Salad and Smoothie

Hey guys! How is your Tuesday? Mine is being spent in spreadsheet hell, but I wanted to break free long enough to share a little food love. Sorry for the brevity!

This week marks the return of the green smoothie into my life:

That’s Monday’s, which featured a combination of spinach, banana, mango, strawberry, and coconut milk. Today’s was spinach, banana, mango, almond milk, almonds, cinnamon, and ginger. I have them alongside a hot mug of green tea sweetened with some allergy-fighting local honey and an unpictured glass of water.

Last night, we enjoyed a delicious beet salad:

I chopped the three peeled beets, tossed with a little olive oil, and roasted it topped with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, I took a defrosted half block of tofu, sliced it into strips, and marinated it similarly to this tempeh. I baked it in a glass dish for about 10 minutes, and then I sauteed it in a little oil. When it was done, I removed the tofu and added chopped onion and minced garlic to the pan, followed by the cleaned beet greens. The tofu and the fully cooked beets then went into the pan, and I tossed everything together. Each salad got a topping of Dijon/vinegar and a few little cubes of Trader Joe’s Parmesan & Gouda cheese. The end result was delicious and surprisingly filling.

So that’s all I have for you today. I hope everyone else’s Tuesday is devoid of tiny Excel cells!

Two recipes

I made a couple of new things last week, so I wanted to share.

I started my days with a breakfast experiment:

I’m calling it an Overnight Oats Smoothie. I simply soaked raw oats in almond milk overnight and, in the morning, blended them with a frozen banana, a tablespoon of peanut butter, a dash of cinnamon, and a drop of vanilla extract. It was frosty and delicious, and it kept me full until lunch. Alongside it, I had my usual cup of tea (green with jasmine this time).

I followed with a lunch experiment:

This meal was a variation on Oh She Glows’ Spicy Potato ‘n Black Bean Burritos. Here’s my version:

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos

• 1 medium sweet potato, diced
• Olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 container cremini mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• Cumin, salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 cup kale, chopped or shredded
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup green salsa
• 4 large tortillas

In a small or medium pot, add the sweet potatoes and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer for 10 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are fork tender. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a little oil in a saute pan over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion reaches the desired texture. I like mine with a little brown showing, but just softened works, too. When they are almost done, add the garlic, stirring to prevent it from burning and sticking. Now add the sweet potatoes, mashing slightly if you prefer. Let cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the mushrooms, nooch, and spices for about two minutes, then dump in the kale, beans, and salsa. Cook, stirring occasionally, until everything is warm and the kale has wilted.

Serve in tortillas and add desired toppings (avocado slices, pepper sauce, more salsa, green onions, etc.). Makes 2 to 4 servings.

On Thursday, I ate half the recipe for lunch topped with pepper sauce. I started with 1/4 and was still very hungry, so I went back for seconds and was STUFFED. I used Trader Joe’s brown rice tortillas, which have the worst consistency ever. They crumble as soon as you look at them, which is why I ate the second one Ethiopian-style:

Messy but delicious. I polished off the leftovers on a different set of small tortillas, which were really tasty but decidedly not gluten-free.

Have you done any kitchen experiments lately?

Chocolate Gingerbread

I couldn’t decide what to whip up for my Friday baking, so I began looking through some cookbooks and comparing ingredients with what I had in the apartment. I ultimately decided to modify the Ginger-Spice Brownies from 1,000 Vegan Recipes. The results were a little cake-like for me to call them brownies. Instead, this recipe felt more like gingerbread to me with chocolate thrown in for good measure. Here’s what I did.

Chocolate Gingerbread

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup real maple syrup
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Spray an 8×8″ baking pan and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, allspice, and cocoa.

Stir in the chocolate chips and set aside.

In a medium owl, stir together oil, maple syrup, water, sugar, and fresh ginger. Add the wet to the dry and combine thoroughly.Pour the batter into the baking dish, spreading with the back of a large spoon to make it even. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle. Let cool completely, then cut into pieces.

Each of my contest winners received a few as well as some tea and more Justin’s Nut Butter. The original recipe includes some cinnamon, but I omitted it because a certain someone crazy delightful doesn’t like the stuff. I don’t get it either, but I don’t judge too much. It also called for regular sugar instead of brown, 1/2 cup of walnuts (which I left out entirely), and molasses instead of the maple syrup. I think my version is absolutely delicious and didn’t miss any of those ingredients. I saved a couple of small squares for myself. I ate one on its own but felt compelled to do something schmancy with the other one, so I made a Chocolate Gingerbread Shake based on my Pumpkin Cookie Shake recipe:

Deeeeeelicious.

And now I’m off to lay on the couch. My craphead dog tripped me earlier and caused me to aggravate my bad ankle. Hopefully this doesn’t ruin all my weekend plans.

A third variation

Tonight’s dinner was another experiment with the meal I originally posted Monday and then reworked yesterday. Voila:

Once again, everything is the same but the sauce. Monday’s was Chinese-inspired, Wednesday’s was Italian, and tonight’s was Indian-ish. I combined a tablespoon of peanut butter with about a tablespoon of coconut milk creamer, a heavy dose of curry powder, a little ground ginger, some delightful squirts of sri racha, and enough water to give it the right consistency. I then sprinkled on some red pepper flakes.

The pasta wasn’t bad, but it was definitely my least favorite of the three variations. The first two were both so good that I can’t choose between them.

I followed up my noodles with yet another smoothie:

Spinach, frozen banana, frozen peach slices, frozen strawberries, about a teaspoon of Justin’s Maple Almond Nut Butter, coconut milk creamer, less than a teaspoon of cocoa powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, and water. Sooooo yummy!

Variations on a theme

Dinner tonight was set to be a repeat of Monday’s, but I decided to give it a spin. While I relied on Asian flavors (sesame, sri racha) for my earlier meal, I went for Italian this time.

The pasta and veggies were prepared identically to Monday, but I took the toppings a different direction. Crowning Old Smoky is another clove of raw garlic, about 1.5 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, several dashes of oregano and basil, a healthy dose of crushed red pepper, and a few cranks of the black pepper mill. This was equally delicious to my earlier effort, though completely different.

Afterward, I had another smoothie:

It contained a handful of spinach, one frozen banana, 1/2-2/3 cup frozen peaches, two teaspoons of cocoa powder, one teaspoon of cinnamon, and about 1/4 cup of coconut milk creamer. I loved the addition of the final ingredient. I’m glad I thought to throw some in.

I enjoyed this little challenge enough that you can expect to see another post with a third variation tomorrow. Good night!

Last night’s dinner

I made something random for dinner last night, but it was delicious, so I’m sharing the “recipe” with you.

Vi presento … Brigid’s Sesame Garlic Noodles with Veggies

Ingredients

• 1/4 box of whole wheat noodles
• 1 cup of fresh green beans
• 5 baby bella mushrooms
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
• All the sri racha you can handle
• Black pepper to taste

1. Boil water and cook noodles according to package instructions. While still dry, I break mine in half when I serve them with veggies. Drain and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, clean green beans, snap off ends, and break into bite-size pieces. Also, clean the mushrooms and chop. Bring a small amount of water to boil in a sauce pan and steam green beans until they reach the amount of tenderness you prefer. I like mine slightly al dente. About a minute before they’re done, add the mushrooms. Drain the water from the pan and then add the olive oil and the veggies. Saute for about one minute.

3. Place noodles on plate, top with veggies, and then add the rest of the ingredients. If you don’t like the bite of raw garlic, add it to the olive oil with the veggies. Yum!

Afterward, I made a dessert out of a smoothie:

This one is brown because of both the fruits and veggies and a little bit of cocoa powder. It contained a handful of spinach, a banana, about 1/2 cup of frozen peaches, 1/3 cup of frozen strawberries, a scant tablespoon of Justin’s Maple Almond Butter, a little cocoa powder, a sprinkle of both cinnamon and ginger, and too much water, hence the runniness. It was incredibly tasty, though.

What’s your favorite smoothie combination?

Half of the time we’re gone, but we don’t know where

The day started off with a disappointment. I was supposed to get a 30-minute hot stone massage at a local training college for cosmetologists and massage therapists. I ended up with a regular 30-minute massage, not at all what I wanted. I paid for that service and asked to be rebooked for what I wanted. I have to give the school major props for the way they handled it. They apologized and offered me 50% off the rebook. So I think I walked away the winner.

Anyway, I was a little cranky after rising at 8 a.m. on my day off to get a service I didn’t receive, so I almost immediately hopped on Marcello upon my return. I intended to do a short ride but ended up putting in a little over four miles in 30 minutes. That’s not incredibly long, but I expected to tire out after two miles.

I decided to go a different way today and ended up hooking onto the Newblock Park Trail for a bit. That’s when I discovered that it only takes me 10-15 minutes to bike to Waterworks Art Studio! I’ve taken three classes there that I loved and was looking forward to another one in the spring. Now I’ll have to take my bike. Yay! In case you’re curious, here’s a map of that area:

Yes, that is the actual color of the Arkansas River — when it has water in it, anyway. The trail wasn’t as pretty as the River Parks, but it was a nice change of pace. Plus, my high school is over that way, so this let me view the area from a different perspective. My favorite park was pedaling past a fence covered in gorgeous morning glories to my right and the juvenile detention center to my left. Ah, Tulsa.

Accompanying me today was this new, awesome thing I bought from Target. I purchased it for my upcoming trip to Italy (I can’t wait to tell you all about that), but it makes a perfect little bicycling friend, too. It has a pocket on the back for my Nano:

(Ha, yes, my sleeping dog worked her way in the photo.) And space inside for my keys and cell phone:

The wrist strap has a clip that I also hooked on the inside of my basket to hold everything in place:

And it’s purty:

There were several different designs, and it cost $10. Thanks to my friend Erica for telling me about them!

Speaking of my Nano, she decided to show off my old-manliness today, for the most part, with the playlist. It appropriately enough began with a song by the awesome dude who serenaded me and me alone at the giant spaceship downtown last night:

1. Tom Petty, “Yer So Bad”
2. The Black Crowes, “Seeing Things”
3. Dar Williams, “This Was Pompeii”
4. The Rolling Stones, “Soul Survivor”
5. Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Don’t Look Now”
6. Simon & Garfunkel, “The Only Living Boy in New York”
7. The Black Crowes, “She Talks to Angels”
8. Ben Folds, “Trusted”
9. Elton John, “Levon”

After my ride, I made myself a delicious smoothie:

No, it’s not brown because it’s teeming with red-and-green fruits and veggies. It’s brown because of the cocoa powder. Slurp. I’ve been making smoothies in this blender for, oh, 2.5 years now, so I don’t tend to measure things. But just for you, I’ve put together what I believe to be a legitimate recipe for a healthy chocolate smoothie.

Ingredients

• 2 frozen bananas in chunks
• 5 slices of frozen peach
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon nut butter (I used Justin’s Maple Almond again)
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• a few dashes of cinnamon

Add ingredients to the blender in the listed order, starting with 1/4 cup of water, and blend until smooth. If it’s too thick, add more water. Drink and enjoy!

This is also wonderfully tasty with peanut instead of almond butter and with other kinds of frozen fruit. Strawberry is a good choice, but I love the smoothness of the peaches with chocolate and banana. If you want to add nutrition, throw in a handful of fresh spinach before everything else. I would have, but I didn’t have any.

I have a long to-do list today (including buying a watch battery, cleaning, having lunch with my love, laundry, and possibly checking out the new Anthropologie store in Tulsa), so I’m off. Have a fabulous Friday!