there was a little girl

There was a little girl,

Who had a little curl,

Right in the middle of her forehead.

When she was good,

She was very good indeed,

But when she was bad she was horrid.

That poem, composed by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow while trying to quiet a daughter for sleep, is a perfect narrative for my relationship with Trader Joe's.  Well, the Trader Joe's in Philadelphia, anyway.

I love Trader Joe's for a few reasons.  First (and possibly most importantly), they have an amazing 10-grain bread that makes amazing toast (it gets all crispy and chewy in the best possible way) and even Mister likes it.  I bought the multigrain bread at Whole Foods for years before he told me he didn't like it.  Second, and also important, is that I usually save a ton of money buying produce there, rather than Whole Foods.  Let's compare: $0.69 for a red bell pepper (when they're in season) versus $4.99/lb (meaning the average pepper is over $2).  $0.39 for a potato versus the seeming bargain of $1.99/lb.  You get the idea.  Finally, they have the most palatably store-brand soymilk.

So what's horrid?  Ever trying to shop quickly.  Which can be important to me.  Also, ever trying to shop between 5 and 6 pm.  It doesn't matter if it's a weekday or a weekend - trying to shop at that hour is maddening.  The lines literally run halfway down every aisle and I'll be in line longer than it takes to shop.  Also, since their low prices do rely on seasonal produce, they don't always have stock of what I want, where I know Whole Foods almost always will (even if it's $8 asparagus).  This is not a bad thing, per se, but when it's already inconvenient to go there (on the other side of town completely), I want to get as much as I can to make it worth the effort.

One thing they're hit and miss on is arugula.  This week, it was a miss, so I ended up with fresh baby spinach, even though I have two bags of frozen spinach in my freezer.  Why the hunt for arugula?

Pasta Della California from Veganomicon had cried out to be made one last time before I do a snow dance and hunker down with a wintery menu of stews and chilis and other impossibly hearty things to be cooked slowly and to warm my innards from head to toe (or... at least my belly).

When Mister and I were shopping at Superfresh last week, I saw a surprising thing for December - a sale on Haas Avocados!  So I gently poked a few, trying to find a ripe one.... then took one that looked a good size and let it ripen on my counter the last few days.  It is so rare to find avocados for less than a dollar here in Philadelphia (not exactly prime avocado-growing climate), I couldn't resist the urge for a flavor and texture that always brings me happy memories.

Failing to find arugula, I opted for a slightly easier-to-eat green and honestly, I may always make it this way now - it was really good with the baby spinach and its silkier texture.  It seemed a better match for the nice squishy, creamy avocado.  The arugula provides a bitter foil for that creaminess and it works, but this was so good even Mister commented on the flavor.

So, with this last delightful dish (before I continue pressuring my friend to go to El Vez for their unbelievable guacamole and delicious margaritas via facebook chat), I bid farewell to the last gasp of warm days in December and look forward to some snowy weather....

klutz in the kitchen

You would think I didn't know my way around a kitchen.  You'd think I've never cooked before... or measured anything... or stirred a pot.  If you haven't been following this blog for the last couple of years, you might think I was just learning to cook from the way I was dropping things and tossing things around tonight.

You know, it's ridiculous - I took a couple of days off from my kitchen and it's as though I've never handled a measuring spoon or a spatula before.  I spilled water, poured salt all over the counter, knocked rice on the floor, and dropped at least two measuring spoons.  I tossed bits of spinach all over the stovetop and God forbid I transfer the coconut milk from the counter to the pot without dumping some of it on the skillet and pan-frying tofu in the process.

Fortunately, it all came together (after a little swearing and a lot of stooping) to make Sag Paneer from Celebrate Vegan.

I'll be honest, I was not all that impressed, after all my hard work (of spinach-slinging, salt-spilling, and rice-scattering).  It was really rather bland, despite the addition of the maximum amount of salt (plus a little, probably) and the shallot-garlic-ginger base.  I caught Mister trying to be subtle as he snuck more salt onto his second serving and unabashedly doused both servings with a generous amount of hot sauce (at my suggestion).  I did not have an opportunity to test this before the cookbook was published, but I wish I had so I could have suggested a ton more flavor.  One of my favorite parts of Indian food is the almost overwhelming 'spiceyness' and flamboyant flavors - those aspects were disappointingly absent from this recipe, making me glad as heck for the overboard flavors in The 30 Minute Vegan's version of this Southern Asia staple.

Angst still seemed to think he urgently needed to share Mister's dinner...

"This is my Imploring Face"
(note the paw on Mister's knee) 

"Please, Mister, I NEEDS!"

So, Black Friday I came home and ate leftover Spanakopita and leftover Apple Pie.  Saturday I slept most of the day, drank some coffee, got another make-up delivery, and then went out on a belated Anniversary Dinner with my hubby because....

...Vedge finally opened!  Hallelujah, folks.

I took a bunch of pictures, but it's possible that Vedge is even dimmer than Horizons was, so none of them came out.  Here's the synopsis:

I started out with an Apple Cide Car, per the power of suggestion from Dynise's review of the Friends and Family night.  With dinner, I enjoyed a nice glass of Dolcetto.  The server explained that the Chef suggests three plates per person and that the menu lists plates in order from light to heavy.  To share, Mister and I ordered our old favorite from Horizons - Truffled Fingerling Fries, a newsie Crispy Cauliflower with Kimchee Mayo and an order of Roasted Baby Broccoli from their "Dirt" list (today's fresh veggie sides).  I elected to try a new dish, despite many of my favorites from Horizons making a slightly altered appearance on the menu - Steak-Spiced Tofu with squash, chanterelles, and a few other unidentified vegetables.  I can honestly say that this dish marked the very first time I have actually found mushrooms enjoyable.  I will not be seeking them out any time soon, but it was nice to not have to eat around them.  Mister stuck with what he knows, ordering the Grilled Seitan, even though it came on a bed of beluga lentils with some mushrooms surrounding it.  It was so refreshing to be able to order and eat anything on the menu.  The delightful thing about the small plates thing Vedge is doing is that it enabled us to order and enjoy dessert without feeling like total pigs (and since it's much further from home, the walk back helped burn off a few calories).  Mister, as usual, got Fig & Quince Cheesecake and discarded the fruit.  The figs tasted kind of "green" and the quince was middle-sweet.  I would have left them on, myself.  I got the Sticky Toffee Pudding with Pumpkin(-spiced) "ice cream" and loved every warm, melty bite.

As a side note, Angst helped me finish the blog post tonight and Mister took pictures:

free Beaujolais? mais oui et merci!

So, tonight was the Midtown Village Beaujolais Nouveau festival, honoring the third Thursday of November, when the Beaujolais Nouveau is introduced to the waiting (and aware) world.  It involved 12 restaurants serving Beaujolais-soaked entrees or appetizers (or maybe just constructing a specialty cocktail involving Beaujolais, like the Sangria at the Stephen Starr Mexican joint) and 9 area retailers (including my store) offering sales and complimentary tastes of the new vintage.  Some highlights?

• Beaujolais risotto
• Beaujolais-braised short rib pizza
• Beaujolais-inspired chocolates
• Beaujolais soap and lip balm
• and my favorite... Beaujolais jello shots

There were several other things, but those struck me as most outstanding and interesting.  I was working for the first two hours of the festival, but when my shift ended, I headed out to see what was still going on.  I entered Duross & Langel and was treated to a dixie cup of 2011 Beaujolais Nouveau and a complimentary tin of Beaujolais lip balm (it kind of smells like cherries, but whatever - it was free and makes my lips feel shiny).  They have some amazing handmade soaps in there and I will almost definitely return for the holiday shopping season - this stuff is great for that person who has everything because they are both novel and expendable.

After sniffing to my heart's content (and wishing things had price tags), I gave my empty cup to the jovial young man who had given it to me when it contained a swallow of wine and headed out the door. I wandered next door to Paper on Pine, owned by a neighbor of mine and a lovely woman (who also patronizes our shop).  As soon as I came in, the owner recognized me and gave me a more generously-poured plastic cup of 2009 Beaujolais-Villages (which wasn't exactly the point, but it is considered Georges deBoeuf's Vintage of a Lifetime and it's one of my favorites) to sip on as I chatted with her and wandered around her delightful little store.  I ended up with a lovely card and some stationery.  I will undoubtedly revisit her establishment not only for Christmas shopping but for many other things (she does custom-printed invitations and announcements, too).  As I was paying, she asked if I wanted more wine - what a lovely woman!  Alas, it was time to go home and make dinner, so I just stopped into my "local" wine store and picked up my own bottle of 2011 Beaujolais Nouveau to enjoy over the weekend.

It was only by reminding myself that payday is tomorrow that I was able to prevent myself from calling the newly-opened Vedge for reservations.  I've waited this long...

Nevertheless, by the time I got home, it felt too late to start making a dinner with an hour and a half of cooking time, so I decided to wing it!

Mister and I had a field day trying to come up with a cookbook-worthy name for this creation, but unless anyone would like to volunteer something a little snootier, we're going with

Pasta with Green Veggie Marinara

6 generous servings

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil

5 medium cloves of garlic, pressed

generous pinch of red pepper flakes

1 bunch of asparagus (roughly 1lb), bias-cut into 2" pieces

10oz frozen spinach, thawed

24oz prepared marinara

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a sauteuse on medium-high heat.  Add garlic and red pepper flakes, then reduce heat to low and saute, stirring frequently, 3-5 minutes, until golden.  Add asparagus and stir well to combine with garlic.

Cover pan and raise heat just slightly to make the asparagus sizzle a little.  Saute 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Meanwhile, cook the pasta of your choice (my choice was penne) according to package directions.  When the asparagus is tender, stir in thawed spinach.

and then add the marinara and stir well to thoroughly combine.

Simmer, uncovered, 5-7 minutes.  Drain the pasta and season the sauce with salt and/or pepper to taste, then toss the sauce with the pasta and serve!

Enjoy!  (with some Beaujolais Nouveau...)

Cheers!

sunday, lazy sunday

I set my alarm for noon today.  I still hit snooze several times before convincing myself to get up.

I sat around in my bathrobe for hours, drinking cup after cup of amazing coffee.

That's right - Dark Chocolate Ecstasy.  You can't tell me that's not a killer name for a coffee.  It made the kitchen smell amazing, so Mister and I made and drank two pots.

I've been peeing almost all day, but it was totally worth it.

All day, or more likely between each new cup o' joe, I asked myself with a touch of anxiety, "Isn't there something I should be doing?"  Each time, the answer was the same - NO.  I did all the food shopping yesterday and we can wait a few more days for laundry, so no, there was nothing that needed doing.  It was great to just relax and enjoy my day off.

I'll admit, though, I'm still a little jittery from all that coffee - it's a bit more than I usually drink in a day and it was nearly as consistently administered (via hand to mouth) as it would have been if I had that sought-after IV drip of caffeine.  Mister just brewed a pot of decaf, but I am definitely done with coffee... until tomorrow.

Between being overly lazy and overly caffeinated, I definitely had the energy to cook dinner.  I made Mexican Rice and Bean Bake from Vegan on the Cheap, although I really ought to put "bake" in quotation marks (like I just did) because I haven't baked this since the first unnecessarily time-consuming time I made this.  I find it comes together much more quickly and with less gnashing of teeth when I cook the rice separately from the rest, adding it in once it's fully cooked.

While the rice was cooking, I minced a dark green poblano chili because I think it's wasteful to get those expensive little cans of flavorless and mushy diced chilies.  To soften the pieces up a little, I sauteed them with olive oil and garlic for at least 5 minutes, probably longer, before adding in everything else.

That smelled so good and only got better with the gradual addition of salsa, beans, sweet white corn, and then finally, the cooked rice.

I haven't made this in a long time and now I'm kicking myself because I did not remember it tasting as incredible as it did tonight.  I'm not in the habit of buying/using white corn, but it added a neat "surprise" to the dish.  It was crunch and sweet when you were not quite expecting something like that to be part of the dish, providing a nice contrast against the otherwise savory nature of this recipe.

Last night we had Pasta Florentine from The 30 Minute Vegan.

It was tasty and I always enjoy the nooch-heavy "cream" sauce, but aside from that, it was nothing special and I couldn't think of a single clever thing to say about it.  So you just get a half-decent picture.  Lucky you!

squiggly pasta and other favorites

So, Friday finally marks the official start to my favorite season.  I get excited about the Autumnal Equinox the way most people get excited about Memorial Day marking the inaugural beach weekend.  For me, the First Day of Fall marks the end of the hot, sunny season that makes my husband sneeze and sweat and makes me squint too much.  More importantly, it reminds me that other favorites are just on the horizon - my favorite month (October), my favorite time of year (between Thanksgiving and Christmas), my favorite weather - cool, dry, a little bit of a nip on your nose by the time October bleeds into November...that first time a starkly cold breeze whips your breath away or colors your cheeks with the slightest crimson.

I put my husband in charge of determining how we would celebrate the arrival of Fall (it's his favorite time as well) and upon conferring, we came to a mutually agreeable decision - we planned to go to Linvilla Orchards, a little outside the city.  They have baskets upon baskets of freshly plucked apples of many varieties we don't commonly see in Whole Foods or Essene.  There are apple cider donuts, dozens of different pies, and of course, apple cider and coffee.  This year, Mister has his heart set on funnel cake with gooey cinnamon apples piled on top.  There is also plenty of lovely land upon which to wander and enjoy each other.  We went to Linvilla to celebrate our first wedding anniversary (and left with every imaginable apple product that you don't have to plug in).

Fast forward to the weather forecast.... of all the days this week, the day it's supposed to pour and be absolutely miserable?  No, you don't get a prize if you guessed Friday - it was kind of a "gimme."

So, new plans?  Baking.  Probably lots of it, too.  What this is all leading up to is that there is just no way I will have the energy to care about making good spanakopita until Friday, when I've sat inside all day watching P!nk videos on YouTube and trying to decide whether to bake cookies or cupcakes or both.  Instead of spanakopita, tonight I made Pasta Twists with Cauliflower and Spinach from Vegan Express.

Let's see - pasta, cauliflower, garlic, kalamata olives (subbing for sundried tomatoes, about which Mister can sometimes be a bit wary), and spinach... yup, lots of favorites in there.  I will almost definitely make this again - it was easy and tasty.  There are, however, a few things I will do differently in the future.

Since there is no "sauce" to speak of, there needs to be something else lending flavor.  Cauliflower is not the most exciting vegetable (especially after you slightly over-steam it...sorry, Mister) and spinach is good, but again, not a hugely flavorful vegetable.  The only real flavor came from the kalamatas and the dried cranberries (subbed for raisins, which Mister hates more than I thought possible), and unfortunately, they didn't play together all that nicely.  In the future, I'll steam the vegetables with broth, not water, and I will be a bit more generous in my sprinkling of Mediterranean Sea Salt.  I may also involve a flavorful finishing oil, like a fruity olive oil or possibly walnut oil with the slightest drizzle of dark sesame oil.

As you may be able to see, there is a round of garlic bread peeking in on the pasta...

Mister was kind enough to go to Superfresh for me while I was at work today (second time!), and when I got home, he explained that there was a sale on the big round kaiser rolls I asked him to pick up for sloppy joes, so he got 12 instead of 6.  I know he'll use some for sandwiches, but 12 is a lot of rolls when they're the kind that are freshly baked and without preservatives, so they'll go bad before Monday.  Remember - no kids - it's just me and Mister.  So, I figured two of them could turn into garlic bread to accompany our meal.

Well!  It's still early, which is one of the many things I love about my new job, so I've been able to devote a few hours a night to redeveloping myself into an intelligent and well-rounded human being.  Let's compare:

Old Job:

• get home around 9pm
• hurry to get dinner on the table between 9:30 and 10
• eat
• clean up
• screw around on Facebook for a few minutes and probably drink a glass of wine depending on the day
• Go to sleep (and still only get 4-6 hours a night)

New Job:

• get done work around 6:30 or 7, depending on the day
• stop at Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Superfresh or anywhere else on the way home
• take my time saying hello to Mister and telling him a little about my day, maybe lying down for a couple of minutes before starting dinner.
• Dinner is on the table and we're eating between 8 and 9pm
• By 10, the dishes are done, the leftovers are put away, and I'm blogging (sometimes).
• Now, I will spend a little time doing work homework (that I'm happy to do because I like what I'm learning and know that extracurricular work will help me to succeed at a growing company that is willing to take a chance and invest itself in me)
• Then I will continue reading my silly Anne Rice book for my own adolescent pleasure,
• then bedtime with 6-8 hours of sleep.

Cheers!

what I hate

Hate is kind of a strong word, but honestly, there is one cooking "chore" I despise above all else.  I've mentioned this in passing a long time ago, but there is no prep step I hate more than pressing water out of spinach.

Hate it.

Unfortunately, there are at least a few recipes in this world [and my recipe repertoire] which require this soul-smothering step.  Tofu-Spinach Lasagna from The Vegan Table is one of them.  Fortunately for me, the effort is eventually worth it, since this is a flavorful, aromatic, and actually quite simple dinner to prepare.  Due to extensive prep, you definitely can't make this on a rushed night, but I'm sure you could prepare it and then pull it out of the fridge or freezer for a quick, easy meal another night.

Back to how much I hate pressing excess water out of spinach, though, because that's the point.  I've done all kinds of things to avoid this step in the past, one of my favorites (though not terribly efficient) is "dry frying" the spinach until all the water evaporates.  Tonight, though, there was no getting around the need to do it "right."  So there I was, standing over my kitchen sink with the spinach in a colander, pressing the back of my wooden spoon against it to get the ever-so-slightly satisfying sloop of water being squeezed out.  I was contemplating how much I hate doing this and a brilliant thought popped into my head.

I didn't have my Tofu Xpress the last time I had to "press" the water out of my spinach, but when I got this bugger for Christmas, I remember the little instruction manual (yes, I do read them) made an off-handed comment about also pressing water out of spinach.

I guess other people hate doing that as much as I do.  So I gave it a shot.  It was so efficient, and the best part was, I didn't have to do anything!  So, while that was pressing, I crumbled the tofu and sprinkled the soymilk, lemon juice, basil, salt, and garlic in the food processor and made "ricotta," to be combined with the waterless spinach.

After baking a little more that 40 minutes, my lasagna looked delicious and my kitchen smelled delicious.  Mister and I put away about half that pan.

MMmmmm.....

So, I start my new job on Tuesday, and I have some shopping to do before then.  My purse is starting to show its age, as are a great many of my clothes.  I hate shopping.  I do.  I'm sorry - I know I sound dreadful, but I just can't stand shopping.  I want to like it, really I do, and maybe this weekend I'll finally have some Estrogen Awakening and find that I could go shopping every day.  That would really help me get a new purse, a few new items of clothing, and a pair of shoes in which I won't break my ankles walking from the bus to the door of my new job.  That would be a little embarrassing, and my healthcare doesn't kick in for three months, so the 4.5-inch Carlos Santanas have to go.

I also have to go food shopping.  That is generally far less traumatic.  How's about a menu?

1. Rotini with Spicy Vegetable Ragu from Vegan on the Cheap.  It's been a while since I consulted this cookbook, but I figured it might be a wise choice since I'm between an old paycheck and a new one...

2. Savory Sausage and Pepper, also from VotC.

3. Better-Than-Takeout Tofu Stir-Fry, also from VotC.  I needed to get a different flavor profile in there - this should do it!

4. Salsa Rice and Red Beans also from VotC.

5. Yakisoba from The Accidental Vegan because I also haven't played with this book in a while and in case you didn't notice, I'm sticking to familiar stuff this week.

6. Kedgeree also from The Accidental Vegan.

rock you like a hurricane

So, hopefully, I can write this post and put it live before we lose power.  Although it doesn't seem that bad, the lights have flickered and everyone else I know seems to be losing power, except for two insane friends who went out to dinner in a hurricane warning.

You're welcome.

Anyway, it's been a soggy, drippy, noisy day so far and the fun is just beginning - apparently the real good stuff is coming in about an hour or so.  I had a glorious day of being trapped in my apartment (which, after spending 13 hours a day outside of it for the last 4 and a half years is actually quite okay), drinking cups (yes, multiple!) of New England Chocolate Cappuccino coffee and eating Pretz-a-bagels, which Mister and I spied at Superfresh last night and could not resist bringing home.  I'm also 100 pages into the second reading of an Anne Rice novel old enough to be of drinking age if it was a person.  We also got a call from Mister's sister with fabulous news.  I won't tell you what it is, but here is Mister's stunning response:  "Do you know what flavor?"

Since I do anticipate losing power, I'm going to fill you in on our incredibly tasty dinner, the new menu, and then I'm going to pour some champagne and return to the Mayfair family for some good old-fashioned, time-traveling, imagery-overload fun.

I was planning to make the longest-cooking Jambalaya recipe I have, but then I realized that without the need for work-lunches this week, I didn't want that many leftovers while we were still working through the ones in the fridge.  So, instead, I pulled out The Urban Vegan to make the Chickpeas with Tomatoes and Spinach curry.  I had some doubts about this recipe primarily because I was already pretty happy with the Isa-recipe I have from VwaV for pretty much the same meal.  I also was a little leery of her description, in which she really plays up what she claimed was a "creamy" character of this curry.

Honestly, the only curry I have ever eaten that I would call creamy involves coconut milk or yogurt (real or soy, depending on when I made it).

Mister and I unanimously agree (which is, of course, quite a challenge...) that I stand delightfully wrong. This curry is incredible and it is creamy for no good reason.  It might possibly be because I couldn't find a 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes so I just used a 15 oz can of tomato sauce, but it's not like I used prepared sauce or anything.  It truly seemed attributable to the silky spinach and creamy chickpeas.  Additionally, this recipe used a fresh chopped tomato, which I think cut down on the acidity usually unavoidable in canned tomatoes.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, this is one more reason everyone should own The Urban Vegan.  And hey, as long as you're on Amazon ordering that, you may as well see if you can qualify for free shipping by adding Mama Pea's book.  Then, after that transaction is complete, you can pre-order Celebrate Vegan and Vegan Pie in the Sky - I figure that since they're both due out in October, within a week of each other, maybe they'll ship together and you can get the supersaver free shipping on them, too.... but even if you don't, if you follow all of my instructions you'll at least end up with four killer cookbooks that didn't kill anything....

On to the menu!

1. Orecchiette with Cherry Tomatoes and Kalamata Tapenade from VWaV - I'm pretty sure that will be tomorrow's dinner since it's been hanging in since last week and the cherry tomatoes and fresh parsley might band together for a mutiny soon.

2. Chickpea Cutlets from Veganomicon with Mashed Potatoes.  I figured I can do some slower cooked meals this week since I don't have to worry about starting at 9PM or later.

3. Seitanic Red and White Bean Jambalaya, also from Veganomicon and also awesome and slow-cooking.  I'm just going to let this one stew for hours, literally.  It's going to be incredible.

4. Pasta Della California, also from Veganomicon.  This one will wait until my rock-hard avocado ripens a little more.

5. Tofu Spinach Lasagna from The Vegan Table.  Truth be told, I've wanted to make this for quite a while, but it requires a bit more energy that I feel like exerting at 9pm and on the weekends, no matter how grand my aspirations may be, I get lazy and want nothing to do with that kind of project.  Normal people can just stir up a tub of ricotta....I have to turn a block of tofu into "ricotta."  Fortunately, the results are so worth it.


6. Penne Arrabbiata, also from The Vegan Table.  This was dinner last night and a few bites in, I determined it will also be Mister's lunch this weekend.  I had the good judgement not to add all the red pepper flakes prescribed in the recipe, but I still added too many for my tender Irish tongue.  Mister, on the other hand, loved it and dutifully had two bowls last night and one for lunch today.  I swilled the last of my Malbec to quell the pain.

Alright, I got through the post without losing electricity, so mission accomplished.  As a reward, I'm going to eat a few squares of dark chocolate, drink rose champagne, and read my book.  Enjoy your evening and if you're on the East Coast, stay safe!

the fruitier side of Atkins

I'd like to start by saying that the Atkins diet and fruit couldn't possibly put too much more distance between each other - did you know that you can't even eat an apple until you've nearly reached your weight loss goal?

I've made my feelings about the Fadkins diet pretty clear over the course of multiple snide remarks snuck into myriad posts, so I'm not going to babble on too long about what a horrible diet it is and how backwards the "nutrition" is.  I would like to state, though, that there is something very wrong with a diet that tells you not to eat lean cuts of animal (oops, I mean meat) and not to pull the skin off of that animal (let that sink in), and that if you really feel like you must do one of those things, for heaven's sake, add a pat of butter (not margarine, even) to your vegetables (God forbid they escape the fat-fest unscathed) to "make up for it."  Don't believe me?  Check it out for yourself - prepare to be horrified.

Actually, I spent a large part of my day today in a horrified state.  The time I wasn't horrified was spent in confusion, I think.  In order to more thoroughly equip my new hires to answer objections to our weight loss program, I was doing research to update our competitor comparisons.  Some of our competitors impressed me, to a point of near-disappointment in our own program.  Others mystified me in that way in which you don't know whether to be more impressed with the skill of the snake oil vendor or the stupidity of his patrons.  I've settled for a contemplative place in between.

Against my better judgment, though, I found myself surprised and impressed with one "improvement" or innovation taken on by the folks behind the Atkins diet.  They have assembled a group of chefs to create Atkins-friendly/approved recipes.  This is nearly identical to something my company launched this Diet Season, but is still in the preliminary stages of development....but hey, 2012 should be a great year...as long as the world doesn't screech to a halt on May 21st.  Anyway, I was intrigued by something on their chefs' page - something I didn't think could possibly be reckoned to a meat-and-fat-oriented diet: Mark Reinfeld, of The 30 Minute Vegan fame is one of the chefs.

That's right.  Vegan Atkins.  Does that blow your mind as much as it blows mine?  I spent the rest of the day pondering that one.

So, it seemed only fitting to make Pasta Florentine, from 30MV, for dinner tonight.

This could actually be a meal in The Twenty Minute Vegan, if such a book existed, because it really doesn't take 30 minutes.  Do you want to know what took me the longest in making this dish?  Boiling the pasta water.  The rest is such a snap, whether you use organic frozen spinach (highly recommend) or fresh spinach.  I love the "cheesy" sauce, and I especially love how Mister eats it all up without realizing that the source of the savory is nutritional yeast, not cheese.  I also like how the strength of the nooch's flavor covers up the "soyness" of the milk.  I can't really taste it, but Mister can, so whenever I can cover it up, I do.

Well, time to clean up...right after I spend a little quality time with the slice of Apple Spice Coffee Cake that's been whispering to me the whole time I've been typing...

nothin' to write home about

Last Meal on the Menu Night is always a risky place to be.  Sometimes, I hold off on a recipe because I've lost interest in it, other times because it was too time consuming to make during the regular work week.  Sometimes I save the best for last and other times I'm not sure how it will turn out so I wanted to leave wiggle room for a replacement dinner.  In any case, tonight's Last Dinner was BBQ-Flavored White Beans with Sausage and Spinach from Vegan Express.

Leaving it for last, in this case, actually was somewhat strategic for two unrelated reasons.  The first reason had to do with how darn long this week felt.  Honestly, I feel like I haven't seen my piano students in two weeks, but I know I taught last weekend because I had a new student start.  The week didn't exactly drag by, but it really took Friday a while to get here.  I wanted to ensure I wouldn't have to put out a lot of effort for the Friday night meal (I was also counting on a lack of energy due to anticipated trouble sleeping last night, since there's an Irish bar across the street and whatnot).  The other reason was that I was a little concerned about the BBQ sauce.  Like I mentioned when I added it to the Sloppy Joes, I wasn't sure how I would feel about using it, unadulterated, as a main ingredient.  The flavor is pretty strong and tangy, which is not at all like the homemade BBQ sauce I usually use in this recipe.  In fact, at some point this week, I was kicking myself for actually buying BBQ sauce when I am perfectly capable of making BBQ sauce I knew I'd like for far less money.


Truth be told, I wanted to buy the BBQ sauce.  I was curious, since I've never actually bought BBQ sauce before, and I had heard good things about Annie's.  I'm glad we tried it, although it wouldn't be a "regular" in our pantry or fridge.  The most amusing thing for me was how perfect the amount in the bottle (12 oz) was.  Apparently, 12 oz = 2 Tbsp + 1 cup, because that was what I needed for the two recipes and that is exactly what came out of the bottle.  I had to shake the last bits out for dinner tonight before rinsing and recycling.

Anyway, all that being said, you really can't get too excited about beans-n-wieners, even if spinach and organic BBQ sauce are involved, so I'm just going to move on to the new menu:

1. Bulgur and Red Lentil Pilaf with Kale and Olives from The Complete Vegan Cookbook.  It's been a while since I've made this, but I just adore the tastes and textures, and it was the main reason I decided to start my dinner-hunting in that book.

2. Curried Bulgur Casserole with Garbanzo Beans, also from The Complete Vegan Cookbook.

3. Tuscan Vegetable Ragout from Vegetarian Times: Fast & Easy.  It's been quite a while since I made this and I don't know why - it's quick, easy, and delicious, and if I really wanted to make the effort, it never has to be the same twice.

4. Warm Chickpea Ragout with Swiss Chard, Carrots, and Harissa, also from Veg. Times: Fast & Easy.  See, I'm doing this two-fer theme...two recipes with bulgur from the same cookbook, two recipes for Ragout from the same cookbook...see?  I know, I'm so clever.

5. Garlicky Tofu with Spinach over Pasta also from VT:F&E.  I was a little rice-heavy last week and since the first two recipes this week use bulgur as the grain, I wanted to make a concerted effort to have more pasta for my Mister.

6. Broccoli Pasta with Savory Sauce.  Ditto.

spinach for the win

I'm Popeye the sailor man!
I'm Popeye the sailor man!
I'm strong to the finish,
'Cause I eats me spinach.
I'm Popeye the sailor man.

 Sometimes I can't believe there was a time I didn't know how awesome spinach is.  Fortunately, and I'm not quite sure how, spinach was one of the first veggies I became fond of upon giving up animals for dinner.  I remember my early days of being a vegetarian and taking my lunch to work.  Before I really learned how to cook, I more or less made three things in rotation:
veggie lo mein
rice with sauteed veggies
veggie burgers and fries (frozen, both)
I guess I also made pasta with red sauce pretty frequently, too.  Regardless, I'm not sure I even had real tupperware because I didn't cook enough to have leftovers.  As a result, I usually packed a sandwich for lunch at work.  It was normally the same, since I clearly didn't learn my lesson in elementary school when I ate a cheez whiz sandwich every single day of my 4th grade year.  I haven't been able to look at the stuff since.  Anyway, I made a bagel sandwich because bagels are awesome.  A Thomas bagel with a slice of soy cheese, a healthy lump of raw baby spinach, alfalfa sprouts, and another slice of cheese.  Actually, I could go for one of those again... it's been about 5-6 years since I had one.

As you can gather from the blog title, Angst also loves his spinach, and Mister, too.  I'm pretty sure it was Mister who turned me on to spinach...since Mister was the one who got me thinking about not eating animals and then introduced me to a world of vegetables prepared in tasty and unusual ways (you know, with spices other than salt and pepper).  I'm pretty sure the Raw Spinach E.Coli Scare was one of the most miserable experiences of my veggie adolescence.  I used to make spinach 2-3 times a week, but as I broadened my culinary horizons, I met so many other fascinating greens with such different character: kale, chard, lacinto kale, rainbow chard for heaven's sake!  Arugula was another great awakening and if Whole Foods still has mache this weekend, it will be mine.

However, spinach was my first and will be an enduring veggie-love.  So, tonight's dinner, a special (time-consuming) treat for Mister: Potato-Spinach Curry from Appetite for Reduction.

Mister actually cheered when I told him what dinner was.  Like I've mentioned before, you really can't go wrong feeding my husband a curry, but when you involve spinach and potatoes in that curry?  Well, let's just say my marriage is secure ;)

I continue to be amazed at the higher quality of organic spinach, even when frozen.  It's incredibly green and maintains a texture notably absent from non-organic varieties.  Whole Foods sells one-pound bags of frozen spinach, instead of 10 oz blocks of ice and green stuff, and I got such a kick out of adding the little green nuggets to the simmering ochre curry.  It didn't take long after stirring them in for the ice to melt away and reveal the verdant color hidden beneath.

I think once we get settled and our financial situation settles down, I'll have to look into getting a bigger saute pan.  I'm really starting to push the limits of this one, but it's so much more convenient than a big pot sometimes.

After adding the 2 lbs of chopped potato and 2 cups of broth, I wasn't sure there would even be room for the spinach.  When I poured the spinach in, it just kind of sat on top of the potatoes like a heaping frozen mountain, so I was really relieved when everything fit together nicely enough for me to replace the cover for a couple of minutes.  I really had forgotten how much almost all of Isa's recipes make.  I guess I thought these would make less since it's a diet cookbook, but you know what they say: you can take a girl out of the punk scene, but you can't take the punk scene (and large pots of food) out of the girl.

speed shopping and pasta fail

I nearly blew away today.  It is so windy in Philadelphia and its suburbs, it puts me just one level above my usual hatred for wind to a maddening frustration.  Wind is absolutely my least favorite weather.  Wind in conjunction with other things is the Worst Thing Ever; for example, wind + cold rain = misery.  Fortunately, today it was just so windy I thought I might take flight and my hair might become a single, huge dreadlock.  (psst!  for a fun story about me truly almost being swept away by the wind, click here)

I managed to make it to and from teaching without becoming airborne, so I decided to press my luck and go food shopping...since I haven't done that yet and we've been here nearly a week.  Mister was very excited that I was actually going to put food in the refrigerator and cupboards.  In fact, he was so excited that without my knowledge, he decided to join me at Superfresh.  I got home, found that the kitty was quite lonely, and asked him where his Mister was.  A couple of minutes later, Mister burst through the door, exclaiming that he went to Superfresh to "visit" me and I wasn't there.  He's so cute.

I thought this was too funny not to share.

After I put the food into the various places it belonged, I told Mister I was going to try to go to Whole Foods without blowing away, and before I could button my coat, Mister had his coat and shoes on and was ready for a field trip!  Let me pause for a moment and fill you in on the geography of our new home: it is 2 blocks east of our old home...Whole Foods is 5 blocks west of our old home...which means Whole Foods just got further away.  Granted, two blocks isn't a huge deal, but when it's so windy that you want to give up and go home after one block, well, you find yourself scheming about how to get all of your groceries in 10 minutes.  We detoured to Essene and I sent Mister after the pantry items while I picked through the produce.  Miraculously, and to the cashier's delight, we were checking out at closing time.

Now might be a good time to share the menu I constructed on my train ride to and from work today:

1. Vegetable Lentil Stew

2. Radiatore with Escarole and White Beans

3. Salsa Rice and Red Beans

4. Coconut Curry Rice

5. Savory Sausage and Peppers

6. Better-Than-Takeout Tofu Stir-fry

All of these dinners come from Vegan on the Cheap, since the moving out/in process has been a somewhat expensive one between the U-Hauls and the take-out, not to mention our Valentine's date (which was still far less expensive than it would have been at Horizons).

I didn't have the same trouble I usually do in deciding what to make first.  The reason is because I chose Radiatore with Escarole and White Beans specifically because the recipe said I could substitute spinach, which would allow me to use up the rest of last night's bag before it got all slimy and gross.

It came together just as quickly as the recipe implied it would and it sure looks pretty, doesn't it?  I'm not sure if I messed something up along the way or if I just need to get better at seasoning "to taste," (I'm not a big fan of tasting dinner while it's cooking unless it's a sauce or soup), but there really wasn't anything a person could call "sauce."  Mister took note of this and attempted to correct the "naked pasta" by dowsing his with olive oil and sprinkling quite liberally with the Mediterranean Sea Salt blend.  He was a good sport, but if I ever make this again, I will have to do something about the sauce situation - an idea that struck me during dinner was to combine recipes: I have this great recipe by Sarah Kramer for a spicy garlic sauce.  I usually use it for stir-fries or other Asian-influenced noodle dishes, but it might be worth a try here, too.

In other news, we're going to have to do something about the "dining room" light or else I'll have to take all my pictures by the stove. 

moving makes me stretch

Although it probably would have been wise to stretch my muscles out a bit before and during the moving process, I did not.  That may very well be the reason my back hates me and my arms and legs were introducing me to muscles I didn't know I had by the medium of pain.  Regardless, the way this move has made me stretch is in the kitchen these past two days. 

Although yesterday's dinner was planned out and shopped for, I had no plans at all for tonight, but I did have spinach, carrots, and brown rice!  Yeah, I know, you're drooling already, I'm sure.  I spent most of my homeward commute brainstorming about what we could eat for dinner without stretching our poor bank account any further.  I also didn't want to buy a bunch of stuff since I know I'll finally construct a real menu and need to shop for that.

Turkish Spinach Pilaf
about 4 servings

2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup brown rice
1 Turkish bay leaf
dash of cinnamon
2 large carrots, thinly sliced (about 1.5 cups)
4-5 cups finely chopped spinach (about 4-5 cups)
15 oz can of chickpeas

Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan (about 2.5 quarts).  Stir in rice and bay leaf, then cover and reduce heat to low.  Simmer 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, slice the carrots as thinly as possible - I was able to get some to be nearly translucent.
Add thinly sliced carrots and cinnamon; stir to combine and simmer 5-10 minutes more.  Remove bay leaf.  Lay chopped spinach over the rice and carrots.

Cover the pot and raise the heat slightly.  Allow the spinach to steam on top of the pilaf for 5-10 minutes, then stir into the rice, adding the chickpeas.

Cover and cook until spinach is wilted and all liquid has been absorbed by the rice.

It took about an hour and 15 minutes to be ready, but I'm already brown rice-challenged and now I'm trying to cook it on a new stove with new quirks, so if you prepare this and get a better time, please let me know!

It was fun and very attractive.  It was a little less flavorful than I wanted it to be, so in the future, I may tweak it by adding tamari or perhaps an herb blend to liven it up a little - I might even do a combination of tamari and the low, sweet heat of harissa.  Only time will tell how far I can stretch!

curry, burritos, and cookies, oh my!

Happy Friday!  I cannot believe it is already the end of the third week of January.  Next weekend is the last weekend of January, which blows my mind for two reasons: first, I can't believe I blinked this month away already.  Second, something for which I have been preparing since May is finally culminating...or at least, beginning to culminate: my dear student has her first college music audition.  Tomorrow is our last lesson before the audition, our last chance to iron out any last kinks.

Between that and a few other things that are irrelevant to a food blog, I've been a little distracted lately...pondering the meaning of life (why did I marry a philosopher?), what I am doing with mine (why am I so introspective?), and ultimately, how to be happy.  I do want to share some fun food stories, so here's a random selection from the last couple of days.

Last night, since the Spinach Drought finally ended, I finally made Chickpea and Spinach Curry from Vegan With a Vengeance.

I was going to write last night, but I got distracted by the pure incompetence of someone from whom I've been waiting to hear news for at least a week.  I was too pissed off to focus on the relatively calm post I had in my brain - I thought a fun title would be Calming Colors: Chickpea Beige.

I love the color combination of this flavorful curry: bright red tomatoes, emerald green spinach, and golden-beige chickpeas.  Although I appreciate the bold colors of crimson and hunter, it is the subtle, creamy taupe of the garbanzos that pull everything together and make this dish a thing of beauty.  This is no testament to my still-developing photography skills, but if I saw the picture above in a cookbook, I would want to make that dish purely because it is attractive (and appears to be made of food I like).

Even though the Great Spinach Famine of 2011 is coming to an end, we're not back in business quite yet, so I was only able to get half of what I needed.  As a result of forgetting that while mixing the curry spices, the result was a little more intense than it usually is, but it was still very tasty, even if it took Mister three breads to get through his servings.

Tonight, I made Barbecued Black Bean and Tofu Burritos, also from Vegan on the Cheap, which I've made once before.  Although I went back and read that post, in which I commented on wanting to marinate the tofu, here's what I did instead:

I sliced it as thin as I could without tearing it, then laid it on some towels to drain a bit.  After spraying and heating my skillet, I arranged the slices and let them cook a few minutes while I seasoned the "up side" with sea salt and chili powder, then sprayed them with olive oil.  Once the tofu was popping enough to nearly flip itself over, I turned each piece and seasoned the half-cooked sides.  One more flip and I turned off the burner while the tofu finished cooking on the cooling-down skillet.

I will always do it that way - it came out so well.  Also, as the black beans were simmering in my home-made barbecue sauce, it seemed like there was too much liquid, so I looked in the fridge and found what I was looking for: leftover cooked rice.  I tossed that in, stirred it up and let it heat through, then lined each tortilla with 3-4 tofu slices and dumped a healthy bit of beans-n-rice on the tofu and rolled it all up.

Sooo tasty...  Speaking of tasty things, do you know what time of year it is?

That's right, kids - it's Girl Scout Cookie time.  One of my most recently hired and trained employees brought some in to sell for her daughter, but she just straight up gave me these: Shout Outs are brand new to the line up.  Round wafer cookies, embossed with one inspiring word (3 of the 4 I've already eaten said "Lead" and I wonder if I should be taking that as a message), and aside from an undefined "Sugar" in the ingredients, these sweet treats appear to be vegan - no milk, eggs, or other recognizable animal bits to be found in the nutritional label.  Also, I'm a pretty big fan of serving sizes like this: 4 cookies = 130 calories.

spinach drought

Apparently, we're in the midst of the Great Spinach Crisis of 2011.  Heck of a way to start the year, if you ask me, and Angst had a few things to say (squeak) about it, too.  When I did my standard grocery shopping operation on Sunday, neither Whole Foods nor Superfresh had so much as a tender little leaf of fresh spinach anywhere in the produce corral.  Because of my unreasonable persistence natural optimism, I stopped by Whole Foods on my way home from work last night, hoping they had magically come into the possession of asparagus and spinach.  I was half-right, but I still haven't made the jerk asparagus, regardless.

Instead, as I detoured down the road that would unite me with my Beaujolais, I found myself craving a pasta dish.  Despite the dearth of fresh spinach in Philadelphia, henceforth known to my Irish brethren as the Spinach Famine, I made Pasta e Fagioli with...Arugula from Appetite for Reduction (Am I the only person who repeatedly starts to type ...Destruction and then has to back up and type it correctly?).

Although arugula doesn't cooperate with the wilting process quite as willingly as spinach, Mister and I both agreed that it lent a very nice "zip" to the dish that we both enjoyed...enough to make good on my promise to my mom to have a second helping when I cook from this book.  Angst wasn't quite as excited about the Arugula Situation and was quite vocal in his protests, even going to far as to stand with his hind feet on my chair and his front paws on the table, staring Mister down while I filled our bowls.

If you looked up "Disgruntled" in an illustrated dictionary....

Once he felt he had said his piece and realized that his plaintive cries had fallen upon unsympathetic ears, he retired to his blanket for a long Winter's nap, leaving us to our corrupted "spinach."

new year, new adventures

Last night was kind of exciting - more so than New Years Eves past.  I saw more people than I've seen... since the last day I was at work.  Speaking of which, I really can't say I'm enthusiastic for Monday - AKA the day I return.  Regardless, Mister and I had a short visit from an old friend and then I travelled by bus, foot, and taxi to spend some time at another friend's party before rushing home to kiss my sweetie at Midnight.

We've had some interesting Midnight Kisses through our years together.  I think the most memorable (not intentionally, that's for sure) was the one I got on the side of a highway.  Mister had played a show that night, things had gone a little late, so we were speeding through the relatively traffic-less night to get to my friend's house (yes, same friend) before people were too wasted to remember we even showed.  I was also trying, in vain, to get there before Midnight, but no dice.  So, as the clock turned to 12:00, Mister poked me and told me to pull over so he could give me a proper kiss.  So there you have it: Romance on Rt 422 Eastbound.

Mister is recovering, but still "relapses" if he exerts himself too much.  He had been trying to get himself together all day so he could attend the party with me and be in as good of spirits as he can be when he's been sick for more than two weeks and is now taking medication that reduces his already short fuse, but in the end, we decided I would go solo and return for my kiss.  I had a ball at the party (no pun intended), and was a little late leaving, which resulted in me bursting through our door, all full of New Years Cheer (or Beaujolais) at exactly Midnight. 

So, happy new year.

I thought of doing a round-up post, but felt like it would be more boastful than introspective.  Instead, we'll flash ahead to my first First of 2011.

I made seitan!  It was really good, too!  (click here for recipe) Mister said it tasted kind of like the lamb-turkey sausage-jerky they put on those huge spools for Greek restaurants to shave off small bits and make gyros (pronounced YEE-rohs).  Considering how much we both liked gyros when we still ate Mary's Little Lamb, I consider it a success.  Also, I couldn't stop pulling off little pieces to chew on while I prepped our dinner. 

Segue, anyone?  For dinner, I made the Irish Stew with Potatoes and Seitan from Appetite for Reduction.  It was nice and thick and savory.  I will stop one breath short of saying it was hearty, because although it was utterly delightful, it was not so inside-out warming as other stews I've made.  The flour slurry definitely enhanced the thickness of the stew, but didn't make it quite as thick as the aptly named Homey Vegetable Stew w/Dumplings.

Mmm... look at those big chunks of homemade seitan....  I have to admit, I'm pretty proud of myself, and I can already see the savings over pre-made seitan racking up on my internal budget calculator.  As far as I can tell, I'll save at least 50% by making my own.  Besides, it wasn't that hard and I only burnt myself once.

I'll be excusing myself shortly to construct a new menu and corresponding grocery list.  I'll be back to work, thus out of time, come Monday, so tomorrow I'll have to shop for the week.  Additionally, Mister found his Hungry last night, so I "whipped up" Isa's Potato-Spinach Curry before I went to the party.  Actually, now that I have proper knives, the whipping up goes much faster, so it really didn't take me long at all to make dinner last night, which is good, since I was heading out afterward!

I used Whole Foods 365 Organic Chopped Spinach, which was an amusing addition to the curry and potatoes already in the pot.  One thing I really love about potatoes simmering in any small amount of liquid is how the potato starch escapes and blends with the liquid, thickening it and making an involuntary sauce.  It was fun to shock that saucing process with the addition of little frozen nuggets of chopped spinach!  The only complaint Mister and I registered was that the curry spices overwhelmed the tiny bit of salt I added, per the recipe.  I'll make this again, but when I do, I'll increase the salt to a full teaspoon.

Back to the whole New Years thing for a moment; I didn't consciously make any resolutions.  This may very well be the first year.  I'm trying to figure out if that displays apathy or if it is evidence that I am at peace with myself.  Previous resolutions have included:
1. reducing debt (yes, me and everyone else)
2. being content and living in the now
3. accepting that people love me and not asking why

I still have debt, but not as much.  Being content and living in the now is a constant struggle, but present on my mind, so I didn't feel like I needed to set aside specific energy for that.  I haven't had self-esteem problems in years, so number 3 is moot.  Aside from continuing to reduce my debt and work toward other financial goals, I can't think of any promises to make to myself.  What about you, dear readers?  Have you made any promises to yourself this year?