She Runs, She Eats

quinoa salad with toasted almonds

2012-01-27T09:51:00.003-05:00

In need of a healthy and tasty lunch? Look no further than this salad, featuring protein-packed quinoa and toasted almonds. Using Martha Stewart's recipe as my starting point, I switched out various vegetables and added other ingredients. I also used dried thyme instead of fresh. Otherwise, I followed the cooking method exactly as written.

The ingredients were prepped and I began sauteing the green onions, onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes. After the onions soften, the quinoa is added along with water, thyme, and salt. Halfway through, sliced zucchini is mixed into the quinoa. The total cooking time to cook the quinoa was about 17-20 minutes.

As the quinoa cooked, bacon was cooking in a skillet and almonds were toasting in the oven. The remaining ingredients were prepped and ready to be tossed with the quinoa.

Place the cooked quinoa into a large mixing bowl to toss with additional ingredients.

The flavor of the thyme with the heat of the red pepper is really delicious. I would recommend that you do not leave out the toasted almonds because they add a lot of flavor and crunch. Each portion is packed with a lime wedge to be squeezed over the salad before serving, which adds another dimension of flavor. I would recommend adding chopped flat-leaf parsley, too.

Besides packing for lunches, this would make an excellent light dinner or tasty side dish.

homemade quinoa granola

2012-01-25T10:00:00.003-05:00

I hadn't planned on blogging about this granola. I made it on a whim for breakfast since cereal isn't very filling and I don't always want to eat eggs (hot oatmeal doesn't do it for me). This is probably the least complicated recipe I've made, but it is one of the best. It has quinoa for a little protein, and is packed with fruit and nuts. I didn't use much much quinoa because I wasn't sure of the proportions, so next time I'll add more.

To make this granola, dry ingredients, minus the dried fruit, are mixed in a large bowl. The wet ingredients, butter, pancake syrup, and a little orange juice, are heated together until the butter is melted, then poured over the oatmeal and mixed until coated thoroughly. Little clusters will begin to form. Simply spread it out on a greased baking sheet and bake for a quick thirty minutes. The granola will be lightly golden.

I like how the clusters of oats are studded with quinoa. The quinoa doesn't have too strong of a taste when it's eaten like this.

I've been craving crunchy granola bars and I just might have to play around with this recipe to see what I can do about it. The quinoa will definitely help with the crunchiness.

When I think of granola I think of crunchy clusters of sweet, crispy oatmeal with nuts and dried fruit. Well, there are clusters here - many of them. It ended up not being as sweet as I expected, but the sweetness of the dried fruit helped out. Instead of using honey like I normally do I subbed it with pancake syrup. That's probably why it wasn't as sweet.

I ate a bowl with Greek yogurt, milk, and fresh fruit. I didn't mind that the granola itself wasn't very sweet because I don't want to ingest a sugar bomb so early in the day anyway. Try it out for yourself if you want a healthy, tasty granola.

Print this recipe

homemade quinoa granola
Recipe by Christina Provo

Yields 4-5 cups

Ingredients -
3 cups quick oats
1/2 cup dry quinoa
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup pancake syrup
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons orange juice
pinch of salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup golden raisins

Directions -

Preheat oven to 300°. Grease a rimmed baking sheet. In a large bowl, mix together oatmeal, quinoa, and almonds.

In a medium, microwavable bowl, heat the pancake syrup with the butter, orange juice, and pinch of salt for 2 minutes on high heat, stirring occasionally until butter melts. Pour over oatmeal mixture and stir until oats are coated and clusters begin to form.

Spread evenly onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove sheet from oven and stir granola. Bake for an additional 15 minutes; granola should be lightly golden and crisp. Let cool for 10 minutes before mixing with dried fruit.

Emeril Lagasse's Apple-of-My-Eye Crisp

2012-01-16T10:18:00.006-05:00

So, it snowed this week. I guess that means winter is finally here, so now I have to put up with the flaky white stuff, winds, and chilling temperatures for the next two-three months. It's not so bad when I get around to baking, which is what I did this weekend. My long run was on Saturday and I was anticipating cold, anger, and rage, so I decided to make a dessert to look forward to eating afterward.

I didn't want a cake, tart, or some sort of pretentious dessert that takes five hours to prepare, just something warm and comforting. After reaching that conclusion, my mind shifted to cobblers, crisps, and the like. That led me to my final destination of Emeril Lagasse's Apple-Of-My-Eye Crisp from There's A Chef In My Soup!, a cookbook I had given my brothers a very long time ago. Lil bro had often made the apple crisp and it became everyone's favorite.

What I like about this recipe is the perfect buttery, crispy topping, and the tender apples become that are infused with flavor and suspended in caramely sauce. I forgot that my brother always doubles the topping, uses more brown sugar and less granulated, and increases the apple filling by half, so I made it again yesterday. I'll include the recipe for the normal amount of apples and double the crisp, because the best part of a crisp is... the crisp. Right?

To make the topping, mix together flour, a pinch of salt, and both brown and white sugar. Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse, then chill in the fridge while you prepare the apples.

The recipe calls for two types of apples, Granny Smiths and Golden Delicious, though I used Granny Smiths and a firm red apple suitable for baking. The apples are thickly sliced to keep them from breaking down during baking. The apples are then tossed with lemon juice, then the sugar-corn starch-cinnamon-ginger mixture.

It doesn't look very saucy, but as the apples cook the moisture is released, which helps create the juicy, thick, and spicy sauce.

Carefully spread the crisp topping over the apples, then bake for an hour and fifteen minutes until the apples are bubbly and the topping is a deep brown.

After it bakes, you might be tempted to dig right in. It smells delicious and looks tempting, but you'll probably burn your mouth and the filling won't have set, so let it rest for a little bit. If you don't have any, now would be the perfect time to go on a whipped cream run. You can eat it plain but the cream goes really well with this.

Next time it snows and you're looking out the window in disgust, don't bother leaving. Just head on in to the kitchen and get baking. In particular, this apple crisp.

Print this recipe

Apple-of-My-Eye Crisp
From There's A Chef In My Soup!

Yield - 6-8 Servings

Ingredients -

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Granny Smith apples
3 red baking apples
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon corn starch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions -

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9x9-inch baking dish; set aside.

Place the flour, brown sugar, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and salt in a medium bowl, whisking to combine. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Refrigerate crumb topping while preparing remaining ingredients.

Peel apples, slice in half, then cut out the core. Place one apple half on the cutting board and cut lengthwise in six slices. Place the slices in a large mixing bowl and toss with the lemon juice.

Mix the remaining granulated sugar, cornstarch, and spices together. Toss with the apples until well-coated. Pour the apples into the prepared baking dish and crumble the topping evenly over the mixture.

Bake until golden brown and bubbling, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Carefully remove the dis from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving.

Running Recap

2012-01-08T12:03:00.004-05:00

This was a decent week of running. It started out really cold, snowy, and wintry, but the latter week warmed up nicely and wasn't too bad. I hope it won't get much worse, though you never know around here.

Saturday marked the fourth week of running over twenty miles. It's a doable distance on four days of running a week, though I'll be adding a fifth day soon to prepare myself for running more often. Minor changes for 5-a-day weeks include adding short runs of three miles and reducing the mileage in my midweek runs to one four, five, and six-miler instead of two five or six milers. The long run remains the same.

As for the long runs, I've gotten through three seven-milers and an 8.5 miler pretty well, which leaves me hopeful for half marathon training. In two weeks, I'll alternate between eight and nine milers to slowly increase my endurance.

Most of my runs have been at a slightly quick, yet still manageable pace. I start off slow, then speed up during the latter half of a run. While it feels alright, and considering I haven't done any speed work it's not too bad, I realize I need to focus on maintaining a legitimate slow pace. This week, I'll run two of my runs at a 9:30 pace, specifically the long run and a midweek run. The remaining two will include strides each mile, and a mid-range pace run, so something around 8:40-50. I'll see how that goes.

Monday - 5 miles

Wednesday - 5.6 miles

Thursday - 6 miles

Saturday - 7 miles

Total - 23.6 miles

Oh Nuts Pistachio Rum Balls

2012-01-03T09:52:00.003-05:00

I still remember the day I tried my first rum ball. It was part of a Christmas cookie package and the aroma of the rum permeated the tin. It was chewy, strong, and delicious.

Immediately afterward, I looked up recipes and was amazed by how simple rum balls are to make. It's almost like a Larabar in texture, though very unlike a Larabar except for the nuts. Do you think they'd ever make a rum ball Larabar?

Oh Nuts had sent me these roasted, unsalted pistachios back in December. I had thrown ideas around, never settling on anything. Time eventually flew by and I still hadn't made anything with them. As New Year's approached, I decided the proper use for them would be in a rum ball.

Rum balls are classified as a no-bake cookie. All you do is finely grind the nuts, finely grind vanilla wafers (or puffed rice cereal, shortbread cookies, etc.), and mix the two with confectioners' sugar, a bit of cocoa powder. The dough is made by stirring in rum and corn syrup. I hadn't finely ground the nuts enough, or the wafers, so I think it affected the consistency. I added a little extra water, corn syrup, and rum. I wanted to add more rum, but I hoped the amount I did add (1/3 cup total) would become stronger as the dough refrigerated overnight.

When I started rolling them out, I tasted a bit of the dough. There was a little bite of rumminess in the back of your throat, but it wasn't as strong as I remembered. I ended up liking the flecks of pistachio and was glad I didn't grind them more finely after all.

You can coat these in anything you want, like melted chocolate, chopped nuts, sprinkles... I chose cocoa powder mixed with confectioners' sugar.

It's a good thing I didn't add more rum or else nobody would have enjoyed them. I'll have to make myself a stash of rum balls some other time.

The texture on these was great. They held their shape, but it was very soft and chewy. They're addictive, though I only managed 5 over the course of the night. I bet these would be great to fuel a run, don't you think?

If you're interested in the recipe, check out the recipe at Joy of Baking.

2012 Resolutions?

2012-01-01T12:20:00.004-05:00

Pertaining strictly for my blog, I asked myself if I would bother making any cooking and/or running resolutions. I usually don't make resolutions on New Year's I typically make them up throughout the year. As I've found with my running schedule, though, I seem to stick with a plan compared to making schedules up on the fly so perhaps I should create a list after all. Here goes.

Cooking -

Learn techniques -
I'm decent enough on the cooking and baking front, though I don't feel that I always have basic techniques down. What I have been meaning to do in the past is work my way through a "how to learn everything" cookbook. Martha Stewart has her cooking and baking handbooks, and the Culinary Institute of America has their versions. There is no particular reason why I've always wanted to do this other than to develop a comprehensive culinary knowledge. I don't have any plans to formally enter the culinary world, though I've always wanted to work at a bakery/cafe because it seems fun. Basically, I would like to learn the techniques that separate the chef from the at-home cook, and maybe one day enter the Gordon Ramsay cooking contest show on FOX (not Hell's Kitchen, because the idea of running a kitchen really does sound like hell).

Cook and bake more consistently -
Maybe not so much bake, because who needs that many sweets lying around? But cooking... I get really lax. At best, I make up pasta dishes comprised of sauteed vegetables, maybe a protein, and the pasta. It's weak, and not worth writing home about. Or posting about. Part of this problem comes from a lack of planning, general laziness, or feeling like if I don't create a full meal (with a main entree and sides), it's not a meal. Instead, I could make a nice little stuffed chicken with a vegetable side in 45 minutes. Like I said, I'm just lazy and lack the foresight.

Bread. I used to bake bread religiously, then I fell off the bandwagon. I rarely eat bread nowadays because store-bought bread repulses me. It just isn't that good, and if it is good it costs $5 a loaf. Why pay that much for one loaf when I can buy five pounds of bread flour for approximately the same price? Also, bread making is an art, particularly artisan bread. I've made a few baguettes in the past, and though I really like the no-knead bread technique I want to learn how to really make traditional artisan break.

Pies. Pies are my weakness. The pies I made for Thanksgiving were the best. Why? Because the bottom crusts were crispy. I baked them for much longer than the recipe said to, otherwise it would have been a failure like usual. I don't know why this is. Maybe a pie a month, at least.

I can't think of anymore cooking resolutions right now.

Running -

Training -
I use the word "training" very lightly. Mostly what I mean is that I want to be consistent and build a respectable (for myself) weekly mileage base, like around 30-35 miles per week. I'd like to incorporate speed work, long runs, and whatever on a semi-regular basis so I can be decent at races if I choose to run them, without actually training for any particular race. What I'm saying is that I want to be ready for spur-of-the-moment decisions. I'd also incorporate rest weeks/months where I just run without worrying about speed and crap.

December has been a good month. While the grand total of 94 miles isn't impressive, it represents consistency and the fact that I created a plan for myself that I stuck to. I'm hoping I'll remain consistent as the weather begins to deteriorate. I'm not sure I have any motivation right now other than the realization that I'm no longer young and it's not going to get any easier, so I better do it now. There's nothing like fear to get you moving.

Races -
Um... My racing schedule is tentative. There is the Sunburst half marathon that I've always wanted to do, but couldn't because I never ran enough during the winter to support a decent training plan. I have until the end of January to register for the earliest entry fee of $55, which is the most I'd ever consider paying for a half. I'm saying this because the cost of the race is relative to the effort I'm putting into it. If I know I've slacked off and I won't race as well as I want to, I'm not going to sign up for an expensive race.

Why Sunburst? Sunburst is important to me because if it wasn't for this race, I would never have started running. I trained for it all by myself using a 5k plan from Cooking Light, managed to not get injured thanks to my lack of knowledge (I had no concept of pace -- the first 400s I ever ran were horrible), ran two 5ks leading up to Sunburst, and finally ran the Sunburst 5k in 24:54. It means a lot to me.

Other races are up in the air. I considered the Holy Half in late March, though I'll most likely not run it. There is a half in May I considered, but I'm not signed up for it yet and I still don't know how I feel about it. As for any 5ks and 10ks, my lack of motivation is prompting me to bag racing all year, like in 2011. I'm just not there mentally, and I'm okay with it.

Cool story, right?

Now that I have nothing more to say, I'd like to hear about your goals. What are they, and what do they mean to you?

Happy New Year, folks.

Product Review - Presto Aluminum Pressure Cooker

2011-12-29T12:44:00.003-05:00

I kept putting this review off because I was scared by my pressure cooker. You see, Wayfair.com gave me the opportunity to review a product. I decided to use the opportunity to be somewhat practical instead of ordering a neato appliance like a Belgian waffle iron. Finally, after much thought I decided on a Presto 8 Quart Aluminum Pressure Cooker. When it arrived I assembled the handles and stared at its shininess before putting it in the box and leaving it alone.

The good part of a pressure cooker is that foods can be cooked in half the time it normally takes. How? The ingredients are placed in the cooker, or in a bowl placed on a rack in the cooker. The lid is latched on and the cooker heats up. As the heat rises, pressure builds up inside and the lid is locked. The pressure regulator, a knob placed on the vent pipe, gently rocks back and forth to let you know the proper amount of steam is escaping. Because of the built up pressure, the food cooks quicker. Also, this method of cooking preserves the nutrients of the food you're cooking. Win-win.

What I found to be scary about this particular model is, how do I know if it's cooking at the correct temperature? What exactly is a "gentle rocking"? What if I lower the heat too much and it stops rocking? The only way to figure it out was to try it, which we did on Christmas. We wanted a wild rice pilaf that normally takes an hour to cook, but would take just 25 minutes in the pressure cooker.

Rice has to be cooked in a covered bowl inside the cooker. Why? The manual says that since rice tends to foam when it cooks it has a tendency to clog the vent hole. Fortunately, I have a medium size metal bowl that fit nicely inside. This model comes with a rack, so I put the rack on the bottom and poured two cups of water inside, which is to keep the cooker from drying out and burning.

The vegetables (onions, carrots, mushrooms, celery and garlic) are cooked in a separate skillet, then mixed with the rice, chicken broth, and white wine. Stir it once, then cover tightly with foil and place inside the cooker.

Here is the lid. See the hole on the handle? That's where the air vent cover. The lock pin is on the bottom handle, and it locks when the pressure builds inside the cooker. Once it locks, you can't open it until the pressure is reduced. More on that in a bit.

On top of the lid is the vent pipe, where the regulator is placed. If it rocks too vigorously, excess steam is released and the food might scorch because the liquid evaporates too quickly.

I see the temperature knob is on 7 in the background, so in this picture I had started to reduce the heat. You need to remain nearby so that you can gradually lower the heat enough to maintain a gentle rocking. If it stops rocking, you'll need to raise it. Unlike a slow cooker, a pressure cooker does require a bit of attention. Also, make sure you set a timer.

After the timer buzzes, the pressure needs to be reduced. Depending on what you're making there are two ways to do it. One, you can "manually" reduce it by running cold water on top of the cooker. Two, you let the cooker reduce pressure itself by removing it from the heat. Once the lock drops, you can open the lid. However, don't lock the lid back on to keep the food warm... Because the lock might rise again and you'll have to wait until it drops.

Yeah.

Anyway, the latter method adds another 10-20 minutes onto the cooking time, so it almost equaled cooking the rice in a pot on the stove, though I kind of liked cooking it in the pressure cooker. The rice came out moist and it was cooked through. I'm going to enjoy cooking with the pressure cooker and will try to turn it into a series on here.

For the technical side.

This cooker is sold for $44.69 on Wayfair.com. It's aluminum, so it's not as expensive as a stainless steel model. Stainless steel is actually preferable because it's less likely to get warped and distributes heat better, but for the average person (like myself) an aluminum model works just fine. Just don't turn the heat up to high when you're first bringing it up to pressure and it'll be okay.

I chose the 8-quart size because I can cook larger batches of food at a time. A 4-6 quart would be best if you're single or are cooking for two, three, or even four. I wanted the option of being able to cook large batches for leftovers. The smaller the cooker, the less it costs.

There are electric models and models with a different regulating system on top, but for now I think I'm satisfied with the way this one works. As I continue using it, I'll be able to provide a more in depth review, so stay tuned.

Christmas Dinner Done Differently

2011-12-27T11:51:00.002-05:00

Christmas dinner was a little different this year. Instead of a turkey or ham, my mom wanted to try stuffed chicken breasts. They're fancy with the stuffed filling, and the only real work to prepare them consists of butterflying and pounding split chicken breasts, rolling the chicken up, and securing the rolls with cooking twine.

We started off by preparing a fig and leek filling. Oh Nuts had sent me some figs, so I figured this was a perfect opportunity to finally use them. They were soft, especially for being dried figs, and reconstituted nicely in heated orange juice. Finely chopped leeks, a bit of salt, and white wine were mixed in.

The key to keep the chicken from falling apart is to secure the roll with cooking twine. I've used toothpicks before, but it's not as good. Mom had the idea to drape the excess skin on top to keep the chicken breasts moist and develop a crispy crust.

For flavoring, I coarsely ground dried rosemary with kosher salt, red clay sea salt, and pepper. I sprinkled the mixture underneath the skin (as well as rubbing the chicken with butter) and on top. The last chicken roll was placed in a parchment pouch. I've never cooked a chicken like this before, but it came out incredibly moist.

Once the chicken is cooked, we let it rest, covered, so that the juices won't ooze out when sliced.

The stuffed chicken tasted great and the figgy-leek filling was very tasty. It made for a great change of pace to turkey and didn't require much prep time or post feast clean up.

Along with the chicken, we had rice pilaf cooked in a pressure cooker (post to come), roasted Yukon gold potatoes, homemade bread rolls, and homemade cranberry sauce.

What did you guys have for Christmas dinner?

Chex Party Mix-Exchange Giveaway Winner

2011-12-19T14:00:00.002-05:00

I'm two hours late in putting this up. Oops. Finally, the winner has been selected by process of a random number generator. The lucky person who gets to celebrate with Chex cereal is:

JC, 16 December, 2011 13:47

http://twitter.com/#!/tcarolinep/status/147749087318515712

Congrats, JC! Since you included your email in another comment, I'll be contacting you for your shipping info.

Thank you to everyone who entered!

Also, I'm lame because I really haven't blogged about anything Christmasy. I'm not really going to apologize because I just haven't been in the mood for cookies. Oops, again. I have been running though, but I haven't felt like talking about that either. You've heard this before, right? You've probably also heard me say I'm going to make a concerted effort to talk about it more, since that's what my blog is about. We'll see. I guess I just don't like to talk about running much.

Fail.

Giveaway Winner!

2011-12-16T12:51:00.003-05:00

For those of you who entered the BonJour Cafe Latte Frother, the winner has been chosen by process of a random number generator. The lucky winner is:

Laurel, 14 December, 2011 16:48

Let's face it: lattes are just better with foam. :)

Congrats, Laurel! Please email me at christinaATrunningfoodieDOTcom so I can collect your info.

Thanks to everyone who entered. If you'd like to enter another giveaway, head on over to the Chex cereal prize pack giveaway.

MyBlogSpark: Host A Chex Party Mix-Change - Recipes+Giveaway

2011-12-15T13:56:00.005-05:00

**Giveaway is closed**

MyBlogSpark and Chex Cereal want to liven up your holiday cookie exchange by giving you tips on how to host a Chex Party Mix-Change. To help give you some ideas, I was given a variety of Chex Cereal, cute red and green take out boxes, and a $20 Visa gift card to purchase additional ingredients and packaging supplies. The premise was to host a party and show you guys how to create different Chex cereal treats for a holiday exchange, but that didn't quite work out so I made a few recipes myself.

Although cookies are sweet, no one can resist a savory Chex mix. This recipe for Easy Cheddar Chex Mix is simple to make and uses a cheddar cheese packet from a box of macaroni & cheese (the noodles can be added to soup or something). The flavor is boosted with garlic powder, dried mustard, and a pinch of cayenne pepper for heat. It tastes really amazing.

I packaged it in a cute Christmas tin I bought from the craft store, though you can find nice tins at the dollar store, too. For gift giving, the latter would be the economical choice and what I'd do if I packaged cookies in tins. Lining the tins in plastic wrap and wax paper keep the cereal secure and doesn't mess up the tin. Fold the excess paper on top before closing with a lid.

If you're serving the treats at a party, mini cupcake liners are the perfect way to portion out servings that are easy to hold and munch on. That's what I did with the White Chocolate & Peppermint Chex. It's made similarly to the favorite puppy chow, only instead of chocolate and peanut butter I just melted white chocolate chips. It's flavored with peppermint extract and made a little more festive with green and red nonpareil sprinkles. The sprinkles show up underneath the confectioners' sugar coating, looking like Christmas lights covered with snow! It's delicious and addictive.

Finally, we have Chocolate Caramel Cinnamon Chex. It's the most complicated recipe of the three, but it's also one of the best. The crunchy caramel-chocolate coating is made similarly to the coating for caramel corn. I adapted it from a recipe I found over at AllRecipes.com. Instead of using just regular Chex cereal, I used some of the Cinnamon Chex to give it even more flavor.

To giveaway, you can fill holiday baggies with the cooled caramel chex and package it in festive takeout containers.

Giveaway Details

If you would like to host your own Chex Party Mix-Change (for what will most likely be for New Year's... Yeah, I suck), here's how you can win the neato prize pack consisting of five boxes of Chex cereal, a featured recipe booklet, takeout boxes, and a $20 Visa gift card.

1. Leave a comment on my blog telling me what your favorite Chex cereal creation is.

2. Tweet about this giveaway, including a link to this post and @runningfoodie. Leave a second comment to let me know.

The giveaway ends Monday, the 19th, at 12 noon. U.S. residents only, please. My apologies to my out of country readers, but it's the rules from the company.

Good luck!

Wayfair.Com Giveaway: BonJour Cafe Latte Frother

2011-12-14T07:01:00.002-05:00

**Giveaway Closed**

It's my birthday today, and on this day I'd like to show my appreciation to my readers by giving you the chance to win a gift. The generous folks at Wayfair.Com have given me the opportunity not just to review a product, but to host a giveaway for my readers as well! While I typically only host giveaways for products I have tried first, I figure you can't go wrong with a basic milk frother.

The product that's being given away is the BonJour Cafe Latte Frother in Gray. What's so great about a milk frother and why do I think you need one? No one needs a milk frother, but it's a fun tool to have and it's not something you'd typically get for yourself. I use a milk plunger to create foam for coffee, hot chocolate, and other drinks of that nature. I enjoy doing it because it takes an ordinary hot drink and makes it something special. Isn't that partly why we enjoy lattes from cafes? Now, you can make special drinks at home!

According to the website's description:

This battery-operated frother whips milk into thick foam in seconds for creating a latte, cappuccino, or macchiato. It's also handy for sauces, hot chocolate, foamy cocktails, and even scrambles eggs. The soft-touch push down button and chrome stand make this easy to use and store. Powered by 4 "AA" batteries (not included).

It's the perfect tool for creating foam quickly during holiday parties, before enjoying hot chocolate during a Christmas movie, and you can even puree sauces and small batches of soup. I hope the lucky winner will enjoy it!

You can enter up to three times for additional entries for the giveaway:

1. Comment on this post. Tell me what drink you'd like to top with milk foam.

2. Follow me on Twitter, and tweet about this giveaway, including "@runningfoodie" and a link to this post. Comment again to let me know.

3. Like Wayfair on Facebook, leaving a comment on their wall with a link to this post, letting them know you entered the giveaway from She Runs, She Eats. Comment a third time to let me know.

And that's it! Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Giveaway ends Friday at noon, when I'll pick a winner. Good luck!

Gingerbread House '11

2011-12-13T13:45:00.004-05:00

This is it. The house this year took about a week to put together and included a lot of sugar, flour, and candy. The design of the house wasn't as intricate on the outside, but the inside is full of character, like a second floor in both the side buildings, a leg lamb, nativity scene, children's bedroom, and a spiral staircase. I sucked at taking pictures this year, unfortunately. I still have good ones to show you, so take a look.

To begin, stencil cut outs are traced on a sheet of rolled out gingerbread dough, then baked until crisp. After the pieces have cooled, the shapes are lined with royal icing and flooded with thinned royal icing. Finally, they're dusted with sanding sugar for a sparkly effect.

We ran into a snafu with the gingerbread this year, though. Although it baked up and cooled to a crisp, the pieces softened the next day. This was the same dough we used last year so it's not like we changed anything. Many things could have been the culprit, like not rolling the dough out thinly enough, baking the pieces long enough, or more humidity in the air. The most unfortunate part is that we realized the pieces would hold after we had iced many of them. In the end, we found a different gingerbread recipe that bakes up into a thin cracker-like, but still edible, cookie. Problem solved. It was easier to make, too.

Construction went together easily and we didn't have any trouble with the new pieces staying in place. Here is the front entrance. The door is surrounded with stained glass, and on the inside is a gingerbread Christmas tree and hand-painted chocolate candy presents and toys.

Here is one of the second floors, featuring a pretzel bed with candy toys. The floor is lined with fruit leather.

Directly below that is the nativity scene, with baby Jesus in a manger surrounded by Mary, Joseph, and a little lamb.

On top of the pizzelle roof is a festive fondant snowman.

On the other side of the house, the fondant man is falling over the balcony after he dropped the second fondant snowman. Poor Frosty.

Fondant woman looks on in concern.

Here are a few stats:

The entire house is edible, right down to the chocolate pieces and fondant figures. The only piece that isn't edible is the board.

I ate less than 1 cup total candy while constructing this house. I didn't measure it but I know I didn't eat much because when I do, I usually get nauseous.

One week to build. We worked mostly in the evenings. We rushed to put it together at the very end, though we managed not to make any shortcuts.

Rolling out the new batch of gingerbread dough was a workout. Thankfully, the 20" tapered bamboo rolling pin I got last year came in handy. Really. Unlike a traditional rolling pin with handles, you can't seamlessly roll around the entire piece of dough, and these sheets of dough were huge. The weight pressure is evenly distributed and my arms were spared any horrific pain.

They say chocolate gets everywhere when you're making chocolates. Well, so does confectioners' sugar. On the floor, on your hands, in your hair (I'm assuming, as I didn't wash my hands after they came in contact), counters, etc. It was like a crack house!

Okay, I exaggerate.

The house was put on display at The College Football Hall of Fame, along with all the other houses submitted by festive bakers, to be gazed upon by visitors. Judging took place last weekend, and we took home 1st place again! The prize pack was pretty good, consisting of chocolate candies from the Chocolate Cafe, gift certificates to local stores and restaurants, and tickets to a holiday-themed symphony event put on by the local symphony. Fun times.

Have you guys built a house this year? I would love to see them if you did, so link to your posts in the comment section and let me know what your favorite part of building a house is.

If you enjoyed reading this, please help us win another contest for last year's house over at the Global Gingerbread Contest. Vote for the Provo Family. Thanks!

Upcoming Wayfair.com Review

2011-12-06T23:46:00.002-05:00

Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of gingerbread updates, but things got pretty intense and down to the wire. We got it finished and brought it over to the College Football Hall of Fame, where it awaits the judges. I'll get those posts up soon.

In the meantime, Wayfair.com contacted me about a possible review. Wayfair used to be CSN Stores, though they recently changed. Their quality and quantity of merchandise has not changed, as they continue to be a one stop shopping experience with products ranging from kitchen appliances, kitchen rugs, furniture, and more.

I have an idea of what I'll select to review. It'll make for a great new series of posts, especially for those of you who find cooking to take too long. It's not a new method, but it's a method I'm new to and hopefully it'll be beneficial to some of you.

Can't wait to share it!

Kettle Cuisine Frozen Soup Review

2011-11-30T12:55:00.004-05:00

Kettle Cuisine is an independent, artisan soup maker specializing in wholesome, flavorful soups made from real ingredients. Founded by Jerry Shafir, the goal of Kettle Cuisine was to remain close to the roots of the culinary industry by offering minimally processed soups that contained no artificial ingredients. When Jerry learned that his daughter needed to maintain a gluten-free diet, he transformed his soups into great tasting gluten-free soups that everyone can enjoy.

After learning about Kettle Cuisine when I received an email from Lucinda, I was eager to try them out. I like having a quick meal option on hand when I get back from a run and warm soups fit the bill.

I received six different flavors, Thai curry chicken soup, tomato soup with garden vegetables, roasted vegetable soup, chicken chili with white beans, New England clam chowder, three bean chili, and organic mushroom and potato soup. I was expecting just two or three, so that was a nice surprise! The flavors all sounded delicious, and in a little over a week I had eaten them all.

The creamy soups contained cream (or coconut milk in the Thai soup) and are thickened with rice flour and/or rice starch. I know from baking with rice flours that it can leave a detectable taste, but I didn't notice it at all here. Nutrition wise, the creamy soups had around 330 calories and 10-15 grams of fat. The protein content was about 15-25 depending on the type of soup.

The lightest soup I tried was the tomato soup with garden vegetables, which had a mere 110 calories and is more as a side to a sandwich or something heftier.

You can cook the soups two ways, in the stove or the microwave. I tried it in the stove first. Before plopping the soup out of the bowl and into a pot, the instructions say to run the bottom of the bowl under cool water to loosen the soup from the bowl. Make sure you hold the plastic film top down or else it'll pop off.

There were no instructions on cooking temperature, so I heated the soup up on medium-low and covered the pot. It took a little longer than ten minutes to heat the soup up this way.

For the remaining soups, I heated them in the microwave. It took 4-5 minutes for them to be heated thoroughly and it tastes just the same.

I was blown away by the flavors. They were pronounced, lively, and tasted like soup from a restaurant or cafe. My only "complaint" was that I felt there needed to be more salt to bring the flavors to life. They were present and identifiable, but they lacked that extra punch that marries the tastes together. I added a pinch of kosher salt and was satisfied. Other than that, the soups contained a good amount of vegetables, meat, or beans and the broth wasn't runny, even in the creamless soups. Many soups seem to skimp on ingredients or use filler vegetables like corn, but not here.

Kettle Cuisine soups are more expensive than other brands, at $4.95 a bowl online, or $3.99 in stores. This might deter me from buying them because while they're very tasty, they don't make up an entire meal for me. They are available for purchase online or in select stores.

FiberScrumptious Mini Muffins Review

2011-11-29T08:00:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago I received an email from Ashley, founder of FiberScrumptious.com, asking if I'd be interested in tasting and reviewing their high fiber muffins. I hadn't heard of FiberScrumptious before so I went to their website to read up. After doing so, I quickly agreed and was looking forward to tasting the muffins.

FiberScrumptious was started by Ashley who, after being diagnosed with IBS, was constantly on the lookout for ways to incorporate more fiber into her diet. She looked to premade fiber muffins from the store as a snack, though she found that she had to buy just a few at a time or else they'd become dry, stale, and moldy quickly. During her pregnancy it was even more difficult to make the weekly trip to the store, so she whipped up a batch of homemade, high fiber muffins in her kitchen. And so her company was born.

FiberScrumptious is now an online muffin factory of sorts where batches of tasty, fiber-packed mini muffins are whipped up. A serving of four muffins contains 100-120 calories and 13-15 grams of fiber, and costs $3.50 per pack. Each batch of muffins are frozen after being baked. Because there are no preservatives, freezing the muffins helps keep them fresh during transit. When they arrive, you can freeze them until ready to eat.

There are many wonderful flavors available, like Lemon and White Chocolate Chip, though the Roasted Black Sesame and Peanut Butter Chip and Banana Chocolate Chip stood out to me at the time. My package of muffins arrived on Thanksgiving Eve, packed in a foil liner with ice packs to keep the muffins chilled. Instructions for thawing are on the label. They were a welcomed snack to munch on while prepping for the Thanksgiving meal.

The highlight of these muffins for me is that there are no unnatural ingredients, additives, or fillers. Most of the ingredients are organic, but mainly they're all ingredients you can find in stores to cook with on your own. I appreciate.

The texture was moist and spongy. They weren't dry at all and the flavor of the Banana Chocolate Chip tasted great. The banana was prominent, and the taste was complimented by the chocolate chips.

While I liked the idea of the Roasted Black Sesame and Peanut Butter Chip, the flavor was a little too earthy for me. I felt that there needed to be more sugar, or peanut butter actually in the batter. As a savory muffin it would be excellent. Black sesames can have an intense taste, and it's a flavor I don't think I am used to. Texture-wise, though, I felt the same about these as I did the banana muffins.

Overall, I really liked this product. While it's more costly than buying packaged fiber cookies/muffins/sawdust blocks from the store, with FiberScrumptious Mini Muffins you know exactly what you're putting into your body. They're a light snack and healthier than a latte from the coffee shop, to put the price into perspective. If I were to develop a Running Foodie rating system consisting of soles and whisks, where soles are for non-edible products and whisks are for edible items, I'd give five whisks. Check them out!

FiberScrumptious on Facebook

Gingerbread House '11 - The Beginning

2011-11-28T20:01:00.003-05:00

It's that time of year again. For the next 3-4 days, my family and I will be rushing frantically to create our gingerbread house for the yearly contest at the College Football Hall of Fame. We started cutting out the template last night.

To get an idea of the dimensions of the house, and so that we could size out a platform, the house was constructed with cardboard cutouts. It looks pretty plain, but by doing this we were able to work out some ideas we had, which is better than trying to make decisions when we're in a hurry.

One batch of gingerbread was put together and refrigerated overnight. We use this recipe because it makes a crapton of dough, bakes up crispy, and doesn't spread. The original recipe uses butter, though we use shortening so it won't spread and because we aren't eating it.

There has already been a casualty - the handle of a giant red spatula. This is a seriously heavy dough that can only be mixed by a KitchenAid or sturdy wooden spoon.

If you'd like to look at our gingerbread houses from the past, here are the links. And when you're done, vote for our house from last year that's listed under Provo Family in the Global Gingerbread Contest. Thank you!

Gingerbread House '08, Part One
Gingerbread House '08, Part Two
Gingerbread House '09
Gingerbread House '10

Cake Plate Boutique - Guest Post by Avriel Weston

2011-11-28T12:08:00.003-05:00

One and a half weeks ago, on November 17, Skirt PR hosted a trunk show in Chicago featuring Cake Plate Boutique from Napa, CA. The event, taking place at Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique, showcases Napa fashions, featuring outfits and accessories from various designers. Along with fashion, cupcakes from Sugar Bliss were served with wine straight from Napa.

My plan was to attend the event on behalf of Foodbuzz, but I wasn't able to go. Instead of scrapping the event, I asked a friend, Avriel Weston, from Chicago if she would like to go in my place. Luckily, she and one of her friends were able to attend Cake Plate Boutique. Avriel was kind enough to snap some pictures and write up her thoughts of the event, so take a look!

I was very excited for the opportunity to attend the Cake Plate Boutique Trunk Show on behalf of Christina for Foodbuzz. The trunk show was set up by Skirt PR, a Chicago Public Relations Agency, that worked in conjunction with Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique to bring the Napa Valley based boutique to Chicago. After we worked out the kinks, like if I needed to wear a skirt or not, I took a friend and attended the event.

Good thing skirts weren't mandatory because the night of the show was one of the coldest Chicago has had since last winter. Since I came straight from work, I was a bit early, and due to the weather, I ended up going in before they could roll out the Pink Carpet at the entrance (which I was a bit bummed about because that seemed like it would be real fun).

The location of the show is actually Sugar Bliss' second location. It is a quaint space that fits the Napa Valley fashion very well. The ambiance was nice: free champagne and many dresses that I found could be worn in a Chicago winter, which I liked. The event was more laid back then I expected, and everyone was very nice. I like that the clothing seemed to be in the background of the event and I didn't feel obligated to purchase anything; however, the highlight of the event had to be the cupcakes!

Sugar Bliss bakes their cakes daily. They have set flavors they make everyday, as well as another six flavors they make depending on the day of the week. Along with that variety, there is also a different breakfast cupcake each morning and a daily seasonal flavor, which was Cranberry Orange that day. The cupcakes were delicious. The only one out for the tasting was the chocolate mini-cupcake, so I bought a mix of six differently flavored minis that I took home. Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to take a picture of them before they flipped in the box and no longer had the cute Signature Sugar Bliss Bloom intact.

The cake itself is very moist and the frosting is light and flavorful. I'm more of a thick buttercream frosting type of gal but found that I really enjoyed the lightness of their frosting. The six minis I bought were: Chocolate Peanut Butter, Carrot Cake, Red Velvet, Orange Creamsicle (which the boyfriend ate and said tasted surprisingly like the real deal), and Chocolate Coconut. They were all great, but the Chocolate Coconut is a must have--I will definitely go back for a large one of those! I was given strict directions not to put the cupcakes in the fridge if I couldn’t eat them right away; unfortunately, I have two cats that love to get into food that’s left out, so I had to break the rule. The good news is that even after two days in the refrigerator, the cupcakes were still moist and delicious!

I'm glad I had the opportunity to go to this event and learn about a new bakery in Chicago. And learning of a boutique to go to if I ever find myself in Napa Valley? Priceless!

How to Indulge (In a Healthy Way) This Holiday Season

2011-11-23T12:00:00.005-05:00

Hey guys, fancy seeing you again! I hope all your Thanksgiving cooking preparations are coming together smoothly, and I hope I was able to give you a few last minute ideas if you needed inspiration.

Running With Mascara asked me if I was interested in guest blogging for them. In exchange, they created a guest post for my blog! Our topic of interest is how to indulge without breaking the bank during the holidays. You can check out my article on their blog. For now, sit back, relax, and enjoy the post.

How to Indulge (In a Healthy Way) This Holiday Season
By Emilie Yount

It’s inevitable; when family and friends are back in town, whether it’s from school, the armed forces or after a move to a new city, the urge to go out and party hardy is a very real dilemma. Whether you’ve just started a new diet or exercise regimen or just don’t want to pile on any extra weight around the middle this holiday season, you have some decisions to make. There are more than a few ways to avoid weight gain from holiday food and those nights out drinking with friends:

1. Know Your Limits 
The last thing you want your ‘back in town’ friends to remember from the Christmas or New Year’s party is you falling face-first into the bar floor after one too many. Letting loose is natural around the holidays; most people have a few days (or a week, if you’re lucky!) off of work and it’s natural to want to unwind and enjoy yourself. Avoid weight gain and general embarrassment by switching off between your alcoholic drink of choice and a glass of water or sparkling water. That will also help you avoid that soul-crushing hangover the next morning. Stick with Amstel Light or vodka with soda water to curb your carb intake. Go ahead and get down to some music by Ke$ha while sipping- we won’t judge! ;) That will also help burn off some of the calories you’ve been imbibing.

2. Skip That Extra-Large Coffee Beverage 
Most people enjoy a coffee treat now and then, whether it comes in the form of a hot chocolate, vanilla latte, smoothie or thick shake. The only thing we don't like is when we end up eating our weight in calories that we don't need to be consuming. There are plenty of guiltless beverages you can buy at the mall while doing your holiday shopping, so seek out smaller sizes that you can add soy milk to instead of getting the standard 10 pumps of sugar and heavy cream put into your travel mug!

3. Chocolate Isn’t Off Limits
 I would never say it’s okay to eat two chocolate bars a day, but a bit of dark chocolate is actually good for you - in moderation, of course! Chocolate contains the same antioxidants found in bananas, strawberries and spinach. Try this recipe for Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies!

4. Pre-Veg 
No, not ‘pre-drink’. Save that for the college freshmen. ‘Pre-veg’ by enjoying some veggies with hummus and whole wheat pitas before you hit the holiday party circuit. This will keep your paws off the chicken wings, spinach artichoke dip and other super-appealing-but-oh-so-fattening appetizers. I’ve found that the best way to enjoy some veggies with the same flavor of Buffalo wings is to dip carrots and celery into low-fat blue cheese dressing (just a little!) with a touch of hot sauce. Check out the ways you can flavor boost and calorie reduce here!

Enjoying the holidays is key. It’s important to unwind and relax before you head back to work after the November and December holiday celebrations. Follow these simple tips so that you will still be able to enjoy yourself in a smart way. Planning on spring vacation? Sign up at the gym or find a great new workout DVD NOW. Waiting until after the New Year never did anyone any favors! Get into the habit during the season so that you aren’t forced to work through a half-hearted resolution come January 1st. Believe me, I know!

Last Minute Meal Ideas

2011-11-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving Eve! You probably have your menu all set and ready to go, but if you're still undecided about certain dishes, you forgot an ingredient for your special recipe and can't make it to the store, or you want to add a new dish or dessert, here is a selection of previously blogged recipes for you to contemplate.

Appetizers -

Mushroom & Walnut Spread
Lentil Olive Salad with Fresh Mozzarella
Caramelized Onion Latkes with Aioli

Side Dishes -

Candied Sweet Potato Casserole
Butternut Squash Aioli with Blanched Asparagus
Lentils with Jalapeno, Cilantro, and Queso Fresco

Bread -

Cornmeal Rolls
Rustic Sun Dried Tomato Rolls
Everest Biscuits

Tired of turkey?

Roasted Lentil Gravy with Prune Stuffed Pork Loin

Dessert -

Tigger-Proof Pumpkin Pie
Apple Custard Crumb Pie

Masoor Dal - Indian Lentils

2011-11-21T10:52:00.003-05:00

Masoor dal is one of my favorite comfort dishes. It doesn't contain a pint of cream, nor is it loaded with a stick of butter, as my variation uses significantly less oil than the original recipe. What makes it a good comfort food is the rich flavor from the spices and the heartiness from the lentils. It's easy to put together and doesn't weigh heavily in the stomach. I like to serve it with rice, but today I served it with cornbread. You could even serve it with pasta because it's pretty versatile.

Garam masala, a traditional Indian spice mix, is what you're supposed to use, though I subbed Chinese 5-spice because that's what I have in the spice cabinet. There are a few similar spices used, but overall it's different. It's still imparts a spicy, smoky flavor, which is the important part. I did have ground coriander, an ingredient in garam masala, so I added some of that along with turmeric for color, like the recipe says to do.

The spices work to flavor the dish in two ways. First, half the spices are added to the lentils as they cook. The remaining spices are sauteed with onions. These spices are fat soluble, meaning the flavor is released the most when they come in contact with fat.

To begin, rinse 2 cups of black lentils. Add to boiling water and simmer until halfway cooked. The spices and salt are then added and the lentils continue to cook until soft. You're looking for a texture similar to thick cream, as the recipe states. This doesn't mean you want to cook the lentils to a mush. The lentils need to be combined with just enough water to maintain a loose texture without being too soupy. Additional hot water is added throughout the cooking period if needed to maintain consistency.

This was my first time making masoor dal with black lentils instead of green lentils. I liked it because the black lentils hold their shape better and have a heartier texture. It works with any type of lentil that retains their shape when cooked, so there's no need to buy a specific type.

If your lentils are cooked and there is still too much water, as pictured above, simmer gently, uncovered, to let the excess water evaporate.

The additional ingredients are onions, garlic, ginger, and pureed tomatoes. You're supposed to use jalapenos and cilantro, but I didn't have any. Luckily, the canned, diced tomatoes I used were Mexican-style and contained green chiles, so I got some heat that way. Make sure you puree the tomatoes because it contributes to the texture of the sauce, whereas leaving them diced would make it chunkier and less saucy.

Saute the onions in two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Saute until tender and translucent, taking care not to let them brown.

The garlic, ginger, and chiles, if you have them. Right now, it's smelling pretty great. Continue to saute the mixture until onions are deep yellow. Now, the rest of the spices and salt are mixed in and fried until the spices "stick".

When the spices soak up the moisture are sticking to the skillet, the pureed tomatoes and cilantro are poured in to release the spice fond. I cook this mixture for 3-5 minutes to heat the tomatoes and reduce them slightly.

Add the cooked lentils and stir to combine with the sauce. Taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary.

That's all it takes to get of Indian lentils for dinner. This meal is full of protein, and the flavors taste even better the next day. I often eat a bowl of lentils for breakfast because it's so good. I'll be making this recipe often throughout wintertime.

Print this recipe

Masoor Dal
Recipe modified from Indian Food Forever

Ingredients -

2 cups black or green lentils
2 1/2 teaspoons garam masala or Chinese 5 spice powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped finely
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 (1-inch piece) ginger root, chopped finely
2 jalapeno chiles, chopped (seeded if you want it less spicy)
1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, pureed
1 bunch coriander, chopped

Directions -

In a 3 quart pot, bring 4 cups water to a boil. Rinse lentils thoroughly. Add them to boiling water. Stir, and reduce heat to maintain a continuous simmer.

Cook the lentils for 15 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon garam masala or Chinese 5 spice, 1/2 coriander, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, and 1 teaspoon salt. As lentils cook, uncovered, water will evaporate and mixture will thicken. Add more water to keep dal loose, like texture of thick cream. When dal is soft (an additional 10-15 minutes), turn off heat.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When oil is very hot, add onions and cook until tender and translucent but not browned.

Add garlic, ginger and chiles. Continue to fry until onions are deep-yellow. Add remaining spices and salt. Do not allow spices to burn. Keep stirring until mixtures starts to stick to skillet.

Add tomatoes and cilantro. Cook until tomato softens and thickens slightly, about 3-5 minutes. Pour in pot of lentils and simmer to blend flavors. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Classico Light Creamy Alfredo Sauce with Homemade Tomato Pasta

2011-11-19T10:43:00.004-05:00

My pasta-plating skills need work.

Foodbuzz Tastemaker sent me a jar of Classico Light Alfredo Sauce to review. I typically stay away from light products, but the ingredient list here looked decent and contained just a few thickeners. Alfredo sauce is exceptionally heavy, so perhaps a light version would be a good thing.

To accompany my review is a batch of homemade pasta, which I had been meaning to try make for a while. What stopped me was the process of rolling it out by hand. But it tastes so good, and I was prepared to do whatever it took.

I knew I wanted to make a flavored pasta. Tomato seemed easy enough, especially after finding this recipe. Their recipe uses tomato paste to flavor the pasta and is incredibly simply.

In a small saucepan, I heated half a can of tomato paste with olive oil until warm. The recipe says to add olive oil, though it isn't amongst the ingredients. I used about a tablespoon. The warm tomato paste is whisked into beaten eggs, then poured into the flour.

After a ten minute knead (which made my palms itchy), the dough is covered and rested for an hour to help relax the glutens and hydrate the dough. It also supposedly makes it easier to roll out.

I don't have a pasta machine, but I do have a nice rolling pin. It's long and has tapered edges and makes rolling out wide doughs easier than using a rolling pin with handles. I would suggest picking one up (or adding it to your Christmas list...).

My method for rolling out pasta dough is to flour the underside and top of the dough. Roll it out, then lift the sheet and dust with flour if needed. I repeat this five times and let it rest, covered, for ten minutes to relax the dough. Once it's rested, I roll it out again 5 times. Sometimes I flop the sheet over. Once it's fairly thin, about 1/4 of an inch, I dust with flour, roll the sheet up, and slice into strips.

I sliced my pasta into thick strips. It doesn't look like there's much pasta, but because it is thicker it works out to the same amount as pasta from a box.

Unroll the strips and toss with a little extra flour. Since I wasn't making the pasta a day in advance, I laid the strips on a cooling rack and let it stay out overnight to dry. The pasta takes about 5 minutes to cook in boiling, salted water. It's chewy, delicious, and has a great tomato flavor. You could add herbs and it would make it taste even better.

The sauce tasted great. It was lighter and not as heavy as a richer sauce, though it still had a pronounced parmesan flavor. It coated the pasta nicely. The alfredo sauce contains 60 calories and 5 mg of fat per 1/4 cup serving, and serves seven. For me, though, I used the jar up for 4 servings, but that's fine with me. I'd purchase this again if I found it on sale.

What's your favorite pasta sauce?

Seventh Generation Dish Soap Giveaway Winner

2011-11-18T10:52:00.003-05:00

Hey guys. Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway! It's a pretty neat prize, and I wish I had more than one to give away.

The winner for today is:

Susan, 16 November, 2011 22:57

Fresh Citrus and Ginger, especially after the food pairing.

Congratulations, Susan! Please email me at christina@runningfoodie.com so I can collect your shipping info.

Happy Weekend, everyone!

Blackened Tuna (or Salmon) with Roasted Ginger-Orange Green Beans

2011-11-16T10:36:00.004-05:00

In yesterday's post, I mentioned the recipe I made that incorporated the flavors of the soaps (click here if you need to refresh your memory or enter the giveaway). I chose citrus and ginger since that is the soap I'm currently using, and because I like cooking with both those ingredients.

I started by tossing fresh green beans with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Fresh ginger gets grated on top and mixed in, then slices of orange are placed on top of the green beans while it roasts. The ginger isn't overwhelming and the flavors taste pretty good. I was nibbling on them while the fish cooked.

As for the fish, I wasn't quite sure how I wanted to prepare it. It wasn't until I was getting a coffee at Victorian Pantry that I got an idea. I've mentioned before that Steve, the owner, has started selling specialty blended teas, which I once used in cupcakes. I saw a Tangerine Rooibos this time and figured it would taste pretty good as a seasoning for the fish, and keeping with the citrus theme. Rooibos tea leaves aren't as strong as black tea, so I didn't have to worry about the tea overpowering the taste of the tuna and salmon. Eventually, I settled on blackened fish, a dish I haven't made before.

Both tuna and salmon were on sale at the local store. I got some of each since I knew some of my eaters wouldn't feel comfortable eating seared tuna. The salmon was wild, and the tuna was sushi grade yellowfin.

So blackened fish. What is it? I looked up some recipes online and I found that it's just a paprika-based seasoning that completely coats both sides of the fish. The fish is then seared in a hot skillet, long enough for each side to develop a crispy coating that looks almost blackened, but isn't. You either finish cooking it in the oven, under the broiler, or in the case of tuna, you don't keep cooking it.

My seasoning mix consisted of the tangerine rooibos tea, paprika, oregano, onion and garlic powder, coarse salt, pepper, and a bit of sugar.

To prepare the fish, I melted butter in a skillet on low heat. Both sides of the salmon and tuna were dipped into the butter, then into the tea seasoning until completely coated. I seared the salmon on both sides for two minutes, then finished baking it in the oven for about seven minutes.

The tuna was given a two minute sear on either side, after which I sliced them up and plated it. Is there a proper way to slice tuna, like cutting steak against the grain? When I sliced the tuna, it either began to fall apart or looked flaky. Perhaps my knife wasn't sharp enough.

And that's how it went down. This was my first time eating tuna (aside from sushi), and I decided I liked it. It has a very meaty, rich taste different from other fishes. I like it, I want some more of it, but it's too expensive.

The tangerine rooibos coating was incredible. It was faintly floral and citrusy and was a good compliment to the light taste of both the fish. I didn't taste any of the salmon, but I think they liked it. (I hope?) If you made this, you could use any citrus rooibos tea available to you or any citrus-flavored herbal tea you enjoy drinking.

Print this recipe

Blackened Tuna with Roasted Ginger-Orange Green Beans
Recipe by Christina Provo

Serves 4

Ingredients -
1 1/2 pounds green beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse salt
black pepper
1/2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 an orange, sliced
2 tablespoons tangerine rooibos tea leaves, or another type of herbal tea
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 3-4 ounce sushi-grade yellowfin tuna pieces
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
A starchy side dish

Directions -

Preheat oven to 400°. In a 12x9-inch baking dish or a rimmed baking sheet, toss the green beans with olive oil, salt, pepper, and grated ginger. Place the orange slices on top and bake until green beans are tender, about 25 minutes.

In a pie dish, mix together the tea, paprika, oregano, garlic and onion powders, salt, sugar, and pepper. In a large skillet, melt the butter over low heat. Working with one piece of tuna at a time, dip both sides in butter, then in the coating, making sure each side is completely coated. Place on a platter while you prepare the rest of the tuna.

Raise the heat to medium high. Add the tuna and sear for 2 minutes. Don't move the pieces or else you won't get a good coating. Using a spatula, flip the tuna over and sear for another 2 minutes. The tuna should still be pink in the middle. Remove to a cutting board.

Divide the green beans amongst four plates. Slice a piece of tuna and fan it out on the plate. Serve with a grain, or another vegetable if desired.

Seventh Generation Dish Soaps & Le Creuset Baking Dish Review + Giveaway

2011-11-15T10:20:00.008-05:00

***Giveaway Closed***

Through MyBlogSpark and Seventh Generation, I was given the opportunity to review their natural, plant-derived dish soaps. Included in the package were some plant-derived cleaning tools and a Le Creuset stoneware baking dish. I was asked to create a recipe based on the scents of the dish soaps in the baking dish and to clean it using the soaps. I'll talk about what I made in a moment, but first I'm going to review the benefits and potential drawbacks if the soaps.

(If you would like to skip to the giveaway information, scroll down to the bottom.)

So you want to help the environment in any way you can, right? You might spend a little more, but you walk away knowing that you aren't using petroleum-based dish soap. Everyone's happy and daisies bloom under the sunshine in lush fields of green grass where children happily trot barefoot.

But how well do these products really work when compared to their generic, oil-based counterpart? Throughout the week of washing dishes where I replaced my usual soap with 7th Gen, I fully expected the need to use more soap, but I surprisingly found that the suds lasted longer and the soap effectively cut through grease, especially on plastics. When I have a lot of greasy dishes to wash, I usually have to rewash a few dishes where grease remained, or refill the sink with more hot water and soap. I haven't had to do that yet. It also cuts through the stains on the stove vent hood, toaster oven, and other surfaces where grease stains tend to gather, so it's good for more than just dishes. As for it being cost-effective, starting at $3 and going up, a generic dish soap will probably save you more money in the long run, even if you have to use more of it. But given the envoronmental benefits, you might not mind.

The scent is great. I've been using the Fresh Citrus & Ginger, and it has the intoxicating effect of making you excited to wash dishes, so unless you're Anne of Green Gables, no one in their right mind looks forward to it, so the scent is another plus. The label says that their scents are derived from whole essential oils and botanical extracts. Seventh Generation is hosting a Nature Makes Perfect Sweepstakes, where you can enter for a chance to win a trip to visit France, Italy, or Vermont where they produce the ingredients for their scents.

Which made me think... Seventh Generation is made in the USA and manufactured in Vermont, but a few of their ingredients come from Italy and France? Are Sicilian lemons really better than Californian lemons? If, as they say on their bottles, "every household in the U.S. replaced just one 25 ounce bottle of petroleum-based dish liquid with a 25 ounce bottle of plant-derived dish liquid, we could save 127,000 barrels of oil", are we really just offsetting how much oil it takes to transport out-of-country ingredients to the manufacturing plant?

I then analyzed a few of the ingredients on their label more closely, which led my brother to point out that the two final ingredients, benzisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone, are both synthetic preservatives commonly used in body care products, washing agents, and varnishes. Both are known to be irritants to skin, eyes, and possibly lungs, as well as being potentially toxic to the human immune system with continued exposure. I've also looked at a few other standard dish soap brands where these ingredients are not used. I'm not saying their synthetic ingredient lists are better over the long run, but they don't claim to be hypo-allergenic and toxic-free. I'm surprised that a company with that platform would use two synthetic preservatives that could be harmful to consumers, even if they use lower percentages of the preservatives.

As for the accompanying Twist dish tools, some are plant-derived and free from oil, others use 100% organic cotton and loofah material. So far, I've only used one of the cotton towels and the white scour pads. The scour pad doesn't seem like it's going to hold up as long as other scour pads I use. I like the cotton towel because it's bright, cheery, and works well on dishes that need a simple wipe off, or on hard surfaces.

Overall, I enjoyed the soaps and might buy them on my own, but had a few concerns about their claimed environmental benefits.

Click through for recipe info and giveaway details.

Now, on to dinner. I'm sure you're hungry by now if you've made it this far! Since I really enjoyed the fresh citrus and ginger scent, I incorporated those ingredients into dinner. Fresh green beans are roasted with fresh ginger and orange slices and served with blackened and seared tuna. The full recipe post will be up tomorrow since this post is wordy enough as it is. I'm excited about it because I used a tangerine rooibos tea from a local bistro in the tuna rub. Citrus and ginger are two ingredients that really liven up a meal, thanks to their vibrant flavor and aroma.

Giveaway Details

So, how can you cook up a meal in a 12x9-inch Le Creuset stoneware baking dish and clean up after dinner with Seventh Generation Dish Liquid and Twist dish tools? Here's how!

Leave a comment on this post telling me which scent of dish soap you like the most

"Like" Seventh Generation on Facebook and leave a comment on their wall with a link to this giveaway. Comment here to let me know you did it.

Tweet about this giveaway using the following comment: I entered the Seventh Generation dish soaps and Le Creuset baking dish giveaway from @RunningFoodie!
http://bit.ly/szwtDM.
Comment again to let me know.

Three chances to win! Please include your email address in the first comment if I won't be able to contact you myself. Giveaway is open to US residents only. Winner will be chosen on Friday.

Good luck!

Cupcake Fail = Cake Ball Win

2011-11-14T11:14:00.003-05:00

It wasn't my intention to make cake balls. I made them once before for New Year's Eve, mixed in too much frosting with the cake, and ended up with something that disgusted me. Initially, I planned on making cupcakes flavored with Celestial Seasonings' Sugar Plum Spice tea.

Every year, mid-November, their holiday teas reach the shelves of the grocery store. I really like all their flavorings, like Gingerbread Spice, Nutcracker Sweet, and Candy Cane Lane, a peppermint green tea. I haven't tried Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride yet, so I can't say what it's like. But my favorite of them all is Sugar Plum Spice. It's spicy with a floral note and perfect to sip when the weather outside is frightful. While drinking a cup, I thought back to previous cakes I made with tea and figured Sugar Plum Spice would make for a delicious cupcake flavor.

I have my favorite go-to cupcake recipes, though today I mixed it up and used the Amy Sedaris Vanilla Cupcake recipe,, but halved the original recipe (the link I gave shows the original cupcake recipe scaled in half). I figured that although I hadn't tried it before, I'm sure it would work out well. It looked like a basic recipe.

To begin, I scalded milk and steeped two tea bags in it. After five minutes, I removed the bags and let the milk cool to room temperature.

I also cut open a tea bag and added the leaves to the butter and sugar. I found this adds even more flavor to the cake and you don't notice the tea leaves when you eat it.

When you make a pot of Sugar Plum Spice tea, the tea has a reddish plum color. That wasn't going to work with the cupcake batter because the steeped milk was a little gray, so I added a tiny bit of Wilton food gel coloring to the butter and sugar.

After those two little additions, the recipe proceeds like standard cake recipes. The eggs and vanilla are added to the creamed butter and sugar followed by the flour, in three additions, and the milk in between the flour. I always give cake batters one final stir with the spatula.

I noticed that there didn't seem to be much batter and I was worried the cupcakes weren't going to look very impressive. I like tall, domed cupcakes, not small squatty cakes. There wasn't enough batter to fill the cups up 2/3rds of the way, which technically is what you want. Personally, I always fill them up a little higher when I make cupcakes but there wasn't anywhere near enough to do that this time.

As I expected, the cupcakes didn't really rise much higher than the top of the tin. I also failed to grease the tin properly and almost all of the cupcakes tore as I prodded them out with a butter knife. Failure. Fortunately, they at least tasted flavorful and buttery, with a delicate crumb that melted in your mouth.

I didn't really know what to do with the cupcakes until I decided to turn them into cake balls.

U-G-H.

Thinking back on my last cake ball venture didn't leave me with fond memories. Because I didn't want to waste perfectly good tasting cake, so I proceeded with the idea, making a quick batch of buttercream. I may have made a bit too much because the mixture was kind of tacky after combining the buttercream with the crumbled cake. I stuck it in the fridge overnight and hoped it would be edible.

The next day, I melted two cups of white chocolate chips over a double boiler with shortening. Shortening helps create a smooth consistency that makes it much easier to coat the balls. I don't know how much I used, but it was probably close to 1/3 of a cup until I got the consistency I wanted. It easily flowed from a spoon and wouldn't result in a gloppy mess. I would use Wilton Candy Melts or bar chocolate next time since they melt more easily than chips, which are made to keep their shape. Chips can be used and I often use them because that's what I usually have in the pantry, but it takes longer.

The process went quickly and the cake balls were firm enough to be rolled in the chocolate without melting. I think I was a little sloppy when I transferred them to the wax paper-lined baking sheet, though, because mini disks of chocolate spread out underneath. The tops of the balls were sprinkled with coarse sanding sugar mixed with raspberry jello powder to make a subtle pink sugar. They looked pretty and festive.

They tasted really good, too. The spiciness was dulled a little by the frosting (which I didn't flavor with more tea for whatever reason), though they still were good and the tea flavor did come through. The white chocolate coating wasn't overpowering, either. All in all, success!

ING New York City Marathon Recap

2011-11-10T07:07:00.005-05:00

It's a good thing I wasn't running this race because a few things went wrong. I woke up early on race day, excited to be a spectator. I gathered my cameras, donned my Social Media Reporter shirt, and walked to the bus stop. Only the bus didn't arrive until almost 40 minutes later. It turns out I had gone to the wrong bus stop. Public transit: 1 - Christina: 0.

After the bus pulled up to the George Washington Bridge instead of Port Authority like I expected, I walked down to the Subway for some public transit redemption. According to the map the approaching train was the line I needed, only it didn't stop at 72nd street like I thought. Fortunately, it did stop at Columbus Circle which is right next to Central Park and the final turn of the marathon course leading to the finish line.

I didn't want to stay here so I headed over to 1st Ave and 60th Street, aka mile 16. Along the way I saw spectators preparing to cheer the runners, fans dressed up, and runners running along a portion of the course. Everyone seemed very upbeat and excited. Like candy canes at Christmas.

After walking a few blocks and popping into a Starbucks to use the restroom (didn't want any race-cheering accidents) I made it to 1st Ave, where you could see the Queensboro Bridge (part of the race course) in the distance. It wasn't crowded at that point and I was able to find a spot right up by the fence next to two very nice spectators, Judy from New York City and Peter, hailing all the way from the Netherlands.

And then we waited. The wheelchair division had already started but hadn't reached mile 16 yet. The elite women were minutes away from their start.

Fans from other countries were setting up. The band (there was a band at every mile) was testing one, two, three. It was almost time! I had fun talking to Judy and Peter about their family who were running the marathon, their goals, and random tidbits about the race.

Finally, the wheelchair racers rolled by! It was great to see their effort, knowing they wheeled themselves over the same bridges with steep inclines (unless they had a different course?) was an incredible thought. My arms are limp noodles and I can barely eke out five push ups.

As this man veered to the side, we didn't know if he was hurt or dropping out. Fortunately, he only needed to change his tire, eventually rejoining the race.

Once the procession of motorcycle cops drove by we knew the elite women would be right behind them.

They weren't.

The elite women followed the pacing truck that had the marathon time. This lady had quite a bit of a lead, though she was eventually overtaken later on.

A pack of other elite women shortly followed the leader. Their strides looked so effortless. People were really getting excited now!

Next up was the elite men! It was amazing to see Meb Keflezighi running in person. I'm a big fan of his and was happy he placed 6th.

And then both my cameras died, making me the worst blogger in the history of the internet. On the way to Central Park I stopped inside a drugstore to buy batteries for the flip cam. Unfortunately, they just so happened to be out of store brand AAs, meaning I had to buy a 4-pack for $7. Why I didn't bring any batteries with me, I do not know. I should start religiously making lists, only I have a feeling I'll forget to write something down on the list anyway.

At least I didn't have any bathroom accidents, right?

Fortunately, thanks to the batteries I captured enough of the race to put together a little video for you to enjoy.

I had a lot of fun watching my first big city marathon. I really was inspired to kick start my own running and I loved seeing the city support the 40,000 plus runners. All along the course of this marathon, excluding the bridges, there are fans lined up. I've never seen that kind of spectator support anywhere and it was probably one of the best moments in my life.

Seeing the runners and knowing all the hard word and dedication it took them to get to this point is something I'll be thinking about when I get discouraged during the winter. Maybe I'll eventually train for a marathon myself in two years or so.

Race Preparations and Running Perspective

2011-11-04T17:38:00.002-04:00

Planning and preparation for the ING New York City Marathon begins months in advance of race date. Despite New York Road Runners thoroughness in taking as many precautions as possible, it can't always prevent the unexpected from happening. The freak snow storm that hit the East Coast caused massive damage in many areas leaving some without power. Central Park, where the marathon route finishes, was one of the places struck by the storm leaving fallen tree limbs and weakened branches.

Clean up of the park began immediately following the storm, according to Peter Shields of Davey Tree Expert Company based in Canada. Shields said that five similar companies were contracted from out of state to aid in the efforts to clear the park in time for Sunday's marathon; however, the ongoing clean up is not solely for the marathon. Shields said, "More than 40,000 people will be going through the park next weekend, and even more when foot traffic now and following the marathon is included."

He described it as a joint effort, with the primary goal being to make the park safe for people. "The public is attracted to hazards, and they don't fully appreciate the efforts and dangers the workers go through. They see the yellow tape, and instead of staying out they go under it to investigate." As he said this, he pointed out a group of small children who had gone under the tape to look at a tree. Safety is one subject he strongly stresses when he teaches arboriculture in schools.

He urges, "When you see men wearing hard hats and yellow tape marking off areas, please maintain a safe distance, so we can do our jobs without worry of hurting the public."

The primary focus is to clear fallen and weakened trees and limbs that are considered an immediate hazard such as those obstructing major roads throughout the park. Shields and his crew were working along the marathon route when I spoke with him. His job is to check the area and log the damaged trees into an electronic database.

"All the trees in Central Park are logged. I don't believe any other park keeps records to this extent, " he explained. Shields and crew follow along the storm's path entering data for the damaged trees into the log while another crew comes along from behind to take care of them.

Clean up begins daily at sunrise and goes late into the day to get as much done as possible. "I was originally supposed to stay until Friday, but the job might be extended for two weeks total," he said.

Shields, like many of the out of towners brought in to assist with the clean up, misses home, but he's making the most of it. "I've never been to Central Park before, so being here and working amongst the trees has been incredible. I love my job!"

He describes himself as a tree geek, but who wouldn't be after walking around this iconic park?

I was honored to be able to talk to one of the many sent to care for Central Park and get an insider's perspective on the extent of the clean up. We don't always know the strides being taken behind the scenes for such a large event, and our personal perspective is often skewered by our own opinion. The next time you walk by a clean-up crew in the park, realize how much effort the individual workers are giving to clear out the damage as quickly as possible.

At the end of our conversation, I was able to explain to Shields about the objective of New York Road Runners this year and our goal to help make running in general, and the marathon in particular, more approachable to non-runners. When he asked how it can be made more relatable, I explained that the determination, dedication, planning and focus of many runners are traits that can be applied to other areas of life and not just marathon training . The ING New York City Marathon isn't just a long, group run in a big city. Rather, it's representative of the culmination of months of training for a purpose: the purpose of racing in honor of a loved one, the purpose of pushing oneself to complete a goal dependent solely upon one's own efforts, and, for many, the purpose of simply achieving a personal sense of accomplishment.

Peter Shields agreed that while the ability to push oneself, as runners do every day they lace up their shoes, is important to apply to all areas of life, it is most keenly so in one's work life. "You need to push yourself to become what you want. I pushed myself to become one of the 13 arborists in Canada with my credentials, something only two percent of all arborists obtain." While he may be an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist, he keeps pretty quiet about it telling me that even the crew with whom he works is unaware of his title. In fact, it was deep into our conversation before Peter began to talk about it at all. Humility plus excellence. Sounds like a runner to me.

What we all can take away from runners is that having the push, or the drive, keeps you focused on your goal when outside factors seem to knock you down. Everyone can apply this principle in some aspect of life, be it job, family or self, the latter being the simple, personal satisfaction of a job done to the best of one's ability.

Why I Run - Perspective from Local Runners

2011-11-04T14:09:00.002-04:00

I walked around Central Park earlier this week to take a look at the work being done to clear the park of debris. During the few hours I was there, I also talked to some people running (when they weren't running...), about their goals, reason for running, and other tidbits. Here are the mini interviews I took of them. I also thank them for not being freaked out when I walked up to them.

Kelly E. from Manhattan

Why do you run?
It makes me a better person, it helps clear my head, gives me confidence and a sense of accomplishment.

Are you running the ING New York City Marathon? If not, are you training for a race?
I am running the marathon, and it'll be my first one. My goal time is 3:45. I'm excited about how the weather is looking this week!

What would your advice be for beginning runners?
My advice to new runners is to listen to your body and start gradually. Don't rush into a program. Recognize that running isn't for everyone, so keep tabs on how your body responds.

Mark K. from Austin, TX

Why do you run?
I run for the mindset, more specifically, the focus runners have that they maintain through their run. I also like the feeling you get from it.

Are you running the ING New York City Marathon? If not, are you training for a race?
I'm not running the marathon. I run a lot in general, train, and enter races all the time.

Bridget H. from New York City

Why do you run?
I began running 12 years ago for the health benefits, but it eventually turned into a genuine love of the sport.
I use running as an outlet. I'm a mom and I'm expecting another baby on the way, so I've had to keep the intensity low, but I still get out there. Running makes me feel normal, especially during all the changes that occur during a pregnancy.

Are you running the ING New York City Marathon? If not, are you training for a race?
I'm not running the marathon, though I train for two half marathons a year.

Holly M. from New York city

Why do you run?
I run for the feeling, and the stress relief. As a mom, I'm busy raising my kids, and running gives me some alone time. It helps make me a better mom, keeps me normal and stay healthy. Running is a constant that makes me a better person.

What would your advice be for beginning runners?
I find that people who ask me why I do it sometimes have a fear of the pain from running. I tell them that it won't always be as painful as they imagine. Over time, it will become more manageable, though the pain is helpful because it mimics how you've got to keep going no matter what, like in life. It won't always be easy, but you learn to adjust.

Are you running the ING New York City Marathon? If not, are you training for a race?
I'm training for the Ft. Lauderdale marathon in February. I grew up there, though I've lived in New York City for over 10 years.

My first New York Road Runners race brought me to tears at the idea of being involved in such a great community of like-minded individuals.

Marathon week is special for me. I'll be volunteering at mile 18 for two hours. Seeing the marathoners will inspire and psych me up for my marathon!

New York City Marathon Week

2011-11-01T08:21:00.004-04:00

It's that time of year New York City, and once again over 30,000 runners will be lined up on November 6 to run one of the world's most popular marathons, running through five boroughs and finishing in Central Park.

No, I am not running it. I am, however, covering the event. I was lucky to be chosen as one of New York Road Runners Social Media Reporters (and was even given a sweet t-shirt bearing the title!). Our goal is to capture the essence of what the marathon means to the participants, and to make the race approachable to both runners of all abilities, and spectators. Being the one who typically enters races, it was a different experience when I switched roles. The difference is that I knew what the mindset was of the racers, whereas some spouses, family members, and friends might not get it. I hope to show what it's about, and how it's not just an event for those who race.

I'm going to cover all the fun stuff, like the expo, possibly the Dash to the Finish Line on Saturday. If you're in the city, stop on by the Upper West Side Apple Store (1981 Broadway at West 67th Street) on Tuesday, November 1, at 7:00 p.m., where NYRR's digital technologies will give a presentation on "Running and Technology: Made for Each Other", where you can learn about how technology can aid your running.

During the meeting, we discussed our approach to capturing the heart of the marathon, what the overall goal was, and how best to achieve it. The meeting consisted of Ken and Britney, and bloggers local to the NYC area.

So stay tuned, follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and keep checking back for more coverage! If you're finishing up your taper week, congrats, and stay strong.

Pumpkin Muffins

2011-10-26T07:00:00.000-04:00

On Sunday, which is the perfect day for baking in my not so humble opinion, I had a craving for pumpkin muffins. Conveniently, I had some pumpkin in the fridge that was beginning to mold. What? I let pumpkin rot? I realize that the general impression you get from food bloggers is that pumpkin is akin to gold. While I do like pumpkin, I don't want to have unhealthy relations with it, nor do I want to bathe in the stuff. Really, it's one of the least tasty squashes out there. Have you eaten a spoonful of the puree? Did you have a reaction to it like a baby being forced to eat green pea puree? Perhaps it would taste better if I made puree from sugar pumpkins, but so far I stand firm in my opinion. Butternut and acorn squash both taste better. The only reason people have a creepy lovefest with it is because they saturate it with sugar, spices, and butter, of which I wholeheartedly approve.

Thus, it was beginning to mold.

I had bookmarked a pumpkin muffin recipe from Muffin Top a long time ago. Despite the relative ease, I hadn't gotten around to making them. Shame on me. The picture of the bright orange and the gorgeous crown captivated me. These were going to be good.

Here is the sugar mixed with the spices. I used a little more than 1 teaspoon of various spices like cinnamon, allspice, fresh nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. I think I used too much, because the end result was a dull brown instead of a vibrant orange. In the Muffin Top recipe, she states that she accidentally used an entire 15 ounce can of pumpkin, so maybe that helped with the color.

Quick breads are great because you just combine the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients separately, then mix them both together until a few streaks of flour remain.

The tops are sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, which gives them a nice crunch and extra spicy flavor.

Twenty-five to thirty minutes later, your kitchen smells like fall and you can dive right into a muffin or three. I was disappointed that mine weren't orange, so I'll have to figure out what went wrong there. But the flavor was amazing, and the muffins were so tender. I'm definitely going to make these again, though I'll add cranberries and pepita seeds next time.

If you made it this far into the post, here is the link to the recipe again so you don't have to scroll up.

60 Degrees.

2011-10-24T19:47:00.002-04:00

The weather can't seem to make up its mind, but I'll take it. Pretty soon, I'll be doing nothing but complaining about the cold and wind. It made for a decent run today, too. Last week, I completed my scheduled 17 miles. I did alright with my two longer runs (and by "longer" I am talking about a mere 4.5 miles), though Sunday's run was challenging because I didn't eat that much prior to going out. Oops.

I worked out a pseudo schedule for the next 13 weeks, working up to 25 miles. It might seem a bit overly cautious to take 13 weeks to work up to 25, though I think taking my time will be better than jumping ahead of myself. Here's what I'm planning on for the next 4 weeks:

4 4.5 4.5 5	4 4.5 4 5.5	4 4.5 4.5 6	4 4.5 4 6.5
total: 18	total: 18	total: 19	total: 19

I don't know why it skipped down that far. Basically, I'm increasing in .5 to 1 mile increments, and I'm moving around the half miles to get longer distances. I feel that this will help me as I increase the duration of the runs without tiring out, and I'll feel more comfortable running more overall. Eventually, I'll be running 5 days a week, but 4 is working out well for now.

As for today, I pushed the pace a little because I seemed to be feeling it. This isn't really a great thing to do, but I'll run more slowly on Wednesday.

4.06 mi 37.44 09:17 pace

Mile 1 - 9:51:
I'm starting to feel more comfortable running again. During the first two weeks, I felt a little awkward and like I lost my running legs. I'm slowly getting back to where I was, which is a good sign. This is such a great time to be running because the temperature and weather caters to wusses like myself.

Mile 2 - 9:19:
Around here I kind of didn't know why I was running so fast. I didn't feel out of breath, but I figured I should have slowed down. However, since this is my shortest run this week, it worked out better this way.

Mile 3 - 9:07:
I purposely kept this mile above 8 so that I didn't stress myself out too much.

Mile 4 - 8:57:
Overall, this run pleases me. Next time, though, I'm going to try a more formal speed work approach, one that won't be as stressful as running 3 miles at a quick pace. I'm not really looking to do much speed stuff, though I don't want to run everything at the same pace. Maybe I'll throw in a few strides so that I pick the pace up just a bit.

Hope you guys are having a good start to your week.

Pork, Broccoli, and Green Bean Stir Fry

2011-10-24T11:54:00.003-04:00

Remember the dead raccoon I mentioned? Luckily for you, it's still on the road and not in this stir fry.

Instead, I used pork for this stir fry. A lot of pork. It might have been 2-3 pounds, maybe four. I simply sliced some sort of pork roast into tiny slivers (well, I tried to, anyway). Marinating the pork helps flavor it and keeps it tender after cooking. To do this, I whisked corn starch into egg whites and added it to the pork along with sesame oil, oyster sauce, and white pepper.

Accompanying the pork is farm fresh broccoli, really great green beans, and aromatics like onion, garlic, and ginger. The sauce is simply water, oyster sauce, corn starch, sesame oil, a pinch of salt and a little brown sugar, sriracha, and rice wine vinegar.

Farm fresh. The broccoli was sweet, crisp, and full of flavor. The green beans were from the local store, but purchased from local farmers.

Since stir fry is prepared over high heat (which is why a nonstick wok is the dumbest creation of all time), all your ingredients need to be assembled and placed close at hand. There is also a procedure:

1. Aromatics - First, you stir fry the aromatic ingredients, like the onion, garlic, and ginger.

2. Vegetables - Next, I add the vegetables, stir frying for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. My goal is to see a nice char on the vegetables.

3. Steaming (if the vegetables need it) - The vegetables won't be cooked thoroughly, and you don't want to continue stir frying or else it will taste burnt. To cook them, add 1/2 cup water and cover, allowing the steam to cook the vegetables completely. Toss it out into a large bowl, then cook the other vegetables the same way.

4. Meat - The meat is cooked until it's no longer pink. I cooked it in batches because there was so much of it.

5. Sauce -

After all the components are tossed together, they're added back to the wok along with the sauce. Once it comes to a boil, it will begin to thicken. I let it boil for 30 seconds, turned off the heat, and let it continue cooking that way.

I should also note that every process get salted just a little. This helps to flavor each portion. Add just a pinch so you don't over salt the stir fry. I like to keep a container of kosher salt mixed with white pepper for this.

That's how you make a stir fry. It's a very easy dinner to put together, and all it involves is a little prep and cooking. You can play around with vegetable and meat combinations, or use tofu instead. The sauce can be changed depending on what flavorings you add to it. So stay in and stir fry at home!

Print This Recipe

Pork, Broccoli, and Green Bean Stir Fry
Recipe by Christina Provo

Serves 5-6

Ingredients -

2-3 pounds pork roast, sliced thinly into 2-inch pieces
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons corn starch
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup oyster sauce
2 teaspoons corn starch
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons sriracha
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
pinch of ground white pepper
1 large onion, chopped into 1-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
2-inch knob of ginger, peeled and julienned
1 head broccoli, broken into florets with 1/2 inch stem
3/4 pound green beans, trimmed, and left whole or broken in half
Vegetable oil or light olive oil
Rice, for serving

Directions -

Place the pork in a medium bowl. Whisk together the egg whites, cornstarch oyster sauce, sesame oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Pour over the pork and toss until combined. Allow the pork to marinade for 15 minutes.

In 2 cup measuring cup, combine the water through the white pepper, whisking to dissolve the corn starch. Set aside.

Divide the onion, garlic, and ginger in half. Place a large bowl near the stove - this is where you'll put the ingredients that you've finished stir frying. Gather the remaining ingredients and place them nearby. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok over high heat. When smoking, add half of the onion, garlic, and ginger. Stir fry for 30 seconds, stirring with a metal spatula constantly. Add broccoli and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes, or until broccoli begins to char. Pour in 1/3 cup of water; cover, and steam for 1-2 minutes or until broccoli is bright green and tender when poked with a fork. Remove to bowl.

Repeat this process with the remaining onions, garlic, ginger, and green beans, adding more oil before stir frying.

Pour 2 tablespoons oil into the wok. Add half of the pork and let cook, without moving, for 30 seconds. Begin to stir fry, tossing the pork until no longer pink, about 1-2 minutes. Remove to the bowl, and repeat with the remaining pork. Toss everything in the bowl together.

Place the vegetables and pork back into the wok. Whisk the sauce and pour it in. Let it come to a boil and cook for 30 seconds, tossing the mixture. Turn off the heat and let the sauce bubble for 30 more seconds. Remove wok from heat. Serve stir fry with rice.

Unintentional Speedwork and Roadkill

2011-10-21T18:23:00.003-04:00

I wasn't looking forward to my run on Wednesday at all. If you live in the midwest, you would know that it had been raining all day, was cold, and windy. If you know me, you know that I hate running in the rain, I hate the cold, and the wind makes me want to punt dogs. Turns out, though, that I ran better than I would have expected. I didn't get to add on an extra .5 because of time constraints, but I had two more days to make it up. I finished the day with this: 4.05 mi - 00:36 - 08:54 pace

You see, when it's excessively cold or the conditions are just terrible, I unconsciously decided I need to run faster so I finish sooner. The good part this time is that although I started off at a much faster pace than usual, I managed to maintain the effort, speeding up during the subsequent miles, and I didn't feel all too bad at all. Sweet.

Today, I got my "long" run in, running 4.55 miles. I kept the pace slow because that's what I need to do, and I also have a habit of getting ahead of myself after one good run. Also, I ran past a freshly killed raccoon, so be on the lookout for some stew recipes.

4.55 mi - 44:37 - 09:48 pace

Mile 1: 10:01 -

I forgot to take my iron today. I'm just typing this out here now so I remember to take it after posting. It has nothing to do with this mile.

Mile 2: 9:55 -

After each mile, I end up speeding up, slowing down to maintain an even pace, then trying to speed up just a little so I don't go too slow. Am I the only one who does this?

Mile 3: 9:54 -

During this mile, it became very obvious that I overdressed. It was 50°, but I expected it to be colder. Because that's how I am. Fortunately, I wasn't all that overdressed, so I wasn't dying. I also felt pretty good, though for some reason I seem to tire out trying to run a slow pace. I'm weird.

Mile 4: 9:43 -

I sped up a little. I forgot my sunglasses and I was running into the sunlight.

Mile .55: 5:05 -

This was run at a 9:14 pace. I felt alright, though I still seem to be too tired for this pace. I'm hoping that's just because this is my 3rd week back and I'm not where I used to be. Then again, I can't remember the last time a 9xx pace felt easy, even when my race pace was in the high 7s.

It's going to be in the sixties next week. I am overcome with joy.

Frozen Creme Brulee Drink

2011-10-21T11:22:00.003-04:00

Foodbuzz Tastemaker sent me this pretty nifty Tervis tumbler. It's shatter-proof, and it keeps your cold beverages cold and hot beverages hot. I drop stuff a lot accidentally, so this is the type of cup I need!

We were asked to show a drink in our tumblers. I couldn't think of anything hot I really wanted to do, so I came up with the idea of frozen creme brulee. What is creme brulee? It's a baked vanilla custard topped with a layer of hard caramel. You get to use a torch to brulee the sugar! Don't get too excited -- there will be no flame torches used for this recipe. Instead, I show you how to make a very easy caramel sauce. Cool?

To begin, I prepared my custard a day in advance. You want it nice and chilled before you using. This custard won't resemble a pudding at all because that would be disgusting to drink. Once it's completely chilled, it gets blended with ice so it needs to be liquidy. Think of it almost like an egg nog, though still not as heavy.

If you've never made custard before, fear not. All you do is whisk egg yolks with sugar until light in color, and thick and ribbony in texture.
Milk is heated over medium heat with a cinnamon stick for flavor. I used 1% milk because that's all I had, and I wouldn't recommend going any lower than that. You need the fat to help thicken the custard. Whole milk and 2% will probably make it a little thicker.
After the milk has heated to 160°, one cup of the hot milk is slowly whisked into the egg yolks. This tempers the eggs so they don't curdle when they're added to the saucepan. So after the eggs are whisked into the rest of the milk, it gets cooked for 3-4 more minutes, just until it thickens. Make sure you whisk constantly! Finally, it gets strained so that if any of it happened to get curdled, it gets taken out.

Simple enough? Let's continue on to the caramel sauce.

I used to have trouble caramelizing sugar. I used to have trouble making custards, both of which I was able to learn when I joined the Daring Bakers a long time ago. Trial and error, folks, and if I can do it, so can you.

I mention the Daring Bakers because I'm using the caramel sauce from one of the recipes I made when I was a member. It's simple to do and practically fool-proof.

There two most popular ways to make caramel is the straight method, meaning you just use sugar, or the water method, where you mix water with sugar. The latter is what we're doing today, and makes the process much easier.

First, you combine the water and sugar in a stainless steel saucepan over high heat. You can use any type of pan you have, but in a stainless pan you can more accurately judge the color of the caramel. Otherwise, you can spoon a little of the caramel onto wax or parchment paper to determine the color.
Caramel goes fast, so don't go anywhere! Once the sugar begins to bubble, it turns colors in a matter of minutes. First, it'll be a jaundice yellow. Once it develops a dark amber color, you very carefully whisk in more water to stop the cooking process. The original recipe says to pour the water through a whole in a sheet of foil because it splatters, though I just stood as far back as I could. Once the water is poured in, continue to whisk until all the sugar forms a liquid. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the caramel feels tacky. It'll continue thickening as it cools, so you don't want it too thick before you take it off the heat.

Pour it into a container and let it cool completely. That was easy, wasn't it!

When both components are ready, one cup of the custard is blended with one cup of ice. Pour it into your glass, then spoon 2 tablespoons of caramel on top. It tastes great when it's all mixed together!

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Frozen Creme Brulee Drink
Caramel sauce recipe by Shuna Fish Lydon

Serves 4-5

Custard ingredients -

4 egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
pinch of kosher salt
4 cups milk
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Caramel ingredients -

1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water

1/2 cup water, for "stopping"

Directions -

Prepare the custard: Pour milk into a saucepan over medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick, and heat to 160°. In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and salt until color is light lemony, and the mixture forms ribbons when it falls from a whisk, about 1-2 minutes (I just used a whisk and arm power).

When the milk reaches temperature, remove cinnamon stick. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of hot milk into the egg yolks to temper. Pour the tempered egg yolks into the saucepan and reduce heat slightly. Whisk for 3 minutes. Strain custard into a container. Add vanilla extract and stir. Let cool completely at room temperature, then cover and chill overnight.

Prepare the caramel sauce: In a small, stainless steel saucepan with tall sides, mix sugar and 1/4 cup water until mixture feels like wet sand. Turn on heat to highest flame. Cook until smoking slightly, and the sugar turns dark amber in color.

When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water through a piece of foil with a smallish hole in the center. Caramel will jump and sputter about, and the foil keeps it from getting on surfaces and on you.

Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers. {Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.} My note: It doesn't need to be as sticky as honey because it will thicken upon standing, but it should feel slightly tacky. Cool completely.

Prepare drinks: Pour 1 cup chilled custard into a blender, followed by 1 cup of ice. Cover, and blend until combined. Pour into a tall glass and top with 2 tablespoons caramel sauce. Enjoy!

Newman's Own Pizza Baked Pasta

2011-10-20T15:38:00.005-04:00

The holidays are coming upon us quickly. This usually means despair, gloom, a loss of money, and nothing to eat because you're too tired to cook. Despair not, my friends! Today's recipe, brought to you by Newman's Own and Foodbuzz Tastemaker, is a simple dish to prepare that tastes like you've been slaving away all day.

Newman's Own Pizza Baked Pasta combines the goodness of pizza, like tomato sauce, cheese, and pepperoni with the ingredients of lasagna, like that creamy, cheesy layer made with pureed cottage cheese, eggs, and Italian cheese. You don't have to worry about any layering since it's all stirred together. It's also quick to assemble. Just stop at the grocery store, pick up a jar of Newman's Own pasta sauce, pepperoni, and fresh mozzarella balls and you're halfway there.

For this recipe, I used Newman's Own Cabernet Marinara sauce. The flavor of the wine heightens the taste, and lends complexity to an otherwise standard dish. The fresh mozzarella perline, tiny balls of fresh mozzarella, boost the cheesiness of the sauce. Pepperoni is everyone's favorite, and it's a standard ingredient when I make pizza baked pasta. You can really add anything you want to the mix, like spinach, mushrooms, Italian sausage, olives, etc.

Another helpful tip is that it can be prepped ahead of time, stored in the fridge directly in the baking dish. Make sure your baking dish can be transferred straight from cold to hot, otherwise place the baking dish in the oven as it comes up to the correct temperature.

Foodbuzz supplied me with Newman's Own products and a FlipCam to create a recipe video. In the video, I summarize the recipe directions. Take a look at the kitchen of the Running Foodie, then go out and make some pasta!

Recipe after jump.

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Newman's Own Pizza Baked Pasta
Recipe by Christina Provo

A delicious baked pasta recipe using Newman's Own Cabernet Marinara Sauce.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
Serves: 6-10

Ingredients -

16 ounces dry rigatoni
1 jar Newman's Own Cabernet Marinara Sauce
1 cup cottage cheese, pureed
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup Italian blend cheese
pinch of pepper
8 ounces fresh perline mozzarella balls
5 ounces mini pepperoni, or chopped regular pepperoni
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions -

Preheat oven to 350 °. Spray a 12x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Cook pasta in boiling, salted water for 5 minutes; drain.

While the pasta cooks, whisk the cottage cheese, eggs, Italian blend cheese, and pepper together in a large bowl. Stir in Newman's Own Cabernet Marinara Sauce.

Add the drained pasta to the bowl and stir to combine with sauce. Gently mix in the fresh mozzarella balls and mini pepperoni. Transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, remove foil and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Replace foil and continue cooking for another 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Weekly Running Summary

2011-10-17T18:02:00.004-04:00

Yesterday wrapped up another week of running. It went smoothly, for the most part, and I got in 16.5 miles. The .5 was due to an unintended longer run because I misjudged the route distance.

Usually, I don't wear my my heart rate monitor. I had some trouble with rather high heart rates earlier this summer, which I thought was due to the heat and stuff. So I wore it yesterday, and kept an average pace of 10:03 for 4 miles. What was odd is that it climbed up to 177 during the third and fourth mile. A ten minute mile pace should be relatively easy for me, so I don't know what to make of it.

This week, I plan to add .5 miles to two of my runs, and I'll run those at a ten minute pace. The other two runs can be a little faster, like today's run ended up being. I'm just gradually increasing distance to hopefully get up to 25ish by December. If this week goes alright, I'll add another half mile on to one of the longer runs, and keep everything else the same.

For today's run, it was a little windy. That's what happens when you tear down trees for cornfields, one of the midwest's finest achievement. If you can't tell, I hate the midwest.

Splits:

4.10, 40:07

Mile 1 - 10.19:

Sometimes, the first mile feels decent. Other times, it takes me a while to feel like I'm moving fluidly. Today was one of those other times.

Mile 2 - 9:52:

I slowly sped up. My breathing started feeling a little labored, and I was developing a side stitch.

Mile 3 - 9:34:

The wind was against me, and I kind of wanted to get it over with, so I didn't fight the pace as I sped up. The side stitch was in full swing by 2.5. I continued breathing deeply and it seemed t help.

Mile 4 - 9:23:

I sped up quite a bit this mile. It felt alright, but I wasn't feeling very comfortable because I'm not used to running fast anymore (not that 9s were ever fast for me, but it's all relative).

A promising start to the week that ended with a slightly bloodied toenail. I am enjoying a cup of hot tea with lemon, since windy runs usually make me feel queasy. Tomorrow is a rest day and though I run on Wednesday, I likely won't update with another running post until Friday.

Hope you guys are off to a great week!

Liege Waffles

2011-10-17T14:54:00.003-04:00

A very long time ago, I bought a box of pearl sugar at a local gourmet store. I had made Liege waffles once before, but that time I just used granulated sugar. Only now did I get around to making them.

What is a Liege waffle, you ask, and why do you need special sugar? I will tell you that a Liege waffle, popular street vendor fare in Belgium and other countries, is a type of enriched yeast waffle made with butter, eggs, and milk. How these differ from standard waffles is the pearl sugar, which is mixed in after the dough has risen. This technique keeps the sugar from combining with the dough, which it would if it was added earlier. As the waffles cook, the sugar exposed to the hot iron is caramelized, while the rest of the sugar remains whole, lending sugary crunch to the waffle.

So I found myself, on a rainy, dreary Sunday, putting together the dough for Liege waffles. I used the recipe from the back of the box. It was a little vague, so I used my own technique (not one I actually created), and the only modifications made were to use a stick less butter and add lemon zest.

After the yeast is proofed in lukewarm milk, it is added to the flour along with beaten eggs. The mixture was really shaggy and wasn't smooth, but once I kneaded in the softened butter, the texture changed dramatically. Once all the butter was kneaded and the dough came together, I stopped and let it rise for a brief 30 minutes. I probably didn't knead it for 10 minutes, though I didn't feel it was necessary in this instance.

Once the dough has risen, the pearl sugar is kneaded in. The recipe called for the entire bag, but I felt that ended up being a little excessive. I had a bit of difficulty getting the sugar thoroughly mixed because there was so much of it. Next time, I would try it with just half a bag and see if it yielded good results.

When the sugar is mixed in, the dough gets portioned into 3 ounce pieces. I got exactly 13 dough balls out of this batch. There is no second rising, so now is the time to heat up the waffle iron while you do this.

Now. My waffle iron is a very basic, nonstick machine. It has no brownness setting or timer, save for the green light that turns on and off when a waffle is supposedly done. Because of this, I timed the waffles manually, cooking them for 4-5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack. You don't want to overcook the waffles, lest the sugar cool to be rock hard. At the same time, you want the inside of the waffles to cook. To note, I didn't close the waffle iron completely to allow for the waffles to expand. I was able to barely latch the hinge without letting it flap open.

Did that even make any sense?

And there you have it. With these waffles, you don't need syrup. However, they'd be good with hot fudge, ice cream, jam, or whipped cream. I really liked them, and they're a lovely treat.

The only downside is the cleanup. I wet a double layer of paper towels and put it inside the waffle iron, closing down. This released some of the sticky, caramelized sugar. After that, I ironed bread slices, which seemed to work better than the paper towels. Since it wasn't quite cleaned, I let it cool completely (after unplugging the machine) and got to work wiping between the grates. Now I remember why it took me so long to make them.

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Liege Waffles
Recipe by Lars' Own, modified by myself

Makes 12-13 waffles

Ingredients -

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Grated zest of one lemon
3/4 cup lukewarm milk
2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast (I used instant)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 stick unsalted, softened butter, diced into half inch pieces
1 bag Lars' Own Belgian Pearl Sugar (I would probably use less next time)

Directions -

Whisk together the flour, salt, and lemon zest in a large bowl. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the milk and let proof for 5 minutes, or until the yeast is bubbly. Add the yeast mixture and the eggs to the flour, mixing with your hand until a shaggy dough forms. Working with half of the butter, knead it into the dough. The dough might fall apart before it comes back together. Once a cohesive dough is formed, repeat the process with the remaining butter. Knead for 1 minute. Cover with a damp cotton dish towel or plastic wrap; let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Preheat waffle iron. Add Belgian Pearl Sugar, kneading just until combined. Portion dough into 3 ounce balls and place on a baking sheet. When waffle iron has heated, cook the waffles for 4-5 minutes. Carefully remove from the iron and place on a wire rack to cool slightly before eating (the caramelized sugar will be very hot).

Serving Suggestions
In Belgium, sugar waffles are eaten at any time of the day - breakfast, coffee breaks, or dessert. Sugar waffles taste great and remain crispy either cold or warm. Serve plain or drizzle with warm melted chocolate or caramel. Also try them with a dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy!

Marzetti Simply Dressed Salad Dressing

2011-10-14T13:44:00.004-04:00

I usually make my own salad dressings. It's easier to control what goes in it, and you can adjust the flavors to your own preference. When I saw that Marzetti Simply Dressed salad dressings were being offered to review by Foodbuzz Tastemaker, I decided to give it a try. The reason why I was curious was because Simply Dressed is all natural, made with real cheese, extra virgin olive oil, and no additives (save for xanthan gum and cultured whey).

The flavor is really tasty, without an overwhelming, heavy blue cheese. The texture is thick, but not too globby. Mixing this dressing with roasted garlic would make it taste even better. They have a decent selection of flavors, like Greek Feta, Champagne, and Ginger Sesame, so if you're ever in need of a natural, flavorful store bought dressing, Marzetti is a good brand to try.

I made a simple layered salad that I topped with the dressing for dinner last night. Two different lettuces were chopped and layered with sliced bell peppers, chopped chicken, black olives, and then the dressing. The salad was covered and refrigerated for an hour.

I'm not entirely sure what the point of a layered salad is since it all gets tossed together, but I think it's made in such a way so that the lettuce stays crisp while the ingredients are chilled. Usually, the lettuce starts to wilt once it's coated in dressing, though that usually only happens at room temperature. It's nice to be able to make a salad in advance.

Giveaway Winners

2011-10-14T12:22:00.002-04:00

Hope everyone is enjoying their Friday! Since it's Friday, I'm picking the winners for the two giveaways I held.

First up is for the Yoplait Frozen Smoothie & Prize Pack giveaway. The winner, chosen by Random.org, is:

positiveregard, 06 October, 2011 18:15

I've been on an orange smoothie kick lately thanks to my visit to a local apple & pumpkin orchard. Frozen mango, pumpkin puree, cinnamon and soy protein powder!

Congratulations!

The winner for the Larabar giveaway is:

Sarah, 12 October, 2011 21:36

most of the time i run first thing in the morning and don't eat, but before a long run i like a small bowl of oatmeal (i can't eat alot, so i just eat some gus/fruit chews during the run) or toast.

Congratulations to you, too! Winners, please email your shipping info to christina@runningfoodie.com so I can get your prizes out to you.

This Evening's Run and A Larabar Giveaway

2011-10-12T18:59:00.003-04:00

Thanks for your comments on Monday's post. It's easy to forget that running ruts are just that -- a rut that eventually goes away. It doesn't help when all of your running has been a rut, but I'm sure that's partly my own fault. Setting a tiny goal should help keep my focus, and eventually I'll figure one out. Any thoughts?

Day two of my week of 4 milers ended with success. I felt a tiny bit weird the first half mile, but settled into a nice rhythm ('rhythm' is an awkward word). My pace averaged out to 9:50 minute miles, which is just fine since I'm keeping an even intensity. I always speed up the last mile, but not to a sprint pace.

Splits:

1. 10:13
(Remember what I said about the first mile being slow? Well, it's slow. There were also dogs that jumped out at me, so I had to stand there for a few seconds to let them know who was boss before continuing on.)

2. 9:51
(I didn't just jump to a pace 20 seconds under my first split. Most of that happened gradually after the 1.5 mark. I also started getting some side stitches, so I made sure to focus on breathing deeply.)

3. 9:41
(I may have been getting a little tired at this point, but I always do.)

4. 9:25
(There was a downhill, the hill I ran up during the first mile. I also sped up a little by shortening my stride, but I didn't feel like I was forcing it. The dogs were inside this time, except for Fluffy, who I gently nudged with my foot on Monday. Because I win.)

Then I came home and drank a smoothie.

I have a giveaway for you folks. I contacted the Larabar people and inquired about a review. They also offered to give 6 bars away to my readers. You've all heard about these, so I'm not going to explain the concept except to say it's like eating dried fruit and nuts, without all the chewing. The bars are flavored with natural ingredients, like unsweetened coconut and extra virgin coconut oil. I ate the coconut cream pie and declared it my favorite. The coconut flavor shone through and it reminded me of scooping the white layer of coconut from the can of coconut milk. They're not sticky or excessively chewy, and they're the perfect pre-run snack. I like that they're about 200 calories because that seems to keep me filled without being too much.

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment and let me know what you like to eat before working out. I'll pick the winner on Friday. (US residents only, please.)

Nubs of coconut chunks!

Peet's Coffee and Chocolate Crepes with Caramelized Banana Sauce

2011-10-12T10:44:00.004-04:00

Here in South Bend, IN, it was a big deal when a very well known coffee chain (rhymes with "sucks") first rolled into town. The city rejoiced with jubilant glee when an equally well known doughnut chain showed up next. Basically, unless a popular chain feels it can make it in South Bend, we don't get it (South Bend -- also rhymes with "sucks"). This means we don't get some of the smaller chains, like Peet's Coffee. I've heard great things about them, but the only time I experienced their coffee for myself was at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. I dug it. So when Foodbuzz Tastemakers offered up some Peet's Coffee to review, my heart skipped.

Peet's has unveiled two new medium roast coffees. I typically go for a dark, deep roast, though because I pretty much can't tolerate coffee anymore, I figured a lighter roast would be easier for me to drink. And to actually finish a cup.

The two roasts are a Café Domingo, a blend of Central and South American coffees, described by Peet's as a medium roast cup with hints of toffee and clean crisp finish, and Café Solano, a blend of African, Indo-Pacific, and South American coffees that is lively and aromatic. Peet's experts describe it as a world blend with floral notes and a subtle fruit essence for a lively, yet rounded cup.

Peet's and Foodbuzz asked us to pair the coffee with a breakfast/brunch or dessert dish. What I came up with was a dark chocolate crepe with a caramelized banana sauce for a filling. Think of all the flavors going on here - the cocoa in the crepes, the caramelized blend of butter, brown sugar, and a splash of whole milk, then the tropical banana. I feel that both the coffees would be excellent when paired with this dish, though I chose to try it with the Café Domingo. I wanted a coffee that didn't have as many flavor undertones so it compliment the dish without competing with the flavors.

For a medium roast, I really enjoyed my cup of Peet's. It didn't have a watered down taste, but at the same time wasn't as strong as a dark roast. It was full of flavor and easy to drink without any bitterness. Just the impression I was left of with Peet's from my one lone experience way back when.

Foodbuzz gave me some coupons for $2 off a bag of Peet's medium roast to pass around, so I will mail a coupon to the first five people who email me at christina@runningfoodie.com with shipping info.

So, about them crepes. I adapted my favorite crepe recipe from my mom's Joy of Cooking, very old edition. We make it for birthdays, and the recipe is simple to whip together. Unlike other recipes, there is no fat in these crepes. I don't really think it needs any.

To modify the recipe, I replaced some flour for dark cocoa powder. At first, I thought I made a mistake by using so much cocoa, so to compensate for the rather intense taste I added a few tablespoons more sugar. It ended up working out well.

The highlight of this dish turned out to be the caramelized banana sauce. I didn't follow any recipe, I just added some butter to the skillet. When it melted and turned a little brown, I stirred in brown sugar.

Banana slices are added with a pinch of kosher salt. The mixture is left to bubble away for a few minutes, then I removed it from the heat, added a splash of milk, and mashed the bananas into the sauce. It was amazing.

Folks, these were some serious crepes, filled with a serious sauce. I can't rave about this more than I already am. Usually, I eat crepes filled with jam, and they're good. But the flavors in this banana sauce were so complex, yet simple that it took the crepes to a whole other level.

I'm not going to leave the crepe recipe here. Perhaps another post will be dedicated to crepes, but I will leave you with the caramel banana sauce. Use it with your favorite crepe recipe, or use it to top waffles. Or straight from a spoon. I don't judge.

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Caramelized Banana Sauce
Recipe by Christina Provo

Ingredients -

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 firm, ripe bananas, sliced
Pinch of kosher salt
1 tablespoon whole milk or whipping cream

Directions -

In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Once it melts, watch it carefully until it just begins to brown. Stir in the brown sugar. Add the sliced bananas and salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until a spoon leaves a trace in the sauce and the bananas have softened. Remove from heat.

Stir in milk or cream. Coarsely mash the bananas to blend into the sauce. Serve, or lick straight from the skillet.

Runnin' Talk

2011-10-10T14:40:00.002-04:00

I haven't talked about running in a while. In fact, I don't think I've mentioned it in the past 6 months. That's because this is the worst year of running ever. I got burnt out towards the end of last year, went into the winter dreading the elements, and got off to a slow start this year. I seemed to have breathing issues not related to pace, asthma, or allergies. This could be an iron deficiency symptom, but I don't know for sure. (Yes, I do take an iron supplement - I've always been on the low side when I have had blood work in the past.)

My other problem has been the heat and humidity. If the temperature is over 75° and the humidity is over 50%, I struggle on even a simple 2 miler. Most of my runs have ended in disgrace, having to stop and walk after 1 - 1.5 miles of slowly trudging along. It went alright when I got out early, like around 6 am, though I didn't keep that up.

So, for much of the year, for every week I ran I ended up taking an unintentional week off, which hasn't helped me at all any. I didn't have much focus since I decided not to train or enter any races, and was left to my own whims. This made it very easy to slack off. In retrospect, I should have made up some sort of running schedule, but I didn't see the point of it at the time. On the upside, I found a total of .25¢ this summer.

Now that the weather is cooling down and the humidity has tempered, I'm having a somewhat easier time getting back into a rhythm. Last week, I ran a measly 16 miles. I ran four 4 milers, though I added walking breaks after 2 miles. Each subsequent run, I would add another half mile of running and decrease one of the ralking portions. I kept my pace slow so as not to tire myself out. This week, I'm not going to increase the distance at all, though I'm going to try and run each run through without walking, keeping the pace slow. Hopefully it'll go alright and I won't meet with any major disaster.

I'll try and make a better attempt to blog about it, though it's not really going to be helpful or informative. I figure complaining about it on here is better than subjecting anyone to it in person, so feel free to ignore me.

Pumpkin Spice Granola with Crisco Imported Olive OIl

2011-10-07T07:01:00.004-04:00

Fall is all about pumpkin. You'll see it in breads, pies, drinks, and more. You've probably also seen it in oatmeal. I can't do that, because it still tastes a little raw that way, but it does give baked goods a great flavor. So, I created a batch of pumpkin oatmeal. This granola is packed full of oat clusters, nuts, pepita seeds, and dried fruit, and will be the highlight of your breakfast.

Since the granola I make has oil, I used Crisco Imported Light Tasting Olive Oil instead of vegetable oil. I received these bottles from the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, only they arrived a month after the deadline to post a recipe. However, being grateful for still having received them, I wanted to use the products in a recipe. Olive oil has many benefits, and by using it in granola you have an even healthier start to the day.

The light tasting olive oil is neutral in flavor, making it perfect for baked goods. A too pronounced olive taste, like from extra virgin, just wouldn't pair well with the sweet flavors here.

Along with the olive oil, brown sugar, honey, pumpkin puree and egg whites are mixed to create the glaze that coats the oats. Following the recipe I made for my Holy Grail Granola, vanilla extract and baking soda were stirred after removing the mixture from the heat.

Like with my other recipe, I used a combination of old fashioned oatmeal and coarsely ground oatmeal, since I didn't have quick oats. The finer oats help create the clusters. Wheat bran was added to give it more nutrition, and can be substituted with wheat germ or flax seed meal. For crunch, I chopped up walnuts and tossed in raw pepita seeds. The green color adds nice pop alongside the dried cranberries that are added later.

Since you can't have pumpkin without spices (well, you can, but it wouldn't be the pumpkin we all know and love), cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and cloves are stirred into the oats. It smelled great then, but it smelled even better as it baked!

Stir in the liquids and watch as clumps of oats begin to form while mixing it all together. After its baked and cooled, the oatmeal crisps up. Dried cranberries are stirred in at the very end. This would also be tasty with dried cherries or blueberries, too.

Now that's my kind of pumpkin oatmeal.

Print this recipe

Pumpkin Spice Granola
Recipe by Christina Provo

A delicious autumnal granola flavored with pumpkin and spices

Yields many 1/2 cup servings

Ingredients -

3 cups old fashioned oatmeal
2 cups quick oats (or old fashioned oats, coarsely ground)
1/2 cup wheat bran or germ
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raw pepita seeds
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1/2 cup light olive oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
12 ounces dried cranberries

Directions -

Preheat oven to 325°. Lightly coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the oatmeal, wheat bran, nuts and seeds; stir in the spices until dry ingredients are evenly coated.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the brown sugar, honey, pumpkin puree, and oil until combined. Cook just until mixture begins to simmer, and brown sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; stir in the vanilla and baking soda.

Pour wet ingredients into the bowl with the oats. Using a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir until the oats are thoroughly coated. Pour out onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or until granola is golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely. When granola has cooled, mix in the dried cranberries.

Yoplait Smoothie Review + Prize Pack Giveaway

2011-10-06T09:46:00.004-04:00

Everyone loves smoothies. Well, almost everyone. I like to drink them after a run, or on any day that's overwhelmingly hot and humid. They are refreshing, and better than eating fruit and yogurt alone. There is also so many ways to make them.

You've probably seen Yoplait yogurts. Unbeknownst to me, Yoplait also offers frozen smoothie packets. Each packet contains enough fruit for 2 servings and delivers 50% of the recommended daily value of calcium. Thanks to MyBlogSpark and Yoplait, I received a coupon to try the smoothies for myself. I was supposed to review the new Chocolate+Banana flavor, but I wasn't able to locate it at the store. Each pack retails for $3.59 and can be found at in the frozen fruit aisle in your grocery store.

Since chocolate+banana wasn't available, I got the Blueberry+Pomegranate. The packet contains mostly blueberries, and pomegranate juice concentrate-flavored yogurt cubes. Each drink totals out to around 150 calories per 8 ounces when made with skim milk, but I used whole because skim milk is disgusting. It came out really thick this way, so I had to add a little more milk.

The smoothie was good, but tasted a little on the sweet side. I was surprised, since the nutrition label stated that each serving has 12 grams of sugar. That's really not bad at all for a commercial smoothie. Perhaps it was the whole milk? Who knows. The texture was good, but separates when left to stand for a little. Flavor-wise, though, it was good and didn't just taste like blueberries.

If you'd like to try Yoplait Smoothies out, you can print a coupon out for $1 off.

Giveaway Info

Along with a coupon to try out the smoothie, Yoplait has provided a pretty cool prize pack! If you're looking to rest up before the holiday season, this pack will really help you out. Along with a reusable Yoplait Smoothie tumbler, you will get a VIP coupon for a sample of Yoplait Chocolate Banana Smoothie, a neck pillow, and a lavender eye mask.

I think I'm going wear the eye mask (which smells great, and lavender supposedly helps you relax - perfect for dealing with morons this upcoming holiday season!) as a headband, and if I come across someone I want to ignore, I'll pull the mask down over my eyes and tell them that nobody's home. Good idea, right?!

So if you'd like to get your own prize pack, here's how:

Comment on this post and tell me what your favorite smoothie is, or when you like to drink them

Tweet: "@yoplaitsmoothie +Prize Pack Giveaway on She Runs, She Eats http://bit.ly/nMQPUt ". Leave a comment here to let me know you Tweeted

Like Yoplait Smoothie on Facebook and leave a comment on their wall saying you were referred by me (include this link: http://bit.ly/nMQPUt). Comment again to let me know

Like She Runs, She Eats on Facebook. Comment again to let me know.

Four separate entries to increase your chance to win! Giveaway ends Friday, October 14 at noon, and is open to US residents only.

Good luck!

Godiva Cold Brew Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte

2011-10-04T17:45:00.006-04:00

Just in time for fall, I got to try two Godiva coffees thanks to the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program. I immediately set out to recreate a drink that has made its way around the blogosphere, but in a somewhat different manner.

Cold brew coffee is a method of brewing coffee without heat. Water is simply mixed to ground coffee beans and let set for 12 hours. The end result is a coffee concentrate that brings out the flavors of the roast without the bitterness.

To make a latte, you need espresso, which means you also need an espresso machine. I don't have one, so I used the Godiva Pumpkin Spice coffee as the base for my cold brew concentrate. The aroma is already wonderful, but I wanted to heighten it a little more so I added a few extra spices, ground cloves, cinnamon, and freshly grated nutmeg. Brown sugar, a pinch of salt, and pumpkin puree complete the deal. By adding the pumpkin puree to the mix as it brews, you aren't left with the bitter, raw taste you'd get if you mixed it straight into your drink. Stir in the water, and let sit for 12 hours at room temperature.

When you're ready to strain the mixture, line a fine mesh sieve with two coffee liners and place over a bowl.

The quickest way I found to strain the liquid is to pour the coffee a little at a time inside the liners, then carefully create a packet by bringing the edges of the liner together. Gently squeeze the liquid through. If there are any coffee grounds, shake the liner over the trash and reuse, repeating the process until all the coffee has been strained.

Typically, the ratio for the concentrate to liquid is 1:1, but I like my coffee a little stronger so I used a 3:1 ratio. Do whatever you prefer. To sweeten, I made a small batch of sugar syrup so that it would dissolve more easily. Finally, I topped my latte with milk foam and sprinkled a little pumpkin spice sugar on top.

I really enjoyed how this turned out. I liked how the spices came through and I thought the coffee itself had a good flavor. I'm going to brew it either in the pot or French press tomorrow morning to see how it tastes that way.

So, kind folks, are you a fan of the pumpkin latte, or not? What's your favorite fall drink?

Godiva Cold Brew Iced Pumpkin Latte
Recipe by Christina Provo

Serves 4-5

Ingredients -

2/3 cup Godiva Pumpkin Spice coffee
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
5 1/4 cups room temperature water
milk
sugar syrup
milk foam or whipped cream

Directions -

Pour coffee into a pitcher or large glass jar. Stir in brown sugar, spices, and salt. Mix pumpkin puree with water and pour into pitcher. Stir to combine the coffee grounds and water. Cover and let sit for 12 hours at room temperature.

Before straining, stir concentrate once. Place a fine mesh sieve lined with two coffee filters over a bowl and pour a little of the liquid at a time through the sieve. Gather the ends of the coffee filters and gently squeeze liquid through, tossing out any coffee grinds between batches.

To serve, pour 1/2 or 3/4 cup coffee concentrate into a glass. Add 1/2 or 1/4 cup milk, and 1 tablespoon of sugar syrup if desired. Stir. Top with milk foam or whipped cream.

For a hot latte, heat the coffee concentrate, milk, and a tablespoon of pumpkin puree and sugar syrup on the stove until desired hotness. Top with whipped cream or milk foam.

Caprese Bruschetta with Spinach Pesto and Bacon

2011-09-29T10:41:00.003-04:00

I'm getting into a bit of a caprese-bacon cooking rut. When I make something with flavors that work, I try and reincorporate the same flavors in another manner, often coming up with slightly similar recipes. I need to check myself. This one is for a tasty appetizer made up of a few components such as spinach pesto - a great way to use up spinach that's about to wilt, bacon, fresh mozzarella cheese, and crunchy, toasted bread. The bread, bacon, and pesto can be prepared ahead of time and assembled the day you need it.

Pesto is one of my favorite spreads to make. It's not limited to just basil, and you can use any combination of green leafy roughage (or even sun dried tomatoes or peas!) and nuts you can think of to combine, like the all-purpose cilantro pesto. You can use pesto it as a sandwich spread, a dip for vegetables or dip, with fish or meat, and of course pasta.

I added bacon because I wanted the flavor to mix with the rest of the ingredients. It's used in two ways here, both the bacon strips on top, and the grease that's spread on the bread before it is toasted. If you prefer to leave it out, substitute olive oil for the bacon grease.

Since the bread is the base, make sure you get a really good baguette. It makes a difference in flavor, and good bread always tastes even better when toasted.

So whip up these tasty treats for your next party. They'd make a good addition to football gatherings, birthdays, showers, holiday finger food spreads, or even dinner, in which case you could use larger slices of bread and turn it into a panino.

Recipe after the jump.

Caprese Bruschetta with Spinach Pesto and Bacon
Recipe by Christina Provo

Print this recipe

A tasty appetizer with a nod to the Italian favorite and the American sandwich classic.

Top Five: Bacon, spinach, baguette, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 10
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

8 slices bacon
16 1/2 inch baguette slices (sliced on the diagonal)
1/2 cup walnuts
2 small garlic clove
4 cups baby spinach, slightly packed
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
16 thin slices of Roma tomato, from about 2 tomatoes
16 slices fresh mozzarella cheese, cut to the size of the baguette rounds

Directions -

Preheat oven to 425°F and position oven rack two levels from the top. In a large skillet, cook bacon until crispy; reserve two tablespoons bacon grease. Remove to a plate lined with a paper towel. When somewhat cool, break each piece into fourths.

Brush top side of baguettes with reserved bacon grease. Place on rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, until edges begin to brown. Remove from oven.

In the bowl of a food processor place walnuts and garlic. Process until finely chopped. Remove lid and add spinach, oil, and salt. Continue processing until spinach is completely chopped and mixture comes together. Spoon out into bowl.

To assemble bruschetta, layer first with a slice of tomato and fresh mozzarella cheese. Dollop with a level tablespoon of pesto and top with two pieces of bacon. Place on platter and serve.

PlanetGear.com

2011-09-27T13:13:00.003-04:00

I'll be teaming up with PlanetGear.com to create a recipe for their new blog. Hopefully, I will be able to create a unique recipe that will make you excited for dinner. In conjunction with She Runs, She Eats and my recipe being featured, PlanetGear will host a giveaway for my readers.

PlanetGear.com offers limited, weekly discounts on major active and outdoor brands, such as IronGirl, TYR, and SurfTech. By signing up, you'll be eligible to shop their discounts and get some great deals.

This week, PlanetGear.com is partnering with FitBottomGirls to fundraise for Breast Cancer Awareness. For every new member on PlanetGear.com and "like" PlanetGear receives on their Facebook page, a dollar will be donated to the Breast Cancer Fund. It won't take much of your time, so please click through and help out!

Levain Bakery in New York City

2011-09-26T12:04:00.004-04:00

Levain Bakery was one of my stops to make while in the city. I've been there before, but the pictures never got uploaded. It's a small bakery with very minimal seating. Upon entering, you walk down to see a view of the kitchen, with trays of freshly baked treats and bakery goods that have yet to be put in the oven. The bakery is always busy, and yesterday (Sunday) was no exception. Between the three men in front of me, the total amount of cookies purchased was near 30!

Along with an assortment of sweet and savory baked goods, there's also a decent beverage menu. Their coffee is only $1.25 (cheap for the area) and the water isn't too bad (I think it was less than $2, similar to buying it from a street vendor). Besides the basics, they also offer traditional espresso drinks, hot chocolate, and tea.

Back to the cookies that have made Levain so popular amongst the blogging world. I managed to take a few decent pictures through the wall of people. This is a tray of refrigerated chocolate chip walnut cookies being put on a baking sheet. They're bigger than baseballs!

Here's the display case. If you're not in the mood for a cookie, they sell savory pizzas, baguettes, scones, brioche rolls, cinnamon rolls, and quick breads. If you do want a cookie, you can choose between a few different flavors, like the aforementioned chocolate chip walnut, or chocolate peanut butter, or oatmeal raisin. The cookies will run you $4 a pop, but they're so large that you can split one between friends, or save half for later.

Here is my cookie next to a macaroon, for scale. As you can tell, it's quite large and about two inches tall. The cookie is very soft and chewy, though not at all unbaked. It's just barely set, while the outside is golden, with a slight crunch. The walnuts add a great flavor with the chocolate, and this cookie is packed full of both.

Many bloggers have recreated the Levain cookie, so if you want to try your hand at making some yourself, try this recipe by Confessions of a Foodie Bride. Search the web for many more.

Levain Bakery
167 West 74th St
New York, NY 10023

There are a few other locations, too. Visit their website for more information.

Caramelized Onion Latkes with Aioli

2011-09-21T09:56:00.003-04:00

I love hashbrowns. My earliest memory of making them was during the '90s when I was 7ish. My dad often made them for weekend breakfasts, and I started making them, too. What I like about hashbrowns is that more of the potato surface is exposed to the heat, creating a great ratio of crispy potatoes to fleshy innards. It's like French fries for breakfast, and who wouldn't like that? So, as part of the recipes I created for Newman's Own by Foodbuzz Tastemaker, I had to include latkes, because "latkes" sounds better than "Homemade McDonald's Hashbrowns.

Many countries have their own version of latkes as part of their cuisine, and they're also a popular Jewish dish during Hanukkah. Besides potatoes, latkes include onion, garlic, flour and egg to bind the potatoes together. In my version, I caramelized the onions first to bring a delicious, subtle sweetness to the potatoes, and served them with an aioli sauce instead of applesauce, which is traditional.

Latkes would make a good appetizer before the meal, or a side dish. They're a bit time consuming to prepare, so you could go ahead and fry the latkes earlier on, and reheat in the oven prior to serving. Preparing the potato mixture ahead of time isn't a good idea since the potatoes "weep" and the batter gets watery. However, the aioli can be prepared a day in advance.

Recipe after the jump.

Caramelized Onion Latkes with Aioli
by - She Runs, She Eats

Caramelized onions add a nice flavor to these traditional favorites. Topped with a quick aioli and you're all set for a light meal.

Top Five: Onions, potatoes, egg yolks, garlic, olive oil
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 55 minutes
Serves: 5

Ingredients:

4 cups onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 pounds russet potatoes, enough for 2 1/2 cups shredded potatoes
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
Canola oil, for frying

Aioli:

2 large egg yolks
3 cloves garlic, minced and pressed to a paste (doesn't need to be completely smooth)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

In a large skillet on medium-high heat melt butter and olive oil until sizzling. Add onions, salt, and sugar. Stir to coat. Let cook for 5 minutes, then lower heat to medium and continue cooking for another 20 minutes, stirring often, until onions reduce and take on a deep brown color. Make sure they aren't beginning to char. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. When somewhat cool, place on a cutting board and chop finely.

Meanwhile, two large bowls with just enough water to submerge potatoes. As you peel the potatoes, place them, whole, into one bowl. Grate potatoes onto a cutting board; place shreds in second bowl. Continue until you have grated all the potatoes, then let them soak for 3 minutes. Drain in a large, fine mesh sieve for 5 minutes. Place potatoes on a cotton dishtowel, roll up, and wring out as much liquid as possible. Put potatoes in a mixing bowl.

To the shredded potatoes, add caramelized onions, lemon juice, eggs, flour, and salt. Stir to combine. Spoon into the sieve and place over a bowl. Set aside while you prepare the aioli.

In a medium bowl, blend egg yolks, garlic paste, lemon juice, honey, mustard, and salt with a mixer. With mixer on medium high, slowly stream in olive oil until emulsified with egg yolks.

Prepare a baking sheet by placing a cooling rack on top; cover with a single layer of paper towels. Heat enough oil to coat the bottom of a large skillet over medium high heat. Lower a bit if smoking. Scoop 1/8 cup portions of potato mixture and pat onto the palm of your hands. Gently place in skillet and press out into 3-inch circles with the bottom of a spatula. Cook four at a time. Fry for two minutes; flip carefully and cook for another 2 minutes or until both sides are a deep brown. Remove to cooling rack. Repeat with remaining mixture.

To serve, dollop each latke with aioli.

Doughnut Plant in New York City

2011-09-19T09:21:00.002-04:00

The next stop after the Dumpling Man was the Doughnut Plant, a gourmet doughnut factory in New York City. Their doughnuts are all natural and made with the high quality, natural ingredients.

The allure of the Doughnut Plant is their unique doughnut flavorings, ranging from Peanut Butter and Jelly (a peanut butter-glazed yeast doughnut with homemade jelly filling), to Matcha Green Tea, Lavender, and Valrhona Chocolate.

Along with their yeast doughnuts, they have a great selection of cake doughnuts. I should have stuck with those, because they're my favorite. The nice gentleman working the register gave us two free cake doughnuts, salted peanut and carrot cake. The carrot cake is a moist and delicious cake doughnut filled with cream cheese. Simply incredible. I didn't try any of the salted peanut, but I was told it was great.

I chose the White Peach Glazed Yeast. It was exactly like biting into a peach, only nowhere near as healthy and with a chewy, tender doughnut as the center. The doughnut was just about the size of my face, so I was only able to eat half of it.

Behind those windows is a view of the doughnut factory, but I can't take pictures without the glare. Oops!

Make sure you have some cash on you, because unless you buy more than $10 worth of doughnuts, you can't use a card. Although, it won't be that difficult. I think each doughnut was around $2.50 to $3.00 for yeast glazed doughnuts.

If you don't feel like doughnuts, they also have churros and cinnamon rolls, fresh peach lemonade (seasonal), and super spicy chai tea.

Doughnut Plant has two locations:
379 Grand St, New York, NY 10002
& 220 West 23rd st, New York, NY 10011.

For hours and other details, visit their Facebook page.

Dumpling Man in New York City

2011-09-15T11:16:00.003-04:00

For the past few weeks, I've been in Jersey by New York City. I haven't gone into the city all that much, but I went yesterday and visited a few places. The picture aren't all that great (cell phone camera), but they do the job.

Dumpling Man is a little restaurant consisting of nothing but dumplings. Pork dumpling, shrimp dumplings, vegetable dumplings, sweet pumpkin dumplings. They are sold individually so you can mix and match, or by six or ten. You can also customize how they cook, either steamed or seared.

My mom and I first became aware of Dumpling Man years ago on an episode of Martha Stewart's show. I couldn't remember the name of the place since it had been so long, though luckily my friend did.

After I ordered, I took a few pictures of the building. When you enter, you face the right side to look at the menu and order. The building then extends into a narrow hall-like seating area with stools and chairs. If you sit on the chair side, you get to watch Dumpling Men and Women prepare dumplings.

This man was using the green spinach wrappers, which means the filling was vegetarian. He stuffed the filling and pinched the wrappers shut methodically, filling tray by tray. They make a ton of dumplings. Some of them are frozen because they also sell frozen, uncooked dumplings as well as the dumplings made as you order.

My order of six seared pork dumplings arrived, glossy and topped with sliced scallions. I like the seared dumplings because the bottom gets a little crispy and the dough gets chewy. They are still steamed, but only after the bottoms are seared, like I did in my potsticker recipe.

The pork filling was so flavorful and juicy that I didn't need any soy sauce.

As the dumplings cook, the filling, which hasn't been cooked, shrinks, creating a gap between the dough. While you're stuffing the dumplings, though, it can be a bit of a hassle to get the wrappers around all the filling without it tearing. There were a few tears in the dumplings I had, so that was cool to see. Back when I made potstickers, I was dealing with the same issue. It's not always preventable, especially if you stretch the wrappers too much.

If you're in the city and you need an inexpensive bite, check out the Dumpling Man at 100 st marks place, nyc.

Prices range from $3.95 on up for six dumplings, or a la carte for around .90¢ a dumpling. They also offer a selection of sauces, side dishes, and dessert dumplings.

If you're in your kitchen and are now craving dumplings, take a look at my recipe for potstickers.

Newman's Own Alfredo Pizza Pockets

2011-09-14T10:29:00.004-04:00

Newman's Own Roasted Garlic Alfredo Sauce doesn't have to only be eaten with pasta. In this recipe, which I created to feature Newman's Own products as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemakers, I use the Alfredo sauce as part of a delicious filling for homemade pizza pockets.

I wanted to create a hearty, meaty pizza pocket, so I made my own Italian sausage-esque filling with ground turkey, garlic, and Italian blend herbs. Ground turkey appears in many of my recipes not just because it's healthier than ground beef, but also because it has a lighter taste that I feel pairs better with other flavors in recipes. With ground beef, I've found that it is often rather prominent and doesn't blend well.

After the turkey has cooked, tomatoes, pepperoni, and the Alfredo sauce are added. It's then simmered until the mixture cooks down, and removed from heat to cool.

In the recipe, I said to use a prepared pizza dough to speed the recipe along, though in reality I prepared a Quick and Easy Pizza Crust recipe I found from AllRecipes.com. It's not a recipe I normally use for pizzas. However, it's quick, taking just 30 minutes to rise, and a good recipe to have on hand when you don't want to wait more than an hour, or overnight for pizza dough.

Once the pizza pockets have all been shaped (or the sheet is filled), they are brushed with an egg glaze and immediately baked. I didn't let it rise again because it's not necessary.

The pizza pockets bake up until they're nice and golden, and the undersides have browned. They're very tasty and easy to eat. They're great to pack for lunches since all the sauce is contained on the inside, which means less mess! Who wouldn't want that?

Newman's Own Alfredo Pizza Pockets
Recipe by Christina Provo

Individual pizza pockets make it easy to take a slice of pizza to go.

Top Five: Pizza dough, ground turkey, pepperoni, Newman's Own Roasted Garlic Alfredo Sauce, tomatoes
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Servings: 6

Ingredients:

26 ounces prepared pizza dough, or your favorite recipe
1 pound raw ground turkey
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons salt free Italian herb seasoning
½ teaspoon coarse salt
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained, reserving 1/4 cup liquid
½ teaspoon granulated sugar
4 ounces pepperoni slices, quartered
¾ cup Newman's Own Roasted Garlic Alfredo Sauce
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons shredded Italian blend cheese
1 large egg, beaten

Directions:

Divide pizza dough into 13 pieces. Roll into balls onto a floured surface and cover until ready to use.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook turkey with garlic, Italian seasonings, salt, and pepper flakes until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and reserved liquid. Turn up heat and cook until liquid is just about completely reduced. Stir in sugar and pepperoni slices, then Newman's Own Garlic Alfredo Sauce. Remove to a bowl and let cool.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Prepare two baking sheets by greasing lightly and sprinkling with cornmeal. Working on a lightly floured surface, take a round of dough and pat it into a 3 – ½ to 4-inch circle. Place ¼ cup turkey filling onto the dough circle, about half an inch from the bottom and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon Italian blend cheese. Fold top half up and over and press together. Fold up the bottom of the dough circle over the top, crimping to adhere the dough together. Carefully place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

When one sheet is full, brush tops of pockets with beaten egg. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven; transfer to wire rack. Let cool slightly; serve.

Vegetarian Mushroom-Avocado Spring Rolls

2011-09-01T12:47:00.003-04:00

I created a few recipes for Foodbuzz a while back, but haven't talked about them at all. It was part of a compensated feature for Foodbuzz' Tastemaker program, partnering with Newman's Own, so a few of the recipes will feature Newman's Own ingredients.

Up first, though, is my recipe for spring rolls with a lively, bright filling. The filling consists of mushrooms and avocados, two hearty ingredients to give the rolls some sticking power. There is no cooking involved, except for the peanut dipping sauce, and it comes together very easily. It would be the perfect appetizer to make for your Labor Day party. If you'd like a non-vegetarian version, try my Lentil Sprout Spring Rolls with Shrimp.

Spring rolls are simple to make, though you may not know the correct way to roll them up. Here is a step-by-step tutorial, in pictures:

Step 1:
The easiest way I've found to make the wrappers pliable enough to roll is to lightly spread the sheet with water, using a pastry brush. As the wrapper soaks in the moisture from the water, it becomes easier to wrap and stick onto itself. Lightly brushing it is the key. You don't want the wrapper to become translucent, or else it will be too flimsy to roll up easily.

Step 2:
Layer the ingredients on the bottom third of the wrapper.

>Step 3:
>Before you begin to wrap, fold both the sides over the filling to keep it from spilling out. This also helps you roll a tight, neat spring roll.

Step 4:
Begin wrapping the bottom wrapper up, folding over the ingredients and compressing with your fingers. Continue folding the roll up, tucking it into itself after each turn.

Step 5:
And you're done! If you wrapped the spring roll tightly enough so that the filling is compacted, you should be able to slice the roll in half without much of the contents spilling out. Practice makes perfect!

Mushroom-Avocado Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce
Recipe by Christina Provo

Vegetarian spring rolls with a marinate mushroom, avocado, and cucumber filling. Works well for a main course or as appetizers.

Top Five: Mushrooms, avocado, cucumber, spring roll wrappers, peanut butter
Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 0
Servings: 5-8

Ingredients:

8 ounces button mushrooms, rinsed, stems removed, and chopped (roughly 2 ½ cups)
2 ripe avocados, chopped
1 ½ cups chopped cucumber, seeds removed
1/3 cup sliced green onion
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
5 cups shredded napa cabbage
¼ pound bean sprouts
2 jalapenos, seeded, veins removed, and finely chopped
26 spring roll wrappers

Peanut Dipping Sauce:

3/4 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Directions:

Toss together chopped mushrooms, avocados, cucumber, green onion in a medium bowl with cilantro, rice wine vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, sesame oil, salt, and white pepper. Cover and chill for 20 minutes.

In a large bowl toss cabbage, bean sprouts, and chopped jalapeno together.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, place vegetable broth, peanut butter, soy sauce, and ginger. Whisk together until peanut butter blends with broth into a smooth paste. Reduce heat to low and cover.

Fill a small bowl with water and set it near your workspace with a pastry brush. Place spring roll wrapper onto work surface. Dip pastry brush in water and brush both sides lightly with water. Let stand for 15 seconds. Dollop 1/8 cup avocado filling 1 ½ inches from bottom edge; top with ¼ cup napa cabbage mixture, spreading about 1-inch from side. Fold both sides in, then fold bottom edge up and over filling, tucking carefully. Continue to roll and tuck until rolled completely. Place on serving platter. Repeat with remaining wrappers and ingredients.

Serve with warm peanut sauce.

Special Notes: Wrappers with both rice flour and tapioca starch are preferable.

Bird's Eye Voila Frozen Dinners Review

2011-08-25T15:18:00.004-04:00

Through Foodbuzz' Tastemaker Program, I'm reviewing Bird's Eye Voila frozen dinner. I receive a coupon to purchase a bag for free, and also received buy one get one coupons to pass around.

You may find it odd that a food blogger who cooks from scratch would even consider reviewing a frozen dinner. Well, they aren't all bad. There are brands that use real ingredients instead of the overly processed, and are similar to meals you'd cook at home. This, however, was not one of those. I honestly wanted to find something I liked about it, and perhaps one of the other flavors would have been better.

Unfortunately, I don't have much to say for Garlic Shrimp. It says that it's a full mean, but there is only about 1 cup of cooked pasta to be split amongst 3.5 servings. The garlic butter sauce seemed a bit like the topping on frozen garlic bread. The addition corn was ridiculous since it's so cheap, and I felt as if that's the only reason it was added. For the price (about $6 a bag), it's not a value. It's not very filling and the ingredients aren't good enough to make the purchase worthwhile.

Since I needed to enhance it, I chopped up some additional garlic, bell peppers, and onions to saute. I added spices before I added the frozen mixture.

Besides not having much pasta, there was even less shrimp. Another disappointment.

After cooking the contents according to the direction, I fished out all the pasta and added a can of coconut milk. I then mixed a little of the milk with corn starch to thicken the sauce, serving alongside rice. This was much more filling than had I eaten the meal on its own.

I don't like writing negative reviews. I try and select products I feel will benefit you all to learn about, but sadly that wasn't the case today. I'm really lackluster about this, seeing as it was simply a bag of mixed frozen vegetables with a bit of pasta and shrimp tossed in (which you can replicate for less yourself), and I know I won't be buying it again in the future.

IZZEcake

2011-08-24T11:08:00.005-04:00

Remember the cake I talked about? Here it is! Since the juices are so good, I wanted to incorporate them in a baked treat. I have always been curious about champagne cakes, so I decided to use a recipe for one, replacing the champagne with IZZE Sparkling Blackberry juice.

I ran into some trouble along the way. The cake baked up fine, though the tops stuck to the cooling rack, and I had trouble lifting them off without tearing. This wouldn't have mattered much, except I sliced each layer in half to create a four layer cake. In the end, you can't tell.

My other snafu was the icing. I settled on making a confectioners' sugar based buttercream (I wouldn't suggest it -- it's too sweet), but ran out of sugar. I had just enough to ice between the layers and give the cake a crumb coat.
Since I couldn't leave it unfinished, I figured I'd make a half a recipe of 7-minute icing. Halfway along the way, I remembered how unstable it is, as it begins to dissolve after a day. No problem. Beating in butter will turn it into a Swiss meringue buttercream of sorts, right? The problem I encountered here was that I only had half a stick of unsalted butter in the fridge, which wasn't enough. As I whipped the butter into the frosting at high speed, I frantically attempted to soften frozen butter in the microwave. I didn't quite succeed at this, though I got enough softened butter chunks to make it work. After an extra stick and a half of butter, the buttercream whipped up into something resembling icing. A bit grainy, but I didn't mind.

The taste of the finished cake is delicious, even though you can tell there are two icings. The flavor of the IZZE isn't strong, but it gives the cake a fruity essence so I'd call it a success.

If you would like the recipe, click through to this page. Other than replacing the champagne with the juice, I decreased the sugar to 1 1/2 cups to account for the sweetness the juice contains. I didn't use the icing from the recipe.

IZZE Sparkling Fruit Juice Review

2011-08-23T14:36:00.004-04:00

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by an IZZE representative about reviewing the IZZE juices. Being familiar with IZZE juices, I took her up on the offer. They sent me a generous package filled with 6 different varieties, from their regular line, their IZZE-esque line (a lower calorie juice), IZZE Fortified, sparkling juice enhanced with vitamins.

IZZE was started by two friends who wanted to create a natural version of the European sodas they tried, and since then IZZE has become a company whose goal is to create a product that is not only good for you, but good for the world. They've partnered with the Global Education Fund to improve the lives of children living in poverty through education. It's cool to learn of a company who uses what they have to help others. You can learn more about their work at IZZE, Giving Back.

Their commitment to excellence is evident by the ingredient label. Each juice is made up of a 70% pure fruit juice to 30% sparkling water ratio, with no added refined sugar. There are 29 grams of sugar per bottle, all from the fruit juices. The IZZE Esque, the light version, has just 11 grams of sugar, though the fruit juice is reduced to 25%. I liked how they didn't use any type of sugar substitute, natural or artificial. The flavor is lighter in comparison to the regular IZZE, but I liked it just the same. IZZE is available in a wide range of flavors. Besides berries and melons, you can find ginger and birch!

In tomorrow's post, I will feature a recipe made from the IZZE Sparkling Blackberry. Along with the juices, they sent me a booklet that had a view recipe cards, so I wanted to use the juices in that application instead of simply reviewing the products.

Thanks again to IZZE for your generosity in giving me the opportunity to review your products on my blog.

Fiber One 80 Calories Cereal & Prize Pack Winner

2011-08-06T15:22:00.002-04:00

Hey guys. Hope you're enjoying the weekend. The winner of the Fiber One cereal and prize pack winner has been chosen. Congratulations to...

Emilie, 04 August, 2011 17:38

Oatmeal and protein are always our standbys!

Hope you enjoy! Please email me at christinaATrunningfoodieDOTcom with your shipping info so I can get your prize out too you quickly.

Thanks for entering!

Zippearz Giveaway Winner

2011-08-05T13:23:00.005-04:00

Welcome to the weekend, everyone. The winner of the Zippearz giveaway has been chosen by a random number generator. The lucky winner is...

Meg, 01 August, 2011 22:29

I always wear my headphones if I am at the gym!

Congratulations, Meg! She blogs over at Fashionable Runner. Please email me your shipping info at christinaATrunningfoodieDOTcom.

Thanks to everyone who entered, and thanks to Zippearz for hosting!

New Fiber One 80 Calorie Honey Squares Cereal Review & Giveaway

2011-08-02T12:56:00.002-04:00

I know, I know, I've been a bit crazy with the reviews lately (this may or may not be the last of them for a little bit). I don't normally review what I would call "diet foods", but when given the opportunity to review Fiber One's new 80 Calorie Honey Squares cereal, I took the offer so that I can highlight some issues I feel needs to be addressed in concerns to diet food. First, though, let me review the cereal.

(I was given the chance to review Fiber One's cereal on two separate occasions, one from MyBlogSpark.com, who is hosting the giveaway, and another was a representative who contacted me. Since it won't make any sense to blog about the same product twice, I'm mentioning it all in this post.)

Fiber One 80 Calorie Honey Squares cereal features lightly sweetened wheat and corn puffs. They're like the grown up version of Captain Crunch, but obviously with better ingredients. Fiber One cereals contain 10 grams of both soluble and insoluble fiber, or 40% of the Daily Value of fiber per serving. Since it contains both forms of fiber, it packs a double punch in terms of helping to keep you satiated, as well as offering more health benefits. The cereal, which tastes like pancakes, has a crispy crunch and a light texture.

Another interesting ingredient I haven't seen used as often is inulin, a starchy substance that's naturally occurring in many plants. It has many different health benefits, and since inulin isn't easily absorbed by the body it doesn't affect blood sugar the way other foods might, making it a good choice for diabetics who need to keep blood sugar illnesses at bay.

The sugar content comes it at a low 3 grams per serving, though that is due in part to sucralose. I'm not a fan of artificial sweeteners because of the after taste they leave, and in general I'm opposed to replacing sugar with sugar substitutes because it could possibly keep us from balancing those foods out due to the lower calories. Just because a cookie or cake has 75 less calories because of a sugar substitute, doesn't mean we need to eat it everyday. I also think it tastes too sweet and makes me crave more sugary foods in general.

Coming in at a mere 80 calories per serving, not including milk or any fruit added, it really is a light cereal. The price tag is a bit steep, $4.49 a box, though many cereals these days are around that price. Fiber One 80 Calorie Honey Squares can be found in major grocery stores nationwide.

Now, not pertaining to this product in particular, my issue with "diet" foods is that it gives us an unhealthy perspective on everyday eating. We really don't need special foods to lose weight or shape up, although they are convenient. It's important to learn how to tailor normal foods to fit into our lifestyle, which is how we'll be able to stick to our goal long-term. If we solely rely on weight loss products, we'll never be able to gain a strong foundation for healthy eating with regular, everyday items. Every now and again, these products are beneficial, but I make it a habit in my life not to rely on powders and supplements. Instead, I strive to eat a balanced diet that works well for my needs. I'm constantly having to adapt, though it's all in the name of learning. If I were trying to lose weight, cereal alone wouldn't do a good job of keeping me full. I last longer when I've had some protein, and I think that's true in general for most people. Maybe my body burns through fiber and carbs quickly, I don't know.

Giveaway Info

If you'd like to try out the cereal for yourself, enter to win a box, and an armband with a pedometer. Fiber One is trying to help keep you moving, and a pedometer is a good way to track how many steps you take. Set up is simple and you can import data to your computer. The armband can fit a small phone, or your pedometer.

To enter:

Leave a comment and let me know what your healthy breakfast is.

Leave a comment on Fiber One's Facebook page, posting I entered @She Runs, She Eats giveaway for Fiber One 80 Calorie Cereal at http://bit.ly/p9w4gr for an additional entry. Leave a second comment to let me know.

Contest ends Saturday, August 6 at noon, and is open to US residents.

Good luck!

ZippEarz Earbuds Review & Giveaway

2011-08-01T10:38:00.009-04:00

The ZippEarz folks sent me a pair of their earbuds to review and giveaway. They also gave me a hoodie that can be used along with the earbuds, and although it was a nice hoodie it was too big, so I gave it to my brother.

ZippEarz earbuds feature a 10mm speaker diameter, a conical fit (resting almost inside the ear canal vs resting in your ear like Apple earbuds), 3 sizes of soft ear cones for a perfect fit, detachable and adjustable ear loops to keep your ZippEarz in place during exercise, and a "zipper" feature to manage the cord.

At first, I wasn't sure how well these would work for me. The earbuds I use rest inside the ear instead of going deeper into the ear canal, so I didn't know how I'd like the fit and the fact that the sound would be a little more intense.

To begin, I fitted the earbuds with the smallest ear cones. I don't think my ears are very big, though perhaps the next size up would help keep them in place better.

I attached and adjusted the ear loops, then put them on. This wasn't easy; I needed to look in the mirror to see what I was doing since I had a hard time getting the loops to fit snugly over my ears.

The cord on the ZippEarz features a zipper to keep the cord from tangling. This is a really nice feature, as sometimes I forget to take my necklace off, resulting in a massive knot with the cord of my regular earbuds that I have to figure out post run. While the cord may seem long, the benefit is that everyone regardless of height can wear it.

I didn't want to run with excess cord flying around, so I tucked it under the waistband of my shorts and headed out for a run.

Unfortunately, my braid knocked off one of the ear loops. Once it fell off, I couldn't get it back on. For the first half mile it stayed in place, though. The sound was a little intense so I lowered the volume much more than I would with my regular earbuds. Had it not been for the braid incident, I think the earbuds would have stayed in place, but I'd have to try it again to be sure.

The pros for me: Despite the above, inconclusive incident, the sound quality is good. ZippEarz retail for $24.95 a pair and come in 3 colors (they sent me green, which works out nicely as its my favorite color!). For the price, you get good sound and a lot of extras, like the loops. I don't expect inexpensive earbuds or headphones to have the greatest sound, but when they do it's a nice surprise.

Update: After listening to tunes with Zippearz for the past few months, I've come to the conclusion that the sound quality is great. The music sounds deep, I can hear notes I never picked up as deeply with my standard Apple earbuds (cheap piece of crap). So if you're looking for quality with a good price, these are it.

The zipper feature is pretty neat. It keeps the cord near your neck together so it won't tangle or fly around.

I'm still unsure about the fit. I have stayed away from conical style earbuds because they push further into the ear. After listening to music with these for a little bit , the sound became more annoying earlier. In doses, I'd find these to work great, and they aren't uncomfortable to wear.

Second Update: I've been able to wear these earbuds while running without the attachable ear pieces by pushing the conical buds deep into my ear. This means I have to turn the volume down even lower than usual, but that's probably for the best.

Unfortunately, one of the cords somehow is partially sliced in half and that earbud went out. Luckily, my sweetie pie bought me a new pair. That's how much I've come to like these earbuds.

ZippEarz Giveaway

Would you like to win a pair of ZippEarz? Enter for a chance to win! You'll get a pair of ZippEarz, a pouch, 3 sizes of soft ear cones, and ear loops. The value is $24.95.

To enter, follow these steps:

Leave a comment. Tell me when you're most likely to listen to music - while you workout, during your commute, cooking in the kitchen?

For an additional entry, Tweet the following: Win a pair of @zippearz from @RunningFoodie http://bit.ly/qsSspM. Leave a comment letting me know.

Blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post. Include the link in your next comment.

Three ways to enter!

Giveaway ends Friday, August 5, at noon. Good luck!

Swedish Rice Porridge

2011-07-26T08:55:00.008-04:00

What makes rice porridge different from rice pudding? It's not as sweet and isn't made with traditional custard ingredients, such as milk or cream and eggs, as some recipes do. The recipe I use comes from an old American Girl cookbook. I used to make it twice a month, but stopped a few years ago. I thought about it again during the end of my run on Sunday because I was hungry, tired, and wanted something filling to eat. The only downside is that it takes an hour or longer to prepare, but I had no problem nibbling while I waited.

To begin, jasmine rice gets cooked with butter, a cinnamon stick, and water. As that mixture simmered, I prepped the remaining ingredients. I measured out 4 cups of milk, chopped an apple, and measured the brown sugar and dried cranberries.

I've really been loving the pinch bowls I got from Wayfair.com. They're nice for snacks because there are measurement markers, so you can easily figure out how much you're portioning out. For backing and cooking, I can dump ingredients right in according to the lines.

Once the rice is ready, milk is added and heated just until it begins to simmer. The rest of the ingredients are stirred in and the porridge is cooked for 30-45 minutes, until the consistency is of a thick pudding. You can cook it a bit less if you want a somewhat runnier consistency.

I always have trouble with this step. Milk isn't supposed to boil because it will curdle. The recipe tells you to reduce heat to low and cover with a lid, stirring occasionally. Even after doing this, the liquid still sometimes boils! I guess I should leave the lid off next time. However, it didn't get too curdled, though it took just 25-30 minutes instead of 45. I can deal.

This rice porridge is comforting, delicious, and lightly sweetened. You could drizzle the top with honey or stir in more brown sugar, if you'd prefer. It might not be the most nutritional start to the day, though if you used brown rice it would be better for you.

Recipe after the jump.

Swedish Rice Porridge
From American Girls Cookbook

If you would rather use brown rice, try preparing it the day before, proceeding to step 2.

ingredients -

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup white rice
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cinnamon stick
1 large, firm apple, chopped
1/2 cup dried fruit, like raisins, cranberries, blueberries, or cherries
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla or lemon extract
Addition milk and sweeteners, if desired

directions -

Rub the finger onto the bottom of a 3-quart saucepan. Put the rice, water, cinnamon stick and salt in the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until all the water has been absorbed.

Pour the milk into the saucepan. Over medium heat, bring to a simmer. When the milk begins to simmer, turn heat down to low. Carefully add the apple, dried fruit, and brown sugar. Stir gently.

Cover the pan and simmer the porridge for 30-45 minutes. As it cooks, it will thicken. Stir occasionally.

When the porridge is the proper consistency, take the pot off the heat. Remove the cinnamon stick and stir in the extract. Serve with additional milk and honey.

Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownie Prize Pack Winner

2011-07-20T12:10:00.002-04:00

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway! The winner is commenter 12:

Sarah @ The Pajama Chef, 18 July, 2011 17:23

right now my fave healthy snack is fruit.

.

Congrats, Sarah! I'll be contacting you shortly for your info. Stay tuned for another giveaway coming soon.

Celebrate 75 Years with Goya Foods

2011-07-15T11:02:00.002-04:00

Goya Foods is the leading Hispanic-owned companies, specializing in authentic Latino foods and ingredients. They distribute over 1,500 high-quality food products from every region of Latin America and Spain. Thanks to Goya's dedication to quality, you can be assured that using their products will liven up any meal you make.

To celebrate its 75th birthday, Goya has created a birthday extravaganza - Match Your Birthday! Game. It consists of an online game, on-pack game, mail-in sweepstakes and Goya's Greatest Fan video/photo/essay contest. In total, there are ten different opportunities for participants to potentially win $75,000! Consumers can also receive a special Goya 75th Birthday Gift Pack just by playing either the online or - on-pack game. Click the link to learn more.

Goya gave me a complete boxed set of six (6) Special Edition, 75th Anniversary Series Goya® Recipe Booklets. Each booklet features a different Latin cuisine and is written in both English and Spanish. The recipes look fantastic, and I can't wait to cook something from one of them soon.

Meanwhile, f you'd like to try a recipe with Goya now, take a look at my Baked Sweet Potato Taquitos.

Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownie Review + Giveaway

2011-07-14T12:40:00.003-04:00

If you're looking for a sweet snack that won't break the bank, Fiber One has come out with a new line of 90 calorie snacks, this time in brownie form. The premise of the Fiber One line is in the name. Fiber helps keep you feeling full longer while keeping snack attacks away, and with 5 grams of fiber per bar, you get 20% of your daily fiber in the form of a delicious brownie. Each bar contains 90 calories, 5 grams of fiber, 3 grams of fat, 17 carbohydrates, and just 7 grams of sugar. It's a light snack, for sure, but it is tasty.

I was sent two boxes of Fiber One brownies, along with a fitness pack, from MyBlogSpark to review.

The Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie is my favorite. The peanut butter flavor comes from peanut butter chips and icing, and "partially defatted peanut flour". The peanut butter didn't overpower the chocolate in the brownies, which I liked. At times, the peanut butter tasted almost like caramel. The texture surprised me. I figured, based on how it looked, that the brownie would be more cakey than fudgy, but it landed somewhere in the middle.

The Chocolate Fudge Brownie has a deep cocoa flavor that would be nice when eaten with a cup of coffee. Flavor wise, I like them both and while I typically stay away from reduced-calorie foods, in this case I'm happy because the sugar content has also been lowered.

I wouldn't call this a natural bar. While there aren't many additives, there are a few thickening ingredients and other stuff not normally present in homemade baked goods or brands that use whole ingredients. It does make for a good snack on the run, though, especially if you're a fan of chocolate and peanut butter.

Now, would you be interested in a giveaway? Along with the 90 calorie brownies, you'd also receive a fitness prize pack to aid your fitness goals. The prize pack contains a resuable water bottle, a jump rope, a headband, a fitness bag, a bracelet thing, and a nifty snack bowl with a freezable lid to keep foods chilled.

Isn't that cool? Pop the bowl (or just the lid) in the freezer, then fill the bowl with your snack and screw the lid on when you're ready to leave. The lid contains a freezer-safe gel that turns to ice when frozen. I like it.

Time for some giveaway rules! Here is how to enter the Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownie giveaway:

Leave a comment and tell me what your favorite healthy snack food is.

For a second entry, Tweet this giveaway and leave another comment with the link to your tweet.

For a third entry, like She Runs, She Eats on Facebook if you haven't already done so. Comment again to let me know.

And for one more chance to win, blog about this giveaway on your blog, linking to this post. Leave another comment.

This gives you up to four chances to be entered into the giveaway.

To be eligible, you must reside in the United States.

Giveaway ends Wednesday, July 20 at noon. Winner will be posted after noon. Good luck!

Gatorade G Series Fit

2011-07-06T12:43:00.002-04:00

Hey guys, I'm back! I have a few fun giveaways and product reviews for you all coming up. Today, I'll be reviewing Gatorade's new G Series Fit products. I was contacted by a representative asking if I'd like to try them out. I said yes, and received the three items shown above. However, I've tried each flavor in each category before this review, so my knowledge extends beyond the three varieties above.

Relatively new from Gatorade, the G Series Fit target audience is the everyday athlete like you and me. The line has a prime, perform, and recover product that you eat or drink before, during, and after a workout to fuel workouts and maximize recovery. Overall, I liked the entire line, but the downside to everything is the price. I can recreate my own versions for much less, and I'll explain why and how I came to this conclusion throughout the review.

The first product is the Prime Energy Bites, consisting of four individually wrapped mini bars. Depending on the intensity of your workout, you eat just one or all four bars. The ingredient list is pretty short, and for the most part are ingredients you probably already eat, like almond butter, oats, fruits and nuts. There are a few other preservative type ingredients as well. Each bite has 50 calories and about 6 grams of carbohydrates. There are three different flavors to try, Cranberry Pistachio, Banana Chocolate, and Raisin Flax. The flavors were all good and they aren't too sweet. The texture reminds me of a nougat.

The downside is the price. Unlike an energy gel (containing about 100 calories per serving) or energy bar, each Prime pack costs $2.50, not very practical if you're on a budget. One might as well eat a handful of almonds and dried fruit. Considering that each bite has only 50 calories, you really aren't going to receive much benefit from one bar alone. For whatever reason (like, dyslexia), I thought each bar contained 200 calories. I was pretty excited until I read the serving size info more closely. Unless I found these on sale, I'm not sure I'd buy them again.

The G Series Fit Perform line offers flavors unique from the traditional Gatorade we all know, such as Acai Blueberry, Mango Passion Fruit, and Melon Pear. Unlike the other Gatorade, I don't have to dilute this one. It's light, flavorful, and each 16 ounce bottle tops out at 20 calories.

Like the bars, though, the downside is the price. Coming in at $1.79 a bottle, it's pricy compared to traditional Gatorade. I can buy a bottle of the regular 32 ounce Gatorade and dilute it, getting more per serving than from one bottle of the G Series Fit Perform.

Lastly, we have the Recovery protein smoothie. Each 11 ounce serving has around 110 calories, 2 grams of fat, 13 grams total carbs, 10 of which come from sugars, and 12 grams of protein. I like the protein content, which is equivalent to two eggs, and the sugar is relatively low. So are the calories. I usually try to get a bit more post workout, but if you're watching your caloric intake you will like it. The three flavors are Strawberry Banana, Mango Pineapple, and Mixed Berry. The texture is thin, and you might find it a little watery.

I felt that the packaging on this was a bit deceptive. It says natural flavor and has a percentage of real fruit juice, but those juices are apple and banana, not the actual flavor of the smoothie. It would be like making a mango smoothie, only with apples, bananas, and mango extract. Each bottle is $3.79, making it the priciest item of the lot. These would make for a good post workout drink to have on hand if you're busy, though.

Overall, I like the concept of the line. I felt the flavors were good, and might occasionally pick up the items if I saw them on sale. It's always nice to have another option available to try when you're at the store.

To try them out for yourself, you can find the G Series Fit line at Walgreens.

peanut butter & cherry chocolate cake

2011-06-02T06:01:00.003-04:00

Before you read this post, please take a little time to vote for my lentil recipe. Click here to vote by leaving a comment. You can vote anonymously, and you can vote once a day through June 6. Thank you!

We celebrated my dad's birthday over Memorial Day weekend. We played poker with spare change, suffered through a power outage, and ate cake. When I asked him on Friday what kind of cake he wanted, he replied with "chocolate, peanut butter, and cherry." Might sound like an odd trio of flavors, but if you think about it, it's like a peanut butter sandwich with cherry jam, sandwiched between chocolate bread.

You know what's annoying about yellow counters? The color matches the color of most baked goods and provides no color contrast. This makes for a rather dull picture.

To start, I messed up the cake. The recipe was fine, though I accidentally measured out too much liquid. The other suspected cause was the lower baking temperature, 325 instead of the traditional 350. It seemed odd. I decided to follow the recipe and do what it said, but I wonder if the lower temperature contributed to the sunken centers. However, most of the fault is mine, and my inability to read the recipe and accurately measure ingredients.

Dilemma. Should I remake the cakes or figure out a way to use them, sunken centers and all? Since the middle was going to be filled with cherries, I figured that the craters could face each other. The flat sides would face outwards, providing a smooth icing surface. This worked out well, and prevented the waste of additional ingredients.

The cherries used for the filling were from a can. I decided on Queen Anne cherries in a sweetened syrup, drained, and coarsely chopped. Twelve cherries were reserved to decorate the top. The color matched the frosting, though that wasn't intentional.

For the frosting, I developed my own recipe using heavy whipping heavy cream, confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, and a little salt. The result is a nice and airy frosting with a strong peanut butter taste, and a lighter texture in comparison to other recipes. Even though this frosting is less dense, it holds up well and is easy to work with. I'm sharing the recipe with you guys.

Overall, I'm happy with how this cake turned out. Most importantly, my dad liked it! Happy Birthday!

Light & Airy Peanut Butter Frosting
Recipe by Christina Provo

Makes enough frosting for one 2 layer 9-inch cake

ingredients -

1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
4 cups confectioners' sugar
16 ounces smooth peanut butter
3/4 teaspoons coarse salt

directions -

In a large bowl, beat whipping cream on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing until smooth.

Add peanut butter and continue to mix, on medium speed, until thoroughly combined. Stir in salt with a spatula.

Voting is now open!

2011-06-01T06:01:00.001-04:00

The lentil contest has come to and end, and now it's time for you to help me out. As per instruction, the rules are to pick my favorite recipe out of what I created. This recipe is submitted as my entry to the contest, which will be voted upon by my kind and generous readers.

I chose my Gluten Free Raspberry Cake. This gourmet chocolate cake is made with a lentil puree that gives the cake a moist and fudgy texture, but cannot be tasted. I created this recipe very early on in the lentil challenge and knew it would be a hit. Don't be hesitant to try it out!

To vote, leave a comment on this post. You can vote once per day from June 1st to June 6th, after which votes will be counted and the winner chosen. If you don't have a Blogger account, please vote anonymously. Every vote helps me out! If you like She Runs, She Eats on Facebook, I'll post daily reminders.

There's something in it for you, too. If you remember, last year voters were able to sign up for a free lentil sample. That continues this time around, only you need to email peasnlentils@edelman.com to request your sample, including your name and address in the message. The first 500 voters will receive a sample.

I hope the selection of recipes I've created leaves you with a new take on lentils. It was a challenge modifying the recipes to be gluten free, though I made some headway in the end. I have a few more lentil ideas I'm wanting to test out, so stay tuned for those as well.

Thank you again for your help, and thanks to the USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council, Le Creuset, and Chicago Metallic for giving me another opportunity to participate. Come back tomorrow to vote!

Giveaway Winners

2011-05-27T15:12:00.003-04:00

Hello, and happy almost weekend! Two giveaways were running this week, and today I pick the winners.

For the first giveaway, which was for the Le Creuset Farm Fresh Steamer Pot, the winner is...

mmalavec, 23 May, 2011 22:01

I love, love lentils! and my favorite is definitely the cake!

The winner of the Chicago Metallic Winged Baking Sheet & Cupcake Liners is...

Sharon, 26 May, 2011 09:52

Tweeted http://twitter.com/rusthawk/status/73748373009727489

Congrats, and thanks to everyone who entered! I'll be contacting you for your shipping info.

Stay tuned. Next week I decide which recipe to use as my final post, which you guys will vote for to hopefully help me win! The first 500 voters receive a free sample of lentils. I'll let you know more about that then, too.

Have a good weekend!

Nutrition Now

2011-05-26T06:01:00.001-04:00

I found Nutrition Now located next door to where I got my haircut. I hadn't heard of it before, and didn't know they had a menu. The salon had coupons for free smoothies, so I thought I'd check it out.

Nutrition Now has many different varieties of smoothies, ranging from "fun flavors" like thin mint, butterfinger, and more unique fruity combinations. These aren't just regular smoothies, though. Each smoothie contains 24 grams of protein and a blend of vitamins and minerals, so they don't just taste good, but they're also good for you.

I chose the cherry almond for today's flavor. I watched as Desie, the smoothie server for the day, prepared my smoothie using frozen cherries, protein powder, milk, and more. They don't skimp, and the smoothie has the same texture as a milkshake. It's filling, but not heavy. It's been a few hours since I drank it and I'm still not very hungry. Desie said they use their smoothies to help their customers lose weight and maintain weight loss, and having tried one, I can see how it would help.

I also received a complimentary iced tea and a shot of aloe juice. You may not know that you can drink the juice of aloe, but you can. It was smooth, light, and had a tropical essence. Taking aloe juice internally is said to help your system in a variety of ways, such as helping alleviating digestive problems, and much more. Conclusive studies are still out as to whether aloe actually works, but it's an option to try if you're faced with the choice of taking medication or seeing if a natural alternative might be a solution*. Read up on it for more info. (*Of course, if your condition is serious, take your meds.)

The tea, which I believe was a concentrated powder, offers a steady stream of energy without the spike and crash of many sugar-filled caffeinated beverages. It had a really nice flavor. It was very refreshing on a muggy day.

I enjoyed spending a few minutes talking to Desie as he prepared my drinks. We talked a little about running, nutrition, and the benefits of the products I was trying. He also told me about his weight loss, which is always a cool thing to hear about. I've never personally struggled with weight loss, but I know how hard many people work to become healthy, and it's nice to hear a success story!

Nutrition Now also offers metabolic testing and weight loss/maintenance plans. I wasn't there to try those out, but you can inquire about them if they interests you.

I enjoyed my visit, and it's worth the stop to try a smoothie out at Nutrition Now.

235 West University Drive
Mishawaka, IN 46545-1104
(574) 277-2611

Chicago Metallic Winged Baking Sheet Giveaway

2011-05-25T12:31:00.003-04:00

Hey readers!

Another sponsor of the USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council blogger contest, Chicago Metallic, is also hosting a giveaway. If you remember from an earlier post, I received a nice Chicago Metallic Great America Bake Sale Winged Cookie Sheet along with cupcake liners. The nonstick cookie sheet features winged sides to make transferring to and from the oven easier, and a bumped rim to prevent baked good slide offs. The pan retails at $19.99. A portion of each sale is donated to Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale.

There are two ways to enter the giveaway, each giving you a separate entry:

Comment on this post, telling what you'd bake on the cookie sheet

Tweet about this giveaway, linking back to this post and adding @RunningFoodie, and comment again to let me know

Giveaway ends noon on Friday. Good luck!

Roasted Lentil Gravy with Prune Stuffed Pork Loin + Le Creuset Giveaway

2011-05-23T11:47:00.007-04:00

My third recipe for the USA Dry Pea & Lentil contest is a savory lentil gravy. The lentils are roasted in the oven along with a prune stuffed pork loin. I've had a similar pork loin for Christmas from a Lidia Bastianich recipe, and knew the flavor of the prunes would pair well with the lentils.

Pardina lentils, along with carrots, onion, garlic, and baby portobello mushrooms are added to the bottom of a roasting pan with chicken broth. As the pork loin cooks, the juices infuse the lentils with more flavor. After the pork finishes cooking, taking about an hour and a half, the perfectly cooked lentils are pureed and added to a roux made from butter and sweet rice flour. The puree is thinned with a little chardonnay and more chicken broth, and served with slices of pork loin for a tasty and unique take on a traditional Sunday roast and gravy dinner.

Recipe after the jump.

Le Creuset Giveaway

Le Creuset, one of the sponsors of the contest, gave another Farm Fresh Stainless Steel Steamer Pan to giveaway to one of my readers. The pot is really nice to cook in, as I've had the pleasure of doing, and I'm sure you'll like it, too. The pot retails at $185 so you're getting a pretty nice treat if you win.

There are two ways to enter:

Leave a comment on my blog telling me what your favorite lentil recipe of mine has been so far (between the gorditas, chocolate cake, and this one)

Tweet about this giveaway, linking to this post and adding @runningfoodie. Comment again to let me know.

Giveaway is open to US residents only due to shipping costs. Contest ends at noon this Friday. Good luck!

Lentil Gravy with Prune Stuffed Pork Loin

ingredients -

9 ounces pitted prunes
1/2 cup orange juice
5 cloves garlic, sliced
3 pound boneless pork loin
1 tablespoon Belgian style mustard
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
sprinkle of black pepper
3/4 cup USA dry pardina lentils, rinsed
8 ounces baby portobello mushrooms, chopped
2/3 cup white onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup carrot, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
3-4 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoon sweet rice flour
1/4 cup chardonnay

directions -

Pour orange juice over prunes and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Slice a deep pocket on the side of the pork loin, reaching to the center. Don't slice through the ends, like a sub. Stuff the pork loin with the prunes and sliced garlic, leaving 4-5 prunes out. Tie the pork loin with kitchen twine to keep the filling in place as it cooks. Place in roasting pan. Combine the mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper and spread on the top and sides of the pork loin.

Roast for 15 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 400. Add lentils, vegetables, remaining prunes and soaking liquid to bottom of pan along with 1 cup chicken broth. Cook for another 25 minutes. Continue cooking for another 30-50 minutes, until the pork registers 160 on an instant read thermometer and the lentils are tender. Add more chicken broth throughout the cooking time to keep the lentils moist. Taste the lentils throughout to check on the tenderness.

Remove pork loin from the pan onto a platter and cover with foil to rest. Scrape the lentils and broth into a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add additional chicken broth if needed. You should have about 2 cups. If not, pour in more chicken broth.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in rice flour and stir for 30 seconds. Add chardonnay and whisk for 30 seconds. Add lentil puree and 1 cup chicken broth. Stir to blend and simmer until heated through. Push lentil gravy through a fine mesh sieve before serving.

Slice pork loin into 1/4 inch slices and serve with gravy.

gluten free chocolate-raspberry cake

2011-05-19T06:01:00.001-04:00

This is my second recipe for the Lentil Contest. I wanted to test myself by creating all kinds of recipe with lentils, not just traditional types. One idea I had was to add a lentil puree to baked goods. Yes, I realize this may sound off-putting, but the lentils blend right in and are rendered tasteless, especially against the strong flavor of the chocolate. You simply end up with a healthier cake than other recipes.

Start by making a lentil puree. I chose decorticated red lentils, which are lentils with their outer skins removed. They are quicker to cook and have a more neutral flavor. I chose the red lentils because they cook into a yellow hue, making it easier to blend into baked goods without changing the color much. However, this is a chocolate cake, so feel free to use any lentil variety available (as long as it's not pardina).

You're looking for the lentils to be translucent. If the centers still looked colored, they aren't cooked through.

Finally, the lentils are pureed until smooth. The finished consistency will be that of a pumpkin puree.

I made this cake in the manner of a mousse cake. There is no leavening; rather, the cake gets its lift from the air beaten into the egg yolks, and the beaten egg whites that are folded in at the end. I used sweet rice flour for the binding, which is made from sticky rice. It has a high starch content that's good for thickening sauces and desserts. Sweet rice flour can be found in the Asian section of your grocery store. It can also be subbed out with all-purpose flour if you don't have a gluten allergy.

This is the batter after the lentil puree has been added. It looks exactly like a lentil-less cake, and tastes just like it, too. Only with this version you get more fiber, protein, and iron. Aren't lentils great?

Once the egg whites are folded in and the batter poured into the prepared pan, smashed raspberries are swirled on top. After the cake is baked, the center will still be quite soft. This type of cake isn't baked thoroughly so that the center stays fudgy. This requires a rest time of at least 2 hours. It's a good cake to make ahead of time. You could probably even refrigerate the cake once cooled to room temperature, too.

I admit that I had a little trouble with this cake. The first time I made it, it was delicious taste-wise, but I didn't adjust cooking temperature to account for the density the lentils would add, and it didn't quite set enough. So, to get it right, I made it again, this time lowering the oven temperature and cooking it a little longer. I also let the cake set for a few hours, which helped the cake hold up, making it easier to slice. Practice makes perfect, and it also means more cake!

Gluten Free Chocolate-Raspberry Cake
Recipe by Christina Provo

Ingredients -

1 cup USA dry decorticated lentils
1 stick butter, melted
12 ounces chocolate chips, melted
6 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sweet rice powder
1 cup frozen raspberries, thawed
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Directions -

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8-inch spring form pan and dust with cocoa powder. In a medium size pot, add lentils and 2 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer until lentils are tender, about 12-20 minutes. Remove from heat and puree until smooth. Measure out 2/3 cup lentil puree, reserving remaining puree for another use.

To prepare the raspberries, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon water; smash with a fork until smooth. Set aside. If still frozen, microwave raspberries in a bowl with 1 teaspoon of water for 15 seconds. Add the sugar and mash.

In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; set aside. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks until thick on medium high speed, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually pour in sugar, espresso powder, and salt and beat for another minute. To the egg yolks, add melted butter, melted chocolate, lentil puree, and vanilla extract. Mix until combined. Fold in rice flour, mixing just until combined. Stir in 1/3 of the beaten egg whites to lighten the batter. Gently fold in remaining egg whites, just until blended. Some streaks may remain.

Pour into prepared pan. Dollop top of cake with mashed raspberries; swirl with a butter knife. Place in oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. Sides will be set but center will jiggle a little. A skewer inserted in the center will have moist crumbs. Let cool before slicing. Serve with whipped cream and additional raspberries.

Mojo Chicken with Cilantro Rice

2011-05-18T06:01:00.001-04:00

I haven't really been cooking much, and when I have it's been less than exciting and definitely not blog-worthy material. Yesterday's dinner was an exception, for I made mojo chicken (pronounced mo-ho). I've never heard of it before, but I liked the sound of the ingredients. I'm always on the lookout for new marinades for chicken since it makes for a simple, healthy dinner.

What is mojo? In Cuban cooking, it's any sauce made with garlic, olive oil, and citrus juice, according to Wikipedia. The recipe I'm using today didn't use any oil, but that's okay because I don't think it really needed it.

The main components are orange juice (it took way too many oranges to get 1 1/2 cups - I filled it the rest of the way with water), cilantro, garlic, lime juice, and ginger. After it's whisked together, a portion is reserved for serving.

The citrus helps tenderize the chicken, so the longer it marinates the better. I just went for a couple of hours, though you can prepare this the night before and refrigerate it in a in a gallon size ziploc bag.

I didn't follow the method of cooking the chicken specified in the original recipe, which was to first sear it in a skillet, followed by a brief stint in the oven. I just stuck it in the oven on 350 until the skin was nice and crispy and the meat registered 160. It took about 45 minutes. I poured a little bit of the marinade liquid in the roasting pan at first and added more throughout the cooking period.

It doesn't end there. The recipe includes instructions for cilantro rice and quick savory black beans. I don't have canned black beans. All I have are dried beans and not enough foresight. But I always have rice, and rice takes just 20-25 minutes to cook. All you do is juice a lime into cooked rice and stir it in with chopped cilantro. I added a little salt, too. Cilantro rice is incredible stuff. I've been addicted to it ever since I ate a Chipotle burrito for the first time. I don't think this is an exact copy, but it tastes good and is easy to make.

And that's what's for dinner.

Mojo Chicken from Macheesmo

USA Dry Pea and Lentil Blogger Contest - Lentil Gorditas with Baja Shrimp Topping

2011-05-16T06:01:00.004-04:00

Last year I participated in the Recipe Rivalry, sponsored by the USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council. I had a great time creating recipes and pushing the boundaries of what I could do in the kitchen, and now I have the opportunity to join in again! They contacted me, asking if I'd like to participate for this year's contest, and I said yes. So now I'm back in the kitchen cooking unique recipes with lentils, using them in ways you might not have ever thought possible. For our participation, we received a supply of lentils and some money to cover the expenses for ingredients.

For the next two weeks, May 16 through the 30th, I'll be posting four different recipes (if I get ambitious, I might just make a few more, outside of the contest). At the end of the week, I'll choose one recipe from the featured four as my final recipe, which will then be voted upon by you guys. The recipe with the most comments be the winner. The winner receives a 10-piece stainless steel cookware set from Le Creuset.

Just for participating in the contest, Le Creuset has given all the participants a lovely 2-quart stainless steel steamer set. I'm looking forward to using it throughout the challenge!

Chicago Metallic also joined in, sending a lovely winged baking sheet and cupcake liners. They have also provided a baking sheet for my readers as a prize for a giveaway, so stay tuned for that announcement.

This year's challenge has a different twist. Last year we had free reign over our recipes, but this time we were asked to create gluten-free recipes featuring lentils. I've never cooked this way before, nor do I know anyone personally who is allergic to gluten, so I had to do a little research on the subject. It may seem pretty straightforward -- stay away from wheat. But there are other none-wheat flours and ingredients that may not be processed in a wheat-free facility, thus excluding them from the list of products safe to use. For example: Cornmeal. It is gluten free, yes, but certain brands might not process the cornmeal in a wheat free facility.

I mention cornmeal because it's an ingredient in my first recipe. Cornmeal, or masa harina, is used in Mexican cooking to make tamale dough. It's also used to make gordita dough, a fried corn cake stuffed with various fillings. Instead of using just cornmeal, I also used lentil flour. Lentil flour is a great protein packed wheat flour substitute. If you're using it in baking, you'll need to make certain modifications. This recipe is pretty straightforward and doesn't require any extra purchase (besides the lentil flour).

If you don't have a gluten allergy and you can't find lentil flour, it can be replaced by all-purpose flour or another bean flour. I haven't tried it with just cornmeal. If it's too coarse, it might not work, so masa harina (found in the Mexican section of grocery stores) would be your next best option.

The dough is patted out into mini goriditas, perfect for a tapas party, appetizers, or a light dinner. They are cooked in a dry skillet until browned on both sides. They're easier to make than the fried version, and also healthier.

The other components of the recipe are shrimp, a jicama-zucchini slaw, and a mayonnaise-based dressing with salsa, lime juice, garlic, and cilantro. The flavors are vibrant, light, and fresh.

Once the gorditas are cooked, a little extra sauce is spread on the bottom, topped with the slaw and shrimp, then garnished with a cilantro leaf. The gordita itself is soft and flavorful, also very healthy as a snack by itself thanks to the protein in the lentil flour. This recipe banks off of the previous recipe I posted because I felt it would be a nice addition to this contest, once I made the mods to deglutenize the recipe.

Sticking to a gluten-free diet is certainly a challenge, and more so if you're hosting a party with guests who aren't gluten free. If you're looking for something everyone will enjoy, try out this recipe.

lentil gorditas with baja shrimp topping
Recipe by Christina Provo

Makes around 2 dozen

Ingredients -

For the gorditas -

3/4 cup lentil flour
2/3 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/3 cup whole milk
1/2 cup favorite salsa, pureed if chunky
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons melted butter

For the topping -

2 1/2 cups jicama, julienned
2 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
3/4 cup mayonnaise
4-5 tablespoons favorite salsa, pureed if chunky
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 pound cooked shrimp, coarsely chopped, skins and tails removed
2 tablespoons favorite salsa, pureed if chunky
Extra cilantro for garnish

Directions -

In a medium bowl, whisk together the lentil flour with the cornmeal, corn starch and salt. Whisk milk, salsa, eggs, and melted butter together in another bowl until combined. Pour into dry ingredients and whisk with a fork until mixture comes together. The texture will be thick and shouldn't be sticky. Set aside to rest.

To prepare filling, mix jicama and zucchini together. In a small bowl, blend together mayonnaise, salsa, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, and salt until smooth. Add 2/3 of the sauce to the vegetables and toss to coat.

In a skillet over medium heat, add shrimp and 2 tablespoons salsa to heat shrimp. Remove from heat and cover until ready to use.

Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Lower to medium. Portion dough into balls using an 1/8 cup measuring cup. Place a few balls on a sheet of plastic wrap. With another sheet on top, press balls out into two inch circles, about 1/4 inch thick. Carefully remove from plastic wrap and place rounds in a hot skillet. Cook for 2 minutes; flip and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining dough.

To serve, spread a little bit of sauce on top of each gordita. Top with 2 tablespoons of the jicama-zucchini slaw. Divide shrimp evenly and place on top of slaw. Garnish with a cilantro leaf.

Herdez Spicy Cornmeal Crepes with Baja Shrimp Filling

2011-05-11T22:58:00.000-04:00

Herdez is teaming up with Foodbuzz to host a recipe contest. The prize is a little cash and a basket of Herdez products. I would love to win because Herdez has a nice variety of salsas, good to eat with chips or to use in recipes.

To be eligible, the recipe has to feature a Herdez product. I chose the Salsa Taquera, a smoky tomatillo salsa with red peppers. It's a little different than other salsas I've had in terms of flavor and packs a spicy punch. My recipe is a formal take on Baja fish tacos, using cornmeal crepes in place of corn tortillas. The crepe is filled with a jicama-zucchini coleslaw dressed with a spicy and tangy sauce, and shrimp.

Using the salsa in the crepes, sauce, and shrimp makes the dish spicy. The spiciness compliments the flavors without overwhelming the other tastes, though.

The silky savory crepes, made with cornmeal, lend a nice textural contrast to the crunch of the slaw. I found a recipe online for the crepes, subbing in some salsa for the liquid.
Don't be afraid to try your hand out at making crepes. It's one of those recipes that seem more difficult to make than they actually are. The batter is easy to work with, and you just need to make sure that crepe is set before you try to flip it, otherwise it might tear. A nonstick skillet makes the job much easier.

For the slaw, I used julinned jicama and grated zucchini. I left out cabbage, a traditional slaw ingredient, because I felt it would have been too prominent of a taste and texture. The slaw was tossed with a simple sauce of mayonnaise, salsa, fresh lime juice, cilantro, and garlic.

I chose shrimp instead of a white fish because I like shrimp the best. Usually I cook with raw shrimp, but this time I got precooked shrimp and heated it in a skillet with some of the salsa. I didn't chop it this time, though I would next time because it makes it easier to slice once inside the crepes.

This recipe would be perfect for a weekday brunch or a dinner party. The crepes can be made ahead of time and warmed in a skillet before using. I guarantee that this is a meal that will be talked about long after it's over.

Herdez Spicy Cornmeal Crepes with Baja Shrimp Filling
Crepe recipe adapted from Epicurious

Makes 4-6 servings

ingredients -

Crepes -

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons Herdez Salsa Taquera
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Cooking spray

Filling -

2 3/4 cups jicama, julienned
2 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
3/4 cup mayonnaise
4-5 tablespoons Herdez Salsa Taquera
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 pound cooked shrimp, coarsely chopped, skins and tails removed
2 tablespoons Herdez Salsa Taquera

Directions -

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, and salt. Whisk milk, Herdez salsa, eggs, and butter together in another bowl; pour into dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Let batter rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

To prepare filling, mix jicama and zucchini together. In a small bowl, blend together mayonnaise, salsa, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, and salt until smooth. Add 2/3 of the sauce to the vegetables and toss to coat. Set aside.

In a skillet over medium heat, add shrimp and 2 tablespoons salsa to heat shrimp. Remove from heat and cover until ready to use.

Heat a 9-10 inch nonstick skillet over medium high heat; spray with cooking spray. Lower to medium. Pour 1/3 cup of batter onto top half of skillet, immediately tilting and rotating skillet to coat bottom. Cook for 15-20 seconds, or until top of crepe is just set. Slide a spatula underneath and flip; cook for an additional 15-20 seconds. Transfer to a plate. Repeat process with remaining batter. Spray bottom of skillet with cooking spray if needed.

To form crepes, place a crepe on a flat surface. Spread a few tablespoons of coleslaw onto the center, topping with 1-2 tablespoons of chopped shrimp. Fold in sides, then fold crepe up from the bottom. Fold once more, making a tight rectangular package. Slice in half on a bias. Spread sauce onto bottom of a plate in a zigzag. Place about 4 crepe halves on each plate. Garnish with additional cilantro if desired, and serve with extra salsa.

Cuisinart SmartStick Hand Held Blender review

2011-05-11T06:01:00.003-04:00

I'm a little late with this review. I received a Cuisinart SmartStick Hand Held Blender from Wayfair.com. I've wanted an immersion blender for a while now. Immersion blenders can be used to puree large batches of soup right in the pot, mix up batters, make smoothies, and more. It saves you the trouble of taking out larger appliances, and even then you still have to puree in batches.

This particular immersion blender is only $30, comes in brushed chrome and has a removable stainless steel shaft that is dishwasher safe. The body feels like plastic, but it looks nice. The motor boasts a powerful 200-watts, making quick work of whatever you need pureed to perfection. While it might be bigger than other hand held blenders, making it border on cumbersome if you prefer really small appliances, it's easy to grip and the blade can be removed to make storage easier. The larger size also makes it easier to puree soups in tall pots.The blender operates with a one-touch control, no alternate speeds. The cord is long so you can bring the blender to the pot instead of the other way around. It comes with a 2 cup microwave and dishwasher safe plastic beaker, in which you blend smoothies and other stuff. It's particularly nice because there are measurement lines.

I wanted to see how the blender would handle ingredients that aren't already softened, like vegetables would be in soup. I sometimes make green smoothies consisting of spinach, apples, bananas, yogurt, water (or green tea), and sweetener, so I decided to use the hand held blender instead of the regular blender, which I kind of hate getting out.

I made a mistake by packing the ingredients a little too tightly. The blender works best when submerged and when there's enough liquid to keep the ingredients moving. The way I packed it, the large fruit pieces were on top and all the liquid was on the bottom. A little prodding did the trick and soon enough all the ingredients were evenly blended. I'd still suggest chopping everything into smaller pieces like I did to make it easier to puree.

When you use the blender, it helps to keep the shaft submerged. Using a pulsing up-and-down motion helps cut through the ingredients, though you don't want the blender to surface because it'll spray soup or smoothie liquid everywhere.

I added the banana last only because I forgot about it, but it worked better this way.

Clean up is quick and easy. Simply press the button in the back to release the shaft and run it under warm water. I let it air dry.

And that's all there is to it. The smoothie was pureed evenly and very smooth. Sometimes with the blender you can still taste bits of spinach that weren't completely pureed, so that's a big plus for this immersion blender. The size of the blender is large, but that just means you can puree in even the tallest of pots and pans. I would say that this is a must-have item to own. For $30, I couldn't be more satisfied with this blender.