Les Bouchées Quotidiennes

Let me say this: I have hated pickles most of my life. Just the thought of them was enough to make me sick. But now, if I can find just the right kind, I love them. I guess I can chalk this up to my latest love affair with briny, fermented foods. While these pickles are a little expensive, they're well worth it if you can splurge on accoutrements for burgers (or snacking). They also make whiskey sour, extra spicy, and IPA brined pickles. Unlike pickles, I've loved mustard for as long as I can remember. Now that I'm older, I prefer spicier, brinier mustard varieties. Lusty monk is made in Asheville, so it's local, and there are tons of whole mustard seeds in just one jar. So be prepared to feel the burn! I can't wait to put both of these jars on everything. Last night I had leftover veggie burgers with pickles and mustard, and it was heavenly.

I probably sound like a broken record by now, but I am seriously loving red cabbage with Asian flavors. This recipe comes from Isa Does It and it consists of a sesame Asian slaw, quinoa, edamame and sesame broiled tofu. Alright, maybe I'm a little obsessed with this combo lately. I added some cooked quinoa for extra protein, which worked great here. I'm definitely going to double the ginger miso dressing next time because it's so delicious! I can't wait to try red cabbage in different ways this summer.

I used to LOVE getting black bean nachos at Mexican restaurants. Honestly, I sometimes wish I could go to a Mexican restaurant for a big plate of nachos, guacamole, and maybe a margarita. Sadly, this isn't possible for me, but these vegan breakfast nachos definitely make it a little easier! These are topped with roasted potatoes, black beans, scrambled tofu, chopped tomatoes, guacamole, cilantro, and chili lime cholula. I wanted to make the queso but I am out of miso paste right now. These nachos are incredible, which is an understatement, and they would be perfect for a Friday night in! We ate ours with a mix of Kraken, lime and hot ginger ale to make for a perfect meal.

Now that is sort of "officially" summer, I've been craving fresh basil like crazy! I finally bought a little "pre-planted" basil pot to grow in my windowsill. I used it on Friday to make this creamy vegan garlic lover's pasta with tomatoes and GF pasta. I love that this pasta doesn't use soaked cashews, but it's still super creamy and quick to make! I didn't roast my tomatoes in order to make this dish a little quicker, and it was still delicious. 

This isn't food related, but I just had to share: my first knitted scarf! I've been working on it on and off for almost a year, but I finally finished it the other day! It's made from about 1 and a half standard balls of purple yarn. This is the first thing I've ever knitted, so I'm pretty proud of myself! I can't wait to try other projects this summer. It's hard for me to knit during the school year, but hopefully I can find more time this coming semester!

Les Bouchées Quotidiennes

This is maybe my favorite vegan mac + cheeze recipe that is SO easy and delicious. We added steamed mustard greens for sustenance. This is the second time I've made this recipe.

I had some pretty bad allergies for most of this week, so I whipped up some AMAZING coconut chana saag from Isa Does It. I can honestly say I've never made a bad recipe from her before, and this is possibly the best Indian food I've ever made. The fennel seeds give a nice anise flavor to the dish, and jasmine rice and cilantro are essential for this meal to be complete. It's also fairly easy for a weeknight Indian dish!

I posted my favorite recipe for miso ramen soup this week, that always makes me feel better! I'm convinced the combo of miso, raw garlic and ginger cured me.

My favorite gluten-free beer is finally out! It has a short season of only a couple of months, but it's so good. It's made with strawberries, sorghum and buckwheat honey.

 I was in Raleigh all weekend, so I made some vegan burgers from the Oh She Glows cookbook. I couldn't find the recipe from the book online, but this is the recipe she made before publishing her book and they're pretty similar. They're made from black beans, sunflower seeds, flax, GF breadcrumbs, carrots and more! They're a little time consuming because of the long ingredient list, but they're delicious, healthy and full of flavor! Veggie burgers are great for traveling because all you have to do is heat it up, add toppings, and eat with a side! My friend Piper made us a delicious saute with Farmers market zucchini, onions, bell peppers, carrots and Greek oregano. 

 So Piper made some amazing "braised" red cabbage this weekend with smashed garlic. And being the weirdo I am, I had this for breakfast with some pan-sauteed quinoa and an egg. I made this recipe again as soon as I got home again, so maybe I will post it if any of you are interested! I'm always looking for easy ways to use up leftover red cabbage. 

I was in Raleigh for Piper's bridal shower this weekend, so I made one of my favorite desserts: pink lemonade bars! They are GF/dairy-free but no one could tell :) And they're perfect for the warm weather.

Les Bouchées Quotidiennes

We were iced in last week, so I had to use only pantry ingredients for breakfast. Luckily, we always keep a few packages of tofu on hand, so I made some kimchi tofu scramble. I just sauteed some shallots and green onions, then added a package of extra-firm tofu, which I crumbled with the spatula. Then I added garlic powder, onion powder, salt, heavy dose of turmeric, and some coriander. Then I added the liquid from my kimchi jar. After this, I added about 1-2 cups of chopped kimchi. SO GOOD!

I FINALLY made Isa's brussels sprouts fried rice and I was not disappointed. I'm not sure how it has taken me so long to make fried rice with basil, but oh my gosh. The basil, lime and cilantro here are essential and amazing. I will certainly be making this again and again. In case you were wondering, they also make a great breakfast!

Mike has been cooking for me this week (see below for the reason why) and he's been doing a great job! I cooked the black-eyed peas a day ahead, pre-injury, and he did the rest for the black-eyed pea masala. I loved the peas in a masala dish, especially when paired with jasmine rice, cilantro and steamed collards! The masala recipe is easy, satisfying, and perfect for those who are still having winter weather!

After having two and a half wonderful days of spring break, great food, and hanging with friends, this happened: I stupidly dropped a couch on my toe. This couch is the one Mike bought for the theatre and it was only $50 (?!!) and it's in great condition/real leather. So I have been hobbling around all week, resting, and trying to heal before classes are back on Monday. I also tried this new "GF" beer I found at Deep Roots. It was alright, not my favorite GF beer, but pretty decent.

I have to admit, I have a slight weakness for childhood favorites made GF/vegan: vegan BLTs, pretzels...and sour cream and onion chips. I can't explain my excitement when I saw these! They're also low in fat, sodium, and non-GMO. These and the cheddar ones are both incredible. Mike was actually convinced that the cheddar ones had dairy but they're vegan! If you're in GSO, I found them at Whole Foods. I discovered these chips because of this recipe for sour cream + onion buttermilk crusted tofu (?!!!)...which I will obviously be making soon!

Now that I'm limping a little better, Mike and I tried cooking together tonight, which turned out great! I've been avoiding going to the store since I don't trust people to not step on my feet, so we pulled this out our pantry items: sweet chili lime tofu with quinoa and wok-steamed collards. It sounds complicated, but it was actually super easy and SO good. The sauce has lime zest, juice, mint, and other usual Asian sauce ingredients that make an incredibly flavorful sauce. I may have to cave in and get her cookbook now!