Still working. Still eating.
Breakfast: Oatmeal with the works.
Lunch: Chop Salad [see below].
Dessert: Ghirardelli’s dark chocolate squares (one with caramel filling, one with raspberry filling) and candied ginger.
Snacks: home-made carrot cornbread, salty nuts, Cocomo Joe green joebar.
I made a co-worker try the cocomo joebar because she was talking all this trash earlier in the day about how hummus was gross (but she’d never tried it) and I was annoyed. So when she walked in the break room in the afternoon and I had just opened my green bar, of course there were some eyebrows raised. She saw disgusting hippie food. I saw a golden opportunity.
She had a look of distaste on her face before I even offered it up, so I was prepared for her to refuse it when I asked. But I kinda forced her. This is very unlike me for two reasons, (1) I don’t share food, especially the good stuff and (2) I’m not usually so adamant about others trying vegan eats, especially with my coworkers! So I really don’t know why I was so persistent. In the end, she nervously took a bite of the green bar and shrugged saying “it wasn’t bad”. I’ll consider that a win.
Anyway. This salad is one of the recipes in my FODMAPs free veg ebook. I’m biased, but I think it’s delicious.
When I got home from work Kyle had a crock-pot meal waiting for me.
We had selected a meal out of The Vegan Slow Cooker the night before.
Side note: I love this book and highly recommend it. I bought it a while back (when I was in a huge crock-pot phase) and Kathy Hester has since opened my eyes to how unlimited the options are when it comes to this wonderful appliance. Home-made bread and lasagna in a slow cooker? Yup.
While I was at work, he did the shopping and the chopping.
At my instruction, he made a few tweaks:
- Omitted onions and garlic (FODMAPs).
- Left the bread out overnight (to get stale and hard).
- No blending in the food processor (I like chunky texture).
So basically he just chopped everything, threw it in the slow cooker and turned it on.
And I came home to the most amazing smelling tempeh and sage stuffing.
And yes, he did use the sage from my garden. 🙂
It was salty and savory and belly warming. I love the way bread gets gooey and celery gets soft in stuffing, and the tempeh was incredibly flavorful. It was a major success.
I had two servings. So did he.
No leftovers. 🙁
That recipe looks really good and hearty – I think it’s something I could even get my husband to approve of!
Ooh that looks good! I am going to see if my library has that book. Do you have a recipe for carrot cornbread? And lastly what kind of crockpot is that? Mine needs replacing (ummm it’s OLD it was my moms. And a friend of mine broke the handle off it)
I’ve always wondered if it’s worth it to have a slow cooker as a vegetarian…now I know! I also wanted to tell you I bought Sabra hummus for the first time last night. It’s not as popular in my part of Canada, but I can’t wait to try it!
Ahhhh that stuffing looks so good! I bought the book as hope to go through it this weekend and get started next week!
definitely a win!! and that slow cooker meal looks amazing — i love sage…totally kicks any dish up a notch! thanks for sharing! and the cornbread looks delish too!
Hi Elise! I’ve been adding and enjoying your blog for quite awhile now and you have great, creative recipes. I also love your bay area roots! But I just had to comment today because while I don’t think this is your intention, you tend to come off as pretentious at times when discussing your vegan eats, or your restaurant reviews. It seems like you honestly feel that you are superior, and this is a major turn off. I truly hope this isn’t taken the wrong way, but I know that I would want to know if I sounded snobbish.
I don’t find this to be true at all. At all!
I’ve usually had the same problem trying to just get people who don’t eat the way that I do not to put down my food, no less try it. It’s kind of refreshing that where I work right now, people seem to be really open to what I eat. I even made your raspberry cupcakes and brought them to work, and every one got eaten, and a couple of people have begged me to make more! I made them with all whole wheat flour, and added vegan chocolate chips to it, and they came out WONDERFUL!
Um can we get a recipe for that carrot cornbread pretty please!? Swoon.
…….I don’t think this is true either. I think that people sometimes perceive enthusiasm and honesty as negative habits.
That recipe looks perfect for fall weather! I just got my crock-pot back from my parents and can’t wait to put it back to use! I think that’s a win when someone finds my food “not bad”. Especially is they’re being a little judgey to begin
ugh! it bothers me when people have comments on things that they’ve never tried before. it has always rubbed me the wrong way!
anyway, that salad looks so good. so awesome you wrote a book!
I totally disagree! I have read almost all your posts and I never once thought you sounded pretentious or snobbish. Not once!
If you didn’t have your passions and your opinions and your voice you wouldn’t have any reason to have a blog! Stay exactly who you are!
Guess I need to finally buy Vegan Slow Cooker! Fun fact: Kathy Hester is from the Raleigh area, so I got to meet her at a local blogger event at Whole Foods several months ago–she’s a very nice lady 🙂
ooo yeah, love me some sage – I love fried sage leaves… crunchy, fragrant, awesome!
Juuuuuust need to convince Viper that tempeh is YUM!
Okay definitely getting that slow cooker cookbook for many of my friends. And your cookbook all to myself!
hey lara,
im sorry it seems that way. my intent is to be 100% myself so if you think i come across as condescending or superior, i apologize, but i do have a sarcastic writing voice and thats just me being me.
when it comes to my restaurant reviews, im just giving my honest opinion. i dont think its right to sugar coat something if others are going to go there based on my review, id hardly want to endorse a place where i didnt have a great meal. i know for a fact there are more positive reviews than negative ones and im sure you can tell when i love a place because i tend to over punctuate (!!!) and really go crazy in sharing my enthusiasm.
as far as discussing veganism with others – its a rarity in my life outside the blog. please remember, what i choose to share on HHH is only a fraction of my personal interactions (as they relate to relevant blog topics -like diet and exercise). i never pass judgement on another persons lifestyle choices, be it dietary or other, because ive been on the receiving end of such judgement and its pointless negative energy. if someone seeks my advice or if i find a patient perceptive to teaching, ill gladly offer my two cents, but im definitely one of the most open minded people.
my best,
elise
thats so awesome!!
thanks elaine 🙂
thank you carole! i really appreciate your comment. it makes me sad when people mistake my opinions and writing voice for something else.
thats awesome! i love it when people i admire and look up to are cool in real life too.
fried sage leaves?!?! you just blew my mind.
yay!
i agree. sage is awesome!
So I just looked through that Vegan Cookbook for Crockpot recipes (on amazon you can preview it) and I just might buy it so that I can make the homemade ketchup. I hate regular ketchup but homemade is just a different story, and it seems pretty simple. have you tried that recipe?
Awesome eats, I can’t wait to see a recipe for that cornbread! You’re amazing and so cool you wrote a book, way to go!
People at work think I’m a werido health freak with weird smelly food. They don’t comment on my food too often but will make comments when I won’t eat their food, what’s the deal? Why do they care if I eat what they eat? They should be happy I bring 2 lunch boxes full of meals and snacks each day, they don’t have to share anything with me. Oh well, it use to bug me but now I don’t really care.
I think maybe the person who made the ‘snobbish’ comments has misinterpreted sarcasm and humour as being snobby. Your blog is humourous and as a British reader i completey get your sarcastic humour. Keep blogging!!!!
I just got a slow cooker for my birthday! So excited to start using it. Also, thanks for the cookbook recommendation!
Interesting on your co-worker, I’m the same about sharing food at work because I work with a bunch of fast-food-loving IT guys always looking for an opportunity to make fun of my hippie food. 🙂
The recipe sounds amazing, I need to pick up that book for winter.
No way! I never find that you sound like that Elise. I love your sense of sense of humor and I love that you are honest in your reviews 🙂
i havent tried that one yet actually…dont think im weird, but o dont really like ketchup. im way more of a mustard girl. give it a shot and lemme know how it goes!?!
thanks girl! i appreciate your support (and appreciation of my humor) 🙂
I will! I was thinking about making it to go with curly sweet potato fries. I don’t know if you have a spiralizer, but I just got one and saw the awesome idea of spiralizing a sweet potato; so excited!
caramel isn’t usually vegan, and according to the ingredients list at the link below, the ghirardelli chocolates with caramel contain sweetened condensed milk (scroll down to ‘important information’).
http://www.amazon.com/Ghirardelli-Chocolate-Squares-5-32-Ounce-Packages/dp/B001G0MG14/ref=sr_1_5?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1340123697&sr=1-5&keywords=Ghirardelli+dark+Chocolate+Squares+caramel
Of course, now I’m thinking maybe you aren’t a vegan blog, and this wouldn’t be an issue.