[Meatless Monday] Mushroom & Spinach Grilled Cheese

Sorry, team. Its the last week of May, and I'm seriously slacking. All month I've been consistently posting Meatless Monday meals...and here we are, Tuesday, and no meatless meal. On top of that, one of my secret May goals was to post more than I did in April. I almost lost it. Don't worry, this is officially my TWELTH May post; and I'm hoping to have one more before June rolls on in!

Vegan Dinner: Birthday Edition [Chocolate Avocado Cake]

Last Tuesday was my friend Amanda's birthday and her one request from me was a vegan birthday cake...oh, and to go out with her to celebrate!

I was beyond excited to take a crack at a full out vegan cake AND I was really honored that she asked me. She knows I love baking! The question was what cake to make?! Its easy enough to make a "normal" vegan cake (i.e., with no strange ingredients), but I wanted to challenge myself.

Hello again, avocado!

Crazy Little Thing Called "Healthy" [Compost Breakfast Cookies]

I felt like I had given up baking for a while because I was afraid. Baking equals eating. And we all know I get the most enjoyment out of baking incredibly unhealthy and decadent food. So in order to get back into the swing of things, I tried to make something as guilt-free as possible last week. So I took an avocado...

And turned it into cookies! Ew gross, right? Could be.

I've seen recipes for chocolate avocado cake (an upcoming post!), avocado icing, and chocolate avocado pudding. Why not put it in a cookie? After all, the fat from an avocado is SO much better for you than butter...and they kind of work as a substitute--although I'm not completely sold yet.

[Meatless Monday] Portobello & Spinach Casserole

Sometimes you just want something warm and comforting, no matter the season. 

While not the most aesthetically pleasing dish, this casserole fits the bill. Plus, its easy and requires only a handful of ingredients. 

This dish was the result of me having the vegetables and not wanting to go the typical pasta route. I normally stray away from casseroles; I think of them as large "family" meals...and a single girl can only eat so much! But a meatless casserole seems more approachable since its all veggies. In general, they're lower calories and you have to eat more in order to get the same amount of protein and other nutrients, assuming you haven't added a ton of cheese and carbs into the dish ;-) I'm guilty of some cheese and carbs, but can you blame me? Cheese makes everything better (in moderation, of course). 

RVA Breakfast [8]: Mint

Sunday morning before heading home to celebrate Mother's Day with our family, Cherie and I went out for brunch in Richmond. As much as I love dragging Boyfriend out to brunch with me, I was super excited to go with my sister because:

1. I didn't have to worry about whether Boyfriend would be happy with the place or if the food would be too "fancy" for him (e.g., "Why can't they just make me a normal ham and cheese sandwich?")
2. More interesting conversation...JUST KIDDING. But really. I love girl time <3

Deciding where we wanted to go was quite easy: Mint, which is a relatively new restaurant, located on Main Street within the Fan District. The owners have another restaurant named Julep in Shockoe Bottom, which is infamous for having a huge wait list (one that I wish I was on). But isn't that cute? Sister restaurants! Julep offers "new southern cuisine", while Mint provides a "new casual cuisine" option.

Cookie Dough Frosted Brownies

Dun...dun...dun!

DUNDUN!

These brownies are epic. Insanely delicious.

Do you like cookie dough? Excuse me: are you American?

I've seen this cookie dough brownie concept floating around the blogosphere (and, ok, Pinterest too) for a while now, and I finally caved in and made them for last weekend. A crazy weekend seemed like an appropriate time for a crazy-delicious treat!

[Meatless Monday] Portobella Black Bean Burger Panini

Today's Meatless Monday meal is perfect if you had a chance to make the no-knead focaccia bread I posted last week. This portobella black bean burger panini is high in flavor and texture, and oh so satisfying.

The highlight of this meal? The burger...it was thebombdotcom. And guess what? There's oats in it! Muhahaha. I told you, I can't get enough oats. I'm starting to think they actually seek me out.

Finding Time & No-Knead Focaccia Bread

 There are tons of things I want to do in a single week...and in life. But there seems to always be one thing keeping me from them: time. Time is the ultimate ruler of our lives, isn't it? Not only does it weigh in on what we do, but it is a means by which we measure ourselves.

During the summer between my sophomore and junior year of college, I traveled to Spain and walked the Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. To date, it was (by far) the most challenging and impactful experience of my life. One of the many lessons I learned while on this path was how insignificant time can be. Here we were walking all day to get to a destination; and it didn't matter when we got there, as long as we made it. Without a watch, you are left to decide for yourself  what you actually want to do in the moment, rather than what  you should be doing. I admit, it sounds silly, but it was an incredibly liberating realization.

Alas, the real world doesn't permit you to live that way. Time is a universal constant and stressor.

At this time in my life, I am meant to be "living"...reaching for my goals and doing as I wish. And I truly love my life right now; I am busy doing what I want (outside of working hours) and seeing who I want to see. However, when am I supposed to find the time to figure out what I want my "goals" in life to be?

Vegan Dinner: TLTA Sandwiches and Strawberry Milkshakes

We FINALLY had another vegan dinner night last week and, of course, I didn't snap any pictures. In my defense, we were very hungry :)

So, while there are no actual pictures of our homemade meal, I can focus on the products we used instead...especially since I was rather impressed by them! Our menu included Tempeh bacon-lettuce-tomato-avocado (TLTA) sandwiches, sweet potato tots, and strawberry milkshakes. I think we overall succeeded in being "in season" with our selection.

Tempeh - Smokey Maple Bacon
Let me start by saying that there is a *special* place in my heart reserved exclusively for BLTs. I love them, I really do. Even when the toasted bread decides to cut up the roof of my mouth.

Also, truth: Bacon is the sole reason I'm not an actual vegetarian right now.

The first time I gave up meat for lent a few years ago, I tried a soy-based bacon product...and both my taste buds and stomach strongly agreed that this was a "good" replacement (or event a replacement, for that matter).

I did not know that another meatless bacon option existed until my friend pulled it out of her fridge. I was expecting us to just being using plain ol'tempeh on our sammies. HOLY MOLY! This stuff was yummy and I was probably more open to it since I new I already liked tempeh. While the heavenly scent of bacon was absent, this "facon" still had a ton of flavor or was relatively crisp.

[Meatless Monday] Greek Quinoa Salad

Welcome to another spring work week! Once again, I woke up to sunshine and the makings of a beautiful day...WHY does it seem like its always rainy on the weekends and gorgeous when we're stuck inside for work. I think this is a sign from above that we need to just give up. What's with this whole "work" deal? Is it really necessary in order to lead a happy and comfortable life?

Someone, please quit work and test out this "jobless" life for me. Sorry that I'm too afraid to myself :)

While work can't responsibly be avoided on these lively spring days, eating "springy" can help ease the pain. This Greek quinoa salad is a refreshing and filling meatless meal that you can either enjoy as a lunch or just a side. I brought it to a picnic a few weekends back and it was a pretty solid hit! The dressing is light and I always appreciate the interesting texture of the quinoa.

RVA Breakfast [7]: McLean's

Welcome to the best breakfast in Richmond, according to Style Weekly's readers in 2011. Hmm that sounds like a pretty big deal. The crowd Boyfriend and I entered into on last Sunday morning further reiterated this. And now, having eaten there myself, I can confirm that McLean's Restaurant is absolutely a big-delicious-breakfast deal.

Fast Cars & Coconut Oat Blondies

Are you ready for this?

This past weekend...I went...to a NASCAR race! For my very first (and very last) time.