It's about time!

Sorry for the delay! Things have been SUPER busy around the house - our wedding is right around the corner (April 23rd here we come!)  I am also happy to announce that our company - Parisleaf.com has taken off and this has been our BUSIEST month by far!

So, here are my most recent announcements!

1. I took a shot at the rustic black bean and sweet potato soup, and unfortunately came up (half) empty handed.  While I must say that the soup did have that rustic taste to it (which I actually enjoy) - due to some  stubborn black beans, my soup came out more like a stew/paste. A special shout out to my future Hubbie Chad and his friend Jonathan for cheering me on and eating the "soup" anyways!

2. I have been doing A LOT of cooking, I just haven't had the time to sit down and share it all with you! So I will try to get better (although consider my promises empty until AFTER the wedding!)

3. My latest obsession----QUINOA!! (keen-wah) Seriously people, if you haven't tried preparing quinoa for breakfast, lunch, or dinner - you are missing out! 

Okay, let me tell you a little more detail to get you as excited as I am. Quinoa is actually a seed, but acts just like a grain.  It is an amazing source of protein and contains all 8 amino acids! It is also packed full of fiber, iron and Vitamin B. PLUS - it is incredibly easy to prepare and tasty - it has a slightly nutty flavor! You combine 2 cups of water (or chicken broth) for every 1 cup of quinoa.  Bring it to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer and cover.  Keep over heat until most of the liquid has been absorbed and then remove from heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. You can then fluff it with a fork (just like cous-cous) and mix it with ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING.

Toasted Quinoa Almondine with Berries

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup water
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup dried berries

Toast almonds and quinoa over medium heat until golden - make sure to keep it moving in the pan.

Transfer into a saucepan and add the remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and you are ready for a yummy and healthy dinner.

For a side, I sauteed asparagus in a pan with lime juice and sea salt. YUM!

Rustic Black Bean & Sweet Potato Soup Coming Up!

I'm really excited to try this recipe that my newest idol - Sarah Britton posted about earlier this week! Keep your eyes peeled for some exciting photos and commentary to come!

I also have some garden updates - added some new babes out on our porch - and am pumped to show them off!

Kitchen Experimenting.. Take One ..... Stuffed Pepper Yum Yum A Success!!

Stuffed Pepper Yum Yum  - that's what we decided to call this dish once we had devoured it without speaking!

After a long day of work, Chad collapsed into a much needed 3 hour nap. I decided to get my beginner cook self in the kitchen and see what I could create.  I opened up my new favorite book - Clean Food by Terry Walters. I was immediately inspired to create a dish that was deceptively vegetarian and full of CLEAN ingredients!

Step 1. Prepare the Rice

I decided to mix some of our whole grain rice mix (1/2 cup) with our brown rice (1/2 cup). I threw those in a pot with 2 cups of water and some kosher salt.  I brought the mix to a boil and then adjusted the heat to simmer and covered the pot.  This rice will sit and absorb the water for about 40 minutes.

Step 2. Prep for the Stuffing
While the rice was cooking, I chopped up some onion, and shaved some fresh sweet corn.  I then added these into a bowl with 1 beaten egg and some canned diced tomatoes. I then started pre-heating the oven to 375F.  Once the rice was complete, I added it as well and mixed it all together to create our tasty stuffing!

Step 3. STUFF
I then took three large bell peppers (orange, red, and yellow to make it colorful) and made an opening at the top and rinsed out all of the seeds.  I then packed them full of our yummy stuffing and lined them up in a cooking tray that I filled about a 1/4" deep with water. I placed the tray (carefully) into the oven and set a timer for 35 minutes.

Step 4. Prep the side
In order to elude my fiance Chad from the fact that there was no meat in this meal, I decided to prepare some roasted potatoes as a side.  I took approximately three medium sized buttercream potatoes and chopped them into homefries size.  I filled a pan with olive oil and put it on medium heat. I then added the potatoes and threw in some dried italian herb mix that I have as well as freshly cut dill and rosemary from my herb garden.

(that's my dill!)

Step 5. Add some Salad for extra yummy!

I then threw together a quick to prep, but amazingly delicious salad that Chad and I both have not been able to stop eating (I'm averaging about 1/day)!  All it takes is a nice baby spring mix with some chopped carrots, sliced cucumber, chopped tomato, grated cheese (we were out of my fav - feta, so we sufficed with some parmesan) and some crispy sesame sticks. We topped it off with our absolute favorite dressing - Annie's Goddess Dressing (thank you Hala for introducing us to this amazing dressing!) YUM!

Step 5. Presentation

Once the peppers were done, I pulled them out and laid them on their side and then sprinkled some mexican cheese mix on top as well as some low-fat sour cream.  I then added the roasted potatoes and placed a sprig of rosemary on top to make it all pretty.

Chad woke up just in time for the dinner bell and we proceeded to devour our food without saying two licks of anything to one another other than mmmmhh.. mmmm... mmm.. wow... yum... 

Seriously, our meal went on like that for about 15 minutes - I kind of wish I had recorded it. 

I am SO excited about my first yummy dish and am pleased to tell you that every ingredient was fresh and healthy! Bring on the good eats!

New Horizons

I woke up this morning with this overwhelming peace. It was actually quite spiritual.  I proceeded to go for a four mile run and found myself reflecting on the food I have been eating lately.  Almost two weeks ago I had one of those ‘ok self, we need to revamp the way we are eating’ and have tried to make extra efforts to include more fresh, organic (budget-willing), and wholesome food into my diet.  While on my run, I realized that my euphoria this morning was directly related to this slight change in my diet.

I then began to reflect on the good ole days of my senior year of college when I decided to change my diet to include more organic, fresh, and local produce.  Within days I reached a place where I felt holistically healthy for the first time… probably EVER.

As I finished up my run, I decided to continue this dietary discovery and use this blog as a diary of sorts to share my foodie ventures. I want to become more educated about our food system and find creative and practical ways to introduce healthier and sustainable eating practices into the American home (or at least my home).

Here is to new horizons…