Gena Hamshaw

The turmeric and coconut palm sugar that help to flavor the cake are provided by the folks at Bare Organics. The coconut palm sugar provides the caramel-like sweetness that only palm sugar does (I bake with cane sugar often, but it’s not quite the same), and it’s low glycemic to boot. You can use any frosting you like for the cake, or if you’re not in the mood to make frosting, you can enjoy the slices plain, as more of a snack cake than a dessert cake. If you plan to make the frosting with the cake, don’t forget that the coconut cream needs to chill overnight (an oversight that I made the first time I was planning to frost the cake).

I wasn’t even trying to manage things with particular elegance or grace; oftentimes when I’m struggling, I try to wrestle back control by crafting the most “admirable” response I can, whether it feels genuine or not. This time, I gave myself over to everything: to the fact that things were hard, the fact that I was struggling, and the fact that I didn’t have the energy to pretend otherwise. It’s been very important for me to fight against the impulse to give up; I’d never have gotten through my post-bacc or my masters program if I’d allowed the dissapointments to get the better of me. This day wasn’t the day, or the only day.

On its own, it’s a quick way to a vegan protein + vegetable combo, which you could eat the way it is or add to a salad/bowl. And while it’s not exactly a 20-minute recipe, it’s practically hands-off. The recipe starts with giving tempeh a marinade in tamari, vinegar, and maple syrup (along with some crushed red pepper flakes for heat). I love that this dish doesn’t require any stovetop babysitting, that it’s flavorful without a complicated ingredient list, and that the leftovers taste great for days (which I’m discovering right now).

I’d been limping through her class, spending most of my time in child’s pose because it’s all I could do at that time. Amanda paused and told me very directly that if I didn’t write a thesis, I’d wrap up my entire undergrad experience with yet another 8-10 page paper—one I could probably write in my sleep at that point. I don’t doubt that it’s true, but it’s not the experience that I had. This Mosaic article isn’t new, but it’s detailed, and it explains more.