and heeeeere we go...

2010 will be the year of getting things done. i'm about to embark on some goal setting for myself. 6 months at a time...and if thats too difficult, 3...or 1 or a week, whatever.

!

geeking out over shakespeare

my shakes co just recently held auditions for an all female version of Julius Caesar which we will mount in Feb. (the 18 - 28th to be exact!). i am thrilled to be working on this project. when going into the audition, i was unsure of what the outcome, i only knew i wanted to be in the show.

i realized i was geeking out over shakespeare the night before when i was preparing all the sides for the audition w. my lexicon out and two different versions of the text. i love shakespeare. he feels so much more powerful than a lot of the shows i see or read now. i dont know if its that the language is so much more elevated or the context and content seems so much more heavy then what we discuss today. i mean, people die in shakespeare, come on people. i've loved the classics since college. i took a restoration comedy class in college and it was one of my favorite courses, reading all those texts and learning all that history. i have always been blow away by the language and the precision with which the authors of the time wrote. the fact that the word "china" has multiple meanings depending on the context and the fact that you can skew the meaning by how you use it and where you use it is so fascinating. maybe i should've been a linguist instead of an actress.

i'm playing cassius amongst a cast of 7 other talented women and our director and a.d. are fabulous....i am excited for this challenge. i know its going to be a lot of hard work, but well worth it... !

happy holidays!

the artist is C. Carey Cloud

soup! soup! soup!

this may sound lame, but we just got a microwave at work and that warrants soup for the rest of the week. so, its exactly what i set out to do. i love soup. i don't make soup all too often but its something i seem to crave a lot, especially in the winter. perhaps thats just part of what winter does for all of us...nothing beats a warm bowl of soup with some really great crusty bread.

i found this recipe on sprouted kitchen, i really like the simplicity of the site, and their photos are AHmazing. what was exciting about making this soup was the development of the layers of flavors. i had no idea what was going to happen when i put the kale and lemon in, but it totally changed the texture and weight of the soup along with giving it a really fresh kick. i can imagine with the black lentils theres a totally different flavor, but i like what i came out with. its defiantly not as pretty, but, i its just as good! enjoy!

LENTIL SOUP WITH CHIPOTLE YOGURT
Serves 6 this was adapted from here

• 2 Cups Lentils (French or Black Beluga)...i used plain old lentils
  
• 1 Yellow Onion, Diced
• 1 Fennel Bulb, Diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  
• 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 Cup Brown Rice, Cooked (any whole grain will work)
• 6 Cups Organic, Low Sodium Vegetable Stock
• 1 tsp. Cumin
• 1 Large Bunch of Kale, Chard or Combo of Leafy Greens
• Salt/ Pepper
• 1 Lemon

CHIPOTLE YOGURT

• 1 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
• 1 Chipotle Chile in Adobo, Chopped (no more than 2 tsp.)
  
  

Preparation
1. Cook your rice or desired grain and set aside. Boil about four cups water, and boil the lentils for 20 minutes until cooked. Add water as needed. Drain.
2. In a large soup pot, saute the yellow onion and the fennel in the olive oil for about 8 minutes, or until just starting to turn light brown. Add the stock and cumin. Bring the heat back up to a gentle boil, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the lentils and the brown rice and simmer about 10 minutes. While you are waiting, stem your greens and slice them into thin strips. Taste the soup for salt and pepper, add seasoning as desired.
4. Turn off the heat and add in the greens, stir. The greens will wilt in the hot soup, and avoid overcooking this way. Stir in the juice of half the lemon, add more to taste.
5. Mix the greek yogurt with the chipotle chile and stir. Serve the soup with the dollop of the chipotle yogurt. Warning, chipotles are pretty spicy, so start with a small amount of sauce and you can add if you like it hot. If too spicy, add more yogurt.

renegade thursday

disclaimer: no pictures....sorry.

my sister always says she tries a recipe first then experiments with it...not this girl...this girl does stuff! (lame, i know, but i couldnt resist). i was bored. its been one of those "off" days and i was avoiding writing down my goals for 2010 - which i have to do, b.c. if i dont, i may forever do nothing. i also wanted to eat something that felt somewhat healthy, so i decided to make stuffed peppers. i'd say i did a pretty good job, the green peppers were a little al dente, but still good. please also note, i didnt really follow quantity, i just played around, i encourage you to do the same. its liberating, especially when the meal comes out well.

Stuffed Peppers
adapted from here

Ingredients

• 3 green bell peppers, two w. tops removed and seeded, one diced and seeded (save for later)
• 3 red peppers, two w. tops removed and seeded, one diced and seeded (save for later)
• a glug or two of olive oil
• 1 half of a white onion, diced
• 1 generous handful sliced mushrooms
• as much freshly chopped garlic as you’d like
• some cayenne pepper
• a dash of red pepper flakes
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 2 cups cooked white (wild, may have been better – more texture) rice
• 1 (14-ounce can) tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 1 can drained black beans
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 handful (or a few, depends on how much you like) fresh spinach
• some (again, as much as you like) shredded cheddar cheese, to finish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Wrap the halved peppers in aluminum foil, and bake in the oven until tender, but not falling apart, about 15 minutes – I did mine for about 11 minutes and they were still hard, so I say at least 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

3. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions, mushrooms, garlic, cayenne pepper and pepper flakes (the amount of hot peppers depends on your palette), and saute until the mushrooms are golden brown. Add in the zucchini, rice, tomatoes, red peppers, green peppers and black beans and continue to cook until the vegetables are tender. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste, and stir in the tomato paste. Remove from the heat and fold in the fresh spinach. 

4. Spoon the vegetable mixture into the cooled peppers. Transfer the peppers to a heat-proof serving dish and top with a generous helping of cheddar cheese. Bake until the peppers are heated through, about 15 minutes.

5. Remove from the oven and serve.

Cook's Note: This can be served on a bed of fresh tomato sauce or on its own. Enjoy. I had a lot of leftover insides, which I will probably eat tomorrow... also, this is a lot of food. I’d say you could feel 8, if everyone just took on half of a pepper – or 4 with two halves.