More Snow

This was my view from the hall window on Feb. 10:

From February 2010 photos

We're having another storm as I write this, and Rutgers has just canceled night classes (which means no Manuscripts & Archives class for me, unfortunately). I predict I will have a similar view by 7 am tomorrow morning.

I love the snow and winter. When I lived in Upper Montclair (nearly an hour north of here by car and a world away by other measurements) and it snowed, I would walk down to Brookdale Park, marveling at how the trees looked so black against the snow. These tall trees would stretch their branches over the street and some snow would just hang there among the branches while the rest filtered through onto the street and me.

Make Your Own Low-Fat, Egg-Free Salad

From February 2010 photos

Since I began volunteering at the George Street Co-op a few years ago, I have eaten my share of vegan "egg-salad" made from tofu. The Co-op sells small containers for more than $3.00 a piece, so I decided to save some cash by making my own. Today, when I read the ingredient list on the packages in the "Grab-and-Go" refrigerator, I discovered that except for the fresh parsley (which I decided to omit), I had all the ingredients.

I started by picking up some Lite Firm Tofu from Nasoya. It has the perfect texture for fake egg or chicken salads, stir frys, and much more. I'm so glad they developed a low-fat version because it makes such a big difference when I'm trying to cut fat from my diet.

From February 2010 photos

My recipe is very easily and quickly made. However, it does improve over a little time, so I recommend making it an hour or two prior to eating. It yields 3-4 servings, depending on the size of your sandwich/serving.

Deb's Low-Fat, Egg-Free Salad

Ingredients:

1 14-oz package low-fat, firm tofu cut into 1/4 in. cubes
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/8 teaspoon celery seed
2 1/2 tablespoons Veganaise (I use the grapeseed oil version)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste.

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients and stir until well combined.
2. Chill for 1-2 hours, then enjoy!

From February 2010 photos

Egg Roll Deliciousness

From February 2010 photos

Even though I'm trying to omit all animal product from my life in order to drop my cholesterol, I thought I'd try some Nasoya Asian Style Egg Roll wrappers. They did not disappoint.

Last week, I made egg rolls and scallion pancakes as part of an Asian-inspired dinner, and used the recipe on the outside of the egg roll packet to make the crispy appetizers. I made a few substitutions (which I probably will not make again), but they were very tasty nonetheless. The directions on the back of the packet showed precisely how to roll and fold the wrappers, but left out the important direction of lightly wetting the end to seal it against the roll. The wrappers fried up nicely. I did not deep fry them, but instead fried them in 1/8 in. of oil. They didn't take long to cook, and stayed closed while frying.

I also made my own dipping sauces with a low-sodium soy sauce and red pepper flakes, as well as a mock duck sauce using a no-sugar-added plum spread mixed with a little water and also some red pepper flakes. Both were fun dips for the crunchy egg rolls.

My rating: A for for Nasoya's egg roll wrappers (would have been A+ if they were vegan).

Stereotactic Breast Biopsy Info

Recently, my blog has been visited by more than a handful of women who are either approaching a stereotactic breast biopsy, or who have just experienced one and are researching the topic. As those of you who have been following this blog since 2008 (or earlier) know, I documented my experiences with the procedure in excruciating detail.

While at first I was concerned about the level of detail I shared here, it turns out that fellow patients are very glad that I did because they have not been adequately prepared for the experience. And how could they be? How many of the nurses and radiological surgeons have actually experienced the procedure? My guess is not many. I sincerely hope that fewer women need to go through this, although I'm glad of the clear results.

All that to say, I just thought I would provide all the links to the original series of posts on the topic in one post. This way, the facts and personal events I've shared are easy to locate.

As always, I encourage fellow travelers down this road to please share their experiences in the comments section. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Here are the links:

Post 1
Post 2
Post 3
Post 4