Tacos Two Ways

Traveling on business for the past two weeks, I was not able to "make and bring my own lunch" (challenge no. 20), and this week I have been stranded in Brooklyn. But I feel very, very lucky to have power and open grocery stores in my neighborhood. So today I made my lunch and "brought" it to work, even if work is my dining table for the time being.

Oh, and I pretty much discovered the best raw vegan BBQ sauce ever (just blend the following ingredients in a food processor or high-speed blender and add some water, if needed, to get the right consistency):

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup tomatoes
3 sun dried tomatoes
3 pitted dates
1/4 clove (or one small clove) of garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp stone ground mustard
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/3 tbsp onion granules
pinch of black pepper
pinch of cayenne
pinch of sea salt

With this sauce I made mushroom BBQ tacos: sliced portabella mushrooms, the BBQ sauce, and diced onion wrapped in a lettuce leaf:

I also made balsamic mushroom tacos with guacamole. For this I marinated the mushrooms in balsamic vinegar and soy sauce before placing them in a lettuce leaf and topping with guacamole and diced onion:

Kale Salad, Battersby Style

Earlier this year my Uncle Richard and I dined at Battersby in Brooklyn, per his keen pulse on the NYC restaurant scene. Not only did it meet our expectations, but the kale salad in particular blew us away. So my excitement was palpable when he informed me that this month's Bon Appetit magazine featured the recipe, as the "dish of the year" no less. Perfect lunch recipe for challenge no. 20:

I collected the majority of my ingredients at the Union Square Green Market and then went to work:

 Crispy Tuscan kale.

 Dressing of lime juice, red Thai chili, minced garlic, fish sauce and sugar.

Finished product!

Obviously it wasn't as perfect as the original, but it was one of the better/more interesting salads I've ever made at home. The dressing has that perfect sweet/hot balance, and the crispy kale brings a delightful texture to an otherwise "regular" salad. I kept all of the ingredients separate so that I could build it at work today for lunch.

Enjoy!

No, Really! Soup!

I was a bit nervous when I saw that the title of this soup was "It's Really Soup!", partly because of the infuriating use of an exclamation point but mostly because it does that equally infuriating thing that raw vegan recipes do -- try to cover up the fact that you're eating something raw vegan.

This recipe comes from the only raw food book I own, clearly purchased because of the rave review from Vegetarian Journal:

Despite all of this, onward I went with a basket full of fresh produce. And I have to admit - this was hearty and tasty. Provided a lovely lunch today for challenge no. 20 (make and bring your lunch two out of five days per week).

Once again I forgot to snap a picture, but just imagine the vegetable section of any grocery store and it pretty much looked the same. Just in a bowl. 

Recipe Resources

While I wait for some equipment to sanitize in preparation for tonight's bottling and corking of my blackberry wine (challenge no. 9)...

...I thought I'd share a few websites that I frequent for lunch recipes (challenge no. 20):

1. CHOOSING RAW
Despite the name, not all of the recipes are raw. But they're consistently creative, well-balanced, and tasty. Also my go-to resource for smoothies.

2. VEGETARIAN TIMES
I like this one because it provides all of the nutritional information, and it has a pretty good search feature. Plus the recipes are reliably delicious.

3. SPRINT 2 THE TABLE
This site belongs to a friend from college, so I see her posts via Facebook regularly. She is big on working out, so her recipes support that kind of lifestyle.

Side note (just because I get this question a lot): I'm not vegan. I'm not raw vegan. I'm not anything. I eat what I like and what makes me feel good (good being more energized and "cleaner"). Most of the time it ends up being vegan or raw. So there. Stop freaking out if you see me eat an effing cupcake.