Meet my new best food friends [BFFs]

First my blogiversary reflections on Monday, then continuing the birthday shenanigans with cake bread pudding and a gifts yesterday and now another double [foodie] party. Celebrating three days in a row?! I can’t say I ever did that before but it feels pretty good. Especially when there’s lots of good food involved. I’ll admit I’m a little bugged to notice it’s the last time we can use Jenn’s adorable Halloween-themed What I ate Wednesday logo and I completely forgot to create any spooky snacks. Sorry, Jenn, I promise I’ll try harder next time. Just like last week I’ll also join Vegan Wednesday again. Make sure to hop over to both Jenn’s and Regina’s link-ups for even more foodie inspiration.

Some cravings make perfect sense. It’s freezing outside, raining cats and dogs and all I want it a bowl of chili. I think all of us have that one go-to chili recipe that they know by heart and whip up whenever the temperatures drop to a chill. Mine is a Bulgur Chili coming from a cooking magazine and has been in my rotation for years. Only guess what I didn’t have on hand when last Thursday turned out to be nasty and practically scream for chili? Bulgur. And time or patience to wait for grains to cook. Luckily Michelle must have sensed this because she posted her recipe just that day. Problem solved.

You know me and my ways, though, so I obviously subbed around a bit and was pleasantly surprised by how close to my favourite recipe this got.

Some of my cravings are not only strange but completely unseasonal. Ice cream in Fall when it’s no more than 54 degree outside? Well, I told you yesterday I wasn’t a cake but an ice cream girl and as long as I can pull on a sweater while eating it I won’t give up on my favourite treat. The bowl below was a homemade healthified version of Cookie Dough ice cream.

However maybe my cravings had quite a simple background … Maybe they just have to do with one of my new BFFs [best food friends]? Or better yet the urge to put one of them to the best use …

Do you remember me asking for food processor recommendations and mentioning I’d been eyeing the Vitamix for ages [and we’re really talking years here]? Well, shortly after that post I remembered I’d seen other German bloggers receiving a Vitamix on lend to test it and dared to give it a try, too. I’ll admit I didn’t hope for much figuring there might be a too high request. Maybe it was blogiversary luck 😉 but I got a reply only few hours later and the very next day a Vitamix was on its way to me.

I promise I will try not to gush too much about the Vitamix during the next five more weeks he’ll be my guest. But just to explain my slight, no, okay, incredible excitement about it let me tell you that I’ve never worked with anything more than more or less mediocre handheld blenders all throughout my life so far. Just a funny story here: when I first started reading blogs and recipes directions mentioned the use of ‘food processors’ for blending I had no idea what bloggers meant and kept using my handheld blender. Because what else would people use for blending, right ;)?! That is, until I saw a picture of one of those mysterious processors on a blog. Yet I had still to happen upon either a food processor let alone a Vitamix in any of my relatives or friends’ houses. They just aren’t common over here.

[Disclaimer: Perfekte Gesundheit offered to send me the Vitamix for free to review for six weeks. All opinions on the Vitamix are my own and I wasn’t compensated by the shop.]

Looking back at the meals I remembered to take pictures of – because I’ll admit some days I just forgot – there was another best food friend around: cauliflower. Can you tell it was on offer? What can I say: I’m simply trying to budget where I can :). Luckily cauliflower is a versatile ingredient and good vehicle for many dishes like the not-so-pretty but delicious spin on the Kabocha Squash Lentil Curry. It has quickly become one of my favourites though how could anything containing kabocha disappoint? Forgive me for not peeling the squash and the dish resulting in a lovely green/grey-ish colour. Taste beats looks any day. Fact.

Okay, so just a little more Vitamix excitment. I mentioned wanting to make my own nut butters so this was obviously one of the first uses of my new kitchen toy. Coconut butter had been on my grocery list for months but I just couldn’t convince myself to splurge on it. And now? Organic coconut butter for a fraction of the price at the store. That and the amazing flavour? Swoon. Now I just need to find a way to stop myself from eating it straight from the jar … dangerous.

Don’t forget to enter my blogiversary giveaway! Sorry it’s a little confusing to enter the Rafflecopter widget on another page but I hadn’t considered free WordPress pages didn’t support these kinds of plugins.

Happiness inducing today: A girl I recently met on the train [we just started chatting and she happens to be new in town] suggesting to meet up for a coffee later this week.

Happy Wednesday!

Do you plan your meals according to what’s on offer at the store?

What are some of your unseasonal cravings?

Tell me: what are some must-try recipes for the Vitamix? Aside from smoothies [sorry, not a fan]. I’ve been thinking of vegan ‘cheezy’ kale chips [cashew-based cheese], some kind of raw nut-based dessert, …?