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What a yummy dinner! Inspired by the Eat.Sweat.Blog challenge at socialworkout.com, I busted out the quinoa for tonight’s dinner. Over a bed of sauteed swiss chard and topped with toasted pine nuts, with a generous side of bean chili, made with veggies from my mama’s garden.
Seriously, such a fantastic meal to end the day…
Filed under: supping | 3 Comments
Tags: beans, chard, chili, pine nuts, quinoa
Eggplant Moussaka
This recipe was pretty darn good. Eggplant, zucchini, potatoes, plus a tomato-ey layer and a ‘cheesy’ layer… Mmm. A few hours later, my family is still raving, which is saying a lot, since they normally resist vegan entrees. I’m usually relegated to the side dish. Well, not any more. Thank you, Veganomicon.
I totally messed with the pine nut cream, but the other components of the dish I left alone. I didn’t have any tofu on hand for the ‘cheesy’ layer, so I improvised and used pine nuts, lemon juice, garlic, and soy yogurt. It worked pretty well, although it would have been better with some nutritional yeast. But you make do with what you have, eh?
The lighting on this is terrible, but here’s a shot of the whole dish. I actually made two of these, and I have about half of one left for the week. Very good news. Oh, and I used homemade bread crumbs from my mom’s bread, which was the perfect finishing touch.
And my plate. I had another serving of the moussaka — I almost went back for thirds, it was that good. If you don’t have the book yet, buy it! Everything I’ve made from it has been delicious, and this dish was no exception. Happy Vegan Month of Food, everyone — I think it’s gonna be a good one…
Filed under: supping | 5 Comments
Tags: eggplant, moussaka, pine nuts, potatoes, tomatoes, vegan cheese, zucchini
It’s Here! Vegan Mofo III!
I know it’s been here for two days already, but I’m just now getting some time to actually cook something! I hit up the farmer’s market this morning to gather ingredients for the Eggplant Moussaka from Veganomicon, so stay tuned because it’s on the menu for tonight…
Filed under: snacking | 3 Comments
Tags: veganmofo
new breakfast… for me.
I eat oatmeal every morning. I have for I don’t know how long. And it’s such a ritual, and I’m so attached to it, that I don’t like for that routine to be infringed upon, ever. But this week something happened. I ran out of oats. For whatever reason, I didn’t buy more. I didn’t have the time, or the plan-ahead skills, and then once it ran out I suppose the idea of a new breakfast was the teeniest bit appealing. I have now had this breakfast two (!) days in a row.
Toast, using my mom’s homemade sunflower seed bread. She puts molasses in it, and it is spectacular. That’s slathered with almond butter, and then I mash pieces of banana onto it as I eat. It’s better that way.
Check out this almond butter. It’s fresh from my favorite little local food store, the 320 Store. $5.99 for this tub, when a jar at the other grocery stories in town will run you anywhere from $10.99 to $20.99. $20.99! Ridiculous. I love this stuff.
I have a fridge full of mismatched ingredients and I’m trying to form a plan for dinner… We’ll see what I can come up with… Until then, have a good Sunday!
Filed under: breakfasting | 3 Comments
Tags: almond butter, bananas, bread, toast
I’ve been separated from my favorite camera all summer because somehow the battery charger was misplaced in the move back from Dublin. I refused to buy a new charger because I was adamant that it would eventually turn up, and guess what? It did. I started using it again on Wednesday, but it took me until yesterday to remember where I’d put the cord to input the pictures into the computer… I shouldn’t be trusted with technological equipment. Anyway, this was Wednesday’s dinner.
I have been way into sandwiches lately. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t get enough of them. I used to hate the idea of such a compact meal — I would rather separate all the components and eat the one at a time. But now I love it. This was tofu, tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, green onion, garlic-stuffed olives, and spicy mustard.
With a side of sweet potatoes! This was half a potato chopped into tiny pieces and baked with a sprinkling of oil and salt, and I took the other half for lunch the next day.
Yesterday I made a huge batch of hummus to last me through the week.
And I made another sandwich for dinner last night with the hummus, sun-dried tomatoes, olives…
… sauteed eggplant and onion, and wilted spinach. Super yum. I had a banana with cinnamon raisin peanut butter on the side, because I was craving something sweet.
Then I made some more banana muffins — this time with about two tablespoons of carob chips added to the batter. I love the oats in these — they’re so chewy.
I made eighteen and put them in a giant zipper bag in the fridge so that they’re easy to grab and go.
In other news, Alley Walk was yesterday. Alley Walk is an annual event here in Rockford that is basically a gigantic garage sale. The main part is in a church parking lot, but then a ton of the houses on the alley behind the church also hold garage sales, in addition to several houses in the surrounding neighborhoods. Basically we were garage-saling for four and a half hours yesterday. I got a book of James Dickey’s letters, and this neat teapot.
Also, I found this old picture in the camera I just got back. This was the first week I had Barbara, and my sister bought her a little sweater. She was not a fan, and we’ve never put it back on again.
Here she is today… she wouldn’t even fit in it anymore! She’s getting so big… as I type, she’s lying at my feet, snoring louder than an old man with a sinus infection. Hilarious.
On the way out the door for an eight mile run!
Filed under: desserting, snacking, supping | 3 Comments
Tags: muffins, hummus, sandwiches, bananas, Barbara Walters
Lunch at the Office
Where have I been eating my lunches for the past month?
Right here, in front of this lovely old Dell.
There was about a teaspoon of hummus left in my Sabra container, so I packed a sandwich in it and used the bread to scoop up every last bit of hummus.
This was kind of a random sandwich. Avocado, mustard, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, lentils, and green onions. Weird, but it worked.
I brought one of the last of my banana muffins with a glob of cinnamon raisin peanut butter. Super yum.
And, of course, coffee. I heart this cup. I am attached to it at the hand.
This lunch was smaller than my typical lunches because (a) I am out of easy-to-transport fruit and (b) on Tuesdays I get off work earlier, so I know I can go home and have a snack.
Enter the smoothie.
This baby was a combination of frozen bananas, ice, almond milk, peanut butter, and Amazing Meal chocolate powder. If you haven’t seen Amazing Meal (from the company Amazing Grass) on other blogs yet, definitely look into it. I tried it out when Jenna offered a coupon on her blog a couple months back, and I’m hooked. It’s an organic, vegan, raw protein powder that gets its protein from hemp and rice. It’s got tons of antioxidants, plus probiotics and digestive enzymes. And it tastes GOOD! I seriously love this stuff and put it in all my smoothies or just have it plain in my almond milk, so if you’re interested, check it out at the Amazing Grass website.
That’s my lunch. Not super exciting, but usually the high point in my work day… Always on the lookout though for stuff that’s easy to keep in the purse but super filling and satisfying, so any suggestions are welcome. Have a good Wednesday!
Filed under: lunching | 1 Comment
Tags: amazing meal, avocado, banana, hummus, muffins, peanut butter, red peppers, sandwich, smoothie
Biking Up an Appetite
What a gorgeous Sunday here in Rockford! My friend Emily and I went for a long bike ride. We actually didn’t mean for it to be as long as it was, but we were looking for some place to have a beer and do some crosswords, and nowhere was open. By the time we found a place, we were pooped. But look how pretty the river views were…
Emily led the way.
I’m going to miss these warm sunny days…
We ended up at the Irish Rose and I had two Sam Adams Cherry Wheats… meant to have just one, but they were good and it was hot! And we were chilling there for awhile, so I had a while to absorb before hopping back on the bike, don’t worry. We met up with another friend and headed back to Emily’s for dinner. I put some kale chips in the oven (I know, no one can get enough of them!), and Emily threw together a little mushroom couscous with some tomatoes and avocado slices.
Perfect meal to end a perfect Sunday. Well, this wasn’t really the end. I came home and had the same dessert I had yesterday. (Hey, someone’s gotta eat all those muffins…) I can’t believe it’s back to work tomorrow. I hope you all had as wonderful a Sunday as I did, though!
Filed under: drinking, supping | Leave a Comment
Tags: avocado, beer, bicycles, couscous, kale chips
Dinner, Dessert, and Decor
Mmm tonight for dinner I had this:
That would be one giant salad:
(romaine, carrot, roasted red pepper, olives, broccoli, red onion, tomato, sun-dried tomato, toasted pine nuts, balsamic, and olive oil)
With a large side of kale chips:
(Kale, baked with olive oil and salt, topped with nutritional yeast and a few sprays of Braggs liquid aminos)
This whole meal took me about an hour to eat. I am such a slow poke when I have the luxury to be… And of course no dinner is complete without dessert!
Banana ‘ice cream’ topped with one of my banana muffins and cinnamon raisin peanut butter. So good.
Sorry for the weird yellow tinge to these photos. My lighting in this place is terrible; I know, I need more lamps. I’m on it. Speaking of… I got a few new things for the apartments from garage sales this weekend!
A little end table. He’s a bit beat up, but I think the hardware’s cute.
A radio! I can finally return my dad’s boom box (yep, that’s what I’ve been using, a boom box) because I am now the proud owner of this guy. Just a buck, and he works perfectly! I don’t have anywhere to put him right now, so for the moment he’s on the floor in the shadow of my arm chair. It looks and feels like story hour.
And look at this gem I picked up for a quarter:
How sweet is that?
I leave you some shots of Baba. Here she is intently watching her disgustingly ratty pink ball, waiting for me to throw it.
That face. I can’t even take it.
And she brings the ball back, every time.
Saturday night! Off to go have some fun…
Filed under: desserting, supping | 3 Comments
Tags: apartment, Barbara Walters, kale chips, salad
Banana Muffins and Changes…
It’s be a little while, eh? I’ve taken a little time off during this transition period in my life to think about things — the direction of the blog being one of them. But I’ll get to that in a minute. First, where in the world have I been and what have I been eating for the last two weeks?
Well, here’s what just came out of the oven…
That’s the little guy I’m snacking on as I type. Here are all his brothers and sisters…
I adapted the recipe from one I found on the blog A Lotus Grows in Brooklyn, who got it from Vegweb. Here’s the recipe I ultimately ended up using, which made seventeen extremely yummy muffins:
2 T smart balance
2 T brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 C flour (I used unbleached all-purpose)
3/4 C oats (yum!)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
4 ripe bananers
Set that oven to 375. Melt the butter, sugar, and vanilla on the stove. Mix the dry ingredients. Add the nanners and the butter-sugar mixture. Mush it all up — no worries if it’s lumpy. Dish it out into muffin cups and bake it for 25 minutes. Eat one immediately, preferably slathered with cinnamon raisin peanut butter, the way I just did.
I’ve been eating plenty of sweet stuff lately. I have, of course, been making the ubiquitous banana ‘ice cream’ making its way around the blogosphere. If you haven’t made it yet — do it. It’s spectacular and almost impossible to believe. That’s just bananas?! It’s true. I usually top mine with yummies, like blueberries and carob chips.
And, I just can’t resist, how cute is this? Baby cantaloupe half with blueberries…
I spent the weekend in New Orleans with my mom and sister. (Sister lives down there, and it was my first visit!) Unfortunately, last-minute hectic packing caused me to forget my camera! I stole a few pictures from my sister, including this one, which I found funny:
I have more food to share soon — my friend Emily and I had a huge cooking day last week, emptying out both our fridges and improvising quite a few dishes. She’s got the pictures, so as soon as I can get them, they’ll be up!
I mentioned before that I’m thinking of taking the blog in a different direction. One of the reasons for this is that over the past year, the importance of running in my life has increased tremendously. Because this aspect of my daily life is so related to my health and the food I eat, it seems a little strange to just leave that out. I’d like to begin featuring my life as a runner as well, especially as I get ready for the Nike Human Race in New York in October and (knock on wood) the Mardi Gras Rock and Roll Half Marathon in February.
Another change in my life that’s affecting the blog is that I’m a whole lot busier. I’m working at a college and taking classes for my teaching certification at the same time. Add onto this plenty of running and trying to hold onto hobbies and interests (which I’d also like to sneak into the blog more often!), and there’s not a ton of time for cooking. Some days I have to take my breakfast, lunch, and dinner to go in my purse. I’m having to adapt my cooking to this. I’m not going to just try to subsist on quick food and energy bars — no way. It’s just a new lifestyle challenge to face, and I’d like to address it on the blog. I might be overly optimistic, but I think I can fit it all in and still cook myself healthy, delicious, real food meals. The muffins I made this morning are going to get me through the next week. Each one is a perfect little snack, compact and easy to transport. Let me tell you, that’s a relief for me after two lunch spills in my purse this week…
So there you have it. You’ll be hearing more from me about these changes as I mull over things. Thanks for reading through the changes; I know all ya’ll out there can understand that life goes through many phases… it’s just up to us to be flexible!
Filed under: snacking | 3 Comments
Tags: banana, muffins
Cocktail Party…
Last Thursday I had a little get together! [I know this is a bit late, but better late than never... (I've been promised by AT&T that I will have internet tomorrow, and I've got everyone I know knocking on wood.)] Pictured above is one of the hors d’oeuvres I made: cilantro pesto on radish chips. I love making radish chips for displaying or dipping — so fantastically crunchy and fresh.
My favorite spinach dip. I’ve made this several times before and it’s always a hit. It’s so simple too; raw cashews + nutritional yeast + spinach cooked in oil, garlic, and salt. Add a tad bit of lemon juice to taste, and you’re golden. Sometimes I do more cashews, sometimes I do more spinach. It all depends on how creamy you want it. But definitely try this one if you haven’t — all my friends and my family rave about it every time I make it and are always sad when the serving bowl is empty.
Chickpea bruschetta! I got this idea here, although I just used my basic bruschetta recipe plus chickpeas to make mine — so no olives, but plenty of tomatoes! It was so good that I made it all over again when it was gone.
Plus little garlic toasties for dipping! This was just my mom’s homemade sunflower wheat bread, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with chopped garlic, broiled for a little while and cut into squares. Yum.
And what cocktail party is complete without martinis?! This is me shaking — I couldn’t seem to get a good picture of my drink because it was so dark by the time I was drinking it, but rest assured that many martinis were had…
So friends, as long as the internet fairies grant me access, I should be back with a vengeance in no time. To come: more entertaining, more martinis, and some thoughts on my newest challenge in life… cooking and eating well while living the 9 to 5, or on some days 8 to 9, lifestyle…
Filed under: snacking, supping | 5 Comments
Tags: bruschetta, chickpeas, cilantro pesto, martinis, radishes, spinach dip
