A Vegetarian In Texas
The look of shock and horror had crept up on her face. I sensed jolts of confusion from her as I spoke the words. “I would like the number four without meat.”
Her eyes went blank in expression before she refocused them again on me as I stood patiently at the cash register. “Did you want another type of meat?” she asked hoping quietly to herself that I had just misspoken.
“No, just the sandwich without any meat.”
She turned around for a second to look for help and asked another cook behind her, “Do we have sprouts?” She turned to face me again. “Did you want sprouts? We can put sprouts in it.”
I smiled. “Sure, that sounds great.” I realized that the encounter that I had just gone through wouldn’t be the last in the beef state of Texas. (more…)
The Coldest Spring In Chicago
Chilling gusts of air blew in from Lake Michigan into the “Windy City” of Chicago as my good friend from college, my sister, and I made our way from the architecture tour boat to the shops along Navy Pier. It was then that I had heard, for the tenth time, that I had picked a terrible weekend to visit Chicago, Illinois—and I definitely realized that.
Temperatures dropped into the low 40’s, and at one point, when we were waiting on a platform to take the “L” across the city, it even began to snow. I quickly learned that the best time to visit the third largest city in the United States are not April through May due to the unpredictability of the weather, but actually in May or June and between September and October.
What I also learned was that Chicago is a beautiful and a fantastic city full of wonderful people, delicious food, gorgeous architecture, and several old and brand new friends that I hold dear to my heart. (more…)
“Q” is for Quiche… And The Realization That Times Have Changed
The other day, as I curled up on the couch with some hot green tea after a late class, my sister asked me a strange question. “Hey, is it okay if someone borrows an egg?”
I removed the thermos full of tea from my lips and replied with a, “What? Just one egg?”
“Yeah, one of my friends who lives in the building just texted me and she’s coming over to borrow an egg, if that’s okay.”
“That’s totally fine. She can take an egg.”
Several minutes passed and there was a knock at the door. My sister answered it, inviting her two friends in and gave them the cooking ingredient that they asked for.
“Thank you!” The girls said as they moved toward the door.
“You guys just want the egg? You don’t want a cup of water or something?” My sister watched the girls shake their heads with a smile. “I just feel like I should be offering you guys something else.” (more…)
“F” is for Food #VeganMoFo
Easy Peasy Vegetarian Recipes: Quinoa Guacamole with Vegan Chicken
So, last week I realized that I had forgotten about a rogue avocado sitting next to my blender on the counter. I figured it was time, once again, to play my favorite kitchen game: “Let’s get rid of stuff that’s about to go bad and Google a recipe that includes these random ingredients.”
I had some uncooked quinoa lying around, a tomato that was going soft, and I spotted an onion out of the corner of my eye. These ingredients led me to Guacamole Quinoa recipe by foxeslovelemons on Food52, which was a perfect recipe for VeganMoFo, or the Vegan Month of Food.
Serves 4
What You’ll Need
1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced
Juice of 1 1/2 limes
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 cup of cooked brown rice
1 garlic clove, crushed with a press or minced and ground into a paste
1 Roma tomato, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
4 servings of Gardein Chik’n (more…)
Easy Peasy Vegetarian Recipes: Chunky Tomato Potato Soup
After the removal of my wisdom teeth I was left with enough tomato soup to feed the entire state of Maine. I had made way too much tomato soup and it was on the verge of going bad. However, pared with potatoes and other veggies, my new tomato soup diet doesn’t have to be so bland. So here’s a veggie-friendly chunky tomato potato soup recipe that you can try at home.
Chunky Tomato Potato Soup
What You’ll Need:
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, chopped
4 cups peeled, cubed potatoes
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 cups soy or almond milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 (14.5 ounce) can tomatoes
1 1/4 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste (more…)
