note to self:

make this.

addicted #3: vanilla almond milk

i know i'm a little slow on the uptake here...but since i have been making a concerted effort to cut out dairy from my diet (remember this post?), i have even left behind my old friend, skim milk.  to replace it?  smooth, creamy, delicious almond milk (my flavor preference?  unsweetened vanilla).

i started experimenting with non-dairy beverages over the summer when i was making lots of smoothies.  i used rice milk a lot, but i found that i quickly got tired of the taste and the texture.  it was too watery and too sugary tasting to me, for some reason.  a friend of mine suggested i try almond milk (in fact, she was astonished that i hadn't tried it before).  and once i tasted it, i agreed...i couldn't believe what i was missing!

as an added bonus, the nutritional benefits of almond milk are plentiful.  a cup of almond milk gives you the same amount of calcium as 2% milk, which is important for anyone who is cutting dairy out (and thus, risks losing calcium).  additionally, almond milk is loaded with vitamin E: a one-cup serving can provide you with 50% of your daily value of the vitamin responsible for its power as an antioxidant.  and did you know that regular milk has a high sugar content?  i didn't (i hardly looked at the nutritional label on milk). almond milk has a significantly lower sugar content, and no saturated fat.

(nutritional information from livestrong.com)


so next time you're at the grocery store, don't leave without bringing home a carton of almond milk.  use it in your favorite cereal, add a splash to your coffee in the morning, pour a big cold glass full of it to dunk some chocolate chip cookies, use it in smoothies, anything!  they even make chocolate almond milk...and if that doesn't convince you, i don't know what will.

2011-a year in review

in classic molly-fashion, i am always late for everything.  i have been out of the country for a little bit, so since getting home this week and catching up on blog-reading, i noticed a year-recap feature that i really liked.  and since i have fallen off the blogging wagon (my last post was in october!!!) i figured i'd play a little catch up.

so, here is a 2011 re-cap!

in january, jordan and i traveled west to california.  we made stops along the way in san diego, santa barbara, big sur, and san francisco, making sure to eat as often and as much as we could along the way.

donuts on the pier

the marina in san diego

the mediterranean nut burger from sojourner, santa barbara

jordan and me in big sur

in feburary, the spring semester came way too quickly and i was busy with school all the time.  for valentine's day, jordan and i went on our traditional "mystery date" to philadelphia.  we spent the morning at the philadelphia museum and had a delicious dinner at branzino.

jordan and me outside the philly art museum

back to school brown bag!

in march, my mom was in the hospital so i was spending a lot of time in baltimore visiting her.  i didn't blog at all that month, since life/school/family events were taking precedence over cooking!

luckily, april was a much kinder month.  my mom got out of the hospital, i celebrated by 25th birthday, and jordan and i got engaged!

flowers at longwood gardens 

right before the proposal...someone looks nervous!!

right after i said yes

celebrating our engagement at pastabilities in wilmington

in may, the semester finally ended and garden season officially began!  we got our backyard prepped for the summer abundance of vegetables and herbs.  we also kicked off wedding season, going to the first of many summer weddings over memorial day weekend.

being silly in a wedding photobooth

detox smoothie (morning after aforementioned wedding...)

getting the garden ready

new basil plants...so much pesto on the horizon!

in june, we celebrated another wedding, enjoyed some of the first summer harvest (lots of arugula and basil).  we received a grill from jordan's parents as an engagement present, so we spent a lot of time outside grilling!  wedding planning officially got underway...in the month of june, we found our venue, our band, and my dress!  there was a little bit of sadness in june, though, as we lost my cat from childhood, lucy, to leukemia.

the rental house for jess and phil's wedding

trying eggplant for the first time.  i must have been crazy for never eating it before!

hooping away

in july, i threw a surprise birthday party for jordan, we had friends over a lot for backyard cookouts, and we traveled south to slower lower for the delaware state fair.  there was an incredible heat wave in the last week of the month, so sadly some of our tomato crop did not survive.

grilled watermelon!

backyard bounty party

friends galore

birthday jamming!

on the ferris wheel at the state fair

trying to cool off during the heatwave

in august, we celebrated my godparents' 50th wedding anniversary in the shenandoah mountains in virginia, then jordan and i left for big meadows state park and camped out for a week.  my mom had to go back to the hospital so our trip had to end early, but we had a great time hiking, cooking out, and taking in spectacular mountain views.

starting the hike to old rag

grilled veggies and cous cous cooked over the fire

whistlin and fishin

hawksbill

old rag

in september, the semester started, albeit delayed because of anticlimactic hurricane irene!  we didn't lost power, so we had a harry potter movie marathon.  we used the last of our garden tomatoes as much as we could.

in october, i got a new iphone!  and that was it.  just kidding...i was really really stressed out from studying for my comprehensive exams, but i found glimmers of fun here and there.  i took a trip to nyc to seal the deal with my wedding dress.  we had friends over for a pasta making party, and we celebrated a very snowy halloween!

saying yes to the dress

feast

jordan and justin getting down the business

november was insane.  i took and passed my comprehensive exams (with high honors...holla!!), celebrated thanksgiving, and had an engagement party all within the same week.

what a fella i got myself!

the myerbergs

our bar at the engagement party

in december, the semester finally ended (and this lady has a 4.0...no big deal).  i got to spend a lot of time at home for christmas for the first time since my senior year of college (!!).  i handmade all of my christmas presents, jordan and i got our engagement pictures taken, we visited family and friends, had dinner in little italy in new york, celebrated my cousin's wedding and my dad's birthday, and did a lot of cooking/baking in between!

relaxing after christmas

felt veggie magnets...a very merry diy christmas!

natale in little italy

just one of our GORGEOUS engagement pictures...thanks so much, joey!!

so long, 2011...and welcome 2012! 

massaged asian kale salad

the day after new years we had our friends, zach and jess, over for supper and scrabble. jordan and i had been dying to make veggie enchiladas that we saw in the holiday issue of veg times. jess offered to bring a massaged kale salad. i had never heard of massaged kale before, but knowing how good of a cook jess is, i was very excited to try it.

there was not a shred of kale left in the bowl when we were done with it. i asked for the recipe, knowing i would want to eat it all the time as i am now in the final 8 months before my wedding ( nutritional crunch time!!)

i made this variation on her recipe last night for a semi- homecooked meal. i put an asian spin on the recipe and ate it with trader joes veggie gyoza. the kale salad is super delicious and ridiculously good for you.

ingredients

method

in a rice cooker/steamer, steam edamame.  shell and set aside to cool.

wash and dry 2 small bunches of kale (i used organic red and organic lacinto).  remove stems and slice into thin strips.  place in a large bowl.

drizzle some olive oil, a couple of capfuls of soy sauce, and a couple of capfuls of rice vinegar over the kale.  mince a clove of garlic (or more, depending on your taste) and a peeled 1inch chunk of fresh ginger, and add to the kale.  drizzle some honey and the juice of a lime over the mixture.

now for the massaging...the idea is to let the acid from the lime and the vinegar and the fats from the oil seep into the kale to soften it.  imagine you're kneading dough.  with clean hands, gently rub the kale for several minutes.  add the shredded carrots and the shelled edamame, mix with clean hands again, then cover and let sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

when ready to serve, sprinkle with sesame seeds and chow down!

it's even good left over... on a wrap with hummus and avocado.