Clean Eating Challenge: Day 11

In case you are just joining me, this is Day 11 of Buzzfeed's Clean Eating Challenge.  Today was not so hard.  Usually if I begin the day with an intense workout (in today's case, a fast 2 mile run) I will have a clementine about 30 minutes before so I can have a tiny bit of energy at least.

Breakfast: Kale Banana Smoothie
The same as last week. I am still loving this flavor, but more so, the intense green color!

Lunch: Healthy Tuna Salad
Let me begin with an anecdote.  Tuna salad used to be my favorite thing growing up.  I was one of the only kids I knew who willingly ate fish.  I was a pescetarian in the making for sure.  One time when I was quite young, I was home alone and couldn't find anything to eat, so I decided to make tuna salad!
No hard boiled eggs…hmm, that's ok, I can go without.
No mayonnaise.  Well, it just needs something wet to hold it all together.  Ok, ketchup!
No pickles or relish.  It just needs something chunky in it.  Cheese!
Yes.  I made myself a delicious tuna salad with ketchup and cheese.  I'm sure it was amazing and I ate it all.  My mom thought it was hilarious.

This tuna salad that buzz feed made me eat restored my faith in tuna salads.  You don't need mayonnaise!  The dijon and olive oil were enough, mixed with the soft texture of the egg.  In my case, I also added two scallions.  I can't remember what the lady at the farmer's market called this particular lettuce, but it wasn't exactly big enough or strong enough to make cups out of, so I ate it mostly with a fork and picked up the last remnants with the baby lettuce pieces.  As much as I try to stay away from canned foods and the fact that I haven't had tuna salad in years, I think I will add this to my lunch rotation, maybe once a month or so.

Snack 1: Banana Avocado "Pudding"
Ok.  First things first, This is more like a smoothie than a pudding.  Mine had no pudding consistency whatsoever.  I could have easily drank it through a straw.  That said, it did sort of taste like pudding, if that makes any sense.  I probably wouldn't make this again, but it wasn't bad.

Dinner: Snap Pea, Radish, and Mint Salad
I put this over a bed of spinach because once it was all cooked, I realized that I didn't use quite enough snap peas.  Of course I used goat cheese instead of feta. (See my previous postings) The radishes are from the same lady from the Arts District Farmer's Market from whom I bought the little lettuce from lunch.  This salad was really good.

Snack 2: 1/2 cup of blackberries, 1/2 oz of chocolate, green tea
To make up for last night of not eating the 1 cup of blackberries, I ate them tonight.  But I didn't have a full cup.  So I just helped Danny finish off the rest of this delicious chocolate that we bought from Monoa Chocolates in Kailua, Hawaii.

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!

yoga in the park

Grand Park is this awesome little spot between City Hall and the DWP building with grass lawns, pink tables and chairs, trees, and fountains.  On Tuesdays, you will find a small farmers market on the eastern-most lawn.  On Wednesdays and Fridays you will find me getting my yoga on in the western-most lawn.

I loved Grand Park from the moment I first experienced it during the grand opening last fall.  While I enjoy living downtown, the West Side was much better about not feeling like one is stuck in a concrete jungle.  Now we have Grand Park, and this girl could not be happier!

As soon as the semester was over, I began going to every Wednesday and Friday yoga session.  In a city where you could pay upward of $40 a class, I don't turn down free yoga!  The classes are from 12:15-1:00, mats are provided if you don't have your own, and it's really relaxing.  This is not the Vinyassa style power yoga that I am used to, this is a slow-paced, muscle concentration yoga.  It is as tough as one chooses to make it, concentrating on holding the poses correctly, the teacher is great at explaining where to tighten, how to breathe, etc.

I'm sad they will be ending yoga at the end of May because of the heat of the summer...  Sounds silly if you ask me.  A week ago it was 90 degrees and I was fine!  Who in SoCal doesn't want a tan?  What am I supposed to do now, start paying for workout classes?  Oy vey!  But guess what?  Soon after yoga ends, boot camp classes will begin!  Starting June 18th, from 5:30-6:30 pm there will be boot camp in the park every Tuesday evening.  Hopefully this will continue until yoga starts back up in November.

for the fickle hearted

Ask my friends, I have a thing about fickleness.  I won't go into my philosophy here, but suffice it to say that when a restaurant named Fickle opens next door to my apartment, I'm going to be intrigued.

Fickle by night, The Sandwich Smith by day.  Fickle's menu changes often, depending on what is readily fresh and available at the farmer's markets.  The Sandwich Smith has a new special everyday (meat and veg!) and you choose how you want your sandwich or salad.  Now you tell me that this place is not fickle!

Here is the best part: As soon as you sit down, the waiter brings out a big bowl of kettle corn.  This is not your typical kettle corn, but so much more.  It's kettle corn with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and butter then sprinkled with two kinds of thick sugars.  It's extra sweet, extra spicy, extra delicious.  Our waiter was kind enough to bring a second bowl once we polished off the first. 

While I have yet to try their dinner (I'm waiting for a special occasion,) their happy hour is great!  $5 house wines (they have a pinot and a red,) $3 draft beer (they have a Hef and an IPA )  $1.75 oysters, if you like that sort of thing.  My favorite (so far) is the buffalo cauliflower with bleu cheese crumbles, $5.  All of my friends got this same thing and loved it as well.  It's a big hit, you must try it.

What else must you try?  The tiramisu cheesecake!  The chef and maitre d' generously sent one to our table, after I told them I am a blogger aaaand my friend Kirsten let them know how she felt about her previous experience with the profiteroles and the panna cotta (she didn't think they were up to par with the rest of their food she had tried)  I'm not a big fan of cheesecake, but I am a huge tiramisu lover, and this is the perfect pairing.  The thick lady finger/espresso crust on the bottom, the dusting of spices on top, and the creamy, not too rich, cheesecake in the middle made for a lovely dessert for me.  We also tried the baked Alaska, which I was not as into.  It is very good, and if you are a fruit dessert person, you will most likely love it.  The meringue was perfect and thick, the strawberry prickly-pear sauce was quite yummy, but I wasn't feeling the passion fruit sorbet in the center.

So going to Fickle is a must, but what about during the day when this very fickle place is a sandwich shop?  The sandwiches are huge, enough for two meals for most people, so don't let the $8-$10 price tag scare you off.  You will have a great sandwich. Here's what I've tried from The Sandwich Smith's menu...
-seasonal vegetable: roasted zucchini and roasted pumpkin, both VERY good.
-meats: Danny has had the fried chicken (which he loved) and the angus beef (not a big hit with him, the meat was pretty fatty/undercooked and just kind of strange on a sandwich)
-breads: honey wheat and walnut cranberry, both delicious.  The honey wheat is really soft, so make sure you get your dressing on the side.  My friend has had the donut bun, which he said is similar to a bagel.  If you were imagining a glazed donut, that's ok, I was too.
-cheese: goat cheese, duh!  I've also tried the chedder, which was great too.
-dressings: habanero lime, garlic aioli, and mint cumin yogurt.  All delicious, I'm not sure I could choose one.  I recommend getting your dressing on the side so your sandwich doesn't get soggy, particularly if you don't get one of the mayo based dressings.
-toppings: all are great and fresh.  Definitely go for the delicious tomatoes, anything else you get will be great, I promise!

i made quiche!

I don't know why I've spent my adult life thinking that quiche was something difficult, like macarons or soufflé.  I guess I just assumed all French cooking was a task.  Quiche is not.

Perhaps I was also shying away from an attempt at quiche because I'm not a fan of pie crust...  In walks hash brown crusted quiche.  Yes please!

Check out my favorite quiche reference here.  And support marriage equality, because quiche is a brunch item, and no one does brunch better than the gays.

T-Bone's Farm Fresh Hash Brown Crusted Quiche 
(makes 6 servings)

Ingredients:
3 c of shredded hash browns (thawed if frozen)
1/3 c melted butter or oil
1 fennel
1 clove of garlic
1 bunch of maitake mushrooms (or whatever mushrooms you like)
2 eggs
1/2 c almond milk
handful of fennel leaves
salt and pepper
handful of cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Preparation:
1. preheat oven to 425
2. get as much moisture out of the hash browns as you can by squeezing with paper towels. (I am always so bad about this because I lack the patience to do it properly, but if you do it right, you will have a crispier crust)
3. press hash browns into bottom and sides of a 9" pie pan
4. pour butter or oil evenly over hash browns
5. bake for 20-25 minutes, or until hash browns begin to brown
6. in the meantime, chop the fennel and garlic and sauté in a bit of olive oil until soft
7. chop the mushrooms and add to the fennel mixture, continue to sauté for a few minutes until the flavors meld
8. in a small bowl, combine the eggs and milk and whisk together well
9. add salt, pepper, and chopped fennel leaves to taste
10. when hash brown crust is done, spread fennel mixture evenly on top, then pour egg mixture on top of that
11. place tomato pieces evenly throughout the quiche
12. reduce oven to 350 and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until egg is cooked to your desired level
13. wait 10 minutes, then cut into six pie slices and serve with a salad

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!