My first vegan dessert and adventures in the country side

Shol-e-zard
Persian Rice pudding(?) 

This one was my mother's idea actually -- a craving struck and the kitchen was again open for business.

Ingredients


1 1/8 cup Mahatma brand white rice
3/4 -1 cup sugar ( depending on your sweet tooth)
1/8 cup vegetable oil
6 1/4cups water
1/4 cup Rosewater
1/2 tsp Saffron steeped in 2 Tbsp hot water
Almonds, slivered and pan toasted
Pistachio, ground for decoration
Cinnamon, for decoration

Directions


Preheat the oven to 225F


Rinse the rice thoroughly once. Then place the rice and the water in a big pot and bring it to a boil. Once it begins to boil stir the mix regularly allowing for the rice to expand and the excess water to evaporate. It will begin to resemble Congee. Once the mixture begins to thicken and adopts a uniform opaque color add the sugar, oil, rosewater and saffron.

Continue cooking for another ten minutes, allowing the ingredients to mix together and thicken.

Finally, place the mixture into a glass serving platter, cover it with foil and place it in the oven. Turn off the preheated oven and let the rice stay there for a good thirty minutes so it will set.

Finally, after the time has elapsed, removed the Shol-e-zard and let it cool down. Once it is cool to the touch decorate with the almond, cinnamon and pistachio.

Tastes best when served cold. 

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Last week I took my annual trip up to my best friend's home/vineyard for a their harvesting of the grape festivities.  As usual, it was an amazing time with friends and family-- something I look forward to every year.

I brought back these gorgeous beauties with me:

My good friends Candy and Joey Bedoya also joined us on the trip this year to take engagement pics for my BFF and her Fiance.  All the pics aren't up yet, but I can't wait any longer -- I have to share. 

Pictures available here

Adventures of the Palate

I need to be more adventurous. No, wait -- I WANT to be more adventurous. Life is short, too short to wait around for others to help, to short to wait for "things to get better", to short to live a repetitive life.  This week, the students at my school received the somber news that one of our classmates passed away from pneumonia. Yes, apparently the developed country we live in still lets its citizens pass away from pneumonia. How depressing. I had pneumonia when I was 7 or 8, and I remember the doctor cautioned me that if I were to get sick with it again, it could be fatal.  My classmate and I were discussing how we would feel if we had spent the last two years of our lives in law school, only to pass away right before the third year began -- miserable and pissed.  There would be a million ways I would rather spend my time if it knew it was so limited. 

This year has been filled with more than enough reminders of life's brevity. Please make the best of each day, live life to the fullest ( albeit responsibly and safely) and experience new things.  One small way I want to do this is by trying new food/health products. For example, coconut water is supposed to be an awesome source of electrolytes. 


Here are some of the benefits the website attributes to young coconut water:

- Excellent for replacing lost electrolytes from exercise or illness
- An all-natural sports/energy drink
- A natural isotonic beverage – contains a similar level of electrolytes found in human blood.
-  May help promote smoother, more hydrated skin
- Non-allergenic
-  Rich in potassium. Potassium helps regulate blood pressure and heart function
-  Effective oral rehydration medium and keeps the body cool.


I personally found the drink to be refreshing, it did have a very slight " thickness" to it. It was probably just mere awareness that it was not traditional water. The touch of Guava was the perfect addition to give it a refreshing taste. Admittedly I felt a slight bit of energy afterward as well as the feeling that I had just put something clean and beneficial into my system rather than typical processed foods.

I do have some plain coconut water in my fridge which I havn't tried yet, slightly worried about the flavor, or lack of flavor, but I will get to it soon and report the results.