(Almost) Vegan Cinnamon Buns

I start my last semester EVER of college tomorrow - say wha??  On one hand, I'm stoked.  I just want to get this semester over with and be done with school already.  On the other hand, I'm also a bit anxious about this whole graduating and finally-being-an-adult thing.  I mean sure, I won't have anymore annoying papers to write or exams to study for.  But at the same time, I will no longer be able to travel and take vacations/"mental health days" as I please - I'm actually going to have responsibilities and work obligations (which I suppose I'm lucky to even have, considering most recent and soon-to-be grads still have to worry about even getting a job).

Anywho, even though I pretty much have a job for after graduation at a company I love, I'm still going to miss the travels, the escapades and the general bumming around I did over the past 8 months of glorified vacation (otherwise known as study abroad). 

Sooo....what does all of this have to do with cinnamon buns?

Bikram Yoga & Baked Vegetarian Samosas

I'm a total gym rat - going to the gym to get my daily dose of cardio is practically an addiction.  But lately I've also been really getting into Bikram yoga, which is 90 minutes of yoga practiced in a 105-degree F room.  Sounds fun right?  (Actually the heat is awesome in the winter time...not so much during the sweltering Baltimore summers, though)  Anywho, it's rather a nice break from the intense cardio workouts I'm used to at the gym, and my mind and body both feel awesome after the hot yoga sessions. 

The session I went to this morning felt especially good, and it sort of set me on a health kick for the rest of the day.  After the class, I had a tasty Moroccan-inspired spaghetti squash and chickpea salad and a baked sweet potato for lunch.  At the grocery in the afternoon, I was totally geeking out in the produce and natural foods section.  So when dinner time rolled around, I wanted to make a healthy complement to my mom's Burmese coconut curry noodle soup (sounds good, right?), and I was inspired to make some baked vegetarian samosas after seeing this recipe for chile pea puffs.

Lemon Glazed Avocado Pound Cake

Some girls love to shop for clothes and makeup.  Some girls love a good shoe sale. 

I LOVE to go grocery shopping, and you know what makes me really excited?  Awesome weekly specials at the grocery - like getting 4 four avocados for 5 bucks.  I know, I'm strange like that...bear with me.

So yeah, back to those avocados.  I never go on my weekly grocery shopping adventure with an actual game plan of what I plan on cooking/baking that week.  I just kind of wander around aimlessly (especially in the produce section) and buy whatever strikes my fancy and/or is on a really good sale, like those avocados.  But I totally forgot about those little suckers, as they were tucked away behind the bananas and oranges in the fruit basket.  So not wanting them to go bad, I knew I had to use them up immediately...but how?