gluten gluttony

okay. i’m obviously terrible at keeping up blogs but i’m not about to just give up because it’s been so long. defeat, never!

i’ve been doing a lot of stuff, actually, including sewing my own bathing suit. no kidding! i take one sewing class and there i go. i should really say that it’s more of a lounging suit because i don’t think the materials made for chemical waters… minor detail. i made it to look fabulous lounging at the pool in las vegas. once i have established a real pattern – there were some tailoring issues that i was able to mend but by no means should it be repeated – i’ll write about how i went about it.

in the meantime, i’ve been trying my hand at some flourless cooking. as mentioned somewhere, i suffer from some serious gas issues. so far, i’ve eliminated the largest culprit of milk, and cut down my red meat intake to almost nothing, save the hamburger here and there. there’s still something that’s causing it but i have yet to pin point what. with the whole ‘gluten-free’ craze (i know, i know. some people are legit allergic/intolerant), i asked myself if maybe i am affected by wheat. i honestly hope not because i love bread, and crackers, and pasta, and beer, and everything wheatywheatwheatwheat. sigh. that being said, it never hurts to cut back on things that may be in excess or to explore an alternative way of cooking/baking.

a facebook friend posted this recipe with a picture and it looked so good that i had to try it. not only was it super easy to make (bonus points for being able to use my food processor – that thing is magic), it passed the delicious test. bf had no idea it was made out of black beans and avocado.

 

marie! the baguettes!

although i’m nowhere near the connoisseur of a baker of my friend leanne, who has actually sold her baked goods with much success, i can still turn out a pretty tasty loaf of bread once in awhile.

my goal of this month is quite simple: no buying store bread. yes, there are local bakeries that offer a high quality, made in-house bread but i feel this is a skill that i want to develop and hone to perfection. i mean, if i survive the apocalypse, i want to have a skill that i can barter with. as i type this, it occurs to me that the ingredients might be hard to find but i’ve never been one for details. at least not in my imagination of the end of the world.

bread making is actually pretty easy but it does take patience, some may even argue time, but i think about what i would do otherwise with that time, i find myself agreeing that i would probably be lying in bed watching degrassi re-runs.

sew what

reason number four hundred and eighty seven that i love my neighbourhood: spool of thread.

(picture from sewaholic.net. click the link for more photos)

i passed this little place almost everyday since i moved into the neighbourhood, with the intention to go home and look up what it was all about. of course, everyday i’d get home and forget what the name of the place is. i have memory like a goldfish. once again, i blame my mother for this gene. i suppose i could have just gone in but i sometimes get intimidated by new places so i like to internet stalk and do some research before i venture in. i’m so brave.

moving on.

although it’s probably obvious, spool of thread is sewing related. actually, it’s all about sewing. it’s a sewing lounge that offers classes, sells fabric and notions, and a space to you can rent a machine and just sew with other enthusiasts. how was i so shy about going in! it’s kinda like the best thing ever for anyone who wants to learn to sew or that already sews. i am in the learning to sew category so to my delight, then month that i finally remembered to type ‘spool of thread’ in the search engine, they were having a sewing machine sale! obviously i bought one but what the heck did i know how to sew? i hadn’t sewn anything since my unevenly hemmed, fish covered, boxer shorts in grade eight home ec.

so you know what i did? i took  one of their sewing classes. lili, our instructor, was super encouraging and did an excellent job introducing us to our machines and the world of sewing. it was so much fun and satisfying to turn cloth into something useful. summer dresses, here i come!

dear friends and family, you will be getting reversible tote bags for christmas.

yogi bear

i hate yoga.

i hated yoga.

alright. none of the above is actually entirely true but it is something that i always want to exclaim whenever someone tells me they’re going to yoga class. like, why are you telling me you are going? how is that pertinent to the conversation? stop showing off that you’re enlightened and more flexible than me already. i dont’ care.

although i never really hated yoga, i never really cared for the weird, hippy, i’m-one-with-my-breath attitude that seem to go along with it. i didn’t like the non-smiling people with their gluten-free crackers or their green semolina sludge in a mason jar (okay. i’m stereotyping and i may have only encountered this type once or twice). they were rarely friendly, and glared at you if you tried to crack a joke. the uncontrollable urge to laugh always overtook me when it came to lying in savasana, or corpse pose, and my instructor would chant to each part of our bodies, “relax, knees, relax”.

i’m not sure when this all changed and i become more open to bringing yoga into my life. maybe it was when a couple friends became yoga instructors, inso making them into devout yoga practitioners from everyday people i knew. this, of course, made it harder to pass judgement and sneer at their lulu lemon wearing ways.

i also came to realise that those non-smiling people didn’t smile at me because they could see the unfriendly judgement in my eyes and, let’s face it, i can have some pretty judgy glares.i swear it’s an unconscious thing. i blame my mum. those are her genes. my kids are doomed.

my laughing and dislike of namaste came from my extreme self-consciousness of being in a room full of very bendy people. was everyone staring at me  because my legs violently shake during what seemed like a simple pose for everyone else? was everyone wondering how one person could sweat so much in a one hour class? of course the answer is no. they’re too busy trying to focus on their own breath and keep their own pose and maybe, just maybe, they were thinking that everyone else was thinking the same thing about them.

so yesterday, after getting over myself already, i decided to venture to a yoga class ON MY OWN. that’s some terrifying business. trying new things by oneself is always hard because you have nowhere to direct your nervous laughter except by saying weird and creepy things to the person standing next to you (“hehe. the red on the wall looks like the blood of my dog when she’s in heat” INAPPROPRIATE). but i sucked it up and grabbed my yoga mat and towel and ventured down the street to the new hot yoga studio in my neighbourhood. not gonna lie. i thought about turning back but then i reminded myself that if i didn’t like it, i could never go back and see these people again.

the owners of the studio were smiling and welcomed everyone as they entered with great big genuine smiles. you could tell they were delighted that their dream was coming true. they opened a yoga studio and people came. everyone there was super friendly and excited to one of the first people to try out the studio. after chatting with a few people about non-creepy things (point – tara), we all entered a dimly lit, humid and hot room. there was talking but quiet ensued immediately when our instructor informed us that this was to be a silent room. the next hour was filled with holding poses and breathing independently and as a group. maybe it was the large group of people, or the fact that it was dim, but i didn’t once feel self-conscious. i was finally able to enjoy the feeling of yoga that i had always scoffed at when others would describe it to me. i was proved wrong and this time i am happy for it.

 

 

c is for cookie

oh, why hello there! haven’t heard from me since last year! how rude!

just dropping by to say hello and i have not forgotten the few readers of this blog! i got busy, uninspired/inspired to write, not keeping up with goals blah blah blah. however, i have had a pretty rad last couple of months so i can’t complain. i was off livin’ life, yo.

once again, i felt the urge to post about the food i’ve been making, this time cookies i made sans butter and sugar. sacrilege, you say? sure. until you try them. they’re kind of amazing. i have been attempting (poorly. running in the snow, i don’t think so) to train for the sun run so have been looking for ways to meet my sugar craves and general cookie wanting, which seems to have increased since starting training. while i don’t advocate keeping any foods off limits because what a bore life would be, i do believe in moderation and these are perfect for helping keep that balance.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 ripe bananas. and i mean ripe. not just the skin dotted with brown marks but otherwise good and firm on the inside. i’m talking super soft, falls out off the skin ripe. the riper the banana, the sweeter the end result
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup almond milk (you could use regular cow milk or some yoghurt
• 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. less if you’re not a cinnamon fan.
• 0.5 tablespoon of nutmeg. this is the key. for years, i kept wondering why my cinnamon pancakes or cinnamon milk didn’t taste like it did when i went out for these things. i was missing the nutmeg! it’s a powerful spice so use with caution but most definitely do add
• handful of dried fruit. i chose raisons because i had a bunch leftover from christmas butter tart making. i really want to try cranberry next time.

METHOD

heat oven to 350 degrees. mash bananas till it’s a gooey blob. add milk, cinnamon and nutmeg. add oats and stir everything together until combined. let the concoction rest for about five minutes so that the oats can absorb the liquid. on a non-stick baking sheet, or a well-greased baking sheet, drop spoonfuls into cookie form. it should be holding together and spreading very little when you spoon it onto the sheet. if it looks like it might end up being a hard lump of oats when baked. add more liquid/oats to reach this consistency. bake for about 10 to 15 min or until the edges are golden brown. remove from oven and enjoy!

remember that there are no eggs in this recipe so don’t worry if you’ve under baked them and they’re a little too soft. you can also just throw them back in the oven, obviously.

i find these are good for those moments in between meals at work when i’m feeling peckish or just need something sweet to satisfy myself.

look! a picture!

 

drip drip no more

i’m sick. it sucks. however, i’m happy that it’s just a cold and not the flu. however, i didn’t come here to whine but to tell you about my discovery: the neti pot.

i can’t believe i was weirded out and scared of it before. my former roommate had one and while i never saw her use it, it was pretty much just a little teapot in our bathroom, it just grossed me out. i mean, snot is gross. it’s smelly and slimy and never stops coming out of your nose when you’re sick. it creeps down into your throat where you can taste it, it gets stuck in your mouth when you’re trying to hack it up, it’s just. so. gross. so why would i want something that would almost ensure that i would have to deal with snot other than with a tissue? sure. i’d read about the benefits of a neti pot and how it’s terrific if you have allergies and when you have a cold to flush out your sinuses but i resisted. now, cut to me having a cold and wondering what i can do to clear out my sinuses without medication. a good friend swears by nasal rinse via spray bottle but nasal spray bottles remind me too much of having sinus infections as a kid and being forced to squeeze terrible liquid up my nose. it hurt and it smelled weird. so sprays, to me, were out of the question. then there it was in the back of my mind, what about a neti pot…?surely, it couldn’t be THAT bad. people use them every day and swear by them. but could i do it? could i get over the ick factor and just try it? could i admit that i was wrong for judging it so quickly and so harshly?

oh, yes i could.

i went to the pharmacy to pick up some night/day pills because, although i usually hate taking any kind of medication, there is only a month and half left of work and i don’t want to have to call in sick. plus, those night pills really do help me sleep better (drugs for the win!). in the same aisle happened to be the sinus rinse solutions. oh, and there it was. the neti pot. on sale. how could i not?

i bought it. i brought it home. i opened it. underneath all the million little sinus rinse packets (seriously, there’s like over fifty in there), it didn’t look menacing at all. it was just a cute little blue teapot for my nose. i read the instructions. i filled the pot, 240 ml of warm water, and added one of the packets and shook it all up, as per the instructions. i put the spout to my nostril and aahhhhhhhh so gooooooood.

it didn’t feel at all like i thought it would, like getting water up your nose when you try and do a summersault in the pool. in fact, you couldn’t really even feel it. it just poured out your other nostril. the feeling came after when you finished rinsing out both nostrils and you snotted all the guck out of your nose. so fresh! so clean! such relief.

how had i resisted so long? neti pot, you’re the best. i can’t wait to see what a difference it makes in my every day life and especially during allergy season.

i never should have doubted the neti pot.

 

the end.

i want to ride my tricycle

okay. i’m supposed to be cleaning up my apartment right now because my place is playing host to a clothing swap. not that i haven’t done ANYTHING productive today. i’ve completed two loads of laundry and taken out my garbage. i’ve also sent out a few important emails and had a good long chat with my moeder. surely this constitutes as productive?

i am here to set a new goal: i am going to post something every week.

i was going to do a thirty day blog challenge, where i would blog everyday, but i know myself better. it would be like the time i thought i would run for 20 minutes everyday but after day two and wanting to puke at the sight of my runners, i gave up. rather, i will approach this like i did riding my bike; i will make the goal of doing it weekly, as to make it a simple habit rather than a chore.

so here i go!

as i already mentioned, i took out my garbage today. what makes this trip particularly special is that i found a red tricycle!!! no kidding! it was just sitting there next to the bin, clearly destined for the dump. clearly destined till i came along! unsurprising to most, i scooped up the wittle wed twike and took it back with me.

it makes a lovely plant holder, no?

 

 

passing it on

another post already?! what is going on up. in. here?

i love hummus. could, would, and have eaten it all day. with what? with pita, with bread, with carrots, with celery, with crackers in sandwiches, as a side, as a topping, alone, THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS!

loving hummus so much, i’m always looking for recipes that can do nothing but add (so far) to the tasty goodness that is this mediterranean piece of heaven.  okay, okay, y’all gets it. i likes the hummus. making something i can’t even remember, so, you know, a memorable dish, i ended up with leftover pumpkin filling in a can. initially, i wanted to make loaf. wait a minute! i remember now. this happened in the reverse: i wanted to make pumpkin hummus but then the leftovers ended up being a vegan pumpkin loaf. and it was memorable! kinda. sorta. well, i remember it now so there! i also babble like this in real life. let’s just forget the why and wherefores and just give you the recipe already:

PUMPKIN HUMMUS

1 can chick peas, drained
1 can unseasoned pumpkin puree 
2 tbsp tahini 
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
juice of half a lemon, more if you want it more lemony
½ tsp  salt
½ tsp  ground cinnamon
½ tsp  ground nutmeg
¼ tsp coriander

put it all in a food processor and blend it until its nice and creamy. serve with bread, pitas, crackers, or veggies. i also added a dash of cumin as it is a usual suspect in most hummus recipes. i really like how creamy the pumpkin made this hummus and i throughly enjoyed each and every bite. 

bonus recipe!

say whaaaaaa? more like tara does not want to be harassed anymore for the recipe *cough*asia*cough*

i occasionally work on a food show and besides having a drooling mouth all day, it also provides some ideas for vegetables that i never would have thought of on my own or to look up. cue: beet fries. having recently fallen in love with this lovely, magenta root vegetable, imagine my delight and envy when the food truck was serving up beet fries. both emotions were of the intense variety. but not creepy intense. at least i don’t think so. inspired and with beets in my fridge, i went home in excitement to try it out. 

this is what i did with great success:

BEET FRIES

cut your beets into fry wedges. toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. spread out on a baking sheet covered in parchment if you have it available, if not (i didn’t), you will be fine. cook in 400F oven for 20 minutes. remove, flip over, and cook another 20 minutes. i broiled them for the last few minutes to make them extra crispy. 

sadly, i have no pictures of either. BECAUSE I ATE IT ALL.

shame soup

okay, okay. i’ve now been publicly shamed by leanne in her amazing blog that if i don’t post, well, i’m pretty sure we’re not going to be friends anymore.

fall is soup season. last fall, it’s safe to say that i ate soup almost everyday. i like soup because it often requires few ingredients, little prep, and fairly hard to mess up, especially if you use a pre-made broth.

the decision to make pepper soup came from having bought one of those dollar bags full of peppers but only using half at the time of purchase. needless to say, those things were going to have to be consumed somehow otherwise i’d be throwing away 60 cents and insulting truly hungry people everywhere. the soup i ended up making is not for the faint of heart. that thing packed serious heat; however, i’m sure that it can be adjusted for those with a less spice inclined pallet. this recipe was also a bit labour intensive compared to other soups i’ve made but it was totally worth it.

red pepper/capsicum soup
(adapted from monsoon spice)

ingredients:

4 medium peppers/capsicums
4 medium tomatoes
1 medium red onion sliced
½ tsp dried mixed herbs (as it doesn’t specify any particular one, i just used my favourite)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp curry paste (depending on how spicy your curry paste is, i would add to taste rather than just putting it all in there at once)
½ tsp red chilli paste (failing to write this down on my shopping list and not having any at hand, i used sambal olek, hence the heat. add to taste.)
4 cups vegetable stock/water
1 tsp sweet chilli sauce (only now just realised that i never added this…)
1-2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper for taste

method:

cut the red peppers into quarters. remove the seeds and roast them in an oven until its skin blackens and blisters. cool the peppers slightly before peeling its skin. i thought this was going to be a pain but it really turned out to be quite easy.

in the meantime, mark a small cross on top of each tomato and place them in a bowl of boiling water for about 3-4 minutes. this will allow you to peel the skins of the tomatoes. drain, cool and peel the skin of tomatoes. cut these tomatoes in half and gently scoop out the seeds using a small spoon. skinless tomatoes are kinda gross feeling but look past this and keep going.

heat oil in a pan and add crushed garlic and sliced onions and sauté it on low flame for 1-2 minutes. add dried herbs, curry paste, chilli paste, chopped tomatoes, red pepper and vegetable broth and mix well. bring to boil, reduce the heat and simmer for another 5-6 minutes. remove the pan from heat and allow it to cool.

using a hand blender, or food processor if you do not have such a wonderful and fabulous tool at hand, which, by the way, you should get if you don’t, it’s amazing, puree soup until smooth.

return this puree to a pan and add sweet chilli sauce (if you remember) and salt and pepper to taste.

sum of many parts

what the heck. i swear i had updated less than a month ago, but apparently not.

it would seem that i started a bunch of posts but then never followed through.

here’s a few in their lazy non-edit form.

date: june 15, 2011

my little sister graduated high school!

it started with an hour and half long mass and was followed by the actual convocation, with each graduate receiving the folder that they will eventually place their dogwood diploma in one they’ve completed their final exams.

the mass was, well, a catholic mass. the priest told a story about an eagle that ended up living with chickens but one day discovered he was different from his fowl family, learned to fly and took off into the clouds. the priest then explained that they should BE the eagle.

confused?

me, too. i interpreted the story of the chickens embracing the eagle despite his differences and how we should never forget the family that loves us despite our oddness. apparently, i was wrong. if you’re different, you must leave to find where other people are like you. i guess this makes sense, too, but i dunno. this story seems to easy to take liberties with. or maybe i’m just a bad catholic. though, when you think about how the bible gets interpreted, perhaps this shouldn’t be so much of a surprise for me. the priest sermon was exceptionally long and every time i thought he was done he would take a deep breath and continue on with an “and so…” you know it’s bad when the other priests sitting behind him are looking bored.

the convocation itself was fairly informal, as they were running behind because mass ran long and they had a hundred and fifty kids to hand out diplomas to. plus, there was the giving out of awards and scholarship mentions. the valedictorian gave the obligatory “i couldn’t find anything on the internet/ had to turn to books/ aren’t i a self-aware teen/ we’re the best class ever” speech but it was still touching, especially when she reminded everyone of a classmate they had lost just two years prior. the principal gave a moving speech to about how we should remember that even though they are now moving on to their adult years, don’t be so quick to disregard the advice of those who have travelled before you for they have experienced things that can help you achieve your dreams.

and then it ended. the kids through up their caps and proceeded out of the audiotorium to take pictures and scream and shout. i couldn’t help but think of my grad. i don’t remember much, to be honest. i remember not really caring that much because i was so ready to be done high school. i remember i had these terribly ugly white chunk, square toe high heel. so gross. i remember i decided to wear my hair down in it’s natural triangle form that did not make for good pictures. i remember feeling a sense of relief that it was all over and that now i could start living life like i wanted.

it was a strange feeling to be back in those memories. mainly because i can’t believe it was ten years ago that i graduated high school.

—–

date: september 14th, 2011

this morning i woke up and peed pink. i panicked and was like, oh goodness, i’m peeing blood, i’m peeing blood, i’m peeing blood. after racking my brain for any symptoms that i may have missed – was that cramp from walking or my appendix?!? – i remembered that i had eaten a substantial amount of beets.

——

date: september 15th, 2011

i made miso gravy the other day. it was delightful and i would even be willing to say that it is better than meat gravy.

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1/4 tsp sesame oil
1 clove of garlic, chopped

1 cup water

2 tbsp miso paste

1 tbsp sambal olek

1 tsp honey

1 tbsp cornstarch

over medium heat heat oil and add garlic. when garlic has browned, add water and then miso paste. whisk until miso paste has dissolved. add honey and sambal olek. whisk until mixed. slowly add cornstarch until reached desired consistency.

it really is that easy! the measurements are what i used but can easily be altered to taste.

——-

haha! a whole entry made from drafts!

i’m awesome?