First Anniversary Road Trip

We have been married for one-whole-year! Are we not newlyweds anymore? We celebrated our anniversary with a weekend away in Ithaca, NY. We stayed at a beautiful, historic B&B and enjoyed the fall foliage with the locals. We sipped wine at vineyards, hiked to the base of a waterfall, and of course filled our bellies with fantastic eats. Our favorite food stop was the famous Moosewood Restaurant. Moosewood is an internationally-renown vegetarian restaurant that has produced over 13 cookbooks! Having cooked from Moosewood since I was a high schooler, it felt dreamy to be eating in the flagship (only) restaurant. We came back from vacation refreshed, and brought home 3 new cookbooks (oops?), even more inspired for tasty vegetarian fare!

Salad boredom was officially busted with the construction of THIS salad. Roasted squash adds a different texture to the same salad bowl I eat almost every day for lunch. Thanks Moosewood for the inspiration!

best-ever fall salad

Best-Ever Fall Salad
Ingredients:

• Field greens of choice
• Butternut (pictured) or delicata squash, roasted in walnut oil @400 degrees for 20-30 minutes
• Red pear, perfectly ripe, sliced
• Gorgonzola cheese
• Pumpkin seeds
• Dried currents (or dried fig, chopped)

Directions:

Arrange on a lovely, simple plate and drizzle with pumpkin seed oil and red apple balsamic. Also delicious, a Moosewood classic dressing, Lemon-Tahini.

Lemon-Tahini Dressing, from Moosewood Restaurant

• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Generous pinch of ground black papper or cayenne
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin seeds

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth and creamy. Dressing keeps in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

After we arrived home late Tuesday evening, we were not ready to give ourselves back to the real world just yet. With a few hours of vacation remaining, I did the only thing I could think of that was wild and crazy for a work-night... baked scones!

The Pumpkin Drop Scone recipe I used came from one of my new favorite blogs, Healthy Living How-To. (You should check out her real-food, lower-carb menu for Thanksgiving, it looks amazing!) I changed a few things in my scones, but if you click the link you can see Vanessa's original recipe. Instead of xylitol, I used maple syrup, and I skipped the crushed walnuts and opted for... mini chocolate chips (WHAT!)...

pumpkin chocolate chip drop scones

I would say we are adjusting to the non-newlywed world just fine. Here are a few more pictures from our trip!

the william henry miller inn.

a little appetizer we enjoyed while wine tasting (yes, honeycomb!)

this waterfall is higher than niagra falls

smiling because we are about to enjoy pre-ssert!

More good eats coming your way soon! Go do something crazy like bake scones on a Monday!

Beet Dip, a Detox, and a Huge Cake

This recipe is no joke! Get ready for a hummus makeover with killer flavor and a distinguished zip.  I can't promise your husband will enjoy it, because mine is still anti-beet. More for me!

Tahini Beet Dip with Roasted Curry Cauliflower
Ingredients
1 cup roasted beets, cooled
1/2 cup garbanzo beans
1/4 cup tahini
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
2+ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Combine ingredients in a food processor and pulse until coarsely mixed. Drizzle olive oil in while processing to achieve a smooth texture. Season with salt and pepper to taste!

I paired this dip with cauliflower, lightly coated in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt, pepper, and curry powder, roasted at 375 for about 20 minutes.

just beet it

While I can't give him credit for loving beets, I have to let you know that my Mark is a nutritional champ! Leaving (almost) no dish untasted, Mark proudly shows off his healthy-foodie-packed-lunches to his co-workers every day. He didn't even ask questions when I came home from work last month and told him I wanted us to go on a 14-day dietary detox. And he didn't complain once!

For two weeks, our diet was free from gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol. We sustained on organic vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds, quinoa and brown rice, wild caught fish, organic/free-range chicken, and vegan protein shakes made with almondmilk. I was the cranky one the first 3 days, not Mark! (Watching the Bachelor with no chocolate and red wine? THAT was tough.) But after a few days we both felt incredible improvements in energy levels and digestion. Neither one of us craved sugar or snacky snacks when we weren't eating them! It was an amazing reboot, and I am so proud of my other half for enduring two weeks without some of his favorite foods!!

Lucky for him, the week after our detox was Mark's birthday. I pulled out all the stops to celebrate him with the tastiest of foods. For his birthday dinner I made an organic, grass-fed ribeye, roasted butternut squash and onions with pumpkinseed oil (amazing- buy it), and kale and portobello mushrooms braised in tamari and white wine...

Now for the birthday cake! I baked him a 3-layer German Chocolate Cake, with pecan and coconut icing. I followed a recipe from America's Test Kitchen, in a cookbook given to us as a wedding gift. I didn't even try to make it healthy! (I am known for ruining baked goods when I try to make them healthier by changing multiple ingredients. Yes, I know you can't do that. But I still go for it every. single. time.) The cake was far from perfect - the icing was runny, the layers were a little thin, it was slightly lop-sided - but it tasted delicious! It was a solid first birthday cake for Mark... hopefully my birthday cake baking skillz only improve from here on out.

Happy Birthday Mark!

Join us here next time for whatever detox and cake rebound we try next!

Restaurant Review- Getting Fritzy

After a long first day of my community rotation this past Tuesday, fellow interns Emily, Fionna and I knew exactly where we'd be spending our Friday night... Fritz- The Place To Eat. This restaurant, located in downtown Keene, offers a relatively simple menu of Belgian-style fries with gourmet dipping sauces (winner of multiple Best Fries of New Hampshire awards), panini, salads, and burgers.  To drink, choose from an impressive selection of New England microbrews, wine, and homemade soda. Most of the ingredients on the menu are produced locally, including the potatoes used to make their fantastic fries. Fritz has a cozy feel, and offers live music on Thursdays (acoustic night) and Fridays. Fries, beer, and music was a fantastically satisfying way to end our week! (With the addition of chocolate, but more on that later.)

All three of us ordered the same sandwich (go figure, doesn't that always happen with girls?) We had the falafel panini, served in a warmed pita with garlic, onion, lettuce, cilantro, and tahini. Now... I won't lie to you, it wasn't as good as falafel I've had at Pita Cabana Grill in State College, but it was surely a tasty treat. The fries and dipping sauce are the real star here. Fritz knows its diners can't choose just one sauce, so they offer a 3-sauce combo. We chose Curry Pineapple, Lemon Dill, and Rosemary Garlic. These sauces will NOT disappoint! I'm sure even Bobby Flay would approve. Other tantalizing sauces include Peanut Satay, Chipotle Ketchup, and an imported Fritessaus from Holland.

My brew of choice... Long Trail, Harvest, a brown ale made in Vermont

Falafel sandwich, with vine-ripened tomatoes and a tasty tahini

Seriously awesome fries

Our musical act for the evening was a trio named the Folky Folks. We had a front row seat for this folky goodness.

I heart local folk music.

I would certainly recommend Fritz for a casual, quality dining experience. Especially if you are a lover of fries, like me! Now a few hours after our food was devoured and good conversation exhausted to the background of the Folkies, we reached a unanimous decision, time for dessert! We hopped down the street for a more upscale, intimate venue.

Chocolate Pyramid (of love)

Luca's Mediterranean Cafe is located in Keene's center square. What a perfect restaurant for a romantic date! (Or, a late dessert, if you are 3 girls whose boyfriends live in Washington, Michigan, and Texas!) Each sweet treat was perfect in its own way: the Creme Brulee, Cognac Pumpkin Cheesecake, and my personal favorite, the Chocolate Pyramid. (If you click the link to Luca's above, the three dessert photos at the top are the three we selected- we must have good taste!)

Thanks for joining me on our first Restaurant Review! If I am ever hungry again after tonight, there may be more to come...