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1/28/19

Upcycle: Pallet Coffee Table on Pin Legs


Remember when 6ish years ago I made a pallet coffee table that ended up being featured on ApartmentTherapy and then some dude tried to sell it on Etsy? Well, I took the coasters off and added pin legs!!! Love the updated look. 

Below is my original creation! Also an old lamp, painting, table, chairs, and blah walls. 



And now the new table! It was so easy: I took off the red wheels (what should I do with them?) and attached pin legs I bought on Amazon!


And here is how it looks in my living room with my "birch" wall, big plants, new'ish lamp and all the stuff ;)


1/14/19

Tuscanini Gigli Pasta With Fennel, Tomatoes & Peas


Tuscanini Gigli Pasta With Fennel, Tomatoes & Peas is a beautiful vegan dish that brings brightness, color, and at the same time comfort to a snowy cold winter day.

I received a sample of Tuscanini Gigli pasta and LOVED the fun shape which reminds me of a trumpet flower. It's apparently great served with sauce as the sauce sticks to the fluttered edges, but I decided to make it with a bunch of vegetables. In fact, there are more vegetables in this dish than pasta.

Of course you can use whichever pasta shape you love!

Tuscanini Gigli Pasta With Fennel, Tomatoes & Peas
Serves 3-4

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced, then well washed and drained
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
salt & red pepper flakes to taste
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup defrosted peas
1 cup defrosted corn
2 cups dried pasta, cooked according to directions {NOTE: I always cook my pasta 1-2 minutes longer because I don't like it al dente pasta}
Meyer lemon zest and juice
dill, chopped
extra olive oil


Directions
1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add leeks and fennel and saute until softened, mixing every few minutes. Season with salt and red pepper flakes.
2. Add cherry tomatoes, peas, and corn. Saute for a few extra minutes.
3. Add drained cooked pasta. Mix to combine. Saute for a few more minutes.
4. Off the heat, add Meyer lemon zest and juice. Taste and adjust for salt.
5. Serve topped with dill and a drizzle of olive oil.

PS Leftovers reheat well and are great with chopped olives!


Dislaimer: I received a sample of pasta free of charge, but this post is not sponsored. All opinions are my own.

1/11/19

Weekend Edition: Apartment Therapy's January Cure


DEHOARD. CLEAN. ORGANIZE. Those are just some of the things I've been doing for the last week or so thanks to Apartment Therapy's January Cure

Who knew I had so many random notebooks and notepads?

Who knew I did not actually lose those international electricity converters? They just fell behind my suitcase.

Who knew how much dust was hiding under my bed, in my closets, and behind my dressers?

Who knew I have at least 15 random glass jars from jams, pickles, etc?


I KNOW all that now!

The plan for this weekend is to go through all my kitchen cabinets.

Good thing my galley kitchen is pretty small. I've already found bowls and glass containers I'm giving to a friend because I have too many. I put post it notes on each cabinet and drawer for an easy visual of what needs to be done and for the sense of accomplishment of taking them off once that space has been cleaned.

I'm also going to clean the fridge: now is a good time because I don't have that much in it.

And those flowers? They were actually also an assignment: the easiest one because I buy flowers for myself all the time.

Share with me your cleaning and dehoarding tips. 

1/7/19

Vegan Butternut Squash, Chickpea & Kale Red Curry


Vegan Butternut Squash, Chickpea & Kale Red Curry
Serves 4-6
Inspired by Washington's Green Grocer

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil, more if needed
5 cups bite-sized diced butternut squash
1/2 diced onion
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons red curry paste
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
13.5 ounce can coconut milk (full fat!)
1 cup water
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 handfulls chopped kale
juice of 1 Meyer lemon
chopped parsley or cilantro
chopped smoked almonds (or any other nuts you like)

Directions
1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add butternut squash and saute for 5 minutes.
2. Add onion, ginger and garlic and saute for 3 more minutes, adding a bit more oil if needed.
3. Mix in red curry paste, turmeric, salt, coconut milk, and water. Bring to a simmer and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes until the squash is tender but not mushy.
4. Mix in chickpeas and kale, cover, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until kale has wilted.
5. Off the heat add Meyer lemon juice. Adjust for seasoning.
6. Serve topped with parsley and almonds. 

You can eat this as is or over rice. This curry reheats great for leftovers: you may need to add a bit of liquid to thin it out.

1/2/19

Richard Sax's Chocolate Cloud Cake



The second I saw a recipe for Richard Sax's Chocolate Cloud Cake on Food52, I knew I wanted to make it for NYE party at a friend's house. And I did! The hardest part was figuring out whether to wait for the actual party to try the cake...because how could I take photos so late at night!?

Instead, I made this gorgeous cake in the morning, and my friend and I dug into it after her two daughters napped...I could not nap because I was so excited!! Even the 3 and 5 year olds liked it, but only had a few bites because it was too chocolaty :) No problem: more for us!


I've made another recipe for flourless chocolate cake many times, but this recipe stood out because of a cloud of whipped heavy cream slightly sweetened with confectioners' sugar and a bit of vanilla extract. I used dark chocolate chips and a bar or dark chocolate for the decorative shavings. You can use semi sweet chocolate I suppose, but please don't use the milk variety.

This was a dream! Relatively easy to make (I just had to read directions 5 times because I basically have ADD), beautiful, not too sweet, not too heavy, AND it tasted great the next morning!


I left the leftovers at my friend's house because that's how generous I am ;)