Yummy Stuff I've Been Eating

My latest obsession

This one: steamed broccoli, chopped onion, chopped tomato, 2 Chao cheese slices minced

First things first. We need to talk about Somer's Early Retirement Quiche which Kittee posted on her blog, Cake Maker recently. I really, really hope Somer hasn't retired forever from sharing her vegan recipes with the world because she is like some sort of genie. Over the years I have made so many tofu quiches, and I liked most of them, but Mr. Vegan Eats & Treats has never liked a single one... much to my dismay. So, imagine my JOY when he declared his deep love for this quiche. Friends, I was SO STOKED.

I made the quiche "crustless" - mostly to cut back on calories and also because I guess I'm just not that into crust right now. Even with no crust, the outer edges of the quiche got browned and crispy and perfect in the oven, and the whole quiche is just incredible. I have already made it five times. 

Second iteration: julienned kale, grilled artichoke hearts, storebought Croatian pinjur, Chao cheese,

 chopped onion & tomatoes

Making this beauty is not for the faint of heart - it actually comes together really quickly - but it's a real workout for your blender, since there's not a lot of moisture in the batter. That said, give your little blendy a rest if necessary, but don't give up... because the end result is the best texture you've ever experienced in a tofu quiche.

I made this one on a Sunday and then enjoyed a slice for breakfast all week - so nice to have such a nutritious and tasty savory breakfast ready in a snap! I always wake up Ready To Eat, so having something ready to go is super helpful for me.

I'm tellin' ya. The yum factor here is super high.

 3rd Quiche: roasted yellow beets, julienned beet greens, artichoke hearts, chopped tomato, sauteed leeks, Chao cheese

Plus, you can just tweak it and tweak it and throw all sorts of stuff in there, and it's always delicious. As you can see, I've made all sorts of variations, and I'm just going to keep on making these. I probably won't force you to look at every single one ... but I might. I have another one in the oven right now. Perhaps I should change the name of my blog to Vegan Eats & Quiches?

Vegan Eats & Quiches - all quiche, all the timez

I also made Apple, Beet and Broccoli Slaw from Superfoods 24/7.  It's a fun recipe because it uses the stems from broccoli! I love this idea, but the recipe was just okay for me. I think our yellow beets were a little too bitter, which is probably just the luck of the draw. Maybe if I steamed them it would have been better. The turmeric is already a bit bitter, so I actually added a bit of sweetener to the dressing, which helped a lot. I still feel like it needed just one more secret ingredient to really make it sing. I'd like to make it again and continue to tweak it.  

Lower Fat Banana Bread from Veganomicon

Man, I have had banana bread on my mind for a long time now. Months, maybe? I had some blackened bananas in the freezer, just waiting to be put to use, and finally the moment was right. This recipe is one of my favorites, it's quick and easy and really reliable. I don't really like chocolate chips in my banana bread... even though I am a chocolate friend, I like banana bread plain and simple. So I used chopped walnuts in place of the chocolate chips called for in the recipe. So good. This happy loaf served us well, although its time with us was short. RIP banana bread, you are remembered with love and affection.

Amey & Banana Bread, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G! 

Masala Root Soup from Voluptuous Vegan

garnished with shredded coconut and fresh cilantro

served with Field Roast

I really love Voluptuous Vegan, and I feel like it doesn't get enough praise as a cookbook. I've made (and loved!) so many of the recipes in this book, and the pages are covered with notes like "We all loved this!" and "So good!," but this one just had "Sounds Good, Try This!" written on the top of the page. Ha ha. So, I did! Many of the recipes in Voluptuous Vegan are filled with complex flavors, but this one was much more simple - and not in a bad way! Sweet potatoes, carrots, onions and a bunch of Indian spices are all combined into slightly sweet, well-spiced soup. 

Back at Thanksgiving I had bought myself a small Celebration Roast from Field Roast, before deciding to make something homemade after all. So I got my little roast out of the freezer for this dinner, and it was such a perfect combo with this soup. Like a second Thanksgiving in the beginning of February! 

soup from a soup mix!

One of my yoga students gave me this soup mix for Christmas and I was happy to put it to use! I added extra onions, celery, carrots, and garlic - and otherwise I followed the recipe on the package...

... and the result was really yummy. The recipe called for Worchestershire sauce and I used the last dregs of my bottle of vegan worch... ( I dislike that word so much) -- Now I have a reason to make the homemade recipe in Vegan DIY that I've had my eye on! 

what kind of a jerk even comes up with such a complicated word?

I feel like I never say it right.

I almost never use things like soup mixes, but this made a big, yummy, and nutritious pot of soup with almost zero effort. I love that! I'm always trying to balance my eating schedule with my yoga practicing/teaching schedule - since I don't like to eat before I teach or practice. For the last few months, I often make dinner in the middle of the day on Thursdays, before class - then I stay after teaching and do my own practice. I get home around 9 or 9:30 pm, but I love coming home hungry to a dinner that is all ready to go! 

Puffy Chia Pancakes from Superfoods 24/7

I decided to surprise my bub with pancakes for breakfast! I loved how super puffy these pancakes got and I loved how the recipe made 12 totally legit pancakes. I enjoyed the chia seeds in there, but poor Mr. VE&T found this to be too unconventional for the world of pancakes. I understand, there are some comfort foods that are just meant to be comfort foods. None the less, I really liked these - especially with a bunch of almond butter and maple syrup! I'll make them again for myself when Mr. VE&T has other plans. ha ha. After making them, I noticed the batter had no sweetener in it, and I think next time I'll add a little bit of sweetener and maybe some vanilla extract too. 

I'll have to make amends and surprise him again with a batch of 100% mainstream pancakes. 

Hope you're all doing well!