Goddess dressing

If you're ever in Eastlake, and you want a facial, go to Julia at Good Juju Skincare. Not only will she give you an amazing facial that leaves you feeling all blissed out, she might also give you a recipe like this. We've been eating this non-stop - on salad, on vegetables, probably by itself.

Goddess dressing

Ingredients
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tblsp Tahini paste
2 garlic cloves
1 - 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

Mix first six ingredients in blender and slowly add in 1 - 1 1/2 cups of vegetable/olive oil. Pour on everything. Eat. Moan.

Using Google+ as a wishlist

The Tall Fella and I both find it hard to choose gifts for each other. We have very limited space in our apartment, so we really try hard to avoid bringing in new stuff. I love clothes but I can be ... picky. All our books are on the Kindle so it's hard to see at a glance what we have.

Here's how we are using Google+ to create a private wishlist limited to just the two of us. (Well, it's just me right now, but it's so awesome I'm hoping he'll do it soon.)

1. Create a new circle called Wishlist.
2. Every time you see something you fancy, share its URL just to your Wishlist circle.





3. Your loved one sees gift ideas, and you can just filter your stream by your Wishlist circle.





4. Bask in the appreciation of your loved one.

You're welcome.

Worth the counter space: Soda Stream Penguin

I grew up before corn syrup. In Ireland back then, soda ("minerals") was made with real sugar, and as a result it was expensive, and as a result it was something you only had on special occasions, like Christmas or Eurovision. It came in huge bottles. Individual cans were an extravagance (I still remember being stunned at how cheap soda is in the States), much like those tiny individual cereal boxes which had an irresistible glamor and which I wanted more than anything.

So when the Soda Stream arrived one Christmas ... well, it must have been awful. We were in heaven. Limitless minerals! Any flavor you wanted! All flavors mixed up together! It was just amazing. You put a bottle of plain tap water into the gadget, pulled a lever like a  one-armed bandit, added something syrupy and sweet ... and you had Coke, practically. Was a time since then I practically lived on Diet Coke and cigarettes, but I've kicked both - I've had maybe 2-3 Diet Cokes in the last couple years. I still love sparkling water, though, the more effervescent the better, but I hate the bottles and the waste.

Enter the Soda Stream Penguin. I love this gadget. Fizzy water! Whenever I want! From the tap! And it's a penguin. Now normally I don't do cute. I get a rash from the whimsy. But unlike the other Soda Stream models, the Penguin comes with glass bottles, so I ordered him ... and that little guy waddled onto the countertop and straight into our hearts.


The Penguin starter kit comes with two bottles and a CO2 cartridge which you insert gently into the front of the penguin. It's good for 60 liters. Then you just put in a bottle, press down on the penguin beak, and - sparkles! The penguin is much bigger than I expected, and feels a little light - but look how adorable.

So far I've used it only for water. I did buy a bottle of Diet Tonic syrup mix, which the Tall Fella said was a little sweet. We'll try to dilute it further - I like the idea of very effervescent tonic water on hand, given that my idea of hell is a flat G&T. But I'm going through several bottles of sparkling water a day, so this is a strong recommend for the Penguin. He's not cheap (we paid $200 on Amazon for the starter kit) but if you love sparkling water, I think he's worth it.

Seven Thoughts I Have During A Massage That Completely Undermine My Experience Of That Massage

1. Probably only ten minutes left. Twelve? Fifteen, tops.
2. [During a body wrap] What if there's a fire?
3. I hope I don't need to pee.
4. Is she laughing at my white girl kanji tat? 
5. What's with the music? 
6. That lunch was a mistake.
7. Oh god, I drooled.

Kale and balsamic tofu salad

Here's an insanely delicious recipe I made tonight when I found myself with a surfeit of kale as well as a container of nutritional yeast that's been sitting in my fridge since I dutifully bought it just after going vegan six months ago. (Does it go off? I don't want to know.)

The recipe came from Cheap Healthy Good via 101 Cookbooks and The Vegan Foodie, with a couple of small adjustments: I used nutritional yeast in the dressing instead of pecorino cheese, and I threw in some toasted pumpkin seeds. I don't really miss cheese, but the yeast gave me a blast of umami that I have to admit I loved. This salad is really, really good. Try it.

For the tofu (you can do this in advance):

• 1 lb extra firm tofu
• 3 T balsamic vinegar
• 3 T soy sauce or tamari (I used tamari)
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 t maple syrup
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed

1. Press the tofu for at least 30 minutes.
2. Whisk together vinegar, soy sauce, 2 T oil, and maple syrup(or combine in a sealable container and shake. Add smashed garlic cloves.
3. Cube tofu. Add to marinade. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 375. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange tofu cubes in a single layer.
5. Bake tofu 30-40 minutes, flipping after 20 minutes, until browned and cooked down.

For the salad:

• 1 bunch Tuscan kale (aka lacinato, aka dinosaur) about 4-5 cups cut up. I used lacinato because I happened to have it, but I'm going to use other types. 
• 2 cloves of garlic (recipe calls for half a clove, but seriously? Not in this house)
• ¼ t salt, plus a pinch
• ¼ c nutritional yeast flakes
• 3 T olive oil
• juice of one lemon (a scant half-cup)
• 1/8 t red pepper flakes
• ground black pepper, to taste
• Quarter cup toasted pumpkin seeds (a handful)

Method:

1. De-vein kale and cut into ribbons. Put in a big bowl.
2. Crush garlic and ¼ t salt together (in a mortar and pestle or in a small bowl with the butt of a knife or something). In a small bowl combine garlic/salt paste, cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and a pinch of salt. Whisk together.
3. Add dressing to kale and toss very well. Add tofu, and let sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.
4. Garnish with a splash of oil and the toasted pumpkin seeds.

Great product: Parchment circles.

I make a lot of no-knead bread and every now and again a loaf gets immovably stuck in the pot, even if I used cornmeal or flour before pouring in the dough. If you make this bread a lot, you've probably had this issue.

No more chiseling out the bread! Pop a parchment circle ($4.99 for 24) in your hot dutch oven before pouring in the dough. The bread falls out perfectly every time. Love it. You're welcome.

Bread in a hurry

I love making bread. Nothing makes me happier than pulling a crusty loaf out of the oven. Unfortunately, I don't make it as often as I'd like: even no-knead bread demands a bit of thinking about the rising time and pulling flour from the pantry is just something I don't want to do when waiting for the bus.

So I'm delighted with my new blindingly obvious solution: Last night I measured out the dry ingredients and put them in a covered bowl on the countertop the night before, along with the a jug of the required amount of water. Bread mixed - 10 seconds - boom! Phil works at home, so he turns it in the bowl for its second rise around 3 or 4. I switch the oven on as soon as I get home and boom! bread on the table!

Yum yum.

Haven't made no-knead bread yet? OMG you like totally should.

Goodfellas - Dinner in Prison

Paulie did the prep work. He was doing a year for contempt, and he had this wonderful system for doing the garlic.