Quinoa Black Bean Salad

I've made this salad three times now in the past week or so. It's super easy, nutritious, and delicious. Plus it's great to take camping...especially when you remember that neither you nor your husband are scouts and sometimes fail to get logs to ignite when attempting to make a campfire. Enough said about that. We still ate well. And managed to roast one marshmallow apiece on the fire starter.

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Mango
adapted from Veganomicon

1 mango
1 pepper (red is prettiest!)
1 cup chopped scallions
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
-Mix mix mix in a big bowl.
Add: 
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
Stir stir stir.
Add:
2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)

Tada! Yum. And versatile: think basil or tarragon instead of cilantro; rice instead of quinoa, chickpeas or white beans instead of black; oranges or melon instead of mango. The possibilities are endless! Do share if you come up with a magical combination and enjoy!

And the mushy looking triangles? Those are tofu. They taste much better than they look...I guess they're not that photogenic. Which when it comes down to it, is just ok.

Tangerine Baked Tofu
adapted from Veganomicon

1 heaping teaspoon tangerine zest (I used tangelos)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed citrus juice (about 2-3 tangerines if that's what you're using)
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon agave nectar or maple syrup
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp ground allspice
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons dark rum (a shooter does it, plus a little sip for the cook ;) )

Preheat oven to 275F. Mix all the marinade ingredients together. Cut your pressed tofu into 8 or 16 pieces; poke holes in them with the fork, plop them in the marinade (it's kind of Tetris-ey to get them all to fit in the pan if you do triangles), flip them over, and let 'em soak for a bit. Bake them for 45 minutes, flipping every 15 minutes or so, till the marinade is reduced. Enjoy with the salad or on their own!

Sometimes you gotta get away

It had been awhile since Graham and I spent time just Graham and I. We are blessed with a rich community and wonderful friends, so much that sometimes we forget to take care of just us. So we took advantage of Memorial Day weekend to get away. We headed to the coast, praying for blue skies and pulling for the no rain part of the 50% forecast, and we got what we asked for.

Blue Sky

Beer

Pelican Brewery in Pacific City

Time together

Time to write

Time to read

A stalking butterfly

A hike in the woods and much needed sunshine

Does this tree look like it's flipping you off?

And a sunset

 What more could you ask for from a day at the beach?

Melancholia Blooms

We watched Melancholia a couple weeks ago. It is a good movie: gets you feeling uncomfortable at times you're supposed to feel uncomfortable (so uncomfortable at times), anxious when you're supposed to feel anxious, etc. I mention it because I kind of feel like it is how I've been feeling lately. The premise is that a star (like a planet, not a movie star) is on course to collide with Earth, and all these things are happening in these two sisters' lives that they associate with the changes in the universe.

Now I don't typically associate my own life's events with what the stars are doing, but I was talking with a friend today about how things have just been crazy lately, I've felt crazy lately, a little manic and exhausted; she asked if I thought it had anything to do with the recent solar eclipse. Hmm. We saw it, and it was pretty cool. But could it really change my every day life and mood and motivation?

I think I could blame it more on the fact that I haven't been running due in part to a sore ankle and part to low motivation; I haven't been to yoga in about a month; we're talking about change in terms of G seeking out his path; my schedule changed so I'm working four-tens in a row (I had a day off in the middle previously). There is a lot going on, a lot. So couldn't it all be that? I guess I can't really answer it all. But I can move forward. Run. Shavasana. Pray. Spend time with myself and spend time with friends. Seek out and accept support and advice. I guess I can't really help what's going on in the solar system, but I know Someone is making it all work out. And I don't expect another star to overtake Earth anytime soon.

All that being said, here's a bit of the good stuff I've been up to over the past month. It hasn't all been melancholy, and I should mention it hasn't been anywhere near the level of emotions the characters in Melancholia experience. There have been nuggets, some really good nuggets actually. Here's a few.

Eggs: where babies come from. I mention babies because these eggs went into some flourless chocolate cupcakes that Kelly and I made to bring to work to meet baby Amelia today. We went to work on our day off...maybe that's something I should not make a habit. But for a baby, it's worth it. 

Paper+scissors+powdered sugar = art

After baking we got pedis

The garden is growing! Enough rain, now we need more sun!

 My lillies bloomed this weekend. I love when they bloom. Every summer they wilt and die and I pull them out and I think there is no way they'll come back next year. But life finds a way. They know what they're doing, and every spring, up they come and then with some sun and some rain they burst into firey color. I love it. And speaking of Lilly, another little Lilly came into the world last week, to our friends Chad and Charissa. I'll tell more about that later, when I have some pictures of her to share as well. I got to be present to welcome baby Lilly into the world; what an honor and a gift. More to come!

*I just scrolled back to the top of this post to see if I had titled it yet. I had originally just had "melancholia" as the title. But look at how it ended! Life and birth and color! Sometimes I need to remind myself of these gifts, even in the midst of melancholy times. I'm going to yoga tonight. I'm taking care of me. And I'm okay.

Asparagus

The sun has been out this week, and the tastes of summer are starting to appear. Asparagus has been our houseguest this week it seems. We walked up to the season opener of our neighborhood Farmer's Market last night without a grocery list but determined to make a meal only out of what ingredients we found there. And a fine meal we found! We got to chat up the people from Wintergreen Farm, where we are getting our first CSA this summer. I said, our first CSA. That means we're for real Portlanders, does it not? We're excited. I'm sure there will be foodie pics a plenty when we get our first box of produce. And second. And third...

Our market meal consisted of grilled asparagus, beet salad, and a fine loaf of french bread. Even though the sun was a shinin', it was cool outside, but we sat on the front porch nonetheless and enjoyed our first local meal of 2012.

Tonight's dinner is some asparagus pizza from Smitten Kitchen. Why would I ever take pictures of food when Deb does it so much better than I do?

These shots are from one of our weekend meals; after a Cinco de Mayo party (hola chips and 7-layer bean dip!), an end-of-school brunch (is it too much to have a third waffle?), and an entire bag of orange slices (no, not the healthy kind), we were kind of ready for a simple non-carby meal. So out came the grill and onto our plate spilled corn on the cob, asparagus (yes, again), and some fine slices of polenta (sprinkled with a little salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes). Of note was also the gluten-free beer by Widmer, which was pretty tasty for a GF variety. Tis the season for front porch dining. And, apparently, asparagus.

Little Orphan Banners

I've been hard at work making banners (bunting?) lately, and I finally got some up for sale at Open Space Cafe. These babies are the result of some heavy duty digging in the bins at SCRAP, color-coordinated piling, and mixy-matchy pairing. Not to mention way more time than necessary finding the perfect ribbon to pull them all together. I think they're awesome. Some I don't love, but G keeps reminding me that someone might love them. Below is my statement I have hung on the shelf by the piles of triangles and ribbons:

"I have a soft spot for scraps. For orphan pieces of material that no one seems to have use for anymore. Pieces of upholstery samples, curtains, and wall coverings. Now these scraps can brighten a party, a window, or a nursery. No longer bound for the landfill, these little orphan scraps now have a new home."

Fun? I think so! If they do well in the shop I may put them up on etsy, but one step at a time! If you're in PDX, stop by 28th and Holgate, say hey to Mo and browse over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. You might even see a tall handsome man working behind the counter (but don't get any ideas, he's married!).

Bourbon Birthday Cake

I saw this on Pinterest a couple weeks ago and could not wait til G's birthday came around so I could try it out. It. was. amazing. Might be a new tradition. For EVERY holiday. Funny that it's from a mama blog, but it fits our family just fine. I made him a Chocolate Stout cake a couple years ago; I don't know if it's more me or him that is drawn to alcohol based goodies...

Whiskey in a Jar (Flourless) Chocolate Cake (from Babble)
Ingredients
1 stick butter
8 oz chocolate pieces (chopped fine) or small chips, semi-sweet
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup Tennessee whiskey (I used Buffalo Trace because that's what we had)
 
1. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler
2. Add the butter/chocolate mix to the sugars in a large bowl; mix well, then add the whiskey and mix some more. Add eggs, one at a time, and watch the batter get all goopy. Keep mixing, then add the salt, baking soda, and baking powder and mix it till all the powder is mixed in well.
3. Pour into jars (spray the jars first with nonstick spray). They say to use pint jars but I don't know who could eat a whole pint of this rich cake. I used half-pints (they're cuter anyway). Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test. Mine didn't fall til they were out of the oven.

I topped them with a bourbon whipped cream (ie. whipping cream, some brown sugar, and a shot or so of whiskey) and served it with a spoon. I ate two. I just couldn't stop myself. There were congratulations all around, so I consider it a success. If it would have been less tasty maybe there would have been more leftover for breakfast...

Taste of Spring

Sun, glorious sun! These are the days when Portlanders come out from under their hoods, doff their boots and fenders, and bask in the sun with nary a second thought. The days are hot, the grass is cut, the evenings are gentle and warm, perfect for drinks on the porch and walks in the sun. A good weekend to remind us of why we love this place. We spent time planting our garden, celebrating Graham's birthday as well as a Timbers win, dining with family and toasting another year.

Evidence of an impromptu "purse off"

Bourbon Chocolate cake

How did you celebrate the sun?