Trying New Things

I was craving something new, but yet familiar last night. I like trying new recipes, but I've found when I try recipes kind of outside of my comfort zone, it can sometimes be a disaster. Especially during these times.
I have rice noodles to use, and as always I wanted something spicy. So, I found a recipe for Dan Dan noodles. I have never had Dan Dan noodles, vegan or not. I looked at quite a few recipes, and it seems they're usually made with some kind of wheat pasta, I'm sure it's a deliciously chewy and bouncy noodle. Ah gluten, how I miss you. I of course used my flat rice noodles which are delicious in their own way.
I used this recipe because it used ingredients that I had on hand. Minus the mushrooms and spinach. Although I had celery, I thought it would be weird alone in the dish so I skipped that too. I subbed in a few slices of fried tofu.
I love ginger-y dishes, and the ginger really stood out in the sauce.
I definitely see myself making this again

I really missed out as a kid! I'm not crazy about the blue raspberry, but the cherry and lemonade make it worth it!!

New and Old Goodies!

I found these crackers at the Asian market. What stood out to me was the gluten free part. They had five flavors, original, scallion, BBQ, tomato, and wasabi. I chose the BBQ and scallion. I regret not grabbing the wasabi! I had the BBQ crackers as soon as I got home. I needed a stress snack! The texture is so light and crisp, so unlike most dense gluten free crackers. They're almost like a chip! The BBQ flavor was a nice, smoky BBQ, and I have high hopes for the scallion flavor. I'm kind of hoarding them since I don't think I'll be going back to the Asian market anytime soon!

I also found this when I went for cat food. I've been a fan of the talenti mango and raspberry sorbetto for some time. On a hot summer day, you can't beat them.
I haven't had a full serving yet, but I did take a bite when I got home, and it is coconut-y heaven! Talenti says they were inspired by coconut macaroons for this one!

I also grabbed a box of these. I feel like I missed out as a kid, because I don't think I've ever had one. I think I always chose either a dreamsicle, or a push up pop. It's going to start getting hot and dry any day now, so popsicles are very important!

Last night I had an oldie but goodie. Right now, familiar things are very comforting! Spicy peanut sauce with rice, romaine and tofu. I don't know if it's because it's spring, or because I'm not eating as much fresh produce as normal, or a combo of the two, but fresh lettuce just tastes so good right now!

Stressful Haul plus What I Ate to Recover!

Enoki mushrooms, Jasmine rice, soy chicken slices, vegetarian(vegan) oyster sauce, gluten free scallion crackers, hot chili oil,fried tofu, regular tofu, ginger, mushroom powder

I ran out Friday afternoon for cat supplies, and decided to run into the Asian market for some tofu and rice. Of course I grabbed some other goodies as well.
It was a bit stressful, very busy and NO ONE was respecting social distance, or even any kind of personal space, pandemic or not.
Since Friday was stressful and upsetting, yesterday I worked on my mental health. I did yoga, took a walk and enjoyed the sun, and made sure I ate healthy foods.

Kitchari

Celery apple juice

I made a sauce using the vegan oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, tamari and some sambal oelek and coated some of the fried tofu and the soy chicken slices. Pretty dang tasty. I've never had or used oyster sauce to my knowledge, but this is made with mostly mushrooms, so it has a really deep, savory flavor. Luckily, I know I've seen The Viet Vegan use it many times, so I'm going to look to her for inspiration!

The Humble Boca Crumble

I found these on sale awhile ago and threw them in my freezer. Back when I lived in Seattle, my go to meal for meat eaters was tacos made with either these or Morningstar Farms crumbles, and black beans. They were always a hit, even to people who swore they could never eat "fake meat"
I know Beyond Meat and Impossible are all the rage, but I prefer these. The few times I've cooked Beyond in my apartment, the strong meaty smell is overwhelming, and I feel like it lingers for days. Also, these are half the price of Beyond, if not a little more than half.

 I cooked a big batch of dry black beans, and added those to the crumbles with taco seasoning. Easy peasy. I threw the leftovers in the freezer for another taco night.

I've read about this guacamole salsa a few times on Bianca's blog, and I picked some up on my last grocery shop. She is definitely right about how amazing this is! I had a lot of this on my tacos! It tastes like the baby of a tangy tomatillo salsa and a delicious guacamole. Ten out of ten will definitely buy again!

Bubba being cute! One of these days I'll get a close up of his baby blue eyes!! I'm so happy he's loving indoor life!

Quarantine Drinks and Eats!

Celery Apple Juice

Orange Carrot Ginger Juice

I'm still drinking juice everyday. It's always one of these two juices. Remember when celery juice was all the rage? People were doing it as part of their New Year's resolutions. Just a few months ago, those were such innocent times huh?

I bought this months ago at Target, and I found it behind some tea. I'm definitely not slaying anything right now, but it can't hurt. We all need less stress now!

I found some frozen raspberries in my freezer, so I made a big smoothie with banana, raspberries, avocado and some flax meal. Very raspberry forward, delicious!

I made a kidney bean curry the other night. I used this recipe. I left out the ghee and cloves. It was okay, definitely not my favorite curry. But it reminded me that I love kidney beans, and that I don't eat them nearly enough!

Sprouts had huge russet potatoes on sale two pounds for a dollar, so I've been having baked potatoes with a little coconut oil, salt and pepper, and of course nooch!! I love having a baked potato for breakfast!

Last night I had some spicy hoisin glazed tofu with rice and a little iceberg with a sesame vinaigrette. I love the cool crunch of the lettuce with the warm rice and tofu.

I took these pictures the other day. I was having so many feelings at once. The sky was grey and getting ready to storm, and I just felt so connected to nature. Spring is springing here, and the city air is so much fresher when I take my walks!

Spotlight on Celery!

The Sprouts brand kombucha was on sale two for four, so I decided to pick one up to try. I always like to have an extra kombucha on hand for the days when I'm second fermenting my home brew. So, I tried this the other day, and after my first sip I remembered that I've tried their booch before, and it's not even close to my favorite. It's a very dry kombucha, and I don't like that. I never liked a dry wine or beer, and I don't like a dry booch.

I found some article discussing the value of celery during these times, because it's inexpensive, versatile and you can do so many things with it. I buy celery all the time, but I mostly juice it, and have a few stalks dipped in peanut butter here and there. The article had five or six recipes, and this the spicy celery salad spoke to me. Of course, days later I couldn't find the article, but I found a very similar recipe. It went so well with rice and hoisin glazed tofu. I love the crunch and the coolness with the warm softer foods. Here is the recipe I used. It's so simple and would be super easy to double. I made it in the morning so it would be really flavorful later in the day. I've never really thought to let celery be the star of the salad, usually it's kind of just in the background adding crunch.

Another day another couch cuddle session. Kiki spends her mornings cuddling with Afro, and then evenings are for Etta!

Maybe Not The Best...

Last week I stumbled across this recipe claiming to be "The Absolute Best Lentil Soup" That's a pretty bold claim, and it happened to be accidentally vegan, so I knew I needed to try it. Yesterday was kind of a blah day, so it was a perfect soup day! Here is the recipe. I followed it exactly, except I didn't have spinach, and I added one peeled diced potato.
It's a great soup, not sure if I'd call it the absolute best, but I'm pretty biased when it comes to lentil soup. I always think every version I come up with is the best! But, it's still a really nice, hearty and flavorful soup. And it's nice to see an inexpensive vegan dish get a lot of love!

All is well, Target saved the day. I got one of the very last packages of toilet paper as well as my favorite deodorant. I can't wait until the day when toilet paper is not such an amazing score!

What I'll Be Eating

I was in need of some fresh produce so I went to Sprouts yesterday. They were kind of picked over, but they had a few good deals. It also thankfully wasn't super busy, so distancing was very easy.

Coconut milk and cream, ginger, potatoes,gluten free bread,vegan mayo smoked tofu, guacamole salsa,celery, carrots,cutie mandarins,lemon ginger tea,fugi apples,cara cara oranges, silk oat creamer,nada moo ice cream, cherry lemonade kombucha

I splurged on these little gems. They're kind of like little vegan kit kats, but also like those little wafer cookies with the layer or cream, only chocolate covered. I HIGHLY recommend these if you ever see them!!

Hoisin sauce, tomato sauce, bananas, sambal oelek, kidney beans, tofu, green tea

I had to run to Smith's for cat supplies so I picked up these few things that were cheaper. I panicked at Sprouts because they were out of all tofu, so thankfully Smith's had three packages of medium firm left!
I need toilet paper, I'm on my last roll and of course there was none to be found, even at Sprouts. Panic buying seemed to have somewhat slowed down, but I think the two earthquakes in one week reignited the fear.
Does anyone else feel drained and sad when you get home from getting groceries? It's just so weird out there, and it just feels so cold.
As an introvert, socially awkward person who hates small talk with strangers, I thought this would be so easy, but it's different when it's all forced. And it's like none of really know quite how to act in public, so we're all just being awkward.
I know it sounds trite, but I really am glad for this little blogging community. It's like a cozy sweater during these dark times.

What I Ate!

Earlier this week my stomach was feeling a little more normal. Whatever we can call normal nowadays right? Then, Tuesday and Thursday came with more earthquakes! Tuesday night we had one, and then yesterday morning. So, in one month we've had three earthquakes plus over two hundred aftershocks!
So, anxiety stomach as I've come to call it is back.
For no real reason I took pictures of what I ate yesterday so why not share it? Not very exciting, but keeping up with my normal blogging schedule has helped me with my mental health so here we are!

Leftover kitchari for breakfast

Celery apple juice later in the day

Spicy hoisin glazed tofu with edamame

I found a handful of extremely freezer burned frozen edamame and I was so freaking excited for a little extra green! It's funny all the small things you start to miss, and realize you took for granted.

I don't take these two for granted! These were taken minutes from each other. It's like after I took the first picture, they decided to get even cuter!

Quarantine Eats

I am so late to the party with this bouillon base. I almost never use stock when I'm making soup. It seems pointless to buy a big box of stock for one cup, and then it sits in my fridge stressing me out. I picked this up at a great price when we first started social distancing, thinking it could come in handy.
I've used it a few times now, and man does it make a difference! I've used it in soups, and I also cooked some dried black beans the other day and I put a little teaspoon in the cooking water along with some garlic powder and man, those are some good beans!

I used a little in my batch of kitchari I made this week for breakfast. Since anxiety has been wreaking havoc on my stomach, I find starting the day with kitchari or miso soup really helps.

I had a little bit of black bean sauce left, so I mixed that with some tamari, hoisin and a little of the very spicy schezwan sauce to make a delicious sauce for some rice noodles and tofu. Served with some romaine in a sesame vinaigrette.

Gluten free quesadillas with some of the garlic-y black beans, refried beans, avocado and nooch. Who needs cheese?

Gochujang stew with leftover rice, rice cakes, enoki mushrooms, and a few slices of that delicious frozen tofu from the Asian market. Yesterday was a cool, rainy day and this was the perfect dinner!

Here are Roxy and Etta kind of fighting for space on the beloved pink sweater! That thing is just a part of my bed now!

Lotions and Potions

Back when things were normal, like maybe in January or early February, I found some Pacifica products on sale at Target. I love Pacifica, especially their perfumes. The Island Gardenia scent is one of my favorites!

As you can see, I'm almost out of the Sea Purify Mask! It has kelp, green tea, charcoal, and clay. It's for combination skin, but I have mostly dry skin and it feels great while I'm using it and after!
The Sea and C Bright lotion is another win! It is not greasy at all, and it gives you a glow-y look. And it lasts all day. It's dry here in Utah, so lightweight lotions can sometimes be pretty useless as soon as you step outside into the dusty air. But this one lasts and I really enjoy it!

As I said before, it's dry here! I've never lived someplace with almost no humidity, and I have to say I don't like it. I've gotten in the habit of ALWAYS having a bottle of water on me, even in the winter, and having some kind of face spritzer. This spritzer isn't oily, it just feels refreshing on the skin, and boosts the hydration. And it has a very, very light scent. Ten out of ten!

Early morning cuddle session!

What I've Been Eating!

Celery Apple Juice

I'm still on the celery juice! I don't notice any huge difference in my life since drinking it, but I guess I feel like I'm doing something good for myself, and it's a pretty cheap habit to keep up.
I made another batch of gluten free chocolate chip cookies. This time I used almond flour and some coconut flour I forgot about. I like them better with just almond flour. I'm so close to perfecting this recipe and I can't wait to share when I finally do!

baked tofu, rice, romaine with a gochujang peanut sauce

Black bean and TVP tacos

Roasted russet and Japanese sweet potato with a salad with lots of sunflower seeds!

I've been eating a lot of my staple meals. Sometimes I get so inspired to cook and spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and other times I just want to make something easy, and that I know for sure I'll like.
I have recently discovered that I actually enjoy Japanese sweet potatoes! I've had people suggest them to me through the years. Better late than never! They aren't as sweet as orange sweet potatoes, and they definitely have a better texture!! Yay for quarantine discoveries!