Summer Lovin

Remember when summer seemed so long...when it was relaxing and slow. I looked at the calendar this morning and was completely dumbfounded by the date...July 15th. Where did the summer go, how is it that the fourth of July has passed and I'm making plans for the fall. 12 precious weekends stud the summer months and I can't find one that will be filled with summer sun, laying on a blanket and reading a book.

I hate NPR and their list of the best beach reads, because to me it's like a bratty kid with it's tongue stuck out saying "na-na-na-na-na-na...you don't have time to relax and read any of these books".

Ugh, what I would give for one sweet smelling, relaxing day at the beach, with no fear of sunburn and my nose firmly planted in a good book, and maybe, possibly, a cabana boy delivering frosty pina coladas to me every 45 minutes or so.

Remember when summer seemed so long...

Chai Bread...still a work in progress

This post is quick quick quick like a bunny. Sorry, work is so amazingly craptastic right now. If you've been reading this blog for a while you know March, July and October suck balls in my business so I've been burning the midnight oil and not much else. I did find the time late the other night when CB was at the Red Sox game to make this bread, which I was super psyched about when I found the recipe, but honestly was a real disappointment. Maybe it's because it's been forever and a day since I've baked anything non-vegan, but this bread, I thought, was a real stinker. So I'm going to veganize the recipe and try it again next week hopefully with better results. If you want to try your hand at this recipe even though I've already said it sucks. Here it is.

Oh, and also, I have to have dinner with my mother-in-law on Sunday night. Please say a special prayer for me that I get through that.

Have a good weekend y'all. See you on the flip side.

Chickpea Fritters

I've become a bit of a chick pea freak as of late. Ever since I learned how to make hummus, every time I go to the grocery store I pick up at least two cans of chickpeas. This is great if I was actually constantly making hummus, but I just haven't made it in a while, and now I have seven cans of chickpeas in my tiny ass kitchen. CB actually opened up the cabinet the other day and said "do you think you have enough chickpeas?" So, in an effort to whittle down the chickpea stash I decided to try and make chickpea fritters, no recipe, just whatever I had in the fridge. This is what came out of that little experiment, and they were actually pretty good.

Chickpea Fritters..ish
1 can chickpeas rinsed and drained
3 scallions chopped (white and green parts)
3 ribs celery finely chopped
1/2 onion finely chopped
1 cup breadcrumbs
salt and pepper to taste.
Note: I didn't have any fresh herbs in the house, but if I did I would have added fresh parsley and cilantro (or whatever you like).

In a food processor, pulse the chickpeas a few times so that some remain whole, but most are mashed. In a bowl, combine the chickpeas mash and the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and form into patties.

In a non stick skillet heat enough olive oil (or whatever light oil you prefer) to come up to the mid part of your patty. Get oil hot enough so that when you place the fritter onto the pan it immediately starts to sizzle. Cook about 5 minutes on each side depending on the size of your fritters.

I served mine over cous cous, but I bet it would be great if you just served them with a little cucumber dill yogurt sauce. Mmm.

Rating = Good

Happy Fourth of July

Hey everyone, just a quick note to wish you all a Happy Fourth of July weekend. I won't be at work, therefore I won't have access to the internet (because there isn't access at the retirement village) so this is so long until Monday when I'll be back at work and all sorts of hooked up to modern technology.

Have a safe, happy and healthy holiday weekend. And if it's too hot for you and you're getting ass crack sweat and you just want to sit inside in central air conditioning, may I suggest that you rent the John Adams miniseries that HBO aired earlier this year. It's an amazing story about the founding of our country and how the Declaration of Independence was written and accepted. It's an eye opening look into colonial America, and I think everyone should take the time to watch this amazing story.

All the best.
JB

Vegan Blueberry Lemon Poppyseed Bread

In an attempt to halt the growth of back fat, and not have to buy a new summer wardrobe I purchased a Jillian Michaels DVD which I work out to on days when I'm not running (so, every other day). The DVD is called the 30-Day Shred and it's made up of three 20 minute workouts; you begin at workout 1 and then proceed to workouts 2 and 3. Workout one was hard, but I only needed to do if about 5 times before I felt that I should move on to workout 2. Um... Holy Shit Balls, workout 2 will literally make you gargle your heart, it is so damn hard - the workout video is only 20 minutes and about 12 minutes into it I was crying for my mama and asking for a time-out. My legs were shaking, sweat was dripping off my face, I was grunting and panting...I'm so glad I was home alone when I was doing this, because a pretty sight it was not. So, I endorse this product for a super ass kicking 20 minute workout. Wowza. I'm sore today. Do I think I'll be shredded in 30 days? No, but I think that maybe the back fat will have disappeared, hopefully.

This recipe is one I made up. I hope you like it. Let me know if you try it. It's vegan, It's Blueberry, It's Lemon and it has crunchy poppy seeds in it. How could you not love it.

Vegan Blueberry Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
zest 1 lemon
juice 1 lemon
1.5 tbs poppy seeds
1 C fresh blueberries (put in freezer for about 30 minutes before using)
2 C flour
1/4C applesauce
1/4C canola oil
1/2 C sugar
1/4 C soy milk
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs honey (can be omitted if you do not consider honey vegan, I know the jury is still out for some people)

Combine the oil, applesauce, sugar, soy milk, honey (if using), lemon juice and zest in a bowl. Mix to combine. Sift together the flour, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt, add the poppy seeds and mix to combine, add to the wet ingredients and incorporate. Fold in frozen blueberries. (Batter will be thick) Place into a greased loaf pan, sprinkle raw sugar on top.

Bake 375 for 45 minutes.

Rating = So Damn Good

Shrimp with Spicy Peanut Sauce

So, I'm starting to run again, which is AWESOME. What is not awesome is that in the mere 4 weeks that I was forced to take off from running, I've lost considerable stamina and speed, and I'm pretty sure that I have gained back fat. Back fat which, I believe is starting in the spot between my boob and armpit, and then continuing around to my back. Seriously, I haven't really gained any weight, maybe two pounds at the most, but my body feels God awful and smooshy, not like it did when I was running 10 miles a day, and I wonder, how long it will take for my body to snap back from its forced running sabbatical. I just feel so gross, yack...ugh, and no amount of time on the elliptical machine makes up for pounding the pavement for an hour plus a day, it just doesn't. I think I've officially hit my mental limit with not running, I need my "me" time, my alone time, my repetitive foot in front of the other time. Please leg, please continue to get better because I can't handle much more of this. Pretty Please.



Also, I've recently gotten some comments from anonymous posters berating me on my use of foul language. Here's an idea assholes. If you don't like my language, don't read my fucking blog. No one is making you, no one sat your ass down in front of the computer, forced you to type in my url, and then forced you to read my posts. Also, if you're going to be all high and mighty about my use of language, please don't do it under the veil of anonymity, if you believe so strongly in your convictions don't hide behind an anonymous post you spineless weasel, leave your name.


Hungry?


So what do you do when you buy a jar of peanut butter called The Heat is On, peanut butter blended with fiery spices, well, you make spicy peanut sauce out of it. And it is delicious. I must say that I love this peanut butter, I have also bought their other flavors Crunch Time, Cinnamon Raisin Swirl, White Chocolate Wonderful, Dark Chocolate Dreams, and Smooth Operator. All Delicious.


So, here's what I made with The Heat is On - I'm not really sure what else to do with it.
I got this recipe from Recipezar and modified it a little.

Noodles
1 package vermicelli
While making the sauce, prepared vermicelli to package instructions. Drain, return to pot.

Sauce
2tbsp sesame oil
1/2 c chopped green onions
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
1-16oz can bean sprouts
3 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tbs ground ginger
1/4 c honey
1/4 c The Heat Is On peanut butter
1/4 c reduced sodium soy sauce
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 lb raw shrimp

Heat the sesame seed oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add green onions, carrots, celery, garlic and ginger. Saute until vegetables soften, about 4 minutes. Add honey, peanut butter, soy sauce and vinegar, mix well. Add shrimp and bean sprouts and simmer until cooked through.

Pour sauce over pasta and toss to combine.

I served this with a great crisp sweet white wine and it was amazing.

Rating = So Damn Good