It only seems fitting that my last post was August 10 and today is September 10. I would like to keep my posts slightly more regular but as we all know, life happens. So much to mull over from this past month! Mid-August we did a little road-tripping up to Michigan to visit friends from school at one of their family's houses on Torch Lake. I was confused upon arrival because the water is so crystal clear it was as though we just deplaned in the Caribbean. I thought I was familiar with lakes and knew what to expect. We used to spend time each summer at Squam Lake in New Hampshire where, although beautiful and mountainous, you really never knew what was below you in the water. This trip was the best way to soak in the last of the summer sun. Trey documented most of it with his GoPro so hopefully that video will be cut and edited into a "full feature" to use as a therapy tool mid-winter.I've never been one to have big plans for holidays like Memorial Day or Labor Day, but I had a special trip back home to Beantown this past weekend. It was my TWENTY-FIFTH birthday, along with my sister's twenty-fifth birthday. I feel the need to fully write that out with letters because it's still processing. Although it's just a number, right? I certainly don't feel old. I also don't think I look very old; after all, it was just two summers ago that I was repeatedly asked if I just graduated from my town's high school. The response was awkward for both parties.
I love having a twin. Having someone you automatically celebrate with every year is kind of awesome and just makes it that much better. For every birthday as far back as I can remember, which might be to year 7, we've had two cakes to celebrate with. During those elementary school years my control issues began to surface. I would plan my party out down to the minute, spacing out the various activities and how much time could be spent at each station at which hour. Since everyone else is human, this did not go over like I wanted it to so I eventually stopped trying to have birthday parties. Luckily I'm wiser now! Still a little controlling but at least I can acknowledge it. The one thing I do have control over is cake. Because I bake it for myself. It's always exciting when someone else makes you food, don't get me wrong, but there's something so satisfying about baking a cake that I just have to make it even if there are already two others.
Now onto more food.
My most recent Instagram dish was a buddha bowl. It's a brilliant yet simple idea: a roasted root vegetable, some sort of greens, some crunchy veggie, a grain, and a mind-blowing sauce to wrap up the package and tie it with a bow. I was first turned on to this style of dish at my first dinner at Beat Hotel in Cambridge, MA, which happened to be on my birthday last year. I got this vegetarian bowl with baby bok choy, sweet potatoes, a few other roasted veggies with rice, and this insane thai red curry paste sauce. I have since purchased the red curry paste and suggest you do too and use it in all stirfry dishes.
I've also had a growing curiosity about tahini. I once bought it to make hummus, used a small portion, put the giant container back in the fridge, and never took it out again. But now I've seen it more recently used for lots of different sauces to compliment veggie dishes, so I purchased it again, with higher hopes than the last go-round.
Buddha Bowl
Makes 2-3 Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 Sweet Potato, cut into large chunks
- 1 1/2 Cups Kale, de-stemmed & leaves torn into smaller pieces
- 1/2 Red Cabbage, cut into strips
- 1/2 Cup Quinoa, uncooked (cooked will yield 1 Cup)
- 1 Cup Water
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 1/4 Cup Tahini
- 1/4 Cup Water
- 2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
- 1 teaspoon Maple Syrup
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Cholula Hot Sauce
Directions
- Preheat oven to 420 degrees
- Peel sweet potato, cut into large chunks, and toss in medium bowl with olive oil. Spread evenly on a baking sheet & cook 20 minutes, stirring halfway through
- While potatoes are roasting, combine 1/2 cup quinoa with 1 cup water in small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat
- Reduce heat to simmer, cover for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, let sit covered for 5 minutes
- Chop up red cabbage, set aside
- Chop up kale, transfer to bowl used previously for sweet potato and rub with lemon juice
- In a separate small bowl, combine all ingredients for tahini sauce with a whisk. Add more water 1 teaspoon at a time if it's too thick.
- Divide quinoa, sweet potato, kale, and cabbage into bowls and drizzle with sauce!
This bowl works well for all seasons, in my opinion. I went into Starbucks and cringed when someone ordered a pumpkin spice latte. We're just not there yet! September is my favorite month, not because it's the month I was born, but because you can begin to smell Autumn and see a slight change in tree color yet it's still warm and feels amazing outside. Everyone is trying to rush into Fall but it's not necessary, we'll get there.
The next thing I'm looking forward to is late-September raspberry picking. Still time to bake another berry dessert or two...
Happy September!
