Tag Archives: meals

Meatless Mondays: Ninth Street Bakery

Today, we were on the road back home from seeing family and we decided to stop at Ninth Street Bakery for lunch. It was a few blocks from Duke University. We almost tried the Luna Living Kitchen Chapel Hill location but then we both said it was best to try something new. I was intrigued by a bakery offering several plant-based options. As soon as we walked in, we knew we were in for a feast. The smell alone was enough to buy out the store. Trying to be gluten-free saved me in this bakery. I could have walked out with a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread under each arm. Anyway, on to what we ate.

I ordered the Thai curry bowl, the savory hand pie (don’t think the flour was wheat) and a side salad. Jeff had the dal lentil soup and the savory hand pie. We loved every bit of it. The freshness and the flavor impressed us both. We left feeling satisfied and didn’t think of eating for hours afterwards. It has been incredibly encouraging to find healthy, plant-based options out on the road. It totally dispels the idea that you can’t be responsible for your health even if you travel frequently.

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Thai curry bowl for me.

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Dal lentil soup for him.

 

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Savory hand pies for both of us!

We would definitely come back again. As for next Monday, I already have a recipe in mind that I am excited to try!

 

Meatless Mondays: Hearty Chickpea Pasta Soup

Tonight, hubby found the recipe on a website for No Meat Athlete. He and I are considering following their meal plans for a week to accelerate the process on our wellness journey. Plus, the site is full of whole foods plant-based recipes which I would like to cook regularly. It’s so easy to fall into the vegan junk food or takeout trap. It’s delicious but ultimately costly and more calorie laden than cooking at home. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients
  • 1-2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (optional)
  • 1 Small Onion, chopped
  • 2 Celery Ribs, diced
  • 4 cloves Garlic, minced
  • ¾ teaspoon Dry Rosemary
  • 1 cup any Tomato Sauce
  • 6 cups Vegetable Stock
  • 1 can (15 ounces) or 1.5 cups cooked Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 bunch Kale (about 8 leaves), preferably Lacinato (Dinosaur), torn into bite-size pieces, coarse stems removed
  • 4 ounces Whole Wheat or Alternative-Grain Linguine, broken into 1 to 2 inch lengths (or choose a bite-size pasta)
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Heat the oil, if using, in a large pot over medium heat.
  2. Add the onion, celery, garlic, and 1 teaspoon of the rosemary and cook until the vegetables are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. If not using oil, add a few splashes of water as needed to keep ingredients from drying and burning.
  3. Add the tomato sauce, vegetable stock, and chickpeas, and bring to a boil.
  4. Add the kale and after about 5 minutes, add the pasta and stir occasionally. (This assumes your pasta will take 7 to 8 minutes to cook. If you’re using pasta that takes 12 to 15 minutes, add the pasta when you add the kale.)
  5. When the pasta is al dente, remove the soup from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
  6. Garnish with the remaining teaspoon of fresh rosemary and optionally, a drizzle of olive oil.

We loved it.. not oily and filling for sure! So glad we chose to sign up for these recipes!

 

30- Minute Coconut Curry

I found tonight’s recipe from the minimalist baker. Their recipe called for a coconut quinoa but I was not in a mood for quinoa. I decided to cook some brown rice instead. Here is the recipe for the coconut curry. Although I had vegetable broth, I chose to substitute with the Goya vegetable seasoning and water. I may have cooked the curry a bit too long because it wasn’t as thick as I would have liked but the flavors were all there. I also added a bit more curry powder so the color lost some of its brightness. All in all, I am glad I tried it!

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Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients
CURRY
  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) coconut or olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced (150 g)
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced (2 Tbsp or 12 g)
  • 1 Tbsp (6 g) fresh grated ginger (or 1 tsp ground)
  • 1/2 cup (45 g) broccoli florets (or green bell pepper), diced
  • 1/2 cup (64 g) diced carrots
  • 1/4 cup (45 g) diced tomato
  • 1/3 cup (28 g) snow peas (loosely cut)
  • 1 Tbsp (8 g) curry powder
  • optional: Pinch cayenne or 1 dried red chili, diced (for heat)
  • 2 14-ounce (396 g) cans light coconut milk (sub full-fat for richer texture)
  • 1 cup (240 ml) veggie stock (DIY or store-bought)
  • Sea salt and black pepper to taste
  1. Heat a large saucepan or pot to medium heat and add 1 Tbsp coconut oil. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, carrot, broccoli and a pinch each salt and pepper and stir. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened – about 5 minutes.
  2. Add curry powder, cayenne (or chili pepper), veggie stock, coconut milk, another healthy pinch of salt and stir. Bring to a simmer then reduce heat slightly and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes.
  3. Add the snow peas and tomatoes in the last 5 minutes so they don’t overcook.
  4. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. I added another pinch or two of salt.

How about all of you? Do you find yourself adjusting the recipe while cooking?

Meatless Monday

Although I talk about my wellness journey, I don’t post much about food. I cook but my husband loves it way more than I do.  When I was learning more about #bloglikecrazy (write 30 posts in 30 days throughout the month of November started by See Jane Write founder Javacia Bowser), theme days were suggested. The only one that spoke to me was Meatless Mondays. Since I have been plant-based for several months, it would be nice to share a few of the meals we eat or trying for the first time.

Tonight, hubby cooked a vegan three-bean chili. He doesn’t measure anything out but he told me he used pinto, kidney and black beans, canned diced tomatoes, corn, mushrooms and uses chili powder, cumin, oregano, paprika and salts and peppers to taste. He also includes onion, bell peppers and celery and does not skimp on the hot sauce. His chili never disappoints. We decided to try vegan corn muffins for the first time. We had vegetarian Jiffy corn muffin mix but I added fresh corn and sugar. It was nice to see the vegan alternative to egg pictured here:

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When he came home, he didn’t bring muffin tins but a larger pan. No biggie–we just made it work. It was a little flatter than we would have liked but it tasted good–sweet and not dry at all. So here’s how it all turned out:

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We didn’t have muffin tins but it turned out great.

Day 6  of #bloglikecrazy is in the books!