Best New Recipes of 2012

This year has seen some changes in our diet; basically, we've been talking for a while about how to incorporate more vegetables and grains into the mix; but actually making it happen was much more difficult. One day I was at a Relief Society activity at the cannery with some friends from a former ward; as I chatted with one of them, Barb, she was telling me how she and her husband started eating a full plant-based diet. It started as an experiment, and they ended up liking it so much they have stuck with it. She recommended some books and documentaries (Forks over Knives). Then, as often happens, I started finding other friends who were doing the same--or at least, moving in that direction. Barb challenged me to take a mental note of all the things I ate that were somehow animal-product related. It really was quite eye-opening. I have to say: I don't have ANYTHING against eating animals (mmmmm, steak...). But it was surprising to see just how much of what I ate was from an animal.

Anyway. We are plant-based eaters (vegans, but it's such an awful, cult-inspiring word that I prefer plant-based, especially since for us it's just a dietary thing, not an entire lifestyle) on weekdays and omnivores on weekends. It just works out for us--and I love it! It's still an experiment, and definitely a challenge to find things that are both plant-based and taste good without freaky ingredients. Seitan, anyone? No, thank you. The other dietary change was that we wanted to eat more whole, non-processed foods as well. Soy and other protein substitutes all seem sort of "Martians ate my brain" kind of creepy. I'd rather eat something "real," like beef than something like tempeh (perhaps I'm not open-minded enough; but I really think it's got to be crazy-bad voodoo to eat something called "seitan." Just sayin'...). Also, I'm much more concerned with eliminating animal fats and proteins than in eliminating animal carbs (honey).

ANYWAY. If you want all the gory details, you can e-mail me. I only mention it, because it's probably reflected in the choices below. And before you start thinking, "Ew. Lentils?" Seriously. It looks like a hot mess, but it is GOOD. Not just for a "vegan" recipe, but for any recipe. I think I've said quite enough. Shall we get on with it?

1. Banana Oatmeal Smoothie. My new breakfast staple, even though it has dairy. I use 1 TB almond butter instead of almonds--and I add cocoa powder (1 tsp is just a few cals, and you don't need to add any extra sweetener) and cinnamon, because it just tastes better that way.

2. Slow-cooker lentils from OBB. Seriously. I've always appreciated lentils, but I had no idea they could taste this good. Seriously. If I'd been alone when I first tried them, I might have cried. Seriously. We're talking straight-to-your-heart comfort food right here that is less than 100 cals/serving. I serve it with coconut jasmine rice (add 1/2 can coconut milk and 1 tsp ginger per 4 servings of rice). I can't even describe what it does to my mouth when I eat it, but it's like my taste buds light up like fireworks the way they do when I eat a chocolate chip cookie, and I can tell my brain is responding to it the same way. I don't understand it. I just know that's the way it is. Plus, it's a great way to sneak in spinach.

3. Spicy Honey Chicken. This was a big hit during the summer months. This year, we used the grill a ton, and this was part of the regular rotation. I toned down both the heat and the vinegar, but this is sincerely amazing. 

4. Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. The buck stops here, folks. My friend Kate and I have both been on the hunt for the perfect CCC. I have tried several recipes (thanks to Pinterest), and I really don't feel the need to try anymore. Which is saying a lot. Even the NY Times recipe can't hold a candle to these delectable babies. They embody what is (to me) perfection in CCC-dom: they are sturdy yet soft and gooey; the cookie part tastes more like caramel than flower--and if you use dark or semi-sweet chips, they won't taste too sweet. The flavor is wonderfully complex. 

5. Vanilla Roasted Pears. One word: YUM.

6. Multigrain Bread. Has become another regular part of our rotation. A wonderful way to get a diversity of grains into your diet. This recipe had been sitting on my Pinterest board for ages and ages; when I finally tried it, it just blew me away.

7. Baked Eggs w/Tomato and Parm. These were sooooo satisfying. A great dish if you're doing brunch or breakfast for dinner. Next time, though, I think I'd mix all the ingredients except the tomato into a bowl; beat the eggs; then pour the mixture into the ramekins. Then I'd top with the tomato (which I'd chop up) and bake it.

Also, I need to print a corrx; last year, I posted a tomato soup recipe as a "best" then gave you a link to the wrong recipe. If you made it and (like me) thought it tasted like feet, I apologize. This is the correct one. I made it again last night, and it is indeed fantastic.

What were your favorite new recipes of 2012?

Some Holiday Lovelies for Inspiration

On one hand, Pinterest often seems to whittle life down to a series of never-ending to-do lists and never-satisfied to-purchase lists. It can be easy to be overwhelmed by the numerous ways one could look/do/be better.

On the other (and more dominant) hand, Pinterest has been enormously helpful to me in defining my sense of style--if I weren't able to collect these images (I was never really one for making collages/binders), then take a step back and view it as a whole, I'd have no idea how to articulate what I like/don't like. It seems funny for someone who works with words to have trouble describing something so basic, but so it is. I'm not (never have been) one of those people who can look at an object and just "know" it fits into my style. I've made a lot of bad clothing/decor purchases in the past--loving something in the moment, getting it home, living in/around it, then positively hating it within days. I used to think I was fickle; now I realize that narrowing my focus a bit and asking myself whether an individual item works within a general image/tone/set of visual values. I've realized that the overall tone and image something inspires is much more important to me than whether I actually really love any specific item. Thinking this way has helped me make much better choices; it would have been impossible without Pinterest. Sometimes I pin things as examples; sometimes I pin things that I don't specifically like, but love what they do to an outfit/space in general. (I think there's a deeper life lesson there, but I'll look for it another day.) Sometimes I pin the impossible, because I find that time on Pinterest is a lot like reading--you don't look for real life as much as you look for the reflection of an ideal; however far away that ideal may be from reality.

Bottom line, Pinterest serves for inspiration, leads you to other people with similar views of the world--and most of all, lets you see what your own individuality is; no one's taste--however similar--will be exactly the same as yours. And that's something worth celebrating. In any case, here are some particularly beautiful things I've discovered recently that have helped me define a greater sense of my personal style. Aren't they pretty???

1. Gold place settings. Yes. Clean lines, bold statement, entirely simple in design, something different from the norm.

2. My favorite color palette. Blues, greens, yellows; calming, inviting. This picture also shows my ideal proportion of patterns to solids. Mostly, I like straight lines and angles; a few curves, even fewer curly-cues. In spite of the straight lines, there's a friendliness and softness that dominates the tone of the space. Also, everything you see serves a practical purpose; no decorative excess=visual nirvana.

3. My favorite spaces to travel are places where I can feel alone, even in a crowd. I like an inward journey as well as an outward adventure. I like places that feel isolationist (even if they are actually crowded with people), almost sacred. Where I can feel that the earth and the people are connected and that God is close at hand.

4. Romantic things. I used to think I'd become too 'pragmatic' to appreciate romantic kinds of things. This is perhaps something that rather has been buried beneath the endless day-to-day needs that seem far from romantic ideals. Example: this necklace. Romantic, earthy. But that sharp tip of the arrow is a no-go around babies, as it would inevitably end up swallowed or in an eye. Am I right? I put these things in my mind on a "someday" shelf. In the meantime, they're on my Pinterest boards to remind me that they are still part of me; just temporarily dormant. Like exotic and romantic trips in #3.

5. Contrast and crisp lines. There is a lot going on here that I appreciate. I love that it's menswear-inspired yet feminine; simple but elegant. There's a big contrast in colors, but those colors are separated by strong lines. Paisleys and such are too confusing for my eye. The colors are often pretty, but usually too complicated. Patterns like polka dots and stripes are good, because they are often also structured (and once again, lend themselves to contrast).

A couple more things. I found this article to be endlessly helpful. Even though it's about design/decor, it applies to wardrobe as well. Also, am I the last person on earth to discover Oh, Joy? Love her!