Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse

Today I met up with Emma and Justin, two friends who I lived with in Castro at Berkeley, that now live in Boulder. They are wonderful people and I love getting together with them. They've definitely been a driving force and reason for the restaurants I've experienced in Colorado. We checked out a great vegan/vegetarian restaurant in Denver called Water Course that was super delicious. Last weekend Emma and I ate at Leaf, a vegetarian/vegan restaurant in Boulder that was tasty. Today we met up and had initially planned on going for a hike. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't too warm or sunny so instead we hit up a new restaurant--new for me at least. It's called the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse. Emma sold me on this restaurant, over the others on the list she gave me, by telling me the story of this unique building. It was gifted to the city of Boulder from their city sister Dushanbe, in Tajikistan. It came in pieces, somewhat like furniture from Ikea, that they had to put together. The city of Boulder wasn't expecting such a large and elaborate building and were dumbfounded as to where to put it. They eventually decided to plop it down in the location where it currently resides, which ended up being right in the downtown area. Here's the website if you're interested in checking it out:

http://www.boulderteahouse.com/index.html

Look at the intricate painting on the ceiling. It covered the entire ceiling and some parts of the walls. Justin pointed out how each pillar was uniquely decorated. Very elaborate!

It had a very teahouse environment with lots of tea being served and little tea pots at the different tables. 

They sold a large assortment of tea and tea accessories in addition to their food and drink menu. 

Justin ordered a rooibos chai tea that came in this little pot that had to seep until the timer was out. We discovered it had a very surprising flavor, not like the rooibos I'm used to. It actually tasted a lot like fennel and licorice! Emma and I both ordered chai tea with soy milk. They had a good kick to them and came with free refills! How awesome, right?! We sat at the bar and were therefore able to enjoy watching the bartenders make all the different drinks. They had an eclectic and extensive drink menu and it was fun to watch them make all these colorful and tasty drinks--including a bomb hot chocolate that one girl ordered!

All three of us ended up ordering the same thing: a pad-thai like dish. We discussed the importance of having a variety of dishes when eating out, yet we all really wanted the rice-noodle tofu-veggie-peanut-sauce dish. It was super good too! And food is always better in a comfortable environment with great company, and today definitely included both--with an extra side of thought-provoking and interesting conversation! Thanks for the awesome day, Justin and Emma!!

Red Rocks

Last Sunday, Aubree and I went hiking around the Red Rocks Ampitheatre. One side was snowy while the other side of the canyon, the side we were walking on luckily, was dry and snow-free!

I love hiking! Ha

And such a sunny day in February in Colorado! 300 days of sun here in CO! Thank goodness!!

The view of the flatlands between the canyon walls. By the way, I'm calling it a canyon but I don't really know if it was a canyon, just the middle of two hills. 

Snow and dry hills, side by side. 

Aubree and I, take one. 

Take two. 

And three. 

Snowy hills and windy chilly day, but still sunny and blue-bird sky!

Enjoying the day with my braid! HA

The far away view. 

The ampitheatre's stage. 

The beautiful red rocks surrounding the ampitheatre. 

And more red rocks. 

The entire ampitheatre, with the red rocks putting a shadow on the stage. To the far left you can barely see the outline of downtown Denver. 

There's a better shot of downtown Denver in the distance. 

How cool are these rocks?!

And the tunnel we drove through to get to the ampitheatre and to get back. 

Another cool rock covered in snow right before we went through that tunnel. 

Chocolate-Seasoned Veggies

Roasted veggies with chocolate seasoning (that I got as a free gift with my Dove Chocolate party back in December that we didn't use--it was pretty nasty and unfortunately I made a lot of veggies so I had to stomach the rest of them down later that week). 

Red chard sauteed and served on the side of the veggies. 

Cooked millet, one of my newer favorite grains. It needed a little more water but it was still good. 

Look how many veggies I made! I ate it all week!!

Broccoli Rabe with Tempeh

BROCCOLI RABE WITH TEMPEH AND FENNEL SEED

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2929

Serves 4

Serve this over your favorite whole grain pasta. If you like spinach, try substituting 3 cups packed spinach leaves for the broccoli rabe.

Ingredients

1 bunch broccoli rabe, stems trimmed and leaves coarsely chopped--I just used baby broccoli or something because I couldn't find rabe unfortunately
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon fennel seed--Whole Foods was out so I had to pass on this one unfortunately
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 (8-ounce) package tempeh, grated on a box grater
2 cans (14 ounces each) no-salt-added diced tomatoes

Method

Heat a large pot of water to boiling over high heat. Add broccoli rabe and cook 1 minute. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Set aside.

Grated tempeh, to my best attempt without a grader. 

In a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat, bring 1/2 cup water to a simmer. Add onion and garlic and cook about 6 minutes or until onion is translucent and tender.

Sauteed onions and garlic.

Stir in fennel seed, oregano and red pepper and cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add grated tempeh, tomatoes and their juices, along with 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil.

The veggies and tempeh, a bit too liquidy though. 

So I added a corn starch mix to thicken it up. 

And the corn starch worked! It was much thicker after and didn't taste funky or anything!

Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes to blend flavors. Remove from heat and stir in broccoli rabe. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Per serving: 190 calories (60 from fat), 6g total fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 110mg sodium, 22g total carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 8g sugar), 15g protein

Served with some left over bow tie pasta! YUM!

Quinoa and Broccoli

ZESTY QUINOA WITH BROCCOLI AND CASHEWS

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/1801

Serves 4

Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is a high-protein, gluten-free ancient grain that cooks much like rice and has a texture similar to couscous. Combined with lemon, onions, wine, cashews and sundried tomatoes, you'll enjoy a carnival of flavors and textures. For a delicious vegan entrée, add some baked tofu chunks.

Ingredients

1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
1 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided
1 cup finely chopped red onion
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups small broccoli florets
1/2 cup roasted cashew pieces
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Method

Soak sundried tomatoes in hot water to cover for 15 minutes to soften them, then drain and chop. Bring 1/2 cup broth to a simmer in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Add chopped sundried tomatoes, remaining 1 cup broth, wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Stir in quinoa. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Arrange broccoli on top of quinoa, cover and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from heat and toss gently to combine. Serve garnished with cashews and green onions.

Nutrition

Per serving: 340 calories (100 from fat), 11g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 115mg sodium, 45g total carbohydrate (6g dietary fiber, 5g sugar), 11g protein

Black Beans Extravaganza

The blackish green stuff is avocado that was cut up in our fridge for a while, still tasty though. I enjoyed this dish with avocado and soy sauce. 

BLACK BEANS AND RICE EXTRAVAGANZA

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2869

Serves 3 to 4

This recipe comes to us courtesy of Rip Esselstyn and his book The Engine 2 Diet.

Ingredients

2 cans no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
1 to 1 1/2 cups water or reduced-sodium vegetable broth
1 tablespoon liquid aminos
1 teaspoon salt-free chili powder
2 to 3 tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 can water chestnuts, drained
1 cup corn, fresh, frozen, or canned
2 bell peppers, any color, seeded and chopped
1 bunch cilantro, rinsed and chopped
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
3 cups cooked brown rice
Salsa or tamari to taste
I also added beets, which made the dish super purple-pink.

Method

Heat the beans with water or broth, liquid aminos and chili powder. Place the chopped vegetables and cilantro in individual bowls. To serve, place several big spoonfuls of brown rice onto large plates and ladle beans on top. Add generous handfuls of chopped vegetables, cilantro, and avocado on top of the beans. Add salsa or tamari to taste.

Nutrition

Per serving: 550 calories (110 from fat), 13g total fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 270mg sodium, 97g total carbohydrate (30g dietary fiber, 11g sugar), 22g protein

Succotash

Golden Succotash

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Golden-Succotash-363690

yield: Makes 4 servings

active time: 20 minutes

total time: 20 minutes

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/4 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled red-skinned sweet potato (yam) 
• I added 4 red potatoes I had sitting in my fridge
• 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
• 1 yellow bell pepper, 1/2-inch dice--I used a red pepper since it was on sale and I like them better
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon--I also added cilantro to the idsh

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Stir in sweet potato, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon water. Cover and cook 4 to 5 minutes. Add bell pepper. Cover; cook until sweet potato is tender, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Add corn and tarragon. Sauté, uncovered, until corn is tender, 2 minutes. Season with salt, black pepper, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice, if desired.

More Granby fun!

Last weekend I had yet another superb weekend in Granby with Pam, Rich, Suzal and a few new friends. These pictures are in a random order but they pretty much sum up the trip!

Suzal and I are having fun playing Rumikub, which I'm pretty good at---not that I'm bragging or anything because you never know when Pam or Rich are going to go out and leave you screwed with way too many tiles!

Rich in his "Man Room" tying flies (I think that's what they're called--the lure for fly fishing). 

The view never gets old. 

Especially with the great sunsets that bring shimmering pinks and purples to the mountain sides. 

I didn't think I was in this picture! Here are Suzal, Mike and I playing Rumikub. I really do love that game!

And here are Pam and I after we reached our destination of the Vagabond Ranch. We cross-country skied out there on Saturday morning with Rich (I think it was like 3 miles). How fun! And hot!! I stripped down to just that long sleeve shirt, no gloves even!

Me, Pam and Mike about to go snowboarding at Winter Park on Friday: clear blue sky with lots of sun! Pam kicked both of our butts though, she's crazy awesome!

Me and Mike on the mountain after I made my slow, and safe, way down a black diamond that had lots of powder and trees. Pam thought too highly of my skill level and I told her not to worry if it took me a while to get down the mountain. Well, I guess I took a long time and she ended up calling mountain patrol! Luckily I was just being my slow, cautious self and I eventually made it down and caught up with those two!

Suzal and I are about to climb into the cars to go to the Vagabond Ranch. Isn't she just an adorable snow bunny?!

Here's Suzal's ride into the Vagabond Ranch. She wasn't up to cross-country skiing in, so instead she got this on-the-snow-ride in! Take a look at those tires!!!

You are Here! Yes, we sure were! Rich and I were taking a little break, checking out the map and guessing our progress on the way into Vagabond Ranch. 

Pam and Rich really know how to kick a girl's butt! I never nap!!!

Here's Suzal showing off the great ranch. Since she rode into the ranch with the leader of the trip, she learned a little about how things go and ended up being the hostess for all the other couples who showed up later in the day. She gave tours, showed people to their beds and welcomed the guests with warmth and excitement! Everyone knew where to turn when they had a question or issue--like needing more toilet paper!

What a tasty dinner we had that night! Catered, handmade butternut squash raviolis and flour-less chocolate cake for dessert. Suzal and I were clearly enjoying ourselves!

Here are the three lovely ladies who made our tasty meal! While Suzal, Rich (due to feet pain) and I spent the afternoon in the ranch relaxing, the other crazies, including Pam of course, went back country skiing. They climbed up a crazy steep hill and then made their own trails coming back down. Even though I was personally exhausted after snowboarding on Friday and cross country skiing into the ranch earlier that day, I still felt like a lazy bum when these 60+ year olds came in from cross country skiing and told of their adventurous day! I was still very thankful for the wonderful meal even if I hadn't worked as hard as some of the others for it!

I love my girls!

Yep, I'm getting pretty good on the cross country skies! This was my third time cross country skiing; Sunday morning, Pam, Rich and I cross country skied back out from the ranch. I knew it was a bit downhill and assumed I'd be on my own on the way back since Pam and Rich were on a schedule and needed to get out of there like "bats out of hell." Rich had told me, "Don't be afraid to take your skies off and just walk down a hill. You're going to take a long time to get back." Well, I guess I surprised both of us, because I'd assumed he was right, when I made it back as fast as Pam did to the cars! This picture, to be honest, is posed. How would you know? Because when I was going downhill, I didn't look anywhere near as composed I do in this photo. Due to my lack of skiing experience, whenever a slightly downhill section appeared, I would crotch down and end up going super duper slow. Once, my ski tips crossed and I fell--and it was nearly flat! I need more practice :)

Me gusta la vida en Colorado! I love life in Colorado!