Grilled Cheese Extraordinaire

When you think of your favourite childhood foods, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? For me, it was all about homemade mac 'n cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches.

As much as I still love both, I can't help but to try to fancy them up now and again.....what can I say, I've become a true foodie :-D

Lately I've seen several variations on a grilled cheese and I wanted to get in on the fun. I added a few of my fave things and the result was pretty fantastic. I hope you love it!

Grilled Cheese Extraordinaire
Makes 1 sandwich

This is a great way to 'fancy up' an old childhood favourite.

2 slices bread of your choice (I used 12 grain)
Earth Balance (or butter)
shredded mozzarella cheese
2 - 3 slices avocado
3 - 4 slices of tomato
pinch of salt

I assume we all know how to make a grilled cheese, so I'm not going to go into great detail on how to make it. Simply butter your bread and assemble your sandwich by layering the tomatoes, avocado, cheese and a pinch of salt. Grill in a small frying pan.

All it takes is a simple cast characters for this sammie.

There is so much deliciousness packed in there!

Remove from the skillet and serve. I made a side of kale chips to go with my sammie. It was a perfect Friday night dinner! The only thing that would have made it better was a glass of merlot; sadly, there was no wine to be found in the Vegvacious household :-(

So now I better be off. You know there are only 3 weeks 'til Christmas right?! I have TONS to do!!! I'm even trying my hand at getting making some new decorations. Here's a hint of what I've been working on.....

I'm hoping I can share the finished product on Sunday or Monday.

Until then, have a great weekend.

What are your plans this weekend?
Favourite childhood eats?

See ya real soon,

Andrea

Better Than Grandma's Tomato Soup

...that's what Derek said anyways, although I'm not 100% convinced! Our grandmas are all pretty phenomenal in the kitchen and my soup is pretty darn fantastic....so maybe we should call it tie and leave it at that.

Are you getting "tomatoed" out here on on Vegvacious??? I promise that this will be my last tomato recipe....for this week anyways :-D

Derek's been asking me to make some homemade tomato soup like his grandma does. My dad used to make a wickedly delish tomato soup when we were kids too, so I had lots of inspiration for this one and I have to say it turned out amazingly well. {a little pat on the back now and then is healthy for the soul!}

Homemade Tomato Soup
Serves 4

This soup is soooo delicious! I'm planning to freeze some fresh tomatoes, so that I can whip this up on a cold winter day because it will be perfect as a warm tasty comfort food on a cold dreary day!

6 c chopped tomatoes (I left skins on)
2 c veggie broth
2 c milk (I used 1% dairy milk because that's all I had, but unsweetened original almond milk would have been my first choice if I had some)
1 tsp sugar
3 tbsp Earth Balance
sea salt & pepper to taste

Combine the tomatoes and veggie broth in a medium to large pot and place on high heat. Bring to a boil.

Reduce to medium high and add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove from the stove.

Add the soup in batches to your blender. Be careful because hot soup in a blender can make the lid pop off! I use an oven mitt to hold the top of the blender on. Pulse until the soup is to your desired consistency. I pulse each batch a few times.

Serve & enjoy. We garnished ours with additional black pepper and some crushed up multigrain pita chips.

Other fab toppings would be a swirl of sour cream, some shredded cheese, croutons or slivered basil --- the options are endless!!!

Eat up, but be warned that tomato soup fresh off the stove is HOT - Warning: tongue burning on the first bite is NOT GOOD! Then you won't be able to taste the rest and that really stinks (er, not that I would know from personal experience ;-) What is it with us food bloggers burning our tongues all the time!??

Do you have a favourite family recipe that you like to re-create?

Have a fabulous day!!! It's Thursday people ~ one more day 'til the weekend woot woot!!!!
Andrea

Salsa Bean Burgers

Mmmm....burgers.

I have been a vegetarian for almost a year and a half now and while I am so happy with my choices and could write a series on all the wonderful benefits I have experienced since becoming a vegetarian, there is one thing I really, really miss from my meat eating days. BURGERS.

Back in my old life, I could eat a burger everyday. I loved cheeseburgers, barbecued burgers, burgers topped with mushrooms & swiss, chicken burgers, turkey burgers and my all-time favourite (after a night of indulgence :-) the BK Whopper with cheese.

As I type this, my mouth waters.

Andrea {hearts} Burgers

<3

Thankfully, a ton of veggie burgers have come out on the market that actually taste a lot like the real thing! I like to bring these along to a get together or a barbecue, so I don't have to feel deprived while everyone's chowing down and I'm sitting there with my plate of salad and veggies. While I love the faux meat burgers, I have also developed a love for homemade bean burgers. I've had a recipe tucked away for a while now and finally I found some time this week to dig it up and give it a try.

While these don't imitate meat burgers, they taste awesome! Pairing them with a bun and your fave toppings definitely satisfies like eating the real thing. And the best part of this recipe??? It has two of my most favourite qualities: it's quick & it's oh so easy!!

Salsa Bean Burgers

Recipe from simply vegetarian

Makes 5 burgers

1 19oz can of red kidney beans, drained & rinsed

1 egg, beaten

1 c. crushed corn tortilla chips

1/2 c. salsa (I used medium)

2 tsp cooking oil (I used avocado/garlic oil, but any oil would be fine)

Pour the beans into a medium sized mixing bowl and mash them with a fork.

Add the egg, tortilla chips and salsa. Mix well.

the final product

Divide into 5 equal portions and form into patties. 

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the patties. Cook for 5 minutes per side until they are golden brown and heated through. 

Remove from heat and serve. 

I served mine on a whole grain thin bun. I added baby spinach, mashed avocado mixed with salsa and some melted shredded cheese. I was pleasantly surprised by how well the patties stayed together. Sometimes the flavour of a bean burger can be spot on, but most of it ends up on your plate instead of in your tummy!

I served my burger with a side of broccoli stirfried with avocado & garlic oil, minced garlic and balsamic vinegar. It was GOO-OOOD!!! 

For lunch the next day, I took some leftover broccoli and one of the bean patties sprinkled with Daiya cheese. The patty was great with salsa on the side. This lunch was by far my favourite of the week!

This is a great recipe that your entire family will love! I never know what to do with kidney beans other than the standard chili recipe, so I am really happy that I spied this! It is definitely going to be a staple for me this summer.

What is your favourite veggie burger ~ it could be a fave brand or your most awesome recipe!

Have a great night ~ I'm off to start watching season 2 of Dexter (I am officially addicted ;-)

Andrea

Veg-tastic White Bean Salad

I am constantly craving cool, fresh fruit and veggies during the hot, humid months. This year has been no exception especially during the heat wave we've been experiencing this week. Earlier in the week I made a salad filled with chickpeas and fresh veggies and today I've whipped up a white bean salad with lots of veggies for my lunch. I love to add beans or lentils to my salads to up the protein factor, so that I stay full and satisfied all afternoon. There's nothing worse than coming home from work on an empty belly ~ that's a recipe for disaster because I immediately start searching for something to munch on, which often is some sort of unhealthy snack food like Derek's half eaten bag of chips! The protein also gives me a much needed boost of energy, so that I can avoid that 3 p.m. lull.

Tina posted a white bean salad on her blog recently and I knew I was going to have to make my own similar version. This salad is super easy to make and can very easily be customized to your tastes and to the ingredients you have on hand. I  like to make this at the end of the week when I need to use up produce that is about to go bad ~ I hate throwing good food out!

Veg-tastic White Bean Salad

Serves 2

Feel free to add any veggies, herbs and spices that you like to this salad - it can be easily customized to suit your tastes! A great salad to make a day or so ahead and take to work for lunch. It's filling, delicious and full of lots of healthy goodness.

1 19oz can of white beans
1 heaping c of your fave veggies, diced (I used asparagus, yellow beans, yellow pepper & zucchini)
1.5 tbsp of your fave fresh herbs (I used fresh parsley, rosemary and chives from my herb garden - dried would also work but don't use as much)
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Drain and rinse your beans and place them in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

Add your chopped veggies, fresh herbs, olive oil and vinegar. Mix well.

Check out those gorgeous herbs ~ grown with love by moi :-)

YUMMY!

Add salt and pepper to suit your tastes.

Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Enjoy!

Now how easy is that? This salad can be made in just a few short minutes and it's fabulously delicious to boot!

What type of beans to you prefer to add to your salads?
Do you have a favourite summertime salad?

Have a happy Friday ~ the weekend is almost upon us!

Andrea

Sloppy (& Delicious!) Lentil Sandwich

We have been so lucky lately. I'm crossing my fingers & toes that this beautiful sunny weather continues! I haven't been wanting to spend much time in the house, so most of our meals have been quick and easy and on the grill. Check out this gorgous beast. We just retired our old barbecue and this is Derek's new toy.

It was so sunny today, I couldn't get a shot without some serious reflections!

Check out my barbie...my roof...my deck ~ hehe.

I was feeling pooped after a long day at work and I wanted something fabulous, yet easy for dinner. Angela posted a homemade barbecue sauce on her site today that (a) made my mouthwater instantly :-); (b) made me want to run home and make my very own barbecue sauce ~ dad, aren't you proud ?!; and (c) made me remember a very expensive container of organic barbecue sauce I bought that I was dying to try, but have left sitting in my pantry for many, many days.

Check it out.

This stuff is GOO-OOD!!

The true test will be to see if Derek likes it. He claims to be a connoisseur of all things grilled.

So after a quick check to see what I had on hand, I quickly got to work. I started out with one of my fave foods; a sweet potato. I peeled it and cut it into slices. 

Then I tossed the potato slices with 1/2 tsp of coconut oil (canola or olive oil would work), a pinch of sea salt and a large pinch of spicy Mrs. Dash.

I cooked these on the barbecue grill. I used medium heat, but didn't keep a close eye on the time. I would guestimate that they cooked 7 or 8 minutes per side.

Along with the potato slices, I did a foil packet of chopped onions and green peppers.

Why would I cook up some onions & peppers you might ask? Well I needed something fabulous to top my barbecue lentil sandwich of course! I got the inspiration from Ange's barbecue post and put my own personal spin on it :-)

You'll have to forgive me because I didn't measure anything today, so I'm just going to give you a quick rundown on how I assembled my sandwich. First of all, I drained and rinsed one can of lentils and dumped them into a small pot.I then mixed in some of my new favourite barbecue sauce. This mixture was warmed up on the stove until heated through.

Now here comes the fun part....the building of this sloppy sandwich. I used a toasted English muffin as my bun. To assemble my sandwich I layered baby spinach, a couple scoops of the lentil mixture followed by the onion/pepper mixture.

Oh man! This sandwich was awesome, but sooooo sloppy. It was already starting to fall apart as I snapped my final pic.

It still tasted amazing and I was able to chow down on all the lost fillings with a fork. It doesn't matter that I had barbecue sauce in places and on furniture where barbecue sauce should never be :-) Oh well, it's cleaned up now and if you don't tell anyone, I won't either ~ it'll be our little secret!

This dinner was so awesome, took about 15 minutes to throw together and satisfied this vegetarian's craving for some true barbecue flavour! I loved it and can't wait for my leftovers tomorrow. Only, next time I'm going to try putting the filling into a wrap. I'm going to be at work after all and I need to at least give the appearance that I can eat neatly and politely!

What is your favourite barbecue sauce? Have you ever made your own?

Have you been able to get out and enjoy some of this fabulous weather or are you the type that loves to sit by the air conditioning and keep cool ~ if I had A/C I might be tempted to join you!

Happy Tuesday,

Andrea

Summertime Lunch

Oh sunny day - I hope the weather is as glorious where you are as it is here in Southwestern Ontario. It is sunny and gorgeous with just a slight breeze to keep the temperature comfortable. I am LOVING this day!

Today's forecast in my neck of the woods - awesome!!

Someone forgot to mention to my poochies that today was Sunday, which means sleeping in. I had wet noses in my face just after 6 a.m. and obviously they both had ants in their pants because they wouldn't stop squirming around until I finally got up and let them out. At first I was unimpressed, but once I was up and moving I thought I'd take advantage of my early start and get all my 'chores' done early, so the rest of the day could be mine to enjoy. I had a quick breakie,  folded laundry, washed our bedding, cleaned the bathroom, fed the dogs, went to the grocery store and the bank all before hitting the gym for a 10 a.m. circuit class followed by some weights. How productive am I?

When I got home, I was ravenous. I went to a local farmer's market yesterday and I knew exactly what I was going to whip up for my lunch. I've been seeing so many amazing meal ideas from my fellow bloggers and these two have stuck with me since I saw them earlier this week. 

First I made an amazingly delicious iced coffee. I got the inspiration from Leanne at Healthful Pursuit. I used one cup of chilled brewed coffee, one cup of unsweetened soy milk, not quite 1 tablespoon of cocoa and a squirt of agave nectar to sweeten it up. I threw all of the ingredients into my Magic Bullet and whipped it up. I added the sweetener slowly because I don't like my iced coffees too sweet. Then, using my pink cup of course :-), I poured the coffee mixture over lots of ice. It was AMAZING! I will being having these every single weekend this summer! 

Then, it was on to lunch. I made myself a whole wheat veggie wrap. First I mashed up 1/3 of an avocado and mixed it with a tablespoon of salsa and some nutritional yeast (you could use cheese). I spread that onto the tortilla followed by some baby spinach leaves. Then I lightly steamed some asparagus, green onion, yellow pepper and portobello mushrooms and added that to the wrap. I rolled 'er up and went to town. It was fantabulous! I am really loving mashed avocado on everything lately! This idea was courtesy of Kris at i heart wellness and all I did was change it up slightly to suit my tastes.

So now my belly is very happy and satisfied, all my chores are done and I have nothing left that has to be done. I think I'm going to head outside to plant a few tomato plants I bought and play with the dogs. It would be a sin to let this day slip by without soaking in at least a little Vitamin D!

Derek is finally on his way home from his weekend away and I can't wait for him to get here. I am feeling a teensy weensy bit lonely without him --- we haven't seen much of each other this week! I think it's safe to say dinner is going to be something on the barbecue. I have a couple of ideas and alot of fresh produce, so it's sure to be something utterly fabulous! Keep an eye on Wednesday to see the recap of our creations.

What does your 'perfect day' look like?

Do you love wraps as much as me? Favourite fillings?

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday,

Andrea