What’s Cookin’ Good Lookin’
While I plan to share more of my eats and the dishes that I throw together on a regular basis soon, I’d also like to share with you some of the recipes that I’ve cooked and have been enjoyed by others recently.
I didn’t start cooking until a few years ago, and at that point I was already eating a mostly vegan and mostly gluten-free diet, so my cooking skills aren’t exactly what you’d call “well-rounded.” I’m really interested in expanding my repertoire though so using my very brave boyfriend and friends as guinea pigs, I’ve embarked on a mission to learn to cook meat.
Ek!
Recently the MCLV kitchen has made…
Turkey & Black Bean Chili from Eat, Live, Run (recipe here, picture above): My parents live in Albuquerque these days so I’ve learned to appreciate chilis and HOT food. I thought I may have overdone it with the spices in this dish, but since I came home to find the Tupperware container of leftovers completely empty I think it was a success after all… 🙂
Stuffed Chicken Breasts from The Fitnessista (recipe here, picture above): Two of the BF’s favorite things to eat are chicken and goat cheese so when I saw this recipe I KNEW it would be a hit. I wasn’t wrong. Another bonus of this one is that it’s incredibly easy and quick, with virtually no prep work.
Pumpkin Chili from The Life & Lessons of Rachel Wilkerson (recipe here, picture above): While I take the 5th on whether or not I made this chili in the buff – a la Rachel – I can tell you that it was quite the success. It has the perfect amount of pumpkin flavor without being too overwhelming, but was still hearty and wintry.
Coconut Chicken from Cooking Light (recipe here, picture above): Coconut anything (milk, flakes, water, oil, butter, flour…) is a major ingredient in my apartment these days and everyone I know loves it so when I read about Rachel’s experience with this recipe I decided to use it as inspiration and tweak it a bit. Rather than breading the chicken breasts with coconut flakes, egg, and flour, I decided to just use coconut flakes and coconut milk as a marinade w/ some serious chili sauce for the perfect kick.
Honey Spiced Chicken from Holly Would If She Could (recipe here, picture above): This is everything that I look for in a recipe – quick, easy & composed entirely of ingredients that I already have in my apartment! The verdict? Mikey likes it! 🙂
You may have noticed that I stole borrowed pictures from the recipe sites, well unfortunately my boyfriend seems to be in a constant state of starvation – I feed him, I swear – and tends to eat everything before I can get a picture of it. I’ll try to do better in the future, even if I have to invest in pepper spray!
Stay tuned for a new weekly MCLV segment on cooking and recipes – from Paleo-friendly eats to vegan, gluten-free and raw recipes. A little something for everyone.
Alterna-Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is one of the few days a year that has a set menu, and while each family has their traditions, the basics are fairly common: turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, pumpkin pie…
What about mixing things up this year? You don’t have to go crazy or change every single memorable moment of Thanksigivings past, but you could add a new dish or two. Even one that’s – GASP – healthy?
Here are some delicious, easy recipes that you might be interested in adding to your traditional holiday table. Maybe you don’t even have to tell your guests that they’re low in the salt, fat, butter & sugar that Thanksgiving is known for. Maybe. That’s between you and your conscience.
Sides (my FAVORITE part of Thanksgiving):
Baked Butternut Squash w/ Cranberries from Eat, Live, Run
Cinnamon Sweet Potato Chickpea Salad from OhSheGlows
Savory Pumpkin Quinoa from The Wannabe Chef
High Protein Garlic Mashed Potatoes from OhSheGlows
Carmelized Brussels Sprouts from Eat, Live, Run
Cornbread Dressing with Tempeh Bacon, Cherries and Portobello Mushrooms from Peas and Thank You
Entrees:
Vegan Lentil Walnut Loaf from OhSheGlows
Sprouted Grain Stuffing with Field Roast Sausage from Peas and Thank You
Mushroom-and-Spinach Lasagna from Rachel Wilkerson.
Pumpkin Chili from Rachel Wilkerson
Seitan log from Hungry Hungry Hippie
Desserts:
Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake (5 ingredients) from Blisstree
Pumpkin Pudding & Chocolate Mousse Parfait from Choosing Raw
Vegan Pumpkin Pie Pudding from Choosing Raw
Pumpkin Gingerbread w/ Spiced Buttercream from OhSheGlows
Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls from Eat, Live, Run
If you’d like to brush up on your cooking basics, head over to The Wannabe Chef for instructions & tutorials, from dicing an onion to dairy-free mashed potatoes to making your own ice cream and bread. Or check out the Huffington Post’s take on a Vegan Thanksgiving here and Vital Juice’s Skinny Thanksgiving Side Dishes here.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving!
Moi Contre La Vie 