Keeping it Simple

It seems that we are nearing the end of the pneumonia epidemic that swept through our house, leaving havoc and destruction in its wake.  I'm pretty much back to normal, and AP is slowly regaining his strength,  He's highly irritated that he was not able to bounce back in 24 hours or less, as per his usual M.O., but at least now he is able to work on his dissertation and other various nerdy academic projects.  Some people work to live (holla), but that dude lives to work, even though his work annoys the crap out of him.  Academia, you are a conundrum.

Of course, even in our weakened state, we were able to celebrate National Grilled Cheese day! We had Field Roast Chao slices, spinach, and spicy mustard on sourdough, with oven fries and plenty of Vegenaise and ketchup for dipping.

Pups in the background, plotting his grilled cheese heist.

I attempted to make Indian food, as I was craving tofu makhani, which is rarely seen on a takeout menu.  Everything looked amazing, smelled divine, and tasted... bland.  It was ok, it just wasn't Indian food. AP ate it to be polite... but the next evening we sprung for takeout and got to enjoy the real deal.

So colorful, so meh.

The above disaster combined with my insane work schedule convinced me to keep it simple the rest of the week.  Gardein tenders and oven fries to the rescue!

Cajun seasoning on the tenders FTW

Another easy vegan meal is mac and cheese!  There are a ton of vegan cheeses on the market- and these days, they're actually good.  However, personally I love a good nutritional yeast based sauce.  I use a tweaked version of the Minute Man sauce from the Ultimate Uncheese cookbook.  It's one of AP's favorites, and he actually prefers it to most other mac and cheeses, even back when we ate dairy.

I buy the little 7 oz bags of La Moderna pasta at the grocery store (they're usually in the "Hispanic Foods" aisle).  About 1/2 cup of sauce coats this amount of pasta nicely.

Shells are the best mac and cheese shape, obvi.

Another easy meal- the often overlooked baked potato.  It's just the two of us, so instead of waiting for the oven to heat up to bake one tiny potato, I just tossed it in the toaster over.  I chopped up a Field Roast sausage and sauteed it with some frozen Southwest blend, seasoned with salt, pepper, chili powder and smoked paprika.  That went on top of the potato, along with some vegan sour cream.  

That Southwest blend is awesome, by the way.  I put it in quesadillas, on nachos, in enchiladas, and on salads. It's perfect for lazy, quick meals.

Potato and salad.  Boring? I think not.

Today for lunch, it was 70 degrees in the apartment. Too hot to cook, and the place I wanted to pick up lunch from is closed on Sundays.  Augh!!!  Instead, I picked up some dips and nibbles while I was out shopping and threw together a mezza plate.  Salad with pico de gallo, hummus, baba ghanoush, spicy marcona almonds and fresh pickles.  Served with fluffy pita.  Devoured by AP in 2 minutes.

I'm officially on a pickle kick. It's gonna get intense.

Today is Sunday, pizza night.  I had a tiny bit of Daiya, Chao and Follow Your Heart cheeses to use up, so I made a three cheese pie on a homemade herb crust.  I use tomato paste rather than sauce- more of a flavor punch.

Crispy crust to let the toppings shine.

I did allow myself to get a little creative for breakfast this weekend.  This recipe for banana oat pancakes appeared in my inbox early in the week, and I dreamed about it each night until I was able to try it out.  I am usually a pancake ruiner (I can't flip 'em for anything), but this recipe worked out perfectly and deliciously. 

So healthy, until I loaded them with Earth Balance and maple syrup :P

A tried and true recipe, cinnamon rolls!  I prepped these on Saturday night, and let them rise in the fridge  overnight.  Popped them in the oven on Sunday morning while we snoozed, and devoured them once we were coherent enough to slather icing on them.

Icing makes everything perfect.

Pups and I have been back to our regular kick-ass walks.  He's been tuckered out at the end of the day, as have I.  It's insane how fast you lose muscle and stamina- two weeks of being sick had me sore after a two mile walk as if I'd hiked half the Appalachian trail.

Happy Pup :D

Luckily I have the best workout buddy, who doesn't let me give up and encourages me every step of the way.  Huskamutes are the best personal trainers.