So what do you eat?

The way we eat has become a foundation of who we are. A person could be any of the following and I’m sure there are other new definitions being created as I speak.

Vegetarian – someone who lives on diet of plant based foods, eggs and dairy.

Vegan – someone who consumes only plant foods such as vegetables, grains, legumes (beans and peas), fruits, nuts and seeds. Avoiding all animal foods including meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy, and honey.

Flexitarian –  someone who eats vegetarian or vegan most of the time but eats meat and animal products every now and then. Also, could be called a semi-vegetarian.

Locavore – someone who eats food made near where they live, usually within 100 miles.

 

In the winter of 2010, after the birth of my daughter, I started getting interested in watching documentaries. My first one was Food Inc., after viewing the film, I had a desire to start making better choice about the food my family ate.

So for defining purposes, my family is a Flexitarian with a lot of Locavore and Homegrown thrown in. And to keep things interesting, my step-daughter is also a Chickenarian, one of those new words/terms I mentioned above. We have a 2 chicken flock in our backyard, they give us eggs and after they are done producing eggs. They will become well….dinner. So after time to think about this Avery at the ripe of age of 9 decided to stop eating chicken all together. Avery will be turning 11 in February and is still chickenless.

In the summer of 2011, I moved and expanded our failing first garden. In the garden, I grew tomatoes, melons, carrots and peppers. The garden did wonderful and in 2012 we made and installed all raised beds and expanded the garden just a little. We grew tomatoes (several varieties), peas, cucumbers, green beans, greens, lettuce, peppers, carrots, pumpkins, herbs, blueberries and raspberries. The garden did fantastic, leaving me with the planning of this year’s garden.

I shop every Saturday at the Farmers’ Market, where I try to get and plan the majority of my meals around. I also stock up on produce during the peak seasons to preserve for the winter. I preserve through hot bath canning method, blanching,  freezing and drying.

I buy Kentucky flour from a local store, so that I can make bread, pizza dough, pie crust, cookies, desserts and homemade pancake/waffle mixes.

Veggie Skillet (includes: onion, potato, kale and eggs)

Our meals consist of a heavy vegetarian diet, I personally feel that it balances out of all the good things to eat. I try to purchase mainly local meat, and from the grocery store organic meats. Another reason we eat a lot of vegetarian meals is because of the cost to purchase organic meat.

The majority of our meals are made from scratch after work. I try to plan leftovers for lunches over the next couples days and for a dinner, if there is enough. It is challenging to make this effort everyday with the world around me throwing convenient food at me. But this is something that is key to making healthy food for my family. And we may not eat until 6:30-7:00 o'clock some nights, but its worth the wait.

Homemade Pizza (includes: homemade dough, tomato sauce, red pepper, dried tomato, spinach, sausage and cheese)

 

Now I’ve watched many more documentaries that help keep me focused on the little things I can do that will make a big difference in my family’s diet. Both of my kids are not picky eaters. Both drink water and some milk with very little or no soda or juice. My step daughter’s diet varies from our, because she is at her mom’s house half of the time.

Vegetarian Quesadilla (includes: cheese, black beans, corn, red pepper, onion and tomato)

Now we do have things in our house that are not “healthy”, these are mainly for the kids and my husband. In our pantry you’ll find potato chips, Dortios (at times), little Debbie snacks and some sugary cereal. We are a work in progress.

I try to always keep in my mind a quote from one of Michael Pollen’s books, “You can eat all the junk food you want as long as you made is from scratch.”

"Healthy in a Hurry" Cooking Demo

So I'm slowing trying to get back into my blog, it has been neglected...but the tide is slowly turning.

Last night I ventured out in to the cold to my local Whole Foods, attending a $5 cooking demo. Plus it gave me a reason to wonder the aisles looking at all the yummyness!

The class was instructed by two lovely ladies Amanda and Heather. Now I've taking this classes before, its actually where I learned about canning and sparked my desire to preserve my own food. Tonight, following their healthly living, all the recipes are vegan.

First, was the Sweet Potato Chipotle Black Bean Taquitos. These were very simple to make and assemble, plus I love the idea that they can be frozen.
It was served with salsa, very yummy. Second, was the Orange rice and black bean salad. This tasted a little bland to me and I'm not crazy about celery. However, I think that I would add some orange juice to the dressing and some salt. The walnuts suggested in the recipe would also be fantastic.

Then came the Pasta con Broccoli, which is an adapted recipe from "Appetite for Reduction: 125 Fast and Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes". This was a very tasty, garlicky dish, plus it is perfect to add different or more vegetables to the dish.

Lastly was dessert, Mango-Lime Sorbet....oh ya. This was really good and super fast to make. You could also make and put into popsicle containers.

Overall it was a great class and left me excited to attend the now once a month class, next time I won't eat dinner before hand.

Now I'm sure that everyone is craving the food from by beautiful phone photos... well here they are. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

Sweet Potato Chipotle Black Bean Taquitos

Makes 12

1 baked sweet potato, skin removed

½ tsp. chipotle chili powder (or to taste)

Pinch of each: cinnamon and cumin

1 c. cooked black beans

1 pkg of corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium-mixing bowl, using a potato masher, mash sweet potato with chili powder, cinnamon, and cumin. Add black beans to bowl and fold into the sweet potato mixture with rubber spatula. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Heat a small non-stick skillet on the stovetop on medium high heat. Warm corn tortillas flipping often until they are warm and flexible, but not crispy. Use tortilla immediately. Spoon about 3 to 4 tablespoons of the filling into the middle of the tortilla and roll up. Place seam side down on baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas.

Bake taquitos in the oven for 10-15 minutes until crispy. Let cool for a few minutes before serving with salsa.

Note: These will freeze well to save for a quick snack later. After baking place taquitos on a cookie sheet in the freezer and freeze over night. Place in ziplock bags and store for later. Reheat in microwave for 30-45 seconds.

Orange Rice and Black Bean Salad

½ c. canned black beans

¾ c. cooked brown rice

½ c. finely chopped celery (about 1 stalk)

½ c. peeled and sliced orange

¼ c. chopped scallion

1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

Salt (optional) and pepper

1 Tbsp chopped walnuts (optional)

Dressing:

¼ c. plus ½ tsp orange juice

1 Tbsp cider or balsamic vinegar

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

In medium bowl, combine the beans, rice, celery, orange, scallion, and cilantro.

In a small bowl, combine orange juice, vinegar and cinnamon.

Pour dressing over the rice salad and stir thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with walnuts

1 serving.

Pasta con Broccoli

Serves 4

½ lb. whole-wheat linguine

Few tbsp of veggie broth or water for sautéing

¼ c. thinly sliced garlic

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp dried thyme

1 c. vegetable broth

½ c. dry white wine

4 c. broccoli, tops cut into florets, stalks sliced thinly

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and prep all your ingredients while the water boils, because the dish comes together in no time. Once the boiling, add pasta and cook according to package directions, usually for about 10 minutes.

Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Saute the garlic, red pepper flakes, and thyme with veggie broth or water (add more as needed) for about a minute, be careful not to burn them. Stir in veggie broth and wine. Add the broccoli, turn up the heat and simmer and cover the pan. Cook for 8 to 13 minutes, depending on how soft or firm you like your broccoli, stirring occasionally.

When pasta is done cooking, drain and add it to the pan using a pasta spoon to toss it around for about 3 minutes, making sure to get everything coated. Mix in balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.

Note: this is also fantastic with a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts on top.

Recipe Adapted from : Appetite for Reduction: 125 Fast And Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes; by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Mango-Lime Sorbet

4 c. frozen mango chunks

½ c. honey (optional)

¼ c. fresh lime juice

Fresh raspberries to garnish

 Thaw mango chunks for 15 minutes, Place in blender or food processor and puree with honey and lime juice. Transfer to shallow glass or metal bowl, and place in freezer. Freeze 30 minutes, stir puree 15 minutes until ready to use.