A Sunday Dinner

Have I mentioned how much I love this Fall-ish weather? The evenings are especially beautiful, with severe sunsets that color the sky, and crisp cool temperatures that flood the house with fresh autumn air.

Tonight it got unexpectedly cool (like 55 degrees!), and I wanted to make something cozy for dinner that wouldn't require a trip to Whole Foods.

So, something inexpensive, quick, and Fall-y? Broccoli Soup!

Recipe/Directions:

1 head of organic fresh broccoli

About a teaspoon of salt

Water for cooking

Cook the broccoli in some salted water over medium heat in a saucepan for about 15 minutes (stir about half way through so it cooks evenly) or until a fork goes through them easily.

Drain and reserve the water.

Puree the broccoli in a food processor and add the reserved water gradually until a "soupy" consistency forms.

Serve! (And mine's garnished with a little piece of kelp.)

That's it! Seriously!

No cream, butter, sugar or fat and it was actually really delicious! Adrien had TWO big bowls and I'm pretty sure he's already claimed the leftovers. It's a repeat, for sure.

Parched

I've hardly cooked lately and I've been having separation anxiety from my kitchen.

So tonight I made some pitiful looking asparagus (I've never been able to make these guys properly) that were a little on the stringy side, BUT compensated with a DEE-LISH salad (I flatter myself, I know!) made with baby spinach, tomatoes, sea kelp, and salmon with a home made dressing... Olive Oil, Balsamic Vin, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, and Kelp Powder (in lieu of salt).

A dinner like tonight's is pretty standard in my house. Adrien and I are very health conscious and eat strictly organic foods and vegetarian and raw when I feel like it. But every once in a great while I see something that, despite breaking every food rule I follow, absolutely must be in my possession.

Thanks to CNBC and their stupid Biography show, Ben and Jerry's sold me on some seriously sinful ice cream called Half Baked.

Anything that boasts "gobs" of brownies and cookie dough is O.K. in my book (DON'T JUDGE ME!). You can't take a spoonful that's not brimming with something chewy and heavenly, and really, it took some serious self-examination before deciding on the high road and only taking a dainty few tablespoons.

I find it reprehensible that I - a yoga teacher and an organic food-aholic - would even have this in my freezer, but man. There it is.

Hats off to you, Mr. Ben and Mr. Jerry!

Yawn

This has been one of those weeks where your brain tells you to go in ten different directions on Monday, and by the time Friday rolls around you're still standing at square one because you were too uninspired to move at the first call.

Whatever, because I'm making raw chocolate truffles with NO SUGAR this weekend! Take THAT, Life! That should teach you to tell me to do stuff...

In other news, I stubbed my toe real bad on the side walk this afternoon and then when I went to the Indian grocery store I saw that they sell MSG, which was weird.

My brain is mush today.

COOL.

Muckduck

My time spent in the kitchen these past few days has been minimal, I'm sad to report. I've been busy until much later than I'm used to and being a grown-up and stuff really cuts into my slacking-off-and-blogging time!

But, despite my lack of culinary adventures to tell, I DO have two things worth sharing.

One.

I eat a lot of different protein/raw/whole food/meal replacement bars. Not because I'm super weight conscious or anything, just because I happen to like trying the many varieties they come in. SO, with that said, I'm obviously an expert.

Also, since I'm 3, usually if I'm going to buy a bar like this there's an unspoken requirement that it has to have chocolate in there somewhere. I don't care if it's milk or dark or cacao or even that BS poser carob - just get it in there. So it was actually Adrien who hooked me on this berry one in particular. It's so delicious and satisfying to eat! It's just a teeny bit on the heavy side (so it actually feels like you've eaten), but with very little fat (5g) and calories (compared to other brands) and PACKED with raw sprouts and fruits and veggies - so you can't really go wrong.

Two.

Ani Phyo! She is such the cuteness! She prepares the easiest raw food that I've seen so far and with as few ingredients as possible, so it's easier on your budget than the 20-ingredient seaweed salad that requires every obscure kitchen accessory you can think of.

She also has about a dozen videos to hold your hand through the process if you're a raw food newbie.

I haven't made any of her recipes myself yet (that's next week's goal!), but I can't wait because they look dee-lectable.

It's 55 degrees here in Tampa tonight, so I'm gonna take advantage of the fact that my feet feel cold and shuffle off to bed in some cozy PJs.

G'night and happy Saturday!

I'm naming this the first day of fall!

Fall is here! And in Florida that means we're granted a brief reprieve from scorching heat and oppressively heavy humidity to enjoy a few weeks of sixty degree mornings and seventy-eight degree afternoons.

Lucky for me this also means I have an excuse to cook with two of my favorite ingredients: pumpkin and pomegranate. And after I heard about the national pumpkin shortage this holiday season, I ran out to Whole Foods (tell me, what's it like having a life?) and stocked up on more pumpkin than any household would ever need.

Anyway, it occurred to me this afternoon that it's not like I'll be baking for an army any time soon, so WHAT THE HECK, how much pumpkin can one couple eat?!

I used my time wisely and scoured the internet for something delicious and pumpkin-y to bake for my love and my self and poof!

Pumpkin Bread:


It's really delicious and even better when it cools (it tastes more like a cake than a bread).

1 (15 ounce) can organic pumpkin puree

4 organic eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup water

3 cups white sugar

3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp ground cloves

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease three 7x3 inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cloves, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.

Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

It's almost Friday. I like that. :]

I heart France!

I loved France for so many reasons, but the main attraction for me was the total immersion in amazing food. Being back in Tampa, I miss it terribly. While in France, I'm convinced I found something I love more than any other "thing," and that's good food. I treasured meals that were so delicious I could fawn over every detail for a hour while we ate.

Every meal was exquisite, from the fancy and delicate, to the home cooked salmon that took just a few minutes on the grill with a fresh green salad.

So now that we're back, I'm trying to recreate France in my kitchen. It won't be completely the same, but I refuse to give up hope that my norm here can't mean scrumptious!

Tomorrow I'm shopping for ingredients for a pumpkin bread which I cannot wait for, as fall is one of my favorite seasons (even though it seems to be on backorder here in Florida where it's still 98 degrees...), especially when it comes to cooking - pumpkin, pomegranates, soups, and pies. Yum!

Excited for tomorrow!

Europe Activities

We've had such a crazy week. Knowing it was the last one before we came back to Tampa, we wanted to make sure we got in all the major stuff.

We went scuba diving, drove to Eze which is famous for their perfume (and consequently spent a billion euros on beautiful scents - totally worth it), ate at a teeny weeny and very intimate 20-person restaurant and had a gorgeous dinner, slept in a castle, went to countless markets, went to Biot (the city where the glass with bubbles originated!), a botanical garden, went to a wedding, celebrated a 76th birthday, an 80th birthday, and a 53 year anniversary, had amazing family dinners (large family dinners... and I emphasize the word large here), and hiked a few mountain trails.

Get ready...


Biot


Chocolate bread is AMAZING!


Our night view from the castle apartment...


Family dinner for Adrien's grandmother's Birthday.


Villefranche


Villefranche again!

I'm sure I'm still leaving details out - we had an incredible time and some of my most memorable time spent was while I was eating! I've never had such delicious and tasty food in all my life.

After a very long and exhausting trip home and a teary goodbye at the airport, Adrien and I are back in Tampa enjoying friends and family, but looking forward to being able to go back.

I'll be around! ...talking mostly about food!