Weekly Eats Ten (3/14 - 3/20)

Snack: Big Cluster Granola

Granola is one of my favorite things to keep on rotation in my kitchen. Why, you might ask? First of all, it's stupidly overpriced to buy it in the grocery store, especially the gluten-free variety. There are also endless variations on granola, so you will never get bored with it. Lastly, it travels wonderfully, and can be served in many different ways. I enjoy it with just a little coconut milk (I don't like to ruin the beautiful crunch) or almond milk in a bowl, but straight from the bag works too. If I skip breakfast before work, I tote this large bag with me to work and eat it there. You could also top a baked sweet potato or apple with some, or sliced apples/bananas with peanut butter plus granola. The possibilities are endless! My point is, this granola is excellent and comes from Smitten Kitchen's book. It uses a lower temperature than most recipes, plus the addition of a slightly frothed egg white adds a simple little light twist to this snack.

Breakfast: Fried Rice with Spinach, Eggs + Sriracha

When I'm out of things in the fridge, I always turn to things like rice and eggs - or both. I'll make a pot of rice in my rice cooker the night before, and then make fried rice the next day. For this easy breakfast, I made a small batch of brown rice and then placed spinach on top to steam through. The next morning I fried the rice and spinach with some soy sauce, plus two beaten eggs. This makes a great, filling breakfast but also a quick lunch/dinner with minimal effort.

DIY Imbibe: Blood Orangecello

Limoncello is one of my favorite things to make during Christmas. It doesn't take too long but it also "steeps" while I can spend time working on other homemade gifts. However, after trying this blood orangecello (which takes much less time), I might be hooked. I have a slight obsession with blood oranges, as I may or may not have mentioned, and to combine them with vodka and sugar to make one of my favorite things, was nothing short of an epiphany. So far, I've had it on its own (which my friends think I'm crazy for doing) but I also mixed it with dry hopped cider, which was amazing. I might post a recipe soon using this in a cocktail so stay tuned!

Dinner: Smoky Tofu Sandwiches

Tofu sandwiches are one of my favorite things ever. I really liked this recipe, but next time I will definitely marinate the tofu for an hour instead of 30 minutes. For the pickled vegetables I used smoky fermented kale kraut, which perfectly complemented the smokiness of the tofu. I also added tomato, which is a must for all tofu sandwiches, and served it with some potato chips. Although there's not much to say about these sandwiches, they were still very very tasty and highly recommended. 

Dinner: Rainbow Rotini Pasta Salad

Usually I like to make something "festive" for St. Patricks Day, but this year I opted for this rainbow pasta salad, which I suppose is still festive (it's a stretch, I know). This recipe comes from Quick Fix Vegan, which is great for exactly what the title is. I loved all of the flavors of this recipe - the bright crunch from the peppers, salty brine from the olives, sweet dried cranberries, fresh parsley, plus a ton of dried herbs that I added. Pasta salads are also great for lunches as they pack/travel well. I can't wait to eat a ton of pasta salad come summertime!

Dinner: 1-pot Red Lentil Chili

It was very cold again this past weekend for the first time in a while, so I changed around my plans to make chili instead of something not as warming. Chili is one of my favorite Sunday meals because I am usually cooking for more than just us, plus it leaves a ton of leftovers to get us through Monday. Dana's recipes lately (but really, always) have been incredible, simple, fast, and tangible. I have quite a few of hers on my back burner right now to make soon. Anyways, this chili was stellar, and will definitely be made again. It's super simple to make, but was a hit with all of the non vegetarians in the household! I'd like to make a batch of this and freeze it for future meals too.

Imbibe: Jenever Cocktail with Pine Cone syrup

That is not a typo - pine cone syrup is a real thing. Most of the time when I go to the Marshall Free House, my favorite bar in town, one of the bartenders will rattle off something they've created recently and suggest that I try it. Luckily I know these bartenders rather well, and certainly do trust them. After listening to an intriguing, yet mysterious, introduction to this drink, I bit my tongue from asking "what's in it?" and just trusted him. He comes back with a glass of golden liquid, topped with basil. I absolutely love the first sip of a new drink. First thing I do, as snobby as it may seem, is to smell, paying attention to any aromas I can note and possibly match in the drink. Then, obviously, you sip, which I try to do slowly. And for me, there's always a little moment of anticipation between smelling and sipping. All I could say after this was "Wow" and then "What is in this?!". Jenever is the main ingredient here, which is a Dutch style (also called Holland gin), that I've been hankering to try for some time now. Plus the pine cone syrup, which that alone is insane but awesome and how have I never heard of that before?! Plus the basil on top, with its aromas released into the drink. This one is hard to describe - smooth, yellow chartreuse and slightly maple-esque. I will definitely be trying this again!

Les Bouchées Quotidiennes

One of my favorite dishes I've recipe tested so far: pasta e fagioli "stew" (original recipes calls for groats!).

I can't quit this granola (minus the orange juice). I've been snacking on it all week, even though I made a batch for my Dad (originally). If you've never tried making your own granola, the time is now! Store-bought GF granola without refined sugars, dairy-based fats, etc. is expensive and really not worth the money. A while ago, I bought a case of GF rolled oats, so I am never out of them and I never have an excuse to not make my own granola/oatmeal. The flavors of this granola are vibrant with orange zest, crunchy with nuts and large coconut flakes, and sweet with raisins (subbed in for currants).

Another recipe I tested: almond butter cocoa! My favorite part was using the leftover cocoa to make a "vegan Frosty" with a frozen banana.

Every year in July, since I was a kid, we get blueberries from a farm somewhere in Kernersville. They are the best blueberries around and I can't wait for them every summer. I felt lazy on the prospect of making a pie, so I made this super easy blueberry coconut crumble for breakfast this weekend. It was so simple, delicious, and tasted just like blueberry pie. And I'm sure it would be even better with some vegan vanilla ice cream!

I'm finding myself using leftovers in more creative/useful ways lately. Mike had some leftover crushed tomatoes from a can, so I made a very "improvised" version of shakshuka. I used fresh garden banana peppers as the base, crushed tomatoes with basil, eggs, and the herbs sprinkled on top are thyme, oregano and rosemary. It was a hearty, delicious breakfast!

So I started a new job last week, which is very exciting, and I'm having a great time working. One of my goals after everything was finalized was to make homemade snacks for work each week. I keep kicking myself for buying store-bought hummus, because it just never tastes as good as homemade. I hate buying larabars too because they're a waste of money. So these were my snacks from week 1: the easiest chipotle hummus recipe, chopped cucumbers, carrots and celery, and hard-boiled eggs. I will definitely be making this hummus recipe again!

There is nothing quite like having an easy stir-fry for dinner. This one has cabbage, red bell pepper, tofu, ginger, and a few more delicious things to make a delicious weeknight meal. I added Thai basil on top, because it goes well with any stir-fry, and served it with quinoa. I really loved how the ginger and garlic cooked with the red cabbage, along with the soy sauce. And of course, don't forget the sriracha!

Work snacks week 2: garam masala hummus and 3-ingredient energy bites. I made these last night in about 10 minutes, so all I have to do today is chop some vegetables. The hummus came together beautifully, and I love the gradients of the toasted sesame seeds on top! Garam masala is probably one of my favorite spices, so I loved using it in this hummus. I was also feeling a little lazy and didn't want to purchase dates just to make fake larabars. So I settled for the 3-ingredient energy bites instead, which only have: coconut, peanuts and vegan chocolate chips. They took less than 5 minutes to make and they are delicious!

(784) ce jeu

I'm about to start my fourth week of school tomorrow! That just sounds crazy. I was recently "elected" the co-secretary of our French Club, which I'm incredibly excited about! I am so ready to immerse myself in French culture, watch more French films, make crepes and madelines! Our first official meeting, after the preliminary, is tomorrow. I also took a lovely trip to Charlotte this weekend to visit a friend

Easy dinners are what have been keeping me going lately. This scramble was incredibly easy to put together and a great end-of-summer dish. Lee fried the potatoes, which were amazing

French toast skills are getting slightly better. This batch turned out just a bit burnt, but still delicious and filling

On our way to Charlotte after about 5 detours!

Beautiful mason jar lights at Fern, a restaurant in Charlotte

The most beautiful bloody mary. Tasted pretty good too!

Cory's dashi ramen topped with a poached egg. This was made with zucchini noodles, so it was gluten-free too!

My farmhouse vegetable ragout. Braised in a delicious, vegan sauce, the fingerling potatoes were so tender and that was definitely the best tempeh I've ever had. It was so soft and tasted nothing like the tempeh I've eaten for years.

My new found love: Amelie's French Bakery in Charlotte. Not just because they're the only place to have macarons outside of NYC, but the atmosphere was so inviting...and French! They had everything, from pate, to madelines, French cheeses, etc. It is definitely my new favorite place. The macarons were delicious! They're also open 24 hours, which is pretty lovely. If I lived in Charlotte I'm pretty sure I would live in this bakery...and be broke.

They also had lavender French lemonade, which is amazing. I have to say, I am a huge fan of that lemon San Pellingrino sparkling beverage I had.

These were the only jam filled ones they had, but they're marvelous! Look how perfect the feet are

Tried to start off today with a healthy breakfast: avocado toast drizzled with balsamic vinegar and salt.

My new apple pomegranate lemon tea from Teavana (yet another place I wish we had here).

I made a very interesting twist on granola today from Shutterbean: candied walnut, coconut, black sesame seed granola (with many other things involved!) It is currently cooling but I'm sure it'll be great for breakfast this week.

(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!