#FunFinds Friday

Posted on October 5, 2012 by kissmybroccoli

Yesterday my little foodie mind was blown.

I live in a small town…both geographically and minded. So a couple of weeks ago when I heard there was a little country shop across town that sold bulk grains, homemade spreads, and other fun things, I couldn’t help but be skeptical KNEW I had to check it out!

I couldn’t believe it…I drove all this way (20 minutes) and they wouldn’t let me turn my semi around! Sheesh!

But I HAD to forgive them the minute I walked through the door and spotted this:

Pick a jam any jam…you name it, they had it! Including some you wouldn’t think to name…

For the record, it’s a variety of muscadine grape…thanks Wikipedia! 😉

And the other side of the tower of jams? A pickled paradise…eggs, beans, okra, cauliflower…and with jams like “scuppernong”, you know they had more than just regular pickles:

Oh yes, this was MY kind of place! 😉

Whole grains, flours, baking mixes, sprinkles, homemade fudge, and…

LUCKY CHARMS MARSHMALLOWS?!!

I nearly had an aneurysm right there in the middle of the shop!

The store couldn’t have been more than 3000 square feet, but I still managed to spend over an hour walking up and down the aisles playing foodie paparazzi…somehow I managed enough restraint (only because I know I don’t have the space in my pantry) to get out of there for under 100 bucks.

Wanna see what I got?

Ta-daaaaaaaaaaaa!

Oh c’mon, you can’t seriously tell me your surprised about the marshmallows! 😉

The bulk of my purchase came from this little big guy but it was TOTALLY worth it…$40 for nearly a half gallon of organic UNREFINED coconut oil? I’ll take it!

And coconut flour for HALF the price as Whole Foods!

I also picked up some SUPER cheap wheat bran and some tapioca
(I have had the strangest craving for tapioca pudding and I wanna try my hand at making my own…we’ll see how that goes!)

Of course I couldn’t say no to the cinnamon pickles and the peach pecan jam practically jumped into my cart!

Yeah, these did too! 😉

And as if all THAT wasn’t enough…I just had to stop by TJ Maxx before heading home (in my defense, it’s on the way)

Of course the one I was MOST excited about was the spread!

So excited that I just HAD to find a way to incorporate it into last night’s dinner. So I roasted up half a kabocha (my fave) and stuffed it with cottage cheese, chickpeas, and the garlic and fig spread…

And then I figured, hell, why not add some cinnamon pickles and peach pecan jam too? 😉

Mind blown yet again!

Now about that title…join Kristin and me as we celebrate our awesome foodie finds! Just add #funfinds to any image you upload on Twitter and/or Instagram so we can all envy/drool over/devise a plan to sneak into your house and steal your goodies! 😉

What #funfinds have you discovered recently?

Anybody got any recipes for healthy tapioca pudding?

Posted in Friday Fun, Fun Finds Friday | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 34 Comments

Weird Foodie Club

Posted on October 4, 2012 by kissmybroccoli

In the words of a true Blend:

“One thing that I’ve learned from being a member of the healthy living blogger’s community is that many of are pretty weird. More specifically, we eat some pretty weird stuff.”

If you’ve been reading my blog for ANY length of time, you’ve probably noticed I can get a little…um, creative with my food sometimes. So when Lauren contacted me last week asking if I’d like to share my favorite “weird food combo” in a post of hers, the only question I had was…

WHICH ONE?!

If you’ve been reading long, you know by now I am no stranger to the strange, but believe it or not, before I started blogging, I really didn’t have any odd combos that stood out…well, unless you count the obscene amount of ketchup that made it’s way onto my plate on a regular basis! 😉

It all started with my first Green Monster…

Circa 2010…only two months before I started the bloggy.

I’m pretty sure I see spinach in my teeth 😉

Next thing you know I’m whipping up bowls of savory oats…

Oats topped with green onions, feta cheese, and salt and pepper.

Throwing avocado in my baked goods…

Vegan Chocolate Avocado Cake with Avocado Buttercream Frosting

And adding nut butter to just about anything…

Sloppy Nutty Joes, HEAB-style

Now, two years later, no holds are barred…the weirder the combo, the more it appeals to me!

A few of my latest and greatest…

FEIAJ?

Fried Egg (and a crapTON of veggies) In A (sunbutter) Jar.

Popchips dipped in cashew butter.

Tuna, ricotta, and peanut butter…with roasted kabocha and falafel thins.

Chipotle-spiced chicken breast with almond butter.

Are we noticing a theme here with the nut butter?
#sorryimnotsorry 😉

But the one that takes home the Weird Food Award under the category of
“Use Up of All Leftovers in the Fridge”:

Sweet potato meets Tuna-LESS Melt topped with olive spread and balsamic vinegar.

A sweet and savory flavor EXPLOSION!

Think THAT sounds weird, head on over to Oatmeal After Spinning and check out a few of Lauren’s, Laura’s, Sarah’s and my favorites!

Wanna join our weird foodie club? 😉

What’s you FAVORITE weird food combo?

 
Posted in Entree | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

Chickpeas of the Sea

Posted on October 2, 2012 by kissmybroccoli

What’s up guys?

I hope you are ALL having a fantastic week! And if your not, hopefully a few drool-worthy foodie pics will be enough to perk you up?

And if THAT doesn’t work, then maybe the TWO recipes I have for you today will! 😉

For this week’s WIAW, I have what I’ve been eating for lunch for the last oh……WEEK! 

But before we get into the details, let’s take a minute to thank our hostess with the most-est, Jenn from Peas & Crayons, for putting on yet another fun-filled foodie party! Click here to check out all the deliciousness being linked up this week!

Now I’m not normally a creature of habit, but I’ll admit, I do tend to get a little obsessed with a certain food/flavor for a while….red velvet cake, mint chocolate chip, coconut mango…ring any bells? 😉

 Well, as I hinted on Friday,
this week has been all about the tuna melt!

Wait!!! Don’t leave!!!

I promise these aren’t the sandwiches of our school cafeteria days…a big soggy glob of mush with a mysteriously fishy smell…oh no, I assure you these are in a league all of their own!

Ha! Take THAT cafeteria lady Brown!

Chickpea Tuna Melt

By: Heather @ Kiss My Broccoli

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 2-3 minutes

Keywords: broil entree sandwich high fiber high protein tuna chickpeas cheese

Ingredients (Serves 1)

  • 2 oz. canned tuna
  • 1/8 cup cooked chickpeas
  • 1/8 cup ricotta cheese (or Greek yogurt)
  • 1 tablespoon minced onion
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon dried dill weed
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 slice whole wheat bread
  • 1/2-1 oz of your favorite cheese, shredded

Instructions

1. Position an oven rack in the top 1/3 and set oven to broil.
2. Place slice of bread under broiler to toast, while you prepare the salad.
3. Combine all ingredients except for bread and cheese in a small bowl, roughly mashing the chickpeas with a fork while stirring.
4. Spread salad onto bread slice, top with shredded cheese and place under broiler for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melty.

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This is where it all started. I had a craving for tuna, but c’mon, I can’t just have a plain ol’ tuna sandwich…I had to mix it up a bit!

I loved the added texture from the chickpeas and with the tanginess of the mustard and the addition of the dill, this was no standard tuna salad…THEN I went a step further and covered it in melty cheese!

*insert happy dance* 😀

But if that wasn’t enough of an explosion of flavors, I didn’t stop there…

Replace the mustard with sun-dried tomato spread, the dill with Italian seasoning and cover in tomato-basil mozzarella cheese and you have an Italian version!

Or how about some salsa and a bit of your favorite spicy seasoning (I am in LOVE with this one right now) with a little fresh cilantro for a bit of Mexican flair?

Or maybe Greek is more your thing?
Keep the dill but add some kalamata olive spread to the mix and well, since feta doesn’t really melt, you can stick with some Gruyere instead!

Another manager’s special score FTW!

And let me just say…this stuff is like total CRACK!! I want to eat it straight up with a spoon!

Still, I know everyone isn’t a fan of tuna…so that’s why I made yet ANOTHER variation for today’s lunch…and I’m gonna have to say, it was pretty flippin’ delicious!

Chickpea Tuna-LESS Melt

By: Heather @ Kiss My Broccoli

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 2-3 minutes

Keywords: broil entree sandwich high fiber vegetarian chickpeas cheese

Ingredients (Serves 1)

  • 1/4 cup cooked chickpeas
  • 1/8 cup ricotta cheese (or Greek yogurt)
  • 1 tablespoon minced onion
  • 1 small celery stalk, diced
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 slice whole wheat bread
  • 1/2-1 ounce of your favorite cheese, shredded

Instructions

1. Position rack in upper third of oven and set to low broil.
2. Place bread slice under broil to toast as you prep the salad.
3. Combine all ingredients except bread and cheese in a bowl, roughly mashing chickpeas with a fork.
4. Remove toasted bread slice from oven and spread salad on top, cover with shredded cheese and place under broiler for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

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The celery seed is a MUST! Soooooo good!

No matter which way you decide to make your melt…you have to promise me ONE thing…

Ditch the knife and fork and go at it kiddie style! 

Just please…no food fights…we can’t be wasting such deliciousness! 😉

What is/was your favorite thing to get from the school cafeteria?
Pizza and french fries nearly every day of my four years in high school…it’s a wonder I can even stand the thought of pizza now! Lol

What did YOU eat for lunch yesterday?

Posted in Entree, Vegetarian, What I Ate Wednesday | Tagged , , , , , , , | 47 Comments