FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

A Quick Review

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When I was at Whole Foods earlier this week, I stocked up on a couple emergency frozen meals.  Ordinarily, I buy the same Amy’s Organic Mexican meals every time.  But during this stroll down the frozen aisle, I noticed a heavily discounted new brand and decided to give it a shot.  I’m glad I did!

While microwaving, I made the connection between Candle Cafe Vegan and Candle 79.  I was so pumped because it brought back memories of when my friend Cesa and I dined at Candle 79 when I visited her in NYC in 2009.  The frozen meal was obviously no match to the amazeballs Candle 79 experience, but it was a nice change-up from my ordinary.  The macaroni & cheese and tofu spinach ravioli were out of stock, but I’ll be keeping an eye out for them during my next trip to the market.

On a side note, I finished Week 6, Day 3 of the Personal Running Trainer app! I’m still amazed at how well this program has enabled me to go from only being able to run a few minutes at a time to running for almost 30 minutes straight!

Even though 11 of the 40 minutes were a brisk walk (5 minute warm-up and 5 minute cool-down), I still have a lot of work to do in the speed department.   I’m hoping that yoga and barre fitness classes will help me build muscle and, in turn, make me a fast(er) runner.

Do you have any tips for increasing your running speed?

Spicy Salty Sweet Potato

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My first salty/sweet obsession happened when I lived in Dallas and had my first taste of World Market’s sea salt dark chocolate.  I’d treat myself to two squares every night after a run on Katy Trail or a class at YogaSport.  It was ritualistic and I kept my pantry stocked.  Of my final errands before moving back to Tampa was buying the remaining stock at multiple World Markets before hitting the road.  Crazytown.  It all melted.  I was devastated.

Not too long after discovering salty/sweet, spicy/sweet earned a place in my tummy heart. While Sarah was still living in LA, we headed over to The Hungry Cat for cocktails and the Sweet & Vicious caught our attention.  Super light, faintly sweet melon, a jalapeno kick, and vodka.  I still dream about that cocktail like a long lost love.

I could have prepared a typical Earth Balance, dash of salt, sweet potato tonight, but…  I knew I could do better.  I saw marshmallows in the fridge and salty/sweet came to mind and then spicy/sweet tried to take over until they all came together for spicy/salty/sweet!

FoodFash Spicy Salty Sweet Potato

1 medium sized sweet potato, cooked

1 tablespoon Earth Balance (or butter)

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

small handful of mini marshmallows

Scoop out all of the insides of a fully cooked sweet potato and put them into a small bowl.  Add butter, crushed red pepper, and salt to the sweet potato and mix well.  Stuff the sweet potato insides back into the potato skin.  Top with mini marshmallows and broil until marshmallows are the desired toasty-ness. Keep an eye on the marshmallows because there’s a fine line between perfect burned and gross burned!

Off The Dairy Wagon, In Pictures

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Breakfast: Greek Yogurt

Lunch:  Leftover Homemade Pizza X 2

Pre Work-Out Snack: Breaded Mushrooms

Work-Out: Barre Fitness Class

Dinner: Noodles with Sauteed Mushrooms and Spinach

Dessert: Marshmallows

Although I haven’t completely fallen off the dairy wagon, I definitely have one foot on the ground.  It’s really tough being a dairy-free foodie, especially if you don’t have the time or the talent to cook like Tal Ronnen.  And while there were only a few times this year where I REALLY missed Greek yogurt and fancy cheeses, times have changed.  I miss it all: goat, bleu, feta.  You name it, I want it.

A mostly dairy-free 2011 has prepared me for a new relationship with dairy, one of which I’ve never had before, one of moderation.  And for that, I am thankful.

Happy Gobble Gobble Day!!!

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Whoop, it’s almost that time!  I love, love, love Thanksgiving for a ton of reasons, but mostly for getting to eat dinner as a family, that start of cooler weather, and lots and lots of side dishes.  Little bites of lots of food makes me a happy, happy turkey!

I knew exactly which cookbook I wanted to bake from this year.  I pulled Terry Walters Clean Food off of the cookbook shelf and flipped to the fall table of contents.  It was a toss up between two butternut squash recipes, but ultimately, the Butternut Squash Casserole won.

I’m such a sucker for simple ingredients!

The recipe was a little more labor intensive that I had anticipated – LOTS of chopping.  However, if I hadn’t doubled the recipe, I don’t think it would have been that bad.

The casserole was sizzling its little heart out when I pulled it out of the oven.  I sampled a piece and thought it was tasty.  I had my uncle give it a whirl and he suggested that I add a little salt.  It’s amazing what the tiniest bit of salt can do! The maple syrup and cider bump up the natural sweetness of the squash just a notch, the red onion adds tang, and the toasted almonds add texture.  Overall, I think this dish comes together quite nicely!

I do not think this recipe stands a chance in being the favorite amongst all of the over-sweetened, over-creamed, over-salted dishes that dominate a traditional Thanksgiving Day table; however, if I were completely in charge of a holiday menu, I wouldn’t think twice about including this casserole again.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families!