Efterklang in my ears and gloves on my hands

im getting pretty excited for my little trip to nyc on tues. i love new york for visiting, i dont know how i would feel about living there day in and day out, but its so nice to visit with friends, eat good vegan food (that i dont have to prepare myself) and see some fun things. ill get to see this band Efterklang (for free!!) with the help of a friend that works for beggars group. ive never seen them live, and they dont play around here often, so i am pumped!


also, excited about seeing the Tim Burton exhibit at MoMA...




NOT excited about how cold it will be up there. so hard to look cute when you have to wear 4 layers of clothing, right!?

survive, persist, last, endure, stay, remain

exist (verb): to continue to be or live: Belief in magic still exists

these two photos are where id like to exist...one of the two please, i dont care which..






if i cant live in a hot air balloon in france or in the world of Totoro, i think i'd want what i have. so, as long as i can dream...i am happy.

mushroom gnocchi with thyme vinaigrette and lemon cashew cream

this weekend was full of good food, old friends, and lots of fun.
on friday i made mushroom gnocchi with thyme vinaigrette and lemon cashew cream. WOW.
this recipe is so good and so easy if you have the right tools..


For Thyme Vinaigrette
2 tbs fresh thyme, leaves only
1-2 pinches salt, to taste
4 tbs olive oil
1 tsp white wine vinegar

add thyme leaves and salt to mortar and grind with pestle to form a rough paste, then add oil and vinegar and mix again. adjust salt or vinegar to taste. (also if you dont have a mortar and pestle you can mix in a blender)


For Lemon Cashew Cream
1 cup water
1 1/4 cups roasted, salted cashews (or raw)
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2-1 tsp lemon juice

in a bowl add water and cashews and let sit for 20-30 minutes (makes blending a whole lot easier) then add all ingredients to blender on high until smooth...adjust lemon juice to taste, should be slightly sweet.


Gnocchi is super easy to cook, just follow directions on package (only takes a few minutes)

in a skillet, cook up mushrooms with garlic and olive oil. add to drained gnocchi.
then toss in thyme vinaigrette and drizzle with lemon cashew cream. ENJOY!

none of my pictures do it justice, so youll have to try it to see just how good it is!

parisians and polenta

today has been a day of dreaming. dreaming of things i will do and see. i think with a Juliette Gréco record playing, its bound to happen. im in the process of teaching myself french, i should probably just get a rosetta stone but this seems to be working so far. if she says anything about silverwear, animals or numbers 1-10, i understand! guess i should plan my trip back to france..



i took this photo over the summer in paris

i guess for now, ill just dream about this sandwich i made yesterday...sundried tomato polenta, vegan mozzarella cheese, avocado (of course), tomato and vegenaise on a kaiser roll fresh from my boyfriends bakery... yummm

mexican pizza

last night, for "valentines day" my boyfriend and i decided to make dinner and watch a movie. (us making dinner means me making dinner and him doing the dishes..which he hasnt done yet) so i decided to make a mexican pizza of sorts...its a bit different than you would think though...






sorry, i didnt have a lot of time to take photos, i had a very hungry boyfriend!



im not a chef by any means so i like recipes that are easy to make and taste great.
this one definitely has both qualities!
you'll need:

pizza dough (i used the vegan pop can thin crust kind...its best a little crunchy)
1 tub cream cheese (tofutti)
1/4 cup cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp lemon (or lime) juice
2/3 cup black beans (drained and run water through)
grape tomatoes
red onion
diced green onion
ripe avocado

preheat oven and bake pizza dough, til golden brown. let cool completely.
in a mixer, add cream cheese, cilantro, garlic and lemon juice and whip until smooth.
layer on pizza dough, then add black beans. then add everything else!

in case you were wondering, yes i eat avocado on just about everything. and i LOVE anything that resembles mexican food! maybe next time ill give you some diversity.

Yo YO-LAANNDDIII

i thought id share with you what i (and most of the internet) have been obsessing over for the last couple of weeks. Die Antwoord. give it a chance, and youll be singing the chorus for "enter the ninja" for the next week and a half.
they are a self proclaimed "rap-rave" crew from south africa. look up MaxNormal, if interested, it was their project before Die Antwoord.








i also have a girlcrush on Yo-landi Visser...sighh..







i dont normally stray from my "norm" with music, i usually stick to the heavy melodic stuff, the old fast punk or the folk gems but this is out of my element and boy, am i enamoured..

quinoa for life

if you havent discovered quinoa yet, you are really missing out. not only is it incredibly healthy..its delicious. replace your white rice or pasta with it, now!

this recipe is one of the millions of ways to prepare quinoa but this is super easy and its soooo good.


2 teaspoons grated lime zest
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons vegan butter, melted and cooled (earth balance is my fav)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup quinoa
1 (14- to 15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium tomatoes, diced
4 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

whisk together lime zest and juice, vegan butter, oil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.
cook the quinoa the same way as rice. 2 cups water to 1 cup quinoa. low heat and covered til water is absorbed.
mix quinoa and dressing and add all the other ingredients

as i put avocado slices on almost everything, i always add it to this!

RIP A. McQueen

today, i must pay homage to Alexander McQueen. He was incredibly passionate and talented and will surely live on in his creations. (secretly i wanted to wear this first dress at my wedding...IF i ever got married...to someone rich..)







in other news, yesterday i was in Ikea and was dreaming of kitchens. man, am i ready to cook in a well stocked, well PUT TOGETHER kitchen. i guess thats one of the perks of growing up..or the only perk?



maybe if i had this kitchen, this blog would actually be a food blog like it intended to be and i would cook more! oh, well.

in my dreams..

ok so im not really one to love a designer purely because they are designers. i hunt through collections to find the things i love and to find inspiration. as i was rummaging through random websites i came across Proenza Schouler's winter 2009/2010 and these are definitely my favorites:

then, found myself drooling over Burberry...which is odd for me because im not really into them. (although they will always do a trench right.) But, im into this..








like.....A LOT.

pleasurables

things:

want this painting!

vegan cupcakes 4 life.

food comas and frozen toes

so this past weekend it snowed here, and it was glorious.
snow doesnt happen all that often around here so we made sure to take advantage. lots of food eating, couch potatoing (Lord of the Rings series style), and big hill sledding. i realize that im the worst person to have a mostly photo blog as i NEVER remember to take photos! not to mention how badly i need a nice camera.
a few days ago, on the snowiest of all days we made "chicken" biscuits, mashed potatos and gravy, and steamed kale. SO heavy. and SO good.







Also, on a more daily basis...my apartment is never clean and my dog and boyfriend are partners in crime in this equation. but what can i do when theyre just so dang cute?!





one more also...I WANT THIS BRA. VPL Beckham bra...85$
ive been into bras lately....




WHEW!