FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Archives for June 2011

Fresh Carrot Salad

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The first recipe that caught my attention as I was browsing through EveryDay Feasts was the Fresh Carrot Salad.  This recipe screamed simple and fresh, which define a good summer recipe in my mind.

Fresh Carrot Salad

1 TBSP White Wine Vinegar

1 TSP Dijon Mustard

1/2 TSP Salt

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

2 LBS Carrots, Grated

1/2 Cup Slivered Almonds, Toasted

Combine the vinegar, mustard and salt in a small bowl and whisk until blended.  Whisk in the olive oil and set aside.  Combine the vinaigrette with the carrots in a large bowl and toss to mix well.  Spoon into a serving dish.  Sprinkle with almonds when ready to serve.

I made a couple tiny modifications in the interest of time, calorie reduction, and my one person household.  The most notable changes were using the only available bag of shredded carrots ( 10 oz rather than 16 oz) and reducing the olive oil by 1/4 cup.

After sampling a small portion, I shook the remaining salad in a ziploc and let it marinate as I packed it in a picnic basket to bring with me to Rock The Park.

This was my first experience with a carrot and almond combo and I was very impressed!  I would have never thought that carrots and almonds would compliment each other so well.  This recipe was also ideal for a picnic dish because it tasted even better after sitting and all of the ingredients were outdoor temperature friendly.

I passed the salad around as a side and then plopped the rest on a whole wheat pita with homemade hummus and cucumbers as my main course.  The addition of the carrot salad was a game changer and I highly recommend adding this burst of color to your favorite summer sandwich!

Working Dinner, In Pictures

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Breakfast: PB&J on Sprouted Wheat Toast & Watermelon

Lunch: Amy’s Lentil Vegetable Soup with Leftover Tofu & Veggies

Snack: Remnants of Brownie Batter

Dinner: Pizza Fusion and a Stack of Papers

Tonight was not only my first official Junior League of Tampa Cookbook Steering Committee meeting, but my first official meeting as an active Leaguer.  And prior to an email that our co-chair sent out, I was dreading it.  In my experience, the food at league meetings tends to be boat loads of delicious dairy filled goodies.  But our co-chairs, aware that Lynn (woohoo I’m not the only weird one!) and I are both non-dairy, ordered dinner that accommodated our entire group.  Gold stars for our co-chairs!

Liquid Talent

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Between traveling and blogging and attempting to get back into the gym scene, there’s huge potential for Kristin The Hermit these days.  Buttt…  Tonight I managed to rush home, get 30 minutes of cardio in, look presentable, cook some dinner, and head to Painting with a Twist to support Amber and her fundraising efforts for the Ronald McDonald House.

It’s nice to pick up a brush and pretend to have an ounce of artistic ability.  It’s also nice to have an instructor ring a bell signaling that it’s wine chugging time.  It turns out, wine creates two ounces of artistic ability and perhaps another ounce of dancing ability as well.  I may or may not have cabbage patched to an 80’s tune or two.

Lindsey experienced most of the dancing.  She’s still smiling so it could’t have been that bad, right?  Oh the joys of being my across the table neighbor!

Meghann sat next to me, which worked out well since we both brought our own food and took lots of pictures.  Well she took more pictures than me, which is why I had to borrow this picture of her painting (thanks Meghann!).  I joked that the strangers in the room must have thought we were the vainest girls in town.

And the hostess with the mostess sat behind me, for which I was glad as well.  The sheer happiness of hosting a sold out event for a charity that she holds near and dear was obvious.  I enjoyed being able to document her well deserved excitement.

And then it was time to eat!

The tofu and veggies I made earlier turned out surprisingly well.  I tossed onions, green peppers, shitake mushrooms, and a dab of Earth Balance in a pot while I rushed to get ready and prayed they didn’t burn.  I added pressed, marinated, and cubed tofu and more marinate into the mix and called it a meal.

Val and I used the extended break as a photo opp.

And when we finally got back to it, the rest of the painting was finished in no time!

The entire event (minus my paint filled fingers) turned out SO well!  Thanks a million to Amber for planning such a fun night!

As far as my painting, I’m not exactly sure when it will make its way from the trunk to my house, but that’s neither here nor there.

 

Thai Temple

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Between wedding season, races, and Healthy Living Summit planning, Meghann has been a busy little chickadee.  We hadn’t hung out since Rasa-Lila in April and a meet-up was long overdue.

A Thai Temple Sunday for a couple of foodies = an almost perfect plan!

We headed to the flower/veggie tents right away.  I think she and I were both on the same ‘flowers are fun to take pictures of’ page.  I also think we both wished we had greener thumbs and were capable of sustaining such pretty plants.

When we approached the food tents, I was sooooo hungry.   I wanted to order coconut custard right away, but Meghann suggested we walk around and look at everything before diving in.  That idea may seem like common sense to you, but to me, it was genius!

I’m often guilty of food buying remorse in situations like today, but walking around most definitely prevented me from spending entirely too much money on stuff that didn’t taste nearly as cool as it looked.

It only happened once.  I’ll give you a hint, it’s green.

We spread out our Thai smorgasbord and dug in.  And… within ten minutes , we were defeated by full bellies and June heat.

We chatted about how nice it would be to come back with a large group (i.e. larger smorgasbord) when it cools down – cool enough weather that it wouldn’t be torture ordering soup!  But we later established that if we are craving Thai Temple any time soon, that bathing suits are a must so we can dive in the pool the second we get home.