WHAT I'VE BEEN EATING WHILE I'M ON MY OWN-- WHAT ABOUT YOU?

DH is away for a week and I didn't really plan any meals. The other day I was wondering what to blog about next and it occurred to me that it would be interesting to hear what some of you eat when you're all on your lonesome, so I'm going first. DH left Sunday morning. I ate leftover potato kibbeh for breakfast (well it's made from bulgur wheat and potatoes-- those are good for breakfast, aren't they?):



We had a pan-full in the freezer leftover from the benefit dance show I organized 2 weekends ago, and I just love it. I actually had it for breakfast 3 days running. The last time I paired it with Ajvar, the Bulgarian red pepper and eggplant spread-- delicious!

For Sunday dinner, I had more leftovers-- DH's delicious spaghetti sauce (recipe below):


(Sorry about the fuzzy picture!)

On Monday I made a large pot of my Japanese Noodle Soup with grilled tofu and vegetables and had a bowl of that for lunch:



That night, I used the rest of DH's spaghetti sauce, mixed with a little wine and half a package of Yves Veggie "Ground Round", and made a casserole with wholewheat penne, topped with my Okara Parmesan and some vegan "mozza". Baked it for 20 minutes or so-- wonderful!



With that, I braised some kale from our garden with a little olive oil, salt and garlic:


Tuesday, I went to work at the library and took some of the noodle soup and what was left of the pasta casserole for lunch. I stayed at my fiend's Jenny's house in Courtenay that night-- we get together every 2 weeks to catch up and dance together. (Jenny's a bellydance teacher, and we used to dance in a troupe together.) Jenny's not a vegetarian, but she has a gorgeous garden and served us baked squash, steamed kale (really, nice tender kale!), a simple pasta, and garlic bread. Yum!

My mother had her 92nd birthday on Tuesday (no, that's not a typo-- 92!), so Jenny and I took her out to lunch on Wednesday after I went shopping. I had a very nice roasted corn and black bean fajita with sweet potato fries.

When I went shopping, I splurged a little on some ready-made items that I don't usually buy-- some canned Lebanese hummous and baba ganoush, 3 kinds of canned beans (they were on sale!), a huge artichoke, and a portobello mushroom (more about those later), and some Gardein "It's all Good" "Tuscans Breasts"-- a vegan chicken substitute made in Vancouver and being promoted by vegan chef Tal Ronen:

I also bought bottled some salad dressing. I almost never buy salad dressing, but this sounded good, and it contained olive oil, not cheap soybean oil. It's made by Sobey's, a Canadian supermarket chain-- their Compliments Sensations line of dressing. I chose the Blackberry with Cabernet Sauvignon:



It is actually quite delicious! It would make a good marinade, I think.

By the time I got home, fed the cats, got wood out of the woodshed, made a fire, and put all the groceries, books and my overnight things away, I was starving, even though I'd had a substantial lunch. I had my big artichoke, just simmered in lemon-juice-laced water until tender, for a starter. For a dipping sauce, I mixed some of my Tofu Mayonnaise with a spoonful of melted Earth Balance and some dried dill:



Oh, that was good! Artichokes are expensive, so I don't eat them often, but it reminds me of when I was a kid in central California and in May, artichoke season, we would often just eat artichokes for dinner and there would be a huge bowl of the leave sin the middle of the table afterwards!

I microwaved some brown basmati rice that I had steamed and frozen, and the Gardein vegan "chicken breasts" I had purchased:



It was pretty good-- the sauce could have been a bit perkier and I think thinner pieces of the "chicken" would have been better. But I enjoyed it, all the same.

For "dessert" I had a simple salad with some of my new dressing:



I splurged on some popcorn and homemade cocoa with soymilk while I watched TV that night-- ate too much that day, but it wasn't junk, anyway!

This morning I had more of the Japanese Noodle Soup for breakfast (I like soup for breakfast!) and had a simple lunch of grilled "cheese" sandwich, using my "Cheddary Spread" for the filling, on Silver Hills sprouted wheat bread:

(This picture shows the sandwiches made with DH homemade bread, but you can see the nice creamy, cheddary filling!)

I accompanied my sandwich with a grilled portobello mushroom salad with a balsamic/mustard dressing (recipe below):



For a snack just a little while ago, I had a lovely soy mocha latte (homemade):



For dinner tonight? I have some taco shells left, and half a package of Yves Veggie "Ground Round", and some of my homemade taco paste in the fridge-- so, tacos, I'd say!

Here are a couple of the recipes I mentioned:

Printable Recipe

RAGÙ ALLA BRIAN (BRIAN'S LONG-COOKING MUSHROOM TOMATO SAUCE)
Servings: 8
Yield: 2 qts.

This ragù is DH Brian's standard spaghetti sauce, and it is one of the most delicious I have ever tasted, despite the fact that he uses no wine (this makes it less expensive, by the way). He often freezes tomatoes in bags in late summer and early fall to use in his sauce. When they are partially thawed, the skins peel off easily and the tomatoes can be chopped with a sharp knife.

For a classic "meat" sauce, add 12-16 oz. of your favorite commercial hamburger replacement "crumbles" or ground seitan, along with mushrooms, and you can also add a little dry red wine if you like. From my book "Nonna's Italian Kitchen".

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, minced
1 large red or green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 whole head or bulb garlic, peeled and crushed
4 lbs ripe plum tomatoes (peel if you like), chopped
OR 2/ 28 oz. cans Italian plum tomatoes, with juice, crushed between your fingers
1 5 1/2 oz. can good-quality tomato paste
1 3/4 cups (approx.) water
1 large bay leaf
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon EACH dried oregano, thyme and basil
1 small dried red hot pepper
2 cups sliced mushrooms, button, crimini, or any other kind

In a large heavy pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, and pepper and saute for several minutes, until the onion starts to soften (don't brown the garlic). Add all of the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the mushrooms. Bring to a boil, then turn down, cover and simmer for 4-6 hours, stirring every half hour or so. During the last half hour, remove the lid, add the mushrooms, and simmer uncovered until serving time. Serve over any type of hot pasta, polenta, or even gnocchi.

NOTE: To cook in a slow-cooker, omit the water and saute the mushrooms along with the onions, etc.. Place these in a large slow cooker and add the rest of the ingredients. If you are adding hamburger replacement, add it along with the tomatoes. Cook on HIGH for 1 hour, then on LOW for 10-12 hours.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 122.6 calories; 40% calories from fat; 5.7g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 880.1mg sodium; 866.1mg potassium; 17.1g carbohydrates; 4.5g fiber; 9.5g sugar; 12.7g net carbs; 4.0g protein; 2.1 points.

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Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S GRILLED PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM SALAD
Servings: 2-4

I'm giving you the nutritional analysis for 4 servings, but we two just loved it so much that we ate the whole thing! This is a variation on a recipe from my Vegan Feast newsletter.

8 cups already cleaned mixed baby salad greens (or any lettuce mixture you like)
DRESSING:
3 Tbs chickpea cooking broth or other veggie broth

Or Fat-Free Oil Substitute for Salad Dressings
1 Tbs Asian (roasted) sesame oil
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS:
2 large portobello mushrooms
4 green onions, sliced

Divide the greens between serving plates.

Whisk together the Dressing ingredients in a small bowl.

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and, with the edge of a spoon (a grapefruit spoon works great for this), scrape away the dark gills from the underside of the mushrooms—discard the scrapings.

Spray a nonstick skillet with oil from a pump sprayer. Heat the pan over high heat. When hot, add the mushrooms. Cover and cook over medium-high heat until browned a bit on the bottom and beginning to exude a bit of liquid. Add a tiny bit of wine or broth if necessary to keep from sticking. Turn the mushrooms over and brown the other side.

Quickly slice the hot mushrooms and place the slices evenly over the greens. Drizzle with the dressing and serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 120.8 calories; 30% calories from fat; 4.3g total fat; 0.1mg cholesterol; 354.8mg sodium; 1375.0mg potassium; 17.5g carbohydrates; 5.8g fiber; 4.7g sugar; 11.7g net carbs; 7.6g protein; 2.0 points.

I'd love to hear about some of your solitary meals!

Cheers!