I have been really in the mood for cooking lately, which makes me really happy! Also, I have been doing this thing where I plan the meals for the next week and make a grocery list to match, which has been saving me a TON of money, time, and stress for cooking...and that makes cooking all the more fun!! Here's a few dinners from the past week...I have been craving noodles, so we've had them several times! mmmmm. nooooooooodles.
punk-in pasta...with my home-roasted pumpkin, from La Dolce Vegan (with greens added!) and a side of baked apples! the pasta is whole wheat and made LOCALLY! bonus!
mugwort soba noodles with baked tofu, veggies, and a homemade peanut sauce
freaking amaaaazing tempeh reubens!!! ok, it's not noodles, but sauerkraut is noodl-y looking i guess :)
Okay, now on to the chocolate taste test! Our local natural foods market, Clover's, starting carrying this limited edition Chocolove chocolate that is single-origin, fair-trade, and from a 2007 vintage cacao bean crop! I adore chocolate in all ways, so when Steven and I saw that there were four different varieties, he had the genius idea of doing a taste test! We are now well on our way to becoming chocolate connoisseurs!! The four varieties were: 76% cocoa from Tanzania; 72% cocoa from Ecuador; 70% cocoa from the Dominican Republic; and 60% cocoa from Grenada. They were all some of the best chocolates I have ever tasted...perfectly creamy with a good bite, and a wonderful balance of sweetness and bitterness. We did a side-by-side comparison of the four and here were our results (we cleansed our palates in between, of course!)
punk-in pasta...with my home-roasted pumpkin, from La Dolce Vegan (with greens added!) and a side of baked apples! the pasta is whole wheat and made LOCALLY! bonus!mugwort soba noodles with baked tofu, veggies, and a homemade peanut sauce freaking amaaaazing tempeh reubens!!! ok, it's not noodles, but sauerkraut is noodl-y looking i guess :)Okay, now on to the chocolate taste test! Our local natural foods market, Clover's, starting carrying this limited edition Chocolove chocolate that is single-origin, fair-trade, and from a 2007 vintage cacao bean crop! I adore chocolate in all ways, so when Steven and I saw that there were four different varieties, he had the genius idea of doing a taste test! We are now well on our way to becoming chocolate connoisseurs!! The four varieties were: 76% cocoa from Tanzania; 72% cocoa from Ecuador; 70% cocoa from the Dominican Republic; and 60% cocoa from Grenada. They were all some of the best chocolates I have ever tasted...perfectly creamy with a good bite, and a wonderful balance of sweetness and bitterness. We did a side-by-side comparison of the four and here were our results (we cleansed our palates in between, of course!)
(Steve took this picture! how cute :) )
Steven's Picks:
1. Grenada 60%
1. Grenada 60%
2. Tanzania 76%
3. Dominican Republic 70%
4. Ecuador 72%
My Picks:
1. Tanzania 76%
2. Grenada 60%
3. Ecuador 72%
4. Dominican Republic 70%
You should give these wonderful chocolates a try...even if you don't do a taste test! Or try doing a taste test with a different favorite food...it is a ton of fun!!!!
2 comments:
Your pumpkin pasta looks so flippin' good Laura. OK, who am I kidding, it ALL looks wonderful. Any leftovers? I'd be happy to take them off your hands.
Oooooh, chocolate taste tests. That sounds absolutely perfect to me, I could spend many 'o day testing chocolate. :-)
Have you tried the locally roasted and produced chocolate Patric? They sell it at The Root Cellar. It is pricey, but it is some of the best dark chocolate I've ever tasted, floral and citrus notes, oh man, I drool just thinking about it, I think I'm going to pick up another bar when I'm there this afternoon!
All your food looks so good! But the reuben especially. One of my all time faves!
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