Tricking Tim...

Since Tim & I were first married, I have made it my responsibility to make sure he's well fed. I may have gone a little overboard with my foodie ways, and not always with the healthiest stuff. So, with my recent vegetarian conversion, I've had to focus more on including fruits and veggies into my diet (and his). Tim is not a fan of vegetables and often tries to get away with eating meat for dinner, with a side of meat.

I have found little ways to incorporate healthier fare and I thought I'd include a couple super easy recipes right here. He loved them both!

Peanut Butter & "Jelly" Smoothie (adjust ingredient amounts to your own taste)

1 small banana
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/4 cup soy yogurt (I also use a splash or two of almond milk for even more creaminess, but you can just add more yogurt if you prefer)
3/4 or 1 cup juice (I use mango-tangerine)
1 heaping TBSP peanut butter

Roast Broccoli

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Toss bite size pieces of raw broccoli in EVOO, a little salt & pepper, and chopped garlic.

Spread broccoli in one layer on baking sheet. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese. (Parmesan is great, but a little cheddar is good too.)

Pop them back in and bake for another 3-5 minutes. This recipe works great with cauliflower as well. Make sure you don't overcook your broccoli. If it gets too well done, it can turn bitter.


That's all for now!

Recipes! (Vegetarian)

Sweet Potato Puffs








Preheat oven to 500 °F.

Have ready:
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes

Peel, mash & add:
1 large ripe banana

Combine and add:
1 1/2 TBSP melted butter
1 beaten egg yolk
1 1/2 TSP salt
3 TBSP hot milk or cream
1/8 TSP nutmeg (freshly grated)
1/8 TSP ginger

Beat until stiff:
1 egg white

Fold egg white gently into the the potato mixture. Drop the batter from a tablespoon in mounds - well apart - on a greased tin or place the mixture in buttered ramekins (or muffin tin). Bake about 12 minutes.

Garnish with a little drizzled honey or agave nectar. ( I used a little cinnamon sugar as well...)


"Valentine" Roasted Beet Soup (Tim's FAVORITE! If you think you hate beets, try this recipe...it's WONDERFUL)








1/2 lb red beets (about 3 medium)
1 1/2 TSP butter
1 1/2 TSP olive oil
1 leek, chopped (white and pale green parts only)
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/8 TSP ginger
1/8 TSP nutmeg
1/8 TSP ground white pepper
2 cups vegetable broth
1 small bay leaf
1 fresh thyme sprig
1 fresh parsley sprig
1/4 cup heavy cream

2 TBSP crème fraîche or sour cream


Preheat oven to 350°F. Wrap beets in foil and roast until tender when pierced with fork, about 1 hour. Cool. Peel beets. Cut 1/4 of 1 beet into 1/4-inch cubes; reserve for garnish. Cut remaining beets into 1/2-inch pieces.

Melt butter with oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leek, onion, and celery and cook until beginning to brown, stirring frequently, about 13 minutes. Stir in ginger, allspice, white pepper, and 1/2-inch beet pieces. Cook until vegetables begin to stick to bottom of pot, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. Add 2 cups vegetable broth, bay leaf, thyme sprig, and parsley sprig. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 25 minutes. Remove bay leaf, thyme sprig, and parsley sprig. Cool soup slightly. Working in batches, puree soup in blender with cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly, cover, and refrigerate.)

Gently rewarm soup (do not boil). Divide between 2 bowls. Garnish each with 1 tablespoon crème fraîche. Sprinkle with reserved beet cubes.

>> Dress it up: To garnish soup as pictured, spoon two tablespoons crème fraîche into one corner of a resealable plastic bag. Cut tip off corner and pipe heart atop each serving of soup.

Do you have ANY idea...

...how HARD it is to find a restaurant that is vegetarian friendly?

I'm stuck trying to find a place that Tim can get his rack of lamb, and where I won't be stuck ordering the green salad AGAIN. I spent most of my vacation eating salads & pasta because those are the only things you can get that aren't meat based. And what is with chefs assuming that mushrooms and eggplants are "our" meat replacements? And why is there ALWAYS meat in the soup? I'm not saying I don't like salads & pasta, it's just so BORING after a while. I just think there should be a little more creativity in the food industry...

In other news, I want to thank Quality Inn of Portland for graciously mailing back my fuzzy pillow that I left in my hotel room. Yes, my fuzzy pillow and I have been reunited! Huzzah!