M.I.A. Southwestern Falafal

Boy! I don't know what happened, but I've been missing for days. Working at a school during FCAT Crunch time is a unique experience. Stress levels run high and the days slip away from me.

Anyway...I've made one new dish from a recipe that I found in an old issue of Cooking Light. It was "Southwestern Falafel" which was interesting because the recipe called for a base of pinto beans instead of chickpeas.

The first time I made them, I used too much oil and I didn't use a nonstick pan. Fortunately, neither  mistake affected the flavors. However, they did affect the presentation. The dish was definitely not picture worthy. On the positive side, my children liked the them a lot, so I am very happy that I can add one more vegetarian dish to our family meal repertoire. On the down side, my kids thought they were appetizers and ate most of them, so I was left without a substantial dinner that night...which is why I made them again a few nights later.

The second time around, I used just enough olive oil in the pan to add taste, and I remembered to use a nonstick pan. They came out perfect! They were also very picture worthy. Unfortunately, I ate them before taking a picture for this blog post. Maybe, next time...

The falafel tasted very good served fresh, but when I ate the leftovers for lunch the next day, they were soggy.

Tonight, I'm making mashed parsnips and turnips, for the first time. I found the recipe at http://miedemaproduce.com/main_dishes.html

I thought the recipe sounded interesting for a few reasons. First, it calls for thyme, which I love almost as much as rosemary. Second, I've never eaten, or cooked, a parsnip OR a turnip in my entire life....Wait a minute...I take that back. I think I may have added one or the other to a soup once. BUT, I don't think that counts. This is the first time that I'm using them as main ingredients. Finally, I have developed a fondness for mashed anything recently.

When I was little, very little, my abuela would take care of me, and she used to make mashed potatoes, mashed malanga, mashed boniato, etc., etc...which she would proceed to attempt feeding me...which I would proceed to throw at her, at the floor, the walls... I hated the stuff. I hated the consistency more than anything, I think.

As I grew up, I continued to dislike mashed viandas. Actually, "dislike" is more of a euphemism. If I were completely honest with myself, I'd have to say that I loathed, despised, truly hated them. Even as a teenager, I remember doing that gagging thing that little kids do when they are forced to eat something they hate, lol. I remember how my mom used to make something else for me to eat so that I would eat something. She was my hero for doing that...and a lot of other things that she did...but more about that some other time.

Anyway, ever since I started this vegetarian journey, I've developed a taste for mashed root vegetables. I actually find myself craving them sometimes. When I saw the recipe, my mouth started watering, and I just knew that I had to try it out.

I still wouldn't say that I love mashed root vegetables, but I can definitely enjoy them now., and I'm looking forward to tasting this dish.Once I make the mash, I'll post about the flavors.

I hope it will be good.

Risotto Returns

I've made risotto once before, and I followed the recipe like my life depended on it, lol. I've actually been so intimidated by risotto in the past, that the closest I usually ever got to making it was buying the arborio rice. Then, I'd just stare at the container in my kitchen hoping that I could simply will it to happen.

So, today I'd had enough of this wishing and hoping for risotto, and I decided to jump in feet first and make up my own risotto recipe. I'm very happy with the result, especially, since this is only my second time making the stuff. Here's what I used:

extra virgin olive oil
1 large zucchini, diced
4 carrots, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 jalapeno, finely diced
fresh parsely
fresh cilantro
dried rosemary, to taste
dried thyme, to taste
sea salt, to taste
freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
3 cups arborio rice
cooking sherry
4 cups vegetable broth
coconut milk creamer
1/2 stick margarine
5-blend Italian cheese blend

I listed the ingredients in the order that I used them because the recipe kind of took on a life of its own as I worked. It was fun!

I've seen recipes where the vegetables are roasted and then added to the rice towards the end...but I have a big pot...and I was kind of lazy about getting something else dirty. So, I decided to just saute the vegetables in the pot and then add the rice to "toast" right in with the veggies. I'm sure some dead culinary genius is rolling in his grave about my audacity, but oh well...

Anyway, after the rice was a little translucent, I  added some sherry--just because I had some in the pantry and it smelled so good--and some of the broth. Once it was absorbed, I started adding the rest of the broth as it needed it and the stirring began. Let me tell you, that is some workout! I was sweating like I'd run a few laps, lol.

 Right before the rice was cooked all the way, I ran out of broth, so I looked in the fridge and saw that I had coconut milk creamer left over from a dessert recipe I had made. I added it to the risotto and the creaminess started to look really good. This led to the margarine which made it perfectly creamy. But, of course, the dairy demon got me when I was putting the margarine back. There it was in the deli drawer calling out to me **sigh** Well, I grabbed that cheese and dumped it in there and OMG it was perfect!

Originally, I had intended for this recipe to be completely vegan, but I just couldn't resist throwing the cheese in at the end. Honestly, though, it tasted great without it. I know because I had to taste this thing all along the way to make sure that it was tasting the way I wanted.

It took longer to cook than I expected, but I suppose that's because of the insane amount of rice that I used. I don't know what came over me...three cups!?! Really? Next time, I'll use 1 1/2 cups of rice and less of the vegetables. After all, I could have stored the veggies that were cut up instead of making so much.

Now, I have a huge pot full of risotto, LOL. I am going to have to have risotto for lunch and dinner tomorrow, AND I'm going to have take extra with me to work so I can give this stuff away or it will go bad before I can eat it all.

Lesson Learned: RICE GROWS A LOT...BE REASONABLE!

Being Sick Is No Fun

I've been home for two days now, and even though I would love to be able to stay at home always, it's no fun staying home because you are sick. I've just been getting by with food for the past few days...nothing very interesting. Tonight, I'll try to make dinner.

Playing With Fire

Tonight, I almost set the tree in our backyard on fire...along with our neighbor's house. I am mostly sorry...but let me start from the beginning.

It was cold today, which is a real treat in South Florida, so we decided to have a fire in the backyard. We have a small fire pit that we use to roast marshmallows with the kids. Sometimes, we just have a "campfire" for the fun of it.

We still had our Christmas tree thrown in the backyard...and it was pretty dry...and the temptation to see it go up in flames was too great. I threw it on the pit and all of a sudden the flames were at least 12 feet high. The wind came and the flames looked as if they were whipping the tree in our backyard. Then, the fire started going towards my neighbor's house. Before I knew what I was doing, I had grabbed the trunk of the tree and pulled it off the pit.

My husband had warned me and been adamant about how much of a bad idea it was...he had told me not to do it. Usually, I'm the "responsible" one. But, I hadn't listened.

All of a sudden, the realization of how crazy this whole thing was hit me. What had I been thinking?!? I could have burnt the house down...I could have gone to jail for arson...I could have endangered my family and my neighbor's family. I was ran to the faucet for water...my kids ran into the house screaming "WATER" and we were dousing the fire with as much water as we could get on it. It was over in seconds.

I felt so horribly sorry for the whole thing. And yet, as all of this was happening, the one thing that I found to be hilarious was the fact that my children had run in and grabbed coffee mugs and only filled them halfway with water. When they had thrown the water on the fire, all you could hear was a quick little sizzle. It was so funny, despite it all. Even after all of the craziness, the cuteness and innocence my children showed was priceless. I'll never do something like that again, but I'll never forget their reaction.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot...I didn't have anything interesting to eat today.

Bean Patties and Uncomfortable Moments

Yesterday I went to lunch with some coworkers. We went to Chilis, and I have to admit that even though I was happy to actually go out to lunch, I was very nervous about being able to choose a vegetarian meal at a place like Chilis.

As I looked through the menu I realized how big of a role meat plays in our culture here in the US. The idea of a satisfying vegetarian meal is practically inconceivable to most people. Vegetarian options are seen as side dishes or appetizers, at best. My situation was further complicated by the fact that  most appetizers and side dishes on the menu had some kind of meat mixed in. I didn't want to be that person at the table that has to custom order every single part of the meal and make everyone late getting back.

Anyway, as I looked through the menu, I saw that they had an avocado burger on the menu. I liked the sound of that. I figured that the avocado replaced the meat, and I liked the idea of an avocado sandwich. But, it turns out that the avocado doesn't replace the meat, at all; it goes on top of the hamburger patty as an extra ingredient. Then, I saw that Chili's does have vegetarian burger option: it's a black bean patty. Even though I really just wanted the avocado, I went ahead and ordered the black bean patty with the avocado. I figured I could taste the patty and see if I liked it for future visits.

The black bean patty was all right. It wasn't spectacular. I would have probably liked the sandwich better with just the avocado, but I'm glad I tried it, nonetheless. The only truly disappointing part of the sandwich was the bread. I guess ordering the bean patty means they automatically use a different bread. It's a wheat bun with rolled oats on top, which sounds good...The problem is that whatever they did to it to heat it up made the bread SO dry, that it fell apart whenever I bit into the sandwich...very messy.

I had the sandwich with a small coleslaw instead of french fries because I didn't want all that grease. The cole slaw was pretty generic.

Ok, now here's where I go off on one of my tangents...you know, the part I actually want to talk about...

Going to lunch with people who aren't vegetarians presents a whole other social dilemma that I want to talk about. The social interaction that is wrapped around eating gets funky for me, and I hate the feeling that I get from people around me when I choose a vegetarian meal. I get the same reaction from EVERYONE that is a part of my life: family, friends, colleagues....well, I take that back...my husband and children don't have the reaction that I'm about to describe.

There's always that face...the one that makes me feel so uncomfortable that I want to run away to avoid feeling bad. So, instead of running away, I've decided to place a comic spin on the situation and make a list of all of the faces I get from the various people in my life.

But, first I'd like to state a disclaimer. I'm in no way judging anyone for making these faces. I think their facial reactions are natural and involuntary. I don't even think they realize they are doing this. This is just my way of dealing. Here goes...

1. The "Why don't you just have meat like all of us?" face. I get this from people who want me to have the group mentality. It's like being in school and not having the cool shoes that everyone is wearing. Buy the shoes so you can be one of us! they say.

2. The "I feel somewhat ashamed about myself or my unhealthy choices so I want you to join me so I don't feel as bad" face. I get this from people when they are eating something they shouldn't be eating. Be fat and indulge with me! they say. I have to admit this group is the most fun. I've been a part of this group myself from time to time, LOL.

3. The "What are you trying to prove?" or "What's your angle?" face. I get this from people who think I'm on some vegetarian crusade to change them. You can't change me! they say.

4. The "You are WRONG and I am RIGHT" face. I get this from people who need validation and who think that I'm the one  judging them. You are going to die if you don't eat meat! they say.

Sometimes, I get a mixture of these reactions all at once, and I feel like shouting out, "I'm just doing this for ME. It has nothing to do with YOU!"

...but, that would look pretty crazy, so I just walk away feeling impotent. Then, I imagine some meat-lover counterpart of mine writing her own blog with a list of faces that I've made, LOL.

Vegetable Quinoa Pilaf

Shame on me...I ate this two nights ago and never published this post.

Today's dinner made me happy. I loved how it looked and  I loved how it tasted. I used the recipe that was on the quinoa box. Then, I added a few things that I thought would work.


The original recipe called for
1/2 c. diced carrots
1/2 c. diced celery
1/4 c. diced red bell pepper
6 cups quinoa


The instructions were easy. Cook the quinoa according to package directions. In a separate pan use some olive oil to saute the vegetables. Mix it all together. Add salt and pepper to taste.


First, I reduce the vegetable to quinoa ratio because I wanted the dish to have more vegetables than the original recipe called for. I only used two cups of quinoa, and I increased the amount of vegetables to 1 cup for all the vegetables. I also added 1 cup broccoli and 1/2 protein crumbles. I think the crumbles were a mistake. I would have liked the dish without the crumbles. I think I added them because I was hoping that my kids and/or husband would be more willing to try the dish if it looked familiar.


In any case, the crumbles didn't ruin the dish...I just saw them as a superfluous ingredient.

No one wanted to try it anyway, lol, but I enjoyed it. And,  I even had it as leftovers the next day. I think it's one of those dishes that tastes better the next day. Another positive note about the dish is that it was good both cold and hot.

Crispy Kale

Tonight I made crispy kale for the first time. I believe I followed the online recipe correctly, but I've never eaten crispy kale before, so I may have done something wrong and just not know it. It came out papery thin and crispy, but it was too salty for me even though I used less salt than what the recipe called for. I also would have liked the pieces to be larger.

But, even more disappointing was the fact that I didn't like the taste of the cooked kale, itself. I love juicing kale, and I even like it raw in salads. Granted, I normally enjoy my vegetables raw much more than cooked. But, I can't shake the disappointment that I felt when the taste of the cooked kale vaguely reminded me of grade school cafeteria greens...I remember the extremely overcooked stuff that was served when I was in grade school, as well as the smell that used to make me gag a little as I waited in the lunch line. Of course, the kale I had today was nothing like that goopy school cafeteria slop, but there was definitely a hint of that cooked vegetable taste that I don't like, at all.

Aside from the kale, I baked some yukon gold potato slices with mini portobello mushrooms and roasted peppers, drizzled with olive oil. I also added some salt and pepper. I was too lazy--tired--to make a grain dish. Here's a picture of my boring dinner

Tomorrow, my dinner MUST be more interesting.

Blah Tomato Soup with Purple Potatoes

Today I had leftover tomato soup. It was a so-so, OK-for-now type of dinner. I made it in a rush yesterday and probably wouldn't want to make it again because it was kind of blah. My family also had leftovers for dinner-baked chicken, rice, and beans out of a can. My kids hate leftovers, and my husband hated the beans, lol. No one was happy...which makes me feel better for some horrible reason or other. Misery loves company, I guess.

Not much to say tonight...when the thoughts stop swirling around in my head, I might have something interesting to write about.

Oh...I do want to say one more thing. I'm in love with purple potatoes. I didn't even know they existed until a few weeks ago. They are just so pretty on the plate, and so rich in taste, that I can't get enough. That was the one saving grace of my soup. I cooked them in the soup, so I had pretty little purple surprises every so often, as I spooned up the soup.

Farmers' Market Outsider

Yesterday I went to a farmers' market for the first time ever. Glasier Farm, the farm that actually runs the market, is only a few minutes from my house; you can call in your order and they get it ready for you to pick up in 3 hours. But, I decided to drive across town to their farmers' market to have the farmers' market experience. Plus, I wanted to get a look at their products before ordering sight unseen.

The fruits and vegetables were all organic, and they also had several vegan and raw products that they prepare, including nut milks, salads, and raw pies. Everything looked delicious, and I actually bought a small container of avocado salad, which I would definitely purchase again and again.

The vegetables that I purchased filled one brown paper bag, and I spent about $50, which is about how much I would spend at Whole Foods for the same amount of food. I was very impressed by the quality of the food that was available. But, once again, the food isn't exactly what I want to talk about today...

There definitely seems to be a farmers' market culture that exists, with two distinct groups. I didn't fit into either one:

1. Group #1: The long-flowing-skirt-wearing, nature-loving, my-boyfriend-has-dreads and we-don't-use-deoderant group. (Phew!)

2. Group #2: The I-drove-my-Benz-and-parked-it-on-the-good-side-of-Coconut-Grove-and-walked-over-on-my-designer-shoes group.

EVERYONE was blonde or bleached-blonde. I guess blondes are more health conscious???? Well, I take that back. There was ONE little old Asian couple at the market. It might sound like they don't belong to either group, but they do. They belong to group 1--no designer jeans, lol.

There I was, in my Walmart jeans and t-shirt, with my curly brown hair and glittery flats. I stuck out like a sore thumb. At one point I tried to ask one of the cashiers a question, and he looked at me as if I were from another planet. I didn't even finish my sentence. He wasn't actually being rude. He said all of the polite customer service type things that a cashier is supposed to say. But, I just couldn't get past that first look that he gave me. You know, the one that said, "Woah! What is she doing here?" 

I did experience one redeeming moment that made me feel like people can  be real at the Farmers' Market. There was a Group #1 member that caught my attention. She was a young woman who was carrying her baby. As she walked through the aisles, I heard her saying to her baby over and over, in that mama to baby voice, "Look at all these yummies." She really wanted to inculcate this love of healthy foods in her baby from a very early age. I thought that was a really cool thing to witness, because she was real...this is her way of life.

As for me, I think I'll just order from the farm from now on.

Don't Ask; Don't Tell

I'm really happy that my first week of the juice fast is almost over. Today has been the first day that I felt hungry--really hungry--and it wasn't fun. I know I'll feel better by tomorrow morning, but right now I'm feeling a little miserable. Anyway, that's not what I really want to talk about tonight.

I haven't told my parents that I'm doing the juice fast again. They don't like the fact that I've switched over to being a vegetarian, in the first place, and telling them that I'm juicing again would not go over too well with them. I'll have to say something on Sunday, when we have lunch, but I've managed to not bring it up all week.

They don't ask me about my diet either. It's sort of an unspoken uncomfortableness between us. I know they disapprove...they know I'm going to do it anyway...they're glad that I'm losing weight..but, I know that they fundamentally do not agree with a vegetarian diet.  They think it's extreme not to eat meat...I think having to take medication every day for diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, hoping that one day doctors won't have to take a vein from a leg to bypass a clogged one in my heart, is extreme...

In the end, I know they want me to be happy, and I don't want them to feel bad, so they don't ask me about it, and I try not to talk to them about it too much.

Juicy Soup

Today is Day 4 of my Reboot, and I almost screwed up. I got home at 7pm which is way, way past my usual dinner time. Everything was calling out to me. Normally, I would totally give in to cravings, but this time I was able to pull myself together and come out of it OK.

The problem with cravings is that I never really know what I'm actually craving. This usually leads to a lot of trial and error eating. As I search for that perfectly-hits-the-spot food, I end up eating everything I find along the way. I usually end up making myself sick. Ugghh! I hate it when I do that. It reminds of me of the old Droopy cartoon where the sheep graze through entire fields of grass, lol.

Anyway, tonight, I actually was able to identify what I was craving...sort of. I knew I really wanted to have something savory and warm. So, instead of eating whatever I found along the way, I started  looking through the fridge for vegetables that I thought might go well together AND satisfy my craving. I haven't done groceries yet, so I had to use whatever I had on hand. After rummaging through my refrigerator, I realized that I could either make a savory soup or make mashed potatoes. The soup sounded good, but I had red potatoes, boniatos (it's a sweet white potato), and parsnips, which I though would be great mashed, too. When I'm hungry everything sounds good, so, of course, I started preparing both.

The soup came out DELICIOUS. I ran the vegetables through the juicer and then poured the juice into a pot where I added other seasonings. I played with the flavors and seasonings until I liked the end result. I was able to stay true to the reboot-approved foods, which makes me feel great.

Here's the recipe:

tomato

carrots

radishes

kale

cilantro

onions

green bell pepper

jalapeno

Juice the first five ingredients. In a pot, use water to saute onions, bell peppers, and jalapeno.  (I like soup to be chunky, so I also added some of the pulp from the juice to the pot and cooked it down before adding the juice). Add the juice to the pot, as well as black pepper, thyme, rosemary, and a very little bit of sea salt. Cook on low heat for 5-7 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley

I loved eating/drinking this soup. It was tasty and very satisfying. It felt like comfort food, AND I got the satisfaction of know that it was all healthy. It was pretty, too. Here's a pic

As the soup was cooking, I boiled the potatoes, boniato, and parsnips. Once I ate the soup, I realized that I wasn't going to be able to eat both dishes, so I saved the mash for tomorrow. I'll write more about that dish when I actually eat it. Hopefully, it will be just as good as the soup was today.

All in all, today was a growing up experience for me. Giving in to eating like a maniac because of stupid cravings is unacceptable. It felt good to be in control. Preparing the second dish was unnecessary, but it made me feel busy. And, in the end, knowing that I was able to put it away for tomorrow is GREAT!

Juice Fast-Day 3

Today was a really good day. When I weighed myself this morning, I happily saw that I've lost 4lbs. I got so excited that I made juice for half an hour. I made so much that didn't have to juice for the rest of the day. It was my standard mix: kale, spinach, beets, carrots, strawberries, blueberries, apples, pears, lemon, and grapes. I like to lay everything out in rainbow color order and look at it before putting it all in the juicer. I get a weird satisfaction out of doing that.

For lunch, I had some of the left over juice/soup from last night and some of the juice I made this morning. The soup was perfect, except for the fact that I went crazy with the jalapeno when I was making the soup last night. It was SO spicy hot that my throat was on fire! Don't get me wrong...the initial taste of the soup was great...but once the soup went down, I swear I could feel the burning sensation all the way down my esophagus, LOL.

I'm excited about going through this process. I'm making juice for my husband once a day, too. He's been really cool about the juicing. When he saw how committed I was to juicing, he got me the Breville Juice and Blend as an early Christmas present. Now, the new juicer is benefiting everyone in our house. I'm also making juice for my children this time around. My kids even ask for it, which makes me feel great, because they see it as a treat. This time around, I'm also doing the reboot with a friend. It's her first time doing a reboot, so it feels brand new to me again. 

The only drawback of doing the reboot again is that I miss cooking and trying new foods. I'm already thinking about the recipes I'm going to try once I'm eating solid foods again.