mutants do brunch

I have a serious yearning for dessert right now.  I think it's because I didn't have any at brunch today, but that's because we were all stuffed full of tasty things to consider shoving anything else into our stomachs.  Maybe once I post this, I can convince Mister to stop babbling about movies and actors and directors and how nothing "good" has come out in the past ten years, even though we can both name about 10 movies that have come out recently that we regret missing in the theater.

Mister and I have very different taste in movies, so very frequently we play the "I've never heard of that" "I can't believe you've never seen [insert movie title everyone else has seen here]!!!" game.  Both of these phrases are usually followed by my husband looking at me like I'm a mutant.  After years of holding out, I think we're finally going to get a Netflix subscription.  I mean, we do have a couch now...

Anyway, you don't want to hear about how I've never seen "Cape Fear" or "Gladiator" or "Scarface."  You want to hear about my super-duper brunch double-date.

First, let me say how disappointed I was to come home and realize I had forgotten to take my camera.  The presentation at Farmicia wasn't nearly as exquisite as that of Horizons, but you still knew your food was going to taste fantastic just by looking at it.  Additionally, the decor was fabulous - an amazing combination of "Are we really still in Center City?" and clean, modern design.  I thought it was adorable that the centerpiece at our table was a perfect green Granny Smith apple, settled snugly into a small periwinkle blue dish.  That's all.  That's all there needed to be.

I had a bit of trouble deciding on a brunch spot.  For years, there was no question - my parents would come down to Queen Village and we would walk over to Southwark because my friend owns it and because it's beautiful and has good food.  However, as my palate has changed and my attitude toward food adjusted, I find that their menu is quite limited, even for my egg-loving Mister.  You can't, for example, get an omelet with spinach and cheese.  You can get the specific omelet they are serving that day, and if it's mushrooms, cheddar, and bacon, well, we're SoL.  I think my breaking point came when the server explained that they could not substitute spinach for the bacon on Eggs Benedict...even though they had a spinach salad on the menu.

I put my question out to the twitterverse and Kelly from Living On the Vedge suggested Farmicia.  I checked out the menu.  "You had me at tofu." (as long as movies are on the mind...)  So, for the first time ever, I proved I was hip to the new technology and reserved a table through the website (yes, I know that's not new).  Thank heavens - the place was completely packed when we showed up for brunch today.  The menu is quite diverse and full of tasty non-animals for Mister and I, as well as the opposite for my dear parents.  I love how my mom requests a "place where Dad can get real eggs."  I don't think they're over last year's birthday brunch yet.

It didn't take me long to decide on the Scrambled Tofu with Vegan Chorizo.  It didn't take me long to realize I absolutely made the right choice.  I've never actually had chorizo, vegan or otherwise - I'll pause so you can look at me like I just grew another head - so that was different.  It was a fun dish with toothsome tofu, spicy crumbled "sausage", served with sopaipillas, on top of refried black beans, along with a taco-type situation involving tomatoes and huge chunks of avocado.  It was terrific - what a fabulous combination of flavors and textures, and for me, it was just the right amount of food.  I washed it down with a St. Germain cocktail (champagne, elderberry liquid, soda) and thought of how to convince Mister we should come here again and soon.

Turns out, it doesn't take much convincing as he quite enjoyed his Quesadilla with eggs, potatoes, cheese, and they even let him sub vegan chorizo for the "real thing."  Such flexibility!  It was quite a big quesadilla, so I'm not surprised he didn't have room for dessert...I wonder if there's room yet...

My mom got a huge pile of french toast that appeared to be covered in a healthy serving of applesauce, although the menu calls it cherry-apple compote.  It looked great and my father didn't mind helping her finish it, especially since his Brunch sandwich was not huge.  It appeared to be satisfying, but not huge.  We all greatly enjoyed our brunch, the atmosphere, and the time together, then my parents came back to check out the new apartment.

After they left I got to do my favorite thing ever - Grocery Shopping!  I'm kidding.  I did go grocery shopping, but doing so on a Sunday afternoon can be a harrowing experience at best.  Nevertheless, we needed ingredients for:

1. Salsa Rice and Red Beans from Vegan on the Cheap
2. Rice Island Casserole, also from Vegan on the Cheap
3. Pasta E Fagioli from Veganomicon (I think it's winning the battle for Most Favorite)
4. Chickpea Piccata from Appetite for Reduction
5. Curried Chickpeas and Greens, also from Appetite for Reduction
6. Pasta con Broccoli, also from Appetite for Reduction AND tonight's dinner.

When I got my groceries home and started putting them where they belong, I thought my huge haul of garlic was funny, so I took a picture of exactly how garlic-heavy this week's menu turned out to be:

I used nearly a whole head just for tonight's dinner.  I figured I was probably in a better mindset to thinly slice a quarter-cup of garlic than I might be during the week.  I also thought it would take longer than it did.  Note to self: As long as you use frozen broccoli (organic, of course), this is one of your quickest cooking meals.

It is also far more flavorful than it appears.

That kind of looks like a pile of naked linguine with unexpectedly verdant frozen broccoli, doesn't it?  So Wrong - the last step of the recipe involves adding the cooked pasta to the pot with the broccoli and broth-sauce and those little noodles slurp up an astonishing amount of flavor from that quick "saute."  This is quickly becoming a favorite in our home.

coconooch florentine

Before I get too far into what will probably be a relatively short post, I just want to show you a picture and ask a question.

Can you see how incredibly green that spinach is?  I'm still in awe of the twice-as-expensive-but-totally-worth-it organic frozen spinach I used to make our Pasta Florentine tonight.  I thought about not taking pictures, since it wasn't all that long ago that I made it last, but then I looked at it and felt like I needed another picture to showcase how amazing a frozen vegetable can be.

Mister was having a hungry day so between the two of us, we housed the whole pot-full.  Besides the SuperSpinach, there were two things I did differently this time around.  I eyeballed my bag of nutritional yeast and decided it was probably exactly as much as I needed, so why bother dirtying another measuring cup when I could just dump the whole bag in there?  Probably more notable was my use of So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk [beverage].  I feel like it had a very different taste than when I have made the same dish using soymilk.  Mister didn't complain through any of his three helpings, though, and he doesn't really like the flavor of soymilk, so perhaps it's an improvement.  It did seem a little creamier - I'll admit the soy makes it a little tiny bit grainy in texture.

I feel like I should warn you in advance not to expect any creative one-serving recipes tomorrow night.  I already have my plan for Misterless Dinner - I pass by Blackbird every night on my walk home from the train, so since I was so busy today I could barely bring myself to make dinner when I got home, I'm going to give myself the night off tomorrow and stop in for some Daiya pizza....and maybe some cake.

organic spinach and the continuing battle with brown rice

Years ago, when I became a vegetarian and then moved within 5 blocks of a Whole Foods Market, I became an avid fan of organic produce.  I understood it was a bit more costly than conventionally grown (and at times, manipulated) fruits and vegetables, but I was convinced I could taste a difference and if nothing else, I was full of the zeal which often accompanies a major lifestyle change.

Years passed, times got a little tough...I lost my job at a non-profit organization after multiple cuts in government funding, coincidentally occurring at the same time as Bush's Great War.  In the nine months it took me to find a new job, I would be lying if I said I had little trouble surviving on unemployment.  I took a part time job and continued to look for full time work while trying to nourish my body while being as thrifty as possible.  Actually, Robin's book would have come in awfully handy if it had been written in 2006.  In any case, while I continued to purchase the best quality food I could justify with my shrunken budget, I let organic food slide, bit by bit, out of my diet.

Why did I do that??

I've recently been reminded, in many ways, of the superior quality of organic produce, as well as other staples.  Mostly out of laziness (I prefer not to scrub my pesticide-coated food with steel wool), I have gotten back into the habit of buying organic fruits and most vegetables.  However, in the frozen food aisle, I have continued to buy "normal" vegetables.  In preparation for tonight's Indian-Spiced Lentil Ragu from Vegan on the Cheap, I needed one of those nifty boxes of frozen spinach.  The past several times I've purchased those little cubes of chopped greens from Superfresh, I have found myself fishing out dead and brown pieces, as well as prickly sticks, and I'm not fond of dissecting my frozen veggies.  So, this time, I decided to try the boxes of organic frozen spinach at Whole Foods, just to see if there was a difference.

I don't know why this continues to surprise me.  I guess I'm just that dense sometimes.  My first thought upon adding the green brick to my ragu was exactly how green it was; there was not a single shred of rotted brown spinach or sticky stems.  It remained a green that could only be described as lush throughout the cooking process and even the curry spices couldn't muddle its beautiful emerald coloring.

I'm not sure you can see it too well in this picture, but it is gorgeous and more tender than I have been accustomed to when eating frozen spinach.  I didn't even realize the different texture until tonight, but once again, the organic proves to be worth its price even when frozen.

Last night, I waged another battle in my war with Brown Rice.  I don't know why we can't just get along and live harmoniously.  It wants to be cooked; I want to cook it - I don't know why we can't work together for what is obviously a common goal.  Nevertheless, I nearly lost the battle last night.

There are no pictures of the Mexican Bean and Rice Bake from Vegan on the Cheap.  I was too angry at dinner to photograph it.  I am somewhat convinced that Brown Rice is not necessarily picking a fight with me, as much as it is trying to avoid bathing in Tomato Juice.  It seems that every time I have trouble with Brown Rice, it involves this nemesis.  After waiting over two hours for dinner to cook last night, I have come to the unshakable decision to always cook the rice separately from anything that involves tomatoes.

Feast Day

Today was just full of tasty experiences! I feel like today was all about eating, but maybe I'm just more attuned to what I'm eating now, like I have to remember so I can give my oral report in class :)

I started my day with a nice bowl of perfectly ripe blueberries with Stonyfield Farms organic yogurt (plain). Last night, when I made the 'dillas, I had some stuffing left over and I thought it would make a great morning omelet for me and Mister to share. Unfortunately, after a month of 10-hour days getting me to work early, I'm having trouble sleeping in, so I just had berries - maybe we'll have the omelet tomorrow with some more of those juicy green grapes and multi-grain toast. I'll let you know tomorrow!

I believe I mentioned in an earlier post my plans for lunch today, but I'm pleased to report that I followed through and it was just as wonderful as I thought it would be (if not a little messier than I had hoped). I peeled the top leaf off my head of red cabbage and laid it as a bowl on my plate. I then proceeded to fill it with leftover chutney bulghur and sprinkled it with leftover chickpeas and just a few olives. I was going to chop them, but I was too lazy - I don't get many days off. Anyway, I attempted to roll it up, a la a burrito, and it was not havin' it. So then I figured I'd just "coax" it to fold in half like I do with pizza sometimes. No...that just caused a terrific amount of the bulghur and chickpeas to smush out the other side. I reloaded my little cabbage leaf and very carefully ate it like bruschetta. Still messy, but the best solution. I tried again with a second leaf and somehow managed to throw the bulghur between the table and the wall. I decided the best thing to do was sit at my table with my cabbage on a plate and my bulghur, chickpeas, and olives in their containers. I tore the cabbage leaves into fold-in-half-and-it'll-be-bite-sized pieces and then loaded each one up like bruschetta and pushed it into my mouth before anything could escape. So, it was a lot more work than I thought it would be, but it really did taste good.

A few hours after lunch, Mister and I took a walk down to the Italian Market. I visited the Spice Trader and got vanilla and peppermint extracts, brown sugar, and Swedish fish (for Mister). Then we went to Anthony's coffee house and got gelato, coffee, a roasted vegetable panini (for Mister) and a hunk of banana bread (for me). I had mint chocolate chip gelato and it was heavenly - the coffee was a perfect complement, too! Mister's panini arrived with a cute little bowl of pasta salad, which he gave to me - he also gave me the slices of roasted eggplant with which someone had "corrupted" his panini. I wished I had brought the camera, but again, it just didn't occur to me. After we enjoyed our treat, we walked home and then I went to the market to grab a few extra things I needed for dinner.

Dinner was wonderful - I made the Seitan and Polenta with Fresh Greens. It was so tasty! It smelled so good and was SO easy. I have to say, this Vegan Express book is working its way up my favorites list - everything I have made from there has been fast and easy. I have a couple of other books that promise fast meals, but this one really delivers! In addition to our main course, as I've mentioned, I'm trying to get better at side dishes. I was poking around online and came across one of the easiest things in the world and it sounded so refreshing, I had to give it a try.

Tomato and Strawberry Gazpacho - thank you Martha Stewart! You can follow the link to give credit where credit is due, but let me tell you the super easy recipe:
1 pound of ripe tomatoes
1 pound of strawberries
1 tsp of balsamic vinegar
1 blender or food processor

Voila! That's it. It took me about 3 minutes to put that together, including coring the tomatoes and stemming the strawberries. It was a gorgeous shade of rose pink (think deep, musty rose, not candy pink rose) and had a fantastically thick texture. I didn't get a picture because my camera battery died, and for that same reason I won't be posting any pictures tonight. However, there is some gazpacho leftover that I will probably dump (so gracefully) into a pretty glass and photograph tomorrow when the battery is all better, and then I will upload that picture as well as all the pretty things I ate for dinner and lunch.

I'm off again tomorrow and allegedly my air-conditioning will be fixed sometime in the morning/early afternoon. The reason for my extract and brown sugar shopping is a recipe I'm dying to make but I'm not trying to bake in this heat with no air conditioning. Also, I believe we're having pizza for dinner tomorrow, so the air better work!

I'm just giddy from what a great day today was. Pictures soon!