Recipe: Pesto Pasta Salad with Roasted Aparagus, String Beans, Cherry Tomatoes, and Olives {eat.live.be}

I do not care what the calendar says.




Pesto pasta on the table.


Dancing to Call Me Maybe in our underwear at least twenty-seven times a day.  (What?!?!? It is hot.)


(Uhh...the weather.  Not our/my underwear dance moves.  Those are just...unfortunate.)


Trashy beach-perfect chick lit under our pillows (we all know I'm referring to 50shadesofgrey.  Would you expect anything less provocative?)

(And maybe it's not really beach-perfect.  Maybe...honeymoon-bedroom perfect?  That seems more appropriate.)


Emotionally eating the idea that someday soon someone might try to force us into a bathing suit under the guise of "vacation" or an "MD/PhD retreat" or just as a most sincerest form of torture.

Oh, yes.  I'd say it's official.

Summer. Is. Here.



So let's eat our pesto pasta salad that is stuffed with so many veggies it's unreal. 

Turn that music up to 11.

And vow to get that bathing suit situation under control...

...next summer.



Eat.Live.Be.

 So the truth about me and running is that I haven't laced up my sneakers in ten days.  (Since the Brooklyn Half Marathon.)  My right hamstring has felt...odd...to say the least.  (And by odd I mean that it has a knot in it the size of Texas that makes me cry whenever I try to foam roll it.)  So I've been giving it a rest.  I tried to hit the pavement yesterday but between the 90 degree weather and the fact that after two blocks of feeling like my legs had lost every coordinated bone they ever possessed (which admittedly is not many)...I headed for the gym instead.  There's always tomorrow.  


And what I've realized in this past ten days is that I don't eat very well when I don't run.  I'm more inclined to say, "Oh yes, I'll just eat a jar of cookie butter in two days. No big deal."  Instead of, "Jar of cookie butter = bellyache = bad run. NO CAN DO!"  So this week is about working on getting a handle on my raging sweet tooth/sugar addiction.  And trying to convince myself that running is not the be-all end-all of my life and that I still deserve to feel good even if there isn't 6 miles in my immediate future.  It's a process.



Pesto Pasta Salad with Roasted Asparagus, String Beans, Cherry Tomatoes and Olives
Serves 8, an Eats Well With Others Original

Ingredients

• 1 lb mini ravioli or tortellini (I used sun-dried tomato mini ravioli from a local Italian supermarket)
• 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 8 oz halicot verts or string beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp tuscany seasoning (or other Italian blend)
• 8 oz kalamata olives, halved
• 1/2 cup pesto
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 450.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook the ravioli according to package directions.
2. While the water is coming to a boil, toss the asparagus, string beans, and cherry tomatoes with the olive oil, tuscany seasoning, salt and black pepper.  Spread out onto one or two parchment paper-lined baking sheets.  Roast for 15-20 minutes or until tender and starting to brown/shrivel.
3. Toss the pasta with the veggies, olives, pesto, and parmesan cheese.  Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

I am submitting this to Presto Pasta Nights which is hosted this week by Stash of Simple Kitchen Seasons and also to Souper Sundays which is hosted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen.

Recipe: Chickpea, Swiss Chard and Sweet Potato Burritos {the food matters project}

In the comedy of errors that is my life, I came home Saturday afternoon to a keyboard that had suddenly forgotten its alphabet.

It appears that laptop preschools have started taking their curriculum from the New York City board of education, which forbids its teachers from actually teaching the nation's youth.  And so what is a keyboard to do, really, other than use its imagination! - the one skill that preK teachers (and Barney) are still allowed to nurture and encourage - and come up with its own character system.

Apparently qe, ad, and zc are going to replace the letters q, e, a, d, z, and c in the eventual future when machines take over the world. 

At least, that is...if my keyboard has anything to do with it.



After trying fruitlessly to learn to live with this new language scheme for, oh...two hours.  I realized that you just can't teach an old dog new tricks or a twenty-something year old a new alphabet (I knew there was a reason I never studied Chinese or Japanese in high school...).

And that really, when it comes down to it.  I have no desire to substitute "qe" for "e" every chance I get. even if that's what all the cool laptops are doing these days.  Who even knows how to pronounce such a phoneme?  Surely not I.

So under my brother's instruction and after I came thisclose to pressing "purchase now" on the HP website order form for a whole new laptop (I can be a bit trigger happy when it comes to new, shiny things).  I went to Best Buy to get a new keyboard. 

Only to come home an hour later to discover that, in a fit of nostalgia and/or temporary amnesia, my laptop had reverted back to normalcy and, you know.  The English language. It figures.




So what's a girl to do at a time like this other than throw her hands up at technology, walk away from the juvenile delinquent that is her very own HP Pavilion.  And turn that frustration into a batch of smoky sweet salty and utterly delicious burritos?

No, I can't think of anything more wildly appropriate either.

(Thanks so much to Jacqui of Good Things Grow for choosing the Beans 'n Greens Burritos for this week's Food Matters Project recipe!  Check out her site for the original recipe.) 



Chickpea, Swiss Chard and Sweet Potato Burritos
Serves 4, adapted from The Food Matters Cookbook

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1 bunch swiss chard, destemmed and torn into strips
• 1 large Japanese sweet potato (or regular sweet potato), diced
• 2 cups chickpeas
• 4 whole wheat tortilla shells
• 4 oz queso fresco, crumbled

Ingredients

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add in the onion and garlic and saute, stirring frequently, until starting to brown, 5-8 minutes.  Add in the smoked paprika and a pinch of salt and pepper.
2. Add the swiss chard strips to the pan and saute until wilted.  Add the sweet potato to the pan.  Turn the heat down to medium and, stirring frequently, saute until sweet potato is tender, about 5-8 minutes.  Add in the chickpeas and cook until heated through.  Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat.  Heat the tortilla shells one at a time, 30 seconds per side.  
4. Put 1/4 of the filling on each tortilla shell.  Top each with 1 oz of queso crumbles.  Roll up into a burrito and eat!

Recipe: Strawberry Balsamic Ice Cream

If someday I pack up all my bags and transport them 3,000 miles across the country without even a hint of warning and definitely without anything resembling two weeks' notice.

I need you to know that it has nothing to do with the fact that staring at adipocytes (fat cells) under a microscope for hours at a time makes my head hurt.  Or that instead of trying to figure out which plasmids (circular pieces of DNA that we electrify into aforementioned fat cells so that they'll express whatever gene we've engineered into them) I need to order to so that I can move forward with this whole "PhD thing"...I spent my time in lab yesterday impulse-procrastination-buying 32 oz bottles of vanilla extract online.  (How can one be expected to think about science when there is not even a tbsp of vanilla left in her household?!?!? Seriously.)

And instead. It has everything to do.

With ice cream.



Bi-Rite Creamery ice cream, to be precise. 

It's pretty much the stuff that dreams are made of. 

(Or the stuff that you wish your dreams were made of because your subconscious likes to torture you by making you dream about DNA and glowing green cells.  Um, you know.  Hypothetically.)

I once walked approximately eight miles in a day with this girl on a healing stress fracture just so that we could justify eating it for lunch.  Oh yes, my priorities are screwed on right.



Unfortunately, trying to explain to my mother that I've abandoned both my future career as an MD/PhD and the east coast for a frozen dessert is not something I feel like doing anytime soon.  I have a feeling she just wouldn't understand.

So when my best friend (who is, coincidentally enough the other reason why you'll find me on a plane headed to SF at a moment's notice, ready and willing to abandon my life in NYC) emailed me the recipe for Bi-Rite's strawberry balsamic ice cream, I (a) squealed, (b) screamed, and (c) thanked the powers that be that I did, in fact, have exactly five egg yolks sitting in my refrigerator just waiting to be churned into strawberry balsamic heaven.

It was kismet.  And totally meant-to-be.



This ice cream tastes unmistakably like strawberries but then there's this hint.  This twinge, if you will, of something else.  Something...addictive.  And while I'm not necessarily sure that you can pinpoint it as balsamic just on taste alone. 

You can definitely tell that whatever it is makes it extra delicious.

So while I can't exactly go to Bi-Rite whenever I want, I can at least have it sitting in my freezer at all times, ready and waiting for me to sneak spoonfuls of it every time I feel that compulsion to get on an airplane and never look back.  Which may or may not be everysecondallthetime.  But who's counting. 



Strawberry Balsamic Ice Cream
Makes about 1 quart, adapted from Serious Eats

Ingredients
For the strawberry puree:

• 1 1/2 pints strawberries (3 cups), hulled and halved or quartered
• 2 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp good balsamic vinegar

For the base:

• 5 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cups 1% or 2% milk
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp good balsamic vinegar

Ingredients

1. In a large skillet, combine the berries with the 2 1/2 tbsp sugar and 2 tsp balsamic vinegar.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the strawberries are soft and the liquid they release has reduced somewhat, 6-8 minutes.
2. Let cool slightly, then transfer to the blender and puree.  Refrigerate until chilled.
3. In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks to break them up.  Whisk in 1/4 cup of the sugar.  Set aside.
4. In a heavy, stainless steel pan, stir together the cream, milk, salt, and the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar.  Put the pan over medium-high heat.  When the mixture reaches a bare simmer, reduce the heat to medium.
5. Carefully add about 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture to the eggs while whisking constantly.  Repeat with another half cup.  ow that the eggs are tempered, slowly pour the egg/cream mix into the cream on the stove, stirring constantly. 
6. Continue to cook, stirringly constantly, until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spatula, 1 to 2 minutes longer.
7. Remove from the heat and strain into a clean container.  Set the container into an ice bath (or the fridge) and stir occasionally until it is cool.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
8. Whisk the strawberry puree and the 2 tsp vinegar into the cream mix.  Freeze in ice cream machine following the manufacturer's instructions.  Eat right away or, if firmer ice cream is desired, freeze for 4 hours.

Recipe: Falafel-Stuffed Eggplant with Tahini Sauce and Tomato Relish {eat.live.be.}

Exposing another human being to the way I eat is.  Well.  A process.

There are rules.  Clauses. 

Entire treatises on high fructose corn syrup and why I would never willingly allow myself or anyone I love to ingest it.




It's really a full-on legal document.  A contract between myself and...myself.  Of the non-negotiable variety.



It starts off with my major food rules:

Thou shalt not eat inorganic leafy greens.

Which is second only to:

Thou shalt not eat anything deep fried.*



And then in really really tiny fine print.

*Except for falafel.

Because the truth of the matter is that I could live without eating a single French fry for the rest of my life.  But...I really do love falafel.

Although...

...this recipe is making me rethink that exception.  Because why eat something saturated in oil when you can have it baked into your favorite purple vegetable and smothered in tahini sauce?

That's, like. My new mantra.



Eat.Live.Be.

Although we're well aware that I'm totally a fan of the runner's high, you know what else gets me really jazzed to go to the gym or to hit the pavement?  Cute workout clothes.  For real.

But when you're running double digit miles, "cute" just doesn't cut it.  You need "cute" and functional.  By which I mean, dri-fit, moisture wicking and comfortable.

So when the folks at Russell Athletic offered to send me a Full Coverage Performance Tank, a DriPower 360 Round Neck T, Cotton Stretch Capris, Semi-Fit Performance Capris to try...I jumped on it.  After wearing the DriPower T to the gym last week and the Semi-Fit Performance Capris this week....I'm enamored.  They are so comfortable.  And cute.  And kinda make me want to head out for a workout just so I have an excuse to wear them.  I've always thought of Russell Athletic as the brand of sweatshirts that my brother used to wear, not as good workout clothing material...but my mind has officially been changed.  So if you're in the market for new workout clothes, consider giving them a try!

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Russell Athletics and received a product sample to facilitate my review.



Falafel-Stuffed Eggplant with Tahini Sauce and Tomato Relish
Serves 4, adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients
For the tahini sauce:

• 3 tbsp warm water
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 4 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 clove garlic, minced

For the eggplant:

• 2 eggplants (about 12 oz each)
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt, divided
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tbsp tahini
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 3/4 cups chickpeas

For the relish:

• 1 cup chopped seeded tomato (I used kumatos)
• 1/2 cup chopped seeded cucumber
• 1/2 red onion, vertically sliced thinly
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

1. To prepare the sauce, whisk together the warm water, tahini, lemon juice, honey, cumin and garlic in a small bowl.  Season with salt to taste.  Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 475.
3. Slice the eggplants in half lengthwise.  Score the cut sides with a crosshatch pattern.  Place facedown on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Bake for 7 minutes or until slightly tender and brown.
4. Remove from the oven and carefully scoop out the pulp, leaving a 3/4-inch edge.  Reserve the pulp for another use.  Season with salt.
5. Combine 1/2 tsp salt, onion, breadcrumbs, parsley, tahini, olive oil, cumin, coriander, black pepper, cayenne, eggs, garlic, and chickpeas in the bowl of a food processor.  Process until smooth.  Season to taste.
6. Spoon the chickpea mixture evenly into the 4 eggplant shells.  Bake for 25 minutes or until the eggplant halves are tender and the chickpea mixture is lightly brown.
7. Combine the tomato, cucumber, red onion, parsley, balsamic, and olive oil in a bowl.  Stir to combine.
8. Place one eggplant half on each of 4 plates. Drizzle with tahini sauce and top with relish. 

Recipe: Black Bean and Feta Tacos with Strawberry Mango Salsa {the food matters project}

Unbeknownst to the areas of my brain that control conscious, reasonable and rational thought, I started out this year on a mission.

On the surface, it seemed like that mission was to come back from my second stress fracture by training for and running the NYC Half Marathon.  No time goal, no lofty PR dreams.  Just. Finish.

Which somehow evolved into running three half marathons in three months, each in under two hours when I haven't been able to run that fast for 13 consecutive miles since...2009.



I know my fellow runners in da house are nodding their heads vigorously saying YES! GREAT, SANE, RATIONAL, TOTALLY ACHIEVABLE GOALS! 

We are enablers.  It's what we do.

While all of the rest of you (and my physical therapist) are convinced that these are just the ramblings of a crazed lunatic in the midst of a quarter life crisis.

Well.  You're both right. 



On Saturday morning, at 6AM, I left The.Boy.'s apartment in Brooklyn to run the last of my 3in3 (the nickname I gave to my deranged pursuit once it finally emerged from the depths of my subconscious and coerced me into registering for these three races "just in case".  whatever that means.)

The Brooklyn Half Marathon.

An inner and outer loop of Prospect Park followed by a run along Ocean Parkway down to Coney Island.

For a race that everyone told me was going to be "so easy" and "perfect to PR in" because it's all "totally flat after Prospect Park"...

...it was tough.

First of all. It was slated to hit 80 degrees that morning.  Not such a big deal when you're surrounded by trees and shade and foliage in Prospect Park...but a very big deal when you're virtually unprotected on a highway with absolutely no crowd support to distract you. 

Combine that with my second of all point, which is that I hate highway running...miles of open road with just about no end in sight.  UGH.  Does it surprise anyone that I broke down mentally at mile 9 and had to seriously talk myself into keeping going? 

That was about when I started pouring water over my head and convinced myself to slow down.  To a 9 minute mile.

Which brings me to my next point which is that...I started too fast.  Running 8:20 and 8:30 minute miles for the first half was just...unnecessary.  And you know what else was unnecessary?  The hill that lasted from mile five to mile six and a half.  With NO WATER STATION in between.  Really, New York Road Runners?  That was where you decided to skimp on the water?  FOR SHAME.

But in the end, I finished.  1:56:52. 

Approximately the same pace/time as the New York City Half Marathon, which I ran in March, which means that if it had been even 10 degrees cooler...I would have PR'ed for the year. 

But, you know.  There's always my next half marathon. 

My subconscious hasn't yet decided which one it wants to trick me into registering for yet.  But I'm thinking somewhere not quite so hot and humid as NYC in the summer.  I'm so over all that.



These tacos are exactly the kind of thing you need/crave after spending two hours in the heat, sweating out at least five pounds of water.  The strawberry mango salsa has a hint of heat, but is mostly refreshing and cool, and pairs oh so perfectly with the black beans and feta.  Definitely a great spring/summer meal.

The pick for this week's Food Matters Project recipe was for Mexican-Style Fruit Salad with Grilled or Broiled Fish.  I obviously strayed pretty far from the original, but you can check that out over at Sarah's blog.



Black Bean and Feta Tacos with Strawberry Mango Salsa
Serves 4, adapted from The Food Matters Cookbook

Ingredients

• 1 lb strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 1 mango, cubed
• 1 or 2 small hot chili peppers
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• salt and black pepper
• 2 (14 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
• 12 corn tortillas

Instructions

1. Toss the chopped fruit with the chile(s), basil, and a little salt and pepper.  Refrigerate if desired.
2. Wrap the corn tortillas, three at a time, in a paper towel.  Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds.  Top each tortilla with black beans, fruit salsa, and feta cheese.

Recipe: Deep-Dish Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Crumb Topping

I've had my suspicions about this for years but last week, after three frozen-butter-filled nights, it was finally confirmed.

Pie crust.

Is habit forming.



More addictive than heroin and cocaine combined (not that I would know in any real life experience capacity), the endorphin rush you get from successfully cutting butter into sugar and rolling it out into one flaky delicious cohesive round goes straight to the nucleus accumbens in your brain.

Hits all your pleasure/reward buttons.

And screams for more.

(I've been reading too much 50 Shades of Grey.  Obviously.)



I mean, I love making cupcakes and cakes and all the things that buttercream dreams are made of...

But there's something about seeing a pie cooling on your kitchen table.  Biting into a perfectly buttery crust.  And knowing that you did that.

It was all you.  (And your rolling pin.  And the food processor.) 

That is just so gratifying.




And that, my friends, is how you end up with a tart, a pie, and six tartlets on your table in the course of one week.

I know, right? My poor thighs.

I made this strawberry rhubarb pie first for lab meeting and then, because I loved it so so so very much, I made it again for Mother's Day.  Given how infrequently (i.e. never. almost.) I make the same thing twice, let alone twice in one week....you can tell just how delicious it was.  Do it while rhubarb is still in season.

But don't say I didn't warn you about the pie crust and its wily gateway drug ways...

And on a side note...can we give a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANIEL to my brother whose real 23rd birthday is today??  LOVE YOU AND YOUR CRAZY FACES.  



Deep-Dish Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Crumb Topping
Serves 8, adapted from The Bon Appetit Cookbook

Ingredients
For the crust:

• 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tsp all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 heaping tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 11 tbsp chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp ice cold water
• 1 egg, beaten to blend

For the crumb topping:

• 2/3 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 6 tbsp chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

For the filling:

• 3/4 lb rhubarb, sliced 1/2-inch thick on sharp diagonal
• 1 quart strawberries, hulled and halved
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg

Instructions
For the crust:

1. Combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt in the bowl of a food processor, pulsing to combine.  Add in the butter and pulse until butter is the size of peas.  Add in the vanilla and water, pulsing again just until the dough comes together, adding more water by the tbsp if necessary.  Gather dough into a ball and flatten into a disk.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
2. Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to 1/8-inch thick round.  Peel off the top sheet of paper.  Transfer the dough to a 9-inch deep dish pie plate.  Discard the paper.  Trim the overhang to 1/2-inch and crimp edges if desired.  Refrigerate 20 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350.  Line the crust with parchment paper or foil.  Fill with dried beans or pie weights.  Bake until the crust is set, about 15 minutes.  Remove the paper and beans.  Brush the crust with the egg glaze.  Bake until light brown, about 20 minutes.  Cool completely.

For the topping:

1. Increase oven temperature to 375.  Combine the oats, flour, sugar, and cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse in the butter until crumbly.  Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until use.

For the filling:

1. Mix the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large heavy saucepan.  Allow to macerate for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Reduce the heat and simmer until juices thicken, about 3 minutes.
2. Pour the filling into the prepared crust.  Cover with the topping.  Bake for 35 minutes or until topping is golden and juices are bubbling.  Cool on rack.  Serve warm or at room temp. 

Second side note - biscotti! How much do you love them?

They were a staple in my house growing up and though I've never been much of a crispy crunchy cookie gal, there's something about the way that milk/coffee/tea oozes into all of their subtly sweet nooks and crannies that makes them so delicious.  And addictive.

So when the people over at Nonni's Bicotti asked if they could send me their new biscotti bites to taste test, I said YES! OF COURSE!

They sent me three flavors - Classic Almond, Almond Dark Chocolate, and Caramel Milk Chocolate.  And though they were all delicious, I can tell you that the speed with which the caramel milk chocolates disappeared into my stomach was shameful.  In a delicious way.

What I loved most about these biscotti (besides the flavor) was how cute and little they are!  Perfect for when you just want a quick taste of something sweet but don't want to eat a whole huge cookie.



And also perfect for dunking into almond milk as your pre-bedtime snack.  Which is my favorite Biscotti Moment of the day.

Speaking of which...can we talk about the Biscotti Moment Sweepstakes?  Nonni's really loves the idea of using biscotti to take a break in your busy hectic day to just breathe and enjoy.  And they want to know what your biscotti moment is!  All you have to do to enter is upload a photo of your biscotti moment between now and June 15th and you'll be entered to win (a) a weekly prize of a Nonni's Biscotti Gift Basket and (b) a trip for two to Hollywood!  The photo below is what I'll be submitting!  Click here to enter.

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Nonni’s Biscotti and received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

d

Recipe: Baked Macaroni with Tomato Sauce and Goat Cheese {eat.live.be}

Guys, it's that time of the month.  Again.  Ugh.

Here's what we have to look forward to.  One whole week of....

Irrational irritability.  Allodynia.  (Increased sensitivity to pain.)

Glycogen retention.

A compulsion to eat carbs, carbs, and, uh.  More carbs. All day.  Every day. Ever. And anon.

Fun. So much fun. Not.



Wait, what?

It's not that that time of the month!  (I haven't quite reached that level of oversharing. Yet.)

Oh, no no no.  It's much worse than that.



It's taper week.

And if there's one thing you learn as a runner, it's that taper week makes PMS week look like a a day at Disney World.  With no lines.  And free food.  And Patrick Dempsey as your own personal theme park tour guide.

Because if there's one thing that any runner hates...it's being told not to run, especially when you know that you have to race in seven days and really you just want to make sure that your muscles will remember to work for 13.1 miles.

...they can be so forgetful.

But instead of doing something irrational like running 10 miles the Wednesday before your Saturday race, you just have to remind yourself that your 11 mile run on Saturday was a dream.  You ran at an 8:50 pace and it felt easy.

You highly suspect that this might have something to do with the fact that you haven't singlehandedly tried to finish off a jar of peanut butter in over two weeks.  It's crazy the things that happen when you treat your body well.  You might actually feel, well.  Good.  Confident.

Ready to take on the world...or at least 13.1 miles of Brooklyn.

So instead of turning into a psycho compulsive runner who decides that she is above tapering.  You eat your pasta.  And you rest your muscles (a little).  And you like it.

And really...there's nothing not to like about this pasta.  Imagine baked ziti but infused with goat cheese instead of mozzarella.  And stuffed with more kale/swiss chard/spinach by weight than actual noodles.  Yeah...it's pretty much a dream. In an 8x8-inch pan.  What more could you ask for.   



Baked Macaroni with Tomato Sauce and Goat Cheese
Serves 4, adapted from the New York Times

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb whole wheat fusilli or other small pasta
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 28 oz canned diced tomatoes
• 1/8 tsp sugar
• salt, to taste
• 1/4 cup basil leaves, whole
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 4 oz soft goat cheese
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 11 oz mixed greens (I used this blend)
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce.  Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, wide skillet.  Add the garlic.  Cook 30 seconds, stirring, or until fragrant.  Add the tomatoes, sugar, salt and basil to the pan.  Stir, turn up the heat, and bring to a boil.  When it begins to bubble, lower the heat back to medium and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until thick and fragrant. Add freshly ground black pepper.  Stir in the goat cheese and parmesan cheese.  Taste and adjust seasonings.
2. Preheat the oven to 350.
3. When the water for the pasta starts to boil, add the pasta and cook it for a minute or two less than the package instructions say since it will cook more in the oven.  In the last two minutes, add the mixed greens.  Drain and transfer to a large bowl.  Add the tomato-goat cheese sauce to the bowl and combine thoroughly.  Transfer to an 8x8-inch baking pan or a 2 qt baking dish.
4. Toss the breadcrumbs with the remaining tbsp olive oil.  Sprinkle over the top of the pasta.  Bake until casserole is bubbly and breadcrumbs are lightly brown, about 30 minutes.  Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

I am submitting this to Presto Pasta Nights which is being hosted this week by Alisha of Cook.Craft.Enjoy

Recipe: Grilled Goat Cheese Sandwiches with Fig and Honey...and a Dinner Party with McCormick Gourmet!

Ever craving something cheesy and carb-y but don't want to completely overdo it?  This grilled goat cheese with figs and honey from Cooking Light is just perfect to satisfy those cravings!  Check out my post and the recipe over at Marcus Samuelsson's blog!

A few weeks ago, the awesome folks over at McCormick Gourmet asked me if I would like to take part in their Dinner Party Chain and host a party that featured recipes using McCormick Gourmet spices and a McCormick Gourmet Dinner Party Kit.  Knowing that Mother's Day was coming up, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to create a delicious dinner for my mother...so I said YES YES YES!

It took forever to decide what to make for the occasion, but once I realized it was going to be 80 degrees on Sunday, I decided on a light, summery menu.  You've already seen the roasted vegetable bruschetta with queso fresco (featuring McCormick chipotle chili powder and roasted ground cumin!), but I also made a pesto pasta salad with roasted asparagus, green beans, and cherry tomatoes (seasoned with MCormick tuscan seasoning) and a deep dish strawberry rhubarb pie (infused with McCormick roasted ground cinnamon).  The recipes for the latter two dishes will be coming in future posts!  But suffice to say that the food was enjoyed by all and there were absolutely ZERO leftovers when the night was over!  Success!

Who says dinner party food has to be super complex and fancy schmancy in order to taste good?

Here are some gratuitous pictures of the family from the evening!



My brother, probably still slightly hungover, making a perfectly lovely face at the thought of eating an entirely vegetarian meal.  He cleaned his plate.  'Nuff said.



My sister, nibbling on a crostini before dinner actually started.  My mother declared a moratorium on eating before I got there, so they were all starving and this was just one of many pre-dinner nibbles.



Dana again, laughing with her mouth full.  Probably at my brother's face.



My Aunt Jackie, eating some pesto pasta salad! Those are mini sun-dried tomato-stuffed ravioli. SO GOOD.



My father, right before we started discussing me paying back my student loans.  Things got ugly after that so it's a good thing I snapped this picture in the nick of time.



And then, of course, the guest of honor herself! My mother.  She's about ready to dig into her first bite...



Smiling mom = mission accomplished.

Thanks so much to McCormick for providing me with the means to host this dinner party and to make Mother's Day so delicious for my mother!

But wait! There's more! You guys can participate in the Dinner Party Chain by going over to the McCormick Gourmet facebook page and submitting an idea for your dream dinner party!  If you do, you'll be entered to win a dinner party kit similar to mine that is themed to a holiday of your choice so that you can enjoy hosting a party of your own!  Go forth and submit!