Hello!
I wanted to refocus my blog so I decided to just start over from scratch with a new name. I also chose wordpress to host my blog because I like their publishing format better.
You can visit it at http://eatliveaustin.wordpress.com/
Y'all may notice it sounds like eat, live, run, but I actually named it after the motto I have on this blog which is, "Healthy eating and green living in the 512."
Look forward to regular updates (at least for now) about food, austin, and everything in between.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
BBQ Tofu
Sooo I haven't been following my blogs as much as I'd like. I think I have 100 unread posts from all the people I follow. School is crazy! I have to focus most of my time on studying, and any free time I have I usually spend with my friends. I've barely touched my new camera as well. Can't wait for some personal downtime on Friday!
I used Veganomicon's BBQ baked tofu recipe as a guide, substituting sesame oil for peanut oil and Stubb's spicy BBQ sauce for theirs. I also used a smaller dish when baking (think this also contributed to my "problem," below).
All I can say is wow! While the tofu was not as chewy as I was expecting (I wasn't really sure what to expect as this was my first time baking with tofu, but I'm sure pressing the tofu a little more would solve my problem), it was 100% scrumptious.
The coolest thing I learned this month was how to "bake" a potato in the microwave. This works with all potatoes. I love eating sweet potatoes as snacks while I'm studying and being able to create a quick, effortless side dish for my meals.
For a medium sized potato, pierce it with a fork several times, wrap it in a damp towel, and microwave 5 minutes. Rotate the potato so the top is on the bottom and microwave another 5 minutes. For smaller potatoes, take off a minute for each period. I wouldn't recommend microwaving a large potato, I tried once and it turned out very dry and gross.
For the broccoli, I've developed a "smell" method. I used to be really concerned with timing everything but now I know it's not that important. Just throw washed and chopped broccoli in a pot with a couple inches of water and cover. Turn the heat to med-high. When you can smell it, take it off! They should be vibrant green and maintain a little bit of crunch. Easy as pie.
Next time I will be posting about food waste, a growing problem in my life. Time for bed! Bye~
One thing I never fail to do is when I'm stressed is cook. It's my little escape. This delicious plate was my dinner on Tuesday night. BBQ baked tofu, steamed broccoli, and a cheesy microwave baked potato.
All I can say is wow! While the tofu was not as chewy as I was expecting (I wasn't really sure what to expect as this was my first time baking with tofu, but I'm sure pressing the tofu a little more would solve my problem), it was 100% scrumptious.
The coolest thing I learned this month was how to "bake" a potato in the microwave. This works with all potatoes. I love eating sweet potatoes as snacks while I'm studying and being able to create a quick, effortless side dish for my meals.
For a medium sized potato, pierce it with a fork several times, wrap it in a damp towel, and microwave 5 minutes. Rotate the potato so the top is on the bottom and microwave another 5 minutes. For smaller potatoes, take off a minute for each period. I wouldn't recommend microwaving a large potato, I tried once and it turned out very dry and gross.
For the broccoli, I've developed a "smell" method. I used to be really concerned with timing everything but now I know it's not that important. Just throw washed and chopped broccoli in a pot with a couple inches of water and cover. Turn the heat to med-high. When you can smell it, take it off! They should be vibrant green and maintain a little bit of crunch. Easy as pie.
Next time I will be posting about food waste, a growing problem in my life. Time for bed! Bye~
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Peanut Blossoms
On Saturday I made some delicious peanut blossoms from my new cookbook, the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion. I actually made them as a birthday gift for Brian, who gave me the cookbook.
I brought them to his party and they were a hit!
It seemed like a lot of work for me, a novice without any fancy kitchen tools. It was just me, the ingredients, and a wooden spoon! I also spilled a lot of flour, oops!
After having made two recipes so far (like that gives me any authority, LOL!), I can say that the cooking time needs to be shortened by a little. On both recipes cooking at the full time yielded slightly burnt cookies! I hope this will not be a problem for future recipes.
Tonight I am making baked BBQ tofu, inspired by Veganomicon, for dinner. I will be posting it sometime later this week. Stay tuned to see how it turns out :o)
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Birthday dinner; Cookie cookbook
Mmm, I just got done munching on a fajita bowl with refried beans, spanish rice, shredded cheddar cheese, and chicken fajita. Last night I made fajitas but I think I like combining everything in a bowl better! Less mess to deal with, and just as delicious.
My birthday dinner at Olive Garden was a success. Mostly. The waitstaff was nice but slightly incompetent. Two different people broke glasses. One server brought out to go boxes halfway through our meal. And no one remembered the mints! I was overall very happy though because I did get a nice glass of wine with my meal and they brought out a complimentary dessert for me.
Afterward some of us drove to San Marcos to hang out with another October birthday friend at his party. We drank a little and generally had a good time. Until my point and shoot digital camera was stolen :(
What did I do? Take more shots, try to forget it, and dance the night away! And now I can bake tons of cookies, thanks to my friend Brian. He got me the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion. This thing is like an encyclopedia! It has about 500 pages of tips, tricks, recipes, and variations. I'm very excited to start trying some out.
Expect many cookie posts in the future ^^
My birthday dinner at Olive Garden was a success. Mostly. The waitstaff was nice but slightly incompetent. Two different people broke glasses. One server brought out to go boxes halfway through our meal. And no one remembered the mints! I was overall very happy though because I did get a nice glass of wine with my meal and they brought out a complimentary dessert for me.
Afterward some of us drove to San Marcos to hang out with another October birthday friend at his party. We drank a little and generally had a good time. Until my point and shoot digital camera was stolen :(
What did I do? Take more shots, try to forget it, and dance the night away! And now I can bake tons of cookies, thanks to my friend Brian. He got me the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion. This thing is like an encyclopedia! It has about 500 pages of tips, tricks, recipes, and variations. I'm very excited to start trying some out.
Expect many cookie posts in the future ^^
Saturday, October 16, 2010
It's Fall :)
Thursday night really felt like Fall for two reasons. The weather was very chilly and I made pumpkin cookies! I flung open the front door and proceeded to follow this recipe from Peanut Butter Fingers for two ingredient pumpkin spice cookies.
It is past 11 pm. Abruptly stop studying biology.
Assemble the ingredients.
Clean the pan you found under the oven when you moved in.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Check out how old my oven is, it has an analog clock on it!
Mix ingredients.
Spoon onto oiled or silicon-mat covered pan and bake for 12 minutes. I got about two dozen cookies out of the dough.
Lick bowl and spoons clean :)
Cover in cream cheese frosting, sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice, and enjoy.
These tasted good, however they didn't seem appropriate as cookies. They aren't very sweet so baking them in a muffin tin makes more sense to me.
Make sure to store in an airtight container.
Happy Fall!
It is past 11 pm. Abruptly stop studying biology.
Assemble the ingredients.
Clean the pan you found under the oven when you moved in.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Check out how old my oven is, it has an analog clock on it!
Mix ingredients.
Spoon onto oiled or silicon-mat covered pan and bake for 12 minutes. I got about two dozen cookies out of the dough.
Lick bowl and spoons clean :)
Cover in cream cheese frosting, sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice, and enjoy.These tasted good, however they didn't seem appropriate as cookies. They aren't very sweet so baking them in a muffin tin makes more sense to me.
Make sure to store in an airtight container.
Happy Fall!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The meat industry
It's gross. I don't want to support it. I am going to give up fast food again. Hopefully it will be easy- I can just imagine acres of cows, crowded together in huge pens, standing in feces, eating corn hauled in by trucks.
I don't want to eat cows pumped with steroids and antibiotics.
If you want sources, try PETA or the references or external links on this Wikipedia page.
I won't miss taco bell. Their beef was nasty anyway. What I will miss is Chipotle, but thankfully I don't have to. Most carry meat from supposedly naturally raised sources. Not all the meat is natural. At the Chipotle by my parent's there is a sign telling me the everything except the beef is natural. The one close to my apartment says everything is natural. The website even notes which locations carry what natural choices.
Other places in Austin, like Elevation Burger and TerraBurger, are also good sources of convenient food with a conscience.
I'm off to watch Old Boy and Gattaca with the Boy. Ciao.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Happy birthday to me, Bevo Spicy Chicken Sandwich, Kombuchaaaaa
My 20th birthday is this Tuesday, the twelfth!
Also known as the real Columbus Day. I don't know why, but sometime during my childhood the government decided to have a Columbus Day observed on the Monday before the twelfth instead (actually I probably just grew up and realized what had been there all along). But I know in my heart that the twelfth is the TRUE day. Anyway.
I decided to buy myself my first DSLR! It's a used Nikon D70 from a friend of mine. I've been wanting a DSLR forever, so this makes me very happy. Now I can take high quality photos of everything I eat!!!
JK. Hopefully this camera will witness the hilarity of my little brother, the funny faces of my boyfriend, amazing concerts, birthdays I won't remember (that's next year though), and everything in between. Of course the first thing I did was change my profile pic. Now you can actually see my face (and nothing but haha).
I am having a birthday dinner this weekend. I really wanted to have it at Eastside Cafe, but they will be booked. Now I can't make up my mind as to where to go!
*******
Don't know Bevo? He has been the mascot for the UT football team since 1917, and ever since there has been an excellent, show worthy white and burnt orange steer named Bevo serving as our official longhorn.
What I've been pleased to find out is that some local Wendy's have been serving the Bevo Spicy Chicken sandwich. When I saw it, I had to try it. And I did. And then I died and went to fast food heaven. It's better than the bacon deluxe (my former favorite Wendy's burger).
The sandwich features a huge piece of spicy chicken, a slice of colby jack cheese, three slices of bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and chipotle mayonnaise all piled on a bun. I ate it with a ceasar side salad (sans dressing and croutons. I like to taste my veggies n_____n) and a cup of water.
Look at that beauty, just waiting to be eaten by a UT student. If you live in Austin and eat fast food (I tried to give it up for a while but I eventually caved in with the help of some drunchies), try this sandwich. It won't let you down. (Unlike the football team this year -_____-)
***********
This is my after dinner treat. It's my first time trying kombucha, tea with probiotics. It tastes like unsweetened tea, with a hint of the peach mango flavoring, and a very tart aftertaste. I wish it was a little less tangy, but overall I like it. I paired it with my guilty pleasure, almond joy. I can never resist buying one at the grocery store check out line.
I am off to wash the dishes and read some British lit. Have a great Monday!
Also known as the real Columbus Day. I don't know why, but sometime during my childhood the government decided to have a Columbus Day observed on the Monday before the twelfth instead (actually I probably just grew up and realized what had been there all along). But I know in my heart that the twelfth is the TRUE day. Anyway.
I decided to buy myself my first DSLR! It's a used Nikon D70 from a friend of mine. I've been wanting a DSLR forever, so this makes me very happy. Now I can take high quality photos of everything I eat!!!
JK. Hopefully this camera will witness the hilarity of my little brother, the funny faces of my boyfriend, amazing concerts, birthdays I won't remember (that's next year though), and everything in between. Of course the first thing I did was change my profile pic. Now you can actually see my face (and nothing but haha).
I am having a birthday dinner this weekend. I really wanted to have it at Eastside Cafe, but they will be booked. Now I can't make up my mind as to where to go!
*******
Don't know Bevo? He has been the mascot for the UT football team since 1917, and ever since there has been an excellent, show worthy white and burnt orange steer named Bevo serving as our official longhorn.
What I've been pleased to find out is that some local Wendy's have been serving the Bevo Spicy Chicken sandwich. When I saw it, I had to try it. And I did. And then I died and went to fast food heaven. It's better than the bacon deluxe (my former favorite Wendy's burger).
The sandwich features a huge piece of spicy chicken, a slice of colby jack cheese, three slices of bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and chipotle mayonnaise all piled on a bun. I ate it with a ceasar side salad (sans dressing and croutons. I like to taste my veggies n_____n) and a cup of water.
Look at that beauty, just waiting to be eaten by a UT student. If you live in Austin and eat fast food (I tried to give it up for a while but I eventually caved in with the help of some drunchies), try this sandwich. It won't let you down. (Unlike the football team this year -_____-)
***********
This is my after dinner treat. It's my first time trying kombucha, tea with probiotics. It tastes like unsweetened tea, with a hint of the peach mango flavoring, and a very tart aftertaste. I wish it was a little less tangy, but overall I like it. I paired it with my guilty pleasure, almond joy. I can never resist buying one at the grocery store check out line.I am off to wash the dishes and read some British lit. Have a great Monday!
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