Apple Pie + Moussaka + Zucchini Brownies = Heaven + Hardcore Workouts

I've been done school for exactly a month now. My last exam was on the 15th of April, and I have been free as a bird since then. Actually, I'm taking a summer course, but it's offered online, so I don't really feel like I'm "in school" at all. As a result of my being "done" school, I now have a whole lot of free time on my hands, but I am one who despises idleness; I need to be occupied. Bless those who can spend an entire day vegging, for maybe that isn't such a bad idea every once in a while; vegging is something I just can't do. So, to pass the time (and to just do what I think needs to be done), I work out every day, and sometimes I bake. During these past couple of weeks, I have tried out a whole bunch of new recipes, some of which have failed miserably--namely, the brownies advertised in VegNews' most recent magazine--and others which have, well, completely rocked and made me look like a culinary goddess--namely the moussaka I made just two days ago. I don't have any proof of how badly the brownies turned out, as the only proof is in the garbage can. My mum and sister said they were "good, just dry"; I thought they were complete crap, and I was especially upset because I was sure that I followed the recipe properly. And I hate throwing things away... but to the garbage they went.
Next: apple pie. I got the recipe from one of my vegan cookbooks, though I don't recall which one. (I'll check back later.) I'd never made a pie that had a crust to go on top of it, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out how easy it is to make. All you need is flour, water, and salt. Booya! (I discovered, thanks to my mummy, that you can [should] add sugar to the mix so that it isn't so bland.) Here it is, along with a photo of a sliced piece. OoOoOoOoOoh!
It was quite good, and of course I depended on my boyfriend eating most of it when he came back from a road trip to B.C. And of course he was enraged when I told him that, while he was away, I baked an apple pie; he was frightened that he may not get to try it, but I'm too nice of a girlfriend to not save him a piece. (Aww.)
Next: MOUSSAKA! I'd like to say that I'm cultured most of the time, but, to my dismay, my sister brought to my attention that I was horribly mispronouncing this word; then, my boyfriend pronounced it another way. What confused me most was that both were right: I pronounced it "mouss-AH-ka", though, for those who consider it a Greek food, it is pronounced "mouss-ah-KA"; for those who consider it a Lebanese food, however, it is "mouss-ah-HAH", with the sound like the "j" in Spanish. You learn something new everyday! Anyway, this recipe I got off of vegcooking.com; it was called Oopa Moussaka (hahaha). I found myself with an excess of zucchini in the fridge, and I did not want it to go to waste (which would explain why I made zucchini brownies.This recipe called for eggplant, though, and I did not have any. So, as this was a recipe that required layering, I used spinach lasagna for the eggplant layer; it turned out to be a pretty genius move, if I might say so myself. Also, I did not peel the potatoes, as they said to, because potato peels are ever so precious. <3
Bonus! Very special boy posing with food... awwwww
What's next... Ahh, yes, the zucchini brownies. The recipe I use--and it's fanfriggintastic--comes from allrecipes.com. I have to say that these brownies are beyond godly when you make them with icing on top (included in the recipe); this time around, however, I made them sans frosting, simply because they are very moist and beautiful on their own, and also because I wanted to reduce the calorie content of the brownie. I noticed also that since I didn't stir the batter well enough, the brownies came out a little crumbly on top, so I just shook off the crumbs and ate the rest of the brownies. Finally, I omitted the walnuts: I hate walnuts in brownies. I don't usually like to add nuts to baked goods because I find that it distracts you from the taste. Beato te, papa--my father loved walnuts in banana bread, so, because of him, I'd make two banana loaves: one with and one without walnuts (and with chocolate chips instead MMMMMMMM). Anyway... Mmmm... I'm giving most of the brownies away, because if I keep these around, I will be rotund by next week. Haha! Evidence time!


Next project: vegan spanakopita. I have been commissioned by my aunt to make it for my cousin's birthday this weekend. (I'm not kidding when I say commissioned: she gave me 25 bucks for ingredients. Sweet!)

Happy Victoria Day weekend, my Canadian friends!

Vegan in Suburbia

(EDIT: Oh man! My sister pointed out to me that there were a bunch of clarity issues [due to poor formatting on my part] and one or two spelling errors. How unlike me! Thanks, Jess, and my apologies.)