An Extended Hiatus
I’ve been putting this post off because I’ve been dreading writing it. Some really crappy things have happened to me during the past month that have essentially ended my blogging ability for the time being.
A few weeks ago, both my laptops kicked it… for good this time. My iPod somehow erased itself, and now I have no music to listen to save for the few CDs and LPs I have. Then my water bottle suddenly popped open while in my purse, soaking my camera, and thus ending my food photography. I’m in a complete void of technology.
As if that weren’t bad enough… my relationship of over 2 years suddenly ended. We were living together. So I had to move out, but since I was broke and my hours had been drastically cut at work, my only option was to move home for a few months until I could get back on my feet. So now I find myself in Virginia Beach, with limited computer access, no job (although there are a couple of interviews this next week!), and no camera. And since the point of being home is to save money, my diet is going to consist of a lot of peanut butter ramen noodles.
I don’t know when I’ll be able to update regularly again, but I’m counting on having my life back together by summertime, right before I head back to school for political science and environmental science.
I wish y’all the best of luck in your cooking adventures, and hopefully it’ll only be a few months before Ahimsa is back. <3
What I’ve Been Eating: Jan 2012
I’ve had so much time to cook lately, and it feels great! Cooking releases so much stress for me, and I get really excited about having loads of times to try new things. Here’s some of what I’ve been making recently.
Tofu Jerky & Flax Crackers
Both of these recipes are from Another Fork in the Trail. I really like this cookbook (thanks again Pandacookie!), and these are two of my absolute favorite recipes.
Unfortunately I completely forgot to take pictures of the finished recipes, and since I’ve long since ate everything, I’ll just have to tell you how great both turned out. The tofu ends up looking and tasting better than any store-bought jerky I’ve tried, and I can’t wait to make a huge batch of these to take hiking/camping with me.
The sun-dried tomato flax crackers are really simple to make, plus they are super-filling. They make a great quick snack, especially with some nut cheese or pate.
Garlic Cream Dressing from Rawvolution
This dressing only contains 5 ingredients, and it’s a beautiful creamy sauce. I had this over a simple baby greens-apple-carrot salad, but I’ve also had it over steamed veggies and it was great.
Roasted Potatoes and Greens
This is a recipe I’ve been developing, and I should have it for you guys soon. Every time I make this it’s even better than the last time. Basically it’s potatoes and a green (in this case Swiss chard), and a really delicious, slightly creamy sauce. It’s definitely not low-fat though! It’s pretty oil-heavy, but eaten sparingly that isn’t a bad thing. This is a great side dish.
Pizza!!
This is a homemade crust made with half all-purpose and half spelt flour, topped with Muir Organics pizza sauce (my favorite – there’s so much deep flavor!), pepperjack Daiya, roasted red peppers, Twin Oaks chorizo, and broccoli. It was slightly spicy and very delicious.
——————————–
A couple weeks ago I mentioned there would soon be a post on pan-sauces. I haven’t forgotten to post it, but I’m still working on perfecting the recipe. The last couple times I made it wasn’t as good as the previous recipes, and I want to make sure what I’m posting is delicious. Here’s a teaser photo though:
Have a good weekend! 
Another Easy Way to Dress Up Your Spaghetti
A couple of months ago I wrote about my obsession with spaghetti and my trick for an easy creamy tomato sauce. Today I’ve got another little trick to make jarred tomato sauce taste almost home-made.
The sauce I used was a jar of Garden Vegetable Ragu. Sometimes jarred sauces are pretty boring, and I like dressing them up as much as I can. My favorite way to do this is very simple: I sweat some vegetables (typically onion, garlic, carrots, and celery) until they are soft, and then I pour in the sauce, add 1 teaspoon (or more to taste) of sea salt, deglaze the pan with a bit of wine (which is totally optional), and then simmer for about 20 minutes. Sweating the vegetables and then simmering everything together really deepens the flavors of the sauce. Adding more salt is entirely up to you and the kind of tomato sauce you buy – some are more salted than others, and you should probably just add a little bit at a time until you reach the flavor you want.
I also fried up some crumbled tempeh with dried herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano, and black pepper) to add to the sauce for a “meaty” component.
I hope everyone that reads this post will try this method for enhancing store bought tomato sauce at least once. It really does improve the flavor.
_______________________________________
Yesterday I was mindlessly surfing the web when I came across a recipe on Bittersweet, one of my favorite blogs, for butterscotch pudding bread. I substituted carob chips for the chocolate, and used all all-purpose flour because I didn’t have any whole wheat pastry. The bread is super-moist and infused with delicious butterscotch. Anyone that knows me personally knows of my intense love of all things butterscotch, and this bread quite literally completes me. I will probably make this at least once a week, if not more than that. In the approximately 20 hours since it came out of my oven, I’ve already ate over half of it. Seriously guys, this stuff is like crack for your stomach.
Hello, 2012
Happy 2012 guys!
I usually avoid making new year’s resolutions because I think it’s pointless and arbitrary, but this year I’m going to try to reach a few goals in my life. Here’s a list of my goals for this year:
- Go back to school. It’s been a couple years since my last semester, and I really miss it. I’m not cut out for a life of retail, and I want to have more opportunities than what I have now. I’ll probably finish my political science degree (since I’m almost done anyway), and I’m thinking of double majoring in environmental science.
- Get my license. I know it’s crazy to think of a 24-year-old not being able to drive, but I just sort of never got around to it. Plus, I could never afford to buy a car anyway. But it’s definitely time to get on the road.
- Have a healthier (and thus happier) life. Yoga, meditation, healthier food… I to pay more attention to both my physical and mental health this year. I used to do yoga everyday, meditate everyday, and I need to get back on track with that. I want to start avoiding processed foods (goodbye vegan doritos) and eat more natural foods (hello rejuvalac and fermented nut cheese).
- Join an organization, class, or local group. Lately my life has been mostly working and then coming home to chill. I want to participate more fully in my community, and I’ve been wanting to start bellydancing classes.
- Be more social. I tend to be a loner, and I want that to stop. There are more potlucks and parties in my future.
- Improve the photography on Ahimsa. I’m often not 100% happy with the photos I post here, and I feel with a little practice and better equipment I could fix that.
- Make a budget and stick to it. This is going to be the hardest for me. I’m terrible with money, and I spend far too much of it on food.
- Learn a new craft or hobby. In 2012, I plan on learning how to make beer, tempeh, and fermented nut cheeses.
- Do not leave my house on 12-12-12 (or is it 12-21-12?). There are going to be some crazy-ass people in the streets.
It sounds like a lot, but I’m positive I can do it. Do you have any goals for this year?
Also, I want to share a bit of the fun I had last night. Here’s some Toubab Krewe for you:
