Good Vegetarians Gone Bad!

Okay Okay, so I'm not a vegetarian but if I were, PETA would revoke my status after seeing this photo. 12 Ribs plus 1 Tricia = Bliss. Although they were good, I must admit the two best places in the world to get ribs are at a little restaurant outside La Coruna, Spain and Chef Webb's ribs at Guilford Bistro in Indy.

School is trudging on and I'm spending 3-8 hours daily in lecture which could easily lead to a little extra "junk in my trunk." Therefore, I have decided to cut back on my typical 3000 calories per day.

In my preparation for eating like a normal human instead of a canteen full of Marines, I have done some research on natural appetite suppressants. Since I can't get my hands on Peruvian coca leaves, I have decided to try cinnamon. Surprisingly it works but not in the long-term. I put about a teaspoon on my cereal in the morning and that actually keeps my stomach from growling until around 10am. I've also been cooking a little bit more savory cinnamon dinner dishes which keeps me from late night snacking too! Here's one of my favorite Moroccan-style Vegan dishes.

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves minced or pressed garlic
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes in their juice
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 zucchini, chopped
1 (19 oz.) can cooked chickpeas
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat.
Add onion to pan and stir. Sauté for several minutes, then add garlic.
Add diced tomatoes, bell pepper, zucchini, and chickpeas to the pan. Add spices.
Simmer the stew about 20 minutes, covered. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve on a bed of couscous.

Don't be SAD!

For those of you 30 Rock watchers,this week you might have seen the intro dialogue between Jack and Liz about SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder. To be blunt, SAD sucks. For those of us in cold climates with gray sky and minimal daylight, our minds can go into a mild depression resulting in fowl moods and lack of energy and making us innocent victims of SAD.

Therefore, I thought I might share with you a few tips on how to stay "Jolly" the natural way and, err, the "fake-n-bake" way:

1) If you're reading this blog then you already know the advantages of high-antioxidant food and this is a reason to stock up on more! I promise it will help your mood. Thank you Mother Nature for allowing winter to be our Citrus fruit season. Oranges, tangerines, and grapefruits are all high-antioxidant, super-energizing natural sources of Vitamin C.
2) Exercise 4-5x per week (spin class, brisk outdoor walks or xc-skiing to your local watering hole)
3) Kundalini Yoga 2-3x per week, this is an “energizing” yoga and very stimulating on both an emotional and physical level.
4) Guided Relaxation Meditation
5) This might sound a little kooky but it’s the most important thing: 2-3x per week during the evening, go into a tanning bed for a 15-20 minute session. Make sure to wear AT LEAST SPF 30 all over your body!!! Extra UV light in the winter time does wonders for our emotional morale.
6) Get outside during the day as much as possible.
7) My personal favorite: Take a Southern Hemisphere Summer Vacation like a Patagonia hiking trip to Chile/Argentina OR a Down Under Beach vacation to the white sands of Cable Beach in Broome, Aus.

Hope this info helps!

By the way, Lori, I know you're a fan of the Jolly blog and I wanted to add that I hope you feel better and have a speedy recovery.

Snow Daze

This cold weather is absurd. Oh how I long for the ridiculously hot days of Africa or my first summer in H-town. I have certainly learned that in cold climates, the electric blanket is my greatest ally.

The photos include yours truly (slightly tipsy) en route to to a Duck Confit sandwich avec a bottle of Cote du Rhone. The other is the view from my 14th floor flat overlooking the south side of Louisville (notice the snow covered pool on the bottom right). My XC skis are doing me no good sitting in storage back in B-town.

My semester begins Monday but have already been given three assignments due on the first day of lab and lecture. The next 16 months better be worth my time. Hopefully so I can leave this cold weather and return to some sort of miserably hot climate!

However, For all of you Louisvillians out there (or soon to visit) who want to stay warm, I can highly recommend the spicy Fajita nachos at Aztecas on 4th/MAB. It's not on the menu but they are more than happy to make them for you. As a Nacho Oficianada, I can honestly say they are some of the best I have ever eaten.

Another addition to help you stay warm (in a healthy way), would be my own little recipe for hot cocoa. I will also add my adult version too!

Per person:

*1 cup Skim Milk
*1 heaping Tbsp Hershey's Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder (full of antioxidants)
*1 heaping tsp Agave Nectar (this stuff is the best because it's a natural sweetener with a low glycemic index and tastes like honey)
*A few shakes of cinnamon
* (Optional) One shot of Torres Brandy or Bourbon or any Cordial of your choice.

Combine milk, cocoa powder, and agave nectar and heat over stove or microwave; heat/stir until blended together, shake in some cinnamon and a little Brandy and Viola!

Fun with Kale

I hope everyone has had a fun holiday season. My highlight was that I bbq'd a duck, which was a hoot and it certainly won't be the last time I do it because it was Deeee-lish!

Would love to hear about some of y'all's resolutions this year. I have one which will be announced at a later date but for now, just spreading more good vibes and getting straight A's will do.

However, if being more environmentally conscious and eating more vegan dishes is on your resolution list, then this blog entry is for you!

As most of you know, one of my pet peeves is being "preachy." So I apologize if I'm sounding a little too leftist, but whether you believe or don't believe in global warming, for those of us able-bodied individuals, we should always try to make some sort of conscious effort to help preserve our planet. It was brought to my attention today about a new way to help the environment and rid your mailbox of junk mail! It's called Zumbox. It's a way to have your postal mail delivered to your email address. Granted, I would set up an email account only for your post office mail because there is a possibility to receive infinite amounts of junk email. However, by using this service, you can cut down on paper production and possible fuel costs for mail-delivery.
www.zumbox.com

And now for some time with Kale! Tis the season for this leafy green gift from the Phytonutrient gods. I miss the days of WFM ginger-kale salad so I couldn't resist buying a big bunch last week. Kale is most prominent in the winter/spring and it is chocked full of Vitamins A,K,C, Manganese, Fiber and lots of other goodies. So get in as much as you can!

As most of you know, you can take the girl out of Texas--but you can't take Texas out of the girl, so here's a little Mexi-Kale recipe I conjured up. I'll give you the vegan version with a non-vegan option:

Mexi-Kale!

1 small yellow onion-diced
1 clove garlic-pressed
Olive oil for sautee-ing
1/4 cup marinara sauce
1/2 cup salsa verde (or tomatillo salsa)
1 tsp cumin (or more--depending on heat level)
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp Jalapeno Tabasco (for the spicy people)
1 can Pinto beans, drained
1 Big Ol' Head of Kale, finely chopped
1 Handful Fresh Cilantro, finely chopped
Low Fat Cheddar Cheese (optional non-vegan version)

Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil until onions are clear; put on lower heat and add marinara/salsa verde and seasonings; add pinto beans; add kale and cilantro to the mix until kale is tender (this may take a while). Serve it hot and/or with cheese on top.