I’m glad I put the whale decal next to Ellie’s changing table. I thought it looked weird at first, but she LOVES to stare at it every time I change her and it definitely makes that whole process easier.

I’m glad I finally went to the California Academy of Sciences, which I’ve been meaning to do FOREVER. Penguins are my favorite animal of all time, and I could seriously watch them for hours. I hope Ellie shares my affinity for these little birds because I can’t wait to show them to her.

I’m glad I stayed active during my pregnancy. I don’t think recovery from birth would be this easy if I hadn’t, and I’ve already lost over 2/3 of the weight I put on! Plus I can’t wait until I can tell Ellie about the races we ran together.

I’m glad I finally got around to making Panzanella this summer! I love this stuff so much, and it’s an absolutely perfect way to highlight fresh tomatoes. I add some white beans for extra protein, and keep it pretty simple by just tossing everything with a little garlic, fresh oregano, red wine vinegar, and olive oil.

I realize it might seem a little ridiculous to be posting this now, but this is when summer FINALLY arrives around here, so I’m not willing to give into pumpkin and apples and chili yet!

Recipe:
4 cups 1″ day-old bread cubes (ciabatta works well)
3 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced into half-moons
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
3 tbsp olive oil
2-3 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1 1/2 cups white beans, rinsed and drained
salt and pepper to taste

Spread the bread cubes evenly on a baking sheet and toast in a 350 degree oven until golden and slightly crisp (10-15 minutes).

Toss the tomatoes, onions, bell pepper, oregano, and garlic together in a large bowl, then add the oil and vinegar. Stir in the white beans, then the bread, and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste, and more oil or vinegar if needed.

Obviously, dessert posts are MUCH more popular than posts like this. Which sounds better, a brownie or a bowl of stewed lentils? Pretty sure you’re going to go with the brownie. But sometimes, honestly, we just need this simple, healthy food.

I always heard (well, in the last couple months when I was actually paying attention to pregnancy-related things) that the second trimester was by far the best. There were promises of increased energy and no more nausea. Um, where do I sign up for that? I got a couple weeks of slightly more energy but now I’m back to feeling really tired and sluggish, plus now I get these super fun headaches. I know it will be worth it in the end, and I know it could be a lot worse, but sometimes I just wish I could have an extra 3 or 4 hours a day to sleep.

I’m not totally Debbie-Downer though. I found out today that I got a good review from my principal, and I’m not getting a pink slip! (That’s kind of unusual for first year teachers in California – there were about 20,000 handed out but I got lucky.) I’ve also been baking a ton lately which is always fun if not completely healthy. And I’m still running. Kind of. Once since that 18 mile slog on Sunday… At least it’s light until 7:30 now!

Other than that, I’m constantly finding new ways to avoid writing a huge paper analyzing my teaching. I can procrastinate with the best of them. I’m reading Girls of Riyadh, obsessively playing 7 simultaneous games of Words with Friends, re-organizing my classroom, and of course perusing way too many food blogs. But it’s good, because it inspires delicious vegan dinners like this one!

Ina Garten isn’t exactly the first name that comes to mind when I think of vegan recipes, but she has a TOTAL winner here. French green lentils are so much more appealing than the standard brown ones, and the mix of curry powder and tomatoes and sweet carrots is just ridiculously comforting and delicious. Plus after eating a big bowl you just feel so healthy, and who doesn’t want that?

Recipe:
(adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home)

2 tsp olive oil
2 yellow onions, diced
4 medium carrots, diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup French green lentils
2 cups water or vegetable broth
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp dried thyme
1-2 tsp salt
pepper

Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook for about 5 minutes, or until soft. Stir in the garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute.

Add the tomatoes, lentils, water or broth, curry powder, thyme, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper to the onions. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to low, cover, and cook for about 45 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Check on them about every 15 minutes and add more water or broth if needed. Taste and adjust seasonings before serving. Excellent served over a mix of jasmine and brown rice.

I’m a fraud. I tell people I’m vegetarian but I still eat fish sauce, and I probably always will. I just can’t imagine the rest of my life without eating things like this salad, and they would NOT be the same without that pungent liquid that so many people can’t stand.

I wasn’t always so into fish sauce. The first time we went to Thailand, the smell was so overpowering I swore I’d never eat anything that contained it. But then I realized that the flavor it adds just can’t be matched. Yes, it stinks and it is pretty in-your-face fishy, but in small doses it’s downright close to perfection.

Besides, I gave up meat because I hate all the hormones and drugs and inhumane factory farming practices that seem to be rampant in this country. I realize fish products aren’t entirely without controversy, but I’m okay with being 99% vegetarian. If I ever find vegetarian fish sauce (I know it’s out there) I’ll probably try it, but in the mean time, I’m just going to stick to my slightly fraudulent proclamation of vegetarianism. (And no, I won’t call myself pescatarian because I don’t eat fish. Just fish sauce.)

I think I ate this stuff just about every day when we were in Thailand. There’s just something so alluring about the fresh crunch of the green papaya, the hot-salty-sour-sweet dressing, and the cool smoothness of tomato that I will never get tired of. I like to make it so spicy it brings tears to my eyes, but you can definitely scale way back on the chiles. This is one of those recipes that can be tweaked so it’s just how you like it – taste as you go and adjust the fish sauce, lime, and sugar accordingly.

I make mine in a large wooden mortar and pestle that we brought back from Thailand, and I definitely think that’s the best way to do it, but I’ve given directions for people who don’t have one, because they aren’t exactly a common sight in most American kitchens (and they take up a ridiculous amount of counter space). I think palm sugar (which you can find in little round cakes in Asian grocery stores) is best – just whack away at the little cake with a cleaver til you have about 1 tbsp – but of course white sugar is an acceptable substitute.

If you have a box grater, that should work to shred the green papaya. If you want to be just like the lady that made the best papaya salad I ever had (in Bangkok), use a cleaver in your right hand while holding the papaya in your left (I don’t know how she still has all her fingers). If you can find one of these, buy it immediately; it’s my favorite way to create long, even pieces:

Recipe:
2 cloves garlic
as many Thai chiles as you like (substitue: a serrano or two)
1 tbsp palm sugar (substitute: granulated sugar)
1/2 lime
10 green beans, cut into 1″ lenghts
1 roma tomato, diced
3 cups shredded green papaya
1-2 tbsp fish sauce (essential!)
2 tbsp chopped peanuts

If you have a large wood mortar and pestle: Cut the 1/2 lime into about eight pieces. Mash the garlic, chiles, lime, and sugar together until nicely mixed. Add the green beans and tomatoes, and mash a few more times. Stir in the green papaya and fish sauce, and pound about a dozen more times, stirring in between so everything is mixed well. Taste and adjust seasonings, then serve topped with chopped peanuts. (You can remove the lime peels if you want, or people can just eat around them)

If you don’t have a large wood mortar and pestle: Juice the 1/2 lime. Finely chop the chiles and garlic and mix with the sugar. Stir in the lime juice and fish sauce and set aside. Toss the shredded papaya with the green beans and tomatoes, then add the lime juice mixture and toss well. Taste and adjust seasonings, then serve topped with chopped peanuts.

Sometimes I like making dinner so much I get to do it twice in one night. Or, more realistically, Mike is a whole lot more excited about chicken than he is about tempeh, so I end up figuring out how to make a recipe two ways. (Although he did end up admitting that the tempeh was really good!)

If you’re looking over the recipe thinking that soy sauce seems out of place in a marinade for tacos, I can relate. I had the same thought, but forged ahead anyway and the results were delicious. Of course you don’t have to make this salsa to go with these, but I think fresh homemade salsa is so much better than store bought that I always make it from scratch.

Tacos
1 8 ounce package tempeh, cut in 1/2″ thick slices OR 2 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

Marinade:
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp soy sauce
juice of 1/2 lemon

nonstick spray
corn tortillas
lettuce
sour cream
shredded cheese or crumbled queso fresco
habanero salsa (below)

To make the marinade, mix all ingredients except tempeh or chicken.
If using tempeh: Put the slices in boiling water and boil for 10 minutes, then drain and toss with the marinade. Put in a ziploc bag in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Heat a skillet and spary with nonstick spray. Cook the tempeh for a few minutes on each side, or until slightly browned.

If using chicken, just put the chicken in a bag, pour in the marinade, and chill at least 2 hours.
Bake the chicken in a foil packet in a 375 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, or until done.
Let cool slightly, then shred with a fork.

Heat the corn tortillas in a 300 degree oven (I just put them directly on the rack) for a few minutes, or until warm and pliable. Assemble tacos with desired accoutrements.

Salsa
3 large, ripe Roma tomatoes
1 habanero pepper
juice of half a lime
a few pinches salt
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 white onion, chopped

Soak the chopped onion in a bowl of cold water for about 15 minutes, then drain in a mesh strainer.
Stir all ingredients together and adjust salt and lime juice to taste. I don’t bother peeling or seeding the tomatoes, I just cut the little area around the stem out and go to town!
I like to let the flavors mellow in the fridge for about an hour before I eat this, but that part is optional.

NOTE: Habaneros are pretty spicy. If you’re not up for that, this salsa can be made milder with half a diced jalapeno, seeds removed.

Paella is a great one-dish meal that can be altered in myriad ways depending on what you have on hand and what is in season.  Beginning with the components of broth, saffron, and short-grain rice, from there the possibilities are endless.  For this variety, I included green beans, two colors of bell pepper, peas, and lima beans.  I sauteed chicken and sausage in a separate pan, to suit vegetarian and meat-eating tastes.  If you are not cooking for vegetarians, mix the meats in before you put the pan into the oven.  This will feed 4-6 hungry adults, and is great served alongside a simple green salad. Also, don’t be deterred by the inclusion of lima beans.  I normally despise them, but in this dish they blend innocuously into the background and just provide another textural element that is actually really satisfying.

Preheat the oven to 400 F