Black Beans with Roasted Pumpkin

Did you know you can eat those mini pumpkins that often end up as seasonal decoration? I received those two little cuties pictured above in my produce box a few weeks ago and had no idea what I'd do with them. I was a little upset to think that they'd just serve as knick-knacks for a few weeks before ending up in the trash. (I don't compost. I know...) I couldn't believe that Fresh Abundance would throw ornamental food into one of their weekly produce boxes, so I did a little research. A friend told me that she was told our particular variety is a mini jack-o-lantern. Doesn't sound very appetizing, but then I came across this post over at The Kitchn. I thought stuffed pumpkins would be cute (sans egg, cheese and meat, of course!), but I wasn't really in the mood for cute. I wanted something hearty. Something satisfying. I remembered seeing this recipe for black beans on the same website and suddenly I had my inspiration!

I peeled and cubed the pumpkin and tossed it with olive oil, cumin, nutmeg and salt and pepper and roasted for about 15 minutes. In a large pan I sauteed some red onion with pickled garlic, added some black beans and drizzled in a little tamari, balsamic and sake. When the pumpkin was tender, I added that to the pan also and threw in a little bit of fresh sage. I served the beans and pumpkin over jasmine rice. (We usually eat brown basmati rice, but sometimes I just crave jasmine!) I was so pleased with how this came out. I hadn't even finished eating my first helping and I was already looking forward to making it again. My son loved it too and specifically requested leftovers for lunch the next day.

I love autumn!

And Go!

The challenge has officially begun! For the next five days I will only be eating food that was grown within a 100 mile radius of Spokane. I spent the week preparing by researching local food, buying said food and weaning myself off coffee. That's right, like many other participants of this challenge, I have a nasty caffeine addiction. I realized early on that it could be my downfall, so I limited my consumption leading up to the contest. I have to be at work at 7am (so why am I up writing this?!) and coffee is my constant companion, but this week I'm having an affair with the local dried mint tea that I picked up at the Roots Market at Fresh Abundance on Sunday.

After stopping by the market on Sunday, my friend Amy and I drove up to Green Bluff where I picked up some apple cider, onions, peaches and honey. Add to that the carrots, acorn squash, dried mint, blackberries, comfrey, jalapenos and bok choy from the Roots Market and the zucchini, tomatoes, corn, chard, bell peppers and rhubarb from the Perry Street Farmers' Market and potatoes and garlic from the Spokane Farmers' Market, I'm in good shape so far. I only wish I'd known about the hazelnuts up at Green Bluff. The only allowable grain I've found so far is rolled emmer (farro) and have not yet identified a source for beans/lentils. Fresh Abundance carries camelina oil, grown and processed in Marlin, WA that is safe for the challenge. I picked up a bottle of that for almost $17. The price seems a little steep, but as a vegan, that will be the only fat in my very limited diet this week.

For breakfast, I'll be replacing my usual cereal of quinoa, hazelnut milk, fresh fruit and cinnamon with rolled emmer, honey and blackberries. I combined the remainder of the emmer I cooked up with some sauteed zucchini, onion, garlic, comfrey and heirloom tomatoes for lunch and packed a peach for a mid-afternoon snack. For dinner, I think I'll roast some of that squash.

There are still a few things I need to work on acquiring: more rolled emmer, China Bend wine (after much debate about yeast, this item has officially been added to the allowable list), more fruit and hopefully (fingers crossed), a legume.

Vegan Cupcakes at the Rocket Market!

Before today, I hadn't been up to the Rocket Market on 43rd in a long time. But I saw an ad in the Inlander on Thursday advertising vegan cupcakes. How could I not go? I had two cupcakes and an Americano for breakfast. The cupcakes were so tasty! I tried the Raspberry Grand Teton and Peanut Butter and Jelly. The ganache was rich and decadent and the peanut butter frosting wasn't overly sweet and actually tasted like peanut butter. This was a wonderful breakfast, if not terribly healthy. I was also pleased to find a considerable variety of vegan deli items available. I think I'll be making the trek up to the Market more often now!

You should definitely go get some of those cupcakes! Did I mention how good they are?

Waste Not...

What do you do with week old brownies? Top them off with Cappuccino flavored Coconut Bliss and fresh strawberries! I made brownies last week for some unknown reason. (I'm currently helping plan a vegan bake sale and have had so many goodies around me it's ridiculous!) Half the pan of brownies have been sitting uneaten on the counter wrapped up, but have gone a little stale. I hate throwing food out, so stale brownies were the perfect excuse to pick up some Coconut Bliss at Fresh Abundance today. Actually, my son has a sore throat, so the ice cream was really for him... At any rate, this was a perfect combination! The ice cream softened the brownies and the strawberries were simply delightful. I love summer.

Dinner, as usual

Dinner at my house on a week night is usually a variation of this simple idea and is based on whatever I have in the fridge and cupboards. Since I started getting my bi-weekly Fresh Produce Variety box from Fresh Abundance, I get a good selection of fresh veggies every other week. It also keeps my meals season appropriate and helps me avoid getting stuck in the ruts of relying on the same two or three favorite veggies. Actually, I picked up all the ingredients here but the olive oil at Fresh Abundance. I have a tendency to not only find myself using the same vegetables again and again, but also the same herbs and spices. Last fall I fell in love with oregano and used it in almost anything. Lately, I've found myself using gomasio on everything. The combination of sesame seeds and seaweed is a nice addition to veggies or tofu and reduces the amount of salt needed.

Here's the basic recipe for one of our dinners from last week. Use whatever veggies are sitting in your crisper, grains you have in the cupboard and your favorite seasonings. I use quinoa and rice noodles a lot because they are much quicker to cook than rice.

What you'll need:

1/2 box stir-fry rice noodles
1 package lemongrass ginger Small Planet tofu, drained and cubed
2 small heads broccoli, chopped
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
1 t sesame oil, or to taste
gomasio to taste
tamari (or soy sauce) to taste
olive oil, to coat pan

Method:

Bring large pot of water to boil. While waiting for water to boil, heat large frying pan (or wok, if you have one) and coat with olive oil. Add rice noodles to water, stir, remove from heat and cover. Let noodles sit for about five minutes, or until soft, but not squishy. When noodles are done, drain and rinse with cold water. Transfer back to pot, or serving dish and coat with sesame oil and gomasio, set aside. When frying pan is heated, add onions to saute for about a minute. Add tofu to pan to brown slightly and then add broccoli. Cook until broccoli is tender, but still crunchy and has that nice vibrant green color. Serve veggies and tofu over rice noodles, add tamari and gomasio to taste. Enjoy!

local markets

so, i've been sick this past week. and whenever i'm sick i crave fresh fruit and vegetables! the combination of being sick and this frosty weather has me looking forward to spring and the return of our local farmer's markets - especially the two (!) that are within walking distance of my apartment. but i need not wait for the sun to show its golden face to enjoy local produce. no! spokane offers a few special winter markets to help us get through these dreary months.

Fresh Abundance - not really a farmer's market, but a market nonetheless offering local (within 200 miles) produce at three locations

Millwood Winter Market - for those of you on the eastside [of spokane]

Spokane Winter Market - in the community building, of course

C d'A Winter Market - thought i'd better include this one, too

happy [local] shopping!

shopping vegan

i found these primal strips at the rosauer's at the north division "Y" in the natural foods section (actually, i found all of these snacks there). they carry the mesquite and hickory smoked flavors. these make a great snack. my son loves them!

these taste just like cheetos, but they're vegan and they don't have that gross orange powder! even non-vegans like these.

vegan GF french bread pizza! i was really happy with these. the bread was toothsome, the soy cheese didn't have much flavor, but added a nice texture and the sauce was good and garlic-y. this is a new quick meal favorite in our house.

vegan mascara

i don't wear makeup much, but every now and then i feel the need to add a little something to my face before i head out the door. i haven't used mascara in a while, so i was pretty excited when i found Larénim Mineral Mascara. it's all natural, vegan and gluten free! i found it at Super Supplements, which happens to be my favorite place to buy shampoo and the sort. i've never tried any other vegan mascara, so i can't compare it to another brand, but i'm satisfied with the results. (it cost about $15 at SS.)

best. ever.

this stuff is amazing! with few exceptions, i've always been a little disappointed with soy and rice based ice cream alternatives. tofutti and good karma's carrot cake rice cream are always good, but most non-dairy ice creams just don't satisfy the craving for me. i need something rich and creamy. something fattening: an indulgence. then i found luna & larry's coconut bliss. they use coconut milk so it is dairy and soy free. i'm always looking for ways to diversify, as soy is a major staple in my diet and i don't like eating too much of any one food. but there are so many other reasons to love coconut bliss. the flavor is incredible and the texture is so smooth and creamy. they offer a handful of flavors, but my favorite is probably good old chocolate.

where you can find it in spokane:

fresh abundance
rosauer's
huckleberry's

silk nog

it's back on the shelves! i just picked some up the other day. i love silk nog; i feel so inspired when i drink it. i wonder how i can use it in my cooking? maybe in cupcakes, or pumpkin pancakes...let the creativity begin!