Let’s Eat/ 6

April 24, 2013 · Leave a Comment

I recently started incorporating chia seeds into my food instead of just my drinks, and I love it! This recipe is great for people who like rice pudding or tapioca, but are into trying a pudding with a healthy twist. Also it’s vegan, and gluten-free. Not to mention, delish! Enjoy!

vegan pudding, chia pudding, coconut pudding

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Vegan Coconut Chia Pudding
Recipe type: dessert or snack
Prep time: 
Total time: 

 

Ingredients
  • 3 tbs chia seeds
  • 8oz can of coconut milk
  • 4oz of soy milk
  • 1 tbs of real vanilla extract

Instructions
  1. mix all ingredient together in a mixing bowl and chill over night
  2. mix well
  3. chia seeds will have formed a “gel” around them and will have thickened the batch. if it’s watery, add more chia seeds until you get the desired consistency.
  4. pour into individual serving containers the next day
  5. eat as is or top with fresh fruit or fruit syrup

 

vegan pudding, chia pudding, chia recipe, chia dessert

This is no bake, no heat, totally easy and not scary. You can get chia seeds at your local health food store most likely. We get this kind, and they have been working out great. I use ball jars to store it in for the week. You can also top with a preserve, or mix in berries like I do. How do you use chia seeds? Let us know, I am into trying more stuff.

For those of you wondering what a chia seeds is or does, here is what I read on wikipedia:

Chia is grown commercially for its seed, a food that is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, since the seeds yield 25–30% extractable oil, including ?-linolenic acid (ALA). Chia seeds are typically small ovals with a diameter of about 1 mm (0.039 in). They are mottle-colored with brown, gray, black and white. According to the USDA, a one ounce (28 gram) serving of chia seeds contains 9 grams of sodium, 11 grams of dietary fiber and 4 grams of protein. The seeds also have 18% of the recommended daily intake of calcium, 27% phosphorus and 30% ,  similar in nutrient content to other edible seeds such as flax or sesame. Although preliminary research indicates potential for dietary health benefits, this work remains sparse and inconclusive. Chia seed consumption has been reported in the public media and is purportedly used by athletes.

 

Like healthy vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free stuff? Check out more recipes in our Let’s Eat! column!

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Let’s Eat / 5

April 5, 2013 · Leave a Comment
Seems crazy to mix olives with cherries, but trust me, this is good. It’s ridiculously good. Make as a snack or appetizer and top crusty bread or crostini. If you want to incorporate it into a meal, bake in with a protein like grilled tofu or mock chicken.
cherry olive
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Let’s Eat / 5
Recipe type: Snack or Appetizers
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 4
 

The easiest, yummiest, crowd pleaser!
Ingredients
  • 12 oz bag of frozen cherries pitted
  • ½ cup of packed brown sugar
  • 2 cups of kalamata olives pitted

Instructions
  1. You can make this two ways:
  2. Crockpot
  3. Dump all ingredients into the crockpot
  4. Set to high for four hours
  5. Drain liquid
  6. Enjoy!
  7. Oven
  8. Dump all ingredients into an oven safe bowl and cover
  9. Place in a 400 degree oven, covered, for one hour
  10. Remove cover and cook for another 20 minutes or until liquid begins to reduce
  11. Drain liquid
  12. Enjoy!

 

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Let’s Eat / 4

March 25, 2013 · Leave a Comment

As I itch for sunshine, I am playing with some Spring and Summer dishes and I scored one that’s perfect for picnics and BBQ’s! It’s vegan if you are OK with honey, and not vegan if your are not, but I bet using agave as a replacement would work just fine. I had to make this a few times to get it just right.

wheatberry salad, vegan side dish, vegetarian

Here are some tips to check out before reading the recipe.

  • let your wheatberry’s soak for an hour or so before you boil them – it will take WAY less time to cook.

wheatberries, wheatberry, soaked wheatberries

  • rince the wheatberries in cool water and pat try before mixing in with other ingredient. I didn’t the first two times and it turned out too watery.
  • chopping everything about the same size somehow makes this taste better.

wheatberry salad

  • bounce the lime on your counter to get more juice out of it!
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Wheatberry Salad
Prep time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 4
 

Perfect for a group, picnic, BBQ, or light meal!
Ingredients
  • ½ of juicy lime
  • 3 tablespoons of honey or agave
  • 2 oz of cooked and dried wheatberries
  • 1 cup of sliced red and green grapes
  • ½ of green apple, sliced into small cubes
  • 3 chives, chopped finely
  • I box of raisins
  • 3 celery stalks, cleaned and sliced into small cubes

Instructions
  1. add apple, grapes, chives, raisins, and celery into a serving bowl.
  2. mix in lime juice and honey.
  3. fold in wheatberries.
  4. chill for 30 minutes to an hour.
  5. serve and enjoy!

 

wheatberry salad, healthy sie dish
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Let’s Eat / 4

March 13, 2013 · Leave a Comment

Happy Wednesday! Joey and I discuss what we are going to eat every day for at least 20 minutes before we make a decision. I am not going to lie. It’s hard sometimes with me being a super strict vegetarian and him loving his burgers and dogs. I do have a trick p my sleeve sometimes. Want to know how to make a carnivore happy? Vegan. Pulled. Pork. Yes! This is one of Joey and my favorite meals. The Texan eats my vegan pulled pork with a smile. Let us know what you think!

vegan pulled pork recipe

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Vegan Pulled Pork
Recipe type: Sandwich
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

 

Ingredients
  • 2 Cups of ketchup
  • 1 tsp liquid smoke
  • 1 tbsp of molasses
  • pinch of red pepper flakes (or more if you like a kick!)
  • 1 tsp of garlic salt
  • 3 heaping tbsp of brown sugar
  • 6 vegan chicken legs from this place: http://www.maywahnyc.com/
  • vegetable oil for rubbing on vegan chicken legs
  • 4 small ciabatta loafs

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a medium saucepan, combine the first six ingredients and stir well.
  3. Set stovetop heat to medium and allow to simmer, while occasionally stirring for 20 minutes. If sauce is too thin, continue to simmer, if it’s too thick, you can add a bit of water to thin out.
  4. While the sauce is simmering, take the 6 vegan chicken legs and rub each with vegetable oil. Place in a shallow pan and put in preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes, then flip and heat for another 10 minutes. The goal is to get a slightly browned vegan chicken leg.
  5. Remove from oven and let cool. Pat each leg down to remove any oil left behind. Once cool, use two forks to shred the “pork”. You will find a wooden stick inside each vegan chicken leg, make sure to remove and dispose of them.
  6. Remove sauce from heat and mix a few tablespoons in with the shredded vegan chicken legs.
  7. Fill up a cibatta loaf with the mixture and add additional sauce to sandwich as necessary.
  8. Enjoy!

 Like yummy vegetarian stuff? Check out all the Let’s Eat posts! 

Like us?! You are so sweet! Let us know by leaving us a comment or dropping us a line so we know what you are into! xxoo

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Let’s Eat / 3

March 7, 2013 · Leave a Comment

Are we instafriends? If not, lets be – especially if you are into food posts. Look us up, makingahouseahome is our name. I usually pop up a photo of what I am cooking to gauge interest before deciding if I should do a post.

This is a pretty quick and tasty meal, and perfect for a chilly night. Enjoy!

vegetarian quick meal, polenta and chard, wild mushroom and polenta

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Let’s Eat / 3
Author: 
Recipe type: Quick Vegetarian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 2-4
 

Ingredients
  • 1 bunch of swiss chard cleaned with stems cut
  • 2 handfulls of while mushrooms (brush off dirt, don’t wet), chopped coarsely
  • 1 cup of polenta
  • ½ cup of shredded cheddar
  • 1 tablespoon of dried thyme
  • 1 tablespoon of dried oregano
  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions
  1. Cook polenta according to instructions.
  2. While polenta is cooking boil the chard until tender when poked with a fork, about 15 minutes.
  3. Drain, squeeze dry and pat with paper towel. Chop coarsely and set aside.
  4. Dry fry mushrooms until they sweat and add 1 tablespoon of oregano and sprinkle with salt.
  5. Add chard to the mushroom frying pan and continue to fry for an additional 2-3 minutes.
  6. When polenta is complete, remove from heat. Add cheese, butter, and the rest of oregano and thyme. Mix well. Set aside.
  7. Scoop polenta into serving bowl and top with mushroom and chard mixture.
  8. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  9. Enjoy!

 

chard, wild mushrooms, vegetarian recipes

swiss chard polenta mushrooms

 

This recipe was adapted from William Sonoma.

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Let’s Eat / 2

November 9, 2012 · 5 Comments

I have gained 20 lbs. T-W-E-N-T-Y whole pounds. I do have the pregnancy thing going on, but still. That’s 20 lbs that weren’t there before. I am kind of freaked out. I am not getting any younger, and my metabolism wasn’t what it was when I was playing soccer every day. I needed to find some better alternatives to my hyper-sweet tooth during pregnancy. I actually don’t like ice cream, and don’t think I ever have even had  a milkshake in my life, but this recipe defies all reason. Trust me. It’s addictivly good, and creamy, and actually GOOD FOR YOU. Not, better than the bad stuff, but GOOD for you.

healthy chocolate, healthy smoothie

The ingredients are super simple and clean. While making this, I realized how much I like dates. They are seriously good. How come I didn’t know this before?

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Recipe type: Drink/Liquid Meal
Prep time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 1-2
 

The absolute best completely healthy drink I have ever had, hands down.
Ingredients
  • 1 Avocado, peeled and pitted
  • 2 tablespoons of pure cocoa
  • 4 Dates, pitted and chopped
  • ¾ cup soy or nut milk
  • Agave to taste
  • Small handful of ice

Instructions
  1. Start by scooping the avocado into a blender and then add everything but the milk and blend.
  2. Slowly add the milk bit by bit until you get a less of a pudding consistency, and more of something you can drink through a straw.

Notes
The recipe was adapted from a guilt-free drink I got at a juice place in Florida.

 

healthy chocolate smoothie

See how rich and creamy it looks? It’s sooooooooo good! I am addicted and so happy to make a smoothie without peanutbutter in it just because it has a chocolate base!

vegetarian meal replacement, pregnancy food

It looks thick, and it is, but it’s smooth enough to use a straw! Enjoy!

Like yummy food? Then check out more let’s eat posts!

5 Comments

This is going to GROW on you!

November 5, 2012 · Leave a Comment

Food is such a touchy subject for me. I have been vegetarian for the majority of my life (27 years to be more exact!) and I made that decision based on a lot of factors. In all honesty, I was too young to fully understand the “why”, I just knew meat wasn’t for me and as I learned more, a new “reason” “was added to the list.  Maybe it was the emotional factor of having to kill something so I could eat when there were perfectly good alternatives that did the same job, or maybe it was because I didn’t like the taste. I can’t really remember all the reasons perfectly, but I do remember when I was in High School, I started doing a bunch of research because people were always asking me why?.

In all my research, the best explanation I could come up with was actually quite simple. I want to feel good about what I am eating. Now, this is different for everyone, and there is no right or wrong (well there is a BUNCH of “wrong”, but that’s a whole other topic!) but for me it came down to this:

  • I don’t eat meat or meat based stock, or gelatin, or anything from an animal besides some milk based products because I don’t like the way it tastes and I think it’s weird to take from an animal when I can just eat fruit and vegetables and get better results for my body.
  • Avoiding meat also gives opportunity for more vegetable  grain, and fruit harvest which is cheaper to feed those in need.
  • I don’t like throwing away food, period. It drives me crazy. Extra fruit can easily be turned to jam, veggies can be pickled and almost everything can be freeze-dried, which I think is super fun.
  • I like buying Fair Trade and Local because I feel it supports mico-economies and the quality has always been better than super market finds.
  • We even started preparing for growing at home with building raised beds.

This is what works for me and makes me feel good. I love to cook, so if I am going to take my time to do it as much as I do, I want quality meals, I don’t want to harm anyone or anything in the process, and I want to be mindful of the leftovers.

Oxfam has a great pinterest board with seasonal produce recipes and tips I started to follow, and have grown to love. I love when things are organized in a visual way. Speaking of…..

GROW meathod

They also have some great material. I feel like they went in my brain and created a comprehensive method we can all follow called the GROW Method.

GROW Method

See how simple it is? I think it makes food feel right for everyone. Planning is key. I plan our meals about three weeks out of the month, leaving Friday open to date night, and the weekends open in general. For every minute you spend planning, you save ten! I use a meal planner I found online. It sounds annoying, but I found by taking that little bit of time planning gets me excited about cooking for the week and then also using double duty ingredients is easier when you plan.

I bet a lot of you already are practicing a lot of the GROW Method at home without even knowing it. It’s like the “common sense” method for being better to yourself, your environment, and others. Buying local and fair trade, cooking, and reworking left overs makes a huge impact on everyone, but you already knew that. Smartypants.

You can learn more by taking a deeper look here, and liking Oxfam America on Facebook, following @oxfamamerica on twitter, and getting inspired by the GROW Pinterest board.

This post (and my sharing on social media) was inspired by my participation in a compensated program initiated by Women Online/The Mission List to raise awareness about Oxfam America’s GROW Method. All commentary and opinions are, of course, my own.

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