Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Celebrating Italy

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How to run 8 miles:

 

Break it down.  Run 4 miles away from your house.  Then you have no choice but to run the 4 miles back.

Stats:

  • Distance – 8 miles
  • Time – 1:04:40
  • Average Pace – 8:05 min/mile

 

Not easy after a little Friday night celebration at Sotto Sotto (313 N Highland Ave NE , Atlanta, GA, 404-523-6678).  Italian-style.

The 2007 Valdicava Rosso di Montalino was incredible.  Tons of licorice up front.  After it had about 30 minutes to open up, the layers came through and revealed a big, complex red that couldn’t have paired better with our meal.

The mushroom risotto is life-changing, especially with that wine.  So is the spinach gnocchi.  You spinach-lovers will appreciate the amount of spinach in the gnocchi – it was like they simply rolled up a ball of spinach with some cheese-y, butter-y goodness.  The pappardelle with duck ragu was good… it just couldn’t compare to how fantastic the other two dishes were.

 

My partners-in-crime and I are off to brunch and then the Dekalb Farmer’s Market to pick up supplies for a homemade Italian feast tonight!

***

If I had to choose one style of food to eat for the rest of my life, it would be Italian.

What type of cuisine could you never tire of?

 

Apple-Fennel Salad + WIAW

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Cheers to another WIAW!

This one is more of a “what I ate in preparation for and while on the road this week.”  One day life will slow down… right?!

Who am I kidding – I totally thrive on running around with my hair on fire.

Anywho… it’s a quickie because 7am meeting are a bad idea for night owls.  That does NOT mean that you should discount my Apple-Fennel Salad.  I actually surprised myself with this one.

Breakfast

Like warm… err… cool apple pie

Post-Run Apple Pie Smoothie

  •  1/4 Gala apple
  • 1 C spinach
  • 1 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
  • 1 tsp Maca powder
  • 10 drops vanilla NuNaurals Stevia
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • Sprinkle guar gum
  • Ice + Water, to taste

Lunch 

An exercise in using what’s left in my fridge before jumping on a plane turned out pretty damn good!  Loved the licorice crunch of the fennel with the sweet apple and the punch from the chili pepper.  (Scroll to bottom for the recipe.)

Insert power walk through the Atlanta airport.

We have a lot of African sculptures in the ATL airport. I don’t know why…

Snacks

Biscoff Cookie Dough Ball

Not pictured: Think Thin bar, peanuts, and a kombucha.

Insert arrival in Charlotte and pleasantly brief wait in taxi line.

The gym was nice in my hotel – they provide foam rollers (I won’t think about how many sweaty, hairy legs rolled on that thing before me) and post workouts on the walls to inspire!

Dinner

Dinner out with family in Charlotte.  I didn’t want to take pics and the lighting was terrible… but I did take a pic of the guy rocking a ‘hawk in the kitchen.

Good Food (creative name, right?!) in Charlotte, NC is worth a stop!

Small plates not-to-miss:

  • Sauteed Mushrooms with herb and garlic
  • Steamed Bun with five spice rubbed pork belly, hoisin & pickled vegetables
  • Braised Duck Fettuccini pancetta, peas & sweet onion cream
  • Macademia Nut Pie with banana ice cream

Apple-Fennel Salad

  • 1/2 medium Gala apple, diced
  • 1/2 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 small shallot, minced (~1/2 tsp)
  • 1/4 C celery, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 fresh cayenne pepper, minced (~1/4 tsp)
  • 1 tsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar 
  • 1/2 tsp tarragon
  • S+P, to taste

Mix all of the veggies together to combine.

Whisk together the remaining 5 ingredients.  Toss with veggies until just coated.

Enjoy!

Serves 1 main or 2 as sides.

***

 I’m off to Chicago tonight!  Look forward to a thought-provoking guest post by another of my favs tomorrow!

Do you travel for business?

What are some of your favorite “use everything in the fridge” dishes?

Guest Post: Corey from Learning Patience

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I’m traveling all week for work so I’ve asked a couple of awesome ladies to write guests posts!

 

First up is Corey @ Learning Patience.  I’m lucky to have recently discovered her blog – I’ve loved reading about her adventures all the way from Trinidad!

Read her post below, and then go check out her blog for more of her incredible-looking recipes AND her recent forays into surfing.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Hello Sprint 2 the Table Readers!

I’m Corey from Learning Patience!

I’m super excited to be guest posting for Laura today and it’s my first ever guest post!

Whoo hoo

I love Laura’s blog – she is such a motivation to get off your butt and workout or try and do 84 pushups a day!  (I’m only up to 70.)

I recently started Learning Patience when I became and expat in June!  My husband & I moved from Houston, TX to the beautiful island of Trinidad!  My blog is a lot about new recipes I’m trying out (I LOVE to cook), our adventures living as expats for the first time, the fun travels we take, how we stay fit and anything else that crosses my mind!

The other night, I created these vegetarian Mexican Stuffed Mushrooms for my husband and I and they were SO good!  He loved them and he is a big meat-eater!  They are healthy, flavorful, filling and best of all – Easy to Make!

Mexican Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients – serves 2

  • 2 large Portobello mushrooms 
  • 2 Tbs olive oil
  • Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste 

For the stuffing

  • 1 Tbs olive oil
  • 1/2 cup corn
  • 1 green pepper, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped  (we love garlic)
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 lime – juiced
  • About 1/3 cup of cooked couscous

 

Ready to Cook
Sautee olive oil, corn, pepper, garlic and spices on medium high heat until pepper softens – juice lime into mixture.

I wear glasses too!

 

Make couscous – set aside.

Heat grill pan on medium high heat  (or outdoor grill)

Brush mushrooms with olive oil and place on grill pan

After 4 or so minutes flip mushrooms over and grill for another 4 to 5 minutes.  Season well with salt and pepper.

Plate mushroom then fill with couscous, vegetable mixture, top with scallions, tomatoes & shredded smoked mozzarella.  Season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

I would love to meet you all – Hop on over to Learning Patience and come check out some of my other healthy & not so healthy recipes!

Thanks for having me Laura!

***

Isn’t Corey awesome?!

Who else wants to organize a blogger trip to Trinidad to surf visit Corey’s kitchen? 🙂

Dessert Dilemma

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Feast Noir.

 

It’s being held at an undisclosed location in Atlanta on August 14th.  They’ve held similar events in Paris so it must be cool.

Video of ‘Dinner en Blanc’ in Paris: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=CtZtVxho1Zk&feature=fvst

 

The premise is that 1,000 people come together to dine.  One person volunteers as the “head” of their table and organizes the others.  This means figuring out every aspect of who brings what – from the table to the silverware to the dishes.

 

Of couse I volunteered dessert. 🙂

I know I want to pair it with a Spanish sherry, and that almond pairs exceptionally well with sherry.  I also know I want to try a “next time I need something impressive to share” recipe I’ve saved (please tell me other people do this too… I have 132 saved on Delicious – and that’s just desserts).  That’s as far as I’ve gotten.

 

Now I need your help.  I’ve narrowed it down to 4 recipes.  Which one would you bring?   Or would you bring something entirely different?

 

In the running so far are my (TBD) versions of the following:

 

Sweet Cherry-Brown Butter Bars

Source: The Baker Chick


Raspberry Lemon Amaretti Cake

Source: What's For Lunch, Honey?


Creamy Peach Tart with Smokey Almond Crust

(note: this would become probably a cherry tart)

Source: Food & Wine


Chocolate Lavender Brownies with Lavender Ganache

(I realize this has nothing to do with almonds but don’t they sound fantastic?!)

Source: Sweet Life

***

Maybe I should test all 4… this is my kind of dilemma! 🙂

Have you ever heard of an event like this before?

What would you bring to share at Feast Noir?

 

Cherry Tomato-Mango Gazpacho

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Reviewing my search terms cracks me up.  

I can see how some end up at here… but some totally baffle.

Some of the best ones lately:

  • Meaning of family name sadilla
  • Can you eat raw edamame (yes)
  • Schizophrenia vegetarian (that’s me!)
  • Planking in bikini (you can even plank in your birthday suit if you like!)
  • I swallowed a jackfruit seed (they are edible – but I bet that was uncomfortable)
Hello to anyone searching gazpacho / soup today.  Cold soup.  It’s hot.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Remember those citrus-y orange cherry tomatoes I scored at the People’s Health Day 5K?  The citrus quality they possess made me think they would be especially good in a fruity gazpacho.

And they were.

 

What I didn’t foresee what the color that would develop when combining orange mangoes and tomatoes with green cilantro and peppers.  For those of you used to drinking green smoothies, this won’t be an issue. 🙂

Despite it’s appearance, this soup was quite good.  The mango makes it a thicker gazpacho and adds a sweetness that I love with the spiciness.

You may be tempted, but don’t just toss everything into the blender.  Setting aside half of the mango, tomato, and peppers makes the texture of each bite so much better.

 

The feeling of the plump cherry tomato piece in each bite along with the smoothness of the mango and crunch of the bright pepper takes the soup from good to finger lickin’ good.

 

In lieu of tortilla chips, I made cumin-spiced socca to sop up the soup.  Spreading the batter out thinly across a pan to cook made it more crispy.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

 

Cherry Tomato Mango Gazpacho

  • 1 medium champagne mango
  • 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes (orange if you can find them!)
  • 1/2 medium green pepper
  • 1/2 small shallot
  • 1/2 jalapeno, seeded
  • 2 T fresh cilantro
  • 1 garlic clove
  • Juice from 1/2 small lime
  • pinch of chile powder
  • S+P, to taste

Chop first 3 ingredient into small cubes.  Set aside 1/2 of the cubes.

Combine the rest in a blender (or Magic Bullet!) with remaining ingredients.  Mix until just combined.  Transfer to a bowl and mix in the chopped veggie pieces.

Enjoy!

Makes: 2 sides or 1 larger serving

***

I can’t believe it’s over 100 degrees here.

Do you like cold soups?

 What are some of the best/funniest search terms you’ve come across?

 

Biscoff Sauce + WIAW

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What I Ate…

errrr... on Friday night of last week.  Details, details… but I promise a real recipe from Wednesday at the end!

I’ve been meaning to write a post about this Underground Supper I went to last Friday.  It is the best supper event I’ve attended to date!  And you guys know I do these a lot.

Atlanta native Zach Meloy started Push Start Kitchen with his wife, Christina.  They recently returned from a stint in Costa Rica where they ran a restaurant.  This supper club is their way to generate some buzz and money in hopes of pushing a restaurant start here in Atlanta.

So my foodie-partner-in-crime (Corinne) and I trekked out to The Goat Farm.

The Goat Farm is a kitschy little hippie-like colony that – in addition to literally being a goat farm – hosts a variety of events (this night included a dance performance and a food truck), is home to a few loft owners, and has it’s own coffee shop/late night $2 beer stop.  I had NO idea places like this existed in Atlanta but I’m moving in.

We were to dine in a small room with 8 others among ancient ceiling pulley systems, discarded books, and cotton mill ruins.

Candles were lit, Dark and Stormy beverages flowed, and the night began to move.

Pictures were taken in front of an old pile of bricks by a local photographer.  A train rolled by.  We found a copy of The World According to Garp.  I ran into a girl I went to high school with (what are the odds?!).

All while enjoying a lovely canape – a small masa biscuit topped with cream cheese and red pepper jam:

After the first round of drinks and the canapes were consumed, we took our seats at a rustic (read: IKEA) dining table for the first course.

First, the wine (served by Zach): a light rose, full of strawberries and refreshing on a muggy night.

I was of course busy ogling the already-plated food on the chef’s table next to my right…

First course: crispy Serrano ham, tomato confit, avocado, smoked chile cornbread, with molasses vinaigrette and basil.

Now.  I don’t like cornbread (bad Southerner!), but this stuff was delicious.  It was soft and smokey, not gritty and dry like the bread I often see.  The Serrano was perfectly crisped and added the right level of salt to compliment the plump tomatoes.

I could have eaten this all night and been content.  Alas, the meal must go on!

Second Course: Sous vide pork tenderloin, roasted plum mole, crispy grits, goat cheese, country ham powder, and greens.

You read me correctly – PLUM mole.  Spiced chocolate plum sauce.  I nearly begged Chef for a jar of the stuff.

For those of you who haven’t had meat prepared sous vide before, it is basically cooking meat at a low temperature in a plastic bag underwater.  This allows you to cook even the thickest cuts of meat evenly at a perfectly controlled temperature, resulting in (arguably) the most juicy meat perfection (sorry if I just made all the vegetarians gag!).

Back to the mole.  It was amazing with the pork not too sweet and a bit smokey.  All of this was complemented by the slightly salty flash-fried grit cakes and creamy goat cheese.  I gobbled up mine so fast Corinne asked if I wanted to finish hers.

The Finale: Rum scented “pan perdido,” condensed milk ice cream, pickled cherries, and galleta maria

I didn’t know what half of that meant until I googled at home later.  My initial description was “deconstructed dessert French toast.”

It turns out I wasn’t too far off!  Pan perdido is essentially bread pudding.  Chef Zach pan-fried it so it was especially french toast-like (nom nom).  Galleta marias are tea biscuit-like brown sugar cookies found throughout Latin America.  They almost crumbled to the touch and their vanilla and cinnamon flavorings only added to my french toast fantasy.  Served with homemade ice cream and pickled cherries… I can now die happy.

The way to my stomach’s heart is dessert.  Someone must have let that cat out of the bag because we were presented with a sweet coconut candy rolled in almond meal:

The bird didn’t want any, so I ate it all myself. 🙂

As promised, I am posting something I actually made and ate this week for a change.

The Biscoff spread Miss Smart gifted me with has been burning a hole in my pantry.  This is an emergency situation, remedied only by having banana soft serve (which I think you all are familiar with) for breakfast.

Why soft serve?  To go with my Biscoff Sauce, of course!

Biscoff spread tastes like a creamed version on the brown sugar cookies served on Delta flights… but better.

Why better?  Let me break this down: Spread = Peanut Butter-like = Awesome.

biscoff spread

In fact, it says right on the jar that it should be used any where you’d normally use PB or chocolate spread.  Cookie spread!!! *swoon*

Can you call 2 ingredients a recipe?  Maybe not… but it’s what I ate for breakfast on Wednesday (WIABW).

Banana Soft Serve

Freeze a banana.  Toss said banana in blender.  Blend until smooth (can add milk if you need to thin it out a bit to blend).

Biscoff Sauce

  • 1 T Biscoff spread
  • 1/8 tsp coconut oil

Place both ingredients in a small bowl.  

Microwave for ~10 seconds – just until melted (BE CAREFUL – it will burn).  Stir together.  

Try to top soft serve with sauce before you slurp it up

***

This jar doesn’t have a prayer of lasting through the weekend.  It will be used for some epic oats.

What food product have you recently tried and loved?

Does anyone want to write a guest post for me next week?  Pretty please?!

Indian-Inspired Tofu Scramble

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Impromptu dinner parties are the best.

My friend Jessica stopped over to share a bottle of wine and dinner.  She’s pretty brave, as I was trying a new recipe.

How I’ve never made a tofu scramble before, I do not know.  What I do know is that I’ll be doing these a lot more in the future!  Much like scrambled eggs, you can throw basically anything into them.

 My first scramble had a decidedly Indian flare (surprise, surprise… it’s a little bit of an obsession).  

Garam masala with sautéed onion, fennel, and garlic were my starting points and I amped it fom there.

Red pepper flakes, turmeric, cumin, paprika… I’m hoping I remember it all!  Despite all of the spices, for once I didn’t add so much that Jessica’s mouth caught fire.

It turned out really well!  I loved the Indian flavors and the texture of the scrambled tofu against the crunch of the fennel.

She was an awesome guest and brought over some Whole Foods mango-pineapple salsa (if you haven’t had it, I highly recommend!), as well as dessert!

Red cherries and American Grafrutti Coconut-Chocolate balls!

Side note: American Gra-frutti is a great local gluten-free bakery with items that can be found at Whole Foods.  Try out their pimento cheese too – and my mini-review here!

The wine we shared was a 2008 Bodegas Ateca Garnacha “Atteca“ from Calatayud, Spain.

It was a great bottle, especially after it had a few minutes to open up.  Very drinkable, even with the spicier food.  The long finish was especially pleasing and I loved how the rich, berry flavor stood out when paired with the cherries for dessert.

Indian-Inspired Tofu Scramble

  • 1/2 T EVOO
  • 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 tsp coriander
  • 1 (14 oz) package extra firm tofu
  • 1/4 C cilantro
  • S+P, to taste
Add olive oil to large skillet over med-high heat.  Stir in the spices, then quickly add onions and fennel.  Saute until onions soften (3-4 mins).  Stir in garlic, cooking until just before then brown (~1-2 mins).
Add crumbled tofu, stirring to combine.  Cook until warmed through (~5-6 mins).  Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.  Remove from the heat and stir in cilantro.

Plate and enjoy!

Makes: 2 mains or 4 sides.

***

What’s your favorite scramble?

Have you ever scrambled tofu?

Blueberry Cilantro Bulgur Salad

By

Naming recipes is hard.

Better-Than-S’mores Brownies = easy to name.  

Salad with lots of stuff = harder.  Unless I just call it “Salad with Lots of Stuff.”  Hmmmm… the zucchini and the vinaigrette made this one hard.  That’s just too much for one title!

This is my first time working with bulgur.  I really liked it – maybe even better than quinoa.  It seems to have a bit more bite and a nuttier taste, both characteristics I find attractive (though not as attractive as being independently wealthy with a house on the Mediterranean coast).

So why is bulgur a good gain choice?

  • Minimal processing allow it to retain protein and minerals
  • Good source of protein, B vitamins, folate, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus
  • High insoluble fiber content (more than oats, buckwheat, or corn!)
  • Low glycemic index helps to stabilize insulin levels
  • Can be prepared raw (by soaking) or cooked in just 15 mins.
The ingredients may have been too much for one title, they were NOT too much for one recipe!

The crisp zucchini gives this salad a satisfying “crunch” and chili vinaigrette provides a gentle (really) punch at the end of each bite.

Out of zucchini?  Squash or cucumber would also work nicely.

Don’t keep ancho chili powder?  Try paprika or regular chili powder.

No bulgur? *gasp*  Use wild rice, quinoa, or another favorite grain.

This may seem like an odd combo, but trust me.  (Why do I feel  like I type that sentence a lot?!)  

Blueberry Cilantro Bulgur Salad

  • 1 C bulgur (uncooked)
  • 2 T EVOO
  • 2 T rice wine vinegar
  • 1 T nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/3 C fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
  • S+P, to taste
  • 1 C blueberries
  • 1 medium zucchini, diced
  • Lime slices

Prepare bulgur according to package instructions.

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, nutritional yeast, and spices.  Adjust, adding salt and pepper to taste.  

Toss the cooked bulgar in the vinaigrette.  Fold in the cilantro, blueberries, and zucchini.  Garnish with lime.

Serve hot or cold.

Makes 2 main dishes or 4 sides (approximately 4 cups).

***

I’m participating again in Spicie Foodie’s Your Best Recipe this month.  Link over to her site to join up, or check back on July 31st for a round up!

Do you struggle with recipe naming?

How about with recipe making? 🙂

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