eggless tofu salad

There are a handful of things that I am completely obsessed with. Besides the SyFy channel and blog lurking, I think I'd definitely have to put egg salad on that list too. Nothing's better than a happy-chicken egg hard boiled to perfection, mixed with a little Vegenaise and devoured between 2 slices of toast with some spicy brown mustard. Yum!

Well, I've been really intrigued with the idea of an entirely vegan egg salad, and finally for lunch today, I decided to try it out with a block of firm tofu that desperately needed to be eaten. Being an egg salad purist, I was pretty skeptical, but wow! It was DELICIOUS!

Stuff you need: 1. Firm tofu 2. Vegenaise 3. Salt & pepper 4. Diced onion, shredded carrot or anything else you like in your egg salad

Start by squeezing the tofu like you normally would. While the tofu is getting pressed, chop up your onion, carrot, and/or anything else you'd like to include. When the tofu is ready, crumble it into a bowl and mix it together with a big dollop of Vegenaise, some salt, pepper, and all your tasty extras. I just used a little bit of onion, since that's what I had on hand.

When all the ingredients are properly combined, that's it! Dig in! You could eat it on a bed of greens, between 2 slices of toast with some kale and mustard, or if you can't wait a minute longer, just stand there in the kitchen and eat it right there on the spot :)

I can't tell you how excited and pleased I am with this recipe! I was fully prepared for this to turn out soggy and bland, but it was surprisingly great! Hard boiled eggs have a moderately neutral flavor, so replacing it with tofu wasn't really that crazy after all. This lunch was a total success. I may be an egg salad fanatic, but I think this tofu version is just as good!

pizza spaghetti bake

I don't know about you, but sometimes I need a night all to myself. No gym, no diet, no stress, and probably some nail painting too :) Tonight I definitely needed an erin night filled with Project Runway Allstars, yellow nails, a glass of wine, and this recipe for a pizza spaghetti bake from The Kitchen Is My Playground. I don't know how I stumbled upon this dish, but after a long day at work, it's exactly what I was craving.

I vegatized my casserole with some faux sausage, spinach, onions, and soy cheese, layered everything in a tiny dish according to the original recipe, and 30 minutes later, I dug into a hot, gooey, carb-loaded dinner. So good.

For next time, I think I'll add some salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning for a little extra flavor. Also, I think it would help to mix in some sauce with the noodle layer, so it's a little less dry on the bottom. Otherwise, this was everything I wanted for Erin Night. It was hot, tasty, easy to prepare, and comforting. My belly is full, my nails look great, and Mondo is still in the running for Project Runway All Stars. Erin Night is a success. I feel better already :)

neat market & the vegan van

Happy Monday everyone! I know it's only been 24 hours since Sunday, but I've been dying to tell you all about the Neat Market I attended this weekend, hosted by Plants and Animals Denver :)

Plants and Animals Denver is a vegan advocacy group looking to improve the lives of animals, unite local vegans, and make Denver more vegan-aware. Each month they're hosting an event called the Neat Market, where all kinds of vendors come together to sell their vegan wares. Julie and I made our first ever appearance there yesterday, and let me tell you, it totally blew our minds! Watercourse Bakery and the Denver Seitan Company were both there, along with all kinds of coffees, wines, fake-meats, accessories, cookbooks, sweets, and the best kale chips EVER. Oh, and did I mention the best part? It was all vegan! Yayy!!

After Julie and I dug into some Monster Kale Chips and Tofurky jerky, we had to top off the afternoon with lunch at the Vegan Van, which was parked just outside the Neat Market.
While I've dined at many food trucks, this was my first time at the Vegan Van, and it was outstanding. The menu boasts all kinds of tofuffalo, corned befe, coconut bacon, and walnut parm, but I decided to dig into the "Freak Out" sandwich- veggie-ball, marinara, and avocado spread on a roll, with a side of chips to boot.

Woah. Them veggie balls look damn good, am I right? I am right! The sub was ridiculously delicious, the kale chips are already mostly gone, and the market was absolutely phenomenal. I can't tell you how exciting it is to discover such a badass group of vegans in Denver. This may have been my first Neat Market, but it most certainly will not be my last! ♥

eggplant ragout

You know what I love? Produce sales at the grocery store. Eggplants were $1 each last week, so, of course, I had to buy a couple of them, and this is the scrumptious ragout I made with those beautiful aubergines.

Stuff you need: 1. Onion 2. Garlic 3. Olive Oil 4. Eggplant 5. 1 can Diced Tomatoes

Begin by heating a large skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, chop up all your ingredients, and open up the can of diced tomatoes. When the pan is hot, place your onion and garlic in a dollop of olive oil, and cook everything for a couple of minutes.

Next, throw your chopped eggplant into the pan, and cook covered for 5-10 minutes. When the eggplant is beginning to get soft and turn light brown, add in the can of diced tomatoes, and cook for another 10ish minutes.

When the eggplant is to your desired tenderness, season with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and anything else that floats your boat. Serve hot over a bed of quinoa or whole wheat noodles, and save the rest for your lunches this week!

I served my first portion over quinoa with some black beans for protein. For lunch the next day, I put the ragout into a whole wheat pita with some spinach and vegenaise, and finally, the following night, I bought a whole wheat pizza crust, and topped it with marinara, vegan cheese, and the same eggplant ragout. Each and every meal- so good!

It was a fun, easy way to use eggplant, and I love how versatile it turned out to be! The chewy eggplant and chunky tomatoes, make this dish really hearty, and the Italian seasonings give it a homey feel. It was super tasty the first night, and the flavors just kept getting better the longer I left it in the fridge. 1 recipe- 3 great meals. I can't wait 'til eggplant goes on sale again! :)

saucy tempeh curry

For some reason, this week is moving ridiculously slow for me, *groan* After a very long Thursday, I was definitely needing something hot, flavorful, and easy to assemble. I've had a block of tempeh sitting in my fridge for a week now, so I was super it excited to find this recipe for Saucy Tempeh Curry over at Sketch-free Vegan Eating.

This recipe was great- it was exactly what I wanted tonight. All the spices really came together to make a bold, flavorful dish, and I love how easy it was to make. Brown tempeh, blend spices, combine, and devour. That's it! I think the sauce needed just a little bit more water to make it thinner, but otherwise, it was spot on. It may have been a dull Thursday, but at least the dinner was excellent :)

superbowl snacks

Even though I hate football, I always get excited for the Super Bowl, because it means I get to hang out in my sweatpants with my friends eating fatty snack foods all day. The commercials are usually pretty clever, but let's be honest, the Super Bowl is all about food, and today, our snack table is pretty impressive.

We have veggies, cookies, chips, hummus, Rachel Ray's 7 Layer Dip, wings for the carnivores, and my personal favorite, fried pickles! This is the second year for Super Bowl fried pickles, and I think it's my favorite new tradition. We made the recipe up as we went, and they turned out even better than last years.

Stuff you need

1. Pickle chips 2. Flour 3. Rice Milk 4. Bread Crumbs 5. Canola Oil

Start by heating up about an inch of oil in a wok of skillet. While the oil is getting nice and hot, pour the flour, breadcrumbs, and 1/2 cup rice milk into 3 separate dishes.

Now that you're all set up, you can start breading the pickles. First coat the pickle chip in flour, then dunk it into the rice milk, and then finally roll it around in the breadcrumbs. When the oil is hot and your pickles are prepped, toss them in the skillet and fry them up until they're golden brown.

Let them cool off just a bit on a stack of paper towels, and when you can't wait any longer, serve 'em up! They're great with ranch, but still delicious on their own as well. Drooooool.

So far, these are definitely THE BEST fried pickles we've ever made. Now if you'll excuse me, I have more binge eating to do before my diet starts again tomorrow. Ha :)

green smoothie in a mason jar

If you've ever seen a green smoothie, and wondered if it tastes like an ugly liquid salad gone wrong, I have news for you. Green smoothies are freakin' delicious! I made my very first one today for breakfast, and now I think I could have one every morning!

For my first attempt, I kept it simple with minimal ingredients, but I think with this basic base, I can start getting more creative for different flavor and/or nutritional combinations.

Stuff you need: 1. 1/2 cup rice milk 2. 1 banana 3. apple 4. 3 handfuls of kale 4. 3/4 cup water

If you hate mornings like I do, get everything prepared the night before- core your apple, and chop it up along with the banana and kale. In the morning, combine the rice milk, apple, and banana in a blender and start running it.

As the blender runs, add the kale in small amounts. When you add the kale in, I recommend you pour a little water in at the same time, so everything continues to blend together smoothly. When all the ingredients are nicely combined and the liquid is to your desired consistency, pour it up, and suck it down!

Isn't that green lovely?

Some thoughts on green smoothies:

1. If you bring it to work, all your coworkers will ask you what the hell are you drinking? Is it pesto?

2. Once you get over the color and the kale in your teeth, it honestly tastes just like a regular banana smoothie, and is seriously delicious.

3. Don, our IT guy and health guru, recommends adding different greens into the same smoothie for better national value- collards, spinach, carrot tops- all great choices.

4. Don't waste your solo cups every morning! Drill a hole through the lid of an old mason jar, and use that for your newfound green smoothie obsession!

Let's be honest. I'm totally obsessed. It's delicious, it's easy to make, it's crazy good for you, and it actually kept me full until lunchtime! Yeah. I think I'll be drinking these A LOT :)

qrunch burgers

Hey has anybody tried the quinoa patties from Qrunch Foods yet? Last time I was at Whole Foods, the free-sample-man convinced me to buy a box, and so far so good.

I like that they're completely unique to anything else on the market.- there's a nice variety of veggie burgers and chik'n patties, but I really haven't seen a lot of quinoa burgers floating around yet. I also like that the Qrunch patty is gluten fee, vegan, and made with just a handful of good ingredients. Unfortunately, they're a little high in saturated fat for my liking, but I think that's probably okay, as long as you don't start yourself on a Qrunch burger IV drip.

Today for lunch I had a Qrunch burger served over a bed of sautéed kale and spinach, with a little bit of Newman's Own Italian dressing. The quinoa patty has a nice texture- light and flaky, with still enough to bite into- and I love the flavor, which I think is best described as buttery. Yumm.

If anyone else has tried these bad boys I'd love to hear what you think! Personally, they're a little high in fat for me, but I think it'll be nice to have these in the freezer for meals every now and then. Thanks Qrunch burger! Big kudos to you :)

amy's no chicken noodle soup

Dear Amy's No Chicken Noodle Soup,

Thank you for warming my belly on this cold winter night. After battling the epic snow storm, and a full day of work, nothing sounded better than a big bowl of chicken noodle soup. Oh, did I mention that my car got stuck in the snow this morning, and I had to be rescued by a coworker? Yeah, that was pretty sweet.

Anyway, I wanted some piping hot, comfort food this evening, and that's precisely what I got. While you're awfully high in sodium, I'm still pretty excited that you taste just as good as the original, but are actually meat-free. In fact, you're vegan! Big bonus points there.

Thank you again for the great flavors of a classic soup, made cruelty-free with your meatless magic. It was the perfect dinner to end a crazy winter day.

Happy Holidays.

Love- erin ♥

christmas tree chili

Well the holiday season is definitely here, and it's getting increasingly busy by the minute. This weekend I helped celebrate my boyfriend's 29th birthday, and finally got the chance to cut down Christmas trees with my family. We had to postpone the original date due to weather, but this past Saturday turned out to be absolutely beautiful.

As tradition dictates, we enjoyed coffee and donuts at my parents house, hopped in our cars, drove up to the mountains, chopped trees, and enjoyed the famous family chili. I honestly can't remember a time where we didn't chop trees and eat chili :)

However, since becoming a vegetarian, I've begun bringing my own meat-free chili to the celebration, and I think it just gets better every year.

This year I based my recipe off of Robin Robertson's Chipotle-Kissed Red Bean and Sweet Potato Chili and this one from my BFF Michael. I combined both ideas, threw everything into a crock pot the night before, and early the next morning, I was rewarded with a big ol' pot of vegetarian chili.Here are just my random thoughts on my homemade chili:

1. A variety of beans gives it it great color and flavor- black, white, kidney, & chili are all great

2. I started my chili with some sautéed onion, garlic, carrots, and celery- all good ideas, except the celery, which gave it a funny taste.

3. Boca ground crumbles were perfect for texture and consistency. I've used TVP before, and it's just not the same- crumbles or fake beef are definitely the way to go.

4. It's all about adjusting the seasoning. A little more chili powder, a little more garlic salt- after simmering all night, the flavors weren't perfect, but a little trial and error in the spice cabinet really made the difference.

The tree hunt was successful, and the veggie chili turned out great! If you've got any chili secrets, I'd love to hear them, so hopefully next years' batch will be even better! Now all that's left to do is eat them leftovers, and decorate those trees ♥

southern beans and rice soup with kale

With the temperature dropping and snow falling, it's becoming the perfect weather for warm, comforting dishes, especially soup! Tonight a few of us got together for a bottle of wine, a hot meal, and new episodes of Dexter and Homeland. We grabbed some cheap bread bowls from Whole Foods, and tried out a recipe from Robin Robertson's cookbook 1,000 Vegan Recipes- Southern Style Beans and Rice Soup with Collards.

We replaced the collards with kale, since that's what we had on hand, and added 2 additional cups of liquid to thin out the soup, since it was just a bit thick for our liking. Otherwise, it was a fantastic, hearty soup with great flavors, and healthy ingredients. We served our soup with a big 'ol helping of hot sauce, and I think it really brought out the Southern flare with just the right amount of heat. If you want a healthy, wholesome, yet substantial soup for a cold night, definitely look this one up.

black bean tostadas

I love corn tortillas because they're usually low-calorie, gluten-free, and a really versatile food, but I hate how fragile they are. Every time I make myself a big plate of veggie tacos, I pick the first one up, the bottom breaks, and I've got food explosion all over the place. Ugh.

However, today I decided to solve this problem, and make myself a light, tasty lunch of black bean tostadas. It's like all the delicious-ness of the taco, without the mess.

Stuff you need: 1. Corn tortillas 2. Olive oil 3. Black beans 4. Any toppings of your choice- tomatoes, salsa, cheese, lettuce, etc.

While your oven is preheating to 350, take this time to prepare all your other ingredients- chop lettuce, slice tomatoes, shred cheese, and fix up anything else you've got around the kitchen- I used lettuce, salsa, and veggie green chili on mine. I also measured out 1/2 cup black beans and mushed them up with a fork, refried-beans style.

When the oven is hot, place 2 corn tortillas on a baking sheet, and drizzle with olive oil. Pop in the oven for 5 minutes, and then flip them over and bake again for another 4. After those 4 minutes, spread the beans on the now-crispy tortillas and pop it back into the oven for another couple minutes, til the black beans are warm.

Pull the sheet out, top with all your sauces and veggies, and plate it up! It's warm, it's crunchy, and it was seriously easy to make.

It was the perfect light lunch, for a day around the house filled with cleaning and projects. Did I mention I'm FUN-employed this week? With all the time in the world, I think I'll be gymming, projecting, and hopefully devouring lots of other great, easy meals like this one.

chilean corn chowder

Tonight was evening number 2 at the parents' house, which meant yet another chance to adventure cook with my favorite food thrill-seekers. Since Mom spent the morning at the dentist, it only made sense that we should put together some kind of warm, comforting soup to help sooth her aching mouth.

Although I hate seeing my mama in pain, I was pretty excited to try out the Chilean Corn Chowder recipe that I spotted in my Vegetarian Times Healing Foods Cookbook magazine. If you like meat-free foods, and haven't checked out Veg Times, stop everything you're doing and pick up a copy- it's definitely one of my favorite publications.

Anyway, the soup turned out great- tonight's recipe test was far more successful than last night's. We pretty much stuck to the original recipe, except we added garlic salt, white pepper, and 2 additional cups of water to help thin it out just a little. The results were outstanding- a tasty chowder, indeed.

Looks pretty good right? My version may not be as pretty as theirs, but I bet it was just as delicious! The cilantro and lime juice give this dish a refreshing, southwestern flavoring, while the cayenne lends just the perfect amount of heat. Nothing crazy- just enough to clear your nose out a little :)

There are so many different flavors and textures in this chowder, but somehow they all blend together perfectly. It's a hearty soup with great flavors, that still feels light and fresh. My parents approve and so do I- this recipe test was a total success! DEFINITELY recommend this one.

roasted pumpkin seeds

With only 4 days 'til Halloween, I've been running around like crazy sewing costumes, buying face paint, and of course, carving pumpkins! I don't think it matters how old I am- I will always love carving pumpkins. This year, pumpkin carving was extra fun, thanks to a handful of my favorite ladies, and a couple bottles of wine.

Top left down: the grim reaper by Julie, a wine bottle & glass by Molly, and a vampire by me :)

Top right down: ghosts by Jenna, a witch by Megan, and an experimental gangster by Lisa

After the pumpkins were carved, and the wine was consumed, there was only one necessity left- roast the pumpkin seeds! If you've never roasted your own pumpkin seeds before, you have to try it. It's a healthy, delicious snack, and it's another way to put that beautiful pumpkin to good use.

Stuff you need: 1. Pumpkin seeds from that jack-o-lantern you just carved 2. Olive oil 3. Salt & pepper 4. Other spices of your choosing

Remove all the seeds from your pumpkin, and wash them thoroughly- it may take a couple of times to get all the gunk off. While you're rinsing the seeds, preheat your oven to about 350 degrees.

When the seeds are cleaned, pat them dry, and spread them onto a baking sheet. Douse the seeds in olive oil, salt, pepper, and any other spice you'd like. For a regular batch, we used plain old salt and pepper. For our spicy batch, we also threw in cumin, chili powder, and hot sauce.

Finally, pop the baking sheet into the oven and cook until the seeds are golden brown. We didn't really keep track of how long they were in the oven- just check on them every 5-10 minutes to shake them around, and add a little extra seasoning. When they are baked to perfection, take them out, and devour!

The left bowl is the regular batch, and the right bowl is the spicy batch- special thanks to Julie, for the great photo! ♥ Lovely ladies, beautiful pumpkins, and delicious seeds! I couldn't possibly think of a better way to get in the Halloween spirit on a chilly fall evening. 4 days 'til Halloween! I can't wait! :)

crockpot curry

Between the office, the gym, and the social life I try to balance, sometimes it's hard to find time to make an exceptional dinner. This, of course, is why I love my crockpot. Whenever life is feeling hectic, I pull out my slow cooker, throw everything in, and come home to fantastic meal after a long day. How great is that?

Last week I decided to make No Hurry Vegetable Curry from Robin Robertson's cookbook Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker. I made this same dish sometime last year, but added waaaay too much liquid, and it turned out really soupy. This time around, I stuck to the recipe, and it was simply amazing!

It definitely needed a bit more coconut milk, and a good helping of salt, but otherwise the recipe was perfect as it is. We also substituted broccoli for green beans, but any veggie would be great in this dish. It was a hot, delicious meal, that was ready the minute I walked in the door. It also fed me, my roommate, and Jenna- who took this beautiful photo- and we still had plenty of leftovers for the next day's lunch. If this recipe wasn't a total success, I don't know what is! :)

breaded eggplant

You know what I love? Food gifts. There's almost nothing better than free, delicious things, and recently, I've been quite lucky in receiving tons of edible presents! I got a beautiful eggplant from my boss, Connie, and a truck load of fresh produce and a dozen happy chicken eggs from my parents.

After reading so much about the factory farming atrocities in Eating Animals, I'm having a very hard time eating eggs, unless I know where they come from. My parents happen to know a man in their area raising chickens in proper, humane conditions, and I couldn't be happier about supporting this local farmer, who really cares :)

Anyway, I digress. With all the wonderful, fresh organic food in my house, the first vegetable I had to devour was the eggplant. What can I say? It's my fave. I based my recipe off this one for Vegan Crispy Baked Eggplant from Chez Bettay. Mine definitely didn't come out as beautiful as hers, but for my first try at breading anything, I think it turned out pretty good.

I mostly stuck to the recipe, except I didn't peel my eggplant, used Panko for the bread crumbs, and used a regular oven sans pizza stone, since I don't own one. I baked my eggplant for about 15 minutes on one side, flipped it, and then popped it back in the oven for another 10. When the bread-crumb coating was starting to look golden, I slathered it with warmed pasta sauce, and devoured it with a side of sauteed beet greens.

The soft eggplant was a nice compliment to the crunchy crust, although I definitely should have baked it longer to give the bread-crumbs some serious bite. Also, 1 eggplant made plenty of food for my dinner, and I used the rest to make phenomenal sandwiches the next few days. Baked eggplant + pasta sauce + lettuce & fresh basil on whole wheat toast = to die for.

It was a good first attempt, and I hope the next batch is even better!

roasted root veggie salad

I hope everyone enjoyed their Labor Day holiday weekend. Mine included Fright Night with the boyfriend, brunch with the parents, a couple of birthday BBQs, fighting crowds at the Taste of Colorado, building lots of Target furniture for the new place, and watching True Blood with the usual suspects, Jenna and Michael.

After a full day of grazing on various snacks at the the Taste of Colorado, a light, healthy meal sounded absolutely wonderful. Nothing makes you feel better than a giant, fresh salad, loaded with all kinds of good stuff, so that's precisely what we made last night- big ol' roasted root vegetable salads.

Stuff you need: 1. Lettuce 2. A protein of some type 3. Veggies for roasting- we found parsnips, golden beets, sweet potatoes, red onions, and asparagus 4. Your favorite salad dressing

Start by cutting up all your vegetables into big chunks, while your oven preheats to 400 degrees. Feel free to peel everything if you'd like, but we left the skins on since we didn't have a peeler. You may also want to enlist a few friends for all the chopping, since this is the most tedious part.

When everything is nicely cubed, place the veggies in a large bowl, and toss them with some olive oil, chopped garlic, salt and pepper. You may need to use 2 bowls, or do them in batches if you have a lot like we did. When everything is completely coated, place the mixture into a baking dish (or a few of them) and pop them in the oven for about 30 minutes.

Take the baking dishes out of the oven, give the veggies a good stir and another dose of salt, and put them back in the oven for another 30 minutes, or until everything is perfectly tender, just the way you like it.

While you're waiting on the roasting, watch some True Blood, drink some wine, and prepare anything else you need to- dressing, lettuce, protein etc. For the leafy base, we tore up romaine lettuce, and the greens that came attached to the beets. The beet greens were a little bitter, but a nice compliment to the rest of the salad. Jenna and Michael made fish for their protein portion, and I tried out some chick'n from Gardein, which, I must say, was pretty tasty.

Finally, after waiting so long and patiently, pull those hot, steamy vegetables out of the oven, throw everything together with a little salad dressing, and thoroughly enjoy one giant, healthy, totally loaded salad.

It was just what we were all craving. The leafy greens, and the warm tender vegetables were the perfect combination for a light, healthy salad, that still had some real filling power. Ever eat a salad and still feel hungry? Yeah, not with this baby. Also, all the veggies we used- 1 bundle asparagus, 1 parsnip, 1 red onion, 1 sweet potato & 2 golden beets- made SO much food, there were plenty of leftovers for my dinner tonight. As fall approaches and the months get colder, I will definitely be roasting some more vegetables for my devouring pleasure :)

wrap week

I try to pack my lunch as often as possible, both to save money and calories, and sometimes I feel like I'm just eating the same old stuff day in and day out. Last week, I thought I'd give myself a fun theme, and pack my lunch everyday accordingly. Thus, last week became wrap week! Each lunch had to include a whole what tortilla stuffed with something new and delicious, and it was a total success.

Monday: Whole wheat tortilla with spicy brown mustard, cucumbers, spinach & avocado
Tuesday: Whole wheat tortilla with broccoli slaw & a Boca spicy chik'n patty
Wednesday: Whole wheat tortilla with BBQ tempeh & BBQ onions and bell peppers
Thursday: Whole wheat tortilla with kale, rice, tomatoes, feta cheese & black beans
Friday: Whole wheat tortilla with pesto, spinach, tomatoes and zucchini slices

Look at that! 5 fabulous wraps over a course of 5 days. By creatively mixing my leftovers with the staples in my fridge, I managed to make a handful of really different, and delicious meals on a small budget- what a great challenge! Also, all the fillings were super tasty, and would be equally great stuffed in a bagel, pita, or sandwich of some kind. I must say, it was an excellent wrap week, indeed :)

bbq tempeh & kale

O.M.G. I don't know if it's possible to accurately describe how full and incredibly content I am right now. I don't know if it was sheer genius, or dumb luck, but tonight's dinner was incredible. I'd like to make this introduction better, but let's skip it and get right to the food. BBQ tempeh and kale! *drool*

For the BBQ Tempeh

Stuff you need: 1. 1 block tempeh 2. 1 bell pepper 3. 1/2 onion 4. your favorite BBQ sauce

Start off by bringing approximately 3 cups of water to boil in a saucepan. When the water is boiling, put some salt, and the tempeh brick into the water, and let it simmer on medium for 20 minutes. While your tempeh is boiling, thinly slice your bell pepper and onion into strips and sauté them in in a little olive oil, until they're nice and tender. When the tempeh is done, drain it, and slice it into long thing strips, just like the onion and peppers. Combine the tempeh, veggies, and a healthy helping of BBQ sauce in the skillet or saucepan you already used, and let everything heat together.When you can stand it no longer, dish it up, and dig in!

For the Kale

Stuff you need: 1. 1 garlic clove 2. a bunch of kale 3. 1 can diced tomatoes 4. brown rice

For the kale dish, I was inspired by this recipe from Epicurious, but I altered it according to what I had on hand. I started by making a pot of rice- using leftover rice would be helpful, but it wasn't a problem to prepare everything else while the rice cooked. Meanwhile, mince the garlic, roughly chop the kale, and open and drain the can of diced tomatoes. Sautee the garlic in a little olive oil, and when it's just starting to turn golden, add the tomatoes, kale, and a good sprinkle of salt. Occasionally stir it every few minutes, and when the kale is tender, add the rice, toss everything together, and serve.

Holy shit that was a good meal. The tempeh is just like good ol' fashioned BBQ- a little sweet, and the texture is perfect. Substitute this into a Philly cheese-steak, and you'd never miss the meat! Also, the kale concoction was just the right side to serve with the tempeh. The slightly-sugary BBQ sauce was nicely complimented by the savory, tenderness of the tomatoes, rice, and kale. Omg I just can't say enough good things about this dinner. Tonight's meal = AMAZING!! :D

broccoli slaw

What a lovely Monday evening. I got in a great workout, made an amazing dinner, prepared my lunch for tomorrow, and sat down on my bed and looked through the entire Ikea catalog page by page. Colorado's first Ikea store opens in 2 days, and let me tell you, there is some mad Ikea fever around here. I hear there are already people camping out in front of the store! I'm not that crazed, but I am excited to pick out some cute new items for my place.

Before fully diving into the Ikea catalog, however, I made myself a giant bowl of broccoli slaw. I have an abundance of broccoli in my house right now, and even though I love steamed broccoli, I thought I'd mix it up with something light, chilled and summery. I modeled my recipe after this one I found on Apartment Therapy, but I adjusted it according to what I found in my kitchen.

Stuff you need: 1. 1 head broccoli 2. 1/2 small onion 3. 1 carrot 4. 1/4 cup raisins 5. 1/4 cup sliced almonds 6. a heaping 1/4 cup Vegenaise 6. 2 tablespoons lemon juice 7. 1/2 tablespoon stone ground mustard 8. a pinch of salt

Start by chopping/shredding your broccoli, carrot and onion. If you are lucky enough to own a food processor, you should totally use it. If you are poor like me, roll up your sleeves and get to cutting! When your veggies are ready, place them into a large bowl, and add the raisins and almonds.

In another bowl, combine the Vegenaise, lemon juice, mustard, and salt. Vigorously stir the concoction together and then adjust the flavor accordingly. The original recipe uses vinegar, which would have been a nice addition, but I didn't have any in my cabinets, so I just used more lemon juice. Combine the liquid mixture to the shredded vegetables and toss well. The flavors will blend better if you let it sit in the fridge a while, but let's be honest, this slaw is ridiculously delicious, and there's no way in hell it could possibly stay out of my belly for more than 5 minutes.

Isn't it beautiful? The colors are so nice with the orange carrot, purple raisins, and green broccoli, but let me tell you, it is even more tasty than it is attractive. It may have turned out a little overly-lemony, but for a hot, summer night, the bold, citrus taste was perfect. The chopped vegetables and crunchy almonds also give this dish a really great texture, that would be nice in a variety of recipes. Tonight I threw it in a black bean and corn burrito, and I'll definitely take the slaw for lunch the next few days. In fact, I might even make a second batch with my other head of broccoli and eat it all week! Yes. It's that good. Ikea may be premiering in Colorado, but this broccoli slaw is pretty exciting too :)