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In Washington

This is insanity.

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Summer has been incredibly kind to the soil here; encouraging some of the most amazing produce I’ve seen with my own eyes. I can brag 18,000 times over about the markets in Goa. Try me. This is different. There is something very special about food that belongs. Straight from the source and right to your heart. In hippie speak, it’s very groovy. I haven’t been able to share as much of it here in this blog but you can be sure that the food is being well taken care of. There is no other way.

(I will be away from my second favourite home this week and I already miss this place. Can you see me?! I’m a crying fool. Not really but just a little bit on the inside. I’ll be back with a tale or two.)

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I’m back to here.

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Back to the same ol’ same. I figured by the time I hit “publish”, I’ll have officially moved out of this vacation mode I put myself in, which makes me not want to hit publish anymore.

Oh well*.

But wait! Guess what! We came back to maybe a tiny speckle of rain and lots and lots of summer, which makes it even harder to want to stare at a screen thinking of the perfect comeback words. Again*. Our trip back to southern Illinois was magnificent. I had forgotten what extra extra humid air felt like (apart from that one day last year) and heck, it was magnificent. Have I said this already?

I had a birthday, there were lots and lots of puppies (one that could run you over with his puppy brain), I ate a steak from the neighbour’s cow and made by the most interesting uncle-in-law (is that a thing), caught two fish and threw them back, got a Huck Finn foot tan (if Huck Fin did that sort of thing), got presented with presents (yeahhh buddy) and fell so hard for this new family of mine. All that and a pedicure.

After many months of it being just roommate-for-life and me, I missed being around other people. Happy people, living life with every fibre of their being, quoting lines from Gone with the Wind and laughing so so hard. I don’t know if you know this but it’s hard living in a place where nobody is familiar. I wish I could be over there anytime I felt like, assuming international travel is not an option.

But I’m here now and I’m back. I have a fun “can’t live without” recipe for Thursday and it only made the cut because it’s all I’ve been eating this past week. Ask me what’s for lunch? The green stuff. Dinner? Same. Breakfast? A fried egg on top of that. If anything is going to give me my wheels back, it’s secret (for now) recipe.

Hello again.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHp2Ngvm9IA&w=420&h=315]

*Like my father-in-law says “SUCK IT UP, BOY!”

Thoughts + Spring greens and marinated mushroom spring rolls

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Thoughts when I wake up these days:

Should I eat? Maybe I should run. But what about writing? Maybe I’ll run later but I’m going to write soon after breakfast. Oh hell where did these dishes come from? Okay so I’ll wash this right after breakfast because I’m going to dirty more stuff anyway. Frying pans, wash yourself sometime. Try. What should I eat? An egg? Sounds good. Maybe two sound better. I have pesto (I always have pesto) I can eat it with and some mushrooms. Now I feel like drinking coffee. WHAT ABOUT YOUR RUN?! I guess I’ll have to wait two hours or so. Don’t want a side ache. I can’t remember when I said I would write but I’m thinking my brain will be more serotonin-y after and I’ll write an awesome post. I can even think about what to start with while running. Yes! Great plan. Eggs, eggs.

*Crack* Over easy, make toast, scoop pesto, chop mushrooms and 3 minutes tops and I’m ready to eat and yay, coffee is ready too. Sugar, cream, breakfast time. Should I take a picture? Nah I’ll take one when I make this for the 18,0000 time.

(10 minutes later)

This breakfast rocked. Shit. Dishes. Bleah.

(15 minutes and clean dishes later)

Should I go back to sleep? NO! The dogs need to go for a walk and all the other unpleasant but necessary stuff. Look at Chevy, he’s killing me with his sad dog face. Drama queen.

(15 minutes and two relieved dogs later)

Mmmmm I want cake. Run, remember? Whatever, I’ll just hydrate. Maybe I should write while waiting. Wait, I should FaceTime with Goa.

(45 minutes to 1 hour of FaceTime later)

I’m hungry.

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This is what I eat because apart from the cutting of carrots, everything is almost always cut and in the refrigerator ready to go. It’s this new thing I’m trying to allow me to not get overwhelmed by the day ahead, especially when it comes to food. If you read what I just wrote, you’ll see that it’s working quite well. What? You don’t see it? Muggles.

Ingredients

  • 5 sheets of rice paper or tapioca starch paper
  • 2 1/2 carrots (110 gms), cut into matchsticks or grated
  • 1 avocado, seed and skin removed and mashed in a bowl
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped fine
  • 50 gms spring salad greens  (or as much as you’d like to put in each roll)
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Salt and pepper to taste

To marinate the mushroom

  • 3 large crimini mushrooms (3/4 cup), sliced vertically
  • 1 garlic pod, grated fine
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp peanut oil
  • 1 tsp lite soy sauce
  • 1 scallion, chopped fine

I am having the most difficult time finding my words today BUT I’ll cry my river some other day.Today I will attempt to explain the subtle art of mushroom marination.

Just kidding, it’s not an art.

Take the stem off the mushroom and have the smooth side of the cap facing up. Slice it fine in one direction and put it in a bowl. Chop up the stems you took off as well and mix with the rest. Don’t want the stem to feel bad. I mean it only supported a huge head of fungus till us humans could rightfully consume it. Anthropomorphisation deactivated. Sorry.Add the rest of the ingredients to the mushrooms and let it sit for up to 3 hours or overnight too if you’ve planned in advance, unlike me.

Mash the avocado in a bowl and mix the onions in it. Add salt and pepper to taste. Wash the salad greens dry and then squeeze some lemon juice on top of them. Mix well and then go on to the carrots.

Okay so you might be wondering why I’ve listed 2 1/2 carrots aka 2.5 carrots in the ingredients. It’s because at the 2.5 point, I turned my index finger into a filet. No big deal. I iced, lemon juiced and bandaged it but not before reminding myself how much I really really reaaaallly really hate cutting carrots! Next time I make this, I’m grating them. Or maybe I should just learn a new trick. Like carrot mind control.

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Once you cut the carrots into matchsticks, set them aside and start working on assembling the grand finale: FOOD. I’ve explained in this post (after the fourth picture) how to turn solid rice paper into a malleable spring roll that you can fill and roll. Have a clean basin of warm water and a damp, clean tea towel ready. That and here’s the link again, just in case you missed it.

On the side of the spring roll closest to you, spread on the avocado. A little less than a tablespoon of it should be fine. On top of it, put on the marinated mushrooms. Then put together a set of spring salad greens in between your thumb and index finger and place it over the mushrooms. Within this sort of cocoon of leaves, lay on a few matchstick carrots. You need to have enough for four other spring rolls so even them out that way.

Roll up the rice paper tight but not too tight and I think they’re ready. Yeah. I’ll go now. I might have to run.

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PS: Other great fillers for this are cucumber, basil, chicken (3 of these had oven-baked chicken in them for the dude boy) or even tofu. If you have better or more out-of-the-box suggestions, let me know.

A perfect cure for the sickies

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Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.

– Ernestine Ulmer

Rum and raisin coconut ice-cream

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It is best, if not ideal, to cure all illness with something out-of-the-realm-of what’s right. I fought my so-called beliefs to form this thought ever since I made this non-ice-cream ice-cream two days ago. Cold does not cure a cold. I know this. It’s been stamped into my consciousness since I was a wee lass and I’m sure I now carry the DNA strain that makes it so.

Forget it. I could tell Mr Superman he couldn’t have any but I couldn’t make him listen. My good intentions were lost and I’m led to believe they weren’t the best intentions after all. How can you fight ice-cream? It’s irrational! And it goes against all that’s good with this world.

Yes, I know. I am irrational. But the good? I will not fight the good. In a world like ours, the good is a pittance. I’m going to hoard it. Hoard it in the freezer and eat it at times we deserve it the most.

Ingredients

  • 13.5 fl oz (400 ml) can of coconut milk (full fat: You’ll know it’s fatty if you shake the can and you can’t hear any sound)
  • 2 tbsp cane sugar (or your sweetener of choice; modify quantity based on what you like best)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup raisins
  • 2 tbsp spiced (or plain) rum

In a tiny bowl that will fit raisins and rum, bring the two ingredients together. Soak the raisins in the rum for 3 hours to overnight. They will absorb the rum and start to look all weird and non-raisiny. I like it that way.

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Pour the can of coconut milk into another bowl and mix it until the sugar dissolves. Add the vanilla extract to the coconut milk. Refrigerate this mix for the time it takes to soak the raisins. For me, that was 3 hours worth of waiting time. I died.

Pour the rum-raisin into coconut milk and then add it all to an ice-cream maker for 20 minutes. You can either freeze this now ice-cream for an hour or eat it directly. I ate it immediately because that’s how I roll.

Oh, oops. I drizzled honey and extra raisins on the top. Just….ya know…because.

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Now for some real-life: It’s best to eat this ice-cream on the same day or as soon as it’s made because it gets very (very!) crumbly the next day after it’s frozen, as we noticed. My taste-tester rebel didn’t mind because he doesn’t care about these things but I’m just sending a word of advice into the universe.

I use a Cuisinart ice-cream maker. If you don’t have one, you don’t get to lose out (ever!). Freeze the coconut milk mixture for about 30 minutes (or until it has set partially) in a freezer-safe container. Pull it out of the freezer and then stir it vigorously with a spatula or whisk. Do this for about 2-3 hours until you’re happy with the consistency. These instructions are always good to keep handy.

Science dictates that adding more rum will increase the time it takes to freeze so 2 tbsp was what I gambled with. Use more but please TELL ME HOW YOU DID IT. 🙂

Last week.

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Muddy paws. Muddy feet. Wet paws. Wet feet. Peanut butter sandwiches. Fallen tree bridges. Mossy trees. Tiny water springs.

Smelly socks.

Dog baths.

Human soul cleanse.

Yes, I like the beach more but for now, this will do.

Quinoa stir-fry with lemony winter greens + older and nuttier

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Just yesterday, Antsypants booked two tickets for us to go visit my in-laws and his parents in May. That’s where we’ll be this time two months from now. This time two months from now, I’ll also be 26. Mama, if you’re reading this, WHEN DID I BECOME 26? Bleah, it’s okay. I actually like my birthday. I forget I’m 26 at least until somebody asks me my age and then I have to think for 5 seconds when this all changed.

It wasn’t like this when I was a teenager. I was angst-ridden and the idea of me standing around a cake with people staring at me was quite unappealing. I wanted to hide in my room but I always wanted to hide in my room at that age. There were parties people came over, I came out and shook hands and said thank you. When I realised that I was missing all the presents, I tried to be better about it. Who doesn’t love presents?! Especially of the monetary, non-fabric kind.

Non-fabric kind. I just made myself “lol”. Ask me later if you want to know why.

At 25, I can say quite confidently that I don’t think like that anymore. I still don’t like birthday parties in the tradition of “let’s invite everyone we know so our faces fall off from two cheek kissing” but I like to be around the people that matter. As for presents, I feel better a lot better about giving and feeling grateful for what I already have. There’s little I need and a bulk of that you just can’t buy.

Two months to 26. If this is what it’s going to feel like, I’m alright with that. Being with the new extension to my family, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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I made this recipe up from my own “too lazy to cook something fancy” brain and guess what? It turned out to be quite fancy after all. I should not try more often. My point is, if you find that you need to change the vinegar-soy sauce ratio, go ahead. Just make sure you start with less and taste as you go. I’ve made this thrice and I’ve like it most with this combination of quinoa. The red quinoa is a lot crispier even after it’s cooked and the mustard seeds give it a wonderful nutty flavour as you eat.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed and cooked (I used a mix of black, white and red quinoa from the bulk section of the grocery but any one kind will do)
  • 1 + 2 tsp peanut oil
  • 5 oz tofu, cut into  1/2 to 1 inch cubes
  • 2 tsp whole mustard seeds
  • 1 large clove garlic, chopped fine
  • 1 cup carrots, diced
  • 1 cup green beans,
  • 2 tbsp lite soy sauce (it’s a lot less salty than the regular kind. You can also use tamari if you don’t like soy sauce but modify the quantity as per your tastebuds)
  • 4 tsp rice vinegar
  • Winter salad greens, washed and dried (frisée, arugula, mustard, beet greens, chicory…are some example. If you don’t have any of these, you can add baby or chopped spinach)
  • Squeeze of lemon juice
  • Salt to taste

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Heat a teaspoon of peanut oil in a non-stick frying pan and cook the tofu on both sides until it’s golden and crisp on the outside but still soft on the inside. It should take about 3 minutes per side. Take it out of the pan and place it on a paper towel. I thought about cutting it into cubes after frying it (makes it easier to flip) but if you’ve gone knife crazy and prepped your ingredients already, I’m sorry. I can make it up to you by cooking for you someday should our crosses path. Paths cross.

I’m not really sorry.

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At this point, your quinoa should be on the stove top in a small pot, being cooked in lightly salted water or vegetable stock.

On the same frying pan where you fried the tofu, add 2 tsp of peanut oil and add the mustard seeds to it. Once the oil gets hot, the mustard seeds will start to pop. Quickly add the garlic and give it a 30-second stir. Then add the carrots and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Throw in the green beans next, then the tofu and keep stirring the mix for another 4 minutes at least.

Add the soy sauce and give it a quick stir and then add the rice vinegar. Taste here to check if all’s well in stir-fry land. Cook for 3 more minutes or until the veggies are cooked but not soft (I like them to be a little crunchy). Take it off the stove and check on the quinoa. If it’s ready, then add this stir-fry mix to it and combine the two in the quinoa pot. If it’s not, you wait till it is. That was easy. Ha.

The third part of this recipe is incorporating the salad greens. Wash and dry the greens and then squeeze some lemon juice over them in a separate bowl. You are now going to add these greens to the quinoa in the pot. The quinoa should still be warm when you do this so that the greens wilt just a tad.

Serve warm in a bowl. Squeeze more lemon juice on the top if you prefer.

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Good day is good.

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Today I am grateful. I don’t think I’m doing anything special here. I write for the same reason a lot of people do — to feel some sort of human connection. The months since I’ve moved here have been mixed. I’ve felt a lot of loneliness (I still do) and the overwhelming joy as well. Last week when a neighbour came over, I never thought I’d be as surprised as I was. This was the first time since I came here that anybody has ever knocked on our door just to see how I was doing. Well, second time. The first time, Lisa just wanted to drive me home so she could see where I lived.

The people here are extremely kind. In India, we’re used to people who don’t smile in family photos or interact without a please and thank you. Here you hold doors, thank bus drivers, inquire about a cashier’s day and try not to be a general ass about everything. Park within the lines and the world loves you, cut someone off and you have no values. Doesn’t matter if you were in a hurry to volunteer in a homeless shelter, your turn signal wasn’t on. I’m made to understand that kindness goes a long way, which is precisely why I tore up a sticky note I saw on a freshly-cemented landing at the entrance to our building yesterday. “Instead of fixing the cracks, fix the damn hole”. I’d write, “thank you” but what do I know.

This is confusing.

Why can I manage to have a conversation with people I’ve never met in my life and still not feel that sense of community I feel at home? I lived away from family for 6 years (I think) but even then I felt cared about…by my roommates, by A Myra who let me stay in her house, by our neighbours who’d fill our water because we were too lazy to wake up at 6am and by the parents of all my friends. Homes were always open, as were hearts. People would say “come over” and you wouldn’t think anything strange of it.

This is in no way a geographic EQ comparison. I’m in transition so of course things stick out more for me than they would for a person who calls a place in America home. I could be speaking too soon and in a few months, I will wonder what I was even talking about. This is a new place. A place I am more than willing to give a chance. A place where it rarely snows (and definitely not in March) but a place where it still does. Nothing is set in stone. I still have dreams that Goa is just a button push away, but who doesn’t?

It’s within these (sort of) inner trials that we find how blessed we really are. And here lies the source of my gratitude. This writing space. The place where I feel so generous because all I really want to do is make someone’s day. To know that I have one person nod their head in agreement is enough. I appreciate your kindness despite us not knowing each other by face and more so if we do.

Everybody right from my lovely mother, who shares my writing with people I know wouldn’t approve of me saying “shit”, to people I know just because I found you (or you found me) on the internet — THANK YOUUUUUU!!! It requires emphasis because you went out of your way to be amazing and I love you for that.

 

If you’re reading this, say hi or tell me something really arbitrary about yourself. If you see any typos, tell me that too. 🙂

The truth shall set you free.

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I did not marry a man who loves to cooks but sometimes I can’t help but wonder what it would be like if he did. He makes us great breakfast and grill things but sometimes ya just wants to eat cake. This was me yesterday, hoping for a different answer from Em Dub aka Awesomepants aka Biscuithead.

Me: Why did you buy all these baking things?

Cauliflowerpants: Can you be more specific, please?

Me: All this baking stuff like the tray and the hand blender…

Cabbagepatchpants: Oh, the hand blender I used to make special protein shakes like with oatmeal. The baking tray I used to broil chicken whenever.

Me: You should cook more.

Butternutsquash: My food was boring.

Me: -__-

It’s okay. I married him for his money. The blender is a perk.

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