Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

What I Ate in Maryland

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Travel can be an adventure in eating.

 

It can also be an adventure in finding workspaces with outlets, tables, cell phone signals… yesterday I worked all afternoon in a flatbread pizza place.

Barnes & Noble was closed for MLK (WTF?!  That’s like Starbucks closing – it just doesn’t happen!).  This meant that Starbucks was even more crowded than usual.  Flatbread it was.  I left the store having been cured of craving pizza for a while and smelling like an Italian mamma.

At least I had a wonderful dinner recommendation from Kimberly @ Grubarazzi to look forward to – Woodberry Kitchen.  They even celebrate Meatless Monday!

Side note: check out her blog – she makes some rockstar dishes!  

Goldeneye

 

Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore is incredible.  It was a little dark for pics (I was ill-prepared in the camera department), but everything was delicious.  Don’t skip the Goldeneye drink.  It was stellar.  Say hi to Conner the bartender for me.

If you ever go, DO NOT skimp the CMP for dessert.  Malted ice cream, chocolate sauce, marshmallow fluff, and wet peanuts.  All house-made.  It was one of those “moment of silence” desserts.

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This is What I Ate Wednesday, not what I drank Monday.

 

 

Breakfast:

An adventure in hotel icky oatmeal.

 

I grabbed some of the hotel’s runny, mucus-like oatmeal and made it edible with a few mix-ins:

  • Double vanilla ice cream-flavored protein powder from home (really good, btw)
  • Peanut butter
  • Apple
  • Coffee

It was not Sweet Potato Pie Oatmeal, but by the time I got done with it these oats were not too shabby!

 

Lunch:

We ate at a burger place.  I had a salad and a sweet potato.  It was underwhelming… this is what was left when I remembered to take a pic:

 

Dinner:

I don’t care what Hollywood says, the Grubarazzi won’t lead you astray.  Thanks to another of her recommendations we dined like A-listers in a Vietnamese restaurant located in a strip mall.

 

The Saigon Noodle House doesn’t look like much from the outside, but their summer rolls and pho were ah-mazing.

Tofu Summer Role with peanut sauce and sriracha

Tofu Pho with Thai basil, jalapenos, and bean sprouts to garnish

Shrimp Curry (I picked around the shrimp)

Chicken and Rice Clay Pot… in an aluminum pot

 

Verdict:  Do NOT miss the summer rolls and the pho.  I could to skipped the other two dishes, but – to be fair – I picked around all the seafood/meat and didn’t get the full effect.

 

Snacks:

B&N-Starbucks-style.  Raspberry Oolong tea and the best KIND bar I’ve had to date – Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew.

 

There was also some late-night chocolate that had to be eaten. 😉

***

I made the FoodBuzz Top 9 today with these Chewy (Vegan) Granola Cookies!!!  Thanks to everyone for the BUZZ and welcome to any new visitors!  Check out the Top 9 by clicking here.

Have you ever had pho?

What’s the best “bar” you’ve tried lately?  Have you had a KIND bar?

 

Grapefruit Fennel Salad

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Summer is for salads.

Therefore I’m usually craving them in the winter.

We I don’t often remember, but winter has good produce other than squash (not that you’d know if from reading my blog…)!  I love the sweetness of in-season grapefruit on a salad, and the fresh fennel that’s in every grocery store adds a perfect licorice-like crunch to salad bowls.

Armed with these finds, I set out to make myself a giant salad for lunch.  Summer memories, be damned.

Into a giant bowl went all of the fresh veggies I looted from the local farmer’s market.  Citrus-y sweet sectioned grapefruit, a little heat from a serrano pepper, and my favorite – fennel – all played well together.  Accenting those flavors were fresh cilantro and yellow onion.  A crisp cucumber added a nice texture, all salted, peppered, and drizzled with lime juice and olive oil.

The perfect winter citrus salad bowl.

This salad will keep well for a day or two.  On day two I served it atop bulgur I pre-cooked and then mixed liberally with cilantro and lime juice.

Bowl #2 was topped with blueberries… the little extra punch of sweetness turned out of be a delicious idea, FYI.

Grapefruit Fennel Salad

Grapefruit Fennel Salad

  • 1 fennel bulb, sliced thin
  • 1 grapefruit, sectioned
  • 1 cucumber, diced
  • 2 T cilantro, minced
  • 1 serrano pepper, minced
  • 1/4 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 2-3 tsp fresh lime juice
  • S&P, to taste
  • Blueberries (optional)

Mix all ingredients in medium-sized bowl.  Add more oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper to taste.

Optional: serve atop grains or greens – arugula would be fantastic here.

Serves 1-2

***

You could eat this and have a Granola Cookie for dessert.  I’m just sayin’… 😉

Do your salads change in the winter months?

What is your favorite winter produce (other than squashes and sweet potatoes)?

Pumpkin-Pom Endive Boats + Rosemary Bean Dip

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Moral support is key to any new adventure.

Me, Mallory, and Mom

Lucky me – I had my mom and my best friend with me for my venture into the land of food service.

Mom actually walked in 5 mins before the party began with a dish to bake the Jacked Up Brie.  The problem with starting out in catering (and being a minimalist when it comes to server-ware) is a lack of resources.

The second set of “appetizer-like” munchies was a white bean dip and endive boats.

No party is complete without a veggie tray and dips!  The dip I made was a rosemary-laced chickpea dip that used rosemary-infused olive oil and Greek yogurt.

The best part about white bean dip is its simplicity – throw everything in the food processor and hit “start.”  Lemon and garlic are must-haves in virtually any bean dip I make.  They keep the Mediterranean spirit of the hummus and were perfect with the rosemary.  You could use any olive oil here, but I liked the added punch of flavor achieved by using the rosemary-infused.

Next up were the endive boats.  Theses were voted the second favorite food item of the night!  It’s funny how the simplest things can be so good!  Endive is a sturdy leaf perfect for creating bite-sized salads.  (This dish was originally going to be a giant salad with arugula, but the hostess didn’t like the idea of a non-finger food.)

Into the boats went pumpkin bits (from a Sugar Pie Pumpkin I’d roasted and diced a few days in advance),  pomegranate arils (I found whole pomegranates on sale for $2 each!), and goat cheese.  After plating the boats, I drizzled them with a champagne-pomegranate vinaigrette.  It was amazing how much of a difference the dressing made – it was just the right amount of tang to bring the flavors together.

I’ll be making these boats again for get-togethers at my house.  With the lettuce base, the possibilities for filling are endless.  These would make a great vessel for chickpea salads, tabbouleh, or even a deconstructed guacamole!

Rosemary Bean Dip

  • 2 15 oz cans of garbanzo beans, drained
  • 1/3 C plain Greek yogurt
  • 3 T olive oil (I used rosemary-infused)
  • 3-4 T rosemary
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • S & P, to taste

Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth, scraping down sides and adding more liquid as necessary.  Don’t be afraid to let the processor run for several minutes – it will only make the dip more smooth and delicious!

Makes 2.5 cups.

Pumpkin-Pomegranate Endive Boats

  • Endive leaves
  • Crumbled goat cheese
  • Pumpkin, roasted and diced into even squares
  • Pomegranate arils
  • Champagne-Pomegranate Vinaigrette (see below)

Trim endives, separating leaves.  Fill with goat cheese, pumpkin, and pomegranate arils.  Drizzle with vinaigrette.

Notes:

– I didn’t include amounts since there wasn’t any real measuring going on, but 6-7 good-sized whole endives will make boats for at least 15.

– You could use any vinaigrette here, but I would recommend using one that is light in color if the boats will be on display for a while.  A deeper color will stain the endive and make it less visually appealing.

Champagne-Pomegranate Vinaigrette

  • 1/2 C champagne pomegranate vinegar (found at Whole Foods)
  • 1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
  • Juice of 1/2 medium lemon
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 T sugar
  • S & P, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.

***

Tomorrow is going to be the “greatest hit” food item.  I’m a little in love with them.

What would your ideal endive boat be filled with?

Do you have the rest of the year off of work?  I’m counting down the days ’til Friday.

Weird Holiday Flavors + WIAW

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40% of the items in a grocery store are new each year.

I’d rather have an actual Oreo Blizzard

According to what Michael Pollen found in his research.  I doubted this until I realized that new flavors and formulas count.  Think about all the variations done on Oreos – peanut butter, mint, 100 calorie packets… it’s endless.

An article on So Good Blog called out food-makers for going too far on the holiday variations.  Specifically cited is Chocolate Eggnog (agreed – but I don’t like nog) and Pumpkin Cream Cheese (he’s crazy… pumpkin was practically born on a bagel).

On my list is peppermint-flavored items.  I like peppermints, but please don’t add the flavor to perfectly good food.  Like coffee.

 

Enough about bad foods.  It’s What I Ate Wednesday!

 

Pre-Workout Breakfast:

When I workout first thing in the morning I usually don’t eat anything more than a nibble of peanut butter or a date.  That is unless I wake up STARVING!  After the killer workout yesterday I must have been burning food like a mad man woman in my sleep!

I heated a Van’s Organic Blueberry Waffle in the oven and topped it with banana, cinnamon, and sugar-free syrup.

Perfect for my needs… I did a solid hour with some heavy weights.

Post-workout snack:

Since the pre-workout was only a waffle, I was ready for more after I finished in the gym.  My post-workout 20g of protein (must-have to build muscle!) came in the form of a (green) sweet potato protein shake.

Sweet Potato Protein Shake

  • 3 T sweet potato puree
  • 1 C spinach
  • 3/4 C unsweetened vanilla coconut milk (a la So Delicious)
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 2 tsp ground flax seeds
  • 1 tsp maca
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • Pinch of guar gum (to thicken)
  • Shake of salt
  • Ice + water, to taste

*Normally I add Stevia or banana to sweeten my shakes, but the So Delicious and the sweet potato provided enough sweetness on their own!

Lunch:

If you read my post yesterday you may have seen a lovely salad.  So lovely that I had a repeat for lunch today.

 

Those carrot patties are really incredible (hot or cold) and I love having my Basil Walnut Pesto creation (also on yesterday’s post) in the salad mix.  The sweet bursts from the pomegranate seeds make for a fun salad.  (Read: Trying to avoid staining the shirt I wore to work.)

Dinner:

This barley-based “risotto” was even better than I expected!

This recipe will come tomorrow, along with a special feature –

I scored an interview with Chef Cindi Avilia, who works in recipe development for Lightlife!

Snacks:

I had a little biscuit-baking fail… and snacked on my misery while deciding that yes, they really were un-servable (is that a word?).

There was also a citrus Kombucha involved.  I love Kombucha.

Old pic… same drink, sans jerky

I made 100 Sparkling Cake Balls (cake balls made with sparkling wine, in case you missed it) for orders received (so exciting – people are BUYING my food!)… which called for a little pairing experiment. 😉

***

Head over to Peas and Crayons to celebrated the Humpty-Hump on Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday.

Have you seen any crazy holiday flavors?  Which ones do you like or dislike?

What’s your best holiday baking fail?

Basil Walnut Pesto (and Carrot Patties)

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Variety is the spice of life.

 

 

I’ve mentioned before that my workouts change in the winter – less running, more indoor activities.  Thankfully I have found some friends to work out with to help shake things up.  This weekend was spin class, today was a circuit workout… both were things I never would have done without a friend.  Friends = variety.

Another benefit of a workout buddy is that you can’t get lazy.  I almost ditched the post-circuit cardio, but didn’t want to look like a wuss in front of my friend.  It’s so true what they say – you never regret doing a workout.

 

Here are a few ideas if you’re looking to shake things up too:

 


Of course, we all want to work off the cookies… but truth be told I’m legit on a sweets overload (sorry – it’s about to get colder now that hell has frozen over).  I’ve been craving straight up VEGGIES.  This is where it’s nice to have blog friends.  There are SO many great ideas for winter veggies floating around the interwebs.

 

Great idea #1:

Curried Carrot Patties by  Irina @ Nutty Crunch

 

 

 

Of course I made a couple ingredient modifications:

  • Used 4 HUGE carrots rather than small to medium (go big or go home!)
  • Subbed Herbamare for salt
  • Increased curry powder to 1/2 tsp
  • Added 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • Turned a slice of Ezekial bread into small toasted bread bits rather than “crumbs”

 

I also prepared mine a bit differently because I didn’t fully read the directions due to my genius creativity.  Rather than coating the patties with some of the chia egg and dipping into bread crumbs, I mixed the whole shebang together in one bowl.  The power of chia eggs must be fierce, because the carrot-heavy patties miraculously held together!

 

My result looks totally different from Irina’s, but they were delicious!  Even more so with a big glob of this on top:

 

Great idea #2:

 

Basil Walnut Pesto.

Using walnuts rather than pine nuts has a few benefits: it’s cheaper, has better nutritional content, and you don’t have to worry about palate-destroying conditions caused by Chinese exports.

 

While I do love walnuts, what made this pesto possibly the best I’ve made yet was the bit of sun-dried tomato.  You can barely detect the flavor, but it adds depth and a pleasant sweetness to the spread.

 

 

I enjoyed the pesto many ways, but it was particularly good atop the carrot patties over a bed of spinach, bean sprouts, and pomegranate seeds.

Festive and healthy.  Just what I needed to ready myself for more Christmas cookies.

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Walnut Pesto

Adapted from Saveur

  • 1.5 C packed basil
  • 1/2 C olive oil
  • 1/3 C toasted walnuts
  • 1/4 C yellow onion
  • 1/4 C grated pecorino
  • 1/4 C grated Parmesan
  • 2 T sun-dried tomatoes, re-hydrated and chopped
  • 2 T reserved water from sun-dried tomato re-hydration
  • 2 T freshly-squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • S+P, to taste

 

Place all ingredients except olive oil in processor and begin to blend.  Gradually add olive oil, blending until finely chopped.

Store refrigerated for up to one week or much longer in the freezer.

Makes ~1.5 cups.

***

Baking season and I are developing a love-hate relationship.

Are you a victim of sugar-overload yet?

Do you prefer to workout alone or with a partner/trainer?  A little of both?

 

Buzz Buzz

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It’s FoodBuzz Festival weekend!

 

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

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

Also exciting was the rubber ducky in our bathroom.

 

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

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

That lentil salad and the beet ravioli was AWESOME

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

Cleaned. My. Plate.

 

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

 

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

On the agenda:

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

***

I love food.

What are you doing this weekend?

Is anyone else excited for the LSU/Alabama game?

 

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?

Apple Pie Milkshake

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It seems that every fast food joint has turned fall desserts into milkshakes. 

Skip the fast food sugar-bomb and make your own (much healthier) version!

Apple Pie is fantastic a la mode… it’s only natural that is become part of the la mode.

Yes, my Apple Pie Shake is green.  If you haven’t tried it yet, now is the time to toss an avocado in your smoothie.  It adds to the creamy-milkshake texture and you cannot taste it.  (Recipe at the bottom of post.)

Breakfast:

To begin my WIAW, I had a post-workout Apple Pie Shake.  Perfect beginning to a warm fall day.

Words of shake-making advice:

  • Virtually anything can be frozen – including avocados and apples
  • Guar Gum is worth the expense – a little bit goes a long way and it makes the perfect shake texture
  • Don’t skimp on vanilla and cinnamon
  • Guard your apple when taking pic from your balcony

I only turned my back for a second when I heard a big “SPLAT.”  I looked around… where’s my apple???  Hmmmm… glance down… apparently my apple grew legs and jumped off my balcony.  It’s not that bad, apple!  

Odd craving for apple sauce…

Lunch:

Today’s lunch was gourmet.  By gourmet, I mean multi-course.

First a salad of arugula and spinach with carrots, cucumber, and a hearty scoop of chipotle salsa.  I love salsa as dressing.

Followed by my leftover “pasta” (spaghetti squash from this dish) and a quick batch of this tahini sauce.

Dinner:

I didn’t realize today was going to be a “make it again” day.  Typically I don’t repeat recipes… there are so many new ideas floating around in my head!

After the tahini sauce repeat, I re-made this Wild Mushroom Soup for dinner.  It was one of my favorites last winter – someone remind me to re-make dishes more often!

Don’t judge… brown food is impossible to photograph!

I made is almost the same way; however I did use fresh parsley and roasted garlic and added lentils for bulk.

Snacks:

It was a fun snack day!  In addition to my “OMG, I cannot get sick” Emergen-C, I tried a new product: Primal Strips.

It’s meatless vegan jerky made from seitan!

Observations:

  • 11 grams of protein
  • Only 3 grams of sugar
  • Ingredient list I can pronounce
  • Texture was a little weird (chewy, which I suppose is jerky-esque), but I got over it half way through the “strip” 
  • Loved the teriyaki flavor

Verdict: I’d definitely buy it again and would love to try other flavors!

Not pictured: I made another Apple Pie Shake as a bedtime snack.  Like I said, it’s a day of repeats.

 _____________________________________________________________________________________

Apple Pie Shake

  • 1/2 large apple
  • 1/4 large avocado
  • 2 scoops vanilla protein powder
  • 1 handful spinach (optional – but I swear you can’t taste it!)
  • 1 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or any milk-substance)
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp ginger
  • 7-8 drops NuNaturals Pure Liquid Vanilla Stevia
  • Shake of salt
  • Shake of Guar gum (optional, but helps create milkshake consistency)
  • Ice, to taste

Put it in a blender and blend until smooth!  Pour into tumbler and drink your pie.

I received the pictured Tervis tumbler as part of the FoodBuzz Tastemaker Program.  It didn’t influence the fact that my shake was fantastic, but it did keep it nice and cold while I took a million pics of it. 🙂

***

Voting is now open on Facebook for Delta’s Biscoff Bake-Off.  Pretty please vote for my Biscoff Cookie Dough Balls by clicking here and “liking” my entry.  You can vote 1x per day!!!

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

What is your favorite dessert-gone-shake?

Do you have “go to” dishes you make regularly?

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