The Future Dr. B-S

Weird stuff I eat when no one'e around

2011-07-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

Today was HOT. Really hot. Really really hot. 103 hot. BLAH. I worked at home messing around with a paper for resubmission. I finally left the comfort of my air-conditioned house at 6:30 to go to the gym and I guess the word OPPRESSIVE was the only way to adequately describe the heat and humidity that accompanied my jaunt outside. It was like walking into a dragon's mouth.

WO today was back to square one on the Fitnessista's summer shape-up. I went through the 4 weeks, loved it, saw great results... and now I'm going for round 2. I move up north after week 3, so it will be a little disjointed this next time (well, I guess taking a week off to turn on my dissertation disjoints things quite a bit as well).

Well anyway - today was Monday, and workout one, and the gym, like the terrible outdoors, was also a million degrees. I was so hot afterwards I came home and laid on my floor. Yes I have air conditioning. Yes I was that warm and uncomfortable. Yes my dogs were confused.

When I finally felt as if I were back to my 98 degree homeostatic set point... I was craving fat. Not like burger and fries fat - I wanted goat cheese and avocado. Mmmm couldn't stop thinking about those two things as I "walked" the dogs (Bella pulls me, and I pull Dylan). So I made this weird food:

I drained a can of black beans and diced an avocado. I whisked together the juice of a lime, a minced clove of garlic, some cayenne pepper, a teaspoon of olive oil, and Na++ and pepper. I then proceeded to add the avocado and black beans to the little liquid concoction and had a pseudo salad. I was thinking of Kath's salads, where she generally throws leftovers on top of lettuce. That sounded like something I could manage, so I dumped the bean/avocado mixture onto arugula and magically had a real green salad. Magic!

On the side are what I like to call little polenta cupcakes. Three 1-inch polenta rounds topped with thin slices of goat cheese. Oh yeah. Nice healthy fats that I was craving. I'm stuffed. Yay cooking for one! Yay not having to wake up at any specific time! And yay True Blood back on the air. That is all.

Dissertation is IN

2011-07-07T06:12:00.001-07:00

Now what? Beer!

Stuffed Banana Peppers

2011-06-21T13:04:00.000-07:00

I have not been cooking lately. My dissertation is due in TWO WEEKS and I have been writing and freaking out a lot. Add to that the well over 90 degree temps here and I have not been very hungry. However, I have been trying to use up produce as I buy it so it doesn't go to waste.

This is one of my very favorite things: stuffed banana peppers. These are ALL OVER western New York, but are nowhere to be found down south. Now that my husband knows that I know how to make them it's hard to get him to stop asking for these. I added vegetarian sausage to this batch and it was delightful!

Stuffed Banana Peppers
4 banana peppers
1/4 tube veggie sausage
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
4 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/8 cup bread crumbs (more if you need it)

Cut the peppers open and remove the guts. You can microwave them for a minute or two after they are emptied to make them easier to stuff. Just cool them for a bit afterwards.

Saute the veggie sausage, and when browned add the cream cheese and mix. Add everything else and there you go. Stuff into peppers (not your mouth)

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes depending on your desired level of done-ness.

I served these with some tilapia I breaded with bread crumbs, Parmesan and Italian seasoning after dipping it in an egg-white wash. Also my fave roasted asparagus!

Very simply, very quick dinner. Now back to proofreading!!!!

1/4 cup

>:-( I hate grad school

2011-06-13T14:52:00.000-07:00

Writing your dissertation is stupid.

That is all.

Green Day

2011-06-06T16:38:00.000-07:00

Woo wee - I am so pooped. It is so hot here in NC I can't even stand it. Not sure how I've made it through 5 summers without dying. I like to eat light in the summer - so I did just that today.

Before my workout today I needed a little snack. I sliced up some zucchini (I LOVE raw zucchini) and plopped on some hummus. Once you start making your own hummus you can never go store bought again. It's just so simple and so CHEAP. I've made THIS recipe from Oh She Glows one or two times before. The only difference is that I used canned chickpeas. I have bad luck making beans on my own. they always come out tough! This time I added a handful of spinach and it came out green and tasty.

A glimpse into my life: snacks, my laptop, reviewer comments, advisor comments, my dissertation minimized while I watch Twilight trailors :-)

For dinner I made an old favorite. I seriously love this recipe. And I have sauce left over that I will likely put over a green bowl!

I made it a little differently tonight, but still, check out the old link to see pictures of cute little Dylan. :-)

Green Pasta
1 red onion - chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp olive oil
Na++ and Pepper
1 container Nayasoya silken tofu
1/2 cup parsley
1/2 cup basil
Na++ and Pepper

Same as before - boil water. Heat over to 450- Rub onion and garlic with oil and salt and pepper. Wrap onion and garlic in tin foil and bake for 20 minutes. This is perfect timing to boil you water and make your pasta.

When the 20 minutes are up- put the tofu, spices and salt and pepper into a food processor and blend away. So good - even the carnivorous husband loved it (though he didn't remember the past 15 times I've made it for him). To top my day off I had some vanilla avocado and banana ice cream a la Averie from Love Veggies Yoga. No picture since mine is ugly- but it is so so so so so so good! Make some!

Now time to rest - I am beat!

Jar of oatmeal

2011-06-06T07:57:00.001-07:00

Today I felt like I had gotten punched in the head when it was time to wake up. I still kind of feel like that - put together the 93 degree heat yesterday with my intense sunburn and I feel like every ounce of strength has been sucked from my body. This sucks because today starts summer shape up by Gina over at the Fitnessista. My workouts have been totally crappy lately so I am looking forward to doing some different stuff to break out of this rut. I tried her spring abs workout Saturday AM and it was intense! Nice and short and intense. I hate hanging around the gym forever! Unless I am avoiding something - like work - then I will stay all day.

But seeing as my dissertation is due to my committee in EXACTLY ONE MONTH I don't have time to avoid writing.... crap I should stop blogging about breakfast and get my life together.

Anyway - I love the idea of oats in a jar. Kath does them a lot - and given my extreme love of peanut butter they definitely help me get out of bed in the morning.

Monday Oats
Almost empty reduced fat peanut butter jar
1/4 cup rolled oats
1 tsp chia seeds
1/2 large banana chopped
shake cinnamon
shake splenda
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/3 cup fat free plain greek yogurt

Mix everything together in the jar and leave it overnight. Easy enough, right?

Umm yum. So filling. So good. Serve with a side of 5 cups of coffee for hallucinogenic purposes. (Weird science - give me that PhD instead).

Ok I'm going to digest, write some dissertation crap, and head to the gym for Summer WO number 1. Yay!

Desserts and MUSSELS

2011-06-04T17:35:00.000-07:00

Since I have been eating seafood - I've been having non-veg meals about 2-3 times a week. These mussels were super easy to throw together and the broth can be tweaked considerable to meet your needs/likes/wants/desires. When my friend came to visit recently she threw these together with heavy cream and red curry paste. I wanted a non-cream version and came up with these.

MUSSELS
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 sweet onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup white wine
juice of one lemon
1/4 cup flat parsley
1 tsp lemon zest
1 pound mussels

Heat a nice large dutch-over type contraption on your stove.

You know the drill- heat the oil - add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent. Add the tomatoes and cook for a minute of two longer. Add the wine, try not to cry at the non drinkable portion you just put into food. Pour yourself a a glass to minimize sadness. Add lemon juice, and half of parsley and zest.

Dump the mussels in and cover. They will open in 6-8 minutes. DON'T EAT THE ONES THAT DIDN'T OPEN. Just throw them out. They lived a full bivalve life- it's okay. Portion into 4 bowls and top with remaining parsley and zest, Yum.

I used a full cup of wine... I know, I know... that's a lot. But they taste great - so just pour it in and look the other way. Or just put your face over the smoke the wine creates and get really drunk. Just kidding. Don't do that. You also shouldn't pour vodka over the stones in a sauna for a buzz. That is bad also.

On the side is a couscous salad based on one of Angela's recipes. Just israeli couscous, red pepper, cucumber, and garbanzo beans in a dressing of cilantro, olive oil and lime juice (and a splash of balsamic).

You may also spy some chilled cucumber soup in a tiny little bowl. If you've never made this you should really give it a try. All you need is a food processor, a large cuke (half peeled, half not), and about a cup of plain greek yogurt. I usually use dill- but I used cilantro and parsley since I already had some on hand. Add some salt and pepper at the end and use whatever spices you like. Add more yogurt to thin out if you wish - but I like it thicker. You just put all the ingredients together and blend. So easy and also low in calories. I love cucumber.

I made another batch of healthy cookie bites. I love these things so much. So healthy and 59 calories! YAY! These are the only baked good I make - I put two in my lunch every day and they are such a nice sugar-free treat :-)

Speaking of healthy - I just made myself some cherry banana soft serve. SO GOOD. And it's basically just a banana. But so decadent!!!

Off to bum around- I need to get some sleep. My aunt drove through last night and wanted to head to see some blues music. She got in at 11 - so I was up WAY late - we ate pizza and watched scary shows and talked until 3:23 on the dot. Then she woke up at 8:00! Oh boy- I'm exhausted!

Gazpacho and Bean Burritos

2011-05-23T17:21:00.000-07:00

Today has been totally lame in the science way. Around noon I got an e-mail from my advisor telling me a recently submitted paper had been rejected. The e-mail contained reviewer comments - which he asked me to go ahead and handle for the next draft of my dissertation that is DUE WEDNESDAY. That's almost now. So I was cruising along, trying to finish up all of my corrections for him, and got this curveball thrown at me. In addition, he asked that I address the comments for a resubmission before I defend, which is July 20th. SO my diss. is due July 6th, I defend the 20th, and somewhere in between there I have to rewrite a paper, prepare my public defense, start packing up my house.. I don't even want to go on.

I just had to get up right that second and go for a walk downtown for a few minutes to clear my head and calm down. It will all get done... it's just a stretch. A big one.

Anyway- food today was good. I was hungry almost every second of the day- so I will have to add some snacks tomorrow so that I don't feel like I am about to die at 4:30 like today.

Breakfast - egg whites with salsa verde. Green smoothie - banana, strawberry, greek yogurt, lots of spinach and some almond milk.

Lunch - some tuna salad boats with this tuna salad.

Dinner- Gazpacho and Burritos.

I wanted to make these today since I had leftover guacamole from yesterday. However, when my husband got home from the gym he fixed that issue - so we were Guac-less.

The Gazpacho is Angela's recipe. So, so, so good and simple. Great flavors. This will be added to my tuna boat lunches!

And because of the debacle this morning/afternoon/whenever it was - I made true emergency bean burritos.

Bean Burritos - the fastest and easiest ever
1/2 sliced onion
1 clove garlic
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chile powder
Na++ and pepper
4 large whole wheat tortillas
1 can fat free refried beans
1 cup shredded low-fat cheese
Salsa

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a pan with some cooking spray and add onion and garlic. Saute for a few minutes and add frozen veggies. Add cilantro once the veggies are thawed. Add spices. Done.

Put 1/4 can refried beans on the middle of each tortilla. Top with 1/4 cup cheese. Top with veggies. Roll up. Bake for 15 minutes at 350. Garnish with salsa. So fast, so easy, so good.

Now I really need to get to work!

Fish tacos

2011-05-22T18:03:00.000-07:00

I have been on my husband's case lately because he is always talking about how he LOVES to grill - and how he is just the best at it - and he can grill ANYTHING. Oddly enough, I never catch him actually grilling anything. He'd much rather wait for me to make something - no matter how un-meaty it may happen to be. Last week when I made this nice seafood dinner - I mentioned how the entire meal could have been grilled. He got the hint and we eventually came to the agreement that he would start preparing 1 meal per week. He took this seriously for about 15 minutes and started doing some "meal planning"

He came out of the office the other day with a grilling cookbook he got as a wedding gift. He found a recipe for fish tacos and started reading it aloud to me. The ingredient lost was 500 items long, and the prep time was about 4.5 days. It was a little too ambitious for somebody who hasn't touched food since way back when he was single.

My sister-in-law consequently posted a recipe for fish tacos on her blog that sounded much simpler. As the two filets of tilapia defrosted for a full 4 days, I appealed to the husband to simplify the recipe. We used the marinade listed above - just some lime juice, olive oil and jerk seasoning. A LOT easier than what he was originally planning. He even had the foresight to smoke some hickory chips to add to our charcoal grill. The fish was so smoky and delicious.

To garnish:
whole wheat tortillas
romaine lettuce
quartered cherry tomatoes
shredded cheese
Cholula
Mango Guacamole. Mmmmmmmmmmmm x 1000

On the side: refried black beans
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 seeded jalapeno, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp red wine (why the hell not, right?)
1 can black beans - with juices
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Saute garlic and onions until soft-ish. Add jalapeno and saute a minute or so more. Add the cumin and saute until the smell is so overwhelming you can barely breathe (about 30 seconds). Add the wine - magic! No more suffocation! Add the can of black beans and turn heat to LOW. Simmer about 15-20 minutes- they will be nice and CREAMY. Add cilantro and love them.

The verdict? Everything was great! Well, I also did everything except smoke the fish. But it's a start, right? Now it's time to solve some cases with Mulder. I just saw this scene.

I am lucky.

Salmon and Mango Strawberry Salsa

2011-05-18T17:35:00.000-07:00

Salmon is one of the few fishes that actually benefit your health. With respect to cardiovascular health - the fatty fishes are your best bet. I won't go into any lipid sciences - since I find it boring (two of my best friends are in lipids- but I don't necessarily understand what they do). I do know that fish oils are great for you - mainly by reducing arachidonic acid - which is a pro-inflammatory protein. Fish oils work to dilate blood vessels and stop platelets from stickign together - which lowers the risk of heart attack and stroke. They also work in the liver to limit the production of LDL (the bad cholesterol). So BAM - fish oils are pretty good.

The catch (haha get it) with salmon is that it has to be wild salmon - coho or atlantic. Otherwise the natural diet and environment aren't incorporated into the dead fish bodies for your consumption (sounds appetizing, right?) Well, it is. Deal. When you buy salmon, is it PINK or is it nice and SALMON colored? If it's light pink, the color is added in - since the natural diet fed to farmed salmon makes them almost white. So spend the money and buy the better stuff.

Well, enough with that. I happened to make some salmon tonight that was DELISH. I made a paste of 1 Tbsp lime juice, 1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp coriander, Na++ and pepper, and a shake of cayenne. I then proceeded to rub this on a filet of salmon, which had previously been rubbed with Na++ and Pepper.

I paired it with some roasted sweet potato wedges that I put a teaspoon of honey at the end for good luck. Also some roasted asparagus with olive oil. Yum.

All of these things can go in the oven at 450. The potatoes stay in for 30 - everything else for 10 -ish. Be your own judge!

What's that on top of the salmon? Oh just a little strawberry-mango salsa.

SALSA
One mango
3 strawberries
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 tsp lime zest
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Na++ and Pepper

Mix together and let sit for as long as you can stand it.

Angela's vegan enchiladas with cilantro avocado cream sauce

2011-05-18T13:34:00.000-07:00

I waited WEEKS to make these. WEEKS. Seriously. I first saw THIS RECIPE on oh she glows on May 4th. I finally bought everything to make these LAST SUNDAY. No, not this past Sunday - the Sunday before that! But last Wednesday I traveled to an interview, and didn't get back until last Friday. On Friday my husband wanted to go out to dinner, but I can't even remember if I did since I was so exhausted.

Oh nevermind, I did. I made Kath's scallops. They were fab but I took no picture. Really fab. Oh and ou must try the risotto this way - so easy and so delicious. My husband killed what were going to be leftovers.

Anyway... this weekend and this week my husband kept coming up with reasons why we couldn't eat at home - or why he couldn't more specifically. Finally, last night I made these enchiladas and they were worth the wait. I had some stomach issues yesterday and came home early from the office - but nothing was going to stop me from using all of the ingredients before they rotted away. Luckily things seemed safe. Since I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast I had no guilt eating 1/2 an avocado on my enchilada. So good.

My picture wasn't great since my husband already dug into these before I could snap a pic. But head over to the original recipe for the directions and the pics. Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash Marinara

2011-05-16T16:27:00.001-07:00

Tonight the husband had a sports banquet to attend - so I was on my own for dinner. This is always a good opportunity to make something that I know would prompt complaining from my spouse. I wanted a light dinner since I snacked on random free crap at a bridal show with my friend yesterday (followed by a Sunday special Bloody Mary and home made buttermilk biscuits at the local hipster bar).

I decided to use the spaghetti squash I had been hoarding for an occasion such as this and make a veggie only meal.

Spaghetti Squash Marinara
1 spaghetti squash - obviously
cooking spray
4 cloves garlic
1 sweet onion
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/3 cup red wine
1 14.5 ounce can stewed tomatoes- cut up by your own hands
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 large, large handful baby spinach
Na++ and pepper
2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Use your best knife to cut your squash in half. It will be kind of a pain. Then poke it with a fork a couple of times and place cut sides down on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the delicious sauce. Spray a pot with cooking spray and add onion and garlic. Cook until translucent. Add the herbs and saute until they begin to smell herb-ey. Add the wine and let it cook off until the smoke stops for the most part. Add the tomatoes and paste and bring to a boil. Lower the temp and let simmer until the squash is done (it's convenient). Add the spinach and season with Na++ and pepper.

Make into 4 portions and top with cheese. Yum. Nice and light and delicious.

Mango BBQ baked beans

2011-05-11T07:40:00.000-07:00

These beans are what I would call "super awesome." That's it. I've made them for some BBQ's - and this time I actually got leftovers to take home. I enjoyed them for lunch yesterday with a salad. While at whole foods, I discovered a contained of my favorite orange ginger beets - the ones I will buy $15 salads just to consume. Well, I bought a container of them for my very own. I heaped them on my salad with some low fat cottage cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper, and pecans. Weird combo? Yes. Delicious? Very. And I was STUFFED.

These beans are from Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. I adapted them a little, and my changes are listed below.

Mango BBQ beans
1 tsp olive oil
1 sweet onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 mango, chopped
1 cup tomato sauce
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp Na++
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 cans kidney beans - drained and rinsed
1 tsp liquid smoke
2 Tbsp agave nectar

Get your pot ready by heating it over med - add olive oil and onion and garlic and saute until translucent. Add everything up to beans and bring to boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes to an hour. Everything will be nice and thick and yummy. Turn stove off and add smoke and agave.

Egg-y breakfast

2011-05-10T07:28:00.000-07:00

Today I am refining my talk for my final post doc interview. I'm being flown up north to a very prominent university tomorrow. I am so nervous! I leave tomorrow afternoon and get in really late - in fact the guy who booked my flight gave me a 5 hour layover in Atlanta (one of my least favorite airports). Hopefully I can get an earlier flight out of there, because I will be in a BIG city and don't really want to be arriving at my hotel at midnight.

Thursday I meet with the department in the AM, have lunch with a current post doc and accompany her on grand rounds - which is immediately followed by an hour long talk by yours truly about my work. That is the only thing that's really making me nervous- I'm a pretty good public speaker, and I've spoken in front of all types of people, but never for an interview! Ah. After my talk I spend the rest of the day meeting with the lab staff I would be working with, so hopefully it all pans out and we know for certain where we are living next year.

Today I plan on spazzing out over my talk all day - reading old papers of my potential mentor - and getting a new outfit later on. To fuel up I started with a simple egg white burrito on a low carb whole wheat tortilla. I love these with salsa verde, a la the Fitnessista. Accompanied by a smoothie of a small banana, 1/2 cup frozen strawberries, 1 cup spinach and 1 cup unsweetened almond milk.

Now to perfect this talk!

Three-grain bread --> lunch

2011-05-06T11:27:00.001-07:00

Sine I obviously have decided that work is for the birds today, I'm going to share one of my favorite lunches: sauteed spinach and tomatoes over garlic bread. Oh yeah. So good.

I made a loaf of Three-Grain Bread from Nava Atlas' The Vegetarian Family Cookbook this week. I love all of the quick breads, and this one is no exception. The bread is a little sweet, almost like cornbread, thanks to the addition of maple syrup. Yum.

Three-Grain Bread:
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup rye flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1.5 tsp baking soda
1 tsp Na++
1 cup yogurt (I used 0% greek)
2/3 cup milk (I used almond)
1/3 cup maple syrup (or molasses)
2 Tbsp safflower oil.

Mix dry, mix wet, add wet to dry. Put in 350 degree over for 40 minutes. Easy peasy.

Now onto lunch:
just saute up some halved cherry tomatoes for a few minutes, then add spinach when they start to soften. Add any herbs you'd like if you're feeling adventurous.

For the bread: Either spray with cooking oil on both sides, or rub with olive oil. Add some Na++ and pepper, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese to each side. Broil on each side for about 1 minute.

This bread pairs perfectly with the veggies - but obviously you can use any bread. Great filling, light lunch.

I added a small side of tuna salad for protein because why the hell not? Now I can see how much work I can get in before it's beer tasting time... by myself... because my husband decided yesterday he now coaches softball for free and will be heading to their game tonight. Good thing track is over.

Oatmeal magic

2011-05-06T08:59:00.000-07:00

My overnight oatmeal hit the spot the other day- but for whatever reason the temperature here in NC dropped to the 60's - and it's been a little chilly. As a result, I decided to try the same recipe in a warm form (just no chias)

I heated up 1/2 a cup of unsweetened almond milk, and added 1/4 cup rolled oats. After a minute or so of stirring I added a tiny, tiny banana to the mix and a shake of cinnamon. I stirred in about 1/3 of a cup of greek yogurt at the end. I wasn't sure how the greek yogurt would taste- but it made the oatmeal super creamy and delicious.

I topped it with some granola and peanut butter and again was full until 2pm... at which point I went and grabbed a whole foods salad (addiction). When I came back to work I found that my first manuscript had finally been published. Yay! I also received feedback from my advisor that wasn't so bad (about a week's worth of work and 3 whole weeks to complete it) and an itinerary for my post doc interview next week. I was having a sweet day obviously.

For cinco de mayo, my husband and I grabbed some coronas and brought over some nachos to our friends' house (the new parents). I didn't get a picture of the blue corn chips topped with leftover three-bean chili, but I can tell you that I topped it all with MANGO GUACAMOLE which is honestly the best I've ever tasted. I had a mango in the fridge all week and it was obviously destined for this guacamole. Check out the recipe on How Sweet it is and try it, you'll be glad you did.

Another day working from home today - yay!

Oatmeal and Enchiladas

2011-05-05T07:46:00.000-07:00

I have been having a smoothie every day for breakfast for about... I don't know... 7 months? I felt a need for change after seeing a post of Kath Eats Real Food describing THESE overnight oats. They sounded so good I went and threw some together right that second to have the next morning. I was also tempted by the thought of granola on top of oatmeal - so I threw together some of my favorite granola from a recipe given to me by a friend at work. Check out the recipe on her blog HERE. It's seriously so good and simple to put together! I had a serious addiction to this granola for a long time and was afraid to make it again for fear I would eat every last bit. But it's survived two days so far so I think we're safe.

These oats are based of the recipe above, here's what I threw together:
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 small (and I mean tiny) banana
1 tsp chia seeds
1/3 cup 0% greek yogurt
1 shake of cinnamon

Mix together and leave overnight. Wake up and sprinkle on a Tbsp of granola and a tsp of reduced fat peanut butter. Um yum. I had to take a break while eating this because it was so filling. I lasted until 2pm (seriously) without the thought of food. The entire french press was filled with Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee helped also.

I then proofread all 180 pages of my dissertation and sent the first draft off to my advisor to see how much of it he hates. I then took the day off to get some crap done as I haven't had time to do much else other than write.

After a day full of running errands, I stopped home to make some butternut squash enchiladas. My good friend just had a gorgeous baby girl and I asked her what meal she wanted the most. She requested these enchiladas after I had made them for some friends and they kept bragging about how good they were to her. So I threw them together, set two aside for the husband and I and then dropped over for some baby time.

Of course my husband texted me 70 times while I was over with the new parents. All dinner related texts of course. He even threatened to eat without me! Yeah right! That would mean he would have to turn the oven on and warm the enchiladas and resign himself to the fact that there were only 2 and he would surely starve.

I came home and threw together a random chili that I will use to make nachos for cinco de mayo this evening! Of course he had not started eating or dinner prep without me!

Chili Crusted Scallops

2011-05-03T17:53:00.000-07:00

Um yeah. This dinner is epic. I've made it countless times - it's from a certain diet plan that hall not be named... but includes the counting of points. I probably won't get arrested for posting it - but whatevs. I'll change a few things so that I can't get into trouble.

3 Tbsp lemon or lime juice
2 tsp chile powder (not cayenne like I mistakenly read... whoops!)
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp Na++
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 pound scallops
1 zucchini - sliced
1 summer squash - sliced

Pre-heat your broiler.

Put everything up to the scallops in a small saucepan - stir with a fork over medium heat for a minute or two so that it gets nice and thickened. Add the scallops to the saucepan and cover in delicious sauce. Get out your favorite baking sheet and spray with some cooking spray.

Stack the squash and zucchini on one side of the pan, and place the scallops and their delicious chile sauce on the other. Broil for 3 minutes - then flip the scallops and broil for 3 minutes on the other. Look at that - 6 minutes and you're done! Maybe 10 minutes total and you've got dinner.

I served with some roasted sweet potato wedges (sweet potato sticks, 1 tsp olive oil, rosemary, Na++ and pepper and 425 degrees for about a half an hour) and kale chips kale chips (torn kale, olive oil spray, 1 tsp balsamic, Na++ and pepper 325 20 minutes).

asparagus pea barley risotto

2011-05-02T16:49:00.000-07:00

Well things are going just dandy here over in almost-PhD land. My first draft of my dissertation is due on the 4th - and I've written all that I feel needs to be written until I get feedback from my advisor. Total page count is 169... doesn't seem like a lot when you consider it's a full 5 years worth of work. Today I took it easy and did some formatting at home. At noon I went for an hour long walk around my neighborhood and listened to the Bugle.

This evening I threw together a nice meal of a barley risotto with asparagus and peas. I have to say that I'm not a huge fan of the barley- so I'd suggest using arborio rice instead - and you'd have to adjust the cooking time for that. But if you like barley- this dish is super fast and not that bad!

Asparagus Pea Barley Risotto
2 tsp EVOO
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 cup quick-cooking barley
3 cups vegetable broth
1 bunch asparagus, chopped into 1 inch sections
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup chopped chives
1 tsp lemon zest, plus more for garnish
1.5 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp parmesan cheese
Na++ and papper

Heat oil in a pot and add onion to saute. Saute maybe 6 minutes, and add the barley. Saute that mixture for a minute and then add the broth. Turn the heat to low and cover, and simmer 8 minutes. Add asparagus, chives, and zest - return cover and simmer 2 more minutes. Add the balsamic and cheese and season with salt and pepper. I had a lot of liquid, so I turned up the heat at the end and boiled it off.

It's not creamy like a traditional risotto, but it's a very light meal and pairs well with a nice mixed greens/goat cheese/roasted beet/pecans salad.

On the side are some sauteed cherry tomatoes. These are literally my favorite side dish of all time. I toasted some chopped rosemary in olive oil until fragrant, then added the tomatoes. They cook up in no time and are sweeter than candy. Mmm-mm. Try mixing them with spinach and topping garlic bread with the mixture. Meal from heaven!

Now to turn off my brain and watch Gossip Girl. Love it!!!

Birthday Weekend

2011-04-27T07:17:00.000-07:00

My birthday was a week ago today and I've had such a great week. My husband and I went out to dinner last week to a local Italian bistro on Wednesday, my girlfriends had a little party for me Thursday complete with vampires and white chocolate fondue. Then Friday - my husband took us up to Asheville - my favorite place in NC. It's such a cute hippie town, I'd love to live there!

My spouse planned a getaway weekend in a cabin outside of Asheville, and it was so cute and peaceful, and had a hot tub.

He made an extra effort because last year, he really dropped the ball. Maybe that's an understatement. But first, let me state: I am not one of those people who thinks my birthday is a holiday. We have a friend, who at age 31, still takes off 3 days from work in celebration for his birthday. I still go to work like an adult, but love going out to dinner and maybe having some wine with a friend or two. No parties, no bar crawls, just some low-key fun times.

Last year - my husband kept telling me that we couldn't do anything for my birthday because he had a night class. Having gone to college myself, and being a college instructor- I knew this was BS because you can definitely skip one class a semester if you need to. So I convinced myself he was using this excuse as a cover to surprise me with something fun. My friends asked what I was up to and I said I didn't know, something with my husband for sure.

I came home from work early that day, and found my husband bumming around on the couch. I told him I'd be workign from home the rest of the day, and he told me he was using a gift certificate that I gave him to take out his brother for lunch. On my birthday! How thoughtful. So he went out and ate, and then went to class... until 9:30. I sat on the couch and finally realized that he had nothing planned and I should just start drinking wine.

After that day I figured surely, he at least had something planned for the weekend to make up for it... but no. There was nothing planned. We did nothing. I don't even remember if I got a gift because it was overshadowed by the fact that my husband planned absolutely nothing. No dinner, no drinks, no X-Files DVD's... just nothing. It was like he had completely forgotten. I waited a long time to say something, and when I finally did he got mad at me and said he just wasn't a planner. After a few months he realized that he had made a mistake, and maybe should make an effort from now on.

Well, that brings us to present day. A surprise weekend trip to Asheville. Not bad husband, not bad.

We had a kitchen, so I grabbed some tortillas, queso fresco, asparagus, an avocado, a can of black beans, zucchini, red pepper and red onion. Well, I easily sauteed those goodies and made some tacos we enjoyed in front of the cute little fireplace.

Dissertation status....

2011-04-26T08:33:00.000-07:00

126 pages.... must soldier on....

Vegan Carrot Lentil Burgers

2011-04-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

I saw these burgers recently on Clean Eating Chelsea. She adapted the recipe a little from Oh She Glows - with great results. These burgers were super quick and so, so, so good. I could have eaten the mix without being baked.

I stacked these on buns with steamed spinach, tomato, vegenaise, steamed spinach and tahini (who doesn't love tahini on random things?) and grilled red onion slices.

If you haven't tried grilling some think onion slices, I suggest dropping everything and doing it. You can do it on your George Foreman, or your actual grill. Just cut an onion into thick slices, rub with olive oil and grill. They turn from gross bad breath raw onions to sweet delicious candy onions. They take maybe 10 minutes and make burgers into magic. Go crazy and run some balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper on to. Then calm down and eat.

I made these exactly as Chelsea did - so check out her recipe by following the link above. I highly recommend them - seriously. Such a great way to welcome summer. It's 80 degrees here in NC. NICE!!!!!!

A late working lunch

2011-04-19T12:24:00.000-07:00

Original recipe HERE on THE FITNESSISTA

I used 2 cans tuna, 2 large scoops greek yogurt, 1 red pepper, 10 sliced baby carrots, 2 stalks celery, scoop hummus, handful chopped parsley and salt and pepper. GREAT. Now back to work.

Sesame Noodles with Chili-Lime shrimp

2011-04-17T17:18:00.001-07:00

People, I do not claim to be the best cook in the world. But every once in awhile I make something that is pretty epic. Today, I opened my fridge to find it nearly empty. I had some shrimp, scallions and that was pretty much it. I had some tomatoes, but I think I'm going to stew them tomorrow.

Anyway- I was thinking Chinese today- specifically some cold sesame noodles that I ate in Xi'en. They were fantastic and I felt I could recreate a similar sauce at home. I didn't have any rice noodles so used angel hair with spectacular results. Marinate the shrimp for a bit and the dish come together in about 15 minutes.

Sesame Noodles:
1/2 package angel hair
2 tsp natural peanut butter
2 tsp tahini
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce

Mix together all wet ingredients.

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and rinse with cool water. Cover with delicious sesame sauce.

Chile Shrimp:
1 pound deveined shrimp
1 Tbsp finely grated ginger
1 Tbsp lime zest
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp agave
1 Tbsp chinese chile garlic paste
1 bunch scallions chopped into 1 inch pieces

Mix it all (except scallions) together. Mainate in fridge for a bit. After you are satisfied with the marination time - saute the shrimp in the marinade for a a few minutes. Add the scallions and saute for about 2 minutes.

Now, just add the shrimp to the noodles. You can serve with marinade or without- up to you. I did, and I liked it!

Um yum.

That may or may not be a tequila sunrise in the backround. Sundays are best with cocktails.

Fish sandwiches

2011-04-15T08:10:00.000-07:00

The other day I came home late and completely frazzled after my advisor requested a draft of my ENTIRE dissertation on May 4th. I figured I would send him a section at a time, but no - I need to have the whole thing done by then- which is pretty daunting. I have my chapters done, and am nearing the halfway point of my intro- which means I have the entire discussion section and all the formatting to do. FUN!

My husband usually asks "what are WE going to do about dinner" the second I walk through the door if by chance I come home late (which is often). I love his use of "we." As if he is part of some dinner-making team. What he actually means when he asks this is: "when the hell are you going to make something for me woman? I am incapable of making anything myself let alone you. Or eating a snack. that would be too difficult as well. Instead I waited until now, 8pm, to accost you for food as soon as you walk through the door. Feed me or I will be cranky, much like a small child."

Well, something on my face (and perhaps the fact I was shaking with rage) tipped him off that I would not be making dinner. when he opened his mouth to ask his usually question, he paused, and looked frightened. Instead he said "I was waiting for you to come home to show me the recipe you were going to use for dinner, because I was going to make it."

Nicely played husband, nicely played.

We continued on the fish kick and made THESE fish sandwiches from How Sweet it Is. Good choice. The only thing I did was make the kale chips, and I burnt them. I am not going into the kitchen until the weekend, so we'll see how he eats tonight!

Nevermind, I did make some summer squash- which I sauteed in olive oil and oregano, and then added some goat cheese too when it was done. That- I didn't burn.

Pasta and an Oats Parfait for good meausure

2011-04-12T06:58:00.000-07:00

Hey there. I am currently at home blogging. I got a LOT done yesterday in the writing department, so I'm cutting myself some slack (I will write at night and am generally more productive all together when I take my mornings to myself. Just me and my french press Fresh Market espresso. No sharing). I just have to write up a discussion for my third study - and there I go, all three chapters written and done!

My knee has been flaring up again, and I have an appointment with a Sports MD at 2-ish. However, whenever I go get my knee checked out it's like taking in my car. You know what I mean... your car will be making some noise for a week, and when you finally take it in, the noise will NOT present itself and the mechanics can't find anything wrong and everyone thinks you're crazy. Well, I am taking matters into my own hands today by heading to a lunchtime spinning class before my appointment. Spinning REALLY flares my knee up - though it should be zero impact - and my knee ends up swelling up to the size of a grapefruit. A grapefruit that lives on my leg. Well, the doctor today will get a nice swollen knee to look at and I won't waste his time or mine.

When my friend was in town, she pulled out some old magazines to keep herself busy while my husband and I snoozed. I had forgotten all about the February 2010 issue, which is plastered with a beautiful picture of Roasted vegetable linguini. It looked so good, and I had purchased basil for the Strawberry Mango Basil Salsa I saw on How Sweet it Is - so I figured this pasta would be a great way to use it up. The re3cipe was simple and delicious, and made enough for an army. A small portion found its way into mine and my husband lunches both yesterday and today, and there's still more left!

Roasted Vegetable Linguini with Torn Fresh Basil
2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms
1/2 pound asparagus, sliced into 1.5 inch pieces
1 small onion, chopped (I used a red)
2 Tbsp/ olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 13.5 oz. package linguine (I used Cavatappi)

Preheat over to 450 - toss all of the veggies with the olive oil, minced garlic and pepper flakes. Roast 20 minutes (use a roasting pan, it will be a lot of bulk). Add the cherry tomatoesand roast 10 minutes more. Dump veggies in a bowl while you make the sauce.

Start making the pasta - be sure to save 1/2 cup cooking water for the sauce

Add wine to roating pan, scarping off any browned goodness on the bottom. Let wine reduce by half. Stir 1/2 cup cooking water into wine. Add pasta and veggies to roating pan and let everything co-mingle and get delicious.

I also wanted to talk about my breakfast lately. I have been looking at the pretty picture of Vegan Overnight Oats Parfaits on Oh She Glows for awhile now. I've never made them because I just didn't feel like getting out my food processor in the morning, and I used to eat overnight oats every day and I got sick of them.

Well, I finally made the plunge yesterday with the Cherry Bomb parfait. Wow - I am so glad I did. Seriously - just putting a banana and some frozen cherries into a food processor is like magic. It really does taste like soft serve ice cream. I made Strawberry Banana softserve today- though the picture came out super crappy. This breakfast is a lot to get down, I reduced the serving of oats to 1/4 cup - I don't need to eat lunch until 1. Crazy. Do yourself a favor and try one of these recipes.

I'm eating fish again

2011-04-10T09:27:00.001-07:00

Last weekend when our friends came to town, I had fish at various times. I tend to eat fish with guests or when out to dinner because it is difficult to always eat vegetarian out (like at an oyster roast) and I hate being a pain in the butt by making people plan around me. I generally don't eat fish very often because when I did it would upset my stomach quite a bit, as I hadn't eaten meat in almost 2 years now.

Well, all of the fish I enjoyed last weekend didn't bother me at all - and it all tasted great. My husband really wants nothing in the world but for me to eat meat again. Well, I will not eat anything else besides fish - but I though adding fish into my diet would make him really happy.

So- Friday night I told him I had a surprise for him, and drove him to Fresh Market and told him we'd be eating fish at home again and he could pick out whatever he wanted. Like the butthead that he is, he acted like my surprise sucked and told me I hyped it up too much and he was expecting something "awesome." In reality, all that I said was that I had a surpise for him. Apparently uttering that sentence was too much "hype," and he probably expected me to take him to NHL tryouts or a Rudy-marathon at a local bar with free beer on tap.

No more surprises for that guy.

The first fish dinner I cooked was some simple Chile-Spiced tilapia with some Strawberry Mango Basil Salsa from How Sweet it Is. It was really good - except for the fact that they only gave us one filet of tilapia to split, thouygh I clearly said I wanted 2. Oh well, we each got a crab cake also.

I served it with my favorite tomatoes (cherry tomatoes sauteed in olive oil for 10 minutes until nice and soft) and KALE CHIPS.

And my husband... he didn't even say thank you! Maybe he needs some more tofu and art shows instead of fish and hockey games.

Writing and eating tofu burritos

2011-04-08T13:14:00.001-07:00

I have really been enjoying writing from home. I've been working at a great pace. Everyone's been teling me that a dissertation progress averages about a page per day. I've been at two/day, so maybe I'll be done twice as fast! And my second manuscript is going through final edits so hopefully I can resubmit soon and get that taken care of also. Yay graduation!

One thing I enjoy about being at home during the day besides being with my puppies....

is cooking breakfast and lunch! Yesterday I made these muy delicioso tofu burritos with a tofu cake that crumbled when I went to slice it. It expired yesterday so I guess thats what happens!

Tofu Burritos (makes 4 burritos)
1/2 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 cake tofu
2 cups spinach
1 tsp curry powder
shake or two of Mrs. Dash or similar salt-free seasoning
Oregano
4 tortillas

Saute onion and garlic until translucent. Add tofu and stir until moisture evaporates, maybe 3-4 minutes. Add curry to turn egg-like color to fool yourself and the rest of the spices. Add spinach and let wilt. Serve on tortillas with salsa and sriracha added to the top! Yum

Orange Glazed tofu and Broccoli

2011-04-06T17:33:00.001-07:00

I always spell broccoli wrong. I'm not sure why. I guess if I took my time and though about it maybe I'd spell it right. Anyway- today was crappy and uneventful (except for my lunchtime power yoga class- that was nice) so here's the dinner I made! It's a favorite from the Vegetarian Family Cookbook by Nava Atlas.

Orange Glazed Tofu
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup H20
1/4 cup orange juice concentrate
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp grated ginger

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp H20
2 large broccoli crowns - chopped into trees
2 garlic cloves minced --- I am fresh out of elephant garlic :-(
1 red pepper sliced into thin, thin, matchstick strips
1 block firm tofu (the recipe calls for 2 blocks baked tofu, but I like mine squishy)

Mix cornstarch with water until dissolved. Add the rest of ingredients (concentrate, vinegar, sesame oil, ginger) to the mixture - and you have your sauce. Congrats.

Now, mix oil and water in a wok and heat the garlic and broccoli in it for a second, then cover and cook for 2-4 minutes. Add peppers and cook until a little soft, then add the tofu trying not to break it. Add the sauce and stir until thickened - maybe 5 minutes.

Done!

I served this with a favorite beet, goat cheese, orange and pecan salad.

Buffalo Tempeh and "Cool Slaw"

2011-04-05T17:27:00.001-07:00

Today I was completely exhausted. We had guests in town this weekend, so I was waking up earlier than normal, and doing a whole lot more stuff in general. It was a great time and we drank a lot of great wine and watched some good hockey! I had a presentation to give to my department yesterday- so Sunday night I barely slept, as I kept waking up practicing my talk in my head.

Today I popped into work after working from home all morning, and my advisor popped his head in. My first though is always "what did I do now?" But he handed me a gift certificate for a local restaurant that he said was "on behalf of the department." He said they have some stuff to thank people, and my talk yesterday was definitely worthy of thanks. Wow - just when I thought I had seen everything. Thanks advisor!

I came home late and threw together the simple marinade for the Buffalo Tempeh, which took exactly one hour to marinate... or the length of one nap. These recipes are both from Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

Buffalo Tempeh
8 oz. tempeh
1/2 cup veggie broth
1/2 cup hot sauce (Frank's is preferable - obviously)
1 giant clove elephant garlic (or 6 regular cloves)
2 tsp oregano

Cut tempeh into triangles and steam in a basket for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, stir together marinade ingredients and add tempeh when it's done steaming. let marinate as long as you want to nap (or be productive).

Heat pan and spray with cooking spray. Scoop the tempeh into the pan and saute until brown-ish. Add the rest of the marinade and serve!

Cool Slaw
1 bag cole slaw mix
1/4 cup cashews
2 Tbsp chopped onion
1/2 cup water
5 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp mustard (weber's if you have it!)
1 tsp agave nectar
1/2 tsp salt
ground pepper
***I also added 1 Tbsp of nutritional yeast because it felt like the right thing to do

Place all ingredients besides cole slaw mix (obviously) in a food processor and process for a good while - 5 minutes or so. Add to the cole slaw mix and let sit for a bit so it gets nice and saturated. That's it.

Enjoy your Buffalo-style veggie meal.

Red Thai Tofu

2011-03-31T16:31:00.000-07:00

Well, husband and I just went mattress shopping and I am so happy that we will have a real mattress! Ours is like sleeping in a valley right now. Life is about to improve for me drastically. We were starving, even though it was only 5 when we got home.

This dish was awesome. It came out looking like the tofu I ate every day in China, but the Thai flavors are out of this world. It was 30 minutes start to finish, and only 110 calories per serving!!! Win and win!

The recipe is another one from Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra. I served this with some roasted asparagus and wine (obviously).

Red Thai Tofu
1 block firm tofu, cubed up
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup sliced shallots
1 giant clove elephant garlic, or 4 cloves standard garlic
1 Tbsp fresh ginger
1 Tbsp red curry paste (hence the red thai tofu)
1/2 cup H2O
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp light agave nectar
15 leaves Thai basil (even Whole Foods didn't have it, regular basil worked just dandy)

Heat up your skillet and saute tofu in a little bit of oil or cooking spray. Just shake the pan around rather than stirring the tofu and breaking it all up. It takes about 10 minutes to brown. Add a tad of soy sauce (not all of it) and brown for a minute or two longer. While it's cooking, chop up the veggies so you are ready to chuck them in the pan while it's good, oily and hot. Set tofu aside.

Add the veggies to the pan, and cook for five or so minutes. Mine browned up a lot, so I added a Tbsp of red wine to loosen up all the good bits from my skillet.

While all that's going on, make up the sauce by mixing together the water through the agave. Add the sauce back to the pan with the tofu. Cook for 5 minutes just to heat through. Add the basil and serve. DONE.

The wine:

Dave and I went to a "blending party" at a local winery recently. Our red blend won 2nd place in a blind taste test of all the other attendees. However, the winery owners liked our blend so much, they decided to bottle it! How fun. Not like we get royalties or anything, just a fun story. It's called "dedication" by Round Peak's Skull Camp line of semi-dry wines.

You're jealous. Admit it.

Zucchini Raisin Muffins

2011-03-28T11:14:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, my grandmother always had zucchini growing in her garden. Every summer she would make endless loaves of zucchini bread, that I would slather in butter and devour in two seconds. I love her zucchini bread so much, and she would always make sure she had a loaf ready when she babysat my brother and myself.

After she passed away I don't think I've had zucchini bread once, nor have I tried to make it. I've made these zucchini raisin muffins a few times before, though they taste nothing at all like the loaf I loved so much - they are still really good and surprisingly healthy. They come from my favorite cookbook, The Vegetarian Family Cookbook by Nava Atlas.

I love to have them with some soup or salad for lunch - or with an apple as a snack.

Zucchini Raisin Muffins
13/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseeds
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup natural granulated sugar
1 cup vanilla yogurt (soy or dairy) or applesauce (I have used both and the results are similar)
2 Tbsp safflower oil
1/3 cup soy milk
1 cup firmly packed grated zucchini (I put mine right in the food processor)
3/4 cup chopped raisins
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (I used mine already in the Walnut Cheeze)

Preheat oven to 350, oil a muffin pan. Mix dry ingredients, add wet ingredients, then the zucchini and raisins. Divide into 12 muffins and bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Done and done! So simple!

Vegetable Korma

2011-03-27T18:43:00.000-07:00

Tonight I made another recipe from Appetite for Reduction - although I took away the low calorie appeal of this meal since I didn't have any low fat coconut milk... which is fine with me - the full fat is so much better.

Today I worked all day - and having the house alone to himself today, the husband decided to go play hockey. I mean, what else would you do Sunday morning? Luckily, he came home and cleaned the entire house. Brownie points! While I was making dinner and baking some goodies, he announced he was going to play another hockey game, and would be missing dinner. So I enjoyed this one myself.

There is an amazing Indian place by us, and I cannot help always ordering the veggie korma - which is made with cream. This recipe replaces the dairy with delicious coconut milk, and what it lacks in spice it makes up with awesome flavor. I heaped sriracha on, so if you like spice be prepared.

2nd Avenue Vegetable Korma
1 tsp olive oil
1 small red onion
3 cloves garlic (I used one giant clove of elephant garlic)
2 Tbsp minced ginger
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp Na++
2 cups vegetable broth
1.5 pounds cauliflower
1 pound zucchini
1/2 pound carrots
3/4 cup frozen peas
3/4 cup light coconut milk (I used one can full fat)
1 tsp agave nectar
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Heat oil in pan, saute onion until translucent. Add ginger and garlic and and saute for a bit longer. Add broth with spices and Na++. Add all of the veggies, cover the pot and crank up the heat for 7-9 minutes, letting the curry boil. Add in the peas, coconut milk and cilantro.

Serve over jasmine rice and garnish with cilantro. Don't forget the sriracha.

Now it's time for the Californication season finale! :-)

Butternut Squash Enchiladas

2011-03-26T17:36:00.000-07:00

I have made these before- but haven't gotten a photo of them yet! Oh it was worth it making these again! I had half of a butternut squash left over from the Mac and Cheeze earlier in the week. I was wondering what I could possibly use it for, when I remembered that this was one of the best recipes I have ever eaten in my life EVER... so why waste precious squash on some inadequate dish.

I looked up the recipe and had EVERY SINGLE ingredient - serendipity! So I roasted some squash and made these glorious, glorious enchiladas. Ah yes, can't you just taste the goodness?

Along with the enchiladas, I threw together some little taco salads (chopped spinach, cilantro, black beans, sweet corn, crumbled tortilla chips and avocado). Check it out.

The dressing was simple, I threw together some salsa, Vegenaise, chili powder, cayenne pepper and hot sauce)

The wine... of the wine. We rarely (and by rarely I mean NEVER) by reserve ANYTHING... but we tasted this Pinot Noir at our grocery store of all places, and knew that it was a worthy splurge. I'm going to keep enjoying it for the rest of the night.

All anyone needs, wine, hot sauce.. dressing (?) Okay I could live without dressing. And hot sauce.

Butternut Squash Enchiladas (adapted from Vegetarian Times)
1/2 large butternut Squash, cubed
1 tsp olive oil
3 oz. cream cheese
1 red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 chiles in adobo, chopped
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Na++ and pepper
6 small flour tortillas
1 can enchilada sauce (hot works best!)
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Toss butternut squash cubes in olive oil, bake for 40 minutes at 450 - flipping once halfway (doing the squash this way gives it an awesome smokey flavor from the nicely browned edges). When done, mash in the cream cheese.

While the squash is baking - saute red onion and garlic about 7 minutes, until translucent. Add in spices and stir for a second or two. Add the mashed squash and cream cheese mixture. Oh yeah. Mmmm. Then add the chopped cilantro.

Assemble the enchiladas - I hope I don't have to explain this further. Pour on the sauce, sprinkle on the cheese - and bake for 30 minutes at 350.

Eat and be in awe of the glory of butternut squash enchiladas.

Drink wine. The end.

Walnut Cheeze

2011-03-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

Listen guys, I enjoy healthy food as much as one possibly could. I think I eat a pretty healthily, but this week I figured I would push things just way over the edge to make up for my less than stellar week last week. I've been adding to my blogroll recently - and added Choosing Raw which has a lot of healthy raw vegan recipes. Pretty much my first day of subscribing THIS recipe for Raw Vegan Walnut Cheeze. I had ll of the ingredients, so I figured "what the hell?"

The taste is very flavorful, almost like worchestershire sauce is added in. I've been eating it as Gena, the blog author did, as apple and cheeze wraps within romaine lettuce leaves. Oh yes, this is pure raw rabbit food, but surprisingly filling. It hopefully offset the Mellow Mushroom Pizza and Rogue Brothers beer I drank last night. Whoops!

Notice the lunch at my desk - yes, I work while I eat. I have got to graduate!

Creamy Tomato Risotto

2011-03-24T07:18:00.000-07:00

Again with the theme of wintry dinners... I'd like to mention again that it is in the 80's here in NC. Last week it was a little chillier- maybe 60's. So we are eating a little heavily this week - and we'll switch to lighter, springier meals next week. Whatever, food is food.

Anyway, I had bookmarked THIS recipe, adapted from the Vegan Yum Yum cookbook, on Oh She Glows way back in December (I know, about a million years ago). But my cooking hadn't been going very well back then and I am just catching up on old recipes now.

Angela updated the recipe just recently, adding some of the cheese sauce from the Butternut Squash Mac and Cheeze for added creaminess and awesomeness. Well, since I planned on making the mac and cheese I figured I may as well go all of the way and make the risotto also! I didn't have any barley, as the original recipe calls for, but I had everything else. I also added in about 2 cups of baby spinach for green-ness. It turned out great- so creamy and delicious!

Check out the ultra creamy recipe HERE.

Now I have to pretend I have been working all morning and get some stuff done!

Black Bean, Zucchini and Olive Tacos & mashed yucca

2011-03-23T06:19:00.000-07:00

Whenever I get a new cookbook - I tend to gravitate towards the food portrayed in pictures. I have a hard time picturing how a food will look - especially if it's a little strange - but put it into a photograph, and I want to eat it. For Christmas I received Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz - and have finally gotten around to cooking from it (now that I am actually cooking on a regular basis).

I made the mango BBQ baked beans for a cookout, and they were TO DIE FOR. I didn't get a picture because I was too busy playing Angry Birds, most likely. I will make them again and show them to you.

The other night I made the black bean, zucchini and olive tacos, which came together in no time at all! I paired them with mashed yucca and some guac. My husband did NOT like the mashed yucca - but the latin place by us serves it fried, and he doesn't like that either - so I should have guessed. More for me!And I had just enough left over for one taco for lunch the next day. How delightful!

Black Bean, Zucchini and Olive Tacos
1 Tsp Olive Oil
2 Zucchini, diced
2 jalapenos diced ( I left seeds in)
1/4 tsp Na++
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
6 oz. salsa verde
16 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup sliced scallions
8 corn tortillas (I used 6 small flour... 6 because my husband put so much filling into his two they were impossible to eat)

Heat oil, and saute zucchini and jalapeno with the 1/4 tsp salt for about 7 minutes over medium heat. When the zucchini is nicely browned, add the garlic, olives, cumin, coriander and saute for two more minutes. Add salsa and black beans and cook for 5 minutes more. Serve with tortillas (obviously) scallions, and guacamole.

Mashed Yucca with Lime and Cilantro
2 pounds yucca, chopped into chunks (use potatoes if you can't find any)
2 Tbsp lime juice (from limes, not a bottle)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp Na++

The yucca comes looking like a sweet potato covered in leather. I had no problem peeling it with my nice peeler and chopping it with my nice wusthof knife. If I had used my cheaper stuff, I'm not sure how smoothly it would have went. Peel and chop the yucca, cover with salted water and boil for about 20 minutes.

Strain the Yuca over some sort of mug or measuring cup so that you can catch about a cup of the starchy water - which you will add back in (rather than using oil or cream). Add yuca back to pot, add lime, cilantro, oil and salt. Mash and then add the hot water bit by bit. I used maybe 1.2 cup. It is like gloppy mashed potatoes, with a less earthy taste. I love yuca and you will too.

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheeze

2011-03-22T08:59:00.000-07:00

When I arrived home from China Sunday night, I was obviously wide awake. It was 11:30 PM in North Carolina, but 10:30 am in China. When I arrived in Beijing, I was easily able to adopt the new schedule, and had no problems sleeping whatsoever. However, it was a different case back in the U.S. This first night I was up until 3 or 4 in the morning, thinking I could sleep until noon and head into work.

I was very ambitious Sunday night. I made my workout schedule for the week, and a schedule of healthy meals breakfast-dinner for all the days of the week. Well, little did I know the sleep deprivation ahead of me. I had no control over my body or my brain. I slept 4 hours a night, waking up at 3am. I would force myself to stay awake as late as possible, so that I may sleep in.. but alas... the latest I slept in was 5am. I went to the gym Monday morning at 5:30 and worked out, because what else do you do that early? The rest of the week I could barely move. My head felt such an intense pressure, it was if I were deep-sea diving. I couldn't function, let alone concentrate at work, work out and get home to make dinner. Instead I was a zombie all week.

I finally felt all right on Saturday morning, after a nice dinner with my husband and half of a bottle of wine. I was able to sleep ten whole hours!

Well, now it's a new week, and last week's recipes have become this week's recipes. I started this dish Sunday I think, which seemed a little cold-weather appropriate juxtaposed with our glorious 80 degree weather here. I've always wanted to try a vegan macaroni and cheeze recipe, but never did anything about it. When I saw THIS recipe I knew it was time to give vegan mac and cheeze a try once and for all. And let me tell you what --- I'm glad I did! The dish turned out great! Even my husband loved it, and even took most of it to work for lunch the next day (hence my tiny portion in the photo) he's helping me diet I think.

Check out the original recipe HERE on Oh She Glows. I made the straight outta the pot version. My husband won't wait on baking things. He often makes me abort dinners because he has gotten so hungry he needs to go out to eat right then (which basically takes the same amount of time as just waiting for me to finish).

Day 8 – The final “F You”

2011-03-20T05:46:00.000-07:00

There was an earthquake and tsunami in Japan the day before we are set to depart – causing many delays in China. When I check in, it says my flight is delayed – but by the time I get to the airport the 1 hour delay becomes 3 hours, and I have to be re-routed to an airport 2 hours from my house.

Luckily my husband doesn’t care and agrees to pick me up there. Aside from the delay, the flights are no problem. The steward gives me a hard time when I ask for my third glass of wine but I insist he bring it to me or else. It helps me sleep 9 hours and then, a full day later, I am home. Go USA.

Day 7- Back to Beijing

2011-03-20T05:14:00.000-07:00

I awake around 7am to the strong smell of urine. The Chinese man who is sleeping opposite of me gets up really quickly and goes to change. I am sure he is the culprit of the pee-pee smell. I read for a little until the strewardess type woman comes to wake us up to prepare for arrival. I notice I am a little itchy and find some bites on my hands. I go look in the mirror and find bites, large ones, covering my face. Someone had brought fleas onto the sleeper car and I am covered in large, red welts, as well as a large hive on the left eyelid that eventually prevents my eye from opening completely. I soldier on, get dressed, and ready for our entry into Beijing.

Our train arrives around 9am, and we get off to catch a taxi and get to our hotel. The hotel is located down a side alley in a Hutong, which if viewed at the start of the trip I would have vetoed.

Now however, it seems like the cutest little place.

We try to check in but it is too early. We drop our luggage and go walk around our Hutong, which is a great tourist area. There were great little shops and a DELICIOUS Japanese reataurant right down the street from us. We go back after lunch and I can finally shower and wash any leftover bugs off of me. I am so thankful.

We plan to go to the Beijing zoo, to see the Pandas. As soon as we arrive we know that it probably will be a distressing experience. The zoo is in terrible condition, and the animals are all dirty and singly housed. The signs clearly say: “do not feed animas,” but since there are no workers or zoologists, or anyone who would remotely be concerned for animal welfare around, people bring bags of vegetables and stick their hands through the fences and feed the animals. I am amazed as I see full-grown adults reaching in to feed zebras. They animals appear very stressed and unhappy. The indoor exhibit that houses the noctornal animals is filled with many loud humans, and people walk by and bang on the glass to wake the animals up, though all it does is stress them further. They are the tiniest enclosures I’ve ever seen and we leave without seeing the Penguins, who are an extra 12 Yuen to see.

It seems to me, that all of the little guidelines that make life easier and people in order (waiting in line, not pushing, not elbowing others when they walk by, letting people of out elevators/doors/subway before you go in, not feeding zoo animals) just do not exist in Beijing in any way.

After the zoo we take an hour long to the Summer Palace. Our cab driver drops us off, and just as we try and enter – the guards inform us that the palace closes at five. Really? As if he knew… the cab driver waited for us. and takes us on a 1.5 hour (!!!!!) ride back to our cute little hotel. I am truly defeated by this point… covered in flea bites and wearing uncomfortable shoes.

We take respite at the hotel for a few, then head out to a Korean bistro, which is by far the most glorious meal we have eaten while in China. We have a few beers, and toast our last night. We head to bed early – sharing the single daybed included in a “standard room.”

Day 6- Get your kicks… and get the hell out

2011-03-19T07:11:00.000-07:00

This morning we wake up early and decide to get a Western breakfast at the hotel. Unfortunately, our guide is meeting us at 9:30 and we end up not having enough time to make that dream come true. Instead, we grab some Starbucks and meet our guide. He is to take us to the Terra Cotta warriors- but first takes us to some lame dig site that contain nothing of interest or importance, and also a FACTORY that makes terra cotta warrior recreations. Ingrid is pissed and thinks the guide is only taking us to the factory.

Once back in our van, the English speaking guide bails, telling us he lives nearby and is going. “Good luck with the rest of your day” he says. The Chinese speaking man takes us to lunch at someone’s house, which happens to be the best meal (sauteed bok choy and trumpet mushrooms, fried rice, tofu in black bean sauce, and scallion pancakes. Umm yum) since we have arrived In China. Also, their dog Toto looks like a Teddy bear and lets me pet him for a long time, making this the best stop ever.

The terra cotta warriors are very, very cool. Not all of them have been excavated, but the ones that are really amaze me. However, they have staged some "archeologists" though out the pits, who really are just confused looking old ladies who keep poking the ground with sticks. After being swindled so much by China in general, I start to question whether or not these are even real, or if history in general has been rewritten for some extra tourism money to a small town. Regardless of my doubts, the trip is amazing and I thoroughly enjoy myself.

We are taken to the train station ... always an adventure

But we are three hours early. We walk the streets looking for liquor and are unsuccessful.

Our train car is not so bad as the first day, but does have us rooming with two random Chinese guys. They stare at us as we play UNO and drink two bottles of wine as quickly as humanly possible.

In the morning we will again be in Beijing, the city of wonderment and despair.

Day 5- Relaxation Nation in Xian

2011-03-18T04:41:00.000-07:00

We are awoken 10 minutes before our arrival in Xian, and clean our room and get ready to head into the new town. Right away, Chinese men are peeking into the windows to find Americans, and wait outside of our car to carry our luggage and try to get us to agree to a taxi ride. Right away we upgrade our tickets for a 6 person room to a 4 person (hooray!) and then head to our hotel – which is very nice and right in the middle of the town.

After a long respite in our nice new room, we head out to town to look around and do a little shopping. We first head to the Bell Tower and Drum tower, which again, without a guide, are fun to look at, but we have to idea what they are for and why they are there. Regardless the buildings are very pretty and it is nice.

Shopping is fun, I am getting much better at bartering. We grab a LARGE lunch at a muslim/Chinese (weird mix) restaurant and head to the city wall. Xian is one of the last walled cities back in feudal times. We rent bikes and ride around the wall, which is very nice. We have to pay extra when we return the bikes, as we are 10 minutes past their “closing time.” We are both very angry as they are snickering while requesting the money – but we hand it over anyway.

We head to the local mall, and some other local shops, before heading out to the most American style dinner at Pizza Hut, which is still very Chinese. There is corn on everything! After a quick stop at the local drugstore we head back to the hotel room to unwind while playing uno and drinking wine.

Day 4 – From Good to Hell and Back Again

2011-03-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

We wake up early (me too early, about 5am) and head to the breakfast buffet, where they even set out French fries to accommodate their American guests. We decide we’ll do some sight-seeing before we have to board a sleeper train for Xian. We head to the Temple of Heaven , which is a delightful place.

There are elderly people in large groups dancing, doing some ball dancing, exercising outside and just generally being endearing.The temple is gorgeous and has lots to explore. We take a few hundred pictures then head to lunch – a great corporate looking restaurant that lacks the characteristic Chinese mystery taste that is prevalent in the more local cuisine.

After lunch we head to the Lama temple, which is the only one of its kind outside of Tibet.

The temple is amazing, without an English speaking guide, it’s hard to tell what each building is for, but looking at all the Buddhas, which culminates in a 5 story high Buddha carved from a single tree is such a unique and beautiful experience. Everywhere people burn incense in large pots, and kneel to honor Buddha.

Last we head to Bei Hai park, which is a park surrounding a large lake. There is a large temple, and a nice hike up to it that precedes it. There is a cave, but it apparently closed before we got there!

We catch a shady rickshaw ride to snack alley (where Ingrid and I are briefly separated and I am sure I am being kidnapped) where we grab some street food for our train ride.

We arrive at the train station after an hour long cab ride. The train station is like a GIANT airport filled with a million people. While waiting in line we meet an American, Matt – who has been backpacking around Asia for a few months or weeks and is really excited about everything. We make plans to meet up with him once on the sleeper. As we enter our train car- it becomes apparent that we are fish out of water. We enterthe car with some very interesting characters, carrying rucksacks, food and pots for tea. The car is smelly, has wet floors, and a single hole in the back of the train for men and women to use for a toilet. I am beyond horrified, and wonder what happened for my life to take such a turn in the wrong direction. Ingrid apologizes profusely, saying she had no idea it would be this bad. We are in a room with 6 people, and we have the middle bunks. There are a father and daughter above us, and apparently grandma and grandma below us. Regardless, we put our stuff in and sit out in the hall to think of how we will survive this. We are both distraught, and words cannot really describe the wretched condition of the train car. It is if we are human cargo, perhaps being shipped off to a concentration camp – only with more tea (in fact, the only commodity on this car is a hot water tap for making tea).

Ingrid decides that the only thing we can do is upgrade. Her faith in God is renewed as we find that the young girl in our bunk speaks English, and can ask the conductor if we can upgrade to a 4 person car. After much trouble and too much time, he tells us that for the equivalent of $100, we can upgrade to a room with just two of us. We agree (of course), nearly sobbing with joy. As we leave, the other passengers begin cat-calling, asking us where we are going in Chinese. Even one car up conditions improve, the crowding lessens, and toilets appear. As the train cars go up (we were on car 5, and are moving to 14) the train becomes nice, even pleasant. The 4 person rooms don’t even really have people in them, and have doors, and access to sinks. When we reach car 12, we know we have arrived, as the attendant has to unlock this corridor with a special badge. Our room is a two person room, complete with a private bathroom, 2 tv’s, a closet, a table, and a nice little chair…. And even bedskirts. I’m not sure what people picture heaven as – but that day, at that time and place, that room was heaven to me.

We stay awake talking of the horror we felt earlier and how there would be no possible way to sleep in a room with 4 other people, the lights on, no window, no door, and two Chinese people climibing up and down our bunks all night. A cart comes by and we order some beer in celebration, and soon retire to enjoy our private room and the 14 hour ride to Xian.

China Day 3 - The Great Wall

2011-03-16T14:47:00.000-07:00

Today my friend and I had booked a private tour to the Great Wall. I

woke up early, too early, and went to hang out in the lobby. I come back to wake up Ingrid, and as soon as we know it, our English speaking guide Sophia showed up to pick us up. It is a two hour drive to the wall – Mutianyu section. We have Sophia, who barely speaks, and our driver, who speaks no English. The ride is interesting (many interesting things to see!) and uneventful. The drive actually reminds me of the drive I once took from the Montego Bay airport in Jamaica to our resort in Falmouth - dirty and dirtier.

We arrive at the wall early enough to use the squat toilets and ride a ski lift to the top.

The ski lift is a quicker ride than expected, and we reach the Wall in no time at all. We are at tower 6, and can walk to tower 1 – so that we may venture back to meet our guides. One thing that I never expected, or even thought of, was that the wall is one giant staircase, and the stairs are very steep!

The hike is very tiring and pretty strenuous – but the view is priceless.

We venture past Tower 1, to a non-visitor area of ruins.

It’s a great hike and makes for beautiful photographs. To end the hike on the wall, we exit via a toboggan run. You cannot go very fast, and of course Ingrid’s need for speed leads to a run-in with an Old Russian lady’s toboggan. It was a very cool way to end the tour.

On the way back to Beijing, the driver takes us on a few stops. First is a cloissne factory. This is an art form of glazing pots covered in copper wire. The factory is very strange, first offering us lunch – where we are the only customers with 5 girls and one older lady waiting on us. As we eat they sit at the opposite table and play video games. When we finish – they all scurry to clean up our table. The factory tour consists of 5 rooms, each representing a different step in the process. In each room there is no activity, except for some old ladies playing cards, and some random vases strewn about. However at the end of the tour lays an entire showroom full of millions of pieces. Ingrid explains that these are made at the sweat factory down the street. It is striking how each place we visit has so many staff members, yet so little customers. I wonder how they all get paid.

Next we stop at a silk museum, which was an eye-opening experience. I had heard of silk worms before but never actually assumed that they did anything. Silk as actually made from the cocoon of the worm, and the cocoon is boiled and the worm removed. The cacoon is then stretched over several different things, until it finally is the length of a full size bed. They act out each stage of the process, and even have dead worms. I doubt I’ll ever use/wear/enjoy silk again. The final stop is a very American-friendly (read: buy-crazy) corporate tea house. They are very irritated when we don’t buy anything.

Back at the hotel, I believe I need a nap, but instead choose to go drink beer in the bar and catch up on email. We stay for about 3 hours just drinking and laughing, then venture out to the same noodle place as the first night. There is old roasted pig parts on the table, and the smell nearly ruins our experience - but the noodles are too good to be ruined by any rancid meat smell. We both head to bed early ready for a new day.

China Day 2 - Assaults A-plenty

2011-03-15T06:22:00.000-07:00

We wake up early, around 8am. The city looks so different in the day time. We couldn’t see a bit of Beijing last night. In the day there was so much to see. We first walked to the forbidden city. On the way an art student stopped us, having overheard us speaking in English. He implores us to follow him to his art studio, and shows us his paintings. Says he is coming to NYC next week – a week at NYU for art school with his classmates. If we want, we can buy a painting to help them with a fundraiser! We book it out of there and head to the forbidden city.

The city is breath-taking. The story behind it is unreal – a city for the emperor and his officials, and no one else… except for the spare concubine. There is so much to see, you could stay all day. All characteristic Chinese architecture that I never thought I would ever see up close.

After we go through the forbidden city, we cross the giant walk way and head up to an overlook to view it from above. There are many, many stairs – but the view is worth it.

First we just look at the city – it’s unreal. We don’t realize that we can enter the building at the top, which turns out to be a temple. Inside there is a gold-plated Buddha that is so striking. I kind of want to hang out with him all day.

Heading back down we look for lunch. We choose a bigger restaurant, and the food is pretty crappy. Pancakes, tofu, and scallion dumplings. It doesn’t sit well in my stomach and I feel ill the rest of the afternoon. We head back to the hotel to add more layers before heading to Tiennaman square.

The square is just that, a large square – but again, it’s overwhelming to think about this infamous place, which is plastered with pictures of general Mao.

To cross the street to get anywhere, you have to go underground and enter back onto the street, Each of these corridors is accompanied by a homeless cripple, who is dangling their stump and crying for money. I learn to hate going down into them.

After the square we head to go shopping, which isn’t that far of a hike. We go to the tea distract, where I learn that my friend has developed quite an affliction for tea and tea related products. Shopping is filled with haggling, like many third-world countries (of which classification China is not), and the salespeople are extremely aggressive. They follow you like a shadow around the entire store, to be sure you don’t buy something without their approval. We shop and decide to take a rickshaw back. Of course, the rickshaw takes us on the exact route we just walked in order to find the rickshaw in the first place. He takes us a little further then where we originated, to an old part of town with lots of stereotypical Asian shops full of crap. I visited many of the public squat toilets, which are exactly what they sound like- holes in the ground that you have to squat over. They all have doors, but locals choose to ignore them, they just squat on over and start pooping… and they have terrible aim. The smell is like Slumdog Millionaire incarnate. Also, there is no toilet tissue whatsoever - you must carry it with you – if you don’t have any, you just shake I guess.

After another dinner in a shady-looking hole in the wall, my friend suggests massages, which are about $10 American for 1 hour. She says she gets them here all of the time and they are glorious. This sounds like a bad idea to me, but I am along for the ride. The massage is scarring and upsetting. You don’t take your clothes off, but they put my friend and I in one room, and just start assaulting us- literally. Punching, jumping, kicking. I ask them to stop, but they pretend not to speak English. The pain is unbearable. The desire to bolt out of the room and never look back is the only thing on my mind. As the little girl “masseuse” climbs onto my back and starts jumping, I know I will never fully recover from this experience. Because I can barely walk after the beating my legs and back took – we grab a Gitney (a bike with a motor with a metal contraption on the back) back to the hotel. Ingrid asks how much and he says “3.” We agree and hop in – ready to put an end to the night and forget about the terrible and scarring massage. The ride is about 5 miles an hour, barely over walking pace. We are passed by every other bicycle on the road.

We get to our hotel 5 minuets later, though it was no distance at all. When we get out, my friend hands the driver 3 Yuen. Apparently, when he said 3, he meant 30. He starts yelling, my friend yells back. He yells again and she says take it or leave it. He offers us ten for both of us to get rid of him, and Ingrid turns and walks into the hotel. I follow, more uncomfortable than I was earlier when I was being jumped on. He follows us into the elevator, yelling to be paid. She refuses, saying $3 or nothing. He is livid, yelling and throwing a fit. She tells him she knows he won’t assault us, and I’m not so sure. Finally he takes the $3 and leaves, and we ride back up to our hotel room. I am scared shitless and would have just handed over the 10 he asked for. I am afraid he will follow us back up to the room but we appeared safe enough.

Ahhhhhh!

2 glasses of wine and some sleep is a good way to end the first full day in China. J

3am

2011-03-15T04:52:00.001-07:00

Is what time I was wide awake today.... oh it will not be a good day.

I have already been to the gym, had my morning smoothie, made the husband's lunch, and made my lunch. My lunch is an attempt to break my addiction to the Whole Foods salad bar. If you have ever been, you know that it is nearly impossible to spend less than $10 on a salad. Everything is so delicious and they charge by the ounce I think! It's not quite as bad as crack, but it costs about the same per day.

A picture of a typical glorious salad: complete with my favorite orange ginger beets. mmmmm. Looks like a disaster area, I know.

So this morning, when I finally accepted the fact that I would not be sleeping any more today, I whipped up a smoothie, baked some 5-spice tofu (tofu cubed and coated in olive oil, Na++ and pepper, and five spice powder, baked 15 minutes at 450), sliced some zucchini and beets, steamed some edamame, drained some garbanzo beans.... and made my own little kitchen salad bar.
Looks better than whole foods, no?

My goal for today is to stay up until 9pm, so that I can sleep until at least 6 tomorrow. Stupid Asia.

Travel Log Day 1 - The Arrival

2011-03-14T13:23:00.000-07:00

Because it's already written, I'm going to share my travel log from China! Hope you enjoy!

Arrived in China last night at 9-ish PM. Took the airport express from the Beijing Airport to our hotel, which is located near tiananmen square.

The hotel is nice – nice enough.

What’s most striking to you (me specifically) right away is that NO ONE speaks English. Usually there is at least one person available that speaks a word or two, but literally here no one knows what you are talking about, starting with the hotel attendants. Everything smells profoundly of cigarette smoke, which you soon assume is a habit one picks up to mask the smell of the city- human waste and rancid meat.

We dropped our bags at the hotel and headed out to find a bite to eat. Not much is open immediately around the hotel we are at – so we headed out into the Hutong- alleyways preserved from the times the Forbidden City existed. The Hutong is essentially the alleyways reminiscent of a ghetto – of India, or even NYC. There is garbage lining the street, not in cans, but just loose. I’m assuming someone comes and picks it up the next day… but until then it’s there for you to smell.

We find a noodle shop open, with various pig parts strewn across some tables. The food is great, and we have a great time. Delicious tofu in black bean sauce, vegetable and lo mein, and some wonderful beer and green tea. We grab some wine and head back to the hotel to head in for the night.

Back from Asia

2011-03-13T23:01:00.001-07:00

I just got back from Asia.... that was definitely a ONCE IN A LIFETIME trip. I'll share my travel log later- but now I need to concentrate on getting some sleep... I am really off in time and days!!!!!

Pasta night

2011-02-24T17:33:00.000-08:00

Today I had a fun day! I wrote some, worked on a lecture and dealt with a participant who first moved her visit back an hour, and then showed up 30 minutes late! So my end time was pushed back 2 hours today- what a treat! It's always tempting not to cook when I get home, but a quick text to Dave revealed that he hadn't eaten either, and was in class starving.

I had flagged THIS recipe for Tomato walnut basil pasta last week from OH SHE GLOWS. It came together in about 20 minutes and was super delicious! Check out the recipe!

I'm going to try to get my husband to have dinner cooked for me tomorrow when I get home from work at 8 - we'll see if hell freezes over.

My Morning Smoothie (5?)

2011-02-24T06:33:00.000-08:00

I've become a creature of habit in the morning recently. This I guess is a good thing, since I function much more effectively with structure. When I used to work with rats in my research, my schedule was so simple. 6am- gym. 8am - class. 10am - rats. 12pm- home to walk to the Dylan. 5pm- home! 6pm - long walk with Dylan. 7pm- make dinner, lunches, clean house. 8-10pm study. 10pm- bed.

Now I work with humans, who have jobs, and want to come in according to their schedule. Yesterday I worked 9:00am-8:00pm and had an off workout day. Today I'm working 10:00-6:00 and sneaking in a lunchtime workout. Everyday I have to evaluate my schedule and determine what I can get accomplished, if I can workout, make dinner, walk dog, etc. For a type-A personality like me it took some getting used to - and I get off track easily. But now that it's push-to graduation time, I need to get very regimented. My study ends next month and I will have NO obligations aside from writing - meaning I will be free to make a schedule conducive to me - hooray!

Starting with my morning routine (which no longer involves 6am spinning class, though it probably should. Everyday.) a smoothie and coffee.
My Morning Smoothie:
1/3 cup silken tofu
1 Tbsp stevia in the raw
1 tsp vanilla
1 handful spinach
1/2 frozen banana
1/4 cup unsweetened, frozen blueberries
1/2 cup almond milk
sprinkle cinnamon

Just mix and serve. I've been having this variation now every day for almost a month. It is good.

Time is fleeting

2011-02-13T15:35:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe that I am finally finishing up school. I started my Master's degree in Summer of 2005, and my PhD in the Summer of 2006. It's 2011 and it's felt as if the end would never come. The first four years of my doctorate felt as if I were wading through molasses. Everything seemed to be difficult... there was one roadblock after another... and there were many times in earnest I never even wanted to finish. I just wanted to pack all of my stuff and move somewhere to work on a vineyard, or behind the counter at a coffee shop, or just spend the rest of my life drinking whiskey. But when it came down to it, I literally had no plan B. So I stuck it out and lo and behold, the end is coming near. Everything is in fast-forward right now, it feels as if I'm swimming in the fast lane and there's no time to come up for air... which is good, but stressful.

Believe it or not, I am slated to finish in August. I have been working a lot, but also traveling a bit now before I lose the opportunity. My committee meeting is tomorrow, and I am currently preparing these CAKE BALLS for them. Since I'm dipping things I've decided to dip some strawberries in chocolate also. Some may call is kiss-ass, I call it being resourceful.

I haven't been able to do much cooking lately - but I have made THIS CREAMY AVOCADO PASTA from Oh She Glows, and also this SWEET POTATO AND BLACK BEAN SALAD.

Dinner tonight was a repeat of Brie, apple and arugula quesadillas, a beet and pecan salad, and a 2 BELOW beer.

Hope tomorrow goes fine! Maybe just one more beer.

Stuffed Poblanos with Bean, Spinach and Avocado quesadillas

2011-01-31T17:40:00.000-08:00

I bought poblanos maybe 2 weeks ago to stuff with something. Sadly, working nights got into the way and I haven't made dinner more than twice in two weeks. As my husband doesn't cook - this had meant A LOT of meals out (besides breakfast and lunch) - so although my schedule is tight this week I am making it a point to make dinner each night. I looked for a recipe online for stuffed poblanos, but couldn't find one that sounded appealing - so I threw a bunch of stuff together and luckily it tasted great.

Stuffed Poblano Peppers:
2 poblano peppers
1 tsp olive oil
1 clove elephant garlic (or two cloves regular garlic), chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup spinach
1/2 cup cilantro
1/3 can black beans
1/3 cup canned diced tomatoes
1 Tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp cream cheese (or tofutti better than cream cheese)

Preheat broiler. Slit open peppers and remove seeds. Char in broiler for about 5 minutes per side, until nice and charred.

Meanwhile, saute garlic and onion in olive oil. Add spinach and cook for one minute, then add cilantro, black beans and tomatoes. Season with all of the spices, and if you so desire, add the cream cheese. This makes it into a great consistency that will stay together. Stuff the peppers with the mixture, put oven down to 350, and bake 5 minutes longer.

I served these with what Nava Atlas calls a "big quesadilla." These ones are based on a recipe from the Vegetarian Family Cookbook. They are so simple and you don't miss the cheese at all.

Bean, Spinach, and Avocado Quesadilla:
2 wheat tortillas (I use fajita size)
1/3 can fat free vegetarian refried beans
1 cup spinach
1/2 avocado
salsa, hot sauce

Heat grill pan (or just plain old saute pan). Fill 1/2 of each tortilla with a few Tbsp of the refriedd beans. Top with spinach. Fold in half. Cook on a oiled grill pan until brown on each side- about 2-3 minutes. Top with avocado/salsa/hot sauce. That's it!

Coconut-Hoisin Stir Fry

2011-01-20T17:42:00.000-08:00

I was sitting at lab today, thinking of all the wonderful dinners I could make when I got home. I saw THIS POST on Vegan Dad after searching for a bok choy recipe. I had my heart set on tofu - and I didn't have any garbanzo beans, so I decided to meld these two recipes into an amalgamation of goodness. I threw in everything I could think of - and it was FANTASTIC.

Coconut-Hoisin Stir Fry
Tofu:
1 package extra-firm tofu
1 Tbsp soy sauce

Stir-Fry
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 clove elephant garlic (or two regular garlic cloves)
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 zucchini - sliced
3 bunches baby bok choy
1 package cremini mushrooms
1 bunch scallions, sliced on diagonal
1 can full fat coconut milk (with cream removed from top of can to make one of these smoothies)
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp soy sauce
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
Na++ and pepper
Sriracha if you are AWESOME like me

Tofu: cover a baking sheet with tin foil. Press tofu by wrapping in a clean cloth and squeezing it against a cutting board. Slice tofu into cute little squares and toss in soy sauce. Bake for about 20 minutes at 350.

Stir fry: Heat oils in wok, add ginger and garlic, and stir until they actually smell like ginger and garlic. Add the vegetables in descending order - asparagus, zucchini, bok choy... not the scallions yet- hold on! Give each a little time to soften before you add the next. Now add your coconut milk, curry, soy sauce, hoisin, and Na++ and pepper if you desire.

Add the tofu when it is nice and firm from the oven. Stir, plate.... now add the scallions! Heap on some sriracha if you dare.

Tempeh with Snow Peas

2011-01-17T14:21:00.000-08:00

Happy MLK day! I am at work all night, which is fine because I slept in until 10:30 today.

Yesterday I cleaned the house, while drinking some delicious beer and listening to the Gov't Mule New Year's Eve 2010 show. I hate cleaning, but beer and loud music make it much more bearable. Plus, it really couldn't be avoided any longer. My house had reached the stage where it was too disgusting to be able to sit down without shuddering thinking of all the dirt. I was even waking up at night - not able to rest thinking of all the dirt around. I'm usually laid back about messes, but this was BAD.

DRINK THIS BEER!!!! Thank me later.

Anyway- I had a leisurely morning full of lots of coffee and reading. I decided to make dinner before leaving for gym/work so that I could eat an actual meal at lab.

My sister-in-law posted a recipe for this meal on her blog a little while ago- and I started to salivate just thinking about how good it probably was. She and my brother made it for us on New Year's Day- and it was so delicious. Even my father ate it, who normally reacts pretty strongly to all the weird vegetarian stuff I make. His usual response: "it's different!"

The redeeming quality of this meal for him was the coconut rice it was served on top of. It's so simple, rather than cooking your rice in water, use a can of full fat (or low fat if you are a loser) coconut milk! I used short grain brown rice, put it into a saucepan, brought it to a boil and let it simmer for 50 minutes. And when it's done it is creamy and WONDERFUL!

The recipe can be found by following the link above! It takes about 5 minutes to throw together and costs about $1.05 - the price of freedom.

No Deer in the Kitchen

2011-01-11T17:34:00.000-08:00

On Christmas, my husband's uncle gave him a deer shoulder. I don't know what he was going to do with all of that venison, but my husband accepted it anyway. It was super gross, just a stripped deer leg, hoof and all, hanging out in the freezer for a month. I refused to go in the freezer and kept telling him to get rid of it. Well, today was another *SNOW* day (read: 1 inch of snow, all schools closed.... my entire building empty) so I woke up a little late because I didn't see the urgency of rushing into work.

Well, I happened into the kitchen and it looked like GROSS ANATOMY class in there. Husband Dave had been thawing the leg all night in the sink, and was literally slicing the meat off the bone in my kitchen. There was even a pile of fascia on a plate nearest me. I almost barfed. And WTF was I supposed to do about COFFEE???? There was a half a deer sitting right next to my pot!!!!
Needless to say - I had to wait until I got to work to have a stupid cup of black tea.

After he finished his dissection, I NICELY ordered him to sanitize EVERYTHING. I was completely grossed out and am grossed out again now thinking of it. So now he and his buddy are off feasting upon the abomination that is no longer in my freezer (one positive?) while I am at home alone...

Such a monstrosity in the kitchen deserved a completely vegetarian dinner.. so I whipped up some Polenta Stuffed Peppers from the Moosewood Simple Suppers Cookbook. I've ma de them before, but neglected to post the recipe! You can find the recipe on my sister-in-law's blog by clicking HERE.

Additionally I made my favorite BBQ tofu with the BBQ sauce I had left over from THIS RECIPE.

Of course I had some wine, a lovely Malbec. But wait, what is that hiding behind my goblet? Well, it's not vegan, but it was lovely. A beet and mandarin orange salad- 2 beets, 1/4 cup orange slices, 1 Tbsp goat cheese and a drizzle of olive oil. Oh yeah. No blood, no deer, no meat.

Let's hope Bambi stays out of the kitchen next time.

Snow and Hummus

2011-01-10T16:43:00.000-08:00

I am happy to have a few hours to relax by myself tonight (read: watch more David Duchovny). I already went to the gym, my husband is at his Monday night hockey league, and the whole state is in a state of emergency because of snow. Growing up in Western New York- snow was either exciting or kind of a bummer (depending on whether or not you ski or if you are in grade school or not). Well, here, it incites sheer, unadulterated panic into the hearts of all citizens. Schools close before a flake even falls, bread and milk fly from the shelves, and EVERYONE must stay in. Well, yes, I can get haughty with my tales of heading to school in four feet of snow... but sometimes you must embrace the feeling... and just hole up with a bottle of wine and a fire and not do anything!

I just finished a serving of Polenta, Black Beans and Greens (that I made with the leftover collards from THIS recipe) a recipe from Vegan Express that I make often.

I also decided that I wanted some hummus and a baked good for the week. I haven't decided on a baked good yet - but I did decide on a hummus. I saw THIS recipe on Oh She Glows. It is absolutely delicious and very, very thick. The tabasco gives it an awesome extra kick. And look how pretty!

Now I may make some muffins... or just lay down for the rest of the night!

Carribean Rice with Garbanzos and Veggies and Orange-Glazed Tofu

2011-01-09T09:56:00.000-08:00

I was having a Lazy Saturday yesterday - watching old Californication episodes (marry me David Duchovny... Hank Moody doesn't trump Fox Mulder for me obviously). Mmm David.

Anyway- I was perusing some food blogs, and saw this wonderful post on Carribean-themed recipes on Love Veggies and Yoga. The recipe for Carribean Rice with Garbanzos and Veggies has caught my eye before, and since I had the basic ingredients in the house I decided to go for it. It was incredible! The original recipe can be found here, my changes are below!

Carribean Rice with Garbanzos and Veggies:
1 cup short grain brown rice
1 can full fat awesome coconut milk
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tsp ground ginger
1 Tsp sugar
Salt and Pepper
2 Tbsp peanut butter
1 can garbanzo beans
1/2 bunch asparagus, chopped and steamed until soft and bright green (this takes two minutes in the microwave- just put in a closed tupperware container with some water and nuke)

Bring rice, coconut milk and spices to boil. Cover and simmer until rice is done (we all know this takes a bit, maybe 40 minutes. Check your bag of rice for exact cooking times). When done, add peanut butter, beans and asparagus. OH MY GOODNESS. It is so creamy, delicious and filling (going with my David Duchovny theme for the most part).

I served it with some orange flavored tofu I made using a wonderful gift of Chinese marmalade from my dear friend in Macau.

Orange-Glazed Tofu:
1 black extra-firm tofu
2 Tbsp orange marmalade
2 Tbsp honey (or agave to make it vegan)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
(some soy sauce would be good, but I was out)

Slice tofu into cute little cubes. Line a baking pan with tin foil (unless you want to ruin your pan with burnt marmalade mess) and preheat oven to 450. Set out the tofu on your pan and cover in 1.2 the marinade. Bake for 20 minutes. Flip over, cover with remaining marinade and cook ten minutes longer (or longer if you really like it crispy five minutes longer than that). Done. It was delicious. What a good meal. I talked about the deliciousness for a little bit too long during the Sabres game last night!

Now a nice day of spinning, swimming, sauna, Black Swan, and dinner with friends. Eventually I will decide what to cook for the rest of the week!

Some Vegan Southern Cooking

2011-01-09T09:33:00.000-08:00

The week after vacation is always a struggle. It takes me awhile to get accustomed to being productive for 8-ish hours a day. My sickness finally subsided today (Sunday) - meaning that I really wasn't in the mood to cook or eat all of this week. Early in the week I managed to move off of the couch long enough to make this emergency-type dinner:

BBQ Seitan:
1 package seitan
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup good-tasting BBQ sauce

Saute veggies, add seitan, add BBQ.... DONE. Dave wanted some rice with it, but I just stuck to a serving of protein and veggies.

Let's ignore the fact that the photo is upside down and I can't figure out how to turn it right-side up on my P.O.S. Thinkpad.

BBQ Black-Eyed Peas Collard Rolls
After taking a full day off of work on Tuesday- I was ready to take on some serious cooking on Wednesday. My friend from work had made these for a Louisiana-themed dinner party before and I really enjoyed them. I spotted a huge pile of collards at the grocery store and decided the time had come to make them. However, I used almost EVERY pot in my kitchen, and made a gigantic mess. I would definitely not make this on a weeknight again. The BBQ sauce is pretty good - but doesn't come close to my favorite Sweet and Stick BBQ sauce devised by Vegan Dad.

The original recipe comes from Veganomicon, and can be found on this site. There's very little ingredients other than the BBQ sauce. Collards, cremini mushrooms, and black eyed peas.. all rolled up with some chopped collards in some steamed collard leaves. Try it out if you want to get dirty Southern faster than saying "why come ya'll ain't eat no meat?"

I served this with some whipped mashed potatoes. Red skinned potatoes, smart balance, better than cream cheese, parsley and salt and pepper. Yum.

Back from vacation

2011-01-04T07:21:00.000-08:00

I love vacation, even if it is for a few days. School is overwhelming as usual, but one thing I know I am god at is checking out when I am not there. Early in my school career, vacations generally created more stress than they were worth.

Well, no longer to I experience an existential crisis - though I did spend a good chunk of my time up north talking to old colleagues, meeting with old advisors and collaborators and trying to find a path for my future. Mainly, I ate and drank a lot. Now I am back home, a few pounds heavier and worn down to the point of exhaustion. I even received the gift of bronchitis for Xmas. Hooray!

The places my parents like to go are generally meat heavy, so when you do get a vegetarian dish it is either fried or covered in cream sauce. I try to stick to ethnic places because I know I can get something good. One of the meals I had while I was up was absolutely delicious, and seemingly healthy. Tofu hash with black beans, sweet potatoes and caramelized onions. Topped with a chunk of vegan cornbread and a mimosa = heaven at brunch.

I'm trying to get my health back on track with a week full of healthy meals, beginning each day with a green smoothie to help ward off this awful sickness. Let's hope it helps!

My morning smoothie:
1 bunch spinach
1/2 frozen banana
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/3 cup silken tofu
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 packet splenda
water as needed

Fridge and Pantry-emptying chili

2010-12-15T05:23:00.000-08:00

My husband and I are going to NY for almost two weeks - so I am trying to empty out our fridge for the exptended period away. I haven't been grocery shopping, needless to say. As I was leaving the house yesterday - to work pretty late- it dawned on me that I never use my slowcooker, and I probably should. So I took about every can I had and threw some stuff together for a chili that was ready when I got home, perfect.

Ingredients:
1 LARGE can diced tomatoes (28 oz. I think)
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 package cubed seitan
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 can diced chiles
1 can black beans
2 Tbsp oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 Tbsp chile powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Throw in your slow cooker and put on low! I garnished with some cilantro, avocado and cheese (for shame)

Catching up

2010-12-13T17:10:00.000-08:00

I haven't had much time to cook and subsequently blog for a bit now. I have a study in full swing, manuscript edits, I am starting to look for and apply for post docs... and yeah I guess that's about it. So- here is a quick recap of some stuff I have made over teh past week or two and have failed to share.

1) Lemon Risotto
My friend featured this RISOTTO on her blog Cooking for Dan. I had to make it since I pledged to make about every recipe she has made so far - they all look wonderful. This recipe was simple and delicious. It made enough for an army so I brought some to work to share with my friends/colleagues. One called it the best thing they had ever eaten, the other said it was too salty for their taste and mixed it in with venison chili. One of these individuals will never get any home cooked treats from me ever again. My opinion was that it was INCREDIBLE. I couldn't stop thinking about it after the first night and had some immediately the next night with a big old spinach and beet salad :-) For the recipe follow the link above - or you can be lazy and click here (I can't believe I am enabling this laziness - really).

That little glass by the way is not booze as you might expect - but rather my salad dressing for the night: olive oil, chardonnay, balsamic vinaigrette, and some special herbs! But yes, that is wine.

2) Kale and Sweet Potato Skillet
I've made this once before and I loved it then. From my favorite cookbook Vegan Express by Nava Atlas. It's super simple and chock full of goodness.

The recipe:
2 medium sweet potatoes (microwaved until soft)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1.5 Tbsp soy sauce
One 8 oz. package tempeh - cut into 1.4 inch slices
1 bunch kale torn into small pieces, ribs removed
4 garlic cloves
15 ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp curry paste dissolved in a but of warm water
2 tsp curry powder (or more if you love curry)
2 scallions minced
cashews (optional if you can spare the calories... I can't)

When potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel and chop. Add 1 Tbsp oil and soy sauce to pan - add tempeh and saute 5-7 minutes. Set aside. Sir fry garlic in remaining oil until fragrant, add kale, 1/2 cup H20, tomatoes, curry powder, and paste. Cook for 10 minutes covered. Stir in scallions, (and cashews if using) and cook 2-3 minutes longer. DONE. Nutritious and FAST.

3) Vegetable Pot Pie
My friend Nick got this recipe from his mother - and he has made it twice while we have been over. It is seriously so good I can't even stand it. The crust is amazing, the addition of tofu baked with soy sauce to the filling is ingenious. You can check out the recipe HERE on the site Gale's Recipe Collection. This is phenomenal - please make it! I forgot to take a picture of it all as one piece, so here is one wonderful serving. Even carnivorous Dave loved it.

4) Butternut Squash Enchiladas
I had a little butternut squash I wanted to use to make something different- and found this recipe on the Vegetarian Times site. OH MY GOD. These turned out INCREDIBLY. I can't even say it enough. Unfortunately there is a lot of hands-on time, making this more of a Sunday meal (like it was for us). Unfortunately, they were so good that I only got to eat 1... my husband ate all of them! I didn't even get to take a picture of them because I had to go to work, and by this morning they were all gone! The website doesn't have a picture either - I'm sorry! But if you need a knock-their socks off recipe - this is it. The ingredient list is short and the prep time mostly accounts for roasting the squash.

I've never asked you to trust me blindly and make something before - but do it, please.

The Recipe
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 butternut squash (11/2 lb.), halved and seeded
1 medium onion, diced (1 cup)
1–2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, drained and diced, plus 1 Tbs. sauce
1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp. )
3 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
3 green onions, chopped (1/3 cup)
1 16-oz. can enchilada sauce
8 whole-wheat or corn tortillas
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place squash cut-side down on baking sheet. Roast 45 minutes, or until soft. Cool until easy to handle. Scoop squash into bowl, and mash. Heat oil in saucepan, add onion and sauté 5 to 7 minutes, or until soft. Add chipotle, adobo sauce, and garlic. Cook 1 minute, stirring often. Stir in mashed squash, cream cheese, cumin, and nutmeg. Cook 3 minutes more, or until heated through. Remove from heat, and fold in green onions.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread 1 cup enchilada sauce over bottom of 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Lay tortillas on baking sheet, and warm 3 minutes in oven to soften. Divide filling among tortillas, and roll loosely. Place filled, rolled tortillas in baking dish. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and Cheddar cheese. Bake 30 minutes, or until top begins to brown and sauce is bubbly.

5) Tofu Pesto Alfredo Sauce

This was a creation I made on the spot tonight as something to top my cheese tortellini with. I had seen some recipes for vegan alfredo, and figured I would give it a WHIRL. This was not vegan as I added some parmesan - but I figured the tortellini already had cheese in them so I wasn't doing any extra damage! The recipe is an approximation because I just threw this together- but it was GREAT. Even husband agreed!

The recipe:

1 container silken tofu

about 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, or to taste

1 big Tbsp earth balance margarine

2 Tbsp pesto

salt and pepper

All you do is whirl this in a food processor

And then add to whatever you are covering in it. I added some wilted spinach and chopped sun dried tomatoes to garnish the pasta because it sounded good. I was right - it was great. I ate it in about .2 seconds flat - so I am still massively full.

Okay - I guess that's about it! Now I can catch up on my reading! :-)

Brie, apple and arugula quesadillas

2010-12-03T07:06:00.000-08:00

My friend Sara recently started a food blog - she has an awesome camera and everything always looks amazing. I pretty much bought everything to make a few of the recipes she posted recently. Last night we had to make a grocery store run after work, and neither one of use could wait very long for dinner. Team impatience with the start time of girlie vampire TV night - I decided to make these brie, apple and arugula quesadillas from my friend's blog, cooking for dan.

I won't repost the recipe, and my crappy photo doesn't do this simple dish justice - so just visit her site! It came together in minutes flat- and I was out the door in no time.

Thai-Pineapple Stir-Fried Rice

2010-12-03T06:54:00.000-08:00

I make this dish frequently- it's another winner from Vegan Express. It is very simple and very good. The leftovers are almost better than the original batch because the flavors meld together so nicely! I served this with some tofu I tossed in a soy-type marinade I concocted on the spot. A good meal!

1.5 cups long grain brown rice
1.5 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
2 cups broccoli
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 red or orange pepper, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, diced
16 oz can drained pineapple chunks
1 cup light coconut milk ( I use a whole can of full-fat- it makes it ultra delicious and creamy)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp curry powder
2 tsp chopped or jarred ginger

Cook rice with 3 cups water (bring to simmer, simmer 30 minutes). Saute up the veggies. Start with the onion, and then the rest after the onion softens. Cook until the tomatoes are a little softened and nice. Stir in the rice, coconut milk, and remaining ingredients.

BAKED leek, swiss chard and mushroom risotto

2010-11-20T17:07:00.000-08:00

When I found out in Nava Atlas' The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet cookbook that I could BAKE risotto rather than stirring it for 45 minutes straight I am almost cried out of joy. You just mix rice, broth, and garlic together and bake for an hour - stirring every 20 minutes. Holy crap. What a miracle.

For this recipe I used short grain brown rice (rather than traditional arborio) - and my Le Cruset 1/2 quart cast iron bakeware to first brown the veggies on the stovetop before popping into teh over with the rice. It was marvelous.

Baked leek, swiss chard and mushroom risotto:
1.5 cup short grain brown rice
2 miced garlic cloves
2 cups boiling water
1 cup plain old water
2 tsp "better than boullion" - vegetable obviously
2 leeks - white parts only, chopped
1/2 bunch swiss chard, chopped
1 package sliced mushrooms
Parmesan or soy parmesan

Brown veggies in some oil. Add rice and stir. Add better than boullion to water and add to pot. Add 1 cup water and get ready to bake at 375 for 60 minutes. Set timer every 15 so that you may stir 4 times over the course of baking. When the timer goes off, stir in some parmesan if you wish- and add some for topping. Great stuff I tell you. I had this with my favorite mixed greens/goat cheese/roasted beet/pecan salad.

Life is good.

Post-Workout Smoothie

2010-11-20T17:01:00.000-08:00

Check it out in my cute, little magic bullet mug!

This was so delicious and thick.

3oz. silken tofu
1/2 frozen banana
1 heaping Tbsp freshly ground peanut butter
1 Tbsp dark cocoa powder
2 packets splenda (I am always using packets because I steal them from work)
2 Tbsp coconut creamer
water to thin

Blend and you're done. It tasted like a thick chocolate milkshake for barely any calories! :-D

4Loko - dropping some science

2010-11-19T15:33:00.000-08:00

Four Loko has been ALL OVER THE NEWS LATELY - due to the danger of mixing alcohol plus caffeine. Pressure from the FDA has prompted the company to remove caffeine (and taurine) from the product - which contains as much alcohol as a bottle of wine.

This is of course not before many states and universities have banned the beverage altogether.

How are caffeinated beverages mixed with alcohol so unsafe? Well, the short story is that at some point we all recognize that we are intoxicated - and stop drinking. Alcohol is a drug unique in its ability to be both stimulating and sedating - properties referred to as the "biphasic effects of alcohol." At first- you have a few drinks and you feel pretty great! You are talking to people, feel less inhibited socially, and maybe dance a bit. As alcohol intake becomes excessive, we begin to feel sedated. Usually, individuals recognize this and stop drinking - or at least pass out.

When mixed with large amounts of caffeine - alcohol no longer seems to sedating at high doses- meaning individuals continue to drink well past the point of intoxication while maintaining a perception of minimal impairment. You essentially have a "wide awake drunk" who can effectively make more money for the alcohol companies by consuming more alcohol than they normally could - who also puts others in danger by not perceiving their own intoxication - and puts their own selves at risk by drinking to levels of toxicity. And doing really STUPID THINGS.

Since I am an alcohol researcher - I felt it was only fair that I sample this beverage while it is still legal in NC to experience for myself what all the hype was about - kind of Albert Hoffman style.

Well let me tell you- the drink is cheap - only about $2.99! It came in some tasty sounding flavors- I chose fruit punch because it sounded the least puke-inducing. I felt GREAT while I was drinking it. The Polish in me came out right away by changing my cheeks to BRIGHT red.

I was giggly and generally happy.... then I just crashed. I was so tired I could barely stand it. This is probably because of the high alcohol content and my sensitivity to the sedating properties of alcohol.

So please, don't attempt at home! Unless you like drinking cough-syrup-ish flavors. Mmmm.

RIP Four Loko - though I hope though shalt provide me with a wealth of post doc opportunities if the science swings this way!

Seitan and Polenta Skillet with Fresh Greens

2010-11-14T17:48:00.000-08:00

A super quickie post- I was on Nava Atlas' web site yesterday getting inspiration for week-night dinners, and happened upon this recipe featured as the recipe of the week, originally from Vegan Express. I never made this particular dish because it sounded plain- but trust me, it is anything but. I won't repost the recipe- just follow the link. The only difference with my version is that I used a HUGE bunch of swiss chard in place of the bok choy and spinach. It was DELICIOUS - and only 332 calories. WIN!!!!

Lazy and Productive Sunday = Snacks, Lunch and Breakfast

2010-11-14T16:48:00.001-08:00

Today the husband and I woke up late (9:30 is the equivalent of 11:00 to my husband) and we headed out for a lazy breakfast before hitting up the the grocery store. While at breakfast, I checked my schedule to find it ridiculously light. Mind you, I do have FINAL edits of a manuscript I have been working on for months as long as the task of finishing up a lecture on opiates (yay!). For the past few weeks I have been SWAMPED- doing all of these things amongst running a study for 10-15 hours/day. For whatever reason I am never prepared for the busy weeks, so as a consolation, I decided to be overly prepared for the coming week by preparing breakfast, lunch and snacks! HOLY CRAP!

Too bad I won't be busy - but perhaps I can spend a ton of time at the gym to create the illusion of business. I am in a weight gain/loss competition with my husband to see who can gain/lose the most amount of weight before Xmas. He is trying to gain (tough life) and I am trying to lose. The most amount of poundage gain/lost entitles the winner to a free dinner. I am all over this.

Breakfast:
Chocolate-Covered Katie has been whipping up some mini baked oatmeals ("boatmeals") this week - and I figured I had to be able to make these minis into a full pan (I also wanted to use my new cute little Le Cruset pan.) This will be 6 servings for me because of our friendly competition (I may resort to using Ex-Lax in his meals as we get down to the wire).

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal:
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
2 Tbsp Maple syrup
1 Tbsp splenda
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup coconut milk creamer

Mix it all together and bake 15 minutes at 375. I dusted the top with cinnamon to be fancy. I tasted a spoonful already and it was GREAT. I am excited about breakfast this week. Add a light smoothie and I am good to go (and not gain).

Lunch:
My mom calls this "garbage soup" because you are essentially cleaning out all the veggies in your fridge.

Garbage soup: There is nothing to this: chop up all of your veggies, add it to some veggie stock (I had just made some) or broth, 1 can tomato sauce, 1 Tbsp chiles in adobo (is you like spicy things like me) and some seasonings. Simmer and that's it. Divide into little lunch-sized containers.

This batch contained: broccoli, summer squash, beet greens ( I was roasting beets for salads), onion, bell pepper, garlic, thai chile peppers, basil, herbs de provence, salt, pepper.... and I guess that's it. I will be eating this with salad all this week (I want to WIN)!!!

Snacks:

I recently happened upon Oh She Glows which is a cute little blog with gorgeous food/great pictures/a story of abandoning academia and opening a bakery (sigh). I was reading some past posts and saw these cookie bites - which were described as not sugary at all- PERFECT for me and my weight loss glory title. They came together in 5 minutes flat, baked for 14 and tasted great right out of the oven. A few of these after lunch will help my sweet tooth a TON.

I also bought a ton of summer squash for hummus dipping, some apples to slather with peanut butter for my 5PM pre-yoga/spinning/swimmming/pilates/metabolic effect sustenance, and those cheater bags of 94% fat free popcorn that we all learned in weight watchers is only 1 point for the entire 3 cups! Sign me up.

Pasta with Greens and Tomatoes

2010-11-12T06:06:00.000-08:00

I saw this post on my sister in law's blog, Fried Ice and Donut Holes and knew that I wanted it right away. The recipe is a breeze, and came together in no time - it's from the awesome cookbook, Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers. We added asparagus (since I haven't had time to cook the veggies I bought at the farmer's market have just been sitting there in my fridge waiting for Dave to stop eating Papa John's pizza and chicken breasts with no sides). Dave saw some Tofurkey in the fridge and requested I add that as well, so I added two links and it was a nice protein addition.

12 ounces Whole Wheat Pasta ( I used brown rice pasta which wasn't bad at all)
1 medium head Escarole or Curly Endive ( I used Kale)
1/2 bunch asparagus
2 links Tofurkey Sausage - cut into cute little coins
5 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 can (28 ounces) Diced Tomatoes (I used two chopped tomatoes)
1/4 teaspoon Dried Oregano
1/4 teaspoon Dried Rosemary
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Chopped Olives, optional ( I didn't have any)

Saute garlic in oil, add greens and asparagus and cook until wilted/soft. Add Sausage and brown. Add tomatoes and cook- add herbs and saute until fragrant. Garnish with cheese and olives if you have them.

Ginger baked tofu and Asian mashed potatoes

2010-11-12T05:47:00.000-08:00

I bought the Kind Diet book on Amazon after I saw some awesome recipe's on the book's community site, the Kind Life. Some things turn out pretty good- but I've had some pretty big flops, and some things I just couldn't eat because of their sheer saltiness. This tofu is an example of that - it was so salty I couldn't finish one slab - and I LOVE tofu! Especially when it is marinated and baked. Dave liked this - but I did not.

Ginger-Baked Tofu
1 container extra firm tofu
1/3 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup H2O
2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
1/4 cup brown rice vinegar
2 Tbsp umeboshi vinegar (omitted)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (increased!)
1 tsp brown rice syrup
scallions for garnish (optional)

Whisk all wet ingredients. Cut tofu into 4 "steaks" - marinate for at least an hour (I marinated overnight which may be responsible for the overwhelming flavor) Bake at 375 on foil-lined baking sheet for 15-20 minutes. Baste with some remaining marinade and flip. Bake 15-20 minutes longer. Garnish with scallions if you feel so inclined.

Served alongside I made some Asian mashed potatoes - since I had boiled potatoes days earlier and never used them - and soba noodles with spinach (an old favorite). We usually don't usually even have one starch, but Dave was off to play in his Adult League hockey game, and I figured he could use the extra energy.

Asian mashed potatoes
5 red skinned potatoes
coconut milk creamer to assist in the mashing
1 Tsp red curry paste
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp chopped ginger
Sprinkle yellow curry
Na++ and pepper to taste

I just threw these together and they were very tasty!

Grilled Portobellos

2010-11-03T05:29:00.000-07:00

Another Portobello recipe.

Yesterday was my first day home after a weekend jaunt to the Chautauqua Valley wine trail in NY. As a 60th birthday present we booked a limo to take some family members around to local wineries and stay over at a Bed and Breakfast. It was a great time, and I was really impressed at the wines- especially Johnson Estate. Their port was great! It was a great but tiring weekend.

So anyway, I returned home to an empty fridge and a house that stunk of urine thanks to the new puppy. She, like my other dog, is especially cute - and also has an affinity for peeing on rugs. So we remedied that latter problem by hoisting all of our throw rugs out of the house, as they were completely ruined. DON'T BUY RUGS THAT CAN'T BE MACHINE WASHED!!!!!!

The problem of the empty fridge was solved by a quick jaunt to Whole Foods - where my husband spied some portobellos stuffed with cheddar cheese, red bell pepper and jalapenos. They were $6.40 for 2! Well, of course I refused to let him buy the ready-made ones, so we bought the ingredients and assembled them at home - where he threw them on the grill. I served them alongside some BBQ Tofu and roasted asparagus.

Directions:
Take stem off of mushroom
Fill with cheese (I used Daiya)
Top with some chopped red pepper
Add jalapeno or cerrano pepper
Garnish with cilantro and avocado

Grill.

I need to improve my pictures- they always look like crap!

Blueberry Oatmeal!

2010-10-25T14:22:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post describing the awesome breakfast I had this morning. I wolfed it down so quickly I barely remembered to breathe. The original recipe can be found HERE on Chocolate Covered Katie.

My oats this morning:
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup almond milk
1/4 cup silken tofu
1 tsp cinnamon
2 packets splenda
1/2 cup frozen blueberries.

Soak oats and milk overnight. In the morning, cook for about 2 minutes in the microwave. Pour all but blueberries in blender and blend. Microwave frozen blueberries for about 1.5 minutes and add in at the end. Stir up and you are done. It tasted like blueberry cobbler. SO GOOD.

Seitan Stroganoff

2010-10-24T17:21:00.000-07:00

I was craving this tonight - I made it vegan but it can easily be made dairy. The recipe (from mom way back when) Only with vegan ingredients subbed in:

1 tsp smart balance
1 package seitan
1 white onion
1/2 package sliced white mushrooms
1 Tbsp vegan worchestershire
1 cup veggie broth
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp mustard
1/3 cup red wine
1/3 cup sour cream (I used the better than sour cream stuff- I like it)
Na++ and pepper
Noodles

Saute seitan in smart balance. Add onions and mushrooms and saute until soft. Add worchestershire and saute until all brown. Add flour to broth, then pour into side of pan and stir until thickened. Incorporate into the rest of pan. Add mustard (take it easy, it can overpower) and wine. Let reduce just a bit. Add sour cream, salt and pepper and that's it. Serve over noodles. Yum.

Crustless, Eggless Quiche

2010-10-24T17:05:00.000-07:00

Doesn't sound very fun, eh? Well, let me tell you - this quiche tastes GREAT. I couldn't believe how smooth the tofu gets from a whirl in the food processor- it was unreal. I saw the recipe HERE initially, on This is Vegan. The original recipe can be found HER E. I left the sweet potato out because I didn't have one, though I didn't feel I was missing anything!

Garden Quiche:
1 package firm tofu
1 small onion
1/2 yellow pepper
1/2 red pepper
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/4 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. miso
1/2 cup nutritional yeast

Saute Veggies.

Put the rest of the ingredients in food processor and blend.

Fold together and bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Let sit and eat! I had mine with a nice salad with some of my balsamic dressing from yesterday.

Portobello stacks with Chevre and Tomato

2010-10-23T17:11:00.000-07:00

My Aunt has a handy rule for cooking and entertaining. She suggests learning to make 5 menus really, really well. That way - you know if you need to quickly impress someone you know the end product will turn out great. And, if you constantly entertain the same people, you can rotate to the next menu and it seems like you are just full of recipes that turn out perfectly each time.

Her go-to Vegetarian entertaining menu consists of these stacks... portobello mushrooms marinated overnight in teriyaki marinade (I used Carribean Jerk tonight and it was amazing), covered in thick slices of chevre cheese and tomato.

General directions:
Marinate mushrooms overnight
Place on tin foil and cover with remaining marinade
Grill in tin foil about 20 minutes
Add slice of cheese and top with tomato (and breadcrumbs if you have them)
Close grill lid and let cheese melt
Assemble on plates filled with 1/2 arugala and 1/2 couscous

Drizzle home-made balsamic over arugala and top with mushroom stack

Drizzle more balsamic on the plate - top with roasted asparagus (tossed with EVOO and balsamic, roasted at 400 until you can smell the balsamic)

Balsamic (I didn't measure):
2 pressed garlic cloves, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, mustard, seasoned salt, basil leaves, squirt agave. This was probably the best dressing I've made so far.

And there you are... a great looking plate for the neighbors or whoever - in no time at all.

The wine tonight - Antanjo Rioja Tempranillo. The nose? Definitely some dark cherry and even black licorice. The mouth feel is considerably smooth and very mouthwatering. There is a hint of spice and almost chocolate amongst the berry flavor. It was only $7.99 at World Market- and well worth it. Absolutely delicious.

Tofu fajitas

2010-10-19T17:42:00.000-07:00

I am running a new study- so that means I work past 5 almost every night until I finish. Meaning dinner has to be quick, quick, quick. Tonight I worked until 7:15, and Dave called me 3 times to see if he was resigned to death by starvation. He had already left the house - assuming I had died and left him to perish- and made me go meet him for Asian once he got ahold of me (mind you, our house is FULL of food, he just refuses to even make a sandwich).

Anyway- yesterday I made my favorite quick recipe of all time - Sizzlin' tofu fajita's from Nava Atlas' Vegetarian Family Cookbook. (My very favorite cookbook of all time).

Basically you just toss some baked tofu, pepper and onions in olive oil and lemon juice and roast. I garnished with some cilantro, corn and black beans - and that's it. 15 minute meal.

While reading the new Vegetarian Times I enjoyed Luna and Larry's Coconut Milk Ice cream- cherry amaretto flavor. It is out of this world creamy and delicious. It really just tastes like straight up coconut milk with cherries in it. You must try it!

Pumpkin, Chickpea and Red Lentil Stew

2010-10-17T16:51:00.000-07:00

Like every body else in the world- I love PUMPKIN. In fact, my most favorite place in the world is PUMPKINVILLE! In addition to pumpkin-flavored baked goods that are so abundant this time of the year, I also love recipes using actual pumpkin. Last year I made THIS recipe for pumpkin black bean bake (without the beef), from better Homes and Gardens* ... and it was great. However, I vowed never to touch an actual pumpkin again after making pumpkin puree. It was a total pain in the butt and tasted almost identical to the canned variety. My mother sent me THIS recipe - and it looked like a winner. So I actually peeled and seeded a pumpkin.

I just made and devoured this, and it was great. Perfectly spiced and easy to throw together!

Ingredients
1 pound pie pumpkin peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
3 medium carrots, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup red lentils
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tsp ground cumin
1/4 Tsp Na++
1/4 Tsp ground turmeric
1/4 Tsp ground black pepper
4 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Throw everything but the cilantro into a slow cooker. Cook for 7-8 hours on low, or 4-5 hours on high.

Garnish with cilantro. Serve over Israeli couscous (I throw a dried ancho chile in mine for a kick of flavor).

The finished product. Yum. Verdict? Make it.

*The actual magazine that taught me to cook back in 6th grade - high school. It worked!

Bagel and Lox Breakfast Casserole

2010-10-17T12:46:00.000-07:00

My husband has been reminscing of all the "bad-ass food" I used to make when we first got together and I was an omnivore. For our first date I made him chili-rubbed tilapia with mango salsa, roasted peppers with balsamic vinaigrette, sauteed cherry tomatoes in rosemary infused olive oil and chili mashed potatoes (yes, I still remember). His favorite was Chicken marsala- which I loved to make for him because there are only about 3 ingredients involved in the dish. I began to feel bad - so I decided I would make him something as a treat for the week.

He also has a hard time maintaining his weight (he loses very quickly unless he eats quite a bit - the opposite of everybody else on the planet pretty much) so he has been getting skinny, and I make it my personal mission in life to keep him at a healthy weight (he once got down to 133 - oh boy). He loves salmon so I figured I'd throw together a breakfast casserole for the week for him to eat rather than cereal. There were about 20 eggs in my fridge so it helped make a dent in a food I don't even eat. This recipe is not vegan or vegetarian (as I know not everyone is who are reading this!) so though I will not eat it- I feel some of you may enjoy this simple dish that takes care of breakfast for the entire week. This recipe is loosely based on a recipe I found on my whole foods iPhone app:

Ingredients:
5 cups cubed bagels (I bought mini Thomas' bagels)
2 cups spinach leaves
1 container either smoked salmon or nova trimmings (the trimmings are cheap at whole foods)
8 eggs
2 cups whole milk
2 cloves minced garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 tsp sage
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Layer bagels, spinach and salmon in pyrex dish. Mix eggs, garlic, salt, pepper, sage and milk together and pour over other ingredients. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Take off foil and bake for about 10-15 minutes longer. You want the bagel pieces to look nice and browned. I can't vouch for taste- but it looked pretty good!

UGGs

2010-10-15T07:59:00.000-07:00

Here are my thoughts on Uggs.

The first picture of Brittney spears wearing smelly-inside Uggs while it was 90 degrees in California surfaced circa 2006! At this time I was still an undergrad - and I thought they were ugly. However, I realized that I did live in Western New York, and if boots were in style, than I should embrace the trend. We all want warm feet while walking around in 4 feet of snow, right? Well, the craziest thing was that UGGs are not water proof, and become saturated with snow, thus getting your feet wet, and then FREEZING (literallly) while you are wearing them on your feet during let's say, I'don't know, a December 20th Bills game? Well, I threw mine out after that I decided that they sucked and that yes, they truly are hideous.

I was back up in NY last weekend checking out a post doc program I would definitely be interested in if it were funded- and I kept seeing Uggs. Yes, yes, Uggs are UGLY- but really, why are people still wearing them? It's 2010 now, years after the trend emerged.

Here is my theory on when trends should end: when they reach the 12 year olds.

If the shoes you are wearing, or really any piece of clothing on your body, is currently being sold at Claire's Boutique.... you should consider giving up on them.

That's all I have to say about that.

Pumpkin Oatmeal... my life is now complete

2010-10-14T14:13:00.000-07:00

The other day I remade some banana peanut butter oatmeal, and I happened to add some cinnamon. It reminded me of banana bread, one of my favorite foods. Then I took a trip down gustatory memory lane to the time when I tried to add pumpkin puree to my very favorite banana bread of all time and it ended up COLLAPSING and I was very sad. Then suddenly I decided that I needed to try to make pumpkin oatmeal.

I had a test run yesterday that tasted all right, but today I NAILED IT. This oatmeal was so good I could barely stand it. Thank you CCK, for introducing me to blended oatmeal. This was the best breakfast of my entire life.

Pumpkin oatmeal:
1/4 cup oats
1/2 cup plain almond milk
1/4 cup silken tofu
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/8 cup So Delicious Coconut Creamer
1 shake of cinnamon
1 shake of pumpkin pie spice
1 packet splenda*

Cook oatmeal and milk in microwave for 3 minutes. Add it all to blender (I used my new magic bullet) and blend. I heated mine up in the microwave for a minute so it was nice and warm for fall. Oh. My. God. Try it. You must. Now.

*SPLENDA - yes I use it. Sucralose i is manufactured by the selective chlorination of sucrose (table sugar), which converts three of the hydroxyl groups to chlorides. Basically it's chlorine attached to a sugar ring. Since our bodies cannot process chlorine, the chlorine and sugar passes through the digestive system unaltered, therefore not allowing our bodies to drive calroies from it. I figure there is Chlorine everywhere - water, the POOL, and I am always swallowing it anyhow- so how much could it hurt. Right? It's a personal thing!

Stir-fry with seitan

2010-10-13T18:24:00.000-07:00

I had been craving this dish for quite some time, even though I had only made it once before - way back in June. The original recipe can be found HERE on Eating Well.

The adjusted recipe

1/2 cup mirin1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp hoisin sauce2 Tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp Na++
2 Tbsp safflower oil canola oil, divided
1 package chicken flavored seitan
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
3 scallions
2 cerrano peppers, seeded and pith removed
4 sliced carrots
2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 cup steamed asparagus

Mix the ingredients: mirin-salt together and whisk. Add Tbsp of oil to pan (I use my cast-iron) and saute seitan until nice and browned. Add ginger and cook for a minute or two. Add vegetables and cook for maybe 5 minutes, until they are soft-ish. Add sauce to the pan and cook until thickened. Easy, and quick! Very, very delicious!

The beer wasn't mine, but husband Dave thought it complimented the color scheme of the food nicely. He had his over noodles, but I had it just in a bowl.

PS- I had this popcorn for an after dinner snack. mmmm

Blueberry Vinaigrette

2010-10-12T18:04:00.000-07:00

I had to work late tonight... I had two participants scheduled to come into lab. Both were drug positive, so it was not a day of much success. Nonetheless- I had tons of crap to do at work after arriving early and unshowered as a result of yet another ASAP email from my advisor. Really? I had to work until 8pm. I don't want ASAP emails at 9am. So today was long and crappy. Because of the torturous day ahead of me, I had set out some of my mother's home made pasta sauce to defrost so I could make a quick dinner when I returned home*. I didn't want to just put it over sauce, but I was also feeling lazy - so there was that. I searched "marinara" on every vegan site until I found this picture, and I figured I would add some sausage.

It ended up smothering some spinach linguine with the sauce, in addition to some tofurkey sausage. I made some garlic bread alongside for old time's sake.

The salad (contains cheese, I was craving it - sorry!)

mixed greens, pickled beets, steamed green beans, blue cheese crumbles, apples and walnuts. All topped with blueberry vinaigrette.

Making dressings is easy- and once you start doing it you really begin to hate anything out of a bottle. There's nothing to them- oil, vinegar, mustardc(to help emulsify the dressing- i.e. not let it separate) and some sort of flavoring mixed with herbs. If I have time I make a fruit syrup to use as a base- but on a weeknight I just use jam.

Basically, I just put some blueberry jam into a bowl, added enough balsamic to cover it and a squirt or two of dijon mustard, and whisk. Add olive oil (about equal to the bulk of what is already it the bowl) and whisk again. Add herbs, or pressed garlic if you want, and keep on whisking. If you like it thicker, add more jam. And there it is, your very own dressing.

* Yes I suppose husband could have boiled the pasta and warmed the sauce... but I even asked him to do so - he said he'd just eat a snack and wait for me. Oh dear.

Banana Peanut Butter Oatmeal

2010-10-06T08:54:00.001-07:00

I shouldn't be blogging as I am going home to NY and am being picked up in 30 minutes... but I can't help it. My breakfast is so awesome. I finally broke down and got a new blender, and decided on the Magic Bullet. SCORE. That meant I could finally have blended oatmeal again. Today: Banana peanut butter

1 frozen banana- melted in microwave for 4 minutes (CCK's melted banana trick)
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup water
1 rounded tsp Peanut butter

Cook oatmeal and water 4 minutes in microwave. Melt banana 4 minutes in microwave. Combine with peanut butter and splash of almond milk in your magic bullet. HEAVEN

The Stolen Bowl

2010-10-04T17:08:00.001-07:00

My friend gave me THIS recipe a little while ago, for stir-fried sweet potatoes. I bought some, planning on making them alongside some sort of food good in the coming weeks. Then I saw THIS post on her blog, and knew that I'd have to go all the way and incorporating it into a Buddha bowl/Harmony bowl/Holy crap I could be a vegan bowl... or as I have now dubbed it, the Stolen bowl. I made it almost exactly as outlined on Erin's blog, but I used tofu rather than tempeh - and somen noodles.

The tofu:
Some mirin
Some soy sauce
Some hoisin sauce
Some agave nectar
Ginger

Press tofu, cut into cute little cubes and toss into the sauce you just pre-mixed. Put in 400 degree oven until you smell burning.

The stir-fry: somen noodles, peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, sauteed sweet potaoes, sriracha, tahini sauce. OH dear it was good. Even my massively carnivorous husband ate it up and declared he was taking the leftovers for work tomorrow. YUM.

I have to share my version of the sweet potatoes recipe (based on what I had in my house) in case NY Times ever takes it down and you can not access the deliciousness:

1 tsp grated ginger (jarred ginger is super awesome, not at all like jarred garlic which is nasty)
2 sweet potatoes
2 Thai chiles, seeded
Peanut oil to coat
Na++ and pepper

Put the grating blade on your food processor and grate potatoes (I was a tad worried since my processor is so flimsy, but even my P.O.S. got the job done). Saute in oil with ginger and chiles. It's done in about 10 minutes. Even a non-stick pan became filled with gunk- so beware. I had to deglaze three times and the pan is still soaking in the sink now. But oh my foes and oh my friends, it was worth it.

Chocolate Chia Pudding

2010-10-02T09:12:00.000-07:00

I love chocoate, and I am always open to new ways to get low-calorie chocolate sources into my diet. I found this recipe here, on Love Veggies and Yoga. There's nothing to it - chia seeds, almond milk, stevia and cocoa powder. Put it in the fridge overnight and you have a snack full of omega-3's and almost devoid of all calories. Yay!

Notice that the pudding slid to one side of my container during its transport to work. Look closely and you can see how I spend my lunch- reading journal articles!

ULTIMATE Vegan Chili and corbread muffins. om nom nom nom

2010-10-01T16:32:00.000-07:00

I'm sure everyone has had the experience when you are sick of having the "worst" day. That is- the day you feel your absolute worst out of all the crappy sick days. Well, hopefully today was the worst of this stupid sickness. I slept 12.5 HOURS last night- right through to 11:30 am this morning. Holy crap. I guess I needed it. I went into work for a few hours, and still had some energy to stand up when I got home, so I threw together tonight's dinner and placed it gently into the slow-cooker and laid back down. Below are my variations on recipes from Vegetarian Times' past February issue.

I added a few things to the chili, mainly sweet potatoes and tomatoes- both of which I love. The seitan added a wonderful meatiness to the dish. I would highly recommend this for a fall dinner! My tomatoes:

Ultimate Vegan chili: Original recipe
2 Tbsp EVOO
1 large onion, chopped
2 sweet potatoes, microwaved until soft (about 5 minutes)
1 chipotle chili in adobo, drained and minced
8 oz. mushrooms
1 quart cherry tomatoes
1 cup chopped carrots
1 package seitan
3 Tbs. tomato paste
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. herbs de provence
1.5 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp celery salt
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp vegan Worchestershire
1 tsp cinnamon (trust me, it makes a big difference)
cilantro to garnish
sriracha for each serving

Heat EVOO, saute onion, chuck into slow cooker. Add mushrooms to pan with some H2O, saute until brown, add to slow cooker. Add the rest of the veggies and seitan, spices and everything else to the slow cooker. Put on high and let sit for 4 hours (ish). Garnish each serving with cilantro and sriracha.

Cornbread muffins: Original recipe
1 cup plain soymilk
1/4 cup vegan margarine, melted
2 Tbsp agave nectar (or maple syrup if you are made of money)
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp ground flax seed
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup frozen corn kernels

Pre-heat over to 375. Melt margarine in mixing cup. Add soy milk and the remainder of the wet ingredients, and mix with fork. In large mixing bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Add wet to dry. Put the corn kernels right back into the mixing cup and thaw in microwave. Add to remaining ingredients.

Pour ingredients into muffin pan. I don't use those little muffin cup things- I think that they make everything taste funny. So I just grease the pan and ladle the batter right in. Bake for 20 minutes - and let sit for 10. When they are done, it's time for chili. Then you can eat and go pass out on the couch, like I am about to.

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

2010-09-29T17:52:00.001-07:00

Tonight's dinner is not vegan nor is it particularly healthy (well, maybe the soup was). A little while back my sister-in law posted a recipe on her blog for roasted tomato soup. Apparently it was a meal that my brother had made one evening. It's funny that him and I enjoy cooking, since my mother hates it so much. But regardless- we both cook and I am now borrowing a recipe.

I woke up feeling like death today - the weather has changed here FINALLY, which I love! However, every year when the temperature drops drastically I get sick. It's a trade-off. Today seemed like the perfect day to make grilled cheese and tomato soup.

Roasted Tomato soup (Dr. B-S's changes in Italics)
4 large Tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 Red Bell Pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 large Garlic Cloves, chopped finely
3 tsp Olive Oil
1 quart Vegetable Stock
Handful of Fresh Basil
2 Tbsp cream cheese
Pinch curry powder Herbs de Provence

Roast veggies 45 minutes on 425. Add stock and cream cheeseto pan, use immersion blender to blend and make into soup. Add spices and you're done. Yum.

Now, when it comes to grilled cheese- I like to embellish. I love brie, caramelized onions and granny smith apples. However, I did not have any of those things on hand - as I don't really keep much dairy in the house. Husband Dave did have some sliced cheddar, so I used that. I like fruit, so I used some jam. Jam is by far my favorite thing in my fridge, and I have many, many varieties to suit my every fancy. The jam of the day? Candy apple. Oh yeah.

Grilled cheese:
4 slices sourdough bread
2 tsp candy-apple jam
2 slices cheddar
2 Tbsp goat cheese
1 Tbsp smart balance

Melt smart balance on griddle. Assemble the sandwiches, bread + jam + slice cheddar + goat cheese + bread. I served it with some of my Uncle's pickles. I still feel like poop, but at least I am full.

BBQ flavored white beans and sausage and spinach... and raw chunky cheesecake

2010-09-27T17:52:00.000-07:00

Today I stayed at home to write.... I spent all day sitting and typing up my reference section and expanding on my results. How fun! At 5 I decided to do some yoga so that I would feel as if I had moved a little today. I always feel guilty going to yoga class and hearing them talk about our "home practice." I don't have a home practice. But it was kind of nice, just doing what I wanted to do for an hour. Anyway- when the husband came home he was wet and tired and hungry. I whipped up one of my favorites from Nava Atlas' Vega n Express (I've been on a kick lately). This is a meal I've made a few times, it is so simple and unbelievably filling.

BBQ-flavored white beans with and spinach:
1.5 Tbsp EVOO
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 cans white beans, drained1 14 oz. package tofurkey sausage (I like the Italian variety best)
1 cup BBQ sauce (I usually make my own, but not today)
As much baby spinach as you can fit into the pan.

Warm EVOO, saute onion and garlic - add sausage until nice and browned. Add beans and BBQ sauce - then spinach. Cover the pan until spinach wilts, then stir it all up and serve. So easy!

The whole:

The product:

After dinner I decided I would try making a Raw Vegan Cheesecake that I had seen On Love Veggies and Yoga. I had everything to make it and started soaking my cashews the night before.
Here is my crust:

I was a little bummed that my cheap-o food processor could not make the filling smooth. However, it still tasted okay. It is in the freezer now - so I will know how the final product tastes tomorrow. My blender has broken, and I think it may be time to upgrade to a bug girl Vitamix... and tonight's cashew filling has me convinced.... but to spend the actual money? That is stressful! We shall see.

The chunky cheesecake for now:

Back to "writing"! Yay!

Asheville and Bean and Corn Lasagna

2010-09-26T18:35:00.000-07:00

I spent the weekend in Asheville North Carolina for a girl's weekend. If you've never been to Asheville, you have got to check it out. It is a vegetarian wonderland. Not only is half of every menu vegetarian, but there are even Vegan options as well. We dropped by LAB - where I had a seitan philly cheesteak sub. Then we swung by French Broad Choco lates - for some wine and vegan truffles (including a fig and port truffle rolled in sliced almonds. To. Die. For.) Breakfast was at Mayfel's - the cutest little restaurant- complete with a hostess and a potty attitude. I did have eggs and not tofu (though I could have had a tofu scramble). I had the "karma" benedict - a split BISCUIT (the best I've ever had, seriously. And I am a biscuit connoisseur) topped with a slice of ripened tomato, spinach, veggie sausage and poached egg with hollandaise. This was accompanied by cheddar jalapeno grits. It was truly the most amazing breakfast ever. Great company and great food. Now I am completely exhausted. I wanted to throw something together that would last me a week for leftovers and ready-made lunches.

I flagged this recipe awhile ago after I saw it here, on This is Vegan. It turned out great - though lacking in spice. I had left my sriracha at lab - so I was without heat. The full recipe can be found here.

Here it is hot out of the oven.

And the final dish.... garnished with cilantro and a side salad.

Jerk-Spiced Seitan and gingered-coconut rice

2010-09-22T16:47:00.000-07:00

This weekend I met a girl who didn't eat vegetables. No veggies, no fruit. She said she couldn't get them down. I was not involved in the conversation, so I didn't want to react and admit I had been eavesdropping... but seriously? No vegetables or fruit? I know one other person who does not eat fruit/veggies, and she was explaining her "diet" to a couple of us. Someone asked "you really just don't like them?" She answered a blase ""no." My question was: "aren't you concerned about your health one bit?" But I think a lot of people can find their answers in a pill. These ladies probably take a multivitamin and think they're doing just dandy. It's no wonder people are so confused as to why I chose to alter my diet to lower cholesterol rather than take medication. But, hey - even Bill Clinton is trying a plant-based diet to fight cardiovascular disease! As I served myself dinner tonight, picking around to get the most peppers, I really couldn't imagine a life without veggies.

This brings us to dinner tonight. I was surprised I hadn't posted this dish yet, since I love it so much and it turns out absolutely delicious each time I make it. It's another favorite from Vegan Express - by Nava Atlas. I flipped past it at first, but after seeing it looking so awesome on This is Vegan, I decided to make it myself and was not disappointed.

Tonight I served it with gingered coconut rice and chile-spiced asparagus. The rice is a recipe from another Nava Atlas cookbook, The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet.

Jerked Seitan:

Jerk sauce:
1 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp H2O
1/2 cup fruit juice (I like V8 fruit juice. Mmmmmm)
2 Tbsp molasses (it says you can use maple syrup, but why?)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1-2 Tbsp lime juice (I only have lemon)
1 tsp Jamaican jerk seasoning (I use a whole Tbsp)

The goods:
2 Tbsp EVOO
1 onion - quartered and sliced thin
1 red pepper, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1 pound seitan (the cubed variety works better than strips)

First step: dissolve cornstarch in H20, add the remainder of ingredients and set aside. Saute onions and peppers in olive oil until nice and browned. Set aside. (Because I use my cast-iron skillet, I deglaze here with a Tbsp or 2 of wine. Who can argue when you are cooking with wine?)

Add seitan to the pan and brown on all sides. Add the sauce, thicken it until it is reduced by about 50% and smells great. Add onions and peppers - and serve at once.

Gingered coconut rice:
16 oz can of coconut milk (it says to use light, but light SUCKS. Full fat is the only way to go)
1.5 cups rice (I use short grain brown rice)
2-3 garlic cloves
1-2 tsp grated ginger
1-2 tsp curry powder

Mix together H2O and coconut milk and bring to simmer. Stir in remaining ingredients, put lid on pan and simmer. Simmer for about 35-45 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. The book says the recipe serves 6, but that is a lot of rice per person.

For the asparagus, I toss it in about a tsp of olive oil, chili powder and a little cayenne and roast at 400 for about 5 minutes, and voila! You're done. A dinner chock full of veggies and other goodness.

Gardein Chicken Picatta

2010-09-20T17:43:00.000-07:00

I picked up some Gardein chicken breasts at the store the other day because they were on sale. I was trying to think of something to do with them- and went through my flagged recipes. THIS recipe for gardein chicken and mushroom picatta popped up- on Little House of Veggies.
I didn't have any potatoes- so I just made the chicken and picatta sauce. OH man, it was GREAT. AND the best part is that the chicken breast was only 120 calories for 2 pieces! Hooray! The picatta sauce was double the calories, but so worth it! I had morel mushrooms on hand- so I used them and they were wonderful. I paired it with some wild rice and swiss chard sauteed in olive oil and soy sauce.

This crappy picture does not do the awesome-ness of the dish justice, so head over to the original site to check it out in all of it's glory.

Revisions, revisions

2010-09-20T11:53:00.000-07:00

Imagine this: you wake up in the morning, ready to get to work and start writing. The first thing waiting for you is a paper filled with red ink. The 15th version of the same discussion. It's been 3 months. That's all you have been doing. Revising the parts with the red ink... and then getting more red ink in return. 3 months. The same words, the same paper, saying things in 15 different ways until finally you get the "okay, go." Kind of depressing, right? It gets easy to feel as if your life is devoid of all purpose. I finally got the "okay, go" last week- so we'll see how this goes.

Meanwhile - my last paper was completed LAST SEPTEMBER. Why oh why can't it just be submitted already? I need to graduate.

A peak into my reality:

My morning Smoothie

2010-09-18T07:55:00.000-07:00

1/2 frozen banana, frozen strawberries, baby spinach, almond milk, greek yogurt, splenda.

Yes- I have started introducing some dairy back into my diet. I feel like I am missing out on a lot of protein.

I also haven't been cooking much lately- my mother and aunt were in town, and work has been annoying.... and the evening classes at the gym are shortening my days further. I'm going to try to move back to my crazy 6:00 am workout schedule. The husband is up then anyway- and then I get to come home at 5. Which is always welcome.

When I do cook, I've been repeating recipes. Grilled eggplant-olive pizza, jamaican rice and beans, taquitos... I've just been boring. However, I did have bookclub last night - we read Eat, Pray, Love. I'm not sure how much I am enjoying it - especially since I'm not very spiritual. But- the first part is about this woman's trip to Italy to gorge herself on food and wine. It's a good part. I hosted last night and put together a quick Italian spread (of course I took no pictures!) Pistachio gelato, Italian cookies, antipasto (grilled eggplant, mozzarella, cocktail onions, sun-dried tomato tapenade), tortellini with pesto and a baguette with carmelized fig and onion spread. Everyone was blown away- and in reality it took me 20 minutes to throw it all together!

BBQ Tofu

2010-09-09T17:32:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time I saw THIS post on This is Vegan. The memphis BBQ tofu was a recipe belonging to Vegan Dad. A lot of links in a short time, I know! Well, I've made this dish COUNTLESS times, and the BBQ sauce is just the best. Of course, I had to make it without the Jack, as I drank it all long ago. Jack really shouldn't be used for cooking, use something else that is whiskey-related. Jack is for drinking. Only.

Regardless, I make the BBQ sauce ahead of time, press the tofu (sliced into slabs) under my cast-iron skillet, then apply a rub to the tofu when it is nice and dry. For a rub I usually throw whatever I have in my spice cabinet on the tofu. Today it was - herbs de provence, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, chili powder, paprika and salt and pepper... heavy on the cayenne. I saute the tofu one side in light olive oil until all nice and fragrant, then flip it, and apply some BBQ sauce. Tonight it turned out AMAZING.

On the side, like Mary at this is vegan, I made Nava Atlas' warm potato salad and black bean salad from Vegan Express. The recipe is basically: red skinned potatoes (microwaved until done), scallions, red pepper, lemon juice, artichoke hearts and black beans. I left out the artichokes - and added a spoonful of Veganaise.

Adding to my little BBQ was some left-over baked beans I had in the freezer*, and a chopped salad (greens, red pepper, scallions, avocado, and homemade raspberry vinaigrette).

The dish below is Dave's portion, I dug into mine too quickly to remember to snap a picture. It was great! I realize the picture looks a little gooey - which reminded me of THIS.

As we all know, tonight is Jersey Shore night, so I am going to read my book until it is time for the Situation. As a side note- I did a REAL handstand in yoga today! I win!

* These beans were actually made special for me by a friend of my husband's family. She made a batch without meat, and one with meat. It was so nice I almost cried. See, my husband and I have been together for three years and no one has EVER made anything special for me. I usually just sit there and watch everyone eat steak. I bring tempeh, and they just sit there calling it "air" and laughing, while simultaneously popping Lipitor with their free hands. When my husband asks ahead if there is any food I can have, they always make sure to say "we have a cheese ball!" As we all know, there is no better Chrsitmas dinner than a nice cheese ball. This Christmas they did roll the cheese ball in chipped beef, but that's a whole different story.

Food processor day!

2010-09-08T18:45:00.001-07:00

I still have been having trouble with a lack of appetite this week. I don't want to eat- and when I do eat, I start to feel nauseous. I met with my advisor today- and it went pretty well* (see footnote) - so who knows why I feel all jittery all the time. Well, like I've said, one thing that can always whet me appetite is PASTA. I raided my cookbooks, and found a great pesto recipe in Williams Sonoma "Cooking from the Farmer's Mar ket Cookboo k" - which I received as a wedding gift from my labmate (and friend). I didn't have everything so I made a version based on what I had (I threw this together, so I am just estimating portion sizes here):

Pesto sauce:
all of the basil leaves left in my garden (about 2 cups)
1 cup spinach
1/2 cup silken tofu
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
Handful raw cashews
Olive oil (maybe 3 Tbsp?)
Salt and Pepper

Blend it all in a food processor and pour over pasta. Even Dave said it was "pretty good. Haven't you made this green shit before?" This answer was "no, no I haven't."

What goes best with pasta? BREAD and WINE of course! Italian cooking is just the best. While I was out in my yard picking the basil, I noticed a ton of ripened FIGS on my fig tree! They ripen quickly, and if you don't pick them a damn army of ants finds and devours them, so you have to be on top of your game when harvesting. Behold: my bounty.

What do you do with figs? Make Carmelized fig spread of course! This is a recipe from my friend who made it countless times last year. It is so good and tastes great slathered on rosemary olive-oil bread.

Carmelized fig spread, originally from the Guilded Fork:

8 fresh figs, stemmed and halved
1 medium sweet onion, sliced thinly
4 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 tablespoons good-quality balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat broiler. Cut figs in half, spread on baking sheet, inside part up. Top with sugar (I only used 2 tsp) and broil 4 minutes. Next slice onion, broil 4 minutes as well. Blend all ingredients together and enjoy with wine and pasta.

The wine? I was looking for something under $5 (classy!) and found:

First smell: black currant and ALCOHOL. First taste: cherry, licorice, and more alcohol. Seriously, it was very strong. Who's arguing?

And finally, the finished product:

Since the food processor was already good and warmed up, I figured I would make some balls- since I had been thinking of chocolate all day. Today I blended:

some cashews
4 dates
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp agave,
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 Tbsp peanut butter.

They are currently setting in the freezer, a sneak peek:

And now that it is almost time for bed, my eyes can finally see the computer screen!

*It most likely went well because at 8:20 this morning I had an eye exam, because I was OUT of contacts. For whatever reason, they DILATE your pupils during an eye exam down here. That means that you must avoid bright light, reading and computer screens for the next 4-6 hours. I could not see ANYTHING. Then it dawned on me: wait, what do I do at work??? Sit under a florescent LIGHT, READ papers, and stare at a COMPUTER SCREEN!!! Well, I decided that the extreme discomfort of the dilation was worth it- because I didn't go into work for the day! I couldn't read, so I watched True Blood for 3 hours before our meeting. When I arrived, I announced that I could "barely see" and would be wearing sunglasses. These also helped because I was able to roll my eyes freely when he said something ridiculous to me. Ah, how nice it was to express my annoyance through eye rolls. And he seemed generally concerned about my vision. SUCKER.

Backpacking!

2010-09-06T18:00:00.003-07:00

Hello, friends. I (and husband Dave) just returned from a back-packing trip - my first ever. It was great fun, and a wonderful workout interspersed with the rewards of breathtaking views. On this trip I subsisted on trail mix (granola, peanut m&m's, goji berries, raisins, and nuts), CLIF bars, and some ramen. It was a glorious weekend - and I can barely move any part of my body right now!

However, I always love to get out of town- even if it is for a long weekend. I usually come back to school with new ideas, and a resolve to graduate so that I can enjoy trips more often (because I will make enough money to stay in hotels!)
A few pics from the trip:

Hesitant cooking

2010-09-03T08:46:00.001-07:00

This last week has been a stressful week. I generally handle stress pretty well- as I am pretty accustomed to it through all these years of grad school. Stress rarely affects my eating (usually I eat MORE) - unless I am on the "break-up diet," a tried and true way to lose a ton of weight and attract a new mate FAST! You know that diet, right? When the very thought of food makes you nauseous? This last week has been like that. I am have this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach like something just terrible is about to happen, then never actually does. Weirdly enough, when I went into work yesterday - I found I 3 inch screw placed on my desk - strange? Whatever, only one experiment left to go then it's time to graduate.

Anyway- one thing I can always get down - regardless of hunger- is pasta. Though I do love it, I seldom make it! I've made this recipe before "rustic pasta" from the Kind Diet- and didn't like it. Mainly because everything in that book turns out VERY salty. I found salt a very aversive taste (perhaps an evolutionary defense mechanism against my genetic predisposition for heart disease). However - I felt this pasta had potential- and it came out much better this time with a few tweaks.

Rustic Pasta (serves 4-6)

1/4 pound pasta
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce (I cut this to about 2 tsp)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 head green cabbage, sliced (napa works better and cooks faster)
5-6 Tbsp marinara ( I used a whole can of diced tomatoes - which made a huge difference in taste)

Cook pasta. Heat oil, add onions, saute for 7 min, add garlic, saute for 3 minutes more. Add celery, saute 3 minutes more. Stir in soy sauce, gar powder, salt and cabbage, saute 4 minutes. Add tomatoes (or sauce) and cook. Much better this time, but still salty!

I served this with some tomato/basil flavored baked tofu for some protein! It was a good only meal of the day!

Back to school muffins!

2010-08-31T06:55:00.000-07:00

Back to school means very little to me (except that I am officially a 5th year student in my program... shudder). I stopped taking classes at the end of my second year of school - and I haven't had a summer break since I was 21. Actually- I technically get no breaks now, but I do manage to take AS MANY AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE TO SAVE MY SANITY. Caps, aside, the only thing that does affect me is the fact that I have to prepare for lectures. This year- I have new topics, meaning I actually have to create new powerpoint presentations, thus causing me to have to go to lab/work at a decent hour (not noon). Hey, I do human research - sometimes I am working only evenings or on the weekends, so when I don't have that going on, I don' rush in.

Back to school also means that my husband is back at school, teaching high school. That means that he is gone super early- leaving me some quiet time to enjoy my coffee, listen to NPR, and catch up on my non-science related reading (a.g. food-involved reading). This past Sunday I made muffins, strawberry-goji muffins to be exact, to grab on my way out to work, or to enjoy with my morning coffee at home if I have more time. They are very good and VERY low in calories!

The muffin recipe comes from Nava Atlas' The Vegetarian Family Cookbook, which is absolutely one of my favorites. The muffin base is the "basic muffins, seven ways recipe:"

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 Tbsp ground flax seed
2 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tsp baking soda
1/3 cup natural granulated sugar
1 cup yogurt (I used coconut) or applesauce
2 Tbsp safflower oil
1/3 milk (I used plain soy)

Mix dry ingredients, add wet and stir. For fillings I added 1 cup fresh strawberries and 1/3 cup goji berries.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes - makes 12 muffins!

Without fruit, they have 126 calories each - so they are a great snack with my coffee!