Vegan Week: Day 1

Fattoush.

Well, it took me three months, but I'm back ... for a little while, at least.

My favorite picky eater, Craig, left today to go visit his kids in California. They'll indulge in pizza, pizza, Mexican food, and more pizza. Craig may make some of Jennifer's and Justin's favorites: chicken and rice pilaf or indulgently overstuffed chicken tacos.

I miss him while he's gone - I do! But when Craig goes away, all his little dietary quirks go away, too. Remember, he's a man who won't eat peas. Or sweet potatoes. Or biscuits. The list goes on ....

So when Craig is off having fun with his kids on the West Coast or visiting flea markets on the East Coast, I always relish the opportunity to have foods that I can't eat otherwise. I love to cook, but it's just a bother to cook two separate meals for two separate people. And the dishes ... oy.

This time, I decided to do something different. This time, I decided to challenge myself.

So, folks, welcome to my experiment: Vegan Week!!! From this morning's breakfast through Friday's dinner, I am eating a plant-based diet.

No meat. No eggs. No fish. No cheese. Lots of fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes. And treats ... treats, absolutely!

This required a fair amount of advance planning, without regular meals like burgers or fried eggs to fall back on in a pinch, so my pantry and refrigerator needed a boost. A schlep through the grocery store yielded a cart filled with fennel, spinach, scallions, mushrooms, zucchini, squash, lime, whole grain flatbreads, soy ice cream, almond milk, salsa, and Fritos (yes, they're vegan. The double-stuffed mint-flavored generic store brand Oreos are vegan, too.).

So, I got started this morning.

Full of anticipation and curiosity, I made my coffee. I added the almond milk-based coffee creamer ... and I nearly gave up my week's mission right there. Bleah.

The "creamer" was thin, and it bore no resemblance to the caramel flavoring the carton had promised. I drank it, because giving up animal products was one thing; giving up coffee ... nope. And black coffee? I'm not ready for that much challenge yet.

But things got better with breakfast: Elvis-Style Oatmeal, thankyouverymuch!

Elvis-Style Oatmeal, with peanut butter and banana.

Made with a splash of almond milk, a dollop of crunchy peanut butter, and a sliced banana, it had creaminess, crunchiness, and comfort all in one bowl. I ate an entire generous serving that likely could have fed two, if Craig had shown any interest in it (and if there had been any left!) when he woke up this morning.

For lunch, I brought my favorite salad to work: fattoush, a Middle Eastern salad flavored with sumac for a pinch of tart spice. I had purchased just a few assorted olives at the grocery store (another verboten item, as Craig only eats the tinny black California variety), and tucked them into my lunchbox, too, along with the vividly green mint faux-reos.

Dinner was a more glamorous take on the standard beans and rice, which was actually pinto beans served over a mix of rices and quinoa. I sautéed the beans with garlic, red and green onions, red pepper flakes, a bit of chopped orange pepper, some chopped tomatoes, and a dash of chipotle-infused salsa. And then, for a little extra crunch and flavor, I topped it with ... no, not cheese. Fritos. Crushed Fritos. It was the perfect touch.

Pinto beans with onions, garlic, orange pepper, corn, tomatoes, and Fritos.

So, join me on the adventure, whether by enjoying some of the meals (recipes will be posted each day, I hope!) or, at least, living vicariously through the pictures.

It's good to be back ... :)


Elvis-Style Oatmeal

1/2 cup vanilla-flavored almond milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup quick-cook oats
2 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
1 banana, sliced

Place almond milk, water, and oats into a small saucepan; bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer. Stir until oatmeal is thickened, then stir in peanut butter. Place oatmeal into a bowl and top with the banana.

Yield: 1 generous or 2 smaller servings.
Source: Mary Bilyeu


Fattoush

Lettuce, torn into small pieces
Thinly sliced cucumber
Thinly sliced radish
Bits of red onion
Crushed pita chips
Lemon juice
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Generous pinch of ground sumac (available at Middle Eastern markets)

Proportions and quantities are variable, depending upon personal taste and the number of people eating the salad.

Place the vegetables and the pita chips into a mixing bowl. Whisk together lemon juice, oil, salt, pepper, and sumac; make it more/less sour, more/less salty, etc., as you like it. Pour the dressing over the salad; toss and serve.

Note: Feel free to add sliced carrots, chopped peppers, tomatoes, parsley, or other items that you'd like.

Source: Mary Bilyeu


Pinto Beans with Rice and Quinoa

1 bag Minute Multigrain Medley (rice and quinoa)
1 cup water
1 tablespoon oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped red onion
Generous pinch of red pepper flakes
Ancho chili powder, to taste
Chili powder, to taste
1/3 cup corn kernels
2 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped orange pepper
1 small tomato, cored, chopped
1 15.5-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup fresh chipotle salsa
A few Fritos, crushed

In a small saucepan, combine rice/quinoa with water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes until water is absorbed.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic, red onion, and red pepper flakes; saute until onion is translucent. Add chili powders and corn; cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add scallions, orange pepper, and tomato; cook 2 to 3 minutes, until pepper softens. Add beans and salsa; bring just to a boil, then simmer.

To serve, place the rice/quinoa mix onto a plate and top with bean mixture. Sprinkle the crushed Fritos over the top.

Yield: 2 generous servings.
Source: Mary Bilyeu

Frugal Floozie Friday - Pita Pita

Jeremy and I ran several errands recently, and decided afterwards - frankly, even before we were done - that we were hungry. We decided to stop in at Pita Pita.

I hadn't gone in looking for a Frugal Floozie Friday feature; I was just looking for lunch. But as Jeremy and I perused the menu, it was clear we'd serendipitously found ourselves a place to post about!

Just as Jeremy will order a Reuben if he sees it on a menu (with one exception: he will never again order what he deems the worst Reuben he's ever eaten, which he'll readily rant about if you just ask him about it!), I will order fattoush if I find it. It's so simple - just vegetables, toasted pita bits, and a light dressing - but it's so, so good! The sumac that is integral to the vinaigrette is what makes it perfect, with just a hint of sourness. I ordered the small portion for $3.95, and you can see that it was an enormous plateful! That alone could have kept me happy, but this was just a portion of my meal.

For $4.95 - just under our mandatory $5 per person Frugal Floozie Friday budget - I also ordered the large Sujok sandwich, filled with spicy Lebanese sausage, tomatoes, garlic sauce, and pickles. There is another sandwich listed on the menu with this very same description, the Mecanik Sausage sandwich; but our waiter very nicely explained that the Sujok is less intense, so I thought I'd give it a try. Jeremy doesn't like very spicy food, and this would give him a chance to taste the dish, too.

Sandwiches are easily a foot long, and can readily be shared; if you split the fattoush and a sandwich with a dining companion, you've still come in under budget and feasted on a generous quantity of fabulous food for a stellar price. The sausage was very flavorful, not at all lost among all the other tastes. And while Jeremy raved about his own sandwich, he liked the sausage so much that he actually debated trading the remaining halves so that we could each have a portion of both delicious treats.

Jeremy had ordered the beef shawarma, filled with tender beef, tomatoes, onions, pickles, and Tahini sauce. It, too, was an ideal balance of tastes and textures, with no one flavor overpowering the others. It was exceptionally good.

I had to ask for a take-out box, as I couldn't finish both the fattoush and my sandwich. As a waitress brought this to me, she asked if we'd like any rice pudding. Oh, it sounded wonderful! But there was no more room at the inn for dessert. She explained, though, that there was simply a large quantity still left, and she was generously offering to give some to us.

Scented with rose water, sprinkled with cinnamon, and drizzled with honey, the rice pudding was creamy and fragrant and wonderful! I had brought it with my lunch the next day, and enjoyed it at my desk after just warming it up slightly in the microwave. At $2.50, this is another great option for a treat that costs very little while offering enormous satisfaction.

Pita Pita's menu features hummus and bana ghannuje that cost $3.95 for small servings; six different salads that come in at under $4 for small sizes; 20 different sandwiches that cost less than $5 for large portions; and an extensive vegetarian menu. There are many, many options that will allow you to eat well for very little money!


Pita Pita
2649 Washtenaw
Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197
734-528-3333



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Room Service, But No Mints on the Pillows

I was asked yesterday, "Did you find crack in the parking structure???" since I was seemingly inappropriately tickled by some of my experiences at a local hospital as I offered support and diversion to a loved one. Giddy creature that I can sometimes be -- especially since there is significant improvement in the anonymous-by-choice patient's condition since Friday night's admit -- rather than bemoaning the loss of a planned trip and acting sullen with disappointment, I've been finding amusement where I can. It's the little things ....

For example, a very kind staff member stopped by before I left to offer bedtime snacks. Unfortunately he was out of chocolate pudding, but he had everything else from Lorna Doones to vanilla pudding to yogurt to granola bars. Our patient chose a Rice Krispies Treat, and then the very generous man asked lil' ol' moi whether *I* might like something as well ... how utterly charming! "Oh, that would be wonderful -- thank you so much!" I've been hearing the call of Fig Newtons for a week or so, and thus it seemed like divine intervention that they might be brought literally to my doorstep ... or, at least, to my chair in the hospital room.

I am also completely enthralled by the ice cream vending machine near the cafeteria, which offers the usual array of Strawberry Shortcakes and Fudge Bars and Creamsicles. But it also offers 4 kinds of ice cream sandwiches -- vanilla, chocolate, Neopolitan, and also one with strawberry-jam-swirled ice cream surrounded by vanilla-flavored cookies -- a veritable buffet! And it is a diversion that just begs to have kids witness its action:

1. Put in your money ($1.50 -- but it's a good-sized treat, longer and fatter than most ... and I was a captive audience).

2. Make your selection.

3. Watch through a window as the freezer door opens and a vacuum tube sucks up your treat and dumps it into the chute, much the way that the infamous claw machines work.





Far more entertaining than watching vital signs be taken or waiting for lab results, the ice cream machine is going to be the patient's field trip today, health and stamina permitting!

But the day wasn't all about sweets and treats. For lunch, "Room Service" brought our patient a tray filled with a slice of turkey with gravy, peas, wild rice, a roll, a cup of minestrone, and an apple; the person who'd occupied the bed the day before and filled out the meal request seems to have been fairly interested in substantial but nutritious food. And although hospital food has a -- shall we say? -- less-than-stellar reputation, this meal actually got a good review. The nurse, Tina, found this to be endlessly entertaining and kept giggling as the compliments were offered. I'm quite certain that she doesn't usually get to personally witness such an event ... and I'm equally certain that the event doesn't occur very often, either!

When other loved ones have been hospitalized, they've always made sure to order extra food to provide me with something to eat while I am entrenched in the room trying to be helpful (or at least distracting and/or comforting). But since our patient didn't get to place orders for lunch, I needed to meander through the labyrinth and find something to eat at the cafeteria. (Note that you don't need a gym membership if you spend any time at this hospital; the place is gargantuan!) It being the weekend -- when I guess there aren't any employees, patients or visitors in need of a full array of sustenance ... pffft! -- the options were fairly limited: pizza, sushi (which, as we can see in the banner, is not on my "nice" list), yogurt, bagels, an array of cake and pie slices. But then I found pre-packaged salads, and for a reasonable price, too: $4.29 for fattoush with chicken that could have fed two people.

The greens were in exceptionally good condition, and the other vegetables (carrots, cucumbers, onion, tomatoes) were plentiful. There were strips of toasted pita bread, and tender pieces of chicken breast. With the exception of the dressing, which was kinda lemony but lacking tartness or much flavor, the salad was very good. Considering that I found it at a hospital cafeteria, I am most impressed!

Our patient actually received a call from the dietician, who offered the opportunity to choose dinner rather than eating yet another meal that had been pre-selected by the room's predecessor. I don't remember what the other options were, but spaghetti and meat sauce -- which brightened the patient's face immensely in anticipation of the meal! -- was the winner. I neglected to capture its photogenic self, but it actually did look appetizing. Served with green beans and cole slaw, every bite was eaten and still more compliments were offered to the chef. If I hadn't heard the words myself, I'm not sure I would have believed it!

The prospect of an omelette with bacon is today's enticing breakfast option (after yesterday's Corn Flakes and banana bread, which had arrived before my camera and I did). Lunch is a deli sandwich, and I don't actually remember what the dinner option is. But your faithful reporter will be on task! Ya can't say I'm not thorough, after all -- when I promise to report on all of my food experiences, from cooking to baking to restaurants and now the hospital, I'm a woman of my word!