Maple Almond Butter Brownies

OH. MY. LANTA.

What's better than a fudge-y, dense, sweet brownie? 

One that's all of the above, and  has a hint of maple, is vegan, and is gluten-free. YUM.

Every now and then, my school offers these packaged brownies at the gluten-free station (they're dairy-free too), by the brand "Dolci di Maria". These brownies are great, but they aren't as fudge-y as these, and they're coated in granulated sugar --- one of my pet peeves, is when unnecessary amounts of sugar are added to any food. So I've been wanting to make gluten-free/dairy-free brownies that incorporate all of the great qualities of and all of the qualities that I want out of the Dolci di Maria brownies. 

And man, am I glad that Chocolate Covered Katie had a great recipe for me to use as inspiration ;) The main thing that I changed was a substitution of almond flour for oat flour -- I find that oat flour tends to yield a cake-ier texture because they absorb moisture and puff up. On the other hand, almond flour doesn't really absorb a lot of moisture, so they help the brownies maintain structure while retaining the fudge-iness. 

Spice to Table/The Third Space || Asha Gomez's Recipe for Masala Chai

Put 15 college freshmen -- from all walks of life, different states across the country/different countries around the world, and seemingly incompatible social groups -- into a weekly, 3-hour long seminar that explores the relationship between flavor and neurobiology while demanding intimate collaboration (think rubbing food coloring onto the tongue of someone whom you've just met).......what do you get? 

The perfect recipe for awkwardness. 

For shyness. Discomfort. All of the feelings I felt before every piano class. 

When I first saw this seminar on the course atlas last semester, I tried to contain my excitement. I have a bad track record for developing high expectations and later being disappointed by reality, so I reminded myself to keep an open and realistic attitude towards this class. On top of that, I knew that I couldn't get too excited because I had to write a 500 word essay and apply to be accepted into the class. 

A few weeks later, I was delighted when an email from the professor popped up, congratulating me for being accepted. I returned to the course listing and reread the course description,

"This course explores the biology of deliciousness.  We will focus on the brain systems that allow us to taste and smell and how the chemical, physical, and cultural properties of different foods affect our experience of eating.  The class will meet in a test kitchen on campus, and every class will include cooking and eating, as well as discussion of assigned readings.Grades will be based on written assignments and on classroom participation."

What could be better? I love to cook, I (now) like biology(love is a strong word for anything related to academics), I can easily manage the workload. The description was vague enough for me to have an idea of what the class would be like, without fantasizing about culinary school like experiences. What could go wrong?

A Tribute to Lullwater

Welcome to one of my happy places.

Music: Desert Symphony by ThePianoGuys

xoxo, han

My Unofficial Guide to Princeton

Where's your happy place - the place where you feel safe, free to be who you are, happy?

For the longest time, I pinpointed my happy place to be the Everglades. I loved (and still love) alligators and wildlife, and we had visited the Everglades enough for me to justify labeling it as my happy place. After traveling a bit more, however, I realized that there's so many other places that I love and would want to revisit continuously (yeah, I'm that kind of person), like Jenny Lake, Leipzig, San Francisco, DISNEY WORLD...... the Everglades, as much as I love them, are a part of this list of great memories and places.

And after several months of living away from home, I've refined my definition of a happy place to be somewhere that I would never want to give up or that comforts me: my home, Lullwater Park, and downtown Princeton. Princeton is a quiet suburban town that's full of events, history, and great food. It's located in Central Jersey, about 15 minutes away from the Casperson Rowing Center (where the U.S. Olympic team practices!) and just one hour away from both Philadelphia and New York City. 

Here are some of my favorite spots in Princeton:

Spaghetti Bolognese | Why I Started Eating Meat Again

There are a million and one recipes for bolognese, and this one is by no means authentic, but it's definitely good!

I haven't eaten much beef since I began to incorporate meat back into my diet again, partly because it intimidates me and partly because I don't have a strong preference for it, however, I would eat this sauce over and over again! 

Greenwich Village & Union Square

Had the privilege of meeting up with Erik and Jessica over the weekend; here are some photos of Greenwich Village :) :

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad

Not counting today, I've only eaten brussels sprouts once --- and I did not like them. I was much younger then, but let's be clear, I was one of those kids who actually liked vegetables, so those brussels sprouts really did taste bad. 

But after watching countless recipe videos (@SortedFood and @LauraInTheKitchen) and hearing others rave about how much they love brussels sprouts, I wanted to try them one more time. The key tip that both the Sorted Food guys and Laura Vitale have mentioned is to shred the brussels sprouts, this way you don't taste their overwhelming bitterness and you can easily brown them (more flavor!). Most recipes often include bacon and parmesan cheese, but I made this with shaved macadamia nuts and chopped, dried cherries for an allergy-free and vegan version. 

You'd think that these little vegetables would taste just like lettuce -- they look like mini versions of lettuce heads! -- but they don't. However, spreading them out evenly in a pan with garlic and spices helps to brown them and mask that bitterness. 

NYC Parks : Washington Square & Central Parks

I've only been to this part of New York City once --- during the cold month of March, so this time, I was able to see it alive with all of its colors, people, and music, and I finally understand why so many people love NYU & Greenwich Village. We saw bubbles, flowers, dogs, live musical performances, people playing chess, social/political messages written in chalk. It was great.

dancing to live music.

precious.

 then we were off to Central Park.

Night at the Museum is one of my favorite movies, and passing by the museum made me even more excited to watch the third movie in the series ;)

these little lanterns will always be something that my brother & I hold close to our hearts

 Central Park is more than just trees and paths. There are large rocks to climb up and castles to visit.

Sunglasses: Fossil (but got them at TJ Max)

Bag: Etsy

Shirt: Gap (got it for $6 on sale)

Shorts: American Eagle (my favorite pair of shorts)

Shoes: Old Navy

The weather was perfect --- it wasn't too hot, it wasn't too humid, and there was a comfortable breeze. There were people everywhere, sprawled out across the fairway-like lawns on blankets.  People sat around listening to a bassist playing along to soundtracks. 

Pumpkin Cashew Quiche at Peace Food Cafe

(kabocha squash, kale, cashew cheese....all vegan & gluten-free & delicious)

I might do a restaurant review on this place, but let's just say that even my brother, the T-rex of all T-rexes (the carnivore) loved the food.

xoxo, han

Peach Festival

Working harder on my photography skills (everything was taken using manual mode) at Terhune Orchards, where the cider donuts are famous, delicious, & full of bad ingredients

 (I hate the term, but "yolo" really does apply here)

S'mores with Chia Seed Graham Crackers

 S'mores. Everyone (but my brother, who doesn't like graham crackers) loves them.

The first time I ate a real s'more around a campfire was two years ago, when I went camping & white water rafting....as the only girl....out of the group of my brother and his little friends....Regardless, the camping experience was interesting and I'd go camping again, but the white water rafting was not --- let's just say I carried ;)

But back to the s'mores, There's nothing like roasting the marshmallow over fire and incorporating that smoky flavor into the s'more, but this is a nice alternative when you can't go out and make a fire in the woods.

Big thanks to Maureen (<3) who gave me one of Cara Reed's dessert cookbook where I found the graham cracker recipe ---- I also have her to thank for making me workout 10x harder ;) --- but this stuff is WORTH IT!