Corn-Quinoa Salad

Here's another recipe from VT, tried and tested(and slightly modified) by yours truly, lol.

Anywho, I've been a subscriber to Vegetarian Times for many years. I love that magazine. With the exception of one recipe, everything I've cooked from their issues has been delicious, and, the one time time it wasn't, it was completely my fault (I had to substitute for available ingredients and it didn't turn out. Also, I didn't know what tapenade was at the time and I hadn't tried olives yet. Not to go on a tangent here, but I think I should definitely revisit that recipe...). So yeah, VT is awesome. I save all my issues and then go back and revisit the monthly issues so I can pick out a variety of recipes using seasonal foods and similar ingredients.

This time around, I was looking through a June/July 2010 issue and I found a recipe for Corn-Quinoa Salad. Not only did I just get some fresh corn, but I had cherry tomatoes AND quinoa AND red cabbage AND cucumbers. So basically, I was able to get in the kitchen the next day and make it! I changed the recipe a little bit (you can find the original here) but it was mostly to suit the amounts of ingredients I had on hand. It's basically a cold "grain" (quinoa's not a grain, it's a seed) salad with a simple dressing. I was kind of skeptical, but I am so glad I tried it! The salad was awesome! It was cool, refreshing, and makes a great side-dish, especially for a picnic or a BBQ. Everybody who tried it, including my mom and people at work, really dug it. It just has a really great flavor and texture. Next time I make this (and I will make it again), I'll probably add in some chickpeas to make it more of a main dish.

Thanks, VT, for your great photography!

Also, if you're like me and generally cook for only one or two people, you might want to halve it. It makes a lot! I used agave nectar in the dressing, but I normally shun that stuff because I believe it's worse for you than high fructose corn syrup. The original recipe called for maple syrup. I, however, was given a free container of agave and had no maple syrup, so that's what I used. You can also use local honey if that's your thing. This recipe is also gluten-free, just be sure you check the ingredients in your vegetable broth first, and use an all-natural dijon. Both Imagine and Pacific Foods veggie broth are gluten-free.

Corn-Quinoa Salad:
Salad:
3/4 c. quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 c. vegetable broth
1/4 tsp. salt
kernels from 2 ears of corn (or about 1 c. of fresh or frozen corn)
1 c. halved cherry tomatoes
1 c. red cabbage, finely chopped or shredded
1 c. cucumber, diced

Dressing:
1/3 c. olive oil
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice (1-2 lemons, depending on their juiciness)
3 Tb. agave nectar
1 Tb. dijon mustard
1 tsp. salt

1. To make Salad: Bring quinoa, salt, and 1cup broth plus 1/2 cup water to a boil in saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Once done, drain any extra water then set aside, uncovered, 10 minutes.

2. Bring 2 cups water to a boil in separate saucepan. Add corn, and cook 1 minute. Drain, and rinse under cold water. Drain again. Stir together corn, tomatoes, cabbage, cucumber, and quinoa in bowl.

3. To make Dressing: Whisk together the lemon juice, agave, dijon mustard, and salt. Slowly add in the olive oil and whisk until completely blended. Stir into the salad and toss well until everything is coated. 

This salad can be served immediately or made ahead of time and chilled.

Also, on a completely random side-note, I've finally decided to bite the bullet and get myself a decent digital camera. I love my blog and I know that better pictures would really help it out. I've been using my phone for a long time, and I'm pretty much tired of it because I can't adjust ANYTHING. So if you stay tuned, I hope to amp up my food photography in the near future! Have a great day!

Roasted Vegetable Pizza with Masa Harina Crust

I have an abundance of masa harina flour in my kitchen. This is probably due to my fondness of authentic Mexican food. However, I'm always looking for new ways to use it since I love its flavor. I haven't had any pizza in awhile, so now that I have some extra time, I decided to do just that. Of course, when I tried looking for a recipe for a pizza dough using masa harina, I found nothing. Nada. Zilch. Okay... I did find one recipe, but it had a terrible rating and it wasn't even yeasted. I still wanted a pizza crust, not cornbread, know what I mean?

Anywho, after a little pondering and adjusting of the ingredients in my usual pizza dough, I came up with a wonderful pizza crust that perfectly compliments the roasted veggies. It's delicious.

For the roasted vegetables, I used the oil that came in my jar of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. It's infused with wonderful flavor and it tastes great on the vegetables.You can also thinly slice some garlic cloves to roast along with the veggies, but I was out at the time and had to sub powder. If you're a garlic lover like me, I probably would have roasted about half a head or so! Also, I roasted the vegetables the night before, just to have it out of the way, but you can also do it while the dough is rising.

Roasted Vegetables:
2 small zucchinis, halved width-wise and sliced into 1/4" thick slices
1 yellow squash, halved width-wise and sliced into 1/4" thick slices
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 (or more!) Roma tomatoes, halved
5-6 white mushrooms, kind of thickly sliced
1 1/2 Tb. oil
1 tsp. garlic powder

Masa Harina Pizza Dough:
2 1/4 tsp. yeast (or 1 package)
1 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 c. very warm water (should feel like the water in a hot tub!)
1 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 c. masa harina
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. Tone's Spicy Pizza Seasoning (optional, but adds awesome)
1 1/2 Tb. oil (I use sun-dried tomato oil here too)

To make the vegetables:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminium foil. Spray with non-stick. Toss the sliced vegetables with the oil and garlic powder and roast for about 30-40 minutes. You want the vegetables to be softened and browned. Remove from the oven.

To make the dough:
1. In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and water. Give it a quick stir and let it sit about five minutes, until foamy. If at the end of five minutes, there's no foam, start over. Otherwise, your dough won't rise.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour, all-purpose flour, masa harina, salt, oregano, and Tone's. If you don't have any Tone's you can add a teaspoon of basil or Italian seasoning instead.

3. Add the foamy yeast and the oil to the bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until well-combined.

4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead about 5 minutes, or until smooth.

5. Shape dough in a log and set aside in a warm place to rise. I used my Excalibur dehydrator set at 95 degrees to raise mine. Let it rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

6. Once the dough is done rising, divide the log into two equal pieces. Roll them out, stab them with a fork multiple times, and bake them at 450 degrees for about 7 minutes. I have a real good pizza dough tutorial here.

Now that your crust is ready, it's time to top the pizzas! To make these pizzas I used a jarred sauce, then I topped it with some cooked, crumbled Gimmie Lean vegan "sausage", the roasted vegetables, black olives, nooch, and some more Tone's.

7. Once the pizza is topped, bake it one last time at 450 for another 12-15 minutes, or until the crust is nice and browned and the toppings are hot (especially important if you make the veggies the night before!). Then enjoy!

I know I've mentioned a roasted vegetable pizza before, but this time I finally delivered!

Nectarine-Walnut Spiced Quinoa Flakes

Another glorious breakfast post today! You guys know I love to start my day out right, lol.

However, today I decided to drift away from the usual protein powder-peanut butter affair and experiment with some of summer's delicious produce. Oh man, I seriously look forward to white peaches and nectarines as soon as May rolls around. They only have a short window where they're absolutely excellent (and that time is now, my friends!).

I had originally intended to put some currants in here, but when I was adjusting my pantry (getting rid of empty and near-empty containers and what-not), I would up putting them in a container that had just been storing some garam masala. So, now my currants are steeped in the essence of Indian food and I'll just have to set them aside for some tasty cashew-currant-pea yellow rice. Or something!

Quinoa flakes are kind of expensive so you can substitute oats or any other grain you have on hand. I just bought them because I thought that they were much cheaper than they actually were (wrong tag at store), and I was too embarrassed to put them back! Although, when made with quinoa flakes, this recipe is gluten-free.

I'm not really sure what to call this, so I'll do what gourmet chefs do and just name it after the ingredients:

Nectarine-Walnut Spiced Quinoa Flakes:
1/3 c. quinoa flakes
2/3 c. unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/3 c. water
dash of salt
1/2 a nectarine, diced
1 Tb. chopped, toasted walnuts
1tsp. sweetener or choice or 3-4 drops liquid stevia
1 tsp. golden flax seeds
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of cardamom

1. In a microwave safe bowl, combine the quinoa flakes, almond milk, water, and dash of salt. Microwave 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. The flakes will become nice and creamy.

2. Stir in the vanilla extract, sweetener, cinnamon, and cardamom.

3. Top with diced nectarine, walnuts, and flax seeds. Enjoy!

And you know what? I think this was better without the currants! I enjoyed breakfast with a serving of Gimmie Lean (I love that stuff!) and some dark coffee with almond milk.

Also, just to keep you guys updated, here's what I got in the works: Roasted Vegetable Pizza with Polenta Crust, Strawberry Cake, Bibimbap, and my speciality: Peach Pancakes with Chai-Spiced Syrup. I will admit here that I am a self-proclaimed vegan pancake master! Lol. Have a great day!

The Missouri Girl's Guide to Corn

...After all, I am surrounded by it!

So I'm sure a lot of you are like me in some respects. You go out to the garden, the farmer's market, or even the grocery store and you get excited at all the wonderful produce and you buy more than you can eat right away. No big deal. That's the great thing about dehydrating, canning, and freezing. You buy a little too much now when it's plentiful and cheap and you have extra later for when it goes out of season. No waste here, folks!

One particular vegetable that can be cheap and easy to get carried away with is corn. In order to prevent yourself from wasting it by letting it hang out in the fridge for a long time (since it loses flavor kind of quickly once it has been picked), it's best to freeze it as soon as you realize you bought too much. If you can't freeze it right away, make sure you stick it in the fridge instead of leaving it out on the table. The tasty sugars break down much more quickly at room temperature.

So let's freeze some corn!

Step One: Get the corn!
Like I just mentioned, get it fresh! The husks need to be bright green and fresh. If they're super dry more than say, the first leaf or two, I would pass them up. The silk (the soft stuff coming out of the top of the husk) should be soft, dark, and moist, and absolutely not moldy. You should be able to feel individual kernals when you give the husk a gentle squeeze. A good rule with corn is to eat it within a day or two of purchasing (at most) and to avoid buying corn that has sat out in the hot sun for hours. Getting it in the early morning off the plant or at the farmer's market is the best way to go. It'll be much sweeter and tastier this way since the sugars break down over heat (even room temp), time, and being exposed to sunlight.

That's some good corn right there.

However if it has been a couple days and the corn's been hanging out in your fridge(or if you bought it at the grocery store), you can revive it by adding 1 tsp. sugar for each quart of water you use when you boil it. This helps compensate for the sugar loss.

Step Two: Prep!
Get a large (as large as you can) pot and fill it with water. You'll need to bring it to a full, rolling boil and that will take a minute (though not literally... it actually takes many minutes...). You'll also need to fill a large bowl with ice and water.

Step Three: Husk!
Husk the corn! All this basically means if you cut of the end, peel all of the leaves, and remove all the silk. You can use a vegetable brush to help remove some of the silk, but you have to be gentle. You don't want to burst all the kernels. I usually just remove it all by hand. After husking, I give them a good rinse. If you see any bug damage you can remove those kernels, but too be honest, if I find full-on worms in my corn I just toss the whole ear out. I know some people who still eat it... blech. I won't.

I love the silk. It's so nice and soft, lol.

Step Four: Blanch!
Corn needs to be blanched before freezing in order to protect its flavor, color, and texture. To blanch, place the prepped ears of corn into the boiling water you got going. Begin counting the blanching time as soon as the water returns to a full boil. For whole-kernel corn (which is what I'm doing here), it takes about 4-6 minutes. Cover the pot while you boil. You can reuse your blanching water a few times, but after that I would toss it out and start over. Also make sure you add hot water from the faucet if the water level starts getting too low (you should still be able to cover the ears).

If it takes too long for the water to return to a boil, you are probably adding too many ears at once or are using too small of a pot. If you're like me and you have to make due with to small pots, you can cut the ears in half.

Step Five: Cool!
Once the corn is done blanching, immediately put the ears in the ice bath (the prepped bowl with ice water) to cool it. This quick cooling stops the cooking process. Once done cooling, drain. I'd recommend cooling it for as long as you boiled it.

Ice...ice pack... close enough!

Also be sure you add more ice and cold water before starting for next batch (if you have more to blanch).

Step Six: Cut!
Cut the kernels from the cob about 2/3-3/4 the depth of the kernel. I always hold the small end and use a sharp knife to cut down to the base. It will come off in nifty little strips. They separate easily into little individual kernels as you put them in a bag. Don't get any of the cob!

Step Seven: Bag!
If you have a vacuum food sealer, that would be awesome to employ here, just put the corn in a seal. If not, just do what I do and place them in a ziplock freezer storage bag and try and squeeze out as much air as you can. Then, make sure the bag is nice and sealed and label it with a sharpie. Done!

Now by the end of this ordeal you have expert blanching skills, I'm sure of it. Also, if you would rather prep the corn and leave it on the ears for corn-on-the-cob. You can, just skip step six. After draining the corn from the ice bath, pat it dry and then bag it according to step seven. I think it takes up too much room in the freezer, but if you have an abundance of freezer space and like it on the cob, then that would be an excellent route.

I hope this was helpful! Now you have whole kernal corn in your freezer for any time you want to roast some kernals for tacos, make cornbread, or just soup up a soup!

Golden Bowl

This recipe is basically a recipe from a real old issue of Vegetarian Times (2008-ish, I think), but I've made it over and over again. It's kind of hard to believe that a simple veggie dish with some tofu and nooch could be so tasty, but I really love it! It's got a nice comfort-food flavor and it's perfect for when you got a lot of odds n' ends in the fridge and don't feel like giving the effort to make a stir-fry sauce! Besides, the nooch adds some B-vitamins, protein, and savory flavor to the mix! If you're new to nutritional yeast, this is a great starter recipe for trying it. Much less effort than making a mac n' cheeze! Lol.

Anywho, I've tried this recipe with various different combinations of veggies but this version here is my absolute favorite. I love bell peppers, but I just don't care for them too much in this recipe so I've left them out. You can also add 1/2 cup of grated carrots like the original recipe does, but I'm just not a fan of stir-fried carrots. I've also used purple cabbage instead of green and that makes for a pretty presentation!

Golden Bowl:
1 1/2 Tb. oil, divided
9 oz. tofu (about half a carton), drained and pressed for at least 15 minutes, then cubed
2 tsp. tamari plus more to taste
2 c. steamed broccoli
4 oz. white mushrooms (about half a carton), sliced
1 c. onion, diced
1 c. yellow squash, sliced (about 1 medium-sized one)
1 1/2 c. zucchini, sliced (about 2 smallish-ones)
1/2 c. green cabbage, shredded
2 Tb. nutritional yeast (plus more to taste, if desired)
Hot cooked brown rice or bulgar
1. Heat 1/2 Tbs. oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add pressed/drained tofu, and sauté 10 to 15 minutes, tossing with spatula, until light golden brown all over. Sprinkle with tamari and sauté 2 to 3 minutes more to further brown tofu. Transfer tofu to plate, then wipe out skillet if necessary.
2. Heat remaining 1 Tbs. oil over high heat. Add tofu and all vegetables. Sauté 5 to 7 minutes, or until tofu is browned and vegetables are tender, tossing constantly with spatula. Sprinkle with soy sauce to taste. Sprinkle nutritional yeast over tofu to coat. Sauté a few seconds more. Remove from heat. Serve over brown rice/bulgar.

The recipe calls for the broccoli to be streamed before you add to the skillet. Normally, I would be lazy and just toss it in, but it really works in this recipe! The vegetables taste EXACTLY like those in Amy's Brown Rice and Vegetable bowls, so now all I have to do is get me some Ume Plum vinegar and work on exacting that sauce, lol!

Roasted Vegetable Hummus Wraps

Quick n' easy post today, folks. I've got a final to study for (finally!!).

I actually made these wraps awhile ago, I've just been a little slow to post. I really adore roasted vegetable sandwiches and wraps, so this combination was a win-win. Also, if you cook up additional veggies, you have a great start on a lasagna, a pasta dish, or more sandwiches... lol. For the hummus part of this recipe I used the roasted garlic and roasted red pepper variations of the hummus in Appetite for Reduction. Although I'm not gonna lie, I added some tahini to the recipe just hummus without tahini is like a burrito without salsa (am I right here??)! Lol. Isa's recipe is great though, I've made it a few times. It's real easy, too. Can't beat that! However, feel free to use store-bought hummus as well, since a food processor is pretty integral in making hummus.

Though speaking of store-bought hummus, my boyfriend and I just discovered a Cucumber-Dill  flavor and it was awesome. It would be really good on these wraps! I'd love to make some homemade, but I'm not sure how it would work. Do I just toss the cucumbers in there?? Lol. Anywho...

Roasted Vegetable and Hummus Wraps:
1 yellow squash, sliced about 1/4" thick (doesn't have to be exact)
1 zucchini, sliced about 1/4" thick
1 red onion, sliced about 1/4" thick
1 red bell pepper, sliced about 1/4" thick
About 1/2 c. white mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped (opt.)
Roasted red pepper hummus
Roasted garlic hummus
Your favorite tortillas (spinach ones are a good choice with these!)

1. Make or buy hummus, lol. I won't put Isa's recipes on here, since they don't belong to me. However, I will tell you that I took her recipe and added 2 Tb. sesame tahini, then I split the batch in half. I used half to make the red pepper hummus and the other half to make the roasted garlic.
2. In a skillet or on a grill pan sprayed with cooking spray, lay down slices of zucchini and yellow squash. Cook about 3-5 minutes per side, or until softened but not mushy. You kind of want them to hold together in the sandwich.
3. Meanwhile, in a skillet sprayed with nonstick, saute the onions, bell pepper, mushrooms and garlic over medium-high heat until softened and golden, about 5-8 minutes. Reduce heat to low and keep warm in the skillet until you are done cooking the squash slices.
4. To assemble the wraps, spread the tortillas with one or both of the hummuses (???). I'd say I use slightly less than 1/4 cup total per wrap. Place a layer of yellow squash and zucchini down, followed by the sauted onion-pepper mixture. Roll up and enjoy!

These really made a fairly quick lunch and the leftovers were great at work. You can eat them cold or hot, it's up to you!

And, since berries are everywhere and you can find organic ones at a decent price (I've only bought organic since my pesticide-berry fiasco), I made some of Amber's raw Vanilla Creme sauce to pour over some strawberries and blueberries.

 
It had great vanilla flavor, but alas, my blender is just not powerful enough to make it as smooth as hers... maybe someday, lol!

Well, I hope you all are having a great week! Just be sure you stay safe and cool! It's been killer here in the Midwest (unfortuantely literally), so make sure you are checking on your loved ones, you neighbors, and your pets!!

Blue Goose Pie!

So, I'm not sure if you guys know this, but I'm a little country. I grew up in a small town and had family I spent time with in even smaller towns. My grandpa was a farmer and my grandma bestowed upon me the love of plants I have to this day. I'd like to be mostly self-sufficient one day, and I daydream about the earth-sheltered home and farm I'm gonna own (did I also mention the goats? 'Cause there will be goats). So anyway, what I'm saying here is that I'm no stranger to going out into the wild and venturing forth with tasty forest produce. It's in my roots!

A couple of weeks ago, my boyfriend and I went out to his parent's house to go hunt some gooseberries. I promised him a gooseberry pie (since boys seem to like pie) and in order for that to happen I had to get ahold of some berries. The wild gooseberry (F: Grossulariaceae) is one of the most common shrubs in forests here in my part of Missouri. It is a notoriously sour berry, but once made into a pie it has a sort of sour apple-grape flavor (in a good way, especially with some rice-cream!). The berries are plump, round, and green, with effing thorns all over the branches and at the end of the berry. There are cultivated varieties of gooseberries, but pfft, who needs that? The wild ones are just as tasty! Besides, I think they still have thorns, lol. And, you still have to pull both ends (the dried flower and the stem) off the berry. This is the part that I wish I had an army of eight-year-olds for, since it can take awhile (8 was about the age I got conned into doing this...):

Anywho, gooseberry pie is well-known to older Midwestern people, but most people my age haven't tried it... unless they have a grandparent with a bush out back. Gooseberries are ripe in the woods right now, (**disclaimer alert**) but I do not advocate eating anything in the woods unless you know EXACTLY what you are eating. I also don't claim any responsibility if you hunt and eat the wrong thing (just gotta be cautious here).

I had originally intended on baking a regular old gooseberry pie, but the other night an older guy at work (who's quite and awesome baker himself), mentioned how he had a Blueberry-Gooseberry Pie and it was a million times more amazing than the plain ones. Since organic blueberries are everywhere right now for a good price, I knew that that was the pie I was going to make!

 "Those things look like peas and they keep messing with my head!"

This pie turned out awesome! My boyfriend had two slices as soon as he saw it! I also used a different pie crust recipe and it was way better than that sorry one I was using before. This one makes a little more crust so it's easier to cover everything. It is absolutely my favorite crust recipe from now on, and it can be used to make things sweet or savory (mmm... empanadas...). Also, when I say "a pinch", I guess I mean about 1/8 of a teaspoon. You can make the crust, wrap it up real tight in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for up to three days or place it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a week.

Blue Goose Pie:
Recipe for a double pie crust (recipe follows)
Filling:
2 1/2 c. fresh or thawed gooseberries
2 c. fresh blueberries
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
1 c. turbinado sugar
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. fresh lemon peel
pinch of salt
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cinnamon
1 Tb. Earth Balance

Flaky Pie Crust:
2 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
a pinch of salt
1 c. cold Earth Balance, cut into cubes
1/3 c. ICE water, plus a couple of tablespoons.

To make the crust:
In bowl, whisk flour with salt. With pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until in coarse crumbs with a few larger pieces. Stirring briskly with fork, drizzle 1/3 cup of the ice water over flour mixture until pastry holds together, if necessary sprinkling dry spots with more water, 1 tbsp at a time, until pastry holds together.

Divide the pie crusts in half (as evenly as possible). On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the halves to about a 1/4" thickness and place it into a 9-inch pie pan. Trim the edges and place the pan in the fridge to chill. Roll out the second half to about 1/4" thickness and place it on a rimless baking sheet and place it into the fridge to chill as well. Pie crusts take practice, so just keep on making them pies if it doesn't turn out. I kid you not, this is the first time that both my bottom crust completely covered my pan and the top crust covered my filling!

I was so stoked it covered the bottom that I danced. Seriously.

Now, move on to making the filling!

To make the filling:
1. In large bowl, toss together the gooseberries, blueberries, and lemon juice.
2.In small bowl, stir together the turbinado sugar, flour, lemon rind, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon; sprinkle over berries and toss to coat.
3. Scrape into chilled pie shell. Dot with Earth Balance.

It is at this point I would like to show you all the ridiculous mess that I was in the process of making:

I get a little ridiculous...

4. Brush pastry on rim of pie shell with water, fit pastry top over filling. Trim, seal and flute edge (MAKE YUMMY PIE CRUSTIES!). Cover edge of pie with aluminum foil.
5. Cut a few slits in the top shell so steam can escape. Bake in bottom third of 425°F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake 25 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil edging and bake another 15 minutes or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly. Let cool on rack. The pie will be oozy until it has completely cooled, then it should hold up nicely to slicing.

Everybody likes pi!

Serve with your favorite vegan ice cream or whipped "cream" because you really got to have it in order to balance the flavors of this particular pie, lol. And there you have it, the gooseberry pie I promised that's been a long time coming! Have a great afternoon!

A CCK Intervention!

As you might have noticed from my blog roll on the right side of the page, I'm a big fan of Chocolate-Covered Katie. I love her simple, healthy, tasty recipes and her cheerful blogging personality. I definitely think that she is one of those bloggers that make vegan food approachable. As such, I've definitely been munching down on some of her recipes lately!

Since I'm still in a physics-time suck, I'll just briefly post about some of the deliciousness I've been making a la Katie:

First off, I'll give you a hint. Before:

After:

Blueberry Muffin Voluminous Oats!

I love oatmeal. In fact, my roommates often joke about my oatmeal eating habits since I not only eat a bowl for breakfast but for a late-night snack (hey, I gotta refuel if I'm gonna keep kicking their butts in Mortal Kombat studying). The point of this oatmeal is to make it a few hours before eating so that it has time to fluff up and expand. Since I make mine up the night before, it's ready to go as soon as I get up. I pretty much make mine just like hers, except I use 1 cup water plus 1/2 cup almond milk instead of all water (calcium!), and I add 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries to the last minute or two of cooking. Oh, and I add a touch of almond extract along with the vanilla because I love the blueberry-almond flavor combo. This is such a great breakfast!

I also tried out her Voluminous Vanilla Ice Cream:

To make mine, I just swirled the frozen almond milk with a bunch of frozen blackberries and about a tablespoon of vanilla protein powder in my food processor. Talk about quick and easy! 15 seconds and it was DONE! Mine looks really soft, and it was, but that was because I was too impatient to let it freeze completely. Lol. But next time, I'll wait it out! I really loved this, and I'm definitely going to play around with a bunch of different flavors. I also got some Silk Almond to try it with since it's thicker than Almond Breeze. I think that'll help make it more ice cream-like.

So, that's what I've been munching on (other than tofu scrambles and bean burritos!). I got a bunch of garden produce starting to come in: cabbage, potatoes, onions, broccoli, banana peppers... I also have this idea for some grilled veggie wraps with roasted red pepper hummus, which I'll probably get around to making soon. My gooseberries have been safely tucked away in the freezer for now, but I will definitely make a pie eventually, lol. Have a great day!