Thursday, November 5, 2009
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:
(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 some of the pasta casserole for lunch. I stayed at my friend'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 (Update: didn't like!), 3 kinds of canned beans (they were on sale), a huge artichoke, a portobello mushroom (more about those later), and some Gardein "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. I probably won't buy it again, because I like my own dressings, but, if you are from Canada and you buy dressing, I'd recommend it.
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. (And there was plenty left for another meal.)
For "dessert" I had a simple salad with some of my new dressing:
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.
It is actually quite delicious! It would make a good marinade, I think. I probably won't buy it again, because I like my own dressings, but, if you are from Canada and you buy dressing, I'd recommend it.
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. (And there was plenty left for another meal.)
For "dessert" I had a simple salad with some of my new dressing:
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.
(This picture shows the sandwiches made with DH homemade bread, and you can see the nice creamy, cheddary filling!)
I accompanied my sandwich with a grilled portobello mushroom salad with a balsamic/mustard dressing:
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!
I accompanied my sandwich with a grilled portobello mushroom salad with a balsamic/mustard dressing:
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!
I'd love to hear about some of your solitary meals!
Cheers!
Cheers!
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11 comments:
I'm rarely ever alone, but when I'm just making something for myself I do a "meal-in-a-bowl"--usually some sauteed greens and beans, nothing fancy, and it can't take more than 10 or 15 minutes!
Artichokes are my absolute favorite food in the world--your photo of yours is making me drool!
I like to make a big pot of veggie soup when I am alone, or simple one-pot meals--lots of veggies and beans!
Courtney
Bryanna ... your 'solo' meals are wonderfully diverse and creative and tasty!! (That salad dressing you bought looks divine!!)
Most of my meals are solo actually, as hubby prefers to eat mostly raw. Plus, my work shifts go till 8pm at night, so those days I'm never home till after 8:30 or so.
But this week I've had breast of tofu with rice, barbecued tofu, white pizza (talked raw food hubby into a gluten free pizza of this!!) and pasta with pesto sauce.
I'm hardly ever alone, but when I am it's very simple: fruits, bagels, leftovers, chips and salsa. Your food looks delicious.
Pasta is my typical solo meal. It's usually whatever kind I have (always whole wheat) with olive oil, minced garlic, a dash of dried basil and red pepper flakes. If I have cherry tomatoes, I will quickly sautee them in olive oil and serve them on top.
When I'm alone and lazy, I make miso soup with noodles, leftover veggies or frozen ones. If I want to be more elaborate, I make a huge platter of nachos, vegan nacho cheese, guacamole, fresh salsa and refried beans, mmm. I love the idea of eating soup in the morning. You inspired me Bryanna!
My job takes me away from home during the week so I now (for the first time in life) eat alone during the week and then prepare to eat on weekends with hubby. I often cook in quantity on weekends so that I can have leftovers during the week. I like chik'n breasts made from gluten and tofu then rolled in Bryanna's seasoned coating mix .... mmmm. I chop these and put in salads and use a variety of colorful veggies and fruit on my salads. Lately I finish this meal with a variety of Dreena Burton's cookies and soy late's or tea.
Bryanna,
I like the noodle soup when I am solo. Yeah, that's my kind of meal. I also like pan fried potstickers. Store bough from Trader Joe's, Thai vegetable potstickers. I also like all kinds of scramble tofu. I am not sandwich person. I love salads and soups, too.
My kitchen is being remodeled now so we are eating simple meals.
Thanks for sharing!
Debbie
I'm having a rare night on my own tonight - and enjoyed a meal of one of my favourite dishes, sautéed kale ('tis the season!) with chickpeas and wholewheat fusili, splashed with veggie 'oyster' sauce. And a glass of red wine - YUM!
I know this blog post is old, but I found your blog when I Googled the blackberry cab sauv vinaigrette. I just bought it last night. Do you really like it? My problem is that I prefer making my own dressings, and when I buy a bottled vinaigrette I use it a couple times, then the novelty wears off and it sits in my fridge waiting for my bi-monthly purge. Did you finish the bottle? What were your fave salad combos to eat it with? Thanks, and love the blog!
I agree totally, Gwen! I thought it was good for a "bought' dressing, but I've never bought it again. I like my own and they are so much cheaper!
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