Block Print Love

all images via lunabazaar.com

I'm loving these hand-block printed pillows from Luna Bazaar. They come in a variety of colors and designs and are only $8 each if you order 2 or more! Ordering a few for my apartment right now...

GF & Vegan Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting

Every once in a while, I get the opportunity to try out my fav recipes on my wonderful office mates. Today was one such occasions. Madhukar, or Madude as I love to call him, is flying to India tomorrow to get married! And since he is honestly one of the nicest guys I know, I wanted to bake him something delicious to celebrate the occasion.

I made three layers of this gluten free chocolate cake sans the orange rind by multiplying the recipe by 1.5 ,and baked each layer for 40 minutes. I then spread melted apricot jam between layers 1 and 2, and melted raspberry jam between layers 2 and 3. And finally,I frosted the cake with home made butter cream frosting make with real bourbon vanilla beans and decorated it with fresh strawberries. The cake was supposed to say "Congrats Madude" but I messed up the "Congrats" and had to scrape it off. Who knew cake decorating was so difficult?

Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting
3 sticks of Vegan unsalted butter (or regular if you're not going the Vegan route), softened
4.5 cups of Confectioners Sugar
beans scraped from 1 whole bourbon vanilla bean
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp almond milk (or milk substitute of your choice)

Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl . Add vanilla, vanilla beans and almond milk and continue to beat until light and fluffy.

The frosting can be kept refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 2 days. Do not store next to strongly flavored foods like onions, garlic, tuna fish, etc... because it can absorb neighboring flavors and nobody likes onion frosting. If refrigerating, remove from refrigerator to bring the temperature down for at least 30 minutes before spreading to make the job a lot easier.

NYC Half Marathon 2010

starting in Central Park

racing through the streets of NYC

incredible energy!

running through Times Square

I hope she said yes!

Yesterday was a beautiful day. I ran the NYC Half Marathon and it was seriously incredible! I've always loved running through Central Park. The trees, the fresh air, and even the challenging rolling hills make me really happy. But to have a chance to run right through Times Square? AWESOME!

There were several major highlights for me, the first of which was exiting Central Park and seeing 7th Avenue open into a welcoming Times Square. Before the race, I imagined that by the time I got out of Central Park, I'd be hurting from the hills. But I had such incredible energy, the crowds were cheering us on, and I got really emotional for a bit. The second major highlight was seeing my friend Dani at mile 9 cheering me on- what a trip! Dani is an incredible runner & hugely supportive friend. She is such an inspiration and I am grateful to know her and call her my friend :) And finally, crossing the finish line and seeing another proud familiar face was awesome and meant a lot to me.

I finished the race in 2:20:33 which is actually 4 minutes slower than my last half. But I am still so proud. After some painful injuries and other training challenges, I'm just happy to have finished the race and experienced a NYC Half. Above are some pictures from the NY Road Runners website. I'll post some of me once they are available.

On 4/7 I find out if I got into the ING NYC Marathon via the lottery. Crossing my fingers!!!

Lemon Hummus

As part of my recreation of Friedman's Lunch's Garden Vegetable Sandwich, I made a nice big batch of Hummus to spread on my freshly baked gluten free bread. I always prefer to make my own hummus at home. It's quick, easy, inexpensive, and I get to customize the flavor to my liking. Hummus is typically made of chickpeas, tahini, garlic and seasoning. In this case, I added the preserved Meyer Lemons because I love the citrusy flavor they give and the little specs of meyer lemon peel are beautiful in the spread.

Some notes about this recipe:
1. I happened to have a jar of preserved meyer lemons I made a while back in my fridge. You can make your own or use store bought. Remember to rinse your preserved lemons really well before using in this recipe since they are preserved in salt. Otherwise your hummus will taste like the Dead Sea.
2. If you don't have preserved lemons, you can use some fresh lemon juice and zest instead. Your hummus will have a different flavor but will still be delicious. Just replace the 1/4 cup of chickpea juice with 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice an 1 tablespoon of zest.
3. Use reduced salt or salt free canned chickpeas if you can. Especially if you are using preserved lemons. You can always add salt later if necessary.

Hummus with Preserved Meyer Lemons
2 cloves of garlic
1 can chickpeas (reduced salt or salt free), drained but reserving the liquid
2 preserved lemons, including both the flesh & rind, rinsed really well
1/4 cup tahini
salt and pepper to taste
chopped fresh herbs (optional)

Place the cloves of garlic in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add the canned chickpeas, preserved lemons and tahini and process for about 1 minute. Add the chickpea liquid and continue to process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper as necessary.

Depending on how you'll be eating your hummus, fresh herbs make a delicious addition to this recipe. Parsley or dill are especially fantastic and refreshing. You can spread the hummus on some bread for a sandwich or serve with crudite as a fabulous dip.

GF Sandwich Bread

The weather is finally beautiful in NY and it's been the perfect reason to take lovely walks wandering around the city. I especially love lunch walks for some fresh air and to recharge my brain. So the other day, Nancy and I decided a stroll to Friedman's Lunch in Chelsea Market was in order. I am so lucky to have Friedman's in walking distance from my office because they offer both gluten free and vegetarian menu items. Yay!

As usual, Nancy & I both ordered their Garden Vegetable sandwich. Mine on their new gluten free bread, Nancy's on regular bread. We got them to go, headed back to the office and devoured them. Our office mates might have wondered what on earth was going on at our desks because we were oohing, aahing and smiling the entire time. Lettuce, sprouts, cucumber, tomato, avocado, shredded carrots and hummus on toasted gluten free sandwich bread. How could I not smile?

I quickly decided that I needed to add sandwiches back to my lunch repertoire right away. When I went gluten free, they disappeared from my life for a really long time and I didn't even realize how much I missed them. Although I wish I could visit Freidman's every day, I don't have the time or budget to realize that dream. So looks like I'll be baking a whole lot more gluten free bread in the near future.

I've loved every recipe I've made from Karina Allrich's Gluten-Free Goddess, so I headed to her site to search for what I hoped would be my new favorite sandwich bread. I followed this recipe and am really happy with the results. I followed Karina's directions for baking the bread in my oven and to keep it vegan, I mixed 2 tablespoons of corn starch with 4 tablespoons of applesauce for my egg replacer. I also let the dough rise for 30 minutes in the pan instead of 20 minutes, and baked the bread for 45 minutes in the pan and 10 minutes removed from the pan.

Once again, Karina has come thru for me! I am in love with this bread and can't wait to make my own Garden Veggie sandwich. I already have some new interpretations floating around in my head so stay tuned....

Baking for Good

I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while and am really happy to finally introduce you to Baking for Good. If you haven’t already heard about this site, please check it out!

Founded by Emily Dubner just last year, Baking for Good is an online bakery featuring delicious treats made with the finest all-natural, organic, local and seasonal ingredients. Each time you order Emily’s freshly made-to-order cookies, brownies, caramel corn or any other product, 15% goes to the charity of your choice! The site offers a huge variety of community and non-profit organizations to choose from including memorial funds, disaster relief organizations, opportunities to fight hunger and homelessness, to support women’s causes and so much many more. Eat cookies and help others? Could there be a better combination? I think not.

Wait, it gets even better… Baking for Good also offers vegan and gluten-free options. Yay!!! And since each order is wrapped in beautiful, eco-friendly packaging, it’s the perfect gift for all your favorite folks.

Kudos to Emily for such an incredible and inspiring idea!

Clover

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all of those who celebrate!

Bloomin' Creations

What happens when a mom & full time doctor has a passion for crafts? She turns her hobby in a bloomin' & booming business!

Bloomin' Creations is the brainchild of Michelle Bloom, a NYC Cardiology Fellow and mom to an beautiful little boy. Michelle makes the most adorable personalized children's gifts and party favors. She is crazy creative and works within her clients' price points and themes to design Art boxes, Bath and Beach sets, Sippy Cups, Picture Frames, Mirrors, and so many more unique ideas. My personal favorites are her precious Memory Boxes!

Check out Michelle's creations at http://www.bloomincreations.net or become a facebook fan and contact Michelle by clicking here.

And stay tuned for some Erica Sara Designs & Bloomin' Creations collaborations in the near future!

Decor Envy

I'm loving these hand painted nesting tables from Serena & Lily... such beautiful color & design!

Cauliflower Millet Mash

I imagine that one day, I'll live in a home with a garden. And I'll grow anything & everything my heart & mouth desire. I'll grow all different sort of lettuces, bell peppers, cucumbers, fresh herbs, tomatoes, strawberries, beets.... Or maybe I'll live on a farm....

But for now, I live in a NYC one bedroom apartment with very little sunlight and will have to settle for the man who sells fruits & veggies a block away from my apartment. For those of you who don't live in NYC or who have never visited, the streets are full of fruit cart vendors who sell anything from spinach to onions, and beautiful cantaloupes for really great prices.

I tend to stop by these carts several times a day to buy a little something here and there. Bananas and berries on my way to work. An orange or apple during a lunchtime walk. And lots of salad veggies on my way home from the gym. The other day, my favorite green cart was selling some gorgeous cauliflower for just $1 a head. So of course, I couldn't resist buying 3 heads! Do you know how difficult it is for one person to eat 3 heads of cauliflower before they go bad? So with just one left in the fridge this evening on the verge of spoiling, I decided to whip up a quick Cauliflower and Millet Mash to eat as a side dish for the next few days.

This recipe is a great substitute for typical mashed potatoes. I once made it for a dinner guest and he was shocked they weren't real mashed potatoes. They can be seasoned any which way you prefer- salt, pepper, fresh herbs, cheese (feta or parm would be especially delicious)... the options are endless. Tonight's dinner was this mash with steamed fish & asparagus. It was so light & delicious!

You'll notice from the picture that my mash was a bit yellow in color. That's because I used a vegetable stock that was made with lots of carrots. The color of your mash will vary greatly depending on the liquid, herbs and other add-ins you use.

Cauliflower Millet Mash
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
dash of salt
1 cup millet
1 small head of cauliflower, trimmed & chopped into small florets
3 cups vegetable stock (or water if you don't have)
1 tbsp butter or butter substitute (i used earth balance)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
fresh herbs, chopped to garnish (i used chives)

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic, and saute until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
Add the millet to the pot and stir for about 1 minute to toast.
Add the chopped cauliflower and vegetable stock to the pot. Bring to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook for approximately 30 minutes. Make sure to check after 20 minutes or so to make sure that the there is still some liquid left and the ingredients aren't burning on the bottom of the pot. If necessary, add a little more liquid until the millet is soft.
Mash like you would potatoes, add the butter or butter sub, season with salt & pepper, and toss in some fresh herbs or any other add-ins you'd like.

Enjoy!

Oscar Envy

Some of my favorites from this year's Oscars...

Running Tips from a Beginner

Spring is finally on it's way and this beautiful weather is perfect for an outdoor run. Which means lots of new runners will be on the road and I am so excited for them!

A bunch of people I know have reached out to me for newbie running advice thee last few weeks so I thought, why not write a post and offer whatever insights I have.I should note that although I have been running for over a year, I still consider myself a beginner because I have so much to learn. Any advice I give is based on my experiences with running & racing so please keep that in mind. I am not a professional, haven’t been trained by one, and don’t profess to know everything.

So, here are some words of advice

1. The right running sneaker is CRUCIAL. We each have different feet, different strides and different bodies. I can’t stress enough how important it is to wear the right shoe when running so that you get the support you need. Don’t pull a old pair from your closet. Don’t look for the best bargain at Filene’s Basement. Get yourself to a running store and have someone who really knows what they are talking about fit you for the proper sneaker. Try on a few pairs. Jog around the store. Spending a bit more on the perfect pair of sneakers now will save lots of money in painkillers and medical treatment later.

2. Buy new sneakers when they start to wear out. Again, really important. Even if you purchase the right fit for your feet, they become useless when they are worn out. Once I buy a great pair, run a few times and confirm that they give me the support I need, I usually search online to see if they are available for a bargain. Then I order another 2 backup pairs. This way when my current sneakers begin to wear, I have a new pair ready & waiting.

3. Slow down. When I first started, I would just start quick every time and run out of breathe after a few minutes. Once I made myself slow down, I was able to really breathe and run longer, building up a lot more stamina. I've found that a really great running mix helps with this. I listen to Sting, Phish, The Cure, etc... music that isn’t necessarily running music, because it has a slower tempo which helps me maintain a slow pace.

4. Cross train. Include hills in your runs. Take days off to do some other form of exercise like core work, yoga, pilates, kickboxing… whatever you love. I found that these activities helped keep my core strong which can prevent injury. And they kept life fun & interesting!

5. Follow a training schedule as best as you can and don’t over train just because you can. If you are training for a race, and your schedule says to run 3 miles tonight, don’t run 6 just because you feel like you can. Over-training today can lead to injury, burn out & exhaustion tomorrow.

6. STRETCH!!! a lot. The more you run, the tigher your muscles will get and if you don’t loosen them up, they will pull at your knees, yours hips, and any other part of your legs you can think of. Then those will begin to hurt which will impact your form and stride and can lead to injury.

7. Enjoy yourself. Remember why you want to run and make it happen :)

I’m sure I can think of a gazillion more tips so don’t be surprised if Running Tips Take 2 is a future post.

In the meantime, please feel free to leave comments with any questions or tips of your own!

12 days until Spring!

emma