Parlancer

Aspen Goes Meatless on Mondays

2011-06-17T12:58:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the "Meatless Mondays Catch On, Even With Carnivores" article in the NYT today yet? You go, Aspen!

National Publicity for Meatless Monday

2010-08-09T08:14:00.000-07:00

NPR's Allison Aubrey presented a good story today about Sid Lerner and his involvement in the Meatless Monday movement. Check it out.

Weekday Veg

2010-05-24T12:08:00.000-07:00

For anyone who wants to take going meatless to the next level but isn't quite ready to go all the way, you might want to check out Weekday Veg, a concept being popularized by Graham Hill of Treehugger. Below is a very short video in which he describes the concept, and here is a link to a bio of Graham on TED.com and one on Treehugger.com.

Meatless Monday: "Mostly" Meatless and Other Musings

2010-01-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

Less than two weeks into the new year, I'm still doing a lot of unofficial goal setting for the next 365 days. While I'm not really making a list of resolutions or goals, I am spending some time thinking about my intentions and the direction(s) I want to go. After stating last week that my weight has nosed its way into the unhealthy zone, not surprisingly, something I've been spending a lot of time contemplating is my eating habits. So I thought I'd share my thoughts about that with you this week in lieu of sharing a recipe.

In the grand scheme of life, a little weight gain is not a big deal, I know, but I haven't been able to get away from this sinking feeling of utter defeat. After all, hadn't I made a serious pact with mys elf to be healthier just a year and a half ago? Two years before that, hadn't I taken off almost 15 lbs. through Weight Watchers and vowed to keep it off? Don't I say every New Year's Day "This year is going to be different?" What exactly is my problem??

Just in time to coincide with my (and almost everyone else on the planet's) New Year's resolutions to be healthier in 2010, Michael Pollan (renowned author of The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, whom I've spoken about on here before), has come out with a new book that promises to give us all easy-to-understand-and-implement food guidelines to live by, 64 rules in all. The book is Food Rules: An Eater's Manual and, I have to say, I'm intrigued. In an interview with New York Times writer Tara Parker-Pope, Pollan seemed to nail my problem right on the head:

"[I]n the end, so much of the discussion about nutrition is a way to avoid talking about how much people are eating. People would rather talk about anything else than quantity."

Yes! That's exactly it. It would seem that what I have been willfully ignoring is the fact that I'm just eating too damn much. I've been putting too much on my plate (and finishing every bite) and eating when I'm not really hungry, like when I'm bored or procrastinating. (That last one is a big work hazard for freelancers who work from home. The stocked refrigerator and pantry shelves and a kitchen full of handy appliances are just far too conveniently located.)

In Pollan's NYT's interview, he also mentioned the flack he's gotten for an eating rule he included on the cover of his book In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto - "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

"The adverb 'mostly' has been the most controversial. It makes everybody unhappy. The meat people are really upset I'm taking a swipe at meat eating, and the vegetarians are saying, 'What's with the "mostly?" Why not go all the way?' You can't please everyone. In a way that little word is the most important. It's not all or nothing. Mostly. It's about degree. But in the whole food discussion, I've learned the most from that, that little 'ly' and people's reaction to it."

This really resonated with me because I feel like I get the same reactions to my Meatless Monday posts sometimes - meat eaters and vegetarians alike are offended. But I'm not trying to criticize anyone else's eating habits or philosophies; I'm just trying to find my own personal balance between that 'all' and 'nothing.'

Finding that balance is definitely a struggle. I've mentioned before that I sometimes wish I could go fully vegetarian, but it's years later and I'm still not any closer to making that commitment. Maybe I never will. My husband has been talking about it more lately though too. As I've mentioned before, partners can be allies and saboteurs when it comes to eating habits, so maybe his influence - or our combined influence on each other - will lead us more in the vegetarian direction. And if he doesn't sway me, maybe another book I recently added to my to-read list will --
Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. A description of the book on Goodreads.com says:

"Jonathan Safran Foer spent much of his teenage and college years oscillating between carnivore and vegetarian. As he became a husband and a father, he kept returning to two questions: Why do we eat animals? And would we eat them if we knew how they got on our dinner plates?"

Again, I'm intrigued - and I'll be sure to share my reviews of both these books with you once I've read them, . . . which, unfortunately, may not be for a couple of months because I'm up to my ears in work right now, I have a monthly Amnesty International book club obligation, and I've already got a list of other books I want to read that's about as long as my arm. Then again, Pollan's book is only 112 pages long, so I should be able to squeeze that in sooner than later. So, stay tuned!

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New Year's Reflections

2010-01-05T14:46:00.000-08:00

Linda over at SundryMourning has been posting a New Year's quiz for the past several years and has encouraged others to answer it on their own blogs. I did it last year and figured I'd carry on the tradition too by doing it again:

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?

I went to Hemingway’s childhood home and museum, the President Nixon Museum and childhood home, the President Hayes Museum, the Frank Lloyd Wright home and studio, Griffith Observatory, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the San Fernando mission, the Morton Arboretum, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Tampa, and a Hindu wedding ceremony.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Not really, but I try not to be hard on myself for not accomplishing things in an arbitrary 365-day window.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Two of my sister-in-laws gave birth to beautiful nieces.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Thankfully, no.

5. What countries did you visit?

Sadly, none.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

More energy, patience, creative inspiration.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Jan 20 – (crap, I can’t remember if I have the date right) – niece (Avery) was born

Feb 6 – niece (Olivia) was born

May 31 – surprise birthday brunch

Jun 26 – cousin-in-law (Denise) got married

Jul 11 – cousin-in-law (Katie) got married

Oct 1 – moved from Moorpark to Montrose

Nov 15-16 – Rita’s visit

Nov 26 – Dec 2 – Husband’s parents’ visit

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Finding a cool new place to live and moving was challenging and fun. I also finished some big projects that I think will go on to do very well as printed texts or journal articles. I don't know that I'd call those "achievements" (like great goals or ideals I strove to realize) - maybe accomplishments would be a better word (they were big tasks and I think I did them well).

9. What was your biggest failure?

Gaining weight

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Had an evil stomach flu

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Nothing exciting. I’ve been trying to be more mindful of the types of purchases I make and to buy only things I really need. (Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping is on my to-read list!)

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

My husband’s – he got a promotion. Woo-hoo! Well-deserved.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Glenn Beck – that man is a knob.

14. Where did most of your money go?

To pay off debt.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Finding a new place to live

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

“Boom Boom Pow” by the Black-Eyed Peas (I think I’m choosing this one only because it’s the last song I heard on New Year’s Eve before calling it a night.)

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?

Happier.

b) thinner or fatter?

Fatter – same answer as last year. . . . not a good trend.

c) richer or poorer?

Probably roughly the same.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Exercising, taking photos, and keeping in touch with friends.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Complaining, eating, and procrastinating.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

Quietly at home. No holiday travel for us this year – yay!

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?

Same answer as last year - I didn’t ‘fall,’ but my love grew deeper.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

“Arrested Development” – I’ve been watching re-runs and falling in love even though I know I’m going to be so disappointed when I come to the last episode and there aren’t any more to watch or wait for. Although. . . I hear there’s going to be a movie!

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

No.

24. What was the best book you read?

It’s hard to choose just one, so here are my top choices:

Non-Fiction

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls

The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood by Helene Cooper

Another Day in the Frontal Lobe: A Brain Surgeon Exposes Life on the Inside by Katrina Firlik

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan

Fiction

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

The Road (Movie Tie-in Edition 2009) (Vintage International) by Cormac McCarthy

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Grizzly Bear

26. What did you want and get?

A move closer to civilization

27. What did you want and not get?

Nothing (see answer to #11)

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

(500) Days of Summer

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

My parents threw me a surprise birthday brunch with family back in my hometown. I turned . . . 35. Yikes.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Spending more time vacationing, hiking, going to the beach, and pursuing creative projects.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?

Practical – I work from home, so most of the time anything comfortable (usually t-shirts and jeans) works for me.

32. What kept you sane?

My flexible job and my supportive husband.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Neil Patrick Harris – so very talented

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

The Tea Party nutjobs make my brain want to explode.

35. Who did you miss?

My friends and family back east.

36. Who was the best new person you met?

My answer is a team rather than just one person – the editor and the author duo I met in December for a new project I just took on.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.

When you are faced with conflict, compromise is a great goal , . . . but it’s not always possible.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

I’m never any good with pulling lyrics out of thin air, so I’ll just choose this song that is apropos for the new year:

“The New Year” by Death Cab for Cutie

So this is the new year,

And I don’t feel any different.

The clanking of crystal

Explosions off in the distance (in the distance)

So this is the new year.

And I have no resolutions

For self-assigned penance,

For problems with easy solutions.

So everybody put your best suit or dress on.

Let’s make believe that we are wealthy for just this once,

Lighting firecrackers off on the front lawn

As thirty dialogues bleed into one.

I wish the world was flat like the old days.

Then I could travel

Just by folding a map -

No more airplanes, or speedtrains, or freeways.

There’d be no distance that can hold us back. [x3]

So this is the new year. [x4]

my answers from last year

How would you respond to these questions? In the comments section here, share your own answers or direct me to your own blog where you've posted them.

Meatless Monday: Peanut-Broccoli Stir-Fry

2010-01-04T16:53:00.000-08:00

Sorry to have neglected my MM posting, but the holidays were a complete blur. We didn't even travel for the holiday this year, but it still seems like we were busy non-stop. I'm afraid to admit that there was plenty of meat-eating done over the course of those weeks (e.g., on Christmas Eve we had the traditional Italian-American "Feast of the Seven Fishes"), but we did have plenty of vegetarian dishes too. This next recipe is one of those dishes.

Peanut-Broccoli Stir-Fry
Recipe

We were out of brown rice, so we used quinoa, which was great because I prefer quinoa anyway. It was quick and easy to throw together and it was pretty tasty too. We made it just this past week after all the holiday mayhem had quieted down. It was nice to have a light, healthy dish after all the indulging that had been going on since Thanksgiving (see previous post).

Speaking of indulging . . . I stepped on the scale at the doctor's office the other day. Woo, what a bad idea! There was the evidence of my indulging and not exercising all year staring me back in the face. I won't share the number with you, but I will say this - it was SOBERING.

I knew my pants weren't fitting very well lately, but I had no idea how out of hand things had gotten. Let's just say I've officially stepped outside the "healthy" zone for my height. Not far outside, mind you, but still not cool. I was pretty bummed about finding this out, but the timing is actually good. I was poised to set my New Year's resolutions anyway, so I just added one more to the list. What that means is that I'll be being extra diligent about finding low-fat and low-calorie recipes to eat in 2010 - and I'll be sure to share the vegetarian ones with you!

Did you make any special vegetarian dishes for the holidays? Please share!

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Meatless Monday: Pumpkin Cheesecake

2009-12-07T18:07:00.000-08:00

I had my in-laws in town for Thanksgiving, so things were a little busy for a while, what with cooking preparations; squeezing everyone into our little house; and touring here, there, and everywhere. We had lots of fun . . . and consumed monstrous amounts of food. I can't even begin to calculate the number of calories consumed in the course of their visit, but I'll tell you one thing - I don't regret one bite!

I'm happy to report that everything in our Thanksgiving meal came out excellent. There were no major mishaps with any of the dishes this year - not even with the one recipe I'd never made before. (My philosophy is that you should stretch the limits of your cooking comfort zone by making at least one new recipe each Thanksgiving). I had a pretty good idea it was going to be amazing though because my friend had already made the recipe and posted a picture of the results (see her picture above). I reasoned, "How could anything that looks that gorgeous NOT taste amazing too?!" I'm happy to report that I was not wrong, or as my grandfather used to like to say, "Seldom am I wrong, but I was right this time."

Pumpkin Cheesecake
Recipe

My friend suggested the following adjustments to the recipe (which I followed):

Bake at 325 in a water bath for 45 minutes.
Turn off oven and allow to cool in oven for 60 min.
Cool on counter for 60 min covered.

The only other thing I did differently was to use neufchatel instead of cream cheese. You know, to make the healthy version. . . .

What? . . . Okay, so maybe you'll have a little trouble fitting into the holiday outfit you recently purchased after eating this cheese cake (even with the nuefachatel/cream cheese swap), but that's okay because everyone knows that "no one likes a skinny Santa" anyway! ;)

Got any favorite vegetarian or vegan recipes?? Please share!

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Meatless Monday: Spinach Calzones with Blue Cheese

2009-11-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, both my husband and I were really busy with work. With our limited time, I knew putting together dinners for the week was going to be a challenge. My solution was to find and print out a bunch of yummy sounding but simple recipes with limited ingredients lists. I did all the shopping at the beginning of the week. Then, each night when Matt called to say he was on his way home, I'd take a break from work and prep the ingredients for one of the recipes. When he got home, he'd take over doing whatever mixing, constructing, sauteing, etc. that was needed to finish the recipe and I'd go back to work. In this manner, we put together some tasty dishes that neither of us had to exert too much effort to make.

This next dish is one of the one's from that week's menu. It only calls for 7 ingredients, two of which (cooking spray and garlic) you'll likely already have in your pantry!

Spinach Calzones with Blue Cheese
Recipe

When I think of calzone, I think of the traditional calzones I grew up eating in a very Italian suburb of Boston, the kind that look like large flat logs that you cut into slices to eat. The calzones we made with this recipe looked very different from those traditional ones, but I liked them because they were very pretty (see pic) and were sized for individual consumption.

We used gorgonzola (an Italian blue cheese) because we had it left over from two dishes we'd made the previous week. And we drizzled some fresh pizza sauce from a local Italian market on top. They were pretty good! When I make these again though, I will probably try a more traditional cheese like mozzarella or provolone and a bag of fresh pizza dough from the bakery. I thought blue cheese might be a little too strong a choice for a recipe like this, and, while the canned pizza dough is quick and convenient, real pizza dough has a better taste and texture.

Another option you might consider - make much smaller versions of these as hors d'oeuvres for your next gathering!

Got any favorite vegetarian or vegan recipes?? Please share!

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Meatless Monday: Ginger Ale

2009-11-09T11:37:00.000-08:00

I'm not very fond of ginger, but I love ginger ale. Weird, I know. Doesn't make much sense, but I guess I rarely make sense . . . .

At the sushi bar, I always leave the neat little pile of sliced ginger on the corner of my plate untouched, and I often leave out ginger when making Chinese dishes, but, for some unknown reason, I think ginger ale is just delicious. Maybe I've been subconsciously brainwashed by marketing campaigns, but I really do find ginger ale a very crisp and refreshing drink.

I don't have ginger ale all that often, but when I do, I've always been more than happy with a can of Schweppes or Canada Dry to sate my craving - that is until this past week when my husband made me ginger ale from scratch!

GINGER ALE
Recipe

Simple Syrup
1 c sugar
1 c water
Boil until dissolved. Let cool and refrigerate.

Ginger Liquid
1/2 c grated fresh ginger
1 c water
Boil 5 min. Let stand 40 min. Strain out ginger and retain liquid. Let cool and refrigerate.

You can store the simple syrup and ginger liquid separately or stir them together in one container, making 2 c of flavoring. If you mix them together, you can pour the flavored mixture about 2 fingers high in your glass. Then add ice and club soda and stir. Alternatively, you can adjust the ratio of ginger to sugar if you've kept them separate. Either way, bottoms up!

The nice thing about making ginger ale yourself using this recipe is that you can control the proportions of the ingredients per glass. For instance, my husband likes his ginger ale a little less sweet than I do, so he uses a little less simple syrup in his glass.

Another cool thing about ginger ale? Its salutary digestive effects. I know I'm not the only one who was given a glass of flat ginger ale when I was a kid with an upset stomach, right? To this day, when my stomach isn't reacting well to food but I'm still hungry, I immediately reach for ginger ale and saltines. Nothing more reliable or comforting.

I also have great memories of drinking Shirley Temples (which are non-alcoholic drinks made with ginger ale, grenadine, and maraschino cherries) at my grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary as a child. My cousins and I felt like "big kids" because we got to order drinks at the bar.

And, of course, ginger ale is a caffeine-free drink, which is great for me because my system is super sensitive to caffeine. If I have 1/2 a can of Diet Coke early in the day, I won't sleep that night, and I run the risk of getting addicted. And let me tell you, the migraines I get associated with caffeine withdrawal are UG-LY.

So, ginger ale - a nice go-to drink for all kinds of reasons. And now you can make some at home!

Got any favorite vegetarian or vegan recipes?? Please share!

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Meatless Monday: Pasta with Mushrooms & Pumpkin-Gorgonzola Sauce

2009-11-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

Back when I was reading Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma (see an earlier post), I came across this sentence in the "Gathering: The Fungi" chapter:

"Mexicans call mushrooms carne de los muertos - 'flesh of the dead.'"

"Greeeaat. Thanks, Mike," I thought. "Way to ruin one of my favorite foods for me." But, turns out, give me enough time and, like a proverbial goldfish*, I forget all about the 'flesh of the dead' and return to shoveling forkfuls of mushrooms into my mouth at every opportunity. (Yay for bad memory!)

I was reminded of the whole 'mushroom/rotting flesh' thing today because it is the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead (or El Día de los Muertos), during which Mexicans celebrate and honor their deceased relatives and friends. I thought, what better way to celebrate than with a mushroom dish? And, since we're fresh off of Halloween and it's in season, why not a recipe with pumpkin in it too?

Pasta with Mushrooms & Pumpkin-Gorgonzola Sauce
Recipe

I don't have much to add to the recipe instructions other than to say that:

Shitake mushrooms taste great and really complement the gorgonzola, but definitely feel free to substitute the mushroom of your choice;
Freshly ground nutmeg will taste so much better than jarred pre-ground nutmeg;
Use however much onion suits your taste; personally, I think 4 cups is overkill;
However, I don't think 4 cloves of garlic is overkill - again, depends on your taste; and
Remember to only use about 1/3 of what the recipe calls for if you're going to use dry, jarred sage; again, as with the nutmeg, fresh is better.

The cool thing about this recipe? If you've got leftover gorgonzola cheese, pumpkin, and sage (and you will if you get the usual package sizes), later in the week, you can always make the following recipe, which is also great.

Pumpkin Ravioli with Gorgonzola Sauce
Recipe

This isn't as good as ravioli made from real, homemade pasta, but, on the plus side, it's also not as difficult or time-consuming to make and it should sate your craving for ravioli.

Got any favorite vegetarian or vegan recipes?? Please share!

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*I say 'proverbial' because goldfish memory actually isn't as bad as the common saying would suggest.

Meatless Monday: Lime Peanut Noodles

2009-10-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

Last week, when I was drafting my post about PB&J, I came across the following recipe and thought YUM! I love soba noodles but hadn't had any in quite a while, and I love satay sauce in Thai restaurants but had never tried making my own peanut sauce before, so I was intrigued. I had almost all the ingredients in the refrigerator, and the cooking prep seemed super quick and easy, so I said, "Why not?!"

Lime Peanut Noodles
Recipe

I know, I know. After all the hemming and hawing I did about never willfully eating another carrot or radish after the bushels of it we got from Underwood Family Farms, here I am making a recipe that calls for both. What can I say?

I wasn't so sure about this dish when I saw it coming together, but I'm happy to say, despite appearances, it tasted great. Here are the few adjustments I made or would suggest:

I substituted parsley for the cilantro (surprise-surprise!) and didn't use as much as was called for. I used a julienne peeler on the carrots. I didn't use as many radishes as it called for. It suggests cutting the cucumber and radishes thinly, but I would actually suggest chopping them finely; I think you can toss the ingredients with the soba noodles more easily that way.

Got any favorite vegetarian or vegan recipes?? Please share!

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Meatless Monday: PB&J

2009-10-05T15:35:00.000-07:00

In this post, instead of a recipe, I offer a reminder of how easy it is to go meatless for just one day.

Feeling like there's nothing meatless in the house that sounds appetizing? Oh, come onnn. You must at least have a jar of peanut butter and a jar of jelly on hand. Who doesn't love a good PB&J now and again?? Who, I ask you?! I say there's nothing like a PB&J and a tall glass of milk to make you feel young again. So simple, so satisfying, . . . and (who knew) also very good for the environment. Check out the details at The PB&J Campaign.

Opening up and carving your knife into a new jar of peanut butter has to be right up there on life's list of simple pleasures. And there are so many different nut butters and brands to choose from! My husband likes Laura Scudder's brand peanut butter, which is an old-fashioned peanut butter with no hydrogenated oils and no trans fats. It's tasty but a little high-maintenance because the oil separates from the peanut butter in the jar and you need to stir it with every use. That's why I bought him the Witmer peanut butter mixer (model 100) as a stocking stuffer a couple of years back. Works like a charm. Others adore Nutella (a hazelnut butter). Personally, I find it a little too sweet for a whole sandwich.

If no brand satisfies you, you can always make your own nut butter from scratch too -

And there are tons of jellies and jams from which to choose as well. There is everything from the jam your grandma makes from scratch, to the tiny jars of exotic fruit preserves dressed up in gingham cloth and ribbon at gourmet boutiques, to the big-brand standbys in new squeezable bottles, to the Frankenjam concoctions of jelly and peanut butter in one jar (for the truly lazy . . . and, apparently, taste bud-impaired).

Everyone seems to have their favorite ingredients when it comes to PB&J, even celebrities. For instance, most folks know that Elvis loved fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. But did you know that Jerry Seinfeld will only eat one kind of peanut butter? They make it at Peanut Butter and Co. If you're in the NYC area and feeling just too lazy to slap some PB&J on two slices of bread yourself, you can check out Jerry's favorite yourself at the company's sandwich shop in Greenich Village. Some of their sandwiches sound more like desserts (e.g., the Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Sandwich), but to each his own.

Me? I'm happy with a plain ol' tub of Jif. And I usually go old-school with a jar of Welch's Concord grape. But I do mix it up once in a while with raspberry, strawberry, or blackberry jelly . . . or even . . . FLUFF. Ohh, the Fluffernutter! A whole other topic for another day.

How do you PB&J?

Got any favorite vegetarian or vegan recipes?? Please share!

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Meatless Monday: Fast Food

2009-09-28T11:57:00.000-07:00

So, as I may have mentioned, I'm in the process of moving. The prospect of doing such a thing always sounds so easy, but of course it's not. The movers come tomorrow, so I've been frantically trying to get every little trapping of my material life stuffed into boxes over the past couple of days.

Last night, I packed up the last of the kitchen items. As you might imagine, it's a little difficult to cook without pots, pans, spices, utensils, and whatnot. Couple that with the dilemma of not having very much time to eat and an inevitable evil looms in the near future . . . FAST FOOD! How's a girl to eat healthy and, today, meatless with the kind of options available at your average fast food restaurant, where sometimes the "healthy" items rack up just as much fat and and as many calories as a burger-and-fries combo meal?!

I'm not going to eat at your average fast food restaurant, that's how! In California, I've got some great options . . .

California Crisp
This small chain only has 7 locations, but they're worth seeking out. A lot of items on their menu come with chicken, but you can always ask them to hold it. Try their BBQ Chicken Wrap sans chicken. The sauce is yummy and the jicama adds a great juicy crunch. LOVE jicama.

Natural Cafe
This restaurant only has 10 locations, but, as with California Crisp, they're worth seeking out. Their menu offers a HUGE list of vegetarian options. I'm a big fan of the "Mr. Natural" - fresh, seasonal vegetables steamed and served over short-grain brown rice. I get it with sauteed tofu. I don't know what they cook the tofu in, but it is DELICIOUS!

Orean's Health Express, Inc.
Where I'm moving is relatively close to Pasadena, which means I'll finally get a chance to check out Orean's, which touts itself as "the first vegetarian fast-food take-out." Their menu is definitely more fast-food-y than the first two places I've mentioned here, offering items like burgers, dogs, burritos, and fries. Their website says they're open from 9:30a - 9:00p, but I remember trying to go at least twice when I lived in Pasadena and it being closed. If memory serves, I think both times might have been a Sunday, so maybe they're closed on Sundays. I drove by a couple of Saturdays ago when we were still house hunting, though, and saw that they were open. So, fair warning, African Burrito - You Will Be Mine!

Hopefully someday on-the-go vegetarian places will be as ubiquitous as McDonald's. Until then, . . .

If you know any good fast-food vegetarian places (or fast-food places with good veggie options), please share!

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Meatless Monday: Cucumber Soup

2009-09-21T12:31:00.000-07:00

I'm in such denial that the summer is officially coming to a close. Well, I guess you could say I've actually been in perpetual denial since I moved to the west coast . . . but, seriously, even though the weather here will be mild in the fall and winter, there's still something about the carefree days of summer I'll miss - more BBQs, warm weather in other states I like to visit, weddings, vacations, AND light and delicious summer dishes.

One light summer treat we had recently for the first time was the cucumber soup at Il Tramezzino that I mentioned last week. I liked it so much, I immediately started looking for recipes when I got home. I found the following one on www.foodnetwork.com and gave it a whirl.

Cucumber Soup
Recipe

This is so quick and easy to make, but there are a couple of things I would suggest doing to make it even better. First, I would recommend using either an English cucumber (as someone suggests in the 'comments' section of the recipe) or a couple small Persian cucumbers. This is important (!) . . . and I say that from experience. I started out with a regular ol' run-of-the-mill cucumber and that first batch came out yucky because the cucumber had a bitter taste to it. You won't find that with an English or Persian cucumber. Second, I would recommend adding fresh dill to the recipe - both when you blend it and as a garnish. And, third, if the sour cream is a little too much for you, you might consider using a light, plain yogurt (as many other cucumber soup recipes suggest). Fourth, the recipe calls for chicken broth, but you can substitute vegetable broth or water with equally yummy results.

This makes a fantastic side dish for a sandwich or salad lunch. Whip some up for yourself and hold on to the memories of summer just a little bit longer.

Got any favorite vegetarian or vegan recipes?? Please share!

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Meatless Monday: Rigatoni with Vegetable Bolognese

2009-09-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hope you didn't think I forgot all about Meatless Mondays! Don't worry, I haven't been secretly hiding in the shadowy corners up to my molars on a leg of mutton. I've just been busy orchestrating a relocation. Sadly, the move will place us outside of convenient driving distance of Underwood Farms, so we'll have to cancel our CSA subscription (*sniff*), BUT it will place us within walking distance of a fantastic weekly farmer's market. Yay!

The CSA program has been terrific - it taught me to choose items that are locally grown and in season, I felt really good about supporting a local business, and the fruits and veggies have been so fresh - but I've really missed being able to choose which seasonal fruits and veggies I bring home every week. For instance, I won't miss suffering through multiple weeks of pounds upon pounds of carrots and radishes. So, I think switching to buying produce at a farmer's market again is going to be a great change for us.

So, as I alluded, while I was spending a lot of time on the road driving around looking at potential new homes recently, I didn't neglect my Meatless Monday pledge. We found some great meatless meals on the go at places like Il Tramezzino. (The soup and 1/2 sandwich special was perfect at $9.99. I got their cold cucumber soup and grilled Sicilian sandwich. Yum!) And we also had time to make a few of our own delicious meatless dishes at home. We had the corn soup I made a couple of weekend ago again (because it was so good, I had to have more!). And we finally got around to making a dish from the Food Network that a friend recommended to us quite a while ago. So glad we checked that last recipe out, because now I can share that experience with you now!

Rigatoni with Vegetable Bolognese
Recipe

I know what you're thinking - Bolognese? Isn't a Bolognese sauce by definition a meat sauce?? Okay, sure, this recipe does stretch the limits of traditional food definitions, but with good cause. The sauce actually does do an amazing job of mimicking the mouthfeel and appearance of a meat sauce (you know, without the actual icky meat). The porcini mushrooms - with their brown color, toothsome texture, and earthy flavor - can take most of the credit for that.

I bought all the ingredients for this recipe with the full intention of making it that same day or the very next, but we found ourselves running off to house-viewing appointments every time we turned around, so my best efforts were often dashed. By the time I got around to cutting up the veggies, I discovered that my red pepper - that still looked perfect from the outside - had mold on the inside. Ewww. We didn't really have time to run out to the store to pick up a new one, so we just substituted some tomato (with the seed goop removed). Came out great! When I make this again and have a non-mold-filled red pepper to put in it, I will probably roast the pepper and remove the skin before combining it with the other ingredients (as I've recommended before).

A bonus? This is definitely a dish that improves with reheating. Yay for leftovers!

Got any favorite vegetarian or vegan recipes?? Please share!

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Meatless Monday: Sweet Corn & Squash Soup

2009-08-24T15:52:00.000-07:00

For Christmas, my brother- and sister-in-law got me The Wine Lover's Page-A-Day Calendar. Every day, the author offers a wine recommendation or a unique fact, quotation, or multiple-choice question about wine. Some days, it's pretty interesting; others, not so much and I quickly toss the page in the recycling bin. Recently, though, I revealed the new page for the day and was inspired! The page gave a recipe for corn soup. Perfect! I had 6 more ears of sweet corn in my CSA box and didn't know what to do with them. I had already recently made cornbread, and my husband's not all that fond of corn on the cob (it just never measures up to the fresh corn from his parents' farm, . . . even though ours is fresh from a farm too), so I was left scratching my head trying to think of something new and yummy to make.

Sweet Corn and Squash Soup
Recipe

The recipe on the page-a-day calendar was kind of boring sounding and didn't give solid enough directions, so I dug around on www.myrecipes.com to find this one, which was perfect because it also called for yellow squash which I had in my CSA box too. I skipped the squash blossoms, added a little bit of garlic when I sauteed the onions, and added more salt and black pepper than was called for. The additional black pepper added a nice little kick. If you'd like even more kick, you could always add a little jalapeno pepper to your onions when you saute them. The wine-a-day calendar suggested adding cream, but a) I didn't feel like buying a whole container of cream when I was only going to use a small amount (I've wasted too much cream that way), and b) I thought the consistency of the soup was already nice and naturally creamy after putting it through the food processor.

It can sometimes be difficult cutting the corn off of the cob; the ears can be slippery to hold and cutting down into a bowl is awkward. My mother-in-law can take care of several dozen ears with the help of a meat slicer in less time than it'll take you to blink an eye, . . . but she's what I'd call an expert when it comes to all things corn-related, so I wasn't about to attempt that. Instead, I used a trick I learned from watching the Food Network. You tip a small bowl upside down inside a large bowl (I used the smallest and largest of my nesting bowl set) and rest the leveled bottom of the ear on the small bowl. When you cut down the side of the corn, all the kernels falls neatly around the small bowl at the bottom of the big bowl. The small bowl provides great stability for the ear, you don't have to worry about hitting the sides of the bowl when cutting or trying to cut at awkward angles, and the kernels don't fall all over the counter like they would if you held the cob higher. Great solution!

My wine-a-day calendar suggested having the soup with a glass of chardonnay. I agree that would have gone really really well. Chardonnays often go nicely with dishes that have distinct buttery flavors (e.g., I love it with boiled lobster). Next time, I might try one of our go-to chardonnays (Edna Valley, often on sale at the local grocery store), but, this time, we happened to have a bottle of pinot grigio already open, so we went with that. Not bad. In fact, I think any soft white would be a good complement. For instance, I can imagine a sauvignon blanc or fume blanc working really well too.

Got any favorite vegetarian or vegan recipes?? Please share!

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Meatless Monday: The Mission

2009-08-17T14:50:00.000-07:00

Holy moly, people, these past few days I've been sicker than I've ever been in my life. When I wasn't avoiding food at all costs, I was lucky to hold down a few crackers or a piece of plain toast. Those are, of course, technically 'meatless' meals . . . but not exactly inspired recipes worth sharing with you.

I'm starting to feel human again, . . . but not adventurous enough to introduce my stomach to a new recipe. So, instead, I'm probably going to revisit the blog vault and remake one of my old favorite Meatless Monday recipes. Hey, I know what you're thinking - "This is the equivalent of one of those sitcom episodes where they just slap together snippets of previous episodes in a "memories montage. I feel cheated!" Well, I'm sorry, but it's either this or I may just pop open some store-bought mushroom soup. Yes, that's right - I said STORE-BOUGHT. . . . People, it's not always about culinary mastery. Sometimes, it's just about staying true to your mission, and my mission is to go meatless on Mondays.

So, instead of a recipe, I share this with you this week - a video by MeatlessMonday.com that reminds us all what we're doing and why:

Meatless Monday: Pasta Primavera

2009-08-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

While I'm not vegetarian, I have a few friends who are, and I've heard from them that, bar none, the vegetarian dish they most often see on a menu is pasta primavera. In fact, sometimes it can be the only vegetarian menu option they have. So, I understand if the mere mention of the words "pasta primavera" inspires wincing, disappointment, or a yawn. It's exactly for that reason that I've avoided posting a past primavera recipe . . . until now.

Pasta Primavera
Recipe

I personally didn't love this recipe, but that's not stopping me from posting about it because my husband really loved it and I think most other people will too. I didn't like it because I'm not that fond of cooked carrots, but I do recognize that they lend a nice taste to the pasta (via the carrot-boiled water) and provide a certain fresh, healthy sweetness to the dish that most people will like. If I were to make it again, I'd still boil the pasta in the carrot water, but I'd add all the carrots themselves to my husband's dish and add more peas and pattypan squash to mine.

The recipe calls for the baby carrots to be uncut and the pattypan squash to be cut into pretty big chunks, but I opted to cut the carrots and the pattypan squash into smaller pieces because I think it made the dish easier to eat. I don't know about you, but I find it annoying to have to cut things in a pasta dish when I'm eating it (just as I hate having to pull the tails off of shrimp in a seafood pasta dish). The recipe also suggests serving this dish with a fume or sauvignon blanc. I already had a bottle of mellow chardonnay open, so I used that both for the 1/4 cup needed in the recipe and as an accompanying drink and was very pleased.

Got any favorite vegetarian or vegan recipes?? Please share!

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Meatless Monday: Ratatouille

2009-08-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

Back in June, after having had some ratatouille at Cafe Provencal, I mentioned wanting to make my own. It's taken me a little while to get around to it, but I finally did. Okay, my husband is actually the one who got around to it. . . . Technicalities. I did help . . . even if he'd say that I helped much in the same way that Remy helped Linguini in the movie Ratatouille . . . by pulling his hair.

I had envisioned making a layered ratatouille, much like Julia Child would have, but that takes a lot more time - and pans. Instead, Matt opted to try this next recipe that takes less time and can be made in one pan, care of the "Cooking for Engineers" website (he loves how intuitively they lay out their recipes). I'd still like to try the layered version of ratatouille some day, but this "cheating" version is pretty great for when you don't have as much time to devote to the preparation of a meal.

Ratatouille
Recipe

Beware: this recipe calls for A LOT of garlic. For me, that's a selling point, but, depending on your tastes, you may want to use less.

Also, as I've mentioned, I don't like skin on my peppers, so we used the same method I've talked about here before to remove the skin from the peppers. I also don't like skin on my eggplant, so we took a vegetable peeler to that. Of course, you don't have to, but I would recommend it. I would also recommend having some yummy, crusty bread on hand to serve with it.

This makes the perfect main or side dish, and it's great as a leftover because the flavors meld together even better given a little more time.

Got any favorite vegetarian or vegan recipes?? Please share!

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Meatless Monday: White Bean Salad with Creamy Lemon-Dill Dressing

2009-07-27T09:55:00.000-07:00

In our CSA box the past couple of weeks, we've been getting bunches of green beans. They're so fresh, they *squeak* when you bite into them, and they're so tasty. I'm much more excited to be getting these on a regular basis than those blasted carrots and Easter radishes. (Seriously, I think I hit my yearly allowance for beta carotene in just two months.)

One of our go-to salad recipes for green beans is one I've shared on here before. We were tempted, of course, to make that again (because it's insanely good!), but falling back on favorites too often just deprives you of the opportunity to find new favorites. Sure, sometimes you try something new and it's awful, but "no risk, no reward." That said, I still wanted to mitigate my risk.

Since I'm a sucker for the dill in the recipe I mention above, I was drawn to this next recipe because it's dressing also contains dill - even though no green beans are called for. The green beans would just have to keep another day.

White Bean Salad with Creamy Lemon-Dill Dressing
Recipe

As I discussed in last week's post, not following a recipe exactly doesn't always have to end in disaster. Last week, by accident, I didn't follow the recipe. This week, I couldn't follow the recipe exactly . . . because I hadn't planned ahead well enough.

I hadn't looked at the recipe for a couple of days, but I still thought I remembered all the ingredients. So, I just headed off to the grocery store and picked up the couple of things I thought I needed. I thought I was good to go. Turns out . . . not so much. I obviously planned on skipping the shrimp, but how did I miss the red onion, watercress, and fennel bulb??

It was too late to go back to the grocery store (we were starving!). So, it was time to improvise! Watercress became arugula fresh from Matt's garden (which lent a similar tangy, peppery flavor). Red onion became Texas sweet onion from our CSA box (I'm thinking, probably an improvement on the recipe!). And kohlrabi provided the crunch that the fennel would have . . . without the icky fennel taste (icky to me anyway). The verdict? Criminally good! And the best part? The creamy lemon-dill dressing. And we didn't have to feel bad about eating it because it's made with fat-free yogurt - a non-guilty pleasure!

Not interested in this salad but hankering for a simple summer salad? Check out this article posted last week by the New York Times. 101 recipes!

Got any favorite vegetarian or vegan recipes?? Please share!

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Meatless Monday: Pan-Roasted Corn-and-Cumin Corn Bread

2009-07-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

Over the past month, I've been reading Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma, which discusses the "politics, perils, and pleasures of eating." I'm about 2/3 of the way in now and have learned a lot (despite Pollan's clunky writing style) about industrial vs. self-sustained farming and the ubiquitous of corn in our American diet. I started the book on a flight to the Midwest, which was interesting timing because we spent 4 days of our trip on my inlaws' farm. Their type of farming falls in line with what Pollan would consider industrial farming - i.e., bad for the environment and for consumers' health. It was awkward to be reading about crop chemical run-off getting into the water reserves as my father-in-law tried to downplay officials' warnings about high algae counts in the nearby lake. (He wanted to take us out on his boat.) Part of me wanted to recommend the book to him (I mean, why not? He suggested The Dawkins Delusion to us!), but I thought better of it because there are parts of the book I find offensive and am sure he would too - e.g., this quote from a farmer who practices self-sustaining farming:

"Part of the problem is, you've got a lot of D students left on the farm today. . . . The guidance counselors encouraged all the A students to leave home and go to college. There's a tremendous brain drain in rural America. Of course that suits Wall Street just fine; Wall Street is always trying to extract brainpower and capital from the countryside. First they take the brightest bulbs off the farm and put them to work in Dilbert's cubicle, and then they go after the capital of the dimmer ones who stayed behind, by selling them a bunch of gee-whiz solutions to their problems."

I don't think my father-in-law would take kindly to being referred to as "dim." He and my (college-educated) brother-in-law are very smart people and farm their land intelligently and responsibly. My mother-in-law is one in a line of farmers (or farmer's wives) who also happened to be valedictorians of their classes, and she and her husband produced two PhD sons. These people should not have to defend their intelligence and Pollan should be ashamed for perpetuating the stereotype of the "country bumpkin."

. . .

In any event, it was also funny to be in the Midwest reading about the evil's of industrial corn farming at the same time that the first few ears were ripe enough to pick and eat. People, there is nothing better than eating such fresh, sweet corn. And, when we returned to California, we found more fresh corn in our CSA box. How could I bring myself to eat corn without feeling guilty after everything I'd just read? Easy. The corn at my in-laws' house and from my CSA box wasn't the industrial type of corn that travels hundreds of miles or goes through a mirade of processes to turn it into different chemical compounds. I was eating it directly:

"To eat corn directly (as Mexicans and many Africans do) is to consume all the energy in that corn, but when you feed that corn to a steer or a chicken, 90 percent of its energy is lost - to bones or feathers or fur, to living and metabolizing as a steer or chicken. This is why vegetarians advocate eating 'low on the food chain'; every step up the chain reduces the amount of food energy by a factor of ten, which is why in any ecosystem there are only a fraction as many predators as there are prey."

This is what I decided to make from some of the corn we got in our CSA box - a great side for any Mexican dish or chili:

Pan-Roasted Corn-and-Cumin Corn Bread
Recipe

As can sometimes happen, I made a big blunder when putting the ingredients of this recipe together and somehow managed to forget to add a key ingredient - flour! Yikes! I also didn't have an 8-inch pan that was safe to go from the stove to the oven, so I was spreading the corn bread mixture out a little more thinly in an 11-inch pan. The result was something less like bread and more like . . . well, I don't know really. It was thinner, certainly, and a little crispy. And, you know what? I REALLY LIKED IT! Oftentimes, messing up a recipe can lead to disastrous results (like the time I mistook the powdered sugar for the flour when making turkey gravy for Thanksgiving - Ooh Nelly, yes, it was as bad as it sounds), but every so often, you get lucky. Yay for happy accidents!

So, feel free to make your own corn bread as the recipe suggests or to skip the flour as I did. If you cook it like I did, though, you'll just want to leave it in the oven for less time. I think I took mine out at the 15-minute mark. Whichever way you choose to make it, I think you'll like the results. The roasted corn and cumin work well together to create a different flavor than you experience in your typical corn bread - not drastically different, but just different enough to be refreshing, I think. Yum.

Got any favorite vegetarian or vegan recipes?? Please share!

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Free FOOD INC. Screenings

2009-07-16T12:56:00.001-07:00

Chipotle is sponsoring free screenings of Food Inc. Check out their website to find theaters/times near you!

Meatless Monday: Arugula Salad with Zucchini Carpaccio & Parmesan

2009-07-13T22:20:00.000-07:00

My husband and I just got back from being on vacation in the Midwest for almost 3 weeks. Being away for that long was fun, but it left us missing many of the comforts of home. We were happy to return to our own bed, our mentally challenged but ever-sweet cat, . . . and our CSA box.

During many parts of our trip, we found ourselves on long stretches of highway that offered precious little in the way of civilization between destinations. Not a good situation for hungry travelers to find themselves in. This, of course, meant we ended up eating fast food on more occasions than I'd care to admit (or care to remind myself).

I know I've complained on a few occasions about our CSA box (like - What on earth am I going to do with yet ANOTHER bunch of Easter radishes? . . . No, seriously, any ideas??), but this trip left me jonesing for Underwood Family Farms' fresh lettuces, succulent strawberries, crisp green beans, and so much more. (The green beans I got with my dinner one night . . . were floating in water and BACON BITS. The menu made no mention of meat being included in this side dish; silly me for not assuming!).

We had just started getting zucchini and summer squash in our CSA box when we had to cancel pick-ups for the duration of our trip. (What a tease!) We were eager to get back and have more, and this next recipe is one good reason why.

Arugula Salad with Zucchini Carpaccio & Parmesan

Arugula
Zucchini
Parmesan
Salt
Lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil

This salad is kind of an amalgam of a few different recipes we've tried before, so I don't have real measurements or quantities to share with you, so you'll have to rely on your own culinary judgment and personal preferences to come out with the right proportion of ingredients for you. But that should be easy because this is a really simple recipe.

I'm borrowing the steps for preparing the zucchini from an old 2006 L.A. Times article (written by Russ Parsons), the link to which I just can't seem to locate right now:

"1. Rinse and cut the ends from the zucchini. Cut the zucchini in lengthwise quarters and then crosswise into one-third-to one-half-inch slices. Do not slice thinner or the zucchini will turn mushy during salting.

2. In a mixing bowl, toss the zucchini slices with the salt to coat well. Turn the zucchini into a strainer and position it over the bowl to catch the liquid that drains. Set aside for 30 minutes. You'll see when the zucchini is ready because the sharp cut corners will soften.

3. After 30 minutes, discard the liquid that has collected in the bowl and wipe the bowl dry. Rinse the zucchini well under cold running water until it tastes only slightly salty. Pat the zucchini dry in a kitchen towel and return it to the mixing bowl."

4. Arrange a bed of arugula in each of the salad bowls you're serving. Distribute the zucchini slices evenly over the top of the arugula. Shave pieces of Parmesan on the top (as much as you'd like).

5. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and squeeze lemon juice over salad. (I suggest using a light hand with both.)

6. Eat!

The zucchini preparation may seem like a bit much, but it's so worth it. It really brings out the nutty flavor in zucchini and complements the Parmesan and spicy arugula really well. (I know - nutty? Zucchini? Trust me, you'll see [or, rather, taste] what I mean, and you'll LOVE it.)

Got any favorite vegetarian or vegan recipes?? Please share!

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Meatless Monday: Jilted Eggs

2009-07-06T05:46:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lapse last week. It was one of those days when I decided that vacation meant vacation and couldn't be bothered with anything other than leisure activities with some of my favorite people. But that doesn't mean that Meatless Monday wasn't on my mind.

While visiting with relatives, my husband and I thought it would be nice to make brunch for everyone one morning, and it didn't take much debating before we decided on this next dish.

Jilted Eggs
Recipe

You can think of this dish as a more sophisticated and tastier version of a McMuffin. I love it because I don't have to worry too much about breaking eggs while trying to flip them. Once they're in the baking dish, you don't really have to manipulate them. And the other ingredients can be chopped up lickety-split. You can just pop it in the oven and turn your attention to preparing other things like a nice fruit salad and the perfect pot of coffee.

We made the recipe just as it is written, but you should feel free to experiment because this sort of recipe leaves you lots of room to play. After the egg and milk are in the dish, you can pretty much substitute or add whatever you like. For instance, next time I make this, I'm thinking I might try some mushrooms and/or spinach instead of the basil and tomato.

If you try this and make substitutions, please feel free to post a message in the comments to let us know what your results were like!

Got any favorite vegetarian or vegan recipes?? Please share!

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Meatless Monday: Tomato Pie

2009-06-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago on NPR.org, I read about a challenge they issued to chefs and then to their general audience called "How Low Can You Go? Submit Your $10 Meals":

"The challenge: Feed a group of four for under $10. Bonus points for dishes that seem more expensive."

Many news stations and sites have been running the topic of "these tough economic times" into the ground with story after story of how this downturn has affected different segments of the population, but they haven't often really captured the plight of the people who are affected most - those living at or below the poverty level and the working poor. Seriously, I remember listening to the radio as I was driving somewhere a couple of months back and NPR themselves ran some story about siblings who were "struggling" to figure out how to invest their money because they were no longer going to be able to rely on their trust funds (or some such equally ridiculous problem). Oh, boo-hooooo. (For a good article that echoes this sentiment see a recent NYT piece by Barbara Ehrenreich [famed author of Nickel and Dimed].) So, looong story short, I was happy to see this $10-meal challenge that seemed to be acknowledging that practical solutions to everyday problems are needed if we are really going to help those hit hardest by the current economic climate.

Tomato Pie
Recipe

I had to fight my every instinct to make this recipe because it reminded me too much of a deep-dish pizza, and we all know that real pizza has a thin, crispy crust! (Yes, I'm goading my friends from the Midwest to protest here. You like how I did that there? Goad? Goad - "to drive [as cattle] with a goad"? Livestock? Midwest? Oh never mind.)

Once I stopped thinking about the pie as any kind of pizza and focused on how much I LOVE tomatoes, I got kind of excited about this dish. I broke out my hand-dandy mandoline (you know how much I love using that) and had a neat pile of slivered tomatoes and onions in no time. Preparing the handful of ingredients and constructing the layers was super easy. . . . It was baking the crust that proved difficult.

The recipe suggests either using baking beads or another pie plate on top to keep the crust from getting too puffy. I didn't have baking beads, so I used another pie dish. Seemed like a reasonable solution, but I quickly noticed that the second dish was keeping the middle of the crust from cooking properly. I removed the second dish and then had to bake it a little longer. The problem was that then the bottom and the edges got a little overdone and the middle, that did end up cooked, ended up too puffy - just what I was trying to avoid. I'm wondering if the author of the recipe actually tried the 'second pie dish' alternative herself before recommending it . . . After the crust cooled off a bit, I had to moosh it down by hand so I could fit in all the layers of onion and tomato, but it worked okay.

Despite the crust debacle, the final product came out pretty good. (Both my husband and I had seconds.) That said, though, I probably will make some adjustments next time I make this, and maybe this advice will help you make a better dish your first time around with this recipe:

One obvious adjustment I'll make will be using baking beads, but I'll probably also try heirloom tomatoes for a richer tomato flavor and texture, a little less onion, and a LOT less mayo. (Seriously, an entire cup of mayo is far far too much.) And I'll probably only make it again when I am indeed cooking for at least four people (as the challenge suggests) - you don't want leftovers because it's not a dish that's that great reheated (because the texture of the crust won't hold up). Which isn't to say it's not a great dish. Plenty of really great dishes don't make good leftovers. . . . But I might argue that this dish should not have been one of the winners of the NPR contest because leftovers are a mealtime staple for the financially strapped. Not saving leftovers is wasting food and money, and eating subpar leftovers just isn't fun for anyone.

Got any favorite vegetarian or vegan recipes?? Please share!

To see other "How Low Can You Go?" challenge-winning recipes, visit www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104709974.

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Meatless Monday: Caramelized Pear and Sage Crostini

2009-06-15T00:01:00.001-07:00

About a month ago, the mister and I were trying to decide what to bring to a gathering at the house of our friends. Our friends mentioned that someone else who was coming was planning to bring a pear-flavored cocktail, so I thought "Perfect!" when I saw this recipe. Not only did it look like it would go really well with that drink, but I was also excited because the prep work sounded easy, there were only a few ingredients listed, I could make everything ahead of time, and it seemed like it would travel well. Killer bonus? It turned out to be delicious.

Caramelized Pear and Sage Crostini
Recipe

This recipe is so simple to make. You can easily be done with the whole thing - chopping to topping - in about half an hour. I'm telling you, you can't go wrong. We liked it so much ourselves, we couldn't wait for an excuse to make it again and so had it at a gathering at our own house a couple of weeks later.

After the crostini were toasted, we let them cool off for about ten minutes and then put them in a Ziploc bag. And, after the pear mixture was cooked and had cooled, we scooped that into a disposable plastic container. When we were ready to go, we just popped those two things and the little tub of crumbled blue cheese in a bag and were off. At our hosts' house, we microwaved the pear mixture for a minute, scooped it and the blue cheese on top of the crostini, sprinkled them with salt and pepper, and voila! Done.

My one complaint about this recipe? It's almost scandalous that there is no mention of blue cheese in its title! Blue cheese is such a crowd-pleaser, and it complements the subtle flavors of the pear and sage so well.

Got any favorite vegetarian or vegan recipes?? Please share!

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Meatless Monday: Eastham Turnip-Potato Gratin

2009-06-08T10:26:00.000-07:00

In my continuing quest to find new yummy recipes for turnips, I came across this recipe the other day - another that combines potatoes and turnips in such a delicious way you will definitely be asking for seconds. I couldn't resist giving it a test-drive because it's named after a town in my home state of Massachusetts - a town in which a good friend of mine lives. The recipe says, "The Cape Cod town of Eastham is noted for its extra-sweet turnips . . . ." I would add "extra-sweet friends, too!" Awww, sappy, I know. Sorry, but I'm in that kind of a mood.

Eastham Turnip-Potato Gratin
Recipe

I wasn't sure how well I would like the Gruyère in this recipe, but it was so so good - stinky, but tasty. I used more than the recipe suggests (probably because of my extra layers - see below), and I was not disappointed.

The recipe also says you can either use a mandoline or a sharp knife for the slicing. Since this recipe takes about 1 1/2 hours to make, NOT counting slicing time, I would definitely recommend using a mandoline if you have one. Of course - and this should go without saying - JUST BE CAREFUL! The only things you want to be shaving off are turnips, potatoes, and time! And, of course, if you don't want to dedicate so much time to one side dish in one day, you can always make up the layers a day ahead of time too.

I set my mandoline for a thinner slice than the recipe suggests, so I ended up with more layers, but I think it came out really nicely that way. The texture was just perfect. When I pushed my fork through those layers, I just knew that that 1 1/2 hours of cooking time had been worth it.

I am really inspired now to try to recreate a layered ratatouille I had at a little French restaurant last year. (More fun with the mandoline!) So, look for that post in the coming weeks!

Got any favorite vegetarian or vegan recipes?? Please share!

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Meatless Monday: Ginger-Sesame Grilled Tofu Steaks

2009-05-25T00:05:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lapse last week. When life gets busy, some things inevitably slip. But I'm back this week with an extra-yummy recipe to make up for it.

A lot of people, when they think of the grill, think STEAK! Now vegetarians can too! Tofu steaks, that is. I'd never thought of grilling tofu - I just didn't think it was the right consistency to survive grilling intact (like some fish) - but I was wrong, . . . and I've never been more happy to be wrong!

Ginger-Sesame Grilled Tofu Steaks
Recipe

The vinaigrette marinade for this dish is to-die-for! Once you try it, I would venture to guess you'll be trying it on all kinds of things. In addition to marinating the tofu and lime in it, as the recipe instructs, we also marinated some onion in it before grilling it. And we heaped giant spoonfuls on our rice too. Seconds? Yes, please.

While the tofu does hold up well enough on the grill, you still need to be careful with it. Make sure you put enough cooking spray or oil on the grill grates (before turning on the gas, please!) before you start and be gentle with your tongs when you're flipping those suckers, and you'll be just fine.

The only part of the recipe with which I struggled was the basting instructions. It said to baste occasionally as you grill, but how often is 'occasionally' supposed to be when the tofu is only supposed to cook for 2 minutes on each side? If you've marinated the tofu well, I would argue you don't really need to do any basting because, for us, doing so just meant that the tofu wasn't browned by the end of 4 minutes. Or maybe it was because 'medium heat' on our grill was not quite as hot as the 'medium heat' for which the recipe called. So, my advice to you would be to be flexible with how closely you follow the recipe when you're cooking this one. If it's not brown at the end of 4 minutes, cook it longer and/or maybe turn up your heat. If it looks like it's cooking too quickly or getting dry, baste away.

I would also recommend grilling the tofu steaks with the lime slices on them. Otherwise, you're just placing the lime on top of the tofu when you plate the dish and the lime doesn't really get a chance to impart its flavor on the tofu well enough. (You can't really squeeze slippery, marinated lime slices over the tofu and rice effectively afterward. Trust me on this one.)

Got any favorite vegetarian or vegan recipes?? Please share!

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Meatless Monday: Hibiscus Enchiladas & Grapefruit Margaritas

2009-05-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

With spring in full swing, many folks are rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands dirty in their gardens. In warm places like the west coast where I live, we're already seeing the fruits of those labors with gorgeous flowers to look at and fresh veggies to eat. . . . Or is that fresh veggies to look at and gorgeous flowers to eat?

One time, I had fried squash blossoms as an appetizer (yum), but this past Cinco de Mayo marks the first time I ever had flowers as the main ingredient in an entree. I was a little skeptical at first, but I needn't have worried - it was incredible!

Hibiscus Enchiladas
Recipe

As the recipe indicates, we started out with dehydrated hibiscus (jamaica) flowers that needed to be boiled to rehydrate. The water became so dark red and the aroma so strong, I was concerned it wasn't going to be something I was going to like. And then I tasted a piece after it cooled off and wondered how something so sweet was going to work in an enchilada. I was also scratching my head because I'd only ever made enchilada recipes that involved baking, and these enchiladas were supposed to be simply 'assembled.' Hmmmm. My husband and I were so concerned about a potential FAIL, we actually halved the recipe (so we wouldn't have a boatload of something we didn't end up liking) and put a call in to the the bullpen to get the PB&J warming up just in case. But, as I mentioned, we needn't have worried.

The sweetness of the hibiscus and the onions and peppers really complemented each other well and provided a nice contrast to the spiciness of the chipotle sauce, which was sooo good. It had a nice full flavor and just enough heat to add complexity without setting of any fire alarms. You can, of course, make it hotter if you like, and you can always cut the fire with more of the sour cream and queso fresco if need be.

Herbalists claim hibiscus is good for, among other things, reducing high blood pressure. Something else good for reducing your blood pressure? . . .

Grapefruit Margaritas
Recipes

On Cinco de Mayo, it only seemed fitting to have a drink with a Mexican influence, and what could be more Mexican than tequila? This recipe is a nice twist on an old standard - and much more interesting than popping the top off a boring old Corona. I squeezed fresh grapefruit juice for our drinks, but, if you're not interested in doing that much work for your drink, you can, of course, just use some from a bottle; it'll be a little sweeter, which you might prefer anyway. If you do go the bottled route, I recommend Simply Grapefruit.

Got any favorite vegetarian or vegan recipes?? Please share!

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Mother's Day

2009-05-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

Last August, a Palestinian poet with whom I was not that familiar passed away. His name was Mahmoud Darwish. As I read some of the articles about him, I came across his poem "My Mother" and was struck by a couple of the stanzas. In honor of Mother's Day, I share them with you now:

I must be worth my life
At the hour of my death
Worth the tears of my mother.

I might become immortal
Become a God
if I touch the depths of your heart.

I know a lot gets lost in anything translated, but I still appreciate the beauty of the sentiment in this poem, especially on a day like today when I think of all that my mother has done for me, all the love that she has given me and continues to give. Happy Mother's Day, Lois.

Meatless Monday: Mashed Potatoes & Turnips

2009-05-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

My latest challenge has been to figure out different ways to prepare turnip. (Three large Japanese turnips were in my latest CSA box). The following recipe proved to be a delicious solution. Mind you, it looked just awful (grey mush), but it really was yummy - brilliant alternative to straight-up mash potatoes.

Mashed Potatoes & Turnips
Recipe

No special tips this week. This one's a really quick and simple recipe that you can make with your eyes shut. Sometimes you need those.

Okay, well, maybe one quick note - this is one of those recipes that gives your ingredients in weight (e.g., 1 lb. of turnips). I used my kitchen scale to get the weight exact (cuz I'm anal retentive that way), but if you don't have one (and/or don't have problems with anal retention), two large potatoes and two large turnips will net you roughly the same results.

Got any favorite vegetarian or vegan recipes?? Please share!

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Poetry: Almost Unnoticed

2009-04-30T10:46:00.000-07:00

Phew! I thought we'd never get here!! It's been a long month, people. I'm not in love with most of the poems I've posted - to be honest, there were quite a few days when I approached the poetry-writing task with a 'just get-her-done' attitude . . . and the results were, well, what would be expected - but, looking back at all 30 poems, there are at least 3 or 4 I genuinely like and think could be pretty decent given a little more time, thought, and revising (e.g., Pirate's Treasure, Monotony, How to Whistle in Prison, and Poking the Dead).

I think I'll look back at this experience as a sort of poetry boot camp - tough, but it reinforced a discipline in my creative writing habits that had waned quite a bit (perhaps to the point of nonexistence!). I have certainly learned a lot about my strengths and weaknesses in poetry writing and enjoyed incorporating more creative time into my life. I'm looking forward to writing more poetry without the pressure of daily deadlines. For one thing, it will certainly open up length possibilities - you just can't write anything longer than a few stanzas every day when you've also got a day job!

And one last note - the Academy of American Poets is promoting Poem-in-Your-Pocket Day today. Print out some of the poems they have posted, or print a few of your own favorites, and spread the love! Since I don't get out much myself (since I freelance from home), I'm going to direct people to this blog to share the poems I've created over the past month. (So, I guess my blog is moonlighting as a pocket today.)

I'd also like to suggest you check out some of the work of my favorite poets if you're looking to explore the world of poetry a little more; they are Sharon Olds, Rita Dove, and Louise Gluck.

And here is my own 30th and final poem for the poetry pledge drive, an endorsement for just getting out there and WRITING!

Almost Unnoticed

They say start
At the beginning. I say start
Where you find yourself.
I say be bad at something
You want to be good at
Until you're good or until you
Don't care about being good
Anymore. No more
Perfect words. Just words -
Whichever ones come and please
You. Tell the story, perhaps not
Aching to be told, but sitting still,
Almost unnoticed.

To read other poems or poetry-related posts on this blog, click here.

Poetry: The Love Lesson of the Lemming

2009-04-29T23:26:00.000-07:00

Here is poem # 29 for the poetry pledge drive - a love poem . . . ? It's about the cliche and ubiquity of 'I love you' but also about not letting that keep you from making the leap of faith for as long as it may last.

The picture is of me skydiving about 6 years ago (I'm the one on the bottom). I thought it suited the imagery.

The Love Lesson of the Lemming

It's been said, it's been said, it's been said!
Who hasn't said it? Everyone you have
Ever met? Your mother? The grocer?
The train wreck? Why do we all clamor
To be the next lemmings, all convinced
We can fly?

But I've felt that rush from the free-
Fall; I know how the lemming feels
Before impact, how time stretches,
How falling is flying, how everything is
Fine if you don't think
It will end.

To read other poems or poetry-related posts on this blog, click here.

Poetry: Big Hair

2009-04-28T22:13:00.000-07:00

I promised a limerick this month, didn't I? (Dammit.) Limericks, which are traditionally bawdy, can be really fun - especially when they're also a little witty. I'm not feeling particularly witty today, though, so you'll have to settle for self-deprecating humor.

Here you are, poem # 28 for the poetry pledge drive, a limerick, a 'shout-out' to my home town. Yes, as a teenager in the 80's, I did indeed have . . .

Big Hair

There once was a girl from Revere
Who had such extremely big hair.
When asked to be clever,
She said, "Well, I never!"
Before flashing her underwear.

To read other poems or poetry-related posts on this blog, click here.

Poetry: Along the Dotted Line

2009-04-27T16:56:00.000-07:00

Here is poem # 27 for the poetry pledge drive. In this time of recession and pinching pennies, I give you a piece inspired by coupons.

Along the Dotted Line

For his birthday, or Valentine's
Day, or just because
He deserves it, make him

A love coupon book.
Nothing expresses undying
Affection like coupons. (Void
Where prohibited.)

Include some free naughty
Rendezvous - at least a few
Pages' worth. (Not redeemable
For cash value.)

And a get-out-of-the
Dog-house-free page
For those days

You may regret
Having made the book
For him. (Limit one
Per customer.)

He'll appreciate the thought
You put into it - nothing
Like something handmade
To show you care. (Cut

Along the dotted line.)
Perhaps he'll even return
The gesture some day.
(At participating locations
only.)

To read other poems or poetry-related posts on this blog, click here.

Meatless Monday: Carrot Soup

2009-04-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

In a previous post, I mentioned that we were starting to get a box of fresh fruits and veggies from a local farm once a week. So far, it's working out pretty well. Well, pretty well with one exception. Every week so far, in with all the other things in the box, has been a rather large bunch of carrots.

Now, don't get me wrong, carrots are great! Love 'em. Really. It's just that, well, it's been kind of difficult to get through the big bunch of them in one week's time before the next bunch is sitting there in the vegetable crisper drawer in the refrigerator taunting me - "Vhat vill you do vith me dis time, ehhh?" (Yes, my carrots have a very bad Russian/French-Canadian accident.) And, you know - lather-rinse-repeat - I don't want to make the same things with them over and over. Sure, they're great by themselves or with a dip as a snack or hors d'oeuvre, they're yummy shredded and sprinkled in salad, you know how much I love them in carrot cake (see post), and most of us know about their magic in mirepoix (a.k.a., the holy trinity), but, um, . . . yea, then what?

My recent culinary adventure with carrots involved this next recipe for soup, which my husband really loved. I'm happy to share it with you, but then I'm going to have to ask for a little quid pro quo. Seriously, we're talking LARGE bunches of carrots every week for three weeks straight, . . . and I suspect I'll see more come Tuesday. I need your suggestions for other great carrot recipes!

Carrot Soup
Recipe

The recipe author encourages you to play with the consistency until you're happy with it. We made ours pretty smooth and I would recommend that to you too. Why? Because it's great in a bread bowl that way, that's why! Mmm, bread bowls can make even the best soups that much better. I highly recommend. We picked up a couple of sourdough ones at Panera and were really happy with them. After cutting off the top of the little round loaf and coring out the middle, I toasted mine before filling it with soup. *Drool* So good.

The recipe also suggests you experiment with different finishing oils. That's a great idea (and a little evoo did taste good with ours), but I would also recommend adding a dash of vinegar to sharpen the soup flavors and balance it out a little better.

Got any favorite vegetarian or vegan recipes?? Please share!

Other Meatless Monday soup posts:

Pea Soup
Curried Lentil Soup
Tortellini, White, Bean & Spinach Soup

Other Meatless Monday post s

Poetry: Hungry Fencers

2009-04-26T23:00:00.000-07:00

Here is poem # 26 for the poetry pledge drive which was inspired by something I do on the weekends.

Hungry Fencers

Don’t look at me,

(En garde)

You were the one

Who was supposed to

Pick it up.

(Attaque)

Yes, but you were the one

Who was supposed to

Place the order.

(Parry, riposte)

Right, but you were

Supposed to leave me

A note with what you wanted.

(Parry, passé)

You mean this

Note, right here?

(Touché )

To read other poems or poetry-related posts on this blog, click here.

Poetry: Cake Days

2009-04-25T22:31:00.000-07:00

I have cooking on the brain because I just recently got in from a cooking class, so it should be no surprise then that my poem # 25 for the poetry pledge drive is cooking related (on one level anyway).

Cake Days

The cake will come out perfect -
Sliding smoothly out
Of the pan, even on all sides,
Moist and melting

On your tongue. No crumbs
Will get in the frosting as
You ice. People on diets
Will take seconds and hope
No one notices. I promise,

You will have days like this.

The next day, you may burn
The toast, accidentally crack
The egg yolks, the whites

Coming out like rubber, the timing
All wrong, your juice
Glass more than half-empty
Before your plate is
Ready.

But you can
Remember the cake.

To read other poems or poetry-related posts on this blog, click here.

Poetry: Sweating Loss

2009-04-24T22:26:00.000-07:00

Here is poem # 24 for the poetry pledge drive. It's the last week of the pledge drive and I'm grasping at straws for ideas for new poems every day at this point. As if the haiku weren't bad enough, I now give you . . . a mad lib. That's right. I've stooped that low.

I randomly started a poem leaving blanks that needed to be filled in and then asked my husband for a person, noun, color, etc. to fill in those blanks. If you remember these things from your childhood, you'll remember that they often turn out funny, surreal, or at least a little bit interesting because the unexpected words create unconventional visual images. Unfortunately, this didn't turn out to be satisfying in any of those ways. But what it did do was make me realize I kind of knew what I wanted in those blanks in the first place, so it ended up working as an exercise to counter writer's block.

I've included both the version with which my husband 'helped' (the fill-in-the-blank words are bolded) and my rewrite for your amusement. (I'm still not sure which one's worse!)

The Farmer's Chili
Over and over
Again I asked the farmer
To open the chili before

The shoes suffocate,
Gasping for ecru air,
Sweating confusion,
Sweating
Loyalty.

Sweating Loss
Over and over
Again I asked the nurse
To open the window before

The visitors suffocate,
Gasping for grey air,
Sweating sympathy,
Sweating
Loss.

To read other poems or poetry-related posts on this blog, click here.

Poetry: Misunderstood

2009-04-23T23:30:00.000-07:00

Here is poem # 23 for the poetry pledge drive. Think of it as an asshole's elevator break-up speech. It's lacking a lot of visual imagery, I know, but it does capture the shit-heel sentiments pretty accurately. So, for now, just consider this the skeletal sketch of a poem that will become fully fleshed out at a later date.

Misunderstood

Assholes commit this
To memory:

"For the record, I never said
I knew where this was
All going. I told you I was
Selfish and not very likely
To commit. Love is just
Something that's not
Built to last, and I am
Sad about that too. I'm sorry
You misunderstood me."

To read other poems or poetry-related posts on this blog, click here.

Poetry: Be Heard

2009-04-22T14:51:00.000-07:00

Here is poem # 22 for the poetry pledge drive.

Be Heard

I would wish this on anyone -
The danger of knowing

Too much. Let them fear
You, gnash their teeth

At night, look over their shoulders
Cowering. Want to know more

Than they want you to, crack open
Every book, entertain the ideas

Of heretics, demand every voice
Be heard.

To read other poems or poetry-related posts on this blog, click here.

Poetry: Barefoot

2009-04-21T22:23:00.000-07:00

Here is poem # 21 for the poetry pledge drive, which was inspired by an article that a friend posted earlier today.

Barefoot

They say expensive sneakers
Cause more injuries and don't

Help us to be better

Runners, say we're better
Off running with nothing on

Our feet like our ancestors; our toes
Give us more control.

To read other poems or poetry-related posts on this blog, click here.

Poetry: Pirate's Treasure

2009-04-20T23:04:00.000-07:00

Here is poem # 20 for the poetry pledge drive. This one is about one of my least favorite experiences.

Pirate's Treasure

They study the blue
Lines snaking
Just under the surface -

My pale arm a pirate's
Treasure map.

I explain how elusive
It is, what they're looking for.
I point out where

Others have tried
And look away, whistling,
Wishing them luck.

To read other poems or poetry-related posts on this blog, click here.

Meatless Monday: Pumpkin-Honey Beer Quick Bread

2009-04-20T18:40:00.000-07:00

You know those treats that someone else you know and love makes, that you don't have very often but are willing to beg, borrow, barter, or kill for? This next recipe is for one of those treats.

Pumpkin-Honey Beer Quick Bread
Recipe

My husband made this recipe for me for the first time just last year and it immediately earned a place on my top-10 dessert list. It's super easy to make, and the flax seed makes it come out really moist. I love to have it with a smear of cream cheese on it while it's still hot. *drool*

Matt also had the great idea of putting a bottle of honey beer with a small bag of flax seed inside a stack of three small disposable bread pans, wrapping a print-out of this recipe on nice paper around it, and tying it together with a pretty ribbon for small gifts last holiday season. That boy - always thinking, always thoughtful. He shared it then, . . . and I'm sharing it with you now. Consider it my early early 2009 holiday present to you!

Got any favorite vegetarian or vegan recipes?? Please share!

Other Meatless Monday post s

Poetry: Resilience

2009-04-19T23:34:00.000-07:00

Here is poem #19 for the poetry pledge drive, which was inspired by a few things - watching my husband work in the garden today, hearing about evictions in the news, having just said goodbye to someone who is moving tomorrow, and thinking about moving myself.

I'm trying hard not to look back at what I've posted so far, not to judge and compare each piece, but I can't seem to help it. The danger of doing it is that it can be tantamount to writing an engraved invitation to writer's block, but it can also open your eyes to bad writing habits you need to break, weaknesses you need to overcome, etc.

So far, two things of which I've become acutely aware are that my imagery could stand to be more subtle yet stronger and that the meter and cadence of my lines truly suck. To remedy the former, I know I need to use less obvious and more vivid and evocative language. Fixing the latter is going to prove to be a challenge though. I look forward to analyzing that problem a little more closely when I evaluate all 30 of these poems at the end of the month. Lord knows what else I'll discover in the process . . . .

Resilience

As the season changes -
A tap on the shoulder - you turn
Over the soil, and the earth starts

To crawl. Evicted but not put out,
The pill bugs get straight to work navigating
The new terrain. Things that could have been

Much worse are fine. In the fetal position,
They still find good shelter. When we move,
I hope to remember this.

To read other poems or poetry-related posts on this blog, click here.

Poetry: Yankees Suck

2009-04-18T23:41:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm pretty much 'phoning it in' with this poem #18 for the poetry pledge drive today. I'm sorry - but, at some point, writing a poem a day is just going to sap every last creative juice out of you, . . . and I'm going to say THIS is that point. With any luck I'll get a second wind though, so continue to stay tuned.

Yankees Suck

A new curse is born.
The Indians' arms have grown
Tired from the swinging.

To read other poems or poetry-related posts on this blog, click here.

Poetry: Monotony

2009-04-17T23:49:00.000-07:00

Poem #17 for the poetry pledge drive is brought to you by the tedium of routine, inspired by another long drive on the 118. It needs considerable tweaking, but I'm tired and my pillow is calling.

Monotony

I could cherish the familiar more
If it didn't involve wasting away
Endless hours traveling
In the same circles. How many
More times

Will my tires turn on the corner?
All the things I wash will be dirty
Again soon enough. I will climb

Into the tub with a bottle in hand
To clean the things I clean with. I will drink

My weight in water, eyes swimming,
Teeth floating. I will sweep away dead
Leaves that will come back, faithful
Dogs with their sticks.

To read other poems or poetry-related posts on this blog, click here.

Poetry: Under the Green Bridge

2009-04-16T23:00:00.000-07:00

Here is poem #16 for the poetry pledge drive. It was inspired by a scene I saw while dining outside at The Simon Pearce Restaurant at the mill in Quechee, VT last year.

Under the Green Bridge

Just beyond the waterfall, under
The green bridge, the teenagers
Meet, the young man and woman arriving
Separately, greeting each other
With shy smiles. She tests the waters,
Dipping one toe; showing great form,
He does backflips hoping to impress
Her. Breathless and clutching wet towels
Awkwardly, they will eventually leave,
But not until the sun has gone
Down, has stopped providing warmth.

To read other poems or poetry-related posts on this blog, click here.

Poetry: Leisure

2009-04-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

Here is poem #15 for the poetry pledge drive. Can it be I've really made it halfway?? . . . I don't know whether to be proud of myself for getting this far or overwhelmed by the thought that I've got another two weeks to go. Maybe it's best if I not think about it too much . . .

Leisure

Sleeping in my favorite chair,
As I work, whiskers twitching,
A curl of fur, head turned
Upside down, like an artist trying
To get new perspective,
In her dreams. She has
The full benefit of leisure.

To read other poems or poetry-related posts on this blog, click here.

Poetry: Ghost Eyes

2009-04-14T22:25:00.000-07:00

Here is poem #14 for the poetry pledge drive. This one was a tough one to write because I kept getting all choked up. Nothing like poetry to dredge up all kinds of feelings and memories. Seriously, therapy and prescription drugs are overrated. Just go write yourself some poetry and have a glass of wine.

Ghost Eyes

People often ask me about the ring I put on
For special occasions - convex and sparkling, two
Strange ghost eyes set side by side. I would stare
As my grandmother carefully held her teacup
And me, gesturing with animated fingers, usually

To punctuate a curse. She promised me the ring
Because I'd always liked it, but I didn't
Feel right about it. I never

Will. It was given to me
As a surprise for my birthday -
Two eyes in a box staring up at me two years
Too soon, because she wasn't going to make it
To my graduation.

To read other poems or poetry-related posts on this blog, click here.

Poetry: Persistence

2009-04-13T23:19:00.000-07:00

Here is poem # 13 for the poetry pledge drive. I'd started on another poem that was never going to be done today, so, in desperation, I turned to the haiku again because I knew I could churn one out quickly. I'd like to say I won't make a habit of it, . . .but I've got 18 more posts to go (I'm not even at the halfway mark yet!), so I'm not making any promises.

Persistence

Life breaks the boundaries.
The neighbor's fence slats give way
When the sun insists.

To read other poems or poetry-related posts on this blog, click here.

Meatless Monday: Spinach-Strawberry Salad with Goat Cheese Bruschetta

2009-04-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

Last week, my husband and I picked up our first box of fresh fruits and veggies from Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark (CA) as part of a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program that we joined. Now, weekly, we'll be getting a mystery box of delicious, locally-grown produce that was harvested from the field just the day before. Let me tell you, I have not tasted such fresh fruits and veggies in a LONG time. Yum! Seriously, it's remarkable just how good everything has been. It's as if my taste buds had completely forgotten how fruits and veggies were really supposed to taste. And it was so fun to open the box not knowing what might be inside. (Of course, it will be a selection of what's in season every time, but it's still a surprise.) This week, it was spinach, purple cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, Easter radishes, leeks, Albion strawberries, romaine lettuce, and red leaf lettuce.

The box is bigger than it may appear here. You can only see one layer, but there's an entire other layer under there. In other words, it's a whole lot of fruit and veggies for only two people to get through in just one week! But we're up for the challenge. If anything, it should make it more likely that we get our daily recommended servings of fruits and veggies. And hopefully, it will also mean that we end up eating more fruits and veggies than meat, choosing healthier snacks, and making more really great recipes like this next one.

Spinach-Strawberry Salad with Goat Cheese Bruschetta
Recipe

This recipe was a great choice for us this week because it made use of two of our CSA box ingredients - spinach and strawberries - and also because . . . it calls for goat cheese! In an earlier post, I mentioned how much I love goat cheese, so it's not surprising that I've since posted a couple of recipes with goat cheese in them. What is surprising is that it's taken me so long to share this particular recipe containing goat cheese with you because it's one of my favorites. I was also surprised to realize that, since this regular Meatless Monday post started with its first post back in October, I haven't introduced even one leafy salad recipe (although there have been a few other types of salad recipe posts). So, in short, I'm overdue in sharing this with you and, for that, I apologize. (And I do feel the need to apologize - people, it's that good!)

Three notes about this recipe: 1) be very careful when toasting the almonds; if you don't watch closely, they'll burn before you can blink an eye; 2) use baby spinach if you can because it's more tender; and 3) did I mention this stuff is delicious? Even the salad dressing on its own is so good you might consider carrying a secret flask of it in an inside pocket, dabbing it behind your ears, writing it a love letter, . . . or, at the very least, using it on other sorts of salads too.

With the California Strawberry Festival just around the corner, I definitely see more of this salad in my immediate future. . . . That's right, Albion, I've got my eye on you!

Got any favorite vegetarian or vegan recipes?? Please share!

Other Meatless Monday post s

Poetry: Minnows

2009-04-12T23:58:00.000-07:00

Here is poem # 12 for the poetry pledge drive. I'm going to click 'publish' before I look at it again and decide I need to change it . . . again.

Minnows

I had made a new friend, someone
Who was just visiting for the day, I wasn't
Used to being the one in charge, I didn't know
Where to go or what to do, so I decided
To show her the minnows

Swimming. The marsh grasses were tall,
The air thick with the smell of sea
Life. I pointed out the tiny creatures

Darting this way and that
In the narrow creek. She'd slipped
From the bank before I could
Catch her, but I did fish her out.
I pulled her mud-slick body back

Up over the edge. Luckily, it was low

Tide and the water only ever got her
Pants wet to the knees. But the mud -
The mud was everywhere. We tracked it

Behind us all the way,
A guilty trail to my grandmother's feet,
Where I got a smack on the fanny before
She sent me home
Alone. Upon reaching my house,

I knocked on my own front door, filthy
And terrified. My mother was already waiting
Towel in her hands like when I'd come in from playing
In the snow. I'll always remember how it felt
To be grounded for the first time.

To read other poems or poetry-related posts on this blog, click here.

Poetry: Between My Toes

2009-04-11T17:57:00.000-07:00

I'm on my way out the door, so I'm going to post this poem # 11 for the poetry pledge drive quickly. I hate to keep apologizing for each of my poetry posts, but I am genuinely not happy with this one. If I weren't in such a hurry, I'd spend a little more time with it before posting. Thankfully, I'm getting a little more used to letting go with these though, which I suppose is part of the purpose of making yourself participate in one of these sorts of things - you're forced to give the perfectionism a rest and just get writing.

Between My Toes

We were told not to
Let the sprinkler sit
In the same spot to long,
Or the grass would get
Too slippery. But we were
Kids, and kids don't

Listen when the sun is out.
My bathing suit was on, and
The thought of the first cold touch
Of water held me

Suspended.

I focused on the water
Undulating in the air, my eyes
Half-closed anticipating the jolt
Of freezing streams
On my little limbs, not the grass

Wet between my toes. When I landed
On the sprinkler, the plastic snapped
In half. Opened end to end, my foot
Had caught one
Of the sharp edges.

To read other poems or poetry-related posts on this blog, click here.

Poetry: How to Whistle in Prison

2009-04-10T22:07:00.000-07:00

Poem #10 for the poetry pledge drive comes from a commonly told family story about the time I first met my uncle. For some back story on him, you can read one of my earlier posts.

How to Whistle in Prison

What I thought I had was a memory
Of the day I met my uncle
For the first time; however, what I have is what must be
A collection of what other people have shared with me
Over the years. Each thread has merged
Into a single colorful yarn with repeated narrative

Patterns, shared images - the amusing combination
Of my candy-sticky little fingers and the tinsel;
How I carefully tried to place it back
On the tree, again and again and again,
But gave up with a sigh, and, after giving
A quick look around, swept it under the skirt

With my foot; in Mary Janes and my dress,
How I looked just like a China doll, dainty and
Neat; how my uncle ambitiously set out to teach me
How to blow bubbles with my gum and whistle that day.

Now I just think it's fun to be able to
Tell people I learned how to whistle in prison.

To read other poems or poetry-related posts on this blog, click here.

Poetry: Poking the Dead

2009-04-09T23:01:00.000-07:00

As for yesterday's poem, I found inspiration for today's poem from an old photograph. The picture below, which I've shared on here before in an earlier post, is of me and my father. I think I'm holding up the fish by myself; my father just wants me in the picture to document how big the fish is. Looking at that picture again got me to thinking of summers in my grandparents' backyard where he and my grandfather would fillet dozens and dozens of fish they caught the same day out on my grandfather's boat. The memories are full of strong images and stir up a lot of warm fuzzy nostalgia despite the gruesome subject. I'm looking forward to expanding and revising this one in the future, but, for now, it's poem # 9 for the poetry pledge drive.

Poking the Dead

They would catch them by the barrelful and bring them home,
Cut them up in the backyard on big stained boards. I would
Nose around the reeking buckets, watch the lips
Moving breathlessly. I'd run

My fingers with and against the grain
Of the scales, then marvel at the discarded
Guts glimmering in the sun. I'd muster the courage
To poke at the dead

Eyes, trying to figure out how
The translucent lids worked, unblinking
When the flies landed.

To read other poems or poetry-related posts on this blog, click here.

Poetry: Temptation

2009-04-08T21:59:00.000-07:00

Here we have poem # 8 for the poetry pledge drive. This could have been a longer poem, and maybe it will be some day, but right now, I'm tired . . . and I've been promised a shoulder rub if I come to bed early.

To make up for the half-assed writing effort, I'm also including the photo from the canoe trip I took that inspired the poem. (Yes, that's me making like Jane of the Jungle.)

Temptation

We lash the rented canoes
Together, the slender green bodies
Rubbing cozily up against each other, resting
Our arms, just floating, taking turns

Swimming. All along the riverbank, banned
Rope swings pretend not to notice us, but
We see one peeking through parted branches,
Really only half-hidden. The temptation

Is too much not to
Give it a try before it's cut down.

To read other poems or poetry-related posts on this blog, click here.