I'll Take A Weekend

So this past weekend I was blessed with three days off in a row. Now what did I do with three days off?

Well... I cooked and spent some hard-earned bonus money. (Don't worry, I saved most of it.) My babe and I also spent more time than usual in the East Village. Working in the WV, I'd have to say that I like its counterpart so much better.

Let's start with money. I picked up a navy schoolboy blazer from J. Crew. I have been coveting it for over a year now and finally decided to treat myself. That with my penny loafers will be my fall look.  I think I'll pair it with my Phillies cap.

The second on my list of things to gift myself was some good old beauty product. Of course, the two brands I wanted to make purchases from, Aesop and RMS Beauty, proved difficult to find. The first place I went for Aesop seemed like a safe bet: their new kiosk in Grand Central. Turns out they choose the weekends to be closed. Now, since I refuse to go to Barney's, I figured I would have to wait for Monday. So the cutecucumber and I kept walking when I spotted New London Pharmacy. I had passed by before and checked out their site so decided to stop in. Coincidently enough, they carry Aesop (though apparently not for long) and I was able to purchase the Tea Tree Exfoliant. I also majorly splurged on some RMS Beauty at Live, Live & Organic. This was after trekking to Chelsea Market to find that One Lucky Duck only sells Rose Marie's stuff on their site. Not so bad though; baby and I got some People's Pops while we were there. I got the Roasted Plum and he got Apricot Jasmine. Yummy.

I purchased the Luminizer, Un-Concealor #11, Smile Lip2Cheek, and Bloom Lip Shine
I LOVE LOVE LOVE (note the cute pouch my friend N. gave me)

To me, the best part of the weekend was the two trips we took to Liquiteria. If you have not gone I recommend the Berry Powerful, but he would recommend the Bulldozer.  It's the difference between cake and sorbet. The Berry Powerful tastes good for you and light-ish. The Bulldozer is like a jar of PB blended with soy milk. Tasty? Yes. Light? Definitely not.

And now food.

Friday night I made Seitan Soft Tacos. I sauteed some onion, garlic, carrots and mushrooms with seitan. Season with chili powders and red pepper. Super tasty.

Saturday morning came some Tofu Scramble, tortilla or naked. Mushrooms, carrots, spinach, tofu, the norm. That night I made a pizza with Whole Foods Whole Wheat Pizza Dough. Topped with spinach, tomato sauce, avocado, and tempeh bacon, it was completely delightful. The avocado gave it a creaminess and a cool feeling.

Sunday morning we had left-over scramble and smoothies for lunch. I did make a yummy thrown together pasta and salad. I picked up a HUGE yellow squash that afternoon at the market by my apt and knew I wanted to use it for dinner. After lightly softening it in a pan I added garlic, spinach, and tomato sauce. I had a handful of Daiya Cheddar left and threw it in to make it seem creamier. Once done it was tossed with brown rice spaghetti. 

The salad was cucumber, a little spinach, tomato, avocado, and a balsamic dressing. Good, not great. However, sometimes that's what happens when you work off the cuff like I. 

Now just a side note. WTF Jay Z, I thought you said 'Fuck Autotune'. Apparently, you forgot.

New Jersey, Home of the ______

This past weekend the cutest man on Earth and I went to my parents for some R & R and an engagement party. A visit to Princeton (JCT) always seems like a wonderful idea; being there seems indulgent and I wish it happened more often.
My parents took us to Peasant Grill, a ridiculously delish place (although the prices are none that a real peasant could actually afford). They have tons of veggie options, which is weird considering Hopewell looks like a town trapped in 50's Americana.
We had the Cornmeal Crusted Tofu Sandwich and the Spinach Salad with Portobello Mushrooms. Their salad dressing tastes how ensconcing oneself in silk and fluffy clouds must feel.

Going to the engagement party was interesting. I had never been to one before and this was in my high school hometown. As predicted, the girls, including myself, were totally overdressed. Alas, it's NJ and any chance to wear a dress we will gladly take.

It's like how my mom explained her first experience of moving from NY to NJ.  A friend of hers was hosting at her house in NJ wearing overalls.  The friend exclaimed, "I can go out like this!" To which my mom thought, "Is that a good thing?"

What Do You Eat?

I have found the question, "So like what do you eat?" to be commonly asked. It is something thrown into conversation anytime someone finds out my eating habits. I also think it is one of the most MORONIC questions out there. Really. I mean who everyday is eating meat for breakfast? Is cereal vegetarian? Why do you even care? I find it frustrating.

It reminds me of a talk I had with my lovely friend Sarah about tattoos. How people think they are an open invitation to ask you all sorts of questions, "Why..What does it mean?" etc.

You know what it means? It means I wanted it. Why are you wearing the fugly shirt? Do I feel the right to ask you that? Or why do you have bad teeth?

I probably sound a little miffed. Maybe I am.

This post is a response to that asinine question. Here is what I have been eating as of the last few weeks. After a month it'll change because of boredom.

1. Breakfast- Avocado & Vegan C/C on Ezekiel Sesame Toast

It's absolutely yummy. I think everyone should eat a whole avocado every day if possible. They are great for the skin, and they taste amazing on their own with just smoky chipotle shaken on top.

2. Lunch- Some Kinda Salad or Quinoa

This day it was spinach, lentils, shredded carrots, beets, walnuts, and TJ's Goddess Dressing.

If I do quinoa I make a large batch at the beginning of the week and then divide it up into different containers so I just have to top it in the morning. I then add a little olive oil, vinegar, and pepper.

I find that TJ's has some great precooked things, that you can add to your spinach or quinoa and really make it super easy to prep in the morning.

3.Dinner-While the actual dinner I had that night was Passion Fruit Martinis and apple slices, this take on 'ziti'(?) is what we ate yesterday.

It's gluten-free penne mixed with tofu riccota (brick tofu blended with italian spices), then tossed with vegan mozz, and baked. I am a super fan of tomato sauce so even though there was a whole jar used I topped mine with some additional.

What do you think?

I Try To Bribe People With Food

So when my special man friend's mom came to town I decided I should really make some muffins. I changed a Raspberry Corn Muffin recipe from lady Moskowitz to Blueberry Corn Muffins. I made a ton so I decided to wrap them in brown paper bags to give out to some friends as well.

The following week we were feeling lazy and in need of major comfort food. This creation was just something I threw together based on how my mom used to whip amazing things up with

just a few groceries. It's a simple casserole with gluten free pasta, broccoli, tempeh bacon, sun dried tomatoes, a jar of caramelized onion tomato sauce, and Vegan Gourmet's Mozz. It was a huge hit.

On another note I am giving major props to my hood Jackson Heights. Why? Well because it is one of the best neighborhoods EVER. Here are some shots of it along with some food shots from Mehfil's Indian Buffet. Oh and BTW's we are #15 in NY Mag's Best Neighborhoods. Sorry Williamsburg, better luck next time.

P.S. These are the RAW Stuffed Mushrooms I made based on the Blueprint Cleanse ones.

Easy Peasy

Tonight I got to my special man friend's apartment at 7:30, so I decided that dinner should be something easy, quick, and less then 5 steps. The latter was in case I decided I didn't want to cook, but was still willing to make someone else do all the work. Plus LOST was on, so...

I had this cute bag of organic maitake mushrooms from the health food store. I picked them up because they are packed with vitamins C, B2, potassium, and polysaccharide compounds that help

fight cancer. The bag also had a cute cartoon mushroom on it. The brand is Hokto-Kinoko.

His roommate (and my friend/part of veg team 2010) has found this great line called Tasty Bite. They specialize in Indian and Thai food, making amazing veggie friendly simmer sauces. We chose to go with the Satay Partay because supposedly the Pad Thai was extremely spicy.

It turned out fairly well. I blanched some broccoli and gently sauteed it with some tofu and the cute maitake shrooms. Overall the sauce is great because it's gluten-free, cheap to buy, and insanely low in calorie and sodium content. I am going to try to track down their Rogan Josh sauce (described as a mix of tomatoes, fennel, ginger, and chilies).

I wish LOST were on every night. Sigh.

Sweet Tooth Photos

Since I have already collected a mass of photos in the last few months I have decided to post a good portion of them here. Some are ones from cookbooks, but many are of my own variations. My special man friend has the sweetest tooth I know. It is hard not to resist when after dinner he gives me puppy eyes and says, "I need something sweet". My response is always, "Oh..okay let me see what I can do".

Date, Almond, Chai Scones-based on the Raspberry Scones in the Babycakes cookbook, but made easier with the use of Bob's Gluten Free Biscuit Mix

These are delicious vegan chocolates from Cocoa V that my special man friend got me for Valentine's Day. Godiva has nothing on these. Incredible. Can't say enough.

These guys were Chocolate Chocolate Chip cookies from one of the Moskowitz/Romero cookbooks. The nuts and coconut flakes were my idea.

Unfortunately, the coconut flakes were housed in a jar that shared chai tea spice and somehow the flavor must have been absorbed by the flakes. Sounds like they would still be good, but I didn't like them.

And I Had A Brunch

Yes the above is a picture of my Easter Tree. I am determined to keep the tree going till December. It helps add to the ambiance of the apartment, especially when having people over. Inspired by my decorating skills two weeks ago I had some people over for some lazy Sunday eats (and to preview the tree). It was my first attempt cooking a full meal for ten people. My mom always tells me brunch is the hardest meal to prepare. I have to agree with her. In spite of it being difficult it was a success and the results were full bellies and warm hearts. Sounds kind of like the Friday Night Lights mantra, doesn't it?

Here is the menu:

•Spinach with Red Onion, Baby Grapes, Avocado, and Tofu Feta with Balsamic Vinagrette

•Tofu Scramble with Portobello Mushrooms, Spinach, and Kidney Beans

•Tempeh Bacon

•Spicy Roasted Potatoes

•Jalapeño Skillet Cornbread

•Sangria and Mimosas

Some yummy Tempeh Bacon...

My hope is that this brunch turns into a monthly party. Sitting at a table with amazing folks and peace loving food is something I can't wait to do again. I believe the next party will involve It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and vegan cheesesteaks. Any other Philly foods we can think of?