Ch-ch-ch-changeeeees. And soup!

I'm back, bitches!

I know - I was gone a month. Know what kind of blog no one bothers to read? One that bails for a month. 

But I've been BUSY. Ish. 

Things that I have been doing

• Yesterday I finished my 40 Days Challenge, which involved doing yoga 5 days a week. I accidentally found an oblique muscle the other day and nearly fainted with surprise.
• I can do a headstand now! Well, with the wall. Most of the time. 
• I decided to graduate to a big-girl apartment. Unfortunately, the washer/dryer and exposed brick and 16 foot ceilings and stainless range hood also come with an electric stove. BLEEEEGH. But, my pictures should look better starting in July.
• I have spent 90% of my free time pinning shit to my 'fancy furnishings' board on Pinterest for said new apartment. It's ridiculous. Ridiculous enough that a friend I haven't talked to in 3 months that lives 5 hours away emailed me and said, "Uh, so I'm assuming you're getting a new apartment?"
• A juice cleanse. Three days of just juicing and raw fruits and vegetables. Oh, and the 6 ounces of coffee and 2 crackers and tablespoon of peanut butter I had. Plus the slice of pizza and 8 ounces of beer I had on the last night. I suck at juice cleanses. 

Things that I have not been doing

• I haven't cooked shit. 

In the spirit of my total inability to focus on one thing, I've decided to change up the blog a bit. More posts, more often, with less length (maybe, I'm long-winded if you haven't noticed) and a wider variety of topics. I will still do a LOT of food stuff. I love food (see earlier juice cleanse evidence). But I also love dogs and design and cool shit. 

So in an effort to be less absent and shitty and boring, I'm mixing it up. I know - I thought, "won't people be upset? Aren't people looking for food when they come here?" And then I remembered no one reads this shit since I haven't posted in a month and that it's mine and I can do whatever I want anyway. Similar to how I bypassed my sprouted grain cereal with organic milk and bananas as breakfast for cold parmesan bread bites from Dominos that had been sitting out overnight. I CAN DO WHAT I WANT.

But for now - how about a recipe? This one's been in the hopper a while and even though the warm weather is upon us, I think it bears sharing. 

Quinoa and Potato Soup with Spinach and Roasted Garlic

 You'll need: 

• 1 head garlic, roasted
• ½ white onion, diced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium butter potatoes, diced small
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 tbsp Adobo seasoning
• 1/ tsp pepper

Start by roasting your garlic. Slice the tops off of the whole, unpeeled head. Lightly cover the exposed areas with olive oil, wrap it in foil, and pop it in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes. It should look caramelized when you take it out and be very soft. Set it aside to cool. 

I would recommend that you multitask and roast the garlic while you prep the rest of the ingredients, but I'll assume you're not an idiot and you already thought of that. 

Heat the tbsp of olive oil in a stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until just translucent, about 3-4 minutes. 

Add the vegetable stock in bring it to a simmer. As always if, you use broth and not stock you will end up with MUCH saltier soup. You may want to pull back on the adobo if you go the broth route. 

Add your roasted garlic by squeezing it out of the skin and into the pot. If the big chunks aren't your thing, you can press them with the back of a spoon to help them break down. 

Add the potatoes and simmer until almost cooked through, about 10-15 minutes depending on the size of your chunks. 

Stir in the fresh spinach (in batches, if needed) and let it wilt. Once wilted, add your quinoa, Adobo, and pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste. If you don't have Adobo seasoning - get some. It will be in the international or Hispanic section of your grocery store. And an alternative to that - it's pretty much salt, garlic powder, oregano, and a little tumeric. Play with those seasonings until you get something you like. 

Serves 4. 

Shut Up and Cook version here. 

40 Days and Spring Quinoa with Lemon and Peas

Uhhh yeah. Sorry about the absence.

But I've done something. And it's either going to make or break me.

I'm a pretty frequent yogi. By 'pretty frequent' I mean that I go through spells where I go a few times a week for a couple months and then fall into a pattern of putting on sweatpants and laying down after work for the next 6 weeks, covered in potato chip crumbs. Toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe.

I have visions of being this delightfully lithe, calm, glowing woman, and yet I can't seem to get it to materialize. (Note: this may be due to not actually trying.) About a month ago, in a moment where I was feeling particularly adrift, I decided to go after that image. Hard. 

My local Baptiste-style power vinyasa began advertising a 40 Days Challenge. For 40 days, you commit to doing yoga 5 days a week, plus one studio-supplied workshop on nutrition or poses or meditation. I hemmed and hawed for a week or two. Finally, the thin, strong angel yogi on the my shoulder shoved the potato-chip crusted devil out of the way and I signed up. 

In case you care, I'm 4 days in and its going well. I had a brief moment where I felt like my arms had fallen off, but that seems to have passed. My posts for the next few weeks may be shorter and less frequent, but I'll stick with you. And if anyone wants to follow along at home, I encourage it. Let's see who we are 40 days from now. (Note: probably still hungry and full of sass. I hope)

Let's kick things off right with a little Spring Quinoa with Lemon and Peas.

You'll need:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ medium white onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ½ c frozen (or fresh) peas
• ½ c vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• 4 tbsp lemon greek yogurt (I prefer Chobani)
• 3 cups cooked quinoa (I did mine in the rice cooker using a 1.5 water : 1 quinoa ratio)
• 4 radishes, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp fresh Italian parsley, minced
• ½ cup queso blanco, minced or shredded
• salt, to taste

Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent, 3-4 minutes. 

Add the vegetable stock and peas, cook for 5-7 minutes until peas are heated through.

Mix in the sour cream and yogurt. Salt to taste.

Mix the yogurt sauce with your quinoa. You can heat your quinoa up first (which will melt the cheese), or leave it at room temperature.

Finally, add the queso blanco, parsley, and radishes. 

Serves 4. 

Less existential version found here.

How to make tempeh not shitty and a recipe.

I love me some tempeh.  

I was reluctant to try using it for a long time. What the f do you do with a brick of fermented soybeans?  A few years ago I finally sacked up and tried it, and I've been on the tempeh train ever since. 

A lot of people have a bad first experience with tempeh.  If not prepared correctly, it can be bitter and tasteless. Fortunately, my first recipe called for the tempeh to be marinated, which is common.  In order to get it to absorb the marinade more completely, you steam it first. That folks, is the key - steam it first, no matter what you're doing with it next.

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