Category Archives: dinners

by Heather | February 4, 2013

Eggplant & Tofu Tacos

The grocery cart got a little overzealous last week, resulting in some new menu items and enough goods to actually take us through a weekend. If last year’s CSA taught me anything it’s that eggplant is partial to Maryland’s summer weather, but Trader Joe’s would have you thinking otherwise. It was in abundance on their shelves, and my taste-buds have had a long enough break to be okay with it.

We needed a fresh approach, and when there’s an avocado on the verge of browning you only have one choice: guacamole, it is.

Eggplant & Tofu Tacos
Serves 2

Corn tortillas
1/2 block tofu, cubed
1 Tbsp. oil
1 red pepper, sliced
1/2 eggplant (cut length-wise), sliced
1/4 tsp. each – cayenne pepper, cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Guacamole*

Heat oil over medium in a deep skillet; add tofu and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Add eggplant, red pepper & seasonings. Cook until eggplant and pepper softens, and tofu begins to brown.

*Guacamole: 1 avocado, garlic powder, salt/pepper, cayenne, freshly squeezed lime juice. (Optional add-ins: chopped tomatoes, onion and/or jalapenos.)

Warm the corn tortillas in the microwave or in the oven, until softened. Line with the good green stuff (guac) and fill up with the eggplant & tofu mix.

Fold & enjoy!

5 Comments

Filed under dinners, food, gluten free, lunches, Meatless Monday, recipes

Tagged as Gluten-free, Meatless Monday, Vegan, Vegetarian

by Heather | January 18, 2013

Friday Four: Feats of Breaking Habit

In this week’s headlines, we have online dating hoaxes, Lance out and honest along with Obamas gearing up for putting another day in the history books. In this little world, we have small feats breaking big habits:

1) Oatmeal, take the bench. We have a new starting bowl in town:

We experimented with a few new cooking sauces this week (see #3), and while this breakfast bowl would’ve been just fine without the drizzle, that flavor bump made all the difference.

Scrambled Eggs + Kale + Almond-tahini sauce + salt/pepper

Just as easy to put together as my usual bowl o’ oats, and just as filling. Eating kale first thing in the morning seems to provide that defiant “I’m doing something awesome!” feeling. Super green + breakfast = winning. Eggs’ protein has the highest bioavailable value and that almost-tahini sauce added in a dose of healthy fats. Can’t go wrong here!

2) Sunday (Spicy Veggie) Slow-Cooker Stew
Say that five times fast.

It may take a little extra planning, thinking about dinner four hours before you want to eat dinner, but needless to say it’s worth it. This week I just threw in what we had on hand – no plan or recipe in mind – and voila! Dinner + lunch leftovers for two days*:

In the mix: cubed baby purple, red & gold potatoes, kale, orange pepper, diced fire-roasted tomatoes (with green chiles), diced red onion, vegetable broth & water (enough to cover all veggies), red pepper flakes, garlic powder & cumin.

*Let those red pepper flakes & green chiles sit and your mouth will burn. There’s your warning.

3) Pour on the special sauce

We’re branching far away from the usual balsamic vinaigrette, BBQ sauce & salsa toppings. D blended a few things together this week and officially spoiled our tastebuds. (My understanding is that it was something like: tamari, almond butter, raw almonds, salt/pepper, olive oil & fresh garlic.) I tested out Emily’s Tahini salad and have officially confirmed that it’s all about the special-sauce.

4) Be scared. Keep climbing.

To use up our 15 day pass and really get in some good practice, we headed back to Earth Treks last night for a post-work climb session. This time my hands actually reached the 40-ft top on 4-out-of-5 attempts. I could get used to this panicked-but-adrenaline-rushing feeling…

Nope, safety was not compromised in the taking of these photos. I was all of 3-4 ft off the ground.

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What habit are you ready to break?

3 Comments

Filed under dinners, food, Goals, lunches, new things!, recipes, strength train too!, things that happen at the Gym

Tagged as dinner, goals, Lunch, Meatless. Rock Climbing, Recipe

by Heather | January 17, 2013

Vegan Almondmilk Broccoli & Sage Risotto

It’s been a while since we’ve sat down to have dinner together. Grab a fork, this is one of my favorites…

The first time I tasted risotto it was homemade; Denver lulu-friend/chef Whitney & I would have weekly cook-at-home dinner parties, and her kitchen skills weren’t to be messed with. A foodie at heart, this girl makes a mean risotto – dry white wine, authentic parmesan n’ all.

Fast forward two years: (mostly) giving up dairy might mean I don’t enjoy the salty taste of parmesan (nearly as often) these days, but it doesn’t mean recipes can’t be altered to create veg-friendly versions of a few favorites. Once I realized that quite a few dairy-free eaters enjoy homemade risotto, the experiments had to commence.

Risotto pairs well with any combination of vegetables – peppers, edamame, broccoli and mushrooms tend to be my favorite add-ins. This specific version balances seasonal butternut squash and chopped broccoli with fresh herbs and Silk Pure Almond Unsweetened Originalin place of heavy cream, saving a lot of calories and swapping in much healthier fat. (If you pick the almond milk over skim milk, you’re saving 30 calories! And lactose, too.)

And with this version? We’re clearing the bowls of every last bite.

Vegan Sage Broccoli & Squash Risotto
Makes ~4 servings

1 cup Arborio rice
1 ¼ cup Silk Pure Almond Unsweetened Original
½ cup light coconut milk
1 ½ cup water
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1 cup butternut squash, peeled & chopped
2 tbsp green onion, chopped
Salt/Pepper, to taste
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary
4-5 fresh sage leaves, chopped

In a deep sauté pan, heat oil over medium. Add squash, broccoli and green onion, sautéing for 4-5 minutes (until softened). Season with salt and pepper to taste (approx. ¼ tsp of each). Add rice and toss for one minute. In a separate bowl, whisk liquids with herbs. Add one cup of liquid mixture to rice and vegetables, bringing to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and continue mixing liquid in ½ cup at a time as it absorbs; stir frequently. Once all liquid is added (total cook time: 20-25 minutes), serve warm over a bowl of greens or as a side.

If you compared this to a classic risotto, you’re looking at a 500+ calories per serving vs. 245, and upwards of 13g of saturated fat vs. less than 1g. This vegan-friendly option has a similar texture and better flavor, in my opinion, while actually providing the nutrients of a “side” vs. an entrée. Bring this to your next potluck and nobody will be wondering where the butter is.

The true taste test: I cooked this for our meat-lovin’ friends and it got two-thumbs up. Success!

This recipe post is part of a sponsored campaign with Silk and FitFluential, LLC. All opinions are my own.

18 Comments

Filed under dinners, food, lunches, Meatless Monday, recipes, vegetarian

Tagged as meatless, Recipe, SILK, Vegan

by Heather | December 20, 2012

Holiday Office Potluck Dish: Pumpkin Sage Quinoa

We had our holiday potluck at WCS on Tuesday, and let me just say that an office full of foodies and wellness-junkies will not disappoint you for lunch (or dinner, or apps, or sweet treats). Our spread was colorful and equal parts healthy, savory and indulgent. There was a full-on table switch for the desserts, too, don’t you worry.

A little peak…

A little show to go with the eats, courtesy of the talented Dale & The ZDubs….

And a little contribution from my kitchen, Pumpkin Sage Quinoa:

(pictured here as enjoyed for lunch: leftovers + greens)

Pumpkin Sage Quinoa + Chickpeas

1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1.5 cups raw quinoa (rinsed)
2.5 cups water
4-5 fresh sage leaves, chopped
2 tsp dried thyme (or fresh, if you have it)
1 can (15 oz) organic chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1.5 cups pureed pumpkin
salt/pepper to taste

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a deep saute pan. Add onions and cook for 4-5 minutes until softened. Add quinoa, water, sage & thyme, bringing to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 10-15 minutes, until most of the water is absorbed – stir every few minutes.

Add chickpeas, pumpkin, salt/pepper (to taste) and mix well. Continue cooking to heat everything through, for 3-5 minutes. Serve warm or chilled!

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Does your office bust out the cooking skills for potluck days? Any menu faves we should add to our list for next time?

3 Comments

Filed under dinners, food, holidays, in the kitchen, lunches, recipes

by Heather | December 11, 2012

Sautéed Sesame Brussels Sprouts

I wasn’t 100% sure where to put my feeling on Brussels sprouts, after a frozen bag-gone-bad really didn’t do them any favors. Fresh is always best, but even then the smell of those things cooking can knock anyone out of a small apartment kitchen quicker than rotten garbage disposal contents or too-many-days-old trash (in my opinion…).

(Did you know they were spelled Brussels sprouts? That extra “s” is tricky.)

Don’t be too intimidated by this stalk – the little sprouts are easy to pop/chop off and taste much better off of this than straight from a plastic bag!

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Did you know…

-One serving = 6 sprouts, 45 calories & 90% of recommended daily Vitamin C intake.
-They’ve been shown to have cholesterol-lowering benefits.
-Due to their high concentration of “glucosinolates”, they’re a top-ranked cancer-fighting food.
-One cup of Brussels sprouts provides almost 200% of the recommended daily Vitamin K intake.

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Luckily they don’t taste like they smell – nature has a few tricks up its sleeve!

In search of a new, creative way to get these on the dinner plate I found some inspiration from Emily (Daily Garnish). It’s hard to screw up vegetables with an Asian flare! But, we didn’t have rice vinegar or liquid aminos, so I improvised…

Sautéed Sesame Brussels Sprouts

Olive oil
15-20 Brussels sprouts*, halved
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Seasonings: garlic powder, salt/pepper

*Remove from stalk and rinse well, if applicable.

Heat 0.5-1 tbsp. of olive oil in a deep sauté pan over medium heat. Add sprouts, cooking and stirring frequently for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned. Whisk apple cider vinegar, sesame oil & seasonings in a small bowl. Combine with sprouts and stir until combined. The heat will cook off some of the sauce, but also let the flavors soak into the sprouts.

We enjoyed these with a side of baked sweet potato “fries” & mashed cauliflower. A comfy, satisfying & colorful dinner plate (and low-light iPhone capture)…