Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

  • Home

Getting Buzzed with Foodies

November 7, 2011 By Laura

 

Meeting the people behind your favorite blogs?  A privilege.

Being in a room full of people who don’t bat an eye as you photograph every food item in the room?  Surreal.

Sharing ideas with a roommate who comes up with the coolest food combos around?  Inspiring.

Sampling all of the food, wine, and beer you can handle?  Sin-tastic.

 

FoodBuzz 3rd Annual Blogger Festival?  Priceless

______________________________________________________________________________________

 

Friday night we attended a Welcome Reception sponsored by Sabra.

 

To start we had hummus hors d’oeuvres and wine.  Hummus Heaven.

 

When it hits stores, try the new Holiday flavor – the rosemary deliciousness will knock your socks off.  I’m thinking that served on little toasts with goat cheese and micro greens will be my holiday party go-to this season.

 

Sarah (my Smart Kitchen roommate) and I tried everything, obsessed over the fresh veggies, and made friends with fellow bloggers.

 

We were then brought in for the Awards Dinner.  Served buffet-style, many of the dishes were inspired by fellow FoodBuzz-ers.

 

Our table, which included new friends Karen (of The Tamale Girl) and Lauren (of Vegology), voted the night’s winning dishes to be the Housemade Beet Ravioli  with arugula and goat cheese and the Lentil Salad with shaved  fennel  and  escarole with a sherry vinaigrette.

 

After that smorgasbord Sarah and I hit the (surprisingly) nice gym to start out day 2 on the right foot.  I also ran to the host hotel to get my schwag bag.  Check out these goodies:

 

By the time we made it to the pre-panel breakfast bar we were ready to chow down.

Delicious fresh fruit, vegan sunflower seed bread, local jam (the strawberry was my fav), spinach-mushroom frittata, pumpkin bread, and scones.  I sampled a little of everything.  And then seconds of everything.

 

As good as that was, the highlight was getting to try Cookie Dough Balls from Mamma Pea herself!  Sarah and I split a Chocolate Chip and a Pumpkin Molasses.

 

Run, do not walk, to try this recipe for the Pumpkin Molasses.  It will change your pumpkin-lovin’ life.

Did I mention I also got the meet the famous Ms. Pea?!  Pics tomorrow! 

 

We attended 3 panel discussions: Taking Your Blog to the Next Level, DSLR-free Zone, and Effective Social NETworking.

My personal favorite was the one on taking good pictures without a DSLR camera, presented by Greg @ Sippity Sup, Chuck @ Foodgawker, and Angi @ Rice & Wheat.  You may have noticed photography isn’t one of my many talents.

 

Top take-a-ways:

  • The Camera+ app is a necessity for iPhone photography
  • When going out to eat, choose the table with the most natural light if possible (how did I never think to request this?!), or at least choose the seat with the best lighting
  • If you must use a flash, use one layer of a thin paper napkin to diffuse the light
  • For home photography, a grow light from Home Depot in a reflector (those sliver bowl things) works well when you can’t use natural light

 

It’s getting wordy and I’m running late for work (doh), so more to come tomorrow.  We had an awesome time at the tasting pavilion, met T Flo, and tweeted our way through a fun banquet dinner!

______________________________________________________________________________________

Quickie week recap to hold myself accountable:

 

Workout Recap (10/31-11/7)

  • Monday – 0.6 mile run jog,  Ab Ripper X, 10 min X-fit circuit
  • Tuesday – 100 push-ups 
  • Wednesday – 1.5 mile run, Biceps/Back, 6 min plank sequence, 100 push-ups
  • Thursday – 1.5 mile run, 30 min core class, Body Pump, 40 ins Stairmaster
  • Friday – Triceps/Chest, 6 min plank sequence, 100 push-ups
  • Saturday – 10 min jog, 30 ins elliptical, 100 push-ups, crunch machine (50)
  • Sunday – Travel day 🙁

***

I am full of inspiration after the weekend – perfect timing for the holiday backing season.

Do you have any tips for low-tech photography?

How did all the race-runners do this weekend?

 

Filed Under: Breakfast, Core, Fitness, Products, Recap, Running, Travel, Weights Tagged With: breakfast, cookies, dinner, FoodBuzz, hummus, pumpkin, running, Sabra, San Francisco

Buzz Buzz

November 5, 2011 By Laura

It’s FoodBuzz Festival weekend!

 

People stared at my airplane lunch, but I bet it tasted better than hers!  Endive, spinach, S&P pumpkin seeds, carrots, zucchini, and pomegranate.

I arrived in San Francisco and braved the BART to get to the hotel.  I was so excited to meet my roommate – Sarah from The Smart Kitchen.  (She says “Hi, Everyone!”)

Also exciting was the rubber ducky in our bathroom.

 

One quick costume change and we were off to the opening dinner.

More details (and better pics) later, but here’s what I managed to get on my iPhone:

That lentil salad and the beet ravioli was AWESOME

No one here looks at you funny for taking pics of food!

Cleaned. My. Plate.

 

It was really neat to meet in person the people whose blogs  I’ve been reading, and discover new blogs.  I can’t wait to meet more today!

 

But first Sarah and I are off for a quick workout before beginning day 2 of FoodBuzz.

On the agenda:

  • 3 panels
  • Tasting/Expo
  • Tyler Florence demo!!!!
  • Dinner banquet

***

I love food.

What are you doing this weekend?

Is anyone else excited for the LSU/Alabama game?

 

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: dessert, dinner, FoodBuzz, salad, San Francisco

Hijacking a Brunello Wine Tour

November 4, 2011 By Laura

Caution: this post involves drinking, gluttony, and theft.

In other words, my favorite things. 😉

We left Siena from Montalcino on a tour bus with 4 strangers and a tour guide, Mattea.  It was to be a relaxing wine tasting, followed by lunch, another tasting, and then a ride back to the hotel.  Little did Mattea know, this was no ordinary tour group.

First fateful stop: Il Cocco

It was here that we met our new BFF – Christal.  A New Mexican woman living at the winery with Giacomo, her wine-maker boyfriend (yes, we were all jealous of this modern-day Cinderella story).

Giacomo and juice

Christal labeling bottle at lightening speed

Wayward Wandering Wino Tour Group

At Il Cocco we tasted a fabulous Rosso di Montalcino and a Brunello di Montalcino.

Montalcino is a small hill town about 30 miles outside of Siena in the Tuscan region.  It is believed to have been founded in the early 9th century.  The town is famous for its Brunello – and rightfully so.

Brunello is the first wine to be awarded DOCG status.  It is made from the sangiovese grosso grape and must be aged 5 years before it is ready to be sold.  The Riserva must be aged 6 years, and is only produced only during the best vintages.  Brunello is a smooth, fruit-forward wine, often with notes of blackberry, black cherry, and chocolate.  I like the leather taste more commonly noted in the Riserva.

Rosso di Montalcino (aged just one year) is made from the same grape and is often called “Baby Brunello.”  It is good, but much lighter (and less expensive) than Brunello.  It’s all much cheaper in Italia.

Check out the price tag on the bottle below.  I paid $80 USD or the same bottle at a restaurant in Atlanta.

Back to our crime novella.

We needed to leave Il Cocco to get to our lunch reservation… but how could we leave our new BFF behind?!  Into the van went Christal the winemaker’s girlfriend!  Bwhahahaha!

After a lunch (and a limoncello digestif) we were off to…

Second fateful stop: Le Potazzine.  A Potazzine is a small bird found in the hillside, but it is also and endearing term used by adults to refer to children.  The two birds on this winemaker’s label represent his two daughters.  How cute is that?!

I particularly enjoyed their Brunello

Here’s where the hijacking begins.  We were supposed to be dropped back in Siena after this stop.  Tour over.  What had happened was…

There was a bottle of their absolutely fabulous 2004 Riserva.  And there were several of us that thought it would be a good idea to buy this bottle – it was one of the last bottles left!  Did I mention this was a magnum bottle?  Wine is better in magnum bottles.  How could we NOT buy it and solidify our friendship by sharing with the backdrop of a Tuscan sunset?

Corinne and me with our bounty

It only took a little convincing, but eventually Matteo caved to the pressure and agreed to take us all back to Il Cocco to drink the bottle.

Matteo, Corinne, and a thirsty kitten

I wish we had more time to open the bottle and let it breathe (often these wines will be opened the day before drinking to allow it to open up), but we did hold off for an hour.  It was fabulous.

Check out those legs!

We took our glasses and walked down to Giacomo’s vineyards, where we cheered to our perfect, unpredictable day and took in the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen.

Bright green vines, the smell of fresh grapes, a Tuscan sunset, and a special bottle of wine with friends.  La dolce vita.

I’m going back to Il Cocco next year to help with the harvest.  Not kidding.  

Get ready, Christal!!!

***

Check out my “dream vacation” guest post on Corey’s blog – Learning Patience!

What is your dream vacation?

If money, family, other obligations, etc. were no object, where would you live?

Filed Under: Travel, Wine Tagged With: Brunello, Il Cocco, Italy, Le Potazzine, lunch, Siena, wine

Pumpkin Pie BYOgurt + WIAW

November 2, 2011 By Laura

Some things make being on the road all week a little better.

 

Check out the Roasted Pumpkin in the top left corner of this screen shot of today’s FoodBuzz Top 9 – its my roasted pumpkin from this post!!!  🙂

Another thing that makes a long week brighter is my favorite weekly event – Jenn @ Peas and Crayons‘ What I ate Wednesday.  Here’s my WIAW (technically Tuesday… but whatever).

Breakfast #1:

Pumpkin Zucchini Muffin… recipe coming soon to a blog near you!

Breakfast #2:

Remember the Sweet Potato BYOB Greek Yogurt?  Same idea, same Sky mag (the new one wasn’t out until the flight home – SJP looks amazing in it!), different flavors.

Pumpkin Greek Yogurt

Pumpkin Greek Yogurt with Fage.  I think the secret is using a thick yogurt (this may also help when getting through security!) and not being afraid to add spices/flavors.  Shout out to almond extract and ginger in this cup.  YUM.

You should have see the guys next to me on the plane wondering WTF I was doing taking multiple pics of my BYOgurt. 🙂

Full recipe at the end of this post.

The St. Louis airport was especially festive after the Cardinals big World Series win!

Lunch:

Lunch today was from a deli in the bottom of an office building.  It is barely worth mentions and certainly not worth picturing.  Over-salted but otherwise flavorless vegetable soup and a dry roll.

I would have rather had my Wild Mushroom Soup from last week.

Snacks: 

Unpictured pretzels and an apple on the plane.  I did get a shot of a gorgeous sunset.

Dinner:

Totally made up for lunch.

My boss and I had to work late.  Since we were at the airport already, we decided to check out One Flew South in the ATL airport.  It was recently featured in Food & Wine!

There weren’t any vegetarian options on the menu, but they did have tofu in a salmon dish.  I asked the server if they would make a tofu-only dish and they surprised with me an amazing tofu-veggie sauté.  It included sweet potato straws, butternut squash, snow peas, carrots, fennel, spinach, and shittake mushrooms over a parsnip puree.  Absolutely delicious.

Dessert was fantastic – Banana Pudding with ‘Nilla Wafers.  So much so that I forgot to take a picture until there was barely a bite left in the jar.

I had NO idea airport food could be this good!


Homemade Pumpkin Greek Yogurt

Pumpkin Pie Greek Yogurt

  • 1/3 C pumpkin puree (here’s how to make it yourself)
  • 1 C (1 individual container) Fage 0% Greek Yogurt
  • 1.2 tsp almond extract
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1.8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 2-3 drops NuNaturals Pure Liquid Vanilla Stevia
  • Shake of salt

Mix all ingredients together in bowl or recycled yogurt container.  For best results, let refrigerate 1-2 hours or overnight to allow flavors to meld.

Add toppings as desired.  Mine included: pomegranate seeds and these Cardamom Roasted Pumpkin Seeds.

Get through security and enjoy your yogurt-pie as a reward!

As part of the Foodbuzz Featured Publisher program, I have been entered for the chance to win a trip to Greece courtesy of FAGE. You too can enter to win one of three trips to Greece by entering the FAGE Plain Extraordinary Greek Getaway here: http://www.fageusa.com/community/fage-greek-getaway

***

As always, check out Peas and Crayons to see the tastiness everyone else ate today!

What is your favorite seasonal flavor?  Eggnog?  Hot Chocolate?  A pie of sorts?

What airport do you think has the best food?

Filed Under: Breakfast, Products, Recipes, Restaurants, Travel Tagged With: breakfast, dessert, dinner, Fage, lunch, pumpkin, restaurants, snacks, soup, tofu, vegetarian, yogurt

Eating Through Siena

October 27, 2011 By Laura

Today the Italian adventures continue in Siena.

I took a little recap break to post some of the dishes I’ve made.  Some – like this and this – were inspired by my travels… only I made them like your vegan-ish Italian grandmother would. 🙂

The Tuscan region was home to some of the best food on the trip.  Certainly the best gelato!

In order to get to Siena, we braved the overnight trains (not recommended without a seat reservation… using the restroom on the train also not recommended) and arrived in Siena sometime around 6am.  Thank god our room was ready early and we were able to take a nap before exploring the city.

Despite the train-lag, we got moving in time for lunch.  The view from our room had me bouncing out of bed!

For lunch we followed a Rick Steve’s recommendation that promised vegetarian fare (we were deprived of veggies after all that travel).  He was spot on – this Osteria was awesome!

The servers were very nice (and patient).  One was even wearing a Fenway Park shirt.  The veggies were just what we needed to begin the day:

We wandered through town before resting at the main piazza to enjoy a coffee while people-watching.  Followed by gelato (banana and nutella for me).

Next on the agenda was the Duomo (the tallest point you can see in the pic of our view from the hotel room).  They sell a pass for the whole artistic complex of “Opera della Metropolitana di Siena” for 10 Euro!  Sold.

In the opera museum we were able to view some incredible paintings, sheet music from operas, and sculptures.  It still blows my mind to think the history behind it all.  From the museum there is a long, winding staircase to the top of a tower offering a view that will take your breath (so will all those stairs!).

 The 10 Euro tour then took us inside the Cattedrale, followed by the Cripta below.  I was most excited about the crypt, but they must have been renovating because much of it was blocked off or not labeled (unmarked mounds containing bodies = not as exciting).

The cathedral was stunning.  I was back to my over-used phrase: This doesn’t even look real!

At this point my camera died… which didn’t stop me from making everyone pose for a pic in the Battistero (a smaller church housing works from many of the greatest Renaissance sculptors).

 Dead cameras don’t end the day – we hauled it back to out hotel to re-charge batteries – electronic and our own.  We had met a friend along the way earlier in the day who promised us a delicious dinner.

He was the chef at a restaurant we had also found via Rick Steve: Antica Osteria da Divo.  If you are ever in Siena, I highly recommend this place.  It’s a gorgeous dining room and the food is top-notch.

Beautiful setting

2007 Castello di Ama Chianti Classico

Rolled zucchini filled with pecorino cheese from Pienza and kale served over caramelized red onions

Scallops browned with citrus-bread crumbs, served over pumpkin cream and watercress

Risotto with fresh Porcini mushrooms and Saffron served table-side in a form of demi-seasoned pecorino cheese

I almost asked for seconds

Hand-rolled Senese pasta with Selvatic meat (Wildboar-Venison-Deer) sauce, “Taggiasche” olives, juniper berries and rosemary-scented crispy bread

Rolled pork stuffed with spinach and fresh pecorino cheese, truffle sauce and caramelized scallions

Rolled pan biscuit ,vanilla cream, and pear cooked in Chianti Classico with a caramel net

A picture cannot begin to do that dessert justice.  It was a work of art.

Feeling fat and happy, we took a walk back to our hotel.  The chef and waiter invited us for drinks,  but we were still tired from the train and needed to wake up early.  The next day would bring a trip to Montalcino to learn about Brunello wine.*

*This is the part of the trip where we hijacked a tour bus.  No joke.  Check back for the rest of that story. 🙂

***

Pretty please vote for my Biscoff Cookie Dough Balls by clicking here and “liking” (via Facebook) my entry in Delta’s Biscoff Bake-Off.  You can vote 1x per day!!!  Thanks for all of your votes so far!

Do you enjoy going to museums when you travel or are you more of an unorganized explorer?

What are you going to be for Halloween?

Filed Under: Restaurants, Travel, Wine Tagged With: dinner, Italy, lunch, restaurants, Siena, wine

A Spoonful of Sugarland + Truffles in Alba, Italy

October 24, 2011 By Laura

Being in Alba for the Truffle Festival is a real treat.

Understatement of the year.

Our last day in Alba happened the be the first day of the Truffle Festival (have I mentioned how lucky we were on this trip?!).

 

The city was filled with the smell of truffles, cheese, and chocolate.  See why I nearly pitched a fit whimpered when it was time to go?

I wonder how much $$$ in truffles was in the city that day?  Thousands?  Hundreds of thousands?

We saw the parade, which included flag throwers (like the guy  in Under the Tuscan Sun!).  They were great… but I really loved it when they almost dropped the flag and had to do diving catches:

It’s like something out of a movie… next time I come back I’ll time it better to be there for more of the festival!

I keep saying it, but it’s incredible how much Italy really does look like a postcard or a movie scene.


I wrote previously that I am really struggling to get back into the swing of things workout-wise.  My muscles feel incredibly tight and I’m out of the habit.  A massage is in order!

I am making an effort.  The intensity level isn’t where I’d like it and I’m struggling to run and am in some pain from my knee injury and a foot problem (scary given next week’s race then the Thanksgiving Half)… but half the battle is getting out the door.  That, I have done.

On the injury front, I did do to a therapist who assured me that everything in my knee is intact.  He began Soft Tissue Therapy last week and wants to get another session in before next weekend’s race.  Apparently I have a lot of scar tissue build up due to old injuries (my right knee always seems to be the one I abuse).

Thank god I have a high pain tolerance… he used something like the Graston Technique which HURTS.  He uses a hard little bar to rub hard against the grain of the scar tissue.  This re-introduces trauma, which causes inflammation, which increases the blood flow in the area.  This supposedly helps re-initiate the healing process of the affected soft tissues.

I needed a spoonful of sugar after that doctor visit… so I hit a concert!

Sugarland‘s show Saturday night was amazing, as usual.

Their stage presence and energy are unparalleled.  While I do miss seeing them in small venues with my elbows on the stage, pit seats at Phillips Area are nothing to turn your nose up at!

In other news, I ended the cleanse.  This coming weekend I am relaying 7 miles of the Georgia Marathon and I need more complex carbs.  And if I’m brutally honest… I wanted to go out this weekend.

Therefore, this Standard Process-esque 21-day cleanse became a 14-day cleanse.  I’m happy with that.  I feel more energetic and refreshed after the 2 week meat and wine binge in Italy, which is exactly what I wanted to accomplish.

***

I start my leadership development program this morning – so excited!

What are you looking forward to this week?

Have you ever heard of the Graston Technique?

Filed Under: Core, Fitness, Recap, Running, Travel, Weights Tagged With: injury, Italy, P90X, race, running, Standard Process Cleanse, Sugarland, truffles, workout

Wine-ing Down in Barolo, Italy

October 22, 2011 By Laura

Today is dedicated to one of my favorite wines: Barolo.

I didn’t know it was one of my favorites until I was able to taste some incredible bottles in Barolo, Italy.

Barolo is a teeny town about 9 miles outside of Alba.  And it is stunningly beautiful.

It’s so small that you can walk around from winemaker to winemaker, tasting as you go.  The vineyards are outside the small city center (the best are from Connubi), but the tasting rooms are in the Commune.  (Note: many times in Italy a tasting room is actually someone’s living room.)

Our first stop of the day was E. Pira & Figli.  Pira is run by a woman named Chiara – the first female maker of Barolo!  There are now more, but Chiara remains one of the only 2 organic Barolo makers.  They only produce ~12,000 bottles a year.

We were given a tour of the facility by Chiara’s sister-in-law (Chiara was being interviewed by a couple of Danish reporters).

Then we tasted!  These wines were nothing like most of the organic varieties we see in America… they were good!

We tasted 4 wines:

  • Barolo Cannubi
  • Barolo Via Nuova
  • Barbera d’Alba
  • Dolcetto d’Alba (not pictured)

This list is essentially in ranked order, with Barolo Cannubi being the “best.”  They were all good though.  Dolcetto is more of a table wine; a light and drinkable juice.  Barbera is more commonly found in America, though the price point here is about what you’d pay for a Barolo in Italy.  It is a good wine – bright and plumy, perfect with pastas and cheeses.

Barolo made from grapes grown on the Cannubi hill are considered to be of the highest quality.  It is aged 2 years in French oak and then an additional year in the bottle.  It is a big, spicy wine with some chewy fruit flavor (big reds are the way to my heart).  Perfect with flavorful dishes of steak or truffles.  Delizioso.

Check out what we found on Chiara’s shelves:

We go all the way to Italy only to find a license plate from the state we live in… seriously?!  I can’t make this stuff up.

Chiara came over to speak with us after the reporters left.  She was so sweet and full of energy an passion.  Such an open person… I’m not sure how else to describe her aura than refreshing.

Me, Chiara, and Corinne

We ate an unremarkable lunch (yes, there were a few) and then set off to the next winemaker: Scarzello.

We tasted 4 wines:

  • Barolo Cannubi
  • Barolo Vigna Merenda
  • Barbera d’Alba Superiore
  • Nebbiolo (not pictured)

The wines were fantastic, but this experience was especially amazing.  We ended up sitting around their living room table, chatting with the winemaker’s wife for a long time.  She was such a sweet women, and we spoke about everything from her son (also a winemaker) to relationships.

We bonded and cheered with a glass of the best.  These pictures are now next to the word “content” in the dictionary.

I didn’t want to leave, but we couldn’t take up her entire afternoon.  We had some time to kill and went to the town museum.  The museums was, of course, located in a castle.   It had some of the best views we saw on the trip.  I can’t say the same for the “museum” quality.

We could have hung out in the commune and tasted all night, but our driver (yes, a driver – clearly we didn’t need to drive after crashing these) arrived to take us to Serralunga, another town in the zone.  It seemed unlikely that the day could get any better… but it did!

Our Serralunga tasting was with Anselma Giacomo.  It was conducted by the sweetest women I’ve ever met, Maria.  Maria is the wife of Franco Anselma, the winemaker.

Maria gave us  lovely tour, showing us the garden she plans to build and telling us some of the history of the old town and winery (founded in early 1900).  We even got to try out an old wine corking “machine.”

We tasted 5 wines, but the 3 Barolo were especially excellent, accompanied by Nebbiolo grapes and some great meats and cheeses.

  • Dolcetto
  • Nebbiolo
  • Barbera d’Alba
  • 2006 Barolo
  • 2005 Barolo
  • 2004 Barolo Vigna Rionda Riserva

The velvety, full-bodied Riserva was my favorite.  Maria told us it was a wine to meditate with.  And so I did.  And then I meditated some more when she handed us a bowl of chocolate to taste it with.  OMG.

On to dinner!  Man Woman cannot live on meat and cheese alone.

We had reservations next to the castle at a restaurant called Schiavenza.  They too make wine (not an uncommon story over there), so we had a tasting with dinner.

Roasted peppers with sardines, omelet with ricotta and spinach, raw ball of meat (no, I didn’t eat it), and veal with tuna cream

Tajarin with ragu and plin

Beef with Barolo sauce, polenta, and carrots

Dessert Barolo is pretty amazing

It’s even better poured over ice cream and served with chocolate mousse cake

Remind me again why I came home?!  I want to move here.

***

I’m going to see Sugarland tonight!!!

What are you doing this weekend?  Any races?

Have you ever poured booze over dessert?  Chambord + ice cream is awesome.

Filed Under: Restaurants, Travel, Wine Tagged With: Barolo, dinner, Italy, restaurants, wine

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Tahini Sauce

October 21, 2011 By Laura

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed that I live in airports.

Last night I camped out in the St. Louis airport (side note: poor Cardinals 🙁 ).  I almost made the 5p flight.  I was the last one in when they closed the walkway door… seems like a sure thing, right?  Nope.  They made me walk right back out because they’d missed a scan and there were no more seats.  WTF?!

I had to wait another 2 hours for the next flight and didn’t get home until almost 11p.  Most of the time travel doesn’t bother me, and most of the time I love Delta… but it has been a long week and it’s super disappointing when you think you’ve made the flight.

All this to say it’s not going to be a wordy post day (this may be a relief after this marathon post).  I do have a fantastic recipe though!!


Brussel sprouts are one of the (many) things I eat now that I would have never dreamed of putting in my mouth growing up.

To say that I was a picky eater would be an understatement.

This dish would have my former self kicking me in the shins because I made a big batch of brussels and then I licked my plate.   (The only way I’d eat veggies as a kid?  Raw and swimming in ranch dressing.)  

I wouldn’t have eaten anything on this plate just 15 years ago: roasted tomatoes, lentils with fava beans (minus the liver and nice Chianti), and brussels with tahini sauce.

15 years later, I can assure you that these items are all absolutely delicious.  Look Mom, I’m all grown up!

The savory lemon-tahini sauce is perfect with the slightly sweet caramelized brussels.  A little paprika kick on the end and my taste buds are in heaven.

In conclusion, trust a former picky eater (that only adds credibility, right?) and try the brussels.  If you don’t like them, you can always add more sauce. 😉


Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Tahini Sauce

  • 1.5 C brussel sprouts, washed and halved
  • 1/2 tsp olive oil
  • Splash of apple cider vinegar
  • 1 clove of garlic, pressed
  • 2 T roasted tahini
  • Juice of 1/4 large lemon
  • 2 T water, or more until desired consistency is reached
  • 1 T fresh parsley
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • S+P, dash of salt to taste

For the Brussels:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  

Place the sprouts cut side down in an oven-proof pan with olive oil over medium heat.  Allow to cook until they begin to caramelize and turn golden brown.  Once browned, move pan to oven and continue to cook until the sprouts are just tender (~7-8 mins, depending on size).  Remove from oven and pour a splash of apple cider vinegar (or any vinegar) in pan to deglaze.

For the Tahini Sauce:

Mix together tahini, garlic, lemon juice.  Add water slowly, adjusting to reach desired thickness.  Add parsley, paprika, salt, and pepper to taste.

Drizzle brussels with dressing, sprinkle with a bit more paprika, and serve.  If in public, do not lick your plate.

Makes 2 servings.

***

I just got the new iPhone iOS system.  It rocks.

If you have an iPhone, have you downloaded it yet?  What do you think?

What do you love now that you wouldn’t touch as a kid?

Filed Under: Recipes, Travel Tagged With: 21, brussles, dinner, gluten-free, strange but good, tahini, vegan

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • …
  • 24
  • Next Page »

Follow Me!

instagram_b facebook_b twitter_bpinterest_b
rss_a email_ayoutube_b googlep_b

Food lover. Constant Wine-r. Gym Rat. More is more.

[instagram-feed]
logo
Food Advertising by
logo
Food Advertising by

Follow Me!

instagram_b facebook_b twitter_bpinterest_b
rss_a email_ayoutube_b googlep_b

Popular Posts

Home | About Me | Privacy Policy | Fitness | Recipes | Training & Nutrition

Affiliate Links: This site is monetized through the use of affiliate links. This means that if you were to make a purchase through one of these links, Sprint 2 the Table would receive a small percentage of the sale price. Thanks for your support!

Copyright © 2014 Sprint 2 the Table | Designed by Murnan Creative