Half-Assed Homemaker

Two in one day [Flickr]

2009-09-11T11:56:04-07:00

Randomly Crafty posted a photo:

It looks like two birds are laying.

first egg [Flickr]

2009-08-30T21:31:16-07:00

Randomly Crafty posted a photo:

Noticed the first egg when I was closing up the hen house tonight.

photo.jpg [Flickr]

2009-07-10T12:42:56-07:00

Randomly Crafty posted a photo:

-Amul

urbanite palace [Flickr]

2009-04-21T17:04:22-07:00

Randomly Crafty posted a photo:

I've been using a lot of cardboard lately. I use it to line the
brooder. In other news, aren't they getting big?

Hell in a Hen Basket [Flickr]

2009-04-21T10:44:51-07:00

Randomly Crafty posted a photo:

This is the egg-collecting basket that I was born to have. Think that one over.

The chicken story

2008-08-07T12:24:00.001-07:00

When one talks in the past tense about pets that some consider food, people always ask what happened to them. Some even bluntly say "did you eat them?" Since I haven't blogged in foreversville, I owe myself a post. It's a cute story

I adopted the birds from The Princess of Poultry and the Duke of Dairy, a lovely couple living on a hillside in Oakland. They had a number of chickens and wanted to adopt some more (of different breeds.) They ordered the minimum sized order of chicks from the hatchery, kept the number they wanted and offered the rest for adoption in exchange for their cost ($7/hatchling).

As I was preparing to move to Boston, I realized that bringing the hens across the country and keeping them a harsh climate wasn't so nice. I contacted the aforementioned royalty and asked if they knew of a loving home for my two laying hens, including their own. They offered to give them a home in their roost. After polite questioning from me, they told me that all of their hens live out the rest of their days at their home rather than becoming food.

They were so nice when I came to deliver the ladies, almost to the point of consoling. They offered to provide updates or photos upon request. They even offered to let me take them back tend them again, wherever or whenever I chose to do so.

I miss those chickens, I miss their sounds, their beautiful plumage, their curious ways and the comforting eggs.

nori-wrapped tofu

2008-03-16T08:28:00.000-07:00

The fishy nori and chewy tofu come together in a dish that has not yet received a clever name. My friend Daisie suggested that naming meatless food with meat-inspired names is strange (and makes people think vegans are crazy). I am refraining from such naming for a while to see if it makes any impact on me.

1 one pound block of firm tofu
1 sheet nori
soy sauce
sesame seeds

Freeze the block of tofu (I didn't remove it from the package) overnight and then defrost completely. This will make the texture chewier. Drain the water, squeeze most of the water from the tofu, it's spongier now. Cut it in half (crosswise) and drizzle on some soy sauce and let it marinate for a little bit.

Cut a sheet of nori in half (longwise) and wrap each half around each half of the tofu block. Repeat. With a sharp knife, slice the wrapped tofu.

Spread some oil on a hot skillet, just a thin layer. Place some of the slices on the skillet, sprinkle with sesame seeds and let them grill. Leave them alone so they develop a nice crust. Turn and cook the other side. Cook them in batches so you don't crowd the pan and reapply oil when the pan looks dry.

Serve as finger food or as part of a meal with veggies and rice or noodles. Pictured here are soba noodles, kale and raw ribbons of carrot and green onions. I have also heard of them cooked in a curry.

Black Bean Chili

2008-03-08T15:27:00.000-08:00

I made a very good chili today. It's more like a stew but it's spicy and has black beans so I can imagine it being called chili (except by purists). No need to use these ingredients exactly but since it came out so good, I had to post the recipe.

1 onion (diced)
3 red potatos (diced)
1/2 or a whole green bell pepper (chopped)
1 stalk celery (finely chopped)
2 carrots (finely chopped)

1 each dried jalapeño, dried mild chili, roasted dried chili (ground)
black pepper (ground)
cumin seed (ground)
black beans and the water they were cooked in.
1 can tomatoes (well drained of their juice)

salt to taste (see note below)

Saute the onions in the pressure cooker pot in some oil. Add the rest of the vegetables along with the tomatoes, the chilies, black pepper, the black bean water the cumin (I used some from a jar that my housemate had). Pour black bean water to a depth 2/3 that of the other food. Turn up the heat, cook on high pressure for 10 minutes, turn off the heat and let it sit for a while. When you open the pressure cooker, remove a few cups of it, blend it smooth (with a handful of tortilla chip crumbs) and reintegrate it to thicken the sauce. Add the black beans.

It goes well with quinoa.

As for the tomato, I used the drained juice in a batch of tomato sauce so if you don't have some drained tomatoes around try using a chopped fresh tomato or any tomato product, even a scoop of salsa. Using the tomato juice would make it sweeter than I would want it.

A Note about Salt
I spend way too much time seeking canned tomatoes without salt added so I can control the salt content. That is also one of the reasons I buy dry black beans instead of cans. So you will need to add less or no salt depending on your ingredients.

Beans AND Noodles?

2008-02-28T09:16:00.001-08:00

There is something about the rich broth of home-boiled beans that goes very well with soba noodles and soy sauce (and the beans, of course). I also add any combination of ribbons of carrots, celery, grilled tofu and dress with green onions and sesame seeds.

I want to try black soy beans instead. I promised myself I'd get through my dry black beans stockpile before buying some.

corncake on my mind

2008-02-12T20:39:00.001-08:00

It's a bit too early to be writing again about corncakes since I've made them once and haven't even eaten all of them but I am giddy with the possibilities. If you think the ideas for Mole and breakfast corncakes were cute, there were many combinations that didn't make it because it seemed like a can of worms was opening.

I, of course, want to try different toppings. I also want to try different types of flour. Not only different types of wheat flour but flour from different grains and different kinds of corn product (stone ground, slaked, whole).

After years of searching for my favorites, I will open a booth at the San Jose Japantown farmer's market and serve them on banana leaves.

Corncakes

2008-02-12T19:08:00.000-08:00

I have been inspired to make Arepas since my trip to Colombia but until I get my hands on some Arepa flour (or pre-cooked masa harina) I have been keeping busy making other things with standard cornmeal. This recipe is basically a pancake with topping applied before it's flipped. You can do the same with fruit on pancakes.

Topping Ingredients:
finely diced onion
drained black beans
cilantro Leaves
ground dried chili (or in season, chopped fresh chili)
salt and ground black pepper to taste
splash of lime juice

Batter, Dry Ingredients:
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or any flour)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

Batter, Wet Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon ground flax seeds
3/4 cup plus 3 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon Agave nectar, Maple Syrup or Honey

Combine topping ingredients in reasonable proportions, set aside. Mix the ground flax seed with the 3 tablespoons water, stir and let sit. In a separate container, combine the dry ingredients. Add the water and sweetener to the soaked flax seeds, stir. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stir to combine. Add more water if batter is too thick to spoon onto griddle.

Pour 1/4 -1/3 cup of batter onto a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Let cook for 30 seconds and then spoon on a heaping tablespoon of the topping onto the pancake. When the edges looked cooked, flip the pancake and cook for 2-3 minutes. Vary these steps with your favorite pancake technique if applicable.

Store cooked corncakes on a plate in a warm oven.

Eat corncake with a knife and fork or top with your favorite raw toppings or salsa, fold slightly and eat like a taco.

Topping Variations: try any combination of the following and the original ingredients
finely chopped bell pepper
cooked mushrooms
salted and rinsed zucchini
cilantro leaves

Mole Style: I haven't tried this but I can not wait
toasted pumpkin seeds
toasted sesame seeds
toasted nuts
shaved bitter chocolate
ground roasted dried chili (or chipotle)
ground dried chili (or chopped fresh chili)

Breakfast Corncakes:
Make a topping of fruit and nuts and then dress with buttery spread, maple syrup, honey or agave nectar.

Black Bean Chowda

2007-11-14T12:06:00.001-08:00

Greens-guilt is something that strikes me from time to time. If I ever find myself hungry but also feeling like I haven't had many greens lately I call it greens guilt. Most of the time I enjoy greens but every now and then I'll slip them in because I feel I should. Here we are, named in honor of my recent New England surroundings.

Black Bean Chowda

Tear washed spinach leaves into some black beans simmering in their water. Grind in some black pepper and a squirt of Braags or soy sauce. When hot remove from heat and add some tortilla chip crumbs. They can be stale, something like this is the best use for them. Let the chips and beans absorb some water as it cools to a comfortable temperature. The chips should provide salt as would canned beans so you probably won't need to add any. Enjoy.

Links for 2007-10-09 [del.icio.us]

2007-10-10T00:00:00-07:00

Center for Engineering Educational Outreach

Links for 2007-09-10 [del.icio.us]

2007-09-11T00:00:00-07:00

The Dalles Chronicle Local News

Hoe Bound

2007-09-03T07:50:00.000-07:00

The transition from residence in California to living in the United States has been rough indeed but sometimes you feel a sense of ownership over the ground beneath you. After a summer of homelessness, I have never looked more like a hobo than this morning. I packed some groceries in my day pack which is normal enough but what got amused nods from fellow cyclists was the set of pillows strapped to the pack.

On the road

2007-08-25T18:31:00.000-07:00

The Half-Assed Homemaker is now homeless. I moved out of the house spent the summer visiting friends and family and volunteering on organic farms. I am now across the country, across the river from Boston and will be living here. The first few days were rough, I was so hard up for something familiar, I picked up a fallen peach (with only a small spot of mold), tore it in half and ate it as I walked along. While on the go, vegetarian food options are limited, cheese pizza and ale is what I usually turn to for nutrition. As my knowledge of the roads strengthens, I am biking farther each day so this diet isn't going to be immediately problematic. I also stop in at any farmers markets I pass and get a piece of fruit which is really nice. Once I have my own kitchen, I'll settle into having a more regular supply of nutritious food.

My sister suggests to pretend I'm on a long trip abroad. The humidity is certainly helping that mindset.

Links for 2007-06-09 [del.icio.us]

2007-06-10T00:00:00-07:00

MA State gov Consumer Recycling Information

Hipster Pie

2007-06-06T21:34:00.000-07:00

I have seen more Hipsters in my neighborhood in the last week than in the four years I have lived at this house. I guess it means nothing but good things for property appreciation. In honor of knit skull cap before me at the ATM, mister blonde and black stripes waiting behind me at the ATM and chunky skateboard girl rolling down the block I dub my dinner Hipster Pie.

Hipster Pie

Pile some gallo pinto in the center of a pasta bowl or your vessel of choice. For my gallo pinto, I use pressure cooked black beans and short grain brown rice. On one edge of the pile, place some onions grilled with some sliced chilies, these beautiful wrinkly mild chilies I got at the farmers market work well grilled as well as in salads. Next to that I dress with the closest I've come to yellow mole. Around the rest of the circumference of the bowl, shredded lettuce.

Step away from the Tamale Lady, Missionites; hold onto your Buddy Holly glasses because the half assed homemaker is here, chase your PBR with something so ironically titled, it will blow your John Deere cap right off your head.

Links for 2007-05-11 [del.icio.us]

2007-05-12T00:00:00-07:00

The Washington Post Writers Group

Links for 2007-05-06 [del.icio.us]

2007-05-07T00:00:00-07:00

Stainless Steel Compost Pail

Links for 2007-04-14 [del.icio.us]

2007-04-15T00:00:00-07:00

pressure cooker times

Skewers and Pins

2007-03-28T11:25:00.000-07:00

Preparing to have people over seems to motivate me to get going on projects that I want to get to. I have meant to make this for a while. Sometimes, I'd rather attack a project than find a hiding place for the materials sitting around. The time constraint makes me create a simpler approach. The procrastination is usually caused by complexity. If the project is daunting, I won't want to get to it. But when I am motivated to do it fast, I'll create a super-awesome simple approach and love it!

This is a lamp shade. The screw-top that normally holds a lampshade onto the lamp is tightened on a wooden skewer. The paper is rolled into a cylinder and fastened with small brass safety pins and, as you can see, the shade hangs on the wooden skewer via more safety pins.
more photos

Happy World Water Day

2007-03-22T21:51:00.000-07:00

Why do people buy products that smell like flowers and forests for their bathroom. I say if you want to smell those smells while you pee, why are you inside?

Links for 2007-03-23 [del.icio.us]

2007-03-24T00:00:00-07:00

GenArt Film Festival | 2007

Coffee, chocolate and toast

2007-02-16T00:17:00.000-08:00

I was at a brew pub and when some friends sat down and asked the waitress what they had, I recommended what I had. After she said "Stout" I said "it tastes like chocolate, and coffee and toast." At least one person ordered the stout and asked me to repeat my description as he sipped.

The caramel sweetness feels all cool your mouth while the gentle bitterness gives you a little tingle. The color is really what fills your mouth. There is something about darkness, it attracts us and scares us. I like to joke that in the dark, you can't see what you should be scared of so why worry? Standing in a well lit room with a monster, that is scary. A dark beer like that is something you can stare into but not see to the other side, like it just goes on forever. I find myself taking big bites sometimes because I like they way they feel, a big mouthful of beans is so much fun to chew and to taste and feel on every surface possible. That, friends, is how a nice full bodied beer feels, endlessly filling your mouth without the need for excessive volume.

So here we are, years after that day in the brew pub. Many beers later, some of them brewed on my own. I think to myself, isn't time for some coffee, chocolate and toast? I brewed a pot before work and brought it with me in a thermos. I have bread in the office these days so I toasted a few slices and spread on some chocolate coconut spread. Sadly it was another day of eating at my desk, the breakfast memories didn't get to take their rightful place in my mind. After my first sip of coffee, though, I did remark that it tasted like a Saturday. May a Saturday soon show us all breakfast as memorable as my description of that beer.

autoclave

2007-02-05T11:13:00.000-08:00

India loves the pressure cooker. I think I knew this before but I was reminded on my recent trip. I have been reading a lot about it and it seems to be a miracle machine. Containing the steam retains nutrients (and essence, I imagine). It also conserves energy and takes less time. The pressure allows water to cook at temperatures beyond its boiling point. Similar machines used to sterilize medical tools are called autoclaves.

I have been pressure cooking my black beans the last two weekends. I suggested it with vegan mike one night for a soup he was making. We discussed its mechanics as I showed him how to use it. He has since made two soups and two batches of red beans.

I haven't done anything complex in it, just plain black beans at an amazing speed. I will do some kind of soup or stew and report back.

Autoclaved Black Beans

Add dry beans to pressure cooker. Add water until the bean are submerged by a few inches. Bring to a boil, boil for 2 minutes, turn off heat and let soak for 1 to 4 hours. Remove water, rinse slightly. Add water until beans are submerged by one inch. Close pressure cooker, place the weight on top on its highest setting (my weight has different little holes with different numbers next to them). Boil. When pressure builds up enough to hiss or shake the weight, start the timer for 25 minutes. Lower the heat until just a little shaking or hissing takes place. Once time has passed remove the weight. Remove from heat and run some cold water on the pressure cooker until steam stops charging out. Open, season and enjoy.

Vegan Mocha Awsomeness

2006-12-11T10:24:00.000-08:00

I love the idea of mocha cake. I rarely have it so the last two times I was asked to choose a birthday cake, I chose Mocha Cake. Coincidentally, they were both vegan and both winners. As such, I am developing very specific standards which will prevent burnout.

Someone: Mocha Cake?
Me: Is it vegan?
Someone: No(?)
Me: I'll wait until my birthday.

Vegan Mike made me a vegan mocha birthday cake with Caffy's help. It was based on this recipe from Martha Stewart and hats off to the lady, it was a really great cake that was straightforward to make. Rather than a layer cake with icing in between and ganache on top, we made it in a 9x13 and iced the top.

The recipe called for espresso powder for which we substituted coffee. I had never used espresso powder so I winged it on the proportions. The results were great but I will experiment sometime with more. Instead of 4 tablespoons espresso powder in 2 cups water, I brewed 2 cups of french press coffee using 4 tablespoons of ground dark roast coffee. Instead of espresso powder in the icing, I supplied the icing team with finely ground coffee. The coffee flavor came across as a subtle but rich finish which played so nicely with all the other flavors.

The vegan margarine used was from Earth Balance, tropical oils are back!

Tortilla Español

2006-11-29T12:33:00.000-08:00

This is a hearty egg dish that I like to make on a weekend when people are around and I have a lot of eggs. I use 4 or 5 eggs for 2 or 3 people respectively.

canola oil
potato
onion and chili, chopped
eggs, beaten
water, milk or cream
cilantro, chopped
salt
black pepper, ground
small iron skillet

Heat some oil in a small iron skillet. Break off chunks of a cooked potato into the skillet. Chop some onion and chili, add to the pan and stir until the potatoes are slightly brown.

Beat some fresh eggs with salt, black pepper and a splash of water (or milk or cream if you like). Stir in some chopped cilantro and pour into the pan. Preheat the oven.

Cook over low heat (on the stove) until the edges and bottom look done, move it to the oven and bake until almost done. Remove from oven, let it sit for 30 seconds, slice and serve.

If it's particularly thick, all packed with veggies and such, the top may not cook completely so you can finish it under the broiler for a about a minute (maybe less).

Hemp Milk

2006-11-27T14:05:00.000-08:00

I am going to try to make hemp milk and then try to make it regularly. I currently keep brick packs of soy milk in my office and use it on cereal. I want to try something new and am attracted to hemp for various nutrition advantages and the ability to easily process it without cooking it. Making hemp milk will also reduce waste. According to the recipe below a 10oz foil pouch will produce 5 brick packs worth of product. That also lightens the shopping cart load. It will cost less than buying soymilk and cost more than making soymilk but is far less work. Making soymilk involves soaking the beans, grinding, boiling and straining. Since the seeds are hulled, the hard fibrous part has been removed and there is no need for soaking or straining. It is not necessary to boil hemp so the product is live and raw.

It also sounds like tons of fun.

In a one quart mason jar, add:
1/3 cup hulled hemp seeds
1 cup water
some raisins or some other sweetener (optional)

Screw the blender base (the cap with the blades) onto mason jar and fit into blender as normal. Blend well. Add water until total volume is 1 quart. Shake and serve or store chilled.

FAQ

Q: Where did you get this idea?
A: I tasted hemp milk and liked it. I came across this recipe and decided I wanted to try it. I scaled it up slightly to make a quart at a time and incorporated this blender + mason jar trick to save some cleaning.

Q: Why raisins and how many should I use?
A: I currently pour unsweetened soymilk over shredded wheat and raisins. For this recipe, I decided to move some raisins up the timeline. I imagine you'll need less raisins if you blend them in than if you ate them with the finish product because the blending, soaking and shaking will probably allow better distribution of the sugar. Start with a clump and experiment to determine for yourself.

Q: Have you tried this yet?
A: No, not yet. I'll update if I need to adjust the proportions after I try it out.

Q: Are you excited?
A: So excited.

UPDATE: Hemp Milk is very strong tasting. It has a nutty, grassy flavor. I need to work on the recipe. Stay tuned.

Spinach Quesadilla

2006-11-16T17:20:00.000-08:00

I adapted this recipe from the first recipe and then realized that even though it has no cheese, it can still be called a quesadilla.

Vegan Spinach Quesadilla

1 handful Spinach, chopped
a few cloves garlic, chopped
small handful walnuts chopped
2 whole wheat tortilla, slightly warmed or toasted
salt

Heat the garlic and walnuts in oil until they smell very good. Stir in spinach, add salt and saute until bright green. Add half into each tortilla, fold and enjoy.

This is an excellent dish that can be cooked and assembled on the go. One night Caffy wanted something with fat and vegetables, I modified the following recipe because she doesn't eat cheese. These are simple enough that some might not consider them recipes so call them whatever you want. Most important, they are fast, wholesome and satisfying.

Spinach Quesadilla

1 handful Spinach, chopped
1 handful cheese, shredded
(Oaxaca, Monterey Jack or any good melting cheese; Oaxaca can be shredded by hand!)
2 tortillas

Warm a nonstick pan, over low heat and place one tortilla. Spread out half of the cheese. Pile on the Spinach, top with the rest of the cheese and the other tortilla. Cover and let cook a few minutes, flip and cook until the other side is toasty and warm.

Chimichurri

2006-11-15T11:40:00.000-08:00

I heard about Chimichurri on the radio and decided to take a stab at it. I made up a recipe according to the description heard and it wasn't quite right so I decided to take another stab at it. My first attempt was essentially a fine relish of garlic and parsley which I loosened with olive oil, it didn't taste great and the texture wasn't so pleasing.

I recalled a time in college when a friend of mine had some take out from a Columbian restaurant, he gave me a taste. I don't recall what it was, the picture in my mind resembles an empanada, I dipped it in a sauce accidentally dropping it in said sauce and felt a little bad for storming up his meal with my little mishap. I don't remember the taste at all but I do have a clear visual memory of the sauce. It was a semi-clear liquid with ingredients floating in it.

Chimichurri

1 good pinch parsely leaves, chopped
1 smaller pinch cilantro, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small pinch chili, minced
(I used some tiny Thai chilis of which I have a bouquet hanging up to dry in my kitchen)
1 pinch salt
black pepper, ground
1 Lime, juiced
1 small drizzle of oil

Combine in a bowl and serve or to be fancy, combine most of the greens with the salt, pepper, chili and garlic and pound gently to get the natural oils going. Add the lime juice and oil, stir and serve.

Bugalow Tacos

2006-11-14T14:49:00.000-08:00

I have been making these quite often over the past few weeks, with most of the prep work done ahead of time (ie the weekend), it is a badass meal after work without much time. Some things to prepare ahead of time include brown rice, a crock pot of black beans, and chopped vegetables. The vegetables have included red and white onions, bell pepper, portabello mushroom, and salted and rinsed zucchini (technique). Toss in oil and a little spicy vinegar, store in fridge.

Grilled Veggies

At meal time, get your iron skillet pretty hot. Drizzle in a little oil and mix in some vegetables. The goal is to get all sides of the veggies in contact with the skillet. Spread them out so they are in one layer after each time you toss or stir them. I like to use high heat to get a slight char and to cook the vegtables quickly, leaving them crunchy.

The Extras
Any or all of these extras can be included in your meal depending on what you have on hand and something like beans or egg can be used as the main attraction. Heat the beans and/or rice in a pan with a little water, ideally the water the beans cooked in. Wash some large leaves of romaine lettuce. The lettuce lines the tortilla, providing some extra crunch and keeping the tortilla dry. Egg is nice with this from time to time, beat one or just have it ready.

Assembly
The veggies can be pushed to the edges of the skillet while other things can be quickly cooked in the middle like the egg and the tortilla. Cook each side of the tortilla on the grill until slightly puffed up. Cook the egg if you are using one. Cover the tortilla with a lettuce leaf, add the rest of the ingredients.

Recently I made a chimicurri sauce to go with it, I'll blog that next. The next experimental step for this recipe is to make my own flatbread instead of using tortilla.

dung is the new black gold

2006-11-07T21:26:00.000-08:00

I was looking at this, thinking how ridiculous an idea this electric quesadilla maker is. I was astounded to see reviews for the product and curious to see how many people love their quesadilla maker. Then I recalled the electric sandwich maker my mother brought home one day. I first saw something like it on an infomercial, I loved infomercials in those days. You load in a slice of bread, something else and then another slice of bread close it and let it heat-seal in the fun. It would even do two at a time.

Now I try to minimize electric heat appliances and ponder what life would be like if I used a wood burning stove. I always decide against it when I recall my mother telling me the story of how magical gas heat seemed because it was hot instantly. In addition to wood and coal, they burned cow patties. Today dairy farmers are encouraged to gather methane released by manure lagoons to generate power.

All together now, the oil digging makes the fertilizer, the fertilizer grows the the feed corn, the feed corn feeds and moo cow,the moo cow poops the cow dung, the anaerobic digester treats the cow dung, the cow dung releases the biogas, the generator burns the biogas, the combustion drives the pistons, the piston generate electricity, the electricity powers a quesadilla maker, the quesadilla maker generates heat!, the heat browns the corn tortilla, the corn tortilla melts the cow cheese. All thanks to fossil fuel!

Fossil fuel has enabled a complexity which has it's own sort of beauty, like oil swirls in puddles. I find it kind of fascinating, I like the way some solutions to problems are enabled by the original problem itself but enable other problems. I also realize that I have no idea how so modern populations can be sustained without such complexity seeping out across the globe, making sure everyone has something to do. I am not being completely sarcastic here, I really do admire the complexity and little wins that work their way into such a system. It's like staring into a crystal.

The cutest part is where the digester has to keep the dung at 95°F for which it uses 30% of the biogas produced. It's great that it's off the grid but 30% seems like a lot, not that I know much it compares to other power generation. I guess there is usually a lot of give in the acceptable efficiency of an energy source whose raw material is in seemingly endless supply.

Pico de Tabouli

2006-10-05T14:06:00.000-07:00

At the farmers market, I was happy knowing that the bunch of cilantro before me would serve the household well this week, salsa, guacamole, hari chutney (Cafy's new favorite), you name it. It even smells like cilantro so I was sure it was not parsley.

Days later, I noticed cilantro doesn't smell as much like cilantro as the farmer's market did. It's parsley and I'm not happy. You see, cilantro is what I was craving. Since it was already washed and chopped, I tossed it to this salsa and had it with my dinner.

I then looked into a tabouli recipe to use up some more of the parsley. It seems my salsa's ingredients are similar to those of tabouli so I divided the leftover salsa into two containers, added some bulgar wheat, water, more parsley, olive oil and mint. The next day, tabouli and lettuce for lunchy!

Recipe

tomatos, diced
onions, chopped
garlic cloves, parsley, and a fresh chili (jalapeño, in my case), minced
salt
lime, juiced
black pepper, ground

combine and consume and/or continue

one cup bulgar wheat
one cup water
a few tablespoons of olive oil
mint, chopped
parsley, chopped

mix and chill

Brekkie

2006-10-04T17:58:00.000-07:00

Eggs
Originally uploaded by amul.

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Monday and Tuesday. They collaborated with a bagel my parents brought from New York to become breakfast this morning.

The intensely deep orange colored yolks posed a worhy staring contest oponent. By that I mean, I am satisfied with the quality of lovingly raised eggs.

First Egg

2006-10-02T10:51:00.000-07:00

First Egg
Originally uploaded by amul.

Good morning Poppy, where's Milo? Milo, oh Milo's in the nesting box
with an egg. An egg!? This photo does not do justice to the size and color of the egg. It's diminutive blue egg.

Curry Zucchini Soup

2006-08-30T23:15:00.000-07:00

Curry Zucchini Soup

2-3 Large Zucchini, coarsely chopped
1 Onion, coarsely chopped
2-3 Cups Vegetable Broth (or water flavored with bouillon or nutritional yeast).
3-4 cloves Garlic
Ground Cumin
Ground Coriander
Ground Black Pepper
Ginger (grated or dried)
Ground Dried Chili (or chopped fresh chili)

2-3 small Zucchini, chopped into thin discs (salted and rinsed, see below)
1 Carrot, sliced thin
1 Handful chopped green beans

Slice the small zucchini and lay out in a single layer on a plate or in a strainer. Apply a generous amount of course salt. This will pull out the water and allow it to keep its texture when cooked.

Saute the large zucchini and onion until very soft and then add to the broth. Add the garlic and spices and blend until creamy.

Rinse the zucchini slices and saute gently with the carrot. Combine all ingredients, the green beans will cook slightly from residual heat.