It has been a strange past few days of being back in Korea. After an amazing vacation in Paris, I'm now trying to transition into this new life of unemployment (or what I hope will eventually be self-employment). :) In some ways, I'm totally loving the freedom of not having to wake up and grade essays and deal with company politics etc, but then on the other hand, I also feel uneasy about my future and whether I know what the heck I'm doing. I want to enjoy the extra free time and do the things I haven't been able to do before, but I also don't want to turn into a lazy bum. I can see how easy it would be to just let these summer days pass me by without doing anything productive whatsoever. I know I have to feed off of every source of inspiration around me and turn it into action...
Anyway, one source of inspiration for me here is my Korean-Canadian friend Sylvia, who has been such a big supporter of everything I do, whether it be this blog, my vegan baking, or my art stuff. She is always so encouraging and every time I hang out with her, she gives me new ideas to expand and grow. Not only is she a great motivator, but she also knows a thing or two around the kitchen! She is one awesome cook and I will never forget the amazing Mexican dinner party she hosted at her apartment a while back... her guac and vegan burritos have forever-etched themselves into my memory! Ever since then, I've been (not so slyly) hinting that she should have another dinner party, just so I can eat her food. So when she invited me over for lunch at her place yesterday, I was there in a heartbeat.
Knowing how much I love hummus, she whipped up these giant, super healthy hummus sandwiches with toasted slices of rustic whole wheat bread, sprouts, cucumbers, and dijon mustard spread.
The hummus was super smooth, and even had bits of fresh cilantro in it for added flavor. All the ingredients came together to create major delicousness. The hummus was also great for dipping celery sticks in, which she prepared on the side. :)
Feeling guilty about going to her place empty-handed, I brought over a mini chocolate cake with dried blueberries. For the cake, I used the chocolate cake recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking, and just mixed a handful of dried blueberries into the batter, as well as sprinkled a few over the top. The whole thing was super easy to put together, and yet turned out really yummy!
We both loved the cake. It had just the right amount of sweetness, and the texture was also perfect. Sylvia was such a cute hostess in that she busted out her new teapot and cups, so that we could have a chic little afternoon tea party.
And being a huge fan of Paris herself, she brewed up some Mariage Freres tea, which is apparently a famous French tea brand, and it paired excellently with the chocolate cake. :) What a great lunch date. Thanks Sylvie!