Tag Archives: avocado

Honoring My Body

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Hey everyone. So I haven’t written a post myself in a bit, and usually when I don’t post it’s because of two reasons. I don’t have time, or I’m not sure what I want to say. Granted this blog is considered a food blog, it’s also a place where I find parallels and intersections between food and philosophy, or I may simply want to tell a story. Well, today I was talking to a very close friend of mine (some of you may know her as “Veggie Girl”, which she is no longer hehehe). We were actually reunited the other day at her dance competition!

   

Anyway, so I was talking to her and we were discussing bodies. At one point I had mentioned that when I think about all of the tasks our bodies do, in a matter of time that we can’t even grasp or imagine… well, that is something that inspires me to respect it. You see, with my soul and ego I have more control over the cause and effect. But with my physical body, I can’t entirely decide how my body will respond. I definitely play a role though. What I subject it to whether it’s food, environments, thoughts, or what have you… all play a role in how my body functions. So that’s what I want to share today. The idea of respecting my body, and what that means to me as of late.

I’ve been becoming more intuitive with knowing what to do when I feel out of balance. I’ve also become more aware of what may throw me out of balance, and gravitating towards certain foods depending on how I feel.

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The Mom Was Back In Town

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Start the day right

My mom was in town last weekend, on a last minute trip to spend Mother’s Day with each other. It was more motivation to clean the apartment, and get all domestic making sure she’d have everything she wants. I made sure she brought her walking shoes! I was so excited to have her visit, and to share my life up here with her. Plus, she always leaves  such positive energy behind. It must be all that love she has inside.

A breakfast fit for the Queen of Mothers

A baked sweet berry omelette topped with dried orange slices, strawberries, and Greek yogurt. I think I whipped the egg white too much though, since it didn’t come out quite as fluffy as the original recipe.

It was such a lovely Mother’s Day breakfast.
My mom, a lover of salmon, is so happy that I eat fish now…

We walked to the market together, since I wanted to show her the wonderful fish selection at Citarella. Also, I’m not sure if it varies by location but the one in the Upper West Side has very knowledgable and friendly fishmongers. I made grilled chili-lime salmon, which is a little spicy, sweet, and citrusy. I also tried lime juice with balsamic vinegar and it was so delicious… I’ll have to make a dressing including those two ingredients.

I also found caperberries at the store, and added them to the accompanying salad.

While my mother was in town, my friend was shooting a music video at my place.

It was so awesome to finally see it come to life!

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Breaking Bread With Olives

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Since I’ve been back in New York I almost feel like I’m in a new place, although familiar because now I know my way around. One of the ways I’ve been enjoying this city is by going out to eat and reuniting with friends. On this particular day I was meeting up with a friend I knew from college (it’s a funny story actually), and she recommended this place called Bread in Nolita. I was up for it!

There was an old scooter parked in front of the restaurant in Italian fashion.
I took a seat by the bar to wait for my friend, and just observe the restaurant.
Then my friend arrived and we were reunited!
Like the name implies, their specialty is anything bread, but they have plenty of other options…

Like pastas, salads, vegetable starters, soups, sharing plates, entrees, and desserts! They also have plenty of beverages to choose from–especially wines. It took us–no joke–more than 30 minutes for us to finally decide what we wanted. Most of that time we were talking away, catching up with each other. The waiter checked back on us frequently and had a good attitude about us taking forever. Eventually we decided that we needed to change our focus to the menu. What to choose, what to choose.

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Indian Summer

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Hey everyone! So I haven’t gone missing again. In my last post I asked you guys what your favorite combinations were. If you didn’t get a chance to check out some of the responses, click over here! I’m curious to try a few of them like Melissa’s pick of Radiohead and geometry, P.P.’s playlist with a cold beer in hand, and Jim’s affinity for cream, coffee, and hazelnuts. Here’s one for you all: Tarantino Talks/Stranger than Fiction while running… or walking.

Some of you were wondering if the magazine app is available outside of an iPad. Because the app is specifically designed for iPads, unfortunately it is not. Maybe a friend has one or even check it out at an Apple store. The November issue went live this past week, and it looks beautiful. Here’s a picture over the cover:

I’ve still got some things to share from when I was in Florida, so the last post and the upcoming posts will feel like I’m unpacking my suitcase, which in reality I will soon be able to do as well! It may seem like bit of a tease  looking at summer-centric foods, but here goes.

Salad days have turned into soup days.
Black bean burger recipe coming right up! 

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The Root of It

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Your responses on my last post were so kind! Thank you for your words and encouragement. I think since right now I’m going through a major transition period in my life (fresh out of college)… it sometimes feels like everything is new to me. Including my blog.

On another note, I wanted to share one of the many things that have been on my mind. I was thinking back on when I went to Colombia a couple years ago, and stayed with my grandparents for a month. They do almost everything there the old-fashioned way. From melting a chocolate tablet in boiling milk and whisking it vigorously to make hot cocoa, to washing the laundry by hand and leaving it out to dry on the line. I love going to places where you really get a sense of how things are made. No special equipment made for convenience sake. Instead you become in tune with the primal way of preparing something. That’s one of the reasons that keeps me interested in cooking. I just think it’s awesome that what grows from this earth can be eaten and we can flourish.

I also think it’s interesting to see why parts of the world have an abundance of certain foods. For instance, you can find so many rye breads in Northern Europe. Did you know that wheat grows poorly there?

Rice is a crop that is available in abundance, so I’m going to share a delicious recipe using this grain.

Brown Rice Salad

Ingredients

3 cups cooked brown rice 
3 green onions, chopped (about 1 cup) 
1/2  red bell pepper, seeded and diced 
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced 
1 carrot, grated 
1 green apple, cored and diced 
1 cup finely shredded cabbage (green and purple)
1/2 cup golden raisins

Dressing
1/2 cup Vegenaise (or regular mayonnaise)
3 tablespoons rice vinegar 
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 
2 teaspoons curry powder 

Directions

1. Place the rice in a large salad bowl, then add green onions, bell pepper, celery, carrot, apple, cabbage, and raisins.

2. To make the dressing, in a small bowl, mix Vegenaise, vinegar, mustard, and curry powder.

3. Pour over salad and toss to mix.

The fruits mixed with the tangy dressing makes for a refreshing summer salad! Actually, if you like cole slaw, I think you will enjoy this as well.

I never noticed the purple hue on artichoke hearts until the other day.
Recently, I tried an ancient recipe… manna bread.

I didn’t make it myself, although I do have the ingredients on hand now, so I just need to get to soaking. I’ve heard about Nature’s Path’s Manna Bread from various people, and have always been curious to try it. I decided to try out the ‘Cinnamon Date’ loaf.

For breakfast with coconut butter, a glass of almond milk, and a crisp apple.
The bread was so dense and moist that it almost seemed like a slice of cake! Delicious too.

Supposedly, manna bread has been around since BCE. Now that is a lay of the land recipe, don’t you think?

Simple salads have been making their way on to the kitchen table.
Simple salads with plenty of avocado.
And a salad for the kale lovers!

My mother is definitely a kale lover, so when I saw Natalie’s recipe for Marinated Kale Salad I was on it ASAP! Tahini dressing is not something I usually have, but it makes me raise my eyebrow in interest as soon as I hear about it. The process of preparing this salad really did break the kale’s toughness down, and there was no cooking involved (besides roasting the beets). Simple and delicious.

What’s something that has recently truly fascinated you?

Things I’ve Been Loving

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Baked sweet plantains with sea salt, cinnamon, and coconut oil

Homemade Pecan Butter

I’ve been eating this with dates, oatmeal, sweet potato, bananas, and even carrots!

A beautiful hyacinth

A beautiful hyacinth

OIAJ with my favorite peanut butter

Tea...

... with crystallized ginger.

Wicked!

Coconut water and dates!

Amy's kitchen goodies!

Note: do not just microwave this! I highly suggest toasting it so it gets a crunchy crust.

Salads!

The warm weather has made me in the mood for delicious salads. I’ve been loving avocado and Drew’s Lemon Goddess dressing in most of them. Dr. Kracker’s crackers have been the perfect sidekicks. The kind folks there contacted me to find out if I’d like to sample and review their crackers. No problem!

Fire Roasted Crisps

These have tart sun-dried tomatoes, sweet potato, and black sesame seeds. They were okay, but I think they could use something salty to give them more flavor; perhaps up the cheddar cheese?

Yum!

The Hummus Maximus crackers were delicious! These are one of my favorites out of the savory flavors. You can even see the seeds! Another interesting thing is that these are made with spelt and chickpea flour.

Homemade smoky chipotle hummus made with avocado oil!

My next post is going to be so exciting! I haven’t told you all, but I am currently hanging out with Liz and her family. We’ve been celebrating her birthday all weekend! So yes, just expect an awesome post hehehe.

Still Soaking Up the Sun, Con’t.

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I just realized that I forgot to reveal the truth! Drum roll please! Okay… so the truth is that I made out with one of the guys from my favorite band. Oh man, that is a long story to tell and I smile whenever I think about it. I definitely thought I was all that and a bag of potato chips after that hehe.

So back to the recap. The next day was cloudy and rainy so I decided to take Kelley to some specialty stores. But before that I whipped myself up a quick lunch.

Veggies, avocado, and a filled tortilla.

My parents had the sprouted tortillas which I’ve never tried before. I was surprisingly satisfied with these. Sometimes those kinds of tortillas taste too “brown” for me, you know what I mean?

Filled with the leftover curried fava beans my mom made, veggies, and Wisconsin cheddar

Then we hit the markets.

First we stopped at the Italian market. Look at all that pasta!
We also stopped by the Latin food store and I got some things for her to try: oatmeal milk and a sweet treat (cream with guava)

She really liked both of them! These are old favorites for me. Before my mom came home from work I decided to take Kelley to a secret location that a lot of locals don’t know about. I discovered the little spot back when I was learning how to drive and I was just curious to where this seemingly endless road would take me.

Who knew the everglades were so close to me!
Sunsets are beautiful here.
And watch out, you may bump into a alligator too.

Then we headed home for dinner.

Part of our dinner that night were some fried sweet plantains that we find at one of the markets.

And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but avocados are a staple at my family’s table! The next day my mom took off work and she wanted to make something special for us! She went through practically all of our cookbooks the night before to find some recipes to make.

She prepared an Indian feast for us, not leaving out the mango lassi of course!
Get in my belly!
We went to a museum to see our friends perform.
Two lovely ladies!
Goofy!!
We were happy that we got to wear our long dresses!
Dance!
They’re from Brazil and you can tell that they’ve got the rhythm and beats in their blood.
Samba! It’s actually one of my favorite dances.
They are such great performers.

I use to take dance lessons with the man in the picture. He’s so incredible and even knows how to belly dance! He knows how to shake his hips better than any one I know. But aside from that, this couple has so much love inside of them and it just radiates through their smiles.

Group shot!
Later that night we headed out with some more friends!
I was so happy to be with my two best friends–in the same place!!!
She came out to party with us even though she had work in the morning! She’s a trooper.
All of us, but my mom got cut out!
There she is!

Pilar ordered the Vesuvius Cake: Brownie Crust, New York Style Cheesecake, Chocolate Ganache, Chocolate Truffle,and Chocolate Mousse Topped with Chopped Walnuts and White Chocolate Chips

You know I helped my homegirl out! The music was good and you know what means. It was time to dance. There was no one out on the dance floor, but who cares. As soon as we started shakin’ what our mama’s gave us, a crowd of people came and joined in on the fun. Seriously, how can someone just sit there when there’s music to be danced to and a dance floor? But at least it doesn’t take much to wake some people up!

My next post will be the final recap of my break in Florida. I miss it already! I’ve been calling my mom every night… actually that’s something I did anyway hehe. I hope everyone is enjoying spring so far!!! Don’t you just love seeing everything come to life?

Still Soaking Up the Sun

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Where has the time gone? It’s seeming to escape me! Anyway let me get down to business. Where was I? Ah yes, recapping my spring break in Florida!

Lots of overnight oats were had, and my friend even tried it (and liked it!)

She also started putting nut butters in her oats! There’s no looking back now hehe.

I made my overnight oats with something new my parents had in their fridge.

At first when I tried the Wild Wood Soyogurt itself I didn’t really like it. But it started to grow on me, and it definitely didn’t taste funky in my overnight oats. So the oats were soaked in this yogurt with raisins, rose water, and cinnamon. Topped in the morning with coconut milk, pistachios, and a sliced banana.

Packed sandwiches, nuts, and some veggies for the beach.

It was so windy that my sandwich became a real “sand”wich! After the beach we headed to the local discount healthfood store.

I got some new things to try...

I also snagged a can of organic pumpkin puree since it’s rare to find one nowadays. I also finally got myself some of my favorite candies… Ginger People’s crystallized ginger m’mmm. I love letting these soak in my tea. I also spotted the Luna protein bar and I got the flavor that appealed to me the most (cookie dough). It was okay, but I don’t think I’m really into the texture of those kinds of bars. I’m more of a whole ingredient bar lady. All of the other goodies are new to me except for the coconut water.

I also stocked my freezer up. Can you tell I'm a college girl?

My favorite sandwich bread for PB&Js!

My friend couldn't decide which chocolate to get so I made it easy for her and exclaimed at this one! SOOO DELICIOUS!

I just had to marvel at the colors!

I had the leftover curried tofu my mom made, a sweet potato with cinnamon and coconut oil, and a salad with a homemade blueberry vinaigrette. Delicious thrown together meal.

More overnight oats + aloe vera on the side

Toppings: coconut milk, Kashi GoLean Crunch, sliced banana, pistachios, and a strawberry compote with honey

Holy yum! I loved the various textures in this breakfast and the fresh flavors. Strawberries and bananas are a fruit combination that never fail.

I made us a nice lunch before we headed out to go shopping!

This turned out to be so flavorful!

I wanted to fix the tofu so it’d be like orange chicken. I found a recipe that sounded good, then added some veggies and cooked some egg noodles. Then we were out!

`

I took her to Paul, a french bakery franchise.

Rainforest Cafe can get a little crazy... especially if I'm there!

Let’s just say I had a lot of fun going around the store with the hand puppets they sell. What can I say? My imagination is still going strong.

Tried on an amazing Alexander Wang dress.

We had a very successful shopping trip, and left the mall elated with the "shopper's high".

Check it out!!!

We got home and had dinner.

Mom made rotkohl (red cabbage) with apples, pan-heated parathas, avocado, and I quickly fried some tofu with a Key Lime Ginger sauce.

And while I was in Florida I enjoyed dates (organic on sale for $1!) with the cashew-macadamia butter I made for my mom.

I have to admit, that date looks inappropriate, but I’ll just leave it at that haha. Anyway, I’m still not done recapping my break down in Florida. So hold on to your seats because there’s more to come. I just hope my next post is sooner than later! Next thing you know it’s going to be April already.

Warmer Days

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Greetings earthlings!

Thank you Erin for passing this award on to me awhile ago. It’s about time I get around to passing it on to a few other creative writers, wouldn’t you say?

Here are the rules:
1. Thank the person who gave this to you.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you.
4. Tell up to six outrageous lies about yourself, and at least one outrageous truth.
5. Nominate seven “Creative Writers” who might have fun coming up with outrageous lies.
6. Post links to the seven blogs you nominate.

1. One time I started a fight in the girl’s bathroom in high school.
2. I have never worn green socks.
3. I always drool uncontrollably at the sight of a handsome guy.
4. I made out with one of the band members of my favorite bands.
5. I use to be a big “witch”.
6. I’ve eaten cow intestines.
7. I hate avocados.

Which one’s the truth?
I’m passing this on to these ladies:
Karina

Jess

another awesome Jessica

Lauren

Jenny

Katie

and last but in no way least, Holly

I asked my friend, Kelley, if she wanted me to make her oats in the morning.

I cooked her oats in almond milk and cinnamon. Then I swirled in some coconut oil and topped it off with banana slices and mango. I also spooned on a bit of Naturally More peanut butter. I’ve never tried this kind and it was very yummy! It wasn’t completely creamy and not super crunchy either.

I opted for something more refreshing.

I opted for granola, Greek yogurt, and Ezekiel toast. My parents didn’t have butter in the house (what?!) except for ghee aka clarified butter. It has a different taste than butter, but I liked it!

Ghee is considered sacred in India.
Mom made lunch again!

She wanted to try a new grain she bought at the store–amaranth. She made curry chicken for everyone and a tofu version for me. The amaranth itself was plain, but mixed with the tofu curry was much better and gave an interesting texture.

In Florida, avocado is a must with every meal.

Then we got ready to go out!

I think Matilda felt left out.
We went out to go dancing.

There was an artist painting a large mural that night in one of the dance rooms. They also had dancers that were painted from head-to-toe, a drag queen performance, people dressed up as squires, and many more theatrics. It was so much fun. We ended up meeting the artist’s agent and the club owner, then danced around in VIP till we decided to head home–daylight savings time hit us!

They took a couple pictures of us.

Lunch was a team effort.

I stir-fried some kale, mushrooms, and zucchini in a garlic & ginger paste + Soyvay sauce. My mom made her specialty curried fava beans in coconut milk. I also had some toast with peanut butter and a slice of Cabot’s cheddar.

Then we headed to Calle Ocho

Calle Ocho is basically a huge annual block party in the middle of Little Havana down in Miami. There’s lots of music, dancing, food, and people!

The crowd
Getting one of my favorite things–arepas de choclo (sweet corn cakes filled with mozzarella)
Gettin’ down
We also got sweet plantains.
My mom found some $$ on the ground–finders, keepers!
Then we were headed to south beach.
Driving down Ocean Dr. on a Sunday night.
24-Hour Diner
With a HUGE menu…
And a little market inside as well.
My adorable soul sista!

We ended up leaving because it was getting late and my mom was getting super antsy. Oi! But it was a nice little discovery, and I’m hoping to go back there one day. I hope all of you are having a wonderful week. Guess what? Tomorrow is Friday! Woo hoo!

Living In a Daze, Part I

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Hi everyone! As the title suggests, I’m going to break up the recent days in to more than one post. I still feel like my two feet have yet to hit the ground. Yes, I am feeling overwhelmed, but that isn’t always necessarily a bad thing. Why am I overwhelmed is the question. Over these past couple of days I’ve had many triumphs, adjustments, and realizations. I just feel like I’m about to start walking on new territory, but at the same time branching my roots out into familiar ones as well. It might sound confusing, and I admit it feels that way for me too! But whatever may be in store, I’m ready! And on that note, let’s jump in!

Spiced cottage cheese oats with coconut oil and peanut butter.
Ayurvedic recipe

This chili smelled divine while cooking it. The thing I love about ayurvedic recipes is that they include an array of spices that awaken different tastebuds. Star Anise & Cinnamon Black Bean Chili with Molasses & Chipotle, but I also added some diced sweet potato and coconut oil to my liking. Check out the description on the site for the chili: “smooth molasses with pungent cinnamon and smoked licorice black bean chili feels like a campfire in northern New Mexico under a new moon.” Imagine that…

Can you spy the Chinese star anise?

Operation Sneaky “Snack” cont’d included dried cranberries, butternut squash, Greek yogurt, and…
Betty Lou’s Cranberry Crave Harmony Bar; Success!

I wanted to show you all what this Betty Lou’s bar looked like. Check it out! Every time I open the wrapper I can’t help but think that it smells homemade. You know when you’re baking muffins and the sweet smell just puts you at ease? M’mm good.

Anyone ready for Florida?

That morning I had the juiciest, sweetest mango ever! Oh my gosh, just thinking about it is making me want go back to this. I had it with Greek yogurt, Udi’s Hawaiian granola (ginger-toasted macadamias, dried pineapple, and coconut flakes), and drizzled with coconut butter. Okay, so the mango alone was delicious, but all of this together… where do I begin? Ah yes, sitting on a hammock basking in the sun. But before we continue, let me put my ice cold pina colada down.

My re-worked sculpture.

Pressed mesh wire into thinner wire to make these.

This one is my favorite; it’s just so sturdy.

This looks like I'm in prison!

Alas, I’m just stylin’ the pajamas my grandma gave me, and about to enjoy OIAJ!!! Now that doesn’t sound like prison to me. Sunland’s banana peanut butter… you were so good to me!

Mixed in with a melted banana, last of the "best mango ever", crumbled honey graham, and shredded coconut.

Glorious spoonfuls of banana peanut butter with my oats.

However, OIAJ wasn’t the only exciting thing happening that morning. No, I had to get ready to pick up my mom!

The look: slouchy button-up leg warmers with boots and tights

And not your grandmother's black turtleneck dress.

For a splash of color, I pinned on a vintage flower brooch to my coat.

We came home and I quickly put together our lunches

For myself I had a Garden Herb Sunshine Burger on a bun + ketchup + pepper jelly + onion + tomato, with butternut squash and sliced pear with cinnamon and coconut butter as well.

Nom nom

And for my mom...

This almost looks like a face! She had Ezekiel toast with fried egg whites and green “stuff” on top. The green “stuff” is a quick thing I whipped up: 1 avocado + nutritional yeast + soy sauce + turmeric + a bit of water for consistency. She also had some butternut squash on the side.

My dad picked up some goodies from a nearby local Jordanian restaurant.

Everything is made fresh, and they even grind their own spices and herbs weekly. In fact, they also make a Lebanese pita bread which involves garbanzo, barley, and other flours. My dad got a vegetarian sampler for all of us, and a spiced chicken gyro for them. The sampler included hummus, baba ganoush, tabbouleh, and dolmades.

I also got to take my mom to her first First Friday Artwalk!

It was very cold for her, but she loved all the life going on. She also got to meet some friends I’ve made in college, which is really nice! Now she has a better idea of who I’m talking about when I tell her things that are going on in my life. Anyway, this is it for Part I! Stay tuned for Part II (THE FASHION SHOW!!!) I hope you all have had a wonderful past couple of days. The sun is shining so brightly–I’m ready for the warm weather to stay!