August 18, 2017
It’s morning in Shenandoah, and the sun overcomes its obstacles. As usual. How perfect is a morning? Fresh and potent with opportunity and intention. Never you mind what becomes of it; that’s the evening’s problem to solve. The clouds veil the light, hiding the blue, so you don’t take it Read more…
July 9, 2017
Lazy summer days–besides a ton of chopping vegetables. Who wants to cook in the summer? Fresh, chilled dinners are best in the heat. Like this salad of jicama, cucumber, tomato, and red pepper. And raw kale with some black beans for protein. I massage ’em with ginger oil, toasted sesame Read more…
February 19, 2017
When the seductive sun returns and undresses you, leaving the Southern hemisphere on the sly and randomly, you make an occasion of it. It was Spring in February! We had the plan to head to the Jersey Shore off-season for lunch before this forecast. Partly because going to the Jersey Shore Read more…
January 8, 2017
Urban Vegan Kitchen, an all-vegan eatery billed as semi-sophisticated comfort food, has taken over Blossom On Carmine’s space. The management is the same but the new menu was designed in partnership with chef Timothy “Mississippi Vegan.” Thank goodness. New York needs a lot more restaurants not using frozen and packaged food products. Read more…
October 30, 2016
Luckily, my birthday celebrations expand many weeks–there’s me-time travel involved (the sloths), us-time travel (London), family, friends. Eventually, all sides have been represented, leaving me smiling and grateful. I love October; and I love how my birthday delivers me to the excitement of autumn and winter holidays. And I love October sunrises, Read more…
October 22, 2016
After two days of walking about London, we bought an Oyster Card and went to the underground. Our room is just a couple of minutes from Baker Street station, of Baker Street (the song) fame, which plays eerily from some unknown source. The London Underground is a great system of transit Read more…
July 7, 2016
Jacksonville, Florida has vegan credibility. This I state enthusiastically in my head while the locals in Southern Roots Filling Station discuss New York City vegan eats. I could chime in, I suppose, and tell them that New York City isn’t all that spectacular. Well, I mean that the places they are Read more…
June 5, 2016
Your body needs an internal scrub every now and again. Preparing a week’s worth of detox salads means you are eating raw for a good portion of the day. I’ve been experimenting with combining powerfully detoxifying veggies during a pre-summer detox. Shredding all ingredients helps body break food down easily and Read more…
February 18, 2016
There are many things I enjoy about omusubi, Japanese rice balls with goodies within. They are handheld, small, and contain the flavor punch of an entire meal… and, lastly, they are not a meal. I had a dinner reservation on the horizon, after all. At Hanamizuki, a pretty cafe near Read more…
January 10, 2016
I am starting a month of salads! So most of my week’s groceries were from the produce section. In order to hold my interest while sustaining my nutritional needs, I was going to do a lot of mixing and matching. You know what they say about variety… So here are my Read more…
October 4, 2015
With Hurricane Joaquin worries put out to sea, I had my first proper weekend after my first proper full week of working, finally. Summer is officially gone. It’s back to the grind. Kitchen renovation cookies, with just a pinch of sawdust. Various gourds for the stoop as October is here, Read more…
August 21, 2015
Ikea, the Swedish big blue monster now serves a vegan version of their meatballs. So… you know, I had to go and try them. That’s right, Vegetable Balls. They are made of… no, not plastic but chickpeas, kale, peppers, sweet corn, peas, onions, turnips, pea starch, canola oil, black pepper, Read more…
August 2, 2015
This week’s gorgeous lunch photographed so well. Grilled tempeh, roasted beets, brown & wild rice pilaf with dill, cashew & diced red pepper, sautéed beet greens and Dino kale. Who wants to cook dinner in this sweltering heat? It was time to use my Asian market goodies and make some summer rolls. Inside: avocado, Read more…
July 23, 2015
Hawley, Pennsylvania is a resort town in the Poconos Mountains Lake Region located just far enough from the thriving metropolis New York City to feel like you’ve entered an entirely different habitat. Though most of the area resorts are for various outdoor adventuring, The Lodge at Woodlach, the area’s high-end Read more…
July 13, 2015
In my goal of V.V. hitting “all 50 states reporting” status, summer is the time to pack on the states. Getting out of New York and past the tristate area to make it to these unreported on states is a daunting task… as is the return to the tri-state area. So Read more…
May 29, 2015
It’s a bit of a mystery when an eatery doesn’t have a “for real” website. Yelp reviews (The forced double negative Yelp effect–if someone with bad taste writes a good review, it means it’s really bad.) and a Facebook page reveal very little. Many social media leads stay on the radar, but Read more…
January 4, 2015
I’m thinking of the piano chords to Morning Has Broken by Cat Stevens. They’re kind of thundering, like a definitive decision, like a confident first step of something. I love how that song makes me feel. What is so delightful about music is that you get to pick and choose the emotion you Read more…
December 28, 2014
Sometimes you just want to spend the entire day in the kitchen and the entire night in the dining room eating and giggling with friends. It was time for a Winter Dins vegan victuals dinner party. For starters, “Deviled” Polenta Yukon Golds. Rye, Kale & Eggplant Dressing with toasted Pepitas Fennel, Read more…
November 18, 2014
Treating my home, and its surrounding cities, like I would an unknown city—subject to the same fine tooth comb in search of vegan options—my list of vegan leads in the neighbor state New Jersey was growing. And preferring a random and mysterious lone vegan option to a well-worn, all-vegan establishment Read more…
October 12, 2014
Sundays in Fall means back to lunch. As the school year continues to kick my butt, I adjust slowly–feeling my best at some point on Sunday morning. In the middle of my making lunch for the week. Sweet potato mash, roasted red beets, and roasted tomatoes from my garden, to Read more…
August 11, 2014
After a particularly gluttonous summer so far, I needed to take it down a few notches with a grain-free cleanse–2 days of raw food and juice. I also wanted to take this opportunity to try out some products that I’ve had on my radar in the grocery store, as a Read more…
March 30, 2014
When I get a pancake craving, it’s hard to disseminate. Do I want the ultimate vehicle for sweet and savory? Do I want several airy, thin cakes with crispy browned corners? It depends. Whichever the case, I can certainly half my pancake recipe so as to not be left with Read more…
March 2, 2014
This week’s lunch. Brussels. Asparagus. unroasted Edamame miso puree. Turnip. Kabocha squash. Baby kale.
November 30, 2013
My white and regular pumpkin puree layer cake with vanilla buttercream and cinnamon glaze. Jay Astafa‘s amazing cashew cheese wheel… and his Thanksgiving meal, though my re-plating killed his presentation. Pecan-crusted seitan, parsnip puree, creamed corn and sauteed kale. Amazing. An impromptu trip to Chelsea Market: Lunch at Beyond Sushi Read more…
November 17, 2013
Cauliflower White Bean Risotto with sun dried tomato, spinach and pine nut. I love cauliflower, like I love all the veggies in the Brassica oleracea family but… if you’re storing some up for the week you have to deal with a little bit of stink before reheating. Roasted acorn squash Read more…
September 2, 2013
After a trip to the farmers market (and Williams Sonoma), it was time to test out the brand new grill pan. Fresh veggies transformed into smokey delicious charred delights, atop quinoa. A hands-off amazing meal. Speaking of fresh veggies, my plum tomatoes are almost ready for pickin’. And many eggplants Read more…