Salivating over Tofu and Quinoa

Here are a couple of blogs that inspired me recently!

Thanks Amateur Nutritionist for a great recipe new to me: baked tofu! What a fabulous idea for a nutritious ingredient that is unfortunately, in its natural state, bland and mushy. But this particular idea, modified from an Eating Well recipe, is a fast easy way to infuse a burst of bright flavor into tofu. It's easy to eat too, served like a burger with lettuce and tomato. I changed the marinade ingredients from the original recipe to a tablespoon each of Hoisin sauce and honey. Make sure to toast up the bread (I used Arnold Sandwich Thins). The only downfall is that it’s not too filling so you may need to add mayo or a slice of cheese, or serve it with pasta salad or a hearty soup. I ate this sandwich three days in a row, it was so good!

Hapa Bento is a fun site I stumbled onto with gorgeous photos (when you’re salivating over shredded carrots and quinoa the pics have to be pretty amazing!). The entire site is devoted to bento boxes, Japanese-style lunch boxes that are traditionally filled with rice, meat or fish, and pickled vegetables. Kind of a hip-ified version of the TV dinner although these have long been a mainstay of Japanese diets. The Americanized version has no limits, using whatever ingredients you have handy, but retaining the extra care and creativity needed. Instead of an everyday packed lunch for your child of a turkey and cheese sandwich, a side of broccoli and carrots, and apple wedges, a bento box might present the same ingredients as slices of turkey and carved apples decorated into Mickey Mouse placed on an artfully arranged pattern of carrots and broccoli. I love this concept because it makes us take the time to prepare and appreciate food ingredients, offers portion control, and feels like a luxury to eat such beautifully crafted healthful food so you savor it more.

 

Yes, Vegetarians DO Love to Eat!

It was a beautiful fall morning and I was especially rested from the extra hour of sleep granted by turning our clocks back, so I decided to check out the Annual Boston Vegetarian Food Festival. My first time there, I wasn’t prepared for the suffocating mob in the single auditorium space. I should have expected it at a free event offering lots of free food. The variety of vendor booths affirmed how vegetarianism covers a broad scope, whether focusing on health, the environment, religion, or cruelty in animal slaughterhouses. I noticed quinoa, flax, organic t-shirts and…the desserts! The last thing I’d associate with vegetarianism is amazing desserts, but I was captivated by some impressive sweets displays, particularly Vegan Treats Bakery, a celebrated Philadelphia bakery hopefully soon to break into the Boston market. I’ve had many a dairy-free cake because of my nephew’s allergies, all tasting like sawdust, but whoa!—these cakes were simply spectacular. My frosted triple chocolate mini-cake was very moist, very chocolately, and beautiful to behold. I daresay it was better than regular chocolate cake and made me suspicious that it was missing any butter or eggs. Sorry to highlight the sweets but this display was so beautiful!I scored several freebies of hummus snack packs, organic energy bars, vegetarian magazines, and dairy-free chocolates. I tasted new items like African bean cakes (reminded me of the fried taro dumplings at a Chinese dim sum) and Teather, a kind of adult fruit roll-up made with tart organic pressed fruits rich in phytonutrients. I curiously checked out a massive line in one corner and chuckled when I saw it was for Tribe Hummus, a common product found at any supermarket! Oh well, hungry people love free food. For those expecting to eat lunch, many vegetarian restaurants were present, selling plates of their most popular items. Expert chefs and researchers offered educational talks. After a dizzying hour to survey all the booths, you leave with a heavy bag of nice samples, coupons, and inspiration to eat green, or at least appreciate that vegetarians and even vegans are serious foodies too.Lotsa goodies!     

b.good - i.happy!

b.good, the chain of healthy fast food restaurants, has been around for a while and I’ve certainly been a fan. Now that its newest location is a hop skip away from me, I wanted to share a quick review. This place just makes me happy. It helps that this particular branch sits next to my two favorite athletic stores, Lululemon and Lucy, adding to its aura of health. I know I can walk into this very family friendly eatery and get food I really like, cheap. Pseudo fast food that’s entirely satisfying without all the grease and salt that usually leaves me Less Guilty Friesbloated and tired. One of my ultimate noshes is French fries, and there are two great varieties here, both oven-baked with the skins left on and lightly seasoned: the regular version that my son loves more than McDonald’s fries, and a sweet potato version that offers thick-cut deep orange strips (ahh, all that vitamin A, my eyes feel better already!). There are four kinds of burgers (beef, turkey, veggie, and grilled chicken) made to order six different ways. My favorite is the West Side with avocado, tomato, and chipotle salsa. There are also not-your-run-of-the-mill salads, steamed seasoned veggies, and delicious fruity shakes or milkshakes thickened with nonfat frozen yogurt.

West Side Turkey Burger and Crisp VeggiesIf you sign up for the e-newsletter, you’ll get coupons and info on store events (like their garlicky-greens eating world championship where the winner downed 7 pounds of sautéed spinach!). I also learned that they’re adding back eggs into their veggie burger recipe—a welcome change that should help alleviate the dryness. I even get a 10% discount on all orders because of b.good’s partnership with my health club. Now they just need delivery! Visit b.good.