Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

Hello hello! I hope you are all doing well. I am actually in Ocean City this weekend to see my dad sing in his chorus. I love seeing my dad, but its always bittersweet having to say bye.

It has been really nice getting back to writing. I have to say, that little break I took was quite refreshing. I feel so much more connected to my blog, and really enjoying writing again. I sadly don't have much free time lately, but I am going to do my best to keep on blogging!

Today I have the ultimate in classic comfort food. Its not mac and cheese, not meat loaf, and definitely not stew: its grilled cheese and tomato soup!




There is something so special and grilled cheese and tomato soup. Dipping the sandwich into the warm tomatoey goodness just makes you feel like a kid again. Its warm and tasty with those classic comfort flavors.

On the soup side of the plate, I opted for Amy's Chunky Tomato Bisque. It was actually the first time trying this flavor.



This soup had such a fresh, tomatoey taste. I could actually taste a difference between this soup, and the non-organic ones that I sometimes eat. I especially loved the chunks of tomato and the hint of cheesiness. It was definitely a grown up version of the basic tomato soup.







Next, I bring you the grilled cheese part of this dynamic duo.



While for the cheese, I used the classic, individually wrapped, American cheese slices, I decided to add a little something special.  Recently, while visiting a friend, she let me pick a couple jalapenos off her plant! I thought they would be the perfect compliment to a grilled cheese, so I diced them up, put it in the sandwich, and cooked it in my panini press.



YUM! I love that you can see the jalapeno pieces. This sandwich had two of my favorite qualities, meltiness and cheesiness. I couldn't get over how cheesy it was. The jalapeno bits gave it the perfect amount of spice. It really brought this classic sandwich to a whole new, grown up, level.

It was so fun getting to regress to childhood for a meal, but still feeling like just a little bit of an adult.

What is your favorite kid food?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Amy's Breakfast Scramble Wrap

Hey everyone, I hope you all are having a great week! I spent father's day going on a hike and a motorcycle ride with my dad. Then we had dinner at a Greek festival. I enjoyed some of the best and most authentic Greek food. I love the food of my people!  I've been spending the week continuing to pack and enjoying my yoga class. Plus, I am so excited because tonight I am going out to dinner with my friend at The Melting Pot! Even though I am excited for dinner tonight, right now I am going to talk breakfast.



As you know, even though I'm not a vegan, I try to avoid eating eggs, and I rarely ever eat them on their own, so I am always looking for fake egg meals. The first time I saw Amy's Breakfast scramble wrap I was so excited to try it!





This wrap is filled with tofu eggs, veggies, and soy bacon all in a flaky and crispy wrap. The first time I ate this I started to panic when I tasted the bacon. It tasted SO realistic that I thought it was real bacon. I freaked out and ran to the recycling bin and triple read the ingredients. Totally vegetarian.





The eggs had a pretty mild flavor, not super eggy, but it was more flavorful that tofu. The Fake-on gave it a bit of a meaty taste. Add in some veggies and a bit of cheese and you have a perfect vegetarian breakfast in each bite! I decided to add some hot sauce to give it a bit of kick.



Yum!

I have to say this is my favorite of the Amy's tofu egg meals. It really makes the perfect breakfast. All you need is a side of tater tots!

Have you tried the Amy's Breakfast Scramble Wrap? Will you be?

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!

Amy's Broccoli and Cheese in a Pocket

Hello everyone and May the 4th be with you :-P

I love sharing Amy's food with you guys because it is always all natural and organic, which I love.  It is great to find a frozen food to feel good about!  This one combines veggies, and hot melty cheese, what's not to love?

Melted Mozzarella Minestrone

Hello veggie lovers! I hope everyone is doing well. Today I have a quick and easy lunch that I love to make all the time.  I came up with this soup a few years ago taking inspiration from some others I have seen and tried.  What I love about it is that its a meal in its own.  I'm not big on just eating a bowl of soup, but with some added touches you can turn a bowl of soup into a meal of its own!

Amy's Veggie Loaf

Hello everyone! I hope you have all been enjoying the nice warm weather, I know that I have! Although I do have to say I'm happy that April is almost over and May is on its way! I hate how much rain April brings. Usually right about now I am planning my move to the desert...You know, until summer hits and then I plan my move to Alaska.

Today I have an Amy's meal that I consider the substitute teacher of Amy's frozen meals. When I first became a vegetarian, many years ago, one of the very first Amy's frozen meals I found was the veggie Salisbury steak. Salisbury steak is another food that I never ate as a meat eater, but have eaten the veggie version.  I remembered how good it was, and how my mom used to microwave it to me and serve me in my room back at our first house.  I ate it for years..until one day I couldn't find it in the supermarkets anymore.  However, right about the time the Salisbury steak disappeared, the veggie loaf made its debut. I decided to give it a try, and while it wasn't exactly like the steak, it was still very good, and I knew I had found its substitute.





The Veggie Loaf reminds me of those classic 1950's TV dinners.  It comes with a veggie loaf made of lentils and other vegetables covered in a really tasty veggie gravy, mashed potatoes, and a mix of peas and corn.  I love mixing the gravy with the mashed potatoes and pretending I'm an all-American meat eater.  I have never actually had real gravy on mashed potatoes!





This meal really reminds me of my grandma's cooking, because she always used healthy ingredients..and a lot of lentils!  I always feel good after eating this really healthy meal, full of protein and veggies, but I like pretending that its bad for you! :-P

Have you tried Amy's Veggie Loaf?  Do you like vegetarian meat loafs?

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!

Amy's Mexican Tofu Scramble

Hey everyone!  I wanted to show you what I had for lunch today. Yes, it's another Amy's meal.



I have mentioned before that eggs totally freak me out, and I try to avoid them as bast as I can.  I always loved scrambled eggs, and its a food a miss, not because I am a vegetarian, but just because the idea of eggs creep me out.  I was so happy when I found Amy's Tofu Scramble! Finally I get to have scrambled eggs again!  Amy's makes a few different tofu scrambles, and today I have the Mexican variety to show you.



This scramble comes with tofu on a gluten free tortilla  covered with salsa, and re-fried beans and potatoes on the side. The tofu scramble doesn't taste exactly like its eggy counter part, but it is still really tasty!  I like how there is salsa on top, but unfortunately it not spicy, so I add some hot sauce to the mix.  The re-fried beans are really flavorful, and the potatoes complete this breakfast.



It is always a great feeling being able to eat a "normal" breakfast, but still maintaining my beliefs and commitment to avoiding eggs.  I love getting lots of protein in this meal too, and of course lots of flavor!



I love this Mexican Tofu Scramble! I hope you guys try it, because I know you'll like it too!

Have you tried Amy's Mexican Tofu Scramble?  Do you like Mexican food for breakfast?

Bye from  the Veggie Side!

Amy's Shepherd's Pie

Hello everyone!  Today I have another Amy's meal to show ya.  Are you guys sick of Amy's yet? Well I hope not since I love them!  Every meal tastes amazing, and they are all organic. You can't beat that!  Here's is one of the first Amy's frozen mean I had ever tried, the shepherd's pie.  I tried it when I was very young, I remember I didn't even know what shepherd's pie was.  My dad explained to me it was lamb and veggies all cooked up with mashed potatoes on top, of course this Amy's version leaves out the lamb.

This combination of veggies in a bowl really reminds me of my grandma's cooking!  I can't say she ever made me a shepherd's pie, but just the flavorful mix of vegetables in a broth brings back memories of my grandma cooking me dinner. This meal is really comforting and hits the spot, especially on a cold winter day.

Have you tried Amy's Shepherd's Pie?  What foods remind you of your grandma's cooking?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Amy's Indian Spinach Tofu Wrap

Hello everyone!  I hope you are all having a nice weekend so far.   Today I have one of my absolute favorite Amy's wraps.  I first saw Amy's Indian Spinach Tofu Wrap in a supermarket in Pennsylvania, when I used to go to college there.  I would always stock up and buy a lot of them on each shopping trip so I knew I would have them when I wanted.  Unfortunately, once I moved back home to New York, I was sad to learn that my supermarket didn't carry them.  I even saw them in the stores when I visited my boyfriend in PA, but I couldn't bring them home since the trip was 2 hours, and they are frozen.

Then a magical day happened, when I went to a local heath food store and there they were in the freezer section!  I was filled with joy and bought lots of them, as I did back in PA.  I am so glad I found them, these wraps are so good, I couldn't think about how I would never have them again.







This is so delicious!  It is filled with spinach which I love, plus it has tofu in it too!  Pretty much my two favorite things.  Plus it is really healthy, and is filled with nutrients that are essential for vegetarians, iron in the spinach and protein in the tofu.  These are vegan, healthy, organic, but taste so amazing that you would never know it! My roommates in college would always tell me how amazing it smelled when I made it, and always wanted to try some!

Have you had these spinach and tofu wraps? Will you be going out and getting them?  How do you guys get more protein and iron in your diet?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Amy's Minestrone Soup

I have been on such a soup kick lately!  I don't know if its because it is the best food to warm up with on a cold winter day, or because its a great way to help you lose weight, and I still need to shed those extra pounds that I gained from the holidays.  Either way I just love soup, and I love Amy's soups because they are good for you too!  They really help me to make the best choices that I can, since they are vegan too!





Each can is filled with loads of veggies! You can see the carrots, beans and chunks of tomatoes.  It also has lots of vegan pasta in it too, which is why I love this soup.  Tomato soup is one of my favorites, but I still feel hungry when I'm done since there's not much substance to it.  But this soup fills my spoon and mouth with each bite, leaving me nice and satisfied after.





This soup is so delicious and a staple in my cabinet! Whenever I get the craving for soup, its always there for me!

Have you tried Amy's Minestrone Soup?  Will you be going out and getting some to keep warm and full this winter?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Amy's Spinach Pizza Pocket

Hello everyone! Today I have another Amy's Pocket to show ya.  I really love these little pockets.  I remember as a kid loving Hot Pockets, but being said there was only one flavor that was vegetarian.  Now that I know more about food, I will never eat a Hot Pocket again, but I still love all the cheesy pizza flavor.  Of course when I am reminiscing about food, usually Amy's has the solution.  I have shown you other Amy's pockets, and today we have Spinach Pizza.  So far, this is my favorite of all the pockets.  It is full of cheese and pizza flavor so its kind of like you are eating bad food, but there is also lots of spinach stuffed in, so you can feel goo about eating healthy.  For vegetarians, spinach is super important to us, as is has a lot of iron that we aren't getting from red meat.  I eat a lot of spinach, and I have never had an iron deficiency. Take that all you nay-sayers that thing vegetarians are not healthy!







These pockets are exploding with spinach, cheese, and flavor!  They may not look the prettiest, but they taste amazing, take my word for it!

Have you tried these Amy's Spinach Pockets? Will you be getting them on your next shopping trip?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Amy's Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Hey everyone! I have a new food to show you today that I am really excited about.  You all know by now how awesome Amy;s foods are.  My favorite Amy's frozen meals would be the lasagnas.  While my favorite is the Tofu Vegetable, the cheese, and the vegetable are also great too (and don't worry, I plan on showing those to you guys eventually!).  But there's a new lasagna on the block, Amy's Roasted Vegetable Lasagna!

As always, the Amy's signature organic ingredients with no preservatives.

Unlike the other lasagnas, this one has a really good bread crumb crust which gets nice and crispy.  The vegetable flavor in this lasagna is more apparent, you can taste all the zucchini, broccoli, and all the other strong veggie flavors, so if you are a big veggie lover, this one is for you!  I'm not a huge fan of  an intense vegetable flavor, but what I love is the cheese layered in between.  It is so delicious and creamy, unlike the other lasagnas which have a more melty kind of cheese.







Over all I would chalk this up to a win, adding yet another vegetarian lasagna to the list! Take that meat lasagnas!

Will you be trying this new Amy's lasagna?

Bye from the Veggie Side!