Sausage and Peppers

Well, school starts in a week. Good-bye, summer! Good-bye sleep, relaxation, and quiet. Hello, 34 1st graders. I am excited for the year. The kids are super cute and I know we will have a nice year together learning from one another. I'm excited to try out new ideas and get to know another group of kids.

Now that school will be starting, you will get a real taste of my busy, after school meals. I always make sure I make enough so I have leftovers to take to school. I am definitely that staff member who brings leftovers every day and "stinks" up the teacher lounge since my grade band eats lunch first at school. #sorrynotsorry

I also need to do a better job with two things this year: snacks and drinking water. During the day, I get so busy at school that I forget to drink enough water. It is also hard to drink a lot of water when you can't really leave a classroom of 34 students to go to the bathroom. I have to train my body to a pretty specific routine. I also find myself not packing filling snacks. I eat lunch at 11 and usually don't leave school until between 5:30 and 6:00. By the time I eat, I am pretty hungry. I need to make sure I take protein rich snacks to school to curve the "hangry" evening drive home through Chicago. Any favorites or suggestions you want to pass along? Feel free to comment!

Ok, enough with going back to school-dinnertime!

Yesterday I experimented with making chickpea sausage. I found a recipe online and it turned out pretty well. The sausage had vital wheat gluten to bind the sausage and I don't think I steamed them long enough, but it all worked out.

Here is what it looked like before putting it in a pot to steam for 2 1/2 hours wrapped in foil.

I was able to make 3 logs out of the mixture. I used one tonight, plan to use another later this week, and will freeze one (I assume it will freeze).

I decided to make a cajun'ish inspired dinner tonight with peppers, spices, onions, a tomato sauce, served over tri-colored quinoa. I then made some yummy kale chips as well. I am not including quinoa cooking instructions. Let's start with the kale chips

Ingredients for kale chips:

Washed kale leaves with the stem cut out

Salt to taste

Vegan parm or NOOCH to taste

EVOO

Preparation:

1. Pat dry the kale leaves and place on a baking sheet and preheat the oven to 350

2. Drizzle with enough EVOO to coat all the leaves

3. Arrange kale into single layer

4. Sprinkle on salt

5. Place in the oven for 10 minutes (take out if they begin to brown too much

6. When 10 minutes is up, sprinkle on vegan parm or NOOCH

7. Place back in the oven for 2-5 more minutes

8. Cool and serve

Sausage and Peppers

Ingredients-sausage and peppers

Vegan sausage

1 green pepper-cut into strips

1 red pepper-cut into strips

1/2 large onion or 1 small onion cut into rings

EVOO spray for sausage

2 tablespoons EVOO for veggies

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 can of diced tomatoes

Preparation sausage: 

1. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat with EVOO spray  

They turned out pretty well!

2. Cut sausage on a  diagonal and place in skillet

3. Cook until brown on one side and flip

4. When done, set to the side to add at the very end

Preparation Veggies: (I used the same skillet as I did for the sausage)

1. Heat EVOO over medium to medium high heat

2. Add the onions and cook until they begin to get color

3. Add the peppers

4. Sauté until they begin to brown and caramelize a bit

I love the colors!

Preparation for the Sauce:

 

1. Add the diced tomatoes to a small saucepan

2. Add the spices

3. Bring to a simmer

Final Assembly

Add the sauce to the peppers and onions along with the sausage and stir to mix everything. 

Put the quinoa on the bottom and place mixture on top

You could sub the quinoa for rice or just have the peppers and sausage. You could even put this into a sandwich!

There it is-sausage and peppers! If you have other suggestions of how to use the sausage let me know in the comment section!

Happy Cooking!

Vegan Food in the Florida Keys

John and I went on a week long vacation to the Florida Keys in July. John has always wanted to drive down Route 1 to Key West. We flew into Miami and stayed for  1 1/2 days in Miami Beach. We rented a Mustang convertible and drove to Key Largo and did some mid-keys activities, and then drove all the way to Key West. I relied heavily on Happy Cow to find places along the way that would have vegan options. I did not go hungry, and we had an amazing time. I highly recommend going to Key West. The only downfall was that we went in July. I don't think I have perspired so much just by walking around! Below you will find pictures, links, and recommendations of places in the Florida Keys to eat yummy vegan food!

Miami

After we went on an Art Deco bike tour, we got sandwiches from La Sandwicherie which was right around the corner from out hotel. I got a veggie sandwich with all the veggies they offered with mustard. As you can see the sandwich was huge! It was really good and filling. The restaurant is just a walk up stand and they take cash only. They also make juices and smoothies. 

http://www.lasandwicherie.com
  

We got sushi one of the nights we were staying in South Beach. We went to Moshi Moshi. I got the vegetable roll which had carrots, mushrooms, lettuce, and rice. It came with a super yummy carrot and ginger dressing. The rolls were huge and really good! It was a nice dinner considering how hot it was outside. http://www.moshimoshi.us 

I used Happy Cow to find this Italian/pizza restaurant. It is called Amami. It is right off Collins Ave. in the heart of South Beach. We sat outside and enjoyed some wine with our pizza. The crust is very thin and in an oval shape. It had a great tomato sauce topped with an assortment of grilled veggies. 

http://amamius.com/ 

The Keys

After Miami we ventured in our Mustang to Key Largo. We stayed at a resort for two nights. I knew the hotel wouldn't have any food for me, so again, I relied on Happy Cow to find places I would love. Only 2 minutes down the road from our hotel was a place called Ballyhoo's. They had an entire vegan/vegetarian menu! I was shocked! We at lunch and dinner here! 

For lunch, I had their vegan grilled cheese sandwich. The bread was super crispy and delicious. The cheese was made at the restaurant and I chose the black bean soup as my side. It was really good! 

 When we went for dinner, I got the black bean tacos. It was a HUGE portion! I couldn't eat all of it! I got another bean side dish to go along with the meal.

www.ballyhoosrestaurant.com


We drove to Marathon and visited a Sea Turtle Hospital where they take in injured and sick sea turtles until they are well enough to release. The hospital is housed in a converted roadside motel off Route 1. The old pool now houses the permanent residences. All the ticket money collected goes right back to helping the turtles. I would suggest going if you are in Marathon.

We drove a little past Marathon to Big Pine Key to eat lunch at a fabulous place I found on Happy Cow called Good Food Conspiracy. It is a little place next to a yoga studio. It seems like it has been untouched since the day it was open. It is a health food store with vitamins, supplements, pantry items, etc. I was in heaven! I stocked up on snacks for the trip. They also have a small menu to order off of along with a little backyard where you can eat. I ordered a delicious veggie sandwich that came loaded with vegetables on a sprouted wrap with tahini sauce. I also ordered a fresh juice. The meal was so good and exactly what I needed: a huge helping of vegetables!

http://www.goodfoodconspiracy.com/  

We also found a Thai restaurant further up the keys from where we were staying. I got a curry dish with tofu that was delicious. 

http://www.happycow.net/reviews/num-thai-and-sushi-bar-restaurant-key-largo-28161

 Key West

We were finally off to Key West. We drove all the way down Route 1 and dropped off the rental car at the Key West airport and we were greeted by noisy roosters! We made our way to the hotel and went straight to lunch at a great health food store called Sugar Apple Cafe and Market. It was only a few blocks from our hotel. One side as a health food store, and the other was a small cafe with a few seats against the wall. I ordered a green juice a pesto tofu over rice with a salad. It was so good! The portions, were again, HUGE!

www.sugarapplekeywest.com

Then we were off to the Ernest Hemingway House. I basically only wanted to go to see his poly-dactyl cats. I was not disappointed. I may have been that person who was just a little too into the cats. I couldn't help myself! I had gone almost a week at that point from seeing my two cats! It was basically a cat safari for me! I loved see all the cute kitties and giving them some love!

The first night we were in Key West we went to The Cafe. It was off of Duval Street, It has many vegetarian items and clearly marked vegan items. We started with bbq tofu-which was delicious! I ordered the falafel sandwich. It was very tasty! It was light and the portion was too big! I wanted to try all the vegan items on the menu! Too many choices!

www.thecafekw.com  

We went on a great sunset cruise on a catamaran. They served beer, wine, champagne, and some snacks like bread and cheese. Here is the beautiful sunset:

 After the cruise, we headed to a fancy date night spot close to the hotel called SQ1. I believe it is owned by the same people who own The Cafe. They have a great porch area and they were not very busy when we got there. I had a delicious bourbon drink to go along with my dinner. I didn't get a shot of my dinner, but I did take a picture of our appetizer. We had the spinach gyoza. They were delicious! The menu clearly marks what items can be made vegan. I ended up getting the Mediterranean Mesa Board. Again, it was way too much food just for me. 

www.squareonekeywest.com  

There are vegan options in the Keys-you just have to seek them out and do a bit of research! I recommend going to the Keys and exploring all you can! We loved ocean kayaking and paddle boarding. You get outstanding views of the ocean and the water is so warm and calm! Just for good measure: one more picture! And do yourself a favor-watch Bloodline on Netflix-a drama that takes place in the Keys.

Vegan Brinner

Who doesn't like brinner? As a kid, I would love when he had brinner! It was one of my favorites! This meal is super easy and really delicious. John LOVED the hash browns. Enjoy the hash brown and tofu scramble recipes and revert back to being a kid!

Hash browns-who doesn't like hash browns! Here is my super easy hash brown recipe

I used a combination of purple and gold potatoes for the hash browns to give them some pizazz!

Ingredients

10 small potatoes

Salt, pepper, chili powder to taste

EVOO

Preparation:

1. Wash the potatoes

2. Attach the grater blade to your food processor

3. Add all the potatoes

4. Squeeze excess liquid from the potatoes
5. Heat enough EVOO in a nonstick skillet to coat the bottom
6. Add the potatoes to form a single layer (I had to do two batches)
7. Add salt, pepper, and chili powder to your liking
8. Let one side get brown before flipping
9. If doing two batches, I had a pan in the oven at 350 to keep the potatoes warm before serving

Ingredients for Tofu Scramble

1 package of extra firm tofu, drained and throughly dried out

3 tablespoons NOOCH

2 Cloves of minced garlic 

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon seasoning mix (I used Trader Joe's Everything Seasoning)

1 teaspoon turmeric 

Turmeric doesn't add a lot of flavor, but it gives the tofu an "eggy" color

Preparation:

1. Once tofu is dried out, crumble into a bowl

2. Add all the other ingredients and mix with your hands until all the tofu is coated

3. Heat veggie oil in a nonstick skillet on medium high heat

4. Add the tofu and cook until the tofu is tender

Ingredients for Veggie Saute   

2 tablespoons EVOO for cooking

1 green pepper diced

1 tomato diced

2 carrots peeled and diced

2 tablespoons fresh green onion

2 cups fresh spinach

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro

Preparation: (I made the sauté first, placed in a bowl and added it to the tofu when it was done cooking)

1. Heat EVOO in a skillet over medium heat
2. Add the carrots and cook for several minutes
3. Add the green peppers
4. Cook until carrots and peppers are softened a bit
5. Add the tomatoes and cook until slightly soft
6. Add the spinach and cook until wilted
7. Add the cilantro and green onions
8 Set aside and drain out any extra liquid before mixing it with the tofu
9. Top with more scallions

I served brinner with a nice mimosa (optional, but delicious) 

Happy Cooking!

Red Lentil Soup

It has been rather cold in Chicago lately. It really does not seem like the end of August! With that being said, I thought soup was be a delicious and filling meal this week. I had a bag of red lentils from Trader Joe's just waiting to be used.

These lentils are delicious and do not take much time to cook like other some other lentils. They do lose a lot of their texture, however. I would not cook them for as long as I did (about 30 minutes) next time I make this recipe.

I figured I would make some delicious lentil soup with homemade croutons to garnish. The meal was delicious, easy, and nutritious! I ate way too much of it!

Here is how you do it! This makes about 6 servings

Ingredients for the soup 

1 onions minced

3 cloves of garlic minced

2 teaspoons gram masala

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons EVOO

4 stalks of celery

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 1/4 cups of red lentils

3 cups of veggie stock

4 cups of water

1 tablespoon fresh dill

2 cups of fresh spinach

Preparation

1. Heat EVOO in a pot on medium high heat until softened 

2. Add the garlic for about a minute

3. Add the gram masala, salt, and pepper for about 30 seconds

4. Add the carrots and celery and heat until they begin to soften

5. Add the liquid and lentils and bring to a boil

6. Reduce heat to a simmer and add fresh dill

7. Simmer until the lentils are soften

8. With an immersion blender, blend the big chunks of the soup

9. Return soup to the heat

10. Add fresh spinach until it wilts (you could sub for kale)

Ingredients for croutons 

Crusty bread ( I used a baguette)

EVOO (enough to cover all the bread)

1 tablespoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon of cumin

Preparation:

1. Cut up the bread into crouton sized pieces

2. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat

3. Add the bread and drizzle with EVOO until covered

4. Add the garlic salt and cumin

5. Toss until bread is coated

6. Continue to turn bread until all sides are toasted 

I also served a salad with the bread. I just used romaine lettuce, tomatoes, and half a green pepper. For the dressing I just whisked together balsamic vinegar and EVOO. 

I will definitely make this soup again. I am sure it would freeze nicely as well. 

Happy Cooking!