Sunshine and Rainbows

Happy spring everyone!!!

Check out the beautiful magnolia blooms that appeared on this tree in my yard over the weekend!

Last week was absolutely incredible in Boston (and pretty much everywhere else, too, I’m told). It actually reached 83 degrees here last Thursday, shattering the old temperature record, set in the 1940s, by 11 degrees–amazing!

Last week also marked the first week in my half marathon training program.  This will be my third half marathon and it feels great to be “in training” again.  I love being active and getting to spend a lot of time outdoors, and even more than that, I love how easy it is to eat a clean, wholesome diet while training–my body just craves that sort of food!

Despite that temperatures are back to a normal Boston March level today, it certainly feels like my life has been all sunshine and rainbows recently.  Check out some of the bright and colorful things that have made their way across my plate!

BREAKFAST
Normally, I’m not a huge breakfast eater, but when in training this meal becomes a crucial part of my day.  I try to find things that are quick and portable, but also contain a respectable balance of carbs, protein, and healthy fats.

Banana Flapjacks from Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

This has recently become my go-to weekend breakfast, mostly because I never seem to run out of must-be-used-now bananas.  For this batch, I added shredded coconut and spread a smidgen of Earth Balance on top.  This recipe is a sure bet any time you are making breakfast for non-vegans who cannot imagine what vegans eat for breakfast if not pig patties stacked with various globs of eggs and cheese.  The recipe produces pancakes that are soft and creamy from the banana and just the right amount of sweet.  Very highly recommended.

Later in the week, I used leftover flapjacks to make breakfast roll-ups.  I spread a small amount of pecan butter in the center of each, rolled it up, and just like that, it was ready for me to take along on the train!

Freakin’ so delicious, and filling too!

Homemade Yogurt Parfait
It is rare that I eat strawberries so early in the season, but I found a carton of incredibly fragrant, perfectly ripe specimens at Russo’s and couldn’t resist.  I cut them up along with some banana and layered it with Whole Soy & Co.’s Strawberry Banana (which has replaced Apricot Mango as my favorite flavor) yogurt for a sweet treat of a breakfast that was pleasing to both the eyes and the palate.

LUNCH
In keeping with what I mentioned in my last post about trying to fit in more high-volume cooking, I’ve been buying produce that looks good and cooking it up on the weekends, then finding random ways to use it throughout the week.  My latest experiment involved roasting a small butternut squash with maple syrup and olive oil, as well as a batch of gorgeous beets that I found at Russo’s (where else?)–they were only 98 cents for the whole bunch, leaves and all!  The result was this delicious concoction, which I’ve dubbed The Rainbow Sandwich. 

Look at those beautiful colors! Earthy roasted beets, sweet maple-roasted squash, baby spinach, and incredible fresh-baked Russo’s “rustic bread” make for the most delightful and spring-appropriate sandwich imaginable.  Sunshine in every bite!

I would be lying if I said I did not eat this same sandwich for lunch 5 out of the last 8 work days.

I have a lot more cooking to chronicle and recipes to review, but time is short, and this post is already very long!  Thanks for reading if you’ve gotten this far.

A final thought: we all know that life can’t be all sunshine and rainbows all the time.  But that is exactly why I treasure weeks like these so much when they do come around.  I hope you all do, too!

Tags: banana, beets, butternut squash, earth balance, flapjacks, Pancakes, russo's, soy yogurt, spinach, spring, strawberries, vegan brunch

Spring In My Step

Good day, fair bloggonians!

I am feeling extraordinarily chipper today, due in no small part to the fine spring weather that has decided to grace us with its presence this week.  Boston is truly a wonderful place to be when the weather turns warm; people take to the streets en masse,  smoothies and iced coffees in hand, wearing smiles and sunglasses and taking extra-long lunch breaks.

In addition to lifting my spirits, the arrival of springtime also tends to make me feel rather industrious.  For example, this past week, I finally managed (after living there four months already!) to make a dent in my long list of things to do around our new house.  I’ve also been doing some serious recipe-hunting and list-making, with every intention of cooking up some big-batch recipes.  This is mainly because I’m starting a new job in a couple of weeks, which for me always means having to make some adjustments to allow for a new schedule, budget, etc.

In the past, I’ve found that having food prepared in advance makes any adjustment period a lot easier to handle.  Often, I do this in the form of soups.  However, lately all I can think about is spring produce!!! Hence, I have other recipes in mind.

As I am particularly excited for spring’s leafy greens, the Weekend Glow Kale Salad from one of my all-time favorite blogs, Oh She Glows, will definitely be on the menu.  This recipe is a little time-consuming to prepare because of all of the vegetable chopping involved, but produces a lot of food and is therefore a great prep-ahead, eat-for-days recipe!

Look at all of the amazing ingredients that get mixed in with the kale base:


You’ve got your avocado, cucumber, bell pepper, tomato, red onion, carrots, and dried cherries (because I didn’t have raisins or goji berries).

Served on top of raw kale, with Lightened Up Tahini-Lemon Dressing:

You let it all marinate together and then enjoy!  I adore this salad; its many flavors and textures all combine perfectly to make your tastebuds very, very happy.  I have made this a number of times since last summer and it always lasts me at least 3 days, and sometimes up to a week, because it makes so much (I prepare it in the biggest mixing bowl I have and sometimes bits still fall out while I’m tossing it!).  Obviously you could halve the recipe if you wished, but I personally love the feeling I get when I behold a massive mountain of salad.  Also, after consuming this I always feel incredible.  It’s hard not to when you’re fueling your body with such incredible, vibrant ingredients.  I highly recommend making this!

Well I just realized that the other recipe I wanted to post about today is also from Oh She Glows, but oh well (seriously, it’s an amazing blog…check it out).  This is her High Protein Quinoa Almond Berry Salad.  A perfect recipe for berry season!

Strawberries, cherries, and [hidden] blueberries, chopped and ready for use.

All Mixed Up (like 311)

And who doesn’t love a good quinoa close-up?

This is another recipe that can quite easily feed one person for an entire week (depending on the freshness of your berries), and the quinoa turns an increasingly deeper shade of red/purple each day that it sits.  Delicious, nutritious, and energizing, this recipe is perfect to prepare on a Sunday and use throughout the week as a pack-and-go breakfast.  Alas, it’s still a little too early in the season to make this, but believe me, it’s on my mind and will be first up on my recipe roster once the warm weather truly rolls in to stay!

Enjoy the rest of this gorgeous week!

Tags: berries, kale, oh she glows, quinoa, tahini-lemon dressing

Time Marches On

It feels great to be back to blogging after a six-month hiatus.  A lot has happened during the time since my last post, which I recap (with photos galore!) below.

I last blogged on August 12, 2011. 

On August 20, H and I moved out of our beloved Brighton to Boston’s South Shore.   Here I am “tail-gating” our move (aka, sitting on the back of my brother-in-law’s pick-up truck, eating a heated-up Amy’s frozen pizza off of the edge of a plate because the utensils were all packed away):

I had a second bridal shower, thrown my by mother-in-law and bridesmaids, on September 10.  Check out some of the awesome vegan fare they had for me!

Fruit salad in a beautiful bowl:

Hummus and veggie wraps:

Roasted corn salad atop tomatoes, and pickles (of course!):

All washed down with a chocolate raspberry vegan cookie:

My cookie even came complete with a warning to protect it from well-intentioned omnivore dessert-seekers:

Haha!

I spent the next five weeks shuttling back and forth between Boston and New Jersey every single weekend in preparation for my wedding.  On one of those weekends, I was a bridesmaid in the wedding of my best friend.  The following two weekends were the Jewish High Holidays; I went to synagogue by day and stayed up late into the night with my amazing parents and fiance hand-making wedding favors and placecards.  I actually had my final dress fitting on Yom Kippur, while fasting (it fit great).  I chose and ordered my cake and flowers just one week before the event.  I even bought my veil the day before the wedding, on the way to our rehearsal dinner! It was a whirlwind time!!

On October 16th, I married the most wonderful man in the world

We spent a magical week on Cape Cod for our honeymoon, then returned to reality.  I busied myself with my job search and with preparing for our upcoming move to the MetroWest suburbs of Boston (yes, we moved twice in three months.  Who doesn’t?).

A week and a half before our move, I found out I passed the bar!!

We moved on November 12th.  I swore in to the bar on November 15th:

Thank goodness we were able to locate our suits amongst all the boxes and suitcases!

I changed my name.  I looked for work.  I found a temporary position as a lawyer in downtown Boston, which started December 1st.  Then there were the holidays, and New Years. 

Friends and family came to visit and stay with us (we have real guest bedrooms now after all!). The Patriots had a fantastic season, which we followed avidly (though it didn’t end the way we wanted). We had stay-cations and surprise parties for big events like Valentine’s Day and somebody’s 30th birthday…

Now here we are.  It’s March.  I can hardly believe it!  So much has happened in such a short time in my life.  There have been a lot of adjustments–I’m no longer a student, I live in the suburbs, and, well, I’m somebody’s wife, to name a few–but life is good and I’m enjoying it one day at a time.

And I am so excited to be back to blogging!!!

I have been cooking tons. Now that H and I are both working full-time, I’m learning the ins and outs of menu planning, make/prep-ahead meals, and most importantly, packing lunches!  It’s been really fun (not to mention delicious) and I cannot wait to share some of the great new recipes I’ve found and time-saving techniques I’ve learned.  I hope you will enjoy them!

Tags: bar exam, Frozen pizza, fruit salad, pickles, roasted corn, tomatoes, veggie wrap, wedding

The Cook Came Back

Does anyone else remember this song from their childhood?

No? Just me?

Well, I’ve come back to blogging and have a lot to share.  As I continue to get myself organized, feel free to check out my updated About page and Blog Cast of Characters.  I have also added a page with suggestions for vegetarian and vegan eating in and around Boston.  This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time!  I am certainly open to feedback.

Take care, little bloggies.  I just couldn’t stay away…

Don’t Get It Twisted

Hello, hello! Long time, no blog.  Well, the bar exam is over and done with, and I couldn’t be more pleased about that.

Here I am, with my trusty and understanding fiance, at Fenway Park the night after the bar ended. Can’t you tell how pleased I am?

Now I get to wait three months to find out whether or not I passed, during which time I plan to act as if the whole thing never happened.

Without wasting any time in working towards that lofty goal, I have spent the first two weeks of my summer (which began July 29th) doing little besides wedding planning and submitting the occasional job application.   Oh, and last night I went to my first boxing class and it was awesome!  I can barely move today from muscle soreness but it was totally worth it.  The best part is that  I have an unlimited month of classes ahead of me (thanks, Groupon!).  I’m hoping that it’ll help me shake the last couple of pounds before my dress fitting on September 24th.  Wish me luck!!

Also, I know I promised a post about the random crap I ate during the bar exam, and I even took the initiative to sort my pictures into a special Photobucket album for that very purpose, but…I can’t do it.  it’s just too soon.  The trauma of that dark period of my life is still too fresh and so I’m afraid I won’t get any joy out of sharing those pictures yet.

Instead, today I wanted to post about a couple of fun and joyful things, while the endorphins that follow an hour of punching things are still coursing through me.

Last week, I traveled down to good old NJ to see my family, with whom I had had little to no contact during the months of June and July, and to have some wedding-planning time with my mama and little sis/Maid of Honor.  And I got to see these cuties!

At the end of the week, H drove down to join us.  Once he arrived on Friday night, he told me he’d had an idea; why didn’t we go down to Asbury Park and eat at Twisted Tree Cafe the next day?  We hadn’t been there in ages.  I of course responded with a responding “HELL YES.”  I love Twisted Tree Cafe.  It is not a vegan restaurant but they have a phenomenal vegan selection and amazingly fresh food, plus all of their desserts are vegan, and their ginger cookies in particular are to die for.

Anyway, on Saturday morning, Dad came over to me and was all, “Hey, let’s go to brunch at your most favoritest veggie cafe in the worlddd!”  (Okay, he doesn’t talk like that and if he did I’d have some strong words for him.)  I thought it was such a fun and awesome coincidence that Dad and H both wanted to go to Twisted Tree!  I invited Mom and M to come along, but as M was getting ready to move back to college the next day, they were too busy and declined.

Over at Twisted Tree, Dad and H and I had a grand time.  I ordered their soup and half sandwich combo, with Tuscan White Bean Soup and the Focaccia Melt with vegan cheese.

Heaven.  The soup came in a giant mug, and was thick and filling and flavorful.  It was also super-garlicky, which is fine by me!  I gobbled the sandwich, too; the focaccia was buttery and chewy and just so good.  I also ate every last leaf of the salad.  Their ginger miso dressing is truly special.  I friggin love Twisted Tree.

Dad and H both ordered entrees with fish, but H had the vegan Thai coconut soup with his, so we snapped a picture.

Apparently he is alot better at holding a spoonful of yummy ingredients than I am.  Oh well.

Before leaving Twisted Tree, I picked up a container of their soy chicken salad to go.  The chicken salad was the first thing from Twisted Tree I ever had, about four years ago when they used to have a booth at the Sunday Farmers Market in Red Bank.  The best thing about the chicken salad is that Mom, who really isn’t into soy, loves it.  I figured I’d bring some to her at home so she could enjoy it for lunch.  I also got a ginger cookie to go.

I definitely ate a piece before taking this picture. Yup.

After lunch, Dad, H, and I did a mini-tour of the historic Asbury Park boardwalk and casino area.

Then, we headed home.  Holding a brown bag of vegan chicken salad, I marched up to the front door, opened it, and was confronted by a room FILLED with women.  Mom and M had planned a surprise bridal shower for me, and I’d had NO IDEA.

It was a really fantastic afternoon.  I won’t bore with details or too many pictures, as this is not a wedding blog, but needless to say, I felt extremely touched that they had gone through so much trouble to put this on for me, as well as impressed that they managed to hide it from me for a whole week while I was in the same house with them!

Mom never did get to eat the chicken salad, alas, and as she and Dad were departing for England within a few days, she insisted I take it back to Boston with me. She didn’t need to twist (pun intended) my arm too much…

Lunch!!!

On toast, with a slice of tomato and a pickle.  Friggin’ perfection.

And that, my dears, is a surprisingly long recap (sorry!) of the things that have made me happy since the misery of the bar exam was lifted.  I shall be back to blogging regularly from here on out, and am very excited about doing so!!

Have you ever been the recipient of a surprise party?  Were you actually surprised?

Tags: asbury park, focaccia, ginger cookie, tuscan white bean soup, twisted tree cafe, vegan chicken salad

Party Fare

Hello!!  I have carved out 15 minutes in today’s study schedule to blog because 1) I really miss it, and 2) I might actually walk outside and step in front of an oncoming T if I don’t do something to break up the monotony of practice essays.

In case anyone is keeping track, day one of the bar exam is one week from today, and day two is one week from tomorrow.   That means: 1) I have been studying for this test to the exclusion of pretty much everything else for 50 days now, 2) at 4:30 p.m. on July 28 (193 hours from now), I will be freed from my misery, and 3) I will finally be ready to publish posts I have been compiling for the last two months regarding my eating habits during the period, which have been both erratic and ingenious at times.

It seems I am no longer capable of putting thoughts into words without using numbered lists.

Though it’s sort of hard to remember what my life was like before the bar, I have this dim recollection that I was a happy and social being.  In fact, sometimes I even bathed and left the house, occasionally to go to (gasp!) parties, and when I did, I used to like to bring vegan treats along to generously share with those present, as well as to selfishly ensure that I would have something to eat.

Way back in May I went to H’s sister’s confirmation party and made the Mediterranean Cashew Cucumber Dip from Veganomicon.

This stuff is so amazing.  It tastes just like tzatziki but has the texture of hummus, and is perfect for dipping veggies or pita chips in, or for spreading on crackers.  This container got totally eaten up.  Proud Cook.

More pictures from when I made the dip back in 2008.

In June, when I hadn’t yet metamorphosed from well-adjusted human to Gollum, I also went to H’s other sister’s high school graduation party and made a Chocolate Cream Pie.

This pie was super, super simple.  First, you make a graham cracker crust, from whatever recipe you like.  I used this one, because it’s foolproof, and subbed Smart Balance for the butter.

Then, I made the filling.  I used Dr. Oetker’s Organic Chocolate Pudding Mix (which I bought at Whole Foods). I cooked it on the stovetop according to the package directions, using vanilla soy milk.  Next, I poured it in the pie shell and let it chill.

After I took it out, I topped it with Soyatoo. I actually didn’t do the entire thing because I ran out! But I still think it looked kind of nice.

Finally, I dusted it with a little cocoa powder, and shaved part of a dark chocolate bar over it.

Everyone at the party knew me, that I’m vegan, and that I’d brought the pie.  Those who had sampled my cooking or baking before (and there were quite a few) were happy to try it, but the rest steered clear and went for more familiar fare.  Oh well.  You can’t force people to step out of their comfort zones, and on this particular occasion I didn’t try, because it meant there was more pie for me.  Win.

Since I just talked about the chocolate cream pie, I suppose this would be a good opportunity to post pictures of the Banana Cream Pie I made a few months back too.  It’s the same exact thing as above, except I used Dr. Oetker’s Organic Banana Pudding Mix and sliced fresh bananas on top. And photographed it at night in my dim kitchen, so the picture isn’t great.

I made it for dessert for H and me and we ate it for about a week.  It was good!  Next time I definitely want to add pieces of Mi Del Vanilla Snaps (in place of disgusting Nilla wafers) into the filling.

Overall, I recommend this pie method as an easy shortcut to a yummy and not horribly unhealthy dessert, whether you choose to share or not!

Alright, break time is up (and of course it took me 40 minutes instead of 15 to put this together)!  But the next time I post, I will be doing so as a free woman.  Perhaps it will even be coherent.  Stay tuned.

Tags: banana cream pie, chocolate cream pie, dr. oetker's, graham cracker crust, mediterranean cashew-cucumber dip, veganomicon, whole foods

Easy Breezy

Beautiful!  I apologize for letting ten whole days of complete silence from my part of the universe elapse.  Somehow almost a month of bar review has gone by.  If you know someone who has gone through or is currently going through bar study, give that person a hug.  It’s rough, people.

Fortunately, I am lucky enough to be surrounded by loving, caring individuals who help keep the wind in my sails.  Or at least a pleasant breeze.

Last weekend I went to New Jersey with the combined purpose of attending graduation parties, shopping for a wedding dress, and celebrating Father’s Day with my family.  It was nice to be with my loved ones, and to push my constant and extreme anxiety and exhaustion to the side to do “normal” things for a day or two.  Plus, I got to see this little bugaboo:

What I wouldn’t give to sleep on a sunny patch of carpet all day.

As a bonus, on the drive home on Sunday, H and I pulled off of Route 95 and followed signs to Georgie’s Diner in West Haven, CT.  They have billboards on the highway advertising the fact that they have vegan and gluten-free food, so of course every time we make the drive between Boston and NJ I think about eating there.  Well, I finally did it.  And it was awesome.  I got the Tempeh Reuben sandwich with a side of vegetarian chili:

Let me tell you, this place is a legit diner.

And yet, it has an explicitly vegan section of the menu!!! It makes me SO HAPPY that places like this exist and are starting to pop up more and more frequently.  H and I had a long discussion about it over our meal, contemplating how easy and enjoyable it would be for everyone if more restaurants would just step up and create vegan menu items.  It’s hard to imagine that an omnivore restaurant would lose customers simply because they kept all of their standard fare but added a vegan section, as Georgie’s has done.  However, it’s pretty easy to imagine how making such a move would actually garner anywhere from a modest to substantial increase in customers, depending of course on the restaurant’s location and extensiveness of veg selection.  I’m just saying, it’s time to get with the twenty-first century, restauranteurs!

After returning from my NJ trip though, I stumbled into a really rough week.  My travels caused me to fall a little behind on my bar review, and honestly, I struggled with it and got really stressed out.  But an incredible act of kindness undertaken by my soon-to-be mother-in-law (A) put the wind back in my sails.

On Thursday afternoon, I got a call from A saying she was outside my apartment building.  I came down, all gross and frazzled in sweatpants and glasses, to accept this delivery:

This was one hell of a care package.  Here it is unpacked:

The contents included Strangozzi pasta, farmstand strawberries, cherries (my FAVE!), a huge salad (mixed greens, craisins, apples, and pecans) complete with a (separately packed) delicious tangy vinaigrette, olive foccacia, a bottle of Sangiovese wine, three bell peppers, polenta, white bean and kale soup, a jar of A’s homemade strawberry jam, two containers of homemade ratatouille, a large container of amazing homemade marinara sauce, two fun girly movies, and cheerful flowers. And even a vase to put the flowers in!

AND she went out of her way to make sure all the food was vegan!  If something like this didn’t make me smile, nothing would.  Thanks again, A!!

Having healthy, delicious food readily available is such a blessing. I really did initially think that bar studying would be scheduled enough that I would have the chance to prep and cook food regularly. What I didn’t count on was that during the scarce time each day when I’m not studying, I do not want to do anything. So having this food around is huge. Thursday night I had some of the pasta with sauce and ratatouille (sorry, no pic), and a piggishly large hunk of this incredible concoction:

Drool.

For lunch both today and yesterday, I enjoyed a hearty helping of salad, a bowl of the white bean and kale soup, and a slice of olive foccacia.

Great-tasting, healthy, satiating food that helps me power through studying!

Starting to see how lucky I am? If not, then consider this: my beautiful fiance surprised me with something extremely thoughtful last night.  He is away for the weekend on the Cape having a grand old bachelor party time, while I am home studying for this miserable exam.  And yet, last night at 7 p.m., my phone rang, and it was the delivery man from my heartsong, Peace O’ Pie (which I’ve posted about before)!  H had ordered me a Buffalo Chik’n calzone to be delivered while I studied.

Holy doughy pocket of awesomeness.

I ate half of it last night, and half tonight.  Seriously delicious comfort food! It really is a good way to kick the blues.  And knowing that I have such wonderful, thoughtful people in my life really helps too.  One day, after this bar thing is over and done with, I will look back at this period of my life and have a recollection of general suckiness.  I will not remember what the abysmal problem set score was that sent me into tears, nor how many hours I studied each day.  I will, however, specifically remember the positive things–an unexpected care package or dinner delivery, a daily email of encouragement from my mom, a funny link from my sister–and that is what keeps me smoothly sailing.

Off now to relax with a chick flick and a glass of sangiovese!