Whole Foods (Again), Yoga, and Greek

For my first official Saturday back in California, it was a jam-packed day.

After waking up (naturally!) around 9 a.m., I summoned my best modified barista skillzzzz and attempted to recreate a few true coffeehouse beverages.

A “Schlomo”—warm, spiced chai coffee—for mum and a cinnamon spiced chai latte for Dad. Both turned out OK but weren’t quite the same as when made with commercial-grade steamers. I guess I’m just spoiled by work

Dad agreed to try out a new recipe for Cinnamon Yogurt Waffles for breakfast. The recipe was relatively simple, so breakfast was ready in no time flat.

Voila!

I devoured mine with blackberries, and Mum had hers with a side of the morning paper as well. They were good, but there’s probably a tad bit of room for improvement. I definitely plan to keep tweaking, as the texture was quite good  

Following breakfast, I headed out for grocery shopping with my dad. We picked up a whole slew of good items before meeting Mom at the new Whole Foods for a 1 p.m. Italian food cooking demo.

Cathy Pavlos, head chef of Lucca Cafe—a well-known Italian restaurant nearby in Irvine—lead the demonstration. She made three signature dishes: Shrimp Scampi and Spicy Red Sauce, Roasted Vegetable Farfalle with Tequila Lime Cream Sauce, and Traditional Basil Pesto with Grilled Chicken.

 

 

 

 

 

Pavlos was great during the demonstration, both personable and knowledgeable, not to mention entertaining. The food being demo’d smelled heavenly and tasted even better. The latter two dishes were rich because of the butter/cream but delicious in small portions. Both Mom and I agreed that the scampi was our favorite dish. It was slightly spicy from the tomatoe-y sauce, while the pasta and shrimp were cooked to perfection. The garlicky notes were a-m-a-z-i-n-g.

I learned so much from the demonstration and want to write a full recap, but I’ll leave you with that pasta goodness to drool over!

After the demonstration, Dad set out to finish grocery shopping, and I went home with mother dearest.

We chatted for awhile about Georgetown and a few other random things and then got ready for a hot yoga class. On the agenda for today: Hot Power Vinyasa Flow 1-2 with Sesa. This was a great class! I loved the meditative aspects at the end and really needed that physical and mental “reset.”

So good. Later that night, we went out for a family dinner at an old fave—Daphne’s California Greek. I ordered my usual—a vegetarian platter with hummus, falafel, spanokopita, and dolmas, with greek salad and fire-roasted veggies on the side.

With plenty of lemon water on the side to hydrate!

Dad immensely enjoyed his chicken-apple salad with pomegranate dressing and even allowed me to try a bite. I approved  

Mainly though, I was busy having a love affair with my falafel + tzatziki sauce. The best falafel I’ve ever had? I think so! These are consistently good—not greasy but still crispy and flavorful. I made homemade falafel burgers the other night that rivaled in flavor, but they weren’t quite as good texture-wise. Further experimentation, perhaps?

Once back home, I plowed through a bowl of fresh strawberries + blueberries before plopping on the couch, and watching Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Perfect for a low-key night.

I’m off to eat the world’s best bagels and send some e-mails! Full recap of Whole Foods cooking demo to come  

Recipe: Soft Whole Wheat Breakfast Biscuits

<<Note: If you’re just coming up to speed, my blog has moved! I’m now blogging over at http://youmeandaworldtosee.wordpress.com/. I won’t be posting here anymore soon, so I’d love it if you’d join me over there. >>

I woke up this morning to grey, pillowy clouds outside my window and laid in bed for a few minutes checking my e-mail. Within a matter of minutes, I spotted my mom down the hall and called out to her.

Ahh, the joys of being home.

She came down the hall, rockin’ the pajamas of course, and I asked her, “Do you still have time if I whip up something special for breakfast?”

She replied that I probably wouldn’t be able to have it ready in time, seeing as I was still in bed. (True.) My dad was offering to make eggs, but after being surrounded by more eggs than the Easter Bunny these past few weeks, my mind wandered to other ideas of breakfast.

Cereal? Meh, I wanted more pizzazz.

Oatmeal? I daresay I might be a tad sick of oatmeal. GASP!

Pancakes/waffles? I wasn’t in the mood for syrupy things.

But thinking back to the shades of white pillowed clouds outside my window, an idea popped into my head—biscuits!

Oh yes, biscuits. Sweet, warm, and buttery. Like Paula Deen’s southern accent manifested in plump little rounds of comforting goodness.

Annnnnnnnd moving on.

So biscuits it was. But not just plain Jane from-a-mix biscuits. Reeeeeeeeeal biscuit-os. Easy little thangggs with lotsa love…and only 5 ingredients!

Single serving! Or family sized. Plus 100% whole wheat. And vegan if that’s what floats your boat.

Or not. If your boat ain’t floatin’ that way.

Regardless, I would like to deem this an epic Paula Deen WIN.

Soft Whole Wheat Breakfast Biscuits
Whole wheat baked goods tend to be dense, heavy, and bland. But not these biscuits! These babies are all sorts of amazing. Wonderfully tender and hearty to boot, they surprised even Dad (the biscuit master) with their 1-2 punch. Aside from being easier and healthier than boxed mix, this recipe can be scaled for a full family or just one person. Biscuits for one? Don’t mind if I do.

Slightly adapted from http://thepurplespoon.wordpress.com/2012/01/18/fluffy-breakfast-biscuits/

[Family Size Recipe]

Yields approximately 16 (2 inch) biscuits

Ingredients:

3 cups whole-wheat pastry flour*
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (or non-hydrogenated margarine), cold
1 1/4 cup almond (or other nondairy/dairy) milk, cold

*(This is important! Regular whole wheat flour will make these dense and heavy)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees (F).  In a large bowl whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together.  Break the butter into small pieces the size of your pinky nail. Now, using your fingers,  incorporate the butter into flour mixture. The resulting mixture should resemble coarse crumbles. Slowly drizzle the milk in, gently mixing until a dough is formed.  Stop adding the milk once a soft, pliable dough is formed. Be careful to not make the dough too wet or dry.

2. Knead the dough in the bowl 2 or 3 times, gently folding the dough over itself (important: this creates the fluffy biscuit layers!). Form a rough ball and then transfer to a lightly floured surface. Roll or pat out the dough until it’s 1/2 inch thick.  Cut into 2 inch rounds with a biscuit or cookie cutter (I used a rimmed glass!).  Make sure to push the cutter straight down and pull back up without twisting so that the biscuits will rise evenly. 

3. Place biscuits on a greased baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown on top and a deeper golden brown on the bottom.

[Single Serving Recipe]

Yields approximately 2 (2 inch) biscuits

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour*
scant 1 teaspoon baking powder
large pinch salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (or non-hydrogenated margarine), cold
scant 1/4 cup almond (or other nondairy/dairy) milk, cold

*(This is important! Regular whole wheat flour will make these dense and heavy)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees (F). (I used a toaster oven for this!) In a large bowl whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. Break the butter into small pieces the size of your pinky nail. Now, using your fingers, incorporate the butter into flour mixture. The resulting mixture should resemble coarse crumbles. Slowly drizzle the milk in, gently mixing until a dough is formed. Stop adding the milk once a soft, pliable dough is formed. Be careful to not make the dough too wet or dry.

2. Knead the dough in the bowl 2 or 3 times, gently folding the dough over itself (important: this creates the fluffy biscuit layers!). Form a rough ball and then divide into two equal pieces. Roll or pat out each piece into a 1/2 inch thick circle.

3. Place biscuits on a greased baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown on top and a deeper golden brown on the bottom.

This was the perfect Friday breakfast with a cup ‘o coffee, a chat with mum & pops, and a breezy sun coming up outside.

The best part about the entire recipe was how EASY it was! I was really surprised. I’ve made biscuits plenty of times before but always found the rolling and cutting process a bit time consuming. Because I made the single-serving version, I didn’t roll out the dough as directed in the original recipe. Instead, I just formed two balls and gently patted them into rounds. My guess is that you could do the same with the family size recipe, but I haven’t tried.

I also love that I was able to amp up the nutrition of these biscuits. You could certainly use regular white flour and whole milk, but I found these quite pleasant with the changes. Soft and comforting (like Paula Deen hehe), but so so delicious! With the inclusion of whole wheat pastry flour, these are super hearty; after two biscuits smeared with a tad of butter and honey, I was full! And satisfied.

Thanks to The Purple Spoon for the recipe!

WIAW: The Perfect Day

<<HEY there! I’ve moved blogs and am now blogging over at http://youmeandaworldtosee.wordpress.com/. Join me over there for silly eats and sarcastic feats? >>

Prepare yourself for a marathon post.

I can’t remember the last time I experienced such a perfect day. Free from the world of homework, meetings, and general life stress, I took today to simply “be.” And you know what? It was glorious. I find myself perfectly content on days like these. A mixture of time with friends, time with family, and time with just myself.

It’s summer, and it’s utter bliss.

That’s not to take away from my Georgetown days though. I love my busy life—truly. As someone who thrives off a fast pace, I have always liked jam-packed days. Work gives me purpose and makes me feel useful, like I’m making each day count. And so unsurprisingly, I’m already excited to be heading back to D.C. in mid-June to the hubbub of the city. My life here and my life there are remarkably different, one painted my a finessed sprint and the other a slow, thoughtful dawdle. Neither is wholly good or bad; they’re just different.

But I digress. Let’s talk about today—just today. Let’s talk about how I woke up early to the sounds of cheeping and chirping and the smiling horizon of the Pacific. How I couldn’t wait to say hi to my mom and dad or see one of my best friends. How the the skies were bluer than cerulean. How I could feel the sun’s rays already brushing over my lips, toes, eyes, hair, and soul.

And then the day began.

 

8:00 a.m. -  Rise and shine. My ordinarily neat room is a veritable mess, due to my semi-unpacked luggage. I pretend to have selective vision and navigate my way to the bathroom. Chug water.

8:15 a.m. – Face washed. Teeth brushed. Hair combed…except not. Contacts in place to make up for my vision, or lack thereof. Downstairs. Parents! Dad is checking e-mails and eating Special K. I would be worried if he wasn’t. Mom is bustling around with coffee. I would be worried if she wasn’t. Blake is still asleep. Nobody is surprised.

8:30 a.m. – Parents head upstairs to get ready for work. I pour myself a glass of Hawaiian Hazelnut coffee—my mom’s favorite and now mine too. It reminds me of the islands. I drink it iced with a splash of almond milk and some stevia before grabbing a grapefruit from the fridge. Breakfast pending. Times to begin the morning’s Whole Foods adventure.

8:35 a.m. – Forget packed breakfast at home. Decide that I can make a meal out of samples at Whole Foods. Uhmm yes, I’m going to be that sample-whore.

8:40 a.m. – Pick up S from her casa. Which is exactly four minutes away from my house. Cue laughter because we have serious telepathic skillz.

8:55 a.m. – S and I stare in awe at the massive line that has already formed for the grand opening of the Whole Foods. S hops out of the car, scores a place in line and snags free demi-baguettes. Because when it comes to fresh-baked carbs, we have priorities.

9:00 a.m. to whenever? – After battling our way through massive hordes of snobby yogis,  desperate housewives of OC, and soccer moms casually strolling throughout the store, I beeline for samples. Watermelon, butter lettuce, and white cheddar cubes; fresh cranberry-pecan, ciabatta, and whole-grain breads; chocolate-hazelnut bark; poached salmon sushi rolls; and 10 bajillion other delicious goodies. S grabs red potatoes for her mom, and I grab a little bag of “sprouted grain chocolate and superfood granola.” I became addicted to these, after sampling them at the WF that is ~30 minutes away. I don’t care if this cereal makes me grow wings or not. It’s fan-freaking-tastic. And yes, the superfood one is green. I’m not easily intimidated.

10:30 a.m. – I’m home and doing some Corp work. Tweeting, editing Facebook posts, scrolling through the blog, checking out analytics. Being a major nerd-o-tron. Ya know—the usual  

11:58 p.m. – I realize hot yoga starts in two minutes and get dressed in record time. Nevermind the fact that I do that every time…

12:00 – 1:00ish p.m. -  This is the portion of my day I’d like to refer to as “getting my arse completely whooped by 100 degrees and a crazy yoga lady.” In other words, I was in heaven. Yes, I am a hot yoga addict. Yes, my triceps and I are not currently on speaking terms. Yes, just yes.

1:25ish to 4:13 p.m. – Drink agua. Make lunch. Rainbow salad with leftover chipotle and ranch dressings. Also known as edible crack. I should not be allowed around this stuff. You know the toucan from the Cocoa Puffs cereal commercials? Imagine a taller, tanner version of that bird screeching, “I’m KOO KOO for cocoa puffs!” Yeah, that would be me. #sorryi’mnotsorry

4:15 p.m. – Leave for Blake’s birthday dinner at Tokyo Table, a new sushi place. Blast Jack Johnson’s En Concert album like the good ‘ole days of morning carpools to high school. I blog. He drives. We’re weird. It totally works.

5:00 p.m. – We arrive at the restaurant, and get ready to down happy hour sushi. And lots of it. 8 rolls? No problem. And homemade tofu! Plus a mango mojito for the madre and guava juice for the broski.

Homemade tofu with ponzu sauce, wakame, and green onions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Red velvet roll (red shrimp tempura topped with spicy tuna)

Sashimi + crab roll wrapped in cucumber

Supreme Hamachi roll and Cahabi roll (California roll + citrus salmon)

Large iced green tea and a bottled chandelier!

6:30 p.m. – Summoning our inner 10-year-old selves, we head over to Boomers, a semi-amusement park (for lack of a better description.) Go-kart racing, kiddie rock climbing, and mini-golf ensue. We’re all crazy competitive, which makes everything exponentially funnier.

8:30 p.m. – Like a champ, I beat Blake in go-kart racing twice in a row. We call it a night and decide to finish off the night with frozen yogurt. Because really, is there a better way to end a night? I think not.

9:00 p.m.  - Blake and I fear for our lives as I momentarily act like a go-kart driver on the freeway. We’re alive now..barely.

9:30 p.m. – GOLDEN SPOOOOOOON! Oh love of my life, where have you been? I scored a mini with cake batter, chocolate malt, and peanut butter frozen yogurt. No toppings because I have a date with creamy goodness alone. We’re kind of a thing.

10:00 p.m. – Back home with pajamas, uber fuzzy socks, and a lovely blueberry tea. All is right in the world.

Happy WIAW

Wholly Cow

<<Don’t forget I’ve moved!! Come visit me at http://youmeandaworldtosee.wordpress.com/, where I’ll be blogging from now >>

For the first time in…forever, I woke up at 8 a.m. this morning. Totally and completely excited.

Why, you may ask?

GRAND OPENING OF WHOLE FOODS!

Bread section and everything.

That’s right. After months of anticipation, a Whole Foods finally opened just down the street from my house.

My wallet is already cringing.

Pic-chuhs?

Sure, why not.

Meat & poultry section, produce section, free demi-baguette, almond milk at the coffee bar!

Cycling team came to visit!

Prepared foods. Mmm sesame tofu and kale? Yes please.

Off to hot yoga! Full recap to come

The First Breakfast

I swear breakfast tastes better at home. Especially when you haven’t been home in over four months.

Maybe it’s the fact that I’m still in my pajamas after being up three ago, but it’s been glorious.

Lots of Ingrid Michaelson, chatting with friends, and of course, breakfast foods.

Does it get any better?

I think not!

I’m off to my second hot yoga class of the summer (!!), but here’s a sneak peek of my breakfast. And a recipe later? Well hey, I think I can do that  

Plus, a pre-yoga energy bar!

Try to ignore the fact that this looks slightly like a glorified turd. Oops.

P.S. I’ve switched blogs and won’t be posting over here anymore!!! Be sure to head on over to http://youmeandaworldtosee.wordpress.com/, and subscribe there instead

.:On MOVING:.

Hello friends,

Can you believe it’s been almost a month since I last wrote?

Oh my. No wonder I have been going insane

There’s much I have to tell you about the last month-ism, but first..let’s get to present happenings.

1) After 284 of the most trying, most defining, most lovely, and most unforgettable  days of my life, I finished my freshman year at Georgetown. I’m now back in California for the summer and am lovin’ it. This summer will be a little different than most though because as of yesterday, I decided to move back to D.C. early–spending about half my summer in our nation’s capital. I’ll be heading on a family vaca-y in early June and then trekking back to the Hilltop after! Just can’t stay away

2) This blog is MOVING! Not going away, I promise. Just like me, this little bloggie has grown and changed more than I expected. To reflect that, I want to take it in a bit of a different direction. Rest assured though, there will be still be food and sarcastic banter. Because of some past thoughts, I have refrained from completely sharing the blog with family and friends. But after a long talk with a good friend, I’ve decided I don’t want it to be that way anymore. I love sharing my passion for food and life with others, and this is truly one of my favorite ways to do so!

So without further ado, I would like to to introduce you to my newest blog baby, “You, Me, & A World to See.”  I would love you FOREVER (okay okay, I already do…but still), if you would still be obliged to chill with me over there. You could even subscribe via-email, so we could be BFF’s

Pretty please?

The Five Trendiest Foods of College Living

<<Hiiii all, I’m in accounting heaven (or hell), depending on the way you see look it. While I’m studying like a busy bee, check out my full post at Small Kitchen College (http://college.biggirlssmallkitchen.com/2012/04/the-5-trendiest-foods-of-college-living.html)>>

When it comes to food, style is kind of a big deal.

For a generation that is often driven by refined aesthetics, the way food looks isn’t a mere minor detail. As any chef will tell you, the presentation of a food can make or break the overall execution. That brings us to the world of food trends. From sushi to açai, from gourmet burgers to cupcakes.

We’ve always cared about the taste of food, but now we care that it’s tasteful too.

So without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to the uber stylish, the très chic, the staples and the newcomers of the collegiate food scene.

Ooh la-la, work it. Now this is what I call haute couture.

…BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! 

http://college.biggirlssmallkitchen.com/2012/04/the-5-trendiest-foods-of-college-living.html