How many half-used bottles of condiments would you say you have in your refrigerator at this very moment. Five? Ten? Twenty? I don’t know how many I have but I know it’s too many. So when I have the opportunity to make a sauce or condiment from things I already have on hand insteading of buying yet another bottle, I’m going to do that. I love sweet chili sauce, but I only use it maybe once or twice per year and each time I’m left with half a bottle that haunts the back of my fridge for-ev-er. So this time I decided to make my own smaller batch of easy sweet chili sauce using a few simple ingredients that I usually have on hand (including another condiment that commonly haunts my fridge!).

Easy Sweet Chili Sauce

What is Sweet Chili Sauce?

This incredibly simple sauce is sweet, sour, and spicy. If you’re a fan of classic sweet and sour sauce, this is quite similar, but with a delightfully spicy kick. This sauce goes great on tofu, chicken, seafood (especially shrimp and salmon), and vegetables. Here are a few recipes where I’ve used sweet chili sauce in the past:

• Sweet Chili Tofu Bowls
• Coconut Crusted Tofu with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce
• Sweet Chili Chicken Bowls
• Coconut Crusted Chicken with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce

The Short Cut…

This isn’t a from-scratch, authentic sweet chili sauce. Sweet chili sauce is usually made with fresh red chiles, but I rarely see those at the store, so I took a short cut. I used sambal oelek, which is basically just red chiles and vinegar. Since vinegar is another main ingredient in sweet chili sauce, this using sambal oelek is a great shortcut.

Thankfully, sambal oelek is really easy to find in major grocery stores these days. Just look in the international foods aisle, near the sriracha. There is another product, chili garlic sauce, which is similar but has garlic in addition to the red chiles and vinegar. You can use that for your sweet chili sauce, but it will add a slightly garlicky flavor. How else can you use sambal oelek? It’s great in all sorts of stir fry sauces, I like to put it on my eggs, rice bowls, soups, and more. It’s extremely versatile and can be used on just about anything. Here is the archive of recipes that use sambal oelek on this site.

Step by Step Photos

Combine 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 1/4 cup cup sugar, 1/4 cup water, and 1 Tbsp sambal oelek in a small sauce pot.

This is what sambal oelek looks like. This is the same brand that makes the most popular brand of sriracha, so you can usually find it in stores that sell sriracha. It’s just a mixture of red chiles and vinegar. Super simple, but really good, and extremely versatile! I put it on everything. :)

This is the rice vinegar I use. It’s important to use rice vinegar because it is more mild than other types of vinegar and will make the sauce tangy without being overly sour. I do not suggest using a different type of vinegar.

Heat and stir the mixture in the sauce pot over medium heat until the sugar fully dissolves and the mixture looks clear. This should happen very quickly, within a few minutes.

Dissolve 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch in 1 Tbsp water, then pour that into the sauce pot. Continue to stir and cook over medium heat until it comes back up to a simmer. The cornstarch mixture will make the sauce look cloudy and white, but that will change…

When the sauce reaches a simmer, the cornstarch will thicken the sauce. At this point you’ll also notice the cornstarch going from white and cloudy to clear. And now your Easy Sweet Chili Sauce is finished!

You can either use the sauce immediately, or refrigerate it and use it within a week.

The post Easy Sweet Chili Sauce appeared first on Budget Bytes.

Whenever I write about my experience of eating disorders, I make a point of saying that the healing process isn’t linear. It’s full of odd, surprising twists and turns, realizations and moments that take one by surprise.

Still, I think it’s natural to hope or expect that a linear trend will emerge. After all, it’s the promise of change, of transformation, that keeps us going when the process is at its ugliest. When recovery was at its worst for me—when I was feeling the most robbed of my identity, the most enraged, the most at odds with my body—I got through it by assuring myself that it wouldn’t always be like this; one day, I thought to myself, it would almost never feel like this anymore.

That wasn’t an empty promise. It’s exactly how things turned out, albeit with lots of ups and downs.

When I wrote this post in May, I was as strong and solid in recovery as I ever have been. In the last few weeks, body dysmorphia has reared its nasty head again, and my experience of it is nothing like it was five months ago. Then, I was able to feel the old triggers, talk about them, note their appearance with some humor and self-awareness. It all felt very grown up, very reasonable.

My experience in the last week has been completely different. The dysmorphia itself has felt different: not like a poke or a prod or a nudge, the way it was in May, but more like the dysmorphia I remember from years ago: hot and angry. Loud. Distracting.

I’m feeling things I haven’t felt in years: waking up in the morning with the sensation that I’m trapped in my skin, wanting to claw my way out. Avoiding my own reflection in mirrors. Certainty that my body is a mistake, something that went wrong a long time ago and will always feel wrong. I’m handling it, but it’s unnerving. I’d started to believe that all of this was behind me.

Why now? I’m not sure, but I have some guesses: a new schedule, loss of my routines, being tested and evaluated and sized up by authority figures more regularly than I have since my post-bacc years. Change, nerves, shame, worry—in other words, the familiar triggers.

I’ve tried to let the discomfort of the last few days give me insight into how I respond now, versus how I did in the past. What have I learned? How much deeper is my capacity for self-compassion? The answer is that it’s a lot deeper, and the evidence is the fact that I haven’t restricted food at all since this began or let it enter my eating habits.

But recognizing my more mature capacity for self-care isn’t actually making this experience less painful. Right now, my primary feeling is resentment that I can’t access my old recourses. Even if there was any part of me that wanted to eat less now, I couldn’t. Food is too important to me. The difference between now and then, I realize, is that I want food much more badly than I want control. This is growth, but it can feel like failure.

On Friday, I found myself at my mom’s place, telling her all of this, probably in greater detail and with more honesty than I’ve ever been able to share with her. “But honey,” she said, “I know you don’t want to go back to where you were. You need your strength.”

How to explain to her—to anyone—that the old ways so often felt like strength—more strength than I’ve ever had? That I do want to turn back the clock sometimes, even if I can’t and won’t? “You don’t understand,” I blubbered. “Back then was probably the only time I’ve ever really felt right in my body.”

I don’t think that’s true. But it felt true in the moment, and I’m glad I said it and let it go.

In some ways, the timing of all of this has been unfortunate. I’m on my feet more than usual with my new work, which means I’m hungrier than usual and eating more than usual. It wouldn’t feel like a big deal were I not at odds with my body, but I am, so it does. In my class on Thursday night we practiced the nutrition focused physical exam. It wasn’t an ideal time to have my triceps pinched and belly prodded.

As usual, though, what feels like inopportune or unfair timing may also be the very opposite. Each day at work, I cross paths with people who have experienced dramatic shifts in their capacity to eat. Some have dysphagia, others have lost their appetites from illness or medication. Some are tube fed, and may never take in food by mouth again.

What must this be like? I can’t begin to know or understand, because my only experience of decreased food intake has been a result of my disorder, not a question of necessity. I know that it has never been a choice, but I can recognize the difference and give thanks—the deepest kind of thanks—that eating hasn’t always been easy for me, but it has always been possible.

On Friday, my mom admitted surprise at hearing how badly I felt. “You’ve just come so far,” she said. I know I have. I know that I’ve worked hard to create and protect my recovery. I know that everything is different now. I know that I’ve transmuted a lot of struggle into a relationship with food that’s beautiful, creative, and special.

But that relationship isn’t only beautiful, creative, and special. It’s also messy and complicated. It might always be messy and complicated. There may always be weeks like this, when my relationship with food feels more like a burden than a gift. It’s difficult to accept this paradox. I want to be either a success story, or I want to feel like I used to feel: powerful and in control, even if I wasn’t. But a major part of my recovery has been developing a capacity to handle ambiguity and complexity, to acknowledge realities that can’t be neatly categorized. The very fact of my struggling this week is one of those.

Before I left her place, my mom gave me the sweetest and gentlest word of encouragement that she’s ever given me about body stuff. “Eat your delicious food, Gena,” she said. “Make your recipes.”

Today, I woke up. I made a good breakfast, and later on a good lunch. I’m doing all of the usual batch cooking, so that I have sensible and nourishing things to eat this week. I’ll keep talking about this spell of dysmorphia in therapy, doing the work, being honest. I may hide myself under a few extra layers or baggy garments while I’m at it, but if that’s as far as old behaviors go, that’s pretty good. Another dimension of recovery—one I’m only just getting acquainted with—is to struggle while continuing to put one foot in front of the other, calmly and without discouragement.

In the spirit of making recipes, some of my favorites from the past week. And some good articles, too.

Recipes

My vegan sandwich crush of the week: Gina’s awesome, plant-based pea pesto grilled cheese.

I know what bread-y thing will be a part of my Thanksgiving this year! Eva’s beautifully fluffy, whole wheat dinner rolls.

Deryn and I are on the same page, since I’ve been working on a new hash recipe. I’m loving her easy vegan breakfast skillet and will definitely make it with Field Roast, my favorite vegan sausage.

If vegan chicken parm isn’t comforting enough, here it is served over a beautiful bowl of penne A comfort food fest from Plant Power Couple.

Finally, more comfort: Erin’s creamy, dreamy vegan broccoli cheese soup.

Reads

1. A fascinating look at why the phytonutrients in plants are beneficial for us, while growing research suggests that antioxidant supplementation may not be.

2. Heartache isn’t only a manner of speech: more research is emerging on the link between emotional distress and heart disease.

3. Another look at the health ramifications of stress, this time focusing on mitochondrial DNA and telomere shortening.

4. More evidence that plant meats are a sustainable as well as compassionate choice. (I still need to try the Beyond Burger!)

5. An important, informative article on enhancing diversity within the dietetics profession. It gave me a lot to think about—including a helpful reminder to always check, acknowledge, and address my own biases.

It’s the start of a new week, and I’m entering it with an open mind and optimistic heart. Wishing you lightness, too. I’ll be back with a tasty new slow cooker recipe in a couple days.

xo

The post Weekend Reading, 9.30.18 appeared first on The Full Helping.

There’s a restaurant in my neighborhood that has a vegetarian Nashville Hot “Chicken” Sandwich made with tempeh that is sooo good even though it hurts sooo bad. Spicy food lovers, you know what I’m talking about, right? Well, I wanted to make something similar at home, but I decided to go the buffalo sauce route instead. Fresh avocado and a super simple ranch slaw offer just the right amount of creaminess to dampen the flames of the homemade buffalo sauce, plus they give a much needed dose of vegetables to keep things fresh. Heat seekers, you’re going to love this one!!

This Buffalo Tempeh Sandwich would pair really well with Cumin Lime Sweet Potatoes!

Buffalo Tempeh Sandwiches

What is Tempeh?

Tempeh is an awesome vegetarian protein source made from fermented soy beans, or sometimes other beans and grains. It has an awesome texture that is firm, but kind of soft, and offers a lot more in the way of mouthfeel than tofu. Tempeh takes on the flavor of whatever you add to it, which makes it incredibly versatile. You’ll find tempeh in the refrigerated area of the grocery store, near the tofu and other meat substitutes. You can scroll down to the step by step photos to see what it looks like uncooked. :)

To Substitute or Not to Substitute…

Please do not substitute or leave out the avocado or ranch slaw. 🙏 These two things in combination with the buffalo sauce create perfect balance. Take away any one of the three and these buffalo tempeh sandwiches just won’t have the same magic.

If you’re not into sandwiches, you can serve this as a wrap, or even over a bed of greens or rice as a bowl meal!

Not into tempeh? You can totally do this with chicken, too. Either cook up pieces of chicken breast or thighs in a skillet like I did with the tempeh, then drench it in the sauce, or use pulled meat from a rotisserie chicken.

What Hot Sauce Should I Use?

During the testing phase of this recipe I made the buffalo sauce with both Tabasco and the Louisiana Hot Sauce shown in the photos below. The Louisiana sauce was head and shoulders better than the Tabasco, IMHO. I hear Franks Hot Sauce is also pretty good, but I didn’t get a chance to try that one. The flavor of your hot sauce will greatly determine the flavor of your buffalo sauce, so make sure you have one that you like! :)

Step by Step Photos

To make the buffalo sauce, combine 2 Tbsp melted butter, 3 Tbsp hot sauce, 1/8 tsp smoked paprika, 1/16th tsp garlic powder, and 1/8 tsp salt. Stir until smooth, then set the sauce aside. The sauce will thicken as the butter begins to cool, so you may need to reheat it briefly later just before you coat the tempeh.

I know there are a lot of strong opinions about hot sauce out there, LOL. This is the one I used. I have also made this buffalo sauce with Tabasco and found it very inferior to this brand, so just so you know the hot sauce does make a difference.

To make the ranch slaw, place 8 oz. coleslaw mix (that’s the bagged shredded cabbage and carrots that you can buy in the produce department) in a large bowl and add 1/4 cup ranch dressing. Stir until the slaw is coated in ranch, then refrigerate until you’re ready to build your sandwiches. I do suggest buying a good thick and rich ranch for this. I used Ken’s Steakhouse brand.

Now on to the tempeh! This is what it looks like. It comes in a sort of “brick” and you can actually see the soy beans, unlike tofu. Slice the tempeh into 1/4-inch thick slices.

Heat 1 Tbsp cooking oil in a large skillet over medium. Once hot, swirl to coat the surface of the skillet, then add the tempeh slices. Fry the slices until they are golden brown on the bottom, then flip and cook on the second side. You may need to add an additional tablespoon of oil for the second side, since the tempeh tends to absorb the oil.

Once the tempeh slices are golden and crispy, transfer them to a large bowl. Microwave the buffalo sauce for about 15 seconds to heat it up and smooth it out again, then pour it over the tempeh slices. Stir until the tempeh is coated in buffalo sauce.

Now it’s time to build the sandwiches! Pile a generous amount of the ranch slaw onto a roll (either two large hoagie rolls or four smaller round hamburger-sized rolls), then top with the buffalo tempeh slices, and sliced avocado.

And that’s it! Your spicy-creamy-tangy Buffalo Tempeh Sandwich is ready to eat! (funny story: I thought I was buying bbq chips, but accidentally bought Nashville Hot Chicken flavored chips. Talk about a SPICY meal! )

The post Buffalo Tempeh Sandwiches appeared first on Budget Bytes.

A free 7-day flexible meal plan including breakfast, lunch and dinner and a shopping list. All recipes include calories and Weight Watchers Freestyle™ SmartPoints®.

Happy October! My favorite month and also my birthday week!! And just a few days and Skinnytaste One and Done Cookbook will be arriving to everyone’s door if you pre-ordered! And for those asking, all the WW points for all three books are listed in the cookbook index.

If you’re new to my meal plans, I’ve been sharing these free, 7-day flexible healthy meal plans (you can see my previous meal plans here) that are meant as a guide, with plenty of wiggle room for you to add more food, coffee, beverages, fruits, snacks, dessert, wine, etc or swap recipes out for meals you prefer, you can search for recipes by course in the index. You should aim for around 1500 calories* per day.

There’s also a precise, organized grocery list that will make grocery shopping so much easier and much less stressful. Save you money and time. You’ll dine out less often, waste less food and you’ll have everything you need on hand to help keep you on track.

Lastly, if you’re on Facebook join my Skinnytaste Facebook Community where everyone’s sharing photos of recipes they are making, you can join here. I’m loving all the ideas everyone’s sharing!

THE DETAILS:

Breakfast and lunch Monday-Friday, are designed to serve 1 while dinners and all meals on Saturday and Sunday are designed to serve a family of 4. Some recipes make enough leftovers for two nights or lunch the next day. While we truly believe there is no one size fits all meal plan, we did our best to come up with something that appeals to a wide range of individuals. Everything is Weight Watchers friendly, I included the updated Weight Watcher Freestyle Points for your convenience, feel free to swap out any recipes you wish or just use this for inspiration!

The grocery list is comprehensive and includes everything you need to make all meals on the plan. I’ve even included brand recommendations of products I love and use often. Cross check your cabinets because many condiments you’ll notice I use often, so you may already have a lot of them.

And last, but certainly not least, this meal plan is flexible and realistic. There’s plenty of wiggle room for cocktails, healthy snacks, dessert and dinner out. And if necessary, you can move some things around to make it work with your schedule. Please let me know if you’re using these plans, this will help me decide if I should continue sharing them! 

MONDAY (10/1)
B: Petite Crustless Quiche* (5) and a banana (0)
L: 2 servings Heirloom Tomato Sandwich (8)
D: Minestrone Soup (2) with Easy Garlic Knots (2)
Totals: Freestyle™ SP 17, Calories 924**

TUESDAY (10/2)
B: Petite Crustless Quiche (5) with a pear (0)
L: LEFTOVER Minestrone Soup (2) with Easy Garlic Knots (2)
D: Skillet Cauliflower “Arroz” con Pollo (8)
Totals: Freestyle™ SP 17, Calories 1,060**

WEDNESDAY (10/3)
B: Petite Crustless Quiche (5) with a pear (0)
L: LEFTOVER Minestrone Soup (2) with Easy Garlic Knots (2)
D: Cuban Picadillo***(3) over ¾ cup brown rice (5) and Quick Cabbage Slaw (2)
Totals: Freestyle™ SP 19, Calories 1,049**

THURSDAY (10/4)
B: Petite Crustless Quiche* (5) and a banana (0)
L: Picadillo Quesadillas (6) with 2 ounces avocado (3)
D: Chicken Marsala Meatballs (5) with Roasted Spaghetti Squash (0)
Totals: Freestyle™ SP 19, Calories 913**

FRIDAY (10/5)
B: Greek Yogurt with Berries, Nuts and Honey (5)
L: LEFTOVER Picadillo Quesadillas (6) with 2 ounces avocado (3)
D: Flounder Milanese with Arugula and Tomatoes (3) and Creamy Cauliflower Puree (1)
Totals: Freestyle™ SP 18, Calories 833**

SATURDAY (10/6)
B: Breakfast Burrito Bowl with Spiced Butternut Squash (3)
L: Chicken and Lentil Soup (1)
D: DINNER OUT!
Totals: Freestyle™ SP 4, Calories 490**

SUNDAY (10/7)
B: Applesauce Nut Bread# (5) with 1 cup mixed berries (0)
L: LEFTOVER Chicken and Lentil Soup (1)
D: Pork Chops and Applesauce (4) with  Skinny Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes with Chives (5) and Easy Garlic Broccolini (1)
Totals: Freestyle™ SP 16, Calories 842**

*Freeze any leftover you/your family won’t eat.

**This is just a guide, women should aim for around 1500 calories per day. Here’s a helpful calculator to estimate your calorie needs. I’ve left plenty of wiggle room for you to add more food such as coffee, beverages, fruits, snacks, dessert, wine, etc.

***Make a quesadilla Wed night with leftover Picadillo for lunch Thurs and Fri.

#Make applesauce Saturday.

(more…)

Rosemary & garlic flatbread, made with lentils! It is naturally grain-free, vegan, and incredibly easy to make, too. Most importantly, it is 100% delicious!

We’re living through a historic moment right now—collectively enthralled by the Senate judicial committee hearing of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s accusations of sexual assault by Supreme Court justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Goodness, I got tired just writing that sentence. Concurrently, I’m working on a very special project, which will contribute more fully to the conversation around personal and civic forms of activism, particularly as located in the bodies and minds of women. More on that soon (get excited!), but for now, I want to talk about how we are staying sane.

Yesterday, on Instagram, I wrote about the sociopolitical importance of believing women—and of no longer accepting women’s bodies, women’s trauma, and women’s suffering as a necessary martyrdom by which their oppressors will learn the lessons they need to learn. We’ve been here so many times before. Not just in 2016. Not just in 1991. Not just in almost every religious text ever written. We’ve been here enough to know that the martyrdom of any oppressed party—women, people of color, queer folks, and so many others—in order for their oppressor to have what Senator Blumenthal (D-CT) called a “teaching moment”—is not a culturally functional option.

I applaud the solidarity and support of so many Democratic senators in the room yesterday, and yet. And yet. Here we are today, and it’s almost as though nothing has changed. There is still so much work to be done.

And before, and during, and after the work, we must find ways to nourish ourselves.

 

In the spirit of being wrung dry by the resistance, by politics, by staring at a room deafening in its whiteness and its maleness, I am sharing with you the meal I prepare for myself when I have nothing left to give. This is pure comfort food for me: easy, infinitely customizable, both nutritionally dense and a little bit indulgent. I wish I could prepare a trough of it for Dr. Blasey Ford—and all survivors (all women)—right now.

What’s required:

1. That you have some inclination or appreciation of Mexican flavors in a healthyish Cali-Tex-Mex form.
2. That you have a can of black beans. Or pinto beans. Or any kind of bean, really. God, I love beans. (Doesn’t need to be a can. Maybe you soaked and sprouted and boiled your own beans. Bless you.)
3. That you have some salsa or hot sauce.
4. That you have some kind of cheese. I like goat cheese here.
5. That you have some veggies: some greens, and some herbs (cilantro, preferably), and some cabbage, or carrots, or something crunchy.

The rest is optional. (Though honestly all of it is—maybe your ideal resistance self-care meal is actually a plate full of nothingness. That works, too.) But in the case that you opt for the food-centric version, I also recommend avocado and chips. Make this your own.

The hardest thing you’ll do here is sauté the beans in olive oil, garlic, and cumin, and slice up the cabbage or other crunchy veg for your cilantro slaw. It comes together in under ten minutes. Use those precious moments to focus your breath on the sensory experience in the moment.

What does your body feel like, right now?

How is your breath moving in and out of your body?

What parts of your body feel tense, and what parts relaxed?

What do you smell?

What textures do you feel?

Taste as you go. What flavors are present?

Experience the animal qualities of your body as anchors to the present moment. Remember the power of fully occupying your body, your self. Remember your power. Remember what you believe in. Refuel.

And then go out there and slay.

The post EASY BLACK BEAN SALAD BOWL | WHAT TO EAT WHEN YOU HAVE RESISTANCE FATIGUE. appeared first on Kale and Caramel.