This Week in Yum

Seriously, how is July almost over already? I guess being away for two weeks at the beginning of the month helped make it fly by. I was finally able to get back into the swing of things this week, and despite a medical emergency close call, I made some delicious stuff in the kitchen!

First up was a vegetarian loaf – full of beans and flavor. I wasn’t sure if it would hold together enough to resemble meatloaf, but it did. I don’t even remember how I found this recipe, but I’m so glad I did. It made enough for both dinner and lunch the next day, and I had most of the ingredients already on hand. I definitely want to make this again, and I think it could be just as delicious if I play around with the spices.

On Tuesday I decided to make brussels sprouts, because they’re one of my favorite vegetables. Someone doesn’t like them, so I actually have never made them myself; I’ve only ever had them at my parent’s house. So after checking with my mom to see how she usually makes them, I got to work in the kitchen. It was so easy – I threw about 3 Tbsp of olive oil into a pan, chopped up three cloves of garlic, and tossed the brussels (I cut them in half) into the pan with some salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. I sautéed them over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, and I had myself a delicious side dish. Since I wound up eating the entire carton myself, they actually wound up being my main dish! So easy. So delicious. I just don’t understand why people don’t like brussels sprouts!

Wednesday was quick & easy pizza after the Downtown Westfield 5k that I didn’t get to run (see above with the “medical close call”), but the hubs did. So even though I didn’t run, I got to enjoy the pizza!

Thursday’s dinner came from a recipe I found on Pinterest (of course) for Linguine with Smoky Avocado Sauce. I had grilled avocado for the first time a few months ago and loved it, and I’ve used avocado as a “cream sauce” before and loved it, so when I saw this recipe I knew I had to make it. The recipe itself doesn’t say how much pasta to use, so I wound up using enough for three servings, by just grabbing some handfuls of spaghetti. I really need to get myself one of those pasta measuring contraptions, because I never know how much I’m using when it comes to spaghetti.

In addition to dinner, there’s been no lack of dessert. Most nights of the week end with a little ice cream. Somehow, our cats know exactly when it’s ice cream time – no matter where they are in the house, they come bounding into the kitchen, and subsequently perch themselves on either arm of our couch, stalking our every bite. It may seem like a bit of an exaggeration, but I captured the below picture one night while we were trying to enjoy our dessert. It happens every single time. They’re lucky they are so darn cute.

I have next week’s meals all planned out already, but I’m thinking they may change. I’m picking up our very first CSA box today (and I’m so excited!!), so I’ll need to be sure to incorporate the goodies into our meals for the week. I can’t wait to see what we get!

Did you have anything noteworthy this week?
Do you have pets that stalk your every move when you eat?

Taco Tuesday

There have been quite a few taco recipes in my queue lately, so I decided to make some this week. First up was my variation of a recipe I saw posted on SeriousEats a few weeks ago, for roasted corn and zucchini tacos. I found the combination of just corn and zucchini interesting, so I decided to give it a whirl.

I did things a little differently, though, and I roased the zucchini and corn kernels on a baking sheet in the oven, along with some red onion. Before putting them in the oven, though, I tossed them in some seasoning to give them exta flavor. I also topped the tacos with some cheese, salsa verde, and avocado. It was quick and easy, which was just what we needed, since we recently aquired a new kitten!

Trying to get a new kitten acclimated to our house, while also conditioning our cat to be tolerant of the kitten, training for a marathon, and finishing up wedding planning and getting married should leave us quite busy this summer. At least I have some ideas for quick and easy dinners to fall back on!

Roasted Zucchini, Corn, and Onion Tacos inspired by this SeriousEats recipe
– Makes 6 tacos –

Ingredients:
6 corn or flour tortillas (I used flour)
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 zucchini, sliced into quarter moons
1/2 red onion, cut into chunks
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp Adobo
1/4 tsp taco seasoning (I used chipotle flavored)
1/2 avocado, diced
2 Tbsp salsa of your choice (I used verde)
1/4 cup shredded cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. In a medium bowl, combine zucchini, corn, and onion. Drizzle olive oil and spices over vegetables, and use a spoon to mix, making sure everything is evenly coated
3. Spread the vegetables onto a greased baking sheet, and roast for about 25 minutes
4. Top each tortilla with about a spoonful of the veggie mixture, followed by some cheese, salsa, and avocado

Cupcakes and Animals

Ever since trying Serial Baker’s delicious vegan cupcakes and then making some vegan cookies myself, I’ve been looking to try more vegan baking (whether made by me, or someone else!). So, when I saw that Sweet Avenue bake shop, a vegan bakery in Rutherford was hosting an event this past Saturday, I had to check it out… especially since it was to help raise funds for an animal shelter!

The fiancé and I headed up to Rutherford with plans to later head into the city to go to a show at Upright Citizen’s Brigade and enjoy dinner in the city. The event, Cupcakefest, was to help raise money for an animal shelter in Bloomfield. We joked that if they had adoptable cats or dogs at the event, we’d probably come home with a carful. Thankfully they didn’t have any animals actually there, otherwise our family would have grown Sunday! But as it turns out, our family grew on Monday, when we picked up a 5 week old kitten from a friend’s who found him under their deck! We thought it was only appropriate to name him Fry, one of the other characters in Futurama, to match our other cat, Leela. Hopefully they’ll get along just like the characters in the show!

After checking out the vendors, we headed down the street to the bakery to pick up some cupcakes. I decided to try their Oreo cupcake, and the fiancé went with the “Green Lantern” cupcake – it even came with a plastic ring! They were the perfect size (not too big, but not too small) and they had filling, which is my favorite part about cupcakes. Oh, and they were really good! The fiancé turned to me and said “wait, are ALL of their baked goods vegan?” I love when people are impressed by things like that. I always enjoy when someone who bemoans something (i.e. vegan or vegetarian lifestyles, certain cuisines, etc.), then they unknowingly try it, and really like it. Not that my fiancé is one of those people – he’ll try anything.

greenlantern — Green Lantern themed cupcake

I’m looking forward to a summer filled with cupcakes (my birthday is soon, so we know lots of cupcakes will be involved), and also trying some more vegan baking (either made by me, or others)! And now that we’re a family of four things should be interesting!