honey madeleines

cue the 'toulouse bucket list' and subsequent emotional breakdown...

i have approximately 5 days - ahhhh! - left to explore and traipse around this perfect city (to be fair, i leave one week from tomorrow but will spend two days in paris this weekend). one thing i promised myself i'd master while in france was the art of pastry-making. from eclairs to tartes to croissants and beyond, it's no secret the french know what's up when it comes to treats.

while i have in no way, shape, or form mastered any french desserts at all, i did make a valiant attempt at creating these tea time favorites - madeleine cookies.

after a bit of researching, i settled on a recipe from eatsavvy. as this was my first venture into madeleine-land, i decided to forego my own "interpretation" this time and stick to the program.

voilà!

crockpot applesauce

this is literally the simplest and most delicious "recipe" - if you can even call it that - i've concocted thus far. 4 ingredients and 4 hours later - bam! 

no further explanation needed.

quinoa "meatballs" + andy's easy marinara

forgive me, my devoted readers (all five of you...) for leaving you recipe-less for an entire weekend. last week's "i love you" day holiday and weekend visitors to toulouse left little time for extra curricular activities such as this.

today, andy had the afternoon and evening off - hooray! - so we took full advantage of his freedom by doing plenty of running around and errand-accomplishing. ending our outing with a quick trip to caliceo - aka thermal bath heaven - we found ourselves back at home and seriously hungry.

enter: quinoa "meatballs"

these meat-free bad boys are super easy (disclaimer: must be willing to get your hands dirty), absolutely delicious, and the perfect addition to a plate of whole wheat pasta covered in marinara. i think i'd like to try serving these little guys over some spaghetti squash but perhaps that's a challenge to take on stateside...

spinach, leek + onion tart

if you follow me on instagram, you already know about my love affair with leeks. i continue to be surprised by the fact that until this year, i had no idea what a leek was or what it tasted like, let alone how to cook it.

considering that leeks seem to be a staple in the european diet, as evidenced by the cartons upon cartons of them for sale at the farmers market and/or grocery store, i've decided to fully embrace them as a staple in my diet as well.

after pinning a ridiculous number of tarts to my "culinarium" board, i decided i must attempt to make one. not one for loving pre made crusts (or pre made anything, for that matter), i knew if i was to tackle this tart concept, i'd have to make the crust myself. so i did. and then i filled it with a whole bunch of deliciously wonderful vegetables. the result was perfection and has become a favorite in the hein house at lunch time.

quinoa with sun-dried tomato, feta + basil

after a morning of martin- and self-inflicted butt kick at the gym and a "we must have been crazy to come here on a monday" grocery shopping trip to auchan, andy and i were both on the verge of a serious hangry meltdown by the time the clock struck noon.

we'd had a bag of fresh sun-dried tomatoes from the marche for a hot minute and were eager to put them to use. after some serious brainstorming and a bit of pinspiration, this little beauty came to life.

it's definitely not complicated and it might not look like much, but trust me, it rocked. this dish was hearty enough to ease my hunger pangs and properly fill me up without sitting too heavy. andy, on the other hand, had a bowl of last night's broccoli soup and a piece of cornbread to complete his meal.

pumpkin pie granola

the guys were away this past weekend and had to bus to chaumont, france, which is basically the opposite corner of the country. with a 10+ hour road trip looming and many unfortunately planned "dinner and snack stops" at gas stations along the way, i decided to prepare a handful of healthy-ish snacks ahead of time for andy.

because pumpkin is still very much in season at the farmer's market, and we had a fresh batch of puree in the refrigerator, i knew something pumpkin-inspired was in store. the recipe was super simple and produced a very tasty alternative to the pre-made, mayonnaise-based salads otherwise available for consumption on road trips such as these.

is this granola diet-friendly? no. low in sugar? definitely not. but it is homemade and i know exactly what went into it. it's preservative-free, didn't come in a plastic bag, and is as "clean" as possible. all wins in my opinion.

pea, leek + zucchini risotto

ever the optimist, i took the few warm days we had last week (65 degrees, people!) as a sign that spring was on it's way. now, i'm no weather woman but the power of positive thinking can do wonders for your heart and soul.

in fact, i'm currently choosing to ignore the dark grey, rain-filled clouds that have settled heavily over our sleepy neighborhood, replacing the once beautifully blue skies. clearly, i'm hoping this dramatic weather change is only temporary. i mean, if Punxsutawney Phil predicted that warmer and sunnier times are to come, it must be true...

in an effort to add a little food-related sunshine to our little home, i whipped up a spring-y risotto dish chalked full of yummy, green veggies.

white soybean hummus

one of my absolute favorite snacks is veggies and hummus, and trust me when i say i don't discriminate on flavor. roasted red pepper. garlic. sun-dried tomato. considering the fact that the nearest trader joe's is some thousand-plus miles away, andy and i figured we best be learning how to make our own.

after researching ingredients and recipes of every kind - chick pea, black bean, the list goes on - i decided to embark on this inaugural hummus-making adventure using white soybeans.

i was pleasantly surprised at how simple and delicious this hummus was. safe to say i will definitely be making it again. and again. and again.

roasted tomato basil soup with mozzarella grilled cheese

the cold has arrived in toulouse and with a vengeance. we spent a majority of the fall and early winter enjoying lukewarm, no jacket necessary temperatures. but almost precisely once the clock struck midnight on december 31st, there has been an ever-present chill in the air.

taking full advantage of this change in weather, i've decided to jump on the comfort food train and grace our table and bellies with a classic - tomato soup and grilled cheese.

though similar in execution, this meal was a far cry from the combo of my childhood - campbell's tomato soup from a can and melty, velveeta grilled cheese. i'm proud to admit my tastebuds have matured and now crave more nutritious, less preservative-filled fare.