Some of the food we've made recently!

Since I'm still waiting on my number I've been trying out cooking and I think I'm getting pretty good at it! It's exciting to learn new techniques and make something that doesn't take up space in the house.
Here are a few things I've made that my husband and I really enjoyed.

Yummy curry!

I got the recipe for this curry from the book Supermarket Vegan by Donna Klein. It's a great recipe with coconut lime rice and a really tasty and savory chickpea curry on top. It even reheated well and helped me find a way I will eat beans.

Stuffed acorn squash!

Stuffed globe squash!

My mom in law gave us this adorable globe squash and I wanted to try stuffing it. We got a small acorn squash to go with it because there's two of us. I had trouble finding a vegetarian recipe for stuffed squash that actually sounded good so I made up my own. It was the first time we had had stuffed squash and I was a bit worried. However it came out great! Here's how I did it.

Stuffed Squash Filling:

Cooked rice

Bell pepper, chopped

Mushroom, chopped

Onion, chopped

Garlic, minced

Tomato, small chopped and seeded.

Parmesan cheese

I suck at measuring things, just use the amounts needed to stuff the squash you're using. Saute the vegis in a pan until soft, I used 2 tbsp of water. When soft add rice and mix well. Let stuffing cool. Add in the Parmesan and mix well. Then stuff the heck out of your squash with it! Sprinkle cheese on top and bake as per the type of squash you are using.

Next up I want to try this in tomatoes or peppers!

Kung Pao Tofu!

This one was last nights dinner. My husband did most of this meal and it came out great! The recipe came from the Supermarket Vegan  cookbook again. I really like that book! It's an actual tasty way to eat tofu. It's a nice garlicky sauce that has a bit of spice that sneaks up on you. I added more vegis than the recipe called for, but it still came out great.

I'm really enjoying learning to cook. It's more fun than I thought it would be. If you make the stuffing let me know how it turns out for you!

Have fun! 

A tasty new discovery

A few weeks ago I decided to go vegetarian. I'm not all the way there yet (I love my TV dinners way more than is healthy), but I'm giving it a strong go. My husband is very supportive of this and that is making it a lot easier than it could be. Plus, not having a paying job means I can read and research things to eat when I do have one.

One of my favorite things when I was vegetarian years ago (darn TV dinners!) Was something called the Tofurky Roast. That thing is so amazing!!!! It's better than turkey and turkey is one of my favorite things.
So, I contacted Tofurky to see if they had any suggestions and they sent me an email back with a few. They also sent me an envelope with a bunch of coupons! The people at Tofurky Rock! I'm really glad that there's a company out there that stands as solidly behind their product as they do.
Yesterday I went into Whole Foods, not a place I usually go but they had this product I couldn't find elsewhere and I had a free item coupon. I rushed to the cooler section and snatched up my prize. After checkout I literally skipped out the doors. I was that excited to get these. It's the little things that do that.

My prize!

We had them for dinner last night, I couldn't wait. We had them on buns with tater tots on the side. I made extra tots in case they sucked, at least we wouldn't have to cook something else. I had mine on a bun with a little cheddar, It was a bit to long for the bun so I bit off part of the extra first.

The first bite was awful. It was just like biting into a hot dog. I hate hot dogs almost as much as I hate beans and you can't just swallow them whole. It took a bit of will power to not spit it out. I ate a few tots then tried another bite of the sausage. It wasn't so bad, right before swallowed I detected a hint of apple flavor. I ate a few more tots. 

For the third bite I decided to actually chew it and see what happened. The flavor was really good; smoky with a hint of apples and spices. It was hearty and good. I really liked the flavor. It's not like the chicken and apple sausages made with meat, but it was good. I happily ate the rest of it then finished off my tots. An added bonus is I only needed to eat one to feel full.

I definitely would suggest these to anyone, and I'm looking forward to grilling the last couple up later this week. It was an easy and tasty dinner. They are a bit pricey, but I think that's because of where I got them and I plan to request them from the Sprouts we usually shop at. That's where we get most of our produce anyway.

My suggestions for Tofurky would be to add larger pieces of the dried apple to improve the texture and maybe thicken the outer skin a bit to make it less floppy. Also if they cut them down by a third in length you could get 6 in a pack for the same price and they would fit a bun better. Plus, they would be a better deal for a family and more comparable to hot dogs. I think it would make them more approachable.

Great Chinese Food Found!

One of my clients had one of their clients deliver for a meeting we had on Tuesday. It was the best Chinese food I've had in a loooong time! I'm going to take my husband on payday!
It's Brother's Noodles and they just opened. They do deliver, but call them to make sure they go to your place. The food is great!

Simple and concise.

I tried some of everything! 

The fried rice was almost as good as home made and those little pork dumpling things were amazing!

I have no idea what it was called, but the one in the middle was my favorite! 

The beef and broccoli was also great, the broccoli wasn't over cooked at all and the beef had flavor. There was also a really tasty dried tofu noodle dish that I didn't shoot. Everything I tried was really good. I think I've finally found a good Chinese restaurant! Thank you Tom for introducing me!

I can't wait to have some more,  and to share it with my husband. If you live in Tucson or are planning a visit you have to try them. Then let me know what you think!