Another recipe to try:

Sweet Potato and Kale soup

4 oz. fresh kale - cut out and discard thick veins, coarsely chop leaves.
1 Lg. onion, chopped
3 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (oregano, basil, thyme)
2 tsp. olive oil
3 14 1/2 oz cans of veg broth (or 1 1/2 quarts)
2 15 oz cans of white kidney or cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced (the printed recipe called for 12 cloves, and I think that's a misprint. That's too much garlic for this amount of soup--and I like garlic.)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

In a dutch oven, saute onion and italian seasoning in oil until onion is tender.
Add broth, beans, sweet potatoes, and kale. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, salt, and pepper. Simmer 15 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender.

BLACKENED TOFU
Yields 4 to 6 servings

The melted butter is essential in this for the right flavor as are the powdered garlic and onions. Because of the extreme heat and volatility of the spices, it's best to cook blackened anything out-of-doors or under a good fan.

2 1-pound blocks Chinese-style firm tofu Salt
1 Tbsp. sweet paprika
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
½ to 1 tsp. cayenne to taste
¾ tsp. ground white pepper
¾ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp. dried oregano
6-8 Tbsp. butter, melted (preferably clarified)

Cut the tofu into slabs about ½ inch thick and set them on paper towels to drain for at least 30 minutes, preferably with a weight on top. They need to be very dry. Mix 2½ tsp. salt and the spices and herbs in a bowl. Brush each piece of tofu with melted butter, then dredge with the spice mixture, patting it firmly into the tofu. This can be done ahead of time.

Preheat the over to 250° and have a platter and spatula at hand. Heat a cast-iron skillet on the stove or covered gas grill until it's white-hot, about 15 minutes. Pour a teaspoon of melted butter onto each piece of tofu, then place it, butter side down, into the hot skillet and step back. Wait 2 minutes, then turn it over and repeat on the second side. Remove to a platter and keep in the oven until all are cooked.

I've recently gotten back into cooking new and exciting vegan recipes. I'm thinking that it will inspire me to resurrect this blog. On top of that, I have been reading some vegan blogs and looking at pictures of vegan cooking and am becoming more and more inspired! Seriously, how could one NOT be inspired by this:

Stuffed Bell Peppers from Celine, who I became familiar with from the Vegan Food Pics LiveJournal blog.

Her recipe for the stuffed peppers is as such:
Ingredients:
3 large bell peppers
1 package firm OR extra firm OR super firm tofu, drained
1 medium sized onion
3 garlic cloves [or less if you're not a fan. I happen to be!]
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 T tomato paste
herbs, your choice
salt, pepper, to taste
Bragg's liquid aminos OR soy sauce
1 cup breadcrumbs [I used panko style whole wheat breadcrumbs] OR cooked rice OR any other grain
1/2 cup cooked black beans, rinsed
1 T olive oil or other oil
6 slices tofutti cheese or other vegan cheese [optional]

Instructions:
* cut peppers in half, remove seeds and clean. boil water in a large pot, place clean peppers in them and boil for 5 minutes. remove peppers and let drain well. [do not put away the pot, or clean it, you will need it later!]
* preheat oven to 350F.
* in a food processor, crumble tofu, place in large bowl. in same food processor, chop onions and garlic. add to tofu in large bowl.
* pour out some of the liquid from diced tomatoes can, add to tofu mixture. add all the herbs you want [I used all purpose seasoning from mccormack's, it's salt free], some salt, some pepper, a teaspoon Bragg's liquid aminos or soy sauce if you prefer, breadcrumbs, black beans, mix well.
* place oil in reserved pot, put tofu mixture in, cook for a few minutes. remove from heat.
* place bell pepper halves in a baking pan [no need to spray it or butter it], fill them up with tofu mixture. there might be leftover stuffing, but you can freeze it and use it again at a later time, that's what I did. or you could simply get more bell peppers to feed more people that very same day.
* place a slice of tofutti cheese on each bell pepper.
* put in oven and let bake for 20-25 minutes. serve hot and enjoy!

Monday:
Breakfast: 2 c. oatmeal with 1 apple, 1/4c. soy milk, 1/4 c. hemp seeds, and 1 Tbsp brown sugar
snack: 1 orange
Lunch: 1 black bean burrito (homemade with tomatoes, lettuce, vegan cheese)
1.5 c. lentil soup (with potatoes and carrots)
snack: 1 orange
1 Cliff bar
Supper: organic corn chips with tomatoes, peppers, and vegan cheese

Tuesday:
Breakfast: 2 c. oatmeal with 1 apple, 1/4c. soy milk, 1/4 c. hemp seeds, and 1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 orange
snack: 1 orange
Lunch: 1 black bean burrito (homemade with tomatoes, lettuce, vegan cheese)
2 - 2.5 c. lentil soup (with potatoes and carrots)
snack: 1 orange
1 Cliff bar

I found a trick to drinking protein powder:
BANANAS!
Tonight I tried the berry-flavoured Vega protein powder (I bought the sample packages so that I could see what I liked best) with a banana, and some soy milk. It was actually pretty tastey. I would recommend throwing a banana into the mix if anyone ever tries it.

Today I tried the Vegan Complete Whole Food Meal Replacement, Chocolate flavour. I tried it just mixed with water and I have to say that it's not my favorite thing in the world to consume. But I've heard that no protein powders are very good, so I won't take my distaste for this too seriously.

The thing with this stuff is that it is made from awesome stuff like hemp protein, yellow pea protein, flax seed, and brown rice protein. All very good for you. In the ingredients list, it even lists Omega-6 and -3 in it.
Here is the Nutrition Facts:

240 Calories (80 from fat, 15 from Saturated + Trans)
Total fat: 9 g
Saturated: 1.5 g
Polyunsaturdated: 6g
Omega-6: 2.5g
Omega-3: 3.5
Monounsaturated: 2g
Sodium: 230mg (10% of RDI)
Potassium: 460mg (13%)
Total Carbohydrate: 21g (7%)
Dietary fibre: 9g (36%)
Sugars: 2g
Protein: 25g


Vitamin A 40%
Vitamin C 15%
Calcium 20%
Iron 20%
Vitamin D 25%
Vitamin E 29%
Thiamine 23%
Riboflavin 25%
Niacin 26%
Vitamin B6 22%
Folate 27%
Vitamin B12 13%


Anyway, the peculiar taste is definitely worth all the good stuff that is in it. After my feel-good bike ride, it was exactly what I needed.

My nutritional to do list for this week:
~ figure out how many calories I need
~ match my calories to my meal plan
~ make a monthly meal plan starting for December

I am a scientist, so one would think that I could do this. But procrastination is a funny funny thing.

This is my own concoction that I throw together every once in a while. I made it last night and had leftovers today. I absolutely LOVE making and eating it. This is what I do:
~ Start stir-frying the onions, gardlic, carrots, and green peppers until the carrots are softish. I add the curry powder, cumin, and turmeric while it's all cooking together.
~ I then put in the chickpeas and stewed tomatoes, and add some more curry powder and cumin. And then add a little salt. Let it simmer until the rice is done.... Voila! Crystal's Chickpea Curry! So easy, nutritious, and tasty!

I usually eat it with brown rice, which I start at least 15 minutes before I start stirfrying the vegetables.

In total, I made enough for 4 servings, which would be about 12 grams of protein from the stirfry and rice together. Last night I had two servings and today I ate two servings as well.

Nutritional breakdown:
Chickpeas, 1cup:

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 119
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g	1%
Saturated Fat 0g	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 299mg	12%
Total Carboydrates 23g	7%
Dietary Fiber 4g	~
Sugars 0g	~
Protein 5g	9%
Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 6% Iron 7% Calcium 3%

Tomatoes, canned, whole, no salt added, 1 cup:

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 45
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g	0%
Saturated Fat 0g	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 24mg	1%
Total Carboydrates 10g	3%
Dietary Fiber 2g	~
Sugars 7g	~
Protein 2g	4%
Vitamin A 6% Vitamin C 56% Iron 7% Calcium 7%

Carrots, raw, chopped, 1 cup:

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 52
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g	0%
Saturated Fat 0g	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 88mg	3%
Total Carboydrates 12g	4%
Dietary Fiber 4g	~
Sugars 6g	~
Protein 1g	2%
Vitamin A 308% Vitamin C 12% Iron 2% Calcium 4%

Brown rice, long-grained, 1 cup:

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 216
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g	2%
Saturated Fat 0g	1%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 10mg	0%
Total Carboydrates 45g	14%
Dietary Fiber 4g	~
Sugars 1g	~
Protein 5g	10%
Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0% Iron 4% Calcium 1%