It’s a theme in my life.
Except in the dating scene. Strange = bad.
Two Fridays ago I wrote a post of some of my favorite Strange But Good concoctions… and 2 weeks later I of course have more to share!
Before we dive into the realm of odd: there is an Atlanta blogger potluck meet up this weekend. If you want to come and haven’t received an email, send me a note and I’ll forward the invite to you! The more the merrier. 🙂
Ok. Back to the strange fun stuff:
1. Salmon + Blackberry Salad
You guys may have seen this on WIAW…
I mixed 4oz salmon, 2 T fat-free ricotta, a little cinnamon, a little unsweetened almond milk, and blackberries. It was strange but oh-so-good.
2. Mexican Hot Chocolate Protein Ice Cream
Hot ice cream? Why yes… there is cayenne in it! this sweet-heat treat was a fantastic midnight snack. The green tint comes from spinach… but that’s standard, not strange.
Mexican Hot Chocolate Ice Cream
- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon (or 2 sticks)
- 1/2 in piece ginger
- 1/4 tsp cayenne (can adjust to taste)
- 1/4 C unsweetened chocolate almond milk
- 2 C spinach
- 5-6 drops liquid stevia
- 1/8 tsp guar gum (optional)
- Ice, to taste
It’s topped with Walden Farm’s Sugar-Free Caramel… but honestly… that’s more strange than good.
3. Bacon-Ricotta Stuffed Sweet Potato
After news of the impending bacon shortage… I was craving bacon. I stuffed a locally-grown pre-cooked sweet potato with with ricotta and then crumbled a small piece of pre-cooked bacon on top. Then I placed it int he oven under broil while I made a quick vegan tempeh stir-fry.
Vegan + Bacon = Tasty Dinner.
4. Zucchini Bread Protein Batter
This is Strange But Good PROOF! Debbie @ Accidentally Delish gave it a try for WIAW:
From Debbie: “You don’t even taste the zucchini. I promise.”
Click here for the full recipe.
5. Lightlife Portobello Burger with Sweet Potato-Chipotle Spread
This was strange but good on 2 counts. First, this Lightlife Portobello Mushroom Burger tasted downright meaty. I was shocked – I even went back to check the ingredient list. All vegetarian!
The best part? It has a full 20g of protein. 🙂
Second, the sweet potato as a condiment. It’s addicting… I’ve topped my salmon tortilla pizzas with it too. I love sweet with a little heat (as if you couldn’t tell from the Mexican ice cream), and that was perfectly balance here with the sweet potato and chipotle. Cumin added a warm, earthy flavor that was especially good with the meaty ‘shroom burger.
My dinner guests and I enjoyed the burgers in a very green way – on a field of spinach, cucumber, cabbage, broccoli, cilantro, and a few cannellini beans.
***Disclaimer: As a part of the DailyBuzz Food Tastemaker program, Lightlife provided me with a stipend and product for sampling. All opinions are MINE. 🙂 ***
This series is brought to you in partnership with Lightlife, Live long. Travel light. To learn more, click here http://www.lightlife.com.
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Sweet Potato-Chipotle Spread
- 1/4 C pre-cooked sweet potato, mashed
- 1 tsp chipotle in adobo
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin (or curry powder – both are good here)
- 1 T unsweetened almond milk
Place all ingredients in a small bowl and mash to combine.
Use as a condiment on burgers, pizzas, sandwiches… or a dip for your favorite veggie sticks or chips!
***
I just realized how much sweet potato I’ve been eating. These local ‘taters are just so tasty!
Do you have a favorite veggie burger?
What is your #strangebutgood this week?
OK, I am definitely trying that salmon-blackberry salmon and the bacon ricotta sweet potato!!! Looks amazing! And simple. I love simple 😉
Let me know what you think! Maybe next Friday should be #strangebutsimple. 😉
okay, so i think i have done all these before, but i used blueberries instead of black berries. Sheesh woman, i love your taste.
I love blueberries too! It’s also good in tuna. Salmon + peaches still remains my favorite.
oh ya! mine too! i tried plums once too. Not bad!
I did that too! I either posted it or IG’d it… awesome with cinnamon and cayenne!
DUDE some of these actually sound really yummy!! I love strange combos– sometimes they turn out to be the tastiest things ever 🙂
My strange but good– tuna mixed with peanut butter and cottage cheese…sounds so weird but it’s amazinggg 😀
Ok, this cracked me up: “some of these actually sound really yummy.” LOL!
And yeah… tuna and PB is strange. I may have to try it.
I love strange but good combos! Although not mine, I think my mom’s for the week is sweet potato with peanut butter….apparently it’s not that heard of beyond the blog world. Nonetheless she was a fan! Right now, my favorite veggie burgers are hummus burgers – chickpeas for the win!
Really?! That’s a favorite… with bacon.. 😉 Has she had it with tahini?
Are the stats on the burger pretty good? I’ll have to look for them when I’m at the store. 🙂 Have a great weekend, Laura!
Not bad! A little higher in sodium than I like, but I’ve seen MUCH worse.
What strange but good thing are you bringing to the potluck?!
I have NO idea. any requests/ideas?
Love all the different recipes! I want to try that hot protein ice cream! Sounds delicious!
ooh great idea on bacon + sweet potato + ricotta. nice work!
How did I know you’d like that one? 😉
I thought I was the only person in this world to enjoy the bacon, sweet potato & ricotta combo. So glad to know I’m not alone 🙂
It’s a cool one, right?! I need to get more creative with what I mix in the ricotta though.
Mmmm that Mexican Hot Chocolate Protein Ice Cream looks perfect!
I am probably as far from the strange as they come. I enjoy looking at all of your combinations but all the while I am shaking my head thinking “I don’t think I could eat that.” Maybe it would be good, but I just don’t have the intestinal fortitude to give it a go.
The veggie burger looks tasty…however I don’t think I have a favorite, I lean more towards black bean burgers *YUM*
Rachel, Rachel… it’s not like I’m posting caviar recipes! LOL! 😉
Lightlife has a black bean too… haven’t tried it yet. I think the sodium is higher in that one.
so freaking good, I have to say i thought of you when I made my by accident tofu chips. so good,
That sounds amazing…
Ha you are so creative! I think I may have to try the Salmon Blackberry combo….
I’m always up to try new things- and I’d willingly try all of these! Yum!
I put egg in my oatmeal today with cinnamon and chia seeds…it tasted like french toast oatmeal! YUM! I love strange, but good flavors. I think so many people think one way about food and there is no adventure in that!
I hope you have an incredible weekend! Say hi to everyone for me! I will miss you guys!
I LOVE egg in oats! It’s almost silky in texture. Mmmm…
I LOVE portabello burgers. I’ve never heard of lightlife so I haven’t tried that one. I’ve always thought Boca’s were pretty good though.
They are the people that make a lot of the “meats” in the vegetarian refrigerated section of the grocery store. This is their first venture into frozen foods (i think).
Okay, definitely adding some heat to my usual chocolate-protein-dough-dessert-stuff this evening! I love the combo of spicy + sweet/chocolate, it’s gonna be gooood.
Did you do it?! I’m going to do it to my yogurt tomorrow. 🙂
I did! It was delicious, but also sort of a bad idea, because spicy last meal of the day? Weeeird dreams. Pretty sure I spent hours running through an airport in an attempt to escape a hurricane that night. Saving it for breakfast next time ;D
Ohhhh… yeah, I kind of have a stomach of steel.
Salmon concoction is definitely interesting!! I am loving all of these… spicy and chocolate is always good!
I never think your meals look strange…delicious more like it!:)
I love turkey with homemade sugar free blueberry jam. It sounds so weird but is really awesome together!
Strange foods always taste the best!
Thanks Lisa!!! Turkey and jam sounds good! That’s just like eating it with cranberry at Thanksgiving, right?!
I basically make cookies out of canned salmon with sweet potato, cinnamon and coconut butter. Kind of weird, but still good.
that sounds incredible. Do you have a recipe or just mush it together?
It’s just one can salmon, 1/2 cup sweet potato puree, 1 Tbsp coconut flour, cinnamon and a little egg white so it can hold together and form two pretty big patties. I bake them at 425 for 25-35mins. They kind of take a while to cook. I usually make them to have them for breakfast the next morning when I reheat them and put a Tbsp of coconut butter on top. There’s your fish at 10am 😉
That sounds awesome – I’ll be making these soon! Thank you! 🙂
Omg, I love the bacon-fied potato next to the vegan sautee! Life IS all about balance isn’t it? Lol
Believe it or not, I haven’t really had any strange combos this week since I’ve been obsessed with pumpkin cake and my new lunch love: chickpea tuna melts…I guess some people would think it’s weird to put chickpeas into tuna salad, but please, for people like us, why WOULDN’T you put chickpeas in tuna salad?!
I’m totally diggin the idea of that sweet potato chipotle dip…I just wish they sold adobo in squeeze packets or something! I NEVER end up using the whole can before it starts looking suspicious! haha!
Favorite veggie burger: TJ’s Vegetable Masala burger…it’s amazing with a fried egg on top…gotta have my balance don’tcha know? 😉
I’m obsessed with your pumpkin cake too. So. Good.
When I open a can I just transfer it to a piece of tupperware. It’s been in my fridge for a loooong time and hasn’t killed me… yet…
those are some strange combos! the spread sounds really yummy. 🙂
Thanks! I can’t get enough of it lately!
we feel we eat strange combos too! makes food more fun, well we think so.
love veggie burgers with sweet potato or quinoa in them 🙂
You do eat some strange combos…. and I love them! 🙂
I love Goat Cheese and Hummus on my burger 🙂
That sounds amazing. Why haven’t I put hummus on a burger?!
Strange IS usually good my friend and you seemed to have mastered it 😀
Yum!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Strange = bad in dating??? hmmmm What about crazy??? 🙂
Bacon-Ricotta Stuffed Sweet Potato?? Oh ya bring it on!
Crazy = Strange. 😉
Does it make me strange that I don’t think your combos are all that strange?! 😛 The bacon + ricotta sweet potato sound like the bomb! My most recent “test” has been sweet eggs- loveee them!!!
Haha – no, it makes me think you ROCK. 🙂
Did you make the PB + Jeggs?! I’m so addicted.
So i embarrassingly admit I have nooo clue what “jeggs” are BUTTT after scrolling through our recipe page [which was long overdue] I now know and they sound delic!!! I’ve combined egg whites + PB2 a few times and others it’s simply been cinnamon raisin [like a french toast dip minus the actual bread]!
Ahaha you make me laugh. And you have a way with food lady, that you do. 😀
Why thank you, ma’am. 🙂
Gah, I have had layovers in the Atlanta airport about a million times in the past two months, but haven’t managed to make it there this trip! Next time, next time…. oh the lure of your creations!
Awwww! I wish I’d known – I am not far from the airport!
i make so many weird combinations my normal ones seem weird to me.
maybe that’s why i love your blog so much 😡
<3
Hahaha – comment of the day. I know EXCATLY what you mean.
Thank you. 🙂
I love sweet potato as a condiment and as a topping. I like to mince it and roast it and then use it as a salad topping. So good.
I went to grab cherries and ginger today so I could make your smoothie and there were no cherries. Boo!
Yes! I love them on salads. Winter squash too!
Cherries are so hard to find sometimes. I always buy a ton when I see them.
You have the best taste buds! I love all of these combos, especially salmon and blackberries. And yes strange and dating don’t mix!
I can’t think of a strange but good from this week, but I’m sure there was something. I guess coconut butter, cocoa powder, and whipped cream vodka is strange to some people, but it’s a heck of a chocolate topping for non-dairy ice cream! 🙂
That doesn’t sound strange. That sounds like heaven. 😉
I LOVE of your crazy-fabulous-wild creations. To hell with be boring in any aspect of life. XOXO
And that is why I love you.
I love me some spicy black bean burgers!! That salmon and blackberry combo looks good!
You probably aren’t shocked by this, but I don’t think any of this is in any way weird.
I want that sweet potato spread.
Now.
I love your strange but good combinations! I’m so happy I found your blog!
Thank you so much!!! 🙂