Pasta and an Oats Parfait for good meausure

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.

Red Thai Tofu

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.

Butternut Squash Enchiladas

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.

Portobello stacks with Chevre and Tomato

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.

Food processor day!

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 Market Cookbook" - 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.

Quick taquitos and "taco" salad

Yesterday I did end up going into work, though I vowed not to. I had updated comments from my advisor at home - and they could be easily addressed from my desk. However, I got an email around noon that said

"come to lab. See items on bookshelves. Take what is yours. Everything not taken I will throw out at 5pm."

Ok, time to go in. I get in, and what do you think is sitting there - ready to be chucked into the bin??? Mine and my labmates coffee cups and tupperware. You see, we have a sink and drying rack in our lab. Every day we WASH our dishes and set them out to dry, before taking them home later that day. Apparently that is no longer acceptable so I have to hide my fork at my desk.

I was annoyed about some other things as well, so I tried to convince the husband to go out for margaritas and tacos to celebrate his "last day at school before the students start." (Yeah right, I wanted tequila on a week night). He had a departmental meeting at Buffalo Wild WINGS (what a jerk, wings and beer for work? I can't even have a coffee cup). I tried to go for a swim - but my Y CLOSES the pool when it storms. Really? It's INSIDE.

So I was on my own - which meant I came home and cleaned (my favorite past time) and made a super quick dinner.

Here: the before



Here - the after. I made some quick taquitos - put some leftover gazpacho in a bowl, and made a chopped salad. Start to finish - 10 minutes.



The taquitos - made into a recipe of things I had:
2 corn tortillas
4 Tbsp refried beans (I used whole foods chile and lime)
1 tsp nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp salsa

Mix together, put about 2 Tbsp of filling in each tortilla- roll up. Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes. The site I saw these on said to broil them for 1-2 minutes for crispiness at the end - and 2 minutes was too much!

The salad - romaine lettuce, black beans, tomato, corn, avocado, scallion, salsa. Topped with some of my home made strawberry vinaigrette. It was quick, and by the time I finished up, the husband was bouncing into the house - happy from all the beer he had consumed in the name of special education. I wasn't really in the mood for alcohol anymore, but I poured a glass of Round Peak's fiddle's red. It's a red blend of cab franc, cab sauv, and merlot. Very tasty. I sat down to watch Teen Mom, only to discover it wasn't new this week. So I had to read instead! Damn.

Fun with advisors and Polenta!

Describing the relationship of an advisor to an advisee sometimes proves to be difficult. It's kind of like a mix between a boss, parent, Drill Sargent, and babysitter. Everything you want to do requires their permission. They guide your career, serve as the rate-limiting factor for your progression through school, make you feel like crap, and serve as your biggest fan. No matter what - they are the ones that will get you to graduate. You need their help to put out publications, okay your dissertation, and ultimately provide a recommendation for you. It's a very complex relationship - and it's different with everyone. Thinking your advisor hates you is a pretty common theme in grad school. Google "my advisor hates me" and you'll get several thousand hits. However, by the end most realize that their advisor does not in fact hate them... after several years of therapy.

My dad went to business school, and told me that my advisor uses a management style known as "everything is an emergency." Everything has to be done RIGHT away, and ASAP emails are abundant. This morning, I decided I would sleep in. It's Friday - and I had finished my work due NEXT week, so I decided to sleep in. At about 9, my phone starts buzzing at me- alerting me to a new email. It was from my advisor -saying to email him AS SOON AS POSSIBLE when I arrive at work. Well, crap. I throw on clothes, rush out the door, arrive at work unshowered and smelly - to email my advisor back. His reply? "Let's meet in 2 hours." UGH.

Anyway- the husband was gone last night, so I got to cook for myself yet again. I make a fun polenta dish when I don't feel like throwing anything too complicated together- so I saute up some veggies, and warm two slices of polenta in the microwave. Add veggies (onion, pepper and broc) to top, smother with tomato sauce and a sprinkling of Daiya and nuke again... and dinner is done. I was CRAVING carbs last night so I bought some sour dough bread. The wine is Skull camp's "anticipation" made by Round Peak vineyards. A young un-oaked chardonnay with less than 4% residual sugar- a nice semi-sweet wine. Perfect to accompany the 50 thank you notes I got through yesterday.
Now I am off for a swim - that will serve as my first "shower" of the day.

Tempeh and Temperature intolerance

It is HOT outside. Seriously. The heat index today was 100. Growing up in WNY - summers didn't get so warm. I remember lifeguarding in August wearing jogging pants and a hoodie. Well, those days do not exist here until December. Once it hits over 90 degrees- I whine. I know I do, and I feel bad that people have to listen to me, BUT DAMN IT IT'S HOT.

Anyway - I got home at a reasonable time today to do some "work" (read: writing. Blah). I made some for real rabbit food today - mashed cauliflower and kale with garlic chips. I threw some tempeh in after I sauteed the kale in sesame oil - even though I said I would have no more soy today. I couldn't help it, it sounded good. I made some shiitake miso gravy and smothered that all over the tempeh and cauliflower. Seriously - if you haven't made it - you have to try it. Just steam a head for 15 minutes, then chuck it in your food processor with some earth balance/silk creamer/salt and pepper or whatever you so choose as an embellishment. It was AWESOME. I also ate a lot of Kale. Go veggies. BUT I am still sweaty and gross and don't think I have any trash tv to watch tonight.

Am I half way done with my wine you may ask? No, that's actually a correct serving. Each bottle should yield 6 glasses. Try answering some questions on your current drinking now - alcoholic.

The wine is a Shelton riesling. I like it because it's more flavorful than a typical riesling, and much heavier on the tongue/palette, and almost tastes effervescent. Pretty good for a monster winery.