You go from a girlfriend to a fiancee.

Yep, this gorgeous guy will make me the luckiest lady in the world in a month! Here we are overlooking the place where we’re getting married. Oh my goodness!

I had high hopes for 2012; now they are soaring even farther than I could have imagined.

Food posts to resume tomorrow.

Delicious vegan pizza on a whole wheat crust. I asked for crust recipes last week and gave one submitted by my fellow former Scrippsie Jessie a whirl. Here’s her recipe, and below are my modifications:

• I used one cup of unbleached white flour and one cup of whole wheat
• I used a Fleischmann’s yeast packet, which has slightly more than two teaspoons
• The seasoning was oregano and thyme only
• I reduced the olive oil to 1 tablespoon
• I subbed two pinches of raw sugar for the honey (and mixed it with the dry instead of the wet)

The tweaks sound like a lot more than they really were. We followed the instructions to a T, except that I “rolled” the dough out by hand since I don’t own a rolling pin. It was actually really fun, but obviously it resulted in oddly shaped pizzas. The dough came together super quickly and tasted incredible. Seriously. I can see spicing it up differently and using it like a flatbread with all kinds of toppings: hummus, refried beans, pesto pizza, etc. If you’ve never worked with yeast before, I highly recommend this recipe. It was foolproof, even with the small changes I made. Thanks so much, Jessie!

We decided to whip up a homemade sauce to go with it. This is more of a method than a recipe, since most of the measuring was to taste, but I’ll share anyway.

Roasted Tomato Sauce

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• Two drizzles of olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2-6 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly (depending on your preferences)
• Dash (maybe 1/4 cup) dry red wine, optional
• Pinch of salt
• Dried oregano
• Crushed red pepper

Preheat oven to 400° F. Wash and dry the tomatoes, then place them in a small baking dish (not a cookie sheet — use something with sides) and drizzle on a little olive oil. Toss to coat, and stick ‘em in the oven until they get soft and start to shrivel. It’ll take 10-15 minutes, or longer if you like ‘em thoroughly roasted.

Heat the other drizzle of olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic with a pinch of salt, and saute until they soften. Add the tomatoes as well as the juices they released in the baking dish. Use your stirring implement to mash the tomatoes and stir it all together so it becomes saucy. Add the wine, if using. I only threw some in because we were drinking an old-vine Zinfandel. Now add the oregano and crushed red pepper to taste. Stir and reduce the heat to low while you finish preparing the rest of your pizza ingredients. If you like your sauce pureed, feel free to throw it in the blender or use an immersion blender.

It was a really tasty and easy sauce. It’s a little oniony, though, so if that’s not your thing, feel free to use less. I’m pro-onion myself. Same goes with the garlic. I may have used more than six cloves honestly, but I do have a love affair with the stuff. The recipe made the perfect amount for two people, plus a little extra for today’s lunch, which I’ll talk about below.

We each had our own incredibly delicious, filling pizza topped with the sauce, fresh cremini mushrooms from the farmers market, artichoke hearts (from a can, but packed in water), and caramelized onion (thanks for the suggestion, Lynn!). These totally made the pizzas!). His also had mozzarella cheese, but I went with a healthy sprinkle of nooch. These were a meal in themselves, and I can’t wait to make them again!

Ways to reduce the fat from this meal:

• I will use less oil in the pizza dough next time. The result wasn’t oily-tasting at all, but I think I could get away with a teaspoon.
• Tossing the tomatoes with oil before throwing them in the oven wasn’t necessary. I was worried about them sticking, but a shot of cooking spray would have done the trick.
• I might even try sweating out the onions and garlic in a little broth next time.

The best part about making pizza for dinner last night is today’s experimental lunch. I set aside a small amount of the dough and some toppings to throw together a calzone of sorts.

Yes, very rustic. I didn’t pre-bake the dough like I did for the pizzas. Instead, I just piled sauce, veggies, nutritional yeast, and crushed red pepper in the middle of the dough, folded it, and coaxed the edges together. I baked it for about 15 minutes by accident (did I mention the old-vine Zin?), but it survived the cooking time admirably. Today, I reheated it for 1:30 in the microwave, and it was delicious! It didn’t get mushy or anything. The flavors had time to meld and mingle overnight, and it was really a mid-day delight. I served it up with some farmers-market lettuce topped with salad dressing (TJ’s balsamic vinaigrette) stolen from the work kitchen again.

Delicious and a lot more exciting than yesterday’s PB sammie.

Last week, I made a really awesome wrap:

And clearly, I almost ate it entirely before I remembered to snap a pic.

It was a tofu-cilantro spread with broiled zucchini. So good! The tofu recipe was from Student’s Go Vegan Cookbook, but I don’t have a blender yet (tear), so it was modified from a dip to a chunky filling. Essentially you just mash 1/3 of a block of silken tofu with a bunch of cilantro, garlic, lime juice, optional olive oil, salt and pepper. I bet it’s yummy pureed, but I thought it was great this way, too, and I’m not normally a silken tofu enthusiast. The zucchini was very simple: cut into thin spears, toss with a little olive oil and salt and pepper, and broil on a cookie sheet until it browns. I flipped halfway through, and it took about 10 minutes. Delicious!

Yesterday, I bought a sammie from The Curious Palate. I’d show it to you, but my memory card is suddenly not working and I’m too angry to troubleshoot. Here’s someone else’s photo, though:

(from Kristie Manning.)

It was the Florentine minus olives: “goat cheese, baby artichokes, roasted tomatoes, spinach, avocado & Moroccan olives on 5-grain w/ balsamic vinaigrette.” It’s a truly delicious sandwich.

It comes with a quinoa salad that I never eat because it contains either olives or raisins and a housemade pickle. I ate half of it, despite my general pickle dislike, but it was too salty. I also enjoyed OJ that was freshly squeezed and delicious. I haven’t been getting enough fruit in my diet lately.

Today’s lunch is a little sad: Peanut butter on bread. Yep. It’s tasty but not exactly mind-blowing. However, two lunches out during the week is definitely a spending limit for me, so expect something similar tomorrow. On the side I had a “salad” of organic romaine (that I washed in the bathroom sink) and miso dressing (that I stole from a co-worker — sorry!). No pic because my phone’s acting cray cray. Also, it was the lamest lunch ever. I ate each piece of bread separately to slow down my normal eating speed.

Tonight, though, I’m making homemade pizza! Vegan for me; vegetarian for him. I can’t wait!

Are you in a food rut? What’s your poison?

Those are the easy answers, and they’re true, but they’re far from the only reasons. There are others that are deeper and far more difficult to chat about on a coffee break. I call these the reasons behind the reasons. Want an example?

When I was 19, my stepmother died, leaving my brother and sister — then 8 and 5, respectively — without a mommy. She was in her 40s. It wasn’t a freak accident involving a bus; it wasn’t a stray bullet from a robbery; it was cancer — lung cancer — something she could have prevented if she’d chosen not to smoke.

My stepmother, Kate, and I were friendly, though our relationship was far from perfect. She married my dad two years after my parents’ divorce. Honestly, though my parents’ marriage dissolved when it did partly because of her, I never resented Kate. I fully believe my mom and dad would have split at another time because they just weren’t happy; she was only a catalyst for the timing. Even at 9, when it felt like my world was ending, I didn’t blame her. I liked her. Our relationship only became strained when my dad’s child support payments put stress on their budget. I know she didn’t mean to make me feel bad, but I was an observant kid, and I knew what was happening. Still, it was an obligation that he had, and she knew that. She was the adult. There were a couple of difficult years, but I knew we were friends. She was a cool, smart, interesting lady, and I was glad my dad was happy.

When she brought my brother and sister — who, as you can tell now, are actually my half-siblings, but I never think of them as anything less than fully mine — into the world, I was ecstatic. I always wanted siblings, and I’ve never stopped being grateful for them a day in my life.

But Kate — like both of my parents — was a smoker. She smoked during her pregnancies, and she smoked in the home when they were growing up. Though I was raised with a mother and father who smoked everywhere and a lot, I never liked the smell of the stuff, and I always knew I’d never take up tobacco myself.

I went off to college two weeks before my 18th birthday. My dad forgot to call me that day, and I was angry. I was 1,400 miles from home and had just spent the most monumental birthday of my life surrounded by people I didn’t know and without a phone call from one of my parents. I called the next day to rip into him, tell him how hurt I was, but I was stopped in my fury by his news that Kate had been diagnosed with small cell carcinoma. Cancer. In her lungs. They were optimistic about treatments, but it was going to be a tough fight. It was one of the worst phone calls of my life.

Over the next six months, she underwent treatments. She was allergic to the chemo drugs, so they gave her huge injections of Benadryl as well, which caused her to be tired all the time. My siblings were 6 and 3 when it all started. The doctors declared that all the cancer was gone, with the disclaimer that it could recur. And it did, maybe a year later. It was in her brain and on her spine this time. She started treatments again, and almost simultaneously, my dad’s best friend was diagnosed, too. In April, he lost his short, awful battle. Six weeks later, on June 4, 2004, Kate finally gave into hers. The tumor on her spine was too large, and it collapsed her cervical vertebra. It was unexpected.

The suffering was over for her, but that day began a long, painful period for my family. Though I still have my mother — and I’m grateful every day for her — it was such a terrible loss for me, and truthfully, I had no idea how to grieve. My father was destroyed. She was the love of his life, and he had watched her die. He had instantly become a single parent to my tiny siblings, my brother who could never really articulate what he was going through, and my sister who was clearly showing signs of autism. I was sad for what I lost, but equally sad for the three people I loved so much. Even more, I was angry — beyond angry. How could she do something so selfish to her children, two small, helpless creatures that needed her? I talked about transferring to a local university so I could be there for my family. I battled the worst bout of depression of my life all the while feeling guilty for not being stronger for them. Again, I was 19.

We all process pain in different ways. Some of us are practical; some are emotional. I’m definitely the latter. My depression included a lot of disordered eating, which I’ve discussed here before, in addition to other psychologically harmful behaviors. Basically, I didn’t treat myself well. I know now that I was trying to make sure I didn’t stop suffering. It was an ugly spiral.

I didn’t fully recover from the cycle until after college. There wasn’t an Aha! moment or anything like that. It was a process. It was me learning to like who I am and respect the journey that had created me. It was also research on nutrition and health that slowly sank in. I finally realized that the combination of anger and sadness I felt would never fully disappear, but there was something I could do: I could prevent my siblings from going through the same thing again.

I am not their mother. I never try to replace their mother. In some ways, I’m something better than that. I’m their big sister. I’m not there when they misbehave, and I never have to punish them. I love them unconditionally, and they know that. Our entire relationship is built around being happy together and having fun. They look up to me, and I look out for them. I would do absolutely anything in the entire world for them, and they know that.

So when I think about making unhealthy choices, I think about Kate and her legacy. I think about how, despite the fact that she was a funny, fascinating person, she was also flawed in a way that took her from us far too early. I think about preventing cancer and other diseases that will kill me before my time. I think of my brother and sister, their beautiful faces, and how important we are to each other. And now that I’m nearing the years of childbearing, I think of my future children, how I want to be nothing less than always there for them. In a just world, we all outlive our parents, but my responsibility is to be there for them for as long as I can.

For me, life is the reason behind the reason.

Today I feel so much better, and it’s a good thing because I’m back at the office. Work work work. I didn’t get lunches for the week made last night because of how craptastic I felt, so I allowed myself a trip to Rainbow:

An apple-cucumber-ginger juice and a salad bar run. My concoction included spring mix, artichoke hearts, red pepper strips, shredded carrots and beets, a little eggless salad (vegan, made with tofu), avocado, mushrooms, Follow Your Heart Vegan Lemon Herb dressing, and raw sunflower seeds. I’m officially in love with the juice combo and am now in “need” of a juicer. I also adored the salad, as always. I love shredded raw beets but am way too lazy to do them myself.

I had to photograph it in the car because I knew the juice wouldn’t last the drive back to work! Also, proof that I should never be allowed to wear nail polish.

I had a snack at 2 p.m. of tea and chocolate:

My favorite bar ON SALE! Except I only had a little:

For the record, I only put the chocolate on my cup like that for the photo. However, the warm tea slightly melted the chocolate, which was awesome. I’m sure other people like to hold wrapped chocolate in their hot hands before eating them, right?

Dinner will be another salad with avocado and mushrooms, but I promise it will be a creation unto its own.

Goals

I’ve really been working hard to attack all the goals I lined up for myself and, almost more importantly, the things I admitted to putting off. Aside from the ones I’ve already mentioned, here’s some more points of progress:

• Something involving my car that I’m afraid to post until it’s actually done for fear the man might come bitchslap me. I made an appointment with the DMV for Friday so I can cross this one off my list — and stop driving in fear.
• Be a better friend/Call a friend just to chat. I chatted on the phone with my dear friend who is recovering from a major health scare. She called me, but it to return a call I’d originally placed to her. I’m so glad to hear that she’s doing well. She’s seriously the strongest, smartest woman I’ve ever met.
• Clear my name at the library. I paid them off, dammit, and just in time to pick up my copy of Mama Pea‘s cookbook! I’m so excited!

How’s your week starting off? Did you have Monday off?

We decided to try a place we’ve been talking about checking out for a while now but never have: Cat & Fiddle. It’s super-cute:

As was the company.

It was the 14th of January in Hollywood, so naturally the weather was perfect for eating in the courtyard. Their brunch menu is fun and varied, featuring foods from “around the world,” namely Europe and Mexico. The thing that really drew me to the place, though, was the full English breakfast with a vegetarian option. I couldn’t resist:

Sourdough toast, Heinz beans, sauteed mushrooms, grilled tomato, two poached eggs, and “chips.” I handed the tomato off to Mr. X, drizzled some hot sauce into the beans, and doused the chips in malt vinegar. I also had a mimosa on the side, which I didn’t think to photograph. In all, it was prepared well and was a ton of fun, but it was only ok . . . as a full English breakfast always is to my taste buds. The poached eggs were lovely, the toast was tasty, and I loved the vinegar-y chips. The beans just are never much to write home about, honestly, and I don’t at all fault Cat & Fiddle for that. The service was spectacular — seriously, maybe the best I’ve had in LA — and the view was just perfect. We decided to split a dessert, it being an occasion and all:

Apple crumble with pumpkin pie ice cream. The crumble was good — though I had to dodge raisins, ack! — but the ice cream was divine. Pumpkin remains one of my top five favorite ice cream flavors.

It was a perfect start to a day that later included watching football at a sports bar, eating an unphotographed dinner at Off Vine (so good!), and catching the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (preferred the original, though this one was good, too). I’m such a lucky lady to have found such a great guy, and though we didn’t have a normal dinner-and-gift-exchange celebration, I wouldn’t trade Saturday for the world.

I then made my way to the market. The sky was overcast, so I’ll save a photo tour for a sunnier day. I did, however, see this dude:

Monster violinist, natch.

Here’s this week’s haul (minus a head of lettuce that I somehow forgot to photograph):

• A dozen cruelty-free eggs — $4.50
• 3.5 lbs (most not pictured) blood oranges — $6
• A pint of cremini mushrooms — $5
• One pomegranate — $1
• Loaf of bread — $4.50
• Unpictured lettuce — $1.50
• TOTAL: $22.50

These blood oranges are insane. I think they  changed Mr. X’s life. The mushrooms are destined to become toppings for the pizzas I mentioned planning to make this week.

Here are my goals for the rest of my Monday off:

• Pick out classes to try out at the Y this week
• Clean the kitchen
• Research how to stain our dresser
• Get started on laundry

What’s your favorite food discovery lately? I was overjoyed to find these juicy, tart/sweet blood oranges right before Christmas. I used to eat them like crazy in Italy but never found any that approximated their deliciousness in Oklahoma. These locally grown beauties have been a welcome find.

Three plays.

Two cities.

Thousands of texts.

A million reasons why it shouldn’t work.

But it does.

Thank you for loving me.

I had planned to make taco salad for my lunches and barley mushroom soup for dinners, but X decided he really wanted the salad, so I switched ‘em. Because I’m trying to save money on my grocery bill, I decided to use quinoa instead of barley because I already had some in the house. I also subbed green split peas for another type of bean to eliminate soaking and pre-cooking time. I also cooked the whole thing in my slow cooker, which was an excellent choice. The result was earthy and surprisingly filling. I will add a picture when my memory card stops misbehaving.

Quinoa Mushroom Soup

• 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 3/4 cup green split peas, rinsed and picked over
• 1 container shiitake mushrooms
• 2 ribs of celery, chopped
• 3 medium carrots, chopped
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, plus more to taste
• 1/2 to a whole bunch of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse what needs to be rinsed, and chop what needs to be chopped. Throw everything but the salt, pepper, and parsley into the slow cooker with five cups of water. Set it on high for about three hours, or until the split peas have softened. Add the parsley and reduce to low for as long as you like. I did about three hours. Add salt and pepper (and more thyme, if desired) to taste and serve.

Makes 100,000 6 servings.

The soup is warm, thick, comforting, and incredibly healthy. Notice that there is no fat at all. You could add tomato paste or other veggies, but I loved how basic and satisfying it was with just the thyme and delicate veggie flavors shining through. Feel free to make it on the stove. I would guess that you should simmer it for about an hour. Serve it and savor the homey, happy taste.

Taco salad isn’t sexy or fancy or ground-breaking, but it is delicious and healthful, when prepared lovingly. And if you have cooked beans on hand, it qualifies as a quick and tasty meal suggestion!

Here’s our variation on Taco Salad this week:

• 1 bag of organic greens (the crunchier, the better, but we used baby romaine this time), squeaky clean and dry
• 3 cups cooked pinto beans, warmed and tossed with spices (cumin and chili powder) – optional
• 1 large or 2 small avocados, sliced
• 1 jar prepared salsa (anything low in sugar, sodium and salt — I’m in love with Trader Joe’s garlic chipotle salsa)
• 1/2 a bunch green onions, washed and sliced
• Baked tortilla chips*

Just layer everything in order (or your preference) in a large bowl. Toss and enjoy! Serves 4.

Basic but delicious. In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll note that X topped his salad with low-fat sour cream, but mine remained dairy-free. I made the pinto beans from scratch — actually, Mr. X did! And the kitchen didn’t catch on fire! I’m so proud. I also baked the tortilla chips myself using an incredibly simple method. You just preheat the oven to about 375, cut tortillas (I use whole wheat from Trader Joe’s) into 1/8ths, lightly toss with olive oil and sprinkle with salt (and optional cumin and/or chili powder), and bake for a little under 10 minutes. I like to flip mine after a few minutes, but I think it’s unnecessary. I’m just paranoid of burning the chips, having done so on several occasions in the past.

It was lurve — healthy, spicy, beany love. Mr. X revealed to me this weekend that he loves salads, just not basic lettuce-tomato-dressing ones, so expect more slightly jazzed-up versions in the coming weeks.

On a slightly related subject, I’m aching to try making pizza next week, so I was hoping some of you might have homemade dough recipes to share. I prefer it to contain some whole wheat, and it cannot require a food processor or mixer, as I’m totally technology-less in the kitchen still. I’ll keep Googling, but a tried-and-true recipe from a reader would be great!