some things I’m digging right now

Sparkling blueberry juice from Trader Joe’s:

About a month ago I was standing in the checkout line at Trader Joe’s when I noticed a display of sparkling blueberry juice (those checkout displays are always so tempting!). I usually don’t buy things like this, but it was near New Years so I figured I would splurge (it’s $2.99 a bottle, so it’s hardly a splurge that’s going to break the bank).  One lazy weekend afternoon I was reading a book and I was craving a glass of wine. I thought I’d try this blueberry cider out instead and WOW I’m glad I did! I really dug it, as I was sure I would as I like most things blueberry-flavoured. It was sweet without being cloyingly so, as there is no added sugar. It’s not something I would buy on a regular basis (I’m a cheapskate) but it’s nice for a treat.

The return of gigantic salads:

Normally I like to eat a gigantic salad for lunch every day. They are super filling and I get tons of nutrients. I fell out of the habit when I had foot surgery in August and could no longer get to the farmer’s market or the grocery store. Starting in January I made a conscious effort to stock up on salad goodies when I go shopping each week and I feel so much better! I’m planning on writing a salad-centric post in the future, but I stick all kinds of things in my large lunch-time salads. Typically you will find greens, raw veggies, leftover roasted veggies, beans/tofu, nutritional yeast, and flax.

I use a LARGE bowl for these salads. Here is my salad bowl compared to my regular-sized bowls (which are actually quite large themselves):

Smoothies for breakfast:

Ironically, before I moved to California I would almost always start the day with a smoothie. I’ve just recently started making smoothies again. Sometimes I add extra greens, sometimes I don’t. This particular one had a banana, soy milk, some mixed frozen fruit (the kind you buy in a bag at the grocery store), flax, and strawberry protein powder. Yum!

 

What about you? What are some things you’re into right now?

MoFo #18: Basic salad formula

My favourite lunch is a ginormous salad. It’s a habit I picked up from Eat to Live. Usually I like my salads pretty simple…I don’t add a lot of “stuff” to them. Although the exact contents of my salad change, my basic formula is greens of choice (usually field greens for me) + legume (for protein) + nooch/nutritional yeast + flax + sriracha.

I know what you are thinking, “sriracha on salad?!” Call me a sriracha addict (I won’t deny it…), but I really like this stuff on salad. Especially with nooch. They mix together to make this awesome sriracha-nooch paste and it’s delicious! I probably sound like a mad woman here, but if you are a fellow sriracha devotee you need to try it before you judge me.

As for my other raw veggies, typically I don’t add them to salad but I eat them separately. For example, rather than adding chopped carrot, I’d rather eat carrot sticks on the side.

Here is a recent salad that is pretty bare bones, but was utterly delicious (greens, lentil sprouts, nutritional yeast, flax, sriracha).

MoFo #6: A Much Belated Appetite For Reduction Review

I can’t believe I have yet to blog about how much I adore Isa’s newest cookbook Appetite for Reduction! I have been cooking out of this pretty steadily since last December and I’m about 40% of the way through it. Ultimate goal: cook every single recipe at least once.

Here are some highlights that I had sitting around on my camera.

My favourite part of this book is the salad recipes, hands down. The dressings are worth the book alone. Here is a shot of the nicoise salad I made after I returned home from the farmers market one Sunday this summer:

Like most folks, end of summer meant zucchini! Enter zucchini black bean tacos – soooo delicious.

Another long lost picture I had wasting away on my camera: Summer Lovin’ Curried Corn & Vegetable Chowder. Just perfect for your August farmer market haul.

Sadly I do not have anymore AFR photos at the moment. But take my word for it – everything in this book is scrumptious!

What are your favourite recipes in Appetite for Reduction?

MoFo #5: Hot Dog Salad

I really like condiments. A lot. Even when I don’t have many groceries in my fridge, I always have shelves of condiments in there. Some food I crave only for the condiments that typically go on them. Like hot dogs. Hot dogs are the perfect delivery system for ketchup and mustard.

Ah, ketchup and mustard. Such a perfect combination. I try to keep the amount of processed food in my diet to a minimum, which means I don’t often eat things that typically go with ketchup and mustard. But every so often a craving hits and I need my ketchup and mustard fix. I immediately start thinking of hot dogs. Sometimes I will just buy some veggie dogs and buns and go to town. But other times I try to keep it healthier. Enter the hot dog salad.

Say what?

You heard me: hot dog salad. It’s a hot dog in salad form. You take all of your usual hot dog fixings and put them on top of lettuce (I find a nice crisp lettuce like romaine works the best). I know, I know, this sounds crazy and disgusting, but trust me, it’s actually pretty good.

Hot Dog Salad

-2 vegan hot dogs
-romaine lettuce
-ketchup
-mustard
-whatever hot dog toppings you like (e.g., onion, pickle, hot peppers, etc.)

1. Shred your lettuce and pile it on your plate.
2. Cut the hot dogs into rounds and heat in a frying pan/skillet.
3. Prepare whatever hot dog toppings you are using (e.g., slice onions if using, chop pickles, etc.)
4. Top lettuce with cooked hot dogs plus toppings.
5. Add condiments, such as ketchup and mustard.