Dress: Hand me down
Boots: Thrifted $2.95
Belt: Thifted $2.95
Necklaces: Made by me!
Music for us Outlaws
I made this mix earlier for my friend Ashlee, who I share a blog with. We hadn’t used it much, but recently decided to get it going again. Not much there right now, and it probably won’t appeal to anyone but us. It is going to be like one of those notebooks girls passed around in high school, and wrote letters and pasted pictures in. Yeah, totally girly.
Vegan Fruit Tart
Last night we had some friends over. I made a huge pot of veggie chili, and I made this delicious tart.
This was my first time making a tart. It was so incredibly easy to make, and came together in almost no time. The custard recipe was really delicious, and my friends where left wondering how I managed to make an eggless custard so delicious.
For the crust I used this recipe from Recipezaar.
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup soy margarine
- 1 tablespoon water
Mix together the flour and brown sugar in a food processor (or mix by hand). Add margarine and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs (or cut butter in by hand). Add the water slowly while running the processor (or sprinkle and toss while mixing by hand) until moistened. Form into a ball, and press firmly and evenly onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch tart pan or pie plate. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 - 15 minutes or until light brown. Cool completely.
For the custard I followed this recipe.
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/3 cup soymilk
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon lemon oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (or to taste)
- 3 tablespoons soy margarine, softened
- Add sugar, soymilk, and cornstarch to a small saucepan off of the heat. Stir until lumps of cornstarch disappear. Turn on heat to medium high and bring to boil, stirring constantly. Boil until thickened.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Whisk in lemon oil, lemon juice and margarine until smooth and creamy.
Right before serving spoon custard over the top of the tart crust. Decorate with your choice of fruit. Garnish with fresh mint leaves.
Too Little Time
Photo by Boris Licina
Since turning twenty five last December I have been doing a lot of thinking. I guess I sort of feel like I am in this transitional period in my life, but have no clue which way to take it. I have so many interests and so many plans, none of which include a job. As of lately I have felt completely incapable of deciphering what is good for me and what is bad. I do know however that I need to make some choices soon, or I can loose these opportunities I have forever.
When I was a child my parents always encouraged and pushed me to do things that I loved. I tried a lot of different things, gymnastics, dance, art, baseball, soccer, writing, music, but I never could pick one thing that I loved to do above all else.
I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and still don’t. I have been involved in so many activities that I was never able to form a passion for one thing I especially loved more than the rest. For that reason I also was not able to build up the skill to become especially great at one thing. I know how to do a lot of things–but none well enough to feel any sort of expertise. While I do feel very fortunate that I have taken so many different roads in life, I wish that by now I felt more confident deciding what I love to do.
Now here I am at 25. I haven’t been able to save a single penny since turning 20. I am going to school for an unknown career. I am so unmotivated and I despise the idea of holding a conventional job. At this point I know I need to just pick something, and quick before I get to 30, 35, 40, or older and still am wondering what will become of my life.
I’d Rather Be On The Peace Train
Or so my license plate frame reads. No singer has ever stolen my heart like Cat Stevens did that first time I listened to Tea for the Tillerman.
The Elfin Forrest
Going places like this makes me want to retreat to the woods, and become a hippie.
Falafel with Tahini Dressing
It’s been about two years since I last made falafels. I’m not sure why it has been so long, I am crazy about these tasty little fritters. As a kid my mom used to buy a mix, that I believe you just added egg and water to. This however is really so simple, I don’t know why one wouldn’t make them from scratch.
Tomorrow I am going with my brother and his fiance up to the mountains for a long hike. I figured I would double the batch, and serve them for lunch tomorrow after finishing up our morning hike. I also packed a delicious salad for us to eat alongside the falafels.
I have been using this recipe for quite some time, and though I don’t have the sources, I think it is an adaptation of a few different recipes. The tahini dressing I got out of Vegan with a Vengeance, and was perfect for both the salad and on top of the falafels.
Falafel
- 1 can chickpeas, or two cups
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 gloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup dry breadcrumbs
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
- 1 cup vegetable oil for frying
- Mash beans in a large bowl, or puree in a food processor. Stir in minced onion, garlic, cilantro, parsley, cumin, turmeric, baking powders, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Stir until combined. If necessary add a tablespoon or so of water.
- Form small disc shaped balls of the dough, of equal sizes.
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Once it starts bubbling add a few of the falafels to the pan. Do not over crowd the pan, because it will make flipping them difficult, and could result in them breaking apart. Once the falafels start turning brown on one side, carefully flip to the other side. Let cool on paper towels when finished.
Tahini Dressing
- 8 teaspoons olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Fresh cracked pepper to taste.
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 cup lightly packed cilantro
- 1/2 cup water
- Heat oil in a sauce pan over low heat. Add garlic, and stir. Do not allow to darken, you only want to cok until the garlic flavor is throughout the oil.
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Spoon over salad or hot falafels.
New Opportunities
“We attribute much to chance meetings, refer to them as turning points in our life, but these encounters could never have occurred had we not made ourselves ready for them. If we possessed more awareness, these fortuitous encounters would yield still greater rewards. It is only at certain unpredictable times that we are fully attuned, fully expectant, and thus in a position to receive the favors of fortune. The man who is fully awake knows that every ‘happening’ is packed with significance.”
–Henry Miller, The World of Sex (1940)
I came across this quote this morning, and have been thinking about it on and off all day.
Yesterday Russ and I rented Into the Wild, among other things.
If you have not yet seen the film, I highly recommend it. It is based on the real life story of Christopher McCandless, whom upon graduating college gave up all his savings and headed out to the open road. The film showcases the incredible two year journey that drove him to cut off all contact with those who loved him, and eventually led to his untimely death. It is filled with adventure and leaves an anxious soul wanting to go off on their own excursion.
For the longest time I thought that in order to have an adventure, you needed to go places, you needed to hunt it out. In the back of my mind I know that it is quite the contrary. There are new opportunities around at all times. When traveling, my mind is clearer and I find myself more willing to expect the unexpected. It is only when I am home and in my comfort zone that I don’t recognize the opportunities, and often brush them off thinking they are interruptions and quite bothersome.
Though I may not yet be able to escape and live out my lifelong dream of living on the road like Chris McCandless or Kerouac or Thompson–yet, if I can become more aware of what is going on outside of my little bubble I can at least welcome the adventure that presents itself a little closer to home.
Film Screening
The screening last night went really well. We had around thirty guests, almost all who had helped in the production of one of the two films. There was enough vegan food to feed a small country of herbivores. I made up a batch of Chai tea cupcakes with cardamom infused vegan buttercream frosting. I also brought a huge batch of my muhammara, which was one of the first things to be devoured.
Everyone seemed to love the films. The room was filled with laughter while watching HRH Electric and there were all sorts of oohs and aahs over the beautiful cinematography and dancing in Flamingo Tango. I am so proud of these two films.
Leasa and I made plans to start writing the script for their next movie. I am excited to start becoming more involved with the production of the films. We already have a story that we have been working on, we just need to get it down on paper.
Flamingo Tango
Tonight is the world premier of the hugely anticipated Flamingo Tango. The film has been six months in the making, and feels great to know that it is finally done. I don’t have a major role in this one, but I did get to dance the tango in a couple of scenes. Alongside Flamingo Tango we are screening HRH Electric, which is the film I starred in. Both films turned out amazing, and I am beyond excited to see everyone else’s reactions.
Muhammara
I kept seeing pictures of this incredibly vibrant colored dip in several blogs. I had never heard of it, but looking at the photos and the list of ingredients really got my mouth watering!
So, when I was flipping through an old issue of Fine Cooking, and saw another recipe for muhammara, I knew I had to finally give in and make it.
On Monday I met with my friend Leasa. We sat down and planned out the menu for our movie premier this Saturday. Persnickety Pictures just wrapped up the film Flamingo Tango, and are showing it for the first time, alongside the one that I starred in, HRH Electric. We always have a huge array of things to nibble on and delicious cocktails. When Leasa mentioned dips to have out I chimed in that I had been wanting to try this new recipe for a while.
This morning I took some time to whip up a small batch of this as a tester. Like hummus, this dip couldn’t be any easier to make. The flavor was absolutely incredible, and the ingredients compliment each other perfectly. I bought the pomegranate molasses at an ethnic grocer, and am in love with it. It adds such a unique flavor to the muhammara.
Adapted from a recipe in Fine Cooking magazine.
- 3 large bell peppers, roasted
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 small chillies (I used a serrano)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth.
- Serve drizzled with olive oil alongside fresh baked pita chips.
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Oatmeal raisin cookies have been a long time family favorite. Chocolate chip cookies have nothing on the almighty oatmeal raisin. Maybe this deep love stems from a childhood obsession with Little Debbie’s Oatmeal Cream Pies, or maybe it is because it was the cookie of choice by almost every member of my dad’s side of the family. Whatever the reason, I am crazy about oatmeal raisin cookies, and once you try this recipe, you will be too!
I got the recipe from VegWeb, and am absolutely in love with it. I have made it a handful of times, and always end up eating way too much of the dough, drastically reducing the number of cookies I get in the end. The cookies turn out perfect; light, airy, not too sweet, but packed full of flavor.
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cup oats
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 egg replacer, prepared
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar
- 3 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3/4 cup raisins
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
- Combine all dry ingredients (flour through cinnamon) in a large bowl.
- In a separate small-medium bowl, combine wet ingredients (egg replacer through vanilla). Add the wet to the dry and add raisins. Mix all ingredients together until well combined. The mixture will seem a little dry, but it should stick together to form little balls. (If it doesn’t, add another 1/2 tablespoon or so of nut milk or water.) Form the mixture into cookies with a spoon or by shaping little balls and flattening them on to the cookie sheet.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 13 or 14 minutes. Let cookies cool on a baking sheet before eating.
Family Dinner Party
Sometimes it is so hard to get my family together. I am usually the one that organizes events or activities for everyone to do. We all love each other a ton, and get along marvelously, but they just don’t ever think to plan things out. Well, luckily for them, I am always up to plan a get together, otherwise we may never see each other.
Sometime last week my sister and I talked about cooking together. She hardly ever cooks, and has never, ever tried to cook Indian food. We planned a date, and figured we better get the family over to help eat it all.
We cooked all sorts of food, the usual dal I make, some spiced okra, a broccoli and spinach puree, a rice pilaf. My sister found a recipe for some chickpea flour and cardamom brownies, which was her main dish for the night. I taught her a lot about the spices, and I think she really enjoyed cooking, and now realizes how easy Indian food can be. Everything was so amazing, by the time we were done cooking we were starving and way to hot to snap any clear pictures of the food.
After dinner we all moved the party outside, where my dad was lucky enough to snap a group photo before my sister passed out in the grass.
Lazy Summer Days
Now that we are well into July, I feel like I am finally starting to feel the affects of summer. All year long I look forward to hot days and summer nights. I always forget how tired the heat makes me during the day, and how difficult it is to complete daily tasks. Today I let those feelings take over, and spent the greater part of the day lounging around.
A little after lunch I felt rather ambitious and decided I needed a new teacup. I walked down to the thrift shop and browsed the racks of clothes, housewares, and books. I finally settled on this little teacup.
Though it was hot, I had to break in my new cup. I made a huge pot of tea, lit some incense, and sat back looking for inspiration for dinner through the pages of my cookbooks. I finally settled on broccoli and spinach puree recipe from Lord Krishna’s Cuisine. Hopefully tomorrow I can be a little more productive!
