Day of rest

Sunday I don't think I ate anything. I mean, I did eat things. I had pancakes for breakfast. (Alas, no strawberries until Wednesday's market.) And I think I ate bread and hummus in the evening. But I certainly didn't cook. It was my official day of rest after the all-day meditation on Saturday.

And on Monday we ordered pizza. It's actually a really healthy pizza which you could make yourself if you are not close to my local pizza place (Bambino's in Cole Valley). Pesto sauce (with no cheese, just basil, pine nuts, garlic, and oil), arugula, broccoli, and mushrooms. No cheese on the top either. Quite good and healthy too. (And Bambino's is now used to us calling for pizzas with no cheese.)

Tuesday was the exciting night this week. I still had my overdue copy of Veganomicon, which I love so much I plan on buying this weekend. I highly recommend it for the witty banter plus the lovely recipes. Everything is vegan but quite flavorful and delicious and some of them are super quick and easy. Good categories too, like brunch food or one-pot meals. (I'm queen of the one-pot meal, by the way.)

So I made Lemony Roasted Potatoes and Braised Seitan, Brussels, and Kale. And I also made stock because both of these recipes called for it so I felt like that would be too much cheating. The potatoes totally rocked though they took a lot longer to cook. Maybe because I used a different kind of potato (new potatoes vs. russet?) or maybe my oven is not right. But once they came out they were awesome! I have been eating them as leftovers since then and still loving it.

I was scared about the Braised Seitan because I'm hesitant to eat brussel sprouts any way except roasted. If they are not fully cooked they are nasty. But this was delicious. Cooked with red wine, garlic, tarragon, thyme, and basil. It had a very meaty flavor to it because of the spices and the wine and it was quite good.

Plus I want to make a plug for the authors of Veganomicon. They also wrote the Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World cookbook, which is so over the top amazing I can't even describe it. Omnivores are super impressed by the cupcakes even before learning they are vegan. And apparently they are coming out with a brunch cookbook soon too. I am lining up now for that.

Wed: pasta!