I know it's January but I have been making salads like it's June. I have been making all the salads from Salad Samurai, aiming to make all the ones from the Winter chapter by the time the season leaves us. This one is actually from the Fall chapter, and it's called the Collard Sweet Potato Crunch Bowl. It called for cubed sweet potato but I had roasted mine whole and it was too soft to cube. So I just scooped it on top and it was none the worse for it. Those Sriracha and Smoke Pecans are really addictive. I had extra from this salad and I totally ate them all at work the next day. I shared. Swear.


I got Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen for Christmas and have made a few things from it already. This is the White Lasagna with Butternut Squash. It was really good. It has tofu ricotta, an alfredo sauce and pureed roasted butternut squash. Alex is really not into any of those things so I had this all to myself the whole week. I shared with my coworker, who as of late has had vegan aspirations!


Alex does, however, really like Mexican food and he helped me make burritos the other night. I made spicy lentils with some taco spices and tomato sauce, some sauteéd diced onions and peppers and rolled them inside along with some avocado slices. Some brown rice and black beans on the side, and other than the large quantity of food, there's not too much to be ashamed of, healthwise. Not that it has ever really stopped us before, but I have been aiming for healthier alternatives.

 Speaking of appropriate winter gear, I received some new winter boots today! They are from Native Shoes, a Canadian company based out of Vancouver, and all of their products are vegan! I was in search of a vegan "bean boot" and these looked to be a good fit. They are similar in style but without the leather and shearling. They had a bunch of colors but hardly any that were left in my size. This color combo seemed acceptable enough, and after trying them on I love them!!



While in curry-mode I made this sweet potato curry with adzuki beans and cauliflower from
Isa Does It. It was a thai-inspired curry with red curry paste and lots of lime. It was very seasonal and delicious.


I made this salad from Salad Samurai but this is actually from the Spring chapter. It's the Green Curry Lentil Salad. It was super spicy but good. It was sweet from the pineapple and crunchy from the toasted coconut. I added Lemongrass Tofu to the salad even though it didn't call for it because it was dinner. Everybody wants a little tofu in there when they eat a dinner salad. If they don't then tell them I said Yes they do.


Okay this one is definitely from the Winter chapter of Salad Samurai. It is called Sesame Noodles In The Dojo. I have been to Dojo in the West Village on Terry's recommendation and was not a fan, but then after reading the intro to this salad recipe learned that they overhauled their entire menu and the restaurant sort of fell flat. The Dojo she once so highly recommended is now just a really generic pan-asian sort of place. These sesame noodles are a tribute to a dish once prepared so well by the restaurant back when. Plus noodles? In a salad? I'm there. I added Beyond Meat but this really didn't need it.

 
Speaking of noodles in salads, here is the Pad Thai Salad with Asparagus and Tofu from the Spring chapter. I know, I can't stick to the right season! What gives? This salad was pretty good but the asparagus didn't shred into ribbons the way I thought they would and were a barely noticeable addition to the salad for a pretty good amount of work. It took forever to shave the asparagus spears, and most of the asparagus was left behind once they couldn't be shred anymore. Maybe the really big husky stalks would have worked better for this, but I always find the skinny ones in the store. The salad overall was good, but benefitted from some Golden Mountain Sauce drizzled on top!


I've been doing my best to keep making smoothies, which is really no problem, aside from the time it takes to peel chop, blend and drink. I have been kind of in a protein-shake-mood lately. I have finally been able to work out again after my shoulder injury healed. Well -- it didn't exactly heal. I got shot up with some concoction of steroids at the doctor and was put on a high dose of anti-inflammatory drugs. It feels pretty good most days by now. I am hoping by the time I go back I will not need any further treatment. In the meantime I have been cranking out the Chaturangas and planking until I drop. I made Alex do a 45 minute Nike Training Club workout with me this morning. It was fun to work out together yet funny. Do couples work out together? Or is that supposed be separate?


In conclusion I have been keeping busy this winter with my favorite activities, like cooking, yoga, seeing shows, and playing bass. And making ravioli. These have a lentil & ricotta filling. Putting my ravioli pan to use!


Enjoy the rest of the season! There's much more fun to be had before it's over <33

I got these mozzarella sticks the first time I went to the Rockville Center one and loved them so much. The second time I went, they said they were all out, and I almost cried. This time I ordered them the second my butt touched the chair, so as not to waste any time. As soon as they arrived I ate three of the five back to back and my will to live was slowly restored. They are just daiya, but they just do it really right. Also how do you guys pronounce daiya? I always thought it was  "DIE-ya" but I heard a few people say "DAY-ya" and I was like, how silly, but then someone told me they got corrected by someone from daiya when they pronounced it "DIE-ya" and that the true way is "DAY-ya." What gives?

The bottles of water for the tables were so fancy, they looked like they could hold angels' tears.


I ordered the seitan scarpariello, which is like a sausage-and-peppers-with-setian thing. It was okay. the pasta was undercooked and the seitan had a really weird texture. And I filled up on the bread and salad and mozzarella sticks by the time this came, so shame on me. #sorrynotsorry.

I will say that the entrees came on Italian-sized plates. That is to say that the plates the entrees were served on were the size of Italy. That was great for us, except that we forgot to bring our extended families with us to help us eat all of it. Alex ordered the seitan parmesan, which ruled. It was so good and everything you want from seitan parmesan. I wish I had ordered it -- or not ordered mine and just ate a KZ-sized portion of his. There would still be leftovers for both of us. Anyway, A+ on the seitan parm. Oh, and I love that "GO VEGAN" is painted multiple times on the front windows, and that all of the waiters' shirts have "Go Vegan!" written underneath their "3 Brothers" logo. It warmed my progressive vegan heart.

For dessert we shared the PB Bomb, which like all their desserts, comes from Vegan Treats bakery. It was a clear choice, because peanut butter, but they had lots of great options like keylime cheesecake and white chocolate raspberry cheesecake and PB brownie cake and lots of other stuff too.


We could barely fit this inside our bodies. But we did. We did it. In the name of peanut butter and vegan food.
Overall I had a great meal and a great evening. It was a hefty bill -- $80 for two. We shared an appetizer and a large salad, each got an entree (that will feed us maybe two more times each) and split a dessert. So for Italian food, I'd say that's a little overpriced. But I have no real complaints, besides my entree not being my favorite. I'm sure most other things I could have ordered would have been great. We did skip the alcohol, which is what usually drives up the bill, but we did get and appetizer and a dessert, so that ain't cheap either. But I'm a young adult and it's possible one day we won't be young adults anymore, and maybe we'll have a mortgage and a million blonde vegan baby brats to feed, and we won't be able to drive 60 miles on a Tuesday night for Italian food. So I think we should get apps and zerts now. We're young. Right?

These are golabkis, little Polish burritos, with a cabbage tortilla and lentil filling.


After you roll them up, you cover them in a tomato sauce and bake them. They were pretty easy to make. They were the first thing I made, so maybe I just had more steam and they felt easy. Who's to say.


Every year for the past several, my mom and I have been making our own pierogis to bring with us to Wilgilia. My dad took a few action shots for us demonstrating the process.






I wish I had taken pictures of the final ones. We had a ton. Also my crimping skills are on point.


I made my mother-in-law these gluten-free carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting! I am no expert at gluten-free baking and I definitely had some trouble with these cupcakes, but she still enjoyed them anyway. I will perfect my recipe for next time. Anybody have a solid gluten-free carrot cake recipe they swear by?



I made some stuffing for Christmas Day, along with some mashed potatoes and gravy. Also some chickpea cutlets and roasted veggies, all unfortunately not pictured.


Last, I made this cake. It's an "eggnog" cake, but I always use silk nog and it tastes great and no one has any clue or cares that it's vegan because it's so good. It's also so easy.


Our Christmas morning spread: leftover eggnog cake (I made 3...) gingerbread cookies, chopped pineapple and assorted pears. Pears are key.

 This is my sis modeling her new Boston Terrier socks I got her. Totally got myself a pair too. That always happens when I buy her gifts.


A couple days after Christmas we drove back to New York with Alex's dad and his girlfriend. They usually visit annually so it was nice to walk around with them. His Dad likes to visit the Times Square Area, especially after or around the holidays. Most New Yorkers would never be caught dead there, and I am inclined to agree with them, but in the spirit of the holidays and for the sake of my family wanting to see it all, we stepped slowly in a mob of people waiting to see the tree and ice rink.




Come on, you're not going to go all the way out there and take baby steps in foot traffic for 5 hours and NOT take any pictures. Here's us being cute without privacy.


The next day we got Roberta's with our friend Lauren from Cake Thieves and enjoyed life once more.


After pizza, we stopped at Dr. Cow and picked up some fancy cheese. I have been meaning to try their cheese for a while now, and I'm glad I did because it is great.


It's not that I need to be having wine and cheese parties -- It's that I can. I shared this cheese with my lovely vegan friends and would love to try some other kinds too, though this one was great. When I one day host a vegan wine and cheese party I will find that sommelier who told me I "just could never understand the finer things in life" and tell him he's particularly not invited to my special party with artisan cheese. And wine from the corner store. Because I can't understand the finer things in life.