a satisfying meal

I made a really satisfying meal last night--I say "made" instead of "cooked" because I never turned on the oven and I say "satisfying" because it was really fun to make.

Poor Groom. I don't think it was as satisfying for him because he sat at the kitchen table working on his laptop and when I finally presented him with a plate, I know deep down he was thinking, "Damn, woman. Why can't you just fix me a turkey pot pie?"

No, I'm kidding. I think if I hadn't insisted all these years that we eat tons and tons of meat, Groom would be living on beans and vegetables for most meals. I'm the culprit.

Curious yet to know what I made? I made spring rolls with cabbage, carrots, bell peppers, mint, basil, and bit of cilantro with a dipping sauce made primarily of orange, lemon, and lime juice with low-sodium soy and garlic. I had a Manhattan instead of tequila so as to keep my lime intake at a minimum.

And, here's the thing. It took about an hour, but all you do is julienne and chiffonade and mince vegetables and herbs--I didn't know what any of those words meant until last night, so it was educational too! And then you get to slide a hard piece of rice paper into a pan of warm water where it totally disappears and then you remove it after a couple of seconds and it looks like you've captured a flat little jelly fish that feels like a gummy bear.

I should have prefaced this by explaining I love to cook meals that incorporate mechanical skills and repetitive motion. Spanakopita comes to mind. This is my new spanakopita without the eggs, feta, and butter. Just chop, dip, slide, roll, and zen. Add a Manhattan to the mix, and you got a stew goin'.

Then, the next day, you can take that stuffing and roll it into pita (in my case soy pita) with hummus, a bit of tzatziki, and tomatoes. Perfecto!

So, that was my foray into vegan-ish-ism today. For exercise, I hopped on the elliptical for about 20 minutes with Queens of the Stone Age Songs for the Deaf playing on my iPhone, and was surprised then delighted to have my phone ring in the middle of Six Shooter. Because the sounds went from this to this.

Tonight, I'm heading into Portland to meet some friends. It will be one of the first times I've gone out to a restaurant since starting this new smug routine I'm on (other than the lentil cakes at King Eider's Pub), so I'll let you know how that goes. We're meeting at DiMillo's--I ran into or was talking to someone recently who was going on about how DiMillo's is changing their menu and sourcing their food locally and so on. Frankly, I'm headed there because it's a beautiful night and DiMillo's has an excellent deck with a lovely view. But, I'll take good food too.

God, I hope my friends order steaks.