A Dinner Guest

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Katharina

: Hey there good lookin’ (you get into the gallery through the passenger door).

Richmond’s First Friday Artwalk was last Friday, and I stopped by my professor’s opening–”Passenger Position”

: The exhibition really made me think about his own experiences of things around him.

: A new grain for breakfast.

I was trying to look up breakfast recipes using buckwheat groats, so I just put my own twist on this one found on the Pure2Raw blog. This was my first time actually going on the blog, and all of the recipes looked so tasty and fresh–just what I’ve been in the mood for lately. Not to mention, they seem like such an awesome duo living in harmony with each other and life’s journey.

: I love how nutty they tasted.

: Leftover coconut rice revamped–inspired by rice pudding.

: Finally got around to using the corn kernels that have been sitting around for who knows how long.

: Cooked in coconut oil, and seasoned with cinnamon and nutritional yeast.

This is such an economical and simple snack. If you’re use to buying popcorn that you heat up in a bag, I suggest just buying some corn kernels and they will last you longer + it’s not hard at all. Not to mention, you aren’t exposed to the harmful chemicals found in paper-wrapped convenience foods.

: This past week, I had someone special over for a three-course dinner.

: I spotted a beetroot and goat’s cheese salad in a cookbook I was browsing through at the bookstore.

We also tried the first cucumber from his garden!

I also made baked polenta with wild mushroom ragout...

: And a secret ingredient–Idiazabal cheese–baked into the polenta.

The original recipe calls for pan-grilling, but since I was making the polenta in a cast-iron skillet I had the option of baking it as well. I love things roasted, baked, what have you.

: Yum!

After dinner we went to take Matilda out for a nice walk. Then when we got back it was time for the last course…

: A raw vegan apple crisp for dessert.

My favorite kind of desserts are the raw vegan kind because you can just really taste the flavors. The sweetness comes from a fruit usually, and I just love how simple the ingredients are–just using things that have been around for thousands of years. You can find the recipe for the raw vegan apple crisp here.

: And he brought over the creamiest ice cream made by a local creamery.

: Creamy chocolate goodness–had to stop myself from eating too much since I know my tummy would have its woes otherwise.

It was a delicious dinner, if I may say so myself, and I got to share it with someone! I’ve been so use to making single-serving dishes, or ones with leftovers, but intentionally making a meal for more than just myself is such a nice feeling. I’ve been making meals for more than just myself a lot lately though. The weeks leading up to my move from Richmond, I just wanted to spend as much time with my close friends as possible, which included lots of meal sharing.

Speaking of my move. I’m down in Florida now, but I’ll be recapping my last few days up in Richmond. Hope everyone is doing well, and staying hydrated!

Joy of Baking

Posted on October 25, 2009 by Katharina

I forgot to mention that Mitri’s mom’s baked ziti recipe, the one I feared would send my tummy ailments over the top, actually left me feeling 100% better the next day. This would be my cure; Who would’ve thought?

Ah my tummy finally started to not act all funky on me.

I tried some Artisana Walnut Butter on cranberry cinnamon swirl toast. I don’t thing there’s a single Artisana nut butter that I’ve tried that I haven’t absolutely loved. And I love cinnamon-anything toast for breakfast; especially the smell when it’s toasting! I also smeared on some of my favorite pumpkin butter and cream cheese on two slices. Oh! That’s also a bowl of European style yogurt with Crofter’s superfruit spread.

Thank goodness for leftovers! I enjoyed Mitri’s mother’s baked ziti recipe for lunch, and I gave my dad the other half to have at work the next day. SO GOOD!

I visited the islands the other day... kind of!

I visited the Caribbean the other day... kind of!

I followed this recipe for a taste of Haiti: Polenta, Beans, and Coconut or Maya Moulen Kole Ak Pwa Ak Kokoye, or Polenta aux Haricots Rouges et a la Noix de Coco. The above picture has the addition of tamarind-date chutney, but my favorite way to eat this was with melted cheese!

Let’s take a break from the food for a New York minute. The other day I went on a bike ride with my friend and Matilda on an unusually beautiful day.

We stumbled upon one of the many secrets parts spread out among the old Victorian neighborhood.

Pretty solid jungle gym!

Uh oh this was a lot bigger than what he thought.

Uh oh this was a lot longer than what he thought.

Is he going to attempt it?

Let go!

He went zooming down.

Yeah!

Matilda and the dog on the balcony were having a conversation.

Cray-cray!

My little warrior.

While we were at the park, the woman who helped keep it from being knocked down came and talked to us. She told us about events that are in the works, then she was summoned by her little son telling her the kitchen was beeping. “That means the rice is done cooking!”

Matilda was in her element running around and exploring.

Then we headed over to Strawberry St.

Might I also add that I bumped into my ex on this street. I was just trying to send brainwaves to my friend hoping he would hurry up!

: Remember this from your childhood?

I had a bowl of Farina creamy hot wheat cereal. I mixed in one of sample packs of rice protein powder, NuNaturals vanilla liquid, and cinnamon. On top I sliced a banana and finished the rest of my Artisana walnut butter sampler. I tried to make something inspired by banana-walnut bread. Eating the Farina was so comforting as I felt the chilly morning through the window pane.

And something to wear on a chilly day.

I forgot I had these!

After I got back from my Taoism class I wanted to bake something!

I decided to bake some pumpkin pie spiced, dried cranberry and ricotta cheese scones.

I decided to bake some pumpkin pie spiced dried cranberries, and ricotta cheese scones.

Mixing!

In to the toaster oven you guys go!

And shortly after these little guys were ready, and smelling better than ever!

I had a friend that I wanted to give some scones to in my English class.

I had a friend in my Literature class that I wanted to give some scones to.

That’s the thing I love about baking – it’s just so easy to share. Maybe it comes from the infectious smells that come from the oven whenever something delicious is baking.

Enjoyed for breakfast the next morning!

I spread on a dollop of ricotta + pumpkin butter on one scone, and the other I tried with coconut oil. I don’t think I could ever go wrong with coconut oil. Afterwards, since it was my free day I decided to walk over to my friend’s place of work. She works downtown in the heart of the medical campus of my school. I had a special delivery to make, so that meant dressing up! This is part of the work criteria when you work for Katharina’s version of FedEx.

This dress is rather large, but I love it anyhow!

One of the problems I encounter as a member of Petite People crew.

The back that had me at hello.

I have busting out the Forgotten Shoes this week.

I have been wearing some of the Forgotten Shoes this week.

I’m so sorry for my absence this week. I have been studying for a mid-term and working like a busy bee in the studio. But I have been trying to keep up with everyone’s blog because I just can’t get enough of you all!

Now here’s something for you all to chew on. The other day as I was browsing for recipes I stumbled upon an Ayurvedic recipe site, and I noticed they use the word pacify when it came to eating. Why not pacify ourselves? Afterall, we deserve it.

p.s. Next post is super special! This is my 100th post, but 101 is so much better. So don’t miss it, okay???

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?

When the Going Gets Tough

Posted on September 25, 2009 by Katharina

Let’s pretend it’s morning time and you hear mom yell, “breakfast is ready!!!” What do you do? Forget about Saturday morning cartoons and run to the kitchen!

More ricotta goodness.

I blended about a 1/2 cup of ricotta (I used this amount for my “pillow” as well), 2 sliced peaches, and NuNaturals vanilla liquid stevia. I wanted to use it to make a parfait a la K. Alas, you couldn’t see the layers of granola, so I ditched that idea – for aesthetic purposes! I ate it with the last of my Zoe’s Honey Almond Granola, and some more almond joy!

Good morning again!

Then I tried mixing it with peanut butter, cinnamon, vanilla extract, pistachio extract, and stevia. The recipe actually called for almond extract, and I suggest to stick to that! The pistachio didn’t do anything for the poor peanut butter. I topped this pillow with Zoe’s Cinnamon Raisin Granola. I looked at the picture and for a split second I thought those raisins were bits of chocolate. That would’ve been perfect with the ricotta and peanut butter pillow!!! Am I right or am I right?

Here I go again!

I just heated up these tomato chunks on the stove with some olive oil, red onions, s+p. That little bowl hiding in the corner is just some good ole’ buttered grits! I didn’t like grits before (maybe because I tried them at Waffle House?), but when I made these at home my mind was changed. Someone asked me once if I like my grits sweet or salty. I can’t imagine eating sweet grits… well, maybe with maple syrup. But I think I prefer salty.

I spy something that should look familiar to you all!

To go with the cheetahs I cooked some kidney beans and broccoli in peanut sauce. The fortune cookie said, “it’s easier to be critical than to be correct.“

I had a sweet potato on hand so I thought it would be appropriate to finally make myself some Cheetahs!

Since I had kidney beans leftover, I searched through my recipes hoping I would find something. Luckily, I stumbled upon an old favorite of mine, Rajma Masala.

I like to go to ethnic stores to buy my spices.

Star anise

Isn’t it crazy how things in nature are shaped??

Rajma Masala, more Cheetahs, and some steamed broccoli with sesame seeds and oil.

Rajma Masala, more Cheetahs, and some steamed broccoli with sesame seeds and sesame oil.

The other day, after seeing these on so many blogs, I tried a Sunshine Burger!

I got the Falafel kind. The design on the plate really makes it look like the sun.

I filled a wrap with the Falafel Sunshine burger, spinach, red onion, tomato, and sprouts.

In the bowl you see a mix of NatureNaise, garlic, salt, and lemon juice – topped with a bit of Trader Joe’s cilantro dressing. That was used as the dressing for my falafel wrap. I had to take a bite of the Sunshine burger while it was still naked so I can tell you guys if it actually tasted good without “all that jazz”. Well first of all, I was pleasantly surprised to see kernels of corn! It was really good, but it’s definitely more fun to dress up. You know what is interesting about these burgers – and why they’re called Sunshine Burgers?

“These delicious veggie burgers are made of sunflower seeds and contain absolutely no soy or wheat, which is ideal for gluten free diets.”

I tend to overfill wraps... so I end up eating them like a big, floppy taco.

I'd like a salad and a sandwich please!

It was crazy hot the other day so I opted for a salad. As you can see I’m loving those sprouts I got the other day. What the heck is in my sandwich?

Sunflower seed butter, and edamame hummus. On the other half I snuck in some tomato slices with smoke sauce.

Sunflower seed butter, sprouts, and edamame hummus. On the other half I snuck in some tomato slices with smoke sauce.

I was inspired by Mitri, who has created many interesting sandwiches with various fillings. I wanted to see exactly how an unexpected combination might turn out. Well, I LOVED IT! Both sides were delicious. Try making an interesting sandwich, it’s fun and kind of risky!

Not too long ago, Angharad featured a recipe for arepas on her blog. I can’t express how much I love arepas, and her recipe looked delicious. I didn’t make my own, but my dad brought me some arepas from a Colombian cafe down in Florida.

This variation is called arepa con choclo, which means it's made with sweet corn and farmer's cheese.

A salad to go along with it: romaine, tomato, red onion, roasted potato, sprouts, sesame seeds, and honey mustard dressing.

Last night was probably my favorite dinner this week. I invited my dad over and whipped up this recipe.

"Eggplant dripping with a tomato and ricotta salsa" served with basil polenta, and avocado.

The balsamic vinegar added a smokiness to the tomatoes.

This took me under 30 minutes! I think some day soon I want to film myself cooking a meal.

Since school has involved lots of nighttime studying I’ll show you some of my latenight snacks!

I forgot how much I liked this cereal!

Trader Joe’s sunflower seed butter has been finding it’s way into almost every meal and in between! Here I tried it with a juicy peach.

While taking a break from studying for my Taoism quiz, I tried another VitaTop!

This time I tried the Fudgy Peanut Butter Chip VitaTop. I kept in mind that I didn’t want to chips to be totally melted, so I just heated it up for 20 seconds. Then I had to quickly take a picture before the vanilla fro-yo melted. It already started melting though!!! I also had an apple with peanut butter. Oh and the VitaTop with some peanut butter smeared on top brings it up to another level of goodness! I really enjoyed this because when is chocolate and peanut butter not a winning combination?

Fro-yo was defeated by the delicious, ooey-gooey, and warm VitaTop.

Fro-yo was defeated by the yummy, ooey-gooey, and warm VitaTop.

The chips remind me of mud-baths on top of a mountain. What kind of place would this be? “Bathe in melted peanut butter, then relax atop Mt. Chocolate and enjoy the view of the world below.” Oh and the vanilla fro-yo would be a cloud since Mt. Chocolate is really tall!

Roomie's boytoy baked some banana bread.

Roomie's friend baked some banana bread.

Hey Lauren, do you see that jar in the back? Yup, it’s empty! I can only find McCutcheon’s apple butter, and I forgot to have my dad buy some and bring it up from Florida. I guess I’ll just have them send me a “care package” hehe. Getting snailmail and packages is such an exciting thing!

There have been a couple of things that have been on my mind lately. I touched on it a couple posts ago, how I feel that my responsibleness makes it hard for me to relate to people my age and vice versa. I was talking to a friend the other day about self-motivation and how it’s a hard thing to come across among college students. I don’t expect others to handle situations like me, but it gets frustrating when I hear people around me complain but they don’t actually do anything about it. I was wondering, what are some ways that you guys motivate yourself? Do any of you have some sort of mantra? It could be about anything really, even getting your foot out the door! Because sometimes all you want to do is lie in bed all day. By the way, those kinds of days I feel should be prescribed sometimes, no ifs ands or buts!

Happy Friday everyone!!!

Adventure is Worthwhile

Posted on September 20, 2009 by Katharina

This Friday night I came up with a challenge for myself. I had actually been thinking about using these ingredients awhile ago, but I finally had the motivation to do it. I don’t have much patience when it comes to baking and recipes that require multiple steps. However, my excitement took over and I frankly didn’t care about time and how many dirty dishes I would have to clean afterward. This is what kitchen experiments are all about.

Now enter my… laboratory, shall we? Mwahahaha!

I should probably tell you what I was up to though, right? Well, folks, I had a kabocha on hand and I was thinking about ravioli and ricotta. What if I made something like that? So I decided to make lasagna out of polenta (which is so simple to make), and then I would layer the kabocha and ricotta mix.

Focus people, ignore the carton of Almond Breeze!

First I made the polenta and spread it out on a sheet and let it cool until I was ready to layer and bake. Then I baked the kabocha with cinnamon, sage, and brown sugar until it was soft. If you’d like, you can peel the kabocha, but I just kept the skin on mine. Once that was done baking I mashed it and mixed in the ricotta. You can also add more salt, or anything else you’d like to the mix – perhaps nutmeg? I pulled the polenta out of the fridge and cut 4 strips, since the recipe I followed for the polenta made 2 servings.

So the temperature and baking time will vary for this because I used a toaster oven. I baked this at 350° F for about 35 minutes. I probably should’ve baked it at a higher temperature because the following day I re-heated it at 400° F and it turned it much crispier and better. My advice is to just keep an eye on it!

Voila!

I served it with the cute little cherry tomatoes Brittany gave to me, and a glass of white sangria.

Beautiful!

Here are my leftovers:

Mid-bite it occurred to me that I should top it with maple syrup and almonds.

So you can see the layers.

This was very yummy, and I can say that this experiment was a winner! However, I do want to play around with the herbs in this recipe; I felt that sage wasn’t quite right. What should I call this recipe? Anyone have any suggestions?

A cup of almond milk with coffee ice cubes anyone?

I’ll show you guys what I did with the rest of the kabocha. I think I may turn orange soon… just a warning.

I busted out one of my favorites dishes!

I mashed the kabocha and stirred in soy creamer, butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar. I also topped it with steamed edamame and black currant Crofter’s Superfruit spread.

Get in my belly.

Spelt bread, tomato, sharp cheddar, red onion, Naturenaise “mayo”, Trader Joe’s sweet relish, and pepper. I toasted this all together (I spread the “mayo” on afterwards) till the cheese was gooey and melted.

This burned my tongue like no other - ouch!

Then I did this, and learned my lesson.

Kabocha soup leftovers

Since I used up my goat cheese in my first bowl, improvisation kicked in. I roasted some tomatoes and made a beautiful mess with toasted seeds and soy creamer. Gosh, sometimes I get so into the color of food! It’s like I forget that I’m going to be eating this and not hanging it on a wall.

Just for the heck of it, I’m going to throw in my favorite grilled cheese sandwich.

On Cinnamon-Raisin Swirl bread with a side of cherry tomatoes, cauliflower baked with s&p + nutritional yeast

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend – it’s not over yet! Yesterday I made a beautiful, green, mushy mess. Can anyone guess what I whipped up?

Finally, thank you all for the well wishes for my critique. Most importantly, your comments reminded me that we’re not alone! I think in someway or another, we can all relate to each other and we go through similar things – afterall, we’re human. This weekend I tested myself in the kitchen, and it got me thinking about challenges in our lives:

“Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”

p.s. did anyone notice I didn’t post a breakfast in this post? Oh my dears, just wait till the next one!

Like Driving down Old Seven Mile Bridge

Posted on June 30, 2009 by Katharina

I have so many shout-outs to make in this post! So let me begin by saying a big hello to our favorite chocolate-covered vegan, Katie. I was looking for recipes to use up some of the carrot pulp leftover from my dad’s juicing extravaganza:

Dad is busy juicing. To all of you that like to buy your brews at Trader Joe's try out Lindemans Belgian Framboise beer with raspberries.

What to do? What to do?

I finally found the perfect recipe! I made a variation of her 24-Carrot Gold Muffins. Instead of muffins, I just made bread. “Same great flavor, just different look.”

Look at all those carrot fibers!

I of course had this as part of my delicious breakfast this morning, but I’ll save that for the next post!

Now moving right along. This next recipe I tried came from another beloved vegan, Gena! After reading all the rave reviews for her Italian “raw cheese”, I knew I had to give it a try. I finally got my hands on some raw cashews.

Enter the infinite abyss of goodness.

The first step involved getting the cashews to the right consistency. Now I know where the cheesy flavor comes from! So what’d I decide to make?

A new take on pizza! Polenta rounds and...

... topped with tomato sauce.

Excuse my super cheesy smile. My mom got really into taking pictures of me, and I was just ready to try this! I also quickly sliced some zucchini and cooked it in a Sherry Red Wine Barbeque sauce.

Mom and Dad couldn't wait either!

We thought Mom's poses were funny!

Oh my! Gena, this recipe was to die for. I’m definitely going to be making this more often. If you haven’t tried it, you should! It’s incredibly easy to make. At the end of the meal I asked my parents how they enjoyed their gluten-free and vegan meal. I follow neither a vegan or gluten-free lifestyle, but I think it’s always interesting to try new things – although I am a vegetarian. Luckily, my parents are very open-minded as well when it comes to food. But in the end we all agree that taste is key! And this meal was one that I wished could’ve lasted forever. Not only was it delicious, but we were all in a good, light-hearted mood. The right way to end a Sunday.

Remember how I asked you guys which nut butter you guys recommended? Well, thanks Jenny for sharing this link with us, I think I’m going to go with a jar of 365 peanut butter. The other day I went to the local discount healthfood store. As I was making my way down the nut butter aisle to see what they had, I stumbled upon a fairly priced jar of almond butter. I’ve missed my almond butter so much. Surprise, surprise, it was a jar of Blue Diamond! Kailey, I tried this as soon as I got home, and I understand why you love it so much! My mom asked me what it was. How to answer her… to share or not to share? I shared, and she answered. One word came from her mouth. “YUM!!!”

I also found another product at the store that I’ve seen on VeggieGirl’s blog.

Living Harvest Hempmilk

I don’t think I could drink a cup of this alone. But like I said before, don’t knock it till you try it. It’s a shame because it’s super nutritious and sounds interesting. So what am I going to do with the rest of this carton? I’m using it to add to my smoothies, as most of the flavor comes from the fruits I add in and not really the “milk” I use – unless it’s coconut milk! Oh! At this discount healthfood store I discovered that they sell boxes of Kashi Go-Lean cereal for – get this - $1.67! I’m definitely stocking up before I head back up to Richmond.

Yesterday, I decided to sign up for one more class for the next semester. So these are the classes I’m going to be taking:

Readings in Literature

Taoism

Intermediate Sculpture

Basic Video

Introduction to World Cinema (This is a Saturday class but I heard the teacher is awesome, oh and incredibly good looking!)

Zoe Foods product reviews

: The motherload!

: Thanks so much Kim! Your generosity is overwhelming.

: Uh oh! I sense the only child syndrome surfacing.

So far I’ve tried a few things from my big box of goodies!

: I tried the Chocolate Peanut Butter Bliss bar.

Alongside I had a bowl of Bircher Muesli soaked in fig yogurt, topped with fruits and pecans. The bar is so yummy! I wish I took a picture of what it looked like. I could see the little crispy grains and it wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet. I definitely didn’t want to leave my tummy feeling sour before my yoga class. The balance between peanut butter and chocolate was pulled off successfully with this bar! Moreover, they’re also full of protein, fiber, and contain Omega-3′s! I gave a bite for my mom to try as well and she very much enjoyed it. She’s not a picky eater, but I can vouch for her that these are indeed yummy! I’ve never seen them in stores though, so that might be an issue, but Zoe Foods does have an online store. Here’s a link to the following retailers that do carry their bars.

However, there is a product of theirs that I do see in stores often.

Next up is Zoe's Granola!

I’ve been looking forward to trying out their granola for a long time! So I made it extra special by making a red wine reduction for some beautiful peach slices. Which granola do I try first? Cranberries Currants, Honey Almond, or Cinnamon Raisin? Decisions decisions. I opted for Honey Almond over some fresh yogurt! Okay, I admit that I knew what I would be getting myself into even before my first bite. I’m happy to report that my intuition failed me not! I loved this breakfast so much.

Lastly, I tried the Chocolate Delight bar.

However, I am not the biggest fan of chocolate on chocolate. It didn’t taste horrible, just not my cup of tea. I gave it to my parents since I would hate for food to go to waste. Luckily, my parents enjoyed this one! I think you have to really like chocolate to want this bar. So for all you super chocolate lovers, you might just find a new addition to indulge your little tastebuds.

I still have more Zoe Foods products to review, so keep an eye out!

Okay, so I think most have you noticed my inner-artist jump out of me and on to my plates! I am a person who’s very much into living an aesthetically pleasing life. Maybe I should go into design? Well I’m majoring in sculpture + extended media already, so I guess I am designing things. I’m a sucker for packaging i.e. L’Occitane. My favorite store is Anthropologie not only because of what they sell, but every time I go in there I feel like I’m being transfered into another world. I even pour my shampoos, spices, whatever I can think of – into glass containers I find at thrift stores. Oh man, do I take this too far? Well, I guess not as long as I’m enjoying it, right? Right!

So anyway, this brings me to my love of colors and vibrancy. I think nature offers all of that and I love to reap what this wonderful world sows. Which brings me to some more lovely eats based on nature, color, and simplicity.

: There’s something so satisfying about having a nice cup of loose tea.

: A nice way to start the day.

A bowl of coffee oats with bananas, coconut shreds, a gooseberry, and some white chocolate chips.

: What’s inside?

: No, not an alien egg! It’s lychee.

: Drumroll please

: A gooseberry! I’m starting to feel like a magician with cheap tricks.

A nice glass of some juice my dad made with a scoop of Edy's Tart Honey yogurt blend.: I love that a papaya can act as it’s own bowl.

: Fig yogurt topped with papaya chunks, blueberries, and granola.

: Toast with goat cheese, dried tomato bits, and avocado.

So I’m going to go against all these pictures of fresh food. But it definitely goes with the theme of good tasting food! Someone not too long brought to my attention that you can order chalupas and gorditas at Taco Bell with beans. That means, all these years I haven’t been eating them are now gone. I don’t get cravings for Taco Bell, but when I’m on a road trip, it makes life a lot easier. So on the drive down to Florida I knew what I wanted for dinner. I had my parents find a Taco Bell, and ordered myself a Baja Vegetarian Gordita and it was so yummy! It didn’t fill me up at all, but I had packed other things that helped do the trick. Just wanted to pass the word along to anyone else who did not know this.

Whew! This post was hard work to organize. But I love sharing with you guys, and I love what I learn from all of you. Everyone is different, but I can still see the inspiration we all get from each other’s wonderful eats.

p.s. If you haven’t tried Edy’s tart honey yogurt blend, I highly suggest it! I can’t wait to try out other flavors. I’m thinking I might have a slice of carrot bread and a some Edy’s before I go to bed.

The company we keep…

Posted on May 18, 2009 by Katharina

This morning I was definitely in the mood for something comforting. So I decided to make a warm bowl of oatmeal. I tried to mix it up a bit though.

I added a new ingredient – Watkins Butter Pecan Extract. I also added in a banana, coconut oil, and some unsweetened coconut flakes on top. To accompany my oatmeal I had a toasted wheat cake (a Philipino treat), fruit salad topped with yogurt, and Twinings Chamomile Green Tea.

Remember how I told you guys I was going to be cooking for a small gathering? Well I decided to make a yellow lentil and coconut milk soup.My dad made a five-vegetable curry. I didn’t get to take a picture of it though! Our friends also made some gnocchi and a yummy sauce! It was a tomato sauce that was slightly sweet and zesty. We brought food and of course my doggy, Matilda! She had no idea that she would be making a friend. After dinner we went to go see Tango Undressed performed by some dancers of the Miami Contemporary Dance Company. I wasn’t crazy about it, but it did make me want to take up dance again. It’s incredible how the human body can move. After the show we went back to our friends’ place to have coffee and cookies. They actually had vegan cookies as well. It was funny actually because they told me those cookies are for me. Then I saw them put more cookies out on a dish and I asked, “what’s wrong with those?” They thought I was vegan! It was so funny. Anyway, here are some pictures.

“What’s going on?”

This guy had a totally retro ride and what I call a Cuban grandpa hat. Notice the shrunken head hanging from the rear view mirror.

Matilda’s new friend, Simba!

Today I really went all out in the kitchen. I made huevos rancheros with some modifications. I followed this recipe to make polenta crackers, instead of using tortillas. This is the first time I’ve had eggs in a really long time. I’m not the biggest fan of eggs, nor is my stomach. But my mom saw the recipe and kept bringing it up, so I took it as a hint.

Polenta crackers

The huevos rancheros and a sliced pear on the side. Look at the little heart I cut out! I decided to sprinkle the pear with cinnamon.

For dinner I made up a recipe. Soba noodles with a squeeze of lime juice was the foundation. I roasted summer squashes, onions, and pineapple in a teriyaki sauce, and cooked some chickpeas in the same sauce.

This was incredible! Do you guys like the new placemats?

My mother and I went on a little shopping adventure today. We also did a lot of home decorating and picture hanging.

We also got Walkers Shortbread Raspberry Thins and Caramel Cream coffee by Flavor Xotics. The coffee smelled so delicious!

These followed after dinner along with coffee. What a nice way to end a Sunday.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I can’t believe it’s already the middle of May.

Katharina's Food Adventures

Tag Archives: polenta