Organic Blue Agave, etc.

カステラ

Castella has been one of my favorite oyatsus since I was a kid.  So I decided to take a crack at it.. see if I can make it, you know?  I randomly googled a recipe because I couldn't find a straightforward one on Foodgawker, and ended up with this one.  I found one on ためしてガッテン (which seemed more legit) but wasn't really feeling like converting from grams to cups.  Next time, I think I'll try the other one though, to see if it's better.

I made them in cupcake form because I didn't have a cake pan.  It worked out, but I think it's better in cake form.  Also, I put too much flour in it because I was worried about the consistency of the batter (it was really runny, but I guess that's just what castella batter is like) so the cake ended up being a little too packed rather than the fluffy spongy texture that it usually is.  It turned out well though, and something that I could definitely make again.  I'm loving the fact that I will no longer have to buy overpriced castella in the store whenever I'm feeling a kick of nostalgia.

Thrift Store Finds!

I went thrift-storing yesterday, and found some fun stuff!  I ended up getting three things:  a medium-sized whisk, a hanging organizer for papers and magazines, and an embroidery hoop!  I'm especially excited about the latter two, because they'll be great for some crafts that I have in mind.  The best part?  I spent a total of about $5 on everything.

Cilantro and Lime Chickpea Salad

Let me just start by saying, I ran a 4 mile race today!  Woooo.  I'm quite proud of myself for this.  :)  I've realized that I really do like waking up early and exercising, because it feels so damn good knowing that it's only 9am and you've already accomplished a bunch and still have the whole day ahead of you!  Now I just need to keep up the good work so that I won't die in 2 weeks when I do the Peachtree. 

Anyway, to the main point of this post..  I made Cilantro and Lime Chickpea Salad today!  (Much better than what I did with the other half of my chickpeas the other day.  --See Falafel)  The recipe came from Heather's Dish (via Foodgawker, of course).  This was one of the first Foodgawker recipes that I flagged, and wanted to try it out because it looked so easy, yet so good!  I mean, can you really go wrong with cilantro?!

I didn't have chili powder so I had to nix that ingredient, and was also missing garlic cloves, so I had to use garlic powder instead.  Anyways, with the ingredients that I did have, I got to dicing and chopping, and before I knew it, my Chickpea salad was complete!

Mixing it up...

Final product!

I did notice a few things about the recipe that I would change for next time though.  There was definitely no need for that much oil.  Same could be said for the lime and dijon mustard.  Maybe half or quarter it?  I think my taste buds are a little bland, so that may be why I say this though.  The sugar could be eliminated completely, because I didn't feel like it really did anything for it, so why add empty calories? 

Overall though, I have to say it was quite the success and a healthy, easy, and delicious recipe!

Ingredients:

• 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 4 loosely packed cups fresh spinach
• 1/2 onion, chopped small
• juice from 4 limes
• 1 bunch of cilantro (about loosely packed cup)
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated on a microplane
• 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Recipe:

1. Chop the spinach finely.
2. Add the chickpeas, onion, and spinach to a large bowl.  
3. In the food processor add the lime juice, cilantro, sugar, mustard, garlic, chili powder, and olive oil.  Process until it comes together into a dressing (about 30-45 seconds).  
4. Pour over the chickpea mixture and stir to combine.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Let sit for about 10 minutes on the counter or overnight in the fridge to let the flavors marry.  Enjoy!

Granola

I was feeling a little uninspired today, but really not feeling like Econ, so I wanted to make something to distract myself a little.  Since I already had exactly the required ingredients for granola from my Oatmeal Chocolatchip Cookies I decided go for it.  I've wanted to learn how to make granola for quite some time now, but for some reason it always seemed pretty intimidating, and I just never really got around to it.  Well, today was the day.   I found a random recipe on The Amateur Gourmet, and started measuring and mixing.  It started out okay... but let me just tell you beforehand, it ended up being kindof a fail.

Back to the beginning... I substituted coconut shavings for some of the sugar, because I didn't want it to be too unhealthy.  I think even still though, that I put too much sugar/sweetener in general, because the final product was a little too sweet and artificial for my liking.  Note to self:  Most people have more acute taste buds than me.  I think mine are pretty bland, and so don't put as much sugar/flavoring as the recipe calls for.

I layed it out my mixture on the tray just as the recipe told me to, and began baking it in the oven.  But I didn't take into account the fact that I was only baking half a batch (I didn't want to waste too much ingredients, just in case it turned out to be bad.  Funny how my precautions helped make it turn out bad...), and therefore shouldn't leave it in for the full amount of time listed.  Even as my granola kept getting browner and blacker, I was trying to follow the recipe to a t.  (I guess my experience with the falafel yesterday scarred me and made me want to do everything I didn't do for my not-so-yummy chickpea fritter)  Anyway, needless to say, about 85% of my oats ended up blackening, and my overall final product being burned.  Still edible, but overly sweet and charred granola was definitely not the taste that I was going for.  Better luck next time.

Mid-stage of baking.  Still looks good to this point,
but the oats are already blackening on the edge.

Final product.  Poor thing.. I left it in there too long.  :'(

Falafel

I went to Kroger yesterday to get chickpeas and excitingly enough, the organic canned chickpeas were on sale!  What better omen then an organic chickpea sale for making homemade falafel for the first time?  Atleast that's what I though.  Well... it didn't turn out so great after all.  Here's the story...

It wasn't horrible, but definitely not the best thing I've ever made.  In fact, like alot of my other cooking experiments, it was pretty mediocre.  I got the recipe off of Budget Bytes but didn't have many of spices and other ingredients that it called for. And I'm not sure what I was thinking - maybe I was overestimating my cooking abilities, or maybe I just really really wanted to make falafel - but I decided to go for it anyway.  Anyway, I was getting really excited about improvising, and was throwing random things in to replace for parsley, cayenne, cilantro, etc.  I put in a LOT of mint and cumin to make up for the flavor loss.  But who was I kidding?  NOTHING makes up for cilantro.  I mean, how could I forget that cilantro's that magic ingredient that makes everything 100,000 times better?  After all, I'm cilantro's biggest advocate.  Also, I had read recently about a mushroom falafel, so I decided to add mushroom to my mixture.  And alot of it.  I think this was my main downfall, because the final product tasted super mushroomy which was a little strange for falafel.

I pan-fried it with olive oil, but in retrospect, throwing them in a frying pot would probably have been better.  I'm thinking that this way it would have cooked the insides more consistently, and tasted better than the goopy inside falafel that I ended up with.  Overall though, considering that it was my first try, and the fact that I was super 適当 with everything, I think that it turned out pretty decent.  And with pita bread from my favorite middle eastern bakery and some feta cheese, it made a not-so-bad half-assed meal.

I'm going to have to work on this falafel a little more over the summer, and hopefully perfect the skill.

T-Shirt Yarn

I feel like today was a pretty busy day, but overall unproductive.  I did do a couple of noteworthy things though.  The good news is I started working out with Dad yesterday.  Today was my second day.  It's nice waking up early when the sun rises.  I love the feeling of knowing that you already knocked out a workout, dog walk, etc. etc. and it's not even noon yet!  I'm definitely going to try to keep up with this solar schedule of mine that I have going.  It just seems so much healthier to wake up and go to sleep along with the daylight. 

After my successful workout we went to check on the car - prognosis not so good - and I began searching Craigslist for a cheap and reasonably decent car.  I've found some potentials, but I'm just paranoid about scammers.  There's just so much more at stake than when I've bought things like textbooks and such off Craigslist before.  I found this cute Volvo that I'm really liking, but on a more practical note, I'm thinking more along the lines of Toyota, Honda, etc.  They're just so much more common and cheaper to maintain, not to mention easier to find parts in the case that something happens. 

I pretty much spent the rest of my day on Craigslist and Foodgawker, and have still yet to complete an assignment for my Econ class.  I've started reading the first lesson, but it also doesn't help that my textbook and online access code haven't arrived in the mail yet.  I've kindof been using that as an excuse as to why I haven't been on top of things.  Hopefully they'll come tomorrow though, or atleast by Thursday.  Because I REALLY can't get behind if I want to take any Major classes next semester, considering this is a pre-req to basically everything. 

On a side note, I finally made my first "craft"!  I was going to make the T-Shirt headband that I've been wanting to do ever since I came across the page, but I realized that they require either sewing or super glue, and I just wasn't feeling it today.  That'll be for another day.  So instead, I decided to make T-Shirt yarn instead!  I was honestly surprised at how relatively easy it was, and how well the final product turned out to be.  I'm not sure yet what I'll use it for, but I feel like there are so many possibilities.  I'm thinking my own version of the T-Shirt headband.  Not sure yet though...  Also, the yarn that I made is really white, so I was thinking to maybe vegetable dye?  I kindof wish I would have thought of doing that BEFORE I had made transformed the shirt into yarn though, because I think that way it could have had a really cool patchy tie-dye effect, whereas now I'm thinking it'll just be solid.  That's fine though- it's my first one, and really a trial run.  I'm excited about the fact that it's like three crafts in one!  Hopefully it'll turn out well and become something that I'll actually use.  And if all else fails, it'll have been a good upcycling trial experience, right?

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

 I've been wanting to bake these cookies for about 2 weeks now, and have slowly been accruing all the ingredients.  I finally decided to give it a shot yesterday, and I have to say, they turned out pretty good.  The best part about them is that they're relatively healthy, with no flour, sugar, butter, or eggs in the recipe.  This cookie, which I got from Sweet Make Me Smile is comprised of only good, wholesome ingredients, and as long as you get the right kind of chocolate chips, can even be vegan!

I have to be honest though.. When I first bit into the final product, I was a little disappointed.  I was expecting more of a crunchy granola kind of thing, but instead they tasted almost like one of those chewy granola bars with a hint of banana bread.  But once you get it out of your head that it's neither granola nor a typical cookie, it's actually quite good!  I was also thinking that maybe next time I'll try baking them flatter as opposed to round, to hopefully get a more consistently crunchy cookie.

Just for safe measures (in case the link above doesn't work), here are the ingredients and recipe.

      Ingredients:

• 3 large ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 and 1/2 cup)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 2/3 cup almond meal
• 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut, finely shredded
• 4 tablespoons sunflower seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup chocolate chip, more or less as you wish 

     

     Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Rack in the to third.
2. In a large bowl, combine -- mashed banana + vanilla extract + olive oil -- set aside.
3. In another bowl, whisk together -- oat + almond meal + shredded coconut + sunflower seeds + cinnamon + salt + baking powder  --
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Stir until combined. 
5. Fold in -- chocolate chips --
6. With a small ice cream scoop, scoop the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet, an inch apart.
7. Bake as long as you want, until nice golden brown, about 20 minutes. Depend on the size of cookies 

To-Do List

So here are some things I've planned on doing this summer...

1. I've been really into DIY crafts, as of lately, so I hope to upcycle some of my old clutter and make cool new things from it.
2. Declutter my life.  I am such a hoarder, and it's honestly getting to be a problem.  I'm starting to think that if I don't do something about it now, then I'll become the subject of the newest Hoarding: Buried Alive episode in about 10 years.  So this one's a biggie.
3. Garage Sale?  This one goes side-by-side with number 2.  I honestly don't know if the crap I have sitting around my house is worthy of a yard sale, but if I can make some money off of all the things I've accumulated over the years that I don't really use, then that'd be good.  Especially considering I'm currently unemployed.  ;)
4. Start a compost bin.  I've always respected composters, and have been telling myself for the last 3 years (atleast) that I would start a compost pile to reduce my waste.  So hopefully with all this time on my hands I can finally make it happen.\
5. Learn to make preserves, jams, and everything of the likes.  Pickling?  Sounds like a blast!  Basically anything and everything that involves canning..  It's gonna have to happen.
6. Tie-dye.  No summer is complete without a good dose of tiedying.  And since I'm in to all things natural rather than wierd chemicals, I'm thinking to try out some vegetable dyes.  Can anyone say beets?
7. Learn to cook.  All I have to say, is foodgawker, me and you will be best friends by the end of the summer.  Maybe some vegetarian cooking?  Ethnic cooking?  Oh, and watermelon rinds??  The opportunities are endless!
8. Start making more of my own personal hygiene products.  Ever since I stopped using shampoo/conditioner about a year ago, I've been thinking about doing the same with other products too.  I definitely want to learn how to make soap, and would also love to make my own deodorant, and maybe even toothpaste out of normal household products rather than crazy hormone-mutating-and--hard-to-pronounce chemicals.
9. Revive my cactus collection that are starting to wither away.  Because apparently, it IS possible to kill cacti.  Who knew?
10. Work out.  Alot.  As in running or gym everyday.  I should start shaping up for that Thanksgiving Half Marathon that I may or may not be doing.  Haha.
11. And lastly but kinda sorta most importantly, there's that online class I'm taking.  Yep..  Can't forget that one... 

Only the Beginning...

So...  My summer has had a somewhat rough start.  Let's just say it began with a bang.  Literally.  First day of summer.. just out of school.. coming home from Maymester.. and BAM I smash into a road sign, fly over the median, and completely demolish my car.  Awesome!  I rock.  Couldn't this have happened two months from now when I'll be back in a city small enough to walk almost everywhere and ride the semi-reliable (and more importantly, free) public transportation everywhere else?  Apparently not.  Now I'm stuck in the suburbs for what seems like forever with no car, no job, and probably no money once I pay for my ticket and all the repairs.  I guess life just isn't on my side.  Well, I guess I can kiss my awesome summer goodbye.

But wait...  Who says I can't have fun albeit in relative isolation?  I'll be damned if I let this one misfortune get in the way of having an exciting and productive summer! So I've decided to channel my energies into something constructive.. maybe even grow as a person.  This will serve as documentation of the summer that I made the best out of, despite less-than-ideal circumstances.  I just hope that in 50 days or so, as my summer winds down and I head back to school that I can look back at this blog with pride and know I may not have walked the Great Wall or gone skiing in the Alps, but I did in fact do some pretty cool things and made good use of my time.