tuesday things

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Woah…

Yeah, I’m back after falling off the planet for a bit.  But despite life’s mad and delightful roller-coaster-like course, I’ve still been discovering some favorites that I’d like to share with you on this fine (but cloudy) Tuesday morning.

granola

1)  First things first – let’s talk breakfast:  This blueberry hemp granola from Purely Elizabeth is one of my new favorite things…of all time.  It is absolutely delicious!  Honestly, it might be the best store-bought granola I’ve ever eaten.  It’s perfectly cinnamon-y and crunchy.  It’s also vegan and quite low in carbohydrates and calories compared to most of the granola brands I’ve tried.  Try it!  I can’t imagine you’ll be disappointed – they also make three other flavors/kinds:  cranberry pecan, original, and pumpkin fig.

2)  I keep seeing this almond joy granola popping up on my Pinterest feed and I really want to try it….the decadence! Need.  Who doesn’t want to eat chocolate for breakfast?

3)  Oh how I would love a piece of this whole-grain cinnamon swirl bread from smitten kitchen!  She never ceases to amaze me.

4)  I haven’t talked about it yet this year, but Hannibal has been back on for the second season and I’m just as hooked as I was for the first.  It’s such a pretty show and…well, even in spite of that, absolutely horrifying.  Now I have my brother addicted, which means I keep getting texts like “No. Hannibal.  What are you doing? Hannibal.  No. Stop. AHHH!”

Hilarious.

5)  After talking t.v., we’ll move on to movies.  Frozen is adorable and reminds me of all the fantastic Disney films that I grew up with – hooray nostalgia!  I’ve only seen it once so I feel like I need to watch it again.

And probably again… and again… and again…

6)  Now that it’s spring, I basically want berry and/or lemon everything.  That ever-growing list includes the Pioneer Woman’s lemon lime pound cake and blueberry pie, as well as this chiffon cake with strawberries from Martha Stewart.

7)  I’m trying to plan some meals for the week and I am thinking some fluffy quinoa might be a must.  I love this post on The Kitchn – great resource!

Happy Tuesday people!

 

garlicky mushrooms & kale

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So I got a new cookbook…

isabook

YAY!  

This beautiful tome is a veritable treasure-trove of simple and healthy vegan recipes!  I was looking forward to trying my hand at one as soon as I ordered it.

Enter – Garlicky Mushrooms and Kale!

Perfect for me since I need speedy meals after a long work day – this recipe is a great side or a starter for a salad and can be put together in record time.   Another thing putting this recipe in the “favorites” category would be the fact that it calls for six cloves of garlic.

dished

I love garlic.  Love. 

Garlicky Mushrooms & Kale

adapted from Appetite For Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 6 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 ¼ cups sliced mushrooms (I used white mushrooms)
  • ¼ teaspoon of salt
  • about 1 pound of kale, stems removed and leaves torn into manageable pieces
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Sauté the minced garlic in the oil until fragrant, stirring and taking care not to burn it.  Add sliced mushrooms and salt.  Cook the mushrooms down for about 7 minutes, stirring often, until slightly browned.

Add kale and pepper.  Use tongs to sauté for about 10 more minutes, allowing kale to wilt.  (If necessary, add a little water to the pan to keep it from getting too dry.)

shroomsnkale1

tuesday things

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New nail polish, good-morning dark roast, quick sketching sessions…

loving some of life’s pleasant little consistencies.

morning

 

As for any other things I’m loving lately —

1)  This baked falafel with spicy feta yogurt dip from How Sweet It Is… Oh my gosh, I want this right now.  I absolutely love falafel.  This recipe needs to be tested in my kitchen very soon…potentially today…

2)  I sifting through about a million pins on Pinterest and happened upon this list of 20 Inspiring Vegan Blogs to Follow.  What a great list!  I’ve viewed some of these blogs during my recipe hunting sessions but a few of them I’d never even heard of before (which I hate admitting because the photography is stunning and the recipes make my mouth water)!  This list is definitely worth checking out.

3)  These vegan masala chai snickerdoodles from Oh, Ladycakes have me wanting to get in the kitchen and start baking immediately.

4)  One of my all-time favorite bloggers and California girls – Joy the Baker – is moving! To New Orleans!  I’m glad she’s sharing her journey with those of us who love reading her blog and I’m totally loving this list of moving essentials.  I’m looking forward to seeing pics of her new digs!

5)  These roasted broccoli bowls from Love & Lemons look like a perfect dinner for me.  I love simple recipes with minimal clean-up so this one looks like a winner.

Winner, winner vegan dinner! ;) Ha, I crack myself up.

6)  I just recently bought this shirt from Anthro… and I love it.  If I could wear it every day, I probably would.   Is is bad that I want it in that glorious emerald color too?  :/

7)  Speaking of Anthro – I already have this bowl in purple, but the red is just sooooo prettttyyy….

Nope, I don’t have a problem.

 

Cheers, internet kids!  Happy Tuesday!

- Love, Ericka

 

quick breakfast parfaits + life lately

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appleandstrawberry

Life lately has been not so much the days of wine and roses…more like the-days-of-cobbling-together-quick-breakfasts.

(I sincerely hope none of you have thought that I’ve fallen off the face of the planet…although I sometimes feel like I may have…)

blueberry430

(Food photography attempts at 4:30 in the morning lend themselves to atrocious lighting…my apologies…let’s just agree to squint and pretend it’s arty, okay? Okay. Sounds peachy-keen.) 

I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before, but I wake up ludicrously early on days that I have to go to work (and actually, some would think I wake up ludicrously early on my days off too — but whatever…) — but this fact, plus a 12-hour shift, requires either mediocre morning meals or otherwise something very quick…but hopefully, something equally nutritious and sustaining.

Enter the bright and cheerfully colorful Greek yogurt parfait…

I generally use 0% fat plain Greek yogurt and whatever fruit/granola/nuts & seeds combinations I have on-hand for add-ins.

I’m basically in love with this maple almond butter, so it’s become a common feature in my recent parfait combinations.  Try it, it’s fabulous — and maybe just a tad addictive…

almondbutter

If you can manage to get this in the bowl and not eat it straight from the spoon then your will-power is supremely impressive.

Let’s get real though…I’m not going to tell you how to make a parfait (it’s all about layers, kids – no sweat, we can do this!), but I am going to share with you the one I made this morning, because I was so pleased with the combinations I chose and hey, sharing is caring, right?

Strawberry and Apple Greek Yogurt Parfait

  • 2 or 3 gigantic fresh strawberries, cut into pieces
  • Granny Smith apple slices, cubed (I used perhaps a third of an apple)
  • non-fat plain Greek yogurt (about a third of a cup, maybe more)
  • a (hefty?) sprinkling of your favorite granola (I used Hemp Plus granola from Nature’s Path…yum!)
  • a small pinch of flax seed meal
  • melted almond butter (or whatever nut butter you like) for drizzling on the top

In a bowl, put some of the cut fruit in the bottom.  Then add your yogurt, topping it with the rest of your cut up fruit, the granola, and the flax seed meal.  Drizzle with the nut butter of your choosing.  Grab a big spoon and an even bigger mug of coffee to start the day off right!

thisone

Happy Wednesday, loves!

(By the way, this post isn’t sponsored or anything, I’m just a fan of almond butter, singing my praises.)