April 30, 2014

Spicy Sesame Guacamole

It’s kinda crazy that Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby fall on the same weekend. I feel torn because I really WANT to wear a big hat and drink mint juleps but my heart of hearts tells me that I MUST go all out and celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Can I just wear a sombrero, eat guacamole, scarf down coconut tres leche cake, sip on cilantro limeade in between sips of juleps all while betting on a horse named Split Personality. No?

Maybe I’ll just watch the Kentucky Derby highlights with a decorative headband and eat a gigantic bowl of this Spicy Sesame Guacamole with sesame crackers.

Actually… that doesn’t sound half bad…

In my Vitamix giveaway, I asked you what your favorite dip was and SOOOO many of you said guacamole. You’re my kind of people. Did you know that Casey doesn’t like guacamole?! He’s generally not a fan of avocado (WHAT!). So, when I make guacamole, I end up eating most (if not all) of it. I found myself in quite a predicament this week when I went to clean up my kitchen and had way too many avocados that were in full on RIPE mode. I swear I thought I paced it so I would have a few days to dip into my stash. I made a batch of chocolate pudding from Sidesaddle Kitchen (love that site & that recipe!!) and then dipped right into Absolutely Avocados by my avocado guru friend Gaby to make a guac that might appease my husband. This guacamole is a real winner. I love the Asian vibe and SURPRISE…so did Casey. I bet it would be super tasty with a fried wontons & Ahi Tuna Poke. I served mine with chopped vegetables and sesame seed crackers. Totally not Mexican and definitely doesn’t fall into the Derby food category, but who cares. It’s just good eats for you guacamole lovers.

featured, recipes

April 28, 2014

The Ultimate Veggie Sandwich

New recipe! The Ultimate Veggie Sandwich!

Did we already talk about how I was a vegetarian for three years in college? Back then, no one taught me how to properly be vegetarian so I ate A LOT of cheese, hummus, pizza, and oh boy did I overdose on stir-fry. Besides all the cheese, I used to make a really good veggie sandwich when I was in my first apartment sophomore year. The sandwich always had hummus as a base with avocado smashed into toasted whole wheat bread and whatever vegetables I had on hand. I ate so many of them throughout my college years that I had to stop eating hummus for awhile. Sad trombone.

Fast forward 13 (!!!) years and this is the ultimate veggie sandwich of my dreams. It’s kind of like the Reset Button Salad but in sandwich form. Present Tracy likes shredded beets & carrots in her sandwich. Present Tracy thought of cilantro hummus and made her own! Present Tracy knows that being vegetarian doesn’t mean eating blocks of cheese and mushroom pizza.

Present Tracy knows that the key to an Ultimate Veggie sandwich is flavor, crunch, mouth watering color and the perfect combination of ingredients that don’t smoosh out. Present Tracy also misses her college party overalls. Why did Past Tracy have to get rid of them??!

my everyday life, Photography

April 26, 2014

My Everyday Life: Week 17

Here’s what this past week looked like:

Blue skies in parking lots.

April 25, 2014

I love lists, Friday!

Oh this recipe! And that letter! My heart is happy.
Way to fancy up a drugstore candle. This is fantastic.
I want to make my own hand-stamped necklace. Too cute.
You had me at GARLIC KNOTS.
Gonna make my own Italian Sodas this summer!
This pinterest board cracks me up.
Pea guacamole? Color me intrigued.
It would be so nice to read a book during the afternoon at this house made of windows.
Pranks can be awesome and smile inducing.
These cupcakes look AMAZING. I love pistachio anything.
Watching the Lindsay Lohan show was a guilty pleasure of mine so this cracks me up.
People reveal the most WTF thing they saw at their friends house… (ugh!)
I love this photo series of people & their cars.
40 Incredibly True Facts About Everyday Life . Pretty funny.
Louis C.K. is one of my favorites. I loved reading about him.
Are you watching The Voice? This is like my favorite song EVER. Holy crap at 1:15

Did you catch the latest Joy the Baker Podcast? Joy has a ghost in her building and I accidentally mention Devil with a Blue Dress On. MY BAD. We also talk about blog burnout and my aching back! Good times. Good times.

My friend Danielle started a new series on her blog called A Few Last Things. I’m the first person she interviewed. Check it out!

Another interview! This one is for Honestly Yum. Can you guess what I chose between wine, a cocktail or a cappuccino?? Thanks for including me on the Sites You Love!

Currently Craving made my Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Tangerine Canteen was inspired by my Taco Night Party from waaaaay back when.

recipes

April 24, 2014

Hard Boiled Egg + Curry Powder

You may or may not have Easter eggs hanging out in your fridge. If you do and you’re looking for ways to eat some of your leftover eggs, try topping them with some spices. I’m usually a hard boiled egg purist and eat them with salt & pepper and maybe a little hot sauce if I’m feeling spicy. The other day I threw a little curry powder & kosher salt on top and really liked it. You could always try some celery salt, truffle oil, and/or a pinch truffle salt. I’ve been known to turn some hard boiled eggs into a egg salad sandwich sans mayo….

recipes, sponsored

April 22, 2014

Cilantro Hummus

New post! Cilantro Hummus!

As a food blogger, I try really hard to balance what I eat. Some days are better than others. Sometimes my temptations get a hold of me and I fall prey to a big old fashioned doughnut. It’s totally normal; it’s what I refer to as LIVING! What I’ve learned about health and balancing my diet is that one must arm oneself with good choices or else you’ll be more likely to grab a bag of pretzels over vegetables & fruit. All it takes is a little time upfront and you’re on your way.

Well…that and…WILLPOWER.

If you’ve followed my meal prep post or you’ve seen some of my weekly meal prep posts on Instagram, you’ll know that I almost always have fresh-cut vegetables in my fridge. It works out well for us because we have a five year old who loves to eat red peppers (sometimes carrots!) and cucumbers for his “appetizer.” It also makes it easier for me to make good choices throughout the day.

But what do you do if you’re sick of eating vegetables plain? MAKE HUMMUS! I’ve owned a Vitamix for a few years now and it’s become of my most used kitchen appliances (besides our panini press). Cooper has 4-5 smoothies (packed with kale & spinach!) a week and I use it to make a weekly batch of vanilla almond milk or fresh homemade pesto. I’ve added hummus to our weekly rotation because my Vitamix blends it up like a dream! Hummus is fine on its own, but why don’t we take it up a notch and add cilantro oil to the top? You’re probably wondering- Why not mix the cilantro IN with the hummus? Because a certain five-year old that I live with doesn’t like it…. But he WILL eat the hummus without it and that’s good enough for me. More cilantro oil for me!!

recipes

April 21, 2014

Roasted Broccolini with Lemon Tahini

After a weekend of croissants, cheese plates, Easter candy (why are Cadbury Eggs so GOOD?), strawberry rhubarb pie, ham & egg breakfast sandwiches, hot dogs, tater tots and GIN… this is what I need to eat for dinner tonight.

Perhaps you are in the same boat. No worries. It’s cool. We can hit RESET and get this eating thing back on track. I made you this roasted broccolini recipe with the Lemon Tahini Dressing from the The Oh She Glows Cookbook. (If you’re looking for a cookbook to inspire you to eat healthy, THIS IS IT! 100 Vegan Recipes!)

The broccolini has a crunchy roast bite. The lemon tahini dressing? I want to top in on EVERYTHING. It’s tangy and creamy. You’re gonna love the tahini up in there. It’s got a hummus vibe but with sesame oil. Have this for dinner so we can back to raiding my kids Easter basket…