Sentiments by Denise

More Gnocchi, Please

About a year ago, I posted about sweet potato gnocchi with a recipe for a cheesy sauce. It was very good and I've made it several times since.

However, now that I am totally plant-strong (no dairy, especially cheese!) I needed to find a new sauce recipe to go with the sweet potato gnocchi that I enjoy so much!
I read several blogs that are plant-strong based and I often try out some of the recipes I find, so after perusing a few blogs I found a sauce recipe on Angela's blog. 

Nutritional yeast is condiment-like powder (or flake) that is a great source of protein and vitamins - a favorite among those who follow a plant-based diet. The recipe that I found on Angela's blog is called Low-Fat Vegan Cheeze Sauce and it was quick & easy to prepare for lunch today with my gnocchi!

First, I gathered all the essential ingredients:

Next, I measured and mixed, heated and whisked...

And the result:



LUNCH!
(Oh, and I added some edamame to the gnocchi and sauce for added protein, plus it adds a pretty green color to the dish!).
The gnocchi was a pre-made brand that I purchased from Whole Foods Market. Drop into boiling water for 2-3 minutes, drain, and serve with sauce plus edamame or another green veggie. I also had a small salad with romaine, radishes, red pepper, and grape tomatoes.

Just a little side note: I started eating a vegetarian diet over 2 years ago and gradually gave up dairy over the past year, but was still holding onto cheese. It had an addicting force over me and I knew it was holding me back from achieving my health and weight-loss goals. So, at the start of 2012, I decided to stop eating cheese in any form, becoming totally plant-strong! (Since Jan 1st, I've already lost another 15+ pounds!).

It's working for me!

Stuffed Roasted Red Peppers

Food is never boring since I started eating a mostly plant based diet more than a year ago. I can honestly say that I've discovered some wonderfully interesting foods that have definitely enlightened my taste buds!

Recent recipe discovery: Ancient Grain Stuffed Red Bell Peppers.

 
Some foods that I eat these days I had never even heard of, or at least wasn't familiar with a year ago. I found this recipe in the sale flyer from Whole Foods (Jan/Feb 2011) and it sounded so impressive, yet very simple. It also gave me the opportunity to try something I've never eaten before: a sea plant.
Arame is a mild sea vegetable, very similar to kelp. Arame is high in calcium, iodine, iron, magnesium, and Vitamin A. It does take some getting use to, but if you're a fan of sushi or other seafood, you'll probably like it.

Stuffed Peppers

1/2 c. uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1/4 c. uncooked amaranth
1 c. frozen edamame, thawed
1 c. arame seaweed, soaked in cold water for 15 minutes, drain well
6 green onions, thinly sliced
3 carrots, grated
1/2 c. roughly chopped fresh cilantro, dill, or parsley
2 T. brown rice vinegar
4 red bell peppers, tops removed and reserved, cored and seeded

Preheat oven to 350deg. Put grains and 1-1/2 cups water into a medium pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium-low; cover and simmer until liquid is gone and grains are tender, about 15 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes fluff with a fork and transfer to a large bowl.
Toss edamame, arame, onions, carrots, cilantro, and vinegar.
 
 Stuff peppers with mixture and arrange in a baking dish, pour 1/4 cup water into dish. Place tops on peppers, cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until tender, 20-30 minutes more.  Serves 4.

**I only used 2 bell peppers cut in half, so I had extra "stuffing" leftover. This might be good in a wrap or pita for a portable lunch. I also left out the cilantro because I didn't have any, but added black pepper and a couple dashes of curry powder for some extra flavor.

I shared this meal the first time with Emilee. Tonight I had a leftover pepper and topped it with some crumbled goat cheese - even better!

This meal was loaded with protein (about 20g per serving) and so colorful!
 
It's great to try new foods - new flavors!

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Pear Feta Sauce

Before I get to this awesome dish I wanted to share something disturbing I heard tonight at the gym - a conversation between two teenage girls in the dressing room.
When I went in to retrieve my bag from the locker after my walk I overheard two young ladies discussing "diets" and weight. One of them was lamenting that she was too fat and that her mom told her she wasn't. She said she's trying everything to lose weight, including only consuming 900 calories a day, like another friend had suggested to her. The other girl asked her what she ate to only get 900 calories a day and her reply is what shocked me. She said that she bought the "100 calorie" snack packs and counted out 9 packs a day and ate only those along with water! I wanted to say something to her, but didn't want to intrude on their conversation. Besides, would they really listen to an old gray-haired lady over their friends?
Overhearing this conversation and realizing the impact of an impending eating disorder can have on these girls' future bothered me greatly. How do we get the message out about healthy eating, balanced exercise, and nutritional knowledge? So sad... I wish I had more influence in this area.

 
I bought some sweet potato gnocchi at Whole Foods the last time I went and have been excited to try it. I've eaten regular gnocchi, which is similar to a dumpling most often made with potatoes. It can also be made with squash, cheese, polenta, or even sweet potatoes!

 
I found this brand in the area where the special cheeses are sold.

 
This package contains two servings and I shared it with Stephen, as he stopped by on his way home for a short visit.

For sweet potato gnocchi, I knew that this dish needed a special sauce - more fruity or sweet than savory. In browsing the internet and searching through blogs I found the following recipe a few months ago (but didn't record where it came from - I'm horrible about that :(

 
Sauce ingredients. Now, the soy milk and spelt flour can be substituted if those are not to your liking.

Pear Feta Sauce

1 T. Olive oil
1 medium Bartlett pear, cored & diced
1 c. plain soymilk
2 tsp spelt flour
2 T. butter
8 oz Feta cheese, crumbled

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add pear and cook stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes or until pear begins to carmelize.
 
This was one of my favorite parts - the aroma of the pear and olive oil as it cooked!
Remove from heat; set aside.
In same pan, heat milk and flour over medium heat, whisking together until well mixed. Add butter and stir until melted. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until liquid starts to bubble and reduce.
Add cheese and pear - cook, stirring occasionally until heated through.

 

Serve over gnocchi.

 
The sauce recipe made more than two servings (and it's also a little higher in calories than a basic marinara sauce would be).

This would also be good served over a butternut squash ravioli dish, too!

Let me know if you try this and what you think!

Restful Sunday

We slept in this morning (I got 10 hours of restful, glorious sleep!) and relaxed the morning away. We went to church last night again and I really enjoyed Pastor Chris' message conclusion on Philippians - which he has preached from the past four weeks. The 4th chapter of Philippians is my favorite chapter in the Bible, as it contains my life verse (Phil 4:8). God used the sermon last night to speak to me on several things I'm struggling with in my life right now and I know God is really coaching me on my faith-walk these days. Lots of opportunities coming my way to stretch my faith and trust fully on Him!

 
Breakfast this morning was an amazing green smoothie made with frozen banana, 2 handfuls of raw baby spinach, frozen mango, kefir, chia seeds, and almond milk. Served with an oatmeal breakfast cookie topped with almond butter. Good flavors loaded with protein, healthy fats, veggies & fruits, and even whole grains! See - this breakfast has it all!

Emilee came over this afternoon to have lunch with us and, as she usually does, made something delicious! Homemade vegetable soup - with a lot of the great veggies we picked up at Whole Foods Market yesterday during our grocery shopping outing!

 
She came bearing edible gifts, too! Homemade corn muffins - the recipe from her vegan cookbook that we gave her for Christmas. Em loves to bake and has been doing a lot of experimenting in the kitchen lately. So much so that she has resurrected her blog and has begun posting about all her great creations! Check her out here. (She's actually putting me to shame with all of her posts lately...I need to get busy and start blogging more!).

 
The homemade vegetable soup is loaded with some great vegetables like carrots, onions, cabbage, zucchini, celery, mushrooms, red pepper, broccoli slaw, and some fabulous aduki beans! This was tasty today - it will be even better tomorrow when I have it for leftovers! I enjoyed the corn muffin with a couple squirts of honey. The muffins were dense and flavorful, just the way I like them! Perfect with a bowl of soup!

 

It's All About the Vegetables!

People often ask me what I eat since I don't eat meat anymore. My reply?

"Vegetables! Lots of vegetables!

Tonight when I came home from work I knew I needed to use up some food in the fridge to make room for my CSA delivery tomorrow.

I chose some crimini mushrooms, mini sweet peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, red onion, and broccoli slaw. I cut up these vegetables and tossed them into a pan with a bit of grapeseed oil (great for sauteing or stir-frying, as it's suitable for high heat).
Then I added a few wheatberries that I had cooked the other day (these are a great source of fiber), some red kidney beans (more fiber and protein), and about a 1/4 cup of brown rice that was leftover from Ed's stirfry. I seasoned this with a bit of black pepper and my staple favorite - szechuan sauce!

 
Doesn't it look great!?  This is enough for two servings - I'll have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

I love mixtures like this - they are quick to make, very nutritious, and fill me right up! Vegetarian cuisine can be so easy and I find now that I don't center my meals around meat, I am much more creative in my cooking and how I put my meals together. I like them to be colorful (vegetables give me that). I like them to be healthy - choosing a variety of vegetables, legumes, and grains make it so. And I like them to taste great and all of these flavors combined (or combining other flavors - veggies with beans or veggies with grains) really satisfy my taste buds.

Tonight it's cold outside so I think a cup of hot tea might just hit the spot.

 
I'm rockin' the Green Tea - extra special since it tastes like candy canes and is decaf! Love that!

Thanksgiving - Turkey Optional

Our Thanksgiving took a different turn this year.

We decided, as a family, to participate in the Drumstick Dash this year. This is a fund raising event for feeding the homeless here in Indianapolis every year on Thanksgiving morning. The run/walk is 4.5 miles or 2.3 miles, with other fun events for children. Emilee and I decided that we would do the long course and Ed planned to stick with the shorter course. Stephen was asked to be a volunteer "celebrity" greeter and also did some other volunteer stuff while we were doing the walk.

 
It was dark when we arrived in the morning (before 7am). And very wet - the weather man called for rain all day.

 
Emilee is ready to Dash!

 
At first, Stephen's job was to greet the media and the other volunteers that arrived at the Applebee's restaurant to receive their instructions for the event. Stephen enjoyed rubbing shoulders with local tv/radio celebrities. Later he helped with the removal of the timing tags at the finish line.

 
Heading to the start line.

 
Umbrellas - necessary!

 
Waiting for the start - there were about 12,000 people participating in this event. An awesome turnout on such a dreary day - over $200k was raised at this event by Wheeler Mission to feed/shelter the needy.

When we reached the point where those finishing at 2.3 miles veered off from the rest of us, we were told that the long course (4.5 miles) was closed due to flooding, so Emilee and I finished with Ed. It rained fairly steadily the whole time we were out.

Afterwards, we grabbed a couple snacks (bananas/soup) at the food stations, rounded up Stephen, and headed home to start our own Thanksgiving feast.

I didn't take photos of our meal/meal prep as I was busy supervising the kitchen (both kids helped cook) and I had dish-duty the whole time!

We bought a fresh turkey and stuffed it with an apple/onion/celery and baked it for the time required, but even after that it still wasn't cooked through when we were ready to eat, so back into the oven it went. Emilee and I were opting out of the turkey eating anyway (she's following a vegan diet and I'm following a plant-based mostly), so Ed & Stephen didn't get to eat turkey for Thanksgiving dinner - they were completely full before the turkey was finally ready to eat.

Ed and Stephen are enjoying the leftovers, though.

We also had:
Appetizers - Delicata/Gruyere Dip, Stuffed Mushrooms, Raw Veggies w/hummus
Sausage dressing
Vegan dressing
Green Beans
Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes
Giblet Gravy
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Sweet Potato Pie

Desserts - Apple/pear pie, Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Spice Cake

We ate plenty.

And it was all GOOD!

Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful and time with family and friends meaningful to you also.

 

Highlights of October

This month is flying by and I haven't made much of an effort to post on this blog. The month started off with our trip to Madison for the weekend (see previous post on that adventure!).  Here are some more highlights:

Tea -
 
This is a new tea that I bought in Madison - love the flavor! The added bonus of caffeine-free makes it great to drink any time of day for me. I'm loving the hot teas more now that the days are cooler. I usually start my day off with a mug of hot tea with breakfast or I make a flavored tea latte (green chai, coconut chai, or mango oolong with 1/3-1/2 cup of almond milk added) in my travel mug to sip on my long drive to work in the mornings. I drink several more cups  (2-3) at work in the morning - mostly Sencha green tea - and often have a cup of vanilla spice at night before bedtime. Love my teas!

Worship -

We are loving our new church so much! Our choir sings only once a month, but we do all three services (Sat night, 2 Sun mornings) so it makes for a busy weekend when we do sing.  For the past six weeks our pastor has been doing a series on prayer and it has been powerful! I have learned so much! The weekend in October that the choir sang, we also did a special Sunday night service called a Night of Worship and Prayer. It was an emphasis on everything Pastor Philbeck had been bringing to us in the past few weeks, worshipful songs of praise to our Lord, and a time to bring our prayers/petitions to God. What an evening of blessing and praise to God! Here's a link of one the songs we sang: Revelation Song (this will link you to our Worship Pastor's blog - click on the link to see/hear the video. Can you spot me in the choir? ). I didn't get permission from Brian to post this video to my blog so I'll just link to his - the blessing you will receive is beyond compare!

 

IKEA -
 
Last weekend my dear friend, Bonnie, invited me to go with her to IKEA in Cincinnati. I had never been before - what a fun store! We spent several hours browsing through the model rooms, oohhing and aahhing over all the fun furnishings. I actually had a couple things on my list to get and I snagged those, plus a few more. I left the store only spending less than $45, but know that a trip in the future is bound to happen. Lots of great ideas and fun ways to organize areas in the home.

Soup -
 
Emilee and I have been itching to make some soups lately, so yesterday after our grocery shopping trip to Whole Foods and Trader Joes (we do this twice a month), we decided to dive right in to making some great vegetarian soups. Pictured above is the split pea soup (flavored with liquid smoke to replace the pork that is so popular in this soup- tasted wonderful!). We also made a butternut squash/white bean soup and a minetrone soup.
 
(Roasting the butternut squash and onions)

I also roasted some pumpkin that my mom had brought me from their garden a few weeks ago, pureed in my food processor and froze for future use in recipes (smoothies, breads, muffins, or as a mix-in for morning oatmeal).

Today our Sunday lunch with the kids consisted of a sampling of homemade soups with some Irish Soda bread that Emilee had made. It was all very good!

 
Loving these Autumn days and nights!

 

Simple Weekend

This weekend has been a time for relaxation and enjoyment after a stressful week at work. I made up my mind at the beginning of the weekend that my choices this weekend would encourage a simple time.

We started out after work Friday evening at the fitness center (Ed met me there on my way home). We walked the indoor track and had a chance to unwind, talk about our day, and also get some exercise. This might not seem enjoyable to some (the exercise part), but I'm learning how important it is for me to engage in some form of exercise every day - it really gets those endorphins flowing!

Saturday morning, the kids both came over and we did our bi-monthly shopping trek to Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. My niece and her two girls met us there - it was a fun adventure!

Here are some things I'm excited about cooking with this coming week:

 

Look at all the squash! There's spaghetti squash, yellow, acorn, zucchini, and a cute mini delicata squash, too! Plus a couple sweet potatoes and an abundance of carrots. I'm looking forward to eating this seasonal bounty and creating some great meals with these wonderful vegetables! We also picked up quite an assortment of apples. Stephen, Emilee, and I all picked out a different variety and then when we got home, sorted them so we each had an assortment of each variety. All of them are good eating apples, but I think I might need to add them to a salad or a bowl of hot oats, or even pairing them with some of the squash that will get roasted. Use your imagination when putting fruits and vegetables together in dishes - you might be surprised at how wonderful the flavors blend.

Saturday afternoon was a perfect time for a nap. With the windows open and a sweet breeze blowing through, I was able to catch a few winks and relax even more.

In the evening Ed and I went to church. I love the option of Saturday night church and am so glad our church offers this service. It was a great way to end the day - the worship music was outstanding and our Pastor continued his series on prayer with encouraging words that we should pray boldly, without hesitancy - the way Jesus taught His disciples (Luke, chapter 11). I really like this series Pastor Chris is doing - it's really strengthening my faithwalk as I ponder it throughout the week.

Today started out with a cool Autumn breeze and a bit of morning rain. The kids both came over after they had attended their church services. We had fajitas (chicken and veggie) and enjoyed a relaxing time around the table, talking and listening to them talk about their week. I love those times! Since they both live on their own now and have such full, active lives we don't see them as often as we'd like. Sunday dinner is a time each week that we can have some great family time.
Emilee and I went on a little outing this afternoon (book browsing at Barnes & Noble, sipping some tea) while Ed watched football (and napped) and Stephen caught up on some grading.

In my last post I showed you a photo of a wonderful wrap that I made with a "secret" ingredient.

Did you guess that I had added figs to this veggie wrap?

I loaded a Flatout multigrain wrap with spread of hummus, some feta cheese, sliced mini peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and leaf lettuce. Then added a sliced fig - it was the perfect blend of sweetness to this flavorful wrap. Figs are showing up in stores now in the produce section. Grab a few the next time you are shopping and be adventurous with this wonderful fruit. Figs are high in fiber, potassium, manganese, and calcium. A great snack using figs is to stuff them with a little goat cheese and chopped almonds. I also like to add them to a salad, in yogurt, or even a bowl of cereal or granola with some almond milk. They are sweet and the seeds add a great little crunch!

I hope you had a relaxing, simple weekend. 

I feel refreshed now to head into the work week tomorrow.  

Livin' for the Weekends

It seems these days I live for the weekends to come and bask in both the activities and relaxation they bring. My work week is so busy, stressful, and I endure such long days - getting up at 4am, being away from home for 11+ hours each day - that when the weekends roll around I'm ready to just enjoy them.

I like to do my morning exercise outdoors on the weekends, because I sleep later and by the time I'm ready, the sun has come up which makes it safer for walking or bike riding. I love to walk outdoors in the brisk air when the sun is just peaking through. What starts out, however, as a quiet peaceful walk quickly turns into a medley of neighborhood dogs barking (in their homes or yards) as I walk by and stir things up! I'm sure my neighbors appreciate that more than I know! Ha!

Last night we attended the first anniversary celebration of our favorite coffee house downtown - Calvin Fletcher Coffee Company and enjoyed seeing lots of friends, listening to some great music, and partaking in the awesome beverages that CFCC offers. I'm a tea drinker rather than a coffee drinker and I love that CFCC has such a great variety. I've been hearing some good things about their Chai tea latte (blended) that I think I'll have to try it the next time I go in. My husband loves their espresso (and buys a pound bag of beans quite often to enjoy at home) and both of our kids frequent CFCC a lot.

I'm excited that the calendar shows this next week is the beginning of the Autumn season. My favorite! I'm already thinking of all the different recipes that I can try with seasonal vegetables and fruits, especially from the squash family! Pumpkins! There is some pureed pumpkin in my freezer that I'm excited to have, as I'm not sure how plentiful that beautiful orange gourd will be this year again.

Recently we had a couple "giant" zucchini that my Mom had given me from her garden - you know the kind... so with Emilee's help, we made a great stuffed zucchini meal loaded with good healthy grains and vegetables.
 

Stephen & Emilee both helped with this meal (I love that our kids enjoy cooking so much and are excited to try new ideas). The extra large zucchini were cut in half lengthwise, seeds were scooped out, and they were placed in a baking dish with a bit of water in the bottom of the dish. 
Emilee stirred up a filling of brown rice, red quinoa, lentils, onions, mini bell peppers and some seasonings. This was added to the "boats" and they were baked for about 45 minutes in a 375deg oven. We added some organic cheese to the tops (except for Emilee's) during the last 3-4 minutes of baking. Oh, and we got a little adventurous and put dried cranberries on a couple of them, too!
 
  
A very tasty and filling entree. Perfect with a salad and some steamed broccoli! These were even better as leftovers the next day when I took a half (of a half!) to work for my lunch!

This morning when I weighed myself I rejoiced at hitting the 50-lb loss mark and realized just how beneficial this new way of eating for me has become. I haven't missed many of the foods I've given up - I just don't crave meat, sugar, fast food, or processed food anymore since I've been concentrating on nourishing my body with such good healthy options. Eating has become a great adventure for me and not something I just "settle" for to fix a craving or get past a hunger pain. I like that I don't have to count anything (points or calories), I don't have to drink a special "diet" drink or depend on a pill to burn off the calories - just turn to the food that is in its most natural state and choose from the many options before me. I love challenging myself to try a new vegetable, fruit, or whole grain every couple weeks and incorporating it into my menus. I've found so many delicious foods this way that I never would have tried otherwise. So far, after eating this way exclusively for the past nine months, I have to say that it has not become boring at all!

This afternoon we attended a first birthday party for the daughter of one of our young married friends. It was so fun to see them again and celebrate this joy with them. We miss the ministry of working with young married couples since we left our former church, but try to stay in touch with as many of them as we can. It's great watching their families grow and seeing them thrive in God's goodness and His plan for their lives. We're starting to make some new friends at our new church as we get more involved there and are thankful for God's timing in leading us to a new place of worship. The teaching is just what I've been yearning for and I look forward each week to the pastor's message of Truth. Just last week we started attending a weekly small group with people mostly our age and I've joined the choir, which I've missed. More things may be happening - I'll keep you posted as they come about.

I think I'll head out right now for an evening walk in the neighborhood before the sun goes down - it just seems like the best way to end a wonderful weekend!

Chunky Garden Marinara

I wanted to share a simple vegetarian recipe with you that is full of fresh ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen right now!

 

This is a chunky garden marinara sauce I made the other night to go with some whole wheat pasta. I had been craving pasta and couldn't decide whether to cook it to make a cold salad or make up a quick sauce to go over it. I had all these wonderful vegetables at my fingertips, so the marinara won out.

Chunky Garden Marinara 

olive oil or grapeseed oil, 1-2 T.
garlic, 1-2 cloves
small onion, chopped
1-1/2 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
pinch of salt (to taste)
1 small green pepper, chopped
1/2 medium zucchini, sliced/quartered
mushrooms, canned or fresh (as many as you like!)
20oz jar of organic diced tomatoes

Heat oil in large saucepan, adding garlic, onion, and seasonings. Add green pepper, zucchini, and mushrooms, cooking for 5-7 minutes until vegetables are tender. Add tomatoes, bring to a slight boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes.

Serve over cooked pasta. ( I used whole wheat farfalle - the pasta cooked while the sauce simmered).

 

And I bet you're not surprised that I added a sprinkling of feta cheese to my plate! This tasted amazing! Even better the next day, after refrigerating overnight (it gives the flavors time to really blend together).

Give this a try - very healthy and a quick dinner, too!