Posts by admin:
- 4 tomatoes
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 carrot
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 avocado
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 1 cup coconut water
- sea salt
- agave
- sprinkled hemp seeds
Chicago Diner {Comfort Food for the Vegan}
August 20th, 2010Hello from Milwaukee! Today has been a long day and full of adventures at that! We started our trip at 10am and it is ending as soon as I post this entry which is close to midnight.
We started our trek from Michigan and we headed to Chicago. On the way we tried to find a Starbucks or Bigby but can you believe that in 3.5 hours there were not any coffee shops?? Very sad but we survived. We arrived in Chicago around lunch time and we had decided beforehand that we were going to stop at Chicago Diner. I had read about this meat-free restaurant in VegNews since the restaurant boasted being meat-free since 1983.
Since we thought we were eating sushi around 5-6pm we decided to go a little light on lunch so Ryan ordered the vegan potstickers which had tofu, cabbage and carrots with a nice dipping sauce along with a green salad with a house Italian dressing.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Ryan liked his dish and thought it was different than any other potsticker he had ever tasted. Then my dish came out. I was tempted by the featured dish which was called the Radical Reuben Sandwich which was sliced seitan, onions, red peppers, sauerkraut, vegan Thousand Island Dressing, Daiya mozzarella on marbled rye. Sounds good eh? Hmmm, so good. Now I knowI said I was limiting and working on eliminating gluten from my diet but this was too good to pass up.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
I added a side raw kale salad instead of fries so I was was happy with that. I actually was disappointed with the salad. It had NO dressing at all and was just kale with a few golden raisins. Very strange. I then kicked myslef because kale is one of the dirtiest leafy greens and who knows if places wash it well. It looked clean to me. The sandwich was SO TASTY and VERY delicious. I really felt like I was eating corned beef but all vegan.
After we left, we made sure to ask for vegan brownies to go. Who could pass on those? As we left the diner, I started feeling queasy and I told Ryan, thinking perhaps the hot weather might be producing such symptoms, but the feeling was getting worse as I got in the car. Well, we had an hour’s drive yet to Milwaukee and I knew this was more than just a feeling. I had to hurl folks. I told Ryan to pull up in a residential area so I could do the hurling business. It was horrible. I have not felt like this in almost a year and was sad that this had happened at a well-known restaurant.
I figure since I shared half my sandwich with Ryan WITHOUT him having any Thousand Island dressing, that the dressing perhaps had not been refrigerated. Could that be? It happened so darn quickly and I had no symptoms like this before arriving to the diner. I was famished in fact.
Question of the day: Should I call or email a manager and tell them what happened or should I blow it off and treat it as a weird fluke? Another thought came from Gone Pie indicating that maybe this was a result of Gluten overload. What do you think?
I paid good money for great eats and it feels like a waste. Please leave your opinions. All in all, the service was great, the place looked clean, and the food and brownies tasted delicious (those did not upset my tummy.) I just want to know what happened, you know? Food poisoning us not fun!
Tomorrow we hit a Cubs game. Have a good one!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
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Wordless Wednesday
August 18th, 2010
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My 1st Vitamix Veggie Soup and Tropical Traditions Coconut Concentrate Giveaway
August 16th, 2010
This weekend, like usual, flew by like all other ones. After having a superb voice lesson on Saturday with the voice teacher I knew the weekend was going to go by very quickly. Ryan and I also had the chance to babysit our friends’ baby. She is the most adorable baby girl and we had a good time. We played with her, while Ryan entertained her by sticking out his tongue and I entertained her by giving her a tour of the house. She was a little fussy but all under control.
On Friday I had a chance to to taste a vegan and gluten-free pizza from a local pizza joint. It was very interesting.Even though I did not take pictures I have to say that this place layed on the Daiya cheese like crazy. It was a very pricey pizza even with a 3 dollar discount. This was supposed to give me a break from cooking but I felt guilty. Next time I will make my own. Lately it has felt so much better to eat fresh that to order out or making a complicated meal. DO you someitmes feel like this?
On Sunday, I had a chance to go to the Great Lakes Folk Festival where they had lots of music from different countries and vendors from all around the Great Lakes area. This year the Festival added a Green aspect. There was a Green Kitchen where at every 1 hour there was a demonstration on different techniques from fermentation and raw / vegan foods, to making your own tonics and creams using medicinal herbs. I focused on these since Ryan was the one who alerted me about them. I learned a whole bunch and even got to meet a nice vegan / raw chef, Miko Fossum who prepared a raw Cream of Tomato soup for the audience using her Vitamix.
I found out that Miko Fossum had her own raw / vegan teahouse where she served lunch and teas. She had it opened for 5 years and last year closed the business. So sad! I missed it by a year! Either way, I was able to speak to her and hear her transformation when she transitioned to raw foods. Her ailments had disappeared after only eating and drinking green smoothies, raw soups, raw dips and crackers, etc. I was so excited to hear someone in my city speak about something I am so excited about.
It is helpful for a first time raw fooodist and for vegans trying to incorporate more raw foods in the daily diet to take in natural veggies and fruits. If you are interested, TODAY is the LAST day to purchase the Vitamix for 25% off the original price. It is SUCH a good deal. I used mine this morning and afternoon and love it! GO to my shop and buy it today!
I made my 1st raw veggie soup today using my new Vitamix. I like it so much! I added the following:
It was so creamy and delicious and full of life. I want to make something new everyday!
Today I am featuring a fun giveaway from Tropical Traditions. Last week I featured a recipe I created using the coconut concentrate called Chocolate-Almond Coconut Bites. You can use this concentrate to add to your smoothies, soups, or even to make ic cream. Take a look at all the bits you can do with the coconut concentrate on Tropical Traditions’ website.
In order to win this 32 ounce bottle, please do the following:
Mandatory:
1. What is your favorite coconut recipe? (leave a comment)
Extra entries:
2. Subscribe to Opera Singer in the Kitchen’s blog by entering your email address on the right hand corner. (leave a comment)
3. “Like” OSK on Facebook by joining her PAGE. (Leave a comment)
4. Follow OSK on Twitter @singerinkitchen (leave a comment)
5. Vote for OSK on Picket Fence Blog by clicking on the button on the bottom left side of the page. (Leave a comment)
6. Tweet the follwing message: “Win a bottle of @TropTraditions Coconut Concentrate to make great smoothies and desserts! #giveaway http://bit.ly/d6xauA ” (Leave a comment)
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Tempeh Bolognese {My new favorite Italian-inspired dish}
August 13th, 2010 |
| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Today I gave my body a rest after working out twice every day this week, which is 8 times! I felt it today and decided to listen to my body and pick up tomorrow with a game of racquetball. Did I share with you what has happened this week with our racquetball games? On Wednesday we played a mean game where I ended up splitting the racquetball. Here is what it looks like:
I took a poll on Facebook asking what I should name the ball. I think I decided to go with S.P. Lit. ROFL. Cute right? Well, this week has also been one for minor injuries. Have you had a week when you feel like you are getting hurt in so many different ways? I stubbed my little toe on a cinder block and it HURT like crazy. I shed some tears. It made my foot hurt for 2 days, but I also continued exercising too. Ryan. accidently hit me in the face with the rball yesterday and THAT hurt too! I got a phone call right after that so I was able to cool off but Ryan asked me what would make me feel better and I told him that watching (500) Days of Summer with me would be great! It takes a lot for him to watch chick flicks. ha ha.
Anyway, I recovered and went on with my dinner plans despite a conversation about having pizza instead. Since I had been planning on this new recipe I said that we could have pizza on the weekend. That was settled. This next dish came from Amber from Almost Vegan. I had mentioned that I had not been good about making dishes using tempeh, despite my drastic attempts to add more protein to my daily calorie intake. Amber came to the rescue and suggested I try a recipe she made a while back that she found on Vegetarian Times. I decided to try her slight adaptation that added carrots.
Spaghetti Bolognese traditionally does not take a lot of tomato sauce but is a meat-based sauce that originated in Bologna, Italy. The actual traditional recipe contains pancetta, milk, onions, carrots, celery, wine and beef, but outside of Italy it is mainly known as a meat-based sauce served over noodles. Of course none of this is vegan, so I definitely liked the tempeh as a substitution for the meat crumbles.
Instead of using regular spaghetti I purchased some gluten-free spaghetti that I had heard many describe as being a great substitute.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
It promised not to get mushy after cooking so I was excited. I remember trying a quinoa-based noodle and it was awful, but that was many moons ago and I am ready to try new things gluten-free.
I had a package of tempeh that had been staring at me from my refrigerator. It was a 3 grain tempeh which had barley, millet, and soybean. Well, I was sickened because barley is not gluten-free, but guys, it was in my fridge, so I gave myself grace since this was purchased over a month ago. (tempeh lasts for a long time)
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
The end result was VERY delicious. The tempeh is crumbled in a tomato sauce with fresh basil and parsley and simmered to bring flavors together. The pasta was GREAT and the added homemade vegan parmesan was the BEST.
My non-vegan hubby ate the dish in a flash but I later found out that tempeh is NOT his favorite so he would not like me to make this for him again. He has specific dislikes that are funny to me. He does not like carrots in his spaghetti sauce and he was not won over the tempeh. I was not crushed, just happy he ate it and did not make a big deal about it. At least I have leftovers for myself! Enjoy this as much as I did!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Tempeh Bolognese
slightly adapted
8-oz. pkg tempeh
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablepoon soy sauce (or tamari)
1 cup water
28-oz. can crushed tomatoes (I use 6-in-1 sauce)
2 Tablespoons fresh basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon crushed black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Herbamare (seasoned salt)
Using your hands, crumble tempeh into fine pieces. Set aside.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring often, 15 seconds.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Stir in tempeh, 1 cup water and tamari. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Remove cover and simmer until liquid is reduced and tempeh begins to sizzles.
Add remaining ingredients to tempeh mixture and mix well. Cover and simmer sauce 10 minutes. Serve with a big salad!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
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Grilled Vegetable Lasagna with Parsley Hummus (Gluten-free)
August 12th, 2010
Goodness the humidity has been “killing” us over here! I woke up at 3am, soaking wet. We usually cool the room down for 2 hours before we go to bed using our window unit but that did not work last night! It was SO humid! We try to take breaks from our home by going to a coffee shop, which is what we did last night, but after going to 2 different places last night, we were disappointed neither had the free WIFI they advertised, due to issues. Back home we went. This is just ONE example of what we go through. Last summer we did not even have a A/C window unit, so I am SO thankful for ours this year. Thanks John and Kristi!
Onto yummy eats for this week. I accidently made couscous the other evening and have been stuck with it for 2 days. I mentioned I was going to eliminate my gluten eating habits but my ignorance got in the way. I made couscous and ate it for dinner one night and something said it was not gluten-free. I looked it up and kicked myself. I am printing a list of no-no’s for me! I have one more Field Roast sausage to consume and I will be free from my seitan ways. That sounds funny.
Here is the dish I made. A balsamic-glazed portabella mushroom with couscous mixed with Field Roast and black beans and a side of kale salad. So delicious. Now a distant memory.
A few days back I said I would share one of my NEW best buys from William’s Sonoma. My garlic peeler. My voice teacher’s partner had it in his kitchen and I had a chance to use it since I was making a garlic bread. It was FANTASTIC.
I used this this week in my own kitchen to peel garlic for gazpacho. I made the Spanish Gazpacho Soup that I featured a few months ago but eliminated the panko breadcrumbs and added a seeded serrano pepper from my garden. So good!
I accompanied this cold soup with a new dish I created which is SUPER quick and easy. Since I am eliminating pasta (because it is not gluten-free) I decided to make one out of layered grilled veggies. Instead of using tofu ricotta or cheese, I decided to make a thicker hummus to add to each layer. The results? SO good! I have had leftovers for the past 2 days and I have to say that the flavors have time to come together in the fridge. It can be eaten at room temperature or cold, like I ate it for lunch.
You can vary the vegetables and make your own version. Be creative with veggies you do not like and grill them. I decided not to go all raw with this dish, but I could thinly slice my veggies and still use the hummus. That will be for next time.
Grilled Vegetable Lasagna with Parsley Hummus
serves 4
Lasagna Layers
1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise
1 eggplant, slice lengthwise
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced in strips
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 Tablespoon coarse sea salt
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
I placed sliced the eggplant and tossed with sea salt. I let that sit for 30 minutes to reduce bitterness. After the 30 minutes I dabbed the excess water removed from the salt. Toss zucchini, eggplant and red bell pepper in a bowl and add olive oil and white pepper. Grill on stovetop grill pan until slightly softened.
Parlsey Hummus
1-12oz can chickpeas, drained (setting aside 1 TBSP of liquid)
1 Tablespoon raw tahini paste
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon cumin
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup parlsey, packed
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Herbamare (or organic seasoned salt)
Place all items in a food processor and blend well.
Assembly
Using an 8×8 or 9×9 glass pan, layer the bottom of pan with eggplant slices (around 4 slices). Cover with 4 Tablespoons of hummus. Layer with red bell pepper slices then with zucchini slices. Add 4 more Tablespoons of hummus. Repeat process once. Slice in 4 squares and serve. Refrigerates well and lasts 2-3 days.
