Life with the Dunns - Latest Comments

Re: Think I am done…

valintrusa — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:20:31 -0000

Hi Jon,
I wanted to share another recipe -- it is awesome!!! I usually make it when we barbecue beef, but found another good use for it: stuffing for veg burritos :-)

# -------------------------------------------------
TOMATO CORN RELISH
4 ears of corn cut off the cob or 1 can of corn
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 small can chopped or sliced black olives
1/2 bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange)
2-3 big tomatoes, diced
3-6 jalapeños (fresh or canned)
1 can white or black beans, optional
1 avocado chopped (optional)
1 cup oil and vinegar dressing
1 cup lemon or sour orange juice
Black pepper
Salt

Chop and mix all ingredients except tomatoes and avocado ahead of time and refrigerate. Add tomato and avocado shortly before serving and mix.
# -------------------------------------------------

PS: I applied for a job at BF -- wish me luck!!!

Re: New Theme, New Category

Jon Dunn — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 18:54:51 -0000

Hi Val!

We seriously LOVE Indian food. In fact, I made Chana Masala the other night when Jaime's Dad was in town.

I have a draft of a post saved for my Mattar Paneer - I will post that next time, just waiting until I make it again so I can add photos. I will even tell you how to make your own Indian farmer's cheese (it's really easy!).

Don't sweat about slipping and eating a burger. In the beginning I had a hard time also, until I really found enough foods that I liked. Now we have so many things to eat a burger is the last thing I ever think about.

So yeah, keep an eye out I will try to have some new recipes up soon!

Re: New Theme, New Category

valintrusa — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 11:49:31 -0000

Dear Jon & Jaime,
Thanks for adding the food category!! I love the new look . I will definitely be checking the blog more often. I've now been a lacto ovo for over 2 weeks, though I shamefully admit I could not resist a burger temptation the other day :-'(

I must also express my joy at the new thing we have in common -- Indian food! I have been a die hard fan of the Indian cuisine for years, but hadn't really tried to make a vegetarian dish before. I can safely say I would not have survived these 2 weeks without Indian dishes. I would like to share one recipe I tried a couple of weeks ago, that I am surprised by how easy, quick, and tasty it was. You may have seen it before, I found it at http://clancy-on-veganism.blog...

Chana Dahl Masala
Ingredients:

1. 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or less for lower fat)
2. 1 can (14.5 oz) of chickpeas, drained and rinsed thoroughly, or a half cup of dried chickpeas soaked in water overnight, then cooked in pot with 3 cups water until soft (about ½ to ¾ hours of cooking—no need to do this with canned chickpeas).
3. 1 medium onion, diced
4. 3 to 4 cloves garlic with a ½ inch piece of fresh ginger, mashed together (chopped finally or put into a food processor and made into a paste—it’s good to actually make a lot of this to use in curry preparation, so use lots of ginger and lots of garlic 1:1 ratio in a food processor)
5. 1 can (15 oz) or crushed tomatoes or two tomatoes skinned1 and crushed in a food mill or by hand with a fork in a bowl
6. ½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
7. ¾ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
8. 1 to 2 tablespoons good Madras curry powder
9. ½ tablespoon chili powder (optional)
10. Fresh cilantro, chopped.
11. Salt to taste
12. Extra water

Cooking:

Heat pan over medium-high heat.

Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds and wait until they begin to pop, which takes a few seconds--but make sure you're pan is hot. As soon as the seeds start to pop, throw in onions and the garlic/ginger paste that you made, and fry until onions sweat and turn soft--do not cook the onions to the point where they begin to caramelize (turn brown).

Add the madras curry powder and optional chili powder until onions are covered and mix becomes fragrant (20 to 30 seconds of stirring). Then add crushed tomatoes and a little water and stir well, making a nice gravy.

Keep stirring for a few minutes, cover and let simmer for ten minutes (add only a little water if it gets too dry looking).

Add the chickpeas, a little more water if necessary, and cover again lowering the heat. Allow to simmer about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat, toss in chopped cilantro and serve over rice and with warm pita bread or even better, Indian Nan.

Re: Golf in Hurricane Utah

Julianne — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:23:25 -0000

So, um, not like i am some huge environmentalist or whatever, but there is all of this talk about how bad golf courses are for water consumption (did you know that Augusta kills its lawn every year and puts a whole new one in?). That being said, um, as absolutely stunning as that course is, how difficult is it to keep that grass so green in that environment?

Nice work though. Gorgeous.

Re: BREAKING NEWS: Shrinking

Julianne — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:20:38 -0000

Congrats Jon. That is a major accomplishment, I am so happy for you!

Re: Think I am done…

jondunn — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:19:28 -0000

Val,

Tagging and categories is just something I have been SUPER lazy about. But you make me realize I should not be! :)

I will create a category for all food related posts, and have that available at the tabs at the top. I can go back and re-categorize anything food that should be, and be better about it going forward!

Being veggie sounds so daunting, trust me. I was a guy who lived on burgers. But it can be just as yummy, if not more so than an omnivore diet. I will try to make sure I post recipes and things that are easy as well as complicated. I usually feel like I should only post the dishes that took half a day, but maybe not ;)

Re: Think I am done…

Val — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 06:07:34 -0000

The path of animal welfare I've been going down has changed me so much. Over the past 2-3 years, I've learned and seen so much that I think I have finally gotten unplugged from The Matrix.
I had the joy of visiting Best Friends in June and volunteered for 5 days. I thought I would hate the vegetarian food at Angel Village, but I was so pleasantly surprised to have found that for those 5 days there was NOTHING I didn't like. I started yesterday on my path to becoming a vegetarian.
This is also part of the reason I read your blog.
I would love it if you guys created a tag on your blog for this topic and shared as much as possible about time-saving recipes that you found successful. I'm going to need lots of help!
PS: any chance you can hook me up with the Best Friends chef?
:-)

Re: Think I am done…

jondunn — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 15:21:58 -0000

Hi Val! Thanks for reading.

I am well aware of the Cove movie, and the horrible practices in general of the Japanese. They are such an advanced country in so many ways, but have just ZERO regard for life (obviously that is a generalization, and I realize not all Japanese people are OK with that stuff).

We really want to see the movie, but I doubt it will be played here in Kanab ;) We are Netflixers though, so it will be on the list ASAP.

Re: Think I am done…

Val — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 10:16:04 -0000

Hi J&J,
I love your blog because you're living my dream (living in Kanab, working for BF ;-)
When I saw this video you posted the other day, I had to stop watching at the sight of the dolphin being slaughtered. Shortly after, I get a post on Facebook about The Cove. If you haven't seen this or heard about it, I urge you to.
http://www.savejapandolphins.o...
I don't know if BF is aware of this horrendous practice in Japan, but the slaughter begins again on September 1st.
I just wanted to help any way I can to spread the word.

Re: I Love Getting Calls Like This

Kimmer — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:54:40 -0000

Yay Jon! I wish they'd call me. Do you have ANY idea how much they spend on the types of calls you describe and other lobbying? We wouldn't need to worry about paying for healthcare insurance reform if that money went for something useful.

Re: I Love Getting Calls Like This

jondunn — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:26:53 -0000

Yeah - I mean I am not ANTI-gun per se, I was in the Army after all. But I am certainly against the complete lack of control the NRA wants.

Re: I Love Getting Calls Like This

VilaD — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:20:59 -0000

LOL!!!! Jon, that was fabulous. I'm not anti-gun, but the way you handled the call was priceless.

Re: I Love Getting Calls Like This

JM Bell — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:16:28 -0000

You know ... I'm probably pretty far to the right of you on gun issues, but - wow - I have been embarrassed by the NRA for years. I had a lifetime membership but I gave it back several years ago.

Watch for the NRA to move it's HQ to LaVerkin - a UN free zone - to put up the barricades against those pesky third world dictators and they're wicked overlord - Hillary Clinton.

Asshats.

Re: Think I am done…

jondunn — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 16:07:01 -0000

Oooooh, I will have to find that recipe.

I do like the fake products, but the stuff like faux egg salad and faux fish anything generally don't get me going. Always willing to try though!

Do you have a link?

Re: Chicken Fried Seitan

jondunn — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 16:04:43 -0000

Leigh-Anne,

I think it's worth it to go through it at least once. We can't even buy Seitan where we live, so making it from scratch is the only option.

Worth it though!!

Re: Chicken Fried Seitan

Leigh-Anne — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 13:10:13 -0000

Thanks for the recipe. We love Seitan, but it's so expensive these days (and the recipe author is right - some brands are really salty). I've been toying with the idea; maybe I'll take the plunge on this recipe.

Re: Think I am done…

Leigh-Anne — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 06:54:07 -0000

I guess that debunks the "fish is brain food" argument.

My husband still occasionally eats fish, but I know he'd rather not. I haven't eaten any flesh in 17 years. You can do it! There's a pretty good recipe for "tuna fish" spread for sandwiches made of great northern beans.

Re: I’m Gettin’ Old

Jim Aalen — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:48:48 -0000

I keep having these lady barbers trying to trim mine. I think they are manly. The "old guy" is priceless and distinguished.

Re: I’m Gettin’ Old

Melissa Jones — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 19:14:15 -0000

Jim always contends that he can't wait for his eyebrows and his ear hair to start sprouting like crazy. He'll be so jealous!

Re: I’m Gettin’ Old

Woz — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 12:52:37 -0000

omg can't stop laughing!! bwhahahaha sorry, not at you (well, sorta) but that pic of that old guy is priceless!)

Re: Think I am done…

Woz — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 12:51:43 -0000

Hells yeah. :)

Re: I’m Gettin’ Old

Justin — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 21:14:16 -0000

It is called brow waxing. It is apart of getting older.

Re: Ruby’s 2009 Visit Out West

Bob Davis — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:50:24 -0000

hey Jon thanks for the pictures of Ruby really enjoyed them hope you and Jamie are doing well

Re: Ruby’s 2009 Visit Out West

Kathleen — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:59:44 -0000

Jon, the pics are adorable! Thanks for posting. Can't wait until I get to see Ruby next month.

Re: Michael Jackson….Really?

Julianne — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:55:58 -0000

I am with you! I have been camped out in front the tube the past few days doing homework, and I am like dude, everyone dies. Unless you have something new to say, find something else to report on. I mean, how tragic is it that I am watching CNN coverage on Bubbles, and I read across the ticker that a bisexual Naval Sailor was killed. Or that there is a huge offensive going on in Afghanistan. MJ ruined it for Iranians. And now Palin? I was watching some of the coverage last night on mute, and it was starting to look like she had died too...recaps of her career from beauty queen to ultimate destroyer of the McCain campaign? Is there really nothing else going on in the world? Ahem. Sorry, that was a rant.