Did my own photoshoot of the fab job the stylist did on my hair for my boyfriend’s sisters wedding in New Orleans. 

My cats battling to the ever romantic tune of Brokeback Mountain. 

Lately, I have really been trying to eat better among other life improvements. This means only ordering in food in extreme circumstances. As a way to make things more interesting in my culinary adventures, my boyfriend and I have been trying out a lot of vegan recipes  We are far from actually being vegan, but we do like the idea of exploring some foods that actually service your body instead of making it feel like crap. 

Another time I really like about this new food phase is how into it my boyfriend is. The same guy that only one year ago was attempting to bread and deep fry a pita with bagel bites all over it and not knowing how to use a kitchen knife is now chopping/blending/processing fresh veggies, soy chorizo, tofurkey sausage, tempeh and all kinds of other fun stuff to make great meals. I think he lies it because you get to just mix and match a bunch of random things into one big mash of deliciousness. So vegan cooking has been very well received by him and he notices the difference as well that we just feel better in general not eating anything that is premade and loaded up with preservatives and all kinds of other unknowns. Everything we eat was freshly made from ingredients as close as possible to the source. 

We still eat meat and dairy occasionally as of right now, but the intake of both has been majorly lowered. 

With the help of some friends, we got together a basic list of things we needed so we could rage at Trader Joes: Lots of fresh produce (mushrooms, kale, spinach, arugla, eggplant, squash, zucchini, TONS of onion, peppers). When i want something sweet, I have some fresh berries. Lots and lots of tomatoes and garlic, too. We also got lots of beans — mostly of the black, garbanzo and lentil variety. Red roasted peppers and sundried tomatoes were a must because they make everything taste better. Our collection of tomato paste looks like a shelf in a grocery store. Then of course quinoa and cous cous. Almonds. High fiber grains. And tempeh. Tons and tons of tempeh. We are also working on building up our spice collection.

My current favorite is smoked paprika and Colin seems to want to add curry to absolutely everything. Also, I fell in love with the V Spot (tru their buffalo “chicken” wings!) and Vegetarian Palate in Brooklyn as well as cafe Blosson in the West Village in Manhattan (a little more pricey but so many creative dishes!). My favorite thing to cook is buffalo wings made with tempeh. I have also been making Smitten Kitchen’s chickpeas with spinach almost every other week because I’m so obsessed with how good it is, however, I made that and buffalo tempeh bites for my family for Easter and neither were very well received. Next time I am visiting my family, I’ll have to think of something else that’s less unusual for them. 

I am seriously excited for spring to come. I am not a fan of the winter whatsoever and I could really use some daylight and time outdoors. One of the very few things that is tolerable about the winter days is the excuse to indulge in some good old fashioned comfort food. The other day I was in the mood to undertake a delicious project: and it was so. I found this awesome recipe on Serious Eats for a creamy lasagna with mushrooms and spinach (and a lot of cheese and heavy cream as well). Not much longer can I justify  making something this gluttonous as I will soon have to trade in my sweatshirts for tank tops and super stretchy and cozy yoga pants for shorts/skirts, but I’ll sneak in a few more opportunities here and there when I come across a great recipe. I made it with a potato fritatta to add some brunch-eyness to the mix and served with coffee and, of course, minosas.