funkforbreakfast

[funkforbreakfast]

Cocktail guide (mostly for myself)

Cosmopolitan

vodka

lime juice

triple sec

cranberry juice

I almost posted this cocktail first, but after reading the ingredients it felt more like the child of the margarita (hence why I am labelling the Margarita "a mother cocktail" and possibly making a graph later to support my findings)

This drink was popularized by Sex and the City and became one of my favorites when my mother let me take sips of hers at dinner. I am a big fan of tart cocktails, and the lime and cranberry combo goes super well to hide all alcohol flavors and have you feeling like you're sipping on straight juice (so this is possibly a risky drink for having several of). The pink color gives it a barbie-flaire that I really enjoy and makes me feel so girly when holding one :)

There is also the white cosmo made with pink/white cranberry juice.

Cosmo from Article 24 in Brighton, MA

*the bartender told me to always opt in for floral vodka but he did not tell me it came with an extra fee!

Cocktail guide (mostly for myself)

Margarita

The first cocktail I learned to make! It is so ridiculously simply and such a classic that I like to think of it as one of the Mother Cocktails (like the French Mother Sauces, but drinks).

A easy to make hard to mess up drink (so a safe one to order). Better the less sweet it is tbh (I love the way fresh lime shines through if you get this at the right place) And do not pass on the salted rim until you at least know you don't like it!

And if there is a slushee option - OPT IN. My favorite thing to do with this drink is to prepare it and then leave it in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour while I shower and cook dinner. The glass comes out frosted and the drink has frozen just enough for it to be semi-frozen.

[funkforbreakfast]

Cocktail guide (mostly for myself)

Margarita

lime juice

orange liquer

simple syrup/agave syrup

tequila blanco

salt

The first cocktail I learned to make! It is so ridiculously simply and such a classic that I like to think of it as one of the Mother Cocktails (like the French Mother Sauces, but drinks).

A easy to make hard to mess up drink (so a safe one to order). Better the less sweet it is tbh (I love the way fresh lime shines through if you get this at the right place) And do not pass on the salted rim until you at least know you don't like it!

And if there is a slushee option - OPT IN. My favorite thing to do with this drink is to prepare it and then leave it in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour while I shower and cook dinner. The glass comes out frosted and the drink has frozen just enough for it to be semi-frozen.

[funkforbreakfast]

New England Coastal Road Trip

Today felt like a calling to road-trip. I woke up at my aunts house in Marshfield and had that rare motivation to run. I changed and tried to sneak out to a beach — spoiler alert, there’s almost no beach parking in Marshfield. I tried to set out on the rocky shores by Brant Rock but tumbling amongst the beach was a struggle. Fortunately my aunt reached out, wanting to walk on the beach (and she had a parking permit!) The beach was littered with crab claws — some of which seemed foreign for the area and perhaps dropped by a wandering tourist. But the shells were almost as plenty and we took home a peachy spiral. My aunt raved of all the coffee shops and bakery in her hometown. While I was sold on the rumored gigantic gooey cinnamon bun, my clock said otherwise. I needed to be heading north if I wanted to make it to Newburyport in time. Long road drives feel familiar at this point - a time for me to listen to good music and go without social contact for a bit. The hour twenty to a golf shack where I was meeting up for a Facebook marketplace deal breezed by. I heard this town was a gorgeous walk-around town by the coast, but I was feeling more and more lonely on my trip. By now it was getting cloudy and I was either 50 min home or 30 min away from my childhood-family-summer-vacation-spot. I chose north up to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where I could catchup with some former high school teachers of mine at their summer house. I plugged “Ice-House” into my Google maps and drove north. When I pulled off into the coastal New Hampshire town, the sun was poking through - coating the streets and pastel houses in its warmth. The familiar side of the road restaurant welcomed me to its dirt parking lot. I wasn’t planning on spending my life savings - but lunch naturally added up to be more than what I budgeted for. I chowed down on a fried clam strip plate with a blueberry pie a la mode to its side (honestly, desert came before the meal).

I was foolish and said "No" when the server asked if I wanted tartar sauce with my clam strips. They were good, but the ketchup could only carry the fried dish so far.

My favorite thing to order here is just a cheeseburger — not that I have had it in a minute, but I remember it being juicy and cheesy and dripping down my hands as a child. They also would serve it with a lettuce bun, though our waiter seemed confused by that request.

The pie was the real highlight (naturally). I am a big big fan of eating fruit when it is local and when it is season. There is no place better for blueberries than New Hampshire and Maine – and I like to believe that when the fruit grows on the coast it's even more special. It was perfectly tart for an ice-cream-topped slice but the overall berry flavor was muted.

It was an afternoon spent gabbing with friends before purchasing a surprisingly affordable Trader Joe’s haul. I was excited to get home though (for the first time in a week) and shower and open some packages.

In trying to be more true to myself, I think I am a choosy extrovert. Being around close friends feels recharging of my social battery, but if I am trying to meet new people at a party where meeting new people is not the vibe (iykyk), then I'd rather sit one out. Maybe you could call me an ambivert. Maybe labelling humans on spectrum based systems is inherently flawed! It was a wonderful day, but I can’t help but wonder if it would have been more memorable with a friend - or maybe I need to get more used to my own presence.

Highlighted spot: The Ice House in Rye, NH

[funkforbreakfast]

Boursin belongs on sandwiches.

People who don’t like Boursin probably just haven’t had it. It’s a smooth, spreadable, mildly tangy cheese whipped with herbs. Is it incorrect to call it an elevated cream cheese?

My introduction to Boursin came during the 2020-food-fad-era: a time when we were (supposed to be) inside, learning how to make sourdough and elevated coffees. One dish rose to fame after it caused a feta shortage in Finland (footnote): TikTok pasta. This dish consisted of cherry tomatoes, garlic cloves, and a block of feta baked together with a coating of olive oil. It looked so easy and tasty; however, I hate feta. The hate is so childish, because I love other tangy sheep and goat cheeses, but simply cannot stomach feta. It isn’t that I haven’t developed my cheese palate – I used to work making charcuterie boards at a winery so that statement would be far from the truth. How could I enjoy TikTok pasta without feta? Boursin.

And it was instantly one of my favorite dishes of the pandemic. It was easy and filling but also tangy (because tbh I don’t like most Italian food cause it lacks that depth within the flavor). I licked the cheese off of this tinfoil wrapper before plopping it into the baking dish and was instantly cooked.

Now back to the titular content: Boursin in sandwiches. Boursin is an amazing cheese — don’t get me wrong — but it’s only better with stuff. It’s one of those cheeses you would only enter eat with fresh bread, but if you have even more to top it with it’s even better. Sandwiches that I would otherwise not order for myself become my favorites simply by the presence of this cheese. For example: Herby grilled eggplant and zucchini sandwich with Boursin. Because I love eggplant/zucchini as much as the next person, but a veggie sandwich is only completed with the presence of Boursin.

The sandwich that inspired this train of thought: Dave’s Fresh Beef & Boursin

One of those sandwiches that makes you you widen your eyes and mutter out an “oh my god” or a “holy f***”. I thought it would be good, I didn’t expect it to be great. I finished the sandwich while fighting the urge to devour the entire thing in a few bites. Savor it. Savor it. I walked home in the sticky heat, sweat coating my legs and forehead. My fingers feeling grimy from the beef and bread residue moisture underneath. I walked home feeling slightly changed – much more appreciative of the blocks around my apartment and the treasures they hold within them.

[funkforbreakfast]

Do not skimp on cream cheese.

I love bagels. I wanted to claim I love bagels as much as a New Yorker loves bagels — but I’d love to confirm before I make such claims. But I LOVE bagels. And like any good bagel fan, I have a set of strict standards for bagel enjoyment. 1. Do not waste your time on store bought bagels. I’d rather go longer without bagels then eat the crumbly sweet mocks they sell at the grocery store 2. Do not skimp on cream cheese; I want the layer of cream cheese to be almost as thick as one of the bagels. 3. Do not knock an everything bagel til you’ve tried one (they are better than sesame, poppyseed, and the rest. They are chef’s kiss). I don’t care if you’re a picky eater

If you weren’t aware, I write these posts from my radio show (Bad Reception, live on WMFO Fridays @ 10a), and today there is an exceptional amount of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. I had a few liked songs from them, but was only pushed into full KGLW insanity when I worked at a nearby Bagel Shop. (Note, I am writing this sans Goldilox Bagel) If you want the best bagel you could get in Boston, you go to Goldilox. The bagels are always perfect and they have classic flavors + monthly specials. They also make their own seasoned cream cheese (trust me, I was the one stacking them) and sell lox to bring home. Overall – the perfect bagel shop. And I needed a job sophomore year and it felt right.

Setting the scene: 5am I woke up before sunrise and walked over a mile to work. As I neared the shop, the sun rose and set Medford in an orange hue. 6am I entered through the back door and B-lined into the freezer – my favorite task was sorting the cream cheeses for the next hour while I slowly woke up. One time, someone took this task from me and I vowed to never be later than her again. I sorted the cream cheeses. 7am After bringing out the first hour of cream cheeses, we threw together the bags of bagels and alphabetically organized all orders on a shelf. The first customers would begin to arrive, slowly lining up.

Some of them were parents, finishing their morning runs, bringing bagels home to their family. Others came with their dogs, or dogs, or neighbor’s dogs. Some people seemed grouchy. Others ecstatic for their sandwich. Most ordered ahead (as Goldilox recommended). Others ordered there, and suffered the consequences of not having their bagel or spread of choice. The anthropologist foodie in me would feel my heart flutter — a neighborhood brought together by bagels.

However, bagel shop hours are almost always absurd (well, absurd to the non-baker) and waking up at 5am to come into work for 6am on the weekend during my first couple of real months at college proved difficult.

1. I was almost always hungover

2. the lack of sleep domino’d into a month long cocktail of different infectious diseases.

So I quit. And that sucked. It was a great place to work. The staff were amazing and really cared about us.

Update: my show got cut off early!! So much for my 2 hours of funky tunes. But I couldn’t help but think “what a great day for a bagel?” (Inspired by the blog I had spent the first hour writing).

Truthfully, it wasn’t a great day for a bagel. It was beaming hot. Sweat collected on my forehead and cheeks and pooled in my eyebrows. When I bit into my bagel, cream cheese oozed out onto my hands. I trimmed the salmon off from the sides after they inevitably left the sandwich. After one half, I thought, “Maybe it’s best to save the rest for an air conditioned room.” By 11:20, Goldilox felt like a ghost town. It was only me and another patron waiting on our orders – a contrast from the line being around the block. But I couldn’t help but feel the liveliness that this bagel shop brought to a neighborhood corner.

[funkforbreakfast]

iced americano summer | true grounds coffee

I started my day with a few spoons for Greek yoghurt, and realized there was much more to my morning: an iced americano.

I’m taking the T, dressed for an air conditioned room that I will not be met with. At north station, school girls cry over their last day of classes. Hugging with tears. And I just took a 15 minute detour on my way to a work function. “Hi, I’m so sorry, but there was some delays with T construction!” I lied.

I’m late. I widen my footsteps. I’m late. But I can’t help but feel charmed when the pedestrian in front of me stood to pick a flower from the tree. It’s hot. It’s humid. The mulch and treated fountain water smells like visiting my mom is Miami. The sidewalk turns to dust. Just like Miami.

But I’m still late. And the long sleeve blouse is sticking to my shoulders. I’m typing. And I’m walking. And I’m widening my footsteps. I’m late.

It’s a beautiful day. It’s almost too beautiful in the way my smile hurts my cheeks and thinking of any friends makes me want to tear up with love. I want to send them all appreciation texts because life feels so light and exciting again.

It’s summer that makes me feel awake and welcomed and excited to show up to new experiences — even late. Calling for days when I need the taste of a latte but without the weight. For good espressos and hugs goodbye and text-me-when-you-get-home’s. It’s a time to tell my friends “I love you” as they walk home. For jumbled words that make me feel eager to be present in the moment and feeling everything that I feel.

[funkforbreakfast]

the bowl of ramen that inspired me to change my blog

A good meal with friends goes a long way. A good meal with friends in a city with an amazing food culture — well it goes even farther.

I hated running this blog last spring. It was never consistent, the recipes I picked were boring (but easy to write), the photography sucked, and it was overall a stressful experience knowing I was being graded for a diet I needed to take on for my health. That is not to say anything about my professor or the course I took (it was my favorite class at Tufts!) — I signed up for this project, and ultimately failed to give it the attention I knew it deserved.

So I am throwing that out. Changing the name to Over Easy to cut out PCOS from the equation.

I am hoping to continue sharing food – but not recipes that I created (or aggressively mimicked). It’ll be a similar style of recording where I write letters to / in regards to the meal of focus. This is a more manageable format for myself; however, I am always open to advice! If you have an interest in checking out the beginner steps of this blog, stay tuned! I am hoping to post-weekly (unless I quit my current job!)

I’m very excited to see how my creativity flourishes with this blog! Especially at a time when I am craving career creativity ❤

[funkforbreakfast]

Turkey Kale Soup

I don’t want to get too sappy as this is a public blog attached to my LinkedIn, but this soup felt like the beginning of a new era for me. Last fall, I was incredibly depressed and struggling to complete most mundane tasks in my life. I hated my longterm partner but could not figure out where I wanted our relationship to stand — and I had no support systems because I pushed most of my friends away. And the months of inactivity were making it incredibly hard to feel like my body was my own. I was always in a state of gunked up but unable to get out of my rut.

This was the first recipe that taught be about eating for PCOS — but I liked that it did not include a nagging voice about “losing those pounds” or something else to send me into a body spiral. All it was was a 30-second recipe with the tag ���PCOS-Friendly”. It sounded hearty and healthy, something most of my meals lacked last semester, so I was eager to try it out. 

Most of my lifestyle changes happened months later for NYE resolutions — but this time my philosophy on my health had really transformed. I did not want a quick fix but to see longterm changes both physically and mentally. But realistically, this would not have happened without this soup.

Turkey Kale Soup

Inspired by theconsciousnutritionist on Instagram

Prep: 15 min Cook time: 1 hour Yields: 6 servings

Allergens/restrictions

Alium

Meat + bone broth

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 white onion, minced

3 large carrots, sliced

5 cloves minced garlic

1.5 tbsp tomato paste

2 tsp cumin

1 lb ground turkey breast

6 cups chicken broth

1 can chickpeas

3-4 kale leaves, shredded

How I eat mine:

1 tsp of sesame oil

1 tsp chili garlic oil

Instructions:

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once fragrant, add carrots and onions and stir frequently. Cook until onions are translucent. Add tomato paste and cumin and stir.

Add turkey breast and combine with other ingredients. Break into smaller pieces as it heats up and combine with rest. Add chicken broth and chickpeas and stir.

Chop and wash the kale under cold water. Massage leaves for at least a minute while washing. Add to soup and heat pot off heat.

[funkforbreakfast]

Rainbow Pickles

During Superbowl weekend, I opened my fridge to discover a bag of rainbow carrots and Persian cucumbers that were going bad — quickly. Food waste is a big source of guilt for me, so when I am faced with the loss of perishables… well, I try to make them less perishable. For these, I submerged them in an at home mystery brine and hoped for the best.

They definitely did not mold (yay!) but the result was a tart and salty snack. I refused to add dill due to my own aversion to the taste, so these julienned slices were a great veggie topping for most meals (very similar to the ones I prepared for my vegetarian bibimbap). 

The rainbow color of the carrots leached into the juice and stained it a gorgeous pink. I was starstruck at how beautiful these carrots were!

That was, until they sat in my fridge for a month.

People with PCOS often take hormonal medications to manage their symptoms (cough cough, birth control). The way that birth control works is by introducing your body to hormones, which will stop the system from producing their own. This is great when your body is bad at regulating hormones on its own — which is the case for people with PCOS. By taking birth control, my menstrual cycle, emotions, acne, and many many other things are kept in check — which is perfect as unmedicated PCOS often makes me feel so disconnected from my body. Like I am stuck in a vessel that is constantly hurting itself. Most of this can be remedied with a daily dose of progesterone. With the recent talk about birth control in the United States, it is important to note that these pills are life changing for so many people who take them — whether that be mitigating the symptoms of a chronic health issue or by allowing them to continue living their life according to their own goals (either with or without a baby). 

This past January, I started birth control again — this was actually the fifth or sixth time I had started taking the pill; however, this dose was a little different — it was an entirely progesterone pill. This came about after this ad libbed interaction (but the doctor did mention strokes with a lot of fear):

Doctor: So it says on here that you have a history of migraines, right?

Me: Yep, they run in my family

Doctor: And you’ve taken estrogen birth control pills since you were fourteen — even when experiencing migraines

Me: Yeah, and they got worse during that period but they said it was probably stress

Doctor (face of shock): You could have had a stroke.

Not sure how estrogen and migraines mix, but apparently they don’t mix at all! So instead, my doctor put me onto progesterone, which is not much different except my body will not absorb it unless taken almost exactly at the same time every day  — which is very difficult for anyone, let alone a college student. I’ve noticed little to no side effects, except a pretty intense food aversion during my period. Which means food grosses me out, as in the smell of any food will make me nauseous. Which is not fun.

Shortly after making rainbow pickles, I was hit with this huge wave of nausea for a week. All I ate was banana chocolate protein shakes and goghurts — notably not the pickled carrots. And I let them sit in their tub for days and days and weeks and weeks, until I was clearing out the fridge a while later. They looked beautiful in their pink brine, a gorgeous hue for the kitchen. But their time had passed, and they reminded me of my stomach qualms more than anything else. So I chucked them. 

Pickles at Home

I definitely do not eat enough veggies, but have found pickling an amazing solution to add vinegary toppings to most meals. This brine

Prep: 30 min Brine time: 3 hours to a few days Yields: many servings

Allergens/restrictions

Alium

Ingredients:

½ cup water

½ cup rice vinegar

1 ½ tbsp sugar

1 ½ tsp table salt

1 tbsp minced garlic

What I put into my brine:

Julienned rainbow carrots

Thin cucumber slices

Instructions

Measure liquids into a quart containers and mix. Add subjects of your brining. Leave for at least an hour but up to several weeks.

[funkforbreakfast]

Dear curry (of miscellaneous forms),

You have carried me on those days when I could not carry myself. While I envy those on meal plans, if I have a jar of curry sauce — or better yet, some curry powder, an onion, and a can of coconut milk — I know I will make it through. 

We have had our ups and downs, like last night when I tossed a bowl of pepper juice into a scalding hot pan and essentially pepper-sprayed myself. But you will always pull through regardless. As soon as my pan of curry sauce is bubbling, I can toss in handfuls of whatever vegetable is lying around and know it will come out great.

Just a few weeks ago, I learned how to make vegan curry from scratch (rather than a powdered mix or premade dilution). And maybe it is always a little more watery than I’d like, but I carry a great amount of pride in my ability to toss dinner together from scratch. It is an amazing base for any vegetables that are turning, but I also toss in a protein source to bulk it up. It stores great and can feed for a couple of days. To sum it up — I love curry.

*I just realized it is watery because I tend to forget to add some crucial ingredients. 

I have always loved curry; however, growing up it was always reserved for takeout nights since my parents did not feel confident making it (if you couldn’t guess, we’re white). And I don’t want to claim that I am producing anything authentic — or that the Trader Joe’s jarred curry sauce is authentic either — just that it tastes amazing with almost anything I add to it and it is easy to put together. I love curry so much that I have convinced most of my friends to incorporate curry powder into their boxed mac and cheese to give it a little flavor (you should seriously try it). When I make this dish, it’s almost always vegan and especially jam-packed with veggies — so even on my laziest days, I can feel like I tried to put something good into me.

From-scratch curry

Inspired by @FitGreenMind, a vegan chef from Instagram. 

Prep: 30 minutes Cook time: 1 hour Yields: ~5 servings

Allergens/restrictions

Dairy, alium

Not vegan unless you swap butter for vegetable oil

Ingredients for curry:

1 yellow onion

1 serrano pepper

4 garlic cloves

1 tbsp avocado oil

2 tsp curry powder

1 can coconut milk

2 red sweet pepper

1 large carrot

1/2-1 cup instant rice noodles

Ingredients for coconut-crusted tofu:

1 block of tofu

¼ cup coconut shavings

¼ cup of cornstarch

Kitchen appliances:

blender or food processor

airfryer 

Instructions

Press your block of tofu. Let it drain while preparing the base for your curry.

Blend or finely mince the onion, serrano pepper, and garlic. Heat avocado oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add mixture and saute until beginning to brown. Add curry powder and heat until fragrant.

Pour in the contents of a can of coconut milk — don’t forget the coconut cream! Fill the now empty can with water and pour that also into the skillet to wash out the remaining oils. Let that reach a simmer.

While that heats up, thinly slice your peppers. Cut your carrot into diagonal slices or julienne. Add into the curry and stir. Cook until the veggies are soft.

In a smaller bowl, combine coconut shavings and cornstarch.

Take tofu out of its press and pull apart chunks — this creates a more natural texture. Add these into a larger bowl and sprinkle with the coconut-cornstarch mixture. Shake until evenly coated. Pour into an airfryer and cook at 400°F for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

[funkforbreakfast]

Life is too short to eat fried rice

You are never easy to cook

You lied!

You’re lying,

You are a liar.

/

“Easy Fried Rice”

“Throw all your veggies in!”

“Turn your leftovers into fried rice”

No!

/

I never have leftover rice.

Because rice goes bad

After three days.

I never have leftover rice.

/

And the rice that I make

Is gooey

And glutenous

Because I hate dried rice.

/

I hate fried rice.

A “30 minute easy fried rice”

Has never taken me

Less than

2 hours

To prepare

/

Is it me? 

Is it you?

Is is the fact that I’ve never 

Owned a skillet

Large enough

To hold all of you?

And I can’t properly mix

Everything together?

And then it’s mushy.

And inconsistent.

And I can only eat it

By frying 2 eggs

To lay on top.

Even though

The recipe already called

For 4 eggs to fry in the rice.

/

Beautiful eggs. 

Beautiful eggs 

RUINED.

By you.

Better than Fried Rice: Vegetarian Bibimbap

Are you telling me a vegetarian fried this rice. No! None of that sentence is true.

There is the myth that you can add any vegetable to fried rice; however, I found it was much easier to incorporate any vegetable I needed out of my fridge by tossing it in the marinade below and add it to this bibimbap.

Inspired by https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015430-bibimbap-with-tofu-cucumbers-spinach-shiitakes-and-carrots

Prep: 1 hour Cook time: 20 min Yields: ~4-5 servings

Allergens/restrictions

Alium

Soy

Ingredients for Coconut Rice

1 cup jasmine rice

1 can coconut milk

Ingredients for Tofu

1 block tofu

1 tbsp sesame oil

¼ cup soy sauce

2 tsp mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp minced or grated fresh ginger

1.5 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp sugar

Ingredients for Marinated Vegetables

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp sesame seeds or Everything but the Bagel Seasoning

Salt to taste

3 Persian cucumbers

2 large carrots

Ingredients for Fried veggies

1 large bunch kale

8 oz shiitake mushrooms

1 tablespoon olive oil

For serving

Thinly chopped seaweed snack

Fried eggs

Sesame seeds or Everything but the Bagel Seasoning

Sriracha

Instructions

Wash rice and set in a rice cooker or sauce pan. Add coconut milk. Using the coconut milk can, measure out another can or two of water and add to the rice. Stir and salt. Turn on the rice cooker or put the sauce pan on a high heat stovetop. When down, fluff up the rice and let cool.

Press tofu. Prepare tofu marinade by combining sesame oil, soy sauce, mirin, rice wine vinegar, ginger, garlic, and sugar in a large bowl. Stir well.

Prepare vegetable marinade by combining rice vinegar, sesame oil, minced garlic, sesame seeds into a mason jar. Stir well.

Julienne cut carrots. Add carrot stick into a jar with the marinade.

Thinly slice cucumbers. Add to a new jar with salt. Shake so as to incorporate salt all around and pull moisture from the cucumbers.

Dry off the tofu block and cut into domino-size pieces. Add into the bowl with tofu marinade and evenly coat with marinade. Let sit for 15 minutes to an hour.

Slice shiitake mushrooms and set aside.

Cut kale and then wash and massage under cold water. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with olive oil. Add kale and fry until the stalks are more tender or the leaves are about to burn. Remove from heat and put into their own separate storage container.

Using the same skillet, leave heat at medium-high and put in tofu dominos  — either add the marinade or save it. Fry on each side until browning. Remove from heat and set aside.

Use the same skillet again for the shiitake mushrooms. Pour in the remaining marinade and stir mushrooms occasionally. Remove from heat when sufficiently browned.

For serving: Place a bed of coconut rice into a bowl. Top with mushrooms, tofu, and kale. Add cucumber and carrot on top of that. Garnish with sesame seeds and sriracha. Finish with a crispy fried egg.

[funkforbreakfast]

“Let me cook for you”

Cooking is a huge importance to me — food was an activity that brought together my family during the holidays, custody exchanges, and sunday nights. My parents expressed their love to us via homemade dinners and produce grown from our backyard, but I still paid close attention to their techniques so as to pick them up myself. In college, I opted out of a meal plan as soon as possible — slicing and sauteing brought me more joy than an easy meal ever could (with the added bonus that my acid reflux disappeared as soon as I stopped eating from Dewick). But whenever I want to catch up with friends, they suggest a dining hall or Tufts cafe.

“Let me cook for you”

I struggle to choose easy meals to prepare, but I’d rather spend the two hours cooking with a loved one and then eating for twenty minutes. We are making something together, a collaborative effort that reassures our compatibility. Sometimes this is soup or pizza — but most recently, it was butter chickpeas, for 100 people.

The Tufts Mountain Club has been my central community in college. It encouraged me to be more mindful of my health when I was at my worst, but also expanded my definitions on how to enjoy the outdoors (I am now a self proclaimed Everglades lover). It might be a 900 person club, but there are pockets within it that hold the most genuine people I’ve met during my time here. And most of my strongest friendships have only started at the Loj in New Hampshire.

Last weekend, I was in Woodstock, New Hampshire for the return of one of TMC’s favorite traditions — Lojstock. This music festival amongst the mountain welcomes 100 band and audience members for a day of river swimming, barbeque eating, and good tunes. As someone who took on more of the planning process than I would have liked, I naturally opted for the free way to attend Lojstock — joining the cooking team. This crew was assembled of my favorite TMC people to hang with in a warm kitchen — people who let the stress make them a little goofy. Usually, the kitchen crew cooks common cabin staples like overcooked pasta with jarred tomato sauce or crusty chili. But, as a food connoisseur, I vetoed both meals and settled for a much more interesting option: butter chickpeas. I was nervous at the outcome, but people returned for seconds and thirds and even brought home leftovers in tupperware! My favorite thing about this meal is that 1) it tasted significantly better than any other loj meal, 2) was easier on my stomach than chili or gluten, 3) it was relatively high in veggies (which is hard to come by at the Loj). 

Lojstock ‘23 Butter Chickpeas

Contributors: Jeannine Pecoraro ‘25, Lily Pearl Langos ‘24, Danny Rodriguez ‘24, Carmen Smoak ‘25, Gwen Brown ‘24

This dish was a HUGE hit at Lojstock ‘23 and sooo many people asked for the recipe afterwards. It is about as easy as making chili; however, it is a much more interesting and yummy dish. Requires knowledge of spices/general butter sauce taste.

Inspired by https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020739-indian-butter-chickpeas  

Prep: 30 minutes Cook time: 1 hour Yields: ~100 servings

Allergens/restrictions

Dairy, alium

Not vegan unless you swap butter for vegetable oil

Ingredients

20 red onions

16 cans of chickpeas

Eyeballed amount of garlic powder (be generous)

Eyeballed amount of ginger

Eyeballed amount of ground cumin

Eyeballed amount of paprika

Sprinkle of cinnamon

4 sticks of butter

8 cans of crushed tomatoes

15 cans of coconut milk

Eyeballed amount of curry powder

Instructions

Mince or blend the onions

Empty chickpeas into a strainer and rinse with water. Move it a large bowl and combine with the spices (have your friend with the best spice knowledge complete this step, you do NOT want to underseason this dish)

Melt butter in the largest pot over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook til browned at edges (approximately 30 minutes), stir often.

Add in crushed tomatoes and stir.

Add in coconut milk and stir.

Add in the chickpeas and stir. Let the mixture stew and bubble until chickpeas soften but stir occasionally to prevent burning.

Add curry powder and salt to taste (DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP, THIS IS WHAT BRINGS THE RECIPE TOGETHER!!)

Serve with rice and enjoy!!

[funkforbreakfast]

Trouble with caffeine

My blog got backed up with the stress of midterms — specifically a 10 page paper only announced one week in advance on a very niche field of philosophy. To say the least, it went okay, but I am not excited for the final now.

The pressure of academics put me in the situation where I had to choose my health or my grades. And my midterm grades weren’t even so astounding as to justify this! However, I fell victim to the consumption of caffeine. This is a pretty normal substance for college students (and Americans) to consume on a daily basis, but part of prioritizing my health with PCOS in mind is accepting the harm caffeine can do. People with PCOS can have higher levels of cortisol, and when you add caffeine to the mixture, you’re basically trying to give yourself an anxiety attack. Every morning when I ordered an iced coffee, it was like that simple piece of info slipped my mind — until I found myself shaking in class. Paranoia would fall over me and squeeze at my chest. As I spiraled, I’d often doubt my ability to finish college, let alone work on my midterms; this was opposite of the desired effect.

You’re likely reading this and thinking, “Why are you still drinking coffee then?” to which I answer 1) I only sometimes get anxious, 2) I enjoy the routine it gives me, and 3) I actually like the taste of coffee. And I have done a lot to accommodate coffee already to my needs (such as cutting out sugary and milk-heavy lattes), but iced coffee was a bitter and nutty treat every once in a while. I just let it get too out of hand in one week.

^^Photo of me holding a poorly made latte in an avocado skin

[funkforbreakfast]

Dear sugar,

All it took was a few slices of key lime pie over break (while in the Florida Keys!) to ruin the months of sugar-purging I had done prior — it is crazy how easily you snuck back into my life. My discipline plummeted as I was quick to grab any sweet snack offered without thinking of the longer term consequences. And the worst thing is you have especially been masking behind chocolate — something I don’t think I can live without anymore.

I have never used sweet potatoes in desserts before; I know they’re really common around Thanksgiving time, but I never allowed myself to see the starch in that light before. However, as my sugar cravings were creeping up, I decided to give in. Sweet potatoes and yams are common substitutes in vegan desserts — add a fudgy thickening agent that can be masked in flavor. I googled “sweet potato brownie recipe” and was on my way to a surprisingly enjoyable dish. 

Sweet Potato Brownies

Prep: 1.5 hours Cook time: 35 min Yields: ~12 servings

Allergens/restrictions

Peanut butter

Gluten

Treenuts

Ingredients:

1 medium-sized sweet potato (approximately 2 cups)

1.5 cups of maple syrup

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp avocado oil (or olive oil)

1 cup of cocoa powder

½ sea salt (optional, I didn’t add)

2 tsp baking powder

1.5 cups flour (I used unbleached flour, but if you’re gf use oat or another substitute)

½ cup of chopped walnuts

½ cup of semisweet chocolate chips

Note:

You will need a food processor/blender for this recipe!

Methods: 

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Clean sweet potato and place it on a baking sheet unpeeled (unless you are very opinionated on this). Roast for approximately 50-60 minutes until soft to the touch. 

Cut the sweet potato in half and put it into the food processor. Add every ingredient EXCEPT walnuts and chocolate chips into the food processor. Blend until evenly combined. Dry ingredients might get stuck to the side, so use a spatula/spoon to push scrape them into the center when the food processor is OFF. Blend again until combined. 

Take out the food processor blades. Pour in walnuts and chocolate chips and quickly stir (the batter is VERY thick, so it’s ok if you do a bad job).

Grease a 9×9 or 9×13 pan and pour in batter. The batter will not rise, so it is ok if the batter almost reaches the top. 

Bake for 32-36 minutes, or until the center is cooked.

Let cool for 20 minutes (or 10 if you want warm, gooey brownies) and enjoy!

[funkforbreakfast]

Importance of Breaking Fast

A week and a half ago, I bought four avocados. And then I completely forgot about them. 

When I saw one peeking out under a bag of plantain chips in my cupboard, I felt instant food-waste shame. I dug through until I felt the avocado and pulled it into the light. It was soft, but not mushy — a good sign.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

This phrase feels as old as time. However, there were parts of my life where breakfast was just not a part of my routine — which was totally okay because we are all just trying to meet our needs. But as I am trying to be more realistic about PCOS, breakfast is now the most important meal of MY day.

Again — I do not claim to be a nutritionist or know anything about PCOS beyond what has worked for my body. And this blog is not to suggest what you should do with your body, but a record of what I do for mine (for a class, btw).

I’ve read that having a large breakfast followed by smaller meals throughout the day is best for people with PCOS; however, many breakfast foods are not recommended for people with insulin resistance (think sugary cereals, pastries, and white breads). It is important for breakfast to be high in proteins or fibers, and probably other healthy stuff too. And, as suggested by my shakshouka blog, I am a sucker for fancy toast.

Daily Avocado Smash

When I first developed this avocado mash — actually never developed it, I stole the recipe. And then changed it many many times based on whatever I had available. But the key ingredient is olive oil! Because avocado pairs well with other fats; you can combine it with mayonnaise or avocado oil and end up with a similar rich flavor.

Prep: 10 min Cook time: 5 min for an egg Yields: ~1 serving

Allergens/restrictions

Gluten/wheat if you eat it with bread

Ingredients:

1 avocado

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp sriracha

Squeeze of lime/lemon (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

How I eat it:

Sourdough bread

Everything but the bagel seasoning

Fried egg

Methods:

Open and scoop out the insides of an avocado. Add olive oil, sriracha, lime, and salt/pepper. Mash together with a fork until desired consistency is reached.

I eat this mash on top of toasted sourdough bread, topped with everything-but-the-bagel seasoning and a gooey fried egg. These flavors all compliment each other so well in a filling but light breakfast meal.

[funkforbreakfast]

Dear shakshouka,

You’ve played a larger role in my life these past couple of months than my long term-relationship ex. You take such good care of me when you provide a warm meal each morning and keep my routine in check. 

I paid so little attention to you when we first met — in the Sahara Desert of Morocco at camp. It was a sunny morning and you were a tad overcooked, but I wrongly assumed you were difficult to prepare. When my parents had prepared pasta sauce in the past, it seemed like such a time-intensive task; stewed tomatoes were something I avoided when I needed a quick bite. I barely remembered your name until we crossed paths again in college.

You were a highlight in Boston made famous by your highlight on Tatte’s menu — I had even seen Tufts’ club events centered around you (Frisbee Shakshouka nights). But you came to my aid when I needed to prepare a Paleo meal for my anthropology class (Shakshouka is not paleo though, btw). After 20 minutes of figuring out an Instant Pot, I too had a pot of overcooked shakshuoka. Unfortunately, because your yolks were so dry they were chalky, I threw away all leftovers; however, this time I was determined to try again for you. 

Thank you for changing me for the better.

Easy No-Oven Shakshouka

Ingredients:

2 tbsp Olive Oil

½ of a white onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

Cumin

Red Chili Powder

1 Bell pepper, chopped in ½ squares or left as slices*

1 can of diced tomatoes (SIZE)

Salt and pepper to taste

4-5 eggs**

What I eat mine with:

Sourdough bread

Mayonnaise

*Any color pepper except green! They just taste bad!

**Depends on your personal preference for egg to stew ratio

Method:

Heat a skillet over medium heat; after the air above the pan has warmed, add olive oil evenly around the pan. Wait until the oil is fragrant or the air above the pan is hot. 

You can also test the temperature by tossing a single onion piece into the oil and seeing if the oil sizzles/bubbles around it! 

Add onions to the pan and stir occasionally. Cook until softened — about three to five minutes. Add garlic and bell peppers and continue stirring until peppers are softened — about seven to ten minutes. Add cumin and red chili powder and incorporate till evenly coating the vegetables. Add diced tomatoes and stir. Put heat up to medium-high.

Let the sauce stew until tomatoes have heatened/softened — about 15-20 minutes. At this point, add salt and pepper to taste.

Create as many “pockets” as you have eggs by pressing the back of a spoon/spatula into the sauce. Crack each egg into these pockets, making sure to avoid including egg shells. Place a lid on top of the skillet and leave the shakshouka to cook the eggs; take the skillet off heat a minute after the tops of the eggs have turned white (or cook to your preference). Allow to cool before serving.

I eat my shakshouka with toasted sourdough bread (with a glob of mayonnaise on it). It can be pretty messy, so have a spoon or piece of dipping bread around to grab every last bite.

[funkforbreakfast]

ovareasy: an appreciation blog to wholesome meals

Welcome to Ovareasy: An Appreciation Blog to Wholesome Food. 

This is a space for me to share my journey with nutritious food while trying to self-remedy a chronic health condition. I am not providing,= nor looking to receive medical advice but want to share my gratefulness for good, colorful food as I turn a new leaf as young adult.

Nobody has an easy relationship with food. When I first came to college, I had spent months of the Covid-19 lockdowns getting back in tune with my body; however, after returning home to finish my freshman year virtually, I slipped into a depression where I felt I could only eat Oreos, sugary Dunkin drinks, and quesadillas. These foods made me feel happy in the moment, but I did not realize the stress they were putting on my body. After returning to college, it was only more difficult to prioritize nutritious food. Eventually, my mood, periods, and body fluctuations felt completely out of control.

I suffered from intense acne growing up and period symptoms which caused my doctor’s jaw to drop. However, the only solution anyone could offer was putting me on birth control to regulate my body. While these pills offered me a tremendous amount of relief, it felt like a bandaid-solution to my body being out of whack. Despite the medication, I was gaining weight uncontrollably, had extreme mood swings, and would pass out from cramping. After months of therapy with little impact, my mother forced me to see a gynecologist this past January. It was an incredibly uncomfortable experience which led to her telling me she would not look into any underlying conditions and that 800mg of Advil would probably cure all my symptoms. I felt incredibly ignored and ended up crying to my close friend who pointed out that it sounded like I had PCOS — a condition where one’s ovaries have more cysts than normal, which impacts periods and hormones — but that gynecologists can be stringent on diagnosing that. Instead, I would need to see an endocrinologist, but she could also also support/advice from her own treatments. I always knew something was wrong, but had never felt so validated before. Endocrinologists are incredibly difficult to get appointments with, so in the meantime she recommended I start my new birth control and look into at-home remedies; of these, one was the PCOS diet. Without going too much into the science, 50-75% of people with PCOS also have insulin resistance, which can later lead to diabetes without care, (Stathos). It is best to avoid processed foods or foods high in sugar if you have this condition. 

The first “PCOS/hormone friendly” I saw on Instagram was by theconsciousnutritionist. It was a hearty turkey, chickpea, and kale soup that I have fallen in love with. It inspired me to take the leap and try following the diet guidelines for people with PCOS, and the results have been great for me so far. While I am not a nutritionist, or someone with any medical background, this blog is meant to follow me journey as eating wholesome has improved my mental health, acne, made my body more controllable, and prevented me from taking 800mg of Advil throughout the month ❤