My Husband Makes the Best Fries

On Tuesdays I work one of the longer shifts of my week. I get off at 9 pm and am typically ravenous. Well perhaps not that extremely hungry, but getting there. My 4:30 meal at work is usually a salad of some sort and then I have a snack of a piece of fruit at 7:30, neither of which last's long enough for me not to be hungry before bedtime. As a result Matt usually makes us dinner, or second dinner. A house favorite for Tuesday's is fries, sometimes the kind you take out of the freezer and toss on a baking sheet, and sometimes Matt makes them from scratch. He has mastered the technique, and I bow before his french fry making skills. I'm ok with letting him be the better fry master, as I use the flattery to my advantage when I don't want to cook.

He said he will share the recipe once he has perfected it. Cutting the potatoes thin and making sure each piece has a fine coating of olive oil are two of the key steps. The base seasonings are salt, black pepper, and paprika (smoked is nice).

Here is the finished product. Yum!

On a completely differant note, I wanted to share some foodie finds from the Thanksgiving weekend. A favorite thing to do when visiting Matt's family is to stop at a Trader Joe's outside of Chicago. There is also a Whole Foods around there as well, but we haven't figured out how to get to the right exit yet. Hopefully next time we can stop there as well. One unpictured item that we bought is the unsweetened mango strip. You must try these if you ever happen on a Trader Joe's, they are very delicious and quite addicting. Another find that I was pretty excited about was baking chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate. I have tried to find these chocolate discs before, but had not had any milk-free luck until I spotted these.

Another find that I was pretty thrilled about was this canned jackfruit at an Indian grocery store next to this delicious restaraunt we ate at with Matt's parents. They had never been to an Indian restaraunt before, so it was a learning experience for all. I hope to make Jackfruit Carnitas out with the can of fruit and see how we like it. We also picked up some curry powder which looks pretty good as well. Perhaps I will make curry tomorrow!

Another hot buy of the week was seaweed snack chips. I was a little worried about the terriyaki kind, but it ended up being delicious and I couldn't get enough of them. Matt's mom thinks they taste like her vitamins, and I couldn't disagree more. Delicious is what I say!

Hope you enjoyed my grocery finds! Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Thanksgiving Recap

Today was a reality check back to work and normal life. The fun of the holiday is over and the anticipation of the next is setting in. So, I am enjoying our christmas candle, mint tea, Sarah Mclachlan's christmas album, and reminiscing about the past weekend.

Since we had our Thanksgiving meal on Saturday, I spent Friday afternoon baking a dessert and spending time in the kitchen with my 11 year old sister in law. It was a great time. She is so kitchen savvy and managed to turn a vegan cupcake recipe into a non-vegan one. Oh well.

I made Pumpkin Pecan Brownie Pie (found in that list of recipes) by Oh She Glows. It was amazing! I am going to make this again and again, it was so delicious. I already signed myself up to make it for our staff christmas party. The dessert is made up of a pumpkin brownie on the bottom, topped with pumpkin pie filling, then topped with shaved chocolate and pecan topping. All of you must make this!

Here is the before the oven picture.

While I put that together my sister in law made these mint chocolate cupcakes. Sadly, there was no mint extract, so we substituted mint hot chocolate mix. Aren't they cute!

Here is the pie right out of the oven.

My other contributions to the Thanksgiving meal was a delicious fall inspired salad and Cinnamon Sweet Potatoes and Chickpea Salad, another recipe from Oh She Glows. You must check out her recipes. She has created some true gastronomic gems!

The salad was spinach tossed with balsamic vinegar and maple syrup as a dressing, topped off with chopped apples and pecans.

Another shot of the sweet potatoes.

And for the grand finale of the meal - dessert. Salivate a little and head into the kitchen and make this now. You will not be dissapointed!

Hope you all had a lovely holiday!

Day off!

Today was a day off. An unexpected day off as a co-worker offered to take my shift for me today. It definitely was a blessing as it allowed Matt and I a day off together which we have not had in a while. We slept in, caught up on some House episodes, and did some Christmas shopping.

I wasn't feeling the best, and was pretty hungry, so when we got home I made some quick miso soup. With the added flavor of the vegetable broth, it was one of the best miso soups I have made. This is what I did.

Miso Soup - serves 2-3

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 med. size carrots, chopped

4-5 mushrooms, chopped

5 cloves garlic, chopped

4 - 5 cups water ( I used a medium sized saucepan)

1 vegetable bouillon cube

1/4 cup red miso, more if needed

Simmer vegetables in the saucepan with some water. When onion is translucent add the water and bouillon cube. Bring to a boil and simmer until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat and stir in the miso. Taste and add more miso if you desire. Serve.

I love miso soup when I am not feeling well. It is nice and soothing. For a quick pick me up drink when you have a cold, I would suggest dropping a tablespoon of miso paste in a mug of boiled water, stir to dissolve, and sip like tea.

After dinner I got inspired to put up my Christmas decorations. Some lights, our charlie brown tree and some other little holiday touches. Tomorrow I have to clean up the house for company, so I'll take pictures to post.

Hope you all had a restful Sunday. How did you spend your day?

Hemp Smoothie

Today's post isn't the most salivating, but it is healthy. I try to have a hemp protein smoothie everyday (especially now that my jar is best by December 2). I am not a big fan of the grainy quality and aftertaste that the protein powder gives to my smoothie (Nutiva is the only brand I have tried so far), but I do appreciate the added protein and the omega 3 and 6 punch it provides. Here is my usual plan of action for these smoothies.

First put half of a banana and 1/4 -1/2 cup frozen fruit of choice (I used a mixed berry blend).

Then add 3 handfuls of spinach. This is my usual handful.

With my personal blender I have to really push down the ingredients for more room. Those of you with larger blenders, feel free to add more of the good stuff above to your liking.

Then add 3 spoonfuls of the hemp protein powder. With the size of smoothie I make, It is hard for me to handle the recommended 4 Tbs of protein powder, but feel free to use the serving size.

Pour a nice helping of hemp seeds on top. I believe the serving size for these is 2 - 3 Tbs (depending on the brand - I've seen both suggested).

Top with remaining banana. I use the banana to give the blender something easy to start blending as my blender is on it's last leg. We have had to buy a new personal blender every year as I use it every day, sometimes multiple times. I need to just save up some money and buy a nice one. Any Suggestions?

Anyway back to the smoothie. I then pour in half water and half almond milk. The more liquid the better with this smoothie. It really helps the protein powder to not be so thick and overpowering. Also the vanilla almond milk gives it a nice taste as well.

Blend until smooth. Enjoy and drink to your health!

Then reward yourself with some Wheat-free Chocolate Chip Cookies from Veganomicon. I lowered the sugar to just 1/2 cup loose brown sugar (as in not packed), and added about 1/2 cup (maybe a bit more) of unsweetened shredded coconut. I think the amount of chocolate chips I used made up for the sugar I didn't add - a little counter-productive. Oh well, I guess I will have another smoothie.

Pumpkin Pie Chocolate chip Cookies

Happy middle of the week! You've made it this far, so I think you deserve a treat. A slightly spiced, softly chewy, chocolate filled treat! Here is the Recipe.

Pumpkin Pie Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup canned pumpkin pie puree

1/2 cup earth balance melted

1 cup sugar

2 Tbs non dairy milk

1 1/2 teas vanilla extract

1 3/4 cup whole spelt flour or whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 cup arrowroot

1 teas baking powder

1/2 teas baking soda

1/4 teas salt

1/2 cup or more chocolate chips

Cream together the pumpkin pie puree, margarine, sugar, and vanilla. Mix in the flour

arrowroot, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. You can mix wet and dry ingredients separately and then combine if you would like. I prefer the simplicity of using one bowl. I pour the dry ingredients on top and then stir them together a bit before fully combining with the wet ingredients. Stir in the chocolate chips. drop spoonfuls of batter on parchment paper lined baking sheets and bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees. Bake for 15 -20 min.

If you can't get enough of the pumpkin pie and chocolate combination, add some pumpkin pie puree to your hot chocolate as well, and don't forget the ricemellow creme. I actually made this recipe a bit too thick, so still working out the kinks with this one.

Whip up a batch of cookies, heat up some cocoa, and enjoy the rest of your week. The weekend will be here before you know it!

Sunday is for Brunching

Work weekends leave me exhausted, not to mention with little time to be in the kitchen making delicious food. So this morning I was determined to at least have a good brunch before I headed off to work. As we slept in a bit and I had to be at work at 11:30, both breakfast and lunch had to be eaten in a short amount of time, therefore we brunched. I used Chocolate Covered Katie's single serving cupcake recipe and made pumpkin chocolate chip muffins out of it, by adding some pumpkin pie puree to the batter, and chocolate chips. I whipped up enough batter for 3 muffins. We also had some delicious oatmeal made with half water and half coconut milk. Sweeten this oatmeal with a bit of brown sugar, add a dash of vanilla and a hand-full of raisins and you are in business. If your business is making amazingly creamy oatmeal that is.

So now another week begins. Hopefully this one will be a bit brighter. Have a happy Monday everyone!

P.S. I noticed I have a couple new followers. Welcome and thanks for choosing my blog. Hope you enjoy! Leave a comment and say hi sometime, I would love to hear from you.

Pumpkin Pie No-bake Bars

When your in the mood for chocolate but have no chocolate chips or bars, no-bake cookies do the trick. I decided to be inventive and throw in some pumpkin pie puree, inspired by the chocolate pumpkin pie I made one year for Thanksgiving. These no-bake cookie bars turned out quite delicious. Chocolaty, deeply rich, and with a hint of Autumn spice, this dessert is a crowd-pleaser, or in my case a husband-pleaser.

I used this recipe, and added about 3 tablespoons of canned pumpkin pie puree. Then I spread it into a square dish, and popped it into the freezer for about an hour, for faster cooling time. Slice, serve, and top with some Ricemellow Creme. Yum!

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Saute

As promised, Matt's creation, Black Bean and Sweet Potato Saute. This dish was inspired by Alexia brand Chipotle Roasted Sweet Potatoes found in the frozen food aisle. We have had the Alexia version on occasion as it makes a really quick and delicious lunch or dinner, but it is nice to make it from scratch. Tonight we served the dish with Blackened Garlic Bread. Here is the recipe!

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Saute

1 and 1/2 sweet potatoes, cubed or 1 bag frozen diced sweet potato

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 cup frozen corn

olive oil

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 teas onion powder

1 Tbs cajun seasoning

smoked paprika to taste

sweet paprika to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Heat some olive oil in a skillet and add sweet potatoes. Cook until just starting to soften. Then add corn, red pepper,and black beans and continue to cook adding more olive oil as needed. Stir in spices and add a bit of water if things are getting to thick. Once cooked thru, serve with Blackened Garlic Bread.

Blackened Garlic Bread

half a loaf of sourdough baguette

earth balance buttery spread

garlic powder

olive oil for pan

Slice the baguette in half lengthwise and then cut into 4 pieces. Spread earth balance on each slice and sprinkle with garlic powder. Heat olive oil in the skillet and when hot add the bread, buttery side facing down. The garlic powder will start to toast and the bread will get a bit crispy. The longer you leave it in the pan, the garlic powder will burn, hence the blackened nature of the garlic bread. If you would rather not have the toasted garlic powder, sprinkle it on after the bread has toasted and you are ready to serve. Optionally you can drizzle on a bit of olive oil before you serve the black bean dish.

Enjoy! The Black Bean and Sweet Potato Saute is also delicious served with avocado and garnished with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Serve with toast.

Baby Shower

Baby shower day arrived and was pretty much a success. Not without minor mishaps of course, but regardless it went well. The major stress point for me was that we were still getting things set up when the guests arrived, but I didn't have much time for set up and had to figure some things out with the church kitchen supplies etc. But all in all it was a good time.

Now on to the apple cup pies. I was going to attempt pie pops, but this was a much better choice for the event. If you want to make your own cup pies, just mix up a batch of your favorite pie crust (I used a recipe that used earth balance, flour, salt, and water). Chill the dough for a bit, roll out into small circles, and press them into lined cupcake pans.

Fill with your pie filling of choice. For my apple pies, I precooked the apples in a saucepan for a bit before filling the cup pies. This way everything would cook through as with the smaller crust, less baking time is required. Top the filling off with a crumble topping and bake for about 1/2 an hour. Let cool and enjoy. I was really impressed with how these turned out and will make them again.

Now onto the shower. Here is the lovely cake my friend made for the occasion. I love the deer - so sweet.

I made my favorite sandwich, and wrapped them up in parchment so they wouldn't disassemble. It worked out really well and looked really cute. Note the baked cup pie. I didn't remember to take an after baking picture, so here it is.

Here are some assorted other pictures.

Now I can relax as my party planning is done for now. This week Matt and I want to lay low and make a point to not be busy. Sounds lovely!

Day Out

We had a day out today. We grabbed some friends and drove 45 minutes to our favorite restaurant, Cerulean. The lunch menu is the best with a number of main course dishes to choose from along with a bunch of delicious sides. I chose the spicy veggie maki roll, asian noodles, mung bean salad, and seaweed salad. Mmmmm. Can't wait to go again!

The baby shower I have been planning is tomorrow. I've been busy tonight making some cup pies for the occasion. More to come on that tomorrow!

Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend!

Fridays

Friday's are for....

sleeping in,

an attempt at breakfast in bed, but failing miserably by dropping it on the bedroom floor,

moving breakfast to the couch,

catching up on laundry,

filling up a box for goodwill,

spending time with friends,

and

Sweet and Salty Roasted Squash.

Here is the recipe!

Cut a butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut the squash into slices and place in a parchment paper lined baking dish. Add the following ingredients.

1 Tbs olive oil

2 Tbs maple syrup

1/2 to 1 teas. Tamari or Coconut Aminos

sprinkle with Cinnamon, salt, and pepper to taste

Mix everything together with a fork or use your hands (it's easier). Place in a oven preheated to 450 degrees. Bake for about half an hour or until browned and caramelized. Serve with rice that has allspice and currants added for a yummy fall dish.