Veg Box Recipes 7, 8 & 9

Its been 3 weeks without meat and I haven’t missed one bite of it. Billy is hankering for some pork or beef but I think his Scottish Highlander genes aren’t programmed for a veggie diet. Up north where he’s from, chips (French fries) are considered a vegetable and green things are just for garnish.

It’s a really funny contrast from Billy’s side of the family to my mom. Not only is my mom not a fan of meat, she recently went vegan. I guess living in the sun and sand of South Florida leads for better lifestyle food wise as she eats quinoa and spelt and loads of veg. She grows mangoes and bananas and mulberries, which are blooming right now. I actually eat my breakfast by going in her back yard and picking the freshest items. Yum.

Last week’s veg box was a bit super sized as we’re aren’t getting one this week. Boo! We’ve used up quite a bit but we are finding loads of carrots and leeks leftover. These recipes are from the second week’s box and we’ve already made one recipe twice as it was super good.

That was the roasted tomato, halloumi and quinoa salad { 7}. I love halloumi but have never tried to make something with it at home. The second time Billy made it and roasted the peppers as well as the tomatoes for a different taste.

I made another stir fry { 8 } to use up carrots, spinach, broccoli and onions from the box. We usually get big udon noodles that come already cooked and only need heating, but I found wholewheat organic udons at Waitrose and I really prefer them to the old kind.

I needed to use up our cabbage on Tuesday night, so I made a stuffed cabbage recipe { 9 } from the Veg book that had a spelt filling and a tomato sauce topping. I really liked the stuffed leaves until the next morning when I felt really nauseous and now even looking at them make me a little sick. I’m pretty sure the nausea is unrelated to the cabbage but when I opened the fridge and saw the leftovers my stomach turned so who knows.

I woke up this morning to see my new camera waiting for me on the kitchen table! Yay! I have been wanting a Polaroid land camera for ages and I've occasionally bid on one on EBay always losing out as the price went up too much for my wallet. To my surprise, I won the camera which happens to be the same amount of money I won in the office raffle so I think it was fate.

Now, when I buy a camera, Billy usually asks "Don't you already have that camera," or "Do you really need another camera?". Well the answers are no and yes. Yeah, I do have a lot of film cameras (far more than what is pictured in the photo above). It started by picking up cameras at garage sells and thrift stores regardless of whether they work or not. Now I try and get specific cameras that must work.

My new Polaroid Land Camera 104 circa 1965 was the first land camera produced for retail as it is made of plastic lenses rather than glass which made it much lighter and far more economical.

I shoot digital everyday and it can become really boring. I love shooting film and not knowing how the image will turn out. I love Polaroid even more. I think a lot of Polaroid cameras are selling cheaper these days as people think you can't get film for it. Where some older models are completely obsolete, most cameras take modern Fuji instant film (or the Impossible Project instant film).

I'm super excited about my new camera!

Veg Box Recipes 3,4,5 & 6

Another week and another veg box. We used up everything from our last one except one leek and a couple of mushrooms. This week we have celeriac which I used tonight in a lentil salad with apple and raisins { 6 } from the veg book. We also have spinach and rocket, as well as massive courgettes.

On Monday I looked in the fridge surprisingly I found I had everything I needed to make an amazing sweet potato salad with spinach and feta { 3 }. Its amazing to go in the ice box and have such interesting food to use that doesn't include a trip to the grocery store. On Tuesday, we needed to use up what we had left so I made a beetroot coleslaw with walnuts left over from Christmas that were still good in their shells { 5 } with refried beans (made from scratch) on a flatbread (also made from scratch) { 4 }. Yummy. The flatbread recipe from the veg book is super tasty.

The consensus is that the sweet potato recipe, which is not from the book, was the best! Tomorrow I'm going to experiment with Halloumi and the tomatoes from our box.

I haven't missed meat at all and I am really enjoying making dinner. I am finding that since I'm investing so much time with organic veg that I really should include more organic ingredients into my life. I usually try to buy organic when I can, but the price tag tends to put me off.

Today, I found myself opting for the organic apples, raisins and even organic udon noodles! This is probably the most socially conscious my tum tum has ever been! And speaking of the tum tum, lets just say lots of veg = lots of flatulence and Frebreeze is being used in abundance! But I have lost a few pounds since going meatless so I'm not going to complain.

*I was informed by my other half that he used up the last of our first box on Wednesday night while I was working so we did get through everything in the box in a week.*

Veg Box Recipes 1 and 2

We got our organic veg box on Wednesday, but didn't get to make a meal together til Thursday. After a trip to Waitrose (a posh grocery store in the UK) for special ingredients, I made Kale Speltotto with goat's cheese { 1 } from the River Cottage Veg book. I had never heard of Pearled Spelt before last night but it is cooked like you would cook risotto. In fact you could substitute goat's cheese with Parmesan to end up with something really similar to risotto. The thing is, I dislike risotto. Billy's made it several times in the past but no matter the ingredients, I find it difficult to get down.

But the spelt didn't taste like risotto. I used an onion, garlic and leeks from the veg box and added it to the cheese, spelt and kale. It was my first time cooking with kale, though I've been meaning to add it to my cooking repertoire for awhile as it is supposed to be super healthy.

I think I'd give it a 5/10 if I were grading it. I don't think I'll make this exact recipe again, but I definitely think spelt will be on my menu again.

Tonight I used up carrots, a pepper, mushrooms, garlic, and pak choi from the box and added ginger, white wine vinegar, soy sauce and egg noodles for a quick stir fry { 2 }. Billy is out in London tonight with work mates so I didn't want to get too fancy with my din din. It was quick and simple but oh so nice having a fridge full of nice ingredients. I feel like half my time is spent in grocery stores picking up this and that for each night's meals.

I also was asked today if I had lost weight by a coworker. Yay! That will spur me on. I think lots of veg + ballet + riding bikes with Billy = a much healthier Su!

Meatless Month

I cannot detach myself from things that I see. This is why I made for a terrible Forensic Photographer. This is also why I haven’t eaten pork since August when I photographed a story on a pig farm. So when I photographed a dairy farm on Friday, my future with beef was becoming tenuous. I tried not to stare into the big brown eyes of the calf that I know in 18 months will be on somebody’s plate.

I made sure to order a steak on Saturday when Billy and I went out for a nice meal on his company’s dime (a reward for being employee of the month) and it was as perfect a steak as I’ve ever had. It was char grilled, not too pink and very tender. Okay I thought to myself, if I can eat this steak than all is well on the meat front. Billy won’t be upset with me for further restricting our diet.

So you can understand my surprise when he suggested post steak that we try and cut meat out for a month. Really!?! Yes! I love the taste of meat but I hate the constant repressing of thoughts while eating it. So we watched Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Veg program and bought the book of the same name. We are not after recipes that just substitute meat for tofu or quorn. We want meals that are so good you don’t miss meat.

I am actually really excited about this. I like food adventures that make us come out of our comfort zone. We love talking about what we eat, breaking it down to figure out the ingredients and spices.

Yesterday was Day One. Unfortunately I picked the first recipe, a balsamic leek and goats cheese tart in filo pastry. Sounds good, but I didn’t realize I needed small tart pans, which I don’t have, and was forced to make two large tarts. Blah was the outcome. Maybe if I had done it to the recipe it would have been better but alas I don’t know if I’ll bother again.

All the recipes in the veg book excite us and to further our meatless cause we ordered our first Veg Box. We have been wanting to join a scheme since our Edinburgh days but couldn’t due to where we lived. We wanted one super close to keep our food miles down but the closest one is in the next county over. We should hopefully get our first box on Wednesday and we have big plans to use everything in the box no matter what.

I think I could easily cut meat out all together but only in the UK. When I go home my favorite restaurant is a redneck bbq joint with loose meat bbq sandwiches. I actually moan when I eat it because it is well amazing. I actually had them cater my wedding and it was a huge hit (except to my lovely friend Arielle- a from birth vegetarian).

So wish us luck!!

Let's dance

I know you’re supposed to try something new on Leap Day but I am working today (actually typing this at work on a slow news night). So yesterday after failed attempts to keep fit by going to the gym (I find any excuse not to go) I thought I’d take a class that would force me to go every week.

When I researched fitness classes Zumba was the top hit on the Google list, but the closest one to me is at a leisure centre that you have to pay to go to. So I looked elsewhere and during that search I got to thinking that if I’m going to invest time into taking a class maybe I should take a dance class where I actually learn a skill. I initially thought about tap dancing as I thought the constant jumping up and down had to make me fit. I also had flashbacks to my preschool days of tap class where I would tap a tap a tap a on every surface I could find much to everyone’s annoyance.

I found a school I liked that didn’t seem too focused on stick-thin ballerinas as most school’s adult dance section on their websites showed their lack of interest in actually teaching someone that wouldn’t go on to add stature to their name. But alas the tap class was on Wednesday night which is today which is my late night at work. Boo.

But before I got too bummed I saw they had a ballet class on Tuesday nights and it was the same price as a Zumba class. Suddenly all my dreams of becoming a prima ballerina came flooding back. I would make up my own moves to the Nutcracker; I would tippy toe round my bedroom pretending I was on Pointe shoes. I even took a ballet class when I was a child (the same class as my tap dancing) but my lack of depth perception seriously hindered my outer performance though inside I was the prima.

I emailed the teacher Monday night whose name is actually Valentine explaining my serious lack of dancing talent and she said to come along on Tuesday and I wouldn’t be the only beginner as the week before three other women attended. With no excuse not to do it I showed up at the centre at 8:15 and four or five women were waiting quietly in the hall as the earlier class (those with the Pointe shoes on their tippy toes) weren’t done yet.

I started chatting to a nice woman who was around my age and she said that she was new last week and she didn’t have shoes either. Another woman, who I assume the first had befriended the week before, started chatting as well and I was put at ease. As a photojournalist I can go into any situation and be quite confidant while talking to people. But when I’m about to make a fool of myself in front of people it’s a bit scary.

We started at the barre. Valentine was a bit distracted as her other classes were performing soon and the late start of our class was due to their practice. She jumped into doing the basic steps but it was a bit too quick for me. The other “new” people who started with me had taken years (one said 16) of ballet before. What!?! This is a beginner’s class!! Seriously!

But I kept up with them as best I could though the teacher made lots of statements as to how to correctly pull off the technique that I’m pretty sure were aimed at me. After the barre we went into more steps that lead to a full move but it went too fast. I really struggled with knowing which foot to put where when changing sides. I did do one move called a “jette” that the teacher said “good job” at. I’m sure if my face hadn’t of been bright red from exertion I probably would have blushed. And my poor feet. I kept stepping on my own bare feet.

There was a girl there, a regular, who was across from me at the barre and in front of me for the rest of the time and she was really graceful. I decided right then that I wasn’t going to give up until I could be as graceful as her and the moves so effortless. She left before I could ask her how long she’s been at it but that’s okay. I’ll ask her next class.

In the meantime I am studying. I googled the basic steps and I practiced today before I started work. I don’t want to overload on ballet techniques but I want to be able to go into class next week and actually keep up with everyone else. And I need shoes. The photo above is the shoes I want to get.

I tried something new and I am quite proud of myself.

My Valentine...

I am on my couch in my jammies under a patchwork quilt and crocheting a rug of all things. I just finished a 7-day work week and I am knackered. We have lost three photographers at work and as two of our remaining photogs were on holiday this week I've been overworked. I am listening to BBC radio Suffolk whilst typing this because my boss, whose jobs was made redundant, is about to give a radio interview. He's really upset by what went down and even more pissed because his bosses made it seem like he was choosing to leave in the article they put into the paper praising his work over 30 plus years.

Today is Billy's first day back at work as he has been super ill since last Thursday. I had to work on Valentine's Day and had to work later than usual so I was expecting a very low-key night. To my surprise I came home to heart-shaped shortbread cookies, red roses and a card that made me cry. I brought him home some insulation for the doors. I think we know who is the romantic in our relationship. I'm hoping to be making more things to blog about but I'm super tired when I get home.

Slouchy Knit Hat

Just reading my last post I'm astonished I let my guard down long enough to be optimistic. That lasted exactly five days. Then my company announced redundancies, three of which are in the photo department. Two solid weeks of pure stress over the future of my job and three to four weeks of painful side affects to my long sustained, yet stress induced acid reflux aside and my job is safe... for now.

Its scary how quickly things can go from being okay to being fraught with fear. I am no longer optimistic. I am content but I am not going to allow myself to get my hopes up again. Silly, silly me.

In the meantime I've been crocheting a cushion, cutting out a dress pattern (the power cord to my sewing machine is lost among all the boxes still unpacked from our move) and knitting a hat. It seems a long time since my last knitting project. I did throw together a quick seed stitch scarf for Billy but I never got around to adding it to the blog. He doesn't wear it because he thinks it's too big so I'll probably frog it anyways.

PS the rest of my NYC photos are up on Flickr now. I'm trying to get back into the habit of adding things in a timely fashion.

So Long 2011...

Its funny. I am actually optimistic about 2012. This was not the case for 2011, but I'm happy to say its really turned out pretty good. Last New Years I was terrified about not having enough work, money, happy things to keep me going which continued for the first six months of the year. But then I got a full-time job, moved down south, went to the states twice. Not bad.

I was looking at my resolutions from last year and I only kept one of my resolutions. I got to see my Momma in at the end of June and that was well needed. I came back to the UK and moved to England a day later. Lots of change happened at once but it was such a relief to feel like my old self again. Honestly I started this job when I was miserable and it helped me focus on good things. So for that I am thankful blog though I find when things are going smoothly I don't really update as much.

We've got big plans for this year. Yes I am making long term plans and it feels pretty damn good. One of our plans is to finally take a big trip to one of two of our ultimate destinations: either Japan or New Zealand. We always said one of those would be considered our honeymoon as we skipped out on ours in lieu of me moving to the UK and paying tons on a visa. We are planning a smaller trip to Portugal or Morocco. It doesn't take long to get to the continent or Africa from here so I want to take full advantage. Actually Holland is only a six hour ferry ride across the sea from here but we've already been to Amsterdam.

We may also be adding a new member of the family. We are considering getting a dog (we don't want children. at least not any time in the next few years) but I'm still a bit weary after losing my dog Baby. Its a big step and we have to make sure we are both ready for a new doggie.

I am also determined to lose the weight I have gained since living in this bloody country. I find baking really cathartic and when I was miserable at my old job I baked too much. Also my stupid old resolution to not wear trousers and jeans was a bad idea!! When you only wear tights you don't realise your waistband is expanding! So I've joined Weight Watchers online to lose a stone and a half. This is a warning that I may be using this blog to moan about this! The good thing is that we are trying loads of new healthy recipes including Caribbean chicken with Mango salsa that we are having tonight (its a ww recipe believe it or not).

But I unfortunately have to work tonight and tomorrow and the day after that all of which Billy is off. Boo. So Happy Hogmanay!!

PS This is one of my film images from NYC that I scanned the other day for the first time. It was from the Occupy Wall Street movement back in November.

Chirstmas is over :(

No that isn't a spelling mistake. I hung up a bunting banner I made last year and it took both Billy and I ages to realize I had mixed up the letters. We left it that way because, well, we couldn't be bothered changing it so now it is Chirstmas!

I am sad everything is over. I spent most of Chirstmas Eve, all of Christmas day and Boxing Day with a miserable sore throat. It literally felt like I was swallowing glass. So yay. It really sucked the big one but at least I could still taste things.

I got loads of amazing gifts this year including a deluxe lomography diana f+ kit! and hunter wellies! and lots of craft books. I feel terribly spoiled. I ended the night feeling very British sipping tea and watching Doctor Who and Downton Abbey.

My holiday wasn't all sickness though. We went into London on Billy's birthday (the 23rd) and went to Borough Market to eat amazing food and drink mulled wine.

All and all it was lovely but I think we are both missing being with family over the holiday. I told my moma that next year were going to be together. Now I have to go back to work tomorrow (boo) and I'll be working over the New Year holidays. I hope everyone else had a wonderful Chirstmas.

PS... I finally got my scanner so I've spent the last several hours finally scanning my NYC photos and a huge stack of Polaroids that have been piling up. I will be uploading them soon!