you say tomato, I say delicious!: 100% organic, 95% local tomato sauce

Hello, August! In the land of food, August is the month of tomatoes. For the first time in my life, I have a ridiculously bountiful collection of tomato plants in my garden, which means my countertops are constantly full of the juicy, red beauties.

perfect summer soup: roasted beet borscht

Beets, oh, beets. With superpowers like blood cleansing, how have they been the underdog for so long?   Beets have a starring role in our household and I'm finding some great new ways to experiment with them like ... beet croutons! Get outta town (thanks, Eleonora, for the suggestion :)).

the elixir of youth: kombucha!

The fountain of youth. People have been searching for it for centuries. Does it really exist? Who knows. So while we wait for someone to locate the fountain, we can settle for what I call the elixir of youth, more commonly known as kombucha. 

Homemade raspberry, mango and strawberry kombucha

planting, watering, and composting ... oh, my!

A lot has happened garden-wise since my last post. Just wait until you see some of the photos! M and I have probably spent 25 hours over the past few weeks developing our green thumbs (and sore backs, bruised knees) tilling, weeding, building beds, mulching, spreading soil and planting. It's no surprise I have developed a newfound respect for famers, especially the ones that adhere to organic farming methods, and I'm wearing my cuts and bruises like badges of farmer-girl honor.

And now that most of the hard manual labor is over, I've been basking in the excitement of literally growing my own food.

Rows and rows of veggies

the foundation of eating good food: planting a garden!

A lot has happened since my last post: Spring has sprung in lovely Howard County, M and I joined a CSA (Gorman Farm in HoCo), we also joined a community garden and have ourselves a 20 x 25 plot for the next few seasons. I've also made it over halfway through the spring semester in grad school -- hallelujah!

Happy cucumber seedlings

vegan musings

Well, my friends, I have survived a month-long vegan diet. In doing so, I learned several things:

1. I'm a better cook than I originally thought.
2. It's really time consuming to cook something from scratch every day.
3. Blogging takes longer than the 10 minutes per post I thought it would.
4. Eating vegetables gives me a different kind of energy, one that's impossible to get from animals.
5. Cooking is therapeutic, cleaning up is not.
6. Most importantly, sticking to a vegan diet sparked an internal debate about the ethics of eating animals (and animal products).

day 30!!! lentil salad and mashed sweet potatoes

It's the very last day of my vegan challenge. It's also the day before I run a very long distance -- 16 miles. So in preparing to fuel my body with glycogen, I wanted to make something carb-heavy without feeling heavy after consumption. 

The result: lentil salad and mashed sweet 'taters. Mmm.

day 29: 'chorizo' breakfast scramble

I'm making a conscious effort to try and eat breakfast every day. I know the benefits and importance of eating breakfast, and sometimes I get carried away in the rush of the morning and leave the house without it. Today I woke up craving something hearty, which is interesting considering that the weather has been so warm.

day 28: spring rolls: take two

Last week I hosted a lunch for my friend Lindsay that included some delicious cabbage slaw rolls. Since it was the first time I made rolls, they weren't as beautiful as I had imagined. Tasty, yes. Pretty -- well, that depends on your definition of it. So I wanted to take a second stab at it and make a more traditional (and hopefully prettier) roll. 

Voila! I think they turned out nicely!

day 27: maple glazed walnuts & savory spiced almonds

This post will change your life. And for some of you, not in a good way. That's because you won't be able to stop eating these walnuts and almonds.

day 26: blueberry breakfast quinoa

Some of the reasons I adore the weekend is because I can sleep in (at least on Sundays), and have time to make a good breakfast. When possible, I like to start my day with protein not in the form of a shake, but real food.

So I've pushed my hearty-comforting-in-the-winter oatmeal aside and let quinoa take center stage in the form of blueberry breakfast quinoa.

Day 25: Israeli Cucumber Pickles

I found a great recipe for homemade pickles and they are finger lickin' good (not to mention simple to prepare, too)!

day 24: rice paper moo-shu rolls, miso soup, forbidden rice salad, and green tea cupcakes!

Today was a very special day: lunch with Lindsay. Not only is Lindsay my old college roommate, she's smart, gorgeous -- both inside and out -- a fearless woman warrior, and kindred spirit (yes, I referenced Anne of Green Gables). Let's just say if a zombie apocalypse were to happen, I'd want Lindsay holed up with me :)

I decided to go with an Asian theme for today's feast, which included: miso soup, rice paper moo-shu rolls, forbidden rice salad, and green tea cupcakes. And what a feast it was!

day 23: red beans and rice

Beans, beans, they're good for your heart . . . they're also a culinary staple in almost every culture and yet I find myself neglecting these healthy legumes. Sometimes I get too comfortable cooking what's familiar and forget that the unfamiliar doesn't mean complicated, and that the unfamiliar is delicious (and nutritious).

Take rice and beans, for example. Simple and tasty, not to mention a complete protein!

day 22: spinach salad with cherry vinaigrette

Cherries remind me of The Land Before Time. Boy, did those baby pterodactyls love cherries. And for good reason. Cherries are delicious! They're also expensive, which is why I don't buy them often. Well, I got my hands on some cherries earlier this week and instead of rinsing and eating them one by one straight from the colander, I wanted to spice things up and try something new. 

Say hello to my little friend -- cherry vinaigrette, that is. 

day 21: almost instant rice noodle soup

Ramen and I go back . . . way back. To third grade when it was a special treat for lunch. Or to college when it's all I could afford to eat without starving. No matter how much it grosses us out now that we're well-educated, wise nutrition-decision-making adults, it still calls to me every once in a while. And tonight was one of those nights.

Turns out, I didn't have ramen in the pantry but I did have an instant rice noodle soup bowl that looked pretty enticing. As I stood in the kitchen looking at the ingredients, I thought to myself, I can make a similar noodle bowl without the ridiculous amount of sodium and freeze dried vegetables. So, I did. And it was gooooood.

day 20: spanakopita ... mmm

After a very long weekend of classes, I woke up today feeling energized and ready to cook some mmm, mmm good food! I was craving something warm and savory to balance the dank and foggy weather outside. And while I wanted to fill up on greens, but not in the form of a green smoothie, there needed to be a different avenue for the multiple bags of spinach in my fridge.

Enter: spanakoptia, otherwise referred to as spinach pie. Opa!

day 19: banana 'nice' cream

Today was the start of spring semester, which means busy. And what's better than eating leftovers when you're busy and don't have time to cook? 

But, as luck would have it, not having to cook for lunch meant I had some extra time to spend on dessert, which is exactly what I did. 

Imagine a dessert that's healthy, raw, (processed) sugar-free, sans chemicals AND delicious. Sounds too good to be true, eh? 

Well, my friends, say hello to banana 'nice' cream. 

day 18: panko-crusted eggplant cutlets

Eggplants can be as equally tasty as they are pretty, especially when they're breaded in panko crumbs and sauteed.

day 17: fusili with artichokes, olives & sun-dried tomatoes

I love pasta. I mean, I really love pasta. In the whole nature vs. nurture debate, rice may be part of my DNA code, but pasta runs through my heart and soul, thanks to my Italian upbringing.

What I love about Italian food is its simplicity. You can boil some pasta, throw in a few ingredients, and have a healthy, hearty supper -- all in one bowl -- in about 20 minutes.

Take tonight, for instance. After spending an hour running up and down hills in the freezing cold (and dark!), I was craving something wholesome and didn't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I was about to eat a banana and call it a night but somehow managed to drag myself to the pantry and found what I'd make for dinner in about 30 seconds.

Hello, fusili with artichokes, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes.

day 16: not-chicken salad sandwich & sweet potato tots!

Today's lunch consisted of not-chicken salad sandwiches (recognize the leftover pita?) and . . . drum roll please . . . sweet potato tater tots. Oh. Em. Gee.

day 15: garlic hummus & pita bread

Day 15. I've made it halfway through my month-long vegan challenge. Whoo-hoo!

Today I was in a snacky mood so I decided to make one of my favorite snacks from scratch: garlic hummus and pita bread.

day 14: homemade almond milk (it's raw, too!)

I gave milk up over a year ago and haven't looked back. I have never been a big milk drinker so it wasn't a tough adjustment for me. Despite growing up with my dad's famous "milk with meals" rule, once I reached adulthood and lived on my own I realized I didn't even have milk in my refrigerator most weeks, let alone crave it.

I won't bore you with my vendetta against milk. I'll keep it short and sweet. In my opinion: cow's milk is for calves; goat's milk is for kids; sheep's milk is for lambs . . . you get my drift :)

day 13: golden vanilla cupcakes with lemon buttercream frosting

Tomorrow is my grandpa's 85th birthday. And besides honoring one of the most loving, successful and respectable men I know, it's also time to party. And what party is complete without dessert?

Well, boy do I have a delicious one: vegan and homemade golden vanilla cupcakes with the most delectable lemon buttercream frosting.

day 12: green juice!!

I realize this post may make some of you shudder.

Green juice: you either love it or hate it. There's no in between.

Fans of green juice will talk your ear off about its refreshing nature and detox properties; critics of green juice will bash its taste and probably mention its lack of fiber. I happen to be playing for Team Green Juice -- I love it.

day 11: scallion pancakes

It just dawned upon me that I've been making quite a few Asian-themed dishes during this challenge. Until now, I guess never realized how so much of Asian cuisine is vegan to begin with. Korean food is undoubtedly my favorite but we've been eating a lot of Chinese food lately, too. And after inhaling the scallion pancakes last weekend at our hot pot outing, I wanted to try and recreate the dish myself.

My stepmom said it would be simple, just add hot water to some flour, get your chopsticks ready and stir like crazy! Well, she’s an experienced (and a great cook) so I should have known it would be easier said than done. I found a photo-by-photo recipe online and used that instead :)

day 10: volcano rice bowl with veggies

Since I spent a good deal of time in the kitchen cooking yesterday's lunch, I wanted to make something quick and tasty for dinner tonight.

My choice: volcano rice with carrots, spinach, green onions and kale.

day 9: roasted tomato soup, gluten-free mushroom tarts and chocolate mousse

Today I had the pleasure hosting lunch for my cousin Chrissy. We're both in school and have busy lives so it was wonderful to catch up while doing what we love the most -- eating!

day 8: black bean tacos with cilantro lime rice and avocado cream

I've been jonesing for tacos lately. And since I've been on an avocado kick recently, I thought, how about an avocado taco with rice? Sounds pretty good. Well, I took that idea and made it even better -- how about a black bean taco with cilantro lime rice with avocado cream? Yes, please!

day 7: miso soup with greens and soba noodles

It's a Sunday in winter. A day when I crave comfort food. And what's more comforting than a big bowl of homemade soup? My thoughts exactly.

I love miso soup -- and don't hesitate to gulp both mine and ME's down when we're on a sushi date -- however, until today, I was not aware that many a-miso soups have a fish-based Dashi (soup stock). And since fish is a no-no during this challenge, I was pleased to find a fish-free alternative and made my own Dashi using kombu.

day 6: hot pot!

I'll admit: I went out to eat tonight. However, for those of you who have had hot pot before, you understand how difficult it is to refuse a dinner offer to Chinese fondue, no matter how hard you're trying to stay in and cook at home.

the first five days of my vegan challenge -- warning: this is a LONG post!

It's a new year. And that means millions of people are making resolutions. I'm not a fan of starting the year that way. So many resolutions are never accomplished, leaving the resolutioner feeling guilty, defeated, down. How's that for a happy new year, right?

So instead of a year-long resolution, I decided to make a 30-day commitment to trying something new. Enter the vegan 'challenge'.