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!

Lentil Apple Walnut Loaf

Sweet, savory, and satisfying... Lentil Apple Walnut Loaf!

If you have seen only some of my little foodie blog, you surely know by now that I love lentils. These tiny, versatile legumes are quick-cooking and nutrient-rich with protein, fiber, and iron.  I have worked hard at making this recipe just the way I want it before sharing... which is why I am tickled to offer it here today!

This particular recipe is a bit involved- (be prepared to use multiple pots and pans) but I promise it is worth it. It's a great meal to make on the weekend or day off and enjoy for the week ahead. Having dinner ready to reheat on a weeknight is much appreciated for this (now!) working couple! :-)

Lentil Apple Walnut Loaf
Recipe adapted from Terry Walters' Clean Food

Ingredients
For loaf:
1 cup dried lentils
3 cups vegetable broth
3 tbsp ground flax seed
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots, grated
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 apples, peeled, grated, and mixed with 1 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
1 tsp garam masala
1 cup breadcrumbs
(*Note- Substitute brown rice breadcrumbs if making the recipe gluten-free)

For glaze:
2 tbsp organic ketchup
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tbsp corn starch

Directions
Preparing lentils
Rinse lentils, place in a pot, and cover with vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until liquid is absorbed and lentils are tender, about 30-40 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Preparing loaf
In a small bowl, combine ground flax seed with water and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute onion and carrot in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add rice vinegar and saute 3 minutes more until soft. Add grated apple, walnuts, and garam masala and saute another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and fold in cooked lentils, breadcrumbs, and soaked flax seed until evenly mixed. Press mixture firmly into lightly oiled loaf pan and set aside.

Preparing glaze
In a small saucepan over no heat, combine all glaze ingredient until smooth. Place over medium heat and stir continuously until thick (about 2-3 minutes). Spread evenly over loaf and bake, uncovered, 40 minutes.

Serve with sauteed greens and brown rice for a lovely meal!

Happy eating!

The Tomato Time of Year

While I am close to saying, I've never met a vegetable I didn't like (except artichokes from a can), the statement just isn't true when it comes to tomatoes. I've had one too many a tasteless, grainy, white, cold tomato on a restaurant salad to almost completely avoid all of them for 9 months out of the year. However, a real tomato, that is, one that is grown in-season and locally, is a different story. Packed with flavor and a beautiful color... summertime is definitely tomato time! I picked up a pint of mixed colored cherry tomatoes at the Keene Farmer's Market that were just too sweet not to share.

"Try to resist me! That's right, YOU CAN'T!" @thesassytomato

Although tempted, I didn't sit down on the couch to watch the Bachelorette and snack on these like candy. Instead, I made two new-to-me recipes with inspiration from a favorite cookbook. After all, they were on opposite pages and it made it very hard to choose just one!

Clean Food by Terry Walters

White Bean Salad with Roasted Tomatoes and Arugula

• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 sweet onion, julienned
• 1 fennel bulb, julienned
• 2 carrots, chopped  
• Olive oil
• 3 tomatoes, quartered
• 2 cups cooked great northern or cannellini beans
• Arugula
• Balsamic vinegar to taste
  

Place above ingredients on a baking pan and drizzle with olive oil to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes or until tender. Fold in tomatoes and beans, returning to oven to roast for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and immediately place atop a bed of arugula. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar!

Chickpea and Cherry Tomato Salad with Cilantro Dressing

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups chickpeas
• 3-4 scallions, chopped

Cut tomatoes in half and place in a large bowl with the chickpeas and scallions. Top with the following, after you've combined the ingredients in a food processor:

• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1 large bunch cilantro (about 1 cup)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

I am always hungry for new salads in the summer, and these two hit the spot.

I am winding down with my internship, folks! I'll be back in PA in just a few weeks. Last week was my final week of clinical, and I was so happy to have the 4th off to join my lovely friend Sarah and her family at their New Hampshire lake house. We had a blast! (I can even say that after I failed miserably at water skiing. Next year!)

"Oh yeah! Check out how cool I am! Water ski-bunny!"

nailed it.

Love you so!

xoxo!