tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28830503863012715382024-03-12T19:23:56.536-07:00Simply a FoodieBrittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01281048949731703134noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883050386301271538.post-96401480070926372013-08-04T11:30:00.000-07:002013-08-04T11:30:12.517-07:00I've got a new website... Hey Everyone. I've got a new website! <a href="http://brittany.brittb.com/simply-a-foodie/" target="_blank">Check it out.</a> I'll be posting all my new content over there from now on.<br />
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Enjoy!Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01281048949731703134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883050386301271538.post-76814769487770414242013-07-22T16:33:00.000-07:002013-07-22T16:33:08.211-07:00Guest Post - Sunday's with Charlotte<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Champagne &Limousines';">
Today my go-to-food friend Charlotte wrote a post for the blog! She explains why and gives you a peek into her Sundays and the treats she decided to make. Why she didn't share any of the actual food with me is another story... </div>
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Hope you guys enjoy! Charlotte will be back every now and again. </div>
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- B </div>
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Do you ever think… "Hey I should start writing a blog!" </div>
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then immediately think, " No that is a terrible idea and you should do that never."</div>
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Well, I have about a zillion times. And in all truthfulness, 90% of the time I just forget that I want to do it. The other 13% is the terrible idea thought. Soon this will become a reality. If Julie (of the Julie/Julia Project) and Jenny (indomitable blogger, <a href="http://theblogess.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">TheBlogess.com</a>) can do it, fuck it, so can I! My life is way too weird to only be shared with the blessed few who know me.<span style="font-family: 'Noteworthy Light';"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6aCEtRMRS8X1SHQvYEcwgm9rwxtUKrAWvYQWizhZqOxTdl4O2-JgMdApE3g-6yY_bwFffhQmdpQvugB8MaB87TmkHrmCeG4MJwJ0oiSw055BWyUc4sPGX4R9mlHbFGuLOdVOxFCcnsNi/s1600/IMG_0631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6aCEtRMRS8X1SHQvYEcwgm9rwxtUKrAWvYQWizhZqOxTdl4O2-JgMdApE3g-6yY_bwFffhQmdpQvugB8MaB87TmkHrmCeG4MJwJ0oiSw055BWyUc4sPGX4R9mlHbFGuLOdVOxFCcnsNi/s320/IMG_0631.jpg" width="239" /></a>So I'm Charlotte. I'm a friend and fellow insane foodie to my man, Brittany. Insane in personality and about food, in case you were wondering. I love literally almost all food, except boxed mac & cheese and liver. I keep trying but no cigar. Oh well. So today is <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_338048727" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">Sunday </span></span>and I use <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_338048728" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">Sunday</span></span> as my relax-and-get-your-shit-<wbr></wbr>together day. All my slow cooking and bulk cooking is done <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_338048729" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">on Sunday</span></span>. I tend to putter (the best word for it) around the house and clean dishes, cook in the Crock Pot, laundry, take the pup on long walks, make dirty dishes, and generally wander around. </div>
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TODAY I'm awesome because I was inspired by the magnificent, mind-blowing Mark Bittman and his TEDtalk about being a vegetarian and food sustainability in America. I've loved him since I started reading the NY Times Dining section. He has this passion about food that makes you what to go out and change the world with an extraordinary baguette. I also was feeling inspired (read: overwhelmed) by the amount of stuff in my fridge. My significant other/partner forever/pain-in-my-ass Cory and I went major grocery shopping last week because we were a bit on the broke-face side for the last month or two. Nothing does wonders for your grocery shopping drive than HAVING to eat Cup-o-Noodle. </div>
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Today I have made: Cauliflower Buffalo Wings and Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip, Asian Vegetable Pancake with a Fried Egg, Roasted Rutabagas and Sweet Potatoes. I have NOT made: kale chips even though I've been planning/needing to do it with my bushels of kale. I feel super put together and have done a ton of crap, however as I write it it sounds less impressive. But instead, I made bacon! Sorry, Mark Bittman. I tried to be veggie today but the bacon wins again. I'm such a disappointment. On the the other hand I did use some kale in the roasted rutabaga and sweet potato taco. Soooo…. win/win. Enjoy!</div>
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<b>Cauliflower Buffalo Wings</b></div>
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<li>1 head Cauliflower</li>
<li>1 cup Milk</li>
<li>3/4 cups Flour</li>
<li>2 teaspoons Garlic Powder (or whatever seasoning you like)</li>
<li>pinch of salt & pepper</li>
<li>1 Tablespoon Butter</li>
<li>3/4 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMgU3oFIkjEHBbcUMEg-SWI5AUoHf7x1N835gzVx21epYQtDZ8A9kK9ug0zw_UhoUJPqRMCiCuXbHghCBmoPIkSnpVwCmCl5-0493vLLjjKjMeeuEgC8_T34pZr88CDnKeauzrHwLVVnKl/s1600/IMG_0633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMgU3oFIkjEHBbcUMEg-SWI5AUoHf7x1N835gzVx21epYQtDZ8A9kK9ug0zw_UhoUJPqRMCiCuXbHghCBmoPIkSnpVwCmCl5-0493vLLjjKjMeeuEgC8_T34pZr88CDnKeauzrHwLVVnKl/s320/IMG_0633.jpg" width="239" /></a>Super easy. Pull apart the cauliflower in to florets. Mix the milk, flour, and seasoning and throw all the cauliflower into the batter. Pull each floret out and shake off the excess batter and place it on a lightly greased cookie sheet. stick in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. until cauliflower is done. It won't be golden brown. in a large bowl heat up the butter and Frank's Red Hot then throw the cauliflower in. and toss to coat. If you like, here is my inspiration and step by step pictures at <a href="http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2012/12/cauliflower-buffalo-wings/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://tastykitchen.com/blog/<wbr></wbr>2012/12/cauliflower-buffalo-<wbr></wbr>wings/</a>. </div>
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<b>Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip</b></div>
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<li>1 1/2 small containers of plain greek yogurt</li>
<li>1 package dried ranch spices</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon dried dill</li>
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Mix everything and chill for an hour. (Super hard.)<br />
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<b>Asian Vegetable Pancake with a Fried Egg</b></div>
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<li>leftover batter from Cauliflower Wings (about 1/2 cup)</li>
<li>1/2 cup shredded cabbage</li>
<li>little bits of cauliflower and broccoli that fall off (about 1/2 cup)</li>
<li>Sriracha to taste</li>
<li>2 eggs</li>
<li>1 green onion, cut on the bias</li>
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Mix all ingredients except the eggs. Lightly grease a non stick skillet and pour in batter. Flip over when the bubbles on the top, just like a regular pancake. Put it on a plate and re-grease the skillet. Fry both eggs on the same pan(yay less dishes!) then put on top of the pancake. Top with more chopped scallions and Sriiracha. (Sorry there's no pic. I was hungry.)</div>
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<b>Roasted Rutabagas and Sweet Potatoes</b></div>
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<li>1 cubed rutabaga</li>
<li>1 cubed sweet potato</li>
<li>1/2 bag of baby carrots</li>
<li>1/2 onion, quartered</li>
<li>4 cloves of garlic, smashed</li>
<li>1 tablespoon oil</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon salt & pepper</li>
<li>1 teaspoon seasoning mix (if it has salt in it take out the salt above)</li>
<li>1 tablespoon chopped parsley </li>
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You can add or substitute any root vegetables you like (potatoes, beets, etc)</div>
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Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients.. Pour into a 13x9 pyrex and cover with foil. Put in the oven for 45 mins to an hour, until the vegetables are tender. Uncover and put under the broiler for 2-3 minutes tip tops are crispy. Top with parsley.</div>
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Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01281048949731703134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883050386301271538.post-20666622146442784142013-07-17T15:52:00.003-07:002013-07-17T15:52:20.379-07:00Crisp n' Spice<div class="p1">
I've actually never bought and prepared any type of melon before but I couldn't pass up the opportunity when I saw cantaloupes for 97 cents at my local grocery store. I stood a bit clueless in front of the mounds of melons, trying to remember how to check for ripeness. I felt around, chose one and smelled it after recalling how the smell test is used to check the ripeness of pineapples. I figured I was on the right track. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRkmiaDK65k04ADw0iVTFtt79RyZ_wbPvLsofaqe1cRMKr7S03q6Gh36UjLI-CKPJQRdJaLAcPNPZd7dSOKHNbA69JqjoChm7xMdy59yz_CP6nMb5NM6nu5IMjFEWYr8E79wQfmt2WUGF0/s640/blogger-image--1197576361.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRkmiaDK65k04ADw0iVTFtt79RyZ_wbPvLsofaqe1cRMKr7S03q6Gh36UjLI-CKPJQRdJaLAcPNPZd7dSOKHNbA69JqjoChm7xMdy59yz_CP6nMb5NM6nu5IMjFEWYr8E79wQfmt2WUGF0/s320/blogger-image--1197576361.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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According to <a href="http://blog.albertsorganics.com/?p=1007" target="_blank">Albert's Organics</a>, I only had one of the five indicators of ripeness:</div>
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<li class="li1">Stem</li>
<li class="li1">Netting</li>
<li class="li1">Color</li>
<li class="li1">Touch </li>
<li class="li1">Smell</li>
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Once I got home and tried to be productive - my foodie brain and starving tummy took over and I started coming up with ways I could use the cantaloupe. Aguas Frescas, smoothies, salads…. </div>
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Then all of a sudden inspiration hit: Pam's Patio mojito salad. In high school and during my time home from college for the summer I used to work at this small yet delightful mom and pop restaurant in San Antonio called <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/pams-patio-kitchen-san-antonio" target="_blank">Pam's Patio Kitchen</a>. It's one of those places full of color, art and delicious food with constant regulars dining every weekend. During the summer the head chef and restaurant owner would create a mojito salad with jicama, cantaloupe, pepitas, mint paprika and a sweet lime dressing. Essentially the perfect salad for summer. </div>
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Reflecting on all the delicious food and memories I have from Pam's, I decided to make my own version of the delicious salad.</div>
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<b>Crisp n' Spice Cantaloupe Salad </b></div>
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1/2 Cantaloupe </div>
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1 frozen lemon cube (melted)</div>
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Fresh grated ginger (to taste - I put lots)</div>
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1/2 tsp of chili powder</div>
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Pinch of salt</div>
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Handful of pepitas </div>
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I cut up my melon into quarters and then cubes, the cantaloupe turned out to be a little less ripe than I wanted (the 4 indicators I was unaware of are to blame). After chopping the melon I placed it on a bed of of julienned baby kale and topped it with the dressing (lemon juice, ginger, chili powder combined). Finally I sprinkled on a healthy portion of pepitas to seal the deal. The salad was crisp and cool and had a tiny bit of spice from the chili powder. The fact that the cantaloupe wasn't completely ripe actually helped give the salad a little more crunch. It definitely wouldn't have the same appeal if it was slimy and gooey. </div>
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There we go - my first experience with melons. Now what to do with the second half sitting in my fridge? </div>
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Thanks to PPK for all the ridiculous memories. I've got so many stories from that place, although those involve a lot more spice than food. </div>
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<br />Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01281048949731703134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883050386301271538.post-83439845507787312192013-07-01T17:56:00.002-07:002013-07-01T17:56:18.286-07:00Beer n' BBQ VeggiesToday was one of those <b><i>blah</i></b> days. You know, when you are tired and nothing is really satisfying you. Whether it be the music your tuned into or your stomach growling but not giving any inclination of what it's craving. That was me today - perhaps the change in weather was the cause. I was completely ready to lie on the floor and play with my pup for the rest of the night.<br />
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However, after soaking and cooking dried chickpeas all day, I was forced to get up and start prepping some things. The plan was to make a chickpea, edamame salad with asian dressing. Only about a serving or two - enough to last my roommate and I till July 4th festivities. Once I started getting on a roll with prepping that dish my stomach started growling later and somehow my brain started kicking in. We had no plans for dinner so I decided I might as well make something happen. It's amazing how once one small idea pops into your head it can spiral out of control until you come up with something you didn't even intend.<br />
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With July 4th right around the corner, I was inspired to use some BBQ sauce. After chopping my veggies, everything started falling into place and I kept thinking of more and more ideas. I grabbed my ingredients, started chopping, mixing and pouring and ended up with a Beer n' BBQ hash. I threw a splash of beer in here, some kale in there and BAM. Deliciousness.<br />
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<b>Beer n' BBQ Veggies for two</b><br />
<ul>
<li>1/2 red onion </li>
<li>1 Sweet Potato (cut very thing - like matchsticks)</li>
<li>1 carrot chopped thin</li>
<li>1 cup cooked chickpeas</li>
<li>1/2 Alamo Golden Ale beer</li>
<li>1/2 cup Stubb's BBQ sauce</li>
<li>1/4 cup of kale</li>
</ul>
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First sautee the onion in some olive oil on medium heat. Throw in the chopped sweet potato and carrots and cook for about 2 minutes. Add in the chickpeas, pour in the beer and turn up the heat to high. Bring the beer to a boil and let cook for 5 minutes or until the liquid absorbs and the sweet potatoes and carrots are tender. Add the BBQ sauce and continue cooking for another few minutes. Add the kale and stir till combined. </div>
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Voila! The whole meal took probably 15 minutes with prepping and all. A great way to end a blah day. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipqaEXaMtA-_MX2pXxmebIvydRM8ofPDuDAZ-oLVA5dA0Sn2lidO9L2HE0oTFz95dODWAQMORq3nNhev1C57XwSBaygSz3v5cMqyXhMsTZq3wjcNsOkDq_DDi9VXMW2drePDaJuOGjAZSJ/s640/blogger-image-1439052810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipqaEXaMtA-_MX2pXxmebIvydRM8ofPDuDAZ-oLVA5dA0Sn2lidO9L2HE0oTFz95dODWAQMORq3nNhev1C57XwSBaygSz3v5cMqyXhMsTZq3wjcNsOkDq_DDi9VXMW2drePDaJuOGjAZSJ/s200/blogger-image-1439052810.jpg" width="150" /></a>Chickpea Edamame Salad (no measurements)<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>chickpeas</li>
<li>edamame</li>
<li>sliced carrots</li>
<li>red onion</li>
</ul>
<div>
Dressing:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Soy sauce</li>
<li>Rice wine vinegar</li>
<li>miso paste dissolved in water</li>
</ul>
</div>
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<br />Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01281048949731703134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883050386301271538.post-33559993326318834032013-06-04T09:26:00.003-07:002013-06-04T09:26:35.779-07:00Conquering Risotto<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcgcg3Qp-pbKi6FW3UOOrzKiaoSebQ0gU6aGSAuILolTAkq5QwKvUvmH45dXrtA7v61eH2lMSRSi29IXW7zkKiR8muvWCztPud8_SL9yM6Bnd4nt8V9CQg8Jz3oHd9uyVG3nufXUIQncV/s640/blogger-image-1124540582.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcgcg3Qp-pbKi6FW3UOOrzKiaoSebQ0gU6aGSAuILolTAkq5QwKvUvmH45dXrtA7v61eH2lMSRSi29IXW7zkKiR8muvWCztPud8_SL9yM6Bnd4nt8V9CQg8Jz3oHd9uyVG3nufXUIQncV/s200/blogger-image-1124540582.jpg" width="150" /></a>I finally made risotto! This has been on my list from the very beginning. The rice-based dish is infamous forbeing intimidating, complex and time consuming. Here’s a secret. It reallyisn’t as bad as what you hear from all the rumors. Yes, it takes time andattention to detail but it’s a very relaxing process and actually quite easy tomake. I think the trick is to only be focused on making the risotto and nothingelse. My cousin and his wife and his wife’s sister invited me over to cook andeat and while my cousin grilled some salmon, I focused on the risotto.Intimidated? At first, yes quite a bit. It is definitely a recipe I made sureto measure correctly and be precise. It’s shocking how much butter you have touse, but not surprising how delicious it makes everything tastes, especiallythe abundance of mushrooms. My cousin’s wife sister made a delicious corn,tomato and feta salad, which I definitely plan to make again.<br />
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Nights like theseare truly enjoyable, just a group of people gathered around food and wine and I try to have them as much as possible. Last week my roommate and I hosted a housewarming party and asfar as I have heard, it was a hit. Everything (besides the chips) was homemadeincluding queso, hummus, a five-layer dip and my homemade chocolate peanutbutter cups. I’m lucky to have a great group of friends and family whoappreciate food and community as much as I do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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Here is the recipe for the risotto I made from Epicurious.I’ve got the itch to try making it again – most likely a weekend project.Although risotto isn’t the best dish for leftovers so maybe for one of thosedinner parties is in the works…. </div>
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<a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Wild-Mushroom-Risotto-361309" target="_blank">Wild Mushroom Risotto Recipe from Epicurious </a></div>
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Speaking of leftovers, I attempted to create risotto cakes from the handful of risotto I brought home. Here's how:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Roll into balls and flatten into patties</li>
<li>Coat in flour</li>
<li>Heat vegetable oil in pan</li>
<li>Fry until golden brown and looking crispy</li>
</ul>
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The risotto cakes, although tasty, were a little weird but I also don't think they were cooked long enough.<br />
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Back in September I wrote a <a href="http://foodiebb.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-foodie-bucket-list.html" target="_blank">post with a list</a> of items I have been wanting to cook. Risotto was one of the items and I have to say... I definitely conquered this one and can scratch it off my list. </div>
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Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01281048949731703134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883050386301271538.post-10489677257568394542013-05-28T15:17:00.002-07:002013-05-28T15:17:53.044-07:00Chickpea Faux-VicheCeviche is a wonderful dish typically made with raw fish cooked by the acidity of lemon or lime juice. This time around I decided I would make something similar but use chick peas as my "meat." Several vegan ceviche recipes use tofu or tempeh but chickpeas work mighty fine. I feel like the lime juice really did soak into them and cook them like the acidity would do with the fish. I could be imagining it but regardless it turned out to be a super tasty, super easy chickpea dish that wasn't Greek or Indian flavored or hummus for that matter. <br />
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<b>Chickpea faux-viche</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well - It tastes better than it looks. I promise</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
1 cup cooked chickpeas (I made a big batch of dried and used the leftovers) <br />
1/2 cup red onion minced <br />
1/2 cup lime juice <br />
4 Campari tomatoes chopped<br />
Minced pickled jalapeños to taste <br />
Sprinkle of salt<br />
Pepper (lots) <br />
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1 haas avocado <br />
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Mix all the ingredients together and let marinate overnight (I left mine in the fridge till lunch - so about 14 hrs) When ready to eat chop up the avocado and mix it in. Grab some chips and dig in! I prefer the blue corn. <br />
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I'd say the dish had the texture and the flavor of regular ceviche without the lingering fishy taste. Great for vegans or those who can't get deal with fish. <br />
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<br />
Here is a tip about cooking dried chickpeas from my non-weirdo foodie friend Lindsey. Cook the chickpeas I'm salt water to give them a little flavor. When I used unsalted to make some hummus she glared at me and told me it needed lots and lots of salt... Plus more salt. My apologies for being skimpy on the seasoning. <br />
<br />Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01281048949731703134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883050386301271538.post-26834761937012424732013-05-23T19:11:00.001-07:002013-05-23T19:11:51.595-07:00Chickpea & Spinach Wonton Cups One of my life philosophies is always have some sort of boozey beverage while cooking. More than likely my choice is wine, but there are times when cravings for other types hit. I’ve honestly been trying to cutback on the booze consumption (I know ridiculous) but I really don’t like to cook or write without it. One without the other is like peanut butter without chocolate, it’s enjoyable but you know your missing something extra sweet to make it perfect.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCn84_rB4bJZTu0R6zKKpEYe3t2LDby0nU9xuqXf-SC4eC8Ngvq6S7_Dt06pPU776BLOWnN1C1k709HAfElkgzCv6pcvROnlHO1bZo92acE4IlUaeOPwv_o20YGFMcx4Y8qy5jCTRqSasT/s640/blogger-image-1442504209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCn84_rB4bJZTu0R6zKKpEYe3t2LDby0nU9xuqXf-SC4eC8Ngvq6S7_Dt06pPU776BLOWnN1C1k709HAfElkgzCv6pcvROnlHO1bZo92acE4IlUaeOPwv_o20YGFMcx4Y8qy5jCTRqSasT/s640/blogger-image-1442504209.jpg" /></a>I have temporarily deemed Wednesday as my cooking night. It just seems right for now, perhaps because I came up with a plan for what to cook last night and I had nothing else to do on this Wednesday night. I hadpretty much everything I needed to make the dish I thought of. A few ingredients that would add to the dish were really unnecessary and I reallydidn’t want to mess with going to the store. However, today I wanted a beer, I hadn’t even started cooking and a nice cold beer was calling my name. I had to have it. Ignoring the craving and distracting myself to avoid going to the store solely for beer wasn’t working so well. Luckily, I realized I didn’t have enough frozen spinach to make my dish, so off to the store I went – beer at the top of my list. Priorities right? On the way to the store I decided to makesome cookies that I had recently found the recipe for. No problem just needed a few additional ingredients. Keep in mind I hate going to the store without a plan – so I screwed that one up for myself from the get-go. When arriving backat home I realized I missed a few key ingredients for the cookies. Thankfully, my wonderful new roommate had everything I was missing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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I cracked open a beer and began working on the idea that had been bouncing around in my head all day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<b>Chickpea & Spinach Wonton Cups</b></div>
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12 wonton wrappers (or however many you want to make)</div>
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½ chopped yellow onion</div>
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1 clove garlic </div>
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3 slivers ginger - minced</div>
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½ cup dried chickpeas (you can of course use canned) </div>
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1 cup frozen chopped spinach (thawed)</div>
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½ cup diced tomatoes</div>
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Spices to taste*:</div>
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Garam Masala</div>
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Curry powder</div>
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Tumeric</div>
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Pepper </div>
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*I’m trying to get better at providing accurate measurements but it’s hard because I really hate cooking by measuring everything. I can’texplain it – just one of those things. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtoWU0BPx-FGfMp-6MmPpsacLA6mLjEU8N4iv3PGNN_cZC7gvaidX1-T5BQex6MYbOX13Lsg3jDRS1EyyzsJTlVFsjnniiaiemEVE-ksdZY9iHHBwa0YiEgll2JaUOnIbdaReRzpwUoH8L/s640/blogger-image--1872946257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtoWU0BPx-FGfMp-6MmPpsacLA6mLjEU8N4iv3PGNN_cZC7gvaidX1-T5BQex6MYbOX13Lsg3jDRS1EyyzsJTlVFsjnniiaiemEVE-ksdZY9iHHBwa0YiEgll2JaUOnIbdaReRzpwUoH8L/s400/blogger-image--1872946257.jpg" width="400" /></a>Dried Chickpeas: To prepare the dried chickpeas soak them in water for 8 hours then drain them. Place them in a medium pot with water. Bringthe water to a boil and then let the chickpeas simmer on medium heat for about an hour. I soaked my chickpeas while at work, cooked them first and let them sit with the frozen (thawing) spinach while I prepped everything else. </div>
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Wontons: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Get out some muffin tins and spray them with cooking oil (or some other oily/buttery product) to prevent sticking. Place one wonton wrapper in each muffin cup. Gently pressthem so that the bottom is pressed against the bottom and the other parts arerelatively standing up against the sides of the muffin cup. Pre-cook these inthe oven for 8 minutes until the ends are slightly brown. While these arecooking you can make the filling. Once cooked, remove and let cool.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYLS0SMnDxuoRq6jjXTrJxK4TzNy6HmF-OzwtiFJsYq3VDS-f59G69NopoKC_UsfhZDa7kwFOMuQWBdNHBs3nlw62qGnuH-q2vaPjGEYF1mtayNUHm6o_1wY5BLYsc4B9qHI_mr6YCxrg/s640/blogger-image-204360282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYLS0SMnDxuoRq6jjXTrJxK4TzNy6HmF-OzwtiFJsYq3VDS-f59G69NopoKC_UsfhZDa7kwFOMuQWBdNHBs3nlw62qGnuH-q2vaPjGEYF1mtayNUHm6o_1wY5BLYsc4B9qHI_mr6YCxrg/s320/blogger-image-204360282.jpg" width="240" /></a>Filling: Pour about ½ tablespoon of olive oil into a pan and toss in the chopped onion. Cook until fragrant and slightly translucent. Add garlic and cook for a few more minutes. Add the chickpeas, spinach and tomatoes. Add in the spices. I suppose the spices should have gone in with the garlic, but I was preoccupied so they went in after. Cook for a bit more and taste every now and then so you get the flavor you want. To finish it off squeeze half a lemon over the filling. A good trick when doing this is to turn the lemon half upside down in your hand (rind down, insides up) – this helps prevent seeds from getting into everything. </div>
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The wonton cups should still be sitting in the muffin tins. Fill the wonton cups with the filling and put in the oven for about 10 minuteslonger, or until the ends of the wontons look brown and crispy. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtV8aJCbKZwjpYZI8jHrT32_xFtct8iixbmOR1cxc7F4rw8xd0ECjtHTYYfvpNYKDtSwq9I8PYnlcHYIjNiMBbA_a5Mtjm161qYQGGol-vGDQt6vy8rqofbdgnsRsvFDZSHYbSH1FeuUql/s640/blogger-image-1970255692.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtV8aJCbKZwjpYZI8jHrT32_xFtct8iixbmOR1cxc7F4rw8xd0ECjtHTYYfvpNYKDtSwq9I8PYnlcHYIjNiMBbA_a5Mtjm161qYQGGol-vGDQt6vy8rqofbdgnsRsvFDZSHYbSH1FeuUql/s200/blogger-image-1970255692.jpg" width="150" /></a>These turned out pretty good. They could have probably benefited from more of a saucy filling, or cheesy but oh well. They were fun and something I came up with on my own. Considering the fact I also was making cookies at the time, everything turned out pretty darn tasty. The 1<sup>st</sup>cooking Wednesday has been a success!</div>
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Lessons learned:</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-font-width: 0%;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Makesure you have everything<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>you need(drinks included) before starting to cook</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-font-width: 0%;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think about the consistency of what youare making<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- like I mentioned thefilling could have been thicker and more cohesive. </div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-font-width: 0%;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->If you aren’t good at multi-tasking, don’t try to cook two completely differentthings at once. </div>
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<br />Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01281048949731703134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883050386301271538.post-20511933529606637712013-05-14T13:51:00.003-07:002013-05-14T13:51:43.082-07:00Moving on up
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I’ve graduated from grad school, I’ve moved cities and into
a new apartment. My life is about to get drastically different and crazy enough
it still hasn’t really set in yet. The most exciting aspect of all this is that
I will FINALLY be able to cook, and blog and go out to the local farmers market
for fresh homegrown produce. I’m hoping to grow some of my own stuff, join a
community garden and re-do my entire foodie/recipe website. </div>
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I’ve taken some time off from the whole cooking thing but
now I am hoping to jump right back in where I left off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Especially in terms of what I am
cooking and eating. I definitely noticed a change since I’ve stopped eating as
healthy as I used to. I’ve decided to give myself one more week to get settled
into my new place before getting back into the swing of things (Dare I say
vegan?). Until then, I have a delightful buttery-cheesy recipe to share.</div>
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My mom graciously helped me move over the weekend and the
entire time (a span of 3 days) we kept planning to make this amazing scalloped
kale and potato dish. Well, moving can be quite exhausting so each day we would
keep putting it off because last thing anyone wants to do after moving is cook.
Finally on the night everything was moved in and organized we made this dish
and boy was it worth it. We decided to make a double batch so that we could
each have plenty of leftovers for the rest of the week. (pictures to come soon)</div>
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Scalloped Kale and Potatoes<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(1 batch – double the recipe if you want 2 batches)</div>
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1 bunch organic kale </div>
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4 sweet potatoes </div>
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2 cloves of garlic (minced)</div>
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11/2 cups (two bags) grated swiss cheese</div>
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6 TBS cold unsalted butter (cut into small pieces)</div>
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pepper & salt</div>
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1/14 cups soy milk</div>
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Rinse kale appropriately and shake off excess water. Remove
the leaves and put them in a medium pot. It may seem like a lot of kale at
first, but just stuff it in the pot. Throw in ½ cup of water and cook on low
until the kale is wilted (apprx. 7 minutes). Put the wilted kale in a strainer
and let cool. Squeeze out the extra water and then roughly chop the kale to a desired
size. While the kale is wilting, slice the potatoes; you want them to be pretty
thin. If you have a mandolin – you’re life just got easier. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Butter a 10x10 pan – we
used those aluminum pans you can buy at the store for $2, I think it was 9X12 -
cover the entire bottom of the pan with potato slices. Next layer on the kale,
garlic, cheese and then the pieces of butter then Top with more potato slices,
cheese, butter, salt & pepper. Pour in the milk slowly and lightly shake
the dish to make sure the milk covers a good portion of the pan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bake that cheesy goodness for 50
minutes or until the top looks brown and crispy. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Be careful because once you start eating this dish, it’s
really hard to stop.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even though mom and I made double batches we somehow managed
to have leftover potatoes. We knew we didn’t want to waste them so we ended up
eating homemade potato chips that night too. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Homemade Potato Chips</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thinly sliced potatoes</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Olive oil</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sea Salt & lots of pepper</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat the potato slices
with the olive oil, salt and pepper. I recommend making sure all the slices you
are cooking at one time are of consistent thickness; this prevents some cooking
more than others. Place each slice on a cookie sheet (covered with foil to
prevent extra cleaning). Toss them in the oven for 10 minutes, rotate the sheet
and cook for 10 more minutes. Flip the chips and cook for 5 more minutes.
Depending on how crispy and brown you want your chips, and how thick the slices
are, you may want to cook for longer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although this sounds like a painful process – it’s well
worth it. I even made a batch of chips that didn’t have any salt and pepper on
them. Just plain ol’ roasted potatoes, so good! The hard part is how to store
them. I made sure they cooled and put them in a plastic container, but the next
day they were a little less crispy than they were the night before. If anyone
has the secret to storing homemade chips please share. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These were great because lately I’ve been super sensitive to
salt. I don’t use it very often and the food we buy is usually coated in it. If
I buy chips, even Triscuits, I am often disappointed because I just can’t
handle the saltiness. These homemade chips are my perfect replacement – and
they are great with hummus! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01281048949731703134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883050386301271538.post-18381039454354127902013-02-26T20:16:00.003-08:002013-02-26T20:16:46.139-08:00Traveling Treats <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW5-TyA1l39q66jzCp4T-g2vvlU3ULCHnW5GCAzZN77ygGeMpI65pP0ggje7A_EerOARJg8AZfrKPge1__39Bh9jpfka3wz7yv1R2MRG-5hSSb56IuHkseG3NmFw1foaK_A0KwcthdUbB5/s640/blogger-image-669229759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW5-TyA1l39q66jzCp4T-g2vvlU3ULCHnW5GCAzZN77ygGeMpI65pP0ggje7A_EerOARJg8AZfrKPge1__39Bh9jpfka3wz7yv1R2MRG-5hSSb56IuHkseG3NmFw1foaK_A0KwcthdUbB5/s200/blogger-image-669229759.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"blooming" tea</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I've been lucky in the past few months to be able to travel outside of the lovely little {BIG} state of Texas and try some amazing food. I started my journey in the great state of Colorado. I was here for a long weekend and went to some pretty great places. If you have never been to Boulder, Colorado specifically - put it on your list. It may be a small college town, but it has got a lot of character. It's a town very similar to Austin, Texas but stuck between a lot of beautiful mountains. Apparently, Boulder is THE town to visit/live if you are a foodie. This was a shock to me, I had been to Boulder before but never got the chance to experience the true Boulder food scene. Unique, stylish and delicious can only begin to describe it.<br />
<br />
Here we go:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_bG32klnCnIrekYT5NPBT6eY8wKDs5VQKwAceoXrvux43G87fqWnbbx5h88VjVMZjUFI2TC3o0vM8fkDqC72yNachLKFXL143Ul4CbefGmhVTUah9dsTQjjpySnTrIpG0wbVAB9BsY6Ct/s640/blogger-image-1675387972.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_bG32klnCnIrekYT5NPBT6eY8wKDs5VQKwAceoXrvux43G87fqWnbbx5h88VjVMZjUFI2TC3o0vM8fkDqC72yNachLKFXL143Ul4CbefGmhVTUah9dsTQjjpySnTrIpG0wbVAB9BsY6Ct/s200/blogger-image-1675387972.jpg" width="150" /></a>Here is a brief summary of what we got into one morning... Pancake flights, an entire plate of hashbrown goodness, yes an entire plate. Hasbrowns, cheese and two toppings of your choice. Bloody Mary's, Brewmosas (belgium trippel beer and orange juice) and a specialty egg benedicts every month at a place that solely serves brunch (Snooze, an A.M. Eatery). Needless to say - we didn't eat till quite later that night.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WhTwIDKdgA3GWmpoCA5iTNHVt9MaY8SrYil4w9NJtwjHWlnbsMsw2pSKr9icwpow65zRxx3bCwdUOokTSLNoR_-YsbE6qzmVLveCwZXr4MNfzrMH2YixoMA4fvjxQqKxFSEkjKAC9ChZ/s1600/blogger-image-56648674.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WhTwIDKdgA3GWmpoCA5iTNHVt9MaY8SrYil4w9NJtwjHWlnbsMsw2pSKr9icwpow65zRxx3bCwdUOokTSLNoR_-YsbE6qzmVLveCwZXr4MNfzrMH2YixoMA4fvjxQqKxFSEkjKAC9ChZ/s200/blogger-image-56648674.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRqfcE7PlPWhMlanJarP-jJSkN7ObStwZgwrYx6CYRO9Bvn_WVM6kRXSU0ik87kOzjXmr_JHALC0JiHFmx8QyXwLSwhcLtyeKlwZYchrGxSVIS9OmAq3n-oav01x-KjsZuVUNDGTo2mD8U/s640/blogger-image-1349220000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRqfcE7PlPWhMlanJarP-jJSkN7ObStwZgwrYx6CYRO9Bvn_WVM6kRXSU0ik87kOzjXmr_JHALC0JiHFmx8QyXwLSwhcLtyeKlwZYchrGxSVIS9OmAq3n-oav01x-KjsZuVUNDGTo2mD8U/s200/blogger-image-1349220000.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbXIzZcyXtUxPFukjonnrduyclUhUACo47WpwKBw8UXzPlAJz5itQlqlqrFpTnF86Zri9S0XZaXYIrmBpLdzuT28IqfrghFvxnsBuLFqYjLaQVEFWfHmk7GvLqrTdT_M9cguX5TFg-CZ3f/s1600/blogger-image--1176709578.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbXIzZcyXtUxPFukjonnrduyclUhUACo47WpwKBw8UXzPlAJz5itQlqlqrFpTnF86Zri9S0XZaXYIrmBpLdzuT28IqfrghFvxnsBuLFqYjLaQVEFWfHmk7GvLqrTdT_M9cguX5TFg-CZ3f/s200/blogger-image--1176709578.jpg" width="150" /></a>Imagine this, sweet corn - on a PIZZA! so delicious. Pizza Locale was a quaint pizza shop where pizzas are made in an in-house brick oven. As an appetizer we had fried saffron risotto balls....probably could have just had about 10 of those and would have been completely satisfied.<br />
<br />
An adorable french inspired creperie serving sweet and savory crepes along with a delicious americano, thus starting my terrible, terrible americano addiction.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1pHrsloULs9OPDXHeXaAOaL-lADDznDSDL59eacyDzIlJZrQSEcEISQHQFxj-NPzWRFywX3NZSR9pBuyypfFZGYiffVJ-QtfKWbEjwt_U_YLE0TUD59KPlorGr643HCxaiptwgcB-QyK/s640/blogger-image--483773006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1pHrsloULs9OPDXHeXaAOaL-lADDznDSDL59eacyDzIlJZrQSEcEISQHQFxj-NPzWRFywX3NZSR9pBuyypfFZGYiffVJ-QtfKWbEjwt_U_YLE0TUD59KPlorGr643HCxaiptwgcB-QyK/s200/blogger-image--483773006.jpg" width="150" /></a>We ended our trip at a place called Oak at Fourteenth. Here we royally indulged ourselves. We basically had the entire menu; potato gnocchi, burrata cheese with olive & kumquat tapenade, the best kale salad I have ever had with apple, candied pecans and an amazing fresh lemony dressing, a calamari salad with grapefruit and toasted pistachios, pork belly and tomato braised meatballs (the last two I didn't have - well maybe a bite... woops). All of these dishes were shared/small plates so the four of us just shared bits and pieces of everything. Dare I say it... the best meal I have ever had?<br />
I was also able to travel to California where I had an amazing seared tuna and a scallop and shrimp pasta topped with julienned squash and zucchini. Although I'm not elaborating on the meals, they were stellar, especially paired with a glass (or two) of wine.<br />
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Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01281048949731703134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883050386301271538.post-11662286297289663722013-02-12T07:14:00.001-08:002013-02-12T07:14:44.995-08:00Whole Living RecipesIf you are an avid cook, veggie, wellness, yoga lover you need to check out the website <a href="http://www.wholeliving.com/135929/smoothie-recipes/@center/155850/healthy-breakfasts?xsc=eml_bas_2012_08_20&om_rid=M$AUZ6&om_mid=_BQMjbuB8tgnMGp" target="_blank">Whole Living</a>. The site features lot of amazing recipes and tips on staying healthy and maintaining a good balance through fitness, food and community. One day I came across a post about smoothies that offered more than 40 different recipes. This kicked me into "whole living" high gear. Over the past couple weeks I have been on a smoothie kick. I went to the store, stocked up on fruits and veggies and went to town. Seriously, it's gotten a little out of control.<br />
<br />
You'd be surprised how many different combinations you can come up with, and you definitely have to be adventurous. There was one recipe that called for carrot juice and yogurt, among other things. (uh.. carrot juice and yogurt...What?) Smoothies are great because if made right, are pretty healthy, easy to make and easy to clean-up, definitely beneficial when you're really busy and don't have time to cook. They don't have to be only for breakfast either. I must admit it is hard to maintain a strictly smoothie diet for more than a few days, but I have been feeling healthy and energetic, especi<br />
<br />
I've been blowing up Twitter lately with all the crazy combinations I have come up with, I am sure my followers are over it. The best combination I have tried is almond milk (homemade), pineapple, banana and kale. Sounds weird, but it's seriously delicious. This smoothie intrigued me even further because of the homemade almond milk recipe it featured. I drink almond milk all the time as well as have a stock of almonds always in my pantry so I decided to give homemade almond milk a shot.<br />
<br />
<b>Almond Milk</b><br />
<b><br />
</b>1/2 cup almonds (soaked overnight & skin removed)<br />
1/2 tsp vanilla<br />
pinch cinnamon<br />
pinch of salt (very small pinch)<br />
2 cup water<br />
<br />
Throw everything in a blender and mix for 1 minute.<br />
<br />
I accidently put a little too much salt in my first batch, so I just added a few more almonds to adjust the taste. Obviously, homemade milk doesn't taste like the kind you get in the store, but it's definitely drinkable and worked really well in the kale, pineapple smoothie.<br />
<br />
Another great recipe I found from this site is a vegan banana, coconut and cashew pie. This was amazing. I've made it twice in the past two-weeks, and I usually don't repeat recipes that quickly.<br />
<br />
<b>Banana, Coconut & Cashew Cream Tart</b> {Whole Living}<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 12px;"></span><br />
<div class="ingredients recipe-section" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">
<ul class="group" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><h3 style="font-weight: bold; font: normal normal 300 20px/22px madawaska-1, madawaska-2, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 11px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 0px; text-transform: capitalize; word-spacing: 1px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Filling: </span></h3>
<div class="item-list" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<ul class="content-multigroup-group-ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li class="ingredient first" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight and thoroughly drained</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 cup water</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup, and more to taste</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (I used a splash of vanilla extract)</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3/4 cup desiccated coconut</span></li>
<li class="ingredient last" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3 or 4 ripe but firm bananas</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
</li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Tart Shell</span></h3>
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<li class="ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Pinch of coarse salt</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 1/2 cups pitted dates</span></li>
<li class="ingredient last" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 teaspoons pure maple syrup (honey)</span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Start with making the tart shell. The second time I made this recipe I didn't have pecans so I replaced them with some almonds - still worked - still delicious. I also used honey instead of maple syrup (this cut back on a bit of the sweetness). Ok so put the pecans and salt (or almonds, or nuts) in a food processor for a bit and then add the dates (15-20 seconds according to Whole Living). Make sure it's all well combined and then add the syrup. Press shell into a 9 inch pie pan or individual sized dishes. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For the filling. Throw the cashews in a food processor or blender and mix until you get a nice paste is formed. Next add water, syrup and vanilla and blend until smooth. Pour in as much or as little coconut as you want and continue blending. Pour the filling into the shell. Slice some bananas and arrange them nicely on top of the filling, or you can just throw them in a big heaping pile - whatever suits your fancy. Sprinkle with coconut. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Since I have made this recipe twice I would recommend you throwing this delicious treat into the fridge before consuming. I know this will be hard, but trust me it tastes way better when its chilled. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For you vegans or adventurous folks out there. If you didn't know already, cashews are a great substitute for any kind of cream sauce. I have made an alfredo sauce and an avocado cream sauce for enchiladas. To make a simple basic cashew cream sauce all you combine is the raw pre-soaked cashews and water or veggie broth, then you add whatever other flavors go well with what you are making. It's unfortunate cashews are so expensive, but I'm telling you... it's pretty worth it. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Enjoy! </span></div>
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<br />Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01281048949731703134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883050386301271538.post-63062331518803179612013-02-04T14:52:00.000-08:002013-02-04T14:52:30.431-08:00Homemade Pizza with Lemon-Thyme Olive OilEveryone loves pizza. You can't escape the little spell that melty cheese puts on you. Even vegans can't escape, trust me I have seen and tried plenty of vegan pizza's.<br />
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Pizza gets a bad rap because it's known to be pretty unhealthy for you. The only way to avoid this catch-22 situation is to make your own. Another benefit is that it's a lot cheaper than going out or ordering in. </div>
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The other day I was having one of those days where pizza was calling my name. It wouldn't leave me alone! My original intent was to avoid the cheese and make a vegan pizza with hummus, somehow between deciding I want pizza and my trip to the store that intention disappeared. I decided some fresh mozzarella cheese would make much happier than hummus that day. I also wasn't really in the mood for tomato sauce - I know this is sounding weirder and weirder considering this post is dedicated to pizza but totally defying all the pizza rules. Instead I got creative, and honestly, I don't think I am ever going back to tomato sauce again. I found some frozen pizza dough that was only $1.50, so naturally I stocked up. </div>
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I had a little bit of a brain fade with the frozen pizza dough. Wanting pizza that night, I forgot that when things are frozen you have to defrost them. It is recommended you defrost the dough in the fridge overnight. I decided to cheat, and began scouring the internet for a quick way to defrost pizza dough. A lot of sites recommended throwing the dough in the microwave, but that didn't sit well with me. I decided to out the packaged dough in a hot water bath. The package had a lot of air in it so I had to put a pan on top of the packaged dough to be able to submerge it appropriately. This process took about 30 minutes. The middle of the dough wasn't exactly defrosted all the way but it worked out. </div>
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Homemade Pizza </div>
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lemon-thyme sauce</div>
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<ul>
<li>1 package Il Fornaio frozen wheat pizza dough </li>
<li>2 tbs olive oil</li>
<li>1 clove minced garlic</li>
<li>dried thyme</li>
<li>squeeze of lemon</li>
</ul>
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Pre-heat the oven to 450. </div>
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While the dough is defrosting, mince one clove (or two if you want more) of garlic. Combine with olive oil, thyme and a squeeze of lemon. Let marinate while prepping everything else. The lemon is the secret key ingredient here. Just writing about this makes me want to make another pizza with this "sauce."</div>
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When the dough is defrosted, roll it out on a floured surface to about 12 inches. Put the dough on a lightly oiled pan and cover it with the lemon-thyme olive oil goodness and layer on your toppings. I chose artichokes, black olives and spinach, along with my fresh mozzarella. </div>
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Put the pizza in the oven for about 12 minutes, or until the edges are brown and the cheese is melted. </div>
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Voila - easy and so delicious. </div>
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I honestly don't know if I will ever order pizza from a restaurant again. This was the cheapest, most delicious pizza I have ever had. I probably spent less than $5 on the whole thing. Obviously the mozzarella was the most expensive ingredient but that was for the whole package, so I am not sure what the actual calculation might be. </div>
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Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01281048949731703134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883050386301271538.post-64421395315881307062013-01-14T12:45:00.001-08:002013-01-14T12:47:50.928-08:00Holiday Break to 2013Over the holiday break I cooked one thing. ONE. This is quite strange and I'm still trying to figure out where the two holiday weeks went and what I actually ate during that time? Now that I am getting back into the swing of things I've gone into cooing "almost" overdrive (almost being the operative word). <br />
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I must have been inspired by the dish I made for Christmas dinner. Once again it's from Love & Lemons, a blog I absolutely adore. I made the dish named<a href="http://www.loveandlemons.com/2012/11/12/sweet-potato-surprise/" target="_blank"> Sweet Potato Surprise</a>, and surprise, it was delicious. Other than that, cooking has been non-existent in my life - pretty much the world ended for me on apocalypse 12/21, whatever.<br />
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But now it's 2013 and I've started fresh, sort of. Here are two of my favorite things I have made so far (don't worry my bean fiasco is staying out of this post completely) :<br />
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<b>Buffalo Tofu with Quinoa</b><br />
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</b>I always drool a little when I am around buffalo wings, I can't explain it, just happens. I've seen buffalo tofu but never thought to actually pursue it as a cooking adventure, till now. Typically people use Frank's hot sauce as a base for buffalo sauce but pssh why do what everyone else is doing when I have an entire bottle of siracha in the fridge? As for the tofu - I used the packages that you find on the shelf instead of the refrigerator section. This kind of tofu is definitely better for smoothies, it is just way too smooth and falls apart easily - even if it does say firm. Freezing these little boogers might be a good idea, freezing any tofu to get a nice texture is a good ida actually.<br />
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You guys are going to hate me for this recipe and I don't have a picture of the dish because, well, I was hungry and I ate it.<br />
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<ul>
<li>1 package firm tofu </li>
<li>Squirt or two of siracha sauce</li>
<li>Half a stick of butter</li>
<li>a couple splashes of white wine vinegar</li>
<li>Sprinkle of nutritional yeast *optional</li>
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I sauteed the tofu over medium heat, which ended up in a huge crumbly mess almost instantly. A good thing to remember with tofu is to not get too overanxious about flipping it. Keep it on one side without disturbing it for a good 5 -7 minutes, especially if you are striving for a more brown crunchy style. While the tofu was cooking I melted the butter, added the siracha and vinegar and whisked it around, adding a little bit more here and there to give it the flavor I wanted. I apologize for the lack of measuring - maybe one day I will figure all that out. Once the tofu was cooked to satisfaction I added the sauce to it and sauteed it for a bit more. At first I wasn't sure if adding the nutritional yeast was a good idea, so I took half of the buffalo tofu and put it on some cooked quinoa. I sprinkled some ny on the second half and tried it, pleased that it actually enhanced the flavor and made the sauce a bit thicker. </div>
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The only thing missing from this dish: a sprinkle of blue cheese crumbles, which would have made it even more delicious.</div>
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<b>Yummy Fudgey Brownie Cupcakes </b></div>
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This tasty treat was inspired by a recipe I found on Pinterest: "<a href="http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/06/10/skinny-peanut-butter-swirl-brownies/" target="_blank">Skinny Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies</a>" via Sally's Baking Addiction blog. However, I made half the recipe found on this site which turned the brownies into cupcakes and I made frosting instead of incorporating the swirl. </div>
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<ul>
<li>1/4 + 2 Tbs vanilla yogurt </li>
<li>2 Tbs almond milk</li>
<li>1 egg</li>
<li>1/8 tsp salt</li>
<li>1/2 tsp baking powder</li>
<li>1/2 cup sugar</li>
<li>1/4 cup cocoa powder</li>
<li>1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats</li>
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees and throw all the above goodies in a blender or food processor. SO EASY!</div>
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The blended mixture will be pretty thin, but no need to worry. Pour the batter into a cupcake pan, or if you make the full recipe, a cake pan. Bake for 25 minutes. These babies come out super fudgey and may seem uncooked, but as long as you do the toothpick in the middle trick everything should be fine. </div>
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Let cool. </div>
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<b>Vegan Homemade Peanut Butter Frosting</b></div>
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I keep stressing homemade because I actually used homemade peanut butter as the base. Let me tell you something... I am NEVER going back to store bought peanut butter again. Do you know how easy it is to make peanut butter? Throw some peanuts in a food processor and turn it on. That's pretty much it besides some side scraping every now and then. </div>
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Once I had my peanut butter made I added 1 Tbs of vegan margarine, 3 Tbs almond milk, and 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and whisked all the ingredients together. Depending on how think or sugary you want your frosting, you can add more or less of the milk and powdered sugar. </div>
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So good you guys, so good. </div>
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Unfortunately, the next couple weeks are going to be absolutely insane, so who knows how much creative and adventurous cooking I will actually be able to do. Thanks for reading. xoxo </div>
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Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01281048949731703134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883050386301271538.post-73313650853499978702013-01-02T13:24:00.001-08:002013-01-02T13:40:50.066-08:00What happens when you don't read package labelsSo here is a funny story. Today I made 2 lbs of pinto beans, yes 2 lbs.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi709XzXIbYuQx68S15E2j0BBY7f4AInrrIB8DtrjbUweHlYDVfAcoVVmW4RPyNiY3aFG1z8oscJBP6bqcjltikVXciAqH75QMLIDINmd9wtiXY5QvO74SjVMfXmtJcUMrY8oOct4vo3bG9/s640/blogger-image-1826053463.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi709XzXIbYuQx68S15E2j0BBY7f4AInrrIB8DtrjbUweHlYDVfAcoVVmW4RPyNiY3aFG1z8oscJBP6bqcjltikVXciAqH75QMLIDINmd9wtiXY5QvO74SjVMfXmtJcUMrY8oOct4vo3bG9/s200/blogger-image-1826053463.jpg" width="200" /></a>Why? Not because I wanted to have 2 lbs of beans readily available to me for months...but because I didn't read a darn label. I have had this bag of pinto beans in my pantry for about 4 months and have been waiting for the perfect time to cook them in my crock pot. For some reason I kept putting it off, until today - well technically last night. After scouring the interweb for a pinto bean crock pot recipe and coming up rather unsuccessful (in terms of measurements), I just decided to go for it. One very important thing to remember is to soak your dried beans overnight before cooking them. So la de da there I went pouring the entire bag of dried pinto beans into a pot of water, without reading the label to see the quantity of beans I was getting ready to prepare.<br />
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This morning, still groggy from sleep, I get ready to load up my crock pot with the soaked beans. It was during this time when I realized I had soaked an excessive amount of beans and all of them would not fit in my crock pot. This is then when I checked the bag and saw the big 2 lbs... DUH!<br />
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So here I am, now wide awake, hustling around before I have to sign on to work to figure out what I am going to do with all these beans....<br />
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This whole situation may make me sound a bit silly, but there is good news to this post. I have a lot of beans! Just kidding. I decided to cook half the beans in my crock pot (as originally planned) and the rest on the stove. Now I can compare and share the difference between the two. I knew that I could at least freeze one batch of beans and not have to eat the entire 2 lbs for the rest of my life... or the next 2 weeks, however long it might take.<br />
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<b>Time:</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9982TIMKTMMj8J1mfJ6GNfDnalT_90HykzKVhJzfKdgR98FvikCgMQiD4wxKeOvlqL9TUtjkeuIB2et3xGRmJkld-8d4X9PcdX5lykYWcSX3Jp9WL-hJx4kbRHNu_mBJvTov4ZgOZKhW/s640/blogger-image--1546545806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9982TIMKTMMj8J1mfJ6GNfDnalT_90HykzKVhJzfKdgR98FvikCgMQiD4wxKeOvlqL9TUtjkeuIB2et3xGRmJkld-8d4X9PcdX5lykYWcSX3Jp9WL-hJx4kbRHNu_mBJvTov4ZgOZKhW/s320/blogger-image--1546545806.jpg" width="240" /></a>Cooking dried beans on the stove only takes 1 hour, which is somewhat of a positive. Dried beans are cheap, and an hour isn't that long in the big scheme of things. However, a lot of people don't work from home and have the ability to keep an eye on boiling beans... so stovetop beans are not the best idea for your average office-working individual.<br />
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Crock pot beans on the other hand take 8 long hours... which is horrible when you are stuck at home starving because you smell delicious garlic seasoning simmering away. The crock pot is good to cook things overnight, or while you are at work. <br />
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<b>Taste & Texture:</b><br />
Unfortunately I didn't season my two different versions of beans the same way, but from what I can tell there really isn't a difference in taste between the two cooking methods. Texture on the other hand, might be a different story. The crock pot beans seems to be a little softer, which makes sense since they were simmering so long. I would say that stove top beans have a texture more of beans that come in a can. If you want to make some refried beans, you might want to consider using the crock pot style.<br />
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** By the way - I used about 4 cups of dried pinto beans in my crock pot, and added water leaving about an inch between the beans and the top of the water. I cooked these babies for about 61/2 hours on HIGH.<br />
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Now that there are beans galore the next step is to figure out what else to do with them. Tacos, nachos, 7 layer dip!, mixed with quinoa, rice or cous cous and even just plain jane. Maybe something else a little more creative and un-mexican food related? Freezing a good portion seems like a good idea though, unless I want to go into bean overload {insert any and all bean, tooting related jokes here}.<br />
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Moral of the story: Read the packaging, figure out how much you are actually cooking before starting the whole preparation/cooking process. Seems simple enough, but also easy to forget when there are 1,239,235 other things on your mind. <br />
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<br />Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01281048949731703134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883050386301271538.post-8622489221424401252012-12-12T07:06:00.000-08:002012-12-12T07:06:21.155-08:005 Tips for Hosting a Successful BrunchThis past weekend I hosted a brunch for some of my fellow grad students. Brunch is a great way to bring friends together in one place. Hosting an event like this can be fun, but it's common knowledge that any event can get a little stressful. Brunch doesn't have to result in you pulling your hair out and guzzling a pitcher of mimosas by yourself. Through my experience, and research, I determined there are a few key things to keep in mind to help make your brunch go smoothly.<br />
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Here are 5 tips for hosting a stress free brunch.<br />
<ol>
<li>Choose a dish you can do the prep for the night before. </li>
<li>Buy paper plates and cups from the dollar store (cheap, cheap, cheap)</li>
<li>Always plan for having more (ingredients, servings, guests) instead of not having enough </li>
<li>Expect the unexpected</li>
<li>Have fun!</li>
</ol>
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For my brunch, I served Vanilla - Almond french toast (<a href="http://www.aidamollenkamp.com/2012/02/pretty-easy-almond-vanilla-baked-french-toast-recipe/" target="_blank">recipe from Aida Mollenkamp</a>) and Cinnamon Sugar French Toast. I prepped both of these items the night before.<br />
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<b>Vanilla-Almond French Toast</b><br />
1 French baguette<br />
4 eggs<br />
2 egg whites<br />
1 3/4 unsweetend almond milk<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
4 Tbs sugar<br />
sliced almonds<br />
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Aida suggests getting your french bread a few days before so that it is slightly dry and almost stale. I sliced my baguette and just threw the pieces in the oven at 250 degrees for about 5 minutes. Keep on eye on these to make sure they don't brown - you just want them to be a little dry. Once toasted, put slices in a rectangular cake pan. <br />
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Whisk together the eggs, egg whites, almond milk, vanilla extract, salt and sugar until the mixture is well combined. Once whisked together, pour mixture over bread slices. Make sure the slices are thoroughly coated, you may have to flip them over a couple times. Cover the pan and put in fridge overnight. The recipe I found recommends leaving the slices in the fridge for up to 12 hours, mine were in for about 14.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcdkWq2xrIBj8_8v0aIz9N7PhdwTxiIkNzoD_snSJxAYDh38-eLG8IBtvx6tU0Hsc3fOOIHu1HN9rRVWjLpn-OMBF4FvUBCPomM0HemHSPnbTgjRWDjZf8Bjj69oJauSxC90CrzIIV0zJP/s640/blogger-image--74946584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcdkWq2xrIBj8_8v0aIz9N7PhdwTxiIkNzoD_snSJxAYDh38-eLG8IBtvx6tU0Hsc3fOOIHu1HN9rRVWjLpn-OMBF4FvUBCPomM0HemHSPnbTgjRWDjZf8Bjj69oJauSxC90CrzIIV0zJP/s400/blogger-image--74946584.jpg" width="300" /></a>In the morning, as guests begin to arrive, take out your soaked french bread and pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a plate with the sliced almonds, and coat one side of the soaked bread with them. Once coated, place bread, almonds side up, on an oiled cookie sheet. Once you have covered the cookie sheet, cook in oven for 20 - 25 minutes. The bread pieces will expand a bit and the bottoms should turn a light toasty brown. Remove from oven, and let your guests feast!<br />
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I used the basis of the recipe to also make a cinnamon-sugar version.<br />
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<b>Cinnamon - Sugar French Toast</b><br />
1 French baguette<br />
4 egg whites<br />
1 3/4 unsweeted almond milk<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
4 Tbs of a sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. ( I had a lot leftover from a cinnamon-sugar almond recipe I also made - the overall mixture was 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 1/2 cup brown sugar and 3 tablespoons cinnamon - I probably used half of that on my almonds.)<br />
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Prep the same way as the almond vanilla french toast. Leave in fridge overnight.<br />
The only difference between these two delightful dishes is that you sprinkle some more sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon mixture on this version instead of almonds.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxBh9VcPooFR-2RSxMs7hPYWykCbOcqRewFXBvdVAgfzpf2GRUNirg26htXCC9acujMpZcYoHkWJBDZPZGtnvf-4x4m1spNJ57N2hKTBJTJiTliDok-HLb8OiNXH0zIkhOQhjaleFMfHtj/s640/blogger-image-250798406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxBh9VcPooFR-2RSxMs7hPYWykCbOcqRewFXBvdVAgfzpf2GRUNirg26htXCC9acujMpZcYoHkWJBDZPZGtnvf-4x4m1spNJ57N2hKTBJTJiTliDok-HLb8OiNXH0zIkhOQhjaleFMfHtj/s320/blogger-image-250798406.jpg" width="240" /></a>Both cook successfully at the same temperature for the same amount of time. I had to cook a few different batches at a time because I didn't have enough space on my cookie sheets. That just meant the early birds got their french toast first!<br />
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I also offered my guests mimosas, bloody mary's and coffee. Needless to say we had a great time.<br />
Scrambled eggs were also served for those who requested, I even shared a bite or two with my dog. She definitely enjoyed all the attention.<br />
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All-in-All the brunch, in my opinion, was a hit. I asked my friends which version of the french toast they liked better and we came to the conclusion that both were great. I really hope they weren't lying to me. :) <br />
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<br />Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01281048949731703134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883050386301271538.post-20484204934895655542012-12-03T16:01:00.000-08:002012-12-03T16:01:53.186-08:00Banana-Nutella French ToastI must have a thing for cooking with leftovers. That seems to be how my greatest creations come to life. When I actually try to plan something, it usually doesn't end up the way I want. High expectations.<br />
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The other night I was really in the mood to cook but wasn't really hungry so I figured I would just prepare something that could sit in the fridge overnight and I could just throw it in the oven in the morning. I pretty much knew instantly what I would make. I had bought some french bread the day before, and had been eyeing the leftover slices that I didn't use to make crostinis. Leftover french bread = leftover french toast. There is a recipe by <a href="http://www.aidamollenkamp.com/2012/02/pretty-easy-almond-vanilla-baked-french-toast-recipe/" target="_blank">Aida Mollenkamp t</a>hat I have been wanting to try out for a really long time but I didn't have anything almond related so I just put the concept to good use. I had some nutella, I had some bananas, eggs, almond milk and duh french bread. What do you think I did?<br />
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<b>Banana-Nutella French Toast</b>!!<br />
<ul>
<li>6-8 slices of "Pan Frances Bread" from HEB (already sliced)*</li>
<li>2 cups milk</li>
<li>4 eggs</li>
<li>2 1/2 bananas sliced</li>
<li>1 tsp vanilla</li>
<li>Nutella</li>
</ul>
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Whisk the eggs and milk in a medium bowl, then stir in the vanilla.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX7IOF_XuwnluCKs3ECCMK_gc5P-odFX9quzBO0cx2XUmjzQGRDFHk6P1kPVQ5INxojsY8C-CdMw-tzk7YxqpwmBmzbBUB7kMmR939cYYZJ1wI1gdFIGeADuzRYVzTnrzkcl7GcLEjeq_G/s640/blogger-image-2095529342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX7IOF_XuwnluCKs3ECCMK_gc5P-odFX9quzBO0cx2XUmjzQGRDFHk6P1kPVQ5INxojsY8C-CdMw-tzk7YxqpwmBmzbBUB7kMmR939cYYZJ1wI1gdFIGeADuzRYVzTnrzkcl7GcLEjeq_G/s400/blogger-image-2095529342.jpg" width="400" /></a>Tear or cut the bread slices into halves, it doesn't really matter the size. I tore mine into pretty large sizes which ended up making some of the servings bigger - but who can so no to more nutella? Spread the vanilla on a piece of bread and lay it in a buttered baking dish with the nutella side facing up. Continue this until the bottom of you baking dish is covered. Next put the slices of bananas on each of the nutella topped bread pieces, I fit about 3 or 4 banana slices on each halve - even if they did have to be stacked. Next slather some more bread with nutella and make sandwiches with the already laid out nutella and banana goodness. Now you should have two layers of bread with nutella and banana in the middle. If you have some leftover nutella you might as well put some more on top of the some (or all) of the slices.<br />
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Are you drooling yet?<br />
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Pour the egg and milk mixture over the nutella sandwiches, making sure you adequately soak the bread pieces in it. Test out each piece and check for sogginess. Cover and put in the fridge overnight.<br />
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In the morning pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 35-40 minutes uncovered. I first cooked mine for 30 but felt it could use a little more brownness, so added some additional time.<br />
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Once baked you can top the french toast with whatever you usually do, maple syrup, powdered sugar, frosting or more nutella. Whatever you please. I didn't top mine with anything and it was still mouth-watering good. It was sweet but not overly sweet like some breakfast treats can be.<br />
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This recipe made quite a bit of french toast. I have had it for breakfast two days in a row and still have a lot to go... I think I can manage eating the rest of it within a day... probably. It is nutella after-all.<br />
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One of these days I'd like to have a bunch of my friends over and host a brunch. I'd make Aida's almond vanilla french toast and make whatever eggs my friends requested. I'd let them know if they want any kind of meat for breakfast, they have to cook it themselves.<br />
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Sorry.... : )<br />
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<br />Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01281048949731703134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883050386301271538.post-23043696468903177032012-11-26T11:44:00.000-08:002012-11-26T11:44:03.647-08:00International Food StoresI love going home because my mom loves to cook just as much as I do. We end up spending all our time grocery shopping and cooking, often overwhelming ourselves with how many things we want to make.<br />
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It's that time of year when I run out of all the staple ingredients: flour, sugar etc. I was also running out of tahini and miso paste and lately have been on a hunt for finding cheap non-water packed tofu. I had heard that tahini is a whole lot cheaper if you buy it at an international food market. I mentioned all of this to mom and we decided to spend the day checking out all of the international food markets in the area.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsRHNiWiHA8wnPQi78XWjptXwOc8GmWZfZw71xDyL7UTzGYxasikApvNnO_ZVrDkOZ1ZIpjF09WbVyLcp9wSsICUlZYdriM9EXgg6Zk4aMl_HYkJMuGjaL3UMn9eoW8MS0s5dBjpSZRnWS/s1600/blogger-image--1083077305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsRHNiWiHA8wnPQi78XWjptXwOc8GmWZfZw71xDyL7UTzGYxasikApvNnO_ZVrDkOZ1ZIpjF09WbVyLcp9wSsICUlZYdriM9EXgg6Zk4aMl_HYkJMuGjaL3UMn9eoW8MS0s5dBjpSZRnWS/s320/blogger-image--1083077305.jpg" width="320" /></a>We started the day (which happens to be a Sunday) off with a little tradition: Sushi Zushi for $3 bloody marys and a roll of sushi. We didn't have too long of a list and really were just ready to explore what these foreign markets had to offer. The first two we went to were middle eastern markets. These stores had a lot of things we had never heard of and a lot of products I wanted to research. Lemon loony and rose water being two of the ones that stood out the most. We did find out that the rumor of cheap tahini is true. For all of you that love tahini, stop getting it at your average grocery store. We found a 32 oz jar for $6. Usually an 18 oz jar costs around that much. It doesn't matter if you only use tahini for hummus, because it will last for a long time in your pantry. If you keep up with a lot of my weird recipes you will notice I use tahini in a lot of vegan sauces. So good! We also ended up finding coconut milk for 99 cents and some cold pressed olive oil from Greece. The olive oil was a little pricey but after trying it i decided it definitely worth it. The best thing I found at the international food market was homemade while wheat pita bread. The best part, 6 pitas for $1.19 and they were so soft and tasty.<br />
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I was also searching high and low for some cheap tofu and was failing miserably. The international food markets didn't event sell water-packed. I figured I'd have moe success at an Asian market. So off we went tot this tiny Japanese market. Bingo. Tofu for $1. I am not sure the difference between water packed and not but I for some reason I was stuck on finding the non kind. We also were successful in finding cheap white miso and even found some dried seaweed to try.<br />
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Basically, if you are in the market for some international food and don't want to spend an arm and a leg it is best to go exploring. Whole foods is great, but it just doesn't cut it for this type of thing.<br />
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So now that we have gone on a shopping adventure mom and I have a long list of crazy dishes to tackle.<br />
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Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01281048949731703134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883050386301271538.post-15877885628937660542012-11-15T08:35:00.001-08:002012-11-15T08:35:24.085-08:00Sweet Treats - Cupcakes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_l1Y8Ue_CpgiF7e_bPLR2HsrTxK9sJetofTPySq8eS2m8xO-5WHR0NfXBjmB8RA_gM-hCkYTyBovhyphenhyphenIAOOb7PEOchy4AbZvHMeVyjYgVlBgGOqQrnl3edQ4LBRLvmuAORIf8rOhDP2l9K/s640/blogger-image--2141462181.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_l1Y8Ue_CpgiF7e_bPLR2HsrTxK9sJetofTPySq8eS2m8xO-5WHR0NfXBjmB8RA_gM-hCkYTyBovhyphenhyphenIAOOb7PEOchy4AbZvHMeVyjYgVlBgGOqQrnl3edQ4LBRLvmuAORIf8rOhDP2l9K/s320/blogger-image--2141462181.jpg" width="320" /></a>In October I spent two Saturday's in a row baking cupcakes. I usually don't bake but it was nice to make something sweet instead of savory. The first weekend I made vegan banana chai cupcakes and brought them to the Vegan Bake sale at Counter Culture, rumor is - the bake sale raised quite a bit of money for the Sara animal shelter. I also brought a couple to a halloween party I attended. The cupcakes got great reviews, I would giggle to myself and then tell everyone "guess what, they're vegan!"<br />
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The recipe for the vegan banana chai cupcakes was one I have had for awhile, but I haven't made in a while because I really had no reason to. As much as I love sweets, I can't eat 24 cupcakes before they go bad.<br />
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The vegan banana chai cupcakes comes from <a href="http://keylimepiekitchen.com/2011/03/27/vegan-banana-chai-cupcakes/" target="_blank">Key Lime Pie Kitchen</a>. I haven't checked out this blog recently though, I'll have to put that on my to-do list.<br />
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As most people know, baking usually needs to be precise, so I (for once) followed this recipe to the "T."<br />
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<b>Vegan Chai Cupcakes</b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 1/2 cups all purpose flour</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 tsp baking soda</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 1/2 tsp baking powder</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3/4 tsp salt</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 1/2 cups granulated sugar</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 1/2 tsp cinnamon</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 tsp allspice</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 tsp nutmeg</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 tsp ground ginger ( I used fresh grated)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2/3 cup canola oil ( you can also substitute coconut oil for this)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 1/3 cups soymilk (almond)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 Tbsp vanilla extract</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3 medium bananas (make sure they are pretty ripe so they are easy to mash)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tins with paper liners. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and ginger. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigSnkbMVkk7cOpw_hrBa9wBI4fbBbu5af3u0eSc8plHEAwh8JyrP2rtjq6nk-elRtf00DL6SwMdLZepgdfKv5KxovyYMQJ9SJ8ZBst-JR3JJBGs3zTjKnR92p-c2hasqNn78NRikyz-Sni/s640/blogger-image-1586453788.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigSnkbMVkk7cOpw_hrBa9wBI4fbBbu5af3u0eSc8plHEAwh8JyrP2rtjq6nk-elRtf00DL6SwMdLZepgdfKv5KxovyYMQJ9SJ8ZBst-JR3JJBGs3zTjKnR92p-c2hasqNn78NRikyz-Sni/s200/blogger-image-1586453788.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In another bowl combine oil, milk, vanilla and mashed banana. I recommend putting the banana in the bowl first and mashing it before adding the other liquid ingredients. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients in. Stir till combined, but try to not over mix. Fill the cupcake tins 2/3 full and put in the oven for 18 minutes. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I had a lot of leftover batter so I made mini cupcakes - these went in the oven for a little bit shorter time. I just kept checking with a toothpick until it came out clean, about 10-15 minutes. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Cinnamon- Chocolate Frosting: </b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 cup vegan margarine (I used a coconut spread)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 tsp cinnamon</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">pinch of salt</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Powdered Sugar</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Almond Milk (or soy, rice, etc)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 tsp vanilla extract</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTbQ3V5pfyQ30klxy-keDujJv5N4fqcJ9xKcV0T8oeMgou2fZGz0nYuCWXoFAFrgIzSJhLAmtu-FaRp6tFZZkt4cIIzIjAXgMa7GmQE36Ajn9OmByn-2opVEJFDjnaoZ3uANSdL0DVTRFl/s640/blogger-image--1993872012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTbQ3V5pfyQ30klxy-keDujJv5N4fqcJ9xKcV0T8oeMgou2fZGz0nYuCWXoFAFrgIzSJhLAmtu-FaRp6tFZZkt4cIIzIjAXgMa7GmQE36Ajn9OmByn-2opVEJFDjnaoZ3uANSdL0DVTRFl/s320/blogger-image--1993872012.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">With an electric mixer beat together the margarine, coca powder cinnamon and salt. Starting with 1 cup of powdered sugar, start pouring 1/2 cup in slowly while mixing. Then add a splash of the milk. Repeat this until the frosting is thick. It will take a lot more powdered sugar than you would expect. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Once the cupcakes are cool, add the frosting. Then eat them and share with your friends. </span></div>
Frosting cupcakes is one of my least favorite things, the frosting gets everywhere and you keep having to lick your fingers (ok I'm not complaining about that). Seriously, frosting gets messy. When it came time to make cupcakes for my friends birthday I came across for a recipe called "<a href="http://oneordinaryday.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/self-frosting-nutella-cupcakes/" target="_blank">self-frosting nutella cupcakes.</a>" My friend loves nutella, so it was perfect!<br />
(Not perfect, but i'll explain when I get there)<br />
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These are easy cupcakes you can make with few ingredients and not a lot of time. You can easily make these cupcakes vegan as well, I just didn't want to try anything because they were for my non-vegan friend and I was in a hurry. So they were half vegan. :)<br />
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1/4 cup butter (The coconut spread I used for the other cupcakes)<br />
1/4 cup canola oil<br />
3/4 cup sugar<br />
3 large eggs<br />
1 tsp. vanilla<br />
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour<br />
2 tsp. baking powder<br />
1/4 tsp salt<br />
1/2 cup milk<br />
NUTELLA!!!<br />
<br />
Preheat the oven to 325 and line muffin tins with paper liners. Combine the butter, oil and sugar in a bowl and beat till light and foamyish. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt and then add it to the wet ingredients. Beat on a low speed until just combined. The original recipe did not include the milk. When I combined all the ingredients the mix seemed really thick so I decided to add milk to make it a bit thinner.<br />
<br />
Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full. Next put some nutella in a bowl and put it in the microwave for 10 seconds. (this will make the nutella soft so that you can make swirls in the batter).<br />
Plop a spoonfull of the nutella into each cup of batter and then swirl with a toothpick, bamboo stick or knife. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cupcakes are springy to the touch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw6UkyQJyF-T3LVDQjRMwl1belTeOnIAyYlprohPcnq9hgDd_JJNPrbTITiOt3x52yMq7FQvIboM92nGOSI_EiZgAUoj1-MIbMQ_FoHzblfKy9Nuw5ATmbX8zGyO5Aq9fBmkcVe3V5qPH9/s640/blogger-image-547355744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw6UkyQJyF-T3LVDQjRMwl1belTeOnIAyYlprohPcnq9hgDd_JJNPrbTITiOt3x52yMq7FQvIboM92nGOSI_EiZgAUoj1-MIbMQ_FoHzblfKy9Nuw5ATmbX8zGyO5Aq9fBmkcVe3V5qPH9/s640/blogger-image-547355744.jpg" /></a></div>
Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01281048949731703134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883050386301271538.post-80326404366179068922012-11-12T16:50:00.000-08:002012-11-12T16:50:28.156-08:00It's all about the {veggiestyle} BBQ in TexasTexas is all about the BBQ and it makes it gets difficult when I am craving some good ol Rudy's BBQ sauce but all I can put it on is a baked potato (lame). So when I came across this amazing looking recipe for tofu in pineapple BBQ sauce, I couldn't wait to give it a try. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tofu BBQ over rice</td></tr>
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The unfortunate part is that I have been so busy lately (especially in the evenings) that I don't have time to even throw everything in a crock pit and let it do it's own thing for 8 hours. Seriously, it's ridiculous. So for the time being I decided to just make the barbeque sauce and cook it all in the oven.<br />
<br />
The key to this recipe is freezing the tofu. I never thought about doing this before, but it really changes the texture... I now want to stock my fridge with tofu so that's it's there any time I need it.<br />
Defrosting the tofu is the only part that was time consuming.<br />
<br />
The original recipe came from <a href="http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2011/09/thai-salad-with-slow-cooked-tofu-in-pineapple-barbecue-sauce.html" target="_blank">Fat Free Vegan Kitchen</a> and it is excellent. Next time I will have to try it in the slow cooker.<br />
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Start by freezing 2 14-16 oz packages of Hard/Firm tofu for 24 hours. The best way to do this is to drain the liquid out and then put the tofu in a freezer baggie. When it comes to defrosting the tofu, I recommend just using the microwave until the tofu is all the way (or mostly soft) all the way through. If it's not all the way soft in the middle, you can slice the tofu and put it in a hot water bath for a bit.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at all this garlic</td></tr>
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Pre-heat the oven to 350 while making the sauce.<br />
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<b>BBQ Sauce: </b><br />
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<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #111111; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 large onion, chopped (I used white)</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #111111; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">8 large cloves garlic, minced</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #111111; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 cup pitted dates (about 2.5 ounces) << Prunes can be substituted </span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #111111; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 1/2 cup crushed pineapple in own juice</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #111111; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/3 cup water</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #111111; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 inches ginger-root, peeled and minced (about 3 tablespoons minced)</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #111111; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">5 tablespoons tomato paste</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #111111; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 tablespoons tamari or lite soy sauce</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #111111; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 tablespoon lime juice</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #111111; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 tablespoon cider vinegar</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #111111; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">generous grating of black pepper</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #111111; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Salt, (optional), to taste</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #111111; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">Sauté the onion on medium high heat until most of the onion starts to brown, then add the garlic - the garlic doesn't have to be super finely minced. Put the onion and garlic in a blender (my blender produced a smoother sauce than than my food processor) and add the rest of the ingredients besides the tofu. Blend the ingredients until the sauce is at the consistency you want. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #111111; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><br />
</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #111111; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">Slice the tofu into bite-sized squares and put into a oiled or greased baking dish. Cover the tofu with the BBQ sauce. It will seem like a lot of sauce, but use all of it. Put the dish with the tofu and bbq sauce in the oven covered for 30 mins. When I made this dish I didn't have foil, so I just used a cookie sheet to cover my dish. After 30 minutes, uncover the dish and cook for 20 more minutes. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #111111; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tofu BBQ taco with sliced roasted brusseles sprouts</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #111111; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">This recipe made a lot of servings, especially for a single lady like myself. So I did a lot of different things with it. I ate it with rice, by itself, on corn tortillas as tacos, with roasted brussels sprouts. It was good no matter how I tried it. </span></span></div>
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Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01281048949731703134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883050386301271538.post-48611036301912817592012-11-05T17:10:00.003-08:002012-11-05T17:10:13.982-08:00Sweet Potato & Black Bean {veggiestyle} Empanadas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ever heard of putting black beans and sweet potatoes together in one dish? Probably not. This combination may sound strange, but it is definitely one I will never forget. Previously I have made sweet potato black bean tacos, super easy, super delicious. This time however, an idea sparked, from a commercial nonetheless. Have you seen that Grand's biscuit commercial where they basically show you how to make "unsloppy joes?" From the look of it, they just made an easy american version empanada type dish. I began to wonder what veggie options I could use. I eventually decided on the sweet potato bean mixture... here's how it goes<br />
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<i>Grand's Biscuit </i><b>Sweet Potato & Black Bean veggiestyle Empanada's </b><br />
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<ul>
<li>1/2 medium white onion finely chopped</li>
<li>1 tbs tomato paste</li>
<li>1/3 cup water</li>
<li>1 can black beans</li>
<li>1 medium sweet potato cubed (pretty small)</li>
<li>1 pkg Grand's biscuits (I used their whole wheat version)</li>
</ul>
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Pre-heat the oven to 375.</div>
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Heat a skillet on medium high heat and add olive oil. Throw in the chopped onions and cook till fragrant. While the onion is heating, bring a pot of water to a boil and cube the sweet potato. Boil the cubed sweet potato until soft enough to mash.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHT1CnK3Eo8oaETqqP1OxhNyARpXSgWNpb_b8rqBjTwiJxDn1gmzJS2gOm_8sBnAsrKem7TGOSvGi1y-33pUQL57KD3icJjlPKMdvrifHZCjbPueAID-gLVn_bW_rkCIRpuoc3BL-4CMTu/s640/blogger-image--1000233915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHT1CnK3Eo8oaETqqP1OxhNyARpXSgWNpb_b8rqBjTwiJxDn1gmzJS2gOm_8sBnAsrKem7TGOSvGi1y-33pUQL57KD3icJjlPKMdvrifHZCjbPueAID-gLVn_bW_rkCIRpuoc3BL-4CMTu/s320/blogger-image--1000233915.jpg" width="320" /></a> Add the tablespoon tomato paste and stir. Once well combined, add beans continue to stir. Add the water (I added a little less than 1/3 cup and added some Zing-Zang Bloody Mary mix to fufill the 1/3 cup). Stir and let sit on low heat for a bit while you flatten out the biscuits.</div>
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Remove the biscuits from the package and flatten them. Make sure they are big enough to have a filling in them but not too thin. I don't think I flattened mine enough, because when they came out of the oven they were a little doughy for my taste.</div>
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By this time, your sweet potatoes should be soft enough to mash. Drain the water and mash them in the pot you boiled them in. You might save some of the water, just in case they need to be a little softer. Once they are mashed, add them to the beans and mix well. </div>
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Now you get to fill the flatten biscuits. Use about a tablespoon of the sweet potato black bean mixture and place the mix close to the middle but also to one side of the flattened biscuit. Fold over and seal the edges, you can also use a fork to help seal down the edges. </div>
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Throw those babies in the oven and let them cook for about 10 minutes or until they start to brown.<br />
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Since mine turned out kind of doughy I added a little leftover sweet potato, black bean mixture on the top!</div>
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I also made two with a banana-nutella mixture. YUM! One package of biscuits makes eight empanadas. I plan on freezing a couple for a later date. </div>
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You can literally put anything in these flatten biscuit, makeshift empanada things, super easy and cheap!! </div>
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Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01281048949731703134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883050386301271538.post-54163379297959457242012-10-26T16:36:00.004-07:002012-10-26T16:37:23.712-07:00It's Cold Outside - Time for Hot CocoaIt's the first real cold day we have had in Central Texas so I decided it was time to make some hot cocoa while I debated on what you actually do for dinner. <br />
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I thought about making the cocoa in my crock pot but I was not about to wait two hours for chocolatey goodness. <br />
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- 1/4 cup cocoa <br />
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar (depending on how sweet you want it)<br />
- sprinkle of salt<br />
- 1/3 cup hot water<br />
- 3 cups almond milk<br />
- 1 tsp cinnamon sugar<br />
- 1 tsp vanilla <br />
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Combine sugar, cocoa and salt into a saucepan while warming water in another ( or the microwave ). Have the stove on medium heat and stir the hot water in with the cocoa sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Lower heat and add milk, you can add more or less depending on your cocoa preference. Continue stirring till warm, don't allow to boil. Sprinkle in some cinnamon sugar and then add the vanilla. Pour in a cup and enjoy! <br />
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This recipe made about two servings. <br />
I wish I could have amped it up with some whipped cream but I didn't have any coconut milk to make vegan whipped cream. <br />
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Now that I'm all nice and cozy I have to make the decision for dinner, unless I just make more hot cocoa.<br />
<div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmfmvGG_j_8Z_a9h68Y238PPt85AT5NMQj21Uqt69DyI8TdBXClUw2ypq5JYvBAAqPKEXWNuhIzSb_Xvsos1hSvvK8F2kIrREWCCpL4-1mzfbT7diKmhCqDXUN-tofMWPNRHm_HRSgzG9/s640/blogger-image--2039588289.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmfmvGG_j_8Z_a9h68Y238PPt85AT5NMQj21Uqt69DyI8TdBXClUw2ypq5JYvBAAqPKEXWNuhIzSb_Xvsos1hSvvK8F2kIrREWCCpL4-1mzfbT7diKmhCqDXUN-tofMWPNRHm_HRSgzG9/s640/blogger-image--2039588289.jpg" /></a></div>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01281048949731703134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883050386301271538.post-92069679061696941612012-10-18T08:17:00.000-07:002012-10-18T08:17:51.443-07:00Another side of hummusEveryone knows all about hummus, it has kind of blown up as a popular food item recently. There are a ton of variations: regular, black bean, spicy, sweet potato etc. The problem is that there have been rumors circulating that eating hummus and pita chips really isn't as healthy as one may think. In small doses, it is probably A LOT better than chips and fritos canned bean dip (Yuck), but eating it in large quantities can really add up. Seriously, its hummus and pita chips - I always consume that stuff in large quantities, I have been known to finish an entire bowl of hummus in an entire day (ok maybe it was a night - but who cares?).<br />
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Well, I am not necessarily going to offer a solution to this semi-healthy, semi-unhealthy deliciously addictive snack, but rather a little something different for those times when you need to give hummus a break because you literally ate your entire body weights worth of it.<br />
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Thanks to the beautiful blog <a href="http://www.loveandlemons.com/2012/06/07/socca/" target="_blank">Love & Lemons</a> (probably one of my favorite blogs - EVER), I get to share a little treat called almond herb spread. In my opinion, this spread is a mix between hummus and pesto yet has none of the ingredients you would find in either mixture. This almond spread does have a couple weird ingredients in it, nutritional yeast and miso paste. The good news is that these two ingredients can go into a lot of other different things and the nutritional yeast can be stored in your pantry for a long time (it also has B-12 in it, which is quite beneficial, so it might be wise to incorporate it as much as you can).<br />
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<b>Almond (herb) Spread </b> - from the lovely Love & Lemons<br />
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<ul>
<li>1 cup almonds</li>
<li>1/2 garlic clove chopped</li>
<li>1/2 tsp miso paste</li>
<li>1 tsp nutritional yeast</li>
<li>1/2 - 3/4 cup water</li>
<li>1-2 tablespoons of olive oil</li>
</ul>
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This is the recipe I followed. There are substitutions as suggested by Love & Lemons, as well as the addition of different herbs to make it officially almond <i>herb</i> spread. Frankly, I think it is just as amazing with or without the herbs. </div>
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This stuff can go on socca (a gluten-free flatbread I have yet to create a post about), normal bread, pita chips and I am pretty tempted to try and incorporate it in a pasta or quinoa dish sometime in the near future. Like I mentioned before, I am not sure if this is necessarily more nutritional than hummus - but it sure does change it up a bit, deliciously so. </div>
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Here are some other things you can make with nutrional yeast & miso paste:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Vegan caesar salad (nutritional yeast)</li>
<li>Miso-tahini dressing</li>
<li>Miso soup</li>
<li>Marinades (miso - can be mixed with soy sauce and other asian ingredients)</li>
<li>Nutritional yeast is also sometimes used to give a "cheese"type flavor</li>
<li>Popcorn topper (nutritional yeast)</li>
</ul>
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Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01281048949731703134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883050386301271538.post-64014267155106771632012-10-17T19:14:00.002-07:002012-10-17T19:14:42.286-07:00A Non-Recipe Related Post.. but Exciting NewsI started this whole blogging thing less than six months ago. I was posting a lot during the summer because I had a lot of time to cook and then write. It seems as if lately I have had no time to even go grocery shopping, let alone cook something awesome and tell everyone about it. Every week there is something happening... like last week - Austin City Limits. I had a lot of great food that weekend, and I mean a lot, so lately I have been a little slow moving with good healthy ideas to create.<br />
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However, I do have some exciting veggie/writing related news...<br />
I'll give a little bit of background first.<br />
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I am currently a grad student at Texas State University, where I am working on getting a master's in mass communication. This semester I am in an online web design class, obviously I was excited for this class because I eventually want my own website where I can post all my foodie adventures.<br />
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Sooo... drum roll please.<br />
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I now have a website and for one of our assignments we had to create a site on a topic of interest. Naturally I chose food. I decided on a site dedicated to the vegetarian/vegan lifestyle, a little something I call Veggiestyle. During this project I decided that is exactly what I want my new blog to be called... Actually I should probably change the name of this blog to that, but I kind of want to make it part of a whole new launch that I will do sometime in the near future (hopefully).<br />
Anyways, here is my Veggiestyle assignment, which is also kind of a sneak peek of what I would like my future blog to look like.<br />
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<a href="http://brittb.com/veggiestyle/index.html" target="_blank">Veggiestyle </a><br />
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Enjoy! <br />
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Don't worry... I plan to post some good recipes here shortly. Life has been crazy, people!!!<br />
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<br />Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01281048949731703134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883050386301271538.post-71397764941349035102012-10-08T15:54:00.000-07:002012-10-08T15:54:45.002-07:00Roasting Vegetables - Sweet Potatoes and TomatoesIt's pretty much fall and that means it is the perfect time to roast some veggies and todays weather put me in the roasting mood. One of those great fall vegetables to roast are sweet potatoes. Although there are a lot of ways to prepare sweet potatoes, roasting is by far my favorite. The best part is, it's super easy.<br />
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<b>Roasted Sweet Potatoes</b><br />
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<ul>
<li>1 Sweet Potato</li>
<li>1 Tbs Grapeseed oil</li>
<li>Pepper and other seasonings</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2FBYlyE1khoQuKTXjsLemkc2C7VjmwGc5tyf0GXGW0DCBnVnBGpNmVtwTu6Al7vaRC26JcypVRAQ1lMQ9FiAH6oYiK0bMooRjVeEX0u837rmQkXZZWaGTXR9PULDoKuko9hH4zfwYnvA/s640/blogger-image-1961988411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2FBYlyE1khoQuKTXjsLemkc2C7VjmwGc5tyf0GXGW0DCBnVnBGpNmVtwTu6Al7vaRC26JcypVRAQ1lMQ9FiAH6oYiK0bMooRjVeEX0u837rmQkXZZWaGTXR9PULDoKuko9hH4zfwYnvA/s200/blogger-image-1961988411.jpg" width="150" /></a>Preheat oven to 400 degrees. While oven is heating chop sweet potato into bite sized pieces. Slicing the potato crosswise and then cubing the slices into quarters works best for me. The size of your sweet potato pieces will also affect how long you cook them for. I also typically don't peel my sweet potatoes because it is a lot more work and there is nothing wrong with the skins, in fact that is usually the healthiest part. Toss the cubed pieces in with some olive oil and seasonings of your choosing. For a more savory flavor, cayenne pepper is recommended but a lot of people think a sweeter flavor is best, this is where you can use cinnamon and sugar if you'd like. Spread the pieces on a baking sheet making sure they don't touch. </div>
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I cooked my sweet potato for 30 mins, checking in on them every now and then and giving them a little stir. The roasted sweet potatoes are great by themselves but usually I have some hummus around that I like to dip them in... this time I decided to make an avocado hummus. It's actually kind of funny because I was thinking if sweet potatoes and avocado would actually be good together when I came across this <a href="http://www.stetted.com/index.php/2012/10/08/sweet-potato-pizza-with-avocado-crema/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter" target="_blank">blog post</a> for a pizza with sweet potato and avocado crema. I knew if someone else had tried it, it would be a great idea. I didn't have chickpeas so I just threw an avocado, clove of garlic and a bit of tahini sauce and lemon into a food processor. Turned out great.</div>
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My next roasting adventure included campari tomatoes and in my opinion are the best tomatoes around. These were super easy to roast and tasted amazing. To roast these babies, it's best to use a lower temperature for a longer time period. You can roast as many tomatoes as you want, but it's best to keep them spaced out. </div>
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<b>Roasted Tomatoes</b></div>
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<ul>
<li>2 TBS grapeseed oil</li>
<li>Pepper</li>
<li>Garlic (sliced)</li>
<li>Salt</li>
<li>Other seasoning</li>
<li>Sliced tomatoes</li>
</ul>
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Preheat the oven to 325 degrees then put the grapeseed oil, seasonings and garlic in a shallow baking dish (I used a glass cake pan - 9x13). Slice the tomatoes and mix them in with the oil and seasoning mixture. I roasted my tomatoes for about an hour. Campari tomatoes are rather small so they didn't take as long as larger tomatoes might. The tomatoes are done when they are soft and a bit wrinkly. </div>
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I ate my roasted tomatoes with some polenta I made in the crock pot - which is actually a lot easier than making polenta on the stove. </div>
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Keep on roasting everybody!</div>
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<br />Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01281048949731703134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883050386301271538.post-41772556347315038282012-10-04T10:08:00.000-07:002012-10-05T11:20:04.755-07:00Fresh<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6pNAkyBpMwQ9kGeceO4MT6cDGyAgbW1CLBe0pikAu2BcqVDdDV5nNXe0tAmayLI5JpR28n25ZcCjc0WWndoqeoUfCsctgm8tO0CDVKj-NXjOpJDcvaTvCTj5KxTn5ppNgMZybCuqPpWXq/s640/blogger-image-440786354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6pNAkyBpMwQ9kGeceO4MT6cDGyAgbW1CLBe0pikAu2BcqVDdDV5nNXe0tAmayLI5JpR28n25ZcCjc0WWndoqeoUfCsctgm8tO0CDVKj-NXjOpJDcvaTvCTj5KxTn5ppNgMZybCuqPpWXq/s320/blogger-image-440786354.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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I must admit. I had a lot of leftovers from my 48-hour cleanse, especially radishes. I really haven't ever eaten radishes so I was a little perplexed at what to do with them. I know that typically you find radishes in salads and they have an interesting peppery flavor so I figured I would just combine them with other popular salad toppings and see what happened. This light and refreshing salad was perfect. I sliced radishes, cucumbers and apples (yes apples) super thing with a mandolin and threw them on a plate with some chickpeas and quinoa. Done! I've got veggies and protein and deliciousness in 2 minutes flat. I topped my little salad creation with a fresh ginger and honey dressing. (ginger, honey, rice wine vinegar, lemon zest and pepper). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiMKx4Gw3lLIxnWl15Sy_9kmCV4lLgwt4kPaengO-bCn8OFEI_J4qzOepwUldhEc7cd8lQjZjUjmVEEhJ0C3bGLs7QLAOC1TpmkJsRKgX7kOFEmsTPqZpmILu-UhsXMzGeqasdKpYgVvG/s640/blogger-image--1729753033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><</span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiMKx4Gw3lLIxnWl15Sy_9kmCV4lLgwt4kPaengO-bCn8OFEI_J4qzOepwUldhEc7cd8lQjZjUjmVEEhJ0C3bGLs7QLAOC1TpmkJsRKgX7kOFEmsTPqZpmILu-UhsXMzGeqasdKpYgVvG/s640/blogger-image--1729753033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiMKx4Gw3lLIxnWl15Sy_9kmCV4lLgwt4kPaengO-bCn8OFEI_J4qzOepwUldhEc7cd8lQjZjUjmVEEhJ0C3bGLs7QLAOC1TpmkJsRKgX7kOFEmsTPqZpmILu-UhsXMzGeqasdKpYgVvG/s200/blogger-image--1729753033.jpg" width="200" /></a>I've also got a side of sauerkraut sitting nearby. Sauerkraut, typically used on hot dogs, is a great probiotic and was an ingredient from the cleanse. It has a vinegary taste so I didn't want to combine it with the rest of my salad but it's still a nice side dish. The only thing is that the cleanse recommended traditionally fermented sauerkraut be used. I looked everywhere for this and had no luck - so I am sure the sauerkraut I am eating isn't necessarily as beneficial for me as it could be, but you have to pick your battles somewhere. I've got a lot of this stuff left, so I am on the hunt for veggie recipes featuring sauerkraut. This should be interesting.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVq7qXUGwUp39Grmmy0fGlE054zrhPjc3pK_wu28DZJE3FOU9h4_NMycwI7qGN9bAuG7rmyN8T2AscQTevPbXUY0IniiFnUh12pWVgHJxgUhxVqRA2rpxdZBokJuQCn_LHVzPcyUsuVuD_/s640/blogger-image-1333744022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVq7qXUGwUp39Grmmy0fGlE054zrhPjc3pK_wu28DZJE3FOU9h4_NMycwI7qGN9bAuG7rmyN8T2AscQTevPbXUY0IniiFnUh12pWVgHJxgUhxVqRA2rpxdZBokJuQCn_LHVzPcyUsuVuD_/s200/blogger-image-1333744022.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
Here are the ingredients for another fresh salad:<br />
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<ul>
<li>chickpeas</li>
<li>cucumber</li>
<li>tomatoes</li>
<li>celery</li>
<li>mint</li>
<li>olive oil</li>
<li>pepper</li>
</ul>
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Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01281048949731703134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883050386301271538.post-57947551714228444752012-10-02T10:25:00.004-07:002012-10-05T08:36:08.678-07:00The 48-Hour Cleanse: Day 2 FAILWell Day 2 of the cleanse is on, and Day 1 was quite successful. I only got hungry around 10 p.m.<br />
This morning I made a quinoa breakfast. The recipe, like most of the recipes from Dr. Oz, are pretty large- which makes sense? Bigger portions = less time being hungry?<br />
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Breakfast quinoa:<br />
<ul>
<li>1/2 cup rinsed quinoa</li>
<li>1 cup water</li>
<li>ginger</li>
<li>pinch of nutmeg</li>
<li>1/4 cup almond milk</li>
<li>chopped prunes</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6iQFMqv5YeEG7xBKUscFKy-FmHpjiJGWydtJpcc3mb360hpjeaUTo_zIU5_IToM58RQ7Mp_XCjzvmzWPJZo_KtmJAandwH7J_rqPQkwC8eUROu_IBRuB0xryYf4MQEbK9V1_bv65sxFWd/s640/blogger-image-2045976416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6iQFMqv5YeEG7xBKUscFKy-FmHpjiJGWydtJpcc3mb360hpjeaUTo_zIU5_IToM58RQ7Mp_XCjzvmzWPJZo_KtmJAandwH7J_rqPQkwC8eUROu_IBRuB0xryYf4MQEbK9V1_bv65sxFWd/s320/blogger-image-2045976416.jpg" width="320" /></a>Combine quinoa, nutmeg and ginger with 1 cup water. Bring to boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add milk and prunes and cook covered for 10 more minutes. </div>
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Quinoa for breakfast is a lot like having oatmeal. It's filling and tasty and will keep you satisfied for several hours. I ate the quinoa around 8:30 and didn't start getting hungry till 11:30 or so. </div>
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When I started getting hungry I decided to make one of the snacks for the cleanse.</div>
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This "snack" is supposed to be a juice (I don't have a juicer so maybe that's where I went wrong) of pineapple, cucumber, kale, lemon, ginger and mint. The recipe called for 4 cups of kale, which to me seemed like a lot - so I reduced the recipe and just added to my liking. The "smoothie" wasn't as good as I would have liked but I guess you can't get it right every time. </div>
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I've been craving a margarhita pizza all morning... so we will see how things go.<br />
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The rest of the day includes the same meals as yesterday. The blueberry, banana smoothie and the veggie broth. I won't bore you with those details again, but will discuss later how I feel the cleanse is affecting me.<br />
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Later on...<br />
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<b>Dinner </b><br />
So I FAILED, miserably. Obviously the cleanse was affecting me because I had some definite cravings. To make matters worse, my step dad came home and decided to take me out to dinner and guess where we ended up. An italian place...and we ordered... PIZZA! Way to end a cleanse right? I mean it was veggie and didn't have any tomato sauce so it's not too bad, right?<br />
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To make matters even worse, my step dad insisted on me taking the rest of the pizza home (which was like 4 slices). I won't turn down free food soooo now I have a whole weeks worth of pizza sitting in my fridge. <br />
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Day 3... a continuation of the 48-hour cleanse I failed at.<br />
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This morning I made a smoothie with leftover kale, pineapple, cucumber and pineapple coconut water in hope to make up for the abundance of pizza I will be eating over the next few days. The good thing about this "cleanse" is that all the recipes are ones you can easily incorporate into your everyday diet. Yes, I might have a slice of pizza for lunch - but I can have a fresh veggie salad or smoothie for dinner to counteract. In my opinion that's how people should eat anyway. Enjoy your food, but still keep it healthy.<br />
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Maybe one day soon I will try to conquer the 48-hour cleanse for real. Thanks Dr. Oz.... </div>
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<br />Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01281048949731703134noreply@blogger.com0