Sweet Potato + Black Bean Hash

Oh snap…look who has another post this week!

Not that it should really be an accomplishment but I’ve gotta get back on track with baby steps I guess ;) 

Plus some things are just too good not to share!

Not sure where I got the inspiration for this, but I was trying to think of ways in use sweet potatoes in breakfast, plus I had some black beans in the fridge.  Boom.  Hash!

If you want to make it Paleo just leave out the beans…it would be delicious either way.  Personally I don’t get the whole “no beans” part of the paleo diet.  From what I’ve read the “anti-nutrients”in beans are in their uncooked state…and once properly soaked/prepared, the anti-nutrients are almost entirely gone.   Considering you can’t exactly eat uncooked beans, I’m not sure what the big deal is.

Woops, sidetracked.

Sweet Potato + Black Bean Hash
(for two people)

• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 1 medium sweet potato, diced
• 1/2 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 red or green bell pepper (or 1/2 each) diced
• 1/8 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/8 tsp paprika (or use 1/4 tsp paprika if you don’t have smoked)
• garlic powder, few shakes
• crushed red pepper flakes, few shakes
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup black beans (cooked or canned)
• 1 tsp butter or more coconut oil
• 2 eggs
• avocado (sliced, served on the side…optional, but SO good for you!)
• sour cream (optional)
• salsa (optional)

Note: best to chop the potato, onion, and pepper in small pieces so they cook faster.

In a cast iron or non-stick skillet heat the 2 tsp coconut oil over medium heat.  Add onion and pepper.  Sauté for 3-4 minutes.  Add sweet potato.  Stir in paprika, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, and salt.  Cook for another 5-7 minutes, only stir occasionally as the potatoes will only get browned if they sit still against the pan.  As the potatoes are just about done to the consistency you like, add the bean and cook another 1-2 minutes. 

Plate the hash on two plates, set aside somewhere to keep warm (sometimes I put them in a “cool” oven, or even turn the oven on for a couple minutes then off just to warm it a smidge).

In the same pan heat the 1 tsp butter or coconut oil.  Crack 2 eggs in the pan and cook to your liking….I did over easy.

Serve egg on top of hash….bacon on the side if you like!

The avocado on the side is a MUST for me.  I also added a little sour cream, but didn’t need any salsa…flavorful enough on its own.  I even liked a slightly runny yolk!!  Who am I??

I LOOOOVED this breakfast!!  It’s not a ton of food, but the proportions are really easy to adjust if you’re feeding more people or if you or your guest have bigger appetites!  Or just add more eggs :)  Brian and I tend to eat similar servings sometimes, but I know some of you might have husbands who eat way more so go nuts!  We were both completely satisfied…not too full, just right. 

Iced latte as my bevy of choice.

Lots of healthy fats, protein, and carbs here!  

I used to think I hated hash…in my mind it was always corned beef hash, like that weird stuff from a can, but thankfully now I know better and there are numerous ways to make a “hash” that do not involve canned meat products ;) 

Do you like hash?  Favorite version??

Sweet Cheeks Q & Some BBQ For You

Last night Brian and I finally got to try the new-ish BBQ place near Fenway Park that everyone seems to be raving about: Sweet Cheeks Q.  Sweet Cheeks opened in November 2011 and is chef-owned by the well known Tiffani Faison of Top Chef fame. 

I love some good BBQ and there aren’t too many place in and around Boston to get it. 

We had Red Sox tickets that night, so I met Brian after work for an early dinner before the game!  He got their before I did and grabbed 2 seats at one of the communal tables (basically you share with whoever else needs a seat).  In this type of atmosphere (casual & kind of noisy) I don’t mind that seating.  Wouldn’t recommend it for a first date or anything though.

Brian had already ordered a beer, so I scanned the menu and picked my own.

I’ve had Sweaty Betty before and remember liking it.  Refreshing, flavorful blonde ale.  They didn’t have too many beers on tap, but they did have a fantastic selection of bottles and cans!

To start we ordered the Fried Green Tomatoes.  Neither of us have ever had them.

Thick slices of juicy tomato, and a crispy browned coating.  They came with a sort of ranch dressing that had a nice kick to it!  With the ranch these were awesome!  The tomatoes themselves weren’t the most flavorful, but it’s not tomato season so it’s hard to complain. 

Maybe 1 minute later our meals came out!

I ordered the pulled chicken tray with sides of heirloom baked beans and the farm salad.  I also ordered a single biscuit instead of the sliced bread that usually comes with the meal.

If you only order one thing there…GET A BISCUIT!!!  O.M.G.  The menu has an order of a basket of 4 with honey butter on the side, but you can order just one even though it wasn’t on the menu.  AND make sure to ask for some of that honey butter.  WOW.

First of all the biscuit was HUGE.  Easily 4” diameter and so thick and fluffy.  Warm, crisp on the outside, tender and flaky on the inside.  That with the honey butter was a match made in heaven.  I’m drooling on my keyboard right now.

       

Brian’s tray:

Ribs, collards, and potato salad.

The pulled chicken was delightful.  Tender, juicy, flavorful…especially with their housemade BBQ sauce.  The table also had a bottle of their housemade vinegar sauce, and habanero lime hot sauce! 

The farm salad had tons of seasonal veggies, nuts, grapes, arugula, parmesan, and a mustard vinaigrette (I believe).  I loved all the veggies and it would of been perfect with just a tad less dressing.

I stole a lot of Brian’s collards.  Vinegary, and cooked with some type of pork which gave the greens an awesome flavor. 

I also stole a bite of the potato salad, 2 thumbs up.

The ribs were incredible tender, and not overly fatty.  I don’t mind fat, but hate actually biting into it. 

The one thing I wasn’t crazy about was the beans.  They were pretty good, but tasted way more like chili than baked beans.  Too smokey, too much cumin for me.  But they were still sweet, which I wouldn’t like my chili to be so it was just a conflict of flavors for me.  Brian really liked them though.

We still had time to kill before the game so we went with another round of beers.

Brian HAD To order this as we never see it ANYWHERE

I tend to not like overly hoppy IPA’s because they are usually bitter, but this one is just the opposite.  No bitterness, but just tons of hop aroma.  Delish.

All in all it was a great night.  Would have been better if the Sox won but what can you do?

 

Pretty good seats too!

Now with all this BBQ talk, I have the perfect contest you can enter!!

Eversave is giving away 2 of these prizes of $250 worth of delicious BBQ catering from Dickey’s Barbeque Pit! 

Now, there aren’t any Dickey’s in Massachusetts (closest ones are in CT, or in Portland, ME)…but this is open to anyone so maybe there is one near you.  But if there’s NOT…don’t fret, if you win you could also choose a $250 gift card to Omaha Steaks!!   Create your own feast with that prize!

Just enter HERE!  This contest goes until Sunday, May 6, and they will notify the winner on Monday, May 7!

And in case that doesn’t pan out for you, the folks at Eversave are letting me give away a $10 save reward (to use on any Save) to one of you!

In the spirit of BBQ, to enter for the $10 save reward, leave me a comment with your favorite side dish to order at a BBQ joint.  If you’re not a BBQ fan, then just your favorite other restaurant side dish!

I’ll choose a winner for the $10 save reward by 10 p.m. EST on Monday May 7th!

Stratta (Vegas) Chopped Salad: Recreated

Not only was Vegas a blast, but I don’t think I ever had a bad meal.  In particular, there were some very delicious salads eaten throughout the weekend and I found myself writing down their ingredients so that I could re-create them when I got home.

Our plane got into Boston around 9:30AM Tuesday morning and later that day I went grocery shopping, then spend a good chuck of my afternoon chopping veggies for this guy:

On Saturday evening, after checking into the Wynn, Jocy and I wanted to eat a not-so-big dinner before getting ready for our big night out at Pure (green dress night…p.s. that dress is from Nordstrom juniors dept.). 

We grabbed two seats at the bar in Stratta and proceeded to split a salad and a pizza.

First up was the Stratta Chopped salad which was described as:

CHOPPED SALAD. . .
Escarole, Beans, Salami, Crisp Vegetables, Mustard Vinaigrette

The best part about this salad was that all the veggies were diced up so small!!   Even the olives were small!

As we kept “mmm”ing about this salad, I whipped out my phone and jotted down every veggie and bean I could identify. 

Next came our pizza

The crust was SUPER thin…almost like a tortilla, so thin.  I love a good thin crust. 

Toppings were sausage, green peppers, onions, and buffalo mozzarella.

Using some will power we were able to leave 2 slices to pack up.  We then proceeded to fill one of the sinks in our hotel room with ice and leave the leftovers on ice for a late night snack….Best Idea Ever.  Although the bar at Stratta is open until 6am.  The bartender did tempt us with the knowledge that we could get a fresh pizza after our night out, but we resisted. 

Re-creating that chopped salad was fun, although it did involve a LOT of chopping.

However, it made a big batch and I had it for lunch the next 2 days.

Chopped Veggie Salad with Salami
inspired by Stratta, serves 5-6

The key here is to chop all the veggies at a uniform size.  The smaller the better.

• mixed greens or baby spinach for your salad base
• 1 can kidney beans or black beans (or both!)
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1/2 med. red onion, diced
• carrot, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 red or orange bell pepper, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1/2 large cucumber, diced
• kalamata olives, small ones if you can find them
• 4oz salami, diced from a larger piece, or from slices

Mustard Vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 T white wine vinegar
• 1 T Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper

Drain and rinse beans and chickpeas.  In a large bowl combine all diced veggies (onion through cucumber).  Add in beans, olives, and salami. 

Make vinaigrette:  combine ingredients into a bowl or mason jar with lid.  Whisk or shake until combined.

Toss veggie mixture with salad.  Serve over a small layer of greens. 

As long as you keep the greens separated until ready to serve, the leftovers will keep for a day or 2 even with dressing already tossed in.  Just serve over fresh greens.

For lunch I added extra slices of salami and provolone cheese.

 

Does anyone else have a good mustard vinaigrette recipe?  I really enjoyed how this came out, but it wasn’t quite what we had at the restaurant. 

Do you ever “take notes” at restaurants??

Quick and Protein

That seems to be my theme around here lately. 

Now that I’m on a steady schedule of Crossfit, there are a number of nights during the week where I will come home, change, head to 7pm Crossfit, and then home around 8.  Luckily it’s only a 5min drive for me. 

So now it’s 8:10pm, lets say, and I need dinner and faster the better.  I’m also trying to up my protein intake, and when I can, lower some of my carbs.  If your familiar with Crossfit at all you probably know they promote a Paleo style of eating.

Basically, Paleo = eating the way our early ancestors (cavemen) ate.  Meats, fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds…etc.  You can read the wiki page here!  Paleo also means no grains, dairy, legumes, refined sugars, and processed oils.

(source)

I was pretty uninterested in this when I first started Crossfit, and I’m still not interested in following this style of eating to a T…I mean, I am just NOT going to give up certain foods I love.  I’m not talking about the processed foods here…I have no problem getting those out of my diet and already try to do that as much as possible.  But the legumes, beans, grains, and dairy???  Not so much.  Nothing makes me happier than a good cheese plate and a flaky croissant ;)

I just can’t believe that things like beans, oatmeal, and Greek yogurt are causing that much harm to my body.  I’ve read the arguments against them, I see both sides, and I know that a huge portion of the population has some sensitivity to dairy and gluten….however I really haven’t found myself to be one of them.  Or if I am, it’s not bad enough for me to notice. 

I could keep going on about this but basically what I am doing, for now anyways, is just cutting back on some of my carb intake, slightly on the dairy, and upping my protein. 

I’m paying a lot of money for my Crossfit membership.  Which in some ways is good…it makes it a LOT harder to just “skip” a workout, and I am a lot more motivated to clean up my eating so that I can experience my best possible results. 

I also stumbled across this article about the Thyroid-Gluten connection when I was searching about Paleo.  Interesting, as thyroid issues are present in my family. 

http://chriskresser.com/the-gluten-thyroid-connection

Again, not planning to go gluten free at all, but I just thought it was interesting and something I’ll keep in the back of my head. 

So now that I’ve explained my current “status” if you will, I can get to the eats!

A classic Quinoa Salad.  This is not “Paleo” at all, but it is gluten free and high in protein for a “grain” salad (even though quinoa isn’t actually a grain).  

I cooked up 1 cup dry, rinsed quinoa in some chicken broth the same night I made the shrimp stir fry. 

The next night I added:

• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 3 oz crumbled feta cheese
• chopped fresh dill (big handful)
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2T olive oil
• salt and pepper

Great, served with some sliced tomato.  I didn’t add tomato to the salad because I don’t like the texture of tomatoes after they are refrigerated.

Dollop of TJ’s tahini on top :)

This was packed for lunch a couple times this week. 

Turkey Burgers 
(p.s. ground turkey was on sale at Whole Foods this past Sunday…the one on River Street in Cambridge anyways)

These were also made around 8:30pm one night.  In fast by that point I think I had a protein shake plus some quinoa salad but wanted to cook these up for lunch.

For something literally thrown together, these were AWESOME!

• 1lb ground turkey breast
• dried Italian seasonings: basil, parsley, oregano, garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (I had the ones in the bag, not in oil).
• grated Pecorino Romano cheese, about 1/4 cup

We made 3 patties, and cooked on the stove with about 1T olive oil.  Sear each side over med/high heat, then turn heat down to med/low.  Cook until they are cooked through.  I find covering helps cook while keeping them from drying out.  

I had one the next day with some quinoa salad.   Those sun dried tomatoes added SO much flavor. 

Side note:  people balk that buying meat can be expensive, but this ground turkey cost a LOT less than turkey deli meat!  So there’s a thought, cook up some little burgers…a lot less processed and cheaper than deli meat per pound.  Granted, 1lb of deli turkey usually makes more than 3 or 4 sandwiches, but maybe that means we don’t eat enough meat on sandwiches?  Who knows.  Just wanted to share that thought. 

Chicken Sausage + Kale with a Sweet Potato

In 1T of olive oil, I sautéed:

• 2 Italian chicken sausages, chopped/crumbled
• 1 shallot, diced

After cooking for about 5 minutes, I added a few big handfuls of chopped kale (about 1/2 of a bunch of kale).  Stirred it around, added a splash of low-sodium chicken broth and covered.  Cook until chicken sausage is done and kale has wilted.  I stirred in some Dijon mustard at the end, about 1 tsp.

Sweet tater was cooked in the microwave.

Topped with grape tomatoes and some grated Romano cheese.  (Man it was “so paleo” until the cheese ;)

The sausage/kale mixture would of been even better on top of, say, spaghetti squash or in a tomato sauce base.  Must do that sometime. 

So there you have it.  I have no intention of giving up bread, cheese, milk, coffee…pastries!  But if I can cut back in some of my meals here and there, then why not?!  Either way, it’s still healthy food and I’m not feeling deprived…and if I do feel deprived, I’ll fix that ;) 

Flexitarian Friday

Happy Friday!!  Is everyone ready for Irene??  I love a good dose of extreme weather sometimes…as long as no one is hurt of course, and there are no $$ damages ;) 

First, the winner of the $20 Eversave credit… @marciebeth!!

Congrats!!  I’ll send your email address over to the people at Eversave!  I hope the rest of you took advantage of the free $10 credit…which has been extended until today!!! 

This post is one of those times I just want to catch up on the week and such.  However, those don’t make for good titles, and so I tried to find a theme…Flexitarian!

I’m sure by now you’re sick of reading all the Healthy Living Summit recaps from around the blog world, and if you are then I know you read about the keynote speech given by Dawn Jackson Blatner, author of The Flexitarian Diet.

To sum it up in one sentence: pro-vegetables, not anti-meat!  I’d say this would describe me most of the time.  Hey, I still like meat and I don’t see that changing, but it can be expensive and I do love meat-free meals as well.  I can easily go days without eating meat and not even be trying. 

Turns out there was a lot of that this week too!

It started Monday night!  I remember a mention of Zucchini and Black Bean quesadillas somewhere in Dawn’s speech, or in something I read about her…either way this idea sounded fantastic!

I happened to have way more summer squash than zucchini that day from the garden, so I used the summer squash instead. 

Once the squash and onion were chopped, this came together in no time!

Black Bean and Summer Squash Quesadillas
Inspired by Dawn Jackson Blatner

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 2T canned green chilies
• 1 small summer squash, chopped (about 1/4” cube)
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth
• 1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp paprika or smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• crushed red pepper to taste (optional)
• 4 whole grain tortillas
• sliced or shredded cheese of your choice (we used 1 sliced of Havarti cheese per quesadilla)
• sliced avocado
• Salsa
• sour cream or plain low-fat Greek yogurt

1. Heat oil in a medium sauté pan over med heat.  Add onions, sauté for 3-4 minutes.  Then add summer squash, sauté for 3 more min.
2. Add cumin, smoked paprika, chili  stir to combine.
3. Add broth, stir, cover pan and simmer on low for about 5 min to soften up summer squash.
4. Remove cover, turn heat back up to medium, and add beans.
5. Cook for 2-3 more minutes or until squash is tender, then set mixture aside on a free burner.
6. Grab another sauté pan and heat over med heat, spray with canola oil spray.
7. Place tortilla in pan, add cheese, 2 sliced of avocado, then add 1/4 of the bean filling over half of the tortilla.
8. Fold the other half over, cook for 1-2 min, carefully flip your quesadilla and cook for another min, or until golden brown.
9. Cut into 3rds and serve with sides of salsa and sour cream!

Really though, I love anything I can smother in salsa and sour cream!

Both Brian and I really enjoyed these!  Definitely going to keep this one in mind…so fast and easy!

Leftovers were enjoyed for lunch the next day.

 Some other meat-free gems this week…

Wednesday night I had my most FAVORITE salad ever!  I had 2 hours to kill after work and parked my butt at the bar of my favorite North End restaurant…Antico Forno…home to the salad that introduced me to my love for goat cheese.     

So simple, yet so perfect.  Mixed greens, tomatoes, soft goat cheese, balsamic and olive oil, grilled zucchini, all on top of pieces of aromatic flatbread. 

Breakfast is the easiest Flexitarian meal of all…for me anyways.  A lot of times it looks like this…

• plain non-fat Greek yogurt
• a drizzle of maple syrup
• chopped nectarine
• Lovegrown granola (from my HLS swag bag!) 

I’ll wrap it up with TWO outfits of the week :)

Greens and Blues

• green eyelet skirt – Old Navy
• navy t-shirt – Banana Republic
• light blue cardigan – Banana Republic
• Navy belt – was my grandmothers
• nude peep toe pumps – Rampage

And saving the best for last…not because it’s my favorite outfit, but it’s definitely my FAVORITE photo…with a special fluffy accessory!

• white cotton v-neck dress – Old Navy
• navy/floral scarf – Nordstrom
• wedges – Banana Republic
• Fluffy pup – Bromley :)  Doing the Murphy one leg-out pose

Happy Weekend! 

Have you done any Hurricane prep??  Do you think you’re a flexitarian??

South of the Border BBQ

p.s. still time to enter my giveaway!!

There’s always been a Memorial Day weekend BBQ at my place. It started…I’m thinking 5 years ago when I was living in Somerville with my bff Jocelyn! Brian’s birthday usually falls around then so we had a bbq/party and the tradition stuck.

Last year, it was our first big BBQ at our new House with our new patio furniture…and a little more tame than years past ;)

Recap of last years BBQ

This year was different. The Half Marathon was that weekend and the last thing I needed was to be overly stressed by hosting a party…but I still wanted a party!!

Solution = SMALL party :)

I find, at least for myself, I get the most stressed about having people over when I have multiple “groups” of friends coming. They all might know each other, but I constantly feel like I need to spend time and chat with everyone while still trying to get all the last minute food details ready.

I’m much more relaxed once everyone has eaten haha.

So in order to have a stress-free gathering I stuck to a small group of people…9, including Brian and myself.

Although, I still managed too make enough for 20…oh well! Leftovers!!

The Menu was entirely inspired by the June issue of Cooking Light!

There were SO many awesome sounding Mexican-ish dishes in there, that I decided to have a Mexican themed BBQ!

The Menu:

Drinks

Minted Lemon-Lime Watermelon Aqua Fresca (non-alcoholic, I had two lovely pregnant ladies that day)
Skinny Girl Margaritas!
Brian’s beer (he has 2 varieties on tap in the basement)

Snacks

Homemade Guac – I special requested my friend to make it since she uses our FAVORITE recipe from the Barefoot Contessa.
Mango Salsa – homemade by another guest!

Main Dishes

Flank Steak Tacos – made the recipe for the steak and had the options out for people to make tacos: tortillas, cheese, salsa, sour cream, avocado
Ancho Chili Chicken – a favorite family recipe! Already on the blog!!

Sides

Cilantro Lime Rice – made by a guest
Baked Black Beans with Chorizo – LOVED this recipe, the chorizo gives it so much flavor.
Grilled Corn on the Cob – never got around to making the jalapeño butter, but I bet it’s delicious.
Pasta salad – made by a guest, minus the chicken
Fruit Salad – made by a guest

Dessert!!

Margarita Ice-Cream Sandwiches – I wasn’t in love with the sound of these at first, but they looked so cute and went perfectly with the theme!
SOOO happy I made them, they are delicious!!
Dessert Nachos! – totally came up with this one in my head and I am obsessed with how they came out! Definitely going to do a full post on these :)

The plan:

Friday:

• Shop for all ingredients and drinks. Also assess if you need any paper plates, or other disposable items. I already had enough at home.


• Clean!!


• Make cookie dough for ice cream sandwiches (it has to chill before baking)
  

Saturday:

• bake off cookies for ice cream sandwiches
  


• make marinade for chicken, rub for steak, and get all meats into large Ziploc bags to marinate overnight


• make Ancho chili sauce
  


• Make/Prepare beans to be baked the next day. Don't add cheese, tomatoes, or green onion yet.


• Make simple syrup, and prep lime juice for watermelon aqua fresca


• chop up watermelon


• Prepare tortilla chips for dessert nachos
  

Sunday:

• Run half marathon (if that’s what you’re doing that morning)


• come home, shower, and get ready


• final clean up/pick up


• husk corn


• Guests Arrive!!


• Fire up the grill and start grilling the meats, then corn


• Place toppings on beans then bake


• Make your friends a batch of Watermelon Aqua Fresca
  


• After everyone eats, sneak back to the kitchen to make the chocolate sauce and whip the cream for the desserts :)


• ENJOY!

It was a fun low-key, relaxing day. No one stayed too late, we did a quick clean up, and were able to crash at a reasonable hour considering we had got up around 6 that morning!

How do you handle the stress of being the hostess?? No matter how stressed I get, I still LOVE having people over! Usually my problem is a bite off more than I can chew…we probably didn’t need as much food, especially 2 desserts…oh well! I’ve been enjoying mini ice cream sandwiches all week!

Happy Friday!! I have my first dance performance tonight for the company I am in up in NH. This is sort of a practice performance for just one of the pieces, but still…a little nervous :) Our big show isn’t until September.