Vegetable Pilaf

 At this very moment, I am enjoying some of this vegetable pilaf. I was in the mood for something rice-y, but decided on orzo. Yum! It's just a little bit spicy, and just delicious. This meal is quick to make and serves three to four. It can easily be doubled or whatever!

You will need:
1 cup orzo (uncooked)
14oz vegetable broth
1.5 tbs olive oil
3/4 cup chopped onions
3/4 cups chopped peppers
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 cup broccoli florets
1 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper

Procedure:
Begin by sauteing the onions (in the olive oil) in a large skillet. Add the uncooked orzo, and let it brown very slightly (a few minutes). Add the vegetable broth, and bring the concoction to a simmer. Add the peppers and carrot shreds. Let simmer for about ten to 15 minutes, then add the broccoli, parsley, cayenne and black pepper, and marjoram. Let it very slightly simmer until most of the liquid is gone, and the orzo is cooked. Enjoy!

Valentine's Day Inspiration: Muffins

 For Valentine's Day this year, I was a little busy spending time with Mark. We fried up some tofu and had a wonderful (and spicy) meal. Maybe I'll post the recipe for it at some point. But for now, here is some Valentine's Day fun, although a little belated.

 I love Earl Grey tea. And I love muffins. And I love making cards. All of these things combine into one sweet little idea: Earl Grey muffins and muffin cup cards. Save this one for years to come! Notice anything similar about the heart on the card and the muffin cups? Yep, I used a muffin cup to make a card. I cut a heart out of it and glued it into some red cardstock. Fun and cheap, right?

 Now, as for the inside of the card, it's lined with some light grey (think Earl Grey) cardstock, and a cute skinny heart is placed right in the center. Just for some added love.

 I highly recommend serving these with a cute heart-shaped bit of butter to keep the Valentine's Day spirit coming all day long. Speaking of these muffins, here's the recipe:

1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 Earl Grey tea bag (I used Tazo full leaf and crushed it up so that the pieces would be manageable)
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice
2 eggs
3/4 tsp vanilla

Combine the sugar and butter, add the egg. Add flour and ear grey tea. Add everything else. Mix. Bake at 350 for about 24 minutes.

Hope you all had a lovely Valentine's Day!

Destructed TOMS Shoes

 TOMS shoes are gaining popularity. They have all sorts of styles and colors, and people love to help out causes by purchasing things that they can actually wear. However, I don't know know about you, but after about six months, my TOMS start to look pretty pathetic. Take this pair that I've had for about two years, for example.

 Pretty beat up, as you can see...

 Also smell really bad, but let's avoid mentioning that for now.

 My toes are escaping...

 The solution?

 Let's make sandals!

 Outline and snip. Easy enough.

 I saw this idea on Flickr, and I thought I'd try it myself.

 Maybe not the most attractive sandals ever.

 Comfortable, though.

 And yes, they are functional. I've been wearing them.

 Better than the old holey TOMS that were just chilling in my closet.

 I can actually wear these!

Result? A functional project that isn't a waste of time and materials. And I'm all for DIY's that are actually worth it. Enjoy!

Graffiti Poetry

This is graffiti poetry at a bridge known as the Aritight Bridge. It's about ten miles from my house. You can read about its history here. My manfriend Mark and I teamed up to create some graffiti poetry and turn it into a serious of images that we hope to make into a book. This is called "a guide to you."

Vegetable Fried Rice

Rice has been feeding mankind for over 5,000 years, and helps feed two-thirds of the world's population. It has so many possibilities, but a great dish to know how to cook is vegetable fried rice. While I try my best to encourage everyone to eat vegetarian meals, I do know that some people might prefer this meal with some sort of meat added. Luckily, this can easily be added while stir-frying the veggies. I'll simply give you the basic recipe here. This recipe is inspired by my boyfriend, Mark. He's wonderful. He isn't a vegetarian, but he doesn't mind eating vegetarian food with me. He fixed some vegetable fried rice for me a few months ago, and it was delicious. I've added some crushed red pepper to the recipe and mixed up the vegetables, but I give full credit to him for this recipe.

Vegetable fried rice.

 So, I like to make my rice in advance. This is up to you, of course, but it will definitely save you time if you make it the night before. Or, you can always use leftover rice from another meal. Here, I am making two cups of uncooked rice. Ultimately this meal will make 3 to 4 servings.

 I like to add coconut oil to my rice as it's simmering. Coconut oil is supposedly really good for you.

Stir, stir, stir.

 Simmering.

 Nice and fluffy.

Packing it away to put in the fridge.

 For this vegetable fried rice, you will need:

-2 cups of cooked rice

-2 eggs (or more to taste)

-broccoli

-carrot shreds

-chopped bell peppers

-chopped onions

-soy sauce (I use the "less sodium" kind)

-crushed red pepper

 Healthier than the normal stuff.

 Start by scrambling those eggs!

 Mmm, looks great. Now set them aside.

Put some oil in a big ol' frying pan. If you're lucky and own a nice wok, then use that, of course.

Start with the broccoli. Just don't burn it!

 Add the peppers, onions, then the carrot shreds.

 Colorful. Must mean it's healthy.

 Now, add the eggs.

 Lookin' good!

 This is optional, but at this point, I like to add some lime juice.

 Now, add your crushed red pepper. If you're like me, you'll add about a tablespoon. If you don't like much heat, then add half a teaspoon or so.

 Time for the soy sauce. How much you add is up to you. I try to be pretty sparing, as the vegetables and crushed red pepper give this dish a lot of flavor as it is.

Yum!

 There you have it. Vegetable fried rice.

 Tasty, right?

P.S., my favorite stir-fried vegetable is broccoli. I absolutely love it.
Enjoy this dish!