Finally

Hello everyone! I hope you have all had a wonderful wonderful week. For some of you, the holiday festivities have already started. Would anybody care to send me some delicious latkes? Mwahaha! Anyway, I really don’t know where to start. The past week was filled with finals, papers, and catching up with friends before my road trip back to Florida. So that’s where I am right now! And if anybody wants some sunshine, there’s plenty to spread around.

I’m going to start the post off with some more pictures from Art Basel.

Ai Wei Wei's sunflower seeds made out of porcelain.

Now take a closer look.

Okay I will save more for later! Now on to some food.

My dad flew back up to Virginia with me for business!

After a bad experience with airport food – stomach flu – I’ve been weary of eating it so I pack my own stuff.

Peppermint coffee drink standing in all it's glory.

Lunch for two

Soba noodles, edamame, a medley of vegetables + lemon juice + coconut oil + salt

While I was away I received a wonderful little package.

Bekah lovingly made all these wonderful munchies. Coconut chia granola, cumin, cinnamon + maple “scented” almonds, and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Everything was taste tested by moi, and my parents. Well my mom didn’t get to enjoy the cookies since she wasn’t in Virginia. So delicious! Hey Bekah, you need to share your secret on how you made the granola – it’s incredible!

Leftover veggies and edamame with barley and peanuts.

Kale and more barley!

Can you tell that I love green? I drizzled sesame oil on top of it all and sprinkled on some toasted sesame seeds as well.

A most delicious dinner.

I smuggled an acorn squash from my Florida and I was ready to eat that baby! I roasted it with Canadian maple syrup, cinnamon, and coconut oil. I also made my mom’s secret recipe for red lentils with coconut oil. Can’t forget the sweet potato!

Persimmons

I always think of my darling darlings when I eat one! They’re so good with vanilla almond granola, vanilla yogurt, and cinnamon. Is there a certain food that just seems so precious whenever you eat it? A few on my list are figs, persimmons, dates, and white peaches.

Kale with toasted pine nuts and freshly grated parmesan. Someone baked tater tots – yay! Tater tots just sound so cute! I also had some Gardein crispy tenders. I squirted on some ketchup and Old Bay seasoning. I was a little kid that really liked their vegetables!

So easy and delicious!

I used up the rest of the penne pasta in the box. I sauteed some red onion, Tofurky Italian sausage, and garlic. I mixed it all together with homemade basil and toasted pine nut pesto, then grated some parmesan on top.

This papaya was grown in my parents backyard AND it's organic.

Even with this picture you can see that this papaya was bursting with flavor. BURSTING!

More pasta

Gnocchi, homemade pesto, and grated parmesan over a bed of kale.

That day I went for a walk around to different galleries with a friend, since I missed First Friday.

Message in a bottle ornament!

They look cuddly and cute but they're really sharp!

Beware!

Amazing jewelry - handwoven mesh.

Very illustrative wire work.

Let's take a picture of each other taking a picture!

Matilda and one of the gallery owners became fast friends.

Woodblock prints

More gnocchi love

My roommate’s boyfriend made this delicious thick carrot soup. I decided to incorporate it into my dinner. Thick carrot soup, kale, gnocchi with pesto, and parmesan. More please! Later that night I decided to take Matilda on a walk on one of the avenues with lots of pretty houses.

The holiday season is here!

I love Christmas lights.

It's like a waterfall.

A mountain of blueberry love all piled over granola and vanilla yogurt.

Colors!

Salted edamame + carrot sticks. Sandwich: cream cheese, tomato slices, and the last of my pesto! Then I was off to my last final exam of the semester. The trick is to think positive because most likely you do know your sh!t.

Last night in Richmond I had dinner at a friend's.

Maybe you recognize the Hello Kitty sandwich container? Afterwards we had some hot cocoa and were stuck to the space heater like mosquitos to a zapper! A friend of mine was playing a free show that night so we headed over there close to the time they were going to start playing.

Every band was awesome and so full of energy.

There were three couches set-up movie theatre style so comfort was thought of! It was a very cozy environment and everyone was into it.

They also had some random projections playing.

Well that was my brief recap of my week! My semester is done and it’s time to relax. And now that I’m back in Florida… you know what that means! Well, one thing I learned this past week is to “never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option.” Couldn’t have said it better myself, Mark Twain. Anyway, I hope everyone is doing wonderfully and surrounded with honey bunches of love!

Food, not the bad four letter F-word

Thank you all for your kind and honest words! It seems I’m not alone, but I didn’t think I was really. There’s a condition called “seasonal depression” – I think this feeling, however, is totally natural. All seasons have a purpose and I think our personalities go with the cycle. We rest, recuperate, and comfort our souls. Then when spring and summer come around we’re bursting at the seams with energy and vibrance!

Anyway, let’s eat, shall we?

Friday night dinner

I didn’t do much cooking for dinner, but it was so good nonetheless. I baked some kale chips and served them with Gardein “chicken” tenders, and Newman’s Own Organic pretzel sticks. To polish it off I had an Original Hermit topped with sunflower seed butter – yum! The Gardein “chicken” tenders were actually quite delicious and I do recommend them. They didn’t taste like those freaky mock meats that make me do a double take on the ingredient list. You can find them at Whole Foods, but I’d also check your local grocer as well just in case.

This is my sketchbook... or actually where I write down my ideas for projects.

I’m currently working on creating a peaceful environment for myself. Not necessarily something that’s sacred, but somewhere I just feel comfortable. I’ll be setting it up, documenting, and doing things with it in open fields around my area.

Up close and personal!

Crispy apples

For breakfast I prepared a bowl of Brown Rice Cream with raisins. After I was done cooking it, I topped it with a chopped apple, pumpkin pie spice, NuNaturals vanilla liquid, Artisana almond butter. It was missing something though. That’s when it hit me! Maple & Apple syrup! Personally, I wasn’t too keen on Artisana’s almond butter.

I decided to get a little fashionable for my Saturday morning class with a pair of cool tights!

My breakfasts never hold me over for the entire class which goes till 11:40. And I always forget to bring a snack! Today someone did a presentation on Japanese gore films, and I was still ravenous despite seeing all that gross stuff. Oh my gosh I can’t even explain how disgusting the clips the guy showed us were. I can usually handle things like that, but this was too much. Anyway! When I got home I knew just what I wanted to make. I put on a big band record on the turn table, and me and my roommate prepared our lunches side-by-side.

With all the bread I have now, I knew I'd be making a sandwich.

I cooked some portobello slices, red onion, garlic, and tomato in a balsamic vinegar reduction with black pepper. Then I spread on some goat cheese on one slice and toasted it all in the oven. I used two slices of French Meadow Bakery’s new Our Daily Bread – awesome sandwich bread! Once it was done toasting I snuck in some basil for the finish touch. For the kale I wanted to try something different. I sautéed it in olive oil with raisins, toasted pine nuts, sherry cooking wine, and seasoned it well. Afterwards I grated some parmesan on top. Delicious! Delicious! Yum yum yum.

So freaking good.

I was actually browsing for awesome sandwich ideas and I stumbled upon this little gem I thought I’d share with all of you: Vegetarian Sandwiches to Take to Work .

And to finish my meal I savored a piece of chocolate.

I decided to try the Orange Dark Chocolate sample the people at Newman’s Own Organics sent me. This was delightful! I usually have a hard time letting things just melt away in my mouth – like hard candy. But chocolate has never been a problem, especially if it’s a good one!

Today I ran a lot of errands and got some things to start my latest sculpture project. Dinner time rolled around and I whipped out The Accidental Vegetarian once again.

Gnocchi with wild mushroom and rosemary ragu

Simon Rimmer be my best friend, please?

This was, too put it lightly, absolutely delectable. I didn’t use regular red wine when making the ragu, since I only had sangria on hand. But it’s safe to say that the sangria did no harm. The hint of citrus might’ve amped the flavors a bit – but in a good way.

So this leads me to today’s truth…

I love food!

101 Dalmations!

This is why I believe the number 101 is better than 100! This is reason why I decided to have a giveaway to celebrate this special occassion. Definitely special enough!

Original Video – More videos at TinyPic

Yeah that’s actually my contained version of my excitement! I know I’ve expressed it quite a few times what this blog and all you friends out there mean to me. So what’s my way of celebrating this special occassion? With a snip-it of what it’s like to live in my life for a couple days and a special surprise at the end from yours truly. I’ll be honest, these last couple of days have been rough. But I had a reminder of how much harder things can get when I learned some sad news relating to someone I know. It really helped me push through, and helped me to stay motivated to rise above the stress. Anyway, here’s a little glimpse starting from Saturday night…

Scarves really help out when coming up with an impromptu costume!

Warm soy milk with Nature's Path Hemp Plus granola and sliced banana.

A nice way to start a grey chilly Sunday. I swear Nature’s Path makes some awesome granolas for something that comes out of a cereal box. Usually I find those granolas to really be lacking. The two flavors I’ve tried – Vanilla Almond Flax Plus and Hemp Plus are nothing short of delicious.

I decided to go out and check my mail, since I’m special and I get mail on Sundays. I really just forgot to check the day before, but let’s pretend.

From one of my most favorite and admirable people ever!

I had forgotten my driver’s license and cash in her purse from the night we went clubbing in Miami. I got way more than that! One time someone complimented her on her sweater and she asked if they’d like to have it. This girl means what she says. I had mentioned that I liked her keychain cover, and she remembered that.

Gio is one year old!

I did some things around the apartment and before I knew it my tummy was growling for lunch!

Penne with Artichoke hearts, spinach, parmesan, ricotta, and pine nuts.

I stumbled upon this yummy site full of pasta recipes. I was feeling kind of down and out after some studio time and some “old/new” crush heartache (he decided to go MIA), so I called a good girlfriend of mine to do some retail therapy.

Note: it's a big deal if I wear my hair up.

Jeez Matilda!

But she can also be a little lady.

Picking up my friend and admiring the leaves.

Matilda welcomes all passengers!

We picked up some coffee and headed to the doggy store. I got Matilda some goodies!

A couple pumpkin "pup"cake cookies, a spooky cookie, and a new harness (finally!)

Then we headed to Anthropologie! And what did Matilda do the second we got there? Peed, of course! It was weird because she had never done that before.

Some things I tried on...

Being sneaky taking pictures in the dressing room. I always feel like this is forbidden.

Super cool shirt!

Here’s a new addition to my necklace collection

Why hello there!

My friend snapped some pictures of us crossing the James River on the way home.

Appreciating the fall season.

Got home and cooked some dinner.

I vaguely followed the recipe for pasta with ricotta, basil, and tomato. On the side are some hot butter and garlic artichokes with grated parmesan. Later I prepared my meals for the next day so I could spend all day in the studio.

Ah, Monday Monday…

I had some European style plain yogurt with Crofter’s raspberry superfruit spread, cranberry cinnamon swirl toast with cream cheese, pumpkin butter, and some slices with Artisana tahini and agave nectar. Oh! And can’t forget the apple I had already started biting into. May I just add that tahini + honey or agave = the bomb.com?

Then it was off to my morning Taoism class - first day of learning some exercises with sticks.

Then I stopped by my apartment real quick to get a snack and the rest of my goods.

Graham-wiches!

U.S. Mills sent me these awhile ago and I finally got around to trying them. I got to try the Honey Graham & Vanilla Creme sandwich cookies and the Chocolate Graham & Peanut Butter Creme kind. Both were seriously so good.

Sandwich cookie powers unite!

Then it was time for my "Kick Ass in the Studio Day"

Then I took a break to go to my Literature class.

I came prepared!

I made banana dahl + coconut oil with brown rice and vanilla butternut squash mash with cinnamon and ricotta.

All mixed together.

Some of the butt-kicking that went on.

Energy bar break!

Have you guys ever tried the Prana Bars by Divine Foods? Well, I was lucky enough to be sent some to sample for a review, which I will be posting later. The sneak preview – this flavor was incredibly delicious and I could definitely taste and even see the coconut shreds. The sweetness mainly comes from the date paste and agave I believe.

After having a dance party while setting up my piece in one of the critique rooms, I finally got home around 9 pm and let Matilda out to take care of her business.

So Tuesday rolled around the corner and it was critique day. Dun dun dun.

Random breakfast

I crushed up Trader Joe’s peanut butter filled pretzels, a fun-size Butterfingers, vanilla yogurt, and Crofter’s raspberry superfruit spread. I had an orange for a vitamin-c boost since I was feeling under-the-weather.

Crit Room 3

All that stuff on the table and in front of it on the floor fit into someone's Nissan Sentra.

And my sculpture... it also had a sound piece to it.

I was so scared about this critique… nauseous scared.. I wanted to go against my perfectionist tendencies as an artist, and just experiment and go with the flow. That felt so uncomfortable, so a lot of insecurities rose up. However, much to my surprise, the critique did not make me cry, nor did I actually throw up.

So now here’s the surprise! I decided to have a giveaway in celebration of this blog’s 101st post. The prize?

Lots of goodies!

A Sunshine Burger baseball cap so you can rep the best veggieburgers in town. A Nature’s Path Optimum Blueberry Flax and Soy bar (yummy icing). All the Prana Bars which are vegan, high-raw, and delicious. There are also some coupons and a vitamin case. Last but not least, I’ll also be sneaking in some other goodies but that’s a secret.

So what do you have to do?

1. Tell me your favorite recipe! It can be a sandwich, yogurt-mess, bowl of oatmeal bliss, dessert, whatever your hearts desire! I will recreate the winner’s favorite  – and no worries if it’s not vegetarian. Where there’s a will there’s a way!

2. Link back to this contest.

3. Add me to your blogroll.

And please let me know if you do numbers 2 & 3. The contest will end on Saturday noon time EST. Thanks and good luck!

p.s. All you folks that have been treating yourself to Pumpkin ice cream, try it with walnuts!!! Speaking of sweets, I will be updating my recipe page so you can see the recipe for the scones! Enjoy your Wednesday everybody; we’re in the middle of the wave and it’s smooth riding from here.

Change of Pace

I’m going to rewind on my eats a bit because I’ve been skipping around. Remember that pumpkin & lentil curry me and my friend made?

This is what I did with my leftovers.

Since it was pretty thick it made a good filler for a wrap. The curry was just re-heated with some coconut oil and I also grilled an apple with cinnamon, then spread on some Crofter’s superfruit spread (pomegranates and black currants blended with red grapes and morello cherries).

Cran-Lemon Twister

Well, this was the last ProBar out of my sampler package. I have to say, I was not disappointed with these bars. The first bite I took out of this one I literally made the “mmm” noise. It definitely has a zing and gave my tastebuds a little twist they’re not use to. Some of the ingredients in this bar are cranberries, lemon, papaya, and pineapple. There are so many other ProBar flavors I didn’t get to try, and I really want to. I guess I will be starting a new collection?

Dun dun dun… the mandolin slicer.

I bought a butternut squash not too long ago, and I knew exactly what things I wanted to make with it!

Butternut squash fries!

I seasoned them with salt and some Old Bay. On the side I followed Happy Herbivore‘s spicy chickpea spread recipe. You must try this! It is incredibly easy to make, requires no cookibng, and is great as a sandwich filler, dip, or even alone. In the very back is the famous potato salad from Mrs. Marshall’s Carytown Cafe.

I mixed in some vegan mayo and ketchup to make it more like a “fries” dip.

Butternut squash mash

I was reading Lauren‘s blog one day and saw that she made butternut squash mash, and it just sounded so good! I mixed in some coconut oil, vanilla, sugar, and I topped it off with coconut shreds. I had to wait for it to cool down – this was steaming hot!

More butternut squash fries!

I baked these with freshly grated parmesan then I grated some more on afterwards. I served it with my last ooey-gooey arepa con choclo (sweet corn cake with farmer’s cheese). But I plan on re-stocking while I’m in Florida. There’s a Colombian cafe that makes delicious arepas. But my dad said they changed the cook so they’re a bit different now. We’ll see.

Pumpkin penne with homemade pumpkin puree

I have no idea how I stumbled upon this recipe, but I’m glad I did. I didn’t have sour cream so I used cream cheese instead. Logical substitute, right?I got to try out another Tofurky product – the Italian sausages. I really like the seasonings they used for these sausages! I’m also glad there is a vegetarian version of these out there because I feel like this recipe would be incomplete without that ingredient. Delicious and easy!

Just like Mitri, I will continue to eat my orange foods to maintain my olive complexion! I have another fall colored dish for you. I’m so use to seeing green in my vegetable portions!

Root vegetables and chickpeas

I followed a recipe sent to me through the Kardea newsletter. This is just something I made a big batch out of convenience. I plan on serving it with rosemary infused white rice. For a more rustic dish you could serve it with wild rice, or any other grain your prefer. I bet even roasting some potatoes and almonds in this would be delicious as well.

Matilda also got a special somethin’ somethin’ from Trader Joe’s!

I almost forgot! Here’s the food porn I promised!

Mmm so creamy

Hmm… what to do with my strawberry Chobani?

Breakfast the other day was like a banana split!

I heated up a Vitalicious brownie, sliced a banana, sprinkled on some cashews and sprinkles of course! Topped it off with a scoop of fro-yo. On the side I had some cranberry cinnamon swirl toast with cream cheese and 1/2 with Crofter’s superfruit spread and the other 1/2 with Creme of Almond & Dates.

Up close and personal

Explosion!

Holly, look it’s a yog-mess!

Today I fly to Florida! Actually, the other night when I double-checked my itenerary I realized that there was a very big mistake. My dad had booked my flight as if I were departing from Florida tomorrow and flying back there on Sunday. Oops dad! You mixed them up. He was able to work it out I guess. Anywho, I’m so excited!

Some of you may be experiencing the harsh weather already, so don’t forget to bundle up!

Matilda says so!

p.s. Does anyone have any penne and pesto recipes they’d like to share? Thanks a bunch!

p.s.s. Keep the questions coming! I hope to have a video up by tomorrow. Special post for Friday!

There cannot be a stressful crisis next week. My schedule is already full!

Hello everyone! Today is Friday, the end of another week. These past 2 weeks have been very overwhelming for me, but sometimes that happens. However, I’m use to just 1 week of madness rather than 2 consecutive weeks; it almost seems as if there’s no end! I’m almost expecting something else to pop up. Uh oh, I shouldn’t jinx myself. Yesterday I was riding my bike and in the middle of the intersection my only working brake decided to break. I put my feet on the ground, but it was scary because I thought a car was coming. So right now I have no bike, and that just means I’m walking around everywhere. The only problem with walking everywhere is that it takes a lot of time up. While I’m on my walks though, I allow that to be my “me time” of the day, since the other hours are spent using my brain to do schoolwork. Good news – my bike should be fixed by tomorrow and the weather has been nice.

Now that the weather is starting to cool down I'm using a better moisturizer.

For years I wouldn’t use body lotion, but since I started taking better care of myself, I’ve incorporated this into my daily morning routine.

Ice cream for breakfast!

Hey Sarah, I finally remembered to have some good old ice cream with my oatmeal. I also decided to incorporate it in a breakfast similar to a “peach crisp” Sarah made to get her day started. Good idea!!! I also blended my oats with the last of my ricotta and Zoe’s Granola – leaving in style.

Spaghetti squash with Lemon Garlic Sauce and Ricotta

This was my first time trying this squash, and I loosely followed this recipe. As you can see I used more than just a dollop of ricotta. I also got to try out the soon-to-be discontinued CLIF nectar bar: lemon vanilla cashew flavor. One question: why are they discontinuing them? This bar was so good!!! And the squash was…

SO much fun to eat!

I ran to my roommate to show her how cool this was. Not to mention, less dishes! What’d I do with the other half? Here are some clues:

Holla at the steal! I got the last two packages.

This was also at the Manager's Special price of $1.69!

This time I served it with a Tofurky Kielbasa sausage, tomatoes with balsamic vinegar and EVOO, red onions, and freshly grated parmesan.

I’d never tried the Tofurky sausages before, but I had a feeling it would be yummy. I think this would be wonderful with a potato salad, or some rotkohl. I can’t believe that there is so much flavor in a vegetarian alternative product. I’ve had Veggiedogs before, but these are more substantial. I can’t wait to try their other flavors!

Yesterday I got a phone call from the UPS man, and when I walked downstairs my eyes popped out of my head at the size of the package I had received. Hmm.. what could it be?

Greek yogurt!

It’s been so long since I’ve had Greek yogurt in my life, and I miss it so. It’s really just a matter of cost really that keeps me from buying it. But you know what, an occasional “splurge” shouldn’t be a big deal. I just hate being 100% financially dependent on my parents – I feel like such a burden – so I try my hardest to save. Anyway, I’ve never tried Chobani’s Greek yogurt, so of course I had to try one ASAP!

The pineapple flavor.

So. Good! It had an awesome texture and actual pineapple chunks. I’m so glad they sent me 2 containers because this was awesome. I can’t wait to try another flavor out. Furthermore, I can’t believe this has 13 g of protein! Great for vegetarians, great for anyone and everyone!

For dinner I had something simple, and comforting.

The pine nuts and raisins were nice, and I got to use up the rest of my sprouts.

A simple tomato and cheddar cheese sandwich on buttered bread.

For a nighttime snack I tried the Banana Nut VitaTop.

With it's partner in crime, peanut butter - the crunchy kind!

I am not really a fan of this VitaTop. I felt it was lacking in flavor incomparison to the other ones I’ve tried. I thought the peanut butter might salvage it, but I guess not all of them can be winners. Maybe it’s because banana bread is usually some mom’s secret stellar  recipe, that this VitaTop just seemed off.

I’m not the only one that’s getting to eat treats though!

I want it!

A cheese biscuit for my little nugget.

Get in muh belly!

I'm such a tease.

She's just too cute.

I’ll leave you all with just one more goodie I got to try.

Superfood Slam

This time I tried one of Art’s Original Flavors. Wow! I am still loving how you can see every ingredient. This may not look too appetizing but don’t be fooled. Some of the unique ingredients in this bar are barley grass, dates, acai, peanut butter, and chocolate. There’s was so much goodness going on in my mouth when I was eating this bar. So far, I’ve enjoyed every flavor I’ve tried. Perhaps, you just can’t go wrong!

Now we're both satisfied!

Well everyone, I hope you all had an enjoyable week and have some fun things to look forward to this weekend. Tonight marks the first Friday of October, which means all the galleries around here have new exhibitions. I’ll be doing the First Friday Artwalk.

What are you all doing to kick off the month of October?