Woman in Real Life: What I Ate Wednesday, fall foods edition

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

What I Ate Wednesday, fall foods edition

Even though fall has not quite arrived, I have been feeling the urge to enjoy warm, nurturing comfort foods.

This weekend, we were so busy organizing the house for back to school, that we decided to order Chinese food one evening rather than cooking.

We order the exact same selections from the same restaurant every single time. In fact, we just tell them to give us what we got last time. That would be: vegetarian fried rice, vegetable lo mein and tofu in garlic sauce. No MSG.

So delicious. I want it again right now. And that would be my rum and coke on the right. House cleaning is hard work.

One night, I made a simple old favourite: chickpea and rice soup. It is super easy to make but it tastes like it was more work. Recipe below.

I made another chickpea soup on a different night. This one features zucchini and diced tomatoes.

I had never made focaccia before. I decided to try it, using dough that I made in the bread maker. I mixed garlic and fresh basil into the dough. I thought it turned out well for my very first try.

Of course, fall means baking (to me, anyway). One night, I decided to make not one, but two baked goods. While the vegan banana bread with dates was in the oven, I whipped together some chocolate chip cookie wedges (recipe here). They are dense with oats and quite delicious.

I enjoyed the banana bread for breakfast the next day, along with spelt toast topped with peanut butter and jam.

My afternoon snack was a chocolate chip cookie wedge with decaf green tea. (I also had a slice the night before topped with some vegan vanilla ice cream.)

Yesterday, I had some of the chickpea tomato soup for lunch. I also enjoyed tortilla chips baked with Daiya vegan cheese and served with black bean dip. The dip is simply one (19 oz) can of black beans drained and blended with 1/2 cup salsa and a clove of garlic. I put in a bit of salt too because I use canned beans with no salt added.

What kind of food are you eating as we transition to a new season?

Jenn must be thinking fall foods too, because her theme for What I Ate Wednesdays is now:

Chickpea and Rice Soup

by Joann MacDonald

Keywords: boil entree soup/stew gluten-free nut-free vegan vegetarian chickpeas fall

Ingredients (Serves 4)

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 of an orange pepper, diced
a handful of green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 cups of water
4 tsp vegetable bouillon powder
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 (19 oz) can of chickpeas, drained
salt and pepper, to taste
1.5 cups cooked rice

Instructions

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat.

Add the onion, carrots and garlic. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened slightly, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the orange pepper and the green beans.

Add the water, vegetable bouillon and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the veggies are tender, about 15 minutes.

Add the chickpeas, salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes longer.

Stir in the rice and heat for another minute. Serve.

Sharing this recipe at Lifeologia's Potluck Party.