Shared Toddler and Mama Meals - Pizza Biscuits

The three of us have been under the weather the last few days and I have had close to zero motivation to make food. It doesn't help that I don't even feel like eating. Well, except for the occasional overdose of plain carbs... plain pasta, plain waffles, plain crackers. Since I have responsibilities (i.e. Deano Bravo) I dragged myself to the kitchen and turned on the oven not knowing what I was going to make with the only food that sounded good to eat- biscuits. After staring at the pantry for too long, I grabbed a few items out as well as a muffin pan and threw it all in the oven. What came out of the oven was a perfect storm of yumminess that Deano and I ate very enthusiastically.

Ingredients:
1 package of Grands Flaky Biscuits
3 tablespoons of tomato sauce
1 cup of shredded cheese
1/4 cup of sliced olives
Ground Flax Seeds and Chia Seeds (optional)
Any other toppings you'd like- this is all I had on hand.

To Make:
- Preheat oven to 350*, spray muffin pan with non-stick spray
- Pull a biscuit in half and shape into bottom of each spot.
- Top with a little tomato sauce, flax seeds & chia seeds, followed by your toppings.
- Bake for 13 minutes.
- Let cool for a few minutes and then serve with sides. We had yogurt and avocado.

What are some of your go-to easy recipes for when you're under the weather? ♥

Shared Toddler and Mama Meals - Rainbow Buffet

Trying to figure out what solids a little one will eat can be tricky. There are times when it is downright frustrating.

Why don't you like pancakes? They are so good!

While I was trying to loose baby weight, I would eat five small meals a day and time them with my son's meals. One of my favorite meals was (and still is) extremely simple: a smorgasbord of lots of different foods that require little or no preparation. The key with this, though, is to not over do it and eat the rainbow.

The two biggest benefits to it for me are that it can be a very healthy & balanced meal and it ends up being more appealing and appetizing because of the colors. A delicious and happy sight.

Some of the foods I use for this meal:

Red: tomatoes, pepperoni, salami, raspberries, ketchup
Orange: Oranges, cheddar cheese, bell pepper, carrots
Yellow: tamagoyaki, corn, bananas
Green: Pickles, avocado, spinach,
Blue: blueberries,
Purple: blackberries, jelly
Pink: ham, tuna, salmon
Black: olives
White: turkey, cottage cheese, Baby Bell cheese, rice, mayo dish
Brown: Little Smokies, bread, crackers, granola, hummus, peanut butter

I keep the meal balanced by having one portion of protein, one portion of carbs, and how ever many portions I want of fruits and veggies. For example:

- 3-4 cherry tomatoes, 3 baby carrots, a big fork full of pickle slices, olives, one Baby Bell cheese, and 6 Little Smokies.

- One serving size of sliced salami, nectarine slices, couple slices of cheese, stuffed cherry peppers, small handful of blueberries, half an avocado, and a serving size of crackers.

- Peanut butter and jelly sandwich (cut into quarters), bananas, small bowl of spinach with olive oil & red pepper flakes, and carrots.

It may not seem like a lot, but once you plate it up and eat it, you'll find that you really are satiated and contently full.

This works for little ones too. At least it has for my son, and my nieces and nephews. Chopped up into tiny bite size pieces, arranged in a rainbow, shapes, or little designs. My son eats especially well when I make this for lunch. The food is easy for him to pick up and consume all by his independent self.

Do you ever have meals like this? What is your favorite items to use? Does your kiddo have a favorite?

Ketchup Art - Meal Time Fun

Getting a toddler to sit down and eat can be a challenge. I've heard this from every other parent I've talked to. So why was I surprised when I started having troubles getting our little man to eat? No clue, but I'm not going to waste time worrying about it. My strategy most times with him is: "quick, distract him!" In this case my go-to distraction is ketchup pictures.

During one trip to Daiso in Seattle, I ran across a small condiment bottle that didn't have a whole in the top made yet. This allowed me to cut the hole as small as I wanted, which would be perfect for decorating bento's. Or meals in general. It all started with me making "ketchup stars". I would sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and draw out shapes as I sang. Dean was really into it, so I started doing it more often.

When Twinkle Twinkle Little Star didn't work, I started singing another one of his favorites, Boku Wa Kuma, and started to draw bears. The combination of singing and him watching me draw the designs seemed to get him interested in eating. Most of the time it's only for a few bites, but I feel like even then I'm still winning the fight. His excitement for the ketchup designs has inspired me to get more creative with it.

Thomas the Train, for instance, has a black smoke stack made of sliced olives, and white smoke made of cottage cheese. The face is so terrible, but Dean thought it was the best thing ever. I was barely able to snap the picture before he dug into his food. That's a big win in my book!

Trixie from Toy Story is a current favorite character of his right now, so she's popped up a few times on plates. Drawing dinosaurs is hard! Luckily my kid isn't a critic. He even recognized BB-8 despite the botched "thumbs up". Buzz Lightyear and Peppa Pig were both successes as well. This is something I can see myself continuing for as long as he likes it. It doesn't take much time to do, it's actually pretty fun, and it seems to get him to eat with less hassle.

Some other pictures I've thought of doing in the future are a line of trains (Thomas, Percy & Gordon), Itsy Bitsy Spider, a tractor, a big red London bus (of Tractor and Bus fame).

Are there any little tricks that you do to help get difficult eaters to eat?

Shared Toddler and Mama Meals - Eggs and Toast Breakfast

Scrambled eggs has become my go-to for a quick and hearty breakfast. Pop some bread in the toaster, chop up whatever greens that are on hand to mix in, pour a glass of almond milk or Green Machine and it's a super balanced meal.

Spinach is what I put in my eggs most of the time, but this morning we didn't have any so I used green onions. As a little extra somethin'-somethin' for me, I added a little Kewpie Mayonnaise and habanaro salt on top of my eggs. On my toast I added butter, a tiny bit of peanut butter, then some jelly. In all honesty, I could probably eat three pieces of toast each morning, haha!

Dean doesn't really care what I add to the eggs as long as he has ketchup stars and "may-mays", which is normal mayo, not mama's Kewpie Mayo (there's no way I'm sharing that with anyone). Every meal I put a different number of stars on his plate which we count together before he digs in. The stars are made by a mini condiment bottle I snagged at Daiso.

Toast is something Dean hasn't been really big on, so I decided to cut his up and add a dollop of jelly for him to use as dip. This little trick worked and he ate his entire piece.

Avacados are a staple around here also, but since I haven't been able to find any good ones at the store, I served Dean some cottage cheese. This isn't something I typically buy since I have a dairy allergy, but since Dean eats it really well at my parent's house I figured I should get him some.

Scrambled Eggs and Toast
ingredients:
3 eggs
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 green onions
pepper
ground flax seed
chia seed
habanero sald (for my portion)
2 slices of bread
butter
peanut butter
jelly

to make:
Mix eggs, cheese, onion, pepper, and seeds together in a bowl. In a small pan add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, when the oil is hot add the egg mixture and cook until scrambled.

Add bread to toaster and toast. I enjoy my toast brown and crispy. Add toppings to one piece and cut the second piece into toddler bite size pieces.

Plate everything, add toppings (habanero salt, ketchup stars, mayo, and jelly). and enjoy. Oh and don't forget to count the stars!

What sorts of foods do you like sharing?

Shared Toddler and Mama Meals - Ham Sandwich Pasta

Who's got time to shower and eat when the baby/toddler needs changed and fed, dishes need done, errands need ran, laundry needs to be moved over, the little guy needs to be changed and fed again? Really- there's just so much to do sometimes (read: frequently) feeding myself takes the backseat. I don't know about you but I become a cranky mama bear if I don't eat. I focus on everything else that needs done so I get surprise attacked by the bear, and that's when I know it's time to put on the breaks and eat.

I wanted to come up with a way to feed myself along with my little man that helps me keep that mama bear at bay. Since Dean is eating "people food" I'm taking the opportunity to expand his food pallet by feeding him meals that I enjoy. Now I want to share these recipes we've enjoyed together with you. They're quick, easy, and healthy. Instead of cramming them all into this one post, I plan on spreading them out over a couple posts.

This particular recipe came about because I had a hankering for a ham sandwich but I didn't have any bread.  I found some pasta in the pantry so I just went with it.

HAM AND CHEESE PASTA

ingredients:
1 cup of pasta salad noodles
3-4 slices of sandwhich ham slices, chopped
1/4 cup chopped cheddar cheese
Kewpie Mayo (we prefer this particular Japanese mayo, but use whatever you like)
A sprinkle of ground flax seeds
A dash of spicy habanero salt (for my portion)

to make:
Cook pasta according to package.  Rinse the pasta to cool it off.  Combine all ingrediants but the spicy salt.  Add however much mayo you feel comfortable using.  Mix and serve.  Make sure to add the spicy salt to your portion.

Most of Deans meals are accompanied by half an avocado.  This particular day we didn't have one, so we had olives.

What sort of meals do you share with your kiddo(s)?  Have you ever tried turning a sandwich into a pasta dish?  Let me know what you think or what ideas you have!

Chocolate Espresso Trail Mix Oatmeal Cookies

Don't let my mostly blank planner fool you, I'm actually pretty busy. Not in the "I have things to do/places to go/people to see" sort of way, but "my baby went straight from crawling to running and hasn't once stopped" sort of way. Each day my plan is: how can I fill this day with the most fulfilling and productive activities? I strive to give Dean a full, happy, healthy, and educated childhood, to the best of my abilities. Granted, I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm trying. Each day is an adventure. When one day doesn't go as I planned, I work that much harder the next day. When days do go as I plan I get myself another coffee.

Pretty much every day involves a coffee but some days I'd like a little sumthin' sumthin' extra. More coffee is always the best answer, but it's not always the right answer. That's where these cookies come in. I smashed up some dark chocolate espresso trail mix and added it to my favorite cookie recipe. Chocolate covered espresso beans, praline almonds, sea-salt pecans, and chocolate chips- bam! It's the perfect addition to the perfect cookie.

In between exploring the outside world with Dean, I want to get a load of dishes done. After play time with Legos & Zoobles I'd like to tidy up. Once lunch is over, it'd be great to sweep the floor. These cookies give me that extra umph to help me get more stuff done once my coffee is gone. Don't get me wrong, I don't get all these chores done everyday (most days), but these cookies do help me keep up my motivation levels.

The recipe is actually one for amazingly awesome lactation cookies, but since I'm weaning Dean I tweaked the recipe a bit. I omitted the brewer's yeast, which is the ingredient that helped me with my milk supply. If you're not nursing, then I recommend omitting it as well.

Also, this dough is d a n g e r o u s. Every time I make these cookies I probably eat a half a dozen cookies worth of dough. Don't judge.

Do you have any treats that keep you a motivated mama?

P.S. You can buy "Book of Brave" by the insanely inspirational Laura Jane Williams here. Doitdoitdoit.

Hot Mama Pancake Recipe

There are mornings when everything falls into place perfectly: the baby wakes up content to play in his crib while I make everyone breakfast, I have time to put all my makeup on before leaving the house, and there's time to pick up a cup of coffee on the way to dropping Aaron off at work.

Then there's most mornings when the baby sleeps until I have to put him in the car, I only put on foundation, and nobody had breakfast. It's mornings like this when I wish I had something already made up. That way I can eat something quick and feel good about my morning. When I'm not running on an empty stomach I feel great. Not only do I feel great, I feel like I look great.

I decided to take an afternoon to make up and freeze a big batch of pancakes made with some of my favorite things. These pancakes are loaded with lots of yummy ingredient that are tasty and good for me:

• chia seeds for omega-3
• ground flax seeds for fiber
• peanut butter for protein
• chocolate because why not
• coffee because yes

By adding so many tasty ingredients toppings aren't necessary. This makes them good finger food, and perfect for eating while chasing a toddler.

Like most of my cooking, I "eyeball" measurements so this is more of a guide than an exact recipe. Definitely change it up and make it to your personal likes.

■ 1 1/2 cups Bisquick
■ Coffee (instead of water)
■ 1 tbsp chia seeds
■ 1 tbsp ground flax seeds
■ 1 tbsp peanut butter
■ 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

I like my pancakes thin so I use quite a bit more liquid than the recipe on the box calls for. Some other tasty additions to this would be: cinnamon, crushed nuts, dried fruit, or chai tea powder or the actual tea in addition/instead of coffee. My coffee was freshly brewed so when I poured it into my batter it melted my chocolate chips. My tired brain was surprised at this little bit of science-y magic, haha!

What sort of ingredients would you add? Do you have a favorite make ahead breakfast food? ♥

F A B U L O U S

2014 was quite a year! Last January I did a post about my word of the year and now it's time for a new word~

FABULOUS

def: extraordinary, especially extraordinarily large.
I think that the word "fabulous" is exciting and inspiring and will be a fun word to hang on to this year. 2015 is going to be a fabulous year for me, in all aspects of my life. After having spent a year focusing on one aspect of myself, I'd like to focus on all of me, the whole package. My health, appearance, love, family, relationships, creativity... everything.

A few things in particular being:

~ Loosing baby weight and getting fit (for realzies this time)
~ Cooking and enjoying food more
~ Balancing time between Aaron and Dean
~ Blogging more
~ Drinking more water
~ Not being lazy at night and washing off my makeup
~ Doing more with less

This last one is a big one for me. Last month I cleaned out my closet and got rid of about 75% of my clothes and shoes- no joke- and I'm less stressed in the mornings and more happy with my clothes. Funny how that works huh? Pretty soon here I'll be getting rid of all my pots and pans and then buying one soup pot, one frying pan, and one cookie sheet. Currently, I don't use more than those three things anyways so why do I have cupboards full of things I don't use?

These first five days of 2015 have been good and I look forward to creating a fabulous year. Do you have a word for yourself this year?

Time Money and Food - aka Bento Making

We're half way through March and it seems that April is coming up fast. In about a month tax season will be in full effect and people will be celebrating or dreading it to the extreme. While I'm not dreading taxes yet, I'm getting there.

I may or may not have mentioned this before, but the local "professionals" that have handled our store's taxes the last two years actually did them wrong. Not just wrong, but WAY WRONG. Luckily we've been able to keep a handle on things and fix what needed to be fixed. This year the numbers are looking so drastically different with this new company we're working with, we're starting to wonder if our corrections on the old taxes are correct. Talk about stressful!!

So Aaron and I have decided we need to hunker down with our money and make some lifestyle changes. We've had to do this before, so it's nothing too crazy, it just means we need to live a bit more frugally. This means Starbucks and lunches & dinners out are no longer the norm, but a treat. This also means we have to actively take more time out of our days to make food.

Food takes time to make, though! It's just so much easier to go someplace and have it made for us. From the sounds of this, you'd think we'd only been living on our own for a few months, not a decade+ like we have. *sigh* We BOTH have agreed to make food at home a priority. It doesn't have to be big or fancy. It also doesn't have to be something super plain. We just need to make it!

In comes bento making. It's cheap, healthy, quick, and cute. Just like with anything, it takes practice. So to help me get back on the bike, so to speak, I'm going to be posting lots about the bentos I make, with pictures and tutorials included.

Why don't we get this show on the road right now. We aren't super huge eaters when stressed, so I made Aaron this "snack" bento:


Sliced banana, diagonally chopped carrots, raspberries, and spinach tamagoyaki (sweet egg omelet w/spinach)
Tamagoyaki (tah-mah-go-ya-key) is a staple in Japanese bento lunches, and is very easy to make. Typically it's make with just egg, but adding veggies like spinach or green onions isn't uncommon. This version is one of Aaron's all time favorite things for me to cook.

What you need:
■ 2 eggs
■ pinch of sugar
■ small handful of spinach, torn into little pieces
■ extra virgin olive oil (or whatever cooking oil you prefer)
■ chia seeds and ground flax seeds (optional but recommended by me)


Whisk eggs and sugar together well.


Coat a round pan* with olive oil over medium heat. You'll know it's ready when you drop a baby bit of egg mixture into the pan and it sizzles. Pour in just enough of the egg to cover the bottom of the pan.

When the part of the egg touching the pan looks cooked and the top is still a bit liquid-y, use a spatula to roll up the omelette. I promise it'll be cooked through in the end. Move the omelette to one end of the pan, add a bit more oil, then more of the egg to coat the bottom of the pan.


I add the chia and flax seeds here so they are hidden.


Now add spinach. I advice tearing it up into smaller pieces than I did~ it makes rolling the egg up way easier. When the bottom seems cooked and the top is still liquid-y roll it up. If there's anymore egg mixture left, move the omelette to one side and add oil and the rest of the egg. Roll it up and let it cook so the insides firm up. Before the egg starts turning golden brown, remove from pan and place on a plate to cool. Once it's cool, cut it into 4 pieces and put into a paper cupcake mold.


Doesn't it look yummy? I really like the way the spinach and egg spiral in their own way. This typically takes me about 5 minutes to make, depending on how fast I cook it. I recommend cooking it a bit slow just so the liquid-y egg parts can glue the insides together once you roll it, and so the outside doesn't turn golden brown. If it does, no big deal, I just like the look of the yellow egg better.



The bento box I picked up at Target a few months ago for something like $8, and the cute little animals I was sent from a friend in Japan, but you can snag them at a Daiso store if you're near one, or anywhere online for pretty cheap.

You can make tamagoyaki anytime, not just in bentos, so if you're ever feeling frisky when making eggs you should give it a try. It's such a simple dish and hard to mess up. Not to mention, it's delicious!

If you have any questions about my tutorial, or bentos in general, please ask! I am pretty passionate about them and would LOVE to see more people in America making them.

Have a great weekend friends! ♥

.:.:.:.
*I say round pan and I'm using a fancy rectangle pan. Ignore my pan, it was cheap and hard to cook in. A nice pancake pan with slanted sides works WAAAAY better!

Crushed Chocolate Biscuit Strips

First off, I want to freak out a bit and say that there are only 30 days left until we meet our little guy! 30 days friends. That's just crazy! Aaron is convinced he's going to come sooner than that, I don't care really, I'm just ecstatic!

Okay, breeeathe Sarah.... *pheeeew* Okay I'm good~ on to the topic at hand:

Crushed Chocolate Biscuit Stips


After a delicious dinner of tacos last night I wanted something fluffy and sweet for dessert, and when the fridge and pantry came up with nothing I decided to come up with something on my own. We don't go grocery shopping often anymore, so the need to be creative pops up frequently. Not that I mind at all. This way I get to create lots of fun things! Like those Red Chocolate Pancakes I made not too long ago.

Surprisingly enough, there's still more left over chocolates from that time. Yeah, I'm slow when it comes to using up food. Or maybe I just buy more than I need? Either way, I need to work on it. So here I am, working on some colorful, fluffy, and perfectly sweet dessert "strips".


What you need:

■ 1 cup Bisquick (or any biscuit mix you have on hand)
■ 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk (or whatever milk you like)
■ a small handful of red chocolate chips (if you can't find red, you can always melt down white chocolate and add food coloring)
■ a handful of milk chocolate chips
■ not pictured: a greased bread pan, a ziplock baggie, mallet, vanilla extract, and orange juice


Prehead oven to 425*. Put the chocolate chips into a ziplock baggie and use the corner of the mallet to break the pieces up. They can be any size you like. I liked mine to be about the size of a pea. Once you are happy with the size of the pieces (or are done pounding the bajeesus out of the chocolate ;D) mix them with the Bisquick, milk, and a few drops of vanilla extract. If you accidentally pour too much vanilla extract *cough* like I did *cough* add a teaspoon or two of orange juice, it will help balance out the overpowering flavor of the vanilla. It won't taste "orange-y", promise.


Plop the dough into the bread ban and cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. Transfer to a flat surface and let cool a bit. Cut diagonally into strips and serve.


I ate all but three of these little guys last night while in bed playing on my Vita. *^_^* Somehow I found myself surprised (and a little annoyed) at the amount of crumbs I found in my pj's this morning. Haha!

If you try these out, let me know what you think!! ♥

Red Chocolate Pancakes

Pancakes have been on my mind for the last week-ish. Munching on some thin yet fluffy pancakes while blogging or watching a movie just sounded divine. After reading Hima's blog post over at Hima Hearts about some pancakes she made recently, I knew today would be the day. Pancakes were going to be inside my belly and that was that.

While I didn't have the ingredients for Hima's pancakes I had Bisquick and some chocolate so I was able to make these incredibly delicious rounds of yummy goodness.


This is probably one of the most humble little breakfast meals I have ever made. We haven't been grocery shopping in weeks so I got creative with the ingredients-

■ 1/2 cup Bisquick
■ 1 egg
■ 1/4 cup evaporated powdered milk
■ 1/4 warm water
■ 1/4 tsp vanilla
■ small handful of red chocolate chips (I got my chocolate in the bulk section at Winco)



Mix all the ingredients but the chocolate together well. Put the chocolate pieces in a ziplock baggie and break them into small pieces. Add the pieces to the batter and then cook your pancakes like you normally would. I like to add butter on them the moment they are off the pan so it melts and covers the pancakes evenly. Today I added peanut butter and the last little bit of syrup we had just for the sake of loading up my pancakes (and it's my favorite way to eat them).


What are your favorite toppings for pancakes? Does it change depending on the type of pancakes you're eating?

Crazy Garlic Croutons

When a recipe says "broil for about one minute" it does not mean "broil and have a smack-talking session with your sister on iTunes messenger". It pays to actually follow the directions or else the results turn out a bit like this:


Sad face, right? Maybe that's what I get for talking smack? Ugh.

Regardless of the reason, it's never fun burning food~ especially when it's your first attempt at the recipe. Luckily I was just making croutons, so I won't cry over it.

A few days ago I made Fennel, Garlic and Potato soup and decided to add croutons inspired by croutons I saw on How Sweet It Is. I didn't have any stale bread lying around so I used some packaged croutons I had already. Resourceful right? Right!

These croutons were divine. Incredibly flavorful without overpowering the tastiness of the soup. This is the sort of recipe where you make and extra handful or so because you know you will be munching on them before they make it to the soup.


Ingredients:
One good handful of croutons
3/4 tablespoon of butter
garlic powder
If you are using a nonstick pan you will need a wooden spoon (or a utensil that won't hurt the pan).
If you are using any other type of pan you'll need a whisk.

Set oven to broil, and line a pizza pan (or your favorite baking pan) with tin foil. Add croutons and set aside.


Melt butter in the pan on medium heat. Stir until the butter bubbles and starts to turn brown. While stirring, dump however much garlic powder you want (I think my "dump" equaled about 2/3rds tablespoon). Keep stirring until the garlic is incorporated into the butter. Pour butter mixture over croutons, mixing it around if necessary to coat all pieces.


(This is a terrible picture. Sorry but I just couldn't get a good snapshot of the butter in the pan.)

Broil for about one minute, or until golden brown. Nibble on a few once they are cool, and the top your soup, salad, anything really, with the rest.




There is quite a bit you could do with this recipe. Add Sriracha sauce, red pepper flakes, or chives. Really whatever combination you like with garlic would work here. Speaking of which, what is your favorite thing to pair with garlic?

Vegan BLT

As long as I can remember, I have always had trouble breathing at night. Maybe I had trouble breathing all day but only noticed it at night. Either way, I saw quite a few doctors and specialists and they all said nothing was wrong with me. So for the last (almost) 3 decades, I've just dealt with it. Not long after we went vegan I noticed slowly my breathing was getting better, and when we stopped being vegan the problem came right back.

Realizing now that the problem was cow dairy, I am trying to take it out my diet. In every way I can except cheese, anyways. I can trade cow milk for almond milk. I have found so taste many non-dairy alternatives or substitutes for everything but cheese. While I'm not going 100% dairy free, I'm doing my best to go 75% dairy free. My sisters are calling me a "convenient vegan". I guess it's true.

In my search for good food without dairy in it, I was introduced to Dave's Killer Bread. After trying a few different types out, we discovered Good Seed, which we like the best. This stuff is a bit more expensive than the grocery store brand but it's well worth every penny.

It's especially worth it when you make amazing delicious sandwiches like BLT's.


To be honest, this was more of a "TAT" because I used Smokey Maple Bacon flavored Tempeh instead of bacon and arugula instead of lettuce. IT WAS SO GOOD! I was completely surprised. Tempeh was something I heard a lot about but never found in a store, until I found this stuff. It looks kind of like sliced almonds glued together but once I fried it up tasted very similar to bacon. I will definitely be buying it again. Mmm!


Ingredients:
Dave's Killer Bread: Good Seed
3-4 slices of Smokey Maple Bacon Tempeh
Tomato
Arugula
Vegenaise
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

In a pan pour a little EVOO and fry tempeh. I believe the directions say a few minutes on each side. Personally I like my bacon a bit on the extra crispy dark so I cook mine for a few more minutes than recommended. Toast bread, put a little Vegenaise on one slice, then pile everything on and enjoy!!

Has anyone else ever tried Tempeh before? What do you think about it? Do you have any recipes using it you would recommend?

Atomic Tortilla Soup Georgieboy Style

Last year over PAX weekend we spent a lot of time with our online buddy GeorgieboysAxe from Press Pause Radio. My favorite memory with him was his response to the server who asked him what type of dressing he'd like with his salad: "Do you have a bottle of Tapatio Hot Sauce? I'll just use that." And sure enough he used, like, half the bottle on his salad. It turns out, he was on to something. Maybe not as far as a salad dressing, but adding it to soup for a nice *BAM!* punch of spice. So I used George as my inspiration for this soup: Atomic Tortilla Soup Georgieboy Style. This is SPICY. But delicious. YUM!!



Ingredients:
1 can of Italian diced tomatoes
1 can of normal diced tomatoes
1 roma tomato chopped
1/2 onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 green bell pepper
1 bunch of green onions
black olives sliced
shredded cheese (you can use soy based cheese to make this dish vegan)
Extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1/8 cup Tapatio
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
salt and pepper to taste
tortilla chips (The Frosted Vegan has a recipe for homemade chips worth checking out). We didn't have any chips or tortilla's so I used little crackers. Worked just fine! xD
optional: water or broth of choice

To Make:
In a pan with EVOO, saute onions until translucent. Add garlic, and stir for a few seconds. Add both cans of tomatoes and mix well. Then add the bell pepper, roma tomato, turmeric, cumin, red pepper flakes, Tapatio, nutritional yeast, and salt & pepper. Cook on medium heat until it starts to boil. Reduce heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.



This makes enough soup for me and Aaron to have 1 1/2 bowls each. You can add water or broth of some type to make more servings. Don't worry if it looks thin or watery. I promise you it won't be when you eat it. The secret to a thick and hearty tortilla soup is not the broth~ it's what you put in the bowl before the broth.



Prepare each bowl with a handful of chips, a good amount of cheese and more Tapatio. The chips are going to soak up the soup and thicken up. The cheese melts inside the soup and each bit becomes a goo-ie goodness in every bite. It's tortilla soup perfection.



Once you ladle in the soup, top with more cheese, green onions, and (if you're crazy like me) half a can of olives. YUM! Definitely a dish to share with others. It's also a fun pantry empty-ing soup~ add a can of corn or beans. This soup is one of my "go to" recipes and has been a favorite in my family for years. If you try this, let me know what you think! What's one of your favorite "go to" recipes? I'd love to add more to my list. :D