Simple Springtime Pasta

When I go grocery shopping, I have to make trips to different stores to get all the things I need.  Ah, the joys of having "quirky" eating habits in the Midwest...  I have one store for Amy's quick frozen meals, and tofu/soy products; another for veggie burgers, nutrition bars and snack foods; another for hummus and Asian foods; and the last one for organic things and fresh produce.  So I was in the fresh fruits and veggies section of my produce store, and I came across sun-dried tomatoes.  I decided I had to have them, and would make an entree based around them.  I bought some organic whole wheat rotini, broccoli florets, and parmesan-- the cheese wasn't intended for me, although I did end up eating it.  Bad vegan, I know.

I threw the broccoli and sun dried tomatoes on the skillet, tossed with some olive oil and a generous amount of Penzey's Tuscan Sunset seasoning (basil, oregano, garlic, bell pepper, black pepper).  I put that on top of the pasta, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled on parmesan, and finito!  The sun-dried peppers gave it a sweet taste, while the broccoli added a bit of crunch and some fiber and vitamin C.  And the spices and olive oil provided enough flavor to the pasta without overwhelming the rest of the meal.  I'm sure if I had some white wine in the fridge I could add that in, and maybe some lemon juice, and turn it into a primavera.  But realistically, I never have leftover wine!

I was impressed with this dish because it was only a few ingredients, but with a lot of taste.  I can even vouch for carnivorous men-- or one in particular who cleaned his plate and asked for me to make it again!  I plan on it.

It Makes Miso Happy

There are a few things I eat regularly: hummus, edamame, vegan BLTs, and miso soup.  The Japanese soup is yummy and hot, relatively low in calories, and can strengthen your immune system.  Not to mention, the nutrients in miso can keep your skin soft.  I also just found out that it's high in the amino acid tryptophan, which makes you sleepy.  So it's probably not the best idea to eat it during my lunch break...

Miso is a fermented soybean paste, and can range in color from white to brown.  The lighter colored miso is better for soups.  It's a staple in any sushi restaurant, and if you can find the ingredients in the store, it's relatively easy to make.  There's also instant miso soup, which isn't that bad, but it's ridiculously high in sodium.

I'm Nuts About You

One of the first things people ask vegetarians is, "if you don't eat meat, how do you get your protein?"  Well, first of all, we don't need as much protein as people think.  Too much is harmful, as is too little.  It's obviously necessary in our diets, but not in the quantities that the majority of Americans consume.  Nutritionists say humans only need about 10% of our diets to be from protein.  Athletes and pregnant women need a little more.  Regardless, meat is not the only source of protein.  Plant-based foods are abundant in protein-- like certain vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans and whole grains.

Nuts are a staple in most vegetarian/vegan diets-- or at least mine.  Whenever I'm feeling sluggish, I reach for a handful of almonds.  I'm a huge fan of cashews, pistachios, macadamia nuts, and peanuts, but I have no willpower when it comes to them, and could eat an entire jar.  So instead, I go for raw or sea-salted almonds.  They're still good, but not as addicting as cashews.  And apparently, they are the most nutritious of them all!  Almonds are a great source of protein, vitamin E, magnesium, calcium and folic acid!  They really are the wonder nut.  But don't let the health benefits fool you-- they also contain a lot of fat.  Although it is healthy fat, they still have a lot of calories.  So eat in moderation.  And try to avoid any that are coated in sugar.

For mixed nuts, go for Planters Nut-rition South Beach Diet Mix.  Ignore the South Beach part and dig into this wonderful mix of lightly salted cashews, almonds and macadamias.

Berry, Berry Quite Contrary

My boyfriend likes sweets, but says chocolate gives him migraines (I looked it up and apparently chocolate is a trigger).  So I decided to make him something with berries.  A few days earlier I was perusing through Food Gawker and I found a fantastic recipe from Renee Julia.  She's a wedding photographer in Upstate New York, who has a handful of recipes on her site accompanied by gorgeous pictures.  And I must say, she is very helpful!  I emailed a question about the recipe and and she promptly responded within a few minutes!

Renee Julia's Blueberry Bake only requires a few ingredients, and was super easy to make.  I made some alterations, though.  I replaced the butter with Earth Balance, and used only organic ingredients.  Also, I added in raspberries to make it a blueberry and raspberry crumble!

Here's what you need:
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup of quick organic oats
2/3 cup of brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/3 cup of softened Earth Balance
3 cups of fresh berries, or two bags of frozen berries

Simply put all of the ingredients except the berries into a big bowl and stir.  You could use a food processor, but if you work those biceps, you can stir them by hand.  Put the berries on a baking dish, and sprinkle the crumble mix on top of it.  Pop in the oven for 30 minutes at 375 degrees, and let your entire kitchen fill up with aromas of warm cinnamon sugar.

It turned out really well, and I was so impressed with myself that I mastered baking from scratch!!  I will definitely try this again, and might improvise with different fruits, like apples or blackberries.  Also, I might make little individual berry bakes instead and put it in ramekins instead of one large baking dish.

If you visit the original website, you'll notice the beautiful photography.  I apologize for my photo, which doesn't do this dessert justice.  I had forgotten to take a picture of it until it was a few days old and sitting in my refrigerator!  Oops.  Regardless, it was still pretty tasty, and relatively healthy for a dessert!

The Fuzzy Fruit

The other day my mother told me that I should be eating kiwifruit.  She wasn't sure why or where she heard it from, but just that they were supposed to be really good for you.  That's my mother.  She's always relaying these things she read or heard that "they" say you should do, or "they" say you shouldn't eat.  But she never says who "they" are.  Sometimes I think she's making things up and using that blanket word to give it validity.  Then I think, regardless, mother knows best, right?

So she tells me I should be eating kiwi, and I go out to the store and buy three for $1-- which is a steal.  Kiwi reminds me of my mom's homemade fruit salads, where she always bought the freshest fruit, and lots of it.  A few times, I remember her carving out a watermelon to use as a bowl!  The kiwi, along with the rest of the fruit, was always cut up so nicely.  My experience was a little different.  I'm not sure the best way to cut or peel a kiwi, but I'm pretty sure it's not my way.  I cut it into slices and then, if it's really ripe, I pull the skin off easily.  If it's tougher to peel off myself, I get a knife and cut around the edges.  Either way, it ends up looking like an octagon and less of a circle.  And not at all pretty.  Good thing it tastes the same however way you slice it.

Much like it's namesake-- a little furry brown New Zealand bird that can't fly-- the kiwifruit is small as well.  But don't let the size of it fool you-- one kiwi fruit has more vitamin C than a whole orange!  It's also a better source of potassium than bananas!  (So now you can just avoid the world's most boring fruit and eat a fun, tropical fruit instead.)  Kiwis are also loaded with antioxidants, lots of amino acids, Vitamins A and E, and lots of fiber.  So, it turns out that my mother was right after all.

I simply cut, peel and eat.  But apparently the kiwi is great for cooking because of it's strong texture.  I came across a recipe from The Daily Green for a blueberry-kiwi fruit tart that looks super easy to make and looks really pretty for entertaining.  Of course, you can always throw a kiwi in a smoothie, or fruit salad too.