Thyme for Carrots

February 17, 2011 By Laura

In Atlanta it is easy to forget you are still in the South…

… along with that comes some old school beliefs.

My least favorite is the law that dictates one cannot purchase alcohol on Sundays. The Sabbath.

Source: JOEFF DAVIS/CL FILE

Clarification: you are allowed to drink in restaurants/bars. Just don’t try to purchase it from a store to drink in the safety of your own home.

This craziness was all set up to change this year! Lawmakers proposed a bill that would allow cities and counties in Georgia to decide individually whether or not to allow alcohol sales in stores on Sunday Funday.

Democracy? *Insert look of horror here*

Sadly, as of today it isn’t looking so good for People for the Ethical Treatment of Alcoholics (PETA). Republican lawmakers are scared of what voting in favor of Sunday sales will do to their political future, and the bill looks to be on its last legs.

So… I can buy a lotto ticket (i.e. gamble) on Sunday, but buying a 6-pack is just too much hedonism for the state to handle.

Georgia lawmaker fail.

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All this talk about booze makes me want a snack! 🙂

I have been CRAVING carrots. They are one of the hardest things to puree enough in raw-form to eat.

Gena @ Choosing Raw to the rescue! I saw her recipe for Dilly Carrot Avocado Spread and knew it had to be mine.

I made a couple of adjustments based on what I had, but the base is still carrot + avocado. Brilliant.

This would be an awesome party dish – I can imagine crispy, salty tortilla chips with it… or spread on naan with spinach, tomatoes, and grilled tempeh… mmmmm…

Thyme Carrot Avocado Spread

2 carrots
1 avocado
Juice of 1 lime
3-4 springs of thyme
1/4 c yellow onion
crushed red pepper flakes to taste
S + P to taste

Using the grater attachment for your processor, grate the carrots. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

Serve with fresh veggie slices, your favorite chips, or – if you don’t chew – it is really good on its own.

***

Is everyone thawing out from this snowy weather?

It is going to be 70 degrees in Atlanta this weekend! There is a patio calling my name. 🙂

Raw Dough Balls

December 14, 2010 By Laura

This post title makes me smile. 🙂

I haven’t gotten to exercise for 2… 3… 4 days and I am restless. Mom is still having a helluva time trying to recover. This means I refill a lot of water and juice glasses (hydration is key!), I make tons of PB + crackers, and – my favorite outlet – I bake. It also means that this post has taken me 3 days to finish.

Some people go to spas, I can relax with a late-night grocery store trip. No lines and I can wander around inspecting new items without running over screaming kids (sorry if that was your kid’s toe…).

Part 2 of my relaxation method is creating. I love to cook/bake/thrown stuff together in the kitchen. I like trying new things.

Cookie dough balls. Sans egg.

But first, we all know that in order earn dessert, veggies must be eaten. Yes, Mom. It finally stuck.

When life gives you 1/2 a leftover roasted butternut squash, make Butternut Hummus.

It sounds weird, but it is good.

Butternut Hummus

1/2 Roasted butternut squash
2 T EVOO
2 Garlic cloves
Salt & pepper
2 T Tahini

Place ingredients in food processor, blend until smooth. Add crackers, cucumber slices, zucchini sticks, and enjoy!

Notes: You can add anything to this! Try rosemary, cumin, red pepper flakes, lemon, cilantro, cinnamon… butternut tastes good with it all!

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Good job eating your veggies. Now you may have dessert, courtesy of Angela at Oh She Glows.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

2/3 C Raw, unsalted cashews
1/4 C Oats
3/4 C Spelt flour (can sub other flour)
1 tsp Sea salt
5 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
1 tsp Vanilla extract
3 T + 2 tsp Pure maple syrup
2- 3 tbsp Dark chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup Dark chocolate, melted, for dipping

Place cashews and oats in food processor until finely crumbled. Add in the flour, kosher salt, and roughly chopped dates. Process until fine.

Add vanilla and maple syrup. Blend until the mixture comes together in a ball. If too crumbly, add more syrup or a tiny bit of water.

Stir in the 3-4 T of chopped dark chocolate. Roll into balls (about 2 tsp in size).

In a double boiler or microwave, melt 1/3 cup of dark chocolate in a small bowl. Now dip each ball into the chocolate and place on baking sheet.

Freeze for 1 hour or overnight to set.

Makes about 20 balls.

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I am pretty sure there aren’t any of these left in the house.

Now that I have these down, I’m looking forward to making more flavors.

What should be next? Cinnamon Roll? Pumpkin Pie Spice? S’Mores???

Cleanse = Fries

November 9, 2010 By Laura

The Cleanse is going really well. I love that I’m trying so many new things and my energy level is great!

Funny what I don’t crave – the thought of fried food makes me nauseous. Not that I ate a lot of fried foods before, but I did have a penchant for tater tots and really good fried chicken.

And what I do crave – ice cream. I have never eaten a lot of it. Right now I would run over my own mother for a bowl. (Just kidding, Mom!!!)

I ran 3 miles on the treadmill last night to test my new running shoes. The guy at Fleet Feet recommended inserts, so I’m testing those too. The jury is still out.

What I don’t like:

The inserts feel hard (not rocks, but harder than just shoes)
Inserts make me feel like my heel isn’t deep enough in the shoe
The show may be a bit narrow… they do stretch though…

What I like:

With the inserts, my overpronation problem felt much improved
The length is perfect
The laces don’t slip (they are the wavy kind)
They are pretty 🙂

Sooooo… I’m not sure what to do. I will definitely need a couple more treadmill tests before deciding.

Side note: I used to run exclusively on a treadmill and couldn’t imagine running without a TV. Tonight I realized I now much prefer running outside and was bored to tears on the “hamster wheel.”

I had work to do and was up until nearly 1 am, so no Whittle My Middle. However, I got up this morning and did it!

Here’s the latest:

Front plank: 90 secs
Side plank: 60 secs each side
Torso twists: 40 reps
Plank ups: 14 reps
Boat pose: 25 reps
Bicycle: 2 sets of 30 reps, 1 set of 40
Side plank w/ twists: 15 reps each side

Has anyone ever heard of the snack cake diet? I am considering it after my cleanse… 😉

Rutabaga fries. They almost taste like real fries. Seriously.

I like mine extra crispy

These fries are really, really good. I’m pretty sure the San Francisco McDonald’s franchises are going to begin serving them with Happy Meals (sans toy, of course).

Rutabaga Fries

1 rutabaga
1T olive oil
2 rosemary springs
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp sea salt (ground to “flaky” texture)
3-4 shakes of cayenne

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel rutabaga and cut into thin fry-like slices. Toss with extra virgin olive oil.

Rough chop rosemary and mince garlic. Sprinkle over rutabaga slices. Add sea salt and cayenne. Toss until each piece is coated.

Spread evenly on non-stick baking sheet. Place in oven ~20 mins, turning twice. Remove, taste, and adjust spices as needed.

Note: Omit the cayenne if you don’t like you nose to run!

How about some vegan cheese sauce with that? We can’t have real cheese on our cleanse, but this isn’t bad. It definitely doesn’t taste like actual cheese, so I hesitate to call it that… but there weren’t any leftovers!

Cheesy Vegan Non-Cheese Sauce

1/4 C Tahini sauce
1/4 C EVOO
1 T Miso Tamari

Place ingredients in mixing bowl and combine until smooth.

***

Whether it be food, running, low-rise jeans, etc… are you ever shocked by how your preferences change?

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html?hpt=T2

Beans, Beans, Musical Fruit

October 7, 2010 By Laura

Everyday at work around 4pm my stomach starts growling.

Especially when my inner fat kid appears I get too excited for lunch and devour it before the clock strikes 12:01pm.

In an effort to avoid the well-stocked convenience store in my building, I come prepared. Yesterday I was armed with roasted red pepper white bean dip (like hummus, but with cannellinis and sans tahini) and raw zucchini.

Snack time!

Note about the raw zucchini: I had no idea you could eat it raw! I do not like it cooked, but raw is a whole new world. It was crisp, fresh, and had a very light taste. Perfect for getting the bean dip to my mouth. The dippers are 99% of the time just a vehicle for the dip, right?

I started making Giada De Laurentiis’ White Bean Dip several years ago and it has since evolved into its own beast. x1000. I’ve made more variations of the stuff than I can count. This was one of my better versions.

Roasted Red Pepper White Bean Dip

1/4 C toasted pine nuts
1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, drained
2 large roasted red pepper (canned)
1 garlic clove
1 jalapeno, seeded
2T fresh lemon juice ( about 1/2 lemon)
1/3 c fresh basil leaves
red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to taste
1/4 c olive oil

Place all ingredients except the olive oil in food processor and blend until just combined (about 1 minute). Slowly add olive oil.

Serve with crackers, fresh bread, or veggie sticks. Or drop the pretense and eat it with a spoon.

A few notes:

You can leave out the jalapeno or red pepper flakes
Adding the olive oil slowly while the processor runs will make the dip “fluffier,” but isn’t necessary
The olive oil can be adjusted – if you like a thicker, more pesto-like dip, use less (I often only use a couple tablespoons)
You can cut some of the oil out by not completely draining the beans (I recommend reserving some liquid and adding as you go on your first try)
This will work with other beans (such as garbanzo).