Yes, sometimes I do eat pizza with a knife and fork. I have no issue spearing a french fry with a fork, either.
Anyway, my Sandwich Saavy is a little underwhelming, to say the least. Something I found completely intriguing when I bought The Urban Vegan last year was how many recipes involved sandwiches. The picture Dynise painted, though, was one of sophistication and elegance, rather than the not-so-attractive picture that is Me With A Sandwich. MWaS usually involves graceless gnawing, possibly unappealing ripping apart of a formerly handsome sandwich, and probably a quickly deconstructed pile of carbs and "other stuff." In other words, I'm not one of those women who looks sexy eating a sandwich. I'm pretty sure I look something like a cross between a pig and a teenager.
So, although I would love to open my stylish, reusable lunch-carrying-device and gently lay a cloth napkin across my lap before gently taking a small bite from my pumpernickel and sprouts sandwich, generously spread with Sandwich Mousse that does not squish out the other side of the bread and fall onto the pretty napkin, I think we'll leave the Euro-style lunches to Dynise for now. Let's talk about dinner instead.
Last night, I had a meal I have dubbed The Dinner of Champions purely because I was a little appalled at the combination of things I ate last night. To provide a little background, I ended up getting home from work early since the police had to evacuate our building to search for the bomb the mean man called about. Ordinarily, this would create a great opportunity for me to spend a little extra time making a special dinner. However, upon my return, Mister shared with me that he had just learned of a friend's death and after we sat together for a while, he determined he did not want to eat. I did, so I made a sandwich with apple butter and peanut butter, and then did my best to eat it without splooshing the apple butter out the back and on my un-napkined lap. I was a little heavy on the apple butter, so I found myself craving something savory. I heated up one of Mister's frozen hashbrowns and while I waited for it to get crispy and greasy, I poured a glass of Tempranillo-Merlot (it seemed like a nice splurge after the whole evacuation thing). A little while after eating my hashbrown with mediterranean sea salt, I realized I was still hungry, so I made another sandwich. Then I decided sandwiches + hashbrown + red wine was a deadly combination for my recovering digestive system. Actually, the pain and nausea made that decision.
Sorry, no pictures, but I figure you all know what a sandwich looks like and if you've never seen a hashbrown, it's time to call your parents and ask them why.
Tonight, I got home late, as if to make up for yesterday. The train was late, which is always awesome when it's whirlwindy and cold and threatening to rain, and then I had to stop at Whole Foods for bread and apples, so I decided to make my fastest cooking meal. That just happened to be Lemony Garlic Chickpea Patties from Vegan on the Cheap.
The first time I made these, I found that the "dough" didn't stick together very well, so this time I added a little extra liquid in the form of vegetable broth. Despite that, it felt like these little patties were a little lemon-heavy. They also packed a bit of heat from the garlic that is still lulling around my mouth (I think I'll probably taste it until tomorrow). I really like these patties, but a few tweaks will make them even better.
Next time, I'll press the garlic instead of chopping it and hoping the food processor does the rest. It doesn't. I liked the addition of the vegetable broth, but it seemed to make the dough a little too sticky, so I think I'll add it a little more slowly and give it time to work into the mixture more next time, or I'll add more Vital Wheat Gluten. The first time I made these, I had gotten a great deal on Meyer lemons. The difference in taste between the juice of those two little lemons and the "normal" lemon I juiced tonight was quite significant and definitely in favor of the Meyers.
Nevertheless, it was easy, Mister liked them, and we got to eat potato things, which is always a happy night in out home. I'm happy to be halfway through the week because once again, I am looking forward to a productive weekend. Hopefully, I won't get sick again! Thank you to Kelly and Jackie for your thoughtful comments on the last post :)
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