Salt & Humor

Bittersweet is the first day of Fall.  The Summer is over, days get shorter and no more garden fresh tomatoes. However, in comes the pumpkins, winter squash, turning leaves and comfort food.  When I think of Fall comfort food, I think of soups, chili and pasta.

Veggie Soup: potato, carrot, celery, golden beet, kale, green onion and miso

Veggie Chili: adzuki and pinto beans, zucchini, carrot, onion, tvp, canned/diced tomatoes

topped with avocado, tomato, “teese” and hot sauce

Macaroni and Teese

So, what the heck is teese, you ask?!  Well, it is non-dairy cheese.  I came across this little dandy at the VegFest. (I still need to post about that).

It shredded nicely!

I just stirred some of the shredded teese over the warm noodles, added reserved pasta water as needed,  2 T of dijon mustard and salt. It was super creamy and actually needed to be thinned down with more water. It was even stringy!

I will say, it was pretty good.  I don’t think it tasted like cheddar cheese that we are used to, but then again I wasn’t expecting it to.  I am giving up cheese. (explanation to come) I think what I was wanting, was the texture and creaminess.  For that, it did not disappoint! I wouldn’t buy it all the time but it is nice for certain meals or as a treat.

One more new discovery; mochi!!

I have heard of this a few times.  Most recently, in The Kind Diet.  I have been reading the book or should I say read the book and LOVE it!!!!!

I baked in oven as the directions stated.  Pretty interesting, I must say.  I had it with chili tonight, so Earth Balance and honey were a must.

WOW!  Really, this doubled as a dessert.  The honey is from a nearby farm and is raw and unfiltered, that’s why it looks so chunky. The mochi was very chewy.  I am anxious to try it in some of the other recipes in the book.

Have you heard of or read The Kind Diet?

This tulip seems to be out pretty early this year.  Oh, well, I am not complaining.  Tulips are for sure, one of my favorite flowers.

I have a few random eats to catch up on. Just haven’t been making fun meals and taking good photos lately, I guess.  No worries though, I have a few to share.

This was a killer sandwich! It was on homemade bread.  It is my favorite bread recipe, so I just keep sticking to it for now.  The filling was tempeh, cheddar, bbq sauce and avocado.  I also made butternut squash fries with bbq sauce and mustard to dip.

Wednesday we made turkey chili with black and pinto beans.  It seriously hit the spot! As usual, I loved every bit of the cornbread, especially topped with smart balance and honey!  I never need an excuse to make cornbread.  :)

This super filling breakfast kept my full from 10 to 4:30! Can you believe I stuck those slices of tempeh in the pan with Jason’s bacon!! Sheesh! Pretty tasty if I have to admit!

Can’t believe it is the end of the weekend already.  Enjoy the rest of the Sunday night!!

My goodness! What is with the headaches! I had another headache today.  I was thinking I didn’t feel like a workout again.  Then I was thinking how irritating that would be to not workout for a third day straight, all because of a headache. So, I pulled through and did Jackie’s workout.  Thank goodness I did.  My headache finally went away! It was rough starting out, but so worth it in the end

Last night I made some veggie chili.

onion, garlic, left-over juice pulp from Sunday, carrot, eggplant, zucchini, kidney beans, tomato sauce, TVP, serrano pepper, and salt/pepper

This chili was perfect! I can’t take all the credit though.  I spied with my little eye, the recipe here.  My recipe is similar. I left out the mushrooms because it already looked like a lot of chili and subbed TVP for the turkey.  My favorite part is the eggplant! Look at all the treats Susan made!

What are chilis’ great for?… Leftover! I am a huge fan of leftovers.  I think it is the easiest way to meal prep, not to mention safe.  I am more likely to eat good if some healthy food is on hand and already prepared.

Dinner tonight:

Low carb tortilla, avocado, spinach and some fat-free yogurt in the extra

Giveaway: This one is a goodie! Check out Lisa Leonard’s site! Janetha is hosting a great giveaway! Plus, check out her secret Valentine’s Day exchange!

Have a good night!