the day of good eating.

since we haven't had a food post in awhile, i thought this lovely wednesday would be a good day to share with you some of my favorite new recipes (admittedly, all from culinary inspiration heidi swanson), especially since i had an exceptionally good day of eating yesterday.

picture this, if you will. the sun rises, translucent yellow light streaming through your windows. your alarm goes off. you hit snooze a couple of times until you finally roll out of bed, stretch and decide to make a quick, healthy breakfast. but what do you choose? you're out of your staple, oatmeal. you don't feel like eggs and toast. you need another option...but what?

well, if you're me, you decide to make dr. john lapuma's warm and nutty cinnamon quinoa, which i'd whipped up the weekend before and loved -- this dish is like oatmeal taken up 10 notches. in fact, i actually swapped the blackberries for raspberries this time and the whole thing was still delicious, even with the different flavor. the best part is, the recipe made enough for me to have the rest of the week -- and coupled with a cup of good coffee (lightened up with silk french vanilla soy milk and sweetened with agave nectar, please), it was the perfect start-the-day meal. (note: the quinoa is slightly bitter, so like heidi says, be sure to rinse it well. it'll still have a touch of bitterness even after it's cooked, but the sweetness of the berries, cinnamon and agave nectar offset that taste well.)

then there's lunch. although i wasn't in the mood for eggs in the morning, i decided to make a quick, easy, sunny egg salad for my midday meal. i had no celery to speak of, unfortunately, but i did have a bunch of chives, so i chopped up the amount the recipe calls for, mixed everything together and served it up on two pieces of whole-wheat bread with a glass of iced green tea on the side. light and filling -- and since i didn't overdo the mayonnaise, the flavor of the chives really came through.

and finally, dinner. i made another batch of pea dumplings last week and have been itching to try heidi's big slurp dumpling soup ever since she posted it. i had everything i needed to make it, so i decided to go for it, and i'm so glad i did. the yellow split peas add a nice pop of color and great texture to the soup; the broth is light and full of flavor, thanks to the herby bouillon and the onion; the pea dumplings are incredibly delicious (the lemon zest really shines through); and the toppings -- more chives, a sprinkle of fresh-grated parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil -- bring it all together. this is my new favorite soup, you guys -- second only to giada de laurentiis' creamy artichoke one.

so there you have it -- my day of fabulous food, all courtesy of the divine heidi swanson. tell me, what's the best meal you've had lately?