There is absolutely no secret that one of my favorite things to do is bake – I love the smell, the texture, and obviously the taste of baked (preferably sweet) products. Bananas – also one of my favorite fruits. Although eating them plain is sort of a challenge, they go in my daily smoothie, with cereal, peanut butter banana honey sandwiches (a dentist’s nightmare), and obviously in muffins and bread. 

Muffins are one of my go-to easy to take to work snacks or something to eat before a good morning workout – plenty of quick access carbs and a little fiber to get your day going. Especially if you’re like me and need to eat something within 30 minutes of waking or get nauseous and light headed.  

Chocolate is one of my favorite pairings with banana – almost equal to peanut butter, but lately I’m obsessed with anything pecan in salads and with fruit (especially spiced pecans in a spinach salad) so I branched from the typical banana walnut combo and threw in pecans instead. 

  
Banana Muffins (Praline or Chocolate Chip)

Makes 12-14 muffins

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup unbleached white flour
• 1 cup oats (quick or old fashion)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cup bananas, mashed (about 2 small -medium bananas)
• 1/2 butter melted
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips or chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup praline pecans (set aside)

1. Preheat over to 350F. Mix all of the dry ingredients, minus the sugar in a large bowl. I like to whisk everything together to get it evenly disptributed. 
2. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the eggs, banana, butter, sugar, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until only just moist and combined. Do not over-mix, the texture will tturn out rubbery. 
3. Next incorporate either chocolate chips of pecans and stir until only just combined. Fill muffn papers or greased tins 2/3 to 3/4 full. I use an ice cream scoop for filling muffins and cupcakes because you get just the right amount. If you’re making the praline option, top each muffin with two half praline pecans. 
4. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

If you’re looking to modify, you can reduce the sugar to 3/4 cup and butter to 1/3 cup and still keep about the same consistency and taste. 🙂

Have you ever had a food you craved for weeks after tasting it for the first time? A couple weeks ago we went out to lunch to celebrate our nutrition intern’s last few weeks and starting her official dietetic internship. Trying to be healthy and all, we went to a great salad restaurant called Vinaigrette. They do mainly entree type salads with a few sandwich options. This time around I spotted a kale salad that sounded delicious and it turned out to be one of the best salads I’ve ever eaten. I snapped a photo of the menu description and decided to try and remake it at home later. 

  
I’m not going to gloat too much, but it turned out pretty darn close to the original. 

La Pepita Salad Remake

Makes 6 generous portions 

1 large bunch of kale finely chopped

1 1/2 or 2 cans of black beans, rinsed (dependng how much you like black beans)

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (I used the crock pot)

3-4 oz of Cotija cheese, crumbled

1 1/2 avocados, chopped

6 T roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds), or as desired

Lemon Cumin Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Toss kale, beans, shredded chicken, cheese, avocados and vinaigrette in a large bowl. Use tongs to portion out salad onto plates or large bowls. Top with 1T pepitas for each serving or more if you’re really looking for some crunch.  

  
Lemon Cumin Vinaigrette  

3 T fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup olive oil

You can whisk everything together, but I like to mix salad dressings in a mason jar and shake until fully emulsified. Quick, easy, and ready to use. 

 
I was so obsessed with this salad I brought it to work every day for lunch for a week! Since it’s using kale, the salad will hold up for a full work week if you don’t add in the chicken or dressing until the day you’re going to eat it. 

Do delicious and packed full of nutrients. A dietian’s perfect food. 

Enjoy!

And finally…… Part 3 of this European adventure. From Barcelona, we hoped on a plane and flew to Paris. After a few warmer days in Spain, we were back to chilly May in France. We stayed in a really cute hotel, Hotel Atmospheres – and being on the top floor we had our own tiny balcony. 

  We were staying really close to the Notre Dame, so we walked there right away!  We must have come at the right time because we didn’t have to wait in any line – at then as we were leaving one was startng to form again. 

  Beautiful Gothic architecture. 

  That evening for dinner we went back across the river to Le Tournebievre. Once again Google was on target with it’s reviews. Absolutely delicious!  For a starter I ordered buratta, because well by this point along the trip I was obsessed with it. It came fresh and smoked… don’t worry I shared some with C after  coudn’t eat anymore. 

  For the main meal we both order the duck with Hoisin sauce, scalloped potatoes with sweet potatoes, and carrot puree. The wine was delicious as well. 

  For dessert in predictable fashion I ordered the profiteroles.

  They were tasty.  I also concluded that we both didn’t need to order a starter and dessert, but by almost the last day didn’t really mind a whole lot. 

  Paris at night is when you can definitely fall n love with this city. 

  As we wandered back, we just happened to stumble across the Shakespeare and Company bookstore!  I was so excited we found this on accident!

  Lots of cozy little rooms with shelves to the ceilings with books. I picked up two for my little nephew, but wish I would have bought somehting for my self as well!

  The view from our room balcony at night – gorgeous. 

The next morning we left bright and early to wait in line at the Louvre. This was the man item on my “To See” list in Paris. 

  
  A little bummed I couldn’t get a shot of the two pyramids without 10 other people in the way, but such is life I guess. 

To say this museum is overwhelming with the number of piece it houses would be an understatement. I’m just happy we went to the Renaissance secton first. I snapped a quck picture of the Mona Lisa, which somewhat underwhelming in size and then almost missed the Caravaggio – my favorite Ren artist. Another recent installation I can’t seem to remember the name of or artist reminds me of the sayng we are all just dust of the stars. 

That night we wandered to another gem of a restaurant – Boucherie Rouliere.  I started with a Pea and Mint soup while C ordered a large slab of Foie Gras.    
  

For a main I opted for a trufle ravioli, which would have been great if it wasn’t so overpowering with trufle. C ordered Lamb Sweet Bread which tured out to be really good. 

Dessert was naturally Tiramisu. 🙂

  

The next day we headed over to the Musee de l’ Orangerie. The sun managed to poke out for just a moment. 

The museum’s top floor housed two rooms of eight giant works by Monet – They cured along the walls!

  

The lower level held the rest of the art dealer’s collections with works by Renoir, Manet, and Picasso to name drop a few. 

 For the remainder of the morning, we walked over to the Eiffel Tower to get our “Yes I was in Paris” photos. It was really chilly that day, so we snapped a few then hurried on our way to find lunch and get C some pants instead of shorts.   

For our last evening in Paris we wandered down a random stree and found it lined with shops for bakery, wine, cheese, and chocolate. Needless to say, we bought a few things. Then found a well reviewed restaurant – Lilane for dinner. I actually listened to my brain and ordered one main and a dessert to share. Lion’s fish over whipped roots vegetables (or at least that is the translation from French) and poached apple with home made ice cream. Another tasty meal. 🙂  

The next morning we found our way to a nearby cafe since flights didnt leave until early afternoon. The decision was made for savory crepes and tasty beverages. 

   
   
What a fantastic trip!  I’m so excited to find more adventures with this guy. Great food and better company. 🙂

Until next time Europe!

Continuing where I left off, after 6 days in Toulouse, France we hoped on a train, sped along the coast line, and headed to Barcelona. I actually really love trains to travel – nice large seats, power available to charge things, and the fast trains are pretty comparable to flying (at least when you factor in the time to get to the airport, security, waiting, etc.). 

The first day we just explored the area a bit, found some meh tapas (seriously very few good tapas places near where we stayed, very generic to fit a tourist crowd). After being in Toulouse I had to readjust to the heavy tourist atmosphere even though that’s exactly what we were. At least the sangria was good. 

  
That evening we found a little casual hole in the wall place, no pretenses but fantastic food we tried paella and C got a rabbit stew while I got chicken ratatouille. 

 
After dinner we wandered in the directon of our hotel and stubled across a neat lookng place for more sangria and of course tiramisu. 🙂 At least  shared this time…

The next morning we went over to La Boqueria Merkat which was right around the corner from the hotel. It’s a large indoor market with just about anything you could dream to buy. I think I found a dietitian’s paradise – fresh juices, thousands of fresh fruit cups, seafood brought in that day, handmade chocolates, and of course a few ready to eat empanadas. 

   

After a fantastic breakfast full of nutrients we headed over to La Sagrada Familia – the basilica designed by the famed architect Gaudi. It’s been under construction for over 100 years and still isn’t finished! Words can even desccribe how awe inspiring his design is – and I’ve been to see St. Peter’s, the Duomo in Florence, and the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. This definitely can hold a place with all of those greats. 

   
        
That afternoon we went to see another one of Gaudi’s feats – his Parc Guell. And along the way saw some spectacular views of Barcelona. 

That evening we wasted time trying to find any decent tapas and then landed at My Way were I had some baked brie and a lighter salad – eating tapas doesn’t really make me that hungry for actual dinner. 

  
That next day we booked a trip to Monserrat and a castle wine tasting. Monserrat is a mountain kept abby with breathtaking views and magnificent rock formations. 

 The castle wine tasting was at Oller del Mas – from there we had a fantastic view of the montains. It was a pretty great day. 

 That evening we had another superb meal at Restaurante Arcano. A fantastic bottle of wine, plate of whole roasted vegetables, and Argentinian sausage ravioli with mushroom sauce – I think  was actually too ful for dessert!

 The next day was a day spent walkng along the beach and stopping for Cava – which is basically Spanish champagne. Very refreshing. 

 That night was probably one of my all time favorite restaurants, El Gotic.  We arrived insanely early – 7pm (which is ridiculous by Spainish and French standards) and got the best seat in the place overlooking a ccourtyard.  We got to watch people training on segways – it was really entertaining. Dinner started with a tempranillo – one of my favorite types of wine, a cheese plate, and tomato bread. 

  I didn’t understand the who tomato bread appeal until we ate at here – the idea, smear some fresh smashed tomatoes on bread – well, look at this beauty, brick over toasted bread full of nooks and craneys drizzled with fresh Spanish olive oil and fresh smashed tomatoes. One of the simpliest and best tasting items I had in Barcelona. 

  We shared a mushroom salad wth a light dressing and thinkly sliced Spansh ham. 

For the main course we both got a Catalunya flatbread, basically it’s like pizza but with a better crust, roasted peppers, and cheese. C got a bacon flatbread with dates – no suprise there. 

  For dessert we split this perfect apple pie – can I just say that American apple pie has nothing on this pie. Apples caramelized in a skilet, dough payed over the apples and set in an oven. Then pour hot cream on to the pate and flip the pie for crust on the bottom and delicious apples on the top. Holy yum.   

 The last full day in Barcelona was spent walking around the city and visiting La Pedera an apartment building finished by Gaudi. 

  Barcelona is one of my favorite cities I’ve had the chance to visit so far. Great countryside, welcoming people, and tasty food. After we finished our adventures here, it was time to hit the air and land in Paris – that’s part 3!

I’m finally back on the blog!  Life has been running from one project to the next with chairing a conference in April and planning leading up to that, leaving the country for two weeks, catching up with work, having C back for a few weeks, and finally realizing I have done nothing with my pictures!

So here goes the story – it is a tale of mostly food, but that is what happens when I go on vacation… the life of a dietitian revolves around food. 

At the beginning of May, we left the old US of A and flew to Toulouse France – C was there for a conference and I decided to tag along for fun before we would continue the adventure. Toulouse is a fantastic unversity city of about 1 million people. Because of the university it’s vibe was very welcoming to foreigners – lots of different ethnic foods (although we ate mostly French cuisine), many if not most people could speak some English since our French is terrible (the translate app saved my life), and the compact city center was easy to get around. 

The first night we ate at Brasserie De L’Opera which was close to the hotel and quite good. I ordered risotto which I thought came with chicken… it didn’t look or really taste like chicken, later I learned that word was fish – which makes what I ate some sort of fish sponge?

  
Dessert was an apricot mousse with lady fingers, kind of like a tiramisu. Great way to kick off vacation!

  
Here are some more city shots before I talk about food for the remainder of this post….

I realized more than a half week in to the holiday that I had only taken pictures of food so far… so above is C relaxing in a plaza. That night we went to La Compagnie Francaise for some Italian fare, which definitely could give Italy some running for their money. I decided on a bellini, a burrata appetizer (seriously in love with that cheese now – fresh mozzarella on the outside and creamy fresh cheese on the inside), and a bleu cheese gnocchi (with seafood – again miss translating). 

Of course we had to get macaroons. 

And ate tiramisu at least a few times during this trip – even if I might not share photos of every time. 

  
Ok, so I lied about the city pictures… here are a few more of the capitol square with a pop up market, river and countryside. 

We had our last lunch at a recommended place that turned out really good.  I had trout with shaved carrots and rissoto – is there a theme here? I think I had fish at least once a day. For dessert I had creme brulee, which is actually the first time I’ve even eaten creme brulee – the real thing is tasty.  

The last evening in Toulouse, we went to La Braisiere and had one meal I can not soon forget. For a entree (also know as an appetizer in the US) we shared a tricked out version of cassoulet which is a traditional bean type casserole with duck.  Ours were pea dumplings in a foi gras sauce – once of the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth.  What it lacks in visual appeal it more than makes up with in flavor. 

 
I went lighter on the main with a salad of greens with scallops and chorizo while C had a steak – one of the best ever he claims. 

  
And finally dessert, again. I chose profitterols – ice cream inside choix pastry topped with chocolate… serious heaven. Naturally with every meal with had a bottle of wine.  Unfortunately rarely pictured but always delicious. 

  
I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Toulouse and was so glad we started there. It’s more laid back than the major tourist attraction cities and just feels a little more like home. 

Next, it’s off to Barcelona in Part 2!!

Happy Monday everyone!  I’m so thankfully that having today off from work allowed me time yesterday to whip up some delicious and colorful muffins!  The other week I made an inspired impulse buy of frozen wild blueberries at first I thought I’d just throw them in a smoothie – but how predictable right? Then it hit me – blue corn and a recipe took shape.

 I find muffins to be perfect pre-gym snacks at that 5am hour, especially when I don’t have time for anything substantial until I’m checking my email at work three hours later (then it’s a smoothie to the rescue).  With these muffins, I took a more classic blue corn muffin and subbed some fat for yogurt and almond milk and added some honey for sweetness.

Blue Corn Blueberry Muffins

Makes ~24 muffins

2 1/4 c. blue corn meal

2 1/4 c. all purpose flour (subtract 1/4 if not at high altitude)

1/3 c. white sugar

2 T baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 c. honey

2/3 c. plain yogurt

1/2 c. almond milk

2 eggs

1/2 c. oil

1 1/2 – 2 c. frozen wild blueberries (keep frozen)

Preheat over to 350F and line muffin tins with papers.

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl, set aside.  Whisk all of the wet ingredients except blueberries in a medium bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just combined – do not over mix. Spoon batter into muffin tins about 2/3 -3/4 full.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Allow muffins to cool slightly before eating… but then be sure to top with butter and/or golden delicious honey.

Dig in and enjoy!

There’s a pretty big debate about chilies where I’m now living – three years ago I would have asked what the big fuss is all about, but now I know.  Not only is the debate between green and red (New Mexicans put green chili on everything), but also about what goes better with red or green.  In our home, C is convinced that pork only goes with green, while I prefer the more traditional carne adovada with red.  One thing we do agree on however is that green chili enchiladas are better than red, so the last time C was making enchiladas I asked him to set aside some of the chicken for me and the Deconstructed Chicken Enchilada was born.

All of the traditional flavors are there, but it looks a whole lot prettier! Instead of wrapping everything in a corn tortilla, I lay it atop pillowy polenta and add in some more vegetables for color.

Deconstructed Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken

2-3 large chicken breast

1 c roasted diced green chilies

Polenta

1  1/2 c polenta or course corn meal

2 c water

2 c milk

2 c chicken broth

1/2-3/4 c sharp cheddar cheese

1 tsp salt

1 tsp red chili powder or to taste

Vegetables

1 large onion, roughly chopped

1/4 large bunch swiss chard or kale, chopped

1/2 bunch asparagus, cut to bite sized pieces

Chicken: Place the chicken and chilies into a crock pot on low for 6-8 hours and let cook.  Shred chicken and mix in chili drippings.  Set aside.

Polenta: Stir together all the ingredients sans the cornmeal and cheese and bring to a boil.  Whisk in the cornmeal, making sure to get rid of clumps.  Stir until creamy, 10-15 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in cheese.

Preheat the over to 350-375F.  Grease a 2-quart baking dish.  Spoon the polenta mixture into the casserole dish.  Bake for 30 minutes, until polenta is golden brown and bubbling.

Vegetables: Toss onion into a saute pan with about 1 T olive oil, cook until translucent. Once onions are cooked add in greens and asparagus and cook 2-3 minutes more.

To serve, place a scoop of polenta in the bottom of a bowl and top with chicken and vegetables – now you’re ready to eat!

~Ingrid

Less than ideal internet connectivity prevented the publishing of this sooner, however after having nearly two weeks off from work and starting 2015, I feel refreshed.  And ready to get on top of posting some of my new recipes creations.

In the mean time, here’s a little summary of my time with family in Minnesota.

We arrived on the 24th to weather that was warmer in Minneapolis than it was in Albuquerque – that is a rare occurrence for Minnesota in December.  After reaching my parent’s house and my home town, there was no snow – only some melting slivers by the side of the road.  In the coming days, we went to walking around Glendalough State Park, wine tasting at Carlos Creek Winery, and baked some Danish – all before the rest of the family arrived – meaning the main attraction, my little 1 year old nephew. 🙂  The next few days are a blur of playing with him and just relaxing with everyone I don’t get to see but twice a year.

The travesty of it all is that I took zero pictures of food… who am I? Enjoy the people picture though!

 At Carlos Creek Winery – nice views and really good wine.  C loved the Port, but there was no room in our carry-ons.

 Christmas selfies were really difficult….

Cousins and little family laugh time.

 Little E got a black bear from me that was mine since I was 8, he loved it!  Look at that mischievous look.

My favorite little boy.