Where is Spring????

 Yesterday I decided to take on two more of Maggie's recipes as well as making something I know to be tried and true.  It was just one of those gloomy winter days that is perfect for cooking.  I put on a little music and got to work.  I thought the Turkey Sloppy Joe's might be labor intensive but really, it was easy.  The prep work wasn't really that bad but I did decide to add an extra can of tomato sauce and some extra chicken stock to make them extra sloppy.  It turned out really delicious.  I plan to serve it over a little brown rice instead of on a bun and there is so much of it that it will last all week for my lunches. 

 Then I made my tried and true breakfast quiche.  It's a crustless recipe and really easy, quick and delicious.  Usually, I just throw in whatever leftovers we have hanging around into it, but this week, I had no such leftovers and so I cooked some beans and a sweet potato, I already had the chicken cooked and I threw in a few extra veggies and a small handful of cheese and voila!  Breakfast for the week.

At work, I eat a large piece for breakfast and that's it, but as it was the weekend, I threw in some delicious buttery whole grain toast. 

 And then, because I have an ENORMOUS sweet tooth and I was REALLY curious, I made the brownie recipe.  Instead of flour, you use chickpeas and instead of sugar, agave nectar.  Rather than using canned chickpeas, I bought dry beans, soaked them while I was at yoga and then cooked them when I came home.  The whole thing was thrown together in the blender and cooked up really nicely.  They are heartier than regular brownies and feel much more substantial, like an actual snack instead of a treat.  It called for peanuts on top but I was out so I used cashews.  I will for sure be making all of these recipes again.

I enjoyed my peaceful day of cooking and as it CONTINUES to snow outside, on April 14th for God's sake, I am looking forward to a dinner we are having tonight.  Shawn wants to have a "Fuck Winter" barbeque and we have invited some neighbors over for some summer fare.  Chicken, coleslaw, salad, melon and perhaps a gin and tonic or two.  Just because the weather says it's not spring yet doesn't mean we can't start acting like it's spring.  And I plan to fully enjoy the meal and breathe, breathe, breathe.