Winter Blahs

Well, we had a nice blend of precipitation today - freezing rain and wet heavy snow - at least it gives us a chance to have March come in like a lamb in comparison!

Today is Monday, and I had a bunch of library books due (I request all sorts of titles that come in all at once, it seems, and I never have a chance to even open the covers in the three weeks I have them). One of the books was Veganopolis. I had actually opened it when I first picked it up, and even made a recipe - it was for a homemade quinoa cracker. The recipe turned out really gross - I think I had rolled the dough out too thick, resulting in hard bricks that could easily call for some dental work. When I saw that it was due back today, I thumbed through it quickly and came across a 'Chicken' Noodle Soup that would be ideal for a crummy weather day and for using up some leftover seitan pot roast from Vegan on the Cheap. It was also a great way to use up little bits of pasta that remained in various pasta boxes in the pantry too!



Not only did the soup warm me up, but Tracy sent me an email from the National Capital Vegetarian Association regarding this year's Veg Fest...there's a cupcake competition! I'm super pumped! It sounds right up my alley - I just have to think of which one I could make...

One Bowl Goodies

Always eager to make something easy for quick snacks, these two treats fit the bill. I’m a fan of using just one bowl to make baked goods, as we have to run our dishwasher every night as it is with all of the dishes from the day, and I find it generally easier for Ash to do the mixing. I don’t think anyone would argue to use more than one bowl anyways!

I first made some Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins. I just threw a bunch of stuff in a bowl until the batter looked of muffin consistency. I filled cups halfway, added a teaspoon of peanut butter then topped with the remaining batter. The peanut butter spread out during baking, making for the muffin to split in half easily – and it was almost like it had ‘buttered’ itself!

Next, the only recipe that I’ve tried so far from The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur..aptly titled "Throw a Bunch of Stuff in a Bowl” Oatmeal Breakfast Bars. To be honest, I’d rather spend my precious time with Ash while Kyson sleeps making something a little healthy (and really, I’m having a hard time getting the baby weight off this time!). Well wouldn’t you know it, but a delicious recipe in one bowl just popped out at me so I was pretty pumped! I make mine with blueberries, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries and dark chocolate chips. And to cut down on the sugar, I use agave and a nut butter (instead of jam). Heavenly! I love that the recipe is so forgiving and there are plenty of variation options available depending on what I have in my pantry. I also like to make it with oats and oat flour instead of whole wheat flour just to spare myself a little gluten just for kicks (only to have gluten at dinner with a big seitan roast – ah well).