(882) moteurs sainte

It has been a crazy first week off, hence all the photos but lack of recent posting. I have been insanely busy and am enjoying the next few days before Christmas pandemonium sets in. I have been eating pretty well, and cooking as much as I can, but have also been pretty lazy since school is out. The good news is I finished with a 3.56 and I will find out soon if I get into the Disciplinary Honors program! 

I made the most amazing vegan burgers: pumpkin black bean patties. They are definitely better when you let the batter sit in the fridge overnight to help thicken. They form a perfect, golden crust from frying in coconut oil. The flavors are perfect: cumin, chili powder, black beans, pumpkin, and other amazing ingredients. Sooo good! //sprouted kitchen

I also made this massaged kale and roasted garlic dressing salad to eat with these burgers, as well as some polenta croutons. The salad was tender, delicious, and incredibly garlicky. Like REALLY garlicky. Be warned. Polenta croutons are a great way to use up leftover prepared polenta in a tube: cut into even slices and fry over medium high in a thin layer of olive/coconut oil until golden brown. Drain briefly on a paper towel. Easy and a great addition to a meal! //eat this poem

Half-ass pumpkin hummus I made for sandwiches over the weekend: leftover pumpkin puree, a can of chickpeas 3-4 T tahini, spices, fresh rosemary, curry powder, etc. I just added a bunch of stuff and tasted it until it was to my liking! Not my best hummus but I didn't have much time and needed something.

Close up of massaged kale roasted garlic salad: a piece of art.

The best quick vegan lunch: homemade hummus, GF bread, avocado and heirloom tomato.

Trader Joe's haul: the best cider, which is even better than apple cider//not my favorite kale chips but they are kale chips//the BEST prepared salad I've ever had in my life and need to recreate ASAP//my favorite vegan caramel popcorn.

My little Christmas tree!

I had quite an abundance of mirepoix, or aromatic vegetables (carrots, celery, onion, and herbs) so I finally made homemade vegetable stock. It was probably the easiest thing ever and it made over 16 cups, and it's freezer-friendly! I used the following:

16 C water//1 C white wine//4 sprigs fresh herbs (I used rosemary+thyme)//1 onion peeled and halved//1 potato halved//4 carrots//3 stalks of celery with tops//3 C spinach//4 whole cloves garlic//2 T olive oil//mushroom caps//1 tsp pepper//1 T salt

Place in a stock pot and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer, cover, and cook 1.5 hours. Let cool then strain. Place into smaller containers (I recommend by 1 C measurements). Will last 1 week in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer. 

Cheap wine. 

New favorite side dish: spicy paprika roasted carrots. I added a hint too much of cayenne but they are still lovely. I paired them with the spaghetti squash below. They would be great with a warm quinoa salad or even veggie burgers. //mince + type

I finally made spaghetti squash, after seeing it all over food blogs this fall. It was delicious but quite a pain to shred after baking in the oven. I made Deb's moroccan spiced spaghetti squash, which I have been eyeing for quite a while since it's so simple. This was probably the easiest spaghetti squash recipe out there and the flavors are amazing: coriander, cumin, cayenne and butter. The sauce was easy and satisfying. It was lovely topped with toasted almonds, with a side of a white balsamic + greens salad and roasted carrots. //smitten kitchen

Vegan tacos from Crafted downtown + GF beer. Wayfarer tacos include chofu (tofu chorizo), pico, vegan jalapeno havarti, french fries, and avocado spread. Dying.

The best vegan lunch after being slammed at work and hungry: organic grapes, loaded avocado and hummus paprika sandwich and kale chips. Soooo good. Better than any non-vegan lunch I've ever had.

I always talk myself into getting Sticks + Stones vegan pizza with swiss chard, potaotes, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, spinach and onions. It may be expensive but it's hard to resist this after a few ciders!

My new favorite English dry cider! 

This wraps up the week and I will hopefully be back soon. I am going to try and make a small post about hot/Bikram yoga tomorrow (which will mark my second class!). I tried it out Friday and am really trying to stick with it. It's great! :)