Taking It Slow

Last night, I was making my Tofu Parmesan, and the Tofu came out all right.  I decided I wanted to make my own sauce, and that was okay, but I was just so unprepared and didn’t do what I really wanted.  I think the expectations in my head far surpass my ability at this time.  Anyway, I’ve decided to hold off on trying to create any of my own recipes for the time being – at least, I won’t be forcing the issue.

There are a lot of recipes in Vegan with a Vengeance that I want to try, and I think it’ll be a good idea to make some of those pre-defined recipes to see how they turn out.  I figure that I can probably learn a little about cooking by making the recipes from the book.  Hopefully, I can learn that – oh, this and this seem to go together very well, instead of me always blindly putting ingredients together in hopes that they will work.  Now, there’s something to be said about experimenting with ingredients, not knowing how it will turn out, but I think I need a little more cooking experience first.

Instead, I’ve decided that I will be looking for recipes from Vegan with a Vengeance (and possibly the Veganomicon – if I ever purchase it).  I hope to plan a dinner out the previous week to make sure I have everything I need for my Tuesday night dinner, prepping in advance if possible. 

My taste-testing needs lots of work – it’s something I just don’t do and I guess I wouldn’t know what I was looking for yet, wouldn’t know what was missing.  Maybe I’ll taste-test as I go along with these pre-defined recipes to see what each ingredient brings.  In any case, may not be posting any recipes any time soon, although if I start to get the hang of it, I may be altering the existing recipes into something of my own, so I may start posting those recipes once that starts happening…

Eh

I’ve decided I’m just going to make my Tofu Parmesan again tonight – maybe mess with some things to see how it turns out.  I bought some mozzarella to put on it, but I think, in the future maybe, I may experiment with different cheeses.  I also want to try to make it with Vegan cheese, but I haven’t tried that yet.  I’m on the fence when it comes to that now.  Also, I used bottled sauce the last time I made it, but I want to try something more from scratch this time.  Have a couple different ideas…maybe I should try them both.  We’ll see how this one goes…I may have to update my posted recipe if this new one is any better.  Most of it will be the same, though.

Anyway, when it comes to eating Vegan, which I was going to try to do on Tuesdays – for no good reason, except to try new recipes and because I really like the Vegan with a Vengeance cookbook (I need to delve into that further and make some stuff).  Today is already a bust because I put Havarti cheese into my veggie wrap today.  I usually make my wrap without cheese, but I bought the cheese yesterday for some excellent sammiches that my wife made.  Also, I had some Yves Fake Turkey Deli slices.  Can’t remember if those are Vegan or not – I’m thinking not.

All in all, in general, I would like to go as natural as possible when I’m cooking.  I think it will be fun, but I also know it can be time consuming and not always a reality, which makes “boxed” options attractive.  I’d rather have the boxed foods be the exception, though.  I want to make my own Veggie Burgers, instead of relying on Boca or Morningstar.  I want to make my own tater tots and bread crumbs, etc.  I’d be sooooo happy if I could make just about everything from scratch.  My cereal…yeah, I’ll just keep buying the boxed stuff.  I just picked up this Ginger and Cranberry cereal that’s really good.  Sorry.  Easily sidetracked. 

Oh well.  Guess my lunch break is over.  My problem so far is that I haven’t really thought a “menu” through yet and what I would need to make my food.  When it finally comes time to make it, I’m either short on time or ingredients.  Can’t wait to start planning.

Been exercising a little more, though, so I’m excited about that.  Started to take short walks before my lunch.  They are short right now due to the bitter cold wind that is on the attack.  Still doing my DVD once or twice a week (not always the whole thing as my son will often interrupt me, and I haven’t gotten to doing it before work yet).  I also try to lift some weights throughout the day when I’m at home.  Maybe I’ll finally get in shape this summer.

Falafel Sandwich

This one definitely will need work, especially since my mindset has changed to:  What would I serve in my restaurant?  I think this was good, but not quite there.

Ingredients:

• Nan
• Baby Arugala
• Tomato
• Pickles
• Tahini Sauce
• Alfalfa Sprouts
• Falafel

Construction:

1. I made the Tahini Sauce from a recipe I found in Vegan with a Vengeance.  It’s a great cookbook, so I suggest picking it up.
2. While the Tahini Sauce chilled in the fridge, I went to visit my wife at work with my year-and-a-half old in tow.  This is not a critical step to the recipe.
3. Although I would like to make this from scratch (I’m sure there’s a recipe in Vegan with a Vengeance, but I took the easy way out), I used a pre-packaged Falafel mix, which I put together at this time.
4. While this is going on, I also made dinner for my son – he had a Vegan Boca Chicken patty, apple sauce, and some red pepper.  Again, this is not critical to the falafel sandwich recipe.
5. I cooked the falafel per the box instructions (my only deviation from the instructions was me burning the first 3 of 9 balls that I made).
6. I used Nan, as my bread base.  I think this was my first disappointment.  The nan is awesome – don’t get me wrong.  Aladdin’s makes a great product, but this didn’t work for me.  The Nan I bought started to break a little and was just a little too small.  I have to find a better bread.  I saw online that Aladdin’s makes a Nan wrap.  Maybe that’ll be a little better for what I’m envisioning.
7. I topped the Nan with some Baby Arugala (it’s the first time I had it at home – kind of a nutty taste to it, I thought – I really enjoyed it), Sliced Tomato, Bread and Butter Pickle slices (Giant Eagle brand), 3 Falafel balls, Tahini Sauce (I just put on two spoonfuls), and finally Alfalfa Sprouts. 
8. I did my best to bend the Nan to eat like a wrap and ate this sandwich with a side of red grapes.  It tasted good - especially for my first home-made Falafel sandwich.

I think I have some ideas on how I would like to make this better and will be looking into some recipes to make the falafel from scratch, so I can alter it in my own way.  Can’t wait to taste the leftover falafel to see if it still tastes good.  If it does, I figure I could always make a batch on Sunday or something and put in the fridge for the coming week.

The Restaurant Dream

Maybe it’s time to start doing the research about owning my own restaurant.  Cleveland has a lot of great places to eat, especially in the Tremont area.  The problem is usually that, although the food is unbelievable, there are limited number of options for the vegetarian diner.  I would love to create a vegetarian only place to eat…something affordable that isn’t just wraps and soup.  I want to have great dishes that will make people feel like they are truly eating out, instead of looking for the one pasta dish that does not have any meat in it.  Or, at least, a place where they don’t have to question what a certain ingredient is or how it is prepared because it’s already known up front that the food is vegetarian friendly.

I want to play with it a bit, but I enjoyed the Tofu Parmesan that I made the other night.  I’d like to improve it and create a great meal out of it.  My wife just made an unbelievable mac & cheese the other night as well (using Ziti and four different cheeses).  We also made home-made pizzas.  The dough is completely vegan, and the toppings would be up to the consumer.  I also want to work on some other dishes as well, but it would be great to fully cater to the vegetarian customer.  I mean, all because it is vegetarian, it doesn’t mean that meat-eaters couldn’t find something on the menu as well (plenty of pasta dishes).  Also, I would like to have most (if not all) of the food be made fresh – no “fake” meat from packages.  It’s great at home, especially when you’re in a crunch for time, but, at the restaurant, I’d like everything to be made by hand (wherever possible).  Also, for all the Vegetarian dishes created, I would like there to be a Vegan alternative as well.  I would think a place would fit in well in the Tremont area in Cleveland…maybe even in Lakewood.  Or, find some place no one would expect.  I wouldn’t want to quit my job or anything because the income is needed, so I know this is just a dream.  Who knows – maybe we could turn our kitchen into a test kitchen and have a “fake” restaurant night or something to test how things play out.

Even if I never get to do anything like that, it would be great if I could find a place that I’m thinking about…a cool place my wife and I could go to on our anniversary (for instance) and have plenty on the menu to choose from.

Tonight – I’m planning to make Falafel.  I’m making it from a boxed mix that I bought – not from scratch.  If tonight works out well, then I will try to see if I can do from scratch.  I will post tomorrow.

Fit Club 6

Celebrity Fit Club 6 premiered last night.  One of my favorite shows.  I’ve been trying to lose weight for a while now, and it happens and then it doesn’t.  Never reached my goal, though.

This show usually gets me motivated, and, after last night’s episode, it looks like it will do so again.  The basic premise is that celebrities (not A-List celebrities) are trying to get in shape and/or lose weight (many times it’s to try a comeback of some sort).  They are divided into two teams and the team that wins gets some great prize.

Maybe, it’s seeing the success stories on the show and stuff that creates the motivation within me.  I mean, I’ve been trying to lose weight because I want to be active in my son’s life (as well as the lives of any future children).  I want to be in shape so I can keep up with them and maybe be something that they strive to be like.

Thanks to the show, I have followed drill instructor Harvey Walden IV’s Celebrity Fit Club workout here and there.  I’ve just started that back up again, trying to do it regularly but usually getting it done 2 times per week.  For awhile, I also tried Dr. Ian’s Fat Smash Diet.  I lost weight and all, but I just didn’t stick to it, which I think is the issue with many people – the maintenance part.  I wonder what Dr. Ian’s diet would be like now that I am a vegetarian.

Also, I find “dieting” to sometimes be troublesome while being a vegetarian.  Not sure if others have experienced any of this.  Most books are written from the point-of-view of eating whatever you’re told to eat.  Maybe I just haven’t found a good Vegetarian healthy eating/weight loss book yet (haven’t really looked).  When reading different books, the “dinner” recipe may call for some meat.  I’m thinking – ok, I’ll substitute Tofu or the vegetarian meat.  Then I think, well, is there something specific in meat that they want the user to get out of at this point that maybe my substitutes don’t have?  Maybe I overthink it, I don’t know.  I even get Men’s Health magazine, and almost all the recipes they put in that mag is meat-related, which isn’t much help.  Why do I still get the magazine?  I think I have enough little exercises clipped from there by now.

I’m looking for ways to get in shape and eat right (healthy and lose weight).  Maybe I’ll come up with my own program.  Hell, Dr. Phil isn’t a real doctor, so I think I could do whatever I want.

Tofu Parmesan

Serving Size: 1

• 3 oz. Extra Firm Tofu (cut from 15 oz. block I purchased at Trader Joe’s for $1.49 – I like their Tofu the best).
• 1/4 Cup Bread Crumbs (I used Jaclyn’s All Natural Seasoned Italian Style Breadcrumbs – picked up an 8 oz. container at Nature’s Bin for $2.99).  1/4 Cup was waaay more than I needed.  I got 2 servings out of this amount and still had waste…so, maybe an 1/8 cup will do per serving.
• Dash of Olive Oil for the pan.
• 1/2 Cup Sauce (I’d really like to make my own, but I used store bought sauce this time – Muir Glen Organic Tomato Basil sauce – purchased at Nature’s Bin for $3.99 – 25.5 oz. jar).  Measurement can be more or less depending on your liking for sauce.
• 1 oz. Mozzarella Cheese.  Again, can be more or less depending on your cheese preference.  I wanted to use a Vegan equivalent, but I didn’t see any at Trader Joe’s, which is where I stopped prior to making this dish.  If you use real cheese, this is the only non-Vegan component to the dish.

1. Cut 3 oz. of Tofu.
2. Roll Tofu around in Bread Crumbs.  Tofu is wet enough that the crumbs were sticking fine.  For Vegetarians, you could also coat the Tofu in egg if crumbs not sticking.  For Vegans, I thought about brushing on some olive oil, but I don’t know what that would do or taste like.
3. Splash Olive Oil into skillet and place over Medium heat.
4. Add Tofu to skillet to brown (approximately 2 minutes per side).
5. In Baking dish, put 1/4 Cup Sauce.
6. Place Tofu onto sauce.
7. Cover Tofu with remaining 1/4 Cup Sauce.
8. Cover with Mozzarella Cheese.
9. Broil on HI for 5 – 6 minutes (until Cheese is browned – didn’t try with Vegan cheese, so I’m not sure how that will brown, if at all).

My side dish was just some steamed Asparagus, onto which I drizzled some fresh lemon juice and sesame seeds.  Hope you enjoy.  Let me know if you try it.

Why You So Fat, Veggie?

I think it’s funny that when you say you are a vegetarian, everyone expects that you will be paper thin because you have been starving yourself.  News flash!!!  Not everything is made out of meat!  I think people get the impression that vegetarians sit around all day gnawing on their carrot sticks and drinking their water.  Well, that’s not the way it works.  And, if it is the way it works for you, you’re probably not too healthy right now.  When addressing the being fat issue, my friend Jim had the best line that I steal all the time:  There isn’t any meat in candy.

Along with not wanting to eat animals, I do want to get in shape, too, but stopping the eating of meat alone is not going to do it.  That piece of my life is all my own personal belief system.  I wanted to be healthy when I was eating meat, and that can be done, too.  It’s just a matter of being disciplined enough, which is where I have failed in the past.

I just started to exercise (again).  It’ll probably go well for a couple weeks, and then “something” will happen – I always have that excuse as to why I’m no longer doing it and going back to drinking large white chocolate mochas every morning.  I’m trying to keep the snacking under control, as well as my portions while eating.  I’m hoping to be in shape for the summer and for the rest of my life.  My son is a year and a half old right now.  I don’t want to have to watch him play.  I want to join him and have fun.  I know it’s my own fault for letting myself go.  I’m sure getting older is a factor, but I’m the one that needs to change with the times and make sure I’m eating correctly.

There are so many wonderful and healthy foods out there that I should be able to keep my diet exciting, and it’s all a matter of adapting to a new lifestyle.  Being healthy can take some hard work, and it’s just a mindset to get over.

Play one less game of baseball on the PS2 and do a 30-minute workout.  Grab an apple instead of a cookie.  Have a nice, long run after engaging a bunch of Fundies in a conversation regarding their favorite fictional books and mentioning how your favorite fictional book is The Bible. 

Welcome

Hey there, everyone.  My name is Ali, and I’m the editor of this blog.  Not 100% sure exactly what I’m going to do with it or how it’s going to work, so we’ll see.

That was a lot of work for me, so I’m going to take a nap now, and I’ll post again sometime soon.

–Ali.