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Buffalo Seitan

Here’s a bit of trivia about hubby and me: we live and die by our hockey team, the Buffalo Sabres.  If you know me “in real life” (and you’re not a Sabres fan yourself), chances are you’ve been bored to tears by me talking about the team incessantly… telling you the stats of my favorite players, giving you my armchair coach theories about where they need to improve, bragging about Ryan Miller (USA! USA!) and predicting how far my guys will get into the postseason.  Hubby and I watch every game with NHL Center Ice and we catch a few games in person every year (we go every time the Sabres are in DC to play the Capitals, and we try to see at least one home game in Buffalo every year).  This year started out rough, but we stuck by our team and they rewarded us with a committed new owner and a fantastic finish to the season… and now we’re off to the Stanley Cup Playoffs!

Last night was our first playoff game of the season, and hubby and I knew we had to do something special for it.  Enter Buffalo Seitan.  Now, the city of Buffalo is not exactly famous for its many vegetarian specialties.  There’s Buffalo wings, beef on weck, and the many non-vegetarian Polish dishes.  But this veggie household still wanted to get in on the Buffalo foodie action, and a veg-friendly reimagining of Buffalo wings did the trick.  Buffalo Seitan is just as rich and spicy as the original recipe that inspired it (but not quite as fattening).  Served with rice, greens, and a drizzle of lemon-chive dressing (sadly we didn’t have ranch or blue cheese!), we didn’t even miss the chicken.  And the meal tasted even better because we got to eat it while watching the Sabres win 1-0 on the road to take an early series lead.  Let’s Go Buffalo!

Buffalo Seitan

1 package chicken-flavored seitan strips
olive oil (1 tablespoon or use spray)
3 tablespoons butter (or Earth Balance for a vegan alternative)
3-6 tablespoons Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

  • Heat oil in a non-stick saute pan over medium-high (either drizzle a tablespoon of oil, or spray to coat the bottom of the pan evenly).
  • Drain seitan package and pat seitan strips dry with a paper towel.  Add to pan and saute until browned on either side and warmed through.
  • Meanwhile, melt together the butter and Frank’s sauce over low heat, then immediately remove from heat.  (Use a 1-1 ratio of sauce to butter for a mild sauce and increase the ration to 1.5-1 or 2-1 for more heat.  I used a 1-1 ratio because I’m a wimp.  It tasted great to me, but hubby doused his with probably another 1/2 cup of Frank’s sauce.  To each their own!)
  • When seitan is fully browned, drizzle sauce directly into saute pan and toss to coat all the seitan.  Serve immediately over brown rice with a side of greens (and a drizzle of ranch or a ranch dipping sauce would be nice here, but sadly my pantry came up short).

Yield: Serves 2

Source: Messybaker’s hubby just knows the Buffalo sauce recipe, as do all Buffalo guys. 

Nota Baker: Hubby suggested eliminating the olive oil, sauteeing the seitan directly in the butter, and then tossing it with Frank’s sauce at the end.  I’ll try this method next time and report back with an update.

LET’S GO BUFF-A-LO!

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Banana Crunch Bread

Over the weekend, I got the urge to bake.  That hasn’t happened in awhile, so I went with it.  I pulled some ripe bananas out of the freezer (I have a stash – impressed?) and looked for a fun new banana bread recipe.  I found a recipe for “Banana Crunch Muffins” in the original Barefoot Contessa Cookbook – holy granola, how’d I miss those? – and quickly adapted it to a quickbread and a little healthier (in certain ways) than the original.  I subbed in a cup of whole wheat flour for one of the three cups of all purpose (you can’t even taste it, I promise, and if you want to be even healthier you could bump it up to a cup and a half), and I replaced the butter with applesauce, which is a standard baking move of mine.  Then I cut the sugar almost in half and celebrated my healthiness by adding 3/4 cup of chocolate chips.  BOOYAH!  Just when you think you have me figured out, I go and completely change the game on you.  Don’t even try to keep up!

Just make the bread, okay?

Banana Crunch Bread

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup skim milk
1 cup applesauce
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1 cup granola
1 ripe banana, diced

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Spray two loaf pans (or one loaf pan and one mini muffin pan) with baking spray (such as PAM for Baking or Baker’s Joy).  Set aside.
  • Sift together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl.  Whisk to combine and set aside.
  • In another mixing bowl, combine mashed banana, eggs, vanilla, milk and applesauce.
  • Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until all combined, being careful not to overmix.
  • Fold in chocolate chips, granola, and diced banana.
  • Divide mixture into loaf pans and bake for 60-65* minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  (If you are making one loaf and a batch of mini muffins, bake together for 25 minutes, then remove the mini muffins and continue baking the loaf for another 35-40 minutes.)

*Nota Baker: My oven runs cool, so it took me the full 65 minutes to get my one loaf of banana bread fully cooked, although the mini muffins were out after 25 minutes.  It’s key to know your oven!  Start at the low end of the time range I’ve given and test with a toothpick or cake tester every 5 minutes to see if your loaf is done yet.  Better to babysit the loaf for 10-15 minutes or so at the end of the cooking process than to burn it and waste all those wonderful chocolate chips!

Yield: Two loaves of banana bread or one loaf and one batch of mini muffins.

Source: Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, by Ina Garten (not an Amazon affiliate link)

Also, just for fun… here I am just after running 10 miles!  Do I look thirsty?

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Homemade Bread Crumbs

I know what you’re thinking.  Why on Earth would I bother making homemade bread crumbs when I could just buy them at the store?  Well, take it from me, these are better.  (Even better than Jaclyn’s brand bread crumbs, which they sell at Whole Foods and which I of course own.)  They are crispy and chewy, olive oil and oregano-kissed.  Your second question might be, what would I use them for?  The answer: anything and everything.  They are great over casseroles, but I’ve also sprinkled them over soups and salads instead of croutons and even tossed a handful over hubby’s dinner when he was being finicky.  Worked like a charm.

Homemade Bread Crumbs

1 day-old mini baguette
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon oregano
pinch sea salt

  • Tear chunks off the mini baguette and place in bowl of food processor.  Pulse until crumbs form at your desired consistency.
  • In a pan over medium heat, warm olive oil.  Add bread crumbs and toss until golden brown and toasted.
  • Sprinkle oregano and salt over bread crumbs and toss to combine.
  • Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Source: Covered In Flour

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Chickpeas of the Sea

Since I renewed my commitment to eating vegetarian, I’ve been eating many more varied dishes – trying new recipes, inventing, experimenting with flavor combinations – but I haven’t had that urge to “makeover” old favorites into vegetarian-friendly entrees, for the most part.  There was a bit of experimenting with lentil-based “meat” loaf, which didn’t yield anything worth blogging about (yet) and I’ve been making the occasional Shepherdess Pie.  But I’m simply not really interested in turning meat dishes into vegan or vegetarian dishes.  I’m happy with the variety of foods I’m eating already, all unquestionably vegetarian.

So I was surprised even at myself when I suddenly had the urge to “makeover” tuna salad.  I have never been a big fan of canned tuna.  Sure, I liked raw tuna in sushi and tuna tartare, and even the occasional seared tuna (but I had to be in the mood) but the texture and fishiness of canned tuna salad never appealed to me.  Still, one day on a run I had a Eureka! moment – that tends to happen on runs – and I decided to make a mock tuna salad that could serve as a sandwich filling, dip, spread, or mix-in for a casserole.  And how to get that seafoody flavor without seafood?  Well, obviously, sea vegetable!  I’ve been adding sea vegetable to dishes when I want that briny ocean taste – why not use it to replicate tuna salad?  So I blended up some chickpeas, nori, tamari (for more umami) and lemon juice (for tang) and… well, I liked it better than any tuna salad I’ve ever had.  So on those blue moon occasions when I get a craving for a tuna melt, I now have a solution.  And what a delicious solution it is…

Chickpeas of the Sea

This makes a rather large batch, but it’s great stuff to have on hand.  It keeps very well (although hubby thinks it’s best on the first day).  I love to make it on Sunday and keep it in the fridge for mock tuna sandwiches… that is, if I can stop dipping carrot sticks in it long enough to make the sandwich!

2 cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons tamari
2-4 sheets nori
1/2 cup vegenaise (or mayonnaise for a non-vegan version)
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 celery ribs, diced

  • Tear nori sheets into large pieces (start with 2 – you can always add more if you want more briny flavor).  In food processor, combine chickpeas, lemon juice, tamari and nori.  Pulse until chickpeas are broken up into coarse crumbs and other ingredients are combined.
  • Scoop chickpea mixture into a large mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients.  Fold mixture together and remove to refrigerator.  Allow to set for 30 minutes, until flavors meld.

Source: Covered In Flour

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Veg Head

I almost didn’t write this post.  If you’ve been reading for awhile, you’ve probably already noticed the absence of meat around here.  You may remember me mentioning the lack of healthy vegetarian options on my business trip, or perhaps you spotted a meat-dish makeover.  You’ve likely put two and two together.  After all, you’re smart.  And that was my intention – to quietly go about eating my veggies and sharing them with you.  But I realized that I owe you more than that.  I owe it to you, you who check in here to see what’s new in Casa Messy, to share all of my culinary journeys with you.

For the past six months, I’ve been eating a completely vegetarian diet.

I’ve been contemplating this change for awhile.  I first started thinking about it last spring, and mused here about my motivations.  Then I started the transition, very slowly, over the summer.  I read a LOT of information about eating a healthy vegetarian diet.  I found some books and blogs that were extremely helpful to me.  I cruised the web for vegetarian and vegan recipes.  I bought new cookbooks.  I thought about what this lifestyle change would mean for me and for hubby.  And while I did all that, I gradually reduced my meat intake.  As you know, I have been abstaining from beef and pork since I was 17.  I no longer miss or crave them, and haven’t for years.  This summer I continued to eat fish occasionally but almost completely eliminated poultry.  In fact, I only ate poultry twice, I think, all summer.  It felt fine, natural, and I didn’t really miss the poultry.  That was when I started to think, “Wow, I could really do this.”

Then I went to France.  Obviously, France is not exactly a vegetarian paradise.  I didn’t want to feel like I had missed out on any part of the experience so soon in my journey, and I wasn’t “official” yet, so I gave myself permission to enjoy poultry and seafood as much as I wanted while there.  And I did.  When I came home, I felt satisfied.  I felt like I had eaten my fill and didn’t need anymore.  I “declared myself” vegetarian on October 12, the day before my birthday, although in reality I hadn’t eaten meat (including seafood) since late September.  Oh, and if you’re wondering how my birthday was… it was fabulous.  Hubby took me to a wonderful French restaurant near our home and I had a delicious, flavorful mushroom dish and a magnificent chocolate tart. 

Now, six months in, I feel like I am adapting to my new lifestyle and ready to talk to you all about it.  Because I do want to talk to you.  There is so, so much I want to share.  I’ll start by answering some questions that I’ve gotten, and some I haven’t gotten.

What the heck happened on October 12?

Like I said, I had already been eating a fully vegetarian diet for about three weeks.  But I didn’t want to commit, didn’t want to put a label on what I was doing.  On October 12, I remember it was a nice day outside – that beautiful DC Indian summer was still going on.  Blue sky, warm breeze.  So I decided to go for a walk after work, because hubby had a late night.  As I cruised around my neighborhood, I stopped in a bookstore and meandered over to the food and nutrition section (obviously).  I was flipping through a book on vegetarian diets and happened to stop on a page with quotes describing the horrors of factory farms and slaughterhouses.  Now, before you say anything, no, I haven’t been living under a rock.  I knew what happened on factory farms.  In this day and age, who doesn’t?  But seeing the words printed in stark black on the page, quotes from people who had actually carried out some astonishing atrocities, brought it home for me like nothing else ever had.  I stood in Books-A-Million literally feeling my heart drop to my toes, and I realized that I simply couldn’t be part of that system anymore.  I didn’t have it in me to cast one more vote for that system.  Yes, I was buying organic meat from Whole Foods, or from the farmers market… but I realized that wasn’t enough.  Every  dollar I spent on meat was a dollar that said, “I support this, I’m willing to be part of the demand for meat that has created things as they are.”  And I no longer felt comfortable with that.

How do I feel now?

I feel fantastic!  I have more energy than ever before.  I feel light and fresh.  My skin is clear and my hair is actually healthier than it used to be.  I am confident that I am doing the right thing for my health and for the environment.  It’s liberating.

What about the hubs?

The hubs is extremely supportive.  He understood my reasons for wanting to give this lifestyle another try and assured me that he was totally on board.  He hasn’t gone veg himself, which of course is his choice – he’s a grown-up.  However, he packs himself veggie lunches and he eats the same meals that I eat at home.  He will occasionally buy himself beef to make burgers on our new grill, and he usually (but not always) orders meat when we eat out.  We’re both very happy with the balance we’ve struck.

What kind of reactions am I getting?

I’ll be honest – the reactions I’ve gotten from friends and family have been mixed, which is to be expected.  Still, the vast majority have been very positive.  I think most people understand that I’m an adult who has done my homework, and I can make my own decisions.  Some people in particular have been awesome.  Special shout-outs go to hubby’s stepmom, who bought me a vegan cookbook for my birthday and made sure that there was a tasty veg entree at Thanksgiving for me and my vegan sister-in-law, and also to my other sister-in-law, who is gradually eating more veg herself!  I’m sure it helps that I try not to be preachy – I think this blog post is the most I’ve proselytized, and I really am not trying to push anything on you all, just telling you what my experiences have been.  So while I’ve had some difficult moments, people have generally been pretty darn amazing.

Am I getting all the nutrition I need?

Yes, Mom.  Haha!  No, really, I promise I have done tons of research on this.  I have made a concerted effort to eat protein with most, if not all, meals, and as a result I am actually getting more protein than I did when eating fish and poultry.  (I track my intake in an online nutrition tracker.)  I also take a multivitamin and a calcium supplement.  So I’m covered.  Actually, making sure that my nutrition is on point has been a fun challenge.  I’ve been exploring vegetarian protein sources (beans and tempeh are my faves, but I’m also loving lentils, tofu and seitan and the occasional egg) and filling my plate with tons of colorful veggies to get an array of nutrients.  I’ve been paying so much attention that I really believe my diet is healthier now.  I’ve also lost my taste for most processed junk as I’ve been eating more whole foods. 

Any plans to go vegan?

Not at this time.  I’m eating a lot of vegan meals, just coincidentally (because not every vegetarian meal includes cheese).  I do try to limit dairy because I have concerns about the healthfulness of dairy, but I am eating nonfat Greek yogurt for protein and really good cheeses.  I’m not going to waste my “dairy budget” on junky cheese for the most part, but I’m okay with some dairy coming in as a special treat from time to time.  It’s possible that could change, but right now I’m happy with the way things are.

What about seafood?

I’ll be honest, this is the hardest for me.  I haven’t had a single craving for poultry since giving it up – not even on Thanksgiving – but seafood, especially shellfish, was hard for me.  I really like sushi, smoked salmon, and tuna tartare.  I absolutely love mussels, clams and especially lobster.  I really didn’t think I would have trouble with those, since I hardly ever got them even when I was eating seafood – they were a very special treat for me, particularly lobster.  It was hard for me to imagine that I would miss something I only got once a year, if that.  But I do.  I do miss lobster.  So, would I eat seafood?  Truthfully, I’m not sure.  Sushi is not a problem for me because I can get the flavors through vegetarian sushi, and creamy avocado is a great stand-in for fish (since it’s the texture I love in sushi, more than the taste of the fish).  But the other stuff, yeah, I won’t lie, I miss it.  And while I don’t intend to eat it, I’m not going to foreclose the possibility that I would have a small amount on a very special occasion.  For example, my brother lives on an island and snorkels for clams.  If he offered me clams that he had snorkeled for, would I say no?  I haven’t had to experience that situation yet, so I don’t know for sure what I would do.  But if I’m being truthful with myself, I think that right now at least, for me it would feel more toxic to refuse something so special my brother was offering – clams that he had gathered and prepared with his own hands – than to just eat a couple of them.  That would be a really huge deal for me, and while I can’t think of another occasion where I really believe I would try seafood right now, I have to be honest and say that in that situation (which will probably happen, but only a couple of times), I would eat a couple of clams.  Does that make me a bad vegetarian?  I don’t think it does.  I can be committed to my lifestyle and allow myself one or two exceptions because I love my brother more.  Again, you know I hate labels.  I’m not trying to be perfect here, or to fit into anyone’s definition other than my own.  I’m just doing the best I can every day.

What does this mean for the blog?

Well, there won’t really be many changes.  You know I’m a baker at heart.  There will still be lots of baked goods, I promise.  Some may be vegan!  I’ve discovered that I looooove vegan baked goods (the cupcakes seem to have more chew, which I like, and vegan “buttercream” is much less greasy than the original).  So I’ll experiment there and share the good stuff.  And obviously the main dishes and salads I’ll be posting will be vegetarian or vegan.  However, I am going to leave the seafood and poultry recipes up on the blog, since I know some of you may want to try them.  Give the tuna and avocado salad a whirl – just because I’m not eating it doesn’t mean you can’t!

Most important question… how’s the food?

Dudes.  Dudes.  The food… the food is great.  You don’t have to eat animals to eat well.  For the past six months, I’ve explored different cuisines, flipped through new cookbooks, read vegetarian blogs, and really expanded my cooking horizons.  I’ve shared a couple of those discoveries with all of you, and rest assured, there are many more to come.  Now that I am more confident in my vegetarian lifestyle, I’m cooking up a storm.  I haven’t had this much fun in the kitchen since I was first married and trying out my shiny new wedding cookware!  And for those who worry that vegetarianism is limiting, trust me, it’s not.  I’ve eaten more variety in the past six months than I ever did while eating meat.  I used to have a few standby recipes that I rotated, trying new things periodically for the blog.  But now I’m exploring new flavorings.  Tamari!  Have you had tamari?  Oh it’s fantastic!  I’m having a wonderful time experimenting.  Some of my dishes have been great; others have been flops.   But it’s been an awesome ride.  And I have some great recipes to share with y’all in the coming weeks.  Stay tuned!

The past six months have been an amazing ride.  I’m more committed to vegetarianism than ever and looking forward to sharing this journey with my friends through this blog! 

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A Tale Of Four Kitchens

It seems like it was just yesterday that we moved in, but hubby and I are about to celebrate our one-year anniversary of living in our house.  I’m still pinching myself just about every day.  It was a long, drawn-out process to even get to moving day, and I still can’t believe that this house is ours.  We started with about a year of researching the market and checking out open houses, cruising real estate websites and keeping up on the real estate news in our area.  After a year of that, we teamed up with the same realtor who had helped us buy our lovely condo and it didn’t take us long to find our dream house.  Sadly for us, the house was a short sale… so even though we put an offer in back in October of 2009, and that offer was accepted the very next day, we didn’t actually turn the key until March of 2010.  Oh, and then we had to sell our condo.  Someday I’ll tell you all about that nightmare over a cocktail or twelve.

Why am I talking about this now?  Well, hubby and I were burnt out on spending money and overwhelmed with our space, and we decided to live in the house for awhile… like, almost a year… before we started decorating, renovating, or anything.  We only broke our rule once – we stained the back deck in early fall.  It needed to be done.  But now we’ve been in the house for awhile and we’re both getting itchy to make it our own.  As you can guess if you know us in person, there’s a lot we want to do, and we have some strong opinions.  Believe it or not, the kitchen is not the top of the list for a major overhaul.  That’s not to say it’s where I want it to be, and it’s not to say there’s nothing I’ll be doing in there (for one thing, the gold-tone cabinet pulls need to go, and they need to go, like, five minutes ago).  But the rest of the house is taking priority at the moment because the kitchen is livable for a few more years.  So as I dive into home renovations, I thought I’d take a little walk back through my kitchen history.  What a long, strange trip it’s been…

Kitchen In A Box

A shoebox, that is.  Because that was about the size of my first big kid apartment.  And by “big kid apartment,” I mean an apartment that I lived in without five roommates.  The first (and last) time I lived on my own, I had a teeny tiny little pad in Foggy Bottom for my first two years of law school.  It was a studio apartment and you could throw a paper airplane from one end to the other, but I still loved it.  Aside from being my very own space (never had that before!) it was where I really came into my own as a home cook.  There was no dishwasher, no counter space to speak of, and if you opened the oven all the way you’d bump your tush into the fridge door.  But I am living, breathing, non-starving proof that you can still make Barefoot Contessa corn chowder in a kitchen with one square foot of counter space.  (Sorry no pic, but this was before I got a digital camera and started taking pictures of my dinner.  I was just a baby!)

Newlyweds: Hubs and Messy


Messy homemade ice cream in Arlington.

Our first couple apartment was a cozy place in Arlington, VA.  Compared to the size of my single girl apartment, it was palatial.  The kitchen was just a little galley, but it felt like heaven to me.  I had four times the cabinets and probably ten times the counter space, so we’re talking huge upgrade here.  And even though the ceiling caved in (twice) I had some good times in this kitchen.  I had a whole cabinet where I kept my shiny wedding gifts.  I made Thanksgiving dinner twice in this kitchen.  I put more dogears in my Barefoot Contessa cookbook, and I got confident enough to start experimenting with dishes and straying from recipes.

Modern Condo Glamor


Condo kitch, all set up for hubby’s surprise 30th birthday party

Ahhhh, my beautiful condo.  There was not one thing I would change about this kitchen.  Everything was new.  Everything was perfect.  It was spacious, elegant, convenient and… well, perfect.  By the time hubby and I moved into our condo, I was quite confident in the kitchen.  I was feeling hemmed in by my apartment galley and looking for a kitchen that would support me as I took on new culinary adventures.  I fell in love with this kitchen immediately – the cool granite, the sleek stainless steel appliances (can we just have a moment of silence for my stainless steel appliances?) and the modern blond wood.  Cooking in this kitchen was a joy.  I had an entire island to spread out on, and it was a fabulous space for entertaining.  I learned so much in this kitchen – how to make pasta, for one thing.  I spent hours standing on those beautiful hardwood floors rolling sheets of pasta.  And the parties we had… such fun.  In 2009 we hosted a chocolate themed party and then didn’t eat chocolate for six months.  Good times.  I didn’t leave this kitchen behind without shedding a few tears. 

The Kitchen Of Today

And here we are.  This is where I mix batter and roast veggies and toss salads these days.  I love this kitchen more and more every day.  And even though there are things I’d change about it (oh, to have stainless steel appliances in my life again! No, seriously, how amazing would that wall oven look in metallics?) it’s my new home and I’m proud to have it.  I love the sleek black granite, the cooktop in the island, the double wall oven and the THREE (count ’em!) pantries.  A girl could get used to this place.  Especially once those gold cabinet pulls turn to brushed stainless.  I’m just sayin’…  So, there you have it.  My kitchen history in pics and prose.  Stay tuned because this space is only going to get better!  And as you can see, I’m starting off in a pretty good place.  And always remembering the kitchens of yore…

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Healthy Travel Tips


No, this is not where I am right now.  But wouldn’t it be great?

Given my intense travel schedule this month, I haven’t been doing much cooking or baking.  When I am at home, I just want to whip up something light and fresh and – above all – easy.  I only have a finite amount of time to spend with the hubs for the next couple of weeks and (confession time) I don’t really want to spend that time in the kitchen.  As much as I love to be in my kitchen, until this stretch of travel ends I want to make the most of my weekends and spend them being active and hanging out with my hubby.  Aside from throwing together a salad (and you’ve already seen two of them!) I’m just not into cooking at the moment.

But I didn’t want to abandon you guys again, either.  Even though I’m not in my kitchen, can’t we still find stuff to talk about?  I think we can.  Unfortunately, I can’t regale you with tales of my travels, because (1) I’m in an area without many great foodie options nearby, and (2) I don’t want to reveal what city I’m visiting, because this trip is business, not personal.  Given how long I’ll be away, I’m not in a position to put healthy living on hiatus until I am home for good.  Here are some tips for healthy travel that I’ve picked up along the way…

1.  Eat a healthy breakfast.  This one applies just like it does at home.  Eat a good, stabilizing breakfast and you’ll be much less likely to hit the vending machine or grab a donut from Starbucks by 10:00 a.m.  Great hotel room options include whole fruit (you can buy it at the airport or sometimes even in your hotel) with peanut butter (bring individual serving packets with you); “real food bars” like Larabars; or oatmeal if you can swing it.  When I can, I try to plan ahead and pack some nutritious snacks that can serve as breakfast in a pinch.  I’ve currently got two Larabars stuffed in my purse.  Mmmm, flat Larabars!

2. Hit the salad bar hard.  I’ve been eating in the same cafeteria for lunch almost every day, and it’s a bit light on healthy options, and especially on vegetarian choices.  Thank goodness for the salad bar!  I’ve had one or two days that didn’t go as planned, but most days, my go-to lunch as been a pile of mixed greens, cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers and chickpeas for protein, with balsamic vinaigrette.  Fresh, tasty, and keeps me going until dinnertime.  Remember, when you go to the salad bar, don’t overload on the cheese and high-calorie dressings!  And if a salad bar isn’t an option, you can almost always get a salad made for you at a restaurant.  Just ask for the dressing on the side and dip your fork in, or drizzle half of what they give you over your plate.

3. Find the fitness center.  Whenever I check into a new hotel, one of the first places I look is almost always the fitness center.  I like to see what kind of equipment they have and psych myself up for my workout.  I tend to get cranky if I go too long without doing something active, and business travel often involves long hours of sitting (on planes, in airports, in meetings…).  Knowing that there’s a convenient fitness center so I can fit in a workout does wonders for my outlook and stress levels.  Plus, I’m training for the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run, so skipping an entire month of workouts is not an option for me.  But even if you don’t have a fitness goal, you can still benefit from a visit to the fitness center!  Try out a different piece of equipment or create your own mini circuit.  Your trip, your rules.

4. Cut yourself some slack.  Travel is fun, but it can be stressful too.  Even if you have intense diet and fitness goals (and who doesn’t? it is January, after all), it can be hard to keep yourself motivated on the road.  It’s okay.  Do the best you can, make as many good choices as you can, and don’t beat yourself up if you slip now and again.  Soon you’ll be home and back in the comforts of your routine.  I’m just doing the best I can, knowing my favorite NoVA running trail is waiting patiently for me back home!

What are your favorite tips for healthy travel?

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Kale Salad with Sea Vegetable

I’ve been doing a lot of traveling lately.  Between the holidays and some work travel, I’ve been away far more than I’ve been home.  Traveling so much can be exciting, and I’m loving the opportunity to see new faces and new places and to work in a different environment.  (I do miss my friends at work, though!)  But one thing that I’ve realized is that I’m very wedded to my routine.  I like my familiar running trails and my fridge full of greenery.  Where I am now… well, it’s a city with lots of good qualities, but if I were to say the words “kale salad” they may look at me as if I’d grown another head.

Which is a shame.  Because this salad is not only healthy, it’s darn tasty as well.  I could eat kale salad every day of the week (and twice on Sundays!) but I rarely deviate from the classic combination of kale, avocado, olive oil, salt and lemon juice.  Sometimes I get a little crazy and sprinkle lime on instead.  Oooh, someone stop me!  So this time I wanted to try something different, something that still had that green, healthy flavor I love, something that felt like I was giving myself a little love before heading off on another grueling trip, but something a bit more creative as well.  Thus kale salad with sea vegetable was born.  The memory of this salad (which hubby is currently enjoying at home as I navigate hotel salad bars) is getting me through the next two weeks until I can have it again.  Now, if only I could find a nice running trail…

Kale Salad with Sea Vegetable

1 cup dried sea vegetable (dulse, armae, wakame or nori)
1 bunch curly kale
1 bunch Tuscan kale*
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt**
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
drizzle sesame or white truffle oil***
sprinkle white sesame seeds or Seaweed Gomasio

  • Place sea vegetable in a small bowl and cover with water.  Set aside to reconstitute.  (I used dulse but arame, wakame or nori would be good as well.  All are generally available in the Asian or natural foods sections of lage supermarkets, and in health food stores.)
  • Wash and dry kale leaves and tear them into large-ish bite sized pieces.  Add to mixing bowl; sprinkle on salt and drizzle olive oil and red wine vinegar.
  • With your fingers, massage kale until it has “wilted” down into a softer consistency.  Don’t be afraid to test bite pieces to find a texture that’s to your liking!
  • Drain off sea vegetable, but don’t be too enthusiastic about squeezing out all the water.  It’s okay if the sea vegetable is damp.  It lives in the water, after all!  Plus, there’s nutrients and minerals in that water – good stuff.  Add sea vegetable to kale mixture.  Drizzle over white truffle oil or sesame oil and toss well to combine.
  • Garnish with Gomasio or white sesame seeds just prior to serving.  Enjoy in good health!

*If you can’t find Tuscan kale in your supermarket, just substitute another bunch of regular curly kale.  Or, if you prefer, use two bunches of Tuscan kale!  The important thing is to keep the proportions right by using two bunches of kale – the variety of kale doesn’t matter as much.  Or cut the recipe in half.  Whatever blows your hair back!

**Start with 1 teaspoon and add more salt as needed if your kale is tough and doesn’t want to “wilt” down.  Be careful with adding salt though – this recipe can get very salty, very fast.  Err on the side of spending a couple of extra minutes massaging the kale before you add more salt.  Remember, once you add that salt, you’ve passed The Point Of No Return.  (Doesn’t that sound scary?  You have been warned.)

***I fully intended to use sesame oil in this recipe, to tie in with the sprinkle of Gomasio I was planning to finish the dish off with.  Being somewhat impatient, I didn’t read the bottle of oil before I grabbed it, and ended up drizzling on my precious white truffle oil.  As white truffle oil has the tendency to do, it made this dish FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC, so I put it in the recipe instead of lying to y’all and pretending I used sesame oil.  But sesame oil would be great in this as well.  Just remember, whether you use sesame oil or white truffle oil, go easy because it’s intense stuff.

Source: Covered In Flour

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New Year’s Salad

New Year, new salad.  I welcomed 2011 with a tasty meal-sized salad for dinner – one of my favorite things to eat!  In a nod to the incoming year, I decided to use black-eyed peas for the protein component of my salad.  Who else follows the tradition of eating black-eyed peas for luck on New Year’s?  I don’t know where it comes from; all I know is that we always had them at my grandma’s house on New Year’s Day.  And I’ll tell you what – eating a fresh spinach salad with avocado, crunchy peppers, and black-eyed peas makes me feel lucky indeed.  But don’t feel like you need to save this salad for New Year’s Day.  I’ll be eating it all year to keep that New Year’s luck going!

New Year’s Salad

4 cups fresh baby spinach, washed and dried
1 avocado, diced
2 bell peppers, cored and diced
1 can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
dressing of your choice (I used Annie’s Organic Goddess, but you can use whatever you like or make your own)

  • Create a bed of spinach by dividing leaves into two bowls.
  • Top spinach with peppers, then avocado, then pile black-eyed peas on top.
  • Dress and serve – that’s it!  Simple for 2011!  Serves 2.

Source: Covered In Flour

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Butternut Squash and Chestnut Casserole with White Beans

Here ya go: a holiday gift from me to you.  This dish is the perfect – and I mean PERFECT – vegetarian entree for a holiday meal.  Hubs said it tasted like stuffing to him, and I can see where he got that from – the savory, roasty flavors are definitely reminiscient of stuffing, but there’s no lumps of soggy bread, which are a major turn-off for me, anyway.  This recipe starts with a base of slightly caramelized onions, so you know it’s going to be good.  The white beans add protein punch and bump this dish up from neglected side to full-on main course.  Add on top of that squash, chestnuts, thyme and bread crumbs and you’ve got the makings of a deliciously compassionate holiday feast.  Add some mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy, cranberry sauce and citrus-roasted brussels sprouts (oh yes, I went there), and I promise you won’t even miss the turkey.

Butternut Squash and Chestnut Casserole with White Beans

1 yellow onion, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium butternut squash, cubed
1 15-ounce jar chestnuts, coarsely chopped
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper (eyeball to your preferred amount)
coarse bread crumbs (I like Ian’s brand, whole wheat, or homemade)
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
additional olive oil for drizzling

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • In a 9×13 inch casserole dish, toss the onions and olive oil until the onions are completely coated.  Bake for 20 minutes, until onions are beginning to turn golden and caramelized.
  • Meanwhile, cube the butternut squash into approximately 3/4 to 1 inch pieces and set aside.  Coarsely chop chestnuts and toss together with butternut squash.
  • When onions have baked for 20 minutes, remove from oven and add butternut squash and chestnuts, white beans, vegetable broth, thyme, salt and pepper.  Toss all ingredients together in the baking dish (careful, it’s hot!) until well combined.
  • Cover with a generous sprinkle of bread crumbs (in the picture above I had made my own, but I made another batch with Ian’s to bring to an office party.  Either way is good!  Or you could use croutons.) and nutritional yeast, if using.  Drizzle with olive oil and return to oven for 30-35 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Source: Adapted from Veganomicon, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero