Owner: Veg*n Cooking and Other Random Musings URL:http://vegncookingandotherrandommusings.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:52:51 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: This blog documents the (mostly Mexican) food adventures and errant ramblings of an environmentally conscious veg*n (with the occasional rant from my favorite Wet Blanket). My goal is to live a more sustainably, locally, environmentally and socially consc Site statistics:Click here
Lindsay's Tamale Pockets and Super Easy Tasty Taco Salad 2008-07-02 12:01:00 Over the weekend, I was super lucky to be able to try out a tester recipe for Lindsay
's (aka the Happy Herbivore) upcoming cookbook. These are her Tamale Pockets
, and man were these tasty. The pictures above do not do this meal justice. I'm not sure what was up with our camera, both Brett and I took TONS of pictures of these and none of them really came out. Oh, and it didn't help that I overstuff Read more:Salad
, Super
, Tasty
Garden Update #13 2008-06-30 12:13:00 A couple of notes before I start the GardenUpdate
: First, thank you to all who commented on my last piece (and any musings piece for that matter), talking about issues of importance to me, touchy or otherwise, is therapeutic and always a learning experience, I hope you all feel that you get something out of our rants as well. I always hope for more dialogue, but understand that this is not why ma
On the Joy of Simple Living 2008-06-28 18:17:00 I’ve been thinking for awhile about lifestyle changes and all the little things people are doing everyday to lighten their burden on the Earth, to be better stewards of the planet and everything and everyone on it. There are many reasons we all do the things we do; we tackle problems from different angles, and there are many positive aspects of our actions that we might not often stop to think a Read more:Living
, Simple
I'm Green! (A Registered Trademark and Patent Pending) 2008-06-27 17:52:00 Last weekend, Jennifer and I were at the grocery store and they were giving away reusable bags they had previously been selling. We'd never been interested in buying them ourselves for several reasons: one, we didn't need them (we always carry stuff home in our backpacks); two, they cost money; and three; they're blue and say "I'm green" on the side. Notice the registered trademark next to the phr Read more:Green
, Patent
, Registered
, Trademark
Local Veggie and Bean Wraps and A Series of Fortunate Events 2008-06-25 19:33:00 As I mentioned in one of my recent posts, I'm a bit behind in food posting, so this meal is something we had last week, I think I'm caught up now.When I saw that we had gotten beets in our CSA, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them. I wanted to try to replicate the Garden Burrito from Main Squeeze, the local vegetarian restaurant in Columbia. What we had wasn't exactly like Main Squeeze's b Read more:Local
, Veggie
This Just In... 2008-06-24 11:46:00 Greetings, blogosphere. Some of the more regular visitors to this blog may have noticed that a new contributor was added last week, and I am now posting to introduce myself. I am the ‘Brett’ that is occasionally referred to in postings; I can also be referred to as ‘partner’ or ‘significant other’, but most of you will come to know me by my Indian name: Wet Blanket.Readers from North A
Garden Update #12 2008-06-23 17:50:00 There has been a lot of growth in both gardens this week! The sun has finally decided to come out and shine and the plants are taking full advantage.Our container garden is going nuts. Well, except for the broccoli. To be honest, I'm not sure if it's too hot, or if we underpotted the broccoli, but it isn't really doing anything. It's growing yes, but no broccoli to speak of. And I understand that Read more:Garden
, Update
Fajita Burritos with "Traditional" Refried Beans 2008-06-22 10:58:00 So I'm a little bit behind in my food posts as things were a bit hectic this past week.We had a really good, albeit short, trip to St. Louis. My dad's graduation ceremony was held at the Missouri History Museum. It was a lovely ceremony with a good keynote speaker. It was also really nice to see my grandparents from Houston, we don't get to see them enough. After the ceremony, we had a nice lunch Read more:Beans
, Burritos
, Traditional
Things That Make You Go "Aw" 2008-06-17 07:44:00 This is not a food post, nor is it a rant. I just had a few pictures I thought I'd share.You see, at least in my opinion, there often isn't much to smile about in the world these days. So I relish any opportunity I have to enjoy the 'small things' in life. I came home from work yesterday to find that Brett had taken some very cute (and very good) pictures of the cats that really made me smile.They
Garden Update #11 2008-06-15 15:30:00 The gardens are finally really starting to move along. We've actually had a few days reprieve from rain (I say this as rain clouds are moving in.), and lots of sunshine.We also seem to have found an effective remedy for the aphids. After trying three different natural concoctions, we've found that a mixture of boiled crushed garlic and cayenne pepper is not only effective against aphids, but also Read more:Garden
, Update
Roasted Veggies with Cranberry Beans, Marinated Roasted Portobello Mushrooms, and Brown Rice 2008-06-13 07:45:00 This meal could have also been called 'Really Simple Food That Speaks For Itself'. I am always amazed at how good veggies are when roasted. They don't need anything, just a bit of salt. They have enough of their own flavor. I was looking for a simple, yet tasty and healthy dinner the other night, and I think I found the perfect meal! Brett and I raved about this and were also happy with how good s Read more:Beans
, Brown
, Marinated
, Mushrooms
, Roasted
, Veggies
Marinated Portobello Mushroom and Veggie Fajitas with Chile-Lime Sauce 2008-06-10 16:00:00 I've been on a slight marinating kick lately - especially marinating mushrooms and veggies for Mexican-ish food. This time I decided to highlight the portobello mushroom in a marinated fajita as, well, they are one of both Brett and my favorite mushrooms.This is another spicy dish, for less fire, omit some of the hot peppers from the 'veggie mix' in the fajitas.Since Brett and I aren't eating avoc Read more:Marinated
, Mushroom
, Veggie
Garden Update #10 2008-06-09 15:49:00 So, as I'm sure anyone in the Midwest knows, the theme of, well the season really, has been a lot of rain and a lot of wind. The plants seem to be doing well so far, a few peppers have gotten knocked off (sadly, including the poblano!), but we are seeing a lot of blooms and a lot of little peppers, so all in all, we can't really complain too much.We added a layer of hay to our community garden pl Read more:Garden
, Update
Balance 2008-06-08 10:46:00 I know I’ve posted some 'heavy' commentary lately, but I’ve had a lot on my mind, to those of you who come to this blog predominantly for the food, I apologize – this is more commentary.This post is going to be quite a bit more personal than usual, I generally try to limit my commentary to things that I feel will educate or enlighten people, but I think that getting one’s feelings out in t Read more:Balance
Mushroom and Asparagus Burritos with Roasted Salsa Verde 2008-06-06 08:08:00 I was initially very wary of using veggies like asparagus in Mexican food as it didn't seem very 'authentic'. Well, I've quickly gotten over that because many ingredients, whether authentic or not, can be turned into yummy Mexican-inspired meals with the right flavor combination.Wanting to enjoy the abundance of fresh, local, organic asparagus we've been getting from our CSA, I came up with these Read more:Burritos
, Mushroom
, Roasted
Black Bean Burgers and Lisa's Cantina Potato Salad 2008-06-04 14:11:00 We had these last Saturday, May 31st as our send off to avocados for a month. I've just been busy with work, and then came down with a cold, so have been slow to getting around to posting about them. They were really good, and I was particularly happy to find a 'new' black bean burger. You see, Main Squeeze, the vegetarian restaurant here in town, used to serve a black bean burger, topped with veg Read more:Black
, Burgers
, Potato
, Salad
Garden Update #9 2008-06-01 14:08:00 The garden has really taken off this past week – the weather has decided to be at least marginally cooperative. We have finally had some hot, sunny days which really seems to have benefited the plants. Now, if the wind and the rain could just stay away for a few days that would be nice.A bit of sad garden news, the habanero is done, it had to go. As of last week’s update, I informed you all th Read more:Garden
, Update
The End of Suburbia? Peak Oil and Its Implications 2008-05-30 12:16:00 Disclaimer: This post is not about food, this is one of my 'other random musings', if you are looking for food, scroll down to the next post. This is also a really long post, and it could have been much longer, but I figured I was pushing my luck in getting anyone to read this anyway. You have been warned. :-)Second, the title for this piece, The End of Suburbia
, is taken from a documentary by the Read more:Implications
, Peak Oil
Quesadillas de Frijoles Negros Refritos y Arroz (Refried Black Bean and Rice Quesadilla) 2008-05-29 07:46:00 I hope I got the translation right. If anyone out there knows Spanish and wants to correct me, please, by all means, do so! I am essentially trying to 'learn' Spanish via eating Mexican food. :-)These were really, really good. I can't believe, seeing how much we love Mexican food in my house, that I've never made refried black beans until now. What's wrong with me?! Refried black beans rock!(Notic Read more:Arroz
, Black
, Negros
Southwestern Lentil Burgers with Spicy Shoe String Yams and Roasted Asparagus 2008-05-27 07:45:00 This meal was really good. I modified the recipe from one of Chandelle's that can be found here. I basically changed the spice combination to suit our tastes and changed up the ingredients based on what we had on hand.'Burgers
' are a great summer meal as you can make up a large batch, freeze what you don't use, and have yummy dinners that require the stove to be on for just long enough to cook the Read more:Lentil
, Roasted
, Shoe
, Southwestern
, Spicy
, String
Garden Update #8 2008-05-26 11:08:00 The themes of the week have been aphids and blooms. Let's start with the aphids. We had thought we had gotten the habanero under control using lemon juice, but we were very wrong. Turns out the aphids were going and hiding under the leaves when we'd spray them and that the lemon juice does not work on them. Now I know it's very un-vegan of us, but we are launching a 'war on aphids', it's either th Read more:Garden
, Update
Yummy Vegan Wedding Food, Another 5 Things About Me, and A Grocery Store/CSA Wrap Up 2008-05-25 14:35:00 First off I'd like to give a big thanks to everyone who wished me well during my 'tooth ordeal', it means a lot! I'm happy to report that I'm back in action! I am able to eat solid food and have really been enjoying it. My first 'celebratory' meal was vegan sushi. I love sushi! We made avocado rolls, cucumber rolls, and avocado/cucumber rolls. We, as always, added pickled ginger directly to the ro Read more:Grocery
, Grocery Store
, Store
, Yummy
Sesame Ginger Soba Noodles and Thanksgiving in May? 2008-05-22 07:44:00 For dinner a few nights ago, I made a SesameGinger
sauce, since I haven't been able to eat completely solid foods, we served it over soba noodles, instead of rice and veggies which we usually prefer. I also added some adzuki beans to it. I wouldn't normally pair beans and noodles, as the beans sink to the bottom, but I've been needing protein. The sauce turned out really well, Brett raved about i Read more:Thanksgiving
Orange-Chipotle Anasazi Bean Quesadillas 2008-05-20 07:46:00 This recipe is dedicated to Alice (in Veganland).She declared her undying love for all things citrus when I posted about the Spicy Chipotle
-Citrus Marinated Veggie Fajitas, and her comment reminded me of this other citrusy-spicy recipe I created awhile back.Oh, and this is my 100th post! Wowsa!I can only imagine what these tasted like in crispy tortillas, as I was only able to eat the filling (at Read more:Orange
On Gradually Achieving a Sustainable Local Diet - Waste = Food 2008-07-15 19:27:00 In the second part of this series I will discuss ways of making sustainable, local food affordable. I was hoping to be able to keep this to one post, but as I’m long-winded and tangents always arise that are worth exploring, the second part of the series will come in two posts.Before we discuss how to make sustainable food affordable, it helps to have a different perspective on our diets and wha Read more:Local
, Sustainable
Veggie Sandwiches with Walnut Pesto, Roasted Beets and Walnuts, and Sautéed Beet Greens 2008-07-14 18:32:00 I actually made this pesto last weekend when I got fresh sweet basil from the farmer's market. I guess I got lazy, then went off on tangents, posting about other things. I remembered as we had these sandwiches again over the weekend to use up the remaining pesto that I had never posted about it!This is a very basic pesto recipe, nothing special. This was my first time ever making pesto at home and Read more:Greens
, Pesto
, Roasted
, Sandwiches
, Veggie
, Walnut
Garden Update #15 2008-07-13 17:37:00 Warning: Large amounts of pepper porn ahead. :-)Over the past couple of weeks, as the weather has turned more seasonable, the gardens have really taken off. Almost all of our plants, both in the container and community garden have fruit on them. Some of the peppers and tomatoes are even starting to ripen. As I noted early, I made the "rookie" gardening mistake of labeling our plants with paper lab Read more:Garden
, Update
On Gradually Achieving a Sustainable Local Diet - Meal Planning 2008-07-12 22:49:00 This first post is going to be about meal planning. What I hope will be a brief (for me) introduction to planning meals which are easy to prepare, that also reduce waste, environmental impact, and cost without having to eat the same thing every night. This might seem obvious, but to someone whose diet consists largely of takeout or prepared foods, the first step to meal planning is to learn what Read more:Local
, Meal Planning
, Sustainable
On Gradually Achieving a Sustainable Local Diet - An Introduction 2008-07-12 22:18:00 This series of posts is a result of my experience, as well as a few posts I’ve seen recently. Chile is doing a series on food security and what to do if food or the resources to obtain food are unavailable; Arduous did a post of food waste and cooking for one, which got me thinking. I started thinking about the path to food sustainability and the “in between” region, folks who aren’t desti Read more:Introduction
, Local
, Sustainable
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