Since We Last Chatted…

I celebrated Christmas…

So what if I wore yoga pants all day? I wanted to be comfy while I unwrapped presents and stuffed myself.

I made a lot of fun recipes that I can wait to share with you. I copycatted the Okonomiyaki that Carter and I had at Xia Bao Biscuit.

And the Basil Honey Vinaigrette I love from Five Loaves. (Ignore my half gone tattoo – I’m still in the removal process.)

I also made blueberry pancakes using Greek yogurt and cottage cheese.

I continued making healthy recipes like Spicy Lentil Patties…

and a vegan tofu scramble.

I celebrated winning The NYE Challenge with an IceDream from Chick-fil-A…

…and made a lot of cookies.

Seriously, so many cookies.

But it’s okay, because I did a ton of running…

including another 10 mile run on NYE…

and maybe a little trespassing.

And finally, I rang in the New Year with some of my favorite friends.

Cheers to 2013, getting back into regular posting, and sharing lots of recipes! As always, thanks for reading and staying caught up in my very hungry and healthy life. XO!

Feeling Hungry and Healthy? Purée Café Is Your Place.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been head over heels in love. But no, not for a boy. For a restaurant! Purée Café in Mt. Pleasant is a new gem that you must check out. Purée caters to those health-conscious individuals like myself, but will surely please the appetites of anyone smart enough to eat there. The menu is vegetarian, with many vegan and gluten-free options. Fillers, preservatives, artificial colors, and GMOs are no no’s at this joint. Go in hungry and leave feeling happy and healthy!

My first visit to Puree was with my friend Eric, a meat-loving man, who worried the vegetarian menu wouldn’t satisfy him. While we glanced over the menu, we ordered two juices: the Green Clean (spinach, kale, cucumber, celery, parsley, apple, and lemon)  and The Vitality (kale, beet, carrot, and peach).

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We also couldn’t pass up the White Bean Dip with pita chips as an appetizer. I could not stop eating the dip!

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We shared a salad too. Hey, we saw a lot of things we liked…The arugula, goat cheese, & roasted beet salad with toasted nuts & berries was another great starter -- sweet, savory, and summery. Pretty, isn’t it?

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The meat-eater immediately spotted two items that intrigued him:  the Blackened Jalapeno Cheddar Burger and the BBQ Tempeh Sausage Burger. Jenan, the owner, stopped at our table and convinced him to go with the latter. Wise choice – the burger was huge and topped with sautéed onions, avocado, and melted cashew cheese

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I chose the Mediterranean platter:  falafel  & hummus, served with mixed green tahini salad & toasted pita. I loved this dish because I got to try a little bit of everything. The falafel is a family recipe and the roasted red pepper hummus is better than anything you could buy in a store.

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After my visit with Eric, I was hooked. Thankfully, so is my good friend Danielle, and we’ve been going pretty often. One day we didn’t tell each other we were going for lunch and happened to go at the exact same time. I’m not sure if we were more embarrassed or amused that we caught each other. :)

On more than one occasion (like four, sue me), I’ve had the Black Bean Burrito. I can’t stop! Jenan urges me to try new things, but I keep going back to it. The whole wheat wrap is filled with black beans, greens, pico de gallo, and avocado.

One afternoon, Danielle and I decided a cocktail with lunch was necessary. She got a margarita with organic tequila and I got a mixed drink with organic vodka, beet juice, strawberries, and lime. These were probably the healthiest cocktails we’ve ever encountered, ha!

My most recent visit (when I spilled the beet juice everywhere) was for brunch. I had the The scrambler: tofu with cheese, tomatoes, kale, sweet & Yukon gold potatoes wrapped up in a whole wheat tortilla and a side of pesto. The tofu tasted pretty darn similar to eggs and I loved that there were two kinds of potato.

Locals, please check out this adorable café! Vegetarian or not, I know you’ll find something delicious. Stop in for a juice, eat one of the awesome entrees, chat w/ the sweet owner, and leave with a freshly-baked dessert. The vegan chocolate chip cookies are ridiculously good. Trust me, I’ve had a couple. ;)

Check out Purée on their website, facebook, or twitter. Tell Jenan I sent you!!

Do you often find yourself ordering the same thing over and over because it’s so good or do you like to always try new things?

What’s your favorite vegetarian dish?

What I’m Loving Wednesday 9.19.12

Hola mis amigas! (y  mis amigos!)

1. I’m so smitten with this Tinley Road blouse I purchased from Piperlime. I always crush hard on anything from the site. They have the prettiest clothes.

2. On Monday, Rachel brought a bag of these Werther’s Caramel Apple hard candies to work . We had just been talking about seasonal treats, and caramel and candy apples came up. These sugar-free candies are holding us over until the real fun can begin.

3. I almost lost it when I saw this GIF. It’s SO TRUE!!

WHEN I LICK THE BOWL AFTER BAKING WITH ABSOLUTELY NO REGARD FOR SALMONELLA

4. Visits to Target for “essentials.” I go in for toilet paper, I come out with things I had no idea I “needed.” It’s just ridiculous! Last weekend I chuckled at my purchases: gum, Pretzel M&M’s, Candy Corn M&M’s, and glow necklaces. You just never know when your sweet tooth will kick in…or a dance party.

5. Don’t fear Vegan treats. They are just as sweet, if not sweeter, than the buttery-laden desserts you’re accustomed to. At a recent visit to Puree in Mt. Pleasant, the owner sent me home with two delicious goodies: a chocolate chip cookie and a whoopie pie.

6. After the Super Hero 5k on Saturday, we went to Triangle for brunch. Mary Legare and I both had a really good beer: Angry Orchard Crisp Apple. The Boston Brewery puts out a killer cider beer. It was love at first sip.

7.This picture of Boding and me. I’m so lucky to call him my best friend! We have so much fun together and I’m pumped that at the end of next month we’ll be living together again.

Gruber Farm CSA Week 8 / Spicy Corn & Potato Chowder

Hello Summer vegetables! The Summer produce started so early this year. It seemed like so long ago that I was picking strawberries.

In the box:

• sweet corn – a ton of it!
• tomatoes
• eggplant
• onions
• banana peppers
• potatoes
• green beans

This week, I made a new favorite recipe using 3 different vegetables from the box. I love that. Eight weeks into having the CSA, I’m still reminded that it’s easy to make healthy, wholesome, vegetarian dishes. In fact, this one’s vegan. So, Court, this one’s for YOU!

Spicy Corn & Potato Chowder

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds white potatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 4 cups of fresh corn (from 6 ears)
• 16 oz. non dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can of fat-free vegetable broth
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. coriander
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until softened.
2. Add the garlic, potatoes, and corn. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring a couple times.
3. Add the milk, broth, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

I’m sure I say this about most recipes I post, but I loved this. Boding can vouch for this as well; he came over and ate 2 huge bowls. It’s spicy, creamy, and hearty. It’s low in fat but very filling.

My original plan was to use coconut milk, but Publix was out of lite coconut milk. I took a chance with the almond milk in my fridge and am glad I did. It worked!

What’s your favorite soup/stew/chowder? Mine is avgolemono, a Greek egg-lemon soup with chicken and rice. Check out this post when I made it a couple years ago. PS: That post has a really hot Greek guy in it.

The Weekend Recap

Since Grammy arrived, I’ve been spending a lot of time with the fam. On Friday, she, Auntie Kelly, and I had a girls’ evening of dinner and movies. Grammy is a messy eater, and because she piled her burger high with toppings, she felt it was necessary to wear a  bib to eat. No joke.

The woman is nuts and I love her.

On Saturday we went shopping and I picked up 2 pairs of shorts from Banana Republic. Reason #2985725 why I love warm weather: white shorts. I’m not sure what I’ll wear the white & silver pair with yet. Any ideas?

For lunch, we went to the Centre Pointe Chick-fil-A, my favorite location. The love for Chick-fil-A runs in the family. Look at my cousin going to town on an Oreo parfait!

That evening I met up with my dear Courtney who is visiting from NYC. She made a delicious mostly local, vegan dinner for a few of us. We started with a kale salad with olive oil, lemon juice, chili flakes, garlic, and bread crumbs:

She also filled squash blossoms with tofu ricotta, soft tofu, lemon zest, and fresh basil. They were sprinkled with olive oil and breadcrumbs, then baked. On the side, we had baby red potatoes roasted with rosemary and oregano. All the vegetables were fresh from the Farmer’s Market! Everything was so fresh and healthy, just the way we like it.

Don’t you want Courtney to be your personal chef now? I do!

After dinner, we went to The Royal American for some drinks. A lot of people love this “dive bar.” As a bar hopper who can’t seem to sit still, I don’t like that it’s so far away from everything. But I was in good company!

I told Courtney she makes me want to be a brunette. She told me I make her want to be a blonde. Typical girls. Courtney, it was so good to see you in CHS!! And I think just being around you made my Klout score go up. ;)

On Sunday, I had brunch and a major catch-up session with the lovely Sarah. We went to Carter’s Kitchen in Mt. Pleasant – more on that in another post. I love this girl!

On Sunday afternoon, Courtney, her friend Stephanie, and I finally saw The Hunger Games.

Holy crap, this movie is intense! Though I didn’t care for the book, I enjoyed all 142 minutes of the action-packed movie.

Made any recent clothing purchases? What color top would you wear with those white & silver shorts?

Ever had stuffed squash blossoms? Aside from Saturday, I’ve only ever had them in Italy.

Pure Barre & Pure Food

Last Thursday, I went to happy hour with my friend Sarah. The HH was hosted by Andrea, one of the teachers from Pure Barre. For each drink purchased, you were entered in a giveaway to win prizes from the studio. I was lucky enough to win four free classes! (source)

Bright and early on Sunday morning (okay, 9 a.m.), I went to my first free class. This was actually my third time at Pure Barre. (Read about my first experience here.) I wish I could take each and every one of my readers to the studio. The workout is incredible! It’s one of those classes that makes me wake up the next morning saying, “I have muscles there? Ouch.” And I love it! Check out the Pure Barre site to find a location near you!

At the Mt. Pleasant location, the new client special is $99 for a month of unlimited classes. On Sunday, their facebook page announced a deal I could not pass up.

You see that word challenge? GETS ME EVERY TIME. How could I say no to that? Twenty classes in 30 days…I’ve got this, right? I am both scared and excited to see what happens to my bum. Excuse me,  my seat ;)

Speaking of all things pure in Mt. Pleasant, let’s talk about The Sprout, an organic café and juice bar. My friend Nicole and I popped in for brunch over the weekend. The first thing I noticed were all the juices. My eyes immediately darted to The Refresher: beet, apple, celery, cucumber, and carrot.

Sold. It was pink! #beetsmakeeverythingpink

We also split the Black Bean Burrito: black beans, lentils, tomatoes, greens, dairy-free cheese, and tahini dressing. The juice was great and the wrap was also tasty, but the service was beyond slow. It took over 20 minutes to get our food. Our raw food. Um, what?

Nicole also snuck in an order of two wheatgrass shots. She threw hers back like it was water. I, on the other hand, took one sip, gagged as quietly as I possibly could, and passed mine over to her. Could not handle it. They were a pretty green though, I’ll give her that.

 

Have you ever taken a class at Pure Barre? Do you think I can handle 20 classes in 29 more days?

What’s a health trend you can’t get on board with?