Nufu and tomato sandwiches

Second weekend of my alcohol, caffeine, gluten, & sugar cleanse. Really do miss the caffeine the most. Planning all sorts of post-cleanse binges (bread sandwiches, Sticky Fingers spree, baking a whole cake, etc.). Last night we finished off the gluten-free bread and tried another new product: nufu. Paired well with tomatoes and a tahini dressing.

African Peanut Soup

Recently returned from a whirlwind trip to Philly. I was worried that the city's excellent bread and brew would suck me in but I did okay. Had a caffeinated tea by accident.

This thick African peanut soup filled me up before and after the journey. It is rich stuff, with peanut butter, brown rice, squash, onions, peppers, tomatoes, and garbanzo beans. And here is an impressive pile of roasted brussels sprouts.

Tempeh and avocado sandwich

Tonight's dinner was tempeh sandwiches on gluten-free bread called "Glutino." The sandwich was loaded with avocado and thick slices of tamari marinated tempeh. The bread kind of fell apart, even though it was toasted. Also had salads. The salad below looks messy but tasted great.

White beans, red quinoa

Tonight we were planning a rice and beans dinner, a good Sunday staple. But the natural food store's bulk section was sold out of long grain brown rice. (I told my mom about it and she said Rachel Ray was to blame, for spreading brown rice to the masses of late.) So we had our first red quinoa, which had a great nutty flavor. And super large salads.

Veggie Soup

Day two of this three-week October cleanse. Doing it to shake up some habits I've developed. So far, so good. Mainly I am jonesing for caffeine, especially at work and bike commuting.

Tonight my boyfriend (the usual cook, who doesn't burn quinoa) made an excellent veggie soup with some farmers' market produce (sweet & white potatoes, yellow squash & zukes, tomatoes), leftover quinoa, broccoli, and baby corn. And I made the huge salad, this time with the addition of white peaches.

Vegan MoFo

Vegan MoFo returns! This will be my second year participating in the vegan food blogging month. I've just started a 21-day health cleanse, ala Kathy Freston. So these will be an interesting first three weeks. Then I hope to bake something crazy on Oct. 22nd that combines alcohol, caffeine, gluten, & sugar.

So here is a first cleanse dinner. It is a big dark, leafy green salad with squash, peppers, tomatoes, and peperoncini. And spicy chili atop quinoa, which I somehow managed to burn (first time for lots of things).

Asparagus and Daiya

These are the two hot items at our apartment.  Local asparagus roasted or grilled.  And the trendy new vegan cheese, Daiya.  We scored the asparagus at our local Farmers' Market.  The Daiya was available at Sticky Fingers.  We've used it to top pizzas, burritos, pastas, and even salads.  I think we overdosed.  But it does melt.