Real Chocolate Cake; Vegetable Pie; With Salad; Snow. & Harry Potter, that asshole.

On Wednesday (a week ago) we baked a chocolate cake -- a real one, with melted chocolate and butter! -- and a vegetable pie (with crème fraiche and grated parmesan cheese on top) in record time so we could catch the 9:30pm viewing of the latest Harry Potter movie: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, PART 1.  Swann didn't understand the British accents, and I didn't understand what was happening with the sauce recipe, but it all turned out well in the end.  Actually the movie didn't end; the credits rolled midway and left me hungering for more, more!  I want to know what happens next!  If you want to know how we made the foods pictured above, I'll tell you in a couple of months to a year when I download a leaked copy of Part 2.  It's only fair.

Kingyo: Prawns with Eyeballs Intact

Today, we went for a long walk from Davie to Robson and looked at home furnishings in warm stores.  Outside was freakin' cold but beautiful.  (Typical combination.)

We looked through cookbooks and decided we were hungry for fish, so we made a perpendicular bee-line for Kingyo.  It was nice and almost empty at 2:30pm on a Sunday (likely since they take the last order for lunch at 3pm).  So.  We sat down (at a table). I salivated in anticipation of rewarding my tastebuds with some deep-fried seafood.  Read over the menu -- no tempura!  I wanted the prawn tempura but they didn't have it for lunch--gasp--so.... I ordered whatever else was on the appetizer menu with the word prawn in it.

Prawn sashimi is rather gooey in one's mouth.  Which is fine, except when that one's mouth is mine.  I ate a couple when the prawns weren't looking at me.  Swann was the hero and finished off my plate.  I think she secretly liked it.

Also: ahi-tuna appetizer (the appetizer Swann ordered but I ate) and two pieces of (delicious) fish with an assortment of sides.  We couldn't figure out how to eat the fish that wasn't salmon, but we persevered and I think it ended successfully as a WIN for us.

Stir-fry and Carthage Cafe.

I was going out to dinner tonight at Carthage Cafe, but by 3pm my hunger drove me to throw together another stir-fry: mushrooms, broccoli and kale, then avocado.  MMMMMM.  I felt perky and alert and happy on my walk to the sky train.  

2 hours later, I ate too much: snapper and salmon with rice and veggies, chocolate ganache cake and Moroccan Tea.  This was all wonderful, but nothing compares to the simple satisfaction provided on all levels by my humble stir-fry.

Stir-fry with an egg.

This morning, I:

• Woke up, got my assignment for next week
• Went for a walk in the sun while talking to my Grandma
• Did some errands
• Made this stir-fry and omelette thing
• Made tea, with no milk/sugar
• GOT PUMPED and now doing workage.

The ingredients in my stir-fry: oil, then red onion and mushrooms, then some broccoli and bok choy.  One scrambled egg on the side.  I was still hungry after eating this entire portion, so instead of making something else that would have been too much, I made some tea -- and it filled me!  I'm learning these things.

WaaZuBee Cafe

Hello.  I'll just jump right in.  Yesterday we were going to check out the Havana Restaurant, as I hadn't been there before (the only person in Vancouver...), but I was swayed by online reviews to skip it.  Bandidas is always satisfying, but it was packed and we were too hungry to stand in line and watch people eat.  Instead we walked a mile to WaaZuBee Cafe for a Salmon Benny and French Toast brunch.  The hashbrowns are my favourite -- a little salty and perfectly crunchy.  I could live on hashbrowns.  And I enjoyed the food -- quick service, friendly staff, almost-empty restaurant.  They ran out of freshly squeezed OJ and freshly brewed Earl Grey tea, though!  I don't know if that's forgivable. 

Omelette avec Mint et Goat Cheese

I've been eating a lot lately.  Swann makes really good food and she teaches me things about cooking.  Things like: don't throw cold water into a really hot pan or the pan will distort into a misshapen freak of cookware; add water slowly to pancake mix if you want the mix to have a thicker pancake-batter-like consistency and not be all runny; buy things made in France because the French are the best.

At 1:30pm, which is shortly after we wake up, we like to turn on the telly and watch Nigella do things in the kitchen.  I have been missing out, because before this week, I had no idea that Nigella and her joys of innuendo-filled cooking existed!  The first time I watched her show, I couldn't tell if the show was meant as a parody of sensual foodies gone wild, or what exactly was going on with the creatively close-up camera work -- and, for once, I'm not the only one thinking depraved thoughts -- excerpted from wikipedia's Nigella Lawson entry: "'Those who did criticise her often suggested she was too flirtatious; a commentator from The New York Times said, 'Lawson's sexy roundness mixed with her speed-demon technique makes cooking dinner with Nigella look like a prelude to an orgy.'"^[19]

Yes, yes it does. And her journalist/author background is intellectually appetizing.  Appealing from all angles.  We never leave the kitchen.

Corsican Omelette

How:

Chopped some fresh mint and threw it into the frying pan (Tefal crêpe pan) with some olive oil.

Added two beaten eggs.

Added some cooked mushrooms leftover from the potatoes + rosemary dish.

Crumbled some goat cheese on top.


Flipped omelette in half with fancy crêpe spatula.

Mouth orgasms.

SO GOOD.

The show with the Corsican Omelette recipe (at 7 minutes in).  We used olive oil in lieu of butter in the pan.

Some snacks.

The Udder Guy's chocolate ice cream.  Ice cream is never really as satisfying 

as I think it's going to be.  Let this be a reminder while the memory is up-close and recent.

Weekend at the beach.  Drank lots of water. 

Biked to the depot in North Van by 5am.  

The showers began on the Lions Gate Bridge.  

Biked back home after 1pm.  Made a

strawberry/cherry/banana smoothie.  

Someone gave me two chocolate bars.  Why?!

As usual, I ate the junk food gifts right away so I wouldn't think about them later.

Oh, and at the depot I grabbed a veggie sandwich from Tim Horton's during break.

Do you feel enriched?! I sure do. My sandwich was too, probably.  Anyway, the ride through Stanley Park this morning was a smörgåsbord of scents.  When someone asks me how I'm liking sorting the double X for 2 hours, I tell them, "it's a smörgåsbord of stimulation."  I don't like when people ask me stupid questions just to make small talk, or to set me up to complain about something, as I am doing now.  :-p  La la la.  But this doesn't count because I am enjoying it.

Over the Past Couple of Days

Avocado sandwich.

Blueberry muffin (times 4).  Chocolate chip muffin during Moya Greene Q&A.

Veggie sandwich from Tim Horton's.

Starbucks spinach-feta wrap.

Carrots.

Banana and strawberry smoothies.

Pineapples and grapes during breaks.

Babybel cheese from friend.  ["The enzymes (rennet) in the original and light Mini Babybel cheeses (red wax) are suitable for vegetarians. The enzymes in other varieties of Babybel cheeses are animal-based." [WP]]

Roasted potatoes with dried herbs. 

Salmonberries from the side of a quiet road after finishing a route in West Van.

This Week, I Ate (including, but not limited to, the following)...

Chocolate yogurt with pistachios and strawberries.

Spinach/egg-white/feta wrap during bike ride.

Sandwich w/ avocado, tomatoes and lettuce.

Ciabatta with artichokes and veggies in Deep Cove.

Greasy tomato and cheese pizza.

I didn't eat that.

Spinach, strawberries and banana smoothie.

After softball today, I ate this carrot.

I was too tired to make something fancy, so dinner consisted of some cheese, 

half of a red pepper I had leftover from lunch (I had more than that for lunch), 

some green leaf lettuce and water.  I love feeling tired after exercise.

"Close your eyes...close your eyes... breathe the air... out there... fantasize, fantasize we are open..."  I'm listening to The Cranberries.  I haven't eaten any in a while; my smoothies these days are mainly strawberry/banana/spinach mixtures.  I don't know which meals to update you on today... Hi Mom...

I have 2 avocados on my windowsill, ripening (it's raining outside).

The other day I went to Seattle on a spontaneous roadtrip.  We chose the sunniest day of the week and had a grand ol' time navigating through the local bike shops and a million, "What can I help you find today"s for clipless pedals and dorky road shoes.  I didn't get any, if you know what I mean, but I did buy some Rosarita refried beans, Tillamook cheese (no animal rennet), and some Seventh Generation toilet paper.

My favourite homemade meal of the week goes to some baked Yukon Gold potatoes with dried herbs, campari tomatoes and red peppers as the prestigious base, topped with an elegant showing of too much sliced cheese, a spoonful of refried beans and half an avocado.

One day this week I went to The Foundation for carrot-ginger soup and goman salad (spinach with sesame seeds and I think a peanut-y sauce. I don't know what it is but I like it.)  I order the goman salad every time I go.  It has a unique taste, but it's a salad best enjoyed with another dish to create some variation for your palate.  The carrot-ginger soup, however, I could eat on its own all day.  And I did, because I'm a slow eater.

I didn't notice the slow service; the key is to eat with someone whose 

company you enjoy / someone with whom you can talk for hours.  

Problem solved. 

And here's a photo of North Van looking reliably beautiful.

So for Easter, I went to Crista's house for wedding video-watching, pampering (she and Sumit made tons of food -- spinach dip inside baked bread, chocolate-dipped strawberries, peanut butter chocolate whipping cream pudding cake stuff, tandoori tofu, an inviting space for guests) and an egg hunt.  For the egg hunt, each of us was assigned a partner we didn't know, reminiscent of my grandma's attempts to get the family to interact and love each other).  But it worked and I had fun and made new friends for the day.  Thanks, Crista and Sumit.  I felt like an adult for the evening, especially when the adult music began playing in the kitchen during dinner.  Bow-chicka-bow.  (Had to be there.)

I brought some roasted potato salad, thanks to a recipe in a magazine that a friend brought here then left here a few years ago: roasted yukon gold potatoes, later mixed with some veggies (green/yellow/red peppers, campari tomatoes).  The recipe called for onion and fresh basil too, but I skipped that and added dried herbs to the roasting potatoes.  I had no red-wine vinegar to mix with the olive oil for the dressing, so we used balsamic salad dressing instead.  The recipe is intuitive enough so I won't post it here.  Haha.

March 21st: the "vegetarian" option at Burgers, Etc. 

(fries with bbq sauce, cheese and kidney beans).  The day 

before this, I was making my own roadkill by driving around 

(okay, on a straight road) a manual transmission vehicle, courtesy 

of Shappy.  Thanks for your faith in me and for your high tolerance for swearing.

(Some stuff I was eating a few weeks ago during postie days...)

I biked to North Van for an afternoon of relaxation in the park a weekend or two ago.  I was under-dressed -- I overheat when I bike uphill... sitting in a park at 5pm, I cooled down quickly.  Paul brought me 

some decaffeinated green tea with lemon so I didn't freeze my 

ass off. The toy dog warmed my heart also.

Another shot of my favourite place at the moment 

(North Van).  A shot of the mountains from under Lion's Gate Bridge on my bike ride home from 

Capilano Delivery Centre, at around 9:30am last week.

After some softball practice today, I made a smoothie (the usual) and this sandwich. 

(Avocado, aged white cheddar, cucumbers, green leaf lettuce, sweet 

red bell peppers, red onion, campari tomatoes. Simple and good.)

 Just in time for the rain.  Cozy times ahead.

[Spelt bread... onion, cucumber, lettuce, tomato and avocado.  Tastastic.]

I am still eating green smoothies -- banana, spinach, cranberries and strawberries are the usual ingredients these days.

I'm biking 9-10km each way each weekday at 3am and 9am-ish.  I love North Van.  

More pictures and words later.

Remind me to make this at some point soon: http://www.sweetonveg.com/2010/03/toasted-tomato-avocado-pasta-sandwich/

Long days and good food.  I have photos of this past week's fuel but blogger does not want to allow uploads, or perhaps the glitch is specific to the particular browser I'm using.  Still, Opera all the way.

I have raw pumpkin seeds sitting on my desk beside two larabars that were on sale at Choices.  I stocked up last week; it was a Friday.  Bad decision.  I ate all the bars before Monday, so I had nothing for snack!  Water doesn't quite cut it these days.  I can walk for miles and miles and miles and then nap and then eat a lot.  Yesterday when I went to Choices to buy dinner (strawberry rhubarb pie, almonds (chocolate-covered), a deluxe veggie steamroller, avocado, quesadilla... I was hungry), I grabbed a few more larabars.  Woohoo.  Raw bars, my happy start to the 5am day.

For the past week I've been up at 4:30-ish a.m., eating a banana with peanut butter or pumpkin seeds (good for the prostate, Bob tells me...), or leftover smoothie from the night before, then walking a refreshing 20 minutes in the dark to the depot downtown.  I enjoy the relatively quiet walk, though the traffic isn't as dead as it used to be.  Olympians are early risers.

One of my postie friends brought me (and all the other gaylords, which covers most of the depot, so few were discriminated against) snacks of almond butter on muesli crackers most mornings, so on Friday I gave her an all-raw lime larabar (fruit and nut snack bar).  She looked pleased.  I found out later that she doesn't eat the crap that other people bring for snacks, so I felt good about my offering of pure and natural goodness. Like a virgin sacrifice.  No.

Menu for the week:

strawberry-cranberry-banana-spinach smoothies
veggie delite subs on honey oat (almost a daily ritual on my way home)
apple crisp
bananas and peanut butter
avocado on spelt pasta with tomato sauce
avocado with aged white cheddar on quinoa, cous cous and chickpeas with yellow/green/red/orange bell peppers

a few 'quality' chocolate bars
probably other foods I'm conveniently forgetting

Blogger isn't allowing photo uploads at the moment.

 

 

I had fun today.  I wore my sunglasses throughout the rainy morning and was rewarded with a sunny afternoon.  I'm sure the people I met in the morning still thought I was a weirdo.  Anyway, for the week I'm covering a walk that's owned by someone with ~ 30 years' seniority.  Jackpot on easy street for me...  I still came home physically exhausted.

I stopped at the Steamrollers on Robson Street on my walk back to the depot, weaving through hordes of smiling people.  I couldn't be upset though with the blue sky overhead, the sun shining in my eyes and my toes stepping on the heels of the people walking in front of me.  

My post-postie smoothie: frozen strawberries/blackberries/blueberries/raspberries with one ripe banana and a handful of spinach.

A nap and then a veggie sub from subway.  I meant to save half of it for breakfast tomorrow, but that didn't happen.  I'll have water for breakfast!  Mmmm.  Pure.  Bedtime.

Today's short run on the sea wall kicked my ass.  It was the hardest run yet! Let me count the ways in which I rationalize this:

Yesterday: made spelt linguine with tomato sauce and spinach.  Ate it all.  Made apple crisp and ate it all.  Worked on courses (played with websites and chatted on msn) until 3am.

 

  

  

 

Today: made a banana-spinach-strawberry smoothie and ate half of a vegetarian pizza with avocado at 12pm.

And then we ran at 1pm.  I stopped twice (oh, the horror).  Came home, drank water, plus finished the remaining 1/4 cup of smoothie and the remaining 1/2 pizza just now.

The other day I finished my pleasure reading, 'What I Talk About When I Talk About Running' by Haruki Murakami.  Here's a taste:

And how great was my time?  Truth be told, not so great. At least, not as good as I'd been secretly hoping for. If possible, I was hoping to be able to wind up this book with a powerful statement like, 'Thanks to all the hard training I did, I was able to post a great time at the New York City Marathon. When I finished I was really moved,' and casually stroll off into the sunset with the theme song from Rocky blaring in the background. Until I actually ran the race I still clung to the hope that things would turn out that way, and was looking forward to this dramatic finale. That was my Plan A. A really great plan, I figured.

But in real life things don't go so smoothly. At certain points in our lives, when we really need a clear-cut solution, the person who knocks at our door is, more likely than not, a messenger bearing bad news. It isn't always the case, but from experience I'd say the gloomy reports far outnumber the others.  

Thanks for the uplifting book, Michelle!  He adds a somewhat encouraging piece near the end because that's just the way books like this have to end; can't have a bunch of readers who feel the pointlessness of their wasted lives, running around:

Even if, seen from the outside, or from some higher vantage point, this sort of life looks pointless or futile, or even extremely inefficient, it doesn't bother me. Maybe it's some pointless act like, as I've said before, pouring water into an old pan that has a hole in the bottom, but at least the effort you put into it remains. Whether it's good for anything or not, cool or totally uncool, in the final analysis what's most important is what you can't see but can feel in your heart. To be able to grasp something of value, sometimes you have to perform seemingly inefficient acts. But even activities that appear fruitless don't necessarily end up so. That's the feeling I have, as someone who's felt this, who's experienced it.

I also find it funny that in an entry a few days ago, I left unfinished a sentence about 'mindfulness'.  So telling.

Amendment to last week's running stats: we ran a mere 32 laps, not the triumphant 33.  I must have been thinking about Jesus, as per usual.

This week we ran 34 laps. Why?  Why the hell not?!  I didn't have a goal in mind, but because I hang out with people who do, I ended up running 34 laps.  I would have stopped at 7.  No, I wouldn't have been out there running in the first place.  Yay for me that I surround myself with winners.

I've been eating mainly bananas, spinach, frozen strawberries (smoothies); bananas and peanut butter (a new obsession that keeps me powered on days when I'm active and don't have time to eat until eight hours later); pasta with organic tomato sauce and avocado; and my steamrollers.  Occasionally I'll opt for a veggie curry combination plate from Thai Away Home when I'm feeling cozy.  I like to play with my rice and let it absorb all the coconut curry while I read my books on mindfulness

After finishing the run last night I couldn't finish my #3 veggie steamroller; a good trade-off.

And here's one of the pasta meals I've been making, inspired by my stay in North Van.

Fancy presentation, I know.  And yes, I ate it out of the pot like that because I can and I like to.

Apple Crisp

Hello! Last night we ran 33 laps around an asphalt track in North Van.  That's all I want to say about that.

Today I made some apple crisp.  And ate over half of it.  I'll make more tomorrow to share with friends.

Recipe thanks to my Mommy, who found the recipe somewhere but still hopes to patent it, as it is "so damn good":

6 cups sliced apples

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup of butter/margarine

1 tbsp. lemon juice

2/3 cup rolled oats

1 cup brown sugar

 

Arrange apples in greased dish and sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix flour, oats, and sugar. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Sprinkle over apples. Bake in 350 F. until apples are tender and topping lightly browned (35-40 mins) Can sprinkle apples with cinnamon.

Pleased with the outcome. I used organic gala apples and one red delicious... I don't know if the apple choice contributes to the result, or if the sweetness was thanks to the brown sugar.

One of the sandwiches I made this week: aged white cheddar (evil, I know -- I felt the spawn try to break through my stomach a la Alien (1979)); red bell pepper, green leaf lettuce, sweet cocktail tomato and avocado.

 

Then I ran out of avocado, so started making salads instead.

Tonight's post-yoga smoothie (frozen strawberries, a handful of spinach and two medium-sized bananas) hit the spot.  I made it home just in time (well, 19 minutes into the drama) for The Biggest Loser.  Going to North Van for a few days starting tomorrow morning.

And yes, yoga was fun.  My core feels it. Today we did some exercises for stimulating the heart chakra.  Other than my brief yet periodic laughing fit(s) during the mantra "Ong sohung", all went well.