Tuesday, February 18, 2014

In My Kitchen - February

Better Late - than NEVER, eh!?  Yeah...sorry about this In My Kitchen - February being so late!  And I don't know if I am breaking the rules or not but I'm starting this post off with an item that I REALLY enjoyed the past few months and have run out of recently!  This is definitely a restock-able item the next time I get to Trader Joe's!  It's their Vegetable Masala Burger and it's VEGAN.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE the flavor of these.  The first ingredients listed is Potatoes and they are marvelous!  I wasn't even able to eat these as an actual 'burger' - I ate them plain.  I just cooked them in a pan on the stove top with a little bit of Grapeseed Oil and it was spot-on AWESOME!  I think that by putting it between a bun you might lose some of the flavor.  Don't quote me on that but I am FINE with the way I ate it stand-alone!  I already told my husband I will stock up on them next time!

One of the many tea companies I was introduced to this past month was Tea At Sea.  They don't have a HUGE selection of teas (yet) but they are doing a LOT of things RIGHT!  I really LOVE the little "press kit" promotional visual they included in my mailing!  It looks a lot like this...it was a half of a Wine Cork for the base with a tooth pick for the 'body' and a heavy duty paper that you clipped on for the sail!  Very nice!  I was able to sample both their Black Tea as well as their Oolong Tea and both were lovely.
In the past I have shared my Veg*n Findings at Aldi and I am happy to report than their Vegetarian and Vegan offerings are multiplying as well as their Organic offerings!  So exciting!  This month I found a Bean and Corn Salsa/Dip that was not only made with vegan ingredients it was actually LABELED Vegan as well!  AND...I found a Mango Chutney that was labeled vegan, too, YAY!   I also noticed earlier this week that they now have a Vegetarian Section in their Recipe area on their website!

I always have GARLIC in the house...whether it's actual Garlic Cloves and Bulks or Minced Garlic in the Frig or powder even.  I almost always have Lemon Juice in the house, too, but I just ran out of it with the Raw Vegan Burgers I made Sunday Night.  2 flavors I have been using more than usually as of late have been both CURRY and TURMERIC.  Not only the flavors I have been craving but the nutritional benefits of each.  PLUS...with this horribly cold winter we are having it just makes sense to consume them both!
As for Grab-N-Go Convenience Foods this month I have enjoyed a few of the McDougall's Vegan Soups.  I bought them because they were on sale.  They aren't a new-to-me-product but I don't necessarily buy them often either...unless they are on sale.  I especially like the lower sodium offerings because I'm not a salty foods fan - generally speaking.  All of the soups I have tried I have liked.  I see there is a Tamale one that I have tried but want to.  Those are just a few things that have been popular in my kitchen this past month!  How about you!? 

18 comments:

  1. Hmm... I've been thinking about making veggie burgers for a few days now, perhaps I'll go home, toss beans into my pressure cooker and see what I come up with. ;)

    I purchase all the Homeless Shelter's food (where our Lutheran church prepares meals) from Aldi's, prices are usually much better than most stores.

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    1. I look forward to seeing your burgers!

      Yes, I'm a fan of Aldi's! It just makes sense to at least start there - see what you can get for a lower price - and then - fill in the blanks at other stores - that's sort of what we usually do, anyways :)

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  2. We also have the McDougall soups available now in Australia! I agree that I don't buy them unless they on special though ;-) Our packets look a bit different too!

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    1. I'd love to see the differences in the packaging over there by you!

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  3. The burgers sound great, gotta track those down on my next TJ's trip. And Hubby adores those soups, I've been ordering boxes of them from Amazon using Subscribe & Save monthly.

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    1. I've been wanting to order off Amazon but last I knew it was bulk - I know you save - but want to be sure I LIKE the stuff before I buy larger quantities :) Now that I know I like them maybe I will try ordering in bulk, I guess - it DOES make sense!

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  4. Your kitchen sounds super fun =) I especially like the sound of those masala burgers!

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    1. I've been thinking about these burger quite a bit...I really need to get over to Trader Joe's soon to get more :) Others leave me wanting...lol..

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  5. Hope the spices have done their work and kept the flu at bay. Thanks for sharing your kitchen with us :)

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    1. Yup! They did their job! Thanks so much for the encouragement and feedback!

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  6. Look at the gorgeous colours in those spices - they HAVE to be good for you! And happy to hear you found a vegan burger you like! :)

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    1. Thanks! I have been concentrating on variety of colors lately in foods, spices, and beverages when possible :)

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  7. I'm also an Aldi's fan. I like to try out their offerings because 1) I can usually afford them and 2) they intrigue me.
    Trader Joe's have such great finds, as well- although I've never tried their Vegan burgers. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Totally agree RE: Aldi! They do intrigue, don't they!?
      I still haven't made it back to TJ's yet...soon, I hope!

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  8. Hi Jennifer,
    I love oolong tea, so refreshing. That's a beautiful display of spices too :)
    cheers
    Jason

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    1. Thanks! I hope to post more HERE about Tea but we do a few times a day over at SororiteaSisters.com as well! Thanks for visiting!

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  9. G'day Jennifer! LOVE your tea at Tea and can't WAIT until Aldi comes to Adelaide! Cheers! Joanne
    LOVE your spice photo!

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