Recipe of the Week: Eggplant and Polenta Stack

1/4" eggplant rounds (I used 3 for one stack)
1/4" polenta rounds (" ")


Salsa (or a tomato sauce)
Green onion
1/4 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup black beans
1 dollop plain yogurt

1. Grill eggplant and polenta slices until heated through


2. Place one eggplant slice on the plate that you will be eating off of (you will not want to move after you put this dish together). Top with 1 polenta slice, a dollop of salsa, cheese, beans, onion, and yogurt.




3. Repeat step 2 with the two other eggplant rounds.

4. Enjoy!

Raw Day 7

Well, we made it to the last day.

Breakfast: Chia Tapioca Pudding


Delightful again : )

Lunch: Mini Batch of Raw Tacos & Salsa on Romaine

I loved the raw tacos so much, that I had to make a half batch just to satisfy my cravings. I also threw together some salsa...I'm definitely going to start making this instead of buying the pre-bottled stuff because it was so fresh and flavorful!

(this makes about 1 cup....double/triple if more than one person will be eating!)
1 tomato
handful of chopped cilantro
1 green onion
2 garlic cloves
freshly squeezed lemon juice
dash of salt & pepper

Chop all veggies and toss in a bowl with the salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Chill for about 30 minutes, so the flavors mesh together. Enjoy!


Dinner: NOT RAW

ok ok, I'm going to be honest here. I broke my week of raw on the final meal....lame, I know. I started to feel really crappy by the middle of the day, and I listened to my body and officially ended my raw stint with some cooked veggies and pasta.

Fast forward to 3 days later...I just found out that I have bronchitis. I can't help but wonder if it was due to my body going through detox from the raw diet. I didn't think detox was supposed to happen that quickly, with just a week under my belt. However, I do have an autoimmune disorder that hasn't flared up since I graduated college and started living a healthier lifestyle. Maybe this is a signal that my body needs other nutrients that it wasn't getting over the course of the week. Guesses anyone??

What did I learn from my raw week? Raw food is quick, easy, and delicious. I don't think I'd be able to go raw as a full time thing (maybe I'm still scared from the bronchitis) but I will be incorporating more raw recipes into my regular diet and, as always, I encourage everyone to try some new recipes too.

Here's a list of my favorite raw resources....if you didn't catch them throughout the week:
Choosing Raw
Kristen's Raw
Ani's Raw Food Kitchen
The Fitnessista

....and since this post hardly had any photos, I give you Mr. James Dean:

Raw Day 6

I can't believe that it's day six already. This week has really flown by.

Breakfast: Banana w/ nut butter & a green monster

This combo satisfies my taste buds, keeps me full until lunch, and gives me a wonderful boost of energy (I think it's the greens!)


This green monster was made of 1 cup of almond milk, 2 cups packed kale, 1 tablespoon flax seed, a handful of strawberries, and a half of a banana. There's nothing like a smoothie in the morning!

Lunch: Blended Spinach Salad (another one from the lovely Gena....have I mentioned how much I love her site?!?!) & Leftover Alfredo Pasta
I wanted a little change from the salad for lunch routine, so I took Gena's advice, and tried her recipe for a chilled spinach soup. I blended this up before I headed off to work, stuck it in the fridge all morning, and it was perfectly chilled by lunchtime.

(It even looks pretty in tupperware!)

Spinach, avocado, cilantro, lemon juice, salt, pepper, water, and oil made up this soup. It was just alright. I think it needed a bit more salt & pepper...maybe it'll come out better next time.


Dinner: Raw Tacos

I had other plans for dinner, until I saw Gina's amazing creation of Raw Sloppy Joes. I knew immediately that's what I needed for dinner! I made several changes because of what I had around the kitchen, and here's what I used:

1/2 cup cashews (soaked overnight)
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/3 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 stick celery, diced
4 sun-dried tomatoes, diced
1 clove garlic
splash of apple cider vinegar
splash of soy sauce
dash of: oregano, cajun seasoning, paprika, red pepper flakes, chili powder, & cumin

Combine everything and chop in a blender or food processor. I followed Gina's lead and wrapped the mixture up in lettuce leaves.

EXTREME CLOSE-UP:


I can't tell you how much I LOVED THIS RECIPE. I was obsessed with the combo (tasted just like tacos!) and scarfed the whole batch down in one sitting. This is definitely an example of how the right seasoning can make anything delightful!

Raw Day 5

I made it to day five!....and it was delicious!

Breakfast: Uncooked Oats & Fruit w/ Almond Milk

I was craving a little grain, so I decided to go with an old favorite....OATS!

Lunch: Collard Wraps w/ Ginger Dressing (from Ani's Raw)

I enjoyed these wraps more than the ones I made on Day 1. I'm thinking it might have been the dressing, since I've always loved bottled ginger dressings. I've never made my own, but it was quite easy...just blended together fresh ginger, a carrot, a dab of miso paste, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil. YUM

Dinner: Raw Zucchini Alfredo with Basil and Cherry Tomatoes (another good one from Choosing Raw)

Since I so thoroughly enjoyed my last mock pasta, I was every excited to try my hand at this recipe. I "peeled" another zuchhini and a small carrot for the pasta. On top of that, I threw a handful of cherry tomatoes, freshly chopped basil, and a few chopped sun-dried tomatoes.


For the sauce recipe, click on the link above. I still have no idea how this sauce, which has a cashew base, tastes just like alfredo sauce! It really surprised me...and a couple of days later, I'm still drooling over this picture:

Jenna Versus the Interweb

I can't stop laughing at this photo.

So the panic has subsided a bit, and I'm taking long, deep breaths about the idea of this internet dating thing. After talking to some folks (including Kat who has a boyfriend for just about ever and for whom this is all hypothetical, thus I take her calm logic with a grain of salt), I've realized that this could possibly be a lot of fun. Well, maybe good for a laugh or two at least. After spending way too much time trying to figure out how to make myself most marketable (choosing photos, writing and rewriting witty internet banter, I think that I'm ready. Plus browsing around the personals on nerve.com and The Onion hasn't been an AWFUL way to spend my insomnia ridden evenings...it's rather interesting to see the attempts of others, as well.

But this is all still in the realm of not interacting with actual people. It's indulging in a kind of voyeurism, kicking back, and hoping that something nice comes along. That is, until Kat and I get drunk and she starts emailing suitors she finds acceptable in all sorts of sassy, one sentence variations. I squeal and blush and write the post that immediately precedes this one. A few days later, I calm down and think that I could maybe do it myself. What the hell? It's not like I know these people. A sort of faux confidence sets in. And then a couple of guys actually email me back. Confidence disappears. What do I say? Do I meet these guys for a drink? When I do, what will we talk about? What if it's absolutely awful and awkward? I find it hilarious that I'm one of the most socially comfortable people I know (I'm great in a room full of people I don't know at a party or professional situation), but put me in a bar on a date and I'm an absolutely self conscious mess.

So I'm nervous at first, I sort of still am...BUT I had a few good thinks and conversations on the subject and decided I have little to nothing to lose. At the very least you practiced meeting a new person and working on your uncomfortable break the first date tension conversation. And you know that you're meeting someone who is ALSO interested in meeting new people. Plus, you kind of know what they look like so it's not quite as bad as a totally blind date. The reasons I think that people also look for new friends and companions online is because they're trying to date outside of their social circle, perhaps feeling sort of stagnant in their scene at present and seeking to expand their horizons. I can get down with that. I've been hanging out with the same guys since high school, and though I love them dearly, there's not exactly a lot of adventure into the unknown there.

The guy I've been emailing briefly, as a matter of fact, seems like quite a cultured fella who seems to suggest activities that are unique and interesting to me. So there's a start. We'll see what happens. I'm trying to go into this with an open mind and a great sense of fun. Like a grown up play date.

In the meantime, I'll enjoy what this strange, new world has to offer. And make some suggestions to all those looking to join me. The sites I've put profiles up on because they appear somewhat reputable and most importantly, free, are nerve.com and The Onion personals (owned by a company called Fast Cupid). If you log into the Onion personals through the Onion's website, you have much broader access to viewing the profiles of other users than if you log in through the Fast Cupid home page. It's obviously a bit of a scam to try to get you to pay for something that there's clearly a way around. Nerve is pretty much a free service that you can view everyone's profiles (and email anyone, maybe?), and I'm not really sure what this paid upgrade they're constantly pushing actually gets you. There's no way I think it's necessary to pay for anything when almost all social networking on the internet is free of charge and there are lots of ways to offer up alternative methods of communication without compromising your privacy. I'll let you know how that experiment goes. The other sites I've looked at and not been terribly thrilled by were OKCupid (which is insanely cheesy, albeit free) and Match.com (who really, really want you to pay for the service). The thing about Match.com, is that half the time, the other people you're looking at haven't paid for the service either, so even if you are a paying member, you can't email these people anyway. And I think that paying for this stuff is stupid.

The big scammers to watch out for, it would seem are Chemistry.com. Read all the horrible things people have to say about it here. I signed up for a free personality test or something and they WON'T stop emailing me even though I will never ever give them my money. They also keep sending me matches, but popping up the 'buy a membership' screen before you can even see these people that are allegedly "interested" in you. It smells like Sheepshead Bay to me.

Stay tuned for the next chapter in the saga. I can hardly wait to see what happens next.

Raw Day 4

Today I'm feeling feeling great again. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were all huge sucesses.

Breakfast: Chia Seed Mock-Tapioca Pudding

What??!! Pudding for breakfast??? Yes. I was very hesitant to make this for breakfast, mainly becasue I had seen what chia seeds turned into after they soaked for 10 minutes in the Chili Cheese Dip. I could not imagine that it would taste good A) in the morning B) mixed with something sweet C) not blended because the texture it kind of creepy.


It was SOOOOO GOOOOOD!!! It really did have the texture of Tapioca pudding (actually a better texture, if you ask me) and it was perfectly sweet with the cinnamon and vanilla. I was smiling the entire meal. Do not be afraid of these lovely chia seeds! Def try this at home!

Lunch: Huge Salad

The chia seed pudding really held me over well until lunch. The salad consisted of kale & romaine, avocado, raw corn (think this made the dish!), tomatoes, lemon juice, green bell pepper, carrots, and cucumber. Simple, full of veggies, and completely satisfying.

Dinner: Chili Burger and a Mountian of Salad

After yoga in the park (which was one of the most amazing experiences that I've had so far in NYC!) I met up with some friends, went to a couple of art openings, and then headed to dinner at Caravan of Dreams in the East Village. Caravan is a cute little vegetarian/vegan/raw restaurant. The menu was HUGE so I was glad that my choices were narrowed down to only a couple of pages or raw dishes.

The raw special of the night was posted on a chalkboard simply as "Chili Burger". I had no idea what this would be made of, but they had me at "burger", so I jumped at it. I'm still not 100% about what all it contained, but I know the base was lentils, it definitly had some chili powder thrown in there, and was topped was shredded carrots and a tahini sauce. I was starving and it totally hit the spot!


A nice surprise was the giant salad it was served with. Again, didn't take notes here, but there were tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, raddishes, carrots, cabbage, romaine, and lemon juice. This also hit the spot and was both light and filling.

I would recommend Caravan to any veggies/vegans out there. Do note that it was a little on the pricey side (at least in my opinion) so its not an everyday destination. Definitely a place I'll take my vegetarian brother and his girlfriend next time they visit....hint hint ; )

Raw Day 3

I'm feeling better today and am mentally ready to enjoy eating raw again. Dinner was FANTASTIC...keep reading to find out what made me so happy.

Breakfast: Banana w/ nut butter & a green monster

This was a simple breakfast. A banana cut in half with almond butter sandwiched in the middle and a good old fashined....green monster. (Note to Jenna: do you remember what an "Old Fashined" is....I think it belongs on your page)

For my green monster, I blended 1 cup of almond milk, 2 cups packed spinach, 1 tablespoon flax seed, a handful of strawberries, and a half of a banana. It turned out more brown than green, but it was magical.

Lunch: Leftover Kreamy Avocado Soup and a salad

The avocado soup was just as lovely the second time around. At the last minute, I added a handful of chopped basil leaves, which I totally recommend. The salad was half kale/half romaine, topped with yellow bell pepper, broccoli, green onion, cilantro, lemon juice, and salt & pepper. AND a little leftover guacamole. I was avocado-ed out after that....but nicley full.

Dinner: Zuchinni Pasta & Marinara Sauce

This recipe was the main reason that I started this week of raw indulgences. I was fascinated and really wanted to know what zucchini pasta tasted like. Jenna came over for a dinner/blog work date so she can back me up on this when I say:

O.M.G. This was the best raw OR cooked thing I have ever tasted!!! If Jenna hadn't been around to confirm this, I would have just thought I felt this way because all I had been eating this week mainly resembled salad. This. Was. A. Delight.

If you haven't tried this yet, I suggest dropping everything and "cooking" it tonight for dinner.

Just to note: I was finished making this entire meal before Jenna could even log into her Blogger account! It was ridiculously fast, easy, and delicious. That's what she said.

The base recipe is from Ani:
* 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
* 1 medjool date, pitted
* 1 teaspoon oregano, dried
* 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, fresh
* 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
* 1/3 cup olive oil
* 2 teaspoons salt

I added (and definitly reccomend):
4 sundried tomatoes
1 handful chopped basil

1. Make the "noodle" base by slicing a zucchini lengthwise with a vegetable peeler...

...until you get this


2. Blend all sauce ingredients together until smooth

(my blender and I have been bffs this week, sorry jenna)

3. Spoon sauce over "noodles"


4. Laugh at Jenna because dinner is finished before she could sign in to her email