Tuna/Crab Cakes

I found a can of crab meat in my pantry, and next to it were several cans of tuna... 

So I decided to make tuna and crab cakes!

They actually turned out fantastic. The only thing I'd work on is getting them to hold up better. But who knew tuna and crab could work together?  Sadly I dropped the rest of the cakes while putting them in Tupperware... Other than that mishap, I would call this a success :)

Healthy

This was me trying to create my rendition of some salads at the whole food's cold bar (which I'm slightly obsessed with).

 Carrot and lentil salad

Quinoa salad

Yum.

Quinoa salad with roasted corn and black beans

This was my dinner:

Quinoa

Black beans

Roasted Corn

Cilantro 

pinch of salt

yummy 

Jelly vs Jam vs Preserves

I have a giant container of lemons so I wanted to make lemon preserves or marmalade and then I wondered.. 

what is the difference between types of canned fruits?

Here is what I discovered:

jelly: the fruit comes in the form of fruit juice.
jam: the fruit comes in the form of fruit pulp or crushed fruit (and is less stiff than jelly as a result).

preserves: the fruit comes in the form of chunks in a syrup or a jam.

Aloha

The other half of Say and Risa's blog here.  Hello! :)

- Risa

Copernicanism

The notion that the more we learn about the universe the less important we become

People were created to be loved. Things were created to be used. The reason the world is in chaos, is because things are being loved, and people are being used

The only thing you can’t recycle is wasted time

When ending a day you should never say “I could have”, “I should have”, or “I would have”. At the end of the day you should always say “I did”.

Misery is almost always the result of thinking

Each of Us Is Ordinary, Yet One of a Kind

SAMUEL BARONDES

Director of the Center for Neurobiology & Psychiatry at the University of California–San Francisco; author, Making Sense of People: Decoding the Mysteries of Personality

Making Sense of People: Decoding the Mysteries of Personality

Each of us is ordinary, yet one of a kind.Each of us is standard issue, conceived by the union of two germ cells, nurtured in a womb, and equipped with a developmental program that guides our further maturation and eventual decline.

Each of us is also unique, the possessor of a particular selection of gene variants from the collective human genome and immersed in a particular family, culture, era,and peer group. With inborn tools for adaptation to the circumstances of our personal world, we keep building our own ways of being and the sense of who we are.

Boxing

I go to boxing class at my gym Mondays and Thursdays. I stay pretty loyal to my instructors but the Monday one is new.. Today, the entire class they literally worked with the same 5 students. It was kind of frustrating when they favor veteran students.
I recommend boxing on Thursdays @ 23rd st definitely :)

Easiest Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe

Doesn't this look so yummy? I love anything with chocolate so any recipe that includes that ingredient in som form is good for me :)


Ingredients
3 cups flour (pick your kind)
2 cups sugar (pick your kind)
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Thoroughly mix dry ingredients first (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt).

3. Mix in wet ingredients (water, vegetable oil, vinegar, and vanilla).  Continue mixing until you obtain an even batter (no lumps).

4. Pour into a cake pan and bake for approximately 40 minutes.


photo credit 

Vanilla Mint Flan recipe

Doesn't this sound so yummy? 

1 1/2 cups cashews, soaked 1-2 hrs

1/2 cup young coconut meat

1/2 TB vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup agave

1/4cup coconut oil

1/4 tsp peppermint oil

shredded coconut

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Pour in to ramekins and refridgerate overnight. Top with shredded coconut and serve.  

Soy Milk Latte

I used my Ninja Blender to froth the milk! yummy

Chocolate Tofu Cheesecake

Another recipe for everyone :) So I'm obsessed with cheesecake and this is a tasty vegan alternative. There is another recipe I use but it's more complicated.. and has more ingredients. This is simple and quick

Filling:
10 oz. barley malt-sweetened chocolate chips or other vegan chocolate chips
2 - 12.3 oz. packages of Mori-Nu Silken Style Tofu, extra firm
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 T. vanilla
1/8 t. salt

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (approximately one sleeve crushed)
3 T. cocoa powder
1 T. unbleached cane sugar
1/2 cup safflower oil

Directions:

1. Begin by pressing the tofu. In a large colander, place a natural unbleached coffee filter, place the two blocks of tofu in the coffee filter, cover the tofu blocks with another coffee filter, place a plate on the top of the coffee filter, and then a heavy can or weight on top of the plate.
2. Place the colander over a bowl, then place the entire set-up in the refrigerator, and leave to drain for several hours or overnight. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or over a double boiler. In a food processor or blender, combine the pressed tofu, melted chocolate chips, and remaining filling ingredients, and puree until smooth.
3. In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, cocoa, and sugar, stirring until well mixed. Drizzle in safflower oil, and using your fingers, mix until thoroughly combined.
4. Firmly press into the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan and set aside. Pour filling over top of crust and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.
5. Allow to cool, and chill, preferably overnight, or for several hours. Garnish with fresh fruit or sliced almonds, if desired.

Peace Corps

So I just found out tomorrow is the farewell party for my friend/ex-co worker who is leaving for a two year Peace Corps term in Togo! Wow.
I was an Americorps volunteer for a year but Peace Corps is on another level. Living in a foreign country for two years.. that probably induces serious character development. Maybe this is something I should add to my bucket list. I do have volunteer in Africa or SE Asia on my list though..

Raw Vegan Spinach Dip

Another delicious recipe. These are ingredients i always have. So simple to make too! 

Raw Vegan Spinach Dip

1/4 cup cashews, 3/4 cup sunflower seeds, soaked
handful of hemp seeds
garlic cloves
peppercorns
nutritional yeast
juice of two lemons
2 T. olive oil
2 cups packed of fresh spinach

blend together in a high speed blenderstir in chopped red onions, chiffonade of another cup of spinach and top with extra nutritional yeast and freshly ground black pepper
let sit in the fridge for a few hours to develop the flavors… or just eat it!

New challenge is...

To not watch any television shows for one week. I’m so dependent on using my second monitor to play some kind of show while on my laptop… now I think it is time to change that habit! Who wants to do it with me?  

Entrepreneur

I woke up today with a massive headache and I knew it was not going to be a good day. I am trying to force myself to be happy because I know it’s all in my mind. Sigh

Here are my plans for today, work, go to cycling class, then go out to dinner with Audrey at her friend’s restaurant Lotus Blue. Her friend owns a restaurant. insane. I need to be an entrepreneur  

Upcoming DIY projects?

Agave Caramel Recipe

Agave Caramel

2 cups agave

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Blend ingredients on high for 20 seconds. Chill in freezer at least 2 hrs. Remove until softer, about 20 minutes, before serving 

Preety flowers

Bonus pic: 

Diary

I wanted a space to share my thoughts and feelings. Talk about my job, my life and adventures :)

I am going to start a photo challenge. Will take photos everyday, especially since I have an iphone. This should be interesting.