MNightShannalan's Profile

I've moved out of noisy places explicitly because of their noisiness, so I feel your pain. I've finally found a quiet place, and it's all about the layout. My apartment has a long hallway that leads to the building's hall, so I'm removed from a lot of the door slamming and general noise from that, and my apartment is tucked in a corner. Got to love strange, old New York buildings. But more importantly, my two neighbors' apartments' are mostly on either side of that long hall, so I can hear them very well when I'm in the long hall and not at all when I'm in my apartment proper. It's amazing. Finally, peace and quiet. So my advice is, pick a place that minimizes shared walls and live on the top floor.

And after living below a family with a three year old who liked to clumsily sprint up and down the length of the apartment all... day... long..., I'll never not live on the top floor again.

Good luck!

I almost never eat pasta, and I mostly eat rice, quinoa, and homemade veggie burgers on weeknights.

Rice and beans is a combo that never fails to please, and bibimbap-like rice bowls (such as The Kitchn's Brown Rice Bowl with Tofu and Lemongrass, or this jumping-off point for bibimbap) are super easy and never boring.

There's a recipe for quinoa-based Summer Veggie Burritos with Goat Cheese in Marie Simmons' wonderful Fresh, Fast, and Vegetarian that's a year-round favorite.

And for veggie burgers, there're a wealth of recipes out there, but these are a few favorites: Loaded Quinoa Veggie Burgers from Can You Stay for Dinner (though I like to throw in more veggies -- one carrot doesn't count as "loaded" in my mind!), 101 Cookbooks' Ultimate Veggie Burgers (bun optional!), and The Kitchn's restaurant reproduction of Northstar Cafe's aptly named Best-Ever Veggie Burgers.

Other favorites include Isa Chandra Moskowitz (author of Vegan With a Vengeance, among others)'s Post Punk Kitchen's ancho lentil tacos, Bittman's Barley with Cucumber and Yogurt Dill Dressing, chickpea tacos, crustless quiche lorraine (I make it up as I go along each time -- no crust and milk instead of cream, plus lots of (sweated) veggies = way healthier), and soup (1, 2).

I also heartily recommend Isa Chandra Moskowitz's book Appetite for Reduction -- the recipes are all weeknight-friendly, unbelievably delicious (seriously), and healthy. It's my go-to place for inspiration these days.

Also, take Bittman's and Kenji of Serious Eats' advice -- why not switch around the ratios of sauce/veggies and pasta, and have a healthier meal?

Hope that helps! There're so, so many ways to eat vegetarian without tons of pasta. Each of these recipes are my slam-dunk faves, so I hope you get a chance to try some!

You know, I think you should just totally own it. If he really enjoys it, he'll appreciate your enthusiasm, and your apartment will be a warmer, brighter place for it. It won't derail your entire decor, and if you can really just make it work, as the wise philosopher Tim Gunn might say, your apartment will be better off for it!