Bad Blogger

I have been a super, super bad blogger recently. I've also been super, super busy so at least I have an excuse. We're heading out to the beach this weekend so I've been doing everything in my power and creativity to use all perishables currently in our fridge- I think I'm winning.

Dinners have been weird and random however- and definitely not picture worthy.

Breakfast this week consisted of PB & J's and coffee. Snacks were babybel cheeses and fresh, amazingly delicious peaches from my CSA box. Lunches were a mixture of leftovers and... things I found in the fridge (scary). Dinners... well those were.. also incredibly random. They've been chock-full of veggie and lean protein though, I remember eating uh... rainbow chard, corn on the cob, fresh green beans.. hmm..

But I did it! I have no guilt in wasting food before leaving for our trip!

In other news, I have finally reached the point in my stage of readiness to put in full throttle and lose some weight.  In my field, we learn that everyone is in some stage of readiness in regards to a change they must make.

1. Pre-contemplation: Person has not seriously considered taking action, the need for change is not forefront in their mind. 
2. Contemplation: Person is aware of issue and need for change, but has not made plans on actually making the change. 
3. Preparation: Person has thought about taking action and is making plans on how to achieve this goal. 
4. Action: Person is taking action and continues to take action. (It is very easy to slip from here back to an earlier stage) 
5. Maintenance: Person has been taking action continuously for a length of time and has plan and habit set to continue current action. 

We identify what stage our client or patient is and then cater their plan of care and goals to help move them through the cycle. It's pretty darn helpful. I'm currently in stage 4 so carpe diem- let's keep it coming! 

.......Just in time for vacation. Bah.. 

I promise to take pictures of what I eat on vacation though for two reasons. One, because that's super fun and 2) I have to hold myself accountable. 

ALSO- If you're in the Pittsburgh area and love adventures, theater, or just want to try something truly creative and really cool - check out this event: STRATA . 

I went last night and it was crazy, the whole event was impressive and well done. I would love to tell you more, but then I'd have to kill you- and I think that would hinder my path to personal enlightenment! ;) 

Ina Garten - Veggie Style

I've been trying recently to incorporate more protein into my diet (especially for breakfast) so I made a frittata to take to work last week.  Now, as my family is fully aware of, I am absolutely obsessed with Ina Garten.  I want to be her best friend, her neighbor, heck I want to be her.  She is such a classy lady, has fantastic taste, and has an impeccable talent for entertaining.  It's my life dream to one day meet her but I'm afraid if it happened, I would just stand there sobbing like the idiot that I am. 

Alas, moving on. 

I decided to "tweak" her Smoked Salmon Frittata recipe which is, by the way, to die for and I highly recommend it  for when you have family staying the night over.  But for everyday eating, I wanted to "healthify" it so I:

1. Omitted the salmon and added crumbled soy breakfast patties (if you are a meat-eater, leave the salmon in for a nice boost of omega-3 fatty acids) 

2. Added a brick of spinach (thawed and squeezed of water) 

3. Switched goat cheese for low-fat mozzarella shreds

4. Swapped a dozen eggs for egg beaters equivalent

5. Swapped cream for skim milk 

6. Swapped butter for Brummel & Brown 

Now you're probably thinking, "What the heck Lindsey? You dismantled her recipe!" Okay well fine so I did- gigantic tweakage. But it was Ina's technique of sauteing the onions, pouring the mixture over top, and baking the frittata for almost an hour that really makes this dish what it is.  Also the addition of a cup of fluid makes this dish fluffy and moist.. So, so good. 

Breakfast fit for a king (and queen)

Also- this frittata (made in a 10'' pan) made enough for me and my husband for a week! Yum! Not to mention- who isn't jazzed when they fit vegetables into their breakfast? 

Disclaimer: Please ignore that my foot is in the photo and that the photo is clearly cock-eyed, I was in a gigantic rush to eat it!! 

Summer Family Favorites

Garden vegetables are finally starting to ripen and my CSA boxes are bursting with summer deliciousness!  I was so stoked to get 4 ears of corn and some banana peppers in my box last week- summer staples from my childhood.  Back when I was younger, my family used to live for farm stands and tomatoes fresh from the garden.  My mom used to grow mainly cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, and banana peppers, but I think now that my brother and I have moved out, she just sticks to tomatoes.  

I was feeling rather nostalgic today and craving something home style for dinner.  I didn't want anything elaborate, but I did want something familiar.  I think my dinner selection sums up pretty well what my family would eat every night July-August.

And ya know? We never, ever wanted anything else. 

Hot dog with banana peppers, corn on the cob, tomato salad, and cottage cheese. 

Followed by Grandma B's signature dish: green beans and potatoes with bacon, cooked in the pressure cooker. 

I have so many fond memories of eating dinner at my grandparent's house and having this dish.  I can remember it like it was yesterday, everyone sitting around her round wooden table and digging into fresh tomato salad, spooning out steaming green beans and potatoes, dolloping out cottage cheese, passing the bread and butter.  The kitchen is rather small, so whomever was sitting near the fridge could literately reach behind them, open the door, and grab some pop from the fridge without even getting up!  Not only was the food amazing but it was also so fun to share stories and laugh with my family.

The main point is, everything was so fresh, simple, and delicious and so, so comforting.  I could literately eat this exact meal every night for the rest of my life. 

My grandma is such a fantastic cook, her dishes are famous in the family and often requested at holiday get together's.  One time I tried to sit her down and get the recipes in writing only to find out she doesn't measure anything and just throws in "a handful of this, a dollop of that". Oye!  My mother is slowly mastering many of her dishes through trial and error, her oyster dressing, macaroni salad, potato salad.  Oh and my mom also brings some amazing summer dishes to the table!  I crave her fried zucchini this time of year, and her cucumbers and onions are so refreshing and can go on just about anything.  

So, so good. 

I think I'm going to fully embrace the fruits of summer by making and enjoying my family favorites more often- I think I'm hanging up my spatula for the summer so I can just nosh on fresh vegetables.

Family summer must-haves:

Tomato salad

Corn on the Cob

Cottage Cheese

Hot dogs with banana peppers

Green beans & potatoes with bacon 

Fried Zucchini 

Mom's Cucumbers and Onions

Now I'm super curious to know, what is everyone else eating this summer? 

FYI.....

This shiz... is amazing....

You better pray your local Trader Joe's has this.. because it's the bomb..

It's literately the best non-dairy ice cream I have ever stumbled across and I will be indulging in this whenever I get the chance. 

Another Day at the Strip

Hello my lovelies.. sorry for going on a hiatus for a bit.  For some reason I was really dragging my knuckles last week and could barely muster the energy to put dinner on the table, let alone blog about it.  Luckily, nothing interesting was missed food-wise...  Something exciting however was that my brother and sister-in-law came to visit Friday-Sunday.  It's been so long since I've been able to see them and it was so nice to spend time with them. 

On Friday, we ate takeout from Curry Away (I ordered Vegetable Pad Kee Mao.. soooo good...) and went to see Mike's improv show at Steel City Improv.  Afterwards we went to a really fun bar called James Street Gastropub and Speakeasy.  I really dug the bar, it was very speakeasy-esque, there was jazz music, jazz musician's photos on the wall, old-fashioned cocktails, and just had a really fun vibe going on.  The beer list was amazing too!  We were still full from dinner so we just ordered an appetizer of cajun fried oysters.  I am obsessed with cajun fried oysters, but unfortunately these weren't very good... Too, too salty.

On Saturday, I woke up and made a decent brunch of coffee, toast, and a frittata that consisted of items I had available in my fridge.  I was a bad, bad hostess and didn't have time to go grocery shopping- I didn't even have conditioner in the shower!! D'oh!! 

The frittata included:  Eggs, mozzarella cheese, turkey sausage, spinach, onion, and soy cream.  Like I said, I was really.. really low on ingredients.. 

After brunch, we headed down to the Strip District and had an amazing time.  It's so fun taking new people to the Strip and watching them have fun and enjoy themselves.  It really is a sight to see! My sister-in-law Tricia is a major foodie like me, so she was in seventh heaven!  Actually Brian (my brother) is a pretty big foodie too so they both loved it. And while not in the foodie club, Mike loves showing newcomers Pittsburgh, so he enjoyed showing them Mancini's Bakery, Wholey's, and Penn Mac. 

I have to say Penn Mac is my favorite place in the Strip (well, that and the public market). 

We also stopped at Penzey's for some spices- I scored some hot curry and some schmancy cocoa powder... 

T bought their hot chocolate mix, some Zatar seasoning, Aleppo pepper mix, and my personal favorite, Sunny Paris blend.  If you are ever at Penzey's you have to buy the Sunny Paris or I won't be your friend any longer. 

I mean it... 

We also picked up some Mancini's bread, vinegar from Olio Fresca, and olive oil from Penn Mac.. 

Some veggies!! (and some pepperoni for T) 

A little antipasta... The olives were a-ma-zing!

For dinner we had grilled seafood (the rest of the family also had steak) 

And for a side, we had this gorgeous, gorgeous heirloom tomato salad... So incredibly good... 

Oh.. and for dessert... 

Some Peace Love & Little Donuts 

Mom's Cucumbers & Onions

Now, my mom's a little bit leery about some of my vegan concoctions.  She still loves to call my seitan "satan." Well, little did she know one of her favorite summer dishes is already veggi-fied. Thanks for the recipe mom! 

Mom's Pickled Cucumbers and Onions
6 c. thinly sliced cucumbers
2 onions, sliced thin
1 3/4 c. sugar
1 c. cider vinegar
2 Tbsp salt
1 tsp celery seed (optional)

1. Layer cucumbers and onion in container
2. In a separate bowl, mix together sugar, vinegar, and salt
3. Pour liquid over cucumbers and onions
4. Let soak at least 24hrs before serving

Seriously, it's not summer at my house until we've made a big batch of these.... 

The Most Amazing "Chicken" Fingers Ever

Blargh, Mondays come way too soon and this one was particularly harsh.  I feel like I could sleep for another two days straight and I'd be happy.  For some reason, today I was a little mopey and craving some comfort food like nothing else when I got home from work.  I needed some fried chicken finger-esque food- pronto.  I didn't have any ready-made "chicken" nuggets handy, so I had to use my imagination and a little elbow grease.  And if I do say so myself, wow did I do a good job!! 

I know they don't look outstanding in this photo due to my poor photography skills, but they were so juicy and tender - I couldn't even believe it!  Drizzled with "honey mustard" (hint: yellow mustard + agave nectar),  these things really hit the spot. 

Also in photo: Lipton taco rice, Romano beans with sauteed garlic, and my mom's cucumbers & onions recipe. 

And because I'm nice, I'll share: 

Veg-tastic Fried Chicken 

1/2 c boiling water

1/2  vegan chicken bouillon cube (I used Edward & Sons) 

1/2 c TVP (textured vegetable protein)

1/2 c pancake mix, dry (I used Pamela's baking and pancake mix) 

1/2 tsp garlic powder (or to taste)

1 tsp nutritional yeast (or to taste)

2 Tbsp vital wheat gluten 

1/3 c bread crumbs 

1 tsp olive oil 

olive oil for pan 

1. Place vegan bouillon cube in glass measuring cup and add boiling water, stir until bouillon is completely dissolved.  Add TVP to broth, stir to combine and ensure all kernels are wet.  Cover with plastic wrap and soak for 10 minutes. 

2. Pour bread crumbs onto a plate or shallow bowl and set aside (we'll use this for breading the chicken strips later). 

3. Add pancake mix, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, and vital wheat gluten to the TVP and mix well.  Drizzle in olive oil and work through dough (I used my hands).  Coat your hands in olive oil to prevent dough from sticking to you! Dough should be sticky and want to clump together easily, add more wheat gluten if it's too runny or more water if it's dry and crumbly. 

3. Form dough into desired shape such as patties or thick strips, make sure you squeeze the dough firmly to remove any holes or air and prevent cracking during cooking.  Roll in bread crumbs to coat completely. 

4. Add a drizzle of olive oil to your liking to a 10 inch pan and let it heat up for 2 minutes. Add chicken fingers.  Saute until golden brown on all sides, drizzle in more olive oil as needed to prevent sticking and to get that delicious golden color. 

5. Prepare to be amazed. 

Serve with ketchup or honey mustard 

Yield: around 6 chicken strips 

Yay for leftovers, there were enough chicken fingers left to take for lunch tomorrow!!