I have a new friend!

She arrived to town on Sunday and it looks she’ll be sticking around for a while.

It’s a giant growth on my face and I call her Rita.

We went to a baseball game on Saturday. It was a gorgeous spring day in Seattle. Sunshine everywhere. I did not put on my SPF moisturizer that morning for fear it’d react with my self-tanner. (I should really start thinking about my priorities – perhaps skin health > tan.) However, I did purchase a baseball cap with high hopes I could pull it off (false) and wore it 83% of the day. I truly thought I struck a nice balance. I wake up Sunday morning and just brush my hand against my cheek. I feel a giant glob on my cheek…that wasn’t there yesterday….. I trace the perimeter of the mass and discover it’s the size of a modest spaceship. WHERE DID THIS COME FROM?! Literally, I BARELY touch it (still in bed at this point) and it explodes water. I run, screaming, to the bathroom to survey the damage and staring back at me is a gaping hole in my cheek. Oh, Rachel, as if you needed to draw more attention to that face.

Two days later and it’s starting to scab. Just looks like someone dragged my face across a gravel road. How’s your appetite?

Time: 1 hour (prep + cooking) | Serves: 4 bowls

Ingredients:

• 1 package of tempeh, cubed
• 1/2 lb. of shiitake mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 lb. of brussels sprouts, halved
• 1 parsnip, peeled + chopped
• 1 can of chickpeas, drained + rinsed
• 1 bunch of asparagus, ends trimmed
• 1 cup of farro, uncooked
• 1/4 cup of soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. of dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp. of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. of agave
• 4 tbsp. of olive oil
• S+P, to taste

How to:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• In a bowl, combine soy sauce + dijon mustard + garlic + agave + 1 tbsp. of olive oil
• Add the tempeh + shiitakes to the sauce, let marinate while your other veggies roast
• Arrange asparagus on a lined baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tbsp. of olive + S+P, bake 12 minutes-14 minutes, stirring once
• On another lined baking sheet, arrange brussels sprouts + chickpeas + parsnips, drizzle with 1 tbsp. of olive oil + S+P, bake 14-16 minutes, tossing once
• While veggies roast, cook farro according to package directions
• While roasted veggies cool slightly, heat remaining oil in a skillet over medium heat
• Add tempeh + mushrooms + cook for 5-7 minutes, or until tempeh is crisp to your desire
• To serve, combine farro + tempeh + mushrooms + asparagus + brussels mix + avocado
• Don’t forget to feed some with face friends like Rita