I'd guesstimate that my diet is about 90% vegetarian right now...it's very situational and impossible to rationalize or even try to explain. There are no guidelines here. I just eat what sounds good and that typically doesn't involve anything that once made a farm sound. I do enjoy a few bites of mojo chicken from Publix and the occassional ham and cheese sandwich, but that's about it.
Since I technically can't survive on pasta and vodka sauce, I'm really trying to branch out and eat more protein. Recently Bhrett and I decided to try quinoa. Let me tell you, this little grainy grain is awesome. I've just begun to scratch the surface of recipes that are out there, but so far I'm hooked! Quinoa is full of protein and it's ultra flexible - you can make anything from savory dishes to pudding and bread!
So far, my favorite recipe is one I put together on the fly. After boiling the quinoa in broth, I added sauteed green peppers, onions, sundried tomatoes and feta cheese (see above). YUM! It was a great side dish for Bhrett and a tasty, Greek inspired meal for me!
We ("we" meaning Bhrett grilled it, I ate it) also tried tempeh (see above). While I thoroughly enjoyed the brown rice, grilled veggies, and a little leftover mac n' cheese from South City Kitchen (to die for), the tempeh was NOT so successful. I'm not sure if it was the texture, the marinade or what, but the taste was bitter and weird. Boo.
Another thing I want to try is wheat berry. Know of any good recipes?
4 comments:
Oh my gosh that looks sooooo goood! Have you ever checked out the cookbook _The Passionate Vegetarian_ by Cresecent Dragonwagon?? It's a great resource for learning about lots of different grains, how to cook them, and talks about using a pressure cooker to make eating whole grains more feasible.
It's a great cook book--when I have more time to spend cooking...I have probably close to 50 recipes (at least) marked that I want to try.
I don't have that book yet, but I'm about to place an Amazon order - I need some good beach reads for the Honduras trip - so I'll add it to the list!
I own "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" by Deborah Madison. It's a little intimidating, I must say...
Lol! You'll know why I am laughing when you get it...it's humungously gigantic! But I don't find it intimidating. I find her recipes (my favorite cook book ever is her Dairy Hollow House Soup & Beead Cookbook--which is definitely worth buying, too)) to be very straightforward, with familiar ingredients, an explanation and guidance for any new ingredients...and not real complicated instructions.
Yet all of the recipes I've ever made from her books come out very "finished" tasting. Like something you'd be served at a restaurant, as opposed to not well put together home meal. If that makes sense??
Good to know, I may have to order the book just because I like the author's name. ;-)
Post a Comment