Real Quick
I’m just popping in real quick to make a confession.
It’s been so long since the last time I ate tofu.
In fact, the last time was on this day. Over four months ago. Ah, the beauty of writing a blog is that you can look back and determine exact dates for things that happened in the past.
I’ll admit that I may have gotten a little spooked about tofu, while attending this class. I stopped buying/eating it completely and all but forget such a food even existed. Until I started to crave it last week and said to myself, ‘If you’re craving something, you should eat it.’ Unless you’re pregnant and you’re craving dirt. Don’t do that.
So I bought some and baked it last night, alongside some sweet potatoes.
I wasn’t sure I even remembered how to prepare it, but it was just liking riding a bike. Note: That saying has never made sense to me. Riding a bike does not come naturally.
Tossed into a wrap with some Mmmm Sauce and a pile of roasted broccoli with nutritional yeast.
Because roasted veggies (or anything, really) is better with some yeast. Like the kale I’m having for dinner tonight.
This was about the point when the fire alarm in my building went off. Joey had to hold me back from asking the firefighter if ‘we could get a move on because my dinner was inside getting cold.’ I can’t control myself when I’m hungry, I apologize. But only after I’ve been fed.
Craving satisfied.
Until next time, tofu.
And that’s all I’ve got, folks because I just took my last ever college final and I need me some happy hour 
To Do Tuesday
To Do List:
Eat a healthy, delicious, satisfying breakfast.
Check!
Do you see what’s going on here?
Fiiiinally found frozen cherries. Thanks, Joey 
And Artisana nut butter packets. I was so excited to find these!!!! Clearly.
Walnut butter first.
It was everything I imagined walnut butter would be but so.much.creamier. Total plus.
Check weather.
Check!
Rock an outdoor run.
Check!
Thai for lunch with Dad and Beanie.
Check!
Best parts of the meal:
- The red curry, obviously.
- My dad yelling, “Biebs, can we get the check?” to the employee with the Justin Bieber haircut.
Did I mention the red curry? Glorious.
Locate graduation gown.
Check!
Studying.
Not so much…
Pizza Night and Mushroom “Bacon”
On Saturday, all I could think dream of was Jess’s eggplant “bacon.” One problem: I didn’t have eggplant. Or liquid smoke. In other words, I didn’t have any of the ingredients to make said eggplant “bacon.”
There was an even bigger problem that I was supposed to be studying instead of dreaming of a vegetarian version of bacon, but that’s a whole different story. Lucky for me, I was feeling creative and came up with a solution.
Solution:
Mushroom “Bacon”
Inspired by Healthy Exposures
- 8 oz. mushrooms
- 3 T soy sauce
- 1 T balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon ancho chile pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Mix all ingredients in a ziplock bag and let marinate 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Drain excess marinade and arrange mushrooms on a greased baking sheet.
- Bake 25 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes.
It looks burnt, but I promise it doesn’t taste that way. In fact, it’s meaty without actually being meaty and packs a kick of heat.
The first thing I ate with this “bacon” was a wrap but I was thinking something a little bigger for dinner tonight. So what’s bigger and better and carb-ier than a wrap?
All together now…
PIZZA!
Start with rolling out your dough.
I always prebake my pizza crust. Okay, I don’t, but I should because my crust never cooks by the time the toppings are done so it’s better to cook the crust ahead of time.
Top with “cheese” sauce, aka hummus mixed with nutritional yeast and a bit of almond milk.
Top with sundried tomatoes and “bacon.” Ooh, la la.
How good are sundried tomatoes? And how expensive, too! I wanted to make sure to use them up before we leave for vacation on Saturday 
When I told Joey dinner was made and just needed to be popped into the oven to heat up. He responded that he loves “no school, no job Lauren.”
I had a stroke of genius on the way home from my final and had Joey add spinach to the pizzas. He had to be fancy and saute his. Psh.
His
And hers
This topping combo was a match made in heaven, if I do say so myself. ‘Twas the perfect celebratory dinner.
I turned in my one and only final paper and took final exam #2 out of 3. Is it just me or shouldn’t my finals all be papers since I’m an English major? I thought so too, although to be fair my hip hop poetics final today was an in-class essay. One more to go, my friends!
What’s your idea of a celebratory dinner?
Lauren Loves Good Food 