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The Lawrence + P28 Giveaway Winner

August 10, 2012 By Laura

Last Saturday’s cheat day adventures didn’t end with vegan soft serve.

 

I met up with Lee @ In My Tummy and her husband, Jason for dinner.  Lee and I have been talking about checking out The Lawrence (905 Juniper St., Atlanta, GA 30309, 404.961.717) since it opened.  A few months later… we finally made it!

 

 

We studied the menu, strategizing our order.  The menu is separated into small, medium, and larger plates.  The smalls are tapas-sized, mediums contain 3-4 ounces of a protein, and the larges are 6-7 ounces of protein.  We settled on sharing a few small and medium plates.

 

 

 

First, a gift from the kitchen:

 

Our amuse bouche was a spoon of sweet corn soup with a bit of smoked trout and parsley.  This may sound weird, but I really appreciated the touch of green to balance the sweet and smoky flavors.  Maybe I’m just a big fan of greens.

 

Our first small plate was actually quite large.  This plate of grilled summer squash was served with tarragon, maldon salt, and garlic oil.  The squashes were cut into thick wedges, which meant that there was still a good crunch to the center.

 

My favorite of the smalls was this Salt & Pepper Tofu.  Lee’s husband commented that it tasted a little lick chicken.  The chef had soaked it in a rice vinegar and coated it in rice flour to dry fry.  It was served with spicy radish slices, cilantro, and Serrano pepper.  I would go back for this dish alone.

 

 

Have you ever heard of dry frying?  I wasn’t familiar with the term so I googled it and found this article.  Exactly how it sounds!  I’ll be recreating this delicious meal soon.

 

The last small was good, but somewhat unremarkable.  Thin slices of Cremini mushrooms were tossed with artichokes, arugula, and a herb-lemon vinaigrette.  It wasn’t bad, just not special.  I’d try something different next time.

 

Our mediums were excellent.  We had the seared Black Bass.  It was served with baby eggplant, confit potato, carrot, and tomato compote – a sort of deconstructed ratatouille.  I never think to serve a rich tomato sauce with fish, but I loved the flavors together.  Black Bass is on the meatier side of the fish spectrum, which the sauce complimented well.

 

Last was the Speckled Trout Sashimi.  I’ve never seen trout served sashimi-style before, so of course I had to try this out.  It was beautifully plated with a schemer of black garlic mayo, edamame, and pickled maitake mushrooms.  Much to my surprise, the trout wasn’t too fishy!  I wish I had asked where it was sourced from because it was perfectly fresh, making it palatable for this new sushi eater.

 

I sort of wanted dessert, but no one else seemed passionate about it.  That turned out to be a good thing because a plate of mini-citrus Madelines and strawberry jelly bites (like thick fruit roll-ups) were delivered along with our check.  Jelly candies aren’t my favorite; however, I could have eaten the entire plate of cookies.  It was just the thing to end the meal. I’m trying the butter cake next time though.

 

Service is a big selling point for me.  The staff at The Lawrence was fantastic.  The hostess’ were friendly, our server was knowledgeable about the menu and the (too small) wine list, and my water was kept full by the entire team.

Overall, The Lawrence is another win for the Dinner Party group.  But please expand the wine list.

 

Check out Lee’s review from earlier in the week!

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Don’t worry!!!  I didn’t forget the P28 Bread Giveaway winners!

*drum roll*

 

 

  1. Laura @ Mommy Run Fast
  2. Alysha @ She’s On the Run
  3. Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean

Congratulations!

Winners: Please send me your addresses. 🙂

***

My site was down over night and early this morning.  I apologize for this post being late… thank you guys for checking back and a BIG thank you for BlueHost customer support!

Do you freak out when you have technical problem that you have NO idea how to fix?  I admit… freaked more than a little this morning.

Do you like to order small plates to share, or have your own to hoard?

 

Filed Under: Giveaway, Restaurants Tagged With: Atlanta, dinner, restaurants, The Lawrence, tofu

Summer Grilling + Cocktails, Southern Style

June 7, 2012 By Laura

Today is day 1 in South America.

We are going to be landing in Buenos Aries (BA) and heading straight to Uruguay.  It’s a quick flight from the BA airport, so we opted to do that straight away – jet lag be damned!  More on the reason we chose Uruguay tomorrow…

Today’s guest post if from my good friend and fellow blogger (my Blend!) Heather @ Better With Veggies.  If you don’t know her, you are missing out.  Not only is she a rockstar endurance athlete, but she also does it all on a vegan diet.  The dishes she creates would give any carnivore gourmet a run for their money!  Also, she addicted to kale. 🙂


Hi Sprint 2 The Table readers!!

I’m Heather, a 30-something food & fitness enthusiast living an active life fueled by a plant-based diet. I’m a Digital Strategy Director by day, runner and multisport athlete by night. My husband (Kirk) and I also coach running, triathlon and duathlon to athletes of all levels. And when I’m not doing either, I enjoy writing about my adventures on Better With Veggies!

While Laura is off enjoying her exotic vacation in Argentina, I’m honored to be sharing a few new recipes with you today! In Atlanta, we’re firmly in grilling season — although we have been known to grill year-round at our house. Inspired by the popular bourbon & brown sugar glazed entrees, this plant-based version is bursting with flavors and perfect for summer grilling!

Let’s start with the drink. As with most cocktails in our house, Kirk created this one to match what I was cooking. I had bought a bag of peaches early in the week and it was time to eat them before they turned to mush. Fresh peach juice is a great way to put that sweet flavor to very good use! A little southern twist on the traditional Manhattan cocktail, this is one drink I know we’ll be enjoyed again this summer.

Redneck Manhattan

by Kirk Blackmon

Keywords: beverage

Ingredients (Serves 2)

  • 40ml fresh squeezed peach juice
  • 80ml bourbon
  • dash of angostura bitters

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in shaker 2/3 full of crushed ice. Shake well and strain into 2 cordial glasses or 1 martini glass.

Powered by Recipage

While you’re sipping the cocktail, you’ll have plenty of time to prep & assemble dinner. Lots of grilling going on in this dish, just using the oven to roast garlic for that delicious sweet flavor to come out. Steaming the tempeh is a trick I learned from Laura (I think), that really helps the tempeh absorb even more of the delicious marinade and remove the bitterness that some people taste from tempeh. As with most marinades, the longer you let it soak, the deeper the flavor – but 15 minutes is enough if you’re pressed for time.

Grilled Peach-Drunk Tempeh

by Heather Blackmon

Keywords: grill bake entree vegan vegetarian tempeh summer

Ingredients (Serves 4)

  • 8 ounces tempeh
  • 1/4 cup rum or bourbon
  • 2-3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/2 sweet onion
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 peaches
  • 1 head garlic
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 cups arugula

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Preheat Grill to 450 degrees.

Steam tempeh for 15 minutes. Cut into at least 8 slices and place in a shallow dish. Slice mushrooms and add to dish.

Mix together rum (or bourbon) and desired brown sugar. Add mixture to tempeh & mushrooms, cover & shake well to coat. Let marinate for at least 15 minutes.

Remove outer casing from garlic and chop top off with a sharp knife (just enough that tops of the cloves are exposed). Place entire head onto a piece of aluminum foil and fold into pouch with no openings. Place on cookie sheet and bake in oven for 30 minutes.

Vertically slice 1/2 onion and pile onto a piece of aluminum foil. Add balsamic & 1 tablespoon olive oil and fold foil into pouch, with a small opening on top for steam to escape. Grill for 20 minutes.

Place mixture on aluminum foil and fold into pouch. Grill for 15 minutes.

Slice peaches in half and discard the pits. Place cut side up on grill for 5 minutes, flip and grill for additional 5 minutes. Set aside.

Divide arugula among 4 plates. Top with tempeh mixture, then onions. Add peaches & roasted garlic to the top or sides of plate.

Serve both the cocktail and entrée together for a fantastic combination of flavors. Enjoy!

I hope you enjoy these recipes – and that you’ll check out other recipes on Better With Veggies.

***

I’m dedicating today finding the perfect Uruguayan drink to pair with this in honor of Heather. 🙂

Who wants to crash Heather’s house for dinner with me?

Do you like grilled fruit?  I love peaches and watermelon on the grill.

Filed Under: Guest Post, Recipes, Travel, Wine Tagged With: cocktails, dinner, peaches, tofu, Uruguay, vegan

Fluffy Sesame Baked Tofu

April 19, 2012 By Laura

Do you watch Food Network?

I did when I had cable.  

It’s actually one of the 3 things I miss about cable.  The other 2: Bravo and sports channels.  Side note: this would indicate I’m some combo of a gay man and a jock.  Nope – I’m a Southern girl. 🙂

Food Network’s new shows for 2012 were announced a while ago and I’m super-sad to miss one in particular – Blind Dinner Party.

Slated for October of 2012, this new show will be hosted by none other than The Notorious CHO!  This may call for an order of cable… of a standing self-invite to a friend’s house.

The premise is that she hosts a dinner party for 7 total strangers “who come from completely different backgrounds, beliefs and views on everything – come together to break bread in the most dysfunctional family dinner imaginable.”

I want to be at that dinner party!


Maybe they would let me cook for the party/show?  I’m sure someone would be offended that I didn’t serve meat…

…but who doesn’t love baked goods?  Cookies, cakes, cupcakes, brownies… tofu.

If you haven’t tried it before or if you *think* you don’t like tofu, come on over and let me serve it to you baked.  It will only cost you a good bottle of red.  Kidding.  Sort of.

If you saw the dinner I posted for yesterday’s WIAW, you know that I made a Sesame Baked Tofu.  The biggest difference between baked and grilled tofu is the inside.  When baked, tofu’s outside gets crisp, but the inside gets soft and fluffy.  It’s a wonderful texture to bite into!

The coating of liquid aminos (or soy sauce) and sesame seeds is awesome with just a bit of heat on the end from Chinese 5-Spice (you could also use red pepper flakes).  Garnish with a bit of refreshing cilantro (unless you are one of those people who thinks it tastes like soap).


Sesame Baked Tofu

  • 1 block extra-firm tofu, pressed
  • 1T liquid aminos (or soy sauce or tamari)
  • 1T rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp Chinese 5-Spice
  • 1 T sesame seeds
  • Cilantro, for garnish

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with non-stick foil, or spray with cooking spray.

Drain liquid from tofu, cut in half horizontally, and press for 15 mins.  You may use a tofu press or – if you’re fancy like me – stack 5-6 large cookbooks on top.  Slice pressed tofu into cubes.

In a medium bowl, mix together liquid aminos, vinegar, and 5-spice.  Toss tofu in mixture to coat evenly.

Spread tofu out evenly across baking sheet.  Sprinkle with 1/2 of the seeds, flip, and sprinkle the opposite side with remaining seeds.

Place in oven and bake for 10-12 mins on each side, or until golden brown and looking “fluffy.”

***

Spring weather and festival season make the work week longer.

Have you ever baked tofu?

What is the biggest reason you have (or don’t have) cable?

Filed Under: Baking, Recipes Tagged With: Asian, dinner, Food Network, tofu, vegan, vegetarian

Home Brewing + WIAW

April 18, 2012 By Laura

I drink a lot…

 

 

…of KOMBUCHA!

At $3 a bottle, it’s an expensive habit.  When Stacy Tweeted to tell me about a deal on OpenSky (click for invite!) for a Kombucha Home Brewing Kit  from Kombucha Brooklyn I jumped at the opportunity.

 

 

My kit came with a jar, tea bags, sugar, and my very own scoby.  The instructions were idiot-proof easy to understand… with very little effort I’m 14-28 days away from home-brewed kombucha!*

*I fully realize that you can brew Komubcha without buying a kit.  Still, $30-something to get started is still less than what I spend on the stuff at Whole Foods.  And I actually DID it.

 ______________________________________________________________________________________

Two weeks ago marked the beginning of the Green Giant Veg Pledge to add an additional cup of veggies to my daily eats.  Despite some terrible food choices over the weekend (french fries happened… I can’t say I regret it), I’m back on track this week and greening it up with everyone for What I Ate Wednesday!

Jenn @ Peas and Crayons is hosting  What I Ate Wednesday  this month in the theme of veggies:

 

 

Check out my veggies below; then click here to see how everyone else incorporated extra servings.

 

 

Breakfast:

After a quick tabata-style workout found on Pinterest, I needed to cool down before getting in the shower.  Don’t you hate when you’re still sweating AFTER getting out of the shower?

 

I slurped down up a little Liquid Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie topped with hemp seeds while I got a head start on work email.

 

Lunch:

Massive collard greens are everywhere in Georgia grocery stores.  Traditional Southerners cook them with things like ham hocks.

Not me!  I use the greens as raw taco shells!

 

I filled my “tacos” with raw asparagus, carrots, celery, cucumbers, red pepper flakes, and a massive amount of my new favorite hummus.  The spinach-flavored hummus is made by a company called Roots.  Not sure how widely available it is, but I found this a Whole Foods. The rest of the container was enjoyed with some Sesame Wasa crackers on the side.

 

Snacks:

Unpictured was the daily Kombucha, a piece of dark chocolate, and handful of cashews.

An apple with peanut butter and a surprise from Nature Box did make it for a photo shoot:
 
I really loved the Smokey Pepitas and Dried Pears.  More to come on this awesome company later! 

 

Dinner:

Baked is my favorite way to do tofu.  The outside gets all crunchy and the inside becomes marshmallow-fluffy.

Tonight’s dinner was a Baked Sesame Tofu with lemon roasted asparagus and an heirloom tomato.

Tomato season has arrived down South!  That was the sweetest tomato I think I’ve ever had.  I made the mistake of cutting the tomato too early… only 2 little slices remained to go with dinner.

What was left of my tom was delicious with the light spice and nuttiness of the tofu marinade.  Recipe to come tomorrow!

 

 

Dessert:

It was a healthy post workout dessert – a chocolate protein shake topped with cereal.  Packed with spinach, of course.

 

***

I can’t believe I didn’t like tomatoes until a couple of years ago.

How are you doing with the Veg Pledge?  Have you been incorporating an extra veggie serving each day?

Have you ever brewed your own Kombucha?  How about beer?

 

Filed Under: Products Tagged With: breakfast, dinner, hummus, Kombucha, lunch, Nature Box, protein, smoothies, snacks, tofu, vegan, vegetarian, WIAW

Narcissism + WIAW

March 28, 2012 By Laura

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?

Filed Under: Breakfast, Fitness, Products, Restaurants Tagged With: breakfast, cookies, dessert, dinner, Facebook, lunch, restaurants, salad, snacks, tofu, vegan, vegetarian, WIAW, Willy's

Monday Mentions

March 19, 2012 By Laura

In typical fashion, I spent the weekend on the go.

 

Between the summer-ish weather and having to sit in the office all week, I couldn’t get enough of the great outdoors.  All of the St. Patrick’s festivities and running events made it feel like spring festival season!

Here’s a little highlight reel:

 

1. Dining Out Vegan

I’m still rocking the vegan thing and have gotten some cool meals.

 

 

The first pic is from the best Thai restaurant in Atlanta – Panita Thai.  It looks like a shack from the outside, but the food is incredible.  I ordered my eggplant-tofu dish “Thai hot.”  Cindy, the owner/our server looked skeptic but did as requested.  That may be the last time I order something THAT spicy… but my ego I ate it.  Cindy was impressed.

 

The bottom 2 pics are from ONE Midtown Kitchen.  The service-level was absolutely incredible.  Chef Drew VanLeuvan created a custom appetizer and entrée for me.  Or server, Bernadette, even brought out apple slices and asparagus stalks for me to munch on pre-dinner since I couldn’t eat the bread sticks!

My app consisted of roasted apples with ginger sorbet and roasted cabbage.  The entrée that Chef created was an asparagus salad with pickled strawberries, orange segments, toasted hazelnuts, sugar snaps, micro greens, and a balsamic reduction.  It was a lot of apples and asparagus, but it was fantastic.

Note: Chef Drew is leaving soon to start is his own restaurant.  Sad news for ONE, but very exciting for the talented chef.   I’ll be frequenting his new spot (and ONE, of course).

 

2. Baking Bender

The baking bug hit me.  I made Sarah’s Sweet Potato Soda Bread (with just a little creative recipe-license – sooo good), a new oatmeal thing (recipe coming tomorrow!), and my Chewy Granola Cookies.

Who says you have to be running to carb-load?!

 

3. Summer in the Winter

Technically this is still winter.  Atlanta didn’t get that memo – it was in the 80s all weekend!  Some dude in the condo across from me was in the pool (see evidence below).  I went on a long walk in the park with a friend on St. Patrick’s Day.  As you might imagine, we saw many entertaining things.  The pic below is some sort of photo shoot that was happening.  Doesn’t it look like the guy is photographing her butt?!

 

 

4. Cheerleading

The Publix Marathon & Half Marathon were this weekend.  I rolled out of bed early to cheer on fellow bloggers Heather, Lindsay, Lee, and Tina.  It was my first time cheerleading a race, and I was surprised at how much fun it was to spectate and encourage the runners.  I somehow missed Heather and Lindsay.  Tina waved and she powered by in her hot pink socks… I was busy stuffing my face like a fat kid with a muffin and missed the pic.  Fail.

I did get Lee!  She claimed she was struggling, but she looked fantastic!

 

 

5. Refuel

Refuel brunch without running is totally acceptable, right?  I joined the runners for brunch at Stone Soup Kitchen.  Heather found this gem – they had several vegan options, all delicious.  Heather and Kirk (her husband, who also ran) ordered Vegos Rancheros that looked to-die-for.  I had a tofu scramble with green peppers, red onion, jalapenos, mushrooms, arugula, and red hot sauce.  It was SO good.  I also had a side of grits, but discovered that vegan grits aren’t my favorite.

 

L to R: me, Tina, Lee, Kirk, Heather, Lindsay, and little Clara

 

You may have noticed the coffee.  The caffeine break is officially over. 🙂

________________________________________________________________________________________

 

The workouts were pretty good this week.  I was missing my weight workouts.  CrossFit means I don’t have the time or energy to do both most days.  Friday and Saturday I decided to skip the CrossFit and return to my trusty weights. I was shocked to find during Saturday’s P90X Chest/Tri workout that I could actually do more push-ups!

 

 

The BodyRock videos continue to get better and better.  I love that they are adding “bonus” rounds and using some weights now!  That makes some of these solid 30-45 mins workouts.  It may seem like I slacked on the push ups, but between BodyRock ad CrossFit I got my fill. 🙂

 

Workout Recap (3/5 – 3/18):

  • Monday – This Body Rock 300 Rep Challenge
  • Tuesday – This Body Rock (20 reps on the weights), 20 min treadmill incline walk, 100 push-ups
  • Wednesday – This Body Rock, CrossFit,100 push-ups
  • Thursday –  CrossFit, 100 push-ups
  • Friday – Biceps/Back, This BodyRock (sans weight portion), 100 push-ups
  • Saturday – This BodyRock (with the arse bonus – that was a good one!), P90X Tris/Chest
  • Sunday – This Body Rock, P90X Ab Ripper X, 100 push-ups

 

***

There’s something about this weather that makes me believe I shouldn’t have to go to work tomorrow.

Did you run a race the weekend?  How did it go?

Does it feel like summer where you live?  Are you happy about it, or missing a true winter?

 

Filed Under: Breakfast, Core, Fitness, Recap, Restaurants, Weights Tagged With: breakfast, brunch, cookies, dessert, P90X, restaurants, running, tofu, vegan, workout

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

March 13, 2012 By Laura

I love a rich, creamy tomato comfort-soup.

Is it really only Tuesday?!

I’ve had a crazy busy week at work, which translates into a super-short blog post.

It’s harder to find a simple creamy (vegan) tomato soup in the “winter” months.  I suppose I can’t complain since it’s been like summer in March here in Georgia.  Do these hotter months also make you a sucker for summer slackiing?

Balmy weather doesn’t reduce my craving for tomato soup.  While this simple soup may not be earth-shattering, it was one that proved to be easy and good!  Let’s face it – simple comfort soup is sometimes exactly what you’re looking for.

This was a last minute edge-of-summer recipe using tomatoes that are at the tipping point of their season – early, thanks again to the warm weather.

My vegan challenge doesn’t permit the usual cream/butter/other deliciousness goes into making a creamy soup, which was cause for a little clean-eating improv.  The “cream” in the soup comes from tofu.

This creamy, cream-free recipe will save your summer waistline and provide you with a good way to work in some protein, as well as early-season tomatoes and basil.


 

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

  • 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced (~1/3 C)
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tsp olive oil (I used Sweetwater Growers’ Habanero-infused)
  • 4 medium-sized tomatoes, chopped
  • 10 oz silken tofu (about 3/4 of a block)
  • 1/4 C water (or liquid of choice)
  • 1/2 C fresh basil, loosely packed
  • 1/4 C fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/8 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
  • S&P, to taste

If making on a stove top:

Sauté onion and garlic in large soup pot with olive oil until fragrant (~6-7 mins).  Meanwhile, chop up tomatoes, tofu, and herbs.

Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 mins, allowing flavors to combine.

Remove from heat and blend until smooth with an immersion blender, or by transferring to a blender to mix.

Once blended, taste and adjust seasonings accordingly.

If making in a Vitamix:

Begin by sautéing onion and garlic with the olvie oil in a small pan, or, for a raw soup, skip this step and put directly into the Vitamix.

Place all ingredients in Vitamix.  Select Variable 1.  Turn the machine on and slowly increase speed to 10, then to High.  Blend for 8 mins, or until steam begins to escape from the lid.

Once blended, taste and adjust seasonings accordingly.

Note: You may need to adjust liquid used based on the water in your tomatoes.

Makes ~6 cups.

***

I need to get my shizz is gear this week!

What is your  favorite end-of-the-season (or early season) soup?

 What  veggies are you most looking forward to this spring?

Filed Under: Recipes, Vitamix Tagged With: soup, strange but good, tofu, vegan

5 on Friday + Vanilla Chai Frappuccino

March 9, 2012 By Laura

Life gets crazy.

 

I have about a million things that I ran out of time to do this week.  There are pictures on my computer of things I’ve been meaning to share with you all for weeks.  It’s embarrassing.

 

This Friday I am going to begin to catch up!  Here are 5 things I’m digging lately:

 

1. Dandy Blend

I won a bag of Dandy Blend in a giveaway from Tiffany @ Como Water.  It’s an herbal dandelion powder that supposedly has a coffee-like taste.

You know what?  It does!  Granted, it’s no replacement for your fancy Ethiopian blends… but for you non-fancy coffee drinkers and herbal drink lovers, I would recommend it.

 

 

The bag says to mix 1 rounded tsp with a mug of hot water.  That didn’t cut it for me.  I had to use 2 heaping tsp to get that coffee taste.  Hot “coffee” is good, but my favorite way to drink it was been mixed into other things.  Namely, mixed into a vanilla chai frappuccino.  (Recipe at bottom.)

Speaking of the frapp below…

 

2. Vanilla Chai Vega Nutritional Powder

Vega’s re-formulated Vanilla Chai also had a starring role in my  vanilla chai frappucchino.  I have previously tried Vega’s plant-based protein powder and didn’t care for it.  They did a great job on the reformulation!  I loved the 15g of protein to keep me full, and that it only contained 2g of sugar.

 

 

With many powders I find that the flavors are either too diluted or leave an artificial aftertaste – the new Vega doesn’t commit either crime.  It made an awesome chai-spiced cold drink to start out the crazy-winter-balmy 75 degree day!

 

3. Super Me! Wrist Cuff

This rockin’ cuff was ordered from Horse Feathers several weeks ago.

(Side note: Does any one else think “finger cuffs!” every time they hear the word cuff?  Chasing Amy reference?  Any one?)

 

 

Check out the website here.  They sell a bunch of different items and other cuffs with various quotes.  Mine says: “If I gotta be me, I’m gonna be super-me.”

They shipped fast and it arrived in a cute blue bag.  Sold.

 

4. So Delicious Chocolate Dairy-Free Ice Cream

This deliciousness is almost sugar-free – only 1g of sugar!!!  It was on sale (mind you, on sale meant it was still $5 a pint) at Whole Foods, so I treated myself.  My expectations were low… but OMG it is delicious!!!

 

 

 

5. YOU

You guys have been making me smile all week.

One of my new favorite bloggers, Lauren @ Oatmeal After Spinning made a variation of my Chili Nutty Tofu and declare it “perfection.”  If you haven’t tried baking tofu yet… you should! 🙂

Click here for my version (pictured below):

 

Click here for Lauren’s variation.

 

 

Gina @ Running to the Kitchen (Our blogs’ names should get married – no wonder I love her!) made my Vegan Goat Cheese-Stuffed Tomatoes.

I’m not one to brag (ok, I can be one to brag…), but these were damn good:

 

Click here to see Gina’s post, which includes some killer pics!  Read: much better than my iPhone efforts.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Vanilla Chai Frappuccino

  • Vega Vanilla Chai protein powder
  • 2 heaping tsp Dandy Blend (or instant coffee, to taste)
  • 2 big kale leaves (optional)
  • Handful of wheatgrass (optional)
  • 1/2 c unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • Ice

 

Toss everything in your blender of choice, mix until smooth, and happily slurp away!

I topped mine with a few cacao nibs.  Whipped cream would have also been good. 😉

***

Crossfit update: I’m so sore that I actually did yoga yesterday.  I hate yoga.  It helped.

What’s the best new food/product/recipe you’ve tried lately?

Has anyone tried any of the above products?  I’d love to hear your opinions!

 

Filed Under: Baking, Breakfast, Products, Recipes, Smoothies, Uncategorized Tagged With: breakfast, Dandy Blend, dessert, protein, smoothies, So Delicious, tofu, Vega, vegan, vegetarian, yoga

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Food lover. Constant Wine-r. Gym Rat. More is more.

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