First week back from vacation. Good things: new job, my garden, seeing friends. Not so good things: getting up at 5 am for my new job, being exhausted as a result, and face-melting humidity. The humidity actually makes me look forward to fall, even though I am not a big fan of cold weather. But maybe fall will be nice. Garden update: When I got back I was kind of heartbroken over the state of my garden. All my plants are pretty much dead except for the tomato plants, and it's becoming overrun with weeds. This is what happens when you go away in July and August, the peak season for lots of delicious things that you were growing. Luckily my neighbors go to enjoy the fruits of my labor, but apparently no one weeded. A neighbor told me that cucumber and squash plants just kind of go after a while, so it's to be expected. But I'm still disappointed. And at this point the birds and raccoons are enjoying my blackberries and figs more than I am. But tomatoes are growing...  It's kind of just one big jumble of tomato plants at this point, because they have grown so huge that their branches are interconnected. They are like five or six times the size they were when I planted them.  The tomatoes have been slow to come in. I was expecting to be overwhelmed with tomatoes, like have so many that I wouldn't know what to do with them. But in reality we've had maybe 1 large tomato and a small handful of cherry tomatoes per day. Totally manageable. I'm hoping that the very near future will yield more tomatoes so I can make a recipe like gazpacho or tomato pie. Not so possible with 1 tomato.  This is what I was able to pick from my garden the other day. The cucumber plants are still yielding a few, and this is what was left. My 10 basil plants were about a foot and half tall each, so I filled this entire plastic bag with basil leaves. Of course I made basil pesto and stuck in right in the freezer. A few salads I've been able to make from my garden's bounty:
 Mixed greens w/ cucumber, green onion & balsamic vinaigrette  Cucumber, tomato & red onion w/ tofu "feta"
Tofu "Feta" 1 lb extra-firm tofu, pressed 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 3 tbsp red wine vinegar 1/2 tbsp salt 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp dried basil 1 tsp dried oregano 2 cloves garlic, minced While you are pressing the tofu, mix together all the other ingredients in a bowl. Taste, and add salt, pepper, and red wine vinegar to taste. Drain water from pressed tofu and place tofu into a container with an airtight lid. The container should be relatively small, since the marinade has to cover the tofu fairly well. Pour the marinade over the tofu, seal the container and put in the refrigerator for at least one hour, or overnight. When you are ready to eat the "feta", simply cut into 1 inch cubes and serve over salad, or crumble over pasta or pizza. Be creative!  Wanted to share this with you. Kefir is a fermented milk drink that contains many good bacteria and yeasts. It was recommended to me because of these health benefits. And then I stumbled upon this in the dairy section of Whole Foods: So Delicious Coconut Milk Kefir. Brilliant! It definitely tastes a little bit coconut-y, but it's good! I put it in my oatmeal in the morning and it's delicious. Various dinners:  Mediterranean Quinoa I think I've been on a bit of a Mediterranean foods kick lately, what with my tofu "feta" obsession and all. This quinoa dish was made using chickpeas, canned diced tomatoes, lemon juice, olives, and fresh herbs from my garden. Yum!  Asian Stir-fry I've been using coconut oil in cooking more often. This is one such example. I used mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini, and mung bean sprouts. The flavoring is soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, miso, a touch of agave and sesame seeds. I also added in a bit of red chili flakes for a little kick.
Woah, this post is turning out to be really random.
To add to that, I have something else to tell you.
I am no longer vegan. Disappointing, right? Let me explain.
The place where I work is not vegan by any means, not even vegetarian. Because I am the Pastry Assistant, I occasionally have to taste things that I have made, which contain various dairy products. So there is no way I can be vegan if I want to continue working there. The options for vegan baking in DC are extremely slim.
The good news is that the place where I work is also extremely eco- and animal-friendly, meaning all of the produce, dairy, and meat products come from local and organic farms. So at least I don't feel like my eating cheese is doing any harm.
Plus it's not like I'm going to make a total switch. I'm still going to eat vegan as much as I can, but I won't be as restrictive. As long as I am cooking for myself, I'm going to stick to veganism because I still believe in it. I am definitely sticking to vegetarianism, which doesn't pose a problem at all. Hopefully I won't take a job in a meat factory or something. Kidding.
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Garden update:
When I got back I was kind of heartbroken over the state of my garden. All my plants are pretty much dead except for the tomato plants, and it's becoming overrun with weeds. This is what happens when you go away in July and August, the peak season for lots of delicious things that you were growing. Luckily my neighbors go to enjoy the fruits of my labor, but apparently no one weeded. A neighbor told me that cucumber and squash plants just kind of go after a while, so it's to be expected. But I'm still disappointed. And at this point the birds and raccoons are enjoying my blackberries and figs more than I am.
But tomatoes are growing...
It's kind of just one big jumble of tomato plants at this point, because they have grown so huge that their branches are interconnected. They are like five or six times the size they were when I planted them.
The tomatoes have been slow to come in. I was expecting to be overwhelmed with tomatoes, like have so many that I wouldn't know what to do with them. But in reality we've had maybe 1 large tomato and a small handful of cherry tomatoes per day. Totally manageable. I'm hoping that the very near future will yield more tomatoes so I can make a recipe like gazpacho or tomato pie. Not so possible with 1 tomato.
This is what I was able to pick from my garden the other day. The cucumber plants are still yielding a few, and this is what was left. My 10 basil plants were about a foot and half tall each, so I filled this entire plastic bag with basil leaves. Of course I made basil pesto and stuck in right in the freezer.
A few salads I've been able to make from my garden's bounty:
& balsamic vinaigrette
1 lb extra-firm tofu, pressed
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
While you are pressing the tofu, mix together all the other ingredients in a bowl. Taste, and add salt, pepper, and red wine vinegar to taste. Drain water from pressed tofu and place tofu into a container with an airtight lid. The container should be relatively small, since the marinade has to cover the tofu fairly well. Pour the marinade over the tofu, seal the container and put in the refrigerator for at least one hour, or overnight. When you are ready to eat the "feta", simply cut into 1 inch cubes and serve over salad, or crumble over pasta or pizza. Be creative!
Wanted to share this with you. Kefir is a fermented milk drink that contains many good bacteria and yeasts. It was recommended to me because of these health benefits. And then I stumbled upon this in the dairy section of Whole Foods: So Delicious Coconut Milk Kefir. Brilliant! It definitely tastes a little bit coconut-y, but it's good! I put it in my oatmeal in the morning and it's delicious.
Various dinners:
Woah, this post is turning out to be really random.
To add to that, I have something else to tell you.
I am no longer vegan. Disappointing, right? Let me explain.
The place where I work is not vegan by any means, not even vegetarian. Because I am the Pastry Assistant, I occasionally have to taste things that I have made, which contain various dairy products. So there is no way I can be vegan if I want to continue working there. The options for vegan baking in DC are extremely slim.
The good news is that the place where I work is also extremely eco- and animal-friendly, meaning all of the produce, dairy, and meat products come from local and organic farms. So at least I don't feel like my eating cheese is doing any harm.
Plus it's not like I'm going to make a total switch. I'm still going to eat vegan as much as I can, but I won't be as restrictive. As long as I am cooking for myself, I'm going to stick to veganism because I still believe in it. I am definitely sticking to vegetarianism, which doesn't pose a problem at all. Hopefully I won't take a job in a meat factory or something. Kidding.