Meat, Meet Veggie.

This girl hasn't met a french fry or a chicken finger that she didn't like, and if I didn't have to continue to fit through doorways, I'd have them every day. Needless to say, self-control around fried food is not my forte.  

My mom taught me this vegetable soup recipe, and my favorite thing is that you can throw in whatever veggies you have around (especially those ones that might not make it much longer).  I pressure cook this, but you can probably slow cook it as well.  Its my Monday-Friday lunch that keeps the fried chicken at bay...

1.5 tablespoon grapeseed oil

2 clove garlic, rough chop

5-10 black peppercorns

5 stocks of green onion sliced

1 teaspoon chili powder or other spices

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

2 tomatoes, rough chop

frozen broccoli and cauliflower mix

1 bag of spinach

1 bunch kale 

heat up oil, and add your garlic and peppercorns.  Stir until garlic starts to brown.  Add green onion and chili powder and saute.  Then add tomato, saute for a minute, and then add carrots, broc and cauli mix.  Saute until veggies are soft.  Add your spinach and/or kale and 6-8 cups of water or veggie broth (basically try to just barely cover the veggies.  You will have to press the leafy greens down).  I also add about 4 tablespoons of a dried lentil for added protein and thickness.  Pressure cook for about 10 minutes.  Open up and add salt to taste.  Puree.  Can be frozen.  

Ok, let's all just admit it: the internet is freakin' amazing.  Case in point:  I was thinking one day how much i like black beans, and how I thought some sort of puree over quinoa would be pretty good  I typed "black bean puree quinoa" into the Googs, and bam.  I'd love to say I did all this stuff to make this recipe my own, but really, it was darn good to start.  Its a pretty easy weekday meal and one of Suj's go-tos when I can't escape the couch.

We've tried to make the switch to mostly dried beans over canned.  If you want to do that, you'll have to soak the black beans overnight, and then pressure them with 3 to 1 water to bean ratio.  

This is also a great recipe to get a ton of veggies.  I dump them into the rice cooker along with the quinoa and it turns out great.  

Black Bean Puree with Vegetable Quinoa

Serves 2-3

For the Puree:

1 cup black bean beans (this is a half cup of dried beans, or 1 can)

1.4 cup veggie stock

1 teaspoon salt (and more as needed)

1/2 jalapeno, seeded and roughly chopped (leave seeds for a spicier dish)

1 clove garlic, roughly chopped

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 tablespoons fat free greek yogurt

For the quinoa

1 cup quinoa

1 cup veggie stock

1/2 cup water

1-2 cups of frozen mixed veggies

Toppings:

Diced Avocado

Scallions

Greek Yogurt/Sour Cream

Hot Sauce

Add quinoa, veggie stock, water, and veggies to a rice cooker and get it started.

If you used dried beans that have been soaking, add them to the pressure cooker with 3 cups of water and pressure.  If using canned, rinse well and add to a food processor.  Then add 1/4 cup veggie broth, salt, jalapeno, garlic, cumin, and 2 yogurt and puree.  Taste and add salt as needed.  You can up the spiciness by adding chili power too.  If you want a creamier texture, add more yogurt.  It should have a thick texture.  Warm over the stove or in the microwave.

Serve Puree with Quinoa, and top with avocado, sliced scallions, hot sauce or yogurt as desired.  Enjoy!

So, its been a while.  My apologies.

About 7 months ago, something a little crazy happened- I went and got myself knocked up.  Needless to say, its been a slight distraction, and so my blogging duties fell to the wayside.  If it makes you feel any better, my Halloween costume was killer (and food inspired, natch):

Sunny-Side up Egg

The irony of my costume, of course, is that I cannot acutally eat a sunny-side up egg right now (no runny yolk).  But a girl can dream...

I thought an especially fun recipe would do for my return.  If you ever have the chance to visit one of Austin's many food trucks, I'd try to stop by The Mighty Cone, a food truck before food trucks where cool.  The Mighty Cone was actually born at ACL fest, as the brainchild of Hudson on the Bend Chefs.  The veggie version involved avocado, deep friend in a special spicy breading, tossed with mango-jalapeno slaw, ancho sauce, and wrapped in a tortilla.  I had my first Mighty Cone experience at Daniel and Leah's wedding, which was an extravaganza of Austin awesomeness.

In one of my pregnancy induced hunger episodes, the desire to recreate some version of this delicious item came about, and poor sujit was sent on a mission.

We, of course, couldn't help but healthify this recipe  baked instead of friend, a spinach slaw, a yogurt based chili sauce.  Its easier than you would think, and satisfies many cravings- preggers or not.

Faux-Fried Avocado Wraps with Spicy Spinach Slaw

Makes 4 cones

For the Slaw:

1.5 cup baby spinach, cut into strips

2 carrots, skinned and chopped in a food processor

1/2 jalapeno, seeded (if desired) and chopped

1/2 cup fat free greek yogurt

1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro

2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon lime juice

For the Baked Avocado

2 avocados, slightly ripe (should be a little firm to stand up to the process)

1 cup of panko breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon red chili flakes (or chili powder)

2 teaspoons cracked black pepper

1 egg, 1 egg white, beaten

.5 tablespoon salt

 1/4 cup flour

4 flour tortillas, warmed

Preheat your oven to 450.  Start by making your slaw.  Take the yogurt, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, and jalapeno and add to a blender and well, blend.  You want this to have kind of a saucy consistency, so add water if needed to thin.  Mix into spinach and carrots to create slaw.  Set aside

Create your coating by blending the panko, chili flakes, black pepper and salt.  Take your avocado, pit and peel, and slice each into 8 wedges.  Dip each wedge into the flour, then the egg wash, then coat with bread crumbs.  Set on top of a rack with a baking sheet underneath.  Spray with olive oil or a similar cooking spray to help with the browning.  Bake for about 15-20, turning as needed.

Take a warmed tortilla, place 2-3 avocado slices, and top with slaw.  Wrap and devour :)

There are two foods that I really can't get enough of: pizza and mexican food (I know mexican food is a whole genre, but you get the point).  So when the opportunity came to put those two things together...well, I wasn't about to shy away from that challenge.  I took a little inspiration from California Pizza Kitchen's Tostada Pizza, right after I nearly choked on the nutrition stats (1250 calories!?! 21g of fat?!?! it has lettuce on it, for goodness sake...).  This is a pretty quick meal, assuming you don't make the mistake of trying to make your own crust.  Suj and I got all cocky recently and tried to use fresh dough...I'm still cleaning up the flour.

For Black Bean Puree:

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (or 1/2 cup of dried, soaked overnight and cooked)

1/4 cup of vegetable stock

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon cayenne powder

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon lime juice

Salt to taste

For Pizza:

1 green bell pepper

1 cup spinach

1/3 onion (red is nice)

1/3 cup jalapenos (fresh can also work,  use ½ a jalapeno)

¼ cup jarred yellow peppers (banana or pepperoncini)

¼ cup sliced black olives, drained

1 pizza crust

4 oz can tomato sauce

½ cup shredded Mexican cheese

For Cilantro Avocado Sauce (this makes a large batch, so cut to a quarter if you want just enough, or use as a dressing, dip, etc through the week):

1 large avocado

1 tbsp lime juice

1/4 cup cilantro

½ fresh jalapeno, roughly chopped

1 clove garlic, roughly chopped

1/4 cup greek yogurt 

3/4 cup water


1.2 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat your oven according to the crust directions.  Chop the spinach, onions, and bell peppers.  Set aside.  Mince the jalapenos, banana peppers, and olives.  Set aside.  The veggies need to be very dry before you put them on the pizza or your crust will get soggy- I know this from too much experience.  Use a salad spinner and then place on paper towels to get the rest.  (P.S. I originally typed "salad sinner" and I had a fun time thinking exactly what a salad "sinner" would do..)

In a saucepan, warm black beans in vegetable stock until heated.  Add salt, chili powder, garlic, lime juice and cumin, and blend with a hand blender.  This should be slightly thick but still spreadable.

Spray the crust with olive oil.  Spread the black bean puree evenly.  Then add a light layer of tomato sauce.  Then layer the following: half of the shredded cheese, spinach, bell peppers, onions, olives, jalapenos, and yellow peppers.  Finish with the rest of the cheese.  Bake according to crust directions (about 12-15 minutes), or until cheese is bubbly. 

In the meantime, prepare the cilantro-avocado sauce by blending the avocado, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, yogurt, water, and salt in a blender (or using a hand blender). Set aside.

There is a wonderous place out there.  Its a place of warmth, where the smells of butter fill the air.  Where magical chefs perform amazing tasks.  Its a place called Benihana.

Back in my Texas days, a weekday visit to ol' Benny's was a common occurrence for the "Lunch Special for Two" that fed me and my stomach (that counts as two, right?).  With no such luck within the Boston city limits, I have resorted to my own version of fried rice.   Now that I make it myself, I finally have come to terms with the fact that I was ingesting massive amounts of butter all those lunches ago...

The first time I made veggie fried rice at home was early in my Suj days, and I bought a packet of "fried rice" seasoning mix.  I was all impressed with my Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade awesomeness.  I dumped that packet right in and then casually glanced at the ingredients.  If you marry a vegetarian, you will never "casually glance" at an ingredients list again.  In fact, you will fervently scour all future lists.  This is because weird crap like "beef fat" shows up in things like "fried rice" seasoning mix.  I looked sadly at the MASSIVE amount of fried rice that I had just made non-veg.  It was lunch for weeks...

Veggie Friend Rice

1 cup brown rice, cooked and cold (in a pinch, I just cook this first and put it in the freezer while cooking the rest of the items)

1 tablespoon cooking oil of preference

2 eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon butter for the health-nut, 2-3 for all others

2 cloves of garlic, minced (more for the garlic lovers out there)

1 teaspoon grated ginger

3 or 4 green onions, chopped

1 tablespoon sesame oil

6 oz of chicken substitute (like Quorn Chik'n Tenders)- optional

1 16 oz bag of frozen mixed veggies (I like Hodgepodge at Trader Joe's)

2 tablespoons soy sauce (pref low sodium)

1-2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce

The best thing to do is to cook your rice the night before and keep it in the fridge, otherwise, make sure its the first thing you do.  The older the rice the more "crispy" it turns out.

Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat.  Heat up one tablespoon of cooking oil.  Add your eggs and cook scrambled.  Since these will sit for a while, make sure you don't overcook.  Remove the eggs from the pan and put aside.

Reduce the heat to medium with the same pan.  Add your butter.  Melt the butter slowly, add your garlic and ginger, and cook until the garlic browns slightly.  Increase heat to medium high and add your chopped green onions and cook until onions soften.

Add your sesame oil to the mixture and heat up.  If you are doing "chicken", add it now and stir, for about 1 minute (one of the best things about fake meat?  you don't actually have to cook it).  Then add your vegetables and stir fry until veggies are heated through (about 5 minutes).  Throw in your rice, cooked eggs, soy sauce, and chili sauce and stir to combine thoroughly.  Continue to cook over medium high heat, stiring occasionally and watching for the rice to "crisp".  

Serve in bowls with a drizzle of sesame oil or a dolip of chili sauce....or "beating heart style":

The last few weeks have been interesting, as the #bostonblackout resulted in no oven, no microwave, and no light in the kitchen.  I would have blatantly used this as an excuse for takeout and bar dining, but Mom & Dad Tandon had other ideas which involved superfluous stroking of sujit's ego and yummy indian delights.  When things go back to normal, I'll need to comfort myself with some of the go-to classics.

Chole is one of my favorite Indian dishes, and while it is best accompanied with a large amount of fried dough (also knows as bhatura), my little health nut prefers the protein rich quinoa.  I make the chole in a pressure cooker, but if you used canned beans, a slow simmer will do.  

The biggest shortcut here?  Using store bought chole masala (I can hear all the Indian grandmothers clicking their tongues in dissappointment now).  Chole Masala is obviously readily available in your local Indian grocery store, but I've even seen it in the ethnic aisle in the grocery store.  If you aren't so lucky, creating your own isn't impossible assuming you have the traditional Indian spices: 1 teaspoon each of ground coriander and ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon each of cayenne pepper, turmeric, and garam masala.

One Pot Chole

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)

1/4 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 tablespoon grated or minced ginger

1/2 jalapeno, minced

1.5 tablespoons chole masala

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 large potato, cooked, peeled and diced (I do this in the microwave by poking with a fork several times and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.  Then I peel and dice afterwards)

1 8 oz can of tomato sauce

Salt to taste

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro  (p.s. I never make enough Indian food in a week to justify a full bunch of cilantro, so I buy the Dorot Frozen Chopped Cilantro and add a couple of cubes.  Its definitely not the same, but works in a pinch)

1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)

In your pressure cooker (no lid yet), heat up your olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the cumin seeds, asafoetida, and paprika.  The trick here is to watch the spices carefully as they infuse the oil. As soon as the cumin starts to pop, remove from heat and add your onions and stir.  Put back on the heat and stir periodically until onions soften and become translucent.  If you want a more forward flavor here, start with more oil and deep fry the onions to a more crispy texture.  

Once the onions soften, add the ginger and jalapeno, and cook for a couple of minutes until the jalapeno softens and onions start to brown. Remove the pot from the heat again and add your chole masala and 1 cup of water.  Place back on the heat and stir to dissolve the masala.  Now add your tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of water (I usually add the water to the tomato can to get the last bits- I'm cheap like that).  

Add your chickpeas and cooked potato now.  The mixture should be very liquidy- once you pressure, the liquid goes away quickly and the mixture can burn.  Add water if needed.  Put on the lid and let the pot reach full pressure (steam releases) on medium high heat.  Immediately reduce heat to medium low and let simmer for 10 minutes to release the pressure.  If your pressure cooker has a release value you can use this to release the last bits of steam.

Open up, stir, and add water as needed.  Both the chickpeas and the potato should be very soft.  At this point I pull out my immersion blender and blend about 1/4 to 1/3 of the curry.  This helps to thicken up the mixture and gives it a bit of heartiness.  Add salt to taste and lemon juice if desired and let simmer for a couple more minutes.  Top with cilantro and serve over quinoa (my fav) or rice, and with a large dollop of greek yogurt.  

I love a good open-faced sandwich.  Sure, I love the saved carbs, but mostly its because I like to dive right into the between-the-bread goodness. I was excited about this recipe for an open-faced sandwich, which had a few of my favorite things: cheddar, toast, and brussels sprouts.

.............................!?!?!?

ok, you're right, brussels sprouts are not my favorite thing.  They aren't even my 100th favorite thing.  But something about brussels sprouts just exudes like, total health-nut-awesomeness.  Basically just looking at this recipe made me all smug and glowing.  

I did my own take on the recipe, adding an over-easy egg to top it off.  I'll also note that poor Snuj had to wait (im)patiently as I took the perfect photo.  

Makes 4 toasts

1 pound brussels sprouts, chopped quickly in a food processor or sliced lenthwise

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil,  

1/2 large onion, diced (I also think it would be delightful with leeks) 

Salt and freshly ground pepper 

1.5 teaspoons paprika 

1 teaspoon of red chili flakes

4 slices of multigrain bread, lightly toasted 

4 sliced of cheddar cheese (I did it with this and it was ah.may.zing)

4 eggs

Preheat the oven to 350°. Meanwhile, patiently chop your onions and brussel sprouts, or like me, impatiently do the brussels sprouts in the chopper. 

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium high in a large skillet- you'll need a little room for the brussels sprouts are ready to cook down.  Reduce the heat to medium, and then add the onion, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften (this is about 4 or so minutes). Add the paprika, cover and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until the onion is tender and translucent, about 10 minutes.  Spritz with oil or water to keep it moist. 

Add the brussels sprouts and chili flakes to the skillet and stir frequently, for about 3-4 minutes.  Cover and let  simmer over medium-low heat, for 10 minutes until softened and cooked.  (in the original recipe, you boil the brussels sprouts first, but I didn't want the extra step, and this worked well).  Open to stir occasionally, and again, add water as needed.

 Arrange the toasts on a baking sheet and top with the cheddar. Bake for 2 minutes, until the cheese is melted.  In the meantime, use the rest of the olive oil to cook your eggs (if you can't cook an egg, I really can't help you)

Place the brussels sprouts and onion mixture on top of each slice of bread, then add your egg on top.  Season with cracked black pepper and Fluer de Sel and serve immediately (or after you take the picture).

One of the unfortunate side effects that may result from marrying a vegetarian is a inflated sense of indignation over the lack of Vegetarian Rights in the world.  Perhaps initially borne out of pure selfishness that arises when I can no longer eat at my favorite places (that's you, Lupe Tortillas) because they have figured out a way to make even the tortillas non-veg (seriously, how do you do that??), it has morphed me into a total Veggie Militant when placed in the wrong circumstance.  And while most veggies have grown accustomed to accepting foodie defeat, leave it to a carnivore to get riled up.  And so went my Facebook Flame War this week.

Guchi's Midnight Ramen is a new Boston pop-up restaurant that's all the rage right now.  Tickets were going on sale for their pop-up this week, and in all innocence, I asked about veggie options at the event.  Now, I don't know if Shane (names changed to protect the jerks) thought that sucking up on the FB wall would gain him some foodie street cred, but he decided it would be a good idea to call out the "picky vegetarian".

...and the war raged from there.  Comments have since been deleted, and I eventually lost interest because, well, its ramen.  

The takeaway?  I think its pretty lame that the GMR peeps couldn't be bothered enough to respond and let the veggie-burdened know that they were keepin' it meaty.  But does remind you how awesome it is to have amazing chefs and restaurants that keep our plant eaters in mind.  And, at the end of the day, However, I'm happy to report that Shane did not get tickets, and was rather upset about it.  That's karma, Shane.  Ain't it a...?

There are some meals out there that have the uncanny ability to taste like comfort in a bowl.  Its a combination of texture, warmth, and likely, an incredible amount of butter.  For me, the Polenta with Wild Boar Ragu at Sportello is it, and the inspiration for my attempt at a meatless variety.

Now, at Sportello, the veggie version of this dish is served with porcini mushrooms, but I knew my mushroom weary husband wasn't going to buy it, so I thought I'd try a recreation using quorn grounds.  I have absolutely no faith in my ability to just throw this together, so I found a few recipes that I used for guidance:

Wild Boar Ragu- New York Times

Lamb Shank Ragu with Grits- Epicurious

For a first go, it wasn't bad.  I might let the Ragu simmer a bit longer, perhaps in the slow cooker so that it really absorbs the flavor of the red wine/broth combo.  Its definitely a cook and serve immediately dish, because the grits tend to harden. 

For the Ragu:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/2 can of canned peeled, chopped tomatoes, with juice (I used fire roasted)

1 stalk of celery, halved and chopped

1/2 packet of Quorn Grounds

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon red chili flakes 

1 cup, vegetable broth

1 cup, red wine

A splash of soy sauce

For the Grits

1/2 cup dry grits 

1 cup water

1 cup milk (I used whole, but you could sub 2 cups of skim for both the water and whole milk)

Salt to taste

Warm the olive oil in a deep skillet until shimmering.  Add the garlic, red onions, celery, thyme, and red pepper flakes.  Cook for 5-7 minutes until translucent.  Add the tomatoes with liquid.  Cook for another couple of minutes and then add the Quorn.  Stir to combine.  Add then vegetable broth, red wine and soy sauce, and bring to a boil.  Immediately reduce the heat and simmer to reduce the liquid to desired consistency (probably around 10 minutes for me).  Stir frequently.

In a separate sauce pot, bring the water and milk to a boil.  You will need to stir this consistently so that the milk does not burn.  Then add grits and reduce heat to low.  Let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring every once in a while.  Once grits are done, salt to taste.

Serve grits with Ragu on top, and a sprinkling of Fleur De Sel or Kosher Salt.  I served the dish alongside this Celery Salad recipe from Tasting Table and Redd Wood, which was delightful, but also a good way to use the rest of that damn celery.  

One of the staples of a meat lover's household is good ol' fashioned beef chili.  Growing up in Texas, Football Fridays (yes, it is really like it is on Friday Night Lights) were celebrated at the Tandon's household with a crockpot full of chili and an open house of band kids (no football players in this fam).  My many years in Texas led to all sort of of chili, from the simple to the extrodinary.  I even had a hand in winning a chili cook-off or two in my day:

HBS Chili Cookoff (a fancy chili, obvs.)

I sort of suffered silently for a while on the chili front AS (After Sujit), mostly because I don't really find bean chilis as satisfied, and I find most fake meats even worse.  And then, I discovered Quorn.

I first heard of Quorn from a Trader Joe's cashier that saw me buying some fake meatballs or something (they were terrible, btw).  He glanced around, steathly, and whispered

"you gotta get Quorn.  Its the best fake meat ever.  They sell it at.......Whole Foods"

Dun Dun Dun!  I kinda forgot about it cause we all know I'm too cheap for whole foods- until Snuj had it at a friends place and raved about it.  I would have continued to be skeptical, since who's gonna trust a vegetarian (this applies to many things in life), but the people who served it?  Hard. Core. Meat eaters.   I was intrigued.

Quorn is amazing!  It's been a lifesaver.  I'm sure my love for Quorn will come up again, so for now, let's focus on how this invigorated my chili making days.

This is definitely a fantastic party dish, because you can plug it in and just let it soak up the flavors, and get on your partyin' way.  It definitely gets better with time.  You can obviously do it on the stove as well, but you will need to keep an eye on it.  The fun part is to make this "Frito Pie" style, served over Fritos, and with cheese, green onions, and sour cream to top it off.  I love the idea of serving it in mini bags for a party. 

1 medium onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2-3 stocks of celery, diced (optional)

2 carrots, halved and sliced thin (optional)

1.5 tablespoons olive oil (I like to use a chili flavored version)

1 can kidney beans, washed and drained

1 lb fake meat grounds (my favorite is Quorn Grounds)

1.5 cans of canned diced and pealed tomatoes, with juice (I like the fire roasted kind)

1 8 oz. no salt added tomato sauce (optional)

½ fresh jalapeno, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 to 1 tablespoon chili powder (depending on how spicy you want it)

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried basil

½ packet of premade Chili Seasoning (this comes in packed, often in the soup aisle)- add more as needed

A few dashes of hot sauce (Cholula is my fav)

Salt (probably a tablespoon or two) and pepper to taste

Serve with:

Fritos

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Sliced green onions

Greek Yogurt (or light sour cream)

Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a pan.  Add the garlic, jalapeno, and then onions.  Reduce the heat and simmer the onions until soft and slightly charred, stirring often.  I sometimes find that covering the pan and then periodically stirring works well (don't forget to stir or they will burn!).  This should take 10 minutes or so. If you need to save time, you can skip the sautéing process and just add all this stuff to the slow cooker, but sautéing gives it a little extra flavor.

Add the mixture, along with all the other ingredients to the slow cooker.  Cook over high for 3-4 hours, or cook on Low over for 10  hours.  Check and stir periodically.  Add water or additional tomato sauce in order to get the consistency you prefer.  Add salt to taste towards the end of cooking.  

Hopefully this recipe can save a few forlorn chili lovers out there.  And to the veggies out there: if Quorn tastes this good, just imagine the real thing....[end shameless meat plug]

"Aww, i guess its bread and cheese again!"

When I met Snuj, he seemed like the perfect guy.  Smart. Funny. Nice. Thoughtful. Cute. A bad dresser, but that could be fixed.  Then, in a moment that will always be slow motion in my mind, he reached past the pepperoni for a slice of veggie.  I hoped it was just bad taste; it wasn't.  But somehow we got married, and I embarked upon a reluctant journey to survive my vegetarian husband.  This blog is a chance to share the small victories of yummy food in a household where spinach and healthy reign.  There are some things you should know:

its not all homemade, so don't get all disappointed in me when I use that processed pizza dough.

i make snarky comments about vegetarians.  i figured since i married one, I get a few joke rights.

Texas is the best state ever, and that will only change if Texas leaves the union (there's always a chance.)

i love food, but my metabolism peaked like, 4 years ago.  so i try to make things as healthy/low-cal as possible, but come on, we all deserve a few breaks...

i'm no master chef, so alot of this blog is about trial and error on recipes I find on the big bad web.

I hope you enjoy this blog, and I hope it provides some comfort to all those gals and guys out there who might have found love in all the wrong kitchens.