Yummy Amazingness

I love this picture. I wish I was back in West Virginia looking at this view again. We go to this golf resort every year in WV even though no one in my family EVER golfs. haha And I don't think any of us plan on learning either. But onto better things, I've been seriously considering this culinary school in New York. It's called the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts. It's a specialized 5 month program that a lot of vegetarians and vegans have recommended. Traditional culinary schools have never been for me because I have no interest in learning how to cook a duck, devein shrimp, or slice open a whole pig. So hopefully, after this year at CCAC, I can go to my dream school in New York. Actually, I am not even going to say "hopefully." I am DEFINITELY going there.

Well, there needs to be some mention of food on here besides dead pigs and ducks. Today's recipe is Dreena Burton's Vegan Mac Oh Geez. So far, it is the BEST vegan mac and cheese I have tried...and yeah, it's the only one I've tried, but I plan on trying a few more recipes. The brazil nuts and cashews combined with the almond milk is amazing. It's better than any real mac and cheese I've had, so you NEED to make this. I ate mine with some spinach, but I feel like I eat everything with spinach, so do whatever you want. haha

Here's the recipe:
Vegan Mac Oh Geez

Pasta:
2 3/4 - 3 cups (~10 oz) dry cut pasta (I used whole wheat macaroni)

Sauce:
1/2 + 1/3 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup raw brazil nuts
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice ( I used about 1 1/2 tbsp vinegar because I was out of lemon juice)
1 large clove garlic
2 tsp arrowroot powder
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp (rounded) dry mustard
1 cup water
1 1/3 – 1 1/2 cups plain non-dairy milk (I used unsweetended almond milk) *(use the full 1 1/2 cups of milk if using full 3 cups of dry pasta)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Breadcrumb Topping:
1 - 1 1/2 cups dry whole-grain breadcrumbs (use full 1 1/2 cups if you like crunchy topping, only 1 cup if you prefer more mac and sauce)
1 1/2 - 2 tbsp olive oil (use full 2 tbsp for full 1 1/2 cups of breadcrumbs)
1/8 tsp (rounded) sea salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Get all ingredients ready to blend for sauce, then start cooking pasta. While pasta is cooking, blend all sauce ingredients in a blender or in a deep bowl with an immersion blender (beging blending the nuts and other ingredients with about 1/2 of the liquid to smooth it out, then when smooth, add remaining liquid and blend again until entire mixture is very smooth). Once pasta is almost tender, fully drain (don’t rinse). Mix noodles with sauce, and immediately pour into a lightly oiled 8 x 12” baking dish. (it will look like there is a lot of runny sauce – it will thicken up, trust the pasta!) Mix breadcrumb toppings in a small bowl, then sprinkle over top of casserole. Cover with foil and bake for 16-18 minutes. Then, remove foil cover and bake another 5-7 minutes or until topping is golden brown and crisped. Don’t overbake or sauce will get too thick. Remove from oven and place casserole on a hot plate (rather than on top of oven, since residual heat from oven will continue to thicken the sauce). You are ready to eat!

Wah Wah Wah

Last night, something really cool happened at Barnes and Noble. As usual, I was introducing a friend to the PostSecret books. I brought my girl, Miranda, with me and we both wrote secrets and stuck them between the pages. My secrets were kind of gross, but that's to be expected. The exciting part was that I found a secret that somebody else put in the book!!! This has never happened to me before and when I found it, I fainted. It had a picture of stick people on it, and it was about an unfaithful relationship. The girl wrote that she was cheating on her boyfriend who lived in another state. People can put whatever they want in this book, and the picture above is an example of a damn good secret. It hits close to home haha that's not true... well, maybe.

But anyway, today's recipe is a delicious vegan one, of course. Its my favorite tofu dish that I've ever had. It's Olive Oregano Wine Baked Tofu from Dreena Burton's blog. She is such a god in the kitchen. I felt like I was in a Sicilian restaurant when I ate this dish, and I obviously know what that feels like haha But really, this tastes AMAZING!!!!!!! I ate mine on a bed of fresh spinach. Yummy.

Here's the recipe:
Olive Oregano Wine Baked Tofu

1/3 cup white wine

2 tbsp agave nectar

1 tbsp dried oregano

2 tsp dried basil

2 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup Moroccan dry olives, pitted and roughly chopped

1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup seedless red or purple grapes, quartered

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/8 tsp allspice

freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 1/2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 pkg (350-g/12-oz) firm or extra-firm tofu, cut into half lengthwise and then into squares about 1/4" - 1/2" thick, and patted gently to remove excess moisture (about 24 - 28 slices;
no need to freeze and thaw.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. In an 8"x12" baking dish, combine the wine, agave nectar, oregano, basil, vinegar, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, grapes, salt, allspice, pepper, and olive oil, and stir through until well incorporated.
3. Add the tofu and turn to coat each side. Bake covered for 15 minutes.
4. Turn the tofu over, and continue to bake uncovered for another 13-15 minutes until the tofu has soaked up most of the marinade.
5. Remove from oven and let cool a little before serving; pour any remaining oil, spices, and seasonings over the tofu.
6. Note: I use a white wine that isn't very dry, in fact it's on the sweeter side. So, if using a dry white wine, add another ½ - 1 tbsp of agave nectar to the marinade.

These dreams are driving me bonkers!

Okay, last night's dream was insane. I was in Sears, unfortunately, and it was during Christmastime. Everyone was taking things off the shelves and running out of the store- complete chaos. I was in the hardware department reading a cookbook when somebody got in a helicopter. I guess we were selling helicopters that day so a few kids wanted to fly it around the store. I didn't even try to stop them though, I just looked up from my book and started cracking up. I was reading about guacamole and the recipe used peas and asparagus instead of avocado, so it immediately caught my eye. Hopefully, this exact scenario will happen today at work because it's just boring as hell when I'm there. To the left is a picture of what I normally do when suicide is my next option.

Alrighty, so here's today's recipe. I was trying to use my last cup of quinoa, and magic happened. This is the BEST quinoa recipe I have EVER had, and I am ready to defend that title. If you think you have a better recipe, send it to me because I'd be happy to try it out. I used a bunch of sweet and salty ingredients which really worked amazing together. You have to try this out-you will love it.

Here's the recipe:

Marry Me Quinoa

(Serves 4 if using as a side dish, but 2 if it is a main meal).

1 cup dry quinoa

2 cups water

¼ cup cashews, chopped

1/3 cup dried figs, chopped

¼ cup sundried tomatoes, chopped

2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar

Juice of ½ a lime

1 tbsp agave nectar

1 tbsp tamari

1 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Rinse quinoa in a fine strainer for 1-2 minutes (this removes the bitter outer layer). Combine quinoa and 2 cups water in a saucepan on high heat. When quinoa begins boiling, cover and reduce to low heat. While quinoa is simmering, toast cashews on a skillet (low heat) for a few minutes until lightly browned. After the quinoa has been simmering for 10 minutes (there should be little water left by this point), add white balsamic vinegar, lime juice, cashews, figs, and sundried tomatoes. Stir together and cook for 2 minutes. Add agave nectar, tamari, and olive oil. Stir together and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat, place in bowl, and eat up!

Note: This recipe is vegan, but if you don’t have agave nectar, you can substitute honey in its place. Also, toasting the cashews is optional, but I find that it really enhances the sweet flavors in the dish.