tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-128444752011-12-14T21:44:53.520-05:00A blog detailing ways to enjoy a gourmet vegetarian diet on the cheap. Check out recipes, food stories, tips and techniques.Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346603144042429054noreply@blogger.comBlogger231100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844475.post-1138996087906571992006-02-03T12:48:00.000-05:002006-10-19T19:22:32.636-04:00

As I've mentioned before, one of the best ways to learn to cook is to learn methods instead of recipes. This applies to vegetarian cooking as much as any other kind.One quick, easy, and highly changeable dish is pilaf. You can use a variety of grains, vegetables, and protein ingredients to round out your meal.It's very simple. Start by adding a couple of tablespoons of oil or butter to a pan and

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346603144042429054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844475.post-1136760196926892222006-01-08T17:41:00.000-05:002006-01-08T17:43:16.946-05:00

I submitted this as an article somewhere, but it was rejected. *sniff*However, I figured you all would appreciate it more, so I am posting here instead:It's sickening to discover that that bag of peppers you bought has quietly disintegrated into mush, or that the remainder of a can of tomato paste is now sporting a jaunty brown fur coat. Food waste can also be a huge drain on your food budget,

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346603144042429054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844475.post-1133027333056347652005-11-26T12:43:00.000-05:002005-11-26T12:48:53.080-05:00

Just popping in here to make a quick post about a successful food experiment: egg rolls!Egg roll skins are pretty cheap, and you can fill them with all sorts of cheap stuff, too. Ours contained:shredded cabbageslivered garlicslivered gingersugar snap peas (not cheap, really, but I only put one or two in each roll)julienned tofuI arranged the filling on the egg roll skin, then drizzled a

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346603144042429054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844475.post-1122002317638565952005-07-21T21:38:00.000-04:002006-10-04T16:07:05.553-04:00

I went out to lunch with two friends, Monte and Shannyn, today at an asian restaurant. This place is so damn good... I got a green curry, with jasmine rice, so very good.The had a bunch of shakes on the drink menu, including durian. Neither had heard of it before, so I explained a little... it's large and spiny, and has a sort of... controversial taste and smell.I've still never had fresh durian,

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346603144042429054noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844475.post-1121190166095485302005-07-12T13:09:00.000-04:002005-07-12T13:42:46.100-04:00

Finally back! I'm just about settled into the new house and really enjoying it here.I went help cook for St. Pete's Food Not Bombs picnic Friday night. While I was there, I got to talking with a real foodie. He fed me the best biscuits and gravy I'd ever had, vegetarian or no. He was also kind enough to lend me the book the recipe came from, Heart of the Home by Ann Jackson. It's a book of

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346603144042429054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844475.post-1119194580851522512005-06-19T10:16:00.000-04:002005-06-19T11:23:01.066-04:00

I'm moving in about ten days. This has called for me to one, spend less money, since I've had to drop a significant amount of cahs on deposits and the like; and two, pare down my pantry stores so I'm not schlepping forty cans of tomatoes across town. Thankfully, these are highly compatible objectives.One of the best meals to come out of this has been my favorite veggie chili yet: one can kidney

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346603144042429054noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844475.post-1118417883724372742005-06-10T11:34:00.000-04:002005-06-10T11:38:03.726-04:00

Everyone, even people who don't garden, should compost. When trash goes to a landfill, it sits in a sealed tank where nothing significantly decays. Archeologists excavate them because everything inside is in such good condition.So, we all need to do what we can for waste reduction.I'm kind of a lazy person, though, so having that bucket of vegetable scraps on my counter would be a problem. I

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346603144042429054noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844475.post-1118351177356981642005-06-09T16:58:00.000-04:002005-06-09T17:06:17.360-04:00

Today's lunch experiment was particularly successful, so I thought I'd post about it here:Curried Egg Sandwich2 eggs, beaten1 - 2 cloves garllic, mincedabout a teaspoon curry powderolive oil, or ghee if you keep it aroundfresh parsley, minced2 slices good breadHeat the oil in a small frying pan. When hot, add the garlic and curry powder. Saute unti the garlic is soft. Add the eggs, and scramble.

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346603144042429054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844475.post-1118229092043658982005-06-08T06:59:00.000-04:002005-06-08T07:11:32.050-04:00

Sorry for the lack of updates, I ran out of town for a spontaneous trip!I had to kill some time before picking up a friend yesterday morning to retrieve my car from the side of the highway in Bradenton (long story), so I went to a local playground to take a walk.Along the way, I saw a bunch of ripe elderberries. I'd never had any, but had wanted to experiment with them for a long time. I

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346603144042429054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844475.post-1117547713150658712005-05-31T09:50:00.000-04:002005-05-31T09:55:13.153-04:00

Corny, but quite cute, PSA from the Organic Trade Association. Be sure to also check out OTA's site. There's a lot of good info there.

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346603144042429054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844475.post-1117474906869878112005-05-30T13:07:00.000-04:002005-05-30T13:41:46.876-04:00

You know how it is... you sit down with your morning coffee, just planning to check your email and your counter stats... one link leads to another, and then, it's suddenly lunchtime.At least, that's what happened to my morning today. I've discovered a few that will definitely be making my list: The Green Cutting Board is a vegetarian group food blog. The Naked Vegetarian posts about

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346603144042429054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844475.post-1117240277865849762005-05-27T20:25:00.000-04:002005-05-27T20:31:17.870-04:00

I'm alone in the house a lot during the day, so I keep things on-hand that I can eat with a minimum of preparation. Most days, lunch is consumed over a two or three hour period, consisting of random handfuls of things from the cupboard or fridge: a fistful of greenbeans here, a hunk of cheddar there... some olives, a handful of breakfast cereal, some raisins.Every now and then, however, I'll

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346603144042429054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844475.post-1117215383148516432005-05-27T13:20:00.000-04:002005-05-27T13:36:23.153-04:00

I'm finally getting around to furnishing the blog a bit... I added a few links, and finally got my Powell's Bookshelf set up.I'd like to be able to gradually expand the list of links. If there are any sites you really recommend, please add them to the comments!

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346603144042429054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844475.post-1116941712150541922005-05-24T09:20:00.000-04:002005-05-24T09:35:12.153-04:00

There's a great little produce stand that I pass when I drop my kids off at school, Tommy's. It's a charming place: yellow lattice & green trim, stacks of watermelons everywhere. They carry a lot of things that you won't see in the chain groceries, like globe zucchini and baby eggplant. Also, these little produce stands are the one place where you can just about always count on getting a better

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346603144042429054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844475.post-1116785639523112522005-05-22T14:10:00.000-04:002005-05-22T14:13:59.526-04:00

I just discovered Kitchen Parade's Veggie Venture. It started as a month-long quest to cook a different vegetable every day by a different recipe. However, the experiment seems to have taken on a life of its own and is now in its 51st day. I have a lot of archives to catch up on.Another favorite of mine is fuckcorporategroceries.net. The author, on a whim, decided to see how long she could go

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346603144042429054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844475.post-1116600356628318292005-05-20T10:14:00.000-04:002005-05-20T10:45:56.636-04:00

I found a meme specific to cookbooks, courtesy of FoodBlog which led me to SpiceBlog!Anyway, just had to jump onboard!OK here we go ahm meme thingy. Post a picture of you cookbooks and answer the following questions that I'll make up now and ask myself -1. Rationale behind what we're seeing?I cheated, and did not take a picture... my cookbooks and cooking magazines are scattered all over the

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346603144042429054noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844475.post-1116594359748255302005-05-20T08:40:00.000-04:002005-05-20T09:05:59.750-04:00

I've had a cold that's been toying with me for a couple of weeks. It started with my glands feeling all swollen. Then, last week, I started coughing.Other than that, though, I felt fine. Not run-down, not achy. I congratulated myself extravagantly on my iron constitution.Oh, boy.It hit me today. Hard.My joints ache so much that I'm hobbling like an old lady. My glands, which were only slightly

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346603144042429054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844475.post-1116351209273961272005-05-17T13:05:00.000-04:002005-05-17T13:33:29.276-04:00

Tonight is going to be a pretty busy night. I'm attending my younger daughter's kindergarten graduation, then running straight from there to an IndyMedia working meeting. The meeting is a potluck, so I have to bring some kind of snack along.One of my favorite things about veggie based foods is that you have a bit of wiggle-room on perishability. Most vegetable dishes can sit at room temperature

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346603144042429054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844475.post-1116262214603131522005-05-16T12:02:00.000-04:002005-05-16T12:50:14.606-04:00

I stumbled across one of my favorite philosophical anecdotes this morning on the New Mexico State University Vegetarian Club's site, reposting it here: The philosopher Diogenes was eating bread and lentils for supper. He was seen by the philosopher Aristippus, who lived comfortably by flattering the king. Said Aristippus

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346603144042429054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844475.post-1116174699394018942005-05-15T12:26:00.000-04:002005-05-15T12:31:59.236-04:00

A generous dumpster-diving friend gave me a huge quantity of bananas the other day that were just outside of the banana bread stage.Unfortunately, no one in my household really cares for banana bread.After eating so many that my kids would start to cry when I walked up to them with yet another banana in-hand, I finally broke out the dehydrator.Instead of doing chips, I cut the bananas in

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346603144042429054noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844475.post-1116094719627394152005-05-14T11:36:00.000-04:002005-05-14T14:18:39.633-04:00

Keeping costs down while maintaining a varied and pleasurable diet requires a little forethought and ingenuity.I utilize the Pantry Principle, as outlined in Amy Dacyczyn's invaluable reference The Complete Tightwad Gazette. Basically stated, shopping for foods to create specific meals is backwards. What you should do instead is buy foods based on value, then create meals from what you have in

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346603144042429054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844475.post-1115926658567466982005-05-12T13:34:00.000-04:002005-05-12T15:37:38.573-04:00

The recipe here serves one, since I work alone out of my house. It can be tricky creating meals for one person. I think a lot of people wind up spending too much on food because they rely on single serving convenience foods.I've worked out several no-fuss meals that utilize fresh ingredients that can be kept on-hand. Feel free to multiply as needed for guests. Labneh is yogurt cheese. It's

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346603144042429054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844475.post-1115907983533409642005-05-12T13:20:00.000-04:002005-05-12T10:26:23.536-04:00

I'm poor.Really poor. My income, from Pell Grants, freelance writing, eBay and the odd temp job was a little less than $8000 last year.Just getting that out of the way so you know that I know what I'm talking about.I constantly see people complaining about the cost of food, and it baffles me. I've always eaten very well, and food is one item that has never strained my budget.So, I figured I could

Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02346603144042429054noreply@blogger.com0