Getting set for the week.
We were slow to get the week started around here–it was an eventful week/weekend. One of my oldest friends came through town last week leaving this delicious zucchini bread shown above. Paired with an ample dollop of Earth Balance spread and a cup of black tea, it was an irresistible breakfast.
Earth Balance is vegan, made without artificial ingredients or hydrogenated oils, free of gluten, lactose, and eggs. It’s also Non-GMO Project certified. I use it instead of butter when I can, especially if there’s no local, organic butter on hand.
I’m also a fan of black tea, which helped me to wake up this morning. As you can see, Madison wasn’t having it. A study done at Rutgers showed that black tea may help prevent stomach, breast, and prostate cancer. A study in the Netherlands showed that drinking black tea daily decreased by 50 percent your chances of dying from heart disease. It also prevents tooth decay. And it looks more like coffee, which for some reason, appeals to me.
Bella guarded the basil as I planned ahead for the week to come. I made a curried butternut squash bisque (I’ll publish pictures of it later this week) and a simple cold sesame noodle salad with mustard green shavings. Hopefully this will last the husband and I a few days, so I can get ahead on my work and avoid take out all at the same time.
Cold Sesame Noodle Salad with Mustard Green Shavings
1 package soba noodles
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp organic peanut butter
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp hot sauce (add more if you like)
1 tsp cold pressed sesame oil
2 cloves minced garlic
The juice of 1/2 lime
2 large leaves minced mustard greens
1 tbsp sesame seeds
Method
1. Cook noodles as per directions.
2. While you’re cooking the noodles, whisk oil, peanut butter, soy sauce, hot sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and lime together.
3. Dress noodles and top with greens and sesame seeds–toss well. Refrigerate to allow the flavors to meld.
4. When serving, drizzle with sesame oil and a squeeze of lime.
A Week in Serene Eats (Week 11) and the Recipes to Get You There
I need to get back to the kitchen. This week has been a lesson in going with the flow. My dad was visiting this weekend and then the election was on Tuesday. The husband lacked a packed lunch much of the week and I only cooked a very few days. But now I’m hoping to pull life back into the routine I crave with some tasty fall recipe. So here goes:
Spicy Vegetable Soup
I’m admittedly so off schedule this week as a result of the election and my dad being in town. Soup was really the only option when it came to feeding us in any healthful manner.
Balsamic Braised Butter Beans with Whole Oregano
In my new 100 percent local life I vowed to stop eating so many beans from the can and instead take advantage of all the beans that we have locally here in Charleston, including one of the richest and tastiest of all, butter beans.
Moroccan-Style Roasted Beets with Cumin and Olive Oil
When I ventured to the farmers’ market Saturday morning fear of Hurricane Sandy disappointingly had shut it down. The only vendors that showed up were those with their own tents unwilling to let their ample fall produce go to waste. So I supported each and every vendor at the market and loaded my bags with beets, rutabagas, baby eggplants and zucchini, scallions, and apples. The husband and I fought the morning weather and then rewarded ourselves with a coffee and scone at the delicious Wild Flour bakery downtown.
5 Root Vegetable Recipes to Take Advantage of Fall
It’s root vegetable season once again. Get excited people–here are a few of my favorites.
A Week in Serene Eats (Week 10) and the Recipes to Get You There
I’ve been cooking like it’s Christmas here at the Novak household. Likely the result of the new array of fall deliciousness. You can’t help but use the world “harvest” again and again. There’s just a cornucopia of great food from which to choose. Sorry–I couldn’t resist. Anywho–here’s what I’ve been eating/cooking.
Fried Tempeh Atop Harvest Succotash
If you’re planning to make a veg-friendly feast this holiday season, it’s best to get started on recipe planning early. That doesn’t in any shape or form mean that you have the whole shindig planned, it just means that you establish a few go-to fall friendly recipes good for entertaining. This Harvest Succotash recipe from Vegan For the Holidays by Zel Allen is a great place to get started. I served this up with a simple fried tempeh.
Superfood Salad with Ginger Dressing
My new goal is to eat at least one serving of dark leafy greens everyday. It’s worth the effort considering that dark leafy greens are good sources of vitamins A, C, K and folate as well as minerals like iron and calcium. Research suggests that the nutrients found in dark green vegetables may prevent certain types of cancers and promote heart health. As a general rule, you should eat five servings of vegetables daily and dark leafy greens are among the most nutritionally dense.
Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Last week I made Sugar Pie Pumpkin Bowls. As you may know, I’m on a no waste kick so here’s the pumpkin seeds that were left over. It’s important to mention all the nutritional density found in the seeds themselves.
