Particularly awesome weekends make it hard to go back to work.
Friday I had dinner at Wahoo (how awesome is that name?!) with one of my oldest friends.
Beet Salad with goat cheese, toasted walnuts, arugula and mint vinaigrette
Then I came home and did something I haven’t done in a long time – I curled up in bed with a nice scotch and read a book. My first book of 2012 was Room. I also started using GoodReads again, thanks to a reminder from Carol.
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
The first half of this book was really, really slow. It was an especially hard read since it was written in the voice of a 5 year old. The second half was better, but depressing. I can’t say I recommend it.
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Saturday I woke up to some exciting news – my Spinach Shiitake Miso Soup made the Food Buzz Top 9! It made my day. 🙂 Thank YOU for the Buzz, and welcome new readers! In case you missed it, check out my soup and the other 8 awesome recipes here.
I had a crazy list of errands to tackle, so I made a fun lunch to fuel it. This resulted in me eating 1/2 a head of cabbage. It was so good I couldn’t stop! Clearly I didn’t learn my lesson about too much cabbage and gas (TMI, sorry) from the last time.
Roasted Lemon Pepper Cabbage and Asian-Inspired Lentil Loaf
This lemon-y roasted cabbage was so good I couldn’t stop eating it! At the last minute I decided to add nutritional yeast to the mix, giving it a little more dimension. I loved the rich nuttiness with all the lemon and pepper. It was delicious with my Asian-Inspired Sweet Potato Lentil Loaf.
(Cabbage recipe at bottom)
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Saturday night I met up with a bunch local bloggers Carol, Heather, and Lee for the Atlanta Underground Market.
The market is wall-to-wall food samplings prepared by locals in their kitchens. There is even a good variety of vegetarian and vegan food. These aren’t restaurant owners, just home cooks and small-time bakers in Atlanta who want to share their food with a broader audience. The website calls it an “incubator for new food talent.”
My favorites of the evening:
Teff bread with 4 Ethiopian tastes from Kushina Catering
L to R: Coconut Lime Yucca, Spicy Sweet Potato, Lemon Kale, Pumpkin Flax, Chocolate Parsnip Fig
Cookie Underground is one of the coolest ideas there. They make cookies from vegetables! Each cookies is about 50 calories and filled with good, clean vitamins and nutrients from fresh veggies. Good thing because I could eat a dozen of the ancho and chipotle chili-laced Spicy Sweet Potato Cookies.
Sunday was a straight up lazy day of rest. It was everything I hoped it would be.
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I was doing SO well with the Mile-a-Day Challenge… until Saturday’s run. Around mile 2 I began having sharp pain in my left knee. I didn’t twist it or anything, so I stretched a bit and kept going thinking it would work itself out. Notsomuch. It only got worse and I limped the last couple of miles home. I have no idea what happened… it still hurts to walk! Needless to say, I skipped my Sunday mile-a-day and took a rest day instead. 🙁
Workout Recap (1/2 – 1/8)
- Monday – This Biceps/Back workout with 1 mile intervals
- Tuesday – This BodyRock, 1 mile run, TRX suspension class
- Wednesday – This Tris/Chest workout with 1 mile intervals, 100 push-ups
- Thursday – Kickboxing, 1 mile run, 100 push-ups
- Friday – Legs, 1 mile run, 100 push-ups
- Saturday – 5 mile run, 6 min plank rotation, 100 push-ups
- Sunday – REST, 100 push-ups
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Roasted Lemon Pepper Cabbage
- 1/2 medium head of cabbage
- Juice from 1/2 lemon
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 tsp nutritional yeast
- 1/4 freshly ground pepper
- Salt, to taste
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil (spray with olive oil if not non-stick).
Cut cabbage into wedges, then trim the core bits from each wedge.
Place wedges on pan, evenly spaced.Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper. Using a brush, coat the top of each wedge. Flip wedges over and repeat on other side.
Roast cabbage for ~10 mins, or until the beginning to brown. Carefully flip the wedges and roast from an additional 8-10 mins, until the cabbage is browned and tender.
Serves 1-2.
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Tonight is my first book club! I’m really loving the motivation to read for fun again.
What’s the best book you’ve read lately?
Anything fun/exciting happen this weekend?
I just read Diary of a Mad Bride and it was sooo funny! I could relate in so many ways. I plan to blog about it soon!
And I miss Atlanta – always something fun going on! Glad you had a great weekend!
Congrats on Foodbuzz!!! Well deserved for you! This roasted cabbage sounds really delicious…I’ve really got to try this!! Any roasted veggies are my favorite!
I thought Room was really engrossing. I read it in one day on vacation. I’m currently reading Incredibly Loud and Extremely Close. (Or is it Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, I forget?)
That’s interesting – a couple of people at book club felt the same. It think you either loved it or hated it.
Let me know how that book is! It’s been on my list for a while.
love the idea of that cookie company!
Congrats of the top 9 my friend =)
The cabbage looks amazing! Don’t you wish that you didn’t have to worry about the effects of cabbage lol!! It’s such a bummer… I love cabbage, cauliflower, beans but you have to be careful not to eat too much or you better hope you’re alone for the evening!
Reading a good book is definitely something I want to do soon!!
Thanks!
I know… it’s like my favorite foods are out to get me. 🙂
Looks delicious! And I’d love to try that cookie place!
I read Room as an audio book, and I have to say, it was very powerful because the narrators were spot on. I rated it 4 out of 5, just because I found the ending stretched. interesting how much views differ! 🙂
I could see it being much better as an audio book – wish I’d thought to do that instead.
Yay! So excited you’re back into goodreads again. I love that website. It was so good to see you again on Saturday! I hope you had fun with your friend afterwards! It is so funny to read about the cabbage you were talking about. It does look delicious though- I don’t blame you for eating so much of it! And I’m sorry about your knee 🙁
Thanks! As soon as I recover we need to start training runs. I’m SO excited!
I just finished a great book (audiobook actually) and was bummed to find out the second book isn’t out yet – dang, now I have to be patient. The book is Divergent, by Veronica Roth. If you dystopian young adult reads – it’s fabulous!
Mmm. I would have never thought of making lemon cabbage. It looks so good. I’d probably eat the whole head of cabbage!
Ohhhh… I can’t even imagine a the discomfort a whole head of cabbage would cause. But yeah… it was that good. 😉
Hope your knee isn’t a lasting injury! I’m not a big cabbage fan but roasting pretty much anything makes for a delicious outcome. 🙂
Lemony?–check! Roastey?–check! BUZZZZZZZED?–CHECK!
it would have been so fun to go with you guys, but I needed a family night. 😉
And hope your knee feels better. Knee pain often stems from ankle or hip issues, so have you had anything pop up there?
We missed you!
Not on my left leg, but my PT said it’s likely IT-related. Normally it’s all on my right side!
I’ve been wondering how the Room would be – I hadn’t picked it up because it just wasn’t compelling to me! Thinking I’ll wait a bit, maybe until a vacation!
Congrats on your recipe success – everything always sounds/looks delicious to me!
just a warning – it is really depressing for a vacation book.
Mmm, beet salad. Those cookies sound amazing, too! I’m impressed with your several days of 100 push ups… do you do 100 in a row? I’ve worked up to 100 in a day, but only manage it once or twice a week, but I space them out in 4-5 sets.
Way to go on those push-ups! I do 3 sets for 100 *almost* every day. I probably need to re-test and increase it… but I’ve been lazy. 🙂
Sorry to hear that your knee is not 100% and you won’t be running for a week. Hope you recover quickly.
BTW…what brand of scotch were you enjoy?
Balvenie 12 year – it’s pretty tasty. What do you like?
Ok we can be good friends now. Balvenie is my preferred scotch. Have you had the 21 yr old that is aged in port casks? Unbelievable.
No, but I can imagine it’s decadent. We need to organize a scotch fest.
I love the way you think…seriously. How about a two day event for crazy people like us: Day 1-Food/Wine Fest and Day 2 Food/Scotch Fest?
hmmmm ATL Fod and Wine eh? We might be in the middle of moving back east around that time, but I’ll put it on my calendar nonetheless. Yah never know. 😉
Roasted cabbage…I am intrigued! Looks so great missy!
Congrats on making the Foodbuzz Top 9! I hope your knee pain was just a fluke-thing and feels better quickly. Have you read The Hunger Games? I read it in a day and was shocked at how much I liked it. I just started the second book last night.
Thanks a lot! I have not read hunger Games, but several people have commented lately that they were surprised they loved it. I may have to give in a read it!
Wow the cabbage looks great. I have been on such a cabbage kick lately! Made green cabbage last week and red cabbage last night.
Okay, not only do I really want to find a cool underground market now, but I have to go buy some cabbage to roast. I’ve never done that and yours looks delicious.
You’re welcome to come to ATL for both the market and the cabbage. 😉
The cabbage looks great!! The green one makes an appearance on our dinner table frequently.
I love cabbage and am always looking for new ways to prepare it. This sounds delicious!
Why I haven’t thought to roast cabbage is freakin’ BEYOND me… but this shiz is soooo happening this weekend… gas and all! 😉
Thanks for the photo and nice comments here! We are testing our Vanilla Parsnip classic thin cookies this weekend and wondered if you wanted to be a tester! I’d really value your feedback.
The “classic” cookies contain organic butter and evaporated cane juice. Baking with coconut oil in lieu of butter, agave in lieu of evaporated cane juice, and finally coconut oil and agave in lieu of butter and evaporated cane sugar. I’m on the Northside and weather is bad today, but perhaps if you are interested we could meet. Check out my Cookie Underground Facebook page for photos, etc. Thanks!