Too Spicy!

Salad Love

2013-08-18T15:46:00.000-04:00

Let's set one thing straight- the title of this post probably made you think that it was going to be a sales pitch about being healthy, nutritious, low-fat, or low-carb. In fact, the salad pictured above is probably one of the unhealthiest i've eaten. Fried halloumi cheese with mushrooms, sprouts, and tomato. YUM. While I'm all for being healthy, this post is really just about me loving vegetables. like, a lot.

I've always been a bit of a vegetable junkie. I suppose being crazy about vegetables is comparatively tame on the scale of obsessions, but I've definitely been known to run around fanatically in the Whole Foods produce section yelling "where is that gorgeous kale from last week??" It is simultaneously both sad and kind of cool that a trip to Whole Foods pretty much makes my day.

Anyways, it turns out that vegetable salads are a big deal in Israel. Cold salads, warm salads, bean salads, pasta salads... you name it, I've eaten it all here :) The produce in Israel is so fresh and flavorful (and not to mention, cheap) that we end up eating a ton of fruits and vegetables. Personally, I am partial towards the tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and sweet peas.

I'm coming back to the United States with tons of salad inspirations! Although it's harder to find all of these gorgeous vegetables in Boston all year round, I really hope I can keep up with the variety. After all, I have been eating salad with almost every meal in Israel :)

happy eating to all! enjoy your week!

Meena

On Being Vegetarian

2013-08-14T09:21:00.001-04:00

For the past couple of months, I have been consistently surprised with how easy it is to find good, healthy vegetarian food in Israel. I suppose that I really shouldn't be this excited- after all, it is relatively easy to find kosher dairy restaurants where I can eat most things, and falafel stands at practically every corner. in fact, whether or not i will fit into my jeans when i get back home is the main issue ;)

Anyways, what I find most interesting is that several people in Israel have asked me why I choose to be a vegetarian, and what significance it holds for me. Growing up in the liberal Bay Area, and then living in Boston, I have never really been questioned on my food choices, nor have I ever had trouble finding food that I can eat. My experiences this summer have definitely prompted me to think more deeply about why I am a vegetarian.

The main reason I keep a vegetarian diet, although seemingly trivial, is habit. My family is vegetarian, so I never tried meat or felt an inclination to do so at home when I was young. By the time I was old enough to think about what being a vegetarian meant to me, I was convinced that my body would just have a hard time digesting meat after years of not having it.

I also support the idea of eating lower on the food chain. I'm not exactly vegetarian because of this reason, but I do think it's one of the reasons that I have never wanted to start eating meat. It takes more resources to produce meat than it does to grow vegetables, grains, and legumes, and being vegetarian plays a small but valuable effort in consuming less energy in this world. While it is certainly true that indoor heating, cars, air travel, and several other factors play into energy usage, I'd like to think that maintaing a vegetarian diet is still a good step towards being conscious of the effect we as humans have on our environment.

Lastly, there is religion. Certain sects of Hinduism emphasize a nonviolent lifestyle, and this includes abstaining from killing animals and eating meat**. This is the main reason that generations upon generations of my family have been vegetarian, and I am proud to uphold the tradition! I feel truly fortunate that I can lead a healthy lifestyle as a vegetarian, and I hope to continue it for as long as possible :)

-Meena

**Edit, with input from my family: Hinduism does not actually prohibit the consumption of meat. However, it suggests that the last sentiments of the animal which is killed (namely fear) will be transferred to the person who eats it. Because these feelings might not be best for someone seeking mental nourishment and spiritual growth, a vegetarian diet is suggested.

Israeli Breakfast

2013-08-03T16:08:00.000-04:00

Hi, friends! Apologies for the lack of posting in the past few weeks- with work, GRE prep, and trying to go out and have fun in the middle of all of this, i haven't had too much time to sit down and write.

Looking through my posts, I realized that I haven't blogged about food-related matters in quite some time. For me, this is absolutely crazy. The foodie in me is dying to tell you about all of the foods that I've tasted and fallen in love with this summer right now, but i'll have to space them out over the next few weeks. I have done some serious eating this summer (here's hoping those jeans still fit!), and taken a lot of pictures of food to boot.

So, I thought we could start with the first meal of the day, a typical Israeli brunch/breakfast! A few weekends ago, with a friend's recommendation and some good online reviews, my friend Michele and I went to Dylan's Art Cafe in Tel Aviv. I can always count on Michele for an insightful, lively conversation, and this time it was accompanied by equally awesome food!

The breakfast started off with two drinks for each of us- we picked hot tea and orange juice. This was closely followed by an assortment of breads accompanied by cheese, yogurt spread, olives, roasted red peppers, and eggplant. I could have made a meal of just the bread and cheese, but we hadn't even got to the main event yet!

In true Israeli fashion, our meal came with classic Israeli salad, which consists of tomatoes and cucumbers, dressed with lemon juice, olive oil and sometimes parsley. I've had Israeli salad many times this summer, and it's definitely a staple that I'll hold on to when I go back to the United States.

Just as we had caught up on each others' summers and began talking about our respective plans for The Future (sob, sob. Luckily, Michele is a year older than me and gives out great advice), our main dishes arrived. I ordered Shakshuka, and Michele ordered eggs on toast.

Shakshuka is this great tomato-based egg dish, which is basically a few eggs cooked into a savory tomato/vegetable sauce. In a word, YUM. Talk about starting your day with a bang! Shakshuka is delicious, and this was one of the best I've had in Israel :)

After eating all of this food, we rolled out of the restaurant feeling pretty damn good. We walked around Tel Aviv in that post-meal coma that I love so much, until I headed back to Rehovot on the train. I can't wait to do another Israeli breakfast one of these weekends before I head back home :) Also, thank you Michele for a great day! Whether it's in Israel or the U.S. or anywhere else, I hope we get to meet up again soon!

A Festival of Paper

2013-07-17T15:47:00.003-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, my friends and i started seeing street banners for a paper festival in Rehovot. I don't know about you, but when I think about a paper festival, I picture tiny booths of delicate stationary and weakly built origami cranes. boy, was i wrong! i'm glad i took my camera with me, because we saw some of the most exquisitely made paper artwork and sculptures at the festival :)

after a few minutes at the festival, we scurried around the different booths- "this is made of paper!! wait, and this too??" I was pretty much in awe the whole time, and didn't stop taking pictures.

and now, my favorite one- a paper witch, with her owl!

I'm not sure when I'll next attend a paper festival, but I'm so glad I went to this one. It is truly amazing to see what people can do with the simplest of materials. I wanted to buy one of the small paper cards, but I was told that I had to wait until the end of the three-day festival to purchase them. Oh well. I'm happy that I have these pictures to remember the experience!

Hiking in the Desert

2013-07-10T12:06:00.001-04:00

Over the weekend, a few friends and I decided to camp out in the Negev desert to do some hiking. We stayed at a small campground near Mitzpe Ramon with a few tents, a bathroom, and a communal kitchen. Because Mitzpe Ramon is a pretty small town, most of the restaurants and grocery stores were closed for Shabbat. Luckily, we had prepared for this ahead of time, and had a cute candle-lit Shabbat dinner at the campsite :)

Mitzpe Ramon's main attraction is the Ramon crater- a 40 kilometer long crater that's 500 meters deep. The crater is quite a site in the daylight, and even prettier just as the sun is rising!

We spent most of Saturday hiking in the crater. Let me tell you, seven hours of hiking in the desert is no joke. We each took 3 liters of water with us, and drank most of it through the day. Although the desert heat is usually dramatized in movies, books, and TV shows, I can assure you that they were, for the most part, pretty accurate! I truly felt like i was in a scene from the book "Holes" :)

I went through about a quarter of a bottle of sunscreen that day.

The good news is that something about being in the heat really brings people together, and the 8 of us are now definitely better friends. a desert bonding experience at its best!

"is this the real life??? is this just fantasy?? caught in a laaandslide... we sang songs to keep ourselves from passing out in the heat!

I thought this would be a good moment to start singing "the hills are aliiiiive, with the sound of muuusic!" but my antics were unappreciated :( i blame dehydration.

while were in Mitzpe Ramon, we also visited an alapaca farm. I'm not sure why, but a long time ago, someone decided that it was a good idea to transport 400 alpacas from the Andes Mountains to the middle of the Negev desert, in Israel. The alpaca actually do very well in the desert climate, and we got to see how their hair is used to make wool!

an alpaca gang

alpacas spit a lot. i was uncomfortable!

by the end of the weekend, we were all pretty tired, sweaty, and ready to be back in the real world. however, it was nice to get away from emails, cell phones, and computers for that long! i didn't check my email for a whole 24 hours, and it was pretty relieving. i conclude with a picture of our water collection at the end of the hike- the moral of the desert story is, always have plenty of water with you!!

thank you to the friends (old and new) who made this trip especially awesome :) hiking in the desert wouldn't have been same without you guys <3

The Fourth of July

2013-07-07T02:37:00.003-04:00

hi friends! i hope everyone had a great Fourth of July, and enjoyed long weekend. Sadly, I did not get the day off in Israel, but my friends and I had a little Independence Day celebration that evening with some s'mores :)

they were delicious! we couldn't find graham crackers at the grocery store, so we had to make do with tea crackers. Nevertheless, our toaster-oven version of s'mores with melted Israeli chocolate (yum) and pink and white marshmallows was perfection. I can't count the number of times I've said this, but sharing food with friends just makes me indescribably happy. As I start get sentimental about leaving college (only one more year!!), I can safely say that my happiest memories in the last three years in school mostly involve eating with friends :)

Remember last Fourth of July, when I had barely started blogging? I still remember how great it was to eat those crumble bars with everyone. I am so grateful to have friends to eat with, regardless of where i am in the world.

Beth (pictured above) was the mastermind of Project S'mores. Thanks, Beth, for joining us in Rehovot for the weekend and making this happen :) May we have many more cooking adventures together!

Jerusalem

2013-06-29T08:12:00.001-04:00

Last weekend, a few friends and I went to Jerusalem to visit the market and tour the Old City. The market, or "Shuk", was basically a collection of small alleyways, lined with small vendors selling fruits, vegetables, bread, and tourist items. It was like going to a carnival!

the watermelon looked especially tempting in the burning heat. Israel is quite hot this time of year!

a fruit/slushy drink with mixed flavors- so yummy!

Something I will definitely miss when i head back to the United States is the smell of freshly baked bread at the market. Whether it's at the Shuk in Jerusalem or the little bakery down the street in Rehovot, the fresh bread both smells and tastes like heaven!

After walking through the market (feeling considerably fuller and with less cash) we headed for the Old City. In the Old City, we did a fair amount of exploring in the Jewish Quarter as well as the Armenian Quarter. It was absolutely unreal to walk through tiny streets loaded with so much history and religious significance. I hope that I can come back at least once more to take a detailed tour of the Old City.

An entrance to the Old City

From a distance, Dome of The Rock

At sundown on Friday, right at the start of Shabbat, we went to the Western Wall in the Old City. The Western Wall is one of the most sacred Jewish sites, and it was moving to see so many people praying and celebrating Shabbat together. Because it is so sacred, I wasn't inspired to take pictures like I usually would have. Although my knowledge about Judaism is somewhat limited, when I made my way up to the Wall and placed my hand on it, I immediately felt a spiritual connection that I had not experienced before. Even though many of us were praying through different religions and different languages, everyone was united in their faith and devotion. It was definitely one of the most unforgettable experiences that I have had in Israel so far.

Each weekend in Israel has been so packed with adventure that I've had to split up my blog posts. Next up, more on our trip to Masada and the Dead Sea!

Tel Aviv

2013-06-23T16:19:00.001-04:00

Last week, a bunch of us in Rehovot decided to go to Tel Aviv one evening after work. We loved it so much that we went to the beach again on Thursday! The view from the shore was truly breathtaking, and we spent a good three hours just soaking in the warm water and relaxing in the soft sand. i can sense that we'll be coming back many, many more times during the summer :)

After the beach, we dried off and grabbed dinner in Rabin Square. Nothing beats falafel and gelato on a warm summer evening!

Belgian chocolate and pecan pie ice cream.. need i say more?

I'm starting to get the feeling that Tel Aviv is one of those great cities that you can visit over and over again, without feeling like you've seen everything there is to see. There are so many more shops, restaurants, and neighborhoods to explore! I can't wait to go back next week :)

Friday Morning Brunch

2013-06-19T09:00:00.000-04:00

On Friday morning (the beginning of the weekend in Israel), a couple of friends and I decided to have brunch together! The stoves in our dorm were a lot smaller and less hot than the ones we are used to back home, but we did our best with what we had :)

we made scrambled eggs and chocolate chip pancakes for our little brunch. it was pretty sweet to cook and eat together, and i'm so so grateful to have friends from school in Israel with me. Exploring a new country is so much more exciting when you have others to share the experiences with!

Ariel was the mastermind of this brunch

My friend Ariel was the one who planned out this brunch. We went to the market in the morning to get supplies, stopped by an incredible bakery, and then headed back to our dorm to make this lovely meal. Weekends are pretty quiet here because of Shabbat, so it was nice to dine together :)

This weekend, we are planning on going to Jerusalem! more posts to follow...

-Meena

Greetings from Israel!

2013-06-14T09:00:00.000-04:00

Hi friends! As some of you may know, I'm spending the next two and a half months interning at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. I have been in this country for less than a week, but I'm already sensing a great summer ahead of me :) The people who i have met so far through work and my dorm have been incredibly thoughtful and considerate, and they are definitely helping me navigate the country!

The Weizmann Institute- so beautiful!

I'm living at a cute little city south of Tel Aviv called Rehovot. Although Rehovot's night life is much quieter than that of Tel Aviv, I've had fun exploring the town. And by exploring, I mostly refer to trying all of the foods :)

the fruits and vegetables are incredibly fresh here, especially the tomatoes and cucumbers. I've been eating salads for lunch everyday and enjoying the crap out of them!

last night, a friend and I walked down the main street in Rehovot, and wandered into some small shops and markets. I had the hindsight to bring my camera out on this excursion :)

imagine a shop that is covered, ceiling to ground, in fresh bread. i cannot even begin to describe how delicious it all smelled. i sense that i'm coming back:)

dates + nuts

a street-corner sandwich. even the fast food here is tasty!

well, that just about sums up my first four days in Israel. Now that the jet lag has finally run its course, I'm looking forward to traveling to many more places. Next stop, Tel Aviv!

-Meena

Strawberry-Almond Scones

2013-06-05T21:59:00.003-04:00

My post-semester laziness has lasted about a week and a half, give or take. I've been waking up close to lunch time and watching way more bad TV than I care to admit! In rare moments of productivity, I casually throw a couple of items into my suitcase, or wander into the kitchen to make some calorific baked good that i will probably never do enough cardio to actually deserve... :)

entering... these scones! strawberry-almond with a buttermilk glaze.

remember when i made these scones? The original recipe from that post is so versatile that it was quite easy to modify it to suit my strawberry craving. and yes, I fully recognize that I had the option of simply eating fresh strawberries if I actually craved them.. but that wouldn't be any fun, now would it?

Read more »

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

2013-06-02T01:31:00.003-04:00

After a flurry of final exams, projects, and packing up my room for the summer, I'm finally back home! It's so nice to relax at home, and enjoy the full-sized kitchen at my disposal :)

So... I've been craving a good chocolate chip cookie for about 3 weeks now. But, school got in the way, and i wasn't able to bake them until this week.

mmm. while i was baking these, I also made a giant casserole pan of salted caramel cookie bars :) Ever since I discovered this salted caramel recipe, i've aspired to put it into pretty much every cookie or brownie that I've made. Making these bars was actually super simple, since I made the cookie dough ahead of time. To make them, simply line a greased casserole pan with one layer of cookie dough, followed by the salted caramel squares. Then, pat down a second layer of cookie dough, and bake the whole thing at 325 degrees F for 30 minutes. So easy!

After trying these bars, it was very difficult to go back to eating the cookies ;) they were perfect with a nice cold glass of milk.

I have ambitious plans to bake many things this upcoming week before I leave home, so stay posted for at least a couple more recipes this week!

-Meena

The Semester in Cakes

2013-05-24T19:43:00.000-04:00

My friend Sylvia and I have a tradition- we like to make our friends' birthday cakes from scratch every year :) This semester was particularly special because of a lovely Secret Santa gift exchange where i got my first ever cake decorating set!

We literally felt like the coolest kids on the block when we were piping out our friends' names on cakes, or making fancy designs on along the side of the cakes. I will personally admit to feeling like the coolest kid when I practiced my frosting penmanship on cardboard ;) Someday, I hope to take a cake decorating class to make my cakes look a little more professional, but until then... here is a summary of this semester in cakes!

Presented in chronological order:

Read more »

A recipe for a rainy day

2013-04-19T18:21:00.002-04:00

as I write from my dorm room, cooped up inside until we hear more information about our situation, I can't help but think about what a trying week this has been for Boston and the greater Boston area. Shaken by the Boston marathon blasts and with MIT Police officer Sean Collier killed last night, a lot of us have been struggling to handle the shock, disbelief, and sadness we feel. I want to thank all of my friends and family who have checked up on me, offered their sympathies and prayers for Boston, and been with me through this whole week. I cannot express how much your support has meant to me.

I haven't blogged in over 2 months (school is hard), but I've decided to bring it back. One of the reasons I started this blog in the first place was because I believe that food brings people together. What better way to bring together my group of friends -each of us restlessly updating our twitter feeds for more information- than with food? So, this afternoon, I made a big pot of pulao and set it on the stove. Before I could take a picture of it, it was all gone!

We'll have to save that recipe for next time, but for now I've got another comfort food recipe- spaghetti with a mushroom "marinara" sauce! I use the term marinara loosely, because it definitely isn't your traditional marinara sauce. but you'll love it, i promise!

Spaghetti with mushroom marinara sauce:

1 lb spaghetti, cooked according to package instructions

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion

1 clove garlic

1 green pepper

1 cup sliced mushrooms

6 medium-sized vine tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp oregano

1 tbsp red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

1 handful basil, chopped

Heat up the olive oil in a large nonstick pan. Cook the onions and garlic until lightly brown, and add the mushrooms and peppers. Sautee until they are slightly soft, and then add in the tomatoes and tomato paste, and the spices. if the sauce is thick, add 1/4 cup water. Allow the sauce to simmer under medium heat for 5-7 minutes, and then add the basil. Serve hot over the spaghetti.

PS: If you would like to donate to help the victims of the tragic events of the Boston Marathon, check out The One Fund for more information.

Chocolate-Almond Biscotti

2013-02-13T14:42:00.004-05:00

so... it's been awhile. Week after week, I've dutifully penciled in "update blog" in my planner, to no avail. Here's a short summary of what i've been up to in the past 6 weeks:

Life Happened. Drama Ensued. Therapy Baking Initiated. Happiness Restored!

Now, back to the relevant part of that summary - therapy baking:)

Over Christmas break, I decided to make biscotti. Having never made biscotti, I figured the best time to make it would be when I had access to a nice kitchen at home, rather than my small dorm kitchen. It was a good call.

What I didn't realize until I sat down to look at a biscotti recipe was that they actually have to be baked twice. The first time, you bake them in little logs, and the second time, you bake the individual pieces.

it was quite the process. However, given that i was on break and i would probably have been watching reruns of That 70's Show if I was not baking, I thought it was worth it :)

Applesauce Muffins

2012-12-31T17:05:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year's Eve, everyone! Since I'm supposed to bake for a big party tonight, I'll keep this post short. Last week, I made applesauce muffins for the first time, and they were a big hit! It was my first time baking with applesauce, but I'm definitely going to use it more often now :)

Best wishes for 2013!

-Meena

Applesauce muffins (1 dozen):

2 Cups of flour

1/2 Cup of sugar

1 Cup of Applesauce

1 and 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/4 cup oil

1/4 cup soy milk or regular milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the applesauce, soy milk, vanilla and oil. Fold the dry ingredients into the applesauce mixture until a thick batter forms. Pour the batter into a greased muffin tin and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Spicy Broccoli and Red Pepper Pasta

2012-12-25T16:33:00.002-05:00

aaand we're back. After a stressful last month of school, I'm finally sitting comfortably in my parents' house, eating delicious Indian food and spending time with my family. and what better way to spend Christmas Day than updating the blog?

In my opinion, one of the best parts of being at home is the kitchen; nothing beats a well-stocked fridge, an excellent assortment of cookware, and clean kitchen counters. It's perfect for trying out new recipes! :)

also, i'm absolutely loving the variety of fresh vegetables in sunny California! after 2 months of mainly sweet potatoes, kale, and butternut squash in the cold northeast, it's exciting to see all the fresh produce.

anyways, here's a festive Christmas pasta that I tried out a few days ago... enjoy!

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

2012-11-29T15:56:00.003-05:00

Hi, friends! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving :)

I know I certainly did. After the craziness that has been the month of November, Thanksgiving weekend was a blissful 4 days of too much food, wonderful family and friends, and just chilling out.

Admittedly, I didn't do very much cooking for Thanksgiving. But a few days before that, i decided to try out a sweet potato recipe that I could make for Thanksgiving should the need arise. (it didn't. I ate so much without having to lift a finger to cook!)

Anyways, I realize that maybe everyone is done with mashed potatoes now that thanksgiving is over, but maybe these mashed sweet potatoes are just different enough that you'll want to try out this recipe :) The rosemary, salt, and pepper give the sweet potatoes a more savory spin that i enjoyed a lot.

also, mashed potatoes are one of the easiest dishes to make as a college student. if you don't have time to boil the potatoes, you can just microwave them. Score!

now that Thanksgiving is over, it's almost impossible to stop thinking about the holiday season. I'm tempted to have a large Christmas cookie-making extravaganza this weekend, but maybe i'll save that for a year when I don't have finals to study for ;)

-Meena

Mashed Sweet Potatoes (serves 2):

-2 to 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

-3/4 large onion, chopped

-2 tablespoons olive oil

-1 handful fresh rosemary, chopped

-salt and pepper to taste

-1 tablespoon butter

Add cubed sweet potatoes into a large pot and fill with water. Bring the pot to a boil and cook potatoes until they are tender. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a nonstick pan, and add in the onions. When the onions are almost completely cooked and beginning to brown, add in the rosemary. Mash the cooked potatoes thoroughly, and mix in the onions, rosemary and butter. Add salt and pepper as necessary. Serve warm.

Pumpkin Pancakes with Apple Topping

2012-11-15T16:34:00.001-05:00

It's gotten to that crazy point in the semester when the nights are getting longer, everyone is up to their eyes in work, and we all just want Thanksgiving to come around so we can eat our weight in pumpkin pie.

Apple Swiss Chard Tart

2012-11-09T14:26:00.002-05:00

oh hey there. guess what? I'm a winner!

don't worry, I'm not one of those people that just likes to say that when she's feeling down (ok, maybe sometimes). but actually, i'm a winner!

Every year, my dorm has this amazing competition called Apple Bake, where all of us come together to bake hundreds of delicious apple-filled dishes, which are then judged by alumni and grad students. This year, I happened to win a prize in the "appletizer" category, for this savory tart. woohoo!

naturally, i had to take 5948383 pictures of it. here are two of them:

The best part about Apple Bake is that after the judging period is over, everyone is invited to eat all of the deliciousness. I don't think I've ever eaten so many dishes with apples in them at once! Needless to say, I did not eat dinner that day. or breakfast the next morning:) nobody said november was a healthy month, ok??

anyways, here is the recipe!

Crust:

1½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup cold butter, cubed

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon vinegar

Ice water

Extra butter and flour for the pie dish

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour and salt. Cut in the cold butter (either with a knife or pastry cutter), and mix until crumbly. In a measuring cup, mix in the egg yolk and vinegar. Add ice water to make 1/3 of a cup. Drizzle the liquid mixture over the flour and butter mixture, and use a fork or your hands until a dough starts to come together. Pat the dough down into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll out the dough on a floured surface, to desired thickness. Transfer the dough to a pie/tart dish that has been buttered and floured, and press down gently to achieve an even crust. Poke holes in the crust with a fork, and refrigerate for another 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. After the crust has been refrigerated, place parchment paper over the crust, and cover with pie weights or dried beans. Bake crust for 15 minutes, or until the edges are light golden.

Filling:

1 pound fresh Swiss chard

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 small onions, chopped

1 large apple, cut into bite-size cubes

3 large eggs

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add some salt and the Swiss chard to the water, and boil for 12 to 15 minutes. Drain the Swiss chard well and set aside. In a large nonstick pan, heat the olive oil under medium heat, and add the onions. Once the onions start to turn golden brown, add the apples. Cook for a few minutes, until the apples are slightly soft. Mix in the chard, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Let the apple-chard mixture cool. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs with salt, pepper, and the cheddar. Pour the eggs into the apple-chard mixture, and then transfer to the tart pan with the crust. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm.

Roasted Potatoes and Carrots

2012-10-26T17:53:00.001-04:00

Hello there lovely readers. my goodness, i can't believe it's been over a week since I've posted something on this blog! Thanks to a whole hurricane of midterms, homework assignments, and life in general, I've been feasting on pretty much nothing nutritionally acceptable or worth posting on the internet for the past week.

But now that all that's over, I'm back to gushing over everything related to pumpkins (like every other fall-obsessed New Englander), and cooking classy meals for myself. Let me tell you, it's good to be back:)

Since exams leave me feeling hungry and like I just ran a marathon, I decided to make a totally carbalicious roast with potatoes and carrots, flavored with garlic, rosemary, and sage.

for the longest time, I thought that throwing vegetables in the oven was a cop-out. is it really "cooking" to cut up some potatoes and carrots, stick them in the oven, and hope for the best?

Read more »

October Brownies

2012-10-17T23:23:00.002-04:00

it's October.

of course it is, you say as you roll your eyes at me. captain obvious much?

Please bear with me, I swear I have a point here. I don't know what October is to you, but to me, it means arm warmers, the Head of the Charles, apple picking, earthen-toned sweaters, pumpkin, cinnamon, and exams.

That's why, when I make brownies in October, they can't just be any old brownies. They have to be spiced-up, decadent, my-midterm-sucked brownies. in short, October brownies!

now don't get me wrong, i love a good box brownie mix as much as the next person does, but in October, that stuff just doesn't cut it. no sir. for these brownies, i decided to look up a recipe from Martha Stewart's cookie book and tweak it a little:)

Winter Greens Soup

2012-10-10T23:30:00.001-04:00

Once in awhile, everyone has one of those weekends where they eat anything and everything they want. Last weekend was one of those weekends for me. After heavenly pumpkin ice cream, flatbread pizza, birthday cake, and more chocolate chip cookies than i care to admit, i felt a little bit like the Hungry Caterpillar, and I just wanted to eat "one nice green leaf". This soup is basically my version of a nice green leaf:)

Read more »

Simple Cooked Cauliflower

2012-10-08T20:05:00.002-04:00

Once in awhile, you just have to embrace your cruciferous vegetables.

ok, that's a weird introductory statement for a blog, i apologize. However, it is true i had a major craving for cauliflower curry last week.

Unfortunately, since my mom was at work and i couldn't call her, I had to look up 19,492 recipes on the internet. And since that many opinions about anything is overwhelming, i decided to ignore all of them. Now I'm here adding yet another opinion to the internet about cauliflower curry. go figure:)

i've made this dish about 3 times, and i think i've finally figured out the two things that matter the most: cumin and salt. I'll admit that salt seems obvious, but i've always been a little hesitant about using it since I can't stand food that's too salty. however, in the case of cauliflower (and a lot of other foods, probably), too little salt can make it taste like baby food:( and nobody wants that.

fresh cumin is also much better than ground cumin that's been in your pantry for 4 months. seriously, don't even bother with the ground cumin on this one. you'll be much happier with fresh cumin seeds, i promise:)

alrighty then, i think that's enough for a Monday. Happy Columbus Day and happy Monday to everyone!

Simple Cooked Cauliflower (serves 2)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil on a large nonstick pan under medium-high heat. Add in the garlic, ginger, and cumin seeds. Cook for two minutes and then add in the cauliflower, turmeric, garam masala, salt, and pepper. Saute the cauliflower under high heat until it is tender. Serve warm.

Pumpkin Birthday Cake

2012-10-05T00:31:00.002-04:00

This week, one of my closest friends at school turned 20 years old. Since it's October and officially fall now, I decided to make her a pumpkin cake:)

I had been itching to make something with pumpkin for a few weeks now. Finally, after 3 Sundays of staring longingly at the baking aisle in Trader Joes, hoping that those bright orange cans of pumpkin would materialize, they finally arrived! If there had been a Trader Joes employee nearby, I probably would have hugged them.