Savoury things: the last two day's dinners.
Shocking though it may seem, I do actually cook as well as bake. Because of money (or lack of it), we've been sticking to the same foods recently, generally along the lines of rice and beans. However, there has been a change over the past couple of days. I signed myself up to be a tester for The Urban Housewife's upcoming book, which will have a selection of recipes in it. I'm going to try and cook between two and three recipes from it per week, and I've been relaying the results back to Melisser as I go. So far, both things I've tried have turned out really well! Even better, they haven't been breaking the bank.
Yesterday I made vegan Sloppy Joes, along with homemade chips (or "fries", if you like). Sloppy Joes were a first for me, and one of the reasons I picked it was because it's such a typical American food in my mind. The recipe suggested using either tempeh or seitan, and I picked the former because I'd never cooked with it before so I wanted to give it a go. The recipe advised me to boil it for 10 minutes before using it in the recipe, but I think I only did it for 5 or so minutes. Turns out that this was a bit of a mistake, because as I learned, tempeh has a slightly bitter aftertaste if not prepared correctly. Luckily, this wasn't overwhelming, just something to keep in mind in the future. As Jack advised, next time I'll "boil the shit out of it". Yes, those are the technical terms! I really liked the texture of it, so if I can figure out a way to prepare it properly then I'll probably start cooking with it more. I'm branching out!
Today's dinner was a more wholesome affair: Moroccan chickpea & kale tagine over quinoa. This was delicious! In Melisser's words: "Quinoa, Kale, and Chickpeas are a trifecta of nutrition", so I felt really good about myself after eating it (and Mum, if you're reading this, I'm sure you'll be happy that my diet is improving!). It didn't taste overly health food-y, though, which is a major bonus in my book. I really loved this one, and I'll be adding it to my more regular set of dinner recipes. Bonus fact: the recipe calls for a whole bunch (about 8oz) of delicious, nutritious, wonderful kale. I love kale. So much.
Now that I've eaten such a wholesome dinner, I feel less guilty about maybe trying out another recipe tonight: caramelly popcorn. I think I'll go give that one a go, and then sit on my favourite sofa to watch This Is England. Saturday nights in FTW.
Yesterday I made vegan Sloppy Joes, along with homemade chips (or "fries", if you like). Sloppy Joes were a first for me, and one of the reasons I picked it was because it's such a typical American food in my mind. The recipe suggested using either tempeh or seitan, and I picked the former because I'd never cooked with it before so I wanted to give it a go. The recipe advised me to boil it for 10 minutes before using it in the recipe, but I think I only did it for 5 or so minutes. Turns out that this was a bit of a mistake, because as I learned, tempeh has a slightly bitter aftertaste if not prepared correctly. Luckily, this wasn't overwhelming, just something to keep in mind in the future. As Jack advised, next time I'll "boil the shit out of it". Yes, those are the technical terms! I really liked the texture of it, so if I can figure out a way to prepare it properly then I'll probably start cooking with it more. I'm branching out!
Today's dinner was a more wholesome affair: Moroccan chickpea & kale tagine over quinoa. This was delicious! In Melisser's words: "Quinoa, Kale, and Chickpeas are a trifecta of nutrition", so I felt really good about myself after eating it (and Mum, if you're reading this, I'm sure you'll be happy that my diet is improving!). It didn't taste overly health food-y, though, which is a major bonus in my book. I really loved this one, and I'll be adding it to my more regular set of dinner recipes. Bonus fact: the recipe calls for a whole bunch (about 8oz) of delicious, nutritious, wonderful kale. I love kale. So much.
Now that I've eaten such a wholesome dinner, I feel less guilty about maybe trying out another recipe tonight: caramelly popcorn. I think I'll go give that one a go, and then sit on my favourite sofa to watch This Is England. Saturday nights in FTW.