keeping busy

So, yesterday I had the day off from work. Wee! Michelle and I had plans to have lunch at my house and hang out for a bit . . . that "bit" turned into the rest of the day! Michelle had had a crappy morning, and needed to keep her mind off of things. So, after we devoured scrambled tofu, French Toast (it turned out really well, even though I think I cut the bread too thickly,) grapefruit, and coffee, we headed to the mall. (No, not The Mall. I try to avoid the "black hole of death" at all costs, as does Michelle, even though she works there.) We tried to find a pair of red, low-top Chuck Taylor's for me. After several hours, and an Odwalla Strawberry C-Monster Smoothie each, I had no shoes. Other that the smoothies, we hadn't spent a penny. (Hey, the smoothies were good, by the way. No corn syrup . . . although each bottle still had 58 grams of sugar! Ingredients: orange juice, strawberry puree, apple juice, honey, concord grape juice, vitamin C, lemon bioflavinoids, and rose hips.) So, we drove over to Uptown to Urban Outfitters. Still no red Chucks. I did, however, buy a t-shirt with a print of several illustrations from Dr. Seuss's "The Lorax," and the quote, "I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees." ("The Lorax" is my favorite Dr. Seuss book, hands down.) I also bought a pair of China flats, although now we are being P.C. and marketing them as "canvas Mary Janes." I don't think it's wrong to call them China flats when "Made in China" is stamped on the bottom!!

We then stopped off at my apartment for a few minutes, so I could change clothes and drop off my shopping. We went over to Michelle and Ann's and I hung out with Ann for a little bit while Michelle changed clothes. Then, Michelle and I, (Ann wasn't feeling well,) drove downtown and had dinner at Gluek's. I had the mac and cheese, (German Spaetzle pasta in the best cheese sauce I've ever tasted -- it probably contained more saturated fat than I've had in the last month . . . oh well!), with a side of fresh fruit. We used my Minnesota Public Radio member card and received one of our entrees for free! The ambiance there is very cool, although it was a little strange to see a bunch of little kids running around a bar in downtown Minneapolis at 8:00 on a Friday night. (Michelle and I spent a long time trying to figure out where all the kids came from -- our best guess was there was maybe something like Disney on Ice going on at the Target Center? Who knows. It was a little odd.) Something else odd -- our server was wearing tall winter boots with cropped pants. It was, like, 40 degrees out last night. A fashion no-no? Oui.

After dinner, we walked over to the Fineline and saw White Light Riot, Omaur Bliss, Jessy Greene, and Vicious Vicious. The two bands we really went to see were White Light Riot and Vicious Vicious, so it was a loooooong night. (We didn't make it. We left partway through Vicious Vicious's set. I'll have to see them again sometime soon, preferably when they go on before midnight!) Here's my mini-review of the show:

White Light Riot: these guys never disappoint. They are musically tight, a lot of fun to watch, and babies (3/4 of the band are still under 21 years of age. It's kind of goofy to watch them jamming out with big, black "X"es drawn on the backs of both hands in Sharpie marker.) Their poor lead guitarist had trouble with his guitar, had to borrow a guitar halfway through the show, and ended up sitting down for a couple of songs because he couldn't figure out how to hook up his strap right away. The lead singer also accidentally threw the tambourine at the drummer. However, given they were playing another show later that evening at the Kitty Cat Klub, I think they breezed through all of those incidents just fine.

Omaur Bliss: these guys rocked! Well, that's if hip-hop artists can rock. I've never really cared for hip-hop and rap, although there's a huge underground rap and hip-hop scene in the Twin Cities. I guess I'll have to give hip-hop a chance -- I still don't like "booty" hip-hop, but I'm starting to warm to the intelligent, clever stuff.

Jessy Greene: these guys did NOT rock. Musically, I enjoyed them. However, the lyrics to her songs are mega-repetitive, (i.e., the choruses are typically the same phrase sung over and over again,) and I didn't care for either her or her backup singer's voices. And, as Michelle commented at one point, their hoochy thrift store dresses were really starting to get to her.

Vicious Vicious: I was too tired at this point to listen properly. I'll have to make a point of seeing these guys another time, and giving you the full lowdown. (Erik Appelwick, the frontman of Vicious Vicious, is also one of the geniuses behind The Hopefuls, who I love. Vicous Vicious definitely has a different sound than The Hopefuls, but I like it, so far.)

I have a serious case of "cotton in my ears" today, although I popped in the earplugs halfway thru the evening.

Today, Christine and I may be going shopping (for her -- although she has a sinus infection, so we'll have to see how she's feeling,) and later this evening, Tony, maybe Ann, and I are going to the Turf Club for Chris Koza's CD release party. I'm so glad Saint Paul went smoke-free as of this week, because the last time we went to the Turf Club, I had to do laundry right away.

Wish me luck -- it's "spring ahead" tonight, and I'm going to be out LATE! (And I have Church in the morning!)

Midweek Munchies II

I'm an overachiever this week -- make this my SECOND Midweek Munchies post. I stopped at the co-op on my way home from work tonight!

FROZEN:
one Amy's light sodium black bean and veggie enchilada things (I didn't want to have to think about supper tonight)

PACKAGED GROCERY:
one quart of Silk unsweetened soymilk (never had unsweetened soymilk before . . . will I be disappointed?)

PRODUCE:
four organic bananas
two organic golden delicious apples
one organic Fuerte avocado
eleven organic button mushrooms
one organic green bell pepper
one pound bag of organic carrots

I rarely make trips to the grocery store mid-week, but I think I'm having a friend over for lunch tomorrow, (we both have the day off!) and I wanted to make Scrambled Tofu. I was planning on making scones to go with it, but I got a FREE loaf of wholegrain bread at work today (one of the parents knows someone who works at Breadsmith, and sometimes we get big bags full of whatever day-old bread they haven't been able to sell,) so, French Toast it is! Yum!

Midweek Munchies

Here's what I bought last Sunday:

BULK:
Organic Black Beans (2 3/4 pounds . . . boy, they came out of the dispenser FAST!)

BAKERY:
A peanut butter chocolate chunk cookie ('cause I was hungry, and to thank Ann, my driver -- we split it on the way back to my apartment!)

FROZEN:
1 pint Soy Delicious Mocha Almond Fudge (coffee ice cream with a fudge ribbon and whole almonds)
1 pint Soy Delicious Cherry Nirvana (cherry ice cream with whole cherries and dark chocolate flakes!!!!)

PACKAGED GROCERY:
3 quarts Plain Enriched Soy Dream
one Green and Black's organic dark chocolate bar
2 cans Muir Glen organic no salt added diced tomatoes
1 bottle Seventh Generation lavender dish soap

PRODUCE:
6 organic bananas
1 organic mango
2 organic ruby red grapefruit
1 head organic garlic
1 bunch organic kale
1 large, organic yellow onion
1 medium, organic yam
1 bag prewashed organic baby spinach

I was so very excited to see the Soy Delicious pints in fancy flavors. After reading about Leslie's midnight milkshake, in which she used Soy Delicious cookies & cream, I have had MAJOR ice cream cravings. (Unfortunately, my co-op wasn't stocking the cookies & cream variety on Sunday. Boo!) I was excited to try both of these flavors -- Cherry Garcia used to be my favorite B&J flavor, and I love coffee ice cream in all forms. The Mocha Almond Fudge is FABULOUS. Cherry Nirvana is a little too sweet for me. I looked at the nutrition facts on the labels and guess what? The Mocha Almond Fudge actually has MORE grams of sugar per serving than Cherry Nirvana. Go figure.

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Thanks to Harmonia for starting it all!

experiment = success!

I made a VERY experimental dinner, and it turned out wonderfully!

First, I started a bunch of kale. (I sauteed garlic and onion in canola oil until soft, then sauteed the kale for a few minutes before adding a cup of veg broth, bringing the kale to a boil, reducing the heat, covering the pan, and simmering for 20 minutes.)

Next, I started a pot of whole wheat spaghetti. (Bionaturae is my brand of choice.)

Finally, I combined about a half a cup of leftover, homemade refried beans, about a half a cup of Muir Glen fire roasted tomato pasta sauce, a heaping teaspoon of nutritional yeast, and a big splash, (oh, let's say, a couple of tablespoons) of soy milk, and warmed and stirred this odd sauce.

When the pasta was finished cooking, I drained it and tossed it with the sauce. Then I topped the pasta with the kale.

It's not much to look at, but it tastes pretty darn good! It mostly just tastes like pasta with red sauce and greens. It looks somewhat like a "meat" sauce, and has a bit earthier flavor, obviously. Hm! I may have to remember this one for the next time I have leftover refried beans, and don't feel like a quesadilla.

sunny days, sweepin' the clouds away!

It is SOOOOOOOO beautiful outside today!

Many of you may gasp at the following comment, since it may seem pretty cold to you . . .

. . . BUT . . .

It's 45 degrees and sunny today! I didn't even wear a coat on our hike this morning! Wahoo! Spring at last, spring at last!

boo, hiss.

I officially started job searching this evening. Boo, hiss.

This has to be one of my least favorite things to do. So stressful.

Something that bugs me, too, is the sheer volume of paper that applying for jobs uses. Between a cover letter, application, resume, letters of reference, and transcripts, I usually end up sending most prospective employers upwards of 16 pages, plus a full-sized envelope. Sheesh!

Wish me luck! I'll update with progress reports, as needed. :)

Man, I am tired. Time for bed.

the amazing shrinking Catherine

Well, Kai asked me in a comment about the weight loss I alluded to in a previous post, and I thought I'd detail that for anyone who's interested!

Let's see . . . it's kind of tough to figure out a good place to start. Well, a little about my family and history might help. I am of "hearty" stock -- my ancestors came mostly from Germany, Poland, and Ireland, and I grew up in Wisconsin, which (I believe) is one of the most unhealthy states in the country. My family cooked a lot, we were offered lots of veggies and I ate them, but we still ate a typical American diet -- meat, (mostly refined) grains, cheese, veggies, fruit, and some junk food. My mom is a super-budgeter, so some of the fruit we ate as kids was canned, and most of our veggies were frozen (sometimes frozen from our garden, but still frozen.) Note that I'm not blaming my family for being overweight, because we were eating what was "normal" for the time, but it still wasn't the healthiest diet.

When I moved off to college, I didn't gain the requisite freshman fifteen (due in large part, I think, of the sheer size of the University of Minnesota campus,) right away. Around my junior year, I started putting on weight and continued to put on weight until I was nearly finished with graduate school. I topped out at the age of twenty four at 165 pounds, and I am five feet two inches tall.

The trouble was, since I am so petite, I was only a size twelve at my largest. None of my friends ever thought I needed to lose weight, and no one ever mentioned weight loss as a possibility. I felt icky, though -- I looked at photos of myself and thought, "am I really that fat? I don't feel that fat on the inside!" It was sort of like the reverse of what happens to some people who are anorexic -- I actually believed I was skinnier than I was! Strange. According to my BMI, I think I was right on the border of obesity. Scary!

I decided to take matters into my own hands. I came to the conclusion that I was far too young to be that overweight, and researched different "diets." I chose the Reader's Digest Change One plan, and lost ten pounds. I found the "diet" easy to follow and stuck with it for several months. The "diet" actually helped me change some of my eating habits -- I got a better handle on portion control, I became a label reader, I ate more veggies, and I started eating breakfast. I kept the weight off, but I still felt like there was more I could do -- and I was still considered overweight.

A year ago last Christmas, (um, Christmas 2004,) I decided to make some major changes to my diet and lifesyle. I had read "Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy" by Walter Willett, and realized I now had the tools to overhaul my eating habits and get healthy. I cut out all refined grains, cut way down on sugar, cut out most saturated fat, and virtually eliminated processed foods from my life. My goal was to lose 25 pounds by my birthday, which I nearly accomplished. During this time, my friend Lauren coined the nickname "the amazing shrinking Catherine." It was great! I dropped from a size 12 to a size 8 in five months, I felt great, and knew I was just so much healthier for it. I was eating when I was hungry, stopping when I was full, and was eating "whatever I wanted" (within the new food pyramid outlined by Dr. Willett,) and still lost weight!

Somewhere during this time, I virtually stopped eating meat. I considered it a "treat" for a long time, and then realized that was stupid -- I hadn't really ever cared for meat. I'm not exactly sure when I started calling myself a vegetarian, but I haven't eaten meat since this past Christmas. (And I hadn't eaten meat for months, and the few bites of chicken salad I had made me sick.) And since then, I started really exploring veganism. Although I don't consider myself a vegan, (I eat cheese and/or eggs from time to time, but only away from home,) I cook vegan at home and keep a vegan kitchen. (Well, I think I have a small piece of parmesan WAAAAAY in the back of the fridge somewhere. Come to think of it, I should probably dispose of that! I bet it's pretty old.)

Now, my new nickname is "the bottomless pit." With the near-vegan diet and the enormous amount of activity I get on a daily basis, my metabolism is such that most days, I need to eat, oh, every hour and a half or so. Inconvenient, but healthy. I have kept off all of the weight I lost, and am now a healthy, steady 130 pounds.

I tried on a pair of pants at Target today, (size small, thank you very much!) and my friend Ann who was with me said, "gosh, those pants make you look TINY!" While I'm not tiny, I'm glad I'm a healthy weight for my height.

And that, my friends, is the story of the amazing shrinking Catherine, turned bottomless pit.

I'm back!

I returned last night from my little trip to Milwaukee and Chicago, and share the following "hilights" with you:

1. I created a 69-point word while playing Scrabble with my mom on Thursday night. ("Quartz" on a triple word score.) This 69-point word helped contribute to my total score of 303! I've never had a Scrabble score of over 300 before in my life! Wahoo!
2. My Dad put more transmission fluid in my truck, and it runs MUCH better now.
3. The food at my cousin's wedding was pretty good! (A miracle, if you ask me! Wedding food usually sucks.)
4. I hung out with some friends on Friday night, and we had a great time. I wish I could see Jess and Dan more often!

I also ate out three times: once, at a Mexican place that shall remain nameless because I can't remember what the place was called and the food was horrible, once at Heinemann's, which is always great, (I love their baked oatmeal, but this time I had a veggie omelette, which was nummy!) and once at Chin's Asia Fresh, which was tasty, too! (Chin's is very veggie friendly -- they offer brown rice as a choice with their stir-fries (!!!!), offer tofu as an opion, and their menu has clearly labeled vegetarian options. It's also fast, and reasonably priced!) I had the tofu and veggie stir fry with Thai Peanut sauce. Mmmmmm!

I've noticed, however, that when I travel I just don't eat as healthfully as when I do at home. Many places are becoming more vegetarian friendly, but it's still tough, I think, to find veggie food on the road. (Or more specifically, veggie food that's not cheese-dependant.) Especially in the land of beer, cheese, and bratwurst. Alas.

Midweek Munchies

Since I will be heading out of town tomorrow for a couple of days, I decided to use up some random, less-than-fresh produce that has been hanging about in my fridge for a week now. Once I went digging, I found a zucchini, a couple handfulls worth of baby spinach, a green pepper, a couple tablespoons of canned diced tomatoes, some slightly wilty ginger, some lemons, most of a can of pumpkin that I had opened for another purpose and had not yet used, and about 2 cups of cooked pinto beans. (I don't know why I buy pinto beans. I don't really care much for them. Oh well!)

I looked at all of the produce for a few seconds, then put the green pepper and the tomatoes back in the fridge -- they just didn't "belong" with the rest of the ingredients. Then I set half a cup of dried brown basmati rice to cook, before preparing my soon-to-be Midweek Munchies stew!

Here's what I did:

1. I glugged about a tablespoon of canola oil in the bottom of my soup pot and set the heat to medium. I then chopped and dropped, in this order: 1 medium yellow onion, 5 cloves of garlic, about a 2 1/2 inch piece of peeled ginger, and 1 medium zucchini. After each ingredient, I stirred and cooked everything for about a minute, while I prepped the next ingredient.
2. I then stirred in 1 1/2 teaspoons of curry powder and 1 bay leaf, and let the spices toast for a minute.
3. I then stirred in the canned pumpkin, 4 cups of vegetable broth, the spinach, which I had roughly chopped, and the pinto beans. I brought everything to a boil, lowered the heat, and simmered the stew uncovered for about 30 minutes.
4. The rice was done at about the same time as the stew, so I stirred that in, along with the juice of one lemon. I then scooped about 3 cups of the stew out into my blender, and set it to puree. Once I stirred the pureed soup back into the pot, it became lovely, thick, and golden. (Although I did enjoy the orange and green look of the stew, pre-pureeing. But it was more of a soup consistency at that point.) I enjoyed some for lunch with wholegrain pita, and have packed up the rest to freeze for another day.

Speaking of freezing leftovers, I just dug through my freezer, mostly to reorganize and make room for today's creation. Um . . . I may not be cooking much over the next couple of weeks, because I have a LOT of goodies stashed away in there! (Miso soup, chili, chickpea noodle soup, lentil soup, marinara with tofu balls, and refried beans. There's also a frozen pizza, muffin, pancake, and biscuit mixes, and more frozen veggies than I've ever seen in my freezer before!) Whoops! I guess I felt like stockpiling a little bit this winter? Anyhow, I better hurry up and eat up all of those soups, because soup season is quickly drawing to a close.

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Thanks to Harmonia for starting it all!

cruelty-free clothing???

So, I am still on the hunt for some new clothes (especially spring/summer clothes) after all of the weight I lost last year. I am having trouble finding cruelty-free clothing in my price range.

See . . . I struggle to find clothing that is produced in an environmentally-friendly manner, which also respects the workers that produce it. Does anyone have any ideas about companies I could try? (The other problem I have is budget -- I can't afford to spend an arm and a leg on clothes.) So far, I have researched both L.L. Bean and Land's End, and both have policies on their website concerning worker's rights and such. (L.L. Bean also has a policy concerning their commitment to environmental/sustainable practices, but it is mostly about their catalogues and stuff.) The trouble with both of these companies is, well, most of their clothes just aren't designed for someone my age.

Am I asking for too much? Ultimately, I'd like to find clothes that are cute and that fit, (!), that are affordable, that are produced in a sustainable way, and that are sold by a company that respects its workers. Does anyone have ideas for companies/brands/stores I could try?

appointments, appointments, appointments

So, I took my kitty to the Kitty Klinic on Lyndale, and I have to say, I was a little nervous -- I've never had him to the vet before, and I wasn't sure how he was going to react. (Mostly, I was afraid he was going to bite someone.) However, our visit was quick and painless, (despite him having two shots!), the staff was excellent, and the vet gave Oliver a sticker (on his carrier) for being a "good patient." The vet also gave me some advice on how to get his weight down and work on socializing him a little more.

The dentist and the doctor were uneventful. The dentist always tells me I have clean, healthy teeth, and the doctor confirmed that I have migraines, and told me I could take more ibproufen than I have been, (or I could take Excedrin,) since I'm not interested in pursuing prescription medication yet. Other than dilating my eyes and then forgetting about me for half an hour, the eye doctor was uneventful, too.

I'm glad all of those appointments are over!

KALE

I have never been a fan of cooked greens. I LOVE spinach in salads and on pizzas, in lasagna, etc., but I just haven't hopped on the "greens" wagon . . .

. . . until recently. I bought a big bunch of kale at the Wedge this weekend, and loosely followed a recipe I found in one of the cookbooks I checked out from the library. (Oil, onion, garlic, kale, vegetable broth, simmer for 25 minutes. Easy.) I may not have used enough liquid, because the onion and garlic sort of scorched at the bottom of the pan, and nothing tastes quite as awful as burned garlic. I ate the kale anyway, picking around the garlic bits, and thought it was pretty good!

I bet it will be even better next time, when I DON'T burn the garlic! Sheesh.

I'm planning on an exciting Midweek Munchies post tomorrow . . . I have a bunch of stuff in my fridge that I have to use up before I go out of town, so I'm planning a big stew/soup concoction for supper tonight. I will take detailed notes, and tell you all about it!

Luck O' the Irish . . . and Chinese.

So, in the midst of all of the gunk that happened in my life at the end of last week, I somehow forgot that Friday was St. Patrick's Day! Now, while I'm not a major holiday-celebrater, one of my rituals is to make myself a loaf of Irish Soda Bread each year, to enjoy on St. Patty's day, and beyond. (And yes, I have some Irish ancestry -- about a quarter, I think.)

So, this year, I took a little belated luck, and made myself two mini-loaves of Soda Bread yesterday. I wholegrained it and veganized it and I have to say, it's really not nearly as good as the original. But it's still pretty good -- I had two slices for breakfast today, among other things. (I think that, because the bread is quite neutral/delicate tasting in its original form, the whole wheat flour overpowered the loaf.) I'll have to try making it again some other time, and continue to play with the recipe. Here's the non-vegan, less healthy version:

1. Combine 2 cups of AP flour, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cut in 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter.
2. Combine 3/4 cup plus two tablespoons of buttermilk with 1/2 cup golden raisins. Stir the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients just until everything is combined.
3. Shape the dough into a round on a greased cookie sheet. Cut a cross shape into the top of the dough, about a quarter-inch deep, then bake the dough for 40 minutes at 375.

(I used whole wheat pastry flour, natural granulated sugar, nonhydrogenated shortening, and 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of soy milk mixed with 1 teaspoon of white vinegar to replace the buttermilk. I also used regular raisins, since I didn't have golden raisins.)

After I enjoyed a little Luck O' the Irish, I enjoyed a little Chinese good luck as well. Chelsea, Olivia, Jon, and I ate at LeeAnn Chin for lunch today, and my two fortunes were as follows:

"The only certain thing about luck is that it will change." AND,

"Your plans are going to succeed."

Sweet!

stuck in a bunch of ruts

Good things I'm "stuck" on right now:

Fruit: mango

Album: Matt Nathanson's "Beneath These Fireworks"

Physical Activity: walking around Lake of the Isles

Wardrobe: a grey v-neck sweater that a friend's sister gave to me, rather than sending it off to the Goodwill (hooray for free clothes!)

Shoes: my ratty old Chucks (I really need a new pair . . . )

Tea: Ginger Yogi Tea

Protein: black beans

Coffee: fair-trade Sumatran from Spyhouse

Shopping: Electric Fetus (I just bought a Current t-shirt there tonight!) (And had a long, laughable conversation with a couple of the salesguys during which we included the word "current" as often as linguistically possible.)

Lit: "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser

Refried Black Beans

I was stupid and hid this recipe idea away in a comment, on a previous post. This is an adaptation from Madhur Jaffrey's "World Vegetarian" . . .

(This yielded about 3 1/2 cups)
1. Quick-soak 1 1/4 cups dried black beans. Drain and rinse. Return the beans to the pan and add 4 cups of water. Bring the beans to a boil, reduce the heat, cover them partially, and cook them until tender (my beans took a little over 2 hours.) Cool the beans slightly before dumping them, cooking liquid and all, into your blender or food processor. Puree the beans and reserve.
2. Cook 5 tablespoons of minced onion and 2 cloves of minced garlic in 1 tablespoon of canola oil until soft. Add 6 dashes of Tobasco sauce, 1 can of diced tomatoes, (drain them first and chop them more finely with your knife,) and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Cook this for a minute before adding the beans.
3. After you add the beans, cook them for about 10 minutes, or until they are the thickness you like. (They will thicken a little more as they cool.) Once cooled, I froze half and chilled the other half.

What is masa harina?

Thanks to Cook's Thesaurus, I have an answer to that question!

masa harina:   This is flour made from hominy, and it's used to make corn tortillas and tamales.  Look for it in large supermarkets or Hispanic markets.  It's made with either yellow or white corn; harinilla is made with blue corn.  Substitutes: masa (This is masa harina that's been reconstituted with water.) OR harinilla (blue, not yellow)

Midweek Munchies

It's my first ever Midweek Munchies post! If you are a MM-er, welcome! If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's a group of women veggie bloggers who post weekly and share grocery lists, new ingredients, recipes, ideas, and other food-related stuff. (MM was started by Harmonia.)

Since I already lost my post once and it's getting good and late, I'll keep version two short and sweet. :)

I usually do my shopping on the weekends, and I won't be headed to the store any time soon, since I'm headed out of town next week for a little while. My list, right now anyhow, consists of mostly "boring" stuff (fruits, veggies, garlic, canned tomatoes, cooking spray, peppermint tea, tofu, soy delicious . . . .) However, two things popped out at me: one question, and one idea . . . .

THE QUESTION: I am in the market for a new women's formula multivitamin, since I am almost out of my Target-brand One-A-Day knockoffs. Does anyone have a great suggestion for a multi for a healthy female near vegan who gets a lot of her nutrients from her food already?

THE IDEA: One of the ingredients on my list is masa harina -- I made tortillas earlier this week, and ran out of corn flour! Here's a link to an easy recipe that produces really fabulous tortillas. (They are especially wonderful right out of the pan. Mmmm......) Give 'em a try -- they are a snap to make, and the dough feels really smooth, like playdough! Very therapeutic.

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news and such

No food in this post today . . . sorry, everyone!

I have to say, trudging around all day in a foot of snow is exhausting! (I can't imagine how I would have felt, had I been four years old!) Needless to say, we didn't last very long outside today, but boy was it FUN! Sledding, snowball fights, shoveling a huge pile of snow for climbing, and looking out into the woods at all of the frosted trees. Beautiful! (And so sunny, too!)

I have noticed, since I started my job almost two years ago, how connected I have become to the weather and the seasons. I have started to discern different "types" of winter, snow, rain, cold, sun, etc. I have also become more able to know when the seasons were going to change, (and when we have the last, mid-March snowstorm of the season,) and stuff. It's kind of cool, being that hooked up to nature. And the weirdest thing? I think I wore my winter jacket maybe four or five times all winter long. I'm all about the layers.

Next week is spring break, and I can't WAIT! It's going to be a nice balance of relaxing and hanging out with friends:

Saturday: I actually have to work, sort of. I volunteered to flip pancakes at the Member Pancake Breakfast, but not until 11:15, so I have plenty of time to sleep in.
Sunday: Nothing, other than church
Monday; visiting Chelsea and Olivia!
Tuesday: the big party day! (doctor appointment, dentist appointment, eye doctor appointment, and vet appointment.)
Wednesday: Nothing, other than church choir rehearsal
Thursday: drive to Milwaukee, and once I get there, have dinner with my parents
Friday: hang out with my Mom (I think we're going to the zoo,) and then have dinner with my friend and former coworker, Jess! I'm so excited -- I haven't seen her since Thanksgiving!
Saturday: drive to Chicago with my parents for my cousin's wedding, then back to Milwaukee, then get in my own car and drive home (this could prove to be a busy day . . . )
Sunday: Nothing, other than church.

Whew! That week is going to FLY. But I need a week of (mostly) fun! (Not that work isn't fun . . . I just want my own kinda fun, for a change. Four-year-old fun is great . . . but I'm not four years old!)

Well, the dinner dishes from last night are shouting at me, so I better get in the kitchen and wash 'em up. Later!

my first stab at fusion cooking

I've been staring out the window, watching the snow whip around in the wind, and reading "World Vegetarian" off and on all day today, and all of these ingredients and flavors have been running amok in my head. Hence, I dove into fusion cooking.

I didn't measure anything, so I'll just list ingredients. I may make this again some other time and call it "Lentil Fusion Stew" or "Creamy Spiced Lentil Stew" or "Damn Tasty Mixed-Up Lentil Stew."

Here's what I used:
olive oil
onion
garlic
cardamom pods
whole peppercorns
whole cloves
a bay leaf
ground cinnamon
Garam Masala
chili flakes
tomatoes (diced, out of a can)
chopped fresh spinach
cooked lentils
plain yogurt (I had a little dairy yogurt left, but I bet soy would work fine)
salt
whole-wheat couscous

It is creamy, rich, delicious, and fragrant. Next time I will use all ground spices -- finding the whole peppercorns while eating the stew is a bit unpleasant. (Ha!)

sweet potato pie

What to do at 8:30 in the morning on a snow day? Why, make a sweet potato pie, of course!

Yes, I'm a little crazy. But I felt like baking, and that can of organic sweet potato puree that I bought on Friday night was calling me. So, I made a crustless pie.

This is my new favorite way to make pumpkin and sweet potato pies, because you save a LOT of fat by skipping the crust, and honestly, I'm not eating sweet potato or pumpkin pie for the crust. :) I veganized the recipe on the can, and this is what I did:

1. Preheat your oven to 425. Grease and flour a 9-inch pie plate or 9-inch square pyrex baking dish. (I had to use the latter -- Don still has my pie plate from when I gave him his birthday pie. I should remember to ask for it back tomorrow! I think it will work better this way, however -- squares of sweet potato pie will fit better in my lunchbox!)
2. Whisk together one tablespoon of commercial egg replacer with 1/4 cup warm water. Whisk in 3/4 cup natural granulated sugar, (that seems like a lot, and I may reduce the amount of sugar in the future, but I wanted to make the recipe as written once, just for comparison,) 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 cup plain soy milk. Whisk in one can (15 ounces) of sweet potato puree.
3. Dump the sweet potato custard into the prepared pan and bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 and bake at least 30 minutes longer, or until the edges and top begin to brown and the custard is thick, bubbly, and gooey. Cool the custard completely before eating, and immediately refrigerate any leftovers.

I may cook more later today . . . we'll just have to see.

not since childhood!

Guess what guess what guess what guess what?????

Just got a call from my coteacher who got a call from our boss . . . she closed school!

SNOW DAY!!! Wahoo!

wahoo!

I checked out about a bazillion cookbooks from the library yesterday, and have become engrossed in Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian. It is just what I needed! New flavors, new techniques, new ingredients . . . wahoo!

I am currently working on her recipe for refried black beans. A safe start, if you ask me, but I have made my own refried beans with poor results in the past, and want to give hers a go. I have a feeling the yield will be enormous, so I'll be freezing some for another time.

ALSO, I had brussels sprouts for the second time in my life today. I roasted them with garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. They were good! I thought they tasted a lot like broccoli. Next time, I'll use more balsamic vinegar, because the flavor was not nearly present enough.

I also made hummus this weekend. It really hasn't been a very exciting weekend, cooking-wise. I was gone most of the day yesterday, however, so, I guess that explains it. It's hard to cook when you aren't home!

Five more days until spring break! (Can you tell I'm excited???)

food links and grocery shopping

Ann and I went to the Wedge last night, and this is what happens when you go with a very small list, and you feel like doing a little impulse buying:

BREAD
one loaf of Great Harvest Bread Co. multigrain sandwich bread

BULK
a pound of Peace Coffee Italian Roast Sumatra
a pound and a half of organic rolled oats

BAKERY
a peanut butter cookie for Ann
a vegan pumpkin cupcake for me (it was just okay)

FROZEN
a bag of Cascadian Farm Organic Spud Puppies (i.e., tater tots)
an Amy's roasted veggie no cheese pizza (on sale!!)

PACKAGED GROCERY
a box of Annie's organic shells and WI cheddar cheese
a bag of Garden of Eatin' sesame blue tortilla chips
a box of Kashi Autumn Wheat cereal
a jar of Cascadian Farm Organic kosher dill pickles
14 ounce can natural artichoke heart quarters
2 quart-cartons of Soy Dream soy milk
15 ounce can organic pumpkin puree
15 ounce can organic sweet potato puree
two 14.5 ounce cans Muir Glen Organic no-salt added diced tomatoes
a 4-pack of Seventh Generation TP
Seventh Generation lavender laundry detergent
Seventh Generation lavender fabric softener
a canister of Republic of Tea Vanilla Almond black teabags
a box of Quilts low-sodium crackers
a 4-pack of Izze sparkling clementine juice
a bag of Pet Promise cat food

PERSONAL CARE
one bar of Tom's lavendar bar soap
two tubes of Tom's shaving cream
(I had a buy three Tom's products get $1 off coupon from my Blue Sky Guide)

PRODUCE
one small organic cucumber
four organic, fair trade bananas
two organic Gala apples
one organic Mutsu apple (a variety I'd never heard before!)
one organic Haas avocado
one organic, fair trade mango
one and one third pounds of organic red grapes
six fresh brussels sprouts (to try)
one organic green bell pepper
one organic red bell pepper
one small organic zucchini
one bag of Earth Greens organic baby spinach

REFRIGERATED GROCERY
one package of Earth Balance buttery sticks
one four-pack of Holy Land Deli whole-wheat pita bread


Well. That post sure took a long time! I rarely buy that much prepackaged food, however -- I think it must have been time to stock up. Usually, I spend most of my grocery shopping time in the produce and bulk departments. A fluke.

No cooking projects planned yet, but I'll let you know if I decide to hit the kitchen at some point this weekend.

Happy Saturday!

the great cookbook search

I need to either hit the library or Magers and Quinn this weekend to search for cookbooks. I'm needing some new inspiration and new ideas. Since I have been working on my cookbook quite furiously, I have lots of my own recipes that I could make, but those are boring to me -- they are, after all, my own recipes designed just the way I like them. They are great comfort food, but right now I want to push myself a little bit, try some new ingredients and new techniquies. And although I have been cooking primarily vegan at home, I'd like to push myself a little farther -- I have just a smidge of parmesan left and a couple tablespoons of plain dairy yogurt left, and when those two things are used up, I might make the "plunge," at least at home. We'll see. Any good vegan cookbook suggestions? I've heard of many, seen few.

food trends

Sometimes, the simplest suppers are the best.

This is what I made last night:

I cooked three handfulls of whole-wheat penne in salted water until they were done. I tossed the hot pasta with a can of no-salt added, diced tomatoes, (drained,) a can of quartered artichoke hearts, (drained,) two handfulls of leftover cooked chickpeas, and a couple of teaspoons of Earth Balance. YUM. (Oh, and I had diced mango drizzled with a little melted semi-sweet chocolate for dessert. Double yum.)

The dish even held up beautifully in leftover form for lunch today. Mmmmm.......

I've been into pasta lately. Well, I guess I'm always into pasta. It's one of my favorite foods.

Dinner tonight was veggie chili and cornbread and blueberry-apple crumble at our staff meeting. And then I came home and ate a bowl of cereal and the rest of the mango (sans chocolate this time.) Lately, I seem to be a bottomless pit.

And I've been WAY into sunbutter and banana sandwiches for breakfast. But I've run out of bananas (and bread,) so I'll have to figure out something new for tomorrow.

Segue . . .

I am so glad tomorrow is Friday, (and payday!), and we have only one more week until SPRING BREAK!!!!

succumb to ravioli

The package of Putney Pasta Butternut Squash and Vermont Maple Syrup Ravioli I bought on Saturday has been calling me for three days now . . . tonight, I caved. I tossed the hot cooked pasta with a little extra-virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a big pinch of freshly minced parsley. Mmmm.

I also roasted peeled, diced sweet potato and some cooked chickpeas that I had tossed in a little canola oil, curry powder, and salt, and had some of that, too. It was kind of an orange and beige meal. Oh well! It tasted great.

apple-blueberry crumble

Although I baked this tonight, it will be served at Thursday's late staff meeting . . .

APPLE-BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE (adapted from Betty Crocker's Apple Crisp)
one 9X13 pan, at least 16 servings

1. Preheat your oven to 375.
2. Peel and slice 7 small Granny Smith apples. (About 8 cups total.) Chuck these in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Top the apples with 2 cups (one bag) of frozen blueberries. Hang on to this.
3. Combine 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, 1 1/3 cups natural granulated sugar (this seems like a lot . . . I'll let you know if it's too sweet, but I didn't want to fuss with the recipe too much, since it's for a crowd,) 1/3 cup ground flaxseed, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, and 1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg. Cut in 1 stick (8 tablespoons, 1/2 cup,) nonhydrogenated margarine. Stir in 1 cup rolled oats.
4. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the apples and blueberries. Bake for at least 45 minutes, or until the crumble is bubbly and golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature, with your favorite vanilla frozen dessert if you'd like.

sweet & sour tofu

Tonight, I'm a bit of a cheater. I made myself some sweet and sour tofu (by marinading sliced, pressed tofu in a combination of a couple glugs of LeeAnn Chin sweet & sour sauce and a dash of soy sauce, then pan-frying,) some brown Basmati rice (that I cooked in veg. broth and a smidge of Earth Balance,) and pan-fried sliced onions, peppers, and mushrooms (gasp!), that I also added a little garlic and ginger to.

Although I used a prepared sauce, it still tasted pretty good!

cooking projects and cookbook projects

Despite the fact that I probably walked over five miles yesterday and went to bed pretty late, I slept like crap last night, and then woke up with a "ping!" at 7 a.m. this morning. Only to be followed shortly by a haze of fatigue, which persisted the rest of the day. (It could be due to the lack of caffeine -- I did have only one cup of very weak tea, instead of my usual two cups of coffee.) I went to church, then spent much of the afternoon laying on the couch, watching "March of the Penguins" and "City of God." I love Netflix.

Before I hunkered down for the afternnoon, I made Chickpea Pocket Pies for lunch. This is a recipe I've been testing for my cookbook, and it still needs some tinkering. I think the filling is right on, although I might add more veggies and chickpeas the next time I make it -- it was a wee bit "saucy." But it tastes fabulous.

The crust, on the other hand, was a pain in my arse. I have had poor luck with whole wheat pastry crusts -- they have dried out on me a couple of times now, and it just makes me frustrated because, if I'm going to eat pastry, it better be dang tasty, because it has so much fat in it.

I may abandon the pastry altogether in favor of a bread dough crust in the future. Just as fussy, but healthier and more predictable.

After I hibernated and tackled two hours worth of dirty dishes, I worked on adapting a cookie recipe from my childhood, and created "Ginger Spice Bars." (I'm into bar cookies lately. I can get a pan of them made and in and out of the oven in under a half an hour.) They are gooey, fantastic, and addictive. So gooey, in fact, I may reduce some of the oil I used in favor of plain yogurt, just to save a little more fat per bar. And I forgot the flax. Boo!

I have to say, although this is a lot of work, this part of the cookbook writing is a lot of fun.

Hey, and how about some comments, folks? Do I have friends or family who read this thing???? Let me know!

here a rant, there a rant

I've had a lot to rant about this weekend!

Ann, Christine, and I went out to the Saint Clair Broiler tonight for dinner, then went to see the new "Pride and Prejudice" at the cheap theatre in Roseville. The movie was great! They must have searched high and low for the actor who played Mr. Darcy, because he was just perfect. Appropriately haughty, but handsome enough that you could forgive him for it.

My rant is about dinner. Now, I've eaten at the Broiler many a time, and have had fabulous food and fabulous service there. Tonight was an exception. The food was excellent as always, but our server was sub-par at best, and it took 40 minutes for our food to arrive. The worst part was, I asked for a veggie burger, obviously, instead of the beef that normally comes with their California burger. The waitress happily obliged, and I was then charged an extra fifty cents for it.

Now, fifty cents isn't much. That's not the complaint. My issue is this: veggie burgers are cheaper than beef. Period. In fact, on another portion of their menu where they have the "build-a-burger," the veggie burger option is actually priced LESS than either the 6- or 8-ounce beef burgers. The second part of the issue is, the waitress did not inform me at the time of my order that subsituting a veggie burger would have cost more; she just charged me for it. Had I known, I probably would have ordered it anyhow, but it was a surprise when the bill arrived that my food cost more than either Ann's or Christine's, and they both ordered bacon cheeseburgers. I'm actually considering writing a letter of complaint.

I think it is just a shame that, at least some of the time, it costs so much more to eat healthfully in this country.

I read somewhere once that the US is the only country in the world whose rich people are skinny and whose poor people are fat.

Weird.

this week's groceries

After my rant yesterday about people blogging about everything they've eaten that day, I wanted to clue you in to a new blogging trend I actually like -- people blogging their grocery lists/purchases. See, somehow, this is entirely different -- I see this as inspiration for myself and others. I like reading what other people have purchased to get information on ingredients and brands, and I enjoy sharing my purchases so other people can be like inspired.

So, I walked to the Wedge today, and this is what I bought:
BULK ITEMS:
1 3/4 pounds French green lentils
3 pounds whole wheat pastry flour
a couple tablespoons of white AP flour (for making a roux)
1 3/4 pounds natural granulated sugar
3/4 pound whole brown flaxseeds

FROZEN:
1 package Putney Pasta brand butternut squash and Vermont maple syrup ravioli (they were on sale!!!)
10 ounce bag SnoPac organic mixed veg

PACKAGED:
organic blackstrap molasses
baking powder
two quart-boxes of WestSoy Lite Plain Soymilk (not my brand of choice, but I had a coupon)
EastWind crunchy natural peanut butter with salt
Green and Black's organic mint chocolate bar
Sungold Sunflower Butter

PRODUCE:
5 organic, fair trade bananas
1 organic, fair trade mango
1 bunch organic Italian parsley
about 5 organic button mushrooms (I know -- me, buy mushrooms? I don't really care for them, but sometimes I like them in stuff)
1 organic green bell pepper
2 smallish organic yams
a 4-pound bag of organic valencia oranges

DAIRY:
1-quart container of plain Silk brand soy yogurt (I'm giving it a try)


With all of these yummy ingredients, I'm not sure what I'll end up cooking this week, but I know for sure I'm going to work on the Chickpea Pocket Pie recipe for my cookbook, and will also be baking an apple crisp for Thursday's late staff meeting at work.

Anybody else care to join in on this trend??

muffin madness

I had been thinking over the muffin recipes I had included in the cookbook to date, and have tested several of them with poor results. I decided to start over, and oh baby, I've come up with something fantastic!

I started by creating a dry ingredients mix (that will yield a total of six, 6-muffin batches,) off of the standard Betty Crocker blueberry muffin recipe, with several changes, of course. (Whole wheat pastry flour, natural granulated sugar, and ground flaxseed.) I then slightly adjusted the wet ingredients, and replaced the egg, too. Results are spectacular. They were not dense AT ALL, had nice loft and crumb, and tasted just right -- not too sweet, not too plain.

The batch I made tonight I made plain, but filled each of the muffins with about half a teaspoon of apricot all-fruit before baking. Yum.

I have also come up with the following variations. Comment if you have any suggestions or if your favorite kind of muffin is missing from my list!

molasses-oat
blueberry
strawberry
raspberry
blackberry
apple-cinnamon
banana
cranberry-orange
cinnamon nut
coconut lime
cinnamon streusel
chocolate chip
carrot "cake"
jam-filled
PBJ

chocolate cake and potato chips

I was just reading someone's blog (who shall remain nameless,) and aparently there is this new trend where people blog everything they've eaten that day. I think that is sort of strange. Why is it that many (women especially) feel the need to "confess" everything they've eaten in a day? Why do we see food as the enemy?

There's this really great quote from one of the Bridget Jones books, and I'm not going to bother looking it up so I won't quote it directly, but the general question she asked herself was when had she moved from seeing calories as essential for life, to seeing calories as the enemy?

I guess I just don't get it, really. I like to think I've always had a healthy relationship with food. I love to cook and eat, so I do "obsess" over my food shopping and preparation, and I like to eat things that taste good and make me feel healthy. But really, I'm not thinking every single time I put something in my mouth.

As an example, in addition to the banana, granola, and yogurt I had for breakfast this morning, I also had a small piece of chocolate cake, and a handfull of potato chips. Why? Because I was setting up snack for the day, and was adding a few leftover potato chips to the gorp for the morning class. (It was, by far, the weirdest snack ever. But mighty tasty. The children named it, "Crazy Snack Mix!") And the chocolate cake was sitting on the counter, leftover from someone's birthday earlier in the week. And it looked good, and tasted good, too!

Now, chocolate cake and potato chips are not normal parts of my breakfast routine, nor my daily routine, but every once in a while, it's nice to have a treat.

Probably why I'll never be a size 2. Oh well!

Sorry for the rant. It just makes me sad when people are afraid enough of their food to feel guilty about eating something.

veggie comfort food 101

Thanks to inspiration from The Vegan Lunchbox, I had a fabulous dinner tonight and have developed a new recipe for the cookbook. I made a vegetarian version of Sloppy Joes, which I have named "Disheveled Josephs" for the time being, and think I have a winner. They taste pretty darn good, and are very close to the "real thing." Except without the beef, of course. :)

This really was so good, I can't contain myself from posting the recipe:

(This is, by the way, directly out of the cookbook. Feedback is welcome!)

INGREDIENTS:
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
14.5 oz can no salt added diced tomatoes with liquid
1/2 an empty tomato can full of water
1/2 cup lentils (any color)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine the oil, onion, green pepper, and garlic in your large saucepan. Cook and stir the vegetables over medium heat until they are tender, but not brown. Add the Italian seasoning, and cook and stir for about 1 minute.
2. Add the tomatoes, water, and lentils to the pot. Bring everything to a boil. Lower the heat, and cover and simmer the lentils for 30 minutes.
3. Combine the soy sauce, Worcestershire, vinegar, and cornstarch, and stir it into the pan. Turn the heat up and boil and cook your lentils for 2 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat and stir in the flaxseed, salt, and pepper.
4. Serve your lentils in whole grain pita, on toast, or on whole grain sandwich rolls.

Ooh -- and of course I packed some for lunch tomorrow.

I'm really so very glad tomorrow is Friday.

?!?!?!?

For some odd reason, I think I knew this already:

I Am Dr. Bunsen Honeydew

I take the title "mad scientist" to the extreme -with very scary things coming out of my lab. And I've invented some pretty cool things, from a banana sharpener to a robot politician. But while I'm busy turning gold into cottage cheese, I need to watch out for poor little Beaker! "Oh, that's very naughty, Beaker! Now you eat these paper clips this minute."

The Muppet Personality Test

Dr. Bunsen Honeydew was always my favorite Muppet -- well, him and Beaker.

And, according to Don, the pie turned out just fine -- he ate about a third of it for lunch, and shared a little with some of the rest of us, too. Gooey, molasses-ey goodness!

holy moses!

It's been a stinky Monday.

My coteacher, Sarah, called me last night to let me know she and her car were hit by a drunk driver earlier in the day, that she was sore but otherwise okay, but was going to need to stay home from work today to call her lawyer and insurance guy and figure out how she was going to get ahold of a car for a little while. Whew! She was still kind of in shock when she called me, so I offered to try and find a sub for her. I called everyone on the sub list last night, plus all of our part time staff, with no luck.

THEN, I got in to work this morning, only to discover a message from our assistant, Dan. He was still sick from Friday, and going in to the doctor for a throat culture. I had a major moment of panic. By 8:45 when the children arrived I had scrounged up two subs, but at 8:00, I was afraid I was going to be teaching solo! (Well, not really -- I can't, by law, be alone with more than ten children.)

By 11:00, I still hadn't found a sub for the afternoon. Sarah S. (the bosslady,) called over to the Nature Center to see if anyone was free this afternoon and could pop over to the preschool. Low and behold . . . Naturalist Pete to the rescue! The kids absolutely adore Pete, and he lead us on this amazing hike, and we went places on the property I'd never been before! (Now, I've been exploring those grounds with kids for 18 months -- thought I knew everything!) Oh, we had so, so, so much fun. It ended up being a really great day, all things considered.

On my way home from work, I detoured to the REI in Roseville and bought a pair of mud boots for Sarah for her birthday, which was Sunday. (Yes, her car was totalled on her birthday. Doesn't that just suck?) Traffic was thickening up by the time I was done at REI, so I stopped at Ann and Michelle's to wait out rush hour. Michelle and I ended up trading teaching woes and ideas until almost 7:00.

Then, I came home and made a pie. (My coworker Don's birthday is tomorrow -- Shoo-fly pie is his absolute favorite, and I wanted to make him one as a very cheap but fabulous gift.) The pie's in the oven right now, and something slightly odd happened. It's supposed to be this gooey molasses layer topped with struesel . . . but the struesel fell into the gooey layer during baking. I'm not sure how this is going to work. Hopefully it will still taste good!

Here's how to make a Shoo-Fly Pie:

(Preheat your oven to 450 right away.)
1. Make a single-crust pastry and lay it in your pie plate. Flute the edges.
2. Make the struesel topping: 1 1/4 cups flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/8 tsp baking soda, and 1/8 tsp cream of tartar mixed together, with 1/4 cup nonhydrogenated shortening cut in. Reserve this.
3. Combine 1 cup blackstrap molasses, 1 cup very hot water, and 1/2 cup natural granulated sugar until the sugar is fully dissolved. Mix 1/2 teaspoon baking soda into the syrup -- it should foam a little bit. Pour this syrupy mixture into the pie shell, and top with the struesel.
4. Bake the pie for 12 minutes at 450, then 30 minutes at 375, then 30 minutes at 350.

Complex, I realize, but mighty tasty. The gooey part tastes like an underbaked molasses cookie. What is it with men and molasses cookies anyhow?

Between the pie tomorrow and the brownies for Will's goodbye party last week, lots of baked goods have been leaving my kitchen lately. Just as it should be? :)

I hope tomorrow will be a bit more laid-back. Whew.

(I just took the pie out of the oven . . . it doesn't look like it did when I made it last year . . . oh dear!)

decadence.

Risotto is one of those foods that I love, but rarely eat, because it's a refined grain, and it also always feels like such a HASSLE. However, I made myself a bowlful of risotto tonight that is purely decadent, with ingredients I had laying around. This one probably won't go in the cookbook, because it's NOT health food. But it's damn tasty. Here's the story:

I started by sauteeing half a small onion, chopped, and one clove of garlic, minced, in a bit of extra-virgin olive oil melted with a bit of Earth Balance margarine over medium heat. When the onion was almost soft, I added about a teaspoon of minced fresh rosemary and about 2 tablespoons of pine nuts. (Pine nuts are usually WAY out of my budget, but I had some leftover from making the stuffed grape leaves for V-Day.) I stirred this about until the pine nuts were golden and toasty. I then added 1/3 cup Arborio rice (a short-grain, starchy, refined rice sometimes sold as "Risotto Rice;" duh!) and cooked the rice for a minute or two. (Don't burn your pine nuts.) I then began adding warm vegetable broth, about 1/4 cupfull at a time, and stirring until the liquid was cooked away after each addition. (I also added the juice of one lemon with the first addition of broth.) This is the time consuming part of risotto -- you have to stand and stir, scoop in a little broth, and stir some more until the rice is "al dente." You're aiming for that delicate area between crunchy and mooshy. When the rice was almost fully cooked, I added two big handfulls of fresh spinach, and let that wilt away. (I knew the spinach would release some moisture as well, so I didn't want to add it at the very end.) Once the rice was done, I poured it into a bowl and am now enjoying it thoroughly.

The tricky part of risotto is getting it cooked to al dente, and also not making too much -- risotto gets gluey when it cools and does not reheat well. This made just enough for a one-bowl supper for me. Mmmmmm.........

best . . . lunch . . . ever . . .

Sometimes, the simplest things are the best. I threw together a few things I had laying about the 'fridge, and came up with a stellar lunch for myself!

I split a smallish zucchini lengthwise and scraped a cavity out of the middle of each half. I filled the cavities with a stuffing of chopped onion, minced rosemary, a little freshly grated parmesan, whole grain breadcrumbs, and a little melted leftover roasted garlic butter as a binder. (I should have used a squeeze of lemon juice, too -- oh well! Next time.)

I peeled and diced a medium orange-flesh tuber (call it a sweet potato or a yam, no matter to me,) and tossed the cubes with a little extra-virgin olive oil, pepper, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.

I baked the stuffed zucchini and spiced potato cubes at 400 for 15 minutes or so, stirring the sweet potatoes a couple of times.

I plated the zucchini and potato, and finished the potato with a drizzle of honey. I added a glass of milk and a side of whole wheat pita bread with hummus.

I'm happy!

CHOCOLATE!

I made the Chocolate Brownie Cake recipe originally from vegkitchen tonight, (see link over on the right,) but I can't seem to find the recipe on her website any longer, so I'll fill you in on the details:

First, whisk together:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup natural granulated sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add:
1 cup vanilla low-fat dairy or soy yogurt
1/4 cup low-fat dairy or soy milk
2 tablespoons light vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk all of the ingredients together until they are well blended. Fold in:
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Pour the batter into a greased 9-inch square pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until the cake tests done.


This is, by far, the best chocolate cake/brownie I've had made with no eggs, less sugar, and whole-wheat flour. Moist, cakey, only very slightly "nutty" tasting from the flour, and full of chocolate chips. I can down these chunks straight up, but they are especially excellent with a scoop of ice cream or vanilla Soy Delicious and a drizzle of hot fudge. Mmmmmm.........

My coworkers better enjoy this tomorrow -- it's a miracle I'm sharing it with them!

yikes!

Busy day . . .

We had our all-staff retreat at the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community Development (home of Neighborhood House) in Saint Paul today. It was an interesting day. Ask me about it in person or over the phone. :)

ALSO,

Kara, Rebecca, and I submitted our presentation proposal for the NAAEE conference to be held in Saint Paul this coming October. Now that the proposal's in, I'm feeling a little nervous . . . what were we thinking, proposing to present at a national conference?????? Yikes!

Our presentation title is . . .

Take A Hike: Engaging Young Children in Nature Exploration

Wish us luck!

Back to "regularly scheduled programming" tomorrow, after a three-day weekend and day of meetings. Bah.

remarkable

I made something very close to the Post Punk Kitchen's Tofu "Egg" Salad this afternoon, and let me tell you, it is remarkably like regular egg salad, although not as rich or heavy. I continue to be impressed by the PPK -- check it out, if you haven't already!

yummy smells....

I'm roasting a whole head of garlic in my oven right now, and by golly, my whole apartment smells fantastic. Mmm.....

Shame on me!

I had a bowl of cereal for dinner tonight.

Even food snobs have their moments. :)

who'da thunk it?

I'm finding it very odd, but my new lunchbox is inspiring me to eat more healthfully. (Can it be done? Yes!) Let me explain.

See, as I detailed, oh, last week or so, I have been packing my lunch at suppertime most nights now, preparing two servings of everything and plonking half into the lunchbox. What's so interesting is, there are these four nice compartments in my lunchbox: two large, that each hold about a cup, and two small, that each hold about 3/4 cup. Because I have those four holes to fill in my lunchbox each night, I am inspired each time to include one fruit and at least one veggie in both my lunch and my dinner. Let me explain with an example.

Dinner tonight began with, "hm . . . the mango's ripe . . . ." I rummaged around and found some lentil soup I had taken out of the freezer a few days ago and thought, "yes! Soup, crackers, and fruit. Yum." So, I warmed up the soup, cut up the mango, opened the crackers, and dinner and lunch were ready . . . but wait! I had an empty container in my lunchbox. The lentil soup is full of tarragon and thyme, so I went searching for a veggie that would compliment. Ta-da: frozen asparagus! Green vegetables to the rescue!

Had it not been for the lunchbox, I probably wouldn't have had a green vegetable with supper tonight. There were veggies in the soup, but one can never eat too many veggies.

Strange.

In unrelated news, I continue to work on the cookbook, and spent quite a while on it this weekend. I have now rewritten the introduction several times, and have cut it down from its original 7 pages to a more manageable 3 pages. I'm also done with the following sections: "Plan of Attack," "Daily Breads," "The MOST IMPORTANT Meal of Your Day," "Sack It," and "Snack Attack." I've written the intro for, "Mom, what's for dinner?" and have started inputing recipes. I have "A treat a day keeps the therapist away?", and "Fancy food for fancy days" yet to write. And I'm still testing like crazy. And I'm starting to get really excited about this.

I don't want to jinx myself, but I really am starting to feel like I might have something exciting here. I truly believe healthy cooking for one is a nearly untapped market. (I have found one cookbook about cooking vegan food for one person, and I don't want to smear it too much, but I just didn't care for the author's tone. And it was completely in black and white, with crummy hand drawings of recipes -- not the most friendly volume.) I hope I'm right!

Well, I had a real, stinky Monday today, so I'm off to fold laundry and go to bed. (Lame.) Does anyone else feel stuck in a rut right now? Maybe it's the weather -- I think winter's really starting to get to me, in a bad way.

woe is my laundry

So, I cleaned the apartment today -- the bathroom got a good scrub-down, I dusted a little, and I also swept and mopped the floors. Hooray! I had a little laundry to do, and I wanted to wash the rugs, (I always hate putting dirty rugs down on clean floors,) so I thought about doing some laundry.

I had to wait over two hours just to get to use the washers. Now, my feeling is, if you have tons and tons of loads to do, (i.e., more than three, meaning you'd tie up all of the washers for longer than an hour and a half,) don't use all three washers and dryers at once -- have some respect for your neighbors, who also might be trying to do laundry. I just had to pull someone's stuff out of the dryer -- all three dryers, mind you -- in order to put my loads in. This person who is down there has a damp comforter strewn across all three dryers, but I waited a couple of minutes and figured, "too bad!"

The funniest part is, this comforter looks like it belongs on a king-sized bed. I used to have trouble fitting my twin-sized quilt in the dryers in my building and getting it to dry completely in one round. How in the world is she going to get this moh-foh dry?

I wonder whether she's ever heard of a magical place called the laundromat, where they have jumbo-sized washers and dryers? Hm.

Perhaps I should try harder to do my laundry on Monday nights.

party prep

So, Tony (I think,) Ann, Michelle, and Christine are coming over on Tuesday night for a "Too Cool for Valentine's Day" party. :) I had one last year, and we had a lot of fun. To quote Ann, during last year's party,

"Hey -- I almost forgot it was Valentine's Day for a while there!"

So, we're partying again this year. I'm making a buffet of Greek appetizers. This is what I'm going to serve:

Stuffed Grape Leaves: I made them from scratch and, let me tell you, that was no small job. I had never had stuffed grape leaves before, until I tried one of the ones I made this evening. They are pretty good! The outer part is kind of salty and briny, even after a good rinse in warm water, and the filling is a slightly sweet, spicy rice mixture with dill, currants, and pine nuts. Yum!

Spanakopita: I actually made spinach pie using bread dough instead of phyllo, because I wanted at least some whole grain in the meal. (I have had it this way at the Holy Land Deli -- very good, indeed.) I made eight half-circle pockets stuffed with spinach, lemon, dill, oregano, mint, tofu, a little crumbled feta, olive oil, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper. THEY ARE BLEEPING AWESOME! They are creamy and delicious, and contain almost no cheese. (I probably could have skipped the feta all together, but I had a slight moment of panic just before I started stuffing the pockets, and I added a little cheese at the last second.) They were incredibly labor intensive, however. I may have to adjust the recipe for the cookbook, because they took me the better part of two hours.

Tabouli: I haven't made this yet, because the first two things took so long. However, I have made it many times before, and other than a lot of chopping, it pulls together quite quickly. Tasty, too!

Also, I bought some hummus (!!! I usually make my own, but with everything else I'm making, I thought I'd give myself a break,) grape tomatoes, cucumbers, whole-wheat pita bread, and kalamata olives. Christine's bringing wine, and I'm serving . . .

BAKLAVA FOR DESSERT!

(I made the baklava last night.) It's tasty. It's also fussy. What is it about Greek/Middle Eastern food that's so fussy? Or is it just the recipes I've chosen?

Tomorrow, I have to clean my apartment. (Well, I cleaned the kitchen today. But everything else needs a good scrub-down.) Why is it that every weekend gets filled up with chores and errands? Does anyone else have this problem?

backup plan

Before I begin, I want to note that as a preschool teacher, I do not require or encourage the children in my classes to call me "Miss Catherine." I'm lucky if I get "Catherine," as opposed to, "teacher," "Sarah," "hey," or simply a swat on the leg.

That said, I wanted to share a transcription of a conversation I had with a child in my class earlier this week:
(Note that the "Miss Catherine" is just this child's creation -- he's just sorta goofy like that.)

Kevin: Miss Catherine, are you married?
Me: No, Kev, I'm not married.
Kevin: [long pause] Why not?
Me: Well, I haven't found the right man yet.
Kevin: [long pause] Why?
Me: Well, I guess I just haven't met anyone yet that I liked well enough to marry.
Kevin: [really long pause] Will you get married someday?
Me: I hope so.
Kevin: When?
Me: I don't know -- when I meet the right man, I suppose.
Kevin: [brief pause] Well, Miss Catherine, I just want you to know that you don't have to worry, because when I grow up, I will marry you.
Me: Thanks, Kev. It's nice to know I have a backup plan.

What a card!

One more silly comment:

I was sitting next to Oscar at group time this afternoon. He was sitting in the back, and is one of the smaller, younger children in our class. He was craning his neck and looking back and forth, trying to find a "window" between the other children's heads in order to see the pictures of the book. I scooped him up into my lap, and he pushed me away. I said, "Oscar, if you sit in my lap you'll be able to see better." His reply?
"I can see fine when I sit on my own pants."

I almost burst out laughing in the middle of the book! Sheesh.

rainbow chili?

Chelsea came to visit me today for a short time, and we wandered over to the co-op -- I needed a couple of things anyway, (milk, bananas, peppers, Burt's Bees Almond Milk Hand Creme, Green and Black's chocolate, bread, etc.) and she was very excited to go to the co-op and check the place out. (I have a feeling the next time I ask Chelsea, "do you need anything from the city?" the answer might be "yes!")

Then, I came home and made chili.

Chili is always an experiment, because I never follow a recipe. I just chuck whatever looks good in the crock pot, add enough vegetable broth to cover, and cook it on high for 4 hours. Here's what I made today:

1 can black turtle beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black soy beans, drained and rinsed
2 14.5-oz cans no salt added diced tomatoes with liquid
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 green peppers, chopped
3 green onions, sliced with some tops
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced
half a small yellow onion, diced
a big handfull of cilantro leaves, minced
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
2 rounded tablespoonfulls of chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon

With all of the pretty vegetables in this one, I might have to call it "rainbow chili." Is that cheesy?

Regardless, I'll let you know how it tastes. :)

my love note to peanut butter

So, I don't cook with peanuts or peanut butter very often, because my workplace is peanut-free, and subsequently, anything I make with peanuts or peanut butter must be consumed at home. And I'm not very good about eating up my leftovers at home, so they usually make the trip to work for lunches. Thus, anything leftover with peanuts/peanut butter in it ends up sitting in the fridge until it's time to dump it in the compost bucket.

Which is too bad, because I LOVE peanuts. One of my friends always joked about herself, "yep -- if you put peanut butter on a rock, I'd probably eat it." Har, har, har. (I've said the same thing about myself and cream cheese frosting, but that's a whole 'nother post.) What's not to like about peanut butter, as long as it doesn't send you into anaphylactic shock? Yummy, creamy goodness, protein, fiber, and healthy fat, to boot. I have, on occasion, scooped out a small spoonful of peanut butter and just eaten it "straight up" -- licked it right off the spoon. Natural, roasted, lightly-salted peanut butter, that is. (Although I should probably switch to the unsalted version.)

Segue:

I have been hemming and hawing over a recipe for Ginger Peanut Soba Noodles that I printed off the Post Punk Kitchen website last weekend. It sounded so easy and so tasty, but I was worried about wasting the leftovers. So I sat on the idea for a week, with the tasty ingredients waiting for me in the fridge. Last night, as I was was thinking about having lentil soup for dinner and then realizing the rest of the lentil soup I had left was frozen, I thought, "well, why don't I make those peanutty noodles? I can munch on them all weekend -- they'll probably be gone by Monday, so no lunchbox woes." So, I made them for supper last night. Other than being a bit too salty for me, (next time, I will NOT salt the water I cook the soba noodles in, and will continue to use low-sodium soy sauce, and will probably use unsalted peanut butter, too,) they were TO DIE FOR. I topped the noodles with thin slices of green and red bell pepper, some cooked frozen broccoli, sesame seeds, raw peanuts, minced cilantro, and sliced green onion, per the recipe's directions, and also added a big squeeze of fresh lime juice, and a bit of pressed, diced tofu (my additions.) This recipe is mild, creamy, and delicious -- comfort food at it's best. It's gorgeous on the plate, and just rich enough that it was very satisfying. (Who ever knew vegan food could be considered "rich?")

Even though peanut butter and I can't get together very often, the love affair is still going strong. I suppose absence, indeed, does make the heart grow fonder.

BLECH BLECH BLEEEEECH!

Well, I made Macaroni Hates Cheese for supper tonight. Thank goodness I only made two servings, so I don't have to waste too much. I ate some of it for dinner tonight, and packed some for lunch tomorrow, but we'll see how that goes over. I will probably never make it again.

It's too bad -- I've been really pleased with every PPK recipe I've made to date. Perhaps I just got a lemon? Or maybe I just have to get used to the taste (and smell) of nutritional yeast.

fancy trick

Well, calling this a "fancy trick" is pushing it really. There's nothing fancy or tricky about my new lunch packing in an instant method, but I still think it's pretty cool.

When I get home from work, I always hit the kitchen right away, because I'm usually crabby-starving. So lately, instead of immediately starting dinner, I have been taking 5 minutes to thoroughly wash and dry my lunchbox. Then, as I'm dishing up whatever I'm going to eat for dinner, I dish up my lunch for the next day, too. Snap the lid closed, and ta-da! My lunch is packed. And I don't make a ton of extra dishes/spoons/whatever by waiting to pack my lunch later and having to scoop everything out of containers again.

See? I think it's a fancy trick.

Other things I love about my lunchbox? It's smaller than my old one but fits more food, because it maximizes space, and because I have to wash the containers every day if I want to use it every day, it has cut down SIGNIFICANTLY on my dishes. No more mountains of tupperware to wash on the weekends. (I can't even begin to tell you how much I HATE washing tupperware.)

In unrelated news, The Current's latest "policy and a pint" is about the book Strapped. It sounds interesting. It has received mixed reviews on Amazon, but I still really want to read it. I will have to search for it at the library, as soon as I'm done with Lamb. I'll let you know how it is!

I've died and gone to latke heaven.

I made two-potato latkes with garlic chive soy sour cream, an apple and red onion slaw, steamed broccoli, and a cranberry and brown and wild rice pilaf for dinner last night.

I have truly died and gone to latke heaven. Mmm. (I had leftovers for dinner tonight, and packed more in my fabulous new lunchbox for tomorrow. Wee!) I also made strawberry shortcakes tonight, but since I used frozen strawberries, it was subpar at best. Boo.

I'm thinking about adding a section to my cookbook called "fancy food" -- big, splashy meals for when you want something special and/or when you need to feed a crowd. So far, I have at least three complete menus that could work in that section. (The above latke menu plus some fabulous chocolate cake, a soft taco party menu, and buttloads of Greek appetizers.) What do you think?

BTW, I had leftover tofu scramble, pancakes, and grapes for lunch today. I can't begin to tell you how much I love my new lunchbox. I haven't even been tempted to use a ziploc bag once, since purchasing this awesome bento box. And several of my coworkers are jealous. :)

And, as an update, my missing red sock resurfaced. Hallelujah!

don't you just hate it when . . .

. . . the dryer eats ONE of your $20-a-pair wool socks?

Well, at least now I have a "Dan pair" -- I combined the leftover red sock with the leftover blue sock. (One of the blue socks is strangely threadbare in one spot.) Fashionista.

I actually put up a note in the laundry room, 'cause I REALLY want my sock back! Boo-hoo!

tofu scramble

I made a tofu scramble and pancakes for brunch when I got home from church today, and I have to say, scrambled tofu tastes like what I've always wished scrambled eggs tasted like. Yum. Thank you, Post Punk Kitchen! Since I didn't precicely follow their recipe, and halved the recipe, I'll fill you in as to what I did:

First, make the spice blend. Combine:
4 teaspoons of cumin,
2 teaspoons of dried thyme,
2 teaspoons of paprika,
1 teaspoon of tumeric, and
2 teaspoons of salt
in a small container or spice jar. Shake or stir well to combine, and reserve it for many batches of tofu scramble. (You should get about 8 servings from this mix. Measure once, eat many times, is my philosophy!)

To make two approximately 1-cup servings of scramble, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add about a half-tablespoon of light cooking oil. Cook:
1/2 cup chopped onion,
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper, and
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Add:
1 clove of garlic, minced,
and cook for about a minute, or until the garlic is soft. Add:
2 1/2 teaspoons of spice blend,
and cook for about 30 seconds, or until the spices are fragarant. Deglaze the pan with:
about 2 tablespoons of water. Add:
half a package of firm tofu, pressed dry and crumbled slightly.
Cook the tofu, stirring occasionally and breaking up any huge chunks, until it begins to brown. Stir in:
2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast powder,
juice of half a small lime, and
half a cup of grated carrot.
Enjoy.

(Now, you can use any vegetables you have on hand instead of the peppers. I just really like peppers. Experiment away!)

soup's on!

I made 2 kinds of soup today, with good results:

French Lentil Soup with Tarragon and Thyme: This is just absolutely excellent. I made the following adjustments: I used a can of no salt added diced tomatoes instead of the chopped plum tomatoes, I used three times the fresh herbs instead of the amount of dried herbs called for (and stirred them in at the end, to preserve their flavors,) and I did not add the bouillon or salt until the very end, because you're not supposed to salt legumes until they are fully cooked. (Salt toughens their skins and makes them harder to cook.) My only complaint about this soup is that it is a little salty. I'd taste it after you add the bouillon, before adding any additional salt. Overall, this recipe is going to be a mega-keeper for me! I love the Post Punk Kitchen.

I also made Miso Soup. I can't for the life of me remember where I got the recipe from, but it's from somewhere on the great, wide internet. I didn't follow the directions exactly, and I added some ingredients. Here's what I did, for four servings:

1. Saute 1 small onion, diced, 1/3 cup grated carrot, and 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion in 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil until soft.
2. Add 4 cups of vegetable broth, 2 tablespoons of shelled edamame, 2 teaspoons of white miso (soybean paste,) and 2 teaspoons of tahini. Bring everything to a boil.
3. Stir in 1/4 a package (about 1 serving) of soba noodles, broken into 1-inch pieces, and half a package of firm tofu, pressed and diced small. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup, covered, until the noodles are done. Taste and add salt if needed.

Now, I have to say, I wasn't terribly excited about the Miso Soup when I first tasted it. It tasted kind of . . . blah. But the more I eat it, the more I am enjoying it. I would now refer to it as "subtle." Like all soups, it must get better with age.

I'm just so stinking glad I made the decision to explore vegetarian cooking, and then quit eating meat all together. I probably never would have tried to make either of the above recipes before I broadened my horizons!

happy, happy, happy . . .

I'm going grocery shopping today. Yes, I'm freakishly strange like that -- I get really excited about going grocery shopping. Why, you ask? Well, after all of my research last weekend, I'm going to cook like a maniac the next couple of weeks. And I need raw materials. :) Here's what's on schedule:

Potato Latkes (from Veg Coooking) (actually, I'm going to attempt to recreate an entire meal I had at Cafe Brenda a few weeks ago -- latkes were a major part of that meal)
Miso Soup (from . . . somewhere . . . I didn't write it down! oops.)
Ginger Peanut Soba Noodles (from PPK)
French Lentil Soup (from PPK)
Macaroni Hates Cheese (from PPK)
Scrambled Tofu (from PPK) and pancakes (from my own resources)

I'll post recipes with editorials as I complete them, as they are all from other sources and therefore cannot go in the cookbook.

butter bomb

So, I came home from work tonight and thought, "wouldn't it be nice to have fettuccine alfredo for dinner?" So, I whipped out Joy of Cooking . . .

It told me to use:
1 stick of butter
1 cup of heavy cream
1 cup of grated fresh parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Simple enough . . . but I'm not really prepared to have a heart attack tonight, so I edited it a bit. Not only did I significantly reduce the amount of butter (well, Earth Balance,) I used soy milk instead of the cream, added some onions and garlic at the beginning, and a huge handfull of fresh spinach and a small handfull of grape tomatoes at the end, as well as a few leftover strips of roasted red pepper.

I love one-bowl suppers. And I love them even better when they are pasta covered in a somewhat healthy, creamy sauce.

tax return!

Just thought I'd announce I'm getting a halfway decent tax return. Between state and federal, I'm getting about $130 back! Wahoo!

And, special thanks to Ann, income tax and e-file helper extraordinaire.

lazy Saturday

I just spent the last two hours printing off recipes from two really great food websites:

The Post Punk Kitchen: super-hilarious website with tons of really great looking recipes. Their tag is "Vegetarian cooking & vegan baking with no attitude." I beg to differ; they have plenty of attitude, it's just the good kind. :)

Cooking Light: One of my favorite food mags of all time. Unfortunately, you can't access the website unless you are a subscriber, or purchase a copy of the mag off a newsstand (there's a "secret code" that gives you access to the website each month.) It's worth checking out, though, because there are hundreds of really great recipes there.

Later today I'm off to Alisa's to see her new house! After, Ann's helping me with my taxes -- cross your fingers for me for a gigundo refund!

Me = Moron

So, here's a long, drawn-out, funny (I think) story:

I have one of those seven-day pill boxes, because I just cannot remember to take my vitamins. I have very little routine, and have trouble remembering to take them at the same time, so if I at least make sure I take them sometime during the day, I figure I'm set.

I go to take my vitamins tonight, and open the "W" spot. I panicked. I thought today was Tuesday. (It is, after all, my second work day this week.) I had to think really hard about my day -- yes indeed, we did have the MWF group in this afternoon.

Thank god I only put in one load of laundry when I got home, because otherwise it wouldn't have been done before I had to leave for CHOIR REHEARSAL.

If I hadn't remembered my vitamins, I probably would have forgotten to go to choir. Sheesh.

it's a miracle!

I like tofu!

Well, I should qualify. I like "firm," water-packed tofu. I really really really don't like extra-firm tofu. It's far too chewy.

I made a lemon rosemary marinaded, pan-fried 'fu this evening, and gobbled it down. Yum. Some brown Basmati rice and asparagus as sides.

And I took copius notes, so this one's going in the cookbook!

ramblin' cath

Well, I've had a busy week. Thought I'd update you.

Monday and Tuesday were normal days, but since I had stuff to do in the evenings, (i.e., dishes, laundry, writing a letter of recommendation for one of my former teaching assistants,) I was running about the apartment like a crazy person.

Wednesday night I had choir rehearsal. Everyone raved about my "new hair." It doesn't feel very new to me any more, but whatever. (I have had more compliments on this haircut! Sheesh.)

Thursday night we had a "big" staff meeting, which lasted until about 7:00. By the time I got home, made a couple of phone calls, and got ready for work the next day, it was time for bed.

Friday, I didn't get out of work on time, so I then had to rush home during rush-hour traffic, (a near impossibility,) to turn around and head off to babysit in Saint Louis Park by 6:00. The evening was . . . interesting, and not very good. But I made fifty bucks, so I'm not complaining.

Saturday, my coworker Kara picked me up at 7:30 a.m. and we drove with her friend Amanda to the Middle of Nowhere, Minnesota for an early childhood environmental education conference, which lasted all day. The conference was terrible. They showed us how to make bird feeders with pinecones, peanut butter, and birdseed. Sheesh. (I didn't have the heart to mention that I work at a peanut-free school.) When I returned from the conference, I quickly showered and got ready to go out. Ann, Christine, and I had dinner at Brit's. Yum. They just have the best fries EVER. And they make a mean grilled cheese sandwich, which they serve with a cup of cream of tomato soup. (Our plan was actually to go to Salsa a la Salsa, but alas, there was an hour wait for a table. We were hungry and abandoned ship for Brit's.) Then we came back to my place, met up with Michelle, and watched "Supersize Me." Wow. I don't think I'll ever be able to eat fast food again, after watching that movie. Then we went to the Fineline to see a couple of bands play, including Epic Hero. Um, that was interesting. The crowd was a bit strange for the Fineline, and I think I'm getting burned out on Epic Hero lately. We did have free cover coupons, however, which was nice. (Oh, we walked to the Fineline, by the way.) On the way home we came up with an alternate name for First Ave. -- "Puke Pl." Boy, being out around bar close downtown is sure entertaining! We headed over a few blocks to Nicollet Mall, which was very nearly puke free, and much less crowded.

Yesterday, I went to church, then met up with Christine. We went Target-ing, (I bought a new coffee maker -- wahoo!) and then stopped at Wilde Roast Cafe in Northeast. I had a fantastic roasted red pepper and artichoke fritatta, and really good organic, fair-trade coffee. Oh, and they serve their toast with a little tub of homemade strawberry jam. Double-yum. Then we went to Whole Foods. I got a bunch of produce -- yay! However, either I got a crummy piece, or I just don't care for it, because frankly, fresh papaya is kind of icky in my book. Will have to stick with the dried version, which I could eat a bagfull at a time. I also watched "Gosford Park" last night. I remember being really confused the first time I watched that movie, and not enjoying it much. This time, I was about ten minutes into it and felt similarly. So I turned on the closed captioning. MUCH better. The movie moved so quickly and everyone's accents were so different, I had a hard time following the dialogue. I enjoyed it more the second time around.

Today, I have been working on little things here and there around the apartment. I'm having dinner later with Ann and Janelle at Cafe Brenda. I sure have been eating out a lot the past few days. Hmm . . . . !!

And an update on the cookbook -- work has continued, albeit more slowly than during Christmas break. I have been ruthlessly testing recipes, and have found many winners. I made an awesome soy-sesame-honey tofu stir fry for dinner last night. (I've discovered my issue with tofu -- I don't care for extra-firm tofu. It's too chewy. Firm tofu, on the other hand, is nice and soft and welcomes the flavors you marinade it in.) It was full of peppers, onions, and carrots, and I dumped it over some brown basmati rice. Mmmmm!

I'll close with a quote, since we're observing MLK Jr's birthday today:

"Many persons fear nothing more terribly than to take a position which stands out sharply and clearly from the prevailing opinion. The tendency of most is to adopt a view that is so ambiguous that is will include everything and so popular that it will include everybody." ~ Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

many informal reviews

Ann and I had lunch at the Holy Land Deli on Central Avenue in Northeast today. I hadn't been there in ages, and I had forgotton how fantastic it is. I had their spanakopita dinner, which is two huge pieces of spinach pie, with a side of yellow rice, a huge side salad covered in creamy cucumber dressing, pickled vegetables, and 2 huge pita. (Ann and I also split a piece of baklava for dessert.) Ann had the same thing, but swapping hummus for the yellow rice. Needless to say, I brought half the rice and half the spanakopita home, (and all of the pita bread,) which I will be enjoying for lunch tomorrow. :) All of our food was fantastic, and my whole order, which also included a soda, was just over ten bucks. Not bad, if you ask me!

I guess since I'm not posting recipes for a while, I'll try to post these informal restaurant reviews, as I try new places.

Oh, and Ann, Tony, Christine, and I went out to the Varsity on Friday night and saw both Epic Hero and White Light Riot. Both of those bands just plain rock. Go see them as soon as you can! (This World Fair was the headliner, but we left in the middle of their set because we got tired. This has now happened to me twice when trying to see This World Fair. They are great, but . . . Friday nights are tough times to stay out late.) The Varsity has just got to be one of my favorite places of all time. So neat.

ALSO, I rode the light rail for the first time this weekend, and saw "The Chronicles of Narnia." My review of the light rail is this: cheap, easy, efficient, clean. The movie was also fabulous!

I have a title!

PARTY OF ONE:
healthy food for single people.

(What do you think?)

And I'm ready for some help testing, if you're interested!

Why???

Why is the last day of vacation always a little bit poisoned? I actually had to go into work this morning for a couple of hours, (Sarah and I did a little rearranging and set up a grocery store dramatic play area,) and then I spent the afternoon with Christine, (which was a welcome distraction from the pending work day tomorrow, which I think we both were thankful for.)

However, this evening, I kept looking at the clock, thinking, "only a couple more hours of vacation before I have to think about work." Bah. I finally broke down and packed my lunch a few minutes ago, and am planning on getting ready for bed pretty soon. Double bah.

I love my job, don't get me wrong. I just love vacation, too!

Whaddya think?

New year, new look.

We likes?

The Hopefuls to the rescue!

So, Christine and I went out to the Cities 97 New Year's Eve thing at the Hyatt last night. Man, I was disappointed. If you like plain jane, vanilla, drunken frat-boy music, you would have had a good time. Blech!

That is . . . until The Hopefuls took the stage. Man, what a fun band. They had TWO drummers (playing simultaneously) and some random dude who was dancing and hanging from the rafters; Darren Jackson's hair just kept getting bigger and bigger over the course of the evening, and Erik Appelwick is just a little cutie. I've had "Motobike" stuck in my head ever since.

Thank you to The Hopefuls for rescuing what otherwise could have been a major New Year's Eve letdown!

How was your evening?

I'm going to have to make a point to go and see both Kid Dakota and Vicious Vicioius soon. I'm going to be spending a lot of time in clubs and bars this month! A great new-year's resolution, if you ask me.

Actually, my real resolution is to have a draft of my cookbook ready to start sending off to publishers by this time next year. Hold me to it!

What's your resolution?