veggiessima

Clean the fridge dinner

September 29, 2020

I'm such a fan of simple!

Simple is so satisfying.

But there's not much talk about simple. Because simple is often seen as boring and unappealing.

Yet if we take a close look at simple, we can see that simple colors are special, simple flavors can be delicious and simple combinations are life savers. Who doesn't love a super easy, super simple to prepare meal that tastes good?

Clean the fridge meals are like that. Simple. And most times come out surprisingly delicious.

We had a clean the fridge dinner this evening.

I had roasted sweet potatoes and cooked beans in the fridge.

Also had sweet corn, sweet pepper and Swiss Chard. Decided to combine them all.

First I sautéed the corn, pepper and Swiss Chard in a non stick pan without any oil, with a sprinkle of salt and 1/8 tsp of garlic powder. I thought of chopping some onion and mincing some fresh garlic, but this was one of those lazy nights where I wanted minimal effort!

Once the chard wilted, I added the cooked beans and potato to the pan. I ended up also adding 1/8 tsp of red pepper flakes.

Mixed everything, cooked for a few more minutes and served with a sprinkle of almond parmesan that I also had in the fridge.

This is was so good and so satisfying!

https://cinnamon.video/watch?v=418980805734303308

Cintia

#ChallengesByCin #JustTheTwoOfUs making brownies view

September 27, 2020

Hike the Adirondacks! – Part II

September 25, 2020

When New York is mentioned, many people think of New York City and the image that comes to mind is of a hectic busy city. That's quite the opposite of the pace at The Adirondack Park.

Many people don't know that the Adirondacks is the largest park in the United States containing approximately 6 million acres. It's greater in size than Yellowstone, Everglades, Glacier, and Grand Canyon National Park combined.

We just spent a few days there to celebrate my husband's birthday. This time we rented this super cute A-frame located in the woods, it was such a lovely experience! There were no city noises, just Nature, absolutely relaxing.

We were so lucky with the weather, we had a series of beautiful sunny days with cool temperatures. The leaves were starting to turn and even though it wasn't the peak of Fall yet, we got to see some incredible colorful views during the days we spent there.

There is so much to explore in the Adirondacks! I talked a bit about the 46 high peaks here when we hiked our first and only high peak. This time we thought about trying our second one, but after doing some research, I found some videos and information about Indian Head and once I saw some pictures from there I knew I had to do that one because the pictures looked incredible.

When I was doing my research, I was grateful for finding some footage from other hikers that gave me great perspective on what to expect from the hikes so I decided to break this article into a more abridged version for people interested in just a quick overview about the hikes and some beautiful scenery, and a few detailed articles with more information for those actually interested in doing the hikes or for those that are really into hikes and would like to see more than just an overview.

Our plan for this weekend was to do Rooster Comb Trail on the first day, Indian Head and Rainbow Falls on the second, and possibly Giant (a high peak) on the third day, but after the second day we were incredibly sore and realized that attempting Giant wouldn't be best, so opted for doing Mount Van Hoevenberg, which we had done in the past, it's shorter and much easier than Giant.

We absolutely loved all 3 hikes, but Indian Head was indeed special, possibly one of the most breathtaking views from the top of a mountain we've seen.

This is a video with snippets from all 3 hikes:

https://cinnamon.video/watch?v=416184079285749532

Here you can can see some pictures from all 3 hikes:

Hiking the Adirondacks

Check this article if you're interested in Rooster Comb Trail.

Check this article if you're interested in Indian Head and Rainbow Falls.

Check this article if you're interested in Mount Van Hoevenberg.

Some food we ate during this time away:

Breakfast: rolled oats, unsweetened cashew yogurt, banana, blueberries and almond butter.

Another variation with cherries instead of blueberries.

Lots of water!

Snacks for the hikes.

I always bring some dates to the trails. They are wholesome, small and give a wonderful energy boost.

We made sandwiches with peanut butter and homemade sweet potato-chocolate spread, it was so delicious!

Check this article if you're interested in learning how to make the sweet potato chocolate spread.

Example of dinner post hike: vegan lasagna made with lentils and cashew cream, roasted potatoes, chipotle butternut squash sauce and kale salad.

Cintia

Mount Van Hoevenberg

September 25, 2020

Mt. Van Hoevenberg is a 4.3 mile out & back trail with an elevation gain of 892 feet located near Lake Placid, NY. Even though this trail is rated moderate, it's a very accessible trail and it's also very well maintained.

One of the nice things about Mt. Van Hoevenberg is that the view is above tree line but it's not too far from the trees allowing for a very spectacular view. Hiking a high peak is great and the views are pretty amazing, but there is something to be said about being not too far up from tree line.

We did Mt. Van Hoevenberg after doing Rooster Comb and Indian Head, so this was our third day hiking and we wanted something with a nice view but not too long because we were tired. It was a perfect choice, Mt. Van Hoevenberg is a lovely place to be.

Check this video for more views and for a detailed footage showing what to expect from this lovely trail:

https://cinnamon.video/watch?v=416000741023417924

Indian Head and Rainbow Falls

September 25, 2020

Indian Head and Rainbow Falls is a trail loop located near Keene, NY and is rated moderate. The length of the loop is around 11 miles but may vary depending on some choices you make. Despite the long length, this is a must do if you're in the Adirondack area! This was possibly one of the most breathtaking views we've seen from the top of a mountain, it's incredibly beautiful.

The parking lot is not large and has been partially closed since covid-19 started, so despite getting there relatively early, we couldn't get a parking spot at the starting point. We had to park a half mile away on the next parking lot, which added an extra mile to our hike and that extra mile was a walk on the shoulder of a windy road, that part was not fun at all.

The first part of this trail is a dirt road called Lake Road, if you walk from the parking lot to the entrance of this road and then all the way to its end, it's about 4 miles on a steady climb.

There is an option to take the side trails instead of staying on this road, we ended up opting for staying on the road due to the time it would take to do the whole loop. Some people find the dirt road boring and prefer to do the side trails instead.

Despite being long, the dirt road has some beautiful spots along the way, but on the way back it feels like it's never going to end, the sole of our feet really hurt at the last miles, I strongly suggest you practice time on your feet before during this trail, it's really long.

Once we got to the end of the dirt road, we headed over to Rainbow Falls. My jaw dropped when I started to cross the bridge over a dam on the way to the falls.

From there, we can view the mountain that named this place Indian Head, at the top part you can see what resembles a profile of an Indian.

Here's a closer look:

Rainbow Falls is not far from the dam, but there are lots of rocks on the way there that may be slippery if the weather has been rainy, we got an excellent dry day and it wasn't hard to get to the falls.

From the Falls we took the trail to Indian Head, which is about a mile hike to the summit. This is a view from the beginning of the trail:

The trail is not difficult and since it's only about a mile long, it doesn't require a crazy amount of effort.

It's nicely maintained and well marked.

When we got to the top, we were rewarded with this gift from Nature:

I can't recommend this trail enough, it's really unique.

Check this video for more views and for lots of detailed footage showing what to expect from this must do trail:

https://cinnamon.video/watch?v=416141346869348082

Rooster Comb Trail

September 25, 2020

Rooster Comb is a 5.2 mile out & back trail with an elevation gain of 1,794 feet, located near Keene Valley, NY.

It's a very well marked trail and is rated as moderate.

From the trailhead, we went over a wooden bridge and passed by a small pond.

After that, the trail starts going up steadily, there are no stretches that are really too steep, but rather a continuous climb.

The trail is very beautiful and has some interesting vegetation.

We were sure about the path the entire time, very well marked trail.

There is a side trail to Valley View Ledge and there is a trail to the summit, both are worth checking out.

I always find going back down trickier, I am still learning to trust my boots, they do have an amazing grip and there was no mud or slippery portions this time but I was still very careful.

Poles are not really necessary for this hike but I did appreciate having mine on some spots going down.

And there was pretty much no rock scrambling on this hike, except for short people like me in one spot.

Really beautiful views from the top after earnest but not too unapproachable effort. We started around 9am and were back around 3pm. We really took our time to enjoy the views and took a lunch break at the summit. The parking lot is very small so depending on the day of the week and time of the year, it's important to arrive early.

Check this video for more views and to see what to expect from this beautiful trail:

https://cinnamon.video/watch?v=415357563152893536

Sweet potato chocolate spread

September 25, 2020

I use baked orange sweet potatoes to make many things: veggie burgers, sauces, muffins, puddings... they are a wonderful ingredient.

I've made lots of versions of sweet potato chocolate puddings, it's super easy to make and can be a very wholesome dessert.

This last weekend we went hiking for a few days and I cooked some food to bring with us to avoid having to eat out. I was going to make a batch of sweet potato pudding, but when I was gathering the ingredients, I thought it could be interesting to make it on the thick side and use it as a spread for some sandwiches to bring on the hike. It was a super last minute thing but was a success! We made sandwiches with peanut butter and this spread.

And enjoyed them on the top of the mountain.

The base of the pudding is: sweet potatoes, dates, cocoa or cacao powder and non dairy milk.

Other ingredients can be: vanilla extract, cinnamon, cayenne, peanut butter, maple syrup, hemp seeds and a pinch of salt.

It's fun to experiment and try different combinations.

This time, for a thicker texture, I used the following:

🌿 ½ cup of medjool dates (pitted)

🌿 ½ cup of unsweetened non dairy milk ( I used soy)

🌿 ¼ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder

🌿 2 cups of baked sweet potatoes

🌿 ¼ cup of hemp seeds

🌿 1 tsp of vanilla extract

🌿 1/16 tsp of cayenne

🌿 pinch of salt

✋🏾 Bake the sweet potatoes whole with the skin for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

✋🏾 It's always a good idea to soak the dates so it's easier to blend them. Soak the dates in the milk in the blender jar for at least a half hour.

✋🏾 Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender

✋🏾 Blend until smooth

Note: I had to stop the blender a few times and scrape the sides of the blender jar with a spatula. The pudding is easier to make since there is more liquid. For the pudding I use double the amount of milk.

Cocoa versus cacao: Cacao powder is bitter than cocoa powder, if using cacao, start with half the amount and add more if needed, cacao is stronger than cocoa.

Final note: Have fun experimenting!

Watch this video for a visual of the process:

https://cinnamon.video/watch?v=416104578140866244

Cintia