Just Made: Cold-Brewed Coffee
Yes, it is hot out again. Usually I’m too lazy or forgetful to make cold-brewed coffee. Days like this, though, it just doesn’t do to wake up, make coffee, and wait for it to cool down in the freezer; I’d rather have iced coffee ready and waiting, thank you.
And if you’ve got a French press, it’s easy to do. All it takes is a little forethought, and the willingness to add coffee-making to your bedtime routine.
Add your grounds to the French press the night before, and fill it up with room temperature water. Store it in the fridge overnight, and in the morning it’s fully infused and looks like this:
Press the grounds, and you’re good to go. (FYI, I have been drinking Trader Joe’s chicory coffee, and it is delicious!)
Bonus: it tastes way better than making iced coffee any other way, such as adding ice to regular coffee (which dilutes it) or sticking it in the freezer for a bit (which takes to long and cools it unevenly).
I have a feeling I’ll be making coffee at bedtime for the rest of the summer…
Photo of the Day: Downward Facing Dog
Barbara loves it when I do Yoga Downloads in the living room. As soon as I get into that first downward facing dog, she circles my mat, pausing to lick the bottoms of my feet and my fingers. She’s been doing it since she was a puppy, and it’s one of my favorite parts of my at-home yoga practice. It’s difficult to hold onto stress or negative thoughts when there’s a happy puppy at your feet.
After a bit, she usually settles in on part of the mat, and I just have to work around her, which I’m happy to do. And I love it when I’m in Mountain pose and I look down and see her face peering up at me.
Here’s wishing you a wonderful Tuesday.
Just Ran: 7 Miles and Letting Go
I spent my Friday night at yoga (I know, I’m so wild and crazy), and the instructor focused a lot on the idea of letting go. Letting go of preconceived ideas, of plans, of old worries. I tried my best to take her words to heart, although being brave enough to let go of worries is a daily hurdle for me (and most of us, I think).
Letting go of plans, though, is another story. It gets easier for me as I get older and as I realize more and more that my plans don’t matter much because this life likes to surprise.
Case in point: I was three miles into my seven mile run this morning, and I was right on track with the route I’d so carefully mapped using Gmap Pedometer. Then my friend Julia called to beckon me to the Brooklyn Flea earlier than I’d planned on going. Of course, I tossed my mental route out a mental window and ran to meet Julia and Lindsey for some Saturday morning flea marketing. I made it to the Flea just as I was hitting seven miles in 1:05:45.
Of course, I was thirsty and hungry after running all over Brooklyn in the sun. Enter People’s Pops, possibly the best Brooklyn food vendor I’ve stumbled upon this summer. These popsicles are made from local fruit and feature awesomely tempting flavor combinations. I went for the Apricot Lavender. Yes, it was ridiculously good. So good that I will probably stalk People’s Pops and show up wherever they are selling their wares so that I can try every other flavor and then have this one again.
Later, I purchased a refreshing rose petal lemonade for the walk home. And posed with it in all my sweaty glory so that you all could live vicariously through me, because this, too, was very yummy.
A perfect Saturday morning? Perhaps. And I’m even more excited about the Saturday evening that is to come, as Julia, Lindsey, and I have planned a little Clinton Hill bar tour. (This is similar to a pub crawl, but is anyone else skeeved out by that phrase? I just picture drunk people clawing their way to the next destination, and that is not exactly how we roll. We like to do things the sophisticated way ’round here.)
Til then, I’ll be doing homework. Another school year has officially begun, so it’s back to grad school night classes for me. Sigh (of contented happiness).
Chocolate Berry Earl Grey Tea Cookies
The weather is (finally) turning cooler. I am ridiculously happy about this, and I’ve been celebrating with warm beverages and cookies to accompany them.
Inspired by this recipe for Earl Grey Tea Cookies from The Kitchn, I attempted to concoct a similar creation with the ingredients I had on hand.
I replaced the all purpose flour with spelt flour.
And used Chocolate Berry Earl Grey, an Archer Farms tea I picked up at Target many moons ago. Anytime I see chocolate tea, I have to buy it. I am searching for that special tea that promises chocolate and actually delivers, but I have yet to find it. Ah well.
I might do this to my flours more often. I wish I could transport the smell of this tea-infused flour through your computer screen, because it was heavenly.
I used Earth Balance, and the dough came out nice and buttery.
The original recipe said it yielded 24, but I purposely made them tiny, and I think I got 32 out of it. I’m estimating, because I did eat a little bit of the dough…
My lovely friend and I ate more than a few each, and they were the perfect complement to a mug of Chocolate Berry Earl Grey . They’re simple, rather delicate and flowery, and light enough to snack on all tea time.
Chocolate Berry Earl Grey Tea Cookies
Makes 2-3 dozen, depending on how teensy you like your cookies.
1 C spelt flour
2 Chocolate Berry Earl Grey tea bags (or another tea of choice)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 C maple syrup
1/2 C Earth Balance
Preheat the oven to 350. Mix the flour, tea, and salt in a food processor to break up the tea leaves and infuse the flour. Add the vanilla, maple syrup, and Earth Balance and mix. (I replaced the sugar in the original recipe with maple syrup, but if you decide to go with sugar, you’ll probably need to add some liquid to the dough. The original recipe uses water.) Freeze for half an hour, then use a 2 tsp measuring spoon or your hands to make balls of dough. Flatten them on a greased baking sheet, and bake for 10-12 minutes or until a bit crispy. Enjoy with tea.
I just had quite a fun Brooklyn weekend. I stuck close to home and visited some local sites, made a ton of good food with friends, continued my hunt for the perfect neighborhood bar, and managed a six mile run. I say ‘managed’ because a weekend of nights out is not exactly conducive to a Sunday morning long run, but I made it nonetheless. It wasn’t the best run of my life, but it wasn’t the worst. Although it was the worst in quite a while. Totally worth it.
First, some food!
This dish is a take on one of my all-time favorite meals at one of my all-time favorite restaurants, Cornucopia in Dublin. The rainy weather we’ve been having has been giving me hunger/memory pangs for their food, so last night I pulled out my Cornucopia cookbook. I had to venture out into the rain for an eggplant, but, once again, totally worth it.
The original recipe calls for either feta or haloumi cheese, but I already had half a batch of tofu ricotta from Vegan with a Vengeance. (The other half went on a delicious pizza that my friend Julia from Victual Culture made on Friday.) So I threw that in there instead, and it definitely worked. The oregano from the tofu paired nicely with the sun-dried tomato dressing, all the flavors being, I suppose, ‘Mediterranean.’ (The writers of the cookbook joke about this vaguely named dish, saying that it was added to their menu back in the day when the two kinds of food in Ireland were ‘Irish food’ and ‘foreign food.’ They say if they were to rename it, it would become ‘chickpea salad with fusion influences from Greece, North Africa, and Italy,’ but that really won’t fit on their menu board.)
The major components of the dressing for this salad are sun-dried tomatoes, cumin, a red chili, and, of course, olive oil and lemon juice. Add this to chickpeas, creamy tofu ricotta, spinach, and roasted eggplant, and you’ve got a pretty delicious (and ridiculously easy) dish.
It’s also a very warming dish, which is nice in weather like this.
Before the weather turned nasty, though, I spent a lovely few hours at the Brooklyn Museum. Somehow, I had never made it to this museum, despite the fact that I pass it on my commute and while running almost every day. Right now they’ve got a Warhol exhibit…
… and an awesome Kiki Smith exhibit.
And I couldn’t help but take a picture with this work. She’s looking at me! The viewer has become the art/sideshow/viewed! Crazy!
All in all, I’d say it was a success of a weekend, torturous run included. Sometimes a tough run means you’re having fun in life, meeting people who make you want to stay up late and talk some more. I’m starting to figure out that this isn’t such a bad thing. It’s all about balance, right? That said, I think the next few days hold in store for me early bedtimes, plenty of water, and some restorative yoga. And leftover chickpea salad.
Just Made: Almond Butter
This almond butter is so simple that it doesn’t need a recipe.
2 cups of raw almonds + food processor = raw almond butter.
It takes a bit of patience and about fifteen minutes of your time, plus the ability to scrape down the side of the food processor on the reg. You can’t just press go and walk away. But it’s worth it, I promise.
This batch turned out pretty dense. If you like it thinner, you can add a tablespoon or so of oil. I quite prefer it this way, though. Especially on pancakes.
If you’re looking for something with a more exotic flavor profile, check out Ricki’s recipe for flavored nut butters. I have been drooling over her concoctions for quite a while. This time, I was in the mood for something simple, raw, and requiring only one ingredient. Next time, I’m going for walnuts and chocolate, for sure.
In training news, I abandoned the training plan I was doing in favor of starting a new half marathon training plan. I have been lusting after longer distances again, and I’m thinking about running the Staten Island Half in October. I haven’t committed yet, but I figure I’ll train for it and see how I feel in a couple of weeks.
Monday’s run was 4 miles, and today I’ve got another four slated. It already feels good to be training for something longer, even if my really long runs are still a few weeks away. Happiness.
Just Made: Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
It’s a common problem this time of year: too many zucchinis, too few delicious zucchini recipes. Fret no more. Pick those zucchinis and make this zucchini bread. That is an order.
I’ve revamped my old zucchini bread recipe, and this one is so much better. You’ll find this one in the Recipe Box now.
One of the changes I made was to increase the zucchini by 50%. Check out those beautiful green bits!
One thing I made sure not to change about my old recipe: chocolate chips. My family has informed me that chocolate chips are not a standard ingredient in zucchini bread. I say that’s garbage. They are a necessity.
This loaf lasted, oh, 16 hours? That includes about 7 hours in which everyone was sleeping.
Ready for the recipe yet? Alright, here it is.
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
1.5 C spelt flour (or other flour of choice)
1 T cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C maple syrup
1/2 C applesauce
1/3 C almond milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 C shredded zucchini
1/2 C chocolate chips
Set that oven to 350 and grease a loaf pan. Combine the dry ingredients, except for the chocolate chips. Combine the wet ingredients, except for the shredded zucchini. Mix the wet and dry ingredients, and then fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips. Bake for 75 minutes.
I’m thinking I need to make another loaf of this stuff… I might just go do that, but first, I’ll leave you with a picture of Barbara, who took to eating tomatoes out my mom’s garden when we were home in Illinois last week. She’s a thief, but she’s an adorable one.
Tomato? I didn’t see a tomato.
Just Registered for: My First Marathon!
First, I must share my Getting on a Plane and Flying Back to New York breakfast.
Second, I took the plunge. I’m running a marathon.
That’s right. I filled out the form, pulled out the debit card, electronically signed the waiver, and committed myself to four months of training for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Mardi Gras Marathon!
My sister lives in New Orleans, and I was planning on flying down this year to do the Rock ‘n’ Roll half. But then I was registering and I thought, why not? Why not just go for the full?
Am I crazy to try to train for a marathon while working two jobs, going to grad school, and trying to maintain a social life in NYC?
Well, I’ll blog about it the whole way, so I guess we’ll find out.
Training starts in October. If anyone’s got a great first marathon training plan, send it my way!
Cookies and I do not have a great track record. Usually my cookies come out more like what my sister likes to call pancooks — dessert-like objects that look like cookies but have the texture of pancakes. Either that, or they taste like something you might eat to keep yourself, ahem, regular.
Well, I’ve learned my lesson. For the time being, I’m sticking to tried and true cookie recipes from proven bakers. The only substitutions I’m allowing myself to make are simple ones I know will work. Promise.
My new baking practices are working well for me, and this recipe for Chocolate Chip Spelt Cookies (which came to me from The Vegetarian Times by way of Have Cake, Will Travel) might be my new standby.
Celine cut the original recipe down to make two very large cookies. I doubled her measurements and made sixteen small cookies.
And I did make a couple teensy changes. I used almond butter instead of peanut butter, and I added an extra tablespoon of chocolate chips for good measure.
I’m not kidding when I say that these cookies were some of the best I have ever eaten. They’ve got the ideal amount of chew, and the maple syrup (can you tell I’m on a maple kick lately?) adds the perfect touch of sweetness. Plus, there are only seven ingredients (and that’s including baking soda and salt); with a recipe so simple, it’s hard to go wrong.
These cookies disappeared within two hours, and now that they’re gone, I’m moving on to some savory recipes. I’ve got some giant zucchinis to use up before I leave Illinois, and it’s a perfect rainy kitchen day…
Triple Berry Grain Salad
May I just say that I love summer? Put this salad on my list of reasons why.
Not only is it delicious, but it’s also full of good-for-you foods, such as barley (which helps to regulate your blood sugar), blueberries and straweberries (hey there, antioxidants), and spinach (love that iron and calcium). This might be a new summer staple for me, and I highly recommend it.
Triple Berry Grain Salad
2/3 (when dry) cup barley
1/2 cup (when dry) wheatberries
1 1/2 cups blueberries
2 cups strawberries, diced
3 cups spinach
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup parsley, minced
2 spring onions, finely chopped
juice of 3 limes
1/4 cup red wine vinegar (I used blueberry and pomegranate infused)
1/4 cup canola oil (or other mildly flavored oil)
pinch of salt
Cook the grains separately on the stovetop; shock with cold water when done cooking. Combine last four ingredients to make the vinaigrette, and then combine everything in a large salad bowl.
That’s it! It’s really that simple! This salad delivers big returns for a minimal investment of your time, and I promise that it’s a crowd pleaser. Make it for your next potluck picnic, and let me know how it goes over!
