Addicting Sauce

I was eating this sauce out of the pot while the pasta was cooking. Sooo, sooo good. The recipe (here) is another winner from OhSheGlows. The sauce has basil, spinach, and walnuts! I love OhSheGlows - great recipes, splendid photography, and an emphasis on being happy and healthy.

The Raw Kitchen - West Palm Beach, FL

I had purchased a Groupon to The Raw Kitchen months ago, but I finally made it there on Thursday night for dinner. It was incredible - totally worth the high cost for a single meal. I loved it and will definitely return. I was eyeing other people's food and it all looked incredible. You can view the menu here. I couldn't find an actual website for the restaurant.


Sangria


Macademia nut-based cheese (similar to ricotta)


Raw Pad Thai - used zucchini ribbons instead of rice noodles


Chocolate Coconut Parfait

Simple Dinner

Tonight, I made a very simple dinner - Italian tofu, bulgur pilaf, and Greek-style salad (not included in the photo). I used my new TofuXpress to press the tofu overnight, then put it in the marinade this morning before work. The Italian tofu is from Vegan with a Vengeance. The bulgur pilaf is from Vegan Fire & Spice. It should have carrots, but I didn't realize that I was out of carrots until I had already returned home after purchasing the mint.

Monster Trucks? Really?

I had a looong work week, where I found out that we have a reagent in the freezer that could potentially solve one of the problems I'm having with my project and I have to make a virus that I wanted to make a year ago!! So much wasted time. Ugh. I stayed in on Friday night because I was grumpy. However, yesterday, I ran errands and then went to a friend's house. Somehow we ended up here...





Yes, monster trucks. Jumping over cars. Dirt bikes doing tricks. Eating fried food. Laughing at little kids going crazy for bubbles.





Today, I cleaned house - washed several loads of laundry, mopped the floors (with my new Rubbermaid Reveal spray mop!), cleaned my shower, and organized the kitchen. I made the taco chili with the reserved cashew-based cheesy sauce. I soaked the dry beans overnight and cooked them yesterday in my little crockpot. I stored them in the cooking liquid overnight in the fridge, then drained off some of the excess liquid this morning. I didn't have tortilla chips to top the chili with, so I crushed up an extra taco shell. No reason the extra shells from the lentil tacos should go to waste. :)

Cinco de Mayo!

Wish I was out celebrating, but I have to be responsible tonight. I meet with my boss every Friday morning at 9:30. I keep talking about how I want to graduate, so I can't arrive to our meeting lookin' a mess. Instead of enjoying tequila to celebrate, I made tacos with a cheesy sauce. The taco filling was based on this recipe, but I did not add mushrooms (forgot to buy some!) or puree everything at the end. The cheesy sauce is based on this recipe, but I added more salsa until the taste was just right. I made the sauce tonight and will be reserving a portion for the chili on the sauce recipe page.

News Junkie

If you know me, you know I'm a news junkie. I watch the news every morning at the gym, but I also read the news online. I skim the Google News headlines daily and usually select 6 to 12 articles to read. They're mostly focused on world events, politics, science, and health, but I sometimes read about more frivolous but fun topics (celebrity scandals and what not). I love reading the news and discussing it. Some of my favorite conversations revolve around current events and differing interpretations of the long-term ramifications of the event. This is something that I have really enjoyed with my two last boyfriends - they are willing to push me to think in a different way and are willing to defend their interpretations. I like that challenge - it's exercise for your brain! :)

Anyways, with today's news about Osama bin Laden's death, I have mixed feelings. Yes, there is a sigh of relief that he was found, but it's unnerving to see people celebrating the death of another person in the streets. I know bin Laden is a mass murderer and I fully believe he deserved to be brought to trial for crimes against humanity. He did not surrender to the special forces, and therefore was killed in the firefight. It's unusual to see people celebrating the death of another person, regardless of the horrific acts committed by that person. I think this quote is an adequate way to describe what I'm thinking:

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." - Unknown

He might have been the world's worst mass murdering fuckhead, but he is still a human being in the end. We should be thankful that our troops were able to find him and survive the mission, but we have to remember his death and any perception of cockiness on our part could potentially put our troops in more danger as people retaliate. Maybe if I was pro-death penalty, I would understand the celebration of death. That Biblical "eye for an eye" type of justice does not serve as a deterrent to future criminals. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind (believe that's a Dalai Lama quote).

I'm still digesting this news and my thoughts on the situation, but I do know that I hope that my friends that are still deployed are safe in the aftermath of this event. My thoughts are with our military, their families, and to everyone affected by the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001.

Week of SunFest

It's that time of year again - Sunfest! This 5 day concert series takes place in West Palm Beach by the waterfront. I received a pair of VIP tickets for Thursday night from a friend at work. I found a friend to go with and we enjoyed our free drinks and good seats to watch Jason Mraz. While we were eating dinner, we sat near the water. The Quantum of Solace yacht was parked near us, so we were admiring its beauty and commenting about how we will probably never make enough to live that type of lifestyle. (The Quantum of Solace is a yacht valued at ~$20-25 million.)



(Photo from Boat International)


I also went to SunFest last night with my friend Sarah. The band she wanted to see was MGMT. I had never heard of them, but figured it would be fun to get out and party on the barges. I now know why I had never heard of MGMT - definitely not my type of music. The crowd was full of hipsters and potheads. Sarah and I ran into several people that we know, so it was quite a random evening. The highlight was getting hit on by a 21-year-old guy on Clematis Street. I almost burst into laughter when he proudly proclaimed his age, because that is just too young for me.

In other news, I've done some cooking this week, although I haven't had time to post the photos. For the seitan, I used this recipe. I should note that the seitan has the best texture when the peanut butter and soy sauce are combined first, then mixed with the rest of the wet ingredients.


Polenta and Seitan Casserole from The Kind Diet


Veggie "Meatloaf" from Vegan Comfort Food