"My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I have finished 2 bags of M&M's and a chocolate cake. I feel better already." - Dave Berry
I have been dragging my feet and limping along to the end of this semester of teaching. At some point during this trek, I must have put my head down - - because today I looked up and (voila!) school's over! This realization hit me from out of nowhere. I have three more yoga classes to teach, a handful of rehearsals to attend, and I'm done! Part of me is getting antsy...what am I going to do? How will I spend my days? Then I realize that this antsy voice in my head is the by-product of being so stressed and busy. As soon as I tell it to shut up, I see that I can spend the next few weeks napping, cooking, reading, playing videos (yes, it's true!), watching movies, and hanging out with my family. This glorious break is one of the reasons I so enjoy teaching at IU. Who else - besides teachers - gets such a long break at this wonderful time of year?
I've been no slouch with my time off (haha). So far, I've cooked a spicy lentil stew and some bitchtastic brownies (see below), read half a fun, fluffy book by Sophie Kinsella, and played quite a few levels on a sci-fi, shoot 'em up Wii game. I could see myself getting used to days like these.
I am contemplating the idea of attending a yoga class at the university in a few hours, but the idea of sweatpants, more brownies, and some kittie love (I have one perched on my computer as we speak) is very tempting.
Here's what I'm eating today ;)
Spicy Lentil Stew
I created this recipe last night in the midst of an almost blizzard. The weather was too awful to go out and I felt bad at the idea of calling in delivery (not even delivery guys should have to drive in that stuff!). I had all this ingredients in my house and decided to throw them together and see what happened. It was really good. The thick - dare I say "meaty" - texture was perfect for a really cold, nasty evening.
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 zucchini, chopped into half moons
- 1 carrot, chopped into half moons
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1.5 cups vegetable broth
- 3 cups Spicy V8 juice
- 1/2 cup lentils
- 2/3 cup soy beef crumbles (I like Yves brand)
- 1/4 cup hot sauce, or more/less to taste
- salt and pepper
Heat the oil in a medium stockpot and add the onions. Cook over medium heat for about five minutes, until translucent. Add the carrot and zucchini and continue to cook for another five to seven minutes, until the carrots are almost tender. Toss in the garlic and cook for another minute or so, stirring everything around.
Add the beef crumbles and mix thoroughly with a spoon, breaking up any large pieces of "meat." Add the V8 juice, vegetable broth, lentils, and hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper, cover, and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes...until the lentils are fully cooked and even perhaps splitting open a bit. serves 3-4
Bitchtastic Brownies
The Skinny Bitches - Kim Barnouin and Rory Freedman - are responsible for the original version of this recipe (and its vulgar title!). These are, hands down, the best vegan brownies ever. The tops of the brownies crinkle and get slightly crunchy, but the middle stays moist. The whole thing comes together in just a few minutes and it's oh so amazing. I made it slightly less caloric by using Splenda in place of some regular sugar, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand.
- 1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips
- 1 cup Splenda
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup silken tofu, drained
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- pinch salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. For easy clean-up, line an 8x8 inch baking pan with tin foil or parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray.
In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips - in 30 second intervals - until melted, stirring all the while. Combine the melted chips, Splenda, sugar, tofu, and oil in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the flour, cocoa powder, and salt and pulse into the wet ingredients - - just until everything is combined.
Transfer the mixture to the baking pan and evenly spread the batter. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the center looks firm. You want these to stay slightly gooey. Let cool and then enjoy...or, as the Skinny bitches say, "Eat 'em while they're hot and burn your friggin' mouths off." makes 9 or 12 brownies
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