I’m just going to start out by saying that this post is about an event that happened a month and a half ago. I’m really busy. My life is twelve kinds of crazy right now. I just moved into a new (really awesome) place, I’m trying to balance school and work, and my life has been consumed by Plan II Physics. I barely have time to sit down anymore… but I do try to sit down at least once a week, and when I do, it’s usually with a beer.

That’s why I was super pumped to get a pass to Austin’s Local Brew Fest at Black Star Co-op. About 15 local breweries (beer, kombucha, and cider) were there, as well as Red Rabbit Bakery, Pure Luck Dairy, and Wheatsville with delicious snackies.

My hands-down favorite beer at the festival was Real Ale’s coffee porter. It’s brewed with coffee from a local roaster, and the coffee flavor is notable but not overbearing. It’s also not too heavy, which is wonderful.

The runner up was Black Star’s Recalcitrant Dockhand, another malty, dark beer. This was the only Black Star beer I tried, but I’m definitely coming back soon. Black Star is both a pub and a brewery, and the atmosphere is super laid-back and relaxing. Their food looks delicious as well.

Of the food offered, Pure Luck chevre was easily the best thing I tasted. That should come as no surprise; I love Pure Luck, and I would gladly eat anything covered in goat cheese.

When I was in New York (recap to come), I noticed that the bars didn’t offer as many local craft brews. I really love that the greater Austin area has a strong craft brew community. Both of the beerfests I’ve been to have been incredibly fun; the brewers are always super friendly and happy to answer questions. I don’t always buy local, but with so many great breweries so close, drinking local is a must for Austinites.

I think a lot about food.

I was raised in a family that also thinks a lot about food. My dad’s side of the family in particular is almost completely foodies and chefs. When we gather for Thanksgiving or Christmas, we crowd around before we eat to take pictures… of the food. And then, of ourselves with the food.

When I began cooking for myself, I started to think about food in different ways. To an extent, I became more interested in the individual ingredients than in a dish itself. I spent more quality time with the bulk bins at Whole Foods. I started biking to the farmer’s market every Saturday morning. And as I learned more and more about my ingredients, I became choosier.

Though the information isn’t always readily available, I like to know where my food came from, what has been done to it/put on it/taken from it, and at the very least, what it is made of. Though not exclusively, meat and meat products are the foods that give me unsatisfactory answers to those questions. While some meat can be ethical and healthy, it’s more expensive and sometimes hard to find.

So I’m not eating meat, at least for the rest of 2012. This wasn’t a difficult decision to make. I’ve never particularly liked meat, and there’s no real reason to eat it besides its taste. I rarely eat it anyway, and I don’t normally post recipes with meat on the blog. Still, as an individual who is concerned about corn and soy subsidies, the environmental devastation wreaked by CAFOs, and the lack of availability of fresh foods, I’m compelled to completely withdraw support for the unethical practices of the meat industry.

Informing my readers about this decision is important to me for several reasons. It’s important to create (preferably civil) dialogue about the state of America’s food industry. I hope to show people that eating meatless, minimally processed meals isn’t boring–it’s actually really delicious and fun. So to start, I’ll share one of my favorite protein-rich vegetarian recipes.

Falafel. Yields 2-3 servings.

2/3 cup dry garbanzo beans/chickpeas
1/3 cup cilantro, packed lightly
1/3 cup parsley, packed lightly
3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2 tsp. cumin
1 1/2 tsp. coriander
s&p to taste

Soak chickpeas overnight. Drain, then process all ingredients in a food processor until the mixture is grainy. Roll into balls, place on a baking sheet, and bake in a (pre-heated) 350F oven for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.

*I talked to a couple people at the end of my trip about Austin–one who is visiting Austin now, and one who’s thinking about coming down for SXSW. If you’re either of those people, send me an email–nsanluis@gmail.com*

(This picture kills me. Every time I see it I have to stifle giggles. Look at the concentration on his face.)

So the thing is, I haven’t really been cooking lately. At first, I blamed it on finals. Then, I blamed it on how busy I’ve been. Then, I realized I haven’t been busy. I’ve been doing all the things I can’t do when I have other obligations: reading fiction, writing, taking long walks, watching Trailer Park Boys highbrow documentaries, listening to music. It feels incredible. But I haven’t been cooking.

Usually, I love spending an hour of my day in the kitchen. It’s therapeutic. But lately, I’ve found that when I get hungry, I want to get in and out of the kitchen as quickly as possible. I’m sure everyone goes through these phases, and I’ve already started to miss my wooden spoons and cast-iron skillet. But until then, here’s a very simple dish to throw together. Roasting the sweet potatoes really allows their natural sugars to caramelize, and the cayenne provides a great spiciness to contrast against the sweetness.

Spicy Roasted Sweet Potato Rounds

1 sweet potato, washed and sliced into half-inch rounds
1 tsp. cinnamon
cayenne pepper to taste
kosher salt to taste
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350F. Toss the sweet potato rounds in olive oil (or use cooking spray). Sprinkle the rounds with cinnamon, cayenne, and salt. Roast for 25-30 minutes.

P.S. Happy Holidays! I hope everyone is spending time with friends and family and loved ones. Give everyone big hugs.

P.S.S. If you have a few extra minutes, send a few encouraging words, jokes, and smiles to a sweet girl who deserves it. Emma is a 7-year-old who has survived several brain tumors and still shows off a bright smile. Click the link to send her a message.

Using magical technology that I still don’t understand even after nine months of working for a web marketing company, WordPress can show me what readers search for on the blog. Recently, an individual searched for pictures of Ron Weasley, shirtless. I don’t like disappointing my readers, so I dug through my archives of personal photos of Rupert Grint.*

*Google

But dear redhead-obsessed reader, Rupert’s messy locks are only one of the many wonderful things in my life that are orange (how’s that for a segue?!). Don’t limit yourself to ginger wizards: take it from a girl who bleeds orange. Branch out.

I recommend starting with winter squash. Try kabocha, acorn, delicata, and my favorite: butternut. They’re all versatile and delicious, especially during cold days when you just want to stay inside and cook and eat and read. This pasta in particular is wonderful for chilly days. The crisp, spicy bite of the arugula and tanginess from the chevre contrast perfectly with the caramelized onions and sweet squash.

Butternut-Arugula Pasta

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds scooped out, and diced
1 onion, halved and sliced thinly
3-4 cloves of garlic, not peeled
a handful of arugula
4 to 6 oz. dry pasta (I used whole-wheat penne)
2-3 oz. goat chevre
1/2 c. toasted walnuts, chopped
olive oil, salt, and pepper

-Preheat oven to 400F. Toss butternut squash and garlic with a little bit of olive oil and spread out on a baking sheet. Roast for 25 minutes, or until tender. Remove from oven and slice or mince roasted garlic. Set aside.
-While the squash is roasting, saute the sliced onions in olive oil or butter over medium-high heat until caramelized. Boil the pasta.
-Stir the roasted butternut squash and roasted/sliced garlic into the pan with the caramelized onions. Add the warm pasta and walnuts, then stir in the goat cheese, a drizzle of olive oil, and arugula.

*HEY! This is my 100th post. Pretty cool, huh?*

Between five classes, two jobs, and Friends episodes from 10pm-12am on Nick at Nite, I haven’t had a lot of free time lately. In the past few weeks, I’ve resorted to the following items for dinner: salad with pasta sauce for dressing, mixed nuts, Thanksgiving leftovers covered in curry sauce (actually quite good), soup from a can.

Don’t be like me. Make some easy meals and stick them in the freezer for days when your paper on vampires and Jewish feminism is only halfway finished and the cupboard is bare and you can’t go out to eat because you’re broke. Tomatillo sauce is good to keep on hand because it takes 10 minutes of active time to prepare and is so versatile. Use it as a salsa, mix it with black beans and corn to put on a salad, or buy some veggies and tortillas to make quick enchiladas.

If you need a study break, my favorite finals foods are banana bread (please don’t look at the pictures on that post), hummus and veggie burgers, and chickpea salad.

Tomatillo Sauce. Yields about 2 cups.

1 lb. tomatillos, husks removed and washed, cut into halves
2-3 cloves of garlic, whole and unpeeled
2 jalapeno peppers, halved and de-stemmed (seeds removed if preferred)
1/2 onion, cut into thirds
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chile powder
salt and pepper
3/4 c. cilantro
Juice of a lime

-Preheat oven to 375F.
-Line a baking sheet with foil and spread out the tomatillos, garlic, peppers, and onion on it. Spray with cooking spray and roast for 15-20 minutes.
-Peel the garlic, then place remaining ingredients and roasted vegetables into a blender. Adjust seasonings if necessary.
-Use as salsa or a sauce. Freezes well.

banh mi taco from the peached tortilla

Wow, I did NOT mean to let that post be on the front page of this blog for so long. I really hope everyone didn’t think I was in such a pissed-off mood since November 7. I can only imagine the number of people who visited the blog and clicked away they second they read my wahh-wahh-school’s-so-hard post. (I lied–I can imagine. Probably two people, maximum.)

thanksgiving apple pie, pre-lattice crust. it was my first lattice, and it was gloriously simple.

In reality, life’s going pretty great now. School has started to slow down and become manageable, and I’ve got a month and a half of complete relaxation to look forward to. I have grand plans to read so many books, play at all the Austin coffee shops, and basically do tons of fun things. In reality, I will probably sit around drinking spiked cider and playing around on Pinterest. Why can’t I be productive? Mmm, spiked cider.

the subterranean at House Pizzeria: caramelized onions, potatoes, rosemary, basil, subbed goat cheese for fontina

Anyway, this is all to say: enjoy your holiday break and weekend, be grateful for your friends and family, and I will be back very soon to share the best tomatillo sauce you could possibly imagine.

Yesterday Preston told me that I told too many exaggerated stories on my blog. And it’s true; although everything on the blog is based on true events, a bit of creative license is involved in nailing the punch line. My offline humor is often poorly received.

So here’s the unedited version: I am a normal person. Right now school is kind of kicking my ass. I’m entirely too busy, and I don’t sleep enough. I wish I spent more time with my family; I wish I had one free weekend to visit my sister in Houston. I can’t decide what I want to do with the rest of my life, and I don’t have much time left to make that decision. I’m scared of change but I know I need it.

This is the first time in my life when my plans for my future are completely up in the air, and it’s terrifying and exciting and beautiful.

My Life is Crazy Harvest Pot Pie. Serves 4.

1 butternut squash, diced (should be about 4 cups)
1 shallot, minced
4 cups other diced veggies (I used sweet potatoes, potatoes, onion, and carrots)
1 can (or 1 1/2 cups) cannellini or white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons poultry spice
1 potato, washed and thinly sliced using a mandoline (or substitute a sweet potato, or half of both) for the “crust”
salt and pepper, to taste

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss the butternut squash and shallot with a little olive oil and salt and pepper, and roast for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
-Meanwhile, heat a glug of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the diced veggies, beans, garlic cloves, and poultry spice. Stir, and add salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium and cover, stirring regularly, for 15-20 minutes. When veggies are cooked, stir in the wine, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
-Add roasted squash and shallots to the pot. Taste and adjust seasonings.
-Pour veggies into a pie plate. Arrange potato slices on top in a decorative pattern. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through.

Y’all, the past few weeks have been rough. I’ve started to realizing that doing everything I love to do is both incredibly fun but also incredibly tiring, particularly around midterms. I’ve been slammed with tests, papers, work, and organization responsibilities, and in the middle of it all, I–wait for it–threw away my wallet. Just threw it away, complete with my driver’s license, debit card, cash, and student ID.

That’s not a good excuse for abandoning the blog, but it’s the best one I’ve got. Enough bitching, though, because there are plenty of reasons that the past few weeks have been great. First of all, it’s getting a little chilly, which means scarves and holidays and watching Love, Actually (at least daily; sometimes more). Also, I’ve made a promise to myself to start reading more books, regardless of how busy I get, and so far, it’s been lovely.

Lastly, kale. Kale is in season now, and I have a little plant upstairs because it thrives in cold weather. It’s one of the healthiest things you can put into your body, and it also tastes delicious. Raw kale can be unrelentingly tough, but spend a little time with it and it turns into a tender, comforting, healthy meal.

Massaged Miso Kale with Baked Tofu. Serves 2-3.

1 bunch of kale, stems removed, shredded, and washed
1 block of extra-firm tofu
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sriracha, hot sauce, or hot chile sauce
1 tablespoon black or rice vinegar

For dressing:
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
1 tablespoon yellow miso
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup sesame or olive oil
1 clove of garlic, pressed
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350. Press the tofu by slicing it into 3/4-inch layers, placing it between two dish towels, and placing something heavy on top (like box wine… or textbooks). Let it sit for 20 minutes or so while you prepare the salad.

my "tofu press"

Mix all the dressing ingredients together in a jar. Place the washed, shredded kale in a bowl, and drizzle the dressing over it (this should be enough dressing for multiple salads, so don’t dump all of it on top). “Massage” the kale by rubbing the dressing into the leaves; the kale should become a darker green. Add more dressing if necessary. Refrigerate.

Cut the pressed tofu into cubes. Toss with the soy sauce, sriracha, and vinegar. Place the tofu on a foil-lined pan and roast for ten minutes, then flip the tofu, and roast for ten more minutes. Top the salad with the tofu.