Curry in a Hurry

Some nights, I'm in a hurry when it comes to making dinner. I have to squeeze in walking the dog, going to the gym, dinner, clean-up, maybe some errands or housework (or both on my super lucky nights). And if it's a Monday or Tuesday night, everything had better be done by 8PM and 10PM, respectively, so as to not interfere with my ABC Family night or Teen Mom.

I wish I were kidding. 

So when I came across Curry in a Hurry in Peas and Thank You, I'm pretty sure Mama Pea made this with me in mind. 

This, like everything I've tried so far, was so quick to put together, and that's really important to me. Luckily, summer is a bit lazier than September through June, and so I have more time. But school starts next week and I'll be taking two classes - I'm not going to have tons of time to labor over cooking and I'm always looking for recipes to add to my "Quick Meals for My Insanely Busy Week" repertoire. This is my most recent addition, and for that, I thank Mama Pea.

Cheezy Pasta & Veggies

I bring you another recipe developed by Angela at Oh She Glows. This is such a yummy recipe, and it's SO unbelievably easy. Ease of preparation and clean-up plays a huge role in how often I'll make a meal - the quicker the prep and clean-up, the more likely I am to make it. And her cheezy sauce? So. Good. My favorite cheeze sauce so far. Another bonus? It tasted just as good as leftovers.

If you give this a try, let me know how you liked it and what veggies you used!

Spicy Kale Chips

 (Note: This picture is pre-baking. I forgot to take a picture when they came out of the oven... 

and there aren't any chips left to photograph.)

I feel like kale, like most leafy greens, gets neither the recognition nor the respect it deserves. More than once, I've had a cashier at the grocery store ask me, "What's that?" This question kind of blows my mind, because if you can't identify it (and hi, you're working at a grocery store), you probably aren't eating it, either. And you should be!

 I will admit that I haven't always been a fan of kale or its family members. I remember my mom making it for my brother and me a few times, but we weren't having it. After going vegan, though, I realized I'd have to make friends with not just kale, but collard greens and spinach, too. And now, kale and I have moved from friendship to love affair. Especially in the form of kale chips.

Chock full of vitamins and minerals, kale boasts loads of health benefits. Kale has high levels of vitamins A, C, and K; calcium, fiber, and beta-carotene, too, are present in large amounts. You can also find omega-3 fatty acids, folic acid, potassium, and magnesium in kale. Together, these antioxidants strengthen our bones and teeth; protect and maintain heathy eyes and skin; prevent the formation of cancerous cells; promote regular digestion; work as an anti-inflammatory agent in arthritis and asthma; lower blood pressure; promote a healthy immune system. Seriously, there's no reason to not eat it!

So, I bring you one of my favorite ways to eat kale. It's so easy and so yummy, and you'll probably have a hard time not eating them all in one day. Or is that just me?

You'll need:

- 1 lb of fresh kale
- olive oil
- sea salt and red pepper flakes to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse and dry kale. Remove hard stems. Tear or cut leaves into smaller, edible pieces.
2. In a large bowl, toss leaves with 1 tbsp olive oil. You want to just lightly coat the leaves of oil; too much oil will make your leaves limp and greasy. If you need more oil to coat leaves, add oil 1/2 tbsp at a time.
3. Lay leaves on a baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with sea salt and red pepper flakes to taste.
4. Bake 12-13 minutes. Half way through, you can toss them on the sheet for more even baking.

These can burn easily, so keep an eye on them! You can also toss on cayenne pepper for a smoky flavor.

Stir-fry Veggies and Cashews

I was off of work today, and after a fairly productive day of errands, housework, and a good workout, I wanted a quick and easy meal. Thus this delicious stir-fry. The beautiful thing about stir-fry veggies is that you can use just about any combo you please, you can cook as much or as little as you want, and they cook fairly quickly.

This general outline for this recipe is as follows:

- rice
- 2 tsp olive oil
- half a medium yellow onion
- two cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp-ish grated fresh ginger root
- half a cucumber
- a handful of baby carrots
- half a red pepper
- one can baby corn (you can substitute fresh baby corn)
- half a can of water chestnuts
- two handfuls of mung bean sprouts
- soy sauce to taste
- cashews and sesame seeds, for garnish

1. Get rice cooking per its directions.
2. Heat olive oil; add onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook 4-5 minutes.
3. Add cucumber, carrots, and red pepper. Cook 5 minutes or until veggies start to soften.
4. Add remaining veggies and cook until the soften.
5. Season to taste with soy sauce. Add cashews and sesame seeds to your liking.

I don't think it gets much easier than that!

Go Green!

Confession: I haven't always liked vegetables. Before going vegan, my vegetable intake was primarily limited to salad basics, just about any canned variety, and broccoli. Once in a while, I'd buy a cucumber for snacks, but never, ever in my pre-vegan days did I get excited about raw baby carrots and hummus (which now appear in my lunch three to five times a week).

When I went vegan, I realized I'd have to learn to like vegetables because I eliminated a lot of typical American foods. Now, green juices/smoothies are one of the fastest, easiest, and tastiest ways I get in lots of raw, nutrient-rich green vegetables. Why? Because the fruit flavors tend to mask the strong taste of the raw greens!

This is the sort of thing that  just depends on what you have on hand. I use any combination of fruits and green vegetables. I almost always have frozen fruit in the freezer, and how much frozen fruit I use determines if it's more of a green juice or green smoothie. Sometimes I'll use a few ounces of fruit juice, yogurt, or coconut milk. Your preferences also play a big part in determining what ratio of fruits to vegetables you use. If you're new to it and aren't crazy about raw kale, use more fruit. Change your ratio to more evenly balance, or favor, greens as you discover what combinations you like and as your tastebuds get used to these new textures and tastes!

For this particular juice, I threw the following into a blender:

- a frozen, sliced banana
- a hunk of watermelon (really specific, I know)
- two raw kale leaves
- two ounces pineapple juice

Going green has never been easier!