Lots 'n Lotsa Cookin'

I realize it's been awhile since I've posted so rather than wait until this evening (I fear it will pass me by again if I do), I decided to do a post before work.

These last few days I've been doing a LOT of cooking...and "un"cooking, for that matter!  I made apricot fruitbusters, which were a HIT at work, and I also made peanut butter oatmeal cookies with dried cherries and cacao nibs to bring in thereafter and those are going fast too!

There was a lull for a little bit but I'm really elated to see that my goodies are, again, flyin'!  Now, what to make next???  I'm thinking one of the following:

1.  Maple Sugar Blondies with Candied Pecans
2.  Granola Bombs
3.  Key Lime Drops (sort of like my apricot fruitbusters but with almond or walnut incorporated in some way--a raw "crust" component.
4.  Soft and chewy lemon cookies [with pistachios??]

What are your thoughts????

On Sunday my family held a party in honor of my sister, who just graduated from U of M.  For it I made Dreena Burton's decadent roasted artichoke-garlic dip from her cookbook, Eat, Drink and Be Vegan!, as well as her cinnamon sugar tortilla strips.  I did not get a picture of my dip because, quite honestly, I didn't think it much to look at but I did snap some photos of my tortilla strips!

I also made myself dinner tonight, last night and the night before!  And when I say "made", I mean made--no thawing of veggies or tearing open of bags (well, maybe I did tear open some bags to get to my ingredients but you get the point.

Tonight I made a variation of Sarahfae's A-M-A-Z-I-N-G tarts (found on her blog, "Addicted to Veggies"...and I am!!) with dehydrated mushrooms and zucchini atop my own, homemade pesto.  I am quite pleased with how the photos turned out, although they do not really it justice.  It was phenomenal.  My mom, who had a large lunch, could not finish hers (whhhhhhhaaaaaaaattttt??????) so I picked up the slack...ie: ate her remaining half.

Last night I made some scrumptious baked falafel patties, served with my own, homemade hummus (heavy on the garlic and with extra lemon juice, just the way I like it!) and faux tabbouleh salad.  What makes it "faux" is the fact that I did not have fresh mint on hand and I don't particularly care for raw red onions and tomatoes.  Additionally, I did not use bulgar, but rather, subbed in some hemp hearts, which look the same and provided a nice texture contrast.  I use the brand, , and I highly, highly recommend their product.  It's a little pricey but well worth it and a bag will last you a while.

The night before I made a kelp noodle bowl with zucchini, mushrooms and nutritional yeast (sound familiar???).

It's worth mentioning here that I have kind of been obsessed with my iPhone lately and using Instagram probably way too much.  I like the effects of the photos and the app is great for immediacy but I'm afraid the quality of the photos is still not as clear as those taken with my trusty old Canon.

Thoughts about Instagram???


To conclude, I just wanted to mention that I started reading Eat and Run by Scott Jurek and it is frickin' awesome.  And I'm not even a runner.  Bianca Phillips mentioned it on her blog, "Vegan Crunk", and it was also featured on The Chalkboard (a site that identifies itself as a "study in living well") AND it was featured on the New York Times' Best Sellers list.  So WIN-WIN-WIN!!!  You should all read it!