refriedillas and via-to-go

Was that even English?  I'm looking at the title of my own post and thinking it looks like a jumble of letters, but if you take your time and read it more than once, it will make sense...especially in the context of the post!

Today was awesome.  For one thing, I've been waiting for today all week.  For another thing, almost everything about today was pretty darn good - the sun was out and the weather was gorgeous (if not a little on the windy side).  I got up shortly after Mister left for work with an enthusiastic kitty waiting to say hello (actually, he was yowling outside the bedroom door) and had a delightful breakfast:

Apple Almond Oatmeal
serves 1 (but easily multiplied)

1 small apple, diced
1/2 cup dry oatmeal
1 cup nondairy milk (I used So Delicious Coconut Milk)
1 tsp Earth Balance
1 tsp Cinnamon sugar
1 tsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp sliced almonds

Melt the Earth Balance in a large skillet with sloped sides.  Saute the apples 2-3 minutes, until golden and tender.  Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and stir well to coat evenly.  Add a couple of Tbsp of the milk, then sprinkle the oats over the apples and stir to combine.  Pour in remaining milk and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, stir in maple syrup and almonds.  Cook 3-5 minutes on low, stirring often, until all liquid is absorbed.

I hope you like oatmeal, because it's only October!  No fear - I have some other tricks up my sleeve, so you won't spend the winter learning 1001 Ways to Cook Oatmeal.

Since we leave for California on Thursday, it's a short cooking week and I was able to buy all of my groceries at Whole Foods, affording me some free time to play my piano before heading out to teach other people how to play the piano.  It's a pity how infrequently the teacher practices...  Regardless, although I had plenty of time to finish everything I had written on my to-do list last night, tomorrow is supposed to be another spectacular day for roaming around the city I love, so I saved some "errands" for tomorrow.  You know, really burdensome things like shopping for make-up and playing at Williams Sonoma.  I'll be crying all the way down Chestnut Street.

Before I got on my train this afternoon, though, I stopped at the adorable hidden-under-the-stairs Starbucks at Market East and bought myself a present: Cinnamon Spice Via.  Okay, two presents - as long as I was there, I treated myself to a short peppermint Americano.  The short size is probably one of Starbucks's best kept secrets - 8 oz of your favorite drink; a little less costly, and more importantly when relying on public transportation schedules, a little less bladder-filling. 

I can't wait to try the Via, but I will.  Tomorrow, I will drink hazelnut coffee with my Mister like I do every Sunday.  Monday, though, I will have a new weapon to battle the coffee at my office (which is much better than the coffee at our old building, but still tastes like a paper cup, even when you drink it from a mug).

Dinner was Big Quesadillas with Refried Beans, Spinach Arugula, and Avocado from Vegan Express.  I've renamed it Refriedillas because the linguist in me cannot deal with quesadillas that aren't even made with quesas falsas.  For you non-Spanish-speakers out there, quesa=cheese, and there wasn't even fake cheese on this tasty little fold-over dinner.  I realized I should have taken a picture before I folded them over after I folded them over and effectively sealed them shut.  A few tweaks to the recipe resulted in a very tasty and filling dinner - I spread the refried beans over the entire tortilla because I didn't see how it would seal shut otherwise - tomatoes are not known for their adhesive qualities.  Also, I placed a layer of avocado inside each 'dilla rather than on top of them because although I know I need to work on presentation, Mister is more interested in practicality and loves food he doesn't need to use utensils to eat.  Maybe it would have been prettier to place them artistically on top of the 'dillas with a nice splat of salsa...but I'm pretty sure we both would have taken the slices off and discarded them rather than finding a way for them to fit into the 'dilla.

They were tasty and super-quick, therefore a good "back pocket" recipe.  I really ought to start storing those somewhere - a "back pocket" file or something.  We'll put that in the category of "cool things I want to do with my next kitchen."