With warm weather on the brain I suddenly realized I hadn’t yet planned my Labor Day escape. Don’t judge - its been a busy month.  I am thinking of either going camping (cliche, I know) or possibly up to Sonoma for some trail running, wine tasting and spa pampering.  But whatever I end up doing, at least I am stocked up with the perfect Labor Day road tripping, camping, wine tasting, trail running, all purpose adventure worthy snack: Popchips.

I just received a box of Popchips and I can’t even begin to tell you how addicted I am.  So far, my favorite is the Salt & Pepper - I am guessing a close second will be the Cheddar Potato.  I am tempted to open them all right now; fortunately, my desire to have good eats while adventuring over Labor Day weekend is keeping my impulses at bay.

If you are a snacker and haven’t yet tried Popchips, shame on you!  These delicious little chips are a potato chip lover’s wet dream.  They are made  through the “popping” process of adding heat and pressure to keep only half the fat of fried potato chips.  And for those watching the waist line, don’t worry Popchips don’t contain olestra or any of that other crap (pun intended) - just good old all-natural ingredients popped to perfection - with less than half the fat of fried chips.

With no more than 10 ingredients and at only 100 calories per serving,  these chips are certainly worth getting your snack on. For more information on their flavors, nutritional info and where to find them,  visit their website here. Or, follow them on Twitter @popchips.  Yay for snacking!

Anyway, I digress.

The inspiration for this post comes from this lovely young couple out in Missouri who have created Herbal Oats granola bars - basically a blend of oats, honey, and natural herbs to provide you with different health benefits inclusing: Immunity, Energy, Focus, and Strength.

One of the founders, Steven emailed me via Facebook (ballsy move if I were one of the above type bloggers) and asked me if I’d like to sample his granola bars.  And of course, I said yes.

Intrigued, I started poking around on their website and could instantly tell they were a young company.  Steven and his girlfriend Sarah started the company after meeting in college and realizing their shared passion for nutrition.  What’s not to love?

Not only do they have a cute founding story and an ambitious young couple behind their products, but Herbal Oats Granola Bars use all-natural ingredients and biodegradable packaging (which I love).

That being said, the granola bars are just so so and the packaging (biodegradable or not) could use a bit more work.  My favorite flavor was “Focus” or Raspberry with Ginkgo Biloba - but not because it made me feel any different or “focused” while I was eating it, but because the flavor itself was pleasing and the raspberry actually came through.  The other flavors were a bit of a disappointment especially “Strength” which is supposed to be Chocolate Peanut.  I was craving something sweet and of course tore into the Chocolate Peanut first (I love anything that sounds like chocolate and peanut butter) only to realize it didn’t taste like chocolate or peanut at all - more like honey and sugar.

But as I said, this is a young company with a young product.  They have the right ambition, a great story, and I believe if they keep at it, they’ll get it out there.  Right now, they are available in a few select stores in Colombia, MO.

Check them out: www.herbaloats.com

To keep up with my farmer’s market success and despite my tired, cranky attitude and the late hour, I decided to whip up some beet salad with tempeh bacon and ricotta salata.

I must admit, I’m pretty frickin proud of this little creation.  Not only was I able to use the WHOLE beet - greens, stems and all - but I created it from stuff I already had lying around the kitchen. And best of all, somewhere along the way while boiling, chopping, slicing and dicing, I found a way to smile and relax.  God I love cooking!

Aren’t they beautiful!??! I <3 fresh beets!

Beet Salad with Tempeh Bacon and Ricotta Salata

• 4-5 medium red or golden beets with stems and greens attached
• 3 tbsp ricotta salata
• 4-5 strips tempeh bacon
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp coconut sugar (regular sugar will also work)
• salt and pepper

Remove the beets from teh stems and leaves and place in pot of boiling water.  Let cook for 20-25 minutes or until tender.  Once the beets are tender, remove from the pot and run under cool water and peel the skins off and slice.

Meanwhile, chop the beet stems and beet greens and set aside.  Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in in a medium saute pan and add garlic.  Once garlic has started to brown, add beet greens and stems and salt and pepper to taste.  Cook for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool.

Heat another small pan and place the strips of tempeh bacon on it, flipping them after about 2 minutes.  Let them get slightly blackened and then remove them to let cool.  Once cool, slice into small pieces.

In a small mixing bowl, mix the red wine vinegar, remaining olive oil, coconut sugar and salt and pepper to taste.

Put the beet greens and stems, and beats in a large mixing bowl.  Add the bacon, ricotta and dressing.  Mix together.  And enjoy!

What’s your favorite way to eat beets?

The inspiration to buy the $4.00 / basket King Trumpet mushrooms came from a date night at Alive, a raw food restaurant in San Francisco about a year ago.  I always remember and still salivate when I think about the amazing King Trumpet, Capers and Mendocino Sea Palms with Almond Cream Sauce dish that I ordered.  It was like heaven on my fork - no better than heaven - I’m pretty sure it was all in the mushrooms.  I remembered my oooohs and ahhhs and Bryan’s jealous look while I literally made out with my food (his dish paled in comparison) and thought, I have to have these mushrooms again.  Must have them.  Now.  I would pay $10.00.

They proved to be another wise purchase (I’m obviously still patting myself on the back over the squash blossoms). 

Aren’t they beautiful?!

Lemon Pepper King Trumpet Mushrooms with Rainbow Chard and Tofu:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• juice from 1/2 fresh lemon
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• salt to taste
• pepper, lots of pepper
• 1 bunch rainbow chard (leaves included), chopped
• 15-20 medium King Trumpet Mushrooms
• 1/4 cup extra firm tofu, sliced in cubes

Heat the oil, onion and garlic in a saute pan over medium heat until onion is translucent.  Sprinkle in some salt and pepper and add about 1/2 of the juice from the lemon.  Add in the tofu and let cook for about 2 minutes (or until slightly brown on edges) before adding in the mushrooms.  Let the tofu and mushrooms cook for about 2 minutes and then add in the chard and let cook for 2- 3 additional minutes.  Squeeze the remaining lemon juice and sprinkle more salt and pepper (emphasis on the pepper) and stir.  Let cool.  Serve and enjoy!

 (the King Trumpet mushrooms and blueberries aren’t pictured because they were loose and would’ve ended up all over my floor)….ahhh, Farmer’s Market, I’m your best customer!

Besides all of the wonderful goodies, one my favorite reasons for going to the Farmer’s Market is that you can find things that are truly hard to come by like squash blossoms.  Unless you grow your own food or visit a Farmer’s Market, these tasty little treats are really difficult to find.  Given their very delicate nature, most grocery stores won’t even hassle with them. 

Squash blossoms are one of the only edible flowers I’ve ever really felt like bothering with and I’m so glad I did.  They are delicious if you sautee them in a little butter and garlic or fry em up on the pan. 

I’m not really the type to fry things.  In fact, until yesterday I’ve never fried anything. But fueled by my motivation to impress Bryan who was shaking his head when I bought them, I thought what better way to impress than frying them up and stuffing them with cheesy goodness… 

I served them up with this wonderful quinoa salad filled with mixed greens, carrots, anaheim peppers, lemon, and tomato.

Fried Squash Blossom Poppers:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 5-6 squash blossoms
• 1/4 cup barley flour
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/3 cup shredded parmesan
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix the garlic, cheese and salt and pepper (to taste) together in a bowl.  Remove the pistils from the blossoms (the little yellow thing in the center) andn stuff them with the cheese mixture.  Twist the tops to hold them closed.

Heat oil in a pan.  Dip the blossoms one at a time into the beaten egg and then the flour. Fry them, turning occassionally until they are golden brown on each side. And enjoy!

But after a long day of work, bootcamp AND Bikram Yoga, I couldn’t even think about cooking.  It was almost 10 pm and all I wanted for dinner was a big, cold drink - thank you hot yoga - so I decided to make a fruit and veggielicious smoothie:

Blueberry, Banana, Kale, and chia seeds  Might sound bad, but tastes so good!

Blueberry, Banana, Kale and Chia Seed Smoothie:

• 1 banana
• 1 cup soy milk
• handful of blueberries
• 5 small kale leaves
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 cup ice
• 1 tsp raw agave nectar or honey (optional)

I’m looking forward to more kale and green inspired smoothies. Have any recipes or tips?

Until I get hungry, cranky and can’t move a muscle in my body….and just want to CRASH.  On nights like those, sometimes there is nothing better than a good slice of pizza (or three). 

Don’t I look super awesome in my helmet?  Errrr…bike clothes are weird.

To satisfy my crazy pizza craving, I picked up a whole wheat crust from Whole Foods and some Daiya Mozarella Cheese and made one badass vegan tomato, basil pizza.  Delicious. Nuff said….

Ingredients:

• 12 oz elbow macaroni or rigatoni (as pictured above)
• 6-7 red fingerling potatoes, sliced (leave skin on)
• 1/2 bunch chard, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1.5 cups vegetable broth
• 3 tbsp tumeric
• 1.5 tbsp paprika
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup unsalted, roasted cashews

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

2. In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook the macaroni (or rigatoni) over medium-high heat until, about 8 minutes.  Drain well and set aside.

3.  In a medium saucepan, heat the oil and garlic until golden brown.  Add the potatoes, chard and half of the  seasonings (tumeric, paprika, salt and pepper) and cook about 2 minutes.  Add the veggie broth and the rest of the spices and cook for another 3-4 minutes or  until tender.

4.  Grind the cashews in a high-speed blender until ground to a fine powder.  Add the chard and potato mixture and the remaining broth.  Taste, adjusting seasonings if necessary.

5.  Combine the sauce with the cooked macaroni and transfer to lightly greased pan.  Bake until hot and golden brown on top, about 30 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Healthy oils, or plant based fats like Omega 3 and Oleic acid can actually help improve cholesterol, reduce inflammation, and help make skin and hair shine.  Once these oils are heated at extremely high temperatures,  however, they oxidize and can become rancid causing free radical damage.  Unfortunately,  Susan realized that most snack foods people eat today contain these unhealthy oils and trans fat. 

So in order to educate and also make snacking healthy again, Susan started Hail Merry, her own line of raw, vegan, gluten-free  snack products.  I was fortunate enough to sample some of  her Grawnola in Cranberry Orange and Lemon Blueberry Agave.  They both contain cinnamon and cold pressed coconut oil which not only make it a healthy granola option but also great tasting!

Much to my own surprise I LOVED the Cranberry Orange flavor.  The funny thing is, I HATE cranberries.  Cranberries might be one of the only fruits I actually despise.  But in Hail Merry’s Grawnola, the cranberries are somehow softer tasting, sweeet, and don’t contain as much of a kick as I usually find.  The flavor  has just the right touch of cinnamon sweetness and tang.

The Lemon Blueberry Agave was also good but had a surprisingly more bold taste than the cranberry orange.  I definitely enjoyed it more when mixed with soy milk than I did eating it on its own.  Needed to mellow it out  just a little.

I am excited to try Susan’s line of Hail Merry macaroons next!

If you’re looking for a new, healthy snack addiction, I highly suggest you check this stuff out.

And since unicorns are a mythical creature, vegetarians can rejoice, finally a non-soy or wheat based meat that you too can eat!  Its cruelty-free since the meat appears just as magically as the unicorns do.

Here’s how sparkly I felt after my first encounter with delicious unicorn meat:

Obviously, unicorn meat isn’t real.  But it sure was a funny joke.  Read more here.