I ran out of Miracle Whip and wanted to eat a sandwich but couldn't fathom the idea of one with dry bread. So I made miso mayo, a recipe from my new vegan cookbook Appetite for Reduction. (yes, I'm aware of the contradictions of needing Miracle Whip but making vegan "mayo".)

It's super simple: cashews (soaked in water for at least an hour and drained), miso (calls for red but I had white so that's what I used) apple cider vinegar and water. Dump in food processor and blend till creamy. Voila!

Even though I'll never be able to stop eating ice cream, grilling steaks, ordering cheeseburgers medium-rare, making butter goodies, grinding raw beef salad at Million's on Sheridan St., eating mac salad.....I enjoy cooking and eating vegan meals.

I highly recommend Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry. My BF and I have made a number of meals and sides from this book and every one has been a hit! And I'm stoked to have found the Post Punk Kitchen blog. The other night we the Eggplant Potato Moussaka; it was a lot of work but the end result was worth the effort.

One of my resolutions for 2012? Posting more often. And a healthier diet.

 

Taken at Walking Chinatown With No Car

Taken at Ewa Beach

guess i should pick up on my 30 day blog challenge (30DBC), which is now taking me about one year to get through all the topics. 

So #9 30DBC topic is: how important i feel education is. 

I didn't want to go to college. Growing up, I knew college was an option but I never really felt like I was steered in the direction to pursue a degree. My mom didn't go to college, my dad joined the military and my sister - who is intellectual and well-read - was a dropout (though she did recently go back and completed her nursing degree). I think I just thought I'd end up a divorced young mother, working as a cashier at Banana Republic and perhaps living on government assistance. 

In the end, it took around 8 years but I eventually graduated with a BA in journalism with an emphasis in public relations. 

According to a New York Times article, even for cashiers, college pays off: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/sunday-review/26leonhardt.html

The other day at work, we were shown an ad campaign option that used elements of the Periodic Table. It was fresh and unique for the setting that it would've been used in. When the idea was presented to the 'decision-maker' (who has 'Director' or 'Vice-President' or some other title of authority), the option was declined. Why? Because she didn't get it; something about her never having seen a Periodic Table before. As a result, we went with the dumbed-down option. So I guess what I'm saying is that sometimes, even college-educated, highly paid, corporate authority figures are idiots. 

phew! I can FINALLY move on to blog topic #10.....

Taken at University of California Berkeley