Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Random Tuesday

Vegan for an even longer life!
This is a restaurant in a plaza where my bank is near my apartment. Interestingly enough, in this smallish plaza there are three vegetarian/vegan restaurants. There are actually quite a few vegan/vegetarian restaurants close to my apartment. Even though I don't eat out, it's nice to know there is such a high demand for vegetarian/vegan food!
I mentioned making juice the other day, and I wanted to show what I use to make it as I don't have a juicer. You really don't need one. I just use my blender, and then this mesh strainer over a bowl. Just let it drain for a few minutes, and then gently press down on the pulp to get every last bit of juice. You have to use a smidge of water to get the blender going. I usually use an inch or two, depending on what fruits and veggies I'm using. Your blender will let you know if you need more water. I used to think I couldn't make my own juice because I didn't have a juicer, until I saw a YouTube video using a blender and it's been heaven ever since. You can also use cheesecloth to strain your juice. Years ago I had a juicer and I remember it was such a pain in the arse to clean I barely used it. I'm assuming they've come a long way in that department since then, but this works just fine for me.
I made this super creamy mac and cheese and peas last night. I made the sauce with potatoes, carrot, oats, nooch and miso for that tang. I was out of onion because I actually forgot onion when I went for groceries on Saturday. I haven't forgotten onion in years! Onions are just something I automatically grab, no need to even add it to my list. I just used some onion powder and it was fine. I topped it with green dragon sauce which is a wonderful compliment to mac and cheese! I am seriously going through about a bottle a week at this point, I can't get enough!
Here's a big old pile of floof to make this Tuesday a little cheerier. It's pretty hard to resist if you ask me!





14 comments:

  1. Thanks for the juicing "tutorial." We have a juicer but they have NOT improved in recent years as you surmised - they still make tons of waste and are still a huge pain in the ass to clean. This sounds so much easier.

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    1. Wow, I'm really shocked they haven't found a way to make them easier to clean. Using a blender is seriously a lot easier, and cleanup is a breeze.

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  2. I'm with Blake, the reason I don't use my juicer as much as I would like because it is a giant pain in the ass and turns juicing into a whole day affair. There is tons of waste and the cleaning is ridiculous. I may have to try the blender method and see how that goes!!! Thanks for the tutorial! The mac and cheese looks delicious and hooray for floof piles! :)

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    1. I remember when I got my juicer I was so incredibly excited to make all the juices, but that excitement died so quickly when I saw how much of a pain it was to clean. The blender method is soooooo much easier! I think I got the idea from Hot for Food if memory serves.

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  3. Awesome on the veggie options! LOVE that Vegan Mac and Cheese and Peas! YUM! And sooo adorable that all/most of your cats cuddle so often! AwwwwwS~

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    1. I agree. I love that there is such a demand for veggie restaurants!
      I love that they cuddle too. All of them except Joan. She really only cuddles when someone imposes themself on her!

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  4. My juicer is in the shed in the back yard! Funnily I watched some You Tube videos this weekend about juicing using a blender. I ordered a cheap nut milk bag off ebay as I want to have a go at almond milk but you can use this for blender juices too. Please share some of your favourite flavour combos.

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    1. My all time favorite juice is carrot, orange and ginger. I feel like it always gives me an energy boost, and it feels like an anti depressant too. I think all the vitamin c is like a shot of happy. I also love kale or collard greens ginger and pineapple. And when I juice beets, I like to use pineapple and lemon. Lemon helps cut down the earthy taste of the beets which is what stops me from eating them. Those are my three favorite combos. Juicing is the only real way I get beets in my body! Oh, and this might sound strange, but carrot, ginger and grapefruit is another delicious combo!

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    2. Lovely, thanks for those tips. They sound like great combos.

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  5. Oh, they're still a pain in the ass to clean! Hahaha. I had my fair share of juicer cleaning last week on my reboot. That mac & cheese dish looks AMAZING. GREEN DRAGON SAUCE 4 LIFE!

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    1. I am seriously so shocked that they are still a total pain to clean. Like I said, that's what made me lose interest in juicing all those years ago.
      Green Dragon sauce is easily my favorite discovery of 2017!!

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  6. I've done a few blender juices, though then I normally just drink them like smoothies. What do you do with the left over pulp?

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    1. I usually just dispose of it. I remember I did make a carrot type cake with the pulp from a carrot ginger apple juice one time. I have seen people make crackers in a dehydrator using the pulp.I should look into better ways to use the pulp to be honest.

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  7. I've never done any juicing, but thanks for the tips -- maybe I'll try someday! Your mac & cheese & peas looks great! I love the pile of floof; too cute! :D

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