Beans, Beans, Beans...

Is everybody's Saturday turning out to be a good one? I hope so - I feel like mine was pretty productive!

Started out with a relatively simple bowl of pumpkin hot cereal:

I felt it was time to go back to basics again :)

Today incorporated pumpkin puree and a couple slices banana while cooking, and topped with some pumpkin chia-seed yogurt pudding for topping, as well as some toasted coconut, toasted walnuts, raisins, banana, wheat germ, raspberry preserves, and almond butter. 

Delicious no matter whether simple or complex!

The morning was then spent getting some groceries with mi madre and then I went into town to clean the office and finish my valentine's day shopping. We're not big Valentine's Day people obviously, but we usually tend to get each other random cutesy nick-nacks. I was back by noon (I love waking up early and getting the "grunt work" over with before it's even the afternoon!) and opted for a small snack incorporating this beautiful creation:

Ahmahgaw. Sooooo good. I received my Naturally Nutty order yesterday, but didn't try any then, and nor did I have it with my breakfast this morning - will power, I tell ya! But when I got home I needed a snack (I like eating lunch later) so opted for an orange and had just half a Joseph's Flax Pita left after last night's dinner. So I made a quick little PB&J panini! White Choco Coconut + Pomegranate-Cherry Jam + Soft Flax Pita + Panini Press = Heaven. This isn't Jess talking right now, it's her spirit. The end.

Have you tried any of the Naturally Nutty line? What's your favorite?

I also got two other flavors - but you'll have to wait and find out what they are :)

After getting some schoolwork done for an hour or two, I was ready for lunch.

After last night's Garlicky Butter Beans & Scallops with Bacon, I had a big spoonful or two left-over that I added to. Normally if there's such a small amount left I don't bother saving it (It's just a tease!) but I knew I'd be using more of the beans for a wrap for lunch today (whole can open!) and thought I could just add more beans and veggies to the already-deliciously flavored mixture. Worked great! I just heated last night's mixture up in a pan, added some more butter beans, dijon and garlic, and spooned that over a pita that had some romaine and red onion. Tri-Fold and Press!

Delish. Other snackins included this Luna Cookie:

It was on clearance for 90 cents at P-Chop. Couldn't resist.

The verdict? It's basically a brownie Clif Z-Bar but with peppermint icing! I definitely think it's the same recipe, haha. Which, since as you all know, isn't a bad thing because I love Z-Bars. But I was definitely expecting something more like a cookie! The peppermint icing made it not too chocolate-y though, which was my only issue with the Choco Brownie Z-Bar. I heart chocolate peppermint.

I have made so much progress organizing my recipes! I am finally getting things out of my over-crowded bookmarks online, and organizing and printing from Word. I feel like my web-based collection is too small now,though! Gotta start bookmarking again.

Dinner tonight was...you guessed it...more butter beans! I actually don't think I'd ever used butter beans much prior to last night, but they may very well be one of my new favorite beans. Of course, since I love all beans I don't know how valid that statement is. I opted for a Butter Bean Curry with Homemade Naan!

Okay, so my Naan is nowhere near as gorgeous as Jen's is, but I tried! I'd never made Naan before, and I was terrified after having a failed Roti attempt not too long ago. I wasn't sure how thin to roll them out, and I am pretty sure I went a bit too thin, but it actually came out really delicious! I'd type out the recipe, but I want you to go read it on this amazing blog instead! Jen has so many amazing recipes, and she's not lying when she calls it "Ridiculously Easy Naan." A few notes, however: I halved the recipe, used 1 c. bread flour and 1 c. whole wheat flour, used garlic salt with parsley in place of the salt, used half almond milk and half water, and used olive oil rather than canola. Mmmm!

The bean curry was helped along by the Good Housekeeping Coconut-Chile Curry Sauce that I've mentioned on here previously. I sauteed butter beans, carrot slices, red pepper, diced plum tomato, and onion in minced garlic, added 1 T. of the Curry sauce, and seasoned with ginger, curry powder, cumin, and pepper. When it was all done, I topped with some shredded coconut (key!!) and had a side of sugar snap peas, as well. The craving for them hit - I used to have them on a daily basis, ya know!

A simple, easy dinner...but definitely hit the spot. The curry was perfect scooped up by the Naan! You really must make it. If I can, I'm pretty sure anybody can. 

I'll leave you on this note:

I've got some Moguls and speed skating to watch!

Night everyone :)

What's your favorite Indian dish?

Overboard

Is everyone super happy it's Friday? I know I'd be lying if I said I wasn't! I'm also super excited for the start of the Olympics. Finally something good on television!

This morning started with another ridiculous bowl of Toasted Coconut Gingerbread Oats with Choco-Mocha "Icing". I think it's safe to say I've been going a little overboard with the toppings as of late, no? hehe.

At least it's still kind of healthy though, right? It just feels like cheating :P

I'm totally loving the whole molasses/gingerbread flavor. And hey - blackstrap molasses just so happens to be an excellent source of iron and calcium! How ya like them apples?

The usual mix with heaping 1/8 t. each ginger, nutmeg, ground clove, and cinnamon; vanilla extract, and 1.5 t. molasses. 

Topped with 2 t. coconut (toasted) toasted walnuts, goji berries, crystallized ginger, banana, wheat germ, raisins, and a maraschino cherry, just for good measure!

The Chia-Seed Yogurt Pudding "Frosting" of the day was brewed coffee, almond milk, chia seeds, greek yogurt, unsweetened organic cocoa-powder, and a splash of agave. 

*deep breath* phew! that was a mouthful!

Lunch was a repeat from the past couple days, yet still hasn't gotten old! I actually froze the meatballs so they kept pretty well. Still enough for one more delicious turkey buffalo wrap, too. 

Work actually went by pretty quickly today, just slowing down towards the end of the day so I ended up leaving a half hour early. It was a beautiful day outside so I took the opportunity to walk a package down to the post office. I love being able to take a short walk during work, even though the wind did get quite chilly after a couple minutes! Oh, well. The sun was gorgeous, and I can't help but to smile when it's out. The weather has such a huge impact on my mood, I think moreso than most people.

How much does the weather affect your mood?

I came home to a surprise!

Aside from my Naturally Nutty shipment coming in, my mom was thinking of me when she saw these at the Discount Foods Store! Sure, the cans are dented but who cares? They're not expired yet, and will certainly be consumed before that date, anyway. I was mourning to her about the pumpkin shortage awhile ago, but she remembered...and I've been dying to try the S'mores Z Bars. 

She's too good to me :)

Dinner tonight was a good one, too! Even though I only got home about 20 minutes earlier than usual, I just felt like I had so much more time to cook! It was quite nice. This is another "how is this healthy" meal from me, haha. Sure, I'm not saying it's a prime example of health food by any means, but food can certainly get much junkier than this, too. And I've finally finished those scallops! hah.

Garlicky Scallops & Butter Beans with Bacon

For One

Ingredients:

2 slices raw bacon

~3/4 c. raw scallops with their juice

1/2 c. canned butter beans, undrained

1/8 c. each: diced scallions, diced red bell pepper, diced red onion

2 sundried tomatoes, diced

1.5 t. minced garlic

1 t. honey mustard

salt & pepper

EVOO

Destructions:

1. Defrost scallops in microwave, do not drain liquid from bowl. Microwave bacon on paper towel-covered plate for 45 sec, blot away excess grease, and chop into medium-sized pieces, trimming away excess fat.

2. Over low heat, begin sauteeing the minced garlic in a non-stick pan drizzled lightly with olive oil (alternatively, I'm sure you could omit the EVOO and microwaving the bacon, and instead use the bacon grease in place of EVOO. I declined on the notion.) Add the scallops & their liquid as well as the bacon, scallions, pepper, and onion. Season with honey mustard, salt and pepper, and allow scallops and bacon to finish cooking thoroughly.

3. Once thickened some and scallops and bacon is cooked, add the beans and sundried tomatoes.

4. Plate!

I cut and then toasted a pita with some garlic, and served with a side of "burnt broccoli," as well, and topped with some parmesan. Delish!

If only burnt broccoli looked as appetizing as it tastes. It's my favorite way to eat broccoli! So much better than just steaming or microwaving it.

This was a really good meal. Next time? I'll be making some homemade Naan rather than the pita!

Is anyone else excited to have the Olympics to watch?

What sport are you most looking forward to?

I  can't wait to watch the snowboarding. Ice skating is exciting, too. ( the racing )

Nommin'

I caved.

I finally opened the giant can of pumpkin I've had in safekeeping for months last night.

and OH, my world, I forgot how much I love pumpkin. I guess I wasn't necessarily "hoarding" it...but I was worried it would be difficult to find it after Thanksgiving. That and...it's a giant can. I wanted to make sure I would appreciate every last spoonful and not get sick of it and have to throw some out!

...I don't think that will be happening.

After waking up ravenous in the middle of the night and remembering the pumpkin I'd opened earlier, I had to make up some pumpkin yogurt...it was so good that it made an appearance as my porridge topper!

Aestheticlly pleasing? It's Debateable. Palate pleasing? Oh yes.

The usual mix, topped with banana, Kashi H2H Warm Cinnamon, chopped walnuts, Red Raspberry Preserves, Barney Butter, and a mix of Greek Yogurt, Pumpkin, and a splash of almond milk.

To be honest - I much prefer putting the pumpkin right in the oats. The coolness of the yogurt and the warmth of the oats kinda weirded me out...but it was good nonetheless :)

...And you know you're just destined to have  "nommin'" day when you find yourself eating a grilled banana and almond butter pita pocket before even leaving the house - even though you're still full from breakfast!

I was still full from breakfast...but I could NOT get this out of my head! So I justified it by using half a Joseph's flax pita, half Better N' PB, half Full Circle Almond Butter, and adding in some wheat germ. Hey, an extra peanut butter n' banana pita never hurt anybody, right?

And it worked to my advantage - while I was using the panini maker I figured why not make my lunch extra special and utilize the panini press? We have one at work but it's all gross and full of old, congealed grease and cheese. Why don't people wipe stuff down after using appliances like that? It's not gross then - it's gross months later, however.

mmmm.

Does anybody else swear by those Copco travel mugs? They're the only ones I have luck with not spilling all over me! They have the coolest looking cold beverage one, too.

I don't have any exciting stories today, except for the one thing I had on my mind all day: Sweet Potato Crepes. You see, I've had this idea since my Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie. 

To be honest, I didn't think the idea was all that strange when I thought of it. But then I searched high and low and could not find a recipe to reference anywhere. I mean, I guess making your sweet potatoes into crepes rather than just mashing them and eating them as a sad may be a little extravagant. But they're sweet potatoes! Sweet potatoes are heaven sent! You can do anything with sweet potatoes! Why not crepes?!

Needless to say, that did not discourage me (though it probably should have suggested that I'm a little wacky) and was instead just going to be hoofin' it alone.

In my head, the crepes would be slightly sweet, relatively true to a plain sweet potato. The filling would be slightly spicy beans, peppers, and chicken in a small amount of thick cream-based sauce.

So, that's just what I did. Which is shocking, because half the time I think about a recipe creation this much in advance, I;ve changed twenty things by the time I actually execute it. Ah well.

To speed up the process, I boiled and mashed a sweet potato last night, so I would be all-systems-go when I got home from work. (Funny side note? with all that pumpkin in the fridge, my pumpkin yogurt in the middle of the night was almost sweet potato yogurt. Luckily, a hunk of sweet potato skin stopped me dead in my tracks.)

For the "Crepes" I whisked together approximately half the sweet potato, 2 eggs (plus a splash of egg beaters), scant 1/4c. or so of almond milk, 1 T. or so of flour, and seasonings: chili powder, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. It made a mixture that was runny enough to thinly coat the entire pan when I tilted it. Cook in pan coated with non-stick spray. I got three medium-sized crepes.

Obviously, my crepe-cooking techniques need work. Or I need to be more attentive.

I think it's both.

For the Filling: (which weren't very photogenic) I sauteed red beans, Quorn chik'n tenders, minced garlic, red and orange peppers seasoned with chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper and eventually added in some Imagine Organic cream of broccoli soup and half a cheese wedge. 

Fill the crepes and fold!

I also whipped up some greek yogurt with some of the mashed sweet potato and Cedar's salsa and put some of that in it, too.

mmmm, good! Why just lump on a pile of mashed taters when you can have this much fun playing with your food, instead?! And think of how pretty they'd be if you're a good crepe-maker :)

The sweet potato flavor comes through really well, and I love the combination of the chicken and beans with it. 

I hope everyone enjoyed their Friday! I'm off for some baked pumpkin oatmeal dessert, sure to be followed by pumpkin yogurt!

What's your favorite thing to do with pumpkin? Or...sweet potatoes, for that matter :P

Tuesdays are for Eating

That's the conclusion I've come to: Tuesdays are for Eating.

Delicious eating, that is.

Too bad the food that ends up tasting the best, always looks the worst.

And it's a good thing, too: Learning about family violence for nearly three hours does a number on your optimism. Especially since you all know how cheerful and in love I was just prior to it! 

It's such a difficult thing to grasp, too: I've been fortunate to never have to deal with an issue so troublesome personally, and have never even been witness to such things. I live in Vermont: there was one documented murder in 2008. [enter C.J. class from earlier today! hah] so I think part of why I find social problems so fascinating is because I can't quite comprehend the mindset of someone who would intentionally harm others: especially young children and elders.

But anyways, I won't send such thoughts your way, too. You're not here to get depressed.

I bet no one guessed I made a Tex-Mex Sweet Potato Pie while I was home earlier for dinner!

It. was. divine. If you like your sweet potatoes savory, like I do, then you've gotta try this :) Here's how I did it!

Cubed and boiled a sweet potato while having a love affair eating my lunch.

[we won't mention that due to the love affair I may or may not have over-boiled it slightly...]

Mashed the potato with half an onion, cream of broccoli soup, chili powder, cumin, franks, salt and pepper, and spread half in the bottom of a casserole dish.

Topped with a serving of pink beans and sprinkled with cumin, garlic powder, pepper, and chili powder.

In a separate, microwaveable bowl, I combined Quorn Chik'n Tender and 1 cheese wedge, and microwaved until cheese was melted. Then added chopped red and yellow pepper and salsa. Seasoned with pepper, garlic salt, chili powder, cumin. Spread on top of bean layer.

Spread remaining mashed sweet potato mixture on top, and sprinkled with paprika, parmesan, real bacon bits, chili powder, and pepper.

Threw it all in the fridge while I was away, got home and baked for...30m? at 415*.

So, that's what I did...and it was great! Loved all the flavors together. BUT! Next time I would either: nix the bottom sweet potato layer and just put it all on top, OR! Bake the bottom sweet potato layer until it firms up, and then continue the layering process, and then bake again. 

Obviously it was all cooked through, but the beans were a little soupy, so the bottom portion got a little soupy, rather than firmed up. It didn't bother me any, but it might be a nice added touch.

I also would "jazz up" the bean layer - maybe some cilantro and corn, and maybe a cheese wedge? But I didn't want to go through all that prep, and it was nice simple, too.

Paired it with an amazing salad. I love simple salads with minimal dressing...and remember that raspberry honey mustard I picked up last week? Well, I still hadn't used it...haven't been sure what to use it on! And then it clicked that it would make a great salad dressing!

So, that got drizzled over some romaine, red and yellow pepper, pickles, and feta. Carrots were added after - forgot about them!

Overall, a successful day :) I am so full right now...Not digging the whole "eating dinner at 7:45" thing, but I'd rather enjoy a nice hot meal at home than eat in class. I draw enough attention to myself when I start mowing down on dried veggie crisps. [true story. those things are loud. I can hardly hear the lecture...needless to say, I stopped and opted for the clif z bar in my pocket. what can I say? I'm always prepared. I always have food in my pocket.]

What was your good eats of the day??

Love

It's official.

I'm in love.

Initially, I was going to talk about how I fell in love with this new Silk PureAlmond Original Almondmilk, and that there is officially no use for me to need a Valentine this year.

d.e.l.icious. Remember when I was having a big coffee creamer dilemma? It's been solved. Who knew almondmilk was the answer? I disliked almondmilk the first time I had it months ago. But this Silk brand is absolutely amazing..

But, behold! I realized that I may be cheating on my new lover, with the delicious bowl of oats to follow my first encounter with almondmilk:

Your parents lied to you when they said carrot cake wasn't for breakfast.

That's right...Breakfast Carrot Cake...uh...Porridge? Some hybrid word born from "TVP-Bulgur with Soy-Wheat Bran-Oatmeal"? I'm not sure what to call my mix. 

In the Bowl: The new "usual" mix of equal parts TVP, Bulgur with Soy, Wheat Bran, and Oatmeal, and equal parts Almondmilk and brewed coffee.

Also: half a large carrot, grated, nutmeg, cinnamon, ground ginger, 1 packet SunCrystals, half a banana, and vanilla.

Topped with: "Icing" consisting of large spoonful of greek yogurt, splash almondmilk, cinnamon, and agave. In addition: sliced banana, dates, raisins, crystallized ginger, and additional grated carrot.

Forgot to add because I was so excited: shredded coconut.

The icing seriously made this. I wasn't going to dress it up in such a way but then I saw the Greek Yogurt staring at me so innocently, and my new lover Almondmilk was asking to get more incorporation into the dish, as well.

So.dang.good.

I was excited and nervous about the Almondmilk when I saw it at the store the other day. I remembered the first time I tried it, I could take it or leave it. But I was intrigued that Silk now made an almondmilk line! They had vanilla and original - I opted for the original. It's perfect! And I can use it in my coffee happily! Meaning, not feeling like I'm being deprived of an enjoyable cup of coffee without those terrible creamers because it tastes just as good, if not better! That and it's delicious on its own - way better than soy or regular milk.

And then, I met another new love shortly before leaving for class:

My first Luna bar. WHAT?! I'm only just getting in on Luna bar action? I really must have lived in a cave... Unwrapped and bagged, because I'm always the disruptful one nomming on food in the back of the room. Was hoping this might reduce my disruptful-ness.

Seriously have been missing out on the bar & peanut butter craze. I've got a lot of catching up to do. Must.try.Chai.Tea.flavor. STAT!

Cookies 'n' Cream Delight was just that. The folks at Luna don't lie! I'm a big cookies n cream fan, and this was just like the ice cream :)

I'm also beginning to LOVE my Tuesdays. Why Tuesdays, you ask? Seems like a terrible day to love. You haven't reached Wednesday, and you're still far from the weekend.

Well, I love Tuesday because I love being able to come home and make a lovely lunch, utilizing wraps, hummus, fried eggs, and veggies, which we all know I ... you guessed it... love!

I was really proud of how well I wrapped and pannini'd that wrap...

Only half the orange and carrot made it to the photo shoot alive, though...

En la tortilla: fried egg, more hummus than Cedar ever intended for one person to eat at once, dijonnaise, pickles, red and yellow pepper, romaine, feta, and salsa.

With some delightful Snyder's oat bran pretzels. These pretzels are really good! 

A little bit of heaven on a plate...I'm so easily pleased.

You know what else is awesome about tuesdays? 

While I'm home, I can prep dinner!

Any guesses as to what I made up tonight? I'll give you some hints:

Anybody? Anybody? Okay, one more...

I warned you...

I'm hoping my concoction tastes as good as its' parts!

What's one thing you've loved about your Tuesday so far? I hope there's at least one thing!

Oh, Hey, February...

...how did you sneak up on us so fast? I'm still in November!

I've finally found the perfect combination!

Equal parts bulgur with soy, TVP, oatmeal, and wheat bran! Simmered with equal parts milk and coffee, or milk and water if you choose - with cinnamon and nutmeg and vanilla (to the extreme) and whipped banana! 

Topped with the rest of the nanner, dates, red raspberry preserves, wheat germ, and Barney Butter!

Oh, yes. I went there.

Oh, how I love dates. And nanners. And Barney Butter. And this whole concoction.

And, of course, Green Mountain Coffee "Golden French Toast" flavor.

d.e.l.icious.

Why do I feel the need to combine four different grains/proteins for  complete breakfast?

I'm not really sure. BUT! I like the higher protein content of the TVP and bulgur with soy. I'm not sold on the texture of TVP alone, nor the texture of Bulgur alone - as a breakfast food, that is. The two combine are really good. And then this morning I figured, why not sub some TVP for regular rolled oats?!

Maybe I'm just weird to want the best of four worlds, though...

Do you like mixing foods, or are you picky about keeping everything separate?

I do the same thing with food on my plate...mix it all up! 

Work started out sllllooowww this morning. I wasn't sure if I was going to make it to noon without lulling off into sleep! But then luckily after my amazing lunch of leftover noodles, a fun graphic design job came in, along with a bunch of stuff to print! Score. All accomplished while grazing on veggie crisps all. day. long. No shame.

Except, working on other peoples' business cards makes me realize how badly I need to re-do mine! Luckily, I have until April or so before I start needing them. It's always good to be prepared, though!

I've been having wicked cravings for a Mexican-esque dish lately! I was tempted to make a Mexican polenta casserole like I had thought I was going to make last night, but then didn't want to wait for it to bake, etc. So instead I made a sort of huevos-rancheros-meets-red beans & rice dish!

It was actually really good - and you know you'll be seeing red beans throughout the next couple of days now that I've opened a can! I'm not complaining :) Especially since I don't think I'll be able to kick my mexicn polent casserole idea until I finally make it!

Here's what I did!

For the "Rice" layer (bottom): Brought equal servings TVP and Bulgur Wheat with Soy to a simmer in equal parts Imagine Orgnic Creamy Broccoli Soup and water. Season with salt, pepper, chili powder, and cumin.

For the Bean Layer: Saute minced garlic, onion, carrot, and red beans and season with spicy brown mustard, pepper, chili powder, and cumin. Add in one cheese wedge.

For the Top Egg Layer: Saute red and yellow pepper and add in egg mixture - eggs, milk, spicy brown mustard, salsa. Season with salt and pepper. 

Layer in your bowl and top with salsa, franks, parmesan, real bacon bits, and remaining red and yellow pepper. Viola! 

Take away the heat with a refreshing dessert:

All mixed together: 1/2 thinly sliced banana, instant oats, greek yogurt, dates, drizzle agave, and instant vanilla pudding mix. Freeze for 30m and enjoyed with some Total complete :)

So, overall, a pretty boring day. Time for a new Two and a Half Men! The only decent show left on television...lol.

How was everyone's February First?

Absolutely Fantastic

"Absolutely Fantastic."

This is what a man on a BBQ ribs show just deemed his recipe, but it also fits my day, and that includes my eats for the day :)

This probably looks vaguely familiar. BUT! If you thought this was a repeat of some Blueberry-Lime Buckwheat Pancakes, then you would be incorrect. Instead, we have Lime Poppyseed English Muffin French Toast! I guess we should start airing a few of my breakfast obsessions:

1. Poppyseeds - Essentially, lemon or lime poppyseed flavored baked goods

2. bananas, blueberries, FRUIT!

3. greek yogurt. 

4. really good jam or preserves

A month ago, this list would have consisted primarily of oat bran or oatmeal. I still love me some oat bran and oatmeal, but I have been shifting my tastes, I guess! This list will only get longer.

To make this lovely french toast breakfast yourself, simply combine ~1/4 c. egg beaters, 1 egg white, splash soy milk, vanilla extract, nutmeg, poppyseeds, zest of 1 lime, juice of 1/2 lime, and stevia or your sweetener of choice. Halve a whole-wheat english muffin, and poke each side with a fork (well, the "hard" side of each half). I've found it helps if you nuke it for a couple seconds first, too. Start pre-heating your pan, and then dip halves in egg mixture and allow to soak up some of the liquid. Throw on your pan and cook to your liking! Towards the last half of their cooking time, I threw in some frozen blueberries, and when they were all done I topped with some greek yogurt, strawberry preserves, some more poppyseeds, and the remaining lime zest. Loffly!

After happily beginning my day with a sure-fire brekkie, I got everything together for classes, which involved organizing all of my camera gear into one bag. This proved to be much more difficult than one would think, given the ridiculously large size of my camera bag. This also included lunch-packing:

nom-nom-nom.

Drove to school in a beautiful wintry mix as the weatherman would say...and it was! Love it when it snows. It is so comforting! Morning classes flew by, and so I flew into Hannafords to pick up some goods! It's the only convenient time for me to go there, really. They have a couple things that the local P.Chop doesn't, so I figured it was a good way to kill the two hours I had before my next class...I needed more o' deese:

Oh, yeah...enough veggie chips to get me by for oh, a couple days I Suppose. My mom asked me if I left any for the other Hannaford's Nature's Place hippies. Also got some more quorn chik'n tenders. 

And check out these mustards!

Not sure how "right" it is for a Vermont chickie (a.k.a. me) to pick up Maine Maple, but how could I pass it up? Can't wait to try them. I'm so lame.

Lunch Obsessions:

1. mustard. of all shapes flavors and forms.

2. Anything in a wrap. Anything that can be thrown in a wrap. La Tortilla Wraps. Sandwich Thins.

3. Panini Presses

4. beans.

5. hummus & veggie sandwiches.

to be continued...

Photo was fun today! We got to shoot a little in a lightbox. Pretty sure my teacher has a vendetta against me though because, for some strange reason, she dislikes the lab I work at? 

Has anyone had a teacher where you get the impression that they are threatened by your knowledge of the subject? I still have so much to learn about photography, don't get me wrong. But we're starting with really basic stuff, so of course I answer, or ask more questions out of curiosity...and I always get these strange responses that are sort of "well...you're right, but..." and some nonsensical answer that includes why it could be wrong. I don't know.

Anyways. It apparently snowed like crazy for the two hours I was in there! There weren't any windows so I was shocked to leave the building and see slippery sidewalks & roads, and mas fresh snow coating the ground. Love snow!

Came home and threw together fish tacos!

My first ever, no less. Granted, these are fish tacos in a pita. But shh. It's pretty darn similar, no?

These were definitely holy-yum though! To make them I browned 1 tilapia filet seasoned with pepper, garlic salt, and chili powder in minced garlic, lime zest and juice, onion, cilantro, and chipotle salsa. In a separate pan, I threw together some julienned carrots, red pepper, chopped tomato, and salsa and seasoned with salt, pepper, chili powder, and lime juice. Added in some parmesan cheese and franks, and then stuffed a toasted Joseph's Flax Pita with chopped romaine, the veggie mix, and the fish mix (which got treated with some Frank's!). And a blob of greek yogurt "sour cream" on the side!

Soo nommer-ful. Love fish! Pretty sure I could be a vegetarian if I didn't love fish so much. I could care less whether I ate real meat again, but I love fish.

Dinner Obsessions:

1. mustard. still.

2. veggies of all shapes flavors and forms. 

3. wraps. still. beans. still.

4. tilapia. salmon. crab. shrimp. FISH.

5. Quorn Chik'n

6. Polenta.

to be continued...

So, that's about it! I'm off to enjoy some dessert :) But, I want to know...what are some of your food obsessions?!