Quinoa Cook Fest

Snack

For a choir snack I grabbed some crystallized ginger pieces. I popped one in my mouth as I was putting them in the bag :)
Dinner

When I got home from choir I was pretty hungry and I had been mentally planning exactly what I was going to do when I got home: Quinoa Cook Fest! Kelsey and I had decided this weekend on a recipe we could go in on from Fatfree Vegan Kitchen (I'm telling you this blog is the bomb!) Susan V, if you ever read this, we love you!! We decided on a recipe called Quinoa Vegatable Paella.
The recipe recommended that the quinoa be rinsed before using so I used a fine mesh strainer and rinsed 1 1/2 cups quinoa.
Next I chopped up a medium red onion and three cloves of garlic. I sauteed them over medium high with a bit of water to keep them from burning. Using water is something I would never have probably thought of on my own but it's such a good way to reduce the amount of oil that gets slopped into so many dishes. The rinsed quinoa. Next I added the quinoa to the aromatics and allowed that to cook for another 2 min. Now it's only fair to mention that during this step you are also supposed to add saffron but I didn't have any... I really wish I did though because I've never knowingly tasted this spice and I would love to give it a try. Boo.Then I added a can of diced tomatoes which tried to escape on my hand! The spice line-up! Once everything was all mixed up I added a can of pinto beans, two cups of Trader Joe's roasted pepper and onion blend, and 2 3/4 cups vegetable broth. I brought everything to a boil and then lowered the heat, covered it, and let it cook for 15 minutes.While that cooked I chopped up two medium zucchini. Once the 15 minutes was up I checked to see that it wasn't looking too dry and added the zucchini on top. This cooked recovered for another 5 minutes.
After the 5 minutes was up I added a cup of frozen veggies. It was supposed to just be frozen peas but I didn't think the mix would be a problem.Finally the finished product! This is a tribute to Kelsey because the other day she mentioned how she loves putting warm things on salads. I added a little salt and pepper to mine. I don't know how I forgot but there are supposed to be artichoke hearts on top! I totally spaced!So of course I had to have a second portion with some artichoke hearts in it :)
Dessert

For dessert I had one of the Berry Puddings that I prepared the other night. I was looking forward to this pretty baby all day! A little bit of the liquid separated during the chilling in the fridge but I didn't mind at all.
See how it's firm like a pudding and holds it's shape?I savored every bite! (Even if I was doing some required reading...) It wasn't too sweet and the texture and flavor of the berries was so refreshing. The only drawback was all the seeds. Kelsey and I talked this morning about doing it with bananas or peaches!
Breakfast

For breakfast this morning I went to make myself the usual cup of green tea only to find that I've somehow made it through my entire supply!! I couldn't believe it! I had to take a picture. There were 100 bags in there!All Gone!
Breakfast was a hearty batch of banana oats. In the mix:

• 1 small sliced banana
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 tsp. chia seeds
• 1 tsp. milled flax seeds
• splash vanilla
• shake cinnamon
• scoop peanut butter
• drizzle maple syrup
  

Banana oats, two gummy vites, and a mug of mint tea. I'm definitely not getting tired of my banana oats but I do think it's time to mix it up before I do go crazy and begin to resent my beloved banana version. I think the next item on my shopping list might have to be...Pumpkin! Also, I am trying not to spend money on wonton purchases but I am officially on the prowl for inexpensive, stylish, interesting, and portion appropriate oat bowls! I use the same bowl every morning and I think it would be nice to have a contrast every now and then.

All Running and No Key Makes Claire Crazy!

Dinner

Last night there was a performance that a bunch of my colleges were in called a "Liederabend" which is German for Evening of Song. I ended up going for a little run around the neighborhood despite my laziness. Once I was out and running about I got into it! After I showered I made this tasty grilled sandwich.

• frozen eggplant burger
• mushrooms
• bell pepper
• scallions
• cilantro
• avocado
• olive paste
• hempseed hummus
• chicken seasoning
• salt and pepper

I had the left over yams from the other night on the side and the last little bit of the avocado I was using.

I don't think I will ever get tired of these sandwiches. It's the mushrooms and scallions that do it I think. They make the whole sandwich taste more gourmet.

For dessert I had three pieces of crystallized ginger and few chocolate covered blueberries.
After the performance Kelsey was snacking on some apple chips that she just picked up from Costco and I was curious so I tried a few.
They were really good!
Last night I went to Savannah's boyfriend, Matt's, metal show which was really intense! While I was there I met some German speaking Swiss boys! I get so excited whenever I get to speak German again, it seriously made my whole night :) I ended up making it back home earlier than the night before but still not super early...I slept in till ten though so I think I made up for it!

Breakfast

I was so ready for some whipped banana oats this morning! I decided to try a technique I read about on KERF- Kath Eats Real Food where she sited another blog called Being Chelsea. She suggests cooking the banana a little first because it makes it a little sweeter. I can see how this would work since the heat would bring out the sugars in the fruit and as I was cooking them it reminded me of Bananas Foster.
I used my LAST Starbucks VIA today ohh noo!

I am really feeling this special "whipping" technique. It does take a little bit more time and more of my attention but when I have the time for it, it's totally worth it.
I added a little soy milk to loosen things up.

Lunch

So there is a whole story that goes along with lunch. Around 12 I decided that I would run to a class at the gym that started at 12:30. It wasn't a super long run and was a perfect cardio warm up. Plus it was a gorgeous day! The first class was Cardio Kickboxing and I was totally feeling it today. I was having a workout high! After that class I decided to stay for the Power Pump Abs class which was directly after. That was awesome too! So, afterwards I jogged lightly back to my apartment, fantasizing the whole way about the salad I was going to make and the shower I was going to take when I got back. But when I got back....I was locked out, no one was home, and I had no phone. I ended up doing a lot more running around than I bargained for, trying to find a friend who had my roommates phone number so I could get a hold of someone. Every attempt I made failed and by the sixth house I tried, I was locked out just long enough that I started to go a little crazy thinking I was going to be stuck for a really long time! Luckily, Kelsey came to my rescue just in time to keep me from completely falling apart. I hate getting locked out! From now on, I'm going to have to figure out creative ways to have a key on me whenever I go to work out.

Anyways, on the bright side, the whole flustering experience made this salad taste that much better. The fixins:

• red leaf lettuce
• cherry tomatoes
• a few sliced, mixed olives
• avocado
• scallions
• cucumber
• cilantro
• pinto beans
• salt and pepper
• balsamic vinegar

I hadn't thought of adding the balsamic until this shot here.
To balance out the salty with something sweet, I made a glass of fresh orange juice and treated myself to a Peanut Butter Pretzel Mojo bar.

Dinner

Kelsey and I made a grocery run and when we stopped at Whole foods we picked up some pre-made food for dinner. I got forbidden rice, sesame tofu, and kale salad.
The tofu had a spicy kick which was awesome and the rice was a little bland. The combo was great.
Kale is always delicious. And I love sesame so this was great.

Kelsey and I also decided to go in together on a dessert that should last us the week: Berry Pudding! It's a recipe that comes from a cookbook Kels recently bought called Gluten-Free Vegan. There was definitely spoon licking! The recipe:

• 12 oz. extra-firm silken tofu
• 2 cups frozen berries
• 6 Tbsp. agave syrup
• 2 tsp. vanilla

It was sort of a crazy process since I doubled the batch. All you have to do is put everything in a blender and puree it! So easy!!
I garnished with mint leaves. Aren't they pretty?


I ended up licking so much off the spoon and the left overs in the blender that I decided not to have one of my portions tonight but instead I just went with a few chocolate covered blueberries. Besides, the puddings are supposed to chill in the refrigerator so I can wait till tomorrow so it will be perfect!
I can't decide if I should go to cycling tomorrow... there are only two weeks of classes left but I feel like I have a lot of academic things going on right now that should be my main priority. The struggle! If it was an hour earlier right now rather than 30 to midnight I might say that I will just suck it up and go but I have a feeling that I'm going to need the sleep to recover from the late nights I had this weekend. I need to start tomorrow on the right foot since I'm feeling a little guilty about my lack of productivity this weekend. I needed to decompress but I really do have important things I should be spending my time on. Tomorrow is time to get to work. I think I need to set goals for myself so I don't get overwhelmed.

1. Practice Italian song/ words
2. Extra Credit for 20th Cent. Analysis
3. Look over paper assignment for 20th Cent. Analysis
4. Memorize choir song.

I think I can handle that for tomorrow. There's definitely more to be done but that's all I can handle on my plate right now.

Bedtime for Bonzo! Good night!