Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Sweet Potato Mexican Pie

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Some like it hot.

My food as a child

I like it really hot.

Spicy often means a craving Mexican food.  Most people think of Mexican as being unhealthy, but it’s actually one of the easiest cuisines to lighten up.  Latin cooking is derives flavors from spices and herbs more so than fats.  A little cumin, peppers, and cilantro can go a long way!

Ideas for ordering at Mexican restaurants

  • Tell your server not to bring chips so the temptation isn’t even on the table
  • Chicken or veggie fajitas, soft tacos, grilled shrimp or chicken, and ceviche are usually safe bets
  • Ask them to go light on the oil and salt
  • Choose soft tacos over chips, hard tacos, or rice; also request corn tortillas if available
  • Use salsa rather than cheese or sour cream to add flavor
  • Order black or pinto beans rather than refried
  • If you must have a margarita (and you know I must), order it with fresh lime juice instead of the sugar-y, processed sour mix

In keeping with my Kitchen Workout guidelines, I decided to satisfy my Mexican craving at home rather than go out to eat.

Spicy tomato sauce and sweet potatoes will forever be a favorite combination.  Those flavors were in my head all day as I thought about how I would attack dinner.

Adding spices is a quick and easy way to make a meal something special   One of my “secrets” to a good tomato sauce is adding a bit of cinnamon.  It lifts the flavors and gives the illusion of a hunt of sweetness.

While this ingredient list may look long, it comes together very quickly.  Make substitutions based on your preferences and what you have on hand.  Just be sure to add small amounts at a time and taste as you go!

This dish makes 6 servings.  I ate 4 over the course of the week and froze the remaining two to take to work.  They have been perfect as homemade frozen lunches.

To make this vegetarian/vegan, use tempeh or TVP in place of the ground chicken.

 

Sweet Potato Mexican Pie

  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1/2 jalapeño, seeded and diced
  • 2 T dried cilantro
  • 1 T garlic powder
  •  1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp cayenne
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1 C chopped red pepper
  • 2/3 C chopped baby bellas
  • 2 C diced tomatoes (I used fire roasted)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 medium zucchini, sliced
  • 2 C spinach leaves
  • 1 large sweet potato

Preheat oven to 350.

Brown the chicken in a pot with onion, jalapeño, and spices.

When chicken is cooked, add peppers, mushrooms, tomato sauce, and water.  Let simmer for 10 mins.

While that mixture is simmering, peel and thinly slice the sweet potato.

Grease a 9×9 baking pan with olive oil.  Layer a quarter of the meat sauce, followed by a layer of sweet potato slices, zucchini slices, and then spinach.  Repeat until you’re out of ingredients, making sure to leave enough sauce to top the dish.

Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 mins.  Remove the foil and bake for another 15 mins.

Let cool slightly before serving.

Makes 6 servings.

***

Writing this made me want a margarita.  Doh.

Do you have any secrets for eating healthy at restaurants?

Do you like food with a little heat?  I find I want it even more in the winter months.

Blends, Friends, and Food

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Regular people don’t think about food pairings all day.

 

This still baffles me.

When you find those friends who understand you, it’s like the skies part and angels descended from heaven on golden beams.  Mmmm… angel food cake with caramel…

 

Last weekend Allie was coming back ATL to train, and Heather decided to come along for the ride.  I was MORE than excited to have weekend pancakes straight from the Pancake Queen herself (I swear that’s not the only reason I invited her).

Heather, Me, and Allie (photo courtesy Heather)

 

We lived it up!  After they arrived and I burned homemade pop-tarts in the oven, we headed to my favorite underground supper club, Push Start Kitchen.  If you are ever anywhere near Atlanta, try to get a seat at Zach and Christina’s table (literally – the dinner’s are in their home).  It will be a meal you’ll never forget.

We started with masa sticks and tomato aioli, and a warming beverage of dark rum, lemon, simple syrup, and black tea.  Normally I’m not a masa fan.  It is often dry and flavorless   Of course, Zach is a champion masa-maker.  These were perfectly crisp on the outside while remaining moist inside.

 

The Menu (Photo courtesy Heather)

 

Then we took seat at the table and were fed like royalty.  The first course – bacon-apple fritters – was my favorite.  Their richness was perfectly balanced by the pickled apple and licorice-y fennel.  I could eat this all-day every day.

 

Everything was incredible, but I have to take my hat off to Zach’s baking skills.  The coffee tres leches was the best I’ve ever had.  It even tops the plain tres leches he makes.  Served with Evan Williams ice cream, candies macadamias, and chili-laced chocolate sauce… I was a bit weepy when it was gone.  I managed to keep it classy.  I blame the wine pairings.

 

With eating adventure #1 completed, I went to bed full… but had dreams of breakfast.  Pancakes.  Even though she was my guest, I asked Heather to make breakfast.  How could I not when she makes my tummy rumble every week with her giant stacks?

Heather keeping the ‘cakes warmed in the oven

 

Snickerdoodle Pancakes.  With an array of topping options, from syrups to NuttZo.

 

Here’s the recipe on Heather’s blog.  I’d advise you to make a double batch.  They are THAT good. 

 

Having filled up on bacon and steak the night before, the obvious next move was to hit up Atlanta Veg Fest, a vegan festival.  We came, we saw, we sampled.  Basically, I ate vegan deli meat (Dough Bakery, you rock!),  chips, vegan cheese, and an amazing peanut butter ice cream for lunch: 

 

Are you full yet?  We walked it out all afternoon in one of my favorite neighborhoods followed by a trip to the legendary giant farmer’s market.  By dinnertime I was hungry again!  Allie was feeling in a funk so she opted to rest up at my place while Heather and I hung out in at Barcelona Wine Bar.

 

Clockwise from the top left: Grilled okra in chorizo oil (I found a way to like okra!), Red Snapper and shrimp ceviche, caramelized brussel sprouts (bacon, shallots, and thyme… SO good) and grilled hangar steak with black truffle sauce (perfectly rare), and Idiazabal cheese with grapes and quince jam.

(There was also a complimentary flan involved, thanks to the bartender having a teensy crush on Heather.  You can read all about that in her review. 🙂 )

 

Once again happy and full, we returned to my place where we stayed up too late chatting and ogling desserts on Pinterest.  Typical bloggers… LOL!

 

You’d think we were done eating, but we had one more stop on the way out of town: Dulce Vegan.

It was a momentous occasion: Heather fell in love with Cholula sauce.  It was the perfect amount of heat added to their creamy butternut squash soup.  I must have the heat to balance the sweet… which is why I developed my Butternut-Apple Soup recipe.

 

We also split a TLT (tempeh, lettuce, and tomato) sandwich and a fennel-apple slaw.  The slaw wasn’t my favorite, but the way they spiced up the tempeh on that sandwich hit the spot. 

 

We were so sad to say good-bye.  The whole weekend was a blast.  I even learned new tricks!  Heather taught me about whisking eggs to make pancakes fluffier, and about the glories of Pic Monkey (which I employed in Monday’s post).  I wish we lived closer so we could do this every weekend!

 

BUT – speaking of every weekend – I’m doing it again this weekend!  I’m hopping a plane for Colorado to visit former Georgian Heather and her hubby.  They are graciously letting my crash their new place and tag a long for a Turkey Week ski trip.  And a 5K.  In the cold.  How did I get roped into this? 😉

 

The icing on the cake is that Lauren and her hubby will be there for some of the visit too!  It’s going to be a mini Blend reunion!  (Lauren, why don’t I have a pic of us?!)

***

Next week I have some amazing guest posts lined up… and there will be a break for Thanksgiving.  I hope everyone takes some time to unplug and appreciate the world out from behind the computer screen. 🙂

Do you ever get to hang out with bloggers in “real life?”

Do you have your Thanksgiving menu planned yet?  I have no idea what we’ll be eating… but it better be warm after that 5K!

 

My Last Supper

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I can be so predictable.

 

If only my life could be predictable…

Allie was in town this weekend for a training session with my trainer… excuse me… OUR trainer. 🙂

She came in Friday night and since we are on the same nutrition plan (minus the sodium restriction for her) so I volunteered to make dinner.  Obviously, I made cauliflower crust pizza.

 

 

We had a little pizza-topping party.  Allie’s (in the back) had a veggie burger and asparagus.  Mine (in the front) had tomato sauce, sauteed kale and red pepper, butternut squash, and chicken.

 

And then we went to Whole paycheck Foods where we bought pumpkin hummus.  I also got a kombucha on tap.  Typical bloggers.

 

When we got back home I made PB & Ceggs (Peanut Butter & Carrot Eggs – the vegan tofu version).  I won’t bore you with yet another pic of those.

The next day we woke up and I had what will probably be my last runny egg before my competition before we headed to the gym for a leg session and posing practice.  Obviously, we were armed with a cooler of smoothies, proteins, and veggies.

 

 

This was the most predictable 24 hours 2 bloggers could have.  And it was a BLAST.

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The unpredictable was just as fun.  We trekked up the highway to my hair stylist, Karen at Lava Hair Studio (I drive an hour to see her – that’s dedication).  Allie got a trim too – how cute are those blunt edges?!  Karen decided brown with red undertones were the way to go for the show – I have NO vision; I always ask her to do whatever she think would be cool.  I think she made the perfect color choice!

 

 

Annnnnd… then we had my last supper.  Last cheat supper, that is.  Allie and I met new guest blogger Kat at STG Trattoria,

We started with a bruschetta of butternut squash, ricotta, and arugula.  It was supposed to have cashews but they didn’t make it on our plate.  It was good… but the added crunch and richness of cashews would have made it better.

For our main, Allie and I split a pizza.  Yes, more pizza.  This was an Italian-style crust and was topped with ricotta salatta, sweet onion, mint, and lamb sausage (Allie ordered her half sans lamb).  The lamb sausage was was flavorful without being over-powering or greasy.  I loved the char on the crust; however, the middle was a big soggy.  It was a solid effort.  You better believe there wasn’t a crumb left!

 

 

Of course, I couldn’t pass up one last dessert.  Our chocolate mousse was topped with whipped ricotta, macerated strawberries, sea salt, and olive oil.  This may have been my favorite part of the meal – the mousse was dark, letting the strawberries provide much of the sweetness.  The olive oil and sea salt on top was absolutely perfection.  I love a dessert that is rich without being painfully sweet.

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Workout Recap

I’m starting to freak out a little.  Watching other people prep, I never understood why they were so obsessive and worrying over every little detail… and then I woke up Sunday morning feeling guilty about the last cheat meal and began reading every body building forum I could find.  My abs are not wonderful.  They have always been my most-hated body part.  I blame genetics and a really short torso.

After talking myself off the ledge, I went to the gym and had a great workout.  Apparently 100 daily (assisted) pull-ups develop the muscle under your arms as well as your back.  Excuse the bewildered look.  It was a tough arm day.

 

 

Workout Recap (10/15 – 10/19):

  • Monday – Shoulders/Glutes, 1 mile incline walk 100 pull ups
  • Tuesday – Chest/Bis, 100 pull ups, Calf raises, 1.25 mile incline walk
  • Wednesday – Shoulders/Glutes, 1 mile walk 100 pull ups
  • Thursday – REST, 100 push ups
  • Friday – Back/Tris, (180 pull-ups were part of the workout), Calf raises
  • Saturday – Legs (with trainer)
  • Sunday – Chest/Bis, 100 pull ups, Calf raises

***

OMGOMGOMG… less than 2 weeks!!! I bought my bling this weekend too. 🙂

Are you loyal to a hair stylist?

What would your last cheat meal be?

 

Strange But (Mostly) Good

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Strange is good, but not always.

 

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

 

I don’t know if I can get on board with this.  Maybe the Cinnamon & Sugar.  Pumpkin Pie Spice is really pushing it.  Certainly NOT the White Chocolate & Peppermint.

The Huffington Post agrees with my assessment.  They compared the Cinnamon & Sugar to Cinnamon Toast Crunch.  They couldn’t take more than a bit of the White Chocolate & Peppermint, calling it a “horrible abomination to humanity.”  These interesting chip flavors are set to debut in November.

 

Who am I to judge?  Some of you may think items on this Friday’s “Strange But Good” list are just as revolting.

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1. Banana-Cottage Cheese Toast.  With Bacon.

I mixed up some no-salt cottage cheese, 1/2 a mashed banana, cinnamon, peanut flour, and just enough almond milk to keep it from being dry.  Then I slathered it on top of a toasted piece of P28 High Protein Bread… and topped it with a teeny bit of crumbled bacon.

Sweet, salty, creamy, and crunchy.  This breakfast was everything I could want.  Clearly this was before the great sodium cut.

Side note: one of my favorite ATL chefs, Kevin Gillespie, now has an online show.  Check out “The Bacon Show.”

 

2. Dilly Salmon and Raspberry Salad

After the blood orange and curried salmon salad success I posted on Wednesday, I decided to keep going with the salmon combos.  This salmon was pre-coked in dill and lemon, them I shredded it and mixed it with raspberries, fresh basil, and crushed Marcona almonds.  Ah-mazing.

That bite from the raspberries was perfect with the salmon and the crunch factor from the almond sent me over the edge.  A healthy fat win.

 

3. Vegan Softserve with Sriracha

While Allie was in town last weekend, we hit up Dough Bakery, one of my favorite vegan spots in Atlanta.  They offer vegan softserve cups, cones, or shakes. I opted for the cone with sprinkles… and then I eyed the Sriracha left over from our biscuits.

Sweet and spicy… I wanted it to be better than it was.  It needed another component.  Maybe if it had been a sriracha chocolate sauce?  Strange… still mostly good.

 

They also had zombie cupcakes.  I refrained, but I had to share this picture of Halloween strange But Good-ness: 

 

4. Semi-Homemade Hotel Breakfast

PSA: The Homewood Suites in Ft. Worth, TX doesn’t serve oatmeal everyday.  They alternate them with grits (welcome to the South).

Luckily I had a BYOP (bring your own protein) back up plan.  I’m surprised the TSA didn’t take my bag with all the goodies I packed.

Into my bowl went:

  • 1/2 a mashed banana
  • Mini-box of Cheerios
  • 1 serving protein powder (pre-mixed with flax before I left)
  • Sugar-free syrup (first time I’ve seen that on a b’fast bar!)
  • Peanut butter

 

It wasn’t half bad!  I wish there was cinnamon, but the stuff they had was pre-mixed with sugar.  Remember to mash the banana first if you’re working with one bowl.  It gets messy if you try mashing with the cereal in the bowl (not that I would know…).

My awesome boss didn’t even blink an eye. 🙂

 

5. Vegan PB & Zeggs*

I know I posted this with the recipe on Wednesday, but I have to give it another shout out.  Since the loss of egg whites, I needed a new way to enjoy my PB& Jeggs creations.

Scrambled tofu is a great, low sodium alternative to eggs!  I am so in love with my Peanut Butter and Carrot scramble (PB& Ceggs)… naturally I had to try it with zucchini too.  New favorite Meal 6 is PB & Zeggs.

My only changes were to use grated zucchini in place of carrot and used almond extract in place of the maple.  Topped with extra cinnamon because I’m an addict it’s good for you.

*I suppose I should name this PB & Zofu… but that just doesn’t sound as good!

 

Bonus Round:

This is a bonus because I’m not telling you what it is until Monday!  Let’s just say it was delicious.  Any guesses?  2 hints: it was for Meal 2 on Thursday…. and it contained 20g of protein. 🙂

***

I’m thinking of hosting a bi-weekly (weekly?) “Strange But Good” round-up.  Would anyone be interested in participating?

Would you try those funky Pringles flavors?

What’s the strangest thing you’ve eaten this week?

 

A Taste of Atlanta

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Bloggers make the best house guests.

 

This weekend my girl Allie @ Forgotten Beast came to Atlanta for a visit and to train with my trainer, Steve, at House of Payne.  Allie is also training for a figure competition.  She definitely lives up to her blog name – girl is a BEAST!

Steve made us strike a pose for a post-training mug shot:

 

We trained, we had posing practice… and then we ate our way through Atlanta. 

Allie eats a plant-based diet, so I knew I had to take her to one of my favorite vegan places in town, Dough Bakery. We split the “egg and bacon” biscuit above along with some vegan soft-serve before walking around one of Atlanta’s funkier neighborhoods (Little 5 Points).

For dinner we hit up Cakes & Ale where we split basically half of the menu and took pictures of it.  All tasty, but our favorite was the brie, and marinated greens with walnut croutons.  Our second favorite was the absolutely fabulous staff (Hi William!).  We rounded out the night with a craft beer from Brick Store Pub.  Allie is a fan of the craft, and this place has a beer menu that reads like fine dining restaurant’s wine list.

 

 

We stayed up too late chatting and eating the remainder of my S’more Bars.  It was awesome.  And I begged her to move to ATL.

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The next day we continued to eat our way through Atlanta.  It was the day of my cooking demo at Taste of Atlanta!

 

 

I was terrified, but SO glad to have Allie there for moral support.  My friend Kathleen also came; it means so much to have friends there when you jump so far outside your comfort zone.  You guys were also so great with the encouraging comments and tweets this weekend!

There wasn’t a huge crowd, but there were spectators that weren’t my friends.  I thought when they said they’d provide 2 burners that it would be little  stop top… notssomuch.  It was a Bunsen burner.  Between that and the wind, the Butternut Squash-Apple Soup took what felt like forever to make.  Just browning the garlic took 10 mins.

 

The view from the stage during set up

 

Overall, it did go well.  The burner eventually warmed up (thank you to the amazing volunteers who helped get it going), and I was able to prove that this is a soup you could make on a campsite.  🙂

I did have an amateur fail: I was so flustered by the end that I forgot to add the turmeric.  Thank god Sweetwater Growers’ infused olive oil and fresh herbs were so flavorful the soup still tasted good.

 

 

Thank you to Scott and Sweetwater Growers for asking me to demo my recipe using their Red Pepper-infused olive oil.

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Workout Recap

Last week I mentioned we added 100 pull ups (assisted ) to my daily routine.  I did them most days… travel and long workouts threw me off a little.  My goal this week is to buy a pull up bar so it’s easier for me to get them done each and every day.

But that’s not as exciting as posing pics, right?  Yes, I asked permission before plastering Allie’s ass on the internet.

 

Workout Recap (10/1 – 10/7):

  • Monday – Shoulders/Glutes, Calf raises, 100 pull-ups, 1 mile walk
  • Tuesday – Chest/Bis, 100 pull ups, 2 mile walk
  • Wednesday – Legs (w/ trainer), 2 mile walk
  • Thursday – Back/Tris, 100 pull-ups
  • Friday – Rest, 100 PUs, 1.5 mile walk
  • Saturday – Legs (with Trainer), 2 mile walk
  • Sunday – Rest, 2 mile walk

***

I’m 4 weeks out from my competition… the diet is getting crazier.  More on that and a new fitness feature tomorrow! 

When was the last time you had to go outside your comfort zone?

Have you ever met your “online” friends in real life?

 

Maple Bacon Pancake Cookies

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Cheating gets a bad wrap.

 

Cheat day, that is.  That cheatin’ man doesn’t deserve a second look.  

This cheat day weekend was a little spread out… but I had trainer-blessings in my quest to gain more weight.

 

Saturday was Take Your Mom to the Gym Day.  This Saturday Mom joined me at my gym for a workout, and scheduled time with my trainer to being a program of her own.  Mother-Daughter Beast Mode = ON.

 

 

Mamma has gotten on pain relief (she was sidelined for a long time after a bad surgery), and has decided to refocus on fitness and building muscle.  I am SO proud of her!

 

 

After out workout we headed to Buford Highway, Atlanta’s ethnic food mecca, for a refuel.  Korean BBQ at Hae Woon Dae (5805 Buford Hwy., Doraville, GA 30340, 770-451-7957).  If you’re in ATL, I highly recommend it – don’t be scared by the fact that you practically have to turn into a “Gentleman’s Club” to get there.

 

 

If you’ve never experienced an authentic Korean BBQ meal, I cannot recommend it enough.  They cook the meat over charcoal at your table (they also have tofu), and serve it with a boat-load of tasty sides like cabbage kimchi, cucumber kimchi, pickled radishes, sprouts, lettuce, and soy bean paste.  Also, don’t skip the Korean pancakes.  The egg and flour-based pancakes are traditionally laced with scallions, but often include other add-ins.  Ours also contained carrots, zucchini, and kimchi.

 

Sunday my friends Summer and Annette had a baby shower celebrating the impending arrival of TWINS!

 

 

I had the honor of creating a few desserts… I may have gotten a little carried away with the baking, but it is fun to cut loose and get creative with the full-fat sugar-loaded treats every once in a while.

If you follow me on Instragram, you may have seen this shot of my grocery basket on Friday night:

 

 

You may have also seen the following scene as I cooked.  This is what happens when you’re frying bacon, creaming an obscene amount of butter and sugar, and it’s time for your 20g of protein (yup – that’s salmon).

 

 

The bacon and the creamed deliciousness were for 2 things that I could eat 24×7 and never tire of (though my waist line may say otherwise):  Maple Bacon Pancake Cookies and Banana S’More Nut Bars.

 

 

These S’more Bars are the best I’ve ever had.  I only wish I could take credit for the recipe!  They are the ingenious work of Eric Wolitzky from Cake & Ale in Decatur, GA.

The restaurant serves some of the best food in Atlanta (they are responsible for getting me to like seafood), but their bakery was recently recognized by Bon Appetite as one of the best in America.

 

 

The only liberties I took were to replace the milk chocolate with dark, use plain peanuts instead of salted, and toast the marshmallows before mixing them into the fudge-y chocolate-banana-peanut butter fudge.  Next time you have the occasion to go all-out with a dessert, MAKE THIS.  Click here for the full recipe.

 

Creation #2 was my own.  A pancake in cookie form.  It’s like breakfast for dessert.  I cooked bacon for the first time in years (I’m not actually a bacon fanatic as this post would indicate).  The only downside is that my condo STILL smells like bacon. 🙂

 

 

Maple syrup is a must with pancakes, so I added extract to  mine to acheive that deep sweetness.  I wasn’t sure I’d want to add anything else, as bacon is potent stuff… but I decided to stir in some dark chocolate chips.  What’s better that chocolate chip pancakes?

 

 

Sweet, salty and indulgently amazing, these chewy cookies are fit for any cheat day.  I’d say my trainer agrees since his sample were gone almost as fast as I could hand him the baggie.

Recipe at the bottom.

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First we need to recap what I did to EARN that incredible day of cheats!  No huge news to recap this week.  It was a good week of workouts, and I’m excited to keep seeing gains as I keep pushing and amp up the protein.

I don’t ever get to see my back, so I recruited Mom to take a pic while we were at the gym this weekend:

 

 

Workout Recap (9/4 – 9/9):

  • Tuesday – Shoulders/Butt, 1.5 mile walk
  • Wednesday – Chest/Biceps, Calf raises, 100 push-ups
  • Thursday – Legs (with trainer), 2 mile walk
  • Friday – Back/Triceps, Calf raises
  • Saturday – Shoulders/Butt
  • Sunday – Chest/Biceps, Calves

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Maple Bacon Chocolate Chip Pancake Cookies

  • 1/2 C butter, softened
  • 1 1/3 C granulated sugar
  • 2 Large eggs
  • 2 C pancake mix
  • 1 tsp maple extract
  • 12 oz bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1/3 C dark chocolate chips

 

Cream butter and sugar together in large mixing bowl. Beat in egg and maple extract, mixing well.

Slowly stir in pancake mix.  Fold in the crumbled bacon and chocolate chips.

Drop by the spoonful (~1.5 T) onto parchment-lined cookie sheets and bake for 12 mins.

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

***

Back on track!  I’m determined to make this the cleanest week ever, and to keep increasing my weight.

What is your favorite “cheat?”

Have you ever had Korean BBQ?

 

Chinese Pepper Tofu + Faux Fried Rice

By

Dry is the new fry.

 

I had never even HEARD of such a thing until a recent dinner out at The Lawrence.  One bite of their Salt & Pepper Tofu and I knew it must be mine.

 

 

Dry fried tofu is an interesting dish.  You pan fry pressed tofu without any oil, leaving it more dense and pleasantly crisp.  It’s almost creates a tofu version of  fried chicken – though much less greasy.  The trick is to cook it slowly to remove the water from the tofu without burning it.  The dried tofu soaks up marinades more effectively, making it incredibly flavorful.

 

 

Faux fried rice was almost an after thought to this one.  I was concocting my tofu recipe and eyed a box of Kamut® Khorasan Wheat I received to sample.

Asian dishes need fried rice… this isn’t exactly rice, but it worked.  I think it is better because I do not like especially like rice, and thanks to this box I discovered that I DO like Kamut.

 

 

Kamut has crazy-high amount of nutrients vs. other wheats, and has selenium, fiber, and… drumroll please… a good amount of protein (7g per serving)!  Kamut sent me flour, pasta, and berries.  The Kamut Berries* (sold under the Bob’s Mill Label) are what I used here.  It was my first time cooking them myself and I was quite pleased.  The package suggests soaking them over night, but I ignored that little detail and they turned out just fine.  Wheat berries have long been my favorite carb on the hot bar at Whole Paycheck Foods, and these Kamut berries are very similar.  They are fairly large in size (think large pearl couscous), chewy, nutty, and a little on the sweet side.

*Yes, I received this for free.  No, it didn’t affect my opinion… I had a hard time keeping my mouth shut if I don’t like something. 😉

 

 

After it as all dried and fried, I marinated my tofu in rice vinegar before coating it in a mixture of rice flour, pepper, and Chinese 5-Spice.  5-Spice is an awesome blend of  fennel, cloves, Szechuan peppercorn, star anise, and cinnamon – encompassing the five primary flavors of Chinese cuisine (sweet, sour, pungent, bitter, and salty).

That peppery goodness with the ginger and sweet red pepper-laced “fried rice” was so good made me wonder how I ever ate Chinese take-out.

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Chinese Pepper Tofu + Faux Fried Rice

For the Tofu:

  • 5 oz tofu, pressed and patted dry
  • Rice vinegar
  • 2 T brown rice flour
  • 1 tsp corn starch
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp Chinese 5-spice
  • Oil

 

Cut pressed tofu into cubes or triangles, about 1 inch thick.  Place tofu in a non-stick pan over low-medium heat (my electric stove top was on 4), leaving room between pieces.  Slow cooking important so that tofu doesn’t stick or burn before the water has time to evaporate out.  Do NOT use oil – you are trying to leech all of the moisture.

As the tofu cooks, use a spatula to frequently press down on each piece.  Once the bottom sides are firm and golden in color, flip the tofu pieces and fry the other side, again pressing each piece.  They are done when they are golden and firm on both sides.

Place tofu in just enough rice wine vinegar to submerge and stir.  Marinate 10-15 mins.

Meanwhile, mix together remaining ingredients in a small bowl.

Lightly coat tofu in the flour mix.  Lightly spray pieces with oil (I have a can of EVOO from Trader Joe’s) and place in pan over medium heat.  Cook until outside are once again golden, turning once.  Note: If you don’t have spray oil, just place a small amount of oil in the bottom of your pan.

 

 

For the Faux Fried Rice:

  • 1serving (~1/2 C) Kamut (or other grain), pre-cooked
  • Olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1-in piece fresh ginger, minced
  • Red pepper
  • Green onion
  • Shiitake mushroom
  • Spinach
  • Egg whites (leave out to make vegan)
  • 1/8 tsp turmeric
  • Lime wedge

 

Heat a small amount of olive oil In a wok or skillet, and sauté garlic and ginger.

Add the other veggies (except spinach) and sauté until just softening.  

Add your grain and spinach, stirring to mix it with the other veggies.  When spinach is slightly wilted, add the egg (if using) and turmeric.  Cook until egg is done, ~5 mins.

Plate with your tofu and a twist of lime.

Enjoy!

***

This is a little more time-consuming than my bakedChili Nutty Tofu, but totally worth it!

Have you ever dry fried tofu?

What is your favorite dish at Asian restaurants?

 

The Lawrence + P28 Giveaway Winner

By

Last Saturday’s cheat day adventures didn’t end with vegan soft serve.

 

I met up with Lee @ In My Tummy and her husband, Jason for dinner.  Lee and I have been talking about checking out The Lawrence (905 Juniper St., Atlanta, GA 30309, 404.961.717) since it opened.  A few months later… we finally made it!

 

 

We studied the menu, strategizing our order.  The menu is separated into small, medium, and larger plates.  The smalls are tapas-sized, mediums contain 3-4 ounces of a protein, and the larges are 6-7 ounces of protein.  We settled on sharing a few small and medium plates.

 

 

 

First, a gift from the kitchen:

 

Our amuse bouche was a spoon of sweet corn soup with a bit of smoked trout and parsley.  This may sound weird, but I really appreciated the touch of green to balance the sweet and smoky flavors.  Maybe I’m just a big fan of greens.

 

Our first small plate was actually quite large.  This plate of grilled summer squash was served with tarragon, maldon salt, and garlic oil.  The squashes were cut into thick wedges, which meant that there was still a good crunch to the center.

 

My favorite of the smalls was this Salt & Pepper Tofu.  Lee’s husband commented that it tasted a little lick chicken.  The chef had soaked it in a rice vinegar and coated it in rice flour to dry fry.  It was served with spicy radish slices, cilantro, and Serrano pepper.  I would go back for this dish alone.

 

 

Have you ever heard of dry frying?  I wasn’t familiar with the term so I googled it and found this article.  Exactly how it sounds!  I’ll be recreating this delicious meal soon.

 

The last small was good, but somewhat unremarkable.  Thin slices of Cremini mushrooms were tossed with artichokes, arugula, and a herb-lemon vinaigrette.  It wasn’t bad, just not special.  I’d try something different next time.

 

Our mediums were excellent.  We had the seared Black Bass.  It was served with baby eggplant, confit potato, carrot, and tomato compote – a sort of deconstructed ratatouille.  I never think to serve a rich tomato sauce with fish, but I loved the flavors together.  Black Bass is on the meatier side of the fish spectrum, which the sauce complimented well.

 

Last was the Speckled Trout Sashimi.  I’ve never seen trout served sashimi-style before, so of course I had to try this out.  It was beautifully plated with a schemer of black garlic mayo, edamame, and pickled maitake mushrooms.  Much to my surprise, the trout wasn’t too fishy!  I wish I had asked where it was sourced from because it was perfectly fresh, making it palatable for this new sushi eater.

 

I sort of wanted dessert, but no one else seemed passionate about it.  That turned out to be a good thing because a plate of mini-citrus Madelines and strawberry jelly bites (like thick fruit roll-ups) were delivered along with our check.  Jelly candies aren’t my favorite; however, I could have eaten the entire plate of cookies.  It was just the thing to end the meal. I’m trying the butter cake next time though.

 

Service is a big selling point for me.  The staff at The Lawrence was fantastic.  The hostess’ were friendly, our server was knowledgeable about the menu and the (too small) wine list, and my water was kept full by the entire team.

Overall, The Lawrence is another win for the Dinner Party group.  But please expand the wine list.

 

Check out Lee’s review from earlier in the week!

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Don’t worry!!!  I didn’t forget the P28 Bread Giveaway winners!

*drum roll*

 

 

  1. Laura @ Mommy Run Fast
  2. Alysha @ She’s On the Run
  3. Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean

Congratulations!

Winners: Please send me your addresses. 🙂

***

My site was down over night and early this morning.  I apologize for this post being late… thank you guys for checking back and a BIG thank you for BlueHost customer support!

Do you freak out when you have technical problem that you have NO idea how to fix?  I admit… freaked more than a little this morning.

Do you like to order small plates to share, or have your own to hoard?

 

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