the thing about summer (a post about cooking)

oh, summer. we've always had kind of a love/hate thing.

in winter's chill how i long for your long lazy days, your carefree weekends, your sunshine, and then i wake up in a reverie of hot hot heat, sweat dripping off my temples and i curse your long languid days and steamy nights.

you are my ultimate frenemy.

but then i see your luscious fruits and vegetables, and oh how how i sing your praises. i'm having a fling with your vegetables, and it's going really well.

oh fava beans, if only you weren't just a summer thing. i'm so into you.

i've been cooking, oh yeah, i've been cooking and i just can't stop.

in san diego there was quinoa with strawberries and shitake, watermelon, feta and fennel salad, and chilled peaches with white wine and mint.

in north carolina there was linguine with clams, chilaquiles, and also a cooking demonstration i gave with some kick-ass ladies about eating well with vegetarian meat substitutes. i made quinoa and kale salad with tempeh, veggie tacos, and pad-thai. these awesome ladies who were staying in the house with me in north carolina were not vegetarians, but wanted to know how to cook with some great vegetarian products. i introduced them to quorn veggie beef, tempeh, and my favorite seasoning, nutritional yeast. here are the recipes for the north carolina crew and for anyone else who wants to know how to cook a few quick and easy healthy veggie meals:

COLLARD GREENS & TEMPEH SALAD W/ QUINOA

1/2 cup raw shredded collard green or kale

1 package of tempeh

1/4 cup red or natural quinoa

1/4 cup chopped tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped cucumbers

1/4 cup garbanzo beans (canned is fine)

DRESSING

3 tbsps nutritional yeast

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp tamari

salt & pepper to taste

add salad ingredients together. make dressing separately and then combine.

VEGETARIAN TACOS

2 cups quorn vegetarian beef

1 package taco seasoning (preferably a natural brand without and msg or high fructose corn syrup).

2 tbsps taco sauce ( i like old el paso)

cheese, guacamole, salsa, beans, etc...to taste

combine veggie beef in a pan with seasoning and taco sauce then add to tacos.

there are lots of brands to use if you can't find the quorn type. i personally love gimme lean vegetarian beef and use it in everything from tacos to spaghetti.

back in ny, i can't stop eating fava bean puree with crusty bread. so simple yet so delicious.

this recipes just requires a few handful of fava beans a few cloves of garlic, a tsp of olive oil, a few dashes of salt & pepper and a couple squirts of lemon juice, and voila!! one of the most delicious  spreads you will ever taste and very impressive to guests with some crusty bread to dip. the annoying part is shelling the fava beans, which i do with a little sharp knife slit to the top of the bean, then i can break it open and pop out the bean. i've also heard that boiling the beans will remove their shells, but i've never tried this method. all i know is get em while you can. they're going soon...

last night, dinner started with some goat's milk gouda i picked up with truffle honey i bought in london and fresh figs. it felt very fancy.

after appetizers come a cooling gazpacho and spaghetti with rock shrimp, clams & pesto.  i've made gazpacho every summer for as long as i can remember. i like mine spicy with lots of lime and cilantro.

the spaghetti was really simple and light. i made my pesto with just garlic, basil and olive oil. after i boiled the noodles i put them in a big pan with the shrimp, clams, some more garlic, english peas, red pepper flakes some white wine, and salt & pepper. i tossed them together until the shrimp and clams were cooked and the flavors had blended. it was a perfect summer pasta.

and of course, there has to be dessert. i bought some green chili sugar on a whim at whole foods the other day, because i am obsessed with spicy sweet desserts. turns out, it's really spicy and really good. i sprinkled it over some fresh strawberries and it was delicious.

so, summer, as long as you're here i'm gonna make the best of you. i long for the relief of the fall, but until then it's fava beans, strawberries, sweet corn, and watermelon, and that's all right with me.

part 5: north carolina

because europe was fast-paced and not very restful

because four weeks wasn't enough of a vacation

because we were dreading going back to the grind

because we had no more money and didn't want to face it

because we were invited to go the outer banks for a week!

because jet lag can be worse coming back

because you only live once

we took another week of vacation.

we got to stay in an amazing house in nags head, north carolina with 13 other adults and about 1,000 children (10?) with a pool, a hot tub, a beach nearby and a plethora of seafood buffets. ahh....

north carolina was all about family, and sand and water, late night karaoke and waking up early to make breakfast. it was peaceful and perfect and i'm so happy we didn't let our common sense stop us from going.

part 4: edinburgh

two days in edinburgh before we headed back to london and concluded our time in europe.

i hadn't given scotland a lot of thought before i visited, but i had two friends who lived there who i wanted to see.

guess what? it is beautiful. stunning, actually. i expected to see some green, but i was blown away by the lush landscapes, the stony mountains, and blue sea--a perfect trifecta; nature at its best.

top that off with an ancient castle, cobblestone roads, lots of personality and you've got yourself a city.

edinburgh is small, which meant we got to do a lot in a little amount of time. in two days we climbed up (and fell down) a mountain, visited the castle, went to a science museum, spent ample time on the royal mile, ate the scottish version of a full english breakfast, and caught up with some really dear friends. one friend i visited, mollie, i have known for 20 yrs, but hadn't seen for almost a decade. the reunion was amazing. my friend has a scottish accent now and two beautiful sons, but after spending 5 minutes with her it felt like no time had passed since we were last singing songs at the summer camp we both used to go to in zionsville, indiana. 

and there we were, in scotland, laughing and hugging, so happy to be somewhere, together.

part 3: paris

ahh, paris. what can you say?

it's all that and a baguette.

two days in paris and no time to lose. it is a nonstop mirage of sights and sounds; a scene out of a movie; an orgasmic sensory overload of flashing lights, freshly baked crepes and the sound of music coming from somewhere...

to not fall for paris is to not have a soul.

it whispers to you in its sexy accent, daring you not to fall in love.

oh man, was i a goner.

on the first day we ate lemon crepes, explored montmartre, took pictures in front of sacre-couer, ate with our friends at a too-cool-for-school restaurant in le marais, and laughed and posed on the cobblestone streets as we lazily made our way back to our hotels.

on the second day we got up early, walked down to the seine and gave euros to a parisian playing the accordion, admired flowers in the market, skipped notre-dame, (but took pictures of the exterior), ate more crepes (nutella and banana), made our way down to st. germain where we were treated like americans (poorly) at a fancy restaurant. we walked back into the streets and found ourselves in the midst of a music festival and headed to the eiffel tower just in time to see it start sparkling at 11pm. maybe it was a dream after all....

part 2: london

after san diego, there was a 7am flight back to new york, a quick night spent trying to get some sleep, and then mark and i were back in the air on our way to london. there were dear friends to visit and a whole 9 days to explore 3 amazing cities in europe. london was first and last on our trip. london is big and fast; kind of like new york, but more old than new, and considerably cleaner with more to look at. it is vibrant and eclectic; surprising and familiar. my only regret was that there wasn't more time. we saw excellent photography, incredible theater and sights you've seen a million times in pictures but were still impressive enough to take your breath away. we ate classic english breakfasts, nouveau vegetarian cuisine, and plenty in between. we went under the london bridge, over the millennium bridge and saw friends who made us feel like we were home.

part 1: san diego

hi. how are you? i know, it's been awhile.

i didn't forget. i just couldn't.

i went on a really big trip and instead of trying to cram it all into one epic post that will read like kafka, i'm gonna break it down for you with some pictures and just a few words.

first, i went to san diego for two weeks. i celebrated my 30th birthday and got to spend ample time with my mom, my dad, my pup, and my sweetie who had been out there performing a play for the previous two months.

i didn't grow up in san diego, but i've been out there several times since my parents packed up the toyota  previa minivan and drove from cleveland, ohio to la jolla, california in the summer of 2001. i've always liked san diego; i mean, what's not to like? there's beaches, lots of fro yo joints, plenty of smoothie shops, and um, beaches. this time i went i started to like like san diego. yes, it's more than freeways leading to strip malls, and it's more than just the beaches (which turns out, aren't anything to turn your nose up at). i had time to see a different, better side of san diego that included awesome places to eat breakfast, the wild animal park, some pretty cool bars, an amazing farmers market, beautiful flora, and just a generally wonderful place to get some sun on your face and feel good about life. this time i breathed the honeysuckle air in deeply and let myself get a sunburn. the days were warm, the nights were cool. i stopped walking like a new yorker. i met good people and i was surrounded by the ones i love.