Curry Power

Curry? Um, yes. I really can't ever say no to some tasty-ass curry, and you shouldn't either. 

Don't know what to make for dinner? Have veg that's about to go soft? Tired of the same old shit food? Time to make a fucking curry. You can add almost anything to curry in terms of veggies and spices. This recipe turned out to be one of my favorites and all I did was throw some random stuff together. 

Makes enough for 2 large dinner portions with some tasty jasmine rice.

What you need:

-2 cups cooked chickpeas (1 drained can)

-3 tomatoes roughly chopped

-1 large carrot cut into small dice

-1/2 red onion, cut into small slices or diced

-2 cloves garlic, minced

-1.5 cups raw cashews

-1 cup frozen peas

-1 TB  coconut oil

-2 TB favorite curry power - I'm too lazy to concoct my own

-1/4 to 1/2 tsp sumac (optional but recommended)

-salt and pepper

-fresh coriander/cilantro

-cooked rice

What you do:

1. Cook rice and set side in to keep warm until plating.

2. Heat your oil over medium high heat until shimmering. Add the carrots and cook 3-4 minutes. Add onions, and cook until transparent, about 6 minutes. Now stir in the minced garlic. Once the garlic becomes fragrant, turn heat down to medium.

3. Add the tomatoes to the pan, along with the spices. I covered my pan for about 10 minutes as the tomato cooked down. Once the tomatoes get soft, remove the lid.

4. Add the cashews and peas, and cook another 5-7 minutes as some of the liquid cooks off and the curry tightens up a bit. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed to fit your own twisted tastes.

5. Serve over the yummy rice and top with some fresh cilantro/coriander. 

Crockpot Lentil Bolognese

Alright, so here's the deal, dudes: we got 17 inches of snow last night, so I had a work snow day today. Fuck yeah! What did I do? Cooked the shit outta some food. Waffles for breakfast. Leftover curried lentil soup for lunch. And this spectacular dish for dinner. It was an experiment for sure. I never even thought about making pasta sauce in a crockpot before. What the hell is wrong with me?

I've not made homemade pasta sauce in so long, and I thought I would give it a shot in my crockpot. I had to get creative with my ingredients since I (literally) can't leave the house. There are nearly 2 feet of snow in the street so there's no way in hell I can go to the store! Soooooo, I improvised with a few things, like using lentils instead of tvp, english muffins for garlic toast, and I had no mushrooms (insert sad face). I worried it wouldn't turn out, but WOW. This is some of the best sauce I've ever had. And the lentils are insanely filling. I rocked this shit out.

I have a 5 or 6 quart crockpot, and set it to HIGH for this sauce. It took me about 4 hours to get it cooked down to where I wanted it to be. Your crock may take longer or less time.
This easily makes enough for 4 large servings over pasta.

What I used:

• 1- 28oz can crushed tomatoes 
• 2 cups veg broth or water
• 1-2 TBs Italian spice blend (mix of basil, parsley, oregano, and marjoram or something similar)
• 1/2 cup matchstick carrots, minced
• 1/2 diced bell pepper
• 1 1/2 cups diced onion
• 1 TB oil of your choice
• 4 cloves garlic, mined
• 1 cup dried lentils
• lots of pepper
• salt to taste
• dash of red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp garlic powder (gimme a break...I love garlic) 
• 1/2 cup almond milk (takes out the metalic bitterness of the canned tomatoes)

What I did:

1. Set the crock pot to HIGH. Add the tomatoes.
2. In a skillet, heat the oil. Once hot, add the onions and carrots. After the onions turn translucent, add the garlic and cook another 4 minutes. Add the veg to the crockpot. 
3. Add the broth, lentils, and spices and stir well. Cover with lid and cook for about 4 hours. Just be sure to stir it about once an hour. Just before the sauce reaches the 4 hour mark, I stirred in the almond milk and cooked about 15 minutes longer. It kills that metallic taste of canned tomatoes. Depending on how thick you like the sauce, you may need to add a bit more broth. I like it thick, so I didn't add any extra.  

ENJOY!

Potato Chickpea Curry with Ginger

 

Potato Chickpea Curry with Ginger. Need I say more? Nope. Just make it already. It's delicious and inspired by a pal's IG feed. So, yeah, nothing to see here. Move  along to the recipe.

Serves 3-4 when accompanied by naan or rice

What I used:

• 3 medium-sized red potatoes
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 TB grapeseed oil
• 1 1/2 tsp Earth Balance
• 4 oz white mushrooms
• 1 medium red onion, sliced into half-moons
• 3/4 tsp ginger paste
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 TB Shan chana chaat powder
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup rice milk just to keep it from drying out.

What I did:

1. To speed up the cooking, (at the suggestion of a friend) I microwaved the potatoes for about 4 minutes, then diced them. This saved SO MUCH TIME. Be careful, they're fucking hot. /disclaimer.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add in the onion and some salt, and cook until softened. Add in the diced potatoes, garlic, Earth Balance, chickpeas, and chana chaat powder. Stir well and often for about 5 minutes, then add in the milk and the shrooms and stir again. Cook another 5 minutes.
3. Add in the ginger paste. Mix well, then check your salt and pepper levels. Adjust and serve that shit up with some naan, or rice, or both.
4. See? Easy peasy. Eat, eat, you're skin and bones.

Creamy Curry with Tofu

If you read my last post, you know that my pal, Nicole (of Nicole Eats) is completely kickass and my recent cooking inspiration. She has been on a mission lately to help me find a recipe for tofu that will make me actually LIKE tofu. Okay, okay, I am a sucker for a really good scramble. But, I mean tofu as a dish. So, while we were chatting last night I saw a recipe for curried tofu somewhere. It stuck in my brain, so I decided that I needed to make some tofu today...and make it curried. This is not the recipe I found online...or anywhere. This came from my head, and I'm pretty stoked about that. So, I (of course) texted Nicole today to ask if it would work or be any good. I got her approval, and heated up my cast iron skillet.

Making tofu is all fine and good, but what else was this chickpea to make for dinner? Well, I do have a killer rice cooker, so I started some rice. What else? Well, I dug around in the pantry and fridge and scrounged up some awesome. I made a mellow, creamy curry to go with the tofu (which was fucking awesome, by the way), and chowed down.

For the tofu: 

• 1/4 block of pressed tofu, cut into small cubes (or whatever size gets your motor going)
• 1 TB cornstarch
• 1 TB of your favorite curry powder (I've been gifted some Shan brand and it is AWESOME)
• pinch salt
• 1TB oil for pan-frying

1.  Heat the oil in a skillet until shimmering. I had mine over a medium-high heat.
2. Throw the cornstarch, curry powder, and salt into a bowl and mix well with a fork. 
3. Toss in the tofu and shake it around until all the sides of the tofu are covered in starch and spice.

4. Now, carefully pour the tofu into the skillet and make into a single layer if possible. Stir every few minutes, until the sides are a bit crispy and cooked to your liking. 

For the Curry:

• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 cups cauliflower florets
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into small dice
• 1 small tomato, diced
• 1/4 of a large red onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, tiny dice
• 1TB or more of your fave curry powder
• 1/2 can chickpeas
• 1/2 can of LITE coconut milk
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 TB cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water until the starch is dissolved

1. In a skillet with a lid, heat the broth with the curry powder and coriander mixed in. I turned my burner to Med-High for this. 
2. Once it's hot, add in the cauliflower, carrot, onion, tomato and garlic. Cook, covered, stirring every few minutes, until the veg is a bit crisp. I think mine took 8 minutes. 
3. Add in the chickpeas, coconut milk, and cornstarch slurry. Keep the lid off, and stir often so the coconut milk doesn't burn to the skillet. Cook until the sauce has thickened to your preference. Mine took about 6 minutes.

Almost there. Just another minute or 2.

So, there you have it. I officially like ONE tofu. And, I am getting back into my kitchen. Thank you, Nicole! You're my foodie BFF. xoxo meg

Spaghetti and Balls

I've been so busy lately that the blog has been neglected. I do apologize for that. Things are calming down again and I should be able to start cooking more. As an act of good faith, I have decided to share my latest attempt at pasta sauce with you. It is quite yummy. And garlicky. And goes perfectly with The Sexy Vegan's Balls (pictured above). The balls are nutty and moist....all the things a ball should be. Haha. But, really, they are quite delicious. The recipe is not mine to share and can be found in his cookbook.

I had an abundance of tomatoes that were on the verge of going to veggie heaven, so I decided to attempt another marinara sauce. I never remember what all I put in it the last time I made it, so it always turns out differently. This one turned out even more different because my sweet basil died and the only fresh basil I had was Thai basil (it has a slight licorice flavor). It turned out much better than I had anticipated. In fact, we scarfed all the sauce up in one fell swoop. No leftovers made for a sad chickpea the next day.

Serves 2-3 people

• 6-ish tomatoes (I had 3 large romas, 1 regular, and 2 medium-size orange ones)
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 TB olive oil (I started with 2 and kept adding it as needed)
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• a palmful of fresh basil leaves, maybe about 1/4 cup, then minced
•  2 TB fresh parsley, minced
• Parmela vegan parmesan substitute, at least a couple TB
•  1/4-1/2 tsp dried oregano, depending on your tastes. I used 1/4 as I don't particularly love it.
• salt and pepper
• 1 TB sugar
• 1/4 cup almond milk (sounds weird, but helped in combatting the acidity of the tomatoes)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Add the tomatoes to an oven-safe dish and lightly coat with a little olive oil. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and roast for about an hour. Once they are soft and getting some browned spots, go ahead and remove from the oven. Let them cool down a bit before handling them. 
2. In a skillet, heat 1-2 TB olive oil over medium heat. Once it is hot, add the onion and cook until softened. Then add in the garlic and cook until it becomes fragrant and is soft. Turn down the heat to low. 
3. Take your tomatoes, a smidge of olive oil, the fresh herbs, sugar and milk and blend it up in your food processor until it is to your liking in terms of chunkiness. Now add this to the skillet and let cook together for at least 10 minutes. I added in the vegan parm and let it cook another 4-5 minutes. Adjust your seasonings and you're done.

Pan-Seared Brussels Sprouts with Garlic and Walnuts

Ladies and gents! It's that time of year again. I can finally find brussels sprouts in my market again. I rejoice every single time summer hits and I can find fresh sprouts. I absolutely LOATHE the frozen sprouts you can buy at the grocery store. In general, I don't use frozen veggies except peas and sometimes corn. All the others taste like they've been frozen, and I just can't roll with it.

So, today, the fella went to visit his family for a bit, and I was left in solitude to read books and snuggle my pup. You see, she just had to have dental work done (as many aging chihuahuas must do), and she's feeling a bit mopey, thus she needed her mama to spoil and snuggle her all afternoon. When dinner time came around, I wasn't feeling like making a huge or elaborate meal as I sometimes feel the need to do on my days off. I popped open my fridge and instantly zeroed in on the sprouts. They were calling my name. I couldn't refuse the buggers. I'm an addict. I just needed one more hit of sprouts. Judge me if you must.

In the past, I've always roasted my sprouts in the oven, but I was feeling a smidge creative and decided to try pan-searing them in my cast iron skillet. Jackpot! You still get the crispy, caramelized bits, but you cook the brussel sprouts quicker. You can't beat that. This was my dinner. A plate of brussels with garlic and walnuts and a side of fresh tomato with olive oil and Thai basil. I have a happy tummy.

Here's what I did:

1. While trimming my sprouts, I heated a cast iron skillet over medium heat. After heating it for about 5 minutes, I added about 1 tsp of olive oil. Once the oil is shimmering, carefully add the brussels (about 1/2 lb. with the end trimmed and top layers of leaves removed). Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. I added a little kosher salt here.
2. Once the carmelization starts on the sprouts, add in about 1/4 cup chopped walnuts. Stir and cook about 2 minutes. 
3. Now add in 1 minced garlic clove. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. The end.

Vegan Curry Empanadas

I had a brain explosion a few days ago and decided that I needed to attempt something mind-bendingly tasty. This is the result. Handheld curried goodness. I baked mine because I hate frying and at least pretended that it was healthier. Then I remembered how much fat is in the empanada dough. Oh well, dears, you should make this anyway! It tastes like heaven in a pie-like crust. Make this shit already.

Makes at least 6 empandas depending on the size and how full you fill them. I made 6 that were cut about 6 inches in diameter before folding. The dough makes enough for several more, but I stopped at 6.

Empanada dough:

• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 cup fat (I used 5 TB shortening and 3 TB vegan butter)
• 1/3 tsp baking powder
• 1 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 cup ice water

1. Combine all ingredients except the water in your food processor and pulse until it looks like pebbles. Then add the water 1/4 cup at a time, pulsing until the dough just holds together. It took me 3/4 cup, but your flour may be drier and need just a smidge more. 
2. Once you get to that point, I gently smooshed the dough together and cut it into 2 balls.Touch it as little as possible. Flatten and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. Flour your counter and roll each ball out to 1/4 inch thickness. I used a 6-7 inch diameter bowl, flipped it upside-down and cut around it with a knife. 
4. Fill them up, then seal the edges by pushing the edge together like this:
Press the edges together Then fold it over like so:
5. I lined my baking sheet with a piece of parchment and sprinkled it with a little flour for good measure. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F while you're assembling the empanadas. I melted a tiny bit of vegan butter with a dash of curry powder and brushed it on each of the empanadas before baking. Cook about 20 minutes in the middle of the oven, then turn on the broiler for about 3 minutes to brown up the top a bit. The end result should look something like this:

I know you need to know what I did to make the filling, so here it goes!


Okay. So, you need some stuff.

Filling:

• 3 small red potatoes, diced quite small
• 1 cup of cauliflower florets, cut about the same size as the taters
• 2 large white mushrooms, chopped small
• 3/4 cup frozen peas
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup red onion, finely diced
• about 6 ounces faux ground beef (I used LightLife Smart Ground Original)
• curry powder
• turmeric
• coriander
• salt and pepper
• 2 TB soy sauce 
• 1-2 TB oil or vegan butter

What you should do with it all:

1. Boil some water. Add the potatoes and cauliflower until fork-tender. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat a nonstick skillet with the butter/oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the vegan beef, onions, and garlic. Cook for about 4 minutes, then add the cauliflower, peas, mushrooms and potatoes, and the rest of the spices and soy sauce. Add the spices until you're satisfied with the flavor. I think I cooked mine about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool while you roll out your empanada dough. It should look like this: 

Okay. So, these are pretty time consuming. I'll give you that. But, they are SOOO worth the effort.

                       

Asparagus Alfredo Pizza

Yeah, so I'm not good at shredding my own Daiya Jack from the block. Tastes stellar, though!

I absolutely cannot take any claim to coming up with this genius concoction. I stole it from my pal and food soulmate, Veggpanda. She gets the credit all the way. I will, however, take full credit for pestering her until she posted it on her blog. You can thank me anytime.

You might think, "But, Chickpea, I cannot fathom asparagus on a pizza." To which I will reply that I didn't either. What intrigued me even more is the use of lemon on a pizza. But, my fellow vegan piggies, it worked like peanut butter and jelly. I ate the whole damn pizza. Oops! I did make a few small changes from the original recipe. Those changes consist primarily of using more garlic, adding some finely chopped red onion and using my homemade herbed pizza crust. Oh, and then slathering a little garlic butter onto the crust once it came out of the oven. It might not be healthy, but damn it tastes fucking killer. For Veggpanda's original recipe, click here. The homemade pizza crust makes two 8-inch pizza crusts or one rather large one. The sauce recipe below is ample for the 2 smaller-sized pizzas.

I made the alfredo sauce while I was waiting for the pizza dough to rise for about 30 minutes.

Sauce Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup vegan cream (I used MimicCreme I found online at VeganEssentials.com)
• 3TB vegan buttah
• 2 TB nutritional yeast
• 2 1/2 TB all-purpose flour
• 2-4 TB vegan parmesan (I used Parmela, which uses cashews and almonds)
• 2 huge cloves of garlic, minced.
• salt and pepper to your liking

Making the sauce:

1.  Heat a small saucepan over med-low heat. Once hot, add the butter and the garlic. Cook about  5-8 minutes letting the oils from the garlic warm and spread into the butter. 
2. Now turn your heat to medium and add in the cream, whisking to combine the butter and the cream. Let it cook a few minutes this way, then whisk in the flour, nutritional yeast and parmesan until there are no lumps.
3. Whisk regularly making sure to scrape the bottom or else the flour may burn to the bottom of the pan. I cooked mine until it came to a very gentle boil, and then removed it from the heat. It thickened up a bit more after coming off of the heat. Now set it aside while your pizza dough finishes rising. 

Pizza Ingredients:

• dough (homemade is my favorite, but you do your own thing)
• Daiya jack cheese, shredded from the block
• asparagus, which I marinated for 30 minutes in fresh lemon juice and a smidge of olive oil.
• onions 
• alfredo sauce

Pizza, or dough with cheese and sauce and possibly other ingredients

1.  Preheat your oven to about 420 degrees F.
2. Lightly flour your baking sheet (or use parchment paper as my pizza rarely sticks to it)
3. Slather on lots of alfredo sauce.

4. Sprinkle with the cheese and onions. 
5. Top with the asparagus spears. 

6. Squeeze a tiny bit more lemon juice onto the asparagus.
7. Bake until you can't wait any longer. The crusts should be golden and the cheese fully melted. 
8. Top with a little melted butter mixed with some garlic salt. Brush onto the crust.
9. PIG OUT!

Creamy, Cheesy Potato Soup

I've been super mega hesitant to try making a creamy vegan potato soup. I assumed it wouldn't quite compare to the fat-laden dairy version I grew up on and I didn't want to be a disappointed chickpea. Really, who does? I hadn't even thought about potato soup in ages, but I got home from my dream job and was faced with a box of organic produce that was delivered earlier in the day. Because I am ridiculously lazy (on occasion) I never feel like putting all of it away, so I ended up digging through and taking stock of the veg to try and come up with some random dish. The main things I saw were russet taters, yellow onion, celery, and garlic. I knew it was fate. Today was the day I would finally conquer my fear! I WOULD MAKE CREAMY CHEESY VEGAN POTATO SOUP! Yes, capslock was necessary. This is a big fucking deal.

I won't lie and say there is any specific recipe. I was cooking multiple things at once (sauteed zucchini with onion and mushroom), so I wasn't paying very close attention to the exact proportions. However, I do think I'm pretty close. You should just play it by ear and figure out your preferred formula. My version easily serves 4 as a main dish.

What I used (I think):

• 2 large and 1 small russet potatoes, peeled and cut into a small dice
• about 1 cup diced yellow onion
• 1/3 cup celery, diced small
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp olive oil 
• 3 TB vegan buttah
• scant 1/4  cup flour 
• 1/4-1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 cup veg broth
• 3-4 cups unsweetened (or very lightly sweetened) almond milk
• 1/4 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/3-1/2 cup Daiya cheddar
• salt and pepper

What I did:

1. Boil a pot of salted water. Add the potatoes and cook until fork-tender. Drain and set aside. 
2. In a dutch oven or stock pot, heat the olive oil and saute the onion and celery. Once, softened, add the garlic and cook another minute or so. 
3. Add the butter and the flour and turn into a thick paste by stirring it all together.
4. Add the potatoes, the broth, yeast and enough milk to just cover the potatoes. Then add in the spices. Mix it really well and bring up to a light boil.
5. Stir every few minutes as the soup thickens. I actually started using a whisk near the end to keep the milk from burning to the bottom. The soup probably took 25 minutes once in the pot. But, like I said, I was distracted. In the last 10 minutes or so, I used my immersion blender and pureed about 1/3 of the soup to thicken it up a bit.You can also do it by running a bit through your blender or processor...optional, not necessary. 
6. Once the soup is thickened to your liking, lower the heat and add in the Daiya cheese. I used a whisk to keep stirring mine until the cheese was all melted.

Cheesy Vegan Southwestern Hashbrowns

I am, and will always be, a fan of hashbrowns. This dish is no exception. Dudes, it was awesome. A little spicy, and packed with tastiness. Don't like hashbrowns? We can't be friends anymore. Sorry. I just can't comprehend someone disliking potatoes. It goes against everything I stand for! So, suck it up and tuck into a tasty southwestern breffast. Do it.

Makes enough for 2 as a main.

What I used:

• 1 1/2 cups uncooked potato hashbrowns
• 1/2 cup black beans
• 1/2 cup corn
• 1/4 cup red onion
• 1/4 bell pepper
• 2/3 cup chunky salsa
• 1 tsp taco seasoning (I make my own blend)
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 TB oil
• 1/4 cup Daiya cheddar (I know the pepperjack would be even better)
• salt and pepper

What I did:

1. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the oil. Saute the onion, pepper and garlic for a few minutes. 
2. When your onions are almost translucent, add the potatoes.  You may need to add a little more oil to keep it from sticking to the pan. Cook, stirring regularly for about 8 minutes. Add in the beans, corn, seasoning and salsa. Mix well. Cook another 4-5 minutes, or until the potatoes start browning.
3. Remove from heat and fold in the cheese. Chow down.

Chickpeas, Veggies and Dumplings

Comfort food? Hell yes. I was skimming around the internet a few days ago and stumbled on Mama Pea's recipe for Chickpeas and Dumplings. Chickpeas...dumplings...you can't possibly go wrong. I looked through my pantry and fridge and decided that I wanted something similar. So, I started with Mama Pea's recipe and then altered it to my tastes and what I had here already. It was great fresh from the skillet, but it was even better as leftovers for lunch the following day. I took a shortcut when I made mine. I used Bisquick (mixed with almond milk) to make drop biscuits that I cooked in the skillet with the veggies and chickpeas. It was perfect!

Serves 4

What I used:

• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into a small dice
• 1 Idaho potato, peeled and cut into a small dice
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 can, drained and rinsed)
• 3/4 cup frozen peas
• 3 cups veg broth
• 1 TB oil of your choice (I used coconut oil)
• 1 tsp curry powder
• pinch oregano
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• pinch red pepper flake
• 1 TB cornstarch
• salt and pepper
• for the dumplings:
• 1 1/4 cups bisquick mix (approx)
• 1/3 cup almond milk, give or take, until the dough is held together and no dry bits remain
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt

What I did:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Be sure you use a skillet that has a lid. This helps steam your dumplings once you add them to the skillet. So, anyway, heat the oil. Then add the onion, potato and carrot. Cook, stirring regularly, for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Add in the broth and use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrap up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Go ahead and add in the spices, the peas and the chickpeas. Bring to a light boil, then, in a small bowl mix the cornstarch and a ladle of broth to the bowl. Mix vigorously with a fork until the cornstarch is dissolved. Then add it back to the skillet. Whisk it well, then lower heat to med-low and simmer the liquid down a bit. I think I let mine cook about 10 minutes this way. 
3. Then mix your bisquick mix together in a bowl. Use a fork or spoon to drop blobs of the dough into the veggies and broth. Cover with a lid and cook about 15 minutes. This will steam your dumplings to awesomeness. DONE! Pig out. You know you wanna. 

French Lentil Soup

I have heard nothing but good things about French Lentils, so I was mega stoked when I found some at a local health food store. Then, they sat on my counter for 3 weeks before I finally felt motivated to use them. Yes, I am a fickle chickpea. It's what I do. I make all sorts of plans to cook things, then I change my mind. I'm sure you understand. No? Bugger. Well, whatever. The lentils are quite delectable and they seem to cook quickly. I do recommend giving them a shot. If you don't have them, just use the basic lentil you find at the grocery store. They're kind of greenish-brownish. They'll work just fine, I'm sure.

I decided to make this stew with the random things I found in my fridge because I had zero desire to head out in the cold and buy more food. In addition to being fickle, I am also sometimes rather lazy. And I am okay with that. Anyway, the soup turned out way better than I had imagined. The use of smoked paprika adds a warmth that I found quite tasty. I seem to be slightly addicted to adding it to my dishes lately. Enough talk. Let's get cookin!

This recipe makes about 6-8 bowls of soup.

What I used:

• 14oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 3-4 cups veggie broth (I'd start with 3 1/2 cups and add more if necessary later on)
• 1 1/4 cups dried French Lentils, picked through and rinsed
• 2 large carrots cut into 1/4 inch thick coins
• 1 large russett potato, diced small I peeled mine but you don't have to
• About 2 cups of kale, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2-3 TB olive oil
• 1 TB sugar to help take the tinny taste from the canned crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp all-purpose seasoning (I use Simply Organics brand)
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp onion powder/granulated onion
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• a small pinch of cumin
• lots of pepper
• 1/8 - 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• salt

What I did:

1. Heat a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the oil. Once hot, add the onion, carrots, potato and the garlic. Stir occasionally to keep anything from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
2. Once the onion is translucent, add in all the other ingredients and stir very well. I increased the heat to bring the soup to a boil for a few minutes, then put the lid on the pot and then turned the heat back down to medium-low. I stirred it every 10-15 minutes, for about 40 minutes.
3. Then, I removed the lid and let the liquid cook down a little bit further to make it more like a stew. I think that took about 10-15 minutes. But, you can leave it more liquidy...whatever floats your veggie boat. 

I very highly recommend serving this with some garlic bread. Not sure why, but it tasted amazing together. And, really, I eat garlic bread every chance I get.

Tempeh Joes

I will warn you up front, I don't love sloppy joes. Never have and likely never will. But, my fella made a request for sloppy joes made with tempeh. Since he almost never makes such requests, I was happy to oblige. I cheaped out and used a can of sauce because I was in a rush, but I did make some little changes. And, I made some homemade buns, which were super yummy. Here's the link to the recipe I use (skipping the "wash" and instead brushing on some melted vegan butter after baking to keep the tops soft). As much as I don't generally enjoy joes, I do plan to try some lentil joes because I'm determined to find some kind of joes that I might possibly enjoy. The fella LOVED these tempeh joes a LOT...and he considers himself to be a Joe Aficionado of sorts. 

I used 1 1/2 blocks of tempeh. I cute it into cubes and steamed it about 8 minutes to take a little of the bitterness out of the tempeh. Then, I ran it through my food processor to cut it into little pieces. I minced 2 cloves garlic, diced 1/2 cup onion and 1/3 cup green bell pepper. I added those veggies into a skillet with a little oil and sauteed until the onions were transparent. After that, I added the tempeh to the skillet along with the can of sauce. Then I mixed in some garlic powder, onion powder, a pinch of cumin, some chili powder and a bit of sugar to mellow the tang of the sauce. Mix it all up and simmer for at least 5 minutes to get the flavors all mixed together. Serve with some mustard and tuck in. This should make about 6 large sandwiches.

Veggie Black Bean Burgers of Awesomeness

Dudes, it has been ages since I've made burgers! I've been super seriously craving them bad. A quick scan of my cupboard revealed a can of black beans and, thus, it was decided. I've had a bit of a sketchy history with making the illustrious black bean burger. I crave bean burgers, and *gasp* sometimes I just buy the frozen ones. Come on! You know you do it, too. My biggest difficulty has been making the burgers hold together, especially enough to flip them while baking. Well, my dearest darlings, I finally accomplished this feat of awesomeness. Part of the trick is making sliders (little burgers) and the other is the use of vital wheat gluten and breadcrumbs. The small size of the sliders fit easily on the spatula and they seem to cook throughout without the edges drying out very much.

An a-side: I love flavored mayos. Garlic mayo, cajun mayo, chipotle mayo, etc., so I made some spicy mayo for these burgers and it was mega rad! I mixed my Vegenaise (best vegan mayo by leaps and bounds) with some chili powder, cajun seasoning and smoked paprika. Let it sit aside for at least 5 minutes so the flavors can develop more. You won't be sorry.

I also made my own slider buns! I used someone else's recipe for those, so I can't take any credit. But here is the link to the recipe. The only real changes I made were to skip the "wash" and the sesame seeds. While I love sesame seeds, I do not enjoy them on buns. Then, I just made them into a bunch of smaller buns instead of full-size burger buns. When they were done, I brushed some melted Earth Balance butter on top to keep them soft while the burgers were cooking. Here's the progression:

Just rolled following the first rise in the bowl.

This is after the second rise. Ready for the oven.

Hot buns!! Just need a little brush of butter and they're good to go.

Now, on to the burgers! It made 7 small burgers or about 4 large ones.

What I used:

• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4-1/3 cup finely chopped green pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mushroom (about 4 average white mushrooms)
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 tsp oil of your choice for cooking veggies - I used coconut oil
• 1-2 tsp steak sauce
• 2-3 TB bbq sauce
• about 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
• about 1/4 cup or a bit more vital wheat gluten (also called vital wheat gluten flour)
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp onion powder

What I did:

1. Preheat oven to 420 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat. Even though I used silicone, I still spritzed it with some cooking spray just to be sure the burgers didn't stick.
2. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, green pepper and onion. Stir a few times and cook until the onions are nearly translucent. Add in the garlic, carrots and mushrooms and cook another few minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. 
3. Add your beans and cooked veggies to a food processor and pulse about 10 times, or until you don't see any whole blackbeans left, but don't totally puree the mix. Now, empty the food processor into a large mixing bowl.
4. Mix in the spices, and sauces. Then fold in the bread crumbs and gluten. Let it sit a few minutes to activate the gluten. Now, here's the tricky part. You want to pull off a little bit of the burger mix and roll it into a ball in your hand. Then smoosh it down a bit. If the patty seems to be holding its shape and not instantly turning to mush, you're probably in the clear. Otherwise, add more bread crumbs until it reaches a stable consistency. It won't be super firm or anything, but it should stay together when gently handled. 

5. Okay, well, now make a bunch (or a few patties) about 1/2 inch thick and carefully transfer to the prepped baking sheet. 

6. Bake for about 12 minutes. Spritz the tops with some cooking spray and then gently use a spatula to flip the patties over and cook about 6 more minutes. The edges should be just a bit crispy. 

Do you all have any favorite burger recipes? I'm pretty sure these are my new favorites. They were so awesome. I ate 3. Oink, oink!!

Lentil Shepherd's Pie with Shrooms

It's not especially photogenic, but it tastes like comfort.

With the weather turning colder by the day, I have been wanting craving comfort food like mad. Funny thing, I never had shepherd's pie until I went veg, so it isn't some childhood memory for me, which is what most comfort food is to me. But, anything smothered in mashed potatoes instantly becomes comfort food. And if you have a problem with that, then I'm just going to have to ask you to leave. Now. We don't need your types around here.

When you look at the recipe, it seems like a lot of ingredients, I know. However, if you cook regularly, you probably have most of it on-hand already. About 1/3 of them are spices. See, less daunting already! I do hope, though, that you have the ability to multi-task because it definitely saves you a lot of time on this one. And if you don't, well, bummer for you.

I have found a new spice love. I feel so unfaithful to my constant standbys of garlic powder, coriander, etc. I'm in love with an all-purpose seasoning by Simply Organics. I only bought it because I found a recipe I want to make for Thanksgiving that calls for it. But, I've been trying it in other dishes and I'm completely hooked. I find it irresistible. So, I thought I'd shared the love and recommend it to you guys, too. I think you'll like it. Enough blathering on about spice. On to the recipe, already. Sheesh.

This makes 1 large-ish dish. I got 6 main-dish-sized servings out of mine.

What I used for the mashed potatoes: 

• 5 medium-sized yukon gold potatoes, cubed with skins on (You can use any kind, just peel them before boiling)
• some almond milk
• some Earth Balance
• salt 

What I used for the lentils:

• 1 cup dried lentils
• about 2 1/4 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 tsp Simply Organic All-Purpose Seasoning

What I used for the rest of the dish:

• 1 1/2 TB coconut oil
• 1/2 of a yellow onion, diced
• about 8 ounces of fresh mushrooms, sliced
• about 1 cup finely shredded carrot (I just used 1 massive carrot)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large handfuls of baby spinach, stems removed
• 2 tsp Braggs aminos 
• 2 TB cornstarch
• 1/3 cup vegetable broth (approximate)
• 1 tsp Simply Organic All-Purpose Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp coriander
• lots of pepper and some salt
• about 2/3 cup bread crumbs (I used Italian seasoned ones because that's what I had in my cupboard)

What you need to do:

1. Preheat your oven to about 400 degrees F. Lightly spritz a deep casserole or pie plate with some cooking spray. Shake the bread crumbs into the bottom of the dish to make a light layer covering the whole bottom. You may need more or less depending on your dish size.
2. Put your lentils, their broth and seasoning into a small pot with a lid. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low and simmer (with the lid on) until most of the liquid is dissolved and the lentils are softened to your liking. You do want a little broth left over...maybe 2-3 TB. The cooking time varies with the age of the lentils. Fresher lentils cook faster. Mine took about 15 minutes. Once done, leave the lid on and remove from the heat.
3. While the lentils are cooking, put your potatoes in a large pot, add about 1 TB salt to the pot and cover the potatoes with water. Bring to a boil, then cook for about 10 minutes. Maybe more maybe less depending on how big your taters are cut. You want them to be fork-tender. Then drain. Now, using either an electric hand mixer, of a potato masher, whip in some almond milk, butter and salt. I like mine creamy and buttery, but add however much you want. Once you get them tasting awesome, set aside.
4. I started this while the first 2 steps were still happening. You'll need a large nonstick skillet. Heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook about 5 minutes, until the onions are softened. Now add the garlic and mushrooms. Cook another 4 minutes. Your mushrooms should be cooked perfectly now.
5. In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and the broth until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add that mix, along with the lentils and their broth, the Braggs and the spices to the skillet and mix well. Now add the spinach and mix around a bit. Just cook until the spinach wilts, about 5 minutes. Taste and check for seasoning. Remove from heat.
6. Scoop the lentil mix into the baking dish. 

7. Now, scoop all the potatoes on top and smooth out into an even layer across the top. I then sprinkled mine with salt and pepper.

8. Bake about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are lightly golden. Dig in and enjoy. Or not. Your loss.

Hearty Minestrone Soup

After being on the road and traveling for the last week, I missed cooking. Not only that, I missed eating REAL food. You know, whole foods, not processed garbage. Well, today was the perfect day for cooking- it was cold, windy and rainy...prime soup-making weather. So, that's what I did. And it was super yummy. Why minestrone? Two reasons: first, it is my favorite soup. Second, I had to make up for a terrible soup I ate on vacation.

You see, after my best friend's beach wedding, we went out to eat at a nearby restaurant. I ordered minestrone soup and some salad. The soup was a terrible let-down. It lacked pasta, beans and flavor. What it did have was cabbage and a few pieces of carrot. Boring. And not at all what I'd ever call a minestrone soup. So, I have been obsessing about minestrone ever since. I needed to make my own and erase that terrible experience from my brain. Sure, I've made minestrone before, but this is my new favorite recipe. Here's my other minestrone recipe if you're interested.

This soup is soooo filling! I absolutely love it. It's hearty and flavorful and overall awesome. It makes enough for about 6-8 bowls, depending on your appetite.

What you need:

• 3 medium to large carrots, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 2 large stalks of celery, sliced (I slice mine thinnish)
• 1 small yellow squash, sliced
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 4 cups vegetable stock (I used Imagine brand)
• 15-oz can fire-roasted tomatoes
• 8-oz can tomato sauce
• 16-oz can chickpeas, drained
• 16-oz can light red kidney beans, drained
• 2 cups water
• 2 1/2 TB olive oil
• 1/3 tsp celery seed
• 1/4 tsp celery salt
• 1 1/2 TB dried parsley
• 1/3 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp rubbed sage
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 3/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp tarragon
• 1 TB dried basil
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional, but recommended)
• 2 cups small dry pasta of your choice
• 2-3 cups fresh baby spinach, stems removed
• salt and pepper to your tastes (minestrone isn't minestrone without lots of pepper)

What you do:

1. Heat oil over medium heat in a large pot that has a lid. Mine is an enameled cast iron dutch oven. Once hot, add the carrot, celery, and onion. Add your spices, minus the salt and pepper. Saute for about 4-5 minutes. Then add the garlic and squash. Cook another 4-5 minutes.

2. Add the broth and water and scrape the bottom of the pot to make sure nothing has become stuck. Stir in the chickpeas, beans, tomatoes and tomato sauce. Salt and pepper the soup. Cover with lid and reduce heat to medium-low. Let simmer about 20 minutes. 
3. Stir in the dry pasta and baby spinach. Cover with lid and cook another 20 minutes. By now, the liquid will have reduced somewhat and the pasta will be cooked through. Check for seasoning and serve up with some crusty french bread. Enjoy!!

Spicy Garlic Veggie Stirfry with Cashews - VeganMOFO #3

After a lion of a day at work today, I decided I needed large quantities of veggies. Like, a whole hell of a lot. They always have a way of making me feel super satisfied and cheerful. And, believe me, dudes, I ate a ton of this stirfry over some killer brown rice.

I know, I know, every veg*n starts with stirfry because they're easy. And, while that might be true, I still love me some stirfry. Especially with homemade sauce. Especially especially with lotsa garlic. Especially especially especially with some cashews. Especially especially....well, you get the point. Stirfry has infinite possibilities as far as sauces and veggie combos. I used a boatload of produce, but you can use whatever you have onhand. I planned to add some tempeh to this batch, but I forgot to take it out of the freezer before I went to work. Oops. That's why I added cashews. You caught me. I hereby proclaim that I am not perfect and I do, on occasion, make mistakes.

I have a secret... sometimes, when I'm in a rush, I steam the broccoli and carrots for a few minutes before adding it to the wok, or in my recent life, a large skillet. Sadly, my kitchen cabinets just aren't roomy enough for a full-size wok. Insert frowny face here. So, anyway, I cheat a little bit. But, what I lack in patience for cooking broccoli and carrots, I make up for in the yummy homemade sauce. It's super easy to make and tastes lovely. I add about 2/3 of the sauce to the skillet with the veggies, and add some to the served dishes for some extra spice.

Makes enough for 4-5 as a main dish if served over brown rice.

Sauce: 

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 TB Braggs Aminos
• 1 TB rice vinegar
• 3 TB sesame oil
• 2 TB brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 TB sriracha sauce
• 5 cloves minced garlic

Mix all the ingredients together and let set while you cook the meal. 

Stirfry:

• 2 large carrots, sliced 1/8-1/4 inch thick
• 2 cups fresh broccoli florets
• 2 baby bok choy, chopped
• 1 small can of sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 1 slightly heaped cup of frozen edamame
• 1/4 of a large red onion, sliced thick
• 2 large handfuls of snow peas, ends trimmed
• 2 large handfuls of roasted cashews
• 4-5 large cremini mushrooms, sliced thick

Heat a wok or skillet over medium heat. Add the veggies and cook for a couple minutes. Then add some sauce. Cook until the veggies are softened to your preference. Serve over some brown rice and add a smidge more sauce to your plate. Chow down.

Garlic Knots - VeganMOFO #2

Bread baking phobia? Um, yes. Hell yes. It's probably because I have very little patience, what with all that waiting for dough to rise (often twice), and then baking it, and who knows if the little bugger will come right. So, I'm not really the bread type. But (butt - heehee), I have been coveting a link to a recipe for months and months now and decided that today was the day to finally give it a shot.

The original isn't vegan, but the only things I had to change were to substitute almond milk and use Earth Balance for the butter. Oh, and I added a sprinkle of salt to the tops before baking. The only thing that I didn't like was that the bread didn't brown up like the original shown on ZoomYummy. Maybe the temperature was too low? The directions said to bake at 350, but all other breads I've baked said at least 400 degrees F, most higher. The bottoms browned perfectly, so I was scared to bake them longer. Whatever the case, they turned out incredibly tasty.

Oh, and I was shocked at having a bread recipe that didn't require kneading! And I didn't have to have a special stand mixer with a dough hook. Instead, I used the electric hand-held mixer with dough hooks. It was awesome. 

I do very highly recommend that you slather the garlic butter on before baking the knots, and then again when you're serving them. It makes them extra garlicky and extra tasty. They are definitely better when they're still warm from the oven, but even once they're cold, they still taste great. Your tummy will definitely thank you should you make them. You totally should. I command it. If I can make them, with my huge bread phobia, then you can too.

Here are some photos of the progress:

Pre-rise.

Post-rise.

Rolled by hand into a stick and partially knotted.

Ends tucked into the top and bottom, thus the knot is complete.

After the second rise...lotsa knotsas.

Slathered with EB and fresh minced garlic. Drooling as I type...

NOM NOM NOM!

Tempeh and Roasted Veg Curry

Because I am a farmer's market addict, I went today and got more veggies...and fruit. (Cut me some slack, the fruit season in Michigan is pretty short, so you have to get while the gettin's good.) Then I decided that I really needed to cook something hearty and colorful and spicy for dinner and I had a HUGE craving for tempeh. What's new, right?! What to make, what to make? Curry, of course!

I took a different route with this curry. Normally, I'd pan-cook all the veggies in lots of oil until they were done. This time, I roasted my veggies in the oven first. For me, that meant using a lot less oil than cooking the veg on the stovetop. I also cooked the tempeh separately and then added it all in together near the end of cooking so it would get a little crispy around the edges. The cooking steps look long, but I promise it is really easy to make and well worth the time to make it. This curry goes absolutely perfectly with some brown basmati rice and homemade vegan garlic naan (or pita). Don't be overwhelmed with the ingredient list, half of it consists of spices, so it's not so scary, really.

Rainbow colors in this dish:

Orange: Carrots

Yellow: Summer Squash

Green: Peas, Zucchini

Violet/Purple: Onion

This dish makes enough for 4 as a main dish when served with rice or bread.

Ingredients:

• 1 block tempeh, cubed
• 1/2 small red onion, cut into half-moons
• 1 large zucchini, cut into thick half-moons
• 1 medium summer squash, cut into thick half-moons
• 1 Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 3 large carrots cut into thick 1/2 inch slices
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup almond milk
• 2 TB vegan butter (Earth Balance is my preferred brand)
• 2-3 TB garlic chili sauce (I use this brand Taste of Thai)
• 1 scant TB curry powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/8 tsp celery seed (optional)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
• pinch ginger
• 1 TB liquid aminos (or soy sauce)
• salt and pepper
• cooking spray

 Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 440 degrees F. Spray two baking sheets with the cooking spray. On one sheet, spread out the zucchini and squash and on the other spread out the potatoes and carrots. Lightly spritz the tops with the cooking spray and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Be sure that the veg is in a single layer on each sheet. Bake the potato sheet on the bottom rack and the zucchini sheet up higher. Cook about 15 minutes. Remove both trays from the oven and flip the veggies. Then cook another 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender and the zucchini are cooked through. During the second half of the roasting, start step 2.
2. Spray a large skillet with the cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the pepper flakes, onion, half of the minced garlic. Then add in the tempeh. Stir often. Add in 1 1/2 tsp of the chili garlic sauce,  the paprika, ginger, some salt and pepper, and celery seed. If the tempeh is sticking to the pan, add a little more cooking spray. I cooked mine about 10 minutes, until the tempeh was crisping around the edges. Remove the pan from the burner until the roasted veggies are ready.
3. Now, add the milk and butter to the skillet that has the tempeh. Turn the burner to medium. Add in all the rest of the ingredients, including the roasted veg. Cook about 10 minutes, until the milk/sauce is thickened and mostly absorbed and the peas are nice and hot.

Farmer's Markets and Rainbows

I decided today, as I do at least once a week (usually twice a week), that I needed to hit up the farmer's market and get some goodies. I spent $11.00 on all of this:

The best part of all is that I got 2 new items I've never had before. First are the little yellow tomatoes. I remember seeing them at the grocery store and one of my friends grew some last year, but I never tried them. Second are the apples. Alright, I've had apples before (duh), but I've never heard of the Molly Apple. So, I snagged them. Look at this beauty!

It seems every single year at my FM, I see more and more varieties of produce I've never heard of, which is completely awesome! So many new urban farmers are showing up, along with old timers sharing their heirlooms. I totally dig it. Since becoming a veg head, I have tried more new foods than I ever did as an omni. And, it seems that is pretty common among us herbivores. I know in my own case, I became so much more adventurous with food once I knew I wasn't going to stumble on weird bits of meat and nasty eggs, which have made me ill for most of my life. Now I seem to jump into new foods head first, and I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.

I do try hard to "eat my colors," adding numerous colored foods to each day, and sometimes each meal. A lot of new vegetarians and vegans stick to what they know they like, and I was like that at first. But, the more I read about keeping healthy, the more I started to mix it up. Think of all the veggies and fruits in a market. They are (literally) a rainbow. I know you can't always do it every day, but try to consume a rainbow of fresh produce. Physicians say that it's one of the best ways to be sure that we are getting a full spectrum of vitamins we need to function well. You all know Roy G Biv, right? It's the colors of the rainbow in order of color.

Here are some examples of what I eat a lot of:

RED: Tomatoes, strawberries, red bell peppers, cherries, beets, pomegranate, watermelon, cranberries
ORANGE: Oranges, orange bell peppers, carrots, peaches, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, mango,
                   pumpkin
YELLOW: Pineapple, lemons, peaches, corn, yellow peppers, yellow onion
GREEN: Spinach, broccoli, kiwi, bell pepper, avocados, cabbage, green onion, pears, brussels sprouts,
                bean sprouts, cucumbers, zucchini, limes, peas, okra, lettuce (especially the darker lettuces)
BLUE/INDIGO: Blueberries, black grapes, dark plums, blackberries
VIOLET: Purple potatoes, purple cabbage, red/purple onions, plums, eggplant, grapes, raspberries 

Here's what I got today:

• 3 ears of fresh-picked sweet corn $1.00
• 4 huge Molly Apples $2.00
• 1 heaped pint blueberries $3.00
• 2 lemons $1.00
• 2 garlic heads $1.00
• 1 heaped pint yellow tomatoes $1.00
• 5 big peaches $2.00

 I guess my body was craving some yellows today. I notice when I have a strong craving for something in particular that it's something my body may be missing. I haven't eaten any yellows in close to a week, and look what I ended up buying today!? I really do think that you body will tell you what it needs, most of us need only learn to listen to its pleas. 

What are your favorite colors to eat?