Episode 9: Let’s talk boobies! (October is breast cancer awareness month!)

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Email: craftmentality@gmail.com
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I am absolutely over the moon about the opening credits for Handmade Nation, which is a documentary about the new wave of craft in America. Comes out next year. I can’t wait to see it! For more: Handmade Nation.

Indian cooking, for all its complex flavors and aromas is often very simple! You chop some things, you heat some oil, you stir in some spices, you stir in the chopped things, you stir in your protein, cook, stir, cook, stir, serve! I highly recommend a cookbook called Indian Vegetarian Cooking At Your House, by Sunetra N. Humbad and Amy Shafer Boger, M.D. It breaks the recipes down into really easy steps and it’s what got me started exploring cooking Indian food (which is my favorite cuisine).

Dhal (also spelled dahl, dal or daal) is made with beans or lentils into a thick, spicy stew. It’s a mainstay of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi cuisine and it’s very simple to make. I got this recipe from a friend who grew up in South India. Her mom is from Delhi and this is from her neighbors/friends.

Delhi Dhal
serves 8-10

2 large tomatoes, chopped coarsely
1 med red onion, chopped finely
1/8 tsp turmeric
4 - 5 HOT green chilies (or less if you want, I used 2 jalapenos and it was mildly spicy)
1 inch, by 1 inch, by 3 inches piece of fresh ginger, peeled
3 med cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp amchur (dried mango powder) OR 1 - 2 tsp lemon juice
salt
1.5 tsp garam masala
3 tsp dhania (coriander seed powder)
1.5 tsp jeera (cumin powder)
4-6 cups cooked whole mung beans (moong dal)
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped coarsely

• In a large pot, heat oil.
• When oil is hot, add onions and garlic and stir - leave on med heat while the onions turn translucent. Add the turmeric and stir well. (note: at this point, if you spill any of this on you, it will stain)
• Add in the dhania, jeera, and garam masala, incorporating well into the oil. Add the tomato. Cook.
• Meanwhile, blend together the ginger and chilies in a food processor. If you can’t, chop it really finely. Mix it into the stuff in the pot.
• Add enough water to make a soupy sort of gravy and turn the heat on high. Add the cooked beans to the gravy and bring the whole mixture to a boil. When its boiling (the tricky part) taste it and add salt and amchur accordingly. The sourness/saltyness should be to your taste!
• Fish out some of the beans/gravy (maybe about 1 cup?) and blend until smooth and pureed. Pour back into the dhal. Or use a stick blender and blend some right in the pot. When heated through and cooked, garnish with cilantro.
• Serve with roti or cooked rice (if going traditional), or it’s good with cooked quinoa or crusty bread or a pita. Note: you can also make this with lentils, kidney beans, or any type of beans really!

This post is part of VeganMoFo, the vegan month of food. More posts here!

I wanted to post about these awesome muffins I baked yesterday. I had to whip up something to take to the 7 Cities Crafters monthly craft-together and I had a ziplock with overripe bananas in the freezer, so off I went. These are the Banana Wheat Germ muffins from Veganomicon, and I have to say they were extremely delicious. I used half the sugar and half the oil that was called for and they were still mucho tasty. The craft group ate all of them! The wheat germ gives them a nice texture and the cinnamon makes them smell out of this world and taste even better.

You can view the recipe in situ here on Google books or I’ll retype it for you below, cause I’m nice like that.

Banana Wheat Germ Muffins
makes 12

1 c plain soy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 very ripe bananas
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 c whole wheat pastry flour (or all purpose)
3/4 c wheat germ
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

• Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease a muffin tin or insert liners.
• Pour the soy milk into a measuring cup and add the vinegar to it. Set aside to curdle.
• Meanwhile mash the bananas in a bowl. Add soymilk mixture to it along with oil, sugar and vanilla and mix well.
• In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients. Add to the wet and use a spoon to gently stir until just combined.
• Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full and bake for 22 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack or serve warm.

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Episode 8: Happy Socktoberfest!

Show notes: Craft Mentality Episode 8
Subscribe: iTunes | RSS | download episode 8
Email: craftmentality@gmail.com
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I hope everyone has an awesome weekend! A new episode of the podcast will be up tonight! <3

1. +, 2. Freckled Hands, 3. the fixings, 4. late harvest, 5. Just blending in, 6. Untitled, 7. Sea trees / Arvores do mar, 8. Oliver Vaughan, 9. Untitled, 10. circles take the square., 11. Bee on dahlia, 12. Winter collection of birds / Colecção de pássaros de inverno, 13. big red & all the rest, 14. marla, 15. Gala, 16. mia’s room, 17. Just a Few Cookies., 18. untitled, 19. drunken noodle, 20. Untitled, 21. homemade granola bars II, 22. Shoes Shoes Shoes, 23. The F-word, 24. Baby Bell Peppers, 25. the gnome pins

Long story short, I weighed myself the other week and since June I had gained 14 lbs. Not only had I put myself back in the 200s (I was SO stoked to finally be in the 190s in June) but I had gained a significant amount of weight. This did not make me happy. After you lose a lot of weight (I’d lost 72 lbs overall) the notion of putting it back on is not one you’d like to revisit. Thus my 14 pound wake up call.

I have come to terms with the fact that for the rest of my life if I want to manage my weight, I need to work out and I need to keep tabs on what I’m eating. So it’s back to basics for me. Which is why you haven’t heard much from me on the site lately. When I get motivated to do something, i do it to death. That’s always how it’s been for me. Remember August when I sewed like 10 garments in a month or something? Yeah. So now I am focusing on nutrition and working out. When I get motivation in that area I have to really go for it, any of you who have struggled with that can identify!

So here’s what I’ve been doing:

• Using Sparkpeople to track fitness and nutrition. Good ol’ calorie counting! I also like tracking my workouts so I actually have something to look back on.
• Mixing up my workouts. I’m working out 5 days a week right now, usually twice a day. I’ve renewed my love of workout DVDs thanks to Genevieve. When I visited her a few weeks ago, I did the Biggest Loser Cardio Max DVD and it kicked my butt! I love that. There is only so much Billy Blanks one can take if you know what I mean, I really needed some new DVDs to mix it up. On Gen’s recommendation I also am doing Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred (TOUGH!) and Workout: One on One Training with Jackie which I don’t love as much as the other two. I have a couple more in my Netflix queue so I’ll keep you posted if I like them. I’m also doing a lot longer walks with Kyla, still going to yoga usually once a week and walking on my lunch break at work.
• I do a lot of resistance training using my own body weight too, good ol’ squats, lunges, pushups, core work and military style calisthenics. It gets the heart rate up and builds muscle which in turn burns more fat.
• I am going to try martial arts for the first time! I am 99.9% sure that I’m going to enroll in the Norfolk Karate Academy where they combine Tang Soo Do with Jiu-Jitsu. I have never tried this but everything I’ve been reading about it is really appealing to me and I like the discipline aspect of it. I’ll definitely be updating you guys on that one.
• Just one more thing that sort of relates to all this and that is a great food find! I am now a big fan of Arnold 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins. 100 calories, 6g fiber, 5g protein, they are soft and taste great (not diet-food-tasting), they are just like a regular sandwich roll but thinner. No weird ingredients like high fructose corn syrup or nasty chemicals. I love these and I am out which means a trip to the grocery store!

Anyway I know some of you guys like to hear about the working out and the nutrition stuff so that’s what I’ve been up to! It feels good to pay attention to food again, I have so much more energy too, and I’ve already lost 5 pounds, which is great encouragement.

So, do you guys have any great new activities you’ve tried? What’s your workout routine looking like?

The 7 Cities Crafters are extremely excited to announce our second annual holiday art & craft bazaar, Handmade Parade! This show will provide great holiday shopping for those who are looking for one-of-a-kind gifts while avoiding the mass-produced and supporting independent entrepreneurs instead! We will offer a wide variety of fine art, accessories, jewelry, pottery, house wares, baked goods, baby items, clothing and more!

The show will be held on Sunday, November 30 at the Masonic Temple on Granby St. in Norfolk! We are thrilled to be able to host this awesome event and look forward to seeing all the talent we attract!

If you’re interested in applying for a booth, please go here to fill out an application and get the full details. Application deadline is October 30. Brand new Handmade Parade artwork and promo materials are coming soon so stay tuned!

Thank you so much for all the generous donations toward this awesome cause. You guys are making awesome steps to help save womens’ lives and kick cancer’s butt!

I will be thinking of all of you on race day. Love you guys!