life IS uncertain . . .

BREAKFAST:

Kept things light this morning, with a piece of rye toast and some dried apricots, because I woke up kind of late and didn't want a big breakfast so close to lunchtime. Coffee assumed.

LUNCH:

Annie's "Whole Wheat Shells & White Cheddar" with a melange of frozen vegetables mixed in, and a minneola on the side. Vitamin not pictured.

TREAT:
I had a bubblegum-flavored "Dum-Dums" lollipop while I was waiting for Dan to have his hair cut. I also read "O" magazine, which was actually pretty good! I was pleasantly surprised.

SNACK:

Movie = popcorn, according to Dan. We shared this huge bowl while watching the independent film "Happy Endings." I love Netflix.

DINNER:
Vegan Key Lime Pie:

Yes. We ate dessert first. Why? Because our entree took longer to simmer than I expected, and I was afraid we weren't going to have time for pie before Dan had to leave for band practice. We agreed -- pie must come first. (At least tonight!)
For the entree, Seitan and Dumplings:

I've made something akin to this recipe before, and I made a few changes for the better this time! First, I doubled the recipe, but used only 8ish ounces of seitan. I like seitan, but not huge amounts of it. (I think it's too heavy for me.) Rather than double the dumplings, I tripled them, because Dan and I both agreed there weren't enough dumplings last time. :) I cooked the whole thing in my sautee pan to accomodate the extra dumplings.

SNACK:
An apple and two biscotti.

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Is anyone else shocked by how much food they go through in a given week? Because I'm starting to wonder whether there are elves or some other sorts of creatures visiting my fridge in the night. :)

Come to think of it, it's probably not elves -- more like a 6'3" boyfriend who can eat two to three helpings of any given entree in any one sitting?? :) Still, I wonder where all the food goes!

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I had a request for "recipes" for the greens and hashbrowns I make nearly every weekend. Erm . . . recipes? I'll do my best:

Sauteed/Steamed Greens:
INGREDIENTS:
1 bunch greens (kale and swiss chard are our favorites)
dribble of canola oil or small amount of margarine
minced garlic
seasoning(s) of choice -- I like plain ol' salt and pepper, and occasionally throw in a pinch of red pepper flakes or a splash of balsamic vinegar. Lately, I've been using "Northern Blend" from Wayzata Bay Spice Co. Adds a nice smokiness.
splash of water
DIRECTIONS:
1. Wash and chop the greens.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the garlic, and sautee for a few minutes.
3. Add the greens, whatever seasonings you choose to use, and the water. Cover, lower the heat, and steam 10 to 20 minutes.
4. Enjoy!

*** A note about salting the greens -- remember, the greens will cook down a TON. Add only a little bit of salt to them -- you can always add more later, but you can't take salt away once it's in the pot! (Can you tell I've oversalted greens a FEW times in my past??) :)

Hashbrowns:
INGREDIENTS:
yukon gold potato
safflower oil
salt
cast-iron frying pan
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat the frying pan over medium-high heat.
2. Scrub and/or peel your potato(es). Grate on a box grater. Using your hands, squeeze out as much starchy moisture as you can from the potatoes.
3. Add some oil to the pan, and allow it to heat up for a couple of minutes. Add the potatoes, and sqush them as flat as you can with a flipper so as much potato touches the surface area of the pan as possible. (Crowding hashbrowns isn't a very good idea.) Sprinkle the hashbrowns with salt. (This allows the salt to "melt" into the hashbrowns while cooking.) Cook until the first side is golden brown, then flip and cook the second side. Serve up the crispy-deliciousness.