You are currently browsing the monthly archive for January 2009.
I’ve officially completed my first week of the new semester, and for once I’m not feeling overwhelmed in the slightest! All of my classes seem tolerable at this point, and my schedule is quite pleasant! Life is sweet with a three day weekend, wednesday off, and only one class on thursday. Not bad!
One advantage of having school in the city is being surrounded by fabulous restaurants and eateries that only require you hop a train to get to. So convenient! Before heading to my 4:10 class yesterday, I made my way to Josie’s for a satisfying lunch. One thing I absolutely love about Josie’s is the atmosphere; it’s such a cozy little place, and I was lucky enough to be seated right by the window where I got a clear view of the bustling city streets.
I started out with the Roasted Butternut Squash topped with a swirl of pumpkin seed-basil pesto. Wow, was it terrific! It had a very thick and creamy texture, which I loved, and plenty of flavor from various (unidentified) spices which gave the soup an unexpected kick. The pesto was a lovely addition, as well! I was very pleased, and wouldn’t hesitant to order it again!
Alongside my soup, I was also served two slabs of Josie’s fabulous Foccacia with their famous three ingredient Sweet Potato Hummus. As expected, this bread didn’t let me down! It was especially delicious when dunked into the luxurious butternut squash soup. Mmm, talk about comfort food!
I was toying between two different main dishes, but I ended up going with a tried-and-true favorite- the Seared Asian Tofu Salad which is served with a hefty portion of seared tofu, an array of roasted vegetables, chickpeas, fresh avocado, and a bed of peppery arugula. It was just as great as I remembered it being! I absolutely love hearty salads that can stand as a full meal, and this one definitely falls under that category. The slowly roasted vegetables paired beautifully with tender and flavorful tofu, especially when dipped into Josie’s red wine-wasabi vinaigrette. This salad is, most definitely, a winner!
Of course, dessert was a must! I ordered the Three Berry-Ginger Pie with a walnut oat crumb topping, multi-grain crust, and vanilla soy ice cream. Another fantastic choice! Most of all, I loved the contrast of flavors and textures- between the warmth of the berries, the crunch of the irresistible walnut crumble, and the sweet chill of the soy ice-cream, my palate grew more and more excited with each and every bite! I was so sad when it was finished!
Once I left Josie’s, it was off to school for my psychology class. It wasn’t bad at all! My teacher seemed very friendly and approachable, and he managed to keep my attention for a majority of the time! Which is very impressive.
I decided to treat myself once class was dismissed with some Lula’s Sweet Apothecary goodness! I absolutely adore everything about this place- the ambiance, the staff, and of course, the sweets! First, I had to sample the Peanut Butter Pretzel Ice Cream. One taste, and I was positive that I had to get it! However, I also really wanted to try Lula’s soft serve, so I settled on a sundae with half Chocolate Soft Serve, and half Peanut Butter Pretzel. This was absolutely divine! The soft serve was extremely creamy, and had a very intense deep chocolate flavor which I appreciated. The ever-rich and decadent Peanut Butter Pretzel was definitely the better of the two, though- it tasted like pure peanut butter, in ice cream form, laced with oodles of chocolate chunks and chocolate covered pretzels. It can’t get much better than that!
I arrived home last night to my brand new macro lens, just waiting to be opened and experimented with! I was thrilled, and couldn’t just couldn’t put it down! The true test, however, would be how my foods photos came out in natural lighting. I couldn’t wait to try it out today!
Despite having my new lens to look forward to using, my morning still got off to a rocky start- it was torturous having to get out of bed at 6:00! All I wanted to do was roll myself into a ball, get under the covers, and go right back to sleep. Much to my dismay, I forced myself to get up and get myself ready. Having class at 8:10 is something I still have to grow accustomed to! Thank god for my venti cup of coffee; I don’t know how I’d survive my first class without it!
Anyway, once class was over, I felt my stomach starting to growl profusely. I desperately needed some food in my system! I decided to head to ‘SNice, one of the only eateries I know of that opens its doors bright and early. Their hours accommodates my schedule perfectly being that I get out of class at 9:25. Once I arrived, I knew exactly what I wanted- the Tofu Scramble Wrap! I made the absolute perfect choice. This luscious tofu scramble consisted of plenty of peppers, onions, black beans, and spices with an extra kick from the classic tomato salsa, all held together by a soft whole wheat wrap. Delicious!
But then my rabid sweet tooth kicked in once again! I had a lot of time to kill, so I figured I would make my way over to Atlas for none other than some Vegan Treats! Yes, you heard right, I had cake at 10 in the AM. So sue me!
I walked in, and was immediately confronted by Atlas’ cornucopia of Vegan Treats offerings. After giving my treat of choice much thought, I decided to go with the Brownie Cheesecake- a decadent fusion of creamy, dense, and (freakishly) authentic cheesecake and rich brownie bites which lied atop a thick chocolate ganache. It was just as incredible as it sounds! What I loved most about this dessert was the fact that neither the cheesecake nor the brownies overpowered one another, and both components were distinguishable in every bite. This might’ve been one of my favorite vegan treats to date! Brownies and cheesecake all in one pretty package? The best of both worlds!
After my classes were over and done with late this afternoon, I went over to Candle for dinner. I ordered this terrific sounding special- Pumpkin Seed Crusted Tofu served with beluga lentils, sautéed brussels sprouts, and greens over a butternut squash sauce, finished with a roasted shallot-sage coulis. Although it was a solid meal, overall, I was slightly disappointed with it. Sadly, it was a little bland for my taste. Oh well, it still was quite photogenic!
Regarding my new macro lens, I’m very impressed with it! Although it’s very similar to my telephoto lens, it does perform significantly better under low light circumstances. It was, most definitely, a worthy investment!
I just cannot wait to have a good night’s sleep tonight! I’ll be getting into bed extra early tonight because I’m exhausted from the long day I’ve had! Tomorrow I’m planning another “mother/daughter” day which will definitely involve some cake, of course! I’m already looking forward to it!
See you all tomorrow!
I think it’s pretty clear that both Nicole and I are addicted to Vegan Treats. So much so that I braved the rain, snow, and extreme slush just to meet her at Atlas to satisfy my cake craving. The messy trip was totally worth it though!
We started off with a truly incredible Chocolate Fudge Cake! This beautiful creation consists of four layers of moist, tender chocolate cake surrounded by a light, creamy chocolate frosting, finished with a drizzle of chocolate ganache and hunks of rich chocolate fudge. It had just the right amount of sweetness and an unquestionable authentic deep chocolate flavor. Four layers of perfection.
Next up was the unforgettable Apple Crumb Cheesecake. It was truly a work of art! On top of the essential graham cracker crust lied the most authentic cheesecake you could imagine, all topped off with a layer of caramelized cinnamon apples and an unforgettable crunchy crumb topping, very reminiscent of apple pie. Basically, this dessert was a luxurious two-for-one deal- apple pie and cheesecake all in one pretty little package! Without a doubt, this cheesecake rained supreme over any and all others that I’ve had in the past. The dense and creamy texture of the cheesecake paired flawlessly with the sweet apples and crumble topping making for a delightful contrast in texture.
We hadn’t planned on sharing more than two desserts today, but that plan quickly turned around once we laid eyes on the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake! How can you resist a chocolate cookie crust topped with a pile of peanut butter infused cheesecake filling, smothered in a layer of chocolate ganache all drizzled with peanut butter and chocolate? It was every bit as rich and decadent as it sounds- it had a very full-bodied texture with a strong dose of peanut butter in every single bite. A very intense treat that should only be consumed by the biggest of peanut butter enthusiasts, which I proudly fall under the category of! We did, however, have a bit of trouble polishing this one off, but it was well worth it! You can’t much better than this, folks.
To kill some time and escape the cold, wintry weather, we then headed to the nearby Whole Foods in Bowery where we browsed the prepared foods section, made ourselves salads for tonight’s dinner, and grabbed a seat upstairs to chat and gossip for a while.
Now as you all know, I have an extremely difficult time producing a salad that is within a reasonable price range! With such a huge spread of vegan friendly offerings, it’s impossible for me to limit myself to such small amounts of each; I just want a big helping of everything! Here’s a comparison for you all-
Here is Nicole’s very sensible sized $5 salad filled with a bunch of raw veggies, lemon baked tofu, butternut squash and kale salad, and roasted brussels sprouts.
And then we have mine- filled to the brim with various toppings such as roasted apples, butternut squash and kale salad, veggie lo mein, curried cauliflower, lemon baked tofu, sesame ginger tofu, a candle seitan chimichurri skewer(!!), roasted brussels sprouts, hummus, and sprout salad. It was a little over $11; I’ve clearly not mastered the art of cheap salad making like Nicole has. Well, at least it wasn’t $16 like my last one was! I’m still learning, people!
Off to shower and then get myself to bed! Luckily, I only have one class tomorrow that starts at 4:10, so I can sleep like a baby tonight. Yesss!
