4/23/08

A Lovely Day and Jennifer's Tacos de papas y lentejas

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Even with the stress of finals (...and break-ups, and upcoming trips I'm not prepared for, and whatever else the world decides to throw at me) I'm trying to enjoy these first couple days of truly gorgeous weather in DC. The tendency during hardcore studying may be to lock oneself in a dark room and inhale coffee (and other substances, if you're from my school...), but I prefer to sit somewhere I can be easily distracted. Just look what's right outside my house!

Its the little things that make you more cheerful when you're incredibly screwed. For instance, instead of typing up an outline I'm hand-writing it. Its easier on my wrists, and since I can't bring it to the exam anyways I think the act of writing aids my memory. I'm also blasting music and making sure there are plenty of bananas and faux-nutella nearby, as crucial study aids.

You know what also helps? Having a full meal- not just vending machine cuisine. While I was wondering if I could possibly dream up something on my own, my roomate suggested tacos and I thought- "you know who makes yummy-looking tacos...?"

I was of course thinking of the lovely Jennifer of Veg*n Cooking and Other Random Musings blog. I've been drooling over a few of her recipes lately, but the ingredients and timing were right to make Potato and Lentil Tacos (minus the home-made salsa.) I also tried out the avocado cream from a few posts earlier. And ladies and gentlemen, I'm happy to announce that both items were a rousing success.

In fact, when my omni roommate saw what was cooking, he decided not to cook the lbs of greasy taco meat he had planned on. :)

I have to say that I'm always a little nervous about lentils. I either make them too mushy or under-cook them, or I under flavor them... its just a mess. But for once I got it right, and the mixture with the onions and jalapenos was flavorful enough on its own that I plan to eat it tomorrow over some leftover lettuce and tomatoes. The potatoes were also awesome. I really under-utilize plain old potatoes- and they can be so good! The whole thing came together really well, and I loved the avocado cream (which was also super-simple.) I can only imagine it was better with the addition of home-made salsa, but I was happy with the store-bought kind too.

So thanks Jennifer! An easy and spicy meal was just what I needed to get me prepped for an all-nighter with my good friends Of Montreal and Understanding Trusts and Estates. And just so you know, the timing you wrote was accurate- minus the salsa the whole think took just under 40 minutes from start to finish. Not bad for such awesome results!

And now... sigh...back to work....

5 comments:

J said...

I love how you got the Spanish translation. I should really start doing that!

Pretty pictures, I love the one with the bike against the fence. I was also VERY GOOD at procrastinating when I was in school.

I'm so happy you liked them! Your omni roommate liked these? Awesome! That's so cool. I'm always a little nervous when someone tries out one of my creations. What if I'm crazy to think that was good?!

Lentils are hit and miss. I usually overcook them, but have been getting better.

Enjoy your evening with Trusts and Estates!

Alicia said...

I understand your roommate, I would have eaten all your tacos :-).

(pssst, it's lentejas, not lentajas)

Anonymous said...

mmm... yummy tacos

Amey said...

wow cool!
That looks like a super yummy dinner. I'm with you on lentils. A bad lentil is a bad thing. Nice to know that this was truly a quick meal. Maybe I'll make it for my grandpa sometime.

yum!
:)

Lindsay (Happy Herbivore) said...

Jennifer is the Mexi-Diva