Coast to Cote Week 25

Pang: As I mentioned in an earlier post, a couple friends and i headed to DC to see Best Coast. At one point during the show, Bethany Consentino (vocals) mentioned that her guitarist, Bobb Bruno, will be at the merch table. I yelled out and asked if he was for sale as Bob answered that he would only cost a mere $1...but alas, Bethany had the last words when she said he would be selling for $420. Obviously, I could not afford my very own Best Coast guitarist and I was defeated.

Me: Yesterday I did a photoshoot with Jeremy Litten as part of our Where Can't I Chant series. We went down to the National Harbor in Alexandria at sunset and the view was absolutely beautiful. I convinced Jeremy to hop a rail and get out onto this ledge to snap a few pictures and we both agreed it was worth the risk (the ledge was plenty big enough it was just a concern of security guards!).

My First Summer of Plants

I've always liked the idea of having herbs and plants. I have always killed any herb or plant I tried to nurture.

But then this summer a couple plants just kinda fell into my lap. And now I am ever so attached to them...



This pretty little basket of herbs came from my friend Katie as a welcome home gift when I got back from France. Inside she planted lemon basil, oregano, thyme, sage, and rosemary. As I drove the little gift herbs home I thought to myself "these will be so pretty for a week until they unexplainably but not unexpectedly die." Well ho ho Miss Pessamist. The end of summer is nearing and they are still going strong. Here is my question though - what happens to them as it gets cooler? Basil is an annual herb while the other 4 are perennial. Uhm....what do I do. Does anyone know? Can they live indoors through the winter. Im so distraught at the thought of them just freezing into the little sad herby icicles. Help me save them!





And then there is this guy. This colorful fern type thing. All summer the ladies at a local plant store have been giving my mom plants, so when she offered me some I figured, why not? This plant was all shriveled and eaten and there were some slimy little leaf eating worms in the box they were in. I planted them half heartedly in a pot with my dad's guidance. They have now almost tripled in size AND sprouted weird "flower" things!




Anyone know what this is? Golden star if you can tell me :)

This ornamental pepper plant was another regift from my mom. I found this old coffee/tea kettle thing at the Harper's Ferry flea market for a dollar! Is this perennial?




So long story short, i successfully grew some plants this summer. Now what? Do they just die?

Coast to Cote Week 24

So we took a little break from the Coast to Cote project but now we are both feeling like its time to give ourselves deadlines again and push ourselves a little harder to make images every week. We're back!

Pang: On a photo shoot with DJ yesterday, i caught an effortless photograph of Gillian while she was balancing on the railroad tracks.

Lacey: Remy. Best Friends. Period.

Chop Mexican Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing

I've been a bad blogger. I apologize. Here is me trying to get back on the horse. So recently I subscribed to Vegetarian Times magazine. Great mag with lots of healthy, quick meals. For those of you that got the July/August magazine you might remember this recipe. I changed aspects of it to suit my taste, but the credit certainly goes to VT on this meal.

I've been trying to eat more veggies lately. I came to the sad discovery that multivitamins aren't inherently vegetarian. I don't know why I thought they would be, but then I was in the Common Market looking at vitamins and noticed they had a bunch marked vegetarian and vegan. Huh....so I did some research. No more Centrum for me. And hey, here is an idea...why not get my vitamins and minerals from a good diet. Yes!



Mexican Chopped Salad

Salad:
1 small head of romaine, sliced
1/2 bunch spinach, stems removed, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 avocados, diced
1/2 cucumber, halved lengthwise and then sliced
the corn cut from one fresh cob, raw
1 can black beans
several large pieces of roasted red pepper, sliced
1/4 red onion, minced
1/2 cup broccoli or alfalfa sprouts

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
juice from one lemon and one lime
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
pinch cayenne pepper


1. Heat the oil, garlic, cumin, coriander, sugar and salt in a saucepan for until the garlic begins to sizzle.
2. Blend the remaining dressing ingredients with the garlic oil. Blend in a blender if you want it to be smooth (I left it chunky)
3. Toss over the chopped salad




I gave this salad to a few friends without the dressing a few days later and the veggies had marinated to the point where they even liked it with no dressing at all. If you want the salad to last a few days keep the avocado on the side and just top each bowl with it rather than putting it in the whole mixture.

Inspiration and Hunger Pangs

I have often been told by readers of my blog "reading your blog makes me so hungry!" Well recently I have stumbled upon and started reading some blogs that make me just flat out drool. Im absolutely one of those types of people who will buy a cookbook or follow a blog based on pictures alone - and these three blogs certainly pulled me in with their admirable snapping ability but low and behold they furnish us with tasty recipes to boot! Take a look and see what I'm talking about.
(the pictures below are pulled from the blogs I am featuring - permission was granted beforehand and the artists retain all rights)

1. 6bittersweets


I saw this picture a little while back while browsing on flickr and instantly fell in love. And what?! She has a blog to go with these lovely little treats? This self described avid baker is also practically a neighbor! Alright she lives in the neighboring state (VA) but whatever! While bittersweet tends to lean towards the sweeter side of life she also likes to cook - I am anxious to see what veggie fare she will cook up in the future - but for now I will gaze longingly at the mojito cupcakes that currently grace her blog.

2. Bakers Royale is next on the list.



Naomi at Bakers Royale makes my list because this self taught baker makes the cutest treats around. I have absolutely no patience to make my food look adorable or perfect but I have a huge amount of respect for people who do. Her pictures inspire me to wait just a few minutes more before chomping away at my creations to take a second to try to spruce the food up for the camera.

3. I have saved my favorite for last - the talented Celine S over at have cake, will travel. Why is she my favorite? Well just look at her work!



Not only are her images amazing but its all vegan and she even give us the recipe. Well...not always actually. But she has her reasons:

At the moment she is taking photos of burgers for a book she and Joni Newman are working on together. It doesn't come out until next summer but you will want this. Don't believe me? Try this on for size. Celine just posted a picture of a "masa masala burger in sweet potato bun on top of brown basmati rice, green peas and red lentils in tangy tahini dressing." Can't imagine what that looks like (but I bet you are drooling over what it SOUNDS like) take a peak at her flickr and prepare to be hungry!

In the meantime....looking for a new cookbook? I know I always am! Lets get her 500 Vegan Recipes Book!

I hope you all enjoy these blogs as much as I do!

Vegan Pot Pie

Pot Pie...oh pot pie. When you decide to cut out meat and dairy your brain immediacy jumps to all the things you can't have. "Are you serious?! No alfredo? No cheese fries? No cheesesteaks?"

And then a few weeks go by and a month or two and then you realize: Hey, I can still have those things if I really want them! And they still taste great. Want the proof? I took this pot pie over to Pang and Robin's (a pesca-vegetarian and a meat eater) and afterwards Pang said she had "meat pot pie stomach" and Robin took a bite and for a split second she thought I had "tricked" her into eating meat.

There you have it - meat eaters and veggies alike will love this.



Vegan Pot Pie

1 pack of 4 Fieldroast Apple and Sage Wheat sausages, sliced (so good!)
6 cups vegetable stock
1 cup yellow onion, diced
1 cup carrots, peeled and diced
1 can sweet corn, drained and rinced
3/4 tsp thyme, minced
3/4 tsp sage, minced
3/4 tsp sea salt
3/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
1 tbsp tamari soy sauce
2-4 tbsp canola oil
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup vegan margarine (Earth Balance)
1 puff pastry sheet rolled out to by 12x10 inches

1. In a small sautee pan brown the wheat sausages with 1 tablespoon canola oil. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the from pan and set them aside.
2. Next make a roux. To make a roux, melt the vegan margarine in a saute pan over low heat, add flour little by little and whisk constantly until light brown in color and thickened. Set aside to cool. Put the veg stock in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
3. In a 5.5 qt. stock pot, cook the onions in canola oil for 3 minutes then add the carrots, sage, thyme, salt and pepper. Continue to cook for 5 minutes. Add already boiling stock and simmer for 5 minutes. Whisk in nutritional yeast flakes.
Add the roux a bit at a time and continue to cook as sauce begins to thicken. Stir in sausages, tamari and corn. Pour the mixture into a large shallow pan to cool. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
4. Once the mixture is cool, pour into individual ramekins, glass pie pan or small casserole dish. Cover mixture with puff pastry (be sure to leave a small excess of pastry for folding and fluting of the edge) and seal edges. Cut small slits.
Bake for 35 min or until the top is nice and brown and the insides are bubbling though the slits in the crust.

Excuses and Portraits

Sorry I have been MIA on the blog for a while. I just spent the week in Florida with this girl (my old roomie from college and one of the only people who can put up with my moodiness and not get offended!) and this week I head off to Chicago. Look for more posts soon though! I haven't forgotten about you all so don't forget about me.