Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Raw Bulgur Breakfast Bowl + A Giveaway

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Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.

 

My breakfast is usually some sort of protein shake to follow a workout; however, I’ve been working out at night more and decided to shake up my breakfast routine.

Lat year I experimented with a raw bulgur – it’s not so different from overnight oats!  You simply soak the bulgur in water for 15-20 minutes and add whatever mix-ins you like.

 

 

When NuNaturals reached out to me to check out a few of their new orange and lemon liquid Stevia products I was particularly inspired by the orange-flavored liquid Stevia.  I could smell it before I even opened the bottle!  The best part was that is actually smelled like oranges (i.e. not like some your granny’s potpourri) – both of the new products use real lemon and orange.

 

 

I decided it would be perfect for breakfast in my raw bulgur bowl.  The bright orange sweetness went perfectly with cinnamon and a bit of cardamom.

Topped with fresh coconut, I felt like I was having breakfast on a tropical island rather than in the early morning dimness of my condo. Recipe at the end of this post.

 

 

NuNaturals would like YOU to try out their new products too – the lemon liquid Stevia (I used here in this vegan Alfredo sauce) and this orange liquid Stevia.

4 winners will be chosen!  Receive up to 3 entries by:

 

  1. Follow me on Twitter or Subscribe to the Sprint 2 the Table RSS feed or email
  2. Tweet: You could say something like: I’ve entered to win 1 of 4 chances to win the @NuNaturals giveaway at @sprint2thetable http://wp.me/p16jDn-1gY #giveaway
  3. Be Social: Facebook Like NuNaturals, Twitter Follow NuNaturals, Pinterest Follow Me and/or Pin Something of Mine, Instagram Follow Me
  4. Comment: What is your favorite Stevia flavor?

 

Please leave a *separate comment* for each entry!

 

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Thursday, April 26th.  The 4 winners will be announced on Friday, April 27th.

 ***You may also order Stevia directly from NuNaturals, and receive a 15% discount using the code BLG0612. (effective until JUNE 30, 2012).***

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Let me start be saying I am NOT complaining but…

I finally got a referral to an orthopedic doc for my knee.  I took the first available appointment (May 22!).  THEN on my walk Saturday I realized I was feeling pretty good and decided to try running.  5.5 miles later, my knee was still fine!  Now, I didn’t run all of that 5.5.  I didn’t even try to run more than 1/2 a mile at a time, but all told I think I ran 2.5 miles… wayyyy more than I’ve been able to do since January.

Did simply making the doctor appointment cure me?!  

 

Workout Recap (4/16 – 4/22):

  • Monday – Tris/Chest, Bike intervals
  • Tuesday – This Pinned workout (2x), Bike intervals, 6 min plank rotation, 100 push-ups
  • Wednesday – This Pinned workout, Bis/Back, Ab Ripper X, 2 mi walk
  • Thursday – This Pinned workout, Shoulders, 2 mi walk, 100 push-ups
  • Friday – This Pinned workout, 2.25 mi walk, Lindsay’s leg workout
  • Saturday – 5.5 mile run/walk, 100 push-ups
  • Sunday –  5.6 mile run/walk, 30 mins bike intervals, 100 push-ups

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Orange and Coconut Raw Bulgur Breakfast Bowl

  • 1/4 C bulgur, uncooked
  • 1 T chia
  • 1/4 C + 2 T water
  • 5-6 drops NuNaturals Orange Liquid Stevia
  • 3/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom
  • 2 T unsweetened coconut
  • 2 T chopped nuts

 

Mix together everything except the coconut and chopped nuts.  Allow to soak for 15-20 mins.

Stir and top with coconut, nuts, or other toppings as desired.

Note: You could sub a bit of orange extract and your preferred sweetener here if you don’t have the NuNaturals orange liquid Stevia.

***

My Sesame Baked Tofu made the FoodBuzz Top 9 this weekend.  Thank you for the Buzz!!!  Check out the Top 9 here.

Have you ever eaten bulgur (or other grain) raw/soaked?

Did you enjoy the sunshine this weekend?  Any races?

 

Zucchini Pasta with Raw (vegan) Alfredo Sauce

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The 2 Week Veg Pledge is over.

At first I was sad and then I realized… I’ll still eat a plant-based diet.  I’ll probably even keep making an effort to have at least one veggie serving at every meal (breakfast included).

You may have checked out this post where I announced that as part of the Food Buzz Tastemakers program, I was selected to take the Green Giant Veg Pledge.  The pledge was to eat one more cup of vegetables per day.

Over the past couple of weeks I did a pretty good job at keeping up with it.  I even added arugula to my pizza on a less-than-clean dinner out. 🙂  Here are a few of my favorite veggie-based meals over the past couple of weeks:

Zucchini Bread Oatmeal

Carrot Cake Smoothie

Edamame and Jicama Salad

Spring Endive Boats

Raw Collard Green “Tacos”

Last but not least I made Zucchini Pasta with Raw Alfredo Sauce.

For years I have resisted making a “cheese” sauce out of cashews.  Partially out of laziness, partially out of the belief that I’d have to eat a full cup of cashews to make enough sauce.

I feel silly now.

Cashews actually get fluffy when blended, FYI.  You won’t even need to eat 1/2 a cup of them (not for lack of wanting).

When Janet @ The Taste Space posted this recipe for her Raw Alfredo Sauce with Basil, Cherry Tomatoes, and Zucchini Noodles, I knew I had to try a version of my own.

The lemon-y sauce was fantastic with the fresh zucchini and the sweet heirloom tomato.  Light and summery, I will be making this raw dish over and over again.

The sauce can be used for a number of things!  So far I have added it to smoothies, used it as a sauce for a raw collard taco, and slathered it on a sweet potato fr a snack.

Use your imagination!  And make a double batch.

 

Zucchini Pasta with Raw Alfredo Sauce

  • 1/2 C cashews, soaked for 2-4 hours and drained
  • Juice of 1/2 large lemon
  • 1-2 drops NuNaturals Lemon Liquid Stevia
  • 1/4 tsp white miso
  • Water, as needed (~2 T)
  • 2 zucchinis, spiralized (or finely cut with a cheese cutter, as I did)
  • 1/2 carrot, spirialized (or fine cut with same high-tech method above)
  • 6-8 stalks of asparagus, cut into 1/2 in pieces
  • 1 large Heirloom tomato, diced
  • 5-6 basil leaves, chiffonaded

Place the soaked cashews, lemon juice, Stevia, miso, and water in a blender and blend until smooth.

Combine vegetables in bowls and drizzle each with 2-3 T of sauce.

Top with basil, pepper, and red pepper.

Any remaining sauce may be stored in the fridge.

Serves 2.

***

In case you’re curious about that NuNaturals Lemon Stevia… check back Monday.  There just might be a give away… 🙂

Have you ever made cashew “cheese?”

What are you looking forward to this weekend?

Fluffy Sesame Baked Tofu

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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?

Home Brewing + WIAW

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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.

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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?

 

PB&J Vodka + Chocolate PB Smoothie

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New products sometimes blow my mind.

 

Often they seem like obvious conclusions (hello, peanut butter Oreos), at times they aren’t as obvious but still delicious (Vega’s vanilla chai protein powder)… and then there are times when I have to say WTF?!

Ladies and gentlemen, PB&J Vodka, by Van Gogh.

 

 

I wish I were kidding.

From Van Gogh’s website:

“The fragrance of our PB&J vodka is predominantly of peanuts complemented by the fresh fruit aroma of raspberry. In the mouth, the roles are reversed with the raspberry taking center stage supported by the toasty flavor of peanut butter and a hint of vanilla on the side.”

 

Now you can legit drink your lunch.*

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In other news, I made a smoothie.  *One you could really drink for lunch.

 

 

A chocolate peanut butter protein smoothie was all I wanted after a particularly hard weight session in the gym.  This totally hit the spot… special thanks to the avocado for making this a perfectly creamy treat.

Topped with my new love Hemp Seeds.  If you haven’t tried them yet… you should.  They are fantastically chewy and nutty.  I eat them standing in the pantry doorway.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter (Avocado) Smoothie

  • 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
  • 1/4 avocado
  • 1 handful spinach
  • 1 C unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 T peanut flour
  • 10 drops cocoa NuNaturals liquid Stevia
  • 1 tsp cocoa (optional – I like it extra-chocolate-y)
  • shake of salt
  • pinch guar gum

 

Put it in a blender and blend away!

***

I want to work in product development in my next life.

What are your thoughts on PB&J-flavored vodka?

Have you made any good/new smoothie concoctions lately?

 

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting

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48 cupcakes is a lot.

But can you really have too many Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Cloud Frosting?  Notsomuch – they were GONE by the end of the wedding shower.  The chocolate part was good, but the frosting is what stole the show.  And I have Sweetapolita to thank.  Click here for her phenomenal recipe.

The final dish I’ll share from the wedding shower catering experience wasn’t actually made for the shower.  I did use that leftover icing though!  Obvious that meant I needed more cupcakes…

I had found some vanilla beans in Mom’s pantry and she didn’t have to ask me twice to put them to use in an Easter dessert.

These Vanilla Bean Cupcakes were fantastically light.  A perfect pairing for the rich Nutella Dream Icing.

My Easter cupcakes were slightly more healthy less bad for you than the chocolate cupcakes, yet no less delicious.

 

Without butter, these were fluffy to the point that you barely realize you’ve eaten the whole thing before it’s gone.  Sub in non-dairy milk and vinegar for the buttermilk and you’ve got a vegan cupcake (except the frosting – it’s full of butter).

Vegan or not – try these.  You won’t regret it.  In fact, you won’t even notice that you’ve just eaten 3 of them.

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Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

  • 1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
  • 2 T cornstarch
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 C buttermilk
  • 1/3 C canola oil
  • 1/2 C sugar
  • 1/4 C xylitol
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped
  • Nutella Dream Icing

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare muffin tin with cupcake liners.

Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl.

Beat together milk, oil, sugar, vanilla extract and vanilla bean in a large bowl.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet, stirring until just combined.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 10-12 mins.  Allow to cool completely before icing.

Notes:

  • Use a full 3/4 C sugar, or an alternate sugar substitute if you do not have xylitol
  • Make it vegan by using non-dairy milk and 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar.  Let stand 5-10 mins before using to allow milk to curdle

Makes 12 cupcakes.

***

Happy Friday the 13th!  It’s my lucky day.

What’s your favorite cupcake flavor?

What are you most looking forward to this weekend?

Spring Endive Boats + WIAW

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Endive Boats are the perfect party salad.

Boats make salad a finger food!

Last Christmas when I catered this party I served endive boats rather than a salad dish.  They went over really well, so I decided to make a spring version for the wedding shower.

This spring version contained raspberries, raw asparagus (thin stalks), and pecans.  Over the top I drizzled a light raspberry vinaigrette.

A lot of people are surprised by raw asparagus, but it is quite tasty.  In season, the asparagus is especially sweet and the crunch it added was perfect.

The raspberries were just a tad sweet, but still have an early-season tartness that was well-balanced with the fruity vinaigrette and rich, nutty pecans.

Like the deviled eggs, there weren’t any leftover by the end of the party!

Recipe at the bottom.

Last week I announced I was taking the Green Giant Veg Pledge to add an additional cup of veggies to my daily eats.  Many of you said you would join me… have you been doing it?

Jenn @ Peas and Crayons is with her  What I Ate Wednesday theme for April:

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

Breakfast:

Do you ever wake up starving?  Having followed the P90X workouts this week, I cannot get enough food!

Carrot Cake Smoothie:

  • 1 C spinach
  • 1 medium carrot
  • 1/2 banana
  • 1/2 in piece fresh ginger
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 7-8 drops liquid vanilla stevia
  • 1 T rolled oats
  • 1/2 C unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp maca (optional)
  • Pecans (optional – for topping)

Lunch:

The veggie-theme was full force at lunch today.  I had a conference call, so I ate it in two parts.

Part 1: A slice of whole wheat multi-grain bread from the farmer’s market with my Chipotle Corn Hummus, raw asparagus, zucchini, and carrots.

I brought the veggies to work in that carrot bag.  The bag was almost empty, so I piled my asparagus and zucchini slices rather than wasting another baggie.  I’m a total hippie.

Part 2: Garden Lites Cauliflower Souffle

Tasty, but I may have over-microwaved it.

Snacks:

With my 2-part lunch, I didn’t do much snacking… there was the daily Kombucha with raspebrries, a Think Thin, Wasa flatbread, and unpictued stuff (nuts, 1/2  cupcake, cereal):

Dinner:

It was a pizza night at a favorite pizza joint, Double Zero.  You cut the pie with scissors and they have one of the best Italian wine selections in ATL.  My pie was tomato, mozzarella, arugula, roasted garlic, and chilis.

Spring Endive Boats

  • 6-8 endive heads
  • 2 pints raspberries
  • 1 bunch thin asparagus, chopped
  • 1/2 C chopped pecans
  • Raspberry vinaigrette

Assemble endive leaves evenly across a large tray.  Divide raspberries, asparagus pieces, and pecans evenly among boats.  

Lightly drizzle with raspberry vinaigrette just before serving.

Serves 30.

***

I was going to post that mac ‘n cheese recipe… but I had to go endive for the veggie theme! 🙂

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

What is the best thing you’ve eaten so far this week?

Catering, Cupcakes, and Chillaxing

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This was the sort of weekend where you stay so busy you aren’t really sure it ever happened.

Not that I’m complaining – catering and cupcakes iced with a little chillaxing is a good time.

This week I am looking forward to sharing some fun new recipes with you, but for today I’ll stick to the highlights.  Here is the Top 5 from a weekend so crazy that I was in bed by 11p last night (that’s unheard of for me).

1. Say Cheese

Though I spent a lot of time prepping Saturday’s catering gig, I took a little break to make a hummus, veggie, and cheese board.

A wandering afternoon in the cheese department while was supposed to be catering-shopping lead to the discovery of a new favorite cheese.  Mitica Quadrello di Bufala (buffalo’s milk cheese).

I’m not ashamed to admit… I couldn’t stay vegan for the love of cheese.

2. Wedding Shower Catering

This was my second “official” catering job and it went really well.  The event was a was a joint wedding shower for a bride and groom.  I was asked to come up with a “Southern” menu for ~30 people.

On the Menu:

  • Chipotle Roasted Corn Hummus (remember this from last summer?) with veggies and chips
  • Spring Endive Boats
  • Caper and Chive Deviled Eggs
  • Mac ‘n Cheese Minis
  • Whiskey BBQ Turkey Sliders
  • Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting

If it’s any indication of success, there was hardly any food leftover. 🙂

Recipes coming throughout the week!

3. Easter Bunny

Sunday I woke up still exhausted from the previous day’s catering; however, I was energized by the fact that the Easter Bunny had come!

I will always spend the night at my mom’s on holidays.  Shameless.

4. Poolside Mimosas

A girl’s day by the pool with my mom and baby sister was just what I needed.  That and a tasty mimosa.

We laid out, talked, and ate a poolside Easter lunch of watermelon salad, endive salad, pretzel bread, carrot soufflé, and mac ‘n cheese.  I was too busy chillaxing to take pics of any of it. #fail

5. More Cupcakes

4 dozen Chocolate-Nutella cupcakes in one weekend clearly wasn’t enough.  We came in from the pool and wanted something sweet.  Being a good kid, I whipped up some vanilla bean cupcakes to go with the last but of Nutella icing.

This recipe will be coming soon!

This week I was all about the P90X.  I’m still not following the prescribed program, but I did a workout with Tony Horton just about every day this week.  Good thing because my diet was abysmal.

#PROOF

Workout Recap (4/2 – 4/8):

  • Monday – P90X Shoulders/Arms, Ab Ripper X
  • Tuesday – This Tuesday Trainer Tabata workout from Lindsay (50 sec work, 10 secs rest, 2x), 6 min plank rotation, 100 push-ups
  • Wednesday – P90X Tris/Chest, Ab Ripper X
  • Thursday – P90X Cardio X, 100 push-ups
  • Friday – P90X Biceps/Back, Ab Ripper X
  • Saturday – 100 push-ups, 90 squats, rest/cater
  • Sunday –  P90X Plyo, 100 push-ups

***

And now the reveal you’ve all been waiting for.  What was the “lie” from Friday’s post?  #9 “Monday night I ate octopus for the first time.”  

Many of you guessed the right answer, but for the wrong reason.  I have NEVER eaten octopus.  The tentacles creep me out.

Did the Easter Bunny come visit you?

What food prevents you from ever going vegan/vegetarian, or – if you are vegan/vegetarian – what food was hardest for you to stop eating?

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