Author: Faye

Faye is a Creative Director working in the travel and tourism industry. She lives with her husband, Jason and their two Siamese cats, Pandora and MacGyver and Snowshoe kitten, Grayson, in southern Rhode Island.

A Vegan Recipe for Your New Year’s Goals

A Vegan Recipe for Your New Year’s Goals

It’s a new year and many people have set intentions for eating healthier. For some, like me, that means focusing more on plant based meals. I realized as I was thinking about eating more vegan or vegetarian foods that much of what I ate growing up in a Greek household was vegan. We gaffed it up with feta, but without it, the dishes were 100% vegan. This is why the Mediterranean diet is so lauded. It’s mostly plant based, but allows you to eat everything. Meat is treated as a seasoning or a garnish, fish is encouraged, but most dishes are vegetarian, if not totally vegan. So I’m sharing one of my favorite Greek dishes: Kounoupidi Kokkinisto or Braised Cauliflower.

Braised Cauliflower is vegan without the feta on top

Ingredients:

  • 1 head of cauliflower cut into florets
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • feta cheese (optional)

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a dutch oven, pot or wide skillet. Add the cut cauliflower, in batches if needed, until browned. (8-10 minutes).

Remove browned cauliflower to a plate.

Add onions to the pot, add more oil if necessary, and cook the onions down until they are soft and golden – about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.

Add the can of crushed tomatoes, the cauliflower, cinnamon, red pepper flake, salt and pepper and then fill up a 1/2 cup water and add until it just covers the cauliflower.

Bring to a boil, then cover the pot, lower the heat to low and simmer until the cauliflower can be easily cut with a fork – about 25 minutes.

Uncover and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the sauce thickens a bit more. Adjust seasoning if needed. Let cool a bit and serve with feta, if you wish. If you want to keep it vegan, then leave the feta out.

Enjoy! And if you need a good motto to follow for eating healthier, I like this one by Michael Pollan:

Eat real food, not too much, mostly plants.

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Stay Warm, Cozy and Stylish with These Amazon Winter Faves

Stay Warm, Cozy and Stylish with These Amazon Winter Faves

The holidays are over and winter is really setting in. If you feel like your wardrobe needs a refresh because you may be heading back to the office, or even if you’re still working remotely but want to feel stylish, cozy and presentable for any impromptu video calls, here are some of my favorite winter fashion finds from Amazon.

I’m a sucker for coats. I buy way too many, but a good coat can make almost anything presentable. You can wear all black sweats under a mid-length camel coat and look chic and expensive. A light, white short puffer can go over a workout outfit or jeans and a sweater and you look like you just got off the ski slopes. Also, proper footwear is key for wintry weather. Staying home never looked better when you’re dressed in cozy, comfy lounge wear. Stay warm but look stylish and still be able to use your phone with these gloves. Those are just some of the highlights. If you want to see some of these on a real size 16-18, let me know and I’ll make a post. Happy shopping and stay warm!

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2022 Vision

2022 Vision

Happy new year! What are your plans for 2022? I know, I know, it’s hard to make plans when we’re still living with a pandemic that surges and recedes. But life needs to go on and I like to start every new year with a vision. I haven’t done a vision board in many, many years, but I thought I’d go back to this favorite activity from my youth. It always helps to have it up where you can see it every day and it keeps you focused on the big picture.

This year I’d like to continue to focus on travel. Yes, it’s what I do for work – I promote the area where I live as I am the creative director for the tourism council here – but I like to travel and learn about other places, other cultures. Last year, despite the pandemic, I had an epic travel year. First I went to Napa Valley for a conference. Every event was outside, we wore masks, everyone was safe and my husband joined me for a few extra days where we got to explore a part of the country neither of us had ever been to before. I’ll post more about this trip and some tips on where to go, where to stay, etc. Then in the summer for my 50th birthday, husband surprised me with tickets to Greece – where my family is from. We had the best trip and we can’t wait to go back. I’ll post more about that, too.

This year I want to focus on a road trip or camping (maybe clamping) trip with my oldest and dearest friend. We had tentatively planned to meet in Nashville last year, but the pandemic canceled that trip.

I have some work conferences tentatively planned for Puerto Rico, Seattle and Bogota, Columbia. We’ll see which ones actually happen.

Artist paiting

Being and staying creative is important and this year I’d like to focus on creating art – in whatever form that is – be it painting, writing or photography.

Ballet

Getting fit and in shape is TOP of the priority list because let’s face it, between turning 50, the pandemic and thyroid issues, I’ve gained a lot of weight and it’s all sitting right in my middle. My goal is to start with dance and continue to go to the gym and swim.

Healthy breakfast bowl

Eating healthy is right up there with getting fit. Finding out that I have Hashimoto Thyroiditis has made eating right challenging as I learned that I shouldn’t be eating soy, gluten, grain or dairy. So a whole new eating plan has been put in place. And I’ve given up sugar because pre-diabetes.

Collect moments not things

Lastly, this is the motto that I want to live by. I’m currently working my way through loads and loads of clothing and shoes and things that I’ve purchased and don’t wear or need. I’d like to clear out the clutter and focus on making memories and taking photos and not shopping. Shop your closet instead!

What are your plans for 2022? Is there something you’d like me to write about? Email me suggestions or questions!

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The Perfect Roast Beef

The Perfect Roast Beef

I grew up in a house where meat was cooked well done – always. I have never liked my meat even medium never mind rare. But my husband loves his roasts, steaks and burgers cooked medium rare and I have never once cooked any of those things correctly according to him. Now he cooks, too, and some will say even better than I do, so if he wants something his way, he makes it and makes mine the way I want. I just never seem to be able to get the timing right to keep meat medium rare.

This year for New Year’s Day it was just the two of us. I was craving a roast and so I made one. I followed this recipe, with some modifications. I used red pepper flake and garlic powder in the paste rubbed all over the roast and just thyme and rosemary, not basil. I kept an eye on the time and pulled it out even though all my instincts told me to leave it in longer. It turned out perfect! I did cook my piece a little longer on the stove. I just can’t eat meat that’s bleeding.

I paired it with these melting potatoes and a side Caesar salad and it was one of the best meals ever. We now have a lot of leftover roast beef for sandwiches.

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Vasilopita Recipe(Greek New Year’s Cake)

Vasilopita Recipe(Greek New Year’s Cake)

Vasilopita literally translates to “King Cake”. It is however, a New Year’s Day tradition in the Greek culture, not tied to lent. It honors Saint Vasilios (aka St. Basil) who is honored on January 1st. The cake is made with oranges, a winter fruit, and in it, one bakes a coin wrapped in foil. As you cut the cake on New Year’s Day, you cut a piece for the home, and one for each member of the family. Whoever finds the coin has good luck for the year. I end up finding the coin most years in my household as there are only two humans and I’m the only one who eats enough cake to keep cutting slices. It’s really delicious dunked in coffee. My mother has made many variations over the years, but my favorite is this one on Food52. The only change I make is I use one cup of sugar instead of two as it doesn’t need to be so sweet.

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Garides Saganaki (Shrimp Saganaki) Recipe

Garides Saganaki (Shrimp Saganaki) Recipe

This is one of my traditional Christmas dishes. I first had it in Greece at a nice restaurant in the town of Gargalianoi – the closest town to my parents’ village where we have a home. I like to make this around Christmas because of the beautiful red and green colors.

In Greek cooking there are a whole slew of dishes which are categorized as saganaki.  One of the most popular is feta saganaki a meze (appetizer) of fried feta set aflame with the help of a little ouzo or Metaxa.  The term saganaki actually refers to the small, two-handled frying pan in which the food is cooked called a sagani, a derivative of the Turkish word sahan, which means copper dish.  But you don’t need a special pan to make this dish, any sort of deep frying pan or cast iron skillet will work.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 red pepper, cut into strips
  • 1/2 green pepper, cut into strips
  • 10 ounces grape or cherry tomatoes 
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tbsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1 cup crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1lb shrimp, peeled and de-veined
  • 3 tbsp ouzo
  • 3/4 cup Greek feta, crumbled
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a large skilled over medium heat and saute the onion for 5 minutes until soft and translucent. 
  • Add the minced garlic, red and green pepper strips, cherry tomatoes, red pepper flakes, oregano and paprika and saute for an additional 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
  • Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring regularly for 2 – 3 minutes and then add the shrimp to the pan with the ouzo. Stir, cover your skillet, and cook for 5 minutes, on medium-low.
  • Uncover your skillet and sprinkle the crumbled feta onto the shrimp and tomato mixture. Broil for up to 5 minutes in the oven or until feta is soft and browned.
  • Sprinkle with the chopped parsley.
  • Serve with toasted/crusty bread or over pasta or rice.
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2023 Vision

I can’t believe we’re already in 2023. It seems like 2022 flew by. I am still wondering where 2020 and 2021 went. Last year, for the first time, I published my vision board for the […]

Shrimp & Veggie Stir Fry with Rice Noodles

This gluten free recipe can also be made vegan and comes together quickly and easily for a weeknight meal.

Get lost! No, really.

In today’s world we do everything for social media. We plan everything out. We use GPS so we ensure we never get lost, take Ubers in strange cities instead of wandering the streets and we miss out on the adventure, the unexpected, the beautiful connections that happen when you’re not looking. Being disconnected can be surprisingly liberating. Try it sometime.

Thanksgiving Menu 2021

If you’re hosting Thanksgiving, or just bringing a dish or a dessert, here are the recipes I’m making this year.