I didn't sleep so well last night, and by the time I got in from work tonight I was looking for a chance to be as cuddly and comfortable as possible. It isn't unusual that when I feel this way, I head straight for the kitchen. Rather than craving food to eat, I crave food to cook/bake. The systematic and creative combination of working with food, always help me separate a bad day or sick stomach or tired eyes from the rest of my world.

K was going to be later getting home tonight, so I knew I had time to just do my own thing - and I opted for a kitchen session that resulted in: a zucchini bread, stuffed squash, and a chickpea and spinach dish.

I decided to start with the bread - I knew it would need a while and I was looking forward to the cathartic destruction involved in grating the zucchini I picked up at the market yesterday morning. One of the interesting things about moving from single girl-hood into a boy's house that was once the home of a bachelor, is that certain things are missing. Yes, they have a wide range of frying pans, yes they have cereal bowls. But, no, they do not have muffin tins, loaf pans or proper Tupperware. I still need to get a banana bread loaf pan, so, the bread wasn't going to be uber-pretty, but, hey, its Monday. I played with a recipe in Vegan Planet and ended up with something that was a touch on the dense side, but satisfying.

The Quinoua Stuffed Squash was the next in line. I started by slicing the squash in half and throwing the two halves in with the bread - warming up the flesh while I was busy putting together the filling. After the filling was cooked through and mixed in with the quinoa, I added the lot to the deep holes of this cute little squash. I baked it, covered over with aluminum foil, for about 20 minutes after filling it up.

Ingredients:
-1 squash - halved
-1 cup of quinoa, washed, cooked and added to veg filling
-1/2 zucchini
-1/2 tomato
-4 spring onion
-1/2 apple
-mustard seed
-cumin
-cilantro

The Chickpea and Spinach dish was my attempt to capture K's perfection with the same ingredients.



Ingredients:
-1 can of chickpeas, washed
-1/4 kilo of spinach
-mustard seed
-olive oil
-onion
-tumeric




I did something pretty silly the other day. I bought peanut butter. Some of you might know that I have been cursed with a fat-sensitive tummy AND a fat-loving mouth. I adore avocado, peanut butter and cashews. The cruel fate of my life means that if I have even a smidgen too much of any fat I get the most agonizing tummy ache. So bad that I became good friends with the folks at Oakville Trafalgar hospital in the summer of 2005. Ouch. I bought the p.b. with the promise to K (who experienced a great round of sore tummy on the eve of our trip to Paris) that I would be sensible and not be silly with the p.b (it has never been allowed in the house before now). I admit that tonight the yummy nut butter caught my eye and I had a taste....and....the nut butter has now been placed a top the highest shelf in our house - one that this little vegan, even with my step ladder can not reach. argh.