March 28th 2012 Posted By Emily Comments ( )

Orange Coconut Macaroons

SPRING BREAK! was last week. My friend Clint said “I’m not sure you get Spring Break?” but Wes would have had no fun taking a week off without me. We decided Zion National Park was the best destination option- mainly because it wouldn’t be precipitating. I remembered a backpacking trip I did there several years ago where we hiked from Kolob Canyon to Zion Canyon. Our last night was spent in the most amazing spot on the rim overlooking both canyons, and it was an easy 5 mile hike down to the car from there. I always thought an out-and-back trip just to that spot would be the perfect little overnighter, so that’s what we decided to do for Wes’ first backpacking trip. Who woulda thought that going straight up for 5 miles (3500 feet of elevation gain) would be much more difficult than going down.

The difficulty of the trip hadn’t even dawned on me by the time we’d finished our first steep mile and arrived at the trailhead to Angel’s Landing. We saw the hoards of inexperienced tourists starting up the 1.1 mile round-trip death rock, and thought “That’ll be a quick fun addition to our already quick, easy hike. Let’s do it!” And so we did. And it was the scariest place I’ve ever been. If it wasn’t gonna be me that went over the edge, I thought for sure someone else would. Maybe the guy with the baby on his back who’d been climbing off the trail ahead of us all day. Thankfully, we missed the action if there was any to be seen. This little side trip took a lot more out of us (physically and mentally) than the lunch break that we originally had in mind.

zion-screaming-angels — This pic captures the true feel of Angel's Landing (finger & all)

After that, the trail continued, straight up the sides of sheer cliffs, covered in snow (which I tackled in my trail-runners), until we finally reached the point which we could walk no more (we called it Campsite 4 ½) at around 6:30pm. The view was as breathtaking as I’d remembered. Wes started using the word “bitchin” a lot once we finally reached the rim, so I stopped worrying that I’d be boyfriendless before dinner. We pulled out our tall PBR’s and layered up for the long anticipated best sunset of our lives- which never happened. Clouds rolled in at just the wrong moment after hours of blistering sun, and day turned to night with nothing in between. The stars didn’t even come out, so we quickly made dinner and went to bed before 9. I was awoken by leg aches around 4am, and invited Wes outside for a pee date and we finally got to see some stars. We also got a spectacular sunrise over the other canyon, so we didn’t go home feeling jipped.

Ok, so I have to admit something. This was not the most well-planned Dirty Gourmet trip. We made some “grate” stuff on the campfire in a campground the night before, but due to forgetting the can opener and salt and pepper, we resorted to a backpacker meal and ramen for the hike. Backpacker meals tend to be dehydrated food mixed together in a zip-top bag. You just pour hot water in and let it reconstitute. These are typically the meals we aim to avoid- one of the main reasons our blog exists. Its not that they don’t taste good exactly, but they lack personality. There is no opportunity to add your own flare, and this takes a lot away from the overall healthy and soulful outdoor experience.
The backpacker meal I purchased (Thai peanut sauce flavor) was fine at dinner, but I’d added too much water, turning it into a sort of soup rather than a thick sauce. This is when my gourmet senses turned on. When most of the rice and vegetables were gone, I zipped up the leftover soup and saved it for the morning. At breakfast, we made a package of oriental flavor ramen, but boiled it in the leftover peanut butter soup. The flavors combined perfectly and breakfast was delicious. It was much heartier than was (not very well) planned. The lesson is: even if you’re a professional like me, you can screw up, but you can always do something to jazz up a meal and make it “dirty gourmet.” I hope you all had or plan to have an amazing Spring Break if you’re lucky enough to get one.

Luckily ramen was not the only form of calories I’d brought with me for the hike down. I had some leftover Orange Coconut Macaroons that Aimee had made for a meeting last week. I was beyond thrilled when I found those in my pack. Here’s the recipe for those.

*Adapted from Dave Lebovitz’s recipe in Ready for Dessert

March 21st 2012 Posted By Emily Comments ( )

Sweet Potato Tostadas with Chipotle Lime Sour Cream

Our friend Ben came down to visit from Humboldt State last weekend. He came with two of his teammates to race bikes in the San Dimas Stage Race. Though they live in the rain a good portion of the year and definitely have experience racing in it, they weren’t thrilled to hear the miserable forecast for the weekend. They’d chosen Southern California because of reputation for good weather for their Spring Break week race, and were not impressed that it didn’t comply with their wishes.

The race lasted all three days. Friday was a time trial (ride as fast as you can by yourself) up Glendora Mountain Road (the mountain that Wes made me ride up for his birthday last year). Saturday was a road race around Bonelli Park where I run every week (8 laps around a 7 mile loop). Sunday was the “crit” (ride around a tight circle a million times in a big group and don’t crash, taking everyone around you out with you).

Saturday truly was the saddest weather I’ve seen in a long time. That’s the day I went to watch, and I got some good gear testing done on my new softshell, because it was hailing and windy and pouring the whole 10 minutes I was outside. We watched from the top of the steepest climb, and even the pros looked like they were going slow. Ben told us they all just pressed their brakes as hard as they could on the descent to keep them going slow enough not to die. He said he saw three crashes, and each just involved one guy falling over from the wind or slippery pavement or their legs no longer continuing to work. He said that he was so cold that he tried to eat a goo and couldn’t even close his hand around it so it just fell.

Luckily, Sunday gave them sun (haha), and there were a lot less people left to race against. The boys struggled through it, and then the worst part was that they had to drive ALLLL the way back up to the northernest part of the state. They were some tough boys, even for my standards.

They also can eat. We made 3 full trays of enchiladas, about 10 lbs of potatoes, and 2lbs of spaghetti. It’s all gone, as well as the 6 packages of bagels they brought and all the food they went out to eat as well. I wish I’d tried out this Sweet Potato Tostada recipe on them while they were here. I heard it creates a feeding frenzy with big crowds, like Aimee’s family, without the cook actually having to do the assembling (always a plus when cooking outside).

If you wanted to take this car camping, you could make the sweet potatoes and chop the veggies ahead of time for a super quick camp meal. If your goal is less around quick and more around delicious, cook the sweet potatoes in foil in a campfire and pan fry tortillas in a cast iron skillet at camp for fresh tostada shells. Yum!

March 7th 2012 Posted By Emily Comments ( )

Tempeh Hot Wings

Life is all about your expectations. I really believe that you get what you think you’ll get, no matter what. Have you ever heard of the crazy theory of biocentrism? Talk to my dad if you really want to get into it. It basically says that the universe is created by life and conscious observation, instead of the opposite. This has been famously shown with the use of light particles in the double-slit experiment, and a lot more work dealing with macromolecules is now being done. Sounds kinda crazy, huh? Quantum physics always does. But, its pretty cool to think that even the laws of physics are being updated to show that truth and reality are relative to what you observe or believe.

Many of you know that the three of us girls have been toying with the idea of creating a real live business out of Dirty Gourmet. We’ve experimented with several options, from e-books to granola. Those things aren’t completely off the table (relax, granola freaks), but we’ve recently committed to a more complete path that encompasses the mission of Dirty Gourmet more fully. We’re here to fill a niche – one that needs filling for more important reasons than just to grow big and make money. We’re aiming to help you make lifestyle changes that will benefit you as individuals, as well as the whole world around you. We’re hoping that these changes will spread to new audiences, and the idea of really savoring life will become normal. The way that stress is normal today.

And we expect to be successful, so I know that we will be.

I realize we’ve been on a vegan kick lately, and here’s another recipe to add to that. Hopefully by now, you’ve decided to try out one of these crazy recipes no matter how much you love meat. If you haven’t, though, try this one. This hot wing recipe completely transforms the tempeh (something we admit can be hard to get into) into an addicting dish that will create a serious feeding frenzy. The recipe was adapted from two other sources: Christiane Britton’s Tastebook and Destiny’s Kitchen.

March 1st 2012 Posted By Emily Comments ( )

Spicy Maple Chex Mix

When I lived in Las Vegas as a kid, we had a free-standing hot tub. This kind is the best, because it is always hot. That means you could get in every day if you wanted, for 5 minutes or all night. My favorite thing to do when I was a kid was to get nice and hot from the hot tub on the coldest day of the year, then run and jump into the icy pool, and then jump back into the hot tub. Your skin gets all prickly and numb. It’s awesome.

Then when we lived in Florida, we had a hot tub that was connected to the pool, and it required messing with a very complicated secret combination of levers and buttons and switches to turn on. We only got to use it when Dad was home to figure it out, and we had to know we wanted to hot tub hours in advance, since it had to heat up. This experience really got me to appreciate a hot tub.

Then I grew up and moved around the country, changing locations about once a year. I haven’t stopped moving yet, and I unfortunately have not lived anywhere that had a hot tub available to me! I kind of can’t believe that when I think about it- how could I not have made that my top priority each time? I’ve truly become obsessed. I even nicknamed my savings account something related to hot tubs to remind me to save enough to get one. Last month, I tried to convince my roommates to buy me one- even just an inflatable one that takes 3 days to heat up, but was denied. The saddest part is that my current house has a huge spa bathtub in the bathroom, but our water heater doesn’t hold enough water to fill it more than a few inches, so I’ve only taken one or two sad little baths.

Anyway, last week I had some pretty sore ankles and a heel bunion thing that was really a pain, and I realized that I could have a foot spa! I could afford that and be instantly satisfied for as long as I need to wait before I’m rich and can get the real deal. So, I got it with 2-day shipping, and I planned my whole day on Tuesday around the thing arriving. I ran as hard as I could in the morning, and then climbed right afterwards to really work my poor little feet. When I got home at 6pm, it hadn’t arrived. I called my mom and whined to her about how I hadn’t even prepared myself for the possibility that it wouldn’t get there on time. She assured me it would arrive the next day. Hang on, Feet!

About an hour later, though, I got a phone call from my parents again- my dad kept saying “Thank you! You shouldn’t have! Its not even my birthday!” That’s when I realized the foot spa had been accidentally shipped to my parents house in Vegas!! I could hear my mother’s laughter roaring in the background while I fell into a pit of grief. She said my dad was so excited when he opened it, thinking she had gotten him some nice gift. I made sure he didn’t keep that idea in his mind for long. (He has a real hot tub, remember, so don’t feel bad for him).

I still haven’t gotten my foot spa. My ankles and heel bunion and blisters and callouses are continuing downhill. At this point, I can barely walk. The moral of the story: Don’t live with or close enough to your parents that you end up sending lots of things from your online shopping accounts to their house. It is very easy to overlook the shipping address.

One thing I love, and need in my life as much as a hot tub, is any type of chex mix. I grew up with the original recipe, then got at least 5 bags of the packaged stuff at a time for every occasion in high school, thanks to my best friend Anne (who got multiple bags of Twizzlers in return). Lately we’ve gotten experimental with our recipes, and I haven’t been disappointed yet. This version happened because I told Aimee to remember to bring “checks” to the last camping trip, and that immediately sparked a need for “chex” mix, so I asked her to bring that too. I couldn’t believe when she actually showed up with it! Especially because she showed up with two huge batches, meaning there was enough that I could share! The recipe was adapted from this one from Food & Wine. Go whip yourself up a batch of this delicious and Spicy Maple Chex Mix, and sit yourself in a hot tub- or hot springs- if you’re lucky enough to have access to one. It will be the happiest night of your life.

February 22nd 2012 Posted By Emily Comments ( )

Tofu “Egg” Salad

I wrote this post almost a year ago now, but we forgot to post it:

“I haven’t owned a TV in over a year. I got rid of mine when I was unemployed and realized that I actually didn’t miss it at all. I still watched a few shows here and there on Hulu.com, and was able to appreciate them better than I ever did before. Those nights were as special as a movie night. At this point, I haven’t been watching anything and its really been totally fine. That is, until I realized that So You Think You Can Dance is back on! That is my ultimate favorite show, and I actually get sad if I miss it. Luckily, its everyone else’s favorite show too- even the very manliest of family members and friends. They say they appreciate the dancers’ “athleticism.” So they record it at their own homes, and I get to come over weekly and watch it. TV really is much more special the less access you have to it, and boy are you more productive with your relaxation time. We spend a lot of time slack lining in my backyard, cooking together, chatting at the new dining room table, and listening to podcast radio shows like This American Life.”

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February 15th 2012 Posted By Emily Comments ( )

Garbanzo “Tuna” Salad

We had scheduled a Dirty Girl meeting for Super Bowl Saturday, and we decided to meet up for it at Leo Carrillo State Park and have a camping meeting. I remember talking to my friend in college once about how I was planning to go study in the park. He said he always had to study indoors because there were too many fun distractions outside and he’d never get any work done. I remember feeling very sad for him that day, and glad I didn’t have to banish myself to dark, air conditioned places to do already unfun tasks.

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February 1st 2012 Posted By Emily Comments ( )

Dutch Oven Stuffed Peppers

I’m an official runner now. Training for this marathon. I think I’ll like it because its scenic (though we all know the real reason is that its downhill). Anyone ever done it? I’m pretty surprised with how obsessed I already am. I’ve been tracking my weight, my heart rate, my total miles, pace, clothes, food. I haven’t even really been drinking! And Wes just bought me a new monster GPS watch so I can be even more obsessed.

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January 18th 2012 Posted By Emily Comments ( )

Kabocha Squash Soup

Naptime. Its cold in the house like it always is, but not outside. Wes and Frito are asleep next to me as always, and I’m fighting to stay awake to take advantage of the time I have to be leisurely. I won’t make it long though. I always lay down and catch the last 10 minutes or so before the alarm. I’ve opened the windows by the bed, and the shockingly warm breeze for a January afternoon keeps floating in. These are the moments to appreciate. The ones you wish for all the time, but never notice when they arrive.

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January 9th 2012 Posted By Emily Comments ( )

Orange Miso Rice Bowl

Happy 2nd Anniversary Dirty Gourmet! Still going strong with big plans for year 3. I’ve got big plans for this year in general. I know that’s how I always feel this time of year, and I know people don’t wanna hear about New Year’s resolutions because they all say “oh, those are dumb because you won’t continue past March.” Sounds like just another excuse to me. I love resolutions! I make them all the time! Actually, I was in a bit of a goal rut last year, but not anymore. I’m on a goal roll this year.

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October 26th 2011 Posted By Emily Comments ( )

Beef Stroganoff

I used to work for an outdoor science school in the San Bernardino National Forest. I haven’t been back up there since I moved into the “real” world last year, but have kept in touch with a few friends that still work there. When we decided to sell granola on a larger scale, our biggest hangup was finding an industrial kitchen to use. Finally, a few weeks ago, we realized that we might be able to get access to the camp kitchen I used to work in. After a bit of schmoozing, we were invited up there this weekend to cook. We are SO thankful for that opportunity given to us, and even more thankful to my friend Amy, the site director at the camp, for helping us so much with the process!

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