Deconstructed Brown Rice and Avocado Sushi

Today, I really wanted Whole Foods' brown rice and avocado sushi for lunch, but I didn't really want to spend $6 on it. I had some left-over, cold brown rice, an avocado, and a cucumber. Figured I'd make my own, deconstructed sushi. It looks kind of funky, but it tastes just like the sushi I was craving.


Serves 2
9 WW points/serving

1 c. cold brown rice
1 medium avocado, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into matchsticks
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 tsp wasabi paste (or more or less, to taste)

Combine soy sauce and wasabi paste in a small bowl. Toss rice, avocado, and cucumber in a large bowl. Top with soy sauce. Divide into two servings. Enjoy!

Efforts must be redoubled.

Day 40. It's been a while since I've blogged, but things have been going relatively well. About a week ago, I was on a pizza kick. For some reason, I decided that real cheese was acceptable. Urgh. It is not. I think I was just feeling lazy and overwhelmed both with work and cooking. I find that if I don't take the time to get ready for the week over the weekend, I tend to get off-course diet-wise pretty quickly. No excuse, I know. But it's all about progress, right?

On a positive note, I managed to stay vegan at a work happy hour, going away party for one of my best friends where the adult beverages were flowing a little too freely. The bar had some pretty yummy hummus, which I gorged myself on.

I'm planning our Valentine's Day menu. Chris and I are going to do small plates instead of a big meal. I'm thinking of making:

• Vegetable potstickers
• Basil and balsamic vinegar bruschetta
• Stuffed mushrooms
• Phoney-pepperoni rolls
• Chocolate Bundt cake

I've also got to do some menu planning for this week so I don't have a repeat of last week's laziness.

January - check!

Day 30. Made it to February with a renewed sense of commitment to veganism. I am really excited about doing this for another month, at minimum.

Last night, I was flipping through channels post-workout and came across Rachael Ray's "30-Minute Meals." I don't know what she was cooking; I don't really care. All I know is that I heard her say something about someone making candles out of bacon fat, and that she said the smell was "intoxicating." That is really disgusting. If I went on national television and said that I wanted a candle made out of bunny or kitty fat, they would throw my ass in jail or skewer me publicly. She should be ashamed.

It makes me really disappointed with mainstream America that it is not only acceptable to inhumanely slaughter non-human animals, but also that it is expected. We are raised to believe that, if you don't eat animal products, you are somehow weak, crazy, and strange. We are not raising our children to be compassionate; we are raising them to be carnivores. No one thinks about where their food comes from, or even what it is. The more I read and learn, the more the thought of meat makes my stomach turn.

Mexican Casserole

I made this the other night. It is my take on the delicious-looking version that Renae posted on I Eat Food (you can see her version here), made with what I had in my pantry. It was *awesome*, thanks to Renae's yummy nacho sauce. Chris devoured it (hence why there are no pictures of it), and requested that it be included in "the rotation," which is our standard dossier of go-to recipes that are sure to please. Thanks again, Renae!

Makes 8 servings
6 WW pts/serving

Nacho Sauce:
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. nutritional yeast
1 tsp salt
2 garlic cloves, grated
2 c. water
1 Tbsp Earth Balance buttery spread
1 tsp prepared mustard (I used French's yellow)
2 c. your favorite salsa

In a small saucepan, whisk together flour, yeast, salt, garlic, and water until smooth. Cook over medium-low heat until it thickened and coating the back of a spoon. Stir in buttery spread, mustard, and salsa. Cook for 1-2 more minutes until heated through.

For the "Beef" Filling:
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
1/2 medium red bell pepper, seeded, ribs removed, and finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14-oz) pkg vegan ground beef (such as Gimme Lean)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder

---------------

4 c. spinach, cooked (I just sauteed mine in cooking spray over medium heat until it wilted)
8 corn tortillas
1 c. fat free, vegetarian refried beans
1 c. frozen sweet corn

To Assemble:
(1) Coat a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
(2) Place 2 tortillas on the bottom of the dish. Top with about 1/3 of the "beef" filling, then 1/4 of the nacho sauce, then 1/3 c. of corn.
(3) Spread 1/4 c. of refried beans on each of 2 tortillas, then put them in the dish. Top with 1/4 of "beef" filling, 1/4 of nacho sauce, and 1/3 of corn.
(4) Repeat Step 3 again.
(5) Top with spinach, last 2 tortillas, then last 1/4 of nacho sauce.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until bubbly.

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Makes 8 servings

7 WW pts/ serving

1/2 lb lasagna noodles (about 12 noodles), cooked according to package directions and drained on paper towels until ready to use.

For the Vegetable Filling:

1 large eggplant, sliced into 1/4" rounds

1 large zucchini, sliced into 1/4" rounds

1 large summer squash, sliced into 1/4" rounds

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces

1 medium yellow onion, sliced into quarters

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp fennel seed

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp black pepper

cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large baking dish, tossing to combine. Coat with cooking spray and stir again. Bake veggies for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring at least once, or until very tender. Set aside.

Note: This can be done ahead of time.

For the Tofu Cream Filling:

1 (12.3-oz) pkg firm tofu

2 Tbsp fresh parsley

1 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1 bulb roasted garlic (see recipe below), cloves removed from paper skins

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp fennel seed

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/8 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Process until smooth. Set aside.

For Roasted Garlic:

1 bulb garlic

1 tsp olive oil

1/8 tsp sea salt

pinch black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut top off garlic to expose cloves. Place garlic on a piece of aluminum foil, then place in a small ramekin (to avoid dripping). Pour olive oil over garlic, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 45 minutes or until garlic very soft and fragrant.

(I do this when I roast the veggies. Takes the same amount of time).

For the Sauce:

1 (1 lb. 10-oz) jar spaghetti sauce (I like Ragu's No Sugar Added Light Tomato Basil)

1 (14-oz) can no-salt added diced tomatoes

1 tsp fennel seed

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

To Assemble:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Place a small amount of sauce on the bottom of the pan, using the back of a spoon to get an even layer. Top with 3 noodles, then top with about 1/3 of the tofu cream, 1/2 the veggies, and 1/3 of the sauce. Repeat once. Top with remaining noodles, remaining tofu cream, and remaining sauce.

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until bubbly and heated through.

Note: Can be made ahead and frozen. Just cover with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Just to be safe, I like to write on the foil what the hell is in the dish and what date I made it on. This avoids mystery. If you like mysteries, by all means, throw caution to the wind.

Weight Watchers Points for Recipes

I am quite aware that no one reads this blog but me. Nevertheless, in the event that anyone does happen to stumble upon my humble lil' blog, I wanted to let you know that I'm going to post Weight Watchers Points for my recipes. I've been an on-again/off-again Weight Watcher for the past few years, and I'm currently back on. So far, like I said yesterday, I have lost nearly 5 pounds in a month. I credit that with two things: WW and veganism.

Carmelized Onion-Dill Green Beans

Makes 2 servings
2 WW pts/serving

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp sugar (or Splenda sugar mix)
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 (14-oz) can green beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

In a small skillet, heat oil and add sugar over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. Once sugar is dissolved, add onion. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes, or until onion very tender. Add remaining ingredients, stirring to coat. Cook over medium-low heat for another 5 minutes, or until green beans heated through.