Man, I’ve been bad about posting lately. I’m trying, I really am! My life is really chaotic right now, though, and it’s hard enough to find time to cook new things, let alone write about cooking new things. That being said, though, I wanted to pose a question to everyone: Why do you cook? (Or maybe it should be why don’t you cook?)
For me, that question has a few answers. I’ll start first with a confession: I haven’t been cooking for that long. I was proud of myself if I could manage brownies from a box or make a grilled cheese on a Foreman grill. Seriously. But once I had been in a college a few years, I got sick of eating pre-packed, crappy food from a can or a freezer. So I started experimenting, and slowly began to realize that cooking wasn’t a chore. Around that time, I stopped eating meat (I now eat fish, but for the first two years of being a vegetarian, I cut out all seafood too). That really forced me into the kitchen. I couldn’t just stop by McDonald’s on the way home and pick something up- I had to take responsibility for feeding myself right. Now that I have a few years of cooking under my belt, I think I’m really starting to get a good cooking intuition. I don’t need a recipe, I can sense what flavors might work well together, I can pull together a meal on the fly with random ingredients. Cooking is now a creative outlet for me, and it’s tremendously relaxing. I can turn my brain off for a little while, and focus on the physical task of cooking, a job that really requires all of my senses.
That being said, when I get stressed, I don’t always cook as often. But it always makes me feel better (not to mention I get to enjoy a tasty meal afterwards). On Sunday, I updated one of the very first truly delicious vegetarian meals that I made up on my own: eggplant casserole.
You’ll need:
1 eggplant
3 or 4 tomatoes
1 small white onion
About 3/4 c each of parmesan and feta cheese
About 1 c breadcrumbs
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
First, I sliced the eggplant, salted the slices, and cooked them in a frying pan with a bit of oil. Then I layered the cooked eggplant, sliced tomatoes, and sliced onions, which I topped with cheese. I then repeated the layering, and drizzled it all with a bit of balsamic vinegar for flavor. I topped it all with breadcrumbs that I tossed with a little olive oil. I threw it in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes, and had myself a tasty dinner (and a few tasty left over lunches).
I used to coat the eggplant slices in breadcrumbs, and then fry the slices, but that got time consuming and the end product, while delicious, was really greasy. I think next time I make this, I’ll coat the slices in breadcrumbs and then bake them instead of frying. That’s what cooking is all about- experimenting.
Since the end of the semester is approaching almost as quickly as Thanksgiving, I thought I might leave you with some easy, tasty brain food snacks:
1. Apples with almond butter, sprinkled with cinnamon- really tasty, and really filling.
2. Sorbet smoothie: There a ton of ways to make smoothies, but I threw this together one day with a few scoops of raspberry sorbet, a few ice cubes, orange/pineapple juice, and a splash of milk. Yum!
Ok, I guess I should get back to PhD applications…grrr.
Leigh















Well, it seems as if I’ve been laying low these past few days. I’ve spent a lot of time in the library and in my office, but not so much in the kitchen. I’ve been mostly surviving on staples, like pita and hummus, nachos (no sour cream or guac: just veggie refried beans, some low fat cheddar, salsa, tomatoes and onions), and salads. I absolutely love salads, and I thought I’d share one of my favorites with you:






