Above was my brunch. This morning I got up and went for a run then did a little shopping, so by the time I got home, I was ready to eat! This meal was HUGE! It was Mochi waffles with walnut syrup, scrambled tofu (with lots of veggies), smart bacon, and steamed collard greens. First off, I found out that I had thawed out the wrong kind of tofu, so I had to dethaw in the microwave which was kind of lame, but the scrambled tofu was AMAZING! So flavorful and delicious. This is a dish that you can just use up any leftover veggies that you haven't cooked up for the week. The smart bacon was another mishap - I thought I was supposed to keep it in the freezer, but I was wrong. It came out like a brick. I got a little bit off, and that is the red stuff on the plate. It didn't taste very good anyway. Not something I will be buying again. The greens were greens - nothing exciting, but I love steamed greens, so that was fine.
And then the mochi waffles. I had never heard of mochi, and it took me a while to find it at the store. It is some crazy stuff. It comes in this thin brick that is really hard and hard to slice. It is basically mushed up sweet brown rice, so that is what it kind of tastes like. So anyway, you cut (saw) it up into strips and throw it in the waffle maker, then like magic they puff up to look like the perfect waffles you see here. They were kind of weird, but I think I would have liked them more with maple syrup instead of brown rice syrup.
Overall the meal was so big, that I couldn't eat quite all of it, but it was good. I sat outside to eat it, and it was a nice morning brunch. I will definitely be making scrambled tofu often.
I wasn't hungry for dinner until late - probably 7 or so, which isn't like me. I think all the yummies from brunch kept me filled up. So, dinner was Azuki beans with Yellow Squash, Rice and Barley, and steamed spinach. Again, a pretty big meal, but oh-so good. I really like the beans. I think all beans have just a little bit of a different flavor, so this was a good one to add to the mix. Basically it was the beans, a yellow squash, some ground kelp (it tastes like salt - a good substitute actually), and a little soy sauce. The barley and rice were an easy side dish - I just threw a half a cup of brown rice and half a cup of hulled barley in the rice maker and left it. The beans took about 45 minutes or so, but I didn't have to stand by the stove so they were easy. Again, a very filling meal. Yet, I didn't feel overly full and "ugh" like I would feel after a big meaty/fatty meal.
And now, for one of my new most FAVORITE things EVER!! This is a Candied Pear with Almond syrup. Absolutely amazng. Ridiculously good. The basics of this was steaming the pear in apple juice, then grinding almonds to mix with syrup to make the filling. Then I used the leftover juice mixed with a little ginger to make a syrup to pour over the whole thing. SO GOOD. Please let me come over and make it for you sometime. As you can see below, there wasn't any left of this. One of the good things about living alone is that manners go right out the window, so licking the plate is not off limits...no one will ever know...unless you post it on your blog. Oops! ...
All in all it was a good day. Eating from scratch really works so much better on my stomach. I think I got in a good 5 servings of veggies at least today, which is good. I got lots of whole grains, and a good variety of all the nutrients I need. AND my kitchen is even clean - I did all the dishes (which is rare for me...hehe). I'm not levitating yet and I am suffering a major headache from the lack of caffeine in my body today...BUT I love that I am learning to put together new foods that are good for my body in a way in which I feel like I'm getting a special day out at a restuarant everyday!!
Tomorrow, I am cooking breakfast and dinner, then going to Pasta House with the family for lunch. Should be another yummy day in store for me!!
Day 1 = success!
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