Braised Short Ribs

So I took the picture with Nick's phone...but it turned out GREAT, and I discovered a new Merlot :)

Waterworks Mountain and Pasta Salad

Yesterday Nick and I took the dogs for a hike up Waterworks mountain. It is a 3 minute drive from our house (so blessed) and the view you get from the top is breathtaking.

Gorgeous! It is unbelievable... you can see our house, the University, all of downtown... and if you turn and face north you see a small farm houses scattered throughout the landscape, tucked away, removed from society. 

There are always other people, some with a group of people or dogs, and others by themselves. In fact, yesterday we saw this CRAZY marathon runner... he was RUNNING THE LOOP. The loop is made up of massive hills stretching over about a mile to two miles, he ran it more than once... that we saw of. His legs were made of steel and about the width of a large watermelon. He is almost in better shape than I am :). 

When we got home, we decided a pasta salad sounded just right for dinner... we we went to the store, picked up some fresh veggies and chicken breast... 

ORZO PASTA SALAD:

Pasta:

Vegetable Stock

Water

*Combined the two, bring to a boil and cook noodles for 8-10 minutes. 

Tomato 

Peppers

Artichoke Hearts

Green Onions

* All chopped, add any other veggies you like

Toasted Pine Nuts

Chicken:

Boneless, Skinless Breast

Roasted Garlic

Thyme

Salt

Pepper

Lemon Juice

Olive Oil

*Bake at 375 (covered) for 20-30 minutes

Dressing:

1 Lemon, juiced

1-2 tbl Orange, juiced

1 Garlic clove, minced

Fresh Rosemary, chopped

2 tbl Red Wine Vinegar

1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar

Dash of Agave nectar

Splash Dijon

1/4 cup (+) Olive Oil

Salt/Pepper

*Shake/Whisk and pour over strained pasta and vegetables. Mix together, and place in fridge until chilled. Slice chicken and place on top of pasta when ready to serve! 

NEW "CHEESE"!!

The last few months I have been searching high and low for a vegan cheese product that does not tast like tofu, melts like real cheese, and STAYS melted, and that actually had a pretty darn good flavor for not being the real thing. My friends the wait is over! I ordere two different brands of cheese from the Vegan Shoppe. One was Sheese Vegan Cheese. IT WAS TERRIBLE. HORRIBLE. NEVE EVER BUY THIS. But the second... oooooh the second. It is Daiya: Deliciously Dairy Free. I scoured the ingredients, and there are NO milk products, NO animal products! IT WAS FABULOUS! DELICIOUS! YUMMMMMY! It comes pre grated and in two styles, cheddar style, and Italian blend. It is pretty expensive, but for special occsions, or if you are just really craving a cheeeeesy pizza, or homemade mac and cheese, this is the one! 

NEW PRODUCT!

Ok... so I know it has been a while. Please forgive me... the last month or so has been EVERYWHERE. I will say that I have been doing amazingly well by staying away from dairy. Yes, I do crave a cheesy piece of pizza about every day, but then I remember how good I feel and how much energy I have, and it goes away. Since my last post, I have continued to go to spin class every week, and I have lost about 10 plus pounds in two months.... AWESOME AND HEALTHY! But what I am really here to write about is this amazing new snack I found... well actually a guy in one of my classes was eating it, I tried it, and now I HAVE TO share it with you. BUMBLE BAR

Ok, as you can see it is gluten free, and vegan. I like to describe it as "human bird food". There are a ton of different flavors. It has a whole lost of different seeds and nuts included in it, and NOTHING in it that I can not pronounce!!! What an amazing snack, and energy snack!! So your task.. go try it, and let me know what you think! 

Loves,

Lauren

New Recipe!

Yummy Yummy Yummy! 


I went to spin class tonight, the 6:45, which is also known as Disco Spin. They turn off all the lights and turn on these florescent disco lights that flash to the beat of the music. The work out was killer. So naturally I developed a killer appetite. I am going to call this one "Vegan Disco Delight"


Chippolini (spelling) Onion, grated
Artichoke Hearts, Diced
Garlic, grated
Sun dried tomatoes, diced
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Splash Chicken Stock
1 can crushed fire roasted tomatoes
chili flake
3 tbl. Mimicream
splash sugar (agave would work also_
Let simmer, toss with egg noodle, and top with toasted pine nuts, and chives!

Feb. 2010

I know it has been a while since I posted last... It has been a busy month around this place. My last semester of school started, I have been sick, and just focused on other things. Nothing super new to report with the dairy thing... however yesterday did mark the 1 month mark! Only 11 more to go :).


I am getting a bit bored with some of the things I have been making, any suggestions?

The perfect lunch

Thank God for fake cream cheese! Why?

My mom came into town today (my 24th birthday is this Sunday... my golden one to be exact) and we came home from the airport with our coffee in hand. Hungry from her long flight, i rumaged through the fridge for something to eat. And then I saw it, smoked salmon. "Locks and bagels!" I declared. I grabbed the salmon, tomato, red onion, capers, and finally "Better Than Cream Cheese", toasted up some fresh from the bakery bagels, and lunch was served.

YUMMY!