Wild Rice and Mango salad

Garden update- Basil sucks and nobody likes it. 

Wild Rice and Mango Salad (Adapted from Bon Appetit)

1 orange
1/4 c fresh lime juice (about 3 limes)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 c wild rice
Kosher salt
2 ripe mangoes- peeled, pitted and cut into cubes
1 c fresh cilantro leaves
1 c chopped red onion
1/2 c dry roasted peanuts
6 scallions- sliced
2 jalapenos- seeded and minced

- Remove the peel and white pith from oranges. Over a bowl, use a small knife to cut between the membranes and release the orange segments into the bowl (yes, it should be that frustrating and hard). Whisk in 1/4 c lime juice and oil and set aside.

- Bring rice and 2 3/4 c water to boil, season with salt. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 25 mins, until the water is absorbed. Remove from heat, place a folded dish towel between the pot and lid (to soak up more water) and let sit for for 15 minutes. Spread out the rice on a baking sheet, drizzle with the orange dressing, season with salt and let it cool.
- Put mangoes and everything else in a bowl, add in the rice and toss. Season with salt, lime juice and more cilantro.

So many new albums to check out! I am NPR First Listen's biggest and most thankful fan.
New Avett Brothers- coming up
New Cat Powers- on my play list
New Deerhoof- on the playlist
New Stars- playlisted

And I'm currently listening to the New Animal Collective, 'Centipede Hz'.
If you are into Animal Collective, this holds up with their typical stuff. A little jagged, a little disjointed, discombobulated, at times a little off putting. This one has a little more of a rock quality, rather than making a sound scape. It feels more like an album than a soundtrack.
I dig it, it comes out on September 4th. I'm buying it.
And I am so excited to get my sweaty dance on during their NY tour stop.

It's like someone had a severe acid trip while watching Never Ending Story. 

Indian Style Noodle Salad

Note to Self- write down when you experiment, so that you don't have to try to remember the ingredients a month later when the blog is posted.... 

Indian Style Soba Noodle Salad with Baked Tofu

ALSO

LOOK WHAT I DID!
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(and by me, I mean the sun and science and stuff)
















Indian Baked Tofu (From Moosewood)

Marinade:
1/2 c greek yogurt
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garam masala
juice of 1 lemon
1 package of tofu

-Press the tofu for 15 minutes.
-Combine everything else in a bowl.
-cut the tofu into cubes, put in the marinade.
Marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
-preheat oven to 425. Oil a baking sheet and lay out the tofu cubes.
-Bake for 25-30 mins, turning the tofu halfway.

Raita Sauce (someone else invented this)
1 1/2 c greek yogurt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cucumber- grated
fresh mint
fresh cilantro
salt

-mix everything in a bowl. Easy peasy.

Noodle Salad (a Hannah creation)

1 packet of soba noodles- cooked

Red Bell pepper- sliced

Snap Peas

Cilantro

Carrots- sliced

Green onions

Cucumber- sliced

Baked Tofu

Raita

-Cook, drain and rinse the soba noodles.
-Take the raita, pour over the noodles and use your hands to massage the yogurt into the noodles, make sure everything is covered.
-add in the vegetables and keep mixing with your hands. Season with salt and pepper.
-Once everything is well mixed, lay the tofu on top and sprinkle the cilantro over.

Currently jamming to:
Dan Deacon's "America" on NPR First Listen

It's a multi listen, everyone has their own personal opinion about it kind of track.
So do it.
Listen to the entire thing in one sitting, devote some time to it and get back to me.
But think about split personalities and American culture clash when you do.

The album is officially out on August 27th. I'm putting it on my buy list.

"Chikin" Salad

I'm sensing a trend in my posts. I blog about how much I miss a various meat product and then I try to recreate that with vegetables, tofu, seitan or tempeh. And also ignore the needling comments about how eating meat again would make everything much easier. 

Usually these experiments fail, but this "chicken" salad is a winner!

It should be noted though, the only reason why I like chicken and egg salad is because of the mayo, and this has that!

Winner Winner "chikin" dinner!

Tofu Salad (From The Moosewood)

1 cake firm tofu

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp Braggs Amino's

1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice

3 tbsp white miso

3 tbsp tahini

1/3 c mayo

2 tbsp Dijon Mustard

1 1/2 c carrots- peeled and grated

1 1/2c red bell pepper- dices

1 1/2 c celery- diced

1/3 c green onion- chopped

1 tbsp fresh dill

salt and pepper to taste

- Crumble the tofu (it helps if it's been frozen and then thawed). Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Cook the tofu, stirring constantly, until dry, about 5 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce and lemon juice and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. 

Someone got Instagram...

-Whisk the miso, tahini, mayo and mustard in a bowl. Add carrots, bell peppers, celery, scallions, herbs and tofu. Let sit and get juicy for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 

-Try not to eat it all at once, it's supposed to last for a weeks worth of meals. 

Right before my Spotify (now it's just like Pandora..epic fail) trial ran out, I listened to Citizen Cope's newest album, One Lovely Day

I vividly remember my first (and only) Citizen Cope concert. It was at WWU, everyone was embracing the dreadlocks and expressing themselves through the hippy bump and grind. I couldn't dance (still can't), wasn't brave enough to dread my hair and remember being appalled and scandalized that people were smoking INSIDE! 

I wasn't much fun in college. 

So his new album shows that he has aged into the urban folk category. It's pure, updated Americana, a mesh of RnB, acoustic, blues and folk. It's a little slower, more laid back and more complex sounding than his earlier stuff. One Lovely Day now solidly rockets Citizen Cope into into the DSSJ category (ask Val what that means). 

It's a good summer album, it's perfect for grilling on a deck, rocking the day drunk and experimenting with your own hippy bump and grind. I may not have gotten better at dancing, but I've learned the art of not giving a damn.