A Very Happy Belly Helps Make a Very Happy Heart

Greetings everyone! Today is the start of another week, but it’s not just any old Monday. Oh no! Today is the day that voting for Project Food Blog opens. You can check out my profile here, so don’t forget to vote hehe. Also check out all of the other entries as well! I’ve been awaiting this day with much anticipation.

Can't you tell?

A watermelon caught my eye at store, and I had to make sure that I got to have some of this refreshing fruit at least once while the weather is still warm! I’ve also been eating things that are a… “happy medium” between summer and fall. For example…

Baked oatmeal with figs and banana, then topped with almond butter and Coconut Bliss ice cream.

Warm soups like this quick Cuban black bean soup recipe from my "Ayurvedic Cooking for Westerners" book.

I threw in some rice, diced avocado, tomato, and cilantro to make it complete. I love simple recipes that satisfy my taste buds!

A delicious smoothie made without ice, since I'm kind of sensitive about harshly cold things.

Whenever I go out to eat I always ask for water with no ice, please. Anyway, the Chocolate Almond Smoothie recipe from Brendan Brazier’s book, “Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life” (that’s a mouthful) immediately caught my eye the first time I skimmed through the recipes. When making this, I noticed that there was no added sugar. It called for medjool dates though so I was interested in how it would end up tasting. Verdict? I’m definitely going to be making this again!

The other day I met up with some classy ladies at a great local restaurant.

I don’t go out to eat often, but when I do I like to eat very well! And by well I mean incredibly delicious. The last time I went to Cafe Gutenberg was with another friend from New York, and we got to enjoy our breakfasts seated in a comfy nook with pillows overlooking the market. I remember the food being so tasty, and I figured it was time I pay this place another visit. I remember in high school coming here and ordering steamed milk with a shot of mint syrup (TRY IT!). Anyway, the menu makes it hard to choose, boasting things like pumpkin spiced waffles with whipped cream, scramble on a corncake (which I had ordered before, veganized with tofu), sandwiches using artisan rolls, and plenty of delicious cheeses. They also have vegan options for much of the menu as well, such as vegan biscuits and gravy. Can you tell that this place puts thought into their menu?

My dates decided to split some appetizers so they could try different things.

The hand cut frites with fresh herbs, parmesan, and truffle honey.

Sounds good, but I think these fries were actually just herbed and had salt and pepper.

Nonetheless, these were so good!

We all can attest to that!

Beets served with goat cheese, house baguette, and greens.

How beautiful! Two of my favorite things on one plate: beets and goat cheese!

Fondue! Steamed vegetables, house baguette, and Vermont cheddar gravy.

The green onions and wild mushrooms were my favorite things to dip!

I felt like ordering an entree so I got the vegan caesar salad with a house baguette on the side!

I usually don’t order salads when I go out to eat unless I’ve heard great things through the grape vine, or it just sounds too delicious to pass up. Hearing only great things about this salad, I had to try it. Oh my goodness! It’s not the kind of salad that sounds undeniably incredible, but it definitely tasted like one! I never had tofu that was actually so rich in flavor, nor had I ever tried hearts of palms! Maybe the tastiness of the tofu had to do with the fact that it came from the local food commune, Twin Oaks. The lemon-caper dressing was perfect for this as well, especially mixed with the juices that burst out of those little grape tomatoes. The house baguette definitely helped in soaking up every last bit of this wonderful meal. All of us were so glad that we went there to eat, and moseyed on out feeling wonderfully spoiled.

Voting for Project Food Blog goes from 6 AM Pacific Time September 20th through 6 PM Pacific Time September 23rd. So make sure to get your votes in during that time! Once again, click here to check out my profile, and here’s a reminder going back to my last post aka the first challenge. Everyone’s posts for the first challenge are so inspiring, and I wish the best of luck to everyone participating!!!

Signs of Summer

That's my bed!

That's my bed!

 

Random things I have hanging from my ceiling.

Random things I have hanging from my ceiling.

Matilda when she was super furry! She's contemplating if she should jump.

Matilda when she was super furry! She’s contemplating if she should jump.
Someone who lived at my place before had written "Squirrels are Bigger" on my windowsill.

Someone who lived at my place before had written "Squirrels are Bigger" on my windowsill.

One side of my humble abode. That large frame is suppose to hang over the fireplace in my room.

One side of my humble abode. That large frame is suppose to hang over the fireplace in my room.

I try to make my room a comfortable place for me. Sometimes you can find me working on a project though.

For example, a cardboard ship!

For example, a cardboard ship!

Tada! The finished piece.

Tada! The finished piece.

What are some signs of summer for you guys?

Watermelon

Shorts at night

Ice cream trucks

Dresses

Even just feeling like you’ve got more time

Mosquitos

Farmer’s Markets

Sweaty backs of knees

On another note, the other day I tried Kashi GoLean Crunch cereal for the first time. Let’s just say, I could definitely be hooked. I’m just trying to work on staying within a budget, and I already have cereals plus other breakfast foods. Not to mention there’s no room in our pantry. I can’t wait till I move out of with Kim. I think living with one other person is the best choice for me. Currently I live with 3 other people (it was 4 before), and I hate having to label our food and such. I also dislike that some of them don’t understand the idea of respecting other people’s property. It’s just hard because people naturally make assumptions, and there are plenty of assumptions made in my current household that put a lot of strain on things. For instance, people would assume that someone was going to take out the overflowing garbage. Why is it so hard for that someone to just take out the garbage? What I mean is, if you see that it needs to be taken out, why wait for someone else to do it?!

So remember how I made a green smoothie the other day for the first time ever? Well, it was delicious! However, I’ve been discouraged to make another one anytime soon. I got the funkiest stomach feelings afterwards. What a disappointment, huh?

IMG_2569This is from a long time ago, but I thought I should post about it because it was incredible! I marinated some tofu to taste like ham. Honestly, I don’t know if it tasted like it or not because I don’t know what ham tastes like. But I can tell you that my taste-buds didn’t mind these tofu bites one bit! I served them with tomato slices, sauteed spinach with a dollop of sour cream. Over in the back (saving the best for last) is a slice of asiago and peppercorn bread with sour cream, some of the spinach, topped with the “ham”. Even though this was a long time ago, I still remember thinking that this was one of the best sandwiches I had ever made.

I’ve spent the last couple of days at one of my roommate’s parent’s place. Which explains why I haven’t posted anything over the past couple of days. My next post will include some secret flavor (for right now) ice cream and roomie kale baking adventures!