Quick + Clean Improv Dinner Ideas #2

Creation is a game of fluke. Sometimes things just happen. And thinking about how narrowly that thing came to never existing sends you reeling through one of those uncomfortable realisations of how much of our lives orbit around chance. This Earth and its every inhabitant being one example.

Now, I'm not putting my dinner on a pedestal beside the Big Bang. It was good, yes, but probably not the start of something massive. 

Carrying on the in the same vein as usual when I come up with ideas for meals, this was another case of adding whatever was lying around + something you can feel a craving bubble up inside you for.

The result was whatever the hell you yourself would call this.

Now, I've never really been a Taylor Swift fan. I wasn't that into her music and I just didn't really care about her in general. Now, all of a sudden, every fibre of my being is screaming for 1989. It's like Taylor just swooped down and took the whole world with her. 

You may be wondering what could this possibly have to do with food? Well, much like this newfound appetite for Taylor Swift, I've been thirsting for tomatoes when I was never that fond of them before.

Seriously. I've even been eating salsa.

So I added a tin of chopped tomatoes to whatever my brain would conjure up for dinner. Didn't know what it would be, what it would compliment, but it was going in.

It was shortly followed in the saucepan by quinoa, a scallion, a clove of garlic, kidney bean. Served it up with some falafels I left -and admittedly almost forgot about- in the oven, as well as a very generous serving of hummus because I'm only human.

It looks like bolognese and meatballs. Only vegan and, if I remember the last bolognese I ate over six years ago correct, not as unsatisfactorily filling.

And it sure did fill in that little pothole of a craving I was having, while tasting very good I thought it'd be only fair to share.

And I purposely left this abomination of a photo til the end (in the hope that no one will read this far and pay too much attention to it)

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Sian

RECIPE: Sweet Potato and Cinnamon Oatmeal

Sweet potato, cinnamon; two foods reminiscent of autumn, particularly in America. And how could you not conjure up images of grounds littered with a patchwork of brilliantly coloured leaves, pumpkins taking the starring role in your local supermarkets, and of course, the chill in the weather.

 Sweet potatoes and cinnamon fit right into this season, what with their colour (vibrant amber and burnt orange) and their heart-warming tastes. They're comforting to the soul, especially on those chillier days.
So why, oh why, am I gushing about autumn at the end of May?! And even more importantly, why am I offering a fall-esque recipe when the weather is insinuating that its finally ready to dish out some much-needed warmth?

Well, I have somehow managed to develop a cold despite the time of the year and my sufficient intake of vitamin C. I believe Karma is behind this, punishing me for my skepticism of the aul common cold's legitimacy as an illness; I always saw the cold as a nuisance, rather than an illness. However, now I'm rightfully suffering at the hands of Karma, and was in dire need of something warm, comforting, and clean.
I had originally planned to make sweet potato pancakes but upon realising that we had no eggs (I should really check these things, beforehand), I decided to settle with the ol' reliable: oatmeal.

INGREDIENTS:

• One small-ish (that is a legit measurement) sweet potato.
• Oats - use as little or as much as you'd like.
• Cinnamon.
• Organic vanilla extract.
• Optional: a dash of almond milk.

DIRECTIONS:

• Prepare your sweet potato as you would, normally; I put mine in the microwave for 3 minutes, then wrap in tinfoil and put in the oven for 20 mins @ 180 degrees celsius.
• Peel the skins off the sweet potato (and eat them to sustain you while you prepare the rest) and mash.
• Simultaneously prepare your oats as you normally would; I merely add water to mine.
• Combine the sweet potato, oats, organic vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Mix until thoroughly blended; if your sweet potato is cooked well, this will be surprisingly easy.
• Add a dash of almond milk if the mixture is a little dry.
• Microwave and voila!

For an improvised recipe, it tastes bloody good, and almost makes me forget about my Rudolph-esque nose and blocked sinuses.

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Sian