Sporatic Food Recap

Before the epic flood, the fiance and I were practicing 'clean out the pantry/freezer' month. We did a fantastic job of using up some of the pantry items that had followed us from our individual homes when we moved in together a year ago. As a result, we had a lot of shopping to do when this month rolled around!

I didn't take a before/after picture, but now we're stocked with a good variety of everything. We went to the grocery store and to the farmer's market. Then we went to the local co-op - Wheatsfield - and bought things like real maple syrup, nutritional yeast, and nut butters in bulk. We also stocked up on good chocolate, tofu, and tempeh, which are all better priced there. 

With new food came a better variety of meals. I hope to break out of my smoothie rut with the return of cooler weather, so here is a preview of some of the meals I can come up with when I'm not being overheated.

  Homemade fat-free gingerbread (recipe coming soon, I need to completely perfect it!) with almond butter and figs, with iced coffee.

So nice, I had it twice...this variation with cashew butter and a nectarine.

If you don't like peanut butter - it's not my favorite - I'd recommend trying some cashew, almond, or other nut butters. They have become en vogue in the last few years, and there are some amazing varieties to be sampled. My favorite is cashew with honey. The fiance likes the raw unsalted almond butter.

 Along with the indulgences at the co-op, I bought this premade pasta salad. It has carrots, tempeh, onions, leeks, and some kind of ginger-sesame dressing. It was good. I think I'll try to make it myself!

Homemade BBQ tofu with mustard and onions on a hoagie. Baked Kettle brand chips. Watermelon. Perfect summer meal! 

This meal is pretty uncharacteristic of me! We bought a 5 lb bag of catfish nuggets at a steal. I want to maximize the variety of ways I can eat catfish, so I agreed to lightly breaded and fried catfish as a dinner. Served with a salad, corn, and some baked sweet/white potato fries. Some people may think I don't eat corn or potatoes, but I just treat them like any other starch. In moderation. They don't count as veggies, so I don't use them as veggies!

 

Another meal that we made were Emily's black bean burgers. These were as good as everyone says they are. My only substitution was using a real egg, as we have 2.5 dozen in our fridge and we're not vegan. My only complaint - they don't freeze very well. They taste amazing though! 

That burger was served with gazpacho - aka 'salad soup' - that I make. This recipe is ONLY good during the height of pepper and tomato season. It's amazing...the fiance slurps it down faster than I can make it. So, who I am I to withhold the liquid gold that is 'Healthy gazpacho soup!'

Healthy Gazpacho Soup

4 ripe tomatoes, any variety

4 sweet peppers - I used 3 hungarian sweet and 1 green pepper

1 small white onion

1 small jalapeno

1 cucumber, seeded and peeled

2 cups of zucchini or squash chunks, seeded and peeled

2 tbsp red wine or apple cider vinegar

1/2 c fresh parsley

1 c breadcrumbs - I use italian

1 tbsp good quality olive oil

1 tbsp soy sauce

Blend. I'm not kidding. Add just enough water to get your blender to work and let them mix together. Refrigerate at least 1 hr. Then add salt to your liking. The crushed chips are one topping. We also do chopped tomato, black beans, and roasted corn for a more southwest theme.

Last weekend, the fiance and I had time to sit down for a couple of meals together, so we made some picnic like spreads and just shared off of the serving platters. Here's a breakfast:

Veggie scramble x2, whole wheat english muffins with raspberry jam, communal fruit platter - watermelon and banana - and coffee and juice.

And a lunch - We had a huge picnic spread of veggies, cheeses and crackers (unpictured, sorry!), watermelon, and vegan queso with raw crackers.

 Then the flood and water crisis hit and it was a lot of leftovers and nervousness. Here are some sauteed greens with some jambalayah style rice and beans. They were ok, but they weren't amazing so I'm not giving out the recipe.

Tofu and veggie stir fry with white rice.

 Veggie and egg scramble. Heavy on the veggies.

Tomato, spinach, cheese sandwich with goldfish and carrots.








I'm visiting family and friends this week, so I'll be back with some recaps of the fun events and fun food that comes with them!

Did you get a summer vacation this year? What did you do?