Is it weird to like everything orderly? I mean, like, in it’s place, all the time?

Because pillows should sit upright on the couch, right?

And magazines should be stacked in neat little piles on your bedside table?

Books should be on the shelf in a color-coded fashion, don’t you agree?

Or am I crazy?

Because I really love when my pillows are upright, my magazines stack in neat piles and my books are organized by color. I like my desk clear of miscellaneous things. I like my browser tabs in order so I can easily click to other sites. I prefer my shoes organized by type. Because, honestly, life is so much easier when all of my flats are in the same area, my heels are having a party on the top shelf and my boots are nestled warmly in the back of my closet.

I feel better about these things when they are in order. If they could talk to me, I’m pretty sure they’d say “Lindsey, you’ve really got us in a sweet spot. Thanks for going all Martha on us.”

And I’d be like “You’re welcome things. Glad I could own you.”

Right?

So these Southwestern Quinoa patties are kind of orderly. They form neat little round cakes. They cook evenly in three rows of four on my baking sheet. They retain their shape and stack perfectly in containers destined for the fridge and freezer.

These quinoa patties like me. I like them back.

Recipe after the perfectly horizontal jump…. Continue reading →

I like to juggle a lot of balls. Not real balls, silly. Hyperbole balls. Imaginary balls of To Do List / Must Remember This / Don’t Forget This kind of balls. Balls that swell and shrink in size depending on their level of to-do-ness.

Yesterday might as well have been a circus with how many balls were flying around my kitchen.

Tomato sauce canning (we’ll call that a red ball). Vegetable stock making (yellow ball?). Meatless meatballs (brown balls, literally). From-scratch hamburger buns (beige balls, for sure).

Three of these balls combined to make some very lovely Meatless Meatball Subs, perfect for your Meatless Monday. Because you partake in that, right? Oprah really got to you and you can’t go back? I thought so.

Don’t want to juggle a lot of balls? I don’t blame you. Buy the buns at the store (though try to get nice, doughy ones from a good bakery). Pop open a jar of marinara sauce. But don’t skimp on the meatballs. Make these yourself. Because you can adjust the seasoning any way you like and really have at it.

Recipes after the jump…

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First thought that comes into your mind: Butter Cookies with almonds. Oh, how I’ve fooled you! These are not butter cookies at all, they’re Almond Butter cookies. No butter! Vegan! Sweeeet.

And I feel extra special because I made the almond butter for the Almond Butter Cookies. I should get a gold star. Well, maybe. It’s not like Almond Butter is hard. It’s really more sticky. Easy yes. Hard no. Here’s how we do: toast some almonds (a giant cast iron skillet, medium flame, stir every 30 seconds or so until you smell toasty almonds, remove). Put into food processor. Blend on high until almonds basically liquefy. Or butter-fy. Let’s call it what it really is. I drizzled in a tablespoon of canola oil as it blended to speed it along. And a dash of salt. Mmmm. Salty Almond Butter.

Now the Almond Butter lives in my peanut butter jar. Because all the peanut butter was gone. By no fault of my own. I blame Daniel. And the Kitchen Gods. It wasn’t me! Promise.

These cookies are super easy and can be made in exactly one bowl. We like one bowl. In this case, my Kitchenaid mixer bowl. Double sweeeet.

Did I mention these cookies are vegan? And delicious? And really, really easy to make? Oh, and I served them with raw cow milk from the farmer’s market. Which made them triple sweeeet. Cuz it’s a whole lotta raw on raw action. Raw almonds. Raw milk. That’s pretty raw, dude.

Recipe after the jump.

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