Way back when...

So It has been awhile since my last post and I have many stories (and yummy foods) to share with you all. Way back when, on Thursday evening, I accidentally left my computer charger at school. It had been an unexpectedly late night. I was caught in a meeting until almost 9 and had not brought any dinner with me that day. The result = too many Red Vines for dinner. Somebody brought them to the meeting and I could NOT resist. So bad but oh soooo good.

Only one problem with my Red Vine binge. I get migraines. My migraines are triggered by lack of sleep and excess sugar. Usually this is not a problem because though I don't get tons of sleep, I rarely ever eat sugar. Except for when someone brings Red Vines to a meeting...

Needless to say I awoke Friday morning with a debilitating migraine and spent the day locked in a dark room. Fun stuff. Luckily by nightfall the pain had subsided and I felt up to some cooking. Homemade veggies calzones are a great way to recover : ) I would have posted these earlier so you could enjoy them over the weekend but in my vine-induced sugar haze, I forgot my charger at school on Thursday and was out sick Friday.

Chopped tomatoes and brocollini for filling

Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Pizza Dough rolled and topped with veggies and basil

All wrapped up and ready to get cooking!

Calzone with marinara and celery sticks

The cheesy guts

If you could read my thoughts here you would know I was wondering what a Red Vine filled calzone would taste like- some people never learn...

Dipping action!

Sadly, no Red Vines for dessert. Instead I enjoyed a favorite treat from way back when...
ICE CREAM SANDWICH

This one had an adult/vegan twist with coconut cream filling and mint leaves on top. Yummm!

The next day, Patrick and I drove up to MA for homecoming weekend. Above is a picture of us in front of our Junior year dormitory. Way back when, this is where we met. Patrick lived below me and I couldn't stand the fact that his heavy metal music kept me up all night. I would like to say that once we started dating, I didn't mind the loud music anymore and I thought his late night Metallic habit was cute... nope. Not there yet.

For dinner, I grabbed dinner with my sister (now a fellow alum) at Moe's. Southwestern Grill. Way back when I used to order the Homewrecker burritto. It was stuffed with cheese, sour cream and guacamole and was roughly the size of my thigh. Thank you Moe's for helping me achieve the Freshman 15. This time, I opted for a lighter choice: Whole grain burritto filled with beans and veggies (sans rice, cheese and sour cream).

After a night of visiting with old friends and traveling to some way back when favorite places, Patrick and I met my mom and Ken for lunch on Sunday. We went to one of my favorite restaurants in the area, The Flying Rhino. I was excited to see some vegan choices on the menu! It seems like more and more places have this option these days : )

Szechuan veggie stirfry with rice

When we got back home after our trip, I was feeling especially nostalgic so I decided to have a go at a way back when favorite food: Au Gratin Potatoes. My mom used to make these all the time and my sister and I LOVED them. I would turn my nose up at homemade mashed potatoes in favor of this boxed-cheesy-goodness. Unfortunately, these are neither vegan nor very healthy. My version was equally as tasty but came without the added fat and chemicals.

Au Gratin Leeks & Turnips:

4 turnips (peeled and thinly sliced)

1 cup sliced leeks

1 tablespoon olive oil

3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons spelt flour
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups unsweetened soy milk
1 cup shredded vegan cheese (I used a mix of Daiya Cheddar and Galaxy Mozzarella)

1. Boil a pot of water. Add turnips. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.

2. In the meantime, saute leeks in oil until tender.

3. Add salt, flour, pepper, milk and water (from turnip pot) to the leeks. Cook on medium high until mixture begins to thicken.

4. Add cheese and mix thoroughly until fully melted.

5. Drain turnips and add to cheesy mixture.

Trader Joe's Meatless Meatballs with homemade vegan gravy (recipe to come)

Not from a box or a Red Vine bag but delicious nevertheless ; )