Recipe: Protein Salad

During a staycation a few weeks ago, my honey and I did a challenging 8-mile hike. After the hike, we were definitely ready for a cold beverage and food. We decided to check out a local brewery. While I thought the beer would be the star of our meal, it turned out that the beer was upstaged by a salad. Seriously. The salad was so good that I bookmarked it in my brain for a future attempt at home. 

I did, in fact, recreate the salad at home and it turned out amazing. So now I present to you, the Protein Salad!

This salad is hearty and protein-packed, as the name implies. It is easy to prep and all the individual bits hold up well if you want to prep stuff ahead of time. Just toss everything onto a plate when you're ready to chow down. 

Roasted tomatoes? All you need are tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper!

When they look like this, they are good to go!

This recipe is also easy to mix and match, depending on your dietary restrictions and preferences. Don't eat beef? Swap the beer burger with a turkey or chicken or veggie or whatever patty you prefer. Whole30? Just omit the quinoa and cheese. Don't like salad? Umm... I can't help you there, other to suggest you give this one a go, before you swear off salads all together. 

The vinaigrette starts with piling a bunch of fresh herbs into the blender. Mmm...

Juicy...

Protein Salad

Serves: 4

Ingredients: 

Dressing: 

• 1 cup flat-leaf parsley
• Juice of 1 grapefruit (an orange would work too)
• Juice of 1 lime 
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Everything else: 

• 8 cups mixed greens
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 4 ounces goat cheese
• 4 burgers (beef, turkey, chicken, or veggie)

Directions: 

Roast the tomatoes: 

1. Preheat oven to 400º F.
2. Line a medium baking sheet with foil. 
3. Toss tomatoes with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. 
4. Roast tomatoes for 10 minutes, stir, and then roast for another 10 minutes, until they begin to burst and shrivel up. 

Make the quinoa: 

1. Cook the quinoa according the package directions. 
2. Let cool slightly. 
3. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the citrus chimichurri vinaigrette.  

Make the dressing: 

1. While the tomatoes and quinoa are cooking, blend up your dressing. Add the top seven ingredients to a blender or food processor and whiz it up until it is nice and smooth and a beautiful green. 
2. Set aside until ready to use. 

Cook your burgers:

1. Not sure how to cook your burger? Check this out.

Assemble the salads: 

1. Pile the mixed greens onto four plates. 
2. Top salads with quinoa and roasted tomatoes. 
3. Add a burger to each salad. 
4. Crumble the goat cheese over the top. 
5. Drizzle salads with the citrus chimichurri vinaigrette. 

EAT. 

Recipe: Slow Cooker Spaghetti Squash

We eat a lot of zucchini noodles (zoodles) in our house. However, sometimes I want a pasta-substitute with a little more bite to it, a little more structure to hold onto a delicious sauce, and a little less water content to water down said sauce. Enter spaghetti squash.

While I'm a fan of spaghetti squash, I always dread cooking it because one of my least favorite things is slicing a spaghetti squash in half to prepare it for roasting. I'm always one slip up away from losing a finger.

Yesterday, I consulted with Google about the possibility of cooking a spaghetti squash in our slow cooker. People said it could be done. Some recipes called for water, others did not. I decided to try the no-water version, in hopes that it wouldn't get too soggy. Well... I can now add this to the "I can't believe I never tried this before!" list.

All you need is a spaghetti squash and a slow cooker.

Three and a half hours on high was perfect for al dente squash. You will want to keep an eye on yours, as I imagine cooking time varies depending on squash size and slow cooker. I checked mine with a knife and once I was able to insert it fairly easily, I knew it was good to go. If you like softer spaghetti squash, just let it cook longer. Once cooked, it sliced SO easily. I'll be cooking my squash like this from here on out.

An ice cream scoop is my seed removal tool of choice.

To put the "spaghetti" in spaghetti squash, grab a fork.

Our sauce of choice for lunch yesterday was a simple meat ragu from Skinnytaste. Another favorite is Mel Joulwan's (Well Fed) Paleo Pad Thai. Her sunshine sauce is one of the best things ever and we've mixed and matched proteins and green veggies with great success. Really, any sauce you enjoy over pasta works with spaghetti squash.

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Squash

The size of your squash will determine how much cooked squash you get. A large squash will lend ~8 cups cooked squash.

Ingredients:

• Spaghetti squash

Directions: 

1. Stab the spaghetti squash a few times with a sharp knife. 
2. Place in slow cooker. 
3. Cover and cook on high for 3.5 hours. 
4. Remove from slow cooker. Slice in half and spoon out seeds. (I like to use an ice cream scoop.) Scrap the squash with a fork to pull out the spaghetti-like strands. 
5. Top with your sauce of choice and enjoy!

Favorite Whole30 Breakfast (Recipe)

Over a month since completing our first round of Whole30, we have carried forward a lot of the concepts. One is eating a good, protein-rich breakfast.

During the work week, I typically eat a couple hard boiled eggs and a piece of fruit. I prep a big batch of hard boiled eggs on Sunday, which gets me through the week. On the weekends, I sometimes "splurge" and cook up a sausage and egg dish. The great part is, it takes all of 10 minutes to make. Tops. Especially easy and tasty after a long run.

The ingredients and directions below are for one person. Just scale it up if you're cooking for more than one.


Favorite Whole30 Breakfast: Sausage, Fried Eggs, & Fresh Tomato

Serves: 1

Ingredients: 

• 1 Trader Joe's garlic and herb chicken sausage, sliced (or other compliant sausage)
• 1-2 eggs, cracked into a small bowl
• 1 teaspoon ghee (clarified butter)
• 1 small tomato or piece of fruit of your choice, sliced
• Salt and black pepper
• French's yellow mustard (or other compliant mustard of your choice)
• Cholula hot sauce (or other compliant hot sauce of your choice)

Directions: 

1. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown, a few minutes. 
2. Drop heat to medium-low and push the sausage to one side of the pan. Add ghee to the now empty side. Carefully pour in the egg(s), tilting the pan slightly for a few seconds to keep it away from the sausage. Season egg with black pepper. Let egg cook over the heat for a minute, until bottom is set. 
3. Remove the pan from the heat and cover. Let sit for 2-3 minutes, until the whites are set and the yellow is still runny. (Let it sit longer, if you like your yellows more firm.) 
4. Carefully slide the sausage and eggs to a plate and add the tomato/fruit. Sprinkle tomato with salt and top sausage and eggs with mustard and hot sauce, if desired. 
5. Enjoy! 

Recipe: Stuffed Jalapeños

I made up a new stuffed jalapeños recipe for a dinner party on Saturday night and a family friend told me I HAD to post it on my blog...or at least e-mail it to her. I figured that the amount of time was roughly the same, so here you go!

I apologize for not having a photo of the actual stuffed jalapeños but I didn't get a photo before they were all consumed. Whoops.

Stuffed Jalapenos
Makes: 24
Calories: ~90/each

Ingredients: 

• 12 fresh jalapenos, sliced in half lengthwise, seeds and ribs removed
• 1 lb bacon
• 1 8-ounce block of light cream cheese
• 1/4 cup light mayo
• 1 4-ounce can chopped green chiles, drained
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs 

Directions: 

Bake the bacon...yes, bake it!

1. Line a large baking sheet with foil and arrange the bacon in a single layer. 
2. Place in oven (NOT preheated), set to 400º F. 
3. Bake for 20 minutes, maybe a bit more, until the bacon is browned and crispy. 
4. Carefully remove bacon from baking sheet onto a paper towel lined plate. 

While the bacon is baking, prep the filling!

1. Combine the cream cheese, mayo, chopped green chiles and shredded parmesan in a medium bowl. 
2. Crumble the cooked bacon and gently fold into the cream cheese mixture.

Stuff the jalapeños and bake them!

1. Reduce oven temperature to 350º F. 
2. Divide the filling among the jalapeño halves and line up in a single layer on another baking sheet or dish. 
3. Bake for 25 minutes at 350º F. Sprinkle baked jalapenos with bread crumbs and broil for ~5 minutes, until browned. 
4. Let the jalapeños cool for a few minutes before serving. 

Recipe: Romanesco Cauliflower Mac

No idea what romanesco cauliflower is? Don't worry, you definitely aren't alone. (My spell check doesn't even recognize it.)

Some people call it romanesco broccoli.

Or fractal cauliflower. 

This is what it looks like: 

Pretty.

We had our first experience with this veggie fairly recently, when one arrived in our CSA box. We discovered that it is great straight up roasted with some olive oil and salt and pepper. I think it tastes more like broccoli than cauliflower but also much nuttier. It really has its own flavor altogether.  

You should try it! 

I was ready to try something new this past Monday so, using Martha Stewart's Broccoli Romanesco and Parmesan Puree recipe as inspiration, I decided to whip up a veggie and cheese mac for Meatless Monday. 

This could also be a fun St. Patrick's Day dish. You know, because it's green. 

Romanesco Cauliflower Mac

Serves: 4 

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 head romanesco cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup nonfat milk
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• Salt and pepper
• 8 ounces small macaroni
• Fresh parsley, for serving

Directions:

1. Cook macaroni to al dente, according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking liquid before draining.
2. While macaroni is cooking, prepare the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the romanesco cauliflower and cook, stirring often, until beginning to brown.
3. Add water, reduce heat to low, cover and cook until the romanesco cauliflower is easily pierced with a fork. 
4. Drain any remaining water from the skillet and transfer the romanesco cauliflower to a blender or food processor. Add milk and process until smooth. If needed, add a bit of the pasta cooking liquid to get the sauce to your desired consistency. 
5. Combine the pasta and sauce. Serve in bowls with a sprinkle of parmesan and chopped parsley. 

Nutrition:

Based on my calculations, this is approximately 350 calories/serving.

Disclaimer: I don't believe in hiding vegetables to get children to eat more vegetables. Primarily because they don't learn that vegetables are awesome and that they actually LIKE vegetables. However, if you have a particularly picky eater on your hands, child or adult, this may be a good way to sneak in some extra good green stuff. 

2014 Goals Update! Vacation, Running, Grad School??? OH MY!

I wanted to do a quick goals update, since it has been a while since I have posted. For the most part, I've been blogging much more frequently this year. I did take a little break when I went on vacation last week. We went to Disneyland for four days and it was absolutely wonderful. It rained on us nearly the entire time but I'm not complaining because we were having fun at Disneyland!

MONORAIL! This was the view from our hotel room. Love.

Milk & Cookies.

Mickey beignets at Cafe Orleans in Disneyland.

Out there having fun, in the warm cool California sun rain.

In addition to my various goals (see updates below) I found out on Friday that we received a grant award at work for the biggest (money-wise) proposal I have ever written. YAAAAAAY! This is particularly fantastic because it secures resources for critical prevention, intervention and youth development services. A selfish reason that I was keeping my fingers crossed for the grant award is because it means I will most likely not have to submit another proposal of that size until 2016.

Oh, and if that isn't enough excitement for a couple weeks, I hit 'submit' on a graduate school application this morning. It is for an innovative, accelerated program that will allow me to complete my master degree by December of next year, all while maintaining my current full-time job. For now, I wait....

Goal Updates 

Home: 

• Complete January Cure.  
• Blog January Cure and goal progress minimum 1x/week. 

Fitness/Health - Reach Goal Weight & Maintain:

• Hot Chocolate 5K (January); Fight for Air Climb (March); Great Strides 5K (April); Stars & Stripes 5K (July); Fall 5 or 10K TBD.
• Hikes 1x/month minimum
• Schedule and track all fitness. 
• Complete five personal training sessions. 
• Group gym classes 2x/month minimum. 

The hiking goal has been one that I have really enjoyed accomplishing and we have easily exceeded it. My big hike this month will be with a childhood friend. We don't see each other all that often and she is a lover of the great outdoors and will be a wonderful hiking mentor.

I recently restarted my Couch-to-5K training -- mainly because I wanted to get back in the habit of running every other day and work up my running stamina. This past week I ran every other day. So far, so good!

Woot.

My first personal training session is scheduled for this Friday! I will report back on how that, and any future personal training sessions, goes.

Cooking/Health:

• Track all food and pay attention to portion sizes. 
• New recipes 8x/month. 
• Meatless lunches/dinners 4x/week minimum. 

The new recipes goal has been especially easy...and fun! I use Paprika which makes finding, importing and organizing recipes super duper easy. I also use it for our weekly meal planning and grocery lists. Meatless meals have also been easy and fun. Keeping it up at much as possible! I will post some of our favorite new recipes soon. 

Fun: 

• Read 12+ books. 
• Dates with friends 2x/month minimum. (May be combined with fitness fun.)
• Daily Challenge by me you health. (Overall well being.) 

I'm still working my way through the two books I started this year, A Confederacy of Dunces and Tattoos on the Heart. Both are very good but I honestly haven't been making reading a priority. I do want to work on that, even if it means just a little bit each evening. 

We have been having a lot of fun with friends so far this year -- next up is a dinner and game night at our house this Saturday. We'll be making a vegan paella. Mmm... 

Last, but not least... I've completed all of the Daily Challenge assignments since January 1...68 days and counting! 

Recipe: Balsamic & Bacon Brussels Sprouts

This one time when we were out to lunch with friends, they seemed a bit hesitant of our decision to order a brussels sprouts appetizer. The brussels sprouts arrived, looking and tasting incredible. All four of us chowed down, with our friends gladly accepting the last bites.

I don't blame them for taking so many years to realize that brussels sprouts are awesome. I mean, I didn't know I liked them until I was in my mid-20s. My parents don't like them so I never tried them until a very nice friend showed me the light.

Ready to be roasted.

Shredded with olive oil, lemon juice and avocado.

Shortly after our lunch, I received an e-mail from one of our friends with a brussels sprouts recipe he had just made at home and loved. I quickly added it to our list of recipes to try. After a couple batches, I think I've found the combination of ingredients that we like best. 

Feel free to adjust the amounts to your liking. For example, I won't judge you if you use an entire package of bacon. Promise.

Balsamic & Bacon Brussels Sprouts

Serves: 4* 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound brussels sprouts, halved
• 1/2 red onion, chopped into large pieces
• 4 slices bacon, chopped into large pieces
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400º. 
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the brussels sprouts, red onion and bacon and toss to coat. 
3. Dump everything onto a large, lined baking sheet. 
4. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the brussels sprouts have softened and bacon is nice and crispy. 

*Or less, depending on how much you like Brussels Sprouts. My honey and I can easily finish off a batch, just the two of us.

2014 Goal Updates! My 4th 5K & a Recipe Roundup!

*My full list of 2014 goals can be found below. 

2014 5K #1: Sunday, January 12 -- Hot Chocolate 5K. This was a fun one, although very crowded. So crowded that I couldn't run at the pace I wanted until at least the Mile 1 marker. There were a few spots in the beginning where I was trying to run but realized that I could walk faster than the people "running" in front of us. (Really, they were just bouncing slowly along with the crowd...) What is it with people walking four- or five-wide across a narrow path, sidewalk, etc? (This annoyance obviously extends beyond this event.) Shouldn't this be like driving? Slower people to the right, faster people to the left...right?? Sorry for the mini-rant but I needed to get that off my chest. I feel better now. Now on to the good stuff!

Waiting to start.

This run was in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco (like the Awesome 80s 5K) and although it was really cold at 7:30 am...it was a gorgeous day and Golden Gate Park is an incredibly beautiful place to be, running or otherwise.

I ran this 5K with my honey (it was his first!), my friend from my first 5K in July and my friend from the Awesome 80s 5K in November. We were a good team and all finished within a couple minutes of each other. My final time was 38:19. Not my fastest (that was the Temecula 5K) but over two minutes faster than my last 5K in November. Not too shabby, seeing as I didn't run much prior to this one.

The especially cool thing about the Hot Chocolate 5K is that they give you hot chocolate (hence the name) AND fondue at the end. The chocolate was surprisingly good and I thoroughly enjoyed it with the dippers they provided -- a banana, marshmallow, rice crispy treat and a wafer cookie. It was all served up in this cute finisher's mug.

Mmm...chocolate.

In addition to running a 5K, we walked 3-miles roundtrip to and from the event from our friend's home and another few miles to and from brunch. We have established a nice 5K + Brunch tradition and I am loving it. Here's a photo of what I stuffed in my face that day -- fresh crab, avocado and a perfectly poached egg on an english muffin with salad on the side. 

*drool*

New Recipe Roundup! January 10-15, 2013:

• Spaghetti Squash Primavera from Skinny Taste -- I may have used a little extra cheese. Healthy and delicious. I highly recommend this one and you can make the spaghetti squash the day before for an even faster dinner.
• Mom's* Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole from Cooking Light -- Our milk had gone bad (whoops) so I subbed low sodium chicken stock. I also added a bit more liquid and stirred in 2 cups of cooked brown rice and heated it all together before pouring it into a baking dish, topping with cheese and broiling. I just had the last of the leftovers for lunch today. I really liked this one but my honey didn't really care for it. I don't think he likes the "just chicken" from Trader Joe's. He thinks it tastes too processed. I think I will try this recipe again, but with rotisserie chicken. 
• Balsamic & Bacon Brussels Sprouts. Recipe from a friend. -- The combination of ingredients in this dish is incredible. We ate it as a side dish with bun-less burgers topped with a little gruyere cheese. I will be making it again soon to fine tune a few things and then I will post the recipe here. Stay tuned!

I am already at seven new recipes so far this month and I am making a new mushroom and barley soup recipe tonight and we have a new pork tenderloin recipe scheduled for later this week. Overall, I feel like I have been doing really well with my 2014 goals and posting updates here has helped keep me accountable. Lots more work and fun ahead...

*Not MY mom.

2014 Goals
Home: 

• Complete January Cure. 
• Blog January Cure and goal progress minimum 1x/week.

Fitness/Health - Reach Goal Weight & Maintain:

• Hot Chocolate 5K (January); Fight for Air Climb (March); Great Strides 5K (April); Stars & Stripes 5K (July); Fall 5 or 10K TBD.
• Hikes 1x/month minimum. 
• Schedule and track all fitness. 
• Complete five personal training sessions.
• Group gym classes 2x/month minimum.

Cooking/Health:

• Track all food and pay attention to portion sizes.
• New recipes 8x/month.
• Meatless lunches/dinners 4x/week minimum.

Fun: 

• Read 12+ books. 
• Dates with friends 2x/month minimum. (May be combined with fitness fun.)
• Daily Challenge by me you health. (Overall well being.)

2013 in Review & 2014 Goals

2013 was a really fabulous year! Some of the highlights include our trip to Mexico and Cuba last spring and lots of fun with family and friends. We also had the pleasure of attending four weddings, the most recent on NYE!

Sunset over Old Havana | April 2013

Top: 5K Mud Run.
L to R: Stars & Stripes 5K, Temecula 5K & Awesome 80s 5K.

One of my biggest accomplishments of the year was making significant changes to my fitness routine, eating healthier and improving my health overall. I have big plans for continuing the process in 2014, including a bunch of 5Ks, San Francisco Walking Adventure Part 2 (Part 1), sessions with a personal trainer and experimenting with a lot of healthy recipes. Below is my full list of goals...

Celebrating our friends' wedding...and NYE!

2014 Goals

Home: 

• Complete January Cure.
• Blog January Cure and goal progress minimum 1x/week. 

Fitness/Health - Reach Goal Weight & Maintain:

• Hot Chocolate 5K (January); Fight for Air Climb (March); Great Strides 5K (April); Stars & Stripes 5K (July); Fall 5 or 10K TBD.
• Hikes 1x/month minimum.
• Schedule and track all fitness.
• Complete five personal training sessions.
• Group gym classes 2x/month minimum.

Cooking/Health:

• Track all food and pay attention to portion sizes.
• New recipes 8x/month.
• Meatless lunches/dinners 4x/week minimum. 

Fun: 

• Read 12+ books. 
• Dates with friends 2x/month minimum. (May be combined with fitness fun.)
• Daily Challenge by me you health. (Overall well being.)

These may seem lofty, and perhaps they are! However, many are a deepening of 2013 goals. That and I'm up for the challenge. We already have our January hike planned for this weekend and lots of weekend plans with friends. As one of my goals above states, I plan to blog more this year and I will share the January Cure challenges, new recipes, goal updates and more!

Recipe: Chicken Caesar Salad Bites

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful holiday season! Like many people, I am starting to think ahead a week to 2014 (YES, 2014 is in a week!) and my goals for the new year. One of them will definitely be to blog more and in an effort to get started now, I wanted to share a recipe! This recipe was recently approved by the 30+ of our framily* who gathered at my parents' house yesterday to eat, drink and be merry.

Chicken Caesar Salad Bites on Parmesan Crisps

These Chicken Caesar Salad Bites are an easy prep-ahead appetizer, and only require four ingredients. The most difficult part is neatly topping the parmesan crisps with the chicken/arugula/dressing mix.

Makes: 5 dozen

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces shredded parmesan or an Italian cheese blend
• 16 ounces cooked chicken breast, diced fine
• 1 cup arugula, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup caesar dressing** (more or less to taste)

Directions:
Make the cheese crisps: 

1. Preheat your oven to 350º and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 
2. Spoon rounded teaspoons of cheese onto the baking sheet, about an inch apart. I generally do 12 little cheese piles on each baking sheet. 
3. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and nicely browned. 
4. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat this process to make all of the crisps. 
5. If you are not using them right away after cooling, place in a paper towel-lined, air-tight container. 

Assembling the bites:

1. When ready to serve, stir together the chicken and arugula. 
2. Stir in the dressing a bit at a time, until it is to your liking. 
3. Gently top each cheese crisp with a spoonful of salad and serve immediately.

*Framily = friends who are our family.
**We really like Ken's Light Caesar Dressing. It isn't creamy but has good flavor and works well in this particular recipe.

Recipe: Curried Sugar Pie Squash Soup with Crispy Pancetta

Fall is my favorite. I love cool weather, layers, scarves, boots, gingerbread lattes, snuggling at home with my family...

...and soup! I am writing this post about soup while eating leftovers of SkinnyTaste's Broccoli Cheese & Potato Soup for breakfast. Just keeping it real.

I was inspired to make this curried squash soup after receiving a sugar pie squash in our CSA box and when a friend posted a photo of a homemade acorn squash soup on Instagram.

I knew this recipe was a keeper when I said, "I would totally make this again," and my honey immediately responded with, "I would totally eat this again."

First things first, what is a sugar pie squash?? Based on my quick internet research, it is a variety of pumpkin. I didn't weigh it but I would guess 3 pounds or so. Roasting your own squash for this soup takes time but I think it is worth it. You can also roast it ahead of time, like I did, so the soup itself can be a fairly quick, weeknight dinner.

Roasted squash, ready to be scooped out!

Butter + onion + curry powder = Best. Smell. Ever.

Pancetta, crisping. 

Soup -- before blending.

Soup -- after blending.

Making it creamy.

Curried Sugar Pie Squash Soup with Crispy Pancetta

4-6 Servings

Ingredients:

• 1 sugar pie squash (~3 lbs)
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 2-3 teaspoons curry powder
• 3 cups nonfat, low sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 4 ounces pancetta, cut into tiny cubes

Directions:

To roast the squash (can be done 1-2 days in advance): 

1. Preheat your oven to 350º and line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
2. Get a good, sharp knife and cut off the top of the squash to remove the stem. Carefully slice in half down the middle. 
3. Using a metal spoon or metal ice cream scoop, dig out all of the seeds and stringies. 
4. Spray each half with a bit of cooking spray and lay flesh-side down on the baking sheet. 
5. Bake the squash until it is nice and tender and the skin is easily pierced by a fork, probably about an hour. 
6. Remove the squash from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Scoop out the insides and set aside immediate use or put into an airtight container for refrigerating and saving for later. 

To make the soup: 

1. Melt butter in a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and 2 teaspoons curry powder. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened, 5-7 minutes. If a crust begins to form on the bottom of the pan, add a splash of chicken broth to deglaze.
2. Add reserved squash insides and the chicken broth to the onion mixture. Stir and bring to a simmer. Let it go, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. 
3. While the soup is simmering, crisp up the pancetta. Heat a small frying pan over medium heat, add the pancetta and cook until dark and crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove pancetta to a paper towel lined plate to drain. 
4. If you've got one, use a hand blender to smooth out the soup. (You could also ladle the soup into a blender or food processor.) 
5. Taste the soup and if you want a stronger curry flavor, add another 1/2 - 1 teaspoon now. 
6. Stir in the nutmeg and half-and-half and allow the flavors to mingle, without a simmer, for another 5-minutes.
7. Remove from heat and salt and pepper to taste. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with crispy pancetta.
8. Enjoy!

Recipe: Chorizo & Black Bean Chili (Vegan and Gluten-Free)

This is a healthy and hearty vegan and gluten-free chili. It can be whipped up in under an hour although I recommend letting it simmer longer, because chili only gets better the longer the flavors have to get to know each other.

I considered taking more photos while cooking this dish but I wasn't sure if it would turn out all that good and, at the time, thought to myself, "if it turns out to be delicious I will just make it again and do a better job at documenting the process." Well, it turned out quite tasty and I didn't want to wait to share it. So there you go, that photo above is all you get.

We served this chili for a dinner and game night as part of a baked potato bar. In addition to the baked potatoes and chili, we laid out various toppings for our guests to choose from, including: diced avocado, crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar and pepperjack cheeses, light sour cream, salsa, hot sauces, corn "scoop" chips, and chopped green onions and chives.

Chorizo & Black Bean Chili

Serves: 8 - 10

Vegan and Gluten-free

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 ounces soy chorizo (this one is our favorite) 
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 3, 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3, 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes (no salt added)
• Approximately 1 cup vegetable broth 
• Salt and pepper
• Toppings of your choice

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add onion and bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally until softened and the onions are beginning to brown, approximately 10 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until nice and fragrant.
2. Remove the chorizo from the casing and crumble into pot. Cook, stirring often, until heated through, approximately 5 minutes.  
3. Add chili powder, cumin, paprika, black beans, diced tomatoes, and vegetable broth (amount of broth depends on your desired chili thickness). Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. 
4. Simmer uncovered for at least 20 - 30 minutes to combine flavors. Salt and pepper to taste. 
5. Serve with your favorite chili toppings. I highly recommend diced avocado and fresh herbs. 

January Cure --Day 8 | Weekend Chores

Day 8: Friday, January 11...and the Weekend of January 12 & 13
Assignments: Kitchen Organizing & Cleaning, Find a Recipe and Try It Out

Oh goodness. This is a big one. But we have three days to get it done. Let me break it down.

• Buy weekly flowers.
  
  The ones I bought last weekend still look fabulous. I credit both my good choice of a bouquet with sturdy flowers and the fact that our house is roughly the temperature of a meat locker during the winter. Here are the flowers that my honey picked up at the store on Saturday:
  
  
  

Sunday Funday will be dedicated to assignments two and three...

• Clean Your Kitchen and Declutter/Organize as You Go.
  
• Find a Recipe and Make Yourself a Simple, Enjoyable Meal.
  
  I love meal planning and cooking. I've even done a whole blog post about it. Here it is: Weekly Meal Planning.
  
  For this Sunday night, I am making one of our a favorite recipes (slow cooker cheese stuffed meatballs) but also a new one (from scratch Caesar salad).
  
  

Happy Weekend!

Project 365: 145 | Meatloaf | 11.12.12

Project 365: 145 | Meatloaf | 11.12.12

One of our favorite recipes -- pan fried turkey meatloaf in bell pepper rings with tomato sauce and fried sage.

Camera: iPhone

Project 365: 127 | Wedges | 10.24.12

Project 365: 127 | Fries | 10.24.12

One of my new favorite potato side dish recipes is oven roasted potato wedges. You just cut some potatoes into wedges, toss them with olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper, pour them onto a baking sheet, and bake them for 35-40 minutes at 450 degrees, shaking them around a bit halfway through.

Camera: iPhone

Project 365: 125 | Honey | 10.22.12

Project 365: 125 | Honey | 10.22.12

I cooked up a batch of homemade honey syrup to use for brown derby cocktails that we were introduced to at a lounge in California Adventure. Honey syrup is just equal parts honey and water, simmered and stirred on the stove until combined well. A brown derby is 2 ounces bourbon (we used bulleit because it is delicious and I found it on sale), 2 ounces grapefruit juice (Simply Grapefruit is the next best option after freshly squeezed) and 1 ounce honey syrup. The drink is best stirred and served in a champagne coupe glass. (We just used small tumbler glasses because we don't have coupe glasses.)

Camera: iPhone

Project 365: 110 | Brulee | 10.07.12

Project 365: 110 | Brulee | 10.07.12

I made creme brulee to bring to my parents' house for our Sunday night dinner. My honey bruleed the tops and we enjoyed it while watching the second episode of the current season of Amazing Race. I haven't decided who I am rooting for yet. Or who I don't like.

Camera: iPhone

Project 365: 97 | SkinnyTaste | 09.24.12

Project 365: 97 | SkinnyTaste | 09.24.12

On Monday, we cooked two new dishes from one of my favorite food blogs, SkinnyTaste, and they were a success. My honey cooked the grilled Asian chicken and I made the edamame fried rice. We threw in some steamed broccoli and we had delicious and healthy rice bowls. I had done a little prep work the day before, including marinating the chicken and cooking the brown rice. So far, all of the recipes we have cooked from SkinnyTaste have been keepers!

Camera: iPhone

Project 365: 91 | Tomatillos | 09.18.12

Project 365: 91 | Tomatillos | 09.18.12

Almost a pound of tomatillos cost a whopping 55¢ at our local produce market. I bought them to go in a turkey and tomatillo chili. Recipe coming soon.

Camera: Canon Rebel T1i

Project 365: 74 | Crab | 09.01.12

Project 365: 74 | Crab | 09.01.12

Homemade crab cakes with a spicy remoulade and greens with lemon juice and olive oil.

Camera: iPhone