lonely lunch: agavemustard & a dessert smoothie

Hans left bright and early this morning for New Orleans. That's quite a haul from Georgia and he's going to be gone for five days. It's day one and I already miss him. Silly! He's off to some science convention to present the research he's been doing. He's such a fancy pants, and I love it. Eating without him is lonely business (we're obsessed with food), but I'm trying not to miss him too much and instead eat to my heart's content like always.

So today I threw together almost every random scrap of food we had in the refrigerator, and I was impressed with my results.


I have always been a honey mustard lover. But, I also love bees, so now I choose to refrain from eating honey. I've switched to agave nectar when I need that sweet, syrupy fix (and even to replace sugar, the stuff's a miracle). Today it dawned on me that I could probably make something very like honey mustard if I used agave nectar, and this recipe was born.


I don't like to rely on mock-meats very often, but when I do Gardein is my jam. It's the tastiest stuff out there. So I had a few of these beefless tips (hate that name!) left over from quesadillas a few nights ago, and I decided they would taste great with an agave mustard glaze.

So! Do it up like this:
Mix equal parts agave and mustard (I prefer raw agave and organic mustard, but use what you will).
Fry up Gardein tips in a pan with some oil, and when they are almost-almost done, pour the agave mustard glaze over them to finish them up (but save some glaze for dipping!)
And you're done!

And in my household, no meal is complete without a smoothie, so I whipped this one up, inspired by the tasty treat I had at The Loving Hut last night (Hans took me out for dinner before he left for his trip. My boy is a sweetheart♥)

For this one I prefer to use peanut butter without any nasty hydrogenated oils in it, and of course vegan chocolate chips. I also added a hint of agave nectar for sweetness but I think it may have been unnecessary. Now, Hans swears chocolate chips are pointless in a smoothie but I can totally taste them and I don't know what he's talking about. But if you want to take the healthier route, nix the chocolate chips and feel good about this protein-rich and tasty treat.


I heated up some frozen veggies and stirred some Earth Balance and pepper in with them and called this meal complete. This was delicious friends. I highly recommend you try it out.