FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Architecture In Helsinki

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With soup season comes boot season and, for some reason, the cooler weather also brings concert season.  Last year we noticed a huge influx of good shows in Tampa between October and February and this year promises to be the same way!

I curled my hair for the occasion, embracing my ratty ends.  My mom is probably going to have a heart attack when she sees a publicly posted picture of my blonde, damaged locks, but in all honesty…  I hate haircuts.  Freshly chopped veggies are yum, freshly chopped hair makes me cry.

Justin picked me up and we headed to The Bricks, our usual pre-show spot, to grab some cold beers and a bite to eat.  It was happy hour so I ordered one of J’s favorite, Brooklyn Lager, and what the waitress deemed the ‘least offensive beer on tap’, Palm Belgium Amber.

I ordered the portabelly sandwich with a side of Asian slaw for the gazillionth time.  The past two times I’ve ordered it wrap style and have been super satisfied with the modification.

And then it was Crowbar time!  Crowbar is quickly become my favorite venue for shows.  It’s small, the sound is decent, there’s no bad place to stand, bartenders are friendly, there’s a quaint porch out back, and on some nights the Vegan Beagle even sets up shop.  Oh and I live super close by so I’m on the way, which means it’s never out of the question for me to hitch a ride!

Architecture in Helsinki was one of the best live bands I’ve seen in quite some time.  It was a total 80’s dance party and it just so happens that my sweet dance moves are so appropriate for 80’s dance parties!

I <3 Sammies

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Don’t you love when you re-discover an old favorite?  I used to buy these rolls often when I lived in Dallas and they kind of got lost in my gluten-eliminating shuffle.  Now that I’m merely gluten cautious, I’m happy to welcome back the most convenient sandwich rolls ever!

More sammie ideas here and here.

I had planned on making this sandwich, but they only had the gynormo containers of basil at the market and I knew it would go to waste.  I decided to make a few other modifications as well.

I sprayed a small portobello mushroom cap, seed-gutted tomato halves, and whole garlic cloves with olive oil and then baked them on the top shelf of a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes.  While the veggies were baking, I mixed 1/2 cup of chopped spinach leaves, 1 tablespoon of Vegenaise, and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice together.  When the veggies were ready, I smooshed the garlic on the rolls and topped with the veggies and spinach mix.

I might have a new obsession with roasted garlic.  And if I were to do this sandwich over again?  I’d do the basil mayo from my old recipe and the whole garlic cloves from this recipe.

So I want to modify my first question to…

Don’t you love when you re-discover and old favorite and make it even better??

A Hungry Day, In Pictures

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Breakfast: Gala Apple with Peanut Butter

Snack: Spicy Boiled Peanuts

Lunch: Leftover Kale & White Bean Soup 

Snack: Hummus & Carrot Chips

Dinner: Roasted Portobello & Tomato Sammies

Dessert: Tofutti Chocolate Covered Flowers Pop

I was dominated by hunger today.  No matter what I ate, I was ready for something else.  I’m even eating green olives right now as I type!

But I don’t want you to think that my lack of fullness had to do with lack of meal satisfaction, because that couldn’t be further from the truth.  The leftover soup from last night with a piece of warm crusty bread and Earth Balance was a yumtastic lunch (so yum that I’m bringing some to the office tomorrow to share).  And!  AND!  The mini sammies that I made for dinner tonight were even better.  I’m getting so good at these babies I’m having difficulty remembering a time when I was intimidated by portobello sandwiches!

How do you curb your appetite on those super hungry days?

Soup Season

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I suppose that the end of daylight savings time is an appropriate start for soup season.  And my first soup of this season?  Kale and White Bean.  Yum.

I modified this Whole Foods recipe into something more fresh, more me. Their directions apply whether you make their quicker version or my fresher version.

FoodFash Kale & White Bean Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 – 32 ounce box of vegetable broth

4 cups of chopped kale

2 large tomatoes, chopped

1 cup of sliced carrots

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon sugar

2 – 14.5 ounce cans of white beans

White beans in soup eliminate the need for noodles, which means I’m a really big fan of white beans.  Mix noodle-less soup with hearty kale and carrots and, well…  you’ve got yourself a complete little dinner.

I was extra hungry after completing Week 4, Day 3 of my running app, but two bowls of soup and a Tofutti chocolate covered flowers pop filled me up quite nicely.  Looks like I’m bag on the health wagon!