Spaghetti with "Meat" Sauce

I have never been a big red-eat meater, even in my not-so-distant meat-eating days.  I preferred chicken above all else, but every now and then I would get a craving for some type of ground-beef dish.  Tacos, meatballs, lasagna, etc... I knew I had to try a meat sauce with a beef substitute.  I looked online for a recipe, but couldn't quite come up with what I wanted, so I decided to come up with my own.  It definitely satisfied the flavor craving, and even made the boyfriend happy. Win-win in my book.

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 12 oz. package of beef-style crumbles (I used Morningstar Farms)
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 tsp. dried oregano
handful fresh basil, chopped

1 1b of dried pasta, such as spaghetti, angel hair, or linguine
Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions:
Heat a little bit of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until slightly translucent, 4-5 minutes.  Add the garlic and saute 30 seconds, or until fragrant.  Add the beef-style crumbles and break up any large lumps.  Season with salt, pepper, and oregano and saute until defrosted and cooked through.  Add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and reserve.

Add basil to sauce and simmer until wilted, a couple minutes.  Taste and adjust with more salt and pepper if necessary.  Serve with the pasta and some Parmesan on top if you like.  Enjoy!

P.S. I realize this isn't a great picture... My food photography skills are a work in progress. :)

Xx,

Sarah

Flexitarian Beginnings...

Life is tough.

I know what you're thinking - "DUH." I am, of course, well aware of the obvious nature of this statement.  We all go through hard times, we all get through the rough stuff, and we all (hopefully) come out for the better on the other side.  Having lived a pretty healthy lifestyle for the past few years, I have gotten into a bit of a food rut.  Being a pharmacy student, the demands of the curriculum have definitely led me to some poor food choices and a bit of a lackluster feeling toward cooking and baking - two things I absolutely love and have often used to relieve my stress.  But, life is tough.  I've gotten lazy, and I needed something new and exciting to get me out of my rut and back in to feeling great and eating right.

Thus, I have decided to become a vegetarian.  After watching this and reading that, I knew it was time for me to make some changes to my eating habits.  I call this a "flexitarian" diet because I am still planning on eating eggs and fish, but am working on cutting out dairy.  Sometimes I am 100% vegan, and that's okay too.  Also, the boyfriend is 100% carnivore, so keeping him happy with "meaty" foods is high on my priority list as well.  I can't say I will never eat meat again - if given the opportunity, I would buy local, farm-raised meat, but there are not a lot of farms nearby.  So for the time being, vegetarian with a few fish-eating and vegan days mixed in is the plan.

I LOVE food blogs. this, this, this, this and countless others are some of my favorites.  I'm also a huge Food Network and Giada fan (don't judge me.)  So this blog will be a mix of recipes and rantings about my life as a flexitarian and fourth year pharmacy student.

A few things about me:
1) I love food blogs.  This you know.
2) Peanut butter might be my most favoritest food ever.
3) Coffee gets me going in the morning.
4) I watch way too much Netflix and TV. Grey's Anatomy is my most recent obsession.
5) I love babies and cats.
6) I hate when people drive slow in the left lane.
7) I am in my last year of pharmacy school and am looking at residencies throughout the Southeast.  So far I am most interested in oncology, infectious disease, cardiology, and pediatrics.  I love pharmacy and know I picked the right profession.
8) I HATE bugs. If there is one in my apartment, I WILL cry.
9) I can't live without chapstick and my iPod.  These are facts.
10) Red wine and chocolate make it all better.

I hope you enjoy following along with me on this new journey.

Xx,

Sarah

P.S. I am pretty proud of myself for my blog title... Anyone remember the Emma Lazarus poem inscribed on the Statue of Liberty? The new settlers were "tempest-tost" on their journey to a new land, and my journey will be tough, but I can get through with a little help from veggies, tofu, and of course, tempeh.

P.P.S. Did I mention I love kittens?