A Fresh Take

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Katharina

Hello everyone! Quite a few things have happened since my last post.

: I’m no longer in Florida

I spent my last few days enjoying myself, and working on some projects. So I arrived back in New York the other day…

: … in time for the beginnings of Spring!

I’m already missing these two buggers though, and I know little Matilda does too.

Since I’ve been back…

I officially enrolled to study to become a holistic health coach!

: I’ve enjoyed running along the Hudson River again and realizing that I live in a great city.

… realizing my blessings and truly appreciating them is a daily practice now. I don’t want to lose sight of things again.

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For The Love Of Vegetables

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Katharina

Ever since I was little I always remember having a love for vegetables. Whether it was my grandmother’s sopa de auyama or a plain bag of carrots and lettuce, I was known to be a veggie monster. Or perhaps I thought I was a bunny?

Proof lies in the spinach beard I proudly showed off for the camera

Although I don’t have it often, one of my all-time favorite breakfasts is a plateful of latkes. I would usually just eat them with applesauce, but people also serve them with sour cream. My dad likes to add corn to them when he makes them–something I definitely recommend trying.

Over the weekend I went on a full-blown cooking storm, and I’m pretty sure that’s what I spent most of my time doing. But really there’s not a day that goes by where I don’t prepare something. Anyway, I had stumbled upon a recipe for Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers. Having just used the sweet potatoes for another recipe, I used delicata squash instead. Besides it had been hanging around for too long. For the spices I used a ‘blackened seasoning’ blend, nutritional yeast, and thyme.

After the veggie burgers were done, and I had gone on a late night run (my prime running time), by the time I came back… I don’t know what it was but I decided that the veggie burgers would be great for breakfast! Not just that, but instead of serving them as a patty I thought they’d be interesting as pancakes. Something reminiscent of potato pancakes or latkes.

Something was missing...

It needed something to contrast in color and in flavor.

Aha!

I love how spring onions are a mild yet put a skip in a dish’s walk. They tasted good, but were a bit dry even if I had served them as veggie burgers. Next time I’ll experiment by adding in some eggs and oil to the equation.

So remember I said I was part bunny when I was little?

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Inspired Eats

Posted on November 21, 2009 by Katharina

Hello hello there! I am so happy to say that these past few days have been awesome. I think it’s the whole mentality I’m trying to maintain to get me through the winter. It was actually the title for a recent post of mine, “life is what you make of it.” The winter doesn’t have to suck the life out of me (okay I’m being dramatic here), but instead I focus on what I’m doing now and all the positives of this holiday season. And all your answers really stuck with me and reminded me of so many things I have to smile about. Don’t we all?

Here are few of my reasons, inspired by some of you, in the past couple of days.

A different version of frozen yogurt

I took a container of So Delicious coconut milk yogurt and stuck it in the freezer.

Two cookies for good measure!

The night I received the package I had a couple of Holly’s homemade vegan pumpkin molasses cookies. Wow! These were so good, I’m glad she shared her recipe.

Inspired by two very special ladies.

The other day I saw that Maya and Eliza had each made a bowl of gingerbread-inspired oats. Do I need to explain? This is why I love breakfast. When I’ve had a delicious breakfast then I know it’s going to be a good day.

On my day off from classes I felt like dressing-up.

One of my favorite scarves - it makes me feel like Mozart.

And a skirt I should wear more often.

Along with some dark grey tights and red Mary Janes flats.

I had recently gotten a ton of basil.

So I decided to make a pesto. Rather than using raw pine nuts I toasted them first and it really made a difference in the flavor.

Afternoon snack

These are the Apple Grahams that came in the package Holly sent me. I’ve tried them plain, with the medley jam she also sent me, pumpkin butter, dipped in Sugar Cookie tea, and pumpkin spice soymilk. I have yet to crumble them on a nice warm bowl of oatmeal.

Almost forgot about lunch!

For lunch I tried another Gardein product. This time it was the chick’n scallopini. I really liked how they lightly-seasoned these, and they were also a really nice size. There are some vegetarian products out there that give such small portions and that can be frustrating. I decided to cook up the rest of cauliflower and chick’n scallopini in a Sweet Pepper and Coconut cooking sauce. Served with Nishiki rice. So good that even my little Moofia toy wanted some.

I recently picked up a new item at the grocery store.

What could it be? A rutabaga! I’m pretty sure I’ve never tried one before. My darling darling, Brooke, said this was one veggie I needed to try. She recommended to try them with cranberries, so of course I listened! I roasted the rutabaga and an apple with sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. I also had a Tofurky Kielbasa decorated with ketchup, beer-brewed mustard, and a bit of sweet relish. Yum! I definitely was looking up more rutabaga recipes after this.

This was a special bowl of oatmeal...

In Brooke’s survey one of the questions was, “bowl of hot cereal you have been wanting to try.” And I answered a banana rum cake-inspired oatmeal. Lynn thought it sounded good too, so I decided to make it! I made my way to the liquor store and got a miniature bottle of Captain Morgan’s spiced rum. I did not prepare my oatmeal as I usually do because I additionally cooked it with a couple spoonfuls of spiced rum and a bruleed banana. I topped it with a sliced banana, some pecans, New Morning Honey Grahams, and a ZenSoy banana pudding cup.

I even mixed spiced rum in the banana pudding!

I wanted to be drunk for my Taoism class! Kidding of course!

I hadn't worn this blazer in ages!

Lunch was surprisingly yummy.

I wanted to try out something different for the wee bit of kale I had left. It was just enough to help make this sandwich (I just boiled it). I assembled the sandwich with French Meadow Bakery’s gluten-free sandwich bread, cashew butter, kale, and pumpkin butter. This was a new combination I thought of and wanted to try out; I think some onion jam would’ve definitely sealed the deal, but this was delicious as well. I had some of the leftover hummus from Brittany’s sandwich recipe – perfect for the broccoli!

Bright and early on a Saturday!

Since I have to wake up really early on a Saturday morning (and I hadn’t gotten home on Friday till 4:30 am), I just want as much sleep as I can get. So when I woke up I quickly put my breakfast together. I tried another 18 Rabbits flavor that was sent to me; that morning I decided to try the “Nibble a Sultana” bar. I had it with a container of vanilla Greek yogurt, a diced apple, and cinnamon. I’ve seen sultanas baked with apples in little tarts. This bar didn’t have that same perfect granola-y flavor the other one had. It was okay, but I probably wouldn’t buy it for myself.

Carrots and rutabaga mash + sandwich

With the rest of my rutabaga I followed Brooke’s advice again and made a mash out of it! I stumbled upon this recipe and I knew it would be nothing short of delicious. However, I ended up sprinkling on some pumpkin pie spice and mixed some coconut oil in as well. This had me licking my bowl clean. The sandwich was inspired by a local coffee-shop item on their menu. It had my homemade basil pesto, Gardein chick’n scallopini, roasted red peppers, and goat cheese. Wow! Do any of you ever recreate restaurant recipes?

I just had to!

After going on a long walk excursion with a friend I came home to work on my project.

And I got kind of side-tracked...

Okay, really side-tracked!

Then I finally got back to work.

Then, next thing you know dinnertime rolled around! I had become so focused that I had totally lost track of time.

Yin and Yang

I made sweet and sour lentils and had it with leftover Nishiki rice and coconut oil.

Korean-Russian Carrot Salad

I’ve had this recipe saved for a really long time and totally forgot about it! This tasted very different from what I usually eat, sweet and spicy, but it was a very pleasant change.

Later that night I ended up going to some of my friends’ art exhibit and met up with another friend. Afterwards we went to a birthday celebration and eventually I came back home and I woke up with two thoughts on my mind. “I have on last night’s makeup” and “April’s pumpkin French toast sticks.”

An example of a perfectly delicious Sunday breakfast.

April’s recipe also calls for a peanut butter frosting. I changed it around a bit and made it vegan by omitting the eggs, and used Pumpkin Spice soymilk (highly recommended!!!) and a thickening agent. I used two thick slices of Rudi’s 100% Whole Wheat bread. The toppings include: diced apple, more pumpkin pie spice, and some Apple & Maple syrup. This breakfast was such a great way to start a beautiful day.

Well now I’m off to enjoy the sun and walk to the Farmer’s Market with Matilda. I hope you all had a relaxing and fun weekend! I’ll leave you all with a clip from a new hit TV series aka a video recording I made:

[gigya width="440" height="420" src="http://v6.tinypic.com/player.swf?file=e0l46a&s=6" quality="high" flashvars="gig_lt=1258755181799&gig_pt=1258755196207&gig_g=1&gig_n=wordpress" wmode="tranparent" ]
Original Video – More videos at TinyPic

Much love!

Life is What You Make of It

Posted on November 17, 2009 by Katharina

Hi everyone! I hope your week has started off on a good note. I know mine has. Aside from my computer crashing, things have been looking up. After a week of no sun and dreary weather, the weather gods decided to give us the gift of sunshine and warmth. Thank goodness! I think this is just what I needed to reenergize myself for this busy week. Without my computer I will find myself with less distractions. But I’ll do my best to keep you all updated – hence I am sitting in the toasty Fine Arts building’s computer lab. So many computers buzzing!

I’ll start off with my Saturday night. I was going to go to some experimental sound art show, but I wasn’t really in the mood for that. Instead I called up one of my best friends to see what she was up to.

Driving to meet up with them.

Strawberry Street Market's selection of beers. They even had a Honey Basil kind.

We ended up going to our friend's house for a house show.

The band seemed to be cooped up in this one room – I think they should’ve played in the middle. But a friend of mine came out of that room with a bloody nose but the biggest smile on her face!

I tried to capture the crowd surfing that was going on haha

I didn’t want to get back too late because I was planning on going hiking the next day.

So I ended up heading back around 3 in the morning.

Not a bowl of oats!

My tummy wasn’t feeling too well the next day so I wanted to take it easy. I had some leftover okara from when I made soymilk when I got home super late. Yeah, I made soymilk around 3 am… Anyway, I mixed it with pumpkin butter, stevia, and cinnamon. I topped it with a sliced apple, dates, some more pumpkin butter, and the last of the Artisana almond butter.

Matilda, down.

Aw!!! How can anyone resist?

Some things I packed for my hiking trip!

I made myself a PB&J sandwich using Rudi’s Wheat & Oat bread. Oh my gosh this bread is so good by the way. It’s perfect for sandwiches – especially a classic PB&J. I love how thick the slices make it so much more satisfying to bite into. When I was making my sandwich I had trouble deciding which jam to use. I remembered that Boysenberry jam is one of my favorites, but I currently do not have it in stock.

Well guess what? My computer crashed and I knew that I would have to take care of that before I went on any hiking trip. And the sun was shining so brightly on Sunday I knew I didn’t want to be indoors.

This necklace spoke for my excitement about the weather!

I headed over to my nearest Apple store and I ended up making an appointment for today (Monday). By the time I was done with that, my friends that were going to go with me either a) didn’t want to anymore or b) didn’t answer. But you know what? I still wanted to go hiking so I went. I called up a good friend of mine that is usually up for doing stuff. I didn’t get to go to the Shenandoah Valley like I had planned, but atleast I got to go exploring and get some easy hiking in.

Crossing the bridge to Belle Isle.

The hiking begins!

My shoes along with the wet mud were not a good combination, but it was fun nonetheless. I love adventures!

I think Matilda does too.

I love letting Matilda off the leash so she can sniff around as she pleases. She’s so cute because she never strays too far. When she was walking ahead of us she kept stopping and looking back to make sure we were still there. What would she do if we decided to play hide-n-seek with her?

There's a pond on the isle.

I just thought these pods were beautiful.

The James River is really high right now from all the rain.

Admiring the sky.

I love being out in nature and being amazed by it. Nature is beautiful and it doesn’t have to try.

City skylines can be amazing too.

Dinner

This time I just sautéed the kale with white cooking wine and seasonings. I also had some of my leftover “meatloaf” I made with the okara. Last but not least I made a recipe inspired by Katie’s mashed cauliflower. I pureed mine with salt & pepper, nutritional yeast, and soymilk. Then I served it with some all-natural butter. Yum!

Then it was time for some homework!

This is a part of what I’m working on for my sculpture project.

I'm not much of a painter, but I think it's fun. I haven't done it in years!

Monday mornings

This breakfast was interesting. I wanted to use up the rest of my okara, so I mixed it with a ZenSoy banana pudding cup. By the way, I think the banana pudding flavor is my favorite. I heated that up till it liquified and then dumped on some Aztec Crunch Corn & Amaranth cereal. Excuse my half-eaten apple that I enjoyed with my favorite crunchy peanut butter.

I assembled my sandwich the night before because I knew I would be pressed for time today.

I also sautéed some kale with raisins and toasted pine nuts. I love toasted pine nuts!

Le Sandwich

I used two slices of French Meadow Bakery’s Woman’s Bread. What’s so special about Woman’s Bread? According to the site, “with 14 grams of protein and 2.6 mg of soy isoflavones per serving, Women’s Bread contains key nutrients for women’s health. Sprouted grains bursting with vital nutrients and vitamins are easy to digest. Dried cranberries provide an antioxidant boost.” I enjoyed the dried cranberries very much! Okay so what’s in between the bread? Portobello mushrooms, basil, red onion, cream cheese, fakin’ bacon bits, and tomato paste + honey.

After my readings in apocalyptic Literature class I wanted to go exploring around Belle Isle some more. Apparently I just couldn’t get enough and the weather was gorgeous! It was so much fun not knowing where I was going but taking random trails that would lead me to who knows where! Afterwards I came home and showered and did some pampering.

Tea tree and spearmint mask - ah so refreshing.

And dinner time rolled around.

I didn’t really feel like cooking tonight. Well, I guess I did cook the cauliflower mash with garlic and herb, but that barely counts! So I just baked some Gardein “chicken” tenders in the oven and seasoned with Old Bay blackened seasoning, and ketchup + curry. Curry ketchup is delicious. All you have to do is mix in some curry powder with ketchup – simple! It reminds me of buying pomme frites on the streets in Germany served with with curry ketchup. Please excuse me toasts for being shy. I promise they are delicious once you meet them. Tonight I wanted to try French Meadow Bakery’s Gluten-Free Multigrain bread. That’s a mouthful! Anyway, the bread was seriously delicious! I just spread on some butter on one slice, and butter and fruit spread on the other. I can’t explain really how tasty this bread was. Just biting into it was awesome and I can’t believe it has no wheat. Can you see the all the little flaxseeds? So good! I highly recommend this bread, even if you don’t have a gluten intolerance.

Lastly, the ever so lovely Brooke tagged me to fill out a little survey she made up! Here goes…

1. favorite variety of apple? Gala

2. apples dipped in? Peanut butter… or caramel! How about both?

3. favorite way to enjoy pumpkin? Pumpkin oatmeal, pumpkin and ginger cookies, and pumpkin penne

4. favorite soup? with crackers or bread? My mom’s spinach soup with fresh crusty bread.

5. do you eat orange foods all year round? Not consciously, but the time of year doesn’t stop me from eating them that’s for sure.

6. most used spice in your autumn cooking: Cinnamon and tarragon

7. you are baking some homemade bread, what flavor combination of bread would you like to make? Oh my gosh! Some sort of spiced bread. How about a spiced bread with almonds and cranberries. However, I recently stumbled upon a garlic pull-apart bread recipe.

8. favorite autumn vegetables and ways to eat it? Winter squashes out the wazoo! Recently, I’ve been digging cauliflower and kale

9. hot chocolate, hot cider, coffee or tea? Hot chocolate made with coconut milk. And I love this one tea called Richmond Blend. It’s a black tea with cinnamon, orange peel, and cloves. It’s out of this world and actually has an intense flavor on it’s own. Not to mention the cinnamon helps keep me warm during the cold months.

10. favorite seasonal dessert? I think it’s a tie between double-layer pumpkin cheesecake and sweet potato pie.

11. lets make a fall stew! pick any 6 ingredients to create your one: Sweet potato, onions, carrots, kale, curry, and white truffle oil

12. pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts or almonds to snack on? Almonds!!!

13. popcorn flavor/seasoning? Cinnamon & sugar or nutritional yeast

14. bowl of hot cereal you have been wanting to try: A banana rum cake inspired one! I actually just came up with this.

15. post a link to a recipe that you recently bookmarked. April’s pumpkin French toast!

Anyway, I just wanted to fill you all in on how my weekend went and how my week started. I’m going to try to keep up with all you lovely people! I hope you all are doing well and keeping your chins up. Remember, as William James once said “…Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.”

Over that Hill

Posted on October 7, 2009 by Katharina

It’s Wednesday everybody – can I get a witness??

Maple Pecan

The first bite into this ProBar was “meh” but then the second, third, fourth bite- you get the point – afterwards the flavors really started to come out. There is a warm nuttiness to it; due to the mix of peanut butter, pecans, sunflower seeds, brazil nuts cashews, and coconut perhaps? There are also some dark chocolate chips in there as well, which I enjoyed biting into. I also saw that they used cardamom seed, nutmeg, fenugreek, and nutmeg. Practically everything is organic in this bar even down to the orange oil. Speaking of spices. I made my favorite okra recipe the other day:

Check out that turmeric action.

Vendakkai Poriyal

You can find the link to this in my recipe section.

Vendakkai Poriyal with coconut oil and a very crispy sandwich!

Cheddar cheese, tomato slices, tamarind-date chutney on Cranberry Cinnamon Swirl bread.

I ended up taking the tomato slices out because I felt it kept the real combination from shining – cheddar cheese and tamarind-date chutney. Those two together are awesome! If you want, you could even just make a grilled cheese sandwich and have some chutney out for dipping. Kind of like a tomato soup, although I wouldn’t advise eating the chutney like a soup.

Now let’s move on to some sweeter things.

Last but not least

I saved the Banana Walnut Kardea bar for last. I heated it up, but this time I kept an eye on it. It wasn’t bad at all – although it wasn’t my favorite and I was half-expecting it to be the best. Don’t get me wrong it was good, but there’s definitely room for improvement.

Oh lala

The other morning I knew exactly what I wanted. I tried the AppleBerry VitaTop. I actually really liked this one! I tried it plain so I could give you all an honest opinion. Unlike the other bran tops, this was very yummy! I came prepared to liven the bowl up though, just in case. It really wasn’t necessary because it was tasty on its own, but I guess it doesn’t hurt! I also tried Nature’s Path Flax Plus® Maple Pecan Crunch. I spot a pecan! This cereal is definitely a whole grain cereal but they were able to keep it from being bland by using just enough maple syrup and other sweeteners – not to mention the pecans! What else is in this bowl? I heated some apple slices and sprinkled them with cinnamon and threw in some more almonds into the mix. This was all sitting pretty on a Plain Chobani pillow.

I also poured on some Maple & Apple Syrup

All together now... YUM!

What else is sweet?

Getting some cash for taking a survey!

This was so crisp I thought it was fake.

I think fall is finally starting to peek through; I’m not ready yet though! I still have to bring up a lot of my warm clothes up from Florida, and take some jackets to the dry cleaners. Ay Dios mio! (That’s for you Sarah!)

Oh! Don’t forget to submit your cheese recipe for the First Day of the Month Giveaway over at The Biggest Diabetic Loser. The contest ends today! There’s also another giveaway going for a Paris care package on at Gillian‘s blog here. Oh lala!

My favorite grilled cheese sandwich!

An oldie but a goodie – Grilled Mango Chutney and Cheddar Cheese Sandwich

p.s. Thank you all for being so kind, and I’m glad we feel the same way! Moreover, Matilda’s ego is now the size of a blimp, but that’s okay because she really is that cute. You guys should see her in action though. Actually, I have a video of her from one of our walks. I posted it before, but I’ll post it again in case someone missed it: Matilda’s Walk.

p.s.s. Tammy over at Defining Wellness gave me the honor of being featured on her blog for a series she does called “Behind the Blogs.” You can check it out here.

Doubt your doubts

Posted on October 5, 2009 by Katharina

On Friday, I met up with my partner for our group project – she overslept and left early. I ended up making the entire powerpoint including cutting the clips for the different films. Then on presentation day the professor said our focus was not what he wanted (even though he never said what he wanted). Thank goodness I did my research though, so it wasn’t a big deal. However, my partner I guess didn’t inform herself of the subject she was going to present and she actually said, “excuse me Professor, but honestly we don’t have anything to say. So can we go next week?” Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? I ended up doing most of the talking, then I paused and asked her if she wanted to say anything, then she says into the mic, “yeah, I was going to say… when are you gonna let me say something?” – with the biggest attitude. I couldn’t believe her. But I’m glad that’s over with! So I didn’t get to really go to the First Friday Artwalk like I wanted to because I had to work on the powerpoint, but I did have to take Matilda on a walk. To my pleasure, the artwalk was still going on and Matilda got some free Texan smoked ribs. There was also farmer’s market out of a bus! What an awesome way to support local farms – too bad i left my wallet and camera at home.

Breakfast to give me brain power before my presentation!

I tried the plain Chobani flavor that morning. I am still loving the consistency of this yogurt! Can’t say much about the taste though, plain is plain. I had it with Zoe’s Granola, almonds, and mango chunks bits.

Anywho, after my Saturday class presentation ship sunk, I vented to my mom a bit and she made me feel better. I decided to take some “me” time to do whatever the heck I wanted to. I met up with a friend on an avenue with lots of monuments and a huge grass median. Then we went on a long leisurely bike ride and learned more about each other. She’s gone through a lot of the unusual college circumstances I’ve gone through, so it’s nice to have someone that can relate.

My bike is back in business and better than ever!

Windblown and wise?

That’s the “kangaroo pouch” I carry her in when we go on bike rides. She rides in style and she looks like a G with one paw out and bobbing her head.

After dinner, I ended up taking a nap (this is rare for me) to replenish myself before I went out to meet up with some of my favorite ladies.

I had a little snack before I left - Pomegranate Chobani!

I enjoyed this flavor Chobani as well. So far so good. Can I remind you all that Greek yogurt has a lot of protein! Just what I need. The consistency of this is creamier rather than whipped. Oh and I love pomegranate seeds, so biting into them wasn’t weird for me at all. My mom actually makes stir-fries with the seeds and it adds a tiny burst of flavor when you bite into one.

Before I headed out I spritzed my "ladylike" perfume.

Before I headed out I spritzed some of my "ladylike" perfume on.

I have different perfumes for different moods. I use Prada Tendre when I want to embody the feeling of… “I am WOMAN!”

We went to Capital Ale House thinking they had some Oktoberfest celebration going on...

So we went to another bar... a sports bar?

Sports bars are not really my “scene”, but I really didn’t care because I was just happy to be with my friends.

Cocktails all around!

The next morning I got up when my body was ready – 9 am. I usually wake up before that, so when I saw what time it was I literally jumped out of bed!

Boo-berry!

Heyy it’s October, I can make those jokes if I want to.

BlueBran VitaTop, sliced banana, Blueberry Chobani, and the rest of my Artisana Pecan Butter jar.

At first I thought I would include some frozen berries, but then I thought… overkill? So I opted for a banana instead. Okay so, the Blueberry Chobani was also a winner! I just love yogurt – can you believe I hated it before? The consistency used to freaked me out. But then I tried Greek yogurt, and overtime I just got comfortable with other kinds too. The VitaTop was “meh”. It’s surprising that I’m not really digging the “Bran” VitaTops. And the Artisana Pecan Butter? Diiiivine! I really wish they had it in stores though! You hear that Artisana? I’m pretty sure if you guys put your nut butters on store shelves they would be best-sellers! I would spread the word – they’d think I’m a crazy fan. Well, I am!

Let’s see… now on to some snacks!

I'm not use to this kind of snack!

Okay, so my twelve year-old mind is giggling at this. This is the Kielbasa Tofurky sausage, I posted about it before. This time I squirted on some ketchup, Trader Joe’s organic sweet relish, their horseradish hummus, and some red onions. Yum! I wanted to get a better taste of the product itself. And I must say that I approve. Like I said before, I had really only tried veggiedogs before, but never any of the hefty sausages. I think I will buy these kinds from now on because whenever I have the veggiedogs I always need 2 or 3 at a time to feel satisfied. And with these, I’m fine with just one.

I had to laugh at this!

I tried the Chai Spice Kardea bar flavor. It looks like a mound of something because I over-heated it in the microwave. My bad! Nonetheless, it didn’t lose any of its delicious flavor. Yup, that’s right, Kardea did it again. It tasted like I was chewing a cup of chai tea. That sounds weird, but that’s the only way I can describe it. I swear, I have one more bar to try, and I’m looking forward to it. They haven’t let my tastebuds down thus far.

CranBran VitaTop

I’m just not a fan of the “Bran” variation. Well, I haven’t tried them all, so I can’t say that really. But yeah, I wasn’t too keen on this one either. I smeared some coconut oil on it hoping to make it taste better, and it worked. But the VitaTop itself? No bueno. Maybe it’s because I got use to the sweetness of their chocolate flavors, that I was expecting the same for these… just a more natural tasting sweetness.

Earlier today I wanted to go to the state fair, but then I realized how far it was! I looked at Matilda and she gave me that “look”. The one that makes me feel bad if I leave her alone. Hmm… what could we do?

Matilda and I went to the neighborhood I lived in 7 years ago.

They have lots of trails, and there are tons of trees. I didn’t encounter another person on the trails so it felt like a beautiful hideaway. While we were walking we did encounter some other four-legged friends though!

Why hello there!

Two superbly groomed poodles

This was so hilarious to watch! The dog kept doing that.

This hyper dog was so hilarious to watch! He's jumping if you didn't notice.

Then I was in search of my favorite house in my old neighborhood. Matilda and I kept walking, and I wasn’t sure I would even remember where it was.

Snack break!

Uh... hello?

Okay, now I've got your attention.

Yummy!

High-five!

Here you go!

Pretending to have manners.

Puppy paws!!!!

Okay I've crossed overload territory... just a few more I promise!

Hehe she looks funny here.

-sniff sniff-

I think we're close!

There was a house on a hill...

... with a beautiful view.

I love it! I looked around to make sure no one saw me - maybe they'd think I was a private eye?

The front of the house has a neat design because you can see all the way through to the back.

Mission accomplished! I headed back and picked up a couple things from the store:

"Say hell-oh to my leetle friends."

Then I came home and made myself a silly dinner

Meet Barbarella.

She’s made of delicious Virginia grown gala apple slices, sultry appleseed eyes, onion-breath smile, sprouted hair that she accessorizes with pine nuts and parmesan. I’d say she has a tomato aura! Her prized possession is her Ak-mak fan that her boyfriend, Hommus, got from Armenia. Right before she rushed out of the house for her dinner plans, she remembered to put on some Honey Mustard dressing.

This may seem random, but I’d like to set aside some space to let you all know how incredible you are. When I first started reading blogs I was just a silent reader. Then one day I decided to make my own! I started out by just posting recipes I had done, but I felt like I wasn’t making any connections with people. One day I just decided to make my posts more inviting by actually putting my personality into them. From that point, I started to make new friends. I wanted to let you all know that you really mean a lot to me. I feel like I’m going to get all sappy here, but I really care about you all. Even if someone is MIA for a while I start to get worried, and then some days later they make a post and my worries are put to rest. When I read what you guys have to say I feel like I’m having a conversation. Sometimes I read about the days when one of you is feeling down and just plain not up for anything. It makes me sad to read those posts and I wish I could give that person a hug. But I know we all have those days, and it’s totally natural. And some of you put up honest and very personal posts, and those remind me that we’re all human – that’s a good thing! No one is perfect; perfection is a moving target. Then I read people’s responses and it warms my heart to see the compassion and care we all possess. It’s refreshing because in a world where people avoid making eye contact or even say hello, I don’t want to lose faith. I don’t really know where I’m going with this, but I just want to let you all know that you are all amazing; I often think to myself, “wow, these are people I admire, and they’re my friends.” So… this is going to be SUPER cheesy, but… you’ve got a friend in me!

Enjoy your week!

Happiness Often Sneaks in Through a Door You Didn’t Know You Left Open

Posted on September 29, 2009 by Katharina

Hi guys! I’ve been quite a busy girl lately – thanks to school. I’m learning so many things this semester that I want to share with other people! That’s always a good sign, don’t you think? I haven’t just been on the “learning” end of the deal either though. I’ve done some teaching as well! Not necessarily in a classroom setting, but instead I’ve been flourishing in my interests and sharing them with other people. For instance, now a lot of people know that I actually have a passion for cooking; I decided to make a cooking album on Facebook. I think a lot of people were surprised! I’ve also made a new friend that I met at a yoga class. It’s nice to meet people in a setting where you are doing something you truly enjoy, because you’ve got that in common. Then when you hang out and get to know each other, the friendship just grows into something incredible! And now that I’ve been kind of absent for a couple days, I think it’s only fair to share with you all what I’ve been up to. Can’t leave my friends in the dark now can I?

Banana ricotta soft-serve makes my day!

I topped the “soft-serve” with Zoe’s Cinnamon Raisin Granola, some more banana slices, and chocolate sprinkles. I’ve seen a lot of bloggers incorporate chocolate chips in their breakfasts, and this is me making due with what I’ve got! Actually, it’s very appropriate since underneath it all is an “ice cream” of sorts.

A parfait in honor of K!

I changed the ingredients just a smidge for the banana ricotta soft-serve. Rather than vanilla extract, I used coconut extract. Wow! This was also heavenly. I got the soft-serve to stay in it’splace by putting an apple slice underneath – improvising here folks! So what are the layers? Let me start from top to bottom: crunchy peanut butter, Erewhon’s Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice, banana ricotta soft-serve, apple slice, and some more of the cocoa crispies.

For this meal I wanted to do something out of the ordinary.

I used romaine as a sort of platter.

Then I decided to make rolls.. wraps.. not sure what to call this.

I love the freshness of this! I never cease to be amazed by the color palette nature offers us.

I also tried to make another interesting sandwich combo to go along with the romaine... boats?

This sandwich is on Cranberry Cinnamon Swirl bread and filled with eggplant, cheddar cheese, and mango chutney. I wasn’t sure if the eggplant would taste good with my favorite grilled cheese combo. How was it? Incredible!!! Definitely worth boasting about. I just remembered at a restaurant I went to they had breaded eggplant with an apricot coulis – so I thought I could try this. I’m glad I did!s

Now they look like dumplings! And I'm apparently trying to mimic them?

A beautiful snack.

Ak-mak crackers with cream cheese and edamame hummus, sprouts, grape tomatoes, and cucumber slices. Yum!

I made myself a pizza with polenta crust.

I roasted eggplant, parsnips (first time trying them!), and grape tomatoes; sautéed the onion. Then I just plopped some ricotta on and it all went into the toaster oven. After it was done baking I garnished it with some basil. I really like parsnips… a lot! Funny story with the basil. I got those leaves from a basil plant that’s growing out of a crack in a sidewalk. The plant is huge and full of delicious leaves! Nature’s way of breaking through despite what man builds on top.

Unfortunately, the crust didn't bake completely, so I ate this beautiful mess.

After happily eating my personal “pizza” I headed over to David Schultz’s CD release show. At the beginning they showed a brief documentary of their recording process, and their experience of life as musicians.

Now he's got a band!

Hanging out with my new friend, Emily. I also saw some old ones!

On Sunday I gave my baby, Matilda, a bath!

She's cute no matter what!

More sunshine!

This salad consisted of a Falafel Sunshine burger, red onion, tomato, an apple, avocado, sprouts, romaine, and cilantro dressing. Oh! I also squirted some ketchup on the burger. The addition of the apple in the salad was awesome! On the side I had the rest of the apple with a glass of cold soymilk. Perfect for an unexpectedly hot day. Oh man, I feel really stupid. In my review of the Sunshine burgers I said that they had corn. Well, that’s what it looked like! Then I read the ingredients and I believe those are actually lentils. So sorry for the misinformation. My opinion on how great these are didn’t change though – so no worries about that.

My Sunday was filled with lots of studying! But I managed to squeeze in a dinner at the school cafeteria with a friend. Since I don’t have a meal plan, I rarely end up going. My friend, Jonathan, invited me to dinner and we got to catch up on things. I also gave him advice on finding a roommate and which rental companies to stay away from. This is his first year in college so he had a lot of questions, and I had a lot to say!

Hi Jonathan!

Shafer!

Everytime I go here, I feel like it’s my first time. There are just so many choices – they even have a vegan and gluten-free area.

Food! Food! Food!

I got a bowl filled with snap peas, mushrooms, water chestnuts, onions, cucumbers, chickpeas, and hummus. I love their hummus! I actually was planning on bringing a tupperware with me to hijack some, but I forgot it at home. My bad! I also got another plate filled with spiced carrots, veggie pizza, mock ribs in BBQ sauce and peppers, a slice of Italian bread, a vegetable medley pasta (completely tasteless). I also tried some gluten-free French toast sticks – they were awful! I can’t remember the last time I ate something that disgusting. I was actually contemplating spitting it out, but we were in a public place.

He left me a little surprise on my camera!

Let’s see… what other things can I share with you all? Oh yes! I’m not sure if you guys know Jenny but she has an awesome blog that will make you hungry just looking at it! Recently, she put together a “best of” oatmeal post. Check it out! You will be inspired by all the wonderful creations all the bloggers have concocted. And trust me, this is way better than any “Best of” VH1 ever aired.

As for me, I’ve got my critique I told you all about, tomorrow! I’m looking forward to it now. Things are finally starting to calm down a little with my schoolwork load. And in 2 weeks I will be going to my parents’ house down in Florida for my 4-day weekend!

p.s. I just want to say hi to any new readers! HI!!! Here’s to a wonderful week! For some reason I feel like I’m on cloud nine; anybody want to come along for the ride?

Off to a Good Start

Posted on September 13, 2009 by Katharina

I’ll start this post off the same way I start my day – with breakfast!

: I baked some lemon poppyseed mini-muffins.

I tried some samples of the Artisana nut butters. I’m going to make a bold statement right now, but I’m just gonna go right ahead and put it out there. I haven’t tried all of the samples, but I feel that I can officially say that these nut butters are the bomb! If you’re a nut butter person, you will love these no questions asked. The nuts are all ground to perfection and have such a great consistency. I can actually taste each nuts’ unique flavor! I’m using the word “nuts” too much! So let’s move on, shall we?

: A delicious bowl of Zoe’s Honey Almond granola with extra almonds, coconut shreds, and mango over yogurt.

Next up is a recipe I got from a website called Culinary Competitor: Vegetarian Black Bean Chili with Bulgur.

: The chili with a dollop of sour cream and cilantro, and a side of buttered peas and…

I also got to try something new! A Vitalicious Golden Corn VitaTop. I’ve always wanted to try this flavor because I love cornbread and these VitaTops just look so dainty! This was really good, and went perfectly with my meal. Oh gosh, almost forgot to review the recipe for you guys. TRY IT! I loved the addition of bulgur, which made it heartier. Eat it with some cornbread, or if you’ve got one of these yummy Tops on hand. I’m getting bossy! But for real guys…

Since we’re on the topic of VitaTops, I’ve been able to try a couple more flavors out.

: Double Chocolate Dream – those are white chocolate chips.

Doing it up photo collage style like Angharad! I admit that I was hestitant to try these because I read the words “double chocolate dream.” And for the most part, I’m not a big fan of double chocolate anything. However, I do love white chocolate and I think the addition of those chips really made it awesome. Not to mention this was warm, pillowy, moist, and gooey!

: About to enjoy bite number two… after I put the camera down!

: I decided to try another uber-chocolate flavor…

Deep Chocolate! I didn’t like this one as much as the one with white chocolate chips. But I did enjoy the melted chocolate! For some reason I look yellow in that picture (flash?). I’ve also tried the brownie, and I was happy that they were bigger than the VitaTops. The only complaint so far that I have about the VitaTops is that they’re just a few bites of goodness. I guess that’s the trade off? For myself, I enjoy these as part of a yummy snack, or an extra to my meal. If I were having these as part of a breakfast I would definitely have to have two. I’m not a calorie counter, but I do know that my breakfast carbs have to be over 100 calories… unless I want to be hungry again in an hour. I actually have a question regarding morning hunger, that I’ll get to on another post. Anywho, I’d imagine that these are wonderful for dieters because you don’t have to “splurge” to have a flavorful treat (they don’t skimp on flavor). You can have your cake, and eat it too! (Any cake really, whatever your little tastebuds desire!)

Let’s see… what else have I been eating lately? Oh! The other day I marinated some tempeh to make a “BLT”. If any of you guys have any awesome tempeh recipes, please, send them on over!

: This meal just looks funky!

: Close-up

I just followed this recipe for the tempeh marinade.

: This one I decided to glaze with maple syrup.

First Friday was awhile ago over here in my corner of the world. First Friday is when the galleries around here show off the new works they have up, and tons of people walk around and take it all in. Sometimes you see some real characters – the area’s eccentrics. Love it! Anyway, as you all know Matilda is practically attached to my hip so of course she went to this event with me! No one at any of the galleries has ever objected. I think it’s because she’s so freaking cute. But here are some pictures after the art and a show.

: My friend calls her “little bean”… “get back in your can.”

: I spy a 40!

Another furry friend!

Matilda would be so jealous if she saw this picture up. I think Sophia looks funny with her bat wings and squinty eyes. This was the night my entire zipcode experienced a blackout, so I went to my friend’s house. When the power came back we watched this murder mystery called Brick. This movie was so classical in the way it was shot… don’t really see mystery films made this way anymore.

Back to some more eats! The other day I was at the bookstore browsing through magazines that I didn’t want to pay for. I had my handy dandy Moleskin and copied down an interesting recipe I saw in a Vegetarian Times issue: ginger-miso yam wraps. This was my first time trying collard greens, and I tried them RAW!

: Look how pretty!

This was so nice to look at and prepare. Collard greens remind me of the Cabbage Patch Kids. I made a slight change to the recipe, and poured in some coconut milk.

: Filled with so much goodness.

: with a side of carrots sautéed in coconut oil and later toasted some coconut shreds and cinnamon.

: Some more mock tuna goodness.

I decided to add some variety to my eats by getting a bag of tortilla chips. Yay! I wish I had a cheese grater so I could make nachos. Well, I kind of made some the other day by cutting squares to put on each chip haha. But I prefer a messy, melted, gooey explosiong when it comes to nachos.

Then I added some goat cheese after I started eating...

I happened to be reading Janetha’s blog while I was eating this, and saw that she made a tuna melt sandwich with goat cheese. Awesome idea, girl!

An apple, cheddar, "bacon", and roasted onion sandwich.

An apple, cheddar, "bacon", and onion sandwich.

I also spread some pumpkin butter on this great bread. This spelt bread tastes really good – perfect for sandwiches. On the side I sautéed some yellow squash in coconut oil and toasted some coconut shreds. To melt the cheese I put my sandwich in the toaster oven since I don’t have a griller. The crispness from the apple and onions, the crunch from the bread, and the smoky “bacon” with cheddar were awesome all together!

A chocolate banana pop.

Oops! It looks like I didn’t really clean the mold that well… there’s some OJ at the tip. For these pops I just added some chocolate sprinkles to the warm, melted banana + coconut milk/shreds mush. Naturally, the sprinkles melted and spread their love throughout. I love the creaminess of these pops, and the texture the coconut shreds add to them as well.

A cup of hot cocoa made with coconut milk and some cinnamon.

Do you love the foam? I use the chocolate tablets that you have to put in the blender with boiling milk. Nothing beats my grandma’s hot chocolate though. She does it the old-fashioned way by boiling the milk on the stove. Then she pours it into her old tin pitcher and gets to crackin’ with her over-sized pestle to crush the chocolate. Then she whirls it around to make it foamy. My grandma has such strong arms: hot cocoa to strength train = lots of great hugs for the granddaughter.

So now the moment you’ve all been waiting for! It’s time to announce the winner of the U.S. Mills giveaway. First off, I loved reading everyone’s ideas – most of you enjoy it with yogurt and fruits. If you haven’t tried it yet, I suggest you make peanut butter balls by just coating a blob of peanut butter in cereal. Example, if you guys have a cereal that tastes corny you can also add in some coconut shreds to the peanut butter blobs. Anyway, I’m like an annoying commercial right now when all you want is to get back to the show! Okay, okay, and the winner is…

Aileen!

Congrats girl! I’m going to send you an e-mail to notify you. Thank you all for participating. I hope you all enjoyed it, and maybe some of you with a gluten intolerance now know there are cereals for everybody! Moreover, I was able to stumble on to some blogs I haven’t read before – maybe I should have more giveaways?

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your Sunday, and don’t forget to give yourself some TLC.

The Summer of Salads

Posted on September 7, 2009 by Katharina

The other Saturday I got out of my class (yeah Saturday class!), and biked over to an outdoor market called Antiques on Broad. I was starving so I had Kim meet up with me and bring me some biscotti and Matilda (didn’t eat her though).

: Antiques on Broad

: Awesome suitcases that didn’t open.

: Carrying a fan around is a must!

It was so hot that day we could feel the sweat dripping down our backs.

: DJ Kim in the house

: Hottie alert!

We just browsed around and found some inspiration for our apartment. A couple posts ago I was talking about summer coming to an end, and how that means less cold salads to enjoy.

: A Mexican inspired salad

I just mixed in some rice, romaine, tomato slices, white beans, corn, cauliflower, red onion, cilantro, and sour cream. The only thing that was missing was avocado!

: Failed attempt at making white bean hummus.

: Oh my gosh this salad was incredible!

So this salad had romaine, tomatoes, corn, red onion, black beans, cilantro, sour cream, bulgur, and cilantro dressing! Yum yum yum. I love buying a big head of romaine lettuce from the fresh produce section rather than the bagged kind. It’s a lot cheaper too.

: I haven’t cooked tofu in ages.

For this tofu I just coated it with unsweetened coconut flakes and agave, then fried it on the pan with some chopped red onions. I laid out a nice bed of romaine and tomato chunks, and used a sesame ginger dressing. On the side I made my first tomato sandwich! I added a little something special: Old Bay Seasoning. This meal was so delicious and refreshing. What a summer meal should be, no?

: Putting the rest of my tofu to use.

This is the first time I made stir-fry with noodles – I used egg noodles. I’d say this was Thai inspired. I stir-fried some broccoli, corn, carrots, tofu, garlic and onions in sesame oil. Then I added some lime juice towards the end and garnished it all with cilantro and sesame seeds. My dad brought those chopsticks back when he was opening up an office over in Hong Kong. Jumbo is a floating restaurant that serves Dim Sum. I think it’s a major tourist attraction over there.

In recent news, my mom went to Colombia over the labor day weekend. I wanted to go with her but I have that darned Saturday class! I really miss her. She said that she would visit me this month, and all of my friends up here want to meet her so badly! My friends that already know her want to take her out for drinks. Then my guy friends all have a crush on her. She just radiates a lot of love I guess! It’s funny because when I was in Germany after high school my friends would still hang out with her even though I wasn’t there. I also have some more travel related news! My friend Sway and I are planning a trip to Europe over the winter. I haven’t gone back there in a couple of years, so I’m extremely excited about this!!!

Anyway, I’ll leave you all with a midnight snack.

I heated up the apple with some soy creamer and cinnamon. Then crumbled some graham crackers on top.

Yummy apples from a local orchard.

What do you guys like to snack on?

Dinner is served

Posted on May 14, 2009 by Katharina

Yesterday I told you guys that I would be posting yesterday’s dinner today. Did that sentence make sense? Just double checking!

I think mealtimes are very important parts of our day. Of course there are times when we are rushed, and scarfing down food is something I try to avoid. Some times I’ll make meals the night before if I know that I will be pressed on time. Anyway, back to dinner. My family is the kind of family that sits down together for meals. I definitely don’t ask to be excused, because why would I? I’m lucky to feel connected to my family and enjoy their company. Yesterday was so nice. My parents helped set the table outside, since I prepared the food. We ended up sitting out in the backyard for a couple of hours just talking. Matilda also joined us. It was so cute watching her. She would scurry around the patio like she was hunting for the pack. Then she’d come sit upright at my feet like she was reporting for duty.

For dinner I made

Avocado Mac and “Cheese” over super high protein pasta (23g!!!)

Sweet Balsamic Portobello Mushrooms with Parmigiano Reggiano over a bed of spinach

I served it with some fruity berry tea. We usually have teas with our meals. I also had some of the Almond and Black Sesame Seed spread with some dipping foods. I finished dinner off with a So Delicious Vanilla frozen sandwich. The meal was a hit with my parents, but the avocado mac and “cheese” was the real star of the show.

Not sure if you noticed the little set up going on behind the table. Last summer break was when I put together what I call the “shrine”. I was so proud of myself when I completed it. It had a lot of greenery going on and fresh herbs. However, my parents didn’t exactly take care of it while I’ve been away at school. I guess I’ll have to start over again?

I’m not sure if you can see, but on the “frame” (I just made it into a chalkboard) I had written “Please take care of me!”

After dinner I had to go on a 12 hour fast to get blood work done this morning. Even though I would be asleep through most of it, I was starting to get impatient. Luckily, I was in and out of the doctor’s office in no time! It was nice because my family was able to sit down and have breakfast together on a weekday. That usually doesn’t happen because I normally eat breakfast around 9. I made my parents some overnight oats. This time I decided to put in some golden raisins, pistachios, and orange blossom water. For myself I made a bowl of warm oats with chocolate protein powder and banana. I also mixed in some coconut oil and peanut butter. I also spread some more coconut oil on a slice of arequipe filled banana bread. I almost forgot! I made a papaya and mora smoothie as well. My dad also made a juice that consisted of kale, apples, beets, ginger, and carrots. Here’s to rosy cheeks!

I decided to catch some rays this morning and start reading a book I brought with me. It’s called Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. So far I’m enjoying it.

Well I have to go! I’m about to meet up/catch up with a friend and try Jamaican food for the first time! My friend said they had vegetarian options for the patties. I’m so excited!

This weekend I’m going to be watching a show called Tango Desnudo with some family friends. Beforehand we’re going to meet up at their place to have dinner and it’s going to be a small potluck. I’m thinking I might make an Indian recipe.

Does anyone have a vegetarian/vegan recipe that has amazed non-vegetarians?

Katharina's Food Adventures

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