Hulk Salad Transforms into a Satiating Veggie Burrito

One night I was sitting around trying to figure out what to do for dinner so I texted my fiance (aka fancy-boyfriend) and I asked him, "What do you wanna have for dinner?" 

"Edamame."

~Gulp air quickly, silently panic, and puzzle over the question that immediately popped into my head~ 

How do I make edamame into a meal?  

While they are one of my favorite things to snack on whenever I get the chance, it isn't something I often think about as the mainstay of a meal. 

I asked myself, 'How do I make those little beans into more?'  and I started thinking about it as a combination element in a vegetable-based salad. 

Which ended up as a challenge to myself, can I do this whole thing purely using plant-based ingredients? 

The answer: yes, and hell yes. 

After quickly raiding our freezer and fridge I cobbled together the following ingredients: 

1 steamer bag of broccoli and cauliflower

1 bag frozen edamame 

1 ripe avocado 

First thing I did was to pop the steamer bag of broccoli and cauliflower into the microwave. I wanted the veggies to have some time to cool down before I added them into the salad. 

Then I flash boiled the edamame, quickly putting them into an ice bath and salting them so I could snack as I pulled everything else together. 

I took the broccoli and cauliflower and using my new favorite tool, my mezzaluna salad chopper, made everything into bite-sized pieces.

I set that aside, took my avocado removed the flesh and mashed it thoroughly until its consistency was similar to that of mayo, I added a little squeeze of lime juice to keep the color vibrant (whoever wanted to eat a brown salad? No one that's who). 

Added a little salt and pepper to my 'avo-mayo' and mixed in the edamame and the broccoli and cauliflower. 

It was delicious on a couple of GG Fiber crackers and then I rolled some of it into a burrito for my fancy-boyfriend and added a little bit of cheddar cheese. 

If you would like more crunch, I recommend roasting the broccoli and cauliflower and I personally LOVE adding cilantro to the avocado for a little bit more flavor. 

Cast Iron Skillet Chicken "Pot" Pie with Buttermilk Biscuit Topper

One of the beautiful things about cast iron skillets is their ability to go straight from the stove top into the oven. Initially, I had been very intimidated by cast iron skillets because I didn't know how to care for them. It wasn't until I went to Cape Cod for Memorial Day a few years ago and was made one of the most delicious breakfasts I've ever had did I begin to reconsider.
Two of my best friends picked up on this, somehow read my mind, and gave me mine as a Christmas gift last year (xox thanks D&K).

I am now completely obsessed.

What you'll need: 

• Frozen buttermilk biscuits 
• 1 1/2 c. chicken stock 
• 1 c. whole milk 
• 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour 
• 1 1/2 tsp. adobo seasoning 
• 1 chopped large onion - I prefer the Spanish onions 
• 2 c. frozen veggies (corn, green beans, carrots, peas, whatever your pleasure) 
• 3 tbsp. butter 
• 2 c. shredded chicken (already cooked) You can use rotisserie or leftover roasted chicken 
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 
• Salt to taste

What you'll do: 

1. Shred your chicken, set aside 
2. Preheat your oven according to the directions on your packaged biscuits, for me, this meant 400 degrees. 
3. Place your burner on medium heat. 
4. Add the butter to your skillet and once it begins to bubble/froth, but before it browns, add your onions. 
5. Cook your onions until they begin to turn translucent and then add the rest of your frozen vegetables. I also added about 1/2 teaspoon of salt. 
6. Allow your vegetables to cook until the onions caramelize, and your vegetables soften, this should take about 2-4 minutes depending on the strength of your burner. 
7. While the veggies are on the stove top, whisk together your chicken stock, milk, flour, and adobo seasoning. 
8. Once your vegetables have softened slowly and gently stir in liquid mixture. 
9. You're going to want to bring your pan to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring often, until the mixture begins to thicken, which should take about 7 minutes. 
10. Once your pan begins to reduce, add your shredded chicken and fresh parsley, allow this to cook for about 5 minutes. 
11. Then add your uncooked biscuits to the top of your pan and pop your skillet into the oven on the middle rack. 
12. Cook the biscuits according to their package directions, mine took about 12 minutes watching them so that they won't brown too much. 

Remove from the oven and relish in this comfy, cozy, dinner that only takes a little over a half an hour to pull together.

[Serves about 4-5 people]

If you're terrified of owning a cast iron skillet because you also don't know how to care for it, I would check out this great article from Serious Eats that dispels a lot of the myths surrounding Cast Iron skillets: https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/11/the-truth-about-cast-iron.html

It's totally worth the little bit of extra effort it takes to upkeep it.

Dragon Tongue Bean Stir Fry

Crunched for time? Try this recipe. 

I kept my stir fry VERY simple with three principle ingredients, Dragon Tongue beans, Mung bean sprouts and Garlic Chives.

Dragon Tongue beans are pretty long beans, so I cut mine into 1 inch pieces. 

Turn your stove to high heat. Add 1-1 1/2 teaspoons of grape seed oil to your pan. 

Allow it to heat. Add the Dragon Tongue beans. 

Get a good sear on the beans, you'll notice that where visible, the beans will change color to a more vibrant green, this only took me a little over two minutes.  Quickly add the sprouts, sauté for maybe one more minute, add the chives, some salt and pepper, and  you're ready to serve!

Caprese salad with kale pesto

Tomato.

Zucchini.

Eggplant.

Get ready for a whole host of recipes focused on these three delicious veggies. If you're like the majority of people with summer gardens, you'll tend to have more of these than you know what to do with.

While the stars of this dish are clearly the mozzarella and tomato, I wanted to try something a little different and I found this awesome Kale pesto recipe that was absolutely delicious! 

Kale pesto (originally from Epicurious):

2 cups torn kale leaves - remove the stems

1 cup basil leaves (pack them in there) 

1 tsp. salt 

1/4 Cup olive oil 

1/4 Cup toasted walnuts 

4 cloves of garlic 

1/2 Cup grated Parmesan cheese 

Directions: 

- add all the leaves and salt to a food processor and pulse until the leaves are chopped into small pieces 

- drizzle in the olive oil as the processor is running 

- add the walnuts, garlic, and process until it’s all incorporated  

- add the cheese and pulse until combined 

Use the pesto as you like! 

When I use it on pasta I also like to top it off with a tiny bit of lemon zest or hot pepper depending on my mood 

xoxox

Irish Soda Bread

I wish I had photos for you of the bread but unfortunately, it was all gobbled up faster than I expected. So this post will be accompanied by some photos from the Irish pub we stumbled upon in Peru. 

Ingredients 

* 4 cups all-purpose flour

*3/4 cup white sugar 

* 1 tsp salt 

* 1tsp baking powder 

*1 tsp baking soda 

1/2 cup butter at room temperature (I personally like Kerry Gold Butter) 

1 1/2 cups raisins 

1 1/2 cups buttermilk at room temp

3 eggs 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

Grease and flour your baking pan. 

Mix together all your dry ingredients. 

Begin to cut the butter gently into your dry ingredients until they are well combined and then mix in your raisins. 

In another container, whisk together the buttermilk and the eggs. After they are both mixed together, mix this into the flour/butter paste. 

Place the dough into your buttered pan. 

Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour the top of your bread will be golden brown. 

When you remove the pan from the oven, allow it to cool for a little while before removing from the baking pan (10-15 minutes should do it). 

Serve with butter, jam, a Guinness or whatever goodies you have in mind.

Happy St. Patty's to you whatever your altitude!
Have fun! Stay safe!

Feeding the Frat: Noodle Bowls

So I decided to try my hand at a "Ramen" bowl. But, since I didn't have any ramen noodles on hand, I substituted with glass noodles. 

Bowl composition: 

Ground pork - pan fried with ginger and garlic 

Scallions 

Slivered Fresno Peppers

Soft boiled eggs 

Glass Noodles in a  Curry Coconut Sauce

(Optional) Cilantro 

Ground Pork: 

Pan fry the ground pork (2.5 lbs) with 1 teaspoon of garlic, and 1 teaspoon of ginger, in 1 tablespoon of grapeseed oil. 

Add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce.

Add 1 handful of cut scallions.

Add Salt and Pepper to taste. 

Glass Noodles: 

Boil salted water. 

When water reaches a boil, add your glass noodles. 

Cook for 5-6 minutes. 

Remove noodles and place in an ice bath immediately to stop them from continuing to cook. 

Curry Coconut Sauce: 

Take 1 1/2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil. 

Add 1 teaspoon of ginger, 1 teaspoon of garlic and 1 cut small onion, cook over low heat until the onions caramelize. 

1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

Add Beef Broth (2x 32 oz. boxes).

Add 3 teaspoons of curry powder.

Add one can of coconut milk.

Bring to a low boil and allow to cook at least 30 minutes or until you are ready to plate your noodle bowl. 

The boys liked the bowls and as with most successful sibling evenings, dinner ended with sports, relaxation and a lot of laughter.

Wishlist Wednesday

President's Week has me thinking about how quickly spring and summer are creeping up on us and I have to tell you, I can not wait. 

Last year I saw all the different fashion bloggers I follow carrying this AWESOME  architectural bag that looked like a combination of a basket, bird cage, and watermelon slice. Intriguing description? Don't quite believe that it's accurate? 

Judge for yourself because I finally found it! 

 I found this bag by Cult Gaia along with a myriad of variations of it on this website I'd never heard of before "Moda Operandi."

The brands it carries are outside of my frame of reference and super pricey. 

But, there is no harm in looking :) 

So take a peek at the other things I thought were inspiring for summer: 

Jonathan Simkhai Top

Jonathan Simkhai was the only designer name that I was vaguely familiar with. I had previously heard of JS from the lovely Lydia Elise Millen's blog/youtube channel.  I've never met Lydia but she has impeccable style and you should absolutely check her out.  

Cult Gaia, Small Acrylic Bag

Woven watermelon slice basket has me feeling all sorts of ways... 

Monse, Football Floral Off the Shoulder Dress

I just love this dress. 

It has a comma in the price, 

and I have issues about purchasing clothing with commas, so it's not meant to be but

this is absolutely darling. 

I love the off the shoulder draping and the asymmetrical hemline. 

It's such a feminine dress that the juxtaposition of the football print tickles me immensely. 

Jacquemus, Side Tie Short Sleeve Top

Love the draping on this top. Super simple, super chic. 

Ulla Johnson, Tautou basket

This basket-bag is made of wicker, with an optional shoulder strap so it can be worn multiple ways. 

Malone Souliers, Maureen Metallic Leather Flats

Chic and easy, these rose gold flats are so tempting. I love rose gold, it's flattering to most skin tones and is a softer option to other metallics. I love how the silver straps give this a pop of contrast. 

Malone Souliers, Maureen Leather Pumps

These too... 

Malone Souliers, Zada Silk & Leather Stiletto Mules

Malone Souliers, Zeida Leather Trimmed Silk Satin Point-Toe Flats

Bally, Lottie Linen & Cotton Slippers

Tell me these shoes don't scream Amalfi Coast, styled with a cute little eyelet crop top, a "Gloria hat"  and some light jeans or pencil pants? You can't.

Bye lovelies

xox G