Easy and Delicious Chipotle Knock-Off

It’s no secret that I love Chipotle. Considering that every Thursday at my parents’ house is Chipotle Day and the employees at their local restaurant shower them with coupons and extra chips and guac, I’d say it’s hereditary. I don’t even fight it. (Why would anyone?)

Unfortunately, my proximity to Chipotle is not as favorable as it is for my parents. And, as it is winter and I seem to gravitate to my couch and comfy pants when darkness falls, I’ve been much more apt to eat at home. Luckily, Chipotle knock-offs are pretty easy to pull off with staples most of us (responsible adults) already have in our cupboards.

I simply made some bulgur (taking the place of brown rice in this case), heated up some black beans with black pepper, cumin and chili powder and sliced up half an avocado and a ton of fresh veggies. My bowl went like this: mixed greens/baby spinach, bulgur mixed with a bit of lime juice, black beans, avocado, red bell pepper and sprouts.


Post picture, I added a crap-ton of nutritional yeast (appetizing, no?) and an equally disturbing amount of salsa. Yum. This was quite delicious, despite the lack of extra guac and coupons.

Maple Walnut Peasant Bread

As mentioned when I so cutely referred to loafing around, I found a great bread recipe while surfing the internets last week. It was so simple and tasty sounding that I couldn’t wait to try it. Plus, anything that tastes great topped with goat cheese and jam is obviously a winner.
I did make a few very minor changes but have to say that the bread is most definitely delicious – and super easy to make. I have been enjoying it for breakfast this week with jam and goat cheese (oh so delicious), butter and eggs, and topped with a smear of pb. It’s delicious, really.

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat white flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 large egg
¾ cup milk
¼ cup pure maple syrup
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease loaf pan with vegetable shortening and set aside.
2. Mix flour, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl.  Add egg, milk, maple syrup and butter and mix until thoroughly blended. Fold in walnuts. Dough will be wet and sticky.  Pour into prepared loaf pan.
3. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Remove loaf from pan and let cool.

As is mentioned in the linked recipe above, the bread is not super sweet. It’s really biscuity, crumbly and delicious. I think it’d be a great addition to brunch. Yum.

Buckwheat, Tofu and Sweet Potato Bowl

My pantry has come to be a source of pride for me. After 5 years of living on my own, I’d say it’s about time that I have amassed a good amount of pantry “filler.” I think there’s a certain sense of adult-hood that comes with opening the cupboard after a week and a half without a grocery store trip and being able to whip something together.

Well, buckwheat soba noodles had become one of my pantry “filler” items. The things that you inevitably reach by day after day and serve to provide you with a sense of self and wisdom while dancing around the kitchen to The Kooks like a crazy person.  (Just me?) Last week I finally decided to put those noodles to use (or at least some of them).

Because it was a Monday off and I had decided to loaf around (I actually did make some bread so this verb is especially pertinent – recipe to come!), I had the time to think ahead for dinner and marinated some cubed super firm tofu in low sodium soy sauce and a bit red curry sauce for a few hours. When it came time to cook, I heated the oven to 425, peeled and chopped a large sweet tater that I tossed in with the tofu to soak up the extra juice, and then put everything on a baking sheet for about 45 minutes.

About 30 minutes into the baking time for the tofu and taters, I put some water on to boil for the noodles. Once it came to a boil, I just added my desired noodle amount. Because I am obsessed with them and they always reside in my equally established freezer (brushing shoulder off), I also added some peas to the water. 

Once the taters and ‘fu were crispy and delicious and the noodles soft and steamy, I combined them in one of my favorite white bowls, sprinkled some more soy sauce on top and then added sriracha, of course. The end result was simple and delicious. And a more than worthy use of my filler noodles.

Yum.

Hello, 2012!

Hey there! Happy 2012! I hope that you all had a wonderful end to the year. Mine was chock-full of the people I love and the things that I love to do (and eat).  I love how the holidays are a reminder of just how lucky we are. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to hold on to that feeling beyond the holiday season. I think, really, that self-reflection and making sure to show thanks and appreciation for the great people and things in your life is key. Treating yourself with that same appreciation and kindness is pretty important too.

While I know that resolutions sometimes get a bad rep, I’m a morning person. (Scratching your head at the correlation? Hang in there…) Mornings are awesome because they are completely new. They have the power to unfold into the best (or worst) day ever.  You get to open your eyes and basically decide where the day will go. A new year, to me, is just like a new day. But on a bigger scale. A time to look at where you are and figure out where you want to be – and that is definitely a powerful thing.

And so, with a new year and a completely open set of possibilities, these are the goals that I’d like to stay focused on:

• Show appreciation for the wonderful people and luxuries in my life.
• Extend the same kindnesses to myself that I do to others.

From there, everything else should just fall into place. Feeling more comfortable in my skin? Check. Spending more quality time with friends and family? Check. Reaching for and meeting that goal? You bet.  Taking the time to volunteer? Uh huh. 

In short, I’m going to do all that I can to make 2012 a good year. And, go!