Eggplant 'Parmesan'

Eggplant, cut in 1/2 inch slices
Egg Mixture:
1 egg (or flax egg) with a bit of water to thin
Flour: 
about 1/3 cup flour with salt and pepper
Coating: 
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Vegan parmesan:
3/4 cup raw cashews
3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
heaping 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. salt

Dip each eggplant slice in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, take slices out in batches and cook in cast iron with 1 Tbsp. olive oil to brown and crisp (this is really important!). Sprinkle with vegan parmesan and oregano.

Serve on top of spaghetti noodles and marinara. Sprinkle with more parmesan since you don't have to feel guilty about this stuff.

Evan Starts Work & We Celebrate with Chocolate Cake

I'm so proud of Evan and excited for him as he undertakes his first year as a teacher! Obviously this occasion called for chocolate cake...which we promptly ate half of as a snack.

I'm indebted to my youngest sister for discovering this delicious chocolate cake recipe on Pinterest from here. It always turns out incredibly. 

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 of 3/4 cup cocoa powder (this was originally for two cakes so some measurements are kind of weird)

1 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup milk (I used our Almond/Coconut milk)

1/4 cup canola oil

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9 inch cake pan with butter or coconut oil. 

In a large bowl, add dry ingredients and whisk together. Add milk, oil, egg, and vanilla to the bowl and mix together with an electric mixer. Add boiling water to the batter (the batter will seem really thin but it will work out fine!) and mix on medium/high for a minute to add air to the batter. Pour into cake pan and bake for about 25-30 minutes.

Vegan Chili

1 can drained corn

1 can black beans

1 can kidney or chili beans

1 small can vegetarian baked beans

1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes with juice

1 can Rotel (or just do a can of chilis)

1 medium onion, diced

2 chopped green bell peppers

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

2 Tbsp. chili powder

1 Tbsp. cumin

1 can water

Mix everything together in a crockpot and put on low for 8 hours. Even better served with Trader Joes Corn Cake Bread.

Thursdays are our hectic days - I have class all afternoon and evening, Evan works all day and then has catechism class in the evening - and we miss each other for dinner. I'm trying to get better at crockpot meals since that seems to be the best solution!

Dinner Guests

We love these two and are so excited for them to live just down the road.

Dutch Babies

For some reason, the past few months I have been craving Dutch Babies regularly. The salty-buttery-lemony-sweet-bready taste is just so satisfying! I've made Dutch Babies for quite a few breakfasts - and a few dinners - and it always hits the spot. Since Evan and I haven't been eating much dairy, I swapped the milk for the Blue Almond Almond/Coconut Blend we drink and it turned out just fine.

For two people (8x8 pan):
about 2 1/2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup milk
2 1/2 eggs (I do this by scrambling three eggs and then pouring out just a little into a cup to scramble later)
1/2 cup flour

While the oven is heating to 425, put the butter in 8x8 pan and put the pan in the oven. In a blender, blend together the milk, eggs, and flour. When the butter has melted and started to brown, remove the pan from the oven and pour the blended mixture into the pan. Return to the oven and bake for around 20 minutes.
Serve with - my favorite - lemon juice and a light dusting of powdered sugar.

Small Space Solution No. 2

Apparently the toaster works just as well on the floor as it does on the kitchen counter, which is great considering how little counter space we have!

Asian Quinoa Salad

Quinoa:
2/3 cup white quinoa
1 cup water

Vegetables:
small head of broccoli, cooked with minced garlic
2-3 carrots, cut in thin slices
thinly sliced red cabbage, cooked with minced ginger
water chestnuts
bell peppers
(I can't remember if I put mushrooms in this, but they would be good!)

Dressing:
heaping Tbsp. peanut butter
1 Tbsp. sweet chili sauce from Trader Joes
4 Tbsp. liquid aminos/soy sauce
4 Tbsp. lime juice
3 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp. Sriracha

I cooked the veggies in small batches in my little wok and mixed everything together in a big bowl. This was yummy reheated the next day, too! We added green onions and toasted sesame seeds to ours.

Recipe inspired by Minimalist Baker

Reading: Lord of the Rings

One year and 1250 pages later, we finished the Lord of the Rings series (including The Hobbit). What began last June as a way for Evan to entertain/comfort my sick self ended up occupying our attention for many evenings and long car rides over the next year. I'm thankful for writers like Tolkien who create worlds with words and thankful for Evan's many accents that made those words come alive.

Bless and Do Not Curse Them

"Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.

Enemies have driven me into your embrace more than friends have.

Friends have bound me to earth, enemies have loosed me from earth and have demolished all my aspirations in the world.

Enemies have made me a stranger in worldly realms and an extraneous inhabitant of the world. Just as a hunted animal finds safer shelter than an unhunted animal does, so have I, persecuted by enemies, found the safest sanctuary, having ensconced myself beneath your tabernacle, where neither friends nor enemies can slay my soul.

Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.

They, rather than I, have confessed my sins before the world.

They have punished me, whenever I have hesitated to punish myself.

They have tormented me, whenever I have tried to flee torments.

They have scolded me, whenever I have flattered myself.

They have spat upon me, whenever I have filled myself with arrogance.

Bless my enemies, O Lord, Even I bless them and do not curse them.

Whenever I have made myself wise, they have called me foolish.

Whenever I have made myself mighty, they have mocked me as though I were a dwarf.

Whenever I have wanted to lead people, they have shoved me into the background.

Whenever I have rushed to enrich myself, they have prevented me with an iron hand.

Whenever I thought that I would sleep peacefully, they have wakened me from sleep.

Whenever I have tried to build a home for a long and tranquil life, they have demolished it and driven me out.

Truly, enemies have cut me loose from the world and have stretched out my hands to the hem of your garment.

Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.

Bless them and multiply them; multiply them and make them even more bitterly against me:

so that my fleeing to You may have no return;

so that all hope in men may be scattered like cobwebs;

so that absolute serenity may begin to reign in my soul;

so that my heart may become the grave of my two evil twins, arrogance and anger;

so that I might amass all my treasure in heaven;

ah, so that I may for once be freed from self-deception, which has entangled me in the dreadful web of illusory life.

Enemies have taught me to know what hardly anyone knows, that a person has no enemies in the world except himself.

One hates his enemies only when he fails to realize that they are not enemies, but cruel friends.

It is truly difficult for me to say who has done me more good and who has done me more evil in the world: friends or enemies.

Therefore bless, O Lord, both my friends and enemies.

A slave curses enemies, for he does not understand. But a son blesses them, for he understands.

For a son knows that his enemies cannot touch his life.

Therefore he freely steps among them and prays to God for them.

Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them."

- Bishop Nikolai, a Serbian Orthodox bishop who spoke out against Nazism and was taken to Dachau concentration camp

Vegetable Gyoza

(Very) finely chop all vegetables:
1 heaping cup red cabbage
1 heaping cup Shanghai bok choy (one bundle from Winco)
1/3 cup green onion
heaping 1/2 cup sweet onion
1 1/2 cups mushrooms
1 Tbsp. ginger
1 Tbsp. garlic

1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1/2 tsp. liquid aminos (or soy sauce)

Makes about 50 gyoza

I first cut up all the vegetables, then cooked the cabbage and bok choy with ginger and salt (in my wok), placed in a big bowl, then the mushrooms with a drizzle of Sriracha for some spice, and the onions with garlic. Stir in the vinegar and liquid aminos into the bowl of veggies. I was worried about there being too much liquid in the mixture (no one wants watery gyoza) but I - accidentally - solved this problem by boiling the liquids out from having the glass bowl set on a burner that was supposed to be cooking the rice...whoops.

I bought pre-made gyoza wrappers at Winco (which is what first gave me the idea to try my own) and filled each with a heaping teaspoon of mixture. Dip your finger in water and slightly wet the outside ring of the wrapper and then pinch the sides together firmly. I pan fried them in my wok in small batches with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil and they were so tasty! We ate most of them...but I managed to snag a few and froze them for later.

Sweet Potato, Chickpea, & Kale Bowls

Sweet potatoes:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut sweet potatoes in 1 inch thick slices, lightly coat with olive oil and salt, and place face down on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Roast for about 40 minutes. During this time, cut the kale, make the dressing, and boil and spice the chickpeas.

Salad:
Remove the leaves from the thick stem and cut kale (I added some romaine too) in small pieces. Toss generously with dressing.

Dressing:
1/3 cup tahini sauce (from Trader Joes)
2 Tbsp. hummus
1 Tbsp. + lime or lemon juice
1 Tbsp. water
1 heaping Tbsp. minced garlic
black pepper

Chickpeas:
Boil a heaping cup of soaked chickpeas for about 10 minutes. Drain and toss into a cast iron pan with some oil and sprinkle with chili powder, oregano, salt, pepper, turmeric, and smoked paprika (I used quite a bit - gives it a good spice).

Cabbage:
I whipped up this quick cabbage slaw and added it for some color and texture:
1 cup thinly sliced red cabbage
pinch of salt
1 tsp. lime juice (or lemon or apple cider vinegar)
massage cabbage with salt and juice for a minute
drizzle with honey and stir

A New Pot for Lilla

Lilla, our IKEA palm - named after the tiny island of Lilla Essingen in Stockholm - got a fancy new pot and some new soil today (thank you Lowe's giftcard). Hopefully she takes the change well - I'm afraid she doesn't quite get enough sun in our apartment and we are still figuring out how much water she needs.
In other news, we finally got a broom...

Falafel Waffles

Falafel Waffles:
2 heaping cups of chickpeas (I soaked mine in water overnight with a pinch of apple cider vinegar), rinsed and drained
2 tsp minced garlic
handful of chopped cilantro
handful of chopped mint (or other herb)
2 Tbsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground corriander
2 tsp. sea salt
black pepper
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
2/3 cup chickpea flour
2 Tbsp. water

Blend chickpeas, herbs, spices, and lemon juice in a food processor (I used my Nutribullet - but divided this into two batches). Pour into a bowl and add chickpea flour and water. Stir until mixture holds together well. On parchment paper, divide mixture into eight patties. Cook on waffle iron for 4-5 minutes or until well-cooked.

This recipe pairs really well (in texture, taste, and aesthetics) with a red cabbage slaw:
2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
- massage vinegar and salt into the cabbage for about one minute
drizzle with honey and black pepper and stir together

Top with sliced cucumber and tahini sauce (I used tahini sauce from Trader Joes mixed with olive oil to thin).

Recipe from My New Roots
_________________________________________________

A note on chickpeas from Sarah Britton of the blog "My New Roots:"
"We all know that chickpeas are fiber all-stars, providing 50% of your RDI in just one cup, (whoa!) but they have another party trick up their sleeve that I bet you didn’t know about. Two-thirds of the fiber in chickpeas is insoluble, meaning that it doesn’t break down during digestion, but instead moves through our digestive tract unchanged until it hits the large intestine. The fun starts here, where friendly bacteria (think probiotics!) go to town on said insoluble fiber and actually break it down to create short-chain fatty acids, including acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid. These short-chain fatty acids can then be absorbed by the cells that line the wall of our large intestine and used for energy! How rad is that?! Butyric acid is in fact the preferredsource of energy for the cells lining our colon, and with this bonus fuel comes greater potential for optimally active and healthy cells. This translates into a reduced risk of colon problems including colon cancer. So friends, invite chickpeas to your next dinner party – they’ll feed you and your colon cells. Can your pot roast do that?"

Sweet & Sour Tofu Veggie Stir-Fry

Ingredients:
One package extra-firm tofu
Cornmeal
Toasted sesame oil
broccoli
carrots
red cabbage
peppers
garlic
water chestnuts

Rinse tofu, wrap in paper towels, and set a cast-iron pan on top to drain excess moisture. Cook jasmine rice (1 1/4 cups dry rice with 1 3/4 cups water was the perfect amount for four servings). Cut tofu in small squares and rub with cornmeal and salt. Set aside. Cut up veggies and saute in sesame oil. Slice cabbage in thin strips, saute with garlic and salt. Put cooked veggies in a bowl and mix together. Put sesame oil in the wok and add half the tofu to the pan, cooking the tofu until browned and crisp (about 8 minutes). Repeat with the rest of the tofu. We added a mixture of soy sauce, Island Soyaki sauce, and Sweet Chili sauce from Trader Joes. Top with green onions.
This is one of our new favorites! The colors of the veggies are so pretty (especially the purple cabbage) and the water chestnuts add such a good texture.

Watermelon

How to pick a watermelon: from here
1. Pick it up: the watermelon should feel heavy for its size
2. Look for the yellow spot: when watermelons rest on the ground while growing, they develop a spot - when this spot is creamy yellow, it's ripe
3. Give it a thump: knock on the underbelly of the watermelon. A ripe one will have a hollow sound; under or over ripe melons will sound dull

Sweet Reunions

I got to catch up with one of my dear friends and hang out with two of my favorite boys this weekend. It is incredible to watch them grow and change each time I come home and I can't wait to see their personalities develop. I have so much love for these two tiny humans and their beautiful mama!
Thanks for snapping the pictures for me, Bethany. 

My friend from high school got married this weekend, and Evan and I got to attend. It was the first wedding we've attended as guests since our own and it was fun to sit back and enjoy a wedding knowing all the hard work that went into it.

Not the Hero Portland Wanted, but the One it Needed

Chickpea Salad Sandwiches

2 cans chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and smashed
2 stalks of celery, finely diced
2 small carrots, finely diced
1/2 medium red onion, finely diced
2 Tbsp. mayo
2 tsp. spicy mustard (I use Garlic Aioli mustard from Trader Joes)
2 tsp. sriracha
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. garlic powder, onion powder, and turmeric
black pepper

Mix everything together in a bowl and serve on bread in sandwich form (with pickles and lettuce!) or as a dip with pita chips. Makes, as always, two lunches and two dinners.

Recipe adapted from Chickpea Magazine

Peanut Butter Banana Overnight Oatmeal

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups unsweetened Almond-Coconut Milk (we use Blue Almond brand)
2 heaping Tbsp. flax meal or chia seeds
heaping Tbsp. peanut butter

Mix wet ingredients together first, then stir in the oats. Optional: add a dash of agave for sweetness. Soak overnight in the fridge, eat the next morning with bananas and cinnamon! Serves two.

Inspired by Minimalist Baker