Going to be a Veggie Mama!!!

Well, it's official...me and hubby will no longer be the only people in our home:


They tell me that the little blob right there is a baby!!! Due date is May 17th! I am planning on staying vegetarian throughout the pregnancy (although I have had some strong cravings for, of all things, chicken salad sandwiches!). I did make one exception for my gummy prenatal vitamins, which contain some gelatin...but how many of you ever looked forward to taking your vitamin??? I do! So anyway, I've been super exhausted, feeling crappy, and not in the mood to cook anything...but don't leave me!!!! As soon as I get over the all day sickness (whoever called it morning sickness is a lying bastard), I will start posting more frequently!!!

Pizza Sundays

So every Sunday, I've been making a different pizza for dinner! It's been really fun, and I think I'm going to continue it! I pick up rounds of pizza dough at the deli counter (they may not have them advertised...just go ask!)


These have been the pizzas so far (I've repeated a few because they were so tasty!)


-Of course, the blue cheese/walnut/arugula from "Date Night" post


-Goat cheese, fresh thyme, sage, and basil (no sauce)


-tomato sauce, cheddar and mozzarella, vegetarian "bacums" that I found at Whole Foods in the bulk bins, and roasted red peppers


-mozzarella, feta, kalamata olives, red onions, thinly sliced tomato, and fresh oregano (put on at the last minute of cooking).

I think I need to invest in a pizza stone...will post pictures when I buy it!

Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

I've been meaning to post this dish...I make it a few times a month, and it is simple and delicious!!! All you have to do is throw a pint or 2 of cherry or grape tomatoes onto a sheet pan, cover in olive oil, salt, pepper, and some chopped garlic if you have any on hand. Roast at 375 degrees until the tomatoes burst open. As the tomatoes are roasting, have your pasta boiling. Save a cupful of your pasta water, just incase you need it for the "sauce". When the tomatoes are all burst open, and your house smells like heaven, take the pan out of the oven and pour every last bit from the pan onto your drained pasta. Toss around, and add some pasta water if you want it a little more saucy. Add some fresh basil if you have it, and then top it all with some parmesan cheese...


HOLD UP!


Let's talk about parmesan...now I know you've heard Food Network chefs go on and on about Parmigiano-Reggiano. Is it delicious and mind blowing? YES. Is it expensive? YES. Do you absolutely have to have it in every single dish? NO. There are some great alternatives that work great (and the canned stuff is not what I'm talking about!) I really like Sarvecchio, which is actually a domestic parmesan and runs around $8/pound at whole foods, compared to PR which will cost you around $20/pound. You can also buy Regginito, which is a cheese from Argentina...it has a similar flavor to PR and is definitely worth trying! It's about $10/pound.

Here's what it looks like at my house:


I highly recommend you give it a try...it is really really really easy, and the flavors are amazing!

Ok, Now I'm Really Back!

Wooo! Not sure what happened there! I have been super busy/exhausted from work, but I'm back...I promise!!! Here are a few updates that have happened in the last month...

-I did another outdoor adoption event in July, only this time I was a "cat supervisor." I was in charge of 2 kittens and a 2 year old cat (Capone...he was such a sweetheart!!!) One of the kittens got adopted right away, Capone was adopted 2 days later, and I'm not sure about Jerry, the little black kitten...I hope he found his forever home too!



-Last Wednesday, we decided to open our home to a foster kitten who was going to be put down at the shelter he was at...meet Stanley:


Yes, I realize how painfully adorable he is, and yes, we are still planning on giving him up when someone adopts him, and yes, I know that I will cry like a baby when that day comes. For now though, Stanley is having fun with Horton and Morris, and I love having him as part of the family!

Ok, MOST IMPORTANTLY...as many of you know, I teach at a preschool that is part of an HIV/AIDS support agency. The AIDS run is coming up in October, and I am scheduled to run the 10k race!!! It is SO IMPORTANT that people donate to our cause!!! Because we work directly with the HIV/AIDS affected community, 100% of our donations will come right back to our agency!!!! You can donate right through my fundraising website:

Kelly's Fundraising Website

Thank you in advance for your support!!!!!

OK...back to cooking and living a meat free life!!!

I'm Back!!!!!! Georgia Adventures!

Sorry folks! I have been on vacation in the mountains of Georgia for the past week! Turns out, being a vegetarian in the mountains of Georgia ain't all that easy. When we arrived, I hit up the local Wal-Mart with my mom and figured I'd just grab a few boxes of veggie burgers for easy lunches, and as add on's to whatever dinner was happening. There I roamed...up and down each freezer aisle, 3, maybe 4 times. NADA! So I had to eat a steak that night.





JUST KIDDING! I grabbed a few eggplant and ended up slicing them and grilling them (family was having chicken that night). Of course there were tater tots and salad, so I was pretty content. Similar meals followed, and then we went out to lunch...to Rib Country...the Mecca of Meat. Bring on the side dishes please! My lunch that day consisted of onion loaf, salad, and fries with bbq sauce on them. What can I say, I'm a health nut :-) Thankfully, we don't really go out all that much when we are in Georgia. The only other time we did was to Mike's Seafood. I am a big Mike's fan, so I wasn't really looking forward to my crab cake free dinner. Thankfully (can't believe I'm saying this), I had one too many Miller High Lifes that day and wasn't really into eating much by the time dinner came around lol I ordered a salad and baked potato...just for show.

My dad finally found some veggie burgers at a local supermarket, so I had those a few nights, and all was good. On the ride home, we made our annual Sonic stop. I was surprised to see the lack of veggie options on their menu, so I did what any good vegetarian would do...ordered a Sonic cheeseburger: extra cheese, extra tomatoes, no burger! And it was delicious!

And thankfully, both beer and sweet tea are vegetarian!

So anyway...back onto cooking!!!!!

Vegetarian Ramen!!!!

I found it!!!!! Justin and I were coming home from a lovely dinner with the Santiagos, when Justin decided he needed a Mexican coke (read: coke made with real sugar), so we swung into our little corner store, and I happen to see a new package of ramen noodles I have never seen before. I check the label...BAM!!! Vegetarian!!!! So the brand is Top Ramen, Chili Flavor...looks like this:

I haven't tried it yet, so no promises on that, but I'm sure it's amazing :-)


**I did attempt making my own seasoning to try and use the multiple packages of non-vegetarian ramen I have in my cabinet. It came out pretty tasty, but I have to use a lot of stuff, some of which I don't always have on hand, so it kind of defeats the purpose of a quick and easy meal.

It's OK to Be Corny!

Ahhhhh! It is officially summertime! I walked into the grocery store, and there it was...that oh-so-familiar pile of fresh corn just waiting to come home with me. There are so many things that you can do with it!

So many people just boil the crap out of it, roll it in some butter and call it a day. PLEASE!!! STOP THAT!!! My favorite way to prepare corn on the cob is to grill it. If it is nice and fresh (and by fresh I mean juicy, like you want to just eat it raw), peel the husks off, and remove all of the hairs (strings? not sure what they are called really). Then make a mixture of butter, chili powder, salt, and some lime juice. Slather this on each piece, and throw them on a hot grill. After a few minutes (maybe 5?) go ahead and turn them. They should be slightly charred (although you can adjust the charring level to your liking). When they come off the grill, for an extra special touch, sprinkle on some Parmesan (or Cotija cheese if you are feeling extra fancy). You will never look at corn the same way again..I promise!!!

**note: if your corn is not so juicy, you have a few options. You can either peel back the husks to remove the strings, then fold the husks back up and grill (this will create a steaming effect), slathering the butter mixture on after it cooks, OR you can go ahead and slather the butter mixture on the corn, then wrap it in tin foil and grill.

Another way to use all that corn is to make a summery soup (or chowder? I'm not really sure what the difference is). I made this tonight, and it was super delicious. You can really use any veggies you want...the secret is to cook and puree about 1/3 of the corn (just cook it in some water) before adding in your veggie broth and other veggies. This thickens up the soup, and gives it a really nice texture.

**helpful hint: When you are slicing the kernels off the cob, do it in a pie plate...it makes for much less mess















In my soup, in addition to the corn (remember...cook and puree about 1/3 of it before adding in the rest), I used red bell peppers, potato, carrots, celery, onion, and I seasoned it with liquid aminos, salt, pepper, and thyme. My second bowl a few hours after dinner was room temperature, and I really preferred it this way. Paired with a nice Mediterranean salad, and some olive bread, it made for a tasty summer supper!














Have a wonderful week everyone!!!