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Appetites and Adventures

Curried Carnival Lentil Stew

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Have you ever seen a Carnival Squash?

 PYT, pretty young thing…

I have to admit that I am shallow.  I chose this squash knowing nothing about the Carnival variety other than it is one attractive squash.  It’s pretty… and who DOESN’T like pretty things?  This is one squash you can judge my the cover – it was reminiscent of an Acorn squash, but had the sweetness of a Butternut.

Don’t mind the classy paper towel…

Even better: it can be microwaved and ready to eat in less than 10 minutes. Side note: do I use bold too much?   I feel like I overuse bold… but I am bold.  Hear me roar.

Indian-inspired dishes are a staple in my kitchen, so I made this Carnival a curried affair.  My curry is an extra-hot variety, but you can buy a more mild powder.  I, of course, added extra heat with red pepper flaked across the top.

 Breaking out of my brown food rut, I used red lentils in this curry.  They were fantastic!  I always heard the lighter colored (non-black or green) were mushier, but I left them al dente and added them to the mix in the last few minutes to ensure the bite remained.

The other flavors in this dish really made it pop – the sweetness from the cardamom and the richness of the cinnamon compliment the curry.  Adding a little basil at the end provides a pleasant surprise with every bite.  I really love basil in spicy Asian dishes. 

It is also delish topped with these Cardamom Roasted Seeds.

 

Curried Carnival Lentil Stew

Curried Carnival Lentil Stew

  • 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
  • 2 tsp hot curry powder
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 C low sodium vegetable broth
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup red lentils
  • 2.5 C (1 medium) Carnival squash
  • 3/4 C water
  • 2 C spinach
  • 1/4 C basil
  • S & P, to taste

Stab the squash 3-4 times and cook in microwave 8-10 mins, until soft to touch.  Cut in half and remove guts/seeds.  Separate from skin and dice into ~1/2 in cubes.

Over medium heat in large pot, saute onion in olive oil until turning translucent (3-4 mins).  Add minced garlic and saute for additional 2-3 mins, until fragrant.

Stir in curry, cardamom, turmeric, and cinnamon and cook another 1-2 mins.  Add broth, cider, and lentils and bring to a boil.  

Reduce heat and cook for 7-8 mins. Stir in squash, adding water as needed.  Allow to cook ~5 mins, then add spinach and basil.  

Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until spinach is wilted (~5 mins).  Salt and pepper, to taste. Makes 2 servings.

***  

Now I have the entire MJ catalog stuck in my head… Thrillllller!

What is your favorite squash?

For those of you who are old enough to have caught the reference, what’s your favorite Michael Jackson song?

Getting Buzzed with Foodies

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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

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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!

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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?

 

Pumpkin Pie BYOgurt + WIAW

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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

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?

Pumped Up Seeds

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Apparently Halloween is the new Friday the 13th.

Yesterday I managed to:

  • Dump cinnamon all over the counter and floor
  • Grab a hot pan out of the oven without a mitt (Why?  I have no idea.)
  • Almost drop a weight on myself doing a shoulder press (no, it wasn’t too heavy… just made an awkward move)
  • Run into a drawer is neglected to close
  • Get the Magic Bullet cup stuck in the blender

Just another Manic Monday…

 

One thing DID go right: I made some rockin’ roasted pumpkin seeds.  Three ways, in fact.  Does that mean that 3 things went right? 

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Yesterday I posted a “how to” for roasting pumpkin and making your own pumpkin puree (step away from the Libby’s).  I cautioned you to save the seeds, and this post is the reason why.

I should preface this with the fact that you can roast any squash seeds.  Recently I roasted a butternut squash for my Curried Butternut Squash Dip, I roasted those seeds up like so.

Pumpkin seeds in particular make awesome snacks – they are great sources of fiber, magnesium, manganese, and iron.  Plus you can exercise your creative genius flavoring them with basically anything in your pantry.  Case and point:

1. Cardamom Pumpkin Seeds

  • 1/4 C pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom
  • 1/2 tsp coconut oil

2. Smoked Soy Seeds

  • 1/4 C pumpkin seeds
  • 1 tsp Liquid Aminos (can use soy sauce or tamari)
  • 5-6 drops liquid smoke

3. Salt & Pepper Pumpkin Seeds

  • 1/4 C pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

 

Note: All measurements are approximations.  I free-handed these to my liking.

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Pumpkin Seeds

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

  • Seeds from 1 pumpkin, separated from “guts”
  • Seasonings of your choosing

Rinse seeds from your gutted pumpkin to remove the goop.  Spread evenly across a sheet of wax paper or parchment (or other non-stick surface).  Allow to dry for 1-2 hours. 

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees.

Toss seeds in desired seasonings and spread evenly across a foil-lined baking sheet.  Bake until beginning to brown (~15-20 mins), tossing half way through.  Allow to cool completely before storing in airtight container.

Enjoy as a snack or a tasty topping for soups, salads, yogurt, etc.

***

My hand is blistered from grabbing that pan… hopefully no one will want to shake my hand today.  LOL!

What is your favorite flavor combo for seeds/popcorn/chips?

Did you go trick-or-treating last night?

Halloween Pumpkin Roast

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Halloween is the perfect day for roasting pumpkin.

Touchdown!!! (John Bazemore/AP Photo)

Before I get into that tastiness, I need to talk a little football.  In addition to being Halloween weekend, it was a HUGE football weekend.  Georgia Tech‘s Homecoming game was against the undefeated Clemson Tigers.  Tech won pretty 31-17, making me one happy girl Saturday night. 🙂

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Every fall people go crazy over the return of canned pumpkin to grocery store shelves.  While the canned stuff is good (and convenient), it doesn’t hold a candle to homemade pumpkin puree.

Don’t use your jack-o-laterns for this.  

Recycling is good, but those are different pumpkins.  What you want to use is the smaller Sugar Pie Pumpkin, which has a sweeter, softer flesh.  They can be found at most grocery stores.

Gutted and ready to roast

Yes, it is slightly more time-consuming than opening a can.  The end result is well worth it.  There is just something about the flavor and the texture that is much, much better.  It will take your pumpkin pies and breads to a new level of delicious.

Post-Roast Pumpkin

You’ll notice a huge difference when using it for non-baking purposes too.  I love mixing it in my Greek yogurt, smoothies, and pasta dishes.

Some people lick batter out of bowls… I may have done something similar with this pumpkin skin.

Yesterday I even mixed my pumpkin puree with coconut milk and cayenne and used it as a marinade for my  tempeh before pan-frying it.  Lunch doesn’t get more fall than that!

Pumpkin-encrusted tempeh salad

The puree can be portioned and frozen for later use (if you don’t eat it all at once).  Pumpkin muffins year-round!

Pumpkin puree

The puree is decadent.  Fresh pumpkin contains more moisture than canned, making the texture absolutely fabulous.  You won’t be able to resist sprinkling some cinnamon and nutmeg on it for a mid-morning snack.

Perfect post-photo shoot snack

Don’t forget to save the seeds for roasting!

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It wasn’t a bad fitness week.  Thank you all for your well-wishes regarding my injury.  I did make the call not to run my portion of the relay.  It was a tough decision, but I just literally couldn’t run more even a mile Saturday morning.   Now I’m concentrating on healing up and being able to run the Half Marathon on Thanksgiving.  I can’t believe its less than a month away!

Workout Recap (10/24-10/30)

  • Monday – 4 mile run, 6 min plank sequence, 100 push-ups
  • Tuesday – Biceps/Back, P90X Ab Ripper X, 100 push-ups
  • Wednesday – 100 push-ups
  • Thursday – 6 mile run, 100 push-ups
  • Friday – Triceps/Chest, Ab Ripper X
  • Saturday – Shoulders/Butt, 45 mins elliptical, 100 push-ups
  • Sunday – 15 mins abs, 45 mins stationary bike, 100 push-ups

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Roasted Pumpkin

  • 1 sugar pie pumpkin
  • olive oil
  • salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the pumpkin in half.  Scoop out the “guts” (save the seeds to roast later), and then slice each half once to create a total of 4 pieces.  Rub the wedges with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Place on a foil-lined baking sheet to bake for about an hour (or until tender).

Scoop the meat out of the skins and puree in food processor.

***

Best costume of the weekend: Charlie Sheen with Goddesses.

What was the best costume you saw this weekend (or at work today)?

What food items commonly purchased pre-made do you like to make yourself?

Orange You Glad Its Friday?

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Happy Halloween Friday!

In the spirit of The Great Pumpkin/Halloween (and the fact that I’m up to ears in work), here are some of my favorite orange food creations (click the image or title for the recipe!):

Orange for the A.M.

Apple Carrot Muffins

Carrot Cake Oatmeal 

Sweet Potato Greek Yogurt

Orange for the P.M.

Butternut Squash Drop Biscuits

Indian-Spiced Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onions 

 

Lentil-Stuffed Acorn Squash (ok, I realize it’s more yellow… but go with it…)

Sweet Potato Falafel

If I had just one orange item to make this Halloween weekend… I’d make the following soup.  It’s one of my Top 5 Favorite Creations.  That’s including desserts.

Butternut Squash-Apple Soup

Searching past recipes to write this, I realized I don’t make many orange desserts.  My friends do though!  Check out some of these awesome treats from the blog-world:

***

I just realized almost everything I ate yesterday was unintentionally orange.  Creepy.

What are some of your favorite orange/Halloween creations?

Who is doing something fun this weekend?  Tell me about it so I can live vicariously! 

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake

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Just another day in paradise… errr… Italy.  Specifically,  Siena!  We’ve been so excited to see this area.  (More) Great food, medieval history, and Gothic architecture.

I was lucky enough to discover Ari’s blog, ThE DiVa DiSh, a few months back and have looked forward to reading every day.  She has the MOST beautiful little girl I’ve ever seen (and I’m not just saying that), complete with a ton of spunk.  Ari is an innovator – whether it’s doing her own “design on a dime” or creating a healthy meal that looks like a fat kid’s heaven, I can always count on her for inspiration and a good recipe.

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Hey Guys!

My name is Ari and I blog over at ThE DiVa DiSh!

I am so excited that I have the opportunity to guest post for Laura today! I am super jealous of her trip adventures right, and secretly wished she would have taken me in her luggage so I could join her….

Maybe next time. (Editor’s note – for sure!) 🙂  As for now, I’m excited to share a little bit about me and my amazing family.

 

I’m a wifey and a mama, and there is nothing I love more. My husband is a cross between a woman who loves shoes and a man who loves sports… And my daughter is beautiful, dramatic, and full of energy. I try best to raise my family living a healthy lifestyle, and we feel that our bodies are temples, and we should treat them that way. We try to eat an abundance of plant based, whole, and natural foods as much as possible.

Even though we go through a Costco size spinach package in two days, I can assure you the same goes for chocolate. We know how to live and be happy, as well as love and respect the bodies we have been given.

One of my favorite kitchen tools is my blender. I had to do many “I ain’t gonna talk about” things so I could convince my hubby to get me the blender of my dreams. I use that thing at least twice a day.

That being said, one of my favorite things to make is a milkshake! It’s hard enough when we crave foods we love, and we try and tell ourselves we can’t have them. This only makes it harder, and in the end we are more likely to give in to those “butt” shakes, as I like to call them. Well my friends, I can assure you that there will be no more worrying. No more telling yourself, your kids, or even your hubby NO!

Healthy, natural, whole, yummy milkshakes!

S’mores Milkshake

Carrot Cake Milkshake

Coconut Vanilla Chai Milkshake

And lastly, how about a seasonal one?

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake

Ingredients:

1 c. coconut or soymilk

1 banana

½ c. pumpkin puree

1 carrot finely shredded

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

2 tsp. molasses

1 TB. 100% pure maple syrup

1 TB. vanilla

Directions:

Blend all together until creamy! Sip and enjoy!

There you have it! Now go get your milkshake on! (you never know, it might bring some boys to the yard…)

Did I really just end with that?

(Editor’s note – Yes.  I could teach you, but I’d have to charge.)

Thanks again Laura for giving me this opportunity!  Have a great and safe trip!

***

I’m going to make one of these with gelato… mmmmm…

What is your favorite milkshake flavor?

Do you they to “healthify” your favorite shake flavors?

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