I recently found myself in possession of a $50 Amazon gift card. By “found myself in possession of,” I mean that Amazon gave it to me because I signed up for an Amazon Rewards Visa card. I did not really sign up for this card by choice – I was perfectly happy with my one credit card – but I needed two more forms of credit to raise my credit rating so that my mom can get removed as a co-signer on my student loans. Really logical, right? I need to potentially put myself in more debt to prove to the loan agency that I can pay off my large amount of existing debt. Yeahhh. I try not to think about it too much because it makes me more than a little angry.

Anyway, the upshot is that I signed up for the credit card (which I will use sparingly, pay off in full every month, and most likely close when Mom’s off my loans) and got a gift card. I spent it on a couple non-necessity items as a treat to myself, including two new cookbooks! One of them is Lindsay Nixon’s Everyday Happy Herbivore: Over 175 Quick-and-Easy Fat-Free and Low-Fat Vegan Recipes. I’m a big fan of her original cookbook, and so far this one is equally impressive. Lindsay promises that the recipes in EHH are quick and easy, so quick that you can get them on the table in 30 minutes or less. While I do enjoy labor-intensive and time-consuming recipes, I also appreciate easier ones for days when I’m hungry and don’t feel up to spending hours toiling in the kitchen.

Last night, for example, I got back from the gym and was not in the mood to spend much time cooking. So I whipped up a Grilled Cheeze sandwich (featuring an oozy, tasty, cheezy sauce) and had Natala’s Chocolate-Cherry Shake for dessert.

Rich & creamy.

Sorry that the photo isn’t great; it was cold outside and the light was fading fast. But the shake was delicious! I kind of failed to measure my ingredients and just eyeballed them, and I think I skimped on the cherries just a bit. Next time I won’t do that.

So far, I’ve also tried the Veggie Biscuit Potpie (so easy and really yummy!) and the Chickpea Tenders (meh – the texture wasn’t great). What else should I try? (Psst – you can check out the table of contents here, if you don’t own the book.)

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