Out Of The Rabbit Hole

Whoo-eee! I feel like I'm starting to finally crawl out of the rabbit hole and see the light again. This last month has been something else. My anxiety, OCD, irritability and exhaustion were in overdrive. They actually still are; just trying to do a little posting therapy! The biggest event finally arrived on November 16th with the marriage of my baby boy to his beloved sweetheart. And of all days, I had the worst vertigo ever. For some reason I thought a salt bath would help and as soon as I laid my head back on my bath pillow I thought the world had exploded. I had to hang over the side of the tub to stop the world from spinning and stop the nausea. Just trying to get this post typed is making me dizzy and nauseous. I see my doctor on Monday; hopefully she can give me some answers. I really wanted to cook out of Isa Does It for the Vegcookbookclub this month but my brain was so fried I didn't have the patience to try and make a decision on any new recipes to try; let alone read and comprehend a lengthy list of ingredients and instructions. When I'm in this mindset my body craves any and all food; especially carbs and sugar so my food choices have been atrocious! Food-my drug of choice. Dairy cheese which then makes me feel worse after I eat it. Donuts, tortilla chips, pizza, soda, even some meat slipped in there! Ugh! I was still trying to get to the gym and do my Pilates but this past week I haven't even been able to do that because of the vertigo. Whew! That was a load off my chest. So here are a few easy meals I have been making (in between the binges of pizza, cheese, ...)

 I made this soup at the beginning of October. The recipe was on the back of Bob's Red Mill Black Bean Soup Mix. 

Lots of butternut squash! It called for roasted corn; you just throw some frozen corn on a cookie sheet and bake it for a few minutes until browned. 

I served the Black Bean Soup with my favorite cornbread from La Dolce Vegan-Wolffie's "Buttermilk" Cornbread.

These 'lovely' looking things were supposed to be whoopie pies. It was my hubby's birthday the middle of October and he loves German Chocolate cake. I had great success with my last whoopie pies so I thought I would try another recipe from Betty Goes Vegan. I followed the recipe exactly and this is what I got! I kept trying to bake them a little longer and then they just turned out chewy on the inside and crunchy on the outside and the whoopie just turned to whoops! I had already made the Coconut Pecan Frosting (which was excellent) so I just filled the 'Whoops' Pies with it. They ended up tasting really good but the longer they sat the more greasy and soggy they became. So obviously, the recipe has one or two typos in it! 

By this time my anxiety, OCD, bipolar rollercoaster is starting to rise so my cooking and eating goes downhill from there. I made easy meals with Gardein Chik'n Scallopini, baked potatoes and a veg; tostadas; spaghetti and veggie meatballs; supplemented by too many fast food pizzas, subway sandwiches, taco bell, and cheese quesadillas with a few meat tacos thrown in for good measure. Another comforting carb-satisfying meal I make alot is Spinach Artichoke Pasta. I never seem to take a picture after I make it. I'm too ready to dive in and eat it all up! You can find the recipe for it here.

My daughter found this recipe using spaghetti squash. It was so easy to make using roma tomatoes, basil, garlic, spinach olive oil, salt & pepper; I used Daiya mozzarella for the cheese. For so few ingredients it tasted delicious and satisfying (no heavy carbs!) You can find the recipe here. 

I served the Spaghetti Squash Caprese Bake with my favorite Dijon Mustard Brussels Sprouts from La Dolce Vegan.

Last but not least, this super simple "open a can and dump together" meal!

 Fireplace Chili Mac from Kathy Hester. What a perfectly yummy, carb craving no thinking required meal. I'm going to take this recipe with me to our cabin in Sedona. So easy! 

Now that I've had an extended posting therapy session I feel so much better. Still dizzy and nauseous but I feel like I got something accomplished! Hmmm, what to make for supper now?!

Chocolate Coconut Chia Pudding

I've had a bag of chia seeds in my fridge for awhile now. I've been trying to find new ways to eat them.

Found this great recipe from Dreena Burton for pudding!  It's sweetened with dates and then you stir in unsweetened coconut and mini chocolate chips. The chia seeds and dates thickens it up almost instantly and could be served right away but it tastes even better chilled.

Yum!

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies~pg. 218

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Cookies always make you feel better when you're sick and these definitely did the trick! Chewy, chocolatey, and coconuty. Very easy to whip up and very easy to eat!

Coconut Pie Pancakes~pg. 39

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Not too sure about the texture of these but they tasted good, especially smothered in Earth Balance margarine and real maple syrup! I chose not to make the Economy "Maple" Pancake Syrup on pg. 40 because I have perfectly good real maple syrup and it seemed ridiculous to do that. If I ever run out of perfectly good real maple syrup I'll know where I can make a recipe for some. I froze the rest of my pancakes (it made 8) for future breakfasts!

Cranberry Almond Pecan Granola~pg. 48

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Out of all the granolas we've made so far this one is my favorite. The recipe called for pecans and slivered almonds but didn't specify chopping them. I chopped mine because I didn't want big chunks of nuts in my mixture. I also chose to use apple juice instead of cranberry juice. Homemade granola tastes sooo much better than store bought and so easy to make! I like eating it with soymilk or mixing it with some soy yogurt or just eating it straight as a snack.

Debbie's Peanut Butter Coconut Squares~pg. 203

Anything with peanut butter AND chocolate is fine by me!

I like this version because the addition of corn flakes and coconut along with the rice crispies gives it a richer flavor and better texture.

Apple Cinnamon Granola~pg. 47

Vegan Culinary Institute La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I almost burned this batch; 20 minutes is almost too long to cook it. But I caught it just in time!

Homemade granola is so easy to make I don't know why I ever bother to buy it. I love the flavor of the apples, cinnamon and oats combined.