Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Fill 'Er Up!

Station Cafe (formerly the Filling Station)

I just ate the most delicious vegan patty for lunch! Definitely NOT a boring sprouts stuck between two pieces of bread because I can't fathom what vegetarians really eat type sandwich. And it was so refreshing to find a casual cafe for lunch that offers creative vegetarian options. Notice that "s"? Yes, there were several options from which I could choose!

The patty was made with brown rice, lentils, and beets, with a few capers for added salt. It came out hot and fresh and was hardy and flavorful. It had a spicy aroma (sage or thyme maybe?). The bun was fresh and light, allowing the flavors of the burger to stand out. They dress the burger with lettuce, tomato, mayo (vegan), and mustard. Next time, I would skip the tomato (didn't mix well with the beet) and ask them to go light on the mustard.

The cafe is downtown in the King William district on S St. Mary's, and it is convenient to many downtown attractions, so I'll definitely head back next time I'm being a tourist.

Noms!

The Station Cafe on Urbanspoon

Friday, July 13, 2012

Down to Earth

I watched the documentary Ingredients yesterday (while eating mac 'n' cheese from a box). If eating the mac 'n' cheese didn't make me feel gross in and of itself, hearing people talk about eating fresh, local produce to improve health and connection to our food made it worse. Suddenly my food tasted bland and salty (I also noticed myself feeling weighed down later in the day). Anyways, I normally feed good about my food choices, and I love that most of my groceries come from the produce section. My food clean, flavorful, and I know exactly what's in it.

However, two things that the documentary brought up got me thinking about what I eat and where it comes from. First, it mentioned how by turning food into a commodity has led farmers to grow primarily those crops, and so we have had an incredible loss in bio diversity. This hit home when I reflected on my experiences shopping for tomatoes at the grocery store. I've begun making my own sauces at home instead of buying them at the store, in order to increase flavor and to avoid BPA, high sugar levels, and preservatives. But I've been frustrated, especially now in the summertime, because I can't find tomatoes that are uniquely flavorful. They all seem to taste the same. Even the tomatoes at the farmers' market appear to be just the same varieties, just locally grown. The only tomatoes I've had any luck with are grape and cherry tomatoes. Why are they all the same varieties over and over again? Where can those of us desiring greater flavor go?

I think the decrease in biodiversity and variety has also been a contributing factor to the disconnect between people and their food. Our produce looks just like the boxes of processed food on the shelf: uniform and predictable. But that isn't what plants are really like. They grow to different sizes and shapes and colors. And there are so many more varieties than what is readily available. It's easy to forget this because we don't see where our food comes from. It gets shipped or/and trucked thousands of miles. This is why I like farmers' markets: my food looks like food, and I can tell that it came from the earth, and I can meet the people who grew it.

Well today (and now after rambling, I get to what I really wanted to write about), I had a wonderful chance to connect with the earth, when I helped harvest Pinot Grigio for Singing Water Vineyards in Comfort, TX. It's been a long time since I've worked outside and got all sweaty and dirty; it felt great! And beyond that, it's feels good to get involved of the creation of something that comes from the earth and to be reminded of from where wine comes. After all, the creation of wine is a natural process that humans simply facilitate and encourage to go in diffferent directions.

We started at 7am, so I had to leave home before 6am, and I got some great early morning shots in the vineyard before it got too hot (and some crappy pictures while I was driving, but come one, I couldn't exactly frame the shot or even look at the display while operating a vehicle!).

Hill Country Sunrise

Fog in the "Valley"

A Full Bucket and Shears

Bunches of Grapes

Looking East Across the Pinto Grigio Vines

A Partially Full Bin
Since this was my first time, I got a brief tutorial: find out where the bunch is attached to the vine and cut it. It sounds simple, but there was a little learning curve. Even though some of the bunches looked just like you would expect and hung off the vine, others were twisted and wrapped around the vines, leaves, and other bunches. Sometimes I would think I was clipping one big bunch, only to find that it was five smaller bunches all grown together and connected to the vine at different points. It was nearly impossible to clip many of the bunches without squishing or cutting a few grapes. I also ended up encountering many a spider living amongst the grapes, no doubt taking advantage of the bugs that come to sample the sweet fruit.

Even though I had to get up at 5:30 this morning and drive for an hour in the dark, I thoroughly enjoyed getting in touch with the source of what's in my glass. And I can't wait to try the 2012 Pinot Grigio when it's released!

After we finished up around 11:30am, I headed into town for lunch at High's Cafe. I've eaten there before, so I knew I could get a solid veggie friendly meal. Instead of having the veggie sandwich (which is delicious! but not vegan friendly), I opted for one of the daily specials: fresh tomato salad, yum! The tomatoes were tangy and flavorful and were accompanied by mozzarella, basil, and balsamic vinegar (aka caprese salad). It was a little heavy on the vinegar, but the remaining ingredients were simple and refreshing after working in the field. And of course, I couldn't resist a delicious treat for dessert. I ordered a "Magic Bar," comprised of chocolate, pecans, and coconut. The chocolate was rich; the pecans were sprinkled with sugar; the coconut was toasted on top. Noms!

All in all it was a great day getting down to earth. It has inspired me to better connect with my produce and to continue honoring veggies in my dishes. Have a great weekend!

Friday, July 6, 2012

Rainbow Vegetarian Chili

In the spirit of Pride Week last week, I thought I would make some of my Rainbow Chili. The variety of veggies is what gives the chili its colors and its variety of vitamins! It takes a little time, but it's super simple, and you can leave it on the stove while it simmers. It makes about 8 servings, so unless your family members are garbage disposals like my husband or you have a large family, this dish makes lots of leftovers.


Ingredients
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3-4 medium carrots, sliced into rounds
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
cumin, to taste
oregano, to taste
3/4 cup faux ground beef
1 32 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz can chipotle tomatoes
1 cup dry or off-dry white wine or rose (or veggie stock or water)
2/3 cup dry pinto beans
2/3 cup dry kidney beans
2/3 cup dry black beans
salt and pepper, to taste

Prep beans: Rinse beans and check for debree (I once found a little pebble in some lentils, so don't skip this step!) Bring 6-8 cups of water to a boil and boil beans for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cover. Let sit for 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans. Bring another 6-8 cups of water to a boil and cook beans for 1 1/2-2 hours (check after the first hour, sometimes the beans don't even need a full 1 1/2 hours). Or just get canned beans and rinse.

Meanwhile, prep veggies and start cooking the chili: Heat a large saucepot with about 1 tbsp of olive oil. Throw in onions and carrots and season with dashes or cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Add garlic after about one minute. Cook five minutes and add peppers. Add a little more seasoning. Cook about another five minutes or until onions are translucent, then add faux beef and spices. I use frozen, so I cook until it is thawed. If you prefer refrigerated, then just warm it through.


The next couple steps are my favorite, just through ingredients in the pot and leave it alone for awhile. First add both cans of tomatoes (or make your own for an even healthier version), wine, and spices. Let simmer for about 25 minutes.



Then add beans and spices and let simmer for 15-20 minutes (to let all the flavors seep in).

Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and put the ROY back in your ROY G BIV!



Note: These are my tried and true veggies, but sometimes I throw in other ingredients. Corn is another good one and so is celery. To round out the spectrum, you could try adding eggplant.