Sloppy Joes

Here is the recipe for my own Sloppy Joes, which I just threw together last night. This is the "meat" I used in my taco salad dinner last night.

Ingredients

1 pkg Boca meatless crumbles
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
4 tsp minced onion
2 tsp vegan worcestershire sauce
1 tsp liquid smoke
2 dashes ground cayenne pepper
3 tbsp tomato sauce

Cook Boca meatless crumbles in pan until brown and no longer frozen. Add vegetable broth, stir. Once liquid is absorbed add remainder of ingredients, tomato sauce last, as you want to other items to soak in first. Add more tomato sauce for a "sloppier" effect; mine was not so sloppy with only 3 tbsp tomato sauce. Use this mix for sloppy joes, chili mac, as a taco salad topper, or whatever you please. This "meat" has a very distinct flavor and is the perfect substitution for ground beef!

Day 16

I know, I was bad and did not eat breakfast on Day 16. My mom already yelled at me for it! I drank 2 cups of coffee with hazelnut coconut creamer (my latest obsession), does that count? Well, I was busy working on my design project and helping fellow classmates with theirs, so I deserve a pass this one time!

DAY 16
Lunch: Amy's Tofu Scramble

I took the easy way out did not prepare my own lunch. And I have to admit this little meal from Amy's was pretty good! Of course, it was not as low-fat as it should have been for being in "the program", but my overall intake for the day was pretty low.

DAY 16
Dinner: Taco Salad

No chips required. Romaine lettuce placed on bottom. I added my own "sloppy joes" mix (see next post for recipe) for some protein and zip! I cut 2 slices of vegan American cheese into strips and placed them on top of the "meat" so they would melt slightly. Then I surrounded the bowl with the last of my homemade salsa for some fresh fruit and veggies. In lieu of sour creme, of which I was never a huge fan anyway, I added a dollop of my homemade sun-dried tomato & cilantro "mayo" to the top. Talk about a fantastic little Mexican meal!

The PCRM kickstart program outlined a handful of days where we could eat out: Mexican, Japanese, or whatever. I never ate out once. I controlled all my food. This whole time I have known exactly what I have been eating, which is wonderful and refreshing. However, it almost makes me apprehensive to go out to run-of-the-mill places. What will I eat? How is it prepared? Questions I will ask constantly. I just wish there were more vegetarian-vegan options in my community. Unfortunately, my middle-class, heavily blue-collared side of town does not partake in healthy living. Makes me want to move in the biggest way. Not just west of my city; west of this hopeless state of Michigan. But guess what? I own a house. Guess I am stuck for a while and will just have to make do with the resources I have for now!

Day 15

DAY 15
Breakfast: Green Goodie Smoothie

A repeat, I know...but ever so yummy!

DAY 15
Lunch: Tofurky and "Cheese" on Hemp Bagel

So, I was heading out to the coffeehouse to do some homework, job searching, blog updating, etc. and needed to take some lunch with me. I bought these ridiculously expensive hemp bagels the other day, and I only say this because they are...but holy crap, they are way cheaper online! Anyway, I had to try them for all the nutritional value they provide:

• 13g fiber
• 19g protein
• 20% Iron
• 10% Calcium
  

I added a couple slices of Tofurky lunch meat, a slice of vegan cheese and spread on a little bit of my own "mayo" for a tasty, high-protein sandwich! Unfortunately, I did not get to eat it at the coffeehouse since my stay was cut short due to server connectivity issues. Seriously, their modem had to be reset 6x while I was trying to update my blog yesterday...not fun times! Needless to say, I finished the blog at home and devoured my super hearty sandwich in the comfort of my own kitchen!

DAY 15
Dinner: Creamy Broccoli Soup and Puree of Roasted Garlic and White Vegetables

I finally killed off the broccoli soup and vegetable puree! Now on to some solids. At least I know what types of food to make if I ever need a liquid diet! ;o)

Days 11, 12, 13, 14...

Have I ever told you it is difficult for me to stay on track with anything I do? I always find something to distract myself with or decide to take an alternate path...I'm afraid it's the blessing and the curse of being Aquarius! But I would not take myself any other way.

So that leads me to my discussion about updating my blog. I have been absent for 4 days. Yeah, I know, I suck. The truth is it is rather boring for me to tell you what I ate, when I ate and how much I ate. All I know is I have been eating healthier than ever and am down 5 pounds in 2 weeks, which is really good for me considering I am not an exercise queen! Truth be told, I have not been strictly following PCRM's diet plan as many of the meals do not interest me and I am trying to use the ingredients I have on hand at the moment. You see, they published the latest batch of recipes the day after I went shopping...and I am not about to go back to the store for onesy-twosy items that are the main focus of a meal. Therefore, I create my own, which is fine since I love to cook and create my own unique dishes.

Alright, enough babble. While my food updates are not super extraordinary, I must publish them, so here goes...

Breakfast: All days (11, 12, 13, 14)
1 cup Cascadian Farms Hearty Morning cereal with Silk soy milk

This is the first time I have tried this cereal and I am so glad I did! It is super tasty and really good for you with something like 8g of fiber in a 3/4 cup serving which is CRAZY! I thought it would taste like twigs and branches and might need some fruit to kill the fiber taste, but I was mistaken...it was a pure delight and has now become my cereal of choice!

DAY 11
Lunch: Sweet Russian Cabbage Soup - you already got the recipe for this one from Day 9!

DAY 11
Snack - Edamame Beans - and lots of 'em!

DAY 11
Dinner - Seasoned Tofu & Veggie Marinara over kale with a whole grain & flax roll

For this meal, I used the leftover ingredients from the Vegetarian Swiss Steak meal the other day, cooked up some diced tofu and threw it all on top of some freshly steamed kale (seasoned with rice vinegar of course). I added a whole grain roll from Alexia which was super hearty and full of healthy goodness!

DAY 12
I made a luscious Fruity Seitan Salad for lunch and would go on to eat it a couple more times over the next couple days. Here is the recipe, and don't forget all "measurements" are estimates since I don't like the metric system:

Fruity Seitan Salad

Ingredients

whole wheat rotini or similar pasta
Seitan (I used 1/2 pouch of Westbrae seitan)
10 oz. pineapple chunks, drained and diced, save pineapple juice
15 oz. sliced peaches, drained and diced
2 tablespoons raisins
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. reduced sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp. curry powder
2 tbsp. orange juice
optional - chopped pecans

Cook pasta according to package directions; rinse with cold water and drain. I did not use a lot of pasta in this dish, so gauge your noodle content once you have prepared all other ingredients. In a small pan, add seitan to 2 tbsp. soy sauce. Once the liquid is absorbed, add 2 tbsp. orange juice and 1/2 tbsp. curry powder. Heat and stir until seitan has absorbed juice and curry powder. This only takes a couple of minutes. Drain pineapple and peaches, dice and place in a large bowl.

Add pasta, seitan and raisins to the fruit mixture. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 tbsp. curry powder and 1/2 cup pineapple juice. Pour over pasta mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Optional: stir in pecans just before serving.

DAY 12
Dinner: Seitan and Sun-Dried Tomato Cilantro "Mayo" with My Fresh 'n Sweet Salsa-Topped Kale

I had a couple chunks of seitan left over after making the Fruity Seitan Salad so I decided to make a meal out of it. I simply warmed the seitan and served it with steamed kale and topped it with the salsa I made the other day. On the side, is a dollop of my Sun-Dried Tomato Cilantro "Mayo" for seitan dipping. I know this is a mish-mash of food, but it was all really good together and I need to use what has already been made before it goes bad, right?!

DAY 13
Lunch: Leftovers - Fruity Seitan Salad

DAY 13
Dinner: OMG I don't remember...something healthy though :)

DAY 13
Snack: Flackers and "Sheryl's Own" Duck Sauce

I found these phenomenal "crackers" on my most recent trip to Whole Foods. These Flackers are rather pricey but WOW! there is nothing like 'em! Check out the specs on these bad boys...they are so good for you. Worth every penny! Bye-bye crackers! And because I made so much "duck sauce", which is actually more like an apricot chutney because of the thick consistency, I dipped my Flackers in it for a sweet and savory little snack. 100% goodness, my friends!

DAY 14
Lunch: Edamame Beans - was not too hungry

DAY 14
Dinner: Creamy Broccoli Soup and Puree of Roasted Garlic and White Vegetables

This is the same broccoli soup I ate in Week 1; had some left in the freezer. I also had a bowl of the yummy Puree of Roasted Garlic and White Vegetables again, and I have to say it is such a refreshing alternative from mashed potatoes. This dish has the most interesting flavor that I cannot put into words. You just need to try it sometime. Who would have thought parsnips and turnips could taste so good? Certainly not me, but I am glad I gave them a shot and am excited to try them in even more dishes someday!

DAY 14
Snack: Green Goodie Smoothie

This hearty smoothie was designed for a breakfast meal but I used it as a snack on this day because I needed something sweet. Since I did not have pineapple juice on hand I substituted it with cranberry-pomegranate, and also used ProGreens powder in place of spirulina since I obviously do not keep spirulina in stock! I made a huge batch - enough for three snacks or breakfast meals. Seriously, who wants to keep dragging the blender out every day, in addition to all those ingredients? It's all about saving time and resources. And while I do not currently have a job, it does not mean I want to spend all day in the kitchen, that's for sure!

I believe I have finally caught up...phew! Hopefully I will be more diligent over the next few days and update this thing in a timely fashion. Of course, that could be a lot to hope for...don't hold your breath, people! Anyway, cheers to you and yours and I hope you have enjoyed my blog so far. PCRM would probably be mad at me for not following their "diet" day-by-day but I have never been able to follow directions...you know, it's that "march to the beat of your own drum" thing for me...slainte! :)

Sun-Dried Tomato Cilantro "Mayo"

This is my last post for tonight. My fingers are cold. Heat is only set at 62 degrees so I can save some cash, plus it is bed time. Besides, who needs a lot of heat when you can bury yourself underneath a warm, corduroy quilt and be sandwiched by these adorable little guys -->>

So, yesterday I decided to do something with my huge clump of cilantro before it went bad. By the way, can anyone tell me why grocery stores have to sell parsley and cilantro in such huge bunches? I am only one person, and cannot possibly eat that much of one herb before it turns to black mush. Too bad my garden is under tundra, as I would love to pull my own cilantro right now!!!

Anyway, I threw the following ingredients into the food processor, and made my own fantastic vegan mayo:

Ingredients

1 box silken tofu
plain soy milk
cilantro
sun-dried tomatoes (which take forever to blend, by the way! chop in advance to make it easier on yourself)
ground mustard (not a ton)
turmeric - tiny bit for color

I think that was it. Unfortunately, the tomatoes I used had been in olive oil, so there will be more fat in this recipe than is necessary, but that's fine. It gave the "mayo" that silky taste to make it feel like an indulgence! Use this on any veggie burger, "chicken" sandwich, or whatever you choose. The cilantro/sun-dried tomato combination gives this mayo a taste you will treasure!

My Fresh 'n Sweet Salsa

Our Kickstart diet calls for Salsa Fresca to be eaten with Simple Bean Tacos. I made my own version of this fresh salsa, incorporating peaches and pineapple since I love sweet salsa. Here's how it goes:

Ingredients

3/4 of a 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (these were leftover from my Vegetarian Swiss Steak dish)
1/2 vidalia onion, finely chopped
1/2 bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 red pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup chopped pineapple (I used canned chunks and cut them into smaller pieces)
1 cup chopped peaches (I used canned peaches and cut them into smaller pieces)
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I probably used more because I LOVE cilantro - it makes the salsa)
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
juice from 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Just throw it all together and refrigerate. It's that easy, and boy is it full of flavor! I love salsa because you can use it on anything, and you can freeze it for later. And you know I'll be doing that since I made a huge batch! You cannot get more colorful than this creation. It is all about the color, my friends!

"Sheryl's Own" Duck Sauce

I love apricots. I love apricots. I love apricots. Did you hear I love apricots? What better way to use them than to make my own duck sauce! It's not like I cook Asian a lot or would even venture to try making spring rolls, but I have had this craving for duck sauce lately. Who knows what that means! I have to say, the way I made it (thick and chunky), it could also be used as a chutney for an Indian dish. Here's the scoop - but remember, I don't measure, so these are only estimates from what I can remember:

Ingredients

apricots - enough to hide under the water in the saucepan!
1 cup water
3/4 cup apple juice concentrate
apple cider vinegar (don't remember how much)
1/4 cup organic raw sugar
2 pinches crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp sea salt

Simmer apricots in 1 cup water until soft. Add the remainder of the ingredients to the cooked apricots, stirring frequently. Once mixed well, transfer to food processor and puree until smooth. The results will be thick, so if you want a thinner duck sauce, you may want to add additional equal parts of the 3 liquids. Mine was super "apricot-y", which means I used way more apricots than liquid, but it tastes FABULOUS! Oh my gosh, isn't it just gorgeous? Look at that brilliant color. I cannot wait to enjoy it!