Clean Eating Challenge: Day 13

Wow.  This Slate article is a bit intense.  I think making an analogy between people who like to eat "clean" and religious zealots who declare that promiscuous women are like a "stick of dirty gum" really misses the point entirely and just tries to incite more anger from average eating people toward people who treat food as an important aspect of life.

I do agree that the term "clean food" has no true meaning.  I was introduced to Clean Food via the Terry Walters cookbook of the same title.  Nowhere on it does it say vegan, but when you start looking through the recipes, you see that they all are.  Therefore, I always took clean eating to be plant-based and home-cooking from fresh, local, seasonal produce.  I still stick by this claim for what I consider to be "clean eating," especially the all homemade part.

That said, I am more than ready to be done with this challenge.  I'm drifting away from it slowly every day.  See below for my transgressions.

(In Case you are just now joining me.  I am doing Buzzfeed's Clean Eating Challenge, and this is Day 13.

Breakfast: Strawberry Chia Overnight Oats
YUM!  This was so good, I ate it while walking to school and it was all gone before I got there (I live two blocks from school)  I did not use yogurt and prove that it is not needed. Just put 1 cup of almond milk instead.  I will be eating this again.

Lunch: Snap Pea, Mint, Arugula Salad
I didn't have any leftover quinoa since I didn't make the dinner that required it a few days ago (that was my wine tasting night on Day 9)  So in place of quinoa I used chickpeas.  Yum.

Snack 1: Half of a lavender strawberry Pocket Pie and a coffee from Pie Hole
Transgression #1.
I was sitting at my computer, hard at work, dreaming of a pocket pie and a coffee.  Moments later, with perfect timing, as usual, Danny gchats me "wanna get a snack somewhere?"  My response?  Not so responsible.  "YESSSSSSSS.  Pie Hole.  Now!!!"
I tried to eat the carrots later, but they were pretty stale anyway, so there it is.

Dinner: Tofu Lettuce "wraps"
I don't eat shrimp, so I replaced that with tofu.  These were really good, or I was really hungry.  Either way.
Transgression #2: I had a little beer with dinner

Snack 2….and 3: Apple with Honey… 
and some freaking amazing nuts from Hawaii.  Just like, 1 or 2 or 3…..

Clean Eating Challenge: Day 12

The finish line is in sight!  I am not following this thing to a tee anymore.  Truthfully, I wasn't originally going to do the second week, but I enjoyed the first one so much, I thought I would give it a try.  Plus some things carried over anyway, so why not?  In case you are just joining me, I am doing Buzzfeed's Clean Eating Challenge and this is Day 12.

Breakfast: Blueberry Oats with Cacao nibs and honey
So….This is very different from a blackberry yogurt parfait.  Well, after trying to last week, I decided that my lactose-intolerance now includes yogurt too, which sucks, but it is what it is.  So I ran 5.5 miles this morning, pre-breakfast and I knew I needed something substantial, so I went for oatmeal.  Here's there recipe:

3/4 c almond milk
1/4 c water
pinch of salt
1/2 c oats
1/2 c blueberries
1 T cacao nibs
1 t honey
dash of vanilla

1. Bring the almond milk, water, and salt to a boil in a small pot.
2. Add oats and stir, reducing heat to low and simmer, covered, for 3-4 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and place in a bowl.
4. Top with blueberries, honey, and nibs and stir before devouring.

Easy Peasy Breezy

Lunch: Reheated Veggie Stew with Avocado
This was from last week and we put half in the freezer, remember?  It was not as good this time around.  I didn't have carrot like it told me to, and I replaced the yogurt with 1/2 of an avocado.  It definitely needs something cold like this in it if you don't do the yogurt.

Snack: Pear with Almond Butter
Is there anything in the world more delicious than a perfectly ripened pear when you are starving?  Try one topped with a tablespoon of almond butter.  Oh yeah!

I also had a little cheat with a special drink from Demitasse. Salted Rosemary Maple Latte.  It was only kind of worth it.

Dinner: Not-So-Asian-Style Dover Sole with Asparagus and Zucchini
Ok, so I have changed up most everything on today's menu.  For this one, I just really really hate bok choy.  I've tried to cook it every possible way, so many times, and every time I am disappointed, so I decided not to even try.  Luckily the asparagus and zucchini were perfect with this tender, light fish.  Another mistake occurred when I saw "tamari" and thought "tahini"  I was all ready to complain on here about the buzzfeed grocery list not including tahini, etc.  I decided to use the rest of my hummus in place of what I thought was supposed to be tahini.  Makes sense, right?  About half way through dinner it occurred to me that this fish was supposed to have a very different flavor!  However, the hummus sauce I made was just fine.  It was very tasty.  And I suppose I will be using the rest of it for my not-so-lettuce-cup's tomorrow night.  Haha.  Also, parchment paper is my new best friend.

Snack 2: Hot Chocolate
Yum.

Clean Eating Challenge: Day 8

Welcome back.  Now begins week 2 of Buzzfeed's Clean Eating Challenge.  In case you are just now joining me, take a look back at the past week to see what I ate and what I thought about it.  Or don't…

Breakfast: Blackberry Smoothie
Yes, I changed this one up quite a lot.  I tried last week, but I just can't eat yogurt anymore :(  I have been lactose-intolerant for many years now and avoid dairy milk and ice-cream, but yogurt used to be fine.  Not anymore.  So sad.  I love Greek yogurt, I used to put it on everything!  Oh well.  I used blackberries because there were no organic blueberries at Trader Joe's and I won't eat non-organic berries.  To add a little protein and creaminess that was missing since I didn't use yogurt, I put in a tablespoon of almond butter.  This smoothie was quite lovely.  The little touch of sweetness from the honey and the hint of vanilla are crucial.

Lunch: Shakshuka
This is the first time I have ever had this dish.  I almost made it with only one egg, because I also wonder if I might have problems with eggs too….  I probably just should have done an elimination diet to be certain…Oh well.  But in the end, I was starving and knew that one egg wouldn't tide me over.  The dish was really tasty, but The eggs overcooked really quickly, so be careful with that.  I didn't get the yummy runny yolks that I like.

Snack 1: Pear Slices with Almond Butter
I changed this one up from strawberries to pear.  Again, I won't buy non-organic berries, so I am waiting to get strawberries from the farmer's market tomorrow.  I also tried out the new tiny coffee place in my hood called Blacktop.  It is brainchild of one of Handsome's previous owners.  But I got green tea, since no coffee is allowed on this eating plan.  I did take a sip of my friend's coffee and while pricey (and comical at how long the barista took to make a pour-over) it was really damn good.  I will be back for a cup of my own whenever this challenge is complete.

Dinner: Roasted Eggplant with Hummus Chickpeas and Cauliflower
This was really tasty.  Again, no yogurt.  For Danny I gave him less eggplant and added some chicken and yogurt.  I was really shocked by the deliciousness of simply roasting the chickpeas and cauliflower then tossing with hummus and lemon juice.

Snack 2: Two Dates and Two Almonds
Gotta love these joke snacks.  When I go back to eating normal, I'll probably have a joke snack every now and then.

Chocolate Farm Tour: Kaua'i, Hawai'i

Chocolate is such a delight, I have always been a fan.  I didn't think my love for chocolate could be any more intense, but I was wrong.  My second day in Hawaii, after an amazing breakfast at Cinnamon's in Kailua, my sister, husband, and I stumbled upon "The Chocolate Factory" upstairs from Cinnamon's, so we decided to see what that was about. It is called Manoa Chocolates. We were greated by an eager and friendly lady who told us how chocolate was made, with pictures and tasting of Cacao nibs and we watched the roasting and grinding process in the back of the factory through the glass.  Then the tasting began.  I couldn't believe this was free.  I glanced at the prices of the bars we would be tasting: $9 each.  Eeek, I hoped these tasted good because after all this pleasantry, I knew we would have to buy something!  They were so good!  What a fun experience, we all agreed, and each bought a bar or two.

On the flight from Honolulu to Kauai'i (all of 30 minutes) I decided to check out Hawaiian airlines in-flight magazine to see if it had anything we must do on Kauai'i.  A Chocolate Farm tour filled with tastings of locally made and harvested chocolate?  Ummmm, yes please!  When I looked it up online as soon as we landed and saw the price tag of $65 a person, I was thinking maybe we would skip it.  But Danny insisted!  He said that we had to, that I would really enjoy it, and that 3 hours and "extensive tasting" was worth it. So I called Koa and booked us for our last day on Kauai'i.  They only offer the tours on Mondays and Thursdays, so I got lucky.  

When we arrived we were greeted by Angela and Koa and with a plate of espresso truffles and pineapple.  It was really good, but I only wanted to eat one because I knew we were in for an "extensive tasting" as they say on their website.  We began the tour walking through this beautiful show farm and Koa stopped to tell us about the lime tree in front of us, then cut up limes straight from the tree for all of us to taste.  This continued on with banana, lychee, lemon, and something called a "mountain apple."  Oh, and some kind of a mountain grape, which was very good, but the skin was super bitter and sour.

Then there was the cacao.  What an awesome fruit!  We all got to taste it, and it was really good actually!  Danny and I thought it tasted like a sweet fruit with a doughy texture.  There is a big seed inside each piece of fruit, this is where the chocolate comes from, not the fruit itself.  You can eat the seed, but it is pretty bitter. I ate mine, it was fine.

This is the Cacao Fruit

A Cacao Tree

Cacao grows on the trunks.  So weird.

Cacao is such an interesting fruit.  It grows more on the trunks of trees rather than on the branches, and it will not break off when ripe like other fruits, it has to be cut off, otherwise it will just rot on the tree.  Cacao, why you so weird?!  I love you.

Angela and Koa, tasting time!

Then the tasting began.  It was the most amazing experience of my life.  Ok, I am being only slightly dramatic.  It was really really really great and fun and cool.  I loved learning all about cacao and the process of fermentation and roasting and separating and stone grinding, and tempering, and layering things in the chocolate. And Koa and Angela are obviously very passionate about what they do, which makes it even more exciting.  But more than that, I loved every time the tray came to me and I got to taste the chocolate! (Plus Danny and I were the last two for passing, and there were always extra pieces, so if we REALLY liked it, we got extra)  So, let's see if I can remember the order: First were their 4 commercial bars they sell: 85% cacao, sea salt, coconut macadamia, and mint+cacao nibs.  Then we moved onto their flavor mixed varieties, which they just do for the tours and to play around with, so they change frequently, meaning you could potentially go here twice and not get the same thing. They were: Ginger, cherry, Angela's homemade (vegan!) nutella, caramel, masala curry bacon (the only non-vegan friendly ones), peanut raisin, kava, and a super duper spicy sample before we all headed over to the table to watch Koa make a typical Mayan "hot chocolate."  It was really good, they use 100% cacao, and a bunch of spices and coconut milk and hot water in a vitamix.  Then we all sat back down to finish up the tasting with the plain, single and mixed variety chocolates.  First was a 90% from somewhere, then a single variety from the Big Island, then their favorite- 1/2 Helen's dark bean+1/2 their bean, then one from Belize.  Their favorite was our favorite, but I liked them all, honestly! 

This was a magical experience that no chocolate lover who visits the Garden Island should ever miss!

It's called Garden Island Chocolate and you can (and should!) buy their commercial bars online!

super simple summer caprese salad

I love caprese anything, but all that cheese just makes something so yummy seem so unhealthy.  Last night I got my Farm Fresh to You box** and it was full of tomatoes!  Seriously, 2.5 lbs of heirlooms and a box of cherry tomatoes.  Look forward to a recipe using the heirlooms, but this is one with the sweet cherry tomatoes.
I love bulgar, it makes great tabbouleh salad and is packed full of protein and fiber, with none of the fat.  I love the nutty flavor and now the simple cooking of it, thanks to Trader Joe's 10 minute bulgar.  Tonight I combined these two loves to make this yummy, healthier take on a typical caprese salad.  It's super simple and delicious.

Super Simple Summer Caprese Salad
(serves 2-4)

1 c. bulgar, cooked and cooled
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
1/4 c fresh basil, chopped into small pieces
1 c cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 bocconcini mozzarella ball, cut into small pieces*

1. Mix together olive oil, vinegar, and basil in a medium bowl.
2. Toss cherry tomatoes and bulgar with the oil mixture.
3. Add the mozzarella right before you serve.  Season with salt and pepper to desired taste.
4. Serve over a bed of fresh baby spinach.
*make it vegan by changing the cheese to chickpeas or tofu.

I told you that was simple.

**If you live in a part of California that supports Farm Fresh to You delivery and you are thinking of starting it, use Promo Code 6164 and share my name "Taryn Bone" as the referral.  You get $10 off and so do I!  Thank you in advance!

home-made burrito bowl

I received so many goodies in my Farm Fresh to You CSA delivery this week and I'm feeling more creative.  This recipe, though simple, was 100% me.  I was inspired by Chipotle's burrito bowls, of which I am a fan.  As I assumed from a quick search online, Chipotle's veggie burrito bowl will cost you well over 500 calories, if you add on just about anything yummy.  My recipe will be less than 500, and if you skip the avocado because yours is not ripe enough to eat yet, which was the only reason I skipped it, this meal will be under 400 calories.

Potato and Gypsy Fajita Bowl
makes 4-6 servings


rice
cooked brown rice
juice from 1-2 lemons, depending on how much rice you use
1 t thyme**
fajitas
1 T olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
1 clove garlic
2 t cumin
1 t seasoned salt
1 t thyme
1/4-1/2 t cayenne
4 gypsy peppers, sliced
2 c fingerling potatoes, sliced into small rounds
beans
15 oz can white beans
1 T sriacha
1 t onion powder
1 t basalmic vinegar
toppings
lettuce, scallions, greek yogurt*, tomatoes, salsa, avocado, guacamole, whatever your heart desires...

1. heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat, add the onions and cook until tender, then add the garlic, cumin, seasoned salt, thyme, and cayenne.  mix thoroughly and cook a minute more.
2. add the gypsy peppers and mix thoroughly, cook another minute.
3. add the potatoes and stir to mix well, add about 1/4-1/2 cup of water and put a lid on it.  Stir occasionally for the next 5-10 minutes, or until water is soaked up and potatoes are cooked. Remove from heat
4. Rinse the beans well and put them in a bowl.  Begin mashing the beans as you add the rest of the ingredients.  You can mash these as much, or as little as you want.  I was going for the "refried" bean texture.
5. Add the lemon juice and thyme to the rice, as well as salt and pepper to taste.
6. Scoop about 1/2 cup of rice into a bowl. Spoon a few tablespoons of the beans mixture on top of the rice.  Place approximately 1/2 c of the fajitas mixture on top of the beans and rice, then finish with toppings of your choice.  I went with lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and Greek yogurt.  I would highly recommend avocado, but mine were not yet ripe enough.

**for more traditional flavor, use lime and cilantro.  I normally would have but I didn't have either available at the time of cooking, but the lemon and thyme work well with this dish too!
*I love me some Greek yogurt and have been using it in place of sour cream for years now (even my niece who loves sour cream and is super picky had no idea it was something else).  This is a substitute I recommend to everyone because it is so much more nutritious and if you go with the 0% one, like I do, it has no fat either.  If you are vegan or just want to eat even healthier, I recommend you replace the "sour cream" with this delicious cashew cheese recipe from "Clean Food" by Terry Walters.

Cashew Cheese
1/2 c cashew pieces
1/4 c nutritional yeast
1 T canola oil

1. In a food processor, grind cashews to a fine meal.
2. Add nutritional yeast and process briefly to combine.
3. Add oil and process until a moist meal forms, do not over process or it will become doughy.

current in my kitchen

It's been a while since I've posted any recipes. I got into a bit of a funk where I wasn't cooking, but was eating out constantly.  With my budget and desire to stay fit, I have finally gotten back into the kitchen. Here's what I made yesterday:

I've never had sticky toffee pudding before, but I wanted to make something with dates, so I went to one of my favorite blogs, Oh She Glows, and searched for sweet recipes using dates.  Angela, the writer of Oh She Glows is the one who turned me onto dates in the first place with her delicious riff on vegan twix, which I have made multiple times.

So this recipe intrigued me due to it's claim to be "sinless."  Though it is vegan, I can assure you that it is anything but sinless.  I counted up the calories with my ingredients, and the whole thing is nearly 4000 calories, which means I had to cut it into 12 squares in order for each to be what I would consider acceptable, calorie-wise for a dessert.  Twelve is small, but it is rich and I think this size of serving is probably for the best!  If I made this again, I would probably omit the brown sugar, as it is high in calories and I think the dates provide enough sweetness.

Super Sinful Sticky Toffee Pudding
(recipe adapted from Angela's sinless sticky toffee pecan pudding)
Makes 12 servings

cake:
1 1/4 c. dates (chopped)
1 1/2 c. almond milk
1/2 t baking soda
1 1/2 c oat flour
1/4 c Earth Balance (softened)
1/2 c brown sugar
3/4 c toasted pecans
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt

sauce:
3 T maple syrup
3 T brown sugar
3 T Earth Balance
1 T vanilla

1. Toast the pecans in a preheated oven, 325 degrees for about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make your oat flour by blending oatmeal in a blender until you get 1 1/2 cups of flour (will probably take about 2 cups of oats)*
3. After pecans are toasted, change oven temperature to 375 degrees and grease an 8x8 square pan.
4. Bring almond milk to a simmer and add the dates.  Lower the heat and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Remove dates and milk from heat and add baking soda.
6. Mix together the Earth Balance and brown sugar in a separate bowl.  Once completely mixed, add to date mix and mix well.
7. Add the oat flour, 1/2 cup of pecans, cinnamon, and salt to the date mixture.  Do not over mix!
8. Pour mixture into greased pan and place in the oven for 28 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, make the sauce by bringing the four ingredients to a simmer over medium heat.  Reduce to low and whisk constantly for a few minutes.
10. Once cake is done, let it sit for a few minutes before poking it a lot with a fork.  Poke it all over, really stab that cake.
11. Pour sauce all over the top, allowing it to soak into the cake.  Sprinkle remaining 1/4 c pecans on top.  Serve.
*I like to use Country Choice Organic Hot Cereal, Multigrain. It is a mix of rye, barley, oats, and wheat and you can find it at Trader Joes.

I also made this take on a bubble and squeak, which I wouldn't actually call that, but it was really delicious.  I plan to modify this recipe more and have another go at it, then I will post the recipe.  Until then, enjoy the photo of it, and check out the recipe here.

BIG news for cupcake and coffee fans

I was hanging out downtown today, waiting for Napoleon to be groomed at pussy and pooch, the overly elite pet spot downtown.  He now smells like blueberries because they spray him with blueberry dog cologne...

Before: dirty face, overgrown, smelled kinda of like a dog

After: clean, fresh, smells like blueberries

Anyway, as I was waiting for him to be ready, I ran into the Big Man himself, Chip Brown, owner and creator of Big Man Bakes cupcake shop(s).  I told him I love his cupcakes (true story, they are delish) He told me that they will now be opening at 8 every morning, serving Handsome Coffee.  Um, ok!  That sounds awesome, but wait, there's more: This week if you buy a coffee, either size, you get a free mini cupcake.  Maybe one day after yoga I will wander over that way and be bad with an old school or a black & white with a coffee.

I ordered Big Man Bakes mini's for Danny's surprise party that I threw him in March.  All the flavors are great and I highly recommend giving the cupcakes a try.  Frosted and Sprinkles are still my favorites, but his come in a close third.

While I'm on the topic of treats, let's talk yogurtland.  I always get  Taro with kit kat bits and mochi. Always.  However, this summer they are doing this thing where they have "scoured the globe" to find new flavors.  This flavor quest has brought some really awful flavors, such as the sticky toffee pudding, creme brûlée, and the spiced chai, all of which I tried samples of and all of which taste nothing like what their actual counterparts should.  Therefore, I was a bit apprehensive when trying the Mexican Hot Chocolate flavor last night.  Big surprise, it was delicious!  I actually mixed it up and did half Taro, half Mexican Hot Chocolate, plus the kit kat and the mochi, of course.  I hope that Mexican Hot Chocolate is a flavor that sticks around at my local yogurtland.

the mighty chia seed

I was thrilled whenever Trader Joes' began selling chia seeds.  I had seen them in recipes all over the place but I didn't feel like going out of my way to search for them.  I use them everyday in my breakfast smoothies.  You can throw them on top of a salad, put them in a healthy dessert to add crunch, or make this pudding.  (Oh She Glows is one of my fave recipe blogs!)

my version of Angela's Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

T-Bone's Everyday Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 T chia seeds*
1 banana
3/4 c frozen strawberries
1/2 c frozen mango, raspberries, or blueberries
1-1/2 c almond milk

Preparation:
1. combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. enjoy a delicious and healthy glass of yum!

*If you don't have easy access to chia seeds, you can use ground flax seed, oatmeal, or nut butter for that extra bit of protein and texture.  Today I added peanut butter with chia seeds for extra flavor.  If you choose to add oatmeal, start with about 1/4 cup, blend it first until it is almost a powder, then add the rest of the ingredients and blend together.  Oatmeal will add a different, thicker texture.  Flax seed and chia will add a lot of protein and fiber.  Nut butters will add protein and give a different flavor.  Anytime I add peanut butter it always has a very peanut-buttery taste.

flirting with veganism

I cook vegan a majority of the time since I don't do dairy milk and adding cheese just adds calories.  The main thing keeping me from turning full time vegan has always been the eggs.  I love me some eggs!  Not that I eat eggs everyday, though I probably could, but what is brunch without eggs florentine? a quiche? an omelet? a scramble?  So after watching Vegucated after Christmas break, already starting off 2013 with a vegan diet, just for the health benefits, I freaked out.  I couldn't eat eggs anymore unless I knew the farm they came from.  I won't go into the gory details here, suffice it to say that just because it says "organic, free-range, blah blah blah" doesn't mean you can trust it.  It's really about the terrible things that happen immediately after the hatching of the chicks which will someday produce those eggs.

So...was that enough to keep me vegan forever?  I really really thought so, and I was doing so well, but my busy life at SCI-Arc got the best of me.  You really have to have the time or the money to be vegan, I know others will argue, but for me it is true.  As soon as I have the time: easy!  I'm cooking vegan every day, no problem, I may miss my eggs, but it's totally fine.  If I were rich, I could be vegan during school, I would just eat at RFD, Sage, Native Foods, and shop at Whole Foods.  It would be fine and I could do it.  But when you don't have the time or the money, you do the best that you can, for me that is continuing to be a part time vegan.

Here's a raw vegan dish that I made the other night with some golden beets that I accidentally bought at the farmers market.  This dish is labeled as "ravioli" but let's be honest, raw foodies only do things like this to make it seem like they are eating something other than raw vegetables.  This is NOT ravioli.  In fact, I don't recommend cutting the beets into squares as shown, unless you want to take a pretty picture.  Just slice them into matchsticks and throw it together as the salad that it is.

Golden Beet Salad with Olive-Basil Tapenade
Adapted from Vegetarian Times

Ingredients:

2-3 Golden Beets, thinly sliced on a mandolin, then cut into squares (or like I said, matchsticks)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 T orange zest (don't grate off half of your knuckle like I did!)

1 c arugula

tapenade:

1 c pitted kalamata olives

1/2 c fresh parsley leaves

1/4 c fresh basil leaves

2 T capers, drained

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 t red pepper flakes (omit or use less if you don't like spicy food)

Preparation:

1. toss beets in oil and orange zest, set aside

2. combine all tapenade ingredients in food processor until well blended but still chunky

3. put together the beets and tapenade atop the arugula

4. squeeze fresh orange juice on top

5. enjoy!

Herbivore+Omnivore meal

I became a vegetarian almost 4 1/2 years ago.  I've been with Danny for almost 9 years now.  That means I'm not allowed to pull the vegetarian card on him and refuse to cook meat like some other lucky lifetime vegetarians I know with significant others who eat meat.  This also means I have to come up with ways to incorporate meat into vegetarian dishes I eat as main courses, make my vegetarian main dish a side for him, or fix things that will please him enough he won't miss the meat.

It's not always easy, but I am pretty pleased with what I came up with today.

The menu:

Spicy Panko Crusted Baked Chicken

Roasted Parsnips

Avocado "fries"

leftover asparagus

Spicy Panko Crusted Baked Chicken

What you need:

For the marinade:

8-10 fresh, free-range organic chicken strips (I recommend Trader Joe's version, very affordable)

2 T Sriracha

1/4 c rice wine vinegar

1/4 c olive oil

1 T Worcestershire 

1 t garlic powder

1/2 t cayenne

1/2 t smoked salt

For the crust:

1-2 eggs, beaten

1 cup panko 

1/2 cup flour

1 T cayanne

1 T garlic powder

1 t smoked salt

What you do:

1.  Combine all marinade ingredients together in a shallow dish.  Place chicken in the marinade and refrigerate, turning occasionally.  Marinate all day, or as long as possible for best flavor (I think...) :)

2.  When ready to cook the chicken, preheat oven to 425.

3.  Set up a breading station from left to right as follows: chicken, beaten egg in a shallow dish, crust mixture in a shallow dish, pan that breaded chicken will be cooked in.  (see picture below for similar set up with the avocado fries)

4.  Take chicken, one at a time and dip in egg mix, removing excess before dipping and coating in the panko mix and then placing in the final dish.  Do this to all pieces of chicken.

5.  Drizzle a little olive oil on all the pieces for extra crunch and color.

5.  Bake for around 30 minutes, checking occasionally for doneness, as all chicken will have different thickness.

Baked Avocado "fries"

What you need:

2 ripe avocados

3 T ground flax seed

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 c water

1 c panko

1/2 c flour

1 T cayenne

1 T garlic powder

1 t smoked salt

What you do:

1. Cut avocados in half, remove pit and cut each half into 4 sections.

2.  Carefully remove sections with a spoon.

3.  Set up your breading station in the same manner as the chicken.

4.  Mix together the flaxseed, water and baking powder.*

5.  Dip avocado pieces one at a time into the flax seed mixture, ensuring to get some flax on each piece before dipping into the panko breading.

6.  Drizzle olive oil on each and place in pre-heated 450 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.

*You can use eggs for the coating, but to make them vegan I wanted to try this option, it worked really well!

Roasted Parsnips: (Thanks Jarrett and Dave for introducing me to this delicious veg!)

What you need:

2-3 parsnips, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

rosemary

What you do:

Generously drizzle the parsnip pieces with olive oil and balsamic and sprinkle with some rosemary. Bake in 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until parsnips are nice and tender, stirring occasionally so they do not burn.

For dessert, Chocolate Covered Katie's chocolate chip cookie pie, made with beans.  (I halved her recipe, so it is half as thick, but equally delicious I'm sure!!!)

this picture is from yesterday...it is all gone now because I devoured it all. :(

perfect day for a family bike ride!