MY Treadmill

Thursday I ran 8 miles on the treadmill.  Felt pretty good. Got to the gym and my favorite treadmill was taken so I jumped on the one next to it.  Then before I could even set up my treadmill, the girl next to me, got off MY treadmill so I quickly moved over!  YAY!  So what makes MY treadmill my favorite you ask?  It has fans on the side instead of the top so I can throw my towel over the machine and still get air circulation to my face.  It also has an oval track so you can feel like you are actually on a track.  And the TV works great- meaning the remote actually works and you can turn the channels by just hitting the up and down button.  So yea, that's why I love it!  So I got to the gym late (7:30AM ish) but decided I still wanted to get the 8 miles in since I declared it on my blog.  So I ran until 8:40ish, quickly showered and still got to work on time! Pretty impressive if you ask me! I also ran everyone off the treadmill.  Anyone else love to do this?  Like there are probably 20 treadmills at my gym and by the end of my run, no one was left.  Not even the people who started way after me!

8 miles, 1:11:29, 8:56 min/mile pace

Thursday night I made Black Bean Mushroom Cakes, kind of a blend between this recipe and this recipe. This recipe was inspired by Brown Eyed Baker. I had planned to make small cakes and serve them on the crusty french bread I had left over from the Superbowl, but after I made the cakes, the bread was missing.  Dave then informed me he ate it all! Oh well!  So I served my cakes on Josephs Reduced Carb/Flax Whole Wheat Tortillas. I'll post pics later : )

Black Bean Mushroom Cakes
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 small finely chopped onion
8 ounces portobello mushrooms, stems removed and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup or more of Panko Bread Crumbs
2 ounces (about ½ cup) shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Reduced Carb Whole Wheat Tortillas
Instructions:
In a large skillet, heat canola oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, garlic, cumin and paprika and cook until mushrooms have released their juices, about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly. Add the mushroom mixture and beans to the food processor; pulse until combined, but not smooth – leave some chunky bits. Add the panko bread crumbs and process a bit more. Mix ingredients together and divide into 10 small patties. Heat a grill, grill pan or skillet over medium heat. Place patties on the surface and cook until thoroughly heated through and the outside has crisped, about 5 minutes per side. I then popped them under the broiler to get some color on them.  I also added the tortillas with shredded cheese on a baking sheet and put that under the broiler as well.  Then I served the cakes on the tortilla bed with mixed greens and Annie's Goddess Dressing.

This morning, I ran an easy 3 on MY treadmill then lifted my arms.

3 Miles, 26:15, 8:45 min/mile pace

I had my weigh in today for our biggest loser competition at work and I'm staying pretty steady at about 5-6 pounds down from my original weight.  I would still like to be down 6-10 more by the final weigh in which is April 1st. We'll see what I can do!

Plan for the weekend is to take tomorrow off from working out then running 12-15 miles on Sunday.  I will be cooking Valentines Day dinner both Saturday and Sunday night too!  Still working on my menu but it looks like some type of surf and turf and possibly a meat I've never cooked before- veal? lamb? We'll see! Pictures to come this weekend : )

The Snow Storm that never accumulated...

It's almost Thursday!  Wahoo!  Let's go over some eats.  Monday I made Tortilla Bowl Salad with Grilled Chicken.  I've made this before and its pretty simple to do and definitely resembles my favorite salads I get at Mexican restuarants.  So to make the bowl I place a mini-pyrex bowl on a baking sheet and place the whole wheat tortilla over it and then put another bowl on top to keep the shape. Look here for the mini bowls I use.  I used the ones in the back left in the picture.  After the tortilla "bowl" is shaped, I add my mixed greens and various veggies with grilled chicken.

This was a meal definitely needed after a weekend of indulgences!  

Tuesday night I went to see my friend Joanna sing in Davis Square.  She is in an Acapella Group called Vinyl Street and they are awesome!

Tonight I made another dish off of Cara's blog.  I made
Shrimp, Chicken and Pineapple Fried "Rice."

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil, divided

1lb shrimp, pealed and deveined

1/2 pound of grilled chicken, diced

1/4 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup frozen corn

1 large scallion, sliced thinly

2 cloves minced garlic

pinch of crushed red pepper

1 can diced pineapple

1lb fresh cauliflower, grated

2 tbsp lite soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

2 large egg

Instructions:

Heat 1tsp the olive oil in a wok over medium heat. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and cook for about 1-2 minutes on each side, until just opaque. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside. Add the chicken, peas, corn, garlic, red pepper and pineapple to the wok and cook several minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from pan and add to the shrimp. Add the remaining 2 tsp olive oil to the pan, and stirfry the grated cauliflower for a few minutes, until tender. Add the set aside shrimp and pineapple mixture and stir to combine. Create a well in the center and add the egg, scrambling and distributing through the cauliflower. Add the soy sauce and sesame oil, stir to coat, and serve immediately.

This was sooo different and creative.  Thanks Cara for coming up with such a delicious meal! Dave was really impressed with it- it tasted a lot like the Shrimp Fried Rice I've made several times on this blog.  Cauliflower is really an awesome ingredient- it can be transformed in so many ways! This is definitely a recipe I will come back to!

I didn't work out today because I slept in in preparation for all this snow we didn't get.  I'll make up for it tomorrow, maybe with 8 miles?!? My plan is to run medium long tomorrow, easy 3ish on Friday, Saturday cross train or off, Sunday 14-15.  That would be just over 30 for the week. I also need to get some lifting in, I've been slacking this week!

Speed Tuesdays!

Today's workout- 5X800 with 400 Recovery Jog.

Warmup- 1.5 miles 6.0MPH (Everything at .5 Incline)
800: 3:35 8.1MPH
400: Rest at 5.2 MPH
800: 3:32 8.3ish MPH
400: Rest at 5.2 MPH
800: 3:30 8.4ish MPH
400: Rest at 5.2 MPH
800: 3:28 8.5-8.6ish MPH
400: Rest at 5.2 MPH
800: 3:23 8.7-9.0ishMPH
Cooldown 1.25 Miles at 5.0-6.0MPH
6 Miles in 55 minutes!

I'm pretty psyched about this workout. It definitely felt harder than the 400s last week, but it was good to get faster. I had a shorter warm-up because I got to the gym late today. Staying up late on a Sunday has affected me! I'll post about food later but I made a Whole Wheat Tortilla Bowl Salad last night with grilled chicken. I also made a Barbara Lynch's Broccoli Soup with Cheddar Crisps. A somewhat healthy meal after a weekend of indulgences (oops)! Tonight I am heading to my friend Joanna's Acapella Concert so no home-cooking tonite. Stay tuned for recipes and pictures,

Superbowl Sunday

I started off the morning by sleeping in till 9:30! It was amazing. Then I had to figure out my running plan. My brother agreed to run with me if I drove to him. So I drove out to Brookline and we ran just under 11 miles at 9:12 pace. At the 6 mile mark, we turned onto the Boston Marathon route just in time for Heartbreak Hill. Surprisingly, I've never run heartbreak and it was definitely a b$#%. It wasn't horrible, just really steep but we maintained our pace for the most part and even passed several runners who were walking up the hill. I felt really good today. I tiny bit of pain in my achilles, but nothing I couldn't handle.

10.75 miles in 1:38:48, Avg. Pace 9:12

Mile 1: 8:47
Mile 2: 9:02
Mile 3: 9:08
Mile 4: 9:08
Mile 5: 9:20
Mile 6: 9:20
Mile 7: 9:11
Mile 8: 9:25
Mile 9: 9:26
Mile 10: 9:16
.75: 9:02
Fastest Pace: 6:58
Calories Burned: 1108

Overall great run! Okay, on to Superbowl Food!!!! First I made Pizza Bites inspired by Chaos in the Kitchen.
Pizza Bites

Ingredients:
1 can refrigerated pizza dough
4 oz block mozzarella cheese
2 oz thin sliced turkey pepperoni
1 tsp Italian seasoning
olive oil spray
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
tomato sauce

Instructions:
Cut block of mozzarella into 24 cubes. Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease 3 pie pans. Roll one dough out into a large rectangle and cut into 24 pieces. In each dough piece place a couple pieces of chopped pepperoni and a cube of cheese. Seal dough around meat and cheese and place seam side down in pie pan. Repeat, placing approximately 24 dough balls in each pie plate. Once assembled, spray with olive oil and sprinkle spices on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. When ready to bake: bake at 400°F for 16-20 min. Serve with warm tomato sauce.So my cheese kinda popped out, but they were still delicious!!! Check out the inside!
Next up, I made Salsa Baked Goat Cheese also from Chaos in the Kitchen.
Salsa Baked Goat Cheese

Ingredients:
1/4 cup pine nuts
4 oz goat cheese, softened
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup Spicy Salsa from the Produce Aisle

Ingredients:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast the nuts on a baking sheet in the oven until lightly browned, about 7 minutes (the pine nuts will brown quicker than either of the others). In a bowl, thoroughly combine cheeses and nuts. Scoop it into the center of a baking dish, forming it into a flat disk. Pour salsa over and around cheese. Bake cheese mixture just to warm it all the way through, 10 to 15 minutes.

Then I made Spinach and Artichoke Dip. This was good, but definitely not as good as Erins. Erin- I need your recipe!!!

Ingredients:
2 blocks cream cheese (16 oz), room temperature
1 lb frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (can use half Romano)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste
1 can artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
6 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions
Thaw spinach and set your cream cheese out to soften in advance. Once spinach is thawed place in the center of a clean dishtowel. Bring up the corners and twist the towel above the spinach until the liquid is completely wrung out of the spinach. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. In a mixing bowl, combine softened cream cheese, Parmesan, mayo, garlic, salt and pepper. Use a fork to get everything really well mixed and combined. Stir in drained spinach and chopped artichoke hearts using your fork to break up any chunks. Stir in half the mozzarella and pour the mixture into the baking dish. Smooth the top and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella. Bake dip approximately 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly and brown at the edges.
I also made Turkey Chili. Standard recipe with extra heeeeaaat. Meaning I used a Spicy Chili Seasoning Mix and Diced Tomatoes with Chilis....mmmm. So it was 1lb ground turkey 93% lean, 1 package of spicy chili seasoning, onions, garlic, 1 can of black beans, 1 can of pinto beans, 1 can of diced tomatoes with chilis, 1 can of regular diced tomatoes, 1/2 bottle of beer, tomato paste, salt, pepper, garlic powder...mmmm...
(My normal brother enjoying the chili)
The last thing I made was the highlight of the day. Nutella Pound Cake inspired by The Italian Dish. Yes, you read that right. This was to.die.for. Make this people, it will change your life. Yeah, yeah I know I know you are thinking are you really still in the biggest loser competition??? I am but it was the superbowl, I had to indulge a little bit.

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1-1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
One 13-ounce jar Nutella

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. In a medium bowl, whisk the 1-1/2 cups of flour with the baking powder and salt and set aside. In a large bowl beat the butter with the sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the mixer at medium-low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, making sure each one gets incorporated before adding the next one. Add the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, beating at low speed between additions until incorporated. Continue to beat for 30 seconds longer. Spread one-third of the batter in the prepared pan, then spread half of the Nutella on top. Repeat with another third of the batter and the remaining Nutella. Top with the remaining batter. Lightly swirl the Nutella into the batter with a butter knife. Do not overmix. Bake the cake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto a wire rack, turn it right side up and let cool completely, about 2 hours. Cut the cake into slices and serve.
So all the food was amazing and I was also really happy the Colts lost!! Great game, pretty disappointing commercials but definitely a fun night.

Workout updates:
Friday- 3 miles, Saturday- off, Sunday- 10.75
Mileage for the Week: 31.25

Weekend Food

Friday night, we tried a new restaurant called Woodward in the new Ames Hotel. I've heard great things about this place and was excited to try. For starters we got the Grilled Vegetable Salad which featured different textures and totally deliciousness. Eggplant, Arugula, Home-made Croutons, Parmesan cheese! Then we got the Duck Flatbread which had goat cheese, fontina cheese, duck, cranberries and arugula.Lastly, we shared the seafood bouillabaisse which was good, but not amazing. Next time I would probably stick to just the flatbread and salad.
Saturday morning, I decided to make "eggs in a basket," something I have seen on other blogs. Only I used my heart cookie cuter. All you do is place your cookie cutter in the middle of your bread, then butter your bread and put it in the hot skillet. Once browned flip it and crack your egg right in the middle and season with salt and pepper. Then flip again!
A true love breakfast : )
Lunch I made a bowties with whatever veggie was left in the fridge- brussel sprouts, tomatoes, green peppers, banana peppers... and some parm cheese.

I finally got moving around 3pm and did my errands. When I got home from the grocery store, I made Black Bean Tortilla Pie inspired by Cara's Cravings. I've made very similar recipes to this, but this one caught my eye so I had to try it.
Black Bean Tortilla Pie (inspired by Cara's Cravings)
Ingredients

1 cup diced onion

1 medium zucchini, diced

1 large red bell pepper, diced

freshly ground salt & pepper
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cans diced tomatoes with green chiles

4 oz cream cheese

6 10" flour tortillas

1 cup reduced fat shredded mexican blend cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and spray with nonstick olive oil cooking spray. Add the onions and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the bell pepper and cook for about 5 minutes more, stirring. Add zucchini and cook for about 8 minutes, until vegetables are softened. Season with salt & pepper, cumin, chili powder, and oregano and stir to coat. Add the black beans and diced tomatoes with green chiles. Cut the cream cheese into cubes and scatter over the vegetable mixture, and stir until all of it is melted in and nicely combined. Remove from heat. Lightly spray your casserole dish (I used a 9x13 Glass Pyrex Pan)with nonstick cooking spray. Top with two of the tortillas (if using one large dish), top with about 2/3 or the vegetable mixture and half of the shredded cheese. Add another layer of tortillas and the remaining vegetable mixture. Repeat one more time. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Serve with side salad.

We're having people over for the Super Bowl and I have a big menu planned.
Salsa Baked Goat Cheese
Pizza Bites
Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Turkey Chili
Cheesecake
Nutella Cake
Yum!
Nancy canceled the run so I have to figure out if i am going to the treadmill or running outside!I'll be back with a pics and recipes of super bowl food!

More Veggie Meals

Wednesday night I made Stuffed Poblano's inspired by Elly Says Opa.

Ingredients:
4 medium poblano peppers
1 tsp. olive oil
1/4 cup diced onion
3 links Trader Joe’s garlic chicken sausage (or something similar), diced
1/4 cup salsa plus additional for serving (I used the hot salsa you get in the produce aisle)
1/2 cup corn (fresh corn is best, cut kernels off the cob)
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 cup of feta and monterey cheese (all I had- couldn't find manchego which was in the original recipe)
1/2 cup of spinach

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400. Heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion. Cook for a couple minutes until onion begins to get tender, and add the chicken sausage. Cook until onion is translucent and sausage is browned. Add salsa, corn and cumin. Simmer over low to combine flavors and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in all but 2 Tbsp. of the cheese.

Lay the poblano flat (the way it naturally sits without falling over) and then cut a T-shaped slit into the top of the poblano. Using your fingers, pry the slit apart, and pull the seeds out over the sick. (you really have to get in there to remove the core and seeds)

Stuff the sausage mixture into the poblano peppers. Top each poblano with 1 T of the remaining cheese and bake for 35 minutes until soft.

Ella served hers with what looked like in her picture, a tomato sauce, and last minute, I looked for sauce in my cupboard and didn't have any. But it tasted fine without it.

Along with the stuffed Poblano, I also decided to make a recipe I saw from a new blog I just started reading, Cara's Cravings. I randomly found Cara's blog and ironically, she had my mom as her teacher in high school! Such a small world. I still have a mango from last week when I was supposed to cook Mango Chicken and Jalapeno. So I figured I might as well use it before I have to throw it out!

Black Bean, Mango, and Quinoa Salad

1 large mango, peeled and diced

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 finely chopped red onion 1 cup dry quinoa, cooked according to package directions

1 plum tomato, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup hot salsa from the produce section

1/2 tsp ground cumin

2 tbsp olive oil juice from

1 lime

salt and pepper

Instructions: Combine mangos, black beans, onion, quinoa, salsa and tomato in a medium bowl. Whisk together remaining ingredients and pour over salad and mix to combine.

The Poblano's were so good, it was definitely different and I really enjoyed them. That quinoa salad will be a new staple! I think quinoa is my new kale- I'm obsessed!
Tonight, I am making Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Spinach and Goat Cheese inspired from Bon Appetit. (I wrote that in the afternoon, it's now 9:15pm and these did not turn into that recipe because I couldn't find goat cheese! I swear I bought it but it was nowhere to be found in my fridge! So yes I was inspired by the above recipe, but I certainly changed it up!)

Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Creamy Vegetables
Ingredients:

Marinated mushrooms
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon coarse salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 cup Marsala
1 teaspoon of dried thyme
3 large portobello mushrooms
Filling: 1 10-ounce package frozen spinach
1 pound button mushrooms
1/2 Eggplant chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, diced
1/4 cup plus 6 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup unseasoned dry breadcrumbs
1/2 of cream cheese package, 4oz
mozzarella slices to melt on top
10 Sun Dried Tomatoes, chopped

Instructions:

For marinated mushrooms: Whisk first 6 ingredients and Marsala, if desired, in medium bowl for marinade. Arrange mushrooms, gill side up, in 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish. Pour marinade over mushrooms and marinate 4 hours, (or 15 minutes like me!) turning to coat occasionally.
For filling: Preheat oven to 400°F. Cook spinach according to package directions. Drain; cool. Using hands, squeeze excess water from spinach. Place in small bowl. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add onion; sauté until beginning to brown, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add chopped mushrooms, eggplant, sundried tomatoes and sprinkle with salt, and increase heat to high. Cook until almost all liquid evaporates, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Season mushroom mixture with salt and pepper. Add spinach, 1/4 cup Parmesan, cream cheese and breadcrumbs to mushroom mixture; melt and toss to distribute evenly. Season filling to taste with salt and pepper. (Transfer marinated mushrooms, with some marinade still clinging, to rimmed baking sheet, gill side down. Roast until beginning to soften, about 15 minutes. Turn mushrooms over. Divide filling among mushrooms. Sprinkle remaining 6 tablespoons Parmesan cheese over and bake until heated through and cheese begins to brown, about 15 minutes.) (See this step, I missed it... so I just put the mushrooms in a dish and added the filling on top. Then I added some more breadcrumbs and mozzerela and baked for 20 minutes)

So dinner was just okay. I wasn't in love with these mushrooms, but maybe if I followed the directions, these could have come out better. What can you do... Dave still liked them! I served the mushrooms with creamy spicy kale which I made by sauteing kale with evoo, chicken broth, a touch of cream, salt, pepper, mozzerela, some cream cheese and banana peppers.

Workouts this Week:
Monday- 6 miles 53:26 (8:54 pace)
Tuesday- 6.5 miles 8X400
Wednesday- Physical Therapy
Thursday- 5 miles 44:15 (8:51)

Tomorrow, I plan on doing the running a few miles then doing the step machine and lifting. I am not going to work out Saturday then Sunday I am going to meet Nancy for a 12+ mile run. Happy Almost Friday!

Speed Tuesdays Part 4

Today I did 8X400s on the treadmill starting at 1:47 and going down to 1:36.

Speed Workout:
2 miles easy (10 minute pace- 6.0MPH)
400 at 8.2MPH (1:47)
400 rest at 4.5MPH (sloooow jog)
400 at 8.3 MPH (1:45)
400 rest at 4.5MPH (sloooow jog)
400 at 8.5 MPH (1:43)
400 rest at 4.5MPH (sloooow jog)
400 at 8.6-8.8MPH (1:39)
400 rest at 4.5MPH (sloooow jog)
400 at 8.6-9.0MPH (1:36)
400 rest at 4.5MPH (sloooow jog)
400 at 8.6-9.0MPH (1:36)
400 rest at 4.5MPH (sloooow jog)
400 at 9.0-9.3MPH (1:35)
400 rest at 4.5MPH (sloooow jog)
Cooldown: 1/2 mile 6.0MPH
6.5 Miles in 65 minutes

PS- Here is the conversation I just had with "Coach" Leah, a friend I ran track in college with who has since gone on to run a 3:11 Boston by training almost entirely on the treadmill.

Leah: how was your workout?
Me: good! 8X400
Leah: yay!
Me: 1:47, 1:45, 1:43, 1:39, 1:38, 1:36, 1:36, 1:35
Leah: good girl
how did you feel?
too easy?
did you run in between?
Me: i did!
but REALLY SLOW
400
Leah: good!
Me: like 4.5 slow
barely running
Leah: liz...I can walk at 4.5
Me: haha I can too
Leah: try to keep it at like 5.5
next time
ok?
Me: how about 5.0?
Leah: 5.2
Me: I do my warm up at 6.0
you're a mean coach
Leah:that's my last offer
i just want you to improve
what incline are you setting the treadmill at?
Me: umm no comment
Leah: ok
next week. up it to .5
I'll let you get away with 0 this week
but next week for EVERYTHING
not just intervals
do it at .5
otherwise it's just gonna be harder when you run outside

I think this is hysterical! It's good to have someone to report to though. My achilles didn't feel great after my run yesterday, but I wanted to run today cuz I knew Leah would be asking! I have Physical Therapy (PT) tomorrow so I will talk to him about it then, but I've been icing so I think I should be fine.

*So I know I have like two readers, but if you run on a treadmill, what do you set your incline to? What do you run your recovery at?

On to dinners- Monday night I made Open Faced Eggplant Sandwiches inspired from Food & Wine Magazine.
Ingredients:

1 Small Loaf of French Bread, cut in half
1 1/4 lbs eggplant sliced crosswise 1 inch thick
salt & freshly ground black pepper
4 plum tomatoes sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
1/2 lb buffalo mozzarella, sliced 1/4 inch thick
8 large basil leaves, torn
Directions:
Light a grill. Brush the bread on both sides with olive oil and grill over high heat until crisp on the outside but still soft inside, about 30 seconds per side. Transfer to a platter.Brush the eggplant slices with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Grill over moderate heat until charred on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Turn and grill until tender, about 3 minutes longer.Top the eggplant with the tomato, mozzarella and basil. Cover the grill and cook until the cheese melts, 2 minutes. Transfer the eggplant to the bread, sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.

Along with that, I made Eggplant, Chickpea and Tomato Curry also from Bon Appetit. I will preface this recipe by saying that I didn't have coconut milk (even though I thought I did) and that I don't like soft eggplant. I like my eggplant to have a bite to it hence why I usually like grilling it... also I threw in half a jalapeno because it was about to go bad and it totally dominated the flavor... so don't do that! I didn't enjoy this, but Dave said it was "fine."
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 red onions, diced
One 1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1 eggplant (1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1-inch dice
One 14-ounce can of chickpeas, drained
1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1/4 cup cream (this should have been coconut milk)
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 jalepeno diced
one handful of kale, cores removed
salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions:
In a very large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and cook over moderate heat until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the curry powder and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the eggplant, chickpeas, stock and cream and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over moderate heat until the eggplant begins to soften, about 8 minutes.Stir the tomatoes into the curry, cover and simmer until the eggplant is tender, about 3 minutes longer then add kale and cook for a few minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Tonight I made Quinoa Chili, inspired by Fat Free Vegan.

Quinoa Chili

Ingredients:

1 cups rinsed and drained quinoa
2 cups water
1 large onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup chopped celery
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
2 tomatoes, cored and diced
1 cup diced carrots
Two 16-oz. cans black beans, drained
One 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1/2 package of McCormicks Hot Chili Seasoning Mix
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Avocado, sliced and a sprinkling of Monterey Jack Cheese
Instructions:
Combine quinoa and water in saucepan, cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until liquid is absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand about 10 minutes.Meanwhile, heat a large, non-stick pan; add onion, bell pepper, celery and jalapeno. Saute 7 minutes over medium heat. Stir in fresh tomatoes and carrots; sauté 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in beans, crushed tomatoes, and seasonings; cook about 25 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in quinoa; cook 5 minutes more. Ladle chili into bowls and top with avocado, cheese and some french bread.