Secret Ingredient #2: Nutritional Yeast

If you have been reading VeegMama for a while, you know that I am all about sharing the good stuff.  When I find something good, I want to share the news and tell the whole world!  I shared my first secret ingredient (apple cider vinegar) last summer after reaping several benefits from daily use.  Today, I am sharing another secret ingredient: nutritional yeast.

My friends tease me about how much I love this stuff (I buy it in bulk at Whole Foods). Nutritional yeast is the deactivated from of a primary yeast grown on a mixture of molasses and cane sugar.  It is gluten-free, and is a beneficial form of yeast, unlike the various other types of harmful ones.  I call this one of my secret ingredients because it contains the perfect the combination of amino acids (eighteen) and B vitamins, and contains a high source of fiber (5 grams per ounce).  If that weren't enough, it contains fifteen key minerals, including zinc, selenium, magnesium, manganese and copper.  It adds a cheesy, salty taste to food, eliminating the need for salt and cheese (goodbye sodium and dairy). Three tablespoons supply nine grams of complete protein, so it's a great way to increase your protein content.  It combines well with most foods.  I sprinkle it on salads, whisk it in dressings, and sprinkle it on popcorn.  It is a wonderful hair, health and beauty food.  I encourage you to start experimenting with it in your food!

Click here for a recipe for Dharma Kale Salad to get your started from Kimberly Snyder, author of The Beauty Detox Solution.    

Green Bean Mediterranean Salad

This might just be my favorite new way to prepare green beans!  This recipe is light and refreshing, perfect for a main dish lunch salad, but could also easily be served as a side dish for dinner.  I used a bag of Trader Joe's pre-washed French cut green beans for this recipe to make the prep even easier.  I hope you enjoy it.

Green Bean Mediterranean Salad
Serves 2-4 (depending if served as a side or main dish)

Ingredients:
8-10 ounces of french cut green beans blanched or steamed to your desired crunchiness
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 of large red onion, finely sliced in half moons, then separated into "strands"
1/4 of English seedless cucumber thinly sliced into half moons
1/4 cup of kalamata olives, sliced in half
Penzey's Spices Greek Salad Dressing, made according to directions on jar

Directions:
1. Make salad dressing and chill in refrigerator.
2. Toss green beans, vegetables, olives together in a bowl.  
3. Drizzle with salad dressing.  Serve chilled or at room temperature.

My Thanksgiving Menu

I am very excited about this year's Thanksgiving menu.  I always have much fun and joy looking for recipes this time of year.  There is always lots of inspiration and ideas in my cooking magazines, favorite blogs, and online sites like Pinterest.  This year, I am taking a recipe from one of my favorite vegan chefs and owner of Crossroads (my favorite vegan LA restaurant), Tal Ronnen: Sage and Pumpkin Seed Veggie Scaloppini.  It is elegant and beautiful, topped with a cranberry cabernet sauce that is perfect for the holiday - and it looks fairly easy to make.  Bonus!

Tal Ronnen's Sage and Pumpkin Seed Veggie Scaloppini
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

For the Cranberry Cabernet Sauce:
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 large shallot
4 sprigs of thyme
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup cabernet
1 cup faux chicken stock or vegetable broth
1 tbsp arrowroot
2 tbsp water
3 tbsp natural butter substitute
salt and pepper to taste

For the Cutlets:
12 (3 pkgs) seitan or Gardein chick'n scallopini (frozen) or Gardein 12 (3 pkgs) chick'n fillets (fresh)
1 tbsp minced fresh sage
1 cup toasted pumpkin seeds (without shells)
1 tsp paprika
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
Unbleached white flour
2 cups unsweetened soy milk
Olive oil for sautéing
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
For the cranberry cabernet sauce, heat the oil in a sauté pan.  Add the shallots and saute for 3 minutes.  Add the thyme and cranberries and saute for 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the cabernet and scrape the bottom of the pan, then reduce the liquid by half.  Add the stock and reduce by half.  Mix the arrowroot with the water and add to the pan.  Stir well and continue to cook for 2 minutes.  Turn heat off and whisk in the vegan butter 1 tbsp at a time.  Remove thyme stems.

For the cutlets, in a food processor, process the sage, seeds, paprika, bread crumbs, yeast, salt and pepper until well incorporated.  Thaw the frozen meat substitute.  Dredge each cutlet in flour, then dip into the soy milk and then into the breadcrumbs.  Saute on each side until browned and crisp.

I plan to serve it with the Brussels Sprouts from The Lemonade Cookbook, alongside some mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and my family's typical favorites.

I have been pinning lots of yummy looking recipes and other Thanksgiving inspiration on my Pinterest board "Thanksgiving."  Check it out here.  Happy cooking!

Meet Kitchen Kid Founder and Culinary Coach, Samantha Barnes!

I was first introduced to Kitchen Kid two summers ago, when my budding chef and daughter attended a cooking camp with them.  She loved it so much that we signed her up again last year.  I am excited to have founder, Samantha Barnes, featured on the blog today to talk about her newest culinary adventure,  Raddish.  

VM: Tell us about Raddish.  What is it and who is it for?

SB: Raddish is a monthly subscription box that makes cooking with kids easy, enriching, and fun!  Raddish delivers illustrated recipe guides, culinary adventures, and family fun right to your door.  The box is perfect for families who are looking to connect in a meaningful way - in the kitchen preparing meals, and at the table enjoying them.

VM: How did you come up with the idea for Raddish? 

SB: I founded Kitchen Kid, LA's premier mobile cooking school for kids, seven years ago, and since then my mission has been to bring families together around food, through birthday parties, summer camp, and enrichment classes.  We've wanted to spread our mission to families outside of Los Angeles, and Raddish takes our proven techniques, engaging lessons, and delightful recipes, and packages them up for families across the nation. 

VM: Will there be vegan and vegetarian options in the service?  Are the recipes adaptable, if not, for those who want to subscribe and don't eat meat?

SB: We do plan to create uniquely themed boxes for vegans, vegetarians, and those with other dietary restrictions.  Until then, our recipes are definitely adaptable, and there will always be multiple vegetarian recipes in each box.  In fact, the first box, "The Family Table" does not use any meat.  

VM: For those interested in getting their kids more involved in the kitchen, what 3 things do you suggest parents do to get started?

SB: 

a.) Start tonight.  The kids don't have to make a full complicated meal with you; just get them involved doing something.  Give kids small tasks like washing veggies, measuring dry ingredients, or tearing lettuce.  

b.)  Go to the grocery store together and enlist your kids' help finding the ingredients. 

c) Cook something special for someone else. Food is a beautiful gift, and kids feel the love and generosity that comes out of gifting something homemade. 

VM: Can you share a favorite recipe?

Enjoy this tasty vegetarian recipe for Ratatouille, that we developed for the Master Chef Junior Collection!

Ratatouille

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large eggplant, diced into ½ inch cubes
3-4 small zucchini, diced into ½ inch rounds
1 red pepper, sliced
2-3 diced tomatoes, with juices
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup chopped basil leaves
Grated cheese, optional

Steps:

1.    In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil until just shimmering and add the onion and garlic.  Cook until the onion is soft and translucent.

2.    Add the eggplant and cook about 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the zucchini and red pepper, and continue to cook and stir another 10 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.

3.    Stir in the tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, oregano, and thyme. Continue to cook the mixture until it thickens and all vegetables are tender, about 6 more minutes. 

4.    Add salt, pepper, and basil leaves to taste.  

5.    Serve hot or at room temperature with grated cheese. 

VM: What are your top 3 tools you recommend keeping in the kitchen when cooking with kids?

SB: 

a) Kids love zesting lemons.  With careful parent supervision, a microplane is really fun.  

b) A scale and a map.  At Raddish, we think the kitchen is the tastiest place to learn, and love making real life connections as we cook.  A kitchen scale and world map really help make this happen! 

c) Craft scissors.  Kids as young as 3 can cut everything from basil to bacon with kids' craft scissors! 

VM: What 3 ingredients are your favorites to cook with?

SB: Right now I'm into butternut squash, ricotta, French lentils, and polenta. 

VM: I am on a quest to live the "good" life in all aspects of the word.  What does the "good" life represent/mean to you?
SB: I achieve the "good life" when I find the balance necessary to be a successful working mom.  It's hard to juggle owning and operating Kitchen Kid, starting Raddish, and spending quality time with my kids.  In my family, the "good life" is enjoying breakfast or dinner together as a family at our table. 

VM: Do you have a favorite quote you can share?
SB: "One cannot think well, love well, or sleep well if one has not dined well." (Virginia Woolf) 

Thank you, Samantha!  You can read more about Samantha below and order a subscription to Raddish here.

Samantha Barnes is committed to changing the way kids and families eat. As a middle school teacher, Samantha realized many of her students were young foodies, yet they lacked kitchen experience and made unhealthy lunch choices. Samantha launched Kitchen Kid, LLC in 2006 with the hope of empowering young people to jump into the kitchen and get cooking! 

Since then, Samantha has grown Kitchen Kid to be the premier mobile culinary school for kids and families in the Los Angeles area. Offerings include in-home lessons and birthday parties, after-school enrichment classes in 30 schools, and deliciously fun summer camps. 

Her new product, Raddish, is a monthly subscription box that connects families in the kitchen and at the table.  Through illustrated recipe guides, culinary activities, and family fun, it makes it easy and enriching for parents and kids to cook together! 

Samantha and Kitchen Kid have been featured in Daily Candy, the Los Angeles Times, Sunset Magazine, and on NPR. Recently she served as a consultant on the new Fox hit show, MasterChef Junior, and her summer camps received the 2013 Red Tricycle Totally Awesome Award for Best Camp in Los Angeles.

Samantha was destined for a career in food and teaching: her first word was “olive,” and she has taught kids in the classroom, on stage, and on the ski slopes. She has vivid memories of making meatloaf and gingersnap cookies alongside her mom.

Samantha knows all about multi-tasking: she juggles running a business while being the mom of a 3 ½ year old daughter and a 1 1/2 year old son. She believes the kitchen and the table are some of the best places to connect with her kids in a meaningful way. She cooks with her daughter regularly, and her family eats dinner together nightly. She loves entertaining friends – when the kids run around the yard barefoot, and everyone enjoys good food, good company, and lots of laughter.

Samantha is passionate about teaching kids to cook, and encouraging families to eat together.

Easy Tempeh Curry

Semi-homemade meals have become one of the several ways I have been simplifying things in my kitchen now that the kids are back in school.  I used to think using mixes, pre-washed veggies, and jarred sauces meant I was "cheating" when it came to cooking a meal.  After a couple of months working one or two of these kinds of meals into my menu plans, I have had a major change of heart!  These semi-homemade meals are sanity and time savers, and I still feel like a rock star for creating a delicious meal for the family.  Plus, many of these meal helpers make great opportunities to introduce different ethnic cuisines to my family.  

Such was the case earlier this month when I came up with this super easy tempeh curry recipe to "transport" us to India.  Trader Joe's (my favorite store) has two vegan curry sauces that I had been wanting to try.  My kids did a taste test of the two and picked the Thai Curry Sauce (the yellow, green one in the bottle.)  Here's the recipe:

Easy Curry Tempeh

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 8-ounce packages of Tempeh (Trader Joe's sells an Organic 3-Grain variety that I like)

Penzey's Spices Sweet Curry Powder

1 Jar of Trader Joe's Thai Curry Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

Sea salt to taste

Directions:

1. Slice tempeh on the diagonal, making about 10-12 2-inch slices.  Sprinkle tempeh with Penzey's Sweet Curry Powder and rub generously, coating each piece of tempeh.  Toss with salt.

2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add tempeh and brown on each side.  

3. Pour in curry sauce and heat through, about 5 minutes.

Serve with basmati rice (Trader Joe's sells a cooked, pre-made product in the frozen section for even more help), Naan bread (also available at Trader Joe's), and sauteed greens (kale, spinach, chard - pick your fave.)

Enjoy!

How I Cut My Grocery Bill By 20%

I am feeling quite proud of myself these days and also a little giddy!  The reason?  I am saving money every week at the grocery store.  I am not a coupon cutting kind of gal (maybe I should be).  I look for deals on clothes, gifts, housewares, and just about every other area in my life, except my groceries.  Recently, I have been on a mission to tighten our money belt and was forced to look at the grocery bill.  I thought it would be hard to cut back, but surprisingly, I have been saving $30-50 a week with my new plan.  

This is what I am doing...

1. Raiding the pantry and freezer: When I do my weekly meal plan (which is a basic must-do for saving at the grocery store), I first look at what I have in the pantry or freezer as ingredients.  Then, when I am looking at my recipes, I keep my eyes peeled for dishes using those ingredients or look for ways to modify recipes I want to cook with what I have.  This seems like a no brainer, "duh" tip, but it's new to me!

2. Reinventing leftovers: I am used to eating leftovers for an easy lunch, but recently I have been changing it up by turning leftovers into a new meal for later in the week.  For example, those Greek pitas and saffron rice from last Sunday's dinner got transformed into a mediterranean "arroz con pollo" with a different side veggie.  My kids loved it and didn't even realize it was leftovers until halfway through the meal, when one of them asked "Didn't we have this rice on Sunday?"

3. Simplifying meals: I love to challenge myself in the kitchen and try out new recipes.  It's my sort of relaxation and creative outlet during the busy week.  Often, that meant, buying a variety of ingredients for two to three new dishes a week.  To save a little sanity (part of the new, more "relaxed" me) and money, I have focused on trying out one new "fancy" meal a week, which I preserve for our family's weekly Shabbat meal. 

4. Repurposing ingredients: In my love affair with food, I was doing a lot of cooking at lunch, making new meals for lunch and dinner daily, but I have gotten smarter by cooking and buying batches of particular ingredients and using them throughout the week for several meals.  For example, the bag of arugula and batch of quinoa I have on Monday, can also fuel my lunches for at least 2-3 other lunches during the week.

5. Cutting back on "extras": This is probably the hardest change I have made: giving up my weekly wine and flower purchases.  I save these for special purchases now, which is probably healthier (on the wine side).  I have also cut back on the amount of snacks and treats I purchase.  I found that I was keeping a well-stocked pantry with these items, and now we just buy what we eat for the week, instead of having a stockpile for later.

Do you have any tips for saving at the grocery store?  I would love to hear them.  Let me know in the comments section below. 

Building a Better Breakfast

Since becoming vegan, breakfast has become the lightest and simplest meal of the day for me: my green juice.  Mainly, this is because traditional non vegan foods like eggs, bacon, and pancakes take a bit of work, time and some expense if I am going to make whole based vegan versions without using a lot of processed foods.  Another reason I stick to just my green juice is that it is good for cleaning out my body first thing in the morning after "fasting" for 7 hours in my sleep, and is also great for the waistline.  

Then, I read the article, "Make Over Your Morning Meal" in this month's issue of Vegetarian Times, and it got me thinking that maybe I should mix things up and at least, indulge in a non liquid breakfast a couple of days of the week.  I really like this article because it breaks down just how much protein a person needs a day (less than you would think) and equivalents of what that breaks down to in terms of food items.

The article includes several breakfast recipes.  I especially love the Spicy Tempeh Hash recipe. That will be showing up on my breakfast plate on an upcoming Sunday.

Check out the article by clicking on the link above and re-think your morning meal.  I am going to start mixing it up on the weekends for a change of pace and see where it takes me.  Happy breakfast!  

Serves 2

30 minutes or fewer

• 8 oz. cubed tempeh
• 1 Tbs. canola oil
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 cup diced potatoes
• 2 tsp. paprika
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• ½ tsp. onion powder
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper

Spread tempeh in bottom of large nonstick skillet. Add 1/2 cup water, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 5 minutes. Drain in colander, and wipe out skillet. Add oil to skillet, and heat over medium-high heat. Return tempeh to pan along with onion, green bell pepper, and potatoes. Sauté 5 to 7 minutes, or until beginning to brown. Sprinkle with paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. Sauté 7 to 8 minutes, or until potatoes are browned and tender. 

Dark Chocolate S'mores Brownies

I died and went to chocolate heaven recently when I made these s'mores brownies for a summer evening picnic.  They were a hit with veegs and non vegans.  I use Dandies marshmallows, available at Whole Foods.  This recipe is a great way to mix up two favorites - brownies and s'mores.  Click here for the recipe or see below.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp ground chia seeds or ground flax (I used flax)

1/4 cup warm water

1/2 cup organic brown sugar

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

3/4 cups cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips 

1 cup vegan marshmallows

1/2 cup crushed vegan graham crackers

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan.

2. In a small dish combine the flax with the warm water and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, applesauce, milk, vanilla, and vinegar.

4. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and sea salt.

5. Whisk the chia mixture into the wet ingredients.

6. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet, then stir in the chocolate chips.

7. Pour about 3/4 of the batter into your prepared pan.

8. Spread the marshmallows out over the top of the batter, then sprinkle on the crushed crackers.

9. Drop the remaining batter on top of the cookies and marshmallows, one teaspoon at a time.

10. Place in the oven and bake 16-20 minutes.  Cut the brownies into squares before they are fully cool, or they will be difficult to cut.  Cut into about 18 pieces.

Super Simple Pasta Salad Recipe

Everyone needs a great pasta salad recipe in their repertoire.  This is my new fave.  I made it for a birthday shindig at my house a couple of weekends ago to complement a grill menu.  It was a favorite and so easy to throw together.  I adapted the recipe from a Food.com recipe.  Here's what I did.

Ingredients:

Salad

1 bag of orrechiette pasta (farfalle or other small, shell pasta would work too)

2 persian cucumbers, chopped

1 small container of cherry tomatoes, halved

1 14-oz can of black olives, sliced

1 handful of chives, chopped

Dressing

4 tablespoons of white vinegar

7 tablespoons of olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

Sea salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package.

2. Drain pasta and toss in a bowl along with the other ingredients.

3. Combine ingredients for dressing in a small bowl and whisk.  Drizzle half into salad and stir to combine.

4. Taste for more dressing, salt, or pepper and add accordingly.

I chilled the salad for about an hour before serving, but because there is no mayo, it would be fine unrefrigerated - a great dish to bring on a picnic!  Enjoy!

Cooking With Betty Goes Vegan

I finally started cooking with Annie and Dan Shannon's debut cookbook, Betty Goes Vegan.  They have taken the Betty Crocker cookbook (the 2010 edition) and veganized it!  Brilliant, if you ask me!!!  These recipes are old school comfort food, back from when our moms and grandmas were making us dinner.  Some of the recipes are a bit rich, and not always the healthiest (sauces, carbs, vegan "cheese" and processed vegan meats galore), but hey, that's the fun of Betty Crocker!  

They have it all in this book - breakfast/brunch, lunch, dinner, baked goods, apps, and holiday favorites....casseroles, pasta dishes, pizza, sandwiches, salads, whoopie pies, omelets, puddings...The recipes are fun, vegan throw-backs to what we think of when cooking with Betty Crocker, plus some modern surprises that I wouldn't have expected to find in Betty's repertoire (go Betty!).  I seriously have almost every page bookmarked to try.

So far, I have started with the dinner recipes.  Here's what I have made so far:

Vegan Roast Chicken and Vegetables - I made this for a visiting houseguest.  It was a hit with the whole fam and gave me the flavor of eating a non vegan roast chicken and vegetables like I used to make before going vegan.  Click here for the recipe.

Limoncello Bundt Cake - This has become one of my favorite desserts.  It instantly transports me back to Italy, where I ended each meal with a glass of the liquer that is the star in this dessert.  Click here for the recipe.

Osso Bucco - I served this with mashed potatoes and my husband loved it, as did I (the kids...not so much).  Click here for the recipe.

Champagne and Hazelnut Risotto with Vegan Chicken - I made this for family and it was a hit.  It is a very elegant recipe that uses champagne!  You'll have to get a copy of the cookbook for this gem, as they don't have it posted on their website.

And here's a sampling of a few other recipes in the book I am dying to try:

Coconut Vegan Shrimp Kebabs

Vegan Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza

Caesar Salad Burger

Vegan Chicken Tetrazzini

I bookmarked the whole desserts section!  If you are looking for a new cookbook, you must give Betty Goes Vegan a try.  Aside from the great recipes, I love the Shannons' voice and wit throughout the book.  It is a fun read in its own right.  If you do get cooking with the Shannons, please share your experience in the comments section below.

What The Veg?: Tomatoes

Okay, so the tomato is technically a fruit, but I couldn't help posting about this wonderful food, especially with the beautiful varieties blooming this time of year.  I am fortunate to have a family friend who grows his own and has been delivering bounties to me often.  I thought I would be overwhelmed by tomatoes, but instead I am using them in delicious recipes - and running out!  They are so sweet right of the vine.  I just love tomatoes!  Here are a few ways I have been cooking them up this summer.

Chop Them:

Hand Pies
I first learned how to make these from a class I took with Spork Foods.  Here's how I prepared my last batch.






Ingredients:
1/2 package of vegan puff pastry (I use Aussie Brand at Whole Foods)
1/3 cup kalamata olives, roughly chopped
2-3 medium tomatoes, diced
4-5 leaves fresh basil, finely chopped
Juice of half a lemon
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar (could use red wine vinegar too)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon brown rice syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
1. Thaw puff pastry sheet (keep the other sheet in the freezer.)
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
3. Combine all ingredients (except puff pastry) in a bowl.
4. Slice the sheet into 4 squares.  In the center of each puff pastry, add a big tablespoon of the tomato mixture and fold corner to corner, making a triangle.  Pinch edges to seal.  Make 2 small cuts in top.
5. Place pies on a greased baking sheet.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until pies are golden.  Serve warm.

Salsa
This recipe is so simple, yet so delicious.  







Ingredients:
4 tomatoes, finely diced
3/4 white onion, finely diced
Juice of 2-3 limes (depending on how you like it)
Bunch of cilantro, finely chopped
Jalapeño, seeded and finely diced (I use a half, but add for as much heat as you like!)
Salt, to taste

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and taste for lime and salt.
2. Serve with tortilla chips!
Note: You can change this recipe up easily by mixing in mango or avocado.

Puree them:

Gazpacho
This is my favorite soup to make and it is so refreshing during the warm summer months.  Since you prepare it all in a blender, prep and clean up are quick and easy.  This recipe is from Cooking with Trader Joe's.




Ingredients:

4 tomatoes
1 large cucumber (peeled if not organic)
1/4 red onion
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 yellow or orange bell pepper (or green)
4 garlic cloves
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
Hot sauce to taste
Avocado chunks for garnish

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth and chill for about an hour to let flavors marry.
2. Top individual bowls with hot sauce and avocado.


Toss them: 

Tabbouleh
This is the recipe I use for my Greek Salad with Tabbouleh and Falafel.







Ingredients:

1 bag of 10-minute bulgur (from Trader Joe's)
1 tomato (small diced)
1/2 organic seedless cucumber (small diced)
1/4 yellow onion (small diced)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 package of parsley, finely chopped
Salt to taste

Directions:
1. Prepare bulgur as directed on package.  Spoon 1/2 into a mixing bowl and store the rest (I freeze it in a ziploc.)
2. Combine the rest of the ingredients with the bulgur.

Do you have any wonderful tomato recipes to share?  I would love to read them.  Please share in the comments section below.

My Cookware

I get asked a lot about what pans I use, so today I am dishing it up on my cookware!  I use separate pots and pans for cooking vegan and non vegan dishes.  I even keep them in a separate drawer.  I also use separate cutting boards.  Although these things get washed in between use, I feel better cooking on cookware I know has never touched meat.

Scan pans are these amazing pans that are non-stick and don't use chemicals.  The company is based in Denmark and has been around since 1956.  Their products are made from environmentally-friendly aluminum (all made in their Denmark factory).  They have a unique hand casting technique and have developed a 100% chemical free coating called Green Tek.  Nothing ever sticks to these pans.  They are a cinch to clean and beautiful to look at.  I love cooking with my Scan Pans.

In addition to their non-stick products, they also have a stainless steel and copper professional series, as well as specialty daily cooking products, and knives.

You can purchase them at Sur La Table or check out their website.