Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Narcissism + WIAW

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Facebook is an indicator of narcissism.

Raise your hand if you’re in trouble…

According to a recent study, there is a link between the number of “friends” you have and narcissism.  The participants were assessed on the based on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI).  Who knew that even existed?!

The study wasn’t fully representative, but the theory is that a high friend count indicates you need excessive attention.

Clearly these people never played in a ~100 person roller derby league or went to grad school.  That’s like 50% of my friend count!

 

But I digress.  Today is the last  green themed What I Ate Wednesday!  Give my day of eats some attention, and then give Jenn’s blog some attention by clicking here to see what everyone chowed down on.

 

Breakfast:

I was in a rush, so I did a quick 15 min HIIT workout before breakfast… which left me starving.  I scarfed another Raspberry Barked Oatmeal To-Go (perfect in-a-hurry-meal), along with slices of the best grapefruit I’ve ever eaten.

This fruit was so sweet I couldn’t believe it wasn’t an orange or maybe an Ugli fruit.

Lunch:

Again with the busy theme, I ate lunch on the road.  Literally – I was driving with my knees with a cell phone in one hand and my burrito bowl in the other.

Safe, I know… at least is didn’t try to take a picture!

I wish I had gotten a pic because Willy’s is the only Mexi-rito chain I have seen that offers tofu.  Vegan tofu burrito bowl, FTW.

Snacks:

Random, but yummy:

  • Cashews
  • Squash sticks dipped in marinara
  • TJ’s Sweet Potato Chips + Eggplant Garlic Dip (sooooo good!)
  • Grapes
  • Beer… it was a pre-tennis snack! 🙂
  • Rick’s Picks Mean Beans – spicy pickle green beans

Dinner:

A quick post-tennis veggie stir-fry served with apple slices, and seed bread over a bed of mixed greens.

In my quickie stir-fry:

  • Yellow cauliflower
  • Squash and zucchini
  • Collard greens
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Nutritional yeast
  • Liquid aminos
  • Thyme
  • S+P

Dessert:

One of these Chewy Granola Cookies from the freezer.  I love a low-sugar quickie dessert.  I may have had 2.

***

In the theme of narcissism…. it’s the last time I’ll post my weekly vote plea.  A nomination as a “Best Healthy Eating Blog” for the 2012 Fitterati Blog Awards on FitnessMagazine.com blew me away.  I know I’m never going to reach the 1000+ vote mark, but I’d be honored if you felt inclined to click here and vote for me. 🙂

What is your favorite burrito-chain order?

Let’s talk Facebook… do you believe the theory?  How narcissistic are you?

Feeling Irish on a Green WIAW

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I’ve never had a Shamrock Shake.

Out of curiosity I want to try one of the “healthy” Shamrock Shakes everyone has been posting… but I really don’t like mint desserts.

This time 2 years ago I was in Ireland!  Time flies… I was there on St. Patrick’s Day by accident.  When I booked the trip that happened to be the week I had free.  It wasn’t until we were leaving that I realized it was St. Patrick’s!  Only me.

Check out my Top 5 Things to Do in Ireland and the souper spinach-asparagus soup pictured below by clicking here.

Since I don’t post on weekends, it seemed that today is the perfect time for an Irish shout out because it’s a green-themed What I Ate Wednesday.

Green is my favorite food-color; however, I managed to fail a little at eating food that was colored green.  It was all plant-based though!

 

Breakfast:

Surprise, surprise… I had a smoothie!  Thank god it’s getting warmer because my smoothie addiction is only growing as I find more and more things I can thrown into the Vitamix.

I’ll be drinking all of my smoothies this week from my trusty Guinness pint glass. 🙂

In my smoothie:

  • Spinach
  • Raw beet
  • Carrot
  • Cucumber
  • Celery
  • Flax meal
  • Ginger
  • Maca
  • Vanilla protein powder
  • Unsweetened almond milk
  • Almond extract
  • Stevia
  • Ice + water

Lunch:

Salad box!  This is such a convenient way to travel – I toss veggies and dressing in a half-eaten container of greens to take to work.  Easy and there are no dishes to clean up!

In my box:

Snacks:

I was bad about picture-taking with all my snacks.  Un-pictured was a kombucha, a sweet potato with nooch, and a handful of almonds.  My Piñata apple did make it (barely)!

A new (to me) waffle was scarfed down as well.  I normally buy the Kashi brand, but I liked this Nature’s Path waffle even more!

The actual waffle didn’t make it to the camera, but I assure you it was delicious with protein sauce (protein powder, almond milk, cinnamon, and stevia).

Dinner:

Parsnip rice finally happened.  I think I like it even better than parsnip fries!  I enjoyed it with roasted veggies and a cashew-curry sauce that will be posted tomorrow!

***

Doesn’t it feel like it should be Friday already?

Vote-begging time! I was honored with a nomination as a “Best Healthy Eating Blog” for the 2012 Fitterati Blog Awards on FitnessMagazine.com.  Not to sound desperate (I’m never going to reach the 400+vote mark, I know), but pretty please click here and vote for me. 🙂

How are you celebrating St. Patrick’s Day this year?

Have you ever traveled to a city/country specifically to celebrate a holiday there (other than to grandma’s house for Christmas 🙂 )?

Packable, Healthy Lunches + WIAW

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“What healthy foods can I bring to work/school?”

 

That is one of the most common questions I hear.

The good news is: it’s not hard!  If you have some fresh veggies and dip, you’ve made a good start.  Add some fruit, a carb, some healthy fats, a protein…. and you’re in business!

 

 

One of the easiest sack lunches is leftovers.  Make extra of whatever you’ve had for dinner the night before.  Stick that in a container and take it into the office.  Simple!

 

Another option is a salad.  No, not another boring salad!  Think outside the box with toppings.  You can easily add items like:
  • Roasted veggies (ex: eggplant, zucchini, asparagus, squashes, beets)
  • Fruits (ex: blueberries, raspberries, pineapple, grapefruit sections, apples)
  • Seeds or nuts (ex: sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pepitas, almonds, walnuts)
  • Other greens (ex: spinach, sprouts, arugula, shredded cabbage, kale)
  • Legumes (ex: black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils)
  • Herbs or spices (ex: cilantro, parsley, oregano, cumin, red pepper flakes, Chinese 5 spice)
  • Proteins (this is where leftovers really help – ex: grilled chicken, tempeh, tofu, lentils, quinoa, veggie burgers)

 

Citrus Chickpea Cilantro Salad (click for recipe)

 

Dressing your salad is another way to shake things up.  A few of my go-tos:
  • Use salsa to add some heat (really good with avocado and black beans)
  • Thin out hummus with apple cider vinegar (1:1 ratio)
  • Leftover pesto (like this beet sunflower pesto pictured below) mixed with a bit of balsamic or water to thin
  • Mash an avocado with lemon juice for a creamier dressing
  • Fresh lemon/lime/orange juice with a drizzle of olive oil
  • This low-fat Spicy Peanut Sauce


Sunflower Beet Pesto on salad (click for recipe)

 

Need your carbs?

Bring along a tortilla, pita pocket, or whole grain bread to eat on the side or stuff your salad into. Or have a healthier chip alternative on the side – I’m really digging PopChips and Pirate’s Booty.

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Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday this month is in the theme of green.  I wasn’t as green as usual… but it was a veggie-laden day for sure!

 

It’s also a “What I Ate at Work” WIAW.  I’ve been going to CrossFit right after work this week, so I’m eating more snacky things all day long so I am not starving before class ends.

 

 

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Breakfast:

My routine lately has been to get up, do a quick 15-20 workout (from Pinterest or BodyRock), and make a protein smoothie to cool off and refuel.  It’s an addiction.

 

 

This morning’s smoothie:

  • Spinach
  • Pineapple
  • Cucumber
  • Celery
  • Flax meal
  • Ginger
  • Maca
  • Vanilla protein powder
  • Ice + water

 

Lunch:

Post-cleanse my favorite addition is CARBS.  Peanut butter is a close second.

I brought my tortilla and the makings of a wrap to work.  These get constructed on-site so the tortilla doesn’t get soggy.

 

 

In my wrap:

 

 

See the container in the background?  I (once again) over-filled my wrap so half of the fillings were eaten with a fork on the side.  🙂

 

Snacks:

Yes, I snacked all day.  You might even say that I skipped dinner in favor of snacking.

 

My snacks:

  • Carrots, cucumber, and red pepper with raw sweet potato hummus
  • PopChips
  • Apple
  • Kombucha
  • Leftover airplane peanuts
  • Vegan jerky (Thai Peanut is the BEST!)

 

Dinner:

This is really 2 snacks eaten 2 hours apart.  I had the ice cream first.  Duh.

 

 

I’m still working on this one (it deserves its own post… and I’ll make one sans spinach so the pics are prettier 🙂 ), but let’s just say it was incredible.  The Vitamix continues to be the best purchase I’ve ever made.

 

Round 2 of dinner was a piece of Ezekiel bread topped with hummus, tomato, cilantro, and a vegan mozzarella cheese slice (which tasted nothing like mozzarella).  I stuck it under the broiler for 3+ mins… let’s pretend I didn’t forget it in the oven… burnt non-cheese isn’t too bad!

 

 

***

Crossfit #3 tomorrow.  I’m already sore from tonight.  Translation: I’m in love.

Annnnd another shameless plea: I am honored to have been nominated as a “Best Healthy Eating Blog” for the 2012 Fitterati Blog Awards on FitnessMagazine.com.  If you’re so inclined, pretty please click here and vote for me. 🙂

What are some of your favorite items to bring to work/school for lunch?

What is your strangest/favorite salad topping?

 

Vegan Salade Niçoise for #GreensLove

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We interrupt my usual post-fee weekend for a BLOGHOP!

 

This month’s theme is #GreensLove in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.  Naturally, I got unnaturally excited.  75% of everything I eat is green!

I thought about making another green smoothie, but decided that was getting old (not to my taste buds, but after you’ve seen one green smoothie pic, you’ve seen them all).

 

 

A salad seemed too obvious.  What about an not-so-obvious version of a famous salad?  As I brainstormed ideas for my French-themed vegan book club, I knew the dinner spread would be incomplete without the famous French  salad – Salade Niçoise.

 

A traditional (by traditional, I mean Julia Childs’ recipe 🙂 ) Salade Niçoise consists of lettuce, green beans, shallots, vinaigrette, tomatoes, boiled potatoes, chunked tuna, hard-boiled eggs, anchovy fillets, Niçoise olives, and capers.

I couldn’t have tuna, potatoes, eggs, or anchovies.  That’s half the salad.  Undeterred, I set to work on recreating the dish in a fun way.

 

 

Dressing that can make or break a salad.  I wanted to light, herby vinaigrette that wouldn’t overwhelm with the stronger flavors from the olives and capers.  The lemon-thyme vinaigrette did the trick – the lemon flavors brought out the other veggies in the salad.  A high-quality olive oil allows you to use less in the recipe without compromising flavor.  This particular bottle is from my recent travels to Italy.

 

The other stand-out in this vegan-ized recipe was the “tuna” tempeh.  Meant to sub for the tuna, it doesn’t really taste like tuna (a good thing in my book).  Rather, it adds a slightly nutty, lemon-pepper protein addition.  The crunch it adds as a result of being slowly sautéed is a fun dimension to the salad.

 

 

You may think you’re going overboard with the pepper on the tempeh – and feel free to adjust to your tastes – but when it’s combined with the lemon flavors and them eaten with the other salad ingredients, it’s the perfect flavor.

 

The color of the salad is fabulous.  It was the most photogenic thing on the table!

 

 

You’ll notice I didn’t include measurements for the veggie toppings.  Add as much or a little as you like!  I simply added “handfuls” until the bowl was filled and looked pretty.

If you are unable to locate Niçoise olives, substitute Kalamata or another high-quality dark olive.  Read: don’t use your left-over pizza topping olives.

 

 

Check out these other (vegan) French dishes served that Book Club:

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Salade Niçoise

For the Salad:

  • Arugula lettuce
  • Red leaf lettuce
  • French green beans, ends removed and cut in 3-4 in pieces
  • Wax beans, ends removed and cut in 3-4 in pieces
  • Niçoise olives
  • Capers
  • Tomatoes, diced
  • Red onion (1/4-1/2 C), diced

 

Place lettuces in a large bowl.  In individual sections, add each veggie topping.

 

For the Tempeh:

  • 8 oz. tempeh, cut into 1-in cubes
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • Juice from 1/2 lemon, plus zest
  • 1-2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 4-5 drops liquid smoke
  • 1-2 drops liquid stevia
  • Salt, to taste

 

In a small bowl mix together remaining ingredients.  Toss with tempeh to coat well, and allow to marinate for 10-15 mins.

Heat oil in a medium pan over medium heat.

Place tempeh and any residual marinade in pan.  Cook, tossing occasionally until tempeh is lightly browned and crisped on the outside (~10 mins).

Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Once cooled, add to salad.

 

For the Lemon-Thyme Vinaigrette:

  • 1/4 C fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 C water
  • 2 T fresh thyme
  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/3 C extra virgin olive oil

 

In a small bowl whisk together all ingredients except olive oil.  Slowly pour in the oil, whisking constantly.

Alternately, place all the ingredients in dressing bottle or jar and shake to combine.

Taste and adjust the seasonings before serving alongside the salad.

Note: If not using dressing right away, cover and refrigerate, bring to room temp and shake again before use.

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I’m excited to be co-hosting the #GreensLove event with the following fabulous bloggers.  Be sure to visit them, and to add your own recipe via the linky tool below!

 

ASTIG Vegan ~ Richgail ~  @astigvegan
Bon a croquer ~ Valerie ~ @Valouth
Cheap Ethnic Eatz ~ Evelyne ~ @cethniceatz
Easily Good Eats ~ Three Cookies
Oh Cake ~ Jessica ~ @jesshose

Join us in the March #greenlove by linking up any leafy green recipe below.  Don’t forget to link back to this post, so that your readers know to come stop by the #greenlove event!  The twitter hashtag is #greenlove.

Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

***

I am also honored to announce that I was nominated as a “Best Healthy Eating Blog” for the 2012 Fitterati Blog Awards on FitnessMagazine.com.  You guys are the best and a constant source of inspiration.  If you’re so inclined, pretty please click here and vote for me. 🙂

 

What’s the best green food you’ve made lately?

Is anyone running this weekend?  Good luck – I’d love to hear how it goes!!!

 

Raw Sweet Potato Hummus + WIAW

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Can eating too much orange food really tint your skin?

I think I may be in danger.  

Between the carrots and sweet potatoes I’ve been eating today, I’m going to look like a Jersey Girl.  GTL!

For real – it’s called Carotenosis.

 

Luckily Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday doesn’t go green until March.  Orange fits perfectly with the February vegetable theme.

 

Breakfast:

This morning I met my boss for breakfast a “famous” local breakfast spot, The Flying Biscuit.  While boss-man is used to my picture-taking, my stomach wasn’t used to waiting so late to eat.  Totally forgot to take a picture.

No matter.  My tofu scramble wasn’t that great.  I would have rather had my homemade Indian-Inspired Tofu Scramble:

Lunch:

My Foodie Penpal, Laura, has created a monster.  I made another round of Bibimbap using the ingredients she sent me in this month’s package.

It’s an addiction.  That crunchy rice and  spicy sauce ain’t whack.

Click here to check out the recipe I posted yesterday.  The only change today was that I served it with cucumber rather than carrots.

Snacks:

First us was my first juice creation in the Vitamix.  It was all veggie and all delish!  This was a post workout snack, so I added my Sun Warrior protein powder.  I was worried that would make it a weird consistency, but it was quite pleasant!

In my juice:

  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1 tsp maca
  • 1 C spinach
  • Handful of wheat grass
  • 1/4 C parsley
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 celery stalk
  • 1 in piece of ginger
  • 3-4 drops stevia
  • 2 in piece of cinnamon (I tossed a real stick in and it WORKED!)
  • 1/2 C water

Snack #2 was a recipe I’ve had marked from Rande @ The Vegetable Centric Kitchen.  Can you guess what this deliciousness is?

RAW Sweet Potato Hummus.  It was insanely good, and an embarrassing amount was consumed… much of it straight from the blender.  I made a few modifications (recipe at the end of this post).

The only difference in using a raw sweet potato is that it isn’t quite as sweet as it would be if it had cooked and caramelized a bit.  To me, this makes it a perfect hummus candidate.

The liquid smoke added a neat dimension with the nutty-sweet tahini, and the spices were just enough to give it a kick on the end.  Even cooler was the addition of Meyer lemon and miso.  These added some sweetness, along with a little tang and saltiness!

Of course, I also had my daily Kombucha!  Served from my growler of Buchi Fire from Whole Foods.

Dinner:

The orange didn’t stop at snack time.  Even post-cleanse I have been craving an increasing amount of raw food.  For dinner I ate the rainbow in the form of this giant salad.

In my salad:

  • Spinach
  • Broccoli and radish sprouts
  • Shredded red cabbage
  • Cucumber
  • Carrot
  • Celery
  • Tomato
  • Onions
  • Sweet Potato Hummus Dressing (1 T hummus + 1 T apple cider vinegar + 2 drops stevia)
  • Angela @ Oh She Glows’ Endurance Crackers

Angela’s Endurance Crackers have been on my list to try for a long time as well.  I needed something to go with all that hummus, so today seemed the perfect day to try them out!  My only modification was to use 2 tsp of the Ras al Hanout spice blend made for my Babaganoush Soup rather than her onion-salt-herb blend.

If you haven’t tried this recipe, I highly recommend it.  I’d love to try a sweet-cinnamon version in the future!

Dessert:

Cinnamon-Vanilla Ice Cream.  The Vitamix was me on a wintertime ice cream bender.  I was working late and felt yet another treat bowl was in order.  Thank god it can be made healthy!  This purple bowl inefficiently hides a “secret” ingredient.

The ice cream blend is really easy – unsweetened vanilla almond milk, vanilla, stevia, cinnamon, and ice… and the secret ingredient.  Purple Cabbage.

I know you think I’ve lost it, but I swear on my shoe collection that not a trace of cabbage taste could be detected.

 

Sweet Potato Hummus

Modified from this recipe from Rande @ The Vegetable Centric Kitchen

  • 1 medium sweet potato (raw and unpeeled)
  • 2 T tahini
  • 4-5 drops liquid smoke
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1/2 Meyer lemon
  • 1 T water
  • 1 tsp yellow miso
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 2 T fresh thyme

Toss everything in food processor or blender and until smooth.

Note: If using Vitamix, toss the whole lemon in; otherwise, only use the juice of the lemon.

Make 1.5 cups.

***

Spicie Foodie’s “Your Best Recipe” for the month of Feburary is up today!  Hop over to her site to check out my Vegan Goat Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes and everyone else’s awesome contributions!

Do you ever intentionally try to eat more raw food?

Do you watch Jersey Shore?  I’m amazed at how passionate people are about it!

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?

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?

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