Snowshoeing in Cherokee Marsh

I finally bought a pair of snowshoes. B. was kind enough to help me strap myself in and then join me in an hour-long trek through Cherokee Marsh. It was a gorgeous, sunny day for it, and we definitely logged a workout. (When we were ready to turn around, we were both tired and ready for a snowmobile to pick us up, but we persevered and tromped back. There was a shortcut involved. ;)) My legs and bum hurt days later.

A cute close-up

Easy Veg Pizza

Phyllo dough has been living in my freezer for way too long, so after many defrostings and refreezings, it finally made its inaugural appearance. I found a simple recipe for veggie pizza using phyllo dough, so I thought I'd try my hand at it. The recipe I used as a guideline is from Good Housekeeping. (Don't judge me. ;)) Instead of pizza, tomatoes, red onion, mozzarella, and parmesan, I topped it with black beans, black olives, tuna, artichoke hearts, and parmesan. I also didn't cut it into rectangles, choosing instead to kept the full sheet intact.

Phyllo dough coated with olive oil

First you have to prepare the phyllo dough by stacking layers of it and oiling the layers in between. Most of the time, people use butter, but I picked the healthier olive oil. (Don't get me wrong. Mama loves her butter, but it's generally reserved for topping popcorn.) You need to bake the shell for about five minutes before adding the toppings, and I cooked the entire pizza for longer than the allotted 3-4 minutes.

Curried Vegetable + Chickpea Stew

Another soup? Yes, I am an inveterate soup eater, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I've even been known to eat soup in the heat of summer. You can ask my friends. But especially during the winter months, I crave the comfort of warm soup. The Kitchn (adapted from Cooking Light) is responsible for this crockpot recipe for curried vegetable and chickpea soup, and I absolutely love it. (Thanks to the Daleys again for giving me their old crockpot. It's well-used and well-loved.)

I've been eating this all week, and I'm still not sick of it. I left out the coconut milk and substituted kale for spinach because I have a ginormous bag of it in the freezer from Costco. What else? I didn't have any fresh ginger on hand, but if I had, I definitely would've added it.

Takumi with Ms. Laura

After a failed attempt to hit JCPenney's optical center, Laura and I decided to indulge in Takumi. I've blogged about this place before, but I still can't get over how great the food is and how affordable the prices. Don't be deterred by the fact that it's plunked in a strip mall out by the mall. Inside, it's tastefully decorated, and you'll feel right at home.

Who are those gorgeous grrrrls?

Laura started with fried tofu, and I started with a warming miso soup. We both had cups of their green tea, which is so unusual. It's unlike any green tea I've had before in that it has a sort of toasted barley taste to it. It's a wonderful addition. Next time, I'll ask the waitress or waiter about it.

Seaweed salad

I really need to learn how to make seaweed salad. Do you need fresh seaweed? And what type? Must do some research. It seems rather simple once you have the right ingredients, but perhaps it's deceptively complex. Dunno.

Spicy tuna roll

 My spicy tuna roll has a marvelous slight crispness to the tuna that was marvelous.

Dragon roll

Sichuan Carrot Soup

Ever since I had it at the now defunct Sunroom spin-off (the one formerly on Odana), I've been wanting to attempt a Sichuan carrot soup. And now I've done it! ;) This version from The Art of Doing Stuff is a pretty decent version. I included the directions for making it on the stove top, but I did it in the crockpot. Let's see. I left out the sugar, as per usual, and I at least doubled, if not tripled, the red pepper flakes. It is afterall Sichuan, so it should be on the the kick-your-ass end of the spicy spectrum. I may not have added the milk at all, and if I did, it would've been plain almond milk. I also threw in some leftover roasted chicken. I pureed it with a stick blender, but I kept a few of the carrot chunks since I'm not a huge fan of completely pureed soups.

Aromatic Shower Disks

Vicks made these shower disks (from Frugal by Choice, Cheap by Necessity) for a short while, and I was enamored with the soothing sensation they evoked. I don't think they make them anymore. After hearing that that they're v. easy to make, I had to give it a whirl. I desperately miss the eucalyptus steam room from the gym, so I needed a little something to make up for it.

You can use whatever essential oils you like, but I highly recommend eucalyptus, tea tree oil, and/or rosemary. Even if you're not sick, they are refreshing and rejuvenating. Just plunk them in the shower, and they'll melt away down the drain. You could probably also use them in the bathtub. And since they're made with baking soda, water, and essential oils, you don't have to worry about sending toxic pollutants into the water system.

Egg Bakes

This winter, I've been a wee-bit obsessed with egg bakes in the crockpot. I tried a feta and mushroom one. I don't have any photos of that one, and I found it a bit bland.

Next, I tried a sort of Mexican one with black beans, chicken, salsa, garlic, tomatoes, and spices. I didn't really use a recipe, but it was delicious. I'll finish off the last of it tomorrow morning.

Baked Falafel with Cucumber-Pita Salad

I hadn't made falafel since K. and I attempted a batch in my minuscule kitchen in London. Since it had been more than a decade, it was time to try again. In an attempt to imitate the wondrous falafel we had from street vendors, I'm pretty sure we fried ours. This time, I was hoping for a somewhat healthier version, so I baked them. (Plus, I hate frying stuff in my apartment. The joint inevitably smells greasy for days afterward.)

This recipe from Instructables turned out alright. They didn't hold together as well as I'd hoped, and they weren't as crunchy on the outside as I like. The spice level was great, mainly because I amped up the cayenne and garlic and added other Indian spices (e.g., turmeric) that weren't called for. Turmeric has many health benefits, so I like to throw it into lots of stuff.

Whole Roasted Tandoori Cauliflower

Tandoori spice blend

I'm always trying new cauliflower recipes because I mostly find it a bit underwhelming. That's what tempted me to try whole roasted Tandoori cauliflower from My New Roots. It had great potential, but I wasn't impressed with the end product. Perhaps I used too much of the marinade, but the cauliflower was too spicy to eat, and the interior was just steamed cauliflower. Perhaps the mint chutney would've helped, but I'm dubious.

Garlic

Not wanting to chuck an entire head of cauliflower into the trash, I attempted to transform it into a soup, adding more yogurt and Neufchatel (my attempts to insert a circumflex over the A were futile) cheese. It's still fairly spicy, and I ended up with a gigantor batch of it, so some of it's still living in my freezer. After I finish the soup, I'm going to try Going Cave Woman's recipe for crunchy cauliflower. It caught my eye on Pinterest, and I'm intrigued. It's even supposed to be low in calories.