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Indian Feast & Product Reivews!

Saturday, November 21st, 2009

Indian food is one of my favorite cuisines. The only time I ever get to have it is if I go out to an Indian restaurant or get take out. Lately, I have had an enourmous craving for it, but not a craving to go anywhere and order food! I decided I would try out some boxed Indian meals… my hope is to find some time to actually prepare an Indian dish from scratch. But for now, boxed it is.

I started with these:

Tasty Bite Bombay Potatoes:

Ingredients: Water, Potatoes, Chickpeas, Tomatoes, Onions, Sunflower Oil, Salt, Ginger, Garlic, Corn Starch, Coriander, Chilies, Cumin, Spices.
(VEGAN, KOSHER, GLUTEN-FREE, MSG-FREE & NO PRESERVATIVES!!!)
Nutrition per half box: 100 calories, fat 4g, carbohydrates 13g, fiber 3g, protein 5g

I was actually quite impressed with the nutrition! An entire box provides 10 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber! Pretty awesome! I was lazy and just microwaved the the contents of the package for 3 minutes. It was kind of a watery dish, so I used it as a sauce for some veggies, as you will see below!

Step 1: Saute lots of beautiful delicious veggies with spices! (ginger powder, garlic powder, coriander, chili powder, cumin, onion powder)

veggies include carrot, celery, mushroom, onion, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes

Step 2: Spiralize zucchini

Step 3: Pan-fry spiralized zucchini

Let me tell you, this was the best idea I ever had! TRY IT!!

Step 4: Microwave Tasty Bite contents and combine veggies and zuke spiralz in a bowl and top with heated the, in this case, bombay potatoes!
(this was only my FIRST bowl of goodness!)

Indian Life Samosas: Mixed Vegetable

I LOVE samosas! And these truly did not dissapoint for being frozen. They are a great snack for whenever, but I figured if I was going to have an Indian boxed/frozen feast I might as well go all out!

Ingredients: Peas, potatoes, carrots, corn, enriched flour, filtered water, onions, salt, ginger, green chilies, lemon juice, cilantro, canola oil, herbs and spices and citric acid.
VEGAN
Nutrition per Samosa w/ Tamarind sauce: calories 130, fat 6g, carbs 17g, fiber 1g, protein 2g

I was not exactly impressed with this nutrition info… but it is a yummy snack wrapped in a pastry shell! A good way to get in some fat at least! But at least I can feel good because of this from their website…”Majority of our products are 100% NATURAL with newer ORGANIC ingredients with NO PRESERVATIVES to minimum. Most of our extensive line of products have NO Added Flavor, NO Color, NO Eggs, NO MSG, NO Lard or NO Hydrogenated oils (Trans).” Not bad!

Directions: dipped warm and soft naan in bombay potato contents while consuming! Dip samosa in TAMARIND sauce

Indian Life Garlic Naan:

Ingredients: Organic Unbleached Enriched Flour, water, garlic, canola oil, salt, sugar, yeast, baking powder, vinegar and calcium propionate

Nutrition per half Naan: 150 calories, fat 4g, carbs 24g, fiber 2g, protein 4g

This Naan is unbelievably good for buying it prepackaged. All you do is wrap it in foil and put in the oven for a few minutes!

Of course, enjoy any type of cuisine with a side of Kabocha with ketchup and tobasco
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Overall, I was extremly happy with my Indian feast! The veggies with pan fried zukes + the bombay potatoes was absolutly delicious! With the addition of the soft doughy warm naan and crispy samaosa, I was in boxed meal Indian heaven. I could not have been happier…

note: if you try the Tasty Bite bombay potatoes, I highly suggest serving them with veggies as the base. It makes for a delicious, yet hearty (from the taters and chickpeas) sauce for the veggies.

Posted in Dinner, Product Review, Uncategorized | 8 Responses »
Tags: indian food, kabocha squash, Product Review, stir fry, veggies, zucchini

Weekend Snacks

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

First thing, I would like to thank all of my readers and to those of you who comment on my Blog!! It is so awesome and truly means more than you know to me! Food is my passion, and I am so happy to be part of a blog atmosphere of passionate foodies:) Okay…on to the food.

The beauty of weekends seems to be the lack of structure. Structure guides our lives monday through friday (or at least my life!), and I do enjoy it from a productive stand point. The weekends, however, provide a nice change of pace. Rather than having to eat what I find time to pack in the morning for my busy days, I have the luxury of eating the food I crave WHEN I crave it. There is also more time for food presentation fun:)

“didn’t your mother ever tell you not to play with your food…?” ummmm…yeah.

Kabocha Squash Fries (yes, I eat ALOT of kabocha!) w/ Ketchup + Tobasco dip

I sliced the leftovers from a whole roasted kabocha squash into “fries” and roasted them at 350 while broiling until crispy (20 min?)

Roasted brussel sprouts + tofu (400 for 20 minutes) seasoned w/ginger powder, garlic powder, tamari, chili powder, onion powder and soy

of course ketchup + tobasco dip

Ak-maks + parm slices

Protein power snack: Sun Warrior Protein Powder + PB + almond milk and water, all topped with dark choc chips (looks like a cookie!)

Plus a plain greek yogurt and dark chocolate chips

Plus pumpkin puree

All eaten together and used as a dip for a Honey Crisp apple

Next up: MORE kabocha fries! + raw broccoli, cauliflower, a carrot, celery, cherry toms, and nori

Dipping sauces= peanut butter sauce + pumpkin butter + pumpkin and of course ketchup + tobasco for the fries

Apple + carrot + celery dipped in almond butter + PB2 (yes dark chocolate chips managed to make their way into this snack)

Another delish veggie snack plate

Dipping sauces= pumpkin butter + peanut butter

How do you eat on the weekends? Breakfast + Lunch + Dinner, or all day grazing….

If I had my choice, I would opt for snacking consistently throughout the day as opposed to meals everyday. For me, large meals (especially during the day) weight me down, make me sleepy, and lower my level of productivity. I tend to eat my largest meal at dinner time for this reason.

I hope you enjoyed this snacky-post!! What is your “go-to” or favorite snack??

Posted in Uncategorized, snacks | 3 Responses »
Tags: apples, greek yogurt, healthy, kabocha squash, leftovers, pumpkin, seaweed, snacks, tofu, veggies

Kabocha for days

Saturday, November 14th, 2009

My love and appetite for Kabocha Squash is indefinte. I recently stocked up after an “out of kabocha squash” scare at my local co-op. I decided to try making “kabocha moons” this time, as opposed to roasting the squash whole until done, or in quarters as I did here.

Although, nothing can truly beat roasting an entire Kabocha squash until the entire house smells of its goodness, at least in my books.

Oven: 450
Procudre: Roast whole kabocha (I like to poke a whole or two into it)
Time: 15-45 minutes (depends on on the size of your squash) or until just soft enough to safely cut.
LET COOL 5-10 mintues before slicing in half
Slice: Remove stringy insides and seeds and slice Kabocha into half moons and top with any seasonings you like
Seasoning: I left 1/2 of the slices plain; 1/4 seasoned with pumpking spice and coconut oil; the last 1/4 of slices I seasoned with braggs liquid aminos, ginger, garlic, seseme oil, red pepper flakes, and maybe a few others. I figured an asian spice mix was appropriate as Kabocha is a Japanese Pumpkin!
Roast: Roast the the half moons until it reaches your desired crispiness/softness/gooeyness (20-45 mintues longer, flipping half way through)
NOTE: I prefer to roast my veggies on parchment paper with canola oil spray, but when I run out, I opt for foil + spray

I roasted a few trays of kabocha, as you can never have too much! One of the trays also included extra firm tofu, brussel sprouts and broccoli trunks.

Tofu: Extra Firm patted dry & sliced
Seasoning: (another Japanese insipriation) Red pepper flakes, braggs, garlic powder, onion powder, seseme oil, ginger powder, agave, onion granules, and I think that is all (?) I also enjoyed my tofu with some nori!
*The broccoli trunks and sprouts were included in this seasoning mix to simplify things

I loved the half moon style of roasting kabocha. It was carmelized in parts and absolutly delicious (of course). I will defintly rotate my Kabocha prep methods with the half moon style.

Kabocha dinner #1 (there were many “seconds”):

Reheating for Kabocha dinner #2 (although Kabocha is delicious cold!):

squash + maple brussel sprouts + roasted mushrooms + spinach + leftover black beans stir fried with veggies + spices

ps: spinach leaves make awesome little mini “wraps” for the beans or squash

Kabocha dinner #3

tortilla veggie&cheese pizza + shrooms + leftover black beans + bell pepper halves stuffed with black beans and parmesan + Kabocha squash

I am slighly addicted to dipping Kabocha into ketchup + tobasco, but it is excellent on it’s own as well!!

How do YOU enjoy Kabocha if you have tried it? What is your favorite winter squash and way of preparing it?

Posted in Dinner, Ethnic, Recipes, Vegan | 7 Responses »
Tags: black beans, gluten free, kabocha squash, leftovers, spinach, stir fry, tortilla, veggies

Recent Eats: Protein Power

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

Some recent eats around MyVeryFirstKitchen, and for lack of a better theme to tie everything together, we will go with PROTEIN POWER snacks/meals

1. Baked tofu + green beans

(extra firm tofu, pressed with paper towels & baked for 20 minutes with seseme oil + bragg’s liquid aminos + spices, flipped half way through, at 425)

2. Smoked salmon chunk + carrots + peanut and pumpkin butter + brussels sprouts and parsley from the garden

3. Spicy Black Beans from scratch (these have such an amazing texture compared to canned beans. Plus, NO SODIUM!)

Instructions: Soak beans overnight (or in the morning before you go to work/school) with double/triple the water. After 8-12 hours, rinse beans thoroughly. Add fresh water (double the amount) to your pot/pan and with the rinsed beans and slowly bring the water to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 hours, or until your beans are the consistency you want and the water is absorbed. Easy!

4. Snack Plate: Celery + almond butter + raisins, pumpkin and cinnamon

5. Tortilla Pizza + Veggies + Cheese
(high protein La Tortilla Factory tortilla’s or Flat Out Wraps)

6. Dessert lately has been alot of Greek yogurt + toppings:
Raspberries + dark chocolate chips + pom seeds + crushed Newman’s o cookie

Random eats but good ones, especially the new addition of yogurt to my dessert menu (18 grams protein/serving)

*some snacks/meals that don’t exactly follow my protein theme of the day*

Brussels Sprouts + Shallots (before)

After:

These were awesome! I have never pan “fried” brussels sprouts before, I always roast them in oil + maple syrup

Lots of veggie salads + Annie’s salad dressing (the best!)

ORGANIC DARK CHOCOLATE

Sorry for the overload of eats!

Posted in Dinner, snacks | 6 Responses »
Tags: almond butter, Dessert, greek yogurt, peanut butter, pumpkin, salad, snacks, tortilla, Vegan, veggies

Balanced Vegan Dinner

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

This dinner is the perfect balance of carbohydrate + protein + fat. It is cozy and delicious. Here is a quick, light, healthy meal that will leave you satisfied. Multiple servings are a must, I am only showing the first round of servings here:)

Baked tofu with homemade pumpkin cardamom sauce:

Slice and blot (with paper towels) extra firm tofu and bake at 425 for 20-30 mintues depending on your oven, flipping half way throught. You can also “marinate” your tofu in oil or any yummy sauce you like. BBQ is delish. For this recipe, I bake it plain so that it may be dipped in this yummy pumpkin sauce.

Meanwhile, make pumpkin sauce:

1/4 cup pumpkin pecan butter (or TJ’s pumpkin butter)
cardamom and cumin seeds (about a tsp each)
one clove garlic
pinch of ginger powder (optional)
honey, agave or brown sugar to your taste
soy milk creamer to thicken
water to thin if needed

Begin by frying seeds until fragrent in a non stick skillet
Remove from heat and mix with crushed clove of garlic.
Add pumpkin to skillet and stir until warmed throughout, add other spices and seasonings, and then add the fryed seed mixture.
Stir in soy milk creamer and sweetener to taste.
Drizzle over baked tofu, or use as dipping sauce! Delicious on sweet potatoes too.

Sweet Potato Fries:

Peel potatoes if desired, otherwise slice sweet potatoes into wedges.
“Paint” them with olive oil using a pastry brush, you can be quite generous with oil here, as this is the main fat source of the meal and will help in the absorption of valuable nutrients. (you can see my technique for “painting” oil here)
Season with sea salt + garlic powder + red pepper flakes or chili powder

Bake at 500 degrees for 15-20 minutes, flipping half way through.
(Or, if you are baking your potatoes and tofu at the same time, put the oven to 450 and flip tofu when browned on the bottom. Baking time will vary, so keep a close watch!)

Last but not least, MYVERYFIRSTKITCHEN wouldn’t be what it is without a ginormous salad:

Spinach + mushrooms + broccoli + tomatoes + yellow bell pepper + favorite salad dressing (honey mustard for me.)

Perfectly satisfying deliciousness of protein + startch (with some healthy EVOO fat!) + vegggggies. There is even room for a cupcake!

Posted in Dinner, Health Tips, Recipes, Vegan | No Responses »
Tags: balanced meal, Health Tips, healthy, pumpkin, salad, sweet potato, sweet potato fries, tofu, Vegan, vegetable, veggies

School Snacks

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

I am still fine tuning my school snacks to figure out what works best for me. School snacks AND work snacks I should say! Here are some of today’s.

These are my absolute favorite raw food bars! (This flavor too!) …product review soon!

Sorry for the terrible photo! I was running late this morning for school. My snacks include an Oikos yogurt + My Moja Mix + Grapes + 1 orange bell pepper (which I ate like an apple at work, I didn’t have slicing time this morning!) The Oikos + granola filled me up SO well! Must be the carb/protein mix!

One of my classes moved buildings today, and now I have to walk CLEAR across campus (about a mile) with my super heavy backpack! It was TERRIBLE! The new building we are in is awesome, but my car is so so so far away:( I wouldn’t mind if my backpack didnt hurt me:( So I am doing Pilates tomorrow morning before school in the hopes of stretching out my back and shoulders.

Dinner tonight included leftover Kabocha squash + leftover tortilla pizza from dinner Sunday + a HUGE salad!

My salad started with a layer of spinach, then a layer of mushrooms, tomatoes from our garden, 1/4 of an avocado, raw broccoli, DULSE per VeggieGirl’s suggestion! + flax oil and lemon. It twas refreshing!

Look what I found on one of my Dulse pieces!!

See the little shell guy?? It was STUCK on there! I use to call them sombrero’s or something as a kid when I found them on the beach:)

VeggieGirl, have you ever tried the little sweet/salty seaweed snacks that come in those small little packages??

After dinner palate cleanser included an not-pictured small shard of Theo 70% dark chocolate and then this:

Traditional Healing Peppermint Tea + 1 Lucy’s Gluten-Free Cinnamon Thin! (Product Review on these manana)

I never showed you all my eats from dinner at my parents Sunday (which is where my leftover tortilla pizza came from). My mom made corned beef which I passed on. I have not been consuming red meat for a few months so I avoid it most of the time because I know that it will upset my stomach. And why would I want to feel sick when socializing with the fam! My mom DID make a TWO BEAUTIFUL veggie plates!! Yes, I attacked them!

Dipped them into the yogurt/dill dip she made!

The boyfriend made a smoked salmon spread:

Here is my veggie pizza with lots of veggies and 1/4 cup of cheese:

My dinner plate: sweet potato, Caesar salad, cabbage, tortilla pizza!

Hasta Manana Bloggies!!

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Responses »
Tags: dulse, granola, kabocha squash, leftovers, oikos, pizza, salad, snacks, tortilla, veggies

My Very First Kitchen

musings from a student with her own very first kitchen!