I am linking this in to the monthly In My Kitchen round-up, currently hosted by Sherry of Sherry's Pickings.
In my kitchen, it is often dark. I mentioned in my last post the end of daylight savings, but when I wrote it, I hadn't yet had a post-daylight savings workday. I'm officially in the stretch of the year when I leave for work in the dark and return from home in the dark. (I have a long commute, so it is at least light when I arrive at and leave work.)
Despite the darkness, there are bright food features to be found. I had to laugh at this 'Leapin Lemurs' cereal. The name amuses me and its pretense at being healthy amuses me. I bought it to snack on and I love the puffed peanut butter and chocolate flavoured balls - effectively a vegan version of Reese's peanut butter cup cereal. However, I can't imagine eating it for breakfast.
Instead, I have been having quinoa porridge for breakfast at home and packaged up to take to work. It is something I used to do a lot but then forgot about. I make mine by cooking 1 cup of quinoa with 2 cups of unsweetened almond milk, a diced apple, some vanilla, and some cinnamon or mixed spice. You can add a little more milk on serving if needed and additional fresh fruit. It is delicious warm or cold and I'm glad I've brought it back into rotation.
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| Quinoa porridge |
Also eaten at home and at work was a recent batch of veggie chilli. I meant to include bulgar wheat as many swear by this creating 'meaty' heartiness in chilli dishes. However, I bought buckwheat by mistake and so used that instead. I will need to make this again to try the bulgar I'd intended, but we all loved this meal so the mistake worked out in the end.
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| Veggie chilli with beans, veggies and buckwheat (and corn tortilla) |
Tesco continues to bring out new vegan products and these mini vegan rocky road bites were a pleasing (if dangerous) discovery. They taste as good as you'd imagine.
I was also pleased to see 100% nut butters added to their own brand range, at a lower cost than branded alternatives. I tried this 3 nut mix which uses pecans as well as peanuts and almonds.
My kitchen has also featured cocoa coconut green tea, which is an unusual combination that I am nonetheless enjoying.
Last but not least, we are all enjoying what in England are labelled 'easy peelers'. I call them mandarins, although they may in fact be clementines or tangerines. Whatever they are, the fresh citrus flavours are a nice contrast to dark days and cooler weather.
What is happening in your kitchen this month?
oh yes i love mandarins too. especially the easy peel ones. i don't think i could stand commuting in the dark. i remember as a child growing up in cold dark melbourne and going to school when it got light. i am too used to sunny brisbane now:) oh those lemurs. so cute and at least they're organic... rocky road - yum! thanks for joining in IMK this month. cheers sherry x
ReplyDeleteYou're pretty safe in Brisbane from a light perspective :-)
DeleteYour whole-grain cooking is very tempting. I prefer to make savory dishes rather than breakfast porridges from grains like wheat berries and buckwheat, not counting oatmeal which I view as breakfast food. Putting whole grains in chili is a good idea.
ReplyDeletebest... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
I need to remember to cook with wheat berries more often!
DeleteI am enjoying the coconut tea that I picked up from Bath, but not sure If I would like the green tea version as I am not not keen on green tea. I haven't used nut butters in a while due to the price, so am pleased to see that Tesco are offering some at reasonable price - thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI don't like green tea much usually either, but the coconut one does seem a bit easier on the stomach.
DeleteI'd call those mandarins too! The Leaping Lemurs would have me leaping to buy them except we try and avoid peanut products other than peanut butter! I have made chilli non carne with both bulgar wheat and buckwheat and enjoyed them both. And I am sure those rocky road bites would go down very well here.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm not the only one to be drawn in to the Lemur cereal, and that my error in using buckwheat wasn't entirely off the mark ;)
DeleteI have been trying to find that IN MY KITCHEN Link, thanks! I did one today, too!
ReplyDeleteJennifer at http://MyBlissfulJourney.com
Super! Glad I could help :)
DeleteThey look like mandarins to me too! Funny, just yesterday when I did the grocery shopping, Coles had brought out new additions to their own, lower priced nut butter range and I couldn’t resist either! I have tried a black cocoa coconut tea but not a green one... intriguing! That rocky roads wouldn’t last long at my house... one of our local chocolate shops does a vegan version that I’m addicted too... the fact they went to the effort to make vegan jelly and marshmallow makes me go the extra effort to support them. Love your kitchen glimpse :)
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't know if they were mandarins, or clementines, or easy peelers, but I'm glad to see they're back. I'm with you on the dark before work and dark after work - not fun. Those rocky roads look great, and I've made a mental note to try buckwheat in my chilli too.
ReplyDeleteKari, your "light" hearted post was just what I needed this morning. :) (I'm still trying to adjust to the dreaded Daylight Saving Time switch, too.) Thanks for your quinoa breakfast porridge recipe -- that sounds like a great way to start the day, too!
ReplyDelete