Whoever Named it Morning Sickness is an Idiot

I'm pregnant! Yay! And sick.  Boo.  Finally, however, I'm feeling like I'm starting to make my way back from the land of the dead.  The last five or so weeks have been the most challenging weeks of my life.  That may sound dramatic, but it's the truth.

I always imagined that when I got pregnant I would be a little nauseated in the morning, and I'd eat some crackers and drink some ginger ale and then I'd just go on about my day.  Wrong.  I feel like I've had a month-long 24-hour per day stomach virus.  The thought of food alone was enough to make me vomit.  Forget eating it.  A big bottle of Gatorade became my sidekick, and the path from my classroom to the bathroom became all too familiar.  No amount of Zofran or B6 could touch this.

Now, as I near the end of my first trimester, I can finally start thinking about food again.  I don't necessarily want to eat too much right now, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it's time for me to hop-off of this vomit train.  I want to give this living little thing inside of me something nutritious, something that will make it into Super Baby.  I love food, and I miss it.

Even though I wasn't pregnant yet, I originally started this blog to document my future pregnancy, including mainly recipes and information on a vegetarian diet while pregnant.  I haven't done any recipes because I haven't cooked.  Anything.  But I'm getting there, slowly but surely.

Black-Eyed Pea & Tempeh Beanballs

Back when I used to eat meat, I didn't like to eat it if I was the one who had cooked it.  I could eat it if someone else cooked it, but I just couldn't do it if I had handled or seen the pre-cooked meat.  Now I'm that way with tempeh.  Maybe it's the smell while it's cooking.  Maybe it's how it's made (fungus spores are added to partially cooked soybeans and then fermented, creating the tempeh "cake").  I don't know, but for some reason it just kind of grosses me out.  However, again, if I eat it at a restaurant or if someone else has cooked it (and I didn't have to smell it being steamed/cooked), I love it.  It's an excellent source of protein, and I really like the texture of it much more than that of tofu.

So, tonight I decided to put on my big girl pants and make the Black-Eyed Pea & Tempeh Beanballs out of Isa Chandra Moskowitz's newest (and my favorite yet) cookbook, Appetite for Reduction:  125 Fast & Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes.   If you're a vegan/vegetarian or are simply looking to add more plant-based, healthy meals to your diet, buy this cookbook.  


Here's what you'll need.

Tempeh (I used Trader Joe's Organic 3-Grain, 1 can blackeye peas, breadcrumbs (I used plain, recipe calls for whole wheat), soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, garlic, dried oregano, dried thyme, paprika, black pepper, salt, pasta (I use half white, half whole wheat), and your choice of spaghetti sauce (I used Newman's Own Tomato & Basil).  The recipe calls for tomato paste, but I didn't have any so I substituted an equal amount of the marinara sauce I was using.

First, fit your steamer into a pot, and get the water boiling, then break your tempeh up into bite-size pieces.  Also, do yourself a favor and turn your stove fan on and/or crack a window.  Tempeh doesn't smell good when it's steaming.  It smells sour.  Kind of like you would imagine fermented soy beans to smell.  She (Isa Chandra Moskowitz) says to steam it for 10 minutes, but I steamed it for 15, just to mellow the flavor out a little bit more.  Also, I only had one package of tempeh, which was 8 oz.  The recipe calls for 12 oz., so I was short some tempeh, but it turned out fine.

As the tempeh is steaming, go ahead and preheat your oven to 350ºF and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.  If you don't have parchment paper, just generously coat it with some cooking spray.

The cookbook says to use a fork or other masher to mash the beans until they are well mashed, with no whole beans left, but not completely smooth, like a puree.  However, I threw them in my food processor along with the garlic, herbs and spices, soy sauce, tomato paste (or marinara sauce, like I did), and balsamic vinegar, and pulsed them 5-6 times, just until well blended; the beans were still chunky, but not whole.  If you don't have a food processor, or had rather mash them by hand, mix all ingredients except for the tempeh, bread crumbs, and salt together.

When the tempeh is done steaming, add it to the mixture.  Either pulse in the food processor a few more times, or mash it in with the other ingredients in a bowl.  It's best to do it while the tempeh is hot; that way the flavors will marry better.

When the mixture is cool enough to handle, just a couple of minutes, add the bread crumbs and salt.  

Now's the fun part.  Using about 2 tablespoons of the mixture per ball, roll the mixture out into walnut-size balls.  I actually used a tablespoon to measure out the first ball, then used it as a gauge to eyeball the size of the rest.  You should have about 20, but I had a couple less, since I only used 8 oz. of tempeh, as opposed to the 12 oz. it calls for.  Place them on the baking pan, and spray with a generous amount of nonstick cooking spray.  Cover loosely with foil.  If you're serving with pasta, now would be a good time to get it going.

Bake for 15 minutes, then take them out and flip the balls, and bake uncovered for 10 more minutes.  The outsides will become slightly brown.

As they were finishing, so was my pasta, so I took my pasta off of the heat and drained it in a colander.  I let it sit there and then put my pasta sauce in the used pasta pot to heat.  Once the sauce was heated through, I added the beanballs and gingerly tossed them in the sauce.

Serve over pasta.  Enjoy.

Reflection:  Finally, a tempeh dish I can cook at home AND eat.  The flavor of the beanballs is much more mellow than most tempeh dishes.  I did use less tempeh than the recipe calls for, so that could have something to do with it.  I think when I make it again, I will still only use 8 oz. of tempeh, as I thought they were perfect how they were.  Also, I'll probably double the recipe, so I'll have a whole bunch of beanballs to freeze for an easy dinner one night when I don't feel like cooking (which, let's face it, is more often than not).

Black-Eyed Pea & Tempeh Beanballs
Makes 20 beanballs, 3 per serving
Active Time:  20 minutes        Total Time:  45 minutes


12 ounces tempeh  (I used 8 ounces)
1 (15-oz) can blackeye peas
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. paprika
several pinches of black pepper
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. tomato paste (I substituted 1 T. of the pasta sauce I had on hand)
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. whole wheat bread crumbs (I used regular)
1/4 tsp. salt


First, fit your steamer into a pot, and get the water boiling, then break your tempeh up into bite-size pieces.  Steam it for 10 minutes, or to mellow out the taste of the tempeh a bit more, steam for 5 minutes more, for a total of 15 minutes.  


As the tempeh is steaming, preheat the oven  350ºF and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.  If you don't have parchment paper, coat it with cooking spray.  

Either mash by hand or pulse just a few times in a food processor the blackeye peas, garlic, thyme, oregano, paprika, pepper, soy sauce, tomato paste, and vinegar.  While you shouldn't have any whole beans at this point, take care not to puree the mixture if you're using a food processor.  

When the tempeh is done steaming, add it to the mixture.  Either pulse in the food processor a few more times, or mash it in with the other ingredients in a bowl.  It's best to do it while the tempeh is hot; that way the flavors will marry better.   When the mixture is cool enough to handle, just a couple of minutes, add the bread crumbs and salt.  

Using about 2 tablespoons of the mixture per ball, roll the mixture out into walnut-size balls.   Makes approximately 20 balls.  Place them on the baking pan, and spray with a generous amount of nonstick cooking spray.  Cover loosely with foil. 

Bake for 15 minutes, then take them out and flip the balls, and bake uncovered for 10 more minutes.  The outsides will become slightly brown.  Remove from oven and serve with your favorite marinara sauce and pasta.  

Nutritional Information, Per Serving (3 Beanballs):

Calories: 170

Total fat: 2.5 grams

Saturated fat:  0 grams

Total carbs: 28 grams

Fiber: 8 grams

Sugars:  3 grams

Protein:  10 grams

Cholesterol: 0 grams

Sodium:  260 mg

Vitamin A:  35%

Calcium:  15%

Iron: 8%

Vitamin C:  4%

Germantown Cafe

I should preface this blurb with I am not a food writer.  I simply want to let fellow vegetarian/vegan Nashvillians know what out there as far as vegetarian/vegan dining goes in our city.  As I've mentioned before, there isn't exactly a plethora of options to choose from.  More often than not, I end up getting a couple of side dishes, as way too often, no vegetarian options are offered.

If you want a really good vegetarian entree, check out the Germantown Cafe in the up-and-coming Historic Germantown area close to the Farmers' Market in Nashville.  I seriously love their Green Plate.  Grilled portobello mushrooms, butternut squash gratin, sauteed spinach, and asparagus.  The presentation is excellent, but more importantly it's really, really good.

Before...

After...

Germantown Cafe
1200 5th Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37208
(615) 242-3226


Lunch                                      Dinner                      Brunch
Monday-Saturday                     Nightly                     Sunday
11am-2pm                                5pm                          10:30am-2pm

Reservations recommended for dinner.  

Vegetarian Entree Option: Yes, the Green Plate ($13.95) , also, the Pasta of the Day ($11.95), just double check to make sure the pasta of the day is; it always has been when I've been there. 


Vegan Entree Option:  The Green Plate can be made vegan by eliminating the butternut squash gratin and swapping it with a vegan side such as rice; also, I would imagine the Pasta of the Day could be made vegan as well. They are very accommodating.  

Chickpea Piccata with Caulipots and Arugula

I love Isa Chandra Moskowitz.  Well, I don't exactly know her to love her, but I love her recipes.  I'm sure she's lovely, too.  My husband gave me her new cookbook, Appetite for Reduction, for Christmas.  So far, I've only made three things out of it, two tonight and a Balsamic Vinaigrette the other night, which was ah-mazing, and I don't even like balsamic vinaigrettes.

I stuck to her recipes for the Caulipots (mashed cauliflower and potatoes) and Chickpea Piccata almost exactly, except I didn't have any shallots for the piccata, so I used onions instead.

I'm really not good at cooking two separate things at once, but I think I actually timed this one out just right.

Chickpea Piccata with Caulipots and Arugula
adapted from Appetite for Reduction:  125 Fast & Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes
by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

I started with the Caulipots.

First, get your vegetable broth going if you're not using the pre-made kind. I used Edward and Sons Not-Chick'N Bullion.  It was actually the first time I have ever used this brand.  I tasted it on its own and it tasted a bit funky, but in the recipes, it was fine.  No more funkiness.  Just make sure whatever brand you get doesn't have MSG in it.  Talk about funky...

Anyway, cut your potatoes and add them in a 4-quart-ish pot and cover them with cold water, making sure you have about 4 inches of extra water on top for when you add the cauliflower. I left the skins on. That's where all the good stuff is.

Once the water starts boiling, add your cauliflower, and lower the heat a bit to let it simmer until the vegetables are tender, approximately 15 minutes.


Once I got my potatoes and cauliflower simmering, I started on the Chickpea Piccata.

Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat.  Saute the shallots (or onions) for about 3 minutes, then add the garlic, and saute for an additional two or so minutes.  Until they're all nice and golden. Take care not to burn the garlic.  I'm a bad about that, and burned garlic is no good.

I actually added a teaspoon or so more olive oil because my onions were sticking to my non-nonstick pan.

Then add the breadcrumbs and toast them by constantly stirring for about 2 minutes.  They'll turn a few shades darker.

Add the vegetable broth, wine (make sure you pour yourself a glass to enjoy, too), salt, pepper, and thyme.

Bring the mixture to a rolling boil for about 7 minutes, or until it looks like the sauce has reduced by about half.

Now, while the piccata is reducing, go back to the Caulipots. The cauliflower and potatoes should be getting tender.  Remove them from the heat, drain them in a colander, and return them to the pot.

Mash them up a little with a potato masher (or, if you're like me and don't have a potato masher, just use a fork).

Add the olive oil, 2 tablespoons of broth, and the salt and pepper and then mash them up to the desired consistency.  I like mine chunky.  Stir it up to make sure all of the seasonings are mixed well.  Add more broth if you need it. Taste for salt.  Keep on a low burner until piccata is ready.

Now, back to the piccata.  By this point, your sauce should be pretty well reduced.


Add the chickpeas and capers.  You can either leave them in long enough to just heat through, about 3 minutes, or if you're like me, and like your chickpeas a little softer, leave them in for about 7 minutes.

Add the lemon juice, then turn off the heat.

Now, place the arugula on a plate or in a bowl, top with the Caulipots, and then ladle a generous amount of the piccata over the potatoes.  The arugula gets nice and wilty.  Yum.

And voila...Absolutely delicious.

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes (Caulipots)
Seves 4 
Active Time: 15 minutes  Total Time: 40 minutes


2 russett potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 1.5 pounds)
1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into florets (about 1 pound, or 3 cups)
1 T olive oil
2-4 T vegetable broth
1/2 t. salt
black pepper to taste


Submerge potatoes in a 4-quart pot with extra water for the cauliflower.  Bring potatoes to a boil.  Once boiling, add the cauliflower and reduce heat to a simmer.  Let simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes and cauliflower are tender.


Drain them in a colander, return them to the pot, and mash them up a bit.  Add the olive oil, 2 T of broth, and the salt and pepper.  Mash some more until desired consistency.  Stir to assure all seasonings are mixed well.  If needed, add another 2 T broth.  Taste for salt.  Serve warm.


Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/4 Recipe):
Calories: 190
Total fat:  3.5 g
Fiber: 5 g
Protein: 6 g
Cholesterol: 0 g
Sodium: 370 mg
Vitamin C: 100%
Calcium: 4%
Iron: 10%

Chickpea Piccata
Serves 4
Active Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes


1 t. olive oil (I used more)
1 scant cup thinly sliced shallots  (my cup wasn't so scant, and it wasn't shallots, I used onions)
6 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
2 T bread crumbs
2 c. vegetable broth
1/3 c. dry white wine 
A few pinches freshly ground black pepper
A generous pinch of dried thyme
1 (16-oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 c. capers with a little brine
3 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 c. arugula


Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat.  Saute the shallots (or onions) for about 3 minutes, then add the garlic, and saute for an additional 2 or so minutes, until golden.  Add the breadcrumbs and toast them by constantly stirring for about 2 minutes.  They'll turn a few shades darker.

Add the vegetable broth, wine, salt, pepper, and thyme.  Bring the mixture to a rolling boil for about 7 minutes, or until it looks like the sauce has reduced by about half.  

Add the chickpeas and capers.  You can either leave them in long enough to just heat through, about 3 minutes, or for softer chickpeas, leave them in for about 7 minutes.  

Add the lemon juice, then turn off the heat. 

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/4 Recipe):
Calories: 210
Total fat: 2 g
Total carb: 38 g
Fiber: 11 g
Protein:  13 g
Cholesterol: 0 g
Sodium:  440 mg
Vitamin A: 120%
Vitamin C: 90%
Calcium: 10%
Iron: 25%


Suvey Says:  I really liked this, and will make it again.  To me, artichokes and piccata go hand-in-hand, so I think next time I'll add some to the piccata in the last few minutes of cooking.   

So, I Married a Meat-Eater

I am a vegetarian, my husband is not.  For some reason, this surprises a lot of people.  For us, it's never been a big deal.  But my husband is a sport.  He eats it all.  Some guys get steak on Valentine's Day; last year, he got heart-shaped tofu.  He rarely cooks meat in our kitchen, and if he does, he does it while I'm not here, and at least makes an attempt to cover up the evidence.  He dug the Peanut Butter Tofu and Vegan Nachos at Rosetta's in Asheville, NC, as much as I did.

However, we don't live in Asheville, we live outside of Nashville, so we can't go to Rosetta's or The Laughing Seed every night for dinner.  Nashville isn't exactly a vegetarian mecca.  There are, however, 2 Bar-B-Cuties within a five-mile radius of my house.  There's one, well two if you count the all-vegetarian Indian restaurant Woodlands, vegetarian restaurant in Nashville, The Wild Cow, and it's really good, but I can't exactly eat there every night.  My point is, I have to cook a lot.  And that wouldn't be such a bad thing if I weren't so lazy.  I'd like to blame it on my career, that at the end of the day I'm too exhausted to cook, but the truth is, even during summer breaks, I'd rather go across the street to the Mexican restaurant than prepare a meal.

But now that I'm married, I figure the proper thing to do is to cook dinner a little more often.  Like the proper little wife that I am.

So, I started this blog to share this culinary adventure with other vegetarians who may be looking for some new recipes, but also for my mom, who still shakes her head and says, "Well, I just don't know how you get any protein."   I'll include nutritional information when I can, again, mainly to assure my mom that I won't be succumbing to kwashiorkor anytime soon.