Speed Trials

There’s a new cafe in town, and its name is Oz. I was pretty underwhelmed when I first walked in. I don’t like restaurants where you floors remain wet and sloppy and are so cramped that there’s no place to stash your coat other than the free weekly rack, and you know that you’ll find at best just a glove, but most likely all of your winter gear in a puddle at the end of the night.

But it was Ricky’s birthday, and we couldn’t NOT go, so we braved the bland atmosphere, the ridiculous prices, and the minuscule portions. (when I ordered, my waiter blurted out: “Is that all?” – that’s when I knew I was in for the smallest meal of my life).

May or may not be the birthday boy

Luckily for me, the main ingredient was goat cheese, so I wouldn’t have wanted any more. It was really REALLY good. I love goat cheese, and I love portabello, so when you give me a portabello and goat cheese salad as a menu choice, it’s pretty much a no brainer.

Lovely Salad of root veggies, portabello, and acres and acres of warm goat cheese

Angelo had the seared tuna, and it was pretty meh. And very small… silly little tuna!

My mom has been raving about this Cabbage Casserole for a while now. She went on and on about how savoury and wonderful it is, and how every time she makes it, the boys (my younger brother and my step-father) go back for seconds and even thirds.

And then she adds the caveat: “…but it has ground beef in it.” And she gives me that sad look, like I’ve not only betrayed her as my cooking mentor, but have also forgone the luxury of ever indulging in new recipes again. I’ve asked for the recipe a number of times, knowing that ground beef is perhaps the most substitutable ingredient in the omnivore repertoire. She stalled and stalled, not wanting to give up the recipe, until now.

What a wonderful recipe it is. It’s true what she said, the dish is juicy and filling, a real comfort food in this cold winter season. And as I was making it, I was overcome with all of the different variations that could undoubtedly come from its simple prep and list of ingredients. You could easily substitute quinoa or barley for the rice. You could easily have lentils of crumbled tofu in lieu of the beans. You could make it all veggie. You could make it creamier by adding soymilk with the tomatoe juice. Lots and lots of options. And SO easy to make. And SO tasty.

Angelo as he was eating it: “Wow, your culinary skills are really improving!”

So, Thanks Nic! This recipe is delicious. Score another point for Mom, cooking mentor extraordinaire!

Cabbage Roll Casserole – Veg Style

1 can (19ox) black beans – drained and rinsed
2 tbsp tamari
2 tsp Nutritional Yeast (or to taste)
1 spray olive oil
1 onion – chopped
2 tsp salt and pepper
6 tbsp brown rice – uncooked
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 bag shredded cabbage

1. Preheat oven at 325F.

2. Spread Cabbage in lightly sprayed baking dish

3. Spray saucepan with oil. Add black beans, tamari, nutritional yeast, and cook 4-5 minutes. Add onion, salt and pepper, rice, and tomatoes, mix well, and saute 3 minutes.

4. Pour mixture over cabbage (do not stir). Bake covered at 325F for 1 1/2 hours.

We sprinkled ours with a little Parmesan, but this can easily be omitted to make the dish vegan.

The snow started falling in November and just hasn’t quit since. We’ve had dumpload after dumpload, and the City is barely keeping up with the snow removal. One of our favourite jobs as homeowners is shoveling (why is shoveling so fun? It looks as though it shouldn’t be, but I really enjoy it. Maybe because I never had to do it growing up – that was the boys’s job). Here are some photos that Angelo took of the last snowfall aftermath…

I haven’t been super hardcore about riding my bike this winter, though I am getting better at navigating through snowdrifts, and Angelo gave me my first skidding lesson on Friday coming home from the bar (I do better with these kinds of things drunk. It loosens me up enough to try without fear, and it makes for smoother motions, which greatly increases my success rate). All this to say that though I’ve been walking to and from work, I still find the time to prepare full meals for dinner…

Nachos and Burrito (covered in cilantro!)

Edemame Salad with Falafel, Broccoli pancake and tahini

Spaghetti Squash with Chunky Pasta Sauce

Tofu Salad (From Everyday Dish) on greens

Gingersnap squares… Yummy!

Sometimes in the old daily grind there are moments when I look around, see the same ol’ surroundings, the same ol’ clothes on my back, the same ol’ same ol’ and the only thing that alleviates the anxiety is to go out, window shop, maybe pick up a knickknack or two, a new skirt, some shoes, a lamp or a teapot, and bring it back to my home. I lovingly take it out of its packaging, put it on display, marvel at how it can make everything around it new again, too, and feel soothed. It’s new, it’s exciting, it peaks the senses – it REJUVENATES. Makes me feel like I’m really getting back to the simple pleasures of life.

How did this happen to me? How did I become a Consumer? How did I get brainwashed into believing that that is my validation in life?

Problem is, something started a little while ago (maybe around the time I freaked out, quit my Government job and started working for an artist-run centre) where I couldn’t just indulge in the soothing high of consuming. I’d walk around the mall, pick up things that sparked my interest, even walk around a little more with the item in my hand, but inevitably put it back down on the shelf and walk out empty handed. And the narrative running through my head was always the same: “Oooh, this looks good, I really need this. (Pause) Well, I don’t really need it, but it’s cute, and I like it, and I deserve nice things. (Pause) Well, I don’t know how much I really like it, and I’ve lived without it for this long, so I guess I don’t really want it. (Pause) In fact, I’ve got the equivalent at home already.” and out of my life it would go.

The thing is, I remember the thought process, but I can never remember the articles in question. Says something about our coveted “stuff”.

Angelo told me to watch The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard. It’s very interesting. It confirms all of my encroaching thoughts against consumerism.
Now, I know that she has a bias, just like everyone else, and that you can poke holes in her statistics (for example, she says that the percentage of things purchased that aren’t trashed in the first 6 months is 1%, but I’m sure that number of stuff bought includes things like food and medicine. By that rational, 100% of the things I buy are no longer in my house after 6 months… See what I mean) But I love her emphasis on Consumerism, Government, and Corporations. The powerhouses that shape our culture are corrupted by the overwhelming opportunity of lining their own pockets at our expense. So it’s up to the actual members of the community to rise up and change our culture ourselves. Change our values. And that means when we spend time with family and friends, as everyone claims is the antithesis of Consuming, it can’t be in a coffee shop, or to watch a loved tv-show, or to go to the mall/cinema/restaurant/entertainment place. And we can’t sit around talking about our new car/house/lamp/bed heater/Facebook/blackberry…

I made a resolution not to buy any new clothes in 2008. If I want anything new, I have to make it myself, preferably from an item bought second hand. Then I got a contract, and immediately assumed I would have to break that rule to get “acceptable” working clothes. But after watching The Story of Stuff, I’m resolved to keep my resolution, and to change the culture that says that unless I’m wearing this year’s power suit, my credibility and professionalism will be questioned. I will fight that particular preconception. We all have to start now…