Snack Time!

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season! New York is looking festive and beautiful as always during this time. I can't wait to go see the tree at Rockafeller Center and bake some cookies this weekend.  Nothing like a little snack to hold you over! Cheddar cheese from The Laughing Cow, Kashi Seven Grain Crackers, Sabra Hummus, and delicious marinated spicy lives with hot peppers from the Euro Market in Astoria.

Wrap It Up!

I've been making a lot of sandwiches and wraps lately. Buying some ingredients for wraps or sandwiches can save you money on lunch, and they take no time to make. I've been using Mission Multi-Grain Flour Tortillas. This one has swiss, tomato, arugula, orange bell pepper, hummus, and some Paul Newman's Balsamic Dressing.

Here is another one, with some of that Tabbouleh from yesterday, feta cheese, and hummus.

Mushroom Couscous

Today for lunch I had some trader joes olive hummus, tabbouleh, and chopped cucumbers, scooped up with trader joes lentil chips. Pair that with some multi-grain crackers and one mini babybel cheddar cheese..and you get a protein filled lunch. One of the most common questions vegetarians get asked is "how do you get your protein?" Well in just that small lunch, there was about 12 grams of protein. If you haven't tried tabbouleh yet...you're missing out. I'll post my own recipe for it another day. Tonight for dinner, I went to Patsy's and had some Penne alla Vodka, without the bacon of course.

Yesterday I had some leftover mushroom couscous that I made. I bought this box of Gourmet Mushroom Blend from BJ's. It was a combination of dried Portabella, Oyster, Shiitake, Porcini, and Chanterelle mushrooms. What a great surprise. It was so delicious, and I hardly had to do anything.




-About a cup of Dried Mushroom Blend ( I used Epicurean Specialty)
-2 1/2 cups of water
-1 cup couscous (most markets in the U.S. sell the instant variety, which cooks fast)
-Fresh basil chiffonade (however much you like)
-Grated Locatelli Pecorino Romano (or you could use Parmigiano Reggiano)
-A pad or two of earth balance vegan butter (if you have to, use regular butter, but there really is no need to since this one is vegan and tastes great)
-fresh ground pepper

Rinse mushrooms thoroughly (this the only time it is ok to rinse mushrooms, as you should never do this to fresh mushrooms). Boil mushrooms for about 5 minutes, then cover and let steep for 30 to 40 minutes, depending how soft they become. Strain the mushrooms, and save the liquid in a bowl. Chop the mushrooms. Put two cups of the mushroom broth back into the pot, and let it come back to a boil. Pour in the cup of couscous, along with the chopped mushrooms, butter, and few twists of the ol' pepper mill and stir it. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand for about 5 to 7 minutes. Fluff with a fork and place into a bowl. Cover with basil and cheese. I found I didn't need any salt because the mushrooms were so flavorful and the cheese adds salt. You could also add a drizzle of olive oil and cooked chickpeas.