What I Ate Wednesday #46

Merry Christmas all! It’s been a wonderful day here in WI filled with festive holiday eats, hope you day has been just as joyous! Enjoy this WIAW post: Christmas Style!

Breakfast was a leftover slice of Vegan Eggnog Oatmeal Bake. Yum!

And two juicy clementines.

For lunch I had a salad with mixed greens, cucumbers, pecans, guacamole and pomegranate ginger balsamic dressing.

And a toasted english muffin with peanut butter, hit the spot!

For our annual Christmas tradition of seeing a movie in the theater, I decided to pack my own snack. I brought along two pieces of the chocolate chip cookie bar pie I made for Christmas Eve. A tasty and healthier version of the classic chocolate chip cookie bar recipe which uses chickpeas for the base.

Early evening I warmed up with a cup of gluehwein, a mulled wine my Mom made. So delicious.

I also had a chocolate covered pretzel and a handful of regular zals.

For dinner we had portabella mushroom ravioli, salad and garlic bread.

We ended the night playing the game Scattergories with the fam. So fun!

And for dessert I polished off one last chocolate chip cookie bar and had a dark chocolate turtle as well. A sweet end to the day!

TGIW,

Sydney

Vegan Eggnog Oatmeal Bake

Happy Holidays Everyone! I hope wherever you are that you are enjoying the holidays and spending time relaxing with your family and friends. If you’re looking for something scrumptious to make for the fam on Christmas morning, try this Vegan Eggnog Oatmeal Bake!

Here’s all the ingredients you’ll need for the oatmeal.

Which create a wonderful dish that spreads holiday cheer!

This eggnog infused, chewy and hearty oatmeal bake is simply delectable!

Vegan Eggnog Oatmeal Bake

Serves 6

Inspired by How Sweet It Is

2 cups old fashioned oats

2 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp himalyan salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 and 1/2 cups of almond milk eggnog

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 chia seed egg (1 tbsp of chia seeds mixed with 3 tbsp of water and placed in the freezer for 10 minutes, until the mixture becomes thick and gel-like)

2 bananas, ripe, 1 mashed (to add in mixture), and 1 sliced for on top

To make this oatmeal bake, start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Next, add in the eggnog, melted coconut oil, vanilla, chia egg and the mashed banana to the dry ingredients. Stir until combined.

Pour the batter into an 8×8 glass baking dish, or a baking dish about that size, and layer the sliced bananas on top.

Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the oatmeal is set. Enjoy!

Happy Eggnog,

Sydney

Fire Roasted Pepper and Tempeh Enchiladas with Salsa Verde

Fire Roasted Pepper and Tempeh Enchiladas with Salsa Verde. This is where it’s at. My brother and I made these last Sunday, our last Sunday cooking together before the holidays, and it was a great dish to end on!

These enchiladas were bursting with flavor. The savory tempeh, pepper, and kale filling was complimented by the touch of sweetness of the butternut squash and the zing of spice from the chili powder and salsa. Delicious.

Baked until the enchiladas were perfectly golden and crispy, with ooey, gooey melted cheese, this is a dish worth savoring!

These enchiladas can also easily be multiplied, and with simple prep and not a lot of cooking time it is a great dish for the holidays!

Fire Roasted Pepper and Tempeh Enchiladas with Salsa Verde

Serves 4 (makes 8 enchiladas)

1 tbsp of olive oil

2 cups of frozen, diced butternut squash

1 cup of frozen, chopped kale

1 cup of frozen, chopped fire roasted bell pepper and onion mix

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp of curry powder

1 can of black beans

1 block of tempeh, precooked

Eight 8″ flour tortillas

1 cup of salsa verde

~3/4 cup of grated sharp white cheddar

To make these enchiladas, start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees.

While the oven is preheating, sauté the butternut squash, kale, and bell pepper mix until warmed through, about 10 minutes on medium low heat. Stir occasionally.

Next, add in the tempeh, black beans, chili powder and curry powder, stir, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Then, turn off the stove and start filling the tortillas! Add about 1/3 a cup of the mixture to each tortilla, roll tightly, and place in an 8×8 glass baking dish. Repeat this process until the enchilada mixture is gone, packing each enchilada snuggly into the dish.

Lastly, pour the salsa verde on top of the enchiladas, sprinkle the cheese over the salsa and bake. Bake for fifteen minutes, until the cheese is melty and bubbly and the tortillas are golden and crispy. Enjoy!

Spice it up,

Sydney

What I Ate Wednesday #45

Happy Wednesday Y’all! Welcome to another glorious day of WIAW. Hope you enjoy this week’s recap of my eats from this past Sunday.

My morning started off with working on my last paper of the semester. So close to the end!

While I was working on my paper I had a jar of overnight oats. This combination was good, nothing too special though. The mix was 1/3 a cup of old fashioned oats, ~2/3 cup of unsweetened almond milk, 1 small sliced banana, some raisins, some pecans, ~ 1 tbsp of chia seeds and some cinnamon. While the flavor didn’t blow me away, I did love the texture of these oats. They were super chewy and doughy with a slight crunch from the pecans.

Midmorning I had a pumpkin spiced chocolate chip cookie for a snack. I went through my freezer last weekend to start clearing it out before going home for the holidays, and totally scored when I pulled out a mysterious tin foil-wrapped object and found these cookies inside!

Lunch was pretty delicious. Another brilliant sandwich combination! This was a whole wheat panini with goat’s cheese, beets, arugula and stone ground mustard. Heaven.

I had a handful of dried apricots for a snack that afternoon.

And then I had enchiladas for dinner. They were awesome. They were Fire Roasted Bell Pepper Tempeh Enchiladas with Salsa Verde to be exact. And the recipe will be up shortly!

Trader Joe’s had their holiday Triple Ginger Brew out for the season last time we went grocery shopping, and I couldn’t pass up an opportunity for more ginger in my life so I bought some for my brother and I. It was pretty good, but a little sweet for me. We each had a glass with dinner!

And that’s a wrap for me. Make sure to stop on by Jenn’s page!

TGIW,

Sydney

Pumpkin Spiced Chocolate Banana Smoothie

This quick and delicious smoothie is a new favorite of mine. Pumpkin Spiced Chocolate Banana Smoothie!

The subtle and slightly bitter chocolatey flavor from the cocoa powder blends perfectly with the sweetness from the banana and the spice from the pumpkin pie seasoning.

And you get this yummy, frothy layer on top as well!

You’ve got to try this combo today!

Pumpkin Spiced Chocolate Banana Smoothie

Serves 1

1 very ripe, sliced and frozen banana

~1 cup of coconut milk

1 and 1/2 tsp of cocoa powder

3/4 tsp of pumpkin pie spice

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Enjoy!

Blend away,

Sydney

What I Ate Wednesday #44

Happy Wednesday all! Hope your week is going well and you’re ready for another WIAW post. I’m listening to Christmas music as I’m writing this, finally taking a short study break, and cannot wait to be done one week and one day from today! This week’s WIAW post document’s last Saturday eats, it was a scrumptious food day for sure!

For breakfast that morning I made myself some pumpkin spiced pancakes topped with cranberries, coconut, peanut butter and a bit of maple syrup. Banana on the side of course!

I had a handful of zals for a mid-morning snack. The honey wheat pretzels from Trader Joe’s really are addicting.

Lunch I kept a little lighter because I knew I was going to the holiday market later that day and wanted to save some room! I have been looking forward to going to the holiday market in NYC all year so I didn’t want to be too full when I got there. I made a simple, delicious and nutritious hummus, avocado, almond pulp and roasted red pepper sandwich.

And then I went to the market with my brother! Holiday cheer all around!

I was on a mission to buy my first hot apple cider of the season, and Sigmund’s had just what I was looking for! Not only was the cider delicious, but I bought a peanut butter chocolate chip cookie with pretzels as well. One of the best cookies I’ve ever eaten. Hands down.

Later that night I had dinner, which was half a roasted acorn squash, a salad with balsamic vinegar, and some chips and salsa.

I finished the rest of the cookie for dessert. It was a glorious way to end the day!

Don’t forget to stop on by Jenn’s page who graciously hosts this WIAW get together each week!

TGIW,

Sydney

Nutty Pumpkin Brown Rice with Crispy Cauliflower

It has been unbelievably busy around here lately. I’m wrapping up another semester of grad school and an internship, so unfortunately I haven’t had much time to experiment with new recipes. The other day, however, I needed a study break, so I headed for the kitchen!

I used all the staples that I had on hand from either the pantry or in my fridge, and came up with Nutty Pumpkin Brown Rice with Crispy Cauliflower. It was a savory delight!

Today I thought I’d do my post a bit different and share with you more details and photos of the actual cooking process. So to start this dish, preheat your oven to 375 degrees and bring about 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium sized sauce pan. When the water is at a rolling boil add in 3/4 a cup of brown rice.

Then add some seasonings. I used 1 tsp of dried chives and 1 tsp of dried tarragon to give the rice a little flavor. Simmer the brown rice with the lid on for about 35-40 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Stir occasionally and add more liquid if all is absorbed but the rice is not yet tender.

While the rice is cooking, spread the chopped cauliflower over a large baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Then generously sprinkle dried chives and dried dill on top. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until tender. Make sure to stir/flip the cauliflower around about half way through.

When the rice is done, turn the heat to low and add one cup of chopped kale. Stir.

Then add in 3/4 a cup of pureed pumpkin and 1/2 a cup of almond pulp and stir again.

Finally, add in the generous dash of nutmeg, sprinkle of red pepper flakes and 1 tsp of curry powder. Continue to stir until heated through, and then you are finished!

Plate while the nutty pumpkin rice mixture is warm and top with the crispy cauliflower. Enjoy!

Nutty Pumpkin Brown Rice with Crispy Cauliflower

Serves 4

3/4 cups of brown rice

~2 cups of water

1 tsp dried chives

1 tsp dried tarragon

1 cup of frozen, thawed, chopped kale

3/4 cup pureed pumpkin

1/2 cup of almond Pulp

A generous dash of nutmeg

A sprinkle of red pepper flakes

1 tsp curry powder

1 head of cauliflower, chopped

A generous sprinkle of dried chives and dried dill

Happy cooking,

Sydney

What I Ate Wednesday #43

It’s December! And I am so pleased. I’m heading back to the glorious state of Wisconsin in just a matter of weeks to spend time with the fam for the holidays. It’s crunch time in school right now, I’ve got multiple papers, presentations and exams for the final two weeks. It’s going to be crazy but I know it’ll be over in the blink of an eye. So here’s to enjoying December and the wonderful holiday season before it flies by!

Yesterday morning I had a wonderful bowl of pumpkin oats. It was made from 1/3 cup of old fashioned oats, ~1 tbsp of chia seeds, one very ripe banana, some pumpkin pie spice, ~1/3 cup of pumpkin, ~2/3 cup of water and cranberries and peanut butter drizzled on top. Yum!

Mid-morning zals.

Recycled pic of temp tacs, which I had for lunch.

Honeycrisp. Oh so crispy.

Before dinner I had a bran flakes and coconut milk snack (forgot to take a picture though). And dinner was a tasty salad with balsamic vinegar, pasta with vodka sauce and green chiles and a side of garlic naan.

For dessert I had a delicious trio of dark chocolate, raisins and a spoonful of cookie butter. I will definitely be having that again!

Hop on over to Jenn’s page to see the lovely host of this WIAW shindig’s blog!

TGIW,

Sydney