Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Flavour Combinations and an essential WIP


A combination post is called for I think - there is no other way to truly celebrate the two little recipes I have for you. We all know how good roasted carrots are, we all know how good roasted cauliflower, aubergine and red peppers are? Of course we do! But....it is when I put them all together the other night, with a simple dab of olive oil and some dried herbs that I apparently made magic in the oven. I am not sure if it is the ever growing belly...I said goodbye (maybe forever) to my favourite size two gap pants this past week, but I was licking the plate after I had gobbled up my second helping.

And then...last night, inspired by the vitamixing of Chocolate Covered Vegan, I made a little fruit yumminess. Granted - I do not have a vitamix - but, that didn't stop me. I used my super simple handblender, and got some wicked desert by combining the goodness of pomegranate, raspberries, mango, and banana. Does it get any better? No sugar, no soy, NOTHING but goodly fruit....oh, and some flax.

Kevin has been a busy little beaver of late - he went a head and booked us this uberly swanky trip to London, complete with....wait for it.....tickets to a Royal Shakespeare Theatre Company production (taming of the shrew) and a reservation for two at Saf's. He is so sweet and perfectly wonderful. Nothing more could appeal to this ex-English professor's loving heart. I just can't wait.

So if you are inclined to clean out your fridge, as I was the other night, and you want to give this combo a try...go for it!

Really Good Roasted Veg
1 med aubergine - diced
1 packet of extra firm tofu - cubed
1/2 a head of cauliflower
2 red peppers
6 market carrots - cut diagonally to look fancy
4 tsp of oil (I used a huge baking dish)
black pepper
chili flakes
your choice for spicing

I baked it forever - seriously, maybe 1 hour and 45. I served it with a cute little pile of mint, raisin and pine nut couscous. Oh my god - it was so good.

Frozen Fruit Frostie
pomegrante juice and seeds from 1/2 pom
1/2 a frozen mango
1 banana
about 2 hands full of raspberries
3 tsp of flax

Whiz this up with your hand mixer, throw it in the freezer for about an hour, and enjoy! I topped mine with a couple of extra frozen mangoes.

Oh.....my WIP is hemming my maternity pants. All three pairs of them....I love how my wardrobe has shrunk and ironically grown all at the same time. You may want to look away if you are still thinking about getting pregnant one day - these things just aren't pretty. I know this WIP isn't very creative or imaginative....just essential!!!

17 comments:

Liz Ranger (Bubble Tea for Dinner) said...

mmm, those tofu and veggies sound so perfect, the long roasting must have turned them into heaven!! I'd be licking my plate clean, too.

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

Mmm, I love roasted veg! I love London MORE though!

Virginia said...

you have a sweet husband! enjoy your pregnancy, it really will fly by!

jessy said...

wow! your veggies look so pretty - and they sound soooo tasty! roasted veggies = my fav! totally going to give your recipe a whirl! both of them! i mean, pomegranate + raspberries + banana + mango does = heaven! mmmmmmmmm! nice W.I.P. post, too! hooray for hemming maternity pants - that's so cool! :D

kudos to your spouse, too! a fun trip complete with Shakespeare & a super awesome dinner reservation = the sweetest! i looked at the menu for Saf's and i'm so jealous! i wish we had something like that here in richmond! sadface! eat lots of yummies for me! :)

Lauren said...

Yum! I love roasted veggies! And that smoothie! Mmm! :) Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy!

Jen said...

that is a very pretty plate! as for pregnancy, bigger pants are just part of the plan. and yes, they're ugly but very comfortable. i was back at my pre-preg weight about 6-8 mos. after giving birth. actually, i'm 20-25lbs less than i weighed pre-pregnancy. i'm not sure if it was the breastfeeding, adopting a vegan diet, metabolism, or a combo of all 3. every woman is different.

Vegan_Noodle said...

Have I been so seriously out of the blogging loop that I missed that your were pregnant! Oh my goodness congratulations!! I am going to check out your pregnancy blog in a minute after I catch up here...

Roasted veggies can't be beat, seriously. And don't worry, you'll be back to your pre-pregnancy size soon! Have fun hemming your pregnancy pants... :-)

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Aww, thanks for the shout-out. And I love the idea of a Frostie... yours sounds waaaay better than Wendy's!

Anonymous said...

Kevin is the most adorable ever!! Does he give, you know, lessons, for other significant others. Just asking!
I think your WIP is great! If I hadn't already shipped my maternity duds to my sis in the states I could have sent them to you - very necessary!
I'll add you to the WIP list on my blog!

Anonymous said...

Enjoy your ever growing belly. I loved being pregnant.

Anonymous said...

Roasted vegetables taste good and the look good. The whole plate is beautiful!
I'm. sure you will have your favourite jeans back soon after birth. Just eat more roasted veggies :D

Lovlie said...

The frozen smoothie looks so yummy! And the veggies! Wow! I just love roast veggies, they make a quick tasty dinner!

Lisa (Show Me Vegan) said...

You must be so excited about your trip! (And I'm really impressed that you hem your own pants.)

Nicole said...

Roasted veggies <3

River (Wing-It Vegan) said...

Oh the veggie and fruity goodness!

Have fun hemming! :)

...barbara... said...

hmmm...roasted veggies....
so delicious...
and congrats on your growing belly...
your pants look lovey, talk about ultimate comfort...

Anonymous said...

Hi, I just found your blog, and your food looks delicious! I had to comment on here b/c I love fruit smoothies/drinks, and your frostie looks so refreshing.Your apple crumble and naan bread from previous posts also sound so tasty!