Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

ChocolateLove: Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies

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These are a few of my favorite things…

 

Really.  How can one possibly go wrong with chocolate, peanut butter, and salt?

 

 

Side note: the best thing about vegan cookies is the fearless eating of batter… not that egg in batter ever stopped me before.

 

The site of the flaky fleur de sel and crunchy pretzel bits poking out of fudgy dough may tempt you to eat an entire scoop raw. *Please tell me I’m not the only one that does that*

 

 

February is the month of foil-wrapped chocolates, Hallmark cards, and over-priced flowers.  I beg you, this Valentine’s Day skip the artificial red colored stuff and go straight for the dark chocolate treats.

No one will miss the boxes of processed chocolates and Forrest Gump metaphors for life..  I promise.  

 

 

At the very least they won’t be able to protest with their mouths full. 😉

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies

  • 2 T softened butter (or Earth Balance)
  • 2 T unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/4 C light brown sugar
  • 1/4 C xylitol
  • 1/4 C peanut butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 egg (or flax egg)
  • 1 T unsweetened almond milk (or other liquid)
  • 4 T cocoa
  • 1/2 C all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 C whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 C crushed pretzels
  • Fleur de sel (or other high-quality flaky salt)

 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

With a hand mixer, cream together butter, applesauce, sugars, and peanut butter.  Add in milk, vanilla, and egg.

Sift together remaining ingredients (except pretzels) and incorporate into butter mixture.  Fold in pretzels.

Scoop dough in ~2T balls onto parchment-lined baking sheet.  Lightly flatten with palm and sprinkle with fleur de sel.

Bake for 8-10 mins.

Makes 15 cookies.

Note: My peanut butter was really thick, so I needed that 1 T of milk.  Depending on what you use, you may not – use your judgment here.

***

I’ll be lucky if I even get cole in my stocking.  Wait.  Wrong holiday.

Would you rather have chocolate or cookies?  Something else?

***

February is #chocolatelove month! I am excited to be co-hosting this month’s lovebloghop for the first time.  Please check out my co-hosts’ posts too:
A Little Bit of Everything ~ Roxana ~ @RoxanaGreenGirl
ASTIG Vegan ~ Richgail ~  @astigvegan
Badger Girl Learns to Cook ~ Kimberly ~ @BdgrGrl
Baker Street ~ Anuradha ~ @bakerstreet29
Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves ~ Becky Higgins
Baking Extravaganza ~ Samantha
BigFatBaker ~ Erin ~ @BigFatBaker 
Bon a croquer ~ Valerie ~ @Valouth
CafeTerraBlog ~ Terra ~ @CafeTerraBlog
Cake Duchess ~ Lora ~ @cakeduchess
Cakeballs, Cookies and More ~ Sue
Cooking with Books ~ Marnely ~ @nella22
Creative Cooking Corner ~ Karriann ~ @KarriannGraf
Easily Good Eats ~ Three Cookies
Elephant Eats ~ Amy
Georgiecakes ~ Georgie ~ @georgiecakes
Hobby And More ~ Richa ~ @betit19
Java Cupcake ~ Betsy ~ @JavaCupcake
Kitchen Belleicious ~ Jessica ~ @kbelleicious
Mike’s Baking ~ Mike ~ @mikesbaking
Mis Pensamientos ~ Junia ~ @juniakk
No One Likes Crumbley Cookies ~ TR ~ @TRCrumbley
Oh Cake ~ Jessica ~ @jesshose
Rico sin Azucar ~ Helena ~ @ricosinazucar
Savoring Every Bite ~ Linda ~ @Spicegirlfla
Simply Reem ~ Reem ~ @simplyreem
Smart Food and Fit ~ Lisa ~ @LisaNutrition
Soni’s Food for Thought ~ Soni ~ @sonisfood
Sprint 2 the Table ~ Laura ~ @Sprint2theTable
Teaspoon of Spice ~ Deanna ~ @tspbasil 
That Skinny Chick Can Bake ~ Liz ~ @Thatskinnychick
The Dusty Baker ~ Jacqueline ~ @dustybakergal
The More Than Occasional Baker ~ Ros ~ @bakingaddict
The Spicy RD ~ EA ~ @thespicyrd
The Wimpy Vegetarian ~ Susan ~ @wimpyvegetarian 
Vegan Yack Attack! ~ Jackie ~ @veganyackattack
Vegetarian Mamma  ~ Cindy ~ @VegetarianMamma
You Made That? ~  Suzanne ~ @YouMadeThatblog

 

Join us in the #chocolatelove fun by linking up any chocolate recipe from the month of February 2012. Don’t forget to link back to this post, so that your readers know to come stop by the #chocolatelove event!  The Twitter hashtag is #chocolatelove.

 

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

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These Chocolate Zucchini Muffin sound a little strange, but you’d never guess the sneaky zucchini add.  Best of all, these 100 calorie bites are vegan, gluten-free, and almost sugar-free.

This deliciousness took me a week to get right.  But when I did… oh lawd they were good!

Judging from the reaction these chocolate muffins got at this week’s dinner party, I found the right combination of ingredients.

Chocolate-y and moist, these are muffins you could chow on for breakfast without guilt.

Why guiltless?  Because you would be starting out your day with veggies!

The “secret” ingredient in these is zucchini!  Fool your kids, your partner, your co-workers… yourself… you cannot detect a trace of the veggie.  I’d put money on it.

I love making these as mini muffins.  It makes them perfect for snacking, and they remind me of those trashy-but-delicious brownie bites from  the grocery store.

These zucchini-filled treats please basically everyone.  They’re vegan, gluten-free, almost sugar-free, and a mere 100 calories!  Unicorn brownie bites! 

I realize the ingredient list is long, but it doesn’t take much time to throw it together and the end result is well worth it!

 

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

  • 1/4 C cocoa powder
  • 1/4 C coconut flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp guar gum (or cornstarch)
  • 2 T Xylitol
  • 2 T NuNaturals Fiber Baking Blend (or other sweetener)
  • 1/2 tsp instant coffee
  • Shake of salt
  • 1 flax egg (1 T ground flax + 3 T water)
  • 1/4 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or other milk substance)
  • 2 T coconut oil
  • 2 T unsweetened apple sauce
  • 1 T almond butter (or other nut butter)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 C shredded zucchini
  • 1/4 C chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Set aside.

In a small bowl mix egg, milk, oil, nut butter, and vanilla until well-combined.  Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir until just combined.

Squeeze out zucchini to remove excess moisture, then add to batter along with chocolate chips.  Gently fold to combine – don’t over-mix!

Place 12 muffin liners in a muffin pan (or lightly grease a mini muffin pan) and spoon the mixture into each tin so they are about 1/2 full.

Bake on the middle rack for 10-15 mins, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before serving.

Makes 12 small muffins or 24 minis.

Approximate Nutrition for small muffin: 100 calories, 7.4g fat, 9.5g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 2g sugar, 1.5g protein

Notes:

  • I have tried this with a full 1/4 C of coconut oil (rather than 2 T oil and 2 T apple sauce) and found it to be too greasy, but you could try it either way
  • You could also leave out the guar gum; however, it helps the muffins to stay together better (coconut flour can result in crumbly baked goods)
  • If you can’t find Xylitol or the Baking Blend, you can use any sugar/sugar-replacer

***

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the Buzz… my “Beefy” TVP Chili made the FoodBuzz Top 9 today!

How do you sneak veggies in?

If you have worked with coconut flour, what’s your favorite recipe?

Nacho Wednesday

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I am a big fan of trying new things.*

*Unless those new things are Dad’s Nads.

I’ve been really good lately about working through recipes/ideas I’ve noted to try.  This week I have made 3 new dishes already this week!

Side note: I’m really excited/flattered that so many people tried my Citrus Chickpea Cilantro Salad!  Check out this rendition by Sarah @ Quotidienne Moi. 

 

Back on track: with all the fun new recipes, this What I Ate Wednesday is more like “what I’ve eaten so far this week.”

 

Breakfast:

Great morning workouts leave me ravenous and in need to protein.  Kasey @ PowerCakes created this “Power Pumpkin Roll” that I knew I had to try.  This monster is ~450 calories and packs 45g of protein!

I am powerful.

I followed her recipe exactly, though next time I may add another 2 T of pumpkin and leave out an egg white.  I’m curious to know if it would work with flax eggs… that’s a lot of egg though!

Even if you don’t make the roll, make the Chia Vanilla Frosting.  I don’t often think yogurt tastes like dessert, but this one really does!

Lunch:

It must have been the week of orange, because my lunch was even more vibrant than the pumpkin roll!  This miso-laced carrot soup was as delicious as it looks!  Recipe to come Friday!

Served with a giant arugula and celery salad, which I dressed with hot sauce from the Mexican grocery store (the only place to go shop you are serious about heat), nutritional yeast, cumin, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Dinner:

Last night I had a couple of my favorite over for dinner.  My favorite Sports Glutton, Jed, recently shared a link to his Sweet Potato Nachos that I’ve been drooling over ever since.

One of my dinner guests is gluten-free, and we all make an effort to eat clean.  This dish is a much healthier alternative to your typical nachos, particularly with some modifications!

I used dried black beans… though I was a bit panicked when I realized I forgot to soak them.  Some Googling lead me to a cool method by The Paupered Chef that involved a quick boil followed by 75 mins in the oven.  I have never heard of cooking them in the oven, but it worked perfectly!  Click here for the details.

Post-oven, I let the beans rest until it was time to re-heat for company.  Jed simmered his beans in beer… I am fresh out, so I added the following (post oven-bake) to flavor my beans over medium heat:

  • 1/4 C veggie broth
  • 1/2 yellow onion
  • 2 Chipotle peppers in adobo
  • Dashes of paprika, garlic, parsley, red pepper, cayenne pepper, and oregano

While that cooked I prepared the sweet potatoes… the easy way with Alexia’s Sweet Potato Waffle Fries.  Nom.

When the fries were done I topped them with tomatoes, serrano peppers, and queso.  Back into the oven on broil then went while I sliced an avocado and minced cilantro.

Remove, decorate, and devour.

 

Oh yes, there was also wine.  A Roquevale 2005 Portuguese Red (Alentejo) blend of Aragonez, Alfrocheiro, and Cabernet Sauvignon.  This was a big, fruity, dark wine that I could drink all night long.  Arguably a little heavy for a spicy Mexican-ish meal, but I love a big wine.

Also exciting: I got to use my chalkboard wine art glasses!

I was the lucky winner of a giveaway at Ancient Fire Wine and received 4 bottles of wine from Tapena.  The Garnacha we tried was delicious!  It was approachable without compromising body.  We picked it as an earlier wine (thinking it would be lacking), but it was great!  I’d drink it anytime!

Dessert:

For dessert we nibbled on the vegan, gluten-free dessert I teased you with last week… I’m finally posting the recipe tomorrow!

We also have another dessert nibble courtesy of Callie – she sent over some Rawxies to sample and OMG are they ever good.

My favorite was the Cinnamon Walnut Raisin.  I love how the cinnamon came through – so often the taste gets lost in the sweetness of desserts.

Raw, gluten-free, and vegan… and totally worthy of a dessert platter to share with friends.  I may have enjoyed one as an afternoon snack as well… 🙂

***

Those Sweet Potato Nachos would be a GREAT addition to a Super Bowl spread!

Are you watching the Super Bowl?  Any fun dishes planned?

What’s the best thing you’ve eaten so far this week?

Raw-ish Vegan Jerky + WIAW

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All day yesterday I thought it was Monday.

Funny how now that it’s Wednesday, I’m feeling like Friday is not so far away.

This week has really been awesome – tons of cooking, which means I have LOTS to share with you.  More to come!

For now, lets cheers to chalkboard wine glasses, kick-ass workouts, being half way to Friday, and my friend Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday.

 

Breakfast:

After last week’s hotel oatmeal ick, this more than made up for it:

Overnight oats in an almond butter jar.  Pure bliss.

  • Oatmeal
  • Unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • Chia seeds
  • Pumpkin puree
  • Almond butter jar remnants
  • Cinnamon
  • Vanilla
  • 4-5 drops of vanilla liquid Stevia
  • A little TBA chocolate something crumbled in. 🙂

Lunch:

Another bit of amazingness.  Citrus Chickpea Cilantro Salad  with carrots atop an eggplant patty.

Recipe for this deliciousness coming tomorrow! 

Dinner:

You may be familiar with a little problem I have.  When I go out I sometimes get so excited about the meal that I forget to take pics.  This is all that remained of my post-workout dinner last night:

That WAS a side salad, 2 veggie tacos, a chips and salsa trio, and a Patron Silver margarita.  Whoops.

More proof that Taqueria del Sol remains my favorite intown taco joint.

Snacks:

Continuing with last week’s blogger recipes, I tried Gena @ Choosing Raw’s Portabello Jerky.  It was a fantastically salty, satisfyingly chewy afternoon snack.  Seriously – Gena is a genius.

My raw-sih version of Gena’s raw jerky is at the bottom of this post!

Lucky me was asked to taste-test a new cookie recipe for Cookie Underground.  I mentioned trying these veggie-based cookies at the Atlanta Underground Market here.

My test-kit included an original recipe and 4 alternatives for their Parsnip Vanilla flavor.  In my mind there was a clear winner.  Check them out on Facebook to read more!

Apparently I need to rename this blog dessert underground because my pre-workout snack was on of these vegan Granola Cookies:

At just 3g of sugar and over 1g of protein, can you blame me?  P.S. They freeze perfectly.

Last, there was a vegan, gluten-free post-workout dessert.

I promise to share next week – I want to make one more batch to test with more soda.  Let’s just say they are silky in texture, impossibly chocolate-y, and inspired by a Cookie Underground concept. 😉

Raw-ish Portabello Jerky

  • 1 large Portabello mushroom
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
  • 3 drops liquid Stevia
  • 3-4 twist of freshly ground pepper

Mix all ingredients.  Slice ‘shroom into 1/2 inch thick sticks and marinate overnight in refrigerator overnight.

Place on foil-lined baking sheet and cook in 170 degree oven* for ~3 hours.

*Note: Gena had a dehydrator – check out her instructions for raw jerky details.  For those of us without… just set your oven at it’s lowest temp (mine is 170 degrees).  It’s raw-ish. 🙂

***

I’m really into vegan/low-sugar cooking and baking lately!  It’s fun to try different style and I love feeling so clean.

Have you tried vegan jerky?  Have you tried “real” jerky?

Do you feel a little the-end-is-near relief on Wednesday?

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner: A Tribute

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Today is a tribute.

Friday seems like the perfect time to celebrate some fantastic bloggers who have inspired some of the best meals I’ve had.  This list is not at all exhaustive, but it’s what I’ve had lately for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Breakfast:

These fluffy, lemon-flavored chia muffins were based on this Lemon Chia Cake created by Lisa @ Healthful Sense.  I’ve made several of Lisa’s recipes and have never been disappointed.  She’s also the only person more obsessed with sweet potatoes and peanut flour than I am.

They are gluten-free and vegan – great for breakfast or an afternoon snack.  Next time I make them I’ll add some poppy seeds too, as that’s what the chia bites reminded me of.  Who doesn’t need a little opium first thing in the morning?

My modifications:

  • Used brown rice flour rather than millet
  • Replaced Stevia with NuNaturals Fiber Baking Blend
  • Reduced vanilla extract to 1/2 tsp
  • Added 1/2 tsp lemon extract
  • Used a full 1 tsp of cinnamon
  • Made 6 muffins rather than cake (baking time = 15 mins)

 

You should try these.  Like now.

 

 

Lunch:

When I can work from home, lunch is my favorite meal of the day.  I can cook something fresh AND use the daylight for picture-taking.  Even though I was too lazy to whip out the good camera for this pic.

 

 

Sweet potatoes.  Smashed and coated with goodness.  I took the idea from Pinterest – this recipe for Hot Crash Sweet Potatoes pinned from Donalyn @ DLYNZ.

 

My modifications:

  • Rather than her spice mix, I used this one created for use in my Babaganoush Soup… fitting because the blend was from another blogger, Cara @ Cara’s Cravings
  • Brushed sweet potato slices with a mix of olive oil and rice wine vinegar.  
  • Skipped the boiling step (increased baking time to 20 mins on each side using convection bake)

 

These “crashed” sweet potatoes tuned out beautifully, and my Middle-Eastern spice blend went perfectly with the Coconut Curry Marinated Tempeh by Turtle Mountain I had in the fridge.  Nom.

 

 

Dinner:

After an orange lunch, I needed a green dinner.

Janet @ The Taste Space created a Spinach Dal Palak that couldn’t be any greener if it tried.  If you don’t already follow Taste Space, check it out.  There isn’t a day where I don’t drool over a post.

 

 

My modifications:

  • Short on spinach, I reduced the recipe to make a single serving
  • Increased cumin
  • Used ground ginger (I’m out of fresh – use it if you have it on hand!)
  • Added more red pepper flakes (because I’m not happy ’til my nose is running)

 

Served with sriracha and an Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Tortilla.  Pinned and will be making again soon!

 

Dessert:

I have a bajillion blogger desserts marked to try… but tonight was my own.

 

 

These Chewy Granola Cookies (not limited to dessert – momma texted me to say she had 2 for breakfast with Greek yogurt) with a glass of “Chocolate Milk.”

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“Chocolate Milk”

 

Mix in cocktail glass and serve with ice.

***

Yes, I realize such a simple drink shouldn’t count as a recipe… but it was good, so I’m going to milk it.  (Tee hee… milk it… get it?)

What blogger recipe have you made lately and loved?

What do you use to bookmark recipes?  Pinterest?  Reader?  Delicious?

 

Peanut Butter Banana Baked Oatmeal

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The truth is…

 

While I have shared with you all the good food from the past two days, it’s been a pretty tough week.

 

 

Following that delicious Vietnamese meal I posted for WIAW, I went back to a hotel room where I worked until 4am.

And my computer crashed before I saved.  Twice.

 

 

The next morning I learned my spreadsheet fun isn’t over and I’m now in the middle of a new circle of hell another pile of VLOOKUPs and analysis.

I really do love my job… but I really do hate Excel.

 

 

 

The week has also left me short of time to workout.  I did manage to hit the hotel dreadmill for a quick mile… only to discover my knee still isn’t better.  Like clockwork, at 0.8 miles it hurts and feels like it’s going to buckle under me.

 

So today I’m not feeling wordy.  Nor do I have time to be.

 

Bad hotel breakfasts also drag me down.  What I really wanted was this:

 

 

This breakfast really is a good one.  Hotels, please take note.

 

 

Baked oats with mashed banana and peanut butter.  Topped with blueberries, chopped hazelnuts, and syrup at the very end.

It’s comfort food.  And I need to be held.

 

 

End of the bowl = end of my pity party today.

 

 

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Peanut Butter Banana Baked Oatmeal

  • 1/2 ripe banana, mashed
  • 1 T peanut butter
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 4-5 drops vanilla stevia
  • 1 tsp coconut oil (optional)
  • Shake of salt
  • 1/3 C oatmeal
  • 1/4 C unsweetened almond milk

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place all ingredients except oats and milk in small bowl.  Mix until combined, then add raw oats and milk. Pour into a ramekin and cook for 15-20 mins, or until firm. Finish on broil for just a few seconds to brown the top.

Optional toppings: nuts, blueberries, more peanut butter, coconut oil, syrup

Serves 1.

***

Now I feel bad whining because I really am grateful for a lot this week: being in the Top 9, my awesome mom, and having a good job.

Do you ever need a pity party… and feel bad about said pity party?

What are you grateful for this week?

 

Chewy Granola Cookies

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Some might call these Oatmeal Cookies.

Yup – I’m finally posting the recipe for these lovelies I mentioned last week.

These Granola Cookies aren’t as sweet as yer mamma’s cookie, and the goji berries makes me think of granola rather than oatmeal.

You can call them whatever you want.  At under under 100 calories, I call them awesome.

These chewy cookies have a hint of molasses-y sweetness from the brown sugar.  Walnuts add a great crunch, and I loved the punch of cinnamon.  The whole wheat flour and oatmeal make them more filling than a “typical” cookie.

If you use the flax egg and Earth balance, these make a terrific vegan treat.  Plus, you can eat the batter without fear of Salmonella (as if that’s ever stopped me before…).

These cookies are great crumbled atop Greek yogurt for breakfast, as an afternoon snack, or dipped in milk for dessert. They also freeze really well!

[Tweet “Chewy Granola Cookies – a healthier #vegan take on oatmeal cookies!”]

Chewy Granola Cookies - healthy enough to eat for breakfast!

Chewy Granola Cookies

  • 1/4 C (1/2 stick) butter or Earth Balance, softened
  • 1/4 C unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/3 C light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/3 C xylitol (or other sugar-substitute)
  • 1 flax egg (1 T ground flax + 3 T water), or 1 regular egg
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 C all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 C whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 C rolled oats
  • 1/4 C goji berries (or raisins)
  • 1/2 C walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, cream together butter, applesauce, sugars, egg and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk flours, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Stir this into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in the oats, goji berries and walnuts.

Scoop cookies onto parchment-lined baking sheet leaving ~2 inches between. Bake them for 10-12 mins, until golden. Let sit on baking sheet for ~5 mins before transferring to a rack to cool.

Makes 24 cookies.

Approximate nutrition: 74 calories, 2.6g fat, 12.2g carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 3.1g sugar, 1.3g protein.

***

It’s another week of travel – very conducive to rockin’ out some Body Rock.

Do you like super-sweet desserts or something more savory?

What is your favorite kind of cookie?

Silver Balls + WIAW

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“Normal” people think I’m strange.

 

It’s perfectly normal to blow up a 65 inch fitness ball at your desk, right?  The stares would indicate otherwise.

People who have never even bothered to say hello in the elevator before stopped by to comment.  I’m sure this could be turned into some social experiment.

 

 

Whatever.  My butt falls asleep in my chair and it makes my hips hurt to sit there all day.  Everyone can kiss my big, silver ball.  (Yessss… I worked balls into yet another post!)

 

Since I’m not allowed to try running again until Saturday, I’m modifying The Sweaty Betties’ January Mile-a-Day challenge.

 

Runner's Knee or some IT-related thing. Lovely.

 

I’m now using a bike or elliptical for 30 mins of intervals in lieu of running.  Which only make me want to run more.  That’s how I started my day today, along with P90X Ab Ripper X.  Shout out to Dr. Schuman at 1st Choice Healthcare – it does feel better today!

_____________________________________________________________________________________

My big silver ball and I are happy it’s time again to celebrate Hump Day with  What I Ate Wednesday! 

 

 

Breakfast:

Covered in sweat after the elliptical, I was actually chilly when I got back to eat breakfast.  I had a craving for some deliciousness I created over the weekend: Shredded Sweet Potato Oatmeal.

 

I had shredded sweet potato left over from my Asian-Inspired Sweet Potato Lentil Loaf.  What better use than in oats?!

Yes, I realize I’ve made Sweet Potato Pie Oatmeal before… that used sweet potato puree, which make it more pie-like.  This was more in the vein of Carrot Cake Oats with the grated potato.  Less silky, though no less lovely.

(Recipe at bottom)

 

Lunch:

I still can’t get enough green!

 

At a loss for lunch inspiration, I stumbled across Sunflower Beet Pesto (which I made and liked before my recently acquired taste for beets) in my freezer.  I made a hodge podge salad and used the pesto as dressing.  With a side of Salt & Pepper PopChips, this was an winner.

In my salad:

 

Dinner:

My boss is in town from Houston, so we hit up one of my favorite spots for dinner: Top Flr.

Top Flr offers several vegetarian-friendly menu items.  I’ve been successfully avoiding meat (aside from one digression to have a taste of foie gras ice cream) since January 1st, and I have felt better.  Most dining establishments offer at least a few sides that are veg-friendly, but finding a tofu/soy-protein-based dish is still rare.

We started with hummus with chili oil and fried capers.  I don’t know what they do to it, but it is the most amazing hummus I’ve ever had… and I’ve had a lot of hummus.  Served with grilled pita, hot peppers, and olives.

 

 

My main was a the Orange-Apple Tofu, served with Baby Bok Choy and Japanese Eggplant Miso.  I order this every time I go.  Normally I don’t eat fried stuff, but I make an exception for this dish.

The freshly breaded crunch contrasts perfectly with the pillowy tofu.  I also loved sweetness of the orange with the savory miso sauce.  The bok choy was a little too done and covered in sauce for my taste… but I can forgive them for tofu perfection.

 

 

Sadly, the server dumped our check on the table without offering dessert.  There was a bread pudding on the menu I would have dove into.  I probably didn’t need it anyway. 🙁

 

Verdict: I’ll be back.  I could live on their hummus and the stellar cocktail program alone.

 

Snacks:

It’s no secret I’m a snack whore.

Especially for homemade Granola Cookies that have just 3g of sugar.  Not to worry, I’m sharing the recipe soon. 🙂

 

 

Followed up with a Cutie.  Because they’re not just for kids.

 

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Shredded Sweet Potato Oatmeal

  • 1/2 c unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1/2 c water
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/2 c oatmeal
  • 1/2 grated sweet potato
  • Shake of salt
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp allspice
  • Maple syrup + ground cinnamon, to taste

 

Bring milk and water to a boil in a small pot with cinnamon stick.  Add oatmeal, grated sweet potato, and salt.

When 1-2 min from being done, add vanilla and spices.

Scoop into bowl and top with cinnamon and syrup to taste. 

***

Thank you SO much for all the well-wishes on my knee.  I don’t say it enough, but it means a lot to have such an awesome support group.

If you’re not a vegetarian, do you enjoy ordering veg items at restaurants?

Do you work in a state/location separate from your boss(es)?  Does it make a difference to you?

 

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