Pistachio Crusted Tofu

When I saw this recipe on Fat Free Vegan Kitchen I couldn't wait to try it. Maybe it was the drool inducing photo, maybe it was the fact that I had a block of firm tofu sitting in the fridge, but either way I'm glad I did! Of course I changed the ingredients around a little bit based on what was in my kitchen, but it's still a hit!

Pistachio Crusted Tofu
14 ounces tofu
2 tablespoons soy sauce, low sodium

1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup pistachio nuts
ground pepper -- to taste
2 tablespoons Trader Joe's Hot and Sweet Mustard
maple syrup or honey to taste
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce, low sodium

Open tofu and drain. Place tofu on a plate, cover with another plate and place a can on top. Allow to stand for 10 minutes to drain. Slice tofu into half inch slices and using a pastry brush, brush with soy sauce.

Preheat oven to 400F. While oven is heating, pulse pistachio nuts in food processor. Mix with bread crumbs and pepper. Place in a shallow bowl. In a second shallow bowl combine mustard, maple syrup and soy sauce, adjusting to taste.

Take slices of tofu and coat in mustard mixture, then cover in pistachio bread crumbs. Place on baking sheet. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes or until golden. Serve with sauce of your choice, teriyaki, sweet and sour, mustard mixture, etc.



**Note: next time I make this I would probably change the ratio of bread crumbs to pistachios to include more pistachios. I also highly suggest not skimping on marinading the tofu in soy sauce.

Things I Love About Sunday

1. Delicious breakfasts like this one.

2. Listening to the Country Top 40.

3. Hiking.

Whole Wheat Crepes

One of the things I love about long weekends, or weekends in general for that matter, is the opportunity to sleep in and make a delicious breakfast. There's nothing like getting up at 10 and using the next two hours to make and enjoy a special weekend treat.

I remember as a kid my parents would leave the cereal boxes on the table and a small jug of milk in the fridge. That way when my brother and I got up early to watch cartoons we could fix our own breakfast without waking our parents up. As we got a little older and starting sleeping in a little bit more we were roused out of bed with the promise of pancakes. Dad was the pancake king and I remember sitting there with my brother as my dad would bring pancake after pancake out of the kitchen. Unfortunately all good things come to an end at some point, and before I knew it it was me who was making the pancakes.

In case you haven't noticed, old habits die hard and I often find myself making pancakes on the weekend. However, this morning I decided I would try something different. I haven't made crepes in a very long time and with only a cup of flour in my house I knew that I wasn't going to be able to make pancakes. I also wanted something that could be either savory or sweet, as I hadn't made my mind up what I was feeling like for breakfast.

I used Alton Brown's crepe recipe from the food network and altered it slightly.

Whole Wheat Crepes

• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup soy milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
• Pam

Combine all ingredients (except Pam) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. To avoid lumps I usually add the liquid bit by bit to the flour until I get a nice smooth batter. Place mixture in fridge for 20 minutes while you prepare fillings**.




Heat a large pan over medium heat. Lightly coat pan with Pam. Pour 1/4 cup (1 oz) of batter into pan, immediately swirling to allow batter to coat the pan thinly. Alternately you can use the back of a spoon to spread the batter across the pan. Cook for 30 seconds or until no longer wet, flip and cook other side. Remove to plate to cool. Makes about 10 crepes. Crepes can be stored in the fridge for several days or in the freezer for two months.

**Fillings are as numerous and varied as you want them to be. This morning I scrambled an egg and added some goodies from my freezer, corn and sofrito. Mmmm. I was also planning on creating an antioxidant crepe with blueberries and dark chocolate. Unfortunately my crepes were too filling to get that far, but I'll be looking forward to them later this afternoon.

I Passed!

I just finished taking the post test and I can officially say I am trained in pediatric and adolescent weight management. I can't wait until my "suitable for framing" certificate gets here so I can put it up on the wall in my office. Woohoo!

3-Day Weekend

In case you were wondering the country that my patient thought I was from in the previous post was Argentina. Pretty ironic that it's the country my parents and one of my friends here in DC just got back from visiting.

Today is the kick-off to the three day weekend and boy am I excited! Three days to not have to go to work and to do whatever I want, can it get any better? I have been asked what my plans are for the weekend and I have to say I don't have plans so much as I have ideas of things I want to do. I think this might possibly be the first three day weekend where I wasn't chomping at the bit to get out of town. It actually is going to be quite nice to be spending time in town and not sitting in traffic.

As for what I am going to do . . . I guess you are going to have to check back to see what trouble I get into or stay out of.

Best Compliment Ever

I used to think the best compliment I had ever received was when someone told me "You have bitchin' blue eyes." However, today one of my patients was so impressed with my Spanish that he thought I was originally from a Spanish speaking country. He couldn't believe that I was English American.

Which country do you think he suggested?

I'm Tired

I made it home safely yesterday after the conclusion of my weight management conference. It was awesome but right now I am just tired. This morning I went straight back to work and as much as I want to implement all I learned the past three days, I just don't have the energy to do it today.

Thankfully, this weekend is a three day weekend so I have some time to rest, reflect and revise. Oh yeah, and I should probably get the post test out of the way so that I can get my certificate.

Conference Day 1

Right now I am sitting on my king size bed, watching cable TV, and enjoying a cookie from the front desk. Oh how nice it is to be in a Hampton hotel. Fitness room! Room cleaned daily by someone who isn't me! Free breakfast! TV in bed! But seriously, the real reason I am here is to win my millions at the casino . . . er . . . I mean get my certificate of training in pediatric and adolescent weight management. Hey! You can't blame a girl for enjoying the amenities.

Maybe it's just the change of scenery but today has been a great day. I left Virginia this morning drove the two hours to Delaware, site of the conference. During the drive I passed through Amish country and had to take caution as I passed the horse drawn carriages. All in all the drive was pretty nice, once I passed the eastern shore of Maryland it was pretty much all country and farmlands, very beautiful.

This afternoon we had a half day program featuring three speakers. The first speaker presented on nutrition and gene expression, the second speaker spoke about public health nutrition and environmental change and the last speaker spoke about behavior change. The behavior change was the most interesting, not because the speaker shared my last name, but because what he was talking about will be instantly applicable to my current jobs. I think that's the trademark of a good conference, when you walk away with tips/techniques/strategies that are instantly applicable to your current situation.

I have to say I am pretty excited to see what we are going to learn tomorrow. Not only is it great to be around a bunch of colleagues (something I don't have the luxury of at work) but it's also nice to listen to the knowledge and experience of other people who are just as passionate as I am about childhood obesity. I definitely walked out of the casino today with a fresh outlook on my current work situation.

I also walked out with all the money I entered with, maybe I'll try the slots tomorrow. . .

It's finally a LIVING room!

As you enter the living room.


My brand new couch!


Coffee Table


Coffee Table with side drawer open. The two side drawers are large enough to hold remotes, magazines, blankets, etc.


I took all the pictures that you see on the top of the coffee table but I haven't decided if I want to leave them there or not. What do you think? Does it look like it belongs in a college dorm or does it look adult and artsy?

Coffee Table

Last Sunday I bought a coffee table from Ikea. Here's what it looks like:



Okay, I know, not that impressive, but honestly this is a big step. For the past two days the coffee table has taken up residence in the back seat of my car. You see the box was way to heavy for me to lift into the house by myself and unfortunately I couldn't bring home the nice gentleman who helped me load it into my car at Ikea. So, I figured I would just open the box and take the pieces out one by one. Unfortunately, for the past two days it's been pouring rain.

But as you can see by the photographic evidence the coffee table has made it into the house! I have to tell you though it was quite the undertaking. As my neighbors watched on, probably thinking there goes the crazy white girl again, I opened the box and proceeded to take the pieces out one by one. Until I got to the glass. Knowing my history with broken glass I knew that if I took the glass out of the box it would never make it onto the top of the coffee table. So instead I decided to leave it in the box with the top of the table to protect it and bring the whole box in. It was challenging, requiring a stop on the street, sidewalk and front steps but I am happy to say it made it without breaking.

Now the question is, how long will my coffee table remain in pieces in my living room?

Flies and Floods

I believe it was a couple of days ago that I was telling a friend how I finally felt like Virginia was becoming my home. It seems as though I have been existing in my apartment for the last year but with the purchasing of a couch and spending a few weekends at home, I finally feel like I am living in my apartment. Good thing, considering I've signed the lease for another year.

Unfortunately last night I wasn't as positive about my living conditions as I was running around my apartment screaming, "I hate this shit hole!". Not only was water leaking from my ceiling but I was also in the process of dealing with a house fly infestation. House flies are better then roaches but when you kill 50 in one day you get a little annoyed. I have no clue where they are coming from but luckily this morning I didn't see any. So hopefully we are done with that.

The other big concern from yesterday was water dripping from my ceiling. On the one hand it wasn't so strange because it was pouring rain yesterday and it was flooding in parts of the city but on the other hand it was very strange considering I live in the middle floor of the building. After a long discussion with my dad we decided it must be a result of the heavy winds blowing the rain against the side of the building and then into my bedroom. I must admit though I was counting my blessings as the leak didn't drip all night long and my car was not one of the four that were found under two knocked over trees this morning.

**Side note: When I talked to my parents last night they suggested that perhaps my neighbor upstairs had passed away and the flies were a result of the decaying body that was now also seeping through my ceiling. Luckily I heard them stomping around all day yesterday and all night so either they don't care that they have a rotting corpse in their bedroom or they are all fine. I'm assuming the latter. It was also suggested that perhaps there's a dead animal in the wall. Fingers crossed that's not true either.**

Talk About Culture

Where else but America can you find a Russian singing "New York, New York" in an Italian restaurant run by Latinos?

Family Time

Last weekend my mom and dad were in town for a quick visit. After some flight delays on Friday night and three trips to the airport, we were finally reunited around midnight. Unfortunately, we had a lot planned for Saturday which meant not too much sleep for the weary travelers. To start the day we headed up to Maryland for the nutrition class that I teach every week. Afterwards we went directly to one of my newest best friends 1st birthday party.

Luckily, Sunday was a little slower paced and was reserved as the day for the parents. We slept in, enjoyed blueberry pancakes and then headed out to Mount Vernon for the day.


Not only were we blessed with a gorgeously sunny and warm day but we were also able to enjoy wandering around the gardens of Mount Vernon. Below are some photos of the flowers and the grounds of Mount Vernon.









I have to admit it was sad on Monday when I dropped my parents off at Union Station in DC. I love having them around and it's trips like these that remind me how lucky I was when I won the parent lottery.

And then there were six

Introducing the offspring of Momma Kahlua and Daddy Jager. . . McKay, Jameson, Guinness, and Bailey!


It's official . . . Kahlua had her puppies last night! According to AJ and Carly the birthing began at 11:05 Texan time and who knows what time it was all over. But in the end Kahlua has had 4 gorgeous puppies, 1 male and 3 female. Now the question is do I want a puppy?

Online Dating Gems

Over the past few years I have had many friends who have tried Internet dating. I'd been toying with the idea for a while but with my two bestest here typing in my details I decided it was finally time to join the cool kids. But don't be fooled dear reader. . . Internet dating isn't always sunshine and happiness. Take for example one phone call I had with a capitol policeman.

• Act One
  Description of how when he is on duty and bored, he and his partner make fun of tourists for how ugly they are, how badly dressed they are and the likelihood that they will get pick pocketed.
  
• Act Two
  The singing of the his theme song which also happens to be the theme song to Cops. Bad boys, bad boys . . .
  
• Act Three
  A detailed recall of his food for the day. Breakfast - donuts (no comment needed here), Lunch - a peanut butter and cheese sandwich (he tried to sell it as a southern delicacy, key word "tried").

Needless to say he did not make it past phone call number one. So what happens when you have had one good date with someone and during date number two you realize that the spark's just not there? Well if you are me you wait for that person to contact you. When they call once and never again you assume they weren't feeling it either. But for some reason there are guys out there that believe following up after three weeks of no contact.

Hi.
How are things going? I hope you're well. I'm sort of getting the idea that since you've avoided returning my call that you're moving on and don't plan to see me again. If I'm wrong, please let me know! I did enjoy the time we spent together. I can't say that you're necessarily my dream girl I need to marry;) but I at least felt comfortable with you and didn't feel I had to put on some dog and pony show to impress you on a date. Hmmmm.. Perhaps that's what you prefer? The conversations were easy, so I didn't read into it too much. Oh well. Maybe I should. Hope you're well. Take care!

Luckily not all the men who participate in online dating are like this.