Chik’n Qorn Chowder

As you may know from reading my blog I generally try to stay physically fit. I enjoy running and weight lifting and eating a healthy plant-based diet. I get plenty of nutrients from my food because my workouts are pretty moderate. My husband on the other hand has been doing P90x. With a workout this extreme and his interest in building muscles he wanted to start increasing his protein and decreasing his carbs. Our meals are predominately low-fat vegan, but I was able to rustle up a delicious vegetarian chowder with lots of healthy proteins. The soup was delicious and filling and will provide some great fuel for his workouts. The base of this chowder is Quinoa, a complete protein and has plenty of lysine which is essential for tissue growth and repair. To that I added Qorn Naked Chik’n Cutlets which are made from mycoprotein, feta cheese and hard boiled cage-free eggs. Several cups of leafy greens, some garlic and cayenne pepper and you’ve got one light and delicious one-pot vegetarian meal. My husband loved it, but said next time he would add onions or leeks, mushrooms and would scramble the eggs in the boiling soup rather than topping with hard boiled (a la egg drop soup). This soup is great because you can really substitute and omit ingredients to fit what you’ve got in your pantry. No Chik’n cutlets in the freezer? Just toss in some black beans. Vegan? Leave out the cheese and eggs. Want more Southwestern? Use a fresh jalapeno and add some frozen corn. You can really work this soup in so many delicious ways that the basic recipe can keep you full and body building all winter long.

Chik’n Qorn Chowder

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons of cumin

1 tablesp0on of lime juice

salt & pepper to taste

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped (or 3 tablespoons of the gel stuff in the tube if you can’t find fresh)

1 cup of quinoa

2 Qorn Naked Chik’n Cutlets (1/2 box), chopped

3 Cups of Spinach (1 bag)

3 tablespoons of pickled jalapeno (I didn’t have any fresh on hand, but that would be delicious).

2 Tablespoons of EVOO (olive oil)

8 Cups of Water

4 eggs, hardboiled and diced

4 oz crumbled feta cheese

Get Cookin:

1. First we’ll need to cook the eggs and the Quinoa, separate but simulataneously to speed things along for a weeknight dinner). Rinse your qinoa in a fine strainer, then add to large stock pot with 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat and once boiling simmer for 10-15 minutes. The quinoa shells will pop off leaving the transulucent grains behind as they expand. Also, boil enough water to cover your eggs in a small saucepan. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook the eggs for 10-15 minutes. The eggs and the quinoa should finish up around the same time.

2. Drain the eggs and set aside to cool for peeling. Drain the quinoa and reserve the cooking water in a separate bowl. Add additional water until the cooking water measures 6 cups.

3. Heat the olive oil in the stock pot and add the garlic and jalapeno. (add leeks/onions/mushrooms now if you plan to use them). Sautee for about 30 seconds or until the garlic begins to brown. Add the chopped pieces of chik’n cutlets and continue to sautee until those begin to brown (about 5 minutes). If the mixture begins to stick add a tablespoon or two of the reserved cooking water at a time to release.

4. Add in the cumin and cayenne and the remaining reserved cooking water and simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Add in the quinoa and spinach and stir until the spinach is wilted, around 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped cilantro and feta cheese. Top with the diced, hard-boiled eggs, a splash of lime juice, a dash of cumin and cayenne and salt and pepper to taste.

A Useful Chain Letter? Who Knew?

I’m not stranger to chain letters sent via email. I used to respond with a link to Snopes letting my friends and family know that while their concern was appreciated, their anxiety could be put to better use elsewhere than concerns about my disposable chopsticks or the danger of flashing my headlights at people for fear of gang related death. In recent years though I’ve gotten far too lazy and I just delete them. However, imagine my delighted surprise when I received my very first useful chain letter. In fact, it’s so full of potentially helpful hints that I’m going to post them here for you rather than clogging up your inbox. So, enjoy these 24 practical tips from my inbox to you:

Ideas to Make Life Easier

Why didn’t I think of that?!  We guarantee you’ll
be uttering those words more than once at these
ingenious little tips, tricks and ideas that solve
everyday problems.

Hull strawberries easily using a straw.

Rubbing a walnut over scratches in your furniture
will disguise dings and scrapes.  

Remove crayon masterpieces from your TV or
computer screen with WD40.

Stop cut apples browning in your child’s lunch box
by securing with a rubber band.

Overhaul your linen cupboard, store bed linen sets
inside one of their own pillowcases and there will
be no more hunting through piles for a match.

Pump up the volume by placing your iPhone & iPod
in a bowl.  The concave shape amplifies the music.

Re-use a wet-wipes container to store plastic bags.

Add this item to your beach bag.  Baby powder
gets sand off your skin easily, who knew?!

Attach a Velcro strip to the wall to store soft toys.

Use wire to make a space to store gift wrap rolls
against the ceiling, rather than cluttering up the
floor.

Find tiny lost items like earrings by putting a
stocking over the vacuum hose.

Make an instant cupcake carrier by cutting
crosses into a box lid.

For those who can’t stand the scrunching and
bunching: how to perfectly fold a fitted sheet.

Forever losing your bathroom essentials?  Use
magnetic strips to store bobby pins, tweezers
and clippers, behind a vanity door

Store shoes inside shower caps to stop dirty
soles rubbing on your clothes.  And you can
find them in just about every hotel.

A muffin pan becomes a craft caddy.  Magnets
hold the plastic cups down to make them
tip-resistant.

Bread tags make the perfect cord labels.

Bake cupcakes directly in ice-cream cones, so
much more fun and easier for kids to eat.

Microwave your own popcorn in a plain brown paper
bag.  Much healthier and cheaper than the packet
stuff.

Install a tension rod to hang your spray bottles.

Turn your muffin pan upside down, bake cookie-dough
over the top and voila, you have cookie bowls for fruit
or ice-cream.

Freeze Aloe Vera in ice-cube trays for soothing
sunburn relief.

Create a window-box veggie patch using guttering.

Use egg cartons to separate and store your
Christmas decorations.

So, enjoy and share these lovely practical ideas with your friends and family and feel free to just send them a link to this blog instead of forwarding in email. Many thanks to my friend Myrna and her friends who kept this chain going until it made it here to me. If you have any practical chain mail to share, please feel free to leave it in the comments.

The Hamilton Crop Circle

I love Kickstarter so much that I want to share my exuberance with you each time I support a new project. I’ll try to regularly pledge my support to a project that I find personally meaningful. This time I’ve chosen to support the Hamilton Crop Circle.

This project is near and dear to my heart because it’s happening in my very own neighborhood and it supports urban gardening and sustainable food sources. The project also seeks to educate children on producing their own homegrown vegetables which could lead to a healthier lifestyle for city youth. I also love that this gives children life skills as well as providing them with safe, healthy activities that really help them to engage with their communities. There aren’t enough good things that I can say about this project, but Baltimore City really needs more opportunities to these, so I’m happy to pledge my support because I believe that every little bit really does matter and that it’s personally beneficial to focus on positive activities and energy in the city. The people of Baltimore never cease to amaze me with their ingenuity, kindness and community support; keep up the good work Hamilton Crop Circle. So reader, check out the details of the project at kickstarter or on the Hamilton Crop Circle Blog or their website; pledge your support or find a similar opportunity in your city to promote or fund. Thanks!

Kickstarter

Kickstarter first entered my vocabulary about two years ago when an acquaintance at a birthday party was telling me about her latest project and how she intended to fund it. Kickstarter is a website where entrepreneurs and artists list details about a project plan and investors have the opportunity to fund it. Everyone can pledge to get an innovative new product or a creative arts project on its feet. You can start your own project or search for new and creative ideas that inventors are hoping to launch. Kickstarter states on it’s website:

Kickstarter is the largest funding platform for creative projects in the world. Every week, tens of thousands of amazing people pledge millions of dollars to projects from the worlds of music, film, art, technology, design, food, publishing and other creative fields.

It’s a great concept and it’s truly amazing to scan through the creative vision of so many talented, pragmatic and smart people. It really helps highlight what the world is thinking, planning and developing for the new, next thing. The interesting twist is that you must post your budget, then a countdown begins. You have a limited period of time in which to capture the attention and wallets of benefactors. If you don’t reach your funding goal then no money exchanges hands and the project is canceled.

Why is Kickstarter funding all-or-nothing?

On Kickstarter, a project must reach its funding goal before time runs out or no money changes hands. Why? It protects everyone involved. This way, no one is expected to develop a project with an insufficient budget, which sucks. Remember you set your own funding goal, so aim to raise the minimum amount you’ll need to create your vision. Projects can always raise more than their goal, and often do.

In addition, the developers often offer bonuses of everything from promotional materials like free tshirts or the product itself signed by the inventor or other enticements to those who are willing to support their dreams.

I particularly love that you can search by region to help support local artists and artisans. You can also search by project type (fashion, music, theater, etc) or even recommended, popular or recently launched. It gives consumers the power to vote with their wallets before a project even gets off the ground and that seems like a very good idea indeed. I’ll be searching and pledging my support to great designers who focus on recycled goods because that’s where my passion lies. Who or what will you find to kickstart? Leave your thoughts in the comments below including links to any really cool projects that you’d like to recommend.

Vegan Cheezy Southwestern Chili Mac

Last night I made something crazy! In fact, it was so crazy good that I wanted to share it with you today. This meal happened completely by chance becuase I had misplaced my wallet and couldn’t go to the grocery store. I frantically ran around my basement pantry and through all of my kitchen cabinets and tossed a pile of ingredients on the counter and got to work. I had never eaten chili mac, but my husband used to order it from Hard Times whenever we went. I started with “Cheezy” sauce from my dog-eared copy of the Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook, then started throwing stuff together based on what I found in my cabinet. I’ll tell you what I used, suggest some alternates and if you have any suggestions, please list in the comments below. The point is, that this was made based on what I had laying about the house, so you can add or delete depending on your taste as long as you start with a macaroni and cheese base, everything else is up to you.

Stuff you need:

1 lb box of elbow macaroni. *I used Eden Organic Kamut Elbows, 100% Whole Grain, 14-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 6)

1 box of extra firm tofu

1 can of vegetarian chili *I used Health Valley Organic Chili Santa Fe White Bean, 15 Ounce Cans (Pack of 12). You could also use any canned beans you have laying about (kidney, black, pink, pinto, etc).

1 can of corn (you can also use 2 cups frozen or 3 ears of fresh roasted/grilled corn)

1 can diced tomatos with green chiles (a jar of salsa would work great too).

1 cup of rehydrated Bob’s Red Mill TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein), 10-Ounce Bags (Pack of 4)
*you can use veggie burger crumbles frozen or in a can, or broken up veggie or black bean burgers. Veggie chicken breasts/strips would also be amazing, or you can grill some veggies instead. Zucchini, yellow squash, onions and red bell peppers would all be great additions or substitutions for the TVP.

1/4 cup of pickeled jalapeno slices (these are delicous, spicy and tangy)

1 Cheezy Sauce Recipe:

4 cups veggie broth (or water)

1/2 cup all purpose flour *I used King Arthur Flour Whole Wheat, White, 5-Pound (Pack of

3 tablespoon olive oil

6 cloves garlic, minced *I used roasted minced garlic in a jar, but garlic powder works good too

1 tsp dried thyme *I used italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon salt

several pinches fresh ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1 3/4 cups Bob’s Red Mill T6635 Large Flake Yeast, 8-Ounce Packages (Pack of 4)

3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice *I used the stuff from the squirt bottle

2 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard *plain old Safeway brand worked great

*here come my additions (my family loves spicy southwestern flavors, so reduce for less kick or toss in more if you are into fiery deliciousness:

1 tablespoon cumin powder

2 tablespoon chile powder

1 teaspoon of cayenne chile powder

1 teaspoon ancho chile powder

1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

1 tablspoon of cilantro paste (use fresh as alternate. the dried has no flavor).

Equipment: 11×13 lasagna pan or casserole, stock pot, sauce pan, oven

What to do:

1. Heat oven to 350 deg.
2. Boil 3 quarts of water and cook noodles according to directions on package.
3. Make your Cheezy Sauce (see directions below).
4. Crumble tofu into casserole dish with hands until it looks like the texture of ricotta or cottage cheese. Add in the corn, salsa, remaining tablespoon of olive oil, remaining tablespoon of lemon juice, jalapeno slices, chile/beans, cilantro and mix. Sprinkle with pinch of salt and pepper. Begin mixing in 1 cup of cheezy sauce and 1 cup of noodles to get everything evenly distributed and coated. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. Allow to rest. The sauce will thicken as it rests and the flavors will marry and you’ll end up with a casserole that looks a lot like mac and cheese, but better!

Cheezy Sauce Instructions:

1. Combine broth & flour in a measuring cup or small bowl; whisk with a fork until disolved (some lumps are ok). Preheat small saucepan over medium-low heat. Place oil and garlic in the pan and gently cook 2 minutes, stirring often and being careful not to burn the garlic.
2. Add the cumin, chile powders, thyme, salt, and pepper, and cook for another 15 seconds. Add the broth, turmeric and nutritional yeast, and raise the heat to medium. Use a whisk to stir constantly. The mixture should start bubbling and thickening in about 3 minutes or so; if it doesn’t, turn the heat up a little higher.
3. Once the mixture is bubbling and thickening, stir and cook for about 2 more minutes. Add the lemon juice and mustard. The mixture should resemble a thick, melty cheese. Taste for salt (you may need more or less depending on how salty your broth is), turn off the heat and cover the pan to keep it warm until ready to use.

This was enough food to feed myself, my husband and my teenage daughter one night, then have enough for us to each take a big bowl for lunch. There will still be another portion or two that I will freeze for later when I get home this evening. I can tell you that it tasted even better today and I tossed a little Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Wing Sauce: 12 OZ on top and it was a satisfying meal on a cool, rainy fall day. This is my little chance to hang on to summer for just a few more days. My husband, who is a meatatarian or has learned to love vegan food because it’s inexpensive and healthy, but will never call himself a vegetarian actually said, “Are you sure this is healthy? Because, this tastes too good to be healthy. Are you sure this doesn’t have cheese or something in it?”. I giggled, and agreed whole-heartedly. This is one of the best vegan meals I’ve made in a while and it’s healthy and inexpensive. Enjoy your taste of the soutwest and perhaps a bit of summer as well.

PunchFork: Recipes made beautiful and easy

I love the internet for many reasons, but one of my very favorites is the access to an impossible number of recipes, often with user reviews and pictures so that I know that even I can do it. This has meant countless apps, blogs, feeds and searching to get just the recipes that I want. Then, along comes Punchfork, with its wide screen, full color, magazine-cover-worthy photos. So tempting, so convenient, so user-friendly. Recently I began using Pinterest to keep all of my favorites in a single location, which is engaging and attractive, but it’s not nearly as easy to capture my recipes as Punchfork. And let’s face it, I’m a sucker for good looks and on that front Punchfork can’t be beat. In the “About” section of the Punchfork web page the mission is clear:

Punchfork makes it easier to find the best new recipes from popular sites like 101 Cookbooks, The Pioneer Woman, Epicurious, Serious Eats, Food Network and The Kitchn. We use conversations on social networks to bring you high quality recipes that passionate cooks are talking about right now.

Even more interesting is the explanation behind how the site is powered. They use some social media wizardry to serve you up the most popular recipes from blogs, Facebook and Twitter.

These real-time updates capture the images and cooking instructions and post them on the site where users can save, by clicking a little red heart, and share by email, posting to StumbleUpon, Tweet, or even capture your own link for embedding into your personal blog and other sites. I love, love, love this concept. While I may occasionally continue to “pin” recipes that I find interesting, I’m likely to do my real searching no Punchfork.

Are you using Punchfork? If so, share your opinions in the comments below.

Vinegar and Duct Tape!

Well, my husband is smart. Or at least kind of a smart alec. So, imagine my surprise when I excitedly bounced up behind him on the steps and said, “Guess what?” and unapologetic he replied, “Vinegar or Duct Tape?” Wow. That really took the wind out of my sails and gave me a darn good nasal snorty chortle. Ok, so at the end of the world it will likely be me attempting to build a shelter out of duct tape and stockpiling vinegar, but I’m sorta ok with that. But, I digress….here is my latest use for apple cider vinegar, my favorite natural health care tonic. You may recall my previous post where I used apple cider vinegar (ACV) to relieve perioral dermatitis. Well, I’ve done it again! This time, when my dandruff/seborrheic dermatitis became totally unmanageable, I turned to the vinegar. My daughter and I both suffer with it and it’s itchy, burning and embarrassing. My former stylist had recommended a dandruff shampoo to keep it under control and for a few years, it did a pretty good job. However, I had to use the shampoo religiously or risk looking like a snow globe. Eventually though, my daughter began to notice that her hair was getting more and more oily and the flakes were getting worse. I had the opposite experience. My scalp was getting drier and more itchy and the flakes were getting larger. I had burning red patches at my temples that were causing my hair to thin and I constantly had disgusting scalpy bits all over my shoulders and occasionally even stuck in my hair. It was awful… I tried tea tree oil shampoo and just straight tea tree oil, but no luck. The, while researching I red somewhere that it runs in families and people with acne were prone to have it, but that also, someone once again thought it might be yeast. Just like my perioral dermatitis (POD)! What?!? Apple Cider Vinegar to the rescue! I whipped out an old shampoo bottle and filled it with ACV and kept it in the shower. Then, I doused my head in the smelly stuff and let it soak. I gave my scalp a good massage and let it just sort of hang out while I did the rest of my washing up. After about five minutes and some tingling/burning I gave it a good rinse, then used my normal shampoo and conditioner and styled my hair. No flakes! Not a single one. In fact, my head felt refreshed, less itchy and my hair was soft and full of body. Since I used my strongly scented coconut conditioner, I didn’t  notice any after smells. My ears continued to have some itchy peely bits though in the top inside flap and at the back of my ear so the very next day I carefully gave my ears a good wash while I let the vinegar set. I’m down to using the vinegar two or three days a week now (on the mornings that I work out actually) and I’ve noticed a complete improvement. The best part is that previously I was paying about $20 for little bottle of fancy dandruff shampoo, but I can get an entire jug of apple cider vinegar for just a few bucks. So, in the end I have to say that it works spectacular, it’s inexpensive and all natural. I think that just maybe, vinegar and duct tape can save the world.

Better Oats = Better Breakfast

I love to eat. I do not, however, like the calories in a bagel, the sugar in cereal or taking the time to cook my own breakfast unless it involves the microwave. I love oatmeal packets, but there is so much sugar that over time I stopped using them. I started buying quick cooking oats and adding my own dried and fresh fruit or nuts and spices. I did notice that I wasn’t feeling full for very long and after a while the texture got pretty boring. Then, as I was shopping around in my local grocery store, I saw Raw, a multi-grain hot cereal. It looked healthy, in that I recognized all of the ingredents and it didn’t have a load of sugar added to it. I also like that it’s plain so I can flavor it myslef based on my mood. Even better, the packaging was pretty a convenient size/shape. You can almost never go wrong by picking things based on good design, it’s a sign that they care about quality. Luckily for me it was buy one get one free, so I stocked up on four boxes. Here’s some information from the website that I found intriguing: