Back in the kitchen

It seems that blogging about my lack of motivation was enough to bring it back. After posting about the lazy meals I’ve been eating for the past several weeks, I finally got the urge to do some proper cooking.

Inspired by Monika and her simple pasta dish, I made a quick but delicious bowl of noodles. Chickpeas and broccoli from the freezer, noodles from the pantry and fresh chilli, green beans and carrots were tied together with a bit of oil and a tiny scoop of chilli-capsicum sandwich spread.

I also tried some new food. I felt like something seitan-ish, so I mixed crushed weet bix with gluten flour, peanut butter, soy sauce and water. Then I baked it. Served on a bed of lettuce with green beans and topped with a simple vegemite gravy, this was a really satisfying meal. The other side of the plate holds Soft Polenta with fresh corn, a recipe from Vegan Gourmet—this is the first time I’ve had soft polenta, and I really wasn’t impressed. The texture was not great and the flavour was almost non-existent, and considering the amount of stirring it took, I doubt I will make soft polenta again.

My good intentions in the kitchen were laid asunder by the weekend. Friday I had to scarf down some leftovers before heading out to meet friends and see Ash Grunwald—good, live music in Townsville is not entirely common, so I definitely wanted to take advantage of it. Saturday saw me out of the house for most of the day, first with meetings and then with a cocktail party. The cocktail party was really fun, though I couldn’t help but notice the irony of hosting a party in an aquarium while serving nothing but fish—fish burgers, sushi, fried prawns, etc. Needless to say, I didn’t eat anything until I got home at midnight (2 minute noodles with peanut butter and cumin. Yum). Mojitos have mint leaves in them, so they’re healthy, right?

Anyways, on Sunday I was decidedly not hung over (I suspect the free cocktails were made with half-shots) so I made cookies. Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies from Vegan with a Vengeance, to be exact. I had neither walnuts nor raisins on hand, so I left them plain.

But halfway through, I added some chopped dark chocolate for a decadent variation.

After lots of taste-testing, I was jonesin’ for some veggies, so I had both a salad and a stir-fry. Onion, carrot, green beans and seitan flavoured with fresh chilli and hoisin sauce made for a quick but hearty warm meal. The salad was crisp and light, with lettuce, cucumber, raw corn and apples dressed with avocado.

I’ve got my kitchen motivation back, so now I need to do the same for cleaning up the house...