Saturday, November 3, 2012

(839) golden apples of the sun

This post will pretty much sum up my last week of being a "non-adult". There was a bit of a delay in posting this because of a, let's call it a "mishap of sorts", this past weekend. But all is well now and I'm back on my feet! Trying to cope with the fact that I'll be 21 in a day and a half. Where has time gone?

A not so impressive slow cooker corn cabbage soup with amazingly impressive baked tofu sticks. These tofu sticks are so easy to make and they are the closest thing I've tasted to actual chicken nuggets...which is why they are slathered in ketchup. I also enjoy baked rather than fried, and fresh parsley! They were awesome to snack on all week. 





It's funny how I constantly crave the same things at the same time of the year. Zucchini and squash really shouldn't be cooked right now, but I still had some from the farmer's market. I wanted to do something good that showed off how delicious they are. I remembered a favorite pasta bake I made last Halloween from Joanne. The herbs de provence here really makes all of the flavors pop. I used homemade marinara sauce that I made in the slow cooker all day (not pictured but AMAZING) which made it even better. The vegetables get sooo tender. 

I feel like I am always in this "polygamous" relationship with veganism. I eat pretty much 90% vegan, but I still eat honey. Marshmallows don't scare me, nor do eggs. If I'm in a real cinch I will cook an egg or two, but I'm not too keen on chicken or beef anymore. I will also gladly order fish at a five-star restaurant. So I can't call myself a vegan, even though I rarely eat non-vegan things. Eggs are primarily consumed through baking, and well, I can't tell myself that honey is bad. I already can't eat a lot of things, so why cut my options out? How does everyone else feel about this issue?

Anyways, I finally finally found Medjool dates at my local co-op, worth a pretty penny I might add, and I also finally made salty medjool caramel for apples on Halloween. So easy. So good. And it's vegan. 



I was set on making a raw caramel apple pie for Halloween dinner, but after I saw these bars, I couldn't get them out of my head and just had to make them. I used GF rolled oats, vegan Earth Balance sticks, and the rest is totally vegan. These are essentially coconut milk pumpkin pie on an oatmeal shortbread crust, topped with chocolate, coconut, and almonds. I don't think I need to explain myself more (and they're pretty!)

I had dinner with my parents on Halloween, as always, and she made me vegan pepperjack grilled cheeses and fall vegetable soup

Forgive the bite taken here, but I finally tried out flatbreads! I picked up some chickpea flour after hearing so much about it and seeing so many recipes with it. These flatbreads were amazing and had great texture/flavor. I cooked them a bit longer than I should've but still great. I used pesto I froze in the summer, which turned out great, and added vegan pepperjack cheese. These are probably versatile for every season!

Breakfast is great when you want to try something new, and you just happen to have everything for it. I made Sara's sesame date yogurt cups: dates smashed with sesame seeds layered with vegan cinnamon yogurt and topped with flax cereal. Delicious, simple, and naturally sweet.

Let me guess. You probably hate turnips, right? Like I did when I was 5? Well I hope you don't hate them because this soup is so good. This soup has few ingredients, and is made even better by the accompanying greens pesto. I am always wary about pestos, especially vegan ones, but the flavors are just right: nutritional yeast, orange blanched greens, pecans, balsamic vinegar, so so so good. I hope I have some leftover to freeze. But the soup and pesto together is unstoppable. It's getting cold outside, so you better make some!

My birthday is Monday so maybe I will make some sappy nostalgic 21st birthday post.

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