Pink Rice

This was a delicious accident!  I started with an idea from Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet, but I didn't actually follow a recipe.  I boiled Jasmine Rice with organic veggie broth and then I got busy making paper snowflakes with my grown-up daughter.

Next thing I knew, I was smelling something crispy!  Thank goodness the rice didn't actually burn -- there were just some crunchy pieces at the bottom that came right up when I added a little water to the pot.  The crunch made for an interesting texture and flavor.   Since I overcooked it, the rice was kind of sticky and more porous than usual.  I added fresh basil, two chopped tomatoes and the juice of half a lemon.  The rice absorbed all the fresh tomato juice, becoming this lovely, salmon/ballet slipper shade.  When I'd followed Alicia's recipe, the rice had retained its whiteness.  It's only pink this time because I overcooked it.  Nevertheless, we all loved this fresh, funky-looking side dish.

Fab Food

Today I want to share some really fabulous, easy food I've thrown together recently based upon my home-delivered organics, other plant foods and whatever I happened to be craving. These were quick, so no recipes -- I'll just try to explain what you see. Here, I sauteed organic sliced tomatoes and giant spring onions which almost looked like baby leeks in olive oil, then added chunks of organic straightneck squash and kale, and stirred in a can of chick peas and cooked brown and wild rice and quinoa. I seasoned all with a splash of tamari, a few shakes of turmeric and a tiny pinch of sea salt.

This dish sounds like more trouble than it actually was. In an effort to teach my adult child in college that late night fast food needn't be a gas station burrito, I have found some great healthier convenience foods in the freezer section for him. One of these is cooked rice and grain blends -- 4 minutes in the microwave. I know the microwave is not as healthy as steaming in a pan, but a microwave is what he will choose to use, so I pragmatically choose my battles. I bought some easy frozen cooked grains for myself too. I'm happy to do it the longer/more macrobiotically sound way, but I didn't this time.

Not being a big fan of sweets, I wasn't thrilled when organic sweet potatoes made up the lionshare of my organic boxful each time. I thought I had opted out of this selection, but it turns out there are so many different breeds of sweet potato that don't even sound sweet, so I got some help tweaking my list to my liking. Now that I'll be weeding out the sweets from my crisper, I think I could eat one of these every day. I topped this baked tuber with a lazy version of my creamed kale -- this time I didn't bother with the miso. I just mushed up the beans a little bit, added some water and lots of nutritional yeast. The sweet in this potato was almost eclipsed by the flavorful, savory greens and beans, and served only to round out the flavors. This is now my favorite way to eat a sweet potato!

Finally, you have absolutely seen this sandwich before, but here it is again in all its glory -- the kale sandwich, this time with a nice handful of organic alfalfa sprouts. Toasted Eziekiel bread a generous spread of hummus on each side, and you can see the rest. What could be more simple? What could be more delicious? I have since opted out of the organic sprouts for future deliveries as well, since I do grow my own sprouts!!

There -- for all those who say it's too expensive/difficult to eat healthfully: nonsense! Lighten up and dig in!

More Mountains!

Continuing our happy vagabond existence lately, we've been indulging in more active pursuits than when the kids were younger. I'm finding the hiking, swimming, snorkeling and boating have reawakened a bit of my own youth, though now that we are back home I'm wiped out. What a wonderful vacation -- it was so good for all of us. This is our backyard view from the villa we rented on St. John. Amazing.

A memorable snorkeling afternoon was at Cinnamon Bay. At one point there was a lovely, steady downpour of rain which was refreshing and magical as the drops evenly covered the surface of the calm, warm water. Those are my grown-up babies before the rain. They enjoyed climbing barefoot for hours all over the rocky cliffs along the beach.

Wildlife was in abundance on St. John. The island is 70% U.S. National Park land and is very undeveloped. Chickens and roosters lived in the yard of the villa. Their skittishness was daunting for this amateur photographer. There's nothing like an authentic "cockadoodledoo" in the morning! Also in our yard were iguanas of all sizes. Here's a big guy who loved to sun himself on the same branch every morning just off our deck:

We encountered deer and donkeys on the beaches and even mongoose! They seem to be gentle-natured when not wrangling the King Cobra of Kipling lore. I never saw a snake at all on the island, and I doubt there'd be Cobras, but then I was surprised mongoose are common there, so . . . what do I know?

When we rented a dinghy for a day, several large sea turtles swam right along the surface next to us, one after another over the course of an hour or so -- lifting their kind faces out of the water to take a breath and peer at us with their large, expressive eyes. Once, we startled one and his animated reaction -- lifting his whole head out of the water and shooting us an alarmed expression with his mouth wide open before darting underwater -- left us in a fit of giggles.

We had so much fun!

One night we girls enjoyed experimenting with hair like when Wynne was little.

My villa-made vegan food was simple -- grilled veggies, beans and rice with a tomato and garlic compote here. There was quite a bit of pasta -- not gluten free, so I will catch up on my healthier diet here now, but we all loved it. We did go out several times as well, and I was happy to see Wynne trying out some vegetarian fare -- all her own choice.

Our last sunset on St. John did not disappoint. What an amazing show -- what an amazing week.

A Ghostly Post

These photos would be more appropriate in October, but I just took them and I like 'em, so I'm sharing 'em.

Yesterday morning when I woke at 6:45 a.m. to get my daughter up for school, it was still pitch black in the house and outside, except for this full moon, that is. This is actually a shot of a moon-set. The moon is setting in the west, right out my backyard window. The sun in the east was still nowhere in sight. Unfortunately the photo doesn't do the phenomenon justice, since I didn't use the right setting in the dark and I didn't want to break the spooky spell of this fleeting scene by turning a light on, but I like the photo anyway. You should have seen it. The moon was huge and low, and so vividly lit the wispy clouds. The whole thing was over in five minutes. This morning, at the same time of day, the moon was small and ordinary, and in a completely different part of the western sky.  I guess this was an illustration of how variable the lunar orbit can be. I was glad to have caught the big spooky moon-set, if even for a moment.

The day of the moonset, I prepared forbidden rice. Have you tried it? It is really, really good. The texture is firm and pleasantly chewy,the flavor is mild and a bit nutty, and it just looks really cool:

I prepared it with water and the tiniest sprinkle of salt, and added a can of white beans at the end for contrast. I think it looks a little bit like my moon-set! This simple dish was surprisingly flavorful and satisfying. I'm eating the leftovers in wraps, on salads and on toast.  Boo!

To Me, This is Beautiful

Not many of my non-virtual friends are vegan. As such, I know a few readers will judge this plateful to be unappealing. But they don't know what we know, vegans, do they?

Here's what I know:

Wild and brown rice is nutty, creamy and filling. It doesn't leave one feeling overfed, and it doesn't hang around the system. It leaves me feeling light and nourished. I make it in large quantities and use it many different ways over the course of a couple of days.

Kale, steamed or raw, is what I crave every hour of the day. With my unaddled (sugar-free) tastebuds, I can actually taste the iron and the vitamins. This concept may sound disgusting to a non-vegan, but the flavors of nutrients are delectable to me. Kale clears my head and calms my nerves, at least for a little while. I try to eat some before I have anything else each day. Those days are the best. I wish kale was sold in larger bunches. I'm noticing lately the supply of kale is slim, even in the better stores. I can usually only choose from two old, wilted bunches. My belief is that folks, vegans and omnivores alike, are learning the benefits of kale, and the buyers at the stores haven't yet caught on to the trend. The supply should pick up soon, I hope. Kale is a cool-weather crop.

Dahl, an Indian lentil concoction, seems like meditation. I swear I'm always feeling slightly holy and enlightened when I treat myself to this delicious dish. I associate the subtle curry flavor and texture with recharging, with becoming centered and grounded. It is easy to visualize the turmeric and other warming spices neutralizing any oxidized cells that could otherwise morph into cancers. I found a great way to enjoy dahl lazily, so I can have it more often. I buy Amy's canned lentil dahl soup, and jazz it up with more turmeric and a little filtered water. This way I can get two meals from one can, especially when I eat it along with other yummy accoutrements like this rice and kale.

I'm cognizant of the fact that most of these are acquired tastes, but I'm so happy I've acquired them! Once one understands the nutritional processes of a food, the way it makes you feel is as big a contributor to its deliciousness as the flavor. That being said, the flavors, alone, in this bowl are enough to keep it in my list of favorites. I think it's beautiful!

"You're the Lady Who Likes the Bok Choy!"

"Yes, I am!" I answered with a smile.

My birthday turned out to be a bit of a "birthday week". There are many generous surprise- and party- minded folks in my life and so I really had a delightful time being surprised and showered with goodies over and over again. I am very lucky! By the time my actual birthday rolled around, a Monday, my only two remaining requests were for a moratorium on sibling rivalry and a break from cooking dinner. The initial plan was for the four of us to go out.

We have been in the process of having a roof constructed over and around our backyard patio and fireplace since it is about a gazillion degrees, Farenheit, back there in July and August, and the roof was in the final stages of being waterproofed late in the day on my birthday. By the time we were finished helping the workers tidy up the work space, we were too dusty, sweaty and hungry to rally to get dressed for dinner. So we all agreed to plan B -- take out from my favorite Chinese restaurant, Xiang China Bistro. We toyed with the idea of eating al fresco in our new outdoor space, but, alas, even at 7:30 p.m. it was oven-like out there. So we ate in the comfort of our air-conditioned kitchen.

We each have our favorites at Xiang, so we normally order way too much food, but most of it gets eaten over the course of 3-4 days. I am the only one who orders two entrees, since I am the biggest leftover-lover in the family. I eat every speck of my choices, so I've no guilt in doubling up. I order "Garlic Baby Bok Choy" every time, and I choose from tofu or other veggie dishes for my second. I LOVE the Garlic Baby Bok Choy! In a light, garlicky broth, pristine bok choy specimens are quickly braised to the perfect crisp/soft consistency. The slight bitterness I covet remains, and the rich broth is not overly salted the way many restaurants tend to do. I have never been disappointed in Xiang's bok choy.

On my birthday, when my pups began doing their thing, slobbering all over the front windows, snarling  and barking to announce the visitor, I slipped outside to sign the receipt and add a tip.

"Oh, you are the lady who likes the bok choy!" the delivery man said with a little bow and a smile.

"Yes!, I love it!" I answered, realizing that I must have been the subject of some discussion back at the Bistro. A few months prior, a different delivery man from Xiang had asked which one of us likes the bok choy, and I got into a little discussion with him about other veggies they all love to make and eat in their own families, which are not on the menu at Xiang, only because it was determined the clientele wouldn't have much interest. Sugar Snap Pea Shoots (not the pea pods, themselves, but the actual shoots, or young stems) were that delivery guy's fave.

As I set up the offerings, buffet style, so we could each serve ourselves, I told my husband what the latest delivery man had said, with reverence.

"I bet you are the only person in Alpharetta who orders bok choy!" he posited.

Maybe so -- if that is the case, I wondered why the bok choy remains on the menu. The restaurant workers obviously like it, and I'll keep ordering it. Hopefully that will remain incentive enough for the bok choy to stay!

Since it was my birthday, I indulged in my favorite cocktail, a Grey Goose Martini, on the rocks this time, all the better to linger longer over, and with giant caper berries instead of olives -- I found them at the Natural Foods Warehouse! I love the traditional shaken martini with the olives, but this one was fun for a change. The caper berries, the original martini garnish, imparted a mild, pickled, slightly sweet flavor. This martini felt very old-fashioned and special. It was lovely before and during the Bok Choy, Szechuan Tofu and steamed brown rice feast!

Odds-n-Ends, Random Eats

Without a cohesive theme today, since life has been flying past at breakneck speed, I nevertheless want to share with you some pretty fantastic, if simple, food I've been eating.

You know what the above photo represents -- peach season in Georgia! Mmmmm. Here I enjoyed an overripe fruit on Ancient Grains cereal, topped with organic granola and almond milk.

This is what I did with my Macaroni Grill leftovers. Have you tried their "Grilled Mediterranean Vegetables" appetizer? Well, that's what I ordered as my entree last week on a night out with the family. I had my husband take a photo of the appetizer since it was so pretty and I had not brought my camera. I've yet to see the photo, but will share it if I do. The appetizer was so large I could only eat half of it, so I brought the rest home and put it on top of Tinkyada brown rice pasta with a bit of olive oil and some freshly torn herbs from the garden. Don't get too excited about the appetizer. Our waiter excitedly informed us that the new menu comes out soon at Macaroni Grill. To me that means higher prices and a likely deletion of some of my favorites, but maybe I'll be happily surprised. I'll keep you posted.

This rice dish does not look too different from the above pasta dish, and I'm guessing I created it becaused I missed the pasta dish so much after it went away. This was lighter in flavor though, with only  my garden veggies and a can of navy beans. My grape tomatoes have been in full swing since mid-June, since Georgia has been Sahara-hot for months now. Normally I see nary a tomato before July. I will post a full garden update soon, since we are starting to become prolific.

I roasted a head of cauliflower and ate it all by myself over the course of a couple of days. These folks around here don't know what they are missing! It was just cauliflower, olive oil, salt, pepper at 450 for 20 minutes. I ate it hot, cold, covered in nutritional yeast and added to canned soup. Cruciferous veggies represented!

Speaking of cruciferous veggies, awww! Isn't that just the cutest little baby bok choy you have ever seen? I bought a huge carton of about 60 of these little guys (no joke) at Costco for $4.99. I used the first 20 of them last night in a repeat performance of my decadent baby bock choy with mushrooms and black truffle oil. This time, since these tiny things were so tender, I did not steam them. I just added them at the end to the sautee pan full of funghi, "butter" and truffle oil. It was delicious and very impressive. We have out-of-town guests, so I have been cooking a lot, but unfortunately not remembering to take a lot of photos. Sorry. This dish was beautiful, but you will have to take my word for it. Also featured at this meal was a wonderful green salad with cucumbers, avocados and tender lettuces, and the fabulous "Caesar Chavez Dressing" from Isa Chandra Moskowitz' Appetite For Reduction. My non-vegan guests LOVED the vegan dressing! Sorry again for no photo.

As hostess to our guests -- the lovely and talented sister-in-law, Liana, and her wonderful friend, J.P., I have just been putting piles of food on the table, especially for breakfast -- breads, bagels, every kind of topping one can imagine, potatoes, fruit, scrambled eggs, juices, coffee, etc. It has been fun, but I really wish I had thought to take more photos. No matter, I'll work with what I've got here. This is my plateful, since I'm not an egg-eater. It sort of reminds me of Alicia's "Full English Breakfast" from The Kind Diet.
Of course I didn't prepare any meats, real or vegan, since there was already so much on the table, but the important part here is the bread with beans. On artisanal rosemary bread slices I layered a smear of earth balance, a dollop of hummus and a bean and corn salsa. If you have never tried good bread with beans, you must go do it right now. The result is so much more shockingly delicious than one would expect! I actually put a little Italian twist on my "English Breakfast", featuring succulent tuscan melons (crazy-good!) and a "Florentine" treatment to the eggs I didn't eat -- I threw a handful of spinach and parmesan cheese in there. Everyone loved it and nothing got wasted.

Summer can feel lazy and easy for many folks, but not so much for a full-time mom. The house is always full of people and animals, which I love, but darned if I can finish a train of thought. This is "plate-spinning" season, folks. I've got to keep looking up, no matter what I am trying to accomplish, to see which spinning plate on a dowel rod is getting a bit wobbly and about to topple. If I deliver the proper spin, I can avert disaster  until the next plate starts slowing, and so on. Is anyone else out there in my shoes? If so, how do you handle it?

Thanks for bearing with me in this season of discombobulation! I'll try to remember to take more photos, since the season is flying by too fast.

Odds-n-Ends, Avocado Season

I love avocados. Packed with nutrition and healthy fat, these beautiful fruits afford a lovely, creamy "mouthfeel" which never fails to satisfy. I eat avocados in many ways. Here are some of my recent indulgences. Above, I topped warm, leftover rice pasta with raw kale, avocado and a sprinkle of mozzerella daiya. The warmth of the pasta wilted the kale ever so slightly and made the avocado all slippery. Topped with a sprinkle of kosher salt, this was delicious.

Here's one of my favorite smoothies -- I know, how many green smoothies do we have to see on vegan blogs? But seriously, this one is soooo good, and imparts a healthful, peaceful energy. You've got to try it! Here are the contents:

An avocado, a peeled cucumber, a frozen banana, a large handful of kale, about an inch of peeled ginger, and my secret ingredient:

Coconut water! There are so many beneficial enzymes and electrolytes in this, you will have an energy charge for hours. The smoothie is delicious to me with only these ingredients, but if you want it sweeter, just add a drizzle of agave nectar.

Here's a recent breakfast -- Eziekiel toast topped with tofutti cream cheese, avocado and a sprinkle of kosher salt. Look at how the salt has begun to draw beads of moisture from the luscious avocado. Mmmmm.

Here are recent tacos I made for my husband and myself. They really began as a vehicle for him to use up a rotisserie chicken. Here, on my vegan version, is leftover wild rice with lentils, garlicky black eyed peas (I used earth balance and about 5 cloves of garlic, chopped), an amazing avocado-lime coleslaw (half a cabbage, half a lime, a tablespoon of vegenaisse and half an avocado), and a delicious onion confit (half a red onion, three spring onions, sauteed in olive oil). This was a remarkable flavor combination. I ate two tacos and am still loving the rice and slaw leftovers. The black eyed peas went away very quickly, since I love garlic so much.

In my mind, when I am writing an "odds-n-ends" post, I take licence to veer wildly off topic. So here is my wild veering: this little baby bunny first came to my attention when my daughter noticed him about a month ago.

"Mom -- you've got to see this little guy -- he's microscopic!"

Well, while my daughter's assesment was a bit of an exaggeration, as he was actually visible to the human eye, I got the spirit of her enthusiasm. At the time, the bunny was only about three inches long, but perfectly proportionately formed except for his large innocent eyes, of course. The precious little thing only eats the weeds in the creeping juniper which must be his home. Now he has grown to about 7 inches long and he still chooses his food wisely.

The photo stinks since I had to be quick and zoom in before he noticed me. When I've tried to snap him before, the shy little thing has scurried away. So there you have it -- avocados and a baby bunny!  What could be better than that?

Paella!

On Sunday, while I was cleaning/organizing, my husband came over and said, "What were you thinking about for lunch?"

I answered, "Well, I just finished breakfast, so I wasn't. You want some soup?" as I pointed to the cans in the pantry.

"Can you make Paella?"

"Um, sorta,'"

So my vegan paella, complete with optional seared chicken was born. I am sorry, it was a rush job so I did not write the recipe as I went. Here is what I remember:

Paella
Ingredients:
1 c. brown rice
2 1/2 c. broth or water with a bouillon cube
6 shakes of turmeric (I didn't own any saffron)
half a large white onion, diced
a clove of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
a large handful of grape tomatoes, sliced
half a cup of sliced raw spinach
1 c. frozen peas, unthawed
optional if you are catering to your omni-brethren: three frozen chicken tenderloins (for one omni-serving)
Serves 4


Start the rice and broth/water and bouillon -- I just lazily put it all in together and stirred it a little as it came to a boil. Then I lowered the heat to low and covered. From here the rice took about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients. Add the onion, garlic, tomatoes and tomato paste. Cover and continue to cook. I found I needed to add some more warm water about 30 minutes in, as the rice was still too firm and the evaporation was happening too early. You could add half a cup here or just start out with 3 cups instead of the 2 1/2 that are on the rice package. In a separate pan, cook the frozen chicken in some olive oil over medium-high heat until browned on both sides. Keep the pan covered since the melting ice will create spatters. Once the chicken is browned, turn the heat to low and leave covered so it can finish cooking through as the rice finishes. When the rice is finished, take off the heat and stir in the frozen peas and spinach. The heat will thaw and wilt everything together. Serve it up!


Obviously, with a little heads-up, I would have had the opportunity to make this much more spectacular and much more vegan -- sausages, gardein, but my husband loved it as it was, I thought it was pretty good and, as a bonus, my picky but sometimes veganly (could that be a word, please?) adventurous daughter loved it, and opted for it sans chicken (I only put the chicken in my husband's bowl - the rest stayed vegan). She even wolfed down the leftovers on her way to workout the next day after school! (they feed them lunch at school at 10:30 -- crazy, huh?) I warned her she might get a cramp during workout, but she was starving so I let her have the healthy leftovers. As luck would have it, she had a very good workout and was no worse for the eating schedule.

This "paella" was something I wasn't inspired to do, but I was proud to have been able to bring it all together spur-of-the-moment. I was also proud it was another healthy option for my little girl!