Cooking with Chloe: Avocado Toast
I started a series called “Cooking with Chloe” as I cook through Chloe Coscarelli’s cookbook: I plan on cooking all 125 recipes and using some of them to enhance my meals.
Today’s recipe is Chloe’s Avocado Toast.
My goal is to cook her recipes while the ingredients are in season and since avocados are in season and plentiful right now, this delicious and simple combination hit the spot!
I used my favorite bread, Ezekiel Sesame, and dusted the top with a great olive oil, sea salt, lemon, freshly ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes.
This will be definitely be a new favorite meal in the rotation!
When I saw that Ms. Chloe Coscarelli herself had stumbled over to my blog, I was doing my excited dance!
But I am also quite intimidated because well, she and her cookbook are awesome and I need some knife skills. :D
The Opposite of Loneliness
Marina Keegan was a 22-year-old activist/writer who was killed in a car accident after her graduation from Yale. I am horrified to have to type the words “22-year-old” and “killed” in the same sentence and my heart goes out to her family.
She was on my mind a lot today because I had a happy day and it was inspired by her piece, “The Opposite of Loneliness.”
We don’t have a word for the opposite of loneliness, but if we did, I could say that’s what I want in life.
More than finding the right job or city or spouse – I’m scared of losing this web we’re in. This elusive, indefinable, opposite of loneliness. This feeling I feel right now.
I’ve never read a better descriptor of happiness: the opposite of loneliness.
I felt so grateful for the long list of people and experiences that make up my “opposite of loneliness” today.
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My legs felt so dead yesterday and today with falling temperatures, they felt much better.
I ran 3.1 miles in 29:14 today and although there is a part of me that wishes I were throwing out 5 and 10 milers like Speedy Gonzalez but heck, when I can’t run right, I’ll run left. :D
I decided to taste-test a new shot - the GU Jet Blackberry - because it seems that GU gels are at more races than Cliff shots.
It tastes like cough syrup and has a very thin consistency so it went down a bit easier than Cliff. No one needs a gel for a three mile run but I find that testing new gels during longer runs is just asking for trouble. :D
My day started with a yummy strawberry-basil smoothie and toast points with almond butter.
I made another round of homemade iced coffee - anytime I make my own iced coffee I want to weild it like a trophy.
Look at me: I’m being frugal and I’m saving the environment by not using a disposable cup - like a motherf*cking adult!
After my workout, my wisdom tooth extraction site started bleeding.
I called my oral surgeon and they said to place a moistened tea bag at the site because the tannins in tea can stop bleeding (the more you know!)
Luckily, it’s not a dry socket because that pain is hellacious. Lunch ended up being soft and quick - a Fage yogurt with a sprinkle of brown sugar blend.
Dinner was a tapas style take-out meal from Sultan’s Market - my favorite little Mediterranean joint: Lebanese spinach pie - different from Greek Spanikopita because it is always made vegan!
A cup of yellow lentil soup with one of my favorite hot sauce bottles from our New Orleans trip stirred in - Bayou Passion, Louisiana Pepper Sauce.
Alligators and crocodiles are awesome. :D
And since I was missing my greens, I also enjoyed a small tabouli salad - finely diced parsley with tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, and cracked wheat dressed in lemon juice and olive oil.
Off to do some hatha yoga then turn in early! Hope you had a great day.
Summer Strawberry and Basil Smoothie
Farmer’s markets are rolling in ripe, juicy strawberries and my basil plants suddenly blossomed overnight and I decided to make this classic combination into a delicious smoothie.
A cup of almond milk (Unsweetened is my preference)
A cup of water
Several handfuls of fresh basil
2 tsp. of honey or sweetener of choice
*Blend the above ingredients first.
Add two cups (or more!) of fresh, ripe strawberries and ice cubes blend to desired consistency.
Refreshing and Summer Sweet!
Did you have a summery breakfast this morning?
I enjoyed my smoothie with a slice of Ezekiel sesame toast points and my favorite new almond butter.
My mom gave us a new china set and the best part about these bowls and plates are the different butterflies in the center of each.
I love butterflies because of their association with change and transitions: can you imagine changing so much that at the end you are someone completely different or even unrecognizable from what you started as?
So beautiful and cool!
Happy Tuesday!
Hello Chickadees!
I am in love with this creamy almond butter from Archer Farms, Target’s house brand.
For breakfast, I had a slice of Ezekiel sesame toast with a spoonful of almond butter and it tastes heavenly.
Archer Farms is the only brand of almond butter I will buy. Why?
Apart from the fact that it’s an unhealthy oil, palm oil (click for a great article on the topic!) is an ingredient in both Justin’s Almond Butter and in some flavors of Peanut Butter Company’s offerings and the plantations which grow the trees have contributed to rain forest and wildlife destruction.
I don’t particularly love the taste of Justin’s Almond Butter and really disliked Peanut Butter Company’s Dark Chocolate Dreams Peanut Butter because palm oil has a very particular taste - and to think that it kills adorable animals?
NO FREAKING WAY will I be eating anything that hurts a 1-month old baby elephant.
I washed down my hurt baby-elephant anger with a tall glass of homemade iced coffee.
Lunch was simple and sexy green - avocado with baby spinach and balsamic vinaigrette!
Post-workouts, I enjoyed a strawberry smoothie made with strawberries, almond milk, and ice - perfectly refreshing today!
My dinner was delicious and exactly the same yesterday - garlicky greens (baby spinach), black beans with red onions, and quinoa and brown rice blend.
Dessert was a cup of unsweetened hot cocoa and a side of bully. :D
I hope you had a happy Tuesday!
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Edited: Thank you to the reader who let me know that Maranatha Almond Butter also contains palm oil!
{Wildlife officials attend to a pygmy elephant calf on Borneo island in Malaysia’s Sabah state. Malaysian wildlife authorities said they had rescued a pygmy elephant calf on Borneo island and expressed hope a planned sanctuary would provide protection for the endangered animals. The male calf, which is less than a month old, was pulled out of a deep moat surrounding a palm oil plantation.}
Picture Credit: MALAYSIA WILDLIFE AUTHORITIES, AFP and Getty Images.
Sunny Bunny
Today couldn’t have been any prettier. Everything feels like a treat when it’s bathed in golden sunlight. :D
I went a little crazy this morning at breakfast - I didn’t feel like eating the usual meals and packed these half-pints of berries I got.
Yeah, I worked through them speedily. :)
Lunch was just a quick iced coffee and Kind Bar eaten on the go but dinner made up for that.
Cold roasted asparagus alongside lentils and wild rice + hot roasted Campari tomatoes and Baby Bellas.
I’ve been eating the baby bell peppers raw with hummus but roasting these little guys are even sweeter than regular bell peppers.
We’re off to meet some friends for drinks and plan our fall marathon - hope everyone had a great day!
Breakfast Bites: Chocolate Oatmeal & Blueberry Muffins
I love cupcake wrappers. I love oatmeal. I love blueberries. I love chocolate. And I love these breakfast muffins which brings it all together. :D
My breakfasts are smoothies, oatmeal, or dippy eggs - so I decided to shake things up with some Chocolate Oatmeal and Blueberry Muffins.
These muffins are super tasty and filling and a perfect post-run food!
I avoid muffins because they upset my tummy - so I made these muffins gluten free by making my very own oatmeal flour. And instead of buying it pre-made, I used my trusty blender and made my own flour!
The flour was perfectly soft and cooked up beautifully.**
I’ve provided both vegan and vegetarian options below the fold!
Cooking with Chloe: Ginger Nutmeg Spice Oatmeal with Date Caramel Sauce
Chloe Coscarelli is my favorite vegan chef and I’m excited about my personal project to cook through her book, Chloe’s Kitchen.
When Chloe appeared on Cupcake Wars, her pretty personality and her charming cupcakes were captivating - I was cheering when she won!
I’m starting a series called “Cooking with Chloe” so you can follow along as I cook through her cookbook: I plan on cooking all 125 recipes and using some of them to enhance my usual meals.
Today’s oatmeal bowl was inspired her Ginger Nutmeg Spice Cupcake, her winning contribution on Cupcake Wars.
Spice Oatmeal
Rolled or Steel-Cut Oats
A pinch of nutmeg
A pinch of cloves
A pinch of ground ginger
A pinch of Cinnamon
A half-pinch of salt
{I define a pinch as the smallest amount of spice I can squeeze between my thumb and index finger.} :D
Date Caramel Sauce (Copyright Chloe Coscarelli)
6 Medjool dates
1/2 cup sugar-free maple syrup
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
To Make the Date Caramel:
Place dates in a small saucepan with water to cover, and bring to a gentle boil.
Let the dates boil for 10 minutes.
Drain and rinse with cold water until cool to the touch (you want to rinse with water so that the skin all pulls away from the fruit).
Peel the dates with fingers, and discard the skin and pits.
Coarsely chop and place in blender - add water, maple syrup, and cinnamon. Blend until smooth.
Cook the oatmeal to your desired consistency and drizzle with the date caramel sauce.
This oatmeal bowl is addictive and the only sugars in it come from the dates!
You will have a extra sauce that you can store in the refrigerator - and it makes a great drizzle for banana slices, carrots, or apples or a perfect topping for spice waffles and pancakes.
And if you have kids - give them a little cup for dippin’!
Happy Cinco De Mayo: Portabella Guacamole with Multigrain “Chips”
In honor of Cinco De Mayo, I decided to make a fun new guacamole.
{Recipe below the fold!}
I Make My Own Sunshine
My breakfast smoothie was perfect for a hot day! Make your own frozen blueberries and strawberries, Fage Greek yogurt, and almond milk.
Along with my smoothie, I give you this adorable song which will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day.
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Bear Wants More
I decided to switch things up this morning with some cold oats - unsweetened almond milk with oatmeal soaked for about fifteen minutes.
A teaspoon of brown sugar blend and I was in cold and creamy heaven.
Just like darling Bear, I wanted more! So I also had a sidecar of blackberries. :)
I met John downtown for lunch and to get our passport photos taken for our Africa trip!
I enjoyed the fire-roasted veggie sammie on their whole grain bread (giving a few bites to John)…but this bear wanted More! :D
…and this “Bombay Salad” with my little baggie of baby carrots strewn on top. The salad has mixed greens, red peppers, tomatoes, cukes, and red onions and a non-fat balsamic dressing on the side.
I can’t not have a salad for lunch - it just feels wrong.
Dinner was late but fun - I roasted some tofu and got a little too generous with the turmeric! :)
Roasted snap peas with Himalayan sea salt…
And fresh soy-sauce glazed green beans!
John came home late and we sat at the dining table and caught up with our day - we definitely don’t use our table as much as we should and it was nice setting up our serving plates.
John found these hidden in the back of the fridge -a forgotten flat of blueberries from this weekend’s grocery trip!
And you know what happens when John and I see berries!
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