Weekend Eats: Corn & Black Bean Quinoa Tacos, Chocolate PB Cups, Pad Thai & More!

These were super delicious. I was truly surprised that I didn't miss the cheese at all. The filling was yummy quinoa with black beans, corn, jalapeno, and lots of spices, topped with easy guac, chopped cilantro, and spicy salsa. My only complaint? I can't ever get my tortillas tasting as delicious as they do in the restaurants! Any tips? I heated mine in the oven this time and then tried them on a pan, but neither produced the warm, pliable, almost crispy but not slimy/rubbery texture that restaurants provide.

Alicia's chocolate peanut butter cups!! These are as amazing as everyone says! My only complaint is that the chocolate did not easily spread over the peanut butter because the peanut butter mixture was too hot so the chocolate just sank in. Next time I'll wait until the pb mix cools a bit. Either way, they were insanely delicious. 100x better than Reese's!

I made another green smoothie! Spinach, ground flax, peanut butter, soy milk, frozen strawberries & blueberries, and banana.

Vegan-style fast food! I made veggie burgers (used Amy's veggie burger, and I REALLY liked them) topped with organic ketchup, organic mustard, delicious bread & butter pickles, and crisp romaine and oven "fried" tater tots (from Whole Foods). SO GOOD. I'm going be making a lot of my veggie burgers at home now that I've learned that my favorite take-out veggie burger (from P Terry's) is made with cheese. I think I'm going to email the owner about that! It's an Austin chain. :)

Finally, I made pad thai with all kinds of yummy goodness: bok choy, tofu, lots of chopped peanuts, scallions, and cilantro. Unfortunately, it came out AWFUL. It looks good, right? But it was super dry, and the noodles were terrible! I don't think I soaked them long enough or correctly... I don't know. This recipe was loosely based on one my sister gave me ages ago. I managed to eat my plate, but removed all the noodles from the leftovers and plan to eat it with jasmine rice. Rice noodles, why do you hate me?

That's all, folks! I think this is the first weekend in a LONG time that I cooked every single meal. Wow! Also? I lost another pound. I feel awesome!!! Veganism ROCKS!

Weekend Cookin'

Bonjour, friends! Happy Friday! I'm in a fantastic mood today, not only because it's Friday, but because I have lots of fun plans for this weekend, almost all of which involve FOOD!

Tonight I'm having myself a tex-mex kind of night and plan to make a yummy burrito with spicy black beans/quinoa/corn and a gorgeously ripe hass avocado wrapped up in a spinach tortilla and washed down with a delicious mexican coke (I know it has sugar and highly suspicious "natural flavors," but yeah... baby steps). Then I'm going to take advantage of what is likely to be a quiet Friday night at IKEA. Yeah, baby!! I haven't been to IKEA in ages (mostly b/c I always end up buying way too much stuff I don't need when I go), but I DO need some kitchen stuff. A dutch oven, oven-safe frying pan, and a rubber whisk are some of the items on my list. I heart IKEA and totally relish the thought of spending my Friday night there. Is that odd?

Saturday morning I hope to wake up early, drop Lola at daycare and head to the Boggy Creek Farm market and get some gorgeous, seasonal, local and organic produce. I've never been, but many Austin restaurants use their stuff, and I've heard it's got a fantastic selection. I'm pretty unimpressed with the Austin farmer's markets so I have high hopes for Boggy Creek! (I kinda wanna play with their hens, too!)

I plan to cook a LOT this weekend, but I'm not sure of everything I plan to make yet. I am definitely making pad thai b/c I have been craving Asian noodles all week, and there are tons of vegan-friendly recipes. Also a must-cook for the weekend are Alicia Silverstone's peanut butter cups. YUMMY! I've been craving dessert, and I think these will definitely hit the spot. I've heard nothing but rave reviews! I mean, seriously, is there anything better than chocolate + peanut butter + nuts? I think not.


In other food-related news, both the Vegan Brunch (you can get it for around $6 off amazon - merci to City Girl for letting me know!) and Veganomicon are headed my way!! I should be getting Veganomicon today, and I cannot. wait. I've heard it truly is the ultimate vegan cookbook, and I plan to a chunk of this weekend curled up on the couch with it.

So tell me, what're you up to this weekend? Are you cookin' up any yumminess I should know about??