Yep, I'm Still Here

Eeek! It's been so long since I've posted anything of substance! School kind of does that to me. :) Let's see, what have I been up to? I've finished my first year of radiology tech school (YAY!) and I've started my summer semester of clinicals. I took a kayaking class! It's was a BLASTY-blast! I'm in lurve! :) I don't have a kayak, but I do plan on using my newly acquired skillz several times this summer, even if it's mostly at the pool. :) I rode my mom's bike to work a couple of times (5.62 miles one way), but it's been rainy and cold since then, so I haven't done it any more times than that. I got my own bike! Totally stoked about that! AND I have my own treadmill now! Woohoo! I used it several times when I first got it, but exercising kind of fell by the wayside during finals. I DEF need to pick it back up tho.

Anywayz....enuff about me! Let's get on to even more exciting stuff: OATMEAL! Yep, I just said oatmeal. LOL I have never been a fan of oatmeal, well, any breakfast food for that matter. I would rather eat dinner for breakfast. I do make a point to eat breakfast now, because skipping meals slows your metabolism, but that doesn't mean I like it. ;) I think that's why my "regular" breakfast changes so often. It used to be smoothies, then it was brown rice cereal & almond milk, then leftovers, and now it's oatmeal. But not just any oatmeal. Almond butter chocolate oatmeal. Let the breakfast feasting begin!

ABC Oatmeal

Ingredients:

2 handfuls oatmeal
1-2 Tbsp. chocolate chips
Splash of almond milk
1 Tbsp. almond butter

Directions:

Put the first three ingredients in a glass bowl. Mix. Put the last ingredient on top & microwave for 1 minute. Stir thoroughly and enjoy!

After Microwaving

After stirring...look at that deliciousness! :)

Note: I don't use too much almond milk because I like my oatmeal chewy. Feel free to add more as desired. And a little chocolate goes a LOOONG way. Beware! :)

I am so excited for this summer!!! (If it ever gets here...LOL) There's so many things I want to do and try and it's just so exciting! Hopefully I get to do some of it so that I can write about it here. :) And I'll leave you with a randomness for the day: Yesterday was my first time mowing the lawn with gloves on. Yep, it was THAT cold and rainy! :)

Food Watercolors

Aaaaaand...I couldn't get enough of the watercolor effect I tried in this post, so I had to exhaust my not-so-large selection of food photos and have some fun! :D

My Momma's Birthday

I won't tell you the date exactly because, well, my mom might kill me. ;) But I think I'm allowed to tell you I cooked especially for her birthday. When I asked my mom what dessert she would like me to make for her birthday, the answer came as no surprise to me: German Chocolate Cake. I had no idea how I would make it, but I was pretty determined to make something special for her and I, of course, wanted to be able to eat it too! I found the recipe on the blog Simply Gluten-Free. They turned out great! (Hey, don't think I'm just saying that...I have 3 taste-testers that thoroughly enjoyed them! lol) 

German Chocolate Cupcakes

from Simply Gluten-Free

Ingredients:  1 1/2 cup spelt flour 1/3 cup tapioca starch 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup coconut milk (shake can well) ½ cup Vegenaise 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract ½ teaspoon pure almond extract Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 12 cup standard muffin pan with paper liners. In a large  mixing bowl, whisk together the spelt flour, tapioca starch, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and  espresso powder. In a separate mixing bowl whisk together the sugar, coconut milk, Vegenaise  and extracts.  Add the coconut milk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir or whisk to combine.  Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each cup about ¾ full. Bake for  20 – 25 minutes or until the tops are slightly springy and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Leave oven on.  Let cool in pan for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to finish  cooling.  Prepare frosting while cupcakes cool. German Chocolate Frosting Ingredients:  1 ½ cups coconut flakes 1 cup pecans, chopped 4 cups confectioners’ sugar, measured then sifted ¼ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt ½ cup refined coconut oil at room temperature 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract ½ teaspoon pure almond extract 4 – 6 tablespoons coconut milk Directions: Place the coconut flakes pecans on separate baking sheets.  Toast in oven until fragrant and lightly browned, about 5 minutes for the coconut and about 10 minutes for the pecans.  Watch  closely so they don’t burn. Let cool while mixing the rest of the frosting. In the bowl of an electric  mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the confectioners’ sugar, salt, coconut  oil and the extracts.  Starting with the mixer on low speed, blend until combined.  Gradually  increase the speed to medium and add the coconut milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until the frosting  is the consistency of buttercream frosting.  Turn mixer to medium high speed and continue to mix  for 3 minutes. Take a handful of the toasted coconut flakes to use as garnish and add the rest  along with the pecan to the frosting and mix well with a spatula.  You may need to add a bit more  coconut milk to keep the frosting at a spreadable constancy.  Frost cooled cupcakes, sprinkle  with some toasted coconut and serve. As far as this pasta, well, it was a happy accident. :) I was going to make a Mediterranean pizza,  but it kept feeling like too much work to make the crust. :( So then I was going to make this  Avocado Pasta recipe from Oh She Glows, when a stroke of genius hit me: Mediterranean Pasta! And let me tell ya...I am so glad it did! This one is going in my repertoire! :) Mediterranean Pasta Ingredients: 2 servings quinoa pasta 2 handfuls grape tomatoes 3 Tbsp. kalamata olives, pitted & chopped 1 Tbsp. capers 1 avocado 2 Tbsp. toasted & chopped pecans Light balsamic vinaigrette Grapeseed oil Salt & Pepper Garlic, if desired Directions: Cook pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, saute tomatoes in a pan with grapeseed oil and balsamic vinaigrette. (The balsamic vinaigrette reduces down A LOT.  Pick the reduced vinaigrette out and throw away.) Season with salt and pepper. When pasta is  done cooking, drain and drizzle with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with all ingredients  except tomatoes & balsamic vinaigrette. Set aside. When tomatoes get really soft and split  apart, add the pasta & other ingredients to pan and cook until warm. Drizzle with a little more  vinaigrette. Top with fresh cut avocado and toasted chopped pecans. P.S. The 40 in 4 challenge was going great until this weekend. I lost 8 lb only to gain it ALL back  this weekend! I'm just too good of a cook! ;) Just kidding! Oh, well, it was back on the band wagon today! :) I am extra super duper determined to get this weight loss thing steam rolling!

Homemade Twix Bars

Homemade Twix Bars
(Recipe by Angela @ Oh She Glows)
My variations are in parenthesis

Shortbread Crust:

3/4 cup Earth Balance or unsalted butter, room temp
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I used spelt flour)


Cascading Caramel:
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
6 tbsp Soy Free Earth Balance
2 tsp fleur de sel
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tbsp peanut butter (I used almond butter)


Chocolate Ganache:
3/4 cup good quality chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp full fat coconut milk (the cream on top of the can) (I used 1 Tbsp. of almond milk)
1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup


Directions: Preheat oven to 350F and line a 9 x 9 baking pan with two pieces of parchment paper (one covering each side). Lightly grease parchment paper. Cream the Earth Balance and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla and salt. Stir in the flour just until the dough begins to come together in walnut-sized chunks. Press the dough into the prepared pan and bake 20-23 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Do not over bake.

While the shortbread is baking, make your caramel. In a sauce pan, add the Earth Balance and sugar and bring to a boil. Stir well and reduce heat to medium. Stir for a few minutes. Add in the salt, maple syrup, and peanut butter and stir well for another couple minutes. Heat over low until the shortbread has cooled for about 10 minutes. Now pour the caramel over top of the shortbread and spread out quickly until smooth. Place in the freezer for about 30 minutes to set.

Now make the chocolate ganache by heating the chocolate and coconut milk on low. Stir frequently until smooth. Now add in the maple syrup and stir. Heat on lowest heat setting until the shortbread is out of the freezer.

Remove the shortbread from freezer when the caramel is firm and sit for 5 minutes. Pour on the Ganache and spread covering all sides and corners. Place back into the freezer for about 20-30 minutes or until firm. Remove from freezer and let it sit for about 10 minutes before gently cutting the sides and removing from pan. Slice into ‘fingers’. Makes about 20-26 fingers. Keep in the fridge as the chocolate will get sticky when at room temperature.

Seriously, these are soooooo amazing! Definitely check out Angela's blog for more fabulously, heavenly, delish recipes! :) This is one talented cook!

Chilled Cucumber Avocado Soup with Pico de Gallo

Chilled Cucumber Avocado Soup

with Pico de Gallo

For the Pico de Gallo:

1 onion

1 green pepper

3 or 4 tomatoes

1 chipotle pepper canned in adobo sauce

1 or 2 Tbsp. adobo sauce

cilantro

Combine first three ingredients in food processor and pulse until barely chopped. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse a couple of times until combined. Refrigerate until needed.

For the Cashew Cream:

Soak 1/2 cup cashews in water for at least 4 hours or overnight. Rinse and add 1/2 cup nondairy milk. (I used coconut milk to make it really creamy and yummy.) Blend in food processor until really creamy and not gritty anymore. Refrigerate until needed.

For the Cucumber Avocado Soup:

1/2 cucumber

1 avocado

1/4 cup cashew cream

Blend in food processor until smooth.

The recipe for the soup makes a little bit more than one serving. Top soup with a dollop of pico de gallo and enjoy! :) The soup is really light and fresh tasting. It is so easy...I made it in about 15 minutes, cashew cream and all! This is my own creation, feel free to tweak it to your own taste.

Thai Tofu and Noodles

Voila!

In one word: YUM! I marinated the tofu, spread it out on an oiled cookie sheet, and baked it in the oven. The tofu wasn't as flavorful as I would have liked, so I think I will have to experiment with this one. The sauce was pretty simple: tahini, dijon mustard, garlic, lemon juice, rice milk, hot chili sauce, agave nectar, and flaxseed oil for my daily omegas.

Then, I cooked brown rice noodles and then cooked spinach and zucchini with the rest of the sauce and tossed it all together! If I would have had beans cooked, I might have added them too. All in all, my tummy is happy with this feast! :)

Marinating the tofu

Putting them on a cookie sheet to bake

Coleslaw!

I've never been a fan of regular coleslaw, but lemme tell ya: mah homemade coleslaw rox my sox! However, no one ever told me that one head of cabbage makes TONZ of coleslaw! I think I might have to pawn some off to someone! ;) It sure hits the spot tho: sweet, creamy, and crunchy! I love to top mine with toasted almonds, sesame seeds, a dash of fresh ground pepper, and black grapes.


I didn't measure anything, just made it to taste. When I first tasted my dressing, it seemed pretty potent, but it mellowed out when I mixed it with the cabbage.

Coleslaw Dressing:
Vegenaise
1 apple, pureed
Apple cider vinaiger
Tahini
Agave nectar
Fresh squeezed lime or lemon juice

Easy peasy and yummy too! :)