Oh my, I have entered into the big 3-0 birthday week, and what doesn’t that have one thinking about? I did get a stunning set of fancy French skillets from my younger sister as an early gift, which of course, gets me thinking that my little sister is older than I am, but I digress (as I type with The Muppet Show’s first season playing on dvd). As usual, I have multiple google docs open whenever I sit down at my laptop. There’s the long scroll down the now-70-something-days-in 100 Days list, Heartichoke cocktails and whatnot, Portlanding visits, travel plans, VVC tasks, Vegan MoFo brainstorming and a couple of other projects if I type out will never ever happen. Oh, how sweet (not having a soul sucking day job) it is.
About those days….they continue to delight, even with the last spurts of my college-era rice cooker, cracking of my teapot and sheer breaking of my not-so-glorious food processor within a few days’ span. I decided on one of the three replacements already and it arrived early today! Maturity?
Let’s get with it.
Day Fifty-Four: A Very Vegany Instagram lunch plate of Scottish ale simmered black beans, pan-fried tofu, fresh tomato, sesame beans and quinoa
I’m not ashamed to say that on a very busy day , the following was the only homemade dish:
Day Fifty-Five: Stove-top popcorn with smoked paprika, sea salt, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, cumin and cayenne.
Day Fifty-Six: Chocolate Zucchini (Mini) Bundts, an Isa Does It tester
I finally picked up a classic Bundt pan from a thrift store over this past weekend – another mature decision, right? Sure.
Day Fifty-Seven: Pasta e Fagioli and Sesame Pak Choi for lunch
I adore trying every variety of choi I can get my hands on from farmers markets and Asian grocery stores.
Day Fifty-Seven’s Farmers Market haul from Lents International Market
Test kitchen, test kitchen
Day Fifty-Seven: Tempeh Giardino from Isa Does It, served over pesto mashed red potatoes
Day Fifty-Eight: hot grits with nooch, black pepper & basil
The versatility of grits really brought them into my quick-meal repertoire during this project.
Day Fifty-Nine: Thai Basil Stir Fry over vermicelli & brown rice….aka the night my rice cooker went ker-plunk
It was really devastating to see that rice cooker die of old age. It happened in the middle of the above dinner and I had to rescue the rice and finish it in, get this – a pot on the stove. How…liberating? My dear friend had given the little rice cooker to me as a gift when I was just learning to cook for myself – in the step above ramen noodles way – during our first summer after college. We had both graduated early and were living in Boston; me in cockroach infested apartment in East Cambridge and her in the Fens, and the rice cooker would somehow be one of the very few things that made it across the country on my move a few months later.
Day Fifty-Nine: Chocolate Chia Pudding with blueberries
The surprisingly decadent chia pudding recipe was modified from Dreena’s Plant Powered Kitchen. Psst, chia seeds have (finally) arrived at Trader Joe’s!
Day Sixty: A momentous yet casual cast iron affair on Sicilan-style dough with herbed marinara, cherry tomatoes, FYH mozzarella and purple hot peppers
The following two dishes are from the Vida Vegan HQ test kitchen.
Day Sixty-One: Classy Mac & Cheese with crispy shallots & fresh herbs from the Vida Vegan HQ test kitchen
Day Sixty-One: Northwest Berry Salad with blackberry dressing and maple-agave glazed tempeh from the Vida Vegan HQ test kitchen…
The next day was the first day of the International Food Blogging Conference, which ironically, stole my time, and fortunately, had vegan options now and then.
Day Sixty-Two: steamed onion-ginger buns with maple-chili glaze from Departure at IFBC’s sponsor & dining sampling
Speaking of Departure, some friends and I stopped by for their uniquely vegan-friendly happy hour the other day, and photos and thoughts will follow soon.
Michele, Janessa and I gave a talk on Niche Blogging at IFBC
IFBC afternoon break!
Day Sixty-Three: roasted cherry tomatoes for future greatness
Day Sixty-Four: smoked serrano and roasted cherry tomato bisque with fresh basil
Day Sixty-Five: Pickled Jalapeños & lower fat banana bread (from Veganomicon)
I AM SO HAPPY ABOUT THOSE LITTLE PEPPERS.
Day Sixty-Five: Saucey stir fry night with brown rice (on the stove!), tofu, broccolini, roasted eggplant, creminis and plenty of garlic and basil
More updates in store! As always, follow along with @jdfunks on Instagram.
I will admit, I did goof with jumping into this project, as I’ll be heading to Seattle tomorrow with my girlfriend and then on a I-must-leave-the-country-for-my-birthday trip with its own loose planning, so things are going to get wild. To be continued!
Catch up on the 100 Days on Get Sconed! with:
Very inspiring, as always.
Loving the inspiration as usual! Sad about your rice cooker. I don’t even know how to cook rice on the stove, so I would be lost. Still, I think of all the things that broke for you, I would replace the food processor. It’s the one that really does a job that can’t be done any other way. (also, we are 30th birthday almost twins! mine was this past weekend!)
Happy belated to you, too, lady! A new food processor is next on my list. The new rice cooker is pretty sweet, but just isn’t as….mature : )
Travis and I bought ourselves a food processor as an anniversary gift to ourselves a week ago. Finally I have one! I’ve had a Mini-Prep for years and that just doesn’t cut it. We also recently got a rice cooker and it’s changed the rice-cookin’ part of my life. Whee! I’m so grown up! Welcome to your 30s, JD!!