Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

More Strange, Still Good

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It’s a theme in my life.

 

Except in the dating scene.  Strange = bad.

Two Fridays ago I wrote a post of some of my favorite Strange But Good concoctions… and 2 weeks later I of course have more to share!

 

Before we dive into the realm of odd: there is an Atlanta blogger potluck meet up this weekend.  If you want to come and haven’t received an email, send me a note and I’ll forward the invite to you!  The more the merrier. 🙂

 

Ok.  Back to the strange fun stuff:

1. Salmon + Blackberry Salad

You guys may have seen this on WIAW…

 

I mixed 4oz salmon, 2 T fat-free ricotta, a little cinnamon, a little unsweetened almond milk, and blackberries.  It was strange but oh-so-good.

 

 

2. Mexican Hot Chocolate Protein Ice Cream

Hot ice cream?  Why yes… there is cayenne in it!  this sweet-heat treat was a fantastic midnight snack.  The green tint comes from spinach… but that’s standard, not strange.

 

Mexican Hot Chocolate Ice Cream

  • 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon (or 2 sticks)
  • 1/2 in piece ginger
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne (can adjust to taste)
  • 1/4 C unsweetened chocolate almond milk
  • 2 C spinach
  • 5-6 drops liquid stevia
  • 1/8 tsp guar gum (optional)
  • Ice, to taste

 

It’s topped with Walden Farm’s Sugar-Free Caramel… but honestly… that’s more strange than good.

 

 

3. Bacon-Ricotta Stuffed Sweet Potato

After news of the impending bacon shortage… I was craving bacon.  I stuffed a locally-grown pre-cooked sweet potato with with ricotta and then crumbled a small piece of pre-cooked bacon on top.  Then I placed it int he oven under broil while I made a quick vegan tempeh stir-fry.

 

Vegan + Bacon = Tasty Dinner.

 

 

4. Zucchini Bread Protein Batter

This is Strange But Good PROOF!  Debbie @ Accidentally Delish gave it a try for WIAW:

 

From Debbie: “You don’t even taste the zucchini. I promise.”

Click here for the full recipe.

 

 

5. Lightlife Portobello Burger with Sweet Potato-Chipotle Spread

This was strange but good on 2 counts.  First, this Lightlife Portobello Mushroom Burger tasted downright meaty.  I was shocked – I even went back to check the ingredient list.  All vegetarian!

The best part?  It has a full 20g of protein. 🙂

 

 

Second, the sweet potato as a condiment.  It’s addicting… I’ve topped my salmon tortilla pizzas with it too.  I love sweet with a little heat (as if you couldn’t tell from the Mexican ice cream), and that was perfectly balance here with the sweet potato and chipotle.  Cumin added a warm, earthy flavor that was especially good with the meaty ‘shroom burger.

My dinner guests and I enjoyed the burgers in a very green way – on a field of spinach, cucumber, cabbage, broccoli, cilantro, and a few cannellini beans.

 

 

***Disclaimer: As a part of the DailyBuzz Food Tastemaker program, Lightlife provided me with a stipend and product for sampling.  All opinions are MINE. 🙂 ***

This series is brought to you in partnership with Lightlife, Live long. Travel light. To learn more, click here http://www.lightlife.com.

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Sweet Potato-Chipotle Spread

  • 1/4 C pre-cooked sweet potato, mashed
  • 1 tsp chipotle in adobo
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin (or curry powder – both are good here)
  • 1 T unsweetened almond milk

 

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and mash to combine.

Use as a condiment on burgers, pizzas, sandwiches… or a dip for your favorite veggie sticks or chips!

***

I just realized how much sweet potato I’ve been eating.  These local ‘taters are just so tasty!

Do you have a favorite veggie burger?

What is your #strangebutgood this week?

 

My Favorite Topic

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Food.

 

Anyone surprised?

You know how they say men think about sex every 5 seconds?  That’s me with food.   It’s my 50 Shades of Grey.  

When I saw this quiz on Matt’s blog I was filling it out in my head as I read through his answers.

 

Breakfast

1. Favorite cereal as a child?

Lucky Charms.  I used to get in trouble for only eating the marshmallows.

 

2. Coffee or Tea? With milk or without?

Coffee.  Black like my soul.

Since I started having my morning cocktail, I no longer need to drink coffee before noon.  When I’m in the office, I am wondering down to reception to get a mid-afternoon pick-me-up cup!

Sometimes I eat it in Tiramisu Parfaits or drink it in a Pumpkin Frappuccino.

 

3. The one food you eat most often at breakfast?

That’s tough!  I don’t like to repeat meals a lot… but lately I’ve been all about my PB & Aggs.

 

 

Lunch

1. Sandwiches are generally considered a “lunch food.” If you had to choose between a grilled cheese and a peanut butter and jelly, which would you pick?

Grilled Peanut Butter and Jelly.  the “real” thing was my favorite growing up, but now days I eat this tofu-laced, low-fat, protein-filled version:

 

2. You can only put four ingredients in your salad (not including greens); what do you throw in the mix? Additionally, which greens and dressing do you pick?

It really depends on the mood!  Right now I’m thinking cucumber, red onion, celery, and walnuts on a bed of spinach and dressed with a mix of hummus, apple cider vinegar, and sriracha.

 

3. One food you can’t live without at lunch?

Again, I’m not a creature of habit!  I like to shake it up, but no matter what I need a little something sweet at the end… like a bite of dark chocolate.  Or these days on my training plan… I have a calcium chew. *sigh*

 

 

Dinner

1. It’s the end of the day. You’re tired, hungry, and your fridge is empty.  If fast food (from a chain) is your only option, where do you go and what do you order?

I’m copying Matt and saying Whole Foods.  Whatever is looking good on the hot bar (usually a bite of everything). It’s the closest thing to fast food that I will eat!

 

2. TV/computer on or off while you’re eating?

Computer.  In fact, I’m filling this out as I eat.

 

3. The one food you eat most often at dinner?

Lately it’s been my Cauliflower Pizza.  It’s a delicious addiction.

 

 

Dessert

1. Choose between these two American desserts: cheesecake or apple pie?

Cheesecake.  I don’t like cooked apples… but really I’d rather have chocolate cake than anything.

 

2. Choose between these two foreign desserts: tiramisu (Italy) or flan (Spain)?

I like them both, but I have to go with tiramisu.  Like the parfait above. 😉

 

3. Ice cream: cone or cup?

Cup.  More toppings.  Duh. 

***

Sometimes I wonder if everyone else thinks about food as much as I do… or if I have OCD.

I want your answers!  Is there anything you HAVE to have in your salads, or for lunch every day?

How much time to you each day spend thinking about food?

 

Stay Calm + WIAW

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Try to stay calm.

There may  be a bacon shortage.  The LA Times reports that drought conditions caused a reduction in corn and soybean crops, which means less feed for swine… which means less bacon.  Stock your freezers now.

Despite my frequent posting about bacon, I really am not a fanatic.  Yes, I do enjoy the occasional Maple-Bacon Pancake Cookie.  And I think Bacon Toothpaste is funny.

HOWEVER… I bought a mere 2 slices at the farmer’s market to add just a little extra flava-flav to my food this week.  And, I worked bacon into a meal today.

It’s a really stressful week.  Today I craved comfort food, and having developed the habit of reaching for healthy comforts helped me keep it clean… and sticking with September’s What I Ate Wednesday theme: “Fall Into Good Habits.”

Check out my healthy comfort foods below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get to see how everyone else maintained healthy habits this Wednesday.

Meal 1:

Like every morning, I arose and had my morning cocktail: a mix of Apple Cider Vinegar, Glutamine and Fitmixer Aminos.  Then I almost panicked when I realized I’m almost out of my Aminos.

After a quick 2 mile walk, I enjoyed a Stuft Mama-inspired sandwich:

P28 Bread panini-pressed in the George Foreman with cinnamon and flax-scrambled egg whites, sugar-free strawberry jam, a little Daiya pepper jack.  With a side of golden kiwi.

Meal 2:

This is truly random.  Certainly a Strange But Good candidate.  Pre-baked lemon-dill salmon… mixed with ricotta cheese, a little cinnamon, and blackberries.

Strangely delicious leg-day fuel. 

Meal 3:

I spent my lunch break in the gym blowing off some steam busting out some leg work.  When I got back home all I could think about was a giant green smoothie bowl.

In my bowl:

  • Vanilla protein powder
  • Chocolate unsweetened almond milk
  • TONS of spinach
  • Cinnamon
  • Liquid stevia
  • Crumbled Zucchini Protein Muffin to top (recipe for that coming soon!)

Meal 4:

Did I mention work is really, really, really stressful this week.  It called for my protein-comfort snack: PB Cottage Cheese and celery (a riff on my childhood “ants on a log”).

I mix 1/2 C no-salt added cottage cheese with 2T of peanut flour, cinnamon, stevia, and butterscotch extract.  Then I dip my celery.  There may have also been a side of dark chocolate… shhhhh… 

Meal 5:

Clearly I can never get enough pizza.  This week’s pizza meal’s base was my beloved cauliflower crust.

Toppings:

  • Swordfish
  • Bacon (just a little bit…)
  • Avocado
  • Truffle oil
  • Radishes
  • Asparagus
  • Brussels

My crust “dough” felt a little too wet, so I added a little nutritional yeast.  It worked well to soak up a little moisture, and it was really good!

Meal 6:

Still working (it was a late night).  So stressed I had no appetite.  Late nights in college always meant Waffle House… so I made a healthier version of my old order – egg whites with red onion, jalapeno, and spinach.

Meal 7:

Comfort food is the name of the game for this post.  More smoothie bowls!  Meal 7 was a Pumpkin-Chocolate Vitamix ice-cream-like concoction.

In my Fall Smoothie Bowl:

  • Pumpkin puree
  • Chocolate protein powder
  • Cocoa powder
  • Unsweetened chocolate almond milk
  • Cinnamon
  • Ginger
  • Stevia
  • Ice
  • Apple slices on top

***

Does my posting most of this on Instagram ruin the suspense?  Oh!  And the protein count for the day: 195.8g from fall clean eats!

What are you favorite healthy comfort foods?

Do you have a fall chill yet?  It’s still pretty warm here (yay!).

I’m not Crabby Smoked Gazpacho

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I’m a crab sign.

 

 

Admittedly, I can be crabby.  Like when some dude at the gym is reading TIME magazine on the captain’s chair.  Really?  You can’t do that at home?!

 

Despite the astrological connection, the last time I ate crab I was 7.  We were at the beach and my dad paid me $1 for every crab claw I could eat.  I ate 10 claws.  Greed > Gag

That was the last time I ate seafood until this year.  Incidentally, I also didn’t eat tomatoes until recently.  In another dad-related traumatic event, he gave me a big slice of tomato and told me it was watermelon.  I happily took a bite before choking it back up.  Talk about being crabby… not cool, Dad.

 

Thankfully I grew out of that.

 

Things I still won’t eat: caviar (he told me they were mini grapes) and sour cream (thought I was eating a spoonful of ice cream).

I also won’t east white potatoes, though I don’t remember a traumatic event associated with those.

 

 

I’m glad I did get over the crab and tomato hatred.  This tomato-based gazpacho is a tasty soup, and the meaty crab gives it the protein to fill you up.

One my favorite parts about gazpacho is its resemblance to salsa.  In order to leave those delicious chunky pieces of tomato and pepper, I reserved some of the soup when I blended the base.  After pureeing part of the mixture, I manually stirred in the rest of the remaining chopped veggies.

 

 

The other fun component here is the addition of liquid smoke.  It adds just a touch of… well, smokiness… as if you’d first roasted the tomatoes over wood chips.  It’s a fantastic way to add more flavor to dishes without adding salt.

 

 

If you don’t eat seafood, you can leave off the crab.  If you do eat seafood, you will love the rich, slightly sweet crab again the spicy soup.  Another option would be to top this with tempeh bacon, or possibly a firmly pressed tofu marinated in sweet citrus.

Either way, don’t skimp of the cilantro.  It’s wonderful with the late-season tomatoes and tangy lime. (Unless you don’t like cilantro… in which case parsley would be a fine sub!)

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Crabby Smoked Gazpacho

  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/4 c diced red onion
  • 1/2 C fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 jalapeno
  • 2 large tomatoes
  • 1/2 large red bell pepper
  • 1/2 cucumber
  • 1 T white wine vinegar
  • Juice of 1/2 lime
  • 5-6 drops liquid smoke (optional)
  • Crab
  • S & P, to taste

 

Place garlic, onion, and cilantro in blender.  Roughly chop remaining vegetables into 1 inch cubes.  

Add 2/3 to the blender.  Pulse briefly to coarsely puree the contents.  

Add remaining 1/3 of vegetables, vinegar, lime juice, and smoke.  Manually stir to combine.  Chill before serving, as the flavors develop the longer gazpacho sits.

To serve, top with fresh crab meat, fresh cilantro, and pepper.

Makes ~3 cups.

***

I still get crabby if I fall for something silly.  Scarred for life. 😉

Did your parents ever trick you into eating something you didn’t like?

What food(s) will you absolutely never touch?

 

Sorry I’m Not Sorry

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I’m exhausted.

 

After a killer leg day (more on that Monday), I’m too pooped to poop.  Good thing since I’m so sore I can’t lower myself to the toilet.

So today is a random post.  I hope you don’t mind. #sorryimnotsorry <— new favorite has tag.

 

1. Inspiration

I find this especially appropriate after the afore-mentioned leg day.  It’s contains some language (as my mother would say), but I think it’s appropriately used. #sorryimnotsorry

 

 

2. Things I Should Care About More At The Gym

I really loved this post from Sarah.  Flashing people accidentally?  I’m probably guilty.  #sorryimnotsorry

The Someecard pic she included was especially awesome… because I’m a klutz and have the shin bruises and oven scars to prove it.

 

 

3. Smoothie Demo

I’m doing my first “food” demo this weekend!  My trainer and his wife asked me to do a smoothie demo at their gym to show people how quick and easy it is to get a good protein punch.

There will be 4 blender recipes, including my Carrot Cake Protein Shake… and a new smoothies that I’ll post on Monday.  Confession: I’m nervous. #sorryimnotsorry

 

 

4. Jamaican Tofu Chowder with Collards

This vegan chowder recipe from Janet has been on my Soup Pinterest board for ever and I really want to try it now that it’s getting cooler.

Or Allie could just make it since she has too many collards and bring me some when she visits in a couple of weeks. *Yes, I’m that lazy right now. #sorryimnotsorry

 

 

5. Pumpkin S’Mores Cake

Does this really need an introduction?  I’m making this Pumpkin S’Mores Cake from Stephanie after my competition.  It could trump last winter’s Sweet Potato and Toasted Marshmallow Cake.

And I might eat the whole thing. #sorryimnotsorry

 ***

One more (did I take it too far?).  I’m ravenous today.  Leg day is an appetite booster.  #sorryimnotsorry

What is your #sorryimnotsorry today?

What’s your favorite recently pinned/bookmarked recipe or inspiration?

 

Microwave Protein Cookie + WIAW

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Lifting weights will not make you bulky.

It drives me NUTS when I hear women say they don’t want to lift because they are scared they’ll get bulky or look “manly.”  Women don’t have the hormone levels men do, so it’s just not possible to gain like a dude.  It takes a TON of work to significantly grow muscle.  I should know.

It is especially important for women to have a strength training program.

A few of the benefits include:

  1. Body Fat Reduction – As you increase lean muscle, so does resting metabolism.  This means that you burn more calories all day long.  Studies have shown that for each pound of muscle you gain, you burn 35-50 more calories each day.  That’s as much as 18,250 calories in a year!
  2. Decreased Risk of Osteoporosis and Heart Disease – Women are at an especially high risk of suffering from this disease.  Weight training can increase spinal bone mineral density, and – combined with adequate calcium – can be one of the best defenses against osteoporosis.  Cardio is important in heart health; however, lifting can help to lower “bad” (LDL) cholesterol, increase “good” (HDL) cholesterol, and lower blood pressure.
  3. Improved Athletic Performance – Research continually proves that strength training improves athletic ability.  It enables you to increase endurance, improve technique, and decrease the risk of injury.
  4. Improved Mood and Fights Depression – A Harvard study found that 10 weeks of strength training reduced clinical depression symptoms more successfully than standard counseling did!  Strength training often helps women feel more confident and capable, both important factors in fighting depression.
  5. Physical Strength – This may sound obvious, but strength training is important for daily activities – chores, chasing after kids, carrying groceries… basic, daily tasks will be much easier.  And how nice is it to be able to open ajar unassisted?

Strength training isn’t the only factor though.  I’m trying my best to gain as much as possible before my November competition.  Just as important as lifting is diet.  Healthy fats, complex carbs, and a lot of protein are key to gaining mass.  As much as I’m taking in, I’m still not She-ra…. but I am making gains!

A few people have asked for progress pics.  I wish I’d done a better job to tracking and taking pics from the same angles, but here’s the best bicep progress pic I have:

Still a really long way to go, but I think there are some changes!

Speaking of strength training (nice transition, right?), this fall’s  What I Ate Wednesday theme: “Fall Into Good Habits.”

Check out my healthy fall fuel below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get ideas from others’ fall eats!

Meal 1:

I probably bore you all with my morning cocktail, but this day started out like every other day with a mix of Apple Cider Vinegar, Glutamine and Aminos (I’ve switched since this pic to ON brand and LOVE it) … with some kombucha and water.  This week I had a lavender-rosemary homebrew to mix in.  Good for the digestion, skin, and overall energy!

30 mins later I noshed on a random concoction:

A Morningstar veggie sausage scrambled with egg whites and topped with cilantro, 1/2 a grapefruit, and a slice of Ezekial bread with sugar-free strawberry jam.  Not super creative, but it was the jam on this rainy morning.

Meal 2:

If it’s going to rain, at least my food can be bright!

There’s no shame in microwave baking!  Especially when it is an iced Sunbutter cookie. 

This cookie is incredibly easy.  I was going to bake it, but that seemed too time-consuming.  35 secs in the microwave for this baby!  I blended together cottage cheese, stevia, and apple pie spice as the icing and arranged golden kiwi slices on top.

Recipe at the bottom.

Meal 3:

Monday night’s dinner was a healthy version of Crab Eggs Benedict.  I remade it for WIAW because it was so delicious.  I’d probably be eating it again right now if I wasn’t out of my local farm fresh eggs.

However, I’m a tease.  The recipe will be shared tomorrow… sorry, but I felt it deserved its own post. 🙂 

Meal 4:

Tilapia again… but I did prepare it differently!  I’m working on a project making my own (salt-free) spice blends.  This was cooked in a grill pan with my Mexican blend and fresh lime juice.  On the side was roasted broccoli slaw and brussels, topped with more of my blend, rice vinegar, and nutritional yeast. 

Meal 5:

I’m trying not to Instagram everything before I post it on WIAW… but I couldn’t help myself last night.

This pizza combo knocked my socks off.  I toasted a low-carb tortilla as the crust, then slathered it with a sweet potato mashed with lemon juice, cumin, and chili powder.  Meanwhile, I sautéed asparagus and chopped fennel in a splash of garlic-infused olive oil.  That saute, arugula, and pre-cooked salmon topped my pizza.

I put the whole thing in the oven on broil for a few mins, finish with freshly ground pepper, thick balsamic, and cilantro… and viola!

Total foodgasm.  ♫ The neighbors complain about the noises above… ♫

Meal 6:

An old favorite… with a new twist.  Remember my Carrot Cake Protein Batter?  I made it chocolate. 

This Chocolate Carrot Cake Protein Batter was basically the same recipe, but I added 1 T cocoa powder and use almond extract instead of vanilla.

Side note: Did you know that 1 T of cocoa powder has 1g of protein?

Meal 7:

In the interest of honesty… this happened:

I get an extra cheat each day in effort to gain weight… although this may not be what my trainer had in mind…

It was delicious though!  Terrapin is a Georgia brewery, and their Pumpkinfest beer is fantastic. It combines two styles – pumpkin beer and Oktoberfest – to create a spiced pumpkin beer that isn’t overly sweet.

Never fear!  I got my protein in too: 

A maple-casein version of my 150 Calorie Microwave Protein Cake topped with fresh figs.

Micro Protein Cookie steps

Nutty Microwave Protein Cookie

  • 2 T peanut flour
  • 1 T water
  • 1 T Sunbutter
  • 2 T egg whites
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 5-6 drops liquid stevia

Mix ingredients in a small bowl.  

Coat small, microwave-safe plate with cooking spray.  Spread dough on plate and microwave 30-40 secs.  

Serves 1.

***

Protein count for the day: 191.3g from fall clean eats!

Do you do any strength training?  Why or why not?

What foods have you been loving the most this fall?

Fig and Edamame Salad with Sriracha-Lime Vinaigrette

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I have a few confessions:

  • I abuse the 5 second rule… yet I’m not a religious floor-cleaner.
  • I ate a giant piece of flour-less chocolate cake this weekend.  It was sprinkled with flaky sea salt and drizzled with olive oil.  And it was worth every sugar-y calorie.
  • Sometimes rather than washing the sheets I just wash the pillowcases.
  • It’s not unusual for me to “fluff” the laundry no less than 3 times.
  • My least favorite part of blogging is taking and editing pictures.  Can’t I just Instagram everything?!
  • I spaced out and missed last week’s Meatless Mondays from A-Z challenge.  Sorry Heather.

Last week’s theme was edamame, which I LOVE.  I did link up a tasty old recipe – Edamame Jicima Salad – I still felt like I owed Heather a little something extra this week… so I went for the 1-2 punch with the ingredient themes.

You might remember when I did this with the Overachieving Cauliflower Crust Pizza.  I used all 3 of the first ingredients – artichokes, beets, and capers.

For my recipe this week, I made a gain salad of Kamut berries (see this post for more info on Kamut), edamame and figs.  Never one to eat a mild dish, I spiced this up with my favorite flavors: cilantro and sriracha.

I know there are a few of you who aren’t fans of cilantro.  Basil or parsley would also work well here!

The figs may sound a little odd to add to this combo (another Strange But Good candidate?), but their sweetness worked well to tame the sriracha heat.  The slight sweetness of the edamame also had a cooling effect.  I am a texture feign, so I especially adored the chewy Kamut berries with the crisp edamame and soft figs.

I wanted to keep it vegan for Heather, but another great add here would be some Greek yogurt.  Kamut berries are high in protein.  The yogurt would give you even more protein, and also add a luscious creaminess.

Aren’t figs gorgeous?

[Tweet “Figs and Sriracha come together for a sweet heat in this whole grain salad!”]

Workout Recap

It has been quite the workout week!  Monday’s leg day with my trainer left me damn near paralyzed.  My second-day-soreness on Wednesday left me gripping the handicap rail in the bathroom.

BUT… it’s paying off.  This exciting news this week came on Saturday (leg day #2).  I got the green light from my trainer.  I AM competing in November!!!!!!

No, I won’t be to the point we want yet.  I’ll probably be the leanest person there (read: too lean), but I’m going to work even harder to grow between now and then (and maybe have another piece of chocolate cake).  BAM.

Workout Recap (9/10 – 9/16):

  • Monday – Legs (w/ trainer), 2 mile walk
  • Tuesday – Rest, 2 mile walk
  • Wednesday – Back/Triceps, Calf raises, 3 mile walk
  • Thursday – Shoulders/Butt, 2 mile walk
  • Friday – Chest/Biceps, Calf raises
  • Saturday – Legs (w/ trainer), 2 mile walk, 50 push-ups
  • Sunday – Rest-ish… 2.8 mile sprints

Fig and Edamame Kamut Berries with Sriracha-Lime Vinaigrette

by Laura Hall

Prep Time: 10 mins

Keywords: entree salad low-sugar nut-free soy-free vegan vegetarian fig kamut lime cilantro Asian

Ingredients (2 servings, easily doubled)

Instructions

In a small bowl, whisk together cilantro, lime juice, oil, sriracha, and cumin to make the vinaigrette.

Place berries in medium bowl and toss with vinaigrette.

Stir in edamame and figs.

Powered by Recipage

***

Time for important decisions… like what color should my suit be.  Blue?  Green?  Aqua?

What is your confession today?

Is your next-day or second-day soreness worse?

Eat Your Tequila Lime Tilapia

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Drinking is a training no-no.

Let’s be honest… I indulge on cheat day and sometimes at night I sacrifice a carb for a wine.

Booze isn’t just for drinking though!  It makes for a wonderful marinade.  So wonderful that I have made this Tequila-Lime Tilapia dish 4 times in as many weeks (that NEVER happens).  It is a great dish to make in bulk to take for lunch throughout the week!

My trainer insists that booze doesn’t completely cook out.  We should be so lucky.  I don’t believe it.  I’ve eaten a lot of this tilapia and didn’t feel the least bit buzzed.

A study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Nutrient Data Laboratory  DID show that alcohol content diminishes with cooking time.  When food is baked or simmered for 15 minutes, 40% of the alcohol will be retained.  After an hour, 25% remains. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal here, as this is just a marinade and the amount of alcohol in an individual serving will be minimal.

Adding liquor and/or citrus to recipes has always made me a little nervous.  It seems all too easy to add too much.  The recipe has taught me to let go of that fear.  More is more (to an extent… that time my aunt challenged me to a margarita contest wasn’t my finest moment).

Like chicken or tofu, tilapia is a blank canvas; it will take on whatever flavor you soak it in.  The bright tang from the lime and smooth silver tequila really shine here.  I love the garlic and the warm, almost peppery quality of the cumin.

This is one place you don’t want to go overboard with the chili powder.  Remember, you can always add more but you can’t take it back.  Just a hint of heat on the end is all you need with the delicate fish.

Ever the Mexican fan, I served mine tostada style (read: I over-stuff what was originally going to be a taco) over a corn tortilla with salsa, spinach, red pepper, cucumber, and cilantro.  I guarantee you this is more fresh, healthier, and just as tasty as what you find at your local El Whatchamacalit.

I think this would also be good with tofu for my plant-based friends.  Please let me know if you try it!

*Important note* Don’t use this as an excuse to rid yourself of crappy alcohol.  Just like drinking bad booze, cooking with bad booze won’t have good results.  If you wouldn’t drink it, don’t eat it (this applies to cooking with wine, too).

Tequila Lime Tilapia

Tequila-Lime Tilapia

  • 3 T fresh lime juice (1 medium lime)
  • 3 T tequila (I used Patron Silver)
  • 3 T fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 2 T red onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 lb tilapia (or other white fish)

Combine all ingredients except the fish in a resealable plastic bag.

Add fish, seal bag and turn to coat.  Refrigerate for 30 min – 1 hour, turning once.

Heat grill pan (or grill) to med-high, and spray with oil or PAM.  Remove fish from marinade and place in pan to grill for ~3-4 mins each side, or until the fish is no longer translucent in the center (it will vary depending on the thickness of the fillets).

Remove from heat and allow to rest a moment before serving.  

Optional: garnish with lime wedges and fresh cilantro.

Serves 4.

***

I would say something insightful about the nutritional content of seafood… but I’m feeling a little loopy after my fish tacos…. *hiccup*

What is your favorite Mexican dish?

Have you ever cooked with booze?  Any recipes to share?

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