A Recipe Sure to Clear your Sinus'

A and I don't really experiment very often with "meat alternatives"...don't get me wrong, I love a good veggie burger or some Boca crumbles but other than that we don't really venture out. Well, I decided this week to break out of that box, one can not live off beans and salad alone! A is a spicy food fanatic and when I saw the recipe for Buffalo Tempeh in Appetite for Reduction, I knew we had a winner. What could satisfy a hungry-mans craving for Buffalo Chicken Wings better?
The tempeh filled me up for hours without weighing me down. It was full of flavor and A even asked if there was going to be leftovers for his lunch the next day. I love when that happens!

If anyone has had any reservations about tempeh or any other meat alternatives, I highly recommend you try this recipe. Its simple, quick and delicious! 

Buffalo Tempeh

8 ounces tempeh, cut into wedges

Marinade: 

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1/2 cup Cayenne hot sauce

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried oregano

To create tempeh wedges: Slice the tmpheh in half across the waist. Slice the rectangles in half. You'll have four rectangles. Slice each rectangle corner to corner. The resulting triangular wedges are great for baking, grilling or sauteing. 

Steam the tempeh for 5 minutes, this will loosen the tempeh up and get it ready to absorb the marinade flavors.

Mix together the marinade ingredients in a medium-size mixing bowl. When the tempeh is done steaming, immediately transfer it to the marinade. Let it marinate for at least 10 minutes, up to an hour. 

Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spray the pan with a bit of nonstick cooking spray. Add the tempeh slices and reserve the marinade. Cook the tempeh for 10 minutes, flipping it often, until it has browned a bit. Add the remaining sauce and turn up the heat to high. Let the liquid boil and cook down for about 5 minutes. That's all!! 

While the tempeh was marinading I also whipped up a batch of Cool Slaw. The creamy cashews made this dish the perfect companion to Buffalo Tempeh.

Being from the Georgia-Carolina area I love a nice vinegar-mustard flavor with my BBQ...the Cool Slaw had just the right amount of each and a touch of agave nectar really enhanced the flavor. 

The best part of this meal are the nutritional facts:

Cool Slaw Buffalo Tempeh Calories 60 130 Calories from Fat 25 20 Total Fat 2.5 g 2.5 g Total Carb 7 g 18 g Fiber 2 g 5 g Sugars 3 g 1 g Protein 2 g 9 g

Cookbook Club: Pineapple Cashew Quinoa Stir-Fry

The evening I had originally planned to make Pineapple Cashew Quinoa Stir-fry, we came home from the grocery store to find our apartment flooded! Lovely...so we went to spend the night and A's parents house and the following day I came home to disinfect *read: Bleach* everything! Once I finally had the kitchen up to inspection I kicked on some tunes and got to chopping! (I must be very excited about this recipe...I have used 3 exclamation's in 3 sentences!

OK, 4.) 

Thankfully, I had read the entire recipe before attempting to prepare because you are supposed to cook the quinoa the day before and let chill in the fridge. And thankfully quinoa keeps in the fridge for more than one night because it had already be prepared, before the Flood of 2011. I actually used Red Quinoa--the "Tip box" above the recipe recommends a blend of white and red, but red is all I had. I used my steamer to cook 

the quinoa, I find it to be more dependable when it comes to cooking time, and I prepared the quinoa with pineapple juice, cold water 

and soy sauce. Isa and 

Terry were right....try it just once! Yumm! 

I made a few other adaptations to the original recipe: 

-My store was out of Raw and Unsalted Cashews--I used Roasted Salted Cashews, skipped the step where you roast the cashews, and they tasted great! (Also, made for a nice munchie while preparing!) 

-My store was also out of Red Chile, or I might not have looked hard enough. I used a fresh jalapeno instead. Still added a nice kick to the dish but I do love Red Chile... next time I will be sure to pay more attention to my peppers! 

-The recipe calls for frozen green peas or cooked edamame. Well, I used frozen edamame, no problem! I am not a huge fan of green peas anyway, but I think the flavors of this dish are best paired with edamame...it just makes sense! 

-I decided to 86 the Lime wedges (for no real reason) 

The recipe is very easy to follow...chop, sizzle, stir-fry. The only problem...the recipe does not tell you when to add the cashews to the dish. I just ended up tossing them in when I added the quinoa and wet ingredients. 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this dish! The sweet of the pineapple and the spicy of the pepper blend wonderfully. You get just the right amount of ginger, garlic, mint and basil in each bite. AND it made a ton* of (healthy, satisfying) food! Seriously, we both ate a huge helping for dinner, and I ate it for lunch the next two days! 

*I might have doubled the amount of quinoa--I don't like to measure ;) 

Don't forget to check out what other are saying about Veganomicon!!

Cookbook Club: Portobello Salad with Spicy Mustard Dressing

I told you it was coming...just a little slower than expected! It's not that I haven't been spending time with my nose in Veganomicon scouring for the winning recipes or even in the kitchen actually preparing said recipes. I have just been busy...with life, career transitions, apartment floods (!),  a certain boxer who demands serious "me" time, traveling, etc... Thank your for your patience and without further ado my first review! (haha as my Papaw would say, "You're a poet and didn't know it! Making a rhyme every time!" cheeezzeeee)

The first dish to review came after doing a quick inventory of my fridge and pantry. I wanted to use up produce and such that was getting close to end of life. I always buy a large tub of Baby Spinach, or what ever kind of greens I am feeling, this way I can quickly throw together a salad for lunch or toss some in the blender for a delicious green lemonade and I can even mix into whatever I plan to prepare for dinner...like pasta and marinara with wilted spinach, spinach and black bean quesadilla or... a Portobello Salad with Spicy Mustard Dressing! I also had an open can of Chickpeas with only about a spoonful or two missing (topping for a lunch salad!) I was also not wanting to spend a ton of $$ on different ingredients for a fancy smancy dinner, that I would be eating alone...A had a man-date! So there it was, a recipe with the majority of ingredients already on hand, a dinner of something tasty that I wouldn't normally prepare for family dinners (A hates shrooms!) and I would have plenty of left-overs for lunch the next day!

After work I stopped by Trader Joes to pick up two large Portobello caps, a bottle of vino (hey, the recipe called for it!) and Grapeseed Oil. From what I understand Grapeseed Oil can be on the more expensive side, but I always depend on TJ's for oils, condiments and spices at a reasonable price!

Once home, I gathered all ingredients only to realize I had no garlic...So I made due and diced up some onions to the Portobello marinade. I also added about a 1/2 cup more wine to the marinade than the recipe actually called for. I guess I had some big shrooms because they were just screaming for more juice! While the Portobellos roasted in the oven, I prepared the Spicy Mustard Dressing.

The recipe says, "Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl. Done." Then to toss the salad with ALL of the dressing (in my opinion that's A LOT of dressing for one salad!). I decided to prepare the dressing in a jar, then I could use a tablespoon (or two) for the salad and have dressing for the rest of the weeks lunches.

Next I prepped the salad... Spinach, Red Onion, Avocado, Chickpeas. Tossed with Spicy Mustard dressing and ready to be topped with slices of roasted Portobello!

The Portobellos smelled delicious while in the oven and 

tasted just as great once they were out!

I really enjoyed this salad but next time I will leave the Chickpeas out...or maybe warm them up a bit first. Not that I 

don't love Chickpeas but something about the flavor just 

didn't mesh well to me.

FYI that second Portobello cap that I saved for lunch the 
following day.... Made my day! I enjoyed it with spinach and red quinoa and a drizzle of the Spicy Mustard dressing....YUM!

Sneak Peek

Well friends, I have been cooking up a storm for the Cookbook Club! Lots of yummy dishes that even A loves! 

Reviews coming starting next week, so stay tuned....

Currently Craving: Holiday Edition

{Appetite for Reduction}

{Viva Vegan!}

{Vegan Girls Guide to Life}

Fashion Friday

Everyone who knows me, knows that I not really a high heel kinda girl. Now don't get me wrong I love me some shoes. I love shoes with sky-high heels, kitten heels, wedges, boots, flats and on and on. As much as I might love these shoes I have a bit of a problem actually getting them to fit my feet. You see I have the longest, skinniest feet ever! I slip out of every pair of shoes I own and I am constantly shoving little shoe pads into my toe of my shoes. I am also a girl who is all about comfort! Not to mention the fact that I probably should have been named Grace! *pun intended*

 I think I may have found the perfect solution! 

Do-Ni Nobilia ballet flat

The designers of Kaillia and Carlotta Fiorini have teamed up as Do-Ni: Gift of Love. Not only do these adorable ballerinas  have elastic for a snug fit and padded insoles for comfort, they are also vegan and ecological. The best part? 100% of the retail proceeds are donated to participating non-profits.... 

www.flff.org

www.pcrm.org

And others! 

Shoes for such a great cause...Looks like I have to get a pair for all my girls too! 

*image found here*