The best patties I’ve had use corn, peas, carrots, and greens as filling, so I tried to recreate that texture as closely as possible. Using this recipe, I swapped out the corn and used a blend of cabbage and spinach, as opposed to cabbage only. I made two different types of patty – the vegetable mixture and another stuffed with a protein-heavy filling of seitan and habanero peppers, based on this great recipe from Vegan in the Sun. Though I made a few small tweaks, I imagine both recipes would be amazing as-is; highly recommended!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to ponder my sheer love of hand pies, and my hatred of large-scale, 2-layer pie.

I do love a good hot sauce vehicle.

A lil mid-week jewelry preview. I’m so excited about this one: a nice mix of the tropics, natural elements, and you know, apathy. Coming soon!

(P.S. ‘mondo’ is the best word, I’m totally bringing this one back, ok?)

Thanks to lovely Hannah for modeling!

I hate to use this corny phrase, but Space 15 Twenty is really great at having their ‘finger on the pulse’ of LA. They always seem to have something I want to check out, whether it’s their frequent flea markets, the ROOKIE takeover, or The Loved One pop-up shop. There’s another this month: from now until June 30^th, the 69 + Assembly New York shop is open every day from 12-7 PM. They’re selling digs from a handful of different designers betweens the coasts, including those killer Building Block tassel bags, Kathleen Whitaker dots and dash earrings, perfect denim from 69, and my new favorite thing ever: FAUX/real’s lenticular jewelry. Need all please.

It was fun to finally see some of my favorite wares in person, since I’m used to internet-ogling only. That alone was worth a visit! Also, if you stop by you’ll get to meet Michael Shroad’s thumb turd and this tiny lil puppy, two other things that I really want.

Photo credit: Space 15 Twenty, 69, Building Block, and FAUX/real.

I’m following more and more chefs on Instagram these days (and making food nonstop as a result, yikes). I’ve recently made a new pal in Lisa Ransing of Full Moon Fare in Philly, and we’ve been very chatty about raw desserts as she’s a genius when it comes to turning out healthy sweets. Last week she posted a recipe for raw fig bars that are basically fig newtons in their purest form. Sign me up.

Fig newtons have been popular forever because they’re sort of like a stripped-down cookie for adults: straight-up crunchy fig filling in a slightly-sweetened cookie crust. Or at least that’s how I remembered them. Of course, they’re never as light or pure as they seem – the ingredient list includes two kinds of corn syrup, hydrogenated oil, several preservatives, and calcium lactate (?). Have some fig with your filler. Blech.

The raw version involves a smooth, moist dough made from oats, nuts, and flax seeds (which also means they’re gluten free, always an added perk IMO) held together with a little honey. The filling is made by blending soaked figs with dates and bulking up with chia seeds that add a little extra crunch to go along with the fig. These cookies are delicious, fast, and pretty impossible to mess up! I found this recipe to be flexible enough to tweak as you go: try as a low-sugar breakfast bar, or make them super-sweet for dessert.

Raw Fig Newtons
Makes 12-14 bars
Original recipe by Lisa Ransing of Full Moon Fare

Ingredients
For the filling
2 cups dried figs soaked in filtered water for 15 minutes to 1 hour
6 dates
3 – 6 tbsp honey or maple syrup
Fresh squeezed orange juice (about 2 oranges)
Zest of 1 orange
¼ cup chia seeds

For the dough
½ ground flax seed
½ cup raw whole oats, ground
1 cup ground cashews
1 tbsp coconut oil (or coconut butter)
1-3 tbsp honey or maple syrup
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cinnamon
½ cup dried shredded coconut
Filtered water

1. Drain the water from the figs and blend in a food processor along with the dates, half of the orange zest, and honey. Slowly add orange juice to form a smooth, spreadable paste. Transfer fig paste to a bowl and stir in chia seeds to combine. Taste for sweetness then set aside.
2. Again using the food processor, combine salt, cinnamon, cashews, ground flax, and oats (you can also use the processor/blender to grind everything together as opposed to pre-grinding). Blend to combine, and pour in coconut oil and honey. Slowly add water, one tbsp at a time, until a shiny and sticky dough forms (should hold together when pinched).
3. Lightly grease a rolling pin with coconut oil. Do the same with a flat surface (or silpat) and transfer the dough there. Roll it out very thin, about 1/4 – 1/8 of an inch, into a long, thin rectangle. Evenly spread the fig mixture onto half of the dough, and fold over the other side of the dough to cover.
4. Cut into squares and roll in a mixture of shredded coconut and the other half of the orange zest.

These will stay good in the fridge for 3-4 days, but are too delicious to even make it that long!

Credit: photos by me, Melissa Aquino, and recipe by Lisa Ransing. Check out her site, Facebook, and Instagram.

This past weekend I tagged along with dublab (they’re doing a fundraiser right now, by the way, go give them $$) as they played music poolside at the Ojai Rancho Inn. I’m constantly amazed at how different everything is when you travel a mere 60 minutes from Los Angeles. Of course there’s infinitely more trees and open space, but even the weather seems a little different. We had an amazing two days in nature, lingering in the sun with cute dogs and eating “farm-to-table” food, as they say. The inn was rustic and charming and perfect and I would definitely go back again. It (and Ojai in general) is perfect for a laid-back weekend away.

All photos taken by me except the ones of me, taken by Nara Hernandez. Thanks, Nara!

The yard at the inn was just the right size, with a sunny pool and shady sections of grass with rocking chairs for napping or reading (or grilling!).

dublab djed for a good 6 hours but it honestly felt like 10, in the best way possible, and I don’t think anyone wanted it to end.

As the day went on, more and more people joined in, including quite a few babies and dogs (perfect afternoon). This golden was so excited to be around people and a pool that he (she?) ran the perimeter of the yard about 10 times at warp speed, while everyone watched eagerly to see if he’d jump in. He was so excited that he knocked over someones drink before finally going for it and jumping in. The entire crowd cheered loudly. The most wholesome entertainment, ever?

Snacks and palo santo: pool party supplies.

I spent most of the afternoon floating around and reading my book in various rays of sunlight.

I was in the middle of my book when this little ball of joy came and sat next to me for ear scratches. Not even exaggerating when I say this is a photo of my inner happiness :]

As the night went on, we caught an awesome pink sunset and the party moved from the pool to the yard for fire pits. We stuck around for a bit and then went and gorged ourselves on Italian food at Boccali’s.

Most of the rooms are in a cute row, but our room was essentially a free-standing pool shack. It was huge with lofted ceilings and a fireplace, and it was really nice! Evidently the owners have plans to change it from a room into a poolside bar. It’s going to be awesome when it’s done; such a perfect use of space.

I loved how the insides of the rooms were furnished – really cool rustic/southwestern yet modern vibes. We peeked into some of the other rooms in the main building and they were even cooler than ours.

Some jewelry, y’know.

Offices at the Ojai Rancho Inn.

In Ojai we ate most of our meals at The Farmer and the Cook. This is the most unappetizing photo of the most delicious items: fresh mulberries, a shot of cilantro (so much better than I thought it would taste, honestly), and jalapeno poppers (!!!)

We also took a little trip up into the hills to see the gardens at Meditation Mount.

Oh this is my house now, didn’t you know? (wishing)

Goodbye Ojai, and see ya soon.

As far as cults go, the Source Family of the 1960s was arguably the most attractive AND the least vindictive (though having the Mansons right down the road doesn’t really make for fair competition). Led by Jim Baker, known as Father Yod, the Family wasn’t so much an evil cult as it was a freeform hippie-style commune with awesome digs. About 140 members came to be over the course of the Family’s 10-ish year existence, with many living crammed together in a giant 24-room mansion in Los Feliz. The Family earned money and recruited new members by working at Baker’s health food restaurant on the Sunset Strip, The Source, which can be seen briefly in Annie Hall. When they weren’t working, members typically spent the day wearing white robes, eating raw food, indulging in new age-y pleasures, or jamming together in the garage. The music they made together as the band YaHoWha13 can be obtained via Drag City Records, or check out releases by Sky Saxton of The Seeds, because he was totally a member of the Family at one point!

Naturally, the Source Family has been the subject of many works since their unofficial dismantling in the 1970s. There have been books, NPR series, and more. But recently Marie shared about The Source, a documentary made by Jodi Wille and Maria Demopoulos. I caught a screening last week at Cinefamily, and it was even better than expected. I assumed the documentary would be made from the same few photos and interspersed alongside current-day interviews with former members. I was so wrong! Turns out that one of the members of the family, Robin, was appointed official Source historian and constantly documented their lives. The documentary features still and video footage of almost EVERY major moment the family had together, including Jim’s death. That, plus the self-awareness displayed by all of former members in their current-day interviews, makes for an interesting (and hilarious) movie for even the most knowledgeable Source enthusiasts.

The Source is now playing in many major cities across the US – check out the list of screenings here.

The Source Family (Trailer) from Eternal Now on Vimeo.

Photo credit: color photo from The Source; black and white photo via Monster Fresh.

Over the weekend the temperature skyrocketed to 105 after a cloudy and mild few days. My body wasn’t ready for it, and my week’s worth of cooking plans went out the window since, y’know, who wants to even be in the kitchen when your house is already sweltering? I can’t help but laugh when we get our first hot day of the year. Since we’re not used to it, it always seems like it’s NEVER been that hot EVER before and we’re all FREAKING OUT and wondering when this DAMN wave will pass (side note: it’s already cooled down considerably).

Whether it’s 80 or 100, I always crave “bread salad” since it’s cool and refreshing on every level. Doesn’t matter if it has pita and radishes and we’re calling it fattoush, or if I’m eating it with a day-old loaf of bread and a mustard-based dressing and it’s known as panzanella. It’s always got tons of tomatoes and tastes amazing, herbal, and fragrant. I’ll never get enough.

Traditionally, panzanella and fattoush are side dishes with few ingredients, but I’m constantly trying to make one-pot meals to keep it in the fridge and take a lunch to work. So for this, I BULKED that mess up with tons of vegetables and some protein too (if this were a mom blog I’d probably be turning the focus to how I love to make sure my family is nourished and patting myself on the back, right about now, yadda yadda ew).

Summer Bread Salad (Panzattoush?)
Makes about 4 large servings

Ingredients
For the Salad
1 can of chickpeas
2-3 pita pockets (I used Ezekiel from Food for Life)
Half a head of kale
Half a head of romaine
3 – 4 large ripe tomatoes (heirloom, roma – whatever looks amazing)
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 cucumber
Half a red onion
1 bunch radishes
Handful of fresh parsley
Several fresh mint leaves
Handful of fresh oregano

For the Dressing (makes extra)
4 cloves of garlic
1 cup olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
½ tsp salt
Grind of black pepper
1 ½ tbsp dijon mustard (I used Annie’s)
Pinch of oregano

1. Start the dressing by using a mortar and pestle (or a spoon) to mash the garlic with the salt until it forms a paste. Whisk in remaining ingredients and taste for seasonings. FYI – This will make a considerable amount of dressing in case you want to keep for leftovers.
2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees (the oven will only be on for a second, I promise). Cut the pita into inch-wide strips and brush with olive oil (I also sprinkled some salt and a bit of Middle Eastern spice mixture, but it’s your call. Have fun with it, etc. etc. w/e). Bake until the edges are crisp and brown, about 10 minutes. Let the strips cool then crumble them into smaller pieces with your hands. Aim for a nice mix of sizes – some large, some small – but don’t get too OCD, ok.
3. Chop the tomatoes, cucumber, radish, peppers, and onion into bite-sizes pieces and place into a large bowl.
4. Rinse the chickpeas well, and drain. Add them to the bowl with the other vegetables. Add about half of the dressing (eyeball it!) and mix to marinate. Set into the fridge to chill.
5. Clean and dry the romaine, kale, and fresh herbs. Chop the romaine into bite-sized pieces and mix with the mint and parsley (chopped as desired).
6. When serving, I recommend massaging the kale with a tsp or so of olive oil, then mixing the kale with the romaine and fresh herbs. Top with the tomato mixture and pita chips, and extra dressing if desired.
7. Put on your sunglasses and enjoy the rest of the summer heat.

 P.S. if you want to have leftovers, make sure you don’t store the tomato mixture with the greens or pita since everything will get soggy. I recommend storing the tomato mixture and pita chips separately from each other. The romaine and kale can stay in their bunches until serving. It makes for a lot of containers, but it’s so worth it, in my opinion!

I love these Reality Studio shoes because they seem to be a mixture of crunchy hippie clogs (natural materials, neutral colors), flatforms, and some sort of ancient shoe artifact that you’d seen in the Metropolian Museum of Art. They also remind me a bit of creepy forest-dwellers (hobbits? idk), and bring to mind the sort of the mystical/elfin turn trends have seemed to take in the past few years (see also: Jenni Kayne). Whatever, I’m all for it. Clearly I like my shoes to be unique and even “ugly” by some standards.

(Also, cork rules. I love the cork flats by Kate Spade and Repetto.)

While I am especially fond of the Viana clogs (available for pre-order at Dagmar Rousset), the Ana mules are pretty amazing as well. I also love the cut-out/T-strap? shoes in the middle photo above, though they don’t seem to be available yet.

All photos via Reality Studio.

Sometimes I wish this was a food blog, to be honest. But does the world really need another? I really doubt it. So while I daydream about having my own cookbook/Food Network show and/or pretend to be Giada or Gwyneth, I’ll keep myself grounded on planet earth by posting occasional recipes here instead. Though lately it’s been more than occasionally!

In an attempt to eat less bread (not carbs, bread…important distinction!) I’ve been trying to figure out new ways to prepare potatoes. Last weekend a craving between a potato taco and a Mexican-style stuffed baked potato sent me to the Vegan Yack Attack Blog for Mexican Twice Baked Potatoes. I changed the recipe up a little to make it a full meal (as opposed to an appetizer) by adding black beans and shredded cheese (versus the cheese sauce in the recipe). So satisfying!

Ingredients
Potatoes
6 russet potatoes, oval-shaped work best
1 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of salt

Filling
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 bag of pepperjack shreds (I used Daiya)
1 medium jalapeno, minced
3/4 cups minced shallots
6 green onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1tsp paprika
Handful of chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil

Pico De Gallo
2 tomatoes, chopped
4 green onions, sliced
Large handful of chopped cilantro
1 medium jalapeno, minced
Juice of 1 lemon or lime

Coconut Bacon
Recipe here

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and rub the potatoes with oil and sea salt. Bake on a baking sheet for 1 hour, turning over and poking once or twice with a fork after 30 minutes.
2. While the potatoes are baking, prepare the coconut bacon. Also prepare the pico de gallo by combining all ingredients in a jar or bowl and letting it rest in the fridge. Stir every 30 minutes or so to marinate.
3. Start the filling by sautéing the shallots and jalapeño in olive oil until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and about half the green onions, and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Add black beans to heat through and turn off the burner.
4. After 1 hour or when the potatoes are tender but not mushy, let cool enough to handle. Slice each potato in half and scoop out the middles, taking care to leave about 1/8” rim intact so the potato keeps its shape. I found the easiest way to do this is to trace an outline with a knife (similar to removing an avocado from it’s skin), and then carve out the centers with a spoon using those perimeters. Scoop the insides into a bowl and mash them with a little bit of olive oil or butter, and salt and pepper to taste. You can also add a little (dairy/non-dairy) milk if you like a smoother texture.
5. Mix the mashed potato centers with the black bean and shallot mixture until combined. Add remaining green onions, all seasonings including cilantro, a handful of cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the potato-bean filling into the potatoes and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for an additional 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted.
6. Serve with pico de gallo, coconut bacon, fresh avocado, and sour cream, if you desire.

This makes about 12 twice-baked potato halves, but you can of course cut the recipe for less. In terms of meal-planning, I found I was satiated on one potato half and a side vegetable/salad.

A messy photo of my messy finished meal.

Debbie Carlos is a total genius. Not only does she sell her beautiful photographs as prints and posters (you may have seen this awesome ice cream cone shot floating around, or her clouds…also floating around? hehe) but she also has a fun little food blog that is equally as lovely as it is delicious-looking. She really has a way with aesthetics – even the photos of everyday objects on her Instagram are totally stunning.

So I’m not at all surprised that her jewelry line, AHC, is brilliant. I tend to favor jewelry that looks very random and thrown together, but actually has a sense of design when you look a little closer, and Debbie’s jewelry is right on-point. Her bracelets, especially – I hope to buy the ITAL, Canyon, or Montserrat soon!

Is there anything this gal can’t do?!

All photos via AHC by Debbie Carlos.