Book Club Reading List 2012/2013

Last night I hosted book club in my garden.  My neighbor brought over her fest table to add to my miscellaneous garden furniture, my husband brought home a citronella candle to keep the bugs away, and we comfortably chatted late into the warm evening.

I decorated the table with pink roses.  A glass yogurt jar and some raffia make ordinary grocery store roses look special.

After seeing this photo on Facebook, several people thought perhaps this should be an eating club rather than a book club.  We talked about Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City only briefly because we had a lot of new faces and not many of us had read the book.  However, we did conduct some important business.  We picked the books for the coming year.  Here's the list:

July - The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson, 2012
August - The Reservoir by John Milliken Thompson, 2011
September - The Art of Racing in the Rain, 2009
October - Charlotte Au Chocolat:  Memories of a Restaurant Girlhood, 2012
November - The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1850
December - The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons, 2011
January - Miss Timmons' School for Girls by Nayana Currimbhoy, 2011
February - Midwives:  A Novel by Chris Bohjalian, 1998
March - Songs Without Words by Ann Packer, 2008
April - Sheer Abandon by Penny Vincenzi, 2008
May - Paris, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down, 2012
June - The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde, 1891
July - The Fiery Trial by Eric Foner, 2011
August - Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, 2012

It looks like a good mix with some old, some new, fiction, and non-fiction.

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A Running Partner Who Pushes Me

I trained for a half-marathon and a marathon all by myself. That takes a lot of self-motivation but it didn't really make me any faster. I did some speed work for awhile but backed off when my knee started bothering me. I ran for distance completion, not time.

Johanna is another JAG wife who has become a good friend. Running is a great excuse to get together at least once a week to chat. Well, she chats and I listen. I'm usually too out of breath to say much. Today I was hurting too badly at times to respond at all. She wondered if I was listening.

We started out faster today. She said I started faster but I thought she was pacing. Whatever. By the time we got to the long gradual hill I was already loudly pacing breath.

Two in, two out.

She was looking at the pretty sunlight filtering through the trees in the forest. I thought a dead bush was a deer. Time to back off the pace,

preventing hallucinations trumps protecting pride.

We found some downhills and I got my breath back. There was still a short, nasty, steep hill to come. She warned me. She said she might slow down but she doesn't stop no matter what. She said I would have to find a meditative state and stay there for a few minutes. I told her I had already been there for 40 minutes. Then the hill came and it was ridiculously steep. I used a mantra for the first time since my marathon last year.

"Body quits, mind doesn't,"

was today's chant. Johanna was laughing at the top. "Well, you're not cursing at me.". No I wasn't. I was too tired. We still had to make it home.

Once inside the house she showed me her new favorite yoga pose, standing straddle split into headstand. I just needed to sit down and drink some water.

There was no way I was taking my heart over my head.

Now that I'm taking on the role as motivator and teacher at the gym, I'm glad I have someone who pushes me. She is one fast girl, even going uphill.

Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to finish my bag of popcorn. The running monster craves salt!

 

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Sour Cherry Vanilla Shake

My daughter Sophia is a reluctant reader but an enthusiastic eater. I'm thrilled that we found a way to incorporate eating with reading for her project for the summer reading program. When she finishes a book we eat something that was referenced in the book. For Olivia Goes to Venice we went out for Gelato. For Casey at the Bat we happily found Cracker Jacks. I wasn't so sure overe here in Germany. In I Am Kermit the Frog Kermit is sitting in a pool drinking a red drink with a straw and an umbrella. So, we made made a fast shake with only two delicious, healthy ingredients. A perfect treat for a summer day!

To freeze cherries, place washed, pitted fruit on a cookie sheet. Loosely cover with plastic wrap. Freeze overnight. Place in airtight freezer bags and store in freezer.

Sour Cherry Vanilla Shake

Makes: 2 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 cups frozen sour cherries
• 2 cups vanilla almond milk

Directions:

Combine cherries and almond milk in a blender. Process until you reach your desired consistency.

Nutritional Info:

168 calories

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After working in the yard for an entire morning, I needed something refreshing, hearty, and fast to make for lunch. The colors in these wraps were really beautiful and a few olive chips on the side hit the spot.

Rainbow Wraps with Hummus

Makes 3

3 whole wheat tortillas
6 tablespoons hummus
1 carrot, shredded
1/3 zucchini, shredded
Small wedge purple cabbage, shredded
1 yellow pepper, julienned

Fill tortillas with hummus and veggies, roll, and enjoy.




 

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Strawberry Mango "Chicken" Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

When my husband comes home at 10 pm after a long day at work I feel a little bit bad about offering him a salad for dinner. But not too bad. He can always make a peanut butter sandwich if he wants more. I love having salad for dinner during the summer!

Strawberry Mango "Chicken Salad" with Maple Vinaigrette


Serves 4

Ingredients:

Dressing:

• 1/4 c maple syrup
• 1/4c white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper

Salad:

• 1 head leafy greens, washed and torn
• 1 mango, cubed
• 1 avocado, cubed
• 1 bag Morningstar Chik'n Strips, prepared according to package instructions
• 1 cup strawberries, sliced
• 1/2 cup roasted, unsalted pistachios

Directions:

Whisk the dressing ingredients together.

Arrange salad ingredients on individual plates. Drizzle with dressing just before serving.

Note: If we're not all eating at the same time, I cube just the portion of the avocado I need. I put the remainder back together with the pit in a sealed bag where it can wait for several hours in the fridge without turning brown.

 

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Roasted Tofu Caprese

This was a wonderful salad that I would be excited to order in a restaurant. However restaurants serving tofu in Bavaria are in short supply so it's up to me to do the making.

I added my own two cents to The Fitnessista's recipe to make it a little more specific and more geared toward the tofu.

If you're wary of using tofu you should know that it takes on the flavor of whatever you've cooked it with, so a nice marinade is an excellent way to treat tofu. Also know that all tofu is not created equal. It is important to use extra firm tofu for a dish like this so it is not too mushy. Also, better stores tend to sell better, denser tofu. Pay more money for your tofu. Scrimp somewhere else.

Enjoy!

Roasted Tofu Caprese

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar plus more to drizzle
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus more to drizzle
• Sea salt to taste
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp dried rosemary,
• Fresh lemon juice
• 1 container best quality extra firm tofu, squeezed dry between paper towels and cubed
• 1 container grape tomatoes
• 1 head leafy lettuce, washed and torn
• 2 rounds of fresh mozzarella, sliced
• Handful of fresh basil, torn

Directions:

Whisk together balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, pepper, garlic cloves, oregano, rosemary, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Add tofu and marinate.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the tofu from the marinade and place on a rimmed baking sheet along with the container of grape tomatoes, sprayed with olive oil nonstick spray and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Roast for 25-30 minutes, turning tofu occasionally.

Meanwhile, plate the greens and the mozzarella topping with a nice drizzle of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange the tofu and tomatoes on top and finally add some torn basil.

 

 

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A Quick Visit to Cádiz

After yesterday's big day in Ronda we didn't mind spending some time in the car so Sophia could get some extra sleep. We drove around the roads connecting the small white villages where we're staying. Before we knew it, we found ourselves in Cádiz for lunch. The guidebook didn't make any vegetarian recommendations so we walked around until we found the Cerveceria Montaditos. It was packed with local teenagers so we were curious.



They sold small sandwiches with a variety of fillings. We stuck with tortilla española, our usual, but this time it came topped with salsa brava which was a nice spin. Everything on the menu sells for 1€ on Wednesdays so our entire lunch for three of us cost just 6€ which is very reasonable.

After lunch we headed to a beach just outside of town which is reputed to be windy but one of the best in Spain.






The sand was like finely sifted flour and big waves rolled over the beach which created an interesting combination of surfable waves and shallow water. Kenny and Sophia rode on an inner tube and we had fun watching the windsurfers.

We saw some beautiful sunflower fields on our drive.



And, we actually saw some goats on the goat trail (small road) leading to our hotel.












We made it back to the hotel just in time for dinner. We live on tortilla española and ice cream in Spain because there just aren't many vegetarian options. So, it's particularly nice to come back to our hotel where we can eat a delicious vegetarian meal. Tonight we started with gazpacho, moved on to falafel with roasted veggies, and finished with an apple raspberry crumble. It is so nice when we can eat well on vacation!

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A Day in Ronda, Spain

Many Americans visiting Andalucua, Spain wonder if there's enough in Ronda to make it a worthwhile day trip. We found plenty to fill our day.

We saw churches and museums,


a bull-fighting ring,

several ice cream shops,

a gorge,

gardens,

baths,

the countryside,

neighborhoods,

and views of the city.
On the way home Sophia missed the Smurfs' village (painted by Sony for the movie)

because she was snoozing.

It was nice she rested because dinner didn't start until 8.

We had a Moroccan-inspired couscous dish with squash, almonds, and chickpeas. Delicious!

And I closed out my day with some rooftop yoga. Sophia even joined me for a little bit.

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Travel to Cartajima, Spain

Sophia is on a two-week vacation from school so we decided to come to Spain for part of it. Kenny and I studied here for a year in college but Sophia has never been. And, our exposure to Andalucia in the south was limited to a bus trip. We found a good flight on RyanAir and a place to stay that boasts a vegan chef, so here we are in Cartajima. We twisted and turned up a mountain until we came to this small, remote, beautiful village where all of the buildings are white with red roofs.

We have access to a wonderful rooftop terrace which offers splendid views.

I did yoga out here after dinner. Not good to practice with a full stomach but the timing was otherwise perfect. I saw the first stars come out, and then I saw a shooting star, and then a full moon rose over the mountains. It was absolutely perfect.

This is part of the beautiful dinner that was sitting in my stomach during yoga. Eggplant stuffed with pine nuts and dried cherries with a red wine reduction, mashed potatoes, and some veggies.

 

Earlier in the day we briefly hit the beach at Marbella to make our Sophia happy. And happy she was!

It was a delightful beginning to what I hope will be a wonderful trip. Now if we could just stop peppering our Spanish with German!

 

 

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