Thursday, March 6, 2008

An Update, Simple Food

I've had a few people inquire regarding my arm and job situation. Well, I am still hurting but healing slowly. I have more range of motion with my elbow but my wrist, which is what I actually fell on, is taking a bit longer to heal. I am able to do basic knife skills, cooking/baking and dishes but I am unable to left heavy items like big pots of water for cooking pasta. I have taken back most of the kitchen responsibilities but Jared does still help a lot with household things I struggle with like taking the garbage out, lifting laundry and washing the heavy pots and pans. He is my hero and I am a VERY lucky lady.
The other update is that I am still unemployed, which is getting more and more depressing. Thankfully, Jared is plugging away at work to support us. So, as usual, I keep myself busy with cooking, baking, recipe writing, resume tweaking and job scouring. I am one of those weird people that actually like to work, so it's tough to be without a job, unless you count being a home maker, which I do. Atlanta's job market is just too small for a college graduate (with a Business Management degree) with about 5 years experience in the field I came from (mutual funds/investing). I'm up for changing paths but it seems the only jobs are either super entry level, which employers feel I am too qualified for OR executive level, which of course I know I am not yet qualified for. NOTHING IN BETWEEN, WHICH IS MADDENING! If anyone in Atlanta knows of a job opening, let me know! If all else fails, I could always go back to school!
Anyways . . . that's my sad story for the moment. If ya'll could send me out some good vibes, it would be much appreciated!
Since being a little congested, my appetite hasn't been up for much. I have made a few simple sides and something I have been meaning to make for a while now, Tempeh Hot Wingz.
I am a huge fan of veggie plates, so I made some roasted red potatoes with olive oil, garlic, fresh thyme and fresh rosemary and kale that I sautéed in a little olive oil and sea salt. The potatoes were of course awesome, but I decided I'm not the biggest fan of kale. Maybe I just didn't cook them the way they shine, but I'm not sure I'll buy them again.
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Ever since I saw the recipe for Tempeh Hot Wingz from Don't Eat Off the Sidewalk floating around I knew I wanted to try them. I'm not sure why I wanted to try them because I wasn't the biggest chicken wing fan pre-vegan days, but I liked the idea of baking on the crispy coating and dunking them a deliciously spicy and sweet sauce. What I took from this is I don't really like Tempeh all that much. For me, I just don't care for the texture. Jared liked the Tempeh Wingz and I liked the coating and sauce, so we'll make this again but with tofu instead. I made a "ranch" style dressing to dip the wingz in.
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11 comments:

Vegan_Noodle said...

Glad to hear your arm is healing. Sorry about the job situation... it can be tough out there. Just hang in there and something will come up!!

Theresa said...

That buffalo sauce looks heavenly! And it's good to hear your arm is getting better. Hopefully the job market opens up for you... stay positive until then! I know it's hard, I was jobless and aimless for a while before I moved over here, and it was so depressing!

btw, the band was an ad hoc group of feminist musicians who encouraged everyone to join in, even if it was just on the spoons!

Tofu Mom (AKA Tofu-n-Sprouts) said...

Keep experimenting with the kale. It grows on you, I swear!! Three years ago I HATED HATED the stuff.

I've tried the tempeh "wingz" and while I like them (because I love tempeh) I actually like the textural contrast of doing about the same thing, but with tofu. Tofu Wingz. Did I put that on my blog? (*wanders off to check*) At any rate, keep up the good work, everything looks amazing!!

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

I agree with tofu mom, give kale another try. How about crispy kale chips? kale + olive oil + apple cider vinegar + salt / pepper. 400 degrees, 10-15 minutes = crunchy zesty treats!

We're also not the biggest tempeh fans in this house. I like it more than Ryan though!

MeloMeals said...

the potatoes look amazing! and so do the wingz.. I'm pretty picky about my tempeh.. not a huge fan. I do love buffalo tofu though!

I really feel for you with your job situation. I have a similar problem finding jobs in the cooking field (not to mention I don't cook meat!).. but I am grossly overqualified for entry level, but not a "trained chef".. bleh.

I hope you find the perfect job for you.

I agree with tofu mom.. kale does grown on you. I like to chop mine very fine. Soup is a great way to get used to it.

J said...

Nice to know that arm is slowly, but surely healing. :-)

I hope the job market goes your way soon! It is so frustrating looking for a job, and they aren't necessarily in adundance for the college educated these days, unless you are looking for entry level.

Mmmmm, those potatoes and kale sound fantastic, I know a lot of people are so-so about kale, I don't mind it when it's cooked well.

Leigh said...

You may want to try dino (lacinato) kale. We like that a lot better than the more curly, leafy kind. Dino kale cooks up softer, and has a less bitter taste. And skip the stems for an even better flavor!

...and you know we are big fans of that tempeh hot wing recipe, but that sauce would be awesome on anything I think.

Rural Vegan said...

Then tempeh wings look great coated in hot sauce! I like the taste of tempeh, but also don't like it used as a faux meat. The texture throws it all off for me.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the right job comes across your path soon!

Anonymous said...

I've never actually tried tempeh...what's the texture like? I might try this recipe next week because I used to actually love chicken wings before I stopped eating meat!

Lori- the Pleasantly Plump Vegan said...

Jenna- to me, the texture is kinda the opposite of tofu. it's crumbly and kinda crunchy. tofu is my favorite thing, so it's hard to beat.

Liz Ranger (Bubble Tea for Dinner) said...

I'm glad your arm is feeling better... but that sucks about the job. I'm sure the next step will show itself soon, though. If you really love working the job will come! or something equally good. (and until then, making delicous food and posting about it at least means I get to drool over more yummies. so selfish i am! :P).

Is it totally weird that all these hot 'wingz' recipes have been around for a while, and I've REALLY wanted to try them, but until now it never occured to me that they were supposed to be like chicken wings? like bar food, omg! (derrrrrr). anyway, yours look awesome, I like the ranch. And I like tofu way better, too. :)