FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Bulk Madness

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The bulk section at Central Market is one of my favorite places on earth.  Not only does it have everything you could ever want, but you can get the exact quantity that you need for cheap, cheap, cheap.  And today, it also served as my inspiration for some portable, protein-filled snacks for work this week.

Almonds, macadamia nuts, golden flax seeds, chocolate chunks, rascherries (dried raspberries+cherries=rascherries), oh my!

FoodFash Protein Balls (Take #1) yields 20ish balls

1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled

1/2 cup almond slivers

1/2 cup macadamia nuts

1/2 cup golden flax seeds

1 cup rascherries (or another dried fruit)

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a food processor, pulse chop almonds and macadamia nuts until they are finely chopped.  In a medium sized bowl, stir together nuts, flax seeds and cooled quinoa.  Place dried fruit in the food processor and process until smooth.  Add the fruit to the other ingredients and use a fork to stir and mash until everything is evenly mixed.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Use a 1 tablespoon measure to scoop mixture, form into balls, and place on a cookie sheet.  Chill for 1 to 2 hours and store in an air-tight container.

Tons of protein, a good dose of fiber, and a pop of sweetness are what these balls are all about.  All of this makes me super excited to bring them to work tomorrow because I just know they’ll save my life around 3 PM when I start to get that sleepy feeling.

Tis The Season For A @NatureBox Giveaway

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As soon as we opened our FoodBuzz Fest swag bags, we had a hunch that whatever was in the big box was going to be our favorite.  Bigger equals better, right?  But honestly, we spent little time swag bag sorting and, instead, packed our treats away and spent our time galavanting around and eating our way through San Fran.

Fast forward a couple weeks to Halloween when candy posts dominated every ounce of social media feeds which caused me to frantically search through my cabinets for anything that would satisfy my jealousy-induced sweet tooth.  I spotted my NatureBox treats, popped a few fancy clusters in my mouth, raised my hands in the air for a mini “hurrah!” moment, finished half of the bag, and then, naturally, tweeted my excitement.

The folks at NatureBox promptly responded to my tweet asking if FoodFash readers would be interested in a giveaway.  Surely they would.  And what they’d be even more interested in this holiday season would be two Nature Boxes:  one for themselves and one for a friend.  They loved the idea!

Each Nature Box includes 4 to 6 packages of delish snacks ranging from granola, clusters, trail mix, fruits, and nuts.  And when you fall in love with your Nature Box, you can easily sign up for Nature Box delivery for months to come.

Here’s how to win a NatureBox for you and a friend!

Contest Entry Instructions:

Each of the steps below will count as one contest entry, with a maximum of 5 entries per person.  The contest will run between now and 8PM CST on Tuesday, November 27th.  Please leave a separate comment for each entry as each individual comment represents a number and a random number generator will be used to select the winner.

1.  Leave a comment on this post letting me know your favorite snack food.

2.  Follow me on Facebook and leave a comment on this post indicating you have done so.

3.  Follow NatureBox on Facebook and leave a comment on this post indicating you have done so.

4.  Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment on this post indicating you have done so.

5.  Follow NatureBox on Twitter and leave a comment on this post indicating you have done so.

 

The winner will be announced on Wednesday, November 28th.

Best of luck to you all!

(photo source)

A Cozy Goodbye

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Our last morning in Tacoma, we decided a little do-over was necessary. Holly and I hailed a cab, grabbed two additional co-workers, Corey and Julie, and headed to Caffe Dei. We walked through some misty, gray chill and into the warmth of coffee shop goodness.

Caffee Dei is a vegan-friendly shop with a similarly as sweet of a coffee machine as Austin’s Houndstooth Coffee. Julie and I ordered super-sized Americanos and Corey and Julie went with mochas that were almost too beautiful to drink. We munched on breakfast muffins and cinnamon rolls and mmmmm’d in total disbelief that they were vegan.

The vegan sausage sammy on homemade sourdough and mushroom gravy continued the mmmmmm’s. It was the perfect savory start to a gloomy Pacific Northwest day. And after we all had clean plates and empty cups, the only option for our group was to order a second round of warmth and goodies and continue our conversation. Caffee Dei was the absolute best spot we could have chosen to spend our last hours in Tacoma!

Root Slaw

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Tonight, while standing halfway between produce and the salad bar at Whole Foods, I performed a literal cost-benefit analysis. Chopping matchstick carrots and beets seemed like a lot of work for an exhausted chickadee who is expecting company the next day. A lot.

I took the lazy route and headed straight towards the salad bar. Perhaps it was also the smart route because I’m in dire need of a Global-esque knife and would have probably lost a finger tip or two had I attempted matchsticking on my own. But the salad bar beets and carrots only set me back about three bucks, making it the smartest of routes. Being pleasantly surprised about a lower than expected Whole Foods purchase was a total first.

FoodFash Root Salad (yields 2 servings)

1/2 cup matchstick carrots

1/2 cup matchstick beets

2 tablespoons tahini

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

juice of 1/2 lemon

Gently mix tahini and one tablespoon of water in a small bowl. When combined, add the second tablespoon of water and stir again. Add the apple cider vinegar and lemon juice, gently stir, and pour on top of carrots and beets. Mix well (or in my case, shake well in the salad bar container) and serve.

This dish was completely inspired by my favorite salad bar combo. The slight sweetness of the root veggies paired nicely with the nuttiness of the tahini and the tang of the vinegar. Thankfully it was delish, because I devoured every last bite in a last-ditch effort to give my body a break between a super long vacation and my upcoming culinary adventures with my long-time foodie friend.