Green monsters and ToB X

Classic green monsters

Yesterday was a snow day in DC, so I began March right with a recipe from the Oh She Glows website, the Classic Green Monster. This green smoothie was delicious--sweet and creamy. I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk, as suggested. Also a mix of spinach and kale for the greens and peanut butter for the nut butter. The Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon is the VegCookbook Club's March selection. This brand spanking new cookbook launched today and is sure to be the buzz all over social media.

Speaking of bookish things, I enjoyed my Green Monster with the opening of The Tournament of Books X. It's March Madness for books and this year I've read 10 of the contenders. I was pulling for Kate Atkinson's Life After Life, which won its prelim match yesterday. However for the win, I'm madly in love with Long Division by Kiese Laymon. It's an underdog and could be this year's Skippy Dies for me. Aka, the beloved book that dies in its first round and doesn't even come back as a zombie. (Yes, there are zombie books. This tourney is too fun.) Here's the full list of contenders with links to my Goodreads reviews.

Finalists for the The Morning News' 2014 Tournament of Books:

At Night We Walk in Circles by Daniel Alarcón
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
The Tuner of Silences by Mia Couto
The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid
The Dinner by Herman Koch
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
Long Division by Kiese Laymon
The Good Lord Bird by James McBride
Hill William by Scott McClanahan
The Son by Philipp Meyer
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Woke Up Lonely by Fiona Maazel

Tourney time

A smoothie and book pairing

Here's another smoothie inspired by my current read, Calling Dr. Laura: A Graphic Memoir by Nicole Georges. Drink as you remember childhood longings.

Cherry Vanilla Smoothie

Blend the following:

• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup frozen cherries
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1 tsp matcha 
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 Tbsp ground chia seeds (optional)
• 1 tsp maca powder (optional)
• 1 tsp hibiscus powder (optional)

Serves 1.

A smoothie and book pairing

Here's a delightful summer smoothie inspired by my current read. I'm finally making time for Frank Herbert's classic science fiction novel Dune. Drink as you "observe the plans within plans within plans."

Spice Smoothie

Blend the following:

• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup frozen cantaloupe
• 1/2 frozen banana 
• 1 Tbsp ground flax seeds (optional)
• 1 tsp maca powder (optional)
• 1 tsp spice (for example, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground ginger)

Serves 1.

Ginger tea and a book

Cure-All Ginger Tea

Here's a quick photo of the Cure-All Ginger Tea from How It All Vegan, the VegCookbook Club's April pick. This tea is a spicy tonic. It requires only four ingredients: water, fresh ginger, cayenne pepper, and sweetener. (I even skipped that last one and enjoyed the peppery warmth plain.)

I'm also enjoying Life After Life, an enthralling new novel by Kate Atkinson. It's a grand spring read. No caffeine required.

Meanwhile, outside...

Spring things

Smoothie, amaryllis, and book tournament

We've survived the snowstorm rain in DC. Now here's a trio of my current spring things. A freshly blooming red amaryllis, which was a late Christmas gift from my folks. The Morning News Tournament of Books--like March Madness for books--which is keeping me glued to my laptop. (Go Mantel!) And a purply glass of the Smoothies Supreme recipe from Vegan Brunch, the March VegCookbook Club pick.

The Smoothies Supreme is super simple smoothie that tastes rather like a potluck punch. It's frozen bananas, berries, water, and juice. Isa Chandra Moskowitz recommends pineapple juice but I could only find an 100% juice orange pineapple mix, which has apple juice in it too. (Drat!) For berries, I used a "Cherry Berry" blend of blackberries, blueberries, black raspberries, and dark cherries. (Watch out for pits.) I also added amla powder and ground chia seeds to add a little more nutrition. Best enjoyed near an amaryllis.

I'm going to be downing more smoothies as the TOB bracket plays out on weekdays this March. Below is a full list of the current contenders, with links to my short Goodreads reviews for the titles I've read. I can't recommend the tourney highly enough with its smart, funny judges; zombie books (!); and the best comments section on the Interwebs. Here's their excellent primer FAQ.

The 2013 Tournament of Books Finalists
HHhH by Laurent Binet
The Round House by Louise Erdrich
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Arcadia by Lauren Groff
How Should a Person Be? by Sheila Heti
May We Be Forgiven by A.M. Homes
The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson
Ivyland by Miles Klee
Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Dear Life by Alice Munro
Where’d You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
Building Stories by Chris Ware

Willa Cather's birthday with cornbread and tea

Today is the birthday of Willa Cather! I've been reading her novels all year long, taking the 2012 Willa Cather Novel Reading Challenge hosted by WildmooBooks. 

Here is a list of Willa Cather's twelve novels with links to my Goodreads reviews.   

• Alexander's Bridge (1912)
• O Pioneers! (1913)
• The Song of the Lark (1915)
• My Ántonia (1918)
• One of Ours (1922)
• A Lost Lady (1923)
• The Professor's House (1925)
• My Mortal Enemy (1926)
• Death Comes for the Archbishop (1927)
• Shadows on the Rock (1931)
• Lucy Gayheart (1935)
• Sapphira and the Slave Girl (1940)

I was going to make a fancy dessert to celebrate but decided upon a simple tea time snack in homage to Cather's Southern roots. This cornbread and tea combination is based on her final novel, Sapphira and the Slave Girl. Food is very important in this historical drama, set in Old Virginia. Cornbread is the stuff of slaves, unlike "light bread" made of wheat flour, which confers a higher social distinction and goes to the slave owners' tables.

The black tea is rum-less. In the novel, the protagonist Sapphira pours tea for her husband, "smuggling in a good tot of Jamaica rum." This is her secret weapon for coping with domestic unhappiness. Her husband is taken aback: "That's why it tastes so good! I must try to get up here oftener when you're having your tea."

The cornbread recipe (from Lindsay S. Nixon via Nava Atlas' VegKitchen website) is quick and simple. Not overly sweet and with a good texture. I think Willa Cather would approve.

Smoothie and stack of books

Here's a final smoothie from Forks Over Knives: The Cookbook. I really enjoyed the smoothie ideas in this cookbook. Although, I did end up bagging the recommended Medjool dates; they were too sweet for my blood. This Mean Green Smoothie has kale, apples, bananas, and unsweetened almond milk. Plus, I added matcha and flax seed.

Next to the smoothie is my latest stack of books. (I've requested the December VegCookBook Club pick, Vegan Holiday Kitchen by Nava Atlas, from the library too.)

Meanwhile, I'm hoping to read:
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Sapphira and the Slave Girl by Willa Cather
Stone Upon Stone by Wieslaw Mysliwski
Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon

Free book exchange with your falafel

This morning I got an email announcement that one of my favorite Baltimore used bookstores, Salamander Books, was closing. DC also has very few used or local bookstores remaining, especially downtown. It's sad to see these bookish community outposts vanish. 

Imagine my delight the other night, when grabbing a falafel at Old City Café in Adams Morgan, I spotted this small book exchange.  Organized by The District Dynamos, these small shelves are near the counter, perfect for browsing while you wait for your order. I do hope this is a growing trend for cafés and other casual restaurants. I know this book exchange will prompt me to return to Old City with a few books to donate. And while there, I'm sure to buy a falafel. (My new neighborhood has falafel options galore. I'm eager to review them all.)   

Tea break with matcha and books

In addition to following veggie food blogs, I'm a fan of book blogs. (I did noticed another VeganMoFo blog that manages to cover both books and vegan food.  Brilliant idea, Alex in Leeds.) One common feature on book blogs that I always enjoy is "Library Loot," a weekly posting where bloggers share their library finds.

So today, I thought I'd post a photo of my October library books with a steaming mug of matcha, my tea of choice on a fall day. I've mentioned matcha, a fine powder green tea, here before for its antioxidant health benefits. Matcha is simple to brew because it doesn't even need to steep. Just stir in hot (or cold) water, add a splash of vegan milk, and you are ready to dive into the books.  

My library loot includes:
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Battleborn by Claire Vaye Watkins
Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan
Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather

Also on my fall reading list, but not photographed here, are my own worn paperback of The Comedians by Graham Greene and a brand spanking new copy of Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon, which I just won from a Goodreads giveaway.