Epicurean Aspirations

Moving...

2011-11-06T20:16:00.000-08:00

Dear Readers,

I am transitioning to a new website/server.

Please continue following me at:

http://mariangel.squarespace.com/epicurean-aspirations/

Love,

Mar

Foodbuzz Festival 2011 - Review

2011-11-06T11:18:00.000-08:00

I'm just going to say it -- I'm disappointed.

I didn't make it to the events Friday night, but the consensus among the blogger on Saturday morning was already foreboding. The event did not compare to the previous years. In fact, it seemed that each year the event got consistently less exciting. I have my theories, but I will keep them to myself for now.

The morning sessions on Saturday were entertaining. The first panel emphasized that to be successful a blogger must be his or herself and that there is a LOT of work that must go into a blog over years to accumulate into a successful product. A few tips on what that hard work entailed specifically would have been nice but I guess they don't want to share any secrets ;)

The second session was about taking good photos without using a DSLR camera. One option is by using a "point and shoot" camera ( ie: my $100 camera from Costco), another option is to use a micro four-thirds camera ( but it cost upwards of $700) and finally, using an iphone camera. Did I learn anything from this session? It only reinforced what i knew

1) Make the best of whatever camera you have
2) Natural Daylight works best
3) Take a copious amount of pictures and hopefully you will get a winner among the bunch.

The final session discussed using social media to increase awareness of your blog and your presona. They were huge advocates of using twitter. But the degree of twitter-dependency they suggested seemed almost anti social to me. I would much rather meet and have conversations with individuals in person instead of "making friends" of twitter. They also advocated using facebook and google plus. The pitch for google plus is that it is in its beginning phases and its something you can be a part of before it booms. It's something to think about, but I'm not convinced. However, apparently google has adopted hash-tags recently, so if you create a page for your blog and post a status update like " #pumpkin pie in the oven", people can search pumpkin pie and you will show up.

Finally, I don't want to stress about my blog being "perfect" in everyway. I want to have the freedom to ramble, to make mistakes, to talk about whatever my heart desires in whatever" blog voice" I feel like. It's like when you are in love with a certain subject and enjoy researching and reading about it until you take that class in college where they overanalyze it, subject it to scrutiny and dissect all your thought and opinions on the subject matter -- stressing you out so much over aiming for that " A" that your passion for the subject turns to disdain. I don't want that to happen. If changes occur, it'll be because I feel its right.

There was a "goodbye" bunch this morning in San Fran. Yesterday, the majority of bloggers I spoke to expressed hesitation and a blatant lack of enthusiasm for attending and I can't blame them. I myself chose to stay in Palo Alto and hang out with my friend rather than make the drive to SF for what was likely going to be another disappointing experience.

Plus, it's just food and honestly people ( not bragging, I swear) but my food would have been much more satisfying than the foods I had yesterday and last night. If i can make the same meals with a better quality and a more satisfying flavor, then i'd rather do that than go have a "free" meal.....

How do you like your greens?

2011-11-03T22:20:00.000-07:00

Do you indulge in your favorite foods then compensate by taking a 2 oz shot of pure kale juice like this??

or do you prefer to cook your veggies and eat them as a meal??

Recently, I went to a japanese BBQ restaurant. What did I order? An order of spinach and the mushroom medley?

How do you "BBQ" these veggies you may ask? In foil, just as shown below ...

Using foil, create a pocket. Make sure to secure all ends by folded multiple times. Next, stuff the foil pocket with as much spinach as possible

Now add salt, pepper, 2 cloves of freshly sliced garlic and a pat of butter

Seal well

Now you can either place the above packet on a BBQ and grill on both sides for about 5 minutes each (Depending on the heat of your BBQ) or you can do as I did and set your toaster oven to 450F for 10 minutes.

The result? Fresh fragrant juicy spinach will all the vitamins and liquids retained. Sadly my copious spinach turned into barely a 1/4 cup of cooked spinach. Next time = larger pocket, bigger oven, more spinach :)

Served along side : fries made of russet, and purple sweet potato; scrambled eggs with swiss and gruyere ( I ended up giving away all my fries to my youngest sister-- I enjoyed the eggs and spinach too much as is)

Tonight I'm spending the rest of the evening googling past Foodbuzz Festival blog posts by fellow bloggers because that's where I will be this weekend!

Pizza Please

2011-10-26T11:38:00.000-07:00

Homemade pizza is a staple home made go to meal when you are in a rush but you still want to control what is going into your food, am I right?

I chose to make a 1/2 vegan, 1/2 vegetarian pizza.

I used Trader Joe's Pizza sauce but added fresh garlic and fresh basil maybe a little too much....; Trader Joe's whole wheat dough; mozzarella; red onion; mushrooms

Make sure you let the dough sit out for at least 1 hour to reach room temperature, if the dough is too cold it will be too elastic and wont spread out into the shape you want.

This time around I put the basil inside the sauce instead of on top because it tends to dry up and lose flavor when it's just sitting on the cheese. But, the basil was too pungent this time around. Solution?? Leave the basil under the cheese, but sparingly used and placed on top of the sauce instead of spread all throughout it.

Preheat the oven to 450F and bake for about 15 minutes

Goodbye Juice Feasting, Hello Holidays

2011-10-24T22:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I was able to juice fast for 5 days before the "need" for solid food took over. I'm not sure how other people do this for 30-60 days, but I think i makes a difference if you are living somewhere alone, focusing on the fast. I on the other hand was surrounded by people constantly eating and cooking.

Still i'm proud of my 5 days. Its a good start. I think I'm going to continue juicing on and off. I'm also going to make pure green juice shots and try to take that daily. IE: just 1-2 oz of kale juice.

One of my favorite and most palatable green juices was simply the juice of honeydew:

I broke my fast with something unconventional I think -- yogurt. I felt like my body was craving probiotics. Either way, I feel fine now. No crazy sicknesses or stomachaches.

I'm slowly getting into the season with a trip to our local pumpkin patch where we picked up the following beauties:

Mr. Scarecrow

Mrs. Scarecrow

Baby Pumpkin

Beautiful Indian Corn

Pumpkins of all types, colors and sizes

I love the deep orange color on these!

I hope this put you in the holiday season too!!

Juice Feast: Day Five , morning

2011-10-22T11:16:00.000-07:00

So, today marks the fifth day of my juice feast. I'm not posting many pictures because it seems redundant to post platters/bowls of fruits and vegetables.

This morning I weighed in and another pound is gone which brings my weight loss to 5.6 lbs in 4 days of juicing.

I have to say the best part is slipping into that outfit that has been haunting me for a while, buttoning that jacket that used to refuse to button. The simple things can make a girl so happy.

I made the observation yesterday that it is kind of like having a gastric bypass surgery without the mess, cutting, insurance and complications. I actually had trouble drinking my entire " dinner" juice yesterday because my stomach felt too full? Full on juice?? I'm loving it LOL

I also went out last night -- strolled through a food court, walked into a cupcake bakery as my friend purchased some goodies for herself, and sat through an entire movie without once craving a bite of anything.

I should be tired, right? But i'm not. So far, this is an amazing experience and I'm looking forward to see how long it will last and where it will take me.

Juice Feast: Day Three

2011-10-20T15:56:00.000-07:00

There are some details I will leave out for your sake, but lets just say that cleansing has definitely started ;)

This morning I weighed myself and I was down another 1.2 lbs bringing my total weight loss so far on the juice fast to 3.6.bs

Sleeping is becoming easier, but not necessarily at the times I want to be sleeping. For example, I went to lie down for a bit yesterday at 2 pm and woke up at 6 pm completely refreshed. But later in the evening, sleep took awhile, mostly because it sounded and felt like there was a thunderstorm going on in my belly.

Day Two Breakfast Before:

Carrot, orange, 1/2 lemon, ginger, apples, golden beet

Day Two Breakfast After:

Day Two Lunch:

Spinach, Dino Kale, Parsley, Cilantro, Carrot, Baby Bell Peppers, Tomatoes, Onion, Garlic, Lemon, Celery

Later that evening I juiced an orange.... followed by a pear+ apple concoction. Delicious!

Day Three Breakfast Before:

Pineapples, Ginger, Apple, Carrot, Mango

Day Three Breakfast After:

Juice Feast: Morning of Day Two

2011-10-19T10:14:00.000-07:00

Many people who have done this fast before mention that it helps rid them of insomnia. Well, I can vouch that it definitely doesn't start on the first night. It took me a long time to fall asleep, oddly enough I was energized and alert up until 2 am.

Sleeping and dreaming was humorous -- don't eat solid food for an entire day and I guarantee you there will be food in some shape/form in your dreams that night.

Finally, I know detox has already started, which is surprising to me. I thought it would take at least 2-3 days but no, I woke up this morning with the telltale sign of detox - a white coated tongue. Gross, I know -- but its a sign of good changes and you just have to take a little extra time to clean your teeth and tongue in the morning. No biggie.

Juice Feast Weightloss since yesterday: 2.4 lbs

Juice Feast: Day one

2011-10-18T20:42:00.000-07:00

Ever since I broke out of my vegan diet and transversed into a vegetarian diet with "vegan tendencies" my cravings for junk food returned. I don't want this. I set a goal for myself to become a healthier version of me before the bar results come out in November. Granted, I've lost 9 lbs in the past couple months and its great that its been a steady weight loss, but it has felt slow -- too slow. I know I'm capable of bigger change. Better change.

I watched the documentary " Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" and it gave me the motivation to regain control over my life -- in a more profound way. So, I've decided to do a juice " feast" ( or fast) of my own. I'm not setting a set amount of days but I am going to document my experiences here. Have any of you embarked on a juice fast? Any advice?

The morning started off with an herbal tea:

I then spent the late morning and early afternoon running from one store to another trying to find a Breville Juicer Plus. Several stores offered to order the machine but I was determined to start the fast today. Finally after a quick trip to Whole Foods to stock up on produce I made it home by 2 pm to have a very very late breakfast LOL

Apples, Carrots, Celery, Dino Kale, Ginger

Lunch:

Lots of Spinach, Parsley, Cilantro, Dino Kale, Carrot, Garlic, Onion, Tomato, Beet, Celery

Dinner: Apples, orange, cucumbers

At the end of the day, I feel fine - i'm not hungry which is nice.

I'm curious to see what tomorrow morning will bring.... updates soon!

Food Journaling 101

2011-10-13T18:44:00.000-07:00

Bear with me the next few weeks or so as I use my blog to journal my daily food intake. Accountability always helps one grow and this is how I choose to be accountable.

The morning started off with a quick trip to Costco. We had to be there as the doors opened -- but of course. So, a quick simple banana was enough of a breakfast for me.

Later in the day I chose this pinto bean salad for lunch and added half an avocado

Dinner came around early today, 3:30 pm to be exact. But some days I just get hungry and might as well eat then: a whole what pasta with a very light tomato sauce and sauteed veggies -- topped with a sprinkle of mozzarella.

While I know dinner was a healthy choice, I left the table unsatisfied. The concept of intuitive eating not only advocates eating when you're hungry, but eating what your body is craving. Case in point: I did not feel like pasta at all today, so though I should have been full after the meal, I was dissatisfied.

This led to poor choices later in the day. Ie: I may have had a few salt and black pepper chips when my sister and father began indulging in said snack and I had a sliver of a Costco pumpkin muffin with my Armenian Coffee. Yes, they were poor choices but I am here admitting them and realizing that perhaps tomorrow I can evade such choices if I practice intuitive eating.

2011-10-12T21:32:00.000-07:00

I almost sat in my car and drove all the way across the country this week.

I've spent the past two weeks planning the trip, envisioning the move all while I had a glow of excitement at the prospect of change, a fresh start and a bright future.

However, faith is a large part of my life and I wanted to make sure I wasn't being irrational or forcing a change I wasn't quite ready for. Perhaps my original destination isn't where I'm supposed to be at this point in time.

After several nights of sincere praying, a few major obstacles that popped up, and consultation with friends and family I decided to take a deep breath and refocus on alternate ways of reaching my aspirations.

I still seek to settle down to a life on the East Coast, but it doesn't have to be this week. I realize I need to take advantage of the fact that I am so flexible at this point in my life. The possibilities are endless and I know part of me is fighting against the reality that I have NO IDEA what is next in store for me.

This week I'm refocusing -- continuing my job search, maintaining my regular workouts, and finding new intellectual stimulation. A trip to the library and a bag full of books will work wonders to calm my fidgety mind. I thrive when I'm busy and this time period between the taking the bar exam and receiving bar results has taken a toll, but I feel stronger and more focused today that I have in a long while.

In fact, today I applied for a job in New York that will allow me to combine my long time passions of research, writing and law with my recent decision to embrace nutrition health and fitness. If this specific job works out I may be on cloud 9 for a very long time. If I had rushed to move to DC this week, I wouldn't be able to consider opportunities such as this one.

In other news my vegan lifestyle is a work in progress. Though I was able to maintain a vegan diet for over a month, traveling out of town where vegan options were severely limited threw a wrench into things. I remember commenting on that trip that, " I guess I'm mostly vegan, but vegetarian this weekend" to which I received the reply from a doctor friend of mind, " that's like saying you are somewhat pregnant but not 100%" . So I guess the happy compromise is that I am vegetarian with vegan tendencies.

As part of refocusing myself I'm planning on posting many more posts like the " What I ate Wednesday" series.

-- until tomorrow.

My first vegan dessert and adventures in the country side

2011-09-29T13:11:00.000-07:00

Shol-e-zard
Persian Rice pudding(?)

This one was my mother's idea actually -- a craving struck and the kitchen was again open for business.

Ingredients

1 1/8 cup Mahatma brand white rice
3/4 -1 cup sugar ( depending on your sweet tooth)
1/8 cup vegetable oil
6 1/4cups water
1/4 cup Rosewater
1/2 tsp Saffron steeped in 2 Tbsp hot water
Almonds, slivered and pan toasted
Pistachio, ground for decoration
Cinnamon, for decoration

Directions

Preheat the oven to 225F

Rinse the rice thoroughly once. Then place the rice and the water in a big pot and bring it to a boil. Once it begins to boil stir the mix regularly allowing for the rice to expand and the excess water to evaporate. It will begin to resemble Congee. Once the mixture begins to thicken and adopts a uniform opaque color add the sugar, oil, rosewater and saffron.

Continue cooking for another ten minutes, allowing the ingredients to mix together and thicken.

Finally, place the mixture into a glass serving platter, cover it with foil and place it in the oven. Turn off the preheated oven and let the rice stay there for a good thirty minutes so it will set.

Finally, after the time has elapsed, removed the Shol-e-zard and let it cool down. Once it is cool to the touch decorate with the almond, cinnamon and pistachio.

Tastes best when served cold.

-------------------------
Last week I took my annual trip up to my best friend's home/vineyard for a their harvesting of the grape festivities. As usual, it was an amazing time with friends and family-- something I look forward to every year.

I brought back these gorgeous beauties with me:

My good friends Candy and Joey Bedoya also joined us on the trip this year to take engagement pics for my BFF and her Fiance. All the pics aren't up yet, but I can't wait any longer -- I have to share.

Pictures available here

Impatiently waiting

2011-09-16T13:17:00.000-07:00

For Fall and Winter.

For cool breezes and rainstorms.

For the comfort of bundling up in a warm winter jacket and accessorizing with scarfs, hats, gloves etc.

For holiday decor and cinnamon spice.

Last but not least.

Oatmeal.

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Recipe here

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Oatmeal

Recipe here

Choco-nana oats

Recipe here

Slow-cooker Steel Cut Oats

Recipe here

I can't wait to come up with some all new, vegan oatmeal concoctions this year !!

WIAW: some days are just RAW

2011-09-14T15:42:00.000-07:00

Breakfast: Oranges, Kiwi and Pluot

Every once in a while I have one of those days where I want to KNOW, with confident peace of mind, that I'm putting all natural pure goodness into my body for nutrition. On those days, I choose to eat mostly raw. This WIAW represents one of those days.

A salad of mushrooms, tomato, carrot, celery, avocado, cucumber, green onion, dill and cilantro ( salt, pepper and lemon juice)

Fresh homegrown tomatoes, avocado and my take on Patatas Bravas

Patatas Bravas

1 Large Russet Potato, Diced
1/3 large onion, finely minced
2 cloves of garlic finely minced
1/4 cup of chopped cilantro
Serrano Chile, about 3 cm worth, diced
olive oil
Sea Salt
Pepper

Coat the bottom of your sautee pan with olive oil, once warm add the potatoes and let the diced potato cook on all sides till it is golden brown.(Medium heat or low heat works best) This is when patience will be rewarded. Once the potatoes are done add in the garlic, onion and serrano. Mix the potatoes every few minutes , letting the added ingredients cook thoroughly and flavor the potatoes. Lastly, turn off the pan add the cilantro, salt and pepper and toss.

This would go great with an addition of cheese like pepperjack but I was keeping it vegan :)

I ~~may have~~ snuck in a spoonful of Nutella.... a girl has chocolate cravings. It's ok to give in once in a while. :)

How to make your own Almond milk

2011-09-13T16:21:00.000-07:00

....even if you don't have " everything" you need.

If I had my way, I 'd make everything from scratch. In fact, I'd like to grow most of my fruits and vegetables in my own backyard. That would be perfection.

So, when I switched to a vegan diet I bought Almond Milk as a milk alternative. But lets face it, they have so many other items added in and they are processed if they have such a long shelf life.

Here is the ingredient list of various Almond Milk's created by Blue Diamond:

Original

Ingredients: almondmilk (filtered water, almonds), evaporated cane juice, calcium carbonate, sea salt, potassium citrate, carrageenan, sunflower lecithin, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, d-alpha-tocopherol (natural vitamin E)

Vanilla

Ingredients: almondmilk (filtered water, almonds), evaporated cane juice, calcium carbonate, natural vanilla flavor with other natural flavors, sea salt, potassium citrate, carrageenan, sunflower lecithin, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, d-alpha-tocopherol (natural vitamin E)

Chocolate

Ingredients: almondmilk (filtered water, almonds), evaporated cane juice, cocoa (dutch process), calcium carbonate, sea salt, potassium citrate, carrageenan, natural flavors, sunflower lecithin, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, d-alpha-tocopherol (natural vitamin E)

Unsweetened Original

Ingredients: almondmilk (filtered water, almonds), calcium carbonate, tapioca starch, sea salt, potassium citrate, carrageenan, sunflower lecithin, natural flavor, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2 and d-alpha-tocopherol (natural vitamin E)

Unsweetened Vanilla

Ingredients: almondmilk (filtered water, almonds), calcium carbonate, tapioca starch, natural vanilla flavor with other natural flavors, sea salt, potassium citrate, carrageenan, sunflower lecithin, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2 and d-alpha-tocopherol (natural vitamin E)

Yes, they add a few vitamins to the mix -- true. But nearly every vegan I know take precautionary vitamin supplements anyways -- so do we want a multivitamin mixed into our almond milk?? I do not.

I like things pure and simple.

After a bit of research I set about to making my own small batch of almond milk. Now, most people say you need a cheese cloth and another recipe suggested using dates to sweeten the mix which sounds amazing but I didn't have any.

Did I let these little hiccups get in the way? Nope! I worked around them and was happy with the result.

Many middle easterners will often soak their almonds in water at least overnight before eating them. (Soaking them in the water makes it easy to peel as well)

We happened to have a tiny container of almonds soaking in the fridge and I decided they would fall victim to my experiments in Almond Milk making.

It turned out to be about 3/4 cup of almond.

I added about 1 3/4 cold water to the blender, but if you add less you will get a much more creamy consistency. I've read that if you keep a 1:1 ratio you will get more of an "almond cream" instead of an "almond milk"

Anyhow, blend away I did -- adding a dash of vanilla an pinch of sweetner. Then, since I didn't have a cheese cloth, I just put it through a sieve. Pushing the liquid through, leaving me with this almond pulp which is begging to be used in a recipe.

Rather than pour the milk into my jar and save it for later like a good girl I decided to consume it for breakfast.

Note the creamy almond milk foam on top

I poured it back into the blender along with a bit more vanilla, frozen bananas and a teaspoon of peanut butter and breakfast was served!

Shortly thereafter I made my way over to the gym for a yoga class and the funniest thing happened during the Savasana pose -- one of my classmates fell asleep and started snoring! I know that pose is supposed to be about ultimate relaxation but you can bet that her snore jolted me out of whatever " lala land" I had managed to drift off to.

Have you had any yoga bloopers?

Pico De Gallo

2011-09-11T22:16:00.000-07:00

A simple sequel to the Guacamole.

Pico De Gallo is one of my favorite salsas. It's simple -- I can see all the ingredients and I can taste all the ingredients distinctly and together.

Whether you serve it with tortilla chips, use it to dress up some spanish rice or add color to a fresh baja style taco this Salsa is sure to satisfy. ( Wow that sounds like advertisement kinda)

Pico De Gallo

1 box of sugar plum tomatoes ( from Trader Joes) , diced

1/2 a large red onion

3 cloves of garlic

3/4 of a jalapeno, seeds removed

1/3 -1/2 cup of cilantro ( I love the stuff so I was generous)

1 lime, juiced

sea Salt

fresh cracked pepper

Prepare this dish about an hour ahead of time so the ingredients can marry well and marinate.

...Speaking of Marriage :p

I attended my good friend's beautiful wedding this weekend.

I picked the most anonymous picture I took from the weekend. so that the privacy of individuals has not been disturbed.

The bride wore a beautiful lace dress and the groom a white tuxedo. It was a night full of laughter, dancing and celebration . I hope to be a part of this couple's lives and future celebrations for a long long time :)

I did my best with my makeup and my littlest sister took control of curling my hair and did an amazing job for a 12 year old.

Next event on the horizon is my annual trip to my BFF for their celebration of the harvest of the grapes.

I'm VERY excited! Nothing better than friends, family, love and tradition....

Guacamole

2011-09-08T13:34:00.000-07:00

After a week of eating mostly stuffed grape leaves, grilled eggplant salad and hummus I need a change of scenery -- specifically, a change of ethnicity.

Immediately, I thought of Guacamole and Pico De Gallo. What better to much on than Guac and chips when the thermometer outside registers 105?

Guacamole

2 Hass Avocados
1/3 of a large red onion
1 large clove of garlic
2/3 of a jalapeno
1 medium tomato
1/2 a juicy lime
Sea Salt
Fresh Cracked Pepper

The rave reviews: "Ahh--mazing", " so delicious" " I want more"

---
In other news:

Life has been occupied by working out, job hunting, spending time with good ol' mom and prepping for my friend's wedding.

Is it just me or is there an insane amount of prep work involved in being a female guest to a wedding??
-- find a dress, matching shoes, matching accessories ( jewelry, clutch , hairpiece etc), get your hair done, makeup done....

I'm opting to do my own hair and makeup this weekend, hopefully it stands up in comparison to all the girls who will be getting it all done professionally.

Summerade

2011-09-08T10:11:00.000-07:00

There is nothing quite like an ice cold drink to bring a sense of refreshment on a three-digit kind of day in Southern California.

Summerade

1 whole lemon, peeled
1 whole orange, peeled
1-2 tablespoons of honey
4 frozen strawberries
5 frozen berries ( ie: raspberries)
LOTS of Ice
1/2 cup of water

Blend and enjoy a guilt free icy refresher on a hot summers day.

Joining the party: WIAW

2011-08-31T18:03:00.000-07:00

So, there is a fun blogging event that takes place every Wednesday called " What I ate Wednesday"
hosted by Peas and Crayons. Given that I've rededicated myself to the blog, I decided to join in on the fun! It's a great way to find other food blogs and just get an idea of what other people eat on a given day. (Admit it, we are all just a little bit nosy)

Last night, my choice workout of the day was a spinning class. It had been so long since I put myself through one of those that I felt like a newbie. But, thankfully my peers were amazing. One gentleman helped me get situated, installing the appropriate pedals since I don't have cycling shoes yet, while the kind woman next to me made me feel right at home with her kind words and warm smile.

Jennifer, the coach, was perfect - kind, motivating AND she picked the best soundtracks to work out to! That always helps.

Needless to say, as today progresses my body feels more and more sore. But if I have to experience pain in life, I hope the only pain I experience is just plain muscle soreness from a rigorous workout.

The morning started off with a stop at Starbucks were I picked up this cup o' energy:

Tall Soy Caramel Frappucino

Lunch later in the day can be described either as a vegan pizza or maybe Armenian Bruschetta -- I toasted a whole white pita bread till it was perfectly crunchy and topped it with an array of barbecued veggies all smashed together and mixed with a dash of olive oil. Now this is what i call Fast Food.

Armenian Bruschetta

Lunch was followed by dessert....

Dapple Dandy Plum

Somewhere in between the above meals and dinner I spent my afternoon searching for and applying for jobs. I have to say the job market for law school grads in nothing like they painted it to be when we applied four years ago... Advice in this realm will be much appreciated.

Dinner was an homage to the grill again: BBQ corn, veggie patties, golden potato and a side salad.

I'm Stuffed!

Now.... I wait around impatiently till Yoga tonight :)

Try a different perspective

2011-08-30T11:55:00.000-07:00

Life may not be progressing as you had planned, but it doesn't mean things are " just awful" or that you are "having a bad day".

Just yesterday I went to the gym for my weekly session with my personal trainer. ( When I signed up for the gym, I took advantage of a promotion and purchased six sessions with a trainer) As I was warming up on the treadmill I saw My trainer walk up to some other girl, smile, and proceed to sign her in to a training session.

"Maybe he's just helping her out on the computer for another trainer", I thought to myself.

"We've been training on Monday mornings regularly now, plus I got sick last week during the session and we agreed I should come an hour later so I can actually eat a breakfast before I come in, he can't have double booked me, right?"

Nope.

Off they went into the masses of men and women sweating their hearts out in the weight room.

Initially, my reaction as to think " Wow, really? But I planned my week according to this. I was gonna have an insane session today, then take tuesday off to go dress shopping for my friend's wedding because I'd be too sore to workout anyways."

But, shortly after verifying that he had in fact double booked the session and leaving a message for him to give me a call, I changed my perspective.

"Ok then... I'm at the gym, in this area of town, how am I going to best use my time."

I decided to check out the schedule of classes for the day and wouldn't you know, yoga was scheduled to begin in 45 minutes! I hadn't practiced yoga in at least a year and I knew my body needed it.

One catch. I needed a yoga mat, and I had thrown out my old one after using it in an outdoor bootcamp class. On second thought, I'm glad I don't have a yoga mat because it gives me something to do until the class starts.

So, in that 45 minute gap, I found the closest store which sold yoga mats and bought myself a brand new one. Having plenty of time left before class, I then let myself wander into another store, walked straight to their sale rack and bought myself some new workout clothes.

Long story short:

My botched training session turned into a super productive morning where much needed workout attire was purchased and my yoga practice was given a much needed awakening. I like to think of such situations as God's way of reminding me ( nudging me) to take care of myself and remain open to new and various options instead of limiting myself to tunnel vision. Ie: Keeping my eye on one goal and only seeing one way to get there.

------------------------------------------------------------------

In food news :

Barbecued Golden Potato

I've continued to enjoy my vegetables like a good girl :)

Grilled Onion

I've been experimenting with some new recipes, but they havn't reached the level of perfection I require before I share a recipe with you.

Experiment #1: A pasta sauce made with butternut squash, tomato, tomato sauce, wine wine, onion, garlic and nutritional yeast. I loved it, but would like to try it with more layers of flavor.

Experiment #2: Bulgur with tomato, cinnamon, onion and other spices. Though my youngest sister liked it, I personally think I overdid it on the tomatoes. Somethings just taste better when they are kept simple and pure.

Finally, I've exploring vegan desserts again. Case in point -- Green Tea Ice Cream with Coconut Milk

Though I love coconut and I love matcha green tea -- these two are not a compatible match in my book. I'm guessing the best matches are going to be coconut with chocolate, nuts and coffee ....

What do you think?

They told me ...

2011-08-27T16:40:00.000-07:00

They told me...

... if you don't eat meat or eggs you will be hungry
... your cravings will overcome your will power
... you don't have the strength to make these changes

Well, I'm here to tell them. Nice Try.

My hunger is actually more rational these days. I actually get full after eating a reasonable portion of food. The childhood mantra of " you must clean your plate" is long gone. I am actually eager to fill my days with fruits and vegetables -- new creations, new discoveries.

This morning, breakfast consisted of a smoothie made with two simple ingredients- watermelon and frozen strawberries. The best part of all? It kept me full longer than a breakfast of " hearty eggs" kept the rest of my family full.

Lunch today a simple barbecue'd eggplant salad followed by a snack of hummus and whole wheat bread.

I'm looking forward to a dinner of a multitude of barbecued vegetables ( pictures to come soon). But for now, these pictures are of a dinner from earlier this week. How can you feel like you are missing out when you have amazing roasted potatoes; barbecued asparagus, zucchini and broccoli; and a simple salad of tomatoes and cucumber tossed in a lemon dressing.

Vegan.Again.For Good.

2011-08-25T18:48:00.000-07:00

....Except maybe one day a month where I'll let myself splurge on cheese. Maybe.

The idea of being Armenian and Vegan is out there. I know. I was a vegetarian for about five months at one point in time and I heard all sorts of banter from my Armenian friends. One individual even alleged that God wanted us to eat animals, why else do they exist? A majority of Armenian dishes included either meat and potatoes or barbecued meat and potatoes.

But, I finally have a comeback for those who claim got put animals on the planet for humans to consume:

"Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in it fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." Genesis 1:29

Simply put, we and all other living creatures get to eat all the fruits, veggies and greens we would like.

I'm not hear to preach about being vegan or vegetarian. Don't worry -- my mom lives for steak and it works for her. However, those who have followed the blog for a while also know that I've always had issues with weight-loss. Interestingly, during my brief dances with veganism in the past I always felt amazing, lost weight and never felt deprived.

Combining the facts that I have about five weddings/engagements to attend in the next year; that i'm already 27 years old; I've had a crazy past year full of changes and fresh starts; and it's time to take ownership of my life and my future regardless of what those around me think -- i embarked on the vegan lifestyle this week. For Good.

Considering that I spent most of the summer working out from 10-15 hours a week and saw minimal results on the sale, I find it exhilarating that after a few days of veganism I am already seeing results. I hope you stay with me as I take this new step and share with me your advice and insight.

The week began with a trip to Whole Foods for a few supplements and a quick lunch after a morning workout :

Coconut milk, Vanilla Almond Milk, Nutritional Yeast Flakes, Avocado rolls, Sesame Tofu, and Coconut Milk Green Tea Ice Cream

Lunch was a simple plate of avocado rolls and sesame tofu.... but I think I managed to make it look pretty... no?

Grilled Summer Salad

2011-08-24T19:42:00.000-07:00

To those of you who aren't Armenian, this salad may be a bit out there, but my Armenian friends will be scowling at me for lack of creativity on this one. It's a salad found at nearly every summer Armenian barbecue.

It's not only ridiculously easy to make but its pure nutrition in a bowl :)

There is no specific ratio of vegetable to vegetable so get creative and feel free come up with a combination that suits your preference.

Ingredients
(Grilled)
Eggplant
Bell Peppers ( Red, Green, Yellow, Orange)
Anaheim Pepper
Tomato

(Raw)
Dill
Cilantro
Green Onion
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Of course no summer barbecue is complete without grilled corn!

Leave them on until there is just enough char, then put them in a bowl of salt water. This will not only cool them down, but let them absorb some of the saltiness. If you don't mind scorching hot corn, then just go from grill to plate like we did last weekend ;)

Tomazella Salad

2011-08-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

Juicy succulent home grown tomatoes layered in between layers of sliced creamy fresh mozzarella and I call it Tomazella. That's right, I've named it!

This past weekend we were attending the "last pre-labor day" BBQ at a friends house. Their garden is blessed with an abundance of fresh tomatoes throughout the summer and we had to make it a part of the dinner course ( though it made an appearance as an appetizer and at breakfast too....) Luckily, our hostess K happened to have fresh mozzarella in the fridge. Eagerly I asked for basil, hoping it was a member of their herb garden. But alas, the Caprese Salad was not meant to be.

But, when one door closes a window opens, right??

Determined to be resourceful, I found same incredibly fresh green onion and garlic at my disposal and the Tomazella salad was born.

Dressing

2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 stalk of green onion, diced
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
Fresh sea salt
Fresh cracked pepper

When I'm not in the kitchen.....

2011-08-15T19:49:00.000-07:00

I'm out and about taking pictures of course!

I'll put these and others on the Photography link from now on....

I just love the opportunity to indulge in multiple hobbies!

Luxury defined by a carrot cake

2011-08-10T21:55:00.000-07:00

Luxury is defined by our personal experiences -- molded by our opportunities and deprivations.

Since I no longer have my own kitchen to muse about in, experiment and make a mess of at will, the simple opportunity to work in a kitchen to create a new recipe has become a luxury. After days of negotiating and pleading my mom gave me permission to attempt a layer cake in her kitchen. An opportunity for which I am very grateful -- Thanks mom!

I first understood this concept of luxury when I traveled to Armenia seven years ago. Though I stayed in the capital Yerevan, I had the opportunity to explore the country. I saw both the good and the bad -- not only the new developments but also the villages stuck in time. One weekend we took a trip the the region of Karabagh, a contested area of land fought over in recent history. The churches were riddled with gaping wounds brought upon by the weapons of war and the people were missing members of their family yet an opportunity to get together with friends new and old brought about the best in them. Smiles lit their faces while generosity and camaraderie fueled the amazing welcome and warmth they created for us visitors It was in these experiences that I truly understood the luxuries of having running water ( both hot and cold), an indoor restroom, and an air conditioner in the peak of summer. Who am I to complain about life challenges and obstacles when they are nothing compared to those suffered by people around the world?

With that brief foray into the past, I'm grateful to have the opportunity to bring you back to the present with my recipe for Carrot Cake, filled with a simple cream cheese sour cream filling. Granted, I was racing against the sun last night to get the pictures taken, so the filling was added a little bit early. Please forgive the delicious goopiness. It looks much better today :)

Marina's Carrot Cake Recipe

2 cups of flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground all spice
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons coconut oil
4 eggs
1 cup organic sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups grated carrot
1 cup grated zucchini
1/2 cup raisin
1 cup chopped walnut
3 tablespoon orange brandy

Filling

8 oz cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons organic sour cream
1 capful vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12" cake pan with butter and flour and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together and set aside. In a small bowl, soak the raisins in the orange brandy and let it sit while you work on the rest of the cake.

Next, in a mixer, whip the sour cream, coconut oil and sugar until it is thoroughly combined and smooth. Slowly add the eggs in one at a time and whip until it reaches a smooth light consistency. Now set the mixer on "low" and add the flour in 1/2 cup at a time. Be careful not to overmix the dough. As the dough begins to thicken, gradually pour in the orange brandy, alternating with the last bit of flour.

Finally, fold in the carrots, zucchini, walnuts and raisins.

Bake for 60-65 minutes.

P.S. I used a thin wood skewer to poke my cake and check for doneness... Any other techniques?

Mushroom Pancetta Risotto

2011-08-03T15:00:00.000-07:00

After nearly two months of living in the library and staying away from the kitchen I finally had the opportunity to make my first post-bar exam meal...

Two simultaneous event occurred to prompt the above meal:

1. After three days of testings for nine hours a day, yours truly drove in traffic for nearly two hours to her parents house. Depleted, exhausted, depressed, and disappointed by the anticlimactic conclusion of the often darkly described exam I walked over the threshold and made a beeline straight for the piano. Granted, by the time I got home it was about 9:40 p.m. and apparently my mother had decided it was time to call it a night. " Oh no! Piano at this hour?! Please, I just want to go to sleep." The look on her face said it all, she was genuinely exhausted and knowing she, like myself, had difficulties falling asleep I took pity on her. "Ok" I responded, " Just two songs please, let me just play two songs, I NEED IT". In a combined effort of understanding an compromise I was able to play a couple songs on the piano I had missed so much. She knew very well if allowed, those couple songs would have turned into a couple hours...

The next day, still unaccepting of the fact that my summer of legal immersion had come to its conclusion, I set about to filling my day with long-ignored hobbies. Among these, a trip to the local library and of course dinner plans. " I'll take care of dinner today mom, just let me know what you want, and consider it done." Excitedly my youngest sister interrupts with " Risotto please please! Make us some risotto!"

2. A simple Facebook request. I announced the impending return of my food blog ( optimistic thinking here) and asked if anyone had specific requests. Much to my delight, my best friend from elementary school made a request for my risotto! Granted, this post won't have the recipe because I believe risotto requires step-by-step pictures to get the full impact of the process. But, she has been promised a private lesson as soon as I hop on a plane to the East Coast ;)

Two requests for risotto from two valued members of my life was enough to make the decision for me :)

One last exam this coming Friday and academic freedom will hopefully be mine. Life will move onto new(and old) goals of health/fitness, piano, reading books for pleasure, writing and of course blogging.

Wild Mushroom Bulgur

2011-06-02T11:07:00.000-07:00

This may sound odd, but the fact that I'm finally using wild mushrooms in a recipe is a great sign that life is slowly settling into place.

Typically, when faced with life's obstacles and curve balls I run to the kitchen and begin frantically baking and cooking to calm my nerves -- using ingredients as a creative outlet.

At some point last year, even the kitchen failed to provide a safe haven for me. That is when I knew something was seriously wrong. At around this time, Justin from Marx Foods generously sent me a sample of his dried wild mushrooms. Though a part of me was extremely excited about participating in this mushroom challenge, everything else was holding me back.

Well Justin, I am finally posting a recipe using your delicious mushrooms. Thank you for being so patient.

Ingredients:

A few pieces each of the following mushrooms: Lobster, Porcini, Black Trumpet, and Chanterelle
1 cup organic bulgur
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup water
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
3/4 tsp turmeric
1 medium onion
3 cloves of garlic
salt
pepper
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

The night before, place the dried mushroom in a cup of water, and let it sit overnight in the fridge.

Preparation: Dice the onion and garlic, set aside; Pick out the mushrooms from the water and dice them to your desired size, save the "water" which has now become a broth ( hereafter "mushroom broth")

The day of: Dice the onion and garlic and sauté it in the olive oil until they become translucent. Next, add salt and pepper to taste along with the turmeric and smoked paprika. Sauté for another minute. Now add the bulgur, diced mushrooms, and butter. Sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Finally add the mushroom broth and chicken/vegetable broth ( totaling two cups of liquid). Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed.

Serve: Either fluff with a fork and serve in a bowl topped with vegetables or along side some chicken or do as I did and pack the bulgur into a mold, according to your desired serving size.

Coffee, Kafe, Cafe, Kofe

2011-05-28T17:45:00.000-07:00

However you spell it, it is a daily habit for millions of people around the world. Agreed?

Granted, caffeine is said to have its disadvantages, but in the fast paced world we live in, it seems to provide just enough juice to either open our eyes in the morning, or get us through a tedious afternoon.

Personally, I can't drink "regular" coffee black. Regular meaning, any coffee existing except Armenian. Now, Armenian coffee is a different story, all it needs is a pinch of sugar, and thats added during the "brewing" process. No electrical appliances needed here. No investment in disposable coffee filters. All that is needed is a Jazzve -- a cute tall and skinny "pot" if you will.

Per Serving: One teaspoon sugar, one teaspoon super finely ground coffee ( or Armenian Coffee found in specialty stores) one cup ( pictures to the right) of water, and lots of love. As you can see, the cups resemble espresso cups in size -- its not much larger than a rosebud!

Every "good" ( ahem -trained) Armenian girl knows that to make a really good coffee means there is kaf - or foam on the top of every cup poured. If for some reason you can't get every cup to have the sought after kaf, you serve the eldest in the family and/or the guests the "perfect cups" of coffee and you reserve those that didn't quite attain the kaf for yourselves.

Of course you can't talk about Armenian coffee without talking about the old tradition of "reading" the coffee cups -- particularly if you have an Armenian Grandma. After drinking the coffee, you find there is a thick residue on the bottom -- don't try to drink this part, you will most definitely regret it. Instead, you flip the cup upside down in the saucer and let it drip dry.

Shortly thereafter you kindly ask your Armenian grandmother if she will read your fortune. It is almost guaranteed that if you are a girl, she will see a party or wedding in your future :) ( She may mention this every time for years on end until it happens) There will also be mention of goals and aspirations which will lead to success as well as a warning to be careful of those around you who are jealous.

Whether or not it is something you believe in, it certainly is an experience.

Updates....

2011-05-27T23:50:00.000-07:00

As I'm sure you have noticed --- the look of the blog has changed a bit. I felt it was necessary, since I associated the old look with my past life.

During my absence I graduated from law school!!! ( YAY)

... and am now studying for the dreaded Bar Exam ( BOO)

But, i miss by blog dearly, and as it approaches midnight, I wanted to drop a quick note letting you know I will be posting again.

Life Changes....

2011-03-22T16:37:00.000-07:00

As I'm sure you have noticed, I have been MIA and I will be MIA for at least a couple more months.

Recently, my engagement came to an end and I am adjusting to the changes. Part of those changes means not having a kitchen at my disposal for a few months.

As soon as I am settled in, or at least of somewhat regular access to a kitchen I will resume posting.

Ideally, a refreshed soul and mind.

Pinkberry at home, pinkberry to go

2011-02-17T23:19:00.000-08:00

I don't know about the rest of you, but I am quite the fan of Pinkberry frozen yogurt. There is something about its smoothness and creaminess. But, the price is quite a deterrant. So, I set about to making my own version at home.

Simple, quick, clean eating. I don't have to worry about whether or not its made from real dairy, is really non fat, or is using fruit or "fruit essence" because I know exactly what I'm putting in it.

This time I wanted to make nonfat mango frozen yogurt. It was ah-mazing.

In a blender put one cup nonfat plain organic yogurt, and 2 -3 pieces of frozen mango halves from Trader Joes. Blend till combined and savor.

On another note. I was thinking about doing something unique for my wedding. What about having Pinkberry set up a dessert station?

I need to find out how much that would cost.....

This is how we do it

2011-02-12T22:44:00.000-08:00

I LOVE, absolutely Love having friends over for to eat at the same table with me. I have a slight obsession with filling peoples bellies with simple delights.

So, when Superbowl weekend came around I took the opportunity to invite people over. I'm not particularly a fan of football, but I was eager for an excuse to gather people around. This time, most of the inspiration was from my youth. Typical Persian/Armenian appetizers covered the dining table and side console....

The above consisted of four distinct items:

Armenian String Cheese. I used the "Karoun" brand, found at my local Costco of all places! If you havnt tried this before, you MUST try it soon. It has much more flavor than you typical school lunch brand. As an extra bonus, its actually stringy.
Valbreso French Feta cheese - A very light, simple sheeps milk Feta.
Bulgarian Feta Cheese - Lower in fat, and a slightly more "organic" or "gamey" flavor.
Soujuk - You can call it "Armenian Salami" if you'd like. That's how I grew up thinking about it. Flavored with Paprkia, Cumin and lots and lots of Sodium.

This particular display pleased a few people at least... those of us who grow up on it call it comfort food.

Yes, its simply a big tray of herbs. Basil, Cilantro and Parsley in particular . Oh, and radishes, don't forget the radishes. They are a must before the dinner entree, a perfect apertif. You fill a pita with the herbs, some raw onion and some butter of Feta and you are set.

Of course to balance out the Kettle Potato Chips and the platter of cheese, I needed to offer some vegetables. Other than the basic tray of crudites I tossed together a simple salad of english cucumber (though I would have preferred persian), Cherry tomatoes, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, chopped green onion and a pinch of diced cilantro and parsley.

Can you guess what the above consisted of? Hummus I think is the most obvious. I chose to buy it from Trader Joes and everyone loved it. I topped it off with some smoked paprika. Then the duplicates, diagonally from eachother is something similar to Raita, but the Persian version. It consists of yogurt, cumbers, a pinch of dried mint and dried basil ( more mint than basil), fresh chopped green onions, cilantro and dill. Its the perfect dip for chips, or just to eat alone -- i promise. Lastly, closest to you is a simple dip made from a yogurt product called Lebne, if you can't find it at a local store you can make it by placing whole milk plain yogurt in a cheese cloth and hanging it from something like the faucet over the sink, allowing the liquids to drip out. What you are left with is a thick yogurt product. Once you have this Lebne, simply add a bit of sea salt and freshly chopped shallots. Let it marinade over night. Think of it like onion dip, but better :)

Simple potato salad, the recipe can be found here.

Speaks for itself.....

A twist on loaded baked potatoes...

2011-02-10T21:36:00.000-08:00

A little bit of lowfat shredded cheese.....

A handful of diced anaheim peppers

( I would recommend sauteeing these separately first)

Sliced fresh Blackforest deli ham.

One light strine cheese, cubed.

All together now.

The rest is super simple.

For those days when you need something comforting really quick.

Microwave one or two large russet potatoes till the are fully cooked.

Dice, and place on the serving plate ( microwavable)

Layer the potatoes with the peppers, ham, and cheese.

Make sure to keep some cheese for the top layer because you know gooey melted

cheese makes you feel better on a snowy day

Ta-Da!

Something has gotta give

2011-01-13T23:17:00.000-08:00

I've been away for much to long. Havn't I? But I need to improve a bit on the blog. I don't think I will necessarily be able to have daily posts, but regular posts will return.

Yes, time is most definitely short these days, but cooking and baking are clearly big passions of mine. I think if you ask my co-workers they will agree!

Even though I've been sporadic in my blogging lately, I've been taking pictures, experimenting, and taking time for myself.

See... I went to visit Hoorig at Stanford and we took a day trip to San Francisco. I'm ready to go back again! I believe that is Alcatraz in the background.

There were some particularly bright breakfasts along the way. I have to admit I do admit the strawberries. Oatmeal isn't as appetizing as it used to be. Actually, its more likely that nothing is appetizing when I wake up at 5:30. How early do you eat breakfast?

Green vegetables.... actually as I put this post together I'm realizing I need to go back here. Fruits and vegetables disappeared over the holidays -- not completely, but enough. With a wedding coming up I can't keep making excuses. Speaking of the wedding -- we are going to our menu tasting this weekend. Hopefully they will let me make a blog post about it :)

Hoorig's mom's "Sawrma" -- also known as vegetarian stuffed grape leaves. They are simply amazing, melt in your mouth, you've never had anything like this before delicious.

I'm off to sleep. Wills and Trust tomorrow morning -- besides being completely practical, its actually interesting. ( A good motivator for waking up early, eh?)

Ancient Traditions

2010-11-17T18:48:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to visit my best friend's vineyard just outside of Fresno, CA. Actually, this is more than an opportunity -- it has become a yearly tradition for me, and now my fiance as well.

I took a few pictures I like and have posted them below along with a piece written by Hoorig Santikian, describing an old Armenian tradition that occurs towards the end of the grape season....

"From the first time I took my first three steps without falling, I can remember celebrating the traditional Armenian occasion, Masarah, the harvest of the grapes. Because my extended and immediate family lives on vineyards in the outskirts of Fresno, Masarah is a perfect family tradition to celebrate our Armenian heritage and culture.

Awakening at the crack of dawn, we make our way down the rows of vineyards to find the sweet reward of hidden golden grapes. With the morning sun beating on my face and my sticky clothes clinging to my body, it feels as though time has stopped. At that moment, with the bucket at my foot and a bundle of luscious grapes in my hands, I feel as though I am holding the vibrant sensation of life.

To my right sits my grandmother under a tree, her face marked by a familiar express. The wrinkles on her forehead and the brown coloring of her skin reflect the years of tiredness and aching. Her eyes, however, sparkle with dignified pride and innocent happiness as she watches the future generations carry on the family tradition. Yes, my grandmother’s job is well done. She has imparted her knowledge and tradition to us and instilled it deep in our hearts.

In her hand, my grandmother tightly clasps a tan antique cup, as if she is grasping onto a memory. I cannot distinguish between the pear shape of the mug and my grandmother’s fingers as both have the same aged look. Each crack, like the creases on my grandmother’s forehead, marks the history it has endured. If the mug could talk it would tell about past family Masarahs. You would hear the stories of past generations picking and smashing grapes as we do today, preparing to make our unique grape juice.

Each year I anxiously await the harvest. Having a family deep in family rituals fills me with an overwhelming sense of love. As I survey my surroundings I make a promise to myself: I vow to keep my family tradition alive.

Surrounded by close friends we wait in anticipation for the grape juice to end its final stage of preparation and become our homemade molasses. In the midst of this festive atmosphere I am awakened to Masarah’s true meaning: gratitude. The crushing of the grapes and the making of the grape juice symbolizes gratitude for the crop which our land yields each year.

My experience with the Masarah has shown me the importance of humble gratefulness and cultural appreciation. The Masarah is a profound part of my strong bond with my family and my deep respect for tradition. When I am eighty years of age, in the wake of modernization, I will hold the same antique cup and watch my children perform the ritual of the Masarah, as my grandmother does today. I will know that I have nourished a strong and loving family through age-old Armenian tradition."

-- Hoorig Santikian

Every year, the sounds of the military bugle wakes us up at the crack of dawn. Some of us begin preparing breakfast, while most of the youth and children pile into the back of a truck with buckets and scissors ( and parents) to harvest grapes for the days events. On average, there are 28 buckets used in the festivities.

The grapes are poured into burlap bags, along with the appropriate amount of lime powder, tied up and placed in a bathtub that has be reappropriated. Then, taking turns, 3-4 small children, or two of the older heftier ones ( like us) get into with bare feet and beging stomping on the grapes to crush out the juice which flows through a seive and into a bucket. It is a cathartic experience.

New traditions are added. This is after a family event and as such, it gets its unique spin.
For example, after experiencing a whole roast pig in Hawaii... Hoorig's father came home determined to roast a pig underground ever year during Masarah. So, he built the above pit out of concrete... the whole contraption with levers a pullys is a sight to see and definitely worth the trip.

This last image is of a "Khnotsi" a traditional
contraption built to make a drink called "taan" ( essentially whole plain yogurt and water)

Slowly but Surely

2010-11-09T14:39:00.000-08:00

Imagine a tall hill, bordering on the cusp of being labeled a mountain. At the top are a cluster of balls, varying in size. Some are massive -- others the size of a marble. A few of them sparkle with promise while one too many balls are a depressing dark matte black color. With the jolt from an earthquake, the balls tumble down the hill. Ideally, it would be nice if they stayed together like a herd of horses, but inevitably, a few of them take a turn and veer off course disappearing from site.

Those balls represent everything going on in my life, and something somewhere started the ground shaking and now i'm chasing the balls trying to keep up. One of the balls which veered off course was my lovely blog and now i'm trying to catch it and bring it back.

This morning I woke up at 5:15 am packed my yoga mat, weights and water for bridal bootcamp; packed clothes for the school day and a towel, makeup and soaps to shower at school, packed some food for the day in a half-awakened state and stumbled out my door with a 50 lb backpack of law books on my back, a gym bag purse and yoga mat on my shoulder, lunch bag on my arm, one 5lb weight in my sweater pocket, and another 5lb weight in my hand. It was a miracle I made it down the stairs in the pitch black carrying everything.

Bridal Bootcamp ...kicked my booty --its a good thing. I was so worn out that by the end I was legitimately nauseous and had to pause for a few minutes before walking to my car. I have to say it is motivating to be surrounded by other brides sweating to look fit and glamorous ( and healthy) on their wedding day.

Food has been rushed ( depressing, I miss my kitchen). I was ravenously hungry for two hours after the workout. I ate chicken... still hungry. I thought protein was supposed to stop hunger?? A latte didnt help either... I snacked and munched for a bit ( there may have been a pumpkin scone involved- Sorry Starbucks, you disappoint.... but motivate me to tackle the recipe myself)

Ironically, mid afternoon I am no longer hungry and so far only had a banana for "lunch" .

Another post-bootcamp observation -- I'm fidgety. How am I going to sit through 3 law school classes like this??? :)

Sorry Guys and Gals

2010-10-04T15:14:00.000-07:00

.... I was sick last week with the flu and now it seems I have a cold. Just when I got over one, another one popped up. Hopefully these will be my only colds/flus of the season. But, I have been tired, so cooking has taken the backburner. Instead I have been eating a lot of oranges.

I did receive the dried mushroom samples from Marx Foods and I am impatiently waiting to my energy so I can come up with and post a recipe using the amazing samples. They smell deliciously earthy.

Blogging to catch up

2010-09-27T23:59:00.000-07:00

Wow I have been MIA for longer than I wanted.... Life has a way of taking you up in a whirlwind. Plus, I think the fact that I am now only using my computer for blogging purposes and not taking my laptop to school might have something to do with it.

Honestly, my schedule has me coming home so late most nights of the week that dinner is becoming more practical planning than a gourmet adventure. Usually I make a large about of something on Monday night, and it needs to last through wed night. Thursdays I get home fairly late, but can still whip up something, albeit for a late dinner. Now, ironically Fri-Sun are the days I have "most time" to be coming up with new recipes. That is, after I do homework, copious amounts of reading and visit with some family and friends so they know im still ok and have not become a social recluse . lol

Oh, and did I tell you. There is a good chance I will be starting a part time job in a couple of weeks :) I'm excited -- a new opportunity to learn, excel.... and the added income doesn;t hurt, right ;)

Once that starts there will be even more adjusting to do, and maybe re-purposing of the blog. I could go the route where I document my daily eats, but would you be interested in that? Not sure what to do just yet, but I also dont want to leave the blog.... May turn into fitness/food/stories and the occasional recipe get together ( i hope)...

Anyhow, here are a few pics and notes from the past week or so...

Trying to eat healthy at school... there will probably be a repeat performance of sorts tomorrow evening. What do you eat at the school cafeteria that is healthy?

Unfortunately my options are very slim (vegetarian/vegan wise). Its pretty much exactly what you see ... salads, fruit and baked potato.

The other vegetarian options are .... eh, guilt inducing? Pizza, grilled cheese, fries, sweet potato fries and quesadilla. Yup, that's about it.

Sometimes, I wonder what it would be like if I took over the cafeteria for a week, just a week.

I also picked up a few ethnic ingredients from the market. Slightly ambitious, I was opening to use all of them in one week. Needless to say, I still have the grape leaves waiting for me and lots of pickles!

When I was a little girl I used to hate anything made with grape leaves, I think I might have just been anti-green for a year or two. But now, I love using grape leaves to make sarma a vegetarian recipe with rice, onions, herbs, lemon juice and tomato sauce... I did buy the big bottle of lemon juice, because you never know, I could use it in cooking or making lemonade. But fresh lemons win, always.

The Patak's mixed chutney/relish is for others, as are the pickled mangos. I'm not a big fan. If I had any at all, I think i'd like to make it fresh myself. Finally there is the huge can of MID EAST pickles ( my favorite brand). Wouldn't you know, when I was buying the small cans or didnt have any we wanted them the most, and now that I have two tupperwares full in my fridge, I barely cook meals that are accompanied by these delicious salty gems.

I finally found my HONEYCRISP apples ( Whole Foods, of course). They are definitely a splurge at $2.99/lb. Hopefully, trader joes will bring these in soon as well, at least there you get 6-7 apples for about $8.

I also found my favorite LARABAR flavor so far... Cherry pie. I'm a sucker for tart dried cherries to begin with, so it was an easy win for them.

There was also some roasting of Italian eggplants to go along with the whole wheat rotini marinara pictures below.

I wasnt to happy -- either my oven failed me, or technique. There was smoke at one point ( apparantly?) accompanied by the smoke alarm, but the eggplants were no where near burned, crisp or otherwise. I was baffled. I know one thing I can do is slice them thinner - I think I was hoping for the same effect you get when you put a half Italian eggplant on the barbecue -- wishful thinking.

See what I mean?? Don't get me wrong, they still tasted amazing. Roasted with a bit of olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper.

I also had lots of fun with vegetables. I think I enjoyed taking pictures and capturing their color more than I enjoyed eating them. Is that blasphemous? But look at the simplicity of the sweet potato and yam, and the vibrant colors of the gold and red beets!

This next dish also made its way into the weekly menu at some point. It was simple enough. Boil some orzo in just enough stock so that the stock is absorbed by the time the orzo is cooked ( I added sliced sun dried tomatoes in with the orzo so they would plump up in the process -- you could leave them out completely or soak them earlier and add them in at the last minute). Then in a separate pan caramelize some onions and sautee with eggplant. Toss the onions and eggplant in with the orzo along with some sliced bell pepper and green peas. The sauce, it oh so simple! Slowly add cream cheese and stir so it melts, add as little or as much as you like. Season with salt, pepper, basil, rosemary and oregano.

Seems like a decent way to get the kids to eat their veggies wouldn't you say? When I described it to my aunt and cousin they said it sounded like an updated, colorful mac n cheese.

I think I like that description -- perfect.

Are you up for a challenge?

2010-09-17T10:05:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

Recently, Justin from Marx Foods contacted me and asked if I was interested to take part in his " Blogger Mushroom Recipe Challenge".

I don't know about you, but I LOVE mushrooms -- especially when its not your average crimini, portobello, or button.

I of course jumped at the opportunity to participate :)

Though he already has some participants lined up, he would love a few more to make the challenge all that more exciting. So are you interested? Would you like to battle me in a challenge to come up with a winning wild mushroom recipe?

If you are, just check out Justin's website and let him know you would like to join in.

I look forward to finding out which of you become my competitors....

Missing my honey...

2010-09-13T11:25:00.000-07:00

Honeycrisp apple that is! I cannot wait for them to come back into season. The apples pictured above are Fuji Apples -- the apples that hold me over until autumn brings the plethora of apples back into the markets. Has anyone seen honeycrisps in their local market??

In keeping with cold mornings, Steel cut oats are making a comeback. Though I used to make complicated, flavorful combinations like White Chocolate Cheesecake Raspberry , and Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal . These days I tend to be keeping things simple with Steel Cut Oats cooked in vanilla soymilk -- mix in fresh farmers market strawberries, and top with a few more for eye candy and you have the perfect morning oatmeal to bridge the gap between summer and fall.

Admittedly, just looking at the pictures of the pumpkin pie oatmeal is making me want to head to the store to pick up some canned pumpkin......I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE autumn and winter. Yes, I actually enjoy the occasional cloudy day -- it provides the opportunity to cozy up under a soft blanket, with a cup of warm tea; the excuse to accessorize with cute hats, beanies and winter coats; and prompts lots of jovial get-togethers. Finally, the spices of season warm my heart and soul: pumpkin pie spice, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg -- spice cake like Monet made, apple cider, gingerbread cookies. ( Ok, now i'm daydreaming and I should really be heading off to the gym ...)

Settling in

2010-09-12T18:03:00.000-07:00

Change takes time. Change takes focus. Patient + Focus = Rewards

I am happily settled into a workout routine, in fact I look for opportunities now to get an extra activity in our extended my planned workout for the day because it just feels that good to sweat and move your body. I toyed around with veganism for the last week, and though I dont mind it personally, it presents a challenge when I add in the rest of my world to the equation ( friends, family etc). I think , for the moment I will be "mostly vegan" but a tad of Parmesan here, or a couple organic eggs there will be ok.

I'm proud to say that in the last 5 weeks or so, I have lost a total of 10 lbs. While that isnt as much as I was hoping for, it certainly isnt anything to complain about either.

I've begun exploring alternative " minimally processed" snacks like the larabar. So far, I have only tried a couple of flavors including cashew cookie and gingerbread I think it was? It was alright -- its basically a combination of nuts, dates and spices. But when it comes down to it I think I prefer the original product. Good old medjool dates and walnuts soaked in water for about a day. Doesn't it just look beautiful ??

Simple seems to be the way to go lately. Nevertheless, I think the Larabar is perfect for a school day when you want a snack on hand for emergencies. I may experiment in making my own in the near future. Stay tuned for that...

Other eats have been full of fruits, veggies and legumes. Tofu is an ingredient I have yet to master and if I make it into the second round of the Food Blog Project Challenge where we have to tackle and conquer a new ingredient/classic dish, I just may pick Tofu.

The green monster has become a staple in my diet . Thank you Costco for your deals on spinach: 1 lb of organic spinach for $3 -- its a steal, no?

Dishes like homemade guacamole and pico de gallo are stored away in the convenient Tupperware for the "go-to-snack"

I made a traditional persian stew with yellow split beans that I have blogged about in the past, but vegetarian style of course :)

It includes yellow split peas, tomato sauce, saffron, dried persian lemons ( those brown round things at the front of the picture) Cinnamon and turmeric. I think I ate the leftovers everyday for lunch and never tired. It is definitely a comfort food for me.

Served in a bowl on a cold winters night.... yummmmm ( yes, I know winter is not here yet, but those random freezing nights in the middle of August/September could have you second guessing mother nature)

( Picture of the stew below....)

There was also an attempt at making a vegan apple custard pie. There is a reason no pictures will be posted, even if it looked pretty as I was assembling it... the result tasted good, but looked very very unappealing. If I were to make it again, there would mostly definitely be changes in technique and even ingredients.

"Healthy" and "dessert" don't seem to marry well together, unless its a fruit salad and i'm not sure that counts.

Honor your body

2010-08-27T22:05:00.000-07:00

I've noticed, I don't make changes well when I do them gradually as most recommend. It has to be cold turkey with me. Case in point, my decision to work out 5-6 times a week. I went to sleep one night and woke up the next morning with the determination to " just do it" and not be lazy. Truthfully, its taking care of myself, and If I don't do it, no one else is going to. I didn't start working out 3 times a week, 30 minutes a day like you find in health brochures because that never worked in the past.

Thankfully, I have this workout thing squared away and because of classes I have been taking such as Yoga and Pilates, my outlook on health has adjusted as well. One thing I have hear instructors say several times in the past few weeks is the phrase " honor your body". It's a simple statement, but so profound as well. How often to we stop ourselves to ask if the choices we are making daily are actually good for our body, honoring our body? Do we listen to our body to hear what it needs?

This combined with another phrase I have heard recently, " eat to live, don't live to eat". The statement in turn led me to conduct a google search which led me to the book " Eat to Live" by Dr. Fuhrman. I'm not sure if it is the timing in my life or that the contents of the book truly spoke to me, but my whole outlook on food has changed. I feel like I have just woken up and realized what is surrounding me. I highly recommend this book, but if you like, you can wait and see how I am effected by following its suggestions.

Essentially he recommends a 6-week induction period where the diet is completely vegan -- however, processed starches and high-starch vegetables like potatoes are limited. I know it sounds extreme, but read the book before you judge. Though he suggests eating 1 lb of raw green veggies and 1 lb of cooked veggies a day, I cannot eat that much, I'm sorry. I did buy lots of spinach today and i'll be making green monsters to get the green leafy vegetables in that way. It's a work in progress, but if feels right, just like the workout regime felt right.

Strawberries for example, are becoming a part of my daily food intake ( at least while they are in season)

I've also purchased lots of new veggies to try like golden beets, beets, baby broccoli and Italian eggplant. Whole Foods may become my best friend... maybe.

Orientation, in-n-out, and sweat

2010-08-23T00:29:00.000-07:00

Don't you love it when everyone gets an email but the computer oddly has a glitch and you are left out?

Originally , I had plans to workout this morning then head to school to buy ridiculously expensive law books for the impending semester.

Thankfully, I called my friend Thursday morning before leaving the house and she told me it "welcome back" day for graduating students. This of course meant a change of plans. Thankfully I made it to school on time. To compensate us for spending a good chunk of our day at school listening to horrible stories about the bar exam and the third year of law school, the administration brought in two in-n-out trucks to feet the ravenous students in the late afternoon. It was good, but not perfect... no onions, no ketchup, no mustard -- my picky palate did protest just a little bit.... ask Carolyn.

After, I felt horrible, I admit. But, I thought the gym might make me feel better, hence this workout followed:
45 minutes on the "comfy bike" ( the one that doesnt hurt the derrier), 1 hour of yoga, and 1 hour of " S.E.T" (a combination of aerobics, step and strength training). Yoga was decent, the bike was a breeze, but SET did me in, I couldn't keep up to my liking -- perhaps muscle fatigue.

I didn't make it to the gym on Friday, so when we purchased a desk set ( Desk, filing cabinet, bookshelf) I decided to put it together myself... 3 hours later, a very sweaty Marina felt it would do for the "workout" of the day. Saturday was spent at a school function from 9 am to 9:30 pm and since I was up till about 2 am Friday night, waking up at 5 am on Saturday to go to the gym consisted of opening my eyes, thinking " ughhhhh my body hurts and im so tired", possibly saying that phrase out loud, then setting my alarm for 7 am. Finally, Sunday was spent running errands and watching a couple of Blueray movies we rented from redbox. It's literally a 5 minute walk from home -- so convenient. The evening finished with a nice 1 hour walk outdoors.

Honestly, I can't wait for the weather to cool down just a little bit.
1) I will be able to sleep better
2) I can workout outdoors more often, instead of having to head to the gym or wait till it get dark out.

Sunday morning brunch consisted of eggs, scrambled with a pinch of seasoning salt, garlic salt and dried basil -- SMF ( So Much Flavor )

I also snuck in a good amount of our daily fiber intake but using double fiber bread for breakfast toast :p

Of course, to seal the deal, fresh homemade hash browns. After grating the potatoes, I washed them in a bowl of water to get rid of the excess starch. This helped the hash browns to come out more crunchy than mush. Don't forget to squeeze out excess water and pat dry before placing the potato in the hot oiled pan.

The finished result looked something like this... Simple, homey and delicious. What do you make on Sunday mornings for breakfast/brunch?

Yoga, you suprised me

2010-08-18T19:09:00.000-07:00

Wow, Lea was right. I went to the 1 hr yoga class and I was " sweating buckets" just as she predicted. It was so bizarre, you are moving in a space no bigger than 8-10 sq ft per person, your heart may or may not be racing, but you are sweating like crazy -- i might have well been in a spinning class I was sweating so much. Admittedly, there were a few flops, falling out of poses, inability to hold certain positions as long as others -- but considering it was my first class ever, it was great.

On the way home, I stopped by at the grocery store. I was craving a hummus cucumber sandwich. But, alas, while I found bread I was happy with I did not find cucumbers or hummus at a reasonable price. Sabra was $6 -- really??? Made me miss Trader Joes....

So, my next thought was to make a traditional cold cut sandwich, substituting cheese/mayo with avocado. So, I headed over to the deli section, and sampled at least three or four cold cuts, putting each aside after only one bite. A while ago, I cut out cold cuts from my diet, and now it seems I wont be able to include them ever again... taste buds rejected them.

I knew I wanted some sort of protein in the sandwich, but veggie patties were on the expensive side this week ( I try to only buy items on sale -- the economy ya know). Finally, it struck me, egg sandhich :)

Simple, affordable and packed with protein. I picked up some red leaf lettuce and tomatoes and went home to construct the meal. Speaking of meal... the lady at the deli counter said she never eats sandwiches or anything cold because she prefers " real meals that must be hot". Ok I guess? But its over 100 degrees out -- no thank you.

Once home, I began assembling the " non meal" sandwich. Two pieces of fiber bread put me at 40% on my daily fiber requirements, a fresh tomato off the vine, two organic cage free eggs, and light string cheese from trader joes.
Once piece of bread was topped with ketchup. the other with horseradish mustard.

Some sliced tomatoes and "stringed cheese " made the next layer of the sandwich.

Two fried eggs came next, topped with red leaf lettuce...

Et, voila!

I think Daisy would like this one, vegetarian friendly and colorful.

Served with some baked Ruffles Chips and Trader Joes Fat Free European Organic Yogurt = perfectly satisfying lunch.

I ate half the sandwich and felt full beyond capacity... the other half is sitting in the fridge in saran wrap. Hopefully, it will last till tomorrow?? I think next time I will just make the half sandwich to start with :)

Yoga was great, I'm not craving much for dinner, maybe just fruit. Its either the heat, or yoga. Dunno which.
Contemplating another workout tonight... Is 1 hour of yoga enough of a workout for someone trying to lose weight?

No pain, no gain?

2010-08-18T10:35:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in earlier posts, I've finally adopted the habit of nearly daily workouts. Its great, I love the feeling of sweating like crazy ( does that sound weird?)

Well, yesterday I decided to mix it up a little bit. I started off with 15 min on the elliptical machine to warm up then took a class at 24-fitness called "24Cycle Shift n' Lift ". Basically its 30 minutes of intense spinning, followed by 30 minutes of guided weightlifting with barbells, and free weights. To top it off, she finished with a set of ab exercises and plank/pushups. I then followed this with 30 more minutes on the elliptical. It felt great.

Well, this morning .... actually at about 4 am this morning, the soreness set in -- back, triceps, biceps, gluteus, quads... you get the picture.

I don't know whether to be happy or sad that there is soreness. Does it mean it was a really good workout? Do I tough it out and workout again through the pain? Does it mean (gasp) I'm getting old???

I had another one of these for breakfast this morning : Fat free milk, frozen bananas, flax seed, honey, vanilla, and a tiny piece of frozen mango.

I'm contemplating yoga today -- what is the payoff exactly though? I know it helps with flexibility and stress, but how does it fare when it comes to weight loss?

Right now I have the luxury of working out mid morning or mid afternoon, for one hour or three hours... but starting next week my third year of law school officially begins. Its a little hard to believe. What does this mean for my new workout regime? Its going to have to move to the morning... VERY EARLY in the morning. Fun times. It'll be ok as long as I dont fall asleep in class.

Dinner last night was on a whim. I picked up a few items from Whole Foods and combined them with other items I had in my pantry and came up with this group of ingredients:

Bella Terra Organic 8 whole grain pasta with milled flax seed, button mushrooms, fresh asparagus, sun dried tomatoes and basil pesto. I later chose to add the following ingredients: 1/2 cup of chicken broth, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp grated Gruyere cheese.

While the fusili was boiling away in one pot, I sliced, the veggies and cooked them up in another, using the broth as a heating medium instead of oil. I added the pesto and Gruyere last. It tasted fine, though I would have loved to add fresh diced tomatoes and fresh Parmesan as well, but I was making due with what I had.

The picture is off, I know. I wasn't patient enough to wait for the pasta to cool down before taking a picture. So, the steam got in the way - I'm sorry. I'm still adjusting to using my droid for pictures... at least until i find that darn camera cable.

.... to be continued.

Recipe + lunch

2010-08-16T15:14:00.001-07:00

As promised, here is the recipe for the morning pancakes.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup mashed banana

1 tbsp packed brown sugar

1 egg white

1/2 egg yolk

1/8 cup organic plain nonfat yogurt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp almond extract

Directions:
Mix the ingredients well, saving the baking soda for last. It will react with the yogurt making the batter/pancake fluffy.

Recipe makes two large pancakes at about 1/3 cup batter each.

Nutrition:

263 calories

3 grams fat

5 grams fiber

13 grams protein

LUNCH

A simple combination of red kidney beans, spices, and a touch of lowfat mozzarella String cheese = fusion between jumbo flavors and " refried beans".

Tasted yum I promise. Nutrition : 333 calories, 6 grams fat, 16 grams protein. (plus 1/2 cup blessed grapes)

Banana almond pancakes

2010-08-16T12:41:00.001-07:00

Test post. If this works, recipe to follow.

New improvments

2010-08-15T22:59:00.001-07:00

Since I recently moved to a new, better apartment i misplaced my camera cable - hence no pics uploaded to my computer and no blog posts. But since the move I have adopted the new habit of excersising in some shape/form daily (awesome right?)

Also, I bought a droid 2 today which means i can post from my phone ( i think-test run here) . Look for more posts on a regular basis . Better late than never???

Much love,

Mar

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.2

Adventures of the Palate

2010-07-19T20:45:00.000-07:00

I need to be more adventurous. No, wait -- I WANT to be more adventurous. Life is short, too short to wait around for others to help, to short to wait for "things to get better", to short to live a repetitive life. This week, the students at my school received the somber news that one of our classmates passed away from pneumonia. Yes, apparently the developed country we live in still lets its citizens pass away from pneumonia. How depressing. I had pneumonia when I was 7 or 8, and I remember the doctor cautioned me that if I were to get sick with it again, it could be fatal. My classmate and I were discussing how we would feel if we had spent the last two years of our lives in law school, only to pass away right before the third year began -- miserable and pissed. There would be a million ways I would rather spend my time if it knew it was so limited.

This year has been filled with more than enough reminders of life's brevity. Please make the best of each day, live life to the fullest ( albeit responsibly and safely) and experience new things. One small way I want to do this is by trying new food/health products. For example, coconut water is supposed to be an awesome source of electrolytes.

Here are some of the benefits the website attributes to young coconut water:

- Excellent for replacing lost electrolytes from exercise or illness
- An all-natural sports/energy drink
- A natural isotonic beverage – contains a similar level of electrolytes found in human blood.
- May help promote smoother, more hydrated skin
- Non-allergenic
- Rich in potassium. Potassium helps regulate blood pressure and heart function
- Effective oral rehydration medium and keeps the body cool.

I personally found the drink to be refreshing, it did have a very slight " thickness" to it. It was probably just mere awareness that it was not traditional water. The touch of Guava was the perfect addition to give it a refreshing taste. Admittedly I felt a slight bit of energy afterward as well as the feeling that I had just put something clean and beneficial into my system rather than typical processed foods.

I do have some plain coconut water in my fridge which I havn't tried yet, slightly worried about the flavor, or lack of flavor, but I will get to it soon and report the results.

Happy Birthday to me

2010-07-16T16:35:00.000-07:00

Flowers from my Hunny. Aren't they beautiful? I officially turned 26 years old on Tuesday. Gahh... officially over a quarter century old. When I was younger I used to think I would have so much accomplished by 26 -- grad school, career started, married, happy, stable. Needless to say, I am running at least one year behind.

No crazy celebrations this year, Art took me to Cafe Bizou in Pasadena which is one of my go to "economical" French restaurants. I've never really had a bad experience there. My only complaint would be that there was a little too much butter in the balsamic glaze this week, but the chicken was perfectly moist.

I like making these" french/gourmet" meals or whatever you may call them. Last week I made filet mignon with a balsamic leek glaze, leek-mashed potatoes, and oven roasted asparagus

The filet looks a little dark, I know, but its from the heavenly balsamic glaze. I got the idea from Giada de Laurentis, but tweaked it a bit of course.

Filet Mignon - To start with , I marinated the filets in red wine for about an hour. This allowed it to absorb both the flavor and deep red color. To make the filet, I seasoned it with fresh cracked salt and pepper and seared it on all sides. I finished the filets by topping them with some chevre and placing them under the broiler for 5 minutes. Please be careful and do not make the mistake I did -- placing them on the very top rack and setting the broiler to " high". The oil/fat from the cheese and filets literally fueled the broiler flames even after I turned it off, it was scary. I recommend either setting the broiler on low or places the filets at least 6 inches away from the flames. If I had a cast Iron skillet I would have used it for this dish ... another thing to add to the wish list.

Roasted Asparagus - This one was simple to make -- spread the asparagus evenly on a baking sheet and top with diced garlic and olive oil. It turned out fine I guess, but my favorite way to make asparagus is still sauteed.

Leek mashed potatoes - The french make puree by dicing their potatoes and cooking them in milk... this was a variation on that since I used beef broth in place of the milk. Then in a separate pan, I lighlty sauteed the white part of the leek and added half of it to the potatoes once they had absorbed the broth. A good way to measure out the amount of liquid needed is to fill your pot with desired amount of cubed potatoes, then add liquid, leaving the top 1 inch of the potatoes dry. Once the liquid is absorbed and potatoes are cooked, you can add desired amount of salt, sour cream and the leeks and mash away.

Leek Balsamic Glaze - I used 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar along with 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of brown sugar. Simply combine the ingredients and simmer until it condenses into a syrup/glaze. Lastly add in the remainder of your sauteed leeks.

Summer Strawberry Shortcake

2010-07-08T15:54:00.001-07:00

Easy, surprisingly low-fat and low-calorie Summer dessert.

I ventured into Whole Foods and found these " dessert cups" which are like mini angel food/pound cakes at only 100 calories each. Conveniently they also had "fat free" aerosol whipped cream. Real dairy-yes; fat- no.
I have to admit, I was a bit worried about the taste but it passed the fiancee test with flying colors :)

Of course, if you want to indulge you can always make homemade whipped cream ( as in the pictures above), but the fat free version was just as scrumptious and very guilt-free. The freshly sliced strawberries are a perfect addition, especially these from local strawberries from Whole Foods were perfectly sweet!!

Caprese Pasta and Stanford

2010-07-07T11:08:00.000-07:00

So... to start with, sorry for being MIA. I decided to go visit my best friend from my UCLA years. She is currently pursuing a PhD at Standford (impressive, no? -- I think so). Anyhow, it was a much needed, relaxing experience. The trees on campus are beautiful and the air is noticeably cleaner then down in smoggy LA.

However, the one catch about Stanford was that if I wanted internet I had to pay $30/week for it -- which I wasnt prepared to do. So, instead, I took a hiatus from the internet world for a while and it was refreshing.

Now i'm back, summer vacation is nearly over. So much happening this month. My birthday is Tuesday, I have my Tax Law final on the 27th, I'm moving to a new place the weekend of the 31st and I have the MPRE exam the first week of August. Then of course, fall classes start within a couple of weeks of that. Rollercoaster, here I come. I'm guessing it wont be over until after the BAR exam.

Anyhow, quick, simple and fresh pasta recipe for the hot summer days.

( Serves 1-2 people) Chop two roma tomatoes, 1/4 cup of resh basil, 2-3 garlic cloves, and 1/3 cup of fresh mozzarella. Set aside in a bowl while you boil your favorite pasta) 2-5 oz). Once the pasta is cooked, drain the pasta and place it back in the pot on low heat. Pour in the vegetables and cheese -- toss over medium heat for about 3 minutes and serve.

Baking, Cooking, Pondering

2010-06-23T19:54:00.000-07:00

I've been doing all the above the past week. I have new pictures in my digital camera to post, but im sitting in Federal Income Tax Law. We get a 10-min break, for a 3 hour class.

I've also been struggling with food. Do I eat too much? at the wrong times? I need to figure out what is going to work for ME personally to lose weight, and im struggling. I feel like i need to hit the reset button, start all over, reprogram my brain -- if only it was that easy. But im trying.

Dinner today was " nasty" in my fiance's words -- some beef jerkey and 10 oz of unripe mangos. I wish I had more mangos and less jerky. But, honestly the only reason I even got the jerky was because of the protein content. How important is protein anyways. Esther told me someon told her that u have to take your body weight and divide in half, then eat that many grams of protein a day. Yikes!

Ugh, I have lots to decipher and I need to do it ASAP. I'm determined to prove people wrong. I get the feeling that people think I will never be thin, they sort of scoff when i talk about being thin in the future tense.

How much protein do you eat a day?

Photo blog, food blog, or photo food blog???

2010-06-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

Some of the above breakfast later became this....

An easy summer smoothie, no juices required thanks to the watermelon. Once blended, it provides enough liquid for the whole drink . Watermelon, honeydew and an array of frozen berries make for a nutrition packed colorful glass.

Another great summer dish is the cabbage salad below:

Simply layer julienned cabbage with grated carrots, julienned radishes, diced cilantro and sliced red onions until bowl is full. Dress with the juice of 1 lemon, 2 tablespoons of oilive oil, salt/pepper and 1/2 tsp of dried mint. This is one of those salads that tastes even better the second and third day.

Summer eats

2010-06-07T19:45:00.000-07:00

Early mornings waking up to fresh cut strawberries topped with organic yogurt and blueberry flax granola.....

I LOVE SUMMER . That is, i love summer as long as my AC is able to keep my apartment at 80F or lower. Alas, it cannot, as soon as we turn of the AC, its up to 86 degrees again.

Nevertheless, I crave fruit and yogurt all day, and cooking is not as enticing, particularly since the oven/stove functions as a heater. Time for some creativity. What meals to you begin to make in the heat of the summer?

On another note, I whipped up a batch of guilt free whole wheat banana oat bran bread:

Whole Wheat Banana Oat Bread

Ingredients
1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c oat bran
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp honey
2 eggs, 1 egg white
2 ripe bananas, mashed

Direction

Preheat oven to 350F

In a small bowl, combine the flour, oatbran, baking soda, baking power and spices. In a larger bowl, combine the eggs, banana, sugar, honey and cream ( you can substitute the cream with 1/4 cup of either plain nonfat yogurt or 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce -- i didnt have either).

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Once combined, STOP -- do not overmix.
Pour into pregreased loaf pan and bake for 40-45 minutes.

Healthy Breakfasts

2010-06-04T15:45:00.000-07:00

Scrambled egg whites served on top of an "alternative bagel" along with 2% American cheese and green onion, grapefruit

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

Ingredients

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 small very ripe banana
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 egg whites
1/3 cup , 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp organic plain nonfat yogurt

Directions: First mix the wet ingredients together starting with the egg whites, vanilla and sugar, then add the spices and yogurt. Finally mix in the banana , and lastly the flour.
Makes slightly more than 3 pancakes at 1/4 cup batter each.

A return to life, a return to health

2010-06-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been very difficult for my fiance and I, particularly my fiance and his family. We took a trip out of town this weekend, hoping it would serve as a distraction from the sadness of 2010, but came home only to witness his dog of 16 years pass away. Life is most definitely full of unexpected things and we can only do so much to protect ourselves. But, even if it seems healthy habits are not a guarantee, at least they are some sort of protection right?

Anyhow, I am making a rededicated effort to come back to the blog world and praying that we have had our fill of depressing news for the year.Over the past couple of weeks I have begun working out again, sometimes 2 -2.5 hours a day. I am working on finding a balance. As of yesterday, I began tracking calories ( fun I know... but I need to slim down for the forthcoming wedding).

BREAKFAST:

A Western Bagel, "Alternative Bagel" 1.5 tbsp of whole foods cream cheese, and fresh honeydew/strawberries ( 296 cal, 40 carb, 14 fat, 12 protein)

LUNCH:

Trader Joe's Veggie Masala Patties, 1 raw carrot, 1 cup fat free plain yogurt + cherry/pineapple popsicle ( 463 cal, 46 carb, 16 fat, 19 protein)

DINNER:
Corn before -->

corn after...

Oven Broiled Corn on the Cob, Haricot Vert dish [recipe below] ( 409 cal, 60 carb, 12 fat, 20 protein)

Recipe:

Sautee 1 medium one onion in 1/2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil on low heat, allowing it to caramelize. To aid in the process add a pinch or two of brown sugar. Next, add 2 cloves diced garlic and continue to caramelize. Now add 2 cups of haricot vert and 2 medium diced baked potatoes ( microwaved works too). Stir well, and cook for a couple of minutes. Lastly, in a separate bowl, whisk together 2 eggs and 2 egg white along with salt, pepper, and choice of spices. Pour this on top of the vegetables and cover for 1 minute, then stir. Repeat until the eggs are cooked. Makes 2-3 servings.

SNACKS throughout the day included a fuji apple, home made rice krispie treat and a ~~couple~~ more Popsicles. It was a hot day, what can I say. My apt got to 95 degrees at one point. ( 487 cal, 63 carb, 1 fat, protein)

WORKOUT: 30 minutes on the eliptical , intervals ( 290 cal) 30 minutes on weight machines.

RIP

2010-05-05T19:54:00.000-07:00

On April 28, 2010, my finace's sister passed away from pulmonary fibrosis at the age of 25 years. It was a very tragic and sad experience which we are still coping with. Her fight began on New years and barely lasted 5 months. Too soon. Too young.

The Pulmonary fibrosis was brought on from radiation treatment she recieved as a teenager for stage 4 hodgkins lymphoma. Please be aware that this condition may result as a side effect of radation treatment, and please appreciate the health you have, and the family that surrounds you.

Life is too short and too fragile.

I will be back within a couple of weeks....,

Banana layer cake

2010-04-26T10:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I had five bananas sitting in a vase, over-ripe begging to be transformed. So I threw together a cake recipe on a whim, hoping it would turn out alright. The cakes came out beautifully, smelled great and tasted delish. The caramel vanilla meringue frosting on the other hand ....

The cake had the following ingredients:
1/2 cup pcked brown sugar
1/4 cup veggie oil
4 eggs, separated. yolk is for batter, whites is for meringue frosting
12 oz evaporated 2 % milk
5 ripe bananas
1tbsp vanilla
2 1/2 cup flour
1tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

First using a handheld mixer blend the banana with the egg yolk until well combined, then blend in the brown sugar, oil, vanilla and evaporated milk one item at a time.
In a separate bowl, combine the baking powder, baking soda, and flour. Slowly add this to the wet mixture.

Preheat the oven to 350 F, and pour the batter into two 8 inch cake pans lined with wax paper and sprayed with Pam ( or butter)

Bake for 35-40 minutes.

No pictures of this one because I wasnt happy with them this time around.

I also made the mistake of frosting the cake last night and woke up to find that the cake had absorbed most of it turning it into a "wet/moist" banana cake. Some people like this type of pastry - I dont. LESSON LEARNED.

I'm not even going to tell you about the frosting until I perfect the recipe and technique.

Any suggestions for frosting a cake like this? Is there a frosting that will last a few days without being refrigerated? I know lots of people use butter-cream frosting but as you noticed, I didn't even use butter in the cake -- trying to stay away from fat when possible.

Followup to Racconto Giveaway

2010-04-15T14:18:00.000-07:00

As promised, Judi at Racconto is running a special following the giveaway. All new customers will receive 15% off their order if made in the next four days. She also mentioned that if you subscribe to their email list she will keep you updated with their future promotions and specials.

With finals around the corner, I'm spending nearly 12 hours a day on campus, and will soon probably switch to only 5 hours of sleep. Any recommendations on how to keep eating healthy while away from home for such long periods of time and/or being awake and studying for so long?

Racconto Winner and.... my status until May 13th

2010-04-13T18:34:00.000-07:00

Hey all, Finals are literally around the corner and I am definitely stressing out. I will not have time to post regularly as evidenced by last week. But, come May 13th, things should go back to normal :)

I finally got around to RANDOM.ORG and used it to pick the winner of the giveaway and the winner is SWEETLIFE! congrats hun.

Please email me your address and contact info and I will forward it to Judi at Racconto so she can send the gift basket your way.

Healthy eats and Racconto Review

2010-04-07T11:51:00.000-07:00

A simple dish of chicken and broccoli served with brown jasmine rice, along with a side of Constitutional Law in the background...

Ingredients

Chicken breast ( boneless skinless, washed and diced)
Fresh broccoli spears
1/2 cup sliced scallions
1/8 cup Trader Joes Soyaki
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth

Simply spray a sautee pan with Pam, add some red chili flakes and the washed and diced chicken breast. Let the chicken slightly brown on all sides, then add the chicken broth and soyaki. Cover the pan, bring it to a rapid simmer and let it stay this way for about 10 minutes or until liquid dissipates. Lastly, toss in the fresh scallions and soy sauce, warm through for one minute. Ready to serve :)

------------------------

Sometimes last week I finally got around to trying some of the Racconto products. I chose to make the Organic 8 whole grain pasta with sprouted wheat grass, and serve it with a vegetable Ragu i made from the San Marzano tomatoes, onion, fresh basil and bell peppers.

I have to admit, the tomatoes tasted slightly acidic to me, but I think that is only because I was anticipating a very sweet tomato ( like the kind you get in Maggianos gnocchi entree). Nevertheless, i balanced out the situation with a pinch of sugar, a dash of white wine, and a handful of sweet bell peppers.

Along with the sauteed onions, salt/pepper, 5-6 fresh cloves of garlic, and 1/2 cup of sliced basil the sauce came together beautifully.

Best of all, the pasta itself was AMAZING. Personally, I have had my share of whole wheat pastas, and generally they are fine, but you have to admit, regular pasta has something special. Well, ladies and gentlemen, this one surpassed all whole wheat pasta varieties I have tried thus far! Not only was the texture perfect, but the flavor was unassuming -- it was just right, not too bland and not overpowering.
I am SUPER excited about trying the rest of the organic whole grain pastas, especially if they are just as impressing as this one.

Speaking of Racconto-- today is the last day for the giveaway. If you havn't entered yet, please do so you can have a chance at winning a basket of these inspiring products.

Attempting to stay healthy while begining to attack finals...

2010-04-06T20:45:00.000-07:00

Dinners are looking more like this : roasted brussel sprouts and broccoli along with a sweet potato and less like this:

Not that Indian food is unhealthy, but that I've resolved to only eat either potato, brown rice, whole wheat pasta or whole grains ( like barely and quinoa) as my source of carbs with meals. As much as I like regular basmati rice and grew up on it, I will have to stay away in the interest of my waist line...

As most of you know, I am engaged but I havnt set up a wedding date -- and I refuse to do so until I am below a certain dress size. Motivation? I hope so!

Some of you may know that Eastern Europeans often bake an Easter bread. The one Armenians make is called "Paska" and one of the most prominent flavors is that of orange. ( I should have taken a picture of one when I went home from Easter since I can't seem to find any accurate ones online). Anyways, I wanted to make a healthy fat-free muffin that would evoke a similar flavor but me much more guiltfree than the original.

The resulting product was this batch of muffins which I made using Sweet Potatoes. When I told my dad about these, he made a face and was confused as to how a vegetable could be in a sweet dessert item, but I explained it works just like pumpkin and bananas.

They came out so cute and perfectly shaped. I was ecstatic.

The Ingredients:

1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 Tbsp fresh orange juice
The Zest of one orange
2 cups all purpose flour
3 Tbsp powdered sugar
1 1/3 cup cooked sweet potato ( I roasted it in the oven until it began emitting a sticky syrup)
3 large organic eggs ( yolks and whites separated)
1/3 cup plain fat free organic yogurt ( organic helps give it the tart bread-like flavor)
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla bourbon extract
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves

In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients ( flour, spices, baking soda, and baking powder) In another small bowl, place the egg white and keep them refrigerating. Finally, in a large bowl:
1) combine the egg yolks, sugar, orange, orange zest
2) Mix in the sweet potato
3) Stir in the applesauce and yogurt
4) Add the vanilla extract

Next, I chose to mix in the dry ingredients before folding in the whipped egg whites. This turned out fine, you could try folding in the egg white before adding the flour, or not separates the eggs at all -- I'm just letting you know how I made them this time :)

Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes in a lined muffin tin pan.

I loved these. Not only was the flavor exactly what I was looking for, but each one is fat free and less than 150 calories each. Best of all, they were very filling!! Sometimes, one muffin was even too much.

Petite Dejeuner

2010-03-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

STEEL CUT OATS TOPPED WITH DRY SHREDDED COCONUT, BROWN SUGAR, AND GHIRADELLI CHOCOLATE CHIPS :)

Just another in my line of " Is it breakfast or is it dessert?" oatmeal ... like the pumpkin pie oatmeal, apple pie oats, and white chocolate cheesecake raspberry oats.

If the morning is just cold enough, any kind of bowl of oats will do. But as spring has officially arrived in Sunny Cali the mornings are getting warmer and breakfasts will have to change. I see smoothies and overnight oats in the future.

Today, however, was a simple compilation:

One organic egg in a "basket" of Nature's Own Double Fiber Bread, topped with a bit of basil. Served along with one Roma tomato, sliced, filled with slivers of garlic, seared and topped with sea salt and dried mint, and two slices of Canadian bacon.

Speaking of hot days and cold food remedies, I have been munching on Trader Joe's frozen slightly sweetened cranberries all day. All that is left is an empty bag and the beautiful berries sitting in a cup thawing with the heat generated by my laptop.... I will take a pretty picture with my next purchase of these red jewels.. I promise.

There is supposed to be a post here

2010-03-29T11:37:00.000-07:00

about Breakfasts.... but darn blogger won't upload the pics I have! I will try again later today. In the meantime enter my Racconto giveaway :)

I promise a review will be coming this week. Its just one of those months where everything that is planned gets turned upside on its head.... u know what i mean.

Purely Decadent

2010-03-26T16:30:00.000-07:00

Have you tried this yet? I read about it on some vegan blogs, but never really got around to trying it. Mostly I was deterred by the $4 price tag. But then I realized (duh moment) that I pay more than $4 just for 1 serving of Pinkberry, and this has 4 servings!! Plus, I have been on a search for new foods lately.

For example, I have never eaten fish before -- cooked or raw and i tried a piece of my friends spicy tuna roll. It definitely wasn't fishy, but the texture was not fun for my palate -- too soft, too much mayo, too mushy.

Back to the coconut milk "ice cream" -- it was amazingly light and refreshing. The best part is that it has less calories than "premium ice cream" and it has 6 grams of fiber per serving. If you havnt tried it, you should. I tried the coconut flavor, but I'm sure the others are just as great and I will get around to it sometime soon.

Whats your favorite flavor?

I still havnt cooked since Sunday. It has been amazing to have homecooked meals every night without scrounging around last minute. Actually, there is still some left in the fridge! Though, last night was a day off. I have class in Century City till 8 pm so I usually just grab an early dinner at the Westfield Mall with Esther before class and the hubby had dinner at his Aunt's.

I totally not food related subject: guppies. Does anyone else have an aquarium? I'm trying to figure out how to keep them alive for longer than a month. The females seem to not like my aquarium and give up in a couple of weeks :( The guy at PETCO told me that the males stress out the females so I should try to have more females than males -- trying that as of today. Lets see if it works.

P.S. Dont forget to enter the Racconto giveaway. [To those who already have, thanks for participating :) ]

Racconto Giveaway

2010-03-24T11:55:00.000-07:00

This week has been going fabulously with the help of my pre-prepared meals. They have been supplementing as both lunch and dinner... and its kind of like a restaurant, but only with three choices. We each eat whatever we are in the mood for that day and are both happy with the results.

However, tonight, I think I will delve into the box of samples Racconto sent me :

It is an amazing offering of products I am eager to try:
1) Glycemic Health Rotini

2) Organic 8 Whole Grain Rotini with Flax Seed
3) Organic San Marzano Tomatos
4) Organic Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce
5) 8 Whole Grain Capellini/Angel Hair
6) Organic 8 Whole Grain Pasta with Sprouted Wheat Grass

In fact, Judi from Racconto has made two generous offers. First, if you ( my wonderful readers) visit the Racconto site and comment on this post letting me know what products you are most interest in, Judi has offered to run a special on the most popular products for a whole month! Second, and I know you will be excited about this one, Judi has offered to send an Easter/Spring basket to one lucky winner!

To be entered in the giveaway, all you have to do is comment on this post letting me know what your favorite products are on their site. I know I couldn't pick just one. This entry will increase the likelihood that your favorite product will be on sale very soon, and of course give you a chance at the gift basket. ( THIS ONE IS THE MANDATORY ENTRY FOR THE OTHER ENTRIES TO BE VIABLE)

The following are other ways you can earn an entry in the giveaway ( make sure to let me know about it):

1) follow my blog
2) Add me to your blogroll
3) Tweet about the givewaway
4) Mention the giveaway on your blog

Originally, I was planning on hosting this giveaway 2 weeks ago, but as you know, due to a family emergency I have been away for a while. As a result, you will receive the "Easter basket" after Easter.

This giveaway will run through Wed. April 7th .

Best of Luck! I can't wait to hear which products you find the most interesting :)

Dinner for Two - Weekly meal planning

2010-03-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are law students or have been law students, or know someone who is a law student you know how limited time is when it comes to cooking, particularly if it is healthy, well balanced cooking. This is particularly true as the daunting finals weeks approach.

Now that I am a couple weeks past the half-way point in the semester, I've resolved to adapt to law school. It is time to be resourceful :) ( I know, its about time ). So, as part of my resolution, I made a trip to Whole Foods and picked up some organic produce, organic herbs and organic meat and a few new finds I will mention in an upcoming post.

Yesterday, I bought two large organic bone in, skin on chicken breast and simmered them in a pot which I will use to not only make a batch of chicken stock for the week, but also prep the chicken my weeks recipes.

Into the pot went 3 small onions (skinned and quartered), a handful of garlic cloves, 1 serrano chile (halved), 1/8 cup fresh ginger (sliced), the stalks of one bunch of organic parsley, the stalks of one bunch of organic cilantro, 3 organic carrots chopped into big chunks, 4 stalks of organic celery chopped into big chunks, 1 tsp dried basil, 1/2 tsp dried mint, sea salt

In a large pot, place the chicken on the bottom, the remaining ingredients on top, then cover with water so that the water stops one inch from the top. Bring to boil, then reduce to a energetic simmer.

Simmer until the chicken begins to fall of the bone. Remove the vegetables and herbs and now you have a homemade organic chicken broth!

Next, take out the chicken breasts, remove the skin and bones. Separate each breast into pieces and separate into bowls -- one breast per bowl.

I chose to turned one chicken breast into cinnamon chicken -- altering the recipe slightly. Instead of cooking the chicken with all the sauce ingredients (which is a short cut) I simply sauteed the onions, added the tomato sauce, broth and spices and simmered it for about 5 minutes. I then added the cooked chicken and let it simmer for another 10 minutes or so until the chicken absorbed the sauce and the sauce thickened a bit.

The other chicken was metamorphed into a fusion indian/thai curry chicken (recipe later this week).

To be continued....

I'm back -- finally.

2010-03-21T11:18:00.000-07:00

Hi all. Sorry for the absence. The family emergency has been an emotional roller coaster ride and a very wierd journey. It's not over just yet, but mitigated enough for me to come back to the blog. To top things off, while I was driving to class on Thursday, an individual decided to make a right turn from the middle lane, hitting my car in the drivers seat door.... right where I was sitting. This then caused my car to spin out a good half block, with my car stopping facing east in the westbound lane. Thank God I didn't hit any other cars while spinning out.

Anyhow, I am planning a trip to the grocery store today once I get a rental car and I will be back to actively posting on the blog. Additionally, I will be hosting a giveaway from Racconto later this week as well as a review of their products. They were kind enough to send me samples a couple weeks ago right when the disasters began to happen for our family - and as a family oriented company were understanding about the delay.

I look forward to sampling their amazing and unique products ( I will post pictures soon) and give you details of the giveaway. I think you will be very excited about this one!

Also, I think I understand why I didnt get to many people participating in my Amazing Grass giveaway earlier, as I myself tried the products and had my peers (both young and old) sample them, I did not get a very good response.

It appears Amazing Grass is a very demographic specific product - -either you love it or hate it. Unfortunately, all the individuals who tried the samples did not like the product at all. For example, I had my little cousins ( ages 5-11) try the kidz chocolate powder and told them it was chocolate milk. That did not confuse them at all! They all made a face and commented that it tasted like a weird tea with "extra stuff" in it. They all made a face and refused to drink any more of it. Even their parents sampled it and voted against the product.

I had a similar reaction when I had my peers try the bars and powders. They all agreed that it had a slight alcoholic flavor and wasnt a product they would go out and buy for themselves. One individual pointed out that the protein and fiber content of the bars was the "Bare minimum" and they could get more value and taste out of other bars.

Nevertheless, my only conclusion out of this experience is that Amazing Grass appeals to these who already have a very healthy lifestyle and diet. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any diligent healthy individuals like I have found on the blog world, but I am sure they would love it.

I'm off to rent a car now, be back soon!!

Comment and Giveaway winner

2010-03-09T11:36:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

Sorry for my absence lately - we are going through a family emergency of sorts and it is taking a physical and emotional toll on us both. Cooking is pretty much an afterthought, or nonexistant as we cope.

However, I did want to announce the winner of the AMAZING GRASS GIVEAWAY - Ashlei. ( if you don't receive my email to you, please email me your contact/address so I can ship it out ASAP)

I used random.org and generated the number "4" . Congrats!

Anyhow, posting may be slow for a while. Please keep us in your prayers.

AMAZING GRASS and Giveaway

2010-03-04T12:50:00.000-08:00

I came home last night to find a UPS box sitting on the front porch.... and look what was inside! Samples from AMAZING GRASS for me to review :) I was super excited to give these a try, and I will be posting reviews throughout the next couple of weeks as I try the different products.

In my haste to make it to school on time, I packed a quick salad of mixed baby greens, cucumbers, carrots and avocado -- and grabbed the AMAZING GRASS "GREEN SuperFood Berry Whole Food Energy Bar" to have for breakfast.

I have to admitt, the first bite took me by surprise. I had no idea what it was going to taste like, and honestly, I have never had such a power packed bar before. The ingredient list is amazing - inspiring in fact :

Organic Dates, Organic Cranberries, Amazing Grass Green SuperFood (Organic Wheat Grass, Organic Barley Grass, Organic Alfalfa, Organic Spirulina, Organic Spinach, Organic Chlorella, Organic Broccoli, Organic Acai, Organic Maca, Organic Carrot, Organic Beet, Raspberry, Organic Rose Hips, Pineapple, Organic Goji Berries, Green Tea, Organic Flax Lignans, L. Adidophilus, Alpha and Beta Amylase, Protease, Lipase, Lactase, Cellulase, Organic Peppermint), Organic Cashews, Organic Agave Nectar, Organic Cashew Butter, Organic Pumpkin Seeds, Organic Sunflower Seeds, Organic Almonds, Organic Cranberry and Raspberry Flavor, Organic Vanilla Extract.
Allergy Information: Contains Almonds and Cashews

At first, the bar reminded me of Chinese herbal teas -- i soon realized it was simply the taste of pure unadulterated goodness (ingredients not really prevalent in most other bars). I gave a piece to my friend Esther to try, and she enjoyed it as well, commenting that it tasted " fruity" and had a slight "alcohal flavor- like rum". I'm guessing this may be from the extracts, or the concentrated flavors of so many ingredients.

I started out nibbling at the bar slowly, curious at the flavors, trying to fully absorb the palate. I loved it! It definitely doesn't taste like any other bar I have had.... BUT I truly feel more awake and energetic now -- like I actually fed my body a breakfast it can use wisely. I can not wait to try the rest of the stash.

I know you too must be curious and excited about this product, so thanks to the generosity of the great people at AMAZING GRASS I will be hosting a giveaway of the below pictured items:

There are several ways to qualify to enter the giveaway (open to US readers only), though each entry must be made through a separate comment for numbering purposes as the winner will be chosen by a random number generator:

1.   MANDATORY ( in order to benefit from the remaining possible entries, this entry must be done first): Visit the AMAZING GRASS website and let me know one new fact you learned about the company/website, or if you have already tried their products, which one is your favorite and why.

2.    Follow my blog ( let me know )
3. Add me to your blog list ( let me know)
4.   Blog about my giveaway on your site and link back (let me know)

EDIT: I have extended the giveaway deadline till March 9th -- in hopes of having a few more participants. I promise though winners will be announced and I may add a few more goodies to the stash! Love-

Bertolli to the Rescue!

2010-03-03T23:45:00.000-08:00

Well, the Bertolli came in handy sooner than expected! I decided to stay at school and study in the library for a few extra hours with Esther. By the time I got home, I was definitely ready to eat and I did not want to spend too much time prepping.

So, I set to work making half and half pasta -- half whole wheat, half regular. I started the whole wheat first since that takes much longer than the cappellini I decided to use. While the pasta was boiling away, I cooked some fresh broccoli and sliced crimini mushrooms along with 1/4 tsp of garlic salt and 2 tbsp of chicken broth. I only cooked it just long enough to be warmed through, ensuring the broccoli kept its lush green color.

Once the pasta was cooked, I simply tossed 1 cup of pasta with 1/2 cup of BERTOLLI Arrabbiata, and folded in the veggies. I topped mine with freshly shaved Parmesan but truly, the sauce had enough flavor as it was and the cheese almost ruined it. Next time, I'm going to keep it simple and enjoy the flavors of the sauce itself -- reminiscent of childhood homemade pasta sauce.

SIDENOTE:

I received another box from UPS today, I have a hunch it is my samples from AMAZING GRASS to review. I am super excited to see how the nutrient packed drink influences my energy level and overall mood.

Giveaway announced tomorrow :)

Let there be light

2010-03-02T23:53:00.000-08:00

WOW. what a difference natural light makes when taking pictures. Let's just say I got picture/camera happy when taking pictures of my breakfast.

Yes, I think im going to post a more than one of my favorites here.... sorry!

Initially I was going to make eggs with some sort of bread or potato. The concept then metamorphed into " Hey, why don't i make a breakfast quesadilla except add eggs or eggs whites in the filling -- afterall I have almost an entire bag of flour tortillas sitting in the fridge"

That thought lasted just long enough for me to garner a glance at the nutritional facts on the back of the bag.

One measly medium sized tortilla was 150 calories. Yes 150 calories on its own isnt much, but combined with all the ingredients it would be a "splurge" of a breakfast to say the least.

"Well", I thought, " omlettes sorta of look like quesadillas." In fact, If I only used egg whites ( three to be exact) I could get the perfect size for the maximum nutritional value, and minimal caloric expenditure.

So, that it exactly what I did!

Remember the Bruschetta I made a little over a week ago? Well, we liked it so much, I made it again this weekend. As per usual, we had leftover topping and it is just too good to go to waste -- I decided to use it as my filling .

Topped with about 3 tablespoons of quattro formaggio, it made for the perfect healthy alternative to my original breakfast musings.

Some time later in the day, I had a cup of coffee to get my study mojo going, followed by a glass of soymilk -- i think i'm addicted.

Lunch was late in the afternoon. A nice salad of mixed organic baby green, green onions, crimini mushrooms, grape tomatoes, persian cucumber and 1/4 of an avocado. Trust me, if I could, I would add the entire avocado to the salad but you have to be careful with those -- one fruit has nearly 300 calories and 30 grams of fat. Yes it also has an amazing list of benefits, but everything in moderation is the best route, no?

There are only two circumstances which make me cringe at the thought of a salad:
1) A really bad cold/flu
2) Freezing cold weather

Thankfully, neither of those circumstances happen all that often :)

Since I had a cold last week and this weekend, it was fiance's turn this week. So, in an effort to help him recoup faster, I decided to make a cold-fighting soup packed with vibrant ingredients. Here is a glance inside the pot as I layered the ingredients: a bunch of dill, a bunch of parsley, a bunch of basil, 5 cloves of garlic, 1 lemon ( halved), 1/2 cup baby carrots, 2 small onions ( quartered), a chunk of anaheim pepper, and a chunk of jalapeno.

Here is a picture after I add the water and two chicken breast halves. (Vegetarians beware)

I think i like the first picture a bit more....

Anyhow, once all the ingredients have been placed in the pot, a dash of salt here and twist of fresh cracked pepper there, you are good to go. Simply cover the items with water and boil for a good 80 minutes.

However, at about the 40 minute mark, I opted to remove the lemons. I figured they had imparted their vitamins already and was worried the lemon flavor would over power the soup.

Technically, once the chicken starts to fall off the bone, you are ready for the next step -- this may happen before 80 minutes, so feel free to check. Once the chicken is about ready, remove all the greens, garlic etc. The next step is to remove the chicken off the bone, and pull it into chunks or bite size pieces. Return the chicken to the pot and let it continue to boil so the soup continues to evaporate, deepening the flavor.

At this point I added the following spices: 1/4 tsp curry powder, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp turmeric, and about 3/4 tsp cinnamon, 1 tbsp fresh ginger and 2 garlic cloves, diced. Remember to salt and pepper to your preference. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Then toward the very end add about 1 cup of grape tomatoes. Top with torn basil and enjoy.

Almost forgot, I had some leftover cooked basmati rice which I add to the soup at the last minute -- apparantly this made his day. If you decide to use diced potatos or pasta instead, make sure you give it enough simmer time to cook through.

Finally, the rest of the meal. I served the chicken I used to make the soup alongside some freshly sauteed spinach with garlic ( encore appearance) and some barley I made with sauteed onions and mushrooms.

The barely may not look too appetizing, but I promise it tasted great. I simply sauteed one small onion,10 sliced crimini mushrooms, and 1 garlic clove in 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter. When the onions became translucent I added another 1/2 tbsp of butter and 1 cup of barely.

Let the barley sautee for about a minute or so, then add 2 1/2 cups of broth . Bring it to a boil then reduce to a simmer for about 40 minutes or until barley is cooked/ moisture is absorbed.

_____________________________________________________________
UPDATES:

As part of the foodbuzz featured publisher program I received two jars of Bertolli's new pasta sauces today. I'm sure both sauces will be appearing as dinner soon -- especially on one of those nights where i don't have much time to put together a more complicated meal. ( Yes, I know as a law student, this should describe every night but I LOVE cooking and baking -- so i make time)

Also, I have three giveaway's planned for the coming weeks so stay tuned -- you may end up being a winner!

This is how March begins...

2010-03-01T19:52:00.000-08:00

First off, thank you Sara and Bonnie for your encouraging words. I finally started off today with breakfast: a bowl of multi-grain cereal and vanilla soymilk. Though, curiously, I wasn't hungry for breakfast, but I was hungry after I ate. Does that make sense?

For lunch I had a simple salad of mixed baby greens, cucumbers, tomatoes and mushrooms. I topped it off with a tablespoon of Trader Joes Spicy Peanut Dressing.

Snacks for the day consisted of an organic fuji apple and 94% fat free popcorn.

For Dinner, I decided to make a Roast Chicken Breast, served with spinach sauteed with garlic, and sweet potato for me and a gigantic baked potato for him.

The sweet potato was amazing. I wrapped them in foil and placed them in oven to cook concurrently with the chicken. When I unwrapped it, there was a sticky, ooey decadence to it. It was perfect -- no seasoning required.

For the spinach, I used 6 cups of organic baby spinach..... and it wilted down to about 2/3 cup total. I guess you can call it condensed nutrition?

I sauteed it on high heat with two teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil and 4 cloves of minced garlic.

Yes, that is half of one single potato. It was massive. I had it baking in the oven for over an hour at 400F and it still wasn't done.I admit, my patience wore off after 70 minutes, and I resorted to 2 minutes of microwaving. Sad but true.
Served with diced green onions and organic sour cream, it was the complete deal.

Alongside his spinach, you'll see the onions that roasted in the same pan as the chicken.

He likes his onions, whether they are raw, roasted or barbecued.

As for the chickens, I let them soak for about 5 hours in a mixture of 1/2 orange juice, 1/2 cup chardonnay , 1/8 tsp curry powder and 1/8 tsp cumin.

Making the meal was the easiest part of all, simply line a roasting pan with foil, add one quartered onion , the chicken breast, and some of the marinade. Cover the pan with foil and make two slits to allow the steam to escape. Bake at 400F for an hour. Then, remove the foil and broil for an additional 5 minutes or until the skin has turned a golden color.

I swear...

2010-02-28T23:43:00.000-08:00

... one day I will adopt a completely healthy lifestyle - balance, organic foods; exercise; happiness. Its a journey comprised of a long road with u-turns, detours, obstacles and mountains but I see a rainbow somewhere in there, and thats a good sign.

I'm recommitting myself as of tomorrow (March 1st) to live and be healthier. It seems to take so much active willpower and concentration to be healthy when you havnt consciously thought about it the majority of your life. Sure I've been on my share of diets, but we all know how that works. Weight goes down, then comes up. Why cant it be like the saying " what goes up must come down" instead?

Anyhow, look for a review of Amazing Grass in the coming week as well as a giveaway! I know you are excited.

For those who like to indulge in decadent colorful desserts...

2010-02-25T14:08:00.000-08:00

TRIFLE

The hardest part of this dessert is actually making the creme anglaise sauce that goes on top of the fresh fruit and pound cake. Now, if you really have a lot of time, you could make the pound cake yourself -- but in this case I had already made two appetizers and a nice gourmet entree. In other words, I wanted something simple, but impressive.

Any fresh fresh berries will do. Here, I chose organic strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. The more the merrier.

I cheated a little, took a short cut, and purchased Sara Lee Poundcake. Its not my favorite because I always prefer home made, but it put a smile on every one else's face when they found out it was a component of their dessert.

Lastly, I topped it all with creme anglaise. In reality, it is a very decadent vanilla sauce/custard. The basic ingredients you will need are heavy cream, sugar, vanilla and egg yolks. Some people do a combination of milk and cream. But, obviously, the fattier option you choose the more "rich" or "Decadent" the resulting product will be.

Food and Wine has a good recipe.

The most important thing is to make the sauce ahead of time, allowing it to cool down. Personally, I got caught up with errands, and this dish was actually a last minute choice so the sauce didn't thicken as much as I would have liked. Next time, I will make the sauce the day before.

As a side note, still trying to find a new food lifestyle that will work for me, and with my family gatherings. I have definitely given up sweets. IE: no creme anglaise sauce or pound cake for me. But, I still need to figure out other changes which will work. For some reason, it's always a struggle.

With law school taking up more and more time, not to mention family/social obligations I finding less time to work out. The only option left seems to be 5 am. However, when I'm up studying till 1 or 2 am, a 5 am wake up call is depressing.

Suggestions?

Vegan Carrot Spice Cake

2010-02-23T11:44:00.000-08:00

VEGAN CARROT SPICE CAKE

Adapted from 1000 Vegan Recipes by Robin Robertson

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp pp spice
1/2 tsp ginger
1 cup sugar
1/2 very vanilla soy milk
2 tsp vannila
1/2 canola/veggie oil
1 tsp honey
1/4 cup raw steel cut oats ( would be fine without outs, or with rolled oats)
10 dates , pitted chopped
2 cups finely shredded carrots

Frosting .
1 cup powdered sugar,
1/2 cup cocoa unsweetened
1/4 cup chocolate soy milk
1/4 oil
pinch cloves, pinch pumpkin spice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, mix the honey, oil, sugar, soymilk and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and oats. Then, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing simultaneously. When combined, fold in the carrots and date. Pour into a lined cake pan and bake for 45 minutes.

For the frosting, simply whisk the ingredients together, adding the powdered sugar gradually as a thickening agent. Pour over the baked cake and let it set. (Pics with Blackberry...sorry)

___________________________________
Curious... Is anyone else who is trying to eat vegan, or who has tried to eat vegan in the past noticed a change in hunger levels? Also, my dad is concerned i'll eat too many carbs on a vegan diet and since im not the skinniest girl on the block, I share the concern. The last think I want to do is gain weight. So, now I'm considering switching to vegetarian but cutting out bread, rice (unless its brown), pasteries, sweets, and most processed foods. This would still be giving up things I like for lent, but hopefully healthier?
::sigh::

BRUSCHETTA

2010-02-22T10:04:00.000-08:00

Ingredients
3 cups grape tomatoes, diced or halved
3 green onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
several whole cloves of garlic
1 tsp lime juice
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped 2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 par baked baguette( I got mine form Trader Joes)
fresh slivers of Parmesan ( omit for Vegan option)

Combine the ingredients and let them marinate for at least half an hour. About 15 minutes prior to serving, slice the par baked baguette and bake in the oven at 400F ( or tempature specified on packaging) for about 8 minutes. After taking the bread out, rub with fresh cloves of garlic, top with Bruschetta and Parmesan (optional).

Finally, Good luck deciding to move on to dinner, or simply restraining yourself from this appetizer so that you actually have room for dinner :)

Lent : Days Three and Four

2010-02-19T00:13:00.000-08:00

Day Three
I think I can get used to this vegan thing if I get to have smoothies like this every day.
I went to Vons today to get some soy milk and wouldn't you know my luck, Silk was on sale!! To make it even better they had a flavor I hadn't seen before, " Very vanilla". ( photo courtesy of Silk website).

When I came home, I apprehensively took a sip of the very vanilla... and O . M. G. -- heaven in a glass.

Then, inspired by the 80 degree weather I decided to make a smoothie.

Ingredients

1 orange, peeled
1/2 cup frozen berries
1/2-3/4 cup Silk - Very vanilla

Blend and enjoy :)

___________________________________________

Daily Eats:
honeycrisp apple
Banana
Cashew Tofu w/ rice( side salad, side veggie soup) -- I was starving, but don't worry, I didn't eat all of it.
Red Rice with Green Beans

Daily Drinks:
Water
Orange Berries and "Cream" Smoothie

Observations: Wow, I am super thirsty , all the time. Has this happened to anyone after they changed their diet?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I experimented.... made a Vegan carrot spice cake with a vegan chocolate frosting/glaze. I am kinda scared as to how it will taste, but it smells amazing. If it survives tasting by family tomorrow, I will post the recipe.

Day Four

Daily Eats:
small honeycrisp apple
banana
trail mix of cashews, dried cranberries and almonds
Vegetarian Bento Box
Bruschetta with a bit of lavash

Daily Drinks:
Home Brewed Coffee w/ non dairy creamer
Soy milk
water

Lent : Day Two

2010-02-16T20:00:00.000-08:00

Gotta be accountable somehow. So I had one of my flourless chocolate cakes sitting at home and I can't eat it anymore. So what did I do? Took it to school of course.

There I sat, working on my law journal assignment all day, smelling the tempting odor of chocolate for a good 10 hours, meanwhile attempting to cajole my peers into devouring the chocolate abomination.

It is now 7:45 pm, and 3/4 of the cake is gone. My only hope is that the boys in Trademark Law will be seduced by the cake as others were and finish her off.

My goal: to go home with an empty plate and happy customers.

Daily Drinks:
Soy latte
Orange juice + soy protein "smoothie"
Water....

Daily Eats:
banana
cashews and dried cranberries
two small honeycrip apples
Pasta w/ sundried tomato and herbs
mixed greens with balsamic vinegar

Observations: Smells are much more pungent, whether it is the loner smoking a cigarette outside of the building, the smell of my chocolate cake, or the wavering perfume on a class mate. Tastes too are much more vibrant -- when cafeteria food actually has variance in flavor you know something odd is going on.

Lent : Day One

2010-02-15T22:47:00.000-08:00

CUCUMBER MELON SALAD

Light and refreshing; vegan; lent approrpiate Makes 6-7 servings

Simply dice 1 honeydew melon and 5-6 persian cucumbers. Dress the mixture with the juice of 1 lime. freshly cut mint, and a spinkle of sea salt.

Day one was a success! So far so good.

Daily Eats:

A couple steamed chestnuts
small honeycrisp apple
red lentil stew with rice

fat free popcorn
lavash with pumpkin butter and almond butter
Avocado Roll & Sesame Tofu

Daily Drinks:

Pomegranate White Tea
Smoothie ( 1 orange, frozen berries, 1 banana)
Senna tea
Earl Grey Tea

Armenian Orthodox

2010-02-15T00:01:00.000-08:00

Lent Officially begins tomorrow. Traditionally in the Armenian Orthodox Church, followers abstain from meat and all meat products for 40 days -- basically adopting a vegan lifestyle.

I have decided to adhere to this traditional standard as opposed to the more modern lenient one this year. So.... 40 days of veganism begins tomorrow. Wish me luck!

PURE. CHOCOLATE. DECADENCE

2010-02-13T15:47:00.000-08:00

Flourless Chocolate Cake
adapted from Cocao Web

2 sticks ( 1 cup) unsalted butter
Milk Chocolate ( 10 squares of the Traders Joes 1lb block)
Dark Chocolate ( 10 square of the Trader Joe's 1lb block)
1 inch of vanilla bean
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
5 eggs, separated

Ganache
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
5 sqaures milk chocolate
10 squares dark chocolate

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a cake pan with wax parchment paper, or grease and dust the pan with cocoa powder.

Melt the chocolate with the butter in a double boiler along with the scraped interior of the vanilla bean. In a separate bowl whisk 1/2 cup sugar with the egg yolks ( keep the egg whites in the fridge for now). Then, slowly add the melted chocolate mixture to the egg yolk to temper, and prevent it from scrambling. Whisk it in well.

Next, whisk the egg whisk the egg whites, slowly adding the other 1/2 cup of the brown sugar until it has stiff peaks.

Now, slowly fold the egg whites into the chocolate/eggs. Simply put, its beautiful.

Once the two have been successfully combine, pour it into the cake pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.

The cake will come out with a crust, you can choose to leave it on or take it off. I chose to take it off in order to get a certain look.

Make the ganache by melting the chocolate in the heavy cream in a double boiler. Once melted let it set for about 5 minutes, then pour over the cake.

If you like chocolate , you will LOVE this cake. Perfect for Valentine's day ;)

International Wine Festival (Part II)

2010-02-03T10:43:00.000-08:00

The food table which occupied the center of the banquet hall was plentiful -- of both food and people. The line seemed to be never ending and honestly I was more interested in the new drinks being offered than the cheese, fruit and fondue. Nevertheless, I snatched a couple pictures of the "dippable items"

Self explanatory??? Brownies and Marshmallows :)

But, chocolate makes almost anything better, right?

Lots of people, lots of food, lots of happy faces. Either food induced or alcohol -- take your pick.

The wine to the right comes from the country of Georgia. For those who are unfamiliar with the geography, it is located in the Caucuses region. It is to the east of Turkey and north of Armenia. In fact, as a former republic of the Soviet Union it has been suffering an atmosphere of tension and war in an battle between the effort to regain national borders and maintain ethnic integrity of its many indigenous peoples. ( I happened to write a 25 page law article on the subject matter, proposing a solution)

Anyways, back to the wine. The wine was uniquely pleasant. Sweet, but not overly so. However, interestingly the distributor said they had not been able to categorize it in any already existing bracket. Perhaps it will blossom into a category of its own soon?

I also had the opportunity to try Penfolds Wine from Australia. Though it wasn't my personal favorite, I still suggest you give it a try. I believe with the appropriate food pairing, it would have a more appealing draw on one's palate. I, however, did not try it with food and as I have admitted, I have a bias towards sweeter/fruitier wines. I reserve most all other wines for cooking, and truly special occasions.

Though I sampled several other wines, including proseccos , none of them were particularly amazing. However, the experience was definitely unique and I would love to attend another wine festival in the future. This time however, I will do more research on the wines offered, and try to go before the festival officially opens so I can have easier access. ( wishful thinking)

Finally, as mentioned in the first post, there was a catering company present " Viva LA Foodies". I had an opportunity to speak to the owners and found them to be not only very pleasant individuals but also very passionate about food. In fact, they are also foodbuzz featured publishers! Their sampling ( if I remember correctly, and I hope I do) was a crostini topped with marscapone and an apricot chutney. A very pleasant amuse bouche.

International Wine Festival - Hollywood ( PART I)

2010-01-29T13:35:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to attend the International Wine Festival held in the Renaissance Hotel located at the famous Hollywood and Highland Complex ( thanks to the Foodbuzz Featured Publisher program).

The even was open from 5 pm to 8 pm. Luckily, my fiancee and I arrived at 4:55 pm and the event had already begun. The registration table was lined hundreds of wine glasses waiting for the attendees to pluck them and venture into the banquet hall set up with wine from around the world.

Though it wasn't very crowded upon our arrival, within fifteen minutes, the venue was swarming with wine connoisseurs eager to find a new favorite.

Ironically and surprisingly, my favorite tasting of the night was not a wine, but a version of sake. In fact, it was a sparkling blueberry sake -- made from rice.

Besides the various spirits to available to imbibe upon, there were to food vendors. One was bitterSweet treats, it featured homemade versions of classic American comfort sweets such as marshmallows and Oreos (see below). The other was a catering company called Viva LA Foodies (see below).

First, I'll start with my favorite drink. It is manufactured by the Banzai Beverage Corporation. The company was founded in 2003 by Takahiro Tokura. He prides himself on finding the finest premium sake available, and importing it to the United States. Often this means the sake you purchase from the Banzai Beverage Corporation truly comes from a small family owned microbrewery, whose product would have never had the opportunity to find its way to your dinner table otherwise.

Granted, I must warn you, my preference in these drinks is skewed by my sweet tooth. I am not particular fan of dry wines, or dry sake for that matter. Instead, I enjoy the delicate Riesling -- or in this case, the slightly bubbly blueberry sake.

This particular beverage goes by the name "Banzai Bunny". They have the "natural" variety and the "blueberry" variety. This drink comes from the Umenoyado Sake Brewery Co. located in Nara, Japan. The Sake is referred to as "Sparkling Junmai" and has an alcohol level of 6-7%.

Its aroma was inviting and the taste was delighting. So much in fact that we went back for seconds and if we weren't shy, we would have gone back for thirds and fourths.

The table we wandered over to next was serving Broquel Malbec made by TRAPICHE, an Argentinian wine. This wine is perfectly paired with grilled red meats and cheeses. It offers slight glimpses of vanilla, chocolate and smoke.

As expected, the wine had more alcohol than the sparkling sake -- 14% to be exact.

The grapes are harvested from 25 year old vineyards located at altitudes between 900 and 1200 meters above sea level. After being hand harvested and fermented for a minimum of 25 days, the wine is aged for 15 months in new French and American Oak barrels.

As promised, the delights offered by bitterSweet treats ( yes, they spell their name with a lower case b). At the top you will find the home made marshmallows. The bottom left are mini chocolate cupcakes with meringue topping -- I thought that was creative. Among the other offerings were home made oreos and red velvet whoopie pies. I have to say, the spread was very inspiring for me. Don't be surprised if I attempt to replicate these myself.

Unconventional Vegetarian Thai Red Curry

2010-01-26T14:41:00.000-08:00

I say unconventional because I have never seen a Thai Red Curry made with these ingredients, perhaps you have ? Either way, this was a simple recipe, full of vitamins and antioxidants which I am sure you will enjoy.

First, compile the following ingredients:

3 baby bok choys
1 medium onion
3 garlic cloves
1 can light coconut milk
2 tables Thai red curry paste
2 small sweet potatoes
1 cup diced mushroom
2 tbsp sliced basil
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Serrano chili
1-2 cups chicken/vegetable broth ( depending on how much you like coconut, and how thick you want the sauce)

First, as usual with many recipes, sautee the onion and garlic and Serrano chili in the olive oil. Just warm it through so that it is translucent. Next add the coconut milk and curry paste, stirring until it is well combined. Now you can add the remaining veggies and herbs, top with the broth and let it simmer until sweet potatoes are fully cooked and the sauce has reached a consistency pleasing to your palate.

I served this with simple basmati rice, but of course the traditional option would be jasmine rice.

Five Ingredient Friday

2010-01-22T22:59:00.000-08:00

So, I spent the last day or so very excited about my new idea for the blog, " five ingredient Friday". How hard could it be to make a decent recipe out of five ingredients after all... isnt there a show on Food Network that does it afterall?

Well, I looked at those recipes and none of them peaked my interest. In fact, they were rather boring for my taste. Cocktails? Flavored chicken? Really???

Well, Ralphs is having a sale on their Jennie-O ground turkey this week... for $1.99.

I like deals, so I let this be my inspriation. The result? Turkey burgers, sweetpotato/potato fries, and coleslaw.

Now I know what you are thinking... that is way more than five ingredients. But my goal is to give you several recipes each made of five ingredients each. You can choose to put them together to make a meal, or just make one on its own.

** Note, I also decided ( convenient im making up my own rules eh? ) that condiments and spices will not count as ingredients. I discovered I'm just not that kind of cook. Rather, when I'm making up a recipe, I fly by the seat of my pants so to speak -- a little of this, a dash of that.... a pinch of paprika ( it always finds its way in)... until I am completely satisfied. **

First up, the coleslaw. Neither I, nor my fiancee like mayonnaise so I knew the dressing would have to be different - hence the sour cream.

Most coleslaw recipes call for vinegar of some sort and celery salt. I substituted both those items with fresh squeezed lemon juice and fresh celery ( save the lemon skin etc after you have squeezed the juice out... we'll use it later).

I place the prepackaged coleslaw mix into a big tupperware and topped it with sliced celery ( thats two ingredients...) Then, in a separate bowl I made the dressing:
8 tbsp sour cream
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp horseradish mustard (condiment)
1-2 tbsp light brown sugar
1/2 tsp garlic salt ( spice)
a few turns of freshly cracked pepper (spice)

That brings the grand total to 5 ingredients... yay!

I made the coleslaw about an hour prior to dinner so the veggies would have time to marinate and absorb the sauce. I served it along side the other items.

I promise you there is a turkey burger patty underneath all the romaine lettuce and veggies.

Next, I prepared the sweetpotato/potato fries. Preheat the oven to 430F and line a pan with foil.
Slice three small sweet potatoes into "french fry" like pieces, along with one small potato. Place these into a bowl and top with just enough olive oil to coat the root vegetables when stirred. Then add garlic salt and paprika. Ok... if my spice/condiment rule applies, this one isnt technically 5 ingredients. But including the spices it is. This is going to be a work in progress, I will master this soon -- I promise. Spread the potatoes evenly on the pan and bake for 20 minutes. Then broil on high for about 5 minutes until golden and crispy.

Finally, came the turkey burgers themselves. I chose to use pre-made turkey patties by Jennie-O. Specifically, the garlic and onion seasoned one. As many of you know, Southern California has been blessed with a deluge of rain this week. As a result, barbequing outside was definitely out of the question. So, I came up with something innovative (sort of). (Disclaimer: only attempt this if you have a high powered ventilator about your stove because there will be smoke) I simply place a "cooling rack" on top of the gas stove. This placed the turkey a decent distance from the flame, while allowing them to get enough heat to cook.

Remember I told you to keep the lemon peel from earlier? Thats because the lemon halves work as miracle cleaners. While the burgers cook, they will inevitabely drip onto the stove and make a "mess". But, after the stove has cooled, simply take the lemon halves, rubbing them on the tough spots -- they literally make the stove back to brand new. I love it! Even better, its completely environmental and chemical free.

I assembled the burgers by topping the patty with romaine lettuce, fresh tomatos, white onion and freshly sliced avocado ( ketchup and mustard). It was heavenly.
Yes, technically that is six ingredients, but it was well worth it. The burger is versatile, what can I say you could make it a 10 ingredient recipe or a two ingredient recipe. Make it unique, make it delicious and enjoy.

Close up of the fries and coleslaw, while the burger waits patiently in the background...

A slightly different view, but just as delicious.

What do you think... is "Five Ingredient Friday" a keeper?

Announcements and a look inside my salad...

2010-01-20T23:28:00.000-08:00

First, announcments.

I'm happy to announce that I was one of the Foodbuzz featured publisher's who won a pair of tickets to the International Wine Festival this Saturday in Los Angeles.

I am super excited and I could definitely use the break from my studies to go enjoy some good wine, great cheese and take a lot of pictures to come back share with you all!

Second, starting this Friday I will be starting a new weekly post called " 5-ingredient Friday". Like the alliteration there? Stay posted for this week's posting.

Finally -- my salad.

A short while ago I posted about the Pace Salsa I received from the Tastemaker program available through Foodbuzz. Well, I put it to good use! I simply mixed 1 part salsa with 1 part lite bleu cheese dressing and pourded it over romaine lettuce and sliced cucumbers. It tasted great and there was no guilt involved.... plus it looked pretty. See!
{ Warning... I sort of got Camera-happy}

Randomness

2010-01-18T20:20:00.000-08:00

Pictures which were supposed to be part of a recipe, but didnt make it.