foodie wednesday: vegetables & vodka

first off, i want to thank you all for your lovely words of encouragement regarding my (in)decision about taking yogadharma teacher training.  in no small part because of your feedback, i have decided to do it!  by may of 2012, i will be a certified yoga teacher : )  very exciting!

on a different (but no less exciting) note, my cookbook, vegetables & vodka, is complete!  after a lot of contemplation about the best way to distribute it, i've decided to forgo traditional paper printing and am instead offering it as a FREE ebook as a thank to all of you, my wonderful supporters.

the ebook format is much more in-line with lifestyle maven's philosophy: it's green, it's shareable, and it allows you to easily access the blogs of all the fabulous contributors that made vegetables & vodka possible.

i am so excited to share these delicious healthy dinner recipes & low-cal cocktails with all of you.  all i ask is that if you love the cookbook, share it!

cheers, mavens : )

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foodie wednesday: chicken & peppers

i found some locally grown green peppers when i was food shopping the other day.  i'm usually more of a red pepper girl, but since they were local, i figured i'd go with the green.  when i came home, i found 3 small cajun bell peppers (1 oz each) had ripened to perfection in our garden.  with so many lovely peppers on hand, i decided to go "mexican" and created a chicken & pepper saute to go over rice.

here's what went down:

1 green pepper, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
3 small peppers, chopped (optional)
1 tomato, chopped
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 medium-large chicken breast
1 tsp cumin
olive oil
salt & pepper
optional: avocado, salsa, rice
(makes 2 hearty portions)

1. saute peppers & onions in a bit of olive oil over medium heat.  season with salt & pepper.

2. while that's cooking, prep the chicken.  cut it into cubes and season with salt, pepper & cumin.

3. once peppers & onions begin to soften, add garlic.  continue to saute until caramelized.

4. make room in the center of the veggie pan, add a bit more olive oil and add chicken.  continue to cook for a few minutes until chicken is cooked through. 

5. remove from heat and add tomato.  voila! 

we enjoyed ours over rice and topped it with avocado & chipotle corn salsa.  the fresh peppers really made this dish! 

other ideas: you could also enjoy this over salad greens or use the mixture to fill tortillas or tacos!.

cherries

i have been loving the fresh cherries that have been available the past few weeks.  they are so sweet and delicious.  i've been snacking on them ever since they came into season.  i know some people avoid cherries because of the work involved to remove the pits, but believe me, this time of year it's so worth it.  my favorite way is to enjoy them fresh, but there are lots of other simple ways to celebrate this lovely little fruit. 

new to cherries?  check out the basics - like how to check for ripeness, how to store, etc. {here}

i <3 cheesecake.  and no-bake is even better.  how i wish i had a slice of this cherry-topped delight right now!  recipe {here}

cherries aren't only for dessert.  they make for a great sweet/savory side, too.  check out this recipe for cherry couscous salad {here}.  yum!

so, if you haven't been enjoying this seasonal treat, get yourself to the grocery store or farmers' market asap!  (pretty-please-with-a-cherry-on-top)

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portabella caps & potato packets

first off, i apologize for my absence these past few days.  a tree came down on our property and took out cable and internet.  comcast was just restored this morning : )


ok, post time.

gorgeous day = time to fire up the grill.  in my opinion, fresh grilled veggies are the perfect way to celebrate a summer evening, so the other night i decided to grill up some portabella caps, potato packets & peaches.  (just realized now the lovely alliteration that was our dinner : ) 

our simple grilled meal was summertime on a plate, and we thoroughly enjoyed every last bite.

here’s what went down:

portabellas

marinate 2 portabella caps (washed & dried) in ¼ cup italian dressing
grill on high, 4-5 minutes on each side, until caps are tender and delectable grill marks appear

potato packets

cut 1 potato, 1 zucchini and 2 large carrots into ½ inch cubes
toss veggies with 2 tbsp mustard (any kind), 1 tbsp mayo, 1 tsp chopped garlic, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, salt & pepper
divide veggies into 2-3 foil packets coated with olive oil and seal packets well so veggies don’t fall out while grilling
grill for 30-40 min until veggies are tender and lightly browned

peaches

2 peaches, halved
brush the cut surface with a bit of olive oil
grill for 3-4 min face down until grill marks caramelize

in addition to our veggie feast, i sautéed up some chicken sausage seasoned with feta and spinach.  the sweet peaches with the savory sausage were fabulous!

simple summertime goodness!  yum!.