whole foods

[Recipe] The Best Vegan Sandwich | #TTLA

5 Comments

This post is sponsored by Lightlife. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hello Friends! I’m here to share the news you can now find the vegan friendly #TTLA at Whole Foods Market!! This delicious sandwich creation inspired this viral video  and has everyone (including me) wanting one.

But wait are you asking yourself um….Lindsay what is the #TTLA? Let me break it down for you: The Whole Foods TTLA sandwich  is created by layering Lightlife Organic Fakin’ Bacon Tempeh, tomato, lettuce and avocado between two pieces of ciabatta slathered with a vegan garlic aioli.

I know not all of you have Whole Foods nearby or you simply prefer to make your food at home so I’m here to share my version of the TTLA with a little extra flare. My version has a creamy herb mayo, candied tomatoes aka quick roasted tomatoes that taste like candy and smashed avocado. You could go for slices of avocado but I prefer smashed because there is nothing I hate more than a sandwich sliding apart because of slippery avocado slices.

For my version you will need:

  • Lightlife Organic Fakin’ Bacon Tempeh
  • Sourdough Bread, Sliced
  • Lettuce
  • Candied Tomatoes
    • 1 pint Cherry Tomatoes
    • Salt
    • Pepper
  • Herb Mayo Spread
    • Vegan Garlic Aioli
    • 1 Tablespoon Chopped Italian Parsley
    • 1 Tablespoon Chopped Chives
    • 1 Tablespoon Chopped Basil
  • Smashed Avocado
    • 2 Ripe Avocados
    • 2-3 Teaspoons Lemon Juice
    • Salt & Pepper

Start with preheating your oven to 425F. Slice the tomatoes in half and place cut side up on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with fresh cracked pepper and himalayan pink salt. Bake for 15 minutes.

While the tomatoes are baking work on putting together the remaining elements of the sandwich.

In a small bowl mix together the garlic aioli and herbs; mix until incorporated.

In a another small bowl mash the avocado with the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

Like your bread crunchy? Now it the time to toast it.

In a skillet add just a touch of oil to prevent the Fakin’ Bacon tempeh from sticking and pan fry until lightly brown on both sides. If you prefer you can also place the Fakin’ Bacon on a sheet pan and cook in the oven.

Once the tempeh has been browned and the tomatoes are sweet like candy it’s time to put your sandwich together. Slather one side of your bread with the herb mayo spread and the other half with the smashed avocado. Top the avocado side with a layer of candied tomatoes and top the herb mayo spread with your favorite lettuce greens. Now it’s time to add the Fakin’ Bacon tempeh right on top of the tomatoes and then put it all together and enjoy!

If you are crunched for time you can use freshly sliced tomatoes or sundried tomatoes instead of the candied tomatoes.

Feeling a little cheeky? Add a layer of sliced dill pickles, tangy saurkraut or your favorite spicy peppers

 

Seasonal Produce | Winter | Potato

2 Comments

2016.01.31.WholeFoodsPotatoes.15

Winter is here at least for a few more weeks and while Winter produce isn’t quiet as diverse or exciting as Summer there are still some really great items. The Winter brings us huge varieties of citrus from giant Sumo Mandarins to teeny tiny kumquats; all with their own unique flavor and all super uplifting and refreshing. Other fruit options include kiwi and pomegranates and some varieties of apples.

Winter vegetables are often a bit heavier and grounding and include cauliflower, broccoli, Winter squashes, root vegetables and potatoes. Maybe it’s growing up in North East where Winter seems never ending but these are some of my favorite foods. The thing is they can often become a bit boring and so I’m always looking for ways to make them a bit more exciting with new flavors and sauces. 

2016.01.31.WholeFoodsPotatoes.02I was recently reminded of an amazing and simple seasoning for fries just a bit of thyme and super high quality sea salt. My friend Char of Nutritiously Fit shared this idea on her snapchat (follow us on snapchat: @charmcghie and @lindsayingalls) and it brought me back to a trip Neil and I took to Toronto ages ago. During that trip we visited Fresh on Bloor and they had the best fries and they too season theirs with fresh thyme and sea salt. Going a bit further I also decided to attempt to recreate my own version of their green poutine. While my version is a bit different than what you would get at the restaurant it is equally delicious. 

2016.01.31.WholeFoodsPotatoes.17

Sea Salt & Thyme Fries

  • 4 Yukon Gold Potatoes or your favorite variety of Sweet Potatoes, cut into fries
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves 
  • A sprinkle of Maldon Sea Salt Flakes or your favorite high quality sea salt

Preheat oven to 400F. Toss potatoes with olive oil and spread on to a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until browned and crispy. Sprinkle the hot fries with the thyme and sea salt and enjoy! Or head down to the next recipe: Green Poutine. 

2016.01.31.WholeFoodsPotatoes.08

Green Poutine made with Thyme & Sea Salt Fries

Carrot Gravy:

  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons Coconut Aminos 
  • 2 Tablespoons Arrowroot 
  • 1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat.  Add the carrots and onion and sautee until soft. Add in the garlic cloves and cook for one minute. Add everything to a blender and process until smooth. Return to the pot and heat over medium until it thickens; make sure to stir often to prevent sticking and/or burning.

Cashew Cheese:

  • 1 cup cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
  • 1/3-1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 tablespoon sweet white miso
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Place everything in a blender and process until smooth.

Greens:

  • 1 cup shredded Kale
  • 1 cup shredded Swiss Chard
  • 1-2 handfuls Baby Spinach

In a medium saute pan add the greens with a bit of water and cook until wilted. 

Assemble:

Base of Fries.
Next Greens.
Next Cashew Cheese.
Next Carrot Gravy.
Finish (optional) with green onions, chives, chili flakes and/or toasted sunflower seeds.

2016.01.31.WholeFoodsPotatoes.23

After making these I have wanted to eat these every day. Seriously so delicious! For the sweets I used Japanese Sweet Potato and Garnet Sweet Potatoes and both were really fantastic but I personally enjoy the dryer and sweet but without being too sweet. 

What are you favorite types of potatoes? How do you like to enjoy them? 

I would like to thank Whole Foods Tanasbourne for providing the ingredients to make these delicious recipes. Join them this month to celebrate their eight year anniversary- check back for more details as to dates and times. 

The Last Getaway: Part Three

4 Comments

After our busy morning in Freeport we settled in for a nap before heading out to Soakology. Soakology is a foot sanctuary and teahouse in Portland that Neil and I came across a few years ago and absolutely loved our experience there and have been dying to go back since. Last year we couldn’t fit it into our visit but we made sure to call ahead and make appointments this year.

Source

When we arrived we checked in and chose our foot soaks from a pretty extensive selection.  I was told due to pregnancy I could not do any that had rosemary and there was one specific detox one that was not suitable for pregnant woman; I loved how informative and knowledgeable the staff was! Neil decided to go with a rosemary, seaweed and tea tree soak that was described as being good for runners and bikers and I went with the chai and fig soak which sounds as luscious as it was.

While we waited to head downstairs to the soaking room we looked over the tea and treats menu.  We both decided to go with iced tea, ginger peach for me and ginger mint for him.  We were also a little hungry so we ordered the Mediterranean Plate which had hummus, olives, pita and veggies; it was fantastic!

Unfortunately I couldn’t take any shots of us actually getting our feet soaked or of the downstairs soaking room but I can tell you it was just as amazing as I remember.  We were seated in these big comfy chairs that are elevated off the floor and we were given these wonderful warm scented shoulder/neck pads as we slipped our feet into giant bowls of soaking water that had little smooth stones in the bottom to run your feet across.  We sat back, relaxed and enjoyed our soak, tea and snack.  Honestly, when we first went here we were a little skeptical about just getting the foot soak (you can also get food scrubs, massages, and upper body massages as well) but we were both pleasantly surprised at just how relaxing it was to sit back with your feet in a nice bowl of soaking liquid.  Appointments are about an hour long and during that time they come through and offer you more hot water to reheat your soaking liquid.  This is one of my “must do in Portland” activities and I hope we are able to do it again soon.

After our relaxing foot soak we decided to head out to Portland Head Lighthouse and Two Lights (two other lighthouses), both of which I hadn’t been to in many years and Neil had never been to.  Although the temperature started to get a little cool it was a beautiful night and we took full advantage of it.

After taking over 300 photos and enjoying some time by the water we headed to Silly’s Restaurant for dinner. We had never been to Silly’s, but since it was known for being vegan friendly and for having veggie burgers (what we both were in the mood for) we decided to give it a try.

The menu is huge at Silly’s and although we had gone there on a mission for veggie burgers we ended up having a hard time deciding on what to order.  We finally settled on two items to share:

The Zombie burger A veggie burger, vegan mozz, spinach, onion, tomato, spicy sauce, pineapple & jalapenos on griddled garlic bread with fries Buffalo Fries. We decided to swap out the regular fries for buffalo fries (fries tossed with hot sauce) and served with a creamy spicy vegan sauce.  The burger was homemade and delicious! We were both also pleasantly surprised that the pineapple was not overpowering (our only concern).

We also shared the ZoomaZoom (vegan) Falafel with spicy vegan spread, spinach, lettuce, tomato, onion and black olives.  This was really tasty as well and the perfect companion to the Zombie Burger.  While the Zombie Burger and fries was a little heavier the ZoomaZoom was much lighter; the perfect combination for sharing.

After dinner we headed to Whole Foods (again) and I picked up a kiddie sized chocolate sorbet for dessert and Neil got himself a local beer to bring back to the hotel to try.  We spent the remainder of the night looking at the photos from our day and relaxing.

Sunday was all about picking up groceries and our favorite goodies from Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s before heading home.  We stopped in North Conway to do a little more outlet shopping, where I found another maxi dress from Banana Republic on sale from $100 for only $30! Then we had lunch at Moat Mountain before finally heading straight home where we settled in on the couch to relax.

We had the perfect last getaway before the baby’s arrival and I couldn’t be happier.

The Last Getaway: Part 2

Leave a Comment

Our second day in Portland started off as it usually does at Whole Foods where we picked up our favorite make your own parfait.  We love to the make your own because we can fill it with as much or as little fruit, soygurt, granola and other goodies that we want.  We both tend to be heavy handed on the fruit and light on the soygurt and additions which makes it a great deal at only $3.99.

To go with our parfaits we picked up americanos, decaf for me and regular for him, which were okay.

We also picked up lunch while we were there to eat later on in the day.

After breakfast we headed just north of Portland to Freeport to do a little outlet shopping.  We arrived a little early so we headed to the L.L. Bean Flagship Store where we had a little photo session.

We spent the morning wondering around Freeport getting our shop on. Unfortunately I wasn’t that successful, seems it is just going to get harder from here on out to find pregnancy friendly clothes. However, I did find a dress that I really like, which you will see in my next post. Neil lucked out and he found a bunch of items at the J.Crew Outlet to update his summer wardrobe. We stopped for a lunch break between stores and enjoyed our goodies from Whole Foods.

After shopping we headed back to the hotel for a nap before going for an amazing foot soak, sightseeing and to dinner.

Race Weekend Pt. 3: Portland Adventures

3 Comments

After our night/morning in Portsmouth we headed to Portland to do a little site seeing, eating and getting ourselves prepped for our race. Our first stop was to pick up our bibs and race shirts and then we headed downtown for a beer and a snack at Novare Res Bier Cafe; a great beer bar in Portland.

We chose our beers and decided to get the Mediterranean plate to share; so good on a ridiculously hot day.

After beers and a snack we did a little shopping around downtown and the mall before heading to Whole Foods for dinner. Yes, Whole Foods. We love the Portland Whole Foods and it has an amazing number of vegan options at the hot/cold bars as well as a burrito bar, sushi bar and burger bar (all with vegan options). We could (and have) easily eaten all of our meals at Whole Foods but we only ate three there this weekend.

After dinner we decided to go drive the course and see what we were up against. Well to start the course is on a hill and then to a short incline and then to these stairs.


I was a little nervous that these stairs were going to be a bit of a challenge for the race because they were steep and the gravel around the stairs loose. Oh well!

We made our way back to the top of the stairs and watched the sunset. Stay tuned for the race recap.