September 2011
1 post
Eat More Kale
I bought a bunch of kale at Lifethyme Natural Foods the other day and for some reason assumed I’d love to eat the whole bunch in chip form. I was sorely mistaken though and ended up chipping only half the bunch, leaving the raw half neglected in the back of my fridge. But when I woke up with a sore throat and headache this morning, I knew my nutrient deficient body needed some serious...
August 2011
5 posts
3 tags
Herbade
Ever since Josh’s colon surgery he has been drinking a ton of Gatorade. So much so that at times…well, I’ll spare you the gory details. Let’s just say Gatorade is so heavily flavored and artificially colored that it turns certain things colors.
Personally, I am a water drinker. I’m afraid of turning my intestines blue, green, or purple. But I must admit that...
4 tags
Season's Eatings
Have you ever purchased a tomato mid-December? I have. And it is a mistake each and every time. Mealy, barely pink, but always with a facade of a beautifully ripened skin *how oh how does Whole Foods make all their produce look so perfect?! Must be the lighting.*
With summer days dwindling I am growing more and more appreciative of summer tomatoes and the absolute importance of eating seasonally...
Whoops...
I intended on going for a run when I woke up this morning, but the weather didn’t seem to be holding up. I kept hearing these intimidating rumbles from the clouds and I didn’t really feel like a wet exercise this morning. Instead of grabbing a couple nuts and dates and embarking on a run, I made this tasty protein packer in hopes of doing some of my own pilates and hopping on the...
4 tags
True NYC
My great apartment hunt began several weeks ago on a sweltering July day. I don’t think I was naive going into the search, but I was certainly unprepared for some of the things I saw.
Manhattan is unfair. There, I said it. For the astronomical rent you pay, you receive very little space in return. My apartment is tiny. Very tiny. My bedroom is 7” x 9 but it is also on one of the most...
4 tags
Saucy
Growing up in a fairly traditional Jewish and thereby kosher home meat meals were never accompanied by rich, cream or cheese based sauces. It wasn’t until my mid-teens and admittedly non-kosher eating that I discovered the world of butter based sauces coupled with meat dishes. With all do respect, this concept grossed me out. My palette had been trained to appreciate tomato based or citrus...
July 2011
2 posts
Different strokes for different folks
Everyone is unique. While I try to limit my meat consumption, and rarely crave it, my ex-vegan boyfriend tries consuming as much as possible. Today was all about sandwiches—and the versatility and creativity that can truly go hand-in-hand with a ‘wich. Josh and I intended to go out to eat this afternoon. Brunch seemed to be calling both of our names, and loudly! However, while we drove...
Eggcelerate
That sulfuric smell that tends to radiate from the frying pan mid overcooked scramble has put me off from eggs for many years. I had not realized, however, the fatal flaw in this whole aversion I had inherited: it is possible to wrongly cook an egg.
While I am by no means neat, I am very…clean. I do have OCD tendencies when it comes to germs. I enjoy washing my hands and face and...
April 2011
2 posts
Beans and Greens
I’m not sure how this happened but over the years I have gravitated towards the same two ingredients as reliable, staple additions to a meal: greens and beans. Please do not confuse this with my affinity for the green bean. I like greens and beans as independent veggie and legume too! Specifically, I have grown quite fond of collards lately. For a long time collards intimidated me. They are,...
Grateful
I am ashamed to say that TCF has been sorely neglected lately. I have been fully M.I.A for several weeks now (literally…I ended up leaving school at the beginning of spring semester.) This is mainly attributed to the fact that Josh underwent two invasive (and one emergency) stomach surgeries for his [now gone!] Ulcerative Colitis. I missed an inordinate amount of class during his 18-day...
January 2011
3 posts
To Bake or Not to Bake?
I can cook. I cannot bake. Attempt after attempt, my all-too-improvisational attitude lends to deflated souffles, lackluster cookies, and dense cakes. Here and there I follow a cupcake recipe, a calculated, chemical conglomeration of sodas and powders, inflaters and deflaters. Cooking is an art. Baking is a science.
After several days of mashed potatoes, pudding, ice-cream, and smoothies the...
Lean Beans
I find and this blog certainly demonstrates that winter time is a stomping grounds for high cal and low energy heavy foods. Creamy stews, mac and cheese, and lots of starches make your insides feel warm so it’s certainly obvious why we crave the heavy in the cold winter months. Yesterday, Piermont received about a foot of powdery snow. Cooped up inside, all I really wanted was enchiladas for...
Cup a' Oats
Having spent a week in Israel, very little time at home, and then hopped back into vacation mode in Vermont, it has become heart-wrenchingly clear that I haven’t made myself a healthy breakfast in quite some time. After a grouchy day yesterday followed by a sort of miserable toss-turn sleep, it was oat time. While I have friends and family well capable of eating oats every morning for...
December 2010
1 post
Hop on the Gravy Train
Several months ago I visited Quantum Leap, a vegan/vegetarian restaurant with Josh. Since everyone occupying this planet seems to rave about QL, it was about time I gave the place a try. Quantum Leap is known for their variety of veggie burgers, and so veggie burgers were ordered. Alas, it was an excruciatingly hot summer day and midway through the meal I had a semi-anxiety attack over the looming...
November 2010
1 post
Foolproof Mac and Cheese
I know I’ve been making comfort food quite often lately. I suppose the mixture of not being at home and having a boyfriend several thousand miles away makes for good excuses to eat food that warms both heart and body. Yesterday was an exception. It was 40 degrees outside. Yes, 40. In honor of the raw chill and nearly kicking myself for only bringing a fairly light fall jacket, I needed...
October 2010
11 posts
You Can Sit at "Stand"
Yes, it is true that almost everything I prepare is vegetarian (and sometimes vegan.) I struggle with the push and pulls of my eating habits. I’m undoubtedly a healthy eater, but I have an identity crisis in terms of meat. I take a multi-vitamin, enzymes, and consume plenty of nutritious food so I can feasibly be a healthful vegetarian. But, at the same time, sometimes I really do crave meat...
Paquitos Revisted
There is an unquestionably delicious burrito/taco stand called Paquito’s on 1st ave. A couple of weeks ago when my roommates and I were hankering for some reasonably traditional mexican food (most recipes are much more true to form than Chipotle or other Americanized Mexican joints.) For just shy of $7 I was served up an enormous burrito filled with a flavorful turmeric-seasoned rice and...
Stew it Up, Little Darling
With fall in full bloom, it’s that time of the year for hearty vegetables deep below the dirt. Root veggies, often full of starchy sustenance, come in all shapes and sizes. In fact, the ever so versatile onion is considered a root vegetable as well as the bulb grows below soil and is yanked out in the cooler months of the year. Unlike greens and spring vegetable, root vegetables for the most...
Some French and Family
This past weekend I was privileged enough to escape the city life and seek refuge in my hometown of Piermont, New York. For some reason, while I love the city, my body just feels infinitely better in the suburbs. I guess it’s just easier to breathe there. The leaves were changing and the air was crisp. Lots of eating was done.
There happened to be a rather abundant amount of cauliflower in...
Simplicity>Snobbery
I know that stereotypes are hard to transcend. When your friend tells you he or she will be eating at a French restaurant, the common misconception is that your friend, and her bourgeois friend, and all the bourgeois are going to dine together over caviar and foie gras. Okay, get rid of this ridiculous concept.
French food, at it’s most delicious and pure form, is simple. And, as we all...
Why Raw?
After consuming a whole wheat bagel and caffeinating myself—neither of which I do often—I realized it was about time I ate a healthy meal. So, I dragged my carb-loaded, groggy ass (because, like all drugs, the energy high of coffee runs out) to the refrigerator. Since the farmers market excursion, I’ve used quite a bit of our loot, but I found a lovely culprit to incarcerate...
Comfy Mushroom
Of course on my three day weekend I was blessed with beautiful weather, changing leaf colors, and an endless pile of work. Having spent the majority of this past week knee deep in a pile of assignments, I admit that I did rely all too heavily on my debit card to do my cooking for me. But with a little help from Monique and her fine hook up at the Union Square farmers market, a beautiful array of...
East Village Thai
Ok, so, I’m just gonna go out and say it.
I’ve been raised wrong. You hear that, Mom? Are you reading this? You’ve raised me wrong.
I’ve been raised to stray away from the grimy hole in the wall, the dimly lit Dim Sum shop, the alleyway curry and paneer joint. I’ve been told to run, and not just run, but run quickly in the opposite direction if I ever encounter a...
Eggs and other plants
Since these two meals have gained such considerable hype within room 202 of the Greenhouse, I suspect it’s time to share them with you, oh blogosphere.
Before classes, nail biting, and caffeine cravings kicked in, there was a pleasant little room, atop NYU’s Greenhouse dormitory on 40 East 7th, called 202. In this era, it was common to dine leisurely in the common room, to grocery...
Pump
I know this blog is about cooking and about preparing your own meals, using your own ingredients, and knowing exactly what you are putting into your body. However, a girl needs a break every so often and since I arrived at NYU it seems as if all I’ve been doing is cooking for both myself and my friends and suitemates. So, alas, I found myself ordering in this afternoon while I took some time...
Wrap it up
Portable foods or “finger foods” are so often synonymous with fast foods. It seems like a reasonable equation. Portable=convenience=cheap=fast food. But this isn’t necessarily the case. After a raw, rainy day in downtown Manhattan, and a seemingly endless Israeli Immigration class full of groggy (and probably hungry) classmates, I got in tune with the hums and buzzes of my own...
