Tag: Recipe

• Not My “Standard” Deviation

  Posted at 3:43 AM by Brittany, on October 9, 2014

  My typical daily eats look a little something like this: nut buttes, fruits, veggies, nut butter, cayenne pepper, tempeh, beans, nut butter, cinnamon, and nut butter. Basically I eat the same foods day in and day out, and the only deviations I usually make are for treats. I like to think the wicked healthy diet I eat balances out the treats I allow myself once in a while.

  Sometimes my deviations take me away from my standard treats of just cupcakes and cookies. Sometimes I enjoy being wild. I’m not talking “see you on the 5 o’clock news” wild, I’m talking straying from my clean eats for season themed treats wild. When it’s fall and pumpkins are everywhere, I trip into the genius marketing traps faster than a mating rabbit.

  Let’s take a look at last weeks “pre long run” dessert of choice. FOUR pumpkin Joe-Joe’s, at least 2 tblsp cashew butter, and a solid serving of vanilla coconut ice cream. Twice…in two days.

  

  I thought I had it under control with the pumpkin themed treats by keeping it at one simple and happy box of cookies, but then I began to see pictures online of pumpkin this and pumpkin that…so after my 10 miler I went to Trader Joe’s…again.

  With a sweaty face, and a determined spirit this is what I walked out with…

  Breakfast Foods

  

  I use the term “breakfast food” loosely because I don’t actually eat these for breakfast. I need something of solid substance and these two just aren’t solid in my book. I used the cereal for multiple desserts, and the bagels for a snack. The cereal was good, but the bagels knocked my pants off. I’m talking clear across the room off. Topped w/cashew butter and cinnamon.

  If you take anything away from this post let it be this: get these bagels in your life right now. Don’t even look at the ingredient label, just put them in your cart.

  Snack Foods

  

  Fortunately for me, most of the snack items had dairy in them which made them easy to stay away from. These pita crisps however, did not. I basically had to wrestle my own arm to keep it out of the bag. This is not a safe scenario while driving. These.Are.Un.Real. Get them. Now.

  Dessert Foods

  Also known as, the most important meal of the day. As you already know I snagged a box of the pumpkin Joe-Joe’s, which took me all of two days to consume. I did have a little help. Those Joe-Joe’s were festive and fun, but Halloween would not be complete without at least one box of Halloween Joe-Joe’s, the one cookie I immediately turn into a 12 yr old child after purchasing.

  Plus, I can’t deviate toooo much from my standard treat “norm.”

  

  Fun Fact: This photo of Joe-Joe’s is from this post, where I first shared my love for pumpkin faced cookies as I finished my last week working at Trader Joe’s in 2012! I still miss that job…

  How about a recipe?!

  

  Pumpkin Pie Cereal Cluster

  • 2 cups Trader Joe’s “Joe-O’s”
  • 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
  • 1/4 cup raw honey
  • 1/4 cup cashew butter
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 tblsp cinnamon

  1. Mix together cereal, pumpkin seeds, and cinnamon.
  2. Heat on low to combine honey, cashew butter, and pumpkin puree. Once smooth pour over cereal.
  3. Set in fridge for 10 minutes. Serves three-four.

  These were meant to be cereal bars, but didn’t hold together as well as I had hoped. The flavor was TOO GOOD not to share though, so make do with a cluster.

  There you have it, my version of “PUMPKIN EVERYTHING.” I’d also like to note I did purchase substantial food items too like all this squash, pounds of honeycrisp apples, enough vegetables to power a mini van, and enough beans to (gas) power a tiny home, but these are wayyy more fun.

  Q: Have you fallen prey to the pumpkin themed treats?? 

  

  | 48 Comments Tagged Garmin, Pumpkin, Recipe, Run, Trader Joes, Vegan

• National Coffee Day

  Posted at 5:57 AM by Brittany, on September 29, 2014

  What kind of Coffee Master would I be if I didn’t announce and partake in National Coffee Day (NCD)?? Today is the day where coffee is recognized for all its wonderful abilities, flavors, pairings, benefits, and social affairs. Today is the day I have an actual reason to celebrate my love for the bean, not that I ever felt like I needed one! You can’t stop love I tell ya.

  In order to honor this day I prepared a tasting for myself, some of my fellow coworkers (including a regular customer,) and even my mom! It’s never a wrong time for a coffee tasting, and I often spring them on my fellow baristas when time permits, but it’s an absolute MUST for NCD.

  

  For this tasting I also wanted to honor the arrival of fall, because fall and coffee go together like cayenne pepper and sweat. My usual one cup a day habit has found its way to a “once in a while” two cup habit simply due to the cozy feels I get with a hot mug on a rainy afternoon. I feel warm and fuzzy just typing that out. Where was I..OH yeah, FALL!

  For starters I went with the obvious – pumpkin. A light and fluffy pumpkin spice sugar mini muffin to pair with Anniversary Blend one last time before it’s gone for the season. Have you snagged yourself a bag yet? It’s only going to be around a short while longer.

  Not to fear, Thanksgiving Blend will be here soon!

  

  Pumpkin Spice Mini Muffins

  Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/8 teaspoons ground cloves
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup almond milk
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
  • 1 chia egg ( 1 tblsp chia seeds + 3 tblsp water)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  For the cinnamon sugar topping: coconut oil, cinnamon, and raw sugar.

  Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F, and prepare a mini muffin tin with coconut oil on the side to prevent sticking. These also successfully make larger muffins if you prefer those over the mini version.
  2. Make your chia egg and set aside for it to coagulate while you combine your first few ingredients.
  3. In a large bowl combine your flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, allspice, cloves, baking powder and salt.
  4. In another separate large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, almond milk, brown sugar, melted coconut oil, chia egg and vanilla.
  5. Pour this wet mixture into your dry mix and stir using a wooden spoon until combined.
  6. Scoop batter evenly into you muffin pan.
  7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  8. Allow to cool, and then top with cinnamon sugar mix.

  For the cinnamon sugar topping: I used 1/2 tblsp cinnamon, and about 3 tblsp sugar. I melted a little bit of coconut oil at a time and rolled the top of each muffin in the oil before rolling into the cinnamon sugar mix.

  

  

  Tasting Notes: The spicy notes from the cinnamon, and smooth flavors of the pumpkin paired beautifully with the crisp and spicy flavors of Anniversary Blend. Anniversary Blend alone can be a bit sharp, but the sugary coating to the muffin harmonized perfectly to tone down the flavor of the coffee. These muffins were AMAZING.

  Next I played it simple and somewhat safe. I made dark chocolate covered Fuji apples rolled in pumpkin seeds, and paired them with House Blend. For those of you that like an all around medium roast (medium body/acidity) I highly recommend this one, it’s very smooth.

  

  Assembly for these was simple – melt yourself some dark chocolate, cover as much of the apple as you desire, crush some pumpkin seeds, and roll the apple in the seeds. Voila.

  Tasting Notes: The rich cocoa and nutty seeds harmonized AMAZINGLY with the smooth, balanced body of House Blend. The cocoa notes stood out the most, and I was surprised by how well these paired together. House has a distinct nutty/cocoa flavor, and while this is a coffee that can be savored easily on its own, combining it with the chocolate takes your palate party to an entire new level. That’s a party I always want to attend.

  

  Coffee continues to amaze me the more I play around with pairings and flavor profiles. For those of you that don’t drink coffee (I will never understand, but I accept you anyway) check out this article for other ways to use coffee besides consumption. Not to mention my Coffee Energy Bites were featured, bringing over 16,000 readers to my blog in two days! Wow, thank you BuzzFeed!

  It’s the little things.

  Q: How are you celebrating National Coffee Day? Even if you don’t like coffee, I recommend you make these muffins. They are so good. 

  

  | 47 Comments Tagged BuzzFeed, Coffee, Coffee Master, Coffee Tasting, Recipe, Starbucks

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 10:43 AM by Brittany, on August 25, 2014

  1. I have fallen in love with smoothie bowls. Can’t stop, won’t stop.

  

  2. One of my regular customers came in without his wallet last week. I told him breakfast was on me and not to worry about it (the perks of being a regular.) He insisted he would come back to pay, and sure enough he did.  Along with paying for his coffee and lemon loaf he proceeded to buy a $20 gift card, and then gifted it to me. Humanity can be wonderful.

  3. I also channeled my inner Pocahontas last week and canoed myself just around the river bend.

  Or Lake Washington, same thing.

  

  This is what I look like getting blown away.

  4. I’m done with school for one month. I walked away from my summer biology class with a 4.0.

  5. On Saturday I hiked Mailbox Peak again. I didn’t even wait a full 30 days before going back. It was even more brutal the second time. I won’t be hiking this one again for a while.

  

  6. The day after the hike (yesterday) I had a Sunday long run. Ouch.

  7. Roasted cabbage….that is all.

  

  8. Looking for a good energy bite recipe? My coffee bites along with ten other recipes have been featured on Daily Burns “11 No-Bake Energy Bites” article!! So many good looking balls.

  9. Speaking of balls…I’ve become obsessed with coffee tastings and parings. Like, it’s all I think about when I’m not thinking about running, eating, or breathing. Nothing says fall like Starbucks annual Anniversary Blend. I wanted to do a tasting to highlight the spice notes along with some maple and pumpkin oat flavors. So I made some Maple Pumpkin Pie Oat Bites.

  Maple Pumpkin Pie Oat Bites

  

  Ingredients

  • 1 cup + 1 heaping tblsp uncooked oats
  • 1/2 cup ground flax seed
  • 1 tblsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup creamy almond butter
  • 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • heaping tblsp raw pumpkin seeds

  Directions

  1. In a medium sized bowl combine oats, ground flax, and cinnamon. Mix well.
  2. Stir in your remaining ingredients until well combined.
  3. Place the mixture in the fridge for 15 minutes.
  4. Roll the mixture into approximately 1 inch sized balls. Makes 10-12 bites.
  5. Store in air tight container.

  

  10. I then proceeded to bring these to work to have a coffee tasting with some of my coworkers.

  It was a fun time.

  Q: What’s your confession?

  

  | 63 Comments Tagged Coffee, Coffee Tasting, Confessions, Hike, Mailbox Peak, Recipe, Run, Starbucks

• Garden Harvest – Summer Veggie Salad Recipe

  Posted at 7:41 AM by Brittany, on August 6, 2014

  I’m in the final stages of finishing my coffee master training for Starbucks, and have been lucky enough to go through the entire process with another coworker. She and I were able to get together at her house recently to work on our final “project” for the store.

  

  After working on our project for a little over an hour I decided it was time for a break, meaning it was time to explore her property. She lives on a small farm fully equipped with cows, chickens, a goat, and best of all a small organic garden. Talk about bliss.

  

  I was absolutely ecstatic when I was offered to take some of the luscious bounty home with me. Local, fresh, organic, free produce!? You betchur britches I wanted some! With a bowl the size of a small horse completely filled with green goodness, I knew this would be the perfect opportunity to get crazy wild in my kitchen.

  

  For starters I baked 4 small loaves of zucchini banana bread. I used this recipe and made a few alterations. It was very mild, and definitely needs something on top such as a nut butter or fresh berries.

  

  The real winner of this harvest was my roasted zucchini & carrot black bean salad with a creamy kale and walnut pesto sauce. I wanted to make something that would use almost everything I was gifted.
  

  

  So jazzed.

  Items from my bowl used for this meal were:

  • zucchini
  • carrots
  • snap peas
  • kale
  • basil
  • lettuce

  I also got some cilantro that I used for some taco salads, but I digress.

  Roasted Zucchini & Carrot Black Bean Salad

  

  Ingredients:

  For the salad:

  • 3/4 cup roasted zucchini
  • 2/4 cup roasted carrots
  • 1.5 cups boiled sweet potatoes
  • 1/2 cup black beans

  

  For the pesto:

  • 1/2 cup raw walnuts
  • 1/4 cup + 3 tsp water
  • 1.5 tblsp olive oil
  • 1 tblsp + 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 3 medium sized kale leaves
  • 3 medium sized lettuce leaves (or more kale)
  • 5 medium/large basil leaves
  • 1/4 cup snap peas (just the peas, and this is optional)
  • 1 tsp salt

  

   Directions:

  1. Slice your carrots and zucchini into desired size (you can see what I did in the photo above) and lay flat on a roasting tray. Roast for about 45-60 minutes. The zucchini didn’t roast well and was a bit mushy, but  still edible of course.
  2. Chop about two smaller sized sweet potatoes and fully submerge them in water to boil. Boil for about 20 minutes, be sure not to over boil them or they will fall apart.
  3. While everything is cooking you can make your pesto. Combine all your ingredients into a high speed blender or food processor and combine until smooth. You may want to add more water depending on how thick you like your pesto.
  4. Once all your veggies are done combine everything into a large bowl. This makes enough for 2 people with a bit leftover.

  Note: The veggies are all very soft, so something like crunchy chips or lettuce leaves will round out the texture of this meal.

  I used the rest of my lettuce leaves and I put just a dollop of the pesto sauce on top because I’m not a huge sauce fan. With chips on the side.

  

  I am amazed by the powerful taste of garden fresh produce. 10x better than anything in the store, but I suppose that’s a given! It took me all of three days to rip through this produce. I need a garden!

  Q: Did you garden at all this year? I tried to plant some cilantro, but the slugs got it…no excuses for next year! OH or winter veggies!

  

  | 44 Comments Tagged Coffee, Coffee Master, Farm, Garden, Gluten Free, Harvest, Recipe, Vegan

• Raspberry Chocolate Banana Oat Bread

  Posted at 6:45 AM by Brittany, on July 30, 2014

  One of my biggest pet peeves is when people don’t recognize a perfect banana. I get that we all have different preferences, but just because a banana is spotted or somewhat brown does not mean it’s “rotten.” My ideal banana is somewhat spotted, and never green.

  

  In fact when a banana has some brown to it/ is somewhat over ripe, this is when the nutrients are most readily available for absorption! Plus we all know that spotted bananas make for delicious treats!

  Two sights really captured my soul recently. A cloudy sky, and the above overripe bananas next to two containers of fresh raspberries.

  

  Two completely different sights, both with the same meaning.

  Baking.

  A hot sunny day hasn’t stopped me from baking in the past, but a cool overcast makes it much easier. We go through a lot of bananas at Starbucks, and when they start to look “not yellow”, they’re mine!

  

  We’ve already discussed the abundance of raspberries I’ve been hoarding eating in previous posts, and I decided to attempt a new recipe. Not only have I never combined raspberries and bananas together in a bread, but I’ve also never made my own flour. Until now.

  How I’ve never attempted the simplicity that is oat flour before is beyond me, but now that I have I can say with ease this is a new flour staple in my house. So easy, so simple, so delicious, and so CHEAP!

  Raspberry Chocolate Banana Oat Bread

  

  Ingredients

  • 2 1/3 cup whole GF rolled oats (before making into powdery flour)
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3 very ripe bananas
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2 flax eggs (2 tblsp fresh ground flax + 6 tblsp warm water)
  • 1 cup smashed fresh raspberries
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (plus another small handful)

  Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F and wipe a 9x5in loaf pan with coconut oil.
  2. Make your oat flour by using a high speed blender or food processor. Blend/process until flour like. This should make around 2 cups, which is what you will need for this recipe.
  3. In a medium bowl combine your 2 cups of oat flour with your baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  4. In a separate medium sized bowl combine mashed bananas, brown sugar, vanilla, and flax eggs until smooth and creamy.
  5. Slowly add flour mixture into the wet mixture and mix until well combined.
  6. Fold in smashed raspberries and chocolate chips. Pour batter into your oiled pan, and sprinkle a small handful of chocolate chips on top. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Mine took closer to an hour, I have an old oven.
  7. Cool for 10-15 minutes, then remove from pan onto a rack.
  8. Eat with a heaping scoop of vanilla coconut ice cream.

  

  I can’t express how much fun I had experimenting and creating this bread. Having an evening free to bake instead of work or study really made the process that much more enjoyable.

  I had two pieces right away, one by itself and one with PB and more berries, because you can never have too many berries.

  

  

  This bread is delicious, thick, & dense. Don’t bake this expecting light, airy, & fluffy bread. For a better balanced density use multiple mini loaf pans instead of one large one. I could care less, I ate every bit.

  

  I hope my friends at the Virtual Vegan LINKY Potluck don’t mind that I used raspberries for my bread/dessert again. I just can’t get enough!

  Q: What’s your favorite summer berry? Can I say all of them? 

  

  | 66 Comments Tagged Gluten Free, Recipe, Vegan, Virtual Vegan Potluck

• Raspberry Oat Crumble Bars

  Posted at 9:16 AM by Brittany, on July 17, 2014

  I didn’t plan on posting today, or even posting this recipe at all. I had a couple people ask for it though, and I decided that I wanted to link up with the Virtual Vegan LINKY Potluck, the only link up I ever participate in! Any excuse for baked goods is a good excuse!

  

  With an abundance of raspberries in my house these days, it’s no surprise we’ve been creating all kinds of raspberry based recipes.

  

  This recipe cred actually goes to my mom, the angel that had these delicious bars baked and ready for consumption the moment I arrived home after a morning run in the hot hot sun.

  

  We made these gluten free, but you can easily sub whole wheat flour if you prefer. Either way, prepare for a raspberry flavor bomb.

  Raspberry Oat Crumble Bars (V/GF)

  

  Ingredients

  For the cake: 

  • 1 1/2 cups GF flour (I suggest Namaste Perfect Flour Blend)
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil cut in pieces
  • 1  chia egg  (1 tbsp ground chia and 3 tblsp of water)
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup fresh raspberries

  For the crumble topping:

  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tblsp of gluten free flour
  • pinch of ground nutmeg
  • 2 tblsp coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup chopped almonds
  • 1/4 cup rolled oats

  

  Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F and oil an 8in square baking pan.
  2. For the crumble topping stir together the brown sugar, flour, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Cut in your coconut oil* with a knife and mix-stir until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in pecans and oats.  Set aside.
  3. For the cake stir together the flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Cut in your coconut oil* until mixture is crumbled. Add chia egg, almond milk, and vanilla. Stir until combined.
  4. Pour batter into your pan and scatter your raspberries evenly over the surface. Sprinkle the set aside crumble topping evenly over  the berries. Bake until cake is well risen and golden- about 50 minutes.
  5. Remove, let cool, serve, and ENJOY!

  Notes: *You don’t want to use melted coconut oil for this recipe, but solid oil can be difficult to cut. Allow your oil to be somewhat softened as if you were using room temperature butter.

  

  I suggest serving these with a side of more berries, some banana, alongside your morning coffee, or underneath a blob of vanilla coconut ice cream. These were gone in a couple days, and now I need to decide what to make next! Suggestions welcomed! 🙂

  Q: How are you taking advantage of summer berries? We’re on our second batch of fresh picked, local raspberries. We’ve gone through almost fifteen containers.

  

  | 38 Comments Tagged Gluten Free, Raspberries, Recipe, Run, Summer, Vegan, Virtual Vegan Potluck

• Pineapple Cashew Quinoa Salad

  Posted at 6:11 AM by Brittany, on June 20, 2014

  I can’t say I’m a big fan of “sweet” salads. I like savory, spicy, and salty salads piled high with veggies, beans, salsa, and herbs. There is always an exception though, and summer months mean lighter meals.

  

  I needed to come up with a dish to use up the leftover onion and cilantro I had from this meal. I am not one to waste, and I can only use so much cilantro on my lunches. Thus this quinoa salad was born.

  

  Light, refreshing, and a good balance of sweet, salty, and acidity. The flavor train will be parking in your mouth, and you’ll want it to stay.

  Pineapple Cashew Quinoa Salad 

  
  Ingredients

  • 1 cup dry quinoa
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tblsp coconut oil
  • 1 small lime
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 3/4 cup diced sugar plum tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup diced green onion
  • 1.5 cups diced pineapple
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 cup salted cashews

  Directions

  1. Cook your quinoa in the 2 cups of water. Once cooked, melt in the coconut oil, juice your lime, and zest your lime right into the mix.
  2. In no particular order, add the rest of your ingredients and stir well. Salt and pepper to taste.

  

  Notes: I didn’t buy salted cashews, and ended up adding a bit of salt to my dish. The sweetness of the pineapple called for a salty balance. If you use salted cashews, extra salt might not be necessary.

  This is one of those meals that gets better as it sits. Ideally I would let this sit for at least an hour before consuming. This gives the flavors enough time to party together and become one giant ball of delicious.

  Suggested toppings: Sliced avocado, and of course more cilantro.

  

  Also delicious with chips, but what ISN’T delicious with chips??

  

  Happy noshing my friends!

  Q: What do you typically eat when it’s warm out? LOTS of fruit, and cold salads. Don’t even try to give me something “heavy.”

  

  | 54 Comments Tagged Quinoa, Recipe, Vegan

• Walnut Ginger Quinoa w/ Tofu & Bok Choy

  Posted at 6:27 AM by Brittany, on June 13, 2014

  I have a very open mind when it comes to trying new food. As long as it falls within certain “criteria” I am all for anything and everything. I remember the first time I laid eyes on bok choy was two years ago.

  

  Trader Joe’s is notorious for constantly rotating new and exciting products into their stores, this is partially why I loved working there so much. I was able to discover new products before everyone else.

  

  This meal is an old favorite, as you will see if you click the link in my first paragraph, but this time I did things a tad bit differently. While I love TJ’s soyaki sauce, I wanted to take a stab at making my own.

  I’ve made walnut cream sauces for pasta before, and that was a no brainer. Making this sauce more themed to this Asian style dish was a bit harder, but my attempt was successful. At least successful enough for my family to eat what I made without any hesitations.

  Or maybe they were just really hungry, I’ll never know.

  

  This is a perfect light, yet filling summer meal. I bought my bok choy and tofu from TJ’s, so my only complaint was I would have liked one more bok choy. Three is a magical number, but alas I settled for two.

  Walnut Ginger Quinoa w/ Tofu & Bok Choy
  

  

  The plating I used wasn’t the best choice for these photos, the walnut sauce blends into the plate. Look closely, it’s the blob at the top.

  Ingredients

  • 8 oz sprouted tofu
  • 6 small bok choy pieces (I used the entire container from TJ’s)
  • 1 cup (dried) quinoa
  • 1-3 tblsp coconut oil (just enough for frying)

  For the walnut sauce

  • 1.5 cups raw walnuts
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tblsp soy sauce
  • 1 med/lrg garlic clove
  • salt and pepper to taste

  

  Directions

  For the tofu: cut into small cubes, and pan fry in coconut oil on each side until browned and crisp. You won’t need a ton of oil in your pain, just enough to submerge about a centimeter of the tofu on each side.

  For the bok choy: using the same oil (and then more as needed) sautee each piece and cover with a lid. This wont take long. The leaves will wilt before the base, and if you want to cut this into smaller pieces for a softer texture do so. I liked a little crunch.

  For the quinoa: I used 1 cup of dry quinoa and about a cup and a half of water. Put onto the stove and bring to a boil, then turn heat to medium and let sit. I like to turn my stove off early and let the quinoa cook itself while covered in its own steam. Or follow the directions on your packaging for proper cooking directions, everyone is a bit diff.

  For the walnut sauce: pour all your ingredients into a high speed blender or food processor and blend until well combined. Taste as you go and add anything else you feel is needed. I added cayenne pepper to my dish after plating, because my family doesn’t like spice.

  

  Once everything is complete plate and enjoy! A bowl worked best for me after I had a photo shoot with my meal. I also ended up cutting the bottoms off of my bok choy because they were a bit tough.

  As for your sauce, you won’t need much. I used a bit less than a tablespoon. I don’t like when the sauce overpowers the meal. Just enough for some flavor without your meal swimming in sauce. Gross.

  Happy noshing friends! 

  Q: Have you ever tried bok choy?

  

  | 35 Comments Tagged Quinoa, Recipe, Tofu, Vegan

• One Pot Veggies Spice and Rice (Noodles)

  Posted at 6:37 AM by Brittany, on June 4, 2014

  I have somewhat of a love/hate relationship with peanut butter. I love to dip my spoon into the jar more times than I can count on two hands, but my waistline hates me for it. It’s a tough life I tell ya.

  
  I haven’t had a jar of PB in my house in months, sometimes when I look in the mirror I don’t even know who I am anymore. Instead, I’ve been embracing almond butter in all its nutty glory. I have a bit more self control when it comes to the AB variety, but just a skosh.

  To honor my “just a little bit” mindset with nut butters lately, I made myself an Asian themed meal – all in one pot. Just a little bit of flavor, and just a little bit of almond butter. Full of vegetables, vegan, AND gluten free, but no one would ever notice the lack of meat or milk.

  

  Before cooking.

  Pad Thai has always been a favorite of mine, but I don’t tend to like restaurant versions because they are much too high in sodium. I hesitate to call this Pad Thai at all though because the nutty flavor is much too mild (I did up the amount in this recipe after making it.)

  Instead I’ve channeled my inner child and put my rhyming skills to good use. Veggies-Spice-Rice…because all three are abundant here.

  

  

  I’ve seen these “one pot wonder” meals around the interwebs, but I’d never attempted to make one. I don’t know what took me so long because something this easy should be done over and over again.

  One Pot Veggies Spice and Rice 

   

  

   

  Ingredients 

  • 16 oz rice noodles
  • 6 cups water
  • 3-4 large cloves of garlic, sliced thin
  • 1 tblsp tamarind paste
  • 1 tblsp soy sauce (I used two of the sample packs)
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes, or cayenne pepper
  • 2 inches of a ginger root, cut in 1/4 in pieces
  • 1 large carrot cut into large strips
  • 1 red bell pepper cut into strips
  • 4 green onions cut in half, and then into 2 inch pieces
  • 3/4 cup sliced almonds
  • 1/4 or 1/3 cup almond butter (depending how nutty you want it)

  Optional addition: 1 med/large jalapeno WITH seeds for extra spice.

  For topping at the end of cooking

  • cilantro
  • juice from 2 limes

  Optional topping (which I highly suggest): dry roasted edamame for an extra protein boost. However much you desire per serving.

  

  Directions

  1. Place everything except the cilantro and lime juice into a large stockpot. Cover and bring to a boil.
  2. Reduce heat and let simmer to cook for about 10 minutes. Stir the mix every couple minutes to avoid any sticking.
  3.  Once liquid is evaporated to your liking remove from heat.
  4. If you like salt and pepper season to taste. I didn’t add any.
  5. If you want to, remove slices of ginger. I left mine in because I love the sharpness of ginger.
  6. Stir in cilantro, as much as you feel is needed, and juice from the limes. I also topped my bowl with more cilantro.

  

  After cooking.

  Notes: I used all water in this because I like “mild” flavors. If you want to use vegetable broth instead use 5 1/2 cups of broth and 1/2 cup water. The tamarind paste helps give this a sweet/sour flavor.

  

  Prepping the veggies took the most time, but even this was a quick process. The entire meal was smooth and fast. I served this over a bed of steamed kale, because I always need more green.

  

  

  

  I find great joy in taking the extra time to make something like this. It was a nice break from my usual “quinoa and veggie” mix. 
  

  

  Behind the scenes cell phone shot.

  Q: Do you ever find yourself dipping the spoon one too many times in the nut butter jar? I already know the answer for most of you….

  

  | 47 Comments Tagged Almond Butter, Gluten Free, Peanut Butter, Recipe, Vegan, Vegetables

• Green Mountain – Par Baked

  Posted at 7:56 AM by Brittany, on May 26, 2014

  I was a hiking machine this weekend. Between Saturday and Sunday I conquered 18 total miles of pure nature bliss. Hiking season is here.

  

  

  

  

  I just can’t get enough!

  Along the way I found Sasquatch.

  

  Ah, nope that’s just me. I assure you this balancing act was much harder than it looks. I debated walking across the log for a whole second and quickly shoved that idea south. I decided I wanted to live.

  

  

  Post Sat. hike I came home and made myself the most epic pizza. I had been craving pizza for WEEKS, and finally got around to “sorta” kinda making some. I say sorta because this was a “semi” homemade pizza.

  

  I usually like to make my dough from scratch, but I also like to try new things. I snagged this gluten free flatbread on my last trip to TJ’s and OH MY it was good! I was pleasantly surprised. I mentioned a while back that too much wheat causes my stomach to rebel, so I limit my intake on breads. Next time I’ll try making my own GF dough.

  

  Most people can’t live without cheese on their pizza, for me it’s potatoes. Two years ago (I love blogging because I can dig back in my archives for moments like this) I was introduced to potatoes on pizza and I never looked back…ever. I’ve had them on every pizza since.

  First time using sweet taters, and all I have to say is yes. Just yes. I baked my sweet potatoes, my beets, and my garlic in the oven before my hike to ensure they were ready when I came home ravenous.

  For this I just sliced them thin, wiped my pan with coconut oil, topped with a little sea salt and baked at 375 for about 45 min – an hour. The garlic will need to come out after about 20 minutes. I also cheated on this pizza and used a store bought sauce! All kinds of crazy over here.

  

  I am in love with these Bolani sauces!! They are amazing, and they are LEGIT using minimal ingredients. I love making my own sauces/pesto and as a vegan I usually have to, but these are a fun treat and I totally approve of the nutritional stats/ingredients.  Random Costco find!

  

  I could have definitely eaten two.

  

  Q: Who’s embracing the hiking season!?

  

  | 47 Comments Tagged Adventure, Hike, Hiking, Pizza, Recipe, Trader Joes, Vegan

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