11.5-11.13

I miss my cake baking blog.

It felt like amid everything that was crazy and uncontrollable in this world, I had something that moored me... I had something good to offer the people I cared about.

I'm groundless now. The Veganism isn't the problem and running to baking and meat eating again won't be the solution.

The fact is that I bit off so much more than I can chew and my coping mechanisms haven't caught up yet. The cake baking was a coping mechanism- it was a touchstone to normalcy when the rest of the world spun out of control.

I'm picking up gratefulness as a substitution for baking and starting up something small and interesting at work to try and fill the baked goods void.

 I'm grateful for my thanksgiving cactus. I received this as a gift two years ago with a note not to kill it. Now it has nearly a dozen blossoms. Exciting!

I'm grateful for rosemary and other indoor herbs... for their resiliency... I think this guy has a comeback in him.

I'm grateful for good produce and good recipes....

Here's what's been on the plate lately and what I just finished cooking up today:

French Lentils with aromatics- from How to Cook Everything (Bittman).

Vegetables in curry sauce (veggies not pictured) from: http://www.ethnicvegan.com/easy_weeknight_vegetables_in_curry_sauce.html

 

Vegan Pad Thai- could have used more peanut sauce

http://vegetarian.about.com/od/thaifoodrecipes/r/veganpadthai.htm

Sunflower Butter Rice Crispies

http://www.singerskitchen.com/2011/10/sunflower-butter-rice-crispies-with.html

 

Pumpkin tart

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/19/dining/harvest-tart-with-pumpkin-roasted-red-peppers-and-olives-recipe.html

Veg galumpkis- super lazy (left over boiled cabbage and rice, jar sauce)

Roast potatoes and pumpkin with rosemary

Apple goodness- braised apples with raisins and pumpkin pie spice

Heavenly Pineapple Thai Rice

http://thaifood.about.com/od/thairecipesstepbystep/ss/pineapplerice.htm

Egyptian potato salad

http://www.singerskitchen.com/2011/08/egyptian-potato-salad-and-31-weeks.html

Vegan Spring rolls... modified from the following:

http://vegetarian.about.com/od/maindishentreerecipes/r/ThaiSpringRolls.htm

I'll be making more of these this week and take some pics, along with ratatouille from another Bittman book.

Two websites I'm relying on for a lot of recipes and I really appreciate: An Opera Singer in the Kitchen and Ethnic Vegan.

In addition to the above, I've been enjoying sprouted bread sprout and hummus sandwiches and toast with earth balance and homemade macaroons (dates, coconut and lemon juice) Yum!