Recipe: Grapefruit Cardamom Polenta Pancakes...Eat.Live.Be.

Maybe giving yourself a double digit mile run for your birthday isn't exactly something that normal people do.

I'm willing to concede that.

(And now you see why all of the birthday presents I have given over the past three years have been in the form of some sugar/flour/butter/(sometimes)chocolate revelation.  Maniacal exercise just isn't quite as celebratory as I'm inclined to believe.)



But what about birthday breakfast-for-dinner?

Can you all hop on that gravy train?



When the awesome folks over at Marxfoods sent me some butternut squash seed oil to play around with, I knew I wanted to pair it with something on the sweeter side.  Oil with savories is totally a no-brainer but a flavored oil in a baked good takes a little bit more effort.  And I think we all know that the road less traveled with a few hill repeats thrown in for good measure is the one I'll choose. Every. Time.

Whenever I think of olive oil in baked goods, I remember those citrus olive oil cakes that always seem to abound at this time of year.  Which is when it hit me.

Grapefruit cardamom polenta pancakes.  But with butternut squash seed oil instead of olive oil. Naturally.

Grapefruit and cardamom are kind of meant for each other, you see.  There's something about the woodsy spice paired with the sour, tangy, slightly sweet grapefruit that just...works.  And then there's the oil.  Which is slightly nutty and buttery and chock full of vitamins A and E, and happens to pull the whole thing together.  Add in some whole wheat flour for health and polenta for texture...and you've got yourself a seriously fluffy delicious pancake.

Just make sure you top it with powdered sugar.  And maple syrup.  Birthday breakfast-for-dinner just wouldn't be the same without 'em.

As for the rest of that bottle of butternut squash seed oil...well, I have plans for it.  Plans that involve pesto on pumpkin ravioli, kneading into pizza dough, any number of vinaigrettes, and churning into ice cream.  Stay tuned.

This recipe and post has been submitted to the Marxfoods Take Squash Seed Oils for A Test Drive contest!

Can we recap February?  I don't know about you guys, but this is how it went for me.  It was a vicious cycle of - eat healthy for four days --> eat absurd amounts of cake/peanut butter/chocolate chips for three days --> feel really guilty --> vow to never eat sugar again --> rinse, repeat, recycle.

And thus, I have ended the month at exactly the same weight that I started it off at.  Which is still five pounds less than I was in January.  But the point is to move forward, not stand still.

What it all comes down to is the decisions that I make.  I can decide to sit at my desk eating chocolate chips by the handful. Or I can decide to not eat things that don't even taste that great and save my sweet tooth for something that's actually worth it.  As the quote says...it's my choice.  And it will be whatever I make it.  And what I want...is to make March a month of awesome.  Let's do this.

On a slightly unrelated note, could you please please pretty please click on this link to vote for my entry into the Skinny Mama's Mustard recipe contest (this barley risotto with roasted brussels sprouts, apples and champagne-honey mustard)?  Your votes will help me get to the top ten, after which point the recipes will be tested and Saucy Mama judges will choose a winner.  You can vote once a day so, have no fear, I'll keep reminding you. In as unobtrusive a manner as possible.  Thanks so much!



Grapefruit Cardamom Polenta Pancakes
Serves 4, adapted from Food and Wine

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup lowfat buttermilk
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup butternut squash seed oil or other nut oil
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour with the cornmeal, sugar, cardamom, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Set aside. In a second bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the eggs, oil and grapefruit juice.
2. Whisk the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined, leaving small lumps.
3. Set a griddle or skillet over moderate high heat and spray it with vegetable oil spray. When the pan is hot, spoon in 1/4-cup mounds of batter and spread to form 4-inch rounds. Cook the pancakes until the bottoms are browned and bubbles appear on the surface, 2 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on the bottom, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Serve the pancakes warm, topped with powdered sugar (a MUST) and maple syrup.

Recipe: Lentil-Pomegranate Stew with Spinach and Raisins

If you're like me and have pomegranate juice constantly taking up residence in your fridge, this stew is perfect for using it up in a healthy delicious way! Check out the recipe and my post over at Marcus Samuelsson's blog!

Recipe: Baked Rigatoni with Brussels Sprouts, Figs and Blue Cheese {The Food Matters Project}

For my 25th birthday on Saturday, I decided to let myself live as precariously and recklessly as possible before I had to get all old and mature and sow these wild oats I've been harboring.

(Ha. Right.)



To be perfectly honest, it all started Friday night when I essentially ate peanut butter and jelly bars for dinner, along with a side of cake batter.  All while full-on knowing that I was slated to run 10 miles the next morning.

It was a throwback to 2009 when I was training for my first marathon and consumed exactly one ice cream sundae and approximately six cocktails the night before a twenty mile run. 

(Sigh.  That was my golden year.) 

Nine times out of ten, such audacity will land you at mile 5 with a raging stomachache, thankful that you snuck your debit card into your sports bra for emergency cab riding purposes.  But every so often, the birthday gods will shine upon you and, with the cold wind blowing in your hair, you'll find yourself back at your apartment after ten miles thinking that you totally could have run three point one more.

It happens. 



Then there was my trip to Anthropologie.  If you've ever been in that store, you know that entering it with a credit card (let alone two) is about as "living-on-the-wild-side" as you can get.

Especially if you're a food blogger who wants to fill your life and cupboards with as many colorful and mismatching plates as possible. 

It took every ounce of self control I could muster not to hand over my Visa to the cashier and say, "Oh yes. I'll take one of everything, please."

(And, if we're being honest...it may never happen again.)



Follow this up with a successful sushi-eating expedition involving both my parents (who are pretty much convinced that raw fish is as dangerous as a controlled substance), my siblings, and my best friends and a delicious triple layer cake with an ungodly amount of butter in it.  I was coasting on a winning streak thirty miles wide.



So of course, Sunday came and I had to take a gamble on this pasta.  With it's kaleidoscopic combination of ingredients and flavors it was pretty much a hit or miss situation.  That I would have had to eat every night for the next six nights for better or worse.

I said a prayer, clicked my heels together three times and dug in.  To delicious.

While the mix of brussels sprouts, dried figs, blue cheese, and pasta may seem strange at first...it actually somehow all just works, with each component playing off the strengths of the others.  A fabulous end to a birthday weekend, if I do say so myself.

For the recipe, head on over to Twenty by Sixty. I made absolutely no changes to it other than to omit the oil.

For more information about The Food Matters Project and to see how you can join in, click here!

I am submitting this to Presto Pasta Nights, which is being hosted by Ruth of Once Upon A Feast.

Recipe: Chai-Spiced Cupcakes with Honey Frosting for the Joy the Baker Spotlight!

At approximately 6:30 PM on Wednesday, February 22nd, exactly one boy entered my apartment.

There was eating, talking, laughing, kissing (unless you're my mother and/or father, in which case. Definitely not, none, zero, I would NEVER.)

And exactly zero ran out screaming.

I'd call that a success.

Let's rejoice eat cupcakes.



Cause if we're being real, here.  One of the major perks of dating is the post-date gossip session with the girls that inevitably ensues.  

And if there's anything I love more than a good gossip session with my ladies...

...it's a good gossip session with my ladies that involves cupcakes.

Common sense.

You know you feel the same.



These cupcakes are actually ideal for such a get together.  They taste like a warm cup of tea (and we all know gossip sessions necessitate tea!).  But with frosting on top.

And not just any frosting.  But my new favorite frosting.

With a hint of honey and a touch of salt, it has that sweet/slightly salty thing going on.  Swoon.

I highly recommend you keep a bottle of dishwasher soap nearby while making it.  Because when you have extra frosting sitting in a bowl on your counter...it's gonna be important.  Trust me.



The intriguing thing about these cupcakes is that they actually require you to tear open your tea bags and put actual tea leaves into the batter.  We're not just steeping milk and hoping the flavor comes through.  No, no, no.  We're getting down and dirty with our bold, tea-loving selves.

While Joy originally called for chamomile, I opted to go with chai instead.  (Because chamomile makes me nauseous.)  And while the spices definitely came through, they weren't overpowering and didn't make you feel like you were eating a tea bag.  Even though that's essentially what you were doing. Times nine. 

I have a feeling you could use just about any tea in these, so just choose the one you love.  And get baking.

There's lots of cupcake-eating gossiping to be done in this world, and we have not a moment to lose.



Chai-Spiced Cupcakes with Honey Frosting
Makes 12 cupcakes, adapted from the Joy the Baker Cookbook

Ingredients

For the cakes:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup AP flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 3 tbsp chai tea, from tea bags (originally called for chamomile)
• 1/2 cup almond milk (or regular milk!)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

For the frosting:

• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 tbsp honey
• 6 tbsp heavy cream
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 325.  Line a cupcake pan with paper or foil liners and set aside.
2. To make the cakes: in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and tea leaves.  the mixture will be slightly coarse and sandy when mixed for several minutes.
3. Whisk together milk, egg, and vanilla.
4. Pour half of the milk mixture into the flour mixture with the mixer on medium-low speed.  Beat until just incorporated.  Pour in the remaining milk mixture, and turn mixer up to medium.  Beat for 1 minute, until well blended.
5. Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake cups.  There isn't a lot, so only fill the liners up about halfway.  Scrape the bowl to make sure you get as much batter out as possible...there is not even a tablespoon to lose!
6. Bake cupcakes for 17 to 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and allow cakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Remove cakes to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
7. To make the frosting: whisk together the sifted powdered sugar, honey, cream and salt in a medium bowl.  Whisk until smooth.  Use a butter knife to generously spread the frosting atop the cooled cupcakes.  Sprinkle with a bit of tea leaves (or top with a sugar pearl!).  Cakes will last, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to 3 days.

This post is part of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off!  Take a minute and stop by Girlichef's site to read her interview with Joy the Baker.

Recipe: Barley Risotto with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Apples and Champagne Honey Mustard...Eat.Live.Be.

Here's what I'm wondering.

When a boy walks into this apartment for the first time, tonight, for dinner...

Will he take one look at the bookshelves lined with 100+ cookbooks (I stopped counting after I hit triple digits), realize he's dating a hoarder, and run?

Will he inquire as to why not a single plate matches a single other plate?  Why one person needs so.many. placemats?  Why there is a photography light permanently stationed on the kitchen table?  Next to the DSLR?  That is filled with not a single picture of a single human but at least sixty pictures of brussels sprouts?  Don't judge. They're CUTE.



Will he notice that there are no less than three pairs of identical running shoes in various stages of duress and decay in the closet door?  Each of which I love in it's own special way and can most certainly tell apart, thankyouverymuch.  (But only because they have race tags for different races on them.  Which is also how I plan to tell the difference between any future twins that I have. Oh yes. I'm going to be a great mother.)



And then...there's the mustard situation.

Specifically, the six jars of specialty mustard that I have sitting on my desk. For inspiration.

I feel kinda bad about them because...I don't even really like mustard.  So it's really a false advertising kinda deal.  He'll either be (mistakenly) really happy that I "love mustard so much" or really grossed out by it...depending on his mustard preference. 

But such is my life.  And when Saucy Mama asked if I wanted to participate in a recipe contest looking for a healthy delicious recipe that uses one of their mustards...I thought...hmmm I'm all about healthy delicious and forcing myself to like things just because they're good for me (it worked with hummus!).  And said yes.

The great thing about mustard, and why I wish I liked it, is that it adds lots of flavor to food with very few calories.  In that sense...it's kinda the ideal condiment. Especially since it comes in so many flavors and textures.  You'll just never get bored.  Ever.

The one exception in my disdain of all things mustard...is honey dijon salad dressing.  I'm vaguely obsessed with it.  I could drink it.  Really.

So I knew that if there was a chance of me liking a dish with mustard at all whatsoever...honey mustard was the way to go.  And champagne honey mustard?  Even better.

After some fiddling around in the kitchen, this risotto was born.  Made with barley and not arborio rice, it has a great texture to it and is filled with whole grain goodness and over half of your daily recommended dose of fiber.  56 percent (!!!) to be precise.  The deep caramelly flavors of the roasted brussels sprouts and apple pairs perfectly with the smoked paprika they are coated in and also with the sweet tangy-ness of the honey mustard, which imparts enough creaminess to the dish that you think you're eating a seriously calorie-laden dish.  Have no fear, though, each serving of this boldly flavorful dish packs only 338 calories and 9 Weight Watchers points.  It's also majorly low in fat and cholesterol.  Totally ass-friendly.  And totally delicious.

A recipe that you can feel good about stress eating.  Love it.



Right, so.  While last week was the week I spent emotionally eating everything in sight...

...this is the week where I pick up the pieces again.

I've been emotionally vacuuming instead.  It's much better for your cardiovascular health.

In all seriousness, I hated the way I felt last week. Tired.  Belly-achy.  Just physically not good.  Which begs the question as to why I kept eating crap.  Uh...no idea. I think it's a vicious cycle situation.  I felt crappy so I ate more sugar to temporarily elevate my mood, which only perpetuated the vicious cycle.

I should have gone for a run instead and gotten my endorphins the natural and more longer-lasting way.  Which is what I did last night! I was anxious all day about tonight's dinner situation and so I went for a run.  Six miles of head clearing awesomeness. 

Reminding me once again that:

(Or lacing up those shoes to do whatever workout you're so inclined to do!)

But you will always regret eating four red velvet cupcakes in one sitting.  Always.

While we're here, I just want to tell you all about an awesome going-on next weekend in NYC - the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival!  If you're in the tri-state area and you like food, veg or otherwise, then you should definitely attend! There'll be lots of great eats, some awesome guests and speakers, cooking demonstrations, belly dancing classes, and some fab giveaways.  Plus...did I mention I'll be there.  Because I will!  Let me know if you're thinking of attending so we can meet up!


Barley Risotto with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Apples and Champagne Honey Mustard
Serves 4, an Eats Well With Others original

Ingredients

• 1 lb brussels sprouts, quartered
• 1 granny smith or honeycrisp apple, peeled and diced
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 cup barley
• 2 tbsp Saucy Mama champagne honey mustard
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400.  Toss brussels sprouts and apple with smoked paprika and salt.  Spread on a baking pan. Spray with cooking spray and roast for 20-30 minutes, until caramelized and tender.
2. In the meanwhile, combine the broth and water in a medium pot and bring to a simmer.
3. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray, heating over medium heat.  Add the onion to the pan and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 3 minutes.  Add the barley and stir for 1 minute.
4. Add the broth to the pan in half cup increments, only adding more when the last batch has almost entirely evaporated, taking care to stir constantly.  Do this until most of the broth is gone and the barley is tender, about 40 minutes.
5. Stir in the brussels sprouts and apple.  Remove from heat and stir in the mustard and parmesan cheese.  season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm.

Recipe: Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Soup

There's little better than the smell of roasted garlic permeating your kitchen and your life.  For a recipe that can help you do just that, check out my post on Marcus Samuelsson's blog!

Recipe: Roasted Red Pepper Pesto and White Bean Dip {The Food Matters Project}

On Friday, after a week that was essentially a big ball of butter, flour and sugar all rolled up into one (let's recount, shall we?  Chocolate fudge brownie cookies {recipe to come!}, raspberry almond genoise {V-Day dessert}, tres leches cake {second date dessert}, and almost-vegan chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake {potluck at work}.  Really. That all happened.) and a six mile run that made me feel like I was going to have a myocardial infarction (i.e. heart attack) with every step.

I gave up sweets.

Then, on Saturday, I made two dozen red velvet cupcakes.

And ate four.  Plus one (plus or minus two) chocolate s'more cookies.  Obviously.



Which brought us to Sunday.

A day of rest, relaxation, retribution, and reconciliation.

And by rest and relaxation (and..umm..definitely retribution), I totally mean sixty minutes and 16 miles of stationary biking at the gym.  Semantics.



After which, I felt super prepared to forgive and forget my sins of the past week. 

And to do penance in spoonfuls of roasted red pepper pesto and white bean dip. 

{Amen.}

Sometimes payback is a bitch.

But sometimes it's totally delicious. 

This is definitely the latter kind of situation.



With the sweet and almost buttery flavor of roasted red peppers combined with a fresh hit of basil, this dip will certainly leave you feeling refreshed and completely satisfied.

And when you have trouble stopping at just five spoonfuls?  Well.  Don't say I didn't warn you...



For the recipe, head on over to Heather of Girlichef's blog.  I made the white bean dip variation on what was originally a pesto recipe.  The only changes I made were to omit ALL the oil and to use pecans instead of walnuts (I just used what I had on hand).  I served it on a sandwich with roasted eggplant and baby spinach.

For more information about The Food Matters Project and to see how you can join in, click here!

I am submitting this to Souper Sunday, which is hosted by Deb over at Kahakai Kitchen.

Recipe: Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting for the Joy the Baker Spotlight!

Brownie talk is as worrisome as a political debate at a dinner party on a random Sunday night.

You just don't go there.

At least, not in my social circles.



Because the folks that I roll with...they're as particular about their brownies as some people are about their local senator.

And trying to find the perfect brownie for every palate is like trying to find a politician who hasn't slept with at least five of his interns.

Right.



But people.  It is an election year.  We need to at least try to get this brownie situation under control, or risk some kind of dinner party Cold War situation.

No one needs another Bay of Pigs. No one.

And so while my roommate is obsessively watching just about every "news special" on election coverage (aka Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, and Jon Stewart).

I've been frantically brownie-ing it up in the kitchen.  My counters are littered with varying shades of chocolate stains.  And I won't tell you how many sticks of butter I've gone through.  (It's obscene.)



All to bring you this.

It's fudgy. And cake-y. And covered in the.best.frosting.of.your.life.

And it didn't inhale.  Ever.

How's that for a campaign speech.

Chocolate fudge brownies, for the win!

--

This post is part of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off!  Take a minute and stop by Girlichef's site to read her interview with Joy the Baker and for a chance to win your own copy of the Joy the Baker Cookbook!

Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Makes 1 8x8-inch pan, adapted from the Joy the Baker Cookbook

Ingredients

For the brownies:

• 3/4 cup AP flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3 oz unsweetened chocolate
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

 For the buttercream frosting:

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 to 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• scant 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup ovaltine powder (or other malted milk powder)

Instructions

For the brownies:

1. Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350.  Grease and flour an 8-inch square baking dish and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.
3. Bring about 2 inches of water to a boil in a medium saucepan.  In a medium, heatproof blowl, add butter and unsweetened chocolate.  Place the bowl over, but not touching, the simmering water and allow to melt.  Stir to incorporate.  Once melted, remove the bowl from the simmering pot.  Whisk in brown and granulated sugars.  Whisk in eggs, yolk and vanilla.  Add the flour mixture, all at once, to the chocolate mixture.  Fold together with a spatula until well incorporated.  Fold in the chocolate chips.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.  Bake until a skewer inserted in the center of the brownie comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and cool completely before frosting.
5. Frost with a half recipe of the chocolate buttercream frosting when cooled.  Brownies will last, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to 5 days.

For the buttercream:

6. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter, cocoa powder, and salt.  Mixture will be very thick but cream for about 3 minutes on medium speed.
7. Turn off the mixer.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar.  Turn the mixer on low to incorporate the sugar while adding the milk and vanilla.  As the sugar incorporates, gradually increase the mixer speed to medium-high.  Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Beat until smooth.
8. In a 1-cup measure, stir together cream and ovaltine.  Turn the mixer to medium and pour the cream in a slow and steady stream until the frosting reaches your desired consistency: smooth, creamy and spreadable.  Add more powdered sugar to adjust consistency. Spread onto brownies.  Frosting will last, well wrapped, in the refrigerator for 5 days.

Recipe: Bok Choy and Baked Tofu Stir Fry in Citrus-Ginger Sauce...Eat.Live.Be.

I judge my runs the way I judge my first dates.

By which I mean...it all comes down to the first five minutes.



My roommates are always raising their eyebrows at this philosophy.  You can't just know, they say.

Oh.  But I can.


Call it female intuition.  Or runner's gut instinct.  (Or some kind of psychotic condition.) 

But in the first five minutes, I know whether I'm going to want you to give me a kiss goodnight.  And whether I'm going to kiss you back (or, you know...make out with you in a bar until 12:45.  AM.) when you inevitably try.

(no comment)



And then there's running.  The most abusive, wonderful, awful, most fulfilling relationship you might ever have.

It can tear you down. And walk all over you.

It can give you the worst 8 mile run of your life one week.

And then the best 9 mile run of your life the next. 

Without warning or explanation.  And all you can do is lace up your sneakers.  Hit the pavement.  And hope for the best.

And while I will never advise you to stay in a relationship that just not.worth.it.  I am going to tell you that running (or insert your exercise of choice here).  Is. 

When it's bad, it's awful.  But when it's good...it's the best.

I came home from my run yesterday practically walking on water.  And I knew that no matter what the rest of the day had in store for me. It was already awesome.  And then I had a good first date. Which was like more icing on an already frosted cake.  Always a good thing.

(And, yes. It all came down to those first five minutes.)

So I guess my Eat.Live.Be. moral of the week is: don't give up.  Don't give up on yourself and don't give up on exercise (and don't give up on men).  This week may be awful.  But next week might be awesome.  And don't you owe it to yourself to stick around long enough to find out? 

At my last physical therapy appointment last week, my PT asked why I had kept running that eight miles even though it was so terrible.  And it was because I knew that if I got through that run, there would be a better one on the horizon.  There had to be. 
And I was right.


A


Bok Choy and Baked Tofu Stir-Fry in a Ginger-Citrus Sauce
Serves 4, adapted from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb bok choy
• 1 14-oz package lite firm tofu, baked
• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp maple syrup (or honey or agave)
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/4 tsp dark sesame oil
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 1 can water chestnuts, slivered
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 4 roasted sweet potatoes, or rice, barley, quinoa, etc

Instructions

1. Wash the heads of the bok choy well and trim the bottom.  Cut the bottom, whitish part of the stalk into 1/2-inch slices.  Set them aside.  Slice the green leaves thinly and place on a separate plate.
2. Cut the tofu into slices or cubes.  Combine the orange juice, soy sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and cornstarch in a bowl.
3. Heat a large wok or deep skillet.  Spray with cooking spray.  Add the bok choy stalks, carrot, and ginger.  Cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add water chestnuts, garlic, and mushrooms, and continue to cook until mushrooms begin to soften, about 2 more minutes.  Stir in the bok choy greens.  Place the tofu on top and cover tightly.  Steam briefly until greens are wilted and bright green, about 1-2 minutes.  Stir the orange juice mixture, add it to the skillet and bring to a boil.  Simmer until slightly thickened, about 30 seconds.  Serve with sweet potatoes, rice, or other grain.

Recipe: Mango and Black Bean Casserole

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

We all know that good things come in small packages, but can they also come with long ingredient lists?  In the case of this Mango and Black Bean Casserole, then YES. Check out the recipe and my post over at Marcus Samuelsson's blog!

Recipe: Carrot and Tahini Soup

Wait, so Michael Pollan's infamous quote was not

Eat food.
Not too much.
Mostly plants.
Almost all soup.

(??)

I imagined that last line?  Just dreamt it up in one soup-craving-inducing-acid-flashback one night?

Obviously. That happened.

Not. 

I've never done (dropped??) acid.  But if I had....you know I'd be the only person in the history of the universe whose hallucinations would tell her to eat more vegetables.

Undeniable truth.





If you have anything against all this soup. If you're getting bored of it.  If you think it's kinda weird/strange/unusual that someone so against drinking calories...drinks them nightly in the form of blended carrot tahini mush heaven. 

Then you should probably speak now. Or forever hold your peace.

Cause we are just entering the honeymoon period, sweetcheeks.  And I don't really expect that this love affair is going to end anytime before June 21st. (Or whatever the first day of summer is this year.) 

At the earliest.

Bonus. If we drink this soup every day from now until then...we'll be (a) bikini ready and (b) a lovely shade of orange bronze.  Self tanning, the natural, cancer-fighting way. I love it.

(You should probably jump on this bandwagon before Paris Hilton picks it up and carrots triple in price.  Supply and demand, baby. And yes, that is pretty much all I learned in my one and only high school econ class.  I'm going to do very well in the real world someday. Not.) 



In all seriousness, I've been making it a goal to eat either a soup or salad once a day, every day.  Because when you have a huge bowl of health as a third of your daily eats...only good things can happen.  Scientific fact.

This soup is a new favorite.  Melissa Clark, whose recipe it is, gets it right just about every time, but this really is exceptional. Sweet, nutty, with just a hint of spice. It's an addiction in a bowl.  No recreational drug flashbacks necessary.

Carrot and Tahini Soup
Serves 4, adapted from A Good Appetite (NY Times)

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 fat leek, white part only, thinly sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp salt, more to taste
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 lb carrots, sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 1 quart vegetable broth
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/3 cup tahini
• fresh lemon juice, to taste
• pitas, for dunking

Instructions

1. In a soup pot, over medium heat, pour in oil, then add leek and saute until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, salt, pepper, coriander, turmeric, and cayenne, and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Add carrots and stir to coat them with leek mixture.  Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, then add broth, thyme, and 2 cups water.  Bring to a simmer, partly cover, and cook until carrots are tender, about 25 minutes.
3. When carrots are tender, remove thyme branches and stir in tahini.  Using an immersion blender (or transfer to a food processor/blender), puree soup until smooth.  Return to pot and reheat if necessary.  Taste and add lemon juice.  Add salt to taste.

I am submitting this to Deb of Kahakai Kitchen for Souper Sundays and also to Chaya's Meatless Mondays!