never too busy to cook

1. sandwich on homemade bread with lettuce, onion, tomato, tofu, olives, and guacamole


2. wheat rotini with veggies stir fried in nutritional yeast


2. basmati rice, lentils, and stir fried veggies


4. pizza on homemade wheat crust, with tofu, bell pepper, onion, and mushroom


5. homemade pumpkin pie granola with soy milk


6. wheat rotini with stir fried veggies and tomato sauce

7. peanut butter chocolate chip cookies...cookie dough was vegan, the chips were not this time

8. salad with roasted red pepper hummus, sunflower seeds, and tofu


9. vegan chicken and dumplings...soooooo good...will write up a recipe asap!


10. amazing salad with homemade croutons and green olives


Amidst the busyness I have still had time for cooking (and these photographs are snapped awfully quickly with only available light from a window or a certain adjustable fluorescent lamp, let me tell you!) because I have put all of my other hobbies on hold until my senior show is up (sewing, reading, drawing, jewelry-making, the list goes on, oy...sometimes even laundry!). I still have to eat, however, and I just really don't believe in having premade, overly processed food at every meal. And so I continue to cook. Easy things, mostly. After my show is up, I have a ton of recipes I have been waiting to try.

fresh from the farmer's market

I apologize for my lack of posts lately. School is picking up, work is picking up, and in between there are so many other things to do!

This past Saturday I insisted on getting myself up very early and going to the farmer's market here in town. I'm so glad I did. I love seeing all of the happy vendors with their prized vegetables, flowers, and other goods. I love talking to them and listening to what they have to say about what they are selling. It's the closest you can get to growing your food yourself.

I acquired one sunflower, five zinnias, 4 purple (yes, purple! they were gorgeous) bell peppers, 4 red tomatoes, 2 green tomatoes, 2 mini eggplants (melanzana!), 1 butternut squash, and 1 red bell pepper. Some delicious dishes have already come out of them, and there are a few things left...which will probably be eaten today...but! The market is open on Tuesdays so I might go again in the morning. hehe.



Also! The other day I made peach oatmeal brulee...and it was amazing. You just prepare some oatmeal to your liking, then broil it in a small dish with a few teaspoons of sugar on top for about ten minutes. It's so good!

just like christopher columbus

I've now purchased my very own microwave and skillet. This must mean I am growing up, I'm almost sure of it. Things are getting checked off my list...only a few more days until the move!

So, the other day I thought relish sounded like a wonderful idea, and rather than look up a recipe, I just gathered up what I could find from the pantry and fridge.

And it's so simple really, that I don't know if it's even right to call this a recipe, but it was delicious just the same, so if you'd like to make it, here's how I did it:

1 can black beans
1 can sweet kernel corn
1 handful fresh cilantro
1/4 c salsa or 1/4 c pureed tomato + 2 Tbsp jalapeno juice
2 Roma tomatoes
1/2 Vidalia onion
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
salt + pepper

Drain and rinse the black beans, then pour them into a medium-sized bowl. Mash them over with a fork once, leaving most of them whole. Drain and rinse corn, chop cilantro, and dice onion and tomatoes. Add those ingredients to the bowl. Stir the salsa and spices into the mixture, tossing everything together in the process. Serve immediately--good, refrigerated--better, the next day--best! This is good by itself, on top of a bed of lettuce, in a corn taco shell or a tortilla, or with chips.


Today, I decided to make these All-Out Best Oatmeal Breakfast Bars. The recipe gives several variations...just fyi I used natural peanut butter as the fat in mine, and I didn't have anything to stir in so I left them plain. I did top them with a sprinkle of honey roasted sunflower seeds. They are very good, maybe a tad on the dry side though, so to remedy that, I served them with a smidgen on peanut butter on top. Mmm.

I also paid a visit to an Indian grocery store I noticed in town a few weeks ago. They had an awesome array of spices in what I consider to be bulk, as far as spices for a personal kitchen go. And they were at terrific prices! I got this 14 oz. bag of sesame seeds for $3.25. Last time I bought sesame seeds, I got a 1 oz. jar made by McCormick brand spices (a very common spice brand here, and I assume elsewhere in the U.S.) for around the same price. I also got 7 oz. packages of cumin, ginger, and coconut powder. All of that was only $10! It's an exciting start to all of the spices I hope to accumulate for the various recipes on my to-cook list. I get a little disappointed at my usual supermarkets when I see all of the high prices on the spice aisle, and for tiny, tiny bottles. Here I felt like I was getting a special deal. I guess Christopher Columbus had a point when he set out for India in search of spices.

I love Indian cuisine and the store was very inspiring. I wish I'd looked up a few specific recipes before going, so I could've gotten some specialty items, but I'm sure I'll be back for another visit in the near future. If you're local and want the address, let me know!