Review: Trader Joe’s Japanese Style Fried Rice

20 Monday Apr 2015

Tags

animal free, arsenic, cruelty free, dairy free, edamame, fried rice, frozen meals, hijiki seaweed, japan, japanese, quick meals, review, seaweed, tofu, trader joe's, vegan, vegan review, veganism, vegetarian, vegetarianism

So…

It has been a few (four) months since my last post. Oooooops! My blog should be taken away from me due to neglect. I plan on getting back in the swing of things as soon as possible, but until then, enjoy this product review of one of my favorite quick meals.

Trader Joe’s is abundantly vegan friendly, if you know where to look. They are in the process of marking all of their explicitly vegan products with a large V, but if you look carefully, there are quite a few products that are inherently vegan and unmarked.

From the tiny island called the “Land of the Rising Sun,” this frozen frenzy of flavors is an expedient way to get a whole lot of nourishment.

Seriously, this product tastes like you are in a petite Japanese market with the briny breeze of the ocean wafting through the wooden slats. As you peruse the fresh seafood, you catch glimpses of fishermen dumping their plump nets into a rusty bucket. Fish flapping about, seagulls sailing overhead, waves washing up.

I have never been to Japan, but I have had numerous traditional Japanese meals, courtesy of my local Japanese club (don’t judge). The flourishing flavors of this dish are very impressive. One look at the ingredients and I could tell it was almost authentic. If you are looking for flavors from around the world, definitely check this dish out!

Ease of preparation is surprising.

Step 1: Heat some oil in a pan

Step 2: Stir fry the dish until warmed through

DONEZO!

Nutritionally, this meal is sufficient; the only drawback is the amount of sodium, so just offset that by drinking a lot of water with your meal.

My favorite part of this dish is the tofu; the texture and qualities of the stringy tofu are reminiscent of the egg that is traditionally in stir fry. I ate SO MUCH Chinese Take Out growing up that I am exceedingly familiar with this type of fried rice. I can’t help but to love this taste and texture. You know, that off-yellow scrambled mess that you see in your rice? IT IS DELICIOUS.

Oh, and the product actually resembles what is pictured on the front of the bag! It does say the typical “Serving Suggestion” and “Enlarged to show texture” but it is abundantly plentiful with the distribution of the edamame and carrots. Good on ya, Trader Joe’s.

The only drawbacks are: 1. It tends to get oily quickly, but if you do not use enough oil it definitely sticks to the pan. 2. The rice isn’t brown rice (I am a bourgeois, white, smoothie drinker, I know). 3. I do not have five more bags in my freezer right now.

The Verdict:

Taste: 9/10

Texture: 8/10

Preparation: 9/10

Value: 8/10

Nutrition: 7/10

Quality: 9/10

Score: 85% B

Did you know?

Hijiki seaweed is a brown-colored seaweed grown on the rocky coasts of Japan, China, and Korea. It is harvested at low tide and used in common Japanese cuisine. It has potential health benefits due to the high levels of dietary fiber, calcium, magnesium, and iron. Japanese folklore lends to the belief that daily consumption of this long, stringy, brown seaweed aids health and beauty; supposedly, the key to long, lustrous, black hair is eating hijiki.

Some health concerns have arisen regarding some inorganic arsenic appearing in hijiki. Health agencies have proposed removing hijiki consumption from a daily diet. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan has responded by acknowledging the fact that ingesting 4.7 g of hijiki is potentially dangerous, but the average daily consumption of Japanese citizens is only 0.9 g. Normal servings of hijiki would never reach the high level required for possible arsenic poisoning.

So yes, ingesting hijiki does place inorganic arsenic into your body. HOWEVER, arsenic levels also appear in fish, rice, and wine. So I am totally ingesting away! (I want long, lustrous, black hair!)

Terrifying Taiji Traditions pt 1

19 Thursday Jun 2014

Posted by whatahipster in Uncategorized

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Tags

animal cruelty, animal rights, dolphin hunting, japan, taiji, taiji cove, vegan, veganism, whaling

Even if you do not follow animal activists and vegan news blogs, you may have heard some scandal over the dolphin hunting in Taiji, Japan. News coverage has leaked to some major networks and the outrage is spreading.

A little back story:

Taiji fisherman have been hunting, fishing, and whaling since the early 12th century. Since the early 17th century, there has been a commercial industry for it. Being so heavily surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, it is no wonder that Japanese traditions have been oriented around the ocean. Traditionally, hunting begins in September and lasts until April. Men would go out to spot a pod of dolphins and when spotted, they would slice the neck of all the dolphins, causing exsanguination, or blood loss, to end their lives. This method was eventually banned so the hunters moved to a different method. They would lower one end of a steel pipe into the water. Using a hammer or mallet, the fishermen would clash and clang the pipe in order to make loud, irritating sounds spread in the water; this alarms and agitates the dolphins. Swimming away from the noises, the men strategically cause a ruckus to drive the dolphins closer to the coastline. At the coastline, other fishermen are waiting with nets to capture the pod. As soon as the dolphins are close enough, they are ensnared and tangled in a net and left overnight to calm down. This is their last night alive. In the morning, the men would pull the dolphins out one by one to slaughtered by shoving a metal pin through the neck and brain stem of the dolphins, dying within seconds. Numerous papers and reports have confessed that this method of slaughter would never be tolerated in the western world, even in the most cruel slaughterhouses. In 1878, a group of fisherman was trying to slaughter a large whale. The whale was very powerful and resisted, pulling many fisherman out of the water; about one hundred men were killed in this incident. Any loss of life is just that, a loss. I wish that humans would not die from animals just as much as I wish that animals would stop dying at the hands of humans.

Dolphins are sentient, emotional creatures

In Taiji, there is a whale museum which collects different artifacts exhibiting ancient whaling techniques as well skeletal displays of numerous whale species. They have a live tank which is small in size that holds many whales and dolphins. One particular dolphin “living” in the tank is named Angel. She is albino. She was taken from her pod. Her family was slaughtered. She is forced to swim back and forth because the tank is not wide enough for a single dolphin to enjoy a good swim, let alone many dolphins to live together peacefully. Anonymous footage has shown that the other dolphins bully her and push her around. Dolphins are emotional. If a dolphin mother has lost a child, reports have shown that she will nudge her child to the surface to try to revive the passed creature. Angel has been seen to be an outcast and thus reclusive.

This is only the beginning. I am going to watch the film “The Cove” to learn more about this practice and I will create another post following up.

Yes, that is blood.

Resources:

Cut Out Dissection

12 Thursday Jun 2014

Posted by whatahipster in Uncategorized

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Tags

animal activism, animal cruelty, animal rights, cruelty free, dissection, vegan, veganism

Animal dissection in science classes continues to be a large issue for vegans, vegetarians, and people with any kind of moral compass at all.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand that dissection is necessary for some people: doctors, veterinarians, etc. However, a Biology class required to graduate for art, English, or other unrelated majors should not include dissection at all, much less as a mandatory assignment.

Here is how I, a vegan, was punished for refusing to participate in dissection.

Two weeks ago, we were forced to do a dissection in lab. Crayfish, oysters, and a plethora if little animals were spread all over the shiny, black countertops for us to pick apart with an array of scalpels, forceps, needles, and tweezers. I have some serious moral issues with dissection, as many people do. My teacher informed us that the next week, we would be dissecting fetal pigs and rats. I finally drew the line there and told her that I would not be participating in that and would like an alternative assignment. Even a virtual dissection. At first, she seemed confused and told me that it would be alright if I brought in a dead deer or other animal to dissect. I said that it wasn’t the specific animals I had a problem with, it was with the practice of dissection itself. She told me to get over it; that the pigs would die anyway, and we were just speeding along the process. In fact, we were saving them from their eventual demise…by killing them earlier. Because that makes total sense, you guys. She also told me to think of it as bacon, which I explained that I didn’t eat, much to her confusion.

I tried to reason with her. I asked if there was absolutely anything else I could do. She said the dissection was mandatory. I talked with my biology lecture instructor, and she said that she too was completely opposed to the practice. An MS in Biology, and this woman has never cut anything open or attended a dissection. She said that although she has pressured the school to offer alternative assignments, they have refused. Tennessee is one of the few states left where they are not required to provide an alternate assignment to students who object to dissections for moral or religious reasons.

So, I didn’t go. I know, it’s my grade, blah, blah, blah. But y’know, formaldehyde is a known carcinogen, I knew I’d get sick and probably emotional because, hello! baby pigs! I still did the actual grade for the lab by doing my own learning. I filled out all of the “lab questions,” which required much more effort than what the students who attended the dissection had to put in, as I wasn’t there to witness the answers to our questions.

The next week, returning to lab, I brought my lab questions, which were due that day, to my lab instructor. She said that I could not turn them in because I did not attend the lab. Therefore, how would I know the answers to the questions? I told her that I had done my own research online and in our textbook and had written down more-than-adequete answers. She said that it was her policy that students who did not attend lecture were not allowed to turn in assignments for said lecture.

At this moment, a friend of mine, who has no opposition to dissection, actually yelled out, “He’s a vegan! He’s not going to come in here and cut up dead animals!” The teacher rolled her eyes at me at the mention of the word vegan. She then said that if I had merely let her know that I was opposed to this, she would offer me an alternative assignment. At this point she walked away to poke brains or disembowel kittens or whatever.

So, I am left with having done the work but not receiving the credit. In the same lab which I attended, she “surprised” the class by bringing in sheep brains and hearts to dissect. Fortunately they were already sliced up as much as necessary, and I never actually had to look at or touch them.

The point of all of this is that I want to know why this is required. Why is it that in an attempt to further my education, I am required to attend a class that does not benefit me in any way but also requires that I violate my own morals. It is an archaic, barbaric practice which does not benefit 90% of the people in the class in any way. I also wonder why I am treated differently than my peers in that class, merely because I am morally opposed to dissection.

If you’d like, I have the phone number for the school here:

Pellissippi State Community College:

(865) 694-6400

Savory Spanish Rice & Beans Gratin

03 Tuesday Jun 2014

Posted by whatahipster in Uncategorized

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au gratin, Casserole, gratin, rice and beans, rice and beans casserole, spanish rice, vegan, vegan casserole, veganism, vegetarian, vegetarianism

My mother would always make us Rice-A-Roni Spanish Rice or Chicken with our dinners growing up. Actually, she started with that “San Francisco Treat” but eventually started to make her own, superior versions of our favorite side dish. She would just add a can of diced tomatoes to the rice and it would give it just that little kick to bring the Spanish flavor! She basically inspired me to get creative when trying to imitate my favorite foods and thus, I created a casserole from one of my childhood side dishes.

Ingredients:

2 servings rice ($0.75)
1 can petite diced tomatoes ($0.62)
½ green pepper, diced ($0.35)
½ red pepper, diced ($0.99)
1 can mixed vegetables ($0.65)
1 can black beans ($0.99)
½ jar fried onions ($0.42)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. I use a wonderful rice cooker from Japan by the brand Zojirushi that cooks wonderful fluffy rice. I just added a can of diced tomatoes to the cooker and made sure the liquid measurements were correct and it cooked beautifully! If you are using a pan and the stove, just cook the rice as per usual and stir in a can of diced tomatoes after it has finished. Layer the rice in the bottom of a casserole dish. Drain a can of mixed vegetables and pour over the rice. Dice the peppers and toss on top of the rice as well. Drain and rinse the black beans and again, add on top. Finally, top with fried onions and throw it in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until browned and crispy! Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing and plating.

Cooking rice with diced tomatoes adds a richness and tangy depth

This dish is very colorful and vitamin packed!

Avocado is my most FAVORITE food ever. I will seriously add
it to any food ever. Ever. So naturally, I added avocado here
AND IT WAS DELICIOUS!!!

There you have it, folks. A European twist on the casserole that will be sure to satisfy. Let me know what you guys think in the comments! I hope to hear from some of you.

Oven Roasted Chili-Crusted Cauliflower

29 Thursday May 2014

Posted by whatahipster in Uncategorized

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baked cauliflower, cauliflower, healthy lifestyle, healthy living, healthy meals, oven roasted cauliflower, vegan, vegan meals, veganism, vegetarian, vegetarianism

Impoverished Vegan is not dead. I promise. I had a really crazy past few months and had to take a little break from cooking and writing. I had to take a school trip to Washington DC at the end of the semester with finals falling as soon as I got back; I was also in the middle of a huge job change. Things have finally settled down. Enough with the personal details. Let’s cook some cauliflower!!

Ingredients:

1 whole cauliflower ($0.99)

1 tbsp vegetable oil –

1½ cups vegan sour cream ($0.75)

1 lemon, zested and juiced ($0.10)

2 tbsp chili powder ($0.20)

1 tbsp cumin ($0.05)

1 tbsp garlic powder ($0.03)

1 tsp curry powder –

2 tsp sea salt –

1 tsp black pepper –

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spread the olive oil evenly over a baking sheet. Peel the green leafy stems from the base of the cauliflower. Cut the base level and flush with the florets so the cauliflower will sit evenly on a flat surface. Stir together the sour cream, lemon zest and juice, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, curry powder, sea salt, and black pepper until fully combined. Dunk the cauliflower into the marinade and spread it across all the florets. Make sure the whole head is covered except the bottom. Place it on the baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes or until browned and slightly crispy. The marinade will create a dry crust across the cauliflower. Let it sit for 10 minutes before slicing it into wedges. Enjoy!

You can use vegan yogurt instead but make sure it is plain

I added extra cumin and garlic powder for an extra KICK!

Do not be afraid to get your hands dirty to spread the marinade!

Yeah… the marinade looks goopy and gross before it is baked

I use a sheet of aluminum foil to keep the baking tray clean

Baking for a little bit extra will make a very crispy crust!

Feel free to experiment with your spices! Use dill and parsley!

For an Indian twist, use more curry powder!

You can cut it into fourths to share with others…

…or just eat the whole thing yourself! (I did.)

Use Your Words

11 Friday Apr 2014

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blogging, fishing, hiking, memories, mountains, travel, use your words, vegan, veganism, word swap

Hello again. It is time for another crazy fun blog using words submitted by: http://www.outmannedmommy.com

Fish ~ Summer ~ Robin ~ Baby ~ Squirrel ~ Unbelievable

Today’s post is a writing challenge. This is how it works: participating bloggers picked 4 – 6 words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a post. All words must be used at least once and all the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That’s the challenge, here’s a fun twist; no one who’s participating knows who got their words and in what direction the writer will take them. Until now.

At the end of this post you’ll find links to the other blogs featuring this challenge. Check them all out, see what words they got and how they used them.

Funny that these words were chosen to me because the three of the are animals, (I am a vegan, after all) and one is my absolute favorite season! Not just because it is a break from school, I love summer because of the adventures! (and sometimes misadventures.) I am taken back to Colorado when we went on an unbelievable vacation to the Grand Mesa, the largest flat topped mountain in the US. It is where my dad taught me how to fish and how to paddle a canoe. Squirrels scampered along the ferns and falled pine needles. Red-breasted robins chirped early to welcome in the new day, hopping along on their tiny little bird feet. I have always thought bird feet were structurally strange for their body size, especially robins. Have you ever seen an very plump, round robin? He still hops along with just as much ease as others! I think it is precious. Douglas fir, Foxtail pine, and white-tailed deer scattered the landscape surrounding an expansive lake atop the mountain; the water was as still as glass. That is, until a fish swam up and made the prettiest rings, growing larger until they were no longer seen. We would paddle a canoe to the very center. “Hook a worm. Let it sink to the very bottom. Reel up just about ooooone foooooooot. That should do it,” I can hear him say. Nibble. Tug. TUGGGG!! These fish were actually HUGE compared to my little 6 year old body! They were especially huge to my baby brother, being three years younger than I was. I remember some of them rocked the boat! Once snagged, (the vegan inside me right now is dying, thinking of what I used to do) we reeled quickly until the fish was grabbed, unhooked, and tossed in a large cooler. Okay, so this is not as horrifying to a fish-consumer, but I have been fish free for over a year now and a major reason was my love for all animals. The fishing industry is just too cruel and careless to the fish for my tastes and I personally choose to refrain. This is not a plug for veganism; I am just trying to help you understand my mentality and how strange it is looking back and seeing how the things I used to do have changed so drastically. We would go back to the cabin and descale the fish. Even at that time in my life, I did not want to personally do it. I did not want to cause any additional harm to the creature that I had just taken from its habitat. I will not go into the graphic details but I was horrified at the gutting. It was unbelievable to me that this was a necessary part of life until I realized that it was not necessary in my life. I have loved this prompt because it really has taken me back to good memories in my life with family and vacation. I miss the beautiful scenery of the Rocky Mountains, the diverse wildlife, and especially the treacherous trails we used to hike. My dad would always go first to test the stability and watch us carefully while we traversed the rocks and dirt. I still think of Colorado when I see robins, squirrels, and even rainbow trout. This is just a little snippet into my life that I have never been able to pull out until now!

I want to send a big thank you to http://www.outmannedmommy.com for submitting those words. It is unbelievable how fitting they were to my past! It worked out great! I never write personal blogs, just recipes, so this actually has been a very nice change of pace to my normal routine. I look forward to the next blog challenge! If you liked this post, I may just write more of my life and feelings because I have greatly enjoyed writing this.

Here are the other participants! Read their crazy words!

http://bakinginatornado.com Baking In A Tornado

http://followmehome.shellybean.com Follow me home . . .

http://stacysewsandschools.wordpress.com Stacy Sews and Schools

http://www.outmannedmommy.com/ Outmanned

http://www.someoneelsesgenius.com Someone Else’s Genius

http://thethreegerbers.blogspot.ch/ Confessions of a part-time working mom

http://www.themomisodes.com The Momisodes

http://www.impoverishedvegan.com Impoverished Vegan

http://spatulasonparade.blogspot.com Spatulas on Parade

http://batteredhope.blogspot.com Battered Hope

http://www.eviljoyspeaks.wordpress.com Evil Joy Speaks

http://www.JuiceboxConfession.com Juicebox Confession

Cheesy Tomatokra Soup

25 Tuesday Mar 2014

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cheese stew, cheesy stew, okra, tomato, tomatoes and okra, vegan, vegan cheese, vegan stew, veganism

Beloved vegans and nons, I come to you with this hodgepodge of ingredients from my refrigerator and pantry. This is what happens when you are in between grocery trips but are in the mood for a warm meal. The formula for this recipe is similar to my dear friend Emily’s vegan stew! Recipe here. She threw together a few cans in her pantry and it turned into one of the most hearty, delicious stews I have ever had! For times like this, I keep vegan cheese sauce at the ready most of the time, except when my cat spills all of my cashews that had been soaking for 8 hours onto the floor, ruining any plans for mac and cheese. This happened. I was furious. Going back to the recipe, prepare the cheese sauce according to the blog post.

Ingredients:

1 batch cheese sauce ($3.00)
2 cans tomatoes and okra ($0.99)
1 can black beans, drained ($0.59)

Preparation:

Throw it all in a large pot and heat until warmed through. For less than $4.50, you have a wonderful stew that could also serve well as a party dip! Try it with corn chips, carrot sticks, or just straight up with a spoon!

Cheesy stew!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

21 Friday Mar 2014

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artichoke dip, Casserole, healthy lifestyle, healthy snack, party, party dip, spinach artichoke dip, spinach dip, vegan, vegan party dip, vegan spinach artichoke dip, veganism, vegetarian, vegetarian party dip

I actually had never really experienced spinach artichoke dip until I dined at Brixx Wood Fired Pizza. Sure, I tasted it at Super Bowl parties and family reunions but it was never really something that I saw as an exquisite dish or appetizer. Spinach Artichoke dip at Brixx is the most savory, warm, salty dip served with either pita bread or blue corn chips for the gluten-free. It completely opened my eyes to how amazing this dip can be. Since turning vegan, I have tried many imitations of cheese, cream, dairy, and meat. Other than when I made Vegan New England Clam Chowder, I feel like this recipe replicates the creamy, cheesy, gooeyness of non-vegan food the best!

Ingredients:

3 slices whole grain bread ($0.16)
3 tbsp. vegan butter ($0.24)
1 medium onion, diced ($0.24)
1 tbsp. olive oil ($0.02)
2 cans white beans, drained, rinsed ($1.10)
6 tbsp. nutritional yeast ($1.60)
½ cup vegetable broth ($0.35)
2 tsp. sea salt ($0.02)
¼ tsp. dried basil ($0.04)
2 tsp. red pepper flakes ($0.06)
6 cloves of garlic, minced ($0.99)
8 cups of spinach, chopped ($1.60)
2 cans artichoke hearts, drained ($0.99)
1 cup vegan mozzarella cheese ($2.35)
1 can french fried onions ($0.99)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the bread and butter in a blender or food processor and blend to create a dough like consistency. Set aside. Insert the white beans, nutritional yeast, vegetable broth, salt, basil, and red pepper flakes in the same food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside. Sauté the onions in the olive oil on medium heat until translucent. Toss the garlic in and cook for 2 minutes. Add the artichoke hearts and stir until warmed. Slowly throw some of the spinach in a few handfuls at a time. Wilt the spinach and then add some more. This will take some time but will yield a healthy, hearty dip! Turn the heat off and add the white bean mixture and half of the mozzarella cheese. Stir until warmed through. Place in a casserole pan and spread the dough mixture over the top of the dip. Add the rest of the cheese on top and place a layer of aluminum foil over the dish. Bake for 20 minutes; remove the foil and add the french fried onions. Bake for an additional 15 minutes; you should have an irresistibly savory spinach and artichoke dip!

Bread and Butter

Gooey butter dough

Bean Batter

Blended bean batter

Just onions…

DELICIOUS GARLIC ONIONS

ALL THE SPINACH

Starting to look like artichoke dip

REMEMBER THE BATCHES
ADDING ALL THE SPINACH AT ONCE WILL MAKE A MESS

Wet, wilted, wonderful spinach

Even more gooey than you ever thought possible

Dollops of dough

This is Daiya brand mozzarella but Trader Joe’s has a nice version

Are you excited yet??

You do not have to add the whole jar
I LOVE FRIED ONIONS
The cheese is also optional but who does not love CHEESE??

Crunchy, creamy spinach dip

Layers of luscious dip

Another amazing artichoke entrée

Look at that oozing artichoke casserole!

Soooo….we ate the entire casserole in one sitting
It is seriously that DELICIOUS

Devilishly delicious dough makes a great addition to this dip

Look at my new kitchen! It is so much bigger than I am used to
I have room to take display food photos!
I still have a lot to learn so if you guys have any advice on
cooking OR photography, please let me know!

Alright, alright… this casserole dip concoction is a tiny bit more expansive than the recipes I usually post; if you do not eat it in one night it will save very well and actually evens out in price versus quantity of food. BUT WE ARE COWS AND VEGANS NEED MORE FOOD. Anyway, I just thought I would send a shout out to One Green Planet for providing the base for this amazing resskippee (how my boyfriend pronounces recipe, isn’t he cute?!) and another should out to my coworkers for being the guinea pigs for this recipe. Except that would involve animal testing. And I am vegan. And I am against animal testing. So never mind about the guinea pigs; I just want to thank them for being so supportive and eating the delicious food that I make. That is all.

Broccoli Cheddar Rice Casserole

08 Saturday Mar 2014

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broccoli cheddar, broccoli cheddar casserole, broccoli cheese, broccoli cheese casserole, vegan, vegan casserole, vegan cheese, veganism

Everybody loves the flavor combination of Broccoli and Cheddar. That may or may not be because cheese makes everything better and cheddar is one of the best cheeses. I admit it; I am a vegan who still discusses how amazing some cheeses are! I love cheese. I will always love cheese. I have come to terms with the facts and cheese is bad for animals and the human body, but otherwise, I would literally consume cheese with every meal. With cheddar, the sharper the better! I want to feel the bit from the cheddar on my whole tongue. Anyway, getting back to the recipe… I created this casserole when we needed a hearty, wintery meal that involved cheese (vegan, obviously). Easy, inexpensive and delightfully tasteful, this vegan broccoli cheese casserole kills zero animals and contains zero cholesterol!

Ingredients:

2 heads broccoli ($0.99)
2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.25)
1 cup brown rice ($0.20)
1 cup mushrooms, sliced ($0.99)
4 tbsp. soy sauce ($0.15)
1 cup vegetable broth ($0.30)
2 tbsp. corn starch ($0.10)
1 cup vegan cheddar cheese ($2.99)

Preparation:

Cook the rice according to your preferred method of cooking. I use a wonderful Japanese rice cooker that smart senses when the rice is cooked; it takes about two hours but cooking on the stove is completely acceptable. Steam the broccoli for 15 minutes. Feel free to drink one glass of red wine while the broccoli cooks. Mince the garlic and slice the mushrooms. Sauté the mushrooms and garlic for approximately 6 minutes or until the mushrooms soften. Mix in a bowl the soy sauce, broth, and corn starch. Add this to the mushrooms and garlic. This should create a broth-like “cream of mushroom soup” consistency. Turn the heat off. Add the broccoli. Stir well. Place into a casserole pan and top with the vegan cheddar cheese. Daiya makes two types of vegan cheddar cheese. The cheddar-style shreds are oily when heated, but the cheddar-style wedge melts marvelously for a great topping to this casserole. I recommend the block of cheddar, which yields a more crunchy topping; the shreds will yield a very fine stringy, cheesy, gooey, melty casserole. Preference is important. At this point, you should probably consume one more glass of red wine (make sure it is vegan). Bake in the oven for 20 mins on 350°F. TADA! Broccoli and cheese have come together perfectly in this vegan casserole!

Try not to overcook the broccoli
It will continue to cook in the casserole

Rice cookers do an amazing job of producing fluffy rice
Stove cooked rice will do just fine

Spaghetti? How about Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino

12 Wednesday Feb 2014

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light meal, light snack, light spaghetti, pasta, spaghetti, traditional spaghetti, vegan, vegan spaghetti, veganism, vegetarian, vegetarianism

I get a lot of my love for cooking from my mother. She was always creating tasty and exciting ways to get me to eat vegetables; she would sneak shredded zucchini and squash into spaghetti sauce. Almost every Friday she would cook up here spaghetti in a huge batch and it would last the whole week! It was usually served with carrot sticks with ranch dip and garlic toast. We would eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Her spaghetti is one of my absolute favorite meals even to this day! I had always associated tomato sauce with spaghetti and spaghetti with tomato sauce. That is how it was. That was spaghetti. I recently was referred to a recipe that claimed to be the traditional way spaghetti was prepared, except it did not use a tomato base for the sauce! Furthermore, there was not even really a sauce on it! It turned out to be extremely satisfying and light! If you need to avoid tomatoes or have frequent heart burn, try this type of spaghetti!

Ingredients:

1 serving pasta ($0.45)
1 tbsp. minced garlic ($0.15)
2 tbsp. olive oil ($0.15)
2 tbsp. chopped parsley ($0.07)
½ tbsp. red pepper flakes ($0.09)
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice ($0.04)

Preparation:

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. Drain and set aside. Heat the oil on medium heat and throw in the garlic once it has warmed. Sauté for one minute and throw in the pasta. Keep sautéing, stirring constantly and add the chopped parsley, red pepper flakes, and lemon juice. After 2 minutes remove from heat. You are done. That is it. Simple, savory spaghetti in less than 15 minutes! I cooked some mushrooms and asparagus in some garlic and oil for a side dish. For the salad, I used spinach, black olives, red onions, and balsamic vinaigrette. Any pasta dish can be cheezed up with Go Veggie! vegan grated parmesan cheese! Enjoy!