This is NOT a recipe, unless you count it as a recipe for success! I've been thinking about what goals I have for roller derby in the next few months, but they seem amorphous without being written down somewhere. Therefore, in no particular order, here is what I want to work on for the next few months:
1. Go to practice 2.5x a week. It is waaaaay easier to justify skipping practice when it's not a 5-minute bike ride away and when the weather is cold and crappy and it's slippery and I'm tired and I have to get up at 5:30am tomorrow but....roller derby is so good for me. Mentally, physically, socially...it will make my winter better if I just go. And there's no way for me to make progress on my goals if I'm not practicing.
2. Hit effectively, with purpose. My quantitative goal here is to be able to hit someone out of bounds at least one time per scrimmage. I perpetually need to work on execution of my hits, and not attempting desperate hits.
3. Vocalize names when bridging. Don't just say "I'm bridging;" tell a specific person when to start bridging too.
4. Don't forget to work on jamming, including agility work, juking, and taking hits. There are so many parts of jamming that I need to work on that instead of listing them all, I want to just make it a goal to PRACTICE JAMMING. At scrimmages, during free time, etc. I have a tendency to get a little afraid of jamming if I haven't in a while, so I need to just throw myself into it and do it regularly and think about what I can be doing better.
I intend to revisit this list as the "off-season" goes on. Maybe I'll add more specific things or post updates on my progress. :) Happy derbying!
Edit:
5. Identify battle sisters. Pay more attention to who is with me when a jam goes well.
6. "Wrong side" everything. Opposite side transitions, TATS, mohawking, c stops, shutter stopping, etc.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Vegan Thanksgiving
I don't usually just post a link to other recipes without even trying
them, but...these all look soooo delicious that I couldn't help it.
I'll report back if/when I try some of them.
32 Vegan Recipes that are Perfect for Thanksgiving
32 Vegan Recipes that are Perfect for Thanksgiving
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Quick Fall Favorites: Baked Apples, Butternut Squash
Everyone loves fall food, including me! Here are some tasty things I like to make in the fall.
Baked Apples
1. Choose whatever kind of apple you want. To do this recipe the true Speeding Rainbow way, simply pick out the cheapest apples at the grocery store.
2. Find a baking dish that looks like it will fit the amount of baked apples you want to make.
3. Put a bit of water at the bottom of the pan; 1cm or so high.
4. Slice your apples and put the slices in the pan. They should be all cuddly with each other.
5. Add however much of the following you care for on top of your apples: cinnamon, sugar, brown sugar, nutmeg, oatmeal.
6. Bake covered with aluminum foil for 20 minutes at 375-400 degrees.
7. Uncover and bake another 20 minutes or so.
8. Eat as much deliciousness as you want without feeling guilty because it's fruit after all. Impress your friends, who may think this is a really difficult dish to make because it is so tasty.
Butternut Squash
Halve your butternut squash, place it flesh-down on a baking pan covered with aluminum foil. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees. Then eat the insides! (not the seeds or peel). For bonus points make baked apples and butternut squash at the same time so they can be oven friends.
Baked Apples
1. Choose whatever kind of apple you want. To do this recipe the true Speeding Rainbow way, simply pick out the cheapest apples at the grocery store.
2. Find a baking dish that looks like it will fit the amount of baked apples you want to make.
3. Put a bit of water at the bottom of the pan; 1cm or so high.
4. Slice your apples and put the slices in the pan. They should be all cuddly with each other.
5. Add however much of the following you care for on top of your apples: cinnamon, sugar, brown sugar, nutmeg, oatmeal.
6. Bake covered with aluminum foil for 20 minutes at 375-400 degrees.
7. Uncover and bake another 20 minutes or so.
8. Eat as much deliciousness as you want without feeling guilty because it's fruit after all. Impress your friends, who may think this is a really difficult dish to make because it is so tasty.
Butternut Squash
Halve your butternut squash, place it flesh-down on a baking pan covered with aluminum foil. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees. Then eat the insides! (not the seeds or peel). For bonus points make baked apples and butternut squash at the same time so they can be oven friends.
Friday, June 14, 2013
Book Review: Fat Chance - Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease
I'm not going to lie - I checked out this book after hearing about it on NPR. Why?
Because it's difficult to get clear and accurate information on eating a healthy, balanced diet. Every few years a new 'fad' diet shows up, and non-dieters such as myself are left thinking...does any of this actually do anything? Should I cut out carbs from my diet? Should I avoid processed foods? Are the fruit and veggies I am getting hollow shells of their former ancestral selves? Is this toxic too? There's an overload of information and of people trying to sell you things - their book, their food, their exercise equipment, whatever. Food is labeled 'natural,' 'organic,' 'whole-wheat,' 'fjakdl-free,' and many of these mean little to nothing. And the USDA is under the lobbying influence of the food industry, so I'll just say no-thank-you to their recommendations.
But when I heard this little segment on NPR from this doctor/scientist Dr. Robert H. Lustig, I thought...this is a guy who sounds like he knows his science. Not in a pseudo-science hand-wavy way. I can spot that pretty easily. But in a way that was actually about biology and research articles done by medical and academic institutions. So I decided to check out his book.
I generally dislike any kind of self-help book. This is not really a book about dieting per se, but a book about the increase of sugar and additives into the international diet - the why, the how, and the results. It's a book tracing what is known about the causes of heart disease, diabetes, etc. Very fact-based. I skipped over some of the more dull parts, but I'll sum up the important take-away messages I got:
- Eat real food. Unprocessed food. Fruit, vegetables, nuts, grains. This is because...
- Fiber is super important for you for way more reasons than you know about. You should make sure you have both soluble and insoluble fiber in your diet, and lots of it.
- Juice is BAD for you! Even if there is no added sugar, even if it is a 'full serving of fruits and vegetables,' and V8 and looks healthy and sounds healthy and omg it's fruit and vegetables it must be healthy! But it's NOT! This is because converting fruit & vegetables into juice gets rid of all of the fiber but keeps all the sugar. Juice has more sugar than regular pop. Even with the vitamins and minerals juice is not good for you. Water is way, way, way better for you.
- Sugar in naturally occurring foods (fruits, vegetables, etc.) is fine, since it comes with the fiber and the other good stuff. Otherwise it's not good for you and we all get way too much of it. Fructose is the worst. So is high fructose corn syrup. Also, there are like 40 different ways to include sugar as an ingredient, so even if sugar doesn't appear in the first few ingredients listed, IT COULD STILL BE THE LARGEST INGREDIENT BY MASS. So conniving. This is just one of the ways that...
- Food labels are deceptive. They don't say how much sugar is added vs. endogenous to the food. They don't say how much fiber they've taken out. The ingredient list can be manipulated (as in the example of different kinds of sugar). Food without labels is generally nutritionally preferable to food with labels. That means real food.
A question I still have:
- Diet soda...is it bad for you? It doesn't have sugar, but apparently the jury is out on whether or not the net effect of diet soda is bad for you, neutral, better or worse for you than juice/regular pop, etc. This is something I'm interested in as a frequent diet-soda consumer.
Ultimately: I recommend this book if you're interested in public health, nutrition, or just learning a bit more about how to select healthy foods.
Because it's difficult to get clear and accurate information on eating a healthy, balanced diet. Every few years a new 'fad' diet shows up, and non-dieters such as myself are left thinking...does any of this actually do anything? Should I cut out carbs from my diet? Should I avoid processed foods? Are the fruit and veggies I am getting hollow shells of their former ancestral selves? Is this toxic too? There's an overload of information and of people trying to sell you things - their book, their food, their exercise equipment, whatever. Food is labeled 'natural,' 'organic,' 'whole-wheat,' 'fjakdl-free,' and many of these mean little to nothing. And the USDA is under the lobbying influence of the food industry, so I'll just say no-thank-you to their recommendations.
But when I heard this little segment on NPR from this doctor/scientist Dr. Robert H. Lustig, I thought...this is a guy who sounds like he knows his science. Not in a pseudo-science hand-wavy way. I can spot that pretty easily. But in a way that was actually about biology and research articles done by medical and academic institutions. So I decided to check out his book.
I generally dislike any kind of self-help book. This is not really a book about dieting per se, but a book about the increase of sugar and additives into the international diet - the why, the how, and the results. It's a book tracing what is known about the causes of heart disease, diabetes, etc. Very fact-based. I skipped over some of the more dull parts, but I'll sum up the important take-away messages I got:
- Eat real food. Unprocessed food. Fruit, vegetables, nuts, grains. This is because...
- Fiber is super important for you for way more reasons than you know about. You should make sure you have both soluble and insoluble fiber in your diet, and lots of it.
- Juice is BAD for you! Even if there is no added sugar, even if it is a 'full serving of fruits and vegetables,' and V8 and looks healthy and sounds healthy and omg it's fruit and vegetables it must be healthy! But it's NOT! This is because converting fruit & vegetables into juice gets rid of all of the fiber but keeps all the sugar. Juice has more sugar than regular pop. Even with the vitamins and minerals juice is not good for you. Water is way, way, way better for you.
- Sugar in naturally occurring foods (fruits, vegetables, etc.) is fine, since it comes with the fiber and the other good stuff. Otherwise it's not good for you and we all get way too much of it. Fructose is the worst. So is high fructose corn syrup. Also, there are like 40 different ways to include sugar as an ingredient, so even if sugar doesn't appear in the first few ingredients listed, IT COULD STILL BE THE LARGEST INGREDIENT BY MASS. So conniving. This is just one of the ways that...
- Food labels are deceptive. They don't say how much sugar is added vs. endogenous to the food. They don't say how much fiber they've taken out. The ingredient list can be manipulated (as in the example of different kinds of sugar). Food without labels is generally nutritionally preferable to food with labels. That means real food.
A question I still have:
- Diet soda...is it bad for you? It doesn't have sugar, but apparently the jury is out on whether or not the net effect of diet soda is bad for you, neutral, better or worse for you than juice/regular pop, etc. This is something I'm interested in as a frequent diet-soda consumer.
Ultimately: I recommend this book if you're interested in public health, nutrition, or just learning a bit more about how to select healthy foods.
Friday, June 7, 2013
Eggplant Parmesan
So guys, no one ever told me that eggplant Parmesan was so easy to make! I had it in college a lot but had never tried it myself. But when my grocery store had eggplants for $1, I knew this was the perfect time. And it turned out great! I modified the recipe from here.
Ingredients
1-2 eggplants (I used 2)
olive oil
salt
some kind of marinara (I used vodka sauce)
whatever kinds of cheese you have around (I used Parmesan, cheddar, and asiago.)
1-2 eggs (I used 1, but should probably have used 2)
Steps
1. Slice your eggplant into 3/4-inch-thick circles. Then put salt on both sides and let them sit in a colander for 20 minutes. Something about getting weird juices out to change the texture and flavor. Whatever. Just go do something else for 20 minutes while your eggplant is hanging out juicing itself.
2. Once 20 minutes is up, rinse each piece of eggplant thoroughly in cool water and then shake it off and then squish the eggplant between paper towel on both sides to get remaining juices out. This is a teeny bit time consuming (ie, more than 2 minutes total) and I can't actually verify that this helps with anything, but it was recommended in the recipe I used so again, whatever, just do it.
2.5. Pre-heat the oven to 350.
3. Now fry your eggplant patties in a skillet. If you use any oil, I recommend a little bit of olive oil. Flip 'em so they're brown on each side.
4. While you're frying, put some marinara sauce in the bottom of a baking pan. Whatever you have lying around. I used a loaf-sized pan.
5. Also while you're frying, beat your egg/s and then mix in the cheese.
6. Then, when your eggplants are done frying, put a row of them on the marinara sauce. Then spread some of the egg-cheese sauce stuff on the eggplant. Then stack more eggplant. Then more egg-cheese stuff. Until you're out of eggplant and egg-cheese.
7. Put the rest of your sauce over all of the stuff. Put that sucker in the oven for 30 minutes. The sauce should be bubbly then. If not let it bake a little more.
I like that the ingredient ratios here are pretty flexible. I mean, it's basically eggplant, sauce, and cheese, so you can adjust it. Or you can default to my recipe-fixer: Add cheese.
Total time: like an hour. Definitely something I will make again! I'll post pictures when I eat the leftovers or when I make it again.
Ingredients
1-2 eggplants (I used 2)
olive oil
salt
some kind of marinara (I used vodka sauce)
whatever kinds of cheese you have around (I used Parmesan, cheddar, and asiago.)
1-2 eggs (I used 1, but should probably have used 2)
Steps
1. Slice your eggplant into 3/4-inch-thick circles. Then put salt on both sides and let them sit in a colander for 20 minutes. Something about getting weird juices out to change the texture and flavor. Whatever. Just go do something else for 20 minutes while your eggplant is hanging out juicing itself.
2. Once 20 minutes is up, rinse each piece of eggplant thoroughly in cool water and then shake it off and then squish the eggplant between paper towel on both sides to get remaining juices out. This is a teeny bit time consuming (ie, more than 2 minutes total) and I can't actually verify that this helps with anything, but it was recommended in the recipe I used so again, whatever, just do it.
2.5. Pre-heat the oven to 350.
3. Now fry your eggplant patties in a skillet. If you use any oil, I recommend a little bit of olive oil. Flip 'em so they're brown on each side.
4. While you're frying, put some marinara sauce in the bottom of a baking pan. Whatever you have lying around. I used a loaf-sized pan.
5. Also while you're frying, beat your egg/s and then mix in the cheese.
6. Then, when your eggplants are done frying, put a row of them on the marinara sauce. Then spread some of the egg-cheese sauce stuff on the eggplant. Then stack more eggplant. Then more egg-cheese stuff. Until you're out of eggplant and egg-cheese.
7. Put the rest of your sauce over all of the stuff. Put that sucker in the oven for 30 minutes. The sauce should be bubbly then. If not let it bake a little more.
I like that the ingredient ratios here are pretty flexible. I mean, it's basically eggplant, sauce, and cheese, so you can adjust it. Or you can default to my recipe-fixer: Add cheese.
Total time: like an hour. Definitely something I will make again! I'll post pictures when I eat the leftovers or when I make it again.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
(Grilled or Not Grilled) Vegetable Chili
I adapted this from Rachel Ray's "Big Orange Book." It turned out SO DELICIOUS and just the right amount of spicy. This is a great dish for a chilly day. Here's the altered version of her recipe:
Ingredients:
2 diced zuchinni
1/2 large red bell pepper, diced
1/2 large yellow bell pepper, diced
2 large portabella mushrooms, diced
1 red onion, diced
some extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
equivalent of 2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 teeny can of jalapeno peppers
15 oz can of black beans
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup beer (if you're gluten free, hard cider would probably work as a substitute)
2 cups vegetable broth
juice of 1 lime
handful of fresh cilantro leaves, shredded
tortilla chips for crumbling on top
shredded cheese to add on top (optional)
Directions: Saute diced vegetables in extra virgin olive oil until they're tender. Add the garlic and jalapenos and cook for 2-3 min. Add the beans, chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the beer for 30 seconds. Stir in the vegetable broth and simmer for a few minutes. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Serve with the crumbled tortilla chips and (if you're not vegan) cheesy goodness on top.
Ingredients:
2 diced zuchinni
1/2 large red bell pepper, diced
1/2 large yellow bell pepper, diced
2 large portabella mushrooms, diced
1 red onion, diced
some extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
equivalent of 2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 teeny can of jalapeno peppers
15 oz can of black beans
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup beer (if you're gluten free, hard cider would probably work as a substitute)
2 cups vegetable broth
juice of 1 lime
handful of fresh cilantro leaves, shredded
tortilla chips for crumbling on top
shredded cheese to add on top (optional)
Directions: Saute diced vegetables in extra virgin olive oil until they're tender. Add the garlic and jalapenos and cook for 2-3 min. Add the beans, chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the beer for 30 seconds. Stir in the vegetable broth and simmer for a few minutes. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Serve with the crumbled tortilla chips and (if you're not vegan) cheesy goodness on top.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Quick, Delicious Sides
Veg sides that are delicious:
MASHED POTATOES!
Adapted from this random website.
Ingredients:
1 1/3 pounds (4 medium) Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes washed and cut into uniform 2-inch chunks
1 teaspoon salt
(optional) 2 tablespoons warm butter
1/2 to 2/3 cup soy milk
Preparation:
In large saucepan, add cut-up potatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and just
enough cold water until potatoes are covered; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium; cover and let simmer 15 to 20 minutes
or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.
When the potatoes are cooked, remove from heat and immediately drain potatoes thoroughly. Return to saucepan; heat over medium-low heat approximately 1 to 2 minutes to dry potatoes, stirring occasionally.
In the same saucepan that the potatoes have been heated in, mash potatoes with a fork until chunky. Stir in warm butter, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup of the soy milk. Add additional milk, a little at a time, if necessary, for desired consistency.
You can add chives or vegetables and stuff if you want. Yummmmm. I had never tried making mashed potatoes using soy milk but it turned out delicious!
KALE Take your kale (using only the leafy part) and saute in extra virgin olive oil until crispy and delicious. Then you're done!
LENTILS & VEGGIES
This can actually be a whole meal, since lentils have so much protein. Cook your lentils according to package directions (basically 2 parts water for 1 part lentils, simmer for 15-20 min) and add some cumin while they're simmering. Then add some chopped up vegetables either part of the way through (to soften them) or at the end. I have tried 1 cup lentils + 1 avocado + 2 fresh diced tomatoes and it was AMAZING and perfect as a (large) meal for one. Super easy and very tasty.
I'll post pictures of all of these delicious sides when I make them again!
MASHED POTATOES!
Adapted from this random website.
Ingredients:
1 1/3 pounds (4 medium) Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes washed and cut into uniform 2-inch chunks
1 teaspoon salt
(optional) 2 tablespoons warm butter
1/2 to 2/3 cup soy milk
Preparation:
When the potatoes are cooked, remove from heat and immediately drain potatoes thoroughly. Return to saucepan; heat over medium-low heat approximately 1 to 2 minutes to dry potatoes, stirring occasionally.
In the same saucepan that the potatoes have been heated in, mash potatoes with a fork until chunky. Stir in warm butter, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup of the soy milk. Add additional milk, a little at a time, if necessary, for desired consistency.
You can add chives or vegetables and stuff if you want. Yummmmm. I had never tried making mashed potatoes using soy milk but it turned out delicious!
KALE Take your kale (using only the leafy part) and saute in extra virgin olive oil until crispy and delicious. Then you're done!
LENTILS & VEGGIES
This can actually be a whole meal, since lentils have so much protein. Cook your lentils according to package directions (basically 2 parts water for 1 part lentils, simmer for 15-20 min) and add some cumin while they're simmering. Then add some chopped up vegetables either part of the way through (to soften them) or at the end. I have tried 1 cup lentils + 1 avocado + 2 fresh diced tomatoes and it was AMAZING and perfect as a (large) meal for one. Super easy and very tasty.
I'll post pictures of all of these delicious sides when I make them again!
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Red Quinoa and Black Bean Vegetable Salad
Dearest readers - this is THE BEST VEGAN DISH I have ever had. So delicious. I am going to be making this many, many times.
"Light, fresh, and packed with protein and healthy fats, this tangy salad will have you dreaming of spring and summer." Inspired by Epicurious, and passed along from B. Makes about 5 cups.
Ingredients for the salad:
-1 cup uncooked red quinoa
-1 14oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
-1 red pepper, chopped
-1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
-2 green onions, chopped
-1 cup fresh corn (optional)
-1 small avocado, chopped into 1 inch pieces
Ingredients for the dressing:
-4-5 tbsp of fresh lime juice (will take about 2 small limes)
-1/2 tsp kosher salt
-1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
-1 garlic clove, minced
-1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
-1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
-1/2 tsp ground cumin
Directions:
1. Cook 1 cup red quinoa according to package directions.
2. While quinoa is cooking, prepare the chopped vegetables and whisk together the dressing.
3. Allow quinoa to cool after cooking for about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Add the beans and vegetables and toss well.
4. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss well with salt and pepper to taste. Bring salad to room temperature before serving. Keeps fresh in a sealed container for 1-2 days.
"Light, fresh, and packed with protein and healthy fats, this tangy salad will have you dreaming of spring and summer." Inspired by Epicurious, and passed along from B. Makes about 5 cups.
Ingredients for the salad:
-1 cup uncooked red quinoa
-1 14oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
-1 red pepper, chopped
-1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
-2 green onions, chopped
-1 cup fresh corn (optional)
-1 small avocado, chopped into 1 inch pieces
Ingredients for the dressing:
-4-5 tbsp of fresh lime juice (will take about 2 small limes)
-1/2 tsp kosher salt
-1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
-1 garlic clove, minced
-1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
-1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
-1/2 tsp ground cumin
Directions:
1. Cook 1 cup red quinoa according to package directions.
2. While quinoa is cooking, prepare the chopped vegetables and whisk together the dressing.
3. Allow quinoa to cool after cooking for about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Add the beans and vegetables and toss well.
4. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss well with salt and pepper to taste. Bring salad to room temperature before serving. Keeps fresh in a sealed container for 1-2 days.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Book Review: Eating Animals
Disclaimer: I am predisposed to like something by Jonathan Safran Foer, and therefore to find him more persuasive. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close was wonderfully written and so moving that I would find probably any non-fiction work by him if not compelling, than at least trustworthy.
I picked up Eating Animals from the local library knowing that it would probably sway me to maintain a vegetarian diet (which I had tried for 6 months sometime in college). Interestingly, Foer makes the point that most people when hearing about the book assumed that it would be a cry for vegetarianism, even though Foer went into the project simply looking to get the facts and make educated decisions about what he and his family should eat. Why would a book about eating animals necessarily be vegetarian-minded? It implies that we know already that there is something wrong about eating animals; that learning more about it will give evidence not for being omnivorous but for swearing off meat.
This book was eye-opening. Thorough. Personal. When I last tried not eating animals, I did it just to try. I hadn't had any particular experience or learned anything specific that made me want to be a vegetarian. I just felt that it was a morally preferable choice, and wanted to see what it would feel like to do it (and if I could sustain it). In the end, I went back to meat. In recent months, I've been cutting back chicken and beef in favor of pescatarian options, though not seriously making an effort to be pescatarian.
After reading this book, I decided I no longer want to eat meat. I believe that this time, my vegetarianism will last. I'm no longer ignorant about factory farming and the cruel conditions animals I eat have faced in their short, unnatural lifetimes. I'm no longer 'just trying it.' I enjoy the taste of meat, but knowing what I know after reading this book, I just don't want to eat it. It's not even just the gruesome descriptions of what happens at factory farms. It's a culmination of knowing that environmentally, vegetarianism is a more sustainable option. It's knowing that we eat too much meat anyway. It's knowing that I don't have to eat meat, and that this is probably the easiest time to be a vegetarian (for me, at least) ever.
Some excerpts from the book that I found particularly interesting and compelling:
"The choice-obsessed modern West is probably more accommodating to individuals who choose to eat differently than any culture has ever been, but ironically, the utterly unselective omnivore--"I'm easy; I'll eat anything"--can appear more socially sensitive than the individual who tries to eat in a way that is good for society."
A farmer who raises turkeys naturally, quoted by Foer: "People care about animals. I believe that. They just don't want to know or to pay. A fourth of all chickens have stress fractures. It's wrong. They're packed body to body, and can't escape their waste, and never see the sun. Their nails grow around the bars of their cages. It's wrong. They feel their slaughters. It's wrong, and people know it's wrong. They don't have to be convinced. They just have to act differently. I'm not better than anyone, and I'm not trying to convince people to live by my own standards of what's right. I'm trying to convince them to live by their own."
I'm going to try to live by my own standards.
One question that remains unanswered for me is whether to try and be completely vegan. Foer does all of the legwork I needed to see that a vegetarian lifestyle is best for me, but he didn't do as much digging (or writing, at least) about eating other animal products. I'm thinking of weaning myself into veganism, but don't want to make changes so suddenly that I find it too overwhelming to keep up with it. I want to do it right. I think I'll start by buying some vegan snacks and looking into vegan alternatives to products like eggs cooking-wise. I've already switched to soy milk (and it's delicious, and basically the same price as cow's milk!). Thankfully, I have a lot of vegan friends that I can look to for advice and recipes.
I still have questions about balancing being veg/vegan and trying to not eat as many processed foods. So many veg/vegan substitutes are highly processed. I was mostly swayed toward vegetarianism by Foer's arguments about animal cruelty, but I also want to make healthy choices for myself and limit my intake of highly processed foods. This is going to require some more research and legwork on my part.
Next steps for me:
1. Get more veg/vegan recipes to try, so that it's easier to have a healthy, varied, satisfying veg diet.
2. Get to the local farmer's market to see what products are available to cut back on processed foods.
3. Talk with veg/vegan friends about their advice and food recommendations.
4. Shop for more veg/vegan alternatives. Try new things.
5. Finish the fish, cheese, eggs, and butter that I've already purchased, but also be looking for items that can replace these once I finish them.
I picked up Eating Animals from the local library knowing that it would probably sway me to maintain a vegetarian diet (which I had tried for 6 months sometime in college). Interestingly, Foer makes the point that most people when hearing about the book assumed that it would be a cry for vegetarianism, even though Foer went into the project simply looking to get the facts and make educated decisions about what he and his family should eat. Why would a book about eating animals necessarily be vegetarian-minded? It implies that we know already that there is something wrong about eating animals; that learning more about it will give evidence not for being omnivorous but for swearing off meat.
This book was eye-opening. Thorough. Personal. When I last tried not eating animals, I did it just to try. I hadn't had any particular experience or learned anything specific that made me want to be a vegetarian. I just felt that it was a morally preferable choice, and wanted to see what it would feel like to do it (and if I could sustain it). In the end, I went back to meat. In recent months, I've been cutting back chicken and beef in favor of pescatarian options, though not seriously making an effort to be pescatarian.
After reading this book, I decided I no longer want to eat meat. I believe that this time, my vegetarianism will last. I'm no longer ignorant about factory farming and the cruel conditions animals I eat have faced in their short, unnatural lifetimes. I'm no longer 'just trying it.' I enjoy the taste of meat, but knowing what I know after reading this book, I just don't want to eat it. It's not even just the gruesome descriptions of what happens at factory farms. It's a culmination of knowing that environmentally, vegetarianism is a more sustainable option. It's knowing that we eat too much meat anyway. It's knowing that I don't have to eat meat, and that this is probably the easiest time to be a vegetarian (for me, at least) ever.
Some excerpts from the book that I found particularly interesting and compelling:
"The choice-obsessed modern West is probably more accommodating to individuals who choose to eat differently than any culture has ever been, but ironically, the utterly unselective omnivore--"I'm easy; I'll eat anything"--can appear more socially sensitive than the individual who tries to eat in a way that is good for society."
A farmer who raises turkeys naturally, quoted by Foer: "People care about animals. I believe that. They just don't want to know or to pay. A fourth of all chickens have stress fractures. It's wrong. They're packed body to body, and can't escape their waste, and never see the sun. Their nails grow around the bars of their cages. It's wrong. They feel their slaughters. It's wrong, and people know it's wrong. They don't have to be convinced. They just have to act differently. I'm not better than anyone, and I'm not trying to convince people to live by my own standards of what's right. I'm trying to convince them to live by their own."
I'm going to try to live by my own standards.
One question that remains unanswered for me is whether to try and be completely vegan. Foer does all of the legwork I needed to see that a vegetarian lifestyle is best for me, but he didn't do as much digging (or writing, at least) about eating other animal products. I'm thinking of weaning myself into veganism, but don't want to make changes so suddenly that I find it too overwhelming to keep up with it. I want to do it right. I think I'll start by buying some vegan snacks and looking into vegan alternatives to products like eggs cooking-wise. I've already switched to soy milk (and it's delicious, and basically the same price as cow's milk!). Thankfully, I have a lot of vegan friends that I can look to for advice and recipes.
I still have questions about balancing being veg/vegan and trying to not eat as many processed foods. So many veg/vegan substitutes are highly processed. I was mostly swayed toward vegetarianism by Foer's arguments about animal cruelty, but I also want to make healthy choices for myself and limit my intake of highly processed foods. This is going to require some more research and legwork on my part.
Next steps for me:
1. Get more veg/vegan recipes to try, so that it's easier to have a healthy, varied, satisfying veg diet.
2. Get to the local farmer's market to see what products are available to cut back on processed foods.
3. Talk with veg/vegan friends about their advice and food recommendations.
4. Shop for more veg/vegan alternatives. Try new things.
5. Finish the fish, cheese, eggs, and butter that I've already purchased, but also be looking for items that can replace these once I finish them.
Movie Review: Hungry for Change
I saw this title and thought - maybe this will give me some information about processed foods and how to make healthier and more informed food choices! And it sort of did, but it was way overdone, too long for its message, and used scare tactics like comparing sugar to heroine and showing how much sugar elementary students consume just from milk. (My issue with the latter is that generally people don't understand or can't comprehend large quantities or how a small quantity over time always becomes a large 'shocking' quantity).
The documentary makes some important points. Ones that stuck out to me include:
1. the food industry doesn't care about your health; it cares about maximizing profits.
2. dieting is generally not done well.
3. diet cola is not a good alternative to non-diet cola.
I would have preferred reading a more neutral article about this issue than watching people being interviewed about it. (In fact: I'm going to read this article soon and compare it to the movie). The film also fell into the trap of putting 'weight loss' as one of the ultimate pay-offs of eating right. Again...can we not conflate obesity / being overweight to being unhealthy? Isn't health its own reward?
I guess ultimately I prefer the more monotonous, balanced tone of NPR or similar reporting when it comes to nutrition, dieting, and food choices. This documentary didn't do it for me.
The documentary makes some important points. Ones that stuck out to me include:
1. the food industry doesn't care about your health; it cares about maximizing profits.
2. dieting is generally not done well.
3. diet cola is not a good alternative to non-diet cola.
I would have preferred reading a more neutral article about this issue than watching people being interviewed about it. (In fact: I'm going to read this article soon and compare it to the movie). The film also fell into the trap of putting 'weight loss' as one of the ultimate pay-offs of eating right. Again...can we not conflate obesity / being overweight to being unhealthy? Isn't health its own reward?
I guess ultimately I prefer the more monotonous, balanced tone of NPR or similar reporting when it comes to nutrition, dieting, and food choices. This documentary didn't do it for me.
Movie Review: Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead
This documentary was an interesting look at two men who decide to juice cleanse to lose weight and gain health. However, I had a few issues with the film:
1. I finished the movie without understanding the scientific justifications for 'juice cleansing.' There was clear anecdotal evidence that the cleanse was healthful and rejuvenating, but the film lacked any sort of serious discussion about the benefits and drawbacks of juice cleansing for various populations. I was therefore unconvinced that this was a healthy thing for a typical person to try. My reluctance to accept the filmmaker's word as truth was solidified while I was listening to a Science Friday podcast recently. In the podcast, an author who researched nutrition and eating was explaining how putting vegetables through a juicer removes a good deal of their nutritional content by essentially changing insoluble fiber to soluble fiber. (Side note: I'm on the waiting list at the library for that author's book "Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease.") I am not an expert on chemistry, biology, or nutrition, so this sort of scientific and accurate information is what I'm looking for more than a "Look how healthy I feel now!" fad.
2. The filmmaker too often conflated obesity with being unhealthy. This is not a scientifically accurate connection, and it is an all-too-often insulting one for people who are "overweight." In fairness, it seemed to me that there was a stronger emphasis in the documentary on being healthy than on losing weight, but there was too much camera time spent discussing the weight loss that resulted from the juice cleanse as opposed to the overall health effects (see complaint #1).
Overall: An interesting documentary, but more akin to an inspiring A&E show than to a really educational way to get information about healthy eating.
1. I finished the movie without understanding the scientific justifications for 'juice cleansing.' There was clear anecdotal evidence that the cleanse was healthful and rejuvenating, but the film lacked any sort of serious discussion about the benefits and drawbacks of juice cleansing for various populations. I was therefore unconvinced that this was a healthy thing for a typical person to try. My reluctance to accept the filmmaker's word as truth was solidified while I was listening to a Science Friday podcast recently. In the podcast, an author who researched nutrition and eating was explaining how putting vegetables through a juicer removes a good deal of their nutritional content by essentially changing insoluble fiber to soluble fiber. (Side note: I'm on the waiting list at the library for that author's book "Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease.") I am not an expert on chemistry, biology, or nutrition, so this sort of scientific and accurate information is what I'm looking for more than a "Look how healthy I feel now!" fad.
2. The filmmaker too often conflated obesity with being unhealthy. This is not a scientifically accurate connection, and it is an all-too-often insulting one for people who are "overweight." In fairness, it seemed to me that there was a stronger emphasis in the documentary on being healthy than on losing weight, but there was too much camera time spent discussing the weight loss that resulted from the juice cleanse as opposed to the overall health effects (see complaint #1).
Overall: An interesting documentary, but more akin to an inspiring A&E show than to a really educational way to get information about healthy eating.
Movie Review: Vegucated
To make a documentary about food is necessarily to be a little preachy. Vegucated doesn't manage to fully shake off this preachiness, but it does manage to make itself personal and even funny.
The filmmaker's approach is really what manages to pull this off. Instead of exclusively barraging the viewer with impersonal facts and statistics, the film shows three omnivorous New Yorkers living a vegan lifestyle over a period of weeks, as they come to learn what it means to be vegan and why people choose to not consume animal products. The viewer is brought along the journey of trying to be vegan, making the path to veganism seem like a real possibility instead of an idealistic endeavor that no one would seriously successfully try.
This film was one of the first I watched in an attempt to educate myself about my own food choices. Some of the questions it made me think about include:
1. Why do I make the food choices I do? What influences my food choices - culture, tradition, price, packaging, marketing, etc. - and what other things should be influencing my food choices?
2. Why do I continue to eat meat and other animal products if they aren't nutritionally necessary? What would a vegan life look and feel like? Would it be difficult to become a vegan (prices, willpower, socially, etc.) ?
3. Where do the animal products I consume come from? What information can I get about how they are produced and processed? How can I educate myself so that I can make informed decisions about eating animal products?
4. It seems like a lot of vegan products or meat substitutes are highly processed. How could a person strike a balance between eating less meat and eating less processed food?
5. Of the reasons to become veg/vegan, which would be most important to me? Environmentalism, animal welfare, personal health...?
The filmmaker's approach is really what manages to pull this off. Instead of exclusively barraging the viewer with impersonal facts and statistics, the film shows three omnivorous New Yorkers living a vegan lifestyle over a period of weeks, as they come to learn what it means to be vegan and why people choose to not consume animal products. The viewer is brought along the journey of trying to be vegan, making the path to veganism seem like a real possibility instead of an idealistic endeavor that no one would seriously successfully try.
This film was one of the first I watched in an attempt to educate myself about my own food choices. Some of the questions it made me think about include:
1. Why do I make the food choices I do? What influences my food choices - culture, tradition, price, packaging, marketing, etc. - and what other things should be influencing my food choices?
2. Why do I continue to eat meat and other animal products if they aren't nutritionally necessary? What would a vegan life look and feel like? Would it be difficult to become a vegan (prices, willpower, socially, etc.) ?
3. Where do the animal products I consume come from? What information can I get about how they are produced and processed? How can I educate myself so that I can make informed decisions about eating animal products?
4. It seems like a lot of vegan products or meat substitutes are highly processed. How could a person strike a balance between eating less meat and eating less processed food?
5. Of the reasons to become veg/vegan, which would be most important to me? Environmentalism, animal welfare, personal health...?
Sunday, February 17, 2013
White Bean TOFU Chili
I got this recipe from my friend Amanda. It's very tasty! I assume that it would be easy to substitute tofu or something for the chicken. I've used fish instead of chicken and it turned out fine. I love recipes that only have one step!
Ingredients
1.25 pounds chicken tofu
2 cupschicken vegetable broth
11 oz can white corn, drained
2 12 oz cans Great Northern Beans, drained
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1 small white onion, chopped
4 oz can green chiles, chopped
14 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 packet White Bean Chili Seasoning mix (not gluten free) OR 1-2 tbsp chili seasoning (gluten free)
Directions
Combine in large pot on medium heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Ingredients
2 cups
11 oz can white corn, drained
2 12 oz cans Great Northern Beans, drained
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1 small white onion, chopped
4 oz can green chiles, chopped
14 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 packet White Bean Chili Seasoning mix (not gluten free) OR 1-2 tbsp chili seasoning (gluten free)
Directions
Combine in large pot on medium heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Welcome! Let's eat.
As a twenty-something whippersnapper who recently started cooking for herself, I, very simply, am trying to cook healthy and simple meals. I want to wean myself off of the boxed foods I've lived on for so long and expand my cooking horizons into more fresh and varied territories.
Why, and why now?
-I finally have free time to cook.
-I want to treat my body right. Obligatory statement about how processed foods aren't as nutritious, how animals are mistreated in the food industry, how vegetables are important, etc.
-I've become interested in thinking about why I eat what I do and how my food choices impact not only my body but also everything else (food industry, agriculture, global warming, possibly apocalypses, etc.). I'm certainly not super-well informed but I watched a few leftist documentaries recently that inspired me to keep track of the healthy recipes I like.
-Currently, recipes that I like and re-use are on torn out pieces of notebook paper. This seems more reliable.
-I bring my lunch to work each day. Leftovers are generally better for me and cheaper than the frozen meals or pb&j that I bring.
I'm jaded enough to know that I'll eventually get tired of posting, but for now, I have a week off and am trying a bunch of new recipes, so welcome, dear reader!
Why, and why now?
-I finally have free time to cook.
-I want to treat my body right. Obligatory statement about how processed foods aren't as nutritious, how animals are mistreated in the food industry, how vegetables are important, etc.
-I've become interested in thinking about why I eat what I do and how my food choices impact not only my body but also everything else (food industry, agriculture, global warming, possibly apocalypses, etc.). I'm certainly not super-well informed but I watched a few leftist documentaries recently that inspired me to keep track of the healthy recipes I like.
-Currently, recipes that I like and re-use are on torn out pieces of notebook paper. This seems more reliable.
-I bring my lunch to work each day. Leftovers are generally better for me and cheaper than the frozen meals or pb&j that I bring.
I'm jaded enough to know that I'll eventually get tired of posting, but for now, I have a week off and am trying a bunch of new recipes, so welcome, dear reader!
Quick Cauliflower and Potato Curry
It turned out really good, though it needs more spices! I'm going to triple the curry powder and turmeric for next time, and maybe add some sriracha as well. Pro-tip from my friend R: Kale is good just sauteed in olive oil.
Dietary restrictions: Vegan, and to my knowledge gluten free
Ingredients
- 2 onions, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- About 3 medium potatoes, diced
- Nearly half a head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1 can diced tomatoes
13 tsp curry powder13 tsp turmeric- A little bit of sriracha
- Parsley or kale (saute in olive oil)
- Optional: Add hard-boiled eggs or tofu
Stir-fry the diced onions in a dry skillet (no oil) until they are very brown. You can add a little bit of water from time to time if they start to stick. Add the minced garlic and fry that for about 30 seconds. Then add about 3 cups of water and the potatoes, cauliflower, and diced tomatoes. Add the spices and sriracha. Cover and simmer until the potatoes and cauliflower are tender. Serve with rice. Garnish with parsley or kale.
A note from Laurie: It’s hard to give an exact quantity for the potatoes and cauliflower, because their sizes vary, and some skillets are bigger than others. If I fill my skillet with vegetables, it yields about 6 servings.
Pictured below: My 2nd time making this, I substituted garbanzo beans for the diced tomatoes and cabbage and carrots for the cauliflower. It was better with the added seasoning but I think I might use even more sriracha next time.
Polenta with Mushrooms & Greens
From Get Vegucated, who got it from Kelsey Rowley, Vegan nursing student, Seattle, WA. I haven't tried this yet, but I'll update this with a review when I do. I haven't been able to try it yet because the 4 employees I asked at the grocery store did not know where I could find their polenta. (One asked me: Oh, for your coffee? Me: Uh...no. It's probably by the quinoa or something. Employee: What's that? Me: ...I'll just go check the produce section again.)
Update: Review! First and foremost, oyster mushrooms look freaky. In a cool science-y way. But unfortunately, I did not really like how this dish turned out. I think there were a few problems with my approach. First, I couldn't find a tube of pre-cooked polenta so I just used a whole box (found by the "Italian" foods), so the polenta dominated the other ingredients. Second, I used already-minced garlic instead of fresh garlic, which may have contributed to how 'blah' the overall flavor turned out. I also wasn't sure how to place the lemons on, and so put some directly on the polenta/onions/mushrooms and some on top of the vegetables. It turns out you should definitely put them directly on the polenta/onions/mushrooms to really get the flavor of the lemons into the dish. Even then, I wouldn't really recommend this dish without some major modifications (like adding that vegan sausage that was suggested). Edit: It turns out that smothering the leftovers in melty cheese and sriracha makes them much more tasty.
Dietary restrictions: Vegan.
Ingredients
Pre-heat oven to 350. Cut polenta into 1/4 inch slices to make circles. Coat casserole dish with light olive oil, place polenta on dish. chop onion, sauté onions in olive oil. Add a little brown sugar to caramelize, if desired. Chop oyster mushrooms and garlic, add to onions, cook for 1 minute with onions. Add to polenta dish. Bake for ten minutes. Add spinach, arugula, and lemon on top. Continue to bake for 2 minutes. Ready!
A note from Kelsey: Feel free to add any ingredients. I added vegan sausages, rosemary, pepper. I’ve made it a bunch of times in various ways. Always tastes good, but the lemon is key.
Update: Review! First and foremost, oyster mushrooms look freaky. In a cool science-y way. But unfortunately, I did not really like how this dish turned out. I think there were a few problems with my approach. First, I couldn't find a tube of pre-cooked polenta so I just used a whole box (found by the "Italian" foods), so the polenta dominated the other ingredients. Second, I used already-minced garlic instead of fresh garlic, which may have contributed to how 'blah' the overall flavor turned out. I also wasn't sure how to place the lemons on, and so put some directly on the polenta/onions/mushrooms and some on top of the vegetables. It turns out you should definitely put them directly on the polenta/onions/mushrooms to really get the flavor of the lemons into the dish. Even then, I wouldn't really recommend this dish without some major modifications (like adding that vegan sausage that was suggested). Edit: It turns out that smothering the leftovers in melty cheese and sriracha makes them much more tasty.
Dietary restrictions: Vegan.
Ingredients
- one tube of pre-cooked polenta
- one medium onion
- oyster mushrooms
- one handful spinach
- one handful arugula
- 2 cloves fresh garlic
- olive oil
- fresh lemon
Pre-heat oven to 350. Cut polenta into 1/4 inch slices to make circles. Coat casserole dish with light olive oil, place polenta on dish. chop onion, sauté onions in olive oil. Add a little brown sugar to caramelize, if desired. Chop oyster mushrooms and garlic, add to onions, cook for 1 minute with onions. Add to polenta dish. Bake for ten minutes. Add spinach, arugula, and lemon on top. Continue to bake for 2 minutes. Ready!
A note from Kelsey: Feel free to add any ingredients. I added vegan sausages, rosemary, pepper. I’ve made it a bunch of times in various ways. Always tastes good, but the lemon is key.
Fiesta Pasta Salad
I got this recipe from Get Vegucated who got it from Amie Valpone, The Healthy Apple.
I'll be honest - I didn't use GF pasta, since I'm not GF. Next time I
make this I am going to cut the recipe in half, since even though it
turned out great, I don't care to eat the same meal about 5 times in a
row. I'm also going to make the dressing a bit more substantial,
so...I'll keep that the way it is and cut everything else in half. The
olive oil concoction is amazing. This is one of those fresh and light
recipes that would work well for summer.
Recipe type: Entree • Prep time: 10 mins • Cook time: 10 mins • Total time: 20 mins • Serves: 4
Dietary restrictions: Gluten-Free and Vegan
Ingredients
Instructions
Recipe type: Entree • Prep time: 10 mins • Cook time: 10 mins • Total time: 20 mins • Serves: 4
Dietary restrictions: Gluten-Free and Vegan
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound gluten-free penne pasta
- 1 large zucchini, thinly sliced crosswise
- 6 button mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 (10oz.) package frozen corn kernels, thawed and drained
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- 1 tsp. grated lemon zest
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 chives, finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain pasta, transfer to a large bowl, and toss with zucchini, mushrooms, corn and spinach. Set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine lemon zest, juice, olive oil, chives, red pepper, sea salt and black pepper; whisk well to combine.
- Pour olive oil mixture over cooked pasta mixture; gently toss to combine.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately or cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Spinach with Garbanzo Beans
Sometimes, people I know flee the country and leave me with whatever is left of their stash of food. This provides some interesting fodder for cooking, since I end up with ingredients I haven't used before. For example: garbanzo beans! To find this recipe I entered "Garbanzo beans recipe" into The Google Machine and came out with this. I'll let you know how it turns out once I actually try it.
UPDATE: This is sooooo good and soooo easy to make! Amazing. I will be cooking this so much!
Dietary restrictions: Vegan, gluten-free.
UPDATE: This is sooooo good and soooo easy to make! Amazing. I will be cooking this so much!
Dietary restrictions: Vegan, gluten-free.
Ingredients
Directions
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 1/2 diced onion
- 10 ozs spinach (frozen chopped, thawed and drained)
- 12 ozs garbanzo beans (drained)
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
Directions
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the garlic and onion in the oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the spinach, garbanzo beans, cumin, and salt. Use your stirring spoon to lightly mash the beans as the mixture cooks. Allow to cook until thoroughly heated.
Indonesian Peanut Saute
Once upon a time, I ordered Indonesian Peanut Saute at Noodles & Co. It gave me a nosebleed, but also a happy heart, so I went online and found a recipe to re-create it. It has more ingredients than I'm used to working with (for now), but is pretty simple to make and absolutely delicious. I highly recommend it. Spicy and delicious.
Variations: The toppings are totally optional. I've found before that I buy too many sprouts and cilantro to use in this recipe, so they end up going to waste. I just omit them if I know I won't use all that I buy. You can also easily switch out the veggies for other veggies, and adjust the level of sriracha to fit your taste.
Dietary restrictions: Vegetarian, can be made GF relatively easily
THE RECIPE
1 pound rice noodles
Sauce
1 cup vegetable broth
6 heaping tablespoons creamy peanut butter
4 teaspoons sriracha
3 tablespoons honey
6 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons fresh minced ginger
5 cloves garlic minced
Veggies
1 cup chopped brocoli
1/2 of a red cabbage, sliced
1 cup shoestring carrots
cilantro
sprouts
more Siracha
Variations: The toppings are totally optional. I've found before that I buy too many sprouts and cilantro to use in this recipe, so they end up going to waste. I just omit them if I know I won't use all that I buy. You can also easily switch out the veggies for other veggies, and adjust the level of sriracha to fit your taste.
Dietary restrictions: Vegetarian, can be made GF relatively easily
THE RECIPE
1 pound rice noodles
Sauce
1 cup vegetable broth
6 heaping tablespoons creamy peanut butter
4 teaspoons sriracha
3 tablespoons honey
6 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons fresh minced ginger
5 cloves garlic minced
Veggies
1 cup chopped brocoli
1/2 of a red cabbage, sliced
1 cup shoestring carrots
Toppings
limes wedgescilantro
sprouts
more Siracha
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- While the pasta is cooking, mix all the sauce ingredients and cook over medium low heat until combined.
- In a large sauté pan, cook the vegetables until they begin to soften.
- Turn off the heat, add the sauce and noodles to the sauté pan and combine.
- Top with a lime wedge, Sriracha, cilantro and sprouts.
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