October 6, 2009

When was a meat-eater, I loved the aroma and the flavor of bacon but almost never ate it because of the high fat content.  Now that it's been over 15 years since I ate anything with a face or parents, I have to admit that I still like the smell of it.  I can't stand the odor of barbecue or any other meat item, but bacon is the exception.  I don't eat it, but I do enjoy smelling it. I'm a little bit ashamed to confess that, but I have to be honest.

I know that lots of vegetarians are disgusted by the meat analog products that some of us eat, because they're too similar to real meat.  I totally understand and appreciate that viewpoint, but soy, wheat and mushroom burgers, patties, etc., don't personally offend me.

Back to the bacon.  I don't think it's the pig itself that smells so good; my theory is that it's the smokiness of the spices.  If it's true that the spice combo creates the aroma, then is there a product out there that would fill the bacon-shaped hole in a vegetarian's or vegan's diet?  And even if you're not a veggie, perhaps a bacon-flavor substitute would appeal to you for health reasons because of a lower fat content?

So I proposed a challenge to myself.  Try to find a delicious vegan bacon-flavored item.  Sounds simple, right?  Let's see!

The first contender is Bacon Salt.  I've been hearing buzz about it for months and months, but never ordered it.  In addition to online availability, you can now buy Bacon Salt in some retail stores.  I got my 2 oz jar of the Original Bacon Salt at Kroger for $4.99.

Bacon Salt

First off, there are lots of ingredients in Bacon Salt.  The first is sea salt, then garlic, paprika, onion, and corn syrup.  It also contains corn cereal (?), natural hickory smoke flavor, natural butter flavor, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, artificial flavors and some other things that I'm not familiar with.  So, my initial reaction is: too much stuff, some of it not good for us.

Secondly, there's the aroma.  Sniffing the jar, I wasn't bowled over.  It smells a little weird and fake-ish, with a mostly smoky odor.

Lastly, how does it taste?

• Tasting it plain out of the jar, it definitely tastes artificial to me.  I get the salt, garlic, paprika, onion and a little sweetness, but mostly I taste smoke and not in a great way.  Even faux bacon bits taste better alone than this.

• I also tried it sprinkled on some raw almonds that I had sauteed in a little butter for a few minutes.  The flavor of the salt was better on the almonds than it was on its own.  It reminded me a little of the smoked almonds you can buy in a can, but not as good.  The smoke flavor wasn't offensive on the almonds, but I wasn't really reminded of bacon either.

• The final taste test on a faux BLT was the most successful for Bacon Salt.  I spread a little mayo on some whole grain bread (you could use vegan mayo, of course), and added fresh tomato slices and shredded lettuce.  The Bacon Salt was sprinkled fairly generously over the veggies.  Dare I say it?  It was pretty darn tasty!  I almost got a touch of bacon-iness, without any of the odd artificial flavors.

The verdict:  2 stars out of 5 on the Sister Scale.  I wouldn't buy Bacon Salt again because I just don't think it's good for me since I try not to eat things I can't pronounce.  It is horrible?  Absolutely not.  Is it as great as the hype?  Nope.

So, the search continues for a great vegan bacon-flavored item.  I truly hope you find some value in this challenge, because tomorrow morning I'm going to have salt bags under my eyes like crazy!

Next time…vegan bacon jerky!

~BigSis

August 22, 2009

Tomato Salad with Feta, Basil and Balsamic Reduction

One of the bummers of summer coming to an end is that excellent tomatoes vanish.  The days of collecting big bags of succulent locally-grown tomatoes from the farmer's market will be long gone.  Boo.  Before that happens and I go into withdrawal and deep depression, I'm making all of the yummy summer tomato recipes that I can.  Here's a recipe for a delicious fresh tomato salad that couldn't be easier.

Don't let the fancy title fool you.  It's way simple, and you can use whatever quantities and whatever ingredients you like. You could add roasted red pepper, mint, olives, capers, pine nuts…anything your little heart desires!  As my old boss would say, you're only limited by your imagination!  He would also say that it's easier to ask forgiveness rather than permission, but the company folded so I'm thinking that maybe that wasn't such a good philosophy.  🙂  This salad is good though!

Tomato Salad with Feta, Basil and Balsamic Reduction

1 large tomato
2 small or 1 medium tomato, chopped
2 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Dash of lemon pepper
2 tablespoons or more feta (I like more!)
Lettuce for serving
Balsamic Reduction (cook 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar over low heat until it thickens slightly.  Cool before using.)

First, make the receptacle for the salad.  Turn the large tomato upside down,with the stem side down.  Make 4 cuts, like you're making an asterisk, but don't cut all the way through; only a little more than 3/4 of the way down.  You want to be able to spread the “petals” of the tomato to make room for the salad to sit.  Place the tomato on a bed of torn lettuce.

Mix the chopped tomato with the basil, lemon juice, olive oil, lemon pepper and feta. Toss lightly together, and spoon into the center of the prepared tomato.  Drizzle with the reduced balsamic.  Voila!  Vive la Summer!

~BigSis

August 12, 2009

I think that if you looked at my genetic makeup under a microscope or DNA viewer or whatever the heck you would use for such a purpose, you would see that I'm 1/8 Choctaw and 7/8 Chickpea!  I eat SO many chickpeas, I'm sure I'm close to turning into one!  I honestly eat a chickpea in some form or another at least 4 times a week.  If it's not hummus, then it's one of these other two go-to lazy vegetarian girl dishes:

• Marinated Chickpeas – Ok, pay close attention because this is super-duper complicated.  Take a can or two of chickpeas.  I actually wouldn't even bother with just one can because I'm such a chickpea piggie.  Dump the chickpeas into a colander.  Rinse them with cool water to get rid of all the slimy gross liquid they've been swimming around in since they were canned.  Drain them well and pour into a bowl.  Add fresh lemon or lime juice, extra virgin olive oil or your favorite delicious healthy oil (could be macadamia or walnut or whatever), sea salt, fresh pepper, and voila!  You're done!  If you want to get fancy, add other seasonings, like Frank's Red Hot Sauce, lemon pepper (Penzey's is my choice), fresh herbs, or even parmigiano reggiano shreds.  Eat it up asap or let it sit for a while.  I'm addicted to this as much as I am to hummus.  You can crush the peas a little bit if you want, or leave them whole.  I like this at room temperature.

• Not-Tuna Chickpea Salad – Here's another high-difficulty gourmet recipe.  Rinse and drain the chickpeas, and then whir them around in a little food processor or chopper til they're crushed up some but still have some texture.  I don't like them completely pureed.   You may need a little olive oil or lemon juice if the mixture is too dry, but usually they mush up fine.  Then, basically make your usual  tuna salad recipe with whatever you like, substituting the chickpeas for the tuna, of course.  I like a dab of mustard, some mayo (dairy-free would be fine), dill pickle relish, a little lemon juice, Frank's Red Hot, lemon pepper, and sea salt.  Pile it onto whole grain bread or crackers, fill a pita, or just gobble it up with a spoon.  It would also be good wrapped up in some lettuce leaves or piled into a hollowed out tomato for lunch.  You may say “weird” right now, but try it and you'll say “hmmm, BigSis was right.  This is yummy!”

That's it guys and girls…two of my easy, healthy, vegetarian staple chickpea dishes.  Certainly not on the menu at LilSis' house, but at Casa BigSis, it's a scrumptious meal!  You know, I like to eat healthy but I don't usually have much time for cooking in the evening so I need fast food that isn't junk food.  I'll have more easy meatless recipes for you later.  Have a tasty day!

~BigSis

August 10, 2009

I just channeled Elly May Clampett for a minute there, didn't I?  I can't help it; sometimes my inner hillbilly comes out!  After all, I am from Texas.  Hey, fellow Texans; please don't be offended.  You know the rest of the world tends to view us as hicks or rednecks or bumpkins.  If we can't have a sense of humor about it, we're in deep horse doodie!

Back to the critters.  It's been 15 years since I had one on my plate; other than my cats trying to steal my dinner, that is.  And trust me, I have not withered away since I stopped eating meat.  People who know me know that I always say I don't eat anything with a face or with parents.  No chicken, no fish, no flesh.  But I'm strong and have good energy 15 years later.  I am certainly not a pale sickly twig!

Why'd I stop eating meat?  I read a book by John Robbins called Diet for a New America and decided to skip meat-eating for a week,  just to see if I could do it.  I never went back.  Once I knew about factory-farming, I couldn't forget that I knew it.  So there you have it.  I won't get preachy about it. People know where I stand, and as much as I'd like for everyone to be vegetarian, it has to be your choice.  You don't make a major lifestyle change like that because someone else is beating you up about it.  You do it because you want to.

I'm not vegan yet, but I'm always moving closer to it, and I'm intrigued by the raw diet.  I do eat an occasional egg, although if I think about it, it grosses me out to think of eating a liquid chicken.  And I do eat a little cheese.  Why can't someone invent a tasty, melty non-dairy cheese, for cryin out loud??

So what do I eat on a daily basis?  By now, you know I eat hummus…I talk about it all the time.  Green hummus. Healthy hummus. Hummus with sundried tomato pesto added.  Now I'm on a mission for the perfect artichoke hummus recipe.

But I do eat other things – not just roots and leaves – and I'm going to talk more about that soon so stay tuned!  Meanwhile, happy anniversary to me and to all of the critters I didn't eat!  In honor of this anniversary, check out this funny little Farting Cow video from Animal Planet.  Trust me, you'll laugh!  Just don't laugh so hard that you…well, you know!

~BigSis

June 2, 2009

I'm so excited about my new discovery!  I'm pretty much a condiment queen…I have every condiment in my fridge from Sriracha to spicy brown mustard to real mayo to jalapeno ketchup to tamari to chili garlic sauce to horseradish sauce.  I love condiments, and if they add flavor without adding any fat, I'm even more in love with them.  Enter Vivi's Carnival Mustard!

Vivi's Carnival Mustard

I heard about this condiment a long time ago, but wasn't sure about ordering something online and paying shipping on it when I didn't even know if I'd like it.  So I never ordered it.  A couple of weeks ago, I spotted a Vivi's display at Central Market and remembered all of the rave reviews I'd read.  Being an impulse shopper, I grabbed a jar of the roasted garlic variety.  OMG!  This stuff is over the moon delicious!  I thought it was yummy on cheese and crackers, but when I put it on a whole wheat hot dog bun with a Tofu Pup, I thought I'd died and gone to vegetarian heaven!

What's so special about Vivi's?  Picture mustard meeting up with pickle relish, garlic, tomato paste, pepper sauce and spices!  Is your mouth watering yet?  I don't think you can quite imagine how good this is, especially if you're a spicy girl like me!  It's vegan and all natural with no fat, no MSG, no preservatives and about the same amount of sodium as regular mustard.  You can choose the garlic variety as I did, or the original or the chipotle flavors.  Besides slathering it all over my Tofu Pup, I used it in my favorite Mock Tuna Chickpea Salad over the weekend, and I can't wait to try it in deviled eggs.   Move over, my darling mayo.  There's a new condiment in town who is tastier than you and who won't add fat to my arse!

~BigSis

May 23, 2009

I can't believe that Memorial Day is here already, that is; summer is here already.  Wasn't it just Christmas, for cryin' out loud?  Seriously, time is going by scary fast and it freaks me out.  The next time I turn around I'm going to be on Social Security, when I still feel like I should be on Spring Break instead.  How does life get by us so quickly?

So.  What I was about to talk about before I wigged out?  Oh yeah, food for Memorial Day.  Alrighty then.  We're supposed to have rain here the whole DING.  DANG.  WEEKEND.  The whole weekend.  My first reaction was to be hissed off.  We work all week long, and then when the long holiday weekend comes along, we get rain?  3 days of rain?  Seriously?

But then I got a grip on my attitude and decided that I would make the best of the weather, whatever it was.  I can't control it so there's no point in getting worked up about it, right?  We still have 3 days off work.  Hallelujah!  So I vow to whine no more this weekend, even if I get mildewed by Tuesday morning.

However, with the weather being so sketchy, I haven't wanted to commit to any plans that rely on a sunny day so I'm not doing the cookout thing.  That doesn't mean I can't think about what I would make for a Memorial Day soiree if I was having one.

Memorial Day is traditionally a burger/hot dog grilling kind of a day.  But maybe some of you are looking for ideas for Monday, and maybe you're like me and want suggestions that don't involve eating critters?  Allow me to give you a sample menu that I would make if I were making it.  I'm going with a Mediterranean theme, up until dessert when it's unapologetically patriotic all the way!  Check out this menu, and enjoy your weekend…soggy or not!  I'm reminded by my conscience that this weekend is about the sacrifices made by our military men and women; NOT about whether I get to sit by the pool or not!

• Olive Garden's Bruschetta from Todd Wilbur's “Top Secret Restaurant Recipes” via Cooking with Good Morning America

• Grilled Portabella Mushroom Burgers with Tarragon Mustard Aioli from DIY Network

• Spinach and Orzo Salad from AllRecipes

• Cherry Tomato and Olive Salad from RecipeZaar

• Berry Cheesecake Pie from Taste of Home

• Red White ‘n' Blue Salad from Taste of Home

Red White 'n' Blue Salad from Taste of Home

~BigSis

October 5, 2008

When I was making tonight's Sunday Supper, it occurred to me that my plate was a lot like the presidential race this year.  There are some similarities on each side, but there is a wide gap in-between the two parties and the two philosophies.  And, yes, I do have an opinion about the race.  A pretty strong opinion I would say, but no, I'm not about to say what that opinion is.  We'd all fight and argue about it, somebody would get mad, and guess what – no one's opinion would be changed.  So I'll keep mine to myself.

Back to the supper.  I always enjoy the edamame corn salad that you can get at Whole Foods, because it's tasty and easy, and pretty healthy.  But it's a tad too raw-oniony for me, and it just seems silly to pay whatever it costs per pound when it's only corn and soybeans and a few dressing ingredients.  You can't put together a dish for less than this little baby costs if you do it yourself.

I was craving the salad today, and decided to try two different variations of it tonight since I had the corn and edamame in the freezer.  One version is Asian-inspired, and one Southwest-inspired.  But, man (or woman) can't lived on soy and corn alone, so I made a lettuce, tomato and avocado salad to go with it.  In the little political/salad scenario going on in my head, the two edamame corn salads are the democrats and republicans, and the LTA salad is in the gap between them.  Ok, so it's a little goofy to compare beans and corn to the dems and the reps, but life can get too serious, right?

BigSis Supper October 5

Both of the salads started with sauteed red onion and garlic. The asian variety added toasted sesame oil, olive oil, rice vinegar, lemon juice, garlic chili sauce, and salt, plus cilantro, wasabi powder, and shallot pepper all from Penzey's.  The southwest version had lemon juice, cider vinegar, olive oil, and salt, with more Penzey's specialties: shallot pepper, lemon pepper, and  Southwest seasoning.  I have to say both were really good, although I expect they will morph a little bit as they sit overnight.  The flavors will blend, and my lunch experience tomorrow may be a tad different story than my dinner tonight.  I'm slightly fearful that the wasabi powder will rear it's ugly little green head overnight and come back to bite me in the fanny tomorrow.

And just in case you're wondering, yes, that whole ding dang plate of food was just for one person! You may have heard that vegetarians eat like birds, so let me dispel that myth right here and now.  We eat!   I ate the whole thing!  My tummy was full to the top, but it was a guilt-free full.  This meal was vegan except for Newman's Own Caesar Dressing.  It was full of fiber and protein, and a plethora of antioxidants and other goodies for my bod. I eat this way a lot of the time.  I'm not a twig by any means, but I'm not overweight either.  I try to eat for health and energy and fuel most of the time, and don't worry about a big plate of vittles if it's good stuff.  Which isn't to say that I don't have my crazed Kettle potato chip episodes, because I do!  Life's about balance, right? Eat well most of the time, and then don't freak out about your little splurge!

On a serious note, can I just say thank you to Paul Newman for so many wonderful high-quality organic products? And for living a life with a purpose, and apparently without scandal? God bless you, Paul; rest in peace.

~BigSis