Travel Flashback: Istanbul

*First installment of my summer travel flashbacks: keep in mind I'm not the expert, these are just my unseasoned impressions.*


There's a legend about Istanbul that, like all mythic tales about the city, is recounted as historical fact. Constantine apparently had a prophetic dream that he would found a city "across the from the blind." Coming upon the crescent-shaped valley among 6 hills, he saw a settlement of people nearby. Wondering why they hadn't settled instead in the lovely bay near the water, he said, "why, they must be blind!" and realized that THIS was the location of his great city.


And its true, then as now, that the scenic appeal of Istanbul is absolutely undeniable. The outline of the city- straddling the outrageously blue Bosporus that divides two continents- appears exactly as it looks on any map. The water and the many landmarks make it easy to get oriented to the layout of the city. However, it doesn't prepare you for how tremendously dramatic it all is! Walking up a dusty alley or some stairs, or exiting onto a dingy rooftop, you constantly find yourself confronted with what looks like the entire world! It's supremely strange to find yourself simultaneously gazing upon two continents, when all you wanted to do was get some tea.

Actually, tea, or "cai" is very easy to come upon in this city. Alcohol is banned within certain distance of a mosque, so in the mosque-heavy area I stayed, Sultan Ahmet, you were much more likely to encounter young couples and resting waiters sipping on tea from tulip-shaped glasses. As one man told me, "if someone offers you tea, you just accept! Its like an informal gift." After getting over my apprehension of boys shouting at me all the time ("Hey blondie! I have a question for you!") I eventually had many cups of tea with various locals. It turns out that quite a few people speak English- or maybe that was just the people that wanted to talk to me. ;)


At any rate, one cannot live on tea alone (although some college students seem to.) Luckily, the street food in the parts of the city I found myself in were supremely vegan friendly. Roasted chesnuts were a common sight, as were vendors selling grilled sweet corn.
There were also tons of "simits"- round, sesame seed crusted pretzel-like things that go for about 1 turkish lira [YTL]. Unfortunately, considering how many of them I ate, these weren't vegan like I was told. Oh well! I will definitely get around to veganizing these one day, as they are like an awesome mix between sesame seed bagels and pretzels.

I got so swept up in walking around Sultan Ahmet watching the food vendors, honeymooning couples, and dramatic scenery. If I close me eyes I can still picture it: the smoky sweet smell of chesnuts and corn, the bright blue sky studded with towers and domes, a flowered green veil catching the sunlight and drawing attention to a sweet couple... and of course, the dozens of omnipresent cats skirting around benches and rolling around in bushes. Of course, this innocent scene is just one side of Istanbul. Outside of Sultan Ahmed's sleepy Disneyland is a bustling city with a seedier and more serious side. But for the first couple days its extremely difficult to step away from the pleasure and dusty beauty of Sultan Ahmet.

But, step away I did, and the more citified Taksim, just a trolley ride away, one can find all sorts of vegan goodies. Fast food places have heated metal trays filled with meats and pastries, but also packed with vegan eggplant salad (a sweet-ish concoction that often had red peppers as well), cucumber and tomato salad, and plenty of fried goodies: zuchini, potatoes, falafel, ect. A lot of these restaurants showed up in other parts of Eastern Europe, but it was never as good as in Istanbul!

In addition to fast-food, there are a few Vegetarian restaurants in Taksim too. I convinced a friend to show me one, where I indulged in Potato pie and cherry soda. Unfortunately, the winding alleyways of Taksim don't make it convenient to find the same place twice- but I saw plenty of vegan options on the menus I checked out. And Dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), cucumber salad, baba ghanoush and hummus are regular features in the appetizer section of most menus.

And you don't want to miss Taksim at night: in stark contrast to Sultan Ahmet, its packed with rowdy families eating seafood and taking shots of raki, hipster college students filing into clubs like "Peyote" (which plays awesome music) to drink huge beers, and fancily dressed twenty-somethings roaring through the alleys on motorcycles to dance the night away at a rooftop bar.

So whats the connecting thread between the two Istanbuls I saw? Cats.


I was sorry to leave gorgeous, romantic Istanbul, but I had to move on to dirty, sexy Budapest. Even leaving Turkey was pleasant though, as Turkish airlines has a fabulous vegan meal. :)

Exploring my new neighborhood & Unplugging

My mom is fond of telling me that the three most traumatizing things in life are death, divorce and moving. (I would add: the bar exam.) I usually think that adding the third one on there is kind of bullshit. I mean, moving? Ok, it hurts your back and all, but having done it maybe 15 times since college, I consider moving to be a mildly annoying side-effect of my persistent wander-lust. Usually I find it pretty exciting.

This time, though, I was sort of bummed out. I guess a lot of things happened in my Silver Spring house (insane roommate, major break-up, shifts in friends and priorities) and I hadn't really recognized it until I was packing everything up. So while the move itself wasn't terribly complicated, I did find myself a little dazed and distracted as I entered my new dwelling in Columbia Heights.

But now that I'm here, I'm waking up to the fact that I'm in heaven! Its a diverse, bustling neighborhood with plenty of vegan options, fantastic access to public transportation, and a great local bar and library! Its even pretty bike-friendly! I can't say I hung out much in this neck of the woods before, but now I don't ever want to leave! Here's just a few of my finds so far:

*Julia Empanadas- I used to get delicious and cheap lunches from their location in Dupont Circle a couple years ago, but I never dared to ask if the delicacies were vegan (I worried about the crusts). Well, the Columbia Heights location wears their vegan friendliness on their sleeve! I had an amazing $3.50 empanada yesterday- lentils, sweet potatoes, green beans and spices wrapped up in a slightly sweet, flaky crust- proudly proclaimed on the sign to be all vegan. Not only that, they have 3 vegan soups and two small salads- cucumber and beet. I honestly think I'll be eating here 3-4 times a week.

*Sticky Fingers Bakery- I mentioned this awesome vegan bakery/ coffee shop before, and since I was last there little has changed. There are still awesome cupcakes and sticky buns, vegan hot dogs, and convenient to-go meals. My only complaint? The hours! I wish they were open late so I could eat cupcakes and study there. Still looking for a late-night study lounge in the 'hood.

*The Heights-Although this restaurant doesn't have much in the way of vegan food other than, like, french fries, their one option is worth mentioning: tofu stir fry with red cabbage, shitake mushrooms and a sweet tamari sauce over rice. So good. Oh, and a nice selection of beer too. (This place is REALLY close to me, so I have to go there occasionally.)

I'm discovering new stuff everyday, but I won't post about everything... just suffice it to stay that if you're in DC, Columbia Heights is an area you'll want to hit up. Hey, I'll be your tour guide!

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As for "unplugging" a la Jennifer and Brett from VC&ORM, I have unintentionally done a lot more than I planned on. I initially intended to watch less TV and check fewer gossip sites and mainstream media sites. But funnily enough, life has a way of pushing you along once you get started on something. So, coincidentally, around the same time I started thinking about getting away from negative/ prejudicial white noise, I quit facebook, broke my phone, and moved to a new place where I don't have internet access or cable! So I am like, WAY unplugged right now. No text messages, no "friend updates", no perezhilton, and definitely no tv. Oh yeah, and I already mentioned no car.

All of this unplugging has left me with a lot more time and, dare I say, mental energy. It may also have to do with a lighter load at school this semester, but I find myself re-engaging in politics in a way I haven't done since college; re-reading Marx and Engels, Polanyi, Derrida, Foucault and all the other oldies but goodies. I've even been writing a bit of political stuff- after all, I can't count on law school profs to give me a critical analysis of anything.

Another nice side effect is that the lack of phone and facebook makes it difficult for people to get in touch with me. Now, that could be annoying after a while, but briefly its a nice vacation. Its amazing how much more in control I am of my time- no longer a slave to texts and event invites. And since I don't even get any messages, I don't waste time thinking about whether to respond.

So yes, my head is a bit in the clouds these days- my friends don't know where I am, and I don't know anything about Gossip Girl or my ex-boyfriend's relationship status... but then, in a lot of ways I'm more focused on what's right in front of me. Which is convenient, because I'm still getting used to dodging traffic on my new bike route.

So, in conclusion, just in time for Rosh Hashanah things are looking very up! Now, onto vegan apple challah bread...

Yes, We Can!

I had a long, lazy weekend ahead of myself this week, and I knew if left to my own devices I would simply read my new bookstore finds (Hannah Arendt and the new Antonio Negri!) rather than do anything productive. (Although, according to Negri, expending my mental energy is of course, productive...) But anyways, I've come across 3 mentions of canning lately, one in the Washington Post, one in Vegetarian Times, and one in the new Gourmet. A good rule of thumb for me is that if you tell me to do something 3 times, I will most likely do it. So I bought a boat-load of figs at the farmers market and got to it!

In case anyone is in the mood for some delectable home-made preserves, here are the basic steps for doing so. There are plenty of other step-by-step guides out there, but lest you get scared off, let me cut through the precautions and give you the basic outline:

1. The first step (aside from gathering your ingredients and equipment) is to boil and sterilize the jars and lids. You need to keep them hot while you prepare the recipe.
2. Prepare the recipe. This generally involves a good bit of chopping or peeling, but its not much more work the making a stew.
3. Once the jam/preserves whatever is ready, you carefully pour it into the hot jars. I used a ladle for this, but others suggest a funnel. Using gloves or a magnet, you carefully put the lid tops and screw tops on.
4. The final step is to boil the closed jars once more, usually for about 10-15 minutes. After letting it cool you can check to make sure the lids are on properly (they should be concave to the inside of the jar.) And you're good to go!

I would really encourage this project if you're one of those DIY people. I'm pretty sure I didn't save a lot of money, but when it comes to Christmas and Hannukah gifts, you can't beat homemade preserves. Think about it: if you handed someone a $3 jar of strawberry smuckers for a gift, they'd be like "wtf?" But a homemade jar of delicious preserves is a totally different story. You're still not spending much money, but people love it. My plan is to make several types of preserves and put them in little baskets- fig, strawberry, and apple butter I think. Plus its nice to know exactly what went into something you eat.

And here are some more delicious looking recipes:
*Caramel Pear Butter
*Mango Chutney
*Vidalia Onion Relish
*Blueberry Jam

In other news, I'm now carless! I moved to an area of town with ample public transportation, my bike is ready and raring to go, and I'm taking the plunge! I hope that this will at the least me save money, but more importantly I'm hoping that by "unplugging" from my vehicle I remove one of the screens that separate me from the world. Wish me luck lugging my law books around!

Move over Hummus

I used to go to this sushi restaraunt in Atlanta that, in addition to having banana sushi and other vegan delights, served every meal with a complimentary salad and miso soup. The salad was drenched in this absolutely scrumptious miso ginger dressing that made you scrape the bottom of the little glass bowl for any remaining carrot shred. I was dying for the recipe for this stuff, but being a shy collegiate girl I never asked. Plus, I didn't know what miso even was. Turns out, its sort of a fermented soy product that is packed with protein and is a Japanese staple. (I heard its a good immunity booster for cold season as well!) Unfortunately, I couldn't find a sushi place with the amazing dressing in DC, so I forgot all about it.

Fast forward to law school. To cheer myself up from dreary classes and the even drearier cafeteria, I would often venture to Dupont circle to trat myself to a vegan empanada or other such treat. But there's also this amazing restaurant called "Teaism" that I have been frequenting on occasion. They have this insanely good (albeit, expensive) bento box with edamame, raw tofu in a soy broth, rice with a ton of gomashio, and this absolutely amazing sweet potato salad. The salad is simple: roasted sweet potatoes at room temp covered with... why, its that same miso dressing! Its like pure magic on all orange veggies! It has this creamy, sour, salty taste that reacts like magic with the sort of earthy/ sweet taste of roast vegetables.

And so today, when I ran across a bottle of the stuff at wh0le foods, I had to make my meal around it. (Apparently you can make it yourself too.) And despite the crappy pic (I left my camera in Chicago, dammit) it was SO good. Merely roasted baby carrots and sweet potatoes (coated in EVOO prior to roasting) served with ginger-garlic kale. My roomie, who's not crazy about kale, found that when she wrapped it around the carrots and dipped it in the sauce it was DELISH. I should have made twice as much, literally.

Other ideas for miso dressing:
-Obviously amazing as a salad dressing
-A dip or fancy drizzle for vegan sushi
-Drizzle over a variety of balsamic roasted veggies
-Drizzle some inside lettuce wraps
-Stand in front of the fridge chowing down on raw carrots dipped in the stuff, like I just did!

Vegan Mole Power

For the longest time I've been scared to try Mexican Mole sauce. I mean, isn't it obvious why? Chocolate in a savory sauce? Hot things in the food processor? And what to serve it on? But at the same time, I have always been intrigued and peeved when I see "Chicken in Mole sauce" on a menu. So often I find myself craving the sauce a meat is served but being at a lack of things to serve it on. After my recent trip so close to the border, I decided to stop being a pansy and give mole a try... even though it could mean wasting precious organic vegan chocolate *gasp*!

Luckily, after giving the sauce a try I can confidently assert that the V'Con ladies are right... its good on everything. I think I might even use it as dip for tortilla chips. Yum.

So this recipe is an amalgamation of the Joy of Cooking recipe and my own shortcuts and guess-timations, with Isa and Terry as inspiration. Although it was NOT picture perfect, it was SO yummy. I'm totally going to eat it on everything this week, people.

Vegan Mole Power Sauce
3 red chile peppers
8-9 cloves garlic
Chipotles in adobo sauce
Pinches of cloves, cumin, organo, and salt
3 C vegetable broth
1/4 C raw almonds
1/4 C pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 small onion, diced
1/2 C diced tomatoes
2 slices bread (I used wheat) toasted and torn into pieces
1/4 C good baking chocolate, chopped
Pinches cinnamon, black pepper

1. First you need to do some roasting. Rub the garlic cloves, unpeeled, with a little EVOO and stick them on a piece of tin foil in the oven on 400 degrees. When they're brownish-yellow, they're done. Meanwhile, roast your chile peppers over an open flame until blackened all over. Set them aside and wait to peel and remove seeds until they are cooled. Don't forget, those things are hot, so don't rub your eyes!*
2. Peel the garlic as well and add soft inside to peppers in food processor. Add pinches of first set of spices, being a little heavy handed on the oregano. Add 1-2 chipotle peppers and a few drops of the liquid they come in. (Reserve the rest of the can for rice and beans!) Now, spin away in your food processor until smooth, adding 1/2 c. of veggie broth as you go. Sieve the mixture and set aside.
3. In a good-sized pot or dutch oven that you can use later, heat a little oil over medium heat. Roast the almonds for about 3 minutes, then put in the food processor along with pre-roasted pepitas. In the same pot, cook onion until browned, then add to the food processor (using a slotted spoon.) Add in chocolate, tomatoes, and cinnamon. Also throw the toasted and torn bread in there. Process that stuff until smooth, adding more broth to smooth it out.

4. Now, we combine. Add a tiny bit more oil to the pot and throw the pepper mixture in there over medium. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until it starts to thicken. Next, add the nut/chocolate mixture. Blend the two together for another 5 minutes until its getting really good and thick. Finally, add remaining broth. Bring to a boil and lower heat. Now is the time to adjust salt, sugar, or heat. You can also control how thick your sauce is by adjusting the amount of broth. I like mine thick. Simmer partly covered for 20-30 more minutes, or until whatever your serving it with is done cooking.

I really, really like this with polenta. Its like my new mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy. It would also be excellent on pumpkin and/or sweet potatoes I suspect... and I fully intend to prove it by the end of the week. ;)

*If you're not big on spicy stuff, maybe you should leave out one of the peppers and some of the chipotle.

**Update** I made an awesome quesadilla-esque thingie with onions, peppers, polenta, mole sauce, plus sour cream and guac to dip. SO divine.

I've been everywhere, man

I just got back from a last minute trip across the ENTIRE country. Literally, I drove from Washington, DC to Tuscon, Arizona in 4 days. Why, when law school is in full swing and I have two other big trips coming up? Well, it seems I have become a travel magnet, and cannot help but attract random far-fetched trips from every direction.

In this case, my little brother (well, he's not really little anymore) had signed up for this outdoor wilderness survival program in Arizona. It looks really rad! The students go spelunking and mountain climbing and learn first aid and all sorts of badass outdoorsy stuff. Plus they get college credit! So my bro had planned to drive across the country to get there by himself, and long story short, I got roped in to doing it at the last minute since its sort of a scary drive. And luckily, I'll take any excuse to get out of dodge. ;) Another lucky thing was that my brother is also vegetarian and doesn't eat cheese- so I knew he would be up for some vegan restaurant exploring.

So we set off from DC in a fully-stocked truck: my Mom had whipped up brownies, cookies, hummus sandwiches, and other treats that should have lasted days (but of course, disappeared pretty rapidly.) All in all we took a tried and true trek through US-40 (historic Route 66). Some food-related highlights:

*Homemade pasta and perfect spicy tomato sauce in Nashville, Tennesee. We somehow managed to avoid BBQ!

*Texas toast, jam and coffee in Memphis for breakfast. Fuel to vamp in front of the King's house and, quote, "get the fuck out of Memphis."
*Cheeseless pizza off 40 in Oklahoma... with Arnold Palmers! (1/2 sweet tea, 1/2 lemonade)



*An awesome vegan Indian feast at Gopurumi in Oklahoma city (corner of 23rd st. NW ad Meridian). Huge potato-filled dosas (pictured), Bhaigan Bharta and of course, a giant Taj Mahal beer to wash it all down.
-Vegetable fajitas with mountains of guacamole in Roswell, NM... and no extra-terrestrial contact (at least, that we can remember...)
*Fabulous selection of salads, mexican food, and sandwiches (no cheese, please!) at the Eclectic Cafe (off Tanque Verde drive) in Tuscon, our final destination.

All this, and the most amazing scenery in every direction. The West is wild, man! I had no idea! Check it out!

Cow country in Oklahoma

Gorgeous scenery outside Las Cruces, New Mexico

Wide open range near Amarillo, Texas


And now, for the sad part. While driving through Texas to NM, we started to smell something horrible. In the middle of nowhere, all of sudden, we could see about a mile of cows, all crowded within feet of eachother. They were so overcrowded and within sight of their final destination: a huge, dirty factory. UGH. We wanted to blow it up- and of course, we passed like 4 more before leaving Texas. I mentioned this to a classmate today who was from TX. She said, "You see? how could I not eat meat growing up in an environment like that?" EXCUSE ME? How could you possibly see that and not be utterly horrified at how cruel and disgusting it is? Its one thing when you are not aware of the origin of your food, or are completely disconnected from the absent referent, but when you see a factory farm like that you can't help but be intimately familiar with the whole horrible process.

It was especially sad in contrast to the cows we saw in Oklahoma- hanging out, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, just taking in the sunshine and wandering in huge beautiful fields. (Here's one!)


Now, I'm nowhere near backsliding from vegetarianism, but even for me this experience was an eye-opener and MORE than solidifed my already confident views: in the words of Herbivore, factory farms are MEAN and NASTY.

PS- We listened to Bright Eyes non-freaking-stop the entire trip, at my brother's insistence, and actually I do think that Cassadega and Wide Awake are excellent fits for Southwestern expeditions. :)

PSS- I have been meaning to post exhaustive travel diaries from my May travels... and I will when I can get the print photos to upload correctly. Better late than on time! Wait, that's not how that saying goes...

Satisfying on a Shoestring

Every year when school starts again I vow to change my life: get more organized, wear someting cute to school every day, pay attention in class, and of course, eat a healthy breakfast and pack my lunch. The food issue is also a financial one- after spending too much money of mararitas and guacamole during the summer, the fall marks a return to frugality: warming, cheap food that can stretch into leftovers and keep one awake during a snoozer like, say, Agency Law.

With that in mind, I invested in a few new cookbooks: Vegan on a Shoestring and Vegan Lunch Box. I recieved VOAS pretty quickly, and I have to say I love the DIY feel of the book- handdrawn illustrations and handwritten recipes, some of which are scaled to feed 300 people! The soups are definitely a huge draw, as are easy to understand explanations of how to stock a vegan cupboard and different cooking definitions.

I immediately fell for the breakfast grains recipe, which I had to alter a little bit for serving size and available grains. Whats awesome is, you can buy a bunch of grains in bulk, mix them up and store them, and each time you can add whatever to make the bowl sweet or savory. Cheap and unbelievably satifying. So I'll give you my altered version, but definitely shell out for the VOAS because its awesome.

Breakfast Bowl
1/2 c. mixed grains (quinoa, amaranth, millet, pearl barley, ect.)
1/2 c. quick oats
1 1/2 c. water
1 T. agave nectar
Raisins, cherries, and a splash of soymilk.

1. Bring water to a boil and add mixed grains. Cook for about 15 minutes or until water is mostly absorbed. Add in oats and raisins, stir until mostly absorbed, and serve. Each serving should get a splash of soymilk and nectar, as well as any fruits or nuts you feel like. YUM!
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So that takes care of breakfast, but I'm still waiting on Vegan Lunch Box. Will I be too old for the recipes in it? Doubtful. Like a child, lunch is my main source of joy at law school, so I think that tiger-shaped sandwiches and carrot stars will be perfectly suitable for my mentality.

So far i've been living on cucumber, avacado, tomato, and hummus sandwiches, and ginger-lemon cupcakes from VCTOTW for desert. Not bad, if I do say so myself.


But all this still leaves the question of dinner. I think to be cheap, I'm going to spend a lot of the fall eating variations on an old stand-by: rice and beans. This time I made coconut rice (adding a small can of coconut milk and some turmeric when cooking) and spicy beans (add a can of diced tomatoes with peppers to black beans) and had an instant feast. With some soy sour cream and Mexican beer, this really can't be beat. Anybody have equally cheap meal ideas?

Veggies, Seeds, and Wheels

So we have a new(-ish) radio station in the DC Metro area called 94.7- "The Globe". I kind of like it, which I guess is a sign of being finally weaned off of Album 88.5, Atlanta's college station that was just as likely to play Ugly Duckling or the Fiery Furnaces as Gregorian Chant.(Oh how I miss that!) "The Globe" isn't quite as musically diverse, but it is distinctively upbeat, in contrast to the other dominant local station DC 101, which has a brash, frequently sexist, and Lincoln Park-loving style that makes me crazy. The Globe is way calmer: along with chirpy deejays and nostalgic alt-rock, there are occasional tips on how to save the planet, one tiny action at a time.

Having this blast at me right before the new R.E.M. song always leads me to thinking (angst-fully) about my daily actions and their potential impact.

For all the millions of ideas about how YOU! can save the planet from our inevitable descent into a climate change disaster, its very difficult to actually gather a comprehensive plan for living wisely. Well, its not that its difficult- more like, contradictory and confusing. For instance, you could unplug all of your appliances at night, but turning on a desktop computer everyday is enough to undo all that hard work. You could try to use cold water washing dishes, but doesn't it seem to take longer and defeat the purpose? And using re-usable napkins and diapers seems like a good idea, but aren't washing machines huge energy-drainers?

...And on the other side of the spectrum are the rich-people ideas. I'm thrilled for people that can afford install solar-powered toilets and bamboo kitchen flooring, but unless its IKEA-priced and fit for a rental, its not coming to my abode.

The problem with these kinds of actions isn't that they don't work, but that they seem to require expert intervention to make it work. I'm of the opinion that you don't need a PhD in Environmental studies to make a difference. Isn't it possible that just doing a few things, consistently, could make a huge difference if done on a large scale? In my opinion, and I'm no expert, 3 moderately sized life-style changes could make a huge impact that would negate the little fuck-ups we all make everyday when forgetting to unplug the toaster.

1. Biking
2. Gardening/ composting
3. Going vegan

I have done all three of these things, but I never seem to do them at the same time. Its kind of funny, because they feed into each other a bit, don't they? Biking requires healthy, high energy food, the likes of which a vegan diet is well-equipped to offer. Gardening and composting are both well suited to vegetarians, since after all, you can't grow animals on your patio like you can zucchini, and second, you can't (or shouldn't) compost dairy and meat products.

All of these tactics target major polluters and energy wasters- cars, the factory farming industry, the produce industry- but they are all also personally exciting and fun. (Somewhat unlike, say, not wearing socks for a year or replacing all your lightbulbs.) And the bottom line is, these practices get you outside (or at least to a farmers market) and interacting with the world around you to the extent that you can no longer ignore it.

And isn't that kind of the point?

French Toast w/ Figs and Coconut yogurt

Its a beautiful day in the neighborhood and I woke up wanting something brunchy- without having to leave the house, of course. I always get tempted to make french toast, but most vegan recipes seem so needlessly complicated- if there's a food processor involved, I'm not likely to make it for breakfast.

But my college boyfriend used to make divine french toast using only soymilk, cinnamon, earth balance, and french bread. I remember sitting on his washing machine waiting for the next mini-pieces to come off the skillet and popping them directly into my mouth. No need for syrup!

So I tried to make something equally simple and jazz it up a little with some figs and divine coconut-milk soy yogurt I had. Sooo good.

EASIEST POSSIBLE French Toast
1. Take a piepan and splash in some soy milk and soy creamer. (About 1:2 ratio.) Add some cinnamon and whisk together.
2. Dip pieces of bread into the milk and fry over medium in a knob of earth balance.
3. Serve w/ figs, pecans, yogurt, or syrup or powdered sugar! You're done!

You say its your birthday

So Monday was my (gasp!) 25th birthday. I didn't notice it coming up, and I certainly didn't have any aspirations for a huge celebration. I just wanted a small dinner with a few friends and family- hopefully grill centered, it being August and all. It turned out that my family was willing to oblige and cook a menu that I picked out, and everything was AWESOME! Here's what we had:

-Bruschetta with heirloom tomatoes and whole grain french bread

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-Grilled Corn with lime and garlic Earth Balance

-Grilled marinated portobello mushrooms (as usual)

-Mango and strawberry upside-down cake- my Dad's invention that I will get around to veganizing and posting soon.

Everything was super-easy and delicious, but that sweet potato salad especially was a huge hit- I would try this recipe immediately while the grills are still going. People were literally fighting over the last slices of cumin marinated and grilled sweet potato slices. My Mom admitted later that at the last step she added a tiny bit of mustard and brown sugar to the cumin oil, and that definitely made it even more delish. I would show you but the camera ran out of batteries!

So, other than having amazing food, I also got great presents. Specifically, a new bike!!!! No more tottering up hills on my 1970's classic (sorry Sebastian) I now have a wicked fast jet-black 'Specialized' to dash to law school in. So perfect too offset the amount of earth-damage I did riding in airplanes all summer...

My best friend also bought us both tickets to the DC Salsa Congress in Arlington which I think is going to be amazing.

So... a new school year and I'm starting out with awesome food, a new bike, and apparently a newfound love for salsa. Now I just need to work on a newfound love for studying the law.

*PS* And while I hate "___ is the new ___" food articles, this one got me craving some beets like crazy. And why not have spinach AND beets? With a little red wine vinagrette and some toasted pecans it sounds like lunch...

What I did on my Summer Vacation

I regret to concede that I have been utterly delinquent in blogging the last few months. I have good reasons (over-traveled, over-worked, limited computer access) but excuses are boring and pictures are pretty! So here's some choice photos with a promise of more, far more to come, not only in the way of pictures but also in the way of recipes, lawschool bitching and moaning, and travel tips. Its good to be back!

AYA SOFYA in Istanbul, Turkey


Castle Hill in Budapest, Hungary


Berlin, Germany


Aran Islands, Ireland


Oh, and yes, it is possible to travel widely and still be vegan. Stay tuned.

A Lovely Day and Jennifer's Tacos de papas y lentejas

Even with the stress of finals (...and break-ups, and upcoming trips I'm not prepared for, and whatever else the world decides to throw at me) I'm trying to enjoy these first couple days of truly gorgeous weather in DC. The tendency during hardcore studying may be to lock oneself in a dark room and inhale coffee (and other substances, if you're from my school...), but I prefer to sit somewhere I can be easily distracted. Just look what's right outside my house!

Its the little things that make you more cheerful when you're incredibly screwed. For instance, instead of typing up an outline I'm hand-writing it. Its easier on my wrists, and since I can't bring it to the exam anyways I think the act of writing aids my memory. I'm also blasting music and making sure there are plenty of bananas and faux-nutella nearby, as crucial study aids.

You know what also helps? Having a full meal- not just vending machine cuisine. While I was wondering if I could possibly dream up something on my own, my roomate suggested tacos and I thought- "you know who makes yummy-looking tacos...?"

I was of course thinking of the lovely Jennifer of Veg*n Cooking and Other Random Musings blog. I've been drooling over a few of her recipes lately, but the ingredients and timing were right to make Potato and Lentil Tacos (minus the home-made salsa.) I also tried out the avocado cream from a few posts earlier. And ladies and gentlemen, I'm happy to announce that both items were a rousing success.

In fact, when my omni roommate saw what was cooking, he decided not to cook the lbs of greasy taco meat he had planned on. :)

I have to say that I'm always a little nervous about lentils. I either make them too mushy or under-cook them, or I under flavor them... its just a mess. But for once I got it right, and the mixture with the onions and jalapenos was flavorful enough on its own that I plan to eat it tomorrow over some leftover lettuce and tomatoes. The potatoes were also awesome. I really under-utilize plain old potatoes- and they can be so good! The whole thing came together really well, and I loved the avocado cream (which was also super-simple.) I can only imagine it was better with the addition of home-made salsa, but I was happy with the store-bought kind too.

So thanks Jennifer! An easy and spicy meal was just what I needed to get me prepped for an all-nighter with my good friends Of Montreal and Understanding Trusts and Estates. And just so you know, the timing you wrote was accurate- minus the salsa the whole think took just under 40 minutes from start to finish. Not bad for such awesome results!

And now... sigh...back to work....