Impromptu Cooking

For the last few months I have been helping my parents sort through their 1400 square foot storage unit. You see, 12 years ago, my parents packed up their house in Dallas (and subsequently my grandparents house in Denmark as well) and put everything in storage. They sold their house, moved to Florida, and bought a boat that they have lived on ever since. As wonderful as that is, their stuff has been languishing in storage ever since. They finally moved everything to a storage facility here that's as big as my condo and I swear, it's packed in their floor to ceiling. It's insane. So, like I said, I've been helping them sort through stuff. Mom and I have spent weeks opening box after box, unwrapping everything in it, and then repacking it. The goal: check for damage, and try to remember what the hell was in their to begin with to determine if anything is missing. Which of course, there is, to both. The up side is that I've been given a ton of hand-me-downs, which is awesome because they're all stuff from my childhood. Sometimes it seems like I go through things so quickly and I'm always buying new, but the old holds all the memories and it's nice to have some of the things back. Of course, now every time they come over they want everything back, but I don't think they're serious.

Today I came home with an office chair that weighed a ton, so they followed me home to help me unload it and decided to stay for dinner. I had to run to the store anyhow because I was out of wine for them and I picked up some veggies to make dinner and some salmon for my dad. He wasn't thrilled about another vegan dinner and you can't always win all the battles. I decided to make Vicki's Hummus-Quinoa Casserole from Vive le Vegan! which I have been hearing so much about. But first I had to make the Hummus (I tripled the garlic and added more lemon juice). Everyone said it was better than any store bought Hummus they'd ever had, and I left them to snack on some of it (and nap!) while I cooked dinner:

The photo doesn't even begin to do it justice! I love the lightness of the quinoa paired with the creaminess of the hummus. I have no clue how Dreena ever decided to layer all these ingredients, but I'm so glad she did! Even my dad (who proclaimed he didn't like hummus or quinoa) ate the huge helping I gave him!

For dessert I just had to make the Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies. I had really been craving something sweet and chocolatey and the other day I picked up some vegan chocolate chips at WFM... just in case. The cookies were fantastic, easy, and very very dangerous to have on hand! Dad (of all people) came up with the good idea to make little balls of the dough and freeze it so I can cook up one cookie at a time in the future. Good thinking Dad!


I also found out today that one of my neighbors died last night. I actually knew his wife because our dogs are friends. He had been sick for a long time, but it's still so sad and I know she has a ton of people coming in from out of town for the service. I baked some Carrot-Raisin Muffins from Vegan with a Vengeance to take over to her tomorrow and I'll also bring over the Chipotle Corn Black Bean Soup I made the other day. The muffins tasted delicious, but they never... rose, which is weird I thought. Any ideas on what I did wrong?


Product Reviews:

Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips: I love any product that clearly states "Vegan", which is how this brand ended up in my shopping cart. And they're super tasty too!

Back To Nature Organic Stoneground Wheats: These are made with flaxseeds as well and they are divine. Salty and crunchy and good for you too! These are my new favorite cracker! They're good with hummus, nut butters, jam, or, just plain!




Scandinavian Delights Wild Blueberry Fruit Spread: I usually find this at TJ Maxx or Marshalls for about $3.99. They also have it at Cost Plus World Market, if you're lucky enough to have one near you. It's absolutely authentic Danish jam and yummy!