this week's menu: #3

Monday:

Sweet Potato Mac n Cheese: I used this recipe.  I substituted broccoli for the spinach and soymilk for dairmilk, added way more garlic as well as nutritional yeast and red pepper flakes.  It was an alright meal, Willis really like it, but I don't know if I'd make it again.

Tuesday:
Tempeh Sandwiches & Sweet Potato Fries:  Sweet potato fries, just like regular fries, are super easy to make and they are super delicious.  I was really craving a tempeh sandwich with vegannaise.  I've never been a fan of mayonnaise, but I do like vegannaise.  We didn't have any, so I made some mayonnaise.  Yet another super easy thing to make, but still not as good as vegannaise.


Wednesday:
Happy hour at Vita Cafe:  Willis had the "fish"wich with fries and a beer.  I had the seitan cheesesteak and a margarita.

Thursday:
Rice & Beans:  I don't like white rice, but I love New Season's wild rice blend.  I added some tomato and chili peppers to some kidney beans and rice.  Super easy and super good.

Friday:
Delta Cafe with Nick & Courtney.  I had a groupon, so we checked it out.  Not the best place for a group of vegetarians, but it was alright.  The portions were a lot bigger than expected.  My ginger elixir drink and the hush puppies were the best part.

Small Projects

 Stereo:

We've been in this house for a year now, and I finally got around to setting up the stereo/record player.  I've been hesitant to put it out in the common area with the crazy dogs and our built in was full with books.  After we've organized the guest room a little more, I was able to move some of the books in there to make room for the stereo.  Only one problem: the record player is larger than the shelving.  Solution:  we had some spare wood from the rebuilding center that was used for shelving in our old house.  We had to cut it to make it fit, but it works perfectly!  And my records and player are high enough away from the dogs.  That receiver has been in my life ever since I can remember.  I am sure it predates me.  Trust John Doyle to be able to keep an electronic in working condition for so long.  Eventually I'll get around to making the whole built-in more aesthetically pleasing, either stripping the paint, repainting, or wallpapering. 

Terrarium:

I want more houseplants.  I don't have money for more house plants, but we have little natural light sources in our cabin-like living room and people don't give house plants away on craigslist as much as you'd think.  I have been reading about terrariums for awhile now and recently Aisling and Aaron made some.  Most everything I read talked about store bought items: soils, charcoal, plants like succulents and ferns, etc.  Then I stumbled across this, a real simple and cheap way of doing it.  We have tons of small rocks on the side of our house, plenty of good soil from the garden, and moss is plentiful in the Northwest, especially this time of year.  I got the containers from Goodwill.  The most expensive one was $2.00.

Door Decorations:

When we first moved in, our bathroom door had a random addition, that I think had a knocker or fishhead or something that the old owner took with them.  I bought a wooden slingshot in Guatemala and it's been sitting on a shelf with random knick-knacks ever since.  To go along with our "Guate" themed hallway, I decided to hang it on the door.  Just some simple wood glue and voila!  We have plans to eventually paint the hallway a burnt orange/mustard color.

this week's menu: #2

Monday:
Split Pea Soup & Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Tuesday:
Burgerville

Wednesday:
I can't remember

Thursday:
Sesame Noodles 


Friday:
We went out to a friend/neighbor's birthday


Saturday:
Willis made the most delicious Curried Squash Pizza ever!

this week's menu: #1

I'm going to try to be better about talking about what we cooked.  I'm needing a little more inspiration in the kitchen these days, and why not spend the new year blogging about my kitchen adventures?

Monday:
Black Bean Burgers & French Fries - We've had these garden burgers in our freezer for awhile now.  I'm not sure exactly where they came from or how they got there, but I figured it was about time to use them up.  I made french fries with the extra potatoes I had from Christmas dinner.  I love homemade fries.  They are so easy to make: just cut up the potatoes, no need to peel.  toss them with some oil and your favorite seasonings, i like salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.  then put them on a baking sheet in the oven for about 30-45 mins.  at around 400-425 degrees.  yum!

Tuesday:
Tempeh Tacos - I love the bulk tempeh from the Alberta Coop.  It's huge.  Since we moved to North Portland, we rarely have it around anymore.  I was recently on Alberta with a friend and stopped in to get some essentials from the coop, including a giant sheet of tempeh!  I made the spicy tempeh & black bean burrito recipe from Hungry Vegan.  I also made tortillas and a vegan cheese sauce, since we were all out of dairy cheese.  Everything was delicious if I do say so myself.

Wednesday:
Winter Squash Curry - We had one small squash left from the garden stored in the basement and some precooked stored in the freezer.  I've been craving a coconut based curry lately, so I decided to make some with the squash.  Another super easy thing to make.  I used this recipe but substituted mustard greens that we had frozen from the garden for the spinach.

Thursday:
Leftovers - Willis had to work late, so I just finished off the leftover curry.

Friday:
Frozen Pizza!! - We like to treat ourselves to lazy evenings.  So we ate frozen pizza, chips & salsa, and watched Heroes.  It was a good night.

Our bedroom: Phase One

We like to take our time around these parts.  For example, we purchased paint for our bedroom in October.  We just got around to painting the room 3 months later.  Regardless, it's done.  We also decided to rearrange things just a little bit.