Reading and Eating

Oof.  It was a rough week for reading!  I got through one book: It was frustrating, because I really liked this book.  It’s a mystery with a compelling plat and interesting characters- I could have read through the whole thing in a day.  But noooooooo… I kept having to interrupt my reading to take CEU classes (needed to renew my massage therapy license.)  I’m happy to say, I’m finished with those and don’t have to think about it again for two whole years!  OR, I could slowly chip away at them so I don’t have to have a panic attack in the last week next time.  Ha- who am I kidding. I’m looking forward to getting back to a more regular reading schedule.  Up next: Meanwhile, there was plenty of food!  After all the tofu we ate this summer, I’ve declared this the “season of beans.”  Yes, I want to get back to eating lots and lots of beans- chickpeas, lentils, black beans, pinto beans… beans are so nutritious, cheap, and easy.  First up, we made “The Best Vegan Lasagna” from Nora Cooks.  There are red lentils in the sauce!  And we used the Miyoko’s pourable plant milk mozzarella for the top.  It was our first time trying it and we loved it. Then, I cooked a huge pot of Cuban black beans.  I’ve been trying all different recipes for these- I just google it and pick one that looks good.  Here we served them with rice, broccoli, and plantains (the plantains were in the frozen section of our grocery store- we just heated them up in the oven.) This recipe made enough for a second dinner, and a lunch portion as well.  My goal is to cook a huge pot of beans every week (this week it’s pinto beans) and eat them for a couple dinners. One more photo that unfortunately has no beans.  It’s the magical peanut noodles that Birchwood Pie shared.  This time they weren’t quite as amazing, because I made roasted cauliflower instead of roasted broccoli to go with them (broccoli is much better- everyone knows that!). But they were still delicious, and I garnished them with roasted peanuts, which kicked the whole meal up a notch. This Friday is The Ultimate Coffee Date!  Join me as I answer the burning questions: “Whatever happened with the kitchen backsplash?” and “When does pumpkin palooza start?” See you Friday! What are you reading right now? Do you have a favorite recipe for beans?