Taking Advantage of Summer Vegetables: White Beans, with Sweet Corn, Zucchini and Yellow Tomatoes

Hi, everyone!  Yes, it's been an embarrassingly long time since I've blogged.   Rather than posting every day, I'll be easing back in slowly, with perhaps a post a week, most likely on weekend days where I have more time to cook and write.

Summer in the mid-Atlantic is a great time to experiment with vegetarian cooking.  Growing up in New Jersey, we ate a ton of fresh sweet corn, and I love to incorporate this into my summer meals.  Our local market also has tons of varieties of summer squashes - zucchini, eight ball, crookneck, bonita, pattypan and more!

My concoction today took advantage of our local market's bounty, as well as some pantry staples.  I'm a big fan of red onion - I feel that it adds color and great flavor to dishes. I diced that finely, and then diced a zucchini and quartered some yellow tomatoes and set them aside.  Then, I used my handy corn zipper to take the kernels off of two ears of corn. 

I got a small amount of olive oil going in a large pan.  We were running low on olive oil, and I was worried I wouldn't have enough.  In actuality, it worked out fine, which likely means I've been using too much.  I'll measure from now on and see how things go.

I sauteed the onions first, and then added the corn and zucchini.  While the veg was going, I rinsed a can of Goya white beans (rinsing helps take off the "canned" taste and reduces your sodium content) by pouring them in a colander and running them under cool water.  I then stirred the beans into the veg mix.

To season the dish, I used black pepper, cumin, sea salt and smoked paprika.  A little bit of smoked paprika goes a long way to add color, a smoky flavor and a spicy kick.  Once I could smell the aroma of the spices, I took the mix off the heat and added in some fresh chopped cilantro, and then topped my serving with a bit of crumbled feta.  You can easily omit the feta to make this dish vegan, but I wanted to use up our leftover feta from the boreks I made last weekend.

A dish like this is great if you're feeding non-vegetarians.  I had a larger serving as my main dish.  My non-vegetarian husband had it as a side with some leftover barbeque from lunch.  He commented that the colors were bright and summery and he liked the kick from the smoked paprika.

Not only did this dish taste good, but it cost next to nothing to make!  We already had the onion and yellow tomatoes in the house.  We got two ears of corn for 79 cents, the zucchini for 79 cents, the small bunch of cilantro for 69 cents and the beans for $1.09.  I have a few portions leftover for lunch this week. 

What vegetables are you experimenting with this summer?

Rice Noodles with Vegetables and Adzuki Beans

Thanks to my recent purchase of coconut aminos, I'm having lots and lots of fun with Asian inspired cooking.  Tonight, I decided to do a vegan stir-fry with adzuki beans and lots of fresh vegetables, including red onion, shitake mushrooms, yellow bell pepper, baby carrots, garlic, bok choy and fresh cilantro.

The adzuki bean is small in size and reddish/purplish in color.  According to wikipedia, they have been used in Asian cooking for centuries, with fossilized beans found in ruins dated to 4,000 BC!  The beans are a good source of protein, iron, magnesium, potassium and folic acid. While they're often used in sweet preparations, I enjoy them in savory dishes like tonight's concoction.


I finely diced 1/4 of a large red onion and half a yellow pepper.  I then thinly sliced a large handful of shitake mushroom caps (I find the stems to be too tough), as well as eight baby carrots (if you're using a whole carrot, 1-2 peeled should be sufficient). 

Once this selection of the veg was cooking, I heated a 3/4 full kettle of water on the stove and began sauteing the onions, mushrooms and peppers in oil, seasoning with black pepper.  When the kettle was hot, I put the rice noodles in a metal mixing bowl, poured over the hot water, and let the noodles soak for 10 minutes.

As the noodles soaked, I added the carrots and 3/4 of the can of adzuki beans.  I then minced three cloves of garlic in my chopper, sliced the bok choy and chopped the cilantro.  I then added these last three ingredients, and, when the garlic was fragrant, added some coconut aminos and sesame oil.

When the 10 minutes of soaking was up, I drained the noodles and stir-fried them with the vegetable bean mixture for two minutes, allowing them to absorb the flavors of the sauce and finish cooking. I then put the noodles in a bowl and garnished them with sesame seeds.

The result was very flavorful and filling.  If I made it again and wanted to add a spicy element, I would add a bit of Sriracha or some red pepper flakes. 

Vegetarian Travel Dispatches

The early part of the year is always quite hectic for me travel wise, so, having just returned from a trip to San Diego, I thought now would be a good time for me to revisit some tips that help me with maintaining a vegetarian travel lifestyle on the road.

Spicy Bowtie Pasta Salad from Starbucks, San Diego Airport

If you're checking luggage, consider packing some individual servings of shelf stable, non-dairy milk.  (If you're not checking and have access to a local market that carries them, that's also an option.)  Before I left on my latest trip, I bought two three packs of Enriched Rice Dream and stashed them in my suitcase.  I had a mini-fridge in my room, so I was able to chill them when I got to my hotel.  In the mornings, I brought them down to the buffet and poured some on cold cereal and drank the rest.  Granted, some establishments may frown upon you bringing your own food into their place.  In my case, the buffet manager was not only understanding of me bringing my own milk, but she also wrote down the brand name for her lactose intolerant daughter.   The cereal and rice milk, along with a slice of whole wheat bread and peanut butter and a bowl of fresh fruit, made for a nice breakfast that kept me going the whole day.

I also packed some individual cereal bowls I picked up at CVS for $1 a piece (Cheerios and Raisin Bran Crunch), as well as some Enjoy Life Very Berry Bars and Barbara's Multigrain Cereal Bars, both of which were handy snacks.

The last time I flew, I was still eating dairy products regularly, so I knew I could always pick up a cheese sandwich or a slice of pizza.  But, this time, I found some nice, healthy vegan options to share with you.

Veg Friendly Rice Bowl, Urban Taco, Dallas-Fort Worth Airport

On my way out and back to San Diego, I had layovers in Dallas.  On my way out, I grabbed a Mediterranean Wrap from Au Bon Pain.  By omitting the feta, I had a nice, filling and vegan friendly lunch.  Au Bon Pain also sells fresh fruit cups, which are a great vegan friendly option for any meal or snack.

When I was heading home, at the Starbucks in the San Diego airport, I picked up a Spicy Bowtie Pasta Salad and Pita, Hummus & Veggies and a fruit cup, all of which made for a nice lunch on the plane.  While the bowtie pasta portion was smaller than I would have liked, the flavors were quite good.

Finally, for dinner in the Dallas airport, I stopped at Urban Taco.  They can turn any of their tacos or sandwiches into a rice bowl, and I had a delicious roasted poblano, black bean and corn mixture.

Next week, I head to Berlin, Germany, where I'll continue my vegetarian travel adventures.  Stay tuned!

Cauliflower Steaks with Chile Corn Salsa

I've been seeing a lot of recipes for cauliflower steaks lately, so I decided to give them a try tonight.

Roasting cauliflower gives this healthy vegetable a creamy texture and a buttery flavor.  I didn't let mine get as brown as some of the other recipes (I was HUNGRY), but I did pan saute it and then roast it enough to give it some color.  Some of my "steaks" broke apart, likely because I cut them too thin.  But, the thicker you cut them, the longer they will take to cook.

For the salsa topping, I did a saute of red onions, corn, anaheim chiles and tomatoes.  Anaheim chiles are low on the scoville scale, but still gave this dish a nice amount of heat.  If you want to punch up the heat more, you can substitute jalapenos or serranos, or even habaneros (beware - those suckers are HOT!).

If you were up for a big meal (as yours truly was after a fun, athletic yoga class), you could probably take out two "steaks" topped with salsa.  But, one would likely also be satisfying, or make for a nice side dish or light lunch.

Cauliflower Steaks with Chile Corn Salsa
Serves two as a (hearty) main dish, four as a side or light lunch

One head of cauliflower, sliced into thick "steaks" 
2 Tbsp+ olive oil
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1/2 Anaheim chile, minced
1 cup of corn kernels (defrost first if using frozen)
6-8 cherry tomatoes, diced
1 cup arugula
Salt, black pepper, cumin and oregano

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat oil in large saute pan.  Brown the cauliflower "steaks" 3 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned.  Season with black pepper.  Put on baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes, or until desired brownness.

While cauliflower is roasting, saute onions and chiles in olive oil on high heat until the onion is translucent and the chiles are softened, about five minutes.  Stir in the corn kernels and tomatoes.  Season generously with cumin and oregano, as well as with salt and pepper to taste.  When the pan liquids begin to bubble, reduce heat to medium and allow the salsa to thicken for five or so minutes.  Keep warm.

When the cauliflower steaks are nearly done, raise heat on the salsa and stir in arugula until slightly wilted.  Top steaks with salsa and serve immediately.

Spicy Rainbow Stir-Fry

One of the biggest things I missed when I started dealing with my soy allergy was Asian inspired cooking.  I thought I had come to accept that I wouldn't be able to enjoy these types of dishes again.

Fortunately, my fellow yogini and food blogger Valerie came to the rescue.  Valerie blogs at City Life Eats.  She follows a vegan and gluten-free diet.  Since she can't have soy sauce either (in her case, wheat is the culprit), she also needed to find an alternative.  Her discovery?  Coconut aminos.

Coconut aminos are made from the sap of coconuts.   According to the product website, coconut aminos are a great source of amino acids, which help with rebuilding muscle tissue, enhancing the nervous, immune and digestive systems.  They also taste remarkably like soy sauce.

I decided to do a colorful stir-fry with a variety of veggies, including shitake mushrooms and bok choy (which is a great source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C!).  I used  the coconut aminos to make the sauce, and served the vegetables over brown rice.

This had all the amazing flavors I've been missing without the unpleasantness of an allergic reaction.  Thanks for the great recommendation, Valerie!

Spicy Rainbow Stir-Fry
Serves 3-4

1/2 a red onion, thinly sliced
8 shitake mushrooms, stems removed and thinly sliced
1 large yellow pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup of shredded carrots
1 head of bok choy, green and white parts, sliced
2 tbsp cooking oil of choice (I used olive because that's what we had in the house)
2 tsp sesame seed oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
Sea salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes to taste
2-3 Tbsp of Coconut Aminos (or use soy sauce if you don't have allergy issues)
4 cups of cooked brown rice
Sesame seeds

In a wok or large pan, heat olive oil and sesame seed oil.  Toss onions and mushrooms and season with salt and black pepper.  Saute until softened, 3-4 minutes.  Stir in carrots, peppers and bok choy and cook until heated through, another 3-4 minutes. 

Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.  Add coconut aminos, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan as you stir.  Season with red pepper flakes (a little goes a long way!)

Serve over brown rice and garnish with sesame seeds.

Vegan Kickstart Check-In

Source: etsy.com via Miriam on Pinterest

Well, I've finished the first two weeks of my version of PCRM's Vegan Kickstart.  While I've been eating almost entirely vegan since December, it was nice to take 21 days to really focus on what I've been eating. This was, I can see what's working well for me and areas that I might want to focus on changing.  Additionally, I wanted to challenge the concept that eating vegan on a regular basis is "too hard," and that it can be done with a busy lifestyle like mine.

You can see the recap of everything I've eaten so far on my personal kickstart page.  Here's what I've learned:

I eat a lot of toast.  Yep, I have little or no variety in the morning when it comes to breakfast.  To be fair though, with my seasonal issues, it's a miracle that I make it out the door in the morning, much less get up in time to make breakfast.  I used to dash out the door in the morning and grab a bagel and cream cheese, so this is a definite improvement.  But, as I start waking up better in the morning (aka, after the clocks go forward in the Spring), I'll explore more variety for breakfast

I eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables.  Looking back at the past two weeks, I've noticed that I eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables with every meal.  Between the food I prepared myself and the food I ate at other people's homes or at restaurants, I had over 30 different kinds of fresh fruits or vegetables since January 2.  Let me list them for you!  I ate artichokes, arugula, asparagus, avocado, blueberries, brussels sprouts, butternut squash, cantaloupe, carrots, cucumber, eggplant, green onion, honeydew, kale, kiwi, lettuce, mesculun mix, mango, mushrooms, pear, pineapple, radishes, red cabbage, red onion, raspberries, spinach, sprouts, strawberries, tomatoes, yellow pepper and watermelon.  And that doesn't include the fresh herbs I enjoyed as well.  That's a cornucopia if I ever saw one!  If you focus on eating "real food," versus meat substitutes, you will have no issues with variety on a vegan diet.

Eating out is not a problem.  I went out to eat in DC, suburban Maryland and Southern New Jersey.  Nowhere I went had any issues putting together a vegan meal for me.  At sit down restaurants like Seasons 52 and Founding Farmers, our servers were wonderful about helping me find vegan options on their menus, and the kitchens were happy to customize dishes to make them vegan friendly.  It never hurts to ask a restaurant if there are vegan options - chances are, the restaurant will be happy to oblige.  On the "fast food" side, it helps to choose places that you know have vegan selections on the existing menu - I knew Cava Mezze Grill, Elevation Burger, Roti, Chop't and Sweetgreen would have options that worked for me.  So between a little advanced research and asking questions, you should be fine.

But, I need to be prepared and patient.  Sometimes, you may be in a situation where a vegan option isn't obvious.  When my husband and I were on the way back from visiting my parents, we stopped at a rest stop on I-95.  I was frustrated at the lack of apparent vegan options and ended up getting a plain bagel with fixins from the Roy Rogers station.  Had I taken the time to look harder (aka, been patient), I could have gotten a pita, veggies and hummus from Starbucks.  Even better, I should have packed a sandwich from the various vegan-friendly delights my mother had for us at home.  Granted, one less than satisfying meal in 15 days is really nothing to complain about.

I need to adjust my portions.  My husband gets credit for noticing this before I did - I am eating less food now that I'm not eating cheese or any dairy products.  Not sure if it's because I'm eating higher fiber dishes or if my body is less "confused" without dairy (I found it very easy to overeat when cheese was involved), but I've had tons more leftovers than I usually do.  So, I'll adjust my meal planning accordingly in the coming weeks.  I tend to get bored with eating the same thing three days in a row, so, now that I know I need less food to keep me satisfied, I'll make less to begin with to ensure I get more variety throughout the week.

I'm grateful for a supportive family.  I've heard a lot of people say that their families wouldn't support a vegan lifestyle, but mine have been fantastic about it.  They've also been supportive of my various food allergy issues.  From my husband taking me out for my favorite vegan burger and trying my various concoctions (even the green frankenburger), to my Mom making a vegan version of a favorite childhood soup and stocking her fridge with daiya, hummus and other veg friendly treats, to my husband's grandmother buying a veritable buffet of vegan prepared foods at Whole Foods, I'm downright spoiled. Talk to your friends and family about why you are making the choices you are and how your eating might change from what they're used to.  You may get questions - answer them politely, offer to bring a dish to the next family gathering, etc. 

What questions do you have about eating a vegan diet?  What excites you?  What are you hesitant about?