Crashing

The last few days were a bit hectic.  My computer completely crashed.  I had been having issues with it for months and it began to blue screen on me.  I opted to attempt to re-format the whole thing and it did not work.  It would not even load windows.

Since my Real Estate business is entirely online, I was in a position that I needed to have a working computer with a quickness.  After some fighting to try to get the old one back up, I submitted and bought a new one.  Nothing fancy, just a new computer.

At the jobby job, we are opening some new products so we have several corporate people in the building.  They seem nice enough but I need to watch myself.  I have always been the first person to let the emperor know he is not wearing any clothes.  It should make for an interesting weekend.

During all of this confusion, I have not had much time to make new recipes.  I did however, make a nice fajita.  It came out really nice and was a great comforting meal.

I also got the chance to make some nice potato salad to take to work with me on these long weekend days.  Figures, it is cold for a few weeks in the south and as soon as it gets nice, I spend all day at the jobby job.

Jobby job, fries, weddings.

I got home from my full work week at the jobby job on Tuesday night.  I was so relieved and relaxed to be done for a few days.  It will give me plenty of time to do some Real Estate prospecting and enjoy some time off.

As a reward to myself for getting it through another week at work, I made myself some unhealthy food to enjoy while watching a game.  Pre-packaged soy chicken and homemade zesty fries were on the menu.  It was a relaxing evening at home.

I have had several people ask me what I do at the jobby job.  As mysterious as it sounds, I can not actually say.  My company has a policy that we are not allowed to disclose our employer in a media venue.  It is silly really.  I do not to anything glamorous or even socially meaningful at all.  I am a manager.  It is a job.

I got a chance to have a nice conversation with my good friend Jonny yesterday.  He is getting married later this year, which blows my mind.  I agreed to be in the wedding, which shocks even myself.  The short story here is that I will be making a long trip back up to Maine late this summer.  It will be a good time and very interesting.

Monday!

Just another Monday.  That may be disappointing for many but for me it is a relaxing feeling. I will soon enough have a couple days off from the jobby job to get some Real Estate work done and relax.  It has been a much easier weekend than I had anticipated due to my slight schedule shift.  I feel more awake and have much more energy.

Over the weekend I made a few dishes to eat at home and take to work.  I made a great salad with a homemade strawberry vinaigrette dressing.  It was light enough to remind me of warm summer days in the heart of winter.

I also made a fried rice dish that has been a staple for years.  I was able to make enough for me to take a few services to work for my 16 hour day yesterday.  It was nice to have.

Cookie calvary via my mailbox

Coincidentally enough, as I have been struggling to refine (read: discover) my baking skills via the basic chocolate chip cookie, I get a gift in the mail.  A pretty great gift I might add.

During Vegan MoFo I entered several give-aways, several of which I won.  One give away giver (Kuntrageous Vegan), got side tracked with life.  No big deal but the follow through was amazing!  I was so thrilled today to discover a bulging mailbox filled with 2 great cookbooks and an issue of Vegetarian Times magazine.  One of the books was the acclaimed (and much needed right now in my house) "Vegan Cookies invade your cookie jar".  Well, I do not have a cookie jar and cookie do not last long in my house since all of my teeth are sweet but this book will open me up!  I can feel it.

There is nothing like a great and unexpected gift.

Fighting with cookies

I have been trying to bake some cookies.  I have an older chocolate chip cookie recipe that I want to update.  It has been a difficult experience but I am getting close.  Maybe I should have learned to follow directions better when I was a child.

This attempt left them slightly cake-like but nice and soft.  I have a few ideas that I can get this right.  Do not hold your breathe for this new recipe but it will be coming.

In the meantime, I went with an old classic to boost my bruised baking ego.  Blueberry muffins!  These are always a tasty treat.  I made such just last week but I guess I was not done.

I have been taking so much food to work with me to avoid eating out at the jobby job that I have not had to make a store run since the middle of October.  I looked through my account and it seems I have saved nearly $300 simply by taking food (that is better for me) to work!

Again with the enchiladas?

I consistently try to avoid wasting things, particularly food items.  A few weeks ago, I made enchiladas for the first time in a long time.  When I lived with Jamie, this was something we had relatively often and was something that she often made for us.  Since then, I have not made them often.

While at the store, I picked up some enchilada sauce as a just in case.  I used it that night however, I only used 2/3 of the sauce.  In a desire not to waste, I was forced to make more and get another helping on sauce.  That left another 2/3 of the 2nd jar of sauce left.  It was a vicious cycle that finally ended last night.  Enchilada night! (number 3)

To go with the entree, I made some really nice lettuce wraps.  I used some soy chicken and some fresh fruits and veggies.  They came out very good and today, I am happy to have some leftovers.

So much food...not one new recipe.

I am going through a few schedule adjustments at the jobby job.  In the long run it will be good and should make me less exhausted by the weekend.  Which will hopefully give me more time and motivation for Real Estate and cooking.

Over the last week or so I have been dabbling in a few dishes that are staples in my house.  Nothing new per se just some older classics.

not mashed potatoes

bar-b-que tempeh

pancakes

salsa pizza

I was able to get some sprouts growing in my new sprouter.  It is nice to have fresh sprouts in the house.  It really tops a sandwich off well.  I added them to a leftover chic pea burger that I had made earlier in the week and it was still, awesome!

Although the image got overlooked for posting, during my week of Real Estate class, Ashley made me a great meal.  Lasagna.  I have never made it in my life.  In fact, as a kid, I did not like it and it was rarely made.  I was never a big cheese person.  However, due to the greatness of Ashley's lasagna, I will be trying my hand at it.  It was pretty damn good and there were even some leftovers for me to take to my class the following day.

Awesome!

This was awesome!

While brainstorming about dinner after Ashley and I made a plan to eat together Saturday night, she opted for some sort of chic pea burger.  This was completely inspired by a burger she made last spring.

This version held up very well.  I have found that many bean burgers get a bit mushy in the middle as you eat it.  The wheat gluten solidifies this perfectly.  If garbanzo bean flour is not available, unbleached wheat flour can be used.

Chic Pea Burgers

the burger

5 cloves of garlic (chopped)
25 oz of chic peas
3/4 cup of wheat gluten
1/2 cup of vegetable broth
1/4 cup of fresh cilantro (chopped)
1 tablespoon of cumin
1 tablespoon of garbanzo bean flour
1 tablespoon of oil
1 tablespoon of onion (chopped)
1 tablespoon of salt
2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons of jalapeno pepper (chopped)
1 teaspoon of black pepper


Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a pot, bring the vegetable broth to a boil.  Using an "un-chicken" broth works very well.

In a large mixing bowl, mash the chic peas.  Do not need to make smooth, some chunk is nice for the texture.  Then add the jalapeno pepper, garlic, onion, cilantro, and hot broth and mix well.  Add the wheat gluten and garbanzo bean flour and mix well.  This will begin to thicken quickly.  Add the cumin, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper and mix thoroughly.  It may be necessary to mix with your hands at this point.

It should have almost a dough like texture at this point.  Kneed it out into a 1/2 inch slab and cut into patties.  Place the patties in a baking pan with a light layer of oil and bake for 10 minutes.  Flip and bake for an additional 10 minutes.  This will make them nice and firm.  Set aside and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

the breading

1 cup of garbanzo bean flour
1 cup of vegetable broth
1/2 cup of vegan chicken broth powder
1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon of parsley
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of onion powder

Set out two separate bowls.  In one, pour the vegetable broth.  In the other, combine all other ingredients.  Take 4 tablespoons of the flour mixture and add it to the broth.  Mix well.

the frying

1/2 cup of oil

Heat the oil in a skillet on low heat.  Take a chic pea patty and dip it in the broth mixture.  Then dip it in the flour mixture and cover both sides.  Add the patty to the oil and fry for 3 minutes, flip and fry for an additional 3 minutes.  Remove the patty from the oil and set on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.  Repeat the process for each patty.  This recipe should make about 6 patties.

Southern Candied Sweet Potaotes

Growing up in the north, I had never had sweet potatoes like are typically found here in the dirty south.  When I first had them, I was very skeptical and it took me awhile to come around.  Now, more than 6 years later, I really enjoy these southern comfort foods.  I added my own little touch here with the pecans for some added crunch.  I actually tossed a few walnuts in as well since I had them.

This was such a tasty and rice dish that my sweet tooth forced me to eat all of this over the course of the day.  Needless to say, occasionally, my belly does not like my tooth.


Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes

2 large sweet potatoes
1 1/2 cups of water
1 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup pecans
1/3 cup of white sugar
1/4 cup of vegan margarine
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of maple syrup
1/2 tablespoon of corn starch

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Peel the potatoes and cube into 1 inch pieces.

In a large sauce pan, bring the water, margarine, brown sugar, white sugar, maple syrup, and cinnamon to a simmer.  Add the sweet potatoes and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.  Once the potatoes are tender, add the corn starch, vanilla, and pecans and remove from heat. Gently fold pecans into the broth and allow 15 minutes to set.

Disaster or Vacation?

The Atlanta weather has forced the city to shut down for nearly a week at this point.  Most schools and business have completely closed and the roads have a coating of ice due to overnight freezes.  Many people have felt trapped but I have actually enjoyed my time off.  Three days in a row in not common for me so it was a nice break.

I got a couple of rooms primed (despite spilling paint on the carpet), baked some muffins, and cookies.  Of course I made some french fries, had some soy chicken lathered in my mustard sauce.  Made some nice enchiladas with my secret recipe guacamole (it will be in the book), overall I felt good with my time away from the jobby job.

Ashley was stir crazy at her house (as many people in the city were) so I took my Maine winter driving experience across town and picked her up.  We had some food and watched a movie.  Driving was interesting with very few cars on the road and several abandoned on the side of the road, it felt like I was in Dawn of the Dead.

The snow did make for some unique photo opportunities that are very rare in the Atlanta area.  I found a dead bird on my front porch!  I am scared of birds, even dead ones, and it took some courage to get rid of it.