get 'em while they're fresh

I wish I could remember the first time I ate an apricot.  Obviously, it wasn't any kind of unforgettable experience, but I'm curious now as to how exactly that happened.  Growing up, we were big fans of raisins in my household, but as far as I can remember, those little, wrinkled, purple nuggets were the only dried fruit in my life.

Regardless of when I first ate an apricot, I do know that it was dried.  Most of the time that you eat an apricot, unless you actually live in Turkey, it will be dried because they don't travel well or stay fresh long.  So, imagine my delight when I walked into Whole Foods on Sunday to be greeted by a big bin of perfectly peachy fresh apricots!  I picked one up, running my thumb over its soft, fuzzy flesh like it would go home to be my new pet apricot, then I pressed gently to see how close to edible it was.  Content that they were actually ripe (nothing is sadder than an unripe fresh apricot), I picked out three and narrowly avoided the temptation presented by a second bin of ne'er-seen-before red apricots!

You know if they're still there and not rotten on Saturday, they will be mine.

Anyway, I did not believe they were completely ready to be eaten yesterday, but as I was cleaning up after dinner, I saw little soft spots beginning to appear, so I made sure they would be breakfast this morning.

They were most certainly ripe and ready for eating - I probably could have split them with my fingernails, but that seemed like a foolishly messy undertaking, so I used a paring knife instead.  The pits released themselves with the slightest tug and they were easily eaten in a few little bites each.

What a happy, sunny, Mediterranean breakfast... there was only one thing that kept it from perfection.  Spoiled by years of dried fruit, I forget that the dried apricots will always be substantially sweeter due to the concentrated nature of drying the fruit.  Since even dried apricots aren't that sweet, you can imagine that fresh apricots are extremely mild, which was at least slightly disappointing.

Fortunately for me, another Turkish-inspired meal of my day would be far less disappointing.

I love, love, love Bulgur and Red Lentil Pilaf with Kale and Olives from The Complete Vegan Cookbook.  I can't say it enough.  I have another recipe somewhere (I am forever forgetting where) that is nearly identical and almost as good.  Every little component of this dish works so well with the others - the nuttiness of the bulgur with the creaminess of the red lentils; the chewy kale against melt-in-your-mouth oil-cured black olives.  Usually, I use kalamatas, but I had some black olives leftover from something I made last week, so I used those instead.  I also had 1/4 cup less bulgur than I thought I did, which resulted in a slightly quicker cooking, creamier dish.

Mister and I each wolfed down two bowls (okay, that's kind of a relative term - I eat slower than molasses in January pours).  I shared a couple of funny stories about a hate mail we got at work that was actually typed on a typewriter.  Remember those?  5 points if you've ever seen one, 10 if you've used one.  Also, we had another fun building evacuation - heck of a way to start the day.  With all the fun, it's a miracle I got anything accomplished!  Now, on to conquer some home-chores...

tofeta (pronounced toe-feh-tah)

Today was just full of bizarre encounters.  If you'll recall, I mentioned last night (right before my etiquette PSA) that it took me 45 minutes to find parking when I got home from work.  You can probably imagine that by that time, I was going to park anywhere that would not involve my car being towed, so I ended up in a metered spot.  By the time I parked there, the timeframe was no longer applicable, but I would need to move my car by 10 am this morning or risk getting a ticket.

If I wanted to pay to park my car, I'd use a lot and not circle my neighborhood for 45 minutes.

So, I got up with Mister today and moved my car when he left for work.  Since I was up and showered and dressed, I decided to be as productive as possible before I had to go teach in the afternoon.  I browsed through a few bookstores but came out empty-handed.  I did not leave The House of Tea empty-handed, though!

I have now come into possession of my very own ounce of matcha!  It was very exciting.  What will be even more exciting will be the horrendous "trial and error" method I will use to learn how to make my own cups of matcha.  I hope it won't matter that I didn't invest in the cute little bamboo whisk.  I already have four, so unless there is some kind of awful chemical reaction that results from using a metal whisk, there is no reason to buy another whisk right now.

After I had secured my matcha (the tea store is only open three days a week), I wandered down to one last bookstore and then thought I would check out the Craft Fair on Headhouse Square.  There is a lot of beautiful jewelry.  It's a shame Mister works on Saturdays.  After a short bit of "window" shopping, I headed over to Whole Foods and picked up some fruit.  I don't actually need to go grocery shopping until Wednesday, but I've been going through 3-5 pieces of fruit a day for the past week or so, and I ate my last pear and 2 kiwis for breakfast this morning, so tomorrow's breakfast would have been sad/nonexistent.

Actually, let me interrupt my generally pointless rambling for a moment to bring you a True Story About Breakfast.

You heard me.  Breakfast.

We've all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, although we've also probably each heard a few different reasons why that is so.  In Skinny Bitch, Rory and Kim assert that what you eat for breakfast sets the tone for the rest of the day.  This makes sense to my brain and I've read that before.  If you eat crap, you'll crave crap - Lucky Charms for breakfast = Big Mac for lunch, so to speak.  On the other hand, if you start your day with something pure, clean, and completely natural, well...you can probably follow the thread.  They explain that their Perfect Breakfast consists of three pieces (or servings) of fruit, consumed slowly, and one at a time - not like a fruit salad.  They explain that this is the perfect "skinny bitch" breakfast because fruit, when consumed alone, moves quickly through the digestive process, leaving your body free to work off stored fat once you've finished digesting your breakfast.  My thoughts?

Give me a break!  You must be kidding me!  I thought they were mad for even suggesting something like that - why would I want a breakfast that digests quickly?  Doesn't it have to carry me through, energy-wise and hunger-prevention-wise until lunchtime?  They even admit that not everyone can get into an exclusively fruit breakfast, and in their 4-week "diet" menu they do include a protein source and/or a bread/grain with breakfast each day.  I'll tell you what, though - my curiosity got the better of me, so one day last weekend (when I would be home to shove more food in my face if I became as overwhelmingly hungry as I anticipated I would become), I tried it.  First, I had a nectarine.  Then, I had a kiwi, and a second kiwi after that.  I felt sated, clean, and most importantly, energized.  I felt pure!  So, I kept doing it, and every day I am still surprised when I'm not starving within an hour of breakfast.

Speaking of kiwi, I have recently discovered that I really like that bizarre little fruit.  Fortunately for me, SuperFresh is selling them for $.50 apiece right now.  When I stopped in to get some kiwi, I also picked up three nectarines.  As I was placing the third in my bag, some random woman who had snuck up beside me said with disbelief, "Now, you don't really think you're going to eat all of those, do you?"  I started to explain that I ate a lot of fruit and that these were in addition to a big bag full of apples, pears, bananas already at home, but she had already launched into her tale of woe.  Apparently, she thought she was being a good mom/wife and bought a bunch of fruit for her family, but most of it went rotten because her children didn't eat it, "what a waste.  Where is the broccoli?"  I pointed it out to her and then picked out my kiwis while wondering why she hadn't eaten the fruit before it went to waste.

When I got home from teaching and had a much easier time finding parking (under one minute), I started dinner.  Yes, it was a little early, but that was because my tofu needed to marinate for at least an hour, but I wanted to give it more time.  Tonight's dinner was Gourmet Greek Salad from How It All Vegan, complete with Faux Feta.

Look how pretty and multicolored it is!  Also, it is my opinion that the average person would not know that is tofu if I hadn't already revealed my secret.  The taste was very close - it needed to be a little saltier, but also, part of the texture of the feta Mister is used to is that it is a drier cheese.  Texturally, there was no way this would pass for feta.  Taste-wise, he didn't appear to mind, since he ate it all up!  Victory for the ToFeta!

would you like some dichotomy with your detox?

I've been trying to detox a little since last weekend.  Every now and then I find myself feeling weighed down by crap that somehow infiltrated my diet (and by proxy, my body) and mind.  Generally, I eat very well, but just like everyone else, I have moments when I just want something completely unhealthy.  In an effort to clean myself up, I have abstained from coffee almost all week, choosing instead to wake up with a steamy cup of herbal peppermint tea, then popping over to Cups & Chairs for a Detox Tea (matcha and lemon juice) to take to work.  Throughout the day, I've been drinking water like it was going out of style from my pretty, new, blue water bottle and I've renewed my interest in eating fresh fruit, rather than trying to get my fruit servings in a conveniently wrapped bar. 

Finally, I abstained from alcohol through the entire work week, aside from Mr Boss and his Montepulciano on Monday.  That may sound like a pitiful thing to be proud of, but sometimes a girl copes with negative feelings in negative ways.  I felt like I could "cheat" a bit by Thursday, having been so "good" all week, so I had coffee (which I have recently come to take black) in the morning and was amazed.  Something I noticed almost immediately on Monday was how much lighter, more energetic, and more laid back I felt.  I started to wonder if coffee was having an affect on me that I hadn't thought of before - I wondered if it increased my aggravation as well as my alertness.  For lack of a better word, I was completely agro on Thursday, so I decided to see what exactly made my Detox Tea detoxy - in addition to a host of other benefits, there is something in matcha that actually makes a person feel happier and more peaceful.  I need to buy this stuff in bulk.  By the way, that is a very expensive undertaking.

In my curiosity, I found this great website about Matcha and its various health benefits.  I wanted to make sure I wasn't just swallowing a big green, lemony sugar pill and believing until I was happy.  That wouldn't be a bad thing by itself, but my morning matcha is not cheap, so if I can fool myself into thinking a less expensive tea would make me feel the way I described above, I was happy to let that happen.

Anyway, according to matchasource.com, matcha tea can benefit the body and mind in more ways than one; the website also allows you to link to information on these things:

• antioxidant protection
• detoxification
• weight loss
• cancer-fighting EGCg
• disease prevention
• mood enhancement
• energy

I am completely on board with all of those things, so I figure that [unlike milk] Matcha does a body (and mind) good.  I strongly encourage you all to spend about 5 minutes of your busy lives checking out the website (just ignore the high prices!).

So, in addition to feeling lighter of body and soul, my mind has been freer to wander.  That could also be the effect of a liberating four-day weekend (that I really really really don't want to end), but either way, I feel like I'm paying better attention and thinking more critically, but with less criticism (only slightly less, but it's progress).  That leads to the dichotomy.

I am more disgusted than ever about the state of nutrition in this country: two-thirds of the adult population in this country is overweight or obese.  Our standards for seeing someone as "fat" have become so screwed up that a person has to be well over 50lbs above their ideal body weight for anyone to feel comfortable admitting they are overweight, but by now, they're actually entering obesity!  I am appalled (thanks, Rory and Kim) that people eat gobs of meat, packing their guts with unnecessary calories, protein*, saturated fat, and cholesterol, and that this is considered acceptable behavior.  It is so "acceptable" that people like me look like freaks when we pass on 12 different kinds of meat.
*according to the American Dietetic Association, eating a vegetarian diet will provide a person with twice as much protein as a person needs in a day.  "Where do you get your protein?"  blinkblink.

My newly wide-open eyes observed two things within minutes of each other - one inspiring, the other horrifying:

• A woman at SuperFresh, pushing a double stroller (don't get me started on how bad an idea that is in tiny urban supermarkets), stopped near me to pick up some of the perfectly ripe stone fruits for her little family.  Her children couldn't have been more excited - every time she picked up a fruit to sniff it or examine it for flaws, her little ones reached toward her and asked, "bite?  bite?"  That woman is raising her children right.
• Walking home, I passed a horrific scene - there were so many things wrong with it, I can barely figure out where to start.  On the side of the street, just behind a parked vehicle, there was a "styrofoam" carry-out container, open, with its leftover contents spilling out on the ground.  Because ghetto-trash is classy like that (I'm sure you can imagine the residents of my neighborhood would not throw litter on the road), it was a bunch of half-eaten chicken wings, sauce, bones, and all.  Here is the really gross part.  You may need to read it twice to understand the full extent to which this is wrong:  a pigeon was pecking up the remains and eating them.

Did you catch that?  The pigeon (bird) was eating chicken (bird).  Avian flu, anyone?

My review of Skinny Bitch will be along shortly, along with yet another exhortation to buy or borrow a copy and read the heck out of it.  You need to know what you're eating.  Speaking of eating, here's my new menu!

1. Penne with Cannellini Beans and Escarole from Vegan Italiano.  Turns out neither Whole Foods nor SuperFresh felt inclined to stock fresh escarole, so it will actually be an odd mix of greens, but close enough.

2. Italian-Style Rice Casserole also from Vegan Italiano.  It's been a while since I've made this, due to my lack of confidence in my ability to cook rice in an oven, but the flavors came together in my mind and formed a mutiny, so I was really quite powerless to prevent this from being scribbled on my menu.

3. Braised Sweet and Sour Cabbage with Kidney Beans also from Vegan Italiano.

4. Gourmet Greek Salad from How It All Vegan.  Ssshhhhh!  Don't tell Mister, I have some [more] tricks up my sleeve.

5. Cousin Natasha's Rice and Bean Salad also from HIAV.  Something quirky and charming about Sarah Kramer is her bizarre way of crediting people who helped her with recipes.  I don't know this Cousin Natasha, and I would bet most people who have this cookbook also don't know her, but you just can't call it "Rice and Bean Salad."

b*tches love food

And I mean that in the nicest way possible.

Before my mother has a heart attack, let me explain that the title of this post is part book review and part personal experience; so it's only halfway offensive now.

I consider myself to be a relatively well-read young woman (please let me still be young!).  In addition to having the ability to form words from the random letters spewed in semi-organized fashion onto the pages of magazines, books, and websites, I also have the gift of critical thinking.  This sometimes leads to fun experiments or moments of food zen.  I read about food or lifestyles or the combination of those two (for example, veganism) and I feel inspired.  I don't always feel inspired to make any kind of permanent life change, but I usually feel provoked to at least try new things.

Between the 10th Anniversary edition of VegNews magazine and one of the girls at work lending me her censored copy of Skinny Bitch (she taped paper over the word Bitch on the cover and the spine so it wouldn't offend anyone who saw it on her desk), I have had a weekend of inspired food experiences.

In addition to fulfilling its usual quota of awesome (which led me to finally subscribe to it), the VegNews 10th Anniversary issue features an article on Summertime Drinks by Dynise Balcavage (of The Urban Vegan fame).  I'm way too lazy to make cocktails for myself, but that article may come in handy someday when I have a home large enough to entertain.  However, the article reminded me of a fun snack I wanted to pick up and try:

Dynise mentioned these in a post of hers a couple of months ago and I've been distractedly obsessed with trying them ever since.  They're just so weird!  I got some today at Essene and they are as delightful and addicting as she said in her post.  The best part, though, is how affordable and guilt-free they are - even if you ate the whole bag (which you could easily do if you aren't paying attention), you would only have eaten 450 calories of pure veggie goodness - I mean, they're baked pea fries for heaven's sake! 

They could be mistaken for bland if you aren't in the habit of taking a moment to taste your food.  The flavor definitely develops as you munch, so if you eat them too quickly, you won't recognize the subtle flavors lurking behind the fun, crunchy outside.  That's fine.  More for me.

Yesterday, I ran down to the Spice Corner (may I say again how happy I am that they are open again?) to restock some herbs and spices.  After I completely underestimated how much marjoram = 2 oz (roughly 2.5 cups, if I had to guess), had to have an employee help me find the bright orange turmeric that was right next to my head, and paid for my treasures, I had an irresistible craving for fruit salad.  I'm such a devil.  As luck would have it, the Golden Donut shop (on the corner that more or less marks the northernmost point of the Italian Market) had a nice big plastic cup full of fruit just waiting for my $2 of ransom cash.

As I strolled home, bag of herbs and spices swinging from my arm, eating my fruit salad with a plastic fork, I reflected on just how much I love where I live.  It's magical and it never gets old!  I have lived in my specific neighborhood for over five years now and I still cannot take it for granted - it's just an amazing place to live.

Today, Mister was puttering around and making me crazy with his doom-doom-doom music and talk radio podcasts, so I packed up Skinny Bitch and one of my growing collection of reusable canvas bags and headed over to the new tea cafe next to Salon Sugar: Cups and Chairs.  Since I had just gotten to the chapter of SB that discusses fasting, and since the parts I had already read more or less berated the reader for filling her body with crap and minced no words about the need to detox, the Detox iced tea looked pretty promising - Matcha green tea with lemon juice and a squirt of honey that I didn't feel like disputing.  I had never had matcha before and didn't realize how much lemon juice she had added until my first shocking sip.  Again with that whole "tasting your food" thing, after the initial shock of sour-bitter wore off, I found the tea very refreshing and I could see it becoming an expensive addiction.

After I finished the book and my tea, I headed around the corner to my bastion of weird gourmet treasures - Essene Market.  I was on a mission to find Kaia Kale Chips, which were featured in VegNews, but a thorough study of the snack foods section only turned up my SnapeaCrisps and falafel chips, which, although they looked fascinating, they were just a little too expensive for natural junkfood.  I also ended up with some Mediterranean flatbread to accompany the most amazing thing I think I have ever found at Whole Foods (from my earlier shopping adventure): Cava Kalamata Hummus.

I tried it earlier on a slice of multigrain bread and it is amazing.  Very possibly the best food ever.  I mean, hummus and kalamatas?  How could it not be perfect?

Anyway, I also got a banana for tomorrow's breakfast and because I'm suddenly on a fresh fruit kick.  Then I picked up some Endangered Species chocolate because I needed some quality dark chocolate.  Okay, maybe I don't need it, but my foodie tastebuds were crying out for the bittersweetness of serious dark chocolate.  As I approached checkout, I decided Mister would enjoy the Primal Strips vegan jerky they had hanging out by the Vegetarian Times magazine I picked up.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

An hour and a half has passed since I put the period on that last sentence.  Just as I finished typing that, Mister decided he was hungry, so I started making dinner.  Dinner is simmering as we speak, and Mister and I just finished our appetizer:

First, you'll notice Mister replaced the burnt-out lightbulb.  If you didn't notice that, please back up a few posts and observe the very poor quality of the photos.  

You're back?  Good - let's continue.

I cut some multigrain flatbread into triangles, then did the same (okay, wedges) with a perfectly ripe nectarine.  I filled one little bowl with kalamata hummus and the other with a mix of olives I put together at WF today.

Mister and I destroyed that plate.  

So, while dinner simmers away, I'll share this week's short menu (because I'm taking a long weekend next weekend, so I only need to think through Thursday).

1. Modular Pakistani Kima from The Urban Vegan.  That's dinner tonight, and it just quit simmering (in other words, I was able to smush a potato against the side of the pot, which is my way to figure out if the potatoes are done cooking).  

2. Red Lentil Coconut Curry which has escaped my attention for nearly a year.  I created this recipe for Mister's birthday...last August 15th.  I think we're due to make it again, don't you think?

3. Pineapple-Tamari Braised Seitan

4. Cajun Red Beans and Rice from The Accidental Vegan.

the Fail is strong with this one

Now comes the self-berating, naughty-blogger, why-does-anyone-bother-reading-this-crap post. I feel like being sicker than I've been in over a year probably warrants a five-day absence from the blogosphere, but that doesn't mean I like it. My husband held a career for the first several years of our life together that required him to stay in front of people's eyes and minds - to be absent too long meant to risk being forgotten, which would result in failure. I'm no rockstar, but I know my own tendencies and when I notice a blogger start to post less and less and updates come less and less frequently, I am less interested in that blog than I once was. I don't want to lose the 6 people who do bother reading my mumbo-jumbo, so I'm just a little mad at myself for going so long without posting something.

Great - now that we've gotten that out of the way, I can move forward with the fun part of this post.

As I might have mentioned, I've been kind of sick. Nothing serious, just The Plague. People at work (aka, the Carriers of Disease) are absolutely boggled when they learn that I am not completely doped up with OTC drugs, cough suppressants, vitamins and other various supplements. Our culture has become so focused on quick fixes and distracting ourselves from reality that it doesn't seem to occur to anyone that it is actually possible to get all of the vitamins and nourishment your body needs to heal itself through our food. I realize you probably weren't expecting that, so I'll give you a moment to grab the dust pan and collect the tinier bits of bone and gray matter that may be littering the floor right now.

You all back together?

Good. Let's keep going before I lose my momentum.

So, when you live on a diet of Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast, something from the Cafe of Death or a vending machine for a snack before you run to Burger King or Wendy's for your lunch, and God only knows what happens after you get that soda and bag of Doritos from the vending machine before you leave for the night, I guess it could be hard to figure out how to help your body recover from a bout with germs. I guess that's why there is more hand sanitizer at my office than there is whiskey at an Irish pub. [Funny side note: two of my colleagues cannot be dissuaded from the opinion that the hand sanitizer we stock smells like margaritas. I couldn't disagree more, but I'm not a tequila-hound.]

After completely astonishing one of my team members today by explaining that I wasn't taking medicine, sucking on an endless supply of lozenges, drowning myself in vitamins, or any of the other things that she thought were normal and I found utterly repellent, we came to the "staring contest" part of the conversation. At this point I took it upon myself to explain that if you are vigilant about the things you use to fuel your body and actually make the effort to eat clean, less-processed, nutrient-rich food, you can actually take care of yourself and anything that ails you....naturally. She stared at me, presumably looking for the second head about to sprout from my neck, and I proceeded to explain to her that the only actions I was taking to banish The Plague related to eating foods that were even more nourishing and dense in the vitamins and other nutrients your body needs to rebuild itself at times like these. I thought if I said "dark, leafy greens," her head might explode, so I walked away.


Before I allowed myself to wallow completely in my germs and misery, I made one of my dinners - what I considered to be the "most healthful" of the menu, not to mention the most comforting. I started the week (Thursday) by making the Tofurky and Kale Minestra.

If that doesn't scream healthy, I don't know what would.

I served it up with a big bowl of fruit salad (admittedly from the precut bowls at Superfresh - sue me, I was already feeling like crud). I can't think of a way to pack more things my body needs into one meal: we had kale, a hearty bit of protein from the Tofurky slices, honeydew, cantelope, strawberries, and blueberries, just to name the power players! The fruit was perfectly ripe and sweet and I had been craving the melon, which is slightly unusual - I'm not normally a melon gal, but recently I have been. Maybe it's especially good this season?

The soup actually lasted me about three days, since we each only had one (big) bowl on Thursday. When I say me, I assume Mister didn't have more because he either wanted me to have it all or because he thought I had contaminated it with my germs (probably), but I'm glad I had it all. It was just like chicken noodle soup, except without the chicken or the noodles. Seriously, though, if there was a perfectly vegan alternative to chicken noodle soup, this is it - the Tofurky ended up with the right taste and texture and there was something noodle-y in the slurpiness of the kale ribbons. I am in love with this soup.

Also, I am in love with the sensory effects of hot, savory soup with cold, sweet fruit. Absolutely perfect combination.

I was out of work Thursday though Sunday and finally forced myself back on Monday for no other reason than that it was Monday and I felt obligated to be there. I felt like death, but I made it through the day to everyone's surprise. I had intended to make dinner when I got home, but Mister thought I should sleep, so I did that instead - I was exhausted! So, another reason for my recent silence is that I didn't have any fun food stories (and didn't spend a lot of time upright). I finally got to make dinner again on Tuesday night, so I made Braised Broccoli Rabe with Orecchiette.
Actually, that's Rotini. The strangest thing about the recipe was that despite the title, it did not call for orecchiette pasta, not even shells! So, I figured rotini was more fun than penne, and there you have it.

Cooking the pasta in broth didn't actually do a whole lot for its flavor, but braising the broccoli rabe with the pasta in the broth did amazing things to reduce the acute bitterness associated with this nourishing green. A review of the recipe that I read commented that there was too much broth, and I thought 5 cups sounded a bit much, so I kept it to an even quart. I think it worked out just right, though the pasta was definitely swimming in a pretty little puddle of it.

Tonight was No-Cook Wednesday, so I had a kimchee-like cabbage salad and a piece of peanut butter toast. Unexciting and not the most nourishing thing I've had all week, but it beats McDonald's.

1 curry, 2 curry, old curry, new curry!

In her witty introduction to the curry I made last night from VwaV, Isa makes the bold statement that she pretty much lives off of curry. In the same way that I could be perfectly happy to eat soup/stew for every autumn and winter dinner, I think Mister would be in paradise if he could just eat three things:
1. pizza
2. coffee
3. curry

Every time he smells the sauteing spices that start each curry recipe, I can feel his heart soaring all the way from the kitchen. By the time he finds words, they usually sound like this:

"Oooh, that smells goooooood." And then we play the "is it done yet" game.

This week was really a Total Grocery Fail. I was so proud of myself for "finishing" my grocery shopping on Wednesday night until tonight, when I realized I was lacking one crucial ingredient from each of the three recipes left on my menu.

1. Red Lentil Coconut Curry - missing cauliflower
2. Jerk Seitan - missing lime (and I figure it's important since there are 3 Tbsp of lime juice in the recipe)
3. Chickpea Broccoli Casserole - missing....broccoli. I'm a dumbass.

So I used my rainy 45-minute drive home to brainstorm a plan of action. It came down to how easily and where I found parking. If I ended up near Essene, I would stop in for all three of my missing ingredients (or at least one). Well, I didn't, and I actually forgot about my lofty goals by the time I found parking. Fortunately, I had come up with an alternate brainstorm.

I almost completely improvised and said "forget this menu...it's caused me nothing but heartbreak!" Then I settled down and started chopping my carrots for the Red Lentil Coconut Curry while the rice cooked. By the way - just a few shakes of turmeric in the water turned the rice a gorgeous shade of sunshine-in-a-bowl:
How happy is that? Seriously? This meal ended up being very photogenic.

Anyway, I decided the cauliflower wasn't that important, so I substituted about 1/2 cup of frozen edamame and then I diced one Gala apple. I absolutely love fruit showing up in strange places. It turned out really well, and the taste of the apple blended with the rest of the vegetables better than I thought it would. Also, the original recipe calls for 1/2 tsp of honey, but when I was at Whole Foods on Wednesday night, I got me some Agave Nectar, so I used that instead.

you want it - admit it.

All food should be this pretty.

Despite all of my posts being about what fascinating, colorful, and scrumptious things Mister and I had for dinner, I think my favorite meal of the day is actually breakfast. I think that's because my cold-weather breakfasts are just so darn tasty! I am having a ton of fun finding new ways to cook my oatmeal. Admittedly, I have to figure out what breakfast adventure I want to have the night before, since I can't function in the morning, much less think.

A few days ago I cooked the oatmeal in unsweetened soymilk, then crushed two Sweetzel's Spiced Wafers into it and mixed it up thoroughly. That was awesome. I actually have yet to make my "standard" oatmeal - cooked in a half & half mixture of apple juice and water with a good sprinkling of cinnamon. Here's what I've done so far:

1. Soymilk & dried cranberries
2. Soymilk & maple syrup
3. Water/Soymilk & Chocolate Caramel truffles

4. Water & maple syrup
5. Pineapple juice & coconut
6. Soymilk & spiced wafers
7. Water & peanut butter
8. Water & Dark Chocolate Dreams

Number Nine happens tomorrow; when I was at WF, I was inspired to pick up a bag of frozen mixed berries, and I have a fantasy where I drop about 1/2 a cup of them into my little oatmeal pot in the morning with just a touch of agave nectar and let them sizzle until they get a little juicy and goopy. Then I stir in my 1/2 cup of oats and let them soak up some of the sweet before slowly pouring my 3/4 cup of soymilk in and letting everything simmer gently for a few moments while I pour my coffee. Mmm...doesn't that sound like a tasty breakfast?

I'm also considering spending a little time this weekend making myself a "just add soymilk" pancake mix, because I have seen too many pictures of absolutely luscious looking pancakes, and I think the berries would also make a delightful little compote to spoon over the pancakes. I just happen to have a copy of Vegan Brunch that is chock-full of such recipes...

soup's on!

Having had the last of the lentil soup for lunch today, I came to the conclusion that if I was playing one of those silly games where people ask you questions like, "if you could only eat one soup for the rest of your life, what would it be?" my answer would be Isa's Amazing Lentil Soup. When I made it originally and posted about it, I included an excerpt from Veganomicon in which Isa writes that you'll never need another lentil soup recipe. I would like to amend her statement: you will never need another soup recipe. Period. I have eaten that soup on three occasions over the past week and every time I put the spoon in my mouth I am astonished anew by how delicious it is.

So, can anyone tell me why I pushed my luck and made another soup tonight? Actually, the answer to that is, "so I could take the menu off the freezer door and post the new one," since that was the last recipe on last week's menu. That does not explain, however, why there is another soup on the new menu. I digress - the point is, tonight I made Double Pea Soup with Roasted Red Peppers from Veganomicon. It was very good, made with split peas and "regular" peas, and very colorful from the green peas, orange carrots, and red peppers.
Also, today I did indeed return to Whole Foods to clear out their supply of my precious Nectar bars. See, it's funny - I go through snack phases and I'm either all about the bars or I absolutely want nothing to do with them. I had been on a raw rage due to a very pre-packaged and carbolicious winter, so I wouldn't even entertain the notion of a snack other than an apple, pear, cup of strawberries, you get the picture: Fruit in all it's untouched glory. And I'm sure that in the middle of February when all fruit is nasty and most of it has been trucked/flown in from other parts of the WORLD (not even country), I will crave fresh fruit like no one's business. At the moment, however, I am all about the bars.

I babbled about all of that just now because I think it's funny how I wouldn't have cared one whit about Clif discontinuing the Nectar line a few months ago and now I regard it as an apocalyptic tragedy. Here is my shrine to Nectar:
I have never actually had the lone Cranberry, Apricot, Almond Nectar bar in the middle, but when I went to Whole Foods, they had the 4 Cacao bars I snatched up, the 3.5 boxes of Lemon Vanilla Cashew of which I took 2, about 6 boxes of Cherry Pomegranate, and then these bars. I believe there are probably 6 boxes of what sounds like a teeth-achingly sweet bar for good reason, so I thought I'd see if the Cran-Apri-Almond bars were worth hording.

Finally, as if Fate had aligned certain factors to soften the trauma of Nectar's slow disappearance, Chocolate Covered Katie is hosting an Amazing Grass Chocolate SuperFood bars Giveaway! I entered, of course, and if you're interested in possibly trying some of these bars for free, just follow the link and read about the contest! While you're over there, check out the rest of her blog - it's primarily her fault I even remembered my love for the convenience of getting two fruit servings in a neatly wrapped bar. She focuses primarily on breakfast and dessert as far as I can tell, so she has some absolutely incredible ideas for that all-important first meal of the day.

and the winner is....tropical oatmeal!

I am so excited about today I can barely drink my coffee. It is a gorgeous day in Philadelphia, I am off of work for three whole days, and I already have a plan how I want to spend them. There is a delightful little farmers market down the street (I love the paradox of a farmer's market in the city, especially since there is nothing but bricks and cobblestone where they host it) and it's only open on the weekend and only from 10-2, so the timeframe certainly adds to my sense of urgency. After I hit that I will head down to the Italian Market (but I'll drop off my finds first, since I live halfway in between the two), an open-air market along the sides of 9th street. I've found some pretty incredible deals there and there is one vendor who can unfailingly complete my list after I've made my way up and down the street.

Other things on my list of "fun ways to pamper me" include my inaugural trip to Cafe Fulya which looks so cozy and has some incredible treats on their menu and offer organic soy milk with their coffee/espresso drinks. Also, having heard stories from my husband, I'm dying to try my tastebuds at Turkish coffee. At the moment, I'm thinking Apricot Walnut cake, but I may go for the apple and walnut filled (huge) cookie. I've come to realize that although I love chocolate, I am more inclined towards fruity sweets these days...more on that in a minute.

Finally, the ultimate in pampering - a new salon opened across the street from my house last night. First of all, I think it is beyond cool that a salon had its Grand Opening on a Friday night (and I do mean night - it was 8pm). When I left for work yesterday morning, I took a distant peek through the front windows of the salon and I love the way it's decorated...it's really hard to describe from that short peek, so I will give a more thorough description if I spend hours in there this afternoon as I intend to.

Now, about that oatmeal.... As I mentioned, I'm trying to be a little more creative with my oatmeal this fall/winter. Yesterday, as pondered, I cooked my oatmeal in soymilk and then stirred in two chocolate caramel truffles until the melted (which, by the way, was about 2-3 stirs). It was good, definitely chocolately, but I lost the darkness of the chocolate by mixing the truffles in with oatmeal cooked in soymilk. I'm considering trying again, this time cooking the oatmeal in plain old water, then stirring in the truffles.

Today, however, I cooked my oatmeal in a half and half mixture of water and pineapple juice, then stirred in about a tablespoon of coconut flakes at the end. It was sublime. It smelled like baked goods...bread or muffins or something that you just want to eat until there's none left. Which is exactly what I did with my oatmeal, and I savored every last bite. I will definitely do this again. I realized yesterday, contemplating why I was less than in love with my truffley oatmeal, that for breakfast at least, I prefer warm fruity sweet, not gooey chocolatey sweet. I also know I prefer baking fruit and vegetable based things. Don't get me wrong, I was completely and utterly infatuated with those chocolate cookies I made from Veganomicon, but my next baking conquest will be a carrot cake (also from Isa) and I'm already getting ready to dig out my pumpkin/zucchini/banana bread recipes and my mouth is watering thinking of my apple cobbler cookies with sweet-tart chunks of fresh apple and dried cranberries competing with smooth pecans. Mmmm...I love baking season.

Anyway, the time to venture out to the markets is drawing near and I haven't showered yet, so let me share with you my Saturday through Friday menu (I've given up on defining weeks - my schedule is too liquid):

1. Minty Moroccan Mishmash (from last week)
2. Red Rice and Beans, part II (also from last week)
3. P.B. Thai
4. Roasted Heirlooms on Orecchiette
5. Hearty Peasant Soup (from wholeliving.com)
6. Polenta & Vegetable Bake (from Eating Well magazine)
7. Fiesta-dillas, with Spiced Potatoes & Green Beans (from the September issue of Cooking Light magazine)