Asian Noodle Salad

Today in my Tiffin, I made colorful Asian Noodle Salad and Jicama and Orange salad with Lime. This was awesome! The light jicama-citrus salad balanced the rich peanut sauce of the noodles and I just love the super-crunchy jicama along with the juicy orange segments.
To make the noodle salad:
For the dressing you will need:
* 1/2 cup canola oil
* 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
* 2 tablespoons liquid aminos or light soysauce
* 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
* 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup or agave nectar
* 1 small clove garlic
* 1 heaping teaspoon minced fresh ginger
* 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter (or, as a variation, try tahini)
Blend in a blender until smooth.
Meanwhile, cook up to 1/2 pound of noodles (I used buckwheat, but thin spaghetti works well too) and finely slice some red bell pepper, scallion, and pea pods. Set aside. When the noodles are done cooking, drain them well, add to a large bowl and toss with the veggies and dressing. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and chill in the fridge until ready to eat!

For the Jicama-Citrus salad, simply dice a small jicama bulb, cut one or two oranges into segments and toss with a dash of fresh lime juice. You can get creative with what citrus you add to the salad: blood oranges, grapefruit, kumquats, tangerines, or a sprinkle of fresh mint or cilantro on top.

Tiffin! and Ginger Tea

As I said in an earlier post, I found a Tiffin at World Market. I always enjoyed seeing what Jennifer at Vegan Lunch Box packed in her Tiffin, so I was filled with excitement when I saw this beautiful stainless-steel one. I have a Laptop Lunch Box, but find myself not using it very often because a.) I don't eat a full meal away from home very often (although when I was going to community college my Laptop L.B. got a workout!) and b.) I find them a little less portable than the Tiffin. You have to make sure the latch doesn't spring open on you, and I was always afraid the un-lidded containers of the lunchbox were going to still or leak. But with the Tiffin, everything is held upright, there are two sturdy latches on the sides and there is even a nice handle on top!

So, for my Tiffin's maiden voyage, I pack this:

Spicy refried bean dip with cherry tomato halves in the left compartment and in the right we have mini tortilla chips, jicama slices and two little Coconut Raspberry Squares.

This was definitely a good lunch. Simple, healthy and tasty. Yum!

So remeber when I was talking about that delicious ginger tea I had at the Korean restaraunt? I made some myself and it turned out perfect! I figured all they did was make a ginger syrup with fresh ginger, water and sugar, then mix the concentrated syrup with hot water and voila! So, here's how to make it:

*2 cups water

* 1/4 cup fresh sliced and peeled ginger root

*scant 1/4 cup sugar (if you do honey, use honey, or agave. I'm not sure how sucanat, maple syrup or turbinado would work, since they have a distinct flavor)

Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan, bring to a light boil, stir, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered for 2-3 minutes, until the liquid starts to turn golden. Remove from the heat and cool, then transfer (ginger and all) to a lidded container and store in the fridge. To make a cup of tea, fill a mug 2/3 full with hot water, pour in 3-4 tablespoons of the ginger concoction and enjoy!

Ginger helps the digestive system, is a warming herb (good for winter) and is soothing when you have a cold or are under the weather. It is also energizing and makes a good afternoon pick-me- up. So drink up!

Lots of cooking today!

For lunch, I got a mean craving for some wontons. On a side note, my work week is light this week, so I'll be posting lots of yummy lunch-at-home meals...as a needed relief from bars and protable fruits and veggies. Anyway, I devised my own recipe for chicken-like wontons:

* 1/3-1/2 block of firm tofu, drained, well-dried, and mashed with a fork in a medium-size bowl

* 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

* 1 teaspoon liquid aminos or light soysauce

* 1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger (or 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger)

* 1 teaspoon rice vinegar

* 1 teaspoon sesame oil

* 1 teaspoon natural sweetener (brown sugar, agave, molasses, etc.)

* chopped scallions

* 1 teaspoon canola oil

* 10-12 vegan wonton wrappers

* canola oil for pan frying

Mix the mashed tofu with everything but the canola for frying, scallions, and wrappers. Heat the 1 teaspoon of canola oil in a frying pan and add the mashed tofu. Allow to brown before stirring, as you would cooking ground beef (gross, I know, but needed for explaination). Toss in the green onions and transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

Fill each wonton skin with a teaspoon or so of the cooked tofu mixture, fold one side of the skin over the tofu and seal with a small dab of water. Once all the wontons are assembled, heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan and fry the wontons over medium to medium-high heat until golden and crispy. Serve with any Asian-style dipping sauce you like--sweet and sour, simple straightup soysauce, hot mustard...

Matt loved these wontons! Later, I caught him eating the leftover tofu mixture with his fingers. Too cute.

So after we digested lunch, we wanted to do some serious baking. Matt scoured Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson and I paged though Everyday Vegan by Dreena Burton. I hadn't made Dreena's Coconut Raspberry Bars in awhile, and Matt was in the mood for chocolate. He picked Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies. Here's what they look(ed) like:

Ooohhh...If you haven't already made Dreena's Coconut Raspberry bars, your life is not complete! They are out of this world fantastic! And thanks to Matt, the bottom crust was perfectly smooth and even--beautiful!

The brownies, I was not so crazy about. They were just-barely sweet and didn't have that rich chocolate-peanut butter pizzaz I was hoping for. But good and edible nonetheless.

Room Service and Dessert!

This weekend was my company holiday party. We got a special deal on a room in the hotel where the party was being held-- too good to pass up. Instead of eating at the party (with little or no vegan options) we went out to a Korean restaraunt that we'd never been to. Vegetarian options in a Korean restaraunt to me, sounds like hoisin-marinated tofu with rice, kimche, flavorful stir-fried broccoli, mint and sprout spring rolls...my imagination was running wild and I couldn't wait to check out this new ethnic cuisine. But we got to the spot and the only veggie option was an ordinary, bland stir-fry! But I did try some ginger tea (made with fresh ginger) that was amazing, spicy and sweet. And we did get kimche which I always wanted to try. So, not a total loss.

After dinner, not feeling entirely satisfied, we decided to get lots of dessert from Whole Foods to bring back to the room with us. Vegan carrot cake and chocolate chip cookies from Chicago Diner and an awesome vegan brownie.
This is the carrot cake after Matt took the first couple bites. Yum!

For breakfast, instead of going out, we ordered room service!

This beautiful fruit plate (those are poppy seeds sprinkled on top), was yummy as out-of-season fruit can be.

Later in the morning, shopping at World Market, I found a Tiffin! And for $10, I snached it up in a hurry. If you've frequented Vegan Lunch Box, you know what a Tiffin is. Either way, check out my posts in the next several days to see what goodness I pack into mine. Happy eating!

Today's To-Go Lunch

Admittedly, not a very big lunch, but healthy nonetheless. I found these rad little Oskri bars at the grocery store last night. I used to get their coconut bars (simply dried coconut with rice syrup) and sesame bars (thin wafers of sesame seeds and rice syrup) but they have expanded to nut bars, fruit bars, and other flavors.

But anyway, alongside this mixed nut bar, I have some cherry tomatoes (that I just LOVE for snacks) in the large container from my Laptop Lunch Box, instead of using a plastic baggie.

Also, I wanted to tell everyone about my awesome Sigg water bottle Matt got me for Christmas.

There is no plastic in this water bottle. It will not leach chemicals into your water and even has a cool design on the outside! I love it and use it everyday!

Winter Fruit Salad and Cookie Snacks

For a light snack, Matt and I got a craving for fruit salad. Fresh crunchy apples, small red grapes, banana, blood oranges, tangerine, and carrots. This was one of the best fruit salads I've ever had. The blood orange was juicy and tart, the tangerine bright and sweet, the grapes were like candy, and the carrot added a less-sweet crunchy contrast. We munched on this while watching the Packers slowly lose to the New York Giants. Being from Wisconsin, we are both packer fans, even though I really don't like football, I have some team spirit for the Packers!

Earlier in the weekend, I also made these really healthy (and amazingly yummy) Cookie Snacks. I call them Cookie Snacks because they make a great pick-me-up filled with whole grains, nuts and some fruit. Here's how to make them:

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 cups rolled oats (you can use the whole ones, or the quick-cooking ones)

* 1 cup whole wheat or spelt flour

* 1 cup roughly chopped raw almonds

* 1/2 cup raisins, or your favorite dried fruit

* 1/2 teaspoon salt (omit of using Earth Balance margarine)

* 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

* 1/2 cup canola oil or melted Earth Balance

* 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons maple syrup

* 1/4 cup soymilk or water

* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set out two baking pans, and line with parchement.

Mix together the oats, flour, almonds, raisins, salt (if using), and baking soda in a large bowl. In a seperate smaller bowl, wisk the remaining ingredients, then add to the dry mixture. Stir just until combined. Roll the cookie dough into golf ball sized spheres, then press flat onto the cookie sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the center of the cookies are beginning to firm. Cool, then store in an airtight container.

Today's Lunch and Kombucha!

So today for my lunch-on-the-go, I packed some whole grain mini-cracker peanutbutter sandwiches, some more of those little green beans I adore so much along with some mini red, yellow and orange bell peppers.

I also have a bottle of acai juice--which, if you've never had it is a wonderful thing. Made from the tropical acai fruit, it is thick like a smoothie, and almost creamy, with a not-to-sweet, mild taste.

I always have these little packets of Emergen-C hanging around in my bag--a powdered supplement that you mix water and it really tastes lovely. For me, they are a lifesaver, because I work with so many people everyday for my job, I don't even want to know what kind of germs/viruses/bacteria I am inevitably coming into contact with.

I used to drink Kombucha all the time when I lived near my natural foods co-op where they sell it. But now I've moved and mainly shop at the supermarket literally two blocks away--mind you, it is a very good supermarket with a huge natural foods section. Occasionally, I will go to Whole Foods and more often shop at Trader Joes--which I am so lucky to have! Anyway, one day I was at the supermarket and my eye caught some very bright jewel-tone bottles in the juice case. "Kombucha!!" I exclaimed. Once I was able to quell my excitement at the prospect of having kombucha at my fingertips every day of the week, my eye drifted down to the price tag. $3.49 per bottle. Ok, so maybe I wouldn't be drinking this health tonic every day, but maybe three days a week.

Now that you know I love kombucha, let me fill you in on why. Kombucha is a fermented tea that is unpasturized, raw, and filled with goodies like enzymes, B vitamins, and actually acts to restore and balance your body's pH (if your body is too acidic--usually caused my eating too much meat and other animal products, it stresses every organ of your body and causes the breakdown of your tissues, in addition of causing the buildup of lots of toxins).

Yeah, but does it taste good? Heck yes! It's fizzy and if you want to know the truth, tastes a bit like booze (it naturally contains no more than .05% alcohol because of the fermentation). It comes in flavors like citrus, guava (my favorite) and green (with spirulina).

Terriaki Tofu and Pears with Balsamic

Last weekend, Matt and I made our most favorite Terriaki Tofu from Nava Atlas's amazing book, Vegetarian Family Cookbook. What I do is double or tripple the sauce/marinade so it it extra juicy and flavorful. Alongside the tofu we have Quinoa Salad with cherry tomatoes, lots of fresh parsley, and red onion. Here's how to make it:

**Combine 1 cup of quinoa with 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 10-15 minutes until the quinoa has absorbed the liquid. Meanwhile, halve a couple handfuls of cherry tomatoes, chop a handful of fresh parsley, and mince half a small red onion. Transfer the cooked quinoa to a serving bowl, and add the veggies along with the juice of 1 lemon and a generous pinch of salt. Serve warm or chilled.

Matt had never had quinoa before, and he loved it. It cooks faster than brown rice, has more flavor and more nutrition.

For dessert is baby pears with reduced balsamic syrup. They're not really "baby"pears, but they are really small and cute.

This sounds fancy, but it's really, really easy. Just get yourself 3 ripe baby pears (for two people) and cut them in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and core with a melon baller or small spoon. Meanwhile, pour about 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar (it doesn't have to be the fancy or expensive kind) in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over med/high heat. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer gently until it is reduced 1/2 to 1/3. It may not appear to thicken, so let it cool slightly (but not all the way). Drizzle the reduced balsamic over the pear halves and listen in amazement as you hear yourself say, "This is better than chocolate!"

Lunch?

So, for my new job at Home Health United, I drive quite a bit going from client to client and place to place. I have discovered that I rarely have time for a proper lunch--i.e. food eaten with utensils. So I need to be creative in packing healthy food for myself that can be eaten quickly, and while driving (gasp!). So today, we have a Berries Go Mega Odwalla Bar, some really cute (and tasty) French green beans from Trader Joes along with grape tomatoes, banana and some raw almonds.

I must say that I loved this! The veggies were awesome and really filled me up, the Odwalla Bar was delicious (not too sweet, but moist, with just the right balance of grains and fruit bits) and raw almonds are yummy anytime.

I wat to post about what I eat on the run, to prove that it is possible (and quite easy) to eat healthy even if you are busy--most people say they are "way too busy to eat healthy!" It just takes some thought and a little planning.

Oh My Gosh--I'm Back!

Ok, it's been way too long and I really missed blogging...but I don't have an excuse...besides being busy, of course! But I'm back and will do my very best to keep regular postings on the vegan food front.

So, the other day, Matt and I took a little trip to Whole Foods to pick up some salad ingredients. We wanted to get at least one thing we've never tried before and settled on golden beets. Oohh, are they ever yummy raw in a salad! They are sweet and crunchy and if you think you don't like regular beets, do try golden beets. We also didn't waste the beet greens. They have a wonderful earthy flavor and are packed with nutrients. Accompanying the beets and greens is romaine lettuce, baby carrots, and scallions. This was a nice hearty winter salad that we both enjoyed tremendously.