Spring is Near!

The forecast for later this week is all upper 70's and sunny! I am so excited to start really working on my garden. I've been on the prowl for some pallets. I've been feeling extra college broke lately so I'm not quite ready to go buy some, but I just may end up doing that if I don't find any in the next couple of weeks.

I got home from my internship a little early tonight so I was excited to be able to make a slightly more complicated dinner. By complicated, I mean I roasted my own red peppers. It is another slow cooker recipe, which I love. It is loosely based off of a recipe from Saving Dinner the Vegetarian Way.

Roasted Pepper Pasta Bake
What You Need:

• 1 lb whole wheat elbow shells
• 1 large onion, diced
• 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbsp fennel seeds
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup (soy) mozzarella 
• 1 red bell pepper
• Savory (a seasoning that came with the spice rack) and black pepper to taste

The Process:

1. Cook pasta until it's chewy but not ready. Set aside.
2. While the pasta is cooking, put 1 tbsp olive oil in a heated pan. Cook onion and fennel seeds until onions are soft.
3. Add the diced tomatoes and crushed garlic. Bring to a boil. 
4. Pour the tomato mix in a slow cooker. Add the pasta and mix. Top with the mozzarella. Cook on low for 4 hours or on high for 2 hours. 
5. 30 minutes before the pasta bake is ready, slice the red pepper. Place on aluminum foil with some olive oil. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. 
6. Top the pasta bake with the roasted pepper and seasoning. Enjoy :) 

Rainy Day Soup

It was a rainy day here in NC today which means, Rainy Day Soup! That is what I call the soup that I make on cold, rainy days. On days like today, I don't want to cook anything fancy, I just want to curl up on the couch and watch a movie.

There usually is no recipe, which is what I love about it. I just throw in whatever extra veggies we have in the fridge, and let it cook in the crock pot for a few hours. Today's Rainy Day Soup was extra good though so I wanted to document it and share with yall.

Rainy Day Soup
What You (always) Need:

• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 28 oz can of chopped tomatoes
• 1 onion
• 1 tbsp basil
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced 

What I Added Today:

• 2 celery sticks, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 3 red potatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup dry navy beans
• 1 tbsp herb's province (that's what was on the label, it came with a bunch of spices my mom gave Chris for Christmas last year) 
• 1 cup frozen corn

The Process:

1. Peel potatoes and carrots, and chop/dice all fresh vegetables.
2. Add everything to the crock pot. Set on low and cook for 6 hours. 

Day Trip Success!

This week is my spring break! Yay! Since we're trying to pay off some bills we decided to stay home this year. However, I couldn't resist a day trip to Wilmington, NC to visit my friend Cortney. I was a little nervous about how I would do considering we'd be eating out for dinner and snacks before hand.

We started our road trip with Starbucks, of course! A soy latte is exactly what I needed to jump start the trip. When we got onto Wrightsville we stopped to get some snacks. Christopher got twizzlers, I've never seen the appeal of those. I got potato chips. My old favorite is not vegan friendly, so I had BBQ instead. We took Sasha, one of the dogs, for a walk on the beach, which was a blast! She'd never been before so we enjoyed seeing her reaction.

I was nervous about dinner because we were going to dinner with Cortney and her new boyfriend. I didn't want to cause any problems with where we went so when Cortney suggested Front Street Brewery, we went along with it. The restaurant had a veggie burger option and I was really proud of myself for remembering to ask whether it was a boca burger or another brand. I was pleasantly surprised that Cortney knew that I needed to ask that too! It was a boca burger, so I had that and we ordered pita and hummus for our appetizer. Unfortunately, I forgot to ask how they cook their veggies, which is what I ordered for my side. As soon as I put the piece of broccoli in my mouth I knew it had been cooked in butter. So much for the veggies.

Here's where I admit that I had a planned cheat in mind. We went to Kilwin's for dessert and I knew I was going to get something. I figure one cheat every now and then won't be the end of the world and I am a complete sucker for adorable, old school ice cream shops. I justified my purchase of a caramel apple by telling myself that the main ingredient is the apple.

I would say that it was an overall success, with my only real slip up having been planned.

Questions

Fun/Interesting questions I have been asked thus far:

1) Can you still drink Starbucks?
          Yes! I would never change my lifestyle if it meant I could no longer drink Starbucks! They are one of the few coffee shops in my area that offer to make their lattes with soy milk.

2) Do you have to eat beans every day?
         Nope, thank God! I also get protein from the soy milk in my coffee (see a theme?), tofu, tempeh, and various vegetables.

3) Where do you get your iron if you don't eat red meat?
          Spinach mostly. I love spinach and add it to a lot of my meals and smoothies. There is also a lot of iron in many beans and broccoli.

4) How in the world do you eat like that?!
        I open my mouth, chew the food, and swallow..Sorry, couldn't resist. But really, it's not as hard as it sounds. And because I cook with so many different vegetables there are a lot of flavors in every meal. I look forward to dinner now more than I ever have.

5) Has it been hard? (usually the follow-up question to #4)
          Yes and no. Since I was a vegetarian before, most of my usual meals were easily converted into vegan ones. The challenge is when I'm out with friends and get hungry. It's hard to grab a quick bite to eat. I'm starting to get into the habit of carrying nuts or fruit with me.

I had more that made me chuckle inside but I cannot remember them at the moment. Feel free to leave any others!

Campus Is Slacking

I had lunch on my university's campus with one of my littles, Lisette, today. It was great to see her and catch up! However, the vegan options at Chili's Too were limited. Actually, just one thing. A house salad with oil & vinegar dressing. No joke. So, since I wasn't feeling only eating a salad, I cheated and ate potato soup. I'm not too upset. Since coming to college a few years ago my campus has made huge strides to offer more vegetarian options, I can't really expect them to go from 0-60 in a snap.

After lunch, my day was long and busy. I had classes and the internship, then it was grocery day. Needless to say, I did not feel like making the fancy meal I had planned on for tonight. Instead, I cooked another 15 minute meal that turned out really well! It definitely helped ease the Alfredo craving I had last week. This one is from Vegetarian: Tasty Recipes for Every Day. Yea, they got real creative with that title, but it has had some winners in it. Again, I took some liberties with the recipe so what I have here is not exactly how it reads in the book.

Fettuccine Zucchini

What You Need

• 1 lb fettuccine
• 2 oz butter (I used margarine, I keep forgetting to find vegan butter)
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 lb zucchini, grated
• 3/4 cup (soy) Parmesan cheese
• 16 leaves of fresh basil (that is a direct quote)

The Process

1. Cook pasta. While it is cooking, prepare for and complete step 2.
2. Heat the butter (margarine) in a deep heavy pan over low heat until it is foaming. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 minutes. 
3. Drain cooked pasta and add it the to the sauce. Add the Parmesan and basil and toss well.