One of the most frequent requests I get from readers is about how we can simplify lunchtime. In the middle of your busy work/school/groundhog day, you often don’t have a whole lot of time to get fancy and make an elaborate recipe. Still, that doesn’t mean you have to go [...]]]>

One of the most frequent requests I get from readers is about how we can simplify lunchtime. In the middle of your busy work/school/groundhog day, you often don’t have a whole lot of time to get fancy and make an elaborate recipe. Still, that doesn’t mean you have to go out and spend $10 on a salad or hit the drive-through for something that will leave you hungry an hour later. With a tiny bit of planning, you’ll save precious time and money and ensure you’re filling yourself up with nourishing, good-tasting food.

FIVE STEPS TO A BETTER LUNCH

1. Invest in some good containers. When you’re commuting to work in the morning, the last thing you want to worry about is how to get last night’s Thai curry off your skirt (this has happened to me one too many times). I’m a big fan of the Klip It To Go line (available at The Container Store), which doesn’t leak and is fitted with grooves to store reusable utensils. And remember: the ice pack is your friend. Use a rubber band to attach one to your tupperware for your commute, especially if it’s summer.

2. Pack it up the night before. Okay, so we all tell ourselves we’re going to do this, but somehow we end up running around the next morning, bleary-eyed, grabbing random things from the fridge on our way out the door and hoping it’ll all come together as “lunch.” Friends, instead of trying to psych yourself up about a can of tuna and an orange, take 10 minutes while you’re making dinner. Make extra of whatever you’re eating and put it in a box. Bam! Lunch is done.

Get creative with leftovers! Transform last night’s dinner into an exciting lunch.

Brown rice tortilla “pizza” with tomato sauce, Italian Butter Beans, parmesan; side salad with swiss chard, red peppers, red wine vinegar + olive oil

Whole wheat bun with soy cheddar + blueberry goat cheese; arugula with rice wine vinegar; tomato soup

I often like to serve leftovers over greens; either heated up or cold, a dish can taste totally different when mixed with fresh lettuce or kale.

Gingery Red Lentils & Rice over steamed kale, topped with coconut and currants

3. Satisfy your taste buds. I find meals the most satisfying when they have many different flavors and textures. I often make “sample plates” with small portions of a lot of different things.

Spinach, roasted brussels sprouts w/ tahini sauce, steamed squash, pita chips, toast, scrambled eggs, blueberry goat cheese

Crunchy foods, like roasted vegetables and pita chips, take longer to chew and help you remember to slow down instead of inhaling your meal.

Quesadilla with sautéd mushrooms + peppers, spinach, black beans + blueberry goat cheese; Chobani plain yogurt (i.e. “sour cream”) and avocado; side salad with spinach, red peppers, rice wine vinegar

4. Don’t forget about the “kitchen sink.” Giant salads are my favorite things to have for lunch, for several reasons.

Mama Pea’s Thai Crunch Salad

• 1) They use up leftovers! As stated above, you can pretty much throw anything- that hasn’t passed its expiration date, of course- over greens and call it a salad.
• 2) Fiber, fiber, fiber! We all need it, but it does take your body some time to break it down digest, so do yourself a favor and make lunch your fiber-heavy (read: lots ‘o veggies) meal so it doesn’t keep you up at night.
• 3) They’re nutrient-dense. I often base my social plans around the dinner hour, which can take me anywhere from cocktails to pizza to ice cream (and often all three). By making sure I get my veggies in during the day, I don’t have to worry that I’m going to get scurvy

Spinach salad with grape tomatoes, marinated gigantic beans (from Whole Foods’ antipasti bar), steamed butternut squash, roasted brussels, tahini sauce;  Roasted Eggplant Hummus with pita chips

5. Lunch dessert is always a good idea. Even if you just have a piece of fresh fruit, end your midday meal on a sweet note.

Mini fudge cake with Chobani + tangerine lemon curd

Today, after my yoga class, I’m going to have a mini quesadilla (black bean hummus + cheddar) and kale salad. Cheesy, nutritious, satisfying. Meal planning only takes a few extra moments, folks, and will save you morning stress and lunch despair.

Save the crazy for the bars… you deserve it.

What does weekday lunch look like for you?

Lemon curd is one of my favorite things to eat.

Growing up, I was never a “lemon person;” rather, if a dessert didn’t have chocolate in it, it wasn’t worthy of the name. While that’s still more or less true (I will chase a slice of apple pie with a square of chocolate), I [...]]]>

Lemon curd is one of my favorite things to eat.

Growing up, I was never a “lemon person;” rather, if a dessert didn’t have chocolate in it, it wasn’t worthy of the name. While that’s still more or less true (I will chase a slice of apple pie with a square of chocolate), I have dreams of taking long, leisurely swims in a big vat of sweet-tart lemon fluff, pausing only to take a bite of key lime pie. Too much? My food fantasies run away from me sometimes…

Anyway, lemon curd. For the past few years, ever since I discovered it (Stonewall Kitchen’s is my favorite store-bought version), I’ve been putting it in my breakfast. In yogurt. On pumpkin cakes. In sandwiches. You get the picture: most things taste better with curd.   Most things also taste better when you make them yourself, and I figured this was especially true for my favorite sweet condiment. I made lemon bars way back when -vintage LVP alert!- but that was before the lemon-love really hit.

I’d bookmarked Joy’s recipe for Tangerine Lemon Curd over a year ago, which could not have been simpler. The hardest- and most time-consuming- part was finding a store that stocked tangerines! After a mere 30 minutes in the kitchen, I had a brilliantly yellow jar of creamy-dreamy curd. I added close to double the amount of lemon juice called for, but that was the only changed I made to the recipe.

Looking for a new vehicle to enjoy it with, I decided to make pancakes. I’ve been having a strange craving for cornbread and cornmeal-based things lately, so flipped through a few recipes before settling on Veganomicon’s Blueberry Corn Pancakes.

February Photo A Day Challenge, Day 2: Words.

We had a little… difficulty… with these ‘cakes. I’m not a pancake aficianado by any means, and expected to lose at least the first one to the Pancake Gods.

The batter was way too thin, and our first couple cakes turned into a crumpled mess.

We ended up sifting in nearly a cup more cornmeal and flour (combined) until we finally started turning out pancake-looking pancakes. Also, using cooking spray instead of butter to grease the pan seemed to help.

Evolution of a pancake:

They were a little dense (we probably should have increased the amount of baking soda when we upped the flour), but still pretty good!

I topped mine with 2% Chobani and lemon curd- which plays nicely off the lemon zest in the pancakes- and dipped them in maple syrup. Who says weekday breakfasts have to be boring?

Lots ‘o questions today!

Are you a fruit or chocolate person?

Do you have any pancake-making tips? What’s your go-to recipe?

Had any kitchen flops lately?

Have you heard about the February Photo A Day Challenge?

This is a project I can get behind. It’s fun, easy, and will be a cool thing to look back on come March 1. Like journaling and recipe challeng-ing, I love having a tangible collection of things I’ve written/made/completed. It’s so satisfying!

My first picture [...]]]>

Have you heard about the February Photo A Day Challenge?

This is a project I can get behind. It’s fun, easy, and will be a cool thing to look back on come March 1. Like journaling and recipe challeng-ing, I love having a tangible collection of things I’ve written/made/completed. It’s so satisfying!

My first picture (“your view today”) is what I saw out my kitchen window as I made pancakes.

Another of my favorite things probably doesn’t come as a surprise to you: going out to eat. I’d finally accumulated enough OpenTable dining points and received a $100 check good for any restaurant that uses the OpenTable restaurant system. (Every time you book through their website, you receive 100 or 1000 points. You can cash in your points at 200, 500 and 10,000 points for a $20, $50 and $100 check respectively. Sweet deal!)

source

My little redheaded friend and I went to Apiary for Restaurant Week a few days ago. We often meet in the Union Square/ East Village area for mutual convenience, and have passed the restaurant many a time en route to more humble dining establishments. Restaurant Week (3 dinner courses/ $35) provided the perfect opportunity to finally try it out.

We each started with the Baby Romaine Salad: grilled garlic croutons, anchovy, whole grain mustard, parmesan. Basically a Caesar, but a good one!

For her entrée, my friend ordered the Roasted Organic Chicken: potato puree, garlic confit, english peas, lemon, madeira. She seemed to really like it, and raved about the vegetables.

Strangely, each of the three entrée options contained meat, which I’ve never before encountered during Restaurant Week (there’s usually a vegetarian, fish and meat choice). Still, I don’t expect the chef to cater to me, and was thus pleasantly surprised when our server informed me that after a little begging, the chef agreed to make the Merzula (a fish whose sauce ordinarily contains some kind of meat) with the fluke’s garnish: black truffled celery root puree, chanterelles, spiced red wine sauce. It was delicious. Give me fancy mushrooms and I’m a happy girl.

For dessert, we both ordered the Blackberry Financier, which tasted like the crispy top of the best muffin you’ve ever had. It almost tasted a bit fried, which it may very well have been.

All in all, a great dining experience! It was certainly a good weekend for fancy food. Don’t worry, though: lest you think I’m straying too far from the expected diet of a typical 20something, be assured I’m keeping it real.

Have you ever participated in a photo challenge?

Does your area host seasonal Restaurant Week events?

Morning! Hope you woke up on the right side of the bed today. I have a good feeling about today: the sun is shining, the skies are blue, and Charley’s looking pretty cute, too, even with his silly new haircut. I’m running out to meet a friend for coffee (hooray for weekday-morning dates!) [...]]]>

Morning! Hope you woke up on the right side of the bed today. I have a good feeling about today: the sun is shining, the skies are blue, and Charley’s looking pretty cute, too, even with his silly new haircut. I’m running out to meet a friend for coffee (hooray for weekday-morning dates!) but I just wanted to check in and share a few things first.

I’m obsessed with this Crunchy Kale and Coconut Bowl. I used sweet brown rice in place of farro (seriously obsessed with this stuff), added hot chili oil to leftover teriyaki sauce in place of the dressing, and topped it with a piece of salmon. I have a few more rice bowls up my sleeve for the week… they’re perfect midday comfort food.

This is not good… not good at all. Save your money, folks. It’s scary sweet… even scarier than trying to figure out how the entire pint only packs 150 calories.

These tahini figs, however, inspired by Laura, are my new favorite anytime snack. Dried figs with tahini + molasses (about 1 t tahini, 1/4 t molasses). Sometimes I eat them for lunch-dessert; last night I had them with my favorite childhood cookies while watching a movie.

Speaking of movies, 50/50 is excellent. Consider yourself warned, though: I balled through the better half of it. Joseph Gordon Levitt is one of my favorite contemporary actors; I just watched this strange one last week, and am super pumped to see him in the new Batman movie. And he’s just so darn cute!

I stayed up into the wee hours reading this. As the friend who gave it to me said, I felt like someone was in the room breathing down my neck as I burrowed under the covers, palms sweaty. If you like Law & Order: SVU, you’ll like this.

The giveaway winners of the Stonyfield OIKOS drinkable yogurts is:

Congratulations, Sara! Please send me your mailing address and I’ll get those out to you. Everyone else: I think it’s a good day for a smoothie.

What’s on your shortlist today?

Last night a date and I had the pleasure of dining at Dovetail, a restaurant tucked away on a quiet street just off Columbus Avenue. I was selected by Foodbuzz to participate in their 24×24 program and, with a $250 stipend, we experienced an unforgettable hours-long meal.

The space is sleek yet cozy, with [...]]]>

Last night a date and I had the pleasure of dining at Dovetail, a restaurant tucked away on a quiet street just off Columbus Avenue. I was selected by Foodbuzz to participate in their 24×24 program and, with a $250 stipend, we experienced an unforgettable hours-long meal.

The space is sleek yet cozy, with soft lighting and acoustics appropriate for an intimate evening of good food and excellent service. Designed by architect Richard Bloch, the main dining room (there is an additional private room downstairs) is elegant but muted, and didn’t take away from our food’s stunning presentation.

Chef/ Proprietor John Fraser (who came out as we were finishing our meal) has a European culinary background and builds his seasonal menu from farm-fresh ingredients. As a pescatarian, it can sometimes be difficult to find high-end restaurants that aren’t meat-centric. Dovetail, however, not only serves creative seafood dishes (Butter-Poached Lobster with burgundy truffles + crushed celery root); they have an entire vegetarian menu.

We ordered cocktails while perusing the dinner menu. Mine was made with absinthe, tequila, and elderberry liqueur, and reminded me a lot of this margarita because of the smokey mesquite flavor. Just sweet enough! Definitely my kind of drink.

To maximize our tastes, we decided on the four course prix-fixe menu, complete with appetizer, vegetable, entrée and dessert courses.

After we ordered, we were brought an amuse-boûche trio of (left to right): squid ink aroncini, trout-apple salad, and salmon-sweet potato tartare. On the side, warm cheddar cornbread loaves (which I just happened to have been craving all week). Our palates were whet!

I started with the dungeness crab with cranberries, black garlic and ginger. What look like spring rolls are actually thin strips of cured daikon wrapped around the crab!

B ordered the rabbit + foie gras terrine with quince mustards, romaine and breakfast radishes.

Our server, Natalie, was extremely helpful when it came to deciding between two (or three, or four) dishes. I took her suggestion and ordered the heirloom potatoes with a soft boiled egg + horseradish for my vegetable course. What sounds like a good-but-bland dish rocked my socks off. The potatoes were tender and flavorful, the egg melted in my mouth. As soon as I master the art of the beurre blanc sauce, I’m going to try to recreate a home-chef version of this.

B’s ricotta gnudi was plated with butternut squash, hedgehog mushrooms and winter truffles. Each mouthful was like biting into a very delicate, fluffy cloud.

Compliments of the chef, we were brought a surprise course: halibut with beets, pickled juniper, and hollandaise. This was some of the most tender, flavorful halibut I’ve ever had: it was sweet and buttery, and melted in my mouth just like the gnudi.

I deferred to Natalie once again for my main course, ordering the swordfish with clam chowder, chorizo and thyme (the kitchen was able to hold the chorizo for me). I loved the different flavors and textures in this dish! Chowder isn’t something I’d normally think of to order- let alone garnish my fish with!- but this was divine.

B ordered the pistachio-crusted duck with sunchokes, dates, spinach and foie gras. He seemed to be pretty happy with it, citing even the spinach as perfectly cooked.

Palate- cleanser: black pepper meringue with pressed pineapple.

My favorite- and (almost) final- course: dessert! The presentation was just as beautiful- if not more so- than the previous four. B ordered the apple crepe terrine with pecans and bourbon brown butter ice cream (below, front). More of an intricately layered strudel than a crepe, it was amazing paired with bites of pecan and dehydrated apple. We’re both big bourbon lovers, too, and the ice cream blew us away. (Can you make that in a Cuisinart?)

Chocolate and hazelnuts are one of my favorite flavor combinations, so I ordered the chocolate praline marquise with hazelnuts and banana ice cream without thinking twice. It was basically a delicious ball of chocolate-hazelnut mousse topped on a praliné wafer. The banana ice cream was delicate, the candied hazelnuts crunchy and sweet.

We were brought a third dessert (another compliment of the chef): grapefruit cheesecake with campari, white chocolate and mint. Also on the plate was homemade grapefruit jelly and outrageously good balls of homemade “granola” (soft, with a similar texture to the praline above).

It was hard to pick a favorite dessert, but we both agreed that the cheesecake had such a surprising mix of flavors and textures that it almost won our hearts on its complexity alone.

Final bites with our check (left to right): sea-salt caramels, gingerbread-coconut truffles, blood orange jellies. The caramels were mixed with all kinds of spices- they also had a faint “gingerbread” flavor to them- and were pressed into a thin layer of chocolate. So creamy, they melted on our tongues. They may have been my favorite taste of the whole night, and were the perfect way to end a dreamy evening.

I’ve used the phrase “melt-in-your-mouth” over and over when describing this meal, but everything was so perfectly cooked, so tender, and so smooth. Food doesn’t have to be fancy to be fun, but fine-dining or not, it should be about pleasure. Dovetail does an exquisite job of making a meal both refined yet relaxed. The night was magical for many a reason, not least of which were the helpful staff, warm ambiance and, of course, exceptional food.

A few weeks ago, Caitlin tagged me in her Seven Random Facts post, and today seemed like a good day to tell you silly things about myself and share some gratuitous baby photos of the glory days.

1. I’m an only child. While it’s not so uncommon in New York, I’m one of the [...]]]>

A few weeks ago, Caitlin tagged me in her Seven Random Facts post, and today seemed like a good day to tell you silly things about myself and share some gratuitous baby photos of the glory days.

1. I’m an only child. While it’s not so uncommon in New York, I’m one of the only people I know without siblings. When friends ask what it was like, I never really know how to answer, because it’s all I’ve known. Sure, I’d probably have liked to have a friend to play with and someone to take a little of the parental focus off me, but I think I would have had a happy childhood either way.

2. I have four names: Katherine Alexandra (Mom’s maiden name) (Dad’s last name). I always thought that if my name wasn’t Katie, Alex would be another suitable nickname for me.

Hey, girl!

3. I used to be terrified of Mickey Mouse. We were visiting my grandparents in Minnesota for Thanksgiving once, and we went to a nearby mall to visit Santa and see the holiday decorations. Right after sitting on Santa’s lap (“I want a Teddy bear and lots of other surprises”), I spotted these huge, terrifying monsters wearing human clothes, their eyes the size of my head. They were waving, faces frozen in evil smiles… it was awful. A trip to Disney World got me over that fear pretty fast, though.

Hey, remember Gap in the early 90s? Yeah… we do, too.

4. The first thing I remember baking “by myself” was a fancy cake. For Christmas one year- I must have been about 5- my parents gave me a spot in a cake-baking class at Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School (now known as the Institute of Culinary Education). They dropped me off in the morning, and with the help of one of the other students, I turned out a three-layer carrot cake with candied violets and silver sugar. Probably one of the prettiest things I’ve baked to this day.

5. When I was growing up, we always had cats. Spotty was my favorite; Sacha was big and fat and really mean. It was only after Spotty died that she became affectionate and cuddly. Sadly, she died while I was away at summer camp while a neighbor was catsitting, but on the way home from camp that year we stopped at a breeder’s to look at dogs and came home with this guy.

Here pictured with Ilena, one of my oldest friends. We met in pre-school!

Charley- also known affectionately as “Mop Dog” when his hair is long and his bangs are in his eyes- just got a haircut. Mop Dog turned into a lamb!

6. Speaking of summer camp, that’s where I had my first kiss. I went to an all girls’ camp, but every week or so we had “Socials” with the neighboring boys’ camps. We’d get all gussied up- halter tops! glitter eye gel!- and dance to a couple Destiny’s Child songs. At the end of the night, without fail, the DJ would play “Stairway to Heaven” and that was the signal to go big or go home. This particular occasion was, I think, the last Social of my camp career. I think the boy’s name was Peter; there are photos of the Before and During moments (taken by this enterprising lady who was standing by with camera ready) and they still make me blush to think about.

7. I failed my road test three times. After taking the test in three different counties, the fourth time was a charm. (I think it was somewhere in Queens.) Blame it on my being a New York City kid (we couldn’t get our permits until we were 17, licenses at 18) or just being scared of things with wheels (I was hit by a motorcycle when I was 5). Anyway, I got my license when I was 19, had a car my junior and senior years of college (a must in Minnesota) and am now making a concerted effort to drive more.

BONUS weird fact: I can’t wink. No, seriously, my eyes just don’t do that. Left or right. I can blink, though, don’t worry.

Let’s get personal! What was your first kiss like?

What are 7 random facts about you? Sharing is caring!

Last night, I went to SELF magazine’s headquarters at Condé Nast to participate in their annual Healthy Food Awards. I participated last year as well; you can see what the 2011 food winners were here. (I tasted fruit pops, fudge pops, waffles, peanut butter, cheese, cheese, more cheese (etc.), and dressing.)

Yesterday, we were [...]]]>

Last night, I went to SELF magazine’s headquarters at Condé Nast to participate in their annual Healthy Food Awards. I participated last year as well; you can see what the 2011 food winners were here. (I tasted fruit pops, fudge pops, waffles, peanut butter, cheese, cheese, more cheese (etc.), and dressing.)

Yesterday, we were sampling, among other things, oatmeal. So naturally we got to talking about breakfast. I was surprised by how many people think of it as just something to “get through,” and how many skip it completely! To me, forgoing breakfast- or eating something just for the sake of it- is unimaginable. I’m one of those people who march straight to the kitchen within minutes of waking up, eager to get my eggs scrambling, my oats cooking, or, as was the case this morning, my smoothie a-blendin’.

Some of us are rushed in the morning and really don’t have time to get fancy. Some of us are cranky and crusty and probably shouldn’t speak until caffeine hits their bloodstream. Still, as your mother, second grade teacher and poodle have drilled into your head, breakfast is important! So make sure you eat something filling and nutritious before you start your day. Make it the night before if you have to; overnight oats were a success for a reason! Your body will thank you.

To make things a little easier on days when you just have time to grab-and-go, Stonyfield has released their new line of Oikos Drinkable Greek Yogurt. They’re great for an anytime snack, and fabulous as a base for a breakfast smoothie.

I have a hard time feeling satisfied if I drink my whole meal, so I whipped up a quick smoothie and ate it out of a bowl with a spoon. It was a nice change from my usual breakfast foods rotation!  

PEANUT BUTTER-BANANA BREAKFAST BOWL

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 1 container Honey Vanilla OIKOS drinkable Greek yogurt
• 1/2 banana
• 1/3 cup oats
• 1 t chia seeds
• granola/dried cereal of choice
• 1 T peanut butter

Blend first four ingredients and pour in a bowl. Chill in fridge five minutes (this will give the chia seeds time to set and thicken your bowl). Top with peanut butter and cereal.

OIKOS wants you to try out their new drinkable yogurts, too! One reader will win the same drink package I received (with Pomegranate Berry, Peach, and Honey Vanilla flavors) as well as coupons for additional products. (US residents only, please.)

To enter, leave a comment below on your current favorite breakfast.

For an additional entry, leave a comment with your time-saving tips for busy mornings.

For a third entry, Tweet this contest (@Lilveggiepatch) and leave a comment letting me know you’ve done so.

I’ll pick a winner on Sunday, January 29. Good luck!

My sweet tooth has been in full swing this past week; it’s been demanding cakes and cookies like it’s the end of the world.

I’ve made a couple different things trying to satisfy it, starting with this Deep-Dish Cookie Pie (made in mini bundt pans). It was pretty good, but I don’t know if [...]]]>

My sweet tooth has been in full swing this past week; it’s been demanding cakes and cookies like it’s the end of the world.

I’ve made a couple different things trying to satisfy it, starting with this Deep-Dish Cookie Pie (made in mini bundt pans). It was pretty good, but I don’t know if any of my friends would be tricked into thinking it was a pizookie. I think I prefer it in batter form.

I also tried this Peanut Butter Chocolate Lava Cake For One… while it’s pretty, it didn’t have a whole lot of flavor. I think I may have skipped a step, too, because it came out super dense.

My favorite “mini dessert” turned out to be Vitalicious’ mini fudge cakes, topped with Greek yogurt and cinnamon. Perfect breakfast or lunch dessert! (Because why should dinner get to have all of the fun?)

For those of you who haven’t tried Vita’s products, I know what you’re going to say, and I agree! It’s tempting to think it’s just a packaged cake filled with artificial ingredients. But it’s actually got pretty good stats. (There’s also a sweepstakes going on: one person will win a treadmill, and ten will win the same 48-pack of mini cakes that I received from the company.)

Another new obsession? Popcorn.

I always tease my mom because when my dad’s away, she often subsists on scrambled egg and popcorn. But, she pops her own corn using one of those old-fashioned poppers with the handle, and she showed me how to do it. I made my own chocolate peanut butter version, and I was not messing around: each kernel was coated with melted chocolate chips, peanut butter, nutritional yeast and salt. Bam.

My favorite new taste of the week, however, was Mama Pea’s Teriyaki Tofu (from her book). The recipe made a lot of extra sauce, so I’ll be eating it for quite some time! I halved the sugar- it still tasted great- and served it with her Thai Crunch Salad (also from the book).

Leftovers were scrumptious layered with steamed vegetables (kale, sweet potato, edamame), sweet brown rice, and sesame-chili sauce (from this recipe). I’ve really been digging rice bowls lately!

Finally, as promised, here’s my method for oat-free oats. I’m fresh out of oatmeal, so this was a perfect morning for me to whip up a batch!

OATLESS OATS

based on this recipe

serves 1

• 3 egg whites
• 1/2 cup pumpkin purée
• 1/2 cup milk of choice (I used flax milk)
• 1 t chia seeds
• 1 t ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t ground ginger, optional
• 1/4 t ground cloves, optional
• toppings of choice

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat. Once the eggs turn white and the texture thickens, your “oats” are ready to eat (5-10 minutes).

How’s your 2012 Recipe Challenge going? The page has been updated!

Have you made anything tasty lately?

On Saturday morning, New Yorkers awoke to a sea of white: the city had been transformed into a winter wonderland overnight.

This was our first snow of the season, and we did what any grown folk would do: we suited up and went out to play. (For the record, CWX running tights + jeggings [...]]]>

On Saturday morning, New Yorkers awoke to a sea of white: the city had been transformed into a winter wonderland overnight.

This was our first snow of the season, and we did what any grown folk would do: we suited up and went out to play. (For the record, CWX running tights + jeggings make for great snow wear.)

The snow was a little too powdery to make a snowman, but we managed to make some other shapes. (What’s my age again? Don’t answer that.)

There was a lot of wining and dining this past week, including meals at a couple new places on the Upper West Side. Sofia and BT were able to meet for biscuits and beer before they move to a different neighborhood, so we went to Jacob’s Pickles.

We started with an order of fried pickles and pickle trio (hot sours, candy red beets, salt + pepper asparagus). It was my first time eating fried pickles, and I was impressed! They were a lot more delicate than I’d imagined, and not weighed down by breading.

Everyone was getting biscuit sandwiches, but they were all meat-based. I ordered the house smoked salmon and hoped for the best; when it came out of the kitchen, I was excited to see I wouldn’t be left out of the biscuit party. The combination was really good! I could eat smoked salmon every day and be a very happy girl.

They have a pretty big list of American craft beers, sorted by state, so we tried out a few (and debated carrying these cool growlers home with us).

Also notable was the lunch special at Ngam (chicken or vegetable pad Thai, cabbage slaw, Thai corn soup), which is not only made fresh per order but costs $8. Get it.

For another lunch, my friend Danielle and I met at Le Pain Quotidien to talk books and Brooklyn. I had a bowl of vegan chili with avocado and tofu sour cream; it was pretty good, but left me craving cornbread. I’ve got three different recipes for it saved on my desktop, so there’s a good possibility I’ll be making some of that this week.

I crossed another new cafe off my list with my friend Ilana last week; we’d met for a workout date (hooray for gym buddies!) and left wandering around in the cold craving something simple but satisfying. Pecan has a wide variety of fresh-made sandwiches and salads, as well as prepared food and bakery items to grab and go. They have a soup/ sandwich combo: for $12 you get a pretty big sandwich, a hearty soup (what’s up, heavy cream?), a cookie, a roll, and a drink. I love a good deal.

I ended up taking most of the soup and bread home, which made for a great lunch at home the next day.

It’s definitely comfort food season in our parts… while the snow has mostly melted, it’s dark and damp. Perfect soup-making and bread-baking weather!

Speaking of cold, here’s the winner of the Ultra Immune giveaway:

Please send me your address and I’ll get that out to you .

What’s your favorite cold-weather comfort food?

Good morning and happy Friday! Hope you’ve got fun things planned for the weekend, or well-deserved R&R if that’s more your speed. I usually like a mix of the two .

Sorry if I left things a bit confused yesterday…. Although I don’t have certain allergies, I still feel tired frequently and have [...]]]>

Good morning and happy Friday! Hope you’ve got fun things planned for the weekend, or well-deserved R&R if that’s more your speed. I usually like a mix of the two .

Sorry if I left things a bit confused yesterday…. Although I don’t have certain allergies, I still feel tired frequently and have stomach issues throughout the day. I’m not sure if they’re related… the fatigue has been something I’ve struggled with for years and years, and the stomach issue has only become particularly bothersome (perhaps because I’ve had more free time to try and deal with it) of late. They’re both things I’m going to continue to look into, and I’ll be sure to update you with any new developments.

It’s been a while since I’ve made a Five Things list, so here we go!

1. Flax milk. Good Karma contacted me a little while ago to see if I was interested in trying out their soy-, dairy-, lactose-, and gluten-free milks. I’d never heard of flax milk, but I was intrigued! And a little wary… would it taste like grains? Would it taste like hippie?

The shipment conveniently overlapped with my nut-free weeks (almond is usually my non-dairy milk of choice). They sent three flavors: Original, Unsweetened, and Vanilla. The plain old Unsweetened ended up being my favorite (cow’s milk doesn’t come vanilla-flavored, so why should non-dairy milk?).

I had success substituting it for regular cow’s milk in a baking project…

… and it was great to sip with cookies! It has a really light taste, but is still thirst-quenching and satisfying.

Most importantly, it mixes into coffee without curdling! I’ve tried all sorts of dairy substitutes (almond milk, soy milk, soy creamer) with no success. I literally jumped up and down when I saw it turn this lovely creamy brown color. A tip: pour the milk in first, then add coffee.

I would definitely buy this. I haven’t seen it yet, but I hope it’s on the way! If you can’t find a store near you that sells flax milk, you can also buy it online.

2. Smoked Sea Salt. This isn’t exactly new to me, but I don’t think I’ve quite shared just how amazing it is with you. This smokey gray sea salt adds so much flavor to everything: eggs, salads, risotto… even caramel! It has a permanent spot on our dining room table, right in front of my chair. Trader Joe is getting pretty fancy shmancy.

3. Young Adult fiction. There are a lot of gems out there in the YA section! When I was in Minnesota last weekend, I spent a good 20 minutes talking to a younger girl at my favorite bookstore about all of the great books for teens that had just come out. Then just the other day, my friend Jenny gushed about a book she’d just read straight through because she couldn’t put it down. And it’s going to be made into a Tim Burton movie! I ran right out to the library and picked it up, and I’m almost done with it now. It’s creepy good.

4. Making money from (unused) money. For the past couple years, I’ve been emptying my wallet every day and depositing my coins into this big blue Buddha’s belly. When it’s filled up, I take it to one of those Coinstar machines at the supermarket and walk out with cold, hard cash. (Coinstar takes almost 10% of every dollar and there are some banks who also accept coins, but it’s just more convenient for me to do it this way.) My last trip made me $82!

5. Giving blood. I have a universal blood type so I try to donate whenever I see a drive going on. After learning I didn’t have any immunological allergies or diseases, I happened on the BloodMobile to give a pint. Some things to know: people react differently to giving blood; it wipes me out, and I had to take a two-hour nap and ended up sleeping for 11 hours that night. You also cannot exercise for 24 hours, need to increase your sugar and fluid consumption (I munched on Oreos on the way home), and have to wait 56 days until your next donation. Click here for a blood drive near you.

*Bonus… giveaway! Ultra Immune is a one-month supply of plant and mineral extracts (including four different kinds of mushrooms) that are designed to maintain a healthy immune system. Each morning, you place one dropper (about 1/8 tsp) under your tongue on an empty stomach. It has a sweet, pleasant flavor, much like spearmint. I’ve been taking it for over a week and haven’t noticed any increased allergies, which was my main concern when trying this out.

More information from the company:

These days, most people understand the benefits of taking a daily vitamin supplement for their health. But, sometimes people end up taking too much of the wrong things and risk overloading their system with unnecessary ingredients – plus, they’re wasting hundreds of dollars every year.

Now that cold & flu season has arrived, the usual reaction is to reach for Vitamin C when you start feeling sick. In contrast, Ultra Immune is an all-natural, food-based immune system supplement for everyday use. Most immune-related supplements contain ingredients like Echinacea and Zinc that are not meant for continuous use, but Ultra Immune is intended to be taken every day, so you can feel your best ALL the time.

Want to win a one-month supply of Ultra Immune? Leave a comment below about the ways- if any- you keep yourself sniffle-free throughout the colder months. Bonus entry for giving me your Five on Friday! I’ll pick a winner on Monday, January 23, at 8 AM EST. Good luck! Contest open to US residents only, please.