Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Provençal Tomato Spread + WIAW

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Is it just me…

or are more people are going plant-based?

I started reading restaurant menus (because that’s what I do for fun) to see who has veg-friendly offerings and it has really impressed me that most restaurants offer some sort of vegetarian/vegan dish that is more than pasta drowning in oily stir-fried vegetables.

It warms my plant-based, cleansing heart.

Jenn has also warmed my heart by hosting this month’s What I Ate Wednesday (WIAW) in the theme of  vegetable.

Breakfast:

I post a lot of smoothies… most of them are really good despite their color.  In case you ever questioned my honesty/sanity/taste-buds, I must admit to you that this smoothie was not great.

Blueberries do not go with avocado.  The.  End.

On happier note, I did get confirmation that my Valentine’s Roasted Beet and Orange Smoothie was indeed good.  Check out this pic from reader Ashley, who tweeted: “The verdict is in… yummy!”

Thanks to Ashley for the feedback a lovely pic!

Lunch:

Monday night’s french-themed book club left me with some leftovers (thank god because I woke up LATE).

See that pretty stuffed tomato?  I promise to share the recipe with you tomorrow.  It was really friggin’ good… and deserving of it’s very own post. 🙂

I ate that atop a leftover eggplant-seitan stir-fry and some lentils.

Snacks:

Kombucha!  Whole Foods was out of my favorite Buchi Fire, but they were having a sale on GT’s.  I was sad to see this bottom of this bottle.

Snack time was a bag full of veggies with a simple, herb-y Provençal dip left over from the par-tay.  I loved the colors in this dish, and the briny saltiness from the capers and sun-dried tomatoes were perfect paired with crisp veggies for dipping.  (Recipe at the bottom of this post)

How cute is the reusable baggie?  My mom got it for me… it’s from Snack Taxi, but I think she got it at The Container Store.  I’m going green left and right!

Dinner:

I felt like I needed more raw food in my life after a heavier lunch, so dinner was a colorful salad.  A massive, colorful salad.  This was not served on a tiny salad plate:

In my ensalada:

  • Arugula
  • Broccoli and radish sprouts
  • Shredded brussels (raw)
  • Grapefruit
  • Beets
  • French green beans
  • Cucumber
  • Red onion
  • Tempeh croutons 
  • Lemon-thyme vinaigrette
  • Sprinkle of cardamom, salt, and pepper

If you haven’t eaten beets with grapefruit before, you should do so immediately.  I’m not talking those sour grapefruits – get the vibrant pink sweet ‘fruits that are in season right now.  #Nom 

Dessert:

This Sweet Potato Pie Chia Pudding I posted earlier this month made an appearance.  I added a pinch of cardamom to the mix last night, which was fabulous.  However…

I didn’t take a picture because I was too pissed at myself for doing this:

Another one bites the dust…

At least I’d just had a relaxing Hour of Happiness after work so the string of words that came outta my mouth weren’t as bad as they could have been. 😉

Diffusion de Tomate Provençal (Provençal Tomato Spread)

Modified from this recipe by Kathleen Flynn

  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 5 cloves of garlic, pressed or finely chopped
  • 2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated and chopped
  • 15 Nicoise olives (or Kalamata), chopped
  • 2 tsp capers, chopped
  • 2 T rosemary
  • 1/2 -1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 C fresh basil, chiffonade (cut into thin strips)

Warm olive oil over medium heat in a small pan.  Add bell pepper and onions, and sauté until soft.  Add garlic and cook a minute more until fragrant.  Add chopped tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, capers, rosemary, red pepper flakes, and vinegar and cook over low heat for another 7-8 mins.  Remove from heat.

When cool, add basil.  Add pepper to taste.

Note: This can be made up to 2 days in advance.  If making in advance, do not add basil until just before serving.  Taste again and adjust spices as they settle.

This is delicious with crackers, veggie sticks, or even atop grilled tofu or chicken.

Serves 8-10 as an appetizer/dip.

***

The floor is still sticky from that spill.  I swear I’ll clean it up before the next dinner at my house tonight.

Can anyone relate.. any recent mishaps?

Do you find that the world is becoming more vegetarian and/or vegan-friendly?

Butternut Squash-Cherry Bomb +WIAW

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We’re half way there… whoaaaa, livin’ on a prayer…

Last Wednesday I shared with you all that 2 friends and I began the Standard Process Cleanse.  Which means this is another super-clean What I Ate Wednesday (WIAW).  And by Wednesday, I mean Tuesday. 🙂

10 days in to the cleanse (half way – woot!), I can honestly say that I haven’t been hungry one time.  Veggies are really filling!  Admittedly, eating and plant-based diet with no processed foods or breads is more time consuming.  The key is to be sure you are prepared.

For instance, on Sunday I roasted beets, butternut squash, and spaghetti squash.  Easy fixin’s for smoothies, salads, and “pastas.”

Don’t forget to check out Jenn’s blog to see what everyone else at this Wednesday during this veggie-centric month!

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Breakfast:

Ice cream isn’t legal, but that didn’t stop me from a Neapolitan smoothie.

It didn’t stay so pretty after it was fully mixed… but these things happen when you mix green, red, and orange.

Trust me, it tasted better than it looks here:

Butternut Squash-Cherry Bomb Smoothie

  • 1 C spinach
  • 1/2 C butternut squash, roasted
  • 1/2 C black cherries
  • 1/2 C unsweetened vanilla coconut milk (a la So Delicious)
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 5-6 drops vanilla stevia
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp guar gum (optional)
  • Shake of allspice
  • Shake of salt

Looks bad, taste good. 🙂

Lunch:

The deliciousness below is brought to you by a new (to me) blog: The Vegetable Centric Kitchen.

Rande makes some delicious-looking, vegetarian dishes.  This is her Zucchini Pasta with Lemon Tahini Sauce and Roasted Crimini Mushrooms.

Since I don’t have a spiralizer, I used the nifty orange tool picture below to peel my zucchini.  I’m not sure what it’s called other than a peeler with razor teeth, but thanks to OXO from gift from the FoodBuzz Festival!

My tweaks:

  • Used a mix of crimini, oyster, and shiitake mushrooms
  • Sautéed my mushrooms and onions in coconut oil
  • Edited the sauce: 2 T tahini, 1/2 lemon juiced, 1 garlic clove (pressed), heaping 1/4 tsp sriracha, S+P, and a bit of water to thin it out.

I’ll be making this on the regular – especially that sauce.  It’s going to be making an appearance as a sauce for broccolini tomorrow night!  Thanks, Rande!

Snacks:

More veggies! (Try to hide your surprise.)

This dip was ah-mazing with my celery and flax cracker (flax seeds are cleanse-legal!).  Recipe to come! 🙂

 

Pre-dinner snack was another shake – this time with avocado!  Nothing earth-shattering in this one…banana, avocado, protein powder, almond extract, cinnamon, vanilla stevia, water, and ice.  You’ve seen it all before… I’m scared my shakes are going to bore you! 🙂

Dinner:

I mentioned yesterday that I had some super-cool Valentine’s Day plans cleanse dinner with by best friend!  And her baby boy.  And her mom.  These are some of my favorite people in the world, so it was actually a really nice way to spend Valentine’s Day.

This un-photogenic brown soup was my contribution.  It’s a Sweet Potato-Pineapple-Eggplant Curry soup served over wild rice.  I’d had it pinned to try for a while, but it was just ok.  I’d try again to tweak it to my liking… but honestly it was so time-consuming I don’t think it’s worth it.  That takes A LOT for me to say.

More delicious was the raw French green bean salad Mallory made.  She tossed them with olive oil, lots of lemon, dill, and a few other herbs.  It was fantastically light and the dill was wonderful.

Note to self: use dill more often!

Lastly, I received the nicest surprise – Mallory’s mom brought us both flowers!  I was the lucky Valentine’s recipient of a gorgeous bouquet of white tulips.

Overall, it was a nice V-Day.  Even if it was chocolate-free.

***

I’m driving to AL for a client meeting with my boss.  It’s my first one to lead in this role… nervous!!!

What was the best Valentine’s treat/dish you had yesterday?

Do you prep food for week on Sundays?

Clean(se) Eating + WIAW

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My friends and I went crazy.

Monday we kicked off a cleanse.

21 days of veggies, fruits, and protein shakes.  We also get a serving of lentils or wild rice per day, and on day 11 we can add 1 (4 oz) serving of deep sea fish or chicken (I’ll be adding tempeh). Yep – I’m bringing back the Standard Process Cleanse and taking my friends down with me.

We have been exchanging smoothie pics (mine are the greenest – bwhahaha!), sending desperate emails inspired by caffeine-withdraw… MMSing refrigerator pics…

Mallory’s fridge, post-WF trip

We are also planning cleansing group dinners.  Friday is group dinner #1 and game night.  In lieu of wine, I suggested we make grape smoothies.  If we ferment the grapes ourselves, is it cleanse-approved?

Needless to say, this is going to be the cleanest What I Ate Wednesday I’ve posted in a loooong while. 🙂

AND Jenn read my mind because she’s encouraging everyone to post a veggie-centric WIAW.  Check out Jenn’s blog to see what everyone else at this Wednesday!

Breakfast:

Breakfast is the hardest meal.  There’s not a lot of traditional breakfast food that are “approved” other than smoothies and fruit bowls.  Smoothie it is.

This morning was my all-time favorite smoothie: Liquid Sweet Potato Pie.

I do really like protein smoothies, and often eat them for breakfast post-workout… but some days you just want a warm bowl of oatmeal!

Lunch:

I revived an old cleanse favorite from when mom and I did this in 2010.  This is probably my favorite soup ever: Butternut Squash-Apple Soup.

My only tweak was to use fresh basil instead the rosemary… then I added some dried rosemary too ’cause I love it.

Lunch part 2 was a GIANT salad.  I tend to bring these to work to be eaten directly from the plastic container when I have about half of the greens left.

In my salad:

  • Arugula
  • Raw asparagus (julienned)
  • Leftover roasted zucchini
  • Celery
  • Broccoli sprouts
  • Nutritional yeast
  • Lemon juice + EVOO

Snacks:

Midday veggie break with dip – as much as it may look like a turd, that’s eggplant dip.  Veggies dipped in veggies, FTW.

Post-dinner snack dessert was a protein banana softserv.

In my serv:

  • Frozen banana
  • 1 scoop protein powder
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 5-6 drops vanilla stevia
  • ~1/3 C unsweetened vanilla coconut milk
  • With berries on top

Dinner:

Last night Heather came over for dinner.  She was nice enough to loan me her bike for a bit while my knee heals, and I offered dinner (and wine… which I now can’t have) in return.  Luckily Heather is vegan, so my menu options weren’t terribly weird to her.

Cabbage with lentils, beets, spinach, and eggplant “bacon.”  To be honest, I could eat like this all the time.  

Recipe to come!

In lieu of wine, I sipped on fresh kombucha from a growler of Buchi Fire from Whole Foods’ tap.

Stellar customer service story – they were having trouble with the tap at my local Whole Foods.  I waited a solid 10 minutes and the bottle would only fill a little over half way.  The awesome guy working the tap got a manager, who COMPED the contents of the growler.  That right – I got it for FREE… plus 2 regular-sized bottles of Buchi Fire to equal a full growler.

I joke and refer to Whole Foods as Whole Paycheck a lot, but they really do offer quality products and a fantastic customer experience.

***

Don’t forget to enter to “Be My Veggie Valentine” and win 1 of 3 boxes of heart-shaped veggie cookies from Cookie Underground!  Click here to enter.

I’m seeing a lot of juice cleanses lately – have you done one?

What is your favorite “clean” food?

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?

Citrus Chickpea Cilantro Salad

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Are you ever shocked by how interested people are in a recipe?

You guys were all over the Portobello Jerky yesterday!  I’m a little sad that it’s all gone.  If you make it, be sure to make 3-4 mushrooms at a time.  1 = gone to fast.

The second most-commented on item was my lunch, a Citrus Chickpea Cilantro Salad that I promised to share today.  Well, I promised to share the recipe today.  If you were here I’d be tempted to share my physical lunch if you had some of Ari’s Ding Dongs to trade.

Due a bookmarking addiction, I’ve had Heather’s recipe for Cilantro Lime Chickpea Salad for months.  With a huge bunch of cilantro in my fridge, this was the perfect time to try it out.  As soon as I made this, I emailed the recipe to my mom.  It was that delicious.

With the abundance of delicious winter citrus, I used fresh orange juice rather than sugar to sweeten the vinaigrette.  I also changed up the spices to make this more Indian-influenced.  Use your imagination here – this salad is nice base for a variety of spice blends.

The first serving I ate in a rustic fashion (read: with my fingers right out of the mixing bowl).

The second serving I jazzed up.  I spooned out the salad on top of an eggplant patty and then diced a carrot over the top.  Colorful and delicious!  I love the crunchy carrot against the soft chickpeas and the slight tang of the mustard with the sweetness of the orange juice and fresh carrot.  I also sprinkled a shitload few red pepper flakes on top because I’m not happy until I’m crying.

The 3rd serving I added diced avocado and blood orange segments.  Best idea ever.  If you make this, try it at least once with the avocado.  It was phenomenal with the cilantro and the citrus juices – like chickpea chunky guac!  As usual, I got too excited and forgot a pic.

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Citrus Chickpea Cilantro Salad

  • 2 C chickpeas, cooked or canned
  • 2 T shallot, chopped finely
  • 2.5 C spinach
  • 1/2 C fresh cilantro
  • Zest from 1/2 large lime
  • Juice from 1/2 large lime
  • Juice from 1/2 medium orange
  • 2 tsp whole grain mustard
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • S+P, to taste

Drain and rinse chickpeas and place in a large bowl with chopped shallot.

In a food processor, pulse cilantro and spinach until fairly finely chopped.  Make sure you don’t let it run and turn to mush.  Add to chickpea bowl.

Next in the processor combine the zest, juices, mustard, garlic, oil, and spices.  Adjust spices, salt and pepper to taste.

Pour dressing over the chickpea mixture and stir to combine.  Adjust spices and allow to rest for 15 mins in order for flavors to marry.  

Plate with grains, create a veggie sandwich (awesome in pita pocket!), or enjoy as a side.

Makes 2 mains or 4 sides.

Note: I started with dried chickpeas.  I soaked them in water over night.  The next morning I cooked them in a pot with a bay leaf and 2 garlic cloves over low heat for 3 hours.  The bay leaf and garlic gave them a great, subtle flavor!

***

I am over-the-moon today because yesterday I made the Daily Buzz Top 9 and today I made the FoodBuzz Top 9!  Thank you for the buzz – I’m truly honored. xoxo

Do any of you have that genetic thing that makes cilantro tastes like soap?  You could try this with parsley. 🙂

Make me feel like less of a dork… do you call your mom when you make something really awesome?

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?

 

Weekend Fun + Roasted Lemon Pepper Cabbage

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Particularly awesome weekends make it hard to go back to work.

 

Friday I had dinner at Wahoo (how awesome is that name?!) with one of my oldest friends.

 

Beet Salad with goat cheese, toasted walnuts, arugula and mint vinaigrette

 

Then I came home and did something I haven’t done in a long time – I curled up in bed with a nice scotch and read a book.  My first book of 2012 was Room.  I also started using GoodReads again, thanks to a reminder from Carol.

 

RoomRoom by Emma Donoghue

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The first half of this book was really, really slow. It was an especially hard read since it was written in the voice of a 5 year old. The second half was better, but depressing. I can’t say I recommend it.

View all my reviews

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Saturday I woke up to some exciting news – my Spinach Shiitake Miso Soup made the Food Buzz Top 9!  It made my day. 🙂  Thank YOU for the Buzz, and welcome new readers!  In case you missed it, check out my soup and the other 8 awesome recipes here.

 

 

I had a crazy list of errands to tackle, so I made a fun lunch to fuel it.  This resulted in me eating 1/2 a head of cabbage.  It was so good I couldn’t stop!  Clearly I didn’t learn my lesson about too much cabbage and gas (TMI, sorry) from the last time.

 

Roasted Lemon Pepper Cabbage and Asian-Inspired Lentil Loaf

 

This lemon-y roasted cabbage was so good I couldn’t stop eating it!  At the last minute I decided to add nutritional yeast to the mix, giving it a little more dimension.  I loved the rich nuttiness with all the lemon and pepper.  It was delicious with my Asian-Inspired Sweet Potato Lentil Loaf.

(Cabbage recipe at bottom)

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Saturday night I met up with a bunch local bloggers Carol, Heather, and Lee for the Atlanta Underground Market.

 

The market is wall-to-wall food samplings prepared by locals in their kitchens.  There is even a good variety of vegetarian and vegan food.  These aren’t restaurant owners, just home cooks and small-time bakers in Atlanta who want to share their food with a broader audience.  The website calls it an “incubator for new food talent.”

 

My favorites of the evening:

 

Teff bread with 4 Ethiopian tastes from Kushina Catering

L to R: Coconut Lime Yucca, Spicy Sweet Potato, Lemon Kale, Pumpkin Flax, Chocolate Parsnip Fig

 

Cookie Underground is one of the coolest ideas there.  They make cookies from vegetables!  Each cookies is about 50 calories and filled with good, clean vitamins and nutrients from fresh veggies.  Good thing because I could eat a dozen of the ancho and chipotle chili-laced Spicy Sweet Potato Cookies.

Sunday was a straight up lazy day of rest.  It was everything I hoped it would be.

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I was doing SO well with the Mile-a-Day Challenge… until Saturday’s run.  Around mile 2 I began having sharp pain in my left knee.  I didn’t twist it or anything, so I stretched a bit and kept going thinking it would work itself out.  Notsomuch.  It only got worse and I limped the last couple of miles home. I have no idea what happened… it still hurts to walk!  Needless to say, I skipped my Sunday mile-a-day and took a rest day instead. 🙁

Workout Recap (1/2 – 1/8)

  • Monday – This Biceps/Back workout with 1 mile intervals
  • Tuesday – This BodyRock, 1 mile run, TRX suspension class
  • Wednesday – This Tris/Chest workout with 1 mile intervals, 100 push-ups
  • Thursday – Kickboxing, 1 mile run, 100 push-ups
  • Friday – Legs, 1 mile run, 100 push-ups
  • Saturday – 5 mile run, 6 min plank rotation, 100 push-ups
  • Sunday – REST, 100 push-ups

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Roasted Lemon Pepper Cabbage

  • 1/2 medium head of cabbage
  • Juice from 1/2 lemon
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 freshly ground pepper
  • Salt, to taste

 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil (spray with olive oil if not non-stick).

Cut cabbage into wedges, then trim the core bits from each wedge.  

Place wedges on pan, evenly spaced.Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper.  Using a brush, coat the top of each wedge. Flip wedges over and repeat on other side.

Roast cabbage for ~10 mins, or until the beginning to brown.  Carefully flip the wedges and roast from an additional 8-10 mins, until the cabbage is browned and tender.

Serves 1-2.

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Tonight is my first book club!  I’m really loving the motivation to read for fun again.

What’s the best book you’ve read lately?

Anything fun/exciting happen this weekend?


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