Socca-bleu!

Posted on February 28, 2011 by kissmybroccoli

Guess what!

I made socca pizza!

And it didn’t turn into something you have to eat out of a bowl!

Oh, hi by the way! Hope you are all doing marvelous this Monday! 😉

Ok, wanna see, wanna see? Of course you do!

Feel free to take this time to ohhh and ahhh…I’ll wait.

You done? Alright, now let me tell you how this beauty came to be!

When I got home today I had pizza on the brain for some reason. And, well who am I to deny my body what it wants? So, I took one of my mini Trader Joe’s pizza crusts out of the freezer to thaw and then thought I’d do a little blog reading.

Well, as I was catching up on my favorite twins’s blog, Healthy Dairies, I saw Lisa’s beeeeeautiful socca pizza she made the other night and instantly felt the need for my own socca redemption!

I followed her recipe, but subbed in 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, since I’m out of fresh basil, and only used 1/4 teaspoon of salt. It took a little longer to cook than Lisa had written, but after about 10-12 minutes it was perfectly browned on both sides and ready for some topping action! My choice: homemade marinara, Monterrey Jack and parmesan cheeses, red onions, portobello mushrooms, and black olives.

Popped under low broil until the cheese melted and WA-LAH!

CA-LOSE UP!

I love a pizza crust with a good flavor and this definitely didn’t disappoint! It was crispy on the outside and smooth like butter on the inside!

And, because I can’t seem to fix a meal that doesn’t involve all the colors in the crayon box…

Peas broccoli & carrots!

If you haven’t made socca pizza yet, then what are you waiting for! Go get some chickpea flour (uber cheap by the way) and get ready to ditch all your other recipes for pizza crust! I mean, come on…how can you turn down a crust that cooks lightning fast, requires no extra time for rising, kneading, and rolling, and has a super impressive nutritional list!

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Wow, is this post a little picture heavy or what? Guess I’m a little proud of myself!

Check you guys later! There is a bath full of hot water and Epsom awaiting me in the next room. Gotta love that DOMS, right?

What is one thing that you tried to cook that turned into a total flop? Did you try again or accept defeat?

Oh, and totally off subject, but I wanted to let you guys know that tomorrow is National Pancake Day! Yay!

Posted in Entree, Vegetarian | Tagged , , | 37 Comments

Red & Green

Posted on February 27, 2011 by kissmybroccoli

So, did everyone have a fantabulous Sunday? I hope so! Hopefully you had some nice weather to enjoy as well!

When I first woke up this morning it was gloomy and raining…which later turned into gloomier and pouring, but after a few hours the sun peaked out and I was able to enjoy another run outside! I ran 2.5 miles in about 22 minutes and then did 20 minutes of ab work since I am waaaaaay too sore after my beating workout with Jackie yesterday to even think about picking up a dumbbell! Ahhh, my shoulders hurt so good! 😉

For breakfast this morning, I whipped up a batch of what else…pancakes! It seemed that the rain sucked all of my creative juices out this morning, so I turned to the ever talented Katie for some pancake inspiration. I knew when I first saw her Red Velvet Pancakes a few weeks ago that I would have to try them for myself. What better way to perk up a gloomy rainy day than a plate of pillowy chocolate?

I followed Katie’s recipe exactly only adding in 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder and using one tablespoon of cocoa powder instead of two. I whipped up a quick cream cheese spread as my filling/topping and topped the whole thing with some grated semi-sweet chocolate.

Quick Cream Cheese Spread:

  • 3 tablespoons reduced-fat cream cheese
  • 4 drops vanilla cream stevia drops
  • a splash of vanilla extract
  • enough milk to achieve desired consistency (I used unsweetened almond milk)

Combine all ingredients and mix until smooth and creamy.

I added about 8 drops of vanilla cream stevia drops to the batter and it provided just the right amount of sweetness to the pancakes! I’ve yet to have a recipe of Katie’s disappoint so I wasn’t surprised by the deliciousness of these babies!

After my run, I decided to further the testing of my collard greens to see if they deserve to replace my lovely spinach in the future. Let me introduce to you, the newest green smoothie on the block!

Collard Greens Monster: (serves 1)

  • 2 handfuls chopped collard greens
  • 1/2 banana
  • 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tablespoon peanut butter (I used PB&Co White Chocolate Wonderful)

Blend, blend, blend!

Wha? Do I have something on my face?

Verdict? Good, but definitely not my spinach! It was one of those smoothies that grows on you. At first, all I tasted was the bite of the collards, but after a few sips, it was smoother and sweeter.

For dinner tonight, I chose a different way to get some green. Before the “spinach incident” at Sam’s yesterday, I managed to snag a 3lb bag of broccoli! Hmm, wonder what THEY would taste like in a smoothie??

Baked sweet potato topped with Trader Joe’s organic baked beans served alongside steamed broccoli with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and Garlic Gold Nuggets.

I’ve seen Lauren and Chelsea use baked beans as a sweet P topper and was curious to see how it tasted. YUM! The flavors pair perfectly together without being overly sweet! And hellllllllloooo fiber!

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go partake in the crunching of some fantastic homemade cereal. It’s ok, Mama told me to!

Oh yes…I did! It’s ok if you’re jealous!

What’s your favorite cereal?
Mine is definitely Quaker Oatmeal Squares, but I don’t buy them often since 1 box only lasts a few days around me! Oops!

Posted in Breakfast, Entree, Pancake Sunday, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , | 36 Comments

Sam’s Club: A Place for Shopping, Sampling, and Security Escorts

Posted on February 26, 2011 by kissmybroccoli

Hey everybody! So glad you enjoyed my rendition of the alphabet yesterday! It was also fun to get to see what letters you guys picked too!

Well, today has surely gotten away from me! I stayed up mucho late last night determined to clear out my Google Reader, but at 1:00am I waved the white flag and very quickly passed out afterwards!

I woke up this morning at…guess what time! 7:30! Gahh! I shuffled my way into the kitch, started up the life force coffee and set to work on my brekkie which of course had to feature some of my treasures from yesterday’s shopping adventure!

Egg white omelet pancake thingy cooked with chopped scallions, folded up and topped with a slice of sharp cheddar on Ezekiel cinnamon raisin bread. Served with a warmed pink lady topped with cinnamon and chopped almonds.

After breakfast, I lounged around, picked up around the house, and fiddled around on the internet. Finally around 11am I decided it was a good time to head to Sam’s for lunch some bulk-buy necessities.

They definitely had the sample stations going today…I tried about 6 different things. I think they were trying to distract me from something. I’m sure by now you guys understand my love, bordering addiction to spinach. Well, I always buy it from Sam’s because they offer a 3lb. package of organic spinach for $4! Can’t beat that, right? So howabout I go over to the produce section and see that they are now selling ONE POUND packages of spinach for $4!! What?! I nearly had a breakdown!

After rubbing my eyes and seeing that this was in fact my reality, I promptly knocked over the nearest old lady operated sample station, stole all her angel food cake cups and ran out of the store screaming something about food being holy. I don’t quite remember. Things get a bit blurry when you go into shock. It’s true…you can Google it!

After regaining some composure, I finished up my errand running and went home to take out my spinach woes in the form of a killer 30 minute workout that only Jackie Warner can deliver!

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Oh, how I hate to love this woman!

After 30 minutes of torture cardio and strength training, I decided to take advantage of the sudden change in weather and go for a run!

Helllllllllo blue sky and sunshine!

It felt so nice to run outside! I’ve been missing out on all the warm weather days lately thanks to being sick two weekends ago and hungover the next. I actually ran in shorts!! I did a little over 2 miles in 20 minutes. I probably could’ve gone another 1/2 mile or so, but my Sam’s Club samples were burning thin and I knew it was time to get some real food!

So, since I am now banned from Sam’s indefinitely, I am forced to find other frugal alternatives to my dear, precious spinach . Let me introduce to you the first one up: collard greens!

I got all of this for $2.88!!

What do you do with a huge freaking pile of collard greens? You make wraps inspired by my favorite greens lover of course!

Tofu Salad from left to right: with TJ’s White Bean Hummus, Sabra Spinach Artichoke Hummus, and Matt’s Rosemary White Bean Hummus

No plated pics…I gobbled these up as soon as I set the camera down! Sooooo good!

When I mentioned on Wednesday’s post that Trader Joe’s white bean was my favorite hummus, Matt gave me a friendly little challenge to try his recipe before I professed my undying love to TJ’s.

Trader Joe in one corner…

Matt in the other.

DING!

And the winner by K-O in the first round issssss…

I never saw it coming…the day when another white bean hummus would come into my life and sweep me off my feet!

I followed Matt’s recipe exactly but since I was digging the rosemary flavor so much, I decided to throw in 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning as well. Oh my tahini! If you haven’t tried white bean hummus before, let this on be your first! You won’t regret it!

Dinner also involved some collard action:

TJ’s whole wheat wrap, steamed collards with nooch, bell pepper, and TJ’s turkey chili topped with “sour cream” (plain yogurt).

I’m liking the collards (guess that’s a good thing since I have like 10 pounds of it)! They have a bit of a bite to them when eaten raw, but the crunch of the leaves is awesome! And it even keeps a bit of crunch even when steamed!

What’s your favorite green leafy veg?
SPINACH!…Popeye and I are tight, yo!

Tell me how your weekend is going! Doing anything fun and exciting?
If you need something to do, go make up a batch of Matt’s hummus! 😉

Posted in Entree, Raw, Shopping, Snacks, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , | 35 Comments