Grilling Fish

So, as you know, I am a vegetarian. But, my husband chooses to still eat fish. I do enjoy coming up with new ideas, and finding new seasonings for his appetite. The hard part about cooking something you don't eat yourself, is not knowing if you need to add more spice, or more sugar or what. I rely on my own sense of smell, and sight. Sometimes I have Chris test it as I am cooking, but for the most part I just ask him what could be different or better the next time.

Cooking fish is new to me. Grilling fish, is even more new to me. I jumped right in. With the help of google.com these days you can get the answers to anything. I learned that if you are going to grill fish, you have to do it on high heat, and only flip once. Fish are delicate and will break into many pieces on the grill if you aren't careful.

So far, I have made some successful fish dishes including: Creole Habanero, Carrot Tilapia, Blackened Grouper, and Lemon Pepper Grouper.

Stuffed Peppers

Yia Yia used to make stuffed peppers every once in a while when I was a kid. I loved the inside stuffing mix, but would refuse to eat the pepper. Now, I love peppers, and wanted to try out the meal minus the meat.

So, I substituted the meat for veggie protein crumbles. There are several products on the market. This was my first time using one.. I chose :
I cooked the crumbles in a pan like you would brown ground beef.. Remember to add seasonings. The crumbles have no taste. They also have no fat or grease like ground beef does, so add some liquid, and remember to stir frequently or you will burn it. Then, I mixed with some white rice and packed into the peppers. Covered with sauce and baked in the oven around 350 for at least 40 minutes. Cook until the pepper is desired consistency. Special tip: add a small amount of sauce to the rice mixture, it will moisten the rice, and give it even more added flavor.
Yum!
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Avocado Wraps

Quick, Easy and Delicious.

These are a very quick way to get some protein, and to fill up the belly.
I have tryed them now both with and without lettuce, and I would definetly say they are better with the lettuce. It gives it a needed crunch to go along with the soft consistency of the avocado.

All you need is:
Avocado
Honey Mustard Dressing
Lettuce
Tomato
Onion
Salt and Pepper
Cheese of your choice
Add any other topping you might like, and roll it up. They were very yummy.
You can make these about a day in advance and wrap with syran wrap, or tin foil. Keep in fridge. If left for too long, you will wind up with a soggy, brown mess.

The Fish Guy - Seafood Market

I found a great seafood market to purchase fresh fish for my husband. They do not have fresh thawed fish. They carry fresh, individually wrapped filets of any fish you can think of, shrimp, crab, lobster. They have a great selection, and good prices. I also picked up some great spices, and seasonings. The service was friendly, and helpful. They also have an inside section with tables and you can order fresh dishes, and sandwiches. Check it out some time.

http://www.flfishguy.com

SMENCILS

So, Chloe and Christopher came home from school with yet another school fundraiser.
The school is selling SMENCILS for $1.00 each. What is a Smencil you ask?
Well, it is a "gourmet scented pencil". There are several scents.
The pencils are made from 100% Recycled Newspapers, and their motto is

" saving trees.. one pencil at a time".
I decided since it was a "green" product I would go ahead and let the kids get one, so I sent them with money. One for Chloe, one for Christos, and one for Mom of course.
Christopher came right home today and handed me mine. The scent is Tropical Blast, and it reminds me of the beach. I thought the product was great. The package the pencil comes in is also made from biodegradable plastic, so they were covering all avenues. Great Job.

Fresh Nuts and Fruits delivered to my door

I found a lot of places online to purchase nuts, seeds, and fruits. I wanted to find raw nuts to get as much of the nutrients as I could.

I found bulk, organic, unsalted products here : http://www.anuts.com/

So, about 5 days late, and the day is here. I got all these goodies today. YAY!

Just made some guacamole

Had three ripe avocodos that I needed to use today, so I decided to make some guacamole. I will serve with pretzels tonight at a girl scout function. Came out pretty good, although definetly will tweek the recipe next time. For today I worked with ingredients I had. I used fresh avocodo, salt pepper, fresh lemon juice, and garlic. I blended together, a small food processor would probably work best. I put it in fridge to sit for a while prior to serving. Flavors will be more prominant.

Yummy Vegetable Burritos

I used my wok again tonight. It was my second time. Was a little easier this time. Boy, that thing sure cooks food quickly! I like!

Christopher wanted some Mac N Cheese, but I offered to cook him up some veggies and stick them in a tortilla, and he changed his mind quickly.

I used some potatoes, onion, squash, zucchini,salt, pepper, minced ginger, soy sauce, and teriyaki sauce. Cooked in the wok stirring occasionally until the veggies were desired texture. I served with your choice of toppings: refried beans, black beans, and shredded cheddar cheese.

I loved them. Chris and Christopher seemed to like them, and Chloe just had beans and cheese. All and all, I'd say another successful vegetarian night at the Milos.

Dave Navarro showing show love for the animals

Here are a few of my experiments so far. My favorite were the Seasoned Tortilla Chips. I use sundried tomato tortilla shells, cut with pizza cutter into desired shape, then lightly sprayed with EVOO ( Extra Virgin Olive Oil), and dashed with Adobo seasoning. Baked at 400 for 8mins or until desired crispiness.
Yummy!

May 1st, My first day as a Vegetarian

So, I have decided to make today the day that I give up eating meats.

I have thought about this for years actually. I considered vegetarianism for several reasons, there isn't just one. This is a change I look forward to doing along with my family. With this choice, I picked a date in advance that I would start my new venture. I didn't just jump in hastily. I talked with my family to see if they would like to do this with me.

My husband, Chris is going to stop eating meats, but is going to continue to eat fish, and seafoods. This, we will call Pescatarian. My daughter, Chloe doesn't really care either way. She is a very picky eater anyways, and won't be changing her diet much, other than increased vegetable and fruits. Yay, fruits and vegetables. My son, Christopher is almost as excited as I am.. Well, maybe more excited than me. He has never really cared for meat, and has asked to stop eating it in the past.

I am excited for the new change for a couple reasons. Mostly, I am happy that I won't be contributing to the mass killing of animals just for their meat. Things aren't what they used to be. The animals are only raised for one purpose.. not meat.. money. They are held in inhumane places, and tortured. They are fed products that contain garbage, fecal matter, and sometimes even some of the other animals unused parts. Think about all that an animal eats, when you are eating meat, you are eating all that animal has put inside its body.

I am happy to be healthier. This is forcing me to plan meals better, to better stock my kitchen with healthier products. I am learning and experimenting with new recipes now, instead of eating the same old things over and over.

I'm also excited about learning.. I love learning new things. I went to the bookstore and bought books on Vegetarianism. I'm learning the new food pyramid. I am learning which foods are good for us, and their nutrient contents. I'm also learning more about the impacts that meat production has on our envirnoment. How many resources we actually use in order to continue to run the animal factories.

My goal on this blog is to be able to reflect on my journey. To share my recipes. To maybe down the road, help another new Vegetarian Family. Stay tuned, I hope to keep you posted with recipes, thoughts, and resources.