Les Bouchées Quotidiennes

It's so odd to make this post because the first few recipes are from before school started back! That's why there's been a long "pause" in between posts around here lately. My schedule is kind of odd this year, with more than a few night classes, so I'm still trying to get my grip on meal prepping/cooking/doing dishes. Anyways, here is a Thai basil fried rice I made a few weeks ago for breakfast. I basically sauteed some cooked rice with Thai basil, GF soy sauce, sesame oil + rice vinegar. I also used eggs, so it's not vegan, but you could easily substitute crumbled tofu! And don't forget tons of sriracha on top! I can post a full recipe if anyone is interested.

This is the first time I've used avocado in pasta, and it was surprisingly delicious! The pesto is super easy to make, flavorful, and maybe one of the best pasta dishes I've ever had. The only thing to be aware of is that because avocados brown easily, the leftovers are only good for maybe a day afterwards (but I stopped caring and just ate all of it anyways). As Angela suggests, I topped mine with lemon zest, black pepper, extra basil and served it with some cherry tomatoes.

After taking anitbiotics for so long, it finally caught up with me and I stuck to "bland foods" for about a week. This chickpea, cabbage + rice soup from Isa Does It was absolutely perfect! This soup is incredibly cheap and easy to make, plus it's super nourishing! I can't wait to make it in the fall/winter this year. Instead of the dill, I made a "boquet garni" of fresh oregano, thyme, and rosemary which added a lovely fragrance to the soup.

I was really craving caprese, so I made a vegan version up! I basically made a balsamic reduction, which I briefly marinated the tofu in (next time I will add fresh oregano) and cut the same width as the tomatoes, then sandwiched them in between each other along with a large basil leaf. It satisfied my craving and was a delicious summertime dinner!

One of my favorite things to do is to take a couple of components from a recipe, and improvise the rest. This was my first "back to school" meal: I got the garlic-tahini sauce and garlicky millet/rice from this recipe. Instead of the suggested vegetables, I seared some local summer squash and cooked edamame with some garlic. This bowl was absolutely delicious! I also loved having millet/jasmine rice together instead of my usual plain brown rice or plain jasmine rice. I also used this sauce on some eggs with pico de gallo, which was also tasty! This is one of my favorite bowl meals ever and it was so simple!

From One Dish Vegan: pasta with chickpeas, spinach and raisins served with GF/DF multi-grain ciabatta rolls. If you've never tried raisins in savory dishes before, it adds a lovely, subtle sweetness to dishes. I loved this recipe because the fennel seeds pairs with the garlic and raisins wonderfully! Also those ciabatta rolls are ridiculously delicious (not homemade).

Work snacks: cut up celery, cucumber + carrots with homemade sun-dried tomato hummus. This was my first time making sun-dried tomato hummus and it was wonderful! I definitely need to start using sun-dried tomatoes more.

Lentils are definitely a staple in my diet because they're cheap, quick to make, and super versatile. I try to get mine from Trader Joe's because they're about $2/less a bag (brown and red). For French lentils, I get Harris Teeter organics for about $2 as well on sale. Anyways, you can do anything with lentils: soups, salads, tacos, "meat"balls, pasta, etc. The list goes on! Here's one of my favorite ways: lentil taco meat from Happy Herbivore Abroad. These were a great, quick meal for any night of the week! We topped ours with chopped lettuce, hot sauce and pico de gallo. I also used the leftover lentils the next day to make a taco salad with crushed taco chips and other salad fixings (also with chipotle lime hot sauce).

I probably sound like a broken record when I start sentences with "I can't believe I don't make this type of dish more often"...but I really can't believe I don't make cold noodle salads more often! This is the spicy cucumber and edamame soba salad from One Dish Vegan. This wasn't quite as spicy as I wanted it to be, so I used extra chili garlic sauce at the end. Noodle salads are great for packed lunches, especially when they're beautiful and green like this one! 

This is my first Ethiopian dish: Atakilt Wat or Ethiopian cabbage, potatoes and carrots. I loved this meal because of the mix of warm spices like cardamom and cinnamon, alongside cumin and turmeric to create a beautifully golden-hued dish. Cabbage and potatoes, as well as carrots, are typically cheap vegetables too, so it makes a great budget meal as well. I served mine with cooked brown rice from the slow cooker and LOTS of sriracha. I'm probably breaking some food codes there, but trust me, it's wonderful. 

Here's a great time saver for classes: making slow-cooker oatmeal overnight so you don't have to make breakfast in the morning! This one has vanilla, spices and almond milk. I also added cranberries and pecans when I served it. I'm starting to realize I'm not a huge fan of steel cut oats, but I know there are plenty of slow-cooker recipes with regular oats as well. This also made enough for breakfast for 3-4 days!

Les Bouchées Quotidiennes

My last meal before getting my wisdom teeth out is one of my go-to easy meals: jasmine rice steamed with spinach (stir it in after cooking until it wilts), cubed farmer's cucumbers, sliced avocado, two eggs over easy (with garlic and smoked paprika in the yolks) and miso horseradish kimchi. I would also usually add a good amount of sriracha on top, and any other vegetables I have on hand.

Here's everything I prepped before my wisdom teeth surgery because I knew that I wouldn't feel like cooking much afterwards: frozen blueberries (local and organic from the farm), bananas, and fresh frozen watermelon for smoothies; my favorite Greek-style coconut milk yogurts; homemade chocolate coconut ice cream; GF vegan roasted red pepper "mac"; organic cinnamon apple sauce; golden potato soup with extra nooch, smoked paprika and blended until it was basically liquid; Moroccan lentil soup. I'll probably also make some mashed potatoes with this easy GF V country gravy too.

This watermelon frosty is probably the best thing ever for sore, tender gums. Just be sure to freeze some fresh watermelon before your surgery! Or, if you're just a normal person, add tequila and call it a daiquiri. Sadly I could not add booze this time, but I will next time!

One of the first things I cooked a few days after my procedure was mashed white beans with garlic, spinach + lemon. As you can see, I mashed mine until they were practically liquid. These were so delicious and easy to make that I ate the entire skillet in one sitting. I'd love to make these again with a side of rice or roasted potatoes. Also, it takes less than 10 minutes, so it's a great weeknight meal!

Anddd more soft food. Seeing a pattern here? I was sort of confused when my dental surgeon told me to start eating normal food the day after my surgery. My only advice is to slowly build up to eating normally. Don't eat a potato chip three days after. I did lots of chewing after my procedure and now, about a week and two days later, I can eat anything, but I am still being cautious. Anyways, this was a lovely tofu scramble with tomatoes and lots of spices (minus the spinach) and a baked potato with smoked paprika and vegan butter. I am sort of obsessed with smoked paprika because it makes everything taste like bacon! But this scramble is fast, delicious, and full of flavor.

Work smoothie: 3 frozen bananas, orange juice + matcha powder.

Recently, my blogger friend Kara gave me The Heart of the Plate in a giveaway. I read the book constantly after my procedure and was completely in love. This book is immaculate and incredibly creative. Almost every recipe is vegan, if not easily adapted to be vegan. I can't wait to cook my way through it, and I started with something mushy (obviously): golden lentils with soft, sweet onions. I've been eating these for days and I'm not sick of it yet. I served mine with brown rice, and later some chopped local tomatoes. It would be wonderful with a balsamic reduction and a fried egg, or even balsamic roasted tofu/chickpeas on top. I love this book because it gives you "Enhancements" for each recipe: things to add to make it different from the first time you made it, or to make it extra special. I can't wait to continue sharing things I make from this book! Thank you again Kara!

Have you heard of this new craze called banana ice cream? Well, you better get on it. I can't share this recipe because it's from the cookbook I'm testing for, but just google "banana ice cream" and you will get tons of results. It's easy, healthy, creamy, and tastes like ice cream! And: no ice cream maker required! I added sprinkles to mine, which was inspired by this recipe for cake batter banana ice cream. 

Another recipe from the cookbook I'm testing: an anti-inflammatory smoothie with blueberries, green tea and turmeric! 

I got tired of mushy things, eventually, so I settled on making these vegan sweet potato + spinach quiches to take to work this week. These are delicious! My mom was convinced that they contained eggs. They were also fairly easy to pull together and didn't require any crazy ingredients/prep. I can't wait to try the broccoli cheddar version too, but I will be subbing nutritional yeast for the Daiya cheddar. I'll share that photo when I do so!

Well, I was almost in the clear for having a great surgery and recovery. Yesterday I woke up with an infection in one of my extraction sites, which is all thanks to me. Kids: learn how to use your irrigation syringe properly. I used mine after I ate anything, but wasn't going deep enough. That leads to nasty, incredibly painful infections and more antibiotics. Hooray! Lesson learned. If you're really unsure, here's a great video that helped me do it the right way. After all the soup I ate post surgery, I'm still not tired of it (somehow), so I made Isa's alphabet soup with a few changes: I used this pasta, subbed in 2 tsp herbes de Provence in place of the thyme/tarragon, and I used frozen edamame in place of the frozen peas. This is legit alphabet soup. The real deal. It tastes a million times better than anything from a can. So go and make some! This is definitely my new go-to "feeling crappy" soup.

Les Bouchées Quotidiennes

This is one thing I've been wanting to make for a long time: African peanut stew. I've seen many recipes for it with different variations, like adding quinoa, cilantro, etc. After buying Angela's first cookbook, I vowed to finally try her recipe for African peanut stew because it looks so delicious! And it did not disappoint! This stew came together in no time and it's SO good. Would be perfect for a cold day, which hopefully NC is done with for now! But it still makes a great hearty, healthy stew for a weeknight. 

I've had my ice cream maker for about a year now, and this is only the second time I've made ice cream! I definitely want to start using it more because I forget how easy it is to make vegan ice cream. This time, I made coconut mint with fresh mint and coconut milk. The fresh mint gives it a very different flavor than with mint extract. I loved it with the chocolate sauce (which didn't really melt) and it was SO easy. I will definitely make this again!

I've been eyeing these cocktails for a while and finally decided to try my own spin on them. For mine, I did: 1 shot vodka and some torn fresh mint in a cocktail shaker with ice. After shaking, I poured it in a glass and topped with mango kombucha. For Mike's: 1 shot coconut/whipped rum over ice in a shaker with a generous drizzle of sriracha and torn fresh mint. After shaking, I poured it in a glass and topped with mango kombucha. I can't wait to experiment with other kombucha cocktails! 

So I finally started loving cabbage, and now I'm a little obsessed, but now I'm trying to get us to eat it every week. It has so many health benefits that we'd be crazy not to! I made this Asian rainbow salad with spicy mango dressing and sesame broiled tofu for dinner this week. These salads were HUGE! It took me a solid 20-25 minutes just to eat one! It's filled with napa and red cabbages, romaine, avocado, toasted sesame seeds, chopped red onion, chopped carrots, cucumber, and cilantro. The dressing is awesome and spicy, but on the second day I also used some bottled GF peanut sauce which was also great. I will post the sesame tofu recipe from Isa Does It because it's my favorite, quick way to make tofu:

Preheat oven to broiler (high setting). Chop a block of tofu into 8 pieces widthwise (press tofu if you have time). On a dinner plate, mix 3 TBS (GF) soy sauce and 2 TBS sesame oil. Dredge each tofu slice in this mixture and place on baking tray. Broil, 3-5 minutes on each side, being careful it doesn't burn and flipping after the first 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cut into any shape

More easy meals this week: lentils with spicy tomatoes over polenta with harissa! This was super filling, easy to make, and the polenta was delicious. I skipped the 8 hour setting time for polenta and just served it mushy and warm like it is (because I am supremely lazy, or a student). To make it vegan, I skipped the cheese and used a mix of vegan butter, veg broth, garlic powder, salt + red pepper flakes to add flavor to my polenta. I will definitely use more harissa powder next time because it wasn't very spicy to me.

I love love love trying new spices. Here's a few that maybe you haven't tried yet: garam masala (favorite), za'atar, berbere, coriander, harissa, chinese 5-spice, herbes de provence, Jamaican curry powder, panch phoron. Do any of these ring a bell? I guess when all you do in your free time is cook/bake/read food blogs/read cookbooks/read about food, you start to become familiar with these weird things. So yes, I love buying spices and I finally went to my local Savory Spice Shop to register for a class when I came across panch phoron. Panch Phoron is a Bengali spice blend of (essentially) cumin seeds, mustard, fennel, fenugreek and other delicious spices. I used it in this DELICIOUS cauliflower red lentil dal, which is possibly my new favorite Indian dish. This spice blend has so many layers of flavor that change through out eating this dish. I seriously can't wait to try other spices and other dishes with panch phoron. My advice about new spices is give it a shot! Buy the smallest amount possible (I bought 2 oz of panch phoron for $2) and try it out. You will be amazed at what new flavors you discover!

une étoile filante

Wow. So I am really behind on my food blogging posts. Between taking trips out of town, summer classes, and a recent case of strep throat, things have been a *little* crazy. One good, new thing is that I now work at a gluten-free and vegan bakery! I am really excited to get more experience baking and to work in a bakery setting. So let's catch things up a bit!

I would really like to do a post about how to grocery shop with food restrictions. While I can't have gluten, wheat, or dairy and I don't eat meat, Mike has dietary restrictions as well due to gout. So, while my restrictions knock out big things like bread, pasta, chicken, cheese, etc., he has a similar long list of restrictions. These restrictions are things that are high in uric acids, such as: lentils, avocados, asparagus, broccoli, spinach, etc. It kills me that he can't eat so many good vegetables and things like lentils. So I try to always make things with vegetables he can eat. But while he's away...I binge on mushrooms, lentils, spinach, asparagus, etc. I made this fierce French lentil salad with oven-roasted tomatoes, almonds and a simple vinegar dressing. I love nothing more than lentil salads, or in any form. This salad is filling and easy to pull together! And it's from one of my favorite blogs //in pursuit of more

My first Negroni cocktail//Gin, Campari + Vermouth with orange

I made this as a belated Cinco de Mayo dinner. Tofu migas, which is tofu cooked with onions, peppers, jalapenos and corn tortilla strips & drunken beans, which are pintos cooked in onions, peppers, and GF beer. Absolutely delicious and simple! Comes from one of my favorite Happy Herbivore cookbooks //happy herbivore abroad

I made cupcakes for a wedding! They were somewhat of a hit, only because they were placed away from the other desserts. But still delicious and surprisingly easy for making 50+ of them! These are toasted coconut cupcakes stuffed with lemon curd and a vanilla buttercream, topped with toasted coconut. So delicious! //foodess

I don't improvise many meals because I am really nervous about screwing something up because I didn't follow a recipe...BUT, this was an improvised three-ingredient meal! This usually happens when I am lazy, broke, and don't feel like doing much. It actually ended up being very simple! "Recipe" below:

-1 tube of Italian herb polenta (the prepared kind), sliced into 1" thick rounds
-1 block of Twin Oaks Italian Herb Tofu (it's pre-seasoned and full of protein!) sliced into 1" thick squares
-1 jar or at least 2-3 cups of marinara sauce
- fresh torn basil and nutritional yeast (optional)

Spray a grill pan or non-stick skillet if you don't have a grill pan with oil. Place polenta on your pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, until golden. Flip and cook the same amount on the other side. The polenta will turn golden and firm up. Remove the polenta to a plate. 

Spray pan with more oil and place tofu in pan. Cook 4-5 minutes on each side, flipping once, until firm and golden brown. Heat marinara sauce over the stove or in microwave. 

To assemble: Place one polenta round on a plate. Top with 2 squares of Italian tofu. Spoon marinara sauce on top. Sprinkle with basil and nutritonal yeast/cheese if you can eat it. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Enjoy!

I am always looking to try non-dairy substitutes for things. Although I never ate sour cream when I wasn't restricted, this cashew sour cream is seriously to die for. I made this black bean potato nacho plate, which uses mexican baked potato wedges instead of corn chips! It's such a creative idea and delicious because everyone knows fries are my weakness. This meal can come together in less than 30 and is incredibly healthy, especially topped with avocado and cashew sour cream! This is from one of my favorite blogs (whose cookbook I can't wait for!) //oh she glows

When the word "quick" appears in a recipe title, I automatically jump for it. Some nights I am pressed for  time, and others I'm not. This quick curry tofu with sauteed kale comes together in minutes and is absolutely delicious. Something about spicy kale with sriracha drizzled curry tofu and quinoa (which I added Earth Balance to) is amazing //vegan yack attack

So it may be obvious that I am obsessed with chickpeas...like, really obsessed. I eat them at least every week if not more than that. And they are incredibly versatile! They make hummus, falafel, flour, salads, soups, stews, burgers, etc. It's ridiculous! I just love beans in general. They are full of protein, easy to cook, so damn cheap to buy in bulk and so versatile. This chickpea salad is a new favorite around here. Chickpeas are cooked with cumin seeds, tons of garlic, tons of lemon juice and zest, and then tossed with cool cucumbers. Trust me that this is the chickpea salad of your dreams. Take it on a picnic and call it a day (then thank me for showing you this beauty) //The Kitchn

Another great quick weeknight recipe from Oh She Glows! Crispy breaded tofu strips (that are somewhat reminiscent of chicken fingers) and baked sweet potato fries! This dinner comes together so easily and would be perfect with a side of steamed kale. The sweet potato fries are spiced with cumin and cinnamon, which surprisingly go very well together! //Oh She Glows

Here's the really big news...Mike made me dinner. (?!!) I know. Not that he never makes dinner for me, but this time he kind of tweaked the recipe to his own liking...and it was to die for. I can't really express how good it was. It's basically quinoa, tomatoes, black beans, green onions, and a TON of lime juice/zest. Doused in Franks red hot, I was talking about this for days. Recipe below: 

-zest and juice of 2 limes (zest them first!)
-3 T olive oil
-salt + pepper
-1 C dry quinoa, rinsed
-2 C water
-1 can black beans
-2-3 medium tomatoes, diced or a big can of diced tomatoes
-4 scallions chopped
-1/4 C cilantro
-hot sauce (optional but you seriously must)

Cook the quinoa: Bring 2 C water to a boil. Add quinoa. Bring to a simmer and cover. Cook 15 mins, turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Whisk lime juice and zest, oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper together in a large bowl.

Heat tomatoes in a large skillet on medium for a few minutes, heating them and letting them boil a little bit. Add beans and scallions, cooking a few more minutes to  heat and mix. Remove from heat and toss in bowl with dressing and quinoa. DOUSE in hot sauce. That's an order.

Another improvised recipe: pasta with garlicky kale marinara + garlic bread

-GF pasta (1 box)
-28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
-a ton of minced garlic
-a ton of red pepper flakes
-some red wine (for sauce and for you)
-nutritonal yeast
-kale, chopped + de-stemmed
-GF bread
-Earth balance
-optional add-ins: chopped roasted red peppers, capers, fresh basil

Cook your pasta according to box directions. Heat a shallow pan over medium. Add some oil, then add garlic. Cook until fragrant. In the last few seconds of cooking, add a pinch of red pepper flakes and stir. Add tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer until bubbles form. Let this cook 10-15 minutes until thickened. You can stir in more Italian herbs, thyme, some red wine (a big glug), salt, pepper, etc. Cook until it's the right consistency to your liking. 

When the pasta is almost done cooking, add kale to the pasta water. Cook until pasta is done and kale is blanched. Drain them together and toss with amazing pasta sauce that you just made. Top with nooch or cheese if you're cool and not lactose intolerant!

For garlic bread: This is not the "correct" way to make garlic bread but whatever. Preheat your oven to 400. I take GF bread, butter Earth Balance on both sides, stuff garlic and Italian herbs inside, then sandwich the pieces together. Wrap this in foil to cover and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes, checking every so often to make sure it isn't burnt. Ta-da! 

Makeshift fruit salad: chop fresh local peaches, hand-picked strawberries from your generous dad + toss with fresh mint, fresh basil, and a touch of agave. Damn good.

Minestrone is definitely in my top list of things I love cooking. While it was a favorite of mine growing up, I've found that nothing truly beats homemade minestrone. There are so many variations on this soup that I never get tired of it. This one includes swiss chard (leaves AND stems), chickpeas, GF shell pasta, parsley, carrots, tomatoes, red pepper flakes and it comes together so beautifully. I am still drooling over it. I also can't believe how well this photo came out considering there's no filter. It makes me want to write a cookbook, really badly. Please do yourself a favor and make this soup. I LOVE swiss chard from the bottom of my heart and this soup makes it shine //Foodess

Two words: Creamsicle. Mimosa. 
Two more words: Holy. Shit. 
A suggestion: Make this immediately //How Sweet Eats

(756) life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall

Well, I did it. I somehow made it to UNCG after two years of trying to get here. All I can say is that I'm proud of myself and oddly excited about this semester...though I know it's going to be tough.

super easy, spicy lentil vegetable tacos. this is my first try and cooking lentils and I undercooked them a bit, but they were still good. also, toothpicks really help them stay up in their shells!

also took a second stab at making soup. this time: summer minestrone soup. the curry powder really brings the whole soup together, and the red wine vinegar didn't hurt either. this is definitely a new favorite and just what I was looking for.

I almost royally screwed this bars by messing up my sugar ratios, having to re-make the crust, and over measuring the raspberry puree. I suggest you not rush and take your time with these (because they don't take long to make) and you'll be left with perfectly sweet pink lemonade bars. I subbed vegan earth balance, a mix of sorghum/tapioca flour, and xanthan gum.

first day of class calls for comfort food: chickpeas with spicy wilted greens. this recipe is almost memorized by now after making it so many times. it's so simple, hearty, delicious, and really spicy with garlic, red pepper flakes and garlic toast.

my new living basil plant. 

remember when I said hummus grilled cheese was the best? well I lied. roasted tomato + fried egg grilled cheese is now in first place. roasting the tomatoes for an hour and making them into a paste with garlic and basil was totally worth the extra effort. this was so garlicky, flavorful, and the cheese melted to perfection (which is almost unheard of for vegan cheese). I had enough tomato paste to yield at least three grilled cheeses, which is why I pictured my other (perfected) one below!

first day as a sophomore in college. kind of freaking out that this is actually happening.

this will consume 1/3 of my life for the next semester.

golden, gooey, eggy perfection. I definitely mastered it the third time around. I also got a new tablecloth for photos! :)