go ahead, surprise me

What an unusual day.  It was absolutely chock-full of surprises - some good, some not so good.  Why don't we start at the beginning?

My goal for the next phase of my life is to not need a back-up alarm.  I'm sure you can imagine, my first alarm is annoying, but not nearly as annoying (or far away) as my second alarm.  That's the point, of course - terrifying incentive to get up and out of bed before Mister is awakened by the super-irritating noises my cellphone makes to nag me out of bed.

You would think waking up to a breakfast like this would be incentive enough, wouldn't you?  It would be, if it didn't greet a day that found me making my way out to another glorious day at work, knowing that this will probably be the most special part of my day.  And it was special - like I mentioned yesterday, those strawberries are ineffably incredible and need to be eaten in generous quantities and frequently.

Also, every now and then, there aren't many things that are more amazing than a toasted cinnamon raisin bagel dripping with melted Earth Balance.  Except a toasted everything bagel similarly decked out along with a row of perfectly ripe, organic strawberries.

When I got to work, there were two more surprises waiting at my desk.  The first surprise was found on my desk - an adorable star-shaped lollipop in red, white, and blue (it's Flag Day and as part of Employee Appreciation week at work, we get themed surprises and also honored employees who served in a branch of the military).


The second surprise took the form of an unexpected email announcing the promotion of one of my colleagues - this is both awesome and enviable.  He works very hard and deserves recognition for his efforts.

In a final pair of surprises (at least for the work day), we had a new class of new employees start training yesterday.  Today is normally the day that I blow their minds and they usually return the favor.  This group did not let me down.  They did surprise me, though, in two ways.

New Hire #1 shared her experience from her previous position at AARP - she said that the older folks she spoke to who were healthy and disease free in their advanced years all had one thing in common.  Are you ready?  I know this will blow your mind: they all either followed a vegetarian diet or ate plenty of fruits and vegetables (in addition to meat).  Who's surprised?  Raise it high!  No one?  Yeah, me neither.

The next surprise truly did catch me off-guard.  A lovely woman in the class, I'm guessing she's in her mid-50s, shared the secret of her gorgeous, gray-free hair and it was not what I was expecting.  She said she takes a teaspoon of unsulphured blackstrap molasses every morning and it reversed the grays she did have and now her hair is all blond like it was in her youth.  Considering how expensive it gets to keep up my dye-job, I think I'm going to try it.  The worst thing that happens?  I get a teaspoon of important vitamins and minerals in my morning tea and my hair is still gray.  Not a bad worst-case scenario (except for that whole "hair still being gray" thing).

So...it looks like my class is teaching me, doesn't it?

Dinner tonight was Vegetable Biryani from La Dolce Vegan.  It started out with a fun little spice medley:

And ended up (after some excitement - keep reading) as a tasty little supper:

I think it could use maybe a little more salt.  The only reason I say maybe is because the scent of the spices starts to take over and flavor the food about halfway through and then you can taste more complexity.  It does have to build up, though, and sometimes, I just want dinner to be tasty immediately.  Patience, Grasshopper.

So, while I was cooking, suddenly there came the wretched, loud, annoying, and terrifying sound of a fire alarm, followed by the sight of the occupants of the building next to us emptying out onto the sidewalk.  Mister went out to investigate while I shoved Angst into the bathroom so I'd be able to find him if we needed to evacuate.  Turns out the people on the top floor set their kitchen on fire, but were able to extinguish the blaze before the fire company showed up.  I really hope it just took a while for someone to call them, because if their response time started from the beginning of the alarm, I am pretty sure our whole building will be engulfed in life-destroying flames before they find their way to our home.  After all the excitement, I finally put dinner on the table and told Mister about my fabulous day.

We haven't see the mouse yet tonight, but Angst had a horrible day, so I hope his little friend pops out to say hi at some point just to make him happy.

aiming for osteoporosis

Did you know that osteoporosis is drastically more prevalent in dairy-consuming cultures?  This is just one of the many things I learned from Skinny Bitch that I have found further research to reinforce.  The reason, in a nutshell, is the same reason why our protein-obsessed culture is doomed to weight gain and failing organs, not to mention miles of blocked up arteries.

Looks like we're building a happy post, doesn't it?

Actually, we are.  First, a word from our mascot:

Happy Breakfast

Believe it or not, that was completely unintentional, but as soon as I saw what I'd done, I knew I had to share with someone...who better than you, faithful readers of my nonsense?  So, there's my gleefully anti-Atkins breakfast: carbs with carbs and a little bit of healthy fat.  It was accompanied by a cheerful but muddy mug of green tea spiked with a phenomenal blend of 5 fruit juices, but that didn't really contribute to the happy face, so I left it on the table. 

Ironically, the impetus for my rambling at the beginning of the post was the realization that dinner tonight might have made Dr. Atkins and his Oompa Loompas smile a little with how protein-rich it was.  Granted, there was no animal protein involved, so we were lacking in the atherosclerosis-inducing saturated fat and cholesterol that makes the magic happen, but for the first time in recorded history (to my recollection anyway), I prepared an entree that contained not one, not two, but three (yes, three) forms of protein.

Charro Beans with Chipotle Sausage, from the June (2011) issue of Vegetarian Times found its way onto our table and into our bellies tonight.  I cheated a little bit in the interest of time and used canned pinto beans (protein #1) instead of dried.  They provided a bland and creamy foil for the slightly-spicy-always-flavorful Italian-style Tofurky sausages (protein #2) I cut into rounds as the focal point of the dish.  While I was gathering the few ingredients and the brown rice was stinking simmering away on the stovetop, I noticed the butt-end of the tofu leftover from something I made last week and thought to myself, "why not add it to the pot?" (protein #3).

The dish was good but not outstanding, so I want to focus on the two outstanding things that occurred while I was cooking.

First, I recognized the protein-heavy-veggie-light nature of the dish and immediately thought of all the recipes I've skipped over in Vegan Express due solely to the fact that I couldn't see a good reason to make a dish with more than one source of protein.  I may have to revisit that long-neglected chapter for my next menu, because it really wasn't as traumatic as I thought it would be.  That being said, I definitely need a proportionately larger amount of vegetables if multiple proteins will be involved (just FYI, I have the same reaction to "too many" carbs).  I seek balance in my old age.

Second, and probably more memorable, was this unprecedented reaction during the tofu's brief saute.  I'm not sure if it was due to the drained and re-soaked nature of the tofu or what, but about two minutes into what I had intended to be a 5-7 minute saute, with my back to the stove while prepping the garlic, I heard an explosion.

That's right, an explosion.  One loud enough to draw Mister's reaction from the next room and one powerful enough to make me very glad I had thought to cover the pan.  The tofu was popping in a serious way.  It didn't appear to actually blow up, but it made a heck of a lot of noise and was kind of bouncing between the saute pan and its lid - kind of like mustard seeds but much bigger and whiter and squarer.

I still don't know what happened, but it sure sped up the cooking time as I rushed to add other things for the heat to focus on, like green peppers and faux sausages and fire roasted tomatoes.  If I really felt like being random, I could launch into my Ode to Fire Roasted Tomatoes, but instead I'll just inform anyone local that Superfresh is blowing out Hunt's Fire Roasted tomatoes for a buck a can.

my kingdom for some bread

Bread.  There are so many forms bread can take.  Commonly, it is merely the outside of some delicious inside that makes up a sandwich, but Mister and I quite enjoy bread simply for its breadiness.  We love the house-made focaccia at Horizons, as well as the microwave-warmed pita at Cedars.  We love the hearty whole grain bread from Whole Foods and the meal-in-itself 12-Grain bread by Arnold.  We love to use bread to dip in the hot broth of our soup while we wait for it to cool enough that we can eat it without scathing our tastebuds and Mister especially loves to scoop up various Italian-influenced dinners with some bread.  We have a variety of spreads for our bread: hummus, tahini, peanut butter, apple butter, Dark Chocolate Dreams, and a few samples of Justin's Nut Butters; but sometimes, I just spread some Earth Balance love on mine.

Do you know people have gone to prison over bread?  Even in the popular musical, Les Miserables, one of the main characters, Jean Valjean, spent 5 years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his family.  I realize the novel and resulting musical are works of fiction, but it is historically-based fiction and you can see the same theme represented throughout literary history.  When I was in college, I was part of a group that visited a local prison, seeking to show kindness and compassion to people who had that in very short supply.  I was intrigued by my new "hobby" and integrated it into my studies, even writing one of my term papers on prison recidivism.   Here's where it gets interesting.

Yes, of course I can relate all this prison talk to dinner.  I guess that doesn't say much for my culinary skills, does it?  Regardless, we had Pasta e Fagioli from Vegan on the Cheap, which I truly thought would be brothier than it turned out (as you can observe in the picture - also note the bread; it's about to be important).  Additionally, when I finally arrived home after a brisk walk through mid-30-degree weather, I had an irrepressible craving for toast.  Not just a "Hey, ya know what might be nice?" kind of craving; rather, the kind of craving that causes all the wind to be knocked out of your proverbial sails when you preheat the toaster oven only to open the refrigerator door and see....no bread.

So, I re-wrapped myself in my scarf, coat, hat, and gloves, and much to the kitty's horror, headed back out the door.  Mister needed coffee creamer anyway, otherwise tomorrow morning would be very sad, so I headed up to Superfresh for some pre-shopping (tomorrow is grocery day).

Has it ever occurred to anyone else [in America] how absurdly fortunate we are that there is an entire aisle at the grocery store devoted to bread?  Take a minute to ponder that, because it's not like that everywhere.  I walked the length of the aisle with my eyes peeled for the bright orange circle that signifies this or that bread is on sale.  Best bargain?  $1.50 for a loaf of whole wheat bread.  However, upon examination, I couldn't figure out why it needed half of the ingredients it contained, so I moved on to the $1.79 loaf.  A little better, but still not really a whole grain product.  What I really wanted was for some Arnold's bread to be on sale, even though I knew the best I could hope for was $2.50.  That's exactly what I found and I did stand there for a moment, pondering whether a 71-cent savings was worth the finely milled wheat flour and HFCS.

People go back to prison because of high-pressure decisions like that one that I was privileged to make and sometimes, I totally get that.  It can be overwhelming.  Think about it: for however long you've been "locked up," someone else decided what and even when you ate.  Not the most favorable situation, but what choice do you really have?  So, you do your time: you're where you're supposed to be, you eat what you're fed, you wear what you're given, and you keep yourself out of trouble.  Now you're back in the free world and you have to go food shopping for the first time...and then the second, and on and on.

I have always had the freedom to choose my own bread and it drives me crazy sometimes because of how many darn options there are.  Can you imagine not having to choose and then having so many choices?  I kid you not - honestly rehabilitated people become so overwhelmed with the decision to buy this bread or that bread, they unconsciously put themselves in situations where they are set up to fall again.  Their motive?  To return to what they know, where they feel safe - a place with no decisions.

Heck of a food blog, eh?

Alright, back to the food.

I would much rather have the burden of choosing my Arnold bread if it means I can also make tasty, hearty, inside-out warming soups like this one.  I'm sure prison food has come a long way since, well, whenever, but I'm still pretty sure my soup is better.  It came together quickly, too, although the broth did require some tweaking.  It tasted very tomatoey and not quite as rich and garlicky as I wanted it to, so I added a bit of sea salt and white wine vinegar.  That seemed to do the trick.  I ended up having my toast for dessert, since there wasn't really any broth to sop up (and I really wanted toast anyway).

Finally, I'll leave you with a happy picture and my new menu:  here is my first purple oatmeal of the season!

I get the frozen mixed berry blend at Whole Foods and then heat about a half cup of berries in a covered saucepan until they get all sizzly and juicy, then I sprinkle in the oatmeal and add 1 cup of almond milk and stir everything up.  I had forgotten how good it is.  And how purple.

Despite my best intentions (and the paycheck I just got), this week's menu comes completely from Vegan on the Cheap...again.  Yup, it sure does appear that I'm getting my money's worth from this one!

1. Moroccan Chickpeas and Couscous

2. Indian-Spiced Lentil Ragu

3. Better-Than-Takeout Tofu Stir-Fry - I have skipped over this the last three times I made my menu from this book because broccoli has had a bad year, but I'm going to try this with frozen broccoli and see what happens because it really does look like an incredibly tasty recipe.

4. Rice Island Casserole - I have no idea what is going to happen here, but I think it'll be good.  Either way, doesn't it have an awesome name?

5. Samosa Pie - Mister and I love Indian food, as you have probably observed if you've been reading for a while.  Even more than that, Mister and I love samosas.  There is just nothing bad about them.  The whole pie crust thing has kept me from doing this before.  It may be the wine speaking, but I'm feeling a bit intrepid this week, so let's see how it goes!

6. Vegetable Lentil Stew - yes, it sounds boring after...well, the other 5 menu items, but Mister loves him some lentil stew.

super foodie post

Please pardon what is probably about to be a somewhat random post - there will be at least one connecting thread: everything will have to do with fabulous vegan food!

Most of the time when I post my menu, I do so at the conclusion of the post.  However, it seems like the best place to start this one, considering my Ode to Cookbook Browsing and my Look What I Can Do posts this week.  So, I did finally sit down with a glass of Beaujolais and Vegan on the Cheap last night and figured out what we're eating this week:

1. Caldo Verde with Vegan Gourmet grilled cheeses.  This looks like a hella hearty soup - potatoes and kale work together so nicely, texturally, taste-wise, and nutritionally.  I love the combination of the smooth, squishy potatoes with the chewy, stern kale.

2. Savory Sausage and Peppers which was dinner tonight, so you'll read more in just a moment, but I'll give you this one little hint:  it was so freakin' good.

3. Tropic of Tempeh Tofu - It really makes me sad that Mister crumples into a heap of hurt whenever he eats tempeh, because I really like it and never get to eat it.  Nevertheless, this recipe looked way too good to bypass just because Mister can't eat the main ingredient...so I changed the main ingredient.

4. Better Bean Burgers with oven fries and these super-slick "burger thins."  I can't wait to make this and photograph it because these things are awesome - they're like the Macbook Air of bread products.

5. Tuscan White Bean Pizza because Mister loves pizza and I love Mister.  And I love pizza.  And all things Tuscan.  Plus, it takes a pretty picture.

So, tonight's dinner was Savory Sausage and Peppers and it was delightful.  How can you go wrong with a skillet supper involving diced Tofurky, bell peppers, and sliced potatoes (among other things)?  Also, there is something magical that happens when you add thyme to potatoes.  It seems like most people associate rosemary with potatoes, but I think they missed the boat - Thyme is where it's at.

It looks just as good as it tasted.  Between the intensity of the Italian Tofurky and the herb and salt-rich sauce, I was able to limit myself to just one-and-a-half servings, preserving a decent bit of leftovers for later this week.  This dish smelled phenomenal while it was simmering, even drawing Mister away from his computer and into the kitchen (all 7 steps) to see what smelled so tasty.  I wasn't at all surprised that it tasted as good as it did, but its inherent attractiveness shocked the heck out of me.  I mean, look at it - it's gorgeous!

Breakfast was also stupendous - a girl has to get fueled up for a fun day of grocery shopping and baking for work potlucks, right?  As promised, it comes with another recipe.

Banana Pecan Oatmeal
serves 1 (but easily multiplied)

1 banana
1 cup of nondairy milk (I used Almond Milk)
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup pecan pieces
1 Tbsp agave nectar (although I find the banana, when very ripe, is sweet enough)
cinnamon sugar for sprinkling

Bring nondairy milk to a light boil.  Shake in oats, stirring, then reduce heat to low.  Simmer 3-5 minutes, stirring often.  Meanwhile, break the banana into pieces and place it in a microwave-safe bowl.  Nuke on high for 45-60 seconds, then mash to near-liquid consistency with your spoon.  Pour oatmeal into the same bowl, along with half the pecan pieces and stir to combine with banana.  Taste and add agave nectar if necessary.  Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar (if using) and remaining pecans.

Tomorrow will bring three blessings (we have to counteract that whole Bad Things Come In Threes thing somehow, right?):

1. For me: When I leave work tomorrow night, I will be halfway through my work week :)
2. For everyone at work: we're having a Thanksgiving potluck and surely, tasty food will abound.

Applesauce Softies from VCIYCJ, more in a minute

3. For YOU:  finally, after all your patience, The Great Chocolate Round-Up.  Yes, I promise.

So, Essene was having a sale last week and I took the opportunity to stock up on BOGO Santa Cruz Organic Applesauce.  There are a ton of amazing holiday recipes which recruit applesauce as a fat replacer, binding agent, or just plain fabulous flavor to incorporate into autumn eats.  One of the reasons I don't have a pantry is...well...because there's no room for one.  Honestly, I would give up my dishwasher to have space for a pantry.  The other reason I don't have a pantry is because even though I have the purest of intentions, when there is a sale that causes me to get things I wouldn't ordinarily buy or have no specific use for right now, I bring them home, thinking I'll store them somewhere until I need them, but then they stare at me until I do something with them.  Such was the case with my applesauce, so when I remembered this afternoon that I have a potluck at work tomorrow, I decided to try my hand at the Applesauce Softies that have been softly whispering to me since I got the book (within days of its release to bookstores).

The first step of the recipe involves reducing the applesauce by simmering it until it becomes more dense and concentrated.  The recipe says this should take about 25 minutes, but it took me about 45 minutes to reduce the sauce from 1 1/3 cups to 2/3 cup.  I had hoped that the simmering applesauce would fill my home with the tasty scent of autumn and apples, but it really didn't smell much as it evaporated the juices into the air of my apartment.  The cookies, on the other hand, smelled amazing!  Mister and I did a small sampling, to make sure I wouldn't accidentally poison my work-mates.  The taste is subtle but they are pillow-soft and rather light for cookies.  The best thing to compare them to would be muffin tops - the kind you want to eat, not the kind that make you avert your eyes out of courtesy and self-preservation.

One last tangent, then I'll let you go dream of chocolate in anticipation of tomorrow's round-up: I stopped into Essene today for my last test chocolate, a pizza crust, and hand lotion (can you develop a more disparate shopping list?) and came away with a bonus prize.

That is an organic Winesap apple.  Until today, I was unaware of their existence.  I still haven't eaten mine - I will probably save it to savor for breakfast on Wednesday morning, but I fear that I will become addicted to these the way I have recently become addicted to Honeycrisps.  I fear this because they are not inexpensive, but heavens!  Look at how red that apple is!  The deep crimson apple, along with my newly ebony hair and perpetually ivory skin made me feel something like Snow White...so I took a cheesy picture: enjoy!

tofeta (pronounced toe-feh-tah)

Today was just full of bizarre encounters.  If you'll recall, I mentioned last night (right before my etiquette PSA) that it took me 45 minutes to find parking when I got home from work.  You can probably imagine that by that time, I was going to park anywhere that would not involve my car being towed, so I ended up in a metered spot.  By the time I parked there, the timeframe was no longer applicable, but I would need to move my car by 10 am this morning or risk getting a ticket.

If I wanted to pay to park my car, I'd use a lot and not circle my neighborhood for 45 minutes.

So, I got up with Mister today and moved my car when he left for work.  Since I was up and showered and dressed, I decided to be as productive as possible before I had to go teach in the afternoon.  I browsed through a few bookstores but came out empty-handed.  I did not leave The House of Tea empty-handed, though!

I have now come into possession of my very own ounce of matcha!  It was very exciting.  What will be even more exciting will be the horrendous "trial and error" method I will use to learn how to make my own cups of matcha.  I hope it won't matter that I didn't invest in the cute little bamboo whisk.  I already have four, so unless there is some kind of awful chemical reaction that results from using a metal whisk, there is no reason to buy another whisk right now.

After I had secured my matcha (the tea store is only open three days a week), I wandered down to one last bookstore and then thought I would check out the Craft Fair on Headhouse Square.  There is a lot of beautiful jewelry.  It's a shame Mister works on Saturdays.  After a short bit of "window" shopping, I headed over to Whole Foods and picked up some fruit.  I don't actually need to go grocery shopping until Wednesday, but I've been going through 3-5 pieces of fruit a day for the past week or so, and I ate my last pear and 2 kiwis for breakfast this morning, so tomorrow's breakfast would have been sad/nonexistent.

Actually, let me interrupt my generally pointless rambling for a moment to bring you a True Story About Breakfast.

You heard me.  Breakfast.

We've all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, although we've also probably each heard a few different reasons why that is so.  In Skinny Bitch, Rory and Kim assert that what you eat for breakfast sets the tone for the rest of the day.  This makes sense to my brain and I've read that before.  If you eat crap, you'll crave crap - Lucky Charms for breakfast = Big Mac for lunch, so to speak.  On the other hand, if you start your day with something pure, clean, and completely natural, well...you can probably follow the thread.  They explain that their Perfect Breakfast consists of three pieces (or servings) of fruit, consumed slowly, and one at a time - not like a fruit salad.  They explain that this is the perfect "skinny bitch" breakfast because fruit, when consumed alone, moves quickly through the digestive process, leaving your body free to work off stored fat once you've finished digesting your breakfast.  My thoughts?

Give me a break!  You must be kidding me!  I thought they were mad for even suggesting something like that - why would I want a breakfast that digests quickly?  Doesn't it have to carry me through, energy-wise and hunger-prevention-wise until lunchtime?  They even admit that not everyone can get into an exclusively fruit breakfast, and in their 4-week "diet" menu they do include a protein source and/or a bread/grain with breakfast each day.  I'll tell you what, though - my curiosity got the better of me, so one day last weekend (when I would be home to shove more food in my face if I became as overwhelmingly hungry as I anticipated I would become), I tried it.  First, I had a nectarine.  Then, I had a kiwi, and a second kiwi after that.  I felt sated, clean, and most importantly, energized.  I felt pure!  So, I kept doing it, and every day I am still surprised when I'm not starving within an hour of breakfast.

Speaking of kiwi, I have recently discovered that I really like that bizarre little fruit.  Fortunately for me, SuperFresh is selling them for $.50 apiece right now.  When I stopped in to get some kiwi, I also picked up three nectarines.  As I was placing the third in my bag, some random woman who had snuck up beside me said with disbelief, "Now, you don't really think you're going to eat all of those, do you?"  I started to explain that I ate a lot of fruit and that these were in addition to a big bag full of apples, pears, bananas already at home, but she had already launched into her tale of woe.  Apparently, she thought she was being a good mom/wife and bought a bunch of fruit for her family, but most of it went rotten because her children didn't eat it, "what a waste.  Where is the broccoli?"  I pointed it out to her and then picked out my kiwis while wondering why she hadn't eaten the fruit before it went to waste.

When I got home from teaching and had a much easier time finding parking (under one minute), I started dinner.  Yes, it was a little early, but that was because my tofu needed to marinate for at least an hour, but I wanted to give it more time.  Tonight's dinner was Gourmet Greek Salad from How It All Vegan, complete with Faux Feta.

Look how pretty and multicolored it is!  Also, it is my opinion that the average person would not know that is tofu if I hadn't already revealed my secret.  The taste was very close - it needed to be a little saltier, but also, part of the texture of the feta Mister is used to is that it is a drier cheese.  Texturally, there was no way this would pass for feta.  Taste-wise, he didn't appear to mind, since he ate it all up!  Victory for the ToFeta!

1 curry, 2 curry, old curry, new curry!

In her witty introduction to the curry I made last night from VwaV, Isa makes the bold statement that she pretty much lives off of curry. In the same way that I could be perfectly happy to eat soup/stew for every autumn and winter dinner, I think Mister would be in paradise if he could just eat three things:
1. pizza
2. coffee
3. curry

Every time he smells the sauteing spices that start each curry recipe, I can feel his heart soaring all the way from the kitchen. By the time he finds words, they usually sound like this:

"Oooh, that smells goooooood." And then we play the "is it done yet" game.

This week was really a Total Grocery Fail. I was so proud of myself for "finishing" my grocery shopping on Wednesday night until tonight, when I realized I was lacking one crucial ingredient from each of the three recipes left on my menu.

1. Red Lentil Coconut Curry - missing cauliflower
2. Jerk Seitan - missing lime (and I figure it's important since there are 3 Tbsp of lime juice in the recipe)
3. Chickpea Broccoli Casserole - missing....broccoli. I'm a dumbass.

So I used my rainy 45-minute drive home to brainstorm a plan of action. It came down to how easily and where I found parking. If I ended up near Essene, I would stop in for all three of my missing ingredients (or at least one). Well, I didn't, and I actually forgot about my lofty goals by the time I found parking. Fortunately, I had come up with an alternate brainstorm.

I almost completely improvised and said "forget this menu...it's caused me nothing but heartbreak!" Then I settled down and started chopping my carrots for the Red Lentil Coconut Curry while the rice cooked. By the way - just a few shakes of turmeric in the water turned the rice a gorgeous shade of sunshine-in-a-bowl:
How happy is that? Seriously? This meal ended up being very photogenic.

Anyway, I decided the cauliflower wasn't that important, so I substituted about 1/2 cup of frozen edamame and then I diced one Gala apple. I absolutely love fruit showing up in strange places. It turned out really well, and the taste of the apple blended with the rest of the vegetables better than I thought it would. Also, the original recipe calls for 1/2 tsp of honey, but when I was at Whole Foods on Wednesday night, I got me some Agave Nectar, so I used that instead.

you want it - admit it.

All food should be this pretty.

Despite all of my posts being about what fascinating, colorful, and scrumptious things Mister and I had for dinner, I think my favorite meal of the day is actually breakfast. I think that's because my cold-weather breakfasts are just so darn tasty! I am having a ton of fun finding new ways to cook my oatmeal. Admittedly, I have to figure out what breakfast adventure I want to have the night before, since I can't function in the morning, much less think.

A few days ago I cooked the oatmeal in unsweetened soymilk, then crushed two Sweetzel's Spiced Wafers into it and mixed it up thoroughly. That was awesome. I actually have yet to make my "standard" oatmeal - cooked in a half & half mixture of apple juice and water with a good sprinkling of cinnamon. Here's what I've done so far:

1. Soymilk & dried cranberries
2. Soymilk & maple syrup
3. Water/Soymilk & Chocolate Caramel truffles

4. Water & maple syrup
5. Pineapple juice & coconut
6. Soymilk & spiced wafers
7. Water & peanut butter
8. Water & Dark Chocolate Dreams

Number Nine happens tomorrow; when I was at WF, I was inspired to pick up a bag of frozen mixed berries, and I have a fantasy where I drop about 1/2 a cup of them into my little oatmeal pot in the morning with just a touch of agave nectar and let them sizzle until they get a little juicy and goopy. Then I stir in my 1/2 cup of oats and let them soak up some of the sweet before slowly pouring my 3/4 cup of soymilk in and letting everything simmer gently for a few moments while I pour my coffee. Mmm...doesn't that sound like a tasty breakfast?

I'm also considering spending a little time this weekend making myself a "just add soymilk" pancake mix, because I have seen too many pictures of absolutely luscious looking pancakes, and I think the berries would also make a delightful little compote to spoon over the pancakes. I just happen to have a copy of Vegan Brunch that is chock-full of such recipes...