a veg life

(posted by Emily)  It's that time of year again! The official kick off to the holiday season is right around the corner, and it's time to bring back all of those special recipes we only see during the next month or so. Rick and I are both looking forward to a trip to Chicago for Thanksgiving, and I've been mentally planning what we are going to eat for the holiday. Here are ten great veg recipes for Thanksgiving, some of which have inspired our menu this year! Top Ten: Recipes for Thanksgiving 1) Stuffed Acorn Squash . This recipe has been a staple for me ever since my first vegetarian Thanksgiving. I do the stuffing a little differently, with wild rice, celery, cranberries, and onion, but either way it is delicious! via 2) Horseradish Mashed Potatoes . I haven't made these, but I've absolutely been looking for a good excuse to do so! Not sure if we'll end up with these on the table or my truffle smashed potatoes, but either way we'll be happy!  ...

(posted by Emily)  It's the post you've all been waiting for! Well, maybe not, but it has been a long time in the making . After our trip to the Flatbread Company in Paia, we've been patiently waiting to re-create their pineapple vinaigrette. After some different attempts at the right ratios (and a little help from this recipe online from a fellow Flatbread fan ), we've finally got it together.  First, begin by making the pineapple vinegar. I used apple cider vinegar as the base, though if we did this again, I'd probably choose a white wine vinegar instead, for a more subtle flavor.   Prepare your pineapple: Cut the top off of the pineapple, and quarter. Remove the bottom ends from your quartered pieces, and slice away the core and the rind of the fruit. Chop pineapple into smaller, bite size pieces.  remove the top cut in half quartered remove bottom ends and rind chop into bite size pieces Fill ball jars ...

(posted by Emily) Another Sunday, another day of meal prep! We decided on Swiss chard wraps again this week, but wanted to try a new filling. I put together a quick quinoa salad, which could probably be served on its own. Easy to put together, easy to pack! Mediterranean Quinoa Salad Prep time: 15 minutes Salad base : 1 1/2 cup quinoa (measured when uncooked), cooked 1 cup cucumber, diced 1 medium tomato, chopped (or more if you like tomato!) 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped 1/4 cup red onion, chopped 5-6 fresh basil leaves, shredded and diced Dressing : 4 tbs olive oil (1/4 cup) 6 tbs apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar 1/4 tsp cumin 1/4 tsp organo 3 cloves garlic, minced salt and pepper to taste Prep the salad ingredients and add them to a large bowl. Shake dressing ingredients to combine, and then drizzle over the quinoa mixture. Stir and mix well, then refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Serve in Swiss chard or...

(posted by Emily) For us, every weekend begins with meal planning. We hit up the local farmers market  on Saturday morning, and decide what to have for lunch the following week based on what looks good. One of the easiest lunches to make ahead of time is salad in a jar. They remind me of those old shaker salads McDonalds used to have  but better, because they are homemade! You can even make multiple salads at one time, because they will keep for up to a week in the fridge. There are infinite pins on Pinterest detailing how to build a jar salad, but here are my tips with some photo illustration.  1) Start with a wide mouth mason jar.  2) Add dressing/liquids first. I like olive oil, balsamic, hummus, and a little whole grain mustard in mine, and Rick usually has the same minus the vinegar.  3) Add veggies that won't get mushy in the liquids. Tomatoes marinate well, or celery can create a barrier for the other veggies.  4) Add o...

Tonight's post comes from Rick! Enjoy! I wanted to make something so everyone could understand why I answer "salad" as my favorite thing to eat.  I usually get the puzzled look or the laugh out loud moment whenever I mention that a green salad is my favorite thing to eat in the world.  And I understand, people can be terrified of a salad consisting of iceberg lettuce and dried out old veggies.  That actually sounds really boring and not very filling.   Eww ( via ) This one little tip turned any salad I make into a gourmet experience.  I start every salad out by mixing kale with avocado/olive oil/and himalayan pink salt .  I then get my hands dirty and massage all three ingredients into the kale and break it down, braising the kale.  This make the kale so much more edible and flavorful.   Now comes the fun part, add any veggies/spices/fruit/seasonings to you want.  Today was banana pe...