The Best Coffee Cake. Ever.

2013_03_29aWith the amount of butter and sugar in this, it really goes against how I’ve been cooking lately. But since I’ve already visited Coldstone Creamery three times this week (it’s been one of those weeks), I figured why not end it on a high note, right?

This recipe definitely lives up to it’s name. I’m not sure what else to say. The only thing I did differently was use almond milk instead of whole milk because that’s what I had on hand.

RECIPES:

The Best Coffee Cake. Ever.

 

Red Curry Quinoa and Carrot Apple Ginger Soup

2013_03_28aWe’ve been sticking with the Asian inspired foods this week. We went out for Thai on Monday, had tofu sandwiches with ginger peanut sauce and soup Tuesday, and now this tasty red curry quinoa. This definitely doesn’t replace your more traditional Thai vegetable red curry dish with rice dish, but it’s a great way to eat quinoa. I’m learning quinoa is very versatile. This recipe serves two to three and I think that’s spot on. We devoured this and Aya had to stop herself so she could have leftovers for lunch.

Super easy and super fast, both a plus today.

The soup was leftover from the other day and complimented this really well.

Rounding out the theme for this weeks meals, I found a nice Japanese recipe for tomorrow. I’m looking forward to that one.

RECIPES:

Red Curry Quinoa

Carrot Apple Ginger Soup

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Tofu Sandwiches w/ Ginger Peanut Sauce and Carrot Apple Ginger Soup

2013_03_26aI was a little iffy on these sandwiches. I like tofu, but I don’t love it. Luckily, everything worked really well together and I actually loved this sandwich. The peanut sauce was great, and the crunch of the peppers and carrots balanced the tofu. Ellie loves tofu and gobbled it up. “Daddy made this!? Oh my goodness!”

This soup complimented the sandwich really well. I made a double batch because I plan on using the soup again tomorrow. I used 3 lbs of carrots. That was a lot of peeling and chopping, but it was totally worth it! Ellie loved this too!

RECIPES:

Crispy Tofu Sandwiches with Ginger Peanut Sauce

Carrot Apple Ginger Soup

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Lentil Mushroom “Meat”balls

2013_03_22These obviously didn’t have the same presence as real meatballs, but were a nice alternative. Baking them gave them a crispy outside which helped balance the more mushy inside.I think mine were a little mushy because my mushrooms and lentils were more finely chopped instead of coarsely shopped using the food processor. I have just a small one and had to do it in small batches. Plus, Ellie wanted to “help” so I lost a little focus. Either way, I think they turned out good. I liked this meat replacement more than the vegan stuffed cabbage filling I made. Aya really liked it, but Ellie did not.

I just used a jarred tomato basil pasta sauce and added some finely chopped carrots to it and served it with a salad.

RECIPES:

Lentil Mushroom Meatballs

Mushroom Soup

2013_03_21You gotta love mushrooms to like this one. And luckily we all do over here. Especially Ellie!

I left out the shitake mushrooms only because I forgot to buy them from the grocery store. I also didn’t have lemon pepper so I used 1 tsp pepper and 1 tsp lemon juice. According to the directions, this is all about simmering, no boiling. I flirted with that line a few times, but I think I succeeded.

I’m more used to a creamy type mushrooms soup, so I really liked how this was flavored differently than what I’m used to. Ellie devoured it, and Aya loved it as well. I served it with a salad and open-faced spinach and caramelized onion sandwiches. We just ate them all before I could take photos. This was a great filling dinner.

RECIPES:

Mushroom Soup

Open-Faced Spinach Caramelized Onion Sandwiches