one of many reasons I could never become a Buddhist nun:

garlic

Some Mahayana Buddhists refrain from eating strong-smelling plants such as onion and garlic and refer to these as the "Five Acrid And Strong Smelling Vegetables." There's a common story told about why it is, exactly, that onion and garlic are to be avoided:

Once there was a monk who, because of his compassion for sentient beings, was a vegetarian. There was a woman who decided to test the monk's resolve, and prepared a meal, telling the monk it contained only vegetables. In fact, the dish contained a scrap of meat. The monk gratefully accepted the meal and the woman left, thinking that she had tricked him into eating the meat. The monk knew this was a trick, and emptied his bowl onto the ground. The next morning, he found that two plants had grown in the exact spot he had dumped the lady's cooking: garlic and onion. It is for this reason that monks and nuns refrain from eating garlic, onion, and strong smelling plants.

I LOVE garlic. I think I must have eaten enough roasted garlic yesterday to... well... breathe on my enemies to death (or tears, anyways).

Winner: Strawberries!

Strawberries have won the "Happiest Berry" poll, beating blueberries and raspberries and slaughtering loganberries. Mmmm loganberries.

Strawberries are clearly the happiest berry. They are so bright and cheery, with lots of dimples and a happy, sugary flavor. They dress up every dessert, from cheesecake to angel food cake, and taste delicious on top of Belgian waffles. Congratulations, strawberries!

a new made up recipe!

I occasionally make up recipes. I like experiments (my mom used to make a lot of concoctions, too). I made a delicious dinner tonight.

ingredients:
- 1 beet, peeled and diced
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- 1 summer squash, sliced
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 shallots, roughly chopped
- juice of one lime
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 2 pinches brown sugar
- splash of olive oil
- a capful of applecider vinegar
- a capful of balsamic vinegar

garnish:
- baby spinach
-blood orange
-avocado
- walnuts

combine the beet, zucchini, summer squash, onion, garlic, and shallots. Coat with oil, lime juice, olive oil, applecider and balsamic vinegar, add spices. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, lower heat to 300 for 40 minutes.

Put a handful of baby spinach on a plate. Put beety mixture on the spinach. Garnish with a sliced avocado, sections of sliced blood orange, and a handful of walnuts

yuuuuum.

I'm a vegan, so what?

I've been a vegan for 21 days. The deal (with myself) was to try it out for January.

I have to admit, I actually like it. I don't think it's that drastic a change (from vegetarianism), although, I do miss the cheese. O, the cheese. I miss you. Naturally, I've had to make some changes in my life. I cook a whole lot more than I used to-- but since I really like cooking, that's a plus. I eat a ton more veggies-- but as a vegetarian, shouldn't I eat a lot of vegetables? I think about the food I consume, where it comes from, and how healthy it is (er... except for those cookies... ahem)-- which is better for my body and also doubles as mental exercise. The down side it's way more expensive than less produce-centric diets.

Oh, and telling people I'm a vegan also sucks.

When I tell people about my experiment, they usually respond as if I'm committed the gravest offense, as if my dietary choices somehow constitute a direct assault against humanity and the food chain. Maybe people react this way because they don't know what to do with the news, and worry that if they wanted to invite me for dinner they would have to cook some sort of vegan-friendly alternative. Or maybe they're concerned for my health (?). I am ridiculously tired of the lectures. I can think of wayyyyy less healthy diets (um, only eating protein? I'm POSITIVE that Atkins himself DIED OF A HEARTACK!!!! talk about unhealthy). And it's not as if I, as a person, have drastically changed in the last 21 days... I just don't eat eggs and dairy anymore. And why is it, exactly, that living by a set of moral guidelines (different guidelines, perhaps, but guidelines nonetheless) regarding the consumption and treatment of animals somehow constitutes a general affront to humanity itself? It's just a whole lot of bologna, if you ask me.

Basically, what I'm trying to say:

I'm a vegan. Get over it.

Winner: Clementines!

Clementines won the prize as "Most Portable Fruit." Obviously, they are the most portable. Their skin, so easy to peel, not requiring any tools or special skill. They have no seeds, and are easy to separate into sections so you can share the goodness with your friends. Hooray for Clementines!

String Cheese

This week I began school for the first time in two and a half years and I kind of forgot what it was like to be at school. (That's the reason I haven't posted all week, but next week I should be in the groove so I can post again) I brought snacks with me like a little kid, and one of those snacks was string cheese.

I do happen to think that string cheese is not just a snack that kids can enjoy. Everyone can enjoy it. I personally love peeling and pulling things apart, so string cheese is probably the perfect snack for me.

The best is when the cheese isn't cold. From the time you pack your lunch in the morning, to the time you get to eat it in the afternoon, the cheese is perfecting its temperature so that you can eat it. I have found a correlation between the temperature of the cheese and its stringiosity. For example, when the cheese is cold, it tends to come off in chunks. When the cheese is room temperature, it makes delightfully small strings. When the cheese is warm, it just comes off in smushy chunks. Thus, it is the central temperature to which we should all attempt to keep our cheese - however, you should refrigerate it before you intend to take it out for your lunch.

I packed my lunch at 8:15am and I didn't get to eat the cheese until 3:45pm, so it was pretty amazing in terms of its stringiness. I took it out to eat in between classes, because like a nerd I was super early for my 4pm class. When I began to pull the magical little strings off and drop them into my mouth, I could feel eyes on me (there were other earlynerds... the early nerd gets the A, after all). At first I thought, maybe they think I'm stupid for having my string cheese snack. But then I realized, they're jealous! After all, who doesn't like string cheese?

The only problem is, at the end, your hands kind of have that greasy after-cheese feeling. But it's worth it.

not technically a food...

I like coffee
I like tea
I love the java jive and it loves me
coffee
and tea
and the java and me
a cup a cup a cup a cup a -

oh yeah.

you know what I love?

Ice. I love ice. However, I must say that I HATE regular ice cubes, they're way too hard. And if you eat an ice cube straight out of the freezer, it kind of sticks to the inside of your cheeks... it's sort of like how that kid gets his tongue stuck to the frozen flagpole in a Christmas Story (that's right. I'm Jewish. And I like A Christmas Story, so?). All in all, I do not like regular rectangle ice. No ma'am.

There are certain kinds of ice that I sometime just eat by the cup because they somehow just taste better:
crushed ice: is amazing. It's soft and kind of chewy. There's a little crunch, and a little squeak when you chew it, but not too crunch or too much squeak. I don't really know what it is that makes it softer... but it is. And I love it.
the circle ice you get on airplanes: I don't know what it is, but you really can only get that circle ice on airplanes. And it is so good! It's a bit more brittle than crushed ice, but the shape is simply divine. You can stick the end of your straw in the center of the ice ring... and it's just awesome.
ice in any other shape, such as hearts, stars, or fish: this ice tastes a bit like rectangle ice, which is lame, but it IS a cool shape. And... well, that makes it awesome.

Pure Awesomeness

+ =

Challah + Guacamole = AWESOME

As I explained in a previous post, I am from what I like to call the North East. Where I am from, avocados are basically nonexistent. They are there, but only in some stores, and they're usually small and not amazing. But here, in the South, the avocados are awesome and plentiful. Every restaurant puts avocado in every vegetarian dish. So, it wasn't until I moved that I fully understood the magicalness that is the avocado.

Specifically, this crazy bright-green sauce called GUACAMOLE.

Okay, so I did discover guacamole at Taco Bell in the North, I'll admit. I was like, what is this weird green stuff? It tastes all right to me. It wasn't until I was invited over for Shabbat dinner at someone's house in the South, where they served guacamole to accompany challah (much in the same way that most people serve hummus with challah), that I fully understood the magnitude of this discovery.

Guacamole, with challah, is the BEST combination of ANYTHING that has EVER been invented.

Ever.

Ever!

For those who may not know, challah is the traditional egg-bread served at special meals in the Jewish tradition - specifically Friday night and Saturday meals, as well as any holiday (except Passover, where you eat matzah, which is disgusting).

I can basically eat an entire challah in one sitting by itself, but if I eat it with guacamole, it's like a little scoop of green, limey heaven.

Here's my recipe for the best guacamole. Everyone down here has their own recipe that they claim is the best, but mine really is the best. So read on, copy this down, buy yourself a nice ripe avocado and enjoy!


JewishGal's Guacamole (inspired by JewishGuy's guacamole) for 1-2 people:

Ingredients:

Avocado - 1 large one :D
One clove of fresh, minced garlic (a post about this soon to come)
One green onion (green onions are also known as scallions_
Cumin & salt
Lime juice (fresh from the lime is best)
Fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Mince the garlic. This is a magnificent process, so please do it yourself, don't use the pre-minced stuff in the jar. If you can't save enough time to make the guac properly, then you probably shouldn't make the guac at all.
2. Cut the green onion so that it makes the little rings about 1/8 - 1/4" thick. I just like the way the little rings look. It doesn't actually matter how you cut it, just make sure it's small.
3. Mince the cilantro, about a tablespoon's worth.
   
4. Slice the lime in half.
   
   All of these steps are prepping before you mash the avocado. Once you begin to mash, you have a short period of time to enjoy it or store it before it turns brown, so I would make sure you do all the prep you can in advance.
   
   
5. Open the avocado and take out the pit. The easiest way to do this is to basically slice the avocado in half, rolling the avocado along the knife. Once you've made a cut that goes all the way around, you can simply twist and it will come apart. Then stab the pit with the knife and toss it (or you can try to grow your own avocado tree, that's also another post).
6. Slice the avocado flesh while it's still in the skin a criss-cross pattern. Then scoop the flesh out with a spoon and dump into a bowl.
7. Squeeze half a lime's worth of juice, a pinch or two of the minced garlic, a few of the rings of green onions, a little bit of cilantro, and a dash of cumin and salt
8. Mash mash mash to appropriate pulpiness
9. Taste, then add more of whatever you want until it tastes the way you want.
   

Enjoy!!!

The Kundalini Yoga Cookbook: a review

A vegetarian of 12 years, my New Year's resolution was to try out veganism (hold the groaning, please and thank you). I ran to half price books, desperately searching for vegan-ish cookbooks, when I stumbled across this gem. I love it. Why? According to Ek Ong Kar Singh and Jacqueline Koay, food that is "lovingly prepared is charged with energy." Literally. All the recipes in this book are to be made using natural measurements-- cupped hands substitute for measuring cups, and pinches replace teaspoons. According to the cookbook, "locking the fingers of the hands in certain positions creates pathways that guide energy flow and reflexes to your brain." And it feels good.

Also, you're supposed to meditate on your food. Here's a recipe for healing water.

Fill a large glass jar with water and then prepare the affirmations:

Love, Light, Peace
Cosmic, Infinite, God
Healthy, Happy, Holy
Harmony, Balance, Alignment

Place the jar near you while meditating. When you finish hold it between your hands to transfer the powerful healing prana from your hands to the water. Use healing water in your cooking to enhance the energy.

I haven't tried this one yet. Seems awfully complicated for water...

Mexican Coke

I'm from what I like to consider the North East and I grew up drinking coke. That bubbly, syrupy, caffeinated drink that we all know and some love (some are addicted to it and just can't stop drinking it even though they don't really like it and know it's rotting their teeth). I used to be one of those can-a-day habitual coke drinkers, but at some point I realized that that's kind of, well, not just unhealthy but kind of gross. I switched to water and tea, allowing myself to drink coke only in restaurants, and eventually restricting myself to one coke a week.

The reason I allow myself the one coke a week is because of the deliciousness known as Mexican Coke. This is something I'd never really encountered in my native habitat. In the more Jewishy neighborhoods, before Passover they would sell cokes that can compare to Mexican Coke - these sodas sell out like hotcakes. I didn't grow up in a Jewish neighborhood and my family doesn't follow the tradition of abstaining from corn products during Passover, so I'd never encountered this phenomenon until moving to the South.

The secret to Mexican Coke's deliciousness is that it has no corn syrup. It's sugar, like the good old days. It tastes less sticky, if that makes sense. Plus! It comes in these awesome glass bottles, so it has that retro feel to it that makes the experience just that much better.

I have to say I feel much better after weening myself off of my caffeine addiction. Now I can drink a small bottle of coke because I like the flavor and I like the experience, not because I am exhausted and need my fix. But I don't like the flavor of most sodas anymore, now that I don't feel like I need to drink one to stay awake. Hooray for Mexican Coke!

A birthday dinner for my Mama

Tonight was my mother's birthday dinner!
I attended a family food event at a "home cooking" restaurant in the middle of nowhere.
I couldn't stomach this place (pun intended).

So now I'm home and considering my options...
Maybe a tossed salad with some fresh pecans, oil & vinegar.

Or mac & cheese and a beer.

Ode to Pancakes

I love my pancakes
With chocolate chips, never fruit
It's better that way.

TextureGate 2008

I'm excited about kicking off FoodFriends with a post about food texture!
This is a much-discussed aspect of food for me. In my opinion, texture can make-or-break a foodstuff. It can make the difference between me consuming it in haste, or finding it repulsive.

I have a list of foods I enjoy for their texture above any of it's other qualities:

• Haribo Gummi Bears

Gummi bears from Germany in the gold bag. I often claim Gummi Bears as my favorite candy...however, I absolutely hate Gummi Bears of any other brand. Haribo Gummi Bears are the firmest of all bears, in the gummy world.

• Tofu (firm/extra firm)

This is a natural choice. Tofu in all it's forms has great texture possibilities. It is also a Food of Many Textures- depending on your preparation. What makes Tofu so special is it's inability to have a BAD texture. My favorite is extra firm tofu, cubed.

• Snowcaps (candy)

Another candy makes it's way onto my list. This is almost embaressing. I love those little tiny dots, basically. I like them on cookies or ice cream, too... but I think they go best in their natural habitat: Chocolate. Alternate choice: Non-Pareils candies.

• Malt-O-Meal

This one is very sensitive to how it's prepared, so I hesitate to add it. But when cooked properly, the texture is FoodGasm.*

*FoodGasm: The taste equivalent of an orgasm. Like a party in your mouth, and everyone's invited! Sometimes food IS better than sex.

-Mrs.Potatostein

We Are Food Friends

Oh, the silliness that will ensue...