August | 2013 | My Foodie Call

Monthly Archives: August 2013
- An easy tempeh salad
  
  Posted at 10:34 am by myfoodiecall
  
  Aug 31st
  So remember that post about tempeh?
  
  Say hello your newest friend.
  
  Here is a fast and simple salad to add to your rotation. Thought for sure that the my-foodie-call kids would balk at the miso dressing. But surprisingly, things were a-okay.
  
  The aforementioned dressing.
  
  A fast fix. Seriously. I was pool-side for two hours before whipping this up.
  
  Miso Tempeh Salad
  
  Serves 5 hungry peeps.
  - 2 cloves garlic, minced
  - 1 tablespoon grated, fresh ginger (or sub 1/8 teaspoon dry ground ginger)
  - 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  - 1/2 cup olive oil
  - 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
  - 2 tablespoons miso
  - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  - 1 (8 oz) package tempeh
  - 2 (5 oz) bags baby spinach leaves (or mixed greens)
  - 4 carrots, shredded (or about 2 cups store-bought shredded)
  What you do:
  
  1. Cut and cube your tempeh
  2. For your dressing: Mix together the first 7 ingredients blending well. Your best bet is to use a blender (or Vitamix), but if you have mad skills, go ahead and use a whisk.
  
  Your dressing. These 7 ingredients. (yes, that is a ginger chunk on top of the miso)
  
  Nice creamy result. Blender is best.
  
  3. Use your food processor’s shredding blade to grate those carrots.
  
  Really not hard. But you can save time by buying pre-shredded carrots.
  
  4. Distribute the greens equally on the plates. Sprinkle carrots evenly over your greens. Add your tempeh. Drizzle with your dressing.
  
  Looks pretty healthy, right?
  
  Fast and fantastic.
  
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  Posted in Salads, Soups, and Sides | Tagged salad, tempeh
- Make friends with…Tempeh
  
  Posted at 3:48 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Aug 30th
  What the heck is tempeh??
  
  Tempeh cut into cubes.
  
  Tempeh is a pretty fantastic protein source. For all. Not just us lone vegetarians.
  
  But what is it?
  
  Put simply, tempeh is just soybeans cooked down and slightly fermented. Do not let the word fermented scare you. The soybeans are usually combined with other grains such as barley or brown rice for a firm and hearty texture. I like it plain, sliced on a salad, but you can marinate it with barbecue sauce and make some pretty tasty sandwiches as well.
  
  Why tempeh?
  - Firm, unlike tofu (for all you tofu haters out there)
  - One serving has a whopping 18-20 grams of protein and about 10% of your calcium needs for the day
  This is what Trader Joe’s tempeh looks like, but there are many others out there.
  
  How do you eat it?
  - cut it, slice, cube, crumble it, marinate it, pan fry it…..
  Where do you find tempeh??
  - where the tofu, vegetarian meats, dairy free cheeses are at any large grocer. Stop whizzing by that section and take a look!
  Try this simple swap: Replace tempeh in place of ground beef in your next spaghetti meal. Simply crumble, pan fry for a few minutes, and add to your sauce.
  
  Remember: one simple health swap a week can add up to long-term change.
  Posted in Make friends with... | Tagged tempeh
- Baked Potato with a nutrient dense Vegan Special Sauce
  
  Posted at 1:14 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Aug 29th
  I rarely make baked potatoes. I just find them to be kind of boring. Its like thawing frozen peas as a side dish. Too basic.
  
  Sorry Mr. Potato. I kind of snooze when I see you.
  
  That said, I really should re-visit the baked potato more often. For the simple fact that they are loaded with fiber, potassium and have about half of your daily value requirements for vitamin C. Oh and my daughter loves potatoes. Another reason that I need to start making more baked potatoes and “normal” meals.
  
  Well. Normal-ish.
  
  Tonight we will have a baked potato bar that will include a few do-it-yourself toppings. My kids always like to top their own stuff. Taco bar, salad bar. Tonight, baked potato bar.
  
  Toppings:
  - salsa (store bought)
  - sour cream (per kids request)
  - avocado slices
  - veggie bacon crumbles
  - grilled onions
  - mango salsa
  - and my Vegan Special Sauce. This sauce has a potato base for creaminess. (Yes, more potato) Carrots for a punch of Vitamin A, and Nutritional Yeast which should be a staple in your kitchen by now right?? The sauce can be used on pasta, nacho chips, potatoes, spread on whole grain toast…
  Love this stuff.
  
  What to do:
  
  Make your sauce in advance! That way the dinner hour isn’t too crazed. Because really, what potato meal should be too time consuming?
  
  Vegan Special Sauce
  - Scrub and peel 2-3 potatoes (I say 2-3 potatoes because it depends on the size. I used 2 small sweet potatoes and 1 medium-sized russet potato).
  - 2 large carrots
  - 5-7 tablespoons nutritional yeast (to taste)
  - 1/3 cup coconut oil
  - 1/3 cup vegetable broth
  - 1-2 teaspoons honey
  Chop all potatoes and carrots.
  
  Boil until tender. Drain.
  
  Add vegetables and remaining ingredients to your food processor bowl. Process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary. We want creamy people!
  
  * If need be, add more veggie broth to thin the sauce to consistency you would like.
  
  Drained potato and carrot mixture.
  
  Add those cooked veggies to this concoction.
  
  Finished sauce…I like mine kind of thick.
  
  Saved until later.
  
  Ok, It’s later.
  
  Baked Potato Night
  
  Bake your potatoes.
  
  I used russet potatoes and baked them at 400 degrees for about 60 minutes.
  
  Again, here are those toppings..
  - sour cream
  - mango salsa (leftover from meal 2 nights ago)
  - avocado chunks
  - salsa
  - vegetarian bacon crumbles
  - grilled onions
  - Vegan special sauce
  A few traditional toppings, a few not so much.
  
  Where is the broccoli and cheese topping you ask??
  
  Too traditional. Maybe next time.
  Posted in Meatless mealtime, Random stuff, Salads, Soups, and Sides | Tagged baked potato, nutritional yeast
- Coconut flour chocolate chip cookies
  
  Posted at 2:20 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Aug 25th
  So I bought a tub of coconut flour at Whole Foods oh say maybe, 6 months ago…At least….
  
  This canister has been staring at me for wayyy too long.
  
  Finally decided to use it. While I do not follow the paleo diet, I do realize that coconut based diets are the latest health craze. I do say “latest” because science changes so frequently it may be a thing of the past by next week. Anyhow, I do like to experiment with different grains when baking so I figured it was time to open this puppy. Why coconut flour?
  
  Well it is naturally high in fiber and is a fantastic protein source. Who knew ground up coconut meat could be that good for you. One caveat. It can not be subbed 1:1 for other flours when baking. The problem is that it absorbs liquid rapidly and it tends to clump so it is a little more difficult to substitute in other recipes. You have to have some mad kitchen skills (or a lot of money to waste) if you plan to experiment. Although I plan to channel my inner chemist soon, NOT my first time opening the canister.
  
  This recipe is straight from google. Found it in several places actually, so I am not sure who to give credit to.
  
  Not too bad for a first attempt.
  
  Coconut flour chocolate chip cookies
  
  2 eggs
  
  ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
  
  ¼ cup sugar
  
  ½ cup non-dairy milk
  
  1 teaspoon vanilla
  
  ¼ teaspoon salt
  
  ⅓ cup coconut flour
  
  ⅓ cup chocolate chips
  
  Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees and spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs with melted coconut oil, sugar, coconut milk, vanilla, and salt.
  3. Using a rubber spatula, stir in coconut flour and chocolate chips.
  4. Scoop cookies by the teaspoonful and spoon onto baking sheets.
  5. Bake for 13-18 minutes or until browned.
  6. Let cookies cool for a couple of minutes before setting on a cooling rack.
  Finished product. Chewier than a traditional cookie, but definitely tasty.
  
  Any favorite coconut flour recipes out there? Any good advice on substitutions? Let’s here them!
  Posted in Desserts | Tagged coconut flour, coconut oil, dessert
- Broccoli and egg “muffins”
  
  Posted at 12:56 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Aug 23rd
  A little spin on breakfast.
  
  Feeling less than inspired by your over-easy egg and ho-hum wheat toast? Making an omelette before work seem like a chore that rivals washing your kitchen floor?
  
  While I like a good omelette here and there, this recipe I find to be a super time saver. Especially on those rushed mornings. And easy.
  
  Broccoli and egg “muffins”
  
  First, make your concoction.
  
  Basically an omelette in a bowl, am I right??
  
  Next, add it to your muffin tin.
  
  Can you see how cute these will be? And no omelette flipping required. So annoying when your omelette breaks apart.
  
  Wait patiently for 20 (ish) minutes…
  
  Easy peasy
  
  Broccoli and egg “muffins”
  
  Spray muffin tins
  
  preheat oven to 350 degrees
  
  Ingredients:
  - 1/4 cup vegetable broth
  - 1 teaspoon coconut oil
  - 1 clove minced garlic
  - 1/4 cup chopped onions
  - 1 cup chopped broccoli
  - 1/2 cup shredded cheese
  - 1/4 cup almond milk
  - 4 eggs (go organic if possible)
  - 1 Tablespoon Nutritional Yeast (optional)
  - salt and pepper to taste
  1) Heat your pan and add your vegetable broth, coconut oil, and garlic. Pile in your onions and broccoli and saute until slightly cooked.
  
  2) Transfer mixture to a large bowl
  
  3) Add 1/2 cup cheese of your choice (dairy cheese or non-dairy Daiya. Something that melts gooood)
  
  4) Add nutritional yeast if you are using (But seriously, why would you not?? It just adds to the cheesy flavor and gives you an awesome boost of nutrition)
  
  5) Whisk in 1/4 cup milk of choice (almond, soy…they all work)
  
  6) Whisk in your 4 eggs
  
  7) Add salt and pepper to taste
  
  8) Pour and distribute evenly into your 6 sprayed muffin rounds
  
  9) Bake 20-24 minutes
  
  This recipe yields 6 broccoli egg muffins but could easily be doubled.
  
  Paired with chilled sliced peaches. Peaches just happen to be in season right now. Perfect balance.
  
  These babies will also store well in the refrigerator if you would like to make a dozen in advance. Pop them in the microwave for a bit and bam! out the door. No excuses.
  Posted in Breakfast | Tagged breakfast, broccoli, egg, muffins, omelette
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