Let's get crackin'

To finally get started on my resolutions, I blew about $70 at the grocery store on Saturday. Alright, I don't know if "blew" was the right word. I got a crapload of veggies, which actually aren't that expensive, but had to stalk up on a few things like laundry detergent, tahini, and walnuts, all of which drove my grocery bill up way higher than expected. And I do get cage free eggs and bacon with no nitrites or nitrates, because A. they taste better and B. they're more healthy-- in that order.

So what am doing with my plethora of vegetables?

I'm making a curried red lentil and kale soup! I'll be having it for dinner while working KCACTF this week and cannot be more excited. It's freaking delicious, fast and healthy. The recipe comes from Living Without, "the magazine for people with allergies and food sensitivities." That's me! A super senior Celiac, unable to consume anything with wheat, barley, oats, and rye. And being diagnosed was honestly the best thing that ever happened to me: instead of being upset that I can't eat a donut, I am actually happy that I have a legitimate reason to avoid them. Because, let's face it: dieting sucks. But if eating unhealthy food, such as fast food, actually makes me physically ill, you bet I won't be eating it.

"No sandwiches?" you say. "What is Caitlin going to be eating this week during festival, especially considering she is essentially chained to her post, unable to leave to go home and boil a pot of rice pasta? Or whatever else she can eat."

For lunch I'll be having fresh vegetables with homemade baba ghanoush, again from Living Without. Not gonna lie, the main reason I made it was so I could say baba ghanoush. And I am particularly proud of how my baba ghanoush turned out. It's like a creamy hummus, but with eggplant instead of chickpeas. Now, the recipe I used called for roasted eggplant. I followed the instructions to a T, but soon found that roasting eggplant is difficult when your broiler doesn't work. So I turned the heat down to 350°, shut the oven and roasted 'em for about a half an hour. Surprisingly, they turned out pretty good. And I was able to speed up the process of baba ghanoushing by using my trusty blender. It's been sitting in my cupboard for a few months-- I bought it to make salsa verde from a recipe my host mother gave me in Mexico. But it also made a delicious baba ghanoush and has earned a spot on the counter where it is more readily accessible. Because next week I'm having homemade hummus!

Also, I'm going to be trying something new, a flatbread made from chickpea flour called socca. Yes, like the character from Avatar, the Last Airbender. Fingers crossed that it tastes good with baba ghanoush!

Baba ghanooooooooooush.