Wanderlust Vermont
A couple of weeks ago I ventured out to my first experience at Wanderlust. Attending, performing, and teaching all for the first time. My eyes and heart were open wide and eager to start this new chapter in my life. Leaving a comfortable job (actually two comfortable jobs) to satisfy my seven year itch, for a freelance and hopefully free-spirited lifestyle. So far so good. Upon arrival a three days before the festival started, I met all the performers and we dove straight into rehearsals. It was already obvious how talented and passionate each individual was. And unique. And nice- a more nurturing environment than the ballet world.
So, with only only three days to put an entire show together, we worked long hours and had to focus if we wanted to make a cohesive and impactful performance. I think we succeeded. I, at least had one of the most fun performances of my career. High energy, inspiring and light-hearted.
After the opening night show, the energy of the festival only got better. Teaching a roomful of yogis open to exploring the dance world and letting go of any judgment of their own self-expression as well as the others' in the room. All I did was ask everyone to walk across the room in their own style, and I saw rolling, leaping, sliding, and just an openness to creativity.
I never wanted to leave the Wanderlust bubble. Everyone smiling at each other, helping strangers with handstands, and overall just surrendering to happiness. Thousands of people congregating to celebrate life, courage, and camaraderie. So many individuals committed to growth and awareness. Let's take this feeling "off the mat and into the world" as Seane Corn would say.
Megan and I performing on the Rue Boheme stage.
DJ Hyfi came to play for our set in the Lululemon D'om!
Representing Quixotic Fusion quixoticfusion.com
Hannah's set on the MainStage! Megan and I improved to her magical violin!!
SONIC meditation hike with Hannah
Playtime with Cameron Shayne and on the ski lift!
ocean is my life
Maybe it's because the weather is so beautiful and summer seems to be rapidly approaching that I am aching to get away. Arizona weekends can feel like a sun-soaked lazy vacay but with responsibilities looming inside the house, it seems wrong to avoid cleaning, papers, work that could be done, while lounging on the patio. Why is relaxation sometimes so hard in close proximity to your home? Plus, the ocean is calling me...can't really beat that soothing sound that lets your mind escape its clutter of thoughts and worries. I have to remember that its only April and not yet summer! But I suppose I can look back on last summer in CA and look forward to the beach and new discoveries there soon! After working in San Francisco last year, my sister and I took our annual road trip down the coast to our hometown. The beach in Malibu is always gorgeous and it was fun to have Sarah come visit. Every time a new friend comes home with me, it's like rediscovering the place I grew up. I introduced her to my favorite spots and was pleasantly surprised to open my own eyes to new places.
Revisiting - All photos taken with my 35mm, no editing
The most beautiful Aven posing at Zuma
Exploring hiking in the valley with Sarah. This park was amazing. We climbed to the top of a mountain and down into a valley with a waterfall.
The next stop on our California adventure was Topanga Canyon, where my good friend Evan lives. He took us up to Eagle Rock at sunset. These are some photos at his house and beyond!
Eagle Rock
How can you beat this view with these people?!?!
BE HAPPY START HERE
Italy is my life
Ciao da Italia! Smyth and I made it to Italy. It actually was a bit of a challenge to leave Paris. We were all packed and had a few hours before we needed to leave for the train station. Food and possibly a bit of shopping sounded good and we strolled around the Bastille neighborhood in search of souvenirs and a cute cafe. It was just around happy hour time and we found a spot close to the apartment called Chavez Oscar or Oscar Chaquita or something. What really drew us in was the 2,50 wine :) We instantly made friends with the little round waiter who brought us extra hefty glasses of vin rouge! He waddled over to take our orders and giggled at my botched French. He said "yum yum" when he brought over Smyth's linguini and wiggled his hips when he said "frommage" ! Adorable. But the second round really did us in and two drunk Campbell girls raced back to the apartment to get our things and rush to the train. We were laughing and lugging our suitcases down the streets of Paris worried we would be late, only to find our train delayed an hour. But once we did get on we passed out in our bunk beds and slept off the silliness :) Well, I couldn't sleep very well and decided to start Italian lessons on my phone. A wise decision as I did not know more than three words in the language of our next destination.
After one other train we arrived in Levanto in the morning. Our B&B was very close to the train station and we were a bit early for check in. The place was adorable and had gorgeous, expansive views of the surrounding mountains. It was on the top floor of a very quite and dark apartment building and the hostess did not speak a lick of English. Thanks to my lightening speed Italian course we could communicate on the most basic basic level. Her name was Maria and she made us cafe Americanos while we waited for our room. We also took a stroll around the small town, went to the market for hiking snacks and stopped by the beach to read and take in the views.
After settling in a bit at our hotel we went on our first cinque terra excursion. It is basically five small towns along the coast that are interlinked by several hiking trails through the mountains, coastal paths or by train. We stopped in the first town Monterossa, which is definitely the busiest and has the most beach to swim, lay, paddle board etc. We wanted to hike to the next town but could not find the trail head we wanted. Instead we explored the churches a bit and stumbled upon the beginning of the "coastal footpath". Footpath my ass...this was a two hour trek up a million stone stairs, through beautiful foliage, all with the coast in view. It kicked our butts and when we finally reached the next town Vernazza, we felt pretty accomplished! Vernazza was my favorite town...many houses and restaurants built into the mountain overlooking the ocean. It had a tiny enclave with small boats and the water was a beautiful shade of blue-green. The third town is only reachable by hiking or train as the coastal path was flooded during the earthquakes. We hopped on the train and when we arrived in Corniglia we realized there was not much to do. We took a bus up to the top of the town to see the view and back down only to miss the train. The next one was not for fifty minutes and since this was definitely the least exciting of towns we were not thrilled and parked ourselves in the shade to read and wait. The next stop was Monerola, also not much to the town, but the starting point of another coastal path called Villa del Amore (lovers walk). This was basically a bridge like trail lining the cliffs that drop straight down to the sea! This leisurely walk was our favorite and we did it several times over our two days in the Cinque Terra. When we arrived in the last town Riggamoira, there was also not a big town center or anything but we stopped at the cafe built into the side of the cliff. The view was spectacular and they had 2,50 glasses of wine and free wifi. This was our spot. We had a couple glasses and snacked on whatever nibbles we had brought for hiking. It was close to dinner time so we decided to walk back across the lovers trail and catch a train to the second city which seemed to have lots of dining options. We were both extremely dirty at this point and sat down at a fairly nice place up on a small cliff overlooking the port area in Vernazza. The staff was very friendly, brought us some complimentary prosecco, and we ordered salad, grilled veggies and fries. It was a good meal and we ended up chatting with a mother and daughter from Denver, (daughter now lives in Brooklyn). We were exhausted after dinner and headed back to our B&B for some much needed sleep.
The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel. Maria made us cafe Americanos and we ate bread with jam, orange juice and not much else. Not too many options for us :) we set out on our second day of excursions! It took us awhile to get started because some of the trail heads were too far or the guides suggested we
do a more scenic route. We finally decided on a trail labeled 6 and after what seemed like a million years up a hill we found the trailhead. This hike was gorgeous and essentially zigzagged through a vineyard. The path was lined with beautiful wildflowers and smelled like heaven. Although, where there are wildflowers there are bees....and large black wasps ...luckily neither of us were attacked but the buzzing looming around my ears had me a bit freaked. Part of this hike all of a sudden seemed like we were in the jungle...it reminded me of hiking in Hawaii. This took us about two and a half hours and we arrived in our least favorite town waiting at the same train station as the day before for about an hour :) We were anxious to get to the lovers path and our beloved wine bar for a midday snack and rest. Wine, apples, some Internet rejuvenated us and we headed to Monterossa for some quality beach time. We rented chairs and an umbrella and laid in the sun! The water was very mellow and glorious to swim in! Although pretty cold at first it felt amazing after sweating all day to jump in the gorgeous blue water and swim along the coastline. When the beach closed around 7 we walked up the boardwalk to a restaurant overlooking the water (it was necessary to choose a place with a view since it was sooo pretty!!!) We had some cheap wine, bruschetta, salad and lots of bread ! We had another charming waiter, who although a bit awkward liked to joke with us. Again, very worn down, we passed out early. Breakfast and goodbye to the Cinque Terra. I could've stayed there forever!!
paris is my life
Paris is my life
So where did I leave off...so much to tell about our few
days in Paris. Action
packed and such a blast. When we first got
in and settled into our new
apartment, we were exhausted and slept for a few hours.
After feeling quite at home
and utilizing our host's espresso machine
(he has a frother machine too) I
forced the sisters to venture out to meet my
friend's brother and go out on the
town. We got dolled up and went to the meeting spot
which was a cafe that, to our surprise
was all boarded up and no
longer existed...so we had a glass of wine
next door and Smyth chased down our
friend when he rushed by headed for the
abandoned restaurant. He was a kind of
awkward hipster frenchie but seemed nice.
We went to a bar with his friend ( a
cute smart ass fellow) Jean-Baptiste,
called Carmen. It was very chic, in an old
redone building with oversized birdcages
for people to sit in. Girls were
drinking huge champagne cocktails and there
was a lot of dancing. We all drank
and chatted until they wanted to head to
the next club, La Rouge- an electro
dance club. When we arrived they tried to cut
the line and we were sadly
rejected to the back of the long queue.
After about 15 minutes it got old and
the only way to get in was going to be
bottle service. Smamed asked if we were
in and after a lot of hesitation they convinced us.
But then there was another
huge line when we got inside. By
that time it was three something in the morning
and we were over it. I tried to tell our
friends and they just seemed pissed
which only made me more annoyed....so
after an awkward and semi-rude exchange,
we bailed
and tried to find a cab. They were
not happy. We totes pissed off some Parisians.
But we met some nice guys outside and
they helped us get a cab! Pasta and
chatting ensued in our apartment
until after 4am :) 
The next morning was Sunday in Paris! Our neighborhood (Bastille) had a huge open air farmers market and we got a huge loot for the week!!! Fruits and veggies and bread and most importantly French Spike to crack infuse all of our creations. O and wine of course, delicious French vin rouge!! A nap was in order in the afternoon due to our late night adventure and after we recharged we decided to get some sightseeing in. Sunday is great for walking along the river because the street is closed to cars. So we moseyed along with bikers and strollers. We stopped to see Hotel de Ville, the Norte Dame Cathedral, Pont Nuef bridge, and the Luxembourg Gardens. The gardens were my favorite! It was as if we had stepped off the busy streets of Paris straight into a Jane Austen novel. When the rain came we went back to the apartment, cooked some of our delicious fresh market food and conked out.
Sooo, after catching up on some much needed
sleep from our Parisian club escape,
Monday was to be activity day! We made
breakfast at our humble abode...fruit,
soy lattes, and madeline cookies
(left from our wonderful host Beaumont) Side
note...we feel as if we now are best
friends with Beaumont. He gave us a clear
instruction manual, left us cookies
and plenty of espresso, has Sex and the City
DVDs...introduced us to a new book series Luxe,
has a clothing rack clearly made
for my dresses, is into Asian culture,
we are 90% positive he is gay...basically
we love Beaumont (haven't met him just to
clarify). Anyway, after breakfast we
head out to conquer my clearly mapped out itinerary :)
First was a walk along the river to
the Louvre. It is such an amazing building
and although sooo crowded, every
annoying tourist is worth going there.
The Italian painting section, where the
Mona Lisa is displayed, was crazy
crowded but was my favorite section. I was
surprised at how much I liked the Mona Lisa
because I really didn't care to see
it all that much. I fell in love with a
The Wedding Feast at Cana, painted by Paolo Veronese.
The museum is so big it is hard to see everything
but we hit Greek sculptures next, where
Smyth started a sassy statue series.
We would find some funny faces and pretend
we knew what they were thinking...clearly
we are mature adults here. Next was
French paintings and the Napoleon Apartments
...which were amazing! Such beautiful
architecture and design everywhere you look!
After several hours of wandering
and admiring art we ventured to the
gardens outside the museum and read our
books in the sun. Whitney's French
friends told her she had to go to
Angelina's for hot chocolate and it was
close by so we walked there. Whit and I
split hot cocoa and I got a macaroon.
Literally the best things I have ever put
in my mouth. The cocoa was like drinking
chocolate lava cake! We were both in
heaven! Next, we walked through the ritzy
shopping streets (passed Chanel and
Tiffany's ...drool) to the opera house.
I had to see where the Paris Opera
Ballet performs! There was a big sign outside
for the ballet and as I was
snapping a pic one of the dancers walked
through the stage door. Smyth said my
face lit up like a child getting a lollipop.
She looked just like any one of my
ballerina friends walking out of rehearsal
:) Whitney commented "Oh she already
lit up her lunch"...everyone smokes here...I
swear I saw a 6 yr old puffing on a
cig. Anywho...it was afternoon nap time.
Food, sleep, and get ready for round 2.
It was Eiffel Tower picnic night.
We cooked up some cous cous and veggies,
poured some wine into my sigg bottle and headed
out to see the sunset. The Eiffel
Tower was beautiful! When we arrived
we were haggled to buy bottles of wine and
champagne. I knew we would need more
so Smyth and I were able to sweet talk the
vendor from 20 euros to 5. Holla...pros!
We noticed one side of the lawn seemed
to be designated for the degenerates
and there were already drunken groups
singing and playing. The other side
was dominated by strollers and
families...can you guess where we headed?!
Once the sun is down they light up
the tower and every hour for five minutes
it sparkles. It really is stunning and
I guess I'm a romantic but it made me
so happy. And there was wine :) and my
sisters. We laughed and begged for
baguettes from the shady wine vendors! The
night would have been perfect except
for our gypsy attack. We made a new friend
and as he was chatting with us we were
bombarded by a father and child ramming
maps in our faces asking for directions.
It was so confusing and we tried to
wave them away. A bit later we discovered
both Smyth and Whit's phones were
gone. Stolen by gypsy children! A huge bummer.
Smyth's brand new iphone...and most importantly all
of their pictures from the trip gone :(
The next morning we tried to get over the stolen
phones and make the most of the
day. It was very cold so we didn't last long
walking around. We took the metro
to the Montmartre area (bohemian central)
we got off near the Moulin Rouge...it
is not all that big and kind of a let down. But we
walked up the street and saw
the cafe in one if our fave movies Amelie. It was
cute and really close to some
great pan and fromage shops! It was definitely
bread day...I think I ate 2 whole
loaves by myself. We got a baguette and
Whit picked out a soft cheese with
raisins. We sat and ate before trekking up a huge
hill to see Le Soucre, a huge and majestic church.
It is a gorgeous cathedral that has a
panoramic view of the entire city! Very
beautiful. Next we headed to a boutique hotel
from an article in Bon Apetit
(thanks Sarah). It was adorable and had a
covered outdoor terrace where we had
afternoon red wine, more bread and
French fries (had to get them once in
France!). It was very relaxing and afterward
we headed back home so Whit could
pack and we could go out later. We watched some
Sex and the City, made espresso,
cooked a vegan feast, and chilled! Later
that evening we walked to the St Martin
district (definitely a hipster trendy area) for
Whitney's last night in Paris. We went
to a tiny, hidden bar also recommended by
Bon Apetit called L'entree des
Artists...can you guess why I picked that one ?!
It was dark, quaint, had a very
interesting menu of libations and played
rad music! It was the perfect setting
for a mellow sister night out. A couple
of cocktails and a frommage plate later
we were off to bed. Smyth and I sent Whitney
off this morning on the metro to
the airport :( sad but she is ready to see her
baby Aven! We continued to the Pere
Lachaise Cemetery where many famous people
are buried. It was gorgeous to walk
through and many of the graves were
elaborate family plots with beautiful
sculptures and engravings. We sought
out Jim Morrison's grave as it is the one to
see...but it was nothing extreme compared
to the rest of the marvelous
headstones. Now we are getting ready to
say goodbye to Paris, well France
entirely, and hello to Italy! Off to the
night train...au revoir Paree!!
peaches are my life
As long as I can remember, I've been crazy about peaches. It's sad that I don't eat them more often but I've become very picky when it comes to this delectable fruit. A good, juicy peach tastes like heaven, but a bad, spongy peach is the biggest letdown in the world. So I only buy peaches when I know they in their prime and only from reliable sources-farmers markets in the summertime. After my stint in San Francisco I took a few days to make my way down to Los Angeles via Pacific Coast Highway. I have done the coastal drive once before and was blown away by the beaches and cliff side views. This time I was hoping to make a few different stops than last time. Unfortunately, I was terribly sick the whole time and couldn't enjoy the trip as much as I had hoped. I very rarely get sick so I kept brushing it off and trying to ignore it. Strep throat (finally caved and went to the doctor a few days later) is very hard to ignore. Anyway, the drive was still beautiful and we managed to make a few stops in Santa Cruz, Carmel, Cambria, Pismo Beach and Santa Barbara. We skipped over wine country (I must have been pretty sick to pass up quality wine tasting right?).
The farmers market was going on during our stop in Santa Barbara and we stocked up on peaches after trying samples from every peach vendor. This load of perfectly plump and juicy peaches inspired me to try a few peach recipes. A couple of salads and of course peach pie!! The first salad I made was filled with our farmers market goodies!
Summer Peach Salad
fresh arugula
candy cane beets (steamed, peeled, and cut)
avocados
peach slices (I used one yellow peach and one white peach)
heirloom tomatoes
sunflower seeds
I just tossed all of these ingredients together and tossed it with vegan Goddess dressing. You can add any other fresh veggies that sound good!
Peach salad-practically perfect in every way! Such a light and delicious summer treat. The second summer salad I tried was a recipe from Bon Appetit. The article was focused on avocados but I was drawn in when I saw that peaches were also incorporated. And the dressing recipe looked amazing and simple-a roasted red pepper vinaigrette. I used roasted red peppers out of a jar and it worked perfectly. And there was extra dressing for dipping or another salad (I made a grapefruit avocado salad the next day!). Just out of convenience, I used a fresh spring mix instead of arugula and added cucumbers since my sisters garden was overloaded with ripe ones. O and add Spike to the avocado of course ! This recipe is to die for!
And last but certainly not least...Peach Pie. I think this is the first pie I've posted. My sister wanted to make this pie and I kept putting it off because I was a bit intimidated. After years and years of baking, I've never made a traditional fruit pie. It's always a crisp or cake or quick bread. But I don't know what I was so scared of because it turned out peachy keen! We made a simple spelt crust and was pretty easy to work with.
Vegan Spelt Pie Crust
3 cups spelt flour
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup non dairy milk (I used unsweetened coconut milk)
1/2 light oil (I used canola)
Blend all the ingredients in a food processor or by hand. Separate into two sections and roll into balls. Using a rolling-pin roll out each ball into a 9 inch circle. One will be the bottom of the pie and one will be the top (I cut it into strips to lattice the top of the pie).
Peach Pie Filling
5 1/2 cups fresh peeled peach slices
1 tsp lemon juice
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat of course!)
3/4 cup unrefined cane sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease a 9 inch pie plate and lay the dough in the bottom. Put in freezer while preparing the filling. Place peaches in a large bowl and toss with the lemon juice. In a separate bowl sift the dry ingredients and add to the peach mixture. Pour the filling in the pie crust. Use the dough strips to create a lattice pie crust and sprinkle the top with extra sugar. Bake for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 F and bake for another 30-35 minutes. Let cool. And finally enjoy! It's delicious hot with soy creamy vanilla ice cream or cold with a yummy cup of coffee-dessert and breakfast the next morning!!
Perfect peach pie. Pie, pie, me oh my, I love pie!
San Francisco is my life
When I think of summer foods, fresh fruit, cold vegetable juice, light salads and such come to mind. Foods that refresh and energize you in the heat of the sunny season. Hot coffee on a cloudy day definitely does not sound like fun in the sun. However, this is how I spent much of the last month. Summer in San Francisco can be cold and windy. And it is impossible to resist the aroma and ambiance seeping from all the local, unique coffee shops throughout the city. For almost a year I have only enjoyed coffee on the weekends, replacing my daily morning cup of joe with a hemp protein shake during the workweek. San Francisco ruined that routine and I find myself again addicted to coffee. While I spent a month living in the city dancing for Post:Ballet, I couldn't help but be attracted to all the coffee shops-and not just the delicious coffee (and it better be delicious because you are dropping many pennies)...the decor, the people, the variety. So here I give you a breakdown of my favorite spots that I visited each morning en route to rehearsal in the mission. The studios were very close to one of my favorite streets in the city-Valencia. I good place to wander and shop for vintage clothes and of course get some coffee beans. A place that is always crowded and full of interesting folk is Four Barrel. Art on the walls, great music playing and huge roasting machines visible to the public make this cafe very unique and enticing. Their practices support social sustainability and fair trade and each cup is made with care. You might have to wait a bit longer than Starbucks, but the coffee is incredible and even beautiful...latte art can make each cup taste even better. Even though I wasn't a huge fan of the animal heads on the wall, the overall feeling of the place was great. Perfect for reading, catching up with a friend or just sipping on coffee people watching.
Another popular spot in Valencia is Ritual Coffee. My lovely hostess for the month swore by their beans and always kept a bag around the apartment. So I often made Ritual coffee at home rather than visit the shop. But it is another cute cafe with killer beans! Fair trade from Columbia-pricey but worth it. A great logo as well.
One of the dancers recommended a smaller coffee shop that her friend opened a few years ago. It was prefect for me because it was close to where I was living in Nob Hill. Contraband Coffee. It was among my favorites-great environment with high tables and bright natural light, beautiful latte art, a variety of beans, and vegan scones and muffins (always a plus for me). The soy latte was incredible and my favorite was a roast from Costa Rica.
Now to my favorite coffee shop in San Francisco...unfortunately I only discovered it during my last weekend in town and it was not close to anywhere I had to be-ever. My friend Jessica had heard about it and we finally got around to visiting it during the week of our shows. Sightglass Coffee. The full store was not yet open but the coffee was being served from a garage-type bar. The service was amazing and the baristas took the time to help me decide on a bean variety and how I wanted it brewed. Happy servers always make the experience more enjoyable. I decided on a soy latte from a Costa Rican bean. The foam was beautifully crafted, the coffee tasted amazing and I kept a smile on my face until the last bit of foam was gone. Sightglass scored extra points for the bike parked by the door-first bike I had seen with an adorable and functional "fanny pack" attached to the back.
And of course there are plenty of chain coffee shops lining the streets of the city. Peets Coffee and Tea sport a mean vegan gingerbread cookie (thank you Natalia for introducing it to me). Philz Coffee is also a hotspot and has twenty blends to choose from. All carefully crafted and handmade to accomadate whatever mood you are in!
I did eat when I was in the city as well...although I rediscovered coffee and tried not to eat out all that much, I could not avoid all the vegan restaurants in San Francisco. A new wave of restaurants opened recently on Folsom street and although many are meat heavy I was able to find many vegan options. One great place I tried was Zero Zero. Although it is mostly known for its pizza, the vegetable side dishes are amazing and change with the seasons. I heard about their brussels sprouts and I unfortunately missed them...but I did try a green bean dish that was out of this world! And a fabulous blackberry cocktail. Another enticing thing about SF is all the awesome bars and the libations they serve. Certain restaurants and bars have drink menus as long as novels! It's hard to choose sometimes. And I do not recommend letting the bartenders choose for you if you are vegan. I made that mistake after spending a few hours chatting with a certain mixologist. I felt confident that he knew my drink style and as he delivered a surprise drink of his choice I noticed a froth on top that could only be made by eggs...and yes the cocktail did have whipped egg whites. So beware if you are not into that. Otherwise...San Francisco cocktails are among the best I've had!!!
Another local organic spot that I tried in the mission was called Radish. The art and overall feel of the place was great...and the bottomless mimosas! I had a tempeh sandwich with vegetable chips that was pretty rockin.
As far as strictly vegan restaurants, Gracias Madre takes the cake. An all vegan, organic, mexican restaurant that ranks in my top five eateries anywhere. Seriously epic. Located in the heart of the mission, with a great outdoor patio, a local playing his guitar, a beautiful mural, and of course amazing food. My favorite dish is probably the sweet potato quesadilla appetizer. You must order this dish. It's incredible. the guacamole is also top notch, along with the vegetable tacos and grilled plantains. I would move to SF solely to eat at this restaurant weekly.
It was sad that I did not cook more over the past month but being busy, not having my own kitchen, and being surrounded by new places all contributed to this travesty. I did throw together a few new creations but I'll share them another time. For now, if you are visiting San Francisco consider these amazing spots...a few more to come along with pumpkin muffins, dance shots, and a coastal road trip !
long island is my life
Part two of my beautiful trip to New York. After a few days of gallivanting through the city, I ventured to Long Island for the weekend to see my roommates from Phoenix. Both of the lovely girls I live with are Long Island natives and we all coordinated a visit so I could check out their hometown. It was my first time seeing Long Island and I was ready for some beach and some guidos. The last names I hear when they are reminiscing about high school are truly absurd. They are all so Italian and lengthy, yet the girls blurt them out with ease and don't even think twice about it. Anyway, I hopped on the Long Island Railroad and was wowed by all the green on the island and the beautiful architecture of all the homes. Some were quaint and homey while others were quite large, but all of them had this old world, east coast style that was very unique.
Our first activity was attending the Belmont Stakes. I had never been to the horse races and this was a great one for my first time. Although the weather was not ideal for racing it was fun to watch all the horses, their jockeys, and of course the hats.
As far as the food goes, the girls were worried about accommodating my diet, as Long Island is known for its epic bagels and great delis. We did find some really good spots though. One cute lunch cafe was called Tigerlilies and had a bunch of vegetarian/vegan wraps and sandwiches. The juice bar was great and I even got a vegan chocolate chip peanut butter cookie. The best meal I had though was at a popular cafe called Toast. The wait for brunch was a bit long but we sauntered around Port Jefferson and the pier. After downing a delicious soy latte I ordered a tofu scramble (so glad to see that they had a vegan option). It had zucchini, spinach and some other veggies and came with a side of whole wheat toast and sweet potato fries. I ate every last bite and asked if we could come back the next morning, which we did! I thought I needed to try a different item on the menu even though the tofu scramble was calling my name. I opted for the baked oatmeal with cinnamon, apples and dried cranberries. They substituted soy milk for me :) It was very good and perfect for the chilly weather outside.
Long Island proved itself and I would love to go back when its a bit warmer. We were able to go to the beach but not enjoy laying out or putting our feet in the water. It was still gorgeous sitting by the water all bundled up.
After my brief stint on Long Island, it was back to the city. I was meeting my good friend Jennifer, who had flown in over the weekend. Being the huge foodie that she is, she picked a restaurant and was very considerate with my dietary requests. We went to Eataly, which is a large market full of produce, kitchen gadgets, books, and about 10 different restaurants and cafes. I arrived early and decided to start with dessert and wander around while I waited. The market was incredible and I was lured in by the gelateria. There were three non-dairy flavors and I settled on the banana chocolate after sampling them all. Amazing! When Jen arrived we found a table at Le Verdure, the vegetable restaurant within Eataly. The menu clearly indicated the vegan items and after careful consideration I settled on a raw vegetable salad with a lemon vinaigrette, and a couple of glasses of wine...obviously. I actually copied Jen (I trust her wine judgement) and ordered a rose that was very light and tasty. After dinner we headed to the coffee counter to get some espresso. At the waiters suggestion I got a shot of espresso with a shot of amaretto liquor. It definitely warmed me up and was the perfect dessert.
The following day I met Jennifer on the Upper East side near the apartment she was staying in to go to the Met and have lunch. The Alexander McQueen exhibit was featured and we both were dying to see it. Seeing his designs up close was incredible and although some of the exhibit was eery, I loved every minute of it. The clothes, the music, the projections...all very awe-inspiring. 
After the museum and since we were in the area I took Jen to this vegan restaurant that my sister found for me called Candle 79. I had gone a few days earlier by myself for lunch and had such a fabulous meal, I had to share the glory of their food with someone who would truly appreciate it. It is a bit pricey but the upscale environment and the delicious food combinations are worth treating yourself! My first visit I tried one of their many elixirs. It was a fizzy antioxidant drink with pomegranate juice, blueberries and mint...among other magical ingredients I'm sure. For my meal I ordered a plate that was huge and incredible. The pita bread was flaky and dense at the same time. The humus was topped with red pepper oil and olives. It came with a variety of vegetables for dipping as well. My favorite part of the plate, however was the roasted garlic. They roasted the entire head of garlic to perfection and each clove melted in my mouth!
On my second visit to this glorious vegan heaven, I got the black bean burger with a house salad. The burger was served on a whole wheat bun with polenta fries (amazing) and chipotle ketchup. The meal was even better than the first and I ate every bite! It was shocking that I still had room for dessert because it was quite a hefty portion, but I had to try something on the menu. I was having difficulty deciding between a strawberry rhubarb crisp and a chocolate sundae. The waitress suggested the sundae which was a huge, warm brownie, topped with marble sorbet, dark chocolate sauce, caramelized banana and candied pecans. Quite the combination! And yes all vegan! It was seriously out of this world but I had to look to my friends to help me finish the masterpiece. Jennifer loved her meal as well which was a stuffed avocado, quinoa salad. She took her mom back the next day I think. I spot everyone should check out!!
And that concludes the summary of my trip and all the wonderful food I ate. A true vacation of indulgence and deliciousness! New York truly touches all of my senses and makes me feel very alive. I cannot wait to return and have a whole different experience in the city! And hopefully some better weather on Long Island! New York-I love you.
new york is my life
Almost two weeks ago we closed our spring season at Ballet Arizona with a tough but very rewarding Balanchine program at Symphony Hall. As it was probably the hardest show of the year, I had to keep my focus as I started to feel the itch of summer vacation. With my job I am lucky to have about 2 and half months off and I feel like I am perpetually on a high school or college schedule. I usually commit to dancing on my off season but find time for scattered vacations here and there. I spent the last week and half in New York City, a place I have visited at least once every year since I was thirteen. Every trip offers something different as the city is so diverse and changing all the time. With my recent switch the vegan team, I discovered a whole new food scene in NY and found amazing spots all over the city. My first day in town I set out from the upper west side, where I was staying with my bro (well, my brother-in-law's brother, shout out to Grant-thanks again), and had no plan but to walk, shop, and eat. Within fifteen minutes I ran into someone I knew on the street (isn't that weird how that happens in such a crowded city) and scored some tickets to see NY City Ballet the next evening. After wandering to Lincoln Center, taking the train downtown, crossing town to shop on the east side, and exploring NYU I was a bit hungry. I saw Argo Tea Cafe and ducked inside to score some pomegranate ice tea (it was 80 degress so the ice was desperately needed)! I was thrilled to see many vegan options! They had fruit bowls and whole grain vegetable bowls and gave pretty detailed nutritional information for the entire menu. They even had vegan muffins (had to try one of course)...lemon poppy seed to be exact. I haven't had lemon poppy seed in years and this was amazing and moist!
My favorite shop of the day was recommended to me by my lovely friend Bree, called Tokio Seven. Racks and racks of vintage designer clothing, jewelry, handbags, and sunglasses. I spent at least an hour and a half combing each rack and trying on dress after dress (I was on a mission to find a birthday outfit for the next night). I finally decided on a striped button up (which I later decided made me look like Beetlejuice) and a pair of Penguin aviators-no dress :(
Dinner was at DOS CAMINOS. A mexican spot that was hopping. Margaritas, guacamole, veggies tacos! YUM
The next morning (June 8th-my birthday) I strolled around the corner from Grant's apartment to a famous cafe called Cafe Lalo. This cute french coffee shop has been featured in commercial and is best known for it's scene in You've Got Mail. Not much in terms of vegan fare, but it features coffee, teas, cakes, and pastries. I was content drinking black coffee and reading amidst vintage french posters. I considered getting an irish coffee but thought it was a bit early to start the birthday celebrations. They actually offered a dairy free cheese cake- but again too early for such a rich treat!
The rest of my birthday consisted of meeting Grant for lunch (Times Square is not so vegan friendly by the way), shopping (still no dress) and seeing a Broadway show, dinner, drinks, more drinks, even more drinks, bed. I haven't been to a show in a few years and I thought it was time. The obvious choice for me was How to Succeed in Business... featuring Harry Potter's Daniel Radcliffe (I'm a big fan so I was happy!)
The next day I was very late in getting up but needed to find a good spot to eat. I had found a vegan restaurant on the upper west side on my phone and decided to do a walk by. From the outside the place looked very nice and the menu sounded amazing, so I gave it a try. It was called Cafe Blossom- gourmet, vegan, organic cuisine. I was craving something very fresh and light, so I ordered a raw kale salad with candied pecans, jicama, carrots, red onion in a red wine vinaigrette. A lively couple next to me (when I say couple I mean gay man and his best girl friend) ordered tempeh kabobs and black eyed pea cakes that both looked amazing and judging by their excited groans and giggles they liked them a lot. I also ordered a large chocolate chip cookie and coffee for dessert (I have to make sure the vegan baking is up to par !) I was going to save half for later but who am I kidding.It was amazing and gone before you could say cookie monster.
I've got to say, New York knows where it's at and that was only three days in the city. The rest of my trip is coming soon. Stay tuned for a weekend in Long Island and my favorite restaurant of the trip Candle 79!!
fruit is my life
Since spring is in full swing and summer is approaching, I can't help but craving fruit, fruit, fruit. The heat is definitely on here in Arizona and there's nothing better than biting into a juicy peach or a cold, crisp apple. Since, I need more than just sugar, delicious salads and other light savory meals quench my taste buds--good thing since bikini season is approaching! This gorgeous spread was put together by my crafty sister Smyth for Easter. I could not go home for the holiday but I enjoyed getting numerous food and baby pictures via text message as I was trying to sleep in (my phone is set on some annoying church-like bell). I was very jealous of all that was being cooked, even though I did whip up some top notch french toast for my household. I did not record the beauty of this french toast but I will make sure to perfect it and blog it soon. I did make some very good chocolate covered strawberries! My fruit obbsession is even creeping into my dessert selections. A glass of red wine and chocolate covered fruit? Yes please. Easy enough right? And no one can resist. Melt some vegan dark chocolate, dip, wait with anxious anticipation, and devour!
Aside from fruit, another treat that spring brings is flowers. I can never resist buying flowers when I go to the farmers market. Particularly sunflowers. Sunflowers can make me happy anywhere, anytime. Someone recently asked me if girls really actually liked getting flowers from men...ummmm...really? DUH yes...flowers have some magical effect on us. I'm not even a sappy girl and I obviously welcome flowers from anyone! My sister came to visit a few weeks ago and brought I friend that I had never met. She is a florist and filled our house with the most outstanding lilies and tulips. The best part was that most of the lilies were wee buds when she placed them in vases. Then one by one they opened to reveal the most vibrant colors and life. I didn't even know I liked tulips until that weekend. Yasmine gave me a beautiful bouquet of purple tulips and white lilies. She also made some bad ass vegan cookies that I need to learn how to make and brought vegan challah--I didn't even know it existed and now I'm having dreams about it! Yasmine, you and your good vibes are welcome back anytime for kite flying and yummy food. 
On to some recipes! Since I am very bad at following instructions, I have a few original concoctions to share. Pizza of course--easy enough. I started with a vegan herb crust (store bought--the lazy way) and loaded it with a bunch of spicy stuff! This chipotle pizza is not for the meek! I covered the dough with a spicy salsa for the sauce, layered it with beet greens, kale, mini heirloom tomatoes, and topped it with red pepper flakes and hot sauce. Not the lightest meal but I think I had a rough day--needed to release my anger through cooking. But the end result was not too bad. Especially the next morning for breakfast! I love me a cold pizza!
Another delicious meal I recently made was an Asian noodle dish. My Aunt Mary made a similar pasta recently and I tried to recreate it with my own flare.
Ingredients:
Japanese soba noodles
sesame oil
liquid aminos
wheat free teriyaki sauce
sesame seeds
green onions
spinach
broccoli
I first sauteed some broccoli and spinach with the liquid aminos and green onions. Then I cooked up the buckwheat soba noodles and combined the sesame oil and teriyaki for sauce. Threw on the veggies and topped it with sesame seeds. So simple and soooo good. You can eat it hot or chill it in the fridge for a bit. I served it with mushroom miso soup and a side of seaweed cracker and wasabi peas. A very good Asian meal! I think it was even better the next day once all the flavors of Asia set in!!
Well that's all for now. Going to make some chewy orange, date, oatmeal cookies. Stay tuned.
coachella is my life
Recently I have found myself reaching for my 35 mm film camera instead of the digital Nikon I usually shoot with. When I shoot in film I choose my shots with more care and don't waste time reviewing pictures right after I take them. There is so much more excitement and mystery in film. I love the anticipation when developing and printing pictures. The shots that turn out well are special and I wish I could afford to always shoot this way. However, it can be time consuming and expensive. My last two weekend trips have definitely earned the special use of my 35mm. Actually it is my sisters old camera that I high-jacked and don't plan on giving back (sorry Whit)! So here are some of my favorite shots from my adventure at Coachella last weekend with my best and beautiful friend Ray.
pineapple is my life
So finally after almost 5 years of living in Phoenix I made the trip to see the Grand Canyon. I can't believe it took me this long! Anyone who tells you that it's just a giant ditch is highly mistaken. Truly one of the most amazing sights I have ever seen! So surreal and incredible. Definitely worth the trip. We made a few other stops along the way as well. There is an adorable little ghost town about 2 hours out of Phoenix called Jerome. I fell in love with this charming spots and can't wait to get my film developed. The town is a hidden gem with amazing views and a ton of culture. We tried some wine at Caduceus Cellars, owned by the lead singer of Tool, Maynard James Keenan, and featured in the documentary 'Blood Into Wine'. The wine was very good and the staff was extremely welcoming and fun. we also stopped into some galleries and even sat in on a glass-blowing demonstration. A very good stop on the way up to the Grand Canyon!
Caduceus Cellars
Glass Blowing Studio
Then we were off to the main attraction of our trip! We stayed in the Grand Canyon National Park at the Bright Angel Lodge and were able to walk out our door to the South Rim. Here are a few digital images from the trip.
Sunrise at Yavapai Point
Hiking the Bright Angel Trail
I took over 300 pictures both film and digital...much more to come!
Such an amazing trip! I can't wait to go back. One thing I do have to say about the trip is that there is not much in terms of vegan food in the park. Luckily I brought a few snacks but I mostly survived on grapefruit and trail mix for two days. But I do have some yummy recipes to share. I went through a cake phase a few weekends ago. It started when my neighbor asked me to make a pineapple upside cake which I have never tried before! But I was up for the challenge. We had a Friday night BBQ and it seemed like the perfect dessert to go with BBQ food. I also had a huge bag of blood oranges and decided to try some homemade sangria. My method was very random and I threw anything that sounded good in a big pitcher of red wine!
Beau's Blood Orange Sangria
2 bottles red wine (I used cabernet sauvignon)
4 ripe blood oranges cut into small wedges
4 shots blueberry vodka
a cup fresh berries (I used a blackberry, raspberry, blueberry medley)
I mixed all the ingredients in a large pitcher with ice and let sit for awhile. You can also add some type of carbonated drink to add some fizz. It turned out pretty delicious.
The pineapple cake was also pretty tasty and didn't last very long! The recipe is from a blog called Vegan Dream. (http://vegandream.blogspot.com/2007/10/pineapple-upside-down-cake.html) I left out the cherries and instead added shredded coconut to the batter and the top of the cake. It was a good addition if you are a coconut lover like me!
I made another cake the next morning with the rest of the blood oranges because they were going to go bad soon. This cake turned out a very weird color (slightly green) but was so moist and delicious! I left the glaze off the top just because. This blog is pretty amazing as well : Ramblings of a Vegan Man (http://veganman.net/archives/2009/01/18/blood-orange-cake). Enjoy!
Many more pictures to come from the trip! Canyons and cakes!
hiking is my life
This is a shot from a lovely little hike I took a few weeks ago. Well, it started out lovely, but two hours later a lost and confused Beau stumbled off the trail and into a residential neighborhood. It was my first time hiking at Squaw Peak and I was supposed to meet a group for a yoga hike. When it got canceled I figured I would just hike on my own-I mean how hard can it be when there are maps and trail marks etc. Harder than I thought apparently! The nature trail proved to be a bit boring as it was not very difficult, so I started on a different trail that had "loop" in the title. I figured a loop would bring me back to where I started. This trail was awesome and I got really into the hike. However, about an hour and a half later I checked my watch and realized I had a mani/pedi appointment with my roommates. I tried to finish the so-called loop and ended up asking a fellow hiker where the Dreamy Draw entrance was, where I had parked my car. It was not close...another hour trek over the mountain. So, I leaped off the trail and headed toward a residential neighborhood...sorry to whomever's driveway I intruded upon. I had to call my roomies in defeat and have them pick me up on 24th St and Lincoln. Needless to say, we were a bit late to our appointments and I was very dirty...sorry to the poor man that gave me a pedicure after hiking for 2 hours!
Anyway, onto some delicious food recipes!! Our soup of the week a pretty simple pea soup from the Soup Bible of Course. It was very vibrant green color and tasted amazing!
Fresh Pea Soup St Germain
Ingredients:
a small knob of butter (earth balance)
2 or 3 shallots
3 cups shelled fresh peas (we opted for organic frozen peas)
2 1/4 cups water
salt and pepper
croutons to garnish
1. Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Add the shallots and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the peas and water and season with salt and pepper. (We also threw a bouillon cube in there) Cover and simmer for about 12-18 minutes stirring occasionally.
3. When the peas are tender, ladle them into a blender with a little of the cooking liquid and process until smooth.
4. Strain the soup and heat through without boiling. Add the seasoning and serve hot with croutons.
I made some croutons by cutting whole wheat sourdough bread into cubes, rolling them in olive oil and garlic, and sticking them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. YUM!
The dessert this week was three dozen chocolate chocolate chip cookies. I needed to gives some friends treats and also just have some goodies around the house! I used a very simple vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe and tweaked a few things. The original recipe is from Hell Yeah It's Vegan (http://hellyeahitsvegan.com/?p=2055). Very simple and easy recipe! I just added a few scoops of cocoa powder and a bit extra flour because they seemed a bit oily to me. Turned out pretty amazing!
Cannot go wrong with these chocolate classics! I also experimented with a few recipes of my own. I was going to a baby shower and wanted to bring a snacky tofu dish. Why not fry some tofu and stick some toothpicks in it? I used extra firm tofu and drained it by pressing it between two plates. Then I cut the tofu into bite sized cubes. I made a marinate with liquid aminos and sesame oil, and let the tofu sit in it for a few hours. Next comes the fun part. I stir-fried the cubes in a little bit of live oil making sure each side of each cubes was cooked until brown and a bit crusty. I served the tofu cubes on toothpicks with a wheat free teriyaki dipping sauce. I loved them...very good for entertaining!
Try 'em out! And don't get lost hiking :)
curry is my life
So I know when you think of curry you probably think of some Indian style dish with veggies and rice-maybe something spicy-right? Well, you might be surprised or even disgusted to find out that the recipe I am about to share with you is actually for a cupcake. Yes-curry in a dessert. I stubbled across this recipe when I was searching for a birthday treat to bake for my roommate. I knew she likes coconut so I googled vegan coconut cupcakes and this appeared. I was very skeptical but I couldn't resist trying something so weird and seemingly random. I am very glad I did because the cupcakes turned out to be a hit and a recipe that I will definitely make again! Trust me on this one-they are goooood. There are three steps to these Thai Coconut Curry Cupcakes. Here is the link to the full recipe and process: http://thatsonetoughcookie.com/2010/05/08/coconut-curry-cupcakes. The first step is the curry cupcake batter, which is the part where the curry comes in. Second is the coconut creme filling-the part I thought Breanne would like. Lastly, you top it off with the tangy lime frosting. And of course some pretty garnishes (especially when they are a gift). I topped the cupcakes with some coconut shavings and a basil leaf. Beautiful, bold, and delicious!
As it is our Monday ritual to make soup and watch Gossip Girl I have a few very tasty soup recipes to share. Another part of my roommate's birthday gift was The Soup Bible edited by Debra Mayhew. A huge recipe book dedicated entirely to soups. So I suppose it was really a gift to our household as everyone has reaped the benefits of this glorious book. I also recently took a bread machine from my parents. Bread has been an amazing addition to Soup Monday-perfect for dipping! With the exception of one Tuesday (we switched soup day one week-not a smart idea) when we somehow botched the recipe and created a very unappetizing double batch of bean soup, all of the soups have been amazing. This past week we made Chinese Tofu and Lettuce Soup paired with buckwheat molasses bread. Very simple and so tasty!
Chinese Tofu and Lettuce Soup
2 tbsp peanut or sunflower oil
1 1/2 cups cubed marinated firm tofu (I marinated it in liquid aminos, sesame oil and umeshu vinegar)
3 scallions
2 garlic cloves, cut into thin strips
1 carrot, finely sliced
1 quart vegetable stock
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp dry sherry or vermouth
2 cups shredded Romaine lettuce
salt and pepper
Heat the oil in a hot wok. Add the tofu cubes and stir-fry until they are brown. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Add the scallions, garlic, and carrot to the wok. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the stock, soy sauce, sherry, sugar, lettuce, and tofu. Heat through for 1 minute over low heat. Season to taste, and serve.
The buckwheat bread was also delectable and hearty. This is a very light soup so it was definitely nice to have some carbs to go with it. I found a recipe but had to change a few things to veganize it!
Buckwheat Molasses Bread
2 1/4 ts Yeast 3 c Bread flour ( I just used whole wheat flour) 3/4 c Light buckwheat flour 1 ts Salt 4 tb almond milk 1 tbsp vegan margarine (earth balance) 3/4 c Water 1 tbsp flaxseed meal whisked with 6 tbsp water 2 tbsp Molasses
Put all the ingredients in the bread machine, starting with the liquids then onto the solids. Use the whole wheat setting and you are good to go! Three hours later-yummy bread and a house that smells like heaven! The leftover bread is amazing with earth balance, cinnamon and sugar and coffee for breakfast!!
Bread, soup and cupcakes- I could live off of this combo!
guacamole is my life
Mole-totes amaze. I don't know when the abbreviation fad began but it has caught on and clearly is not going away anytime soon. During Nutcracker, all the dancers were going a bit crazy (hearing the Waltz of the flowers repeatedly all day long will do that to you) and everyone began making fun of the new slang. OMG, LMAO, totes, fab, and so on. It got so out of and at one point that we started abbreviating one syllable words...makes no sense. My sister even dedicated her entire twitter to "abbreviate very word in the dictionary and incorporate said abbreves as often as possible". Anyway, one fun-filled and drunken night at the Powell house, while cooking some incredible enchiladas, the abbreves got totes craze and ridic. The crew included the sisters of course (Whit, Smyth and I), Levi (brother-in-law), his friend Gerard, the lovely Hannah and little baby Aven, sound asleep upstairs as her parents hosted a rager. We were invited over for "mole and enchiladas, and totes the best hun-degree jacuz in Ag Hills". As we munched on chips and guac, drank a bit too much vino, and waited impatiently for enchiladas, the following tweets were posted- mostly by Smyth (you can follow her-Smymaster) and myself (I started an account purely to read Smyth's posts):
"I guess giving away shrooms is kinda like a drug deal-lessons learned over a bottle of wine"
"You can edit a twit all day long-Gerard"
"I had to make sure he didn't puke on my banjo..."
"What kind of drugs did she do?...Not the skinny kind-Hannah"
"Who's Daniel?"
" 'scuse toot"
It was a good night-thank you Whit for cooking, Hannah for singing by the jacuz, Levi for dancing to the guetto blaster, Smyth for constant entertainment, and Gerard for taking a chance on the vegan food!
Chunky Guacamole
1 red onion
1 clove garlic
four large avocados
mini heirloom tomatoes
jalapenos
fresh lime juice
salt, pepper, and spike
pomegranate seeds
Mix it all together and what do you got- totes amaze mole. The pomegranate seeds are a nice touch-stole it from Barrio Cafe. You can also use dried cranberries.
Enchilada Sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 tablespoons self-rising flour 1/4 cup New Mexico or California chili powder 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce 1 1/2 cups water 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder ( I used fresh garlic) 1/4 teaspoon onion salt (I used one fresh onion and sautéed in with the garlic) salt to tasteDirections Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in flour and chili powder, reduce heat to medium, and cook until lightly brown, stirring constantly to prevent burning flour. Gradually stir in tomato sauce, water, cumin, garlic powder, and onion salt into the flour and chili powder until smooth, and continue cooking over medium heat approximately 10 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt.
When Whitney made the enchiladas she filled them with mashed potatoes and zucchini, which was delicious, but I made a tofu concoction the following week for my roomies. I sautéed onions and garlic in olive oil. Added black beans, greens beans, corn, extra firm tofu (crumbled) salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, hot sauce and a but of cayenne pepper. The filling was awesome! Fill 10-12 whole wheat tortillas with the tofu filling. Roll them up and place them in a large baking dish. Smother them in enchilada sauce and bake for 30-35 minutes and 350 degrees. Best served with Spanish wine or tequila shots (as pictured above)!
On the sweeter side, my most recent breakfast endeavor was crepes. I have never made them before so I was a bit scared but they did not disappoint. I got the basic crepe recipe from vegan yum yum- a blog that I highly recommend-there is also an iphone app !! Here is a link to the recipe: http://veganyumyum.com/index.php?s=crepe&searchbutton=Go%21
I used the basic mix but added my own filling. The hardest part was flipping the crepe of course! It took me a few times.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Do not get discouraged! I wanted something sweet so I spread some earth balance, squeezed some fresh lemon juice, and sprinkled a bit of brown sugar inside. I rolled them up and topped them with Marionberry Sauce-a syrup that Smyth handed off to me since I make so many pancakes!
A Saturday morning success.
gingerbread is my life
Happy New Year! As we ring in 2011 I have mixed feelings...slightly let down from the excitement of the holidays but also looking forward to a clean slate in the new year. This is the first year that I haven't written down any resolutions...I guess I couldn't think of one specific area to focus on in the upcoming months. Last year my resolution was to shop less. That lasted about four months...so this year I've resolved not to make any promises that I can't keep. But, I can help all of you out there whose resolutions pertain to diet. Vegan recipes are very healthy and can make you feel better and drop a few lbs that you may have piled on during cookie season (even vegan cookie recipes can be healthy!) December is such a busy time with Christmas shopping, family gatherings, and for me at least-two shows a day of Nutcracker. Barely any time to blog! So I saved some holiday recipes that I wasn't able to share-just in case you didn't get enough of the special treats that are always readily available during Christmas time. I'll start with a simple gingerbread cookie recipe that I sent out in some of my Christmas packages. Its very classic and reminds me of my mom's molasses cookies. One batch I used a cute little gingerbread man cookie cutter and another I made cookie sandwiches with peppermint frosting.
Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (white)
- 2 teaspoons ginger, ground
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 egg substitute (I used one tablespoon flaxseed meal with 3 tbsp warm water)
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 tablespoon vegan margarine, melted
- 2 cups flour
They are from vegalicious...the method can be found here (http://www.vegalicious.org/2010/12/10/vegan-gingerbread-cookies/)! I used a different frosting recipe for the cookie sandwiches though.
Peppermint Frosting
Melt one tbsp of vegan margarine in a small bowl. Add one cup of powdered sugar and a dash of non-dairy milk (I used low-fat vanilla almond milk). Add additional milk and powdered sugar until your desired consistency is reached. Add 1/2 tsp peppermint extract and all natural red food coloring if you desire.
One of my holiday traditions is making fudge for one of my besties Jennifer Ham. She has a thing for dark chocolate and reminds every year that she is expecting a tin full of my fudge for Christmas. This year she was particularly concerned about it since I am now vegan...would I still make her fudge? Duh. So I attempted to make vegan fudge in the hopes that it would live up to the fudge of Christmas' past. I think it did! I little harder to eat perhaps as it was not a firm but I plan on perfecting it for next year!!
Vegan Fudge Ingredients
4 cups powdered sugar ½ cup cocoa powder ½ cup nondairy milk 2 tablespoons nonhydrogenated margarine 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla ½ cup vegan chocolate chips
½ cup Ricemellow Creme
The method is from Cuisine Junction (http://www.cuisinejunction.com/vegan-fudge) I added extra dark chocolate and held out on a little of the powdered sugar! So Yummy!
Another dish that I have been making a lot lately is tofu scramble. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner-it works. Christmas morning my sister made a particularly exceptional batch. It was filled with onions, garlic, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, cumin, paprika, spike, heirloom tomatoes and perfectly crumbled extra firm tofu. But there was some other magical ingredient that separated this scramble from the ones I make at home...nutritional yeast flakes. These powdery yellow flakes give the tofu an almost cheesy texture and an extra punch of flavor. Scrumptous! I usually pair the scramble with tempeh bacon strips or whole wheat english muffins!
Now onto some good recipes for the new year! If you want to eat better its hard when you are at work or want to grab a quick bite. I try to make things in the morning and bring them with me to rehearsal or the theater. Usually some type of high protein grain topped with veggies, or a salad with tofu or tempeh. I recently made this tabouli salad:
Tabouli Veggie Pile
Ingredients
broccoli
onions
carrots
tomatoes
greens beans
spinach
pre-made tabouli
You can make your own tabouli but they sell vegan tabouli at most healthy markets and it's easy to throw in wraps or on a salad like this. I started by lightly steaming the green beans, carrots, and broccoli. Wash and dry the spinach and place in a bowl. Thinly slice the onions and add to the spinach. Throw the cooked veggies in. Slice grape or cherry tomatoes and add. Squeeze some lemon juice and olive oil over the top. Add plenty of tabouli and mix well! This salad is also good with quinoa if you want to add more protein.
And finally a starchy snack that is my most recent obsession. Purple mashed potatoes. I saw some purple potatoes at the farmers market recently and couldn't resist. A restaurant in Malibu called Coogies used to serve purple mashed potatoes with steak and I was always baffled by the color! My method is very simple...just cut the potatoes into large cubes and boil until tender. I leave the skin on because I like it but you can always peel it if you prefer. Drain the potatoes and mash adding dashes of non dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond milk) to soften the mixture. Add sea salt and garlic powder to taste. And that's it! A mouth watering pile of purple potatoes!
More to come soon! Next post: enchiladas and twitter! Stay tuned!
gravy is my life
I always love hearing dramatic Thanksgiving stories. In-laws criticizing their new daughter-in-law's cooking. Families fighting and screaming after two bottles of wine. Someone getting a turkey stuck on their head-wait that was in a Friends episode. Anyway, my family likes to keep it simple-most of the time. Aside from a few tense moments over god knows what, Thanksgiving was a success both in terms of food and family bonding. Even when my older sister shattered a glass jar of olives and yelled an odd saying I have never heard before (you know what I'm talking about sis) right at the height of the cooking, all was calm and forgotten a few minutes later. Although our dinner started 2 hours later than originally planned and our meal was slightly cold after going around the table and saying what everyone was thankful for, it was our best Thanksgiving yet! And with a new addition to the family, baby Aven, everyone was very happy and full. Aside from the turkey my mom made for the men in the family (which I tried not to look at) the spread was entirely vegan and organic. Here is the menu:
We started out with wine of course....lots and lots of wine!
mashed potatoes (made with Earth Balance and soy milk)
Real Food Daily gravy
greens peas
"creamed" kale and collard greens
Tuscan Tomato Bread stuffing
lemon sorbet (to cleanse the palette)
roasted carrots with onions and caraway seeds
sweet potato tempeh casserole
canned cranberry sauce (I'm obsessed with the canned stuff-I don't know why!)
apple crisp
pumpkin fudge brownies
Very hearty and very healthy! My contribution was the Tuscan Tomato Bread Stuffing, which I made in a previous entry as a soup (see Dates are my Life). Since it turned out more like a stuffing, I decided to make it for Thanksgiving.
This time we used 100 % whole wheat bread made fresh that morning by my wonderful sister that is a whiz with the bread machine. It turned out as delicious as ever even though by the time we ate it it was a bit cold (my dish was ready on schedule of course)! One of the other highlights of the meal was Smyth's "Creamed" kale. She got the recipe from Whole Food Kitchen. She used a mixture of kale and collard greens, which tasted amazing!
"Creamed" Kale
The roasted carrots were an invention of Whitney's and turned out so crazy good! I went back for seconds and thirds on these guys. She roasted several multi-colored whole carrots at 400 degrees until very tender. They were topped with olive oil, thinly sliced onions, sea salt, and caraway seeds. I would never have thought to put the seeds on, but the flavor complimented the carrots very well.
After the first meal, and seconds, and for a few of us thirds...we were stuffed. As is the point of Thanksgiving. But there's always room for dessert. A few hours later at least. This year we went for tradition and started with a simple apple crisp recipe. Smyth made this using a recipe from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch. The Skinny Bitch series is actually what made me go vegan initially. A blunt approach to vegan-ism and plenty of tasty recipes. I highly recommend this recipe, especially around the holidays-its hard to believe that there isn't a trace of butter in it!
Skinny Bitch Apple Crisp
Topping:
1/2 cup refined coconut oil (and more for the pan)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup oats
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup sucanat (or other dry sweetener)
Filling:
1 tbsp sugar (brown or white)
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
8 cups chopped and peeled apples
1/4 tsp salt
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon for the filling and mix. Add the apples, lemon, juice and vanilla and mix. Combine all the topping dry ingredients, then cut in the coconut oil and mix until it's all incorporated and the largest chunks are the size of peas. Oil an 8x8 baking dish. Put in filling and spread the topping evenly over the top. Bake for 40 minutes. Enjoy!
Smyth and I finished this off for breakfast in the morning as well!
The second dessert was equally as scrumptious, not as traditional. Whit made Pumpkin Fudge Brownies compliments of Post Punk Vegan Kitchen (http://www.theppk.com/2007/09/pumpkin-pie-brownie/). Amazing and super fudgey!
A success of a meal that took all day to prepare. Fun with the family and good food. It's all gravy!
carrot cake is my life
This beautiful spread of color and crunch is the vegetable crudite from True Food, one of my favorite restaurants in Phoenix. It offers many vegan and gluten-free options, but mostly promotes organic and fresh foods. Not to mention their bomb cocktails and tonics! I visited the restaurant when my sister was in town a week or so ago. Their unique dishes inspired me to be creative in the kitchen and utilize vegetables I don't use that often. As a result, many of the recipes I have tried have been very colorful. It has also helped to brighten my mood the past week. The cold weather and the exhaustion after the shows brought my mood down a bit, so I needed some color in my life!
Last week, the soup for Monday was a Thai Curry Squash soup my friend Jennifer kept telling me to make. The recipe was from Bon Appetit, her bible. She has never steered me wrong, so I thought I would give it a go. I usually stay away from squash because I had a bad experience about a year ago with a butternut squash. Not that they don't taste delicious-they are just messy and a huge hassle to cut. I had a battle with this butternut and almost ended up cutting my hand off. So, this time I used acorn squash because they seemed less daunting. However, they proved to be kind of b*tch to cut too. I even roasted in the oven first! But them I almost burnt me hand off trying to handle them straight out of the oven (patience is not my strong suit). After the annoying task of cutting...the rest was very simple and I would say worth the effort. Here is a link to the recipe: (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chilled-Thai-Squash-Soup-with-Yogurt-and-Cilantro-359252) The only change I made to vegan-ize the soup was to leave the yogurt off the top. 
Even better than eating the soup that night, was mixing it with vegetables and rice the rest of the week. It made an incredible and different dish. I started by sauteing onions in a bit of olive oil. I then added mushrooms, carrots, spinach, tomatoes, cilantro and a bit of the left over red curry paste. When that was all cooked up I added the curry soup and poured it over rice. Some variation of this was my lunch every day that week! The only problem was my house and probably my clothes smelled like curry for a while...the scent lingers.
Sticking with the soup theme, I'll move right onto this week's concoction: Beet Soup. I got a bunch of beets at the Farmer's Market and wanted to make a soup, hence beet soup. I looked up a few recipes and combined two that I thought sounded amazing. One recipe I found on a blog, but is originally from Yoga Journal. It is supposed to be a healing soup and boosts your immune system! ( http://www.wasabibratwurst.com/beet-soup-recipe/). I left out the yogurt garnish of course, and actually the dill as well. The other recipe I found was also not vegan (http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000000701069) but had a few ingredients that I thought sounded amazing. So I added one potato, a bay leaf, and garlic to the Yoga Journal recipe. For such a simple process and such few ingredients this soup is amazing!! Not to mention the gorgeous fuchsia color it came out to be. Be careful not to stain your clothes though...the color is very vibrant and I'm sure not easy to remove.
I also served it with some "bruschetta". I basically toasted whole grain bread and topped it with three amazing spreads from Dr. Hummus. Named the best hummus by Pheonix New Times, you can find this brand at the store or farmer's market. I bought vegan spinach artichoke dip that was out of this world, a cilantro hummus and a vegan tamponade. All three were gone in about two days. Highly recommended!
And the grand finale...dessert. Not just any dessert. Vegan carrot cake. The best carrot cake I've ever eaten. The best dessert I have ever made. If you are a baker you need to try this. I wanted to make a carrot cake because my sister's birthday is coming up and she requested carrot cake. I wanted to try a recipe to see if it was birthday cake quality. This one sure is! Worth every minuted of shredding those carrots. (http://hellyeahitsvegan.com/?p=1739) Hell Yeah It's Vegan is a blog a just started following and its become one of my favorites...check it ! I left out the walnut because I don't like em but do what you want.
Vegan Carrot Cake
2 1/3 c all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder 1½ tsp baking soda 1 tsp cinnamon ½ tsp nutmeg ½ tsp salt
6 tbsp flax seed meal 3/4 c warm water 1½ c sugar 1 c oil 1 tsp vanilla 2 c shredded carrots 1 c walnuts, chopped
Cream Cheese Frosting 8 oz vegan cream cheese ¼ c margarine, softened 1 tsp vanilla 2 c powdered sugar
thrive is my life
According to the dictionary to thrive is to make steady progress, to grow vigorously, or to prosper. Who wouldn't want to do that? According to Brendan Brazier, thrive is a way of life and a way to improve the quality of life and performance for athletes. He is a triathlete who follows a plant-based vegan diet and claims it is the way to maximize energy and keep the body lean, strong and healthy. A friend of mine leant me his book Thrive and I wasn't able to put it down or stop trying the recipes.(Thanks Rusty!!!) I always get sh*t from people about being vegan and getting the proper amount of protein etc. Well, this book definitely proves that a plant-based diet, when prepared properly is actually better for muscle recovery, natural energy boosts, and overall health. The diet plan is a bit intense but most of us are not triathletes, so you can cater the information to your needs. Whole foods in their most natural state provide the most nutrients and many of the recipes incorporate raw veggies and nuts. Here are some of my favorites!
The first recipe that I tried was the buckwheat pancakes. Of course I went for the sweets first. The book had several pancake recipes but I wanted to try cooking with hemp protein powder. They turned out delicious and you could barely taste the hemp at all!
THRIVE Buckwheat Pancakes
1 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup hemp protein
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 banana
2 cups water
1/2 cup barely falkes
I actually left the barely flakes out because I didn't have any handy. I topped my pancakes with strawberries and organic maple syrup. Another morning or afternoon snack/meal are the many protein shakes and smoothies. My favorite shake (which I've been making almost every morning before ballet and feeling great) is the chocolate hemp shake. The chocolate hemp powder is wuite a bit more tasty than the regular hemp powder. I usually blend 1 cup almond mils, 1 banana, 1 date and 4 tbsp hemp powder. I made one for my sis this weekend before hitting Camelback Mountain-she highly approved!
I've also tried the Green Smoothie, which is not as tasty but very healthy- blend 3 kale leaves, 1 apple, 1 date, 2 cups water, 1 tbsp ground flaxseed, 1 tbsp hemp protein, and 1 tbsp tahini. I added a bit of almond milk and agave nectar to make it taste a little sweeter!
As far as dinner items go, there are lots of pizza and burger recipes. I tried the Almond Flaxseed Burger and was pretty blown away. I was surprised at how great it tasted considering the minimal ingredients.
In a food processor, blend the following ingredients. Mold into a burger shape and either serve raw or cook the patties stovetop with a bit of coconut oil.
2 cloves garlic
1 cup almonds
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp oil (cocnut, hemp, vegetable)
sea salt
I cooked my patties, out them on a sprouted wheat bun and top them with pickles, ketchup and mustard. And a little Spike-of course.
And finally, last but not least, dessert. Banana Coconut Pie. I struggled a bit with this recipe and was surprised at how long it took, but I was very proud at the end. My first completely raw cake/pie. My problem was the size of my food processor. It was a bit small and my kitchen seemed to be covered with nuts and seeds and green powder. I would tweek a few things in the recipe next time if I were serving this at a party or something. It is very dense! But it is very nutrient rich and guilt free!
Crust: 1 cup fresh or soaked dried dates, 1/2 cup shredded coconut, 1/2 cup ground flaxseed, 1/2 cup hemp protein, 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger, 1 tsp lemon juice
Filling: 2 bananas, 1 pear, 1/2 cup shredded coconut, 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, 1/4 cup hemp protein, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger, 1/2 tsp salt
Topping: 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, 1/4 tsp cinnamon
I also topped the pie with some extra banana slices, cinnamon, and coconut to make it pretty ! I had a lot of extra crust as well, so I made some hemp protein bars. Yum Yum.
Enjoy!
tempura is my life
Happy Halloween! Anybody hung over? After a long weekend of costumes, Pauly D, breaking my phone, dancing to Daft Punk and way too much alcohol some good food is much needed! I suggest fried food and more alcohol. Yes, I said fried food...sometimes a little grease can go a long way to make you feel better. Last week I fried something for the first time in my life. I can't say it was a pleasant experience and I'm not sure I'll ever do it again...but if you are comfortable with hot oil coming at your face then you should try this recipe! I was inspired by a recent trip to Las Vegas where I dined at Shibuya in the MGM Grand Hotel. I was a bit self-conscious to mention that I was vegan but the waiter knew every vegan item on the menu and actually gave me the option of trying a vegan version of the vegetable tempura. I, of course, said yes, and it was every bit as delicious as any regular tempura I've ever had. I highly recommend this restaurant! The food and service were both top-notch. Anyway, I was cooking a friend his first full vegan dinner and I decided to give vegan tempura a go. I used a recipe for the batter from Vegan Yum Yum (http://veganyumyum.com/2009/02/vegetable-tempura/):
Tempura Batter
1 Cup Cold Water
1 Cup Flour
2 Pinches Salt
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1 Tbs Ener-g Egg Replacer Powder mixed with 3 Tbs Water
1/4 Cup Extra Water, if needed, for thinning
Instead of egg replacer I used ground flaxseed. I filled the pan with lots of vegetable oil and heated it to 350 F. Dropped the first piece of broccoli in the batter, then in the pan...popping and squirting and craziness occurred but with the help of my roommate we figured out a good system. She held the splatter guard, I dropped the broccoli in and she fished it out to cool. In the end it was delicious but to tell the truth I was a bit traumatized! I'll leave the frying to the pros. But try it for yourself. I served it with mushroom miso soup, a mixed greens salad and blackened teriyaki tempeh. 
If that's too intimidating for you, another good hangover cure is my recipe for Boozey Brussel Sprouts! Instead of a bloody mary, why not add some booze to your veggies! This is so quick and easy!
Boozey Brussel Sprouts
About 10 Brussel sprouts
white wine
oregano, salt, pepper
Fill a skillet with about an inch of white wine. I used a cheap Trader Joe's Pinot Grigio, but I've tried it with Chardonnay as well. Wash and cut the Brussel sprout into quarters and add to the wine. Cover and let them simmer until tender. Add the oregano, salt and pepper to taste. And that's it!
And last but not least, since I can't eat candy on Halloween, I have to make something sweet and yummy to satisfy the candy cravings that automatically come during Halloween. I chose to try red velvet cupcakes. The recipe I used is from the Babycakes cookbook. If you haven't been to the Babycakes in either New York or LA you are missing out! The pastries are all vegan and mostly gluten free! (http://www.babycakesnyc.com/) These are the ingredients:
Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes
dates are my life
This is Winston, sitting on my bed, ignoring my commands, and sleeping better than I have in weeks. He is punishing me for being out of town and busy. The only time he pays me any attention these days are when I am cooking-in hopes that some stray piece of food will slip out of my hand and onto the floor where he can snatch it up at lightening speed. Unfortunately, I have been using lots and lots of onions lately and last night a big chuck flew off my cutting board and was in his mouth in half a second. I found it later discarded under the dining room table. The next item he managed to steal was a garlic clove and then a slice of shallot...all discarded. Needless to say the soup I made was very flavorful and full of all these ingredients. The soup this Monday was vegan tortilla soup from the Real Food Daily Cookbook. One of the best vegan restaurants in LA in my opinion! I found a blog that had tested the recipe and tweaked it a bit and I tried the suggestions. (http://spiceislandvegan.blogspot.com/search?q=tortilla+soup) The soup was delicious but definitely a bit spicy! We ate it with organic whole grain tortilla chips from Traders Joe's and homemade guacamole. I tend to just throw a bunch of yummy ingredients in with the avocado when I make guacamole, but this one definitely stood out to me so I will try and remember what I threw in. I started with 3 avocados and added lime juice, one shallot, Spike seasoning, ground cumin and sea salt. The meal was amazing but left my mouth on fire!
And while we are on the subject of soups the previous Monday my roommates and I made a tomato bread soup from my Vegan Italiano cookbook. I am sad to say that it was my first time cooking from Vegan Italiano but happy to say how amazing this recipe was! Although I'm not sure I can really call it soup as the bread dominated the dish, which I'm not complaining about! Very filling though.
Tuscan-Style Baked Bread and Tomato Soup with Basil
1 loaf day-old peasant bread cubed
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes cut into chunks
1 cups fresh basil chopped
2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
2 tbsp dry white wine
Preheat oven to 350 F. Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a large ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes stirring after 10. Remove and toss with 1 tbsp olive oil, half the garlic, salt, and pepper. Bake for 2-3 more minutes and set aside. Meanwhile, in a large oven proof skillet, heat the remaining oil over medium heat. Add the rest of the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, half the basil, half the broth, the wine, salt, and pepper-simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the bread cubes to the skillet along with the remaining basil and broth, stirring well to combine. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Serve !!!
(before adding the bread)
(after adding the bread)
I even enjoyed it the next day cold and pretty soggy :) Now onto desserts!!! Last week I came into work and there was a huge container of dates up for grabs on the table. People always bring in treats for the dancers, but as these were not cookies or cake no one was touching them. So I took it upon myself to use them to their full potential. Of course after trying a few and falling in love with the heavenly honey flavor, I baked with them. On my lunch break I went home and made oatmeal cookies with a date jam topping. (http://www.myvegancookies.com/vegan-cookie-recipes/vegan-date-filled-cookie-recipe) The cookies were very fluffy and not too sweet. With the date topping they reminded me of fig newtons cookies (minus the fig part ?).
The second half of the dates I stole went to another batch of energy balls. I tried a new recipe with lemon and coconut! Amazing!
Lemon Coconut Balls
7 large honey dates
2 tablespoons almond meal
handful of raw cashews
lemon juice
unsweetened shaved coconut
Combine all the ingredients in a small food processor until well blended. Add extra cashews if you want a firmer texture. Roll spoonfuls of the date mixture into small balls and roll in the coconut until covered. Refrigerate and enjoy!
I highly recommend all of these recipes! Just don't let your dog eat the scraps!