mmmmmm.....pppaaarrrssssnnniiiipppsssss

Have I mentioned my new found supreme love for parsnips???  Just in the past couple of weeks, I've used them in several applications: baked, raw, shaved, chunked.  They smell so peppery and delicious when peeling the skins off, and are quickly becoming one of my go-to veggies. 

Last night I had a volleyball game, so I wanted to keep dinner on the light side.  I whipped up two salads in record time with amazing results.  The ideas for both salads came from my body screaming at me to load it with fiber!  I highly recommend, if either of these salads sound yummy to you, making the parsnip salad as a main dish, because it is filling and very satisfying.

 

Parsnip and Avocado Salad
salad mix
parsnips, shaved (discard peel and woody insides)
Craisins (dried cranberries)
avocados, chunked
safflower oil
ume plum vinegar
KS&P
chopped raw almonds

Green Bean, Mushroom and Grape Tomato Salad
fresh green beans, blanched (steamed then immediately plunged into ice cubes and water)
grape tomatoes, halved
button mushrooms
shallots, thinly sliced
fresh dill
safflower oil
white wine vinegar
fresh squeezed lemon juice
KS&P

We polished off the parsnip salad because it would not have been as good the next day, but there are some leftovers of the green bean salad that I am looking forward to eating for lunch today.  The green bean salad would make a great summer salad to bring to BBQs or picnics, because it's good cold or at room temperature.  Plus, it's pretty. :)

vegan dinner inspired by Jamie Oliver

I picked up the April 2011 issue of Better Homes and Garden magazine the other day while waiting in line at the grocery store, and I am so glad I did!  Not only did I find some really beautiful Spring blooms for hubby to plant in the yard {I have a black thumb}, but they did an awesome story on Jamie Oliver.  He shared a super user-friendly diagram of an easy garden setup--for hubby to base this year's garden plan off of--along with a few yummy recipes.  I made his Braised Peas with Scallions and Lettuce dish, and paired it with a late winter vegetable hash I thought up, using ingredients I am not all that familiar with...and both turned out sooo delicious.  Hence, I am sharing both recipes with you. :)

Braised Peas with Scallions and Lettuce
Jamie Oliver for BH&G mag

a pat of butter (+/- 1 tsp)
olive oil
6  scallions, trimmed, outer leaves discarded, and finely sliced
1  head romaine lettuce, washed and sliced
2  16-oz pkg. frozen peas
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1  heaping tsp. all-purpose flour
1  to 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
a few sprigs fresh mint
juice from half of a lemon
extra virgin olive oil

1. Melt butter in medium skillet over med heat. Add about 1 T olive oil and scallions. Cook for a few minutes until scallions are softened.
2. Meanwhile, set a small handful of sliced lettuce aside. Turn heat up and add peas and rest of lettuce. Season with sea salt and pepper.
3. Cook for 1 minute, then sprinkle in the flour and stir until everything is coated.
4. Slowly pour in the stock, then cover and turn the heat up to high.
5. Cook for 4 minutes or until peas are tender.
6. Taste and season if necessary. Sprinkle fresh mint in the pan and add the lemon juice. Stir then scatter reserved fresh lettuce over top and serve immediately with a tiny drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Winter Roasted Vegetable Hash

sweet potato, washed, peeled and chopped
parsnips, washed, peeled and chopped
asparagus, washed and chopped into 2" pieces
whole shallot, skin still on
olive oil
white wine vinegar
fresh Italian parsley
KS&P

Preheat oven to 400°. Toss all veggies in olive oil and season with KS&P.  Roast veggies, turning once, for roughly 20 minutes.  Remove veggies from oven and carefully take off and discard the shallot's skin.  Combine all veggies in a large serving bowl and sprinkle with fresh parsley, and season with more KS&P to taste.  Drizzle desired amount of white wine vinegar to taste (about  1 1/2 T) and serve warm.

Both dishes were excellent the next day, warm or cold.  My new favorite thing to do is roast whole shallot bulbs in the oven.  I can't wait to try them on the grill this summer.  They are so yummy when roasted.  And parsnips?? How am I only just now discovering them? I love roasted parsnips!

The pea dish leftovers were transformed into a penne pasta dish for lunch a couple days later, and I added partially stale baguette bread chunks to the veg hash the night I made it, adding a little more olive oil and vinegar, to create a filling panzanella-esque dish for lunch the following day.  If you try making either of these, please let me know how it turns out for you.  And share your version if you change it up, please! :)

yay for healthy kiddies!

Over on TKL, Alicia highlights the nutrition bill that Obama + Congress just passed.  This is really exciting! 

I could go in to detail about the lunches served at my high school, but looking back, it seems criminal! Yikes. So, instead, I am sending you over to Alicia's blog so you can read about all the super-positive improvements our country is making. :) 

Jamie Oliver deserves a boatload of credit for Congress's Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act I think!  You can read more about the bill on his site.

{photo source: 1}

response to reader's comment

I received a comment the other day from Mali, and when I began writing back to her in the comments section, I realized I had written a novel.  Therefore, I am posting my response here. Mali had some good questions that I think many people have, so I will first share her comment:

Mali:

I just saw your vegan blog today from a facebook link.... and I'm curious. Our family follows a lot of Michal Pollan's "food rules". We buy all of our meat, eggs, and dairy from local sustainable sources, or raise our own. (We have 15 hens, and are getting 2-3 cows this spring) We grow, pick, and can about 75-80% of all the vegetables we eat. Our dog doesn't even eat kibble! I guess I see us as having similar views on animals and food, but going about it in a different way. What do you see is the ideological difference?
I also try my best to stay away from chemical laden foods. Which I guess is what I'm most curious about. As omnivores our bodies have innate needs for certain vitamins, minerals, etc. that come most easily from animal products. How do you fill your nutritional needs (and wants) with out the use of "faux" foods? I've never really done much label reading of vegan foods, but I would think taking, for example, butter...a product which is mostly dairy, and taking all the natural dairy out would leave you with mostly synthetic substances.
I hope I'm not sounding critical... because I think vegans are awesome!! I wish I could get my family to swing at least a little that way!! I just really love food, and I love to learn new things about it. It is also really nice to know someone else who really thinks about where their food comes from, and what the repercussions of their choices are. I hate talking to people about raising our own animals and hearing, "Oh I could never kill an animal, " or, "that's gross!" While they choke down a cheeseburger. :) Anyway... You're the only vegan I know, and I've always been very curious about it so I thought I'd chat you up a bit!

My response:

Mali - you don't sound critical at all, and I'm glad you asked! A great resource for scientific facts (with years of research to back it) is Alicia Silverstone's book: The Kind Diet, which I can't praise enough. She's a fountain of knowledge. As for my personal reasons, I'm kind of a health nut and don't prioritize exercising, so since I have a desk job, I knew I needed to do something to stay fit now that my metabolism has gone down down down. I suffered from too-often stomach issues when I ate dairy or meat, and I lacked the discipline to make healthy choices when I was starving at lunchtime. I also had really annoying adult acne that I was OVER, so I looked for solutions. I am an all natural person, I don't take meds, have never loved soda, and have never really enjoyed super-processed food. When I first read the first few pages of Alicia's book, I was hooked! I had been a pescetarian {vegetarian, still ate seafood} for about a year and a half before I decided to try vegan, and the positive results were instantaneous. It's crazy, really. I don't have acne anymore, and I have TOO MUCH energy. I've slimmed down significantly {= more shopping...yay!} and I just feel amazing. Again, I don't exercise other than taking my dogs for walks + housework, so I slimmed down and flushed all my body's toxins just by eating natural plant-based foods. I've found {most} vegan products to be even more delicious than the non-vegan, i.e. Earth Balance vegan butter--outstanding, and made with soy and sugar beets. I don't eat synthetic foods, just natural. I love animals, and I'm anti-cruelty, but my reasons are more health-conscious. The hormones and high-toxin levels in animals that max right before they are slaughtered are present in the food that is produced, which then get absorbed in the human body. That's really gross to think about. Other than the cholesterol factor, I am not opposed to eating farm fresh eggs on occasion, if I know the source, like my boss whose dad has free-range chickens that have a better life than he does! :) If you incorporate non-animal products in your family's foods, they a) won't know the difference, and b) will love it. I'd start with swapping out your butter w/ Earth Balance, then work your way up to Daiya cheeses. They'll know the difference in the taste of the cheese, but it tastes really yummy, I promise. It tastes a million times better than any fat-free cheese you've ever tried for sure. That's awesome you grow your own veggies! We do too. Well, Gabe does, since I have a black thumb, but I cook/can what he grows! ;) If the veggies come from your garden, I'd recommend not washing them, and just eating them with a little soil remaining, so you get the vitamin B12 our bodies need. Strict vegans need to take a supplement for this, as it's only found in animal parts and soil.

Oh, and I LOVE food too! I love it more than anything. I don't eat food that doesn't taste good--ever! Period.

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I hope that helped, and everyone, please feel free to respond!  I may not have all the answers, but I am learning too, so I can surely get them.  Thank you!

new fave drink + a major compliment!

Today I stumbled upon an article about secret fast-food menu items that I find interesting {and partly disturbing}, and decided to share it with you. 

The reporter only shares a handful of the following six big-name food stops' secret offerings:

• In-N-Out Burger
• McDonald's
• Taco Bell
• Jamba Juice
• Dairy Queen
• Starbucks

I'll warn you now that if you are reading my blog, I am assuming you are a healthy eater and possibly even vegan, you will not be excited to learn many of these secret menu items.  I am also assuming you will, like me, find McDonald's Land, Sea, and Air Burger completely revolting.  It's called that because, you guessed it, it contains three kinds of animals--one beef patty, one McChicken patty, and one Filet-O-Fish--all sandwiched between a single bun.  :::All together now::: gross!

And if we weren't already inundated with options at the Starbucks counter, the reporter shares twelve secret drinks, one less healthy than the next.  I'm the chick who simply orders a regular drip coffee, which I can order and receive in the time it takes the person next to me in line to finish spouting off their order.  Venti 190° extra shot double pump sweetened...blah blah blah ?! 

However, I recently overheard a customer order an Earl Grey latte, which is not on the menu, and I was intrigued.  So, the next time I found myself in a Starbucks {not that often believe it or not} I ordered an Earl Grey latte with soymilk, unsweetened.  Lemme tell ya, it was so yummy!  The barista told me to next time try the same drink, but with vanilla rooibos tea rather than Earl Grey.  I did, and I loved it even more. 

I recommend trying the vanilla rooibos tea latte with soymilk the next time you are at Starbucks, then tell me what you think.  It might be my new favorite 'anytime' drink!  I love that rooibos is caffeine-free, and according to wikipedia, full of other healthful properties like antioxidants and allergy- and even acne-fighters...

...Which brings me to the major compliment I received!  Last weekend at a friend's annual holiday party, a girl I went to high school with and whom I don't see but maybe twice a year, told me my skin looked exceptionally great!  She surveyed my face somewhat closely and complimented on its clarity.  That made my millennium, you don't even know.  You see, before adopting a vegan diet, my skin decided to be that of my fifteen-year-old-self, and we all know how unattractive adult acne is.  The problem wasn't with my beauty regime, but rather with my diet.  I know this because, after about three months of eating vegan, my skin really is clear, tight, glowing, and well, beautiful!  I was told that my skin would improve after a while, but seeing is believing.  I'm a believer. 

I'm also proud to report that I have never, not once in my twenty-six years, tried a McDonald's Big Mac.  This is a fact that I can confidently proclaim and take to the grave. 

Happy hump day, friends!  Go get yourselves a tea latte w/ soymilk.  ;)