(893) joyeaux Noël

I hate to say it, but I am relieved that Christmas is over. It came up way too quickly and right in the midst of trying to figure out new health issues that have been occurring. It has been quite some time since something so out-of-the-blue and painful has happened to me. I am trying to be patient until my regular doctor returns from leave so I can talk to her about it. I can only hope it will get better soon. Besides the craziness of Christmas, it was a lovely quiet one. I got to spend a lot of time with my family which was nice. I also ate a ridiculous amount of food! (surprise surprise)

I love stir frys because they are so easy to pull together, and they are especially quick when you prep the vegetables a day or so ahead. I cooked my quinoa two days before and chopped my vegetables one day before. This is probably my favorite stir-fry to date! Crunchy, golden quinoa with edamame, garlicky shiitakes and topped with lots of organic sriracha. This did not last two days in my house before I ate all of it. I love recipes like these because you add anything you want and adjust things to your liking. Next time I would like to add fresh ginger and some kale!
//love + lemons

I am not going to Bikram yoga for a while, until I figure this health stuff out, but this was a lovely post-yoga snack: grapes and avocado toast smothered in paprika/lemon juice/salt.

Sometimes you have leftover quinoa and most of the time you're not sure what to do with it. I was just thumbing through Foodgawker one night when I saw these easy quinoa sriracha bites. It's a great way to use up leftover quinoa and it has eggs! (protein!). I would like to try these sometime with blended tofu to make them vegan. I added extra sriracha, obviously, and really loved the way they soaked up GF soy sauce. Sesame seeds on top add a lovely crunch! //leaf + grain

More avocado toast (for breakfast): what I call "deconstructed guacamole" toast with avocado, lime/lemon juice, smoked paprika, salt and cilantro.

The best tofu/veggie burgers I've ever had! I scarfed this one down in a second. I just wish they were freezer friendly because I would love to always have them on hand.

I learned a little downside about food blog recipes: they are bound to have mistakes (more often, I would say, than cookbooks). That being said, I have seen cookbooks who had to publish an insert to go with the books because there were mistakes (printing errors etc.) but when you have a blog recipe, people try them out and if they don't work out so great, you will hear about it! So I made these little chocolate chip rice krispie treat cookies...and I kept asking myself why some of them spread and some of them didn't. So I checked the recipe and she had updated it two weeks ago (PS I write my recipes very early on if it interests me). The butter sugar: flour ratio was off and that's why they spread so much. Luckily, I have some lovely co-workers and family members who said these were some of the best cookies they've had (hope you guys weren't joking!) and they were pretty damn good. //spoon fork bacon

Beautiful romanesco cauliflower 

Vegetable tofu pad thai from my sister

A lovely english perry cider and my new cookbooks, which I so gratefully gifted to myself. My excuse is that I did pretty well this semester and deserved it, haha. I have finally read all of these and cannot wait to start cooking from them. Pictured: "Veganomicon", "Everyday Happy Herbivore", "Happy Herbivore Abroad", "Vegan Brunch", "Appetite for Reduction", and "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World." (notice a trend? they're all vegan!)

The most amazing with out a doubt deliciousss black bean sweet potato stew with pineapple and fresh avocado. What?!?!?! My family and I (with all the aunties and uncles alike) met up at Blue Corn Cafe this weekend for a holiday get together. This stew is what the restaurant is famous for, apparently, and I can see why. I ate every last drop, along with two GF beers, and it was absolutely DIVINE.

I was so pleased at my options at this Mexican restaurant. While everyone else was chewing on sopapillas and fried ice cream, I had a beautiful glass of the best fresh mango sorbet I've ever had. Still drooling.

So I changed the Christmas dessert last minute to this lovely orange gingerbread with a cream cheese frosting. It was so fluffy, moist, and just the right amount of ginger and orange without being overpowering. I subbed in 1 C sorghum flour, 1 C tapioca flour, and 1/4 C almond meal alongside 2 1/2tsp xanthan gum. I used vegan butter and vegan cream cheese for the frosting and halved the frosting recipe. This is my mom's favorite cake yet, though she says this every time I make a new cake, but it's still really lovely! //joy the baker

I like to make my dad granola every year because he's incredibly hard to find gifts for. Last year I made this holiday granola, festively studded with cranberries and pistachios. I decided to make it again this year, but it was even better this time around! If you enjoy nutmeg, you will love this granola and it's so easy to make (like any granola recipe!). //yummy mummy

My mom made a lot of soup for us growing up, and still does. I think I got her soup making/soup loving gene because it is my favorite thing to make! If you asked me what her best soup is, corn chowder would be at the top of the list. She would make it during the dead of winter, when it was most comforting and heart warming, and it would be just perfect with crackers. I could eat that corn chowder for days. But, we all know I like to switch things up...so I made this roasted poblano pepper corn chowder with red bell peppers and cumin. Let me just say, this is a close second to hers (along with tarragon corn chowder). The amount of heat here is perfect (could even use some minced jalapeno) and it's so comforting. I love variations on classics, and this is my favorite yet! //knead to cook

Christmas French toast with maple syrup, powdered sugar + bananas.

My new 12-qt soup pot. So in love!

New iPad 2 and green case. I am kind of shocked at how well my dad knows me because this case is amazing!

I was going to make a shepard's pie for Christmas but things got turned around and I wanted to cook from things I only had in my pantry; so I made Happy Herbivore's GF hippie loaf. This was the easiest and most flavorful vegan loaf yet! Made with black beans, aromatic vegetables, quinoa and Italian herbs, it was a hit with everyone on Christmas! It was kind of torture to drive to my parents' house with this in the car because it smelled so good. //happy herbivore

Vegan christmas dinner plate: homemade biscuits (same ones I made for Thanksgiving), bourbon pecan sweet potatoes, cornbread dressing, potato salad, and hippie loaf. Yum!

Trying to be more free-handed in the kitchen: Italian mushroom onion scramble, leftover biscuit, grapes and black currant tea for breakfast. Here's a half-ass recipe for the scramble:

Chop up equal amounts of mushrooms and onion. Preheat a small skillet with just enough oil. Throw in vegetables and stir, letting saute for 2 mins. Add a good sprinkle or two of Italian seasoning and stir. Let saute until mushrooms and onions are soft and fragrant. Meanwhile, beat eggs in a bowl with almond milk (I use the ratio of 1 egg:1 T milk, and I used 3 eggs). Season eggs with salt and pepper. Once vegetable mixture is cooked down, pour eggs directly over them. Let sit until the bottom begins to set, then push the eggs around with a spatula, scrambling lightly, until cooked. 

(665) asian omelette for one

Asian Omelette (serves one hungry, too busy and slightly broke girl)
-4 free-range, farm-raised eggs
-gluten-free soy sauce
-3-4 green onions, light green and white parts chopped (save dark green for garnish!)
-earth balance vegan butter
-salt & pepper
optional add ins: cooked broccoli chunks, bite sized pieces of bell pepper, toasted sesame seeds for garnish, toasted sesame oil for light drizzling
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Break eggs into a bowl. Break the yolks up but don't beat the eggs. Stir in green onions and any other vegetables to be used. Stir in salt and pepper. Drop butter in a skillet over highish heat until butter has coated the bottom of the pan and is bubbling/sizzling nicely.


-Pour in the eggs and watch carefully. Try not to leave the stove to eat cooked polenta that you have resting on the counter (which I certainly didn't do). Wait until the eggs look like the edges are cooked, then with your left hand, grab the handle and tilt the pan slightly towards you. Push the eggs up with a spatula, moving the eggs up and away from you, and letting the uncooked eggs slide down. 


-Put the pan back on the heat for 30 seconds or so, until the eggs cook some more but be careful not to burn them. Once everything is almost done. Fold the omelette over in half and turn off the heat. To ensure even cooking, and to get a few lovely brown marks, I pressed down on mine with a spatula so I didn't get any raw egg. After it seems firm and cooked, remove to a plate. Drizzle with soy sauce while still hot and any other oil/sesame seeds if desired. 


-Eat with buttery, salty polenta grits, perhaps even with bacon (mango-glazed bacon, if I was in my own world), or a big green kale salad. Just go eat it and be happy you didn't spend half of your check on it. Also lovely with a cold beer

(633) noboru wataya the cat

school is almost over! I take my last exams tomorrow, then I have about two weeks until summer classes start. that means wine, films, reading & baking!

it's been in the 90s this past week or so and it's sweltering to say the very least. I had to bear the heat to make granola from super natural everyday studded with lots of orange zest, coconut, currants and walnuts. now that I've survived the heat of oven + 90 degree weather, I now have a huge ziplock bag of granola to eat with rice milk all week!

I went back to Heidi's other book, which was the first cookbook I ever received, to make this spring minestrone. it's a perfect light soup for spring (even though it's hot!) and tastes even better with fresh lemon juice and pepper. you could also make it asian (edamame + toasted sesame oil) or italian inspired (basil and lemon zest)

this was absolutely delicious, easy, and not a crazy amount of ingredients. the veggie + egg tower of power consists of caramelized red onions, roasted sweet potatoes + cherry tomatoes with wilted spinach and egg on top. how easy could that be? it was so satisfying to eat something so simple (especially when there's wine involved!)

a southern classic made vegan: black-eyed peas, garlicky sauteed russian red kale, and mashed vegan purple fingerling potatoes. I loved how southern it was with out bacon, ham, or even chicken!

just made this vinegary, crunchy lentil salad with a side of hard-boiled egg, buttered toast and delicious red wine from Shelton Homes Vineyard in NC. may have a little too much of the latter but still awesome! cold lentil salads on a hot day = win!

(622) cabin in the woods

my mom cooked a huge pot of black beans on Friday so last night I used some to make polenta rancheros, which was awesome! I really enjoyed using whole cumin seeds instead of cumin powder; the seeds, when toasted, are so much more flavorful. we have also pretty much sworn off of canned beans in my house (which makes me happy!..and my stomach!) so we've been buying them in bulk, soaking them, then cooking them. they taste so much better and are easier on my belly

I posted about these cookies yesterday, which turned out more like wafers, but are still awesome! I used it to make a fancy pantsy dessert: pineapple basil sorbet, champagne mango slices, pistachios and topped with a lemon cardamom cookie. it was so delicious, decadent, but at the same time I couldn't really feel bad since I was eating fruit, sorbet, nuts, and a vegan cookie. I really recommend it, especially since champagne mangoes are in their peak season. here's how I converted the cookie recipe:


-sub 1 C flour = 1/2 C sorghum flour + 1/2 C tapioca starch + 1 tsp xanthan gum
-sub 1/2 C butter = 1/2 C earth balance vegan sticks

(615) fresh catch

delicious vegan cassoulet with fresh vegetables and homemade beans

finally bought these suckers after they came through my line at Whole Foods about ten times. they are so good but a little pricey. I'd like to try my hand at homemade kale chips!

what happens when you work at Whole Foods: I got into Kale! my parents are so proud.

before going to brunch with Ashley at Printworks. the weather today was lovely!

an interesting appetizer at Printworks: poached fruit in a spicy broth. it was out of this world and would be amazing over rice pudding

one of the best dishes I've had in Greensboro: lemony golden beets over quinoa/black rice with kale and chickpeas. do I really need to say anything else?

daisies from our floral department!

Kale, Bean + Squash Tostadas
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-Soak pinto beans overnight and cook according to package directions. Let cool slightly, then mash with some cumin and a little olive oil. Saute dinosaur (lacinato) kale with garlic, olive oil, and red pepper flakes in a pan. Set aside. Add chopped sunburst squash to the pan with a little more oil and cook until soft. Set aside. Add fresh corn kernels and sweet peppers with oil to the saute pan; add onions and cook until done. Toast (blue) organic corn tortillas and top with mashed beans, kale, squash, corn/onions. Top with guacamole or fresh avocado. It's super delicious and easy!

(609) successful easter meal

tulips from Whole Foods for my mom. I'm going to be one of those girls with different flowers every week or so because our floral department is so beautiful.

temporary nametag for work

new favorite gluten-free beer

Rigby is ready for Easter with his bowtie

I can't express how nervous I was about these cupcakes. these are the first sponge cakes I've ever made GF. this was also my first experience beating egg whites to soft peaks, which was extremely nerve-wracking. I put them in the oven with my fingers crossed...and they turned out beautifully! I adapted it from my favorite ming! I used 1/2 C sorghum flour, 1/4 C tapioca starch and 3/4 tsp xanthan gum. I used my favorite chocolate buttercream recipe (halved) with fresh coffee to taste.

centerpiece of our meal: roasted chicken with a lemon ginger compound butter and braised fennel. I'm starting to become really turned off to meat but this was pretty damn good. We got it from Claire Robinson's book 5-ingredient fix. 

glazed carrots with thyme from Martha Stewart which were delicious but frustrating to make. I used regular carrots cut on an angle because baby carrots are genetically modified (99% sure). 

finally, the thing I was looking forward to the most: smitten kitchen's green bean salad with pickled red onions + fried almonds. it was definitely a family pleaser and was fun to make, though there were many steps. it was hard to gauge the salt levels for the pickling liquid. it's very good though, especially with the almonds. I will be making this again! smitten kitchen never lets me down

beets and eggs co mingling in my mason jar.

naturally beet-dyed hard boiled eggs come out of the jar.

beautiful pink eggs get halved and deviled, then topped with parsley. thanks to the year in food! this was another popular dish I made today

the spread + mama's tulips. happy Easter! I need a huge nap from cooking for about 7 hours straight....or a beer.