Stuff for the Soul

Today has been a very fulfilling soul-nourishing kind of day.

Went to study over a cup of "bowl of soul" (fig and cinnamon steamed tea, soy milk, and honey with lots of delicious froth... I've died and gone to heaven) at Verve for several hours, sang this song out loud (very, very loud) about four times, eating lots of delicious chocolate tea cookies, drinking more tea out of my favorite mug, and it's raining. Thank GOD for the rain. Oh yeah, and dreaming about Portland. Yeah. There's always that, though. Check this out:

As I quickly scanned the list, I realized I've been to about 40% of these places (and some more than once).

Not bad for just 3 visits.

I know what shit's good.

So yeah, I imagine this is going to be a pretty rad book that I will never need but of course will pick up and thumb through every time I see it at the bookstore.

Oh hey! And a rad illustrated guide to mixing your own cocktails.

Oh yes, and here's some Etsy drool.

Oregon State print. NEEED.

These are a few of my favorite words: douglas fir, NO SALES TAX, microbrews, mountains, PORTLAND, loggers, runners, mushrooms. Love it.

Always sound advice...

Some gold grillz.

(But not for $1,200, thanks.)

Speakin' of teeth, my summer anesthesia class is going quite well.

I started off with this:

and progressed to a real human yesterday and ROCKED IT.

Gave an infiltration and ASA injection all in less than 5 minutes.

I wasn't nervous ONE BIT. I didn't shake. I didn't pull blood.

Have I done this in my past life already or something?

Oh and let me introduce you to my new loves:

I haven't owned a pair of Campers since FOREVER.

Yay for being able to switch up my shoe routine and not having to wear Dankos every single day.

New favorite blog: What Should I Eat For Breakfast Today?

Yummy foodz, pretty photography.

WANT.

More beautiful food porn here and here.

New favorite cutie girl blog alert.

Oh yeah and I made ghee on the full moon two weeks ago. And NAAN! For the first time!

Nothing better than making deliciously spiced indian flatbread and straining butter in the middle of the night with good company.

If you haven't heard about all of the benefits of making ghee on the full moon, allow me enlighten you. In the Vedic culture of India, ghee is made on the full or waxing moons, which is known as "shukla paksh", the "white part of the moon". All of the qualities the moon represents increase to their maximum during this phase of the moon cycle, and since the moon is considered to rule/control "soma" (the juice or essence of life and plants) and the Vedas speak of milk as the essence of grass or plants and consider ghee to be an essence of milk, this apparently plays an essential role in producing the very best possible ghee with all of it's encompassing properties. Yeah, call me crazy, but at least it encourages me to make sure I get my ghee-making time in once a month.

I've been wanting to devote and entire post about ghee and how to make it, but for now I'll leave you with this. And if you're just so inspired to make some naan along with it, here ya go. The next full moon is July 15. Mark your calendars ;)

Take a Long Drive With Me

When there isn't much else to say, at least there's music.

Beet Cake, Mixes, & Clever Cards

Lately I've been addicted to making 8 track mixes on this website 8tracks.com.

Have any of you heard of this/been listening/created mixes?

Let me know... I'd love to hear some new stuff!

Here are all of mine so far...

Second of all, I was browsing the local bookshop today looking for a birthday card for my friend and came across this awesome one and couldn't resist... I wish I would have bought the entire stack to give out to hygiene friends/teachers/cohorts!

Too awesome.

And here are some more great ones... I love this company!

I can't remember the last time a greeting card actually made me laugh!

So clever.

The most beautiful cooking/baking video documentation I have ever seen.

How to make a beet cake.

I'm gonna do it.

Oh yeah and to keep up with this ice cream trend I seem to have been going on (on average, about every other day this past month? NEWS FLASH: ice cream is a health food!), here is something you need to be aware of (if you are not already):

Ben & Jerry's "Late Night Snack".

More like "Late Night Crack".

CHOCOLATE COVERED POTATO CHIPS.

Enough said.

It's okay.

You're totally allowed to make a mid-night trip to Safeway in your PJ's and slippers just to acquire a pint of this. I won't tell anyone... the secret's safe with me.

You probably wear cute PJ's too, so that's totally allowed.

Just don't run over your neighbors cat as you frantically pull out of the driveway...

I know you're on a mission now.

Between homemade ice cream sandwiches, late night post-bar nothing-is-open-"I reluctantly have to resort to Cold Stone" runs, Humphry Slocombe in the city pre-Iron & Wine show going (peanut butter curry and cinnamon brittle, anyone?), and the new local Penny Ice Creamery (pistachio cardamom chocolate chip, balsamic cherry), I have been on the longest ice cream kick of MY LIFE! No joke, folks. I swear I'm not pregnant. But my hormones have been pretty whacko lately and all I have been wanting is cold creamy goodness. A little salt and sugar mixed in don't hurt either. Oh lovely hormones... you make the world go 'round.

Oh yeah, and because ice cream and beer go so well together and one without the other on a warm summer evening would just be a sin, here is a new seasonal one out by New Belgium: Somersault ale. Being a fan of all things limited edition and seasonal, I bought a 6-pack today and must say it's quite delicious. Looks like it is temporarily replacing the past summers of Skinny Dip. As it's described on the label:

"Somersault Ale is a fun roll around on the tongue and a perfect, summer lounge-around beer that is easy to drink. Color is blonde with a suggestion of amber. Somersault tumbles out with citrus aroma from Centennial hops, a tuck of soft apricot fruitiness, completed by a smooth, upright finish with oats that were fermented in a long, slow mash. Somersaults all around!"

Yum! At least some beer descriptors don't sound as pretentious and ludicrous as most wine labels... I can handle talkers like this. I'm glad I just now discovered their website! I'm diggin' the food pairings and un-recipe "recipes". The peach goat cheese arugula candied walnut salad may be the next to-do on the list...

And a lovely new Vetiver song (that I just can't get enough of) to leave you with for now...

Avocado Mango Cheesecake

WHATTTT?!? Yes. Avocado mango cheesecake. You can stop giving me weird looks right about now. I already know what you're thinking.

Everything about this just sounded right. A nice, cool dessert for a summer day and an excuse to get that good HDL boosting avocado fat. And it's actually quite light, also. The gelatin cuts down the need for the typical 4 packages of cream cheese type recipe. You really can't even taste the avocado, either. The citrus zests with the lovely anise-spiked graham cracker walnut crust compliments it all very well.

The recipe recommended topping it with a raspberry sauce but for some reason I thought I could improve on the suggestion. Luckily I didn't have to go much further than my freezer because thank goodness I already had some frozen pureed mango! AHA! Avocado + mango = pure love. Yay!

Anyway, yeah, this is awesome and definitely making its way into my "keeper" recipe box. It should make its way into yours, also.

Cheers to making more avocado incorporated desserts in the future! This one's next. And probably a few of these, too.

Look... I've already eaten so much of this my nails are turning green!

Just kidding! I'm on an avocado lime green kick, though and I'm sure loving it.

You know you want this.

Avocado Mango Cheesecake

serves 10

adapted from The Amazing Avocado

3/4 cup shelled walnuts
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon crushed anise seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt (lemon salt and/or fleur de sel)
1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1 lemon and/or 1 lime
1 1/2 cups almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 fully ripened avocados, halved, pitted, peeled and diced
8 ounces neufchatel, softened and cut in pieces

Heat oven to 350°F. In food processor, pulse walnuts until finely ground. Add graham cracker crumbs, 1 tablespoon sugar, anise seeds and salt; pulse just until combined. Add 2 tablespoons water; pulse until ingredients are thoroughly combined and resemble wet sand. Press into bottom of an 8 1/2-inch springform pan. Bake 18-20 minutes until lightly browned; cool completely.

In measuring cup or small bowl, combine gelatin with 2 tablespoons water; let stand for 5 minutes. With vegetable peeler, remove strips of lemon/lime zest (skin portion only). In saucepan, combine milk, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla and zest; bring to boil. Add gelatin; simmer until gelatin has completely dissolved, about 1 minute; strain and discard lemon zest. In food processor, combine avocados and cream cheese. Pour hot milk mixture into processor; process until very smooth. Pour into baked crust; cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or until set. Remove side of pan; cut cheesecake into 10 slices. Serve with mango sauce (if desired).

For the mango sauce: puree frozen cubes of mango or buy the already pureed frozen packs at Trader Joe's. Submerge into warm water to liquefy and snip an end of the packet. Drizzle on top of individual cheesecake slices. Trust me on this.

Vegan Mexican Chocolate Snickerdoodles

Just to warn you, these are probably the most addicting cookies I have made all year.

Not that that's a bad thing. But I'm just sayin'... they're that good.

Vegan. Chocolate. Spicy. Sugary. Salty. Cinnamon-y. Crackle-y. YEAH!

And it's worth mentioning... these are rad ice cream sandwich cookies. Like, blow your mind rad. I've eaten five (sandwiches) in the past 24 hours. FIVE. Filled with pumpkin ice cream, vanilla bean, and german chocolate (with coconut and caramel).

Yeah. I'm going to start my period any second. TMI.

Ok, bye.

Vegan Mexican Chocolate Snickerdoodles

Makes 24 cookies

adapted from VCIYCJ

For the topping:

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the cookies:

1/2 cup canola oil

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

3 tablespoons almond milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon chocolate extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup white whole wheat flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon chocolate salt (or regular)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Mix the topping ingredients together on a large dinner plate. Set aside.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, use a fork to vigorously mix together the oil, sugar, syrup, and milk. Mix in the extracts.

Sift in the remaining ingredients, stirring as you add them. Once all ingredients are added, mix until you've got a pliable dough.

Roll the dough into walnut-size balls. Pat the dough balls into the sugar topping to flatten into roughly 2-inch discs. Transfer the dough balls to a baking sheet, sugar side up, at least 2 inches apart (they do spread). This should be easy as the bottom of the cookies should just stick to your fingers so you can just flip them over onto the baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes; they should be a bit spread and crackly on top. Remove the cookies from the oven, let them cool 5 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely. And let the addiction begin.

Pumpkin Gingerbeer Scones

Sometimes the unfortunate mishaps that occur in daily life can end up being a positive thing in the long run. One in particular led me to these pumpkin scones. Let me explain.

Take, for instance, the day I fumbled and dropped my iTouch in a sink half full of water at the gym. No biggie, right? It would dry and be okay. Apple has to make these things at least somewhat waterproof, right? To say the least, that was end of that iPod's life. In a sink in the gym's bathroom. (I guess somewhat appropriate since it did spend most of its time there... the gym, I mean.)

Anyhow, the Apple Genius guy broke the news that the battery had most likely already corroded and that was the end of that puppy so yes, I ended up having to buy a new one. A brand new generation 4 iTouch... $300. BUMMER. But, looking on the bright side, this one has a camera and can take videos or whatever and you could even "use it as an iPhone". Whaaa?! Yes, so he said. That was enough to sell me but I still think he's a liar. Anyhow, I ended up stumbling upon an awesome new app for Foodgawker as I was going gaga over the endless possibilities of new applications I could download. Dangerous techy foodie land territory. Uh oh.

As you could imagine, over the first few days of playing with this new toy and drooling over foodie pics, I ended up with a hefty list of saved favorite recipes that I would hopefully someday have the opportunity to make. And one morning, I went ahead and made these, because pumpkin and I need to frequent each other on a semi-regular basis when it isn't officially Autumn.

Simple little pumpkin biscuit scones. I had some gingerbread beer sitting around from the holidays and so booze alone is enough to get me motivated to bake. Yes yes. Really quick and simple to make, and of course I added in a little something extra to pimp it up--crystallized ginger and a chai-spiced sugar glaze on top. And then made it into a really yummy breakfast dish by topping one with some plain greek yogurt and freshly sliced strawberries. Because that's what you should do. Pumpkin ginger strawberry shortcake for breakfast... you know you wanna.

So yeah, hi, happy Autumn in Spring! And thanks to being clumsy and dropping iTouches in water because apparently you can end up with some pretty awesome pumpkin scones that (kinda) make up for it!

Pumpkin Gingerbeer Scones

adapted from here

2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
2 tsp ground ginger
A pinch of fresh nutmeg
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree

1/3 cup chopped crystallized ginger
1/2 cup ginger beer

Milk, for brushing

Optional chai glaze:

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon chai spice

splash of water (adjust to make a "glazey" consistency)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Sift flour, powdered sugar, nutmeg and ginger together in a large mixing bowl. Form a well in the centre and add cream, pumpkin puree, and crystallized ginger. Using a flat bladed knife, begin to cut wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Gradually begin to add ginger beer until there is enough to form a soft dough. The mixture should hold together but not be sticky. (You may not need to use all the ginger beer.)

Working quickly and gently, gather dough together on a floured surface. Try to handle the dough as little as possible, using lightly floured hands to stop dough sticking to you, and pat the dough into a rectangle about 2-3cm thick. You can lightly knead the dough with your hands for a smoother appearance but overknead it and your scones will be tough and hard. Cut out rounds using a 5-6cm scone cutter (push the cutter into the dough, don't twist) and place next to each other in a lined/greased heavy based baking dish that has sides (scones baked close together will rise higher and thus be lighter). Brush tops with milk then bake for 12-15 minutes, or until scones are cooked through and golden on the top. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then cover with a tea towel (to stop them going hard) until you are ready to serve. You may also make the simple chai glaze to drizzle on top if you so desire!

It's Official!

I made it through my first year of dental hygiene school!

(Although it honestly still hasn't hit me yet...)

How is this possible?!?!?

Perhaps I'll have more time for blogging now? Hopefully...

(Pictured above: Vegan Oreo Cookies 'N Creme Cupcakes)