Food Before and After Photos

[PollyEster 228]

8 hours ago, ms.sss said:

Now, how does one make a creamy vegan chipotle sauce??

Here's the version that I'm really enjoying right now:

2/3 cup silken tofu (or 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt)

3 - 5 chipotles in adobo sauce, to taste

1 tbsp adobo sauce (from the jar of chipotles)

1/2 cup chunky red salsa

1 - 2 tbsp tahini or cashew butter, optional (for creaminess)

1/4 red onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 lime, juiced

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp ancho chili powder

pinch of stevia, maple Syrup, or other sweetener, to taste

pinch of salt, optional

black pepper to taste, optional

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth-ish (start with 3 chipotles and add more as needed, to taste). Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. If the sauce is too thick, thin it out with more lime juice. If it’s too thin, add more silken tofu/yogurt. Great on tacos, burritos, bowls, casseroles, and over salads. Stores in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Makes about 2/3 cup.

[PollyEster 228]

Using the rest of the vegan chipotle sauce tonight on these collard green burritos with walnut meat, loosely inspired by these recipes, and seriously inspired by all of the delicious-looking bbq posts here lately! I used to be able to eat 4 or 5 of these; now I can eat one in a 90 minute sitting. I ❤ VSG.

[PollyEster 228]

5 hours ago, summerset said:

I think all Protein Bars are kind of junk food when looking at the ingredients. The No Cow bars are one of the less evil ones, lol.

Agreed on both counts. Commercial Protein Bars are basically candy bars (this is a red flag) with added Protein. I bought a mini sampler box of No Cow bars around about 6 months out. They were crack: I ate all 6 within a week, and experienced my first major stall since surgery.

5 hours ago, summerset said:

I think I'm going to finally try my own though.

There are loads of recipes online for homemade protein bars that are nutritious and healthy-ish. I'm committed to eating whole foods, but protein bars/balls are handy, and I've taken homemade bars on hikes and bike rides recently. They only take about 5 minutes to make, and unlike the commercially made bars, I had no desire to heat them up and smoke them throughout the week 😂

Edited June 23, 2020 by PollyEster

[PollyEster 228]

6 hours ago, Tracyringo said:

Is that some kind of cracker and cheeses thing pictured ?

5 hours ago, summerset said:

It's 100% whole meal rye bread. Luckily these kinds of breads are available at about any grocery store that sells bread.

This type of bread, for example Mestemacher bread, is available in the USA. This is as nutritious and whole as bread gets: the only ingredients are grains, Water, salt and yeast. Also, it is totally scrumptious 😋

[PollyEster 228]

On 6/19/2020 at 7:01 AM, MarvelGirl25 said:

Oh and I highly recommend doing the salsa criolla (onion mixture). Its basically purple onions mixed with lime, salt, cilantro and a chopped hot pepper of your choice. I cant eat this meal without it lol.

Thanks for sharing the recipe! I'm going to try this dish using seitan cutlets.

[PollyEster 228]

On 6/18/2020 at 6:48 PM, Cheeseburgh said:

Damn, those chops look good! Did you marinate them? @ms.sss

On 6/18/2020 at 10:19 PM, ms.sss said:

Yes, I did! It ended up getting marinated for almost 2 days (due to me grilling them the day after I originally meant to)!

Yes, they do! I don't enjoy eating meat, especially not charred meat, and double especially not pork, but these made even me crave bbq 😋😂😂😂😂 Going to give the marinade a shot with grilled seitan steaks, burnt ends-style. Thanks 😊

[Cheeseburgh 3,080]

11 hours ago, ms.sss said:

They don’t always have these cuts on hand at many butchers (mine just has it around special occasion days) but I’m sure you can special-order it. Warning: they are a little in the pricier side.

My husband spares no expense when it comes to meat. My costco doesn’t have the fancy big bone ribeyes. I’m sure they would cut one if we asked.

This Rec-Tec smoker is sitting on my patio. Oops , I’ll add that below.

Edited June 24, 2020 by Cheeseburgh

[Cheeseburgh 3,080]

[ms.sss 15,581]

30 minutes ago, Cheeseburgh said:

Wowza. Now THAT's a Smoker. I'd be having smoked meat all week long if I had one of these babies.

Are those Bull Horn handles on the lid??? OMG, LOVE IT!

[ms.sss 15,581]

Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders w/ Caramelized Onions.

I just ate the toppings, lol: equivalent of 1 slice bacon + 20g cheddar cheese + 1/4 cup onions: 190 calories.

[Cheeseburgh 3,080]

15 minutes ago, ms.sss said:

Wowza. Now THAT's a Smoker. I'd be having smoked meat all week long if I had one of these babies.

Are those Bull Horn handles on the lid??? OMG, LOVE IT!

I get sick of smoked meat. I do like chicken and pork loin smoked, but not everyday. Yes, they are long horn bull handles. My Canadian husband is pretending to be a Texan apparently!

I cook steak when we use cast Iron, Mr. CB grills and smokes. He is more of a carnivore than I am.

Those burgers look fantastic. (Minus the cheese)

[GreenTealael 25,339]

3 hours ago, Cheeseburgh said:

Not to be confused with his evil twin, Tec-Rec 😂

Edited June 24, 2020 by GreenTealael

[summerset 5,265]

7 hours ago, PollyEster said:

Agreed on both counts. Commercial Protein Bars are basically candy bars (this is a red flag) with added Protein. I bought a mini sampler box of No Cow bars around about 6 months out. They were crack: I ate all 6 within a week, and experienced my first major stall since surgery.

I can't imagine bingeing on them. No way. Even the Clif Builders are not bingeable for me. There was only one sort I could've binged on: the OhYeah! Bars, but whey. The OhYeah! Bars are Protein Bar I would label as candy, the No Cow bars not. They don't taste good enough and lack the right consistency.

Quote

There are loads of recipes online for homemade Protein Bars that are nutritious and healthy-ish.

They still have calories though. One could argue about erythrit and stevia vs. sucralose etc. - but I don't know how valid the arguments are really are when it comes to artificial sweeteners.

I think the calories/carbs is what makes so many people shy away from them. Can't be the artificial ingredients because that's something people don't seem to care much about when it comes to other foods.

[summerset 5,265]

Yes, Mestemacher is one of the brands that makes this kind of bread. The bread pictured above is the REWE store brand though.

[Sophie7713 3,269]

21 hours ago, ms.sss said:

Wowza. Now THAT's a Smoker. I'd be having smoked meat all week long if I had one of these babies.

Are those Bull Horn handles on the lid??? OMG, LOVE IT!

I love that patio + stream beyond in their backyard, too! Perfect setting for a BQ bull and dinner. ;]