halloweens past and present

Happy Halloween!

When I was a kid, Halloween was a pretty big deal.  My mom did a great job each year, helping my sister and I assemble something that resembled a princess costume (me), or a ghost, or an angel, or a witch, or, as I got older and spunkier, a punk rocker.  One of my laziest and most obscure Halloween "costumes" was the time I wore a Curtis Institute sweatshirt with jeans and told people I was an opera singer on her day off, because "they look like everyone else!"  My adult costumes were only marginally more creative.  One year, I put on a shirt from the Gap and a pair of jeans, then pulled back my hair so you couldn't see the purple and blue streaks and refrained from wearing more makeup than just mascara.  I was a "normal person" and I made my boss laugh so hard he actually started choking.  Another year I was a cowgirl, which was probably the best costume I had that didn't make me cold, like the year I was a 1940s pin-up girl in a vintage slip and fishnets.  Then there was the year I was Grizabella the Glamour Cat which eventually deteriorated to just A Black Cat.

My dad recently found a picture of me he took that year, so if you ever wondered what I looked like about 10 years ago as a cat, wonder no more...

Forgive me; I hadn't yet grasped the importance of shaping one's eyebrows or even just plucking absurdly stray eyebrow hairs...Anyway, Mister isn't a big fan of Halloween and we live in an apartment building so we don't get any Trick-or-Treaters, so I would be hard pressed to tell you the last time I dressed up for the holiday, but I did get my hair done today in preparation for the darker months ahead.

Please pardon the weak, cheesy half-smile.  I felt kind of stupid doing a full-on "yay, look how much fun I'm having" toothy grin, so this is what you get.  We left a few bits of red in my bangs, but the rest is as black as a moonless midnight.

Tonight, we had the Moroccan Lentil Stew from the October 2010 issue of Vegetarian Times magazine.  I used the Dr. McDougall's brand called for in the recipe, and I'll grant that it is a low sodium soup, but it's not doing that label any favors - If I make this again, I will have to add at least a 1/2 tsp of salt to compensate for it's general blandness.  It was okay, but nothing to waste my time or yours babbling about, especially when I have a new menu after the picture and VeganMoFo starts tomorrow!

For the first full week of November and VeganMoFo, here's the plan:

1. Spicy Rice and Bean Burritos from an advertisement for Eden foods in the latest VegNews magazine.  It looks tasty and easy and I'm happy with both of those things.  Additionally, from a VMF standpoint, I've never used canned rice-n-beans and I'll admit, I'm a bit trepidatious about that, so it should make for at least an interesting write-up.

2. Garlicky Caramelized Seitan with Roasted Potatoes also from VegNews.  This was the only savory recipe in an entire, mouth-watering section on homemade caramel.  I'm a little concerned about Mister's reaction to this, but I've never made my own caramel and I think it could be a fascinating flavor combination.  You know I'll report back!

3. Monk Bowl with Lemon-Miso Tahini sauce, both from The 30 Minute Vegan.  I knew I wanted to make this upon returning home the moment we had our bowls at Native Foods in California.  I've never made the tahini sauce, but it sounds fun.

4. Pasta Florentine, also from 30MV.  I realized after I picked this that it hasn't quite been a month since I last made it.  I just thought it would be fun and I was craving that Frozen Organic SuperSpinach.  It will also be a great way to finish off the roasted garlic loaf with more tuscan dipping sauce.

5. Homey Vegetable Stew with Dumplings, also from 30MV.  The spelt flour in my cupboard is getting bored.  Plus, this is one of the few recipes I have with an accurate adjective in the title - I can't think of a better word to describe this dish than homey.  Possibly heart-warming.  Cozy?  Can you call stew "cozy?"

can we do that again?

Wow!  I don't know what happened yesterday but it seems like a lot of you enjoyed my Apple Almond Oatmeal recipe...or maybe it was my stimulating discourse on queso-less quesadillas?  Probably the Via...  In any case, I appreciate all the folks who came to my blog and who directed others here as well!  Within the first 24 hours Refriedillas and Via-to-go was up, it skyrocketed to the top of my most popular posts, unseating the picture parade post that had held that spot since July.  I hope I don't disappoint tonight!

Backing up a moment to yesterday - it was an absotively, posilutely gorgeous Sunday, which I spent wandering all over my fair city, without so much as a light jacket.  I really had one major goal in mind - I wanted, nay, needed to go up to Sephora.  I have been without pure white eyeshadow for too long and it's really starting to limit my color palettes.  I'm also approaching the bitter end of my two favored lipsticks, so I was in search of lip color.  Before I had a chance to do that, though, I got notice from Candi KaBoom that Salon Sugar had a cancellation, so I darted across the street for a desperately necessary haircut.  Have you noticed I wait for the last possible minute to do most things?  For the record, I have never run out of gas....in my Prizm.

That's actually a really dorky picture of me, but it does show off my hair.  It also shows off how crooked my face is, but check out that lipstick!  I did head up to Sephora after getting my hairs did and I got my white eyeshadow, as well as the lipstain you see modeled so demurely above, and a bonus prize - I found vegan, roll-on perfume!

Urban Decay Yeyo matte eyeshadow and Greedy lip envy lipstain, with my shiny new vial of Pacifica Mediterranean Fig.  I don't ordinarily like smelling like food (aside from garlic), but it's really more of a green floral scent and very subtle.

Later in the evening, Mister and I braved the severely beautiful weather and went on a date to Pizzeria Stella.  We split an appetizer of broccoli rabe and rosemary flatbread, then Mister got a quattroformaggio (=4 cheeses) pizza while I got the marinara - spiced sauce, sprinkled with fresh oregano (what a treat!) and juicy slices of garlic.  I washed it down with the house red, which is a light, easy-to-drink Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and Mister had a Kutztown Red Cream Soda.

Today, though, was back-to-reality time for me, and even though I think I nodded off on the train, I did make it up to work and then got through most of the day by reminding myself that this was a three day week and when I was finished today, I'd be 33% through it and that much closer to my California vacation!  Yes, in case you were wondering, I do have "California Girls" stuck in my head, relentlessly "hearing" the chorus over and over again.

I rewarded myself by making Bok Choy and Baked Tofu Stir-Fry in Ginger-Citrus Sauce from Fat Free Vegan blog.

Aside from lacking mushrooms, I'm happy to report that mine doesn't look too different from Susan V's and that's always a victory in my book.  Her picture is much prettier, but she is a much better photographer than I am and almost definitely has a much better camera for that very reason.  Regardless of the way it looks, this little dinner was just as tasty as I had hoped it would be.

In her recipe, Susan mentions that the sauce will only have a hint of citrus flavor which can be enhanced, should the chef desire, by adding in some grated zest toward the end of cooking.  I have to admit, I didn't believe that it would be that subtle, since the freshly squeezed OJ is more than half of the liquid in the sauce, but she was right - it was very subtle and as a result, the sauce was perfect.  I would have liked it to be a little thicker, but it clung to the leaves of the bok choy magnificently.  I was really just excited that Whole Foods decided to have baby bok choys this week, because I've actually  been wanting to make this for the two weeks since I found it, but sometimes WF is a bit of a stinker about consistently stocking non-local foods.  The nerve! ;)

Tomorrow, I have one last "fresh" recipe to make before we enter "Eat everything in the house" mode.  Honestly, we'll only be away for a long weekend and I just finished soup that had been hanging out in the fridge for longer than that, but there's something about actually leaving the apartment for an extended period of time that makes me panic that any food left in the entire apartment will rot and sprout new wiggly life.  Hopefully, nothing will eat Angst's auntie/pet-sitter!

a fresh coat of paint

I spent three and a half hours at Salon Sugar today (this seems to be a trend). It always passes quickly, though, because Candi is fun to talk to and she plays great music. It will never cease to amaze me how rejuvenating it is to look in the mirror when all is said and done. This time we really did it up - my own husband did not recognize me from a slight distance!

not the best picture, perhaps, but you can really see my hair!

So, although I scarfed down a Banana Nut Odwalla bar on my short walk across the street to the Salon, after 3.5 hours, I was not only euphoric about my new look (and trying to get used to the hair in my face - AKA bangs), I was also pretty hungry. It probably didn't help that Candi and I spent at least an hour of the time I was there talking about various tasty food in the immediate vicinity. I was almost practical and thought about going home to heat up some leftover soup and roast my garnet yam, but then I remembered that it was my one true day off and I decided to enjoy some of the "local cuisine." So, coming out of Salon Sugar, I swooped around the northeast corner and walked the block to Essene Market. In addition to being an obscure and generally overpriced produce/oddities market, there is a small cafe in the back with a self-service hot food bar. I had been craving weird food, so I selected one of the larger containers and filled it up with a millet cake, stirfried bok choy, roasted potatoes and cauliflower, fried parsnips, and some savory, chewy baked tofu. The parsnips were a little off and the bok choy got stuck in my teeth, but I was very happy with my paper bowl of lunch.

After my satisfying lunch, I grabbed a small squirt bottle of agave nectar for my teas at work and a miniature Green & Black 70% chocolate bar, then headed over the Whole Foods to do my grocery shopping for the following menu (once again, all from The 30 Minute Vegan):

1. Tofu Saag which we had tonight - more in a minute
2. Homey Vegetable Stew with Dumplings which we'll have tomorrow, since it's supposed to drop 15 degrees and be all rainy and miserable.
3. Mediterranean Hummus Wraps
4. Seitan Curry Bowl which I skipped over last time in favor of the Monk Bowl.
5. Easy as Pie Stirfry

This book really hasn't let me down yet! The meals really do come together quickly, even though at first glance they look like a lot of effort. Honestly, the only thing I can find "wrong" with the recipes in this book are that they come together so quickly and are so action-packed that I don't have a minute to make salads. I didn't feel like salads were really necessary tonight, though, since our main course involved a pound of spinach...call me crazy, but I think we satisfied our greens quotient.

I'm really enjoying their method of roasting the tofu - it works better than I would have imagined for only 15 minutes of roasting in a medium-heat oven. The spice mix was a little intense for the amount of spinach - in the future, I will probably cut it down a little because we were walking the fine line between intense umami and need-bread-to-choke-it-down. I definitely needed the rice.

double the spinach, double your fun

Some people might not think spinach is as fun or tasty as Doublemint gum. Angst would disagree.

My little monster...um, angel has had a great weekend, despite the fact that I broke two separate bags of spinach. All that matters to him is that I shared it before the big mean pot made it all gross. Each dinner had its highlights and lowlights...kind of like my new hair:
Ignore the super-cheesy smile, if you wish. I just didn't feel like having another emo/goth pouting-at-the-camera picture. After all, I'm happy about my hair.

Anyway, last night I made Chamomile Couscous with Savory Spinach and actually bought chamomile tea to make it this time! I figured if I only had one teabag last time, I probably had no teabags this time. It came out much better with two chamomile teabags, rather than 1 chamomile and 1 spearmint/chamomile/licorice teabag. I modified the recipe slightly - in place of the 1/2 Tbsp of honey I just swirled in some agave nectar. If I had to guess, I would say it was probably a scant teaspoon.


I have to say...I am really developing a serious distaste for the Whole Pantry Garam Masala...it's way too heavy on the cardamom - I like a more savory blend, especially for Savory Spinach. I may have to get my favored brand, McCormick, and save the WP brand for baking.

Also, I don't think the 2:1 tea:couscous ratio is quite necessary. Probably 1.5 cups would be better. 2 cups was overkill and created a little pool at the bottom of our bowls, no doubt with the help of the sauce from the vegetables.

It rained so much today. It was supposed to, according to the weather guesscast, but I really hoped it wouldn't. Alas, when I woke up and looked outside it was an absolute mess. I nearly called off my hair appointment because it just looked like the kind of day you want to be all scrubby and comfy and not go anywhere. In any case, that simply wasn't an option because our cupboards and refrigerator are becoming uncomfortably empty, so I braved the nasty rain and the not-nearly-as-cold-as-weather.com-said-it-would-be temperatures. There's still a lot of empty in our fridge, but the freezer is well stocked and the coffee situation has been rectified. And there's bread. The end of the loaf is a sign of the endtimes for Mister, so it is very important to replace the bread as soon as it runs out. Normally, I get a loaf about three sandwiches from the end of one bread, but Whole Foods hates multigrain bread this week and I think it's ridiculous that a place called Whole Foods even stocks white bread.

So tonight we had Curried Tofu with Mixed Baby Greens. I thought I would be clever and try to cut out the fat of sauteing the garlic and ginger in olive oil, so I put vegetable broth in place of the olive oil and 2 Tbsp water, but then I kind of goofed and made the rational connection that if I was going to "saute" the garlic and ginger in broth, I may as well add the tamari at the beginning of cooking as well. Word of advice: if you choose to make this recipe, don't do that. I will tell you why now: the broccoli rabe hogs it ALL. This means not only that the spinach and bok choy don't get to swim in it, but that every bite of broccoli rabe is a flavor explosion in your mouth and you simultaneously love it and wish you were drinking water instead. It's intense. So take my word for it - saute the ginger, garlic, and broccoli rabe in broth (rather than oil) if you must, but don't add the soy sauce/tamari until you add the bok choy!


Also, you will do well to do one of these two things:
Cut the curry spice mixture in half
OR
Don't use silken tofu.

It was kind of gross the first time I made it, and I thought it was because I didn't put the salt in the spices that was necessary to bring out their flavors. It was kind of gross this time because the spices just sit on top of the tofu...they don't absorb and flavor the tofu, they just hang out with it.

1. I am grateful I had a nice long weekend.
2. I am grateful for the opportunity to watch two timid little girls turn into bright and beautiful teenagers.
3. I am grateful for the years I spent learning how to play music so that I can now teach it.
4. I am grateful that Superfresh is only 3 blocks away and that I am able to walk with speed.

making it count

Today may very well have been one of my last Sundays off for a while. I won't know for sure until sometime this week, but let me say - if it was, I spent it well.

In addition to a weak and horribly cold grocery shopping trip - by the way, December in Philadelphia is officially too late to still be stubbornly wearing your fall jacket - I revisited dear Candi KaBoom at Salon Sugar, had a nice dinner out with the hubby, and made cookies!

I got two dinners' worth of ingredients, as well as a frozen pizza for Mister and some veggie burgers as a back-up/quick dinner. I have no idea how this week is going to go and I'll do my best to keep you updated, as well as a big announcement coming soon! If I need to, I can "finish" my grocery shopping on Wednesday. I may also finish my hair that day!

So, today, Candi just cut my hair. I'm really bad at keeping up with that whole 6-8 week trim thing. I think the only time I've ever pulled it off was when I lived 5 minutes away from my salon, which was moderately priced, and my hair was only 2 inches long at the longest and shaved in parts, so obviously, upkeep was important. I haven't had my hair cut since Labor Day weekend, when Salon Sugar opened. To say I was in urgent need of a haircut would not do justice to the mutiny my split ends were organizing. We got a little crazy and I'm happy with the result, as well as our plans to draw "lightener" (Candi's euphemism for bleach) through my hair on either Wednesday or Sunday (depending on whether I'm off), then retouch the black streaks and add in some unnaturally bright red streaks. It's going to be great - I'll have pictures!

When I was at Salon Sugar, Candi told me she had recently had a lot of vegan/vegetarian clients in the salon and wanted to be able to give them restaurant recommendations, so she asked me about places Mister and I like to go...which soon had me fixated on going out to dinner. Horizons is closed on Sundays, so we went to La Fourno - I sound like a bunny rabbit, but I swear, they have some of the best salads there.

On Friday night, probably around midnight, Mister came into the kitchen (I swear, I spend the majority of the time I'm home in there. If I'm not prepping, I'm cooking, and if I'm not cooking, I'm cleaning up) and opened the food-containing cabinets and kind of wobbled back and forth, looking from side to side.

Me: Do you need something?
Mister: I want cookies.
Me: We don't have any. I'm sorry. Do you want me to make you some?
Mister: No...it's late.

So I made him cookies today.
I made Sparkled Ginger Cookies from Vegan With A Vengeance and they were wonderful. I really need to get Isa's cookie book. My next cookie conquest will definitely be the Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles. It's like everything you ever wanted in a cookie all rolled into one batch!
1. I am grateful to have had today off and to have accomplished so much and still had time to relax this weekend.
2. I am grateful for a husband who listens to me babble until I come to a rational conclusion.
3. I am grateful (this time, anyway) that his only guidance in my decision-making process was "I want you to do whatever will make you happy."
4. I am grateful that Isa is still pumping out cookbooks - I will own them all!

cardboard cask...classy

Due to several factors, I was actually off from work today. The first part of the day (after the coffee and strawberry/yogurt oatmeal part) was quite full of angst and Angst. It involved him hiding from me and me banging on things to try to get him to stop hiding - probably not the most effective strategy in hindsight. Anyway, after I gave up on trying to "unhide" the cat, I went on my food shopping adventures.

And so, faithful readers, in this post we will:
1. see this week's menu
2. see tonight's dinner
3. babble about wine (2 glasses in)
4. discuss neighborly behavior

Starting from the bottom up (no pun intended), I will now tell you the previously alluded to story of what it means to be a good neighbor. When I had my hair done last week, it took three hours to put two colors in and cut it. That's a lot of time to talk to the person slopping your head up with colored goo. In our conversation, Candi related a tale of not-so-neighborly conduct by some girls who work at a salon across the street, located in a gym, strangely enough. We shared our ridiculously out-of-fashion ideas of how new neighbors were greeted to the neighborhood "back in the day." I can remember being a child and accompanying my mother with a plate of brownies or chocolate chip cookies to the still-disheveled home of a new neighbor just moving in. Anyway, today I made 2 dozen ginger-coconut-carrot muffins and packed half of them up in a shiny gold shoebox, then marched them across the street to "welcome" Candi to the neighborhood. So, I'm feeling like a good neighbor right about now.

I bought wine today. I'm very amused that I can't say "I bought a bottle of wine" and the reason is that I bought a cask of wine. Or at least, that's what the manufacturers decided to call the cardboard box that houses the bag that holds my wine. Either way, it's 3 liters of delicious Pinot Noir - as summer ends, so does my affair with Riesling. I have had this wine before - it marks a brilliant crossroads between dry and fruity and the fruitiness is primarily a darker variety - cherry and blackberry - so it fits well with the drier qualities. Nevertheless, the whole reason I ever tried this wine was its name: Pinot Evil (see no evil, ha ha ha). It even has the three monkeys.
According to the box...er...cask of wine, those 3 liters represent 4 bottles of wine, so hopefully it will last me a while!

Tonight I made Polenta & Vegetable Bake for dinner.
It was wonderful - good enough for Mister to have thirds. It was perfectly hearty and very rich without being overly so. It was also extraordinarily easy to make and came together much more quickly than I thought it would. Mister doesn't like eggplant, so I just diced two zucchini. I also added two cloves of garlic because I just felt like it needed it. It was a little watery and was difficult to transport from the baking dish to our eating dishes, but it tasted amazing. I will definitely make this again. As a side note (hearkening back to that wretched Cavit Pinot Noir), my pretty glass of Pinot Evil was the perfect match to dinner's flavors.
Now for this week's menu (my refrigerator and cupboards are full of fun ingredients!):
1. Stewed Lentils with Soy Sausage; with Fingerling Fries (both from Vegan Express by Nava Atlas - I just can't get away from this book!)
2. Pasta Jambalaya (also from Vegan Express)
3. Pasta with Beans and Chard (also from Vegan Express)
4. Double Pea Soup with Roasted Red Peppers (from Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero)
5. Roasted Yellow Pepper and Corn Bisque (also from Veganomicon)
6. French Lentil Soup with Tarragon and Thyme (also from Veganomicon)
7. Tuscan Vegetable Ragout (from Vegetarian Times Fast & Easy) This is another one of those old favorites you can lean on when you want something savory and simple. The whole book is great, but a little tofu-heavy. I like tofu now, but when I first got the book, I really wasn't a fan.

You'll notice I've cited sources for all recipes on this week's menu, which means they aren't mine. Now that the weather is cooling down (to my ineffable delight), I want to make soups and baked dishes. The same way that I learned to create skillet suppers and sautes over the summer, I will learn to create savory baked dishes and soul-warming soups: by recreating other people's for a few weeks. I figure I'll spend September, maybe the first part of October "researching," and then I'll get another creative streak like I did in early August and pump out a bunch of casserole and soup recipes. So, for now, I will make what has been made before and I will focus every last tastebud on the purpose of discerning what makes this dish or that dish taste so good. And then I'll let you know!

One last thing: I have added a poll on the right side of this page because I want your opinion. If you think the name I've quasi-settled on is stupid, please leave me a comment and either tell me why you think it's stupid and/or what better name you would suggest. Thank you!!!

rice reincarnated

Today was so much fun! In the end, the farmer's market was a bust, I gave up on the Italian Market (I wasn't de-stressed enough yet to deal with the crowds and chaos), and the ultimate in self-pampering became the only thing I accomplished today. Aside from my deep desire to spend some quiet time at Cafe Fulya, I really don't feel bad about the three hours I spent in Salon Sugar today, letting Candi KaBoom do amazing things to my hair.

The salon itself is painted in shades of pale and hot pink, and there are pink and black vinyl curlicues reaching out along the walls from behind the ornate gold mirrors. There aren't words to describe how awesome this place is or how happy I am with my hair!
Also, I have finally fixed the Red Rice and Beans recipe. Also, that's a crappy name for dinner, so I gave it a spiffier title. Without further ado, I give you...

Risotto Mexicano (pronounced meh-hee-KAHN-oh)
serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice
1 1/4 cups water
1 1/2 cups V8 Hot & Spicy
2 Tbsp canola oil
4 cloves garlic, pressed/minced
1 tsp chili powder
1 large red bell pepper, diced
2-3 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
15 oz black beans, rinsed and drained
5 oz baby spinach

Bring water to a boil in medium saucepan. Stir in rice, then cover and reduce heat to lowest setting and simmer 10-15 minutes. When almost all the water has been absorbed, stir in the V8 juice. Cover and simmer 10-15 more minutes.
Meanwhile, dice the pepper and tomatoes, but keep separate Heat oil on medium heat in a deep pot. Add garlic and pepper; cover and saute 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in chili powder, tomatoes, and black beans. Simmer, uncovered, 1-2 more minutes. Pour in rice and V8 - it should not have been completely absorbed by the rice yet. Simmer, uncovered, about 10 minutes, until rice is tender and most liquid is absorbed. Stir in spinach until wilted. Remove from heat and serve.