Leftovers and quinoa coffee cake

I've been so excited about cooking, with so many ideas running through my head, that the refrigerator is now full to the brim with leftovers. Last night we needed a quick meal before heading off to a meeting, so I took advantage of the ready-made food. We finished off the last of the tomato bisque from Tal Ronen's The Conscious Cook and I made grilled cheese with FYH cheddar, Papa G's BBQ tofu, and spinach. I used the end of the "new French bread" from the previous night-- sliced like a sub roll for maximum filling surface area-- for Erik's sandwich.

The seminar let out early and I still had lots of cooking energy. Since quinoa has been such a success for us, I decided to try the quinoa coffee cake in The Gluten Free Vegan. I had my eye on the recipe when I made quinoa Yumm bowls the other night, but as soon as I read the recipe (trying to do more of that before I start into it!) I saw that it's quinoa flour, not the whole grain. Luckily I am fully stocked on flours.

The recipe was straightforward with minimal steps and quite healthy with quinoa, applesauce, and agave instead of sugar. Except for the topping, which uses brown sugar. I subbed in oats for the nuts, as I love their texture in coffee cake. I also added allspice and freshly grated nutmeg-- always when it's just cinnamon called for.

It was difficult to go to bed without tasting the results, the warm smell of cinnamon wafting up the stairs to taunt us in bed. I even woke up with hunger pangs around 4am. Luckily, the excitement of waking to fresh coffee cake made the morning more welcome, and it was worth the wait. The cake is moist, springy and absolutely delicious. I can't wait to try more recipes from the book.