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Blog

biscuit fear? conquered.

Andrea

I am a big fan of bread.  Such a big fan, in fact, that sometimes I will choose to have an extra piece after dinner in lieu of a second pour of wine, or even dessert.  In the last year or so I started dabbling with bread baking, lots of quick fruit breads, a few loaves of whole wheat, some scones, even some fabulous dinner rolls at Thanksgiving.  But biscuits have always frightened me, just a bit.  I’ve heard horror stories of folks attempting to make biscuits and ending up instead with pancakes, or worse, hockey pucks. cheddar-1 Because of this fear I am always amazed when I come across a really fabulous biscuit.  Mother’s in New Orleans bakes one of my favorites, so good that Brian and I stop by the restaurant on our way out of the city to load up on the black ham variety to eat on the plane ride home.  (The unbelievable ham they produce has something to do with that stop as well...the last time we were there we bought a cooler just so we could bring a few pounds of it home with us.)  And then there are the cheddar biscuits at Red Lobster, a restaurant I haven’t been to since I was a teenager.  Even after my 10+ year absence from the establishment the memory of those golden lumps is still crystal clear. cheddar-2 When Foodbuzz contacted me a few weeks ago to find out if I would like to sample some Kerrygold products (yes!) all I could think about was cheddar biscuits.  After the chives popped up in the garden my intent was set - cheesy, chive-y buttermilk biscuits would be gracing our breakfast table, and hopefully they would be soft and flakey as well.  I decided that even if I failed at the texture, the power of delicious Irish cheese and fresh chives would carry them. cheddar-3 I found this recipe at Thibeault’s Table via Tastespotting.  It was easy enough, delicious, and though my batch didn’t turn out as beautifully as the photos accompanying the recipe, they weren’t pancakes or hockey pucks which relieved me greatly.  I was amazed by their lightness...prior to this experience my most recent biscuit-like endeavor was of the hearty oat variety (recipe will come, I’m still perfecting it) which, compared to these, sit like bricks in your belly.   cheddar-4 My technique needs some work.  The recipe didn’t call for a specific amount of cheese so I guessed, which may be the reason why my biscuits didn’t puff up quite as beautifully as the example.  Or it could be the fact that a bit of time passed before the ingredients pulled from the fridge were incorporated into a batter and then stuck in the oven...the problem with photographing as you go.  But the flavor was great, and Brian has requested that they be added to the permanent rotation for indulgent weekend breakfasts.  It seems like I will have plenty of opportunity to perfect the consistency. cheddar-5 And I have to say, the Kerrygold Dubliner cheese was excellent.  So good that the first block I bought was consumed with a loaf of crusty bread before ever making it into the biscuits it was intended for.  The Pure Irish Butter is also delicious, although I think it may be too soft for this recipe.  My batter was very sticky, which may have also contributed to the lack of puffiness.  But spread across the top of a fresh-from-the-oven biscuit?  Perfect. cheddar-6 Cheese + Chive Buttermilk Biscuits recipe modified from Thibeault's Table Ingredients:
  • 2 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tablespoon of baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup butter (I used Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter, unsalted), cut into 1/2" cubes
  • 1 cup shredded cheese (I used Kerrygold Dubliner)
  • 1/2 cup minced fresh chives
  • 1 cup of buttermilk
Method:
  1. Preheat oven to 450*.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
  3. Using pastry blender or fingers, cut-in the butter until the dry mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.  Add the cheese and chives and mix well.
  4. Stir in milk and mix with fork until a loose batter forms.  Gently pat the ingredients together but do not over-handle.  
  5. On a lightly floured board, pat out dough until you get a 1/2" to 3/4" disk.  Cut with biscuit cutters (I used a jar lid, a glass would work too) and place on prepared baking sheet.
  6. Bake at 450* for 15-18 minutes.
cheddar-7 Oh yes, it was a weekend filled with indulgent breakfasts.  Is that bacon on my plate?!?  What?!?   I"ll be sharing another breakfast with you this week, but it is of the sweet variety and involves oatmeal.  Get excited, because it is fabulous.  :)  And its healthier than eggs, bacon and biscuits, so who wouldn't be excited? I hope you're all having a great week!
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categories baking, breakfast
tags biscuit, bread, butter, buttermilk, cheddar, chives

bella terra: the first to show

Andrea

There have been a few small changes in the garden since my first bella terra post.  The thyme, sage and oregano are starting to show some green.  The blackberry and raspberry vines have tiny bits of new growth.  And the weeds are popping up with a vengeance.  Brian (my hubb) and I have big plans for the weekend.  Some fence repair, re-mulching the paths, weeding and seeding.  In just a handful of days (7-10 to be exact) we should have broccoli, peas, beets, lettuce, kale and spinach poking out of the rich compost.  I can't wait.  :) Here, the blackberry vine... blackberry-1 The very first signs of life I see in the garden each year are chives.   Beautiful green shoots that peek from beneath the blanket formed by last year’s growth, the late-fall crop that laid down their lives with the first hard frost to protect the next generation.  They were already popping up two weeks ago when I ventured into the garden for the first time since fall.  The new chives are thankfully resistant with help from the old - they managed to survive the late snow we had just last week.  When I visited the garden after work one evening to check their progress I was pleased to find that they were ready for me to cut. here, on march 7th... garden-1 see how they've grown? chives-1 Chives are one of my favorite herbs to use in the kitchen because they are so versatile.  Toss them with fingerling potatoes to roast, sprinkle them raw over top of an omelet, fold them into batter to be baked in cheddar biscuits...their mild, onion-like flavor allows for endless possibilities.  I’d bookmarked this NY Times recipe for an herb frittata earlier this month and knew as soon as I spotted those lovely bits of green from over the fence that the time had come to try it. frittata-1 I'd never made a frittata before.  It seemed to me that it would be a difficult task and, having never read a frittata recipe before, I assumed that it would contain whole milk and cheese (similar to a quiche) and not be terribly productive to my weight-loss efforts.  Boy was I wrong, on ALL assumptions.  For one, the process was really easy.  As long as you have a decent non-stick skillet and some patience, this dish really couldn't be easier.  And I used just two dishes to make it...two!  I really like a quick and simple recipe, but add "very little clean-up" to its list of attributes and I am in love. frittata-2 Second, the frittata is much healthier than any quiche recipe I've made.  The main contributor to its healthfulness?  A lack of crust.  That's right...no crust. And...no cheese.  The greek yogurt makes the consistency so creamy that you'll never miss it.  Plus, this particular recipe is loaded with spinach and herbs, not to mention heart-healthy walnuts and yummy mushrooms.   frittata-3 I was so impressed with my first frittata experience that I've already been dreaming up new combos of flavors.  I can't wait until that pile of herbs and spinach pictured above is all home-grown from my garden, maybe with some bell peppers and tomatoes mixed in.  Oh, what a glorious summer it will be... frittata-7 Spinach, Herb and Mushroom Frittata 258 cal, 19g fat, 6g carbs, 1g sugar, 2g fiber, 11g protein  [nutritional info from thedailyplate.com] recipe adapted from the NY Times Ingredients:
  • 12oz baby spinach 
  • 1 cup chopped parsley
  • 1/2 cup chopped chives 
  • 8 fresh cremini mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
  • 8 large eggs 
  • 1/2 cup thick Greek-style yogurt 
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts 
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt, preferably kosher salt (more to taste) 
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste 
  • 1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), green stems removed, finely minced 
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (2 tablespoons if you don’t have a nonstick pan) 
Method:
  1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice water. Add the spinach to the boiling water and blanch for 10 to 20 seconds. Transfer to the ice water to cool for a few minutes, then drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop finely.
  2. Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Stir in the yogurt, walnuts, salt and pepper. Add the spinach, herbs and garlic, and mix together well. Adjust salt and pepper. Let sit for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the mushrooms.
  3. Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil.  Drop a bit of egg into the pan, and if it sizzles and cooks at once, the pan is ready. Pour in the egg mixture, scraping every bit out of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Roll the pan to distribute the eggs and filling evenly over the surface. Shake the pan gently, tilting it slightly with one hand while lifting up the edges of the frittata with the spatula in your other hand, in order to let the eggs run underneath during the first few minutes of cooking. Turn the heat down to low, and cover the pan. Cook 10 to 15 minutes, shaking the pan every once in a while, until the frittata is just about set. Meanwhile, light the broiler.
  4. If the frittata is not quite set on the top, place under the broiler, about three inches from the heat, for one to two minutes, watching closely, until just beginning to color on the top. Do not allow the eggs to brown too much or they’ll taste bitter.  (I wound up leaving it under the broiler for about 4 minutes total, until just starting to brown).
  5. Remove from the heat, allow to sit in the pan for five minutes or longer, then carefully slide out onto a platter. Serve warm or at room temperature.
frittata-5 In the Blog World... Tina at Carrots 'N' Cake has released a call for guest bloggers...how fun!  If you haven't checked out Tina's blog yet you really should.  She's got great daily tips for creating a healthy lifestyle through good eats and exercise.  Guest blogging is a great way to spread your blog words to further reaches, so consider sending her an email with some ideas! Two Spoons made a savory version of my scones!  Yum...the possibilities are endless.  :) Ryan at Chasing Daylight made bella eats enchi-ritos!  So glad you enjoyed them, Ryan! Jennifer and Jessica of Keep It Simple Foods have been enjoying my dark chocolate PB and strawberry breakfast combo...glad you're liking it ladies! Mmmm...a little french inspiration in the morning is a great start to any day!  :) If you've tried a recipe you've found on bella eats, let me know!  I'd love to read your thoughts on it and send others your way.  :)  Who else is THRILLED that tomorrow is Friday?!?!?!?  :)
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categories dinner, garden, recipes
tags chives, egg, mushrooms, parsley, spinach, walnuts

a distant memory

Andrea

Last week, the lovely Whitney of Whitney in Chicago made granola.  I commented on her blog that it looked delicious, to which she responded "let me send you some!".  Yes please!  It arrived at the end of last week and was enjoyed as cereal with soy milk, on top of greek yogurt and, most commonly, by the handful while staring into my pantry trying to decide what to make for dinner.  That was my favorite way to consume it.  It is chock-full of pistachios and cranberries, along with almonds and coconut flakes.  Delicious.  Thank you Whitney! granola-6 Granola is one of those grocery store items that I hate to buy.  It is somewhat expensive and every time I pick up a box or scoop some into a bulk bag I think to myself  "I should just make my own!"  My good friend Beth sent Brian (my hubb) and I a batch for Christmas which was consumed quickly and similarly to Whitney's.  Since then I've had granola on my to-make list, and the arrival of Whitney's package secured its spot at the very top of that list. granola-1 As I've written before, its spring cleaning time.  I've been working through the containers of dried fruits and nuts in my pantry, cleaning out items that have been stored for far too many months to make room for new purchases.  Granola seemed like the perfect way to use up the small quantities of miscellaneous dried goods that I had left.  I dug around and found currants, cranberries, apples and pineapple along with walnuts, pumpkin seeds and a small amount of finely shredded unsweetened coconut.  granola-2 As I gathered my ingredients I eagerly pulled up Whitney's recipe to make sure I had what I needed for the granola base.  One item on the list stirred a recent memory of a white, flour-like substance that I had been storing in a small gladware container.  It had been in the pantry for months and I had been trying to remember what it was.  I knew that I had opened a box of something, used a good portion of it and stored the remainder in this container for future use.  The only problem?  I hadn't labeled the container, and I had no idea what the substance was.  Just last week, during my initial cleaning out of the pantry I had stumbled upon it and, exasperated that I coudn't remember what it was, I threw it out.  Now I remembered.  Powdered milk.  And, of course, Whitney's recipe called for it.  And I, the non-labeler, had none. granola-3 I quickly decided that powdered milk must not be an absolutely necessary ingredient in granola.  My reasoning?  Everybody loves granola, including Vegans. And a granola that contained powdered milk would not be vegan so powdered milk must not be necessary.  This means that honey must not be absolutely necessary either but I chose to keep it in, because I do love honey.   For my kitchen sink granola (or should I say pantry shelf granola?) I decided to hop over to The Kitchen Sink, remembering that I had seen Kristin feature granola a few times on her blog.  And her recipe didn't require powdered milk.  Ding ding!   I modified the mix to include the items I had on hand, but the base recipe is the same.  And it is delicious.  Store-bought granola?  A distant memory. granola-4

Mixed Fruit Granola

recipe modified from the kitchen sink Ingredients:
  • 3-1/2 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup turbinado sugar
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups mixed dried fruit (I used cranberries, currants, apples and pineapple)
Method:
  1. Preheat the oven to 375*.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.  In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the dried fruit.  Stir well to incorporate.
  2. Spread the mixture on the prepared baking sheet in an even layer.  Bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on how golden you like it (I baked mine for 20 minutes).  Stir every 10 minutes.
  3. Remove the granola from the oven and cool completely, in its pan on a wire rack.  Once the granola is cool mix in the dried fruit.
granola-5

In the Blog World:

Wiggs of The Beholder is hosting a fabulously fun contest!  Please check it out, and hang out for awhile to read her blog.  She is hilarious, and is going to give me swimmer abs by summertime.  I shall be forever grateful.  :) Jenn of Eating Bender just had her 1 year Blogiversary, and to celebrate is hosting a fun giveaway!  Congratulations Jenn! HangryPants is giving away a Lexan Healthy Juicer!  Fun!!! Have you been reading Kath's posts about her trip to Africa?  Amazing!

Happy Wednesday!

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categories baking, breakfast
tags apple, cranberry, currant, dried fruit, gifts, granola, oats, pineapple, walnuts

a homemade...lemon yogurt cake

Andrea

I just had to go and say it, didn't I?  I had to shout from the roof tops (or at least my blog and maybe once or twice out my car window) that Spring had arrived.  That the time had come for running in shorts, lunches in the park and open windows while sleeping.  My glove box was reorganized as I giddily thought to myself "I won't be needing you guys 'till next November!", and  I even made myself a few smoothies...a meal/snack reserved for warmer days in our household.  lemon-1 I spoke too soon.  Imagine my surprise when I woke up Friday morning to a dusting of fresh snow on the ground.  So. Very. Disappointing. The unfortunate weather coincided with my Momma's arrival from Florida, where sunny 75* days have been the norm for weeks now.  The weekend plans that originally included vineyard tours, outdoor meals and grunt work in the garden quickly shifted to making a big pot of soup, going to the movies (twice!) and evening coffee in the den rather than white wine on the deck.   lemon-3 But there was still a race.  The glorious 8K that - while being cheered on by friends and family brave enough to weather the cold, damp air - my running buddy Kelly and I conquered in 49:15 with smiles on our faces.  Between mile 4 and the finish line Kelly commented that she was still able to smile, and wondered how far she would have to run before she stopped smiling.  I decided that I never want to know.  I like smiling while running.   lemon-7 One of the thoughts that kept me smiling through the race?  Cake.  I run so that I can continue to eat cake (and other wonderful baked goods of course, but cake is very near to the top of the list...).  Because, you see, the other important event that coincided with my Momma's visit to Virginia was my Momma's birthday.  lemon-5 I wanted to make a cake that would remind us all of warmer days, in celebration of Momma's birthday and as a thank you for standing in the cold to watch me run.  Luckily, I stumbled upon a variation of this recipe in Molly's lovely book, A Homemade Life.   If you love Orangette you will love this book.  I anxiously awaited its arrival after pre-ordering it in January and have been devouring it since it landed on my doorstep.  It is written beautifully, of course, and each recipe I've read so far sounds delicious.  I thought I would have a hard time deciding which to make first, but knew instantly that this was the one when I found it.  Because, not only do I love lemon, but in the book this cake coincides with the story of how Molly met her husband.  It is such a great story, almost fairy tale-like, and if you haven't read it you should.  Right here. lemon-8 And this cake?  Its almost fairy tale-like as well.  I recommend that you make it as soon as possible, for the positive thoughts it invokes are sure to make Spring come a little bit faster. lemon-112 Lemon Yogurt Cake from A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenburg (of Orangette) Ingredients: Cake
  • 1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 tsp grated lemon zest
  • 1/2 cup well-stirred plain whole-milk yogurt (I used Greek - Molly says NOT to use low or non-fat)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil, such as canola
Syrup
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
Icing
  • 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
Method:
  1. Preheat oven to 350*.  Grease 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.  Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper and spray it too.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Add the lemon zest and whisk to mix thoroughly.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar and eggs, stirring to mix well.  Add the flour mixture and stir to just combine.  Add the oil and stir well. Don't worry when it looks like an oily mess - just keep mixing until a smooth batter forms.  Pour into the prepared pan.
  4. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  5. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.  Run a knife around the edge of the pan and invert onto wire rack.  Remove parchment paper.  Flip back over so that rounded top is up.  Set the rack over a pan or large plate.
  6. In a small bowl, whisk together the syrup ingredients.  Spoon the syrup slowly over top of warm cake.  Let cake cool completely.
  7. In a small bowl, combine the icing ingredients.  Whisk well so that sugar is completely dissolved.  Spoon the icing over the cooled cake.
  8. Cake can be served immediately, but icing will be set after about 1 hour.
lemon-10
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categories baking
tags cake, lemon, orangette, yogurt

bridging the gap

Andrea

We're almost there!  The cherry and plum trees are starting to flower, the crocus and daffodils are up, gardens are being prepped for planting.  Daylight Savings Time means there is light when I leave the office, and I've been taking advantage of our lovely weather with evening runs both yesterday and today (I'm feeling very well-prepared for the 8K on Saturday!!!).  Spring is just around the corner and I couldn't be more excited.   The change in seasons has me craving lighter foods but also has inspired me to clean out my pantry, to use up the winter-worthy ingredients that are dwindling in quantity and make way for those that come with spring.   scone-1 Among the items found?  Crystalized ginger, dried cranberries, a bowl full of oranges.  Okay, so the oranges were on my table, not in the pantry, but to me they make the perfect bridge from winter to spring.  You see, I grew up in Florida, where winter citrus is abundant as are 80* December days.  I've never associated oranges with cold weather and probably never will.  And who doesn't think of warm, tropical places when biting into a juicy orange?  Anybody? The power of positive thinking will get you far and I am determined that my bowlful of cheery oranges will carry Virginia straight into Spring without another winter storm.  :) scone-2 On Sunday morning while perusing my pantry I was dreaming of baked goods, as is often the case, and thought of one I hadn't made in awhile.  Scones. scone-3 For years I wasn't a fan of scones.  Those I had tried were dry and crumbly, with nondescript flavors that left them completely unmemorable.  Until one fateful Friday morning when a friend shared her daughter's fresh-baked scones at an office meeting, and I was hooked.  Soft and supple, moist and flakey, the mix-in possibilities were endless.  I knew I had to have the recipe, and lucky for me she shared. scone-4 The basic recipe for these scones was given to me years ago and I've been trying different variations ever since.  Many different flours have made it into the experiments, all-purpose, bread, white whole wheat and whole wheat included.  The whole wheat pastry flour is my favorite.  It gives the scones the fluffier texture found when using the all-purpose, but leaves you with a happier conscience after having one for breakfast. scone-6 Citrus Scones with Cranberries and Ginger makes 8 scones Ingredients:
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 tsp orange extract
  • 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1-1/2 tsp orange zest
  • 8 tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cut up
  • 1/2 cup sugar (I used turbinado), plus extra for sprinkling
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup crystalized ginger, chopped
Method:
  1. Preheat oven to 375*.  Spray a baking sheet with oil.
  2. Mix buttermilk with egg and extract, whisk smooth.
  3. Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.  Add orange zest.  Stir to mix well.  Add butter and rub in with your fingers until the mixture looks like course bread crumbs.  Add sugar, cranberries and ginger and toss to distribute evenly.
  4. Add egg mixture and stir with a fork until a soft dough forms.
  5. Turn out dough on a floured board and give 5-6 kneads, just until well mixed and cohesive.  Flatten dough into disk about 3/4" thick.  Cut disk into 8 equal wedges.
  6. Bake on prepared baking sheet for 20-25 minutes until medium brown.  Let cool on sheet for 5 minutes before moving to wire rack to cool completely.
scone-7 For another Bella Eats scone variation, click here. Thank you all for the great feedback regarding future bella terra posts.  I'm really excited!  :)  I hope to answer all of your questions in posts over the next few months...you've given me some great ideas. And, a thousand Thank You's for all of your kind words and good thoughts towards Kelly and her recovery.  She is home and healing and we are all so thankful that she was wearing a helmet.  For those of you who doubt the importance of wearing one, read this post. Be sure to check out Heather's blog for an exciting Coconut Milk Product Giveaway!  I've been dying to try this stuff... And last...my new job is awesome!!!  I've only been there two days but I am LOVING it so far.  Yay!  :) Have a great Wednesday everybody!
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categories Uncategorized, baking
tags cranberry, ginger, orange, scone

bella terra : preparation

Andrea

We had perfect weather in Virginia this weekend.  75*, sunny, a light breeze.  The kind of weather that makes you believe that Spring may finally be here, that leads to lovely outdoor runs and white wine on the deck.  The same weather that in years past has caused you to put your cold-sensitive plants outside because "they'd like a little sunshine" only to have them frozen by a freak late-March storm (not this year my friends...I won't be fooled again.)  It was the kind of weather that got me thinking about our vegetable garden, and how the time for sowing seeds is just around the corner and I still hadn't amended the beds with fresh compost.   garden-2 It was perfect weather for wandering around the local garden center, picking up spring-harvest seeds and dreaming about how, if only I had my own cold-frame set up in the backyard, I could already have baby lettuce peeking out of the soil.  Hmm...maybe next year. This will be our third year with the garden, and over the last two we've started to sort out which veggies work and which don't.  There were disappointments last year...the Virginia heat was too much for the brussels sprouts to handle and the squirrels got 75% of the corn.  We unearthed the secret to keeping flea bugs off of the eggplant and had an abundant harvest, only to discover that there are really only two eggplant recipes that we like and the farmer's market can more than provide the fruit needed for those.  No need to take up valuable garden space.  garden-3 On Saturday I bought lettuce and spinach, beets, peas and broccoli, all seeds that can go in the ground in the next couple of weeks and provide a harvest in as few as 45 days.  In May, after danger of Virginia frost, I'll be sowing green beans and okra seeds to be harvested in July.  Baby tomato, cucumber, bell pepper and squash plants will go into their assigned beds and parsley, basil and dill will join the perennial chives, thyme and oregano already starting to show some green. broc-1 I think I am most looking forward to growing our own broccoli, although each veggie has a special place in my heart and becomes my instant favorite the minute it is ripe.  But broccoli...it gave us trouble last year, or at least the squash bugs that enjoyed most of the harvest gave us trouble.  And I enjoy a challenge.  We will persevere with broccoli this spring and when we do we will make it this way, at least once. broc-2 There are a few things about this recipe that I need to share, things I will do differently when I make it again.  First, I used whole coriander but will definitely use ground next time.  Biting into the occasional coriander seed was an intense, unpleasant experience for me.  If you love coriander feel free to use whole seeds, but I think spreading the flavor more evenly by using ground would be more enjoyable. broc-3 Second, the tofu needs to go in the oven first.  I put the tofu and broccoli in at 425* together, and the broccoli was done well before the tofu.  To speed things up I wound up removing the tofu from the oven and quickly pan-frying it, but I think it  would be really good roasted.  I've specified in the recipe below to put the tofu in first and roast it until golden brown on one side before flipping it and adding the broccoli for the last 20 minutes. broc-6 Roasted Broccoli with Glazed Tofu inspired by the wednesday chef, via orangette serves 2, with a portion leftover for lunch the next day Ingredients:
  • 2 pounds broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds (or 1/2 teaspoon ground...i'll use ground next time)
  • 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds (or 1/2 teaspoon ground...i used ground)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 1/8 teaspoon hot chili powder
  • 12 oz firm tofu
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • lemon wedges, for serving
Method:
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Slice tofu into eight 1/2" slices, then slice again on the diagonal to make 16 pieces total.  Place on paper towels and press for 10 minutes.
  3. In a large bowl, toss broccoli with 2 tablespoons oil, coriander, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and chili powder. In a separate bowl combine remaining 2 tablespoons oil, lemon zest, honey, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and whisk together.
  4. Individually rub each piece of tofu with the oil/lemon/honey mixture.  Place on a baking sheet and bake until top is golden brown.  Pull baking sheet from oven and flip tofu.  Add broccoli to baking sheet, spreading in a single layer.  Put pan back in oven and roast for 10 additional minutes.  Stir broccoli and roast for another 10 minutes.
  5. Serve over rice, with fresh-squeezed lemon juice.
broc-4 A few notes: First, my cousin Kelly (Meghann's sister) was in a scary accident this evening while riding her bike.  Thankfully she was wearing a helmet and is going to be ok.  I'll let Meghann give us details if she wishes, but I do want to stress how important it is to wear a helmet.  Kelly's may very well have saved her life. Second, I'm going to make bella terra posts a regular occurrence, to share with you all the happenings in the garden and recipes to go along with harvests. I don't yet know the frequency, but I hope that by this summer they will be weekly.  I'd love any feedback you have or suggestions for content.  What would you like to see? Third, thank you all for your continued support!  I'm so pleased with the feedback I've received regarding the new format and am so happy that you all seem to be open to whatever direction I go.  I will say that I've enjoyed my week of recipe-based posts and would like to continue with them, although I wouldn't be surprised if a food diary post pops up every once in awhile.  I just can't help but to take pictures of my daily food, and I still have overwhelming urges to share them with you.  So I think that I'm not going to set any rules, not limit the blog in any way.  I'm going to let the day and life and food inspire me and see where it goes, and I hope you'll all continue to follow. I welcome all constructive feedback and would love to hear more from you.  Have a great Monday!  :)
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categories dinner, garden, recipes
tags broccoli, garden, lemon, tofu

and the winners are...

Andrea

Hi All!  I'm sorry the Country Bob's All-Purpose Sauce Winners announcement is coming so late today.  I was really hoping to have a recipe post to share tonight but I am a t.i.r.e.d. lady.  It was a very busy Saturday, filled with a lovely run, an intense 90-minute Vinyasa Yoga class and lots of work in the garden because we had some BEAUTIFUL weather here in Virginia today!  So, I'm finally just admitting to myself that the post won't be finished tonight, and decided to just go ahead and announce the winners. 'Cause that's why you all are tuning in today anyway.  :) And the winners are... Comment #28, Marie with 
Glad to hear the employment situation is going well! On a different note, I’d love to win some Country Bob’s!
Comment #65, Sara from Eat Fab in NYC with
Love the recipes! I think it’s an amazing idea! You’ve been linked  I have a couple of giveaways coming up too…stay posted!!!
Congratulations Ladies!!!  Send me an email at bellaeats@gmail.com with your full name and address, and I will forward it on to the Country Bob's folks.  :) Alrighty, I'll be back tomorrow with a [hopefuly] much more interesting post.  G'night!
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categories Uncategorized

a taste of summer...and a giveaway!

Andrea

On Sunday we were invited to a pot luck dinner.  Now, I don't have a whole lot of experience with pot luck dinners by name, but I do have experience with "bring a side dish to share" barbecues and croquet parties, which in my mind are synonymous with the idea of a pot luck.  The memories of these parties evoke thoughts of white dresses, sunshine and bare feet running across soft grass while chasing after brightly-colored balls, one hand grasping a mallet, the other a cold beer.  In one word...summer.  So when I was laying in bed Sunday morning and asked my hubb what we should prepare to bring to the pot luck that night, and he said "how 'bout your olive potato salad", it made perfect sense.  Of course, potato salad would be divine at the "pot luck" dinners of my mind. tater-1 Unfortunately, the pictures in my head wavered when I opened the blinds that same morning and discovered a light dusting of snow covering the ground.  It didn't take long for those warm, summer thoughts to be completely shattered when I checked the forecast and read about the 3"-5" of snow that were expected to fall on us over the next 24 hours.  This was all a big surprise to me, since I ran in shorts in 60* weather just 2 days prior.  Snowball fights and sledding, although enjoyable, were not part of my plan. tater-2 After debating other options for a few minutes I decided to forge ahead with my summer-time favorite, regardless of the weather.  This winter has claimed many of my on-the-road runs, most outdoor dining possibilities in Charlottesville and occasionally the feeling in my fingers and toes... I wasn’t about to let it have my premature potato salad too.  Plus, potatoes are in season.  Its not my salad’s fault that I associate it with warm-weather fun and games.   tater-3 I found this recipe years ago and have made it many times, for most events where we are asked to bring a dish to share.  This potato salad is not only easy and delicious, it is also a much healthier take on the classic mayonnaise-dripping versions of my childhood.  It will keep, covered and refrigerated, for about 5 days.  My hubb is always happy to pack leftovers in his lunches no matter what time of year it is.  He says it goes best with a turkey + pepper jack sandwich. tater-7 Ripe Olive Potato Salad originally from here Ingredients:
  • 3 lbs red potatoes, scrubbed and diced (I leave the skin on)
  • 1-2/3 cup sliced black olives
  • 3 ribs celery, chopped
  • 1/3 cup chopped scallions
  • 1-1/2 tsp white vinegar
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1-1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 3/4 tsp dried dill
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 cup plain fat-free yogurt
  • 2 tsp mustard
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1/4 tsp garlic salt
Method:
  1. Boil potatoes in a large soup pot until tender, but not falling apart.  Drain and allow to cool.
  2. Add olives, celery and scallions to potatoes and gently mix.
  3. Whisk together the vinegar, oil, salt, dill and pepper.  Pour over potatoes and gently mix to coat.
  4. Whisk together yogurt, honey, mustard and garlic salt.  Pour over potato mixture and stir gently but thoroughly.  Chill for 1 hour before serving.
tater-5 On the job front:  My meeting went really well yesterday!  I am very excited to tell you that I accepted a position with my hubb’s firm and will be starting on Monday. It is a huge relief to know that I will be transitioning out of one job and directly into another without any period of unemployment.  I am amazed that the timing worked out so beautifully and feel extremely fortunate.  Thank you all, again, for your continued support and lovely notes.  Its been a loooooong week but I really think that everything has worked out for the best and am grateful to all parties involved for the graceful handling of the whole situation.  It could have been much scarier had things not been handled so well. In blog news:  You may have noticed that I’m trying something a little different this week, a few less posts that concentrate on specific recipes rather than my normal food diary format.  There are many reasons for this, time and boredom being a couple of them.  There was a day this week, Sunday I think, when I just could not bear the thought of telling you that I had my standard oats for breakfast and a salad for lunch.  And there are only so many ways for me to photograph a sweet potato with edamame and corn on top.  I just wasn’t enjoying writing my posts as much and didn’t like the pressure I was feeling to get a post out every single day, regardless of whether or not I had anything interesting to say.  Sometimes, my days are boring and so are my eats, and I put ridiculous pressure on myself to try and make them interesting, which is where the time factor comes in.   So this week has been a test, to see if I like this new format and if it aligns with the direction that I think I want to take the blog.  I’m still working things out, but expect a decision, and a longer-winded post, sometime this weekend.  Until then, thanks for reading.  I appreciate each and every one of you. GIVEAWAY!  I know you all saw the numerous bottles of Country Bob’s All-Purpose Sauce popping up in blogland a couple of weeks ago.  Unfortunately I received my Country Bob’s in the middle of a big deadline week at work, so didn’t get a chance to really rave about how wonderful this sauce is and how much I enjoyed it on baked chicken and as a dipping sauce for ‘taters and veggies.  Its REALLY good, and I can’t wait to fire up the grill (maybe this weekend?!?) and try it out on some pork tenderloin. The kind folks over at CB’s have offered to give TWO of my readers TWO bottles of the All-Purpose Sauce.  All you have to do is leave a comment on this post for one chance to win.  If you mention the giveaway on your blog and link back to this post you will have a second chance to win.  Do all that by midnight tomorrow (Friday) and I will announce the winners sometime on Saturday.  Good luck! cb
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categories healthified favorites, product review
tags country bob's, giveaway, olives, potato salad, potatoes, yogurt

from scratch

Andrea

I would love to continue to gush about you all and your amazing support but I'm afraid that you're going to get tired of me.  So I will simply say Thank You, and know that you know how much meaning there is behind those two words. The last couple of days have been emotionally trying but things are finally starting to calm down.  I hope that the future will be more certain tomorrow after I meet with potential new employers over lunch.  Yes, new employers.  I basically was laid off from my current position yesterday, although the exact terms have been unclear.  All I know is that my current employer does not have enough work to sustain two employees, and seeing as I am the one with much less time invested I was the logical cut.  We discussed the potential for part-time work, but mutually agreed that the amount of hours he could employ me (8-10 hours/week) were really not worth the frustration and hassle that would come with them.  My last day is Friday. I am very fortunate that my hubb's company is interested in bringing me on board to help them with a very busy project they have in the works.  We have a history...not only has my hubb worked for this architecture firm for the last 1-1/2 years but I also was employed by them while I was in graduate school. They are great guys who design beautiful buildings and I feel honored that they are eager to have my help.  We have a meeting scheduled over lunch tomorrow to discuss details, timing, terms etc., so until then I don't have much more information to give.  I can say that I am excited, a little sad but very hopeful.   In times like these I find comfort in my kitchen.  It may be poorly laid out, partly unfinished and lack any amount of counter space on which to work but somehow I still manage to find joy in creating delectable eats within its boundaries.  If you had peeked in my window anytime Sunday afternoon you would have found me amidst a cloud of flour, furiously scrubbing and chopping potatoes and finely slicing fresh red cabbage.  The potato salad recipe will come soon, but tonight I give you my first ever, from scratch, made on my own cake.  For my hubb on his twenty-seventh birthday, with love. cake-131 I found this recipe a few weeks ago when it popped up in my google reader after Tara had a little chocolate cake taste-off.  Any recipe with 1250+ reviews on Epicurious deserves at the very least to be printed and filed in my recipe drawer.  But this cake was lucky, for I had a very special occasion coming up that deserved a 1250+ review recipe, my hubb's birthday. cake-6 cake-8 I clicked through a few more blogs  that had featured this old-fashioned chocolate cake in the past, and decided that the raspberry filling option was just too good to pass up.  Don't worry, I emailed it to my hubb first for his opinion and he heartily agreed.  The filling did not disappoint.  In fact, we have some reserved in our fridge to top off vanilla ice cream, or maybe even some morning oats.   cake-7 cake-9 The recipe calls for two 10" x 2" round cake pans, but I had three 9" x 1.5" round pans to use.  I adjusted the cooking time and all was well, we just wound up with a taller finished product...which I think made it all the more grand and birthday-appropriate. cake-10 cake-1  I got a little carried away with the amount of filling between the dense layers.  My thinking was "the more the better!", and, "what a pretty picture it will make!".  However, when it came time to smear chocolate ganache across the entire outer surface the excess filling was problematic.  It oozed out and mixed with the frosting, making it difficult to get an even spread.  My advice?  Save the excess for vanilla ice cream. cake-14 This cake is excellent.  The kind of excellent that makes it worth the 4-hour prep time (with a lot of resting to allow for cooling between steps..and photography) and the extra mileage you tack on to your runs to make up for having not just one, but two slices.  The kind of excellent that leaves you dreaming of the endless possibilities this recipe permits just by changing the filling, or making cupcakes instead of a towering cake.  The kind of excellent worth sharing with very good friends while drinking champagne and celebrating a very special birthday. cake-15 Double Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Filling Makes 12-14 servings. Recipe from Epicurious via Seven Spoons and Smitten Kitchen Ingredients For cake layers:
  • 3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut
  • 1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk (for dairy free variation: mix 1 1/2 cups soymilk with 1 tablespoon cider vinegar and set aside to curdle)
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
For ganache frosting: (halve this if filling with raspberry or other filling)
  • 1 pound fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut
  • 1 cup heavy cream (or soy creamer)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter (or margarine)
For raspberry filling: (optional)
  • 2 10-ounce bag frozen raspberries, thawed
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Method: Make cake layers:
  1. Preheat oven to 300* F and grease two 10″ cake pans, or three 8″ or 9″. Line bottoms with rounds of wax paper and grease paper.
  2. Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
  3. Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well.
  4. Divide batter between pans (pans should only be half full - if you use 8″ pans you will have some batter leftover) and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes for 10" pans, 50 minutes for 8"-9" pans.
  5. Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.
Make frosting:
  1. Finely chop chocolate. In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted. Cut butter into pieces and add to frosting, whisking until smooth.
  2. Transfer frosting to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable (depending on chocolate used, it may be necessary to chill frosting to spreadable consistency). I found that stirring this over a bowl of ice water did a great job of cooling it off quickly and evenly.
Make filling:
  1. Puree the raspberries in a food processor, blender or immersion blender. Press the puree through a fine-mesh strainer with the back of a spoon, removing the seeds. Heat the puree in a small pot with the sugar and cornstarch until mixture boils, stirring constantly. As it boils, it should quickly thicken. Let cool.
  2. Spread filling between cake layers, assemble, and spread ganache over top and sides. Cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days. Bring cake to room temperature before serving.
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categories baking
tags cake, chocoalte, ganache, raspberry

cabernet + apple slaw

Andrea

Have I mentioned how much I love this community?  Because I do.  You all are so kind!  Thank you for all of your sweet comments and concern - you have no idea how much I appreciate it.   I'm sorry for my doom and gloom post yesterday, and for leaving you all hanging.  I've spent the weekend going over things with my hubb and am feeling much better about the whole situation.  I should know more tomorrow or Tuesday and can share then, but I'm starting to see the positive side of things and do believe that everything will be for the better. Most of my eats this weekend weren't that exciting...some leftover red beans, some Five Guys (I know...shocking!!!  My once every 6 months burger...), banana pancakes and lots of Ben + Jerry's.  Can we say comfort food?!?!?  But I did spend this afternoon in the kitchen making my hubb's birthday cake (which I will share with you tomorrow!) some potato salad for a pot luck dinner (which I will also share sometime this week) and this yummy cabbage + apple slaw, which paired perfectly with the bratwurst my hubb pan-fried for sandwiches. 090301-d1 I haven't done much with cabbage in the past...mixed it with greens in salads, boiled it down with potatoes, carrots and ham for a New England Boiled Dinner, shredded it up to make a filling for  potstickers.  Although slaw is an obvious use for cabbage I have somehow managed to escape these last few years without ever experimenting with it. 090301-d3 I've seen a few cabbage slaw recipes pop up in the blog world over the last couple of weeks, but decided to try out my own.  We had some bratwurst in our freezer from Babes in the Wood, and my hubb was just saying that we don't make sandwiches for dinner often enough.  I grabbed a couple of apples from our fruit bowl and the open bottle of cabernet on the counter.  I was hoping for something sweet and tangy, a nice compliment to the spiciness of the brats and the dijon mustard I knew my hubb would pair with them. 090301-d4 Oh sweet [and tangy] success.  This sandwich was so delicious and satisfying, and the slaw was the star of the show.  I suggest a ciabatta roll and butternut squash fries on the side...YUM. 090301-d6 Cabernet + Apple Slaw Ingredients:
  • 3/4 head of red cabbage, about 2 pounds
  • 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 medium tart apples, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • salt + pepper
Method:
  1. Remove all tough outer leaves.  Quarter cabbage through stem, remove core of cabbage.  Slice cabbage into thin strips.
  2. Heat oil in large soup pot.  Add onion and saute until tender and golden, 5-6 minutes.  Add sliced apples and saute an additional 2 minutes.  Add garlic and saute an additional 1 minute.
  3. Add cabbage, cover and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  
  4. Add wine, cover and saute for an additional 10 minutes.  When cabbage is tender, remove lid and turn up heat to cook off the last of the liquid.
  5. Remove from heat and toss cabbage mixture with vinegar and salt + pepper to taste.
  6. Top with toasted pine nuts.
090301-d7 Tomorrow is my hubb's birthday and we're having a little party at his office.  I am so excited to try the cake I baked today...my first ever from-scratch, made on my own cake.  Only the best for my love.  Here's a little preview... cake-13 That's raspberry puree' oozing from between layers of decadent chocolate cake.  And right after I took this picture I covered the whole thing with chocolate ganache.   Oh yes I did.  :) Have a lovely Monday, everybody!
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categories dinner, recipes
tags apples, cabernet, red cabbage, sandwiches, sausage, slaw

bad news, bears

Andrea

Well...I got some bad news at work yesterday that's got me freakin' out quite a bit.  I can't share until I know a little more about what's going on.  Needless to say, I spent the evening talking things through with my hubb, a bottle of malbec and two pints of Ben + Jerry.  (Don't worry, we didn't finish them both, we just passed the two flavors back and forth a few times.  I wasn't THAT depressed...). I'm going to do a quickity quick recap because I'm off to yoga in a few.  I'm defnitely needing some mind-clearing and meditation this morning... Breakfast:  cereal!  Shocking, I know.  I had 1/2 cup of TJ's Pomegranate Blueberry Flakes mixed with 3/4 cup of Nature's Path Pumpkin Flax (finally, the last of it!!!), topped with 1/2 a sliced banana, 1/4 cup frozen mixed berries and 1 cup plain soy milk. [488 cal] 090227-b1 This did not stick with me AT ALL.  I was hungry by 9:30am, at which point I caved to the homemade donut guy who sets up his cart right outside my office on Fridays.  Totally unfair. Mid-Morning Snack:  homemade apple cinnamon donut - DIVINE! Lunch:  out with a friend!  We went to my favorite lunch spot, Bizou, where I had the Salmon Cakes with baby greens and a side of hand-cut fries.  Not the healthiest choice...it was definitely one of those days. Sorry for all the missing pictures - you know I don't like taking photos out in public or at my office... Dinner:  red beans and rice!  Also, cornbread.  Continuing the NOLA love... 090227-d1 I was a really bad photo documenter because I was busy freaking out about the work situation with my hubb... 090227-d2 But there was wine, a really tasty Malbec. 090227-d3 This recipe is really easy, its basically the same recipe I use for most of my bean soups.  The spices just get switched up a bit.  Sorry...no time to plug in nutritional stats in MFD.  I'll update this afternoon. Red Beans and Rice Ingredients:
  • 1 lb dried red beans, soaked over night (or all day while at work)
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped
  • 6-8 cups of chicken broth (start with 6 and add if you need to as the beans continue to soak up the water)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme (dried is fine, too)
  • 1 lb sausage (I used sweet italian because its what I had, but I would typically get andouille), chopped
  • salt + pepper
Method:
  1. Combine all ingredients in a large soup pot.  Seriously, thats it.  I bring it all to a boil, then reduce to a strong simmer and cover.  It should cook for 1-2 hours, until the beans are soft but not falling apart.
  2. Once soft, ladle out about 2 cups of beans and broth.  I try to avoid getting any sausage.  Place the two cups in a blender and puree, then add back to pot.  This will thicken the soup.
  3. Serve over rice.
090227-d4 090227-d6 Dessert:  my two best friends, Ben + Jerry.  Cookie Dough and Half Baked flavors.  Maybe 1 cup?  Or 1-1/2?  Its hard to tell when you're spooning out of the carton.  Yes, it was necessary.  :) Alright, I'm off for some stretchy meditation.  Have a great Saturday!
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categories breakfast, dinner
tags cereal, red beans

my next race!

Andrea

Its Thursday!!!  I am SO ready for this weekend.  I feel like I haven't had a chance to slow down and hang out with my hubb in weeks...we are in need of some quality time!  I'm picturing movies, pop corn, yoga and running.  And as a bonus, some good friends are in town and I believe we have plans for brunch on Sunday.  Aaaahhh...I feel content just thinking about it.   :) But first, today's recap. Breakfast:  fig + peanut butter oats [419 cal] 090226-b1 090226-b2 Reader Lindsey asked me to tell a bit more about my oats process in the morning.  So, here goes!  Toppings and mix-ins change, but this classic bowl seems to be one I come back to over and over again. Fig + PB Oats [400-ish calories, 15.8g fat, 2.2g sat. fat, 58.3g carbs, 9.5g fiber, 18.8g sugar, 13g protein] Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1 cup water, pinch of salt
  • 1/2 mashed banana
  • 1 tbsp soy milk
  • 1 tsp ground flax seeds
  • 2 dried figs, chopped
  • 1-1/2 tbsp crunchy PB
Method:
  1. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil.  Add pinch of salt and 1/2 cup of rolled oats. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally.
  2. When the oats have absorbed most of the water, after 5-7 minutes, turn off the heat.  Add the mashed banana and splash of soy milk.  Stir.  Ad the flax seeds, stir.
  3. Pour oats into bowl and top with mix-ins of choice, mine usually being figs, PB, and wheatberries if I've got them.  :)
  4. After I take my photos I stir everything up so that the peanut butter swirls through the whole mix.  Yum!
090226-b3 My oats stuck with me for about 3 hours today, so I snacked on a piece of banana date bread mid-morning to hold me over 'till lunch an hour later. Snack:  banana date bread [143 cal] 090223-date-31 We had lots of leftover gumbo from last nights dinner, but I wasn't up for a bowl of just gumbo because it was so rich.  I decided to quickly saute' some kale to use as a base for my gumbo/rice mixture.  It was perfect! Lunch:  leftover gumbo on sauteed kale. 090226-l1 Snacks:  1 square of dark chocolate and a Clif ZBar, apple cinnamon flavor, pre-run [200 cal] 090226-s1 Remember my apple incident with my run last week?  Well apparently the upset stomach while running results from apple energy bars too...  It wasn't as bad today as it was when I ate a whole apple prior to my run, but it still wasn't pleasant. Exercise:  4.1 mile run with Kelly [-420 cal] We've decided to run the Martha Jefferson 8k on March 14th!!!!!  This will be my longest race distance yet!!!!!  I'm super-excited, if you can't tell by all of the exclamation points.  :)  We ran most of the race route today and it is H.I.L.L.Y!  You're probably really tired of me writing that...  It was a really nice run though and I felt completely confident that I could have run the whole route tonight.  I'm going to get a 4-1/2 - 5 mile run in this weekend, and Kelly and I are going to run the whole race route one day next week, along with our normal evening runs. For dinner my hubb and I had a last-minute meal with Kelly and her husband.  We went to a little Mexican restaurant around the corner from our house and enjoyed good food and great conversation.  I resisted the margarita and stuck with water, along with a veggie quesadilla, a few bites of refried beans and a handful of tortilla chips.  Definitely canceled out the calories burned on my run, and then some! Dinner:  veggie quesadilla (LOADED with fresh roasted veggies...so good!!!), refried beans and some tortilla chips [xxx cal????  how about A LOT. ] Alrighty, I'm off to bed.  T.G.I.F!!! G'night!
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categories breakfast, dinner, lunch
tags Clif, gumbo, kale, oats tutorial, zbar

NOLA love...

Andrea

Yesterday was Mardi Gras!  I've mentioned my love for New Orleans several times before, my hubb and I even got married there!  I've been reminiscing about all of our wonderful visits to our favorite city, and am craving a trip back.  Man...that would be a heck of a food blog post!!!  But until then, a little trip down memory lane bourbon street... our favorite breakfast spot, Mother's. nola-1 our favorite musicians (who played at our wedding!!!). nola-2 our favorite late night coffee and beignets, cafe du monde. nola-3 at our favorite jazz bar, fritzel's. nola-4 on our favorite day, at broussard's. wedding-21 I had big plans for this week, different NOLA-inspired recipes every day.  Some gumbo, red beans, muffalettas and bananas foster.  I have fallen WAY short of that goal, but do have a bit of the Big Easy to share with you from dinner tonight...  But first, breakfast. My oats this morning were tasty, but a little dry.  And not too filling, surprisingly.  I was starving just 3 hours later. Breakfast:  ultra-textured oats [398 cal] 090225-b1
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1 cup water, pinch of salt
  • 1/2 mashed banana
  • 1 tsp ground flax
  • 2 tbsp wheatberries
  • 2 dried figs, chopped
  • 1 tbsp TJ's natural crunchy PB
090225-b2 Lunch:  a lovely salad and 3 Back To Nature multigrain flax crackers [400 cal] 090225-l1
  • spinach
  • broccoli
  • red bell pepper
  • cucumber
  • wheatberries
  • chickpeas
  • poppyseed dressing
Snacks:  an orange and a slice of banana date bread.  Also, 2 Jolly Rancher cherry lollipops and 2 squares of dark chocolate...I was CRAVING sugar today! Bad healthy food blogger. 090225-s1 I had my board meeting after work, so knew that dinner would be late.  I packed this bar in case of emergency, and needed it at 7:30.  It was pretty good...reminded me a lot of the Clif Nectar Cacao bars. 090225-s2 When I pulled in my driveway at 8:30 and climbed out of the car, I could smell dinner cooking.  Seriously.  From the driveway.  And it wasn't being cooked outside on the grill, it was inside my kitchen.  I don't know if that speaks more of the amazing aroma of gumbo or the crappy quality of my windows but either way, I couldn't wait to get inside and dig in!!! Dinner:  GUMBO!!!!!  On rice, with a glass of cabernet. 090225-d2 I've debated whether or not to share this recipe.  It was really delicious, but my hubb and I have had better.  My stepfather makes an amazing gumbo that he has adapted over many years of experimenting with many different recipes.  This one was from Paul Prudhomme, the father of the blackening method and owner/chef of one of our favorite NOLA restaurants, K-Pauls. 090225-d4 I've decided not to share, because its not right yet.  The roux was a deep chocolate brown, just like Chef Paul specifies, but we've learned that we like gumbos with more of a milk chocolate hue.  And it was thick...much thicker than the last Chef Paul gumbo we tried.  We're soupy gumbo folks, and will be working to perfect a recipe that reflects that texture.  So now we have an excuse to make gumbo more often, because I'm determined that by the time I write about our anniversary on April 28th, I will have a gumbo recipe to share with you all. And now I'm off to read more of Molly's book.  Its really wonderful so far, just like her blog.  I'll give a full review when I'm finished! G'night!
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categories breakfast, dinner, lunch
tags bread, gumbo, new orleans, oats, salad

busy lady

Andrea

Alrighty, another quick post tonight guys.  I'm sorry!  I sit on the board for a local non-profit organization and have TONS of reading to do tonight before a board meeting tomorrow night.  I know how I'm spending my lunch break tomorrow!  My food today was all prepared in a rush.  Remember me mentioning that my poor hubb had to work late last night?  Well, I got a phone call from him at 5:30am asking me to pick him up from the office.  5:30am!!!  And then he had to be right back there at 7:30am!!!  Which means I had to be ready at 7:20, and I of course went back to sleep after picking him up so had very little time to get things together this morning. Breakfast:  1 slice banana date bread, 1/2 cup Fage 0% with 1 banana and 1 tsp honey (I saved the other piece of bread for dessert) [no cals today guys...I'm too tired to log it all!  :( ] 090224-b1 Have I mentioned how much I love this bread?  Because I do.  I. Love. This. Bread. 090224-b2 Lunch:  my hubb made me a wrap!  He's so sweet, even in his deliriously tired state.  I also ate a large orange, which I forgot to get a picture of in my rush. 090224-l1
  • dijon mustard
  • smoked turkey
  • spinach
  • red bell pepper
  • cucumber
  • pepper jack cheese
  • whole wheat tortilla
090224-l2 Snack:  1 slice banana date bread. [143 cal...I remember from yesterday.  :)  ] Exercise:  4-mile run with Kelly.  Same route as last Thursday, nice and hilly.  It felt pretty good, but my legs were a bit stiff and heavy with soreness from yoga last night.  That's what I get for taking the weekend off from running and a week off from yoga.  :( Dinner:  Mediterranean Pasta.  This was really good, and I'll definitely post a recipe sometime but I'm going to work on it first.  We didn't get home until 8:00 and I was just throwing stuff in the pan that sounded good together...  Sometimes the best recipes are made that way! 090224-d1
  • brown rice spaghetti
  • artichoke hearts
  • sun dried tomatoes
  • spinach
  • chickpeas
  • parmesan broth (onion, garlic, chicken broth, parm. cheese)
  • 1 tbsp part-skim mozzerella
090224-d2 Dessert:  I made these cookies to send to two generous blogger bake sale buyers...so I of course sampled the dough.  Probably a whole cookie's worth...I have absolutely no self control when it comes to cookie dough.  None. Ok, gotta run read!  G'night!
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categories breakfast, dinner, lunch
tags artichoke, bread, fage, mediterranean, pasta, running, wrap

simple eats

Andrea

I am really feeling the effects of my super-busy weekend in Florida.  I slept like a rock last night but have been so sleepy all day!  The bath tub and my new Molly Wizenberg (Orangette) book are calling my name, so I'm going to keep this quick.  :) Breakfast was oh so tasty...I LOVE pepper jack cheese. Breakfast:  egg + pepper jack sandwich and strawberries [362 cal] 090223-b2
  • arnold's whole grain sandwich thin
  • 1 egg + 1 egg white, scrambled
  • spinach
  • 1 thin slice pepper jack cheese
090223-b1 Lunch was soup-er simple (hehe...I'm a dork).  I'm realizing now that I had spinach with every meal today...thats not such a bad thing! Lunch: Amy's lentil veggie soup with spinach mixed in and 3 Back To Nature multigrain flax crackers [433 cal] 090223-l1 090223-l2 I made a new banana bread recipe today, and I think it is my new favorite.  I wrote about it here, and ate two slices for a snack.  :) Snack:  2 slices of banana date bread [286 cal] 090223-date-6 Exercise:  YOGA!!!  It had been a week since my last class, and I could definitely feel it.  It was still a great 90 minutes of ashtanga though. [-??? cal...I really need a heart rate monitor] My poor hubb is working very late tonight, so I was on my own for dinner.  By the time I got home after yoga and some errands all I wanted was a quick and easy meal.  Its really funny to compare how I eat when my hubb isn't home to how he eats when I'm not home.  You should hear the list of take-out he had the 3 days I was out of town...  I wish he had taken pictures and done his own post on the blog, it would have been hilarious.  :) Dinner:  salad and an Arnold's thin with almond butter and fig preserves [498 cal] 090223-d3 090223-d2 Alrighty, I am SO excited to read Molly's book.  She is such a beautiful writer, I know its going to suck me right in!!! G'night!
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categories breakfast, dinner, lunch

florida, family, friends, fun!

Andrea

Aaahhh....I had such a FABULOUS weekend!  It was perfect.  I was able to see so many people that I love, including cousins that I hadn't seen in 10+ years!  I helped my best friend to pick out her BEAUTIFUL wedding dress after staying up way too late the night before with her sharing a bottle of wine and catching up.  I shopped 'till I dropped with my Momma and found some great new workout clothes and fantastic deals at the outlets.  I talked about photography with my daddy and picked up some new tips for the blog (along with a new lens for my birthday coming up!!!).  All-in-all it was a lovely, busy, emotionally fulfilling weekend in Florida...and the weather was perfect too!  :) A few foodie highlights from the weekend (or, the only food pictures I managed to take...). A cappuccino made by my daddy... 090222-b1 Along with waffles made by my daddy... 090222-b2 Served with fresh Florida berries... 090222-b3 Vietnamese Pho with my Momma... 090222-l1 090222-l3 I LOVE Pho.  Love it.  We have no Pho in Charlottesville, a fact that I have never understood.  We have such fabulous restaurants and so much ethnic diversity in those restaurants that I just can't understand why Pho has been overlooked.  Its so fresh, healthy and fabulous...I was in heaven. A few other restaurant highlights: For lunch on Friday, before my Momma and I shopped like crazy (we needed fuel!!!) we stopped at Sweet Tomatoes.  I loaded up with a big salad, a bowl of golden yam soup (delicious!!!) and a bowl of frozen yogurt.  So tasty...I wish we had them in Virginia! I had a great meal at Milliken's Reef in Cape Canaveral with my best friend and her fiance, where I tried conch for the first time and decided I'm not a huge fan.  Its just a little too chewy for me.  I also had lobster bisque, which was fabulous, and a lemon drop martini...! For all you Orlando bloggers and readers out there, we had breakfast before dress shopping on Saturday at a restaurant called First Watch.  Apparently there are several of them around the city.  They had a great healthy section on the menu, and I chose the Tri-Athlete Omelet which was fabulous.  Egg whites with lots of veggies inside, no cheese, fresh fruit and an english muffin on the side.  I highly recommend this restaurant to all of you Central Floridians. We had Moe's after dress shopping, always a delicious option!  I miss Moe's so much, we don't have one near us.  :( Look at the great loot I got while shopping with my momma! shopping-1 shopping-2 LOTS of new workout clothes...I'm pretty excited about them.  I found a brand of yoga clothes at TJ Maxx that I hadn't heard of before, Kyodan. Ladies...this is some seriously comfortable, flattering and CUTE yoga gear!  I'm not typically the matchy-matchy workout gear girl, but I think that this stuff is subtle enough to not be obnoxious.  I'm really excited to try some of it out tonight at my class!  I also picked up a couple of my favorite Champion sports bras and a cute new pair of running shorts.  Exciting! Alrighty, I'll be back with a regular post tonight.  I've missed you guys!!!
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categories breakfast, lunch, product review
tags family, friends, kyodan, pho, shopping, yoga

a very satisfying day

Andrea

The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is check my email on my iPhone.  Its sick, I know.  Technology these days is just making it so easy to be constantly connected.  This morning I had a comment from Sarah regarding my ravenous day yesterday - she noticed that my meals were lacking in protein and thought that may have been the cause of my insatiable hunger all day.  Of course!  I'm normally very conscious of trying to eat balanced meals but yesterday I definitely fell short.   While in the shower I thought about what I had in the fridge and pantry and ways to ensure that my protein intake was higher today.  And let me tell you, I have been full and satisfied all day long.   Breakfast:  ultra-textured banana flax oats [423 cal, 15.9g fat, 60.6g carbs, 9.8g fiber, 13.9g protein] 090219-b1 This divine bowl contained:
  • 1 cup water, 1/2 cup oats, pinch of salt
  • 1 small mashed banana
  • 1 tsp flax seeds
  • 1 tbsp wheatberries
  • 1 dried fig, chopped
  • 1-1/2 tbsp TJ's natural, crunchy PB
The textures in this bowl of oats were perfect.  The banana was just ripe enough to make the oats ultra-creamy.  The wheatberries upped the chewiness factor and the crunchy PB added just that...crunchiness.  But the figs were the star.  You all know how much I love popping little fig seeds between my teeth.  My breakfast actually invoked the food dance out of me, a move usually reserved for exquisite desserts.  I was a happy, happy girl this morning. 090219-b2 Lunch: tuna salad on a multi grain flat out wrap with 1/2 cup Fage 0% and 1/2 cup strawberries [320 cal, 8.6g fat, 36g carbs, 11.8g fiber, 32.3g protein] 090219-l2 090219-l1 090219-s1 Pre-run Snack:  Clif Chocolate Chip ZBar [130 cal, 4g fat, 24g carbs, 3g fiber, 3g protein] Exercise:  wonderful 4-mile, very hilly run with Kelly.  I felt so much stronger today, and was careful not to eat any apples beforehand!  We were tired at the end because a good amount of hills happened in the last mile, but I truly felt like we could have kept going.  It gave me great hope for running the Martha Jefferson 8K next month! [-420 cal] I've been running around the house like a mad-woman tonight doing laundry and packing for my trip tomorrow.  Dinner was quick and easy, just popped some 'taters in the oven for my hubb and I.  I love dinners that allow me to do other things while they cook. Dinner:  my favorite sweet potato combo with edamame and corn, along with some leftover brussels sprouts [392 cal, 12.1g fat, 62.6 carbs, 12.6g fiber, 14g protein] 090219-d21 090219-d1 Alrighty, I've got lots to do.  Tomorrow I will be in Florida to help my best friend shop for her wedding dress!!!  I'm so excited!!!!  I also get to see my family (woohoo!!!), so its going to be a very busy few days.  I hope you all have a fabulous Friday and weekend!
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categories breakfast, dinner, lunch
tags edamame, fage, figs, flat out, oats, running, sweet potato, tuna salad, wheatberries

just can't get enough...

Andrea

...food, that is!  I've been so hungry all day!  I don't know what the deal is.  It was a fairly normal day of eats but I just couldn't be satisfied.  Unfortunately my insatiable hunger caused me to skip my yoga class so that I could get straight home to make the quickest dinner I could think of, which I then ate too much of, causing me to feel ridiculously full and blob-like.  But, lets start at the beginning. I have only one ezekiel muffin left in the freezer and I decided to save it for my trip to the airport early Friday morning.  So, instead, I transfered my recent chocolate/strawberry breakfast obsession to a bowl of oats.  And it was delicious. Breakfast: strawberry banana chocolate oats and a cup o' joe [493 cal] a little high in calories, but I think it was worth it.  :) 090218-b1 My bowl contained:
  • 1 cup water, 1/2 cup rolled oats, pinch of salt
  • 1 small mashed banana
  • 1 tsp flax
  • 1 tbsp dark chocolate dreams pb
  • 1 tbsp dark chocolate chips
  • 1 cup sliced strawberries
090218-b2 I consumed my breakfast at 7:30, a little earlier than normal, and I was starving by 10:30.  Still...3 hours?!?!?  Come on!  Oats usually keep me way more satisfied than that.  Luckily I had 1/2 a Clif bar sitting on my desk just waiting to be devoured by my ravenous self. Mid-Morning Snack:  1/2 a chocolate chip Clif bar [120 cal] This held me over 'till 12:15, my usual lunch time.  I was really looking forward to my lunch because I knew it would be very warm and filling.  It was, but only for about 3 more hours.  What is going on?!? Lunch:  leftover root veggie pie.  And yes, I used a photo from the other night.  Its not too pretty straight out of the fridge... [446 cal] 090218-l1 Afternoon Snack: 1 small orange and 5 strawberries [116 cal] 090218-s1 My fruit obviously didn't hold me over after neither oats nor root veggies stuck with me.  At 5:30, snackless and with a loudly grumbling tummy, I decided to forego yoga in favor of an early dinner.  When we got home my hubb and I discussed possibilities.  Baked potatoes?  Filling, but they would take over an hour.  No.  Veggie Soup?  Same issue.  Mexi-dip?  Ding Ding Ding!  We have a winner. To make myself feel a little bit better about what we were about to eat I decided to cook up some brussels sprouts that were on their last leg in the veggie drawer.  They were done about 10 minutes before the dip so they became the appetizer.  I consumed many of them. 090218-d1 This is my new favorite brussels sprouts cooking method.  I changed the spices up a bit tonight to go with my Mexican theme.  I've posted about it here, and don't think I'll ever be able to cook brussels sprouts another way again.  Except maybe like this.  I'm easily swayed...   090218-d2 Dinner: mexi-dip, fresh veggies and sauteed brussels sprouts [calories?  not sure.  because i'm not sure how much of everything i consumed.  i'm chalking today up as a calorie counting failure, but at least i'm finally full.] 090218-d3 If you've been reading my blog for awhile you've seen variations of this meal pop up before.  It used to be a weekly occurrence for us.  Seriously.  We've limited ourselves to about once a month now...yay us! This dip contained:
  • mashed black beans with taco seasoning
  • sour cream
  • onion
  • orange bell pepper
  • diced tomatoes (canned)
  • cheddar and monterrey jack cheeses
To balance out the ultra-cheesiness of the mexi-dip, I served mine with fresh veggies.  And a few blue corn chips. 090218-d4 Problem is, I couldn't stop with what was on my plate.  While watching the LOST re-run and new episode, the pan of dip was sitting to my side, calling my name.  And I gave in.  Several times. 090218-d5 And now I'm off to roll myself to bed.  I had big plans to do laundry and get ready for my trip to Florida this weekend, but LOST kinda took over the evening. It happens.  :) G'night!
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categories breakfast, dinner, lunch
tags brussels sprouts, mexi-dip, oats, pb & co, root veggie pie

'tini tuesday

Andrea

The deadline completion celebration continued tonight with martinis and dinner at one of our favorite Charlottesville restaurants.  I know I say that a lot (favorite C'ville restaurants) but we have a LOT of fantastic food joints in this little town.  :)  Martini Night actually used to be a weekly event with some friends of ours, but when the holidays hit we fell out of the routine a bit.  We got back into it tonight with our good friend Virginia at Bang!, an Asian-inspired tapas restaurant with awesome food and killer martinis.   But, before I get ahead of myself, lets talk about food that I prepared today.  I woke up thinking about yesterday's breakfast and decided to go for a repeat.  I'm sorry I'm boring, but it was that good.   Breakfast:  toasted ezekiel, 1-1/2 tbsp dark chocolate dreams pb, 1 cup strawberries [336 cal] 090217-b1 Lunch today involved another of my new purchases...Arnold's Sandwich Thins!  I could say that I wanted to truly experience the flavor of the Thin by not mucking it up with lots of filling, but in truth I was just running short on time.  :) Lunch:  arnold's sandwich thin with TJ's natural, crunchy PB and sour cherry preserves.  Also, a salad. [428 cal] 090217-l21 My salad contained:
  • baby greens
  • cucumber
  • orange bell pepper
  • the last of my roasted garlic hummus, about 1 tbsp
  • hearts of palm
  • dried cranberries
  • TJ's fat free balsamic vinaigrette
090217-l1 For a snack I packed another repeat, 1 orange, 5 strawberries and 1/4 cup Fage 0%. 090217-s11 And then, tragedy struck.  I went to the fridge for my fruity yogurt bowl at about 3:30, enough time to digest my snack before my run at 5:15.  When I got to the fridge, I couldn't find my bowl!  I quickly returned to my office and my tote bag, where I discovered my bowl.  Warm as could be.  I did some research about how long yogurt could remain at room temperature before the threat of bacteria struck and concluded that it wouldn't be a smart idea to eat it.  Apparently, if the container is sealed, yogurt can last up to 8 hours at room temperature (according to some sources...but eat at your own risk!).  However, if the yogurt is open and exposed to the air, I couldn't find any site that thought it was ok to eat after 2 hours without refrigeration.  I can't tell you how sad I was to have to throw this beautiful bowl away.  SO sad.   Instead, I had an apple and 1/2 a Clif Chocolate Chip bar.  This Clif flavor was good, but I actually prefer the flavor and calorie count of the Clif chocolate chip ZBar more. Snack:  1 apple and 1/2 Clif chocolate chip bar. [200 cal] 090217-s2 I left work a little early and went for a run with my friend Kelly.  We did just 3 miles and it was so laborious for me tonight.  I'm always amazed at how different a run can be from day to day.  This was the same route we did last week, I just cut it a little short because we had dinner plans.  Tonight my legs were heavy and my stomach was crampy.  I blame the first ailment on my two consecutive days of intense yoga...I was so sore today!  And I blame the second ailment on my apple.  Apples just don't agree with me as pre-run snacks.  I've tried it before and I always get crampy.  I thought today that I had plenty of time before my run, but apparently not.  From now on, apples are off-limits after lunch on running days. Exercise:  3 mile run [-318 cal] Dinner was sooo tasty.  I LOVE Bang!  We ordered an assortment of tapas to share amongst the three of us.  There were wild mushroom dumplings, crab pot stickers, edamame, coconut rice, veggie curry, and other dishes that involved either beef or shrimp, none of which I ate because I'm not a fan of either.  There were also delightful little slaws and salads that come alongside the main dishes.  These may be my favorite part of the meal, and have inspired me to make more Asian-inspired slaws in my own kitchen.   I also had the Bang! Lemon Drop Martini.  This martini is perfect.  Its the martini that I strive to make at home but just haven't perfected yet. I've tried, trust me, I've tried.  It has something to do with the specific sour they use, or the lemongrass infused simple syrup (I'm just not that ambitious).  But it is GOOD, and I enjoyed every sip.   The food portions are tiny, so we left still slightly hungry but with much lighter wallets.  I'm thinking there is some sort of pre-bed snack in my future... G'night!
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categories breakfast, dinner, lunch
tags arnold's, bang!, ezekiel, fage, pb & co, running, salad

getting back to normal...

Andrea

Helllllooooo!  I finished my deadline!!!!!!!!!  WooHoo!!!!!!!!  That means that I should be posting regularly again, until I go out of town this weekend...no promises then.  :)   THANK YOU ALL!!!! for the sweet comments on my blog yesterday!  Aww, you totally made my day and reinforced that I made the right decision for my body. I am constantly amazed at the support you all give and am truly appreciative of your thoughtful messages.  :)  And you're right, I made the decision for me and was totally secure with it before posting, I just love that you all recognized that and supported me fully.  So, THANK YOU! Yesterday's eats are not even worth mentioning.  I did have a lovely bowl of oatmeal as I was writing my tome about running, but it all went downhill (WAY downhill) from there.   My time in the office wound up being far longer than I anticipated (11 hours!  on Sunday!) so I found myself completely unprepared for meals.  I didn't bother with pictures...you wouldn't be interested.  Trust me.  I did manage to make it to my favorite Sunday YOGA class though (are you proud, Heather?!?!  :)   ) so all was not lost. I woke up early so that I could have extra time in the office before my submittal at 4pm.  Knowing that today was going to be extremely stressful I decided to treat myself with chocolate for breakfast...!   Well, healthy chocolate, in the form of PB&Co Dark Chocolate Dreams... Breakfast:  toasted Ezekiel muffin with 1-1/2 tbsp dark chocolate dreams PB and 1 cup of sliced strawberries...divine! [336 cal] 090216-b1 This weekend, in the midst of my V-Day activities and crazy work schedule I found time to make a trip to the grocery store.   I was short on time so I decided to go to Harris Teeter instead of Whole Foods because it was closer, bigger, and had a better chance of being less crowded.  The trip was pretty exciting...I found two blog-famous items that I've never tried before, Arnold's Sandwich Thins and Flat Out Wraps!!!   Lunch:  veggie + hummus on a whole grain Flat Out Wrap [176 cal]  I know this is really light, but I had intended on eating the snack below with lunch.  I just didn't have time... 090216-l2 I was so busy today right at lunch, so I wolfed down the wrap and saved the rest of my lunch for a snack later.  The flat out wrap was REALLY good!  The shape is genius.  Seriously.  The texture was lighter than my typical whole wheat tortillas, and only 100 calories as compared to 130 calories.  So far, I'm impressed.  I've heard that the ingredients aren't particularly thrilling, and I honestly don't have the energy to get up and go to the kitchen to look at the back of the bag.  So I'll report on that some other time.  :) Snack:  1 orange, 4 strawberries and 1/4 cup Fage 0%. [156 cal] 090216-l1 Tonight I finally made it to another yoga class at the studio where I have an unlimited pass for the month. What timing.  I don't think I could have picked a worse month to invest in an unlimited yoga pass!  My work schedule has just been way to crazy.  The class was awesome, I'm so impressed with both instructors that I've met at the studio.  It was a 90 minute Ashtanga class and I loved the pace and time taken to really get into poses.  We did lots of back bends and plank variations...I'm definitely going to feel it tomorrow.  There's nothing like going to a class and having an instructor help you to improve your practice.  I feel like its worth the money not only for the class itself but for the added benefit I get when I practice on my own at home.  I've got lots of catch-up to do to make my pass purchase worth it, and I'm hoping that now that my deadline is over I will be able to make yoga a more regular part of my routine again. Exercise:  90 minutes of Ashtanga While I was at yoga my hubb started on dinner.  I picked out a recipe for Root Vegetable and Mushroom Pie with Rosemary Biscuit Topping out of this month's issue of Bon Appetit.  When I walked in the door at our house I was hit by an aroma so amazing...a home cooked meal!  It had been way too long.  There was still a lot of work to do...this recipe is NOT a quick one, and I definitely don't recommend it for week night cooking.  My hubb started when he got home at 6:45 and we didn't eat until 9:15!  However, it was worth it.  SO worth it.  Just make it when you have LOTS of time and well before you anticipate getting hungry! Dinner:  Root Veggie Pie with Rosemary Biscuit Topping [446 cal] 090216-d6 We had to modify the recipe quite a bit because I was missing a few ingredients.  I have a terrible habit of not reading recipes thoroughly before going to the store...often missing ingredients and minor details such as the ridiculously long prep time. Root Veggie Pie with Rosemary Biscuit Topping [modified from Bon Appetit, March 2009] makes 6 servings 446 calories, 14.3g fat, 8.1g sat. fat, 65.2g carbs, 12.5g fiber, 15.2g protein Ingredients: Filling
  • 6 cups beef broth
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped to 1/2" dice
  • 4 stalks celery, chopped
  • 2 large parsnips, chopped to 1/2" dice
  • 1 large rutabaga, peeled and cut to 1/2" dice
  • 1 large turnip, peeled and cut to 1/2" dice
  • 1/2oz dried shitake mushrooms
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 3 cups chopped onions
  • 4 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 tsp minced fresh rosemary
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup soy milk
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • salt + pepper
Biscuits
  • 2-1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 6 tbsp chilled unsalted butter, diced
  • 1-1/2 cups buttermilk
Method:
  1. Bring broth to a boil over medium heat.  Add carrots, celery, parsnips, rutabega, turnip, mushrooms and onion.  Simmer until veggies are tender, about 7 minutes.  Drain, but reserve veggies and broth separately.
  2. Melt butter in same pot over medium heat.  Add garlic and rosemary and stir for 2 minutes.  Add flour, stir for 1 minute.  Gradually whisk in reserved broth, then soy milk and wine.  Cook until sauce is thick and reduced to 4 cups, whisking often, about 8 minutes.
  3. Mix in reserved vegetables and parsley.  Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Transfer filling to a buttered 13x9x2-inch baking dish.  Preheat oven to 400* and bake until bubbling, about 60 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, prepare biscuits by mixing flour, baking powder, rosemary and salt in a mixing bowl.  Add chilled butter and use fingertips to blend until mixture resembles course bread crumbs.  Gradually add buttermilk, tossing with fork until dough is evenly moist.  Add more buttermilk if needed to make dough bind.
  6. Pull filling from oven when ready.  Drop biscuit dough onto hot filling by heaping tablespoonfuls.  Bake uncovered for an additional 45 minutes, until toothpick inserted into biscuit comes out clean.
090216-d1 photo courtesy of my hubb 090216-d5 090216-d7 I also made my favorite drink using one of winter's best fruits, the Meyer Lemon.  You know, in celebration of completing my deadline.  :) 090216-d2 Bella Eats Lemon Drop Martini makes 2 drinks, 300 calories each
  • 2 parts vodka
  • 1 part limoncello
  • 1 part sour mix
  • 1/2 part simple syrup (1:1 sugar and water)
  • juice from 1/2 lemon
Just shake it all up with ice and enjoy! 090216-d3 And...its bed time.  Or, at least, reading a good book in bed time.  :)  I hope you all have a great Tuesday!
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categories breakfast, dinner, lunch, recipes
tags ezekiel, fage, flat out, lemon drop, martini, root veggies