moody monday

i'm feeling a little nostalgic today. my excitement for the fall has already been tempered by my preemptive anticipation of its decline. this always happens. it goes so fast. it's not even october yet and i'm already thinking about all the things i shoulda woulda coulda done..like visit the adirondacks where i went to school, or gone on a nature hike, or apple picking! i think the rain and cold and early darkness today has got me thinking about what's to come. it's inevitable, but somehow every summer in new york when i just can't get any hotter or any sweatier, i forget that winter's right around the corner. the thing about fall is its brevity..the irony is that a true fall day in new york is perfection. unfortunately, fall doesn't have half the tenacity of the humidity in summer or the bitter winds of winter. and that's what makes it so special. it reminds me of all things i want to do in this world, like travel and run around outside and get a new (much better) camera and take really good pictures, but right now i feel kinda sluggish and quiet. maybe because it's monday. monday always manages to come too soon. i do think that october is going to be a pretty great month starting with this weekend. cruel timing as it may be, this coming sunday are two of my favorite weekend events; the first being the annual lower east side pickle fest, and the second being atlantic antic, which just happens to be the best street fair ever. i think. i don't really remember it that well because they sell beer. outside. and you can walk around with it for 6 hours like i did, and it's legal. but i sure do love pickles. this a tough one....

in the meantime, i will leave you with a little salad i whipped up this weekend. this is a very simple dish, and the recipe is actually a variation from a recipe by famed blogger and cooking genius, molly wizenberg who writes orangette. her blog (and her lovely must-read book) were very influential to me and were what ultimately inspired me to overcome my fear of blogs and just do this thing. so this cabbage salad is in honor of her ( i know, that's a weird thing to be honored with. oh well.) it's really good, and even if you think you aren't crazy about cabbage, i bet you'll like it.  it's satisfyingly crunchy and it's perfect for a light meal on it's own or as an accompaniment. the basics are from molly's version, but i added a few more ingredients and made up my own vinaigrette. oh, i should also mention i'm really bad at keeping track of the amounts i use because i just make things up as i go along when i cook, so feel free to switch up the amounts according to your preferences.

CABBAGE SALAD

1 cup shredded green cabbage
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1/2 cup fennel (sliced into smallish pieces)
1/2 arugula
1/4 cup cilantro (*optional)
1/2 lemon
1/2 thinly sliced mozzarella, parmesan, grana, or pecorino

VINAIGRETTE
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsps brown mustard
2 tbsp nutritional yeast ( i get  the whole foods brand, but anykind is fine)
1 tbsp scallion  (sliced thinly)
half a lemon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

in a bowl combine all the vegetables. toss and squeeze 1/2 lemon. toss again. add cheese. separately combine all ingredients for the vinaigrette. shake in a jar or use a spoon to make sure it is well mixed and there are no clumps of mustard. drizzle onto salad and toss again. enjoy!