Bundt success, and suppers

I have always kind of hated my Bundt pan.  Why?  Well . . . I had all of these images of beautiful, lobed cakes in my head, and every cake I'd ever made in that damn pan stuck like glue, and turned into a crumbled, broken mess.

That is, until this past weekend!

Bundt success!  How did I do it?  Two key items: spray oil, and a LOT of flour.  Like so much flour, you can kind of see a thin layer all over the top of the cake.  Oh well.  I'll figure out a better balance next time, right?

The cake is delicious, by the way.  :)  This Real Simple recipe for Spiced Pumpkin Cake caught my eye a while back,  and I'm delighted I finally had a chance to try it!  Of course, I can't ever follow a recipe as written -- I subbed a combination of olive, canola, and coconut oils for the butter, and used whole-wheat pastry flour instead of AP flour.  (I love whole-wheat flour in pumpkin baked goods -- it's so much more nutty and dense!  Mmm.)  The only drawback?  It's dense, rich, moist, and kind of a calorie-bomb, so I'd recommend smaller slices than the recipe suggests.

And since we cannot live on cake alone . . .

Winter Lentil Soup:
 

I have been a huge fan of this recipe, since the first time we tried it.  The soup is barely more than leeks, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, kale, and lentils, but it is so delicious!  Light yet filling, slightly sweet, and containing two of my most favorite veggies, (kale and sweet potatoes,) which happen to pair beautifully.

Fried Rice:

Fried rice is one of those meals I tend to forget about, and then when I remember, I get so excited!  I love being able to clean out my crisper and get something so darn delicious for dinner.  In this batch, the purple cabbage dyed the egg a lovely shade of pale blue -- hilarious, if you ask me.

And, Jamaican-Style Black Bean and Coconut Cornbread Bake:

Isn't it funny how certain things trigger meals?  For example, I always seem to remember this recipe when I have a partial can of coconut milk to use up, since the cornbread topping calls for only 2/3 cup coconut milk.  Delicious, incredibly simple, and healthy, too!

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We'll be living off these leftovers for the rest of the week, and we might be eating more convenience foods than I'd like next week, as the move is approaching quickly!  I'll blog again soon, once I've unpacked enough to find the kitchen and make something -- until then!