Test Kitchen Tuesday

More delicious things have appeared in the kitchen thanks to Krys at Two Vegan Boys (click to see the last selection).  What sorts of things you ask?  Oh...Black bean and Corn Quinoa with lime dressing, Avocado Cashew Enchiladas, Curried Mustard Greens with Chickpeas, Roasted Coconut Carrot Soup, and Carrot Maple Muffins.  All of them wonderful! 
We couldn't find mustard greens at the time and subbed whatever we could find at the store, which still turned out quite well.  Unfortunately we were unable to find any tomatillos at the time, but someday we will get to try the luscious tomatillo sauce over the enchiladas.  On their own (with Follow Your Heart) they were wonderful and creamy, although they could have definitely used a sauce.  I am not much of a carrot soup fan, but this one was amazing!  And I will gladly feast on it again :)  Below are some of these wonderful things.

Cous Cous, Burritos and Zombies

Sorry for the lack of posts this week. I promise that I have NOT retired my blog after one week! This week just sort of got away from me.

So, a little bit of food. Nothing too fancy this week, though:

Cous Cous with Falafel and Veggies

For this simple dish I combined cous cous, falafel (leftover and crumbled), broccoli and carrots...I think that was all. I threw on some garlic, of course! And a little bit of this Moroccan seasoning we received as a Christmas gift from Adam's wonderful Mom :) (I can list the ingredients if anyone's interested) After preparing the cous cous and setting it aside, I boiled the broccoli for a short time to soften (it should also gain a nice darker green shade). Then I fried carrots in oil for 5-7 min, added the garlic for another min or 2. I added the leftover falafel to the pan, then after a time the broccoli and finally the cous cous. To this I sprinkled Moroccan seasoning over the whole thing and some tamari. Now that I think of it, I probably threw some dried shallots in at some point. But if you have an onion lying around I would suggest frying it with the carrots.

Burrito Filling

Last night I whipped up a quick dish to stuff in tortillas. So many things taste wonderful when you wrap them up in a warm tortilla, don't you agree? Luckily I got up in time before work to cook the beans that we soaked overnight.

After putting filling the rice cooker, I fried up onion, pepper, beans, tomato and then added the rice (in that order, even ;). I threw on some granulated garlic, for a quick fix, and added just a bit of tamari over everything for a little extra flavor. Near the end I added some dried jalapeno flakes. Just a simple tasty dish to make when you're already HUNGRY!

Books I have recently read:

The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath: (spoilers) Honestly, I wasn't very impressed with this one. This is my first affair with Plath and I suppose I should read some of her poetry. It was well-written, but the story didn't really captivate me until the last fourth of the book. I just didn't feel very interested in Esther's NY escapades and had trouble feeling for her as she fell into depression when she came home. BUT after a suicide attempt and watching her sort out her tangled, warped mind in psych wards the book became much more interesting.

Z for Zachariah - Robert C. O'Brien: I didn't finish this book. I picked it up because I've been on a post-apocalyptic kick since reading The Road (which is fantastic!). A class I visit monthly at a local high school are also on this kick and I'm always hunting for books they might enjoy. This book was kind of a bore with useless, uninteresting details. Finally I decided to skim the end. It seems that the most action happens in the last 30 or so pages.

The Forest of Hand and Teeth - Carrie Ryan: This was by far the most interesting of the three! Another post-apocalyptic pick and suggested by a coworker (thanks Bobbie!). Set in a world overrun by the Unconsecrated (zombies) a girl wonders what lies beyond her fenced in village. She dreams of oceans and skyscrapers, of everything her mother has told her existed before The Return (zombie apocalypse). The main character, Mary, is unwilling to except that the village and rules of the Sisterhood are all that life has to offer. There is a bit of a romance, too.

The sequel is due out soon and I'm very excited! Above I have linked to the author's blog. In fact here is one entry you might enjoy where Ryan discusses the importance of considering a teen's freedom (as with anyone else's) in choosing what to read: 'Won't Someone Please Think of the Children?'.

Not sure if I've mentioned, but I'm a librarian. I started about 6 months ago and love it! I get to work with teens, a passion I developed working in a drug and alcohol rehab. It's a wonderful place to be!

Coming up: Recently received zines, Match Meat Crab and Weekly intrigue

Chimichangas and a little Christmas

What a happy day! I came home to packages waiting inside. Luckily, Adam's and mine came on the same day, so we were able to open all of our Christmas at once.

Two new cookbooks! Oh my, these were probably my top two picks on my current want list:
Vegan Brunch AND Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar! (Click the links for sample recipes if you don't have a copy yet!)


That's not all! Also, the next installment of Northlanders (trade paperback) and 3 David Bowie albums!


Also, I visited the Thrift Store for the Blind today and made out with some goods:
Twin Peaks Soundtrack, a little hanger for ties (perfect for Adam and his new job), small flower pot, spatula for outdoor grilling, a gardening book, and skirt book.


I love thrifty finds!

Today I figured out how to add links to text (obviously a blog novice). If anyone has happened here because you wondered, "Who the hell is this chick that just posted on my blog?" Well, it was me. I've hunted the net for recipes for years and followed many blogs. Just recently I started my own and decided to start communicating...hopefully not creepy, haha.

We've been eating a lot of chimi's lately. I originally got the idea for mashing potatoes and beans together from a vegan cookbook I once had. Each time is a slightly different variation.

Black Bean Potato Chimichangas

3 med potatoes (chopped and cooked)
2 c. black beans (cooked)
2 avocados
3 garlic cloves
2 Tbl tamari
1/3 c. water or veg. broth
1-3 hot peppers or 1-2 tsp. dried pepper flakes (jalapeno are a great choice)
8 tortillas (burrito size)

Filling:
Mash together potatoes, beans and avocados in a large pot or bowl. Add everything else and mix thoroughly.

To form chimichangas:
Start with a single tortilla and fold two sides in toward the center:


Add a scoop (1/8) of mixture to one end and roll up.


Next, add safflower oil to a pan and start frying. I usually add 1/4 to 1/2 in. and flip over to conserve oil. But feel free to deep fry (more traditional).

Then, voila! Top with salsa or whatever else you might like.



If you love chimichangas like I do, there's also a tasty looking recipe over at Vegan Thyme!