I love my veggies.

The Safeway delivery man dropped off some broccoli crowns on Monday (yes, sometimes I do delivery Safeway) and I just couldn't figure out what to do with them. Thanks to the great dishes on Foodgawker, I was inspired to make a Warm Broccoli Quinoa Salad with Carrot-Ginger Dressing.

This recipe is a blend of a couple different ones I came across and I think it's going on my list of favorite kitchen experiments. Check it out for yourself :) 

Warm Broccoli Quinoa Salad

1 c quinoa

2 c water

1.5 c broccoli florets, steamed

1 scallion, chopped

1/2 tomato, chopped

1/4 c almond slices, toasted

1 1/2 tbsp carrot, grated

1 tbsp onion, grated

1/4 tbsp ginger, grated

1/2 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1/4 c rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp sesame oil

pinch salt

Bring water and quinoa to a boil in a saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 13 minutes.

As quinoa cooks, prepare dressing by whisking together carrot, onion, ginger, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and sesame oil. Season with salt and set aside.

Place broccoli, almonds, scallion, and tomato in a large bowl. Pour in half the quinoa while it is still hot. Toss and stir in half the dressing. Stir in remaining quinoa and dressing. Serve immediately.

April ingredients used:  broccoli, carrot, onion, scallion

Lovelovelove the flavors and textures in this salad! Not sure how it'll taste tomorrow after being refrigerated...do I reheat? Could be weird.

I was also thinking this would be great with some shrimp tossed in there too, but it's also tasty on its own. I will definitely be making this again!

Racing through NYC - Part I

This past weekend I took a whirlwind trip to the east coast to run the More | Fitness Magazine Women's Half Marathon with my sister. 

See, about a year and a half ago (maybe 2?), sister asked me how she could get into running and I directed her to the best newbie resource I knew of: Couch-to-5k. Next thing you know, she's running her first 5k and nerding out about running and then the half marathon seed was planted. Muahahaaaa!

Y'all should know by now that I loooove sucking people into the world of running. It's a hobby of mine. Imagine how amazing it was to hear that my (older) sister was getting psyched to run a half marathon?? It's like double the fun. 

She settled on the More | Fitness Half because it was an all women's race (unlike Nike, this race is completely closed to men) and pretty close to home. At first I thought about flying out and cheering, then I realized the race fell in perfectly with my training schedule and felt compelled to register. In my haste, I failed to recognize how rough traveling would be (on the bank account and body) and debated just eating the registration fee and cheering from afar...very far.

Apparently the airfare gods were on my side as I found reasonable last minute airfare and my 36 hour trip to the east coast was in the works. Here's how it all went down...

Saturday

7:45am EST

Wheels down Newark. Delayed. Did not pack for 37 degree weather. Begin worrying about my sparse packing job and how I plan on surviving on 2 hours sleep. 

9:00am EST

WARMTH! Choux Factory breakfast with friend and her friend. Loopy and plane infested. I do not recommend meeting new people in that state.

(source)

Itty bitty spot near the UN that serves tasty creme puffs (I recommend the original) at all hours. I opted for a chocolate choux (that I did not enjoy), an egg white veggie omelet (blah), and a massive coffee. It can get a little claustrophobic in there since it's a super narrow space with room for 2 small tables. Definitely get your choux to go!

9:45am EST

Bright idea to kill time by getting manicures/pedicures/massages. While this seemed like a great idea at the time, we soon realized that we didn't know of nail salons in the area. Ah well. Found one eventually. I love massage chairs.

12:30pm EST

Meet up with sister and race packets. Race swag was pretty good. Reusable drawstring bag, delicious smelling Lady Speedstick, nifty 34-oz water bottle w/ice insert, cotton t-shirt, calcium vitamin chew, lady products, and a kazoo. Hm. 

2:00pm EST

Wandering the streets of NYC. Checking out weird bear sculptures.

Late lunch with friend #2 at Chop't. 

(source)

I miss Chop't. Full review here. My fave: Santa Fe Salad - fried onions + turkey (or grilled chicken), Tex-Mex ranch on the side. *drool* 

3:30pm EST

Trek to hotel to check in. Stock up on water, snacks, caffeine. Veg to horrible late afternoon hotel TV. No sleeping allowed!

6:45pm EST

Dinner with friend #3 that trekked in all the way from NJ even after a monster lunch (hooray!). 

Tasty sushi at Nomado 33 (full review here).

9:00pm EST

Race prep begins! Lots of pinning, outfit laying out, D-tag attaching and water drinking. Still not as tired as I should be. Wruh-wroh!

10:45pm EST

Eyes begin to close. Who knows if they actually stay shut.

Sunday

5:45am EST

Sister up and perky. Eyes pop open for some reason. Begin long wake up period. Snack on pretzel breakfast. Take 10 minute pauses between putting on items of clothing. 

6:30am EST

Freak out. Temps in mid-30s. Do not have enough clothes. No throw away clothes. Wind. It's official. Packing/planning fail. 

7:30am EST

Arrive at Central Park. Greeted by hoards of ladies decked out in pink and blue. Sister and I are in black/lilac and yellow/blue. 

Wonder how we will stand out for our cheerleaders. Cold. I moved to California for a reason. 

8:15am EST

Aaannnd we're off! It took about 10-15 minutes for us to actually cross the start line and it was CROWDED. Once we got moving, the cold and wind didn't feel so bad. Game plan - run together for first couple miles. Meet up after race.

8:40(ish)am EST

Spotted: our cheering section - nephews and brother-in-law equipped with signs around Mile 2! Wish I had gotten a picture :(

8:45(ish)am EST

Weather is now perfect for just sleeves...though I do look like a fool now that I see the picture.  

Zoom. Rocked headphones for the first time and they definitely helped me charge through the hills, which weren't as bad as I remember them being! I still wish other people didn't rock the headphones since I found myself saying 'excuse me' really loud and no one budged. Meh.

The crowds didn't let up at all during this race and there were even walkers and runners that would run/walk 3 abreast and some would hold hands! So frustrating, especially when we got to the bottleneck-y parts of the course. Also, the finish chute was literally a chute. I do appreciate all the spectators cheering on, but they spilled out into the course and made the narrow lane even narrower. Plus, I found myself zigzagging a lot during that last stretch to the finish. 

I know, I know, this was supposed to be an easy long run, but it's hard to not get all fired up at the end!

11:30am EST

Post-race glow.

I wanted to cocoon in the pile of mylar blankets it was so cold. Not sure how I'm awake at this point...must be the proud (running) momma in me! Nothing like seeing a newbie excited about finishing!

Tired yet? Yeah, now you know how I felt! There's more to come in Part II!

Potato Leek Soup for One

What do you do with leftover potatoes and leeks? Potato leek soup, of course!

After my quick trip east, I wanted something fast, easy and comforting for dinner. I thought roasting the potatoes and leeks would add a little more oomph to the soup and if I had some chicken apple sausage leftover, I totally would have browned up some bits to sprinkle on top.

Wow. My soup is the same color as my bowl. Oops.

Potato Leek Soup

3 potatoes, cut into uniform pieces

2 small leeks, cut into 2 inch pieces

1 tbsp olive oil

1 c low sodium chicken broth

1/4 c soy milk

1/4 c skim milk

1/2 tbsp salt

1 tbsp hot sauce

1/2 tbsp pepper

Heat oven to 375. Toss potatoes, leeks and olive oil and spread out onto a baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes. 

As potatoes and leeks are roasting, bring 3/4 c chicken broth, soy milk and skim milk to a rolling boil in a medium pot. Add leeks, potatoes and hot sauce; bring back up to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for another 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Stir in salt to taste and remove from heat. 

Carefully puree the soup with an immersion blender, adding remaining 1/4 c broth to thin soup out as necessary. Serve immediately.

April ingredients used:  leeks, potatoes

Not bad for a quickie soup. I've got soup saved for the next couple of days...just enough that I won't get sick of it. Feel free to add more hot sauce if you like a little more kick in your soup. Just make sure it doesn't turn too orange ;p

Leafy Lentil Soup

Lately I've had soup on the brain so it seemed only natural I use a bunch of the greens I snagged at the farmers' market in a big vat o soup. This is a slight variation on another lentil soup I made and I think it's more than slightly better. I don't know if it was the chicken apple sausage or the Red Russian kale (or a combination of both?) that made the soup slightly sweet, but it was delicious! Enjoy!

Leafy Lentil Soup

2 c green lentils

2 links chicken apple sausage, chopped

3 small leeks, thinly sliced

1 carrot, sliced into thin disks

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tomato, diced

1 bay leaf

2 c kale, coarsely chopped

1 c Red Russian kale, coarsely chopped

1 c rapini, coarsely chopped

6 c low sodium chicken broth

2 tsp salt

2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 tbsp hot sauce

Heat butter and olive oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Saute sausage for 4-5 minutes or until they start to brown. Stir in leeks and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrot and tomato, cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in salt, pepper, hot sauce, bay leaf and lentils and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add greens and broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover. Cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

March ingredients used: carrots, kale, leek, rapini

Simply Asian

Simply delicious.

 Kai-lan with Shiitakes and Tofu

1 bunch kai-lan, sliced into 1-inch pieces

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 c oyster sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp mirin

1 tsp chili garlic paste

1 tsp soy sauce

1/4 tsp sugar

3 tbsp water

1 c shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 c firm tofu, diced

Heat oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Combine oyster sauce, sesame oil, mirin, chili garlic paste, soy sauce, sugar and water in a bowl; set aside. Saute garlic until fragrant, then add kai lan. Saute for 3 minutes, then add mushrooms and about 8 tablespoons of the sauce mixture. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add tofu and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Taste and add more sauce if necessary. Serve immediately over rice.

March ingredients used: garlic, asian greens

This dish makes me happy. Partly because it's comforting and the flavors remind me of some dishes my mom used to make and partly because I love the variety of textures in one bowl. I ate mine over some brown rice so I had the crunch of the kai lan, the softness of the tofu, the squishiness of the mushrooms and a slight bite from the rice. Mmmm...delish.

Beety Couscous Salad

I still had 2 roasted beets in the fridge from last weekend (I decided that cooking them would buy me some time) and didn't have a clue as to what to do with them. I went with easy and familiar. It was a brilliant choice.

Beety Couscous Salad

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar

pinch salt

2 beets, roasted and diced

1 c israeli couscous

1 1/4 c low sodium chicken broth

1/2 tsp tarragon

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp champagne vinegar

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat in a saute pan. Add onions and cook until translucent, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for another 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar, salt and sugar. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove onions from pan and set aside.

Heat saute pan used to cook the onions over medium high heat. Deglaze pan with 2 tbsp chicken broth. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and couscous. Stir vigorously for 1 minute to toast the couscous and make sure each pearl is covered in the olive oil. Add tarragon, salt and garlic powder. Pour in remaining broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Toss couscous with olive oil and vinegars; stir in onions and beets. Chill and serve.

March ingredients used: beets, onion

I don't know why I love this simple couscous salad so much. The beets were perfectly sweet and tender and they were great with the very subtle dressing! Plus, you can't beat the rich color :) Yum.

Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Squash

I've come across a few recipes lately that combine pasta with ingredients I wouldn't normally consider using. Cannellini beans, squash, breadcrumbs...weird, yet intriguing!

I had half a kabocha squash on hand so naturally I paired it with pasta.

Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Squash

2 c kabocha squash, cut into bite sized pieces

3 leaves fresh sage

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

3 c broccoli rabe, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 tsp fish sauce

1/2 tsp chili garlic paste

1/4 c pasta water

3 c cooked pasta (I used brown rice penne)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss squash and sage with 1 tbsp oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Spread out onto a baking sheet and roast for 15-20 minutes. Set aside.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan. Saute onions and garlic for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Add broccoli rabe and cook until greens start to wilt. Stir in fish sauce, chili paste and squash. 

Reduce heat and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pasta and pasta water and cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. 

March ingredients used: rapini/rabe, onions, garlic, herbs

Overall, it was a surprisingly delicious dish. Not as heavy as I thought it would be! The fish sauce adds a nice salty/briny flavor, but next time I might sub in some anchovies...I do love anchovies with garlic and broccoli rabe!

Artichokes with Sausage and Lemon

There's no denying my love of the following things: artichokes, sausage, and Tyler Florence. Unfortunately, I had a mediocre experience with all three the other night. 

I've had my eye on this recipe for Artichokes with Pork Sausage, Lemon and Sage for awhile now and I figured now would be the time to test it out since artichokes are in season! I made a couple minor modifications that I didn't think would make much of a difference and I just wasn't that impressed by the final product. Don't get me wrong - it wasn't horrible...it just wasn't as good as I had thought it would be. I ate dinner and all I could think was meh...all that work for this?

Seriously, the only recipes I follow all the way through are in all of Tyler Florence's cookbooks. He has never steered me wrong and the photos/descriptions are always pretty close to the real thing. That is why I was so shocked. Sadface.

Here are the modifications I made. Maybe I'll give this another go with no modifications. Agh. Still can't get over how blah this meal was.

My modifications:

Sausage - I used two turkey brats because I couldn't find a plain pork sausage and I was in a turkey sausage mood. I know pork is pork and it always lends more flavor to a dish than turkey, but I don't know how much saving the pork sausage would have done to the dish. Maybe a spicy pork sausage?

Onion - I didn't have a shallot on hand and I didn't have anything milder than an onion. I minced it up super tiny.

Potato - I had a handful of fingerlings leftover so I thought I'd throw them into the dish. They were pretty small so I figured they would cook fairly fast.

Bake - So the original recipe doesn't call for baking, but I wanted the tots to cook and soak up the flavor.  I browned the sausage instead of cooking it all the way through and placed it in the dish with all the ingredients. Baked it covered for 15-20 minutes and dinner was done.

March ingredients used: artichokes, herbs, lemons, onions, potatoes

This was also my first time cooking with whole artichokes. What an experience. It's a whole lot of effort and dinero for a whole lot of nothing. I have a new appreciation for prepared artichokes. 

I learned how to prepare them by watching a bunch of videos online and stuck with the original recipe for steaming. Exciting.

As those steamed, I enjoyed a glass of the wine I used to steam them.

O hello sauvignon blanc, long time no sip!

Stephen Vincent 2009 Sauvignon Blanc

Fantastic! Crisp, not too acidic and slightly fruity. I thought I tasted a hint of nectarine, but whenever I say that the tasting notes always say melon. Apparently my tastebuds confuse melon with nectarines. I picked this bottle up at Whole Foods mostly because it was the most reasonably priced bottle. What a pleasant surprise. At $12.99, this is definitely going on my list of bargain bottles! 

Chicken, Brussels Sprouts & Taters

All playing well together.

After Saturday's successful trip to the farmers' market, I created a pretty well balanced dinner with a bunch of ingredients currently in season. Some elements were more successful than others, but I've noted modifications in the recipes below. Hope you enjoy them!

To start things off...

Mixed Greens with Fennel and Roasted Beets
Mixed salad greens
1 beet, roasted and cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 avocado, sliced
1/4 c fennel, shaved

Vinaigrette
1 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp champagne vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp tarragon
salt
pepper

Whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients and toss a small amount with the mixed greens (you don't want to douse them in dressing). Add fennel, beets and avocado on top. Toss before serving.

The main course...

Green Garlic Chicken Roulade

2 chicken breasts, butterflied

1 stalk green garlic

2 1/2 tbsp plain greek yogurt

3 tbsp parmesan cheese, shredded

1 tbsp hot sauce

salt

pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Puree green garlic, yogurt, hot sauce and parmesan cheese together. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Spread 1/4 of mixture on each breast half, roll chicken up tightly and secure with two toothpicks. 

Place chicken in a baking dish, cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165. Let rest for a few minutes and slice before serving.

Caramelized Onion and Brussels Sprout Hash
3/4 lb brussels sprouts, shredded
1/3 c caramelized onions
1 tbsp butter
3 tbsp canadian bacon, finely chopped
1/3 c fennel, shaved
1/4 tsp lemon zest
salt
pepper

Heat butter in a saute pan over medium high heat. Brown bacon, then add fennel. Cook for 2 minutes before stirring in brussels sprouts. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes. Add onions and lemon zest, reduce heat to medium low and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
1-2 c fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp dill
freshly ground pepper

Heat oven to 400. Toss ingredients together and spread out on a baking sheet. Roast for 20-25 minutes.

March ingredients used: avocado, beet, brussels sprouts, fennel, green garlic, lemon, onion, potato

For dessert, Jamie and I snacked on a variety of baked goods we picked up on our walk through Chinatown:

Sweet Melon Cake (texture was a little weird...sort of like a shredded vegetable meets spongy texture) and Mini Custard Bun (not what I thought it was going to be, but not bad...moist cake with a tiny little custard bit inside)

Coconut Tart (Jamie was into this one, but I did not care for the texture. It was a moist spongy cake with a whole lot of shredded coconut) and Lotus Moon Cake (the ratio of filling to cake was weird and there was a salty surprise in the middle).

Personally, I wasn't that into any of the baked goods so I ended up snacking on one of the many oranges I collected that morning. It needed to be done.

Comfort zone.

Everyone has their go-to comfort meal. I have a bunch. Today I share with you a modified version one of my favorites, which also happens to be the fastest.

Brown Rice Penne with Spicy Broccoli Rabe

2 c brown rice pasta, cooked according to package

1/2 bunch broccoli rabe, chopped into 1 inch pieces

2-3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 to 1 tbsp chili garlic paste

pinch salt

parmesan 

Heat a pan over medium heat. Saute garlic in olive oil for 1 minute before adding broccoli rabe. Saute for 2-3 minutes, then add lemon juice and chili garlic paste. Cook for another minute or two until greens are wilted. Add salt to taste. 

Spoon over warm pasta and finish with a few parmesan shavings.

March ingredients used: rapini/rabe, garlic, lemon

One thing I absolutely must share: the rabe I got at the farmers' market is much better than any bunch I've gotten at the grocery store. It's slightly milder, and maybe even a little sweeter than ones I've gotten at the store. In fact, I might even go as far to say that I'd serve this to Jamie, hater of rabe.

The lemon juice was a new and pleasant addition to my comfort dish. It definitely brightens it up a bit by adding just enough acidity. Happy belly in less than 30 minutes.

Salmon with Roasted Fennel & Blood Orange Salsa

Since I wanted to use my blood oranges in salsa or vinaigrette form, I did some browsing on Foodgawker for inspiration. I found out that blood oranges work with fennel and both work with tarragon and soon dinner was born. 

Pan-seared Salmon with Roasted Fennel & Blood Orange Salsa

Fennel

1 1/2 c fennel, cut into bite sized chunks

olive oil

salt

pepper

Salsa

1 blood orange, peeled and chopped

juice of 1/2 blood orange

1 tbsp champagne vinegar

1/2 tomato chopped

1 tbsp shallot, minced

1/4 tsp tarragon

1/8 tsp cumin

salt

pepper

Beans

1 can white beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 tsp blood orange zest

1/2 tsp lemon zest

1/4 tsp garlic powder

salt

Salmon

1 small fillet salmon

salt

pepper

Heat oven to 425. 

Prepare salsa by combining all ingredients in a small bowl and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

Toss fennel with salt, pepper and olive oil. Scatter on a roasting pan or foil and roast for 15-20 minutes until tender. 

As fennel is roasting, combine all ingredients for beans in a small pot and cook on medium low until heated through. 

Heat a pan over medium high heat. Cook salmon skin side down for 3-4 minutes (depending on thickness) before flipping. Cook for another 3 minutes, or until done. 

March ingredients used: fennel, orange

Ok, I'll be honest, I could have done without the salmon. In fact, I was happier as I ate just the beans, fennel and salsa. Had I planned properly, I probably would have tossed some jalapeno into the salsa, but I used what I had lying around. Not my favorite dinner, but I was seriously into the bean/fennel/citrus combo. Expect another experiment with those ingredients soon!

For dessert, a sweet treat from Tartine Bakery.

After our Burn class, we stopped into Tartine and since it was my first time there, I had to buy something! I went with the gorgeous Lemon Creme Tart which was just as yummy as it looks in the pictures.

It was a pricey treat, but it was perfect. The crust was just the right thickness and not too crisp or sweet. The lemon filling had just the right amount of acidity and when paired with the homemade whipped cream (which was not sweet at all), a perfect balance was achieved.

As you can see the tart(lette?) was as big as my hand, so I snacked on half at a time. Happiness.

The one thing I'd change: the massive dollop of whipped cream. I ended up scraping off about half of it because I thought there was too much in one bite. Meh. Not a deal breaker.

Mustard-y Israeli Couscous

I had an incredible urge to make an israeli couscous salad with beets and caramelized onions and maybe a squash (no preference if it was warm or cold) this weekend, but managed to forget to grab some beets at the farmers' market. D'oh! I couldn't get to a decent grocery store to pick some up on Monday, so I shuffled my plans a bit. 

I picked up a nice bunch of arugula at the farmers' market and thought a few wilted leaves would go great with the couscous and onions. The rest of the ingredients found their way into the bowl as I started cooking. Thankfully they all played well together and made for quite a tasty dish!

Israeli Couscous with Arugula and Caramelized Onions

1 c Israeli couscous

1 1/4 c low sodium chicken broth

1 tsp butter

Pinch salt

Sprinkle garlic powder

1/2 can quartered artichoke hearts

1/3 c arugula, chopped

1/2 c caramelized onion

1 large zucchini diced

1 c mushrooms, diced

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp champagne vinegar

1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 1/2 tsp maple syrup

Pinch tarragon

Pinch salt

1/4 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 425. Toss zucchini, mushrooms, 1 tbsp olive oil and 1/4 tsp salt and scatter on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes and set aside.

Whisk together mustard, vinegars, syrup, tarragon, salt and 1/4 tbsp olive oil in a small bowl and set aside.

Combine arugula, zucchini, mushrooms, artichokes and onions in a large bowl. 

Heat butter in a pot and lightly toast couscous. Pour in chicken broth, garlic powder and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Pour cooked couscous over arugula/veggie mixture while still hot so arugula starts to wilt a bit.

Drizzle about 2-3 tablespoons of mustard vinaigrette over couscous and toss. Serve immediately.

March ingredients used: arugula, mushrooms, onions

Definitely a random mix of ingredients, but I thought they went surprisingly well together! Even though this was a warm(ish) salad, I really liked having a light coating of the tangy/sweet dressing with the couscous and veggies. I was a bit worried about reheating this for lunch the following day (you know, being vinaigrette-ed and all), but it tasted even better! I think there was just enough tartness and bitterness going on. Totally worth testing out.

Return of the (chipotle) mac

Something about a brisk and sunny Saturday afternoon just makes me want to open the windows and spend some quality time in the kitchen. Today we revisit my favorite kitchen experiment - Chipotle Mac!

As always, this tasty treat just needed a little help to make it all the mac it could be.

Chipotle Mac

5 c medium pasta shells, cooked

6 tbsp butter

6 tbsp flour

2 1/2 c 2% milk

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp ground mustard

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

4 tbsp adobo sauce

1 bay leaf

1/2 c gruyere, shredded

1 c vintage English cheddar, shredded

1 c extra sharp cheddar, shredded

3 tbsp panko

1 link chicken andouille sausage, chopped and browned

3 tbsp scallions, chopped

Combine milk, ground mustard, garlic powder, pepper, chili powder and bay leaf in a small saucepan and keep warm over medium low heat.

Heat butter and adobo sauce in a pot over medium low heat. Slowly whisk in flour. Once flour is incorporated, slowly pour in warm milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Remove from heat and stir in cheeses.

Coat pasta with sauce and pour into a baking dish. Sprinkle with panko, sausage crumbles and scallions. 

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes at 375. Remove foil and bake at 425 for another 5-10 minutes or until top starts to brown.

I used whole wheat shells this time around and I think that was a really bad idea. I'm not a fan of whole wheat pasta in this dish because of the texture. Regular pasta works perfectly and honestly, if you are going to make some mac n cheese, go all out and rock the regular pasta. Just saying.

Since I made way too much cheese sauce than pasta, I scrambled and cooked up some 1/4 boxes of trottole and campanelle I had in the cabinet to make another batch. Way more photogenic and SO much better tasting. Ahh. So what if it's a random mix of shapes? It tastes amazing!!

Re: sausage crumbles - I first thought of bacon crumbles, but I had chicken andouille sausage in the fridge. It's tough since the chicken sausage is already cooked, so make sure you chop it up well in order for it to brown nicely. 

Of course, if you have some regular andouille sausage lying around, feel free to slice it out of the casing and brown the crumbles that way!

Have you tried my chipotle mac yet? I think it's about time you did!

Longest bike ride to date!

Exactly how long is a long bike ride?

As a newbie coming from the world of running, it's tough to figure distances out. I know 10 miles of biking is not quite the same as 10 miles of running, but what's a long ride? You know, the equivalent of a weekend long run?

On Sunday Jamie and I set off for what I mapped out to be a 20 mile ride to ice cream. I learned why I took that spill the other weekend (apparently I missed the side of the street without the Muni tracks where I should have been riding) and we zoomed through the Panhandle and Golden Gate Park. Aside from a mini mapping fail on my part (I forgot the Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon was going on and we ran into a bunch of runners), we made it through the park a lot faster than expected!

We coasted along the Great Highway, enjoying the unseasonably warm weather, until we reached our final destination - Lake Merced.

Funny, it's not such a horrible trek when you're on a bike ;)

We parked ourselves on a sunny patch of grass

enjoyed a leisurely lunch, people watched, and I took random pictures.

After awhile, we decided ice cream just wasn't in the cards, so I came up with an impromptu route home...adding a little over a mile to our original route. Ah well. At least we were outside!

Check it out:

Total mileage: 21.1 - not too shabby!

Once we were home and clean, I decided I needed to whip up Ina Garten's Roasted Shrimp & Orzo. A friend made this for book club a couple weeks ago and I thought it was absolutely delicious.

I kinda threw it together without looking at the recipe and as it turns out, I was pretty close! I ended up poaching the shrimp instead of roasting them and I wish I had roasted them. I also subbed in a shallot instead of red onion and fat free feta because they didn't have the reduced fat kind I usually use. Note: full fat feta is totally necessary for this dish.

Springtime pasta in February

This wave of mild weather put me in an even bigger veggie mood than usual. For Jamie's farewell dinner, I combined some seafood I had in the freezer (a filet of cod and some shrimp) with a few springy vegetables and tomatoes to make a light sauce to top some angel hair pasta. Light, crisp and slightly spicy...perfect for this weather!

Springtime Seafood Pasta

1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 large cloves garlic, minced

4 tomatoes, chopped

2 tbsp white wine

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 c yellow squash, cut into thin half moons

1 c zucchini, cut into thin half moons

1/3 c tomato sauce

1 cod filet, cubed

15 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 tbsp basil, chopped

splash fish sauce

pinch brown sugar

salt & pepper

1/2 lb angel hair pasta, cooked according to package

parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a large pan and saute onions until they begin to soften. Add garlic and saute for about a minute before adding tomatoes. Cook tomatoes for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, add wine and red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes.

Add squash and zucchini and cook for 4-5 minutes. Stir in fish sauce and brown sugar. Add fish and shrimp and bring heat to medium low. Cook for another 3 minutes before adding tomato sauce, basil, salt and pepper. Let everything simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over pasta with a slight sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

You don't say...

It's February already?? Crazy.

So Chef Jamie was out in full force recently and he sent me this recipe for Avocado Tuna Salad. He said his attempt (with some subs and add-ins) wasn't too flavorful, so I made a few modifications of my own. Tasty factor: TBD.

Avocado Tuna Salad

2 cans chunk light tuna in water, drained

3 tbsp carrots, finely diced

1 small shallot, minced

3 tbsp celery, finely chopped

1 tomato, seeded and chopped

2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

2 avocados, diced

1 chipotle chile, chopped

1 1/2 tbsp light mayo

1 clove garlic, grated

juice of 1 lime

salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in a large container, cover and refrigerate overnight.

I must say, I took a little nibble before shutting the container and the chipotle pepper added just the right amount of heat. So glad I resisted the urge to splash some Texas Pete in there! O yes, did I mention Jamie brought me some much needed Texas Pete on his last trip?? I still can't believe they don't have it out here!

Cannot wait to make a lunch sammich with this mix! I love guacamole and I love tuna salad sammiches....this has great potential!

Have you made any crazy flavor combinations lately?

Spinach Artichoke Di...Pasta?

Temperatures dropped a bit today so I found myself craving a hearty, warm dinner. Unfortunately, I didn't get out of work until late-ish so I also needed something quick. Tonight's dinnertime experiment:

Spinach Artichoke Penne

1/2 lb penne, cooked according to box

1 c artichoke hearts, chopped

2 1/2 c baby spinach

1 small shallot, chopped

2 links chicken sausage (I used Aidells Artichoke & Garlic), chopped

1 tomato, diced

2 tbsp dry white wine

1 tbsp olive oil

light sprinkling chili flakes

slight dusting parmesan cheese

salt & pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Brown chicken sausage (I like mine pretty brown so they aren't too mushy) and stir in shallot. Cook shallot until translucent and add white wine. Cook for 1 minute before stirring in tomato and artichokes. Cook for 2-3 minutes and slowly stir in spinach. Cook until spinach begins to wilt, stir in chili flakes, parmesan, salt and pepper. Pour over penne and mix well. Serve immediately.

If you salt your pasta water properly, you really won't need the extra salt at the end. The artichokes, parmesan and sausage add just the right amount of salt and flavor to the dish! Quick, easy and delicious! It also doesn't hurt that it looks a little like springtime in a bowl :)

I got a couple packages in the mail today and one of them was from Foodbuzz's Tastemaker Program. It's been awhile since I've opted in to receive samples and I completely forgot about this one. Hooray fun surprise!

This sample came from Pure Dark and timing couldn't be better! I've had this random sweet craving lately, plus Jamie's on his way here at the end of the week...here's hoping these samples last ;p

I got a sample of the Classic Bark - sheets of immensely deep dark chocolate studded with cherries, roasted almonds and caramelized nibs and the Chocolate Slab - a thick slab of dark chocolate. AMAZING. I broke into the Bark and holy delicious.

It's just the right level of darkness for me and the nuts and nibs were great crunchy additions! Didn't get a cherry (at least I don't think I did), but that's fine with me...ahhh love!

Great start to the week! Well...it could have been an even better start to the week had I been able to get to the gym, but alas, it was not in the cards. It's probably for the best. After yesterday's run, my calves were crazy tight/sore...even after a decent stretching session! Ah well, looks like the rest of my evening will involve hanging out with the Stick. My trusty buddy.

Good news is that I'm finally getting back into running pretty consistently. It's still really frustrating doing super short runs and spending more time stretching/stick-ing than actually running, but I know it's all for the best. GAH. Anyone have good workout suggestions for someone with severe gym ADD?