Let’s Give Them Something To Talk About
Lisa of Vegan Culinary Crusade has also been taking part in testing a number of recipes for the upcoming e-book. Check out what she thinks and her beautiful photos sure are something to talk about!
Click to Read More....
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Click to Read More....
Completely off the topic of the e-book; the Hubz and I will be in NYC for the day on February 12th and would like to plan a blogger/tweep meet-up we were thinking for happy hour (location TBD) come enjoy a beverage and appetizers-interested? email me! lindsay@cookingforaveganlover.com
Let the Countdown Begin!
For the last few months I have been blogging and tweeting about my newest e-book which will feature recipes for the whole family. The testing has been going really well and much faster than anticipated so I am hoping to have the e-book ready for release by February 7, 2011(update- the hubz says he hopes to have it all worked out by then but no guarantees it may be more like the 1oth or 14th). Until then check out what the testers have been saying:
Ricki Heller of Diets, Desserts and Dogs (click for source)
Check out more from Ricki on her blog Diet, Dessert and Dogs.
Beans, Greens & Grains
Whole grains are an excellent source of nutrition, as they contain iron, dietary fiber and vitamin E and B Vitamins. They are also absorbed slowly providing sustained and high-quality energy. To aid in digestion it is best to soak grains prior to cooking*; soaking helps to eliminate phytic acid which is what causes gas.
Beans can be a great source of fiber, protein and folic acid. For more information on beans and how to make them more digestible you can refer to this post – Beans, Beans, The Magical Fruit…
Greens are a great source of calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous, zinc and vitamins A, C, E and K; as well as fiber and folic acid. Some of the benefits of eating dark leafy greens are:
-Blood purification
-Cancer prevention
-Improved circulation
-Strengthened immune system
The best choices for greens are bok choy, napa cabbage, kale, collards, watercress, mustard greens, broccoli rabe and dandelion. Other good options are green cabbage, arugula, endive, chicory, lettuce, mesclun and wild greens. Spinach, Swiss chard and beet greens are good as well but should be eaten in moderation because they are high in oxalic acid, which depletes calcium from the bones and teeth; best eaten with tofu, seeds, nuts, beams, or oil to balance the effects of the oxalic acid.
*Whole Wheat Couscous is technically not a grain but rather a pasta product made from wheat and doesn’t require soaking.
Tonight I decided to try some new heirloom beans that I picked up at the health food store; I boiled them until tender and the sauteed them with garlic, shallot, olive oil and cremini mushrooms tossed with a little nutritional yeast and Braggs. I placed the beans on top of a bed of lettuce and a scoop of whole wheat couscous and topped with a little avocado.
Dining Locally: New Moon
At least once a week you can find me at New Moon Cafe blogging, working on school or enjoying a cup of coffee with the Hubz or friends. There are many coffee shops in Downtown Burlington but New Moon is by far the best for getting something healthy to eat, finding a table to work on and has the best free Wi-Fi.
New Moon Cafe
The menu at New Moon includes sandwiches, salads, breakfast items, soups, quiche and baked goods. I really love their roasted veggie paninis but lately my favorite has been the create your own salad. My favorite combination is greens, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, carrots, chickpeas, cucumber and lemon dressing. There are three sizes of salad; the small is massive and they don’t skimp on the artichokes which are my favorite.
Yummy Salad Beast
When it comes to beverages they have the best cold pressed iced coffee, wonderfully sweet and spicy chai lattes and their drip coffee is really delicious as well.
Delicious Coffee
My only complaint about New Moon is that it isn’t open on Saturdays.
Indulgence Hangover
After our night of indulgence I felt like I was a bit hungover from the sugary and fried foods. To cure this I went right to a big glass of water things morning and have been making an effort to eat better today. For breakfast I started out with some Sun Seed Manna Bread with The Nutty Vermonter Maple and Chipotle Triple Nut Butter that I got in my Christmas stocking. I didn’t love the bread because it was really chewy but I think the issue was that I cut my slices too thick. Generally when I purchase sprouted grain bread it comes pre-sliced and is usually really thin; fail on my part. So I didn’t end up finishing much of my bread with nut butter and stole two left mock prawns from my husbands leftovers breakfast.
For lunch I ran out to the market to see what looked good and came home with a cremini mushrooms, red bell pepper, red onion, radish sprouts and cauliflower. I cut the cauliflower up into small pieces, diced up the red bell pepper, red onion and mushrooms and sauteed with a bit of olive oil until soft; then tossed in chickpeas for protein. I seasoned with a bit of salt, pepper, granulated garlic and red chili flakes. I plated the cauliflower pilaf and topped with a fist full of the sprouts and drizzled with a bit of Drew’s Roasted Garlic & Peppercorn Dressing that I had picked up at the market last week. On the side we had THINLY sliced Manna Bread with nutritional yeast and garlic gold.
For dessert we split a treat sent from JJ’s Sweets– a Java Chocolate Covered Caramel- TO DIE FOR. They need to start selling these in Vermont…or maybe they shouldn’t because I would buy them all the time. They are lush and creamy and VEGAN!
Disclaimer: I was provided a sample of a selection of Manna Bread and JJ’s Sweets; I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway or add this to my OpenSky shop in return for a discount on this product.
A Night of Indulgence
Over the last nine months I have finally found a method of eating that works for me. It is all about the 90/10 Rule (sometimes 80/20); what this means is that 90% of the time I try to eat really well and then 10% of the time I will indulge GUILT FREE. I think for too many years I have been overly concerned with that I am eating and making myself feel bad for indulging even just a little. Now that I have stopped being so hard on myself I find that it is so much easier to follow a 90/10 or 85/15 or some weeks 80/20 diet. I know that I have control over what I eat and that if I can do really well 90% of the time than for me that is great. I don’t need to be eating really well 100% of the time to feel healthy and happy.
Last night I let myself have that 10% GUILT FREE. After work Neil and I had 2.5 hours before our dinner plans so we decided to take advantage of the time and headed first to The Farmhouse for a beer, snack and round or three of darts. This is where our night of indulgence starts; we both enjoyed a nice beer but since I hadn’t had lunch we decided to get an order of their fries (they are to die for).
After beer, fries and darts we took a little walk around downtown Burlington before meeting Laura for dinner at A Single Pebble this really delicious family style Chinese Restaurant. We had a gift certificate and were excited to use it since that meant we could order all the yummy dishes we wanted without worrying about spending too much (this place is a little pricy). So for dinner we had (please note all dishes were requested vegan- there are some dishes that appear to be vegan on their menu however are not so ask your server before ordering):
Double Garlic Broccoli
Mock Eel- Fun Fact: This was Alton Brown's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate with Chopsticks" (Foodnetwork)
Tan Tan Noodles
Mock Prawns
Dry Fried Greens Beans (my favorite dish)
We ordered way too much food and ended up leaving with a bunch for leftovers. We really enjoyed everything but the favorite dishes of the night were the Dry Fried Green Beans, Double Garlic Broccoli and Tan Tan Noodles. The one thing that we really were not impressed with however was the service. We had arguably the worst table in the house and then our service was awful; our sever only came over to our table 4 times in the 1.5 hours that we were there. We also ended up sitting for nearly 30 minutes being completely done eating before anyone stopped by the talk to us, fill our water glasses or ask if we needed anything else. Normally we have a really good dining experience and come here frequently for special nights out but tonight was just an off night.
Do you indulge guilt free once in awhile? What are your favorite indulgences?
