Pumpkin & Pomegranate

Yes it’s a little late for Fat Tuesday, but those who do not fast for Lent don’t really care. Then again it is MEATLESS jambalaya, so I be the Pope would approve anyway! Meatless doesn’t mean flavorless. Grain free doesn’t mean you are giving something up. This stuff was mighty tasty. The only thing I would change about it would be to add more spices, but since I was not cooking for just me I had to tone the cayenne down a bit. I’d also remember to bring home some Louisiana style hot sauce (Tabasco works) as Jambalaya isn’t truly complete without it.

Secondly, I am thinking about changing my blog design. I had a comment from someone who said it is hard to read, and while that has been the only comment of the sort, I assume that she isn’t the only one with this difficulty. I want this blog to be a reflection of myself, but I also want people to be able to read it! Since I don’t have a great camera I am also on the lookout for art or photos to display on the top of my blog. I have an idea in my mind of what I want, but I know that with my current equipment I cannot make it look the way it looks in my head. I have looked at some stock photography, and that might be the way to go, BUT if any of you would like to donate a photo to showcase as this blog’s main photo please let me know and I can look over your work to see if it fits my idea. I am thinking about pomegranate, bright juicy ruby jeweled poms! I think it would be quite pretty. If I had some gorgeous photo of fairytale pumpkins (my favorite) and pomegranates, that would be perfect, but I would be overjoyed with an amazing pomegranate spread too. I would of course give full credit, and add a link to any site showcasing your work. I would much rather help out a reader than buy stock photography, but ultimately I will want to make sure the photo is what I want. I am sure you understand! Not sure if this is something anyone is interested in, but let me know if you are!

Also, I am going to add a little section on my sidebar dedicated to local to Seattle blogs that I follow and read, and also will be adding a section with my favorite restaurants and places to buy groceries in town. Not sure if any of you check out the Amazon astore on the side, but I have a lot of my favotite things in there if you want to know what I use in my own kitchen. I also will put up a section with links to things not found at Amazon if you think that it would be helpful!

I am also very interested in hearing about things that you all enjoy. Do you want product reviews? Explanations of things I eat on a daily basis? I am not going to be photographing ALL my daily eats because I personally see this as being a gateway into obsessing about food in a way that is unhealthy, but I am definitely up for telling you all about what I make day in and day out. I have had quite a few people ask me what my “staple” recipes are, and that is also part of the reason why I am writing the cookbook (or trying to!).  I don’t do big recipes everyday. I wish I could but I work full time and still try to make time for exercise and socialization. That’s why I don’t have a new recipe on here every day. I do wish I didn’t have to work a day job and that this could be my day job! Anyway, so yes please do give me feedback! I cannot promise that I will cater to every need, but I definitely take it all into consideration.

I am also considering a side blog that isn’t about food. It would be more about fashion, art, decorating, personal ramblings, and the like…anyone interested in that sort of stuff? It would definitely be a mismash.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! TGIF baby!

Vegan Jambalaya
Ingredients:

• 5 C. Mushroom or Vegetable Stock
• 1/4 Olive Oil
• 1 Large Onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 Red Bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 Yellow Bell Pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 Green Bell Pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 C. Finely Chopped Celery Stalks
• 3 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 C. Untoasted Buckwheat, rinsed and picked over
• 26 Oz. Box Pomi Chopped Tomatoes*
• 2-3 Large Portobello Mushroom Caps, chopped into chunks
• 1/4 lb. Baby Carrots
• 1 Small Zucchini, cut unto thirds and then sliced lengthwise into quarters
• 2 Sunburst Squash, Cut into wedges (substitute yellow squash if you cannot get sunburst)
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1.5 tsp. Oregano
• 1 T. Thyme
• 1 tsp. Basil
• 1.5 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 tsp. Black Pepper
• 1/3 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
• 1/4 C. Chopped Fresh Parsley Leaves

Method:

1. Heat up the broth in a medium sized pan and keep warm on the stove.
2. In a heavy bottomed pot, sautée the chopped onion, bell peppers, and celery on a medium heat until soft, add the garlic and continue to sautée for another 2 minutes.
3. Add the buckwheat and stir to coat with oil. Sautée the buckwheat for another 2 minutes, stirring often.
4. Add the Tomatoes, mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, squash, bay leaves, oregano, thyme, and basil. Let cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Stir in the salt, black pepper, and cayenne.
6. Add 2 cups of the warm broth and bring to a boil. Once the broth has been absorbed add another 2 cups and continue to do this until the buckwheat is tender and cooked through. You might have a little broth leftover.
7. Remove from the heat and stir in the freshly chopped parsley. Drizzle with Louisiana style hot sauce and enjoy!

*After finding out that all canned foods (save the Eden brand organic beans) contain BPA I stopped buying canned food (aside from Eden Brand beans). The biggest issue for me here has been the tomatoes. I LOVE canned tomatoes when they aren’t in season, and they were a staple in my food. Luckily I remembered that growing up my Italian neighbor used Pomi boxed tomatoes for ALL her sauces. For that I trust them when it comes for flavor. I just did some research and found out that the Pomi boxed tomatoes do NOT contain BPA. Hooray! So this is now my new staple. Yes, a little more pricey, but very worth it in my book. Trying to limit my exposure to BPA as much as I can and I can actually control this aspect, so I will. They have a strained tomato variety, a chopped tomato variety, and marinara sauce (all found on amazon). I wouldn’t suggest the marinara though because it has sugar in it.