Dips & Spreads

Asian-Inspired Sesame Guacamole

July 30, 2014 by Erica

My brain is exploding with Asian flavors recently, in case you haven’t noticed. Tofu and sesame and ginger, oh my!

Well, no tofu in this one. That was Monday. Today we mostly have a whole lotta avocados!

This recipe was actually inspired by the Asian slaw stuffed avocados I posted last week. Between taking pictures, I was pouring leftover liquid from the slaw over the bits of avocado I’d scooped out when it hit me – ASIAN GUACAMOLE. I googled it immediately and while I wasn’t the first one to think of it, that’s practically impossible anyway. I was just looking for validation that this idea that had come out of my brain wasn’t going to be disgusting. Usually, if I google a recipe idea and get no results, it means 100,000 bloggers have tried it before me and decided it wasn’t worth posting about.

That is definitely not the case here. And while I’m not the first one in the history of mankind to make an Asian guacamole recipe, I bet your friends will be pretty impressed with your creativity when you show up at a party with this.

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Crunchy Flaxseed Peanut Butter

June 16, 2014 by Erica

Happy Monday from me and my tummy full o’ PB!

Some weekends call for a couple peanut buttery snacks, and this was definitely such a weekend in our household. More so for Nate than for me – he ran his seventh marathon on Saturday! But he prefers almond butter, so I had this peanut butter all to myself. I love it when things work out that way.

Spectating a marathon is a hard job, too, guys. Let’s be real. I had to wake up early, stress about how Nate’s race was going, drive around to see him, try to think of encouraging things to say, hold my bladder so I didn’t miss him go by… tough job! At least as tough as running 26.2 miles! OK, not really… not by a long shot.

In fact, Nate makes race spectating pretty darn easy because there are no other runners around him… just a Kenyan a minute ahead of him and the next pack of guys more than half a mile behind. No crush of runners blocking traffic or anything like that, so I was able to drive along the course and see him at 7 different spots. I almost feel like I’m annoying him when I keep popping up! Too bad I can’t hop in and run with him like he did for me during my last half… his pace is so smoking fast that I could probably sprint along for a quarter mile max. He is a speedy one!

It was a beautiful morning, both for running and spectating, and Nate took second place with a time of 2:27. So proud of him! The guy works so hard, and though I appreciate his effort and dedication every day of the week, it’s nice to see him be recognized for it by others. As for whether it makes those 100-mile weeks worth it or not… well, you’ll have to ask him.

I didn’t want to miss out on the running fun, so I woke up early, too, and got my long run in before the start of the race. Yep, I am that crazy girl who ran 10 miles at 3:45 AM. When did I get like that?! I don’t know, but I can tell you I was plenty glad to get my long run over so early in the weekend and to put the early wake-up to good use. That’s how I earned my peanut butter, guys! And you better believe I took advantage.

Speaking of which, let’s switch over to peanut butter. Food talk is always better than running talk.

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Chipotle Fruit Salsa

June 2, 2014 by Erica

My favorite recipes on this blog are the ones that I can’t stop eating. Like, the ones that I keep taking back out of the fridge, despite my best intentions, for “just one more bite.” I mean, when it comes to sharing recipes, if I can take it or leave it, it’s probably not worth sharing, right?

Well, this salsa is definitely one worth sharing. But I mean that in the most hypothetical of terms, because I’m only willing to share the recipe for it. The actual eating? Well, sorry, the buck stops there.

Two times I have made this salsa. Two times I have intended to bring it to get-togethers. Zero times has it left the house.

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Sun Dried Tomato Spread

May 12, 2014 by Erica

I am feeling a little sentimental today.

This weekend I was back in Massachusetts for my bridal shower, which my mom hosted down at my parents’ beach house. Eleven women that I love spent the whole weekend showering me with affection, pouring me wine, and celebrating my happiness. It. Was. Wonderful.

There’s something about everyone I love – and live so far away from! – coming together to celebrate me that just gets me. I think it’s safe to say that I’m going to be quite emotional at my wedding. Good thing I picked bridesmaids’ dresses with pockets – someone better bring the tissues!

In addition to reminding me how lucky I am, this weekend also reminded me of several of my mom’s recipes I can’t believe I forgot. One orzo salad in particular that I hope to bring you soon… oh man is it good.

Food is definitely love in my family!

As a bridal shower present, Nate’s mom had sent a huge box of spices, salts and other goodies out to Salt Lake a few weeks ago, and a huge bag of sulfite-free julienned tomatoes was one of the ingredients I was most excited to cook with. I knew they were destined for this recipe as soon as I saw the big orangey-red bag of them.

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Beet Pesto Toasts

April 7, 2014 by Erica

Beet Pesto Toasts

Return of the beets. I think we all saw it coming!

Truth be told, I had no intention of making beet pesto this weekend. Then again, I also had no intention of drinking half a bottle of wine on Friday night before my long run on Saturday morning. So you know, you can’t always control where life takes you. Anyway, on Friday night I found myself at home after work with a big container of basil and a ton of leftover beet puree… and this happened.

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