Stuffed Delicata Squash

Yesterday was such an amazing day....I had the day off!  On my way to yoga I went to the Copley Square Farmers Market and found myself at the Sienna Farms Tent.  (Owned along with Oleana and Sofra- my absolute favorite restaurant in MA) I ate at Oleana with T last week to celebrate by passing of the bar and was really inspired by all their amazing spices.  Well, I later learned that their spices are so sought out that they actually sell them at Sofra and the Sienna Farms Tent.  So I treated myself to a four pack.  I also picked up some "imperfect" brussel sprouts, a sugar pumpkin, watermelon radishes, and the most delicate baby bok choy I have ever seen in my life.  After yoga I had plans to cook lunch for Goldie and Lauren.  I was recently given a recipe for stuffed delicate squash from my friend Holly and have been wanting to test it out.  I also wanted to incorporate my new spices! So I followed the original recipe from Holly but added dukkah to the stuffing. Dukkah is an Egyptian spice and nut mix made with sesame, hazelnuts, coriander, cumin, and coconut. (Amazing!) The dish turned out spectacular.  Every once in a while I will just make up a recipe and fail...this time I hit it out of the park.  I cannot wait to make this for my dad during Christmas!

Stuffed Delicate Squash
Ingredients
2 small/medium delicata squash
1/2 cup red quinoa
1 cup garbanzo beans- dried (substitute a can of garbanzos if  you have less time)
1 cup chopped kale
1/2 cup diced zuchinni
1/2 red onion diced
2 cloves garlic
2 tbs earth balance
sea salt
dukkah (this can be homemade or bought from Sofra)

Method
Soak the garbanzos over night in a bowl with a 2:1 ratio of water and beans.  The beans soak up the water so you want to make sure there is plenty of water.  Add a dash of salt to the water to keep the skins intact. Let soak for at least 8 hours.  I cook my beans in a pressure cooker because it takes less time but you can also boil them.  Once cooked set aside.  Cook the quinoa according to the package, usually 2:1 ratio of water to grain.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut the squash in half and clean out the insides.  Place them face down in a glass baking dish with about a quarter inch of water.  Cook for 25-30 minutes.  Then flip them over and add a little salt and about 1/2 tsp earth balance butter to the inside of each squash half and continue to cook until tender, about 15-20 more minutes.

While the squash is cooking saute the garlic, onion, zuchinni, and kale until tender.  Mix the garbanzos, quinoa, and vegetable saute in a bowl.  Add two tsp dukkah to the stuffing mixture or how ever much you desire.

Once the squash is tender, pull the dish out and stuff the squash with the stuffing. Return to the oven to warm the stuffing, about 5-10 minutes.  Enjoy!

Its Official This Time....I'm Back

I finished the bar exam last Thursday evening....and I survived, though at times I questioned whether I would.  I have to admit that I am exhausted.  My body is in rough shape....I've gained a little weight and I ache...everywhere.  But the good news is that I get to focus on taking care of myself from here on out.  In fact, I have already started.  Friday morning the lovely Goldie Kaufenberg (my new favorite lady-to whom I have enormous gratitude for all her loving support during the bar exam) and I went to Caitlyn Graham's 10 AM Hip Hop Yoga...which was much amazing.  I am so grateful to be back on my mat!! Following yoga Goldie and I hit up the Sofra tent at the Copley Square Farmers Market.  If you haven't been yet, its a must go for lunch.  Sienna Farms produce and yummy Sofra treats, including salads, dips, and pastries will overwhelm you....everything there is amazing!!

 After lunch we went shopping.  Goldie found the most beautiful rug at Anthropologie, then, of course, we stopped by Lululemon and outfitted ourselves with some new threads. After shopping around for a few more hours we hit up Douzo for a light snack.....amazing as always!  After a little struggle getting the rug back to Goldies I went to sign the lease for Torin and I's new apartment!!! (Photos coming soon!)

Saturday was BLISS FEST Yoga and Music Festival in Millis, MA at Yoga at the Ashram.  Lauren Cherkes was so sweet to drive me out there for such an amazing afternoon of yoga, acupuncture, food and friends!!!  We were so lucky to have Goldie teach such a great class in the afternoon before heading back to Boston.

  

 After BLISS FEST, I met Torin for dinner at Andala in Cambridge for some Palestinian style Middle Eastern food and then headed to Forum on Boylston for Rachael Tirado's birthday bash with the girls!!!

Sunday was a much needed day by the pool with Goldie, Caitlyn and Jess!! We stopped by Whole Foods and picked up a picnic lunch then just relaxed all afternoon.

After our lovely afternoon I went home and cooked an amazing dinner....which I haven't done in a long time!!!!  I am headed to Colorado on Tuesday and wanted to use the last of my veggies. So.... I diced up some garlic, greek olives, thyme and basil and sauteed them with some earth balance butter.  I added diced onion, asparagus, and bok choy ribs. Last, I diced up an enormous heirloom tomato and sauteed it all down until it was soft.  I added a little mirin, SI sea salt, and pepper.  While this was cooking I baked a piece of sea bass with green onions and earth balance and made a pot of black rice.  It all came together amazingly!! Voila!

I'm Back- Kinda

Well its official....i have finished law school, my grades are in and its finally over.  I graduate this weekend.  Thus, the lack of posts over the last month was entirely due to the fact that I was taking my last semester's worth of finals, and for some crazy reason I decided to second chair a case at work too.  Therefore, I had no time to cook, let alone post.  Sorry.  Anyway, I have had an eventful month.  During finals I broke down and ordered a pizza from Figs on Charles Street one night. I had avoided Figs up to this point because they were always so packed and due to their layout it was rather inconvenient to order out from there...the line is always out the door and you cant really make it to the bar to get your to-go order without irritating the people waiting to be seated.  On this night I didn't care, it was late and I was starving and had a ton of studying to do before bed, so I ordered the roasted portobello pizza, with wild mushroom puree, roasted red onions and truffle oil, hold the fontina. It was to die for.  I am addicted.  The crust was super super thin, which I love and the flavor was amazing.  I have to admit I ordered it two more times during finals with friends because it was so good.

I also ordered to-go from 75 Chestnut one night.  They have an amazing Mediterranean Platter with red pepper hummus, tabouli, marinated olives and artichoke hearts. I ordered this with mixed greens and made a fabulous salad.







For Easter Sunday I made brunch.  I had a ton of studying to do still but found the time to make vegan waffles with fresh strawberry compote and toasted walnuts.  So good.

Half way through finals I attended my first "Supper Club" dinner put on by the amazing Marissa Dana and Kristen Grieshaber. It was at Oleana, by far my favorite restaurant in all of Boston. The dinner was a healthy tasting menu, vegan friendly, with a wine paring. The best part of this meal was the company.  Some of my most dear friends were there and it was a great evening to just relax a bit before another long day of trial and finals.  (Thanks for such a great evening guys, you really helped me forget about the real world, even if it was just for an evening) The warm olives, fatoush, and fideos are some of my favorite dishes Oleana.

Olives

Fideos

Fatoush

Me and Michael

Me and Raspberry and Kadri trying to be serious!

Unfortunately the end of finals does not mean I have my freedom yet.  I start bar review this week.  However, I do plan to get back to basics and start cooking again.  A solid eating schedule will be important for the structured summer of studying that I have ahead of me. So...my posts might be few and far between for the next ten weeks but I will make an effort to post the some good recipes. 

SATURDAY IN DALLAS- 4/16

This day was absolutely the best!!!!!  Even though I drank quite a bit than usual the day before, I made sure to take tons of alge before I went to bed to guarantee that I wouldn't be hungover.  And it worked like a charm, thanks to the Naughty Nurtitionist, who I get my alge from.  I was up by 7 am lounging in "Casa de Allie" reading Cooking Light and sipping tea. We had plans to catch a 10 am vinyasa class at Uptown Yoga...and that is exactly what we did.

Uptown Yoga is a classy little studio with some great teachers.  The studio is absolutely beautiful, with brick walls and large framed mirrors in the front of the room, it really had a welcoming feel.   Our instructor, Jennifer, did an amazing job of catering to an all levels class.  I always worry, when brining newbies to yoga, that the instructor will do a poor job of teaching for all levels.  Jennifer did the opposite, in fact she probably did the best job of accommodating all of her students I have seen in a long time.  And that says a lot because I go to a ton of yoga classed. Blake and JP's good friend Sam recommended the studio and actually joined us for class.  We plan to go back tomorrow!!  http://www.uptownyoga.com/



After yoga we hit up the Dream Cafe- this cute little place has gorgeous outdoor seating and we were even lucky enough to get a table directly in the sun.  Since we were still in sweaty yoga clothes the sun felt amazing!  Again this cafe can feed all your friends....even the picky vegan ones.  They offer an amazing southwestern tofu scramble, and can substitute tofu in any of their egg dishes.  They also offer soy cheese and meatless sausages!  Also, they have a to-die-for homemade granola with toasted pepitas.  Sam joined us for brunch and we literally talked food the entire meal...my most favorite conversation!  http://www.thedreamcafe.com/

After brunch we showered and set out to find Spiceman's FM 1410.  Located in the middle of seedy East Dallas this place is a highly understated gem in the rough!!!! I was in absolute heaven.  Although hard to find, this place is a must go for any foodie.  At first you feel like you are walking into a run-down side of the road country store but then you are reminded why you came here.  This place is filled with fresh organic vegetables and herbs.  There were bags of fresh rosemary, sacks of onions and carrots, boxes overflowing with okra, fava beans, and peas.  They had ramps, fiddle ferns, arugula, spinach, and almost anything else that is in season right now. They literally had every kind of mushroom I could conceive of then more.....even white truffles.  The best part is if you walk out the back door you are transported to their amazing garden.  Thats right...right there in the middle of Dallas this little place has an amazing well kept garden with plots full of veggies, and herbs including mint and chives and dill and lettuces!!!! I just about passed out with joy!  They kept all their gardening tools in recycled cowboy boots nailed to beams which I thought was so fitting!  They also had buckets of cow manure for fertilizer...so cool.  Yes... I just got excited about cow poop.  To top it all off we got an unbelievable amount of veggies for $40....thats right- this even included a half ounce of white truffles.

After our visit to Spiceman's we hit the local community garden next door for some herbs. Blake picked up some cilantro, chives, Thai basil and Italian basil.  To show my gratitude I promised her that I would pot it for her once we got home so that she could start a little herb garden of her own!












Last, we went to Jimmy's Food Store right down the block for some wine and fresh lamb chops for Blake and JP to have after I depart.

My sincerest thank you to Blake and JP for making this such a special day for me....if anyone really knows me its you!  I love you so much and cherish our friendship so much.

Best Eats in Playa Guiones

1. The Rising Sun: this place will feed vegans and a carnivores...so its convenient if you are traveling with a carnivore.  They have some of the best food in all of Playa Guiones and is a must visit if you make it there! For my first visit I tried the dragon bowl with quinoa, which was the perfect lunch.  It was light and filled with veggies and the mushroom sauce was so good, just what I needed after a great surf session. For my second visit I tried the yogi, which is their veggie burger, upon the recommendation of Spencer.  This was such a hearty meal, I was so full afterward.  The salad it comes with was amazing, packed with toppings! (My carnivore travel companion had the burger, and said it was one of the best he had ever had!) Also they have a pool that you can lounge around in after you eat!

2. The Harmony Hotel- Restaurant and Juice Bar: we went to The Harmony one afternoon for lunch after some serious surfing and yoga, so needless to say we were hungry!!!!!  We decided to eat in the restaurant because there were more options.  I ordered the falafel pita and substituted the yogurt for black bean hummus- it was spectacular.  I also had a hearts of palm salad (hold the feta), which was fabulous as well. The meals were big, which was perfect because we were so hungry.  The Harmony also has a fabulous juice bar.  I ordered a blackberry juice with fresh basil....yummmm.  We also tried a watermelon juice with ginger and lime, so good.  You can also get great vegan pastries at the juice bar.

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3. La Dolce Vita: just past the Nosara Yoga Institute outside town you will find this amazing Italian restaurant. This place is perfect if you are looking for a romantic dinner spot, or just an exquisite meal with a bunch of friends, like we did, not once but twice during our time there. This is authentic Italian, and the majority of the ingredients are imported from Italy!!!  The first night I had the fettucini  with the diablo sauce and the spinach salad.  The diablo sauce was amazing, definitely not so spicy that it ruined the meal, it was perfect.  They also serve this amazing flat bread with optional minced garlic in oil.....oh so good. The second time we went there I got the taglitelle with porcini mushrooms and truffle oil. Que buenisimo. Also, if you order wine by the glass, they give you these huge goblet glasses and fill them to the top!

4. Rosies Soda Tica: this little place is run by three women and was really good.  They only serve breakfast and lunch.  We went for lunch our second day and I had the black bean soup, but it was more of a vegetable soup with a black bean broth, which was fabulous.  And it came with a side of rice. This place is super cheap and the food has a very home-cooked feel. I have also heard that they have the best banana pancakes in the area. So I would suggest this place for a casual, cheap meal. (I entirely plan to recreate the black bean soup!!!!)

I have to admit, my restaurant choices were entirely influenced by locals who thought these places had great vegan options, which means I did not try all the restaurants in Playa Guiones.  There are likely many other vegan worth restaurants, thus I'm already planning my return trip in May!!!

Yoga- Playa Guiones, Nosara, Costa Rica

I fell completely in love with Plays Guiones during my last vacation to Costa Rica.  This place is a yoga mecca and a surfing hot spot.  I managed to make at least one class, if not two, every day I was there.  If you make it down to this wonderful place check out these studios and instructors:


1. The Yoga House

 

This amazing little studio was a little hard to find, but my good friends Jeff and Karla made sure I knew where it was because it is one of their favorite places to go. If you are on the main road in Playa Guiones, headed toward the beach, take a left at the mini market just past the bank and Surfing Nosara.  Go down that road until you see a break in the hedge and you will find The Yoga House. My favorite instructor was Monica. She had such great energy and knew how to tailor the class perfectly to your needs.  They offer an amazing surfer's yoga daily and plenty of flow. There is an indoor studio with air conditioning and outdoor studio. The indoor studio was so nice on hot days!!! The Yoga House is located right in town and is super easy to get to. 

2. The Nosara Yoga Institute

This studio is world-renowned.  Their daily classes are offered in their "tree tops pavilion" studio, which is breath taking.  Although it is outdoors it is high enough up that the entire studio catches the breeze off the ocean cooling the space to a very comfortable temperature.  This institute is a short walk to the edge of town, I rode my bike when I went, but there were some intense uphill spots.  I took yin and flow yoga here and loved both of them.  Young Joo and Amber were my favorite teachers. Both put on great classes, but if you are looking to sweat hit up one of Amber's flow classes.  It was amazing, with lots of adjustments.  

Waterville Valley Review

Last weekend I was fortunate enough to get to ski Waterville Valley for my first time.  Waterville is located in NH about 2-3 hours from Boston.  While the mountain is relatively small there are a ton of great things about this mountain.  First, they have cubbies. I always pack a lunch and hate having to carry it in a backpack all day.  The cubbies at Waterville are big and free, my favorite kind.  Second, unlike lots of west coast resorts they opened the mogul course to the public while they were not training.  I love perfect moguls and got some serious practice in on Saturday.  They also have tons of terrain parks.  A small mountain can be so much fun with the right amount of jumps, boxes, and rails- I also got some needed practice in at the park. Oh, and they have amazing lift line organization.  If you leave people to figure it out on their own life lines can become a disaster, however when you have a person telling you where to go and when the life line is incredibly quick.  Last, they gave out vouchers for free hot chocolate and coffee...anywhere on the mountain.  So we went to the Schwendi Hutte!!!! It was awesome- lots of vintage ski memorabilia and tons of great snacks.....including grogs (alcoholic beverages)!!!  So even though I skied the same trails all day this place gets a return rating from this seasoned west coast skier!!!

My favorite run...True Grit!

Quadzilla....sweet!

Hutte.....note "grogs"!!!!!