tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-546028130463057332011-09-19T13:49:38.334-07:00Kirsten Cowan, L.Achttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890775569340636107noreply@blogger.comBlogger251100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54602813046305733.post-71615421180172167962011-09-19T13:17:00.000-07:002011-09-19T13:19:03.441-07:00

It's the end of summer, and our CSA box is inundating us with the end-of-summer veggies: tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and peppers. These aren't my favourite vegetables - most of them have to be cooked, unlike the height of summer faves, cucumbers and lettuce, and I find them harder to digest than the fall harvest of greens and squash. I've been making a lot of ratatouille, (just kidding, go to

Kirsten Cowan, L.Achttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890775569340636107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54602813046305733.post-43358681104736198612011-01-22T12:57:00.000-08:002011-01-22T12:57:10.693-08:00

sometimes the best meals are also the weirdest:today's fridge scrounge that i'm foodgasming over?half a boiled sweet potato with a tablespoon of raw coconut oil and the red salt i just bought,refried meatloaf with ginger and green onion, and chopped raw celery with rice wine vinegar... OMNOM.

Kirsten Cowan, L.Achttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890775569340636107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54602813046305733.post-59441617897590444042010-01-13T12:59:00.000-08:002010-01-13T13:19:15.415-08:00

Back to cooking this week - I haven't baked anything yet, but I might tonight - some kind of not too sweet muffin that we can enjoy for snacks or even breakfast is on deck. The almond-quinoa ones were such a hit last week. Applesauce Oatbran muffins seem likely.From vegan challengeMonday night I cooked up the mess of cannellini beans I had been soaking, making Rustic White Beans with Leeks and

Kirsten Cowan, L.Achttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890775569340636107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54602813046305733.post-41030793004239649442010-01-09T12:49:00.000-08:002010-01-09T13:16:02.142-08:00

Well, my vegan project took an unexpected sideline when I got what was either food poisoning or a really nasty reaction to day old mac and cheeze. we'll never know, but i spent 12 hours huddled in the bathroom reliving my vegan project a little more vividly than I wanted. SO had an upset stomach from day two of the mac and cheeze too, but he didn't eat the whole thing, stopping after two bites to

Kirsten Cowan, L.Achttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890775569340636107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54602813046305733.post-49146316215728839512010-01-06T10:58:00.001-08:002010-01-06T11:19:05.999-08:00

Ok, no pics yet for this entry - taking and uploading pics is always a hassle for me - I don't know how the 'snap everything i eat' bloggers do it. Currently my camera has a 'memory card error' so I have to have my techy SO take a look at it anyway. So, on to the food - I'll throw in some Creative Commons images.I had a lot of chickpeas (image from wikimedia) in the fridge (that was the bean I

Kirsten Cowan, L.Achttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890775569340636107noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54602813046305733.post-59381263496547738562010-01-04T21:29:00.000-08:002010-01-04T21:30:32.257-08:00

I am not the kind of person who usually goes for fusion cuisine - so this combination of chickpeas with soba noodles and western and asian flavours was a stretch for me, but one I am really glad I made. The miso and the chickpeas and the starch from the noodles combined to make a velvety broth with a rich, comforting flavour - almost a gravy. this one's a keeper.I knew snacks might be a challenge

Kirsten Cowan, L.Achttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890775569340636107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54602813046305733.post-76944112961786004892010-01-02T11:53:00.000-08:002010-01-02T12:43:59.169-08:00

January is a great time to start new things. I don't believe in going bonkers with resolutions and what not, but it is time when our whole culture turns over the clocks to a new year, and the energy of newness is floating around. Hitching a ride on that energy can be effective. This year I am undertaking a fun personal challenge for the month of January: veganism!! I was a vegetarian for 10 years

Kirsten Cowan, L.Achttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890775569340636107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54602813046305733.post-16673689963873890402009-12-08T14:03:00.000-08:002009-12-08T14:15:17.904-08:00

I stumbled across this recipe when my partner and I were both sick. 1 cup of split mung dal, rinsed4 cups chicken broth1 15 oz can pumpkin pureecombine all in 4.5 quart slowcooker and cook on high 2-5 hours, until mung beans are soft or one of the invalids in your house stumbles to the kitchen to dish out soup.I stirred in a tsp of Patak's mild curry paste, and some ghee.Yesterday when I made it,

Kirsten Cowan, L.Achttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890775569340636107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54602813046305733.post-90555841935660332512009-08-03T09:53:00.000-07:002009-08-03T10:11:39.688-07:00

It's been a while! I've been traveling, and not being at home makes meal planning a bit of a pain... had a great holiday but am glad to be back in the land of 'cooking for myself'. Things are a bit sparse in the pantry as J. and I haven't done a proper shop/meal plan in a while, but I do have lots of fruit and a fair amount of veg, and a need to plan! So here goes. I'm also going to brainstorm

Kirsten Cowan, L.Achttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890775569340636107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54602813046305733.post-20913162314433446932009-06-28T19:36:00.000-07:002009-06-28T19:55:00.682-07:00

Oops. I missed last week - it was pretty uninspired cooking wise - I wanted to bulk up majorly on vegetables and dial down my grain intake - especially rice and rice pasta. I only eat whole grains except for occasionally at restaurants, but i do eat a lot of short grain brown rice and brown rice pasta. When I'm pressed for time and in a rush it's easy to build every meal around that and edge out

Kirsten Cowan, L.Achttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890775569340636107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54602813046305733.post-88619099733748465712009-06-15T10:04:00.000-07:002009-06-15T10:24:13.999-07:00

Oops! Last weekend I was out of town so this past week was major cobble-it together food. Brown rice pasta with tuna and tomato sauce, tofu simmered in ready to go thai curry sauce, etc. But a new week is here and we did up our menu yesterday and here it is: let the eating begin!!Monday L: Fried Rice (brown rice with leftover ham from Sunday diner bfast, frozen peas, egg)D: mini muffin tin

Kirsten Cowan, L.Achttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890775569340636107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54602813046305733.post-47995414921000280892009-06-01T11:17:00.001-07:002009-06-01T11:25:17.425-07:00

Quick and easy this week - back in town yesterday and leaving again on Friday! It's hazy and cool here in LA, as we move into the 'June Gloom', so planning on some easy, cheap comfort food. I am reading (FINALLY) In Defense of Food. It's not really new information for me, but is put so well in Pollan's characteristic readable style. I'm halfway through, and keep having to stop to go "Oh my God

Kirsten Cowan, L.Achttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890775569340636107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54602813046305733.post-28478152945268737322009-05-26T14:04:00.001-07:002009-05-26T14:04:59.441-07:00

We're heading out of town on Thursday, so this week is a bit catch-as-catch can. I'll be back to normal next week!

Kirsten Cowan, L.Achttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890775569340636107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54602813046305733.post-51705804520488586642009-05-18T10:28:00.000-07:002009-05-18T10:40:30.644-07:00

It's cooled off here this week, so we'll be eating some warmer things. And we made it to the farmers market Sunday - strawberries are really beautiful right now, I got some locally grown ginger root and asian greens, bok choy and gui lan, which inspired our Sunday dinner of Japanese hotpot. yum!Sunday Night: tori-nabe on our new table top hotplate. I also cooked a vegan lasagna, (pictured at left

Kirsten Cowan, L.Achttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890775569340636107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54602813046305733.post-70320277581833211252009-05-11T10:14:00.000-07:002009-05-11T10:27:55.761-07:00

With my new schedule of work on Saturday mornings and Mother's Day on Sunday, we failed to make it to the Farmers' Market this weekend. We picked up some emergency veggies at TJs and also some proteins there - we need to make another trip to Costco to fill up the freezer, as we finished the last of the chicken thighs and pork roasts I bought there a few months ago. J got inspired with some

Kirsten Cowan, L.Achttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890775569340636107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54602813046305733.post-32345074522588184352009-05-04T10:38:00.000-07:002009-05-04T11:04:39.473-07:00

Back in the swing of the farmer's market: we've been going to the Mar Vista one, which is great! It's near our new place, has a great vibe, music, food if we want it, and guaranteed cute dogs. Lately we've been eating tons of israeli or greek salad: cukes and tomatoes with feta or mozzarella or olives or tuna - so that appears in this week's menu! Also on the agenda was using up some frozen

Kirsten Cowan, L.Achttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890775569340636107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54602813046305733.post-17922624469566906102008-04-10T10:00:00.000-07:002008-04-10T10:18:36.666-07:00

One of the things with shopping locally, and starting to source 100% of my produce (except bananas, my beloved transnational addiction. I'm working on it ok!?) from the Farmers market, is that it has changed how I do my meal planning. In the interests of frugality, health, and general deliciousness, I try to plan out my meals for the following week as much as possible. I've had to institute a

Kirsten Cowan, L.Achttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890775569340636107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54602813046305733.post-7951955201398090102008-03-18T14:40:00.000-07:002008-03-18T14:55:27.786-07:00

I say "tofu and brown rice" as a metaphor to describe all kinds of things in my life, things that are dependable, nutritious, but slightly unexciting. Today I had the real thing for lunch, and I must say how much I have missed unexciting food!I graduated from my program in Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine this weekend, so, on top of what feels like a few months of indulgent eating, I

Kirsten Cowan, L.Achttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890775569340636107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54602813046305733.post-56292037623683739902008-03-05T13:08:00.000-08:002008-03-05T13:38:50.892-08:00

It hasn't been a stellar few weeks of eating, hence the scanty posts, but I am ready to get back in the groove. I did do some yummy, albeit rich, cooking this weekend. I made macaroni and cheese, with grass fed cheddar - the cheddar was delicious, but using it in the mac and cheese was kindof a waste. I am saving the rest of it to eat as it is, or with apples from the farmers market. I also made

Kirsten Cowan, L.Achttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890775569340636107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54602813046305733.post-61256471017746625212008-02-18T19:30:00.000-08:002008-03-05T13:39:12.530-08:00

Back from a wonderful weekend away at my in-laws cabin with my sweetie. As is our way, one of the fleshly delights we enjoyed while away was lots of good eating. The last time we went there for the weekend, we really thoroughly overate. This time we were smart enough to scale it back a few notches. It was still delicious and indulgent: we used some gift cards for Trader Joe's we got for Christmas

Kirsten Cowan, L.Achttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890775569340636107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54602813046305733.post-78533922879731942182008-02-10T20:09:00.001-08:002008-02-10T20:11:14.942-08:00

This weekend was a symphony of overindulgence as my partner and I celebrated his birthday, first with a rib dinner for two at home on Friday night, and then a potluck party on Saturday night. Thank god for my friend Prajna, who brought chole as her contribution. I at least got a quasi normal dinner, but heartily laced with way more sugar than my system can really tolerate. It's such a cycle - one

Kirsten Cowan, L.Achttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890775569340636107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54602813046305733.post-35929739820991604702008-02-08T07:36:00.000-08:002008-02-08T07:54:05.835-08:00

One of the inspirations for this blog is that I finally picked up Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, a 'bible' of the new localvore/slow food movement. I'm about halfway through it, and so far it's as gripping as I might expect. Since I haven't gotten to the end yet, I suppose it's not fair for me to gripe about the sense of 'ok, what the hell am I supposed to do about it on $50 a week for

Kirsten Cowan, L.Achttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890775569340636107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54602813046305733.post-90653256526991709782008-02-07T14:33:00.000-08:002008-02-07T14:42:07.104-08:00

Today was not a successful frugal day. It is a bit tiring to feel like if I screw up on my planning at all, then I am out of luck. This morning i realized the food i cooked on sunday had run out. The lunch I packed to take to work consisted of two slices of bread and a raw egg. I get depressed just thinking about it.So, I cracked and got lunch from next door, Bella Roma. Bella Roma is wonderful,

Kirsten Cowan, L.Achttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890775569340636107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54602813046305733.post-22247749609653253322008-02-06T10:07:00.000-08:002008-02-08T18:36:10.502-08:00

Yesterday was Pancake Day, aka shrove tuesday, mardi gras etc. Since I'm Canadian, to me it will always be pancake day. This was news to my American partner, but he was happy to go along for the ride.Confessionally, I suck at making pancakes. I always turn out these 300 lb slabs of low fat multigrain cardboard and also manage to burn them. This time I swore it would be different. And it was. I

Kirsten Cowan, L.Achttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890775569340636107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54602813046305733.post-19209903313925874142008-02-04T11:51:00.000-08:002008-02-04T11:56:42.696-08:00

I've decided to try and chronicle my adventures, eating right, living in harmony with the planet and my beliefs and fueling the revolution inside and out, all on a budget.One of the most important things I do that helps all these things, is cook for myself (and increasingly, for my partner.) I'm out of the house a lot and I don't like having to make choices between different unhealthy, expensive

Kirsten Cowan, L.Achttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14890775569340636107noreply@blogger.com0