I love having so much time on my hands- it makes me think of summer; especially when the weather forecast tells me it’ll be in the 70s this week- and sunny!

Although I love warm weather (I’m a summer person all the way) and despise the cold, I can’t help feeling like something’s not right. This winter season- it’s just been weird. Almost like we skipped it completely and went right from fall to spring. It’s bittersweet I guess.

I’m beggining to think my avocado seed will never sprout.

Heres what it looked like originally.                         And here is what it looks like as of today.
 

Woah, I just calculated it and it’s been about 27 days since I planted it! There’s definitely something wrong. You can check out how I started it here.

Even if the avocado plant ends up failing, at least I find solace knowing that our fruit trees are budding. This ones a plum tree.

Something I’ve learned this week: avocado and hummus were made to go together. Seriously. Try it. In the picture I have 2 slices of my own homemad bread, a few TBs of hummus, and 1/3 an avocado.

My new favorite, I have no idea why it took me so long to try it!

 Question: Do you like avocado? What’s your favorite way to eat it? Mine would be the way pictured above, and in a smoothie or creamy chocolate pudding..

I must say, I’m feeling quite proud of myself. This morning I created my favorite porridge yet!

I was about to add an egg at the end, but decided against it, remembering I’ve had odd results every time I do add it:

Case in point:

Pineapple Porridge          +         Carrot Porridge

Yeah, I’m glad I skipped the egg.

Apple Brown Rice Porridge

• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 cup almond milk (or sub another type of milk)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 an apple, finely chopped
• 2 TB oat flour * (see note below)
• 1 TB tahini (I didn’t measure- I just dropped in a spoonful!)
• toppings (I used raisins, and sesame seeds)

1. Combine all ingredients except tahini in a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10-12 min on low heat, until thickened.
2. Pour into a bowl, mix in tahini, and add toppings! (I used raisins and sesame seeds)

* I used oats that I processed in the lender/food procesor until it reached a flour consistency.

I think the tahini really helps to give it a porridge-like taste.

The oat flour worked fabulously to thicken it up, without turning it ino a goopy mess! I loved how you could still taste the kernels of brown rice!

This was perfect- exactly what I needed!

This dish combines a bunch of my favorites- apples, vanilla, brown rice, and my love of hot cereals- and transforms it into a unique dish of its own.

Can you guess what my breakfast will be for the next week?

Thats’s right.

It’s not too late to make something sweet for Valentines day!

May I suggest some Soft Vegan Ginger Molasses Cookies?

(One of my personal favorites. Mmmm, I desperately want one of these right now.)

Or maybe no bake cookie dough oat balls?

For a snack, you can try some Creamy Chocolate Avocado Pudding

If you love apple pie, but don’t have the time to make one, you can whip up some lovely Apple Pie Dip

Seriously, it’s like eating apple pie. In dip form.

If you’re up for it, in the morning you can make some Pumpkin Breakfast Cereal via the blender.

Another baking idea:Oatmeal Raisin Muffin Cookies

And that’s about it! Now go get your apron and make something nice for Valentines Day!

California weather is so weird. So far, it has been such a non-wet winter. It has barely rained AT ALL! So, when it started raining this morning, I was a bit relived, even though normally I dislike rain.

I enjoyed some simple but nice oatmeal…

I was feeling a bit plain today. Just oats + water + almond milk.

Since we’re out of bananas, I tried making a smoothie out of froze apple + almond milk. It was… okay, not bad exactly, but not something I’ll try again unless I think of a good way to mask the odd flavor.

Oh, and I made my Baked Quinoa and Eggs again the other day… with a bit of a twist!
I switched celery for the mushroom, add some corn and oat flour, and baked them in muffin tins.

 Before baking:

After Baking:

It made 5 nice-sized muffins.
At least it did… until I tried to remove them from the tin and they completely collapsed on me.

From this:

To this:

Obviously, I’ll need to tinker the recipe a bit more if I want them to hold together.

Oh well, I still ate every last bite of it!

I’m going to tackle a new recipe this week. Oh! I just remembered! Valentines day is coming up! I’ll have to make something for the holiday. Perfect, I guess I’ll try these cookies from my recipe-to-do-list.

Quote of the Day
I am the author of my life. Unfortunately I’m writing in pen and I can’t erase my mistakes…
~Unknown

Are you planning on watching the superbowl?

I’m most likely going to plop myself down on the couch, with a green smoothie

and a muffin…

… and do work during the game and watch the commercials.

Oh, yes, it’s all about the commercials.

….

Just kidding!

I’ll watch the game too, even though I probably won’t understand a bit of it.

Every year I relearn some football rules, then promptly forget them as soon as the day is over.

Take a look:

avocados!

They were on sale (3 for 99¢ for 99 cents) I’m guessing becasue quacamole is such a classic for the super bowl. We ended up bringing home 15!

Yay, it means more creamy chocolate pudding for me!

Well, whatever it is that you’re doing, have a great Sunday!

 Quote of the Day
Sometimes it’s not so much a matter of what you’re going to do with your life, but a matter of creating a life that can do something with you.
- Susan Gale

]]> http://enlo.com/super-bowl-sunday/feed/ 0 http://enlo.com/comforting-lentil-soup/ http://enlo.com/comforting-lentil-soup/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 03:44:52 +0000 Adrienne http://enlo.com/?p=1743 Ah, an in-season recipe! I’ve been talking a bunch about smoothies, and I kept thinking I couldn’t let winter go by without a good soup recipe!

Enter: lentils

Add some millet…

And you got yourself some soup!

Comforting Lentil Soup

• 1 TB oil
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup dry lentils
• 1/2 cup rinsed millet
• 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup frozen or fresh corn kernels
• 1/2 cup your choice of vegetable (I used cauliflower)
• 1.5 TB cumin (or more/less depending on how spicy you like it)
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 6 cups water or broth

1. Heat a large pot with oil. Add onions and garlic, and saute a few min until fragrant. Meanwhile, rinse lentils. Dump into the pot, and bring to medium heat.
2. Add cumin and curry, and let the lentils pop and begin to release a nutty smell. After ~3 min, add tomatoes, water, and salt.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 25 min.
4. After about 25 min, add in remaining ingredients (millet, corn, and vegetables).
5. Bring pot back to a boil over medium heat, then reduce and simmer 25 more min.

The first few times I made lentils, they turned out sorta brown and mushy. Not exactly what I had in mind (pic below).

But I think I’ve finally got the hang of it! Doesn’t this look much better :

I’ve also found that the recipe makes a large amount of soup that I  can freeze in mini pyrex dishes, which can later be reheated and eaten for lunch. Very handy.

This has a pleasant kick of spice in it, but it’s not too overwhelming. Since recently discovering cumin, I’ve been adding it to everything! It’s a new favorite. :)

Question: What’s your favorite spice? I’m a fan of lots, but especially cumin, cinnamon, and chili! (Woah, three C’s in a row)

 
wouldn’t it be great if it actually grew, and actually produced avocados one day? (Hehe, ignoring the fact that it would most likely take 10 years).

It’s supposed to take 3 weeks before I see a change. I’ll be taking lots of pictures!

Other things I’ve been up to: grinding flax from fresh seeds for the first time!

In the blender:

Ta- da!

The difference is incredible! You can tell that the newly ground flax is so much more fresh! The strange thing that surprised me was that grinding the flax actually made it more voluminous. Started with 1/4 cup, and I think I ended up with 1/3 cup.

Hope you had a great weekend!

This time, I made a spin-off of my creamy chocolate pudding, except I made it in a more drinkable smoothie form. So you end up getting to eat(or drink, rather) double the amount!

Enter cocoa powder and bananas:

 

Have I mentioned before how banana crazy my family is?
It’s not unusual to come and home and find 3 bunches of bananas on the counter.

But, on with the recipe (It’s similar to my simple green smoothie)

Chocolaty Bliss Smoothie

• 1 banana, frozen
• a drizzle of sweetener (honey, agave, maple syrup)
• 1.5 TB cocoa powder
• 1 cup almond milk (or your fav type of milk)
• 1/2 an avocado (flesh scooped out)
• 1- 2 handfuls spinach (optional, but I always add)

Add all ingredients to blender.
Pour into glasses and enjoy!

I know, I know, it doesn’t look like chocolate. It looks green. But, as I always say, the spinach is undetectable.

The avocado is the key to making it so creamy. Actually, the avocado I used in this actually wasn’t the usual Hass (Haas) that I’m more used to; it was a variety called Pinkerton that I’ve never tried before. I think it worked equally well; I couldn’t tell much of a difference.

Followed by a Chocolaty Bliss Smoothie today, I munched on some of these prunes. Have I mentioned I love prunes? These Sunsweet kinds especially are terrific.

And take a look….

Adrienne bakes more bread!

Well, adios y’all make the most of a terrific Tuesday!

Quinoa Egg Bake — Edible Perspective

It’s completed! And oh, so, rewarding. I’m going to be making this again soon.

I modified a few things, based on what I had.

If you like quinoa, then this recipe is for you. And if you don’t like quinoa, you can probably sub a different grain (bulghur maybe?), although I haven’t tried it myself and so can’t personally vouch for it. But let me know if you try another grain it it’s place!

Baked Quinoa + Eggs
Modified from Edible Perspective

• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/4 cup mushrooms, chopped
• 1/4 cup canned diced tomatoes (use fresh if you can!)
• 1/4 cup chopped spinach
• 1 tablespoon almond milk (or other liquid to thin it out)
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 3/4 tsp dried basil (or sub other dried herbs- thyme, parsley, etc…)
• A pinch of salt + a pinch of pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375. Grease a small dish. (I used one that could hold 2.5 cups)
2. Beat the egg and egg white together in a small bowl. Dump in all other ingredients.
3. Pour into greased dish
4. Bake for ~35 min, until golden brown.

 

Abolutely worth the 35 min of oven time.

     

And while it was baking, I pricked a potato with a fork and stuck it in the oven as well. I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do with it… I’ll probably end up baking it into a bread of some sort.

Happy Saturday!

Slowly, I’m working my way through some of them. However, I’m always coming across more recipes that I want to try. It’s a never ending process. :)

I’m incredibly messy, though so I’ve decided to compile a list of recipes I want to try. Of course, I have lots more recipes than this but I couldn’t possible name/remember them all.

My Recipe To-Do List

Breads
Red Quinoa Bread – Never Home Maker
Pita Bread
Graham Crackers
Quinoa Muffins – Nutrition Nut on the Run
Artisan Bread in 5 min a day - Bread in 5
Sourdough bread ( I’ve NEVER tried it!)
Pretzels (the yeast kind)
Naan

Breakfast
Blueberry Oat Bake – Edible Perspective
Quinoa Egg Bake Edible Perspective
Buckwheat Porridge – Oh She Glows
Baked Eggs
Quinoa Cakes – Nutrition Nut on the Run
Cocoa Molasses Granola – Daily Garnish

Desserts
Cookie Dough Dip – Chocolate Covered Katie
PB Cookie Dough Cookies – Chocolate Covered Katie
Flourless Chocolate Banana Cake – Elana’s Pantry
Peanut Butter Agave Cookies
Raw Cashew Cake – My New Roots

Main
Lentil Walnut Loaf – Oh She Glows
Stuffed Peppers
Potato Samsosas
Apple Black Bean Chili – Vegan YumYum
Tofu Patties – EatSpinRunRepeat
Gnocchi or Sweet Potato Gnocchi
African Peanut Soup – Allrecipes.com

Other
Banana Crepes — Loves Veggies and Yoga
Raw Oatgurt — Heather Eats Almond Butter
Sweet Potato Hummus — My New Roots
Baked Sweet Potato Chips– EatSpinRunRepeat

I have SO many more than just this list, but I thought it’d get kind of boring to read something so long. :)

Quote of the Day
“The only limitations you will ever have are the ones you put on yourself.”
~Kristina Habashy