Pakora Pancakes: Deconstructed

My new lover, lavash you better watch out! (although you'll always have a place in my thumping aortas!) ^.^ ChickPea Pancakes filled with zucchini, mushrooms, onions, scallions, paprika, sea salt, black pepper, indian spice( am saturated with sleep, will change to proper name in the mornin")

A wave of vegetables, a sea of eats!

Simple, Crunchy, Fresh. Lately, I've had an inclination towards minimally seasoned foods. I just savor the natural flavors (not the mysterious and ambiguous kinds you read about :P!). I stir-fried some zucchini, green beans, portabellas, baby buttons, edamame, onions, and garlic together. That's it! That's it?! I also couldn't resist the ever enticing Hummus :$, I'd smother it all over my body if I could. You know what, I technically can, it's a matter of want. Anyone want to persuade me, wrap me up in a big pita pocket while we're at it ;-) ohoho, i'd better just let the food do the talking from now on! :D



Here is a Kale Stir-fry (yes, I've been cheating on my bok choy with this darker, leafier green ;-) Don't think about blackmailing me, the mushrooms already know! Excuse the photo quality. I used my other camera that may or may not have been reduced to one setting after a mysterious incident involving a hoof and aloofness... Also starring: Toasted Sesame seeds powdered atop a raw pickled carrot salad!

Winter Revival!

Let the sitzkrieg begin! Please forgive me for neglecting you my virtual mistress, I had no intention to let you collect dead skin cells and bits of fluff. I must keep you in pristine condition, my precious, you are a reflection of me, a piece of my beating and bloody heart! I have been unfettered from the shackles of school work and now begin a month of much needed relaxation. (how long will it take for my epidermis to fuse to the couch fibers, anyone want to start a pool? (always bet on me ;-)) How shall we commence the winter vacation but with a revival?! Okay, so since September I have been officially Gluten-Free and since October I've been Sugar-free! ( no processed sugar nor natural sweeteners like agave, etc. )The only sugar I consume is from the actual source, like fruits!( this practice baffles so many people, it's about achieving a state of purity though!) I've been naughty :(; yesterday I gorged myself on some vegan pizza. It fit my qualifications, except I thought I had completely eschewed processed foods(yes, I used the infamous vegan cheese D:). Alas, my overwhelming urges to submit to my desires brought me down like a rotting vine on a molding brick house. Weak in the knees, my eyes glazed over at the sight of a gluten free crust lifelessly perched on a self conveniently placed at my hands level; I vacillated for a good while, grasping it in my dry, cracked hands and running my fingers over the plastic. So delicate I was with it, like a naive lover, reluctant to reveal his want for touch. This crust had no home for a moment in time, like divorced parents battling over their child, my baby was in the cart or on the shelf. I couldn't abandon it, the orphaned crust was begging for a permanent residence. Well, digesting isn't so permanent, but I did offer it a luxury stay with a 5 star rated stomach, and a tongue massage! ;-) I concluded that during the school term I had been too self-restricting, that if I wanted to feel some sort of warmth and happiness, it would only be achieved through acting on my desires. I was tangoing with this streetcar for a while, seduced by the possible fantasies, I eagerly and ravenously grabbed the crust and laid it in my cart as if it were a Faberge egg made of dessicated mango strips. Then, I headed to the soy cheese aisle, for me it is the biggest challenge to consume a processed item, a rock in my lentils, certainly! The thoughts of it impurifying the body, oh, but these visions were fleeting, and I knocked them off the curb as images of bubbly toppings and seared crusts floated around in edible bubbles. It was my reward, and for the first time in months, did I succumb to gluttony with no apparent guilt or shame! It shall only happen bi-annually though, perhaps this will motivate me to take summer classes in order to fit in one more round! But this has certainly affirmed my beliefs, I won't be craving this sassy soy thang again until AH, enough of this right. Let's get to the pornography! :
The crust is gluten-free Millet and Flax from Sami's Bakery ( the ones who make my beloved lavash!!!) The sauce was homemade, a blend of fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, and some tomato puree! All with onions, garlic, basil oil, garlic oil, and herbs herbs herbs!


I hadn't eaten, save an apple, for the entire day. I was ravenous, which also has to do with my impulse buying sometimes... haha. Plus, I had just moved out of my dorm. I live on the 3rd floor, and the stairs are like climbing Mt.Everest. Think Bear Grylls would want to hike it? Oh, he'd certainly have a reward at the top, with better accommodations than a hollowed out camel that he pissed a circle around, or a poor murdered sheep that he stuffed himself in D:. ERrr, moving away from my personal conflictions with old Bear... I felt like I had reached my exhaustion threshold after several trips, homegirl's got a lot of shit(had to take home all my food after all!), I'm now ripped like a marble statue! I thought I would collapse on the stairwell though, the feeling was like being constipated(never happens with the gargantuan amount of fiber I consume!), putting all this effort, coating your body in an eager sweat, but all your straining and lifting seems futile! I'm not sure where I was going with that comparison, and I'm certain it's a bad idea to say the C word in a food blog! :P .... Before I digressed....

Since this was going to be my only meal, I felt it was dire that I included some sort of vegetables, so ahoy, delicately arranged on top are Mushrooms, Broccoli, and even more Garlic?!



I promise to lavish you in delicious food posts from here to eden, my sweet pea.

No 'Fu?

Oh my sweet precious musings, how I have neglected ye, so very unintentional though. Please forgive me, I shall make it up to you with a delicious cornucopia of vegan goodies that would satisfy the Greek gods(and you know what a tough crowd that is to impress, the consequences for failing are quite fatal and cruel as well)! what I have at tofu stake! Golly, how long it's been since I've united my fingertips with the smooth lettered tiles(with accumulating sticky remnants of fruit too juicy to stay on my skin ;-)) of the keyboard to write about things other than collagen diseases and foodservice topics. Ugh, I lost you at collagen diseases right? The winter vacation is nearing and I shall bid a fond farewell to my fall semester by this Friday. I have found my exhaustion threshold and with the toilsome work I've finally completed with a knock out punch, am left but a scaffold of bones and a bag of skin! I will lavish you in food, bloggy, you will be adorned with orgasmic and tantalizing edible delights. You will trigger tastebuds and glaze eyes, you shall be my trophy wife! This week I've set up a challenge: No Tofu. Often times, I am too dependent on the old block of beancurd. It really is my preferred choice of protein. But this week, after discussing those lascivious lentils with a fellow V-gal, have decided to embrace them in my warm belly. I've never been quite fond of lentils, but then I've never had a dish tasty enough to convince me that I would be an empty corn husk without them in my life. There has never been a dish to persuade me, even their red, yellow, and green tints could not seduce me. (confess it, some of you just eat things based on their colors! :p) Let us see what this week has in store!

The foods mate, the foods, what about the foods! I have not supplied anyone these days with salacious and nutritious items. Here we have a go. This past weekend I traveled far and wide to an obscure land referred to as New York City! haha. well Flushing to be exact. and if only if it were true to it's name. it did smell like a toilet mid flush, but did not provide the refreshment of its aftermath, alas! There I discovered what I had always longed to prove. Excess quantity of one's favorite things are capable of destroying her tastebuds and spirit for months to come! yargh, there I nomed and gorged on vegan chinese food for far too long. I was in ill recovery after that. and cannot peer upon a rice noodle the same way these days. So let's revel in the beauty of other cuisines! :

potato-rama! nothing like a lovely tofu fried tattie!


I love to blend swirl mash my tofu into a nice ricotta. paired with GF noodles and a homemade red sauce with garlic sauteed portobella strips! girll it's time to get divine!

Sadly I've been making repeat dishes lately, because they are so damn good! I must widen my repertoire, suggestions? I'm finally willing to take back and forgive zucchini after overdosing on it. Say what, what do you want to eat?!

hitting the snoozeberries

I've had a passionate affair with barbecue sauce, it certainly has not disappointed either party. This was no discreet exchange of intimate oral love, and here I am to reveal the intense flavors and creations it has pleasured me with to no end ;-) As well as other delights that have flung themselves across the universe of my insatiable appetite. And oh my precious tofu, how I do adore you, smother you with any thing I'll gladly be your tasty fling ;-)

sultry baked tofu, the scarlet of the oven world!


Asian Eggplant Medley!

Tempeh Spinach Salad *cringe* I really shouldn't adorn it with such a bland name, but this is the closest I will get to a salad! Slathered with some succulent portobella strips!

New comfort meal. Who knew the finer things in life consisted of smashed rose gold potatoes and tender tofu! Those green beans were snappy like a whip ;-) and I've got quite the assortment :P


Tofu Two way, because I like to tango and tangle with two sometimes ;-)



*drools* mmm homemade red vidalia sauce with pan friend greenies and shrooms!


Gorgeous! I could slather myself in this, a beautiful japanese eggplant and carrot bok choi stir fry with a mushroom tofu blend!

coopshop

So I'm quite excited about the amount of goodies I purchased with my near budget today(meaning I still went over budget but in an acceptable +5$ way). That goes to show what my town can offer, if i look forward most to shopping for my edible essentials. But then again I've got this sort of stalker relationship with food, I'm always looming around the veggies, my eyes burning their gaze into the bok choy as if it were a stir fry :P I thought it was astounding what I racked up, I decided to showcase the yummies, so that I can make you all salivate with such tantalizing greens ;-) Perhaps you will be inspired to munch on those delicious produce items after viewing the pleasure they grant me ;-) I spent a total of 54.41$ Pretty reasonable since I always try to buy organic and local!





*drum roll* Presenting :
~Baby Button Mushrooms @ 2.29$/lb (conventional but local they don't sell organic bulk mushrooms) I got 6.32$ worth, these are the shrooms for me! Everyone comments on how large my package is ;-) But I can go through them before we hit thursday *pace thyself*
~Portobella Mushrooms x 2 @ 3.99$/lb= 2$
~Tofu, organic, local, bridge bulk kosher x 2 @ 2.29$/lb=4.65$
~Sami's Millet& Flax Spanish Lavash @ 4.99$ (this is quite my treat, treat for what, who knows since I do nothing all day haha, but it's gluten free and makes me want to wrap myself in one, kinky!)
~Organic Avocado x 1 @ 1.99$ ( i adore them but usually only get them with the lavash ^.^ since they are quite expensive and they are amazing when paired with lavash and I like to just get them on top of it instead of mixing it and polluting it with other ingredients!)
~ Organic Baby Bok Choy @ 2.99$ = 3.17$ (it was like adopt a baby week there, so many cute and tiny produce items .^.^ (which would be irresistible to Hareema's glowing stare)
~Organic Rose Gold Potatoes @ 1.99$/lb=2.93$ ( I just wanted to feed them to a tiny bunny, that's how small some of them were!)(do bunnies eat potatoes? There are some around my house but I'd never hold them captive~)
~Organic Green Beans @ 2.99$/lb=1.30$ (they are prepackaged but so snappy and crunchy!)
~Japanese Eggplant (conventional &local) @ 1.40$/lb( what a steal steal steal and they were adorable too(no i didn't buy my food based on immature aesthetics, well...!) =1.92$
~Organic Kale x 1 @ 2.49$ (I promised myself I would actually eat them this time haha they are like bananas, I get them but just never want to eat them, regardless of knowing their great nutritional value(they are rather intimidating, kale!)
~Organic GrannySmith Apples @ 1.99$/lb =3.94$ (nice and tart, just like me ;-))
~Bionature Organic Whole Peeled Tomatoes x 2 @ 1.99$/can
~Bionature Organic Tomato Paste x 1 @ 1.49$/jar :D :D :D I've really been craving this lush stuff, I eat it out of the jar, it's one of my favorite snacks , rack up that lycopene ;-)
~ Organic Yellow Corn grits @ 1.69$ (one of these days I'll get around to making polenta! )
~Annie's Organics BBQ Sauce in Sweet and Spicy. @ 2.79$/ bottle. YES Just after I've overdosed on this sauce they start selling it on sale. Hallelujah!!! I can finally lather my self up in it and take a bath!
~ PetPromise Canned Cat food for my purrball! @ .99$/can = on sale, he shall eat well tonight and every night after that~
well, what do you think ? I feel pretty triumphant that I was able to get cat food, a treat, bbq sauce!!!!! and some canned tomatoes while on target! if I hadn't splurged for the Lavash I would have been on budget, but who likes perfection? :P plus I eyed this gorgeous Mango sorbet that I decided to reshelf, next time you will not slip away from me! Who wants to be treated to fine dining tonight? won't you join me? After every food trip I always allow myself to not be modest when I prepare that night's dinner. Somehow I am incapable of making only one serving, but my stomach is bigger than my eyes! :P Plus I am thinking of taking photos of my pantry once a week and asking you lot what I should whip up from what I have stocked! Get your thinking berets on ;-)

mm fried nuggets of sin. Portobellos lightly coated in corn starch and fried up. With a sassy succulent BarBeQue tofu to boot. Ambrosia!

tTangled Webs

Today should have been gorgeous out. The fair weather and sunshine, warm happiness to melt a solid heart. I attempted to take part in what I thought was a day off from debbie downer controlling the sky. First off I had a pretty good time. Even though I went over budget (but only around 7$) I was able to procure my much sought after organic barbeque sauce. Oo child, this was a trip to flavor country! I managed to knock back around half a bottle. I wanted to smother it on everything! I knew I had gone too far when my hand had to be swat away from the rice cakes bag. But you really never know unless you try, mom! It's staring at me now, with a burning gaze, weakening my barricade and softening me up as if I were a jar of coconut oil. If I resist too long, I might end up guzzling it in a fit of passionate rage and lack of will power! I fried up some tofu, and oddly enough paired it with dry stir fried baby bok choy and mushrooms. Then I tried it with fried sweet potatoes. I pretty much could care less what it was on, I could practically bath in it's ethereal scent.

Then dun dun dun. I decided to step outside. You know, like someone who pretends to enjoy nature. I don't know if it was the sauce or what, but those mosquito had a feast on me! Why is my flesh so tender and inviting?! You think the paleness would make them turn away from me in search of a nice tanned body Perhaps they can at least taste that i don't have an iron deficiency? haha. I am faint from getting the blood sucked out of me. I'd over estimate and exaggerate a pint! At least 10 bites, I don't know if she kept coming back for more since I was sooo delicious or if she brought the whole family with her!(because we all know that only females are the ones who suck blood, thata girl ;-) I really wish I had captured one while you could see the blood in her stomach. I even considered to be the bait, but none would take the bite in a region visible to me! ouch. Next I was letting Lexington roam around the domain. All of a sudden he has disappeared into a bush (thank goodness for his vivid locks of swirled fire and smoke!) Only as I was getting him, I was snagged on a bush of burrs. yeah who knew they existed around my house. AT that very location. So I ended up getting tangled in it. My camera strap, my hair. I had to rip the plant out of its roots to free myself! Lesson learnt, these midnight locks are to be kept out of the shrubbery!

It don't matter if it's black or white!

Actually, I'd prefer both. So it was raining again today. What is this, am I actually just reliving the same day over and over again? I decided to once again try to capture the beauty within the eye of the storm. Now you might be sick of droplets on leaves, it is probably pretty banal now. in fact, I am almost so bored I want to rebel in a fit of destruction and knock every ounce of water clinging to these leaves into the ground. But I feel compelled. To shoot them at every angle, color, and go mad scientist by abusing supermacro all the time. I might need intervention. This is only a desperate plea for the sun to last longer than a day (and I miss most of that because I sleep in ). (if anyone is need of participants in a study of taking too many black and white photos, I won't be ashamed if you ask me to volunteer:P)