Tag Archives: veggies

Barcelona Goes Galician

Thank you to all who entered the HealthyChic $25 credit giveaway! The winner is my girl Linz of Itz Linz!. Congrats lady and I’ll contact you about redeeming your prize. If you’re bummed you didn’t win, remember you can still create an account through my invite and use discount code FRIENDS15 for 15% off your first order.

Last March I was transported to Mendoza during a wine dinner at Barcelona in West Hartford. In April, Exec Chef Alexander Feldman was at it again on Wednesday 4/17 with a Foods of Galicia dinner menu.

4-15-13-barcelona2

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Marvelous Dinners at Home (MIMM)

Today I’m partaking in the beautiful mama-to-be Katie‘s Marvelous In My Monday linkup, and sharing more daily-life stuff!

I had a couple of great dinners out this weekend (which you may have seen on Instagram) with friends and family, but on most weeknights you will find me at home enjoying my mother’s wonderful cooking and my father’s excellent grilling skills. Here’s a look at five of my favorite types of meals to have for dinner at home in front of the DVR, cozy on the couch! NOTE: Wine is included with all, even if not pictured 😉

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WIAW: Sensational Salads Tutorial

Just wanted to throw out a quick reminder to you guys that discount codes for both Sprigs products I’ve reviewed, Earbags and Banjees, are still valid! Check out my reviews if you’re still on the fence – these would make great holiday gifts for a fit friend/family member OR you 😉

Thanks for your fabulous feedback on my wonderful weekend (I don’t think it’s possible to OD on alliteration right?). I did experience some challenges in relation to these good times – a lot of anxiety and guilt over dining out several days in a row. But blogging my experiences focuses my attention on the reasons I’m too blessed to be stressed, and your comments only add to my ability to focus on the passion and peace I feel when I am enjoying myself with my friends.

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Thanksgiving Eve at Barcelona

My Sprigs Banjees running wallet giveaway ends tonight at 11:59PM EST! This non-runner loves hers…have you entered yet?

I’m a bit of a Backwards Beth today! I’m here to tell you all about my Thanksgiving Eve, the day after I told you about Thanksgiving. #sorrynotsorry #it’smyblogandiwon’tmakesenseifidon’twantto

Props to you if you deciphered that last hashtag. Speaking of which, apparently someone named their child Hashtag. Even this Twitter-addict has to shake her head at that one.

Cheers to old friends!

Thanksgiving Eve is notorious for being the biggest party night of the year, even bigger than New Year’s Eve. So naturally (or not so naturally) I was spotted at a bar on Wednesday, 11/21. Not just any bar, but Barcelona Wine Bar in West Hartford. You may recall my previous exploits there:

My long-time friend and neighbor, Molly, and I literally had a Thanksgiving Eve dinner outing at Barcelona planned several months in advance. She is not often home during her college breaks and I’m pretty hard to pin down myself, so we were sure to make time to hang out with each other and have a nice evening of girl talk over cocktails and tapas. So yes, I went out on Thanksgiving Eve. But I started my night around 6:30PM, and was literally asleep before 10PM. Just the way I like it!

A better look at the cocktail I’m holding in the above photo – a new one at Barcelona, the White Negroni. I’ve decided a Negroni is my second fave cocktail, after a Manhattan. As Molly put it, “It tastes like a candle, but in a good way.”

Molly selected the Aviation after I recommended it – Ransom Old Tom Gin, Liqueur de Violettes, Luxardo Maraschino, Lemon Juice. We were gin cocktail twins!

Dan and Anna – competing Barcelona bartenders!

Having friends who are bartenders has its perks, and no one knows this better than me 😀 the lovely Anna had a cocktail drink-off with another bartender, Dan, and Molly and I got to judge the competing beverages. My vote was for Anna’s White Negroni made with WHISKEY (above right). But I’m a Whiskey-loving Wendy, so I’m a bit biased. Molly couldn’t really decide!

Anna also hooked us up with some samples of sweet vermouth. How did I not know that sweet vermouth tastes GREAT alone? Each of the three we tried got better and better each time. Very similar to sherry!

I felt like it was a Friday so it took me a few seconds to realize that the reason Molly was excited over Barcelona’s weeknight 6-tapas-for-$49 deal was because…it was not Friday, but Wednesday, AKA a weeknight! Dur! We immediately decided to choose 6 tapas and share them. Along with bread. Because we love carbs.

Nom much?

Our tapas were coursed out at the perfect pace and everything was a-freaking-mazing. Like seriously, I can’t think of a single negative thing to say about any of these tapas.

Roasted sunchokes (cross between a potato and an artichoke, please try them if you ever see them anywhere) and clam ceviche.

My first experience with rutabaga!

This Cauliflower Au Gratin was provided by Anna for us to try – thank you, girl!

Monkfish cakes with a pesto aioli. I’ve had monkfish before at Bonefish Grill and was so psyched for the chance to eat it again. These were foodgasm-worthy.

Roasted mushrooms with a duck egg (OH YES) and pork tenderloin with bacon and butternut squash. My two favorite dishes – thankfully they came out best-for-last.

Do you hate me yet? I think you might. What I love about Barcelona is the fact that the menu changes SO often since everything is super-fresh and the chefs are always creating new ways to serve the food. I can keep coming back and try new dishes each time. In fact, most of these dishes are not on the menu anymore and it’s only been about a week since this visit! So bad news because you can’t go get these tapas now, but good news because whatever has replaced them is sure to be just as a-freaking-mazing and lacking of any negative components.

Anna was also kind enough to mix up a newer cocktail, the Bramble Snap, for Molly and I to split a sample of. We both loved it (though my Negroni was my fave) and that blackberry sure tasted good at the end.

I’m pretty sure you can now see why this was the perfect Thanksgiving Eve for me. Unique food, fancy cocktails, restaurant friends, a best friend, lots of pictures. #jadorelavie all around.

General Manager Jason Boske, me, and Exec Chef Adam Greenberg! They were having their dinner before the non-grandmas like me came to party.

Molly and I agreed after we’d finished our tapas that they were the perfect amount of food. I felt totally satisfied and, when I got home, totally ready for bed!

If you said the prettiest thing in this pic was the Cauliflower Au Gratin, I wouldn’t be offended.

Thanks to Anna, Jason, Adam, Dan, Derek, and everyone else who helped Molly and I have a wonderful Thanksgiving Eve. I’ve already got plans to head back to Barcelona Wine Bar for a Holiday Tapas cooking class/tasting on Monday, December 17 at 7PM! As you can tell from my previous event posts they are always having cool foodie/wino events going on so if you’re a CT local I totally recommend looking for one at a location near you! And make sure you make a reservation early because these things fill up fast.

Which of the tapas I tried sounds best to you?

What did you do on Thanksgiving Eve? Grandma status, party-hardy, or a nice happy medium like me?

Have you ever dined at a tapas-style restaurant?

WIAW: Thanksgiving!

Remember to enter my giveaway for a Sprigs Banjees AKA a running wallet! Entries close tomorrow night!

I have never partaken in a traditional What-I-Ate-In-A-Day WIAW. The only ones I’ve done are wordless and/or photo-dumps. Lazy Susan up in here. Well, no longer! I still need to recap Thanksgiving and Jenn made the nifty graphic below that fits my needs perfectly. How can I not partake in this week’s What I Ate on Thanksgiving Wednesday?!

For those who have struggled/are struggling with disordered eating, Thanksgiving can be a nightmare. And last year, while I had fun at the beginning of the day, it did not end too well and I spent the following days hating on and being really mean to myself. But I know with 100% certainty that I am in a better place this year, and so I went into Thanksgiving 2012 with a positive attitude. I completed part of a spin class and some strength training when I woke up, then proceeded to spend the morning doing what I traditionally do on Turkey Day – sitting on my butt, drinking coffee, watching the parade, and scouting out Black Friday deals.

Circulars and plain Chobani with strawberries…sunshine streamin’ in!

So G coffee in a snowman mug!

My delightfully lazy morning flew by and before I knew it, it was time to get ready and head over to the home of our family friends the Gerbers; that’s where we spent the holiday last year too!

My sister did my hair!

In exchange, I let her borrow one of my ideeli tops 😉

Parents and I before we left – you may recognize the dress from Fashion Friday!

I was totally ready to chow down when we arrived! And there were SO many different wines. I definitely switched it up throughout the afternoon/evening. I started with a Chilean Cabernet. Later, Chianti and Chardonnay were consumed (not together…)

Before and after dinner, I also sipped on some Disaronno, a new-to-me Italian liqueur  It’s flavored with herbs and fruits, and soaked in apricot kernel oil. SO FREAKING GOOD. I give props to my ex, Joe, for contributing this stuff to the meal.

Proud new fan.

Yes, I invited my ex-boyfriend to Thanksgiving. Again. He typically pops up at these family gatherings (and hence on the blog). I’m gonna ask you not to ask. At least we’re friends!

Where were we? Oh yeah. Libations!

Someone take the Disaronno away from this girl!

Playing around with my friend’s hipster glasses! I like them actually…

And I DID mention apps, right?

Holy incredible! My dietitian-to-be friend Meg made this spinach & artichoke heaven.

CHEESE. And veggies of course! But I was more interested in mixing the cheese with those nuts.

We “kids” did the chatting while the parents did the work. I never really cook at all so what will happen on the day I have to do my entire Thanksgiving dinner?! I know what will happen, no one will show up.

Mom and Mrs. Gerber in the kitchen!

Mr. Gerber AKA Uncle Steve carving that bird!

Do not ask me how we cooked our turkey, because I have no clue! Last year we had one from the oven and one deep-fried, but this year it was just in the oven. That is all I know.

I did both white and dark meat – you know me, always variety!

Turkey is good and all but on Thanksgiving, I prefer sides. I know many of you are on the same team as me.

Meg prepared this INCREDIBLE kale salad with walnuts and Bosc pears. Trust the RD-to-be to get the kale in!

Salad after being dressed with maple vinaigrette, along with my mom’s amazing cranberry orange relish.

Mrs. Gerber’s legendary/epic/famous/etc sausage stuffing. It’s so good.

Store-bought rolls. Meh, I skipped ’em.

Meg’s cousin (also named Meg) was joining us from NYC since her family lives all the way in Michigan. She is vegan so we had an arrangement of butter-free sides for her. I enjoyed them too!

Butternut squash – that’s it! No butter, no nothin’, and I didn’t even want mashed potatoes after having this!

Butter-free green beans!

Butter-free mashed taters were also available, but we all know what those look like and I didn’t want any, so not photo.

You can’t even see them here…they’re covered by a green oven mitt!

My (first) plate!

We went around the table and said what we were thankful for, and this is the first year I can remember being actually moved by that “routine” and putting real thought into it when it was my turn. I blame Heather for turning me into a sap.

Oh, thanks Joe.

I chose to share that I am thankful to have parents and siblings I can truly call my best friends, and I am thankful to have the opportunity to live out my passions every day. Ain’t it the truth! Dinner was relaxing and everyone went back for seconds. I was quite full upon finishing my meal and wasn’t alone, so some of us settled in to watch “Magic Mike” (or half-watch, I was already getting exhausted and it was 6PM) while our stomachs made room for dessert (and Disaronno).

DESSERT.

Yup, fantastic dessert spread. My tooth leans more toward savory than sweet but I had seconds of dessert. Total food baby afterward but I was not having too hard of a time focusing on the family and friends surrounding me, the memories we were making with each passing second, and the growth and strength I was exhibiting by not being TOO food-focused on Thanksgiving. Yes I thought a lot about how much I ate and how full I felt, but I also was able to effectively talk back to myself and try to respond to each negative thought with a kind one.

Jessica‘s pumpkin chocolate chip cookies made an appearance as they did last year. so did some pumpkin dark chocolate chip oat cranberry cookies (mouthful of words and delicousness).

The cake/pie/piece of delight on the left was brought by cousin Meg from NYC, from a famous bakery that I unfortunately cannot recall the name of. My mom made the pumpkin muffins on the right, with cinnamon icing.

What’s Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie (right) and how about throwing in PB chocolate pie for good measure (left)?

I had at least one taste of each dessert! And have been enjoying the leftovers of both sweet and savory Thanksgiving food ever since. It makes the holiday feel like it isn’t going to end!

Zesty Carrots

I saved my favorite veggie side for last…my mom’s Zesty Carrots! I wanted to end this post with the recipe because this is such a unique, not necessarily Thanksgiving-like side that can be made any time of year!

Zesty Carrots!

Ingredients:

  • If using baby carrots (as my mom did above): 1.5 lbs (about 1.5 bags) chopped baby carrots
  • If using regular carrots: 7 medium-sized carrots scraped and cut into strips, approx 2.5 x .25 inches
  • 1/2 cup of light mayo
  • 2 heaping tablespoons of horseradish sauce
  • 2 heaping tablespoons of grated or finely chopped onion
  • Salt and pepper to taste (recommended about 1/4 teaspoon each)
  • 1/4 cup of very fine breadcrumbs (optional if you want a topping)
  • 1 tablespoon of light butter (optional if you want a topping)
  • Paprika to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F)
  2. Cook carrots in boiling water about 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain and place in large bowl.
  3. Combine mayo, horseradish sauce, onion, salt, and pepper in bowl with carrots. Mix until well-coated.
  4. Arrange coated carrots in casserole dish.
  5. If using breadcrumb/butter topping, melt butter and stir in bread crumbs. Spread mixture over top of casserole and sprinkle with some paprika.
  6. Bake in 375 degree oven for 15 minutes…and enjoy! (Can be served cold or hot)

Which part of my Thanksgiving would you have picked first for your plate?

Did you try any non-traditional Thanksgiving food this year?

What’d you do on Thursday, 11/22/12 if you do not celebrate Turkey Day?

Spicy Green Bean Makes a Mean Meal!

Remember to enter my giveaway for a pair of Sprigs Earbags before it ends tomorrow night!

We certainly live in a small world…I recently discovered that my friend Maria of the Glastonbury Rotary Club, who I met through blogging about events of theirs like the Lobster Fest, has a niece (Teresa) who just so happens to be an owner of The Spicy Green Bean here in town. She and her wife Kasha (the head chef) run this hole-in-the wall style restaurant/deli, which is open for lunch on weekdays, breakfast on weekends, and dinner Thursday-Saturday. The dinner menu changes every week, so it’s always fresh; it’s also called Kooky Konkoctions, so it’s always creative. Oh, and it’s always BYOB. This place has Caitlin written all over it!

I love the lights!

I actually have already been for dinner once before and had a great experience, but after Maria introduced me to Teresa on Facebook one day I offered to come in again so I could write a classic Cait Plus Ate restaurant review. Thankfully, Teresa and Kasha were open to having me – and my mom – for dinner this past Thursday night.

Just call her Vanna White!

We brought a bottle of Cameron Hughes Lot 258 Malbec (2010, Mendoza, Argentina).

Spicy Green Bean charges no cork fee!

Upon being seated in the adorable restaurant, my mom and I were served a special surprise from Kasha – her famous shortribs in a spicy BBQ sauce. My mom was hesitant to dig in at first – she does not normally join me on my adventurous foodie outings and while she is in love with her favorite foods, she isn’t used to trying new ones without someone to “reassure” her that she’ll like them. Well, I reassured her plenty.

Go Mom!

Mom loved these shortribs – and so did I! The meat practically fell off the bone and the BBQ sauce was the perfect amount of spicy. Yes my mouth was on fire after I finished my rib, but in a pleasant way, if that makes any sense.

Step one – be served amazing shortribs.

Second step…demolish.

Step three…no chance.

For our next “surprise”, my mom and I were served an app from the week’s dinner menu – Krazy Korean pancakes!

Asian-infused batter tossed with shrimp, crab, and tangy kimchi. Lightly fried and served with a soy rice vinegar sauce.

I had actually been dying to try this app but didn’t order it with my entree because I didn’t think I’d be able to finish both. So this sampler size portion was perfect! Again, the kimchi gave it a kick, but a fitting amount. I could definitely taste the shrimp and crab, so the dish certainly wasn’t too batter-dominated or overly fried. Some menus lie when they say dishes are “lightly fried”, but Spicy Green Bean is an Honest Abe…they cannot tell a lie!

Double fistin dishes!

I was savoring and enjoying each bite, a bit too slowly, because my entree’s starter salad came out before I knew it. And what a salad it was! I am always so very impressed by a restaurant that gives me a salad with some meat to it (only no actual meat..). Crispy sweet potato (I think) straws FTW! And the vinaigrette rocked!

My mom and I wanted to get in more veggies and go with some #plantPOWER-style sides, but there were not really many on the menu. No problem…Kasha kindly whipped us up a root veggie medley to go with each of our entrees. And let me tell you, it was one of the most wonderful veggie sides I have ever tasted! So much garlic, and wonderful EVOO.

DROOL. I miss it.

For her entree my mom chose a sandwich she got on her only other visit to the Spicy Green Bean; she loved it that much she had to have it again. She also shared some bites with me and I can see why! Behold the Bean’s veggie burger topped with pickles, tomato, lettuce, and red onions. With spicy brown mustard on the side of COURSE.

An interior with barely any filler, and a perfectly crisp, crunchy exterior.

I chose a seafood entree (duh): sole topped with spinach, with the sherried lemon butter on the side. The tomatoes also ended up coming on the side in the butter, but I picked them out and after dabbing off the excess, enjoyed them in all their red glory.

I do have to admit that I was a little put off by the fact that the sole came fried. I had asked our waitress at the start of the meal if it was a fried fish, and she told me it was not, just lightly sauteed. However it wasn’t really a big deal because I peeled off the fried portion and enjoyed the white, moist fish flesh within. It’s all good!

Cheers to family and food!

The Spicy Green Bean also caters and even does Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners! The order deadline for those has passed but my mom and I got a kick out of checking out the tasty (and quite affordable) menu. I wouldn’t mind having the Bean prepare my Turkey Day feast!

The walls are covered with locally made art by J. Silver Graphics. The originals on the walls are even for sale! Oh, and J. Silver does beer pong tables. You’re welcome for that info. Unique Christmas gift, holla!

The white boards on the right list the daily specials and soups. The selection of the latter sounded quite cozy and comforting!

Kasha offered us dessert (and even more foodie surprises…oof!) but my mom and I were too full and declined. We were overwhelmed by the kindness, genuine enthusiasm, and passion the Spicy Green Bean employees have for the restaurant, the menu, the people that come in…everything! I can’t recommend this restaurant enough and am so psyched to finally make it to a BYOB breakfast soon…thank you to Kasha, Teresa, Maria, and everyone else at the Spicy Green Bean who made my night out with my mom possible – and positively palatable!

Though I received a couple of samples during this meal free of charge, all thoughts and opinions are completely my own.

Which of the foodie features in this post would you most want to try?

Do you have any local “hole in the wall” style restaurants like this in your home town? How about BYOB?

Devours by Devan Victoria – Recipe Guest Post!

One of my friends from college, Devan, is a fellow foodie with a flair for cooking. She is an incredible chef and recipe creator. I am so excited to have this fabulous girl guest blogging for me today! Without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to Diva Dev and her wonderful eats.

Me with bunny ears and Devan hanging out at the bar during college – my state here is questionable.

I have a confession, I’m obsessed with food: knee deep, head over heels, so very in love with the smell, taste, texture and “mmm” sensations of the countless meals placed on plates before me. But I’m not obsessed with just any food. Yes, lover of all things chocolate, cheese and a tapas fiend  nonetheless, I am excited about the food I create. My creative juices go crazy in the kitchen. Kitchen wiz kid on an appetite high. Unleash my brain overloaded with ideas and eager hands in a stocked kitchen with a full fridge, plentiful pantry and succulent spices galore and watch out for magic. Today, on a sunny lazy Sunday, the magic came out to play.

I DARE YOU TO MAKE THIS, but only if you aren’t embarrassed to experience a food-gasm. A food-gasm is a great thing, but I’m sure you knew that. I bet you’ve experienced a lot of them. Who isn’t ashamed of bulging eyes and the OHMYGODDD that tries to escape your mouth full of the food that just consumed every feeling in your body? It’s a magical thing that comes from magical food and magical tastes. This dish is vibrant, a full on dining experience and an original recipe I want to share with you.

With fall in full swing, farmers markets exploding with fresh produce and seasonal flavors taking over menus, I got inspired. Seasonal ingredientsare the best ingredients to get. Not only are they in season, but they’re DELICIOUS! FRESH! IN SEASON! USE THEM! Cabbage, root vegetables, cranberries, kiwi, pears, broccoli! Fall fruits and vegetables are just waiting at the grocery stores and farmers markets for you to snatch them up and make something sexy with them ;).

Cranberry Gremolata Pork Chops

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup fresh cranberries, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely diced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons fresh orange zest
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 pound boneless pork chops
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon butter + 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

  1. Combine fresh cranberries, rosemary, orange juice/zest, and honey in a small mixing bowl and stir to make the Gremolata. Set aside.
  2. Season both sides of pork chops with salt and pepper.
  3. Heat a skillet with butter and olive oil on medium heat. Add pork chops.
  4. Cook pork chops 4 minutes each side or until cooked through (note: a little pink is safe for pork!).
  5. Remove from heat. Top pork chops with heaping spoonful of Gremolata and serve!

Dressed-Up Cabbage Slaw

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound of bacon ( maple or smoked)
  • 1 tablespoon butter + 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 cloves fresh garlic, diced
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground sage
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 small head purple cabbage, shredded
  • 2 cups Brussels sprouts, sliced/shredded
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Cook bacon in a skillet. Drain and let cool before crumbling.
  2. In a medium skillet over medium heat, add butter, olive oil, garlic, sage and onions. Stir and cook 3 minutes.
  3. Add cabbage and Brussels sprouts to pan. Stir together and let wilt 5 minutes.
  4. Add butter and mix in 1 minute.
  5. Add balsamic, red wine vinegar, and dash of salt and pepper. Mix. Continue cooking 2 minutes.
  6. Season to taste, remove from heat and serve with crumbled bacon on top.

Thank you so much to the talented Devan for dreaming up these inspired fall dishes! I know some of you (myself included) have snow outside your window right now, but winter is not yet here and fall dishes must be taken advantage of and enjoyed for as long as possible! If you make either/both of Devan’s recipes, be sure to share them with me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or in an email!

Which of the two recipes do you think you’d enjoy most?

What’s your favorite fall meal?

What else do you think the cranberry Gremolata would be good on?

Country Crock Broccoli Casserole and Giveaway!

Thank you to Country Crock for sponsoring this post. Visit and tell us your favorite Thanksgiving veggie for extra entries into this giveaway. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective.


My grandma sent my mom a recipe for a broccoli cheddar casserole side almost ten years ago, and as soon as fall hits, this warm, comforting dish starts appearing in our kitchen. It’s even man-approved – my dad LOVES it and usually requests that it make an appearance on Thanksgiving. The perfect delicious, healthy side dish!

I was invited, as a member of the Clever Girls Collective, to make a healthy Thanksgiving side dish using Country Crock as a substitute for butter. I’m already a big fan of their products, so the answer was a resounding, “YES!” Especially since it meant getting to eat this cheesy broccoli goodness several nights in a row (it makes great leftovers, as you can probably imagine). Country Crock has NO harmful trans fats (other types of fats are good for you in moderation, but let’s face it, trans fats are just a no-no!) and even this raw veggie lover can’t lie…veggies taste darn good with Country Crock added in!

I selected my classic favorite – Original – but they even have a Pumpkin flavor!

Cheesy Broccoli Goodness Casserole 

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 to 1/3 cup of Country Crock Original
  • 2 packages of frozen chopped broccoli
  • 1 medium chopped onion
  • 1 cup of cooked brown rice
  • 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
  • 1/2 a soup can of skim milk
  • 1 cup of reduced fat cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup of chopped mushrooms

Directions:

  1. Cook broccoli and drain.
  2. Cook brown rice (I used a boxed minute-cook version).
  3. Saute chopped onion and mushrooms in Country Crock on stovetop.
  4. Combine broccoli, onion, mushrooms, rice, coup, and milk with salt/pepper to taste.
  5. Pour into a casserole dish and top with cheese.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees (F) for approximately 20-25 minutes.

Could that be any easier? That’s why casseroles make excellent side dishes. You could even make this a meal by adding a protein like grilled chicken!

Sauteed mushrooms…they weren’t in my grandma’s original recipe but made an EXCELLENT addition and added that #plantPOWER!

For more ideas for healthy Thanksgiving side dishes that can be made with Country Crock, check out their Chronicle in the Kitchen!

The crispy cheesy top is the BEST part.

Country Crock Thanksgiving Kit Giveaway

One lucky Cait Plus Ate reader (continental US only, sorry!) will win a Country Crock Thanksgiving Kit with the following:

The giveaway will run until this Friday (11/9) at 11:59PM EST and the winner will be announced early next week. To enter, you can do the following (and leave a comment for each or additional entries don’t count):

  1. Comment here and tell me your favorite food to eat on Thanksgiving. (mandatory)
  2. Visit the Crock Country Chronicle and comment on an article. Comment with the link to the article.
  3. Follow @CountryCrock on Twitter and comment here saying you did.
  4. Follow @CaitPlusAte on Twitter and comment here saying you did.
  5. Tweet “I entered to win a @CountryCrock Thanksgiving kit from @CaitPlusAte! #HolidayVeggies http://wp.me/p1SfTW-1DP” and comment here with the link to the tweet.

General Giveaway Rules: No Purchase Necessary. This giveaway is only open to residents of the continental United States. The email addresses that are collected for this giveaway will only be used for the purpose of contacting the winner and will never be given out to anyone nor sold. The winner will be randomly chosen and contacted via email. The winner will have 72 hours to respond. Please make sure you check your junk mail folder. Good luck to all who enter!

Thank you to Country Crock for being a sponsor. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Tuesday Treasures: Foodie Edition

I’m so happy that you all enjoyed my recap of the CT NOW Love Your Body 5K! Not only am I proud to have run it in less than 30 minutes, but I am still feeling inspired by the message behind the event. Being surrounded by so many others who share my passion for self love is pretty powerful.

I went to visit Heather a couple of weeks ago (you can read about some of our shenanigans on her blog) and came home with some amazing new memories created with her, her boyfriend Matty, and her best friend Raquel. But I also came home with far less money (lose) and a crapload of foodie treasures (win). Obviously I decided to share said treasures with you today just so I could use alliteration in this post title.

Of course whenever visiting Heather, we make it a point to visit Wildflour, a vegan bakery, cafe, and juice bar, while blogging in bliss. The vegan eats at this place are incredible and if you are ever in the Providence, RI area, I highly recommend passing on any of the restaurants by the mall and making the short drive to Pawtucket, RI to visit Wildflour (and the vegan restaurant next door, Garden Grille). Whenever I go there I leave with $30-$50 worth of goodies to take home and devour (as slowly as I can because I want it to last). This trip was no different. Here’s my haul:

  • a slice of whole wheat cheese-less butternut squash & broccoli flatbread
  • pineapple coconut jerky (YES)
  • raw garlic tomato kale chips (so far I’ve tried this flavor, garlic, and pizza…must try salt & vinegar and nacho still)
  • soba noodles with slaw (bottom left)
  • tofu tuna-style salad topped with carrots, served over greens (bottom right)

I threw MANY of these goodies into my lunch salad beasts and am in fact still working through the soba noodles (my first time having them and they are very interesting but it’s taking me awhile to use them since I’m not a huge noodle person). Pictured above is the entire container of the tofu “tuna” salad, thrown into a bowl and amped up with more greens and veggies. It was incredible!

I dreamed of dipping the pineapple coconut jerky into plain Chobani from the moment I purchased it, and that’s just what I did for a nighttime snack. However I was foolish to think the four pieces of jerky above would be enough with all that Chobani. I ended up polishing off the whole bag on that fine evening 🙂

The flatbread was a great carby option for me this past Saturday when my stomach wasn’t feeling well, and I enjoyed half the kale chips on the way home from Heather’s (great road trip snack) and half at work one day while at my desk typing away.

I’ve tried the Dino Smoothie (almond butter, banana, almond milk, spinach, kale, blueberry) at Wildflour before and though I ADORE it, I wanted to go for something new and had a mean green craving! So this time while blogging there I snacked on the Sillyantro (spinach, kale, parsley, cucumber, OJ, ginger). The ginger was just what my sensitive stomach  needed and the OJ was the perfect hint of fruit to balance out those greens. I wish a juice bar like this existed near me!

I always get a large black slow-pour coffee and vegan scone to keep me company as I blog with Heather, but they didn’t have my usual (spinach and mushroom) that day. No worries, another savory beauty awaited me…the above broccoli cheddar (vegan of course) scone. Holy moly! I always dip my scone in that heavenly coffee and was happy to try a new flavor.

Wildflour was also bustin’ out the free samples that day. I’m not a huge raspberry fan but the above gluten-free razberry cheesecake brownie sample rocked my world. The real star though was a sample of this beauty…

That seems like a steep price but I’d say it’s worth every penny. The above pumpkin cheesecake is made with tofu and Heather promised it’d make me swoon. My BB never breaks a promise!

The two of us also made a fun little trip to Whole Foods, where I happened upon a gem I’ve been anxiously awaiting to try since I first heard about it a month ago…the limited edition Cedar’s PUMPKIN SPICE HUMMUS! I also purchased two squeeze packs of Justin’s Honey and Vanilla Almond Butters – perfect for sampling these new-to-me flavors. Heather also gifted me with a jar of garlic-stuffed olives she had at her house, because she knows olive garlic (haaaaa).

I have been dipping many-a-vegetable into the hummus. So incredible. I love dipping savory food into a slightly-sweet dip. Last night I was even dipping chicken into it.

I was pretty proud of the below epic snack combo that I came up with at work one day last week. I peeled the banana, put vanilla almond butter on each bite, and topped it off a pretzel stick. Legendary! I just finished the vanilla yesterday and next up will be the honey AB.

Finally, Heather, Matty, and I ventured to Trader Joe’s right before I went home so that she could do some grocery shopping and I could shop for things I didn’t need.

  • BBQ Popped Potato Chips – SO MANY CHIPS IN A SERVING #win
  • Nacho Kale Chips – Only $4…the Wildflour bag I got was about $8. Just to give you an idea of how crazy this deal is.
  • Savory Thin Mini Edamame Crackers – These kinda remind me of rice crackers. We’ll see how they are!
  • Balela Middle Eastern Salad – All things Caitlin. Chickpeas, cilantro, tomatoes, black beans, and fabulous flavor. This stuff has made it into all my salads and I’ll be sad when it goes bye-bye.
  • Olive Tapenade – WOW I love olives and this has been great in my salads, on bread, on meat, you name it. Another sad face when this guy goes.
  • Hot & Sweet Mustard – I’ve heard so much about this gem from many favorite bloggers like Katie! I am a mustard fiend and am gonna bust this open when I finish my current jar.

And okay, I was in Massachusetts in the company of TJ’s wine. So much CHEAP wine. In CT, our grocery stores can’t sell wine (we only just got Sunday sales, talk about behind on the times). So I picked up the above three bottles of Charles Shaw (Cabernet, Merlot, Shiraz) for $2.99 each and the Blue Fin 2011 Pinot Noir for $3.99. You may recall that I sampled the Cab recently and was super impressed. Can’t wait to give the Merlot and Shiraz a spin. Also had the Pinot Noir and wow, I sure can see why it was a whole dollar more expensive 😛 GREAT stuff and I don’t even usually like Pinot Noir (too light).

Mother-daughter wine glass sizes 🙂

FINALLY my last Tuesday treasure in foodie land is the below gem from my town’s farmers’ market. I spontaneously stopped by on Saturday after the 5K (notice my Team #AmazingMe tee!) since it’s right by my usual weekend study spot, Daybreak Coffee Roasters. Can you believe this guy was just $3?! He was in a bucket with a bunch of other smaller butternut squash that were the same price. NO brainer, I picked out the biggest squash in the pile! Just to make my girl Lisa proud of me. And apparently it was the last day of the market so good thing I stopped by! Hello fate.

Oh how I love a vegetable that’s bigger than my head.

My mom is away for the week but once she returns, we have big plans for this big squash. I hear that the skin tastes tres gross so does anyone have any tips on easy squash peeling-and-roasting? Who has some recipes I can try? I already know I want to do quesadillas but need more ideas because this is one big squash!

Which of my Wildflour goodies would you like to munch (or sip) on most?

What was your last gem of a find from Whole Foods and/or TJ’s?

Tell me about your most recent farmers’ market purchase!

Gorton’s Seafood Pesto Salmon Broccoli Pizza!

Don’t miss my giveaway for a free visit to Blo West Hartford, in honor of the last Think Pink Thursday at Cuvee. Giveaway ends tomorrow afternoon and the event takes place tomorrow night!

More quick yet tasty dinners have been taking place in the Croswell house thanks to the year’s supply of Gorton’s Seafood that I wonFrom the moment I found out I was the winner of this fabulous prize from BlogHer ’12, I have been dreaming of making the meal in this post. Pizza is my favorite food, and I especially love it with unique toppings! Clam and shrimp pizzas are pretty common on restaurant menus nowadays, but it’s not too often that I see a pie offered with a healthy helping of SALMON!

These two boxes were on sale at the grocery store – just $9 for both!

Gorton’s Seafood Pesto Salmon Broccoli Pizza

Ingredients/Cooking Tools:

  1. 1 box of Gorton’s Seafood Lemon Butter Grilled Salmon
  2. 1 box of Gorton’s Seafood Classic Grilled Salmon
  3. 1 Boboli 100% Whole Wheat Pizza Crust
  4. 2 cups of chopped broccoli
  5. Garlic salt for broccoli (to taste)
  6. EVOO for broccoli (to taste)
  7. 1 cup of diced tomato
  8. 1/4 cup of Buitoni Reduced-Fat Pesto with Basil
  9. Cedar’s Tzatziki Sauce (optional)
  10. 1 ceramic pizza stone (optional, but it’ll make your crust more crispy!)

Directions:

  1. Add desired amounts of garlic salt and EVOO to chopped broccoli on foil-lined pan. Roast at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.
  2. Place pizza stone in oven on a different rack – getting it hot before putting it in the oven with the pizza will aid in a crispy crust!
  3. Prepare salmon per package instructions. Dice up and place in a bowl.
  4. Mix diced tomato into bowl of salmon, add salt/pepper to taste.
  5. Remove stone from oven, place pizza on top, spread pesto onto pizza.
  6. Spread salmon and roasted broccoli atop pesto (I ended up with some leftover salmon and broc on the side to avoid too-heavy slices since it was a thin crust).
  7. Place stone with pizza back in the oven and cook at 350 degrees for 25 minutes (time can vary depending on your oven and how “done” you like your pizza!)
  8. After removing pizza and letting it cool, drizzle tzatziki sauce on top if you wish!

Couldn’t get in fast enough to take a pic!

The pizza was seriously out of this world delicious and the leftover salmon even stayed fresh in the fridge long enough for me to polish it off as a snack five days later! My mom and I finished almost the entire pie between the two of us and the tzatziki was the perfect compliment to the salmon – reminded me of a lox and cream cheese combo! I only wish I’d had some capers to add…next time! And the best part of pizzas is their easy customization. You could add or take away any of the ingredients on this recipe and simply use it as inspiration for future topping combos!

I also liked using one box of plain salmon and one box of lemon-butter, like I did last time my mom and I cooked with Gorton’s products. I’m all about trying as many different varieties of a food as possible! I don’t think I could really taste a difference between the two kinds, though. I am glad the lemon-butter salmon wasn’t too buttery or lemony, because I wouldn’t want anything to take away from the fishy flavor that I adore so much!

You can try Gorton’s products too, and you know that as Coupon Caitlin, I’m always looking to save money and help others do so. That’s why I’m directing you to this coupon on the Gorton’s Seafood website for $1 off any two items!

Has anyone tried any Gorton’s Seafood products since I last posted about them?

What’s your favorite pizza topping combo?

Have you ever tried a seafood pizza?

P.S. Total fail on my part…I didn’t even realized that this past Friday 9/21 was my one year blogiversary! I want to do a more reflective post to celebrate so I will be doing so when I actually have time to sit down and write something more thought-provoking this week…hopefully that’ll be soon. This has been one crazy work week!