What I’m Loving Wednesday

1. Doesn’t the chilly weather just make you want to turn on your oven? This is my favorite roasted vegetable combo: sliced carrots, sweet potatoes, and beets with rosemary and salt & pepper. Simple, delicious, and full of antioxidants for your pretty face.

2. I get really excited when any of Christina Perri’s songs come on the radio because I see my name on the screen. Dork.

3. Danielle works for Red Bull and got a shipment of the new Red Bull Editions on Monday. She literally jogged to our apartment’s office to pick up the package, then jogged to my building so we could try them. (Yes, we both get very excited about little things. This is why we are friends.)

The new flavors are: cranberry, lime, and blueberry.

To celebrate, I pulled out wine glasses. Why not? I liked the cranberry best, then blueberry, then lime. We really liked the cranberry and blueberry mixed.The Editions will be available in select bars/clubs next week but fully launch on March 4, 2013. Get excited!

4. Best license plate ever.

5. My grandma introduced me to my new favorite tea, Yogi Bedtime. It’s so good!

I also love the little messages tied to the tea bag. What’s your favorite Yogi flavor? I want to try more!

6. I need these. Need. Thanks for pointing them out, Nick!

7. Over the long weekend, Boding and I picked out a Christmas tree. We got a petite one, about 5’2”…just my size.

Why we decided to take my car and not Boding’s truck is beyond me. It made for a funny picture though.

Last night I decorated it with two kinds of ornaments: neons and Chick-fil-A cows. Surprised? I didn’t think so.

Have you tried any of the Red Bull Editions yet?

What’s your favorite tea?

Have you put up holiday decorations?

What I Love From A to Z

This post been floating all around the blog world.  Here’s my list, just in case you guys forgot the letters of the alphabet.

A – Asics. I have tried to run in many different brands of sneakers. Asics always win. Bonus points if they’re in my two favorite colors, lime green and purple.

B – Beets. Although it’s not my favorite flavor-wise, I have a mild obsession with this rooted  vegetable.

Could it be the color? How it dyes everything pink? That is pairs so well with honey and goat cheese? That it makes for the creamiest Beet Risotto with Goat Cheese?

C – Cookies. A soft, chewy, chocolate chip cookie is my favorite. No question about it – nothing compares.

D – Dining out. Who doesn’t love being served a delicious meal without having to do any work? I know I do. Some of my favorite restaurants in Charleston are: The Macintosh, Hall’s, and Cypress.

E – Essie makes a great nail polish. They come out with the best colors! Their newest line, Mirror Metallics looks beautiful:

F – Farmer’s markets. Fresh, local veggies taste better. They just do.

G – Grammy. I absolutely adore this woman! 

H – Hungry Meets Healthy. The blog title perfectly exemplifies my life. And I adore each and every one of you for reading!

I – IceDreams from Chick-fil-A. They’re perfectly portioned and pair well with pickles. Ew? No.

J – Joy! If you open your eyes, there’s plenty of joy all around you. Just look for it.

K – Kitchens. My favorite room in the house.

L – The library. I could spend hours in a library admiring all of the books. I live very close to one and I try to go once a week. I never stop reading.

M – Music. Can’t function without it. I shower, drive, work, exercise, cook, and blog with music. Totally necessary.

N – Nancy and Nikki. These two ladies have been my best friends since, well, forever. I love them both dearly!

O – Orzo. Spelled so closely to my last name, I get a kick out of every time I see this short-cut grain of pasta.

P – Pickles. Enough said. 

Q – Quick! I do everything quickly. Walk, talk, type, eat, read,run, write. I like doing something and moving onto the next thing!

R – Running. Be it sprinting, interval training, or distance running, I love this form of exercise. Receiving medals doesn’t hurt either. Right, Mary-Legare?

S – SUNSHINE!

T – Target. What would I do without this wonderful place? It’s an adult’s playground and a surefire way to spend money on things you “need.”

U – Unique. There’s nothing worse than being ordinary.

V – Vegetables.

W – Wine. Red wine, white wine, pink wine. Any wine.

X – Xtina, the nickname. Or just X to some of my friends. It’s the only nickname that has stuck with me.

Y – YOU! I’m so grateful for all you lovely readers. Thanks for the comments, emails, and tweets. You’re the best.

Z – Zodiac. Confession: I like reading my horoscope and I am a true Cancer.

Do this survey and send me a link!

CSA Week 10 / Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Stacks

Yesterday was the first official day of Summer! It was also Summer solstice – the longest day of the year. Despite these facts, I’m nearing the end of my Summer CSA. Only 2 more weeks left. Thank goodness for the Fall subscription!

Week 10:

• butternut squash (I could have sworn this was a Fall veggie)
• eggplant
• watermelon (the cutest!)
• cantaloupe
• turnips
• tomatoes
• green peppers
• jalapenos

Remember the mini watermelon from last week’s box? I chopped that up and soaked it in vodka for a boat ride. It made for a deliciously good time. I may or may not be using this week’s melon for the same thing.

I also made the Sweet & Spicy Salsa again. I’ve been putting it on my grilled chicken and even my eggs for breakfast. It’s quite versatile.

So, confession time. I’ve never actually cooked with eggplant…until tonight. Eggplant is surprisingly easy to work with. Here’s a little snack/appetizer I made before dinner.

Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Stacks

Ingredients:

• 1 small eggplant, sliced
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• olive oil, for drizzling
• goat cheese, for topping
• balsamic vinegar, for drizzling

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400*. Place eggplant and tomato slices on a plan lined with a Silpat or foil. Drizzle with olive oil.
2. Roast for 20 minutes, turning once.
3. Place sliced vegetables on a plate, drizzle with balsamic vinegar, and top with crumbled goat cheese. Serve warm.

Voila! It’s too easy not to make. If you crumble the goat cheese atop the stacks right away, it melts just a little and becomes so creamy. Enjoy!

While you’re cooking, listen to this song:

Favorite roasted vegetable?

Did you love the song?

Weekends Are For Living.

I seriously had one of the best weekends I’ve had in a long time.

I ate a lot of desserts. I didn’t work out. I spent so much time with friends.

I was a happy girl.

Friday: At work, I declared it “sit on an exercise ball and eat froyo” day. Why not?

Do you sit on an exercise ball at work? I almost flew off the thing several times whenever Skrillex came on Pandora. Things got a little too bouncy.

That evening, I went to Happy Hour at the Harbour Club with my dear friend Holly and then rounded out the evening with a beet salad from Il Cortile de Re.

Saturday: I woke up wanting avocado dip. So while eating my cereal, I made some. At 10 a.m. -- I was excited!

The weather was beautiful, so Rachel and I went to the pool for a couple of hours and then Chick-fil-A for lunch. I splurged (just kidding) on a kid’s meal with grilled nuggets and fruit.

Yes, that is a side of pickles, and yes, we brought the avocado dip with us to use on the nuggets. And YES, I had an IceDream.

After lunch, we went to Target where I bought a cute new bikini…among other things.

Then Kaye came into town! I love when she visits because we act like our true selves around each other: loud, silly, and filter-free. We have so much fun, it’s ridiculous.

So much fun that at 2:30 in the morning when our legs were too tired from dancing, we  just leaned on trees. Hey, it’s just being environmentally friendly, right?

PS: I love her little dominatrix Barbie outfit. But by the end of the evening, I was calling her funeral Barbie. So much black for Charleston!

Boding took good care of us though – as both our photographer and DD. He even sent us to bed with a giant glass of water.

On Sunday, the three of us went to brunch at Crave. I asked Chef Landen for “something healthy, like eggs and veggies .” I received a giant spinach omelet, lots of grilled veggies, potatoes, fruit, and a side salad.

Needless to say, I have leftovers to hold me over for the next couple of meals.

What was the highlight of YOUR weekend?

Who is your friend that you can be 100% yourself around? How do you act?

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.

CSA Week 7 / Broiled Peaches with Goat Cheese & Honey

The further we get into the Spring season, the better the assortment of produce I receive from Gruber Farm. When I opened last week’s box, I thought “Woah, best week EVER.” Ehhh wrong! This week is even better. I’ve been really happy with Gruber Farm thus far because you get a good assortment of many different types of produce versus a few different things.

Week 7:

• red potatoes
• yellow corn
• onions
• patty pan squash
• a pumpkin? some sort of squash…
• string beans
• peaches (!!)
• turnips

I always dig into the fruit first. It’s the most appealing to me and easiest to cook…or not cook at all. This time I cooked!

Broiled Peaches with Goat Cheese & Honey

This “recipe” doesn’t require drawn out steps; it’s easy as pie. But not a peach pie.

All you do is turn your broiler on low, slice or halve the peaches however you prefer, and pop them in the oven. Watch them!! Let them brown a little, but be careful – they will burn and you will end up with crunch. Not fun.

When they’re browned to your liking, remove them from the oven, drizzle them with honey, and top them with goat cheese crumbles and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Eat them while they’re warm!

Top them with ice cream. But don’t tell me about it. I’ve given up desserts.

This doesn’t count as dessert right?

What’s your favorite fruit-based dessert?

Why is there a phrase “easy as pie”? PIE IS NOT EASY TO MAKE.

CSA Week 7 / Recipe Help From My Readers

Despite being a bit sad that I am more than halfway through my Spring CSA with Gruber Farm, I was delighted with this week’s box.

The variety and quality of Week 7 was impressive.

• carrots
• green beans
• zucchini
• pattypan squash
• cucumbers
• onions
• peaches
• pole beans
• red potatoes

At first, I wasn’t exactly sure what the beans in the bottom middle were. I couldn’t decide if they were snow peas or pole beans. After asking friends on twitter, I finally decided they must be pole beans. I hope I’m right. I’m open to being corrected…

As usual, I went straight for the fruit. Biting into the first peach reminded me that Summer is just around the corner. That evening, I cut the potatoes in bite-sized pieces and sauteed them with diced onion. All they  needed was a bit of oil and a dash of salt & pepper. Sometimes it’s the simple recipes that turn out the best.

The other vegetables left me wondering…

Should I eat the carrots as I always do, with my favorite hummus?

What on earth do I make with the patty pan squash? I won’t forgive myself if I chop them up. They’re too beautiful not to keep in their whole form. Perhaps stuffed is the way to go.

Pole beans? Who cooks with those?

Everyone thinks of peach cobbler, why not make something else?

Here are some recipes I bookmarked today:

• Patty pan Squash Stuffed with Corn
• Stuffed Zucchini Boats
• Rosemary Roasted Potatoes – basically what Courtney made this weekend!
• Carrot and Raisin Salad – a healthy version of Chick-fil-A’s!
• Sautéed Peaches

What would you make with this week’s vegetables? I want to know your favorites. Your tried and true recipes. Your family’s secrets.  Your own creations.

As bloggers and foodies, we know how tiring searching for the perfect recipe can be, so why not share with one another? Send me what you’ve got – I’d love to make it at home and highlight it on my blog!

Winner gets a special prize.