It’s really not that special of a sandwich, but the craving was so intense I knew I had to make it.

Faux bacon BLT.  Well, really it’s a BST.  I had a bunch of baby spinach that needed to be used up pretty badly.

The ingredients: vegetarian “bacon”, fresh yummy tomatoes, baby spinach, toasted whole wheat sourdough bread (the best Trader Joe’s find everrr), mayo, salt and peppa.

I’m not normally one to pick up Morningstar Farms products.  They are super processed, the ingredient list is a mile long and the products are definitely not health food in my opinion.  But this sandwich had to be made.  And I couldn’t find Tempeh Bacon.  And tofu bacon sucks.  So there.

Craving satisfied!

I’m still searching for a job (and anxiously awaiting the results of the CA Bar Exam in November) so I currently find myself with far too much free time on my hands.  This of course is not a bad thing, it’s just a huge change for me.  You see, studying for the Bar is like having 3 full time jobs for 2 months.  It’s brutal, it’s exhausting, and it’s completely overwhelming.  And that’s just studying for it!   Then you have to take a 3 day, 18 hour exam.  Oh, and did I mention that law school really doesn’t prepare you for the subject matter on the exam?  Yeah, it’s not a pleasant experience.

So now that I have 3 (three!) months to wait for my results, I’m finding myself slowly returning to normal.  There are far less headaches, cups of coffee, take out containers, and flash cards in my life these days.

What does this mean for the blog?

Well, it means that I’ll actually be blogging more frequently again!

Starting now, with this Hearty Brown Rice Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette and Toasted Pecans.

You see, it’s really freaking hot in Southern California right now.

108*?!  Not something I’ve ever experienced before.  Not something I really enjoy either.  It’s unseasonably hot here, and even though I live in a gorgeously air conditioned house, I can’t bear to cook or eat hot foods.  So, I made a big pot of rice the other night, and made this salad with it.  It’s cool and light while still being hearty.

You can use any type of rice you want in this recipe.  Even leftover chinese take out rice is fine.  Here, I used a Brown Rice Medley that a friend introduced me to.  It’s fairly quick cooking for brown rice and I love the variation in textures.  If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, I recommend picking up a bag.

So here we go with the recipe!

Hearty Brown Rice Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette and Toasted Pecans

• 1 1/4 cup rice, cooked and cooled
• 1/2 cup chickpeas, drained
• 1 cup baby spinach, packed tightly, julienned*

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• salt
• pepper

• 2 tbsp raisins (optional)
• 2 tbsp chopped pecans

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the rice and the chickpeas.  Add the spinach.  Set aside.

For the Vinaigrette:  In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, and basil.  Whisk to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in the raisins so they start to soak up the dressing.

For the Toasted Pecans**: In a small dish, microwave the pecans on high for 20 seconds at a time, until they smell fragrant.  It usually takes 45 seconds or so.

Assembling the Salad: Add the vinaigrette and the toasted pecans to the rice and chickpea mixture.  Toss to coat. Cover tightly and let chill in the fridge for at least an hour before serving, so they flavors can combine.

Notes:

* To julienne the spinach, gather it into a fairly neat pile, with most of the leaves facing the same direction.  Then just thinly slice it lengthwise.  You can also just roughly chop it- it will work just fine.

** This is how I “toast” small amounts of nuts.  It works great and doesn’t heat up the kitchen.  It’s also harder to burn them!

Camp4Coffee in stunning Crested Butte, CO

My beautiful friend who grew up in this magical place

Sweet Corn from Olathe, CO

Arches National Park, Moab, Utah. You need to go here.

The fountain show at the Bellagio in Las Vegas is cooler than you might think!

I live in California now.

I sprayed a muffin tin with olive oil, then put a little pasta sauce (about a teaspoon) in the bottom.  Then I added 2 thin slices of zucchini.  Then about 2 tablespoons of the jambayla, a sprinkle of cheddar cheese, a bit more pasta sauce, 2 more slices of zucchini, then another sprinkle of cheese.

I baked them in a fairly hot oven (about 400 degrees) and they came out great.  I served 2 along side a leftover slice of frittata.

This s a delicious frittata that I made.  Sauteed zucchini, sweet potato, and onion in a 10 inch cast iron skillet until tender.  Add 4 beaten eggs and about 1/4 cup of diced cheddar cheese.

The eggs will cook quickly in the hot pan.  Cook just until the edges of the eggs are set.  Immediate put into a 400 degree oven until the eggs are completely cooked (keep an eye on it- it’s quick!)

Cut into wedges and serve.  This is equally good warm and at room temperature (meaning that leftovers are great!).

Frittata’s are a wonderful way to use up farmers market leftovers.  Change up the vegetables any way you like, really.  This is a rustic dish that benefits from creativity!  Great for brunches, though I served it for dinner with a side salad.

I didn’t go far though!  For the summer, I will be studying for the bar exam at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY!  I moved here 2 weeks ago and have finally settled in to my apartment.  It’s not a fantastic apartment, that’s for sure, but it’s [now] clean and super close to campus.  It’s also next door to a bar that regularly has live music, which has been… interesting.  If I wasn’t studying for the bar, it would probably be awesome.  I digress.  The apartment is fine though, because I will only be here for 2 months.  In August I will be moving to…

Southern California!

After my last trip out to California I decided to make my way west.  I’m stoked about it.  First hurdle though is getting through a summer of bar studying.  And in order to have the stamina for 10 hours of studying a day (I wish I was joking) I need to EAT!

So this is the first in a series of posts I’m calling From the Window Sill.  That’s because the best light in my apartment is from the window in my living room of my attic apartment.  It’s got great lighting and a pretty sweet view of the lush landscape of Ithaca.  Here I will chronicle some of the food I make to get me through a pretty crazy summer.  Please realize that I will be eating way more frozen dinners/prepared foods/take out than I normally do, but I’m going to try to keep my sanity by cooking.  So here we go!

I make chili a LOT.  It’s total comfort food for me.  My dad used to make it a lot on the weekends and I’ve taken to doing that as well.  The thing about vegetarian chili is that too often it tastes like soup or just a thick and spicy bean/tomato mixture.  The chili con carne of my youth was really rich and definitely not diet food.  Since vegetarian chili is always super low in fat because it doesn’t contain animal fat (ew?) it tends to lack that richly satisfying flavor and texture.

So my amazing recipe that accomplishes that flavor?  Well, I’m sorry to say I don’t have one.  I almost never make it the same way twice but I always keep this in mind.  You need to add richness to the basics (beans, canned tomatoes, chili powder, cayenne, oregano, garlic, onions, and carrots).  Sometimes I add pureed winter squash.  This time I added the leftovers of a can of refried beans.  This was a winner and a half.  Give it a try with your favorite vegetarian chili recipe- just a quarter of a cup or so will do it.  You could also mash some black beans and get a similar result.

I made a big batch of this and froze a bunch in individual containers for easy lunches and dinners when my brain is too full of the elements of “trespass to chattels” and “depraved heart murder.”  Yes, those terms actually mean something.  What, you ask?  Well, I better get back to studying so I can tell you (and the bar examiners).

So here’s the thing: it’s not even remotely fancy or healthy food.  It’s hardly even a recipe.  It’s cream cheese, red sauce, and shredded cheese microwaved and served with pita wedges.  But oh god.  It’s finals, I’m graduating from law school in 2 weeks, starting bar review the day after commencement, moving, and sometimes I just want to eat my anxiety, okay?  And this stuff does the trick.  It’s hot and melty and tomatoey- my definition of comfort.

Clearly more excited to eat it than to take a decent photo- or even wipe off the splatter.

Individual Hot Pizza Dip

• 1 tablespoon cream cheese
• 2-3 tablespoons marinara sauce
• dried oregano
• fennel seeds*
• crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 tablespoon shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, etc.)

In a microwavable bowl (cereal size) spread the cream cheese in an even layer.  Layer on the marinara sauce, a sprinkle of the oregano and fennel seeds and crushed red pepper flakes, if using.  Top with shredded cheese.  Cover with a paper towel and microwave on high for 1 minute, or until the cheese is melted. Serve with toasted pita wedges.

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• Okay, so this probably tastes better if you bake it in the oven instead of microwaving it.  But really people, I’m talking 3 minutes until you have hot delicious pizza dip.  Get over crunchy cheese and nuke this.  If you have more time or want to feed a bigger crowd you can make this in a large pan and bake it for a while and I’m sure it will be delicious.

*The fennel seeds make this taste a little like sausage- this is my dad’s trick and I use it all the time on pizza or in pasta dishes.  Crush the seeds lightly in the palm of your hand before you add them to a dish.  I buy mine in the Indian section of the grocery store.  They come in a bag and are much cheaper than the ones in the tiny bottle in the spice aisle.

**In the photo I sprinkled some nutritional yeast on top.  See, it’s healthy now!

This thing is genius.  And it’s two (2) dollars! It’s the IKEA brand milk frother, called PRODUKT.  It’s small, fits easily in your utensil drawer, uses two AA batteries that last forever in it, and is infinitely useful.  This is honestly the best little kitchen gadget you can buy.

Frothed milk in my morning coffee or a latté feels so decadent, but it only takes 30 extra seconds with this thing.  I have discontinued using my espresso machine in favor of my stove top espresso maker and this frother- it takes much less time and the clean up is a snap.  Just warm milk (soy and almond are what I usually use) in the microwave for 30 seconds or so.  Put the frother in the warmed milk, turn the switch on and let the milk whip for about 20 seconds or so.  You will see the milk bubble and rise up in the glass.  Using a spoon to hold back the foam, carefully pour the milk into your coffee-filled mug.  Spoon the foam over the top.  Boom!  You’re caffeinated. If you’re feeling glamorous sprinkle some cinnamon, nutmeg or cocoa on top.

But as great as this gadget is for coffee, it’s real benefit is that you can use it for a ton of different things.  Salad dressings emulsify in a snap, marinades come together quickly.   You can whip egg whites, and make whipped cream.  It’s not going to whisk pancake batter for you, it’s not powerful enough, but this little guy can be a huge help in the kitchen.  Clean up is a snap- turn it on in a bit of soapy water, rinse, and turn it on for a few more seconds to dry and you’re ready to put it back in the drawer.  Even Serious Eats recommended this in its Guide to Essential Kitchen Hand Tools.

I have an extra in my closet just in case something happens to this one since the closest IKEA is a few hours from my house, but I’ve been using the same one for at least 6 months now with daily use.  Haven’t even had to change the battery yet!  I’m sipping a London Fog Latte made using this right now, actually.  Mmm.

Here we go!

These are tofu lettuce wraps.

I got the idea for the tofu + almond butter sauce + soba noodles from this post on Serious Eats.

Instead of just making a noodle and tofu dish, I decided to use up some leaf lettuce with the tofu and soba noodle filling.  I added raw edamame, onions, and carrots before rolling them up.  Yum.

Next up we have “Not Chicken Riggies.” Chicken Riggies is a really popular dish in the Utica area of NY and people there go nuts over it.  It’s a pasta dish with chicken, peppers and onions, and a creamy spicy tomato sauce.

I don’t know why I started thinking of this dish, but I couldn’t get it out of my head so I decided to make my own version.  The people in Utica will probably shoot me for even comparing this to the original.  I’m sorry Uticans.  I couldn’t help myself.

Here’s how I made it:  First I boiled the bowtie pasta (again, I’m sorry Uticans!).  Next, I cooked 2 Gardein Chick’n scallopini pieces in a bit of olive oil and removed them from the pan.  Then I sauteed onions and garlic in olive oil in a large skillet, seasoned with salt, pepper, oregano and crushed red pepper flakes (a lot of them).  Next I added some chopped asparagus (again, I apologize) and some defrosted chopped spinach.  Then I added crushed tomatoes and a bit of soy creamer.  I added the chick’n back to the pan with the cooked pasta and let it simmer for a few minutes.

This was amazingly good.  I ate way too much and then wanted more.  Best thing I’ve made in a while.

Here’s some pretty standard vegetarian chili.  I make this a lot when I want to use up ingredients.  The base is almost always onions, garlic, carrots, tomatoes, and beans.  This one used up a bit of creamy tomato soup I had in the fridge so it had a creamy texture to it that was really nice.  I added avocado and cilantro to the top and served it with nearly stale bread to dip.  It was tasty!

This last meal was a totally crazy thought that worked out so well!  Stuffed Mexican Portobello Burgers.  I roasted a portobello mushroom in the toaster oven (would have been better on a grill).  Then stuffed it with a mixture of refried beans, salsa, minced onion, lime juice, hot sauce, and cilantro.  I popped that back in the oven so the filling would get hot, then topped it with vegan diaya cheddar style cheese (aka the only vegan cheese worth buying) and broiled it until it melted.  I finished it off with diced avocado, chopped tomatoes, and cilantro.  Served with corn tortilla chips, this was a winner of a meal if I do say so myself.

So there you go!  4 really easy, delicious, and inexpensive meals made during the week.  No more excuses not to cook!

My friend (who lives in NYC, is single, and travels around the city for his work) pointed out that:

• it’s inconvenient to grocery shop
• it’s not always cheaper
• cooking for one usually means leftovers

Here are my thoughts on the conversation.

Grocery shopping.  The grocery shopping point surprised me.  I enjoy grocery shopping, and don’t mind going multiple times a week if I need to pick something up.  However, I didn’t recognize that living in a large city without a car makes this a struggle.  For me it’s so quick to pop into a grocery store that sells reasonably priced food.  In the city, the closest places are small markets that sell food at a price that reflects the convenience.  This means that it’s much most cost effective to do one big shopping trip at a grocery store.  This means for my friend that a lot of the food he would buy would go bad before he got around to eating it. This is a problem that has never really happened to me since I cook every single day, and my style of cooking lends itself to incorporating whatever food I have on hand, but I can see the issue here.

I understand that if you don’t do meal planning in advance, don’t cook like I do, and don’t buy only what you know you are going to cook, you may end up with a lot of waste.   Let’s face it, meal planning requires a lot of forethought that doesn’t lend itself well to the lifestyle of a young person living alone with a job that requires you to be on the go during a lot of meal times.

However, I think there are ways to shop for food to have on hand to make even 1 or 2 dinners a week without wasting food.  It starts with making a list (it shouldn’t take long- you can jot things down in the parking lot or while on the subway) and then buying food that you know can last a week or two.  Carrots, onions, garlic, potatoes, apples, oranges, and bell peppers can all last quite a while and are easy to prepare.  Staple pantry items like pasta, rice, canned beans, tomato sauce, spices, grains, apple sauce, condiments, and baking supplies last even longer.  For those items that might go bad quickly in the fridge, opt for the frozen variety: berries, spinach, peas, corn, broccoli, and bread.*  Items that can’t be frozen or canned can often be bought in small quantities so you can get just the amount you want- this is great with items like lettuce or other fresh greens.

A well stocked pantry means its very easy to throw together a simple dinner in no time with very little advance thought required.  One of my favorite meals is whole wheat pasta (cooks in 10 minutes) topped with jarred marinara sauce combined with frozen spinach and canned chickpeas.  The entire meal should take less than 20 minutes including time needed to boil the water, and is super cheap and healthy.

If you’re left with odds and ends that are about to go bad and aren’t sure what to do with them, just google the ingredients you need to use up and I guarantee you will find a recipe that you can use them in!  Or, you will find a way to freeze or otherwise store them.

Cost of food.  I acknowledge that sometimes it can be cheaper to buy a meal than it is to cook.  I don’t come across this very often, but I know it happens.  To answer this question, I go to my point that eating at home means you know what is in your food and you control the ingredients.  Most of the cheap food I come across is just that- cheap.  I don’t like sacrificing my health to save a few bucks.  That being said- if you come across food that is indeed cheaper to buy prepared than it is to make it yourself, and the quality is the same as what you would make- I have no objection to you eating out!

Leftovers.  Leftovers suck for the most part, I admit.  I don’t like eating the same thing for a week straight and assume most others don’t love it either.  But making a large amount of one meal means you have to cook less frequently and I understand this is a bonus for those with limited time or desire to cook.  Here’s my answer: use your freezer!  You can freeze a lot of meals in individual portions to reheat and eat at a later time.  This means that the huge pan of lasagna you cooked over the weekend can be eaten for a dinner and a lunch during the week, then the leftovers frozen so that in 2 weeks when you don’t feel like cooking, you can defrost a piece.  Other meals that freeze well are soups, veggie burgers, rice dishes and casseroles.  Another strategy is to have a sandwich night.  Sandwiches are easy to prepare for one person and the ingredients for the sandwich can easily be frozen or eaten in other combinations throughout the week.  There’s no leftover involved other than the ingredients used to make them.  If you’re unsure what to do with the leftover ingredients just make a salad or wrap!  Or make a pressed/grilled sandwich.  The possibilities here are pretty endless and the results are portable (easy to bring alone with a piece of fruits or some carrots for a really tasty lunch).

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So there are my thoughts.  I get that a lot of people think it’s a pain to cook and takes more time.  I also get that a lot of people are trying to be healthier and save money.  I think cooking is worth sacrificing a bit of your time to cook your meals because the payoff is so huge.  You get the satisfaction of knowing you created something, you control the ingredients, and you can save some serious cash.

*I almost always freeze my bread since I rarely go through an entire loaf while it’s fresh.  You don’t even have to do anything special, the bag it comes in can go right into the freezer most of the time!