Farmhaus Burger

We've discussed previously my quest for veggie burger perfection. While in Seattle, I found a strong contestant at Lunchbox Laboratory... I might have even said that it was the best!

 However, my husband and I went on a date to Farmhaus Burger in Augusta, GA this past weekend, and their "Organic Sea Island Red Pea Veggie Patty" might have moved into first place.

 Before you call me a fair-weather fan, let me explain. Lunchbox Lab was retro-tastic and Farmhaus was farm-to-table with all the southern fixin's. Guess which one stole the heart of this Carolina/Virginia/Florida girl? I can't help myself. Any place that lets me put pimento cheese on a veggie burger has to be #1 in my book. If you don't understand that... well, bless your heart ;) 

This is it... organic whole wheat bun, veggie burger, lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapenos, and pimento cheese. 

So fresh and so perfect! 

We shared the french fries with a feta dip. Yummy.

This was my husband's burger, called the Farmstyle: beef burger topped with smoked gouda, bacon, and a fried egg. He thought it was fantastic!

We ate at the bar so we could watch some NCAA football :)

After dinner, we shared a 'boozy' shake. They had several choices, but we picked the Farmhaus Cherry: vanilla ice cream, bourbon, amaretto, and brandied cherries. Woah... just when I thought our date couldn't get any better! The amaretto was the cherry on top of this cherry shake. Yum!!

I won't be able to live with myself if we don't support this local business a couple more times before our stay in GA ends!

A Wonderful Yoga-Date

When I was in Jacksonville, FL, this past week, I was able to spend some time catching up with my favorite yoga instructor and sweet friend, Lisa! What did we do? Yoga, of course!

We went to a BEAUTIFUL practice at Lotus Yoga (thanks Bethany!)... This 'moving meditation' was so fabulous in fact that even the instructor lost track of time, and we ended class a little late. Obviously, there were no complaints coming from me. This was my first time going to Lotus, and I can't wait to go back!

After class, we headed over to The Bold Bean for a chai tea with steamed soymilk. Maybe a little stereotypical yogi of us, but it was fantastic. The perfect end to a perfect morning.

I will be repeating this scenario ASAP... good for the soul! 

Garlic Veggie Pizza

This is my new favorite pizza of all time. Forever. No matter what.

Actually that is probably not true at all, but this pizza is REALLY good! I made it with my MIL when I was in FL this past week, and she liked it as much as I did (which is a lot, obviously)! 

I just thought you might want a little verification that cashews on pizza is a super idea... because it is.

First off, let me apologize for not taking process pictures.  There are quite a few steps to making this pizza as delicious as possible, and I just got way too excited to remember to take pictures. Next time, I promise!

Ingredients:

Pizza Dough*

2 heads of fresh garlic, all cloves removed and peeled

4 serrano peppers

Olive oil

1 bell pepper (red, orange or green works), thinly sliced into strips

1 tomato, thinly sliced and then placed on paper towels to help drain excess moisture

1 large handful of fresh baby spinach

Unsalted cashews, very roughly chopped

Goat cheese

Mozzarella cheese (optional)

Parmesan cheese (optional)

*Note: I used a store-bought fresh dough that I split and made into two 8(ish) inch crusts. You can make your own or buy it, but when you roll or toss the dough out, it should be relatively thin.

First, you need to prep the 'sauce' for the pizza, which will be a delicious blend of garlic and serrano peppers.

Place all of the garlic cloves in a small saucepan. Cover completely with olive oil (I know it will seem like a lot, but you can save it and re-use it as garlic oil... yum!). Turn the burner on the lowest setting and let the garlic gently cook (confit) for up to an hour or until all cloves are very tender. 

While the garlic is cooking, char the skins of the serrano peppers. I do this by turning one of the burners of my gas stove on a low setting and placing the peppers over it. Then, using metal tongs, I turn the peppers until the entire exterior is charred. I then place the peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for a few minutes, until they are cool enough to handle.  This also allows them to steam a little so that the skins are easier to remove.  Then, I remove the skins from the peppers and slice them in half lengthwise so I can remove all the seeds. Scraping them out with a small spoon makes it a quick process and saves your fingers from the hot part of the pepper.

Now that the garlic and peppers are ready, place all of them into a blender with a tablespoon of olive oil. Puree until smooth.  At this point, you can mix as much goat cheese as you like (I'd recommend 2-3 Tbs) into the garlic/pepper mixture, or you can leave the goat cheese separate to sprinkle onto the pizza in chunks. Personally, I recommend the mixing.

Now for assembling the pizza! 

1) Garlic 'sauce' (you should use all of it on two 8 inch pizzas)

2) Goat cheese if you didn't add it to the 'sauce'

3) Mozzarella (optional)

4) Sliced peppers

5) Sliced tomatoes

6) Spinach

7) Cashews

8) Parmesan (optional)

After putting your desired amount of these ingredients on your pizza in this order (pretty important), place the pizza in a 425 degree oven for 12ish minutes, or until as golden brown as you desire.... just don't let your cashews get too toasty!

Let it rest for a minute or two after it comes out of the oven if you can... I couldn't resist slicing right into it. Heavenly... 

Detox Tea

 I've mentioned a few times now that juicing has found its way back in to my life. Hallelujah! However, I felt as though I wasn't very 'clean' when I started drinking juices again (maybe the abundance of Lean Cuisine in my life has something to do with this...) and wanted to kick start my detox.  By detox I mean getting rid of the bad stuff accumulated in my body so it can absorb all of the awesome nutrients in these juices.

That's where this tea comes in:






















 At one point in time, I went to a detox workshop and learned how to make a homemade detox tea blend.  However, this tastes remarkably similar, and it is SO much easier to just grab a tea bag rather than grinding up your own. Its yummy and dandelion (among other ingredients) is supposed to be very cleansing. Combine that with the natural diuretics that come along with juicing and some yoga, and I feel well on my way to being in tip top shape! A glass of wine here or a chai latte there doesn't hurt, right?

Oh, for those of you not on the juicing train (you're missing out!) or if you're simply bored of reading about liquids, you're in luck! My next post will definitely not be about juice.  I think.

Breaking Promises

Ok, y'all. I have a confession to make. I know I said I would never do this, but I really wasn't given a choice (thanks mom!)! I am juicing in our little hotel room!

Obviously, I'm not actually upset at this new development... juicing is in my soul!!

The little juicer that showed up in the mail from my mom gets the job done, even if the cleaning process is slightly excruciating without access to a disposal.

So there you have it... never say never! New juicing recipes coming soon!

Side note- looking back, I used way too many exclamation points in this post... I guess you can tell that I'm excited!! ;) just a couple more for emphasis...

"Orange" Juice

This morning I am really craving a pick-me-up that doesn't come in the form of a caffeinated beverage.  I'm talking about juicing, people!! Just trust me, the little 'high' you get from your body absorbing all of those yummy vitamins is way better than any Starbucks fix (although who doesn't give in to their soy chai addiction every now and again... I guess that's my issue. Sorry, y'all!).

Getting back on track to juicing! If I was able to juice this morning, I would start off with an "orange" juice.  For those that are just starting to juice or wanting to begin juicing, I think this is a really good beginners juice.  My husband will even swap out his morning Indian River OJ for my version! This is saying something, y'all!

Recipe for "Orange" Juice

7 Large Carrots
1 Pear
1 Green Apple
5 Celery Stalks, with leaves
2 Oranges, peeled
1 Lemon, peeled
Ginger, to taste (Approx 1-2 Tbs)

Just some of the vitamins in this juicy goodness: A, B, C, E, Calcium, Iron, Folate, Thiamin, and Zinc.

Push everything through your juicer, in this order. Stir.

Makes enough for two servings that come in around 200 Calories each. Drink up with a Carrot Muffin, and you won't be hungry again for quite awhile... it is surprising how filling this juice can be!

This juice can be stored in a refrigerator for up to 2 days, but everything is better fresh.

So give it a try... your body will thank you!!