Les Bouchées Quotidiennes

Let me just say that the past week has been crazy. And this is a light way of putting it. Since we had three snow days and couldn't go anywhere, all of my huge assignments have been pushed together instead of being spread apart. So that's fun. Also being snowed in for that long was fun, but got old after a day two. Luckily, we went out on Valentines day to get dinner, which for us consisted of our favorite snacks and sparkling wines. Hopefully things will get back to normal after next week, but as of right now things are very hectic. But despite the craziness, we've still been eating well!

So this is the best vegan mac and cheeze EVER. Plus it doesn't have nutritional yeast, which means I can convince Mike to eat it. The recipe is very simple and it ends up tasting like pizza, so I don't know what you're waiting for: go make it! If you're wondering what the green stuff is: I cut a large head of broccoli into florets and tossed with the juice of 1 lemon, a good sprinkle of garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Roast for 20-25 mins at 400 degrees until slightly charred and tender. 

I must be crazy, because I made this cold noodle salad with grapefruit and avocado on our second snow day. Despite the outside conditions, it was incredibly refreshing, filling, and it made us dream about warmer weather. The dressing is made of sriracha, grapefruit juice, and other delicious components. The components take a little time, but it's definitely worth it. I think this salad would be great in late spring too. 

This was my first time having a soft-boiled egg and I loved it! I am hooked. They take so little time and effort, but they're so delicious. Especially with paired with Deb's shallot-cream-spinach mix and Dijon mustard. To make this dairy-free, I used almond milk instead of cream and Earth Balance instead of butter. It sounds like a long process, but it actually took less than 10 minutes!

There is nothing better than a big bowl of homemade soup (and garlic bread...and wine) when it's snowing outside. I made this delicious Italian soup with baby potatoes, fresh kale and homemade pinto beans. The blend of rosemary, fennel, oregano and thyme really sticks out here to make a lovely combination. It also comes together in about 30 minutes, so I highly recommend it for whenever the next super cold night is! 

When you think of potato salad, do you think of yellow mushy junk packed in a plastic container at the grocery store? Well, think again. This potato salad with lentils, pickles and quick-pickled shallots is incredible. Although Deb titles it as a "warm" salad, we both enjoyed it cold with some warm garlic bread. This would be an outstanding salad to take on a Spring picnic (can you tell I am SO ready for Spring?!). 

I think I need to stop saying "This is the best --- ever!" because about a month later, I will trump myself. Well anyways, these tacos could be described as the best ones yet. I know the combination sounds strange: baked curry tofu, a raw avocado tahini kale slaw, and pintos? What?! But trust me, the flavors work together in such an awesome way that you will be going back for seconds, or even thirds! I also had to stop myself from eating the entire bowl of kale slaw because holy moly it was delicious.

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you might remember that I had to purchase a very large butternut squash that probably weighed close to 7 pounds or more. So we have been trying to eat the entire thing this week in several different ways. The first way was Deb's warm salad with butternut squash and chickpeas, slathered in a tahini dressing. The flavors here were truly delicious, especially the allspice roasted squash. This is an easy, quick dinner that is great with rice for lunch the next day or a light salad. Next week I will share the other ways that we used our gigantic squash!

I finally, finally made Sara's falafel with pistachios, fresh mint, and cilantro. Okay so I apparently really love weird food combinations. But in reality you don't taste the mint that much because it works so well with the other flavors. I will definitely be making this again when it gets cooler because it is SO good. The tomato salsa is delicious too. If you still haven't attempted homemade falafel, you will be amazed at how easy and satisfying it is. I was so bummed when I went GF that I had to skip Greek food. But once I made Sara's other falafel (made with quinoa!), I was no longer sad. So get to it!

January Favorites (Happy New Year!)

Apparently my mind gets blown by how fast time passes on a regular basis. Like, it's February tomorrow? Next week is my fourth week of classes? Where is this year going, already?? Anyways, this was a great month of food and it was hard for me to pick 10 recipes to share (as you can see, I added a couple more). For a couple of weeks, I stuck to the meal plan I made for the month. Then I got bored with it, and found myself actually spending more time re-adjusting my monthly plan than I did when I planned by the week. So, obviously, that monthly meal planning thing went out the window due to our erratic schedules etc. Starting next week, I will be blogging a little differently. I am going to start doing Friday posts with food links etc. and then one weekly post about food that I've made and other things in my life. So get excited!

1. Apple-Miso Tofu with Rice + Orange-Scented Broccoli

One thing I've really been enjoying lately is marinating tofu/tempeh and roasting it in the oven with other vegetables. It's so easy and always delicious. I've done this many times now, using different recipes, and they've never disappointed. Apples and miso may not sound like they go well together, but trust me. The soft sweet apples pair perfectly with salty miso and sweet mirin. The broccoli was also a delicious side to everything. Both recipes are from Appetite For Reduction but I found the tofu recipe online too//Rainy Day Veggies

2. Pasta Con Broccoli
This could be my new favorite pasta dish. Broccoli is cooked with a TON of garlic, plus white wine and vegetable stock, then tossed with pasta. I, of course, doused mine in nutritional yeast, which made it even tastier. I don't think I'll ever get tired of how amazing Isa's recipes are. This is also from Appetite for Reduction (see above), but I found this recipe online too//Food

3. Arroz Con Tempeh
I remember making arroz con pollo a few years ago in a Dutch oven, and I remember it being very flavorful and delicious. When I saw this arroz con tempeh in my new cookbook, I immediately had to make it. It completely exceeded my expectations and I couldn't believe how flavorful it was. I will definitely be making this again and again. Mike hates olives and I caught him eating a few from this dish! Plus it has a ton of vegetables in it, which is always a good thing! //One Dish Vegan

4. Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Do you have those long, awful days where you just want to fall over? That was me on my first day back to classes, which spanned 11 am - 630 pm with a doctors appointment squeezed in between. I kinda forced myself to put this soup in the slow cooker before I went to class, and I did not regret it. I was always intrigued by the idea of baked potato soup, but hooooly crap it's amazing. Don't skip the cashew cream, green onions or nutritional yeast toppings either//Fresh From the Vegan Slow-Cooker

5. Miso Sesame Winter Squash + Tofu
Here's another example of my new obsession with roasting/marinating, except this one doesn't have to marinate! This combination of citrus, miso, molasses, soy sauce, etc is so incredibly comforting. My squash wasn't quite 2 pounds, so I just made up the difference by using a whole package of tofu. I highly recommend serving this over quinoa with lemon wedges and sriracha!//101 Cookbooks

6. Brussels Sprouts Tacos + Guacamole + Fixins'
So Mike never gets food cravings, which is still kinda weird to me. So for our one year anniversary, I begged him to have a preference. Just this once. Just pick something you want for dinner! So he said: "Brussels sprouts." I ransacked my archives (aka 100+ paged recipe word doc) and pulled out 6 brussels recipes. He settled on this brussels sprouts taco recipe. I made a lazy version of it by making my own guacamole (I despise blender guacamole), using hard corn tortillas instead of pan frying soft ones, and using leftover homemade pintos. Let me just say, these were the best tacos I've had in a looong time. Oh my goodness. Just trust me. Don't skimp on the guac, chili lime Cholula, cilantro and green onions. It really makes it//See You in the Morning

7. Christmas Lima Stew
So it should be clear by now that I love beans. Like, I really really do and I don't care if it sounds weird. There's a bean club from Rancho Gordo that is pretty much a dream come true and I daydream about it often. Enough weird talk. This soup was incredible. My mom had us over for dinner and she made this with these beautiful purple Christmas lima beans. This soup has two whole heads of celery, a ton of olive oil, and it's garnished with lemon juice and black olives. Oh, and did I mention there are caraway seeds and celery salt involved? So yes. This is the soup of my dreams. Also, how pretty is mom's wedding china?//101 Cookbooks

8. TLAT (Tempeh Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado, Tomato Sandwich)
This sandwich was a revelation. Seriously. I have very few words to say about it, except make it right now. The tempeh doesn't taste like real bacon, obviously, but it still makes a damn good sandwich. I highly recommend lettuce, tomato, avocado and vegan mayo. If you're feeling really fancy, use miso mayo. And serving it with homemade split pea soup wouldn't hurt either//Vegan Peace

 9. Black-Eyed Pea + Kale Curry with Potatoes
This could be my new favorite winter curry. Black-eyed peas, kale, potatoes, perfectly sauteed thin red onions and two sliced jalapenos. The base is simpler than most curry recipes, but it creates a subtle flavor profile for the vegetables to really shine. We had it with avocado mango salsa on top (as the recipe suggests) on the first night, and that created a very interesting addition to the curry! But it's amazing on its own too. I wanted to use collards but mine were sad looking, but kale was and always is a tasty substitute//The PPK

10. Banana Snacking Cake
We FINALLY had a snow day. I seriously think we get one a year. Whenever it snows, I have to bake something. Even if I have real life stuff to do (i.e. homework). I had some bananas I needed to use up, so I settled on this snacking cake. This cake was so easy to make, delicious, and moist. You cover the cake for an hour, which helps the cake absorb more moisture. This is definitely one of the most moist GF cakes I've made. And it's perfect for snacking, obviously, and isn't laden with vegan butter or a ton of sugar. I'm also proud to say I made homemade brown sugar for this cake and I'm almost convinced it made it taste better. For conversions, I used: 1/4 C sorghum flour, 1/4 C tapioca starch + 1 tsp xanthan gum in place of the 1/2 C spelt flour. It really doesn't need the frosting, but I'm sure it would be amazing with it!//Sprouted Kitchen

11. Buffalo Chickpea Burgers 
I've realized that vegan burgers are awesome. They're quick to prepare, filling, and they're basically hands-free. I've had my eyes on these for a while now and finally made them. You guys, they have four ingredients. That's crazy. I made a double batch so that we could have extras and I'm glad I did because they're AMAZING. The buffalo sauce is seriously the only spice you need, but of course I added more on top. They take about 5 minutes to prep, chill for 20, then they bake for 30. I highly highly recommend them. You can also freeze the leftovers, which is awesome! I topped ours with vegan mayo, hot sauce, and green pepper (red onion is also good) then wrapped in lettuce//Fo Reals Life

12. Broiled Grapefruit Oatmeal
Finding a new favorite food blog sometimes feels like finding a new really good friend who just gets you on so many levels. Right now, that blog is Oatgasm. I saw this recipe on Foodgawker and was intrigued, so I clicked on the link to see the name of her blog. Then I scrolled through the entire blog. By the end of it, I was drooling and my eyes were wide. Also, the author is only 15 years old, which is mind boggling. Her writing and recipe creativity exceeds anything I could pull out of my head at that age. So expect to see more recipes from her because I plan on making pretty much all of them. Oh and this grapefruit broiled oatmeal is incredible. I felt like a Queen eating it at my sad little desk this morning, but it will seriously keep you full and make you feel super cool for broiling your oatmeal (and eating warm grapefruit)//Oatgasm

(855) hail mary

Well at least I know now that these two weeks in November will always be slightly crazy. My birthday, then two of my best friends' birthdays, then Thanksgiving, then Black Friday, then exams...you see where this is going. I am still trying to get back to my normal cooking routine, which I did somewhat this week. 

I miss chicken noodle soup. I used to eat the Campbells kind all the time when I was kid. I found a pretty good replacement with kale, carrots, and white miso: chickpea noodle soup. I ate this soup for days with lots of pepper and crackers. 

new job, new shirt. 

cooking with wine: practicing for France.

I've had this recipe from chickpea magazine hanging over my head for a while now. I changed it up a little bit just to make it easier on myself: I used leftover frozen mac+cheese sauce (from here), I used extra mushrooms, and just ended up slicing the squash and roasted it with olive oil, salt, pepper + herbs de provence. If anything just go roast acorn squash with herbs de provence. The lavender in the herb blend plays wonderfully off the squash's sweetness.

Traditional French wine for us Frenchies

Tomatoes, red onions, peppers, mushrooms, kalamata olives, roasted garlic paste, swiss chard, roasted herbed potatoes. Sticks and Stones promised me an amazing GF/V/daiya-free pizza, and I got it.

Kathryn's birthday!

I have never breaded/fried tofu, but this turned out pretty well. I would've liked the tofu to be fried a little more evenly, but it was still really good for being vegan/GF! I used to love orange sesame chicken as a kid. From Vegetarian 'Ventures.

Second night of birthday celebrations. Last night of drinking I need for a while...

Practicing latte skills at Geeksboro with almond milk, which is incredibly hard to froth.

I went crazy on Friday and made the orange tofu, these cookies, and the nuts below within about 2 hours. I think I was trying to ignore my homework since I was so excited to go out. Anyways, these cookies come together in minutes, are healthy, and taste amazing! The honey and ginger work so well together here.

Toasty nuts from Sara's book: walnuts, cashews, almonds, pecans, sesame seeds, raw quinoa, herbs de provence, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, paprika, salt, pepper.

(839) golden apples of the sun

This post will pretty much sum up my last week of being a "non-adult". There was a bit of a delay in posting this because of a, let's call it a "mishap of sorts", this past weekend. But all is well now and I'm back on my feet! Trying to cope with the fact that I'll be 21 in a day and a half. Where has time gone?

A not so impressive slow cooker corn cabbage soup with amazingly impressive baked tofu sticks. These tofu sticks are so easy to make and they are the closest thing I've tasted to actual chicken nuggets...which is why they are slathered in ketchup. I also enjoy baked rather than fried, and fresh parsley! They were awesome to snack on all week. 

It's funny how I constantly crave the same things at the same time of the year. Zucchini and squash really shouldn't be cooked right now, but I still had some from the farmer's market. I wanted to do something good that showed off how delicious they are. I remembered a favorite pasta bake I made last Halloween from Joanne. The herbs de provence here really makes all of the flavors pop. I used homemade marinara sauce that I made in the slow cooker all day (not pictured but AMAZING) which made it even better. The vegetables get sooo tender. 

I feel like I am always in this "polygamous" relationship with veganism. I eat pretty much 90% vegan, but I still eat honey. Marshmallows don't scare me, nor do eggs. If I'm in a real cinch I will cook an egg or two, but I'm not too keen on chicken or beef anymore. I will also gladly order fish at a five-star restaurant. So I can't call myself a vegan, even though I rarely eat non-vegan things. Eggs are primarily consumed through baking, and well, I can't tell myself that honey is bad. I already can't eat a lot of things, so why cut my options out? How does everyone else feel about this issue?

Anyways, I finally finally found Medjool dates at my local co-op, worth a pretty penny I might add, and I also finally made salty medjool caramel for apples on Halloween. So easy. So good. And it's vegan. 

I was set on making a raw caramel apple pie for Halloween dinner, but after I saw these bars, I couldn't get them out of my head and just had to make them. I used GF rolled oats, vegan Earth Balance sticks, and the rest is totally vegan. These are essentially coconut milk pumpkin pie on an oatmeal shortbread crust, topped with chocolate, coconut, and almonds. I don't think I need to explain myself more (and they're pretty!)

I had dinner with my parents on Halloween, as always, and she made me vegan pepperjack grilled cheeses and fall vegetable soup. 

Forgive the bite taken here, but I finally tried out flatbreads! I picked up some chickpea flour after hearing so much about it and seeing so many recipes with it. These flatbreads were amazing and had great texture/flavor. I cooked them a bit longer than I should've but still great. I used pesto I froze in the summer, which turned out great, and added vegan pepperjack cheese. These are probably versatile for every season!

Breakfast is great when you want to try something new, and you just happen to have everything for it. I made Sara's sesame date yogurt cups: dates smashed with sesame seeds layered with vegan cinnamon yogurt and topped with flax cereal. Delicious, simple, and naturally sweet.

Let me guess. You probably hate turnips, right? Like I did when I was 5? Well I hope you don't hate them because this soup is so good. This soup has few ingredients, and is made even better by the accompanying greens pesto. I am always wary about pestos, especially vegan ones, but the flavors are just right: nutritional yeast, orange blanched greens, pecans, balsamic vinegar, so so so good. I hope I have some leftover to freeze. But the soup and pesto together is unstoppable. It's getting cold outside, so you better make some!

My birthday is Monday so maybe I will make some sappy nostalgic 21st birthday post.

(800) language is arbitrary

It's been a slightly busy/not really week for me. Last week I only had classes M W F so that was a nice break. kind of been keeping it easy on myself lately since things are about to spin out of control probably soon with exams, essays, etc. Summer is up now, as of this past Saturday, so I'm trying to shift gears into Fall cuisine/produce. I would like to try to run to the Farmer's Market next week to get some local honey (which I've been consuming in large amounts!) and produce. I recently fell in love with a little publication called Chickpea Magazine. I highly recommend it, vegan or not, it has really inspired me and I plan to cook from it quite often. I love that it's seasonally written too. I would love a subscription but the price is hella high for me. Luckily, we can all enjoy it online :)

Enjoyed Sara's amazing tuna salad for a few days. It made a really great, easy lunch to have on hand. I usually don't care much for tuna salad, but this was so perfect. Crisp celery, sweet golden raisins, fresh parsley, and olive oil > mayonnaise. I highly recommend her book (and this recipe). 

I am constantly amazed at the complex flavors and, simultaneously, the simplicity, of some of the dishes I find/make. I am all for roasting vegetables, and I'm even more for making the easiest meals possible when I'm just tired and don't have much time. This NY style quinoa was perfect and I will definitely make it again. Seriously just: quinoa, broccoli, black beans, red pepper flakes, olive oil, salsa and I made a vegan "queso" to go with it. one of the best things I've made in a while and the leftovers were to die for. vegan queso consisted of a few crumbles of vegan jack Daiya wedge, a splash of unsweetened almond milk, and a hefty pinch of black pepper: microwaved in two 15-second increments, stirred, and drizzled over this. You'd never know the difference between it and queso. AMAZING!

I have been hunting for a 21st birthday dress and I found it: truly, simply, plainly "me" as everyone has put it. Not too much longer to go now!

All these colors make me happy! I also used some tomatoes (and peppers later on this week) from a customer's garden that Jeremiah so generously shared with me. I am so stoked to use other people's vegetables (and they're free!)

Simplicity is what I'm craving lately (and soup). I try to make soup every week because it's always filling, wholesome, delicious, and stretches like crazy. It's also incredibly easy to freeze leftovers (which I almost always do). In this case, this soup flew out of the pot. Sheena calls it a "end of summer minestrone". We use fresh tomatoes instead of canned. Some balsamic vinegar, ALL kinds of vegetables, herbs, and the last of the squash/zucchini of the season. Seriously perfect. I added paprika and red pepper flakes for a bit more kick, and served it with a vegan spinach grilled cheese. I am getting better at making soup and this was just lovely. (pssst make it before the leaves start falling!)

I went to my first (hopefully not last) food truck festival this weekend! I think the turn out was probably 100x more than people thought it would be. They had everything from crepes, to BBQ, chinese dumplings, cupcakes and (lucky for me) a vegan/vegetarian "gourmet" truck. I kicked myself about having to get something, somewhere. I ended up at the De-Licious truck where I got the only thing I could: carrot ginger soup. It was bright, spicy and delicious. Their other options were a butternut barley risotto, a figgy piggy panini (with bacon brie + fig jam), and some kind of awesome looking squash-esque mac+cheese. 

I mostly sat with Sadie + Jude, talked to Cory, got asked about the dogs, and enjoyed being outside in my city for once. I think the event was awesome and should happen again. I also learned that you should be there right when a food truck festival starts, or you won't know where any lines are or where to go. Maybe next time I can go to the wine lounge too :)

Okay, yes. This was a bit burnt. But trust me, this was probably another one of the best things I've made in a while. Granted the prep work was a little crazy (grating two potatoes on a box grater gets super tiring) but it was sooo good. Especially slathered in ketchup. This recipe comes from one of the first gluten-free books I purchased that I, for some reason, rarely use but totally recommend: The Gluten-Free Vegan. The leftovers were also just as amazing. I will try not to burn it so much next time. In my defense, I was using a new IKEA frying pan :). I will post the recipe down below!

Potato + Tofu Hash


from “The Gluten-Free Vegan” by Susan O’Brien
————————————————————————-

• 1-2 T grapeseed or canola oil
• 1 large red onion, chopped (about 1 C)
• 1 medium size bell pepper, seeded + chopped
• 4 medium-size red potatoes, scrubbed, peeled (if desired), grated + patted dry
• 1/2 C fresh or frozen peas (NOT canned)
• 1/2 pd extra-firm tofu (preferably silken) crumbled (1 C)
• 2 T drained + finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp coarse salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1 tsp rosemary (optional)
• salsa (optional) for serving but I’m all for a shit ton of KETCHUPPPP

—————————————————————————-
-Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and pour in the oil. 
Add the onions + bell pepper, and saute til onions are soft, 4-5 mins. 
Add potatoes + continue to cook over med-high until they begin to brown, 10-15 minutes.

-Add peas + tofu, and cook an additional 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and heat through.
 Season with salt and lots of extra pepper (no joke), and if desired, the rosemary. Serve withsalsa KETCHUPPPPP. then thank me (or Susan O’Brien)
note: be careful to be wary of your stove’s heat retention and your pan’s. my meal was slightly burnt (mostly the onions, peppers and potatoes) so just be careful