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zoe & the beatles

“just a twenty-something vegan navigating healthy, positive living with a little help from her friends john, paul, ringo & george!”

Category Archives: indian food

January 10, 2011 kitchen time!

lately i’ve been putting more of an effort into creating in the kitchen. i love it so much but i’m usually so hungry and impatient by the time i need to start cooking dinner i either opt for something quick (and therefore too boring to present to you all) or i go out (blaming this on k :)).

the other day, however, i buckled down and decided to make curry, a food i love with all my heart and soul and usually only eat when eating out.

k came over and we picked out a recipe and got to cooking! thank you my cozy kitchen for the basis and inspiration for our first attempt at curry!

we basically stuck to the recipe but subbed the potatoes for tofu and added peas and spinach for more veggie bulk! k is not a vegan/vegetarian but he is also not a very picky eater and loves all the vegan and vegetarian foods i’ve introduced to him thus far. sounds like a winner, no? 😉

anywho, it turned out just all right. i wouldn’t say it was as flavorful as curries we’ve tried in our favorite indian and thai restaurants. but it was good! and nicely spicy. spicy foods = absolutelymyfavorite. if anything can be made spicy, i usually will make it spicy 🙂

left oveeeerrrrsss! i know it looks kind of gross, but it’s pretty tasty! especially after chilling out in the fridge for a second. all the flavors meld together well 🙂

in the past if things did not turn out exactly as i wanted them to, i usually deemed it a failure and wound myself up in negative thoughts. however, now that i am practicing self-compassion and patience, i can call this a great first attempt at curry. nothing comes easily without practice. plus, i think i need to invest some money in good curry. any suggestions???

in addition to the curry, i finally got around my laziness (something i am seriously working on) and sprouted quinoa!!! talk about easiest sprouting experience ever. all i did was soak the quinoa in water over night, woke up, drained it, and allowed it to further drain in a collander all day covered with a clean cloth. did it sprout? hells yes! just look at those yummy sprouted seeds…

i’m trying to spend more time in the kitchen, yes, but i am trying to spend more time un-cooking in my kitchen. raw food fascinates me. i love every aspect of it, from the preparation to the taste, to the ingredients. it has opened my eyes to a completely new form of food preparation as well as a new form of living and eating. though i know i cannot go raw over night, i plan in 2011 to make a pretty big conversion over to the raw side. i do need to allow my stomach time to adjust though!

regardless, i am so excited and so inspired! a friend just let me borrow raw food, real world by matthew kenney and sarma melngailis. i sprouted the quinoa specifically for a recipe in there! i’ll let you know about it soon, promise 🙂 also, i just ordered another book by matthew kenney and one by ani phyo. so excited! this dehydrator has definitely motivated me! be on the look out for more recipes for sure!

last night i threw together this little tostada…

brown rice tortilla topped with half an avocado, chick peas mashed with hot sauce (nandos!), spinach, sprouted quinoa, and a quarter of a yellow bell pepper which, to me, looks like the sun! which made me super happy. the yellow and orange peppers were on sale (97 cents EACH!) so i stocked up. i forgot how sweet yellow bell peppers were!

this was my first experience with sprouted quinoa. i can tell you it does taste different — it tastes sprouted! crunchy and good. i ate this alongside some roasted brussel sprouts.

one thing i’ve noticed is this: i do not require as much food as i used to. i do not work out like i used to (meaning, i don’t run 6-7 miles EVERY DAY) so my body requires less food. it’s a nice realization and i’m recognizing when to stop eating and understanding the concept of being satisfied as opposed to stuffed. baby steps!

it’s a nice sunny day (though absolutely fucking freezing) and i just completed an hour of core yoga (a la yogadownload.com). i haven’t done this flow in a while and it was challenging. definitely broke a sweat and got my heart rate pumping! about twenty minutes in the negative voice in my head started saying things like “this is too hard, i can’t do this”. but i forced myself to recognize my own strength and you know what? it was challenging, yes, but i felt empowered and strong and refused to let my negative voice dominate my flow. i ended the hour feeling awake in my core as well as in my being.

i love yoga for this very reason. it makes me feel alive and capable and humble all at the same time. and guess what? i can officially hold crow! and i got into full boat pose today (though i was shaking the entire time). i am most definitely deepening my yoga abilities. although i weighed less in past months, i was never able to do these things. my strength and endurance has improved ten-fold despite my weight gain. again, just another reason supporting the fact that weight doesn’t determine your overall health.

oh, and i just remembered i never showed you my new yoga mat!

this is one substantial mat! it’s heavy and thiiiick. i kind of love it dearly 🙂

but i’ve got to go! work in an hour — and my first review! can you believe i’ve been working for starbucks for six months already? i can’t!

enjoy your monday!

namaste

zoe

November 11, 2010 go climb a rock

happy veterans day! did you enjoy your day off if you had one? i sure did. as you all know, this past week and a half has been a bit of a struggle. i’ve wrestled pretty intensely with my inner negativity and sometimes it won the battle. it kept me from going out last night, which i partly regret. it allowed me to doubt my self worth, which we all know is never a good thing. but i am starting to settle a bit today. partly because of this:

i got a little free therapy in the form of beautiful scenery today. and rocks. lots and lots of rocks. you see, i went climbing outside for my second time today! although i adore climbing inside, climbing outside is a completely different experience. the paths are not set and you get to be a bit creative. and i love being creative. the weather gods smiled down on our little group of four today, too. though it’s the middle of november, the sky remained rain cloud free. we only experienced blue skies and a full, warm sun.

true story though: i carried the mental back and forth battle with me all day today. i found it difficult to just breathe through my frustration at some points. but in the end i ended up victorious. if i felt anxiety coming on, i just remembered one thing:

let it be.

i also remembered to find my center.


i think you should start getting used to these photos…

we ended the day at a wonderful indian restaurant. i got a ridiculously delicious okra dish. spicy. warm. okra-ey. so good. currently i am waiting on a friend for a little night time yoga sesh. gotta stretch out these tight muscles! just know i am on the path to feeling better (i’m going to say aunt flo visiting today has a lot to do with this…) and thank you for all your kind words. i really appreciate them. have a wonderful weekend, loves!

namaste

zoe

(p.s: can someone tell me why my horoscope for the day told me the following: “A wave of powerful physical energy may wash over you today. You may feel sporty and full of life and want to take part in games and group exercise as you move through your day. Because your vitality is likely soaring, you may want to vent your energy by engaging in high-energy activities.” um. creepily accurate!!!!!)

July 24, 2010 all over the place

good afternoon!

sorry i’ve fallen off the blog-o-sphere as of late. i’ve just been really, really, ridiculously good looking busy. between work outs, kicking it with friends, and running errands i am unfortunately finding little time to write up interesting posts. i don’t feel particularly interesting at this moment. so i’m just going to catch you up on thoughts and events and foods of the past few days.

food number one:

tofu noodles! i saw these at my local grocery store and swooped them immediately. were they good? yes! very tasty! i paired them with a raw zucchini, lightly steamed carrots, and the remainder of the sauce i made the other day. super yum.

final thoughts: while this was delicious and super low in calories (20 per serving and there’s two servings in that package! i ate it all in one sitting), i wish i read in the back before buying them. because i read tofu on the front, i assumed the noodles would be a good source of protein. wrong. for the entire package, there is only two grams of protein. bummer. but a delicious bummer nonetheless.

the other night i returned home completely ravenous. i wanted something indian inspired, and quick. so i threw together this (kind of?) curry in a hurry:

turned out pretty good for being a kind-of curry! i served it over some quinoa i cooked because i was way too impatient to wait for brown rice.

and today, i made my very first batch of hummus! because i soaked my own chick peas the other day. i’m not giving out a recipe because i am still working on making it legit…too legit to quit, in fact. and i don’t think it’s too legit to quit yet. a friend just gifted me a HUGE bag of walnuts, too! i just prepped some raw taco “meat” for my dinner using them. i plan on creating a raw dessert soon with them as well. recipe for that as soon as i get around to it!

yesterday i spent the day on top of mount tam again. lost in the trees again. twas awesome.

sigh. the redwoods are so pretty. one thing i noticed yesterday while lost in the beautiful greenery that is northern california’s muir woods? i have an issue with being present in the moment. i tend to allow my mind to wander to future events. my body may be present and alert to the time and space i occupy at any given second, but my mind rarely is. i have trouble focusing completely on what i am doing at any period of time. so yesterday, as i wound through the woods, all i could think about was what i was going to do when i got home. where’s the logic in that? i tend to catch myself doing this quite often. i’m going to work on that.

and in other news, i’ve been feeling awesome lately (although today i am fighting off a bit of a funk). i’ve stayed dedicated to avoiding chocolate (although i may have had a slice of raw raspberry mocha layer cake from cafe gratitude on national junk food day and it may or may not have contained cacao ;)) and i have not baked a single thing (though i am seriously itching to. bag of walnuts = a world of raw desserts! i can’t wait!!!). i’m seriously going to start avoiding sugar because i’ve noticed how different i feel mentally and physically without it in my diet. moderation!

also, i start every morning with yoga, even on my “shred days”. and boy have i noticed a difference. my core feels stronger. my mind feels lighter. and today i stepped on a scale just to check in. i won’t tell you what i weigh because i don’t think that’s important, but i’ve lost five pounds from the last time i weighed myself (about two weeks ago? maybe more.) i was pretty shocked because i look more or less the same — just more toned. yoga is a god send, for both the body and the mind. i even went to the pool the other day and felt confident in my bikini. that’s major. MAJOR. seriously, i never ever thought i’d be comfortable in my own skin. but i honestly think the goal is attainable by the end of this year.

siiigh. i’m really in love with life right now. i’m trying to see the beauty and the blessings in each and every day.

on that note, i should mention i’m leaving tomorrow to spend the week in lake tahoe with my family. i am so excited to relax and unwind and get away from everything for a second. our family friends are lending us their home which means i will have a kitchen to cook in! oh yeah, i’ve already stuffed a bag full of food to take with me! i will not be posting anything. i’m unplugging for seven solid days.

have a great week and apologies for this scattered, really horribly written post!

namaste!

zoe!

June 5, 2010 the art of balancing — with a side of curry!

balancing. it can be a difficult task, no? sometimes life just overwhelms. between work, school, and a social life, certain aspects get pushed to the side. like slowing down, for instance. or breathing. or squeezing in a work out. or eating enough food.

eating enough food? um. what? do you think i’m crazy, too? phhfft, right there with you. i love food. but as of late, i’ve been struggling with it. i find myself tired, and at times cranky. this past week has been horrendous in terms of mood swings. i credit this to a nasty case of PMS and, upon reflection, my unbalanced eating. i always eat breakfast. always. i love breakfast! but lunch? it’s a 50/50 shot. if i am out and run out of time to eat a substantial lunch, i wait until dinner to eat a proper meal which leaves me a) ravenous and b) a hardcore crankypants.

seriously, you do not want to see me when my blood sugar dips. it’s…well, not too pretty 😉 i get irritable, let’s just say that!

and, upon further reflection, i honestly think i do not eat enough during the day period. i think part of this is subconscious and part of it is, unfortunately, conscious. i have some big bad food anxieties. i have no idea why and when these developed so intensely but i do know i’ve always had them. i stopped eating bagels in high school (even though i love bagels…), stopped drinking soda and fast food (nothing i miss :)), and cut out a lot of other “bad” foods. so when i am presented with them, i get stomach churning anxiety. it’s awful. and, i think, it keeps me from eating “normally.”

i am an active person. i work out 5-6 times a week. i have a lot of muscle mass. muscle requires more calories to function properly. even though i eat healthfully, i honestly believe i do not eat enough to be balanced. and that’s what we’re all shooting for in this game of life, right? plus i’m a libra…i dig balance 😉

so for the next week, i am going to “experiment” by eating more and more frequently. i think this will help my mood swings, my energy levels, my skin, my overall happiness, my metabolism, AND my general well being. my body doesn’t deserve this. my sanity doesn’t, either. usually i’m good at prepping meals for on the go purposes but sometimes i slip up…like today. ugh at work i brought two carrots to eat. so by the time i was off at 3:00, i was STARVING. sorry body, next time i’ll plan better…

any input as to caloric intake per day for an active person? i’ve done a little research which lead me to believe i need to eat more. i DO eat — don’t get me wrong. but i eat until i am full and wait for the next hunger cue. i don’t think this system is going to work anymore…

luckily this morning started off on the right foot. i made a new batch of oatmeal!!!! shocking, i know. i’m such a boring and repetitive person but this morning i dreamed up a new bowl of oats:

1/3-ish (ran out! :() cup oats
1 T oat bran
1/4 cup almond milk
1/2 cup water
half a nanner
a TON of cinnamon
a dash or two of nutmeg

topped with:
handful of puffins
1 T maranatha’s crunchy almond butter (which, unfortunately, i really am not the biggest fan of. i took a risk and bought it even though they added salt. all i can taste is salt…i like it, but i don’t love it. totes stickin’ to TJ’s brand! or justin’s when i feel like splurging ;))
a sprinkle of unsweetened coconut

hit the spot! great flavors. i also ate about a million strawberries 🙂

oddly enough, even though i was completely satisfied, i was suuuuper hungry around 12:45-1. i ate those two big carrots i told you about. quite unhappily. i wanted foooooood.

the idea of exercise sounded terrible all day. i planned on walking to target and calling it a day but instead, when i got out of work, i got hit with the run bug. pre-run snack: gluten free (trying this out too…) rice cake with a spread of almond butter and the other half of nanner. perfect!

took off on the run. you guys, running it getting more and more difficult to do. honestly, i might be falling out of love with it…which makes me so.so.SO sad. i love running. exercise has felt like more of a chore as of late though :/ it upsets me but i’m not going to stop. it really does keep me saner. any suggestions as to motivation?

i ran a little over three miles today before stopping to walk for half a mile. i felt a bit disappointed in myself, i’m not going to lie. but i felt a little sick and thought it best to take a breather. for the last 1.5 miles i did intervals: sprint 30 seconds, jog one minute. i’m new to intervals so i’m taking it slow.

then the best part of the day came: DINNER. operation clean out the pantry officially started today. i did go out and buy some broccoli, apples, oranges, a cantelope and some almond milk though… confession: i’m obsessed with indian food. anything indian, really. i’m enthralled by the culture. it’s so fascinating. i can’t wait to go there. i looked up a recipe for curry and came up with this one:
ashley’s creamy coconut brown rice & broccoli tempeh curry!

the only thing i changed was adding in a BIG handful of spinach, cumin, more cayanne (i luuurve me some spicy food!), less salt and the portion sizes. i made it more one-person friendly 🙂 (aka: 1/4 cup of rice!)

rice base:

confession: i suck at making rice. i always mess it up. this tasted fine, though!

rice topped with curry!

all mixed up now:

guys, this stuff was delicious! seriously. and super simple to make! i thought i was going to fail (this is a bad habit of mine…) because i was making a huge mess. i was really doubting myself. but this turned out terrifically! sometimes, i need to remember that i am trying things for the first time. i need to let some of my perfectionism go. immediately.

anyway, thanks, ashley :)! dinner was perfect!

i’ve got a little get together planned with a friend tonight so it’s high time i end this rambling post and go get my social life on. have a good night, kidlettes!

namaste

zoe

beatles fun fact: During the week of April 4, 1964, “Can’t Buy Me Love”, “Twist and Shout”, “She Loves You”, “I Want to Hold Your Hand”, and “Please Please Me” occupied the top five spots simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100. To date, this achievement has never been matched by any other artist.