somethin' in the works

Yes.... I know I suck at posting recently.  I'm sorry.  But you're tired of hearing me apologize for sporadic posting anyway, aren't you?

I could babble about why I haven't been posting but it comes down to this: I don't find it interesting to post about recipes I've made multiple times and if I don't have anything interesting or entertaining to say, I don't want to post just for the sake of keeping up the blog.

Stick with me, folks.  Not giving away anything just yet, but stay tuned - something's coming.

Soon.

:)

While we're waiting, though, why don't you page through some of my older posts?  I used to put together some fairly entertaining posts when I was still figuring out this crazy cooking thing!  Pick a post you enjoyed, then click on one of the tags for other posts like it.  Or, just pick a random past month to check out.

If you want to laugh at someone being completely random and scatterbrained, check out December of any year and January of 2010.
If you want to think deeply, check out October 2009 or the tag Operation Gratitude Attitude (November through December 2009).
If you like faerietales, read the posts I wrote about PIFA, either by using the PIFA tag or by going to April 2011.
If you want to know more about the information that led to my decision to "go vegan," check out my multi-part review of Skinny Bitch between August and October of 2010.
If you need a suggestion, leave me a comment with what you want to read about/learn and I'll point you in the right direction.

No food pictures because you've seen them all before.  How about an Angst picture?

How about his Greatest Hits?

See you soon!

your daily b*tch(es)

Last Christmas [I gave you my heart - come on, sing along!], my sister(in-law) gave me a wonderful gift.  It's a gift I get to enjoy every single day, and I'm not talking about her brother.  She gave me a Skinny Bitch daily calendar.  This means that every day there is a new nugget of wisdom, served up with a side of KickYourA$$ and sometimes a tall glass of Reality.

I actually took it to work and had it on my desk at my old job and my former boss used to get almost as much joy from it as I did, so after I left, if the Wisdom Nugget was particularly useful, I would email him and always use the title Your Daily Bitch.  Lucky you, you get a double dose.

B*tch #1: working an 11-hour day because Black Friday is coming and apparently that means we have to rearrange the entire store.  Fortunately, I adore my new colleagues and there was generous "overtime compensation" provided by the Pres: gourmet pizza (including an incredible tomato pie with jade-green pesto swirls) and high-end beer (but I drank Smirnoff Ice because I don't like beer and I missed being trashy).  Nevertheless, my feet hurt and I'm exhausted, so this is kind of my way of copping out.

Which leads to....

Bitch #2: brought to you from a particularly useful day on the Skinny Bitch calendar that now lives on my desk at home:

THIS IS YOUR LIFE!  Live it to the fullest with reckless abandon.  Seize the day.  And do it again tomorrow.  Live.  Go get your dream job.  Search for your dream man.  Fear nothing.  Try everything.  Be excited.  Dance.  You'll never get yesterday back, but today is yours for the taking.  Make it great. (my emphasis added)

I hurt all over

When I started working at the place I just left, about four and a half years ago, the hardest thing for me to get used to was sitting.  I just sat, tethered to a phone, all day.  Yes, I had a couple of breaks, and believe me, I used that time to move around as much as possible, but for the most part I just sat.  The reason this was so difficult for me was because I had been unemployed for nine months, during which time I got into wandering around the city when I wasn't begging people to hire me.  Before I was laid off, I had a pretty physical job - moving at least every hour to go from this room to that or this house to that school.

Conversely, I got a little too good at sitting over the last four years, and my 3 hours daily of commuting did not help.  I got comfortable and besides, sitting so much allowed me to pull off dangerously high heels (which I have consequently forgone in my new position...at least for now).  Now?  Well, my whole body hurts.  I have not had to stand up for 8 hours in a row for....well, probably 15 years, actually.  15 years ago, I worked retail between Black Friday and mid-January, but my body was 15 years younger and able to handle the stress - in heels!  Right now, I would love a good massage and a bottle of aspirin.

My new job had a Grand Opening celebration this weekend with all hands on deck from Friday until tonight.  Everyone was working the floor, including the President, Marketing Director, and a bunch of other people who usually spend a decent bit of time sitting at their desks.  I'm sure at least some of them are hurting, too.

Anyway, I don't have a whole lot to say about food.  I'm hoping to have some good stories next week so I can convince myself to write more.  I'm kind of in this place where I'm re-evaluating Angst Loves Spinach and trying to see what's important and where we're going here.  I started the blog in the hopes of developing myself as a creative chef and as an outlet for my love of writing.  I do love to write and I have had a ball the last two years doing so, but I've definitely gotten away from the original intention - to create recipes, not just babble about the recipes other people made up and I cooked.

I'd like to flatter myself into believing that at least a few people are reading these words in something akin to horror and thinking, "gee, I hope she's not ending the blog..."  If that is going through anyone's mind, let me give a word of comfort - that is not really my intention.  Here is what I am hoping for: I am currently adjusting to my new job and my new schedule.  Once I am adjusted, once my body finds a new strength so I'm not bone-tired when I get home from work, I will find that I have a ton more time.  My goal is to use at least some of that time to become more creative - set goals for myself, force myself to create something at least once a week.

I haven't heard anything (yet) about this year's VeganMoFo (and I truly hope it will occur again this year, but I certainly do not have the time or energy to be one of the initiators/organizers).  The last two years, this event has had a considerable influence on my posting and I'm hoping it will re-ignite the fire in my kitchen again this year.  I'm fairly certain that I will be up to speed and as comfortable as I'll ever be with my new job by the time it starts, so I want to make a schedule of goals to meet that month, culinarily speaking, so that I can spread my wings and stretch again.  I always feel such a sense of accomplishment when I come up with my own recipes, but lately I've been way to tired to do anything but follow someone else's [fabulous] recipe like a little KitchenZombie.

Nevertheless, I will, as I do every week, share the coming week's menu with you (as well as my joy that my new job is only a few short blocks from Trader Joe's, so I'll be stopping there after work tomorrow to pick up supplies):

1. Spanakopita from The Accidental Vegan with roasted fingerling potatoes.  I have never made this recipe.  I will admit, I'm a little nervous about making this recipe, the way I am always nervous when I try to make something Mister knows from his childhood of good eats made with love by a Greek father or a half-Sicilian mother.  My mother-in-law is getting awfully good at making Spanakopita from YiaYia's recipe, under her tutelage, so to go it alone like this is both invigorating and terrifying.  You can bet there will be a post the night I make this!

2. Seitan Pepper Steak, also from The Accidental Vegan.

3. Cajun Red Beans and Rice, also from The Accidental Vegan, because I used all of my self-control last week when I made the menu to not include this, since I had another beans-n-rice recipe on there, but this week, This is the beans-n-rice recipe.

4. Coconut Curry Rice from Vegan on the Cheap.

5. Baked Ziti, also from Vegan on the Cheap with sauteed cauliflower and broccoli.  This is also a new recipe (I believe - sometimes I space makings so far apart I forgot I made something before!), but when I was looking over the menu, I realized we had a lot of cuisines represented (Greek, Japanese, Cajun/Latina, Indian), but no Italian.  If I hadn't come upon this when I did, and if it hadn't looked as easy as it does, we'd have been reprising Isa's Pasta e Fagioli for the 100th time this year.

hit a wall

That's it.  I'm done.  There's only so much a girl can take before she gives up and orders pizza.

Dinner is brought to you (actually, ME) this evening by Blackbird Pizza

The Yukon Pizza - paper thin slices of potato, sprinkled with fresh rosemary, cracked pepper, and coarse sea salt on a thin crust that balloons out to what could be a breadstick on the edge - is definitely my favorite so far.  I've had plain Daiya cheese, seitan sausage, and avocado as toppings, and Mister and I tried the hand-cut fries and cheese steaks shortly after they opened.

glamour shot...it's like there are potato chips on my pizza

I am exhausted and worn out and stressed to the max.  I can only convince myself to return tomorrow because I have an absurd sense of duty/work ethic and a strong desire to behave as an adult in contexts where that is appropriate.  It doesn't hurt to remember that when I walk out those doors tomorrow night, I won't set foot in that building until the new year.  I don't think I have ever needed or earned a break more than I have this past month.

It seems like people naturally put on weight this time of year, especially people I work with.  It's a little ironic, considering we work for a weight loss company, but I think I've cracked the code and it's not the parties.  December is absolutely the busiest month of my year, as well as the mid-level management as they/we struggle to get everything ready for the busyness we anticipate will occur the minute Christmas (read: eating holiday) is over.  Although I generally put a lot of care into the way I fuel my body, and although I recognize that machines run better on good fuel than "cheap" gas, there is something to be said for the sheer, ridiculous comfort "junk food" can provide.  Additionally, the closer we get to Christmas, the more cookies and snacks find their way into the building, on to my desk, and into my belly.  Hopefully, this crap will refrain from setting up camp, but regardless of that unpleasant possibility, I just don't like eating junk.

But it tastes so good sometimes.

And it's so available.  Someone, get the cookies off my desk.

Regardless of the occasional and fleeting guilt I feel about eating more cookies than fruit this month, I have given up on trying to behave - I'll detox next month.  This must be how holiday weight gain occurs: you get to a point where you are just too stressed out to care or you feel like you "deserve" a cookie or you just stand in your kitchen with absolutely no desire to cook even though you have this amazing recipe you can't wait to make.

It'll have to wait until tomorrow. 

I like the way you think, Angst.

lentils save the day/a souper supper

So, since I skipped last night in favor of some much needed sleep and unwarranted stupidity (with which I may still be infected), does that mean you get a double post tonight?

Kinda.

The unifying thread will be lentils and how awesome they are, but we will read a tale of two suppers.  Can I just say before we begin that I am so excited it's Friday that I haven't completely understood yet that it is Friday?  I'm still in get-stuff-done mode, so although I refrained from sharing my agenda with Mister over dinner...I still have one.  I've already made and eaten dinner and started into my brand new bottle of Dragani Montepulciano D'Abruzzi.  I'm presently babbling posting, so all that's left is menu-planning (and a second glass of wine).  Halfway through the to-do list isn't a bad place to find oneself after one of the most productive and frantic weeks of my life.  That includes the weeks leading up to my wedding...a cakewalk compared to this past week.

So, although I had planned to make my Indian Lentil dish last night and even had waffles for breakfast instead of oatmeal so I wouldn't dirty the pan I needed, by the time I got home from work around 9:10, despite my best intentions, cooking a meal was not on my list of priorities.  Fortunately, there was a large Gladware container filled nearly to the brim with Vegetable Lentil Stew in the fridge.  I pulled it out and walked over to Mister, showed him the container and suggested we heat up the leftover stew for dinner.  He laughed and agreed and while the soup was warming and filling my kitchen with the most homey and delightful scent, I realized what a perfect night it was for soup anyway, since the day's high temperature hadn't even crested the freezing mark.

Soup to the Rescue!

Anyway, since I had already thawed the frozen spinach in preparation for last night's cooking adventures, I set my mind to making Indian-Spiced Lentil Ragu from Vegan on the Cheap before I took a step off the train.  I came in the door and put down my stuff, made a few unintelligible noises at Mister, then started to simmer the rice and lentils.

It smelled so rich I was afraid I wouldn't be able to eat it, but then I remembered how tasty and nutritious it is and dug in.  Although this is a time-consuming meal to prepare, it really doesn't take much effort, which is fortunate, since I didn't have much energy!  I still don't and I'm beginning to fear carpal tunnel might take up residence in my wrists soon from all the typing and other computer work I've crammed into the last 5 days.  Before I start babbling like a complete idiot and making typo/grammatical errors even a first-grader would catch, I'm going to muddle through menu-planning and dish-washing.  Then, I will have an epic sleep.

you promised a rose garden?

I had another one of those euphoric laughing spells tonight.  I contained myself a little better this time, but as I left work tonight, I was so happy and relieved to bid the work-week farewell, I could have cried.  As I allowed the train conductor to "drive" me home, the uplifting sounds of Christmas filled my ears (I switched my iPod over the day after Thanksgiving).  I'll admit, I'm still not completely relaxed, considering that when Mister and I were lingering over our empty bowls, I explained to him that I was going to play on my computer for a little while, probably blog, then I was going to drink more wine and then construct our menu.  He didn't bat an eyelash and I laughed at my "agenda."  Then I got to work.

Happy Friday!

I can't believe I actually waited all week to open the bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau my dad sent home with me on Thanksgiving, but I did.  I think being sick for half the week helped with that.  I'm feeling much better, but as our dinner adventures will show, my nose and tastebuds have not escaped unscathed!  My first sip of the Beaujolais was not the thrilling experience I so desperately wanted it to be, in fact, it made me feel slightly nauseated.  After I let it "breathe" for about 20 minutes, it was better, but between that, the olives, and our dinner, there was some inescapably floral scent/side-taste following me around.

Tonight, I made Baked Ziti from Vegan on the Cheap.  Takes a heck of a picture, doesn't it?  All week, my intention was to boil the pasta and simmer the marinara sauce the night before I wanted to have it for dinner (which was just about every night this week) so I could assemble it and then let Mister put it in the oven while I nodded off on the train on my ride home.  That didn't happen, since I was too sick to have the energy to do anything for half the week.  So, I made it tonight and although we ate slightly later than usual, it really wasn't a considerable delay.  Additionally, I had a little time to relax while it was in the oven.

First, I mashed up the tofu with a fork and mixed it with nooch, marjoram, parsley, thyme (to stand in for oregano which I still can't tolerate), and salt.  I think I probably could have gotten firm tofu instead of extra firm, but I always like to make the recipe "true to form" the first time.

One of the reasons I chose this dinner recipe was the marinara sauce.  When I first bought this book and did a little review on it, I pointed out that the first section of food in the book was all DIY Convenience foods.  How-Tos on making everything from marinara sauce to tofu feta to pepperoni/sausage.  The first couple of times I made my menus from this handy little book, I wasn't as destitute as we were this past week, so I bought whatever the DIY section wanted to teach me to make.  This time, my brain was so math-oriented (someone take a picture - that will never leave my lips again) that when I saw the recipe called for 3.5 cups of marinara sauce, I realized that was 28oz and that I had a 28oz can of crushed tomatoes in my cupboard.  Imagine my delight when I looked at the recipe for DIY marinara sauce and saw that it was based on a 28oz can of crushed tomatoes!

It was a pretty sauce and it smelled good.  It tasted good, too, but just like the wine, there was a distinctly floral scent/taste going on.  Mister swears his tasted like Italian food and not a garden.  He even humored me by sniffing at his ziti.  It always turned out the same: I'm crazy; the food does not smell like flowers.  Meanwhile, I'm throwing out all these crazy postulations about why my dinner smells like flowers: the herbs in the tofu, the nooch with the tofu (even though I know darn well that smells savory), the dash of cinnamon and teaspoon of sugar in the marinara sauce, the olive marinade.

Nope.  It's just my nose, continuing to misbehave.  At least my dinner still lifes are as pretty as a rose.

you know you wish you had a fork

five days of freedom

My boss must think I'm a complete lunatic.  At the end of today, I absolutely lost it - I started laughing uncontrollably and could not stop.  My eye is still twitching.  I was so tightly wound today that I almost couldn't focus.  I didn't realize exactly how high-strung I was, though, until the day ended and the magnificent realization that I was finished until Monday whether I wanted to be or not set in and I felt such incredible relief that all I could do was laugh like a maniac.

I'm blatantly ignoring that I still have obligations for the next two days - at least they are happy reunions with loved ones, which may require effort of travel and a bit of energy, but at least I'm not bent over my desk, frowning at my computer, and trying to map out this logistical nightmare.

Mister didn't feel like eating and I can't honestly say that I was all that interested in cooking by the time I got home, so I reheated my Cajun dinner and poured a glass of wine (surprised?  only if you're new...).  Mister gave me a present:

ironic, don't you think?

Now, before I pour my second glass of Centine SuperTuscan, I'm going to jump on an unfamiliar bandwagon.  Jess of Get Sconed! recently posted the "epic veganmofo survey" from the Post Punk Kitchen forums.  I enjoyed reading her responses, so I thought in the absence of some smarta$$ comments about how awesome my dinner was, I would publish the survey here with my responses.  Hopefully, I'm interesting enough that you'll read it, but otherwise, I'm sure I'll have some fun things to write about after Thanksgiving with the In-Laws tomorrow evening, so you can skip this and I'll see you tomorrow!

EPIC VeganMoFo survey

What's your favorite spice or spice blend? Unquestionably McCormicks Gourmet Garam Masala.  They have the blend of spices perfected to the point I would travel across the country to acquire more (even though there are apparently stores in Philadelphia that stock it...just not near me).

You have $20 to spend on fresh groceries and produce for the whole week (with a fairly well stocked pantry of dry goods, legumes, grains, and spices). What do you buy?  2lb bag of carrots, bunch of kale, mixed olives, bananas, apples, a bunch of asparagus, and whatever's left goes to bell peppers.

What's your favorite way to make tofu?  marinated and pan-seared

Vegan guilty pleasure?  chocolate

If you could make anyone vegan, who would it be?  my Father-in-law, because it would be a two-fer.  He and his wife have a very harmonious relationship and I believe if he became vegan, she would follow.  Also, he appreciates the finer things in life, so I can imagine the great conversations and shared meals we would appreciate together.

If you could only read one other vegan blog, what would it be?  Oh no...I hate this question!  Even though it's subjective, I don't think there's a right answer!  probably Peas and Thank You.

Were you always interested in cooking, or did veganism change the way you saw and interacted with food?  I couldn't boil water without burning it before I stopped eating animals.  Veganism is one of two things that completely changed my interaction with food - Clean Eating Magazine (unfortunately, full of dead animals) is the other.

Excluding analogues, what new things have you tried that you probably wouldn't have as an omni?  Good heavens - almost everything - french fries were my favorite vegetable as an omni - but I'm going to have to go with Brussels Sprouts, Delicata Squash, and eggplant.

What is the one vegan staple that everyone seems to love, but you can't get behind?  mushrooms.  can't stand 'em.

What was your first "wow, I'm such a stereotypical vegan" moment?  when I started calling "meat" by its animal names to get a reaction and help omni-friends "see the light."

First recipe you veganized? I can't, in good conscience, say pasta sauce, since I think it should always be animal-free.  So, instead I'll say...well, probably Colleen's tofu lasagna, but I didn't actually veganize it, so instead I'll point to my mother's best friend's aunt's casserole.

What would you like to veganize, but haven't yet? I would like to successfully veganize my mother's best friend's aunt's casserole.  Also, I would like to completely veganize one holiday dinner, but that will have to wait until we have a home large enough to actually host a holiday dinner.

Favorite kitchen utensil/appliance?  Favorite utensil? my garlic press.  Favorite appliance? definitely the food processor.

Most disastrous kitchen failure?  I don't like to fail, so even if a recipe seems to be going in a disastrous direction, I can usually turn it around since I'm an ultra-anal perfectionist, so I'm happy to say my biggest "failure" was a pizza that had no interest in behaving like pizza...since there was no cheese/Daiya to hold everything together.

First vegan cookbook?  How It All Vegan, given to me after my mother tried to use it and failed ;)  Love you, Mom!

What question about being vegan do you HATE answering?  But...what do you eat??

If you could tell the world one thing about vegans, what would it be?  we aren't actually crazy - we just care about things outside ourselves.

Funniest vegetable?  umm...what does that mean??  I can't think of any that make me burst into uncontrolled laughter at the mere mention, but I guess phallic eggplants are kind of funny.

What is a family recipe you have veganized?  I was going to claim my family doesn't have any recipes, but then I remembered my mom's pineapple casserole.  I have not veganized it [yet], but going back a couple of questions, I think I will give it my best shot if I get to host Easter (like I'm hoping, though that is entirely dependent on a successful mid-winter move - fingers crossed!).

Weirdest food combination ?  normally, I would say this involves crossing cuisines, but I'm going to say caramel and seitan was a little bizarre.

Is there something you wish you could veganize, but can't/couldn't?  rare filet mignon?  I can't think of anything else that would be difficult to veganize that I would actually want to eat.

Favorite ways to prepare tofu, seitan, tempeh, any other vegan proteins?  I love to brown seitan until it gets a little crispy; I very rarely get to prepare tempeh, but I enjoy braising it when I do.

Are your pets vegan? if so, what do you feed them? Angst loves spinach, but Angst is an omnivore.

Favorite non-dairy milk?  Actually, if you're interested, I did a "milk" round-up not too long ago in response to my sister's desire to leave cows alone.  My favorite "milk" for actually drinking is Almond Milk - it has the most palatable flavor.  My favorite milk for everything else is a tie between soymilk and So Delicious Coconut Milk.

What’s one “vegan myth” you’d like to squash?  That mushrooms are the preferred meat replacement.  They are fungus; that is gross.

may your days be merry and bright

Happy Friday!  We made it!

It blows my mind that this time next week we'll have gone through the first round of holiday eating festivities.  I'm looking forward to the holiday, seeing family, not working, and not going to work.
Yes, I wrote that twice on purpose.  What a week and I'm not sorry to bid it farewell!  I had this awesome Good-news-Bad-news story with Mister during dinner tonight:

The good news is the week finally ended and I get to breathe for a couple of days.
The better news is that next week I only have to work two days!
The bad news is that means I have to fit a whole lot of work into those two days.
The good news is that lots of work makes the days pass faster.
The bad news is that lots of work makes the days disappear too soon.
The good news is, once I get through them, I'll be off for five beautiful days straight.

That seems a good place to leave it.  Speaking of getting through things, we've gotten through the menu this final night with a beautiful blend of cultures and cuisines.

Tonight's dinner was Cajun Baked Tofu with Cajun Beans and Rice, both recipes from The Accidental Vegan.  I've made the rice-n-beans before - in fact, it is absolutely my favorite beans-n-rice recipe.  The Cajun tofu was new and a delightful addition.  Since the tofu seemed the obvious Protein in the meal, I opted to leave out the veg sausage called for in the recipe.  I also discovered, while cooking and after Whole Foods was too far away, that I had only one of two tablespoons of the prescribed worcestershire sauce.  I subbed in a Tbsp of tamari, since it has a darker savory taste and could fill in if I closed my eyes and wished really hard (which I did, and it seemed to work!).

I also subbed an 8 oz can of tomato sauce for the 1/2 cup tomato juice that was the key part of the tofu marinade, which resulted in a fun lacquered kind of situation.  I flipped the tofu halfway through cooking and spread the remaining "marinade" over top of the tofu slices.  I whisked some harissa into the mix in place of hot sauce and was quite pleased with the heat it lent to the marinade - the tofu and rice-n-beans played well together, and the whole Cajun melange made fast friends with the Georges duBoeuf Beaujolais I picked up on my walk home from the train tonight.  I had actually intended to pick up the Beaujolais Nouveau people keep saying they see, but all I could find was a 2009 vintage - but hey! It was on sale and had a little hang-tag telling me it was the best year ever for Beaujolais due to....blahblahblah....a bunch of stuff my brain is too full and too tired to fit in.

Let's just say I had a sip during dinner and had the exact same reaction that I had to my favorite summer wine.  Mister was quite amused.

Mister loves me.

I'm not gonna lie - by the time I made it in the door tonight, I wasn't sure I would be able to extricate myself from a chair if I sat down, so I just stood in my kitchen, still wearing my coat, hat, and gloves.  After giving me my kisses, Mister walked away and came back with something lovely he thought would make me happy.

Yessir, it sure did.

 Speaking of things that make me happy (yup, looks like it's that Random time of year), has anyone else noticed that Starbucks has the most brilliant marketing ever?  One year, someone said, "Hey, why don't we make happy red cups for the winter holiday beverages?"  To everyone's ineffable surprise and delight, the world responded by thinking that was just the cutest thing ever, so now, the minute that bitter chill begins to infiltrate the breeze, Starbucks launches the Red Cup Campaign.  It's brilliant and it totally works.  I'll admit, I bought into the hype - I wanted a red cup.

Admit it.  You do, too.

P.S. You can get a Toffee Mocha Americano (not just a latte).  You want one because they are incredibly tasty.  Follow your heart.  I'll be waiting with my red cup, too.

I used up all my clever on the menu

I am embarrassed to say how long I've been sitting here trying to come up with a clever post title to catch your eye, but I'm having a moment best captured by one of those souvenir tee-shirts that say something like, "my friend went to Hollywood and all I got was this lousy tee-shirt."

On the up-side, though, I do have a very varied and creative menu to share with you!  First, though, is dinner:

Tonight, I made Snobby Joes from Veganomicon.  Mister wasn't sure he was ready for dinner when I started cooking, but when the scent of green peppers and garlic sauteing in olive oil reached his nose he decided he could probably eat something.

Or three somethings.  Yes, Mister had 3 Snobby Joes (in the time it took me to eat my salad and one Snobby Joe).  Turns out they were pretty good and he was hungrier than he realized.  I was finally emptying out from my low-calorie lunch with Mom...

Banana-Walnut pancakes with caramel syrup.  Very tasty.  Tasty enough that I probably kept eating well past where I should have stopped, but you only live once, right?

Anyway, back to the Snobby Joes.  They were nearly indescribable in their near-perfection.  I would have trouble trying to improve a recipe like this - Isa's husband is very lucky.  My husband is also very lucky that I accidentally stumbled upon Vegan With A Vengeance and thought the title was too funny to pass by.  The tomato flavor was good and the earthiness of the lentils prevented the acidity of the tomato sauce from dominating the dish.

Now, let's move on to my diverse and cleverly crafted menu for the upcoming week:

1. Chile Cornmeal-Crusted Tofu accompanied by Garlicky Kale with Tahini Dressing, both from Isa's wacky brain, but from two separate cookbooks.  Just go buy them all.

2. Penne with Asparagus and Spring Herbs from The Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook.  This is a huge book and I have had it for a few years and barely scraped the surface.  One of the reasons I continuously buy new cookbooks (besides that they keep coming out with newer and better ones) is because I tend to get into a comfortable rut once I've had a book for...well, a month.  I'm feeling quite creative lately (you may have noticed a bunch of new recipes after months of nothing), so I thought I would sit down and try to see this "old" cookbook through new eyes.  It appears to have worked.

3. Chickpeas in Eggplant-Tahini Sauce also from VTCC.  Shh - don't tell Mister about the eggplant - I have some tricks up my [short] sleeve!

4. Hunan-Style Orange "Beef" and Asparagus Stirfry also from VTCC.  Asparagus season is most definitely coming to an end, so this week's menu features more or less a "last hoorah."  Also, I thought it might be handy to have a Chinese-ish recipe in case I need to make up for #3.

5. Tofu Saag from The 30 Minute Vegan.  I think next week I'll try to see if I can actually go a full week without an Indian-inspired dish on the menu.  I think this cuisine so frequently infiltrates veg-diets because the religious beliefs of that culture are much in line with vegan ideals.  Nevertheless, I'm starting to sweat cumin and coriander and I'm pretty sure my colleagues won't appreciate that in the summer.

dried oregano = pencil shavings

This could be another case of "stop being so cheap and invest in quality ingredients," but am I the only person who has noticed the remarkable similarity between the smell of dried oregano and of the pencil shavings leftover in those oooooolllllllldddddd school grindy pencil sharpeners?  You know the ones - the big metal guys they attached to the walls of elementary school classrooms when everyone used those huge blue pencils and could just barely spell your name, much less try to write it in fancy looped letters.  I noticed that both last night and tonight, although I was only able to put a name to that familiar smell when I opened my Big Ol' Jar of Oregano tonight.

I think I need to invest in better oregano - buying organic dried basil showed an astonishing amount of difference between generic or even McCormick brand basil.  As I've alluded to in the past, it seems like all cookbook authors/pro-chefs have their "pet" ingredient.  Rachael Ray has EVOO (oh so cute! *gag*), Robin Robertson has soy crumbles, Nava Atlas has sun-dried tomatoes, and though I haven't nailed it down yet, I think Dynise Balcavage's pet is paprika, possibly nutritional yeast ("nooch").  Having made exactly two whole recipes from The Complete Vegan Cookbook, it seems they include oregano frequently.  This is a shame, between the unfortunate smell association and the fact that Mister and I favor basil hands down.  I don't think either of us truly grasped our growing hatred of oregano, though, until last night's dinner.

It looks tasty and innocuous enough, sure, but we ended up having quite a time of the Southwestern Corn, Chard, and Potato Soup.  I was shocked when I presented the week's menu to Mister and he actually chose the only soup on there for dinner last night.  I learned two things about oregano:

1. 2 teaspoons is absolutely too much for any recipe.  If I had doubled everything else in this recipe, it still would have been too much.

2. Dried oregano doesn't actually EVER reconstitute or soften, even if you simmer it in very hot soup for 30 minutes.  It will be just as dry and throat-prickly after steeping for 30 minutes as it would be if you just emptied the jar into your opened mouth; either way you're going to choke.

Without the oregano, I'm pretty sure this would be a great soup.  The chard kind of stuck together and I'm not sure what, if anything, can be done about that, but the oregano has got to go.  I don't mean, let's cut it down a little - no, it's got to GO.

Tonight, I made Pasta with Adzuki Beans, Tomatoes, Spinach, and Olives.  At least the authors of this cookbook have the same pattern of naming that Colleen seems to follow - which means there should be no mistaking the main ingredients of any dish!  This was very good, although the beans made it just a little chalky and the olives didn't stand out as much as I would have liked.

Despite that, the flavor combination came together just as I thought it would and it was a very easy dinner to make after an exhausting day.  I'm pretty darn impressed with myself for making sense so far, but I may lose it at any moment.  If I'm not as coherent as I think I am, just ignore me - I'll be better tomorrow...or this weekend.

Anyway, there was considerably less oregano in this dish, fortunately, but it was still dreadful and I almost didn't add it but then I thought "What if it's actually important?" and I couldn't think of an adequate substitute.  I did refrain from adding the full cup of vegetable broth the recipe calls for because I really think that it would have contributed more soupiness than flavor.  Perhaps if I make this in the future, I will just add a bouillon cube to the tomato juices and see how that goes.

Speaking of going, I have an important date with Madame White, so ta-ta for now!