Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Up and Running!

Hey there! 

Thanks for bearing with me as my technological issues were resolved. The bad news is my computer freaked out and I lost most of my new recipes. The good news is that my mom and I decided to switch computers so that this does not happen to me again. I have always admired her MacBook Air so I am sure I will get along just fine. ;) 

[Happy face oatmeal :D]

With my computer down, I did not take as many photos as usual. However, it was hard not to when I was eating such delicious things! 

I have especially enjoyed eating a muffin to start out my day. I am not always ready for oatmeal right when I wake up (not to mention I make it the looooong way for volume and creaminess), so muffin mashes have been perfect. 

Some people like coffee, I do muffins. They are definitely worth waking up for!

After one last mash with these, I said goodbye to my Cinnamon Vanilla Sunflower Butter Muffins with Banana and Blueberries (AKA Bliss Muffins). 


Bliss indeed.




Feeling an immediate muffin void, I decided to create a new recipe. 


Fudge-y, ooey-gooey, chocolate blueberry muffins? Yes, please! While these are similar to my other recipe (do not mess with perfection, friends!), I will be posting it soon. This was definitely bliss, too; but this time, it was chocolate bliss.




For some reason, I failed to capture many of the eats between these lovely treats and dinner. Maybe because they usually looked a little like this... 

[Breakfast oats]

[Snack-y lunches]



Dinner, however, was not overlooked. Armed with a block of tempeh, I got to cookin'. Of course, I always start with the tried-and-true.

[Asian-inspired tempeh bowl with zucchini, cauliflower, and broccoli

[In the mix: Braggs-marinated-and-baked tempeh cubes, millet (hiding below), carrots, and snow peas with Braggs, ginger, and garlic]



Venturing outside of my usual, I decided to go a sweeter route. 


I was inspired by this to create a tempeh salad with grated carrots, using fresh and ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice




Both the flavor and texture were very new to me. I am so used to having tempeh one way that this was a welcomed change. However, I soon returned to my savory roots again....

[Smokey tempeh strips served on a bed of millet and leaf lettuce, with cauliflower, broccoli, orange bell pepper, and avocado]

[Although it was messy, I ended up using the lettuce like a wrap. I suppose these were my version of tacos.]



I may experiment with new ideas, but I never stray too far from my love of legumes. 


Do not let this picture fool you; there were most definitely chickpeas in there. That lovely burger is actually my variation on Angela's In A Jiffy Curry Chickpea Burgers. A mound of Indian-spiced roasted veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, and zucchini), carrots, and a mini cucumber happily accompanied it to make this delicious meal. 




I also used beans as a stuffing to some of my favorite veggies. Veggies and beans? That is pretty much me in a nutshell. 


Oh boy, this plate is simply veggie-packed! First, I stuffed patty pan squash with adzuki beans. I also steamed kale, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and broccoli (which I then added to arame to make a sea-vegetable salad). As always,  kabocha (topped with avocado a la Gena) was the star of the show. I definitely think the squash beat it in cuteness, though. 




On a whim, I decided to make Mexican Black Bean Stuffed Zucchini and Red Pepper. Apparently I had a bit of a heavy hand with the cayenne I was feeling spicy, so avocado brought a welcomed creaminess to the dish.





And to end on a sweet note, I finally made this recipe. Or rather, I put my spin on it, thanks to the kind suggestions of miss Natalie herself. My version was basically vegan blueberry bread pudding with strawberries



I am now officially a big fan of coconut flour and coconut yogurt. Coconut flour gives baked goods such a dense texture and nutty flavor. And as for the coconut yogurt, its creaminess cannot be beat. Vegan greek yogurt perhaps? Welcome back, coconut, welcome back!





Whew! How is that for a monster post? Now that I have a new blogging headquarters, I am here to stay. And since I am obviously loving muffins lately, what is your favorite kind of muffin? Also, what ingredient or blogger recipe have you indulged in recently?

Have a lovely day! 

xox, 
Mandiee






11 comments:

  1. the beans hidden in the squash is the cutest thing ever!!! haha foodie nerds ;)

    i love all muffins. my favorites are probably corn, banana walnut, blueberry or mixed berry, or chocolate chip!

    my most recent blogger recipe (if you could call it that) was brown rice stir fry with hot sauce and coconut oil and tofu. delish

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  2. I'm glad you're back! Everything looks tasty. :)

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  3. So many veggie-full eats! It all looks delicious. My favorite muffin is a simple banana nut made with oats.

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  4. Oooo muffins. I absolutely love them, and if I could bear to be away from my precious oatmeal, I would definitely be enjoying them for breakfast... and pancakes... and waffles. Heck, any breakfast food is good food if you ask me :) But back to muffins... my favorite one is probably a good old fashioned cinnamon raisin bran muffin. I like my muffins to really hearty and dense, and I find bran muffins perfect for that, and you can never go wrong when cinnamon and raisins are involved :)

    I don't tend to make a lot of blogger recipes because I'm horrible at sticking to them, but I've really been indulging in all things coconut lately. Butter, milk, flour, water... coconut is like the perfect food if you ask me :)

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  5. sorry to hear you lost your saved recipes and such :( but - i think a Mac Air may be worth the sacrifice, maybe? that is pretty awesome, i will say :P
    the food looks incredible! you can come on and cook for me anytime, you know ;) the stuffed squash is adorable, as does the black bean stuffed zuc and red pepper. i'm a legume lover, too.
    oh, and a muffin lover!! i made these cranberry almond quinoa onces a while back and they were a definite win...but i also think there's nothing wrong with good ol' blueberry :)

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  6. haha it looks like frosty the snowman's happy face <3

    lol i wouldnt dare mess with the recipe, perfection for real! omg ooey gooey chocolate and blueberry!!!! banana goes so good with that combo too but just as is it looks and sounds seductively delicious!! <3

    hope uve been having a great day so far love!

    xoxo

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  7. I'm a HUGE muffin lover, if only for their lovely tops! I think muffin tops are the best part! My favorite muffin is corn muffins...I love the gritty texture, and I prefer savory tastes.

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  8. Love the stuffed zucchini! YUM! Favorite muffin is pumpkin! Nothing better!

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  9. Pretty pretty oatmeal! And your salads look like masterpieces. I love it!! Favorite muffin- pumpkin or morning glory :)

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  10. WOW. Just...wow. If I said everything I wanted to say about all the food in this post, it probably wouldn't fit in the box. I am in awe of your abilities!

    muffin? blueberry, i guess...or maybe cinnamon streusel. if those exist.

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  11. I love your happy face oatmeal! :) And i love any kind of muffin (thus the name of my blog hehe, but i adore banana flax!)

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