Kashi Organic Autumn Wheat Cereal with Soy Milk

I had this for breakfast. When I was a kid my parents went through a phase were they’d buy fat free milk. It was blue. I tried it on my cereal—and hated it. God bless them for caring. I’m not a big milk drinker. The ubiquity of the ‘Got milk?’ campaign belies the fact that milk is not particularly good for you. The bovine growth hormones and antibiotics given to cows is certainly bad for the cows, and I can’t imagine it’s good for us either. Back to my point: TJ’s soy milk is pretty tasty. Not as rich and creamy as cow milk, but I prefer it that way. This cereal is also sweetened with organic evaporated cane juice. The wheat is organic, too. I recommend you try it on your kids. :—)

TJ’s Pizza

A perfect snack to add to the picnic basket. Nice paired with a Cabernet. Kiki and I like to add generous doses of Cholula hot sauce. When I started going vegan, I thought I’d miss having cheese on a pizza, but this is so good I don’t even think about it.

Amy’s or Trader Joe’s

We figured out that Safeway and Trader Joe’s carry the same pizza. The difference in price is about $3 or $4.

If TJ’s wasn’t alway so busy, I’d say ‘TJ’s…why go anywhere else?’

Pizza

Trader Joe’s has a ready made crust which makes it easy to make your own pizza. I prefer to use the herb crust for more flavor.

The dough is pretty easy to spread out on your pizza pan, but make sure to use flour when shaping and stretching it, it does gets sticky.

I like to top it with a pizza sauce and add garlic, onions, and fresh basil. 

Perfect with served with any red wine of your choice.

Strawberries

 

Fresh strawberries are always a good snack to have around. We spend a little extra for organic. Which such porous skin, strawberries can readily absorb pesticides that washing can’t remove. Our thinking is we spend more on good ingredients and just eat less food. A word of warning, if you’re going to chop them on a wooden cutting board arrange the remnants artistically so it will leave a red heart-shaped stain.

Phad Thai

Almost any veggies in your fridge sauteed with olive oil. Add peanuts and seasoning and mix in Trader Joe’s Thai Green Curry Simmer Sauce and hot oil. Add phad thai rice noodles to the mix and viola! 

Perfectly matched with spicy Zinfandel.

Spanish Rice

This vegan Spanish Rice dish is full of sweet and savory ingredients that can be eaten as a meal in itself. We like to add this to our vegan burritos for extra texture and substance.

First I saute onions, seasoning and chili flakes in olive oil. Then I add the rice to lightly coat and cook it for a few minutes. I add a can of tomatoes using most of the liquid in the can and add as much extra water as needed. I cook until all liquid has evaporated or about 20 minutes.

Veggie Sandwich

This sandwich is one of our favorite dishes. It’s quite easy to prepare involving only a small amount of preparation.

The red bell peppers are lightly marinated in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, s&p and then roasted in a toaster oven. 

Add tomatoes, avocado, onions and peperonchini or pickles on warm focaccia bread. I add basil for that little extra special flavor.

Enjoy this meal with a Pinot Noir or a hearty Chardonnay.