exploded panini

i pulled out the george foreman this evening to grill some zucchini and yellow squash. i was kinda in the mood for a panini but i had no acceptable bread. so i improvised a little.
i spiced up my grilled veggies with some sea salt and garlic and laid them over some quinoa. then i added the one ingredient that screams panini to me- sundried tomatoes. i later added some not so chicken for some added protein.i was rushed for time and needed a protein source.

so there you have it- grilled veggies with quinoa instead of bread. when i make this again and have some more time on my hands, i will top it with some pesto!

















as for the rest of things- i just took a methods exam today so we will see how that goes. now i'm off to a four hour roller derby practice. hooray!

ginger raisin bran goodness

i took a break from my behavioral medicine paper to bake these yummy Vegan with a Vengeance ginger raisin bran muffins. i used fresh ginger instead of the crystal ginger the recipe called for. The fresh grated ginger is very spicy, which i prefer over the sweeter crystal ginger anyway.

i tend to shy away from muffins because of my paranoia that muffins=chunky=pants fitting tighter than i want them to, but these at least seemed healthy(ish). what with the bran and the whole wheat flour i used and the raisins? anyway. i'm not sure why my muffins didn't get fluffy and cloud like on top..... they are tasty nonetheless.

week after week

thank you for rescuing me from a rabid grizzly bear in my dream last night. that was almost a close call.

current status: conscious, at school

current workload: behavioral medicine I paper due tomorrow afternoon, lab work- at least 11 article reviews due tomorrow morning, research methods and design test thursday

extracurricular and admittedly mandatory: roller derby practice this evening for two hours, thursday evening for four hours, color guard practice on wedneday for one hour

what i would rather be doing: geeking out with a vegan cookbook, making ginger raisin bran muffins from vegan with a vengeance, sitting in warm sunlight, having my hair played with



but i like to be busy, so i guess its good, right?

i need to try this!

There really are days when i am sad about alfredo sauce. On the flip side- i would be more sad if i actually ate it and got sick and knew i was contributing to the meat industry.

Vegan Alfredo Sauce from Lachesis on the Post Punk Kitchen Forum
1/2c Earth Balance (or a little more is fine, to taste)
2 cups soymilk (unsweetened is best)
1 package Extra firm tofu (Mori-nu.. the kind in the tetra pack, appr 12 ounces)
1-2 tbsp white cooking wine
2 tbsp onion powder
2-3 tsp garlic powder
1-2 tsp sea salt
1-2 tsp black pepper (to taste)
pinch of nutmeg
3-4 tbsp arrowroot powder (more or less, as needed.. it should be creamy and the margarine should not separate)

this would be delicious as a pasta primavera with artichoke flour fettucini....

hitchhikers guide...

do they make one of those for grad students? anyway. this is me attempting to not panic. it's past midnight and despite the fact that i am writing a paper for tomorrow i somehow feel like i have time to pause and reflect in this blog. interesting. well, what's really going on is i have been typing and organizing my thoughts for the past hour and a half and i just needed a break for a minute.
i have to get this paper done before tomorrow, make it through tomorrow's office hours with undergrad folks asking me about their upcoming test, discuss my personal research in a meeting with my major professor, enter a TON of data and run analyses, and write the results up before thursday. no big deal, right? riiiiight....



as for food- i dont have a photo because i assure you it was not pretty, but my dinner this evening was good! my mom used to make me this awesome squash casserole with tons of cheese and butter in it. once i went vegan i just had to do without. so tonight i thought i would at least try something like it. i sauteed squash and onions, made some "cheese" out of almond butter, tahini, miso, a bit of mustard, salt and garlic powder and added it to my veggies. then i put grape nuts on top cuz i am a little obsessed with grape nuts and i cannot explain it.

valentines

well. i usually do not suggest drinking the koolaid, but maybe there are a few instances when it is understandable. my dear sweet husband's opinion about valentine's day is about the same as mine- it is a commercialized day designed to sucker men into buying flowers, candy, and jewelry to show their "sweetheart" that they care about them at least one day a year as if they are unable every other day of the year. that being said- he thinks its important for me to have a special day even if the hype is a bunch of hooey. he got me a rose and some yummy vegan cookies!

these are called speculoos and are a favorite in europe where they are referred to as biscuits. this company even makes a spread that is comparable to nutella without the milk. these are my new favorite treat and my sweet husband went out to find some for me! :)

we also went to j alexanders for lunch and then went to see "taken." our not yet created children will never be allowed to leave the country without taking one of us. hell, neither of us is leaving the country without the other. crazy crazy things go on with underground trafficking.

he also got me this really cool shirt that says vegetable mafia! that's right.

all that to say- i had a very special day and i appreciate the effort and special attention given to me :)

my new coping mechanism for mornings as a grad student

this is kinda random, but it affects me so i'm documenting.
I made it through my undergraduate years at Christian Brothers University drinking Earl Grey. I try to stay away from caffeine because i don't want my body to be dependent on anything, but every now and then i need a pick me up. In addition to the still loved Earl Grey, i have found this tea- morning thunder. It is made from an earthy combination of maté—a South American herb—and mountain-grown black tea that gives you the lift you need. (From their website)- Maté is traditionally shared at gatherings of friends and family, and is passed around in a hollowed-out gourd and drunk through a silver “straw” called a bombilla. Because both maté and black tea are rich in antioxidants, a cup of this robust brew is a healthful and exhilarating way to start your day.
i drink this yummy tea with soymilk and a bit of sweetener. it makes 8am with two classes full of undergrads seem more bearable :)
it's the little things, you know?

you run. and sometimes you fall.

as a jammer, i am always running away from folks bigger than me.








such is life, right? it comes at you sometimes out of nowhere and if you don't have stable grounding, you better be prepared to get back up quick.

so, the PrissKillas fought out bout number two this weekend and were left with another loss. The spread was about 30 points, nothing like the previous bout. So it goes when you have three jammers and everyone else has seven. All i know is that being the underdog makes you stronger. and being completely pancaked on the ground by someone much larger than you really makes you panic and have potentially bruised ribs. im actually scared to see that on video....

i sometimes find a strange case in my relationships with people- i process and communicate in an unusual way. i talk in code sometimes and don't really say what i mean for fear of being misunderstood. so there is something i need to work on- being more conscious of people around me at all times, keeping a better focus on time and not being a.d.d. when i am out, and saying exactly what i mean (in a well communicated and obviously polite way) regardless of how it will be received.

wish i could say i hate to do it to ya....

just busted out an undergraduate student for cheating. she was all hovering over her quiz acting like a kid on crack and when i asked her, in front of the rest of the class, if she was using her notes she just said "i have them." ok, well flipping back and forth from your notes to your quiz which is no open notes kinda thing is what we like to call cheating. hate me. try to exact some sort of revenge. whatever. and good luck.

people don't act so paranoid (that the teacher's assistant thinks they may have overdosed on speed) when they are innocent.
so, i don't feel bad. good luck getting through life by not even doing your own work and acting like people are obligated to let you do whatever you feel like.

tofu and sun dried tomatoes

simple vegan
one of my dinners this week looked a little something like this.

squash and zucchini sauteed in a skillet until a bit softer than crisp
tofu put through the ringer- i sauteed the tofu once on high heat with some seasoning and then put it in the oven at 400 for about 20 minutes. i wanted super crunchy tofu!
sun dried tomatoes. these are actually some grape tomatoes that i dehydrated a couple of weeks ago with my handy excalibur dehydrator then bottled in olive oil and spices.
tortilla i took a bite out of and then gave to the dogs.

this combination was perfectly seasoned and super yummy. well all but that blasted tortilla. and i used to like tortillas....

this is not an ice cream cone.

there are days when i feel like this. with the weather cycling back around to higher temperatures, days like this are less frequent. winter makes me mean.
this weekend Brandon was sicky for a couple of days but luckily started feeling better before his "pump party" which is a get together of guys who play pump paintball instead of that 45 balls a second crap. these guys don't have to have 500 rounds of paint on them at all times and they abide by more of an honor code than any semi players i have ever seen. that being said- take about 20 of them and throw them outside on a cold, still winter evening and watch them go. it's something to see. something pure. for the most part, those who play pump are a different kind of player. they are more concerned with strategy then out-gunning you which makes for a more courageous type of player. they have a better idea of where they stand on the field and what they will have to do to make a hit count. you could compare the two as if one was a highly trained assassin and the other a foot soldier a faceless body in a sea of helmets. the assassins make for much better company in my opinion.
it made for a great saturday night.
this is not exactly a photo from saturday night as it was dark on the field, but you get the idea nonetheless.