meatless monday - Arsenic & Old Place

Try This: The Perfect Homemade Salad Dressing for Every Taste

Sorry for the silence over the last several days. I’ve really had a tough couple of weeks. I mean, seriously you guys, Murphy’s law in full effect. I haven’t been sleeping well because a particularly bold family of raccoons decided to make my roof their home. I called wildlife control and they set up traps that work great, only problem is they’ve been catching my neighbors’ cats. If that wasn’t enough, I hammered all hell out of my thumb instead of my intended target, a nail. My subsequent crying made my allergy symptoms that much more unbearable, ushering in one of the worst sinus/tension headaches I’ve ever had. Meh, I could go on, but you get the idea.

Anyway, I’ve been making the best of things around here. Since I’m not sleeping very much, I have a ton of time to clean up and organize my house. I might fill you in on more of those deets in a later post. But first, I thought I should share a little bit about my current food situation. Usually when things are not going the way I had planned, I turn to comfort food. Mostly sweets. Lots and lots of sweets. Fortunately for me, this year’s farm share and farmer’s markets are having none of that sweet tooth nonsense. Everywhere I turn there are some pretty amazing looking salad greens.

I’m not too discerning when it comes to salad greens. I do notice that some greens are more bitter than others, but honestly salad dressing is what makes or breaks a salad. If the dressing is delicious the salad is transcendent. Long story short, my current obsession is homemade salad dressing.

A couple of things to note: 1. Since I’ve been making my salad dressing, the half used bottles of store bought salad dressing that crowded my refrigerator doors have become nonexistent. Making your own salad dressing means that you can quickly make just enough, and you will never have to smell the old bottles of dressing in your fridge all the while praying that it’s actually still edible. 2. Homemade salad dressing is so easy to make and so insanely easy to customize that you’ll never look back. I promise. You must try this!

Here are some simple infographics that will make all of your salad dressing dreams come true!

1. Start with the basics

2. Vinaigrette or Creamy?

3. Mix and Match Oils

4. Level Up!

Source: HuffPostTaste

Try This—Loaded Sweet Potato With Lime Cream

There’s almost nothing more gratifying than straight up feasting on healthy food that you prepared with your own hands. I love to know what is actually in the food I’m eating (I’m giving the side eye to you, Monsanto), and I like to be able to pronounce all the ingredients. Admittedly, clean eating can be a challenge when you’re exhausted… on a weeknight… and super hungry… and just want to chill. I know the feeling. You guys, bad things happen when I’m too tired to cook. I gravitate toward bad-for-you quick fixes that are overprocessed, full of empty calories, and totally lacking nutritional value. I’m left feeling weighed down and even more tired. This recipe though! This is my go-to, weeknight, clean-eating, lazy girl recipe.

I really try to stick to clean foods. Foods that are delicious in their natural state and don’t need a ton of barbecue sauce to make them edible. Most of all, I try to stick to foods that give you more bang for your buck. Those foods that fill you up and keep you satiated, all for a reasonable price. How can we go wrong with sweet potatoes, avocados, and beans? For real, these ingredients practically scream fiesta without the guilt and certainly without the huge price tag. Clean-eating ingredients, seriously filling at a low cost, quick cook time, and gourmet style presentation are really our #squadgoals here, y’all. This recipe certainly ticks all of those boxes. You must try this!!!

Loaded Sweet Potato With Lime Cream

ingredients

For the filling

3 medium sweet potatoes
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 white onion, thinly sliced
2 cloved garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups cooked pinto beans (if canned, rinsed and salt-free)
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tbsp cumin
2 tbsps tomato paste
1 red bell pepper, diced
salt

For the Lime Cream

1/2 cup greek yogurt
1 lime, juiced
water, if desired

Optional Garnishes

cilantro
scallions
micro greens
avocado
fresh lime juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pierce each potato a few times with a fork. Place on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan, and roast for 60-75 minutes or until you can easily pierce the skin with a knife and the inside is soft. Allow to cool slightly before slicing and stuffing.
While the potatoes cook, warm the coconut oil in a medium sized sauté pan or dutch oven. Add the onions and garlic and cook until caramelized, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add 1 tbsp water to the pan and scrape any brown bits stuck to the bottom in order to deglaze.
Stir in spices and tomato paste and toast for 30 seconds. Add the bell pepper and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Once softened, stir in the beans, add a pinch of salt, and allow the flavors to meld together for 5 minutes.
Slice each potato down the center, almost through to the bottom. Open to reveal the orange flesh. Spoon in the beans and top with selected garnishes.
For the lime cream, simply whisk together lime juice and yogurt. Add water, a tsp at a time to thin, if desired.

Source: Crunchy Radish

Try This—5 Unapologetically Vegetarian Burgers for Your Meatless Monday

Before I became a vegetarian, I used to head over to the East Village to a place called Paul’s Palace down on 2nd Ave & St Mark’s Pl. I’m probably giving away my age, but this was at a time when the East Village was sprinkled with drug addicts and punk rockers, not a hipster in sight. Anyway, this was THE burger spot. This place served up any topping you could think of, all on top of a 1/2 pound burger. That was many moons ago. In fact, it’s rapidly approaching 25 years worth of moons ago. I only mention Paul’s Palace (I think it goes by Paul’s Da Burger Joint now) because over the years, it’s kinda sculpted the way I build veggie burgers. Because of Paul’s, there is no such thing as too many toppings… no such thing as a savory sauce that doesn’t belong. I’m talking so many toppings, you might have to eat this burger with a knife and fork. I still think y’all might be sleeping on me and my veggie burger craft. You hear me? I’ve even put grilled fruit on a veggie burger. What?! I know you hear me now!

Anyway, I rounded up some pretty unique veggie burger recipes for you. Some of these recipes will work even if you use store bought veggie burger patties. I kinda feel like the toppings make the burger anyway so you should still check these out. If you’re more adventurous, you should totally make the burgers from scratch. It’s so worth it. Just remember that veggie burgers are rarely the same consistency as meat burgers, so don’t feel bad if your homemade patties fall apart a bit. It’s the taste that matters and these are sure to please. You must try these!!!

Tag: meatless monday

Try This—Loaded Sweet Potato With Lime Cream