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2/24/14

Vegan Farro & Red Cabbage Salad: Filling, Colorful & Good For You Meatless Monday Recipe


Here's another recipe I made and photographed before I broke my arm. Since I'm still typing with just my left hand, this will be short and sweet.

If you are looking for a healthy, filling and easy to make side or salad, this recipe is for you. Plus, not only is it perfect for Meatless Monday, but it's also vegan!

Vegan Farro & Red Cabbage Salad: Filling, Colorful & Good For You Recipe
Ingredients
3 cups cooked faro
1/2 small red cabbage, thinly sliced
4 radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup quartered olives
juice of 1 Meyer lemon
drizzle of olive oil
salt & pepper
chopped pistachio nuts




Directions
1. In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients but pistachios.
2. Serve this salad in individual bowls garnished with chopped pistachios.



Have you cooked with farro? What did you make?

2/17/14

Tuscan Herb Garden Sabra Hummus & Roasted Vegetables Flatbread


Tuscan Herb Garden Sabra Hummus & Roasted Vegetables Flatbread

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sabra Dipping Co, LLC. for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.


When Sabra sent me a box filled with a variety of their hummus flavors, I was inspired by the Tuscan Herb Garden flavor to create Tuscan Herb Garden Sabra Hummus & Roasted Vegetables Flatbread. Sorry for the short intro: I broke my right arm and typing with the left one is super slow. The good news is that I developed this recipe and photographed it before the break!! Make this recipe soon for your family!




Tuscan Herb Garden Sabra Hummus & Roasted Vegetables Flatbread
Makes 2 flatbread
Ingredients

2 zucchini, sliced
2 1/2 cups broccoli florets
1 red onion, peeled, cut into wedges
2 cups sliced peppers
olive oil
salt
2 10-12 ounce flatbreads
2/3 cups Tuscan Herb Garden Sabra Hummus
1/4 cup grated mozzarella

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 450F.
2. In a bowl, drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and season with salt. Mix to combine.
3. Roast the vegetables on a cookie sheet in a single layer for 30 minutes, turning them at least once.
4. 5 minutes before the vegetables are ready, put the flatbread into the oven.
5. Once the vegetables are roasted, take them out of the oven. Also remove the flatbread.
6. Spread the flatbread with hummus, top with roasted vegetables and cheese and put back into the oven for 5 more minutes, just to melt the cheese.
7. Slice the flatbread and serve immediately.

Here are step by step photos:








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Visit Sponsor's Site

2/7/14

Super Easy Antipasto Salad with Blistered Sweet Peppers


A few weeks ago I had a pizza making night and ended up with a few leftovers: peppers, artichoke hearts, fresh mozzarella, etc. I decided to take these ingredients and turn them into a Super Easy Antipasto Salad with Blistered Sweet Peppers.

Why are peppers so expensive??? Seriously, in Arlington, VA where I live, one single red or yellow pepper can cost around $3-4!! I think that's crazy. However, when I saw a bag of little colorful peppers for about $6, I decided to splurge. They were too adorable to pass up.


To make blistered peppers:

Preheat the oven to 450 with a cast iron skillet inside the oven.
In a bowl, drizzle the mini peppers with olive oil and season with salt.
Add the peppers to a preheated cast iron skillet in a single layer.
Roast for 30 minutes flipping the peppers at least once during the process.



To make the Super Easy Antipasto Salad with Blistered Sweet Peppers:
Make a pretty platter combining blistered sweet peppers, fresh mozzarella, artichoke hearts, olives, and avocado. Drizzle with olive oil.



This is what I thought of my creation:

Do you have any fun weekend plans? I'm learning how to make bagels, hanging out with good friends over dinner and taking naps!

2/5/14

Clementine Cucumber Fizz & SodaStream Giveaway: How I Gave Up Drinking Diet Pepsi

Today I bring you a fun alcohol free Clementine Cucumber Fizz drink and a giveaway for SodaStream. But first, a little story.


I don't think anyone would ever call me cool, and I'm actually ok with it. I don't strive to have the coolest clothes, hang out with the coolest people, listen to the cool music, whatever cool is. I remember growing up in Russia all the cool kids were walking around on the streets of Moscow carrying two liter bottles of Pepsi products. I wasn't one of them. Instead, I loved the flavor of the sweet brightly orange colored Fanta.

Years later, long after my family moved to the States, I became addicted to Diet Pepsi. Yes, it was a true addiction. I would have at least a few cans during the day, and drink multiple free refillable glasses at restaurants. The sound of the can being opened, the sweet taste, the bubbles....oh how those things made me happy. I still think about them fondly.

But a few months ago I sort of naturally stopped drinking my favorite soda. I just ran out and did not buy it in the store. And you know what? I've been soda free for a few months now, other than one (ok, more like 3) glass of Diet Coke at a sushi restaurant (that's what they had).

What made this transition away from soda drinking easier is my strong mindset (ha! do you sense the sarcasm?), coffee, and my new red shiny SodaStream machine!!!!

I received my SodaStream for a review for the blog but all opinions are my own. I'm not compensated to write this post, I just want to because I ♥ it!

Let's start with the fact that my SodaStream comes in a bright red color. I LOVE red kitchen appliances.

Also, it took me less than 5 minutes to open the box and figure out how to use the machine.

Another thing I love about my SodaStream is that there are different levels of carbonation you can choose: don't love too many bubbles? Choose the lowest level. Love the bubbles a lot? Go for the highest level of carbonation: you are in control!

The nice people at SodaStream sent me a variety of flavors I can add to my carbonated water, but so far I've left them in the box.


How beautiful is this machine??? And it fits great under my upper kitchen cabinets. The slim design is modern and doesn't take a lot of space on your kitchen counter.


Cheers!!!


And now for a fun recipe I created using the carbonated water I made with the SodaStream {make sure to scroll down for a chance to win your own machine!!!}.

Clementine Cucumber Fizz
Ingredients
fresh clementine juice
cucumber slices
carbonated water

Directions
Fill your glasses 1/4 with clementine juice, add a few slices of cucumber and top with carbonated water.



And now it's time for the giveaway!!

One lucky Mango & Tomato reader will win the following:

Fountain Jet Soda Lover's Start-Up Kit  (valued at $99.95) which includes 
-          Fountain Jet – winner’s choice of color (black/silver, red/silver or white)
-          1 carbonating bottle, reusable for up to 3 years
-          Reusable carbonator to fizz up to 60L of soda
-          Variety 6-pack of popular sample-size flavors
-          3 full-sized flavors of the winner’s choice
 
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cb9f8812/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway


 
RULES: You must have a valid US address. You must be a real person. You cannot have a twitter feed filled with giveaway tweets.
I will randomly select one winner February 14th. Good luck!


2/3/14

Meatless Monday: Breakfast Egg Pita Sandwich


The summer before my Senior year in college, I went to Israel all by myself to teach English in a summer camp. The best part of the experience, by far, was staying with an incredible host family. They were some of the most welcoming people I've ever met in my life. It's amazing to me that they've welcomed a total stranger (me) with open arms and made me a part of their family.

Even more amazing is that thirteen years later we have reunited thanks to FB!!! Of course all my host siblings are now grown up, which is somewhat strange to see, but that's just life ;)

What made my experience in Israel even more special was the fact that just like my real parents, my host parents loved to cook. My host mom made amazing fried bread with fresh tomato sauce, chicken cooked in cola, and many other great dishes. The host father made a simple, but really delicious breakfast of thin omelet stuffed in a pita with a few slices of tomato...after all, he was a professional tomato grower!!

Oh, and there were mango bushes behind my host family's house in Israel....MANGO & TOMATO!!!!

Anyway, when I received a care package from Stonefire that included some of their delicious fluffy pita breads, I decided to make my own version of my host father's pita sandwich.


Breakfast Egg Pita Sandwich
Serves 1-2 depending on how hungry you are

Ingredients
1 pita, halved across, grilled or toasted
olive oil
2 eggs
splash of milk
salt & pepper
1 tablespoon pesto
1-2 slices of Havarti cheese, or any other cheese you like
1 small tomato, sliced
2 Boston lettuce leaves


Directions
1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Whisk the eggs with milk, salt and pepper and pour into the pan. Cook the eggs until they are set on medium-low heat.
2. Slather the insides of the two halves of pita with pesto and stuff with half of the omelet, tomatoes, cheese and lettuce.
3. Eat immediately.


This is such a filling and fast breakfast, lunch or dinner idea. And it's perfect for Meatless Monday!
What would you change about this sandwich?