the sometimes

sometimes when homework seems to be getting in the way of life, i like to go impromptu bridge wandering.

especially on fall days like today.

because sometimes balancing on tracks is more fun than reading for art history.

and getting scared because it sounds like a train is coming up right behind you (even though it was an airplane, mom) is more exhilarating than waiting for my homework to do itself-- that's how it works, right?

and sometimes pictures like this are worth it, even if just below that rickety wooden slab is a pretty large 10 foot drop into water...and you're using someone elses camera.

just sometimes.

Peanut Butter Tofu Protein Bars

I've been looking for a super high protein something that is portable because who doesn't like to eat breakfast while biking to class. I'm usually awake early enough but it's nice to have something to throw in my bag for a quick energy boost.

I recently found this peanut butter tofu protein bar and thought I'd give it a shot.

Ingredients:

1 cup oats (I used a cup and a half because I didn't have enough protein powder)

1 cup vanilla protein powder (I made mine with one of those individual packs and it worked fine)

1 tsp salt

16 oz firm tofu

1/4 honey

1/2 creamy or crunchy peanut butter

4 egg whites, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

stevia, to taste

Step one, gather all ingredients and take a picture.. or not.

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl, set aside.

Put all wet ingredients into a blender or food processor. Blend.

Mix all ingredients together and dump in pan. At this point it kind of looks like cookie dough.

Bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes, mine took closer to 35 minutes.

Enjoy with a glass of milk -- more protein!

Highly recommended, I pretty much followed the recipe I found on Dashing Dishes with a few tweaks but I might have to try it again and experiment even more.

so i should probably tell you...

...that i'm a huge graphic design dork!

oh wait, you probably knew that. and i didn't really need to make you wait until friday for that brilliant observation.

but.... what you didn't know is that at this very second (unless, of course, you're reading this a million minutes after the fact) i'm meeting with my first official client!

okay so the story is more like i hunted them down kindly proposed needed a new logo. but regardless i was still overly excited. probably slightly more than i should be. it's a LOGO for goodness sakes. i'm going to be so sick of those darn things after a few million attempts but for now in all of their simplistic & conceptual glory, i'm in love.

a real logo that i can put in my portfolio (granted that it does not come out looking like clip art) and then perhaps i can get a real job. just exciting stuff, ya know? no cardboard box houses for me, thanks.

what makes me even more giddy and warm feeling inside is how much i'm enjoying the design classes right now. try to teach me sociology all you want but i'd rather whip out some concepts any day. who needs a balanced education anyway?

did i mention that it's a logo for a bakery? that sells cupcakes and other delicious things? and that it's vegan? PERFECT.

okay, carry on. you may resume your friday now.

baby carrots

NPR Story

pumpkin spice

sometimes wednesdays of midterm week require grabbing a pumpkin coffee & scone with a friend. good thinking.

one more class until the weekend! and what a busy weekend it will be.

look out for exciting news on friday morning! (i've never really made people wait for exciting news so we'll give this a try!) anxious now?

how about now?

Eggplant Parmesan & Zucchini Spaghetti

Last week Kara and I made some pretty tasty dinner (as I mentioned previously in a post) except I forgot to take a picture so here are the leftovers! Still not bad, right? Added some spinach on the side this time.

Zucchini Spaghetti might be my new favorite invention. Aside from mashed cauliflower, of course.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggplants, (about 2 pounds total)
• 3 egg whites
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, (1 ounce), divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup slivered fresh basil leaves
• 2 1/2 cups tomato sauce
• 3/4 cup grated part-skim mozzarella cheese, (3 ounces)
• 
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat two baking sheets and an 8-by-11 1/2-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Cut eggplants crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Whisk egg whites and water in a shallow dish until frothy. Combine breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, salt and pepper in another shallow dish. Dip the eggplant slices into the egg-white mixture, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. (Discard any leftover breadcrumbs and egg white.) Arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, turn the eggplant slices over, and bake until crisp and golden, about 15 minutes longer.
3. Stir basil into tomato sauce. Spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Arrange half of the eggplant slices over the sauce, overlapping slightly. Spoon 1 cup of the remaining sauce over the eggplant and sprinkle with half of the mozzarella cheese. Add a layer of the remaining eggplant slices and top with the remaining sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

From EatingWell

MINI Countryman

Mashed "Potatoes"

I've been wanting to try a cauliflower for the longest time, they've been on sale dead center staring back at me in the store for longer than I can remember. But they just appear so large and overwhelming and I'd rather not be eating cauliflower for the rest of October.

Finally I broke down and got one. It was HUGE. Seriously massive. I've been bringing it to class for a week (probably a good cup a day), plus eating it for dinner and some snacks all just raw. And I still had over half a cauliflower left! That baby multiples in the fridge.

I was kind of in the mood for something a wee bit warmer now that all of the leaves have dropped and at the market yesterday they were selling 20 lb bags of potatoes.. so my mind was on mashed potatoes. I thought to myself that cauliflower is white too so why not. Today, after getting one of my projects finished, I decided to experiment. I saw some recipes online involving caramelized onions, whipped cream, etc. none of which I had. So I went to work.

Ingredients:
1 Cauliflower (or half/three quarters, whatever)

water

1 tbsp butter

skim milk

salt/pepper to taste

basil leaves

Directions:

1. Cut cauliflower into florets and stick in a microwave safe container with water for 10-12 minutes. Stirring occasionally to avoid explosions.

2. Transfer cauliflower to a blender, add butter, skim milk (enough to not burn out your blender) and salt/pepper at this time.

3. Blend.

4. Add basil.

5. Eat and wish you had more cauliflower on hand.

I made the mistake this time of putting too much milk in but I anticipate making this again in the near future so that will be fixed.

blog revamp

i talked a while ago about trying to get into more food blogging.

number of factors:

1) i follow 58 bagillion other food blogs.

2) it seems intriguing.

3) maybe it will get me to eat more interesting things on a regular basis.

4) that's where i get most of my recipes ideas from

5) i don't cook of recipes often, just for things like temperature the rest i eyeball

6) i'd rather organize my blog than work on homework

i decided to set it up and give it a whirl. right now it's rough. really rough. as in there are only about 3 recipes in there so far. but hopefully overtime it will add up! so just be patient for now, i'm testing things out.

there is also the design page link right next to the recipes one. it is empty. i just thought 2 tabs looked awkward. why i think a link to no where fixed that problem.. i have no idea!

ignore them if you'd like, i'll let you know when it's something worth visiting.

perfect fall saturdays

goodness gracious farmers markets are fantastic. if only i could eat a bushel of tomatos.

woke up early this morning and kara & i got some coffee before heading downtown to the public market! finallyyy got some cortland apples! i've been waiting for weeks. also picked up some asian pears, mangos and a squash! yum

otherwise just a great morning to go wandering around. absolutely love fall.

now i get to spend the rest of the day working on some design projects and enjoying the apples :)