Two-Bean Chili with Buttermilk Cornbread

We have had an absolutely lovely, stunningly beautiful autumn in Minnesota this year.  Weeks and weeks of sunshine, rich fall colors, plenty of crunchy leaves, and highs in the 50s and 60s/lows in the 40s.  We never seem to get weather like this ... our seasons tend to change so dramatically, that we locals say we really have two seasons here -- winter, and road construction.  Most weeks in the springtime, I wear snow boots and flip flops in the same month ... some years in the same week!  Sometimes we get a longer fall season, but often colder temps much earlier.  This year has been a welcome change from regularly-scheduled programming!

This past week, we did have a few colder days, and this weekend has been especially chilly; cold weather just demands chili, don't you think?  Vegetarian chili can almost seem a bit trite at times, because it seems as though most people can scrabble together at least a passable vegetarian chili.  Does vegetarian chili fall into the same category as chocolate and sex?  Even bad vegetarian chili isn't all that bad?  :)


I have tried so, so many recipes for vegetarian chili over the years, loading up the pot with all manner of nutritious add-ins, including kale, cinnamon, sweet potato, bulgur, cocoa powder, TVP, and faux meat crumbles.  After overwhelming my palate one too many times, I scaled back, showed some restraint, and settled on what has proven to be my favorite combo -- a simple chili containing nothing more than a few veggies, minced mushrooms for umami and heartiness, two types of beans, plenty of tomatoes, and straightforward seasonings.  "Keep it simple, stupid."  Yes, yes ... I'm listening this time.

There are so many carby sides one could pair with chili, including rice, tortilla chips, bread, biscuits, pasta, crackers, and even Fritos!  However, cornbread (or corn muffins) are, hands-down, my favorite side for chili.  I'm not much of a dunker when it comes to soups and stews, so I love the soft, slightly sweet, buttery richness a bite of cornbread offers in-between spoonfuls of spicy, hearty chili.  I tend to make a less traditional cornbread, using both all-purpose flour and cornmeal, melted butter, honey, and buttermilk, and I rarely use a cast-iron skillet.  (Honestly, I find the skillet tends to over-bake the edges of the cornbread, resulting in almost chokingly-dry leftovers.  Wah.)  I often make cornbread muffins, as I find they are the best keepers (and freezers!)  However non-traditional my cornbread may be, it's my favorite.

Two-Bean Chili

serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 c chopped red onion

1 c chopped bell pepper (red or green)

2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (optional)

8 oz mushrooms, minced (using a food processor or blender is super fast!)
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
2 cups cooked black beans
2 cups cooked kidney beans
28 oz diced tomatoes (undrained)
splash of water (if needed)
1 tbsp hot sauce (such as Crystal or Cholula), optional

Directions:
1. Heat the olive oil in a 4-quart soup pot.  Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeño (if using,) and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are soft.
2. Add the minced mushrooms, chili powder, cumin, and salt, and continue cooking until the mushrooms release their liquid and most of the liquid cooks off.
3. Add the beans, tomatoes, water (if needed -- depending on how thick you like your chili,) and hot sauce, and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Serve with any number of toppings, including (but not limited to) green onions, cilantro, shredded cheese, or sour cream, with cornbread on the side.  Leftover chili freezes well.

Buttermilk Cornbread
makes one 8- or 9-inch pan or 12 to 14 muffins

Ingredients:
1/2 c butter, melted and cooled
1/3 c honey
2 eggs
1 c buttermilk
1 c cornmeal
1 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease your pan or line your muffin tins.
2. Whisk together the melted butter, honey, eggs, and buttermilk until well blended.  Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, and salt in a second bowl, then add to the wet ingredients.  Whisk together until the batter is well-blended and few lumps remain.
3. Pour the batter into your prepared pan or divide between your muffin cups.  Bake 8- or 9-inch pans for 40 minutes, or muffins for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
4. Cool pans of cornbread well before serving.  Muffins are fine served warm or at room temperature.  Muffins freeze well.

What's your favorite thing to serve with chili?

UGH.

It's been a weekend of sickness.  I've been harboring a cold for a week or so now, (just as soon as my allergies wrapped up, I caught the cold the kids at work have had,) woke up with back pain on Friday, and also came down with a bit of a tummy bug on Saturday.  Boo!  While I'm on the mend today, John's getting worse, so we haven't been eating much this weekend.  Or doing much of anything, besides sitting on the couch.  (We went to the Redbox yesterday, and I had to take a nap afterwards, it's that kind of sick.)

Here are a couple of pictures from before the germs took hold . . .

Chili and cornbread:

I made my plain/basic recipe, which is always a little bit different, but always contains onion, garlic, green peppers, minced mushrooms, beans, diced tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, and a little hot sauce.  This time, I also added a few spoonfulls of leftover refried beans and a few spoonfulls of leftover homemade salsa, in an effort to clean out the fridge.  :)  Topped with shredded cheese, green onions from the garden, and sour cream, this was a great, filling lunch.  Side of Buttermilk Cornbread (I cut the sugar in the original recipe down to 1/3 cup, by the way,) rounded things out nicely.

Since it's been chillier, I've been wanting oatmeal for breakfast lately.  I decided to switch things up and make baked oatmeal!

This is a relatively simple breakfast to make, and doesn't take too much prep time, although it does require about a half hour in the oven.  I'd consider making this the night before and popping the oatmeal in the oven just as soon as I wake up, or save slices to be reheated in the microwave as needed.  :)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups oats
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup brown sugar (or much less . . . as prepared, this was too sweet for me -- I'd consider 1/3 cup next time)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
pinch or two of salt
1 tsp vanilla

Directions: Combine everything well and pour into a greased 9-inch baking dish.  Bake at 350 for about a half hour, or until the oatmeal is set and beginning to brown around the edges.  Serve with milk or a drizzle of cream!

OK . . . back to the couch.  I'll be back to work tomorrow, so I better rest up!

Meals in bowls

Lunch today was chili, with a side of homemade corn bread, and dinner was whole-wheat rigatoni with olive oil, garlic, dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, artichokes, spinach, and goat cheese. One-bowl meals are awesome!

John's pie

Friday night, John and I were wandering through Byerly's, trying to figure out what we were going to make for dinner. (We settled on bruschetta and quiche, not necessarily related, but both tasty! And no photos, sorry!) John noticed that Friday is "pie day" at Byerly's, and half-pies were on sale. I managed to convince John NOT to buy a grocery store pie, in favor of homemade pie the following day. :)

Here's John's pie:

I used my great-grandma's recipe for piecrust, using a little bit more butter than shortening, and it turned out FABULOUSLY. Granny Smith apple filling, with plenty of cinnamon and nutmeg. Mmmmm. Must have been good, as there is only ONE piece left. And I made the pie on Saturday morning! :) Do you think I have enough willpower to save the last piece for the next time I see John? I'm not sure . . . !

And a couple more meals from the weekend --

Chili!

We went ice skating on Saturday evening, and chili was the perfect post-skate, warming dinner. I have really been digging my "basic" recipe of late, containing little more than onion, garlic, bell pepper, minced mushrooms, chili powder, cumin, salt, diced tomatoes, beans, vegetable broth (or water,) and hot sauce. Plenty of toppings this time, including pepper jack, cilantro, green onions, and sour cream. (Chips and guac on the side, not pictured!)

And Pad Thai!

I augmented the recipe for "Brooklyn Pad Thai" from Vegan with a Vengeance by adding some shredded cabbage (and cutting back a wee bit on the noodles,) a couple scrambled eggs, and extra peanuts. Spicy-sweet-salty-tangy and delicious! I love Thai food.

time for a new camera, I guess!

I think I've officially reached the point where it's time for me to buy a new camera. I love my Canon, but it's getting OLD. It's the only digital camera I've ever owned, and it's just not making the grade any longer! (And I'm finding photos taken with my phone have a weird greenish tinge to them -- why is that?)

Am I going to be able to afford an SLR, or will I settle on another point and shoot? Time to start price-comparing. I'm sure I'll just end up ordering something from Ritz Camera again, but it's not going to happen tomorrow, obviously. :) Let me know if you have a camera that you absolutely love -- I'd enjoy any input!

In the interim, enjoy some slightly blurry, low-quality food photos:

Sweet-and-Sour Tofu:

My, oh my, does this taste just like Chinese restaurant take-out! Super quick and super easy, to boot! Here's the recipe, courtesy of the Betty Crocker Cookbook:

Combine, and bring to a boil:
1/2 cup sugar (!!!! Yes, that's a lot! It's junk food!)
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, minced or grated on a Microplane

Combine, stir into sauce, and cook until thickened:
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp cold water

Fold into sauce, and return to a boil:
1 package extra-firm tofu, cubed and browned
1 medium tomato, cut into wedges or large chunks
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into large chunks
8 ounces canned pineapple chunks, drained well

(And yes, the tomato is take-out traditional, but a little strange, if you ask me. I might switch things up next time, using a red bell pepper and broccoli instead of the green bell and tomato. Might even improve the nutrition profile a little, right?)

Serve over brown rice, which will make you feel much better about the quantity of sugar you are about to consume. :)

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Dinner last night was a good, basic, homemade chili:

I think I've written about this ad nauseam in the past, but really, when it comes to chili, I like to keep things simple. Here's the recipe I made last night:

Saute in olive oil until soft:
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
about 2 cups of minced white mushrooms
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 canned chipotle chili in adobo sauce
a few pinches kosher salt to taste

Add to chili, bring to a boil, then simmer until you are ready to eat:
28 ounces diced tomatoes with liquid
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp hot sauce (I used Crystal, since that's what I had on hand)
enough water just to cover

I ended up adding a little too much water to my chili last night, so I simmered the whole thing uncovered for a while, until it thickened to my liking. Shredded cheese, green onions, and sour cream are my favorite chili garnishes. What do you like to pile on top of your chili?

Chili is best served with cornbread, in my opinion:

I'm really starting to love Real Simple's recipe archives online -- I've found everything that I've tried to be reliable, reasonably healthy, and mostly focusing on whole, real foods -- pretty much exactly in line with my style of cooking. This Maple Corn Bread was no exception! The only significant change I made was subbing canola oil for the melted butter, since I had plenty of oil on hand, but almost no butter.

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I've really enjoyed the last three days of my four-day weekend . . . and I'm so glad I have one more day left! Hope you had a happy Thanksgiving!

impromptu dinner party

I sent a couple of friends an email yesterday, offering chili for dinner . . . and surprisingly, two of my friends were free and came over! Wooo-hoo impromptu dinner party!

I made my basic chili and a pan of cornbread, and my friend Tiffany brought a delicious salad of mixed greens with two cheeses, homemade lemon vinaigrette, and croutons -- yum! We enjoyed hortchata to drink, plenty of conversation, and three hands of "Old Maid" -- all three of which I lost. Oh well!

I spent most of my day having fun yesterday, so I have tons of work to do today. Wish me luck!

basic chili

I tend to overload my chili with too many ingredients, sometimes -- too many veggies, too many different kinds of beans, cooked grains, TVP, etc. Sometimes this can be too much of a good thing . . . once when I put a bunch of kale in chili, Dan commented, "this tastes really healthy." Uh-oh . . . in my book, healthy food shouldn't "taste healthy," know what I mean?

So, when I set out to make some chili last weekend, I chose NOT to use a recipe -- mostly because many of my chili recipes are complicated enough, without my temptation to add extra things. :) My goals with this chili were as follows:
1. To use up an extra red bell pepper that was starting to get a little "wilty" in my produce drawer
2. To have a basic, "beans-and-tomatoes" flavor

Short story long, I succeeded:

As I was digging around looking for that past-its-prime bell pepper, I found five cremini mushrooms that needed to be used up, so I decided to mince those and toss 'em in, too. (I can't EVER leave well enough alone, can I?) But this addition turned out to be a VERY good thing, because the minced mushrooms mocked ground meat in an almost eerie way -- and from now on, I will add minced mushrooms to my chili!

Here's the recipe:

Saute in a splash of olive or canola oil:
1 cup finely-chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bell pepper, finely chopped
up to 1 cup of minced cremini or white button mushrooms (I'm guessing a food processor would make quick work of mincing mushrooms . . . I just don't have one)

Add, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20+ minutes:
4 cups cooked beans (I used half black, half kidney)
28 ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, with liquid
about 1/3 can water
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon veggie broth base
2 tablespoons hot sauce (whatever you like best will work fine)
2 tablespoons tomato paste

I have been eating this almost all week long, topped with a little monterey jack cheese and scooped up with copious amounts of tortilla chips. :) A yummy, filling lunch!

Sometimes simpler really is better. :)

meals . . .

Sorry for my lack of energy, here . . . can't tell if my body is having a stress-induced meltdown, or I have the flu! Regardless, I barely did anything today -- a little laundry and a sinkfull of dishes zapped all of my energy. Frying an egg and toasting some bread for dinner was WORK, I tell you!

BUT, I did make a few tasty things over the past few days . . .

First, chili:

One of my favorite recipes is the "Very Veggie Chili" from Vegan Planet -- I use black beans and something else (this time, black-eyed peas) instead of the chickpeas, and also add some TVP for heartiness. Always a winner!

More pizza:

It was good at the time, but I don't even want to think about pizza right now -- ugh! Hopefully Dan will eat up all of the leftovers for me. :)

And blessed miso soup:

Perfect cold-weather, feeling-icky food. I would have made more tonight, except that chopping veggies sounded too hard today! :(

Time for more tea . . . !!

Oh yes . . . and Merry Christmas! Mine wasn't terribly merry, (eh sick,) but at least I had lots of fun singing at church before the sickness set in!

I promise a much better New Year's post . . . hopefully I'll be healthy by then!

I needed this.

As you can see from my previous post, I had a VERY busy day today -- so busy, in fact, I never really ate a full meal until dinnertime. I ate plenty of snacks, but by about 6:00 or so, I could really feel a dip in my energy level, and I had a headache brewing. It was about time for a meal, and boy did I need it!

"Black Bean Chili with Cilantro Pesto" from Vegan Planet:

This is one of my all-time favorite chili recipes -- the chili itself is pretty basic, (onions, celery, garlic, tomatoes and tomato paste, beans, spices, and some water,) but add a dollop of the cilantro pesto, (which itself is also pretty basic, for pesto,) and ka-pow! This chili turns into something downright special. I mowwed this bowlful, and my cornbread muffin on the side -- I needed some nutrition!

Pie for dessert:

OH YES.

old skool

I'm not the hugest fan of eggs, but for some crazy reason, I was really craving what I'd call an "old skool" breakfast this morning:



I like to dunk my buttered toast in the egg yolk. :)

~~~~~~~~~~

Always thinking ahead, I prepped a batch of chili yesterday. Gotta love the crock pot:



Chili and cornbread muffins (from the freezer) were a great post-church lunch!

I spent my afternoon prepping all THREE meals (M, Tu, Th) for the upcoming week, so I'm going to have quite the easy time! This is a good thing, since I really need to catch up on yoga.

Off to church for our Palm Sunday choir concert, then out for dinner. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

laundry list of dinners

I don't think I was feeling terribly creative when I did last week's meal plan . . . lots of "repeats," here. Well, at least we ate healthfully and well!

"Brooklyn Pad Thai," from Vegan with a Vengeance:

I usually try to add an extra vegetable to this recipe, (usually broccoli,) to amp up the nutritional value. Last week, local cabbage was on sale, so I picked up a 1/4 head and gave it a try! The cabbage worked very well in this recipe -- melted into the dish, and just sort of acted like extra noodles. Delicious!

Homemade pita, falafel w/the fixings, and tabouli:

I found a recipe somewhere for "winter tabouli," that called for sun-dried tomatoes instead of fresh ones. Worked well! I add TONS of mint to my tabouli, which is usually too much for most people, but Dan and I love. Yum.

Crock Pot Chili:

I've bastardized a Vegan Planet recipe to the point where I might just post my variation someday. I love chili, and I LOVE my Crock Pot!

Don't forget the cornbread muffins:


PIZZA:

Artisan Bread half-whole wheat crust, roasted garlic & olive oil puree for "sauce," a variety of leftover cheeses, roasted red peppers, broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, red onion, and spinach. I LOVE PIZZA.

Brunch for dinner:

I think blue potatoes are so dang fun! Am I weird? Anyhow, lately I've been throwing a drizzle each of balsamic vinegar and soy sauce into my kale, and it's been heavenly! What's your favorite way to cook greens?

three meals

Last week was a "Brooklyn Pad Thai" (with broccoli) week:

I know that Isa says that her recipe in Vegan with a Vengeance makes four servings . . . but we get between six and eight servings from one recipe. Whew! (Who can eat that much food in one sitting?) I'm really not complaining, though, because I loves me some delicious pad thai. And this past week, I streamlined the whole process by prepping all of the ingredients, including the sauce, on the weekend, so when it came time to eat, all I had to do was heat a pan and dump pre-measured bags/containers in. Woo! Convenience!

We also had this delicious meal, prepared by Dan:

Dan fried up some tofu, added mushrooms, garlic, onion, kale, and a whole bunch of yummy stuff to make a "sauce," (including, but not limited to, mustard, balsamic vinegar, and capers,) and served roasted purple potatoes on the side. I did nothing to help with this meal, besides chop up the kale. (Dan said he was intimidated by the size of the bunch.) Delicious! Dan really should cook more often. :)

And, chili and cornbread is always a quick, delicious dinner:

I edited Robin Robertson's recipe for "Black Bean Chili with Cilantro Pesto" by adding some TVP, a canned chipotle pepper in adobo, and four Thai chiles, minced, and threw the lot in my Crock Pot and cooked the chili on high for four hours. Spicy, spicy chili! My tummy may hate my later, but this was FANTASTIC. The cilantro pesto really makes this dish! Corn muffins are extra-dark because I used buckwheat honey to sweeten them, but I love the dark muffin with the golden-yellow kernels of corn poking through. Plenty of leftovers for lunches this week, too!

supper tonight!

Chili, that I put in the Crock Pot this morning, and corn muffins, which I baked last night!

Talk about an easy supper! All I had to do was slice up half an avocado for us to share.

Dan had banana ice cream for dessert:


And I had homemade butterscotch pudding:


Even Oliver got to have a little ice cream, too!

(Dan was kind enough to let him lick the bowl.)

Yoga Challenge (day 7,) big shop, and FLOG

I went for a walk with my friend Courtney this afternoon, and decided yoga would be a good way to stretch out my muscles following our light, social work-out. I chose the 35-minute instructional portion of Yoga Journal's "Step by Step Session 1" video that I got from Netflix earlier this week. Although this portion was not a flowing routine, I still think I got a lot out of it -- the tutorial moved more slowly, so I was able to focus more on my breathing, as well as attempting to do the poses correctly.

I'm really struggling with downward dog. I have an extra "bend," (my body is more of a U-shape, as opposed to a V-shape,) and can't seem to find a way to get my feet flat on the floor. I have long legs, stubby little arms, and inflexible leg muscles -- downward dog is quite the challenge! Any ideas/suggestions from you yoga queens out there?

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Almost first thing this morning, I decided to borrow Dan's car for a majorly big shop at the co-op. I felt like I needed one of everything! Geez! Here's the motherload:



BULK:
local sliced almonds
organic raw almonds
organic pecans
organic walnuts
tahini
local, organic, whole-wheat pastry flour
local, organic rolled oats
organic short-grain brown rice
active dry yeast
organic, fair-trade, dark chocolate chips
nutritional yeast flakes
dried blueberries
dried cherries
dried apricots

CHEESE:
local, organic ricotta
sharp cheddar

FROZEN:
organic raspberries
Boca meatless crumbles

HERBS & SPICES:
local, organic ground allspice
local, organic star anise
local, organic Italian seasoning
oregano
parsley

PACKAGED GROCERY:
organic brown rice vinegar
red wine vinegar
aluminum-free baking powder
organic no-stir peanut butter
"Moroccan Pomegranate" red tea
organic apple cider vinegar
organic light agave nectar
local, organic maple syrup
organic pumpkin puree
artichoke pasta sauce
local, organic sunbutter
muffin liners
Seventh Generation laundry detergent
Seventh Generation dish soap
Seventh Generation TP

PERSONAL CARE:
razor cartriges
NatraCare pantiliners

PRODUCE:
organic celery
organic bananas
organic avocado
organic eggplant
organic red onion
organic red bell pepper
jalapeno
organic pitted dates

REFRIGERATED GROCERY:
organic superfirm tofu
Earth Balance buttery sticks
"Watermelon Chill" Naked Juice
local, organic eggs

I should be set for a LONG time, save for produce, don't you think?? :)

~~~~~~~~~~

COFFEE:

I usually take my coffee black, but I decided to add almond milk and agave this morning.

ERRANDING SNACK:

I HATE it when I get it in my head that waiting to eat breakfast is a good idea . . . I saved myself by picking up a Naked Juice at the co-op. This one is one of my favorites.

LATE BREAKFAST:

Leftover roll, toasted, with sunbutter.

BRUNCH:

Scrambled tofu, hash browns, and a Minneola.

AFTERNOON TREAT:

The last chocolate-chip cookie.

DINNER:

My friend Ashley came over to hang out, and I made us chili and cornbread. I used the "Very Veggie Chili" recipe from Vegan Planet again, adding a package of Boca meatless crumbles. I also switched it up a little more this time, using kidney beans instead of chickpeas. This may be my go-to chili recipe from now on -- it is so hearty, nutritious, and tasty!

TREAT:

Ashley bought us some pumpkin ice cream! It was SOOOOOOOO tasty. I'm using all of my willpower NOT to finish off the rest of the pint that's tucked away in my freezer right now!

~~~~~~~~~~

Don't forget to spring your clocks ahead tonight!

I like good food!

Dinner Friday Night:

Macaroni and Cheese with Cauliflower, from Real Simple. (Green cauliflower, you ask? Nah . . . broccoli. I guess Dan doesn't like cauliflower??) The dish was relatively easy to prepare (much simpler than a traditional bechamel-based baked mac and cheese,) delicious, nutritious with broccoli and whole-wheat pasta, and even reheated well! If you decide to make this, beware . . . it's a LOT of food. We had this Friday night, for lunch again on Saturday, and there were still two helpings left! (One I sent home with Dan, one for a work lunch for me this week.) P.S. More beet 'n' goat cheese topped salad on the side. MMMMMMMMMMMM.

Saturday breakfast:

Not brunch, mind you, breakfast! We had things to do, so we had an earlyish start Saturday morning. I varied our brunch this week a little bit by roasting Yukon Golds and sweet potatoes, (I had a sweet potato that needed to be cooked STAT!), instead of our usual hashbrowns.

Dinner Saturday night:

I finally cracked Vegan Planet, (I swear I've owned this cookbook for three years and have never cooked from it,) and made the "Very Veggie Chili," adding a package of Boca "Meatless Crumbles." (I rarely buy "fake meat" products, but I must admit, a package of soy crumbles really makes a chili, in my opinion.) We topped the chili with shredded sharp cheddar, sliced avocado, and light sour cream. Corn muffin, (from Veganomicon,) coleslaw, and homemade pickle on the side!

Lunch Sunday:

"Tempeh and Red Bean Jambalaya with Chipotle Chiles," again from Vegan Planet, served over brown rice, with a side of coleslaw. This was good, but not stellar. I wonder if this is one of those dishes that gets better the longer it sits? It was spicy, smoky, and tomato-ey, but that was about it. I was hoping for more complexity . . . alas!

Last, a couple of weekend baking projects:

Lemon Shortbread:

I based these off a recipe I found in an old issue of Cooking Light, but I didn't really follow the recipe completely. Regardless, the shortbread are lemony, crunchy, slightly sweet, buttery (even though I used Earth Balance,) and vegan, to boot! Yum.

More Artisan Bread:

I may never buy bread again. (Just lots of flour.)

I can't tell you how many sinks full of dishes I've washed this weekend, but it was totally worth it! I like good food!

catchin' up (ketchup?)

I have actually been taking pictures of things I've cooked -- don't you love it when those pictures pile up?

Anyhow, here's what I've been eating lately.

Thai-Tofu Soup with Coconut and Lemongrass:

I realize I make this about once a month, but I'm willing to bet that's not nearly frequently enough for Dan.

Cranberry-Banana Smoothie:

Fresh cranberries have been plentiful at the co-op lately, and I've purchased several pints and stuck them in the freezer for moments such as these.

Mystery Soup:

After defrosting some leftover potato-garlic soup, I added half a leftover baked sweet potato, cubed, and an enormous handfull of fresh spinach. Topped this with shredded cheese and green onions, called it lunch. (Very tasty, and much better than I was expecting it to be!)

Chili in the Crock Pot:

I'm not even sure I can remember what went into this! Ingredients that I can remember: onions, garlic, green pepper, corn, potatoes, kale, tomatoes, kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, brown rice, vegetable broth, chili powder, and cumin.

Chili, hiding under many garnishes:

After topping a bowl full of chili with cheese, green onions, cilantro, avocado, and lime juice, I scooped it all up with some organic blue corn tortilla chips.

Sushi:

Can one enjoy sushi too often? I think not. :)

Shoot! I totally forgot to take pictures of the banana muffins I made for the cake walk at school tomorrow night. I have a few left . . . I'll post about them next time!

I'm headed out of town this weekend -- travel safe everybody, and Happy Tofurkey Day!

(P.S. We had a gift-giving idea-generating competition at the store during last night's staff meeting, and my teammate Stephen and I took third place, which meant we each won a $25 gift card! Wahoo!)