broccoli slaw

What a lovely Monday evening. I got in a great workout, made an amazing dinner, prepared my lunch for tomorrow, and sat down on my bed and looked through the entire Ikea catalog page by page. Colorado's first Ikea store opens in 2 days, and let me tell you, there is some mad Ikea fever around here. I hear there are already people camping out in front of the store! I'm not that crazed, but I am excited to pick out some cute new items for my place.

Before fully diving into the Ikea catalog, however, I made myself a giant bowl of broccoli slaw. I have an abundance of broccoli in my house right now, and even though I love steamed broccoli, I thought I'd mix it up with something light, chilled and summery. I modeled my recipe after this one I found on Apartment Therapy, but I adjusted it according to what I found in my kitchen.

Stuff you need: 1. 1 head broccoli 2. 1/2 small onion 3. 1 carrot 4. 1/4 cup raisins 5. 1/4 cup sliced almonds 6. a heaping 1/4 cup Vegenaise 6. 2 tablespoons lemon juice 7. 1/2 tablespoon stone ground mustard 8. a pinch of salt

Start by chopping/shredding your broccoli, carrot and onion. If you are lucky enough to own a food processor, you should totally use it. If you are poor like me, roll up your sleeves and get to cutting! When your veggies are ready, place them into a large bowl, and add the raisins and almonds.

In another bowl, combine the Vegenaise, lemon juice, mustard, and salt. Vigorously stir the concoction together and then adjust the flavor accordingly. The original recipe uses vinegar, which would have been a nice addition, but I didn't have any in my cabinets, so I just used more lemon juice. Combine the liquid mixture to the shredded vegetables and toss well. The flavors will blend better if you let it sit in the fridge a while, but let's be honest, this slaw is ridiculously delicious, and there's no way in hell it could possibly stay out of my belly for more than 5 minutes.

Isn't it beautiful? The colors are so nice with the orange carrot, purple raisins, and green broccoli, but let me tell you, it is even more tasty than it is attractive. It may have turned out a little overly-lemony, but for a hot, summer night, the bold, citrus taste was perfect. The chopped vegetables and crunchy almonds also give this dish a really great texture, that would be nice in a variety of recipes. Tonight I threw it in a black bean and corn burrito, and I'll definitely take the slaw for lunch the next few days. In fact, I might even make a second batch with my other head of broccoli and eat it all week! Yes. It's that good. Ikea may be premiering in Colorado, but this broccoli slaw is pretty exciting too :)

tempeh tuna wrap

June? Already? Yikes! With summer kicking into full gear, plans are being made, and time is starting to fly by. Since I last posted, I think I've made maybe 2 or 3 healthy meals at home. Bad Erin. Since I had the Memorial Day holiday off, I finally got the chance to kick back, relax, craft a little, and cook. I've been meaning to try this recipe for quite awhile now, but of course, just couldn't find the time- until today!

The recipe is mock tuna salad, which happens to be printed on the back of the Home-style Organic Five Grain Tempeh from Tofurky. I followed the recipe pretty much to the letter, except I replaced mayo with vegenaise♥, and Old Bay seasoning with Paula Dean's house blend, because of course I had Paula Dean in the cupboard, but no Old Bay. Also, at the very end, I added pickle relish, because what's tuna with no relish?

While the tempeh was simmering and I was mixing sauces, I must say I was seriously skeptical. Soy sauce in tuna? Hell no. The tempeh boiled, I stirred everything together, spread it out onto a whole wheat tortilla, and guess what. It was surprisingly delicious!

The texture is much thicker and chunkier than normal tuna, which isn't a problem, and the flavors are actually pretty dead on considering that there's absolutely no fish in there. I also like the fact that the recipe makes a ton of food, and is very filling. I made a hearty, over-stuffed wrap, and still had a bowl full of tuna for leftovers. This was one recipe I anticipated hating, but ended up really enjoying. Once again, impressed with tempeh! :)

b.l.t. & vegenaise

It's always such a nice treat to go home to my parents' house for a few nights. I get to see the folks, play with the pets, sleep in my old bed, and eat tons of delicious meals from a phenomenally stocked pantry. Mom is a huge Vitamin Cottage shopper, so she always has something new and tasty for me to try out when I come home. For lunch today, Mom whipped out a package of tempeh bacon, and we made some vegan BLTs. Normally, I don't like meatless bacon, but apparently I just haven't tried the right brand, cause this stuff is seriously delicious!

Stuff you need: 1. Bread 2. Vegenaise 3. Tempeh Bacon 4. Lettuce 5. Tomato

Start by heating up a little olive oil in a skillet. When the pan is warm, throw in your tempeh bacon- we found that 2 strips was perfect for each sandwich. While the fakin' bacon is browning, pop your bread into the toaster, and slice up your tomato and lettuce.

When the tempeh strips are slightly browned and warmed through, pull them off the heat and assemble your sandwiches! Take a piece of toast, slather it with Vegenaise, and top it with your bacon, lettuce, and tomato. Boom. Lunch is served.

Okay, it's not rocket science, but honestly, this sandwich blew me away. The bacon's texture is thick with just the right amount of bite, and the taste is like smoked hickory maple goodness. Add a dollop of Vegenaise and some fresh vegetables? That is a damn good sandwich. If you haven't tried tempeh bacon yet, I highly recommend it.

And speaking of amazing products, I can't believe I haven't mentioned Vegenaise before, cause I absolutely love it! It's perfect on sandwiches, in cole slaw, for egg salad, and just about any recipe that calls for mayo. I was never a huge mayo fan in the first place, but Vegenaise is lower in saturated fat than the regular stuff, I love the flavor, and no animals were harmed in the making of it. Sounds like a pretty good combo to me :)

So with my adoration for Vegenaise, and my newfound obsession with tempeh bacon, a BLT was the perfect lunch today. Thanks Mom and Pop! ♥