Simplicity at its Finest

I love the farmer’s market. We picked up enough produce to sink a ship (aka, the usual 🙂 ), and got some beautiful heirloom tomatoes! I’ll put up a picture tomorrow, they are so photogenic. They sold them in a variety pint, so we have lots of fun shapes and patterns to choose from. I can hardly bring myself to eat them! I wonder if I could do that thing where they freeze people and keep them forever, but with heirlooms…? Wait, stop, that’s totally weird and creepy. Rewind!

After the farmer’s market, I went to the gym and logged in 2 miles on the tread, 30 minutes on the elliptical, then stretching, abs, and arm weights. I love running 🙂 Training for the 5K is going a bit slowly BUT I WILL NOT GIVE UP! That race ain’t got nothing on this girl.

And, of course, my after-workout snack was a yummy-ummy PB & J Larabar. I honestly think Larabars came from the work of a genius, or someone who was awfully hungry and messed up on a recipe, ending up with a sticky, delicious mess. Oh, how I love my Larabars. I always keep Apple Pie, Pecan Pie, and Peanut Butter and Jelly in my house. Don’t waste your money on Clif bars; always go for the raw energy bars! They almost always have 3-5 ingredients that are totally organic and unrefined. Nothing better than that.

Once I got home, I whipped up a ton of hummus. Probably enough to last a week or more. Did I mention I love hummus?

My quick recipe:

Hummus

(Adapted from 1000 Vegan Recipes by Robin Robertson)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked chickpeas, or 2 (15.5-oz.) cans
• 6-8 garlic cloves, minced (I roll with eight)
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/3 cup water (may or may not be necessary)
• 4 tbsp. lemon juice (I like more)
• 4 tbsp. EVOO

Directions:

1. Put everything in a food processor and puree until smooth. Enjoy! 🙂

So, why did I need to make so much hummus? I’ll tell you. Tonight we had 2 giant eggplants sitting, beckoning for me to cook them, so we made an almost-raw, super simple lasagna. But be warned, this is totally untraditional and can barely be called lasagna, but it was SO good!

My dinner:

Kale salad with avocado, leftover millet salad with cooked mushrooms, leftover roasted green beans, and the eggplant lasagna 🙂

For dessert, we had the Ooey Gooey Brownie Muffies from last night, nuked in the microwave for about 1 minute for ultimate gooeyness. They were so perfect and melty, and of course we had to have some vanilla nice cream with them. Mmm 🙂

But first, dinner!

Eggplant Hummus Lasagna

(Adapted from Opera Singer in the Kitchen’s Vegetable Lasagna)

Makes a casserole-dish sized lasagna

Ingredients:

• 2 eggplants
• 1 cup hummus

Directions:

1. Slice each eggplant lengthwise into about 1/2-inch thick slices. Rub both sides of each with sea salt and let sit in a colander for about 30 minutes.
2. Rinse slices and pat dry, then rub both sides of each with some olive oil.
3. Grill slices until softened (grill pans and indoor grills work just as well), flipping after checking the underside and seeing grill marks.
4. Arrange one layer of grilled eggplant on the bottom of the pan, then coat with the cup of hummus, spreading evenly. Lay the rest of the slices in another layer on top, then serve warm or cold.
5. So simple but so yummy! Enjoy 🙂

Did I mention that we don’t have a grill? Well, not a real one anyways. The only one we have is an electric indoor one that’s completely old school, but I love it!

Kickin' it old school

Assembly: not so pretty, but so yummy 🙂

Question of the Day: What’s your favorite simple recipe?

I’m excited to hear your responses 🙂 One of mine definitely has to be almond butter and apple spread on Ezekiel bread. So quick, easy, yummy, and healthy! Whole grains, nuts, and fruit with no added sugar. Holla at that!

Time for me to go to sleep! I am so tired from my busy busy day today, and tomorrow I get to go to church and really unwind. It’s like yoga without a mat! Stretching out my spiritual muscles.

I’ve been working on a post about disordered eating, guilt, and other weight- and health-related matters, so keep an eye out for that 🙂

Also, one of my favorite bloggers, Chocolate Covered Katie, is having a recipe book giveaway, so this is me linking back to her blog and telling you to go check it out! Her posts are always so fun and always make my day a little more spectacular. Check her out!

Goodnight lovlies 🙂

xoxox,

Katelyn