Apricot Toast & Tea

The Farmer's Market is back in full-swing again!  
Just walking around you can see all of the beautiful things that are in season right now... and at the moment, apricots are IN! 

I just love apricots.  They have such a beautiful mild flavor, with a gentle complexity.  

I bought some fresh baked bread as well, and some organic salted butter.  And of course some P&G Tips black tea. 

So I enjoyed a lovely, simple breakfast - toast with butter, topped with sliced fresh apricot and a drizzle of local honey.  

And it was quite the heavenly way to start the day. 

Breakfast Tacos!

The other morning we had brunch at my parent's place for my Dad's birthday.  I wanted to come up with something fun & different to have for the meal, so I came up with Breakfast Tacos!  They were so delicious, I had to make them again at home.  

Beth's Breakfast Tacos
Serves 2
Gluten-free optional
Vegan optional

Ingredients
4 corn tortillas (either fully corn for gluten-free, or the kind that's mixed with flour - they're a little easier to pick-up without having them break on ya)
1 cup cheddar cheese (I used rice cheese, you can use Daiya to make this vegan)
3 eggs
Splash of soymilk
Black beans (I used canned)
Soyrizo (vegetarian chorizo)
1/2 a tomato (diced)
1/4 cup frozen corn
1/4 yellow onion (diced)
1 avocado (diced)
1/2 a cup of green chili or salsa
fresh chopped parsley (optional - for garnish)
Salt & pepper (to taste)
Hot sauce (optional)

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large non-stick pan, saute the onion in a little bit of oil over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes until soft.  Add some crumbled Soyrizo (about 1/2 a cup), and squish into smaller pieces with a spatula (warm for about another minute).

Mix the eggs with the splash of soymilk, and season with salt & pepper.  Turn the pan down to medium, then dump in the eggs.  Keep the eggs moving to cook evenly, and turn off the heat before they are fully cooked.

Meanwhile begin to assemble tacos.  Place 4 corn tortillas on a cookie sheet, and top with cheese, beans, corn, and green chili (or salsa).  Pop in the pre-heated oven while you finish the rest of your cooking / chopping / preparation (about 10 minutes total).

Remove tacos from oven, and top with the remaining ingredients (including the egg / chorizo awesomeness).  Garnish with a little fresh parsley and a splash of hot sauce.

SO easy, and crazy delish.  I think these would be great for a brunch with friends type of meal too - you could just set everything up "serve yourself" style!  
Enjoy! 

New Living Room Arrangement - With room for PIANO!

On my day off this week, I decided to rearrange our living room to fit our new-ish upright piano that's coming in just a few days!!

I'm SO DARN EXCITED!  I rented a bunch of books from the library (piano for beginners, Piano for Dummies), so that I would be ready to get started when we finally got it.

I kind of like my little book nook on the side now too.  I still have my office in the back room, but I just love the light out here - and it's nice being close to the kitchen in the morning so that I can make breakfast and blog / pin / Facebook at the same time.  You know, really important work stuff. :)

We got a bunch of Honeycrisp apples at the last farmer's market, and man, that was all I wanted for breakfast that day.  I had some peanut butter with it for protein, and a cup of coffee (that I really don't have that often, even though I've been Barista-ing at work)!  It was delicious, and filled me up just right. 

Fudge has a new favorite place to sit too (he's sitting there right now as I'm typing this in fact).  I think he just loves that he can be close to someone AND look out the window if he wants to!  

And man, those bookshelves were dirty.  It was good to go through everything and clean up during the process as well - there were a lot of books / movies I was hanging on to for no particular reason.  Oh how easily our lives get cluttered.

Pics of the piano to come soon!  I can't wait!

Yummy Healthy Breakfast

The other day I came up with a pretty darn amazing breakfast!  When I was at the Farmer's Market over the weekend they were giving away samples of Noosa Honey Yogurt with pumpkin butter and it was DELISH. So I made my own breakfast in a similar way! 

I started with some of my homemade granola and topped that with fresh sliced plums from the market.  Then I dolloped on some Noosa honey yogurt, and a couple of spoonfuls of pumpkin butter.  Then I sprinkled everything with Chia seeds.  

It was DELICIOUS, nutritious, and sweet - you should give it a try as well!  Use any kind of fruit you want, and even store bought granola.  It's a great way to start your day! 

Pierogi Dinner / Power Juice & Healthy Breakfast

While I was at the Farmer's Market last weekend, I found some AMAZING hand-made pierogis for sale!  If you've never had them before - it's basically a Polish-style dumpling, or ravioli.  They're usually stuffed with anything from cheese & potatoes (the ones I got), to cabbage.  You usually serve them with a lot of melted butter & onions, topped with a dollop of sour cream (if you feel so inclined).  They're delicious, and my dad has gotten me hooked on them since childhood! 

John helped me whip up this meal the other night - and it turned out great!  I just sauteed some sliced onions in 1/2 olive oil, 1/2 butter (I didn't want it to be TOO much butter), then added the pierogi, and covered the pan with a lid. 

I let them simmer for about 5 minutes, then flipped them over, and tucked them back under the onions for another 5 minutes.  They were perfect! 

The salad we made was awesome too - here's the recipe for that: 

Simple Healthy Salad

- kale

- spinach

- romaine lettuce

- 1/2 a beet (grated)

- 1-2 carrots (grated)

- chopped pecans

- honey 

- olive oil & balsamic vinegar

Place the chopped pecans in a hot pan, and toss gently to toast them.  Drizzle with a little bit of honey, toss again, and set aside.   

Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl, mix well, and top with the pecans. 

This was a lovely crunchy compliment to the savory, buttery pierogi!  

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This morning I wanted a healthy breakfast, and since I'm doing Weight Watchers again (just to get back on track a bit from our unexpected Oklahoma trip), I didn't want to have any toast or anything like that.  

Also, I was inspired to start using my juicer again, so I made an awesome super-juice to go along with my meal! 

 

Low-Carb Delicious Breakfast

- 2 eggs (I used the ones I got at the Farmer's Market - free-range, organic, local - they taste SO GOOD)

- splash of almond milk

- slice of cheese (I used veggie cheese - mozzarella)

- zucchini (diced)

- spices

- 2 tomato slices (diced)

- hot sauce (I used Siryacha)

Crack eggs into a bowl, add a splash of almond milk and season with spices.  Beat well, and set aside. 

In a medium pan over medium heat, add the zucchini and saute for about 5 minutes.  Add the beaten eggs, and the cheese slice (I tore mine into smaller pieces).  Keep moving the eggs around until well scrambled, and they begin to cook.  

Meanwhile, dice the tomato, and set on your plate.  Top with the hot sauce. 

Flip the eggs around, and remove from heat just when they have stopped being runny (they will continue to cook when you remove them from the heat, and be perfect)!.  Add to your plate with the tomatoes.  Yum yum! 

It was filling, savory, and a wonderful start to the day.  My juice was a perfect sweet accompaniment as well! 

Beth's Super Juice

- 1 beet 

- 2 apples

- 5 carrots

- 1/2" slice of ginger (or more if you like, but a little ginger goes a long way!)

Add all the ingredients to your juicer, stir well, and enjoy! 

 

Memorial Day Dinner - and a leisurely breakfast

I was on a flight for most of the day on Memorial Day, so I was pretty tuckered out when I got home.  I thought about going to join some friends for a cookout, but honestly I just wanted to stay put, and spend time with my fella. 

So that's exactly what happened.  And it was great! 

We watched some TV, ran a few errands, John took a nap while I cooked up some food staples for the week and did the dishes, then we made some dinner. 

Vino, anyone?  Haha!

We grilled up some veggie burgers, and John made his famous fresh salsa.  I also cooked up some green beans, and made a little quinoa dessert with coconut milk, honey, granola, and fresh fruit.  It was so yummy. 

We even let Fudge come out and wander around in the yard while we ate.  He's not usually allowed outside - he's definitely an indoor cat.  We worry about him too 'cause he doesn't have any claws, and there are some strays that like to hang around the neighborhood, and we wouldn't want to leave him defenseless if he got into a scuffle.  

But now he loves coming outside so much that he meows SO LOUDLY at the door every time we go outside, that we practically have to let him out now!  Such a whiner.  Ha! 

I was going to crop my feet & John out of this picture, but I think it looks kind of awesome.  :)  Our veggie burgers were still cookin' on the grill at this point, of course. 

The wine we had was the Gnarly Head Zinfandel - it was SO GOOD.  Really rich and full of flavor!  John had never had a Zinfandel before, and he really liked it.  

Oh, John - such a ham. ;)  Haha!  
Those burgers were pretty darn good, too! 
 

Fudge even got to roll around on the sidewalk.  He was in heaven.  And very very dirty. 

All-in-all a wonderful Memorial Day! 

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This morning I woke up and realized that since I've been feeling a tad bit under-the-weather, I still got up early enough to enjoy a leisurely breakfast.  It was a wonderful surprise, as normally I get up early so that I can do my workout and start my day.  I usually don't have time to sit down and eat - and since I didn't workout this morning (I want to be totally over this cold first), I got to enjoy my meal slowly! 

I made some grits on Memorial Day (man, they take a while to make from scratch, but they are SO worth it), so I had a pile of them with 2 scrambled eggs (from a local farm - they were amazing), some sliced avocado, and hot sauce.  Toast rounded it out with unsalted butter & strawberry jam. 

I even had a cup of P&G Tips tea with soymilk & honey - yum yum!!  It was perfect!

I sat and enjoyed it all while reading No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy.  I got hooked on the author after reading The Road for our last book club book.  He's truly an amazing writer, and I think the film version by the Coen Brothers definitely did it justice.  I'm about halfway through now, and really enjoying it.  

After enjoying my breakfast, I walked into work and enjoyed all the flowers.  

A wonderful way to start the day!  

Now if only I could get up at 5:00am every day to do my workout AND have a leisurely breakfast!  HA!  

Vegan Gnocchi Dinner, KICK ASS, and the Best Breakfast Sandwich EVER

Last night John and I finally got a night at home together!  You'd think we'd have all kinds of time together since we live together & all, but sometimes we don't get as much quality time as we'd like. 

So last night I made us a yummy dinner, and we watched the movie Kick Ass.  It was my first time seeing it, and I thought it was pretty great.  I'll get into that later though! 

First thing's first - dinner! 

I had bought all of the fixin's to make this awesome recipe from Real Simple Magazine.  I knew John would love it 'cause it's super yummy & hearty, but not a ton of fat / calories (if you make it the vegan way). ;) 

Gnocchi with Sausage & Spinach

Adapted from Real Simple Magazine Recipe

Made vegan by yours truly! Serves 4 - takes about 20-25 minutes total to make.  I love how quickly this one is ready to go!

INGREDIENTS
    2 9-ounce packages refrigerated gnocchi or one 17.5-ounce package shelf-stable gnocchi
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
    1 pound fake sausage (I used Gimme Lean "ground sausage" - it's vegan!)
    1 clove garlic, finely chopped
    1 5-ounce bag baby spinach
    1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
    1/4 teaspoon black pepper
    1/4 cup unsalted veggie broth (optional)
    3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated vegan Parmesan, plus more for serving (I used this kind)
(all vegan substitutions found at Natural Grocers / Vitamin Cottage)

DIRECTIONS
Cook the gnocchi according to the package directions. Drain, reserving ¼ cup of the cooking liquid (instead of reserving the cooking liquid, I used 1/4 a cup of veggie broth instead).

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the sausage and cook, crumbling it with a spoon (the technique that seems to work best with the VERY sticky vegan sausage is to just stab the heck out of it with a wooden spoon.  John loved all of the noise I was making...ha!), until browned, 5 to 7 minutes.

Wine is also very helpful during the cooking process. :)  Aren't these wine glasses the cutest too??  I found them at Marshall's a very long time ago.  They always make me happy. 

Add the garlic, spinach, salt, and pepper and cook, tossing frequently, until the spinach wilts, about 3 minutes.

Add the gnocchi, the reserved cooking liquid (or vegetable broth), and the Parmesan and toss. Divide among individual bowls and sprinkle with additional Parmesan.

And there you have it!  It was SO delicious, and something a little different than our usual fare.  Also the leftovers are going to be fantastic over pasta or rice.  YUM. 

And on to the movie!!  We decided to watch Kick Ass - it came out in 2010, and it has been in our Netflix instant queue for a while so we finally decided to start it up.  John has already seen it before, but he liked it a lot & didn't mind watching it again. 

Initially, I wasn't terribly impressed.  It lulled at times, and definitely didn't play out like your typical superhero movie.  But that's because it's NOT a typical superhero movie.  It's really about normal people (well, somewhat normal), trying to do extraordinary things.  They don't have super powers, they just want to do right by the world.  I think that reality really comes out when Kick Ass first fights off some gang members beating up a guy.  He gets pretty beat up, but he fights back - tooth & nail.  A lot of people wouldn't even do that.  Just the trouble he caused made the attackers give up.  Sometimes that's all it takes - standing up for someone no matter what the consequences.  He needed the superhero outfit to get up the courage to do it, but it's still pretty commendable, although most people would probably see it as pretty stupid. 

And then there's Hit-Girl.  OH how I LOVE Hit-Girl!!  She is a crazy knife-wielding killer bred by a paranoid father (who is also pretty darn crazy himself).  You may not agree with the bloodbath that seems to follow in her midst, but as a character, she was AMAZING.  

I tried to explain it to John, and I'm going to try and do it again here.  In a lot of action films, there is a girl / woman in there somewhere who kicks some serious ass.  It's great seeing a strong and powerful woman whoop some sorry bad-guy's asses.  My big problem though, is that they always have to have some kind of sexual edge.  They have to be sexy and gorgeous at all times, and they usually use their bodies or sexuality in some way to get in the door, or lure in the bad guy.  There's always some kind of sexual allure that they have to have. 


Well, Hit-Girl is like, 10-years old.  If they had tried to make her sexual, this movie would have never been made.  And you know what?  She's BAD. ASS.  She strikes fear into the hearts of 30 grown men....all at the same time.  They know that she will win, and they're terrified of her!  And she didn't have to be sexy to do it.  At one point she did lure them into a false sense of security with her innocence, but I guess sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.  I was just thrilled to see a character that was a strong young woman that is not afraid of anything - and she didn't have to use sex appeal to get done what needed to get done. 


*stepping off my soapbox now.... 

Anyway, after thinking of all of that, I really enjoyed the movie, and would highly recommend it!  

On a COMPLETELY different note, last night before I left work I was inspired by a post I found through Pinterest about the Best Egg Sandwich You Will Ever Have.  It was inspired by the girl from Smitten Kitchen - who makes some of the yummiest looking food I've ever seen!  

 Photo from Smitten Kitchen.  See what I mean about the best looking food EVER?

Anyway, this morning I decided to give the quick & easy recipe a try.  And guess what.  It turned out to be CRAZY DELICIOUS!  I'm totally not surprised though.  Here is how mine turned out!

It's really super simple to make, it's kind of ridiculous.  Mine is missing the top half of my English Muffin because somebody (*ahem - JOHN) saw my lovely buttered muffin sitting on a plate and said "oooo what's this?" and took a HUGE bite out of it!  Sigh, boys.  I just let him finish that half.  

Anyway, you just beat 3 eggs with a splash of water (I used soymilk), and dump it into a large pan over medium-high heat.  While it sits, you drop a slice of cheese in the middle (I used vegan swiss cheese), and any other fixin's you want (I added some thinly sliced zucchini).    

When the egg is just about cooked, you fold the edges over (click this link for full step-by-step pictures), give it one more flip, and it's done!! 

The cheese gets melty and amazing, and it's the perfect breakfast sandwich.  I may or may not be having this every morning for the rest of my life. :)  Yes, it was that good!