Monday, May 26, 2008

Change of Plans

Well, I went to the gym on Saturday morning as planned (and it was pretty snazzy), but the lake plans got nixed. My parents have too much to do to the house before the wedding on the 7th, so we decided to save the weekend at the lake for another time. This change was fine by me, because I realized I hadn't been to church since I've been home (due to the lake trip and visit to Fairhope for the past few weeks). I also did some shopping over the weekend--I got a dress for the rehearsal dinner and a new raincoat. Woohoo!

Friday
I have a picture of my smoothie from Friday night, but, honestly, I have no idea what I put in it. So this is my mystery shake:
Saturday
Before the gym on Saturday, I fueled myself with a big bowl of peanut butter oats and a bunch of fresh mixed berries. I used PB & Co.'s Cinnamon Raisin flavor.
I came up with lunch on a whim: breaded tofu with peanut sauce, brussels sprouts, and an apple. For the "breading," I used--get this--Weetabix! It worked really well, actually. I just whirred it in my Magic Bullet, put it on a plate, and rolled the tofu in it. I made the peanut sauce from PB, soy sauce, and a few spices.
Dinner was a perfect summer meal, complete with lots of produce. We had the first corn of the season, and it was deliciously sweet! So much for the saying about corn being "knee high by the Fourth of July." I had broccoli slaw with an agave-mustard sauce I made, lemon scented chickpea-tomato saute, and amazing cantaloupe. Yum!
Once again, I don't really remember what I put in my smoothie. I know it was fruity, and I topped it with pure maple syrup, but otherwise, it's another mystery.
Sunday
Before heading to church I just had a quick bowl of Kashi Heart to Heart.
I think I'm getting better at spontaneous cooking, because this was yet another lunch whipped up without any forethought. I made some more agave-mustard sauce for a broccoli slaw-tofu stir fry. I also had some Thin Cakes with peanut butter and a red pear.

We got takeout from Newk's last night for dinner. I got the Greek salad without the feta. I had an Ezekiel pita with hummus on the side. The smoothie/shake last night was peanut butter flavored: peanut butter, nonfat organic plain yogurt, silken tofu, and pumpkin flax granola.

Monday
On Sunday night, my dad requested that I make him overnight oatmeal/muesli. He asked for his to be made with skim milk, honey, coconut, and raisins. I made mine with almond milk, agave nectar, cinnamon. The two small containers have sliced almonds (his) and wheat germ (mine). In the morning, I had the rest of cantaloupe along with it.
Lunch today was inspired by Ellie Krieger's recipe for Herbed Toasted Pita Salad. I added chickpeas to mine for protein. I had tiny apple with PB on the side.
My dinner wasn't exactly the traditional Memorial Day fare, but I enjoyed it. I had a BLT using smoked tempeh, Nayonaise, Grey Poupon, and juicy tomato. Not pictured are the side salad, organic watermelon, and steamed broccoli.
Here are some 99% vegan brownies I made for Memorial Day dessert:
Now I'm off to watch some Jon and Kate Plus Eight. Happy Memorial Day!

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

99% vegan brownies?? What's the secret ingredient?

Alicia said...

You breaded tofu with weetabix?! now that's original... :-)

Cassie said...

Wow so much to comment on! First off breading tofu with weetabix...genius! How did you think of that?? Oh and those brownies look like they came out perfect! What recipe did you use?

Anonymous said...

love the mystery smoothies!

i'd love to see your brownie recipe as well... looks delish!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Sorry about the lake plans not happening, but at least you got to go to that gym! Sounds great!

LOVE YOUR SMOOTHIE IDEAS!!! (hmm, where have you heard THAT before, haha)

Yeah, the brownies are intriguing.... do tell!! :0)

J said...

Oh my goodness your food looks perfect. You are lucky to live down south! We still have a few months to go before we get this kind of produce. That corn and canteloup are really getting me.

Have I mentioned that canteloupe is actually my FAVORITE food - period? Well, it is, and I want some now!

What's the 1% non-vegan part of the brownies?

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I'm really curious about the teeny bit of the brownies that's not vegan too...

All of your food looks awesome! I really like the weetabix breading idea too, how creative. :)

ChickPea said...

Romina: Well, I veganized the recipe until the very last minute, when I decided that it was looking a bit dry/crumbly, so I added about a tablespoon of liquid egg whites. I didn't think my family would be too thrilled if I had subbed my usual flax+water.
Alice: Thanks!
Cassie: I still have a LOT of Weetabix hanging around, so I wanted to use some of it up. Plus, it seemed like the right texture--light and crispy!
As for the brownies, I used one from the Low Fat Moosewood Cookbook. I (almost) veganized it and cut down the oil a bit.
Loveofoats: It really wasn't my own recipe--I based it off of one I found in the Low-Fat Moosewood Cookbook. As always, I changed it a bit by using 1/2 cup applesauce and just 1 T oil rather than the 1/4 cup applesauce and 1/4 cup oil that the recipe called for.
VeggieGirl: I think my smoothie ideas are deteriorating of late...I can't seem to remember what I put in them. See above for the info about the brownies!
Jennifer: Yep, the summer produce is starting to roll in, but I have yet to visit the farmers' market! Shocking, considering how much I love it!
I love cantaloupe too, but I have to watch my intake because the orange hands problem:(
I used about a tablespoon of egg whites in the brownies because I didn't think the family would be too keen on the flax+water mixture...
LighterPortions: Thanks! For info on the brownies, see above.
I highly recommend using Weetabix as a breading! One biscuit makes a lot of breading, so it's a good way to keep Calories in check.

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Haha I love your "mystery" smoothies. It reminds me of a smoothie I once made for my sister, using all sorts of gross ingredients to see if she would drink it (I was a mean little kid!)... but I'm sure your smoothies at least tasted good! (I can't say the same about mine...)

Hungry Hungry Dancer said...

you just reminded me that I have some brussel sprouts hanging out in my fridge waiting for me to use them!!!!
Those brownies look great... 99%??? whats the secret!!!

Erin said...

So many pictures of tasty, healthy food. If forced to choose I suppose I'd take the brussels and breaded tofu, brussels are always good. Oh and I have the same plate your tofu-broccoli slaw and thin cakes are on! Cutest plate ever.

ChickPea said...

CCV: You sound like my sisters! They managed to convince me at one time that Coke and milk tasted good together. Sheesh.
Vegan on Stage: Glad to hear someone else appreciates the goodness of brussels sprouts! The 1% in the brownies is a splash of liquid egg whites that I added at the last minute--I don't think the fam would appreciate my usual flax+water combo.
Erin: Yep, my mom got a set of 8 of those plates. Gotta love Target!

Ruby Red said...

Weetabix-breaded tofu is a great idea -- I know you mentioned earlier in the year that you had about a trillion Weetabix boxes to use up!

Those Ezekiel pitas look really delicious, and I love how you arranged your pita salad! I copied down the link. That's a great idea for a refreshing summer meal.

Those brownies look fabulous -- 99% vegan or not, it still looks like you tried to make them delicious yet healthier!

I saw your comment on my last post, and here's what the three unlabeled mystery meals are:
1. Vegan with a Vengeance seitan over brown rice inside an acorn squash, drizzled with Balsamic Maple Sauce from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan (the sauce is in the shot glass); raw massaged kale is the green stuff in the background.
2. I made General Tao's sauce from VegWeb.com and put in on VwaV seitan.
3. Maple-Glazed Tofu from HappyHerbivore.com with roasted butternut squash, all over cinnamon-cranberry quinoa.

And my mint ice cream did use Silk soy creamer (about 2 parts of that to 1 part soymilk)!

Eric said...

Wow, awesome food! I love smoked tempeh! I just tried some smoked tempeh called fakin' bacon and it was awesome.

I'm gonna have to try making a tempeh BLT next!

ChickPea said...

Eric: That's the same brand I used--I think it's Lightlife brand? Anyway, I highly recommend the BLT, but it's even better when you add avocado:)