Easy Recipe: Vikka Masala

(No picture because I ate it all already. It was delicious!)

So I love Indian food.  And lucky for me, a lot of it is vegetarian, and if you can avoid the dairy, it is also easy to get it vegan as well! You should know by now that I barely ever cook.  Ever. So when I manage to make something I like to parade it around like it's a huge revelation.  I'm really proud of this one! And this was SO EASY! It's made mostly of things that people have around.

A note: I don't put quantities or times on anything, because once a friend's Taiwanese grandmother tried to teach us how to make dumplings and the whole time she was like "if you like X, add more X, mix this and that till it looks right, cook it till it's done" etc etc.

Ingredients:

• An onion. The more you like onion, use a bigger the onion
• Garlic.  The more you like garlic, use more garlic (duh!)
• Rice.  In my case, it's leftover rice from the last time I ordered delivery. Those restaurants are always delivering too much rice! You can make fresh rice if you're up for it. 
• Marinara Sauce. A simple one is good, mostly tomato, olive oil, garlic and salt. I had half a jar leftover from when I made spaghetti the other day (also a major event!). 
• A ton of spices.  I added curry powder and lemon pepper from Trader Joe's, coriander (I don't even know what this really tastes like, it was just in the cabinet), and some chili pepper. Basically add in whatever you've got, the more the merrier. Depending on what's in there, this will end up somewhere on the Tikka Masala/Tomato Risotto spectrum.  
• Olive oil.

Chop up the onion and garlic. Sautee the onion in olive oil on medium heat until it gets browned. Add in the garlic, stir that around too. Mmmm, enjoy the smell. Dump a ton of spices on top of the onion and garlic, and stir that round too, adding a little more olive oil if you feel like it.  Dump the rice in, stir that around.  Dump in some pasta sauce. Stir that all around, add a little water if it's too thick. Add more spices.  Eat it straight out of the pot with your spatula, but be sure to put a trivet on the table first.

You're welcome!

Back to the Start

I'm still alive!  I wasn't sure I would be at one point though, I was really sick (likely the flu, although I never tested positive for it).  Anyway, I was a hot hot mess, and I'm just now finally getting back to my full potential.  It's been hard with the cold, I think just being exposed to the elements really drains a lot of my energy.

So anyway, I just started another meditation course, so it means I'm back to the East Village once a week, which is chock full of great places for wannabegans to eat!

Last night was our first night of level 2 meditation class, and we went to the same place where we went on the first night of level 1 mediation class, ANGELIKA KITCHEN!  I have such affection for this place, because back when I was a wee young wannabegan (... let's just say over a DECADE AGO), I worked in the takeout/juice bar section of the restauruant (apologies to all the people that I messed up their orders).  I loved it though!  Actually, the reason why I applied for a job there was because I loved the food so much, but as a scrappy young thing I didn't have enough $$ to eat there as often as I wanted to.  When I worked there, I got a meal every shift!  I was SO HEALTHY and energetic and fit back then (partially due to youth), random people would comment that my skin looked amazing (true!) and overall I was probably the closest to ideal health I've ever been.

OK, enough reminiscing.  Last night was COLD, and I wanted nothing more to warm up with a hot meal!  To start off the meal, we ordered the CURRIED CASHEW SPREAD (all raw) and KOMBU VEGETABLE BOUILLON. I love that boulion - definitely warming. For entrees, my husband and I both ordered the DASHI AND NOODLES.  We almost never order the same thing because we like to sample as many things as possible from the menu then share, but we both wanted the exact same thing and it's so good, we did it even though it didn't make sense to. Also super warming, and we both love that dish so much!  We had finished our meal but we had a teeny bit of time to kill before our class started so we went ahead and also ordered my favorite, favorite tea which is nearly impossible to find in stores: MU 16 TEA!!  My husband has a sweet tooth so for a dessert we got a MAPLE TOFU WHIP, which is kind of like whipped cream or vanilla pudding, which Hubby loved.  I was pretty full, or else I would have gotten the Kanten Parfait, which is layered cookie bits, nut cream, and kind of a fruit pie filling.  For some reason I love the parfaits, and I generally love Angelika Kitchen, but I have to agree with my husband that their one weak spot is their cookies.  On their own, they just taste like what I imagine cookies taste like during war time or the great depression.  Mixed up in the parfait, they are great!

So anyway, it was another great meal at a place full of nostalgia for me.  I definitely recommend coming here if you want something hearty, warming, and comforting in the middle of winter.  (They also have juice and lighter fare, but we can talk about that once the trees have leaves on them again.) Also I love being able to order ANYTHING off the menu and not think about if it is vegan or not.

(Follow me on Foursquare if you want to know what and where I'm eating wannabegan!)

Not Beef

This morning I had a slow morning and I had some tea, but really I wanted something savory and warming too. Soup is one of my favorite foods and I usually keep some bouillon or something in the fridge for when I want a hot cup of broth (is that weird?). I bought this on a whim a long time ago, so I expected a rock-hard cube of salt, but what came out instead was such a pleasant surprise!  

So I took one of the cubes and broke it into a few pieces before pouring boiled water over it (I used a pint glass with a thermal sleeve, so 16 oz) which I think is the recommended ratio. The cube dissolved surprisingly fast, and the the best part was ...(is this weird?) it created a thin oil layer on top of the broth, which I love!  It just makes they soup so much heartier, it feels like real soup not just salty brown water.  It tasted like Pho broth to me, with a rich and complex flavor (that could have just been the photo on the box suggesting the idea to my brain.)  I was thinking, this broth plus plain rice noodles, DINNER=DONE.  Seriously, the broth is so delicious it really doesn't need anything else. What if I had broth for breakfast every morning??  

Anyway, having my Not-Beef broth reminded me of this video about dairy cows and how happy they looked to be set free in a pasture.  Have a cup of Not-Beef instead of normal beef broth and imagine that you made this happen!

Gifts for your Wannabegan, part 2

If you are poking around on the internet for Valentine's day gift ideas, I have news for you - you're cutting it REALLY close.  Good luck.  At this point maybe you should just get an e-gift so you can go to sleep and get ready to turn on the charm tomorrow. I know this sounds cheezy, but I sincerely believe that a really thoughtful donation to charity in  someone's honor is a great gift.  Because let's be honest, if you're reading this blog post, you have electricity, internet, and probably a computer of some sort (holla to all those folks out there using the computers at the library!), you and all the people you know probably have plenty of STUFF in your lives.  Most people have too much STUFF, it clutters up our lives, it doesn't really improve our lives that much.  So really THINK about the person you want to show love towards, and think about what that person loves. Here's some ideas:

• Someone who loves his or her pet? Donate to the shelter where the pet was adopted from!
• Someone who commutes every day through Central Park? Donate to the park! 
• Someone wants a pet? Pre-pay for the adoption fees at a shelter and let your sweetie pick the pet!
• A professor that really changed your life? Donate to your alma mater!

Just get creative!  For an all around animal lover, I like the Humane Society of the United States, because they have solid results helping both people and they do lots of education and legislation.

Moving on from donation gifts, home-made gifts are particularly special and who knows I might get around to making that vegan chocolate fudge for my husband one day. The nice thing about home-made gifts are it's not so much about the thing, but the fact that you put in the time and thought nice thoughts about your gift recipient while you were making it.

OK, I know non-material gifts don't cut it for everyone, so here's some things for dudes out there that might actually need stuff.  (Part 1 inadvertently turned into a post about ladies' gifs, so this one is men's gifts!).

Patagonia Men's Nano Puff Hoody - It's usually cold around Valentine's day, and I usually project my own personal preferences when I give a gift, so there are a lot of warming-related V-day gifts. I've had my eye on this jacket for a long time because it is synthetic and super light (I'm always freezing and sometimes I like to look at insulating outerwear online and fantasize about wearing it all).  I like that this is an insulating layer, which makes a perfect gift because it's cozy and you can wear it indoors or out, over several different seasons depending on what you wear it with.  If you're not into these colors, you can usually find previous season colors (on sale!) and styles (vest, pullover, jacket) online. Even though Patagonia certifies its down as "non-live plucked" (jeesh!), I still prefer to stay away from down completely, so Nano Puff is the way to go. I would get this for my husband if he didn't already have a enough hoodies, but once those wear out he might end up with this!

Uniqlo Faux Shearling Full-Zip Hoodie My husband has two of these right now, and he's wearing one right as I write this! He wears this almost EVERY day, so I'll just add it to the list of gift ideas (especially since this one is way more affordable than the Nano Puff).  This hoodie is super warm and it's soft and cuddly like a teddy bear inside(!).  So when I think about this hoodie, it's like 2 gifts in one- 1) It's warm and nice and he likes it 2) He didn't have to go shopping for something to wear himself, so it's like I'm giving him the gift of his own free time.  Every once in a while he does accompany my while I'm out shopping, and it's pretty sad, he usually finds a quiet corner and reads the internet on his phone.  I spared him!  

Uniqlo Heat Tech Socks and Finger Socks - The socks in our home are pretty sad- most of them are from 12-packs bought years ago, and now there are holes under the ball of the foot and at the Achilles from being worn completely through.  I get grouchy when I wear them because they droop down and bunch up under my foot, which is very uncomfortable (especially when wearing boots and it's hard to pull them up!).  Some times when it's past time to do laundry, we wear them upside down so the hole (and the heel material) is on the top of the foot.  So anyway, I bought these nice socks as a gift for my mother-in-law's boyfriend, who was really kind to us while we were staying at her apartment.  He's a dancer, so I thought the toe socks would be good for him to stretch his feet in, and the Heat Tech socks were appropriate because it's been super freezing cold out.  He said he really enjoys wearing them and that having nice socks totally makes a difference in his day!  He's totally right, having comfortable feet makes a big difference. I know socks sound really boring and utilitarian, but NICE socks really do make your feet and by extension, the rest of your body feel better. A lot of people have told me to get wool socks because I'm always cold, but honestly I don't have time to separate them out of the laundry and wash them in cold and line dry them and all that so they don't shrink, plus I don't care if it's made out of unicorn wool, those things still get itchy.  That's why we have TECHNOLOGY!!

Bonavita Porcelain Immersion Coffee Dripper - I got this for my husband because he looooves his coffee every morning. Sometimes in the evening he'll get a faraway look on his face with just the slightest hint of a smile, and I'll ask him,"What are you thinking about?"  He'll snap out of his reverie and reply, "My first sip of coffee tomorrow morning."  So anyway, about 2 years ago my mom gave him a lifetime supply of paper cone filters and a Clever Coffee Dripper, which he has used and loved every day since then.  I am happy he loves it (PS the cheap part of me is glad that he's not paying $3+ for coffee every day) but I was worried about the plastic slowly disintegrating from from the repeated heating and cooling of having boiling water poured into it.  I wanted to find something similar but made of glass, metal, or porcelain, and here it is!  All the parts that touch the coffee are porcelain, except the little stopper which is silicone.  A long time ago hubby used to drink coffee with milk and sugar, but now he drinks it black.  So he veganized his drink!

Wannabegan, wannabeWARM

**Note: I started drafting this post several days ago, breaking my 15 minutes per post self-guidelines. It's gotten warmer since but the thoughts still apply**

OMG it is so cold, SINGLE DIGIT temperatures here and across most of the country, if not negative temperatures!!

I'm going to make a huge reveal here- one of the things that inspired this blog was reading an article at appeared in Elle magazine, where the writer was really conflicted about wearing a fur coat that her grandmother gave her back in the 80's.  Eschewing fur is one of the easiest "no brainier" decisions for me, and whenever I see someone else wearing fur, I think how brutal that person looks. It's basically draping corpses around your body, and that's just too morbid for me (I don't like skull motif attire, or any of that kind of thing either).  If you want something warm and soft to snuggle with, adopt a cat or a dog!  Don't skin some poor creature that lived its entire life in a horrible cage (and PS, did you know that some FUR SOLD IN STORES IS MADE OUT OF DOGS?).

Anyway, I read this article and on one hand, I was like, 'Ugh! Fur! How incredibly sad!" and on the other hand I heard a message loud and clear that I have identified with for most of my entire adult life: "I'M COLD."  For me, a big part of the animal rights movement is about compassion, and I'm trying to also be compassionate to my fellow humans.  So when I hear about this woman struggling to stay warm, like I used to, I just wanted to help her!  Because the truth is, you don't have to wear animal bits to stay warm, and people just need to know about all the amazing warm (and cute and comfortable) things. I don't even buy down or woolen items anymore, because I have found all these great alternatives.

So when I read this article when it first came out, I wanted to write the author a very kind letter (I'm sure she's getting enough attack mail) helping her overcome the core problem that she has- she just wants to stay warm and doesn't know how!

Here are my tips and picks for ways to stay warm, even in a POLAR VORTEX!

1) Make sure you're healthy.  Get your circulation checked out, find out if you're anemic, make sure your thyroid levels are where they should be, and everything else a doctor can do to help you figure out why you're always cold.  Sensitivity to cold can definitely be a symptom of many things.  I was diagnosed with anemia (and this is as an omnivore) a few years ago, and since then I take an iron supplement (accompanied by a vitamin C tablet, which is supposed to help it absorb better).  My pick for iron supplement is NatureMade, because some of the other brands I tried coated their tablets in blue/green/black dye (I think to discourage kids from thinking it is candy).  I don't have kids in my home, and the tablets were staining my tongue and teeth! These tablets are small, easy to swallow, and don't stain my mouth.

2) Wear layers. I personally am addicted to and compulsively hoard UNIQLO Heattech clothing.  These have been a game changer for me, I don't know how I would have survived this long without it.  They are these amazingly thin, stretchy, smooth, lightweight, cute, and comfortable pieces that I wear underneath EVERYTHING, EVERY DAY. They use this weird techno material to make socks, pants, tops, accessories, and all kinds of things, and I have tons of them because I love them so much!






3) THIS COAT!  In the past, I've worn down coats and mourned the birds that died to make the filling.  I would look like a giant puffy marshmallow blob, the weight of the coat would make my shoulders hurt and my body tired, little feathery bits would eventually appear floating around me, and at the end of the day, I still wasn't warm.  Then I found this amazing coat that now makes me feel invincible: Arc'teryx Women's Sylva Parka.

I have this coat in the this color (on mine the zipper color matches), which is a beautiful greyish purple that people compliment me on all the time! Seriously, random people tell me they love my coat! The coat is slim and flattering, and I actually have a defined waist when I wear it. I bought it online and when it arrived, I didn't think the package could possibly contain my coat because it was so small and light.  But it was and I've been wearing it ever since.  My friend who lives in Cleaveland (currently 20 deg F) bought one because she liked mine so much, and I myself bought an extra one for myself (both of ours are in "Royale" purple) just because I never want to be without this coat. My friend texted me to say, "got the coat and love it! I can't believe it's soooooooo light! Thx xxoo," then again later "loving the coat!"

This coat makes me feel invincible!  Some of the features that make it extra warm are the cuffs, which adjust and can seal really tight, the really nice fitted hood, which I wear up often, the length, and the "Windstopper" fabric, and of course whatever miracle synthetic insulation they put inside.

Synthetic insulation is better than down because:

• It retains its insulating properties even when wet
• No feathery bits that escape and fly around and stick to things
• No allergy inducing feathery bits
• Easier to wash, dry, and maintain
• No birds suffered (do a google search if you want to see the horrible things that happen).  I generally like the brand Patagonia, but the fact that they feel obligated to make statements like, "Patagonia Traceable Down Is Verified Non-Live-Plucked, Non-Force-Fed" makes me say "Yikes!" about the whole down industry.  Kind of like blood diamonds vs being in the same market as "conflict-free diamonds."  I prefer to just steer clear of that whole mess.

4) Insulate your extremities: As a great complement to the coat above, I also love the following: Easy Spirit Knotme wedge boots (synthetic, not leather and ON SALE as I write this!) and EMS Women's Hyland Fleece Convertible Mittens.  I have a previous season version of these boots (same minus the buckle) and they are SO COMFORTABLE (they come in wide sizes too!), they are light, hold up really well in the rain.  I wear a pedometer sometimes so I'm not exaggerating when I say easily walk 5 miles in these boots on a daily basis, and my feet feel great.  The mittens are wonderful, they are surprisingly warm (warmer than some ski gloves I wearing before) and so convenient how they fingers can be uncovered for phone calls, zippers, digging around in my bag, etc. I'm a big fan of hats too, but don't have one that I am obsessed with like all my other stuff, so let me know if you have a fave cruelty-free style in the comments!  

5) Drink Tea! Hot tea is warming, obviously, but there are certain varieties that I find especially warming.  Here are my favorites, all caffeine-free: Yogi Egyptian licorice, Mu 16 , Ginger, and Chamomile.  Sometimes I just put a dash of cinnamon or a squeeze of fresh lemon in hot water and drink that.  Yum!  Sometimes I just drink hot water!  Ahhh!  One thing I do avoid when it comes to tea in winter is mint tea- it makes me feel cold.

6) Snuggle!  My darling chihuahua loves to be zipped inside my hoodie while I'm wearing it, be on my lap, or under the covers with me.  She's the perfect little hot water bottle and we sleep curled up together every night.  My husband lets me put my cold feet on him too (somehow he's always hot) even though they can feel like ice daggers.  He is also really good about putting his arms around me and lending me his sweater/coat/socks/whatever.  Wannabegans gotta stick together to stay warm!