Two New Keeper Recipes

A bitter, bitter wind is blowing this morning. Out of the northwest. The sun is shining, though, so there is that. I'm truly grateful for the sun, as it shines through the windows on the south side of the house, in the living room and my bedroom, brightening both rooms as well as offering some heat. Both boys have found the warm spots and tend to claim their spaces there through morning and mid-afternoon. My space is in front of the fireplace.

To keep good my promise to myself to try new recipes a couple of times a week, new recipe number 1 today was the French toast recipe from Thug Kitchen. I adore French toast, but since going whole foods plant based, I've not eaten it. I completely cut out bread for the first year, and now I'm reintroducing it slowly. I tend to stick with sour dough, but this week I made a simple, rustic loaf and have been enjoying a slice of it each day. Honestly, I was skeptical about the French toast recipe. I mean, come on, the eggs and milk mixture, along with a bit of cinnamon, are what totally make French toast French toast. How in the world was ground flax seed, whole wheat flour, nutritional yeast, and almond milk going to pull off what eggs and milk do? 

The result? Simply delicious French toast. Seriously. I was completely surprised. I know I could serve this to someone who is not vegan and they would never know the difference. It is that good. I will definitely make this recipe again the next time I bake a loaf of bread or buy a loaf of sour dough. It's easy, and it doesn't take any longer than my usual oatmeal breakfast. What a treat. I even got my breakfast veggie in with a side of broccoli. 

Last week I decided to stop drinking coffee. Again. I had stopped several years ago because I was drinking a lot of coffee and just felt like I wasn't doing myself any favors. This was during the time my heart was having tantrums, and after discussing the issue with my doctor, she thought cutting out caffeine might be the way to go. So I did. And my heart stopped having its tantrums. During the last year, though, I started drinking coffee with breakfast and it became something I really looked forward to each morning. I even bought coffee beans and a really nice grinder. I switched between regular coffee and decaf with the idea this would appease my heart and it wouldn't have its fits. Which it didn't. 

But then my husband decided he was going to leave a small coffee maker here for when he comes out and wants a cup of coffee. It's one that uses the k-cups. I despise those things. For a long time I didn't say anything. Which is something I'm prone to do. I don't say something about the things others do that irritate me. I'm working on that, though, with the help of my mantra for this year: "No, I don't do that anymore." Keeping quiet is something I don't do anymore.

So last week, I looked at the box of k-cups taking up space in my cupboard, along with the carton of creamer he left in the fridge, and the container of sugar he left in another cupboard, and I thought no. Not gonna keep happening. I threw out the k-cups I had bought and the creamer. I know this might sound mean, but I'm vegan. I don't have and I don't want meat, eggs, or dairy products in my fridge. When I open the fridge and see a carton of creamer, it really irritates me (on several levels). Suffice it to say, when my husband couldn't find his creamer, he wasn't happy. 

So anyway, I stopped with the coffee and each day all of last week I suffered with a horrible headache. I figured it was from not taking in caffeine, so I toughed it out. This week -- no headaches. I've been enjoying peppermint tea, green tea, and ginger tea. Today, new recipe number two was a vegan chai latte using this recipe from Minimalist Baker. I didn't do the coconut whipped cream since it calls for the coconut milk to be chilled in the fridge overnight, but next time I'll be sure to try that part of the recipe to compare it to what I'm drinking right now, which is absolutely delicious. I guess without the latte part it's just chai tea, and it is yummy chai tea. While there is caffeine in black tea and green tea, the amount is significantly less than what is in coffee, so I'm not concerned that I'm just trading out one problem for another. 

Just five days into the new year I'm happy with my progress of things I want to do more of and things I want to do less of. The new recipes have worked out nicely, I'm on day four back into my yoga practice, and the newest book is turning out to be another good one. I've limited the YouTube videos to two a day, and I've turned to watching videos that I actually learn something from, like how huge dead maple trees are cut down. It's fascinating watching the process. I also signed up for an online class about sustainability. Hopefully I find it as interesting as I've convinced myself it will be.