It’s official: I’m back on the couscous bandwagon.  Thankfully, I’m not quite as obsessed as before.  Unlike my earlier college days, I do vary my diet a little; I also eat pumpkin pies, apple crumb cakes and cranberry sauce.  I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again: couscous salads are so flexible, you can add whatever you have lurking in your fridge drawers and it’ll probably make a good meal if you spice it up enough.  That said, I’ve been making several grain & veggie salads of late and this one really stood out and, despite the fact that it provided a huge Tupperware of leftovers, two days later there wasn’t a semolina granule to be found.  What made this salad different was the spicing.  I didn’t skimp with salt (3/4  teaspoon for the entire salad), chili powder, coriander, cumin, garam masala and cinnamon.  I took a riff from my previous Moroccan Couscous dish with the sweet-tastes (I even added a splash of orange juice at the end).  But I also wanted it to have a bit of a kick, like a chocolate mole sauce, so I included chile peppers, chile powder and a smidgen of cumin for warmth.

The best and most unusual part of this salad was the fact that the couscous played a minor role.  Instead of eating COUSCOUS flaked with a few specks of parsley and a lentil or two, the couscous was the medium to eat nuts, dried fruit and savory, spiced veggies.  Each spoonfull had chew and crunch.

I tried this salad hot, room-temperature and cold.  My favorite was room-temperature.  Conversely, my dad’s favorite was piping hot and my mom loved it cold.  As my cousin Emily said, we’re like the Three Bears.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup pecans, chopped

1 cup whole-wheat couscous
1 cup chopped dates and dried apricots

1 large onion, white or yellow
5 sweet chile peppers (or 1 large bell pepper), thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
generous amount of ground pepper
1/2  cup dried beans (I boiled a 12-bean mix from a market bulk bin)
olive oil
1 tablespoon orange juice, optional

Methods:

1.  If using dried beans, measure 1/2 cup and boil according to cooking time.  Skim off any white foam that rises to the top during cooking.

2.  In an ungreased sauce pan, toast pine nuts and pecans on medium-high, approximately 5-7 minutes.  Pinenuts burn easily, so keep close watch.

3.  Boil amount of water according to couscous instructions.  Remove from heat.  Stir in whole-wheat couscous and chopped, dried fruit.  Cover for five minutes, then fluff.  Set aside.

4.  In a skillet, heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil.  Add chopped onion and cook until wilted and slightly browned, about 5 minutes.   Add peppers, cook another 3-4 minutes.  Add generous pinch of sea salt and spices.   (Don’t skimp here; remember that these ingredients will flavor the entire salad.)  When cooked, remove from heat.  Toss with couscous salad.  Add more olive oil to taste, pepper, salt if necessary and smidgen of OJ, if using.

5.  When beans are cooked, drain and add to salad.  Toss.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

I shoulda gotten out of bed when my alarm went off, but I slept for 2 more hours instead.

I woulda gone out to hand out resumes in hopes of landing a part time job, but I slept in.

I coulda done more school work today, and actually gotten ahead of the game, but other things were more interesting.

I guess that’s how it goes sometimes, eh?

I started my sleep in day with something I haven’t had in eons – a smoothie!

• frozen raspberries
• 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 tbsp cocoa
• milk

I also had an Apple Carrot Raisin Oatmeal Muffin with said smoothie delight.

Even though it was cold and rainy, the smoothie was so very enjoyable. Note to self – do not forget about the smoothie!

I ended up plopped on the couch watching skating this afternoon, and worked on some parts of our group paper. I was trying to foster some discussion, but there wasn’t much input from other group members, so I gave up. I’m just hoping they weren’t near their computers, and not just ignoring the fact that we need to get this done.

I eventually thought about having lunch. I was craving an eclectic salad.

• romaine lettuce
• spinach
• cucumber
• carrot
• hummus/salsa mix
• sour cream
• dill pickles
• tiny bit of leftover roast chicken
• spelt sticks (inspiration from Mama Pea and her sesame sticks)

Mom went grocery shopping, and brought back a fresh, doughy load of sourdough bread, so I toasted up a slice and spread on a little butttah.

‘Twas a delightful lunch.

But as delicious as the random salad combo was (dill pickles & spelt sticks on salad are a keeper!), my tummy got angry about half way through, so I ended up tossing the last third or so. I didn’t waste any of that bread though – simple carby goodness is one of the few things I want when I’m feeling ill.

My sister was off to her boyfriend’s, and my parents had a dinner to go to, so I was left alone for the evening (yay!). And what was the first thing I did? Get dressed and head out to the grocery store. LOL. I had good reason though – mom went grocery shopping, and only bought plain orange juice. Now, I don’t know what it is about plain orange juice, but I can’t drink it. Especially if there’s pulp. Blech – if I want to chew something, I’ll eat the fruit, thanks. I was on a Happy Planet juice mission!

I picked up not just my favourite Mango Peach Party, but another flavour I haven’t enjoyed in quite some time – Tropical Tango.

I couldn’t help but to enjoy a glass right when I got home.

I always forget how awesome the Tropical Tango Flavour is. It has coconut in it, so obviously it has to be good. It’s almost like drinking a Pina Colada…sans rum.

And since I was left to my own devices for dinner, I decided to make a pizza only I would enjoy. We even had a small ball of pizza dough in the freezer, and I managed to spread it out on the pan relatively well. I still have troubles with holes forming in my crust, but I patched those all up.

I brushed a little olive oil on the dough, and sprinkled on some Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese and pre-baked the crust a bit before topping it. Then I added:

• spinach
• marinated artichokes
• onion
• rehydrated porcini mushrooms
• corn
• mozzarella
• parmesan

The above is pre-cheese, and below is post-cheese & post-bake.

Whenever I use fresh pizza dough, I can never get it to brown – any tips?!

I served myself a couple of slices.

It was delicious. Especially without the tomato sauce base. We didn’t have any on hand, and I’m not really a tomato sauce person, so the simple olive oil & seasonings were right up my alley. Plus that corn – oh, it get so sweet and delicious on the pizza. If you’ve never had corn on a pizza, I highly recommend you try it out.

I enjoyed my pizza while I watched the hockey game (Canucks win 7 – 3!). It didn’t bother my tummy much, so I grabbed another slice (they were pretty small to begin with).

That’s a hunk of artichoke hanging off there, not cheese

My mom came home later on with leftover dessert from their dinner party – cherry cheesecake. Obviously, I had to taste test a sliver.

It got my seal of approval.

Then, despite the rain, we went and soaked out in the hot tub. It’s been quite awhile since I’d gone in (probably because of all the rain), so it was a nice way to relax from my…completely slack day. HA!

And now, it is again much later than I would like it to be, so I shall bid my adieu and hop into bed. Night!

…Even though it’s two days after Thanksgiving now.  Happy four day weekend!  I’ve been taking the opportunity to sleep in and take care of business.

This year, for the first time, Dave and I decided to stay home for Thanksgiving.  We invited our friends Tom and Hope over and had a nice, intimate, huge feast.  I even decorated the table like a real adult.

And made a centerpiece, Martha Stewart-style.

We started with appetizers.  This is the Walnut Mushroom Pate from Veganomicon with some crackers, carrot sticks and peppadews (mild pickled peppers).  Tom and Hope’s dog Lucy also came over and I had forgot that she really loves to eat carrots, so that was a nice treat for her.

Since we were sitting down to a real dinner, I included soup and salad on the menu.  For the soup I wanted to keep the flavors simple and express my new found love for cardamom.

Roasted Butternut Squash & Orange Soup with Pistachio Dust

1 large butternut squash (3-4 lbs), peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 large shallots, quartered
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 Tbs virgin coconut oil, melted
3 cups vegetable broth
1 large orange, zested and supremed
2 Tbs orange liqueur (optional)
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/8 tsp cumin
1-2 pinches cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
5-6 grinds freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup shelled pistachios, lightly toasted
2 fresh sage leaves, minced

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or foil.  Divide the squash, shallots and garlic among the pans, add 1 Tbs of melted coconut oil to each pan and stir to coat the vegetables.  Roast for 45 minutes, stirring once halfway through.  Allow to cool slightly.
2. Place half of the vegetables in a blender, add half of the broth and blend until smooth.  Pour into a large pot.  Place the remaining vegetables and broth in the blender and add the orange segments, orange liqueur, cardamom, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper.  Blend until smooth and add to the pot.  Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
3. Heat the soup gently over medium heat, stirring often and turning down the heat if it starts bubbling.
4. Meanwhile, place the pistachios in a food processor and process into the size of fine breadcrumbs.  Add the sage and 1 tsp orange zest and pulse to combine.
5. To serve, ladle the warm soup into bowls and top with the pistachio dust.

Servings: 6

Amount Per Serving
Calories 365.04
Calories From Fat (23%) 82.37
% Daily Value
Total Fat 9.73g 15%
Saturated Fat 4.65g 23%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 185.43mg 8%
Potassium 1661.7mg 47%
Total Carbohydrates 66.3g 22%
Fiber 7.74g 31%
Sugar 9.44g
Protein 8.82g 18%

Our salad was the Roasted Fennel and Hazelnut Salad with Shallot Dressing from Veganomicon.  I first made this a few weeks ago and couldn’t find the chicory it called for, so I had it with mixed greens and butter lettuce, and after trying it with chicory I have to say that the bitter greens make all the difference in balancing the sweet elements of the salad.  I also learned that I like whole hazelnuts.  Delicious!

I didn’t want to hold my fellow diners up, so I didn’t get pictures of all the individual dishes.  Here is my plate.

For my “main” I had a chickpea cutlet from the freezer with some cranberry sauce that Hope brought.  The roasted brussels sprouts are this recipe, chosen because I found out that neither Tom nor Hope likes brussels, and I was determined to show them that they’re good.  They both tried them and said they’re okay, but they’re still not brussels fans.  I can try, no?

These rolls are the Homestyle Potato Rolls fromVeganomicon.  Yes, I relied heavily on Veganomicon for our meal.  It’s a great cookbook filled with a lot of fall-appropriate recipes.  Anywho, the bread dough was really nice and easy to work with, and it expanded even while in the fridge overnight.  I served the bread with some herbed butter.  I mean, herbed Earth Balance.

Dave requested chunky mashed potatoes with the skins, and lots of them so he could have leftovers.  I added a bunch of Earth balance, almond milk, truffle salt and black pepper to get ‘em tasting good.  Everyone else enjoyed turkey gravy, but I came up with this red wine gravy as my contribution.  It’s not the best looking color of gravy, but it tastes quite nice.

Red Wine Gravy

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup vegetable broth, at room temperature
1/2 cup almond milk, at room temperature
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 Tbs tamari
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs nutritional yeast

1. Heat a medium pot over medium heat and add the olive oil.  Sprinkle the flour into the pot and whisk immediately to make a smooth paste.  Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.  Add the broth, milk, wine and tamari and turn up the heat to medium-high.  Bring to a boil and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened.  Turn the heat down if the gravy is bubbling too much.  Add sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.  Remove from the heat and whisk in the nutritional yeast.  Serve hot.

Servings: 8

Amount Per Serving
Calories 102.56
Calories From Fat (61%) 63.06
% Daily Value
Total Fat 7.15g 11%
Saturated Fat 0.94g 5%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 262.38mg 11%
Potassium 44.39mg 1%
Total Carbohydrates 5.03g 2%
Fiber 0.87g 3%
Sugar 0.18g
Protein 2.28g 5%

And of course, I had to make green bean casserole.  It’s my quintessential Thanksgiving dish.  Dave said that the ones I had made in the past were good but could have more flavor, so I set out to create my own version, and I have to say that it was probably the best green bean casserole I’ve ever had.  I wanted to make everything from scratch instead of using store bought fried onions, and I tried to inject as much flavor as possible at every step.

Green Bean Casserole

1 1/2 lbs green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lb mixed wild mushrooms, diced (I used chanterelle, oyster and shiitake)
6 Tbs high heat sunflower oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp fresh thyme, minced
1 large shallot, minced
5 Tbs all purpose flour, divided
1 cup vegetable broth, at room temperature
1 cup almond milk, at room temperature
2 Tbs sherry
1 small onion, thinly sliced

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place the green beans in a steamer over simmering water and steam for 20 minutes, until beans are tender.  Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, heat a large pan over medium heat.  Add the garlic and thyme and saute for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.  Add the mushrooms and continue to cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.  Set aside.
4. Place a small pot over medium heat and add 3 Tbs of the oil.  Add the shallots and cook for 5 minutes, until they are starting to turn translucent.  Add 3 Tbs of the flour and whisk to form a smooth paste.  Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.  Add the vegetable broth and whisk to combine.  Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring to a boil, whisking frequently.  Once the sauce has thickened slightly, add the milk and sherry and continue to cook, whisking frequently, until thickened.  Combine the green beans, mushroom mixture and sauce in a baking dish.
5. Combine the sliced onion and 2 Tbs flour in a bowl and toss with your hands to coat.  Heat a medium pan over medium-high heat and add the remaining 2 Tbs of oil.  Add the onions and any remaining flour to the pan, stir to combine and cook until most of the onions have browned, stirring frequently.  Pour the onions on top of the green bean mixture and spread evenly.
6. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes and serve hot.

Servings: 8

Amount Per Serving
Calories 192
Calories From Fat (50%) 96.94
% Daily Value
Total Fat 10.97g 17%
Saturated Fat 1.12g 6%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 30.35mg 1%
Potassium 497.72mg 14%
Total Carbohydrates 20.21g 7%
Fiber 2.73g 11%
Sugar 2.26g
Protein 4.85g 10%

For dessert, I attempted to veganize the Cranberry Upside Down Cake from the latest issue of Eating Well magazine.

It tasted alright, but it refused to upside-down itself from my cast iron pan, so we had it rightside-up.  That’s what I get for making the recipe the first time that day.

We ate, we chatted, we had some wine and Dogfishhead Chicory Stout, and we watched Elf.  I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

… and had the best dinner ever. But let’s start with breakfast, which started last night:

With some of this:

And some of this:

Smooshed onto Santa’s face to make my first breakfast cookie!!!

I woke up with a headache .. sad, for my not-even-a-glass-and-a-half of wine, but I just really don’t drink. After some coffee and nana:

I ran a 5k at the gym (too windy for the trail) in 28:59 and spent 15 minutes with the Stair Master.

Treadmill:

• 5 minutes @ 6.0 mi/hr, 2.5 incline
• 5 minutes @ 6.5 mi/hr, 2.5 incline
• 2 minutes @ 7.0 mi/hr, 2.5 incline
• 5 minutes @ 6.5 mi/hr, 2.5 incline
• 5 minutes @ 6.0 mi/hr, 2.5 incline
• 5 minutes @ 6.5 mi/hr, 2.5 incline
• 2 minutes @ 7.0 mi/hr, 2.5 incline
• 1:59 minutes @ 6.5 mi/hr, 2.5 incline

Stair Master:

• 3 minutes, level 3
• 2 minutes, level 4
• 3 minutes, level 3
• 2 minutes, level 4
• 3 minutes, level 3
• 1 minute, level 5
• 1 minute, level 4
• 1 minute, level 3

Then I came home, had this:

and thanked God for Gina.

Seriously delish. I might add some Truvia or honey next time for a little more sweetness, but it really was like a giant oatmeal raisin cookie!

After a brief trip out with mama, I came home on the verge of being hangry! I was craving falafel and sweet potato fries. So I made both. While my “fries” were baking, I made this Hugh Jass salad:

  

It was a beast containing:

• The remainder of the spinach container (3 cups?)
• The last 3 Veggie Patch falafel balls
• Brocc
• Green beans
• Peas
• Hummus
• Tzatziki
• Frank’s

It was delicious and devoured. Then these were done:

Half of the potato in here, half in the fridge to take back with me.

We had plans to go to a Cuban restaurant in New Haven, but they couldn’t seat us for a while, so my uncle suggested Barcelona, a tapas and wine bar. I’ve been DYING to go here since the summer. There is one closer to us, in Fairfield, but we were meeting my stepbrother and he lives closer to New Haven.

Fail: no pictures. I REALLY wanted to take them, but my I’m still to shy in public .

I started off with a white wine, a 2007 Albarino from Pedro de Soutomaior in Rias Baixas, Spain. It was really great – refreshing, crisp, fruity – but not sweet. My mom and stepdad had the red sangria but I didn’t try it. It was really really hard to choose what to get to eat. For tapas, aka “small plates”, you can get a few tapas for your meal, or a tapas as an appetizer and an entree – there’s probably thousands of combinations you could make.

I ended up choosing 3 tapas for my meal:

• Warmed Cana de Cabra (goat cheese) with Port Figs and Green Apple
• Spinach-Chickpea Casserole with Cumin & Garlic Confit
• Pulpo a la Plancha – Octopus with Fingerling Potatoes, Smoked Paprika, and Celery

Yes. It’s okay to be jealous.

My stepdad got the Boquerónes (fresh marinated anchovies) and something else I can’t remember. He and my mom also split the the Roasted Chickpea Puree with House-Made Pita Chips, the Homemade Cumin-Scented Chicken Empanadas with Avocado Puree, and some roasted brussel sprouts with garlic and bacon (not on the online menu so not sure of the exact name/ingredients). My mom also ordered the Albondigas (meatballs). My uncle was at the other end of the table, so I’m not sure what he ordered, but my stepbrother and brother both ordered the Pepper-Rubbed Filet Mignon with Mashed Potatoes, Brandy Reduction, and Crispy Onions.

After we ordered, fresh loaves of bread were brought to the table and olive oil was poured. As it was white bread, I didn’t have any, but everyone said it was delicious and very warm and fresh. The tapas were brought out as they were ready. I got my goat cheese, fig, and apple platter first, on a long white platter, each ingredient perfectly separated from the other.

OH. EM. GEE.

Warm, creamy, amazing goat cheese. Port-soaked juicy, chewy, sweet figs. Crisp, tart, refreshing slices of Granny Smith. Really there are no words except Gina’s – FOODGASM. And the perfect dish. The best thing I’ve ever eaten (in America).

The spinach and chickpea “casserole” came out next, in a small, shallow round dish. Whole chickpeas were covered in the most thinly sliced spinach I’ve ever seen. To be honest, I couldn’t taste any cumin, and only got the taste of garlic a few times throughout the dish. It was good, but if those two flavors had been more pronounced, it would have been great.

Then the warm octopus salad came out. It was in a small, shallow, rectangular dish with octopus (flesh and tentacles), whole fingerling potatoes, celery slices, and red onions. The octopus was perfectly cooked – chewy, but not rubbery at all, and very savory. The potatoes were great too, but overall, the dish was WAY too salty. I actually didn’t finish it. Shocking – I know. Also, there was bacon in the dish, which I tasted before I saw. This was not indicated on the menu, and if it had been, I probably wouldn’t have ordered it. I would also be concerned for pescatarians/flexitarians/quasitarians/whatevertarians here – octopus would might be okay for them to order, but the bacon wouldn’t be! Also, I’m not sure if octopus is known to be fatty (?) but one of my pieces was entirely fat. I actually spit it out into my napkin .. conspicuously, I promise.

I tried the brussel sprouts my parents ordered – amazing. I also had two of the home-made pita chips with the chickpea puree (okay, let’s just call it hummus, because that’s what it is). The chips were visibly oily (ick), but perfectly toasted and crunchy with a great not-too-salty taste. The hummus was RIDICULOUSLY good. It had such a unique taste – including lots of garlic, which I love! I finished it off with a fork. Yup, just me and forkfuls of hummus at dinner. So classy.

It was all plated beautifully, brought out quickly, and with great service. That is, until we ordered dessert. I just got a cup of decaf (plus I still had some wine), but my uncle and brother ordered the Churros y Chocolate with Dark Chocolate Dipping Sauce and my stepdad got the Warm Carrot Cake with Cinnamon Ice Cream – mostly because my mom and I wanted just a bite. After we got our coffee, our once-attentive serve virtually disappeared and we waited 20 minutes for our dessert. It was obvious we had been forgotten about because when it was finally brought over, the ice cream on my step-dad’s plate was melted. At least plate a new dish to make it look like it hasn’t been sitting out, waiting.

I had just a bite of the carrot cake – and I’ve had better. There was no frosting on it – I guess the ice cream is supposed to serve as the frosting, but I didn’t want any. It was good, but not great. Carrot cake is my favorite so I would have been disappointed, but I’m glad I just tried it. I didn’t try the churros, but I guess they were just okay too.

Overall, it was a really great experience! My family and I had never had tapas before, so it was fun to try together. Definitely my new favorite restaurant. So so good. The atmosphere is great – very laid back, dimmed lights, nice ambiance. Modern, but welcoming. There’s so much more I want to try – and from what I can tell, things change seasonally and they use some local ingredients – woo! Go!

Back to school tomorrow for two weeks of class and a week of finals I have so much to do it’s not even funny. Normally I would feel bad about neglecting so much work over break, but I needed just that – a break. It was AMAZING to just lay in my bed all day, run when I want to (not just when I have time), spend time with my family, and have a lot more eating freedom .. especially discovering tapas. Hopefully I’ll finish my laundry tonight – nothing like waiting til the last minute! Then tomorrow I’ll get up early, run/gym, pack, and peace. With a special trip to cheer myself up on the way back to Storrs …

What’s your favorite thing to get at Whole Foods? I always love trying new foods! As much as my blog does not reflect that …

This year’s obsession with arugula salad began in Franklin, TN at a make-your-own-salad place called Tossed.  My salad of choice, perfected after daily trips, consisted of 10 ingredients: arugula, portabello mushrooms, egg whites, cucumber, grape tomatoes, corn, jicama, sugar snap peas, avocado, and blue cheese “crumbles” on the side.   (No need for dressing as the portabellos were marinated before cooking.)  Items that were experimented with but did not make the ultimate cut included nuts and tortilla strips.  The trips to Franklin stopped in late April but the bf kindly re-created the salad for my birthday in August.

On Thanksgiving, however, we made a MUCH simpler arugula salad that I am going to declare a new winner.  Each of the 4 ingredients contributes a different taste: arugula (spicy), parmesan cheese slices (salty), roasted walnuts (crunchy), roasted d’Anjou pears (sweet), all tossed lightly with olive oil  and white vinegar (sour?).  Very simple, although the roasted pears gave us a little bit of trouble: the original cookbook instructions called for 350 degrees for ~10 minutes (or so), whereas we ended up baking it for much longer (all the juices had to ooze out first) and eventually on broil.  I have a final serving of it left over that I am going to have for lunch tomorrow!

The Husband and I have a friend visiting from back home.  He and I were talking about Popeye eggs last night.  He calls them eggs in a hole last night.  Some people call them toad in a holes; others frog in a hole or bird’s nest eggs.  I’ve always called ‘em Popeye eggs.  Our houseguest went an entire month eating eggs in a hole (eggs in holes??) and didn’t get sick of them.  So this morning, he grabbed a spatula and a frying pan and whipped up a batch of gooeyness:

He likes cutting out a square instead of a circle and then putting the square back on top of the egg.  “Like a hat.”  Cuuuuute.  He usually uses a LOT of buttah, but was happy to oblige me in a hearly butter-less egg.  He used a sliver of the yellow stuff to cook up the onions he placed on top of the eggs.  Deelish!

After breakfast, we went on a scenic walk through the hills that lasted a little over an hour:

We took our little snorter with us:

She had an awesome time and I got in 75 minutes of exercise.  360 calories according to ye olde heart rate monitor.  Score!

After the walk, we cooked up a quick lunch.  Our hosts cooked up some chicken thighs in a cast iron pan and sauteed up a bunch of veggies that were lying around in the fridge.  We threw together a huge salad, warmed up some Thanksgiving leftovers and toasted up some good bread.  It was a simple homecooked meal, and that’s exactly what I needed.

Our hosts had made some plans to go watch movies at a friend’s house, but I wasn’t feeling up for it.  I skipped out because I felt like lazing about the house.  The Husband decided to go, so the dog and I are on our own.  I felt bad about ditching out on plans, so I decided to contribute a little something to their dinner:

That’s a cranberry ribbon cake made with leftover cranberry sauce.  I topped it with crushed walnuts & almonds and simple glaze made from a reduction of sugar, water & a little heavy cream.  Hope it’s yum!

My night’s been pretty awesome.  I made a giant salad from the last of the leftover Thanksgiving chicken, a couple of slices of honey ham, some cherry tomatoes, green onions, a splash of cider vinegar & a couple of squirts of dijon mustard as a topper.

I ate while watching “The Devil and Daniel Johnston” on AMC and savoring my alone time.  I’m hoping something better’ll come on next, but even if it doesn’t, it doesn’t matter.  I’ve got a relaxing night in front of the fireplace with a cup of (25-calorie!) hot cocoa in my hand and a dog on my lap.  What more could a girl ask for?

I curled up into a seat on the river side and ate a salad from the soup and salad place in the train station, wishing I could just stay on the train until it stopped looking like the city, until it was just the water and the birds, I’d like to go walk across that new bridge in Poughkeepsie, I forget how much daydreaming I used to do those four commuter rail years, it’s nice to sit on top of wheels and tracks.

This was this week’s second recipe from Nigella Express, and the second not-quite-success. This had some good flavours, but I was promised a crispy salmon and it didn’t really deliver on that. It was also far too sweet. I think we’ll be putting Nigella back on the bookshelf for a while.

I served the salmon over fine noodles with an oriental cucumber salad (recipe below) and some sushi ginger on the side. The cucumber salad wasn’t Nigella’s recipe and I thought it was actually the best part of the meal.

Ingredients
60ml mirin
50g light brown sugar
2 tbsp rice vinegar
60ml soy sauce
2 spring onions, halved and shredded into fine strips
4 salmon fillets

Mix the mirin, brown sugar and soy sauce in a shallow dish that will accommodate all 4 pieces of salmon. Marinate the salmon for 3 minutes on one side, then flip and marinate 2 minutes on the other side. Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick frying pan.

(I found the marinade far too sweet. I think 50g is too much sugar, but it does help make it sticky. I’m not sure what effect reducing the sugar would have.)

Cook the salmon in the hot, dry pan for 2 minutes, then turn over, add the marinade and cook for another 2 minutes.

(This wasn’t nearly long enough to cook the salmon. After 4 minutes of cooking, mine was still very raw inside. I think I wound up cooking it a good 10 minutes.)

Remove the salmon to the serving plate, add the rice vinegar to the pan, and warm through.

Pour the sticky glaze over the salmon and top with the spring onion strips.

ORIENTAL CUCUMBER SALAD

Ingredients
1 cucumber
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 red chili, seeded and chopped finely
1 green onion, chopped finely
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Peel the cucumber and slice very finely. Put the slices in a colander and salt lightly. Leave to drain for at least 30 minutes. Then gently squeeze out any remaining moisture with kitchen roll.

Place in a bowl and chill for at least 10 minutes.

Mix all the dressing ingredients together and toss with the cucumber just before serving.

    Curled up under a blanket, listening to the wind rattling my balcony door and missing summer. Sure, autumn sparks the comfort cravings of soup and warm lasagna, but I miss salad season and gorging on fresh fruit in the sun. But who says you can’t have salads all year round? November isn’t just reserved for turnips and winter squash. If you don’t believe me, I’m sure this mexican salad will convince you.  I made this with a few ingredients I had around my kitchen and the results were mouth watering.

Mexican  Summer  Salad

(Serves 3 – 6 people… or refridgerate the rest for lunch the next day.)

Time commitment: 20 minutes to roast, 15 minutes to prepare.

     Ingredients

- 2 large orange, red, or green bell peppers
- 2 ears corn on the cob
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 1 garlic clove (or 2 if you’re as garlic obsessed as I am)
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil for the dressing
- 2 large tomatoes cut into 1/4-inch dice (firm-ripe)
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped

     Directions

Preheat oven to 425-degrees. Line baking sheet with foil. Drizzle 1
tablespoon oil over peppers and corn, rubbing in to vegetables.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast peppers about 20 minutes. Turn
corn occasionally throughout cooking time. After roasting cut corn off
cob. Dice peppers. Mix with cilantro, black beans and tomato.

To make dressing, mince garlic and combine with salt to make a paste.
Whisk with lime juice, olive oil and chili powder.

Pour dressing and gently toss corn, peppers, cilantro, tomatoes and black
beans. Devour within 10 minutes (preferably on a sunny deck with a a mojito… or with the Lonely Planet, daydreaming about Machu Picchu.

This crab salad is my trademark dish; I usually make this for parties and family gatherings because it is so easy and quick to make. If it doesn’t disappear by the end of the meal it’s only because I made way too much! The secret to the great flavor is in the horseradish sauce.

Servings: 8 (If it’s a potluck, probably 15 to 20 small servings)
Cost to make: $7 to $8

Ingredients:
1 ½  pounds imitation crab meat (chopped – using a knife or food processor)
6 or 7 hard boiled eggs (diced)
1 small onion (finely diced)
1 cup real mayonnaise
1 teaspoon cream-style horseradish sauce
1 (15 oz) can corn (well-drained)
1 (15 oz) can peas (well-drained)

How to make Crab Salad:
In a large bowl, combine chopped Crab, corn, eggs, onion, mayo and horseradish. Mix well.
Fold in the peas last to keep them from breaking.
Add more mayo and horseradish to taste.

Notes: A food processor is not necessary, but it makes the recipe even faster and easier to make. You can cut the recipe in half if you are making it for a smaller crowd.

Hey babies! How we doin’? I should warn everyone that I’m listening to Tha Carter III as I write this. Thus the title, and be warned for the writing throughout this joyous post.

First off, I am not enjoying not posting five times a week! I feel naked without updating or reading other blogs. Perhaps naked isn’t the best word to use, but you understand.

I have had an absolutely fantastic week and an even better Thanksgiving, all thanks to one gorgeous, generous and super kind fellow blogger, Danielle. As soon as she figured that I’d be solo on ‘Furkey Day, she offered her family’s festivities to me. How sweet is that?!

In order to meet Danielle in time to make it to the parade, I awoke at 6am Wednesday. Wanting to have a solid vegan breakfast in me before the day started, I made a plain soy yogurt bowl:

Yeah, about this...

Plain soy yogurt tastes like mildewed garbage. It’s trash. Don’t buy it. I salvaged what I could and picked the banana out of the mess to eat with the peanut butter spoon.

I left mi apartamento (?) at 7:35am, grabbed a coffee and then fetched the train to 33rd. Once there, I received a message from Danielle asking me to meet her somewhere else. This would mean I’d have to take the subway. OK!

Diving right into the subway system (and having no clue what I was doing), I grabbed the D train. Wrong-o! This took me to the Bronx. Not one to fret (ha yeah right), I asked a kind stranger which subway to take. To end this needlessly long story, I made it and finally met Danielle.

She’s even sweeter than she is on her blog! We had plenty to talk about and chattered while en route to:

Madison Square for the parade!

Lemme tell you, I love a crowd. However, this was more than a crowd. It was as if the entire population of NYC came out for the parade. Insanity. Walking three blocks took fo eva because of the layers and layers of people. The people-watcher in me was overstimulated.

We did, though, spy the balloons:

Pikachu riding the air.

I learned something about myself and these parades. I’m totally creeped out by these gigantic balloons. You can’t tell me this isn’t scary:

Dora enorme.

I think it’s because it reminds me of Ghost Busters and the giant marshmallow guy. It’s like Dora is going to take us all down! Snoopy wasn’t as bad:

Snoopy's peacing out.

We figured the parade was winding down and subwayed it back to the Upper West Side, where Danielle’s family festivities were taking place. There’s never a dull moment in this city, not even on the subway. This mariachi band forced entertainment on the commuters, whether they wanted it or not:

I'm thinking people were more on the not side.

Once at Danielle’s family’s place, we sat around for a bit, then were sent on errands. I loved roaming this new-to-me area and soaking in the sun while gabbing. Glorious.

When we made it back to the house, Danielle’s gorgy lil’ sis and adorable lil’ cousins were playing Rock Band. You know I got my hands on the mic! I tried to get her little cousin to take over the singing, but he looked at me and said, “I can’t read!” Cutest. Thing. Ever. I forget that those under age six can’t yet read.

I was especially thankful when appetizers were ready, as this Snackie hadn’t eaten since the early morn and it was already 3pm-ish:

I was all OVA that!

I barely left that table. I was so attached to it that Danielle and I had our picture taken in front of it, in between my snacking spurts:

Beauty.

However many snacklettes I consumed, I didn’t ruin my appetite for the incredible Thanksgiving spread. As I was a guest, I ate delicious dishes that I’m sure weren’t vegan. Vegetarian was close enough for me. I was just thankful this family was so giving that they let me partake in their holiday. Amazing. Anyway, here was my plate of fabulousness:

Salad, acorn squash, mashed taters, sweet taters, broccoli, vegetarian stuffing and cornbread!

Everything was scrumptious! I had about three times what’s pictured of the salad and two more small squares of cornbread. It should be known that cornbread is one of my top five favorite foods.

After dinner, I got involved in a never-ending game of Star Wars Monopoly. It was never-ending because like Ivanka, I rose to the top and became a real-estate diva. I think I’ve only played Monopoly once or twice before, but luck was in my favor. Before I knew it, though, I was neck-and-neck with a six-year-old (I think he’s six, at least). I eased the stress with two of these phenomenal chocolate-filled vegan cookies:

Amaze.

I also picked a couple strawberries off this beautiful cake:

So pretty, but no one ate the cake!

I had to bow out of the game so I could make it home at a decent hour. Danielle, thank you so much for taking me in and letting me join the family for a day. You are kinder than words can express!

I’m beyond thankful for Danielle, her family, my time in NYC, my family (including the fur babies), friends, roomie, this blog, blog readers, other blogs and most importantly, LIFE. Isn’t it fabulous?

Anyway, Friday was pretty chill. I was having some tummy troubles (ya don’t even want to know) and got sucked into a Real Housewives of New Jersey marathon. I love them. Breakfast was exactly what I had this morning as well:

Kashi Go Lean topped with banana and drowned in almond milk.

I remained a big lump on the couch for a while and snacked on carrots with peanut butter. What I loved most about this snack was the serving size:

Hmm, not sure about that girth.

I did manage to do 30 minutes of AAA (abs, arms, ass) and then I thought I’d go for a quick jog. It was rather mild on Thursday, so I dressed in shorts and a sweatshirt. HUGE mistake. The second I stepped outside the wind was knocked out of me. It was freezing and windy. I squeaked out 15 minutes of running, but had to stop after that. My chest tightened and my ears ached. And I’m dramatic.

Lunch was elementary:

Amy's alphabet soup and a Honeycrispay.

That was filling! For approximately 40 minutes. I had a bowl or so of cereal soon after.

At some point I showered and got pretty for errand running. Time to stock up on girly products, ya dig?

Dinner was pita chips, carrots and hummus, but I’ll show you a picture of Tuesday’s dinner:

Tempeh and broccoli. Much healthier than a big ol' bag of Stacy's with hummus. Well, depending on your definition of healthy.

I also enjoyed a glass of vino while watching GoodFellas:

Surprisingly, I enjoyed this movie. I'm usually more into mindless girly films. The dirty Jerz wives must have put me in the mafia mood.

I’m not sure what all I’ll be doing this weekend. I haven’t unpacked yet. Maybe I should take care of that… Or maybe I should get this cutie’s number who’s sitting by me at Starbeezies. Decisions!

I miss you, kidlets! LOVE YOU!

Ciao for now,

Kailey

QUESTIONS: If you were a spice, what would you be? AND Should I unpack? Haha, I kid.

If I were a spice, I’d totally be ALL SPICE, baby! A lil’ bit of errythang!

Make something fall-fresh with your leftover turkey– salad! Try serving this with butter lettuce. It is mild and crisp, making a perfect contrast to the rich flavor of roasted turkey. Also great as a wrap, cut and served as tea sandwiches, or dress up your after-holiday-party relish tray!

2 Cups chopped left over turkey
2 green apples, diced
1 Cup chopped pecans
1 Cup shredded cheddar, Organic Valley is awesome!
1/3 Cup mayo or plain yogurt
2 TB apple cider vinegar
1 tsp each dill, thyme, black pepper
salt to taste

Mix dried herbs with vinegar and mayo/yogurt. Set aside while you chop the other ingredients. This will give the dressing time to develop its flavors. Toss chopped ingredients together and mix dressing in well.

This can be served immediately or chilled.

*** Double the dressing and toss in 1 lb cooked penne or gluten-free pasta for an awesome pasta salad.

Well hello again friends!!!  It’s been a while eh?

Hope everyone is enjoying this nice, long extended weekend (it’s only Saturday whoop whoop?!) 

I feel like I have totally left you guys hanging since Turkey Day, but I needed a lil’ technology break & decided that time with my family & boyfriend was in order… I know ya’ll understand! 

Gotta share with ya’ll the highlights of yesterday’s eats though…

Shredded turkey BBQ - in a barbecue, red wine & balsamic vinegar sauce blend that was a superfab way to reuse the turkey day feast!

Also some homemade peanut butter cookies featuring this guy & agave nectar (we ate them before the camera found them I’ll make ‘em again soon, promise!)

So onto today, which has started off fantastically as well   It’s sunny & chilly out which made for a perfect morning to spend at Lavendar Fields Farm, a local farm that also offers different cooking classes and the such.  They have fantastic herbs, 250 types of USDA certified organic to be specific…. and the farm is only about 15 minutes down the street (so weird that I live 15 minutes from both a city and a farm right?)

This morning I met Mom & Sis there for a Cooking with Herbs Class!

It’s such a cute place friends, the family has been on the farm for 6 generations and some of them are Australian so their accents are to die for!  They literally open their house up to everyone and have a huge indoor/outdoor garden, shop, etc.  It’s absolutely lovely

So onto the class, where I learned SO MUCH about herbs that I never knew. 

They really are such a fabulous way to add fantastic flavor to your cooking with no fat and with added health benefits… did you know that parsley is one of the healthiest herbs you can eat fresh – 1 cup offers more beta carotene than a carrot, more calcium than a glass of milk, more iron then 3oz. liver (ew), Vitamins C & K?  WOW!

We also learned how to do a tarragon infused vinegar (easy peasy friends) and the smell of this was FABULOUS.  I want to make this very soon (it would make a lovely gift too!) and use in on salads, veggies, etc….

Hello sista!

We sampled some absolutely yummy deelish Lemon Balm MiniMuffins topped with cream cheese & (get this) lemon flavored sugar!

Lil’ sis got the recipe and has announced that she will be making these for the holidays (she’s the baker of the family!)….  I will of course ensure this happens by not allowing her to come home from college if she doesn’t haha

There were also some fresh herb butters and cream cheeses to be sampled… what an easy fun way to fancy up the norm right?!

It was a fantastic way to spend the morning, and I know that I will be heading back there very soon!

Afterwards I did a little shopping for Christmas Tree goodies (p.s. If you are in Richmond, Ben Franklin is having some fantastic sales!)… I’ve never had my own tree before and The Man & I are so excited that we get to share one this year in our very own home!  <3 We have a certain theme we are going for, which will of course be revealed once we get it all together

Lunch eats needed to be easy, light & healthy… nothing Ukrops couldn’t handle!  Veggie Bean soup + Salad topped with everything under the sun.

Ahhh felt good after all that turkey day food to get back to some normalcy!

This afternoon’s plans include the week’s meal planning, WORKOUT (I’ve been a bad fanatic ) and picking up any needed dinner supplies…

…. once The Man gets off work we are spending tonight Christmas Tree decoratin’ and having a cozy dinner by the fire which is scheduled to include Pork Tenderloin (no more turkey please haha).

See you friends tonight and have a most wonderful Saturday

Hey, hey, hey! Happy it’s still the weekend for those who had Thanksgiving off, and happy now it’s the weekend for those who didn’t

I had quite the productive Friday yesterday. After a week full of coughing, hacking, being immobile, and sniffling, in addition to consuming copious amounts of yummy food, and champagne on Thanksgiving, I was definitely ready for a get my bod back in healthy mode. I hadn’t actually sweat (due to a workout, not a fever) since Sunday, and I was just feeling icky and congested with nastiness. Cute, heh?;-)

Naturally, the first step to this remedy is a Green Monster breakfast. Upon waking up, and after chugging some coffee for the first time in a week (coffee and wine, my two loves, repulse me when I’m ill) I threw 1 frozen banana, 2 cups of kale, 1 chopped carrot, 1 scoop of Amazing Grass Amazing Meal Chocolate Powder, and some chocolate Almond Milk, and 1 T of dark chocolate Maranatha’s almond butter into the blender, and whipped up this glorious concoction:

I swear, this combination keeps me FULL for days. Or at least until noon.

Shane had to head out to Chicago to a datacenter to the ball rolling on a project he and his business partner are working on, and he’d be gone all day long, so I decided to make it a productivo day. After whittling down my huge pile o’ laundry, I started to whittle my middle and twerk it out. It was this first workout since Sunday since I was a sweaty beast afterward, and I welcomed it with (sweaty) open arms

I deed:

• 10 minute warm up on the elliptical
• Upper body: chest, shoulders, tri’s
• overhead press
• lateral raise
• supine longarm pullover (haven’t done these in a while – helllooo upper triceps burn!
• chest press on stability ball
• triceps dips
• pushups
• 30 minutes on elliptical
• stretch it out

Speaking of stretching it out, I’ll have to either do a post or finally make a fitness tab and show you my go-to stretches that I do after every. single. cardio. workout. By now it’s just habit, but it’s my tried and true post-workout stretching exercises!

After working out, I felt energized and ready to take on the day, so I got started on my first task: preparing for the new LG front-loading washer and dryer. We are changing which room our laundry room will be when they arrive (on Friday EEEP!!!) so I had to clear out that room for the big arrival. Then I kinda got on a kick and just decided to give the basement a good deep cleaning for old time sake.

After all this work, I was haaangry. I knew just what I wanted: a Hugh Jass salad, baby.

You’re looking at the base of the salad rightchyeah – spinach, kale, button mushrooms, tomato, and red, yellow, and orange bell pepper.

Then a crumbled veggie burger, Goddess dressing, goat cheese, and a hummus glob was piled on:

Served up in a medium-sized Pyrex bowl:

Oh yes. Scrumptious it was. Afterward I may or may not have had some juicy delicious pineapple and a couple raw chocolate chip balls.

A little more cleaning was done, and then some indecisive texting back and forth with one of my friends about whether we wanted to brave the crowds or not and finally, we decided to get our crowd-pushing, deal-snatching faces on:

OK, I actually don’t shop like that, so I’m not sure what that face is, but holy pale face! I gave up tanning after my second year in college, and my skin’s been awesome to me since, but I still have to get used to the paleness from time to time.

So, I jumped in my car, and realized Shane wasn’t kidding when he said I needed gas last night. He drove my car home from my parents’ and alerted me that my gas light was on, but he’s “seen the needle lower before.”

Um yeah, husband. Not so much. I think I drove to the gas station on fumes!

I also got my shopping fuel:

and prepared to power through the ultimate Black Friday nightmare: Tarrrggeeetttt (said in scary voice.) I should have taken a picture of the parking lot, although I’m sure you have all seen the crazy town that is Target. Apparently, we’re not really meant for Black Friday crowds, and called it quits after that LOL. I did manage to make it to Fresh Market, and picked up a selection of new and interesting additions to the RAN pantry:

Dinna:

Most exciting score? Chocolate-covered banana chips!!!

Foodgasms R Us. My friend Kristin mentioned these suckers were in the bulk bins there, and I knew I had to get my hands on em. You know what’s super sweet about the Fresh? They have these aisles of bins filled with different trail mixes, veggie chips, fruit chips, nuts, etc… and you can try before you buy! It’s about the best thing ever.

The husband and I had gran plans of going to a hocky game and playing poker with a few other couples, but he didn’t get done with his datacenter…ing until about 8:30, which meant he was home at 11:00, which did not = a night out. Instead, I decided to live on the edge and have a wild night of spice cabinet organizing. Yes, my friends, sometimes you just have to live on the edge.

Before, a cluttered, I-can’t-find-tumeric-I-could-have-swear-I-bought-tumeric mess:

And after, alphabetized, and in rows, so I know I can find tumeric in the T secion:

which will stay like that for approximately one week.

To round out my getting-back-my-health Friday, I did some detoxyfying assisted back bends:

Haha..like my slippers? Hmm…apparently I need to work on getting that left arm in closer to the ball. The stability ball is a great tool for the back bend. It’s so beneficial and feels sooo good. If you’re like me, you’re hunched over 90% of the day either at work, over the stove, etc, and a nice back bend stretch and do wonders for stretching out the chest and shoulders.

Finally, I finished off the night with some vino and blog reading:

The blog reading didn’t last very long though. Clarabelle has been in such a needy/lovey-dovey mood with me lately, and fights for my attention and follows me everywhere! Including the computer room. Last night as I was sitting and the computer, she continuously strutted back and forth across the key board, just to get in my way of the computer, letting her huge puffy tail whap me on her way through:

You try ignoring this tail!

Well I’m off a yoga class (if I can get out of here on time!) and then do some core work and cardio. Today the husband and I are putting up the tree!! I’m SO excited

Do you feel the need to get back to your healthy ways after a bout of sickness or after a couple days of eating way too much?  I typically feel a nice, long sweat session will do the trick!

Have a wonderful Saturday, everybody!!

When Nick went to the butcher on Thursday to pick up our Thanksgiving turkey, he was met with an unpleasant surprise.  The 4-kilo turkey I had ordered was actually 5.4 kilos!  After some debate and bargaining with the butcher, it came out that that was the smallest bird they had received that day, and they had indeed reserved it for me.  A three-pound difference might not sound like a big deal, but when the bird costs 6 euros 50 a kilo, and we were already unsure if a whole turkey would fit into our tiny oven, and it was already 3pm on Thanksgiving Day, it felt disastrous.

After some oven reconfiguration, we managed to get the turkey in without it touching the heating element, and it roasted up beautifully – since turkey isn’t the commodity in France that it is in the US, the ones you get here are never frozen or wrapped in plastic.  The air-dried skin browns and crisps like no other turkey I’ve made, and the flavor, like that of French chickens, is somehow just more.  The menu went off just as planned, except in lieu of the brittle I served the potimarron pie with bourbon-maple whipped cream.

We were joined by five friends, and actually have very few leftovers (one scoop of mashed potatoes, one spoonful of Brussels sprouts, one sliver of pie…) except for the turkey, of which about two and a half pounds remain.  Having spent 35 euros – that’s right, upwards of 50 bucks – we don’t want to let a single scrap go to waste.  Yesterday afternoon I made stock from the carcass, after Nick had cleaned it of meat.  Meanwhile, he simmered a piece of kombu in a pot of water in preparation for a very welcome light lunch: turkey miso soup.

If you’ve never made miso soup before, you’re missing out on one of the simplest, fastest, and tastiest soups around.  It’s as easy as whisking a couple of spoonfuls of miso into a pot of hot dashi (the Japanese staple broth made with water, kombu seaweed, and bonito tuna flakes – which we have as yet been unable to find in Paris, so we did without – steeped for about five minutes) and garnishing with a few little pieces of whatever.  It should be brothy.  In this case, we used a bit of shredded turkey and some snipped chives, leftover from the mashed potatoes.  It made a fantastic day-after-Thanksgiving lunch.

But there’s plenty more turkey to be eaten.  As soon as I’m done writing, I plan on heading down to the kitchen and mixing up a big batch of herbed turkey salad: mayo, sage, chives, parsley, maybe a bit of crème fraîche and shallot.  I’ll eat it for lunch on top of some lettuce with a dollop of cranberry sauce, and hopefully there will be enough left to make a couple of weekday sandwiches.

Tonight or tomorrow I’ll put that fresh turkey stock to use in a turkey risotto.  Garnishes will include the rest of the fresh sage, chopped turkey (duh) and grated aged provolone.

So what are you doing with your turkey leftovers?

Originally published on Croque-Camille.

Which is healthier salad before a meal American way or after a meal European way?

Few starters are simpler than this one!

Simply chill a plate.

Next, top it with some mixed greens.  Any salad greens will work but an assortment is desirable for an interesting mingling of flavors.

Slice a Fuyu persimmon and decorate the greens with those brightly colored slim slices.

Dot the persimmon with crumbles (or globs as we call them in my kitchen) of chevre (goat cheese).

Lastly, sprinkle the plate with some homemade (or store bought, if you must) candied pecans.

The result is an inviting and colorful first course, filled with flavor and good nutrition.  At the last minute, before serving, drizzle any type of citrus vinaigrette (or for New Years, use a high quality champagne vinaigrette) over the top and serve chilled!

Happy Holidays!

Now that Thanksgiving is over and fall is quickly turning into winter, the Christmas reins are untied and I’ve turned up the holiday spirit knob to 100%! I ripped off the plastic wrapping of my box of Candy Cane Lane Green Tea first thing this morning, and toasted up a piece of Harvest Bread – mmm…mmm, good!

Celestial Seasonings is going green: “Our unique pillow-style tea bag is the result of our commitment to doing what’s best for the environment. Because these natural fiber tea bags don’t need strings, tags, staples or individual wrappers, we’re able to save more than 3.5 million pounds of waste from entering landfills every year!”

I enjoyed a relaxing morning (no, I did not get up at 4:00am for any remarkable sale shopping) – rising late, taking a break from exercise, and sipping tea with the rain tapping on my window.

Later in the afternoon, my mom and I fought the blustery wind outside and joined the shopping madness at Target. We weaseled in and out of the Christmas isles, finding a few final touches to add to our homemade crafts. I got a Tazo Joy Tea at Starbucks, and then we headed over to our friend’s house for a little post-Thanksgiving catch-up.

Like almost everyone else in the United States, leftovers were on the menu for dinner tonight. My dad turned his creamy garlic parmesan mashed potatoes into crispy potato pancakes. I topped mine with a bit of sour cream and chives. There was color in the form of one of my dad’s classic salads, of course : )

What really made my day was receiving our first holiday card in the mail (someone’s on top of it!). I anxiously await for the mail every day during the month of December, as I love nothing more than seeing red and green envelopes peaking out between the stacks of catalogs in our mailbox.

To the start of another beautiful holiday season,

~ Hillary

This is my favourite kind of meal, and the kind I can only really have when my husband isn’t home. He’s a carnivore and sees a meatless meal as lacking an essential component. But this colourful and zesty salad is my idea of a perfect supper, especially accompanied by a bowl of corn chips. I know it’s very summery and not at all seasonal, but it’s what I was craving tonight.

Ingredients
1 ripe avocado, cut into chunks
2 sweetcorns
3-4 spring onions, chopped
400g black beans (tinned or in a carton)
200g cherry tomatoes, halved (I used baby plum tomatoes this time as they looked much riper than the cherry toms)
100g sharp cheese, cubed
A generous handful of chopped fresh coriander

For the dressing:
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp Tabasco sauce (Chipotle Tabasco, if available)
Juice and zest of 2 limes
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Boil the sweetcorn until done. Allow it to cool and then slice the kernels off in big pieces.

Mix together with all the other salad ingredients.

Mix together all the dressing ingredients and toss the salad well.

1. I suggest using chicken thights for your pieces as they are soft and fry easily. Cut them up into medium sized chunks, season with salt and a little cayenne pepper and fry until golden and cooked through.
2. Griddle your asparagus tips in a hot pan and drizzle them with butter before you set them aside.
3. Cut your feta cheese into medium sized chunks and slice up your avocado.
4. Take a plate or a bowl to lay out your lettuce leaves and pile on your ingredients one after another.