Unsettled.

Lately I have just been feeling yucky. So much, in fact, that I don't want to post the chili recipe because that means I have to look at the photo. The chili itself did not make me sick, but still. *shudder*

Today I woke up too late to have breakfast before school, but I wanted to eat before I left, so I made peanut noodles with cabbage and braising greens for brunch. It was mild and perfect for the unsettled tummy.

Well, it was settled until I got on the bus. Do you have advice to beat carsickness? Ginger ale doesn't cut it!

Lunch Made of Accidental Awesome

Today, on this lovely (well, rainy here) 8th day of MoFo, I was going to share a chili that I veganized hardcore.

See that in the top left corner? That's said chili. But do you see the other magic? See, that quesadilla was merely an experiment, but it was an amazing experiment. Here is my method:

Get flour tortilla.
Spread tortilla with roasted garlic hummus ( I used King Harvest, a local supplier).
Layer roasted eggplant and squash (mash squash down to make it even better!).
Cook in a lightly oiled skillet.

I've never made a quesadilla with hummus before, and I shall never look back.

Chili recipe tomorrow!

Odds 'n Sods

Last night I was feeling a little uninspired. I pulled out the Viva Vegan and made the chimchurri baked tofu. Only I bought cilantro instead of parsley. And didn't have red wine vinegar like I thought, so I used balsamic vinegar. And since I have a tiny ass food processor, I put half of the processed onions into a bowl and promptly dumped them on the floor.

I was pissy.

But thanks to a sweet husband who picked up after me and made me multiple moscow mules (ginger beer, lime juice and vodka for the uninitiated), dinner was fabulous.

And it made a most delicious sandwich for lunch.

That's tahini under the tofu and leftover chimchurri sauce under the greens. It was an interesting combo, but hey, it worked!


He also bought me local chocolate. Hey Portlanders, this stuff is vegan and delicious.

Speaking of chocolate, these silly wrappers have been sitting around my kitchen since May, waiting for a review.

I'll save that for another day.

Corny We Be

 
Jeff requested corn chowder and cornbread for dinner. I made the cornbread out of Veganomicon and used this this recipe for the chowder, subbing Earth Balance and almond milk for the gross stuff.

It was my first time making chowder, ever, and I feared that my weird aversion to soup would step in. It was delicious!

Top 5 foods of 2010.

While I was going over some of my MoFo posts of 2009, I ran across this little gem. I summed up my 5  favorite foods and why I loved them so. A peek:

Top Five Favorite Foods, in order of most favorite to eh, it's tasty.

1) Peanut butter. While I've had peanut butter all of my life, lately it's been in everything of mine. Oatmeal, sandwiches, sauces, on a spoon....seriously, I got up last night and had two slices of bread with peanut butter on them. Not smooshed together, mind you. Just 2 pieces of bread. I have a problem.

2) Pasta. I'm not even really picky on what kind. I scarf that stuff down and then go back for more. Carb overload queen here.

3) Oatmeal. It's hot, it's nourishing and you can make it as sweet or savory as you want. Currently my favorite is Bob's Red Mill Scottish oats, which takes me back to Gma making us cream of wheat before school....current love is dumping applesauce and nutmeg in it.

4) Beer. What?

5) Potatoes. Doesn't matter what they're in, I'll eat them. Kind of goes along with the beer quite well, thank you.

 Whoa, I was (and still am!) a starchy carb machine. You wonder why I gained weight when I went vegan!

While I still love all those foods with a passion, I love other foods more. Better foods.

1. Squash. Squash has surpassed potatoes as my favorite vegetable. I love roasting it and eating it with a little s & p.

2. Broccoli. We bought broccoli on a somewhat regular basis, but it was the CSA shoving it in our faces every week that got me to really appreciate it!

3. Quinoa. Doesn't this belong on the standard vegan food list? It's crunchy, it picks up seasoning easily, it's adorable.

4. Soy curls. Thank you, Homegrown Smoker, for showing the magic that is BBQ soy curls!

5. Potatoes. This is one I'll keep on the top 5, but it includes sweet potatoes! They're so easy to roast and mash.

(and who am I kidding? I still consume pasta, bread, peanut butter, cookies, cupcakes and beer on a somewhat regular basis)

A student's vegan lunch, take 2!

Today's lunch was simple and so good. Dangerously good. In the thermos we have leftover quinoa, sprinkled with s & p, dried dill and garlic salt. That beautiful squash is kabocha squash, one of my favorites, smothered in tahini.

Today also brought the last CSA pick up of the year. I'm kind of sad about it, I loved not having to think about buying veggies. I will definitely go with the same farm next year, Love Farm Organics. Amy is incredibly sweet and the range of veggies I get is wonderful. Check out my very last haul:

On the top we have tomatoes, potatoes (fresh from the muddy ground!), braising greens, peppers, broccoli, radishes, a bulb of garlic, cabbage, brussel sprouts, the best celery in the world and an acorn and fairytale squash round up the bottom.

I'm making pizza tonight, so I'm going to tinker around with a roasted squash and garlic sauce. If it proves successful, I will have a recipe for you tomorrow!

Thank you so much for reading!

End of Summer Tomato Sauce

 

Last night I made what will probably be one of the last tomato sauces of the year.  I had 4 tomatoes, brussel sprouts, an onion and broccoli (the last of the ginormous head!) that needed to be used up, and dinner was quite delicious. The sauce was incredibly simple and surprisingly rich:

4 tomatoes, chopped (save juices)
2 tbsp tomato paste
vodka (it cures what ails ya)
seasonings (I used parsley and oregano, it's what I had!)
red pepper flakes
salt & pepper
caramelized onions

Throw everything into a sauce pan over medium high and cook until the liquid reduces. Right before serving, stir in caramelized onions. Taste for seasoning, try not to eat it all in one go.