Unusual
Some unusual foods passed through my weekend.
For instance, I don’t usually serve macaroni and cheese from a box…
But Joey was feeling sick and I was in the mood to humor him. At least I was supporting my local grocery store by buying their brand, right?
Plus cheese is totally a cold remedy, right. Wrong. But as usual, Joey chose not to believe me when I told him dairy is bad for you when you have a cold. He also chooses not to believe that the predictor for whether you’re going to bald in the future is whether your mom’s dad is bald.
I can appreciate boxed mac and cheese for its vibrancy at least.
And it’s ability to appease a sick boyfriend.
And that it gave me an excuse to hang out in the kitchen, away from the “sick room,” and make real food.
Remember when I had this dish at Pita Jungle?
I’ve been dreaming of overdosing on hummus and tabbouleh ever since. What, like you don’t dream of doing that too?
Turns out tabbouleh is really easy to make, except that part where I have to wrap my head around the fact that I’ll be eating parsley because I dislike that stuff. And can you believe I’d never made my own hummus? Okay, well I kinda have, but I don’t count it since, A) it was made with chickpea flour and B) I wasn’t a huge fan, although I totally finished it all by myself anyways.
I used this recipe from Angela and the only change I made was to use wheatberries instead of buckwheat and not just because I get those two mixed up anyways, but because I already had cooked wheatberries on hand and it seemed only natural. Oh and I nixed the English cuc because I just plain didn’t have one. That’s a reasonable excuse, right?
I’m loving on those bright colors. Perfect for Spring 
And what’s tabbouleh without a little lot of hummus?? That answer is absolutely nothing.
Using this recipe. Because I’m all for simplicity. And anything Angela makes.
My life is only complete when hummus makes a daily appearance. And by daily, I obviously mean at least 2 times a day.
Joey thought it was odd that I would let him taste the hummus by bringing him a spoonful.
Joey: “Where’s the chips to taste this with??”
Me: “What do you mean? I gave you a spoon. Isn’t that the best hummus tasting vehicle?”
Okay, I don’t think I really said that but the look I gave him probably translated to something like that.
Picky, picky.
Is a spoonful of hummus an appropriate bedtime snack?
I haven’t tried the tabbouleh yet, but I plan on doing something fun with these two goodies. It involves naan and a spoon. Okay, no spoon. Unless you really want to.
Didn’t I promise you some unusual foods? Ahh, yes, hot dogs.
That’s right, despite the fact that I was hating on hot dogs only a few weeks ago, I definitely enjoyed a dog today.
Let me explain.
Rockies Game. Had to get there early to get my free bobblehead. Time to waste. Lunch to eat. Walking distance necessary. Yelp via iPhone. Biker Jim’s Gourmet Hot Dogs – 318 Reviews, 5 Stars.
And get this, vegan dogs. Count me in!
Everyone we were with complained. Joey and I loved it.
I got a vegan dog, topped with grilled onions and a pile of ketchup on the side. <— This should go without saying.
The dog was different than I expected it to be but I deemed it “basically a real hot dog,” mostly because I had no idea what it was made of.
Side salad with a vegan peanut dressing on the side. I may have liked the salad more than dog. Would you expect anything different from me, though?
I also had a bite of Joey’s “Alaskan Reindeer” dog. I have no clue what it was but it was good. And that’s coming from someone who dislikes meat.
I love foodie finds like this. Unique, hormone/antibiotic/nitrate-free and everything is either made is house (like fresh fries) or comes from a local supplier. Plus the ketchup was organic.
It was unusually windy today and it was cold wind so I was resorting to all kinds of mechanisms to keep warm. Including wearing Joey’s hat.
Long game but it’s worth is when it ends like this.
Anyone else sad that the weekend is already over? Me too.
Goodnight!
From the Diaries of a Jar Hoarder
Did you know I love college? I do.
And not because I go to the #1 Party School according to Playboy. I should have seen this coming when I was in class last week and a kid said, “The government is shutting down tonight, let’s get drunk!” We’ll use any excuse at CU.
Anyways, it’s because I love my schedule and all the free time I have, which is made all the better when my first class on Friday morning was cancelled. Hello, free morning 
I took advantage and slept in went for a nice run outside, slight wind and all. My Friday workout is such a hassle. It pains me to have to do it after school and if I go before school, I’m just setting myself up to be tired all.day.long. Not conducive to Friday night trivia! That’s why I was ecstatic when I realized I had ample time to work out in the morning without sacrificing sleep or a leisurely breakfast.
And then I had all afternoon to do important things. Like make granola.
Maple Pumpkin Butter Granola
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 3 T cashews, chopped
- 1/4 t salt
- 1/2 t cinnamon
- 1/2 T coconut oil, melted
- 3 T maple pumpkin butter
- 2 T maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl (oats, cashews, salt, dried cranberries and cinnamon).
- In a pan over medium heat, mix together wet ingredients (coconut oil, maple syrup and pumpkin butter).
- Add wet ingredients to dry, mix and spread on a pan covered in parchment paper.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so.
- Let cool for at least 30 minutes (it will harden up as it cools). Store in an airtight container.
Coconut Granola
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 3 T cashews, chopped
- 1/4 t salt
- 3 T coconut butter
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1 T maple syrup
- sprinkle of shredded coconut
**I used sweetened coconut. Because I’m adventurous like that.
Directions:
- Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl (oats, cashews, salt, cinnamon and shredded coconut).
- In a pan over medium heat, mix together wet ingredients (maple syrup, almond milk and coconut butter).
- Add wet ingredients to dry, mix and spread on a pan covered in parchment paper.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so.
- Let cool for at least 30 minutes (it will harden up as it cools). Store in an airtight container.
**The coconut version cooked much faster than the cinnamon even though it was on the bottom rack.
Did you know it drives me insane when I read a post with a recipe and there’s no mention of whether it tasted good or not. I realize I’m probably guilty of this as well. I’ll try to be better which is why I’m telling you now that I really liked both of these granolas. The coconut is really really good (if you like coconut at least) and the cinnamon although not my favorite is good for those days when you don’t want something overly sweet. Both are keepers in my book.
I’ve also come to the realization that I am a jar hoarder.
Check it out.
I no longer mix overnight oats in anything but a jar.
Jars for granola. Check, check and check.
Pictures like that last one should strike fear to your heart.
Jars for almonds.
Thank goodness I go through peanut butter like it’s my job. Where would I store all my goodies??
We’ve just added an empty jam and salsa jar to the list and I may or may not have saved an empty jar of cinnamon and stored it in our pantry.
Yesterday, Joey pulled it out and said, “Oh, are you going to eat oats out of this too??” Maybe I am, Joey. Maybe I am.
Is a jar any less of a jar just because it’s a spice jar? Okay, technically the answer is yes.
I’m not sure what’s on the agenda for today but there is a Rockies game involved tonight!
HAPPY SATURDAY
Hey, it’s okay…
Do you read Glamour Magazine? No? That’s okay, me neither since whoever was previously paying for my subscription stopped and now I keep getting “Final Notices” in the mail telling me I better pay up. Anyways, back was I was receiving Glamour from some anonymous admirer, I used to always flip straight to the “Hey, it’s okay…” section, aka the only section that matters. Who needs to read an interview with Lady Gaga anyways?
For some reason my entire day’s thoughts were structured in the same way as my favorite Glamour section.
Allow me to elaborate.
Hey it’s okay…
To walk around Whole Foods for 20 minutes and leave with a single jar of peanut butter.
Get the goods, and get out.
To let your sister buy you lunch.
And to clean your plate. Because Thai food is so worth feeling full.
To eat cookies in bed.
But only if you’re on your significant other’s side.
To not compare yourself to the guy you see running every.single.day.
He must be part Superman.
To match your food to your mood.
Waking up to snow = blue oatmeal.
And on that note…
To be slightly extremely annoyed that you feel like you have to walk around with an umbrella, a heavy jacket, sunglasses and flip flops everyday because Colorado weather is bi-polar in the Spring.
To be one of those kids who didn’t do well on the test for once in your life.
To humor your mom when she does things like this.
And says things like, “I have a brussel sprout ear. You know, like some people have cauliflower ears!”
But only if she’s providing you with dinner.
Vegan mac and “cheese” with peas 
And hey, it’s okay to have no idea what you’re doing after you graduate college. Or at least I keep telling myself so!
Happy F-f-f-friiiday!
Lauren Loves Good Food 