weekend eatz (and it's almost october!)

hiya, hiya! we hope everyone had glorious weekends full of tasty eatz, fun times, and lots of relaxing! we got some tasty eatz in this weekend and a bunch of fall yummies from our csa.

saturday morning i was up before the sun for my weekly long run because this week it was a 10 miler and i wanted to get to the farmer's market before the predicted late morning rain showed up. it was the perfect morning with cool temperatures & cloudy skies and i had one fantastic run. on my way home i headed down to the farmer's market to grab some csa goodies (sorry the picture is a bit dark - darn cloudy skies!). this week we scored eggplants, bell peppers, red potatoes, okra, green beans, heirloom tomatoes, onions, salad mix, kale, and broccoli. so much yumminess!

post-run lunch was excellent: gluten-free grilled cheeze sammie, roasted asparagus, white sweet potato fries, and brussel sprouts. i was the happiest girl - i looooove me some brussels! other delicious foodz we've been chowing down on - snobby joes. we've got a ton of green lentils in our pantry and i always seem to forget about them. i'm glad to have remembered them last week because snobby joes are so awesome! dan & i are looking for some more tasty ways to use lentils - please share your favorites 'cause we'd love to know!

it's almost vegan mofo time! squeeeeeeeeee!

there's no chicken in here salad

dan & i are in the need for some quick eatz these days. we're running around like silly beans and i've been trying to come up with fast 'n tasty foodz for us to nosh on. with a craving for not-chicken salad and a bunch of local tempeh stashed in the freezer - tempeh salad was made. marinating the tempeh overnight and then whipping the salad up before heading out to work - this meal was quick, easy, and super awesome! we couldn't get enough of it & were wishing we'd made more!

ingredients: (makes 4 medium sized servings)
1 block o' tempeh, cut in to a few large peices & steamed (we cut ours into 6 pieces)
3 stalks of celery, finely diced
1 large carrot, shredded
1/4 of a small red onion, finely diced
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 cups of veggie broth
2 tbsp liquid braggs
1 tsp marmite or vegemite (optional, but awesome)
1/3 cup of your favorite vegan mayo
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper

what you'll need:
- olive oil cooking spray
- container for tempeh marinating
- large skillet
- mixing bowl

what'cha gotta do:
combine the liquid braggs, marmite, & veggie broth in the container you'll be marinating the tempeh in. toss the tempeh in to marinate & let it veg out for a few hours, overnight, etc. when it's good 'n marinated remove the tempeh from the container and squeeze each piece a little to get some of the moisture out. spray a little olive oil cooking spray in the large skillet, heat the skillet to medium, and crumble the tempeh into the skillet. saute the crumbled tempeh until it's nice & brown (it took about 10 minutes for me), then add in your sea salt, pepper, parsley, sesame seeds, and poultry seasoning. saute for another minute then remove the skillet from the heat and set it aside. place the mayo, celery, shredded carrot, and red onion in yo mixing bowl. ;) toss in the browned up tempeh crumbles once they've cooled for a few. combine it all together, add in some more seasonings if ya like, and enjoy! it's tasty on a sammie, with some crackers, or eaten with a spoon. mmmmmmmmmmm!

we served our tempeh salad with some gluten-free crackers, roasted asparagus, & oven baked potato rounds. so yum!

happy friday, everyone! squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

csa: potatoes, onion
local: tempeh

pesto-garlic butter bean pasta = superw00t!

seeing as how both dan & i looooove us some pesto and absolutely adore butter beans (and tons of garlic) we thought combining the two would make for one delicious pasta dish. the end result = magical & ever-so delicious! (although i guess that's what occurs when ya combine two of your favorites! ah ha ha!)

okay dokey - here's what we did...

what you'll need:
- large skillet
- food processor
- 2-3 servings of your favorite pasta, cooked

ingredients for the pesto:
¼ cup raw walnuts, soaked & rinsed (we soak ours while away at work)
a big 'ol handful of fresh basil
1 small clove of garlic
¼ - ½ tsp sea salt (adjust to taste, fo ‘sho!)
¼ cup nutritional yeast
2 tbsp olive oil (we use cold-pressed)
2 tbsp warm water (optional. you can use more or less water to get the consistency you love, or use more olive oil if you'd prefer!)

what’cha gotta do for the pesto:
pulse walnuts, sea salt, & garlic together in your food processor until the walnuts are well ground. add in oil, nutritional yeast, & basil and give it a few pulses. add warm water (or more olive oil, if you like) & whiz about until you get the consistency you love the most.

ingredients for the butter beans:
2 cups cooked butter beans
1 tbsp olive oil
5 large cloves o' garlic, crushed & minced
2 tsp chili flakes
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
olive oil cooking spray

what'cha gotta do for those delicious garlicky butter beans:
spray the large skillet with some olive oil cooking spray. heat the skillet on medium and saute the butter beans for about 5-8 minutes, or until they begin to brown just a tad. make a little well in the middle of the butter bean awesomeness & drizzle the olive oil into the well, adding in the garlic & chili flakes into it, too. let the garlic cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute (until it becomes really fragrant), then add in the sea salt & pepper. gently combine the beans with the garlicky olive oil 'n chili flakes. saute for another minute, then remove from heat.

all together now: just add the pesto & butter beans to your favorite pasta (brown rice pasta is what makes our hearts go squeeeee!) & enjoy the deliciousness! yay!

garden: basil
local: garlic

(bonus kitteh picture of ms. sony!)

potato-leek soup 'n gluten-free focaccia & vegan MoFo 2009!

last fall & winter we started making sundays soup 'n bread nights, and since it's beginning to get a little cooler we're bringing them back, digging into our bowls o' soup, and sopping up the yumminess with gluten-free breads.

to kick off soup & bread sundays we decided to make dan's favorite: potato-leek. there are lots o' delicious potato-leek soup recipes out there and we thought we'd share our eazy peazy version with you all. this week we made focaccia using book of yum's super stellar recipe . mmmmmmmmmm! next time we make it we're going to try drizzling a little herbed olive oil on top right before baking to make it even more delicious. since i'm still pretty new to gluten-free bread baking i have yet to create my own bread recipes (although we had glorious good success with muffins), but i am experimenting & promise they'll show up soon, fo 'sho. :)

anywhoooooo - here's how we made our potato-leek soup...

ingredients:
4 large russet potatoes, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 leeks, sliced thin - just the white & light green parts (we saved the dark green bits for veggie stock)
10 cloves of roasted garlic
4 scallions, chopped (white & green parts)
handful of parsley, chopped
1 tbsp margarine (we used earth balance)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
10 cups veggie stock (we made our own using leftover veggie bits we collect & freeze)
1/2 cup plain almond milk

what you'll need:
- large pot + lid
- blender

what'cha gotta do:
heat olive oil in the large pot on medium heat. add in the leeks & onion and saute until the onion begins to soften & just starts to brown up a little (about 8-10 minutes). add the pepper, sea salt, & roasted cloves o' garlic - saute for another 3 minutes, then toss in the diced potatoes - saute for 5 minutes. add in the veggie broth, bring it all to a boil and then reduce heat to medium & cover with lid. cook for 10-15 minutes (or until the potatoes are soft), stirring every couple of minutes or so. transfer soup in batches to your blender & puree until smooth (be careful when blending hot soup!!!). return pureed soup to pot & stir in margarine, almond milk, & chopped parsely. adjust seasonings to taste (you may want to add more sea salt, black pepper, and maybe a little garlic salt). remove from heat, top with scallions, & enjoy!


is everyone getting ready for vegan mofo?!? if ya haven't heard, vegan mofo = vegan month of food (it really is the most glorious of months). when vegan bloggers everywhere blog as much as possible about all things vegan (this year we're blogging in october again - which rocks socks because it makes my most favorite month even more fantastical!). did i mention the month 'o vegan mofo = the most glorious month?! :)

be prepared to read all about some tasty grub, drool over some serious food porn, enjoy fun stories, and get superhappyfaced about all the awesomeness that veganism is!

if you wanna join in get your buns on over to kittee's rock'n blog, cake maker to the stars & drop her a comment letting her know you're on board and ready to get your mofo on!

sweet chili glazed tempeh & bluemont fair fun!

we're got a freezer full of local tempeh and were in the mood for some tempeh goodness last week. we were think'n about something a little spicy, but kinda sweet as well - sweet chili glazed tempeh was to be had. it's slightly spicy, not too sweet, and oh-so delicious! here's how to get your sweet chili glazed tempeh on... :)

ingredients:
1 block of tempeh cut into shapes you love the most & steamed for 10 minutes (we cut our block into thirds, then cut each third in half, cutting each of those 6 pieces diagonally to create triangles, and finally slicing each triangle in half lengthwise to make them thin. confusing? i know, i’m confused myself now! ahahahahaa!)
1/4 cup agave nectar (we use raw agave nectar)
1/4 cup very finely minced yellow onion
2 large cloves of garlic, crushed & minced
2 tbsp + 1/2 tsp wheat-free tamari, divided (soy sauce or liquid braggs would be a-okay as well)
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp sriracha (you can also use chili paste or your favorite hot sauce.)
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp ketchup
1 cup veggie broth (or 1 cup of water with ½ not-chicken bouillon cube dissolved)
1/2 tsp marmite (optional, but use it if you've got it!)
1/4 tsp sea salt
olive oil cooking spray

what you’ll need:
- large skillet (we used our cast iron skillet)
- small mixing bowl
- 9 x 13 baking pan (or another container for some speedy marinating)

what’cha gotta do:
after your tempeh is steamed place transfer it to 9x13 baking pan (or another container for marinating). combine just 1 tbsp of the tamari, 1 cup of veggie broth, and ½ tsp of marmite in the small mixing bowl then pour it over the steamed tempeh. allow this to marinate for a few minutes while you prep the sauce. combine the agave nectar, remaining 1/2 tsp tamari, sriracha, chili powder, minced garlic, finely minced onion, water, balsamic, ketchup, and sea salt in the small mixing bowl & set it aside. once the tempeh has been marinating for about 10 minutes, spray the skillet with some olive oil cooking spray and heat to medium-high. drain off the marinade & place the tempeh in the skillet. saute the tempeh for 2-3 minutes on each side, then reduce the heat to medium. continue to saute the tempeh until it browns up a good bit on both sides, then turn off the heat & add in the sweet chili sauce frmo the mixing bowl. move the tempeh around a good bit in the skillet to ensure even coating, remove the skillet from the heat, & let it veg out for another minute or two. that’s it – enjoy! we served ours over some baked sweet potato hash & roasted csa green beans. super yum!

yesterday my friend emily & i ran the bluemont fair 10K together - it was so much fun! the race didn't start until 8am, which was nice because most start an hour earlier - so we were well rested & ready to go. such a fun run, fo 'sho! after showering up we headed over to the bluemont fair to partake in mucho mas awesomeness. we enjoyed kettle corn, fried plantains, apple cider, antique shopping, llama seeing (don't they have just the cutest little faces!) and wine tasting - all in the nicest of weather, too! w00t! i couldn't have asked for a more stellar saturday. yay! while at the fair i picked up some goodies from echo ridge farm for dan & i to enjoy this week. all kinds of tasty, tasty tomatoes (the green zebras = my favorite!), bell peppers, and the yummiest green beans i've had!

tonight is soup 'n bread night - we can't wait!

csa: green beans, onion
local: tempeh, garlic

busy eatz for busy peeps.

jeez, i kinda feel outta touch - we've been a bit too busy to blog lately, but i feel lucky to have been able to keep up with all the awesomeness everyone has been cooking up & gobbling down. you guys have me daydreaming of so many delicious foodz when i'm out running (and running, and running....) - i love it! dishes using some of the summer's last produce & many eats that are bringing in the autumn awesomeness. there's just so much yumminess go'n on lately! squeeeeeeeeee!

while we're crazy busy - we're still eating lots of scrumptious foods. fried green tomatoes 'n potato salad, joanna's pad thai (if you don't already own yellow rose recipes, you should. it's one of our favorites - everything is so darn delicious!) , butternut squash 'n brown rice (we're still working on the recipe for this one) , and here's a mish-mash plate with Bianca's fried squash (it's a tester recipe & oh-so deeeeelicious!), sweet potato fries, 'n corn on the cob. mmmmmmmmm!

we hope everyone has a super stellar weekend! tomorrow evening i'm off with a friend for a fantastical road trip so we can run the bluemont fair 10K together on saturday. it should be awesome, & i'm superexcitedfaced for the fair itself (& the farmer's market, too!)! dan starts his volunteer firefighter training this weekend, and there's football to be watched on sunday. did i mention we're starting up soup 'n bread sundays this coming week (this year they'll be gluten-free breads!) ?! hooray!

labor day weekend deliciousnesses...

we hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend! we had tons o' fun, plenty of things to do (dan had 2 shows, i had a lovely long run, and we both had a wedding to attend! w00t!), and lots of time to sit on our butts & veg out! and ya better believe the weekend was filled with yummies....

thursday night dan made us some twice baked potatoes. i haven't had one since be'n an omni a while back - so these were a real treat! especially since i had been drooling over Bianca's twice baked taters! dan added in some sauteed green pepper & yellow onion to the smashed potatoes, along with some raw scallions, and a little earth balance, garlic salt, pepper, 'n plain almond milk. these were amazing & i'm gonna have to get him to make them again super soon!

cute picture of julie bumming out in her bed on the couch with us: and here's our csa loot: turnips, tomatoes, squash, lots of peppers, cucumber, potatoes, the cutest little butternut squashes, a green tomato, corn, green beans, beets, and salad mix. awesomesauce!

saturday morning's brunch was fried green tomatoes & 'fu scramble. oh-so delicious! in the 'fu scramble was a little tomato, green pepper, onion, braggs, vegan rice cheddar cheeze, garlic salt, pepper, paprika, and parsley. it's my new favorite scramble!

falafel time! w00t! we love the vegan with a vengeance recipe and modify it just a tad to make it gluten-free. we leave out the bread (i didn't have any gluten-free bread on hand this week) and use brown rice flour. served these yummies on top of some csa salads with a little roasted eggplant, sauteed peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, and homemade garlic hummus. fantastical, indeedz!

oh yes, and i made some more 'fu scramble monday for brunch yummies. we took our tempeh hash, (only we left out the potatoes 'n peppers and squished the crumbled tempeh into patties) & made little sausage patties. they're delicious, especially when drizzled with lots of maple syrup or sriracha! yummmmm! also enjoyed: homemade hash browns with some csa potatoes & roasted asparagus. i think brunch is my new favorite meal!

kitteh time! that's ms. cat being the most adorable kitteh ever! she's the first kitteh i ever adopted (we got 2 more kittehs that live with us, too) and i thought she was looking too cute not to have her picture taken.

csa: eggplant, potatoes, red tomatoes, cucumber, salad mix, green pepper, bell peppers
local: tempeh, green tomato

spicy black bean burritos 'n more tasty eatz!

wowzers! between training for my first half marathon, trying to squeeze in a little bikram yoga to keep my body (and mind) happy, enjoying the cooler weather, and trying to relax a bit - the posts are falling behind. eek! we sure are enjoying some delicious eatz though. let's get right to them!

last thursday dan made some fantastical spicy black bean burritos!
ooooh, were these some spicy 'n tasty burritos! here's what dan did to make 'em... (this recipe makes for about 4 big burritos)

ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans
1 large tomato, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 yellow onion, finely diced
2 cups cooked brown rice (you can also use bulghur, barley, millet, etc.)
12 mushrooms, diced (we used baby portos)
1 hot pepper of your choosing (dan used a goat horn pepper)
a few slices of jarred jalapenos, minced
3 cloves 'o garlic
juice from 1/2 a lime
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1-2 tbsp sriracha (if ya like it a bit more spicy!)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt (or sea salt)
(i rolled my burrito with a few pieces of raw swiss chard on top of the rice mix. it was quite delicious if i say so myself!)

what you'll need:
- skillet
- big mixing bowl

what'cha gotta do:
heat oil in skillet on medium-high heat. saute the onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, and hot pepper of your choosing until the onion begins to brown. add in garlic, jalapenos, black beans, & all the spices (including the sriracha). cook for another 3 minutes then add in the tomatoes. reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 3 more, stirring every few minute or so. remove from heat and place it all in a big 'ol mixing bowl, add lime juice & brown rice - combine well, adjust seasonings to taste & stuff into tortillas (we used the foods for life brown rice tortillas), taco shellz, eat with tortilla chips, or just with a spoon. yum!

i hit up the farmer's market and snagged some serious csa loot last saturday after my long run. swiss chard, kale, radishes, green beans, okra (our new favorite), tomatoes, corn, bell peppers, eggplant, onions, a sugar baby watermelon, green peppers, bok choy, 'n some salad mix! so much awesomeness!

saturday night we decided to relax & picked up some delicious take out sushi.

oh yes - and this is Bianca's gumbo. we're testing some recipes for her upcoming cookbook of southern goodnesses & her gumbo was the absolute best! dan & i flipped over how good it was on every level - it was perfect - and we fought over leftovers, too! ahahhahaahahaha.

monday night we had hasbrowns for dinner with some of our csa corn 'n green beans, but i forgot to take a picture. this evening we whipped up some fresh spring rolls (stuffed with edamame, cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers, & red onion) & some soba noodles 'n garlicky bok choy! easy peazy & tasty, fo 'sho!

is it cooling off where you all are as well?! the other morning i got up early for a run and thought it was almost kinda chilly. fall = the best! bring on the root veggies, colorful leaves, and crisp air! hooray!

csa: swiss chard, corn, carrots, bok choy, green pepper, red onion, potatoes, squash, tomatoes
local: green beans, garlic