Bits and Pieces

The picnic food was a big hit. I'm still working through the last of the leftover lentils and chutney—what a chore! No, they're delicious. And, having been a burgers-and-pizza girl for a couple of years now, I'm kind of amused to find myself so heartily enjoying eating things like lentils. And I'm eating a pint of local strawberries for breakfast with my coffee-and-soy-milk, and keeping cherry tomatoes on my kitchen counter for snacking purposes. I swear I haven't turned into either a hippie or a vegetarian.

I'm now on day six of my dairy-free diagnostic process. This morning, just before waking up, I dreamed that I was eating an entire Splendora's sampler by myself—that's eight small scoops of gelato, for the uninitiated. Then I started popping bocconcini (little bite-size balls of fresh mozzarella), since I'd already messed up. I remember thinking, "Well, if I get sick, then I know I'm lactose intolerant... but it's worth it!" I guess the cheating-on-your-diet dreams happen even when the diet isn't the weight-loss kind. I'm going to give it a couple more days and then add dairy products back into my diet. I haven't noticed that my stomach's been behaving particularly differently this past week, so we'll have to see.

I had a salad at Chipotle yesterday, and have since been contemplating their chipotle-honey salad dressing. Supposedly, it's red wine vinegar, honey, olive oil, oregano and adobo. I'm going to have to make my own at some point, but I don't think I'll use olive oil—not neutral enough—and I'll probably add some lime juice. I love that dressing, and I have a big package of organic salad greens that I have to finish in the next couple of days.

I'm also thinking about buying a small food processor. Vanessa brought this cannellini bean dip to the picnic, which was essentially hummus made with white beans instead of chickpeas and fresh parsley instead of cumin. I was eating it by the spoonful, and I'd like to be able to make it myself. Not to mention hummus, pesto, and so on. Perhaps a voyage up Route 29 to Target is in order...