WIAW | Weekend Eats

While I had every plan and intention to stop in for Ten on Tuesday yesterday, we ended up spending the evening with our neighbors from Pennsylvania. Really, our next door neighbors (who were here on a ski trip) decided to stop in to say hello. That being said, I thought I would make up for it by sharing my first WIAW post for February - and as you will see, it's a good one.

If you aren't familiar with WIAW or What I Ate Wednesday, each week Jenn at Peas and Crayons hosts a linkup to share recent eats. If you're new here and want to catch on previous food posts, you can read my WIAW archives here. 

Holidays and celebrations at our house mean food, good food. While I'm lucky enough to live with a chef, I decided to cook dinner for Valentine's Day and not just any dinner, homemade General Tso's Chicken. For a few weeks, I had been searching for gluten free soy sauce with no luck but when I stumbled upon it at our local Albertson's last week, it seemed like fate. Chinese food is perhaps Trevor's favorite and while he lived on take out back East, our food allergies have prevented us from searching for great Chinese in Montana. I adapted this recipe from Foodie with Family to use almond milk rather than egg and was surprised at both how easy it was to make and how delicious it was to eat.

As I mentioned on Sunday, we continued the Valentine's celebrations on Friday with authentic Philly cheesesteaks from Missoula's Philly West. As much as I'd like to say that's a gluten free bun, truth is, I cheated. I'm, I suppose you could say "fortunate", enough not to have celiac disease, simply a wheat allergy, and so once in a blue moon, I have a piece of bread, or maybe a doughnut, without serious consequence.

While fresh fish is one of my favorite things, it's hard to come by here. We lucked out this weekend when we found fresh wild caught Canadian Rock Fish at Safeway. After much debate, we decided to on fish tacos topped with tomato, scallions, avocado, black beans, cilantro, salt and a squeeze of lime juice. With Hornsby's Crisp Hard Cider, of course. 

After eating nearly the same three dishes for most of winter, this week's menu was a nice change. Though there is snow falling outside, warm days have my spring on my mind and I can only assume   that's where the inspiration came from. Despite all the changes in our dinners, it wouldn't be a weekend at our house without our favorite breakfast and so that's how we spent our Sunday - eating cinnamon rolls and not doing much else.

So tell me, what did you do this weekend? Did you try a new recipe for Valentine's Day?

WIAW | Busy Eats

I'd like to pretend that we've had a week of balanced, healthy, produce filled dinners but the truth of the matter is, this week has been so busy. Between finishing school, nursing myself back to health from an infection, and preparing for my trip, I haven't had much time for meal planning. I thought about skipping WIAW for the week but after some thought, I realized that it's really okay to not have a week of perfect eats. (Though browsing the WIAW linkup hosted by Jenn at Peas and Crayons has me regretting not asking some of you for your meal plans instead!)

Lately, we haven't been eating weeknight dinners. With Trevor waking up so early to leave for work and our nights filled with homework, blogging and trips to the gym, we decided to forgo the pile of dishes that dinner typically creates. I'm currently trying to find someone willing to clean the kitchen for me everyday in exchange for baked goods. So for today, WIAW is limited to breakfast and lunch.

We are still playing with what Trevor can eat and in the meantime we've settled on alternating two breakfast choices - cinnamon rolls and breakfast hash. Though the variations change each time, we particularly loved a combination of breakfast sausage, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, tomatoes, broccoli and carrots. (We actually loved it so much that we mixed the leftovers with chicken for tacos as dinner later.) With avocados in season and on sale, I've found myself incorporating them into everything - including breakfast. I think that putting a sliced avocado over eggs or hash is a great way to add extra nutrition early in the day.

Last week we were able to enjoy an unseasonably warm stretch of days but now, the Montana winter is back with a vengeance. I sat through an early morning meeting and when it was over, my lips were purple. So, while I have been carefully budgeting over the past few weeks, I had to make an exception for a hot chai latte after my web design meeting. I also attempted to warm up with a bowl of  (way too) spicy chili for lunch. I've set aside Sunday evenings for making soup, it's my way of making Trevor's cold work week a little bit easier. Last week, three-bean vegetarian chili and this week a homemade hearty beef stew with lots of  fresh vegetables from our new co-op.

With our limited meals and my busy schedule, I've found myself eating a lot of snacks. For those of you that are gluten-free, have you seen these new cheese crackers from Van's Natural Foods? I stumbled upon them in the miniature gluten-free section of our Walmart and they've been on our grocery list since. My memory may be compensating after three years without but I truly think they taste just like Cheeze-It crackers. I could be wrong. Other healthy snacks have included Mott's Medley fruit snacks made from fruit and vegetable juice, and lots of fresh fruit from this week's basket - pears, apples, bananas, strawberries, watermelon, pineapple. If you are in a participating state, I can't suggest Bountiful Baskets enough.

And, as you've quickly realized, I've been doing a lot of experimenting with vegan baking lately. With college classes finished for at least six months, I've found myself with extra time in the kitchen. After we got four juicy bright lemons admist our produce this week, I couldn't stop thinking about lemon chess pie. Unfortunately, eggs are basically a necessity for the filling and so I improvised with gluten-free vegan lemon cookies. While they didn't turn out quite as pretty as I would have liked, the taste is the perfect balance of tart lemon and sweet, buttery flavors, only without the milk, of course. Since I enjoyed eating them (and making candied lemon peel) so much, I may have to work on a perfected version to share with you.

So tell me, what have you been snacking on? Would you clean my kitchen in exchange for some cookies?

WIAW | Gluten-Free, Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

I've been anxiously waiting for Wednesday to come so that I could share this recipe with you. While I'd really love to share a batch of these with a cup of hot tea, that seemed a little harder to do. While I first created this recipe as the start to a Christmas morning tradition, I didn't feel that I had gotten it quite right. But now, after a few alterations, I am here to share with you a recipe for hot, fluffy, classic cinnamon rolls... only without the wheat, eggs or dairy.

If you're new to this link-up, What I Ate Wednesday is hosted weekly by Jenn at Peas and Crayons. The idea is to share a days worth of eats. While I'm a bit embarrassed to admit it, these cinnamon rolls made up a whole day of eats for us on Saturday. We woke up unusually early and with an immense pile of homework, I couldn't think of anything better to do with the extra time than bake these.

In total, this recipe takes at least an hour and a half. I find it easiest to make the dough early in the morning and then allow it to rise while I take care of some weekend chores, like laundry. When I first made this recipe, I prepared the dough and roll at night, baking it the next morning. Though they were still delicious, the rolls weren't quite as fluffy and light that way.

Before going gluten-free, I had never imagined making cinnamon rolls from scratch. After all, Pillsbury was the standard in our house. That being said, homemade cinnamon rolls are not nearly as difficult or as daunting as they seem to be and I truly enjoy eating baking them.

Ingredients

Dough
2 Tablespoons of Earth Balance All Natural Spread
1/4 Cup of White Sugar
2/3 Cup of Almond Milk
1 Packet of Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast
1 Flax Egg (1 Tbsp of Flax Meal + 3 Tbsp of Water)
1/4 Cup of Canola Oil
1 1/2 to 2 Cups of Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Power from Bob's Red Mill
1/4 Tsp of Baking Soda
2 Teaspoons of Xanthum Gum
2 Teaspoons of Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
2 Teaspoons Vanilla

Filling
1/2 Cup of Light Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons of Cinnamon


Directions

For best results, mix your flax meal and water prior to starting the recipe. Flax eggs work best when allowed to rest in the refrigerator for ten to fifteen minutes.

Warm 2/3 cup of almond milk to 100 - 110 degrees. This temperature is very important and I strongly suggest using a thermometer to ensure that your milk is not overheated, as hot milk will kill the yeast. Dissolve one packet of active drive yeast in the milk and allow it to bubble for ten minutes. While the yeast bubbles, sift together 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, xanthum gum and salt.

After the yeast has had time to dissolve properly, combine the almond milk with the sugar, butter, oil and vanilla. After combining thoroughly, add the flax egg and stir until evenly mixed. At this point, begin slowly adding the dry ingredients to the wet. Your dough will be sticky but if it appears too wet, feel free to slowly add additional flour to make it easier to work with.

Because of the yeast, you will need to remove the dough from the mixing bowl and place it in a greased dish to allow the dough to rise for approximately one hour. It is best to put the dough in a warm spot and during the Montana winter, I've found the best option to be our fire place mantle. While the dough rises, feel free to get your filling ready by mixing the brown sugar and cinnamon. Traditional recipes call for a lot of softened butter but I find it isn't necessary, especially for frosted rolls.

As I said, I typically walk away from the dough to work on other projects and so I choose not to preheat my oven right away. You will want it to be at 400 degrees prior to baking, though.

When the dough has risen, prepare a work surface with two sheets of parchment paper at least a foot long in each direction. Place the dough between the sheets and roll it to about 1/4" thick. Try to keep the dough straight at the ends, feel free to rework the dough until you get a shape you are comfortable rolling.

Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture liberally on the dough, leaving an inch-long strip bare at the far end of the square. You will have leftover mixture and this can be placed in the bottom of your glass baking dish. 

I find it easiest to start the roll with my fingers and then continue using the parchment paper. Try to roll as tightly as possible. When you reach the end, the bare dough will allow you to "seal" your roll. Then, using a serrated knife, cut the roll into 8 pieces. To ensure even sized rolls, I find it easiest to cut in the center and continue cutting each piece in half. Place the cinnamon rolls in a greased glass pie dish and bake for 18 - 22 minutes or until rolls are firm on the outside and golden brown on top.

While the rolls bake, I prepare a simple frosting. Though the rolls themselves are vegan, I personally chose to make a classic cream cheese frosting for myself. Trevor enjoys his rolls plain and therefore I can justify the dairy. If you'd like to keep the recipe completely vegan or dairy-free, a simply glaze can be created using almond milk - simply add confectioners sugar and beat with an electric mixer until you reach a frosting consistency.

These have become a quick breakfast favorite in our home since eggs and pancakes are no longer easy options. While I'd like to think that a batch of cinnamon rolls could be made to last through the week, we can't stay away from them and like I said, they are usually gone within the day. If you are too busy to invest time in making cinnamon rolls regularly, feel free to match two batches at once, freezing half.
Is there one food you truly miss eating, or perhaps a whole list? A recipe that you wish could be easily transformed to be gluten-free, vegan, or both? While cinnamon rolls were always on that list for me, I've been on a mission to create allergy-friendly breakfast items for Trevor to take to work. I think doughnuts are next on my baking bucket list.

WIAW | Winter Staples

I started off the new year with the best intentions. I scratched out goals - goals for myself, goals for this blog. One of those being to participate in each What I Ate Wednesday link-up, another being to write a weekly wrap-up post on Sundays. I had plans to review 2012 in a variety of ways. You'll have to forgive me for not getting to any of those things just yet. We lost our funny, sweet, baby boy last week and my heart has been too broken for any new goals, new blog posts or really much of anything. I've been trying to write about it, about my baby Scrap, for days but it hasn't yet worked itself out. So, I thought I would try to get back into the swing of things with a WIAW post. Easy enough, right?

While I spent the start of the year with camera in hand at dinner time, I don't seem to have the energy to download or edit photos just yet - you'll forgive me, won't you? Instead, here is a look at some of our winter staples via Instagram. If you'd like to see more of our past eats, you can see old WIAW posts here - or, you can check out this week's link-up on Peas and Crayons for more colorful, interesting winter meals.

On Christmas, we spent the day driving. When you spend the holidays alone, well, there isn't much else to do. We're quite thankful for that drive though since it brought us our new favorite "restaurant"in Montana. Just outside of our town is a road that leads toward "Wisdom, MT" but it also leads to the Mount Haggin Wildlife Management Area (a snowy dream in the winter) and the Sugar Loaf Lodge. The lodge serves multiple purposes - it houses travelers, it rents cross-country skis, it has its own gift shop of local Montana-made wares, and most importantly, it is home to the Soup Shack. Each week the cozy little cafe serves a few different homemade soups, each served with a thick slice of sourdough bread and whatever you'd like to drink (I'll take chai, please). And, they even make pecan pie! (one of these days, I'm going to cheat and have a slice). Since discovering our new favorite find, we've gone every weekend for a big, hot bowl of a soup and a look at the new snow.

At home we've been enjoying the same dinners over and over again. It has also seemed funny to me that avocados are ripe and plentiful during our winter. Thankfully though that has meant homemade tacos and nachos for weeks. I can't get enough guacamole so when avocados are available, we make the most of it. We try to keep things interesting with different toppings and combinations each week. So far we can't get enough.

We also recently discovered the best breading for gluten-free fried foods. With the ease of breading things, and the cheap ingredients needed, I can't believe that I went so long without trying it. I will post a recipe and tutorial, soon, but in the meantime, we will be busy enjoying breaded pork chops, homemade chicken nuggets and chicken parmesan.

Another dinner staple we've grown to love is risotto. I know that I already told you to make this recipe but it's so good that I have to say it again. We've been trying different varieties and my new favorite is italian sausage with spinach and tomatoes. I know that a lot of people struggle with risotto or look at it as time consuming or difficult but I've grown to enjoy making it. Risottos are gluten-free and easy to make without dairy, too. Plus they use few dishes and I happen to enjoy the slow-paced stirring required. If you have any great risotto recipes or favorite combinations, please share!

I promise we do eat more than dinner here but lately breakfast has been a struggle. Trevor can't have eggs or dairy, I shouldn't have oatmeal, and really, that leaves few options. We've been trying to pass off cookies and hot drinks as meals, instead. For Christmas we received a big box of gluten-free snacks and inside were the little gingerbread men you see above. I was nervous at first but now, I'm upset that I can't find them in Montana. My mom also tossed in boxes of chai tea and apple cider pods. While I've never liked hot chai lattes before, I seem to have fallen in love since Christmas - I can't get enough.

As for lunch, I'm on my own since Trev leaves by 5:30 and that has meant leftovers, macaroni and cheese, and my favorite - hot corn tortillas with ham and melted cheddar cheese. I wish I was kidding but those tortillas? I eat them daily.

Do you find yourself eating the same foods time and time again? We seem to rotate just a few basics with some variations. Lately I've started to look for more crock-pot dinners. If you have any recipes for quick, easy,  and gluten-free dinners - do share!

I hope to be back soon with stories of what we've been up to  but please excuse the quiet in the mean time.

WIAW | iPhone Edition

It's hard to believe that it's time for another edition of WIAW - where do the weeks go?

Each week, Jenn over at Peas and Crayons hosts a linkup called "What I Ate Wednesday". This week I decided to look through the many iPhone food photos I've taken lately and share some of our recent eats with you. While I make my best effort to get out the camera for photographing our meals, sometimes it's easier to just take an iPhone picture, instead. Plus, don't we all love to instagram our eats? And, to make it better, instagram finally came out with online profiles! but that's beyond the point.

The snow has led to nice hot breakfasts every morning. After last week's WIAW, we ended up eating pancakes for a midnight snack - embarrassing, I know. So, this week we tried to eat more eggs with extra veggies - and lots of sauteed potatoes too. Have you ever had sweet potatoes for breakfast? If not, you need to try it.

For lunch, we've been trying to balance our winter diet out with some lighter choices, though - soup and fresh salads all week. This weekend Trevor made a potato and leek soup that is to die for. I wish I was kidding when I say that I just ate my fifth bowl of it. In fact, Trevor's soups seem to be a recurring theme in my WIAW posts lately.

As for a guilty pleasure this week, we've been enjoying a fall staple - hard cider. Like I said, we found Angry Orchard on tap this weekend but on Friday night, after a long week of work, Trevor came home with a six pack of my favorite Hornsby's flavor and a bag of Hershey's Nuggets with Toffee and Almonds. There's a reason I love this guy. 

So, this week's eats in photos: 
1. Scrambled eggs with bacon, tomatoes, scallions & cheddar.
2. Chicken corn chowder with a fresh spinach salad & a side of hard cider.
3. Pork chops with roasted garlic quinoa and sauteed broccoli, cauliflour, squash & zucchini. (And more cider, of course.)
4. Filet with broccoli & red skin mashed potatoes.
5. Kielbasa with roasted red skin and sweet potaotes over a sauteed blend of peppers, onions, snap peas, broccoli & carrots.

Apparently we liked vegetabes even more than we liked cider this week.
Who would've thought?

WIAW | Autumn Eats

We've been eating plenty of fall inspired eats, lately. So, in honor of What I Ate Wednesday - a weekly linkup hosted by Jenn over at Peas and Crayons - I thought I would share some of the things we've been loving this week.

Though we've been making an effort at healthier eating the past few days, we celebrated the first day of November with gluten free pumpkin pancakes for breakfast. And with it, bacon and sausage from our favorite Montana spot, the Western Meat Block. While Trevor had his with a cup of coffee (of course), I chose my favorite store bought hot chocolate.

This week, I've also managed to make it to the gym almost everyday! (I'm surprised, too). Often though, that has meant getting up early for a morning workout. Knowing that I'll be hungry after, I've simply been snacking on gluten-free apple cinnamon muffins before we leave. Truth be told, I've also been snacking on them at work.. before bed.. all day. (Especially since I've run out of these cookies.)

For lunch, we've been eating soup, and more soup. While I occasionally have to rely on Progresso's Chicken Corn Chowder, I'm lucky enough to live with a man who loves to make soup. How's a girl get so lucky? In the past few weeks, we've enjoyed a saffron, potato & sausage soup, a moroccan lentil soup, and this incredible mafe - a South African stew. While the ingredients seemed a bit abstract - peanut butter, sriracha, and absinthe? apples and sweet potoates? - I have never been more in love with a bowl of soup. (And to be honest, never more in love with the chef who made it.)

As for dinner, all I have to say is UGH. I can hardly look at this pictures without craving a late night snack of steak and sweet potatoes, with a pumpkin pancake for dessert. (Don't worry, this week our fridge is filled with plenty of produce.) Last night, Trevor made a simple, hearty dinner of filet, the kind that most literally melts in your mouth, with roasted sweet potatoes. But the important part? The smoked paprika caramel sauce that he drizzled dumped over everything. You might remember it from this WIAW post?

So tell me, what is your favorite fall recipe? Homemade soup? Pumpkin-anything?

WIAW: Dia de los Muertos

Happy Halloween, all the way from Montana. Though we had no real plans for the holiday, I managed a last minute costume for trick-or-treaters - let's just say that the rest of the costume involved black leggings with sequins (but the best part was Scrappy's matching collar!). Apparently it wasn't too bad of a choice since I just got hit on by a group of high school? err, middle school boys? at the door. Perhaps that was my fault - after all, I did tell the one boy that I liked the pikachu pillowcase he was using to collect candy.

With the general lack of trick-or-treaters though, we have about half a bowl of candy left. Even worse, it's all of our favorites - Snickers for me, Peanut M&M's for Trevor. Plus, the credit union where I work has been celebrating "customer appreciation month" since the start of October, I've eaten far too much candy - after all, there's been a huge bowl of it just four feet from my desk. Ugh.

While I'd like to say that this post is going to be full of healthy salads and carrot sticks to balance out all of the chocolate - it's not. Instead, we've been eating lots of filet, lots of bratwurst, and too many sweet potatoes in an effort to battle the cold weather that's settled in. (Though today's sunny 60's weather just might be proving me wrong.)

Today, though, in honor of Dia de los Muertos - and my love of Mexican food - Trevor made the world's best nachos for dinner. You may think I'm exaggerating but really people, chicken? smoked cheddar cheese? guacamole? salsa fresca? I've never had better. That's why I thought I'd share them for this week's What I Ate Wednesday, hosted by Jenn over at Peas and Crayons. (Was my last WIAW post really in September?!)

Making your own is easy, so easy, that I'm not even giving you real directions. For these, we combined Nacho Cheese Doritos and Mission Tortilla Chips - healthy, right? Then, we topped them with sauteed chicken prepared with taco seasoning. The key to nachos is in the layers and the next was made of refried beans, black beans, sweet corn, red onion and poblano peppers. The cheese on top? Grated smoked cheddar and monterey jack.

We suggest baking at 450 until the cheese is melted. Though a spring form pan isn't a typical choice for baking nachos, it worked out perfectly for our heaping pile of chips and melted cheese.

After the nachos come out of the oven, you'll want to top them with heaping piles of guacamole and salsa fresca. While you can find my favorite guac recipe here, salsa fresca is simple! Simply combine red onion, roma tomato, scallions and cilantro to taste. Then, toss it in a mixture of vinegar and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper, then pile it on top of your nachos... as well as breakfast the next day. To be completely honest with you, it has become a staple in our house lately.

For now, I'm off to watch a scary movie with Trevor - I'll try not to eat my fearful emotions and consume the still half-full bowl of candy on the table. Considering another group of non-costumed teenager boys just knocked on the door, I'm finding that awfully difficult.

"Trick or treat!"
"Nice costumes. What are you guys supposed to be?"
"I'm a teenage boy."
"Creative."
"God you're hot."

I'll take that as a compliment. Apparently I must not have gained ten pounds from all those Snickers I've eaten.

What's your favorite Halloween candy?

WIAW: Falling into Good Habits

Perhaps it’s that two Jen(n)’s think alike, but I’m loving this month’s theme for What I Ate Wednesday: Fall into Good Habits. Unlike the rest of the blogging world, I haven’t fallen into the habit of pumpkin spice lattes. As you know, I’m not a coffee girl (though I do have an interview at Starbucks on Monday). That being said, in addition to my morning chai latte, I have taken up drinking hot chocolate, though. While the weather channel claims “51 degrees” for Anaconda, the air outside says differently. The wind is crisp and cold; we’ve already had to turn on the heat in our bedroom.

The change in seasons has also brought about a change in our schedules. Thankfully this change has meant the addition of one good fall habit - eating healthy dinners together. While I typically show you a day of eats, I’ve missed a few WIAW’s and so I want to share a few of our great dinners instead.

The cooler weather has us making heartier foods - especially now that it feels good to turn the oven/stove on. This summer we lived on salads and fresh fruit but we've found ourselves reaching for brown rice, grits and corn bread over the past week or two. (Don’t worry, I still have an entire watermelon to eat.)

After a long work week, I put in an extra few hours in Butte to get fresh meat and our groceries. The result was this dinner: filet and grilled asparagus in a bearnaise sauce. All the thanks go to the chef on this one. 

This coconout curry shrimp dish with grilled pineapple was meant to end up on the blog as a recipe last week but with my busy schedule, it never happened. After receiving a box of creamed coconut in my foodie pen pal package, my wheels were turning. Not only did we have this for a healthy dinner together but I had it for a few lunches, as well.

And, the best for last: Gambas made with Prawns. When Trevor described this dish, I was appalled. He wanted me to eat kalamata olives? and sundried tomatoes? Ugh. Worst yet, he sent me on a grocery search to find them. Since I was out of luck with both, we settled for black olives and bought sundried tomatoes at Safeway the next day. As Trevor prepared the tapenade, I wrinkled my nose but as soon as I took a bite? Oh. my. gosh. Really, that’s what I said. Followed by “you were right” and “babe, this is incredible”. And the prawns themselves? Ugh! Meaty and flavorful.



I’m really looking forward to more dinners at home. So tell me, what are your favorite fall meals?
Though it’s no longer the season, we have shrimp tacos on our menu for the week.

WIAW: Southwestern Stuffed Zucchini

I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I told you that we had eaten chili with every meal since Trevor returned home from New Mexico. This has meant heuvos rancheros, green chili chicken enchiladas, homemade salsa, vegan and gluten-free green chile cornbread, and green chili chicken corn chowder. (I know, I know. I should’ve photographed the southwestern food feast but I was too busy drinking Gruet to cool my overly spicy mouth). While I love all things involving chile, avocados, and corn tortillas, even I have reached my breaking point on the chile... though I suppose you could say that those three things have become summer staples around here.

I even snuck away from the house today to buy a Snickers bar and eat it in peace.

But, back to the point of this story. In Montana, zucchinis are in season and after an evening sitting on the new deck of our good friends’ house, Michelle sent us home with one grown from her dads garden (That sounds familiar, huh?). Today, while out sneaking in a Snickers bar, I figured I should buy something at the store other than Diet Dr. Pepper and candy so I grabbed some sausage and tomatoes thinking that I would finally conquer stuffed zucchini. After all, we had brown rice cous cous, tomato sauce, italian blend cheese, parmesan, oregano, fresh garlic, and white onions at the house already.

Well. That was the plan before Trevor hijacked dinner.

Instead of my cheesy italian style dinner, we ended up with another meal thoroughly soaked in homemade red chili sauce. It was delicious so I’m trying not to complain but even this obsessive eater is ready for a little variety.

But, since it was both delicious and beautiful, I thought I would switch it up for this week’s What I Ate Wednesday and share with you the recipe that we had for dinner tonight (and the recipe for the homemade salsa we used).

Salsa Ingredients:
2 avocados, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 1/2 cups of corn (you can use canned, frozen or off the cob)
1 can of black beans (freshly prepared or canned)
1/3 cup of Hatch green chile (optional)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Lime
Salt
Pepper
Fresh Cilantro
Cumin

Mix the above ingredients and toss in the juice of one lime until everything is evenly coated. Then, you’ll want to add salt, pepper, cilantro and cumin to taste. We love ours with a lot of kick from the cumin but that’s up to you! The longer this salsa sits, the better it tastes - but make sure to cover it tightly with plastic wrap because of the avocado browning. We’ve used this with our enchiladas, in breakfast burritos, with tortilla chips and finally, in the stuffed zucchini. It’s versatile and chunky with a bit of sweetness and cool flavor from the corn.

Needless to say, the salsa is mostly allergy friendly (feel free to drop the corn) and vegan!

As for that zucchini...

You’ll need:
1 large or 2 small zucchini
2 cups of cooked cous cous, rice or quinoa (like I said, we used a gluten free brown rice cous cous)
1/2 pound of sausage (feel free to substitute chicken, steak or leave it out for a vegetarian dish)
1/4 of a white onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups of salsa
1 cup of red chili sauce (we made ours homemade but feel free to use enchilada sauce if red chili isn’t available)
Shredded cheese
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil

To make:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Slice the zucchini down the center and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. (See top photo.)
Coat the zucchini with olive oil and aggressively season it with salt and pepper.
Wrap the zucchini tightly in foil and place in the oven on a baking sheet.

The zucchini should be ready to stuff in approximately forty minutes so while it bakes:

Prepare the cous cous or rice if you haven’t already.
Sautee the sausage, onions, garlic and tomato.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sausage mixture with the cous cous, salsa and sauce.

When the zucchini is tender, take it out of the oven and fill it with this mixture. Top with shredded cheese of your choice and bake until the cheese is melted and browned on the top. Sprinkle with black pepper, allow to cool and slice into sections to serve. 

How was it?
Despite my frustration at my dinner plans being thrown out in favor of a spicier version, this turned out to be a really great filling summer recipe plus, it’s very healthy! If you use a gluten-free grain, the recipe is wheat free. Without meat or cheese, it’s also vegan (but check your enchilada sauce!) and I’m sure it would be just as delicious! Our friend Michele can no longer eat eggs, wheat or milk and so making allergy friendly recipes has become even more important. As you can see, this recipe is obviously an easy way to please those with and without food restrictions and still remains robust and zesty. Plus, it’s pretty healthy. Overall, we were really happy with the way it turned out and thankful that we have more than half of our prepared zucchini left.. plus a cup or two of filling. We’re thinking stuffed peppers are in order.

So while it might not be much, that’s what we ate this Wednesday.
How about you? Are you a fan of spicy food or southwestern cuisine?

WIAW: Oatmeal Obsessions

It’s hard to believe that it’s Wednesday already. The last of summer seems to be slipping away, quicker and quicker, each week. But, on a more positive note - Wednesday means another day of eats thanks to Jenn at Peas and Crayons. This week is a bit different, though.. because.. well..

I have a confession to make.
When I fall for a food, I eat it again and again. For days. Maybe weeks. Perhaps a month. Or two.
For a while it was blueberries. Gluten free pancakes. Then guacamole. And now, baked oatmeal.

Between my own grocery shopping, helping a friend who can’t drive, running out of dog food and lacking pantry staples, I end up at our local Albertson’s nearly every day. If you’ve been following along, you know that I’ve already been made fun of once by one of the cashiers. Imagine my surprise when, the next day, more jokes were being made.

Let’s just say that a conversation about my love of watermelon and oatmeal escalated to a metaphor involving the British girl who only ate chicken nuggets.

But really people, I just can’t help it. I seem to cling onto things and then do them over, and over, and over, again. Having food allergies and intolerances seems to only exacerbate the problem as I find foods that I’m comfortable eating and then, well, I just keep eating them.

I chose a different format for WIAW this week - a showcase of my whole week of eats. Between our busy schedules, plumbing catastrophes and Trevor’s impromptu trip to New Mexico, I couldn’t seem to photograph one singular day of eats from beginning to end. Plus, most days, I ate baked oatmeal twice. The one picture above? Peach and cherry - and the second one this week.

In between the obsessive oatmeal consumption, I did manage to enjoy a few other treats. Come summer, breakfast burritos with leftover steak, cheddar, tomato and avocado are a must. And one morning, Trevor treated to breakfast at the Montana Club. My choice of breakfast: an omelette topped with avocado. (Are we noticed an unhealthy habit, here?)

During summer months, I can’t seem to get enough fruit either. This week, I finished off that bag of cherries, enjoyed a handful of juicy sweet plums, chopped up peaches to bake oatmeal, ate one half of a cantaloupe with a spoon, and finished two personal sized watermelons. Like I said, fruit’s a summer staple in our house.

As a normally healthy eater, I’m a little embarrassed to throw a gluten-free pizza and soda into the mix but it made for two lunches this week. Somehow, Gallicano’s tops any gluten-free choices back east and when topped with sausage, canadian bacon, roasted red peppers and mushrooms.. I just can’t resist. I’m also a little embarrassed about all the strange snacking that took place over the past seven days. With hours each day spent running to the hardware store or running down the cellar stops to shut off water that was flooding the house, we had no time to cook lunches. Instead, we had slices of corn bread, those too-good-to-be-true chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, handfuls of M&M’s and a few cups of Chobani.

All that being said, we did manage to have dinner together each night. Even though it may have been at one or even two o’clock in the morning. On the nights that Trevor ate at work, I enjoyed a heaping pile of Jovial pasta with Trevor’s broccoli puree (I swear, it was alfredo without the fat!), grated parmesan and topped with sauteed tomatoes, garlic, onions and just a bit of bacon. Other dinners included left over steak with sweet potato fries and pork chops braised in apple cider with corn on the cob.

Hopefully the next week will feature some more normal eating habits. And, rumor has it, that my boyfriend will be bringing a cooler full of green chile with him when he returns home. Until then, I have two more days to survive on oatmeal and yogurt (I’m out of watermelon). Unfortunately though, they will be filled with towel rods to hang, DIY projects to finish and a paper to write.

Though, I was thinking of making granola...

Tell me, do you have a food that you just can’t stop eating? Has a cashier ever picked on your grocery choices?

WIAW: Summer Staples

While this may be the first time I’ve participated in WIAW here at Live Beautifully, I did have a chance to join in last week’s fun when filling in for my friend Marisa. If you don’t know the premise - WIAW, or What I Ate Wednesday, is a link up to share a full day of eats hosted by Jenn at Peas and Crayons! Really, that’s all there is to it. (But if you want to know more, and perhaps you want to join in on the fun, too.. then jump over here and take a look.)

Each month, there is a new theme. Last month’s? Exercise.. August’s? Summer staples. While my boyfriend may drag me to the gym each and every morning, I don’t think my measly three miles are worth bragging about and so, I’m glad to be starting off with a theme I know all too much about. 

But let’s get down to it, huh? Here’s what we ate on Monday:


Breakfast

Scrambled Eggs with Shredded Cheddar

& Cheesy Grits with Crumbled Bacon

An Organic Chai Latte with Almond Milk

[a summer (and fall.. and winter.. and spring..) staple]

Truth be told, we love grits. Last week, I thought I was struggling with corn as a potential new food allergy. I mourned for a few hours over losing the ability to eat Mexican food and grits. Then, I decided to give it one more shot with tacos. (Hey, I had already bought the ingredients earlier that week! And I was dying to try out a new roasted corn, avocado & tomato salsa recipe!) Apparently, the problem isn’t corn so for this morning, grits were back on the menu.

Lunch

Turkey Burger with Stone Ground Mustard, Mayo, Lettuce, Tomato & Onion

Roasted Red Potatoes

[and lots of ice water - a definite summer staple in our dry climate!]

Each week, we make a trip to Butte. Though it isn’t much, I anxiously await it every week as a chance to get out of our little town, a chance to go out to eat and a chance to spend some time in the car with nothing but pretty scenery, some good music & Trevor. This week we went back to the Hummingbird Cafe and, I remembered my camera. While we love their outdoor seating, I begged for an inside table - lately, I’ve had no luck. Montana has been full of hail-bearing thunderstorms for the past two weeks and I wasn’t about to me caught in one for the third time in a week. While I think the Hummingbird wins for cutest decor in the area, I was disappointed with my lunch (and their chai) and I don’t know that we’ll be back.

Afternoon Snack

Watermelon will always be my favorite summer treat - always. Thankfully, Trevor isn’t a fan so that means enjoying an entire small watermelon every two days by myself (okay.. I share some with Buddy.. he loves it!). I had spent the entire day begging for a sweet and cold treat - but the only ice cream option in town is Dairy Queen (not my favorite.) I truly wanted frozen yogurt but in rural Montana? I don’t think so. Thankfully Albertson’s has featured small watermelons for $1.99 all week! This was my second in four days. I might have a problem.. but at least two watermelons is healthier than two containers of ice cream.... right?

Dinner

Grilled Sirloin with Seared Diver Scallops

Served over a Broccoli Puree

and Sweet Tea

[another summer staple.. and one that you can make yourself]

Our main reason for visiting Butte yesterday was to choose bathroom flooring (finally), but luckily for us - the flooring store is located right next to one of the best butcher shops in the area, The Meat Block. Our friends had been raving about their prices and quality and when we saw the location, we couldn’t believe the odds. After deciding on a neutral stone textured flooring and talking over the next steps of installation, we stopped at the Meat Block before heading home. To our surprise, we found scallops! Yes, they were frozen but they were fresh frozen rather than processed and produced by a large corporation. We also picked up two huge sirloins and decided on Surf & Turf for dinner. Though Trevor insists I can’t tell the secrets of the broccoli puree, he told me to point out that we soaked our scallops in almond milk.

Speaking of that boyfriend of mine.. he’s making me out as a liar since just last week, I claimed that I don’t eat red meat often and now, steak, two weeks in a row? I’ll blame it on my newest stomach problems. After ending up at the emergency room this weekend, and getting terribly sick from most everything I try to eat, it seems that meat, fresh vegetables and lots of fruit are it for me. (And well, Trevor just loves steak.) Plus, we had company as our friend Pat and his dad, who is in town from upstate New York, came to join us. 

Dessert

Unfortunately, I was still sick from lunch and so we didn’t enjoy any real dessert. (This girl needed a nap before company arrived.) I had been eyeing up this recipe for Honey Roasted Peaches and a little dinner party seemed like the perfect occasion. Perhaps they’ll make an appearance next week?

Instead, we treated ourselves to an off-roading adventure through our favorite paths. (Sadly those paths including driving through the local cemetary. I always feel awkward but last night, we saw a gentleman taking a jog through the aisles of graves, so I guess being in a truck is somewhat better..?) When I say we treated ourselves, I really mean a more literal translation of "Trevor treated himself". I ended up covered in mud, as did the Tahoe.

Fortunately, I did get to have my own treat for the night - a 97% on a finance exam and even more luckily, I made Trevor promise me ice cream if I aced it... but of course, Dairy Queen was closed. Instead, he treated me to a back yard camp fire and the way I saw it, I figured if I aced that exam, the world must be ending and so I wanted to do it right, so I snuggled into a blanket and sat outside with my boys and a Crisp Apple Hornsby’s Cider (yum). But, two days have passed and we’re still here, so I’m hoping that means the ice cream I was promised is on the agenda for tonight! Even if it is from Dairy Queen....