Weekday Rice Bowl

I don’t tend to look to the airport restaurant options as inspiration for recipe posts, but I’m 2 for 1 on recipe recreations for a particular spot in the Denver airport. Have you tried Modern Market, there is actually a location in Dallas, but I’ve only ever eaten here in the Denver airport after two stints in Vail, CO. Peep my Wintergreen Salad recipe. A recreated menu item that I loved finding in the airport a couple of years ago after an indulgent bachelorette trip.

I think most can agree you feel a sense of creativity, emotion, and recharge after a trip. As a food blogger, this is particularly true. I love being inspired by travel eats. A few items on my mental list to recreate are the warm pimento cheese with bacon jam from Mountain Standard in Vail, and the Nutella Stuffed Banana Cookie from Thoroughbread in Austin.

Today I’m recreating a dish my sister actually ordered for breakfast after our trip to Vail. In no other place other than….the airport. I can’t find it on the current Modern Market menu, but this breakfast rice bowl really fits the bill for a satisfying and healthy meal before a flight. I gathered all the ingredients on my post-vacation grocery run and quickly made it for lunch. I hope you enjoy!

Weekday Rice Bowl
yields 1 serving

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cooked rice (I use brown basmati)
1/4 cup cooked quinoa
1/4 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup frozen fire-roasted corn, thawed (I like to buy this veggie hash at TJ’s for optimal veggie content. If you don’t like corn, chopped yellow bell pepper would also be great.)
1 sunny-side-up fried egg
Pickled Red Onions (I love to make my own)
Cojita cheese
Verde Salsa
Hot Sauce
Salt & pepper
Olive oil

Directions:
In a small saute pan, lightly heat rice, quinoa, black beans, and corn over low heat until warmed through. Oil is not needed in the pan for this step. If things start to stick, add a small amount of water to loosen it in the pan and continue to warm everything through.

Remove the rice mixture from the pan and add to your serving dish. In the same pan, add a small amount of oil. Fry your egg over medium heat until the whites are set and the yolk is runny.

Add the fried egg to your rice mixture. Top with cheese, pickled red onions, verde salsa, and a sprinkle of salt, pepper, and hot sauce!

Annie

Mayo-Less Salmon Salad (Whole 30)

Unpopular opinion, but I love tuna salad. Unpopular by many because 1. tuna. 2. mayo (yuck) 3. the smell. You can get my mayo-less whole 30 tuna salad recipe here.

Well today’s recipe is similar, but the star is salmon instead of tuna. Salmon is much more liked in the food industry it seems. However, I’d never bought canned salmon until now. Not sure why, because I just became obsessed. Being obsessed with a canned fish may be slightly concerning, but I’m going with it.

This recipe is giving my weekday lunches life right now. Just like my tuna salad recipe this is free of mayo, but the best part is it’s free of the stench that tuna has. Your office mates will thank you! Classic salmon flavors like dill and lemon are added to really bring it full circle.

Salmon Salad
yields 3 servings

Ingredients:
12 oz wild pink salmon, no salt added
1/4 cup dijon mustard
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tbsp. pickle juice
1/4 cup pickles, finely chopped*
1/4 cup green onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
1/4 tsp. paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Drain your cans of salmon and add to a medium size bowl. Fluff the salmon with a fork. Add the mustard and pickle juice and stir to combine. Add the pickles, green onions, dill and paprika. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and add more seasoning or mustard if needed.

Serve with butter lettuce and pickled red onions. I also love eating mine with GG crackers.

*If you don’t like pickles, celery would be great here

Annie

Bites of My Life

Consistently my favorite weekend in OKC. The last week/weekend of April is home to the Festival of the Arts and the Memorial Marathon. I've been going to the arts festival for as long as I can remember. I'm partial to the "culinary arts" aspect of the festival, but it is all great none the less. See past visits here, here and here. And a ghetto archived post here.

The Memorial Marathon is always a favorite event too. My knees won't allow me to run it, but I love waking up at the crack of dawn to watch friends and co-workers over the years. Helps that the marathon runs right through my parents neighborhood. 

To add to the weekend, there was a baseball game, a basketball game (RIP the Thunder's playoff season), a charity event and the most fun couples shower. You know you helped throw a good party when it transitions from barbecue, to flip cup tourney to all-guest dance party lasting until 1AM. 

April, you were exhausting but a good one.

-Death by BBG. Kathleen and I are now on week of BBG. While it's terrible, it helps to have a buddy and works. 
-Working through dinner aint so bad with an açaí bowl on the back patio. 
-Cauliflower fried rice recipe aka a freezer clean-out. Recipe is highlighted on my instagram!
-Got it from my momma // 1 scoop vanilla, 1 scoop chocolate Arbonne protein, 1/2 frozen banana, some ice, 1 tsp. almond butter and almond milk!
-I typically branch out more at the arts festival, but you can't beat a classic Indian taco.
-Loved the little details for our "I Do BBQ"
-Showered our Staysh!
-All eyes to Gabe in the corner of this picture. Cheering on the marathon runners at Gorilla Hill. 
-After a v long weekend and all the eats and drinks this was necessary. An all green veggie salad eaten in bed, then promptly to bed right after (at 6:30PM).

Annie

Lite Bite: Peppermint Mocha Protein Shake

I've been toying with the idea of doing these "lite bite" posts. "Lite" as in quick or easy. I often come up with recipes on the fly or by accident. These recipes don't get a full camera roll of pictures, or a length story filled blog post, but still deserve to be shared. I mean, let's be honest, no one really reads blog posts anymore anyway. We al just  skip to the section with the recipe listed out. Or is that just me?

I'm going to start posting more "lite bites" when these quicky recipes work out! Enjoy. 

Peppermint Mocha Protein Shake
serves 1

Ingredients:
2 scoops Arbonne Protein Powder, chocolate or vanilla
1 tsp. cacao powder* (only add if using vanilla powder)
1 tsp. coffee grounds
1 drop peppermint essential oils
shake of cinnamon
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup frozen cauliflower
handful of ice

Directions:
Blend items together. Serve in a mug just like you would sip your favorite coffee drink out of! 

Annie

Lemon Turmeric Energy Bites

If there is an event that involves me, then you know there will be treats. I had so much fun hosting a private Beyond 500 class for friends and followers last Sunday. I wanted to bring something sweet to reward everyone for the hard workout, but I didn't want to blow all the work we would be doing in the class. Energy bites (not energy balls, I refuse) were the perfect post-workout treat. 

Lemon Turmeric Energy Bites
yields 20 bites

Ingredients:
1 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
6 oz pitted dates
1 Tbsp. chia seeds
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. vanilla extract
zest and juice of 1 lemon

Directions:
Put all ingredients into your food processor and process until everything comes together, about 3-5 minutes. Stopping and scraping down the sides every minute or so. You want to make sure the nuts, seeds and dates are finely processed and it comes together like a dough.  

Using a tablespoon size cookie scoop, portion out the dough and roll to form balls. Store in the fridge for up to a week. Each bite is only 85 calories. 

With protein from the cashews and chia seeds, natural sugars from the dates, and an energy boost from the lemon and turmeric, they make for the perfect pre-or post-workout snack. 

Annie