7 true facts + what I've been cookin'

1. I used to love insects when I was little and I kind still do. (Mosquitos and cockroaches not so much!) I find caterpillars to be the most fascinating creatures and the way they grow up to be beautiful butterflies’ will always blow my mind.
2. I don’t favor eating alone. I’m getting better at it considering I’m alone throughout the day (girls gotta eat!), but I used to have such a difficult time eating by myself.  I find food best to be shared through fellowship and laughter. To be perfectly honest, a lot of my fondest memories with my fiancé, friends and family were created during a meal.
3. This kind of embarrassing but the one movie I can watch over and over again is 13 going on 30. I watch it EVERY time it comes on TBS with my mom. It’s a real classic for us!
4. My goal is to make my own stocks (I made an excellent shrimp stock last week!), breads and goat milk yogurts. Eventually.
5. “Chia” is what my fiancé likes to call me… I guess its cause I eat chia seeds every single day; I just cannot live without their absorbent powers and a powerhouse of nutrients! I personally love putting it in my oatmeal; it adds so much volume and gives it a fun texture too.
6. I have this recurring desire to do this cleanse that requires giving up coffee for three weeks… That desire is often stomped on the minute I wake up and smell the robust smell of Café Bustelo coming from the kitchen. The wonderful smell, strong taste and unfathomable warmth are what make it so difficult to give up!
7. After therapy, I start my internship and after my internship I plan on looking for little freelance project/jobs. My goal is to eventually establish my own line of goodies made with natural ingredients, try to focus on food styling/photography and educate myself on different exercises for my new hips.

Now on to the food:

Possibly the most quickest, healthiest and tastiest lunch I've come across... All it is mashed avocado (seasoned with salt + pepper, a dash of raw apple cider vinegar and a squeeze of sriracha) topped with sliced scallions, and on the other side is sardines in olive oil on perfectly toasted wheat bread. Perfection!

I made these gluten-free brownies but substituted the eggs for two "flax eggs" and used coconut oil as opposed to butter. The brownies were...um..flat. I should've known that eggs were the primary leavening agent. So instead of  cutting them into traditional brownie squares, I cut half of them into heart shapes and the other half I rolled them into truffles with some shredded coconut. They were absolutely decadent!

A simple frittata for the special man in my life... I made this one with sweet potatoes and onions, spiced it with cumin and smoked paprika and topped the eggs with goat cheese and collard greens. My dad and Michael approved of its deliciousness immediately!

Last but not least, a German apple cake that was adapted from this vegan baking book. I added slight modifications by using goat butter and added ground cardamom to the spiced apples. This cake was perfect with coffee, I know I say that line a lot.. but this time I am being very serious! It was like apple pie and coffee cake had a baby. If that doesn't excite you, than I don't know what will!

That's all, I have for you all today! Enjoy the rest of your weeks :)

-Jessica