March Recap + Roasted Parmesan Cauliflower Recipe

First things first – happy last day of March! I woke up to the sun shining and birds singing, and though rain is predicted later today, I’m just soaking up these rays of spring as long as they last.

 

 

I can’t believe March has come to an end. Literally up until yesterday, I thought this month was going to have arrived and be leaving like a lion, but it might just be a welcome lamb! And in between the bouts of wacky weather, my March seemed to slink by while I wasn’t looking. I celebrated the first anniversary of my first half marathon with a second stab at the New York City Half Marathon, Which also meant my second anniversary of running!

 

At the finish line – it’s not sweat I’m covered in, it’s pixie dust!

 

I conquered another challenge (much smaller in scope) without really noticing by making good on my February promise not to buy any new clothes, and doubled the time – it’s been about 9 weeks, which doesn’t seem like a lot, but the funny thing is I’ve been tempted very little (except that suddenly I’m noticing all these holes in my admittedly well-worn running gear that seem to be telling me I should splurge on a pair of Wunder Unders…)

 

Just one scrumptious dish

 

I got to share my feelings on food and its place in our culture, and with those a plethora of recipes that I have created and cooked in my journey to enjoying food as fuel for life. Some are old standbys and some new experiments. In the mood for a sweet and filling breakfast or snack? Try one of my oatmeal cakes, in flavors like Pumpkin Spice or Blueberry Muffin. Want a savory vegetarian main dish? Baked Garlic & Thyme Tofu is here to help, unless you’re in the mood for a Savory Goat Cheese & Vegetable Tart. Want a more classic brunch? Go for Smoked Salmon & Quinoa Quiche. Need some more vegetable inspiration? Just keep reading for my last recipe of March, and keep on cooking!

 

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Blueberry Muffin Oatmeal Cake

This rainy start to spring has put a damper on my mood recently (bad pun, no apologies) and I’ve been wishing and hoping that the sun will break through and May flowers will bloom even when it’s supposed to be April showers. After all, March went out like a lion instead of a lamb, the weather should mix it up a little! To get in the spirit of spring, I’ve been making meals with lots of spring fruits and veggies like asparagus, artichokes, baby lettuces and berries. Since I already have classically autumn apple cinnamon and pumpkin spice oatmeal cakes, I came up with a lovely Blueberry Muffin Oatmeal Cake for this season. It’s a little cakier than my other oatmeal cakes, and worthy of the muffin name for that reason. Go ahead, whip one up and take a bite bursting with berries!

 

Ingredients:

Essential ingredients

1/2 cup gluten-free quick-cooking oats (using these instead of rolled oats results in more of a muffin-y texture – I went with Chex Gluten Free quick-cooking oats)

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 Tbsp Greek yogurt – plain, vanilla or blueberry

1 egg white (substitute applesauce if desired)

1/4 cup fresh blueberries

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp brown sugar

Pinch salt

For topping: 2 tsp each of Greek yogurt, cream cheese, and blueberry jam or preserves

For ramekin: 1 tsp butter (can substitute olive oil or cooking spray)

 

Miniature Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cake

I enjoyed my pumpkin spice oatmeal cake so much, I decided to whip up another – but since I’d finished the pumpkin, I needed a new flavor palate. Enter apples and cinnamon, one of the best combinations for a warming winter treat known to all mankind! Perfect for these days when silver-white winter is supposed to turn into spring, but spring seems a little shy to come out and play…

 

Ingredients:

Bake in a ramekin…

1/2 cup gluten-free rolled oats

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup milk of choice (I used So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk)

2 Tbsp Greek yogurt (I recommend using 2% or full fat for the creaminess)

1 egg white (substitute applesauce if desired)

1/2 small apple, cubed

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch salt

For ramekin: 1 tsp butter (can substitute olive oil or cooking spray)

 

 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

…flip into a dish to ice and serve!

2. Combine all dry ingredients in a small bowl, then add in wet ingredients (only use 1 Tbsp of yogurt here) and cubed apple and mix well.

3. Melt butter in 1-cup (8 ounce) ramekin to coat inner surface. (You can also use olive oil or cooking spray, but I found that butter worked really well in this recipe to give the cake a yummy buttery crust).

4. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes, then set oven to high broil for an additional 5 minutes.

5. Use a knife to carefully pry the edges of the cake from the ramekin (easy as long as it was greased well!) and flip upside down into a dish.

6. Top with 1 Tbsp of yogurt and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Enjoy!

 

 

Eat up!

 

This is a perfect post-workout breakfast – you can come home, whip up the ingredients, and stick it in the oven while you shower and get ready, then eat before you leave. It’s also a perfect lazy morning dish, because you can just lounge around reading the newspaper and slowly waking up while the oatmeal cake bakes. Basically, it’s great for everyone! And it’s completely gluten-free. What’s your go-to breakfast?

 

 

© 2015 Renaissance Runner Girl. All rights reserved.

Lunch at Bailey’s Backyard

The restaurant

 

I met a good friend of mine for lunch yesterday, at a restaurant off our quaint Main Street called Bailey’s Backyard. I came here a lot growing up. They closed a couple of years ago, and when they reopened, the owners had altered the atmosphere and the menu, hopping on the farm-to-table bandwagon.

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch Menu

 

While I’m nostalgic for things that have changed since my childhood, the new menu is awesome. It incorporates a lot of local Connecticut and New England ingredients, in the excellent Sunday brunch, daily dinners, and as I found today, regular weekday lunches. I’m both gluten-free and nut-free, of course, which means I need to make alterations to a lot of dishes when dining out. My friend Taylor is also gluten-free, and she can’t eat eggs either. Luckily, although the menu includes lots of allergy-triggering items, the staff at Bailey’s is very helpful in letting you know where adjustments can be made. The chef even came out to introduce himself to us to see how we liked our lunches!

 

 

Seriously scrumptious side

 

We decided to split a side to start. Originally, we were both eyeing the kale and Gruyere gratin, but unfortunately there was flour in that mix and they didn’t have a substitute. However, our choice of the roasted rainbow carrots with garlic butter and roasted marshmallow was simply scrumptious.

 

 

 

 

Scallops seared to perfection

 

For our main courses, we both went with salads. Taylor had the Connecticut Kale Salad with grilled shrimp, and I went for the Spinach Salad with feta and onions and grilled scallops. Since I was allergic to the pistachio vinaigrette on the menu, the waiter suggested substituting the apricot dressing, which was a nice fruity addition.

 

 

 

 

A sweet treat like gooey s’mores

 

We ended the meal with decaf coffee for me, and more iced tea for Taylor. I’m not going to lie, I may also have scraped every last bit of the blackened marshmallow cream off that carrot plate! It was so lovely to enjoy a relaxing lunch with a good friend. I’m making this last spring break count!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where’s your favorite place for a girls’ lunch? Do you and your friends have any fun traditions?

 

 

 

© 2015 Renaissance Runner Girl. All rights reserved.

WIAW #2

 

Welcome to take two of What I Ate Wednesday! I’ll definitely be posting these the first Wednesday of every month, but since I’m blogging more and getting into the habit of photographing things (even the ones so delicious I don’t want to wait to taste them) I’ll do an extra round of WIAW every now and then. It’s so much fun to see what everyone else linking up at Peas and Crayons and Clean Eats Fast Feets is enjoying for their eats! This WIAW was prompted by a few things. First, the day documented here is the Tuesday after the NYC Half Marathon (even though it was Sunday, I was still in ‘eat all the food’ mode). Second, it was also the day that one of my very best friends in the world was scheduled to have her first child – and since she and her husband live on another continent, I spent a few hours waiting by Skype for some good news and snacking all the time! And third, it was during my law school spring break week so I had even more extra time to sit around and snack. (Also, this is officially my last spring break ever! Crazy.)

 

A PB&J Crispy Cup!

Breakfast: I had the luxury of sleeping until 8:30 am (I’m on break, but I’m an early-to-bed and early-to-rise type. Anything past 9am is shocking these days!) I began my day with a mug of decaf Cake Boss Dulce de Leche coffee. Then I had a cherry Dannon Light n’ Fit Greek yogurt, with Barbara’s Brown Rice Crispies, fresh blueberries, and a little peanut butter mixed in. Basically, it was a peanut butter and jelly crispy cup of yogurt. I don’t typically go for the Greek yogurt that has fruit in it, as I prefer to mix in my own fresh fruit, but since I’m in Connecticut at my parents’ house, I get the benefit of a fridge full of Costco finds courtesy of my dad – like 24-packs of Dannon Greek fruit yogurts. I’m not complaining!

 

 

A few little bites of heaven – this morning and this afternoon!

Mid-morning snack: For a few days after running a race, I never want to sit down to a huge meal. But I do want to eat little things constantly. I wasn’t in the mood for regular oatmeal (maybe it’s the vaguely springlike weather) so I decided to whip up a batch of muffins. We had a stash of Gerber’s squeezable banana packs because my mom and I thought they might make good on-the-go running snacks, but I don’t really like the taste. However, I thought they might work in muffins, so I used one whole banana and one pack of pureed banana in a twist on my Banana-Maple-Oat Muffins. They turned out creamy and delicious! I had two right from the pan.

 

 

My own twist on a Greek salad – the Frankly Fresh grape leaves are a great GF + vegan find!

Lunch: A bowl of romaine, carrots, and red cabbage, with Annie’s raspberry vinaigrette, feta cheese, a grape leaf, and grilled chicken. Both lunch and dinner today are totally courtesy of Costco ingredients. Some people might disparage big box stores (and they have for decades, considering how Tom Hanks talks about them in You’ve Got Mail) but it’s so much more cost-effective than a regular grocery store, ESPECIALLY for healthy whole foods. When I compare prices on, say, apples or lettuce, to those in a grocery store in NYC rather than in Connecticut, I cry a little inside. For example, a 3-lb (48 oz) bag of this Dole salad blend is $2.99 at Costco, whereas a 12 oz bag is $3.49 at an NYC Food Emporium or D’Agostino. Sigh. Moving on!

 

 

My snack smiled back at my today!

 

Afternoon snack: A couple more of those marvelous muffins, with fresh blueberries and a cup of decaf coffee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

GF “spaghetti and meatballs”

Dinner: For my main course, I had a bowl of gluten-free, high-protein ‘spaghetti and meatballs’ made with this black bean spaghetti we found at Costco. It packs a wallop of protein and complex carbs and tastes great with sauce and cheese – definitely not like typical pasta, so don’t expect that, but if you like black beans, I’d recommend giving it a try! I tossed in some mirepoix (carrots, peas, corn, and green beans) and garlic and mozzarella chicken meatballs, and topped the whole thing with Parmesan cheese. Filling and delicious!

 

 

Sweet and snappy

 

Dessert: I kept it simple with a bowl of Angie’s sweet and salty kettle corn and a Pink Lady apple (you must know I’d squeeze one in somewhere!) A sweet treat to end the day.

 

 

 

 

 

What was your favorite meal today? Are you a snacker or do you stick to three square meals a day?

 

 

 

© 2015 Renaissance Runner Girl. All rights reserved.

Miniature Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cake

Choosing to roast and carve your own pumpkin is an undertaking. Few will dare to tread this path to reap the delicious rewards when Libby will do it for us (whoever Libby is, millions of pie-makers around the country must thank her every November.) But when you’re just making breakfast for yourself, or even for your family, even opening a can of pure pumpkin can feel like a commitment. Unless you’re making a pie or a Pumpkin Pouffle, you won’t use the whole can in one recipe. I’m always thinking of new ways to use up the rest, and it isn’t difficult – who doesn’t love a little pumpkin stirred into their oatmeal? By the end of winter, even that gets a little boring, though; so when I whipped up what may be my last batch of Pumpkin Puffins for the season, I decided to get creative with the remainder of the can. Instead of simply stirring it into regular oats, I made a little cake to test out my new ramekins (the PB&J round just wasn’t enough!) I bought them with the intention of making mini quiches for my dinner party, but they needed a test run. And the test was a round of miniature pumpkin spice oatmeal cake, passed with flying colors!

 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup gluten-free rolled oats

Before baking, it looks just like regular cold oats…

1/4 cup pure pumpkin

1/4 cup milk of choice (I used So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk)

1 Tbsp Greek yogurt (I go for Fage 2% for the creaminess)

1 egg white (substitute applesauce if desired)

1 Tbsp maple syrup

2 tsp flaxseed

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon and nutmeg)

1 tsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch salt

For ramekin: 1 tsp butter (can substitute olive oil or cooking spray)

 

 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Baked into a cake with a delicious buttery, pumpkin-y crust!

2. Combine all dry ingredients in a small bowl, then add in wet ingredients and mix well.

3. Melt butter in 1-cup (8 ounce) ramekin to coat inner surface. (You can also use olive oil or cooking spray, but I found that butter worked really well in this recipe to give the cake a yummy buttery crust).

4. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes, then set oven to high broil for an additional 5 minutes.

5. Use a knife to carefully pry the edges of the cake from the ramekin (easy as long as it was greased well!) and flip upside down into a dish.

6. Top with a little extra maple syrup and cinnamon, or a dollop of yogurt. Enjoy!

 

 

A warming winter treat to start the day off right – go ahead, take a bite!

 

 

 

© 2015 Renaissance Runner Girl. All rights reserved.

Vivacious Vegetables: Roasted Butternut Squash & Asparagus

Silver-white winter as it turns into spring…means it’s the perfect time of year to combine hearty winter root vegetables with the first sweet snaps of spring shoots. I love butternut squash and asparagus separately, but they’re even better together. So here’s a simple recipe to bring out the best flavors in both!

Perfectly oven-roasted

 

Ingredients:

2 cups butternut squash, cubed

12-15 asparagus shoots

1 Tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

 

 

 

 

A broiled salmon burger with roasted squash and asparagus…the entree is served!

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Arrange butternut squash on a sheet of tinfoil in a pan, or on a cookie sheet.

3. Brush olive oil over the squash and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4. Bake squash for 25 minutes at 400 degrees. While it’s cooking, chop the asparagus.

5. Remove squash from oven and add asparagus around the cubes. Brush with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and return the pan to the oven. Set to broil and cook for 15 minutes more.

6. Serve while warm. Enjoy!

 

What’s your favorite veggie combination? Do you try to eat seasonally?

 

 

 

© 2015 Renaissance Runner Girl. All rights reserved.

Beat the chill…with ice cream!

Ice cream is my favorite food. Of course, I eat more fruit and veggies and yogurt and eggs than ice cream, but when I picture my happiest times, ice cream was always what I was eating (or what I wanted to top off an otherwise perfect day). Even on my birthday, I’d opt for ice cream over cake or cupcakes – and since I have a summer birthday and was often away at camp as a kid, this worked out well! Lots of people think of ice cream as a summer treat, but I enjoy it year round. While it may seem counter-intuitive, eating a bowl of ice cream can enhance an evening of sitting by a cozy fire with hot cocoa. The trick is to create an ice cream experience that doesn’t rely on the tradition of grabbing a cone of your favorite flavor at an outdoor window, and mix it up instead!

 

Salted caramel ice cream in a crystal cruet

 

One of my favorite ways to treat myself is to have a decadent flavor of ice cream nicely scooped into a crystal glass, topping it with a complementary seasoning. Here, I took caramel ice cream and added a pinch of sea salt and a dash of molasses, and paired with a mug of spiced apple tea.

 

 

 

Perfect nostalgic treat – vanilla with rainbow sprinkles

Another serving style evokes the nostalgia of childhood. I have four small ice cream dishes, with pastel bowls on the inside of little tubs shaped like the bottom of wafer ice cream cones. I’ll scoop a classic flavor like vanilla or strawberry into one of these, and top with gluten-free rainbow sprinkles. It takes me back to summers down the Cape, where I used to get strawberry ice cream with rainbow sprinkles from a shop called Emack & Bolio’s in Orleans, Massachusetts. They’ve expanded throughout New England and the rest of the US, but to me, the other locations aren’t quite the ‘real thing’!

 

 

My peanut butter cup sundae – I just threw the rainbow sprinkles on top for good measure!

For an extra special splurge, turn your ice cream and toppings into a swoon-worthy sundae. Start with a basic base flavor, then add sauces and toppings. One of my favorites is a peanut butter cup sundae. I start with peanut butter cup ice cream, then add some extra peanut butter and chocolate chips. If I’m feeling very nostalgic and I happen to have some regular-size peanut butter cups around, I’ll break one in half and stick the pieces on top to make it look like those Friendly’s sundaes with the smiles! (And if you really want to go all out, make a batch of peanut butter cookie bites to crumble on top).

 

 

 

Of course, you can just have ice cream straight from the carton or in a regular dish, but I like to dress it up a little in the winter. It feels like a special treat, a welcome spot of cheer on an otherwise dreary day. (Caveat: I run outside when it is below freezing all the time. I am probably a classified crazy winter weather person, at least for locations outside the Arctic and, you know, Chicago. So feel free to mock my recommendation of eating ice cream this time of year. I’ll keep doing it anyway.) And I’ll mix it up with the seasons. In the autumn, I love pumpkin ice cream. In the spring I go for berry sorbet. Summer will find me with a gluten-free cone full of strawberry or Moose Tracks. So find your flavor and figure out how to make every spoonful special.

 

Ready to be filled with delicious creations!

 

I’m planning to fix myself a bowl of ice cream for dessert tonight, to basically tell this snowstorm it’s time to get lost!

What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?

Do you eat it all year round or save it for a seasonal treat?

Have you ever tried making snow-cream? It’s delicious (but I would never trust NYC snow…)

 

 

 

 

© 2015 Renaissance Runner Girl. All rights reserved.

Savory Goat Cheese & Vegetable Tart

This lovely dish is a cross between a quiche and a frittata. The gluten-free crust is made from quinoa and cornmeal, like a quiche, but it’s only a bottom crust – the edges of each slice will be more like a frittata. A little crust turns plain old baked eggs into a tart! A combination of goat cheese, asparagus, and mushrooms is complemented by a special blend of spices, and the tang of the goat cheese pairs well with the cornmeal in the crust. It’s completely vegetarian, but sure to please even the most bacon-loving breakfasters! (Unless you’re Ron Swanson. If so, feel free to add a pack of bacon. Because you have to respect Ron Swanson. Can you tell I already miss Parks & Rec?) I served it at my Breakfast-for-Dinner Party, and it was a smashing success! Check out the recipe here, and see more bodacious brunch treats on my new Renaissance Runner Girl Pinterest…

 

Ingredients:

Batter for quinoa and cornmeal crust

1/2 cup white quinoa

1 cup mushroom broth

6 whole eggs

3 egg whites

1 Tbsp olive oil + additional for greasing pan

1/2 cup gluten-free cornmeal

2 Tbsp parmesan or asiago cheese

3/4 cup milk of choice

Crust should be spongy

3 oz semisoft goat cheese

1/2 cup chopped asparagus

1/2 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms

1 Tbsp paprika

1 Tbsp garlic powder

1 Tbsp basil

1 Tbsp dill weed

1 Tbsp parsley

Salt and pepper

 

 

Instructions:

Egg, goat cheese, and veggies can also be mixed together before adding in

1. Bring 1 cup broth to a boil in a pot on the stove, then add quinoa and 1 Tbsp olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper. Cook 12-15 minutes until quinoa is fully cooked. While cooking the quinoa, preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Remove the pot of quinoa from the heat and mix in cornmeal, 1/2 cup milk, 3 egg whites, parmesan or asiago cheese, and 1/2 Tbsp each of paprika, garlic, basil, dill, and parsley. Mix thoroughly so the spices are evenly spread throughout the mixture.

3. Grease an 8″ pan well with olive oil. Using a large spoon, transfer the mixture to the pan. It should cover the bottom thoroughly, but not the edges.

4. Chop asparagus and mushrooms and arrange on a baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle on a bit of salt and pepper.

A brunch delight!

5. Bake quinoa crust and vegetables at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 7-8 minutes.

6. In a separate bowl, combine 6 eggs with 1/4 cup milk, goat cheese, and remaining spices.

7. Remove crust and vegetables from the oven. Arrange vegetables on top of the crust, then pour egg mixture over the top. Ensure that the egg seeps into all the nooks and crannies between the veggies!

8. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove the tart from the oven when you insert a knife and it comes out clean.

9. Let cool for 15 minutes.

10. Slice and serve. Makes 8 servings. Enjoy!

 

 

Savory tart with warm goat cheese and veggies…a little slice of nirvana!

 

 

 

 

 

© 2015 Renaissance Runner Girl. All rights reserved.

February Three-R’s Recap

It’s hard to believe, but March is upon us and spring should be just around the corner! February flew by for me. True, it is the shortest month, but only by a few days. And I feel like I managed to fit a lot into those four weeks, going by my three R’s – running, recipes, and refocusing. (I also achieved my goal of a Frugal February by not buying any new clothes for the month, but it was almost too easy – it’s been so cold, I spend all my time in leggings and fleeces! So I’m tacking another month on to the challenge.)

 

Winding down from Disney and gearing up for the NYC Half!

Let’s start with running. I don’t run for any particular speed or goal, even when I’m racing (which I didn’t do at all this month unless you count PR Day at November Project – with half marathons in January and March, I figured it was a good idea to take a short race break!) But I managed to run just about 100 miles this month, or 25 miles per week. I’ve been building up to this mileage level for about six months. The last time I was consistently running this much was last May. I injured my hip flexor last June and was out for two months, and even when I finished physical therapy in August the re-entry to running was slow and steady. I can’t believe I’ve made it back to my best running shape, and I’m excited to see what’s in store as I run my second New York City Half Marathon (the anniversary of my first half marathon, and also the two-year anniversary of when I started running!)

 

 

A Plate of Pumpkin Puffins

As for the recipes, I’ve definitely taken advantage of the chill this month to try out all sorts of heart- and hearth-warming treats. I’ve shared Pumpkin Puffins and Dreamy Peanut Butter Cookie Bites with you, excellent for dessert or breakfast or whenever you need a sweet pick-me-up. And of course there are a whole host of dishes from my first dinner party – which, due to the cold weather, became an inspired winter-warming Breakfast-for-Dinner Party! And thus has a menu for any time of day, whether you want to host weekend brunch or a fun evening event – recipes coming this week!

 

 

The long and winding road (or run!)

Finally, I’ve taken the time this month to refocus on the important things in life. Even when I’m tired or stressed, I try to keep the big picture in mind. There’s still a lot of world out there to see and experience, and I want to be my best self while I’m doing it! Taking a step back and reflecting on the past in recognition of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week was also very meaningful to me. I’ve already been through the wringer a bit, but there are a lot of people in the world who are still surviving with dark clouds hanging over them, and knowing that motivates me to get out there and try to help. It sounds both naive and cliche, but if I can make even the smallest difference in the life of another human being, I’ll feel like I’ve done some good in this world, and that’s the best goal I can set for myself heading into March.

Happy trails for spring (and let’s hope it arrives soon!)

 

 

 

© 2015 Renaissance Runner Girl. All rights reserved.