Spinach & Artichoke Frittata

First, I’ve gotta say it: Thank you, Happy Herbivore, for finally making an artichoke recipe. What is it with vegans and artichokes? I love them, and I hardly see any one using them. It’s a real shame.

This recipe comes from the brand-new Everyday Happy Herbivore, and I couldn’t be more impressed by it. The creaminess of the mori-nu tofu is amazing. I couldn’t believe I wasn’t eating eggs and cream! The turmeric gave it just the right yellow color (but not too yellow) and the artichokes and spinach were so smooth. I think there was something a little lacking in flavor in this one, but I think it’s my fault: I had frozen, plain artichoke hearts (which I used) instead of the marinated ones. I think the recipe was really depending on you choosing those. It also needed a bit of salt, but that was an easy fix.

I would love to make this again, and my brain is spinning with the flavor possibilities. Roasted brussels sprouts and leeks! Red peppers, capers and grilled eggplant! Just think of the whole world of frittata that’s opened up right before your eyes.

 

E2 Week: Enchiladas

It was only a matter of time before I started looking into the Engine 2 Diet, right? For one, I like them because they aren’t all vegany vegan, wanting you to give up honey and such. I also enjoy that they are all super manly, which helps get my supportive but occasionally reluctant husband more fired up about our plant-based diet.

For a long time, I thought E2 was just a weird fad diet, like the vegan Atkins, or Zone, or any of that nonsense. But we watched Forks Over Knives (you have to, or they take away your vegan card), and Rip convinced me to look into the book a little more. That, and my husband actually being able to climb a pole (at the playground) using only his hands while saying, “Real men eat plants!” If you’ve seen Forks Over Knives, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Anyway, I’ve picked out a few recipes to showcase this week (though we’ll probably cook more from it, I’ll note when we do). The first is enchiladas, because it seemed delicious and somewhat representative of most of the recipes in the book.

You’ll probably be able to tell that I added black beans to the original E2 recipe. I happened to have some on hand, and I was slightly worried about the protein content of this dish, because it’s mainly spinach. Is spinach protein-y? I’m still not sure. Anyway, this was both easy and awesome. My only slight complaint is the hash browns, and it’s because I know better. You can’t just throw hash browns into a skillet and expect them not to stick. Especially when you don’t use oil. I mean–it won’t work. I should have just baked them for 10 minutes while the oven was warming anyway.

I also found it very difficult to locate vegan enchilada sauce. I located one from Frontera, but many of their products are not vegan. Carefully check the label! If you’re a vegan you know that already. That’s like saying, “hey, you! Remember to breathe!”

Chickpea Piccata

The first time I made this, it was terrible. I can’t even describe to you the disappointing flavors of sadness we experienced. However, that was the very first week I had Appetite for Reduction, and had NO idea what cooking vegan was all about. It’s amazing what I’ve learned in the three months I’ve been using that cookbook. Being a vegan has literally taught me how to cook all over again, and I’m much, much better than before.

As you can see, I’ve made some subs on this dish: the grocery store had no shallots (how is that even possible?), so I used a vidalia onion. I figured the sweetness would translate sort of like shallots do, though it’s less classy. And I used spinach instead of arugula. I don’t know why I dislike it so much, but I cannot handle arugula. Blech! I think I’m against any sort of bitter flavors, except I love dark chocolate. So, who knows?

I also didn’t put it over potatoes the first time, which is a giant mistake. I made caulipots (cauliflower+potatoes), but I made the recipe my own way. I baked the potato and roasted the cauliflower, and after adding the olive oil and broth, I put in about 1/2 a cup of unsweetened almond milk. Consider that only adds about 15 calories to the WHOLE thing, and maybe .5 grams of fat, I’m not worried about it losing it’s health-food-potato-status. And it really made the dish creamy, which it desperately needed. Those potatoes were DRY. But had more nutrients!

Anyway, it came out perfect. And it made me feel like a human giant.

 

Astoria, Oregon (Part I)

I’m back from vacation! It was great, except for the very last, last little bit where my plane left 3 hours late. Oh, and the part where I had to kindly tell two people to stop having sex with each other on the plane directly across the aisle from my daughter. Nice.

Anyway, the food! Did you know Oregon has awesome vegan food? You did? Well, then…you should keep reading anyway.

Our first road trip stop was in Astoria, Oregon. It’s the home of Kindergarten Cop, the Goonies, some horror movies, awesome houses, a great co-op, and delicious food.

My favorite place was the Blue Scorcher Bakery & Cafe. It’s all vegetarian, and extremely vegan and kid friendly. If and when I get the opportunity to live in Astoria, I would love to work here.

For breakfast, I had the Tempeh and Toast. I actually started eating it before I took the photo, it was that delicious. Also, full disclosure, the milk you see in the photo is for my daughter, who is not a vegan, and it did come from a cow. If that makes you uncomfortable, I’m sorry.

I wish I made tempeh this flavorful and wonderful. And what is it about Oregon that makes all the salad greens taste wonderful? Like magic.