Chili Pumpkin Pasta Sauce

When it gets cold out all I ever want is pasta (with red wine).  I decided to put my leftover pureed pumpkin to good use and make pasta sauce.  There was a lot of flavor crossover between this dish and the pumpkin hummus I made a few nights ago -- but I wanted to make the sauce a bit spicier.

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat pasta
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup chicken stock (can add more/less depending on how thick you want your sauce)
2 tbsp EVOO
1/2 tbsp Bragg's seasoning (for Rosemary)
1/2 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tbsp Sriracha chili garlic sauce
1/2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup canned chickpeas (optional)

While the whole wheat pasta was cooking, I put all of the sauce ingredients into a sauce pan and simmered for 10 mins.  The pumpkin sauce would've been great alone, but I wanted some added protein, so I threw in the chickpeas.

Here's the final product:

Of course, I added some extra Parmesan on top. It was SO good. The sauce was perfectly spicy and creamy and the chickpeas added some nice texture to the dish.  This blog is becoming a bit of a chickpea overload - But they're such an easy and versatile meal addition and they're extremely filling. I don't like to eat much meat, so chickpeas are a great solution (and cheap). Yum!

Savory Rosemary Pumpkin Hummus

The other day I stocked up on pumpkin puree at the grocery store - Tis the season of PUMPKIN. It seems to be in everything right now, so I knew I could put it good use. As I've mentioned, you can mix just about anything into hummus and tonight it was pumpkin.

Here's what I started with:
1 cup organic canned pumpkin puree
1 can (15 oz) canned chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup sesame tahini
1 tbsp crushed garlic
1 tbsp cinnamon
Juice from one lemon
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp chopped rosemary

Seasoning to taste:
Salt & Pepper
Bragg's Sprinkle Seasoning

One step magic: throw everything in a food processor and you are done.  This hummus is perfectly sweet and savory.  I sprinkled the Bragg's on top for extra Rosemary flavor.  It's perfect for holiday parties this time of year. Enjoy!

Spicy Avocado Hummus

After a big weekend of eating I wanted something light and fresh for dinner. I'm a huge fan of dips. They're delicious, but I also love dips because they bring such a social element to a meal. Everyone can gather around dips while casually chatting and eating. 

Hummus is one of my favorite dips. I lovelovelove hummus.  Hummus is great because it is so versatile. You can dip just about anything in it and mix so many different flavors and spices in. Also, it doubles as an amazing spread on sandwiches. It had been awhile since I had made homemade hummus. Tonight was the night.  I got all of the ingredients and found that I had a very ripe avocado in my kitchen, so I decided to make an avocado hummus - a little hybrid of guacamole and hummus.

Ingredients:
1 can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
3 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 cup arugula
2 tablespoons parsley
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons tahini  (I'm not a huge tahini fan - feel free to add in as much as 1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 small avocado

Spices to taste:
Cayenne pepper, paprika, Sriracha hot sauce, salt & pepper

First, I put the chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, and 1 tbsp EVOO in the food processor until smooth.

Then, I threw the rest of the ingredients into the food processor -- You could do it all together, but I wanted to taste what the guacamole, arugula, parsley, tahini, and EVOO mixture tasted like on it's own. No suprise here, it was delicious and worth eating as is.

Here's both the chickpea mix and avocado mix before blended together:

I combined both in the food blender while adding 2 dashes of cayenne pepper and slowly mixing in the sriracha to taste. I like it spicy and added about 1/2 tablespoon. As a sidenote, some other spices I think would be really good in here: cumin or curry powder.

I served my hummus with paprika sprinkled on top and dipped celery, carrots, and sea salt baked lentil chips in.  The final product was so delicious - creamy, filling, and perfectly spicy. A great dip for so many occasions.

Charleston Lovin'

I'm very lucky to have a sister that goes to school in Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston is one of those cities that you're beginning to hear more and more about - Conde Nast Traveler even named it the #1 City in the US, but I still don't think I would've made it down there had it not been for my sister going to College of Charleston. This past weekend was my third trip down South and it was a good one.  

One of my favorite things is putting on my running shoes and exploring a city by foot.  My little sister, being the college student she is, sleeps later than me, so I used the mornings to walk around and find new places. Saturday morning I ran towards the water and found myself at The Battery - a park at the tip of Charleston's peninsula. There's nothing better than a morning run along the water:

We walked the city for the rest of the day. First stop: the Farmer's Market.  I got an awesome smoothie with beet, pear, banana, kale and spinach.  I was skeptical of the beets at first but it was amazing! Perfectly sweet and the beet was very subtle.

It was so fun to check out all of the different booths at the market and everyone was so nice. A major highlight was discovering Nutty Goodness - An amazing raw fruit and nut bar which I proceeded to buy 5 bags of. Good news is that they ship all over the country! I also loved this homemade pasta vendor. Check out this impressive spread: 

Next we went to the Charleston City Market, an awesome strip of vendors with art, trinkets, and food. Here's a gem I found:

We had a late lunch at a cute spot, Eli's Table. My dad got the "Low Country Eggs Benedict" - with spinach and fried oysters - to die for. I think I fell in love with fried oysters this weekend.

The architecture is unreal in Charleston and it's absolutely one of my favorite parts about the city. There's so much color and history.  It's the most charming place I've ever been. I became slightly obsessed with the colors and window treatments - Here's a collage of all of my favorite windows: 

Saturday Night we went to Grill 225 in the Market Pavilion Hotel for dinner - unbelievable fish and steakhouse.  The hotel also has a fun rooftop pool and bar that is worth checking out. Their specialty is a liquid nitrogen martini - They come extra cold, steaming, and with a warning label. I got the cucumber lemonade vodka 'nitrotini'. Kind of hilarious but it got the job done. 

Our last stop for the night was Kaminsky's, a dessert bar. All they serve is alcohol and dessert. AMAZING. I think this place is pure genius and I might open up my own version. I opted for some Hob Knob Pinot Noir and Pumpkin pie - heaven.

I think that's a pretty good round up of my Charleston weekend. It has definitely become one of my favorite destinations. Until next time Chucktown!

Chickpeas, Beets & Malbec

I cannot believe it is almost November. It is so cold out! I'm from Cleveland, OH and they woke up to snow this morning. That is something I am just not ready for.

First, I thought I'd do an update on my running mileage. I'm getting closer and closer to reaching my 500 mile goal every day.  In fact, just this morning I reached 490.5 miles.  I'm hoping to hit 500 way before November 18th, but I'll keep you posted!

This morning I went for a 5-miler and I was largely motivated by the meal I concocted last night.  It was a lot - that and I have to wear a dress tonight. This morning was a particularly good run - There is nothing better than watching this city wake up.

Now, onto my dinner last night. Step #1 was choosing a red wine.  This might seem backwards but wine was really the priority last night.  I went for a Malbec - Malbec is great with meat. Unfortunately, I didn't have any steak lying around.  Instead I had lots of vegetables.  Lucky for me, Malbec also pairs well with bold and spicy vegetable dishes.  Perfect!

Here what I was working with:

5 peeled and chopped carrots

7 white potatoes - quartered for roasting

1 onion - chopped

2 large Beets – peeled and slivered

2 tablespoons Sriracha chili garlic sauce

1 can of chickpeas

1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
Salt & Pepper
Endless EVOO

First, I preheated the oven to 425 for the beets and potatoes.
I decided to sliver and roast the beets - just like roasted potatoes. I had never done beets this way and it might be a new favorite.  I tossed the beet slivers in EVOO, salt & pepper, put them on a baking pan, and roasted them in the oven for 40-50 minutes.  I prepared the potatoes in the exact same way. 

The beets before the oven (obsessed with their color):

The beets after some roasting (also obsessed with this color):

I seasoned the beets and potatoes pretty lightly because I wanted them to balance out the spicy/bold flavor of what I made to put on top.

Now onto the spicy vegetables. 
I sauteed the carrots in light olive oil for 5-10 mins.  Next, I added the onions, chickpeas, and the chili garlic sauce. I let it simmer for about 5 mins on low heat. The chili garlic sauce can be really strong so I would suggest putting in a little bit at a time - I like a lot :) I thought this sauce added enough of a garlicky flavor, but feel free to add some minced garlic in, as well. And of course, season with salt and pepper as you see fit.

Nice and spicy:

I wanted some added protein and a flavor to tie it all together, so I fried 2 eggs to go on top.  I was feeling particularly inspired last night and decided to work on my presentation skills....Definitely some room for improvement. Here is the final product:

The potatoes are hidden underneath, but it really was delicious and super filling. There were so many different textures and spices. The egg yolk added a bit more creaminess to it all. Now onto the best part....

Earlier in the day I picked up dessert: doughnuts from the Doughnut Plant. I'm lucky enough to live just 2 blocks from this place.  I got the Pumpkin Cake flavor and a Peanut Butter Banana Cream one. 2 little pieces of heaven. Highly recommend!

 

For my last few posts I've been using whatever is in my kitchen and trying to make a recipe (my own version of the TV show Chopped).  For my next post I'm going to think of a recipe/post BEFORE I go to the grocery store - should make for something delish.

500 Miles

Well I've stuck to my word and have definitely been running more.  Not only have I been doing more mileage, BUT I've been mixing up the scenery which is one my favorite things about running. I love to use a run to explore new places or to simply get outside. With the minutes of sunshine dwindling down everyday, I'm really trying to take advantage of these last few weeks of sunshine when I'm not glued to a desk.

As I've mentioned, I love having goals and tracking things.  I also love making lists and crossing things off said lists.  Anyways, I always track my runs -- mileage, speed, routes - using the Nike Running app. Their app is really awesome and I use it every time I run - except when on a treadmill. The app keeps your mileage total for all recorded runs, too.

After my run this morning, I was at 469 total miles, and it occurred to me that I started using the Nike App just about a year ago .  I checked, and my first run on the app was on November 18th, 2012.  I decided it'd be really cool to reach 500 miles by November 18th of this year -- 500 miles in one year. So the countdown begins - 31 more miles in a little over a month.  Definitely a great reason to get new running shoes :)

Here are some fun photos of my most recent running adventures:

A "muddy-up" 5K in Greenwich, Ct - including running through creeks (fell twice), mud swamps, an 80 yd swim (water in September is freezing), and full on competition with 5 year olds

One of my favorite places in the city - The Reservoir in Central Park

Phoenix, AZ bright and early -- amazing running weather - warm and no humidity:

And a throwback to my vaca in Charleston. This might be my favorite. If you ever get the chance to run on the beaches surrounding Charleston, do it.  The sand was so hard that people were even biking on it - and obviously, it's flat so you can go forever.  So amazing.

Winter may mean colder weather and less outdoor time, but it also means more red wine and more cooking for me.  In my mind, there is always something to look forward to.

Kale, Potatoes and a Kitchen

Last night I got home at 830pm starving.  The only 2 fresh things I had in my kitchen were a beautiful head of kale and a bunch of small potatoes.  I decided to get creative and make a meal of this.  Whenever I'm at a loss of ingredients for dinner I immediately turn to eggs.  I love a fried egg on just about anything but I especially love them on salads (the BEST for brunch).  The yolk makes the best dressing on its own or mixed with another.

So my first course: kale salad, spicy Dijon Mustard dressing, and a fried egg on top. 

For the dressing: Olive oil, Dijon Mustard, Apple Cider Vinegar, a little Red Wine Vinegar, salt and pepper

This salad was actually very filling and probably would've been plenty for dinner, but I already had my heart set on roasting those potatoes.

Growing up my Mom always made roasted potatoes.  They are so flavorful and so easy to make.  I chopped each potato into quartered wedges and threw them all in a bowl.  Then, I lightly drizzled them with olive oil.  For seasoning, I added Bragg's Herb Seasoning, garlic powder, and salt & pepper.  Next, I just stirred them all around and put them on a baking sheet.  I let them roast for about 50 mins and they came out beautifully.

I completely burnt my mouth because I couldn't wait to eat them (this is becoming a trend) - so I would suggest letting these cool for at least 5 minutes before digging in.  I LOVE hot sauce so I dipped them in Frank's Red Hot. Delish. Some Parmesan cheese or fresh herbs like Parsley or Rosemary would have been great on these, too. A perfectly satisfying dinner with very simple household ingredients.  :)