In a large saucepan, bring the tomatoes and broth to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes
Add basil and sugar, and reduce heat to low
stir in cream and butter and cook until butter is melted
*Many of us are concerned about BPA these days, and with the chemical lining most metal cans as well as jar lids, where to find BPA-free canned tomatoes is a frequent question. If you’re not into putting up your own (with BPA-free canning lids), then Pomì might be the answer.
There are quite a few ideas out there for red, white and blue food to celebrate the Fourth of July, but so few seem actually healthy. And many of them contain Jell-O, which doesn’t work for a vegetarian (see why). So I trawled the tubes and found a few recipes that aren’t only delicious, but healthier to boot. Happy Fourth!
I had such a great weekend in Boston this weekend. For my birthday, my husband planned a little getaway with sports, food & entertainment throughout the city. So most importantly, I’d like to thank him for such a wonderful and thoughtful time. Love you, sweetie. xoxh
Friday we made the trip into the big city. We didn’t hit any traffic which was good, because we left a bit later than planned and had a reservation for our first dinner approaching rapidly. We checked in and got comfortable at the Historic Omni Parker House. Our room was bigger than we expected; maybe that was because we were in a handicap accessible room. The bed was super comfortable and the location was just perfect, walking distance to everything we wanted.
Mixed Spring Greens with Tarragon Vinaigrette and Crispy Goat Cheese,
Roasted Spring Dug Parsnip Soup with Maple Cream and
Crispy Vegetable Lasagna with Ricotta, Soft Poached Egg, Leeks, Peas and Asparagus and White Truffle and Parmesan.
Jim had
Three Warm Oysters Glazed with Crab Butter,
Asparagus, Radish and Arugula Salad with Grainy Mustard Vinaigrette and
Spicy Halibut and Clam Roast with Braised Greens, White Beans and Black Trumpet Mushrooms.
We shared the Warm Molten Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream, Burnt Caramel and Maine Sea Salt for dessert. It was one of the best meals I’ve ever had from beginning to end. I highly recommend getting to this Boston classic.
Food & Wine Magazine – See us featured on the ‘Go List 2008‘ of Food & Wine Magazine. Food & Wine writes: ‘For two decades, this homey, wood-beamed bistro has been a standout in the city’s now-gentrifying South End. In one of the first open kitchens in Boston,Gordon Hamersley prepares hearty country French–American dishes like his signature garlic-and-lemon-roasted chicken. We loved the halibut with roasted clams.’
We went back to the hotel to take a nap before heading out to Kings for a couple drinks, pool and bowling. I just love this place. It’s busy, but not crazy packed; there has been a jazzy band each time we’ve visited, not so loud that you can’t have a pleasant conversation.
Then, we just walked a bit up the road to Bukowski Tavern to grab a Stone Ruination IPA, not the best idea that late, but it’s not every bar that offers my favorite beer.
Needless to say, we woke up late and just meandered a bit around Boston, grabbed a Greek omelet at Steve’s Greek Restaurant, and headed to Fenway Park to see the Sox play the Blue Jays. We had great seats:
But. It. Was. Frigid. And windy. We almost bailed because we were so cold, but we held out and saw a win – finally, a win. After the game we had to warm up and stopped at the Island Creek Oyster Bar for a cold beer. Huh? Well, at least it wasn’t windy.
Again, we went back to the hotel for a warm nap then had a nice dinner at The Oceanaire Seafood Room. Even though it’s a “chain” it was really nice. We were too pooped to go out after dinner. So we watched a few episodes of Storage Wars (never even heard of it before because we don’t have cable; it was humorous, mindless TV for a sleepy night) & boxing – Berto vs. Ortiz, quite the match.
Sunday, Jim had planned some dim sum at Myers + Chang. It was really good. I haven’t had dim sum since Five Spice Cafe in Burlington, VT burned down; it was the only place around that had vegetarian dim sum. And although it wasn’t as good as 5 Spice, it was great because they had some delicious vegetarian options. The Green Papaya Slaw was super delicious. Service was terrific to boot.
We spent the rest of the day hanging out in Faneuil Hall, watching the Red Sox game at Purple Shamrock and Blackstone Grill, which was a bit more lively. For dinner we hit up a Todd English Restaurant, Kingfish Hall which was quite a disappointment. The decor was run down (like their website, apparently), the food was not top-notch (neither of us finished our meals) and the bathroom was quite gross. I’m not sure what happened to this place, but it’s not worth dining at any longer.
However, all was forgotten when we got to the Celtics game at the Garden. Our seats were 3 rows back from where the players entered the stadium and off the floor, just terrific.
Some friends and family even saw us on the TV broadcast. :) It was a tough game, the Celtics were behind for its entirety, but they pulled through in the last 30 seconds. Just awesome!!
We had just so much fun, Again, thank you, Jim. It was a super fun birthday.
I really like the holiday of Thanksgiving. No, not because of the food (my husband has something to say about that here: Snapping Out of the Thanksgiving Eating Trance), although, I do love the food, but because it is still fairly non-commercial and reminds everyone to be grateful for the blessings in their life. It’s some mainstream yogic philosophy – except the food binging.
2 small eggplants – Japanese eggplants work best, but small Italian eggplants work, too. They should be small because the smaller the eggplant, the less seeds it has, and as we all know, bacon has no seeds.
Oil for frying – It’s tempting to use olive oil, but Canola works best since you don’t want vaguely olivey bacon.
Directions
Peel or don’t peel your eggplant. If you like your bacon more crispy, keeping the skin on will help.
Slice the eggplant lengthwise, about 1/4%u2033 thick (or less). A mandoline helps.
Arrange the slices in layers, sprinkling copious amounts of Bacon Salt over each one.
Mix the slices about, making sure each piece of eggplant gets a good coating of Bacon Salt. Let the slices sit for about 30 minutes, up to an hour.
The salt in the Bacon Salt will draw the bitter liquid out of the eggplant and imbue the slices with bacony goodness.
Lightly blot each slice with a paper towel to remove the excess bitter liquid. You’ll lose some of the seasoning this way, but that’s okay.
Pour about an inch of oil into a frying pan (preferably cast-iron) over medium high heat. (Yeah, you’re deep-frying. As when using bacon itself, concern about fried foods shouldn’t be your top priority). When the oil is sizzlin’, drop the bacon in, a slice at a time, and cook to desired doneness.
Remove to a paper towel and enjoy! The absorbent quality of the eggplant will give the final product just the right amount of greasy, fatty goodness.
Voila! Excellent on BLTs or as a side with eggs and pancakes, or crumbled over a salad, this eggplant bacon is certain to please even the most dyed-in-the-wool bacon aficionado.
wake up to the sweetest alarm: my almost 4 year old daughter
enjoy a calm, un-rushed healthy breakfast with my whole family at the dining room table
work from home on my dream career: children’s photographer
am grateful for free part-time childcare from my parents and mother-in-law
eat a natural, whole foods, vegetarian dinner with my whole family at the dining room table
relax in my cozy home
read stories and snuggle with my daughter
go to sleep next to the love of my life in an always cozy bed
In addition, each Wednesday is family day with Jim and Syna.
Each Friday night is date night with my husband. (We’ve been together for 19 years.)
Each Saturday is family date night with Jim and Syna.
Each Sunday is family breakfast with my dad’s family (whoever decides to show – 4-15 people)
I have nothing to complain about. Truly. And I worry about others. Most of the world doesn’t have it nearly as good as I do. I feel extravagant, even when I appreciate what I have and do what I can to minimize my impact on the planet.
We’ve downsized to 1 car, we got rid of cable television, we compost our food waste (and it’s most of it since we’re vegetarian) and recycle to the extent that our family of 3 “throws out” 1 grocery bag of trash per week, we telecommute, we used cloth diapers for our daughter, we bring our own reusable bags to stores and purchase items with limited packaging, we switched our heating system to a high efficiency solution, we shower every other day… We’re conscious of many of our decisions.
And yet we use so much. We have so much. We are never even uncomfortable. We have heat in the winter, air conditioning in the summer, food available 24/7, constant electricity, transportation, money, instant communication devices, we’re safe. Even on the coldest/hottest days, if I travel, I walk 30′ outdoors to my garage protected car, start it up, turn on the heat/air and I’m comfortably on my way.
It has long been my belief that to truly help others I must start with myself.
To put the world in order, we must put the nation in order.
To put the nation in order, we must put the family in order.
To put the family in order, we must nurture our personal life.
To cultivate our personal life, we must first set our hearts right.
- Confucius
But it doesn’t seem like enough when I have so much. And, really, it’s all by luck I ended up being born into my situation.
“There is no way to happiness; happiness is the way.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
How do I stay happy when I am aware of so much suffering?
Thanksgiving is all about family and food. Most families have recipe traditions that have spanned generations, and everyone looks forward to sharing the feast. Vegetarians and vegans can feel left out when those recipes have meat in them, and the cooks may not know what to make that will be cruelty free as well as satisfying.
The good news is that most of the side dishes on the Thanksgiving table are naturally meat free. Vegans usually have fewer traditionally made choices because of cream, milk or butter, but there are really tasty and readily available substitutes at most chain grocery stores.
Below you’ll find delicious vegetarian Thanksgiving menu with highly rated recipes including main dish, sides and desserts.
Why did Cascadian Farms add sugar, tapioca syrup, molasses and corn meal to their Purely O’s without notice? I used to buy them because there was no added sugar. Now there is 3 times the amount of sugar. Not to mention their color is different, the taste and texture are unappealing – cheap. I guess their parent company, General Mills,… is trying to create a less expensive product. Well, they lost a long time customer, and from the looks of the comments on their own blog I’m not the only one.
*The muffin recipe is from a great book we picked up at the library, The Beeman:
It’s an easy and healthy recipe with only flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, whole wheat or bran cereal flakes (we use whole grain with flax), apple, raisins, egg or Ener G Foods Egg Replacer, milk, oil & honey.
Heather Katsoulis - Google Profile
helps.
Thanksgiving is all about family and food. Most families have recipe traditions that have spanned generations, and everyone looks forward to sharing the feast. Vegetarians and vegans can feel left out when those recipes have meat in them, and the cooks may not know what to make that will be cruelty free as well as satisfying.
