Resolutions and Tostadas

I was never one to make resolutions. Or, I should say, I was never one to follow through on them.

That changed last year when I decided to take on flexitarianism. I guess you could say it was a pretty successful resolution, considering I converted to vegetarianism at the end of August. I proved to myself that I can follow through on resolutions, as long as it's something that's attainable, something I value, and specific. For example, it's way easier to hold myself accountable to "Drink 5 glasses of water a day" than "Drink more water." The specificity of "I can't consume meat more than one meal a day" forced me to always challenge myself far more than "Eat less meat" would have.

Anyway...I've been considering these resolutions for months. I'm a planner like that. Naturally, I've considered a lot of food-related ones, such as "Lighten up on the peanut butter, you psycho," or "No non-organic soy." But ultimately, I decided to avoid those. As a perfectionist, putting myself under that kind of pressure can be a little problematic. Plus, my quest for good nutrition is a step-by-step journey. I don't believe I need any monumental "resolutions" to make them happen.

So without further ado, I present my resolutions for 2012: 

1. Exercise for 2.5 hours a week. It doesn't have to be intense, but it has to get my heart thumping! I'm not trying to burn calories or train for a marathon; I'm simply hoping to keep my heart and lungs healthy and vivacious!

2. Floss at least every other day. My dentist loves my teeth. Like, he loves them. Sometimes, I feel like he wants to turn my mouth into an art exhibit. He's always saying things like, "Beauuuutiful teeth.... Wow.... You have such excellent home-care... Beautiful.... Perfect...." I take great pride in my dental hygiene, to the point where I actually brush my teeth around four times a day. Yet I don't floss. That needs to change. I would commit to "Floss daily," but then I would give up if I accidentally missed a day. This way, I have wiggle room for mistakes.

I wanted to make more; I'm just full of ideas for self-improvement! But I knew I had to narrow them down and prioritize. These two alone will challenge me sufficiently.

So anyway, I've had a delicious start to 2012. I reheated my fantastic 3-bean and quinoa chili for lunch (I swear it gets better every time I taste it!), and I made a bean and avocado tostada for dinner.

I got the idea for the tostada from one of my favorite restaurants. It's usually made with a giant helping of iceberg lettuce, so I was excited to make it myself, using fat-free refried beans (which is apparently not fried in oil...so the question is...how did they fry it? haha), a whole wheat tortilla, and organic spring mix.

P.S. Are you aware that "refried" is actually a mistranslation? These beans have not been fried twice, as the name suggests. "Refritos" literally translates to "well-fried," and not "refried."

Happy New Year!

Easy Greek Pizza

On Wednesday night, I once again proved myself as a Kitchen Debutante when I made a failure of a pizza. I mean, it wasn't a total failure. I enjoyed eating it, and the flavors were good.

The problem was the crust. You might remember the last time I made homemade pizza--at the beginning of October. That crust recipe was enough for two pizzas, so I put the second ball of dough in the freezer. And finally, almost three months later, I got it out to thaw this week.

It probably could have been fine. Unfortunately, I'm dumb, and I only let it thaw in the fridge for a day. I should have let it sit out on the counter or a couple hours. Maybe? I don't know. :) I'm new to this.

By the time I started rolling it out, it wasn't frozen at all, but cold. It would not stretch. I would roll it out, and it would immediately spring back to its smaller shape. I tried "tossing" it on my fists, dangling it and letting it stretch itself, and using some good, ol' fashioned elbow grease, but nothing worked. I couldn't get it any bigger than a 10" diameter, and it was nearly half an inch thick.

Instead of perservering, I merely continued. The result? A doughy pan crust. It tasted good, and the toppings were great, but the texture of the crust.... *shudder*

Anyway, I wanted to make a Greek-flavored pizza, so I topped my whole wheat crust with an olive oil glaze, kale sauteed with garlic, black olives, feta, and a TINY bit of mozzarella and cheddar (as in one handful of each around the entire pizza). I also sprinkled on some nutritional yeast, just for good measure.

Chili: Unveiled

I've posted about chili many times now. First, I confessed my addiction by whipping up a quick, cheater's version during the hottest days of the summer. Then I used the leftovers to top a veggie burger. Then I made another (botched) batch to stuff an acorn squash.

And now, at last, I have a recipe to share with you--a recipe that I can proudly share because I know it rocks. Half the problem with my previous attempts was not the ingredients at all, but the fact that I didn't let it simmer.

Yes. You HAVE to let it simmer. For HOURS. And if you want it to be even better, you'll let it simmer, and then leave it in the fridge overnight, and FINALLY eat it the following day for lunch. In a mason jar.

But that's only if you love yourself. If you hate yourself, then sure: go ahead and eat it as soon as it's all assembled. But don't say I didn't warn you!

P.S. I used Westbrae Organic Chili Beans in this recipe. I don't normally specify brands, or differentiate between organic and conventional, because I feel like those decisions should be left to the individual cook. However, I love these beans because they are a mix of three different beans (black, kidney, and pinto), without the usual chili gravy. This way, I had total control of my chili's seasoning.

Lauren's 3-Bean and Quinoa Chili

• 1/4 c quinoa
• 1/2 of a white onion, diced (not finely!)
• 1 - 15 oz.can tomato sauce
• 1 - 15 oz. can stewed tomatoes, chopped into quarters
• 1 - 4.5 oz. can chopped green peppers
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. Blackstrap molasses
• small handful of dark chocolate chips
• 1 - 15 oz. can black beans
• 1 - 15 oz. can Westbrae Organic Chili Beans
• salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes

1. In a large pot, cook 1/4 cup of quinoa according to instructions. Remember, it is better to UNDERCOOK your quinoa for this recipe, since you'll be simmering them later (right??).

2. Cook your onions on medium high heat in some olive oil in another pan for several minutes until they are translucent. Stir them frequently.

3. Combine your quinoa and onions to the large pot, and add the tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, chopped green peppers, garlic, cumin, oregano, chili powder, molasses, and chocolate chips. Stir. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes.

4. Stir again. Add both cans of beans. If your stove is super hot and your chili is practically boiling, you'll need to turn the heat down to low.

5. Taste. Add salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes (or cayenne pepper) as you deem necessary.

6. You could eat it now. But it won't be special. What you should do is let it simmer for an hour. Or at least half an hour. I even put mine in the fridge afterwards, and reheated it the next day. All of this helps thicken it up and make all the ingredients work together beautifully.

You can eat this plain, or top it with cheese, Greek yogurt, sour cream, chives, or green onions, or serve it with a nice chunk of cornbread. Or, if you're really fancy, you could bake it in a mason jar with cornbread on top. I'm dying to try that sometime.

No more Potter.

This morning, I eagerly wondered what would happen in the world of Harry Potter today. I thought back to the horror of meeting Voldemort in the cemetery at Little Hangleton, to the delight when Sirius wrote the note giving permission for Harry to visit Hogsmeade, to my giggles imagining the charming arrogance of young James and Sirius taking their O.W.L.s, to the pain of watching Draco's slow transformation from rude child to dangerous bully to someone who's actually human. What would I experience today?

And then, with a stab to my chest, I remembered it was over. There was nothing left. I consumed the final page of Deathly Hallows last night at 2 AM. Never again would I experience the same thrills that I've had for the past several months. Never again would I finish one of those chapters, only to read the final sentence and feel an intense longing to keep reading, to continue the journey, to find out what happens.

Normally, one read is enough for me. When I finish a book, I feel a strange rush of pride; I suffered many years of the "I don't like to read" phenomenon in my adolescence--which is why I never experienced Hogwarts earlier--so actually finishing a long novel gives me an immense sense of accomplishment. I close the book, look at all the pages I have finished, smile to myself, and set the book back on its place on my bookshelf, where it will sit for a long time, probably never to be read again.

Never before have I felt such a desire to reread a book. I keep thinking back to those early books in the series, and reminiscing the happy, innocent tone of them, and realizing I have so many gaps in my memory about what actually happened in them. I want to relive it.

But this isn't an option. My bookshelf still contains a couple dozen books that are starved for attention, that have been calling my name for several years, that were offended by my decision to skip my planned reading list and immerse myself into the world of Harry Potter. Yes, there is still so much left to read. I need to move on.

...But moving on doesn't mean I won't be visiting Wizarding World of Harry Potter after graduation with Tiffany. ;)

Not-so-white Christmas

Is this real life?

Best. Winter. Break. EVER.

Some people might be disappointed not to have a white Christmas, and this will be the first year of my life that we haven't had ANY snow on Christmas. But you know what? A brown Christmas is a sacrifice I'm willing to make for THIS beautiful of a December. Sure, we had a billion inches of snow by THANKSGIVING last year, but we also had to suffer through -10 highs, -40 wind chills, icy roads, and constant blizzards. Given the choice, I pick the brown Christmas. I'm so grateful for this weather. I hope it keeps up throughout the winter!

Meatless Meatball Marinara

Behold! Heaven on bread. Actually, the bread was heaven, too... Heaven on a plate.

It's even better than the Christmas decorations.

Yes, I know I said I was going to make this two days ago, but you know how life goes. So TODAY, I finally got to work.

Even in my meat-eating days, I've only had a meatball marina sub once. It was last April, right after I temporarily switched to a high-calorie diet. My friend Natalie and I decided to meet for lunch at Subway. I had always gotten the same sub (turkey), but I realized suddenly that this was an excellent opportunity to carelessly pile on the calories. Eagerly, I went on the Subway website and checked out the nutritional information. I scanned the chart for the highest calorie sandwiches. Bam! Meatball marinara. At the time, it was second only to the Big Philly Cheesesteak (although they have since added more in the 500-calorie range).

Oh man. It was pretty good. I am a little skeptical about Subway, due to the high sodium, controversial ingredients in their "fresh" bread, and that AWFUL smell of the restaurants that just CLINGS to your clothes for hours, but this sub was delicious. In a wrong, sick way.

I'm not sure how I got the idea to recreate this sandwich. I've been wanting to incorporate more lentils into my diet, so I was thinking of making meatballs again. And this idea came to me. I was planning on just using regular bread, or perhaps "Thin Buns" (I love those things), but then something better stumbled into my hands. My boss randomly makes Italian-herb baguettes from time to time, and on Tuesday, he had a loaf for me.

He said to me, "When you leave tonight, you can take one of those loaves."

I pursed my lips thoughtfully and replied, "Hmm....maybe!"

To which he replied with a smile, "Oh no, that wasn't a request. That was an order. You're taking one of those loaves." ;)

And then I realized this bread would be perfect for my sandwich. So after weeks of considering this recipe, I finally put it into execution.

The meatballs are adapted from my favorite veggie burger recipe, Jennifer Perillo's lentil burgers. I have raved about these before. They rock, and they're so versatile! When I made this batch, I didn't even shape any of them into patties; I put them all in balls. Some were used for this sandwich, some will be used for pasta, and others will be crumbled up for other things (pasta, chili, etc.). Love this stuff.

Lauren's Lentil Balls

Adapted from lentil burgers from In Jennie's Kitchen

• 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. water
• 1 tbsp. oil
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 cup oat bran (OR breadcrumbs)
• 1 tsp. sage
• 1 tsp. fennel
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Cook the onions in a tablespoon or two of oil over medium high heat until translucent. Remove from heat. (I did this step while my lentils were simmering).

Transfer lentils to a large bowl. Mash or puree with a stick/immersion blender (or do this in your food processor). DON'T puree it all the way! I keep around half of them whole.

In a small bowl, mix water, oil, and baking powder. This is the replacement for the egg (which I never seem to have on hand these days; I guess you could say I've taken on a vegan-inclined diet when cooking at home). So alternatively, you could just use an egg. :) Add the mixture, OR a lightly beaten egg, to the lentils.

Add the onion and oat bran. Mix. Add sage, fennel, black pepper, and salt. Mix again.

Shape into your preferred shape. The possibilities are endless! In fact, I bet if you added more spices (cayenne!!), they would transform into some fantastic breakfast sausages. :)

Refrigerate them for an hour or two (or longer!) before frying in a little oil on all sides.

For the meatball marina sandwich:

After the meatballs were browned on all sides, I added the marina to the pan. As it turns out, this was a terrible idea. Hot pan + cold sauce = sizzle, splatter, and hiss. Duh! (Proof that I'm still a kitchen debutante.) Try heating up the marina separately before adding!

I cut off a 5-inch chunk of the baguette and sliced it in half. I toasted it slightly on our Pizzazz. :)

And then I assembled it all. :) And DANG. It tasted SO GOOD. I actually felt a sense of loss when I had finished it all. I will definitely be using the remains of my baguette to repeat this meal!

What I've been up to..

So I've been pretty active in my kitchen lately, now that I don't have to spend allllllllll my time on homework and reading assignments. For some reason, now of it has ended up on the blog, so I thought I'd sum it all up now. :)

A couple days ago, I made baked oatmeal for the first time. I tried a pumpkin variation, using this recipe. Except I didn't have any eggs, so I vegan-ized it. It was quite wonderful. The only downfall is that baked oatmeal takes so long to make! I can whip up my stove top oatmeal in less than ten minutes, including cook time. This oatmeal requires about half an hour.

Yesterday, I made my signature tomato sauce. I was about halfway through when I remembered I was supposed to be keeping track of how much of everything I put in (so I could share the recipe). So I guess that will have to wait until next time. Anyway, I just used it for some pasta. I used whole wheat linguini, with a ginormous heap of spinach and mixed greens salad with feta and sunflower seeds, drizzled with olive oil to hold it all together. A great meal. :)

Anyway, the real reason I made the tomato sauce was because I had a genius plan for today. Using Jennifer Perillo's lentil burger recipe, I will be making "meatballs." Then, I will assemble it into a meatball marinara sandwich. I have a fantastic loaf of bread that my boss gave me yesterday; it's a garlic-y baguette with Italian herbs on top. My meatballs will love it. :) I will let you know how this all turns out.

And this morning, I made whole wheat pumpkin waffles. They pretty much made my apartment smell like Christmas! Because maple syrup makes me sick, I slathered a light coating of peanut butter on mine, and then lightly drizzled it with honey. Then I tossed on a handful of raisins, for good measure. Num, num, num. :)