Yeah...imma eat that.

Creamy Arugula Walnut Salsa & Polenta Tapas

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Kylie

Soooo…

I went and ate froyo last weekend and the place wasn’t self-serve. I didn’t even know that non-self-serve froyo places still existed. I thought they were kinda like VCR’s and landlines in houses. You know, outdated and replaced by technological innovation and whatnot. But lo and behold, there it was. And I’ve drawn the conclusion that non-self-serve froyo isn’t nearly as fun as getting to sample approximately 17 flavors and then filling your cup with cake batter flavor and covering it in mochi and peanut butter cups.

Speaking of peanut butter cups. I’m worried I’m getting boring. Mainly because I looked at my “things I must make for serious” pinterest board and everything was brown. Not even kidding. My oat flour and peanut butter usage is out of control but more concerning-ly, it is far too mono-chromatic. And it’s like the worst color to be mono-chromatic in…brown. Eww.

So I decided to be that change I want to see in the word (less brown) and did something dramatic and uncharacteristic for me and made something without oat flour. I know. It’s like I’m a new person. But then I’m not because my indecisiveness is still oh-so-very present because I have (yet again) changed our honeymoon location.

Now we’re going to Cabo San Lucas. Which is appropriate because of my love for all things Laguna Beach. Yes, the painful show with Kristen and LC and Jessica and Steven. My love for the show is actually because my grandparents honeymooned in Laguna way back when and they loved it so much that my family has been going to Laguna every year since (like 50 years).

But anyways, if you watched the show you should know that the cast would always go to Cabo and make questionable decisions. And since I had this whole stuck-up-I’m-not-gonna-party-in-college-because-I’d-rather-pretend-I’m somehow-better-than-you approach (…seriously, took me awhile to get over myself and the whole save-face and never let anyone see you sweat thing), I think Cabo is the perfect place to start making questionable decisions…or at least that’s what they did on the show. So that sounds just fun and perfect (just kidding, Mom).

But truthfully, a huge part of the honeymoon location determination (HLD?) was based around my desire to eat plateful upon plateful of Mexican Food. And even though we can’t afford this place, this place or this place…I think I have found a place that we’ll be happy with. Now we (read: I) just need to commit and make the reservations.

Geez, planning a honeymoon is hard work. I feel like I’ve already been to San Francisco and Belize with the amount of time I’ve spent researching those places. I for serious had lists with restaurants in San Fran and Belize that we would of HAD to go to. But now I get to look up must-go-to restaurants in Cabo. Actually, I already have.

In the mean time, I’ve already found like a hundred billion more restaurants I still need to go to in Houston. I crossed Sweet Paris off my list this week and it was fabulous. So fabulous that this happened and I am already planning on going back for my birthday…but probably won’t be able to resist until then. And, it should be noted that they cater. Hmm crepes as wedding party favors? Now that is something to ponder. But I’m still so beyond in love with this idea for wedding favors though. Ugh, so torn.

Okay, back on track…this recipe is actually for a recipe contest. Can I get an “awwyeah” for a little competition? I feel like I’m on Chopped…minus the 15 minutes of fame and being on TV part.

This competition is hosted by Tastespotting and Dole. The competition involved creating a Spanish-inspired dish using DOLE Salad blends. I choose to use a 5-oz bag of arugula to make a Creamy Arugula Walnut Salsa which I used to top a Crispy Acorn Squash Infused Polenta Cake. Oh and there was goat cheese and roasted, caramelized tomatoes involved too.

I love polenta. I have been meaning to make polenta pancakes ever since I learned about polenta…which was like 2 years ago. So I’ve spent two years building up unrealistic expectations about how polenta pancakes are going to be the most amazing thing I’ve ever tasted.

All this talk about pancakes brings me to this…I’m off to Colorado this weekend for a wedding. Other than enjoying the wedding, my goal is to somehow end up here. I don’t think they have polenta pancakes, but normal ones will work just fine. Fingers crossed I can convince someone into taking me. I have every intention of bribing my fiance.

Creamy Arugula Walnut Salsa & Polenta Tapas

makes 18 polenta squares (or 36 polenta triangles)

Acorn Squash Infused Polenta

3 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cup cornmeal

1 3/4 cup acorn squash, roasted and mashed (~1 medium sized squash)

1 tsp rosemary, finely chopped

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Line 2-8×8 inch glass dishes with parchment paper. In a saucepan over high heat, bring water to a rolling boil. Stream in cornmeal slowly and whisk constantly to avoid clumps from forming. Reduce heat to medium. Once all of the cornmeal is added, the mixture will quickly begin to thicken. Continue to whisk for 1 minute until completely smooth. Whisk in mashed acorn squash. Finally whisk in rosemary, salt and pepper. Divide polenta between two parchment paper-lined dishes. Using a spatula, smooth the polenta out so the top is as flat and even as possible. Allow to cool to room temperature (30-45 minutes). Cover dishes with foil and refrigerate for 2 hours until completely set.

While the polenta is setting, make your creamy salsa.

Creamy Arugula Walnut Salsa

1 cup walnuts

3 Tbsp pine nuts

5 oz Dole Salad Blends Arugula

3/4 cup light coconut milk (from a can)

1 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 scant tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

First, toast your nuts by placing the walnuts and pine nuts into a dry skillet and heating over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring CONSTANTLY.

In the bowl of a food processor/vitamix/high-powered blender, place toasted walnuts and pinenuts, arugula, coconut milk, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Blend until completely smooth.

Assemble Tapas

2-3 medium tomatoes, sliced into ~1/2 inch slices

~1/4 cup olive oil, divided

salt/pepper

1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

1 batch cooled and set Acorn Squash Infused Polenta (recipe above)

1 batch Creamy Arugula Walnut Salsa (recipe above)

Preheat oven to 425F. Place tomato slices in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle tomatoes with 2-3 Tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt/pepper. Roast tomatoes in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until crispy/brown/caramelized on top.

While tomatoes are roasting, remove the cold polenta from the 8×8-inch dish and place on a cutting board. Cut large polenta square into 9-12 squares or 18 triangles (cut into 9 squares and then cut each square diagonally).

Heat 2-3 Tbsp olive oil in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, swirl the olive oil around to coat the skillet. Add polenta cakes and allow polenta to cook undisturbed for ~3 minutes, or until a nice, brown, crispy crust has formed. Flip polenta cake to the other side and allow it to crisp up too.

Top crispy polenta cake with a spoonful of Creamy Arugula Walnut Salsa. Top salsa with a roasted tomato and sprinkle with goat cheese crumbles. Serve immediately.

Posted in Hor devours | Tagged acorn squash polenta, arugula, crispy polenta, dole, dole arugula, dole salad blends, healthy salsa, polenta, spanish-inspired, taste of spain, tastespotting, unique salsa, walnuts | 2 Comments

{Recipe Redux} 3 Berry Red Wine Sangria

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Kylie

The first time I saw a pitcher of sangria I was 12 years old. I thought it was the most beautiful pitcher of raspberry lemonade I had ever seen. I remember trying to pour myself a glass and someone saying I wasn’t allowed to have any because there was alcohol in it. Ugh. WHAT?! How are you gonna show me the most wonderfully refreshing drink I have ever seen and then tell me I can’t have any?!

I think I may have cried.

At the time, my 12-year-old self probably acted out irrationally and I might have said something along the lines of, “what happened to the whole treat others whole you want to be treated?” You can’t bring the most delicious-ice-cold-refreshing-fruit-stuffed juice to a party and then tell me I can’t have any.

What happened next is kinda fuzzy but I’m sure I threw a tantrum. Almost as bad as the tantrum I remember throwing when my mom made me wear this horrendous watermelon patterned outfit one Easter. Trust me, that tantrum was well-merited…it was a hideous outfit.

So one of the very best things about being all grown up is getting to drink a glassful of the most beautiful “raspberry lemonade” you have ever seen. This recipe takes fresh berries and orange juice and adds in some wine and mint and there-ya-go…delicious 3 Berry Red Wine Sangria!

If you’re really feeling ambitious you could go pick your own berries since that’s a very popular activity this time of year. However, I feel it only right to warn you that the hottest I have ever been was when I went berry picking with my mom and sisters when I was little. I remember thinking there was no way I was going to survive the 3287932 degree Texas summer heat. Totally not an exaggeration. I for serious think it was that hot. So I find it surprising that I even like berries still 1)because it was hella hot that day and 2)because have you seen a blackberry bush? They’re frightening.

But the thing about berries is they’re just so refreshing. So those frightening 2-inch-long-thorn-covered-blackberry bushes are totally worth facing. But you know what’s even better than blackberries? Raspberries. Mainly because they don’t grow on scary bushes.

Growing up I spent a summer with my best friend in Utah and we would eat fresh raspberries by the handful. You see these are happy berry picking memories because Utah weather, unlike Texas weather, doesn’t reach 3287932 degrees. Moral of the story: If you’re going to pick berries in Texas, you must go before the sun comes up…or you will in fact melt.

If you’re confused as to why I’m posting on a Tuesday instead of a Monday or Friday, this post is part of a recipe challenge called Recipe Redux. Each month, Recipe Redux contributors are given a food/theme that we are to create a healthier version of. Recipe Redux founders believe that healthier foods should still taste delicious…which is something I’m all about. There has been some incredible recipes that recipe redux contributors have thought of.

And even though there are some recipe modifications that freak me out and will likely always freak me out (like putting beans in my brownies or cookies), there are so many great ways to make recipes healthier and this a great way to share them. Maybe one day I’ll face my fears and try out some black bean brownies or garbanzo bean cookie dough, but for now both of those recipes sound almost as frightening as the thorns on blackberry bushes. Almost.

This week’s Recipe Redux theme was Brunch. And nothing quite says brunch like cute, little glasses stuffed with berries that have been soaked with fresh squeezed orange juice and red wine.

3 Berry Red Wine Sangria

makes 1 pitcher

1 bottle red wine, chilled

1 cup pomegranate juice, chilled

1 cup orange juice, fresh squeezed

8 ounces strawberries

1/2 pint raspberries

1/2 pint blackberries

2 Tbsp honey

1 cup club soda, chilled

3/4 cup red seedless grapes, frozen

Garnish: mint leaves, orange slices, strawberries

Combine red wine, pomegranate juice, fresh orange juice, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and honey in a large pitcher. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least for 2 hours. Just before serving, add club soda and frozen grapes into the pitcher. Serve in glasses garnished with mint leaves, orange slices and strawberry slices.

As the first and only recipe challenge founded by registered dietitians, The Recipe ReDux aims to inspire the food lover in every healthy eater and inspire the healthy eater in every food lover. Thank you for visiting. We hope you enjoy!

(Please note that this is a closed link-up for Recipe ReDux posts only. Any links added to this collection for non-ReDux posts will be deleted.)

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Posted in Recipe Redux | Tagged 3 berry sangria, blackberry, fresh fruit sangria, healthy sangria recipe, raspberry, red wine, sangria, strawberry | 28 Comments

Pineapple Chobani Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Kylie

Life is confusing (i’ve mentioned this before).

For instance, this weekend Andrew and I went and looked at houses to buy in Houston. I was on my phone looking up all the houses that are for sale in our desired neighborhood and I had the price limit set so we stayed within our budget (or so I thought).

I was freaking out (in a good way) about all the cute, little homes with the gorgeous stone exteriors and was imagining us as that happy, young couple doing yard work together and going for runs on the trails near our new home and throwing block parties for all our neighbors and baking cookies whenever new people moved in on the street and everyone would know us as the newlywed couple in the cute, little (gorgeous) stone exterior one-story.

And then we would have kids (3 if you ask me and 2 if you ask Andrew) and they could play in the huge, lush front yard and then they would become best friends with another cute baby on the street and then we could have a basketball goal on our garage just like in Father of the Bride and then they would have just the best childhood ever.

And then I realized I had the price limit set at $3 million. UGH. Goodbye gorgeous stone exterior. Goodbye huge lot. Goodbye basketball goal above the garage.

I’m really not that depressed about the whole situation. Mainly because I don’t like basketball that much. I kid. But I’m sure we’ll find a house by December.

Any who, while driving around I was also texting people back for Andrew since he was driving. He never uses smiley faces in his texts which I find lame. So whenever I’m typing out text messages for him I always want to add a smiley face after a manly man text like, “I’ll meet you at 5 for a beer.” Wouldn’t that text be so much better as, “I’ll meet you at 5 for a beer:)?” So much happier. Just saying. Andrew says “bro’s” never use smiley faces. No fun.

Other manly man things from this weeked, like excluding smiley faces, included Andrew getting bacon at Whole Foods while I drank my coconut water smoothie. And then later I was making a big deal about how amazing the French Lavender Soap smelled at Whole Foods and Andrew was like, “my hands smell like bacon still….it’s awesome.” I love me some bacon but it’s funny, in Texas most of the radio commercials for Whole Foods advertise for their meat. They don’t talk about organic vegetables or whole grain decadent desserts or vegan goodies…nope, all the commercials are like, “we’ve got the best beef/pork.” Oh, Texas.

But my favorite purchase from whole foods lately has not been the beef. This is because my favorite snack in the entire world has become Chobani pineapple greek yogurt with chocolate chips. Most of the time I’ll add in some Nature’s Path Vanilla Sunrise Cereal too. The combination of the crunchy-vanilla cereal with the creaminess of the greek yogurt and the sweet-delicious-chocolatey-chocolate flavor ooohhhhh you’re gonna wanna just eat it everyday…so I do. Or well, every other day.

And at only 4 ingredients, this ice cream might become what I eat in between the days i’m not eating the aforementioned snack.

It should be noted that this ice cream may quite possibly be the most refreshing thing I have ever eaten.

Pineapple Chobani Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

makes ~8 (1/2 cup) servings

1 can (13.5 oz) full-fat coconut milk, allowed to sit in fridge overnight to harden
3 (6 oz) containers pineapple flavored greek yogurt (I used Chobani)
1/4 cup honey
1/3 heaping cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used good ol’ Nestle)
3 Tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, whisk together hardened coconut milk, pineapple greek yogurt and honey. Pour mixture into your ice cream maker and allow to churn for 10-15 minutes, or until it begins to resembles ice cream. Mine didn’t completely harden to the thickness of ice cream. Scoop slightly hardened ice cream mixture into a seal-able container. Spread ice cream to corners of container and evenly sprinkle remaining 3 Tbsp chocolate chips over the smooth ice cream top. Cover container and place in the freezer for 1-2 hours. Serve.

[note: This ice cream should be made 1-2 hours before serving. If left in the freezer overnight, it will get too hard. If you do freeze it overnight, you can let it thaw a little and then scoop the ice cream but the optimal ice cream like texture will be achieved by letting the ice cream sit for 1-2 hours in the freezer immediately after making and then serving.]

Posted in Dessert, gluten free | Tagged chobani, chobani ice cream, chocolate chunk ice cream, coconut, coconut ice cream, greek yogurt, greek yogurt frozen yogurt, healthy greek yogurt ice cream, healthy ice cream, pineapple, pineapple chobani, pineapple chobani chocolate chip ice cream | 14 Comments

Goat Cheese, Sun-dried Tomato & Arugula Chicken

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Kylie

Before we talk about chicken…we need to talk about this.

And now let’s talk about the heart wrenching fact that I don’t own a waffle maker. Well, we have a Mickey Mouse shaped waffle maker but that wouldn’t work because I want mine to look exaclty like those. I mean ohmygoodnessgracious. All I want to do at this very moment in time (even though it’s 10:13pm) is go buy a waffle maker. Or order one on Amazon. Or at the very least pick out the exact one I would purchase. Done.

I think I’m a round waffle person. Not a square. Glad we determined that.

And (!) in addition to a waffle maker, I realized this week that I don’t have one of those meat pounder thingys. I used a heavy skillet to pound the smithereens out of my chicken breasts to make them thinner. The skillet worked except for the loud noise it was making and the concerned looks my dogs were giving me as I repeatedly smashed the chicken.

The only bad part was that our extremely heavy granite cutting board (yes, I know this isn’t the best material for knives) almost ended up smooshing my toes. I didn’t realize how closely I had moved the cutting board to the edge of the counter during my pounding. A 40-pound cutting board falling onto my toes really would have put a damper on my day.

Right after I pounded the chicken, my grandma stopped by (she lives on my street 2 houses away…and my other grandma lives 4 houses away…we’re trying to buy the whole street I guess…the neighbors should be concerned). So she stopped by to tell me the gossip she heard at the beauty shop (AKA hair salon) about a home builder in the area Andrew and I are planning on moving to.

I think the best gossip is from grandmas in beauty shops. So then we started to talk wedding things and she asked to see the final wedding guest list. She kept saying, “oh yay, so-and-so” made the list!” It was pretty funny. I think she might be more excited for my wedding than I am. So I decided to not tell her the story about losing my ring. Well okay I didn’t really lose it because I knew it had to be somewhere in/around my bed because I remember waking up in the middle of the night and the ring feeling uncomfortable for some reason so I must have took it off in my half asleep slumber. Luckily, my mom had the idea of getting a flashlight and shining it around until it caught the diamond sparkle. Thank goodness for moms.

Speaking of ring things, I got a ring holder for a graduation gift and when I opened it Andrew was like, “ooo a mini donut maker.” Hmm, not quite. But definite points for creativity.

So today I bring you layers of delicious food. I’ve come to the very scientific conclusion that all things with layers are good because cinnamon rolls, parfaits and banana pudding all have layers and all those things have been proved to be freaking awesome.

Goat Cheese, Sun-dried Tomato & Arugula Chicken

serves 3-4

[oh so slightly adapted from here]

4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 ounces goat cheese, divided and rolled into 4 logs

1 cup arugula, packed

4 sun-dried tomatoes, in oil, sliced into long and thin strips

salt/pepper

Pound chicken into thin sheets by covering the chicken breast with parchment paper and pounding it with a meat pounder or heavy bottom skillet. Season each side of the chicken with salt and pepper. Lay a piece of thinned chicken on a flat surface. Top the chicken with arugula leaves and sun-dried tomato strips. Place the 1 ounce goat cheese log at the skinnier end of the pounded chicken breast and roll the chicken up into a pinwheel. Secure chicken with 3-4 wooden toothpicks. Repeat with three remaining chicken breasts.

Preheat oven to 425F. Add 2 Tbsp olive oil to a heavy-bottomed, oven-safe skillet. Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Add rolled chicken breasts and sear each side of the chicken until golden brown and caramely. Place chicken into the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165F. Serve with roasted baby bok choy.

Posted in Dessert, Hor devours | Tagged arugula and goat cheese chicken, baked chicken recipe, chicken recipe, creative chicken recipe, goat cheese, goat cheese chicken recipe | 6 Comments

Coconut Vanilla Cereal Coated Cinnamon Cake French Toast

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Kylie

Phew. Say that title 5 times fast.

So many words in that there title that you probably don’t even know what this recipe is for. But it involves cake so I’m thinking that’s a good think. However, this is one of those annoying recipes where you have to make another recipe just to make this one.

Ughhh annoying. But as I said…it involves cake, so you know it’s worth it.

When life involves cake, it’s typically good to throw a little kale in there too. No, I didn’t add green leafy vegetables to my french toast…I save the vegetables for my ice cream. But anyways, I started my weekend early with a kale smoothie for breakfast Friday morning. Because we all know nothing say weekend like kale…not. But the whole reason I’m telling you about the smoothie was…I convinced my dad to try it. I didn’t see that happening. Like ever.

Of course he did drink it out of an 8-ounce Crown Royal glass. And the glass was only 1/3 full, but baby steps are better than no steps. And he said it was good…I don’t even know who he is anymore. My mom is always (always) up for tasting anything I make. But my dad…not quite as adventurous. But I’m working on him. By the time I move out in December, he’ll be a Kombucha-drinking, chia pudding-eating, stuffed sweet potato-loving individual.

But we’re gonna have to find a balance if my dad does start liking my food because I’ve realized lately just how terrible I am at sharing my food. I mean, I like making food for other people, but when it comes to sharing food that I make for myself (like when I only make a single serving to eat), I’m the worst sharer ever. Oh my goodness that moment when someone says, “Oh, I’ll just have a bite of yours.” I feel like I’m about to throw a I’m-8-years-old-again-and-my-mom-has-just-told-me-I-can’t-spend-the-night-at-a-friends-house tantrum

I should grow up. And totally take some advice from these guys. Because they are totally good at sharing.

So I came to the realization lately that I am exactly like Joey from Friends all because of this episode. Andrew always wants ‘just a taste” of whatever I’m having and don’t even get me started on my grandma. She is notorious for saying she “doesn’t want anything” and then eating all your sweet potato fries or smoothie or chocolate chip muffin. We all now know that if my sweet grandma says she “doesn’t want anything”…order two.

By now, Andrew has caught onto how much it bothers me when people take my food so he tends to go out of his way to mess with me. Like when I made him his own little glass of kale smoothie because he “just wants a tastes.” And he’ll come into the kitchen and grab my smoothie glass and taste it.

I think this somehow makes me the worst food blogger ever. Oh boy, I have so very much to learn about sharing.

And the fact that this recipe is for a single serving doesn’t help my situation.

Coconut Vanilla Cereal Coated Cinnamon Cake French Toast

serves 1

2 heaping Tbsp Nature’s Path Crunchy Vanilla Sunrise Cereal

1 Tbsp shredded coconut, unsweetened

1 egg

scant 1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp vanilla

2 slices Cinnamon Pecan Snack Cake

Toppings: greek yogurt, cereal, coconut, cinnamon

In a small ziploc bag, place cereal and coconut. Use a rolling pin to crush the cereal and coconut. Pour the crushed cereal-coconut mixture into a shallow bowl. Set aside.

In a separate shallow bowl, whisk together egg, cinnamon and vanilla. Press the slices of cake into the egg mixture and allow the cake to soak up the eggy mixture for 2 minutes. Flip the slices of cake to the other side and allow them to soak for an additional 2 minutes. Next, press both sides of each cake slice into the crushed cereal-coconut mixture. Heat a skillet with a little coconut oil over medium heat. Place cereal coated cake slices into the skillet and cook on each side for ~3 minutes. You might have to flip the cake slices onto their crust so the egg gets cooked all the way around. Top with plain greek yogurt mixed with honey, cereal and unsweetened shredded coconut.

Posted in Sandwiches | 13 Comments

Cinnamon Pecan Snack Cake with Chobani Drizzle

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Kylie

Just when I’m moving back to Houston, this happens.

Come on, man! If you now hate me because you came here for food and I link to a picture of that…sorry. But then there is this. Which is definitely one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard. I’ll blame my strange picture posting on my lack of rational thought because i’m low on sleep because of finals. This lack of sleep also caused me to lick a hot skillet when I was making breakfast tacos before 6am a couple days ago. There was some egg-arugula-deliciousness in the skillet so I couldn’t just leave it there. It was kinda like one of those moments when you grab a curling iron to see if it’s hot. Really not smart. And ouch.

I need some sleep. Or maybe just this cute pillows. Actually I want the entire alphabet…how fun would that be? I wonder if you can fill out a wedding registry on Fab.com. Because seriously every single email they send me is filled with cute, wonderful things to distract me from actual important life stuff.

Stuff like finding random restaurants I want to go to in cities that I have never been to and don’t have any plans on going to in the near future. There is actually a list on my phone with a list of restaurants from random cities around the U.S. that I want to go to. Here are the current contenders on the Restaurants-i-have-to-go-to List…Fort Collins, Seattle, and New York. Oh…and I want to eat everything on this menu. And then this place in Houston.

Someone needs to come join me for fun lunch dates. I’ll bring cookies for dessert. Or we could just go here. I wish they served crepes stuffed with greek yogurt instead of crepes stuffed with whipped cream and whatnot. Wouldn’t that be fun?

I love me some greek yogurt. Especially the beautiful greek yogurt from the beautiful people at Chobani who are just the sweetest people ever. Since they’ve been showing me so much love lately, I wanted to make a recipe with some creamy Chobani goodness. So behold…Cinnamon Pecan Snack Cake with Chobani Drizzle.

This cake is slightly denser than a light, fluffy cake you would make from a box cake mix but it is still delicious in it’s own way. Not in an only-a-mother-could-love-it kind of way but in a I-would-totally-eat-another-slice kind of way.

Cinnamon Pecan Snack Cake with Chobani Dizzle

make 6 small cake pieces

1/2 cup oat flour, packed

1/2 cup sweet rice flour, packed

3 Tbsp coconut flour, packed

1/3 cup white sugar

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped, divided

2 eggs

2 Tbsp almond milk, original

3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted

4 Tbsp applesauce, unsweetened

1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used Chobani)

1 tsp vanilla

Cake Icing and Toppings

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

2 Tbsp honey

1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350F. In a bowl, combine oat flour, sweet rice flour, coconut flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and 1/3 cup chopped pecans. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, almond milk, coconut oil, applesauce, greek yogurt, and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix everything together until smooth. Spray a loaf pan (yes, like the little pan you would make a loaf of bread in) with non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle with oat flour. Scoop in cake batter and smooth the top down. Sprinkle the remaining chopped pecans over the top and gently press them into the batter. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes before removing from pan and allowing cake to cool completely before icing.

For the icing, combine greek yogurt and honey in a bowl. Scoop greek yogurt into a small ziploc bag and snip off the corner. Pipe icing over cake and sprinkle with additional chopped pecans.

Posted in Bread, Dessert, gluten free, Snack | Tagged cake, chobani, cinnamon cake, coconut oil, greek yogurt, healthy cake, healthy dessert, oat flour, oats, pecans, snack cake | 14 Comments

Almond Date Energy Bites

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Kylie

Lately (as in the last two days) I’ve had this tendency to take one of these Almond Date Energy Bite thingys and roll it in mini chocolate chips.

Hmm, sounds like finals time to me.

I’ve had quite the busy last 4 days (very little of which involved studying for finals…fail), but instead the days have been filled with wedding festivities which at one point involved the most giant bowl of guacamole I ever did see. It was life changing…and quite possibly the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen (besides the bride). I would totally serve fajitas at my wedding. And each table could have their own giant bowl of guacamole. Everyone would be so happy. Unless they didn’t like guacamole but pulease…that’s like no one ever, right? Right.

Something else that is life-changing…my best friend’s mom makes these chocolate chip cookies that are reeediculously ahmazing. So if you wanna be a different person, all you gotta do is find yourself a giant bowl of guacamole (which is life-changing) and some of those chocolate chip cookies (for sure life-changing) and there ya go…life changed.

Strangely, I somehow manage to feel hungover even though I didn’t have one sip of alcohol in the last 4 days. Wedding are always filled with so much happiness and joy and emotion that they just wipe you out. Especially when it’s your best friends wedding. Anndddd J.Crew keeps having these ridiculous sales so this weekend everything online was 40% off. And I feel like I need to take advantage of these opportunities. So I looked through their bridesmaids dresses like 359 times hoping I’d find some beautiful dresses for my wedding at a steal of a price and I’d completely fall in love but no such luck. Exhausting.

I’ve got my little sister on finding the bridesmaids dresses. The little sister who borrows my clothes but somehow manages to put them together in a way that looks like she just stepped out of a magazine vs. me who puts them together and looks not quite as magazine-y.

Speaking of magazine-y things…the Kardashian sisters were at the mall 15 minutes away from my house. I told my dad that I totally would have gone to see them if I didn’t get to do fun wedding things all day. I don’t think he had ever looked more appalled.

Sorry, Dad.

I did venture to the mall the day before the Kardashians were to grace us with their presence because I also decided it was time to buy a new computer. My current computer gets so hot when you turn it on that you can barely touch the mouse pad. Sounds safe, right? When I was working on a group project a couple weeks ago one of the girls in my group was like, “Something smells like it’s burning.” And I was like, “Ummmyeah that’d be my computer.” So a new computer was needed.

Just like sometimes (like during finals time) super, simple snack ideas are needed. Something quick and healthy to go to when you feel like you just can’t study anymore. Just so you know, I would totally support you if you rolled these in chocolate chips.

Almond Date Energy Bites

makes 14-16 energy bites

1 cup dates, pitted and packed (~14 dates)

2/3 cup almonds, raw

6 Tbsp oats

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3 Tbsp ground flaxseed

1/2 tsp salt

3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted

Combine all ingredients (except for 1 Tbsp of the melted coconut oil) in a food processor or blender. Pulse until all ingredients begin to stick together/form a dough. While pulsing, stream in the remaining tablespoon of coconut oil. Pulse/blend together for ~30 seconds. Dump dough into a bowl and roll in into 14-16 balls. Store in the refrigerator.

Posted in Breakfast, Dessert, gluten free, Oatmeal | Tagged almonds, coconut oil, dates, dough balls, easy snack, energy balls, Energy bites, finals, healthy, healthy snack, oats, quick snacks, Snack | 3 Comments

My New Root’s Life Changing Bread with Smashed Avocado & Eggs

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Kylie

Okay, I know it’s not really a novel concept.

By this point we have all realized the simple joy of smashing an avocado onto a piece of toast and calling it a meal. So I’m not really even sure if this post counts as a recipe. But in support of this being considered a recipe, I went and added bunches of more stuff on top. Still not convinced? Not to worry, I have an entire list of excuses for you as to why we should pretend this is a recipe.

Uno. My best friend is getting married this weekend. We’re actually meeting in the morning to go for our last run before she’s married. I can not even count the number of runs we’ve been on (…and the number of times I’ve made her wait outside my house for me in the wee hours of the morning because I overslept…again). It seems like yesterday we were playing barbies and sneaking raw cookie dough from the kitchen…it’s weird thinking that we’re old enough to get married. It’s weird thinking that we’ll never walk each other home late at night and stop halfway between our houses and somehow manage to talk for an hour until one of our parents comes outside to look for us.

My favorite conversations have happened in between our houses, in the middle of the street where we grew up. It’s where we’ve cried and laughed and actually where she taught me how to dance. Big things have happened in the middle of that street. Having a best friend has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. Something I used to completely take for granted. I hope everyone gets to experience the joy of having a best friend. I’d try to explain to you how she is the most caring, grateful, kind and loving person I’ve ever met, but you wouldn’t even believe me.

And the second excuse as to why you should accept this post a recipe…it’s finals time.

This is how studying for finals has been going: I sit at my desk and try to have better posture as I pretend to study but am constantly turning around to look at the TV to see what’s happening on Sex in the City. Then a preview for that Ryan Lochte show comes on. I find him hilarious and annoying and charming. I’ve watched 1/2 of one episode and it was hilarious. Like when he asks what a douchebag is and then they cut to all the scenes of him being a douchebag. And then that preview ends and a preview for The Hangover 3 comes on with Alan singing and I just laugh and laugh and then remind myself that I am laughing alone and it’s weird. And then I think to myself, “finals are so fun.”

By this time I’m looking over my shoulder at the TV so much that I make myself feel dizzy so I decide I need to lay down on the floor and then boom…naptime. And when naptime is over, it’s time for snacktime because well, just because. And something appropriate during finals time…the panic and anxiety blog shared my Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad recipe.

So do I have any real excuses for taking an avocado+fork+piece of bread and calling it a recipe? Yeahno. So I topped it with eggs.

And in all this craziness that I’m pretending is stressful when it’s actually just happiness and fun…I got a Twitter. Now what to do with it…I have no clue. And totally ridiculous…the username @immaeatthat was taken. How-you-gonna-take-my-name? So I settled with @immaeatthatblog. It’ll do.

Twitter is harder than Instagram because you have to use your words. Not ideal. I’d much rather just give you a picture. I know you can do a Twitter picture thing but it’s just not the same. I’m mainly not really feeling Twitter because I don’t know what I’m doing. But the good news is…I only have 6 followers so there will be fewer witnesses if I accidentely post something awkward.

And now let’s take a sec to talk about the most creative recipe I’ve heard of in awhile. So I ran into one of my favorite professors earlier this semester and she told me about this bread. It sounded nuts. No flour…just nuts + seeds + oats + maple syrup + coconut oil. I have been meaning to make it for seriously like two months. No better time than finals week.

My New Root’s Life Changing Bread

makes 1 loaf

[of so slightly adapted from My New Roots]

1 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup ground flax seeds

1/4 cup almonds

1/4 cup walnuts, lightly chopped

1 1/2 cup quick oats

2 Tbsp chia seeds

4 Tbsp psyllium seed husks

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp maple syrup

3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted

1 1/2 cups water

In a bowl, combine sunflower seeds, ground flax seeds, almonds, walnuts, oats, chia seeds, psyllium seed husks and salt. In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, melted coconut oil and water. Add wet ingredients into dry and stir until well combined. Line a loaf pan with foil and pour in batter. Use the back of a spoon to smooth the top of the bread down. Cover the bread and allow it to sit on your counter overnight (I let mine sit 10 hours but you could do anywhere from 3-12 hours).

In the morning, preheat oven to 350F. Bake the bread in the loaf pan on the center rack of your oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, gently remove the loaf from the pan and place the loaf top-side down, directly onto the oven rack. Back for another 30-40 minutes. When done, loaf will sound hollow when tapped. Allow bread to cool COMPLETELY before slicing and enjoying.

Open-faced Egg Sandwich

serves 1

1 whole egg

1 egg white

scant 1/4 cup red onion, chopped

scant 1/8 tsp garlic, minced

3-4 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

dash dried dill

salt/pepper

1/2 large avocado, mashed

2 pieces My New Root’s Life Changing Bread (recipe above or here)

In a skillet over medium-low heat, heat 1/2 Tbsp olive oil. Add in red onion and cook, stirring frequently until softened, about 7-10 minutes. Stir in minced garlic and sliced tomatoes and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Turn off heat to allow pan to cool down a little (leave red onion + garlic + tomatoes in the skillet). In a small bowl, whisk together your egg, egg white, dill, and salt/pepper. Pour egg mixture into skillet with red onions+garlic. Turn skillet to low or medium-low heat and cook eggs constantly stirring with a wooden spoon. Don’t over cook them. When cooked, remove eggs from heat.

Divide the mashed avocado between two slices of bread. Top with eggs and serve.

Posted in Bread, Breakfast, Dinner, gluten free, Sandwiches | Tagged avocado, dill, dill and eggs, dill eggs, egg sandwich, gluten free bread, smashed avocado | 13 Comments

BBQ Chicken & Acorn Squash Enchiladas

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Kylie

I ate these for dinner 4 times last week.

Like four days in a row. I know there’s that little saying about variety being the spice of life and blah, blah, blah but when every bite is filled with creamy-avocado-BBQ chicken-acorn squash joy, you just don’t want anything else.

I also made sure that my wedding dress was an entire city away from me while I ate these because I could totally see me somehow managing to get enchiladas on my dress. Don’t even know how it would happen, I just know it was definitely a possibility. And we wouldn’t want yet another stain on the dress.

Until this weekend, I actually hadn’t seen my wedding dress in about a month because I’m keeping it at my home house and not at school with me. Probably safe to keep it away from me so I don’t try it on everysingleday. So when I went home this weekend I was kinda nervous to try it on again because I just started thinking what if I don’t actually love it as much as I thought I did?! So I tried it on and jeez I love that thing. It’s close, but it’s definitely up there for my most prized material possession. Second only to…Mr. Vitamix.

Oh and also just like that we’re back to going to San Francisco for the honeymoon. I’m ridiculous. Andrew thinks I’m slightly crazy. No, actually just all crazy. For many reasons, one being me going back and forth on where I think we should honeymoon. The other reason is because when I went to go pick him up this weekend to go rock climbing, I walked into his apartment and headed straight for the kitchen to get some peanut butter because I was starving and he was like, “I ate it all.” And (he says) I gave him this look of pure hatred. Kinda sorta like the look I would give someone if they tried to feed me asparagus. Or fake cheese.

Have you ever tried rice-based ‘cheese.’ It’s nasty. If you haven’t tried it…don’t. Ever. Even if you’re at a trendy, hipster-y, vegan restaurant and you’re all like, “ohh, vegan, rice-based cheese sounds fun.” Take a deep breath, take a sip of your Kombucha and allow yourself to come to your senses. And then order something else. Anything else.

But the problem is…I love cheese. And I know the whole ‘food is fuel’ mentality and you shouldn’t have a relationship with food, but whatev. I will never fall into that category. I just love it too much. That’s why I’m here constantly blabbing about it. Because food can do wonderful, creative things like if you replace the cheese in an enchilada with mashed acorn squash, it tastes like creamy deliciousness that is oh so very reminiscent of cheese. If you didn’t know that there wasn’t cheese in these, you never would have guessed it.

And then you’ll want to eat this meal 4 days in a row.

BBQ Chicken & Acorn Squash Enchiladas

serves 4-6

[inspired by How sweet it is]

BBQ Enchilada Sauce

3 Tbsp canola oil

1 tsp garlic, minced

1 Tbsp + 2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp salt

6-oz can tomato paste

2 cup reduced-sodium vegetable broth

2/3 cup BBQ sauce (I used Trader Joe’s brand)

Enchilada Filling

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 small onion (carmalized over medium-low heat for 10 minutes w/pinch salt)

1 acorn squash

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp chili powder

12-14 corn tortillas

Toppings: Avocado slices & cilantro

Preheat oven to 375F. Slice your acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Line a baking sheet with foil and place acorn squash cut side down onto the foil. Bake for 40 minutes, or until soft and tender.

While acorn squash is baking, prepare you enchilada sauce. In a saucepan, heat canola oil over medium heat. Add in minced garlic and lower heat to medium-low while stirring constantly so your garlic doesn’t burn. Immediately whisk in chili powder and salt. Add in tomato paste and vegetable broth and whisk until smooth. Whisk in 2/3 cup BBQ sauce. Reduce heat to a simmer and partially cover saucepan with a lid.

Now, caramelize the onions for the enchilada filling by heating 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium-low heat. Add in onions and cook until slightly brown and softened.

Once acorn squash is finished baking, scoop out flesh into a large bowl and mash it with a fork until smooth. Add in (cooked) shredded chicken, salt, pepper, chili powder and caramelized onions. Mix everything together.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Wrap corn tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave them for 30 seconds. Just so they’re pliable and don’t crack. Pour 2/3 cup BBQ Enchilada Sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 11-inch casserole dish. Dip a tortilla in the remaining BBQ Enchilada Sauce and place a heaping 1/4 cup worth of the filling in the tortilla. Wrap the tortilla up tightly and repeat 11 more times. Pour remaining BBQ Enchilada Sauce on top of enchiladas. Cover with foil and back for 30-35 minutes. Remove the foil during the last 5 minutes of baking. Serve garnished with avocado and cilantro.

Posted in Dinner, gluten free | Tagged acorn squash, acorn squash enchiladas, avocado, cilantro, corn tortillas, Enchiladas, healthy Mexican food, make ahead dinners, Mexican, no cheese, no cheese enchiladas | 13 Comments

Chocolate Muffin Buckwheat Granola

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Kylie

In the last 24 hours, big things have happened.

Specifically, I decided what birthday cake I will be making myself. This beautiful cake. My birthday isn’t until June, but there is nothing wrong with being prepared especially when being prepared involves caramelized bananas. Except I’ll probably add in some oat flour because we all know I’m incapable of baking anything without oat flour. Come on June 7th.

Oh and the other big thing was that I had a mini-tantrum about how San Francisco doesn’t seem very honeymooney and how I want to be one of those people who is up for an adventure for their honeymoon. Even though I’m totally not really (at all) a thrill-seeking person…you could not pay me to jump out of an airplane. But I am totally up for some horseback riding on the beach and kayaking and I really want to stay in one of those little over-the-water bungalow things.

Yes, all those things sound fun. But I’m not big on going on a 32075839 hour plane ride to get to our honeymoon destination since the honeymoon is gonna be pretty quick because of my grad school schedule. And i’m not that big on planes to begin with. I mean, there are most definitely worse things than flying like that time you threw away raw chicken and then realize that there was no trash bag in the trashcan. Or all those times when your arms are so sore from a workout and you know you have to attempt to take off you sports bra…ouch.

Yeah, flying is not as terrible as those things but it’s still on the bottom of my desired-honeymoon-activities list. So my current searches have led me to…Belize! It’s only a 2 1/2 hour plane ride from Houston!? I had no idea it was so close. I hope you’re getting an idea for how cultured I am (read: not cultured at all). I know this because my usually reaction to seeing something like French-style architecture is “ohh, looks like Disneyland.”

So someone out there has been to Belize. Pu-lease let me know where you stayed/what you ate/did you love it?

And there is just something about coconut anything that makes you feel like you’re on vacation. Which brings me to this coconut oil infused granola. Just like the last granola I like just made the other day, this one is not crunchy but it’s doughy and bready and is somehow reminiscent of a chocolate muffin.

I wish everything in life was this simple. I like granola. I like chocolate muffins. They’re even better when you smoosh them together.

Chocolate Muffin Buckwheat Granola

makes ~3 cup

1 cup oats (old-fashioned or quick oats)

1 cup buckwheat groats

2 Tbsp + 2 tsp cocoa powder

2 Tbsp chia seeds

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

2/3 cup raw walnuts, chopped

1 ripe banana, mashed

1/3 cup peanut butter (no added sugar)

1 tsp almond extract

3 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, combine oats, buckwheat groats, cocoa powder, chia seeds, cinnamon, salt and walnuts. In a separate bowl, mix together mashed banana, peanut butter, almond extract, honey and coconut oil. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Use your hands if needed.

Spray an oven-safe, 12” x 8.5”casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Pour/scoop granola into dish and spread evenly over the bottom of the pan. Bake 30-32 minutes, gently stirring every 7-10 minutes. When stirring, be careful NOT to break up the large clumps of granola. Those large clumps are what make the granola seem like a chocolate muffin. Allow to cool before storing in a glass container for up to a week.

[NOTE: Again I say, this granola is not like your normal, crunchy granola. Instead, it’s doughy, bready and muffin-y. All good things.]

[ANOTHER NOTE: Be sure to chew the buckwheat groats well:)]

Posted in Breakfast, gluten free | Tagged Breakfast, buckwheat, buckwheat groats, chocolate muffin, chocolate muffin granola, coconut oil, easy granola, granola, groats, homemade granola, honey, mashed banana granola, no butter granola | 13 Comments

Yeah…imma eat that.

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{Recipe Redux} 3 Berry Red Wine Sangria

Pineapple Chobani Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Goat Cheese, Sun-dried Tomato & Arugula Chicken

Coconut Vanilla Cereal Coated Cinnamon Cake French Toast

Cinnamon Pecan Snack Cake with Chobani Drizzle

Almond Date Energy Bites

My New Root’s Life Changing Bread with Smashed Avocado & Eggs

BBQ Chicken & Acorn Squash Enchiladas

Chocolate Muffin Buckwheat Granola

Hi, I’m Kylie!

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