No Bake Chocolate Macaroons

I recently made up these decent macaroons from oh she glows. They turned out pretty good. I didn't have any kitchen disasters or anything!

However, I don't love them. I find they have a super strong banana flavour (even if my taste testers didn't notice). My husband didn't love the coconut flavour. He thought it was overpowering. Myself? I didn't even taste coconut. And yes, we really did taste-test from the same recipe.

Next time I would put in more maple syrup because, if I'm honest, I like super sweet things. Once everything was mixed together I felt it was too late to add more, so I threw in some vegan chocolate chips to add a bit of sweetness to it.

I'd probably make them again. They're ok and super easy to make.

Weekly Wrap-up

Ahh. Another week. I survived. It was a particularly bad week but I'm fortunate to be surrounded by some pretty awesome people. I have received tons of support for which I am extremely appreciative. Thanks guys. :)

(Some) Stuff I ate:

Chili

Grilled Veggie Pita from a local eatery



Amy's Pizza. My new favourite food

So good it deserves two pictures

I also had a gluten-free dairy-free donut thing, which was ok. Some day I will remember to take a picture and get brand info and all of that. Hang on to the edge of your seat. (I'm sure you are).

Stuff I Want to Eat

The plan this week is a bit up in the air. It's BBQ season with unpredictable weather. We didn't get to the spaghetti squash last week, so that's on the list. Unfortunately I didn't get around to baking or cooking much this weekend. I had hopes of making couscous salad (with bean sprouts and zucchini!) and banana bread. No such luck. For the rest of the week I plan to have:

• Veggie dogs topped with grilled mushrooms and bean sprouts
• Grilled veggie kabobs (eggplant, onion, zucchini, peppers)
• Veggie burger with a newly purchased BBQ sauce, topped with grilled mushrooms, bean sprouts, and eggplant
• Tofu souvlaki
• The above mentioned spaghetti squash
• Leftover Amy's pizza. I wish I had enough for every day.

I don't typically have so many meat-replacement items in my week. This was faulty planning.


In the Rest of my Life

• I got adventurous in the grocery store and bought bean sprouts and icky zucchini. I plan to add both to pretty much everything....even though I'm pretty sure I don't like zuchinni. And I don't know that anything 'sprouts' should be eaten.
• We had three cats hanging around our house. Not sure why, but they were here.
• My husband stepped in rabbit pee and I almost died laughing. I literally laughed for fifteen minutes without a break. And then again for a few minutes when he finally let me into the bedroom.
• I finished reading Night Road (it was ok, but wrapped up too nicely for my liking - I'm sadistic that way).
• I'm still reading Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking.
• I may start reading A Fraction of the Whole because a coworker recommended it after she saw I owned a copy of Let's Pretend it Never Happened.
• I have a few new recipes on my radar (eggplant sandwiches, a new bean salad, and a chocolate-y chex mix thing) but they won't happen anytime soon
• My bunnies are awesome (even the one not pictured)

Two kitties pictured

Behr (left), Zayne (right), Naveen (somewhere else)



Tools

As I become more involved in the kitchen (compared to the 'olden days' of just asking what's for supper) I've been reviewing my kitchen tools. Early in, I bought a cast iron frying pan. It has been awesome. I love that thing. I've also recently added:

• a garlic press (awesome)
• an electric chopper (slightly more convenient)
• a toaster oven (not getting tons of use, but hopefully this will increase over time)

We've also recently replaced our Keurig (I know, I know, I'm mean to the environment - even if I only use it a few times per week) and our BBQ (which my husband is struggling to put together).

While my husband was shopping for the BBQ, I checked out other kitchen stuff. I reigned myself in though, because I found I was drawn to impractical things. For example, "oh, look at that teeny crockpot. It's so cute!" and "Aww, look at the itty bitty frying pan. I could cook *part* of an egg!". I think I will hold off on purchases for a while.

Five Months In....

So, here we are. Five months into vegetarianism. Not much has changed in the past month. I continue to have tons of energy...and I continue to struggle slightly with avoiding dairy. But, it's getting better. My cravings are less intense. It seems that I slip up about once per week and it's always the same story....At the end of a Tuesday workday as I drive back to the office I get the urge to stop for a quick snack. My plan to address this is to take a muffin with me specifically for the end of the day. And if I want a 'treat' I can have a frozen raspberry lemonade.

But that's only addressing one obstacle. Sometimes life makes things complicated. This week I will be driving during two of my lunches so I will need to get creative. I haven't figured it out yet.

And other times, things are less complicated than anticipated. I went to a work conference/training thing last week and wasn't sure what to expect for lunch. I had let them know I am a vegetarian, but when I signed up I wasn't dairy-free. I lucked out. Lunch was a selection of sandwiches, and assuming the bread was dairy-free (many are), I made out ok. I had brought along a few cookies from home so I wouldn't feel ripped off as everyone scarfed down the provided options.

Overall, I would have to say that I've become less picky and more adventurous. I hope to continue trying new recipes, tweaking them as I go along. I also plan to start informally tracking my food because I've noticed a slip to not-so-healthy choices.

Anyway, it's time to move on with my day. I need to get some baking done and clean the house. (It's Sunday as I type this, but it won't be posted until later in the week). Right now I'm procrastinating because I should put bunny-Naveen in her cage but she's playing in the sunshine. The current game is flop over, roll, get up, and repeat. She's getting closer and closer to her cage so eventually I won't need to feel guilty about locking her in.

Weekly wrap-up

Exactly.

Things have been crazy busy in the real world and I've needed to take some time to decompress....which meant less time in front of a computer screen since my regular routine just wasn't cutting it. Instead, I've been doing more reading and taking a bunch of walks (hello blister, you are a jerk).

A couple of work things resolved themselves so I'm feeling less likely to snap my crayons (as a dear friend says). This is a good thing because Mother Nature has rewarded us with days of non-stop rain followed by snow and ridiculously cold weather. I am not impressed.

Anyway, this is a non-post. Enjoy some pictures and random things thrown together.

 

(Some) Stuff I Ate:

Earlier this week, we had nice weather and had our first BBQ of the season. Cue veggie burgers and Big Mac Sauce! I use this recipe and now replace the mayo with Tofutti Sour Cream. I didn't notice a huge taste difference and my husband didn't complain, so I gather it was ok.



 

 

Eggplant Ratatouille with rice

Cinnamon raisin flatbread with tahini, maple syrup, and trail mix (so good!)


I also tried those roasted chickpea things but I don't think I had them in the oven long enough. At first they were crispy but then they turned mushy. I may or may not try these again. First, I need to brush up on decision making skills.

 

Food plan for the upcoming week:

•  Chinese inspired cuisine
• Chili (I won the crockpot wars this weekend)
• Something on the BBQ (please cooperate Mother Nature)
• Spaghetti squash spaghetti
• And something I can't remember

 

In the rest of my life:

• I finished reading The Bonesetter's Daughter (pretty good), Zoobiquity (interesting), and Unbearable Lightness (interesting).
• I'm currently reading Night Road, and Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking.
• I've also added a few books to my to-read list, which just keeps growing: Breaking the Food Seduction, On the Island, and The Sandcastle Girls. I may never get to these since I have 90+ books on this list.
• Tomorrow I'm making more muffins (they are handy to have in the freezer), chili, and No Bake Chocolate Macaroons.

Quinoa Salad

I recently tried out a recipe that my grandmother passed along to me. The original recipe can be found here. As usual, I made a few alterations to it....but I don't feel that I made enough to consider it my creation. So, check out the link. Basically:

• I replaced the tomatoes with celery
• I replaced the onion with cucumber
• I replaced the honey with maple syrup, and added an extra teaspoon for good measure.

Overall, it was rated 'ok' by myself and my husband. I think the flavours are fine...it's just that neither of us really likes quinoa that much. In fact, my husband suggested that I just leave it out next time. Um, dear? That's a *main* ingredient. On the other hand, if we are both more likely to eat vegetables by skipping the quinoa, he may be on to something!

I will likely make this again, especially for lunches.  But I may try a few other recipes out first in hopes of finding something better.

Productivity

I call this "Proof that I went Outside"

Today was relaxing *and* productive. It was almost a good day for mental-health rejuvenation...except that I did a lot of baking/cooking and that brings out grumpy tijya.

Right this second, I'm stuffed full with eggplant parmesan. And I've realized this is not a good state in which to blog, as it makes me very lazy....which means that this will be a very bullet-happy blog post.


Today, I:

• made vegan muffins (oatmeal chocolate chip muffin mix with flax-egg)
• made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
• made a rice & chickpea salad (will post later)
• did laundry
• tidied
• went for a long walk with my husband
• had a nice long bath
• read (part of) a book
• made eggplant parmesan
• prepared my lunch for tomorrow

I still need to:

• pay bills (ugh)
• figure out breakfast for tomorrow (ugh)
• type up a recipe for blogging later this week

All things considered, I think I out house-wifed my husband today. All he did was vacuum, clean the bathroom, mend a ripped jacket, and make dead-cow stew. Not that we are competing or anything. ;)