Things are getting hectic around here. I’m trying to finalize plans for moving (moving truck rental, travel route, hotels, what to do when we get to Austin). I’ve been trying to find a friend to crash with for a week or so when we get to Austin, so that I can find an apartment and a job while Victor works (He starts Nov 16th)… but no luck so far. My back up plan involves a hostel and camping. :)

When I drove up from Houston, to live in Maryland, I drove through Texarkana, Little Rock, and Nashville (Tennessee was beautiful!). This time around, I want to take a different route. I think I’ll go through Atlanta, and New Orleans. I love travelling. I’m also determined to go back to D.C. and Philly once more before I move. I think Washington DC, New York City, and Philly were my favorite places I went this past year. I need to post recaps of those trips soon.

I’ve been making a list of recipes that I want to develope for a cook-zine. Most of the recipes are vegan versions of things that I’ve eaten a lot of growing up. I want to get more into devoloping recipes, instead of just using other people’s recipes. I think it not only promotes creativity in my life, but it will teach me a lot about vegan cooking and baking.

For the past two years, being a full time barista for a living has transformed coffee into an every day topic for me. I love everything about it. I love going into work at 6am, which is a huge suprise for someone who was never a morning person. I love having my “regulars” that I can spot coming in the door, and start their drink before it’s even ordered. I love hearing people tell me that I make good espresso drinks. I love practicing my latte art (I still need a lot of practice, since this is all new to me). I love nerding out with co-workers about pulling shots, and steaming milk. I think, most of all, I love the sense of community that coffee shops promote. Since most coffee shops invite customers to come in, hang out, use the free wi-fi, and enjoy a good cup of coffee… you end up seeing certain people on more than one occasion, and learning more about them as people. I think that’s my favorite part. I love knowing that I’m not the only weirdo out there :)

Here’s me, modeling my favorite shirt of the moment (vivabarista.com):

this is one of my favorite vegan lasagnas EVER! I combined a few recipes: the cashew ricotta is from Vegan with a Vengence, I think. and the “carrot mixture” + base lasagna recipe is from vegweb.

Ingredients:
2-3 jars of favorite spaghetti sauce
1-16 oz bag of spinach leaves
2-3 jars of tomato sauce (optional)
1/2 lb. carrots
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup canned low-sodium veggie broth (optional)
1 lb. firm tofu
8 oz. vegan cream cheese
2 Tblspns. lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
12 lasagna noodles, cooked
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional)
Vegan Cheese for grating (optional)

for the cashew ricotta:
1/2 cup cashews
1/4 cup lemon juice (i just squeeze 1/2 a lemon)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 lb firm tofu
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 tsp salt

Directions: Blend up cashew ricotta ingredients in a food processor, and set aside. for Carrot Mixture: Slice carrots and steam, set aside. Add olive oil to a large skillet, place over medium-high heat until hot. Add parsley and garlic, saute for 1 minute.. Add carrots and veggie broth; simmer uncovered for 5 min. Add tofu, vegan cream cheese, and lemon juice; stir well. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until fake cheesy stuff starts to melt.Stir in nutmeg and Nutritional Yeast. Remove from heat and set aside; keep warm.

in an 11 x 7 baking dish, layer lasagna: noodles, pasta sauce, noodles, carrot mixture, spinach, noodles, ricotta, noodles, pasta sauce, chopped cashews, teese cheese. Cover and bake 15 min. at 375 degrees. Uncover and bake an additional 20-30 min.