I know it's been a little longer than usual. Did you miss us?! Well, we're back in full effect! My mom came in town the weekend before last so the two vegans didn't do it how we usually do, so that is why there was a week missed in posting our delectable delights!!
Well, on to this past weekend. I was off on Friday because I had some new furniture being delivered...YEAHHH!!!! Anyway, JJ had mentioned earlier in the week that he wanted some blueberry muffins and lentil soup over the weekend. The blueberry muffins would be my first foray into vegan baking. This is going to be a new venture for me and I'm very excited about it, but more on that in the posts to come. Anyway, on Friday night we did it simple and just stopped by Chipotle for our usual vegetarian burrito in a bowl.
On Saturday, we started the morning off right by getting in some exercise on the tennis courts.
We definitely did better this time and look forward to continuing to grow in the sport. After going back to the house to shower, we hit up the Dekalb Farmers Market to get some groceries. It's been a minute since we've gone there, but I LOVE this place. They have a HUGE selection and the prices are more than reasonable.
For lunch, we decided to hit up the Indian restaurant by my house for their delicious buffet. I walked right out AGAIN without getting a menu in order to give you the name and I'm not going to even try to go off of memory because the name is way too long and I don't want to jack it up. I promise to get that information to you shortly. By the time we were done eating, I was so full I could only think of letting my pants out and laying down somewhere. I know, it's a shame. Put the fork down and move away from the plate!!! Anyway, it was as delicious as ever!!
After going back to the crib and chillin' for a minute, I prepared the kitchen for my first experience with vegan baking. Once I got all the ingredients together, I got to baking. After getting all the ingredients in the bowl, it became PAINFULLY evident that I definitely need to invest in a hand mixer. I will over time be building up my arsenal of baking supplies. Well, I made it through the mini arm workout and got the mix into the muffin tins. I was a little worried that I hadn't mixed enough and they wouldn't come out right. I am more than happy to report that I was SO wrong!! They came out great!! I will however, next time spray the inside of the muffin papers to prevent sticking. I also think that I will be more generous with the batter to make the a little bigger on top. So, if I do these few modifications next time, I think all will be good in the hood! I used all organic ingredients and I made sure to use Organic sugar that was free from bone char (look under uses once you click on the link).
Here is the recipe I used:- 2 cups flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup soy milk
- 1/4 cup Earth Balance (the vegan variety of course)
- Egg replacer for one egg
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 cup frozen blueberries (you can of course use fresh as well)
Check 'em out! Please note, that I had SO much batter that I ended up making some mini ones as well, those are the ones on top. They were very yummy and I got the thumbs up from JJ too!
On Sunday, we got an early start as well. We were headed into the city to spend the day and go to JJ's crib for the evening. The weather was warm and gorgeous!! We started off the day breaking a sweat again by going to the gym to work out first. After showering, we headed over to Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe. I found out about this place last week and couldn't wait to go! It was in a part of town that JJ and I hadn't been too yet and it was so nice. We loved this nice vegan find. It was a little smaller than I expected, but it was great nonetheless. They had Uncle Eddie's cookies and this is the first place I've been to down here that has them, so I had to bite the bullet and get some..YUM, YUM, YUM! I'm going to learn how to make and perfect my own, but in the meantime I had to indulge just a little bit. ESPECIALLY since I have vowed to make my sweet tooth wait until the weekends and concentrate on my fruits, veggies, beans and grains during the week.
So after running around the city and doing some errands, it was back to the house to get into making the homemade lentil soup. JJ said next to the veggie wraps I make, this is a very close second.
Here is the recipe we used. However, we used Extra Virgin Olive Oil instead of vegetable, we added two stalks of kale and we didn't use bay leaves or thyme. Instead we seasoned to taste using oregano, sea salt, pepper, cumin, season all, as well as one minced garlic clove. I think JJ may have added a few other items. He is the king of seasoning things just right. We also used two cups of lentils and added water to give the soup more liquid since we ran out of vegetable broth.
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 onion diced
1 carrot sliced
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup dry lentils
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
dash salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
In a large pot, sautee the onions and carrot in oil for 3-5 minutes (We sauteed the onions and carrots along with the kale and did not add the other itmes until the carrots were a little less than fork tender). Add the vegetable broth, lentils, and other seasonings. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until lentils are soft, about 45 minutes.
This soup was FANTASTIC!!! To go alongside we had garlic bread. We got a half of whole wheat baguette from Whole Foods. JJ cut the bread, added earth balance, garlic powder and oregano, threw it under the broiler for several minutes and it was SOOO good!!!
FEAST YOUR EYES! (This blurry picture doesn't do it justice, but trust me it was the BOMB!)
Until next time!!!
C
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