Two vegetarian finds.

My husband is a fake-meat phobe. Seriously. When we became vegetarians, his one stipulation was that I don't try to force "matrix meat" into him. Consequently, I mostly try to cook without it.

A good friend (vegetarian) had a super bowl party. She had this chili dip that I tasted (thinking that it had no meat), and found myself a little upset that I tasted hamburger. Later, I heard her say it had no meat, and that she used a Boca crumble. The husband and I enthusiastically agreed that we couldn't tell the difference.

A bit later, I read about how wonderful these frozen vegan riblets were. I got a little curious and bought them one day - and low and behold - they WERE good. They taste remarkably like meat, the sauce is wonderful, and they're way low in points weight watcher points (I want to say 3 or so, but double check if you're on weight watchers).

Well, the vegan riblets went over so well, I decided to try the meatballs. And you know what? They were really good too! And only two points per serving (6 whole meatballs)!

This has given me the gumption to try seitan, which is on the menu for this week (oh...I really should get back into doing that on here...mental note). My husband is definitely feeling more open to them, so I better capitalize.

As an aside, the Tofurky franks are pretty much awful. Don't even bother.

In a hurry...

The summer is coming to a close. Which means the kids are headed back to preschool, I am trying to wrap up loose ends around the house, and I'm pulling out all my materials for the school year.

I have some new tools that I desperately want to share with you, but for today I will simply share a find.

Furikake is a Japanese rice seasoning made with a variety of ingredients. I choose the one with no meat products in it - so nori (seaweed), flavoring, and sesame seeds. If you're like me, and never quite developed a taste for soy sauce over rice, or you just want something different, this is a great fine. It's sort of like sushi in a jar.

For the last couple of days, I've been taking a cup of rice (4 points) and chopping up things to go on top, then flavoring with furikake. Think of it like a sushi bowl instead of rolled. Tasty, healthy, and easy on the diet.

You can find it in many Asian food stores or online. Just Google "furikake" and you will see what I mean.

I have a work thing tomorrow, but maybe I will be able to scoot in and talk about this chunky, rustic homemade tomato sauce I created with two of my new favorite tools.

New Discovery..

Do you know what one of my guilty pleasures is? Yogurt parfaits from McDonald's. That vanilla yogurt is some of the best I've ever had. What I really like about it is the thick and creamy consistency. You feel like you're eating something really decadent, even though a parfait is 3 Weight Watchers points (around 150 calories) and made with low fat yogurt.

Well, as you may have gathered from the blog, I like to make things at home. I have never been able to accurately replicate the McDonald's yogurt. I've settled for Stoneyfield Farm's nonfat vanilla. It's good, but not THAT good. Moreover, I've heard lots and lots about making your own dips from yogurt. I've tried with the nonfat Stoneyfield plain - and it was "eh." The problem was that it was very THIN. I wanted something thick and hearty. I figured that was just one of those things that I had to sacrifice.

I'd heard of Greek yogurt before - and how thick and creamy it was. However, it was also full of fat. I will settle on the occasional low fat dairy item - but for the most part I stick to fat free while trying to drop a few pounds. You can imagine my excitement when I found FAGE 0% - which is a fat free variety.

Can I just say this stuff has become my new best dieter's friend?

Thick and creamy, this FEELS and TASTES like a full fat sour cream (remember - it's plain). I haven't been able to experiment with it too much - but I am very excited about the possibilities. I will try whipping up some fruit and honey to get a sweeter yogurt, as well as add some spices for dips. Whatever the case, this is a VERY versatile product that will do your body and your taste buds well. How often does THAT happen?

Fresh spices on the double.

So, I'll admit....as much as I like to pretend...I am NOT a purist.

I mean, I really don't have the time to cut up all these fresh herbs. It just takes FOREVER, and when I'm in a hurry, I just can't be bothered. Not to mention the fact that herbs always seem to go bad in my fridge. I do have grand designs on an herb garden out back...but then again...there's the time aspect.

So, I started buying these tubes of herbs from Gourmet Garden. I just LOVE them. So quick and easy, and they keep GREAT in the freezer. I wouldn't really use them as a garnish (like basil in a caprese or cilantro in a salad), but if you plan on adding it to something that a paste would do - these are great.

My favorite applications are cilantro in lime rice or garlic in just about anything!