Tomato Pie = Love

It's amazing when a fruit or vegetable dish feels like a naughty indulgence. That is the case with this tomato pie. It's the yummy nummiest perfect time of year tomato dishes of ALL kinds and I am a lover of all things solanum lycopersicum. Although the summer tomato is a perfect snack, or meal, all on it's own, I like to kick it up a notch sometimes. Jeff says he waits all year for all of the forces combining to create the perfect pie. Yesterday, all of those forces combined (basically, the best tomatoes I had seen all year). The result.....

 

 

Tomato Pie

1 1/2 - 2 lbs heirloom tomatoes (a variety of colors looks really pretty)

1-2 tsp salt

1 deep dish pie crust

1/4 C veganaise (or mayo if you aren't vegan)

3/4 C Daiya mozzarella style shred (or mozzarella if you aren't vegan)

1/2 C Go Veggie parmesan style topping (or parmesan if you aren't vegan)

1 tsp thyme

1 Tbsp chopped parsley

1 Tbsp chopped chives + more for sprinkling

1 Tbsp chopped basil

1 Tbsp olive oil

Pepper to taste

 

Thaw the crust (or make your own if you're good at that).Thinly slice the tomatoes, place in colander, and sprinkle with salt. Toss a couple times and let sit 30 minutes. Preheat the over to 400 degrees. Mix the remainder of the ingredients except for olive oil and pepper in a medium bowl. Spread the filling in the pie crust, arrange tomatoes over the filling, drizzle olive oil over the tomatoes, add a few turns of the pepper mill across the top, and bake 40 minutes. Add additional chives and parmesan shavings if you like before serving.

 

Enjoy! We sure did.

 

I'm only sad I didn't bake two because that pie didn't survive the night.Truly the tang in some of the heirlooms, the sweetness in some of the heirlooms, the saltiness of the cheeses, and the richness of the herbs combined to make my favorite meal of the summer.

 

I Think I've Figured It Out. It's Going To Have To Be Vegan (Mostly)

I think I've figured out why I've been having so much trouble keeping up with the "nutritarian thing" as my friend calls it. It's the pickles. I HAVE to have the pickles. And Earth Balance. I NEED to be able to sauté mushrooms sometimes. Or squash, or Brussels sprouts. And I WANT flax bread. I don't take my capitalization lightly here folks, so it's going to have to lean toward vegan (mostly) instead of fully nutritarian.

 

Also, I Facebooked my Doc before making this declaration and he said "Okay, okay, I get it. These things should not massively negatively impact your thyroid and liver." He of course followed it up with the obligatory, "Be reasonable about how much sodium, wheat and oil." And my favorite "Is flax bread even bread?" So I buy mostly kosher pickles because they are lower in sodium or make a quick refrigerator pickle at home with cukes, vinegar, Dr. Braggs liquid aminos or shoyu, and garlic.

 

But sometimes a recipe comes along that begs to break the rules and one is powerless to say no. Vegan artichoke tapenade is just such a recipe. As always, I did modify the recipe ever so slightly to my taste.

 

Artichoke Tapenade

7 green olives (I used the garlic stuffed kind)

1 clove garlic (2 if you don't have garlic stuffed olives)

1 Tbsp chopped parsley

2 tsp capers, drained

1/2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp Dr. Bragg's liquid aminos

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1 can artichoke hearts in water, chopped

 

Pulse everything except the artichokes in a food processor. Stir in chopped hearts. EAT!

 

Yesterday I ate it with some crackers and today I mixed it with arugula, spinach, and kale. I loved it both ways and am sad that I'm out. But, it's almost the weekend and I have plenty more of all of the ingredients at home so I will be making more. It's briny, tart, a little creamy, and absolutely delicious!

 

 

Today for lunch, I paired the salad with a side of roasted pattypan squash (one of my favorite things!) and mushroom/garlic sauté. I'm not posting a picture here because it's damn hard to get a pretty picture of mushroom sauté. I am however a happy, healthy, camper.

 

Bon appetite...........you know since tapenade is French and artichokes are fancy according to the customer who came into my office while I was eating lunch.

 

P.S. The "mostly" vegan reference in the title is my disclaimer that sometimes pepperoni pizza will be eaten. And sometimes duck or turkey. And even more frequently, but still only sometimes, CHEESE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Soup For Breakfast Is My Fav! Also, Kudos To The People Who Stage Food For Photographs

For as long as I can remember I have liked odd things for breakfast; cold chicken, raw potato wedges, brie, hamburger patties with melted cheese, cold pizza, you get the idea. In recent years, soup has been my absolute favorite, and I have it most days of the week. Yes, even when it's hot. When I started my nutritarian (mostly) journey, I originally thought it would be impossible to keep up my breakfast love affair since most of my favorites were sky high in sodium, had meat in them, and/or used dairy as a base.

 

This is a good place to say that really I thought everything would be far more difficult than it has been. As geeky as I am about planning anyway, changing the way that I eat has not been that bad. My poor eating habits were really just that, habits and habits can be broken. I'm not successful 100% of the time but I am improving and I adore not feeling overly full at every meal and having my ass dragging about 3 in the afternoon every day! So, now I make my own soup and it's even more delicious than the overly processed, what's-really-in-this-anyway, supermarket choices from before.

 

Back to the soup. It didn't take digging that deep into Pinterest, other nutritarian and vegan blogs, recipe books, and my own mind to discover lots of ideas. This is one of the best soups I have ever had, hands down. It was inspired by some ideas I found on Pinterest and I filled in the blanks with my own personal had-to-haves. 

 

I went to graduate school in Boston and clam chowder is practically the house wine in many restaurants there. I adore clam chowder but started thinking: is it the actual clams which are usually tiny chunks anyway, or the heartiness of the soup that I love so much? I think the answer is in this bowl. I didn't miss the clams a bit, or the cream, or the oyster crackers!

 

Vegan, Nutritarian (mostly) New England Style Chowder

New England Style Chowder

1 Tbsp water (you can use olive oil if you prefer)

1 small coarsely chopped onion

1-2 carrots, halved lengthwise and sliced to your preference

1-2 tsp Dr. Bragg's liquid aminos

Black pepper to taste

6-8 ounces mixed mushrooms, sliced to your preference

1 celery stalk, thickly sliced

1 medium potato, cut to 1 inch cubes

2 sheets finely chopped nori (roll to make easier to slice)

1 1/2 C vegetable stock

1 1/2 C  cashew cream (see below)

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 Tbsp lemon juice

Lemon wedges for serving (optional)

 

Set a large, deep pot over medium heat. Heat the water and add the onion and carrots with about 1 tsp of Dr. Bragg's liquid aminos. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until the carrots begin to soften. Add the mushrooms, celery, and another Tbsp of water if you need or if pan is too dry. Cook another 3-4 minutes, or until the mushrooms begin to soften. Add the potatoes, another tsp of Dr. Bragg's liquid aminos and black pepper, nori, and stock. Bring to a boil, then lower heat. Simmer, covered for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the cashew cream, tomato paste, and lemon juice and heat gently for about 7 minutes, until thickened. If the mixture too thick for your taste, add water 2 tablespoons at a time until it is the consistency you like. Serve with lemon.

You should end up with 4 servings.

 

Cashew Cream (You can use this to thicken anything!!!!)

1/2 C cashews, presoaked for at least an hour

1 C vegetable stock

2 teaspoons arrowroot or cornstarch

 

Drain cashews. Combine cashews, stock, and arrowroot for 2-5 minutes until smooth.

 

I like my chowder thick so I didn't add any additional water to thin the consistency but it won't harm the final product if you do. Nori gives the soup the most deliciously oceany flavor. What a great tip from Veganomicon. I can't wait to use it in a million other dishes! Cashew cream is going to be a new staple for me. The vegetable broth and arrowroot temper it enough that it doesn't taste like cashew soup when you add it in. I had previously tried ground cashews to add bulk to soups that needed a creamy consistency but without add-ins it just tasted like cashews. Another great tip. Thanks Pinterest!

 

I realize the picture I took doesn't do the soup justice. I am working on my food photography I swear. The taste will make up for the look I promise!!! I've eaten it all week for breakfast and intend to make another batch this weekend! Now to find a rustic, gnarly vegan bread to eat with it. Stay tuned.

Kimchi Fried Rice

I was dying for a good fried rice dish last week so I started checking out some recipes online for inspiration. It turns out there are a drillion recipes for fried rice, a kazillion (slightly less than a drillion) for vegan fried rice, and a bunch for kimchi fried rice (most vegetarian, a few vegan) but none of them had just the combo I was looking for. I wanted fried rice, with kimchi, TONS of flavor, and other veggies that was delicious, vegan, and nutritarian. I started experimenting and voila, I very nearly met every one of my original wants!

 

Kimchi Fried Rice

2 Tbsp Earth Balance coconut spread
2 cloves minced garlic
5 chopped green onions

½ C sliced mushrooms

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
½ C Wildbrine* Thai kimchi

1 Tbsp kimchi juice

¼ C grape or cherry tomatoes
2 C cooked brown rice
1 Tbsp Dr. Bragg’s liquid aminos
1/4 tsp sesame oil
Black pepper to taste

Chili garlic sauce to taste, optional (I like Huy Fong but it’s only certified vegetarian not vegan FYI)

In wok or deep skillet, melt coconut spread. Sauté the garlic, green onion, mushrooms and cilantro 5-7 minutes. Add the kimchi, kimchi juice, tomatoes and do a few quick stirs before adding the rice. Stir to combine well and let cook another 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes begin to soften. Add the liquid aminos, sesame oil, black pepper, and chili garlic sauce. Stir a few times to blend with the rice.

* I specifically use Wildbrine products because they are delicious, naturally fermented, and vegan. You can use a different kind if you like. I like the Thai version for this dish but they also have Korean and Japanese Miso and Horseradish versions.

Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice

Ok, so the Earth balance, kimchi, sesame oil, and Huy Fong chili sauce aren't completely nutritarian. Some things are totally worth bending the rules for. It was delicious, satisfying for a Chinese food lover, and hit every note I wanted it to from the briny tang of the kimchi, to the crunch of the onions, to the spice of the chili garlic sauce, to the umami of the mushrooms.

This recipe was intended to serve one but it's a lot of food. As it turns out, it's also so delicious, you may end up powering through it anyway. I mean, you might. You could I guess. I'm not saying I know from experience or anything.........

Enjoy!

 

I've Gotten WAY Off Track

It happens. Just like that. All of the focus and hard work fell away. I don't know why it happened, a series of things I guess, but I decided that putting it in black and white, here, where someone might read it, would make me accountable. So here it is. This is me calling myself out. Not harshly, but completely. Shit happens. I'm not going to beat myself up too much and I'm still going to enjoy my birthday trip to Vegas guilt free. In the meantime, it's curtains for you sugar, salt, dairy, meat and everything nasty. Don't freak if it happens to you too. Old habits are hard to break. Various articles report anywhere from 21-250 days to break old habits and/or form new ones.

It's not even like I'm talking about weeks of debauchery. A couple days of poor food choices is all it really is. When I have a problem, I like to approach the source with solution in mind. Similarly, as an atta girl to myself, I may have gotten somewhat off track food wise, I am kicking ass with me running schedule. Even when I wake up to that 5AM alarm and groan, I do it. I get out of bed and onto the treadmill. I think that's really the goal isn't it.......constant improvement NOT perfection.

I am the little engine that could. I'll think I can until I get to "I knew I could"!!

 

Peace And A Sandwich

 

I was making a sandwich for Jeff for today's lunch and really wanted something sandwichy of my own. His was turkey and cheddar with mayo on a tortilla. The ONLY thing I could have eaten there was the tortilla and one tortilla does not a lunch make. Dr. Fuhrman has a tuNO salad recipe in his book that looked pretty good but I punched it up because well, I'm getting much more comfortable making nutritarian choices and modifying my favs to fit.

 

Here's the recipe with my modifications.

 

Chickpea Tuno Salad

1 can garbanzo beans rinsed or 1 1/2 C cooked fresh chickpeas if you have them (I didn't)

1 C raw almonds

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp kelp granules (cheapest at Asian grocery stores if you have one in your town)

6 oz lite firm lite silken tofu

1 1/2 Tbsp tarragon vinegar (white wine or champagne would be good too)

1/2 tsp Coleman's dry mustard powder (regular mustard powder if you're not a fan of spice)

1 Tbsp nutritional yeast

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp horseradish

2 tsp Dr. Braggs liquid aminos

1 celery stalk, thinly sliced

2 green onions, chopped

1/3 C red pepper, small dice

1/2 C peas

2 radishes, diced

Pepper to taste

To serve: 2 slices flax seed bread, sliced tomato, lettuce, sliced cucumber.

 

Pulse chickpeas and almonds in food processor, add lemon juice and kelp granules and pulse until incorporated. Remove to a bowl. Puree tofu, vinegar, mustard powder, nutritional yeast, Dijon, horseradish, and liquid aminos in food processor or blender. Pour over chickpea/almond mixture. Stir in celery, green onion, red pepper, peas, and radishes. Pepper to taste. Serve on flax seed bread (Alvarado St. bakery is my favorite) with lettuce, tomato and cucumber.

 

This was just the sandwich I wanted and it did turn out to be a wonderful, peaceful lunch. My phone barely rang at all!

 

 

 

I Want A Loaded Potato Too!

Over the weekend, I made the boys one of Jeff's very favorite things, loaded potato skins. Problem was, that sounded really great to me too. I did a little digging through Pinterest, nutritarian andvegan blogs, and  nutritarian and vegan website and solved the problem.

 

Almost Everything Loaded Sweet Potato

1 sweet potato

1 tsp Earth Balance original

3 green onion, chopped

1 slice Daiya cheddar style cheese

1-2 Tbsp Addicted to Veggies Sour Cream

 

Bake the potato for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Brush with butter, top with green onions, sour cream, and cheddar style slice. Broil for about 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted. Enjoy!

 

 

I thought I had some vegan "taco" meat in the fridge to add which would have been delish but I guess I ate it on, or in, something else because I couldn't find it. I stole a couple tiny pieces of hillbilly bacon off of Sam's potato skins because, well because I'm human, and it looked really awesome. A couple tiny pieces did me just fine :).

 

I feel great, haven't had heartburn in a month,  and it's getting so much easier to make myself something that is healthy and meets my Eat To Live goals while being similar to the yumm-o things that my boys like that just happen to include meat and dairy. Also, I've lost 12 pounds since the 8th of June and my M-W-F runs are slowly getting easier with less walking peppered throughout. The sleep is sweet, the energy is such a welcome change, AND I don't really have cravings anymore. Except for pickles. They are my Achilles heel. I've been indulging some but am currently investigating low salt, salt free, sugar free home canning options.

 

A friend asked me the other day how I can possibly be okay with fixing Jeff's and Sam's food while I have to deprive myself of delicious food in the process. All I could say was that this is my life now, and I have to make good choices for my health and longevity. Also, those choices don't have to deprive me of any of the deliciousness that real, whole food has to offer. In fact, lunch yesterday was the Peanut Tempeh Rolls discussed HERE, for both Jeff and me, at his request. See some of the food is so delicious, he is asking to eat it with me now.

 

I think this is what's wrong with the American diet. Some people assume if you aren't eating shit, you're depriving yourself of something. Others seem to think that if you aren't a regular red meat eater, you almost aren't American. Shoinks! I promise, this food is delicious, satisfying, nutritious (much more so than I ever ate before), and most importantly, my body is responding just like it should and needs to.

 

That's maybe the thing I expected least that has surprised me most; friend's and loved one's response to my food. Most have been supportive but some....not so much. If you are struggling to find support in your journey, look no further. I will applaud and lift you up the whole way!

 

Good luck and happy eating.