pasta alla norma

I'm trying to eat more purples.

So I made pasta alla norma.

vegan chipotle mac and cheese

Having grown up in Minnesota, I used to have what my friend, DG, affectionately called "Scandinavian tastebuds" (or was it Midwestern tastebuds? This was over 10 years ago, so I forget). Anyway, I used to hate spicy food. I would break out in a sweat at the sight of a jalapeno pepper. Everything had to be mild, which often overlapped with bland. 

DG didn't give up on me. In the two years that we lived together, in addition to introducing me to fresh herbs and garlic, she worked on improving my tolerance for spicy food. For instance, despite my half-hearted protests, she made her enchiladas with the hot or medium sauce instead of the mild. She might have even tossed in a jalapeno pepper for good measure.   

But it worked. Between DG and Drew (whose tolerance is higher than mine), my tolerance for spicy food has increased exponentially. Sometimes I don't even recognize myself. A few years ago, we were at an Asian restaurant in Milwaukee and when I ordered the stir fried noodles, with a spiciness level of 3 chili peppers, Drew turned to me and asked "You sure you want to do that?" It's a valid question; the old me would have balked, but I responded "It's okay because 3 chili peppers in the midwest are probably like no chili peppers in California" (and I was right).  

After years of living in California, I've also become somewhat of a hot sauce fiend. Between my refrigerator at home and in my office, there are 6 bottles of hot sauce. Last weekend, I read that putting hot sauce on your food is a very California thing to do, and I laughed out loud as I recalled dousing my breakfast burrito in Cholula earlier that day. For the most part, I've resisted turning Californian, but I guess I'm not immune to some of its influences. It's a good thing I'm leaving; otherwise, the next thing you know, I'll be getting botox, plastic surgery, and a diamond so big that a village in Africa surely died for it. 

So last week, I made this vegan chipotle macaroni and cheese from the Post Punk Kitchen.

It was really simple. You soak some cashews, drain them, and then process them in the food processor with veggie broth, garlic, nutritional yeast, and chipotle peppers. The recipe calls for 4 peppers, but I was feeling adventurous (or stupid, depending on how you look at it), so I added 6. I surprised myself by doing this, as the old me probably would have added only one or maybe two. This dish turned out really well and just manageably spicy. As you can see, I added corn and black beans because I love veggies. 

A while ago, in an effort to inject lots of veggies into one meal, I made the Chubby Vegetarian's taco salad. The filling is a mushroom and eggplant "meat."

And scrolling through my phone, I found this picture of the granola bars I made a couple months ago. The recipe is from the Smitten Kitchen. 

And so is the recipe for the mushroom lasagna I made a few weeks ago. Sadly, I was so ravenous that I forgot to take a picture.

in january

In January, I made a blue cheese and caramelized onion gallette from A Year of Pies. 

And a pot pie stew and sweet potato biscuits from Appetite for Reduction.

I also discovered some new blogs. The first is A Sweet Spoonful, which I heard about from Eating From the Ground Up and Orangette. The blogger, Megan Gordon, from A Sweet Spoonful recently released a cookbook called Whole Grain Mornings. I haven't flipped through the cookbook, but I've been perusing Gordon's blog. I like her writing style and her stories, and I like her emphasis on whole grains. I made steel cut oats with a blueberry compote (her recipe calls for cranberries, but I didn't have any one hand).

. 

I also stumbled upon The Chubby Vegetarian. I made a veggie meatloaf

and veggie meatballs

and a barbeque eggplant sandwich with caesar cole slaw.

I've also been reading The Kitchn and Food52 and my name is yeh.

mushroom pasta

I moved a couple weeks ago, and I'm glad to report that I'm all settled in. Moving is hard, and I'm pretty sure it's rarely fun. Anyway, you learn some stuff about yourself when you move, like where your priorities lie. It took me almost an entire day to unpack the kitchen, but only an hour to unpack my clothes. 

You also make some strange discoveries that leave you shaking your head and muttering "why? why?" I mean, whose idea was it to buy Nutella from Costco? (I might have had something to do with that decision, but, of course, the thing to do is to blame the person who is not there to defend himself.) And, how many containers of sprinkles does one need? In case you're wondering, the answer is, apparently, 7.    

It was sad to leave the old place, but since it was scheduled for remodeling, I had no choice but to move. The new place is small and cozy, and I love all the natural light (the old place got no light at all, and we affectionately refer to it as "The Dungeon"). We also have a porch for plants, herbs, and lettuce.

And did I tell you that I grew pumpkins in my garden? They're currently curing on the porch. My grandparents (who used to grown tons of pumpkins, and really big ones!) would be so proud.

Now that I've moved, all the personal stuff in my life has calmed down. First it was Drew leaving for China for a year, and then it was packing, moving, and unpacking. So now, basically all I've been doing is working. But, I still have to eat, right?  

I came across this recipe for mushroom pasta in the Los Angeles Times last week, and I was inspired to make it right away. It was easy to make, but it wasn't actually that good. Or bad. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. Oh well, not every recipe can be a keeper.

fettuccine with creamy tomato italian sausage

I tried to be a vegetarian twice. The first time was when I was 17 and my vegetarian streak lasted 2 years. I'm not really sure what compelled me to be a vegetarian. I think it was because I thought I cared about animal rights, and I did, to a degree. But the problem was, I didn't know where to draw the line, and this weighed on me. I mean, if I eschewed meat because I cared about animals, then what about eggs? Dairy? Leather? Animal testing? It was overwhelming, and because I didn't know where the line was, I gave up altogether. 

The second time I tried vegetarianism was about 3 years ago, and I think that streak lasted almost a year. I had given it quite a bit of thought, and besides, Drew was a vegetarian. Though he never cared if I ate meat, I thought it made sense. So I did it. But it lasted only until he went to Beijing two summers ago. 

Again, like the time before, the "line" weighed on me. If I was a vegetarian because it was good for my health, animals, and the environment, well then, why did I have to give it up altogether? I asked myself why I couldn't eat it on occasion. What was wrong with eating a mostly vegetarian diet? When I didn't know the answer, I knew my heart wasn't into it and that I had to give it up. 

When I gave up vegetarianism both times, it was pork that broke my streak. The first time, it was sausage pizza. The second time, it was ham. The thing is, and this is only anecdotal evidence, it appears that when vegetarians return to meat-eating, the streak isn't broken by what is considered to be "good" meat, like a steak. It's broken by what's deemed to be inferior meat, like pepperoni or lunch meat or bologna. 

I'm not surprised that pork products were my gateway meat. I've never been one to eat steak, and I never really ate chicken or turkey. Mock meats have come a long way these days, and I actually enjoy them. Though you can find fake chicken, ground beef, and hot dogs, fake Italian sausage and fake ham are difficult to come by. 

I'm confident that I've finally found the "line." Drew and I keep a vegetarian household (my choice, not his), and I try to be as responsible as I can when I eat meat. This means that I don't eat it at, say, a fast food restaurant. As I said to Drew early on, I don't eat meat so I can eat it at Del Taco. I also eat meat about twice a week. For me, the line is to reduce my meat consumption, something that everyone should do. Too often, I think people have an all-or-nothing attitude (I certainly did!), but people don't have to be either a vegetarian or a meat-eater. 

Last Friday night, Drew left for Beijing. I intend to continue eating a mostly vegetarian diet while he's away, but now I can cook with meat if I want to. Tonight, I made Fettuccine with Creamy Tomato Italian Sausage. from Simply Recipes.   

I was ambitious, and somewhat bored, so I decided to make my own pasta. It was totally worth it. I even did it the proper way, without the stand mixer. Using Chef Anne Burrell's recipe (I love her!), I made a volcano with the flour, and poured the olive oil and eggs in the well. You have to be careful not to break the volcano or else the liquid spreads across the counter, which is what happened to me. It really wasn't an issue, but I couldn't shake the feeling that Chef Anne would be disappointed in me. When the dough came together, I kneaded it until it was smooth and pliable, which was supposed to take 10 to 15 minutes for an inexperienced kneader and 8 to 10 for an experienced one. I wasn't sure which one I was, so I kneaded my dough for approximately 3 Taylor Swift songs.  

Even prior to dating Drew, I didn't eat a lot of meat. Aside from this meal, I can't think of anything else I'd like to cook while Drew is gone. I'm a vegetarian at home, and I'm not sure that will be a habit that I'll break.        

parsley pesto

When I was a kid, I used to fill out comment cards at stores, telling anyone who would listen that I was mad because I couldn't reach products on the top shelves. That I couldn't do so because I was a child never crossed my mind. Having been short my entire life,  even as a child, somehow I just knew this would be a lifelong issue.

And I was right; as an adult, I can't reach most things on the top shelves of any store. Before I dated Drew, sometimes I just wouldn't buy what I couldn't reach (which he found a bit baffling) and sometimes I would ask for help- it depended upon my mood or if a taller person was easily accessible. These days, Drew and I usually shop together, so my being vertically challenged is a non-issue.  

We made fusilli with parsley pesto the other day. The recipe is from Bon Appetit, which calls for spaghetti. But I wanted fusilli, but at Whole Foods the other day (Drew was busy grading final exams), it was on the top shelf, out of my reach. In the past, I've simply opted for penne instead, but this time, I sucked it up and asked someone to get me the fusilli.

 

It is a misconception that pesto is made with basil. In fact, pesto means "to crush" or "to grind." It can be made with pretty much anything. I'm normally not a huge fan of parsley, but I was intrigued by this recipe, and it was pretty good. Plus, pesto is so easy to make.

We ate this pasta with sautéed carrots, which I grew in our garden. Drew added butter and sage, which I also grew (no, I didn't churn the butter, but we have done that once in case you're wondering).

PS: Drew just told me that the parsley pesto was good, but it needed something. Apparently, my addition of sun dried tomatoes was insufficient.

un-chinese food, or Drew's super-secret surprise

Super-secret surprises are, well, super secret surprises that Drew and I plan for each other when we accomplish a milestone. There are few rules governing super-secret surprises. Obviously, it must be a secret. Beyond that, there is a lot of latitude. It doesn't have to be elaborate or expensive or complicated. It just has to be a surprise. The second rule is that they are reserved for milestones only- qualifying exams, prospectus defenses, marathons. Super-secret surprises aren't for just any occasion, so no birthdays, anniversaries, or holidays. The idea is that no matter the outcome of these (usually stressful and nerve-wracking) events, there will always be a super-secret surprise to look forward to. We don't remember exactly when we began referring to these as super-secret surprises, though I suspect that it was when I ran my marathon.  

My super-secret surprises for Drew tend to involve food; his involve either food or crafts. Here are some examples: When Drew took his qualifying exams, I made him pastries and gyoza like the ones we ate in Beijing. When I defended my dissertation prospectus, Drew transformed our garden into a pumpkin patch and surprised me with dinner. When I ran my first (and only) marathon, Drew made me a special trophy, and when I ran my 1000th mile, he made me 3 types of bagels each representing a city 1000 miles away. And when I recently interviewed for a job, Drew made me a giant gold star.   

Last week, Drew defended his dissertation proposal. The easy thing to do would have been to make him Chinese food, but that's cruel and unusual punishment for someone about to spend a year in China. And so I thought I'd be clever and make un-Chinese food. I bought egg roll wrappers and wanton wrappers, and stuffed them with Italian, Mexican, and Indian food.

First up: ravioli with a pesto and four cheese filling (maybe five). The recipe is inspired by Giada's Four Cheese Ravioli with Herb Pesto.

Next, I made egg rolls stuffed with taco filling and samosa filling. The taco filling is the Post Punk Kitchen's recipe for ancho lentil tacos (I used veggie crumbles instead), and the samosa filling is from Veganomicon (of Post Punk Kitchen).

The meal was a big hit, and Drew was impressed (and very relieved that it wasn't really Chinese food). I boiled the ravioli as one usually would, and I baked the egg rolls (though we did decide that frying is superior to baking, which we did with the leftovers).

pasta with pistachio pesto

The garden, despite the random gopher appearance, is doing pretty well. Along with beans, carrots, collard greens, and red chard, we have beets. Lately, our preferred way of eating beets is in a salad.

Did you know that you can wrap beets up in aluminum foil and roast them in your oven? And that you don't even have to peel them first? Or cut them up? And after they're done, the skins easily slip off. This was news to me, but now I'm a huge fan. I roasted the beets for about 45 minutes at 375 degrees, and after they cooled off, I effortlessly peeled off the skin. I also roasted pearl onions and quartered mushrooms, and Drew and I served them on top of spinach. We've never eaten pearl onions, but Drew was suddenly inspired (by what, I have no idea) to roast them.

Drew and I like to try out new recipes, and the results usually fall into 3 categories: 1) so good we should definitely make it again; 2) good, but not good enough to make again; 3) disappointing. It turns out there is a 4th category: surprisingly good. Last night we made pasta with pistachio pesto, and it turned out a lot better than we expected. Not that we expected the results to be disappointing; we just didn't think this dish was going to be so good. 

The recipe is from Food and Wine, and it's super simple and quick to put together. The pesto is made up of pistachios, garlic, olive oil, and mint, processed in the food processor and then mixed with grated pecorino. Instead of orecchiette, we used trottole. Normally, we eat whole wheat pasta, but sometimes we shake things up a bit and we happened to be at Target, where it is sold (it's a Target brand of pasta). 

Drew and I enjoyed this dish a lot, and we couldn't stop raving about it. With a few bites remaining, Drew declared that he was stuffed and I wasted no time polishing off his leftovers. In my defense, I had run a half marathon earlier in the day, and if there is ever a time to finish Drew's leftovers, it's on a day when I've run 13.1 miles. Make this dish, and you'll understand.

eggplant parmesan

There are pretty much only 2 ways I eat eggplant: eggplant parmesan and baba ganoush.  And I don't make either one of them- Drew does.  I think I made eggplant parmesan once, but I failed pretty miserably because you need to use quite a bit of oil when you fry the eggplant and I just don't like doing that.  

Eggplant parmesan is one of Drew's family favorites, and we've got cooking it down to a science.  Drew takes care of the eggplant, while I make the accompanying pasta and usually a salad.  Sometimes we make our own marinara sauce, but last night we copped out and used the jarred kind.  

Drew slices the eggplant (we don't bother with salting it first to remove the moisture) and coats each slice in an egg and milk mixture and then in seasoned bread crumbs.  Then he fries the slices on the griddle, insisting that this requires quite a bit of oil, so I just turn my head and refuse to look.  After he finishes frying the eggplant, he drains the slices and then places them on a baking sheet so I can smother each one in marinara sauce and a slice of mozzarella.  The finishing touch is a sprinkle of garlic powder before going into the oven for about 15 minutes.