Thursday's Thinking of Food: Adventures in Semi-Veganism

So, I'm a few weeks into vegetarianism and part-time veganism, and I'm not missing meat at all.  Even my beloved tacos, (which James and I typically make at least once week), have been delicious; I've used roasted cauliflower & chick peas as the filling instead of ground beef or chicken.

I am really giving Mark Bittman's Vegan Before 6 school of thought a go, and during the week it doesn't  prove to be too difficult for me.  I've been preparing dishes on Sunday afternoon that can carry me through the week for lunch and quick dinners.  Dishes like Thug Kitchen's tortilla soup, vegan "mac & cheese" from The Plantiful Table, and veggie samosas.

My new go-to dip, snack, between-meal nosh is this dip I found on the pages of the January 2016 Shape magazine, vegan "Nacho Cheese:"

The first time I made it I was skeptical. The ingredients do not sound like a swoon-worthy culinary combination, but I must say, I am smitten.  It does not really taste like nacho cheese, but it is delicious!

And James and I have eaten this dish more times than I care to admit the past 2 weeks: sticky garlic noodles.

image via here

I seriously could eat this every day.  I've been using vegan butter and brown rice Japanese noodles, but you could also use zuchinni noodles or gluten-free noodles.  I've also been throwing in extra veggies, like carrots and broccoli.  Oh, and I always throw in a handful of raw cashews! You could also substitute the brown sugar for honey or some other sweetener.  These noodles are addictive.

So, I want to hear--do you have any vegetarian or vegan recipes?

Interested in learning more about the benefits of a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle?  My dedication to this new diet was solidified last night as I watched Forks Over Knives, a documentary of the idea that rejecting animal-based foods can actually prevent or reverse certain degenerative diseases such as heart disease.  The evidence in the film is pretty overwhelming. I highly recommend it if you're contemplating a veggie or vegan lifestyle, or have a serious health concern that could be treated with nutrition.

Share

Thursday's Thinking of Food: New US Dietary Guidelines

image via here

The Obama administration has released an update to the US Dietary Guidelines.  These guidelines are reviewed and revised every 5 years, and this year the biggest change concerns sugar.

Here's NPR's take on the changes.

I am happy to see some positive changes, as we obviously have some very real health crises going on in the US and many can be attributed to our over-consumption of sugar, namely in processed foods.

What do you think of the changes--did they go too far or not far enough?  I personally wish they had called for more explicit changes in our meat consumption, but I guess the meat lobby was too strong for that this go-round.

Share

Eat More Plants

So, that's pretty much my New Year's  resolution in a nutshell.  I've decided to give up making huge, sweeping dietary changes that are not sustainable past about January 9th.  I've decided not to "diet" anymore, just to eat better.  According to Michael Pollan's "eating manifesto," In Defense of Food, the seven words we should follow as rules for eating are "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."  In other words, eat clean (not processed), and less meat & dairy.

In anticipation of this goal, I bought myself a new cookbook for Christmas, The Plantiful Table by Andrea Duclos.  It is by far my favorite cookbook to date.  And it's vegan.

image via here

What? Vegan!? Anyone who knows me is probably laughing out loud right now, knowing that I would never give up cheese.  And they may be right. But I'm working on eating less dairy, and for me that means less cheese. I've already made a few recipes involving nutritional yeast (which has a cheesy sort of taste), and I'm a fan. I will probably never totally give up Parmesan cheese, because it is basically my favorite food in the world, but I'm OK with that.

James' first attempt at homemade ravioli!

The very first recipe James and I created from the new cookbook was artichoke, cashew, & garlic ravioli.  And we made the pasta with James' new KitchenAid pasta maker attachment! I won't lie, I was pretty intimidated to make pasta at first, but it's really simple. And fun. Just a little time-consuming.

And here's the second attempt, a few days later:

Same recipe, 3 days later. It's that good.

Nearly everyone who tried this ravioli was enamored. We served it with a bit of pesto on top, but honestly, the filling is so good you could eat it alone.

The other cookbook I've been relying on for recipes this week is The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, which James gifted me last Christmas.

menu planning

More recipe adventures to come while I work on eating more plants!  What are your New Year's resolutions? Do you have any awesome vegetarian or vegan recipes I should try--I'd love to hear!?

XO,
B

Share

Chef & the Farmer and Our Anniversary Trip to Kinston, NC

(via here)

Have you heard of A Chef's Life?  I wrote about it in a post about my favorite "foodie shows" here.  It's one of the shows that I make a point to watch each week.  Chef Vivian Howard and her husband, Ben, have a restaurant called Chef and the Farmer in small-town Kinston, NC.  The show is about their adventures with the restaurant and in life.

The couple is incredibly endearing and very real--and the cooking is fun to watch and farm-to-table, as you may have guessed from the name.  Ever since the first season of the show, (they just finished season 3), I have wanted to visit Kinston, NC to eat at Chef and the Farmer.  That wish became reality in November, as a mini-getaway for James and my 7th wedding anniversary.

the ceiling at The O'Neil

We drove up on a Saturday morning and stayed the night in a beautiful, newly-renovated boutique hotel called The O'Neil.  I highly recommend this place--not only is it beautiful and affordable, but it's right next to all the fun spots in Kinston.  The hotel was once a bank, and the decor is made up of mid-century vintage items--carefully curated to provide a cozy and kind of down-to-earth-swanky feel to the place.  Check-in and out is extremely easy and our bed was amazing.

To kick-off the afternoon we visited Mother Earth Brewing to sample some local brews. They happened to be having a release party that day for their Silent Night seasonal beer, so there was a great big ole party going on--and everyone was invited! Great beer and a really cool place with indoor and outdoor seating, as well as a corn hole game and tours of the brewery every hour.

Next stop was The Boiler Room for more drinks and appetizers before our reservation at Chef and the Farmer.  The Boiler Room is a new restaurant also owned and operated by Vivian and Ben--it's a more casual place, but equally delicious and fun.  James' favorite thing was the Pork and Beam: bacon-infused bourbon served with a piece of candied bacon.

 I loved the broccoli and cheese with crispy fried onions on top. (The best way to eat a vegetable.)

And finally it was time for us to head to Chef and the Farmer. I have to admit, I was a little star-struck and loved being able to look around the restaurant and see staff that I have watched on TV all these years!  Ben was working the front of the house, and we noticed pretty quickly that Chef Vivian was not working in the restaurant that evening. (Not that I was going to be an annoying super-fan or anything, promise!)

We started with flash-fried collards with sea salt: addictive. And fingerling sweet potato skins loaded with deliciousness.

Jedd's lettuce salad

Next I had a Jedd's lettuce salad and a savory beef hand pie. 

James had dayboat flounder with a mustard and brown butter vinaigrette.  His was our favorite of these dishes, but they were all delicious.

For dessert we ordered the bread of the day and a slice of chocolate beet cake.  The homemade bread, shaved meat accompaniment, and garlicky whipped butter was hands-down my favorite part of the meal.

To top this amazing day and drinks and food, ever-so-randomly, a friend from Columbia walked through the door with 3 other women, and stopped to say hello on her way to her table. She casually mentioned that she was in town visiting Vivian--an old friend from boarding school--and did we want too meet her?  Um, did we want to meet Chef Vivian Howard--my favorite current TV persona?  The answer was undeniably yes, so Elizabeth asked Vivian to come say his and she graciously complied.  She was exactly as she seems on TV: beautiful, humble, embarrassed by her fame, and very real. Talking with her was the perfect ending to an awesome weekend in Kinston.

Thanks for saying hi, Vivian and thanks for sharing your life with us viewers.  And thanks to Elizabeth for hooking it up!  

James and I are already planning our next visit to Kinston; well-worth the 4 hour drive from Columbia, SC.

Share

Best Shortbread Cookie in Columbia: Rise Bakeshop

Birdie and I flitted down to Rise Gourmet Goods &Bakeshop a few weeks ago to grab some goodies as a reward for her finally bring potty-trained! (Anyone who has ever potty-trained a child knows the elation.)

I had first heard of the new bakery when reading this article by Eva Moore of the Free Times.  I mean, who doesn't want to try something called a s'moreo?!

Birdie picked out a chocolate crinkle cookie and I chose a shortbread cookie with black pepper for Jones. I am not exaggerating at all when I tell you it's the best shortbread I have ever eaten. And shortbread is one of my favorite types of cookies.  These are the best. Buttery and just the right texture, with a hint of pepper.  So delicious.

I also grabbed a container of pimento cheese spread to balance my late-afternoon snack, and it was commendable as well.

Fast forward 2 weeks and it was crunch-time to grab some snacks for Thanksgiving dinner pre-gaming.  Boiled peanut hummus and caramelized onion dip from their fridge were no-brainers, and the buffalo shmear made the list after I tried some in the store. All paired with some house made pepper crackers.

They had some pretty clever and unique gift baskets made up which would be great for holiday gifting.

In short, Rise Bakery is one of my new favorite spots for appetizers, sweets, and party goodies! And their clean and modern branding and logo is a little eye candy to boot.  Check them out for lunch or brunch or snacks or party food! And definitely shortbread.

Share

Dot & Bo are Rad

I've opined here before about my lust for Fall. And all things therewith, like fires, scarves, sweaters, holidays, parties, comfort food, and cozy nights.  Cozying up at home and entertaining guests makes me want to update my decor- or at least dream about it- and Dot & Bo is my new favorite place to indulge those whims.

Dot & Bo is a carefully curated online shop, self-dubbed "inspired design for the modern lifestyle."  Here are some of my favorite things:

via here

via here

via here

via here

In addition to beautiful housewares, they have some pretty unique gift items, and these His and Her gift guides are pretty great.

Here's to enjoying a cozy home this Fall!

Share

Give Grace

While scrolling through the Instagrams recently I came across this photo:

(via Scarlet & Gold's Instagram)

If you look closely, you'll see a delicate gold tattoo on the inside wrist: GIVE GRACE.  I was initially drawn to the appearance of the dainty, shiny thing, and then later really ruminated on the meaning of the words.

The older I get the more I realize that every person I meet is dealing with some plight or another. Chances are I may never know it, but it is worth it to remind myself and others daily that we have no idea what is going on in another person's life at any given time.

I recently learned that a friend of a friend's cancer has returned. Another friend had another in a series of miscarriages. And a different friend just had a precious baby boy who has a serious and life-long disability. Heart-breaking stuff.

When I had my miscarriage 3 years ago, I think the part that hurt the most was that not everyone knew. I was almost 15 weeks along, so we had told many people about the pregnancy, but still, afterward I would run into friends and when they didn't ask me about the miscarriage I was almost offended. I wanted people to know I had gone through something unspeakably difficult and sad. Not for the pity, though. I wanted others to know so that I could serve as a comrade in pain.  My miscarriage made me realize how many women I know who have had the same experience. And there is comfort in shared experiences, don't you think?

So, back to the GIVE GRACE tattoo. When I commented on the above photo, Megan, of Scarlet & Grace offered to send me 2 tattoos. One for me and one to give to someone else who needed the message.

You can read more about the #GiveGrace Campaign, which aims to bring awareness to infertility and to help couples as they go through the IVF process.

I love the sentiment, and wanted to pass it on. So, go. Go give grace.
If you want a tattoo for yourself or someone who may be struggling with fertility issues or any other issue in which grace could be helpful, you can purchase one here.

XO,
B

Share