Pumpkin overnight oats

It's Halloween and only appropriate to have a pumpkin food post. I can't eat right when I get up for yoga in the morning cause I want nothing in my stomach at 5 in the morning, but making overnight oats in a jar makes it easy to carry with me for after class. Plus this is literally effortless to make.

Oats

Serves one 

1/4 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup canned pumpkin 

Splash of milk of your choice

1/2 tsp. agave or maple syrup 

Pumpkin spice and cinnamon 

Crushed nuts or dried cranberries optional

1. Mix everything except the nuts and cranberries in a jar (you can also put it in a bowl just cover with aluminum foil).

2. Close the lid and put in the fridge overnight.

3. The next morning add the nuts and cranberries. Don't forget to pack a spoon.

Sartorial

The man of the hour

Coat- Cheap Monday, flannel- Land's End, sweater- Madewell, skirt- Prada, necklace (worn as a collar accessory)- J.Crew, shoes- Converse, gloves- Marc Jacobs 

Well it's looking to be a rather fashionable fall. First there was Aimee, then Leandra, and now Scott. Scott Schuman is the man behind the lens of countless photographs that have taken my breathe away, inspired my next outfit, and have reassured me that eccentric can be beautiful. If you ever make it onto his world-viewed blog The Sartorialist, you know you have made it. Schuman attracted all of the hippest locals as the star of an arts festival, and I'm never one to miss out on an opportunity to soak up style. I have to say that hearing someone so passionate about their artistic work is incredibly motivating and inspiring. Schuman emphasized that his work doesn't necessarily capture the real essence of the people he photographs but his own imagination of the person and who they are. Looking to the future he feels that things are coming full circle to make communication much more visual.

Seared ahi and ginger miso cabbage slaw

The key to a perfect ahi tuna steak is a good piece of fish (don't skimp on quality) and acting quick with the cooking. I'm not a fan of the sesame seeds but feel free to coat the outer edges of your steak with them. And the Asian slaw is a great side dish to keep with the Japanese flavors.

Ginger miso cabbage slaw
Serves 1
1 cup of chopped cabbage
2 tbsp. chopped green onion
1 tsp. miso paste
1/2 tsp. rice vinegar
1/2 tsp. minced ginger
1/4 tsp. maple syrup
hot water (to mix the paste)

1. Mix all ingredients together except the cabbage and green onion. Might want more or less ginger depending on how you feel about it and more or less maple syrup depending on how sweet you want it.
2. Add the dressing to the cabbage and green onion in a bowl and toss well. Set aside and prepare the tuna.

Ahi Tuna
Serves 1
1 6 oz. ahi steak
olive oil
soy sauce
lemon juice
dash of sesame oil
salt and pepper

1. You'll want to mix everything together to make a bit of a marinade to soak the tuna. I usually soak into in a tupperware overnight, or in the morning so it'll be ready at night when I get home.
2. You'll want the pan to be super hot and coated with olive oil.
3. Place the steak on the hot oil you'll only want 30 seconds to a minute for each side so remember to act quick. This is so the tuna will be still rare on the inside but cooked on the outside.
4. Serve immediately and top with green onions and sriracha if you'd like (or any time of a miso dressing).

Pink and pumpkins

Jacket- H&M, pink sweater- H&M, lace layered sweater- Free People, booties- Topshop

There's really only one way to pick pumpkins, and it's acting like a diva. The jacket was an impulse buy, but it really is the perfect way to top any outfit. When people try to get you down it's only best to show them that you're a survivor and wearing a fantastic outfit only screams "your thoughts are irrelevant." On the topic of survivors, the pink sweater is in honor of this month and my favorite survivor, who reminds me to get up everyday and dress fabulously no matter what the occasion is.

Stuffed bell peppers aka dolmeh felfel

A childhood favorite recipe of mine is dolmeh felfel. Persians think they make up everything, but I'm pretty sure a stuffed bell pepper was not made by my people. Regardless, it's been a favorite "Persian" food of mine and no one makes it better than my mom (best cook I know hands down). When I stopped eating meat it took awhile for my mom to start allocating the "special" peppers that I could eat, since the recipe usually calls for ground beef. I decided to make a healthier version of it, and they came out so beautifully and absolutely delicious. ( I had a carnivore taste tester and she approved)

Stuffed bell peppers (dolmeh felfel)
4 bell peppers (different colors are appealing to the eye)
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1/4 cup cooked lentils
1/8 white onion diced
handful of parsley and cilantro
Tumeric
Cinammon
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Tomato paste
Olive oil

1. Saute the onion, parsley, and cilantro till they're slightly cooked.
2. If your quinoa and lentils are already cooked add them into a pot along with the onions and greens. (Note you probably want them to be on the undercooked side since they'll be cooking more in the oven later)
3. Add the tumeric, cinnamon, garlic powder, salt and pepper, 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, a splash of water, and a little olive oil to the pot and mix well.
4. Put the heat relatively low so it stays warm but things don't stick. (Try not to eat the stuffing before you put them in the pepper, it's really good on its own)
5. Cut out the hats of your bell peppers and clean out the seeds inside to prepare for stuffing.
6. Add your mixture into each of your peppers.
7. I added a little more tomato paste mixed with all the spices and some water on top of the stuffing before closing the tops.
8. Place all the peppers close together in a oven safe glass dish covered in aluminum foil, and put in the oven for 45-60 minutes at 350 degrees F.
9. Check on them periodically you want the peppers to be nice and roasted almost like the skin could peel right off.
10. Take out and serve immediately. Careful when taking off the pepper hats, it's very hot inside. Drizzle a little olive oil on top of the pepper before eating for a nice smooth flavor.

Comfy cozy

Sweater- DKNY, slip- vintage, boots- ecote, socks- Madewell

I think Mary-Kate Olsen once made a comment about how she loves wearing large coats because no one will ever know what you're wearing underneath. That's not supposed to be so inappropriate, but I mean you could wear your most embarrassing flannel pajamas and no one would ever know! I have that feeling towards large oversized sweaters. They're almost like a weird security blanket that you can wear. The slip I dug out of my mom's "give away" pile in middle school, since then it's gotten a lot of wear. Thankfully I don't wear it how I used to wear it (with denim Bermuda shorts underneath and belted at the waist, I was young ok). On a lazy Sunday filled with catching up on work and running errands this is the ideal outfit.

Fashion philosophy: man repelling

Happiest moment

Nothing beats this view

Blazer- Secondi, boots- Kelsi Dagger

The woman who taught it all to me. When a friend casually asked me who my favorite fashion blogger was I lit up as I explained that Leandra is my soul sister, and almost as if she heard my answer she ended up in the DC area last night. The W Hotel threw a party to celebrate her book Seeking Love. Finding Overalls, and there was no way I was going to miss that. At times I feel like I live a dual life, but that speech is for another time.

When I finally got to meet my idol she immediately recognized that I was Persian asking if I knew she was Persian too (um... clearly I know every single little minor detail about your life). We bonded over Persians and their pride, and she made my night when she started singing Iranian cheers. Here's the thing about Leandra (if you've been on Man Repeller you can tell), she's just so cool and carefree. She doesn't take herself seriously and something about that makes her slight awkwardness just so cool. After last night, I don't think I'll ever stop smiling.

In true honor of man repelling I went with an oversized red blazer I got at one of my favorite vintage stores in DC. It's so big that I try to wear it as a jacket, but it usually looks out of control so I decided to make it into a dress for the night. 80's fire engine red blazer epitomizes man repelling. Some gold jewelry and thigh high boots to welcome the trend into the season made it less 80's and more updated. At this point I just need to get Anna Dello Russo, Miroslava Duma, Anna Wintour, Karl Lagerfeld, Olivier Rousteing, and Phillip Lim checked off the list, and I'll be fashion complete.

Bean-based brownies and chocolate chip cookies

I'm always interested in finding new ways to make healthier alternatives of not so healthy foods, so I was particularly excited to include Abby's raw, vegan brownies made from black beans. Yes black beans. I even went ahead and made another option using garbanzo beans to make chocolate chip cookie balls. Don't believe it's possible? Don't doubt it till you try it, get your canned goods and food processor to work Avis readers, you won't even remember what the main ingredient is once you try them.

 

Black bean brownies:
1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
2 cups dates, pitted
1/2 cup high-quality unsweetened cacao powder
2 tbsp peanut butter (almond butter is also an option)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 215 degrees F. Start by processing together the dates, vanilla, and nut butter in a food processor (or high-speed blender) until you have a creamy paste.
2. Add in the black beans as well, and continue until properly combined. You want this to get as smooth as possible (add water to make it easier). Scoop this into a bowl. Note: the dough should not be too sticky, if it is you added too much water just pay attention closely to the remaining steps.
3. Line a small baking pan with parchment paper. Dust the bottom of the pan with a bit of cacao powder before spreading the batter. Press it down firmly using your palms and place the pan in the oven. It should bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until it has a nice baked surface. It will be a bit "fudgy" allow it to cool completely before slicing into small squares. If you added too much water you might need to store it in the fridge for 1-2 hours to let the cake firm up more.
4. Sprinkle with sea salt to boost the flavor, but a light layer of peanut butter would taste great too!

Garbanzo bean carob chip cookies:
1 can of garbanzo beans
Almond/soy/rice/hemp milk (add slowly to make it smoother, eyeball the amount)
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 tbsp flour (I used whole wheat, but brown rice is also an option)
1/4 cup carob chips or dairy free chocolate chips

1. The first part is the worst: drain and rinse the beans, and then peel off the peels. Just squeeze a bit and you'll feel them come off, be careful though they started shooting everywhere at first.
2. Once you get through the peeling misery, put the beans in a food processor with all the other ingredients except the chips. You can add the milk in as you mix up the ingredients to make it smoother.
3. Fold the chips in and mix well.
4. Roll the dough into balls and line them on parchment paper in the oven at 400 degrees F.
5. Wait till they brown. Remember this is a vegan product so they tend to be a bit raw on the inside, but the chips nicely melt into the balls and taste divine.

I love New York

Jeans- 7 for all Mankind, heels- Miss Sixty, T-shirt- Central Park vendor, jacket- Zara

Phillip Lim made those I love Nueva York shirts a thing last spring, and I casually mentioned to Sami that I wanted to make it a thing. Well like the great friend she is she surprised me with one from one of those T-shirts from those annoying touristy vendors at Central park. And (more than usual) I've having one of those moments where I want to be in New York so badly, so instead of making irresponsible decisions and heading over there now I'm wearing this shirt and pretending I'm strutting down the streets of the concrete jungle.

Bar-midi

Crop top- Brandi Melville, midi skirt- Asos, shoes- BCBG Generation, jacket- Members Only

I love that midi skirts are really finding a place into fashion, and the simplicity of a black one really only needs a pointed toe shoe and a simple something on top to complement it. Sometimes it's not in the bright colors and flashy designs that draw attention, but the different lengths and cuts that do all the talking. Plus, the beautiful (and delicious) cocktails at Barmini have enough color to cover the both of us.