ORGASM IN MY MOUTH

Alright, I am fully aware of what expectations I set with a title like that, but I think I am up to the challenge on this day.

Yesterday, I made the nectar of the gods, yes people, I am talking about a peanut sauce unequaled by man nor beast.

Ok, perhaps I am hyping it up a bit too much but you must try it before hating.

Well, there is a backstory to this divine event.  While I was at home I was perusing facebook (SURPRISE) and I found "What the fuck should I make for dinner?" This led me to Cookstr, and Cookstr led me to this. I know it says sesame sauce, but hear me out. Now, in my squash-obsessed brain, I wondered how this would be if only I substituted spaghetti squash for the noodles!  OH HAPPY DAY!

Cold Spaghetti Squash Noodles in a Peanut-Sesame Sauce (and cucumbers and scallions!)

(ok so I know the bowl looks dirty, but I promise it's been washed like 10,000 times, that burnt shit WILL NOT COME OUT!) 

Ingredients

1/2 cup prepared spaghetti squash, cold 

Cucumber (I used one kirby, which would be the equivalent to 1/3 of a large one)

1 scallion/ green onion

Sauce:

6 teaspoons peanut butter (I used the all-natural stuff from Publix in the deli section)

 2/3 cup water

3 tbsp soy sauce

1.5 tsp rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp splenda/ sugar

Dash salt

1-2 tsp minced garlic

Whisk together peanut butter and water until fully incorporated. It will become a liquid consistency. Add soy sauce, and other ingredients one by one.  Remember, add to taste, I included the measurements so you have an idea of how much you need, but if you want it saltier add more soy sauce, you want it more sesame-ish add more oil! Also, I added a few teaspoons of toasted sesame seeds!

I thew these together on top of the spaghetti squash with the cukes and the green onions.  It was stellar, however, I'd like to enforce the fact that this sauce can be used for everything, not just my crazy concoction.  You could not only put it on top of real noodles, or like I did tonight,  use it as a salad dressing!  I am dying for new ways to eat this shit without just having to eat it by the spoonful. 

You can thank me later. I accept cash, check, visa, mastercard, etc, etc etc

EDIT: I THINK I AM GOING TO PUT IT ON BLANCHED ASPARAGUS??!!!

nom nom nom

So I got back to Tallanasty today! I'm really trying to change my whole processes, so I got home and immediately put everything away (no more wrinkly clothes for morgan!), made a grocery list, and replaced my air filter!

WHAT WHAT

Some of you all may have heard of my habit, which is reading really skinny vegan runners' food blogs (yes this is a definite genre of blogging!) One of my favorites, ChocolateCoveredKatie.com really does have some nice recipes!

Today, I made her Raw Vegan Chocolate Cake with a few twists of my own...

Raw Vegan(ish) Chocolate Cake!

Ingredients:

1 cup grated fluffy coconut

2 tbsps cocoa

3/4 cup thawed (previously) frozen raspberries

1-2 tsps splenda (or honey, or sugar, whatever you use for sweetener) 

Dash salt

OPTIONAL (NON-VEGAN) ADDITIVES

Dallop of light cool whip 

1 tsp strawberry preserves (raspberry would have been stellar and more appropriate and if you have 'em go ahead!) 

Put coconut in blender.  I blended the shit out of it and it still wasn't a smooth consistency.  Warning, even though the coconut isn't fully blended together, this does not really TASTE coconutty so give it a try, even if coconut isn't your style.  After blending coconut for a few minutes, add cocoa, sweetener,  and raspberries and blend until as smooth as possible.  I spooned the mixture into a bowl and threw it in the freezer.  I obviously didn't wait as long as the blogger did (DAMN MY IMPATIENCE) but, I took it out when it was a soft ice cream kind of consistency.  I then put half of the frozen mixture into a small dessert cup and put on the light cool whip & preserves (you can omit if you're being really calorie/point conscious!) 

YUM! 

BSQUASH ENCHIES?

So, my cool self is home for the spring break week, but it's really good because I needed some rest and what not. It's been very uneventful, but not in a super bad way.  But while I've been home, I've been able to cook with hella good ingredients!  I made a recipe which I adapted from one of my favorite runnervegananorexic blogger girls  (http://www.healthytippingpoint.com/2011/02/butternut-squash-enchiladas.html) but I've tweaked it a bit to give it more substance and flavahhhhhh.

Hooch, Mary, and I first made these at Mary's about....A MONTH AGO??!! The secret, we found, is to pick out a squash that doesn't have a very pronounced bulb at the end, they're easier to cut and seem to be more flavorful. Both times I've made this I've had more than enough squash leftover (this time yielded 7 enchiladas I think), to make butternut squash fries as well! For the fries, I put them on a cookie sheet, spray with some cooking spray and put them right in with the roasting squash! Flip them over once, there ya gooooo!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH ENCHILADAS

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Tortillas

2/3 of a butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1 can black beans

1 package 2% reduced fat cheddar cheese

1 pack vigo yellow rice (2-4-1 at publix this week!)- prepared 

1 jar salsa verde 

Pre-heat oven to 425. Cut the butternut squash in half, peel, and de-seed. Cube the squash (cut into 1/2''. slices).  Spray 12 x 8 dish with cooking spray and dump in squash!  Roast squash for 30 minutes, or until  a little mooshy.   When squash is cooking, put in fries (if you choose to make fries), and prepare yellow rice.  To prepare rice, fill sauce pan with 2 1/2 cups water, boil, dump in rice, turn heat to low, throw lid on saucepan, AND DONE!  When squash is done either mash with a potato masher, or put squash in food processor until mashed, but not a fricking soup.  

Assemble rice, beans, cheese (or whatever else, roasted onions & peppers, corn, mushrooms, ANYTHING will work in these.) I sprayed each tortilla with cooking spray then rolled them up with about 1/4 cup squash, a few tbsps beans and rice, and a sprinkle of cheese. Loosely roll up and line up in casserole dish! Repeat. (DON'T FORGET YOUR FRIES!) Continue until dish is full, you run out of squash, or until you get bored.  Then, sprinkle more cheese on top (I didn't use the whole bag for the recipe but you def. could have), and pour on the salsa verde!  Then, put in the heated oven (still at 425) for about 15 minutes. 

VIOLA! 

Note: I used no oil (vegetable, olive, or otherwise) in the making of this dish, including the rice!  The package says to add 2 tsp of butter/oil to rice while boiling, they lie, it's not necessary! 

OVERNIGHT!

Spring break has sprung! While my break was (at least I feel) so far away, it's finally here!  Last night I arrived at chez Brickey a la Ocala and I decided to prepare my breakfast ahead of time!

Some of you (i.e. Hooch and Mary) have heard me extol the benefits of vegan overnight oats.  They're easy as hell, you don't have to waste time in the morning making a breakfast (pouring cereal is such a chore! ha haaaaaa), and if you make it in a tupperware (like I do) you can just slap an ill-fitting lid on it, and out the door you go!  A good accompaniment to this is some iced coffee, you can put a cup (with a lie of course) of coffee in the fridge, put some ice and whatever accoutrements you desire, and there's your to-go breakfast!

VEGAN OVERNIGHT OATS (the picture is made with pure pumpkin added in!) 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rolled oats (I used publix brand or quaker old-fashioned)

3/4 cup almond milk (you can use whatever milk you desire, but the almond/soy adds sweetness without artificial sweetener)

2 tbsp chia seeds*

1 tsp honey

Banana/ Peanut butter/ Pure Pumpkin/ granola/ the kitchen sink

Measure out oats, incorporate with milk (or milk substitute) and the chia seeds.  Put in refrigerator. 

YES IT IS DONE! Leave it in fridge overnight, and you'll see the consistency change! The chia seeds are almost like a tapioca in the fact that they absorb the liquid, and they have a nice crunch as well! I like to add a cut up banana over mine when I take them out in the morning.  Sometimes I'll add vanilla extract, and for extra sweetness I add the honey.  With the pumpkin overnight oats that I have in the picture, I added 1/3 cup of the pure pumpkin (NOT PUMPKIN PIE FILLING, PURE PUMPKIN!) before refrigeration.  If you open a can of pure pumpkin and aren't a wastrel you can put the remaining pumpkin in a ziplock, and freeze!

*Chia seeds.  Now I HATE buying little healthy shits for just 1 or 2 tablespoons of the ingredient, however, these seeds can be put in almost anything and are SO HEALTHY (and really not that expensive, I got a bag at the local vitamin shop for like, $7.) I would recommend getting off your lazy ass and getting some pronto! 

Literally, the best dinner I have ever made.

Oh. my. goodness. I made, quite literally, the best dinner ever.  I have to share it with the masses (or just both of you.) First off, I'm not sure if it would be as good without one key ingredient that I have to brag on... organic coconut oil.  Suck up that $10 and go to the store and get a jar.  While I love my olive oil, for a dish like the pseudo stir fry I made tonight, it almost has too much taste.  The coconut oil left the rice and meat with absolutely no aftertaste, it was just clean and flavorful.  Also, I am the reigning queen supreme of heart burn, and almost an hour after consumption...NADA!

I bring to you: chicken and vegetable fried rice (sort of)

Ingredients:

3/4 cups cooked brown rice

1 chicken thigh, boneless and skinless

5-6 diced baby carrots

2 stalks celery

1 heaping tsp coconut oil

1 egg white

1 tbsp raisins

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp peanut butter

Teriyaki Sauce

Thai Garlic Pepper Sauce

Prepare by simmering 1/2 cup dry rice with 1.25 cups boiling water for 45 minutes.  In the meantime, marinate chicken thigh with an asian ginger dressing of your choice. Chop chicken, dice carrots and celery.  Melt coconut oil (it comes in a semi-hard state) in a wok on medium-high heat.  When oil is melted, put chicken, carrots, garlic, and celery in wok, saute.  When chicken is almost cooked, put peanut butter and the chopped tablespoon of raisins in the wok.  After chicken is cooked, move the contents of the work to one side.  Separate egg white and crack it into the empty side of the wok. It should look like the picture. (DUH). When egg white is cooked, incorporate it in with the rest of the wok contents.  Lastly, add 3/4 cup rice and cook on lower heat until heated through and all incorporated.  At the very end, I added a little bit of teriyaki sauce and the thai garlic pepper sauce to give more of an asian feel to the dish.  I'm sure olive oil/ cooking oil would have been fine, but the coconut oil really gave a whole different flavor to everything! Also, if I would have had onion, I definitely would have thrown one in there, but alas, no onions and since I'm about to go on spring break, I'm not buying any new foods. 

Then, prepare to have a foodgasm.  The only thing that sucks about this is that you do have to cook the rice for a hot minute, so this is not a substitute for a real craving, but the time is really worth it.  Also, you will have some left over rice, which I just put in the wok to let it get some of the flavors and I will eat it later.  Or you could just throw all the rice in and have leftovers, which is what I probably should have done.  I didn't know I would be falling in love!  

Already doing what I'm not supposed to be OR Day 1

At the urging of those who are of import to me (read: friends and family), I have decided, on this day, to create a space for the interesting foods I like to think up in the sanctity of my own kitchen.  I will take a picture of the finished product (maybe of it in construction if it's extra photogenic/ artsy), and post the recipe. I will only be posting ideas which have proven successful (maybe some unsuccessful ones if I'm feeling spicy.)

This was my super-de-dooper spaghetti squash with chicken, asparagus, and onions in a pesto sauce!
But Morgan, how do I execute this cullinary masterpiece? you may ask. Well, of course, I shall impart my wisdom upon thee.

Ingredients:
1 cup prepared* spaghetti squash
1 chicken breast, cooked
about 10 stalks asparagus (broccoli or some other vegetable could substitute nicely)
1 med onion
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup pesto (I used sundried tomato)
fresh basil (not necessary)


I cooked my thawed medium size chicken breast on the handy george foreman to alleviate the need for oil in its preparation.  Once it is cooked, cut into shapes vaguely reminiscent of cubes. Then, I put the 1 tsp olive oil into a skillet, and added the diced med. onion (OH YOU DIDN'T DICE IT YET? SHOULD I REALLY HAVE TO TELL YOU THESE THINGS?) and cooked until onion looked done.  Then I added the cut asparagus and cooked until I liked the look of it (1-2 minutes on medium high.) I then added the chicken breast and pesto sauce until it all came together like a shakespearian work of art.  Lastly, I added the prepared spaghetti sauce and cooked until all ingredients were warmed through.  Throw it in a bowl, and VOILA beauty.

You could most definitely add any vegetable matter you have laying around about to go bad to this as well.  Mushrooms, garlic (which I'm surprised I didn't add), scallions, ect. would all be great additions. To give the chicken extra flavor, one could marinate it overnight with a few squirt of italian dressing, or maybe even a classier marinade to give it a kick.

*Prepared Spaghetti squash (adapted from Emril Legasse's technique)- Preheat oven to 350.  Halve squash and scoop out seeds & pumpkin-y matter, leaving squash meat in  tact.  Put squash, face down, into a 12 x 18 casserole dish, and add about 1-2 inches of water.  Roast squash for 45 minutes, then take out, flip squash over, and cover with aluminum foil.  Roast for another 15 minutes covered and then take out of oven (CAREFULLY! remember the water!), drain water, and let squash come to room temperature.  Remove squash meat from rind with fork.  enjoy eating the food of the gods.