{lovely lyrics} two dancing feet.

i’m a man on fire
walking down your street
with one guitar
and two dancing feet
only one desire
that’s left in me
i want the whole damn world
to come and dance with me

{edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros, man on fire}

{tasty tuesday} southwestern egg rolls.

while i get most of my recipes from pinterest or favorite cooking blogs, i always adapt them to suit our tastes. this recipe is no exception. i have made it twice and it was delicious twice :)

before i crossed over to the dark side {became a vegetarian} i used to always order the southwestern egg rolls at Chili's. no longer do i have to miss them! this recipe is even better than Chili's and it is baked, so it is slightly healthier than their fried version. and, bonus, i can add chicken to some to fulfill my husband's meat-eater needs :) these are also great as leftovers the next day!


without further ado, bon appetit!

 
southwestern egg rolls 
{makes 20 rolls, more or less depending on how much filling you put on each wrapper}
{recipe from: chef in training}


ingredients

• 2 cups frozen corn, thawed
• 1 15oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 9oz. package frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry with paper towel
• 2 cups shredded low fat mexican cheese
• 1 7oz. can diced green chiles, drained
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 package of egg roll or wonton wrappers
• 1 package of cooked chicken strips (optional)

instructions

1.  preheat oven to 425. line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray {i used my pampered chef pizza stone}
2. in a large bowl, mix together: corn, beans, spinach, cheese, chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt and cayenne pepper.
3. using a small spoon, scoop a small amount of filling onto the wrapper. {this is where we added chicken to half of the rolls for the meat-eater}
4. starting at a corner, carefully start to roll the wrapper. when it is slightly rolled, tuck in the two sides and continue rolling to the last point. wet your finger with water and dab it on the corner to seal the egg roll. repeat with remaining wrappers and filling, placing them slightly apart on your baking sheet/stone.
5. lightly spray the tops of egg rolls with cooking spray and bake for 15-20 minutes, flipping them once during baking.

i dipped my egg rolls in a light ranch dressing, but they are amazing as they are. pair them with a nice sangria and you have a wonderful meal for two, or share at a part as appetizers!

{tasty tuesday} cauliflower pizza.

now that i have free time extra time on my hands, i have re-discovered my love for cooking and baking {and eating}. and with my new best friend, pinterest, trying new recipes is easier than ever.

the cooking situation in our home is an interesting one. i am a lacto-ovo-pescatarian and my husband is normal a carnivore. when preparing meals we can eat together, it sometimes takes some creativity. i wrote a blog entry for WFAEats about our cooking adventures a while back; you can read it here.

during my last semester of grad school, we ate a lot of pizza. first, i love pizza. who doesn't? second, it is easy and i could pick one up for five dollars on my way home from class. although i now have more time {and can actually go to the grocery store with a list and buy food that will not then rot in the fridge because i don't have time to eat it}, it doesn't mean that i don't want to ever eat pizza...because i love pizza {did i already mention that?}. thanks to pinterest, i found a recipe that is easy, yummy AND healthy :)

i found the recipe on pinterest from this blog, but revised it slightly to make it herbivore+carnivore-friendly. this pizza is delish {even the hubby approved!} and the recipe made enough for dinner and lunch the next day, which is almost as important as the yum-factor and health-rating for us.

bon appetit!

cauliflower pizza
{makes two 9-12" pizzas; for one pizza, cut recipe in half}

ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 3-4 cups shredded mozerella cheese - divided {depending on how much you love cheese vs. how healthy you want this to be}
• 2 eggs 
• italian seasonings of your choice {i used my go-to mccormick italian spice}
• pizza sauce or marinara sauce of your choice {i used trader joe's traditional marinara}
• toppings of your choice {i put green olives and mushrooms on mine, and added turkey pepperoni to the carnivore's}

instructions

1. grate the cauliflower. i used my kitchen-aid mixer with the larger grater blade attachment (you don't want puree, just shredded). place grated cauliflower into a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 6-8 minutes (depending on your microwave) until the cauliflower is soft, but not mushy. do not add water or anything to the cauliflower. cool down cauliflower (i put the bowl in the freezer).
2. preheat oven to 450* and spray cookie sheet with cooking spray (i used my pizza stones). prepare toppings.
3. once the cauliflower is cool to the touch, add 2 cups shredded cheese and spices. combine. add eggs and mix well with your hands. separate dough in half and press into two 9-12" pizza crusts (the larger they are, the thinner the crust will be). brush the top of each crust with oil.
4. bake the crusts for 15-20 (or until golden brown). it is really important to get them nice and brown, otherwise you will be eating them with a fork {although, it is still very tasty this way, just not as convincing as crust}. when you pull out the crusts, turn your oven to broil.
5. add your sauce, toppings and remaining cheese. place pizzas into broiler for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese is melty and toppings are caramelized.

prepare a nice spinach salad, pop open a craft beer and enjoy the deliciousness of cauliflower pizza!

now that she's back in the atmosphere.

it is no coincidence that my last post was in january. in that same month i began my last semester of graduate school. i knew going in to the semester that my life would be busy - with working a full-time job and taking two capstone courses - but the extent of the time it would take was beyond my expectations. at least for the months of march-may i was putting in a minimum of 70 hours a week...researching and editing and writing into the wee hours of the morning, only to wake a few hours later to go to work.

i realize that some people have to work like this all the time, but i don't like it. i love sleep. i love having lazy days where i don't get anything done. i need those times in my life. i am thankful that i am done with school, and that all of my hard work paid off. i am so proud that i ended my last semester of graduate school earning As in both classes while working full-time. not being an "A" student makes it even more special, i know i put in the extra effort to get those grades and survived! i am now the first person in my family to have earned a graduate degree...and that is something to be proud of.

{master of public administration ladies}

so now that i have a life again, i will be back with more posts. i will be reflecting on cooking vegetarian and meat-eater meals at the same time. i will be sharing my thrifty finds and crafty adventures. i will be logging my training for my triathlon and cross fit craziness. lots of fun and definitely some alliteration.

pumped up kicks.

this weekend, i will participate in my first half-marathon. i am excited and scared and pumped and exhausted. although i have ran 13 . 1 miles during a training day, the longest distance i have completed during a race is a 10K. so, i am struggling with the knowledge that i can do it colliding with the fear i won't do it well.

{looking quite excited goofy when i placed on my first trail run 5K}

when i first got this crazy idea (about 6 months ago), my goal was to cross the finish line. no worries about how long that took, i just wanted to still be upright when i crossed it. being a tad competitive, i now want to finish it in a certain time, more specifically, 2 . 5 hours. but it gets more complicated. when i ran the 13 . 1 miles during training, i finished it in 2 hours and 28 minutes. so now, i feel that my goal is null and void. if i did it in that time during a training run, i should definitely be able to finish faster during a race.

do i keep my goal the same? if i do, i am almost assured to achieve my goal and be happy with myself. if i change it to, say, 2 hours and 20 minutes and i come in later, i will just be dissapointed.

but at the same time, if i keep it at 2 . 5 hours, would i just try to achieve that goal...knowing deep down i could do more?

"in the dust of defeat as well as the laurels of victory there is a glory to be found if one has done his best."
{eric liddell}