Feeling Sluggish?

I am.

And, I said so to my husband just a minute ago. Says I, "I'm feeling unmotivated. I haven't blogged in a while. I don't want to grade papers. I don't want to do aaaaaanything."

Says he, "It's that time of year."

"Wha?" says me.

"Take some Vitamin D. The sun is going down earlier, you're not getting as much, you need to take Vitamin D3. [Insert name I don't remember] told me about it. It helps."

"Bluuuuugh. Whatehh"-- says me without the motivation to even finish the word.

You might be thinking, "Didn't you switch to a mostly vegan diet? Maybe that's why you're sluggish...(dumbass)."

Well if I'm such a sluggish vegan then how did I run 12 miles today-- and feel really good doing it, huh?

And then you think, "You ran 12 miles? That's why you're tired."

Well that could be.

But, it's more of an emotional tired I think....sooooooo.........

I finally mustered the energy a couple minutes ago, while I was writing this post, to look up Vitamin D3 rich foods--because I'd rather cook and eat something than swallow a pill. I googled "foods rich in Vitamin D3" and this is what I got:

"Fortified milk, eggs, chicken livers, salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel, swordfish and fish oils (halibut and cod liver oils) all contain small amounts."

These are very non-vegan items. Sigh. So I tried googling "plants rich in Vitamin D3" and this is what I got:

AlgaeCal.

It's some South American algae that's being marketed as good calcium and other vitamins (like Vitamin D3).

Maybe I'll get up the motivation to order some...or maybe I just need a nap in the sun.

Farm Box Funness

Behold! The Veronica Cauliflower:

Kinda scary looking isn't it? So prehistoric. Veronica cauliflower has a nutty flavor and is a bit more hearty than standard cauliflower. I like it, even though it sort of scares me when I look at or open the fridge late at night.

If you stumble upon a head of it (Suzie's Farm has some at their booth in the Farmer's Market) try it. It's good even when simply prepared: I steamed it for about 12 minutes, salted it and ate a whole bowl.

Next!

It's the season of squash. I love, love, love looking at squash and fantasizing about cooking one, but rarely do I make a successful dish with one (that doesn't include canned pumpkin--I'm talking the real deal). Well, I finally used one of the little kobacha squashes in last night's cous cous.

1 C cous cous (prepared in vegetable broth)

1 pinch saffron

1 small kabacha squash cooked, and lightly browned in a pan

1/2 C cranberries

1/4 C toasted pine nuts

1 tsp garlic salt

pepper to taste

Why go to all the trouble of cooking and eating squash? Because they're loaded with good shit like Vitamin A, C, K, and some of the B's, Potassium, Folate (whatever that's for), even Omega 3's and protein, bitches! (It's Monday and it's already been a long week...please excuse the real cussing in this post.)

If you're new to cooking squash, read on: First, go crazy on it with a fork (poking holes all around it). Then, place it in a baking dish with 1/4" water in the bottom. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for at least 30 minutes if a small squash, 45 minutes for larger. It's done when you can easily slice through the rind. Allow to cool then halve and scoop out seeds (rinse and you can bake those too! Yuuuuum). Scoop out flesh and slice or cube.

Other uses:

Top salads and pastas with it, or puree with some creamer, pumpkin spice, cinnamon and agave nectar for a sweet soup treat.

Cute Garden Things

...more like Odd Garden Things. I was meandering around Point Loma Nazarene University's campus the other day and ran into this odd scene. I kinda like it, though I'd never use those materials.

It does, however, inspire the creative side of me. I haven't done much but look at my garden recently. I need to pull weeds and rip out these strange purple-flowered plants that strangle the life out of everything in their way: I call them snagglebushes. It's officially fall, so I should plant some stuff for winter, too. Maybe squash? My eggplants are almost ready to harvest and my tomatoes are still hanging in there...though everything looks a little bedraggled.

I have some little f'er of a bug that eats the crap out of all my herbs. It's really making me angry. He only strikes the day I decide I need something, so I end up walking out to the garden with my scissors and then swear like an asshole at the plants for being little pansies and allowing some cussing bug to eat massive holes in all their leaves. I'm thinking I need frogs.

Where do I get frogs in bulk for cheap?

Cuss!

Yesterday, since it was Halloween, I decided to be all cute and Martha Stewarty and make caramel apples using the apples off our tree. As I was picking I nearly grabbed the one thing capable of keeping me away from the garden forever, and it's only the size of a quarter...

This Guy:


I simultaneously gagged, hyperventilated and whined like a dog in distress as I took this picture...
1. Why doesn't it have a face? 2. Why does it have hair? 3. Or are those spikes? 4. Why is it in my tree? 5. uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh. 6. Cussing cuss cussity cusser.