Smoked Salmon Fritatta

I'd Eat Cardboard If It Was Coated in Frank's Red Hot

My love affair with condiments started when I was little. I learned early on that I could make meat almost palatable if I drowned it in the savory, tangy goodness that is A1. My other favorite is hot sauce. We met at my Kosher Sleep-Away Camp. It was there that I discovered that if you use enough hot-sauce, you can gently singe your taste buds in such a way that even the mush they called camp food tasted juuuuuuuust fine. My camp friends and I loved this particular condiment so much that we made t-shirts honoring it, and cheers saluting it. (So much for not worshiping any idols...)

And that matzah kugel I told you about yesterday? Bland, doesn't even BEGIN to describe it.  But with a little Frank's? Juuuuuuust fine.

The frittata on the other hand? INCREDIBLE.

Smoked Salmon Frittata

(Adapted from this Barefoot Contessa Recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 6 large eggs
• 1/2 cup egg whites
• 3/4 cup low fat milk
• 1/4 cup low fat Greek yogurt
• 4 ounces fresh goat cheese, such as Montrachet, crumbled
• 4oz smoked salmon, chopped
• 3 scallions, chopped, white and light green parts
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Saute the onion and butter in a 10-inch oven-proof omelet pan over medium-low heat until translucent, about 5-10 minutes.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and egg whites. Add the milk, yogurt, goat cheese, smoked salmon, scallions, dill, salt, and pepper and combine. Pour the mixture over the onions and place the omelet pan in the center of the oven. Bake the frittata for about 50 minutes, until it puffs and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve hot directly from the pan.



Return your condiment of choice to it's shelf, you won't need it.

Matzah Matzah Everywhere! Recipes for Passover

Passover is my favorite holiday and it always has been. As a kid I'm not sure I knew how lucky I was to be part of my particular Jewish community in Upstate New York.  Some years my parent's hosted Seders, and some years we sat in the dining rooms, kitchens or living rooms of friends. But no matter where we celebrated or how many new faces were at the table that year, it always felt like family. It's only in recent years that I've begun to realize how truly unique and special these experiences were.

As much as I love those memories from my childhood, my Nice Jewish Boy of a husband and I wanted to claim the holiday as our own, and start our own traditions. For the last several years we've hosted Seder in our home in Brooklyn. Each year I buy a new Haggadah on Amazon.com, and I spend weeks putting together a collaborative, thought provoking Seder. Our friends gather around our table, some Jewish, some not, and we work our way through; sharing, laughing, toasting and learning. Most years, we hardly even notice that it's nearly 9:30 by the time we're finally eating dinner.

But this year, the cards were simply not in our favor. First, we discovered that my NJB had agreed to attend a bachelor party in Montreal during the first two nights of Passover (heathens!)  After much waxing and waning about whether or not we could have a Seder on a night that was neither the first nor second night of the holiday, we picked a totally arbitrary date only to realize once the invitations were out, that it was Easter. We picked a third date, but for whatever reason, many of our friends were simply unable to join. And finally, when I ordered the New American Haggadah (edited by Jonathon Safran Foer!) it was delivered weeks behind schedule AND to my parents house upstate instead of to me. So for the first time in four years, we found ourselves Planless for Passover.

In the end, I journeyed to Boston and joined my family-in-laws for a wonderful, whimsical Seder. I had a really super time. But one of the things I love about hosting Seder, is the required creativity the menu demands. So I decided that rather than forgoing this favorite tradition of mine all together, I would simply create a week's worth of Passover recipes.

Sunday night, when I'd returned from Boston we made breakfast for dinner, Pesach style! You know what that means.... MATZAH BREI! (Fear not, fabulous Jews who raised me... I do NOT actually use a recipe to make this, but I thought I'd link to one for all the amazing Goyim in my life). I add a bit of milk, vanilla extract and cinnamon to this basic recipe, and then top with maple syrup. (duh.) (Oh, you use jelly? You're wrong.)

Kosher friends, please avert your eyes for Monday Night's dinner. Fair warning.

Monday night I made a Pesto Roast Chicken with Red Potatoes, Sweet Potato & Ricotta Gnocchi and Roasted Asparagus. The kosher-for-Passover gnocchi was DARN GOOD and shockingly easy. And can you believe I made a chicken? I had to touch it and everything. Needless to say, I couldn't actually bring myself to EAT the local, free range, organic, $12 chicken...

Tuesday night I made us Matzah Ball Soup, because it's not Passover until you're lying immobile on the couch moaning because you've consumed too many cement balls..I mean.. Matzah Balls.

Tonight I'm making Mushroom & Onion Kugel, and a Smoked Salmon Fritatta. If they're good I'll post my altered recipes tomorrow.

All of these new recipes have made for a creative and delicious holiday, but  no matter how good the food is,  it always tastes a little better with friends and family.

Chag Pesach <3

Quinoa Salad with Beets & Avocado

Why I Gained 10+ Pounds the Year I Met My Husband 

I've heard that it's fairly common to gain weight in the early stages of a happy relationship. Something about comfort levels, and not feeling like you have to impress anyone.

But for me, this was not the case.

For the first year of our kick-a$$ courtship, I was working as a hostess at a restaurant in Soho, for which my total lack of  food-service experience was completely ignored as soon as I promised to show up for my shifts in something sexy. (Peace out feminist moral code..they're going to pay me 15 bucks an hour!) The other hostesses were all  leggy, sullen models.

The point of that digression? As incredibly comfortable as I was in my new relationship, I was literally earning my livelihood by attempting to impress anyone.

During work hours I stupidly mimicked the models' non-existent diets, and I logged countless non-work hours at the gym.  But alas, my metabolism was no match for bachelor cooking*.

My darling husband  was very thorough in his wooing efforts, and in those early days I frequently found myself  in his shared-one-bedroom-with-a-temporary-wall apartment,  chatting over a romantically set table, lit by the scented candle he borrowed temporarily from the bathroom.

The meals he prepared were composed of 90% white pasta or NewYork bagels (which are 4x the size of a normal bagel) and  10% green-things-that-might-have-been vegetables-once-upon-a-time-before-they-were-freezer-burnt-to-their-current-unrecognizable-state "sauteed" (yes the quotes are absolutely necessary) in butter and maple flavored syrup*.

These days, as I sit relaxed in our beautiful Brooklyn apartment, happy to be with my guy after long weeks apart at our comfy corporate jobs (where my outfits from the restaurant days would deffffffffffinitely get me sent to HR), and fitting comfortably in my pre-husband pants, I frequently propose a toast -- We clink our perfectly matched, un-chipped glasses together and remark, "we've come a long way baby".


Spicy Tilapia Filets, Quinoa Salad with Beets & Avocado, & Roasted Asparagus

Quinoa Recipe Adapted from my New Favorite Blog

3-4 medium beets, including fresh looking greens
olive oil for cooking
6 scallions, white and light green parts
2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa
2 small avocados, diced
1/4 cup toasted, salted sunflower seeds
 4 Tbsp. tahini
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. agave nectar
6 Tbsp. water, or as needed
hefty pinch of salt and pepper
2 cloves of garlic crushed
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. finely chopped chives

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 450'.

Cut the greens from the beets at their stem. Rub a bit of olive oil on the skin of the beets, sprinkle with salt and wrap them all in a foil pack. Set on the middle oven rack and cook for 45-55 minutes until you can easily piece through with a knife. Set them aside to cool.

While the beets roast, clean and dry the greens. Chop off and discard the long red stems. Chop the greens and put them in a large mixing bowl. 

To prepare the dressing, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, vinegar, agave and water. Mix in the garlic, hearty pinch of salt and pepper and drizzle in the olive oil while whisking. Add more water if you prefer it thinner. Mix in the chives. Adjust to your taste and set aside. 

Once the beets are cool enough to touch, you should be able to just push the skin off with your fingers. Use a paring knife to help it along. Dice the peeled beets. Thinly slice the scallions. Add the beets, scallions, quinoa and avocado to the mixing bowl and toss with a generous amount of dressing (note: the salad will turn pink from the beets. If this bothers you, you can toss everything without the diced beets, and sprinkle them on top). Sprinkle in the sunflower seeds, give it one more toss.

Google pictures of college students eating ramen noodle packs and feel superior.

*I should explain that he is exceptionally talented at many many things. (Many, many, MANY things. It's a little annoying actually.) But cooking? Simply not his forte.

BBQ Cheddar Chickpea Burgers

Step Aside Tina Fey, There's a New Bossyboots in Town

If you ask my family, they'll tell you that I started bossing people around the day I came out of the womb.

I think that's probably true.

For my fifth birthday (and every other gift giving occasion for the next seven years) I asked to have my ears pierced. I received this book instead.*

                                          


The girl in the book ends up saving her stage coach companions from a bunch of robbers because she has the audacity to boss the thieves around when they're trying to take her things. I'm fairly certain the awesome pint sized  heroine only served to reinforce my behavior.

Good Parenting.

When I was a kid my older brother (who is four years my senior, and double my size) bore the brunt of my commands. How is that possible, you ask? Well, you see, my big bro loooooooooooooves me. This works out well, because I'm pretty much his #1 fan. But when I was little, I completely took advantage of his devotion to me, and he did, well, anything I told him to. This includes trying to take the rap for the many many things I did that ultimately landed me in the corner. My parents rarely fell for this, because A. he never actually did anything wrong and B. he's a TERRIBLE liar.

These days my agreeable husband is stuck with my bossy nature, but I haven't left my brother alone completely (what kind of sister would I be if I just stopped paying attention to him when I met a great man  to boss around...er... I mean.. share my life with...).

In recent years I've focused a lot of my attention on my brother's eating habits. The problem is, we have TOTALLY different tastes in food. Most of the time the things I make don't hold any appeal for. I'm on a constant mission to find recipes that meet my nutritional standards for his diet, and he's on a lifelong mission to learn how to say no to me. 

Only one of us is having any success. 

BBQ Cheddar Chickpea Burgers
(Adapted from this blog)

 Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped red onion + more for topping
1/2 teaspoon olive oil + 1/2 tablespoon
1/2 cup broccoli
1 medium-sized peeled carrot, chopped
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup freshly grated low fat extra sharp cheddar cheese (lightly packed) + more for topping
2 heaping tablespoons smokey bbq sauce + more for topping
1 teaspoon honey
3 tablespoons whole wheat  flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
4 whole wheat buns

Directions

Heat a small skillet over low heat and add 1/2 teaspoon olive oil. Throw in onions with a pinch of salt, stir to coat, then let cook and caramelize for 5-6 minutes. This should happen fairly quickly since they are chopped small. Remove from heat and set aside.

In the bowl of your food processor, add broccoli and carrot, pulsing until chopped very finely. Add chickpeas, sauce, honey, flour, cheese, onions, salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Process and pulse until completely combined but not pureed.

Carefully remove from processor bowl and form into 4 burgers. If you feel that your burgers and somewhat delicate, refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add remaining olive oil. Once hot, add burgers to the skillet and cook on each side until golden brown and crispy on the outsides, about 3-4 minutes. Be gentle when flipping and removing burgers so they don’t crack or fall apart. Serve on toasted buns with additional cheddar, red onion and sauce.

Those were not suggestions, they were orders. 

<3 Bossyboots 

* My brother would like me to add, that he was the one who got me both the book and, ultimately, my ear & nose piercings, against our parents' wishes. I have a little tear in my eye...  his email was so bossy.

Cleansed or Crazy Part 2

Welcome to day two of my experiment.


As you know, I started day two feeling pretty cruddy. Here's a little recap. My eyes were burning and bright red, I felt a tad feverish and I was totally, totally lethargic. But here's the part that surprised me: I was REALLY upset that I wasn't going to be spending my afternoon cooking, and that hubby and I wouldn't be sitting down to a special meal together before he had to head back to Pittsburgh. I hadn't ever thought of myself as someone who has an emotional relationship with food, but I couldn't have been more wrong.


Nevertheless I pushed forward and made a Purple Power Juice:

• 4 Cups Purple Grapes
• 1/2 Cup Blackberries
• 1 Apple
• 1 Inch Ginger

Pretty tasty! But alas, my will to NOT drink the juice proved to be stronger than my hunger. By lunch time the previous night's headache was back, I'd only had about 4oz of the Purple Power Juice, I'd skipped my mid-morning snack juice, and I didn't seem to be getting off the couch to make a lunch juice. It was about this time that we decided I should probably eat something, so I made a small bowl of plain oatmeal (with water) and chopped up a banana to mix in. Half an hour or so later I was feeling a million times better.


Do I think my juice cleanse was a failure? hhMmm. Maybe a little, yes. But ultimately it served as a reminder that I need to only put the best things into my body, because getting the bad things out is HARD. Do I still believe in the idea of a detox? Absolutely. I just don't think the same methods work for all people.


Once I had my energy back I realized that if I was giving up on my juice cleanse, I was going to have to figure out something to do with all those veggies!!!! I didn't want to abandon the idea of the detox completely, so I vowed that for the next week or so I am going to stay away from caffeine and all things processed or artificial (my affections for Diet Coke and York Peppermint Patties go against everything else I believe in).

 So, are you curious to know what the heck I turned my fridge full of veggies into?

Kale Chips



Ingredients:
1 bunch  kale
Olive oil
Sea salt, to taste
Fresh ground black pepper

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 300°F. Rinse and dry the kale, then remove the stems and tough center ribs. Cut into large pieces. Arrange leaves in a single layer on a large baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Mist with Olive Oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes, or until crisp. Place baking sheet on a rack to cool.

Sweet Potato Hummus and Veggie Snacks

(Adapted from this recipe at Blissful Blog)

Ingredients:
1 pound sweet potatoes,peeled (roughly 2 medium)

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon chopped chipotle chili, canned in adobo sauce
1 garlic clove chopped
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons tahini
course sea salt 

Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Pierce potatoes several times with a fork; place on a foil lined baking sheet.  Bake for 1 hour or until tender.  Cool slightly, then peel and add to the bowl of a food processor.  Add chickpeas, lime juice, tahini, olive oil, chipotle and garlic.  Puree until smooth and thin with up to 2 tablespoons of water if necessary. Season with salt.  Refrigerate for up to 1 week in an airtight container. 

Fennel & Swiss Chard Soup With  Red Pepper Yogurt Sauce

(Adapted from this recipe in Cooking Light Magazine)

Ingredients

• 2 red bell peppers
• 4 large fennel bulbs with stalks
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups chopped leek (about 2 medium)
• 1 cup chopped shallots (about 2 large)
• 3/4 tablespoon dried thyme
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 swiss chard leaves, stems removed
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup fat-free plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• Dash of red pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler. Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil 15 minutes or until blackened. Place in a paper bag; fold to close tightly. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel and chop; set aside.

2. Trim tough outer leaves from fennel. Mince feathery fronds to measure 2 tablespoons; set aside. Remove and discard end of stalks. Chop bulbs and remaining stalks, discard core of bulb. 

3. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add fennel, leek, and next 3 ingredients (through salt); cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broth, water, and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 12 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Stir in swiss chard and black pepper. Cook until fennel is soft.

4. Using a blender (in batches) or an imerssion blender, puree the soup.

5. Combine roasted bell peppers, yogurt, lemon rind, lemon juice, and ground red pepper in a food processor; process until smooth.

6. Top each serving of soup with 2 tablespoons of red pepper sauce and a sprinkling of fennel fronds.

Quinoa With Sweet Potatoes, Cranberries and Nuts



And a side of Israeli Salad



(Adapted from this recipe at Gluten-Free Goddess)

Ingredients:
1 cup  quinoa

2 cups vegetable broth

1 large sweet potato, skin on, cubed

1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

1/2 of a medium red onion, diced fine

1 clove of garlic, crushed
Olive oil
Pure maple syrup, to taste
Sea salt

A sprinkle of ginger and curry, to taste

1/4 cup  pecans

1/4 cup cashews
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

Preparation:

 

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Combine vegetable broth and quinoa in a large pot. Cook until broth is absorbed.

 

In a large bowl combine sweet potato, cranberries, onion and garlic. Drizzle with a dash of olive oil, and a teaspoon or two of pure maple syrup- not too much. Sprinkle with sea salt, ginger and a dash of curry. Toss everything together.  Spread on a baking sheet, lined with parchement paper. Roast in the top half of the oven until the potato is tender- about 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a skillet and lightly toast the nuts.

Combine the sweet potato mixture into the quinoa pot. Add in the toasted nuts and chopped parsley. Taste test and adjust seasoning.  Serve warm.

Apple Crisp

(Adapted from this recipe in Cooking Light Magazine)

• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
• 3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar (not packed)
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
• 5 Tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 6 cups chopped peeled Granny Smith apple (about 4 apples)
• 1/2 cup raisins

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Toss apples and raisins in a large bowl.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, oats,  sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Mix half of the oat mixture into the apple and raisin mix.

Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a medium baking dish, spread apples into the dish.

Cover the top of the apples with the remaining oatmeal mixture.

Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until apples are tender.


These dishes were all FANTASTIC. I also made a tuna salad with celery and apples for crunch and flavor (a trick I learned from my mom).

Not bad right?? I used up 90% of the vegetables that I couldn't freeze or store. But I still have a TON of left over celery...thoughts? A girl can only eat so many ants on a log!

Cleansed or Crazy?

My freshman year of college I had this gorgeous hippie professor. I don't remember what the course was or even if she was a good teacher, but I remember that for a good portion of the semester she was on a juice cleanse. I also remember thinking that she was hard-core-hippe-cool. And I wanted to be her.

That was the first time I thought about doing a juice detox. Over the years the thought has crossed my mind many many times.  The most recent occasion was upon the return from our cheese & processed carb laden honeymoon. I was pretty stoked (and pretty bloated) so I went so far as to starting an order form for the  Blue Print Cleanse but was ultimately deterred by the absurd daily cost.

On a lazy night last week, I was scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed, when I noticed that a friend of mine from high school was preparing to start her first cleanse. When I asked what her plan was, she directed me to the documentary that inspired her, Fat Sick & Nearly Dead.  I didn't have any plans that night, so I pulled the film up on Hulu and watched while I ate my dinner. The movie is fantastic, light-hearted and humorous but filled with truly inspiring stories and completely sobering statistics. ( I highly recommend watching the movie, but I do not so much recommend an accompanying meal.... )

I decided, once and for all, I was going to give a juice cleanse a go. As to not lose my momentum, I used the film's companion website, jointhereboot.com , as a guide and I ordered 3 days worth of juice worthy organic fruits and veggies from a grocery delivery service in NYC.

That was on Wednesday. On Thursday night my groceries arrived at the exact same time my confused husband returned from Pittsburgh. (I hadn't explained my plan to him yet, but once I did he was 100% excited and 100% supportive.)

This is what my fridge looked like stocked for a 3 day juice detox:

I kicked off my juice cleanse on Saturday morning (yesterday). I started my day with a water bottle with just water and lemon slices, and we headed to the gym for our weekly workout date.  I normally have a banana and some nuts before I work out, so you can image how hungry I was by the time I got home.

I started the day with an Orange Carrot & Ginger Juice:

• 5 Small Carrots
• 3 Apples
• 1 ince of fresh ginger

This was DELICIOUS. It was filling and energizing, and I felt great! (I was just as surprised as you are.)

A few hours later I started to get hungry for lunch, so I moved on to a glass of Mean Green Juice:

• 1 Cucumber
• 4 Celery Stalks
• 6 Kale Leaves
• 2 Apples
• 1/2 Peeled Lemon
• 1/2 Inch  Fresh Ginger

Mean Green was FAR better than expected, but it would be a stretch to call it good. However, it was relatively satisfying and I did drink the entire glass.

Late afternoon I was preparing a sweet potato hummus to bring with us to a St. Patty's day party later on, and I started to get a bit peckish. I decided to give the Gazpacho Juice a try:

• 2 Celery Stalks
• 1 Cucumber
• 4 Plum Tomatoes
• 1 Lime
• 1/4 Small Red Onion
• 2 Cups of Parsley

I did not like this juice. The onion was a nice flavor change, but it mostly just tasted like mushy veggies.  I only drank about 3/4 of the glass..which left me pretty hungry.

As I mentioned, it was St. Patty's Day, and we were heading to a party. Fortunately, the lovely hostess ( a very good friend) has a juicer and told me to just bring my veggies with me. But when everyone else was drinking frothy green beer and the entire apartment was redolent of corned beef and cabbage (a meal I used to ADORE) my Citrus Inspired Green Juice was NOT exciting:

Green Juice vs Green Beer

• 4 Kale Leaves
• 4 Swiss Chard Leaves
• 1 Cucumber
• 1 Orange

Not. Good. I drank about half. By 10 o'clock (right around the time they brought out the Green Velvet Cake) I had the worst headache I've ever had in my entire life. I was still having a great time with my friends, but I was hungry and nauseated and questioning the whole cleanse.

My friends were split 50/50. One half thought my cleanse was awesome (but didn't totally understand why I'd chosen such a great food day to start it) and the other half just thought I was plain batty. Overall they were supportive, but when I started to look visibly ill they lost their patience and started passing food in my direction (I have the world's most wonderful friends). I ended up eating a few raw carrots and a couple pieces of broccoli. 

So, today is day 2.  My headache was gone when I woke up, but my eyes are burning and they are bright red. I'm feeling lethargic, even a bit feverish and I didn't have the energy to go to the gym. (I love weekend workouts, so this is a major bummer.)

I'm going to try to stick with the cleanse for the rest of the day, but I don't really have any desire to drink anymore juice. In fact, I'm writing this blog post to avoid my first juice of the day. The process is messy, the clean up is insanely time consuming, and all I really want is a cup of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal. If I can't make myself drink the full 5 glasses of juice, I'm going to have to jump ship. This was supposed to be an effort to step up my healthy eating, but pure fasting is NOT part of that plan.

Have you ever juiced? Do you have favorite recipes to share? Thoughts on getting me through the detox?

Pinterest. It's a Problem.

In the early stages of Pinterest I was largely able to ignore it's allure because I had JUST finished planning my wedding and I needed a break from all things organizing.

That lasted about 5 minutes.

I was just starting to get a little bit curious when  I found out that you had to be invited to join. Which meant, of course, I had an immediate need to be a part of the ultra-exclusive community. (I'm a museum guard's worst nightmare and  a marketer's dream.)

So, I impatiently awaited an invite and snapped up my membership. Two months later, I am in LOVE with Pinterest. Unfortunately, it's the bad kind of the love. It's a "your friends and family are likely going to have to stage an intervention" kind of love.

They say the first step towards recovery is acknowledging the problem.

Hi, my name is Nora, and I'm a...

Wait. Would admitting I have a problem mean that I have to stop?

New plan.

Here are the fabulous things I cooked this weekend that I learned about from my very bestest friend Pinterest:

Curried Carrot Soup (Vegan)

(This one needed quite a few changes, you can find those HERE.)

Spiced Pumpkin Biscuits

Lentil & Swiss Chard Casserole (Vegan)

(Just use whole wheat bread and completely omit the butter step, it's 100% unnecessary)

No Sugar Vegan Breakfast Cookies

(I used whole wheat flour.They are GREAT with yogurt and fruit, but I would not give them to a child (or to me) as a substitute for Oreos.)

Israeli Salad with Cottage Cheese and Zatar

(My picture was not worthy of being posted, but it was worthy of seconds..and maybe thirds...)

In conclusion, Pinterest; You are a time suck and a total distraction, but I do love you so.