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Eat Drink and Be Vegan

What’s Polenta Anyway?

by Eating Bird Food on March 16, 2010

Oh my goodness, it seems as though I’ve found one of the best smoothies ever – Kristen’s Cherry Chocolate Bomb.

It truly is the Bomb. So much so, I’ve had it for breakfast two days in a row!! A few minor changes were made to Kristen’s recipe because I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand. Here’s what went in my (vita)mix:

1 frozen banana, 1 cup TJ’s Very Cherry Berry Blend of frozen berries (cherries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries), 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1/2 cup water, 1 tablespoon cacao powder, 3 tablespoons vanilla sunwarrior rice protein powder.

Hopefully soon I’ll be able to get my hands on plain frozen cherries, the Very Cherry Blend was all that TJ’s had this weekend. :/

For lunch yesterday, a made another batch of humbecue tuna and put it atop a spinach salad with some Hippie Chips on the side.

I don’t even love canned tuna so me having it two days in a row tells you that the hummus and bbq sauce combo is quite awesome.

I took a frozen Apple Berry VitaTop out of the freezer to thaw.

It was still a little cold come mid-afternoon snack time but still tasty. I loved the big chunks of dried fruit. I’m the biggest dried fruit lover you’ll ever meet- only I don’t like dried apples – they’re too squishy. Interestingly, this muffin had more dried berries than dried apples. That made me happy.

Isaac and I hit up the gym after work and I came home and whipped up the Polenta Casserole from E,D & BV.

I’d actually never had polenta before so this was a totally new culinary experience for me. The polenta, which is just boiled cornmeal, reminded me a lot of grits only the consistency was thicker and the color was more yellow. Overall, the recipe was super easy to put together and very tasty. Yet again another winner from this awesome cookbook.

Since I’d eaten the polenta casserole on it’s own for both dinner yesterday and lunch today I decided I would spruce it up and make a little something different for dinner tonight.

A polenta casserole wrap with fresh spinach and salsa seemed like the perfect way to switch things up!

Yum!

After trying polenta, I’ve found that I really like it, but I have to tell you all a secret. Every time I hear the word polenta I think of placenta – not exactly what I want to picture in my head before eating. Sorry if I just ruined polenta for you.

I’ve been in the kitchen tonight baking for the upcoming holiday. I’ll be sharing my creation with you all tomorrow so please get excited and don’t forget to wear green.

- Brittany

PS: This is why I love my boyfriend.

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Aw, Fennel Seeds

by Eating Bird Food on January 11, 2010

My latest creation from Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan was on the menu for dinner this evening- Quinoa Chickpea Confetti Casserole. For some reason when I hear the word casserole I automatically think canned cream of fill in the blank or massive amounts of cheese. However, this dish proves that you don’t need cream or cheese to make a delicious casserole.

I followed the recipe but subbed zucchini for the fennel (a suggestion mentioned in the cookbook) and also added a bit of onion. The flavors of the quinoa, red bell pepper, chickpeas, onions and spices blended well and came together to make a nutrient packed casserole. The casserole baked for 1 hour while I Whittled My Middle and by the time I was done working it the whole apartment was filled with spectacular scent.

Dried spices are abundant in the dish, but the fennel seed simply takes the spotlight. I’d actually never used fennel seed (besides in tea) before making Dreena’s Lentil Veggie Chimichangas. This aromatic seed, which is often confused with anise, is quite sweet and tastes a little like licorice. I find that it goes particularly well with summer squash and zucchini. Another tid-bit about fennel seed is used medicinally in multiple ways but probably best known for helping with bloating and indigestion.

In the Indian culture, fennel seeds are often chewed after a meal in order to prevent gas or indigestion. (Look for a small bowl of fennel seeds and sweet mints at the exit of your local Indian restaurant.)

Here’s a little list I found online of ways to use fennel seed in vegetarian cooking:

Add fennel seeds to salads, particularly cucumber salad.
Add to soft cheese and spread on bread.
Use the seeds when making bread or biscuits.
Add to curries.
Use in Italian-style pasta sauces.
Use in pickling solutions.
Add to couscous, lentil, bean or bulgur wheat dishes.
Add to homemade coleslaw or potato salad.
Use to make salad dressings such as vinaigrette.
Prepare a loose leaf tea. (I have a recipe for a homemade tea that relieves gas!!)

I made the suggested balsamic-maple vinaigrette to drizzle over the casserole and I’m so glad that I did – the sweetness of the sauce added a nice complement to the savory quinoa. Isaac, an avid meat eater, loved this dish as well!! I’ve been trying new recipes from E, D, & BV over the past few months and he’s actually liked everything I’ve made, as have I.

Aw, fennel seeds, just go ahead and buy this cookbook already- it really is amazing!

- Brittany

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What’s Eating EBF?

January 4, 2010

These little morsels of goodness! Homemade chocolate covered peanut butter filled pretzels! (A delish gift from Isaac’s bother’s girlfriend.) Need an homemade gift idea for Valentine’s Day or even next Christmas? Add these to your list because let me tell you they’re GOOD! Too good to have sitting around the house, that’s for sure. I [...]

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My Favorite Things

December 8, 2009

Since Oprah’s talk show will be ending in the near future (sad, I know!!) someone will need to fill the My Favorite Things void. I thought I would take it upon myself to do just that by sharing with you my favs from 2009. Sorry I don’t have a big gift bag with all of [...]

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Mellow Lentil Sniffle Soup

October 14, 2009

After my package extravaganza on Monday, I consciously remembered to eat less out of the box today by preparing all whole, real foods. To start I made stove top oats with oatmeal, oat bran, 1/2 banana, raisins, cinnamon with a spoonful of almond butter on top. I think I could eat oats for breakfast everyday [...]

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Insipred

October 8, 2009

My Healthy Veggie Stuffed Hummus Sandwich inspired another delicious sandwich for lunch yesterday. I used the Nature’s Pride 100% Whole Wheat bread once again, along with the basil hummus, alfalfa sprouts, spinach, cucumber slices, and peppedew peppers. The only change was that I swapped out the feta cheese for some oven “fried” tofu. Once again, [...]