happykatie :: katie rocks out the interwebs

Thrifster: Quinoa the (affordable) Mother Grain

Nothing says healthy good eating like a bowl full of Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah).  It is a perfect food.  The Mother Grain.  A sacred Incan crop.  And absolutely delicious.

With the highest protein of any grain, all 8 amino acids, Vitamins A and E, calcium, fiber and more...  it is a complete protein and a versatile ingredient to substitute for most rice, pasta and even ground meat-based sides and entrees.

And best of all, you can buy it in bulk for about $2 - 3 a pound.  Given that a cup of this gorgeous stuff will get you pretty far, that's a phenomenal deal for a tasty grain with just the right amount of bite to it.

Here's a great recipe I made the other night, after suffering from severe Freebird's Burrito Bowl cravings.  Eet smakelijk! :

happykatie's Scrumptious Burrito Quinoa Bowl

-->  1st prep the quinoa
1 Cup quinoa (rinsed a few times to get rid of that bitter coating)
2 Cups of veggie or mushroom broth

Place the quinoa and the broth in a pot - your quinoa will double in size as it cooks, so judge your pot size accordingly.  Cover and bring to a boil and immediately bring back down to a simmer.  Simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes.  I like to stir occasionally and season to taste with garlic salt, dried basil, poultry seasoning, whatever...

--> 2nd prep your veggie mixture
Half a large white/yellow onion, cut intro thin strips
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red/green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/2 carton of your favorite mushroom blend, sliced
2 small zuchinni, diced
1/2 Cup veggie broth or juice from can of tomatoes
(optional) 1 - 1 1/2 Cups of chopped seitan

Saute your onion, garlic and bell pepper in oil (try coconut or substitute water instead), stirring regularly and adding broth as needed for moisture, for 8-10 minutes.  Toss in your mushrooms, zuchinni, seitan and any other veggies you love until the onions and peppers are nice and soft - everything else should be nicely browned and flavorful.  Season to taste as needed, with whatever you've got that makes you smile.

--> 3rd prep your bean mixture
1 can of black beans, drained
1 cup of frozen corn
1 can of Mexican flavored diced tomatoes
1 small jalapeno, leave some seeds for heat and dice

Simmer all of your bean mixture ingredients in a covered pot on Medium for 10 - 15 minutes.  Make sure you give plenty of time to meld those flavors together and get everything all one temperature.  Season generously, be creative.

--> Put it all together
Layer your quinoa, veggie saute and bean mixture in a bowl.  The more the better, seriously.  Garnish with freshly cut tomatoes, fresh cilantro, a bit of chopped raw onion, avocado, garlic and jalapeno, a dollop of Tofutti sour cream, your spiciest and tastiest salsa and finally a sprinkle of shredded rice cheese (I prefer the mozzarella flavoring on most anything).  A little dried cilantro, basil, dash of red chili powder and garlic salt never hurt either.

Drench your creation in a Tablespoon or two of a nice fresh lime - that's the kicker.  Enjoy your bowl of deliciousness with a cold beer or a nice sipping glass of Patron.  Voila - no waiting in line at Freebirds and no shelling out $9 for a less tasty and less healthy version of one of the greatest foods ever.

Photo thanks to Flickr user FranUlloa

Eating in (June 1st - 7th edition)

We are passionate about the food we eat.  Sure, we're the kind of food / hippie nerds that love to add hemp seeds, nutritional yeast flakes and New Mexican chili powder to everything - but that's what's makes us "special". 

And really, the more we cook at home, the more vegan-friendly, tasty and **cheap** it is to do so!  This means we can buy more Tito's Vodka Tokidoki stuff kitty litter for Moji.  

Here's what's on the menu this week:

Breakfast
Last week I baked a batch of Breakfast Cookies, hoping to find a tasty and cheap on-the-go breakfast for to fill our bellies when we weren't noshing on cereal (addicted to Kashi U Cereal) and fruit.

They worked out great (easy to make and uber-cheap), but were so dense that none of us have really bothered finishing them (past a couple of morning's worth munching). This week, we're going to try something a little more savory.

1. Mini Crustless Tofu (Eggless) Quiches (via Fatfree Vegan)

Lunch
A. and I can usually swing our lunches pretty easily (leftovers, avocados/tomato/flour tortilla, Naked juice, whatever), but now that Ella is in school and bringing her own lunch, we've got to plan ahead much better.  For a veggie kid, you have to be extra imaginative (pb+j gets real old).

1. Vegan white bean lunch "meat" (via VeganDad) thinly sliced with brown mustard + accoutrement on bread, diced and sauteed with onions and BBQ sauce on a roll and crumbled Sloppy Joe style on a bun
2. Goddess Garbanzo Sandwich on whole wheat tortilla (via cookbook Eat, Drink and Be Vegan)
3. Sugarless strawberry preserves, coconut oil and bananas on whole wheat bread

Dinner
I'm especially excited about this week's dinners as these are all recipes that we haven't tried before (minus our seitan cutlets).  For sides, we're going to have steamed veggies, gently sauteed greens, homemade country fries and possibly some couscous on whatever nights we darn well feel like it.   

1. Sweet Chili Lime Tofu (with quinoa and steamed collards) - via Vegan Yum Yum
2. Baked Sweet Potato Falafel - via 100 Cookbooks
3. Skillet Gardener's Pie - via Fatfree Vegan
4. Tofu fish sticks - via Shmooed Food
5. Sauteed seitan cutlets (with Deconstructed Green Bean Casserole)  - via our kitchen's impromptu cookery skills (and Vegan Yum Yum)

What YOU got cooking?

Photo thanks to Flickr user teenytinyturkey

Thriftster: How to shop at Whole Foods and not go broke

I love Whole Foods with a PASSION!!  There is literally no other store (of any kind) that makes me feel soooo chilled out and happy to be there.  Yeah, I'm cheesy.  But good food comes with a pricetag, so there is no way we can make this our primary grocer for everything that fills our pantry and bellies. 

We get pretty creative in finding the affordable must-haves at Whole Foods and shopping elsewhere for the rest.  Here are some tips on how to navigate the Whole Foods awesomeness without breaking the bank -- and after the jump you can check out our Whole Foods product must-haves.

1. Be part of the Whole Foods Community - sign up for your local store's newsletter to stay updated on their specific sales and specials. Plan your weekly menus (in conjunction with other stores' specials) to incorporate more discounted and seasonal ingredients. Also check out their Whole Deals brochure in stores and visit their Sure Deals page for other ideas.
2. Read the Whole Story blog - this is really super Blog for food geeks and Whole Foods fans alike.  Keep an eye on their fun contests (this week their giving away free tickets to Bonaroo - woot!!!) for chances to win free gift cards and such, learn about their newest products (which are sometimes on sale) and jot down their yummy recipes that typically use very seasonal (read:  often cheaper) products. 
3. Take a tour - you can request a tour (typically in advance by phone or email - details on your local store's info page) to get the lowdown on Whole Foods and often some coupons and an extra discount after the fact too!  Rock.
4. Attend a class - Many Whole Foods have really great (and pretty cheap) cooking classes to attend.  It's a fun activity to do in a group and will teach you new dishes and techniques to incorporate in your kitchen magic.  And really, the more you know how to cook from scratch or prepare yourself the less you'll need to spend on food (and the better you'll eat).
5. Sign up for Mambo Sprouts - this is a great health food coupon site that offers coupons for products you're probably already buying at Whole Foods.  Used in conjunction with in-store sales and you've got one heck of a deal.
6. Prioritize your purchasing - pick out the items that are most important to you.  Organic dairy products?  All organic veggies?  Grassfed beef?  Local products?  Select what you care about the most and those will probably guide you in what to buy and NOT to buy at Whole Foods.

Read on for our Whole Foods staple purchases:

Cupcake Monday: Vegan knitted cupcake toppers

A video how to (with frigging MARTHA STEWART) on a great VeganYumYum knitted cupcake topper post that I saw last year - somehow I missed that she was hanging with the Martha.  Awesome!

Open source action for online foodies

This weekend brought many interesting events and discoveries - everything from sewing class at Sew Crafty to a giant/swollen knee to fried tofu yumminess to giant cupcakes.  But what I'm most excited about as I blog are 2 new sites I ran into that I'm already using like crazy:

1. Open Source Food (www.opensourcefood.com) - A really gorgeous social networking site centered around recipe sharing, food rating and cooking.  It's a very new site, but is already populated by some really amazing recipes and members. 
   
   Almost better than the food (to me at least) are the terrific photos members post - it is truly a visually pleasing site, which is important to visual learners like me who miss not watching cooking shows to get the true idea of how to create a dish.  The membership base is pretty international, bringing in a variety of different cuisines and new ingredients to try out - really super.
   
2. The Daily Plate (www.thedailyplate.com) - A simple site to help keep track of your caloric intake and exercise regiments.  Have a goal weight by bikini season?  The site guides you through what you should be eating and how you should be active to help you make it there. 
   
   They have different features for paying members, but none of them are really what I need at this point.  The site's super powerful search feature makes it easy to search for restaurant dishes, major brands and other more commonly consumed foods.  If you can't find what you've eaten during the day, it's no problem to add your own item - with calories and fat info required to help other searchers too.

A sunset for the happykatie Master Cleanse

One of the week's nicest surprises was the addition of video to Flickr - everyone with me now:  woo hoo!

However, this great news certainly did not trump the excitement of completing our Master Cleanse - 12 days of a strict lemonade fast, a mighty mighty challenge.  We came out on the other side very well - much lighter in body and more present in spirit.  Completely 100% worth it - and not just because I can now fit into the beautiful black velvet dress I bought for Dr. Sketchy next week.

If you are interested in doing the Master Cleanse prepare yourself for the following:

1. Detox is an unpleasant thing - When going through the first couple of days on your Cleanse you're going to feel blah.  Some people experience detox symptoms more than others, but I was hit pretty hard with a migraine, fatigue and just all around yuckiness Day 1 and 2.  Here's a great article on the physical effects of detoxing, just to get the point across.
   
   Solution:  Start on the weekend and be ready for a nice couple of days at home to relax.  No social events, no weekend guests, just chill.  And seriously, don't be a wuss and quit if you start feeling rotten as what you've put in your body is the cause of all this.  Suck it up, be good to yourself for once and move onward.  It's all temporary you big sissy.
2. Drinking lemonade for 12 days is boring - I was rarely ever actually hungry while on the cleanse (the one time I was starving was when I hadn't had a glass of lemonade in a while), but the boredom really gets to you especially if you love to cook and love a variety of foods. 
   
   Solution:  This may seem weird, but the fact that we still were cooking for the short person (19 months is obviously not an age to start Master Cleansing :) ) and were in regular contact with food was a huge help.  Washing, prepping, cooking and smelling really good food made me feel less deprived.  Plus an empty refrigerator really depresses me.
3. Let's talk about coatings - I've heard about getting your tongue and teeth coated during fasts when reading some things about Muslims fasting during Ramadan.  Apparently in some cultures, having a tongue coated in white (yah, it's gross) means you're not cheating so it's like a badge of honor. 
   
   While I never exactly displayed this badge publicly, it was interesting to see my tongue go from white-white coating to nearly perfectly healthy pink by the end of my fast.  I'm not sure, but I think this coating has something to do with your colon cleaning out.  Gross but great, but then again I am a mommy now so very little can possibly disgust me that much.
   
   Solution:  Brush your teeth and your tongue regularly - but stick to a nice natural toothpaste if for some reason you're still using Colgate or whatever other foul chemically gross brand your grocery store has suckered you into.  Have you ever read those ingredients?  Shameful.  I like Tom's of Maine natural whitening toothpaste and Ella uses one of their kids gel toothpastes too.  In fact, she likes it so much she tries to eat it every night, but that's another story.
4. Not everybody is going to 'get' what you're doing - If you're like me, there are few people that ever 'get' anything that I do so this wasn't really a problem.  But it is something to think about.  It takes some hardcore willpower to fast for almost 2 weeks and if your environment isn't supportive of your decision you have a whole new set of challenges.
   
   Solution:  If you can, fast with a buddy or (better yet) your significant other or roommate or family member.  You'll need the support and it is incredibly nice to have someone to commiserate with.  PLUS!  it's nice being able to take turns making lemonade during a busy day or being able to split store runs for maple syrup, etc.
   
   As with many other things, knowledge really is power.  If your Uncle Job-Bob (you know, the relative who thinks that dinner without an 80% meat content really isn't a meal?) is getting freaky on you because he thinks you're turning into an anorexic tree hugger, know about the mechanics of what it is that you're doing. 
   
   Be able to explain why you are ingesting the specific lemonade ingredients, what they specifically do for your body and what your overall goal is for the fast.  You probably won't convince him to join you, but hopefully he'll back off - even if it's because you had to mention your colon a few more times than he was comfortable with :)

I had a great experience with the Master Cleanse.  It was probably one of the hardest things I've done in a long time as most of it really is a mental thing.  My goal is to fast this way at least once a year, maybe twice a year if I get a better hang of it.  Juggling personal and work events/meals is tricky -- and sometimes just planning each day's lemonade rations gets a little challenging early in the morning.  But this can all be overcome.

Honestly, I thought I would drop more weight than I did (I think I lost a total of 9 pounds, a number of which will come back quite soon as it was water weight) but I'm not bummed at all as that wasn't really the point.   In fact, I am positive I would have lost more weight had I stuck with the nightly salt water flushes (worth a blog post in themselves, ugh), but I was weak on this point and stuck with my senna tea instead.

So as of today, we have transitioned back into eating 'real' foods again.  I feel good and much more in control of my eating habits and future weight goals - this is a great place to be.  Drop me a line if you're starting - I would love to hear about your adventures.  :)

Also, mad props to Javier as he was very much an inspiration in getting me to do this crazy Cleanse to begin with.  He just completed his second cleanse last week and has some amazing healing stories related to his fasting.  It is phenomenal the waste that we put and keep in our bodies - sometimes you don't even realize all the bad you do yourself through crappy American food and lack of exercise until you get rid of it.  Yay for Japi!

Cupcake week approacheth - Martha Stewart style

Martha Stewart's Cupcake Week start on Monday (March 31st), so get ready for some frosted happiness on the boob tube.  Scheduled cupcakes:
- Monday - Martha's coconut cupcakes
- Tuesday - a special April Fool's Day cupcake from cookbook author and baker Karen Tack
- Wednesday - Meyer lemon raspberry cupcakes
- Thursday - chocolate graham cracker cupcakes with toasted marshmallows and adorable cupcake pops
- Friday - Mexican chocolate-pudding-filled cupcakes

Yes, I did just list days of the week and their corresponding cupcakes and, yes, apparently you did take the time to read them.  Behold the magical power of the Cupcake.  Resistance is futile.

If you are uber-talented, you can submit your own cupcake creation to the 'Cutest Cupcake' contest.  Thanks to my Mom for looking out for my sweet tooth and sharing this with me!!  :)

On not always appearing as one might expect

This post is about 1) super duper chocolate cupcakes and 2) making changes within that may or may not make one outwardly super duper.

I like cupcakes.  A lot.  But the problem with cupcakes (which I absolutely love, or did I already mention that?) is that they are filled with dairy, sugar and sweet-tasty-glorious-fat.  In short, cupcakes = tempting waistline busting time bombs.  How depressing.

Enter the amazing cookbook Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World and, as of Monday, enter the amazing Vegan Molten Chocolate Cupcakes (seen above).  They are tasty, but filled with things that make your body happy like zucchini, spinach, flax seed meal and sunflower oil.  HEALTHY!  CUPCAKES!  YUM!

Which brings me into the entire idea of changing what's within to be tastier and more lovely on the outside.  Adam and I are going on the Master Cleanse starting Saturday, ditching our tofu-eating ways for 12 days straight for spring water, lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne. 

We are a little scared and a lot excited.  I think that one of the biggest gifts we can give to the Bunn as parents is being healthy healthy healthy - plus we'll have way more energy to dance to David Bowie, which Ella is quite into right now.  Wish us luck and be sure to check in on our updates as they come.

Love in tinfoil liners

Happy Valentine's Day, originally uploaded by surlygrrrl.

My mom bought me the incredible Vegan Cupcakes will Take Over the World cookbook for Valentine's Day (see Isa's cupcake blog here).  So far I have only made the zesty drool-inducing Orange Chocolate cupcakes (with yummy orange pudding filling and chocolate ganache topping) and we.are.hooked.  Next time I'm going to use some Grand Marnier and make 5 billion of them, so they will last longer than half a day in our house.

I'm also drooling over this Cupcake Courier, as I am now determined to share the cupcake love with everyone in my world.

Cupcakes are the tastiest morsels ever

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World is finally out and ready to be drooled over.

Adam and I have a cookbook crush on Isa Chandra Moskowitz as she is the hip vegan lady that gave us Vegan with a Vengeance which in turn gave us Jerk Seitan and other amazing recipes that have changed our culinary lives.

I want a (vegan) cupcake with absurd amounts of creamy delicious frosting.  Right now.