baked sandwiches and a personal note

hi team. 

i just wanted to let you know i might be posting a little more sporadically in the next little while. big changes are afoot. 

in the middle of june, i ended my nine-year relationship with my partner. as a result of this, a lot of big changes are happening in my life. i have a lot of figuring out to do, in regards to work (finding a new job within the same company), housing (moving clear across canada and selling the old house and finding a place to live in ontario), and life in general. 

as always, food and crafting and sewing will be important parts of these journeys for me, but i wanted to give you the heads up that i may not be posting as much for the next little while. i promise you i will recommit to the blog once i am settled in my new life, but that may take a bit of time and i ask for your patience. 

as a consolation prize for you, i have a lunch idea...

chocolate overnight oats

there are times in a woman's life when chocolate is non-negotiable. i recently tried love crunch dark chocolate and red berries granola, and ooooooooh man it's so good. it's a little on the sweet side for breakfast, but it's a nice treat. 

it is what inspired me to make a dark chocolate version of my overnight oats, when i remembered i had this awesome dark chocolate almond milk in the fridge (for chocolate related emergencies. i also keep dark mint chocolate in the freezer. who are you to judge me?).

so, i made my regular overnight oats recipe with dark chocolate almond milk in place of regular almond milk and sweetener (the chocolate stuff is pre-sweetened). it was so amazing. i even ate it with (frozen, thawed) raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and cherries. 

pizza pie

honestly, i'm torn on what to even call this. i guess "tasty" might be the best bet, but that doesn't give a very good description of what it actually IS. i was pretty set to go with "bread pie", but then pizza pie came to mind, and i think it has a better ring to it... even if it's not entirely pizza-like.

this is one of those things i just dreamed up as i was sitting at my desk, threw things into as i went along, and turned out perfectly. don't you love those meals? i wanted something super filling (it must have been a cool day) and cheesy and full of "meat". these types of cravings don't hit me all that often this time of year, so i went with it. i'm so glad i did. i'm not going to tell you this is the healthiest meal... it's about 50% bread, and no matter what the "food guide" tells you, that is NOT a balanced meal. however, it's not that BAD either, and considering that this is what passes for junk food in my house, i don't think we're doing too badly. 

we ended up eating it dipped in marinara sauce, which was awesome. i know i could have just put the sauce IN in, but i feel somehow like dipping was better. like, would you rather have garlic breadsticks smeared in red sauce, or dipped in it? you know i'm right. 

anyway, you could totally put red sauce in it. hell, do whatever you want. whatever makes you happy!!

this made about 2 dinners for each of us. 

baguette

 
this is a recipe i've been making for quite a while now. i'm not sure why i haven't shared it yet... maybe because it's pretty in depth and labour-intensive and takes a long time...  and i guess i just don't know all that many people who make their own bread at all, let alone when it's difficult. 

no matter - even if only one person makes it, i'll have made the world a better, baguettier place. as far as such things go, this recipe really isn't that HARD, it's just time-consuming. it's not like making a souffle or something (which i have never done but i hear is similar to rocket science). 

i bought a baguette pan a while back, but if you don't have one, don't worry. you can also use a cookie sheet - your baguette will just be a little flatter on the bottom, but i promise it will still taste sinfully good. 

this recipe makes 2 large baguettes.

easy peasy veggie burgers

i have to be honest with you, burgers have never been something i've been huge on. way way back in the day when i ate real meat, i was super picky, and never liked beef much... maybe that's why i've been less than enthusiastic about burgers since i became a vegetarian. 

it's funny, now that i think about it... every time i make a veggie burger, it's REALLY good... yet somehow i still don't do it all that often. well, perhaps that will have to change!! especially since i discovered that fabulous loaf generator, which also works great for making burgers.

anyway, this is all to say that it was kind of surprising and weird when i found myself totally craving a burger the other day. i didn't want something full of lentils and hard work, i just wanted a fast, easy vegetarian burger. luckily i had a package of yves veggie ground round in the fridge, so i was able to whip up these tasty, traditional burgers in just a few minutes! 

this recipe makes 4 burgers. 

black bean enchiladas

i'm pretty sure i've mentioned before how much i love mexican food (and in case i haven't: I FUCKING LOVE MEXICAN FOOD, fyi)

of all beans, black beans are my very favourite, but you could always substitute a different type of bean in this recipe, or even tofu or veggie ground round. i guess you could even substitute in meat, if you were some gross meat eater.

aaannnnyway, these enchiladas are fabulously tasty and you should probably go make them right now.

maybe serve them with guacamole? whatever floats your boat.

garlic tofu fries

 

honestly, i have no idea what inspired me to want to eat tofu in fry-form, but i have to say it was a great idea! sometimes it's just nice to change up the ways we eat our favourite foods, and it's neat to take something you are less fond of (potatoes) and replace it with a thing you love (tofu) to make a tasty dish (fries) even better!!

of course, garlic was a personal choice... you could season these however you want - salt and pepper, sage and rosemary, or your favourite spice blend (i love these, specifically garlic plus and roasted garlic and peppers). 

this recipe made 2 servings.

fresh tomato sauce

ok ok, i know i'm always bashing on the raw foodists... and i stand by that bashing... however, as i've mentioned, they do have a few good ideas.

this recipe was inspired by a dish a friend and i made many years ago from some raw food cookbook, but simpler/easier. we had some nice weather for a while there (as i write this we're in the middle of a weeks-long downpour, though i'm sure by the time it's posted it'll be summer again) and it got me making super summery food choices. in the summer i want to live on smoothies and salads and quinoa and raw things. matt doesn't have quite the same swing in food cravings as i, so this sauce actually was a perfect choice! i served mine room temperature over "raw pasta" (ie carrots, cucumber, etc put through the mandoline to make "spaghetti"), and served his over cooked (real) pasta.

both ways, it was fabulous... and would even make a great dip for crackers/veggies if you processed it a little less (so it would be a bit chunky).

vegan apple cinnamon bread

this recipe is a made-healthier, veganized version of this recipe. the original recipe is fabulous, but (as i tend to) i like to make things a little better for me, if possible. i also made it (gasp!) without pecans. looking back, i can't recall why. things are clearly always better with pecans, so you should probably add some when you make it. 

ice cream

hey friends!!

is it summer yet? almost? maybe?

i just wanted to take a moment to remind you of a few fabulous ice cream recipes!!

peanut butter chocolate chip ice cream chocolate peanut ice cream mint chocolate chip ice cream

and even without an ice cream maker, you can still make:

banana ice cream

onion crackers

 
so recently, a friend inspired me to break out my dehydrator. i've been trying to make the effort to eat more raw food, more fresh veggies, less processed fake-meat stuff. anyway, this friend has some food sensitivities/health issues and can't have normal cracker stuff (wheat flour, rice flour, etc) which inspired me to look up some raw cracker recipes. 

i've mentioned before that i once worked for a bunch of crazy raw-foodists at a sprout farm... well i don't agree with much of their "science", but they do make some damn tasty foods. i love raw desserts, and some of their cracker recipes aren't half bad. i made this recipe up, but the idea was inspired by the crazy raw foodists.

honestly i'm sure the flax seeds and almonds i used are roasted, but that's not really the point - the point is a healthy, gluten-free, wheat-free, rice-free, simple, easy cracker recipe!

the onion flavour in these is fairly strong. personally, i LOVE onions, so this is a bonus for me... however if you're not a big fan, perhaps this recipe is not for you!

thai green curry

as you may know, curry is one of my very favourite dishes. it's one of the easiest things to find vegan when you eat out, and so i have eaten many a curry in my day. it's also one of my go-to dishes to cook at home - there are just so many options!

making good curry is all about the spices. if you've bought something labeled "curry powder" please do us both a favour and throw it out. there ARE good powdered spice mixes to be found, if you have any good import food stores nearby, and i do use those... but my favourite by far is curry paste. cock brand, to be specific (teehee). for making thai curries, there is nothing better. 

gluten free chewy bars

so remember my tasty mcfabulous chewy bar recipe?

well i was making it again the other day, and thought i'd try making it gluten free. i know that some things are better gluten free than others, and i'm thinking of you, my gluten free brothers and sisters! 

i used gluten free oats, and replaced the wheat flour with bajra flour (a mix of rice and millet), and they turned out just lovely! they were CHEWY, you guys! they were moist and delicious and i couldn't even tell the difference between them and the gluten-y ones. score! 

vodka smoothies

oh yes. it's THAT time of year again. ok, i know it's been summer in most reasonable parts of the world for months, but i live in CALGARY, the weather is SHIT here. 

so, when we get nice days, we have to seize the moment! put on our shorts! make vodka smoothies!

you may recall that last summer i shared a couple of vodka drink recipes using fresh berries and melons. wellll, it's not quite fresh fruit season here yet, but when we had a nice day (16 degrees!) a while back, i raided my frozen fruit stash, and whipped these babies up. 

they are thick, and not too boozy, and just spectacular for an (almost) summer day!

banana pecan bread

yeah yeah, i know - you're probably sick of pecans by now... but i gotta tell you, matt and i aren't! they are actually probably my favourite nuts. you can do so many fabulous things with them! you can add them to vegetables, put them in pies and tarts, they go well with pumpkin, with apples and cinnamon! you can eat them for breakfast, snacks, or dessert! (those are only about half of my pecan-related recipes, BTW!)

so annnyway... i have a freezer full of frozen bananas right now, and when i offered to make matt banana pecan bread, his eyes lit up so fast! 

sweet pecan broccoli

first off, this recipe was inspired by this recipe. i love this girl's tumblr and blog, and you should totally check them both out!!

ever since i added pecans to matt's favourite cookie recipe, it's been pretty much pecans in everything around here. (today i'm making banana pecan bread!!) so, when i saw that recipe on i love vegan, i knew i had to make it. 

however, matt does not do brussels sprouts. personally, i love them, but i settled on broccoli since we both like it. 

i made some adaptations to the recipe, and this served us both a very large side dish portion.

baking powder biscuits in a muffin tin!

i made my tasty baking powder biscuits in a muffin tin the other day. i found it was easier to portion them up evenly that way, as opposed to just spooning onto a pan. 

i also think they look extra pretty!

 

red and green pasta salad

is it summer yet? 

i feel like summer is prime pasta salad time. it's great for warm-weather potlucks, or beside some barbequed tofu. it's quick and easy to throw together, and cheap to boot. 

i'm so ready for summer. winters in calgary are far too long, and i am one of those unlucky people who is always cold. i'm so ready for shorts and green grass and pasta salad. bring it on!

herbed mushrooms

i used to not like mushrooms. i think it was a texture thing - as i kid i was a really picky eater, and i would not touch mushrooms. now i love them, and it was this recipe that changed my mind!

i have my lovely mother in law to thank for this one. she made these mushrooms for matt (who was also not a huge mushroom fan) and he liked them so much, he came home and made them for me! HE COOKED. that's when you KNOW he likes something!! 

that was probably 7 years ago, and this has become a staple side-dish in our house since.  

tasty dinner reminder

every single time i ask matt what he wants for dinner, he says pad thai. even if we've just had it the day before, and there are still leftovers in the fridge, he asks for pad thai. he's like a crazy pad thai monster, and he just can't get enough. 

he'd never had pad thai before we met! i took him to the green room, a grungy toronto restaurant that i'm pretty sure doesn't exist any more, and fed him pad thai for the first time. mind. blown. 

so go on, give in. live a little. 

make pad thai!!

chewy bars

when i was a kid, we always called granola bars chewy bars. now, that makes me think of chewbacca (nerd alert!). 

regardless, these bars certainly live up to the chewy name. i made the recipe up, but based it (VERY) loosely on oatmeal raisin cookies. i made them a ton healthier, but they still have an almost cookie-like texture to them (speaking as someone who only makes chewy cookies).

as such, they won't last quite as long as more traditional granola bar recipes, but that's okay, because you'll eat them all in a day anyway!! 

i made these for matt and i before an 18 hour rally day (that's right, i'm a nerd in every way you can imagine - AND WE TOTALLY WON!!), and they made lovely snacks for a long, asskicking day.

agave-mustard baked tofu

 

baked is one of my favourite ways to eat tofu. it gets just a little crispy on the outside, but without being greasy, like when it's fried. 

by marinating the tofu first, you give it lots of time to suck up the flavours in the sauce - i'd recommend marinating tofu regardless of how you plan to cook it, if you have the time. 

as you can see in the picture, i was serving it with herbed mushrooms (recipe coming soon!) and quinoa salad. i also really like to make baked tofu sandwiches, when i want a big, filling dinner-style sandwich. 

this is a great dish to make in advance - do a whole block, then have it for dinner, chop it up on top of a salad, etc. it will last at least a few days in the fridge.  

double layer smoothie

i got a new blender recently. 

i'm working up a post to tell you all about it, but in the mean time, here's a fabulous giant smoothie i made!!

the bottom layer is pineapple, mango, coconut oil, banana, protein powder and almond milk. the top layer is strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, banana, protein powder and almond milk. 

it tasted even better than it looks!

breakfast?!

i recently made another batch of my fabulous maple pecan granola, and so am inspired to remind you of the recipe. i've been thinking of making a granola bar recipe based on this cereal, what do you think?

lately i've been eating a smoothie for breakfast every day (with some coconut oil thrown in for good measure), but i like to sprinkle a handful of this on top, and eat it with a spoon. mmmm. 

cheesy pierogi bake

doing that post a while back about the pierogi stir fry got me thinking. pierogi are good for so many things, and if i can use them in stir fry, what else can i use them in? 

then, i went out for mid-day beers with a friend (it was the weekend, don't judge me), and had that home-for-dinner-somewhat-drunk-let's-eat-crap sort of feeling. the great thing about this is that it's not really crap at all, but it tastes like it is!! i guess it's on the MORE processed side of things for me (ie: store bought pierogi, daiya vegan cheese) and a little more carb-centric than i really tend towards, but aside from that it's mostly vegetables!

this dish made about 3 large servings. i used real cheese to top matt's, but the sauce is made with daiya (vegan), and mine had daiya on top. 

baking powder biscuits

this recipe is super quick and easy, and goes perfectly with all those slow-cooker soups and stews i've been throwing at you lately. it's also very customizable - the recipe i've created makes a savoury dinner-style biscuit, but you could always try different spices, or leave the spices out and throw in some berries or seeds for a tasty breakfast treat. you could make them plain, and eat them with jam, etc etc. the possibilities really are endless (i love recipes like that!)

these literally take less than 10 minutes to prep, and 20 to bake - perfect for those rushed, slow-cooker nights. (i served them with my vegan winter veggie stew, this time)

they are light and chewy-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside and ever so delightful. i may have been eating too many of them...

curried butternut squash and red lentil soup

i know, i know - another soup! but honestly, this is one of the best soups i have ever had, and i just have to share it. i have been trying for years to perfect the curried squash soup, and i've finally hit on the perfect recipe! it's got just enough spice, it's perfectly creamy, and i added red lentils to give it an extra heartiness.

i find red lentils have a bit of spiciness all on their own, and they go really well with curries, the flavours just compliment each other so well. 

focaccia bread

focaccia bread is so amazing. 

here at my house, we tend to eat it almost like pizza... maybe with a salad or bowl of soup, but with some veggies and cheese on it. i know that's not exactly traditional, but it's how we roll. 

you could certainly use this recipe to make a more traditional focaccia - just leave out the veggies and cheese, or throw some olive oil and a few olives and sundried tomatoes on instead! i have even been known to throw on fake chicken or tofurkey sausages, mushrooms, spinach, you name it.

however you choose to eat it, this bread is fantastic. fluffy and chewy and ever so tasty. 

vegan winter veggie stew

i don't know about where you are, but it's still pretty wintery in calgary. i know i'm going to have to tone down the slow cooker posts soon, but while it's still snowy and cold here, i'm using it all i can!

i've been feeling really busy lately, but there's nothing i particularly want to give up, either. aside from working a full time job, blogging and making virtually all of our meals from scratch, i'm trying really hard to concentrate on health and happiness. i'm insisting on taking the time i need to be healthy - running every day, making sure i'm eating good whole, healthy food... and i'm trying to make more time for things i love; reading, sewing, and i'm taking a jewellery-making class with the lovely and talented sheryl from notsoseemless!

i love cooking, but it doesn't always win out over the other things i have going on in my life, and this is why i have been using the slow-cooker so much lately. it's so easy to just get up in the morning and spend half an hour throwing everything into the pot, and ending up with a gourmet meal in time for dinner!

pierogi stir fry

matt had never had pierogi before we met. i honestly can't even imagine how he lived without them! as a kid, they were one of the few things i'd eat, and i've never lost my taste for them. 

for the longest time, i'd always eat pierogi fried, then dipped in some sort of sauce - this is how i introduced matt to them (and he LOVES them) and how i enjoyed them so much as a kid... 

but then one day, we had a fabulous idea! i don't actually know whether it was my idea or matt's (despite his lack of interest in cooking, he does come up with amazing food-related ideas from time to time), but we had the idea to use pierogi in stir fry! they make a great substitute for rice or noodles, and onion and potato pierogi (my favourite) go very well with any type of stir fry sauce you can imagine!

i've included sauce in this recipe, but use your imagination - there are a million different ways to make pierogi stir fry!

spaghetti squash pasta bake

spaghetti squash is one of the natural wonders of the world. honestly, i remember the first time i saw someone peel the squash out of the skin with a fork, seeing it form those perfect little spaghetti strands. it was magic. 

if you are looking for a lower-carb, lower calorie, gluten free or just plain healthy pasta substitute, look no further. spaghetti squash has about 1/4 the carbs/serving of pasta, and about 1/6 the calories. 

i often make spaghetti squash and "meat" balls, and it is also a great substitute for angel-hair pasta to serve with stir-fry. but, like with "real" pasta, one of the very best ways to cook it is baked and drowning in cheese. i guess eating healthy spaghetti squash makes me feel like i can go a little more overboard on the cheese - because it's all about balance, right?? 

this recipe makes one lasagna-pan full of baked "pasta", or about 6 servings.

clothes 2012

i got a serger last year. 

i can't even begin to express how much this has changed my life for the better. it's allowed me to do sooo many cool things that would have been either impossible or crazily time-consuming previously - see patch hoodies from christmas, for example.

it also allows me to do really cool details like on the dress above. 

it used to take me at least a couple of hours to make a standard hoodie, now, it takes about 30-45 minutes!! 

that is to say, i've been sewing up a storm. no tutorials here, just a bunch of pictures of the things i have made - and if there are things you'd like to see tutorials on in the future, let me know!

yard marbles

aren't these cool!?!?

i swear i saw this idea on pinterest a long time ago, but i have looked more recently and was unable to find it... so i apologize if i'm totally stealing someone's thunder here... but these were super easy to do, and i totally love them and want to share!

these look so cool in my yard, and i can just think of so many things you could do with them - red and green for christmas, bowling balls for snowmen, line your walkway with a bit of multi-coloured magic, or just pile them up and watch your dogs be totally freaked out! 

the best thing about them is that they are environmentally safe and friendly, and a super easy project you could do with kids. 

also, if you look closely, they are totally beautiful!

banana ice cream

this is seriously one of the easiest, most amazing recipes you will ever make. you can literally make it with one ingredient, or you can add to it and make it as fancy as you like!

it's vegan! it's gluten free! it's tasty and healthy, but still a dessert. it's pretty much perfect. it would even make a really great summer breakfast.

you DO need a food processor for this, i don't think a blender would work. but, if you don't already have a food processor, you should get one. they are good for so many things!

cauliflower rice

when i was seeing my naturopath regularly, one of the things she told me was that i wasn't absorbing much from carbohydrates, and as such i should eat them sparingly. i do enjoy carbs (freshly baked bread, anyone??), but i'm not nuts for them. i found that the hardest part was dishes like curry and stir-fry that i would traditionally serve with rice or bread. 

whether you're watching your carb intake, trying to cut back on calories, or simply looking for a new way to sneak vegetables to a picky eater, i'd highly recommend cauliflower rice. i've been feeding it to matt for months now, and he's never given any indication that he's aware it's not rice. muhahaha. 

i tend to add a little something extra to dishes that i cook with cauliflower rice - in this example, i added about 1/3 c peanut butter to our stir fry, to up the calories, and to add more FAT (which my naturopath says i should eat lots of).

keep in mind that while cauliflower rice is great for many things (curries, stir-fry, under chicken, with herbs, etc), it doesn't absorb water in the same way that real rice does, so look at it as a cooked rice substitute.

also, fyi, the stir fry in the pictures was about 5c of veggies (onion, carrot, broccoli, red pepper) and 1 package of deep-fried tofu puffs cooked in coconut oil, then sauced with 1 1/2 c veggie broth, 1 T garlic, 1 t sambal olek, 1/4 c soy sauce, 1/3 c peanut butter and 1 T potato starch. 

chocolate cupcakes

wee chocolate cupcakes! 

these tasty vegan treats would make an awesome valentines day treat to bring to work, or give to your special someone instead of a box of chocolates!

they go really well with my peanut butter icing!

for a gluten free version, click here!

loaf generator burgers

so, i know i've been posting about this thing a lot, but i did warn you when i first found this fabulous vegan loaf generator that it was going to change my life!! i was not exaggerating. 

i've been making recipes with it so often at this point that i have stopped even consulting the generator, which (in my world) is awesome. i feel like i am truly loving something when i get to the point that i just throw things in a bowl and a beautiful recipe comes out, and that's what i'm doing these days with this recipe. 

this time i made burgers, and a few little falafel-style balls for a wrap. i used measurements on the smaller end of the scale (small can of beans, etc) and it was a perfect dinner for today-lunch for tomorrow amount for matt and i.

i have also been using this recipe to make "meat" balls (roll into balls, bake at 375 for about 30 minutes, turning half way through, serve on spaghetti with your favourite sauce), and at christmas i made mini-loaves in a muffin tin (the standard recipe made 12) for a potluck style dinner. the possibilities really are endless!

fabric stenciling

i did a post a few days ago about how i made these canvas reusable shopping bags.

once they were finished, i decorated them! honestly i thought this process would be a lot more difficult than it was. it was a bit time-consuming (mostly cutting out the stencils), but totally worth it. 

i have to say, fabric paint has come a long way from the glittery plasticy crap i remember from my childhood. if i had any skill as an actual painter, it would have been really fun to paint masterpieces on each bag, but alas, i do not posses painting skills in the least. sewing seems to be more where my talent lies. 

regardless of my complete lack of paint-related skills, these turned out really well. 

i encourage you to start with shapes that are basic. the most intricate ones i did were the owls, and although they did turn out nicely, they were a lot of work, and i painted myself as much as the fabric. even the birds and elephants were a lot more complicated than i thought they would be. 

that being said, with some time and patience, i think anyone can do these. you may want to practice on an old t-shirt or a scrap of fabric first, to get the hang of it. 

maple pecan granola

when i'm not having a smoothie for breakfast, i love me some granola. i have posted another granola recipe previously, but this one is quite different. it's very simple, but crazily tasty. with a hint of mapley sweetness, and the burst of flavour of roasted pecans. 

i love to eat a breakfast that's a huge bowl of fruit with 1/2 c or so of granola sprinkled on top. it's enough to give my breakfast a hearty feel without making me feel stuffed. this granola is perfect for that. 

heck, it's perfect for everything. 

i made big jars of this for people for christmas presents. it can be made gluten free, as long as you use gluten free oats and rice crisp cereal, both of which are readily available around these parts. 

this recipe makes about 6 c of tasty, tasty granola.

canvas shopping bags

hey team!

so, i'm finally getting around to some christmas present tutorials. i didn't want to give away any surprises before christmas, but now that everyone has gotten their gifts, i can reveal all my secrets. 

as i mentioned before, i made everything by hand this year. i also resolved not to just make things for the sake of making them, but to actually consider what people would use, and try to give gifts that would contribute positively to people's lives. 

as well, none of these gifts were really christmas-specific. they could be for a birthday, anniversary, etc - even just for your lovely self!

i think in the end i made about 15 of these bags, so in all it was a fairly time-consuming process, but totally worth it, and also something that people will use! 

not only are these bags great for encouraging people to go reusable, but i also used them instead of wrapping paper! matt and i flew home for a christmas visit this year, and i just put every person (or couple)'s presents in their bag instead of wrapping them. we saved on paper, weight on the airplane and gave everyone beautiful, reusable bags!

decorating them will be a follow-up post!

spicy tofu burritos

i've gotta say, mexican food is by far one of my favourites. it's so vegan/vegetarian friendly - beans, rice, corn, avocados and rich spices... it's all so tasty and filling and healthy and i could just go on and on!!

these burritos are interesting, i'm sure the idea was inspired by a recipe that i found online many years ago, but i have been unable to locate it. i have changed the recipe a bit over the years, too. this has been a favourite of matt and i's for a long time now. it's got lots of veggies and tofu, yet it still feels like you're eating junk food. it doesn't get much better than that!

this recipe makes about 4 burritos. you could also eat it with a fork instead of in wraps. heck, it's so good i've eaten it with my hands before. 

i used vegan daiya pepperjack cheese, but you could use real cheese, or the cheese substitute of your choice. it's also good without cheese, although the cheese does help to hold everything together. 

new vegan loaf

remember how a while back i posted about this amazing vegan dinner loaf generator?

honestly i think it's one of my favourite things ever. next time, i'm going to make them in a muffin tin so that it's like wee little vegan loaf cupcakes. sooo exciting. maybe i'll make them higher on the edges so that they hold a pool of gravy. my mouth is watering just thinking about this. 

aaaaanyway, i used this fabulous loaf generator again recently, and i think i like this loaf even better than the black bean version. 

here's what i used (of course i didn't follow the recipe exactly!!), but check out the generator for instructions. 

maple pecan pumpkin tarts

you guys know i'm not much of a dessert person, but you also know how i feel about pecans and pumpkin. you may recall i often have pumpkin pie instead of cake on my birthday...

so a while back when i got a mad craving for desserts, this is what i came up with. i don't know if i've ever actually had pecan pie before, but it seems like it would be amazing, if rich. i was thinking about making something entirely pecan-based, but i honestly think this is even better. i feel like it's a bit more balanced of a dessert (there i go, making everything healthy.. sorry!)

i made the recipe for 4 tarts, because... well... sweets. you know. but i have included in parentheses the measurements for a dozen.

cornbread

we are right in the middle of prime soup season. this is the time of year when your slow-cooker should be getting a workout! time for hot cups of soup to warm your icy fingers. i love to come in from a brisk walk at the dog park to a house that smells of simmering soup - it's one of the few redeeming things about winter, in my mind. 

but, is soup a meal? 

this is a subject of much debate in my house - i say yes, matt says NONONO! perhaps it's just because he's so much bigger than me, it takes a lot of soup to fill a man's belly... but i am perfectly happy with a large bowl of brothy soup for dinner. 

one of the ways i've managed to get away with soup for dinner is cornbread. matt will go in for freshly baked bread any day, but there's something about a big slab of cornbread alongside a bowl of chili that just makes the meal feel complete. add to that the fact that cornbread is not yeast bread, meaning it's much quicker and easier to throw together on short notice. 

this recipe makes one medium sized loaf. it's vegan, but i did use ener-g egg replacer. you could sub in a tablespoon of ground flax seeds and 2 tablespoons of hot water, 1/4 c of silken tofu, or even a real egg.