California pizza kitchen thai chicken pizza

Here is the recipe link: http://www.food.com/recipe/california-pizza-kitchen-thai-chicken-pizza-62778 I thought it was great. Jeff did not. I'm starting to realize Jeff does not like hoisin sauce which is a bummer since I tend to like anything with hoisin sauce.

Tomato hummus soup

So easy and REALLY good...It was just Jeff and I and we have no left overs. We also ate a whole loaf of Grand Central bread between the two of us.

Combine the following in a food processor (or blender): 2 cans white beans, one can crushed diced tomatoes, 1psp ground cumin, 2 Tbs lemon juice, 2 TBS olive oil, 1 tsp cumin, 1 cup unsweetened soy milk...then heat and serve!

Wildwood

Went to the Wildwood Restaurant, Portland for dinner. I would recommend it.

Kale butternut squash white bean enchiladas

Mom visited (hence the three plates : ). I love kale and butternut squash. I was surprised (and alittle disappointed that that I could not taste the squash but it still was good. I followed this recipe: http://aroundthetableri.blogspot.com/2012/11/butternut-squash-and-kale-enchilladas.html (Oh but I added 1 can of white beans for some added protein)

Fresh butternut squash ravioli

I liked the idea of using wonton wrappers to make the ravioli.

Salmon pesto sandwhich

Just French bread, pesto, and grilled salmon. I LOVED this! We had a salad and some sweet potatoes with it.

Cheapamole Club

Roll, bacon (left over from Kale soup, chicken from a rotisserie chicken, cheapamole, lettuce, tomato...so good! I found this recipe for cheapamole in the cookbook, "Vegan on the Cheap". I made a big batch so now I'm putting it on everything. You would never know that it's peas and beans : ).

Ingredients 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 1/2 c. frozen peas, thawed 1 c. cooked or canned white beans, rinsed 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chilies, drained 2 Tbl. fresh lime juice 1 tsp. olive oil 1 tsp. ground cumin 2 Tbl. minced red onion 2 Tbl. chopped fresh cilantro Salt and black pepper Instructions In a food processor, combine the garlic, peas, beans, and chilies and blend until smooth. Add the lime juice, oil, and cumin, and blend until well combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the mixture into a medium bowl. Stir in the onion and cilantro, season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend. This tastes best if used on the same day that it is made.

Pad Thai

Just a few veggies (I used bean sprouts and shredded carrot), chicken, rice noodles, and this pad Thai powder..my dad put it in my stocking so I'm not sure where you get it. It tasted just like pad Thai!

Cheap tip: experiment with different grains and noodles..rice noodles are the same price as wheat noodles and make a dish taste more authentic!

Chickpea curry

Forgot to take a picture...very easy. I doubled the amount of garam masala..otherwise it just tastes like crushed tomoatoes.

Pfriem Family Brewers: Hood River

Sooo good! Vegan Bowl Quinoa,3 bean salad, braised kale & red cabbage, peas & sweet potatoes & garlic walnut sauce

Kale bacon potato soup

I followed this recipe but used Bacon instead of the smokey tempeh bits)

Restaurant Review: Ringlers Annex

My company went to Ringlers Annex after work. The restaurant/pub was super unique. In fact I couldn't find the group at first until I found out that you had to walk through the bathroom in order to get to another room! The food was average. I had an Asian chicken rice noodle salad..it was way too garlicky. Conclusion: atmosphere unique and worth taking a tourist..food- not the best.

Cranberry Orange Beef over couscous

Put all of the following in a crock pot on high for about 2 hours or until the meat is done...works out good if you turn the crock pot on, go for a run and shower..then it should be ready) 3 peeled and sectioned mandarin oranges 2 teaspoons sesame oil 1.5 pound beef sirloin cut into 1" cubes..this just happened to be the cut of beef I had in the freezer. 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1 onion cup chopped 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt 1 can chicken brot 3 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 2 teaspoons red chili flakes 1/2 cup dried cranberries 4 sticks of diced celery (put over couscous or another grain)

Very Quick Chili

This Chili didn't have to sit in a crock pot for hours. It literally was just chopping a couple veggies and opening a few cans. The difference between this chili and most chili I have made is that it called for a can of re-fried beans...I liked this addition.

Recipe used: http://www.womansday.com/recipefinder/quick-turkey-chili-recipe-wdy0113 (didn't have turkey so chopped up left over half of tofu container instead)

Andina Restaurant Review

Jeff's Aunt and Uncle gave us a gift card to Andina (A Peruvian restaurant). I had the most amazing meal...this is what I had...don't ask me what all the words mean : ) Drink RON-YKI-ON roasted ginger rum shaken with fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, lime juice and cane sugar, served up with a cardamom-sugar rim Dinner CONCHAS DEL SEÑOR DE SIPÁN quinoa-crusted diver scallops perched on top of wilted spinach and po

tato-parsnip purée, with golden beet and crabmeat "cannelloni", and a duet of red beet and passionfruit reductions Dessert HELADO DE LÚCUMA CON HIGOS fried lúcuma ice cream coated with quinoa and peanuts, with chancaca soaked figs and a goat cheese chantilly

Morning Glory Pancakes!

After a glorious long morning run with friends these Pancakes were the best. I added 1/2 cup hydrated dried cranberries, 1 chopped apple, 1/4 cup shaved coconut,1 Tbs nutmeg, 1 Tbs cinnamon, and some shaved ginger to the pancake mix (any mix will do- I used buckwheat). I Topped them with peanut butter (as I do with pretty much everything.

I didn't even brush my hair before devouring : )

Dirty rice with Blackeye Peas and chicken Apple Sausage

(it didn't look pretty...but tasted good)

http://gofolic.wordpress.com/2010/07/20/soulful-foodie-tuesday-dirty-rice-and-blackeye-peas/ (From the cookbook Soulful Recipes: Building Healthy Traditions) I really like Al Fresco brand sausage. Whenever it's on sale I buy a package and put it in the freezer. I used it instead of making my own sausage like this recipe suggests.

hummus, tofeta, roasted red pepper toast and black bean brownies

I made hummus in my food processor and then was trying to figure out how to make it into a dinner. I don't really like making things like dips and snacks because it still leaves me with needing to cook something more substantial so it doesn't save me any time. My dilemma was that hummus leads me to think Mediterranean but I didn't have pita bread, feta cheese, or olives : (. I came across a recipe for tofu feta cheese which solved my dilemma- I always keep a container of Tofu in the fridge (it lasts for a year if it isn't opened so it's a great thing to keep around). The version I used tasted good but it wasn't like feta cheese. I'll post recipe later but I would like to experiment with other tofu feta recipes to find the best one. I also made black bean brownies...they tasted great! Recipe: http://robinrobertson.com/chocolate-surprise-brownies-2/

Cabb-oodle

What happens when you put an engineer in a kitchen with a food processor….you get a concoction that involves using all moving parts! : ) oh and a big mess : ) This is shredded cabbage, grated carrots, diced green onions, and sliced apples…oh and then the runner in me said I should add pasta. The dressing is balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, lemon and honey. I have a feeling others might not like it but it put something on the table and helped me use up all my little amounts of veggies from the week. I thought it was good.

The cheap: I always buy cabbage because it is soo cheap and it lasts soo long (saving a trip to the grocery store when I’ve depleted my other veggies). In addition it’s sooo good for you : )