Celebrating in New York Part 1

Thank you all for sharing your insight on hormones, and how some of you are also becoming more attuned to them. It’s funny how in the Western world many just pay attention to the symptoms rather than the root–the foundation. In the end, I believe that everything is connected anyhow, so it’s important to be good to yourself overall. For instance, when I was in New York there were some nights I was falling asleep as the sun was rising. I usually wake up at a certain time no matter how late I fall asleep. That was the case some nights and I’d get a couple hours of sleep. Then one day I slept till noon, which is very rare for me. About as rare as finding a wedding band over by the shopping carts at a grocery store (happened to me once when I was little). Anyway, I’ve been trying to get the rest my body needs. Surprisingly, if you’re body is functioning efficiently it won’t need that many hours of rest. Maybe rest isn’t a good word because our minds are very active while we sleep. How else can we come up with those crazy dreams?!

Dreaming of Green Tea Kit Kats

These were so delicious! I normally don’t like Kit Kat bars, but my friend brought these back from Japan and offered a pack for me to try. These were creamy and reminded me of white chocolate.

She also brought back red bean rice cakes, which were also very tasty.

The next day I went out for a run and got to know Brooklyn a little better. One thing that I love about running is that I discover a lot of neat spots, and helps me orient myself when I’m traveling. My sense of direction no matter where I go is something I am thankful for. The Katharina-model comes with a GPS built inside!

For dinner I went to Blossom with two mystery guests…
Guess who I got to have dinner with!

Maya decided to take an impromptu whirlwind trip to New York City, and luckily we were both in town at the same time! I also got to meet her good friend Max! I was definitely in great company that night.

I ordered the Porcini Cigars.

These were “hand-rolled phyllo filled with porcini mushrooms, almonds, and ground tempeh, served over a cashew pesto, finished with pomegranate seeds.” I don’t think I saw pomegranate seeds, but they did have sliced almonds. Maybe they were out of the seeds? The filling for the phyllo rolls reminded me of sausages, but I thought the dish was a tad too salty for my taste. Although I did enjoy biting into the flaky phyllo crust and spooning on as much of the cashew pesto as I could into one bite.

I took a picture with flash just to capture how awesomely green the cashew pesto was!
I also ordered the Field Greens salad

This was a salad of “greens tossed with candied walnuts, tofu croutons, and grilled pears in a shallot  vinaigrette.” I did like how the salad was dressed and the tofu croutons were a nice addition. I don’t know where the candied walnuts were though. Maya ordered the same salad and she also noted something about the missing candied walnuts.

After dinner we walked Maya to the bus station after dinner.
The first day already filled with excitement!

Later on I went bar hopping and ended up at a place where they do karaoke. The list was full by the time we got there. Alas, I couldn’t relive my last karaoke moment all the way back in high school. For the record I sang “Fat Bottomed Girls”.

While I was in New York I was able to use a kitchen and whip up tasty salads to help beat the summer heat.

There was always a supply of kabocha at the nearby market, which is open 24-hours! Actually, my first night in New York I went grocery shopping at 4 am.

I’ve also warmed up to tofu recently.

It is possible to make it tasty, and there’s no denying its convenience.

Spotted a crazy bike lock that looked like a giant clock mechanism.
Ricotta cheese for breakfast

Remember the ricotta cream pillows I’d top my oatmeal with? That morning I just toasted some bread and topped each slice with ricotta cheese, almonds, cinnamon, and honey.

Something else I spotted at the nearby market.

Reunited with a childhood favorite (these were on sale for 99 cents!)!

Fourth of July was spent on a rooftop overlooking the west side.
Fireworks!
They were so beautiful.

Everyone looked like ghosts.

I love seeing how each city in America has their own way of celebrating the Fourth of July. I’ve seen fireworks over beaches, parks, fields, lakes, and now skylines.

Eventually we made our way to a bar… specifically for their tacos!

That night was also when I met fellow food blogger, Mike! It was so awesome talking to him and hearing his thoughts on things. It’s not often that you can talk about things you think about with blogging with someone in real life that actually knows what you’re talking about. You guys should check out his blog! He had so many food adventures in New York. Not to mention he’s a blader. How awesome is that?

They ordered different kinds of tacos.
On another day we headed to Rockaway Beach, and stopped by their famous taco hut.
It was such a nice day!
With all these taco trucks and huts around I decided to make some of my own.

Let’s take a breather, shall we? I could keep going, but I’ll give your eyes a rest. So stay tuned for the next recap of my stay in New York!

Do you think dreams have a deeper meaning?

Drum Roll Please

My oh my! Things have been pretty busy for me lately, and all I want to do is take a nap. Just one, please. I actually fell asleep in class the other day while we were sitting at the conference table. Oops! Atleast I had my head up, right? Anyway, I’ve been meaning to do this for quite some time now, and I finally got around to making one… a review page! You can check it out at the top of my blog or just click here. I have a couple of exciting new ones I’ll be sharing with you all soon!

Now what has this busy lady been up to in the kitchen?

Chickpea burger served in a pita bread.

To go with the chickpea burger I stuffed the pita bread with baby spinach, avocado, cherry tomatoes, onion jam, and BBQ sauce.

Nom nom nom!

I like to make batches of things that are easy to take with me, and that are tasty as well! Whether it’s vegetarian burgers, noodle dishes, or pasta bakes. CHOW is a great site to find recipes. I know some of you have asked some of my favorite places to get recipes, and that is one of them. Epicurious, The Post Punk KitchenVegWeb, and of course fellow bloggers have great recipes up their sleeves as well. Most of the time I’ll look up a single ingredient and I’ll stumble upon great recipes that way. Anyone have any favorite recipes for when you’re on-the-go you’d like to share?

Oh and that onion jam I mentioned above?

I finally got around to making some! Not quite as “jammy”, but it sure adds lots of a flavor! Onion jam is a must-have condiment if you like sandwiches. It makes things extra-special.

Banana-Cashew Balls

I saw this recipe on Susan’s blog, and I must say that these were mighty tasty!

I liked how these tasted different from the usual “ball” recipes out there.

The banana pulp gave so much flavor, and the oats made it this taste so comforting. I felt like I was eating yummy baby food. Just give me a blankie and a bottle, and I’d be good to go… take a nap.

Vegan Fudge Love

When Katie shared her tasty recipe for chocolate fudge I knew I had to make it! Each ingredient is something I would eat on its own, or mixed with something else (cocoa powder and cinnamon alone… no thank you). Since I didn’t have coconut butter on hand I just made some. All of the flavors were able to shine through, so if you like the ingredients then go ahead and try to make it. Just the thought of making my own fudge made me happy. The flavor possibilities are endless, and Katie knows that too!

Speaking of love… on Valentine’s Day I woke up to this sweet gift my roommate left for me.

Later that day we planned to have a Valentine’s Day dinner date.

I thought that would be a nice time to try out Buitoni’s Pasta Riserva.

As part of the Tastemaker’s Program I was given the chance, through Foodbuzz and Buitoni, to try out Buitoni’s Riserva line. The wild mushroom agnolotti ravioli sounded like something I’d really enjoy. Stuffed pastas are my favorite!

Dinner is served!

To go with the ravioli I made Giada’s balsamic brown butter sauce, and served it with sautéed peas, lacinto kale, toasted walnuts, and grated blend of three cheeses.

My lovely date.
Why hello there!
Emily’s father has a vineyard and started bottling his own wine–cheers to scuppernongs!
Mmm ravioli!

The raviolis were huge, and actually quite flavorful. I wanted to keep the accompanying sauce simple so I could really get a taste of what I was eating. It was simple, but I think it complimented the pasta very well. It was earthy, but didn’t taste like dirt! Something my teeth could sink into, and that I could chew on forever. Emily agreed! Verdict? Delicious! Now how’s that for fast, convenient, and tasty ?

During the few days of warm weather I had tacos!

I filled them with black beans cooked with spices and onions, goat cheese, Trader Joe’s tomato-less salsa, avocado slices, lettuce, and lime juice. Warm weather… please stay! I love soups and all, but lately I’ve been craving lots of fresh foods like salads, juicy peaches, and cold sandwiches.

A flavor of Kombucha I hadn’t tried before.

Notice the 99-cent price tag. My parents live near a discount health-food store, and they brought up a bottle for me when they came to visit. If only there were more discount health-food stores in the world… Sometimes it annoys me how organic or all-natural things can be overpriced. It’s funny because these things are just reverting to the good old-fashioned way of doing things.

Another refreshing meal enjoyed on an unusually warm day.

I’ve forgotten how wonderful pasta salads are. I used the rest of my box of mini farfalle to make Kristin’s farfalle with broccoli and feta. I threw in some cherry tomatoes for a burst of more flavor. Serving this with extra olive oil drizzled on top really does something wonderful to this dish. When does an extra drizzling not do that?

So now is the time to announce a couple of winners!

First up, the winner of the Farm Rich & Gardein vouchers + a special surprise giveaway is the very thoughtful Lindsay! And now the winner of the Three Sisters Cereal giveaway is… the lovely Eloise! Congratulations to the both of you! Just e-mail me your addresses and your prizes await you.

Much love to everyone!