New York (again!)

My sister is moving from NYC soon, so I decided to visit her before it was too late. 

(I always go to red bamboo and get the same things. I also got a milkshake this time and it was delicious)

 Curry wrap at 'Snice. Technically this was my sister's boyfriend's meal, but I ate most of it.

 Philly Cheesesteak at 'Snice. Bad picture, but really tasty.

 

 Brownie-Hot Fudge Sundae at Lula's Sweet Apothecary. It's good, but be forewarned that the ice cream is OMG-sweet.

Wall at Lula's.

 What you don't see are the attractive hipsters wearing period-appropriate suspenders.

Cajun Seitan Sandwich, at Candle Cafe. 

Bloomington

I went to Bloomington to visit a friend of mine. I wasn't expecting too much in the way of vegan food, but there was a surprising amount of it (and all of it delicious). Bad pictures, because I forgot to bring my camera and had to use my phone.

Roots on the Square

 (the green one is an avocado smoothie)

fried tofu + dipping sauce

(vegan) nuggets + (nonvegan) dipping sauce

 green curry

Pizza!

I messed up putting it in the oven.

The Owlery (we went twice because it's super cool)

 breaded and fried tofu strips

 vegan coffee float

 poutine (fries and gravy and cheese)

 black bean soup with fresh bread

philly cheesesteak (so good we got it both times we went) and collards

seitan kabobs, rice, and mashed potatoes & gravy

Oh gods I haven't posted in forever

I... had an exciting year.

On the bright side, I moved into an apartment! And I have a kitchen, all to myself! It's a little tiny but I'm going to get a cart soon.

I've been eating a lot of this lately:

(it looks non-appetizing. appearances lie! it's delicious.)
(mostly because beans and rice are dirt cheap, and dried beans and rice aren't heavy for how much food I get out of them... also because it's really tasty).

I never used to make this, until a friend showed me how. I was notorious as a child for burning rice, which put me off of rice and beans until now. (Then I learned it was super easy and I felt like a chump for not doing it before) No real ingredients list; just leave out what you don't have, and add whatever you want.

Start by heating up some oil in a larger saucepan (at least 2qt) (I used olive oil). Throw in some diced onion, minced/smashed/whatevered garlic, salt, and some spices (I usually use cumin, paprika, cayenne, chili powder, and a big ol' handful of nutritional yeast [add the nooch, the nooch makes it SO MUCH BETTER]). Stir every now and then for a few minutes, then add a cup of rice and two cups of water. Bring the mix to a boil, then add about a cup or so of beans. Stick a lid on the pot, set a timer for 15ish minutes. Stir every so often when you come to check on it. Cook until done.

It hardly deserves to be counted as a recipe, but it's easy and it gets the job done. I'd just come back from being out of town, and within 30 minutes of walking in the door, I had a bowl of tasty food in front of me.