Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Vegan hummus wrap

I had the most wonderful vegan hummus wrap at Puritan & Genesta Natural Foods in Mystic, CT. I loved it so much that I needed to recreate it at home. We went to Fresh And Easy and bought tortilla, bean sprouts, shredded carrots, mini cucumbers, baby lettuce and hummus. I love it! It's like a salad in a sandwich!


Vegan Hummus Wrap:
Tortilla
1-2 TBSP hummus
1/2 mini cucumber
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup lettuce/baby greens
1/4 cup bean sprouts or alfala sprouts

Saturday, May 15, 2010

More vegan love for Fresh And Easy

We are always trying new vegan products and with Fresh And Easy so close, we are always picking up packages and reading labels. I love finding new vegan grocery items!

This week's discoveries:

Pumpkin Spice and Cranberry Granola Clusters

The granola was great sprinkled on soy yogurt with fresh strawberries.

RiceWorks Salsa Fresca Crisps

These were crispy and flavorful....

Nourish Restaurant in Scottsdale (Highland and Scottsdale Rd)

While randomly searching the internet for 'Vegan restaurant Scottsdale', I stumbled upon Nourish. Nourish is a new restaurant that has only been open a couple weeks. What I love about their menu is that they denote vegan menu items.

Nourish Menu

10 of their 12 starters, sides and snacks are vegan (11 are vegetarian)
5 of their 7 soups and salads are vegan (6 are vegetarian)
All beverages are vegan
1 of their 6 sandwiches are vegan (3 are vegetarian)
All 3 Non-beef burgers are vegan
1 of their 7 entrees is vegan (4 are vegetarian)
They rotate their desserts, including vegan selections

Today we decided to get take-out to eat by the pool, since it is such a lovely day. We both ordered the sweet teriyaki burgers.

The burger is an amazing combination of chickpea, sweet potato and black beans with a slightly spicy seasoning. It is served with air-fried (without oil) crispy sweet potato waffle fries. The fries are seriously crave-worthy. They are seasoned with cinnamon, which I thought was a surprisingly good flavor combo. The burger is normally served on a bed of greens, but we got ours on multi-grain buns (lucky for us). I can't imagine this burger without the bun; the bun was the perfect compliment to the burger. We got the teriyaki sauce on the side, along with a garlic dressing that I didn't see mentioned on the menu and they were both awesome. The burger came with cucumber, tomato, onion and lettuce.


I haven't drank soda in 90 days. We decided to try the Ogave sodas and they were awesome. I had the cola and Matt had the mandarin key lime.


We asked about vegan desserts and sprung for some vegan chocolate chai ice cream. OMFG. I didn't want to stop eating it to even take a photo. The ice cream, which is made with coconut milk, was probably the most amazing flavor of ice cream I have ever tried. The take-home container had 4 baby scoops...I could have eaten like 2000 scoops of it. It was so good that I want to go buy an ice cream maker just to try to recreate the flavor at home.

This new restaurant will be seeing a lot of me....I already want to go back for 2nds. ;)

Things I Love: Enid Collins

To say I am obsessed with Enid Collins purses is an understatement. My purse collection is at well over 100 vintage purses (I do need to count them). Enid Collins purses always make me so happy. This is my newest Enid Collins Les Fleurs purse. Perfect for summer!

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Dirty Dozen...a good guide when you are transitioning to organic produce

I have been trying to buy organic produce, when possible, in an effort to eat better. I was doing research on organic produce and came across a reference to the Dirty Dozen. The Dirty Dozen is a shopper's guide to the 12 fruits and vegetables that are loaded with the most pesticides. The list is put out by the Environmental Working Group.
The EPA's website says:
What is the balance between the risks and benefits of pesticides?
By their very nature, most pesticides create some risk of harm - Pesticides can cause harm to humans, animals, or the environment because they are designed to kill or otherwise adversely affect living organisms.
At the same time, pesticides are useful to society - Pesticides can kill potential disease-causing organisms and control insects, weeds, and other pests.

I was surprised to see that produce I eat every single day is on the list.

Dirty Dozen (buy organic when possible) :
1. (worst) Peaches
2. Apples
3. Sweet bell peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Grapes (imported)
11. Carrots
12. Pears

Gardein...I love the convenience of this garden protein!

With the opening of the Fresh And Easy just a block away, we have been determined to make use of it's convenience. Fresh and Easy has some nice options for vegans. We have tried the Fresh And Easy brand of blue corn tortilla chips, french baguette, fresh fruit cups, tortillas, vegetables, and everything bagels (which Matt LOVES). Our greatest discovery there has been Gardein garden protein products. I had read about Gardein on various food blogs and assumed that only CA and NY would have such a convenient vegan option available at their grocery stores. The Gardein products are located in the fruit and vegetable aisle, at Fresh And Easy. Gardein is being used as a vegan pizza topping on international pizza chain, Z Pizza's,  Berkeley vegan pizza. And, Chipotle is test marketing their marinated Gardein in select stores.

The first Gardein product we tested was the meat-free Tuscan Breasts. These are awesome. 120 calories and 21 grams of protein! They are ready-made, so you just heat up and enjoy. We paired with rosemary potatoes from Fresh And Easy and steamed green beans. A little Daiya or Teese cheese would have made the meal even more awesome!

Our next Gardein adventure was with the versatile meat free Chick'N Strips. 100 calories and 18 grams of protein! These were good, but I do wish we had spent some time with marinading before hand. I have a feeling that the Gardein would soak up most marinades and enhance the flavor of the Gardein.

With that said, if you are needing to put together a quick meal, these strips are easy and read-to-serve. I can see these being great for adding protein to a salad, pasta dish or even a pizza! We used the Chic'N Strips in a teriyaki vegetable stir fry. We got the stir fry vegetables and Gardein at Fresh And Easy. We served over white rice.

By the way, I love colorful, bold, bright frying pans and pots! I got this cool green one about a year ago. If you see a rad frying pan in your shopping adventures, let me know. I am always on the hunt!

Friday, May 7, 2010

Queen Of Floats

I am the self-proclaimed Queen Of Floats. Every year around this time I start assessing what pool floats I must buy for the swimming season. My ideal summer day would be spent comfortably floating in or on the water. I have about 10 pool floats currently, but some of them suck. Like, pool noodles....reallly?! They suck!  And, the noodles with diaper-like mesh seats....major suck.
My favorite float of all time is the setee from Frontgate. It allows me to get a few more weeks out of my pool season. This photo was taken May 13th, 2007.....The water is probably in the high 60s around this time of year, which makes it too cold to jump right in. But, floating on the water is just as fun as swimming and you don't even know the water is cold. And, Lala LOVES floating on the water!
My version of swimming

Frontgate doesn't carry the sofa I have anymore, but there are some comparable ones out there.
Seashell Pool Float
Pool Float Sofa


I am pretty sure I need this one. It would be good for Matt and I to lounge in the pool and chat.
Side By Side Pool Float
 This is a cool smaller single person version of the pool sofa
Comfy Cool Pool Lounge



My ALL-TIME favorite pool float is this discontinued one. If you find me 2 of them, I think I would die. They aren't very durable, but the comfort and ability to be in the water seated was awesome. The seat mesh pulled away from the float parts and they both had to be thrown out.
Aloha Floating Water Chair

I found this to be an acceptable replacement for the aloha ones above, but not quite as lofty.
Sit And Float Pool Lounges

This one might be worthy of my pool....
Spring Float With Canopy

 This one looks durable, and if I had a pool sling chair that could survive more than one swimming season, I'd be a happy camper. It's not that cute, but whatever.
Floating Pool Chair
 Why are all the good pool chairs ugly?
Floating Pool Chair

I found this one and it might be perfect! I found it on Toys R Us website....strange, as it looks like a party float for hooligans!
Pool Bar And Chairs
I have been tempted by the Frontgate Splash catalog....
Um, does your dog like to float?! Mine do!
Pup Float

These chairs are the coolest! And, being all-weather, I am incredibly tempted....in clear white LED, of course.
Glow Outdoor All-Weather Light-Up LED Chairs
Matt set up our outdoor speakers to direct the sound to the pool area, and with the pool house finished, we can retreat to the pool house when we've had enough time in the sun.


I can't wait for swimming...er...floating season!

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Vegan "hot wings" with vegan cool ranch dressing

I have never eaten hot wings, but I saw this recipe for tofu hot wings in the You Won't Believe It's Vegan cookbook and wanted to make them for Matt. I usually don't like hot, spicy food. These turned out wonderful, but it would have been cool if the recipe had us mold the tofu into chicken wing shapes. The cool ranch dip is good with veggies and I can see it working for salads, too.

 Vegan Tofu Hot Wings
Serves 4-6

Hot Wing Sauce
1/4 medium sized red onion, chopped roughly
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (2 tbsp for step 1, 6 tbsp for step 2)
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp hot sauce
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp vegenaise
2 tbsp water
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 tbsp sea salt
Pinch of black pepper
1/2 tsp agave nectar (optional)

1. Saute the onion and garlic in 2 tsbp of the olive oil over medium heat until slightly brown at the edges.
2. Transfer to a blender and add the lime juice, hot sauce, mustard, Vegenaise, water, vinegar, salt and pepper. Blend. With machine running, slowly add the remaining 6 tbsp of olive oil.
3. If desired, add 1/2 tsp of agave nectar.

Cool Ranch Dressing
1/2 clove garlic
2 tbsp roughly chopped white onion
2 stalks celery with leaves, chopped
4 oz tofu, crumbled (I used silken tofu)
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1/3 cup Vegenaise
1/2 tsp spike seasoning (I used Mrs. Dash seasoning)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp black pepper
Pinch of cayenne
1/3 cup unsweetened soy milk
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. Process all the ingredients except the olive oil in a blender (or food processor) until smooth. With the blender running, slowly blend in the olive oil. Set aside.


Tofu Hot Wings
1 (14 oz) block firm tofu (I used extra firm)
1/2 cup canola oil or other flavorless oil

Dredging mixture
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper

1. Slice the tofu block in half lengthwise, then cut each half into seven sticks.

2. Over medium-high heat, heat the oil in a 9 inch skillet
3. Sift the dredging ingredients into a mixing bowl and toss the tofu gently in the mixture to coat. Shake off excess flour and place into hot oil.

4. Cook until the tofu puffs and crisps, carefully flipping the tofu over with a spatula halfway through the cooking process. Remove the tofu from the pan and drain on paper towels.

5. Toss the tofu in the hot sauce to coat.



To serve: Serve with small bowls of additional hot sauce and cool ranch dressing with some celery sticks.