Tortellini a la Chucky

"Life is too short, and I'm Italian. I'd much rather eat pasta and drink wine than be a size 0."

- Sophia Bush

Happy Tuesday my friend!  Smile because you are about to experience a wonderful day.  Believe it so, make it so.

This past weekend was one of those "hmm... what are we going to make and use up but still be healthy" dinners.  I had some tomatoes that were getting near their prime and there were also some mushrooms which needed immediate attention.  We had some tortellini in the cupboard, some fresh baby spinach on-hand, and basil flourishing (okay... struggling) in the yard.

Tortellini a la Chucky, toast, and freshly made unsweetened sun green tea.

The result was delicious and made for several meals.  Not absolutely healthy but much healthier than I would be able to find if dining out.  When Tiffany and I ate portions in moderation, we both felt great and had no regret or guilt.

INGREDIENTS:

• Tortellini, one package
• 1 to 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 Tbsp Johnny's Garlic Spread & Seasoning (or equivalent)
• 4 clove garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 4 fresh tomatoes, peeled and seeded
• 5-6 button mushrooms
• 1 handful fresh baby spinach (approx 1 cup)
• 8-9 fresh basil leaves, torn & crushed

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat water to cook pasta but first blanch tomatoes.
2. Remove tomatoes from water before cooking tortellini according to package directions.
3. Cut a "X" into bottom of tomatoes to facilitate skin peel.  When peeled, cut tomatoes into quarters and remove seeds into your compost bowl. Dice remaining tomatoes into medium sized chunks.  Set aside.
4. As pasta is cooking, add sliced garlic and onion to hot oil over medium heat.  Cook until translucent.
5. Add diced tomatoes and tear mushroom stems and caps by hand into small pieces and continue to cook for approximately 2 to 3 additional minutes.
6. Turn off heat and toss in spinach and basil until wilted.
7. When done, add hot drained pasta into empty bowl.
8. Toss in sauteed ingredients and Johnny's Garlic Spread & Seasoning.  Toss gently careful not to tear tortellini.
9. Serve in bowl and top with shredded cheese, if desired.

Hi-dee hi-dee what-are-you-going-to-whip-up-for-dinner-tonight-ho my friend?

Finally... A Post Worth Opening and Viewing!

"Let the humans and 4-foot plastic bubble-headed dolls eat MORE vegetables!  Leave the meat to us canines.  After all, we are genetically designed carnivores.  What's up with those humans consuming animal flesh anyway?  Wait just a minute!  Hey ~ I'm an animal!  <gasp>"

 - The Seed, October 7th 2011

Woof!  Woof! to everybody and every animal.  Okay, okay... the cats too.

Umm.  I just betcha that leg 'o Chucky would be a most tasty snack!

See, Chucky ~ It's pictures they're wanting.  Not words!  'Nuff said?

Hi-dee hi-dee now-this-IS-how-you-make-a-REAL-blog-posting-ho Chucky, my friend!

Baked Green Tomatoes

"It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.”
  - Lewis Grizzard

My sincere salutations spread far and wide!

Our InfraChef halogen oven is doing its thing.

It was time to get out the InfraChef again. I don't recall where but I bumped into a blog post detailing baked green tomatoes. Then I suddenly recalled how delicious and crunchy baked smoky potato wedges are. If the InfraChef can handle potato wedges, why not green tomatoes? And... Lucky for me, Eat More Produce had green tomatoes on sale this week.

What makes pierogies taste even better?

Having a side of baked green tomatoes with them, of course!

I can not recall whose blog site that I found the ideal so I did a quick Google to conclude that simply dredging green tomato slices in bread crumbs should work. No binding agent such as soy milk or potato starch is required.  Simply coat sliced green tomato slices in a bowl of bread crumbs and bake.

Any jealous carivores out there?

Not only were the sliced green tomatoes a delicious addition to dinner but a second batch made for a tasty lunch at the office the following day. Tiffany and I were raving to each other just how perfect the InfraChef fits into our healthy vegetarian lifestyle. Chucky, Tiffany, and the InfraChef halogen oven... We've only just begun.  "But wait!  If you act quickly we will toss in a set of Ginsu knives!..."

Just flipped and ready for another 10-minutes of a halogen tan.

Hi-dee hi-dee Fried-Green-Tomatoes-is-not-just-a-movie-ho my friend.

Vegetarian (Soy) Reuben Sandwich

"The early bird might get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."

 - Author Unknown

Hi everybody!  I hope that you are experiencing a pleasant day and there are no reasons ahead for it not continuing to be so.

Yes my friend.  It's yet another sandwich post today.  Two of them back to back.  Sorry but I've been on a real sandwich kick these past few days.  These things happen.  Soup for a few days, pizza for a few, crock pot meals for a few, and so on and so on.

Rye bread, cheese, dressing, sliced & marinated soy fillet, and sauerkraut.

The good news?  Both sandwich postings represent some mighty fine vegetarian eats!  Today's presentation may have a single unfortunate caveat though.  I'm hoping that you're fortunate enough to have access to a health market nearby your home.  Why?  I suspect the dehydrated soy fillets might be hard for some of you to get your hands around.  For me, I'm lucky to have Hoover's Essential Health Market as my favorite weekly "go to" shopping spot.

What is this?  Simply put, it a bag 'o dehydrated soy fillets.

Dehydrated soy fillets?  I suppose that they are essentially colossal chunks of TVP (textured vegetable protein).   A by-product, perhaps, of the soybean oil manufacturing process?   TVP is what Chucky affectionately likes to call "extruded soy by-product".  Hmm... Maybe dehydrated soy fillet sounds a skosh bit more appetizing?

"Oh?"  How do I get faux meat from these soy fillets?  Basically, you place the fillets into a pan of plain old tap water.  Heat it up until it boils and them immediately remove the fillets into a strainer and drain all water.  Refill the pan and place it back onto the burner for boiling once again.  As the water boils, squeeze the soy fillets as dry as you are able.  Careful though... they're hot.  When the water comes to a boil, toss the fillets back into the pot and cook an additional 5 to 7-minutes.

Again, remove the fillets into a strainer and drain all water.  You're done with the pan now.  After the fillets have had a chance to cool, squeeze them as dry as you are able.

Blend some fresh garlic, some reduced sodium soy sauce, and oil into a marinate.  I used walnut oil and Lee Kum Kee light soy sauce.  Slice the soy fillets into sardine-like slices tossing them into a marinating container.  When all soy fillets have been sliced and placed into the container, pour over the marinate and toss well.

Place into the fridge for 2-hours minimum (or overnight), tossing occasionally.  After thoroughly marinated, cook over medium heat in skillet until slightly browned and excess moisture is cooked out.

There you have it!  You've got delicious faux meat good for sandwiches, wraps, tossed onto salads, pizza topping, and just about anything else you can think of.

No.  We cut this in half and shared it as two lunches.

SERVINGS:  2 (our sandwich was colossal so we cut it in half to share it as lunch)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 slices hearty bread
• 1 slice vegan Swiss cheese
• 4 Tbsp Tiffany's 1,001 Thousand Island dressing
• 1/4 cup faux meat (I used sliced and marinated re-hydrated soy fillets)
• 1/4 cup drained sauerkraut

DIRECTIONS:

1. "Come on!  It's a grilled sandwich, okay?  Nothing special here folks."  You can cuss 'n swear at 'ol Chucky for not including directions if you want to do so.  "Ain't gonna do it."  "Ain't gonna do it."

CONFESSION:  I used real cheese on my sandwich but only because I'm using up my dairy product and then switching to vegan alternatives.

I don't wish to brag but...  Oh, what the hey...  I'm going to anyway.  Yes, my friend.  It tasted that good.  It might not have tasted like the pastrami of a traditional carnivorous Reuben sandwich, but it was certainly delicious in its own right.  Psst... much healthier too.

Hi-dee hi-dee take-those-animal-flesh-foods-and-try-to-make-them-anew-and-vegetarian-ho my friend.

Recipe

Grilled Sauerkraut & 'Mater on Rye Sandwich

"Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak."

 -  Alan Dunde

Greetings my friend!  I hope this blog posting finds you well and good.

What do you get when two slices of Polonia Polish Restaurant rye bread, some vegan cheese, some pesto sauce, some olive tapenade, some sauerkraut, and some sliced red ripe hydroponically grown tomatoes try to cross the cast iron skillet but make it only half way across?  An absolutely delicious Grilled Sauerkraut and Tomato on Rye Sandwich, of course!

"Yes, Virginia.  Vegetarian food does taste good."

No ladies and gentlemen, it's certainly not as delicious as it looks.  It's even better!  An incredible blend of complimentary tastes upon the palate.  A deliciously sloppy cornucopia of flavor greets you upon first bite.

SERVINGS:  2 (Tiffany and I find that splitting this sandwich works best as ours was a mouth-watering monster creation.)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2  bread slices, sturdy bakery bread (I used rye).
• 2 or 3 tomato slices, thickly sliced
• 2 Tbsp pesto sauce, vegan preferred
• 2 Tbsp olive tapenade
• 2 cheese slices, vegan preferred
• 1/4 cup sauerkraut, drained

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat cast iron skillet to medium heat.
2. Prepare slices by spreading pesto on one slice and tapenade on the other.
3. Lay one cheese slice uniformly on one slice.
4. Layer evenly with tomato slices and then top with drained sauerkraut.
5. Top with other cheese slice uniformly and then with second bread slice.
6. Spray with non-stick cooking spray.
7. Grill until golden brown.  Approximately three to four minutes.
8. Flip but re-spray cast iron skillet before grilling other side.
9. I remove from skillet, place onto microwaveable plate and microwave for another 90-seconds just to make certain that I've got that perfectly sloppy sandwich filling.

NOTES:

• The ideal of the two cheese slices being to "glue" the sandwich together.  It might be advantageous to include a third slice between the tomato slices and drained sauerkraut but please be cognizant of the calories, okay?

Another one of those examples where delicious does not have to be complex or cumbersome.  This is one of those things you can make while "thinking outside that culinary box".  Hmm... I betcha avocado would do well on this concoction.  I can also envision slices of tempeh or grilled tofu inside a similarly constructed sandwich.  Whatever your mind conjures up, bon appétit my friend.  Create healthy, cook safely, always be vegetarian, and eat deliciously.

Hi-dee hi-dee who-does-not-love-the-simple-deliciousness-of-a-sandwich-ho my friend.

Recipe

How It All Started

"There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth... not going all the way, and not starting."

 - Buddha

Hello everyone!  May you be blessed with tidings of joy all the day long.

Hmm... Let's call this Saturday II. Why?  Simply because this post would have occurred on my blog yesterday had it not been for timing of Tiffany and my 1 year vegetarianism anniversary.

"Happy World Vegetarian Day 2011 (plus one)!!!"

"Wow!"  "You are indeed a sharp cookie, my friend."  So... Now that you have deducted that World Vegetarian Day 2010 is what prompted our stroll down the pathway of vegetarianism, what shall I write about???

I can specifically remember Tiffany asking whether I would like to try a single day as a vegetarian after she found the advertisement in one of our healthy cooking magazine subscriptions.  After all, we did tend to sway toward tofu when dining out.  Giving up meat for one day would be easy based upon our dietary habits.  We weren't exactly a "meat and potatoes" kind of couple.

I think that Tiffany's internal organs plopped to the bottom of her waistline when I countered, "Sure.  Why not try it for a month instead?  I don't think it's going to be difficult for the two of us (based on our food preferences)."

Well, my friend.  One thing led to another.  Towards the latter part of October 2010 we both agreed how easy and simple this act was.  Hmm.  Why not keep this thing going?  We targeted removal of all meat and meat products from our household.  I can guarantee you that Tiffany and I had the World's happiest carnivorous neighbors in November 2010!  Without a doubt!

They got bucketloads of seafood, prime beef, pastrami, brisket, pork sausage and everything between.  Lucky for them, Tiffany and I had two stocked freezers of animal flesh and animal flesh products.

Well... There you have it.  This is basically how it all started.  Other than when replying "I do.", this was the best thing that Tiffany has ever done for me.  I, perhaps, am the World's luckiest and happiest man alive today!  I've hit the vegetarian lifestyle lottery each and every day since September 30, 2010.

Hi-dee hi-dee it's-a-most-wonderful-life-I-live-ho my friend.

365 Days Later. A Vegetarian's Reflection.

"Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey!"

 -  Barbara Hoffman

An overly generous dose of my personal happy wishes to you this fine Saturday morning!  Mmm...  Smell that?  It's the smell of being alive and being able to enjoy another day.  Another day to observe or to do something that you've never really watched or done before.  Get to it!  There are but 24-hours for this day.

Would you buy a vegan taco from this guy?

It's not only Saturday.  It's not only the beginning of another weekend.  It's Chucky & Tiffany's one year anniversary of becoming vegetarian and leaving the carnivorous lifestyle behind!!!


Top Five Positive Observations (not necessarily in order)

1. Food diversity.  Without having made the change, neither Tiffany nor I would have experienced the broad expanse of delicious foods and treats which we have been able enjoy this past year.
2. People.  Without a doubt, the people that Tiffany and I have met this past year who proudly label themselves either vegan or vegetarian are the nicest, warmest, friendliest, compassionate, and most eco- conscious people which you can find!
3. Well being.  Although this past year I have experienced a private medical set-back and have lost relative little weight, I still feel as though I've conquered the world inside of myself.  I don't know how to explain it.  Simply knowing that I am eating better, choosing wiser, educating myself on what goes into my body, and leaving a smaller environmental footprint along the path makes my mind and soul feeling wonderful.
4. Memory.  Perhaps I am mistaken but I can almost swear that a good portion of my aging and lapsing memory has returned home.  I can remember events from my lifetime, people's names, and prior job skills better each passing day.  I could be mistaken and it might just be psychosomatic but... I'll take this belief!  Now... What was I just saying?  (just kidding)
5. Love.  Tiffany and I have always been close.  She has always been my yin for her yang and vice verse.  However, the entire migration to a vegetarian lifestyle has brought us even closer (if this is even possible).  We learn, educate each other, and experiment together down this wonderful path which we take.  It's a closeness and bond more pronounced than before.

Top Five Disappointments (not necessarily in order)

1. Weight loss.  I originally believed vegetarianism to be that magic placebo which leads to instantaneous and miraculous weight loss.  It isn't.  As a matter of fact, you must strive a little bit harder as you are basically giving up lean proteins (meats) for high calorie/carbohydrate starches (bread, pasta, flour, potato).
2. Carnivorous regret.  It shames me to admit that when I first walked into Polonia Polish Restaurant and viewed their menu, saw the meat dishes being delivered to the surrounding tables, and seeing the expressions of bliss from a room full of carnivores; I felt a little bit of regret that I had not stumbled upon this place before walking the irreversible path of vegetarianism.  My sauerkraut & mushroom pierogi and potato pancake entrees aren't kielbasa or goulash, but they tain't half bad either!  :)
3. Guilt.  I suppose that this is a natural transition for an individual migrating as carnivore to vegetarian, isn't it?  Unlike a person raised and maintained vegetarian, I can recall countless chicken carcasses, cattle rib bones, and pig gristle pieces upon my plate.  I did not begin my path as a vegetarian for humanitarian reason, but instead for health-related reasons.  However, the more I grow as a vegetarian the more I learn.  The more I learn, the more regret I have.  I cannot help but to keep repeating to myself, "If I had only known!"
4. Pre-Packaged Food Stuffs.  I regret that convenience still plays a large part of my life.  Even we vegetarians must consider the convenience of buying store-bough vegan sauces, dressings, mock-meats, etc.  In a perfect world, I would love to make everything that I eat at home from scratch.  On the other hand, some of the food vendors tailored to we vegetarians (and vegans) have developed their product over many years and have an extremely delicious product to offer.
5. Maturing to Become Vegan.  It's my sincerest hope that I become a 100% home vegan by this time next year.  I don't know whether I am willing to severely limit my dining out choices and restrict away-from-home meals to be vegan.  But I do desire to mature to a new level and give up dairy, egg, and honey at every opportunity.

I don't believe that I have made any shocking revelations today.  But, if you are contemplating a lifetime stroll down the vegetarian path of life, I hope that I have something to offer here.  First and foremost, don't do it for anyone other than yourself.  It has to be something which you want to do and not something you feel forced or obliged to do.  Whether for health or animal-right reasons, you know yourself better than anyone else.  And you certainly know right from wrong.

For Tiffany and I?  I wish to unequivocally state that neither of us has a single iota of regret, whatsoever!  'Tis a wonderful vegetarian life we live, indeed!

Hi-dee hi-dee watch-me-grow-another-vegetarian-year-ho my friend.