Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Friday, For the Win

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Friday in general is a win, but there were so many this week…

There are the NuNaturals giveaway winners to announce… at the end of this post. 🙂  (Yes, I realize you can simply scroll down.)

1. Grain-Free, Sugar-Free Cookie for 1

This brilliance was found here on Avi’s blog.  I made it Thursday night and thought I’d gone to heaven.  Of course, I added sugar with the dark chocolate M&Ms. 🙂

My modifications:

  • Reduced coconut oil to 1 tsp
  • Added 2 T unsweetened almond milk
  • Replaced the banana with 5 drops of vanilla liquid Stevia
  • Dark chocolate M&Ms 

2. Raw Thai Pineapple Parsnip “Rice”

This was a huge win!  This unusual (yet easy) recipe can be found here on Janet’s blog.  My only modifications were to add cilantro and a bit of sriracha.

3. Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Cottage Cheese

You know when you feel snacky, but you’re not sure if you want something sweet or salty?  I found the perfect solution yesterday. 

Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Cottage Cheese

I am told this sounds like a weird combo.  It’s not – this is a delicious combo.  Not unlike the combo below…

4. Stuft Mama’s Protein Pumpkin Cookie Dough

How did it take me soooo long to make this?!  It’s amazing.  Doh.

Do not – I repeat – DO NOT skip the PB on top.  It’s sends the whole thing over the edge.

5. NUNATURALS WINNERS!!!

The following 4 ladies won NuNaturals Orange and Lemon Liquid Stevias.  Please send me an email with your info so we can get those out to you ASAP!

  1. Heather @ Better with Veggies
  2. Carah
  3. Lena @ Lena on the Beach
  4. Anuradha @ Baker Street

***

This is the weekend… I’m getting a tattoo tomorrow!!!

Do you have tattoos? What/where?

What’s the best blogger recipe you’ve tried lately?

Mexican Pineapple and Beet Salad

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It’s hard to believe it’s almost Cinco de Drinko Mayo.

I didn’t actually realize it until I saw someone else’s blog post.  Maybe that’s why I’ve been craving Mexican lately?

This concoction is an unexpectedly Mexican combo, but a tasty one.  My pineapple was perfectly golden to the top, meaning it was on the sweet side.  That sweetness was wonderful with the earthy beets.

The colors were nice too – pretty food tastes better!

Mexican Pineapple and Beet Salad

You can use pre-cored pineapple from your grocery store, but I recommend buying pineapple whole.  Whole pineapples always intimidated me in the past because I wasn’t sure how to tell if it was ripe.

Then I found a fool-proof method.

There are 2 ways that – in combination – I have found to be fool-proof:

  1. Color: A ripe pineapple should be golden in color.  Yes, there will be some green, but there should be gold forming, particularly at the base (the sweetest part of the pineapple).  The further up the gold, the sweeter the fruit.
  2. Leaf: You should be able to fairly easily remove a leaf from the crown of the pineapple.  Some say this is a myth, but has never steered me wrong.

Pineapple and Beet Salad

Cumin, red pepper, and a pinch of cinnamon give the salad its Mexican taste.  The cilantro and the lime juice on top set it off and balanced the stronger spices.  (If you don’t like cilantro, parsley would be an excellent sub here.)

Note: I didn’t include the measures for any of these because… well, you don’t really need them.  Make as much or as little as you like, as adjust the spices to your tastes.  I piled on the cilantro and the red pepper flakes.

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Mexican Pineapple & Beet Salad

Mexican Pineapple and Beet Salad

  • Pineapple
  • Beets, roasted
  • Cilantro
  • Cumin
  • Cinnamon
  • Red pepper flakes
  • Pepper
  • Fresh lime juice

Peel and core the pineapple and cut into half-moon slices.  Slice beets into rounds.

Arrange in layers on a plate.  Sprinkle with each of the spices, adjusting flavors to your palate.

Top with cilantro and fresh lime juice.  If it’s available, crumbled cotija cheese would also make a nice addition here.

***

I am realllly looking forward to Cinco de Mayo this year because I will be hanging with some of my favorite bloggers at the Blend Retreat!

Are you going to Blend?

Do you have a secret for determining if a certain fruit is ripe?

Contemplating Carnivore + WIAW

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Don’t cry for me, Argentina…

 

 

I recently decided on my 2012 international trip and there’s no crying here!  Two of my best friends from grad school and I are going to Argentina AND Uruguay!  Leaving just 6 weeks from today!!!

 

Here’s my dilemma: Argentina is known for meat.  I love to travel and try new foods, and I always said that whatever veggie-food thing I have going is out the window when I travel.  No restrictions.  But now I am scared I’ll get sick… and meat just doesn’t appeal to me like it used it.

I did eat 3 bites of meat at dinner tonight… so far so good.

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Meat dilemmas aside, Jenn (who called me a genius last night) @ Peas and Crayons is hosting  What I Ate Wednesday this month in the theme of veggies:

 

 

Check out my veggie eats (plus a couple of meats) below; then click here to see what everyone else enjoyed for WIAW.

 

Breakfast:

This morning I woke up feeling jumpy… in a plyo way.  I bounced out of bed and down to the gym for 60 mins of Plyo with Tony Horton (from P90X).  In case you haven’t tried it yet, this plyo DVD with kick your butt.  It left me hot, sweaty, and STARVING.

I ran up to my condo for a tasty Banana-Maple-Ginger Smoothie accompanied by a (vegan) Raw Cookie Dough Ball, compliments of this recipe by Lisa @ Healthful Sense (I always keep a batch in the freezer for a quick snack or smoothie topping).

 

Banana-Maple-Ginger Smoothie

  • 1 small banana
  • 1 C spinach
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1 tsp maca (optional)
  • 1/2 C unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 T ground flax seed
  • 5-6 drops vanilla liquid Stevia
  • 1/2 in piece of fresh ginger
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp maple extract

 

Lunch:

Working from home makes me happy because I get to MOVE so much more.  Bring chained to a desk is really hard for me.  In the interest of movement, I walked to one of my favorite spots – MetroFresh – to meet a friend for lunch.

MetroFresh’s menu changes daily, but they always offer 5-6 soups, 7-8 salads/sides, and a couple of sandwiches.  They also designate which items are vegan, vegetarian, or gluten-free.  Love that.

 

Today I had a Swiss Chard and White Bean Stew and a Maple-Citrus Wild Rice Salad with Mushrooms, Feta, Cucumber, Black Wheatberries, and Dried Cranberries.  Finger-lickin’ good.

Side note: Did anyone watch Doogie Howser or Party of 5 growing up?  The owner of MetroFresh, Mitchell Anderson, played roles in both hit shows!

 

Snacks:

My lunch was pretty filling, and I knew I was going out for dinner so I was a little light on the snacks today.  I did enjoy a Kombucha, a banana (topped with a failed attempt at chocolate-peanut butter – the texture was nasty), and a piece of chocolate (to help me feel better after the PB fail).

Dinner:

Apparently is was a day for dining out.  I had dinner with my mom and cousin at a local Indian spot called Cardamom Hill.  This place is amazing – I blogged about it here when they first opened, and they have only gotten better since.

For appetizers we ordered Pork Vindaloo (pork shoulder slow-cooked in a flavorful vinegar sauce with turmeric and cardamom served with a side of appam), Coconut Curry Vegetable Stew, and a Squid special that was cooked in a red chili sauce and served with a side of fried plantains.

 

I did take a bite of everything… it was the first time I’ve had pork in months.  It was delicious, but I still couldn’t imagine eating a whole order.  The vegetable curry soup was my favorite!

 

Remembering how delicious it was the first time there, I ordered the Vegetable Platter.  It wasn’t quiiiite as good, but that is a preference thing.  They do change-up pieces of the dish, and on my first trip there was more heat incorporated.  I love spicy food. 

 

From L to R: Avail (lightly steamed vegetables in a shaved coconut sauce), Sambhar (a stew with okra, carrots, and potatoes), stack of sliced warm Beets layered with housemade yogurt and mustard seeds, and seasoned rice.

My favorite was the Avail.  That shaved coconut sauce was perfect – not too sweet or heavy, complimenting the root veggies it was served over.

The winner was my mom’s dish (unpictured).  She ordered the Kerala-Style Fried Chicken, served over vegetable pileau (rice with veggies).  Yup, I took another bite of meat… I don’t regret it.  This chicken was among the best I’ve ever tasted.  Don’t skip it if you are in the neighborhood (and you eat meat).

 

Dessert:

Someone once said there is a whole separate part of your stomach for dessert.  They weren’t kidding.  I should have been stuffed after all of that… yet I came home and enjoyed a So Delicious coconut ice cream bar.  The bar is dairy-free and contains only 1g of sugar… and you would never be able to tell.

 

So Delicious, indeed.

 

***

Another reminder to enter my NuNaturals giveaway – there are 4 chances to win the new NuNaturals Orange and Lemon Liquid Stevias!  Contest ends Thursday at 11:59pm EST.  Click here to enter.

Have you ever been to Argentina, or South America?  Any suggestions?

Have you ever gone back to eating meat?  How did you ease back in to it?

 

Raw Bulgur Breakfast Bowl + A Giveaway

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Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.

 

My breakfast is usually some sort of protein shake to follow a workout; however, I’ve been working out at night more and decided to shake up my breakfast routine.

Lat year I experimented with a raw bulgur – it’s not so different from overnight oats!  You simply soak the bulgur in water for 15-20 minutes and add whatever mix-ins you like.

 

 

When NuNaturals reached out to me to check out a few of their new orange and lemon liquid Stevia products I was particularly inspired by the orange-flavored liquid Stevia.  I could smell it before I even opened the bottle!  The best part was that is actually smelled like oranges (i.e. not like some your granny’s potpourri) – both of the new products use real lemon and orange.

 

 

I decided it would be perfect for breakfast in my raw bulgur bowl.  The bright orange sweetness went perfectly with cinnamon and a bit of cardamom.

Topped with fresh coconut, I felt like I was having breakfast on a tropical island rather than in the early morning dimness of my condo. Recipe at the end of this post.

 

 

NuNaturals would like YOU to try out their new products too – the lemon liquid Stevia (I used here in this vegan Alfredo sauce) and this orange liquid Stevia.

4 winners will be chosen!  Receive up to 3 entries by:

 

  1. Follow me on Twitter or Subscribe to the Sprint 2 the Table RSS feed or email
  2. Tweet: You could say something like: I’ve entered to win 1 of 4 chances to win the @NuNaturals giveaway at @sprint2thetable http://wp.me/p16jDn-1gY #giveaway
  3. Be Social: Facebook Like NuNaturals, Twitter Follow NuNaturals, Pinterest Follow Me and/or Pin Something of Mine, Instagram Follow Me
  4. Comment: What is your favorite Stevia flavor?

 

Please leave a *separate comment* for each entry!

 

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Thursday, April 26th.  The 4 winners will be announced on Friday, April 27th.

 ***You may also order Stevia directly from NuNaturals, and receive a 15% discount using the code BLG0612. (effective until JUNE 30, 2012).***

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Let me start be saying I am NOT complaining but…

I finally got a referral to an orthopedic doc for my knee.  I took the first available appointment (May 22!).  THEN on my walk Saturday I realized I was feeling pretty good and decided to try running.  5.5 miles later, my knee was still fine!  Now, I didn’t run all of that 5.5.  I didn’t even try to run more than 1/2 a mile at a time, but all told I think I ran 2.5 miles… wayyyy more than I’ve been able to do since January.

Did simply making the doctor appointment cure me?!  

 

Workout Recap (4/16 – 4/22):

  • Monday – Tris/Chest, Bike intervals
  • Tuesday – This Pinned workout (2x), Bike intervals, 6 min plank rotation, 100 push-ups
  • Wednesday – This Pinned workout, Bis/Back, Ab Ripper X, 2 mi walk
  • Thursday – This Pinned workout, Shoulders, 2 mi walk, 100 push-ups
  • Friday – This Pinned workout, 2.25 mi walk, Lindsay’s leg workout
  • Saturday – 5.5 mile run/walk, 100 push-ups
  • Sunday –  5.6 mile run/walk, 30 mins bike intervals, 100 push-ups

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Orange and Coconut Raw Bulgur Breakfast Bowl

  • 1/4 C bulgur, uncooked
  • 1 T chia
  • 1/4 C + 2 T water
  • 5-6 drops NuNaturals Orange Liquid Stevia
  • 3/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom
  • 2 T unsweetened coconut
  • 2 T chopped nuts

 

Mix together everything except the coconut and chopped nuts.  Allow to soak for 15-20 mins.

Stir and top with coconut, nuts, or other toppings as desired.

Note: You could sub a bit of orange extract and your preferred sweetener here if you don’t have the NuNaturals orange liquid Stevia.

***

My Sesame Baked Tofu made the FoodBuzz Top 9 this weekend.  Thank you for the Buzz!!!  Check out the Top 9 here.

Have you ever eaten bulgur (or other grain) raw/soaked?

Did you enjoy the sunshine this weekend?  Any races?

 

Zucchini Pasta with Raw (vegan) Alfredo Sauce

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The 2 Week Veg Pledge is over.

At first I was sad and then I realized… I’ll still eat a plant-based diet.  I’ll probably even keep making an effort to have at least one veggie serving at every meal (breakfast included).

You may have checked out this post where I announced that as part of the Food Buzz Tastemakers program, I was selected to take the Green Giant Veg Pledge.  The pledge was to eat one more cup of vegetables per day.

Over the past couple of weeks I did a pretty good job at keeping up with it.  I even added arugula to my pizza on a less-than-clean dinner out. 🙂  Here are a few of my favorite veggie-based meals over the past couple of weeks:

Zucchini Bread Oatmeal

Carrot Cake Smoothie

Edamame and Jicama Salad

Spring Endive Boats

Raw Collard Green “Tacos”

Last but not least I made Zucchini Pasta with Raw Alfredo Sauce.

For years I have resisted making a “cheese” sauce out of cashews.  Partially out of laziness, partially out of the belief that I’d have to eat a full cup of cashews to make enough sauce.

I feel silly now.

Cashews actually get fluffy when blended, FYI.  You won’t even need to eat 1/2 a cup of them (not for lack of wanting).

When Janet @ The Taste Space posted this recipe for her Raw Alfredo Sauce with Basil, Cherry Tomatoes, and Zucchini Noodles, I knew I had to try a version of my own.

The lemon-y sauce was fantastic with the fresh zucchini and the sweet heirloom tomato.  Light and summery, I will be making this raw dish over and over again.

The sauce can be used for a number of things!  So far I have added it to smoothies, used it as a sauce for a raw collard taco, and slathered it on a sweet potato fr a snack.

Use your imagination!  And make a double batch.

 

Zucchini Pasta with Raw Alfredo Sauce

  • 1/2 C cashews, soaked for 2-4 hours and drained
  • Juice of 1/2 large lemon
  • 1-2 drops NuNaturals Lemon Liquid Stevia
  • 1/4 tsp white miso
  • Water, as needed (~2 T)
  • 2 zucchinis, spiralized (or finely cut with a cheese cutter, as I did)
  • 1/2 carrot, spirialized (or fine cut with same high-tech method above)
  • 6-8 stalks of asparagus, cut into 1/2 in pieces
  • 1 large Heirloom tomato, diced
  • 5-6 basil leaves, chiffonaded

Place the soaked cashews, lemon juice, Stevia, miso, and water in a blender and blend until smooth.

Combine vegetables in bowls and drizzle each with 2-3 T of sauce.

Top with basil, pepper, and red pepper.

Any remaining sauce may be stored in the fridge.

Serves 2.

***

In case you’re curious about that NuNaturals Lemon Stevia… check back Monday.  There just might be a give away… 🙂

Have you ever made cashew “cheese?”

What are you looking forward to this weekend?

Fluffy Sesame Baked Tofu

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Do you watch Food Network?

I did when I had cable.  

It’s actually one of the 3 things I miss about cable.  The other 2: Bravo and sports channels.  Side note: this would indicate I’m some combo of a gay man and a jock.  Nope – I’m a Southern girl. 🙂

Food Network’s new shows for 2012 were announced a while ago and I’m super-sad to miss one in particular – Blind Dinner Party.

Slated for October of 2012, this new show will be hosted by none other than The Notorious CHO!  This may call for an order of cable… of a standing self-invite to a friend’s house.

The premise is that she hosts a dinner party for 7 total strangers “who come from completely different backgrounds, beliefs and views on everything – come together to break bread in the most dysfunctional family dinner imaginable.”

I want to be at that dinner party!

Maybe they would let me cook for the party/show?  I’m sure someone would be offended that I didn’t serve meat…

…but who doesn’t love baked goods?  Cookies, cakes, cupcakes, brownies… tofu.

If you haven’t tried it before or if you *think* you don’t like tofu, come on over and let me serve it to you baked.  It will only cost you a good bottle of red.  Kidding.  Sort of.

If you saw the dinner I posted for yesterday’s WIAW, you know that I made a Sesame Baked Tofu.  The biggest difference between baked and grilled tofu is the inside.  When baked, tofu’s outside gets crisp, but the inside gets soft and fluffy.  It’s a wonderful texture to bite into!

The coating of liquid aminos (or soy sauce) and sesame seeds is awesome with just a bit of heat on the end from Chinese 5-Spice (you could also use red pepper flakes).  Garnish with a bit of refreshing cilantro (unless you are one of those people who thinks it tastes like soap).

Sesame Baked Tofu

  • 1 block extra-firm tofu, pressed
  • 1T liquid aminos (or soy sauce or tamari)
  • 1T rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp Chinese 5-Spice
  • 1 T sesame seeds
  • Cilantro, for garnish

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with non-stick foil, or spray with cooking spray.

Drain liquid from tofu, cut in half horizontally, and press for 15 mins.  You may use a tofu press or – if you’re fancy like me – stack 5-6 large cookbooks on top.  Slice pressed tofu into cubes.

In a medium bowl, mix together liquid aminos, vinegar, and 5-spice.  Toss tofu in mixture to coat evenly.

Spread tofu out evenly across baking sheet.  Sprinkle with 1/2 of the seeds, flip, and sprinkle the opposite side with remaining seeds.

Place in oven and bake for 10-12 mins on each side, or until golden brown and looking “fluffy.”

***

Spring weather and festival season make the work week longer.

Have you ever baked tofu?

What is the biggest reason you have (or don’t have) cable?

Home Brewing + WIAW

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I drink a lot…

 

 

…of KOMBUCHA!

At $3 a bottle, it’s an expensive habit.  When Stacy Tweeted to tell me about a deal on OpenSky (click for invite!) for a Kombucha Home Brewing Kit  from Kombucha Brooklyn I jumped at the opportunity.

 

 

My kit came with a jar, tea bags, sugar, and my very own scoby.  The instructions were idiot-proof easy to understand… with very little effort I’m 14-28 days away from home-brewed kombucha!*

*I fully realize that you can brew Komubcha without buying a kit.  Still, $30-something to get started is still less than what I spend on the stuff at Whole Foods.  And I actually DID it.

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Two weeks ago marked the beginning of the Green Giant Veg Pledge to add an additional cup of veggies to my daily eats.  Despite some terrible food choices over the weekend (french fries happened… I can’t say I regret it), I’m back on track this week and greening it up with everyone for What I Ate Wednesday!

Jenn @ Peas and Crayons is hosting  What I Ate Wednesday  this month in the theme of veggies:

 

 

Check out my veggies below; then click here to see how everyone else incorporated extra servings.

 

 

Breakfast:

After a quick tabata-style workout found on Pinterest, I needed to cool down before getting in the shower.  Don’t you hate when you’re still sweating AFTER getting out of the shower?

 

I slurped down up a little Liquid Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie topped with hemp seeds while I got a head start on work email.

 

Lunch:

Massive collard greens are everywhere in Georgia grocery stores.  Traditional Southerners cook them with things like ham hocks.

Not me!  I use the greens as raw taco shells!

 

I filled my “tacos” with raw asparagus, carrots, celery, cucumbers, red pepper flakes, and a massive amount of my new favorite hummus.  The spinach-flavored hummus is made by a company called Roots.  Not sure how widely available it is, but I found this a Whole Foods. The rest of the container was enjoyed with some Sesame Wasa crackers on the side.

 

Snacks:

Unpictured was the daily Kombucha, a piece of dark chocolate, and handful of cashews.

An apple with peanut butter and a surprise from Nature Box did make it for a photo shoot:
 
I really loved the Smokey Pepitas and Dried Pears.  More to come on this awesome company later! 

 

Dinner:

Baked is my favorite way to do tofu.  The outside gets all crunchy and the inside becomes marshmallow-fluffy.

Tonight’s dinner was a Baked Sesame Tofu with lemon roasted asparagus and an heirloom tomato.

Tomato season has arrived down South!  That was the sweetest tomato I think I’ve ever had.  I made the mistake of cutting the tomato too early… only 2 little slices remained to go with dinner.

What was left of my tom was delicious with the light spice and nuttiness of the tofu marinade.  Recipe to come tomorrow!

 

 

Dessert:

It was a healthy post workout dessert – a chocolate protein shake topped with cereal.  Packed with spinach, of course.

 

***

I can’t believe I didn’t like tomatoes until a couple of years ago.

How are you doing with the Veg Pledge?  Have you been incorporating an extra veggie serving each day?

Have you ever brewed your own Kombucha?  How about beer?

 

PB&J Vodka + Chocolate PB Smoothie

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New products sometimes blow my mind.

 

Often they seem like obvious conclusions (hello, peanut butter Oreos), at times they aren’t as obvious but still delicious (Vega’s vanilla chai protein powder)… and then there are times when I have to say WTF?!

Ladies and gentlemen, PB&J Vodka, by Van Gogh.

 

 

I wish I were kidding.

From Van Gogh’s website:

“The fragrance of our PB&J vodka is predominantly of peanuts complemented by the fresh fruit aroma of raspberry. In the mouth, the roles are reversed with the raspberry taking center stage supported by the toasty flavor of peanut butter and a hint of vanilla on the side.”

 

Now you can legit drink your lunch.*

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In other news, I made a smoothie.  *One you could really drink for lunch.

 

 

A chocolate peanut butter protein smoothie was all I wanted after a particularly hard weight session in the gym.  This totally hit the spot… special thanks to the avocado for making this a perfectly creamy treat.

Topped with my new love Hemp Seeds.  If you haven’t tried them yet… you should.  They are fantastically chewy and nutty.  I eat them standing in the pantry doorway.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter (Avocado) Smoothie

  • 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
  • 1/4 avocado
  • 1 handful spinach
  • 1 C unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 T peanut flour
  • 10 drops cocoa NuNaturals liquid Stevia
  • 1 tsp cocoa (optional – I like it extra-chocolate-y)
  • shake of salt
  • pinch guar gum

 

Put it in a blender and blend away!

***

I want to work in product development in my next life.

What are your thoughts on PB&J-flavored vodka?

Have you made any good/new smoothie concoctions lately?

 

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