A couple quirky and or purty pix

I wanted to get more than one blog post done today, yet that didn't happen, so I am getting one more in.  I have a bunch of photos that haven't been dealt with at all, and I like to put them online sometimes.  I have been doing a lot of photography- including a trip to Wausau to Rib Mountain- and that deserves its own page.

I have been having massages every other Saturday or so, to deal with some nerve and muscle issues I have, and I write blog posts in my mind when I am laying there.  It is kind of fun!  But those are all bottled up as I am a bit tired and can only manage some pictures.  But I like them and I can't wait to share.  So enjoy!  :)  This is my way of being a joy giver today!  What did you do to spread a little joy?

More veggie/vegan delights: some hits and a miss- maybe

Even though I am going to be gone this coming late week and into the weekend (HELLLLOOOO ELLA!!)

Did someone say GRAMMA DEBI  IS COMIN?????

 I did a bunch of cooking.  My intention as I went into this Saturday was to not make much at all, as I have a bunch of things in the freezer..... so I could have lunch and dinner quite happily for the next few days- well, week or two.  But, I did have this pile of squashes in the front room, and then I saw a pumpkin recipe this past week, and I had some broccoli that I needed to use up.....  yeah, so there was that.  PLUS I am feeling sort of cruddy- the germ laden children at school managed to pass their joy along to me, and Monday I seriously SUDDENLY lost my voice- just so fast it was astonishing.  I was talking to a colleague and suddenly I had to start clearing my throat and then within an hour it was sketchy, and then it has gone in and out- mostly out  - ever since Monday.  Boo.  HATE that.  Anyway,  earlier today, I had gone for a walk and was so exhausted I could hardly stand it, so Instead of cleaning out a room, which is what I should have done, I began by making this pumpkin chia pudding stuff.  Which was not that great when I tasted it, but it is in the frig and we shall see if a little time makes it better.  Well then I pressed the tofu and began cooking the squash and one thing led to another and soon I have put the oven through it's paces all afternoon.  It is freaking cold out, so that was just a nice thing to do. And I can rest myself in between things, so it worked out fine.

One thing that I really miss from my meat eating day is that ability to grab something like tuna or cold meat and make a sandwich or some such thing - filling and minimal fuss.  So I have been working on perfecting my tofu and tempeh techniques and recipes so I can make some to have in the frig or possibly with the tempeh figure out what to mix it with that is super fast and ready for what I want to do.  In that vein, I made some kick ass tofu today- pressed and marinated and baked.

Lime and cayenne tofu

I did a little looking around, and decided I did not have the energy to make one that was fried or marinated with a complicated sauce (anything more than 4 ingredients that involved a bowl is complicated today) so while reading I found simple directions and in the comment section people were talking about what they marinated with- one person had a GENIUS combination: lime, olive oil, Bragg's aminos (soy sauce) and cayenne.  PERFECT.
Basically I splashed some Bragg's onto some pressed tofu (I wrap the tofu in a tea towel, place it in a flat bowl and put my tequila bottle on top to press it!  :) ) (I need to get a tofu press) that was cut into 1 inch strips and then squeezed a half a lime, sprinkled about a tablespoon of olive oil on it and then sprinkled on cayenne.  Of course the tofu was in a baking dish- and then baked it for about a half hour. REALLY good.  The lime is awesome on it.

Baked Tofu

1 block extra firm tofu
1 - 2 Tablespoons Bragg's aminos, soy sauce or Tamari
1 - 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 - 2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

I froze the extra firm tofu first, thawed and then squeezed the extra water out of it. by pressing it with a tequila bottle set on top of it!  You could use a heavy fry pan, a brick, whatever.  Then cut it into 1 " strips and put into a shallow dish.  

Dump each ingredient over the tofu and roll it around to coat and let it sit for 15 - 30 min.  Preheat the oven to 450 (make sure the dish can go into a hot oven or else transfer to metal) and bake uncovered for about 30 - 40 min, flipping once.  So good.  This method could be used with any number of marinades- read the comment section here


So after a little rest period of searching the internet for combination of broccoli and butternut squash, I was tired just reading all of it, and decided to roast them separately.  You know, when you are looking for things like this, you just have to skip right past that first google page.  The boring things are there- like the all recipes and the "normal" websites- go past those and find the blogger's recipes.  So much more interesting.

So I precooked the butternut squash a bit in the microwave and then peeled and diced it and roasted it in a little oil with some onion--  that was baking next to the tofu.  Did I mention I made brownies for the M.A.?  And also a pot of chicken and roasted potatoes and carrots?  Yes, I make totally separate meals for him.  Whatevs.

Roasted Butternut squash

1 medium squash

1 - 2 onions

1 tablespoon olive oil

spike seasoning or other seasoned salt

Microwave the squash about 3 minutes to soften.  I let mine sit for about 45 minutes in the microwave because I was doing other stuff, so it was easy to handle. Then peel, cut, and dice into pieces.  Spread out on pan that has a tablespoon of oil in it, then add peeled and chunked up onion.  Sprinkle with seasoning of your choice. Roast about 30 - 45 minutes.

When the squash was almost done, I cleaned up some broccoli and garlic and tossed that with a touch of oil and Spike seasoning and roasted that too.  NOW, I was to say, though they sound like they might be a touch incongruous, the limey tofu, sweet squash and the savory broccoli was so good together!!

Roasted Broccoli

1 big bunch of broccoli

2 cloves garlic, peeled and cut into a few pieces

olive oil

salt and pepper

Cut broccoli up into pieces about the same size.  Spread into another flat pan or dish and add garlic pieces. (crushed garlic would burn) Toss with oil- roast about 10 minutes.

NOW for the pumpkin chia stuff.  In theory it sounds really good.  I am a pumpkin pie fan- love it and the cinnamon/nutmeg/clove/brown sugar goodness.  I have a recipe for a pumpkin pudding that is baked and is basically pumpkin pie without the crust, so that is what I was expecting.  So first problem, when you don't bake the liquid out of it, a lot of flavor is diluted.  Second of all, it is missing some depth, I think the brown sugar richness is missing, too.  This has maple syrup in it, I believe it is supposed to be vegan, but I am thinking honey might be better or else, for heavens sakes, I'll just put in some brown sugar.  I love chia seeds- they make me happy for some reason.  I enjoy their weird little gelatinous selves - in this case beside the nutritional boost, it also serves as an egg substitute.  This recipe will have to be fiddled with, but it has some potential.  I'd love to go taste it right now, but I am just too full.  THAT is so weird- I am almost never full.   I am going to try putting some on my pancakes in the morning, for kicks and giggles!

Pumpkin Pie Chia Pudding

Ingredients:

• 3/4-1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 cup canned pumpkin, chilled if possible
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tbsp GOOD tasting vanilla protein powder, optional
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon, or more to taste
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1-2 tbsp maple syrup, to taste

1. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together all ingredients until combined and no clumpy bits remain.

2. Place bowl in the fridge for 1-2 hours or overnight, to thicken and chill.

3. Serve with raisins, walnuts, or crushed ginger cookies if desired.

Approx nutritional info [per serving (serves 2) with protein powder and with 1 tbsp maple syrup]: 167 cals, 6 grams fat, 23 grams carbs, 10 grams sugar, 5 grams protein, 10 grams fiber.

Read more: http://ohsheglows.com/2011/10/14/pumpkin-pie-chia-pudding-parfait/#ixzz2iE47vjHq


So after 3 trips to the compost pile and 3  sink-fulls of dishes I have a few days of meals and I won't have to thaw anything in the freezer.  I am undecided on whether that is good or not- I should free up a little space.  Oh well, I won't be home to cook next weekend, so I will use it the following week!

Seriously hoping for a voice and a more normal feeling head and throat in the morning!

That will be awesome and could be somewhat joyful as well!

My scattered mind. (Losing my...?)

So this is what I have had going on today- while watching for a break in the scattered showers..... perchance to walk?

Dealing with the produce laying around

Working on a blog post or 2

Editing pictures from two cameras

Cleaning out a closet

And I arranged my shirts in color order.  Seriously disturbing this occasional tendency to colorize my life.  Yikes.

More disturbing is trying to do 3 totally unrelated things at the same time and expect them to get done!  However, I am almost done!  :)  I surprise myself sometimes!

And it looks brand new!

THIS recently happened.  Finally. After a lot of waiting for many things- and some of us would rather build a cabin than make the house look like this-  no fault or blaming (ok a little).  It is what it is and I LOVE this!!  I adore grey houses.

a during photo

I was going to do a full on step by step, but that isn't necessary!

THIS is blissful.  I joyfully include the house in my photos now!  It could be a Christmas card photo!  Lol.  AND for anyone who cares to gossip, well, it's none of your damn business.  That's all I will say.

We still have a few touchups of paint on the foundation and here and there.  AND we need to remember to go pick up a screen door for the side.... and of course there remain some rooms inside to get reno-ed.  But one thing at a time! NEXT is my next tiling job on the kitchen floor.  But maybe  not until spring, I have plenty to keep me busy right now.

Next year I get to do a little more landscaping!!!  WOOOOO HOOOOO  I am envisioning a few colorful bushes next to the new side door, a redo on the little porch and a whole lot of joy!

Until next time- be a joy giver.  Be happy with what you have, look forward to what is coming and love the people in your life to the fullest.  

A massage and a Saturday Vegetarian Cooking Marathon

It was a rainy day and the Mad Art teacher was lying on the massage table having some painful manipulations done to some of those really fussy back muscles.  In specific, it is the lower portion of my trapezius as far as I can tell.  This and some other places have been causing me some major  discomfort at night and LET ME TELL YOU, I slept like a BABY last night. YES!!!! All blessings and good karma get sent off to Ms Brianna at Triple B for restoring some normalcy to my sleep patterns.  Indirectly of course.  This problem seems to be the ONLY drawback to weight lifting.....  I'll put up with it!

Now how does the massage relate to cooking?  Well, I go into a state of mind during a massage (unless she is working on those specific trap areas that make me want to cry, and I concentrate then on absolute relaxation and WILL those spots to release- this doesn't always work.  Lol) of true relaxation and when that happens my brain is free to move about in whatever direction it sees fit.  It is not hindered by worries, or concerns, or friends, relatives or countrymen.  It just goes.  And since I had some veggies that were procured from a farmer's market that needed using, I needed to imagine what I was going to make with them.  I have several vegetarian blogs that I read and I have a metric ton of cookbooks- well maybe not, but you know- so I had ideas.  First I had a vision of a recipe for black bean veggie burgers, I could see the pix in my mind.  Did I find that recipe, um no.  But, anyway- that was my first thought.  Then I had squash including a Delicata squash that needed using, and I knew of just the recipe for that.  I had pinned it to Pinterest, which I do a lot now, since I have no ability to remember perfectly where I saw things: see above comment about the Black Bean burgers.  The eggplant I had was harder to solve, so I remembered the HUGE book I have by Mark Bittman and knew the answer would lie within.  And it did!

Along the way, (well after the massage) I found about 3 more things I want to make, but I have plenty of food for the week, plus more in the freezer.  If you want an awesome food site to visit, go to Food52.  It is not vegetarian, but it has lots of those, plus LOTS of other stuff.  HIGHLY recommend!!

Anyway- I made these recipes in sections.  The first two had extended cooking times, so I began one and started on the next.... and then did another step to the first.... and then went on with the second and fit the bean burgers in when the other two were finishing.  Of course, I will write these up separately.  I won't be super extensive with any of them- they are pretty straight-forward.

7 Veggie "Cheese" soup
Posted as Luxurious 7-vegetable and "Cheese" soup at Ohsheglows.com. I of course did my own thing with this.

Add the veggies to the heated oil one at a time as you chop them

chopped sweet potatoes

I use an icecream scoop to empty out the seeds- you can eat the skin of Delicata!

Saute-ing veggies

Get the good tasting broth!

THESE are my garlic cloves- I used one for 3 regular

Nutritional yeast comes in powder or flakes- either is fine

I used my immersion blender- you can use a regular blender by doing it in batches

Partially blended

Fully blended

This is a vegan soup- the cheesey sort of feel comes from Nutritional yeast, which is not as scary as it sounds and it tastes super great on popcorn!  So, that is the only thing about this recipe, that is not easy to obtain in Park Falls, WI- where we are SADLY lacking vegetarian specialty items.  Like NONE.  sigh.  Anyway, preplanning will get you over to either Rhinelander to the Golden Harvest or to Ashland for the Chequamegon Food Coop.  Or you could go to bigger still areas, where that sort of thing is not scarce.

Approximately 100 calories for an eighth of a recipe

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 large chopped onion
3 garlic cloves minced or pressed
1 big heap of chopped carrots- a cup??  more??  you decide
1 large bunch of broccoli, cut up
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut up
1 delicata squash, cut up or a small butternut squash peeled and cut up (half a big one?)
6 cups Vegetable broth
5 Tablespoons Nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp or more of cayenne
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp Spike seasoning
salt and pepper

sunflower or pumpkin seeds for fun!  Also, yogurt/sour cream/vegan sour cream for kicks and thrills
extra cayenne/paprika/cinnamon for lovely color

Heat the oil in large pan.  Add the onion and let them soften a bit while you chop the carrots.  Right before you add the carrots, put in the garlic for 30 sec.  You don't want it to burn.  Then add the carrots and continue to add the veggies one at a time until you finish the Delicata squash.  Stir occasionally during this process.
Cover pot and cook for 4 - 5 minutes, turn down heat if you need to.
Add vegetable broth and cover, cook for 15 minutes or so, until veggies are soft.  Set aside until it cools a bit.
Blend** until smooth and add seasoning to  soup and adjust to taste.
Garnish with seeds, creamy things and/or extra spices!

**I used an emersion blender- I can't imagine why I'd use anything else.  If necessary use a food processor or regular blender.  Make sure the veggies are coolish or the lid will blow off your blender.  When smooth return to pan for seasonings.

Roasted Vegetables- Thai Style
From How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman

This is an amazing dish, really.  I tasted the veggies before the sauce and it was outstanding!!  Idk why, the combination of veggies?  The roasting?  My mad cooking skills?  HAHAHA  who knows. But it is so good and I am here to tell you that it is really good the next day, too.  I am going to freeze some to see how that goes.  Let me tell you, this does not photograph pretty, but who the heck cares.....

As far as veggies go, I am not sure how something like broccoli or brussel sprouts will taste, but the cauliflower was great in it.  I would throw WHATEVER I had in the house in here.  I had lots this first time so I picked and chose (choosed??)  I had choices at any rate.
Mark Bittman recommends: a couple root vegetables (potatoes, parsnips, carrots, etc.)  peas or beans, fresh or frozen, eggplant or zucchini, and the garlic/onion family.  I used cauliflower- use what you have.

Pre-cut everything and toss it into a huge pan with the heated oil 

Roast, covered, at 450 for 30 minutes, stirring twice

Add the tomatoes and then recover and roast another 30 min.

Heat 1 TBS of oil and add the curry paste, then the rest of the sauce- sorry - I forgot that pic

Sloppy and yummy!!  Don't you like my fresh mint garnish, right from my garden!!  :)

There, that is prettier.  This was so good I didn't even put it on rice.  But I did the next day!  

Thai Style Veggies
Approximately 250 calories for an eighth of a recipe

4 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large potato, peeled and cut up
1 large eggplant cut up (no need to peel, really)
1 cup of frozen peas
1/2 head cauliflower cut up
3 smallish parsnips, peeled and cutup
1 peeled and quartered onion
8 - 12 cloves of garlic (DO IT!!!)
salt and pepper
2 tomatoes, cut into eighths
1/4 cup of red, yellow or green curry paste
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup crunchy natural peanut butter
1 Tablespoon soy sauce (I used tamari- low sodium soy)

Heat oven to 450 and heat 3 tablespoons oil in BIG oven proof pan.  Add prepped vegetables, stir and put in hot oven.  Roast, covered, for 30 minutes.  Add tomatoes, salt and pepper it and cover.  Roast another 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile,  heat 1 tablespoon oil and whisk in curry paste. whisk in coconut milk, peanut butter and soy.  simmer and then keep warm until veg is done.  Stir into vegetables and then adjust seasonings if necessary.  Add more  soy,curry or salt/pepper if necessary.  Serve over rice or bulger or couscous or whatever you like!  Or eat it by itself.  It is SO good.

Black Bean/Sweet potato burgers
Adapted from recipe at Prevention.com

The sweet potato and the bread crumbs hold this together.  To make it vegan, use bread crumbs that have no milk in it.  This recipe called for things like garlic powder which I never have.  I have garlic, why would I use artificial garlic stuff.  I am sure there is a reason, but whatev.  I do have seasoned salts, I am sure there is garlic powder in it- so that will do!

Toss all of that stuff in the food processor, including a cooked sweet potato. (No I do not measure this stuff, usually)

The tasty stuff!  lime in this is divine!!  And you can't see the cider vinegar very well, but it is there

Pulse the stuff until it is chunky yet blended.

I put panko bread crumbs on them before baking- crunchy and yummy.  Totally optional!

Black Bean Sweet Potato Burger

Heat oven to 375, line a baking sheet with parchment or spray with cooking spray

1 1/2 cups black beans, drained

6 tablespoons fine bread crumbs
3/4 cup sweet potato, baked (use one potato for heavens sakes)
3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped (didn't have any)
1/3 cup white onion, diced
1 clove garlic, pressed thru a garlic press
3/4 teaspoon salt (yeah, I don't measure that either)
1 teaspoon black pepper (or this)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 jalapeno (optional), diced and deseeded (use rubber gloves for this or you will regret it if you touch your eyes.)

 **I used cayenne instead  1/4 tsp  

optional Panko bread crumbs

Throw the whole mess into the food processor and pulse until mixed yet chunky.  Form into 5 patties.  I planned to make 6 yet, it made 5.  Ok, fine.

Press into bread crumbs if desired for extra crunchiness.  Bake 20 - 30 minutes.

 280 calories, 8 g protein, 33 g carb, 10 g fiber

AND as long as I was at it, I threw some chicken in the oven for the old MA and made some rice, too.  Now aren't I an over achiever??  Lol

Now today I have a BUNCH of cherry tomatoes that I should do something with--- and a really good fresh tomato and olive sauce for pasta.......  HMMMMMMMM

It has been a mind-relaxing weekend so far.  I am really feeling good!  I am going to try to get in a walk soon!  Hope it decides to stop raining, tho!

THAT would be a joy!  

REALLY quick pic post

The leaves yesterday were almost optimal, they could turn a little more and be perfect for me.  To be completely turned in color is not as interesting in my opinion, as when there is some green as well for contrast.  Next week could be too far into the fall- hard to tell.  Depends on the wind and the rain and all.

Flambeau River

Anyway, I just can't ever leave my last blog post as angst ridden as yesterday.  Yesterday was a day of inner turmoil and I have one really awesome friend or two from a place not to far away from me that helped tremendously.  Anyway, I took quite a few pix last night, but because in spite of turmoil, yesterday was a super busy day and I did not get a chance to download until this morning.  And so I quickly chose a few pix to do a fast edit and post.  I LOVE fall.

So enjoy these pictures and revel in this beautiful weather....  no matter what it is!

River Road

Our house dressed in Autumn

 Find some joy in this amazing time of the year!!