Hedonism

Happy Friday everyone!

I am off to Sin City this weekend for some crazy bachelorette party fun! I will probably be on a "liquid diet" for this trip so don't expect any food photos. But there is a lot of great food in Las Vegas so you never know!

I'll leave you with a nature photo, since I'll be looking at fake paris, fake new york, fake egypt...fake...well, you get the idea.

This is the meadow I used to bike through on my way to school - see the trail?
View coming down? The ocean. Ah- the old days.

Have a wonderful weekend! I'll return on Monday ready to get back to business! (hint.. primal challenge...)

Green curry

Sorry to be repetitive but when you get home late from work and are just cooking for one, sometimes you fall into a routine of easy to prepare, familiar favorites. Especially if you already have an open can of coconut milk in the refrig!

I made Thai coconut curry the other night but for a little variation - a green curry rather than red. If you are not making it completely from scratch, the only real difference is in the curry paste you use, as I am sure you already know! I added some chopped serrano chile cuz I like it hot.Squash, red peppers, shrimp, basil, a squeeze of lemon.
Simple, filling, yummy, healthy, easy. Doesn't get much better than that for a weeknight meal!
And...even leftovers for lunch in the office the next day. Yep that is my (foggy/smoggy) view of the ocean in the distance!

Enjoy the day my friends!

Davis California part 2

Another thing about Davis that I really like (besides the turkeys) is that there is a wonderful bicycle culture there. It's a very flat area and many people bike all over town. There are beautiful bicycle paths meandering through parks, bicycle lanes on every street and low speed limits are enforced for autos. Especially when the university is in session, there are tons of students biking all over.

Speaking of bike culture, check out this blog that I have been looking at for a few years now, Copenhagen Cycle Chic. Love it! (those of you who enjoy The Sartorialist might like this site)

Here is a photo of a lovely bike path through the greenbelt.

As I mentioned, we made a delicious veggie meal on Saturday night. My mom and bro are vegetarian, so we ate a lot of veggies! haha! I made okra with cumin and an "appetizer" of sliced Japanese Black tomatoes with a dollop of an eggplant dip I got at the market and a sprinkle of basil. I also made roasted squash with red onions. My sister-in-law made a cucumber and tomato salad with basil and some super yummy beets (I hate beets but these were so good). My mom made the most delicious Indian daal. It was the best daal I ever tasted and I love daal! If you want the "recipes" or anything, just leave me a comment! Thanks for visiting! :)

Davis California

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend!

I took a little road trip up to Davis, California this weekend to visit family. A long drive up one of the highways many Californians think is hideous and boring (I-5) but some of the scenery is really lovely. You just can't beat the views of rolling brown hills dotted with green oak trees as you come over the "grapevine". You really don't have to travel far from home to see something beautiful. It's one of my pet peeves that people jet all over the world to see sights, but never check out their own backyard! Nothing wrong with traveling the world of course, just make sure you take the time to enjoy your local area too. You know what I mean?

Anyway, it was a nice little getaway! Davis, for those of you who don't know it, is a cute college town located in the Central Valley, California's agricultural hotspot.

The Saturday morning farmer's market is a village event, with tons of shoppers and kids and dogs everywhere. I took some photos for you! They were having an heirloom tomato tasting at the market and I found a new favorite- Japanese Black. Mmmmm.

We made a delicious dinner that night with our booty from the market and my brother's CSA box. I'll post about that tomorrow.

While we were cooking dinner I had a funny experience involving a flock of wild turkeys! This big flock of turkeys flew in suddenly, my mom's dog got out and was chasing them and happened to corner a young turkey. Everyone was screaming and freaking out and running around trying to catch the dog and trying to shoo off the flock of pooping flapping turkeys. Being the stupid moron that I am, I ran over barefoot, picked up the young turkey and took it out of harm's way. Later I realized that I could have been pecked or bitten or clawed - or even attacked by the mother turkey, but I really didn't think and just calmly grabbed the bird. My family was amazed and laughed at me.

A flock of turkeys running away from me as I tried to take a photo of them.
It was like running with the bulls only with turkeys.

A moment too late I realized I should have calmly grabbed the bird and...put it in the oven! haha! I have plans to go back up there around November and get me a turkey for Thanksgiving! :) They looked tasty.

Big salad

Happy Friday everyone!Here's a big salad I ordered for lunch today. I was amazed at the size of the salad - it was huge, I could only eat half and I was stuffed. It made me think about what Brad Pilon recently posted on his site about how portion sizes are so big. And this was just a simple salad! It was tasty though.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Doing anything extra fun? I'm going to a really cool farmer's market in another town. Hopefully I'll get some pics for you! :)

Breakfast or snack

Hey kids!! Here's a delicious breakfast or snack.

Cut up some apricots and toss in a few almonds and a few organic bittersweet chocolate chips. Eat with fingers. Preferably in the park on a sunny day or lazing in bed with your lover. But if you are a slave to "the man" like me, then eating at your desk at work will suffice. hehe!
I find the combo of apricots, nuts and chocolate to be amazingly tasty.

Yum yum! Have an awesome day!

Persian food leftovers

Hey everyone! Happy Wednesday!

Today for lunch I ate delicious leftover persian grilled meat. Have you tried persian food? Tasty meats! I especially like the koobideh - the ground meet with spices. (has breadcrumbs?) Mmmmm.


Steak, chicken, roasted tomato, eggplant mash, spinach leaves, cilantro, a few olives. A bit of lemon juice on top. Yummy!!!

Just fyi, this is a salad size plate. I am not a ginormous pig! OK- well, I am but...

This was a perfect amount for a good lunch. I feel completely full but not sick.

Beach pics....ahhhhhhh relaxation

Thought I'd post some beach pics for you to enjoy on a Tuesday....send your mind to the beach even if you have to sit in the office.

I have a favorite state beach that is near Malibu. I haven't been there in quite a while, I think last time was during the winter. I love this beach because it has rocks and coves and great tide pools and a beautiful canyon. Most of the times I have been there it is pretty deserted so I thought I'd have a nice nature day and enjoy some quiet outside of LA this weekend.

What was I thinking??? A sunny summer Sunday? DUH! It was packed with people and their umbrellas and dogs and coolers! haha!

It was a lovely day at the beach anyhow. Here are some pics...for your relaxation enjoyment.

Cormorants sunning themselves on the rocks.

Cute cove where I went for a swim (water is cold!!)Relaxing on the sand - the waves look small but they would pound you!

Rock formations up the canyon.A beautiful sycamore in the canyon.

I'm going back in the fall/winter to go camping for sure! My friends and I used to camp there when we were in high school.

Have a great day!

Simple and filling breakfast

Yesterday I ate a late breakfast that was simple and filling so I thought I would share it with y'all.

Here are the components:

1 big zucchini, sliced
2 slices of Applegate Farms Sunday Bacon (my current fav), cut up

1 egg

handful of cherry tomatoes
torn up basil leaves

Super easy right? I cut up the zucchini and bacon and sauteed it for a bit then added the tomatoes and then the egg. Threw on the basil leaves. Cooked it up and ate it up. It was really really filling and kept me going for a whole day at the beach.

Perhaps I'll post later on with a nice interlude of beach pics. Got some work to do first...haha!

Have a great Monday! :)

Just trying to make you drool!

I went to a wacky birthday party this weekend. Before the craziness really started we went to - yes - korean bbq again!! It has become a bit of a tradition among this group of buddies whenever there is something to celebrate.

I took a pic of the meat on the grill just to make you drool! That is a big piece of kimchee on my plate. Mmm...I lOVE THEIR SALAD. It is the best!
By the way, I was thinking that there is something very primal about the korean bbq. No- not just because it is meat on the fire. Because you have to share and everyone is grabbing at the meat like it is their last meal. You have to fight for your dinner. hehe!

I can't believe I was vegetarian for 10 years! I love me some good meat. haha! Maybe I am just making up for lost time?