FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

My First Tweetup

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I started my first morning in DC with a bowl of Trader Joe’s raspberry soy yogurt topped with gigantor blackberries, a cup of oolong tea, and a treasure map that would guide me from Emily’s house to the Eastern Market metro.  The Eastern Market metro would eventually take me to King Street, where I would meet a different Emily, Emily of Daily Garnish, for lunch.

But first, check out all the goodies I purchased from Trader Joe’s for THIRTY BUCKS!  I really do think that if TJ and Tampa met, it would be an instantaneous love affair.

I misinterpreted the treasure map and hopped on the wrong transfer train, both of which caused an embarrassingly late arrival at Nickell’s & Scheffler’s.

Luckily I was greeted by the most pleasant of company and a super delish grilled veggie panini.  I ordered mine first, sans cheese, and snuck a grin when I overheard Emily order hers dairy-free as well.  It was an unusually nice feeling to not be the weird one of the group!

I soaked in what was left of a winter wonderland on my walk home.

Then I was followed by this little guy for a lengthy stretch.

And then… this.  A giant snowball standing solitary in the middle of Lincoln Park.  This Florida girl found it fascinating.

Conclusion?  My first tweetup was a great success!  It was my first step towards making my virtual foodie community something real, and I liked it.

Fluffy Cakes

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Mmmm pancakes!  I haven’t had homemade pancakes in ages.  So when I stumbled upon this gluten-free mix at Target the other day, I had to try it.

I halved the recipe, replaced milk with almond milk, ditched the oil (because I don’t have vegetable oil and thought olive oil would be weird), and used the entire egg.

I was expecting the, now 300 calorie, recipe to yield two small pancakes.  To my surprise, I was able to make a third good sized cake.

I topped two with 1/2 tablespoon of Crofter’s superfruit spread and the other with 1/2 table spoon of pure maple syrup –  a mere 55 calorie addition.

It’s good to know that gluten-free, dairy-free pancakes can be every bit as fluffy and delicious as the regular kind.  And to be well over stuffed for well under 400 calories?  I’m a happy little chickadee!

Waste Not, In Pictures

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Breakfast: Cremini Mushroom & “Cheddar” Daiya Omelet

Lunch: Hummus and Avocado on Sprouted Sourdough Toast

Dinner (“Appetizer”): Peas with a teeny bit of Earth Balance and Garlic Salt

Dinner (“Main Course”): Air Popped Pop Corn with Earth Balance and Nutritional Yeast.

Dessert: Tofutti Key Lime Cutie

Either a result of overbuying or changing plans, tossing food (weekly) in my house is inevitable.  It’s a total waste, it’s gotta stop!  Waste of food, waste of time, waste of MONEY.  Like I said, total waste.

Each of the meals above uses a leftover ingredient, an ingredient intended for a recipe that was never created, or an ingredient that’s been living in my freezer for entirely too long.  I like it, it’s a good plan – you have to start somewhere, right?