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.