Green (but not Irish) Food

We’re not Irish, but if we can celebrate with food, we will! We’re a day late, but for dinner tonight we had a green meal.

Okay, I did make IRISH Soda Bread. I got the recipe off Vegweb. This was my first time to make it and I’ve never eaten it before. I’m not sure if it turned out right, but the texture was dense and chewy and for a plain bread, surprisingly flavorful.





Appetizer, a green salad - Broccoli Salad.


Mixed greens with lightly steamed broccoli florets, red onion, sundried tomatoes, raisins, and toasted pumpkin seeds, and a citrus garlic dressing. Confession: I squeezed an orange into my favorite fatfree garlic dressing. What could be better than a broccoli salad!


On the side, Garlic Mashed Lima Beans (why not?) ….

1 bag cooked limas, 3 cloves garlic, soymilk, a tiny bit of EB, and S&P, all blended together in the food processor because they didn’t mash very easily with a masher. These were just as good as any mashed potatoes, and in my mind much healthier.

For the entrée, Blackened Chik’n and Tempeh with Avocado Cream. I used the recipe for Blackened Tempeh from Real Food Daily to season and bake Lightlife Chik’n Strips (just had to try them!) and tempeh strips. The strips were served over avocado cream and drizzled with a maple soy sauce, both recipes I got from the April Bon Appetit and both delicious. The marinade and blackening seasoning were excellent, really spicy. You could have a little of the avocado cream to keep it spicy or a lot to mellow it out. The chik’n and tempeh were equally delicious. Our green plate.....

And for dessert, Green Apple and Green Grape Pie in an oatmeal crust.

Kinda weird looking, huh? This was totally experimental. I sliced the apples into a bowl and tossed in the grapes. I used your basic apple pie spices and some fresh nutmeg, a little brown sugar and cornstarch, and mixed altogether. Then I picked out the apples and layered the slices onto the crust, then put the grapes over the apples. I wasn’t sure how long it should bake, so I just baked it until the apples were soft, about 40 minutes. The sweet green grapes paired perfectly with the tart apples, and the texture contrast of soft apples and plump grapes popping in your mouth was…. unusual, but nice! We did have a little trouble with the grapes rolling off of our forks. Here’s a slice.

Earlier this week I made an Indian Chickpea and Rice recipe that I got in my Veg Times email. I used quinoa instead of rice.

It wasn’t near as spicy and flavorful as what I made last week, but it was a good weeknight meal. The recipe called for raisins, so I used some red raisins I found at the store. (I used them in the broccoli salad too.) They’re new, have you seen them and/or tried them? They’re really red and I think they taste pretty good!

I also made a spicy tempeh and broccoli stirfry and a cold cucumber and tomato salad to go with it.

My sister and nephews arrive tomorrow from Alabama for a week long visit, and Chase will be out of town on Sunday, so I’m not sure how much cooking I’ll get to do or if I’ll have much time at the computer. I’ll leave you for now with VCTOTW chocolate cupcakes with white icing, Aunt Diann’s welcome for her nephews. Not my best work, but I think the boys will like the cute sprinkles – dinosaurs, fish, stars & moons, etc.

Have a great week!