stream of consciousness

inspired by charissa

when it's 1 o'clock and the air
smells like cookies
and i hide in my bhurka of hoodies
and fashionable scarves
i stare at the red grass that sits on
my mantle
and wonder why the grass on the right
is so much more dead
and the weight shifts to my feet and
the pressure in my numb toes
the wind was cold tonight
and my tongue was so slow
and the food was all meat so
i was all rice
being eurasian is such a strange conflict
it's like the way a frozen grape seems to
pop across your tongue
but not quite
(i don't think anything is really like that except
for a frozen grape, really)
and when i stare outside at the
1 o'clock darkness it seems like
all i can see is my failed porch-type garden
the sweet peas and hostas
that never quite made it
how will i ever be an artist
if my flowers won't grow?
and if i'm always in retrograde
how will i ever?

still eating quite regularly...

today's breakfast, green curry tofu scramble:


french green beans, onions, garlic, and trumpet mushrooms, stir fried in a green-curry spiked coconut oil with (super firm) tofu. (the french green beans add the "green" flavor you're looking for but are sweeter than the snake beans you're supposed to use.)

and since i recently got re-excited about green curry thanks to Anna's pie & thai house party, here's just the coconut curry:


again with green beans, garlic, onions, and green curry, but this time adding japanese eggplant and all boiled in green curry and vegetable broth. poured in coconut milk (2/3 can) at the end, and served with baby basmati rice. (which is delicious, but very very dense.)

on the side, a soy curls, romaine, mung bean sprout, and mandarin salad with a peanut vinaigrette:


not so into the soy curls. i marinated them in the vinaigrette (peanut oil, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, and veggie broth) for about an hour beforehand. they have a very distinct processed soy flavor, like the aftertaste in tofutti, maybe greasier? in any case, it lingers too long in your mouth, and so far i haven't found a way to cover it up. half a bag left before i get to give up...i spent $6 on those things at sidecar pigs for peace when in seattle for bumbershoot, so i don't get to just toss them. (yes, i'm cheap.)

another recent addiction to the menu is cashew alfredo, adapted from tofu mom's blog. i found it while on a search for a vegan benedict sauce, a future adventure that i've enlisted my benedict specialist friend Tia to help with.


it's not really all that adapted, honestly. on my second time making it, i just added about 1/4 tsp of cardamom and 1/2 a tsp of salt, which made an insane amount of difference. this night i served it with red pepper spaghetti noodles, artichoke hearts, great northern beans, and cherry tomatoes. not to mention generous amounts of fresh ground pepper, because i'm a pepper fiend.

other things on the radar?

at today's farmer's market, i got edible flowers, pea shoots, and 5 pounds of grapes (among other things). pea shoots will invariably become some sort of stir fry, and the grapes will likely be snacked up before i have a chance to do anything with them. the flowers, however...

my aunt used to throw tea parties a lot when i was a kid, and her favorite thing to do was add random things you'd never think to eat to the menu. nasturtiums, candied pansies, lavender, and marigolds were some of her favorites. thinking about eating flowers still makes me unreasonably happy, so i'm brainstorming...

sweet potato biscuits, bloody bunny

heat oven to 450.

mix 1 cup + 2 tbsp unsweetened soy milk with
2 tbsp soy creamer and
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
set aside.

boil 1 large sweet potato until soft, remove skin and mash. (should be about 1 cup mashed).
whisk with soured soy milk.

whisk 2 1/2 cups unbleached flour with
5 tsp baking powder and
4 tbsp (turbinado) sugar.

cut 11 tbsp vegetable shortening in flour mix until "pebbly."
fold in sweet potato mixture, knead until fully wet.

drop onto parchment paper on baking sheet.

cook for approximately 15 minutes, until golden brown.

makes about 12.

per one:

Cals	Fat	Cholest	Sodium	Carbs	Sugars	Fiber	Protein
245	14g	0mg	214mg	27g	4g	1g	1g

bloody bunny

a drink inspired by three things:
1. not a fan of tomato juice
2. bloody marys aren't vegan (anchovy extract in worchester sauce, mayo in store bought horseradish...)
3. black carrot juice!

i mixed it rather small for tastes, but i imagine it working this way:

1 cup black carrot juice
2 tbsp basalmic vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp tamari
1/2-1 tsp hot sauce (cholula)
2-3 oz vodka
ice
black pepper to taste
pickled/unpickled veggies to garnish (cornichons, dilly beans, cherry tomatoes, pearl onions, etc.)

in spite of *claiming* i wanted to write,

i have gotten in the habit of just posting food. yes, i have become a foodie. it's true: i wake up thinking about what i am going to eat for dinner.

got to spend a (surprisingly) very relaxing weekend in seattle. though i am sore still from wii boxing my brother and spending all day on my feet at bumbershoot, the fresh picked blackberries, chatting with my grandma about how much we hate bowling, seeing neko case, and sweet potato biscuits more than made up for it.

thankfully, sfo has welcomed me back with beautiful blue skies and the ferry building farmer's market. life feels pretty good right now...