The Yum Diaries

(Photo from Marthastewart.com)

Okay, Okay, I know many people hold some strong reservations for anything Martha Stewart. I used to be one of those united in Martha bashing. However, I guess over the years my German heritage has taken ahold of me including the studious OCD homemaker genes which were passed on to me from my amazing German Grandmother, in turn leading me to embrace a large portion of the Martha Stewart culture. I will admit that when I want to find one of those tried and true classic recipes passed on down through generations I head to Marthastewart.com. Before I go hide in shame from these confessions, I must first share her recipe for Stuffed Cabbage Rolls which is actually her Polish Mother, Mrs. Kostyra’s recipe and it is mighty good.

This was a group effort cooking adventure by my husband and I. We are vegetarian and we love taking childhood comfort food recipes and transforming them into healthier vegetarian dishes. So, what we did for this recipe is substituted the 16 oz of meat for a 12 oz. package of Morningstar crumbles and 4 oz of TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein, you can find TVP in the natural section of your local market). Instead of butter we used Extra Virgin Olive oil as well. I also included at the bottom of the recipe the few other changes we made.*

The link to the recipe is inlcuded as well as a picture of the final dish from the site above. I decided to not take the time to take a picture because honestly our final dish looked EXACTLY like the picture they included. I hate to admit it, but this recipe was much better than the dish my very own beloved Grandmother made when I was a child. They are deliciously comforting and one of those perfect cold weather meals. I highly recommend making these and they are toddler approved! One more noteworthy addition that only having a toddler can inspire is serving these with goldfish crackers, trust me it’s a good thing (hahah, I couldn’t resist).

I can’t wait to enjoy the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. I hope you take the time to make them. Enjoy!

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Here is a peek at my Thanksgiving menu this year. I have linked to the recipes that we are trying for the first time this year (and anything that has dairy will be substituted accordingly). I also included links to some of my favorite vegetarian food essentials as well.  I will post pictures and some of the recipes that are missing from this after Thanksgiving.  Read the rest of this entry →

Tofu and Baby Bok Choy with Black Bean Garlic Sauce (Photo by Melissa Wax)

Due to a bad back some nights I just can’t stand on my feet long enough to cook dinner. I am a lucky gal though with a husband who doesn’t mind cooking. In fact I am convinced he even secretly enjoys it. Tonight was a team effort and the directions at the bottom were written by Steve, who is not only my husband, but a fellow Yum Diarist as well.

Dinner tonight was all about experimenting with a jar of Sun Luck Black Bean Garlic Sauce I purchased out of curiousity at the market. Steve is really good in the kitchen and I can usually feel confident enough to just give him basic instructions of what I have in mind and he typically translates it quite well into his own Stevey dish. Tonight the final dish came out amazing with delicious rich and savory flavors that I loved!  Worthy of  me getting out of bed in pain to photograph. This sauce has definitely found a permanent spot in the crowded door of my fridge and I should mention we also fed this to our 15 month old toddler who happily gobbled it down.  Read the rest of this entry →

Pumpkin Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies fresh out of the oven (Photo by Melissa Wax)

Around mid-August every year I start to get overly excited for Fall and more importantly for my favorite squash:  the pumpkin.

“Pumpkin, Pumpkin, Pumpkins!”,  This seems to have become my Fall mantra I find myself chanting each year around September when I can start to see the orange hues peeking out of the landscape of our local pumpkin farm.

I love pumpkins.

I love to cook, bake, and of course carve the hell out of them around Halloween. I guess it’s only natural that I find myself brainstorming all the different recipes I can sneak it into during the Fall and Winter months. Last weekend I was on a sweet bread kick and made this amazing Cranberry Nut Pumpkin bread recipe I found (which is an interesting story in and of itself, so I will save it for a later post), but the point is I had about a cup and a half of leftover pumpkin sitting in my fridge.  Read the rest of this entry →