this recipe from whole foods is the perfect remedy for the long, hot days of summer. who wants to be in the kitchen, slaving over a boiling pot of water when this bright, fresh and colorful “pasta” dish can be on the table in no time and without breaking a sweat?
the “noodles” are made by thinly slicing zucchini and yellow squash with a vegetable peeler. i might throw some cucumber in there as well (we have quite a few in the fridge). and with our garden and farmer’s market bursting at the seams with beautiful veggies, the variations for this meatless monday “pasta” are endless!
showing the food miles for that produce you had to have (more than likely not in season locally) and carbon emissions associated with that tomato trip. see more here.
there’s simple steps from the nrdc, where you can find farmer’s markets and seasonal produce in your backyard along with public transport routes. there’s you are where you eat – it seems to be more of a work in progress, gathering local farms, markets and csa’s. and don’t forget about local harvest (wow, that post was from december 1st!). and finally (and best of all), you should check out hyperlocavore and join a yardsharing community! plus liz is one of my favorite tweeters – follow her @hyperlocavore!
i don’t really wear makeup, but i do use a lot of lotions and potions trying to turn back time and mend the damage from the california sun, to make my hair shinier, make my teeth whiter and on and on… but what’s really in all those jars and bottles of promised miracles?
check out annie leonard’s latest: the story of cosmetics – toxins in, toxins out – as always, it is a brilliant and eye-opening 10 minutes. she urges you to visit safecosmetics.org.
and if you missed the article in the latimes, it’s here on my blog – with links to her other works: the story of stuff and the story of bottled water.
it is hot. it’s been over 100 degrees in the valley for the last couple days. that is hot. every year, i kvetch and complain and wonder how anyone in their right mind would choose to live in this kind of heat. every year, i seem to forget how hot it gets out here. maybe it’s some kind of survival amnesia.
the thought of cooking anything makes me want to keel over. seriously. so when i started poking around, looking for this week’s meatless monday recipe, i was thrilled to discover susan’s beautiful blog fat free vegan kitchen and her recipe for a fresh and colorful and chilled (hooray!) israeli couscous summer pilaf. this is a guest recipe from vegan cookbook author, nava atlas – but the rest of susan’s site is beautifully shot and chock full of terrific recipes, so i know i will be revisiting often…
we have everything on hand for the pilaf except for the israeli couscous (might have to substitute with quinoa) and the apricots (i usually don’t like fruit in my food, unless it’s an avocado, but many of the comments said that was what made this dish extra special). she also said i can up the lemon and reduce the olive oil, but since i’m not looking for a low fat dish, i will play it by ear/eye.
what a week it has been for our movie-viewing pleasure – first, tom ford’s moving and beautiful “a single man” and yesterday, christopher nolan‘s “inception” – both examples of grown-up, multi-layered narratives…are you listening, hollywood? not every adult wants to see the a-team or some frat boy comedy. some of us want to sit in a darkened space and be transported by a personal love story and the challenges of “moving on” without our partner at our side; to be moved by stolen moments and powerful memories of a love lost (both films touched on these plot points in oh-so-different-ways).
“inception” is a brilliant sci-fi film – dreams within dreams within dreams – it offers toeholds into genres that keep the plot from completely slipping away, just out of grasp (like waking from a dream and trying to reassemble the pieces): film noir (the femme fatale, the one last heist/job), the quest for home (the wizard of oz and countless other films), the pull of loved ones and family…i don’t even know if i can speak of the film yet (not just out of fear of giving away anything), because i feel i need to see it again. tim and i couldn’t stop talking about it after we exited the theatre – our minds were so challenged by the intricate pieces of the story.
the film was so well cast. so well shot. so well written (nolan came up with the idea when he was 16 (!)). it is a tour de force of film and special effects. there are visuals and action scenes in the film where i audibly said, “oh sh*t” and “f*ck me”…the liquid, mesmerizing dreamspace allows a true auteur to take you on a journey unlike anything i’ve ever seen on film before (and he shot it on film – no digital video here…)…genius.
it will do your head in (in a good way). it will excite and delight and challenge and entertain you. and with 100+ degree weather in the valley, to sit in an air conditioned theatre and be so transported by a master filmmaker…divine. i cannot recommend it enough. and if you have netflix, do yourself a favor and add “a single man” to your queue.
there’s a terrific article in today’s la times about annie leonard and her highly successful videos such as, “the story of stuff”. i love annie leonard and her ability to make dense subjects more understandable and accessible to so many (12 million and counting!). her works have been translated into more than 15 languages.
“We environmentalists are a whiny, wonky bunch,” Leonard says. “We bombard people with facts. But who wants to join a movement where people just scold you? We have to make it inspiring. We have to make it fun.”
i’ve blogged about her “story of stuff”, “story of cap and trade” and “story of bottled water“. up next, “story of cosmetics” and “story of electronics”….and maybe if i can stomach it, a recommended trip to a city dump…she says it’s like a “society’s secret journal”. we all need to think about what we buy and whether it or not is worth a lifetime in a landfill.
and if all of this seems too heavy (you really should read the article, she lives a lovely communal life filled with deep meaning), let me close with this quote:
If her videos leave you overwhelmed, Leonard has an answer: “I’ve been reading about the emerging science of happiness,” she says merrily. “It turns out that after our basic needs are met, more stuff doesn’t make us happy. It’s the quality of our relationships. It’s coming together around shared goals.
“So, re-engage! It’s more fun.”
you know i will post “story of cosmetics” as soon as it is released july 21.
it’s been a while since i posted my last meatless monday recipe. i’m slowly crawling from the voracious darkness that was my job…but i’m making my way back to the light, carol anne!
growing up, summertime was always cold noodle salad time. my mom would make a delicious and refreshing harusame salad (harusame means “spring rain” – and it was as clean tasting as its name). she would make it with rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds and julienned carrots, scallions and japanese cucumbers…simple, vibrant and oishii!
this recipe from the kitchn reminds me of my mom’s dish. where harusame are made from mung bean starch, the dang myun are sweet potato based. the addition of spinach and mushrooms makes it sound a bit more hearty and filling. and since tim cannot eat shiitakes, i will add tofu. you can eat it hot or at room temperature (i will choose the latter, i’m assuming the flavors will meld overnight). i am a bit worried about stir frying all the veggies, so much of what was delicious about my mom’s recipe was the crisp, fresh flavors of the cucumbers and carrots. but i will give it a try!
i googled how to say “it was delicious” in korean, hopefully this is right:
a-ju ma-si-sseo-sseo-yo!
i’ll let you know if it’s true…but my mom is a tough act to follow!
now that i’ve quit my job, this blog needs to get back in action! later today, i will post my meatless monday recipe for the week but i couldn’t pass up sharing this fantastic article from mark bittman in the new york times.
101 easy peasy recipes/ideas to have a tasty meal on the table in minutes! like i said, this is not a veggie-centric post, but if you bookmark the article (as i did), you will have loads of ideas at your fingertips…i’ve got my eye on #19 and #34…
july 11 is the 50th anniversary of harper lee’s to kill a mockingbird.
what a great op-ed in today’s l.a. times. written by kerry madden, who has been working on a biography on the elusive harper lee. she writes of the power of small town storytellers and the richness of their tales. most are in their 80s and 90s, but were so interwoven into the community and knew both harper lee and neighbor truman capote well. their tales make a rich fabric of a time gone by, of small towns and moments of bravery (standing up to the KKK), of doing the right thing and living a life worth living.
In her last in-depth interview about writing, Harper Lee talked about her hometown, Monroeville, Ala., in 1964, telling Roy Newquist:
We simply entertained each other by talking. It’s quite a thing, if you’ve never been in or known a small Southern town. The people are not particularly sophisticated, naturally. They’re not worldly wise in any way. But they tell you a story whenever they see you. We’re oral types — we talk.
and so, here’s to the story-catchers and to boo and atticus and scout. my life is so much richer because harper lee followed her true path…
the irishman is working tonight (no newsflash there) and so i decided to watch “michael jackson’s this is it”…i still can’t believe he’s been gone for over a year now, he was such a part of my childhood and growing up. i remember the thrill of “thriller” and “off the wall” (yes, i am that old). i, like so many, grew up with michael jackson and in the end, his talent outlived and outlasted all the freaky deaky shite and the innuendo and gossip. he was an artist with a capital A. one whose talent not only moved audiences worldwide, but inspired those around him to do their very best.
i found the documentary quite brilliant, poignant and moving. it forced me to say goodbye to a part of myself, a young japanese-irish girl listening to his cassettes (again, i age myself), thinking i’ve never heard music like this. yes, the fame made him a bit strange, but wasn’t his whole life strange? to be so famous at such a young age – i don’t condone any misbehaving (if it’s true), but in the end, it’s what we leave behind that matters…be it via our art or a geniune connection to others (in whatever form that takes). michael inspired others. he created a devoted family in that troupe, all united to giving their all, celebrating their talents and wanting to share the best of themselves with the world. they were honored to be with him, working towards a common goal. and that says way more than many of our so-called leaders and experts and gurus can claim.
during the course of the documentary, he kept saying “that’s what rehearsals are for” … it was a time of exploration and of trying different ideas. he was a leader who never had to raise his voice. he was a visionary who instinctively knew how to improve a visual for maximum impact. he was a musician who was able to improve a riff we had all heard a million times. and if that weren’t enough, the special effects and sets they created were pretty phenomenal.
there were so many times my eyes would well up at the sheer genius and talent of this one man. seriously, i am a tough old broad, but there was something so fragile and pure about michael jackson (the performer, not the man surrounded by suspicion) that made me feel a little more peaceful, a little more loving. when you witness true talent, true artistry, all you can do is sit back and enjoy it.
some of the moves were a bit dated, but they all are memories of my growing up. they are powerful and even though i know he’s gone, it is hard to believe a 50 year old could still move like that; could still sing like that; could hold in his lifetime the memories of so many. i know tim will make fun of me, but i am really sad he is gone. but i am oh-so-grateful this footage exists. and i will remember michael jackson for the talent that he was…
living in a modern world. 