the garden and other things

So the garden has grown like crazy due to the warm weather and responsible watering via the sprinkler. 

This is half of the basil we picked on Saturday morning. Dave and I made a basil//spinach pesto using this recipe. No photo as we were hungry and in a rush to make it to the Andrew Bird concert. I think Patrick Watson (opener) was actually better live. Fantastic music.

Another never-ending project...

I'm still on the search for the perfect granola bar, and it hasn't been that successful. These bars were really easy to make but held together best if eaten right out of the freezer. I think the ratio of wet:dry ingredients is something I need to work on a bit.

And continuing the minimal cooking around here: homemade whole wheat flatbreads + homemade hummus topped with spinach, lentil salad, and red onion. 

homemade hummus [adapted from this recipe]

• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 can garbanzo beans + 1/2 cup liquid
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons tahini
• 1 teaspoon cumin

Blitz everything in the food processor. You shouldn't need salt if you use the liquid from the beans (half).

whole wheat flatbread [here are the proper instructions; i take shortcuts]

1.25 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup warm water

Mix wet and dry ingredients. Divide into 6 equal pieces (here you're supposed to let the dough rest, but I didn't really care, so I skipped this). Use a rolling pin (or bottom on a flat pan) to make the dough into a round shape (ha, or egg shaped). Grease a frying pan and heat to desired doneness.

I also made yogurt last week, and it was so easy! Post on that process to come. Get ready to make the best Greek yogurt ever.

emily

vacationing

Back from a wonderful week of vacation in Colorado. Loved running outside to this view. Michigan has fantastic beaches, but there's also something quite amazing about seeing the mountains when you step outside. 

Dave made homemade bread during our vacation, which was delicious with homemade black bean vegan chili (recipe to come). Homemade bread puts the bagged stuff to shame, seriously. 

We drove around Rocky Mountain National Park, and I was able to snap this shot with my iphone-the picture doesn't really do it justice...so incredibly beautiful. I'm definitely jealous of all the sunshine and lack of humidity in CO. I can definitely understand why exercise is more popular on the west side of the country.

We also got to do some hiking, which was a lot of fun and again provided some amazing views. Dave's brother assured us that we were better off going as early as possible, and he was right. As we were coming back down the trail, tons of hikers were just starting the upward trek.

We took a trail to Lake Haiyaha and might have had a contest to see how long we could put our hands in the lake...which was quickly abandoned when we realized the water's degree of coldness. Let's just say noone went swimming. 

Vacation was wonderful, but it's back to the grind on Monday. I think I realized how much I appreciate being out of routine for a bit, although I'm generally most comfortable when I'm settled into one. Being away made me long for a little more adventure and spontaneity. We'll see how that shakes out...

I started making a grocery list on the plane ride back in anticipation of a crazy (and hot) week in Grand Rapids. After a quick trip to the grocery store, I made this lentil salad (recipe here), which I prefer in wraps vs on its own. The key is stopping the cooking process before the lentils become mushy. This is my second time making this salad, and I still didn't get it quite right. The flavor is also much better if you mix and chill in the fridge before eating.

The rest of the weekend will be busy: a quinceañera and Andrew Bird concert!

What are you doing this weekend? When was the last time you took a vacation?

summer snapshots

This rainbow shot through a humid evening downtown recently...it was pretty amazing. The warm weather is officially here to stay. Fortunately, I now have window air conditioner after coming to the conclusion that 97 degrees + no sleep is pretty awful. How did people survive pre-air conditioning?

I haven't done any races since the frustratingly hot St. Louis Half, but two weekends ago I ran a breezy 15k along the lakeshore, and Dave completed his first triathlon. Races always seem to inspire my running a little. There's just something about running with a bunch of people who know what it's like to get up for a training run at 5:30 am or sweat through 88 degrees at the end of a stressful work day; it's like instant camaraderie. I don't know if you've ever watched a triathlon before, but holy craziness...these people are hard core.

Still on the no-cooking food rule (and therefore eating a lot of smoothies and salads). If you're looking for heat-free ideas check here. Or maybe you should just eat this. The Chocolate Moose in Bloomington, IN makes an amazing grasshopper ice cream that I will replicate before the summer is over. What kind of ice cream are you eating this summer?

Dave made this wheat berry salad, which was delicious. Wheat berries are the whole wheat kernel pre-processing, containing both bran and germ. They contain fiber, protein, iron, and B vitamins and have a slightly nutty taste and chewy texture.

And my next project involves these. Any guesses?

seriously, summer?!

Alrighty, friends. It is straight up 97 degrees in the city. Craziness, and I'm craving breezy summers by the lakeshore. What the heck does a girl do when the temps climb...and there's no air conditioning? Eat popsicles? Take showers (hourly)? Run around in minimal clothing? Create a person windstorm with fans? 

I'm seriously considering wimping out and just buying a window air conditioning unit. 

In the meantime, it's smoothies and showers and fans for me.

And cold food. Only cold food is allowed this week. Lately, the simple Mediterranean combo has been appealing. Cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, avocado, and a splash of red wine vinaigrette. It's great by itself but even better on top of a giant pile of lettuce. 

Beverages in ball jars: classy summer. This is how I'm drinking everything from now on. I think this recipe or this one would be pretty amazing. And I'm still drinking gazpacho...

Another fantastic use for ball jars...soap containers. Use a hammer and screwdriver to punch a hole through the lid of a jar until wide enough to fit an old pump from a soap container or lotion bottle. It makes washing your hands so much more exciting; I promise. 

In case you still need chocolate, here's a no-bake recipe for you (based on this recipe). This is probably the easiest recipe ever. Beware that they will not set if your apartment is 86 degrees; that's what freezers are for. Not the prettiest cookies ever, but they make great pre-run fuel. 

no-bake {vegan} cookies

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 1/4 cup peanut butter or mixture of PB and tahini

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil

• 1/4 cup almond milk

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats

• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder

Instructions

1. In a small sauce pan combine the first four ingredients and heat over medium-low heat until the peanut butter/coconut oil is melted and the mixture is hot (4-5 minutes.) Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

1. In a separate bowl combine the rolled oats, cocoa powder, and espresso powder. Pour the hot peanut butter mixture over the oats and stir until every piece of oat is covered and chocolate is well incorporated. Use a spoon and drop cookies onto a surface covered in parchment paper and flatten them out slightly. Let cool.

p.s. I'll be here this weekend, among other activities. What are you doing this weekend? 

gluten freeeeeeee

Another weekend of brunch with my sister, who just got a job working at an ad agency. Fancy schmancy. So lucky to spend another weekend with her. Maybe she's not so lucky to spend another weekend chasing me around thrift stores, convincing her that everyone should own a terrarium, reaching new levels of hyper off too much coffee, and getting excited about giant bottles of sriracha at marie catrib's.

Which by the way was absolutely fantastic. This was (half?!) a portion of  local eggs in a tortilla with hand seasoned potatoes and homemade salsa. There's something kind of fantastic about brunching outside while watching everyone come back from the farmers' market carrying awkward plants and bags of produce. It's comforting, kind of like we're on the same wavelength despite being complete strangers. I like that.

So although May (and nat'l celiac awareness month) just passed us by, I decided that it's not too late to write about Celiac disease. I see a lot of patients with this disease at work, and it's always amazing to me how families adapt//don't adapt to a new eating lifestyle.

what is celiac disease (CD)? 

CD is a genetic autoimmune disorder which affects ~1% of the US population. When a person with Celiac disease consumes gluten, the protein in wheat, barley, and rye, their body's immune system attacks the cells of the small intestine, causing inflammation. The small intestine contains many small finger-like projections called villi, which serve as sites of nutrient absorption. In CD, the villi are often blunted or show signs of cell overgrowth, causing malnutrition. 

how is it diagnosed? 

Blood tests for antibodies (TTG and EMA) may indicate a negative response to gluten. A person then undergoes an endoscopy biopsy (scope), where samples of their intestinal tissue are harvested and examined for presence of CD. A positive response to a gluten-free diet confirms the diagnosis. 

how is it treated? 

Those with CD must follow a life-long gluten free diet. Even a small amount of gluten in the diet can be harmful; not everyone will continue to experience symptoms, but they will continue to damage their intestinal cells if they consume gluten-containing foods. 

what about the weird//questionable ingredients?

• Dextrin – May be derived from corn, waxy maize, waxy Milo, potato, arrowroot, wheat, rice, tapioca, or sago.  Avoid wheat sources.

• Caramel Color – Safe in the U.S.

• Modified Food Starch – if wheat is used, the ingredient list will state, “Contains wheat” or “Made on equipment that processes wheat”.  

• Starch – if wheat is used, the ingredient list will state, “Contains wheat” or “Made on equipment that processes wheat”.  

• Seasonings and spice blends or mixes (check labels, call companies

• Baking powder: may contain wheat starch; Rumford Baking Powder - Non-Aluminum and Clabber Girl Baking Powder are gluten-free according to website

Cross contamination is a huge issue when trying to discern safe foods. Even if a food does not contain gluten, there is a chance (especially for grains) that it has come into contact or been processed in a facility that process a gluten-containing grain. The best way to find out if a product is safe is to directly call the manufacturer.

references and resources 

celiac disease foundation

national foundation for celiac awareness

university of chicago 

And here's one gluten free recipe I've been experimenting with. Sort of like Larabars in a different form (based on this recipe)

gluten free granola bites

1/4 cup peanut butter

3/4 cup almonds 

1/2 cup raisins

1 teaspoon cinnamon

*make sure all ingredients are GF//not cross contaminated!

Blend in food processor until moderately smooth. Scoop into bite sizes portions. Pack as work//school//whenever snacks. 

Let me know if you have questions or good recipes (especially for gluten free breads) that you think others might love to try...

good people

I've been so fortunate to spend the past couple of weekends with some really good people. The kind of people you can pick up a conversation with even after a year [ok, a couple] of not seeing one another. People who will ride for 3+ hours with you in 90 degree heat and standstill Chicago traffic...in a car without air conditioning. People who like to talk about things that matter but have no problem teasing you about your love for "Michigan hipster beer" and love being ridiculous.

I was in Chicago in what was quite possibly the hottest weekend of the year so far but had the most gracious hosts (who have the cutest Chicago apartment, complete with a mini greenhouse) and had fun despite the crazy hot weather (and the fact that my car's air conditioning is currently non-functional...yay summer). 

Highlights included dancing sweat detoxing in the gorgeous but non-air conditioned reception hall [if we look delirious, we probably were], battling NATO security...

and eating Longman and Eagle, which you should definitely visit if you're ever in the area {photo courtesy of ryan}. Such creative, thoughtful {and delicious} dishes, with tons of flavor. 

And this past weekend was spent in Bloomington, IN visiting my sister who is done with grad school and smack-dab in the middle of job searching and other important grown-up things. We brunched at Feast before turning into lobsters at the community pool. Their coffee is locally roasted and seriously amazing but probably shouldn't be consumed hot on a 95 degree day. 

Definitely in need of some detoxing via kale smoothies and homemade gazpacho after 2 weekends of good food and good fun. This is definitely my new favorite thing to make because it takes 10 seconds and includes a ton of veggies.

To make, add the following into a blender:

• 32 oz can of tomatoes (or use your own!)
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1 cucumber
• 1/2 jalapeño pepper
• 1/2 cup onion
• salt and pepper to taste

Blend until mixture reaches desired consistency. Eat with a spoon or drink up. 

It was so good to see friends I don't see often during this concentrated period of time; why is keeping in touch so difficult sometimes? I really need to be more intentional because good people are worth the extra effort. I think I'm especially mindful of this as I'm currently living in a city where I know very few people, and I miss having the sense of community I've experienced at other points in life. At the same time, I know that life isn't static, and that's why friendships change and people change and growth happens [incredibly grateful for all of these things]. 

Hope everyone has a good pseudo-Monday. Here's to a 4 day week!

weekend to-do list

• make a delicious pasta salad (green pepper, feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, red onion, artichokes, and a smattering of red pepper flakes + sundried tomato dressing).

• thrift a crockpot for $10 and make the best (and creamiest) homemade hummus ever.

• explore the outdoors with a squirrel-chasing poodle who never catches squirrels [be thankful for that].

• be outside as much as possible because it’s the weekend, and you don’t have to be attached to a phone or computer.

• run 7 miles and make a stop by the beach just because it’s there.

• start to adjust to a new OS…see ya later, dell [I think this will be a good switch]. :)

What are you doing this weekend? I’m so thankful for the chance to relax!

Happy easter everyone!

hello spring

An unseasonably warm 80 degree day today…pretty fantastic if you ask me. I’m officially done with [pseudo] winter. If it’s going to be summer weather, the warmer temps better stay. Can’t wait to spend more time here…

This weekend Dave and I attempted to duplicate the Mediterranean veggie sandwich made by a certain bread company. I have to admit that he did most of the work, baking bread and blending pesto. I chopped veggies…and ate.

1] Things started with homemade tomato basil bread…

2] And lots of chopped veggies: red onion, tomato, and cucumbers.

3] Basil pesto: the pesto was amazing. Incredibly excited for more farmers’ market fresh basil.

4] Final product: it didn’t taste exactly like Panera’s version; I actually thought it was much fresher (there’s also a sprinkling of feta cheese in there).

My sister is also here on her last spring break ever. We are going to eat vegetarian food and ice cream (it all balances out, right? right??) and probably yoga. I’ve been doing this yoga podcast almost every morning before work, and it’s pretty nice to start out the day in a de-stressed fashion.

Do you have a famous dish that you’ve tried to recreate on your own? Success or not?

 

ps. wheatgrass post is still forthcoming. and so is a new little series i’m pretty excited about…