Apparently anise is a vegetable

Now that I actually do try cooking things a lot more myself, I'm feeling more adventurous in the grocery stores.  And feeling empowered to actually try things out.  After spending the weekend in RI, I'm armed with a couple new things to try!

My mother made some roasted anise the other night.  I have to admit, I never really knew it was a vegetable.  I knew it was a delicious scent in the North End.  I knew that concentrated, it tasted like licorice (blech).  And I knew that there was a liquor that made me gag when tasting it.

But I didn't know it was delicious roasted up with some salt, pepper, lemon, garlic and vinegar!

Seriously it was delicious... I'm not even totally jealous that some people got to have my favorite hot oil & stinger pizza.  Not even a little jealous.

(OK maybe a little.)

But honestly, this was really good.  My mother pointed out that I should be able to replicate it, since I saw how easy it was to do.  I pointed out that everything looks easy when I get to watch someone else do it.  The trouble comes when I try to replicate it.

Big difference.

But I'll test it out tonight.  Worst case scenario, I test out the smoke alarms (again) and my neighbors deal with the smell of burnt anise.  It's bound to be better than the "plants" they're "burning"...

I'm so looking forward to the summer in Cambridge!  There are a ton of farmers markets that start up in June, and I live in a particularly good spot for them.

That being said, I do miss my apartment in the North End on occasion... that apartment has a special spot in my heart and memory :-)  I still remember vividly the first day finding and seeing that apartment.... But I think we agree this new apartment is perfect for now!

As much as the North End was fun, after a while, it wasn't convenient for my lifestyle.  Living next to Whole Foods, living next to Trader Joe's (and one with wine at that!), living near ethnic restaurants, ethnic shops... it's totally worth it!

So my plan for the summer is chock full of fruits and veggies.   And I'll try my hand at some dishes I've had my eyes on: channa masala, bread, etc etc.

Enjoying a delicious mango smoothie today.

Frozen mango, soymilk, spoon of orange juice concentrate, spoon of lemon sorbet.  Blend blend blend enjoy.

I look back on how much diet soda I used to drink and it freaking amazes me...  I know that when you're used to things, you don't feel the impact on your body that much, but I just can't believe how much chemicals I was pouring into myself. 

I haven't had a soda in well over 3 years now and am thrilled about that.  Granted, I was never a fan of rum and coke, so that obviously helps.  Now my choices of beverages are generally water, carbonated water, coconut water and tea.  Obviously wine as well... and thanks to the Trader Joe's next to me that sells wine (somehow I ended up next to one of the very few that do!!), I can indulge that habit cheaply.

But a daily treat is generally tea, which I looooove.  I haven't quite mastered a ginger tea yet, although I'm trying, since it's delicious.  Quick tips for other newbies:  ginger is super flavorful.  You don't need an entire piece of it.  And be careful how you grate the ginger.  One scraped knuckle and the whole pot of tea looks like a massacre.  And guests won't care that it was "only a drop".

So I went with a nice, blood-free cup of Earl Grey this morning.  Since I've been doing iced tea a lot lately, I forgot that the hot tea is, well, hot.  (Duh.)  So apparently I won't be tasting anything else for the rest of the day.

Misty, foggy day... seems to be suiting my mood perfectly today!

I didn't feel much like cooking, so I whipped up some hummus (used chick peas today) and had a nice Mediterranean plate with garlic-stuffed olives (amaaaazingly good), home-made hummus (delicious - obviously!), baby carrots (ok, ok, they're growing on me), and a nice salad.

Short and sweet.

I might have chased it down with a couple dark-chocolate covered cherries and tea.  Might have.  Potentially.

I needed the indulgence :-)

Hummus Me Please

Why did I spend so much money buying hummus all these years???  I mean, even in the height of laziness, I could have made a delicious one in less time than it takes to pick it up in the display, bring it to the cash register, and pay for it.

And yet I bought tubs of it.  For years.  And years.  And years.

The kicker is, I added my own flavorings to the ones I got anyway!!  I pretty much add the crushed hot cherry pepper relish to most things anyway (wow, my mouth just totally salivated at the thought.) 

So I made my own hummus last weekend, and have been enjoying it all week.  It's SO much easier than buying it, SO much cheaper, SO much tastier, and SO much healthier!

I made mine with white beans this time.  Just cause I had them.  And the can in my cupboard was in front of the can of chickpeas.  (See aforementioned laziness.)

Rinsed one can of white (cannellini) beans.  (That's the literally hardest step.)  Then I blended them up with:
- Lemon juice
- 1 spoon of tahini
- roasted red pepper
- crushed hot cherry pepper
- minced garlic
- onion
- salt
- pepper
- cumin

Seriously, it's so freaking good - with pretzel chips, tortilla chips, on sandwhiches, on a spoon....  And better than any hummus I've bought.  Even better than our lemon hummus!  ;)    And you can add whatever spices or veggies you want!  Parsely (sage, rosemary, and thyme.... had to do that!), basil, crushed red pepper, oregano, mushrooms, scallions....

You end up with a huge amount (I've been snacking on it all week), and it's about 1/8th the cost of a tub of hummus from the store.

Eating out doesn't have to be difficult

I have really enjoyed being back in the kitchen, cooking the vast majority of my meals.  But I don't always feel like cooking, and there is also the social aspect of going out to eat.

Both of those hit today.  A friend of mine at work and I decided to go out to eat for lunch.  She works on the other side of campus, so I don't usually see her on a daily basis.  We used to commute in together though before I moved across town, but it's been a while.

So as lunchtime approached, I tried to think of what I wanted for lunch and where I wanted to go.  There are actually a lot more options for plant-based / vegan friendly food than I would have otherwise considered.  I always knew Asian restaurants would be an easy pick since they are flush with options.  But there are other choices as well.

I was recently pleasantly surprised with Americana Mexican restaurants.  If you pick the right chain, there are some great choices!  I steer clear of the enchiladas and head to the veggie fajita platter.  Grilled veggies (esp when it's more than just peppers and onions - I love the ones that come also with cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, mushrooms etc), sides of salsa, guacamole and beans, all in a couple corn tortillas.  Delicious and filling...

So fast forward to this afternoon... We didn't want to spend a ton of time out, so we went with Panera.  I love Panera and by ordering correctly, I can get a delicious lunch.  I went with a half Mediterranean sandwich on whole grain bread with no cheese, and a half Greek salad (also without the cheese).  Satisfying without filling me up, and I didn't feel like I was compromising my lunch!

Dinner tonight will be a smorgasbord of leftovers.  I have enough leftovers to piece together one globally-inspired meal!  (Indian lentils, Chinese Brussels sprouts, Peruvian quinoa, Californian wine, Italian tomatoes).

It's so sad that Brussels sprouts have gotten such a bad rap!  Now, I'm the first to admit that I hate cooked cabbage, in all forms.  The pungent odor is enough to keep me in another room.  In another building.  In another town.

And Brussels sprouts can, very easily, get that same taste.

But when done right, when done well... they're delicious!!  And so cute!  They remind me of baby cabbage patch kids. 

Anyway, I made some last night for dinner and had them over quinoa... and it was yummy.

Sauteed onions, minced garlic, and ginger in veggie broth, white wine and mirin.  Added Brussels sprouts and red pepper - sauteed til tender.  Mixed in a little hoisin sauce and ate over some mixed (red and white) quinoa.

Tasty!  And enough leftover for dinner tomorrow... win win :-)

I washed it down with some iced oolong tea that I made the night before.  Thankfully I was tired enough to offset the impact of the tea.  This at least isn't as caffeniated as black tea.

So after eating (and LOVING) my lentils last week, I decided to try another recipe of them this week.  I pretty much love everything about lentils, so I figured it couldn't hurt.

And it didn't.

I made a delicious lentil dish this weekend, and will be enjoying it over the next couple days.  My friend had sent me a recipe to try, and I of course modified it a little to suit what I felt like eating (and to suit what I actually HAD in the cupboards)...  I used:

Onion
Minced garlic
Crushed red cherry pepper
Red lentils
Vegetable broth
White wine
Diced red potatoes
Kale
Lemon zest
Lemon juice
Chopped mint
Frozen veggies
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

(I have no idea what measurements I used, since I don't really cook that way...)

I sauteed the onion, garlic, and crushed red cherry pepper in vegetable broth and white wine, then added the lentils, broth and potatoes.  I boiled and simmered that for about a half hour then pureed it.  (Already smelled delicious!)  Then I added the greens, lemon zest, lemon juice, mint, and frozen veggies (I think I threw in chopped peppers and green beans).  Added salt and pepper and enjoyed!

It's very similar to mulligatawny soup - which I know isn't authentic, etc etc etc but it's DELICIOUS and I'm OK with that.

I really thought I'd miss dairy... I never saw being able to get rid of that as something I'd be able to do.  But ever since I had that adverse reaction to Rita's italian ice/custard (that stuff is freaking deadly - seriously, avoid it!  And thank me with something pretty :), I really haven't had a strong desire to add that back in my daily lifestyle in any real way.  I know I've bent a couple times, but I haven't enjoyed the repercussions, so I think I'm good for a while!

Oh Thank God I Have Lentils

With allergies out, I'm feeling awful lately.  Which means I don't feel like cooking at all.  At all, at all, at all.  Thankfully I had some meals frozen and ready to go, so I don't have to extert too much energy right now, and can devote that to fighting off the devil-sent tree pollen.  Apparently MY version of hell includes a whole bunch of blooming oak trees and a Benadryl juuust out of reach.

I pulled out a container from the fridge, not really caring what was even in it at first.  But then I realized it was a lentil dish and I almost cried with happiness.  I vaguely remember when I made this - it wasn't really a "recipe" so to speak... more like "thrown in any veggies I see, and some whole grains and cook it up".  I had a whole bunch left, so I had frozen a couple containers of it.

As I opened this one up, the delicious smell overwhelmed me... if I had ever taken a drug, I think the "high" would be similar.

I'm planning on having this for lunch, and if I can bring myself to cook up some tonight, I'll make sure to keep my freezer stocked.

I don't know what it is about lentils, but I practically feel the energy entering me with every bite.

Back on track

So after my 20 miles Walk for Hunger on Sunday (after which I was sufficiently hungry!), I am now recommitted to health and wellness!  In that light, I made a delicious pasta dish last night - this is my basic, go-to meal, for a number of reasons.  It's uber-healthy, chock-full of veggies, filling, super quick to make, and is one of my favorite things to eat.

I have a bunch of frozen veggies ready to go whenever, so this makes it easy.  I basically boil water to cook whole wheat pasta (I went with rotini last night).  While that's cooking I heat up the sauce:

- Muir Glen portabello mushroom sauce (oil free, yeay!)
- 2 cans of diced tomatoes
- Chopped garlic
- Pureed roasted red peppers
- Pureed cherry peppers
- Frozen veggies: last night I used kale, broccoli, onion, peas
- Nutritional yeast

Other things I typically throw in, but didn't have on hand:
- Carrots
- Artichokes
- Basil
- Mushrooms
- Corn
- Asparagus
- Peppers
- Snap peas
- Green onions

I love that you can throw pretty much anything in there.  I try to cram as much greens in there as possible.  And the more hearty a sauce, the less of the pasta I eat, so it's win-win!  With a thin sauce, I've been known (in the past) to eat probably more than half a bag of pasta in one sitting, and still not be really satisfied.  This way, the veggies take up a huge volume, so by the time it has digested a little, I've realized I'm full.  This time, the pound of pasta will last me easily 4 meals.  Much much much better.

And I only do the 100% whole wheat pasta.

Yes, this could have been obvious to me, but no, it wasn't....

Tonight I cook lentils!  Also a huge personal favorite :-)

Quatro de Mayo

I didn't really feel like cooking much last night, but I was definitely hungry... so I debated with myself back and forth... did I want to order in, or suck it up and make something? 

Reason took over, thankfully, and I cooked up something quick.  And fairly delicious!  In thinking about it, we'll say it was a nod to Cinco de Mayo, since it was Mexican-inspired.

I had picked up some ready made corn tortillas. (These are soft - not tortilla chips.)  If you've never used these before, I highly HIGHLY recommend them.  They're made with 3 ingredients: corn, water, lime, and so soooo much better for you than the flour ones).  I had made my own a number of times when I lived in Mexico - and they even passed the very high quality test I was put through :-)  But I didn't feel like making my own last night, and these are cheap and so easy.  You can find them in pretty much most grocery stores. 

I used a can of fat-free refried black beans - the pinto ones are also good, but I was in the mood for black beans.  I heated up the beans in a pot on the stove with chopped onion, garlic, and a little vegetable broth.  That's it.  As that cooked, I warmed up a couple tortillas on an ungreased pan (turn the heat up high, put the tortilla on there for about 10 seconds or so, until it puffs a bit.  Flip it, another 10 seconds, done.)

I spread some beans in each tortilla, topped with some fresh cilantro and some store-bought salsa, and dinner was ready.  Under 10 min, delicious, healthy.

I used to make my own (super authentic) salsa, but again, I wasn't in the mood.  This totally passed.

No pics of it today - I was feeling a bit lazy.  But it's delicious and you'll see them soon since I plan to make more of them in the very near future.

Especially since I have quite a lot of the bean mixture left, and plenty of tortillas left.  I definitely am going to make my own salsa though.  It gave me such a flashback to making these (at the ungodly hour of 6am) in my kitchen in Mexico, to bring them to work and be judged...

Applesauce... no pork chops required

I made applesauce again last night... I was tired and didn't 100% feel like cooking anything, but I have to admit, this is probably one of the easiest things in the world to make. And it's so delicious.

I hate store-bought applesauce. Hate hate hate. Especially the bland tasteless crap they had in school cafeterias. As I think of school food, those memories are FLYING back... the rectangular cardboard-tasting pizza, the "salad bar" where I'd get a plate of lettuce and blue cheese, the "snack cart" thing stocked with hostess crap. I can't believe I made it out of there alive.

I digress...

I made delicious homemade applesauce, that doesn't resemble anything like the store bought crap. I cut up about 7 apples, put them in a pot with about an inch of water, dumped in some cinnamon, and let cook. Then I Foley-milled it and voila. Delicious. I'm having a large bowl of it for lunch, followed by some tasty huge strawberries. (HUGE!) I'm starting to think maybe having 7 apples and a handful of strawberries isn't the most reasonable lunch, since I think my stomach will revolt at some point.

But it beats the hell out of McDonalds or donuts ;-)

Oh and non-related tidbit:

I got on the elevator this afternoon and overheard this snippet of conversation:

Man #1:  He got arrested for it.
Man #2:  Oh really?  How did they catch him?
Man #1:  They caught him as he was releasing the squirrels.

Oatmeal Pancakes

I have to admit, historically I have loved pancakes.  Not the trashy IHOP version - I mean hearty, tasty, moist, delicious pancakes with real, REAL maple syrup.

I don't even want to hear from people trying to convince me that Aunt Jemima colored corn syrup crap is maple syrup.  That stuff is toxic and disgusting.  And yes, I'm judging you on that!

I've been a maple syrup purist since birth, and I am relentless on conversion.  I even went to a maple syrup festival in northern Vermont (up near Montreal) a couple years ago... (and chased it down with a trip to Ben and Jerry's - clearly in my pre-vegan days!)

I knew I wanted to find a good vehicle for the maple syrup consumption I plan on maintaining.  It's tasty in oatmeal but I don't always feel like a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast.

So I found a great basic recipe from FatFreeVegan.com and tried it out last night...

Mix together in a medium bowl:
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon

Beat in:
1 1/4 cup non-dairy milk

Cook in hot pan.

This was the basic recipe - I added a pinch of salt (prob should make it 2 pinches), and a pinch of sugar (may try it with agave next time).  And I doubled the cinnamon (cause I'm a rebel).  And it's actually quite tasty!!  Tasty, hearty, yummy with maple syrup and totally adaptable....

Mine came out a little thicker since I like them that way...  and trust me, they're delicious.

I will be experimenting over the next couple weeks with some other things:

• Topping with fruit
• Adding a little more sweet into the batter (honey, agave)
• Adding dried fruits into the batter (raisins, cranberries, blueberries)
• Trying other flours (buckwheat, oat flour, quinoa flour)
• Mixing in some powered cacao... (yuummmmm)