The Rules

Good morning, everyone!

Yes, I’m going to pretend that it’s still morning.  I love to pretend.  Want to play along?

Rock on.

Last night, when Amor and I were at the grocery store, we were walking through the dairy aisle when he turned to me and asked, ever-so innocently, “Have you ever heard of Greek yogurt?”

No Greek yogurt for me, alas, but this more than made up for it.

Um…have I ever heard of Greek yogurt?  Was he kidding?

For the next five minutes, I extolled the virtues of all things Greek yogurt, and how if you flip your spoon over, it’ll stick, and how it’s thick and creamy just like sour cream.

My eyes got that glazed, starry look to them as I spoke.  I had only ever had Greek yogurt once, and loved it.

However, dairy makes me extremely sick, and as a parting gift, breaks my face out like ugh.

Raspberry and lime curd are perhaps the best flavor combination EVER.

“Oh,” replied Amor. “I think I’ll try it.”

What?

No.  Oh no he di’nt.

Yes, guys.  Last night, Amor brought Greek yogurt into the house, and I can’t have any.

There are rules to a happy relationship, and bringing in a foodie’s dream and eating it in front of her definitely violates those rules.

If you like tart, sour things, then this is for you.

Of course, I jest.

Amor knows that I can’t eat dairy, and he didn’t mock, taunt, or tease me while eating it.

Of course, he loved it.  He must, because he bought three tubs of it.

Three tubs of Greek yogurt…in my house.  And I can’t have any.

For the record, yes, I did sniff the tub of yogurt, and I did drool.

Copiously.

And no, he doesn’t judge me for my weird quirks.  He’s just wonderful like that. ❤

Osito! That's lime curd! What are you doing, silly cat?

Remember the other day, when I wondered what Oso had gotten into on the counter?

And I postulated that it must have been the avocado, and jokingly called him a sourpuss?

Nope.  I was wrong.

I relaxed for one second, and before I knew it, he was up on my chair, trying to lap as much lime curd as he could before I shooed him away.

This was my basic grits recipe, by the way.  I bought whole-grain corn meal last night, and while the taste is slightly different, it was still very yummy.

And the corn/lime/raspberry combination?

Oh dear.  You must try this.  You will not regret it.

Quick, Easy Lime Curd:

1 whole egg

2/3 cup non-dairy milk

1 tbs cornstarch

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbs honey

2 tbs lime juice (or the juice of one lime)

1 tbs coconut butter (optional, but awesome)

Whisk all ingredients except lime juice and coconut butter in a bowl.  Add to a small sauce pan, and stir constantly over low heat until thickened.  Add lime juice and coconut butter, and stir until smooth.

Enjoy!

Thanks for reading!

❤ Kaz

Blogiversary!

Hey, everyone!

I know; I know.  It’s like, well after noon.

I had a bit of a morning today, and spent most of it on the phone with family, trying to sort out some possible travel plans.  Hopefully I get to take a trip to visit them soon!

I forgot to add the cinnamon until it was almost too late. Whew, close call.

But, in other news, it’s my one-month blogiversary.

Exciting, right?

I have no idea what I’m going to do to celebrate, but it probably involves inhaling ginormous salads, copious amounts of peanut butter, and using that fuel to scrub my house from top to bottom.

I apologize for the hideousness of this picture. The universe was aligned against me today, it would seem.

For breakfast, I was craving the savory-sweetness of grits, so I went with it.

I’m sort of in a rut with them, though.

I like the sour-tart flavor of the blueberries, and the savory-sweetness of the maple and the walnuts, and when I find something I like, I stick with it.

However, it’s starting to get old, and I need new ideas.

Don't let the pictures fool you. These still tasted awesome.

I don’t want to add a banana because I worry that it’ll be too sweet and clash with the natural earthiness of the rest of the breakfast.

And I don’t really care for totally savory breakfasts that much either, so while adding tomatoes and salt and pepper for dinner polenta would be nice, my stomach wouldn’t be able to handle it for breakfast.

I’m thinking, maybe, blackberries or raspberries?  With almonds and maybe honey?

Added almond milk at the last second. Nope, still ugly. But still tasty!

What do you add to your porridge? I actually have a blackberry bush in my back yard.  Once it ripens, I think it would be perfect.  But, I need your suggestions!

Thanks for reading, and thanks for being patient for my late start today.

❤ Kaz

Not Ashamed

Good morning, everyone!

Everyone enjoying their weekends so far?

Good, good.

Sorry for not posting last night, but I had no pictures to share with you.  The people who had invited us to the barbecue were colleagues of Amor’s, and therefore, I had only fleetingly met one of them and the rest were total strangers.  I’m afraid I would have been too shy to whip out the camera in their presence.

All I can say about last night was, put a few sips of a margarita in me and I’ll become bold enough to eat the frosting off three slices of cake, but I’ll still huddle in a corner with Amor and not mingle.

I loved yesterday's breakfast so much that I had it again today.

Funny thing was, there was absolutely no vegetarian food at the barbecue.  The family hosting it prepared a feast of traditional foods, which included grilled curry chicken and shrimp rice rolls, but practically everything had meat in it.

At one point, somebody encouraged me to try one of the rolls, since all it has was shrimp.  Shrimp’s not meat, right?

I enjoyed a plate of mixed nuts, cherries, a few cucumber slices, and this amazing peanut sauce poured over some white rice.

Blueberry maple walnut grits sans kefir, alas.

I endured some playful ribbing about being vegetarian, and when the birthday cake rolled out, the host of the party turned to me as he was cutting it, grinned, and said, “But you can eat cake, right?”

Hoo boy.  Rather than explain that, no, I can’t eat cake (and thereby avoiding any uncomfortable discourse about that), I accepted a slice of rich, chocolate cake and a slice of ice cream cake.

Amor, being wonderful as always, happily helped me consume the cake discreetly, and actually sacrificed his frosting so I’d be able to partake in the festivities.

It didn't need the kefir; the sweetness of the maple and the berries was more than satisfactory.

It was a fun time, though, and I’m glad I was invited.  They were all very nice people and after a few sips of that ‘rita, I was finally able to muster up the courage to chat a bit with some of the people there.

I pounded down two glasses of water after I got home, and this morning, I feel fine, no headache, and actually woke up with a bit of an appetite.

Grits it was, for this hungry girl.

After suffering with stomach pain all day yesterday, I had to confirm that it was the kefir that was making me sick.

See those pools of maple? Yum.

As far as I know, I have no trouble digesting corn, so I prepared my grits the same way as yesterday, with a whole egg and layering the blueberries on the bottom and the top.

I treated myself to an extra teaspoon of maple, though, to make up for the lost sweetness from the kefir.

Perfection!

I don’t know what it is about it, but the slightly savory grits and the somewhat sour tang of the blueberries and the earthy sweetness of the maple and the familiar spice of cinnamon…eating this breakfast just makes me feel good.

Super quick and super satisfying. We have a winner here.

Anyway, about the title of this post.

I’m not ashamed.

I’m not ashamed of being me.  I’m a vegetarian, sure.  I get teased a bit for it, and people always ask me what I eat, where do I get my protein.

My grandma once served me a dish of chicken and rice, and when I told her I don’t eat chicken, she protested, “But chicken isn’t meat!”  Finally, she took the dish away, picked the chicken off, then gave it back.

Please give grits a try; sure, they have a funny name, but they're so delish!

I’m also not ashamed that my body hates me and for some reason, loves to steer me toward minimally processed, whole, natural foods.  Sure, it irks me when I find something else I can’t eat, but I’d rather be happy and healthy than sick, so I cope.

However, my diet is like, what?  Two steps away from being vegan?

I eat eggs, and I eat honey.  And you know what?  I like eggs, and I enjoy the taste of honey.

Sure, I could give them up just so I can take up the label of “vegan,” but why would I?  Just for a title?  I eat organic eggs, and I try to be aware of where my honey came from.

If I had to take on a label, it’d be an “I-eat-anything-I-can-that-doesn’t-make-me-sick”-ian.

Anyway, I found this fantastic blog today, and the author is a vegan and lives seriously just up the road from me in a nearby town known for its hippie culture.  It was an awesome blog, really.  I loved reading it.

In my excitement, I almost commented on her blog, but I stopped.  I stopped because I didn’t want this devout vegan, who doesn’t shave her legs or wash her hair, who rides her bike everywhere, who only buys organic, who grows a garden…I didn’t want her to find my blog, because I’d be embarrassed.

Because of what?  I eat eggs?  I eat honey?  My green thumb wilted and died from neglect?  My polenta was probably supplied by Monsanto? (I’m currently looking for an organic brand, by the way, just because I loathe and despise Monsanto and everything they embody.)

I’m me, I eat what I can, and I’m trying to do my part.  We recycle, I take the bus everywhere when I can’t carpool, and I try to minimize my impact on the environment with what I eat.  And yadda-yadda-yadda, so on and so forth.

So what that I’m not a vegan?  I’m not ashamed.  While I totally and completely admire vegans and what they stand for, I don’t think that I’m ready to give up two foods that give me that much pleasure just for a title.

Have you ever been embarrassed or ashamed because of who you are?

Have you ever looked at another blog and shied away because you eat non-organic meat, or you drank real milk instead of soy, or just felt intimidated in general by another person who just looked, I dunno, greener than yourself?

My apologies to the tl;dr crowd.  And, more apologies if I offended anybody by this post.  While I admired that blogger greatly — and everyone who makes an extra effort to minimize their footprint — I did feel intimidated by her and also experienced a bit of momentary inferiority.  I aspire to be that environmentally aware someday soon, too.

Thanks for reading!

❤ Kaz

The Girl’s Got Grits

Good day!

How is everyone?

Right.  Um.  I’m off to a late start, aren’t I?

I have an excuse!  Two, actually.

One: New recipe!  Yay!

Two: BSOD are the devil’s work.

You need coarse-ground corn meal for this recipe.

But yes, I have something new for you guys, and I think you’re gonna love it.

You see, as I have mentioned before, I am a Southern gal.  I was born in Tennessee, spent some time in Alabama before moving to Arkansas, where I spent most of my growing-up years.

You want to know the first thing people ask me, upon meeting me and learning that I’m from the South?

Any recipe that starts with "Layer your bowl with blueberries drizzled with honey and cinnamon" is bound to be a good one.

“If you’re from the South, where’s your accent?”

No idea.

As far as I know, I never got one, and I have no idea how that happened.

Another thing I never got?  The South’s fixation on all things corn.

Corn bread, corn pudding, creamed corn…and of course, grits.

This is my new favorite breakfast.

I have another confession for ya’ll, and it’s up there with the fact that I’ve never used “ya’ll” in context.

I’ve never made grits before in my entire life.

And I maybe have had them twice?

My first memorable experience, though, was last summer, when my uncle offered to make me grits and eggs for dinner.  For some reason, he was simply thrilled to be the one to introduce me to this culinary delight.

Blueberries, walnuts, and real maple syrup.

You see, to a Southerner, grits and eggs go together, hand-in-hand, like peanut butter and jelly.

Mmm, peanut butter and jelly…

No!  Don’t distract me.  This is important!  Yes.

So, grits and eggs, the true Southern breakfast staple…and I’ve only had it once, and I’ve never actually, truly made them before.

This breakfast may wedge quinoa porridge down from the #1 spot.

Today, that needed to change.

The first thing to know about making grits is to make sure you have the proper kind of cornmeal.  You want the coarse-ground stuff, commonly packaged in a pretentious and overpriced box that says “Polenta”.

Dude, it’s hominy grits.  Don’t pay twice the price for fancy nomenclature.

If you use cornmeal for baking, you’ll get a breakfast known as “cornmeal mush,” which is, in fact, a real breakfast.  However, we want grits.

Any excuse to pour kefir onto my breakfast is a good one.

The other thing to keep in mind are your ratios.  You want a 1:4 ratio, of grits to water.

I used 1/4 cup grits and 1 cup of water.

Now, this is real simple.  Plus, it’s also super-quick.  By the time my tea was done percolating, my grits were cooked and in my bowl.

How’s that for awesome?

I'm in love.

In your small sauce pan, combine 1/4 cup grits and 1 cup water.  Bring to a simmer over low heat, and stir until thick and water is absorbed (roughly five minutes).

Don’t let it come to a boil, though.  It’ll totally throw your texture off and make it slimy.  Gack!

Once thickened, add in 1/4 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp blackstrap molasses.  Keep stirring.

In a separate bowl, whisk together one whole egg, and 2 tbs almond milk.

Please make this soon!

Use a whole egg, by the way, and not just egg whites.  Grits tend to lend toward a more savory disposition, and the yolk adds a level of richness that makes them exceptionally creamy and delicious.

Slowly stir in your egg, taking care to ensure that it doesn’t cook.  Because it will try, I promise.  Mine did, a bit, but I didn’t let that faze me.  Southern gals don’t fret over petty details, you know.

Once thickened, remove from heat, and add up to 1/4 cup more of almond milk, or until creamy.  You don’t want this to be like custard, but rather, more like a very thick and creamy porridge.

In your serving bowl, add 1/2 cup of blueberries, a teaspoon of honey, and a dash of cinnamon.  When you add your grits, the blueberries, honey, and cinnamon will infuse an amazing flavor throughout your porridge.

Pour your grits into your bowl, then top with the other half of your blueberries and a generous drizzle of maple syrup.  Or, use more honey, but the maple syrup is amazing.  Add walnuts, or other nut of choice, and add a dollop of vegan kefir or yogurt, to taste.

Guys, this breakfast was pure bliss.  To say it may bump back my quinoa porridge as a favorite is a serious statement that doesn’t just get thrown around lightly.

Recap?  Sure!

Creamy Breakfast (Polenta) Grits:

1/4 cup coarse-ground cornmeal

1 cup water

1 tsp blackstrap molasses

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 whole egg

1/4 cup + 2 tbs almond milk

1 cup blueberries, to taste

Cinnamon, honey, maple syrup to taste

Cook grits and water over medium heat, until thickened and water is absorbed (about five minutes).  Whisk egg and 2 tbs almond milk into the grits.  Stir until thick and creamy.  Remove from heat, and add up to 1/4 cup almond milk for texture.  Top with blueberries and cinnamon and honey, and enjoy!

Thanks for reading!

❤ Kaz