Even though it was a short week, I am ready for a relaxing weekend after spending most of my time burning away on frustrating project and spending too much time sitting at my desk at work. I’ve been getting up at 5AM everyday this week to workout before work and still liking it, noticing more energy and feeling livelier at work. The trade off is I get tired earlier for bed, but worth it not having to worry about working out after work and having more freedom in the evenings. I’ve also been utilizing the time to watch various morning new programs with mixed feelings. I like starting the day with an update on what’s going on in the world, but a lot of the news is depressing and infuriating. I need a positive-only news program to watch, do you know of any? :-)
While we were in Napa, I picked up this smoked olive oil from the Culinary Institute’s shop even though I wasn’t exactly sure what I’d do with it at the time.
One non-raw snack that I have not completely given up is popcorn because it’s been one of my favorite snacks since I was a kid and I love that buying it in bulk, even from Whole Foods, is so cheap and easy in my hot air popper. I gave it up for months when first getting into raw, but decided I missed it too much. Currently I have a bowl about once a week or every two weeks and usually when chilling in front of the TV on weekends. I need a bigger purse to sneak my cheaper, healthier version into movie theaters. :-)
Since popcorn is wonderful with garlic olive oil, I figured I’d try the smoked stuff on it with a little pepper.
In this case, a tiny bit of the smoked stuff went a long way. I only needed to little drizzle to coat the popcorn with a strong smokey flavor. I liked it, it was different and reminded me of smoked dishes my parents prepared growing up. But my husband wasn’t a fan, the flavor was too strong for him. If you’re a fan of smoked flavors occasionally, give this a try.
I’m still enjoying tempeh frequently because it’s versatile, a great source of protein and so darn cheap at Trader Joe’s. I decided to give this Maple Grilled Tempeh recipe a try since hubby was firing up his grill for hot dogs. I sliced it into six triangle “steaks” and marinated for about 30 minutes before throwing on the grill.
It was very good with a sweet maple flavor and garlic kick. I will have it again, but next time I’ll marinade longer.
I also threw together a kale and corn salad with a rosemary guacamole dressing I impulsively threw together in our blender:
- 1 avocado
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. fresh minced rosemary
- 1/2 water, as needed
Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend to a smooth puree. Will coat a 4-6 serving salad.
Ani’s rosemary guacamole inspired it since I love the creamy textures of avocado-based dressings and it didn’t disappoint. I’m becoming addicted to fresh rosemary over dried because there’s a huge flavor difference.
As usual, this salad produced a large bowl to dump into our compost bin.
When my hubby saw it, he had to remind me that corn cobs have a disgusting history as a toilet paper alternative:
while less wealthy people used their hand when defecating into rivers, or cleaned themselves with various materials such as rags, …. and corn cobs
Ick, wouldn’t be able to compost them after that! Think I’ll take a moment to be thankful for toilet paper.
I always want to buy a griller :-) the Tempeh looks very delicious and fulfilling!!
i can see where longer marinading is required when grilling something like tempeh. i mean, even when grilling meat, the marinade needs to be really Strong, wayyyy stronger than you’d ever want to eat it b/c I find the flavors just disappear anyway. I know this b/c as a kid my parents grilled EVERYTHING and i learned a thing or two about grilling.
the smoked oil, not a smoked fan, but i love the idea of just drizzling oil. I use coconut oil but it’s either a blob or a gush of liquid, I need to find a way to drizzle it…not flood my popcorn!
I’ve never heard of smoked olive oil… interesting!
I had a somewhat dessert-like popcorn experience the other night w/ the addition of pecans, cinnamon, a little melted butter & a drizzle of honey…
On a side note, there are a couple of places in NYC that sell all different flavors of popcorn… It’s kind of fun. They are a little pricey, though – so it kind of negates the idea of popcorn as an inexpensive treat :)
I have never tried tempeh, but have been curious to. We just can’t get it in my part of the isolated world. Shhhh I cannot live without popcorn either!!