Thursday, April 28, 2011

A random rant about this semester

This semester has been pretty turbulent for me. I can't sleep at night, when I fall asleep I suddenly wake up again and I might be going through depression. Maybe I'm homesick. When I'm at home, with so many people, I'm not happy. I hate it there when I stay too long.

There is a good chance that I'll be going home. I do not regret going to UNR. I really love this school overall, interms of academics. It's mainly the city and the kind of people from here that kind of makes me want to go home. I also feel like the pressures from school are getting to me. I hope that I end this semester on a decent note. If I don't have to repeat a philosophy class, I hope to actually stay a little while longer. After this semester, I'm not taking anymore philosophy classes. I find gender studies to be much easier. I also heard that the education minor is pretty easy, except it has more required credits. I even thought about Basque as a minor. I just really want to hurry up and graduate or at least end this semester.

New Recipes/Gadgets & Vegan Supplement Powders/ Commentary

I've been away due to focusing mostly on school and everything else. I only hope that I do well at the end of this semester with two art classes and two philosophy classes taken already. I did not give up on living an inexpensive vegan lifestyle.  I was supposed to post this blog a long time ago, but with computer issues and going though so much I postponed everything pertaining to this blog.

New Recipes

Vegetarian Kofta This recipe should be pretty easy to make from microware. Getting the kofta balls to crisp should not be too difficult if I put oil on them before adding them into the microhearth. A few substitutions would have to be made, but pulling off this recipe filled with delicate flavors without a stove should not be that difficult.

Vegan Tikka Masala I made a vegan version of a Tikka Masala this Christmas with a jarred version of the sauce without marinade. It was superb. I used to remaining sauce to make a Tempeh/Garbanzo bean "sloppy joe". That was also amazing. When I get the sauce, I'll ship it back to where I go to school.

Lentil Sauce for Pasta This is a healthier alternative to the typical marinara sauce used for speghetti and other pasta. This is a basic recipe that can be tailored to anyone's taste.

Easy Pesto Sauce This is a basic pesto sauce that can be used as an alternative to the nonvegan version. Pine nuts can be expensive, although I still plan on buying them per pound at a supermarket, I can add blanched almonds along with the pine nuts to make this recipe cost effective.

Papusas : This is an El Salvadorean dish that is commonly made with meat and cheese. This recipe seems like an easy and convenient recipe that can be made in a microware dish. This food is less common than the Mexican food found in variations all over the country. I used to think these were made with flour and thought that they were rolled out with a pin. They are made with corn flour and rolled into a ball and patted flat before toasting or baking them.

Cross-Cut Fries like Chicken Nuggets : I want to seriously try this recipe. I've been trying to make veggie patties without success. Hopefully I'll be able to make them in the future.

I have recipes from every website I came across littered all over this blog. I plan on posting my version of all of the linked recipes.

Rice Vada : This is an indian recipe for what can be done to left over cooked rice. This food channel is also my favorite because the recipes are pretty easy and inexpensive, vegan substitutions can be made. I do believe that white rice does not have to be used. Barley or even brown rice can be used for this recipe.

Bankok Bean Burgers


Gadgets and Vegan Supplements

I did pretty well this semester with money considering that I ended up throwing away half of my grocery bill into the UNR dumpster behind the dorms. So, I managed to buy a microhearth. I didn't know they exist until I looked up the Tastiwave. I was going to get a Tastiwave until I read bad reviews about them. So, I got a brand that was made in Korea. It looks like it can cook everything. I think having this is going to be much more convenient than trying to use a rice cooker that I have to plug in all the time. Anyways, I ordered one and it says that it's going to come in two weeks. That's almost when finals start.

4/28/11 : I tried out the Microhearth and I love it so much. I plan on moving back home at the end of this summer and attend school in Southern California, so I won't need the microhearth. I'll only need it if I live in an efficiency apartment that does not have a full kitchen. Those are hard to find. I made several recipes. I tried to make some lentil kofta balls, but they fell apart due to the recipe. I fried tofu in it and it turned out crispy like I like them. No more anticipating trips to the Asian restaurants. I also made a soup with the fried tofu and it was amazing. I'll be posting that recipe soon. I give it 4 out of 5 stars, only because it won't cook when it's slightly overfilled. Otherwise, I love this product and if I decided to stay at my school I'll continue to buy the other two microhearths from this company.

I was supposed to order a vegan supplement powder that I can drink with smoothies. I didn't get to mainly because it was expensive, but I since I might be going home for good I purchase it from Whole Foods or somewhere. One of my vegan friends that I haven't heard from a while contacted me out of the blue. He's one of those die-hard vegans that I inspire to be like. It feels somewhat like one of those upperclass well-carried cousins that I admired as a kid randomly decides to visit me just to see how I'm doing. Or, simply put it, kind of like the ten year class reunion. So, I was almost crazy enough to order it. I'm so happy I didn't. There are better and less expensive alternatives to health drink mixes.