Ode to Roasted Veggies & much much MORE.

Ode to Roasted Vegetables

My love for you runs deep,

I dream about you in my sleep.

Your crispy outside and your tender insides brings joy to my palate.

I've known you for so long, you've never cause me harm.

You're easy and you're sweet, your taste cannot be beat.

 Roasted Vegetables.

      I love vegetables. I like them raw and I like them cooked, but I crave them roasted. The winter is a great time to enjoy vegetables this way. Root vegetables are abundant at this time of year and they caramelize in the oven perfectly. Golden brown and slightly crispy is how I like my veggies. I’d say roasted vegetables are my specialty, but that's up to you to decide.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

4 cups of any of the following: Brussel sprouts, parsnips, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, delicata squash, turnips, or any vegetable of your liking. I prefer root vegetables for the winter

1-2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or organic coconut oil

1 Tablespoon chopped herbs (I like sage, rosemary, or thyme)

2 teaspoons chopped garlic (if you feel like it)

¼-1/2 teaspoon salt

pepper to taste

      Chop desired vegetables into similar thickness (about ½ inch, I quarter my Brussel sprouts) and place into a mixing bowl. Chop herbs and garlic and combine with the vegetables. Add the remaining ingredients and make sure the vegetables are evenly coated with the oil. Spread out the vegetables onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the preheated over for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

It started with a kiss...

  

And ended up like this....

                                        

 

If you didn't notice, this is a compilation of the photos of roasted veggies I've taken, some have herbs and spices, some have garlic, and some are just plain with salt and pepper. You can create whatever flavor you're craving, whether it's savory, spicy, or sweet!

                   Steaming and sautéing, there's just no going back.

Roasting is here to stay. At least until spring.

The beauty of it all is...you can take a person who despises vegetables (brussel sprouts for example) and present them with a dish that will not disappoint a hesitant veggie eater. My boyfriend told me yesterday he once ate brussel sprouts and threw up he hated them so much, but then he tasted my roasted delights and has since found a new found passion for eating them...off my plate.                                   

 But don't worry my green juice, you are going nowhere.

       After last weeks shenanigans it was time to get back to business with my diet. I like to eat healthy most of the time, but I felt like I was craving things I didn't really want to be eating. When you enjoy a few cocktails you have to remember the next day isn't a free for all, AND SOMETIMES I FORGET.
So back to basics. I've been enjoying a nice green juice in the AM along with my additional veggie intake throughout the day and I'm feeling pretty, prettyyyyyy; good.

Look what I got in my new farm share. Jealous?

This was the first time I ordered from the co-op and it definitely won't be my last. If you're in the Orlando area: check out Homegrown Co-Op

Oh and ValenTIMES Day was fun too! Look the beautiful card my boyfriend made me:)

Ospray, Big Ole love bird.

I made my boyfriend a breakfast sandwich and gave him some local hot sauces I found at the co-op.

We went to Universal Studios for the day and made our way to Hogwarts.

And no Valentines Day is complete without a few selflies;)

Hope everyone had a lovely V Day and kept warm this weekend. Are you a veggie queen like me? What's your favorite kind of juice? Leave a comment, I dare you. 

INDIAN Lentil&Sweet Potato&Chicken CURRY.

After an awesome Saturday at the beach and some vino Saturday night, I was ready to relax ALL day Sunday and play in the kitchen. 

Sangue De Giuda (Blood of Judas). Best wine ever.
Would have been better with my girl DJKJ 

I was oooowing over this recipe for some Indian inspiration last week and yesterday I finally got around to creating a dish. I love Indian food, the depth of flavor and bold spices bring a smile to my face. The whole dairy in Indian food is a buzz kill so I decided to create a dish sans dairy. I added organic free range chicken to this dish, but feel free to omit it if you want to stay plant based. I'm always experimenting with my diet and lately I've been including some meat into my diet (thats a whole other post). Did I mention its gluten free?

                                  

                         Chicken, Lentil and Sweet Potato Curry

over brown basmati rice

Serves 4

1 cup green or brown lentils

1 chicken breast, chopped into bite size pieces

2 cups of veggie broth

1 onion, diced

½ large sweet potato, chopped into bite size pieces

1-2 cups of chopped greens (kale, chard, spinach)

¼ bunch cilantro, chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 Tablespoons coconut oil

the juice of one lemon

1 ½ Tablespoon coriander

1 teaspoon turmeric

¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds

¼ teaspoon mustard seeds

1 ½ teaspoon garam masala

1 inch fresh ginger, grated

In a 2 quart pan, sauté onions, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon salt on medium heat with one tablespoon coconut oil until tender, about 10 minutes. Mix the spice mixture, pour half of it (including fresh grated ginger) together into the onions and garlic. Let the onion and garlic absorb the spices and then add the broth and lentils to the pot. Bring to a boil, and then down to a simmer. Set the timer for 45 minutes. After 10 minutes add the chopped sweet potatoes and tomatoes to the mixture.

For the chicken: Chop into bite size pieces. While the mixture is simmering take a frying pan with 1 tablespoon coconut oil and place the chicken, some of the broth from the curry (1/2 cup works), the remaining salt, and spice mixture into the pan. Cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes until the chicken is partially cooked. When the timer has 20 minutes remaining add the chicken into the lentil mixture.

Once the chicken is added you can squeeze the lemon juice into the pot, you can add the chopped greens at this time too. If you use red lentils this dish will cook much faster. I used green lentils so it took a good 45 minutes for them to become tender. This dish is done when the lentils are nice and soft. The chopped cilantro is used as a garnish.

For the rice: I used brown basmati rice that I soaked overnight. Place 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of filtered water into a one-quart pan and cover. Bring to a boil, add ¼ teaspoon salt and down to a simmer for 45 minutes. Turn off the heat, add 1 Tablespoon coconut oil (optional) and set aside for a remaining 15 minutes.

Oh and if you do the dairy thing, feel free to add some goat cheese into the mix. My boyfriend added some into his leftovers today and said it was yum.

Please excuse the lack of good photos!

I would have gone to photo shoot town on this dish, but my boyfriend and I were too busy going HAM on this meal. So basically all I can say is make it for yourself I promise you won't be disappointed.                                           
                     
                        I was thankful my weekend looked like this.....

Instead of this....

      My poor house back in Maine after Nemo got to it!                                         

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend and gets a chance to make my delicious Indian Curry. I promise it will keep you warm from the harsh winds of that bloody storm!

What did you do this weekend? Do you have a favorite Indian dish? 

Gluten Free Beer Tasting/Ranking.

I've been wanting to do a Gluten Free beer tasting with my friends for a while. I absolutely love beer.  But since beer isn't really an option for me anymore, I occasionally indulge in a gluten free beer. I've tried them all. I don't like them all. Some even repulse me, but I was curious to see if my friends' taste buds agreed.

Here are the contenders...the brave, the beautiful; the best drinkers I could find.

From left: Matt, Drew, Brando, and Margot.

        We tested 10 of the most popular gluten free beers I've tried.

My friends and I tasted, talked, and trekked through the different beers one at a time and rated them on a scale from 0-5 (five being the highest rating). I added our four scores together (one friend dropped out) and averaged them. The clear winner was New Grist, but it was hard to determine because everyone had varying opinions.

An average score of 2.75.
"taste like water"

An average score of 1.75
"The Budweiser of gluten free beers"

An average score of 1.
"P-O-O-R"

An average score of 2.25.
"A good beer right there" and "taste more like a beer"

An average score of 2.6.

An average score of 2.

An average score of 2.
"My boyfriend's second favorite"

The three Greens Ale pictured above are very strong and intense beers. I have one and I'm very tipsy, two and I'm drunk, and the one time I had three...I don't remember. Aka I was a sloppy sloppy girl and I'm pretty sure my boyfriend wanted to take me to the pound. Just to warn you.

An average score of 2.75.

An average score of 4.5
"WINNER"

An average score of 2.75.
"Very bitter"

 The clear winner was the New Grist and the loser was the New Planet Raspberry Ale. Estrella was another highly rated beer and most agreed they "would have it again". Personally, my favorite is the St. Peter's or the Green Dubbel Dark, although last night the Dubbel wasn't appealing to me for some reason. I was pretty disappointed in the overall response from my friends and their general dislike of the beers. For people who are gluten free, most of these beers are a godsend. I also think that gluten free beer is an acquired taste. The first gluten free beer I ever had was the St. Peter's and I thought it was terrible. It took me a few times to appreciate the taste and now I would be thrilled to see it on a menu.

Happy friends full of beer.

My bestie and I.

The aftermath

But wait! I've also tried these lovely beverages. I enjoyed the Omission when I was on a trip to Colorado and it was just what I needed after a hard day of skiing. Its a fairly hearty beer and wouldn't want more than one or two of them.

 I heard Dogfish Head was coming out with a gluten free beer and I was SO excited, but I was unable to find it anywhere until I came across it at Total Wine. For a sweeter beer, I really enjoyed it. I usually like hoppier beers, but this beer was an exception. I wish I could have included it in the tasting, but after my initial discovery I haven't seen it.

Check out my instagram: Camilleforeal63 and see this picture with an awesome filter**

And not pictured, I've also tried Bards and I do enjoy it. It's crisp, refreshing and has been a "go-to" in the past. I tend to get OBSESSED with one beer for awhile and I'm over it.

So there you have it, my current take on the gluten free beer scene. 

Also ATTENTION*** Restauranteurs: this girl appreciates a gluten free beer on the menu. Get on it.

Tell me, do you like gluten free beer? Have you tried one that wasn't mentioned here? 

My first WIAW...on Thursday.

I was pretty excited to partake in What I ate Wednesday and then I realized that I was supposed to record everything I ate on Tuesday in order to blog about it Wednesday, hence the name, but that didn't happen so here it is TODAY. I woke up feeling a bit boozy from happy hour Tuesday night so I decided some soup was in order.

First, time for some lemon water and a probiotic. I just started taking Dr. Ohhira's probiotics and they are AMA. I'm in love. I recommend that everyone take a probiotic everyday, even if its the only thing you do for your health. It will make you smarter, prettier, and sexier in every way. 

 I made my own broth, so I steamed 3 carrots and blended them in my trusty Vitamix, threw in a large handful of parsley, and there ya go. I also had 2 broccoli breadsticks that helped to keep me satisfied.

Before I blended the parsley to my soup

=

The final product.

Up close and personal.

Time for a coffee date. Grande Soy Cappuccino. Nice chats with a friend, clearly I haven't been frequenting Starbs enough lately cause they forgot how to spell my name.

Its actually CammiE...with an E.

 After class I came home STARVING so I made a quick almond milk, blueberry, chia seed, spinach, and cinnamon smoothie to tame my hunger while I cooked something up....

And then I chopped....

 I made a quick veggie stir fry with some left over roasted red potatoes, kale, chard, and some grated daikon...it was quick and easy. I paired my tasty stir fry with a half a brown rice wrap topped with my caesar salad and some crumbled tofu.

                              

                                         Time for a photoshoot....

          Got motivated and went for a run....+ 1.5 minute plank hold.

Now you know what I look like sweating like a pig.

                            After my workout I ate the other half of my stir fry.

Time for dinner!! GROSS, sardines. But wait they are SO GOOD FOR YOUR SKIN. I swear since eating these bad boys a few times a week my skin has been softer. So I choked a few down.

 Then came another vegan caesar salad wrap topped with pumpkin seeds.

And a side of summer squash sauteed in coconut oil. Oh and I was still hungry....

Amy's to the rescue!

         I wasn't really in the mood to cook dinner and I kind of skimped....SO flash forward a few hours to Ladies Night. After a few of these suckers I was face down in a whole LOTTA chips. I can't contain the beast when I drink margaritas, there is no turning back and no saying no. So behind the camera I ate my body weight in chips and salsa. Sorry I'm not sorry. You could say I drank a little too much, but no need to beat myself up for having a little fun;) 

"The Swirl" X4...oops!

The good news is...I made it to bed nice and early and woke up feeling like a champion!