breakfast x 2 with tiny taters.

Ever since my time-off work started I have been promising myself that I would be more creative with my morning eats. After all, breakfast is my meal of choice. Instead, I’ve been sticking with these:

While concocting my pumpkin with peach oats below this morning, I realized that pancakes, vegan french toast, and tofu scrambles would all be faster to make. But there is something about the ritual of oat-making while I sip my warm lemon water that soothes me. In my opinion, it takes less prep and thought than the others. I don’t have to measure flours, baking powder & soda, or cut veggies and measure spices. I do measure the oats, water, and almond milk, however, I simply splash in vanilla and shake in cinnamon. I spoon in flax or chia seeds at the beginning, but leave the toppings for the last 2-3 minutes. In that 20 minutes of free time between starting the oats and finishing them off, I read my favorite blogs and prepare coffee. It really is an ideal ritual, don’t you think? I know many of you share such warm wonderful ones as well.

My oats mixed summer and fall with both pumpkin and peaches, but the real star of the show was the roasted maple cinnamon almond butter made yesterday.

So, instead of switching up my breakfast in the morning, we had breakfast for dinner. It was this recipe for double dipped french toast made with cinnamon raisin ezekiel english muffins topped with pumpkin butter and maple syrup. I didn’t get the camera out to document because V and I were much too hungry and they take a little longer to cook than your average egg-y french toast. I’ve made them before with bread, but I preferred the english muffin version we had tonight.

Oh, but I must show you the delicious savory roasted tiny taters we had with our lunches today.

These tiny potatoes covered in a mix of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, cayenne, cumin, and nutritional yeast had such a kick we swooned over.

After they roasted, we dipped them in organic dijon and ketchup.

The chickpea cutlets are no longer.

A simple salad for me. It is pretty self-explanatory: baby spinach, carrots, cucumber, chickpea cutlet, and balsamic vinaigrette. Some avocado was added as well.

For V, I made a hummus, daiya mozzarella, pesto, chickpea cutlet quesadilla on a brown rice tortilla.

Oh, how we loved it. I must try one for myself ASAP.

Tomorrow, I want to talk about running. It has been much too long since I’ve written about my love for the sport.

Other things:

-I listened to this debate by Anthony Bourdain and Jonathan Safran Foer today about whether we, as humans, should eat meat. I love both of these men and found it very interesting. Check it out.

-Do you have a favorite veggie chili recipe? I definitely am thinking something similar to this Butternut Squash & Black Bean Chili for tomorrow night.

veganomicon & nut butter love.

I just can’t help myself. Maybe it is because I spent all summer out of the kitchen, but baking is reigning supreme over my recent days. Today it was this beauty.

Banana Bread is such a comfort food. Still working on the bag of vegan chocolate chips, this became a walnut, dried cherry, and chocolate chip Banana Bread. Instead of Amanda’s delicious Blissful Banana Bread that I made (and loved) before, I went with a classic favorite from Veganomicon. If you want to find the recipe and are without the wonderful cookbook, check out The Baking Bird post here where Kylie also raves about the recipe. I am pretty sure I remember VeggieGirl being a fan as well. Always opting for more banana than less, I went with three incredibly ripe ones on my counter top. The recipe differs from Amanda’s because it incorporates applesauce to lower the fat, but you can’t tell because it still has 1/4 cup oil. For my flour, I used Whole Wheat Pastry until I ran out. Luckily, I had some lingering quick oats to make up the last 1/2 cup of dry ingredients.

So really, make this Lower Fat Banana Bread recipe. I promise you will love it. If you are like me and prefer to have a moist (ick, I know it isn’t a choice word) loaf, only cook it for 45 minutes and use 3 small to medium-sized bananas. Oh, and please don’t forget about the molasses. Not only do they add some warmth and unique flavor, but they provide much-needed calicium, iron, and other grand nutrients (read about it here).

With the Veganomicon cookbook open and some already cooked chickpeas in the fridge, I turned to the Chickpea Cutlets page and whipped up a batch uber-quick. Here is a photo of them formed, but before I pressed them down to form cutlets with my palms.

Although the recipe claims to make four cutlets, I always end up with more. The only thing I swapped up from the original was using our fresh rosemary instead of the dried thyme that was called for.

I swear these aren’t baked goods. Apparently V thought they were tasty with peanut butter, but I wouldn’t recommend it. They are a savory snack or meal component that taste superb with bbq sauce, marinara, gravy, etc. I made a sandwich to go with some freshly made pesto, tomatoes V picked today, and baby spinach on sprouted bread.

Other things happening in my kitchen today:

I made a double batch of Ashley’s Roasted Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter. YUM!

They key to making your own nut butters is definitely patience. I wanted to make coconut butter as well today, but my patience just wasn’t there.

I did make Coco-Cashew Hazelnut Butter though.

Coco-Cashew Hazelnut Butter

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1 cup raw hazelnuts
• 2 T maple syrup (organic grade b is best)
• 2 T unsweetened cocoa powder (or raw cacao powder)
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t vanilla
• T coconut oil or coconut butter (optional)

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread your nuts throughout. Roast nuts for 10-15 mins, stirring frequently to prevent burn. Let cool 10-15 minutes. Pour nuts into food processor with remaining ingredients. Process for about 10 mins, frequently scraping down sides to evenly mix.

This recipe still needs some tweaking, maybe some more cocoa. As a former nutella addict (hello, netherlands 2006), I really hope to create a vegan chocolate hazelnut spread. There are a few recipes throughout the web (like this one) but they all seem to use confectioners sugar. Maybe I should just buy some Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut butter already…

Other things:

-What is your favorite kind of quickbread? Pumpkin, banana, zucchini, etc? I’ve always been the biggest banana bread lover, but this pumpkin gingerbread by Angela looks completely drool-worthy. I am thinking that must be next and what a coincidence that miss Kelsey made it today.

-What is your favorite kind of cross-training? I am getting back to running right now and it seems like I am known for doing too much too fast. I am aiming to incorporate in more cross training but get bored with the elliptical. I did just sign up for 10 Bikram Yoga Classes and am pretty excited considering it has also been much too long since I’ve let myself go with the flow with yoga.

bananas, chocolate, & wraps x 2.

The weekend came and went much too fast. The few shots I took this week with the Canon Rebel were hurried, and sometimes, just not pretty. I still will share a few tasty eats I had the chance to enjoy over the weekend.

Rolled oats are always made with almond milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and whipped with banana while cooking. I decided that more banana mash(scramble?) had to make its way back into my stomach, for the third day in a row. This time it was mixed with organic frozen wild blueberries, maple syrup, and the scrapings from the oatmeal pot. Raw creamy almond butter was poured on top and quickly stirred in to enjoy while still in bed. There was also a cup of coffee larger than this chipped mug.

Have I mentioned yet that I absolutely adore falafel? Well, I do. I am sure many of you do as well. I sliced up some leftover Whole Foods Falafel that someone in my household bought the day before and threw them on a few of my favorite salad ingredients. I don’t know why, but I just can’t do Romaine these days. I just want Spinach, Spinach, Spinach at all times. We’ve gone through three boxes in the last week and I have a giant bag from an organic stand at our local farmer’s market that is going to be finished tomorrow morning. Don’t worry, I made sure to add some more dressing to this salad for lunch.

We have such a ridiculous amount of herbs growing in V’s little indoor garden. It is actually quite cute how caught up in it he has become. He has bought special lamps set on a timer and they have a schedule very similar to his own, work all night, sleep all day. I had to trim them in the dark on Sunday because I couldn’t figure out how to turn on the lamps. I may have cut off some of the tomato plant by accident, oops.

Turning to Isa and Terry for a simple herb dressing, I made a Silken Tofu Mayo like dressing but thinned it out with extra virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar. The parsley and cilantro made this dressing. I shouldn’t have neglected this cookbook for so long, Veganomicon has really lived up to its potential.

My sister and I are still loving The Chicago Diner Chocolate Chip Cookies while sipping on tea. I need to make my own vegan chocolate chip cookies again soon. Maybe these? Chocolate is one of those things I can always eat, even when the temps are really rising.

I even made some Vegan Zucchini Spelt Muffins with Chocolate Chips this weekend. I used this recipe but replaced the Carrots with Zucchini, Whole Wheat with Spelt Flour, and raisins with mini chocolate chips.

The seemingly orange hue has no explanation, they just came out of the oven this way. Fortunately, these were amazing. Both taste-testers said they could eat a few of them, but held back since dinner was looming.

Woodbridge Pub is the place V and I go the most often in Detroit. So far, it seems to be the only restaurant with food I like in the entire city. You wouldn’t think that a vegetarian would have much luck at a pub, but the Black Bean Burger is the best I’ve ever had. It comes with grilled onions, tomato, an avocado purée, and a balsamic glaze. We shared the Spring Vegetable Sauté which was composed of local carrots, snap peas, and english peas. I didn’t bring the big camera along for the trip because we had to make our way to a wrap party, but believe me it was delicious. The owner of Woodbridge grew up on a farm in Michigan and was a handyman in Detroit before fixing up the abandoned building with salvaged materials. Detroit needs so much help right now. I am used to living in Boston and New York with many veggie filled restaurants I love, but I need to remember that my high school years were spent in Michigan. Although I barely went to Detroit back then (except for the rare concert) it is unbelievable to see the lack of businesses within the city now. The Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and all normal grocery stores are miles away from the city itself. It is nearly impossible to find a grocery store open past 8pm. The wealthy suburbs are a different story and I was completely oblivious the years I lived in this state as teenager.

Today, I polished off the last of my Scottish Oatmeal. I may have shed a tear or two…

These were topped with a figgy chia banana mash of sorts and a few organic blueberries.

Things got interesting as today progressed, and I found out that for the next few days, I will be assisting on a music video. This is pretty exciting since I have yet to help costume one. It shall be an entertaining experience, I am sure. This means that my posts will be rather sporadic but since finishing the gluten-free challenge, I don’t feel the need to post every meal. I hope to get in the kitchen for some tasty concoctions this weekend involving “The Conscious Cook,” but between now and then, I won’t be keeping any promises.

Today’s addiction: wraps!

Lunch involved homemade tempeh bacon, spinach, carrots, cherry tomatoes, avocado, and the Silken Tofu dressing from the day before. I also tried another GT’s Synergy Kombucha, the Guava Goddess, which my sister and I both agreed was lovely.

Wrap number 2:

I am obsessed with the Veganomicon Chickpea Cutlets I made the other day and decided to whip up another batch for tonight’s dinner. An ezekiel wrap was spread with organic tomato paste and baby spinach, and then I sliced up the cutlet to devour. There was also kale and broccoli eaten alongside.

Since this isn’t the every meal, every day type of blog, I must let you know that there are many other snacks that make their way into my stomach daily. I just haven’t gotten used to whipping out the camera for those occasions, and probably never will. However, the Vegan Zucchini Muffins were just as great on day two!

Other things:

-Since I am missing NY a lot these days, I must share this round-up by Kathy from the Lunchbox Bunch blog about her favorite NYC Vegan Spots. Have you ever eaten at any of them? Any favorites?

-After consuming copious amount of oats these last few weeks, I feel a little oat-ed out…thinking a green juice is in order for my first day prepping for the shoot tomorrow. This also may have had something to do with it…I just couldn’t stop browsing her beautiful blog today. Do you ever get tired of oats? What is your (other) favorite breakfast for the warmer months?

-Have you heard about the (never home) maker’s foodie book club? I’ve read a few of them but I love the concept and have yet to read the book last reviewed, A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg, the creator of the Orangette, one of the first blogs I read.

local mags.

Sometimes a day doesn’t need much reflection. I have tried to make the best of my current situation but it is such a hard boundary to distinguish between focusing too much on the future vs. too much on the day-to-day goings on. I had a few distractions to keep me occupied but the constant desire to know my future, even just the next few months, wasn’t letting up. The morning was spent gazing at my computer screen at pages and pages of productions being filmed around the country. I wish I was at the point in my career where I could simply take off to a new destination when someone needed me to fill a position. Hopefully this will someday be my future. For now, I am relying on the benefit of the doubt and the words spoken by those I trust.

My sister and spent the morning sitting computer screen to computer screen. She is already incredibly interested and eager to find her next path. Within a week of graduation she is looking for the who, what, where (and wear?) answers of her future.

Scrolling through pages of PDF’s is not ideal and I thought eating outside with my computer in tow would be a great attempt for a somewhat cheerful morning. It was already becoming quite warm out and sitting in the shade was the perfect chance for me to savor my oats while browsing future prospects. The steel-cut variety of oats was cooked with unsweetened almond milk, vanilla, cinnamon, chia seeds, flax seeds, and half a banana. The organic raspberries were a special treat mixed with more banana and vanilla almond butter. This was definitely a winning combo that made my morning much better than imagined.

Don’t you love how oats keep you satisfied for so long? To this day, I am still impressed by their lingering staying power.

When a break was needed, my sister and I cracked open a new Honest Tea Kombucha to try. The Apple Jasmine flavor was just as delicious as the Lemon Ginger, but much more subtle. We enjoyed it while brainstorming dinner plans with tofu and veggies in mind.

Lunch was an easy choice after much success with the Veganomicon Chickpea Cutlets the day before. One was broken up and stuffed into a sprouted wrap filled with spinach, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, and goddess dressing. This was truly delicious, although maybe not so aesthetically appealing. I was hoping it could be eaten like a quesadilla but the lack of panini maker made a messy lunch with most of the filling spilled all over the plate. An orange was split as well.

Another attempt to distract myself from my immediate future happened in the afternoon when I finally opened an issue of Grid Magazine that I picked up in Reading Terminal in Philly. I had no idea what I was getting myself into because The Food Issue was AH-mazing. The whole slow-local-sustainable food movement in Philadelphia is one of the best I have read about so far. This magazine had my full attention for much too long and I learned so much about a city I have only visited a few times. As a magazine writing major in college, I still feel that nothing penetrates me like a well designed and well written piece of material. Don’t get me wrong, I love the online media world so much. This is obviously why I blog. However, there is no feeling like holding a piece of art in your hand. A piece of fiction or well researched nonfiction to be completely engulfed by, separating you from  your surroundings, is what makes me most happy. These days I stray from my past fashion focused issues in favor of the foodie ones. Feeding my belly seems to be more important that feeding my inner stylista at this moment. This may change, so I can’t make any promises. I will forever be molded by the fashion magazines I read growing up. I will never forget the day my mother first told me I must part with my stack of Vogue’s. But that is another topic for later discussion…

As I was saying, Grid was the perfect magazine for me to pick up randomly. With the help of the organization, Fair Food, they compiled lists of farmer’s market’s, restaurant’s, CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture), and institutions that support the local and sustainable food system. Reading about the city’s new composting company whom helps restaurants and institutions not supported by the city’s waste management encouraged me to start composting myself. An article on canning had me compelled to make my own jam with fresh berries this summer for the following fall and winter months. One man’s bread making path had me feeling as though I must break into the hobby and put my fear of yeast behind me. An Urban Farmer had some great words to say about the importance of inner city agriculture:

We can create thousands of jobs with this new kind of farming, with urban agriculture. Just think of all the categories of jobs: you’ve got installers, carpenters, plumbers, truck drivers, accountants, electricians, aquaculturists, planners, architects. In a rural area, you don’t need these jobs. Industrial agriculture gets rid of jobs; the machines do everything.

This is hand work, it’s communal work, which is important and fun for all of us, all the generations, from little kids to school-age kids to teenagers to college kids. Everybody is involved. Now politicos are involved, corporate companies send their associates to volunteer and corporate companies have foundations to supply some of the money. We also need reporters and publicity people, because one of things that we haven’t been able to do is be proactive and get the word out. All of these wonderful projects are hidden away. We need the public.

It is up to us to shape the importance of local and sustainable food. Even at the age of 24, I am sometimes worried about the future of our country and the world from the overabundance of factory farming, and what this mean’s for our children and their children. We need programs like this that educate the younger and younger about self-sustaining and attempting to make resources available to low-income families.

I made my way through the issue with some help of Green & Black’s 70% Dark Chocolate for a wonderful afternoon snack. In the compilation created by Fair Food, I found some great places I can’t wait to visit next time I head to Philly. I also found out that FARMiCiA and Fork, two out of the four restaurants we ate at while in Philly, help support small local farmers and sustainability. Another place I have yet to mention is Mugshots. This fair trade coffee shop and cafe was right around the corner from my sister’s apartment and I wish I had more time to enjoy it instead of packing. They have delicious coffee and tons of vegan treats, (get the cowboy/girl cookie, it is the biggest vegan cookie I’ve ever seen filled with oats, nuts, dried fruit, and dark chocolate) as well as a Vegan BLT and chili, if you are in the mood for comfort food. The local buying club is also a great way to purchase local, sustainable food from them without having to go through the farmers. You can pick your own order instead of a large CSA type share or trip to the farmer’s market.

I definitely suggest picking up Grid if you are in the Philadelphia area, or just checking out the articles online if you are interested in Philly and eco tips.

For dinner, I went with a simple vegetable stir fry using chili garlic sauce, tamari, ginger, and lemon. For the tofu, I loosely followed this recipe from Vegetarian Times, opting to bake it for 30 minutes at 350 degrees before adding to mushrooms, carrots, and bok choy in the wok.

Although the veggies were more than beautiful when chopping, I wish I went the raw route as the original recipe states. In the past I have made this recipe with much success as a bento bowl layered with an array of fresh produce and brown rice, but tonight I felt like stir frying all ingredients to spread the sauce evenly. This may not have turned out as well as hoped, but the flavor was still as bold as before. The bok choy was simply overcooked, but the tofu, brown rice, other vegetables, and seasoning were spot on.

Dessert was coconut milk yogurt topped with a new-to-me cereal Kashi Cinnamon Harvest (had a Whole Foods coupon for Kashi cereal and this had the least amount of ingredients-it was good, but not as good as Puffins), Puffins, raspberries, and a small spoonful of chocolate hazelnut spread. I ate this while reading about sprouting in an old Vegetarian Times. I think I am going to start some mung bean sprouts tomorrow, I love the crunch in salads.

Other things:

-Did you grow up influenced by the fashion world? If so, what is your favorite high fashion mag? If not, why do you choose not to read them? Disinterest? Annoyance of the price of clothing included or too much emphasis on current trends?

I first interned at Harper’s Bazaar in college and loved it immensely. One of my best friends is someone I met there and I was shaped to understand the in’s and out’s of the magazine publishing world. I will never forget the amount of freedom and hands on experience I was given that summer. My editor let me attend press previews solo with a camera in hand and was given freebies on many occasions. However, as I am sure you know, the fashion world can be a catty one and that has to be my least favorite aspect. There are some definite genuine people, but many who take the fashion world much too seriously. Ironically, most of the designers I’ve met have been more humble than the fashion magazine editors. That phase of my life has been put aside for now, but I will never shut it out. I love the art and history of fashion too much to never return.

-Do you have a local magazine that you grab often? Does your community have a strong slow-food movement?

After living in California, Boston, and New York, I sometimes struggle to find more places and resources that emphasis the importance of local small farms and sustainable practices. In New York, there were many restaurants that place emphasis on using organic ingredients as much as possible, but in the area I am in now, it seems as though organic is only available from grocery stores and one or two restaurants. I have yet to find a local magazine I enjoy.

splitting it.

Today has been one of those rough days where all you want to do is eat freshly baked chocolate chip cookies with a warm comforting beverage or a cold glass of milk. I woke up with many items on my to-do list nagging me while I prepared oats for three. I knew that I messed up the measurements of the rolled oats and Scottish oatmeal mixture, but didn’t attempt to rectify it. Instead, I added more water, hoping to plump up the oats while they cooked. We were low on almond milk (not anymore) and left with frozen bananas and berries. Instead of adding chia seeds or flax while cooking, I simply stirred in some flaxseed afterwards. This was quite the pitiful attempt to make some good oats that I’ve been craving the last few days, but the two others sharing the batch seemed content with their somewhat small bowls full of oats with black raspberries, dried cherries, and vanilla almond butter. Maybe tomorrow I can do better.

I won’t divulge too much information regarding my crazy work life, but let me tell you, I hope that all this time of stress leads to a point in my life where I will have more freedom in my career. I feel confident in my capabilities, but there are a lot of obstacles that the industry creates. In order for me to progress, it gets kind of tricky. Things will probably change in a big way in the next few months. Those who have taught me the in’s and out’s of costuming seem to want to help me break down the walls that are around me right now, and that makes me feel great. At the same time, this is a waiting period that doesn’t sit too well within me. I always am one who strives when given tasks and when another has confidence in me. When I don’t feel that I am doing anything significant, I can feel bad for myself. Blogging is a great way to relieve some stress, but sometimes you just need a big chocolate chip cookie. This one was split with my younger sister. Isn’t it great having a friend or family member to split a GIANT treat with?

Oops…we ate before I could snap a shot. Eating this cookie with warm cups of tea (yes, it was 70 degrees out) was the perfect treat for me to enjoy sitting with my sister after a phone call filled morning of work. No, it wasn’t gluten free or healthy in any way.

For lunch, my sister and I made delicious wraps filled with a Sunshine Falafel Pattie, hummus, avocado, and romaine that we scrounged up before grocery shopping. I was surprised that she kept commenting about how tasty they were. Previously, I found them to be a little too dry for my liking. I guess there is nothing a good amount of hummus and avocado can’t help.

I remembered this evening that I had challenged myself to cook from my own cookbooks this month, instead of searching online for meal ideas. After browsing Veganomicon, I found the famous Chickpea Cutlets that I’ve seen numerous places around the blog world with rave reviews (recipe here). Every ingredient was already in our pantry so I set about making these with some newly found enthusiasm for the day.

For the side dishes, I sautéed a whole bunch of kale with tamari and rice vinegar, and baked sweet potato fries.

Instead of the mustard sauce in the book, I mixed some vegenaise and organic ketchup to make a russian dressing that I knew my mother would approve of. She has always loved russian dressing, especially with roast beef. Ironically, she hates ketchup. We all were fans of the chickpea cutlets. I felt they weren’t too meaty for me, which is usually the case with seitan and many other “meat alternatives.” I still have some Gardein products in my freezer that I am a little freaked to try…can someone convince me?

For dessert, I ate a slice of spelt toast spread with a chocolate hazelnut spread, similar to Nutella. I found it on Elana’s Pantry and although it was pretty yummy, it was no nutella.

Tomorrow, I am going to run. I have been craving it all night and I know a nice long run will be just what I need to release a little pent-up stress.

Other things:

-Are you going to the Healthy Living Summit? I finished dinner and looked at the clock at 8:58, and at that moment I decided to just buy a ticket spur of the moment since I knew tickets went on sale at 9 pm. I am unsure what August will be like for me schedule-wise but healthy living discussions and meeting so many like-minded individuals is incredibly exciting. I just couldn’t pass it up!

-Notice the extreme white in my photos that seems to be glowing? Know of any way to fix this? I am borrowing one of my father’s digital camera’s and have it on the food setting. I have also used the close up setting and both seem to have this effect. I have to work with this camera until I am ready to purchase a nicer one that I feel confident learning to use and would love to improve the quality of images.

-Are you a nutella fan? I grew up eating nutella and spent a summer when 16 in Italy eating it daily. When I was in the Netherlands for a semester in college, it was my only source of fat and protein when the rest of the students were eating ham and cheese paninis. I didn’t seem to mind, nutella was all I wanted.