The most AMAZING salad EVER

It's true.  You think I'm exaggerating, I know.  But this is no lie.  This salad was so freaking awesome that I have been buzzing with excitement about it for close to 24 hours now.  And I couldn't wait to share it with you!

This is the story of what happens when I get to go to the farmers market, get tons and tons of fresh produce, and proceed to attempt to cram it all into one meal. [and I got pretty close, I included everything except the green beans, but still have a ton of all the ingredients left]

So the farmer's market = Awesomeness.  I have to find one in Lewisville because I will get my butt out of bed early on a Saturday morning in order to get some delicious fresh produce, I just don't want to drive to Denton and back and then drive back up there for Zumba. [I think there's a hash-tag that would fit here well? #firstworldproblems. LOL]  We got a quart of cherry tomatoes- that I was just popping in my mouth and eating while cooking last night- 5 summer squash, 3 huge zucchinis, 4 ears of corn, and a whole big bunch of green beans. 

On a side note, I was actually taking these pictures on the coffee table because natural light is just so much prettier than a flash. No matter how you bounce it and soften it, sometimes it's still so harsh.  So yes.  I am a weird foodie who was sitting on the couch slicing summer squash on the coffee table. Just so I could have natural light.

Oh and I bought a new cutting board that is going to look so much prettier in my pictures! Woo hoo!

And this piece of squash looks like an African tribal mask in the seeds. Yes? I mean you see it right, I'm not crazy right?  Well, I see it....

As I was making this salad I was way too excited for someone making a salad.  But it wasn't like eating a salad, it was like eating something savory, yummy, filling... It was just awesome.  Don't doubt the power of this salad. 

And I realized after I was halfway through making it that I didn't think of what kind of dressing it would have.  Crud. So I'm thinking, well I've never made a vinagrette without a recipe, but surely it can't be too hard.  And really it wasn't.  Honey mustard vinagrette.  How delicious does that sound?

At this point I'm bouncing around the kitchen [which, let's be honest, is pretty hard considering the size of our kitchen, but I'm doing it] I'm just that excited for a salad. What?? It still just sounds so wrong.

Oh and there's corn.  Beautiful, yellow, sweet corn.  Roasted in the oven on 375 for 25-30 minutes, with the husk on, and it's perfect [so much easier than boiling].

And then you cut it off the cob and it's almost impossible to resist eating right then and there off the cutting board it's so freaking good.

So I'm mixing all the vegetables together and tossing them with the dressing, and practically exploding with the excitement of eating this salad.  And it doesn't help that the only thing I'd eaten since breakfast was a cereal bar and it is now almost 8 pm.  So yes excited is an understatement.

And Joel pulls the steak out from under the broiler. Ahhhhhh [angels singing].  And my mouth is watering.  Funny side note, Joel is solely responsible for the steak because my words were this exactly- "I don't know what to do with it, I don't do meat." Yup, I just eat it.

It was perfect, the most tender, perfectly juicy steak ever cooked at home. The word love does not begin to describe.

And voila. Food.  Amazing, delectable, salad.  The. Best. Salad. Ever. Period. The. End.

Sauteed Summer Squash Salad with Roasted Corn and Steak [with Honey Mustard Vinagrette]
Dressing:
2 T honey mustard
2 T olive oil
3 T rice wine vinegar
1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 t paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in bowl.  Whisk to combine. Set aside.

Salad:
Romaine lettuce
3 small summer squash
1 large zucchini
2 ears corn
handful cherry tomatoes
1 bunch green onions
1 clove garlic minced
flank steak

Cut up your veggies.  Sautee the summer squash and zucchini with garlic and just enough oil to coat the pan.  Just get them soft, you don't want soggy veggies in your salad.  Roast your corn as directed above and cut it off the cob.  Let the corn and squash mixture cool to room temp. 

Have someone that "does meat" give your steak a rub, sear it, and broil it in the oven about 8 minutes per side with tin foil on top.  Let the steak rest before cutting it into strips. 

Combine all the veggies, lettuce, green onions, and tomatoes in a salad bowl and toss with the dressing. 

Slice the steak and then layer on top before consuming the entire confection, like you've never eaten a salad before, not like this one!

Thursday Thoughts [Short Week]

And thank goodness it was a short week.  I think my head was about to explode today... oh the drama of 4 year olds. But no we are definitely not going there.  Basically I just need my weekend to recuperate from my long labor day weekend.  And I need to get back on track- eating right and working out consistently.  One weekend off and now I have felt off all week.  Enough complaining.

I've really just been sitting here day dreaming about Austin all day and how I would kinda, maybe like to live there.  It's so cool with all of it's little shops, restaurants, places to go and things to do.  Like Congress Street [above] I could spend days exploring that street.  And all the outdoor pretty places in Austin.  I want to photograph everything.  And no I'm not exaggerating.  I've decided it's like Denton on steroids.  Or maybe Denton is trying to be like the Austin of North Texas.  Now that's probably more accurate.  Either way, I sort of want to live there.  [And when I do the whole kinda, sorta, maybe thing, that means I really really want to.]

[Oh Lake Travis...] Well, maybe one day, but for at least the next 2 years we're pretty settled in the DFW area [for Joel's Master's degree].  Besides, I really like it here too!
[and I will continue to entertain you with Austin pictures...]

 [Aren't the bees cool?!]
Other than daydreaming about becoming an Austinite [maybe? who knows?], my head has been occupied with wedding thoughts [like, will I be able to fit in the dress hanging in the closet after all that food... ha!].  I can't believe it's only 4 months from next Wednesday [!!!], that seems so close!

I'm trying to think of what I can realistically do versus the grand plans I have pinned about for months and months on end- darn you Pinterest.  I.E. decorations, desserts, favors [all of which I plan on doing myself...] Guess I'd better get to work.  Time to put some plans into action.

I'm also obsessing over fall.  Like seriously, is it here yet?!? I live in Texas, I seriously need some cooler weather here! But, then again, I live in Texas, so I must be kidding myself if I think that cooler weather will be here before, oh, I don't know, November?

But seriously I'm craving boots, sweaters, jeans, and scarves.  And fall foods- anything pumpkin, soups, chilis, chowders, stews, warm, hearty foods.  Ugh it all sounds so good! Oh yeah! Pumpkin chili.  Now I'm not the world's biggest fan of Rachael Ray, but my mom sent me a year's subscription to her magazine and there are some really good recipes in there.  Like chili- I'm talking not 1, not 2, not even 3, but 10 different chili recipes. Like Oh. Em. Geeee. That is a lot of chili,  and I want to make them all.  We are going to be eating chili all fall -> winter long. [and Joel will have no problem with that] Especially pumpkin chili.  [He might have a problem with that one...]

Now I usually reserve pumpkin for my baked goods, but I am totally willing to make an exception for this one.  But I need fall, So I can make this, And tell you how amazing it is,  Deal, forces of nature?

Oh and so I can wear boots and scarves again.  Please & Thank you.  Signed, a desperate Texan craving cool weather. 

And here's to calling this my last "summery" meal [Labor Day grilling],  hey it's called wishful thinking, don't rain on my parade!!

Baked Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower

This is a side dish that everyone should be able to get behind.  Oven baked garlic parmesan cauliflower.  There is not a single word in that title that doesn't sound delicious! I could eat an entire head of cauliflower prepared this way, it is just that good.

 I've been seeing a lot of cauliflower on Pinterest, and I really hadn't eaten it much since living at home with my parents about 6 years ago. [Yup, don't worry I feel pretty old right now thinking about that].  My mom used to cook a whole head of it in the microwave then put a mixture of melted butter and bread crumbs on top.  It was a pretty darn tasty dish. 

I guess that's where I was inspired to make my creation, that and an oven baked cauliflower recipe I found on Pinterest [but that's the gist of what I borrowed from that recipe- the fact that I baked it in the oven- the seasonings and everything else was all me with a little inspiration from mom].

I wanted the texture and flavor of the breadcrumbs, but not the calories of the melted butter.  And I figured oven baking them with a little bit of olive oil would do the trick. 

The rest was just flavors I thought would be good together- garlic [of course, it is me after all, can you think of a recipe I've posted on here that didn't involve garlic? Oh cupcakes good point. But I can work on that!], red chilli flakes, whatever sounded good at the time.  Pretty much the way I season all my food- what sounds good in the moment and smells good when I mix it together.

This is definitely not your same old, boring, steamed cauliflower.  This is a great flavorful side dish that packs a lot of flavor.

You will need:
1 head of cauliflower, chopped into bite size florets
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup breadcrumbs [seasoned- either Italian or garlic and herb]
1/4 parmesan cheese
2 T olive oil
pinch of red chilli flakes
salt and pepper to taste

1. After you have prepared your cauliflower, toss it in a bowl with the olive oil, bread crumbs, parmesan, and seasonings.  The pieces should be all lightly coated.
2. Spread the mixture on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet, lightly sprayed with cooking spray. You can sprinkle with a little extra breadcrumbs and garlic if you wish.
3.  Bake in the oven at 400 for 20-25 minutes.
4.  When removed from the oven the cauliflower should be tender.
5. Enjoy!

Oh and PS- I hear you can mash cauliflower in place of potatoes, make pizza crusts, and various other things with it... Let's just say I'm obsessed with it at the moment so you may be seeing some of those creations on here soon...

Avocado + Bacon = Perfection

So by now you've figured out how much I love my Mexican inspired dishes.  Here's another one that you'll be sure to enjoy.

Oh, and how much I love avocados. I see a recipe with avocado in it and I automatically must make it.  Avocado cream this, avocado dressing that, an avocado tomatillo salsa you say? Oh I am so there.  So this dish with a bean salad AND an avocado salad on top of a tostada you say? Don't mind if I do. 

The avocado salad part was absolutely amazing.  The chunks of avocado with a simple dressing of lime juice, EVOO, cilantro and green onions- sublime.  It was so creamy and mouthwatering. And with a side of that jicama salad that I made previously... that was one delicious dinner.

Enough of the reminiscing about the drooling... and maybe drooling a little bit more now because I am definitely hungry at the moment...

This is my adaptation of the recipe I linked to above.  We shall call it amazing.  Haha, no, just kidding, these are Avocado and Bean salad Tostadas.

You will need:
2 avocados
1/2 bunch cilantro
3 green onions
2 T EVOO
3 T lime juice
salt and pepper to taste
8 slices turkey bacon
2 T canola oil
3 T rice wine vinegar
1 T honey
1 T dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
2 jalapenos, seeded, finely chopped
1 can black beans
1 can red kidney beans
tostadas

To get your avocados into nice little cubes, just make a checkerboard pattern on each half of the avocado with your knife then scoop out with a spoon- like so-

Perfect!  Then mix the avocados with EVOO, lime juice, cilantro, and green onions.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Let it marinate in the fridge about 30 minutes.

Bake your turkey bacon in the oven on 400 for about 15 minutes to get it nice and crisp.  Then chop it up into strips.

Combine the canola oil, rice wine vinegar, honey, mustard, and salt and pepper to make a vinaigrette. Then combine with the jalapeno, beans, and bacon.

Can you say yum?

This is a great light dinner! All that's left to do is to mix it up and layer on your tostada.

[insert clouds opening up and angels singing here]

Yup it's avocados so of course it's that good!

Enjoy!

Labor Day Weekend [In Austin]

 What have you been up to this labor day weekend?

Joel and I thought it would be a good chance for our parents to meet before the wedding.  So we met in Austin and consumed copious amounts of food- the best Austin has to offer.  Like this amazing red velvet cupcake from Hey Cupcake, the food truck.

We were walking up and down Congress Street and as soon as I saw their food truck I knew I was screwed.  There was definitely going to be some cupcake consumption going on.

And while eating our cupcakes we got to enjoy this gorgeous view.  Don't you just love it when the clouds do that at sunset? This is the precise reason why I toted my camera all over Austin this weekend, basically everywhere we went.  You never know when a shot like this will present itself- and when it does you just have to have it!

Yup, be jealous. We were hanging out by Lake Travis.  It may be low but it was still a nice refreshing place to spend our day.  Especially for me, snapping away with my dad's huge lens that he let me borrow and play with.  I was in heaven!

Nature is just too breathtaking.

And we went to this little place... I don't know, you may have heard of it.  It's called the Salt Lick.  And they only have the best BBQ, oh, maybe... Ever?!  We waited for an hour and a half but Oh. Em.  Geeeee.  It was worth it. 

And while we waited I got to wander about and take some pretty awesome shots- like this one- in their gorgeous garden. 

And it wouldn't be Texas without....

...A cactus in a boot. 

I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend as much as I did! Let's get back on the healthy food wagon this week, I sure need it after this weekend!