When Life Hands You Lemons...

... make sure they're actually lemons so you don't actually make lemonade with lemon squash. Today my coworker gave me seeds that were left by a customer. Apparently there are squash that look just like lemon (but still taste like a summer squash). There are so many things I enjoy about working for Worm's Way and being surrounded by people maybe even nerdier than me is one of them. Plus when there's no one coming to the store, I still get paid and I have time to do research for cosplay and sewing.
It's interesting when Sundays come for me because they feel so much like Fridays yet still note quite. I will be doing the gym classes again this week, bringing my ear buds so I can still enjoyably work out if a class is canceled. I look forward to it. With the scheduled classes it's easy to go and then be done (I don't have to trudge to the gym then wonder what I'm going to do; instead I ride my bike swiftly!).
I was wondering if anyone would be interested in me posting about gardening (Indoors and/or outdoors)?
Let me know.

I hope everyone had a nice weekend.

Attack of the [Vegan] Hispanic Recipe!

Hello!
sorry I haven't been posting as much lately. School is becoming even more demanding and I'm working on getting a workout in every day-- alternating between strength training and cardio. I'm proud to say I'm doing good with my morning yoga; Now I have to work on making strength/cardio alternation a habit as well... and somehow keep up with my school work and sleep. Somehow.

I have a super tight budget this semester so my nutrition is going to come mainly from produce. Sometimes you just have to get creative and throw things together to have a different dish. Here's one I didn't think would turn out so great but ended up amazing! I've already made a few adjustments to make it just right.

This veggie-loaded recipe is packed with the potent spice of Sazon. [Sazon is a spice you get in the spanish foods isle at the grocery store. It comes in an orange box and you want the one with the light-orange top half, NOT the yellow]. With the large amount of squash, this dish does, indeed, have a distinct squash flavor but it does not over-power the sweetness of the carrots nor the robustness of the Sazon. Enjoy it on top of some brown rice and you can actually call yourself Happily Vegan.

(Note: There are no peas in the pictures because it was an adjustment I made after I took them. It really adds a nicer body to the dish)

Ingredients:
6 small yellow squash, halved then cut into 1/2 inch slices.
6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
2 large handfuls of cauliflower, pieces no bigger than 1 inch
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 bag of frozen peas
cayenne pepper
1 packet sazon y achote
black pepper
olive oil

Directions:
1. Be sure to wash your veggies before working with them. With the carrot you may be peeling it but it's good to rinse it off to get any remaining dirt off.
2. Coat the bottom of a large pot with a generous amount of olive oil. Heat the pot on medium-high.
3. Once the pot is heated, add in your onions and carrots. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep an eye on it and adjust the heat accordingly.
4. Add in the bell peppers and cauliflower and let cook for 2 minutes. Add in more olive oil if desired.
5. Last, add in the squash, garlic, and frozen peas. Stir it up, add in an entire packet of the sazon, about five shakes of black pepper, about three dashes of cayenne, and stir again. Add in about 1 1/2 cups of water and stir once more.
6. Once it comes to a boil, cover it. Cook for six minutes on medium heat.


Let me know what you think.