Continued:)

See, I told you it was going to be a good day. Every school in the Big 12 in staying put, woo hoo!:) And then I also got off work 30 minutes early!

Now for some more recipes from Heidi Swanson:

Do-It-Yourself Power Bars
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
1 1/4 chopped toasted walnuts
1/2 cup oat bran
1 1/2 cups unsweetened crisp brown rice cereal
1 cup dried cranberries, coarsley chopped
3 Tbsp finely chopped crystallized ginger
1 cup brown rice syrup
1/4 cup natural cane sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp fine-grain sea salt

1. Grease a baking pan with the coconut oil. If you like thick power bars, opt for an 8 x 8 inch pan; for thinner bars, use a 9 x 12 inch pan.

2. Mix the oats, walnuts, oat bran, cereal, cranberries, and ginger together in a large bowl and set aside. Combine the rice syrup, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly as it comes to a boil and thickens just a bit, about 4 minutes. Pour over the oat mixture and stir until the syrup is evenly incorporated.

3. Spreat into the prepared pan and cool to room temperature before cutting into whatever size bars you desire.

Makes 16 to 24 bars (sure beats spending $4 a box at the grocery store! And you can always play with the different fruit/nut/oat combos for a different taste--And remember nutritiondata.com for finding out the nutritional info on whatever you make!

I opted for this next one instead of the lentil soup...the green in the picture just looked so fresh and delish:)

Spring Minestrone with Brown Rice
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup medium-grain brown basmati rice, rinsed
6 cups vegetable stock (you can buy it or make your own--she has a recipe for making your own)
1 cup sugar snap or snow peas, trimmed, strung and cut in half diagonally
8 spears asparagus, trimmed and diagonally slided to 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup green peas, fresh or frozen
Fine-grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, then add the shallots and garlic and saute for a couple of minutes until sofe. Add the rice and cook, stirring for 1 minute, then add the stock and bring to a boil. Cover, lower the heat, and simmer until the rice is just tender, 35 to 45 minutes.

2. Add the sugar snap peas, asparagus, and green peas, and season with a few healthy pinches of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. SImmer for anohter 2 or 3 minutes and serve immediately; this way the vegetables stay crisp and bright!

Serves 4


White Sangria: with Agave Nectar and Drunken Peaches
2 or 3 peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut into eighths
3 cups seedless grapes of mixed colors, halved
1/3 cup agave nectar
2 (750-ml) bottles sauvignon blanc
1/2 cup apricot brandy
1 (1-liter) bottle sparkling water

1. Combine the peaches, grapes, agave nectar, wine, and brandy in a 1-gallon jug. Stir gently so the fruit doesn't break up, then chill in the refrigerator for a few hours or, even better, overnight.

2. Serve in tall glasses, making sure each has a nice assortment of the wine-soaked fruit; top each with a generous splash of sparkling water.

Here's another white sangria recipe (not from Heidi Swanson):
2 bottles sauvignon blanc
3 cups white cranberry juice (or red if you cant find white)
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 sliced pears
1/2 pint blackberries

1. Combine everything. Let sit overnight.

2. Serve the next day!

This is one I am SO EXCITED ABOUT, since I can't (and I'm assuming we all can't or don't) eat any dairy!!!:) Get ready for it...

Dairyless...Chocolate...Mousse!!
1/2 cup chocolate soy milk
1 1/2 cups semisweet (since we cannot have dairy, go with a dark that has zero lactose. Tip: Don't go TOO dark, it will not melt very well and it will also be very bitter so go for the lowest cocoa % content that doesn't have dairy. You can usually find one about 60% or sometimes around 50%.)
12 ounces silken soft tofu
1/2 cup amaretto (almond liqueur)
1/4 tsp pure almond extract
Fine-grain sea salt

1. Pour the milk into a small saucepan and slowly bring to a simmer. Remove it from the heat and set aside to let cool a bit.

2. Slowly melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally, in a double boiler (you can cobble together a makeshift one by placing a metal bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water).

3. Add the warm soy milk and silken tofu to the melted chocolate chips. Puree with a hand blender or transfer to a blender or food processor and process until silky smooth. Stir in the amaretto, almond extract, and a generous pinch of sea salt. Taste and adjust the flavoring, adding a bit more extract if needed.

4. Chill in a large serving bowl or individual bowls for at least 1 1/2 hours--the longer the better. The mousse will set up nicely as it cools.

Makes 6 servings.

And finally--the cream substitute!

Cashew Cream
1 1/2 cups raw cashews
1 1/2 cups water, plus more as needed
2 1/2 tsp nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tsp fine-grain sea salt
Squeeze of lemon juice

1. Soak the cashews in a small bowl of warm water for 20 or 30 minutes to soften them up, which makes for a smoother, silkier cream.

2. Drain and add 1 1/2 cups water, the nutritional yeast, and salt.

3. Puree with a hand blender or food processor until smooth, pourable, and of a creamlike consistency; this may take 2 or 3 minutes of steady blending, so be patient. You may need to add additional water, a few tablespoons at a time, to achieve the right consistency. This cream tends to thicken over time, and is aborbed into pasta quicky, so err on the thin side. Season cream with a squeeze of lemon juice, then stir, taste, and add a but of additional salt if needed.

Makes about 2 cups.


As I wrote "vanilla extract" in one of the recipes above, I realized something else I had read in Real Simple yesterday and thought I'd add it here! When you're painting a room, and you know the awful smell paint has? Well, if you put a few drops of vanilla extract in the bucket of paint (make sure it's non-white), it will neutralize that smell!:)

If you haven't tried Zico Coconut water -- I highly recommend it. Some people say not to try the flavored coconut water (brands vary) because they tend to have higher sugar contents in them but I did not find this to be true with Zico. One bottle has 60 calories regardless the flavor and 12 g of sugar. It also contains more potassium than a banana, so it's really intended for after a long strenuous workout rather than just a sub for water. This morning, I put half the bottle over my fresh fruit (a banana, 1/2 a pear, 1/2 a navel orange, handfull of blueberries and 2 sliced strawberries) instead of coconut milk and cinnamon and it was a very nice and refreshing substitute!

I've mostly decided that the San Antonio Rock & Roll 1/2 and Full Marathon I'm running in November may be a full for me. I'm going to see how the training goes, but I'm getting really amped up to run a full marathon! Keep your fingers crossed for me that the injuries stay in the closet!:) I'm also calling Dustin today to make my first swimming lesson! Yay:) It has taken me a while to get around to it but I've been so busy and not knowing my schedule very far in advance is a bit of a hinderance. Sometimes you just have to make due being the intern:) No complaints! I love my work and I'm so lucky to be working here this summer! I'm learning so much, and not only that but the work dynamic between the employees and MIT (managers in training that come from all over the U.S.) is so great and friendly! It's actually fun to be at work. I plan on picking some brains about if this dynamic was planned and if so, how was it and what do they look for--or maybe it just happened to fall into place? Who knows? I will soon, hopefully:)

I've been thinking about simplicy related to life lately and I realized that "simple" might be one of the best ways to describe the way I like to cook and eat. I enjoy extravagant meals from time to time, but to me they're still never as good as the meals with fewer ingredients and they don't seem to really taste like what is in them. That is why when I make salmon, I usually don't add very much to change the flavor or at least make sure I can still taste the "salmon-ness" without all this frou-frou added to it. I like salmon because it tastes like salmon. I like broccoli because it tastes like broccoli--sometimes with a little lemon. I like whatever it is for whatever it is. So that being said, if you don't like the taste of some of these things but still want the nutrients, just add more seasonings:) I know all of our tastebuds vary so just play around with what works for you:)

For lunch today I had a chocolate Bumble Bar around 11:30 this morning. Then when I got home, I had a little bowl of spaghetti squash and two nectarines. I love the summer, it's the time of the best fruit:)