Lessons learned when shopping for the ingredients for these dishes and when making them

1. Won ton wrappers and miso paste are hard items to find.  Don’t screw around — just go straight to Whole Foods.
2. A lot of pastry dough has hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup (Pillsbury brand, for instance – go figure, right?).  Also, I never was able to find a whole wheat version.  Heidi from 101 Cookbooks recommends the Dufour brand though I did not find it at either Whole Foods or Pavilions.  I ended up going with these mini phyllo shells since they had an ingredient list I was happy with (and they’re also really cute!).
3. Miso paste is more expensive than I thought — $8! (hey, $8 is a lot when you’re a broke college student!)
4. There are a wide variety of misos.  I had to guess the right one since the recipe calls for “white miso” and that was not one of the miso designations on the varieties I encountered.  Apparently miso can be classified by taste or ingredient. Whole Foods did not appear to have a white color miso paste (now I know it’s called Shiromiso).  I ended up choosing the genmai (brown rice) miso — it has a nice rust color.  Here’s the different varieties of miso, in case you’re interested.
5. Won ton wrappers are awesome.  I got the Nasoya brand.  How have I not used these before?  I am going to make the boyf some leftover turkey and mashed potato won tons tonight and make spinach and potato won tons for myself!  I am also envisioning all sorts of dessert won tons in my future.
6. I should always start cooking well before the “eating time” given to family members.  The meal was to start at 3 p.m. and I was barely peeling the sweet potatoes at that point.  Thankfully no one was waiting on my vegetarian dishes — the turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing sufficed just fine.
7. Holiday gatherings really are a test of those demons I referred to yesterday.  In hindsight, I may have trivialized how family functions can be more of a dysfunction for someone who is recovering from disordered behaviors.  Did you catch this NYT article on some of the quandaries faced when eating with family on holidays?  I can relate to a lot of the experiences captured in the piece.  I’ll have to keep this in mind for next time!  Another thing I’m trying to keep in mind?

I’m a work of art in progress…

I think embracing how far I’ve come and yet still acknowledging the path before me is much healthier than either denying my need to evolve or dwelling on any perceived failures.  Speaking of healthy attitudes, I wish I would have passed this along to you on Wednesday — hopefully these sentiments will help you more than the guilt-based holiday eating guides out there.

In terms of my eating behavior yesterday –  I ate until I was full and then when I felt less full, I had some pumpkin cheesecake and later a slice of pumpkin pie.  No dwelling shall ensue.  No complaining.  No guilt.  Ya know why?  When I woke up this morning and checked myself out in the mirror I was still me.  I think we forget these things and think that after one day of convivial eating we’re going to wake up a different person or a person with an additional ass tacked on to her rear.  Come on now.

How was your Thanksgiving?  What was your favorite dish?  Do you ever feel the “dys” making its way in your family -functions?

p.s. Complete nutritional break-down on the dishes prepared above to be amended to this post later today.  I’ve got to get some studying done to appease the cranky one’s foreboding thoughts of paper failure!

<3, The Cranky One

So, I was debating on what I should write about today given that tomorrow is Thanksgiving and we’re all feeling anticipation (or fear or dread).  Every where I turn there is a guide to healthy eating over the holidays or a list of ways to avoid holiday weight gain.  I can’t help but roll my eyes at this point because while I’m feeling excitement about the holidays, everyone else seems to be bemoaning them. Come on guys, let’s give ourselves more credit and actually look forward to tomorrow!

Look — if I have to be the cranky one to say it, so be it.  Welcome Cranky:

• Tomorrow is not the apocalypse of healthy eating. Preparing for tomorrow as if it’s some Olympic test of will power, or as if you’ll be the Tantalus of tragic characters, just kind of sets you up to dread the day, no? Defeatist attitudes are kind of like self-fulfilling prophecies if we want to run with this whole Greek motif I’ve got going on.
• Thanksgiving is not “just one day.” Don’t trivialize the occasion.  Giving thanks should be a year-round thing, and all the more reason to realize that tomorrow is not a test of your will power, but a celebration of it.  Celebrate your choices tomorrow, don’t wallow in them.
• Wave “hello” to the demons — they’re here to stay. I know we seem to think that it’s only on special occasions that those little demons of ours pop their heads in to remind us how truly screwed up we are.  Truth is — they’re always there.  So, sure, the holidays may make you feel especially crappy if they are triggers or reminders of bad memories.  Or maybe, like me, they seem to make it hard not to want to revert to previous, unhealthy, behaviors.  I get it.  But don’t fool yourself in thinking these triggers are holiday-induced and fleeting.  Give yourself more credit – you’ve been dealing with these demons all year long just in a more subconscious manner.  Acknowledge the bad thoughts and don’t try to eat or drink them away.
• Holidays are not something to get “through.” Telling yourself, “I just need to get through the holidays, then I’ll be fine” might not be the best attitude. Enjoy the holidays — don’t postpone your happiness.  Life is always going to throw you for a loop, there will always be chaos to throw your plans off track — if you plan for chaos, you plan for life and now you can just enjoy the ride.
• It’s all on you. Unless you’ve persuaded your significant other to babysit you and tell you when to drop your fork, it’s probably best to just own up to the fact that what you eat is your decision.  Enjoy the sense of empowerment.  Come up with a game plan if you need to, but, at the end of the day, it’s all about eating what you want.  Notice I said “eating what you want” not “how much you want.” If I were to eat how much I want, I would finish the array of food at my house and then move in a ceremonious processional down the block to taste-test everyone else’s food until I exploded like Blueberry Girl in Willy Wonka.  In other words, just limit your portions a bit and try all of the things you want to.  As my friend Barb always said, “In hindsight, do you think the women on the Titanic would have said ‘no’ to the chocolate cake?”

I might read this later and slap myself for being so laissez faire about holiday eating, but I think we’re all just responsible adults and should enjoy food and the holidays without demonizing them.  We all know that if we want to eat more tomorrow than usual, based on our specific health goals, we just need to balance it out afterward, right?  Right!

In other news, I know exactly what I shall be washing down my vegetarian meal with next Thanksgiving:

Yum!  Tofurky and gravy soda! Hey, at least it’s vegan!

What’s your plan of action for tomorrow?

<3, The Cranky One

p.s. Even more updates to vegetarian food options for Thanksgiving here.

Hey guys!

While my mom and I traditionally make side dishes that just so happen to have always been vegetarian, I am excited to try the following recipes to add to the mix of vegetarian options at our dinner table (there’s going to be at least 10 of us!):

• Miso Soup with Sweet Potato Dumplings (Vegan) –
  [Source]
  “This spicy soup from Shawn McClain, chef at Green Zebra in Chicago, is rich in immunity-enhancing vitamin A.”

• Simple Butternut Squash Tart (Vegetarian) — “This simple, vibrantly colored butternut squash tart recipe provides a nice amount of payoff for the minimal amount of effort that goes into it.”

For all the newly minted vegetarians like myself, here are some additional recipes and resources I’ve come across for vegetarian and/or vegan eaters.

Best Sounding Recipes — Entree Options
**Note:  A lot of entree options call for mushrooms – and I just so happen to dislike mushrooms – so when I was envisioning these dishes, I was envisioning them sans mushrooms! **

• Artichoke Spinach Lasagna (Vegetarian) — “This is a fabulous lasagna made with an artichoke and spinach mixture which has been cooked with vegetable broth, onions and garlic. The mixture is layered with lasagna noodles, pasta sauce, mozzarella cheese, and topped with crumbled feta.”  Use whole-wheat to make it healthier.
• Gourmet Mushroom Risotto (Vegetarian)
• Harissa Spaghetiini (Vegan)
• Holiday Cashew Nut Loaf (Vegan) — “With a taste reminiscent of stuffing, this is perfect for a holiday buffet. Layered eggplant adds a contrasting texture to the nuts and elevates this hearty casserole to an eye-popping entrée.”
• Mushroom, Cheese & Vegetable Strudel (Vegetarian)
• Smothered Seitan Medallions with Mushroom Gravy (Vegan)
• Thanksgiving Tart (Vegan) — “Combining the most prominent flavors of the holiday season—namely savory thyme, crisp cranberries, homey spinach, and hearty chickpeas—this dish is guaranteed to satisfy.”
• Vegetable Puffs with Pastry Sheets (Vegan)
• Walnut-Stuffed Eggplant (Vegetarian)

Best Sounding Recipes — Side and Appetizer Options

• Best of Both Worlds Potatoes Anna (Vegetarian) — “If you’re torn between serving regular potatoes or sweet potatoes, try this spectacular dish, which calls for both.”
• Chilean Corn and Un-Turkey Soup (Vegan) — “This savory chowder is inspired by pastel de choclo, a Chilean corn and meat pie.”
• Curried Apple Couscous (Vegetarian)
• Curried Sweet Potato Fritters (Vegetarian) — “These Indian-inspired fritters also make great hors d’oeuvres—simply use scant 1-tablespoon dollops of the fritter mixture when cooking, and skip the bed of spinach.”
• Lucie’s Chestnut Stuffing (Vegetarian)
• Roasted Pumpkin Salad (Vegan)

Best Sounding Recipes — Dessert Options

• Apple Cobbler (Vegan)
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes (Vegan)
• Pumpkin-Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake (Vegetarian) — “It took us four tries to get this recipe just right, but the result—a rich, creamy, pumpkin-flavored cheesecake laced with spice and swirled with chocolate—is truly spectacular.”
• Pumpkin Pie Wontons (Vegan) — “These dessert wontons are a great way to serve pumpkin pie individually, and won our reader recipe contest in 2001.”
• Sweet Potato Cake (Vegan) — “spiced cake with layers of fluffy, vegan buttercream”
• Toasted Pecan Toffee (Vegetarian)

Other Resources

• Check out Happy Herbivore’s vegan Thanksgiving options here
• Check out 101 Cookbooks’ Vegetarian Thanksgiving options here
• Amazing looking vegetarian and vegan recipes with puff pastry as a main ingredient — I’m especially intrigued by the chocolate walnut date tarts and vegan asparagus tart.
• The Veggie Table’s sample Thanksgiving menus (all vegetarian or vegan) here
• International Vegetarian Union’s 64 Holiday Recipes here
• Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes (some omnivore options listed) here
• The Food Network’s Thanksgiving menu here
• Tofurky has been a staple for first-time vegetarian Thanksgivings.  While I haven’t tried any of their Thanksgiving products, I have tried their Italian “sausage,” which I think tastes amazing. I have heard mixed reviews on their Tofurky turkey (actually sort of shaped like an actual turkey which I imagine is good for “transitioning” vegetarians or omnivores who are up for trying something new).  View their list of Thanksgiving products here.  Trader Joe’s is currently selling Tofurky roasts.
• Check out Whole Foods Market’s vegetarian Thanksgiving menu here
• Bonappetit Thanksgiving Slide Show of Recipes (2008) here

Any of these recipes sound good to you?  What’s on your Thanksgiving menu?

<3, The Cranky One

Ok, get ready for the food porn because I’m going to give the first recipe of three of my new favorite low calorie and healthy vegetarian dishes.  These would all make great Thanksgiving entrees if you are cooking a vegetarian meal or even if you need a side dish that’s “all eaters” approved.

“Tofu, Meet My Boyfriend” Enchiladas

Can you see the melted cheese on the left? C’mon that’s freakin’ foodgasmic!

Ingredients

• One package 14-oz package firm tofu
• 1 cup of corn
• One small green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup white onion, chopped
• One 12-pack of corn tortillas — I used Trader Joes’
• One large can of enchilada sauce
• 2 cups spinach
• 12 ounces low-fat mozzarella cheese (I bought Trader Joes’ low-fat mozzarella slices – as each slice is one ounce and 80 calories)
• Salt, pepper, paprika, seasoning salt, to taste

Directions

• Drain the tofu; place all of the enchilada sauce in a wide, shallow bowl; place raw, washed and dried, spinach in a small bowl
• In a saucepan, saute the onion, bell pepper and corn over medium heat for about 2 minutes then add the block of tofu
• Break up the tofu while sauteing as you would if you were making a ground meat dish
• Add seasoning and cook until the veggies are translucent, turn off heat
• Heat the tortillas one by one, both sides, over an open flame — carefully! (*sings “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…*)
• Immediately after the tortilla is heated, dip it in the enchilada sauce (both sides — yes, this is messy!), fill with some tofu mixture, a few leafs of spinach, and one ounce of cheese then fold tightly and place seam down on a baking dish sprayed with Pam. Repeat with all tortillas.  Top off enchiladas with remaining enchilada sauce, to taste.
• Bake in the oven at 450 degrees for about ten minutes.  You can sprinkle some shredded cheese on top before you bake – for presentation’s sake — but make sure to add those calories to the nutritionals I provide below!
• Give one to your carnivorous boyfriend and watch him chew with delight
• Nutritional information for one enchilada: 183.8 calories, 8.4g fat, 446.0mg sodium, 20.0g carbs, 3.3g fiber, 13.5g protein (Calculated with Sparkpeople Recipe Calculator and did not include seasoning in calculations, and inflated the use of enchilada sauce in the case you used the entire can)
• To make even more low-cal — Use only half-an ounce of cheese.  That’s what I did — but I figure I’m abnormally stingy in my cheese use…

What to look forward to for part 2:

Holy Mother of All that is Sweet Potato Enchiladas

How are you faring in terms of happy eating this holiday season?  What’s on the menu for Thanksgiving?

<3, The Cranky One

p.s. Did you enter my give-away? I might throw in a little something fun for the winner!

p.p.s. My boyfriend thinks all my food photos look like food that’s already been eaten…lol.  So, I’m especially sorry if the blown up photo of tofu vomit made you lose your appetite!