This Week's Bounty

   In light of the terrifying events in Boston this week, all I can do is focus on life and thank the heavens my Boston dwelling friends and family are well and safe. My heart and thoughts are with everyone in my favorite city in the North.  

Last week I promised you CSA photos and today I'm here to deliver.

  

 It comes all packaged up in this pretty blue bag.

That bag contains a bag of spinach....

 .... and a bag of baby salad greens.

 Two quarts of these ruby hued beauties.

 Asparagus and rainbow swiss chard.

Curly leafed kale, so dark and dusky green.

 

Spring onions- very sweet and tender.

"And what the heck is this thing?" I wondered. "Some kind of weird, leafy cabbage...?"

And I was almost right....

... teeny baby brussels sprouts, nestled close to the stalk and hiding amongst the leaves.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a snack needs tending to- sometimes the best recipes aren't recipes at all!

Routinely Beautiful

   I would like to say first that I love daily routines. I love the comfort they offer and that they often keep me from making mistakes or forgetting important things.

   I love that if you look a little deeper, most routines have much greater meaning than it may seem on cursory observation. For instance, every morning I pour my coffee into one particular bright yellow mug; it is old and has a hairline crack in its side that (knock on wood) doesn't leak. But I don't drink from it every single morning because of its cheery color, although I also love that; I drink from it because my sister gave it to me and it always reminds me of her. Despite being the closest of friends, we've had to live very far from each other for the past six years and this small ritual makes me feel just a touch closer to her.

   But when abused, routine can rob us of possibilities for excitement, improvement and adventure. Steve and I have three restaurants that we absolutely adore and could happily spend the rest of our lives rotating through. But ironically, some of my fondest memories are of date nights we stepped away from our usual stomping grounds, tried a new restaurant and hated the food! This happened once on our anniversary and although the night could have been a complete disaster, I've never laughed harder as I watched Steve make fun of the fussy plates, ridiculously small portions and bland food.

   I invite you to remove a little routine from your meal sometime in your near Tex-Mex future: walk right past the tortilla and taco aisle and head straight to the leafy greens. Instead of baked flour and cornmeal, pick out the prettiest, leafiest bunch of collards you can find.

   Collards and other hearty leafy green wraps are pretty popular in the plant based eating world and you can find many variations on this beautiful, crunchy, fresh theme. After some experimentation, these little 'tacos' are our favorite invention so far. Superior flavor and texture aside, this is also an excellent way to remove a bit of refined grains from your diet.

   I hope you deviate slightly from your usual taco routine and give these a try. While you're at it, take a moment to appreciate how, when pressed next to each other on a serving platter, they look like lovely green collard flowers, all fancy and frilled. And I promise, unlike the occasional terrible restaurant, these you will love.

Collard Green 'Tacos'

6 small to medium sized collard green leaves (leafy parts about 5 inches long)
1 large onion, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups spinach, packed tight for accurate measurement
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (less if you don't like your tacos spicy)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup salsa

   To prepare the collards: wash each leaf thoroughly. Trim the bottom 2 inches or so of woody stem off. Set the leaves aside on towels to dry (you may need to dab the water droplets off later once ready to fill the tacos).
   In a medium sized fry pan, add the beans, broth, spices, salt and salsa. Turn heat to medium and bring to a simmer. Once it begins simmering, mash the beans with a fork until most of them are coarsely broken apart. Simmer, mixing every once in a while, until enough broth evaporates that a thick 'refried bean' texture is achieved. Turn heat off, taste and add additional salt if needed.
   Meanwhile, in another fry pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and a few pinches of salt and cook until very tender, brown and caramelized (takes 10-15 minutes). Add the spinach and cook just until the spinach is barely wilted.
   To assemble: cradle a collard leaf in your hand; spoon about 1/3 cup bean mixture down the center. Place some of the onion/spinach saute on top. Optional: top with guacamole (recipe to follow) Squeeze the sides gently to create a 'taco' shape. Continue with the rest until the ingredients are used up.
   Serves two.

Variation: Collard Quesadillas

6 collard green leaves
Beans, prepared as above
Onions/Spinach saute, prepared as above
Guacamole, see recipe below

   Lay down a collard, spread a layer of the beans on top, then spread a layer of onions/spinach on top of the beans. Lay down another collard, spread a layer of guacamole on top and finish with a final collard leaf. It's a fork and knife sort of thing and just as tasty as the tacos.
   Makes two.

And don't forget burritos...

The One and Only Guacamole

2 avocados
Juice from 1 lime
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
Scant 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust according to your desired level of heat)
1/4 teaspoon onion powder

   Place all ingredients in a bowl. Mash with a fork until a smooth to slightly chunky texture is achieved.

 

Abundance

   Spring has come slowly to us here in the south. I'm not so far removed from my years in New York that I'm not very thankful for 50 degree days in March and early April, but still, enough is enough! This weekend finally brought the sun out and the thermometer on our porch crept above 70. Heaven.

   For us, the best part of spring is all the amazing vegetables that suddenly begin popping up in the farmers markets scattered across town. Truth time: expecting me to get out of bed early enough on a Saturday to get to the farmers market before everything is picked over and the remains are sad and wilted is like expecting New York spring in January. It just ain't gonna happen.

   Knowing this about myself, Steve and I signed up for a spring CSA (community sponsored agriculture) share this year. When you buy a CSA share you get a weekly delivery of locally grown vegetables (we chose a farm that is also organic) to enjoy, grocery store and farmers market free. We got our first box this past Wednesday and I. Am. In. Love. We're talking rainbow swiss chard, collard greens, dinosaur kale, spring onions, asparagus, baby spinach, turnips and carrots so orange I think I see better in the dark just from handling them.

   I was so excited to unload my bounty and whisk it away to the fridge that I forgot to take a photo. I will be sure to snap a shot of this week's share- the beauty and convenience of buying into a CSA is just too fantastic not to share.

   Spring vegetables are tender and sweet, like delicate promises of what is to come. They are everything that the large, dense plethora of winter root vegetables are not. I think spring veggies come just in time to remind us that the sun will be warm once more and the breezes again gentle and refreshing.

   If I could package spring into some kind of elixir and infuse that into a pasta dish, the following recipe would be the result. It is infinitely green, sweet and delicate but at the same time very rich and satisfying on every possible gustatory level.

   In these last few weeks which bridge that time between cold and hot, I hope this dish strikes just the right balance of lightness and comfort on your dinner plate. It sure did on ours.

Spring Avocado Pesto Pasta (Vegan)
Adapted from Chloe's Kitchen

10 ounces linguine pasta
Kosher salt
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup roasted, unsalted walnuts
2 small avocados
2 cups basil leaves (pack them down into the measuring cup to get an accurate amount)
3 tablespoons olive oil
Juice from 1 lime
Freshly ground pepper
3 cups frozen sweet peas
1 bunch asparagus, cupped into 1 inch pieces
3 cups firmly packed baby spinach, roughly chopped

   Start heating a large pot of salted water on the stove. While you wait for the water to boil, place the garlic, walnuts, avocado flesh (just cut them in half, remove the pit and scrape out the flesh with a spoon), basil, olive oil, lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper (around 1/8 teaspoon) in a food processor. Process until very smooth, scraping down the sides a few times if needed. Taste and add additional salt if desired.
   When the water boils, add the pasta and cook until it has nearly reached its desired tenderness. At this point, add the peas and asparagus to the pasta pot. Cook until the asparagus is very green and just tender when pierced with a fork, about 2 minutes. Turn heat off. Before draining, reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
   Drain pasta/peas/asparagus. Place the spinach in the now empty pasta pot and pour the drained pasta on top. Wait a few minutes to allow the retained heat in the pasta to wilt the spinach. Scrape all of the avocado pesto on top of the pasta and toss everything together with two spoons or a pair of tongs until thoroughly incorporated. If you need, add in the reserved pasta water two tablespoons at a time to help the pesto coat everything (I find I end up using about 1/3 cup of the reserved water).
   Serves 4.








  

Monsters Under the Bed

   As kids, when my siblings or I had a bad dream or were just feeling uneasy about the night, my dad would sit down with us, take a pen and piece of paper and ask us to describe the monster to him. It wasn't always a monster that was scaring us, but I know for me it felt good to describe whatever was bothering me as though it were a physical being. It taught me how to really describe and characterize what may only be an idea or feeling- not easy for most adults let alone a little kid. With his prompting ("Did it have teeth? What about scales? How many eyes did it have?") we invariably ended up with a respectably terrifying monster. After admiring his work and getting comfortable with the idea that whatever was bothering me was now confined to the piece of paper, we would go to the stove and burn it.

   I love that he figured out a way not only to allow our young minds to articulate our emotions, but that he knew something as simple as burning the image of that fear had the power to comfort us and ease our anxiety. It worked every time and I always slept like a baby after our ritual make shift fire.

   There is a lot to be said of fear. Fear can motivate us to make important changes, or warn us that a chosen path may not be such a good choice after all. It can bring us closer to each other- when I was contemplating getting out of the specialty of pediatrics I was very paralyzed by a multitude of fears. What if I irreparably derailed my career? What if I tried a new specialty and it made me equally unhappy? What if medicine wasn't for me at all and here I was after 8 years of higher education and hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt with nothing to show for myself? With Steve's help I took the leap and I'm happier and more inspired by my job than I ever thought was possible. I also couldn't be more thankful to have someone so brave and supportive in my life. Conquering our fears and limitations by ourselves can be quite rewarding, but I think approaching things with a true partner is infinitely better.

   I'd like to help you conquer a fear, albeit quite minor compared to monsters under the bed or major career choices, but an important one nonetheless. That fear is tofu.

   Tofu gets a lot of mixed press. There are people out there who will tell you tofu will flood you with estrogen- a scary idea for our macho menfolk or women who may have estrogen sensitive illnesses.  In reality, the phytoestrogen (which is just a plant molecule structurally similar to the estrogen we produce in our bodies- but not identical) present in tofu is an extremely small, ineffective molecule compared to human estrogen. There are many plants that have phytoestrogens and all of them would have to be consumed in massive quantities before having any sort of effect on our physiology.

   Unless you plan on consuming several pounds of this stuff for days on end, it's a perfectly safe and very healthy food to include in your kitchen arsenal. Look for organic brands- there is very limited information on the long term health effects of consuming genetically modified organisms (GMOs). At this point, it is best to avoid them wherever you can. One of the benefits of purchasing certified organic foods is the guarantee that all components are non GMO.

   This lasagna is layered pasta heaven. I defy you to miss the ricotta- the tofu 'cheese' is tangy, complex, herbal and creamy. The myriad vegetables in the veggie layer are fresh and meaty at the same time. This colorful dish also makes superior leftovers- I have to keep myself from breaking into my lunch bag too early when I have a square of this waiting for me!

   Enjoy.

Vegetable Lasagna
Liberally adapted from Oh She Glows

For the tofu ricotta:  
1 medium sweet onion, diced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 celery stalks, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14oz) package extra-firm or firm tofu
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
3/4-1 tsp kosher, or to taste
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, minced
1/2 cup packed fresh parsley, minced

For the vegetable layer
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large portobello mushrooms, diced 
1 zucchini, diced
5 ounces baby spinach
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 

To assemble:
9 sheets no boil lasagna noodles (also called 'oven ready')
5 cups marinara sauce
  
   To press the tofu: remove it from its packages, rinse under cold water. Blot the tofu dry with paper towels. Stack 3-4 dish towels on the counter, place the tofu on the towels and fold towels over the top of the tofu block. Place 2-3 heavy cookbooks on top and let sit for 10-15 minutes. If it soaks through the towels just move it to a dry area and replace the cookbooks.
   Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. When hot, add the onion and celery. Cook over medium-low heat until translucent and tender- the goal is to sweat them, not get tons of color. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds until very fragrant. Turn heat off.
   Crumble the tofu block into the food processor and process until very smooth. Add the processed tofu to the skillet with the onions and celery. Add salt, cayenne, lemon juice, nutritional yeast and fresh herbs. Stir to evenly combine. Taste and add more salt if desired.
   In another skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add mushrooms and zucchini. Sprinkle with the salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add spinach and cook until just wilted and the excess water has mostly cooked off.
   Assemble the lasagna: spread 2 cups marinara sauce in the bottom of a 13 X 9 inch baking pan. Use 3 lasagna sheets to make the first pasta layer. On top of the pasta, spread all of the sauteed mushroom veggie mixture. Make another 3 pasta sheet layer. Spread all of the tofu ricotta on top of this pasta layer. Make the final 3 pasta sheet layer on top of the tofu ricotta. Spread the remaining 2 cups marinara sauce over this.
   Bake at 375 for 35 minutes until bubbling and a knife passes easily through the pasta sheets. Allow to sit for 15 minutes before serving (this helps the noodles absorb the extra liquids and all the layers to set up a bit).
   Serves 6 generously.


  

  

Roasted, Baby

   I am the first to admit this: salad can sort of be a bummer. Just saying that you're going to order the salad elicits what I call the 'self deprivation reflex.' I'm sure some of you must experience this too. It's out of our hands and just the way we feel about it, okay? No judgement.

   My whole life I've been unable to handle large amounts of raw greens simply because I found the flavor overwhelming and a bit bitter. I also have never particularly enjoyed traditional salad dressings. They are either too sweet and chemical laden or the vinaigrette after slick of olive oil leaves me with a desire to brush my teeth ASAP. Between the bitter greens and the funky dressings, I gave up on being a salad person long ago.

   To be sure, my paltry leafy greens consumption was not for lack of effort on my mother's part. For the first half of my life, she earnestly and unsuccessfully tried to convince my limited palate that greens were fun and tasty. I've spent the latter half evilly rubbing my hands together in glee because I no longer had anyone controlling the landscape of my dinner plate.

   Now, I look back on all those greenless years and feel a profound sense of loss. Oh, the wasted opportunity!

   The fact that I now consider a big ol' salad to be just the thing for dinner is huge. The trick is finding what makes the greens sing for your tastebuds, and I will tell you right now: the answer cannot be found in a bottle with an exhaustive ingredient list on the shelf of your local grocery store.

   I remember the trend several years ago of complicated mixed salads involving different nuts, pickled this and that, cheese, beans, meats and fishes... it was an edible frenzy and never particularly appetizing to me. However, instead of ditching the trend altogether, I should have taken the moral of that story and run with it. The moral is this: there are absolutely no rules regarding what you get to put in your salad! For me, the trick is a combination of either caramelized or lightly cooked vegetables and fresh, raw greens. Also: avocados make everything better.

   A very hot oven or skillet are truly transformative things. I now have a whole lexicon of delicious salads with roasted or pan crisped components that never escape hungry mouths for long. This roasted baby potato salad is just one example and I will be sure to post some of the others soon (such as roasted beet salad- a rosy cheeked gem worth the wait). The avocado is creamy and just this side of sweet, the acidic vinegar gives it a shot in the rump and the herbacious parsley allows the greens to really stand up and smile.

  Steve and I made this dish for our Easter dinner this year. We enjoyed it on the porch, soaked in fledgling spring sunshine and soft fresh air. Just wonderful.

    The first photo is version two. 

Roasted Baby Potato Salad

Remember how your mother told you potatoes will explode if you don't poke holes in them first? Well she was right and I have various potato body parts sticking to my oven wall to prove it. Even though they look small and harmless, give those suckers a good poke.

For the potatoes:
3 cups small fingerling potatoes, each one poked once or twice with a fork
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt

For the salad base:
10 ounces mixed baby greens (I like a combination of baby romaines and baby kale)
1 scallion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
2  small carrots, peeled into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
1 small avocado
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

   Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the potatoes in a 13 X 9 inch baking pan and drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle with several pinches salt and shake them around so they are coated evenly with oil. Bake for 30 minutes or until tender and their skins are beginning to turn golden brown and crisp.
   Remove from the oven assemble your salad: in a very large mixing bowl, combine the greens, scallion, parsley and carrot. Cut your avocado in half, remove the pit, score the flesh into cubes and use a spoon to scoop it out into the salad bowl. Add the vinegar and sprinkle with a pinch or two of salt. Using your hands, massage the avocado into the greens until the avocado and vinegar combine to make a thick, creamy dressing which coats the greens, leaving a few chunks of avocado whole.
   Plate your greens, spoon the warm potatoes on top.
   Serves 2 generously for dinner or 6 as a starter. 

Version Two: Crispy Pan "Fried" Bean Salad

1 can great northern white beans, rinsed and drained
Kosher salt
Chili powder
Cayenne pepper
Onion powder
Olive oil cooking spray

Green salad base, prepared as directed in the recipe above

  In a bowl, sprinkle the beans with a few pinches salt and several dashes of each spice; toss to coat. If you like your dishes on the hot side, don't be shy with the cayenne! Spray a heavy bottomed skillet with a few spritzes of olive oil (I highly recommend this ceramic skillet as an inert non stick alternative to the toxic cephalon varieties) and place over medium heat. When hot, add the beans and allow them to heat through and begin to brown. Toss them around a few times so most sides are browned. Spoon over your salad.
   Serves 2 generously for dinner or 6 as a starter.

 

My Chic Brown Bag

   I'm going to go out on a limb here and say something radical- I love procrastination. Love, love, love it. People complain about it as though it's a terrible, shameful personality flaw. But really, what's not to love about the act of putting off an obligation in favor of a more pleasurable activity? Come on. Nothing, that's what.

   Of course, we all know the old adage 'too much of a good thing is a bad thing,' and that applies to procrastination. It's one thing to put off that presentation for work just long enough to enjoy your tea break and quite another to pretend you had no idea the presentation got moved up a week and you haven't even thought of a topic yet. That's just not cool.

 

   I do believe our old friend procrastination has a big hand in why many people find it difficult to prepare lunches to bring to work. After all, just the act of putting that sucker together is admitting that another work day looms ever near. It can seem like just another chore on a never ending to do list, or simply not possible if you've put it off until just before rushing out the door.

   Once I was out of college and lost the convenience of returning to my dorm room or apartment for lunch, I quickly learned the highest quality choices and foods couldn't be found in the cafeteria or local eatery. Even though I've now been brown bagging it since medical school, I'm certainly not perfect at it. There are occasional meals here or there that find me in the salad line behind every other resident and patient in the hospital. On these days I'm inevitably left with a belly ache and funky taste in my mouth (just what's in those industrial salad dressings anyway??).

   The habit is actually very easy to get into because the rewards are so great. There is no denying that the food you make in your own kitchen is better for both your body and your taste buds. With a little practice and maybe some error, finding a group of old reliable recipes designed to make leftovers is not such a hard thing. I have found that I look forward to our weekly Sunday night 'lunch prep' dinner with great anticipation. I do believe it strokes our deep animal instinct to stock up food- a proverbial acorn in our squrriley cheeks.

  One of the fun parts of our Sunday dinners is not only that we don't have to worry about lunches for a while, but we also get to dress that first meal up a bit. Since I generally have more time on the weekend for cooking projects, this can be anywhere from a fancy dessert, or, more likely, a fancy bread. Steve and I don't have much in the way of a sweet tooth and between the two of us we probably only eat one or two desserts a month. But bread? Bring it on!

 

   For this Sunday night dinner, I have vegan chili for you. It is rich, flavorful and very easy to put together. Beware, you will need a big pot to cook it in.

    To accessorize our chili, I've been working on a vegan cornbread recipe for quite some time. It took me a while to get it just right (the lack of eggs was a hurdle) but this is golden, corny perfection if I do say so myself. The trick is adding some form of acid- in this case vinegar. Altering the pH of your batter will allow it to rise and have a light crumb, which is why we add eggs to our baked goods. Not only does the vinegar give the final product a delicious cultured buttermilk flavor, but by changing the acid base balance just a touch, eggs become unnecessary.

   The other day I discovered some forgotten buttermilk in the fridge and offered to make the old fashioned cornbread; Steve requested 'that vegan one' instead! A true endorsement and I was more than happy to oblige. Hope you enjoy.


More Veggies Chili
Adapted from Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Kitchen

This is an incredibly versatile recipe- we've made it several times now and every pot is slightly different. Try green cabbage instead of red, if you don't have kale around try collard greens, swiss chard or spinach, switch out one of the beans for a different variety- you get the drift!

2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 white onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced (if you prefer a milder chili, remove and discard the seeds before dicing)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 large portobello mushrooms, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 small sweet potato, diced (don't peel it- the skin is very flavorful)
2 cups red cabbage, thinly sliced
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 quart vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed  
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cups chopped kale, packed
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

   Toast the cumin seeds in a large dry pot or dutch oven over medium heat until very fragrant- about 2 minutes.  Add the olive oil, onion and jalapeno pepper. Saute, stirring occasionally, until browned and softened. Add the chili powder, mushrooms, zucchini, potato and cabbage. Saute 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
   Add crushed tomatoes, broth, water, beans, maple syrup and salt. Cover with a lid and simmer for 25 minutes. 
   Stir in kale and simmer until just barely wilted, about 2 minutes. Turn heat off and stir in cilantro. Taste, season with additional salt if you wish.
   Serves 8 generously.    

Vegan Cornbread

Be sure to use white balsamic vinegar- the red stuff would just be weird. Apple cider vinegar probably would work well too if you prefer it.

1 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar (use 1/3 if you prefer a less sweet cornbread)
4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsweetened soy milk (I prefer Silk brand)
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 scallions both green and white parts, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels (thawed if using frozen)

   Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray an 8 X 8 inch baking dish with cooking oil and set aside. In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir together the soy milk and vinegar. Allow to sit and thicken. Meanwhile, in a medium sized bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking soda and salt until evenly incorporated. Add the oil and soy milk/vinegar mixture and mix to combine. Add your scallions and corn, mix to combine.
   Spread the batter in your prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes until the top is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Serve hot!
   Makes 9 squares.

  

On Balance

   The concept of balance is being tossed around a lot these days. It is a popular topic of discussion among many of the blogs I routinely follow, and considered an important factor for healthy living by the preventative medicine physicians I respect and emulate.

   The message is generally dripping with well intentioned instructions to exercise regularly, avoid television, watch what we eat and sleep eight hours (no more and no less) every single night. Basically, we are told that balance is struck when we are able to overcome our daily obligations in favor of activities that bring us closer to the physical and mental ideal.

   But what does it really mean for most of us? I'm sure I'm not alone in a job that takes up the majority of my day and ties me to a desk most of the time. Or that I have obligations at home such as a needy dog (her eyes practically scream 'I can't walk myself!!' as I walk in the door), laundry and grocery shopping that prevent me from routinely doing holistic, soul enriching activities. As much as I would really love to be that bendy, hip girl with incense on her yoga shrine and home made lavender infused pillows at her bedside, most of the time I'm just not that person. And you know what? I'm perfectly ok with that.

   It just isn't the stereotypical well rounded modern day woman who I really want to be. I like having a small amount of chaos in my house. I like that sometimes I'm too tired to exercise when I get home and I don't beat myself up for snuggling on the couch with my dog instead. I like that when the weekend rolls around I don't feel the least bit badly for sleeping a full twelve, glorious hours or that maybe instead of reading that latest hip biography everyone's talking about, I would rather watch the rain fall on my backyard. And I know I don't need to tell you how how much trashy reality TV can feel like meditation!

   Finally, it feels oh so good when I forget about how much fiber and protein my breakfast contains and reach for something that has, yes, chocolate!

   Maybe the bottom line is my balance includes chaos and occasional idleness. It includes deciding not to exercise and sometimes choosing trashy TV over activities that enhance my self knowledge. It is part healthy and part indulgence.

   Come to think of it, maybe that's just balance, period.

   As for the cookies, they speak for themselves. They are no bake and therefore delightfully quick to put together. They are cute and a little nubbly. They have that slight chew that I love in a peanut butter cookie but also a hint of salt and chocolatey darkness. I love that they are sweet and gooey but also vegan. They are part good for you and part excess- just what the doctor ordered on a morning you may be craving a little chaos and indulgence... we can self reflect later!

Chewy Raw Peanut Butter Cookies
    Credit to Ashlae of  Oh Ladycakes for original recipe

2 cups rolled oats (the old fashioned kind, no quick cooking)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (half this amount if your peanut butter is salted- or if you are using non kosher, regular salt is very harsh)
1/2 cup natural chunky peanut butter
10 medjool dates, pits discarded
6 tablespoons almond milk (or non dairy milk of your choice)
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

   In a food processor fitted with the S blade, process the oats and salt until you achieve a coarse meal. Add the peanut butter and dates and process until they are fully incorporated.  Add the almond milk and chocolate chips. Pulse until the dough starts to come together. Transfer to a bowl and knead the dough with your hands until it forms a ball and the chocolate is evenly distributed. Roll 1 tablespoon sized pieces of dough into balls and place on a sheet of parchment or wax paper. Use a fork to flatten them into disks, leaving behind a fork impression on top. Cookies will keep in a sealed container for four days at room temperature, or two weeks in the fridge.
Yields about 2 dozen.