still adjusting to that idea.  I also don't like eating a ton of soy products, because I think too much of anything can be harmful.  I really liked the vegetables and the sauces though.  The avocado lemon pie was actually pretty good- we were a little worried but it was nice.  Definitely worth checking out Sunflower Vegetarian Restaurant in Falls Church, VA.  

 

On Top of Spaghetti....

All covered with cheese (wait no cheese).  There sat my poor meatball (I mean meatless meatballs) 'til somebody sneezed (well, no one actually sneezed).   Dinner tonight: spaghetti with homemade sauce, vegan meatballs, and garlic green beans.  Yum.  I don't think the meatballs would have fooled anyone into thinking they were real meat- but they were actually pretty good. 

Beans, Rice and Everything Nice

So, what to have for a dinner party with my friends that doesn't make them regret eating dinner with me during this vegan month?  A yummy mostly vegan taco bar (we had some cheese for everyone but me).  Black beans, spanish rice, tortillas, taco seasoned veggie crumbles, salsa, spinach, sauteed onions, roasted corn, and a mango/avocado salad.  I think everyone felt pretty satisfied with their vegan meal.  The key is to not tell them it was vegan until afterward.  I couldn't find a recipe I loved for the mango/ avocado salad, so I just made it up.  Which is normally what I end up doing anyway.  Here it goes (measurements estimated).   Enjoy!

Mango-Avocado Salad
2 ripe mangos, cubed
2 avocados, cubed
1 tomato, diced
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 cup roasted corn
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
juice from a lemon or lime
salt and pepper to taste

                                         My dear friend Kate's tacos- see mango salad

                                                              My taco plate =)

I will have to admit that I did eat a little piece of brownie that was sitting around without thinking before I realized it wasn't vegan.  So- I made a little mistake, but life will go on.  Other than that- this month is going pretty well!  

Day Five... and Still Alive

So I have made it 5 days eating a vegan diet, and so far so good. I don't really miss much yet. The only thing that has really changed is my snacks- no more greek yogurt and string cheese. They have been replaced by fruit and nuts. The one thing that I have had trouble with at the grocery is finding bread I like that doesn't have honey. Yes, honey is an animal product. I feel pretty good- actually I feel like my sinus problems that I had been having for the past month or so have gone away. Which makes sense because dairy products thicken up your mucus, etc.

I have made several good dinners. Monday was risotto with roasted butternut squash and brussels sprouts. Tuesday I made spaghetti with homemade tomato sauce with carrots, onion, garlic, mushrooms, and white beans for some protein. And tonight vegan boca burgers with hummus and balsamic onions along with sweet potato fries. For dessert, some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with dried cherries (vegan of course). I am profecting my low-fat oatmeal cookies recipe. I promise to share it when its ready. All in all, a pretty good week so far.

My Vegan Month: Days 1 & 2

A few weeks ago I decided that for the month of January I would adopt a vegan diet, and so it begins. That means not eating any animal products. Being vegan can mean different things to different people, and I am not going to go too strict. I will not be throwing out any of my shoes that may have leather on them or anything like that. I will, however, be making a valiant effort to avoid consuming animal products for the month. There are many reasons why I am doing this, but mainly it is an experiment for me to see what it is like to be vegan. As a nutritionist, I feel that I should understand different dietary patterns and what better way than to adopt them for a while. So I start with my vegan month.

Day 1-
I started yesterday with breakfast, which was also my first close call. I went out to a cafe with some friends and ordered oatmeal- almost forgetting to have it made with soymilk. It was delicious though, flavored with maple syrup, nuts, and dried fruit.



After breakfast it was time for groceries. It is a lot easier in a way to go grocery shopping because there are fewer items to choose from, but also more difficult because it requires ingredient labels to be read very carefully. For dinner I made a stir fry of vegetables and tofu with peanut sauce (I had one vegetable from each color group- makes me proud).


Then it was baking time- I found a recipe for vegan pumpkin pie brownies and adjusted it just a little. They turned out pretty good. A good cure for my chocolate craving.

Day 2-
I had oatmeal again this morning after my walk around the Capital and the market, but at home and with pistachios and agave nectar this time. For lunch I had leftover stir fry. Then the dinner dilemma. It can be difficult to find restaurants that are vegan friendly, but luckily DC has a decent number of options. We opted for Mediterranean tonight, which was a great choice. Now I am not 100% sure that everything was vegan, but I decided that I would use my best judgement. I got a falafel sandwich on flatbread with hummus and a spicy vegetable relish. All which are normally vegan. It was very good.

Overall, this has been a good start to my vegan month and 2011. I am excited to share the rest of my experiences this month with you all.