Category Archives: shopping

Menu Planning

Posted on April 8, 2013 | 2 Comments

I’m a huge plan-aheader when it comes to short time-frames. Does that make sense? Milestones like babies and marriage are easy to fantasize about because they’re in the distance- although every long-term milestone I’ve planned has in fact been successfully hit when I’ve wanted them to be, thank you diligent uterus- I can’t tell you what I’m doing next week, but I can tell you that I’ve already mapped out lunches and dinners for this work week, and have purchased all of the necessary items needed to make them happen. Friends have often looked at me in shock and said “I don’t even know what I’m eating today! How do you do it?”; So, here’s how I make them most of my grocery budget- $100 a week or roughly $425 per month- while still buying predominantly organic.

1. Determine your work schedules and what they will allow.
- Do you have several late nights in your schedule? Meetings? Happy Hours? Between my work schedule, maintaining the salon afterwards, and getting home via bus or carpool, I’m lucky if I get home before 7:45. I’m always far too ravenous by then to cook a labor intensive meal. If the hubby gets off earlier than 6, he can be counted on to cook, but most of his shifts end between 7-9pm, making both of us unreliable most of the week. Determine the nights that you can’t make dinner when you get home, and find recipes that make-ahead and keep well like rice/quinoa salads, soups, or make a pasta sauce in advance so that all you have to do is boil noodles.

2. Determine early nights/late start days.
- Figure out what nights one of you will be home early enough/leave late enough to start longer processes like steaming brown rice, starting a soup/stew/chili/ making pizza dough. Some of these days you might want to consider making one full meal and pre-starting a second meal. If you’re having stir-fry over brown rice, make extra rice to chill for a salad, or start soaking some beans for a crock pot meal another day.

3. Days off = Productivity days
- No surprises here, but I rarely have a lazy Sunday or Monday. My hubby works most weekends, and I work 6 days a week, every other week so that I can get the new-hires trained at the salon. I spend one of my days off making my grocery list for the week, buying everything I need, and pre-cooking anything possible to help save time down the line.

Grocery Shopping Tips:
Check your pantry and fridge before you make your list, and make use of anything you already have. I buy my rice, quinoa, tomatoes, tomato sauce, etc in bulk at costco, so that I save the most money, and I make sure at least one meal utilizes each per week. I also make sure I don’t have any ‘spare’ veggies that need to get used up, or a surplus/excess of any condiments.

Try to shop in season- I save splurge produce like brussels sprouts and asparagus for when they’re in season, same for fruit.

Shop at multiple stores. Today I made my first of many trips to Trader Joes because I heard that their generic organics were cheaper than Whole Foods; turns out that this was true! I got a full found of organic brown rice spaghetti for $1.99- at the co-op my favorite brand, Joyvial, only goes as low as $2.49 for 12oz. Organic Almond milk is $2.99 for a half gallon, 12oz of frozen organic mangoes were only $2.29, 15oz firm organic tofu and 8oz organic tempeh were only $1.99 each, and I found organic soyrizo for $1.99 as well. Even more shocking, TJ’s brand of organic vegetarian refried beans were $1.09 a can- plain organic beans at Whole Foods start at $1.39 a can, and it’s more for the refried kind. I scored big there, and because of that I treated myself to a pint of their coconut strawberry ice cream- $3.49. I didn’t see much for organic produce deals without buying large bags of things I might not go through, like potatoes and onions.

Buy in Bulk. Get beans in bulk, soak them, and cook them in your crockpot while you’re at work, and freeze them. It saves us a ton of money. I also buy things we run through in bulk as well. At the co-op, a 9 pound bucket of peanut butter was on sale for $34.99, which is $3.89 a pound; the average cost of a jar of nut butter that’s non-organic at our co-op is 4.99.

Coupons. I suck at finding coupons which is something I need to work at, but, I always shop around whats on sale at the co-op, and I make sure to save my monthly 5% discount for when I’m buying tons in bulk, like that peanut butter.

Identify your cookware and storage. Do you have a crockpot? A rice cooker? How is your supply of food storage containers? Nothing sucks more than baking a pan of lasagna only to find you have nothing to freeze lunch portions in. Crockpots are awesome for letting a stew cook overnight while you sleep- just pop it in the fridge before you head out the door and you’ve got another nights meal at the ready. Alternatively, let dinner cook while you’re away at work! My favorite is to mix steel cut oats, water, nuts, and dried fruits in my slow cooker before I go to bed. When I wake, I have a weeks worth of breakfast ready.

Make leftovers your lunch. I can’t make a meal for two to save my life, but a meal for 4, 6, 8? Easy. Instead of buying both dinner items, and a whole separate list of things for lunch, I make servings for four, and bring the remainders for lunch the next day. This also cuts down on food prep time on the a.m..

Or, make big meals to freeze for lunch. Lasagna, soups, and stews that freeze well will reheat well. Avoid veggies that get mushy quick, like zucchini and eggplant. Don’t for get to double check that you have plenty of freezer room, and containers. I adore glass-lock storage containers because they’re glass, and you can heat foods safely in them.

After you’ve figured out your schedule and your shopping list, designate dinners for the night of the week they correspond with on your calendar. Make sure that you plan ahead for giving things enough time to finish ripening before you use them- tomatoes, bananas, avocados- and make sure that you don’t make anything too far in advance that it’d spoil.

Here’s my schedule for the week:

Monday: Day off
Tempeh Picatta over GF Penne
Soak chickpeas and white beans, make noodles salad for Tuesday

Tuesday: Both work, Centering Group until 7:30
Pre-made Sesame Tofu Noodles. Start steaming chickpeas while we eat.

Wednesday: I work til 7, he works til 9
Fast dinner- tacos made with premade re-fried beans and soyrizo, steamed veggies on the side. Start steaming white beans while we eat. If possible, make chickpea salad for tomorrow.

Thursday: Both off at 7
Fast dinner- Avocado “egg” salad” chickpea style with roasted sweet potatoes.

Friday: I work, Hubby is off.
Spicy Quinoa Mango Salad Sub mixed baby greens for the asparagus, and add white beans.

The things I already had on hand that I was able to use up:
Corn Tortillas
Pecans
Quinoa
Veganaise, pickles, and spices for chickpea salad
Sesame oil and cilantro for asian salad
Onions
Garlic

Our groceries for the week including that giant tub of peanut butter, all organic produce, almond yogurt, 3 kinds of frozen fruit, and other miscellany came to $105- for us that’s really good. Whats even better is I know I’m eating a variety of proteins for the baby, and I have no excuses to have a crappy breakfast or takeout for lunch. If anyone knows of some great online resources for co-op coupons, or where vegans can get staples in bulk and save a few bucks, please, share them in the comments!

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Posted in Gluten Free, health and well being, not food, shopping, Vegan Pregnancy

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Texas: The stopover that ended too soon: Part Three: Mother’s Cafe

Posted on September 17, 2012 | 1 Comment

on our way back north to the dallas/ft worth airport, we stopped once more in austin to get a bite to eat. our last departure had us at kerbey lane for an early breakfast, this time it was 3:30 which was putting me several hours behind on lunch. we decided on mother’s given it’s close proximity to other things we needed, and dan had already been there before, so we knew it was good enough to stop again.

one thing i noticed immediately was the lack of background music. i strongly dislike eating in silence; the sound of jaws masticating is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me, but thankfully the murmurs of other diners bouncing off the high ceilings added padding to the din. according to dan it can get almost uncomfortably loud during the dinner hours.

i ordered the barbecue tofu, which the menu heralded as their trademark. the tofu wasn’t barbecue at all in my opinion; it was heavily blanketed in a mildly sweet tomato sauce. the tamari-peanut glaze underneath, however, was absolutely delicious and i would have loved to see more of the focus on it.  the tofu itself had a pleasing texture from being previously frozen and thawed, rendering it delightfully chewy.  the perk for me, however, was the precarious pile of green potatoes on the side. laced with fresh sage, these were the dreamiest mashed potatoes i’d ever had- not that it should be a hard feat, but the holiday glow the flavor produced was unexpected, especially in the sweltering summer heat. i’ve never much been a fan of black eyed peas, but as i expected, they went down easy when engulfed in tomato sauce and mashed potatoes.

dan ordered the mole enchiladas; on his last venture to mothers he had ordered enchiladas as well, but one of the other varieties and he remarked that they had been ‘ok’. these looked inviting, especially with the sphere of guacamole on top, but according to dan’s zeal, or lack thereof, something was still amiss. i’ve never had traditional mole-only my animal free renditions, and i couldn’t sample his either on account of being gluten-free, so i have to assume that his sauce was to mole what my sauce was to barbecue.

ah, yes. the desserts.

i sampled the gluten free mocha almond torte. i think i could have renamed this “black hole torte” because once i got in, i couldn’t get back out, or up. it was absolutely dense, decadent, and not too sweet. i could only manage a few bites though, as it was so rich i immediately felt ill. the leftovers were pretty fab the next day with a cup of coffee, but i still found myself wishing i had a vanilla cookie to break up the dark flavors.

all in all, texas has some incredibly vegan friendly cities to surprise you with. granted, we only had a few hours to spend and couldn’t really ‘dig in’, but austin alone is a town filled with food trucks, cafe’s, and bars filled with every kind of cuisine imaginable. even dallas/ft.worth, aka ‘cow town’ has more than just spiral diner to surprise you with, we just never have the time when we’re there to explore. we plan on making another pilgrimage through austin next fall, and with it will come plenty of belt-tightening spots for us to try.

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Posted in Gluten Free, mexican, shopping

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Spice Girls

Posted on July 6, 2012 | Leave a comment

hello!

a few of you sent me some very sweet emails after my last post- thank you! i kind of forget how many people read my blog on the regular, and your virtual high-fives were amazing!

fact: i have over 95 spices. yes, this really happens. i have tons of “single note” spices, like you know, oregano, and i have a ton of spice blends, like gram masala.   spices to me are like shoes to another- certain spices go best with specific foods, like a pair of day glo platforms, and some are like  black pumps- they just go with everything. shopping for spices is a joy for me. i’m the worst shopper ever (with others) because i have to stop, touch, and read/look at everything i see, but with spices it’s almost mandatory. one of my favorite stores for spices is Penzey’s because everything they make is potent- i’ve never bough stale spices from there- and each spice is accompanied by a large canister full of the fragrant blend so that you may sniff to your hearts content. when i find a spice i adore, i often buy a large 4oz bag if the price is right, and empty it into a small mason jar at home. i also re-use all of the jars that enter my house, so many have sharpie chicken scratching all over them.

many people have favorite go-to’s- my mother in law has every kind of garlic powder, salt, granule etc known to man, whereas my mother relies on local blends from a company called Fortner’s (#89 is amazing for tofu scramble). hubby loves crushed red pepper flakes, and goes through one of those giant shakers from costco every 4-6 months, and he also loves garam masala, and chili based blends.

these are my current favorites:

 

from L -> R

creamy peppercorn- this is a dressing base, and i use it with veganaise and faux sour cream to make the most amazingly rich dip for fresh veggies. it’s a lot like ranch but without the dill, and it’s a summer staple for barbecues.

coriander- for how much i love it’s mature plant version known as cilantro, it’s no wonder how much i adore coriander. the smell is citrusy and it lends a delightful brightness to everything it touches. i want to use it with lemon peel in coconut milk ice cream.

sunny paris- this is a new blend i just purchased and it’s my new go-to for scrambles, quinoa, and steamed veggies. it’s base is purple shallots and green peppercorns and it’s smells sweet and peppery with a hint of dill. it says you can mix it into yogurt for a nice veggie dip- i might try that with the new ‘greek style’ soy yogurt i keep seeing everywhere.

black truffle salt- OMG. i’ve purchased truffle salt, and truffle oil, and i think that i prefer the salt for cooking. truffle oil tends to lose it’s flavor quickly, whereas the salt is preserving little bits of dried mushroom. it’s amazing sprinkled over wild rice soup and risotto, or over popcorn and french fries. a must for mushroom lovers!

smoked spanish paprika- it’s smoky and sweet and makes tempeh ‘bacon’ even better. i also use it on my scrambles, chili, and tacos.

nala kamak- also known as indian black salt, it smells sweetly of sulphur and i use it solely as a seasoning for ‘egg-type’ dishes like tofu scramble and quiche. it’s not super salty so i add some during the cooking process, and more at the table. even though it’s a staple in indian cooking, i have yet to see it show up in a recipe. side note- it’s the cheapest at an indian market, whereas most spice stores sell it for $10 a jar.

chipotle- my favorite of all chili powders. its sweet and smoky without too much heat and goes wonderfully with black beans and sweet potatoes. whenever i make chili i use up to 4 different chili powders, but there’s always chipotle in it.

here’s the rest of my haul!

my very first spice rack! it was $8 at a garage sale, but the cute erlenmeyer-eque jars were worth every penny. i’m slowly replacing the lids with corks to keep them air tight.

lucky wedding spices

overflowing spice cupboard

and a countertop carousel for good measure!

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Posted in Gluten Free, shopping

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food porn! the costco edition

Posted on June 30, 2012 | 1 Comment

lately, the hubs and i have noticed an influx in our grocery spending; between bags of daiya, nuts, avocados, etc we’ve really been doing some damage to our bank account. our goal this summer has been to shave as much from our grocery bill as possible, and to help i’ve enlisted the Costco membership that i have thanks to owning my own business! i’ve been completely surprised with Costco’s variety of organic foods- a 4lb bag of quinoa was only $5.99! at the co-op quinoa (notably though from a more sustainable company) is around $7.99 a pound. huge difference. it’s been fun finding ways to use old leftovers and frozen bricks lurking in the freezer, heres what i came up with over the past week!

TOSTADAS!

TOSTADAS!

i bought a ginormous bag of la perla tortillas for $2 and froze them- sadly, they didn’t all thaw well, but who can tell when you brush them with oil and grill them to crispy perfection? no one!

cheesy quinoa and salad

cheesy quinoa and salad

i saw a recipe on pinterest for “cheesy quinoa” and i thought i’d give a vegan version a shot- YUM CITY. make some quinoa, make some nooch sauce, and mix them together. i also added some steamed broccolini that i of course got for a steal at costco. oh, and those sexy mixed greens? 4$ for a 1lb container.

chickpeas and greens over risotto

chickpeas and greens over risotto

i found a mystery bag of arborio and a can of chickpeas kicking around on top of the fridge- combined with some leftover collards, baby kale (4.00 for 1 1/2 lbs at costco), organic tomatoes (79c a can!!!!) white wine, and random herbs i had a lovely, and completely stick-to-your ribs comforting meal.

TACOS!

TACOS!

yep, lots of tacos/tostadas happened this week and i ain’t complaining! *also, i’m super happy that wordpress doesn’t recognize ‘ain’t’ as a word. whew! we had a frozen container of tomatillo sauce from our last tamale adventure sitting forlornly in the freezer, so we simmered 2 cans of jackfruit in it and made tacos!

spicy tempeh and broccoli rabe

spicy tempeh and broccoli rabe

this is the spicy fennel tempeh and broccoli rabe recipe from veganomicon, over quinoa instead of pasta. broccolini was 4 or 5 bucks for a huge bag from earthbound organics at costco- we easily got 6 meals out of it including leftovers, whereas at the co-op non-organic broccolini is 2.50 for roughly 1/3rd pound. definitely a win in my book.

pizza!

pizza!

ok, so the only thing on this pizza that came from costco was the broccolini, but who cares? sometimes you need a friggin pizza.

groceries

groceries

kale, teriyaki (4$ for that giant bottle of sauce!!!!) and various goodies combined to make:

peppery teriyaki tofu

peppery teriyaki tofu

i used organicville teriyaki sauce as my base, but doctored it up with 1/2+ tsp of freshly ground peppercorns, garlic, and samba oelek paste. seriously tasty.

so. all in all, costco may not be the happiest place on earth, *assholes galore in the parking lot* but i have a bevy of organic, affordable produce and staples in my fridge and pantry that should hopefully help lighten the burden on my wallet, so i can buy other things; like say a liter of 2 gingers whisky for $16.00. a girl can get used to this.

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Posted in can be Gluten Free, Gluten Free, shopping, Uncategorized

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Vegan Treats @Birchwood Cafe!

Posted on February 14, 2012 | Leave a comment

Hey folks, this just in from Facebook via the birchwood cafe:

“IF we had a bakery case webcam with a gluten free channel, today’s star would be vegan CHOCOLATE gluten free donut, co starring BLACKBERRY V,GF donut with a special guest Valentine’s Day appearance by vegan, gluten free petit heart shaped mini cake. But we don’t so you’ll just have to take my word for it”

holiday or no holiday, you better get up and then get on down, james brown style,  on those beauties.

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Posted in Gluten Free, Holiday, restaurant, shopping, snacks, Valentine's Day <3

New Obsession!

Posted on January 31, 2012 | Leave a comment

ok, this isn’t food, but it’s still a great find!

Merry Hempsters Hot Muscle Rub! it’s a vegan friendly hemp based alternative to icy hot- and for hairdressers, bakers, or anyone prone to tendon and joint pain it’s definitely a must have! i just rubbed some in, and within 5 minutes the areas were bright red, tingly and warm. it also smells like ‘winter’ due to the oils of clove, cinnamon, and mint. yum!

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Posted in body care, not food, shopping

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The Donut Co-op and other tasty adventures

Posted on November 6, 2011 | 1 Comment

i just had my first donut since i went vegan, and that was about ten years ago. if you haven’t heard of the donut co-op yet, i will assume that you’ve been living under a rock. but now that you’ve emerged ill fill you in. a couple people from minneapolis who liked making donuts utilized kickstarter to raise 12k, and proceeded (after a few set-backs) to occupy the old cake eater space where they offer both conventional, and vegan donutty goodness. today was their 3rd or 4th day in operation and the line i found at 9:15am was intense. when i wandered in i was a little nervous; the bakery case had 3 donuts sitting on a tray- i was afraid they had sold out again. nope, turns out that their little gems are so in demand that owner Dawn and her assistant baker were feverishly pumping out a dozen at a time to try keep up with the demand. granted, that kind of practice will most likely burn you out, and burn out the already grumbling patrons i encountered, but as i said before, considering that this is barely one week in for them, i’ll let the 15 minute wait slide. besides, since i got the last 3 vegan pumpkin donuts and had another 3 coming my way, I got to pick the next flavor (apple cinnamon sugar)! it was entertaining to witness the dynamic behind the counter as i’m fairly certain the barrista had never made an espresso before, but his cheery demeanor and eagerness to give out free samples of coffee won me over instantly, and my americano was better than (but smaller than) i had expected. dawn and her fellow baker consistently notified the hungry line of people of what flavors were coming up next, and i noticed that the vegan selections were the first to clear out each time they popped up. i’ve perused their flavor varieties on facebook, and i feel as though i’m going to put on 8 pounds in the next few months.

so, you’re probably wondering how they were.

they were awesome.

my first donut was thoroughly enjoyed in the car before i left. it was a pumpkin spice topped, cinnamon sugared donut. it was like a crispy, warm, pillow. i loved that even though the donut was encased in cinnamon sugar, it wasn’t overly sweet at all. the texture of the dough was amazing, very soft and not too airy. i remember donuts of my youth being a little chewy, most likely due to being a day or so old before landing in my stomach, but these were delightful- more like the fresh mini donuts you could get at the state fair, but far superior. i think for the pumpkin to really shine it would have been better paired with some sort of faux cream cheese icing. my second donut was  cinnamon apple pie- it was definitely my favorite of the two. the donut itself was the same with the exception of the topping, but it’s a tried and true flavor combination, and it was heavenly. by the time i got to eat it, it had cooled almost completely, leaving the exterior perfectly crispy. i could have eaten the entire tray. i also have to note that even sitting warm, in a bag, the cinnamon sugar did not turn to slimy, greasy icing goo at the bottom of the bag.

random- i saw a tray of vegan bahn mi sandwiches, and a few other savory lunch-ish items so i got one of those as well. i appreciated the unconventional use of cashew spread on the sandwich, but pastries are obviously this cafe’s forte.

i think the only real criticism i can give beyond the coffee snafu is that the co-op didn’t have any carry out boxes on hand- to go to so much effort to ice, sugar, and decorate donuts with little dollops of filling only to have each one smashed down in a bag seems so defeating. and getting them out of the bag without dumping what filling was left was tricky as well. but regardless, they still tasted delicious.

vegan coffee and offerings from the donut cooperative!

 

in other news, pizza luce has a new seasonal pizza! coconut curry butternut squash! pizza is one of the few instances that i consume daiya, and it worked perfectly with the new flavor. i didn’t really taste the coconut and i felt that the curry could have been stronger, and hotter, but i liked where it was going.

vegan coconut curry butternut squash pizza

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Posted in baked goods ect, breakfast, pizza!, restaurant, shopping, snacks

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Vegan MN State Fair Food! 2011 edition

Posted on August 30, 2011 | 8 Comments

ok kids, judging by the number of you scoping out last years and 2009s lists i can say with confidence that this years line-up will be appreciated! the hubby and i trotted through the fairgrounds for a whopping 8 1/2 hours of food, fun, and people watching and were able to find new vegan food options. hold on to your seats, kids! because i cared so damn much about feeding my face, as well as ensuring you could feed yours, i spent sunday night reading the entire food vendor list (for reals) and each item offered (double for reals) and made two lists; the “already confirmed vegan list”, and the “look into this” list.

Here’s everything i’ve confirmed over the past 3 years.

Everything I’ve Ever Eaten At The Fair

*i didn’t eat everything listed yesterday, promise!

Fried Pickles- order original w/out cream cheese

las lomas tamales, vegetarian tamale- only available for 4 days, check the state fair’s site for this years days

Fries:
Fresh Cut French Fries
Harry Singh’s Jerk Fries
The Potato Man and Sweetie Sweet Potato “Fries”

Harry Singh’s Carribbean-

Jerk Fries

Chickpea Roti                                                                   

Strawberries N’ Creme Strawberry Cup w/Non-Dairy Whipped Topping -these are by no means healthy as the “whipped topping” ingredients have some creepy chemicals, but hey, as far as i can tell, it’s vegan!

Holy Land: 

Falafel

Kushari Rice

Somosas and Somali Samosas

Hummus and Pita

Fried Green Tomatoes- i almost preferred these to the pickles!

Roasted Corn- ask for no butter, it’s divine!

Island Noodles- original, they now offer teriyaki chicken, but its pre-cooked and kept in a roasting pan away from the noodles so that they are still happily vegan!

Kettle Corn- always yummy

Fresh Fruit- there’s a stand across from the international bazaar with GIANT, ripe peaches and nectarines.

Potato Tornado- its just a big potato chip, get fries instead!

Veggie Pie- frozen fruit on a stick.

now for some food porn! *having a partner in crime, or two, will ensure that you don’t fall into a food coma. he he he.

iced coffees!our first stop of the day, dunn bros for some cold press to fuel the 6.5 mile bike ride to the fair grounds.

fried pickles!fried pickles, a delicious stand-by with hot sauce.

Ellen!

Ellen!

we couldn’t find the citypages booth, or their infamous ‘bachmann eyes’, so we befriended an ellen fan instead.

alaska IPA

alaska IPA

surly furious

cool refreshing nectar of the gods

 

* i have just been informed that surly uses isinglass to filter their beers. bummer.  i have now been informed that surly uses a centrifuge system for filtration and no longer rely on animal products! rejoice!

 

 

 

 

Harry Singh’s Carribbean Jerk Fries!

yum! these were brand-spankin’ new this year, and they did not disappoint. lightly golden-fried, these had a crisp exterior and a fluffy interior-and weren’t over-browned. the jerk seasoning was flavorful without being overbearing, and the more you ate, the hotter the burn!

bahahaha! farmer hubby!

toasting my bunz

goofing off at the eco-exhibit. also, i find it annoying when people pronounce eco as “echo”.

Strawberries N’ Creme

like i said, the ingredients are definitely creepy and chemical-laden, but if you eat fairly organic and local, whats a little high fructose corn syrup mixed with partially hydrogenated oils? i was raised on that shit!

CHEMICALS!

Kushari Rice

basmati rice, fried onions, lentils, elbow macaroni, and spiced tomato sauce. i could definitely describe this as “middle eastern hot dish”, especially with the random inclusion of elbow macaroni. i would have loved it to have been heavier on the sauce and onions, but if you’re looking for a more substantial nosh, go for this, or the island noodles.

OH MAN

we couldn’t say no to a fruit loving mountain lion, could you?

smug satisfaction

ginormous!

these peaches were so effin amazing! you needed at least 3 napkins to catch the juice.

fried green tomatoes!

fried green tomatoes!

i think i loved these more than the pickles, and ellen loved them, too.

roasted corn!

you can’t not eat it, so why stop yourself?

island noodles!

island noodles, always a classic.

and that concludes this years picture-heavy food bonanza!

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60% Off Matt & Natt!?

Posted on July 27, 2011 | Leave a comment

i normally don’t post about non-food stuff, but if you’re anything like me (toothpaste on your shirt? check) you’ve coveted matt & natt’s luxe looking bags-just not the luxe price. i stumbled upon a link courtesy of vegan coupons on facebook for 60% Off their handbags and accessories! click here for a great selection of high quality vegan goodies for a much more affordable price! i’m in love with their Ritual Laptop bag in black! happy shopping!

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Posted in shopping

Habanero Linguine with Black Beans, Grilled Veggies and Avocado Cilantro Pesto

Posted on July 12, 2011 | 1 Comment

i’ve been going to the farmers market (lyndale, aka ‘the big one’) regularly this summer for my weekly produce stock up, and i found a great pasta vendor- pasta alley- they have a huge variety of flavors, and also makes whole wheat and gluten-free pastas as well. we’ve bought quite a few flavors over the last few weeks, but we have come back to one over and over again, habanero! just like the name implies, it’s definitely a spicy noodle, so we tend to mix in an equal proportion of another flavor to help dull the heat. i only wish they made more of their flavors in whole wheat or gluten free, because i can’t rationalize eating ‘white’ pasta more than once or twice a month. oh well. here’s a fun recipe that we have whipped up twice now using plenty of farmers market finds! You could also use plain pasta and add heat with either a little habanero sauce, or crushed red pepper flakes.

Habanero Linguine with Black Beans, Grilled Vegetables, and Avocado Cilantro Pesto

serves 6-8

1 8 oz package habanero pasta

1 8 oz package chive and onion pasta (or another flavor)

4 small zucchini, halved and sliced 1/2” thick

1 1/2 c or about 4 ears worth of sweet corn

1 28 oz can black beans or about 2 1/2-3 cups total beans

Avocado Cilantro Pesto* make a double batch if you like your pasta saucy

1 ripe avocado

the juice of 2 limes

1/2 c slivered almonds

1 bundle, or 1 cup loosely packed cilantro

1 tbs nutritional yeast, opt

1/2 c water if needed

olive oil or canola oil

salt and pepper to taste

first, lets make the sauce. combine all sauce ingredients except for the water and oil in a food processor. pulse until finely chopped and pasty. with the machine running, stream in roughly 1/4 c of oil. now stream in some water until thinned slightly. depending on your personal preferences, you could use more or less oil or water since the avocado makes it so creamy, and the lime adds a nice punch of flavor. set this aside.

grill the zucchini and corn either on your grill pan, under the broiler, or on a coal grill until crisp tender and lightly golden on the edges. either grill the corn on the cob, or remove the kernels and place in aluminum foil. place in a large serving bowl. rinse the black beans under hot water and add to the bowl.

boil the noodles according to the package directions, and rinse under hot water once al dente. drizzle with a teeny bit of oil- this will help everything combine smoothly without a gummy mess.

toss the pasta with the veggies, and then with the pesto sauce. serve immediately or at room temperature.

the original versionthe first version with just cilantro and corn, tossed with lime juice and coconut oil.

the new version!

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