quinoa patties.

These are just the most delicious little things. I'm growing an affinity for quinoa. It's so versatile, and if made in big batches, it can be incorporated into a ton of things. You could make pilaf with quinoa, rice and lentils. You could toss them into soup for texture and protein. Or you could make quinoa cakes, or patties, like I did here.

I didn't follow a recipe, and I don't think you should either. I wanted something really healthy for lunch and figured these would work. They did.

orange bread pudding.

Today was so nice. I bonded with the family. We had a very casual barbecue with impromptu grilled fish tacos that were ahhhmazing, perfectly toasted marshmallows that occasionally (thanks to my wonderful brother) got nudged directly into a pile of ashes, juicy grilled cherry tomatoes bursting out of their skins, and grilled pineapple.

The weather was gorgeous. I got some studying done. I got past the climax of the novel I've been reading (One Day, as noted in my Books page) and woah!! It totally caught me by surprise! I need an opinion on it.. I'm still digesting what happened.

I didn't even text anyone all day .. felt kinda nice!

omelette crunchwrap.

HEY THERE. Want to hear about something awesome?

It's not the PS3 my brother just got. 

It's not my new favorite color from Essie that is not only a gorgeous coral, but is how my grandmother once lovingly described me. It's good to be "healthy" in the Indian culture. 

And it's definitely not the story about how I survived getting attacked by a deer on a golf course in pitch black darkness. 

quick lunch update 4 - sandwich.

I need a new name for these so badly. I was thinking of abbreviating "quick lunch update" and just saying QLU, but that may be difficult for new readers of my blog & it is neither cute nor catchy.

Why is there a spoon in the below picture? Not sure.

Anyway, my mom and I were making a quick visit to A&P for some dinner ingredients when I saw this rosemary focaccia on sale. It was on sale because the sell by date was that day. However, I was convinced that my family (of EIGHT) would be able to finish the bread quite quickly. There were only a few pieces left for the next day, and it was with two of these pieces that I built the foundation for my lunch.

quick lunch update 1 - pita sandwich.

I made tomato jam again - by myself, this time - with these beautiful plump little tomatoes.


You know the section of the grocery store where they have fruit and vegetables that are a little past their prime? And so they're on sale because otherwise they'd go in the garbage very soon? Yeah ... that's where these came from. No shame. They were perfectly fine (after I picked out the bad ones) & they made beautiful tomato jam.

And so I had a nice light lunch of an egg white omelette with spinach and tomato jam in a pita.