Tag: lunch

Chick’n Noodle Soup

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Howdy my amazing friends! I apologize for the hiatus. I was recovering from the stomach flu and have had quite the interesting few weeks. NYC really does NOT know how to function with even the tiniest bit of snow. We are all grumpy, cold and pale (yikes). Thankfully I am heading to California for a short 5 day trip to visit my grandma in 2 weeks. I could really use some warm sunshine.

When I wasn’t lifelessly lying on my bed begging for the agony in my stomach to end, I actually got up to make some soup. I have heard about the healing properties and comfort of a good bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup. Though I have never tried chicken or chicken noodle soup, making my own version was just what the doctor ordered. My vegan and gluten free “chicken” noodle soup along with a ginger kombucha really aided in my healing process. Talk about a home remedy! Well, I hope that you make this yummy soup even when you’re not sick. From what I have heard (from my meat eating brother), it almost tastes like the real thing.

What You Need:

  • 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, smashed and minced finely
  • 4 medium carrots (skin peeled), sliced
  • 4 celery ribs (or more, if you like celery like I do), sliced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 8 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 1 package of vegan chicken-less, chicken strips (try LightLife Chik’n Style Smart Strips), chopped
  • 1 32 fl oz box of No-Chicken Chicken Broth (try Imagine-if you cannot find, opt for vegetable broth)
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 tbs Italian herb seasoning
  • 2 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 box of gluten free (and egg free) noodles (try Lundberg’s Rotini Brown Rice)
  • Sea salt, black pepper to taste
  • Fresh flat leaf parsley, optional

How You Make It: 

  1. Heat oil in a large soup pot (any big pot with enough room to hold liquid works). Toss in onions, garlic, celery and carrots. Season generously with sea salt and pepper.
  2. Toss in vegan chicken strips and sauté. Add in thyme and bay leaves. Continue to stir until fragrant.
  3. Add in stock and water. Scrape whatever has stuck to the bottom of the pan to get all of the flavor.
  4. Bring to a boil.
  5. While waiting for the soup to boil, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Cook until slightly al dente (so that the pasta continues to cook when you add to the soup). NOTE: Please be sure to rinse the pasta before adding to the soup.
  6. Once soup comes to a boil, add in pasta and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, add in Italian seasoning or more thyme if you like.
  7. Serve soup immediately and garnish with fresh parsley.

What are some of your favorite soups when you are feeling under the weather? I’d love to know!

Peace, love and NO beef!

Guramrit

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Beyond Sushi, Beyond Amazing

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The Mighty Mushroom and Green Machine

I’m a huge fan of sushi and I mean the veggie rolls that are simple, healthy and don’t make you feel bad after eating almost 10. Serve me up a good avocado or cucumber roll with a side of edamame and I’m a happy camper. Though veggie rolls are great, they lack real flavor. Aside from the soy sauce on the side with the wasabi, there is no real depth to the flavor of these rolls (not that there is anything wrong with that). Today for lunch I ate at a remarkable vegan sushi joint, Beyond Sushi. You may be skeptical initially, but I promise this is perfectly filling and the genius behind this place has really done his work jazzing up the plainest of vegetables and making them exquisite. Let us leave your preconceived notions on sushi behind and open up your mind to the possibility that vegan sushi could be your new favorite thing.

La Fiesta Roll

Let me start off by saying the location I visited was pretty much a hole in the wall but it was cozy, perfect for wintertime lunches with friends. I instantly felt at home. It radiated sustainable eating, animal kindness and fine dining all at the same time. Who wants to eat at a vegan restaurant that doesn’t have ambiance and doesn’t convince you to eat there over and over again? I walked in, got cozy and started salivating at the many options available to me. This was heaven for a vegan foodie! The menu is impeccable. From the Mighty Mushroom (my favorite)–rolled with  six grain rice (their own unique blend-how fab is that?), enoki, shiitake, tofu and micro arugula and carefully topped with a sensationally sweet  yet savory shiitake teriyaki sauce which perfectly coats the palate, sending your tastebuds on a wild ride–to their delicate mango, tofu or seaweed individual rolls, this is truly a godsend for us sushi loving vegans.

Miso Soup

Miso Soup

Say sayonara to boring cucumber rolls and say hello to rolls worthy of vegan high priestesses (if those even exist). All I know is, I wanted to practically lick my plate clean and was sad once the meal was over- for me, this is a rare occasion.

Head on over to Beyond Sushi for lunch or your next dinner date with your favorite vegan, I promise you will not be disappointed.

Check out Beyond Sushi at these awesome locations:

Beyond Sushi:  229 East 14th St. New York, NY 10003                    

The Green Roll: 75 Ninth Avenue  New York, NY 10011 

Peace, love and NO Beef! 

Guramrit

The Best Pesto You’ll Ever Make

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I’m on week two of my vegan challenge and I was CRAVING something creamy, comforting and delicious. I simply adore my cookbook by Chloe Coscarelli, Chloe’s Kitchen and have had a post-it on the page with Avocado Pesto for over a month now. I decided, that I just HAD to make it. No more excuses! To my surprise? This was probably the most simple and delicious pesto I have ever made.

Okay enough fooling around, here is the best pesto you’ll ever make:

What you need:

  • 1 pound linguine (or spaghetti- I don’t use white flour pasta, I opt for spinach, brown rice, or whole grain)
  • 1 bunch fresh basil, reserve some leaves for garnish
  • ½ cup pine nuts (I left this out, but that’s you’re decision!)
  • 2 avocados, pitted and peeled
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 4 cloves garlic (3 for pesto, 1 for sauteing baby broccoli & tomatoes)
  • ½ cup olive oil (save an extra 2 tablespoons for sauteing)
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes or sliced sun-dried tomatoes (optional)
  • 1 bunch baby broccoli or adult broccoli, chopped (whatever you can find)

How to make it:

1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside. (Cook to AL DENTE- leave a little bite to it. You don’t want to over cook the pasta.)

2. Meanwhile, make the pesto by combining basil, pine nuts, avocados, lemon juice, garlic, and oil in a food processor. Process until smooth. Season generously with salt and pepper.

3. In saute pan, add olive oil and 1 clove of chopped garlic. Let the oil get fragrant and add broccoli. Saute a couple of minutes before adding the tomatoes. Turn off heat.

4. Toss pasta with pesto and broccoli and tomatoes. Divide pasta among serving bowls and garnish each serving with a basil leaf.

[The finished product!]

The next time you crave pesto, opt for this vegan friendly and satisfying version!

Peace, love and no beef!

Guramrit

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A simple yet tasty salad (without lettuce!). Yes, salads are much more than the usual lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and dressing. Getting creative with salad not only makes it delicious, it makes it fun! I love concocting something random and tweaking it. Then again, I do that with everything I eat. I am familiar with flavors I like and am learning to pair things that compliment one another. 

My amazing Aunt Lisa sends me recipes quite often and this particular salad happened to be one of them. Once you see how simple this recipe is, I promise you’ll make it your go-to summer time salad. 

What you need: 

1 ear of corn, roasted (you can do this over a flame if you don’t have a grill)

2 avocados, diced into cubes

1 yellow/orange tomato, diced

1 red vipe ripened tomato, diced

1 can of organic black beans, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons of finely chopped cilantro

Juice of 1 lime

Salt, pepper, garlic powder & chili powder (a teaspoon of chili powder gives it a kick) 

How to make it: 

1. Combine in a bowl. Toss gently. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and chili powder. 

2. Eat!

If you’re an avocado fan (like I am) this is the perfect salad for you! Avocados are loaded with nearly 20 essential nutrients, like fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid! Tasty and good for you? What a fabulous combination!

That’s all for now veggie lovers!

Peace, love and no beef!

Guramrit