To blog or to Vlog?

Want of the moment

This might turn into a midnight impulse buy..
Found this on modcloth

Isnt this the cutest thing ever!! awweee!!

and look!

there is a tree growing out of  his head!

Anyway... that's it.

Tofu and Broccoli

Me: Munch munch munch

idiot: whats that?

Me: Tofu

Idiot: Ewwwwwwww!!!!

Me: Have you tried it?

Idiot: ......No..what is it?

Me: Soy

Idiot: Ewwwww!!!!

Me: Have you tried it?

Idiot: .......no

Okay maybe calling the person a idiot is a bit harsh, but you have to admit..... talking to a person who insists that something they have never tried is nasty ,is the most annoying convo someone like me can have.

Anyway, now that that is off my chest lets talk about tofu.....again

It doesn't look as scary close up does it?

Tofu is processed similar to cheese. You take soymilk and  curdle it with  Lemon,Vinegar or anything acidic that would play like a coagulant

Now, what you should do is drain he liquid out the package, place it on a plate and  put a piece of cheesecloth and a plate with a weight on it to drain out  as much moisture as you can......I didn't do that.. just imagine i did...

Cut into squares. any size you like. make sure they are equal so they cut evenly.   

**REMEMBER TO CHARGE CAMERA**

I fried these in olive oil but when i make them again i am going to try peanut oil.

so easy right? it took me all of 10 minutes to make a quick dinner. i was way too tired today to put any extra work in  dinner.  I have a longgggg night in the lab

CSA - Community Supported Agruculture

So, I never heard of this concept until a friend at work told me about it. It sounded like a interesting ( and cost effective) idea. A CSA is a really great way to support local farms and eat healthier, actually it kinda forces you to eat healthier because every week, you get a huge bag of  fresh fruits, veggies, herbs  or whatever the  farm reaps for that week.
You will find yourself learning to  cook new recipes with veggies that you usually would pass over at  the  grocery store. so I did a little research and found a couple of farms in Cleveland  that  I could join and settled with a farm called City Fresh..
Needless to say, im super excited!! the thought of  local seasonal cooking  scares me a little, will I ever eat a pineapple again!?!?  well, not to fear, this particular farm im joining is only  16 dollars a week.. I budget about 50 a week so, I still have room to  purchase my faves! (whew)
We will see how this goes.. Its currently the  end of  April, and its been raining  just about every other day so  the farms will be  starting  in June. I will keep everyone posted!!!!
~ThickVegetarian~

"pigs" in a "blanket"

This picture took every creative fiber in me to get just right...

Sometimes I create a really delish dinner and its soooo gooodd that I  eat every last bite....then, Later that evening, i realize that second plate of goodness was  actually suppose to be my lunch for the next day. On nights like this i  immediately whip up my super easy go to lunch. Pigs n a blanket. 

This isn't something I  recommend eating more than  once or twice a month, its definitely labeled as a junk food in my book, but hey sometimes  we all need a little indulgence. ok here we go..

Crescent rolls are fairly easy to find. i am sure you can make your own dough for this recipe but it would defeat the purpose of this being a quick and easy option for lunch ( when you have accidently overstuffed yourself on dinner the night before)

Veggie hot dogs are  pretty easy to find too. Except on my side of town where this particular Giant Eagle has decided to stop carrying it and not notify me...sigh.. i was so disappointed.

I put these in  the oven based of the baking instructions for the crescent rolls. The hot dogs dont really need to be cooked, just warmed up

And there you  have it. it takes at most 20 minutes to  throw together. I usually pack it with a little container of  BBQ sauce or ketchup..

*The Thick Vegetarian*

*Singing* Hawwtt Pockets!!

Ive always been scared to cook tofu. To me, cooking tofu was like wearing a skin tight dress, it  exposed all your flaws. Tofu takes on the flavor of whatever you put  on it. so, if you mess up and add too much...something.. you will be able to taste it, and thats tough for me  considering i never measure. i  go only by look and taste.

...add a little, taste a little ...add a little more....dinner!

Plus, I couldn't really wrap my head around the texture until i discovered extra firm tofu. There is  a  really shady Asian restaurant  in a really sketchy part of town that makes the BEST tofu and brokocci!!  i mean.. you have to down a hill and under the traintracks to get there, you might have  to make sure nothing is visible in your car before you  leave it.. but its sooo worth it!

Anyway, i dont know what sparked my cursorily about tofu. Maybe it was that  good looking breakfast buritto that the sexy vegan  made one day ( he is sexy too...OW!) I officially  have 3 tofu recipies i like  under my belt.

Lets get started... This recipe is great for busy professionals that  need something quick in the  mornings to  grab and go!

Start off by making the dough...its really easy ( and the only time i've ever measured in the kitchen)

1 tablespoon yeast

 1 teaspoon sugar ( to give the yeast something to munch on)

 1 cup lukewarm water. 

let it sit for about 10 minutes. it will get really bubbly on top...meanwhile

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon olive oil

2 1/2 cup Flour

in a large bowl.. when the  10 minutes is up mix these all together and get to kneading!!! let that frustration out!!

******UPDATE: I added  about a tablespoon of Rosemary and man oh man!!! whhhaaattt????******

You are going to let this sit for for a hour ( yes, i know) I usually don't do recipes that  take longer than 30 min but trust me.. this will save you  time in the AM when you  are rushing to work!

Meanwhile....

The great thing about this recipe is that you  can put anything you want in  here.  Next time i make this  I want to add spinach and try out some vegan cheese! 

So saute your onion and  red pepper and follow me to the next step.

Most people will prep their tofu by draining, pressing it or freezing it.. i'm a simple gal. I just  slice the package open, drain the water out and crumble it up in  the pan.

*******PLEASE NOTE!!! I forgot to buy nutritional yeast for this recipe.. but it is a good  addition! you can also add any kind of cheese if you like.***********

So cook the tofu just like you would scrambled eggs. add whatever seasoning you like! 

look at that... just look at it...

I seperated the  dough out into 8 little balls and rolled them out into a PERFECT CIRCLE.. make sure its PERFECT ok?? let me show you....

you see that? perfection...

So  you add your mixture on  one half of the  dough and  fold it over

cut the edges,

and with a fork, seal the edges

put in the oven at 400 deg and bake about 45 min... and look!

hawwtt pockets!!!!

so what i usually do  is put these in the fridge and during my morning rush, grab one of these bad boys and  pop it in the microwave for 2 min when i get to work.

Hope you enjoy!!

Keep it real, Keep it thick

~Thickvegetarian

.

#RAWWEDNESDAY - it looked so much better in my head

Soooooo, Ive been trying to  incorporate more raw veggies into my diet....which would be easy if i was content with eating salads all the time, but  i'm never content....especially when it comes to food. I want to try something different everyday ( which wrecks havoc on my budget) *shrugs* ill just have to make more money...

anyway...

 There is such a thing called Meatless Monday, where families pledge to eat one meatless meal a week in hoped to improve their health. I think its a great idea but, where does that leave me..a vegetarian... everyday is  meatless Monday for me.. so what can i do  to improve the way i eat?  RAW WEDNESDAY!! Once a week i am going to pledge to (try reallly realllyyyy hard) to eat raw all day. I tried this  a couple of months ago and  failedddd miserably.. Breakfast and lunch were good.. but dinner...............ill talk  about it one day.

OK  well today was almost the same.. but im optimistic.. im still learning how to ...not cook ( lol)

Kale, Strawberries, Mango, Agave

Breakfast was my usual.. a supper yummy green smoothie.. I can  throw everything in the blender, put it in a cup and hit the road in the morning. And it keeps me full from after my workout until lunch...

YUMYUM!!

It was a busy day at work today.. I worked up a hunger and snacked on  mixed nuts.. I couldn't take a picture because.. i was at work..

its easy to make your own dressing..

For lunch i had a simple salad.... Bagged salad with fresh tomatoes and  a lemon vinagrette i whipped together...

This seasoning is called "savory" haven't a clue whats in it..but it tastes great!

Vinegar, Oil, Seasoning, Lemon, salt , pepper

You can either put this in  a  jar and shake it, or  whisk it very well

*drool* look at this.. will someone come look at this?

So lunch was great.. Im looking forward to dinner..... SO EXCITED!!

RAW Zucchini pasta!!  I am def going to  have to  practice this recipe a few more times until its perfect.

You  can peel this if you want. the  peel is edible  and nutritional!

This the blade attachment on my food processor i used. I would of rather  had a  sprializer, but i'm not into equipment too much  ( exactly why i cant be raw everyday) this doesn't make the loge noodle  shapes like  i like them( i like pretty food)  but this will do.

and this is how it came out.. looked like cole slaw... i didn't want cole slaw.. i wanted spaghetti....*shrugs*

Tomato, seasoning, olive oil

Overall i was trying to make a pasta primavera type of thing. there was a youtube video that inspired me to do it.. man she made it look soooo goood!!!  next time ill do better.

Ok guys.. its late and im sleepy.. i have a very long day ahead..