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Textured vegetable protein, aka textured soy protein, can be a good thing. It comes from reduced-fat soy beans and can be used as an alternative to ground meats. This Veggie Patch product incorporates TVP into their Chick'n Cutlets, as well as many of their other products, and it never tasted better.

The question was, what to do with these? Coming from a family where Italian food was served at least several times a week, being a vegetarian can make you long for something as simple and filling as chicken parmigiana. Veggie Patch Chick'n Cutlets were something I bought on a whim. I was impressed by their similiarity to an actual chicken cutlet and by the heavy breading as well. Now, I've mentioned this before and it is still a huge pet peeve of mine. I do not like when a product containing "faux meat" tries to resemble that of the real thing (yes, Smart Bacon, I'm talking about you!). It's strange, confusing, and is a poor example of vegetarian food. I do realize that most vegetarians were probably raised eating meat and this may help with the whole transition to a meatless diet. Emulating these types of food, to me, just seems counter-productive and psychologically confusing. But I'm, digressing, sorry!

This product contained four large cutlets. They are 100% vegetarian but do contain egg whites according to the ingredients. I followed the "recommended" instructions to use an oven/toaster oven and after about 7-8 minutes they were done. The best part was the crispiness. The outside was nice and crispy while the inside was hot with a chicken-like texture. I smothered them with pasta sauce, a handful of cheese, and popped them back in the oven for about five minutes. The result- the closest thing to chicken parm I've had in a long time. It was tasty, extremely similar in texture and flavors, and easy to assemble.

Veggie Patch does a great job of detailing and describing their handful of products on their website. I'd like to see more of them in my local grocery stores!

Here's an alternative to the handful of salads you might eat every week. Both the preparation and cooking time are pretty quick (maybe 5-10 minutes). It's best served warm so let it cool off a bit before diving in.

Ingredients:
6-8 asparagus stalks, chopped
2 cups of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
1 can of artichoke hearts, quartered (feel free to use fresh artichokes if you want, canned is just easier sometimes)
2 cups of fresh spinach
1/4 cup of onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. lemon juice
Pinch of crushed red pepper
Salt and pepper to taste



What to do:
Start by adding the olive oil and garlic to a large saucepan. Once the oil is hot, add the asparagus and cook for 4 minutes on medium heat.

Add the chickpeas, artichokes, and onion. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes or until asparagus is cooked to your liking.

Finally, add the spinach, crushed red pepper, and other seasonings and cook for another minute or so until the spinach has wilted.

Allow the salad to cool down and give it a splash of lemon juice before serving. That's it!

This recipe was an experiment of sorts. In fact, it's a combination of several recipes I combined together from the web. The result- flavorful and filling enchiladas! The ingredients are pretty basic (and inexpensive) and the most time is spent making the actual filling. The recipe below made 5-6 decent size enchiladas.

Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes (peeled, cooked, and diced)
1 14oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tbsp. cumin
1/2 tbsp. cilantro, chopped
2-3 cups of shredded cheese (I used Sargento's Mexican Blend but a regular colby jack would work too)
2 cups of salsa verde
Salt and pepper
5-6 flour tortillas



What to do:
Cook the sweet potatoes. Allow them to cool off a bit before dicing into small pieces (trust me, hot potatoes are like napalm!).

Add the black beans, diced sweet potatoes, red onion, cilantro, cumin, and olive oil into a large bowl and give it a good stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. That's your filling!

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Now, the more tedious part. In a large baking dish, layer the bottom with the salsa verde sauce. Warm each tortilla for about 20 seconds and fill each one with a scoop or two of filling, topping with shredded cheese.

Carefully roll up the tortilla and place seam-side down in the dish.

Once you have all your enchiladas rolled up and ready to go, top them with a layer of salsa verde sauce and a handful more of cheese.

Place them in the over and bake for about 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and/or has a hint of brown.

Serve with sour cream and feast!

Seapoint Farms calls themselves the "largest importer and manufacturer of edamame products in the United States." This, to me, is a good thing because edamame (usually labeled an immature soybean grown in East Asia) is one of my favorite snacks. It's fun to eat, low in carbs, and is one of the few vegetarian protein sources that has all nine of the essential amino acids the body cannot produce. This weekend I was able find Seapoint Farms' Dry Roasted Edamame that is wasabi flavored (a snack I've been in search of since trying it almost over a year ago!) While the regular Dry Roasted Edamame of theirs is easy to find in most supermarkets, this product is a bit more obscure...at least in my area. So if you're tired of the whole boiling, pod splitting edamame routine give this a try. It packs a nice punch and makes for a great snack to share.

So on Monday I got lazy...real lazy. I wanted to try out something new but easy. It was way too hot for late September and I dreaded the idea of cooking after a long work day. I found this recipe on vegweb.com and realized I already had most of the ingredients at home. I spent five minutes prepping the toppings and another five making the filling. It was incredibly easy, tasty, and you can add whatever toppings you like (I chose lettuce, tomato, shredded cheese, sour cream, jalapeños, and some chili verde sauce for more flavor). Highly recommended for a snack or easy meal!

I eat falafel all the time. I might even eat it too much. I have an amazing Mediterranean/Lebanese place down the street from my work where I am able to get this whenever I want:



The other day though I realized most people I know make their falafel out of box mixes. Don't! Take the extra time to make it from scratch, it's 1000X's better and only takes about ten minutes to prep. Here's a great Youtube video that I thought would be helpful for a beginner. There's also plenty more if you search around but I found this video to be a bit more broken down and easy to follow. Enjoy!

One of the last things I thought I'd be driving to Portland, ME for was vegetarian food. Although Portland offers an abundance of neat little shops, an eclectic population, and the perfect idea for a day/weekend trip, it also has a hidden gem of a restaurant- Green Elephant.

We were a bit hungover from boozing on the outskirts of Portland (and haphazardly taking advantage of the generous amenities of a nearby HoJo) but were determined to drop in for lunch. The food here is consistently good, the service is friendly and unpretentious, and the menu has a little bit of everything. One of my favorite dishes is the Tofu & Vegetable Teriyaki (pictured below). The tofu is amazing, the vegetables are super fresh, and the squash...I HATE squash, but fell in love with their recipe.

If you're ever in the Portland, ME area try to pay them a visit. You won't be disappointed!

www.greenelephantmaine.com