What I Ate Wednesday #42

Morning all! Before I forget I wanted to invite you all to check out my blog’s recently created Pinterest Board, where you’ll find a nice visual display of most of my recipes!

This What I Ate Wednesday is a pretty awesome edition, because I got to spend time with my Mom (who is visiting for Thanksgiving!) and my brother and sister. Before I met up with my Mom though, my day started off pretty much as normal as ever. I got up, showered, and made myself a glorious bowl of banana chia oats topped with peanut butter, pecans and homemade Cranberry Ginger Sauce! One of the best additions to oatmeal I’ve had yet!

Mid-morning I had a whole wheat English Muffin for a snack. I finished eating it at my internship before I took a picture, but for lunch I had an arugula salad topped with acorn squash, sautéed mushrooms and onions, and fresh avocado. Then I drizzled some balsamic vinegar over top. Delish!

A honeycrisp apple was eaten in the afternoon!

Along with some pumpkin spice pizzelles (an Italian waffle cookie), pumpkin gingerbread, and homemade dark chocolate that my Mom brought along! So tasty!

We went out for dinner to an Italian wood fired pizza place in NYC, Tavola, and I had some of the best pizza I’ve ever had. The crust was perfectly doughy, the toppings were light and fresh, and the flavor was phenomenal. I had pieces of the Mediterranean pizza and the roasted pepper and artichoke pizza.

It was a wonderful night with my Mom, brother and sister!

Stop on by Jenn’s page to see where this what I ate Wednesday party started!

TGIW,

Sydney

Cranberry Ginger Sauce Sandwich with Tempeh and Avocado

Thanksgiving is only four days away. Just four! If you are still in need of a delicious homemade cranberry sauce recipe for the holiday, I’d suggest this Cranberry Ginger Sauce recipe below!

I’ve used it as a topping on my morning bowl of oatmeal, and have been slathering it all over my sandwiches all week. It’s amazing! So quick and easy too. If you happen to have leftover cranberry sauce after the big meal this week, use it to make this amazing tempeh sandwich!

The tart cranberry sauce pairs perfectly with the nutty tempeh, creamy avocado and spicy hummus. A wonderful dish for the holiday leftovers. Or any day really!

Cranberry Ginger Sauce Sandwich with Tempeh and Avocado

The Sandwich

Makes one sandwich

Two slices of whole grain bread

1/2 a package of pre-cooked tempeh

1/4 of a ripe avocado

1-2 tbsp of Trader Joe’s spicy hummus (or whatever hummus you like)

Spinach leaves

Note: I ate this sandwich cold, all the ingredients were chilled and it was delicious!

The Sauce

Inspired by Oh She Glows

Makes about 1 and 1/2 cups of sauce (recipe can easily be multiplied)

2 cups fresh cranberries

2 d’anjou pears, peeled and finely chopped

1/4 cup of maple syrup

1 tsp freshly grated ginger

In a medium sized sauce pot bring all ingredients to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the cranberries have burst and the sauce thickens.

With Wisconsin cranberry love,

Sydney

What I Ate Wednesday #41!

Happy Happy Wednesday to you all! I don’t know about you but I am so excited I am almost done for the week. This weekend I am going to stay overnight with my sister in her dorm! Cannot wait for the dorm room fun and to enjoy some quality time with my sister! But until then, I’ll share with you a day of eats in the life of me.

Sunday morning started off with quite the lovely toast breakfast. Smashed banana, creamy peanut butter, chia seeds and a drizzle of honey. Delicious!

Mid-morning I had a handful of honey wheat pretzels. These things are addicting.

For lunch I had a delicious acorn squash, almond pulp and cannellini bean burrito, broccoli on the side. Topped with cranberries, fresh cilantro and pomegranate arils. And a little BBQ sauce and spicy mustard. Yes indeed.

I took a study break while I was eating and watched the latest episode of Parenthood. So good!

For a mid-afternoon snack I had some ginger almond granola and my Mom’s raspberry raisins with homemade almond milk.

And for dinner my brother and I made nacho bowls! The bottom layer is crushed tortilla chips, then it’s topped with a mixture of vegetarian chili, brown rice, corn, bell peppers, onions, cilantro and salsa. Yum yum.

I also had an apple not long after, so crisp!

And to end the night a few pieces of this dark chocolate bar from last week. I love this one.

Stop on by Jenn’s page to see our lovely host’s site!

TGIW,

Sydney

Red Kidney Bean, Green Chile and Pumpkin Quesadilla

This is another fabulous vegetarian take on quesadillas!

It’s a red kidney bean, green chile and pumpkin version. So unbelievably tasty!

And extremely filling as well. I love the pumpkin flavor with a bit of spice from the green chiles and the fresh flavor from the cilantro. Make these tonight!

Red Kidney Bean, Green Chile and Pumpkin Quesadilla

Makes 2-3 servings

Inspired from Yeah…Imma eat that.

4 whole wheat tortillas

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 large yellow onion, chopped

1 can of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup of pumpkin puree

1 cup of kale (frozen and chopped)

1 can of Trader Joe’s fire roasted diced green chiles

1 tsp crushed garlic

A generous sprinkle of turmeric, curry powder and nutmeg

2-3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Pumpkin Greek Yogurt Dipping Sauce

2 tbsp pumpkin puree

1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt

A few drops of hot sauce

A generous sprinkle of chili powder

To make the quesadillas, heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium-low heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions and and sauté for five minutes, stirring occasionally.

Next, add to the sauce pan the beans, pumpkin, chiles, kale, garlic and seasonings. Stir well. Continue sautéing for about 10-15 minutes, until kale is wilted and pumpkin mixture is warmed through.

While the mixture is warming, make the pumpkin greek yogurt dipping sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl.

When the pumpkin mixture is done, spread half of the mixture over one tortilla and the other half over a second tortilla.

Generously sprinkle with freshly chopped cilantro, and cheese if you wish, and place another tortilla on top of each to complete the quesadilla.

Eat immediately as is, or bake in the oven at 325 degrees for a few minutes to get your quesadilla nice and crispy! Enjoy!

Note: I placed the pumpkin mixture over a bed of arugula, and sprinkled some fresh goat’s cheese and cilantro on top!

Dipping sauces are fun,

Sydney

Creamy Apple Butternut and Green Lentil Stew

I did it. I finally made my own stew!

I started off with the intention of making some lentils, plain and simple. But then I just kept adding all the veggies I had in my fridge, and the fruit I had on my counter, and the soup I had in the cupboard.

And voilá! A delicious, hearty, late fall and early winter stew!

Creamy Apple Butternut and Green Lentil Stew

Serves 4

1/2 cup green lentils

1 and 1/2 cups water

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 small honey crisp apple

1 medium sweet potato, finely chopped

5 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced in half

2 cups of kale, frozen and chopped

1 cup of soup or broth of choice (I used organic butternut squash soup from Trader Joes)

To make this stew start by bringing a large pot with the water, lentils and onions to a boil. Once at a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 25 minutes (or until lentils are just tender, but not mushy).

While the lentils are simmering chop all the fruit and veggies.

After the lentils have simmered for 25 minutes, add in the apples, sweet potato, mushrooms, kale and soup and continue to simmer for another 25 minutes, or until veggies are tender and the soup is heated through.

Serve hot from the stove and enjoy!

Stew yourself a favor and make this recipe tonight,

Sydney

What I Ate Wednesday #40!

Hello all, and happy Wednesday to you! Time has continued to fly this past week and I cannot believe we’re already at another installment of WIAW. As one of my favorite parts of the week though, let’s get to it!

My Tuesday eats started off with a hearty bowl of oatmeal. No surprise there. This was a mixture of 1/3 cup of old fashioned oats, 1 very ripe banana, 1 tbsp of chia seeds, a sprinkle of cinnamon, walnuts, dried cranberries and unpictured drizzled peanut butter for the final touch. It was such a cozy bowl and it warmed me right up!

For lunch I was at my internship, so I packed this salad. It was made with a bed of arugula, topped with a green lentil veggie mix, tomatoes, avocado, goat’s cheese and balsamic vinegar. Quite tasty.

In my snack taxi I also brought along a honey crisp apple. I am eating these as often as possible because they are so. good.

I ate a whole wheat english muffin as well for an afternoon snack.

As I walked home at about 5:30 I could not get over the fact that it was already pitch black outside. I’m not a fan of it getting dark so early, but I was a fan of the holiday snowflake lights that just were put up along our streets! It looks great all lit up.

For dinner I had Creamy Apple Butternut and Green Lentil Stew. This was phenomenal! And so easy! I’ll share the recipe soon. I also had a glorious roll on the side. These are the doughiest rolls ever and I am in love with them. I warmed it up a bit and spread on some kumquat marmalade. Heaven!

I also had a few spoonfuls of plain greek yogurt to use up so I added a dollop of kumquat marmalade to that as well!

For dessert I had a few squares of dark chocolate.

And a cute ramekin full of honey oat cereal. Sweet, crunchy loveliness.

Head on over to Jenn’s blog to see where this WIAW party started!

TGIW,

Sydney

Pumpkin Spiced Banana Oatmeal

I was going through my pictures in iPhoto the other night and came across this:

And this:

How could I have forgotten to post about these beautiful oats!? Pumpkin Spiced Banana Oats to be precise. I’ve added this oat combo into my fall rotation numerous times. It’s quite scrumptious!

Pumpkin Spiced Banana Oatmeal

Serves 1

1/3 cup of old fashioned oats

~2/3 cup of water

1 very ripe banana, sliced

A dash of pumpkin pie spice

1/3 cup of pumpkin puree

1 tbsp ground flaxseed

Toppings: Mom’s homemade granola and ~1 tbsp of natural creamy peanut butter

Make these oats by combining the oats, water, banana, pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin and flaxseed in a bowl and microwaving for two minutes. Add whatever toppings you like and enjoy!

Oats forever,

Sydney

Holiday Pumpkin Gingerbread

I was originally thinking of calling this recipe “I’ve started listening to Christmas music and it’s only November 9th Pumpkin Gingerbread,” but I felt it may have been a tad too long. Just a tad. So Holiday Pumpkin Gingerbread it is!

Celine, Mariah and Vanessa sure know how to boost my spirits though. Only three weeks until Thanksgiving and then Christmas isn’t far behind! Until then I will enjoy baking potential holiday goodies. I want to figure out something yummy to bake when I’m back home for the holidays!

The smell of this bread baking in the oven reminded me of going to my Grandma’s house as a kid and making and decorating gingerbread cookies with all my cousins. Great memories!

Slice a thick piece of this bread and bask in the gingerbready goodness!

Holiday Pumpkin Gingerbread

Makes one loaf

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp powdered ginger

1 and 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax and 6 tbsp of water)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup blackstrap molasses

1/2 cup pumpkin

3/4 cup of homemade almond milk

To make this bread, start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees and spraying a loaf pan with non-stick spray.

While the oven is preheating, make your flax eggs by mixing 2 tbsp of ground flaxseed with 6 tbsp of water. Place in freezer for about 7 minutes, until thick and gel-like.

In a large mixing bowl combine all the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, powdered ginger, and pumpkin pie spice.

In  a small mixing bowl combine all the wet ingredients: the flax eggs, vanilla, molasses, pumpkin and almond milk.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined.

Pour the dough into the loaf pan and bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Enjoy!

Start listening to Christmas music,

Sydney

Maple and Mustard Glazed Apple Sweet Potato Rice

Here is a lovely, comforting recipe for a cold and dreary day.

Maple and Mustard Glazed Apple Sweet Potato Rice!

Start preheating that oven right away. The heavenly smell of baking sweet potatoes and apples is to die for, and it tastes just as good too!

Maple and Mustard Glazed Apple Sweet Potato Rice

Serves 3-4

1/2 cup brown rice

1/4 tsp curry powder

pinch of nutmeg

2 small sweet potatoes, sliced into disks

2 small honey crisp apples, sliced

1 medium zucchini, sliced into disks

A sprinkle of cinnamon

Glaze

1/2 tbsp Apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp Mustard

1 tbsp Maple syrup

Start by cooking the rice according to package directions. Add in the curry powder and nutmeg to the rice while it simmers, stirring occasionally.

While the rice is cooking, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and slice your veggies.

On one baking sheet place all the sliced sweet potatoes, and on another baking sheet place the apples and zucchini and sprinkle with cinnamon.

When the oven is ready, roast the sweet potatoes for about 25 minutes, and the zucchini/apple mix for about 15 minutes (or until tender).

When the rice and veggies are done combine into one dish.

For the glaze simply whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl.

Now make any meal you’d like! One night I ate a big salad topped with the rice mixture and drizzled with glaze, and another day I used the rice mixture as a filling for a burrito and added hummus and pea shoots. Both were delicious! Enjoy!

Put a little nutmeg in it,

Sydney

What I Ate Wednesday #39

Another week has gone by and it is really starting to feel like winter here! Although on Saturday I sat outside in the park doing some school readings because it was almost 70 degrees and sunny, by Monday it was only in the 40’s (and yesterday wasn’t much better)! I’m not a fan of cold weather, but I am trying to embrace it because I know it means the holidays are quickly approaching! Only about 5 weeks left of the semester. Hallelujah. Now let’s get to the food!

For breakfast yesterday I had a little something different, a bowl of cereal. This bowl was made with Trader Joe’s Honey O’s, a banana, my Mom’s homemade granola, dried cranberries, chia seeds and peanut butter. And I used homemade almond milk as well! I was worried I would be hungry in about two hours since cereal doesn’t usually fill me up all that well, but I think the hearty granola and peanut butter helped keep me full.

For lunch at my internship I packed two maple and mustard glazed apple sweet potato rice burritos. Stuffed with pea shoots and some spicy hummus, this was one of the best lunches I’ve had in awhile! The picture is from the first night I made this dish, where I served it over a salad. And this picture is much prettier than the leftover version so I thought I’d use it instead. Recipe coming soon!

Mid-afternoon I decided to go to Starbucks to get out of my 40 degrees below zero office and warm up with a soy peppermint mocha. Yep, the holiday drinks are back.

I looked up the nutrition info for my drink and was pleasantly surprised that it only had 250 calories and 1.5 grams of  fat, but then I looked at the sugar content…40 grams of sugar! That’s roughly 10 teaspoons of sugar in a tall! It was delicious, but boy, that just seems like a cavity waiting to happen.

For dinner I had leftover pasta that my brother and I made over the weekend. It was pasta with broccoli, red bell pepper, mushrooms and kale and a tangy peanut sauce. We ended up using most of the sauce in our initial meal, so last night I added some tahini and balsamic vinegar. Another good combo!

I also had two clementines. They were teeny tiny but oh so tasty!

A little later I had one of my Vegan Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins.

And for dessert I had some ‘baked’ (aka microwaved) apples with cinnamon. Pretty much like my own single serving of apple crisp. So delicious!

Stop on by Jenn’s page to see all the other amazing WIAW posts!

TGIW,

Sydney