Cafe Madeliene, South Park

After our 8 mile run this morning, my running buddy and I ate at the newest creperie in South Park: Cafe Madeliene. I'm not a big fan of crepes because I find them dainty and flavorless most of the time--unless of course Nutella is involved--and I'm usually wishing the crepe was a tortilla instead of the limp, floppy, little thing it is. Today wasn't all that different in that regard, but as far as crepes go, Cafe Madeliene has a fun selection of unique flavors. For example I had the Poached Pear & Bleu Cheese with honey:

It was a quite tasty appetizer, and now I'm ready for a breakfast

burrito. I don't recommend crepes as a real meal, unless you like small meals. (Though not all crepes are so flat and Frenchy: the ones at the Farmer's Market are overstuffed with veggies...though they're still flavorless.)

My crepe date, who suggested both crepes and going to Madeliene's, was enticed by the Croque Monsieur (pictured here), thinking it would take her back to her days spent in Paris. She said it was "good," although it didn't use real French bread

and seemed more like something she'd make at home. Ah, c'est la vie.

The fresh squeezed orange juice was delicious and the coffee drinks are pretty (because of the glass they are served in)-- it looked like a lot of people were enjoying them. Seating is (very) limited, so try to go during a non-regular meal time (brunch hours, early or late afternoon are OK) and you shouldn't have any problem snagging a patio table or inside spot.

Cafe Madeliene

2248 30th Street (Turn right on Juniper: it's between Ivy and Juniper)

San Diego, CA 92104

619.544.1735

What to Eat Now

Eating seasonally? Here's what's tasty and ripe right now:

Artichokes, Asparagus, Avocados, Basil, Green Beans, Beets, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Carambola (Star Fruit), Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Chard, Chili Peppers, Citrus, Collards, Cucumber, Eggplant, Medjool Dates, Kale, Kiwi, Kohlrabi (Whatever that is), Lettuce, Mushrooms, Mustard, Okra, Green Onions, Passion Fruit, Green Peas, Peppers, Pomegranates, Potatoes, Spinach, Squash, Tomatillos, Turnips, Yams.

Things you might be afraid of in this list: Brussel Sprouts, Okra, Turnips. At least these are the things I don't want to eat. However, I have learned to like brussel sprouts when steamed then sauteed with olive oil and sliced almonds. As for okra, I've yet to discover a way to make the slime go away (What is that stuff anyway?). And as for turnips, they taste like dirt to me. Any suggestions?

New Year's Resolution:

Find better ways to drain the run off so I don't get bogged down and wilty.

The Last Farm Box

I might be taking a hiatus from the farm boxes for the rest of winter. I still really like them; however, I'm also wasting a lot food. For example, after picking up my box tonight, I came home and had to toss a whole head of wilty lettuce, dandelion greens, parsley, two soft radishes, wilty sage, and chard to make room in the frig for the new stuff. That's A LOT of food going to waste because I was too lazy to cook and instead ate Trader Joe's wasabi peas and sesame sticks for dinner every night last week.

This week's box contained:

Beets (4)

Carrots (4)

1/2 lb Dragon Tongue Shelling Beans (oooh. preeeetty.)

Delicata (2)

Chard

Lettuce (LOTS of it)

Napa Cabbage

Spinach (LOTS of it)

Parsley

Braising Mix (LOTS...)

Sprouts

Rosemary, sage, thyme, mix bunch

Microgreens

Dandelion Greens

First of all, what the cuss should I do with Dandelion Greens!? They don't taste like anything but bitterness. Bleck. If you have a recipe for Dandelion Greens pleeeeeeease share because if I don't use this bunch it will be the 3rd batch that goes to waste. And, what am I going to do with all these other greens? Cabbage and lettuce and spinach and braising mix? (What the f is that?): I need new recipes and I don't want them to be salads- I'm so sick of salads I could punch them (if they had faces).

On the plus side, I am excited about trying the Dragon Tongue beans; they have purple and white marbles shells. I've never seen anything like them. I'll let you know what they're like and share some pics.

Please post some recipes or ideas for me here about my farm box contents so that I don't waste any more food.

Happy Holidays

These are a few of my favorite (food) things

The holidays are here and it only took one trip to my parent's house (where my mom puts out a amazing fresh baked goods every 5 hours) and I already have an extra 3 pounds to carry around on my runs...and no, it's not the type of 3 pounds that can be lost in a lengthy bathroom session. It's 3 real pounds and there are more to come if I'm not careful.

Trying to stick to a vegan, or even vegetarian, diet over Thanksgiving wasn't possible, but I'm not beating myself up over it (though my intestines are still in recovery mode). So, when I came home from the holiday break, and was explaining all this to a friend, he told me that I'm an OPPORTUNIVORE. (It's the love child of "opportunity" and "omnivore" in case you missed that.) Apparently this is a real thing--he didn't just make it up. What it means is that I'm realistic about life and its complications concerning food. Our diets are determined by so many factors: location, finance, travel, allergies, the list goes on and on. So, I'm realistic about the way I eat and make no apologies when I have to veer off my vegan course. When it's possible and I have the time, money and resources to do so, I will always choose vegan. However, if it's inconvenient to others or simply not possible because of travel, I will do what is most logical. So there. Opportunivore. Spread the word.

In the mean time, here a few holiday treats I've tweaked so that I don't feel like I'm missing out on the good old fashioned holiday goodies:

Favorite Thing: Milky Hot Chocolate

New Favorite Thing:

-Heat 1 C sweetened or unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk in a sauce pan

-Add dry, non-dairy, cocoa powder (to taste)

-1 tsp cinnamon

-1/4 tsp nutmeg, allspice, or pumpkin spice (or more to taste)

**Optional: add a 1/4 tsp of peppermint or vanilla extract**

Favorite Thing: Eggnog & Eggnog Lattes from Starbucks:

New Favorite Thing:

Rice Milk Eggnog: It's not as good as the real thing (obviously--what is better than real eggnog?!) But, I found that it's good if you do 1/2 rice milk eggnog with 1/2 sweetened almond milk. This makes it a tad thicker like the real thing. Or, add the "eggnog" to your coffee instead of regular creamer. That is goooood.

Favorite Thing: Apple Pie

New Favorite Thing:

-Peel, core and slice about 4-5 apples to fill an 8 x 8, lightly greased, pan

-Toss with lemon, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg (as much as you like)

-Then toss with 1C of oatmeal or your favorite granola

-Drizzle maple syrup or agave nectar over the top of everything (Put about handful of oats or granola on top if you want a little crunch).

-Bake at 350 until the juices boil a bit and apples are soft (I have no idea how long that takes, I don't pay attention. I just check on it every once in a while).

** This recipe is also really good with some dried cranberries and fresh slices of pears.**

That's all for now. As I come up with more tweaks to holiday favorites, I'll post 'em.

Please share any healthy versions of classic holiday recipes you might have up your sleeve-- I'd love more recipes to try!

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.