Hey Guys!

February is here, can you believe it? Thank you for the amazing comments on my post from yesterday. I usually keep things pretty light here, but I guess I just wanted to share!

{2.1.12}

Coffee + Coconut Creamer in the dark. Always coffee, and always water in the morning.

 Breakfast: Smoothie. I feel a little bad showing you a smoothie with such an awful shade of color, but this apparently what happens when you mix spinach and blueberries. {3 cups spinach + almond milk + frozen blueberries + 1 cup greek yogurt}

Workout: My favorite lunch crunch workout! (1 hour intense circuit training) I asked Rob the trainer about exercises for a flat tummy and he told me all the things I didn’t want to hear!!! {intervals, exerting as much energy doing cardio as I do during class (a lot) and no walking, “you aren’t 80.” Wah!}

Lunch: I snacked on some veggies and hummus while I put everything else together. Did Trader Joe’s change their plain hummus recipe? It tasted different to me, but it had been a while.

The rest of lunch consisted of: a turkey burger smothered in caramelized onions + sauteed mixed greens (baby spinach, baby kale and baby chard) + sweet potato baked with coconut oil + raw sauerkraut on the side.

I have to tell you about two parts of my lunch that I’m a little obsessed with! Over the weekend, I was working in a HUGE Whole Foods so of course had to check out their extra-large selection. I found the Earthbound Farms “Power Greens” – a mix of baby kale, baby spinach and baby chard. All washed, ready to go and in a HUGE container. It must be new because it isn’t on their website yet. The other is a Raw Garlic Dill Pickle Kraut, by Farmhouse Culture. There were a few different varieites at the store, but I love pickles and kraut so it was the natural choice. It tastes like pickle kraut – genius!

I love both of these items so much, I might have to make the trek out to that Whole Foods again!

Snack: Tea + 1/2 Peanut Butter thinkThin bar.

I proceeded to eat the other half shortly after.

I wish I could say that I did something cool in the afternoon, like lay out at a pool, but I had a lot of work to do, so work I did!

Dinner: Tuna melts were on the menu and as much as I like them, every time I plan them for dinner, they end up not making the cut.

Instead, we decided to try out a near-by Dim Sum Restaurant, called Bao. I had a glass of wine and we shared lots of dim sum plates (dumplings, scallion pancakes, green beans, seaweed salad and more dumplings) – the pictures were horrible so I’ll spare you, but imagine the plate below, x a lot.

We’ll definitely visit Bao Dim Sum again soon, the food was great, they have all day happy hour at the bar and dim sum is the perfect excuse for my dumpling obsession.

Now I’m snacking on a few dried mango pieces and cringing while watching 127 Hours. Eek!

Did you hear?

The Super Bowl is in mere days!

People are usually interested in the game, the commercials or the food. I’ll let you guess which category I fall under…

But yesterday, my sports-obsessed husband asked if we were going to have fun Super Bowl food. (He falls under all three categories).

“Ummm, obviously” I replied.

When I asked him if he had any requests he responded with this:

“Chicken wings, nachos, seared scallops, bacon-wrapped scallops, bacon-wrapped shrimp,” and this continued for minutes.

 I won’t serve solely junk food on Super Bowl Sunday – I like to have a mix of indulgent, delicious, cheesy foods along with a few vegetables thrown into the mix.

Here are some of the things on our standard menu, or that have caught my eye in the past few days.

Super Bowl Food: 

• Jalapeno Popper Dip (Closet Cooking)
• Queso Dip (Two Peas & Their Pod)
• Meatballs
• Nachos (beans + cheese + thinly sliced spinach + salsa + sour cream)
• Sriracha Buttered Shrimp (Bon Appétit)
• Pizza Dip (The Avid Appetite)
• Guacamole Bar 
• Artichoke & Spinach Dip with Raw Veggies
• Crock Pot BBQ Beer Chicken (How Sweet It Is)
• Stuffed Mushrooms (easy way to sneak some vegetables into the day!)
• Crispy Baked Chicken Wings (Bon Appétit)
• Buttermilk-Blue Cheese Dip (Bon Appétit)
• Spicy Pepper Goat Cheese Spread 

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Are you watching the game, the commercials or eating the food?

My Minnesota Aunts made the best egg bakes and it was something I looked forward to every time we celebrated Christmas in Minnesota.  It might be a Minnesota thing – I don’t ever recall having it with Wisconsin family – anyone know? I remember them being full of cubed white bread, breakfast sausage, custardy eggs and of course, some cheese. They were delicious. It’s been a few years since I’ve had it, but I haven’t forgotten.

I decided to put a little twist on the traditional egg bake and added sweet potato and kale instead of the white bread. Much healthier, much more flavorful and much more colorful! The bacon and cheese add decadent flavor and richness so it is just as rich and satisfying as the original.

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Pesto is one of those staples that everyone should always have on-hand. It comes in handy for so many things and adds such fresh flavor to everything it meets!

While homemade pesto is usually better, I rely on prepared pesto from the store a lot. Here are some of the ways I use it:

• Tossed with pasta (tortellini is my absolute favorite, but any pasta is good)
• Spread on a tortilla, topped with a little cheese, rolled up and microwaved for 30 seconds
• As a sauce for pizza
• Thin with a bit of olive oil and serve with roasted vegetables
• As a sandwich spread
• On meat, chicken or fish
• Blend into white bean dip
• As a crostini topping with parmesan or goat cheese
• Mixed into shredded chicken with a touch of mayo (recipe)
• Tossed with a grain, topped with goat cheese crumbles

What is your favorite way to use pesto? 

Surely you can only be thinking one thing by this title…

Sandra Lee.

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Quick run-down on Sandy if you aren’t familiar with her (ahem, Mom): she often makes a meal on her food network show out of various packaged foods. Think cookies with cake mix (I’m guilty of that one), risotto with condensed soup (definitely not guilty, ew) and martinis called white knight-ini. Many people have a strong dislike for her, and while I’m not really a fan, she’s pretty harmless.

I saw “stuffing mushrooms” at Trader Joe’s and immediately thought about how easy stuffed mushrooms are to make. They always seem like such a treat too! The easiest way to make them would be to stuff them with one of the many spreads they have at Trader Joe’s and pack it with a little spinach so I did just that.

So you combine the spinach and a spread (I went with the Blue Cheese & Roasted Pecan), stuff it into the mushrooms and bake. So easy it’s kind of ridiculous and definitely considered semi-homemade. I almost went with the frozen spinach artichoke dip since it would be even easier, but I thought I’d mix it up a bit – choose your favorite spread! If you had some bread crumbs in the cupboard, I’d sprinkle a few on top of the mushrooms, but they definitely aren’t necessary.

Sometimes, semi-homemade is just right.

Spill it: Are you a Sandra hater or do you appreciate her “semi-homemade” recipes? 

Braised meat is something that I really didn’t know a ton about, but it sounds so rustic and hearty, doesn’t it?

Like the perfect winter meal. Not that I would know anything about winter anymore, but I hear it isn’t fun.

I had a general idea of what braising was all about, but I wasn’t really sure how it was different from sauteing so I turned to Martha Stewart’s Cooking School book for a few braising facts:

• braising may be a slower form of cooking, but it doesn’t require a lot of hands-on time
• it work best with inexpensive cuts of meat, which make it a great technique for beginner cooks
• as the juices from the meat combine with the vegetables, seasonings and cooking liquid a wonderful rich sauce develops
• best cuts for braising and stewing: brisket, short ribs, veal shank, lamb shank, pork shoulder, poultry thighs, firm fish

With my new-found braising knowledge I got to work.

And it was pretty amazing. The chicken was tender and topped with a velvety, flavorful mushroom sauce. It is one of those dishes that encompasses everything I look for in a meal. It is satisfying but not heavy, utilizes simple ingredients that can be found in any store and is healthy.

The Taster has already requested that we have it again, so next time I think we’ll try a different meat and different vegetable. The possibilities are endless…

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Squash can be an over-whelming vegetable. It is hard to chop, hard to peel and then you have to figure out how you are going to eat it! I received a request for a post on squash last week so I thought I’d put together a few tips that I’ve learned over the years. Please add in your own squash tips, I’m not an expert.

There are a few tricks that apply to most of the varieties:

• microwaving the squash for a few minutes will soften it up if you are having trouble cutting through it
• when I cut squash in half to roast, I always scoop out the seeds, drizzle with a little water, season with salt & pepper, and cook cut-side down on a pan
• roasting time will vary, but the flesh should be soft when it is ready to eat

Acorn: 

• cut in half, scoop out the seeds and roast until flesh is soft
• scoop out squash and top with a pat of butter, salt and pepper
• recipe to try: acorn squash with sage brown butter

Butternut: 

• can be peeled with a peeler or knife – I usually cut in half where the base starts rounding, then peel, then cut into pieces to roast
• a great squash to puree and add to soups or use in salads
• recipe to try: classic butternut squash soup (with variation ideas)

Kabocha:

• a newer squash to the US, kabocha squash comes from Japan
• like butternut, it is great squash to puree or add to soups
• cut in half, scoop out seeds and roast
• recipe to try: roasted kabocha squash

Spaghetti: 

• cut in half length-wise, roast, scoop out seeds and then scrape the sides to form spaghetti-like strands
• serve like you would spaghetti with sauce, meatballs, etc. or saute with a touch of butter, garlic, italian herbs and with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese
• recipe to try: spaghetti squash casserole with ricotta and spinach

Delicata:

• this is a relatively new squash to me but it is a great one because you can eat the peel and it is very easy to cut
• cut in half length-wise, scoop out seeds, slice and bake
• recipe to try: roasted delicata squash with rosemary

*All pictures from Real Simple

I think my Madison friends will really enjoy this recipe. It is from L’Etoile Restaurant in Madison, Wisconsin. If you are from the area, you know what L’Etoile is and what it is all about.

L’Etoile is a restaurant that focuses on supporting local farmers and artisan producers and it just so happened that this recipe was featured in a recent Bon Appétit. I always get really excited when I’ve either been to or know of a restaurant that is featured in Bon Appétit or Food & Wine. It makes me feel like I kind of know about the food world.

The recipe sounded great – I love all things curry – and because L’Etoile has such a great reputation I figured it would be a good one. I switched a few things up in the recipe, mainly because I get frustrated when recipes call for 1/2 can of coconut milk or 3/4 cup broth. I don’t want to open it, use half and then throw the rest away! Right?

But the curry, oh this curry.

It was slightly sweet, really creamy and we loved the flavor. It is definitely a warming dish, perfect for fall and winter evenings.

I definitely wouldn’t skip the roasted squash, the texture was a welcome addition to the smooth curry. Since the curry itself didn’t really contain any veggies, I served it over brown rice and steamed green beans, but your favorite vegetable would work.

I know all of my Midwest friends and family will think that I’ve completely lost it, but its been cold in California. (And raining. No one told me it rained here, but I kind of like it.)

And when its cold, I crave soup to warm me up! I’m a fan of all kinds of soups – from creamy and rich (my Mom makes the best Shrimp & Artichoke Soup) to healthy, chock-full-of-vegetable soups.

This time around, I wanted an extra-healthy soup. Brimming with vegetables. Free of meat. Something that would warm me up and fill me up without a ton of calories because I’m pretty sure I’d rather eat more cookies this time of year. Healthy soup = more room for cookies, right?

So I threw together a ton of vegetables, a few beans, and my favorite, kale for a light, yet hearty soup that will leave you feeling good! I added a decent amount of red pepper flakes and the Taster loved the spiciness of the soup. Season the soup to your preference!

White Bean & Kale Soup

Hi Friends!

The last few daily eats posts have had some sort of theme, but I’ve got nothing for you this time! Just a normal, old day.

I started out the day with some green tea. Even though I just picked up a new coffee pot (I broke mine last week) I might be on a tea kick. I love the flavor of coffee, but when I had it the other day, I just didn’t feel  as clean(?) as I do with tea. More experiments coming on this front.

Breakfast: needed to be light since it was 8am and I had a workout scheduled for 10:30 so I had a slice of sprouted bread (French Meadow) with one organic egg.

Workout: This was our second time doing the Lunch Crunch workouts by Open Sky Fitness and they are TOUGH! In a really good way. It is a quick-moving circuit of exercises and drills and an intense workout outside at the La Brea Tar Pits Park –  I love it!

(I went a little darker with my hair, what do you think?)

Lunch: Greek Salad (cucumber + tomato + red onion + olives + goat feta cheese + olive oil +salt + pepper) with a side of Kale & White Bean Soup.

After my first course of soup and salad I decided I was still hungry so moved onto 1/2 sprouted tortilla + tuna salad (leftover from the Tasters lunch) + sprinkle of cheese + arugula – all baked in the oven. It was just ok.

Snack: Last night I re-stocked my dried fruit stash, so I snacked on some dried mango + pineapple for an afternoon snack.

Then I was hungry again (thanks to my light breakfast and hard workout) so I had a little wine, cheese and proscuitto!

Dinner: We haven’t found a good burger joint in our new neighborhood (haven’t even gone out for burgers since we moved here!) so we decided to try out The Counter. It is a build-your-own burger bar…which was much harder to do than I thought!

Ultimately I chose beef + pepperjack + tomato + fried onions + lettuce + pickles all on an english muffin. Oh, and a combination of regular and sweet potato fries hiding in the back. The burger was great, but I’m not sure how I feel about the whole “choosing your own” which is surprising, because normally I love that kind of stuff! Maybe I’ll be more adventurous next time.

Needless to say, it was a good burger.

The night was finished off with some of my favorite chocolate and relaxing with the Taster – perfection!

Enjoy your Thursday!