Sunday, September 30, 2012

My Foodie Penpal

Well, after a long hiatus on the blog front, I figured I still needed to post a big thank you to my Foodie Penpal of the month, Cori! The stuff she sent me was awesome!

The Lean Green Bean

I got some lovely homemade pumpkin muffins, some exquisite chocolates from what I gather is a famous store in Buffalo, Coconut water, hot sauce, and some Justin's Almond Butter! Plus, everything was wrapped up very beautifully with the prettiest little card!

And then when I looked at what the chocolates were (you know.... ala Forrest Gump... 'you never know what you're gonna get' and all that) I was delighted! Look at the little guys!


Buffalo from buffalo (and tasty dark chocolate ones at that!) The other candy you see in there were some sort of orange sponge cake coated in creamy milk chocolate. It was a bit of local flavor from Watson's!
I'd never tried Justin's Almond Butter before, but boy, was I in for a treat. The stuff was so authentically nutty, and I also LOVED the whole salt crystal parts that counteracted the sweet maple flavor with their saltiness. Over all.... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm is just about all I can say. A big thank you to Lindsay over at the Lean Green Bean for organizing this and of course, a shout out to my pen pal Cori. Thanks a bunch! I loved it!


Saturday, September 15, 2012

Pumpkin Pancakes

I've been so busy lately that cooking has just not been something I've been able to do. Mostly it's been peanut butter sandwiches for lunch and some awesome Chobani and granola for breakfast. But after a while, I start to crave something warm and fresh. Especially since, though it isn't TECHNICALLY fall, the chill in the air makes it FEEL like it.

And since it's fall, of course I had to make something pumpkin. Again. For like, the fifth time. Somehow, I just don't get tired of it (so I hope no one else does either, or I'm just being really annoying with all the pumpkin posts...)

Last weekend, I attempted to make my own pancakes, and they didn't go so well. Not to be discouraged, I went for it again this morning when I needed a little pick-me-up. And they WORKED! (cue the bells!)

PUMPKIN OAT PANCAKES
makes one small, snack-size serving

1/4 cup oats, ground
2 T. Pumpkin Puree
2 T. Egg Whites
2 T. Water
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp. Baking Soda
Sweetener (opt.)

  1. Mix all ingredients together and stir until well blended.
  2. Cook on greased or buttered skillet over medium-high heat until bubbles form. Flip and cook additional 1-2 minutes. (this would make 4 mini-pancakes. Timing will vary with size of pancake you make.)
  3. Top with syrup and chopped nuts or more pumpkin butter! ENJOY!
For those of you who are curious, this little snack is low-calorie and healthy! The entire recipe has only 100 calories, so eat up! If you're making these for breakfast, round out the meal with some scrambled eggs or yogurt and fruit and you've got a nice meal to start your day!

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Dealing with Disappointment (and CHOBANI!)

Today has been a downer. I've been in quite a funk this whole week, trying to get myself on track with school, running, cooking, homework... LIFE. And things just haven't quite been adding up the way I would hope. You ever have those times when you're just about at your breaking point and the littlest things sets you off?

Yup. That was me this morning.

You see, I was going to do my second WIAW post, but as I went to take a picture of my breakfast this morning (which tasted kind of...ehhh. Not really worth sharing...) my camera told me there was a problem with the memory card.

Would you like to reformat? YES.
Reformatting will delete all pictures on memory card. OK.
*Wait three minutes*
Reformatting failed. OK.
Would you like to reformat?................ Cycle repeats. 20 times. Girl almost throws camera out window and starts to cry. Girl turns off camera with a sigh, finishes breakfast, and moves on to go to school.

And then little irritance number two...
I recently bought a bodybugg SP system. It's been okay... kind of fun to know how many steps I take during the day and such and it has been helpful for me to reconcile that I burn more than I would have thought, so I've been eating more appropriately, but today, the app just wouldn't load. I press it... it says loading and then just stops and returns to the home screen.

WHAT?!!

That's been the kind of day I've had. And it is frustrating.

So here's my advice: we cannot control many of the things which will come our way in life. Irritants, whether they be big or small, are inevitably going to set us back... but only if we let them. Yes, you can get annoyed. In fact, please do. It's unhealthy to bottle up the stress. But after you cry/scream for your 5 minutes, you just have to take stock of things and find a new goal. Put it in perspective. Ask yourself- is the energy I'm using to stay mad about this really worth it?

And then we find new things to make us happy. Like a lovely little shipment from Chobani, courtesy of Lindsay. (Thank you so much! It made my day! Seriously...after what happened today...It was like Christmas!) I managed to get my camera on the non-card mode, which meant it can take a whopping 4 pictures, but here they are:
STEP ONE: The box

STEP TWO: The inflated silver thingy

STEP THREE: the freeze packs

STEP FOUR: LOTS OF YOGURT!!
QUESTION OF THE DAY:
(to ask yourself, although you are free to share) WHAT DISAPPOINTMENTS HAVE YOU HAD TO OVERCOME THIS WEEK?
AND....What's your favorite CHO flavor? What should I try out first?

Monday, September 10, 2012

Tofu Mashed "Not-atoes"

Somehow, I've begun to embrace getting up early. It seems a daunting task at first, like, "5:00. NO. We were not made for each other. Why do you even exist?" but then it's not quite so bad. I get so much done early on in the day and feel like I'm prepared and not scurrying around gathering things for school or cleaning or throwing things randomly into my lunch and later asking myself, "Why did I even buy this? It's gross." and then eating it anyway, because, well, I'm a runner and that's what we do. Eat. Because we get hungry :) A lot, haha.

And so some of us try to whip up better things that will fill us up and keep us pounding out the miles. Like, oh, I don't know, a more protein-rich mashed 'potato' recipe that's super creamy and chocked full of vegetables.


Not to toot my horn, but I was actually pretty proud of how this turned out, considering my very meat-and-potatoes oriented father even told me it looked 'like real food'. Oh, Dad... That being said, it is not your buttery, thick and starchy mashed potato recipe. At all. So don't expect that. It tastes different, but it has awesome flavors in itself. I promise. I ate the whole thing :)

I still have a ways to go on the kitchen front, cooking up a storm. I know I'm no professional chef. I know I'm no super-blogger. But I take pride in what I HAVE done. Take that step back in your life and realize that you don't need to compare to others or worry that they'll believe you're not humble and good. You ARE. Do things that will satisfy you, and the rest will come. Others can like 'em or not.

But hopefully you'll like these :)

MASHED TOFU "NOT-ATOES"
The view, half eaten, on my dinner plate
3 oz lite firm tofu, drained and pressed once
2 cups steamed cauliflower florets
2-3 T. Nutritional Yeast
1/4 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp minced onion flakes
S+P, to taste

ON TOP: 
Mixed, sauteed veggies
BALSAMIC VINEGAR (You will want this even if you leave off the veggies!!)
Basil
Rosemary
  1. Puree the tofu and cauliflower in blender until well mixed and super-creamy. This may take some time, depending on the strength of your blender. Stir a few times in between to ensure that EVERYTHING is getting down to the blades and getting pureed.
  2. Scoop out and add spices and Nutritional Yeast. VOILA! It is done! (I refrigerated mine for about 3 hours prior to eating and it thickened up a little more. Otherwise, if you want them thicker, add more tofu, some greek yogurt, or possibly a tablespoon of ground flax or flour. I did none of these, though, and they were AWESOME!) ENJOY!
*Pictured on top is a little bit of mixed veggies I made which really added to the admittedly bland nature of the mashed tofu/cauliflower. I chopped up 5 mushrooms, a stalk of  celery, and steamed it in the microwave with basil, rosemary, olive oil, and about 1 T. balsamic vinegar (I used not-soaked up vinegar as a drizzle for the not-atoes also.)

Sunday, September 9, 2012

A Rainy Day Calls for Eating Brownie Batter...right?

I can't be alone in hating rainy days, can I? Something about the gray, dark sky just tends to make my mood plummet into the deep, dark depths of despair (yes, I like alliteration!). The good thing about rainy days, however, is the comfort you can get by just trying to ward off the blues. You know... that perfect "read a book, bake some cookies, batten down the hatches and snuggle up with a blanket watching Disney movies" feeling. Why don't we do that on every other day?

Well, in any case, we don't, so at least rainy days give us a reason to really rest and take care of ourselves. Even if we can't shake the blues. (Seriously, I think I really might have weather-dependent moods. Any one else like that?) 

What's an awesome mood-booster? CHOCOLATE! 

It's true... at least for me. There is some science behind it also, but even if there wasn't.... I think I could support this claim on experience alone. And what makes chocolate even better. Oh, I don't know... maybe eating it in the form of

FUDGY PUMPKIN BROWNIE BATTER 
This picture just doesn't do the creation justice!

1/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup water/milk or combo of the two
3 T. Egg Whites
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1-2 T. Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder
Pinch Cinnamon
Sweetener, to taste
(or leave out for DEEP INTENSE COCOA Flavor. It won't be sweet... but...)
  1. Cook oats on stove top by boiling water/milk, then adding oats and reducing heat to medium. Stir occasionally until majority of liquid is absorbed.
  2. Add egg whites and STIR CONSTANTLY while adding. I can't emphasize this enough... otherwise you will end up with some scrambled egg whites in your brownie batter, and that's just not very tasty. After the eggs are incorporated into the oats, continue cooking until even more liquid is absorbed.
  3. Stir in cocoa powder and sugar/sweetener as desired. The cinnamon should help bring out the flavor a bit, especially with the addition of pumpkin
  4. Stir in the pumpkin, and allow to fully heat. The pumpkin is the real 'secret' ingredient here, making this oatmeal EXTREMELY fudgy and brownie-batter textured. You CAN still taste it, which I like because I love pumpkin, but just be aware if you don't like it. You could sub banana for a milder flavor, I would expect.
  5. Serve in a nice little bowl and ENJOY!

Nutrition wise, this is a pretty thick, filling recipe with plenty of protein and some good antioxidants from the cocoa. The oatmeal provides the fiber, and the pumpkin gives you a  little serving of veggies as well! The entire recipe (which can easily be doubled!) is only 130 calories and yields about 8 grams of protein! YUM!

Friday, September 7, 2012

Tofu Pizza Crust and Rest Days

Rest days, no matter how annoying they are sometimes, are important. Just saying. I've been starting to feel the load of running, running, running and my body doesn't necessarily like it. My shins hurt, my quads are tight, I can hardly walk up the stairs... and yet my mind says GO. Luckily, I have a very understanding coach who knows that breaks are sometimes just what the doctor ordered. It seems to be a pretty common problem among serious athletes, even in high school, to want to stretch the limits and never admit that they CAN'T or at least SHOULDN'T do something. But guess what? It's OKAY to have those days. It's even necessary once in a while.

We, as humans, need to understand that there are limits to our lives and abilities. It's just how things were meant to be. Whether you push yourself in school, at work, on the field, or at a gym, just remember that it's fine to not be fine. Some days are the kind when you need a nap. Some are the kind when you need to scream into a pillow and cry. And don't worry... that still leaves plenty of days for you to smile and skip and work your behind off at practice, if that's what you like to do. But a rest won't kill you. And remember: what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

With that sentiment out of the way, we can move on to the fun part of the post. Or at least it's usually MY favorite. THE RECIPE! After seeing a lot about cauliflower pizza crusts and even making one myself, I decided it was about time for another sort of pizza to make its way to my repertoire. I have nothing against real dough, except it usually takes FOREVER to make... with the yeast and the kneading and such. So, I opted for a super crust full of flavor and protein and TOFU.

TOFU PIZZA CRUSTS

3 oz firm tofu, crumbled up. DRAINED NOT PRESSED!
1 tsp. flax seeds, ground
1 tsp. nutritional yeast
1/3 cup diced mushrooms
Onion Powder
Celery Salt
Basil
1 tsp oil (optional)

  1. Combine all ingredients and stir well. Don't worry if things don't hold together as well as would be expected... the microwaving ought to take care of that.
  2. Lightly butter or spray a microwaveable plate and place mixture onto it. Press together with fingers to form one large pizza crust.
  3. Microwave on HIGH 3-5 minutes until you can get under it with a fork or spatula and flip it without tons of crumbling. Microwave other side up for 1-2 minutes until it holds together well.
  4. Top with sauce/veggies/more yeast/soy cheese and enjoy. I put a big slice of tomato and pizza hummus on mine. YUM!



Thursday, September 6, 2012

Banana Bread Pudding and a Long Run

Let's cut to the chase... since once again, I SHOULD be doing homework and am instead writing a blogpost, because the things I made this morning was really, really good.

It was pudding...or maybe more like soft serve ice cream....or a super thick smoothie (you decide!) but it had the taste of banana bread. Really. I kid you not. EXACTLY like it... and then that added cold, frozen dreamy creaminess that 'banana soft-serve' has, for those of you who have just blended up frozen bananas know.

I STRONGLY recommend this. I think it may be my favorite thing I've made thus far! Sweet, refreshing, fruity, and really... banana bready :)

BANANA BREAD FROZEN PUDDING
1 frozen banana
1/3 cup almond milk
1/8 cup rolled oats, ground in food processer to powder
Dash Cinnamon
Dash Nutmeg

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS:
Coconut Flakes
Chocolate Chips
Chopped Almonds
Peanut Butter
Caramel Sauce



  1. Put everything into your blender and blend on high until you get a creamy, soft-serve ice cream/pudding consistency.
  2. Top with whatever your little heart desires. I went with coconut flakes (overcoming my fear of saturated fats!) and some cocoa roasted almonds, which were awesome because a little bit of chocolate got in there in the almond bites but I also got the plain-banana bread taste in others, which I LOVED. ENJOY!


Here she is! All topped up!
Okay, so I ate the toppings first :)
 At practice today we got the pleasure of getting in a long run. I love long runs, because you can really let loose and get the acid out of your muscles but still get in a bit of a workout. I find that my mind really clears up and I start to get in touch with my body more and more as the run goes on. Plus, you can talk with your teammates! We played a little game in which we speculated where all the people we knew would be in 10 years. It's funny, but according to us, it seems that we will all be doctors or physical therapists or physchologists. That tells you a bit about the kind of girls on our team, haha....fun-loving but also loving. And smart. I love my team. They are always there for me. Plus, when I shared the embarrassing fact that yes, I started a blog, no one laughed. They were very interested in learning how to make a smoothie taste like banana bread, I'll say that!

Question of the Day: Where do you see YOURSELF in 10 years?

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Spicy Pizza Hummus in 5 minutes!

Another recipe! Yea! This one is inspired by Katie's pizza hummus... in fact they're pretty similar, so I can't take a whole lot of credit. But nutritional yeast... wow. What great stuff! That's all I'm gonna say. It really punches up the flavor of this, and I think I may start sprinkling it willy-nilly everywhere! And this hummus... I love it. I eat it even without things to dip, that's how good it is. It truly tastes like you're eating a pizza, except the texture is nice and creamy and you get a little zing from the spice that I added. And another plus? It's REALLY healthy, between the beans for protein and fiber, the tomatoes for vitamin C and lycopene, and pretty low calorie, too (only 150 for a BIG half cup that will fill ya right up!)

Without further ado, I present to you:

SPICY PIZZA HUMMUS

1/2 cup cooked garbanzo beans, drained if from can
1/4 cup no salt added tomato sauce
2 T. Nutritional Yeast Flakes
1 teaspoon Sundried Tomato+ Rosemary Spice (or mix your own)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon Siracha chil sauce or spicy buffalo sauce (for buffalo pizza flavor!)
Dash Garlic Salt (opt)
Finely Chopped Tomatoes/Pepper (opt)

  1. Put everything into a blender and blend for 2-3 minutes. Then puree for an additional minute. I allowed some bean chunks to stay in mine because I thought that added something (hence the veggie chunks, also)... And you're done! EAT UP! YUM!!!

Strawberries and Cream yOATgurt

All right, then. I posted about these in my WIAW post, but it just didn't seem the appropriate place to put a recipe, you know?

So let's get on with it :) Besides, I like posting pictures of yummy food, despite lacking photography skills on my part. But you do what you can... If it tastes good, I think I'm satisfied.

These are super creamy and they really warm you from inside out. Especially when you add some delicious toppings...like peanut butter. Because that improves everything. I pity those with nut allergies.


CREAMY STRAWBERRY yOATgurt (easily doubled)

1/4 cup rolled oats
1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds (optional)
1/2 cup almond milk+ 1/2 cup water (or some combo of the two)
2 Tablespoons Greek Yogurt (plain, vanilla, or strawberry)
1 cup frozen strawberries, partially thawed
Sweetener (optional)

Toppings (optional)
Peanut Butter
 Kashi GoLean Crunch or Granola
Slivered Almonds
White Chocolate Chips

  1. Combine liquid, oats, and chia seeds on stovetop in medium size pot. Heat on high until it begins to boil, and then stir constantly for 2 minutes to make sure the oats do not burn.
  2. Reduce heat to medium and let cook until about half liquid is absorbed (about 4 minutes). Stir in yogurt and let cook again until it begins to thicken.
  3. Add your somewhat frozen strawberries and stir. (It turns pink!)
  4. You may cook for a few additional minutes to thicken, but I liked mine runny because it was more like warm yogurt/oatmeal. Sounds weird, but delicious.  
  5. Top with whatever you like, and ENJOY!

Natural Food Store Review +WIAW

Yesterday, I fell in love. With a store.

To be fair, it was a cute little store, stuffed to the brim with organic and vegetarian products. I had never seen anything like it near me- the closest I'd come was the giant Whole Foods monolith an hour away in West Hartford. But this was in my very town! Sadly, my new crush and I did not have much time together, since my mom had to go to the bathroom and kept reminding me to 'make my choices and get out'. But I could have stayed for an hour. Maybe two. Just LOOKING at all the possibilities. It was my new health food dream come true.

Maybe if you live down in shoreline CT you should stop by. It's called, quite literally, 'The Natural Food Store' in downtown Niantic. But that's enough of that. Here are some of my new finds, which I'm excited to try out:

Arctic Zero Ice Cream- High Protein and looks sooo good. (If you can't tell, this is the coffee flavor.)
Nutritional Yeast. I've been searching and searching and FINALLY found it!

The Uber-cool bag....

Ultra Energy Bar- with 22 grams protein. You know me and protein. It's good stuff! And look at this! Cookies and Cream! I can't wait to sample all my new goodies!
  On to WIAW. The theme is 'FALL into good habits'. What's my good habit? Well, mine is pretty simple, actually. It's...eating. For those who don't know my story, check out the food philosophy page. In short, though, my eating habits these past few weeks have fallen apart. I've really been giving in to restricting urges and it's time that I took control back. My body deserves to be fed, and it deserves a healthy, balanced diet that can fuel my running and daily activities and not leave me an emotional wreck. So the goal for me this Wednesday, and days to come, is to EAT. More. More calories, more often, more nutritionally-concious. It will be good for me.
 
Today's breakfast started off nice and hearty with some Creamy yOATgurt on the stove (recipe to follow). The flavor I settled on was strawberries and cream, topped generously with some peanut butter to make a little PBandJ yOATgurt.

I may also have had some ah-mazing coffee. Another new obsession. It's fall and pumpkin is everywhere, what can I say? It's simply delicious, and the smell just makes you want to hug someone. Spread the love, won't you?

Lunch included a veggie burger on toasted whole wheat bread, Spicy Pizza Hummus and cauliflower for dipping, and some cocoa roasted almonds to snack on before practice.
Haven't gotten to dinner and evening snack yet, but I'm pretty sure the agenda will include some fresh roasted spaghetti squash and Spinach N Veggie Wraps.



And dessert? Well, I'm thinking that coffee ice cream looks pretty good ;)

Monday, September 3, 2012

Why Everyone Should Love Speedwork

I'm anticipating another Uber-busy week coming up. School will take off as normal, I assume, and I'm going to have to drag myself out of bed and get moving each morning in order to make it to the bus stop and through 3 hours of classes before the next real break for lunch. So of course, I need to be extra prepared with a filling breakfast that can carry me through!

Before I share my (hopefully) delicious new recipe, let's talk about speed work. Duh duh duh.... I know. If you're strictly a distance runner like me, the very phrase brings chills to your spine. To be honest, despite the title of this post, I don't love speedwork. I actually kind of loathe it...but just a little less than I did before.

You see, I had to face a grueling set of speed drills this morning at 8:00 AM, which is either a really good thing or a really bad thing depending on how you spin in. If you want to look at it negatively...it was 8 in the morning on Labor Day and I would really have preferred to be snuggled down in my warm bed, head buried deep in my yummy-scented pillow. If you want to put a positive spin on it, though... the fact that it was 8 meant that my mind hadn't completely woken up to figure out what the heck I was doing to it yet, so I got in maybe 200 meters before I had a mental breakdown. Hey. That's 200 meters more than last time, so I'm happy.

But the long and short of it is: speedwork DOES help you. It can't be denied (I've looked for a way. No go) The reason speedwork helps improve performance is it literally 'creates' a different energy-usage pathway in our muscles so we can burn through glycogen more efficiently. That means increased metabolism, people!

In more detail, our body only has so much accessible glucose at any given time, and this gets quickly used up in short sprints through Anaerobic Respiration. However, longer, sustained workouts activate Aerobic Respiration, in which the body has to use available oxygen for conversions. The more we build our Anaerobic pathway, the more we can prolong the time that the body starts Aerobic Respiration, and the more we can burn through any excesses of glycogen (essentially, sugar). So it helps our body out! Yea speedwork! (I'm not cheering, either, don't worry. I still do not love it, and probably never will.)

But let's get on to something I do love. Like food. Like maybe... FROYO!! Or even better...
CHOCOLATE BANANA PROTEIN FROYO
Okay... with some chopped espresso beans too :)
1 ripe banana, mashed
8 oz Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt (could use vanilla or honey, also)
1-2 T. Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder
1 Packet Sweetener (optional)
2 T. Chopped Coffee Beans (optional)

Banana

Banana and Yogurt

Everything!

AND FREEZE!
  1. Combine all ingredients and stir well. Place in freezer for at least 1 hour. Take out and thaw for a few minutes, stirring up or putting in blender to obtain soft-serve consistency. ENJOY!
Nutritional Information for ENTIRE RECIPE: 250 calories, 1.5 g fat, 24g protein, 33g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber

Happy Labor Day! Have a (Funfetti) Blondie!

Personally, I think that Labor Day is an excuse to push school back a week farther.

Or, if you live on the East Coast, to get used to sleeping in again after your first week of school, completely throwing off your transition. But that's just my opinion. Not that anyone could complain about Labor Day when there's a beautiful little dessert to celebrate... (it's red, white, and blue, so clearly it was made for this day!)
Oh, and did I mention it's FUNFETTI?
Much like these little guys:


I just couldn't get enough with my little funfetti protein cakes so it was time to bake up another lovely little cake adaptation. Needless to say... this one isn't exactly for the health nut. It IS, however, absolutely delicious, and you will not regret making it. It's a party in your mouth. Truly. A sweet, beautiful, fiesta.

Blondie, anyone?

EXTRA-GOOEY FUNFETTI BLONDIES
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 +1/4 cup funfetti cake mix
3/4 cup All Purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
Extra Sprinkles (optional....but come on. Of course you'll use them)
Red and Blue Food Coloring

  1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9x9 pan
  2. Cream the butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla together in large mixing bowl. I used my handy-dandy Kitchenaid mixer, which can handle just about anything!
  3. In separate bowl, combine cake mix, flour, baking soda, and a handful of sprinkles. Add slowly to wet mixture, stirring constantly (or if you don't have a mixture, between each flour/cake addition.
  4. Once well mixed, pour out into pan. Batter will be thick, so you may need to spread it a bit.
  5. Make lines of each red and blue food coloring on top of mix. Using a knife, make small swirls in the batter to get the marbled effect. Add additional sprinkles on top of everything.
  6. Bake for 45-50 minutes in oven until toothpick comes out clean. You want them to still be gooey, but if you prefer a cakier texture just leave them in for longer.
  7. Cut into squares (I made 9 large ones) and ENJOY THIS HEAVEN!
Yum.

Double Yum.

Salivation...............................

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Spicy Roast Cauliflower

It's tough to choose a favorite vegetable. I realized this very recently, when someone asked me WHAT my favorite veggie was. I would have expected myself to have some immediate answer, but nothing was coming to me. I guess it's like choosing a favorite child...although I neither have children nor have any desire to currently! The closest I could come to naming a favorite was making a list (and lists are what I do best!) of some potential candidates:
  • Zucchini
  • Brussel Sprouts
  • Spaghetti Squash....actually all squash really :)
  • Salads
  • Cabbage
  • Water Chestnuts
  • Mushrooms
  • Baby Corn
  • Roasted Red Peppers
  • Snap Peas
  • FRESH tomatoes
  • Celery
And actually, this list could go on for quite a while. I won't continue it in the interest of time, but it's nice to know I've begun to outgrow my childhood pickiness. One veggie that HAS succeeded in making it through the long haul with me, though, is cauliflower. I was ALWAYS part of the clean-plate club when those steamed florets were served. So it is with great excitement that I continue to show off my old friend in a new way:
SPICY ROAST CAULIFLOWER
adapted from here

1 head cauliflower, washed and cut into florets
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Pinch chili flakes
1/4 tsp paprika
2-3 dashes salt
Dash pepper
1/4 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. Olive Oil

  1. Preheat oven to 400F.
  2. Pour oil into large ziploc baggie, then add cauliflower and shake to evenly coat. Open up baggie and add spices, shake around again to coat evenly one more time.
  3. Spread onto baking sheet and roast in oven for 40 minutes. It smells and tastes AMAZING, by the way! Enjoy!