Vegan

Chili-Infused Pomegranate Sorbet

August 9, 2013 by Erica

Chili-Infused Pomegranate Sorbet

So I guess I never got around to posting my vacation pictures for you this week, did I?

Oops. Maybe this weekend.

I was catapulted head-first into the week when my flights home on Sunday got messed up due to weather delays. We boarded the plane, we sat, then we got off the plane, we sat, my connection from New York took off while I was still on the ground in Boston, and then I went back home to my parents’ house for the night.

Chili-Infused Pomegranate Sorbet

It was a very weird feeling to start the day in my childhood home outside of Boston and end up at my office in Salt Lake, having been up since 2:30 AM Mountain Time. Ugh. Direct flights only from now on!

And that is my long-winded excuse for why I haven’t posted vacation photos.

But I doubt that what you wanted out of this post was a bunch of bitching about vacation travel. How rude of me! You wanted sorbet.

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Cold-Brewed Maple Almond Iced Coffee

August 7, 2013 by Erica

Cold-Brewed Maple Almond Iced Coffee from Coffee & Quinoa

For having coffee as one of its namesakes, this little blog sure lacks anything coffee-related.

It’s with good reason: I love coffee (love love love), but my coffee consumption is very boring.

Here’s the routine: Nate and I split a pot of French press in the morning before work – Starbucks Caffe Verona or Italian Roast. And then…

Cold-Brewed Maple Almond Iced Coffee from Coffee & Quinoa

That’s just about it.

Well, I put milk in it (usually almond). But that’s really it.

If I have more than my one cup, my caffeine-to-food ratio is thrown off and I find myself desperate to eat something in order to stop shaking. Very unpleasant when you’re stuck behind a desk! I also have trouble sleeping deeply if I over-caffeinated the morning before. I reserve that second cup for special occasions/emergencies: weekend brunches where my caffeine-to-food intake is skewed in the opposite direction (special occasion), nights when I’d rather sleep than go out but find myself getting ready for the bar anyway (emergency), and workdays – usually Fridays or Mondays – when I’m feeling especially unenthusiastic about leaving the house (another emergency).

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Fresh Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Dipping Sauce

July 29, 2013 by Erica

Fresh Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Good morning!

Just like last week, I am drowning in lettuce.

Fresh Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Well actually, I am on the beach, freed of my usual self-imposed responsibility to use up fresh produce as quickly as possible. So when I say I am drowning in lettuce, I really mean that my fridge at home is… probably very wilted lettuce at this point, because I’m sure no cooking is being done while I’m gone.

Fresh Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Good thing I used up some lettuce last week by making these wraps! I am planning on wrapping everything in lettuce in the near future. You want pasta? Gotta wrap it in lettuce. Ice cream? I bet it will taste good with crunchy green exterior. Use that stuff up!

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Caramelized Banana Ice Cream (Dairy-Free)

July 26, 2013 by Erica

Caramelized Banana Ice Cream

I have another dairy-free ice cream for you. And – hallelujah – it doesn’t require an ice cream maker.

Have you ever made banana ice cream? If not, it’s like magic – you slice up a frozen banana, throw it in the blender or food processor, add some nut butter and cocoa powder if you want, and a minute later you have a sweet frozen treat that you won’t believe is just a banana. The first time I tried it, I was vegan and missing ice cream terribly. I was so excited that I called my mom and babbled to her about it for minutes before realizing that it was past 11 pm her time, and I had definitely just woken her up from a deep sleep. Oops. Banana ice cream is just that exciting.

Caramelized Banana Ice Cream

Well, this is taking banana ice cream to the next level by caramelizing the bananas before pureeing them, and then freezing the mixture. The result is a wonderfully indulgent-tasting frozen treat that, once again, is just a banana. Well, OK, this time the banana has coconut oil and honey added to it (or maple syrup if you’d like to make it totally vegan). But it is blissfully lacking any cream, eggs, or refined sugar… and forget all the stirring, straining, and tempering. Just a few simple ingredients, and no fancy equipment except a blender (and even the cheapest blender will work here – I would know).

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Thai Green Curry with Turnips and Summer Squash

July 24, 2013 by Erica

Thai Green Curry with Turnips and Summer Squash

Remember my CSA bounty I told you about on Monday?

Thai Green Curry with Turnips and Summer Squash

Well, hidden in there were also some adorable summer squash.

Lebanese squash (I think?), pattypan squash, green zucchini, and yellow zucchini.

Thai Green Curry with Turnips and Summer Squash

I only ever really buy zucchini and yellow crookneck squash, so I was really excited about the prospect of trying some new kinds. I mean, they all tasted the same, but I loved the colors. And that little pattypan squash is just too cute to be allowed!

Admission: I’ve been afraid to buy pattypan squash, despite their cuteness, because I didn’t know how to cut them up. This forced me to try, and it was super easy: just slice off the stem on top and bottom and chop into wedges. Duh.

Thai Green Curry with Turnips and Summer Squash

So I got a multitude of squash, but no turnips. I actually planned this meal before I picked up the box, assuming we’d get turnips again. Then, when we didn’t, I just bought some anyway. (Buying turnips… who am I?) They are definitely trying to give us a variety in our CSA box – cherries one week, apricots the next, etc. – which is nice, except when you’re learning how to cook with something new. I’m like, helloooo, now I’m brimming with turnip recipes! Bring on the turnips! Then nothing. But that’s OK, because I’m sure I’ll get my fair share of turnips and squash during the rest of the summer, and now I know the perfect dish to use them all up.

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