Tag: <span>vegetarian</span>

Salad Month: Week One–Broccoli Cashew Salad

As a former vegetarian, I ate a lot of salads. A lot. Not only was it the easiest way to meet my veggie quota for the day, but it was often the default meatless entree when dining out. After some time, eating big bowls of greens became monotonous—even switching up the toppings and dressings didn’t help after a point. I wanted another version of salad that would still give me the veggies I needed, but rated higher on the excitement/flavor scale. I also wanted a variation that didn’t take an eternity to throw together, could feed me for multiple days, and was perfect for on-the-go.

School is back in session, which means I’m back to work–and back to school means packing lunches for both myself and my son. I work in a school clinic and it is a busy one: I often don’t get 30 minutes away to eat a regular lunch, so something I can easily eat at my desk in between seeing kids was an additional requirement.

For the next four weeks, I will share my favorite to-go salads: these salads meet all of my criteria—most of them are balanced enough to be an entire meal. Welcome to week one: Broccoli Cashew Salad.

Inspiration

Melon Gazpacho using Santa Claus melon and yellow cucumber from the farmer’s market…

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there have been a lot of changes in the melon world lately. Gone are the days of watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew as your only three choices. Here are some of the new guys: Lemon Drop, Honey Kiss, Orangedew, Crenshaw, Canary, Muskmelon, Galia, Hami and Santa Claus. Each has a texture and color reminiscent of the traditional cantaloupe and/or honeydew, but every one has its own unique melon-y flavor. Aside from adding them to smoothies and eating them straight out of the rind, I like using melon in…wait for it…soups! Move over vichyssoise and borscht, there is a new cold soup in town and it’s fruity and perfect for the summer!

Inspiration

I lived in Pittsburgh as a child and one of the things we looked forward to this time of year was Mama’s corn. Once summer arrived, a little farm stand called Mama’s sat at the top of the hill near my grandparents’ house. From the second it opened every season, it overflowed with the sweetest corn you could sink your teeth into. As soon as the public swimming pools and Dairy Queens opened their doors Memorial Day weekend, the next question on our lips was, “Is Mama’s open yet?”

Inspiration

For those who were nice: lemon spritz, oatmeal scotchies, spiced molasses, Grandma Schuster’s snickerdoodles, oatmeal scotchies, and chewy coffee.

For those who were naughty: Rice Krispies coal treats.

“Better late than never,” I always say, and in this case, it’s especially late. As if Christmastime wasn’t busy enough, I accepted a new job just after the holidays. After being a stay-at-home mom for the last nine years, there were a million and one things on my to-do list before I started work. Unfortunately, this post on my 2017 Christmas Cookies had to take the backseat. You’ve heard of Christmas in July events…well, I’m celebrating Christmas in July with cookies! Here is my post written—but never published—from back in December…

Inspiration

Mamey sapote…exposed

Happy summer and welcome back to My Veg Table! I’m enjoying my first summer off after going back to work. I took a job back in January as a school nurse, so life has been hectic; I’m glad to have some time now to catch up on posting and cooking again—the timing is perfect. I love everything about summer eating: grilling, picnics, watermelon, pie, and lemonade for days. My favorite produce pops up this time of year, too: berries, melons, corn and stone fruits are taking over my kitchen counter. Another fruit I get excited to see alongside the dragon fruit and plantains is the mamey sapote. If you have never seen or heard of this popular Latin fruit, you are not alone. I met a woman in the grocery store last year and she had never heard of it, either: an interesting conversation ensued…

Inspiration

Let’s be honest: it’s hard to make pea soup look pretty; fortunately, its flavor makes up for any aesthetic shortcomings. Sweet peas, tender carrots–and if you wish to include smoky, salty ham–make for a hearty meal: just in time for sweater weather. Paired with a fresh biscuit or cornbread, you might just feel as though you have been transported to a ski lodge cafe, as you warm your belly and watch the snow fall.

Campbell’s Chunky Split Pea with Ham soup takes me back to my childhood; after all, Chunky is “soup that eats like a meal”, right? Soup was often a meal for my family; we enjoyed cozying up to a big bowl when winter began to creep in–perfect for a snowy day. Although I have to enjoy my soup sans snow these days, I still love the visions that come flooding back. Food memories are powerful things: they can range from spectacularly good to fantastically awful: you may wax poetically about a particular food for decades or be tainted forever by a bad experience. Food shapes who we become, as do the memories that accompany them.

Inspiration

61 DEGREES, people! I walked outside this morning wearing boots on my feet and a smile on my face. The fact that this weather is upon us now–instead of making us wait until mid-November–is refreshing; everyone I came in contact with today was in a great mood. So, with much excitement–and a slight chill in the air–I can finally talk about fall and pumpkins! This is my favorite time of year: pumpkin-spiced goodies abound, cool weather, comfort food, and always a cozy blanket nearby; I typically find myself cooking and baking more than ever. Unfortunately, experimenting in the kitchen is on the back-burner for now…our busy weeks have left me little time for writing or cooking. New, fun, fall recipes will be coming down the pike, but, for now, I must resort to my first ever throwback: pumpkin bread.

Inspiration

Growing up in Pittsburgh, strawberries were a big treat in the summer. Their season was short, but when it hit, I would gorge myself– a small bowl of sugar always sat alongside my berries for lots of double-dipping. When I was ten, we moved to Florida and I noticed something strange: strawberries peaked in the middle of winter here. Florida winter is hardly winter at all, and apparently, it is the perfect weather for growing strawberries. Now, at the peak of summer, berries from California are in season: two strawberry seasons each year? Yes, please…

As the seasons wind down—whether it be in March for the Florida crop or in July from the other coast—the prices begins to fall: a container of organic strawberries will only cost $3.00, instead of $7.00. I usually ride out those last few pints with the 3-S’s: smoothies, shakes, and shortcakes. This year I wanted my berries to last long past their departure at the market; the best way to prepare fresh produce for the long haul is jam.

Inspiration

Tomatillo-avocado salsa–or vegetarian ceviche–all begins with these…

I think tomatillos are one of the coolest items in the produce aisle. They look just like baby green tomatoes, but their papery husks tell a different tale–they are not even related to tomatoes at all, but members of the gooseberry family. Acidic like their red lookalike, but not nearly as juicy, tomatillos can wake up the flavor of a dish with their vibrant personality. Since today is Cinco de Mayo, I am going to use these guys for the perfect accompaniment for my tacos and tortilla chips: tomatillo salsa.

Inspiration

The traditional Merck coffee cake updated with seasonal blueberries…

Last year my aunt gifted me a recipe card, penned by my late grandmother. The slightly stained index card was beginning to show its age: once white, now yellowing, its blue ink now bleeding through to the other side. The exceptional penmanship on this card was a rarity; my Grandma was known for having practically illegible handwriting–a consequence of the Catholic nuns trying to “fix” her left-handedness by forcing her to write with her right hand. While I was well-schooled in deciphering her hieroglyphics, it was always a surprise to see something legible come from her hand. The recipe is for Merk’s Coffee Cake.

Inspiration