Pantry Cooking

Misc. stuff

So I am stuck at home just like many of you. We eat eggs and toast. There is a lot of cereal being eaten. Lots of grilled cheese and quesadillas. Some take out, here and there…

But I haven’t made anything new in a long time. I am going to try to challenge myself to cook something with what I have. I do probably need to go to the store tomorrow and get some fresh stuff, if possible. The last time it looked like everyone who never ate a salad in their life bought up all the produce, so we will see what I can find. I will try and report back here very soon.

Here is a look in to my pantry. My fridge has a fair amount of things like bacon, ham, turkey, cheese, yogurt, eggs, tofu, hummus, cream cheese, sour cream, olives, and the usual condiments. My freezer is filled with frozen veggies, vegetarian sausage and burgers, ground beef, fish sticks, and frozen breakfast stuff.

I am going to pretend I am on Chopped and make something new-ish at least a few times a week.

Snacks and cereal galore!
Lots of pasta, rices, and sauces. More cereal and chips! Ready to party!

Vegan and Gluten FREE! Ramen with Tofu

gluten free, vegan

So I took a trip to Fresh Market. I was craving noodles, so I found decided on this… I ate the entire dish from the pot except the 2 servings I set aside for my favorite neighbor and my lunch.

My first prep was to press and drain the tofu. I did that in the sink with the tofu in a drainer, a bowl at the bottom, and a heavy pan on top. I also chopped a shallot and 3 little sweet peppers (or one large one).

I cooked the shallot, peppers, and mushrooms in peanut oil in a medium enamel cast iron pan for about 15 minutes.

I sliced the tofu in half through the middle, then chopped it in to cubes. I browned it in peanut oil for 10 minutes.

2 pans.

I added the raw noodles and the whole bottle of sauce to the veggie pot plus one cup of water. 5 minutes.

Last minute stir in the tofu and snap peas.

Delicious and healthy!

Fun OTP Restaurants

Dips, Dressings, and Spreads

So I’m from Georgia. Atlanta and the city around it is kind of confusing to explain to people.

Atlanta is the capital. The big city. Then you have outlying cities and neighborhoods that keep fading out from the city. We have a thing called The Perimeter, which is divided by a big circular interstate 285. Inside the Perimeter is the City. Outside of the Perimeter is mostly the suburbs. Except then you have to take 75 or 85 or 985 or Buford Highway…

It’s like Mario Kart for where you want to live.

Anyways. All these pockets of Atlanta are so fun and have so may great places to eat. Here are a few I have gone to lately. I would love to hear yours if you are local!

La Belle Vie in Suwanee

The BEST restaurant in Suwanee. Everything is PERFECT!

Blue Crab in garlic butter oil ❤️

Roswell Provisions on Canton Street

Heaven. Sweet or Savory. It doesn’t matter what you get. Here are some desserts…

Strawberry Shortcake
Banana Split Crepes
Chocolate Mousse

Downtown Duluth. So many options! This is Epicurean Cafe. Quaint and delightful!

Friend Green Tomato with Pimento Cheese Sandwich
Shrimp and Grits
On the hunt for this Pinot Grigio

Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli with Nutritional Yeast

Side dishes...veggies, vegan, Vegetarian

Evening guys! Hope you are having fun watching the Superbowl or not watching the Superbowl. I am watching the commercials on You Tube as they come out 😉 Our power was out for a couple hours, so I ate some chips and drank some wine in the dark surrounded by candles.

When the power came back on, I made these yummy oven roasted veggies. I use to buy nutritional yeast all the time back when I was a vegan/vegetarian. It has a very strong nutty and cheesy flavor which I love. I used to add it to everything, but my favorite thing to add it to was popcorn. It was my favorite late night snack after aerobics class in college 🙂

I had a small head of cauliflower and broccoli, so I doused them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and this nutritional yeast. I roasted them for 30 minutes or so at 350, or until tender, depending on how many veggies you have. You could do this with any veggies, these are just the ones I had in the fridge. Rebecca and I LOVED it. Katie would not even try it, because she only likes her veggies steamed…

Sweet Chili Chicken Wings

Chicken, Dips, Dressings, and Spreads

Some people are very confused by my eating habits, so I thought I would clear it up for anyone reading this. I mostly eat vegan/vegetarian, tons of seafood, and occasionally meat (mostly at home if I make it for the family) . Tonight I ate chicken wings. I was watching a cooking show, and they just sounded really good, so I made them for dinner.

It all started with the chicken wings. I put them all in a bowl and tossed them with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, and salt & pepper. Then I put them skin side up on a sheet pan and cooked them in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes.

Then I warmed up some of this yummy sauce I found at Sprouts…

Half took a dip in the sauce and half stayed Plain Jane. We like to eat mac and cheese with our wings, and I added some peas for a veggie 😉 It was very tasty!