Dr. McDougall's Asian Entree Pad Thai Noodle

Happy Saturday everyone! I am spending the day taking a rest from yoga, doing some more packing, and tonight I'll be going out for my friend's birthday!  But first I needed to share another Dr. McDougall's Asian Entree.

This is one is Pad Thai Noodle.  All of the Dr. McDougall's Asian Entrees are vegan, but this one is also gluten free!







This bowl was filled with clear and chewy gluten free noodles in a sauce that was a bit sour and a bit spicy.  It was definitely not a traditional pad Thai sauce, but it was still quite tasty.  I love that each bite was filled with veggies, tofu, and crunchy peanuts giving it that Thai flare.



 The Pad Thai Noodle bowl isn't my favorite of the  Dr. McDougall's Asian Entrees but it feels great making vegan meal choices. I love that its gluten free too. I know knowing that its totally possible to be vegan and gluten free!

Have you tried these Asian Entrees yet? Will you be adding it to your next vegan and gluten free shopping list?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Amy's Not Just for Kids Meals-Baked Ziti

Hey everyone, I hope you are all having a great week. I have been spending my time packing for my big move to Virginia, taking my kitty to the vet, and Bikrim yoga.  I just started taking classes and I am really liking it.  Bikram yoga is a set of 26 poses and 2 breathing exercises done in a 105 degree room! It is really intense but it leaves you feeling great. I suggest that everyone goes out and tries it!

Anyway, on to the food!  Taking yoga is making me want to make good food choices.  I actually read that taking yoga decreases your cravings for junk food! I wanted to show you another Amy's meal that is fun and delicious: Not Just for Kids Meals-Baked Ziti.





I completely LOVE that these are vegan and gluten free! Its such a great feeling knowing that I can have pasta with cheese and bread and it not to have any animal products or gluten in it.  These might be aimed for kids, but like the box says, its not just for kids. Anyone can enjoy a healthy, vegan, gluten free dinner. Of course, if you have kids this is a great meal for them too.  It has small portions which are good for small bellies, and the inside of the box has games and puzzles!



The baked ziti meal comes with ziti, vegan cheese, tomato sauce, broccoli, focaccia, and a apple crumb dessert. It is the perfect little meal from the bread, to the main course, and even the desert.  It reminds me of those Kid Cuisine meals, but a thousand times better for you!  The pasta and sauce tastes great and the broccoli tastes fresh.  I usually am not a fan of vegan cheese, but this one is really good.  It doesn't have a strong cheese flavor, but it melts really well. The focaccia was really flavorful and its great for scooping up the sauce that's left over in the dish. The apple dessert is hot and sweet. I love the apple cinnamon flavor and the crumb top is perfect!

I love this little meal, its perfect for when you want a complete dinner without all the cooking.  While I'm all grown up, I am a kid at heart and I love feeling like a kid again with these meals.  These are perfect for kids and adults of any age!

Have you tried the Baked Ziti Not Just for Kids Meals? Will you be buying these for yourself, or a kid you know?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Vegan Gluten Free Broccoli Pasta

Hey everyone! Today I have a cooking/recipe post for you guys! Technically I shouldn't be calling it a recipe.  I have 2 different ways that I like to cook. The first is to follow a recipe, and the second is just throwing things together that I have in my kitchen and hoping they work out.  There are many foods that I love making, and that I have made many times, like mashed potatoes, that I just cook by feel.  I dump in ingredients, take a taste, and then dump in more.  In the end I have a really tasty dish, unfortunately I have NO idea how much of what actually went into it.  As a food blogger, that at times will want to share with you the foods I cook, I probably should turn my creations into actual recipes, but in the end that's juts not my style.  I will continue to show you all my vegetarian food creations and the process that I go through to get them.  Hopefully it will inspire you to try to do the same! :)

As I have told you guys, my friend Michelle is gluten free, and has opened my eyes to a whole new diet and eating restriction.  While I am by no means gluten free myself, as a person with certain dietary restrictions, I can respect others'.  Pasta with broccoli in garlic and spice oil is one of my cooking staples as it is really easy to make, but I wanted to really push myself to cooking other kinds of foods, and decided to make this one vegan AND gluten free! This is my very first time making gluten free pasta so I was nervous at first, but with some advice from Michelle, I knew what I was up against.

Here's what I used:


Vegan brown rice pasta
Frozen broccoli
Olive oil
Garlic
Basil
Salt and pepper

Here's what I did:
Michelle warned me that gluten free pasta can be a a lot harder than regular pasta, so I made sure to start the pasta boiling early.  I cooked it as I would normal pasta, just for a little longer, frequently testing the consistency.
Once the pasta was in the water and boiling, I defrosted the broccoli.


While the broccoli was defrosting, it was time to start the sauce.  I set the burner on medium and poured in some olive oil, garlic, basil, salt and pepper, and then stirred.  Once it started boiling and the garlic turned brown, I reduced heat.



Then it was time to add the broccoli, stir, and let it simmer until the pasta was ready.  I can't tell you how incredibly amazing this made my kitchen smell! Mmmm!



Finally it was time to drain the pasta, and pour the broccoli and garlic and spice sauce on top. Mix and serve hot!





The pasta definitely had a different taste than normal pasta, but once it mixed with the flavors of the broccoli and the sauce you couldn't really tell.  Each bite was filled with so much garlic flavor, it was amazing!  I felt really good about making good food choices and trying new things.  It also shows that even with different dietary restrictions, you can create amazing food.  I took some in to Michelle and she said that it tasted great! I'm glad I got her gluten free seal of approval!

On a side note, she warned me that gluten free pasta is awful when its cold.  I love me some cold pasta and I took a bit of it right out of the fridge the next day at lunch, BAD idea. I listened to her and threw it right in the microwave. Never doubt the experts!

Do you like trying different foods?  Will you be making this vegan gluten free broccoli pasta?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

The Veggie Burger Chronicles: 97 Lake

Hey everyone! I hope you are all enjoying your first weekend of April!  Actually my least favorite season is Spring, and my least favorite month is April!  I hate all the rain.  Hopefully this April passes quickly, and we can get right into May, which is full of flowers, and other wonderful things :)  The transition from Fall/Winter to Spring/Summer also means the retiring of pumpkin everything and the reintroduction to coconut everything! I love my pumpkin and coconut!

Today I have another installment of the Veggie Burger Chronicles.  This, or should I say these, burgers are from a local restaurant and bar called 97 lake, in White Plains NY.  My one friend, Michelle, is gluten free, and 97 lake is a completely gluten free restaurant! The first time I went I ordered a veggie burger, but since then they changed the menu a bit and added veggie burger SLIDERS! I have never ever eaten a slider burger in my whole life, so I jumped right on the chance to get these!



My mouth is watering thinking about these again!  This basket came with 3 little veggie burgers all on grilled potato bread buns.  The burgers were full of flavor, crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.  You could see all the veggies and beans in the burgers when you bite in, which I love!  They were topped with cheddar cheese and jalapeno mayo! The cheese and spice of the mayo tasted amazing with the burgers.  They finished off this dish with coleslaw and fresh cut french fries!



Overall these were amazing! They tasted so good and I loved how little and cute they were. And for all you gluten free eaters out there, this is a great place for you.  If you ever find yourself in White Plains, make sure to stop by 97 Lake!

Have you ever had gluten free veggie burger sliders? Plan on trying out 97 Lake?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Amy's Bowls Broccoli & Cheddar Bake

Hey everyone! Today I have another Amy's meal to show you!





Amy's has been making these bowls for quite a while, from mac and cheese with tofu, to pasta and peas in tomato sauce.  However the Amy's Bowls Broccoli & Cheddar Bake are a new addition to the bowl family. Since it's Amy's they are of course organic and vegetarian, and on top of that, the Broccoli & Cheddar bake is gluten free too!







I love the flavor of these bowls. The cheese is a nice sharp cheddar flavor, and of course broccoli pairs perfectly with cheddar.  The bread crumbs on top are the perfect touch to make these bowls taste like they came right out of the oven.  The pasta tastes great too, you can't even tell that it's gluten free!

Have you tried the new Broccoli & Cheese Bake Bowls?

Bye from the Veggie Side!