She's On The Run

Salad Recipe Roundup

Alysha — Thu, 16 May 2013 01:21:51 +0000

Hello, friends! I hope everyone is enjoying the lovely weather we’ve been having. Oliver and I have been walking and running up a storm. Yesterday he looked as happy as a clam. When a woman walking past us said “hello” to me and “hi, sweetie” to Oliver, he didn’t even bark at her. For most people in this situation, they wouldn’t think twice. But Oliver is very loyal to my family and friends that he sees often and doesn’t do well meeting new people (especially when they come to our house). So for him not to get a little mouthy with a stanger is quite a feat for him. My little guy is growing up :)

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Since it’s been so hot out lately, I figured it would be the perfect time for a salad roundup. I definitely gravitate toward lighter and cold foods when it’s sweltering outside, like salads, sandwiches and sushi (which I will be enjoying tomorrow night with Laurie and Brittney at Milwaukee’s Thai-namite, where we’ll discuss our latest book club selection, “When in Doubt, Add Butter” by Beth Harbison). Living and working in the surbs, I love getting back downtown. Hopefully the girls will be into getting some fry-yo after – yet another thing we don’t have by our place.

But what we do have is a great, spacious kitchen where I’ve created these delicious summertime salads.

Farmers Market Veggie and Orzo Salad

Easy-Peasy Pasta Salad

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Chickpea and Quinoa Mango Salad

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Past Recipe Roundups:

Pumpkin Recipe Roundup

Food Gifts Recipe Roundup

Question: What do you like to make when it’s hot outside? Or is it takeout all the way? I do love some good Chinese, so I’ve been known to use the weather as an excuse to order it :)

Banana Bread Cookies

Alysha — Wed, 08 May 2013 00:58:38 +0000

After Tuesday’s confessions I forgot to add one more: I’ve hardly been cooking at all lately. True, we made some chilaquiles for Cinco de Mayo (which looked like dog food but tasted amazing) and I did make some homemade granola (which practically burnt), but I haven’t made anything really blog worthy…until last weekend.

On a whim I decided to bake after looking at some spotty bananas. Of course I could have made my trusty banana bread, but I was all breaded out after using my birthday coupons from the Breadsmith (If you sign up for their email newsletters they send you a free coupon for dessert bread during the month of your birthday. Since I subscribe to two different locations, I got two coupons :)

Instead I adapted the flavor of banana bread into an oatmeal cookie – my favorite. These cookies are definitely on the softer side, which makes them even more bread-like. So in other words, if you’re looking for a crispy cookie, these are definitely not it. But if you love oatmeal and bananas, these babies are for you.

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Banana Bread Cookies
Makes 4 dozen cookies

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup dried currants
1/2 cup white chocolate chips, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in egg. Combine the flours, salt, baking soda and nutmeg; gradually add to the creamed butter mixture. Add the bananas. Stir in oats, walnuts, white chocolate chips and currants.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake for 14 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Question: What’s your favorite cookie? It’s a toss up for me. I love a good old-fashioned oatmeal raisin cookie and those thick sugar cookies from Panera. Yum!

Tuesday Confessions

Alysha — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:41:50 +0000

Good Morning! Since things have been a bit random in nature lately, I thought that should dictate my latest post. Here goes everything…

1. I can’t wait to head out to The Ruby Tap and Firefly in Wauwatosa tonight with my lady food blogger friends. From Oscar parties to brunch, many a laughs are sure to be had…not to mention good food and wine :)

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2. So last night I had a massage. In the 5-7 or so that I’ve had, no one’s ever talked to me (maybe conversation loses its luster when you’re staring at someone’s bare back?). Anyway, I had the chattiest massage therapist last night. But she was a hoot. Giving people the rub down is her second job. Her 9-5 is being a parole officer for the criminals of Milwaukee. Besides indulging me in fun stores, she was also awesome at giving book recommendations, which I will be passing onto Laurie and Brittney for our book club.

The first one was Kris Radish’s “Annie Freeman’s Fabulous Traveling Funeral” about the friendships and connections attached to one woman who dies (that’s the short version). But it really sounds good on Goodreads!

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The second was a book I heard about on the “Sunday Morning Show.” I’m not a fan of Dean Koontz (I’ve actually never read any of his books), but she said the memoir about his dog is fabulous. It’s called “A Little Big Life: The Memoir of a Joyful Dog.” My massage therapist said she laughed and cried while listening to the audiobook. And a book that tugs at my emotions on my 45-minute commute to work sounds like a winner to me!

3. I have until tonight at midnight to get the best deal on registering for the Fox Cities Half Marathon. It’s $50 until April 30 before jumping to $65. After looking at the pictures from last year’s recap, I really want to run this one. But I also want to run some additional races with friends. Nothing like cutting in down to the wire! I don’t know why I’m so torn. I just need to sign up and do it. At least I’ll look happy when I’m done!

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Question: What do you procrastinate on?

(And yes, I’m aware I’m ending a sentence when a preposition, which my old creative director absolutely hated. But I firmly believe in making up your own rules in writing and in life.)

Growing Your Recipe Collection

Alysha — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 01:27:51 +0000

When I first started cooking, I didn’t turn to fancy cookbooks or celebrity chefs. I wanted food that tasted good, so I relied heavily on user-generated recipes. I know this may seem like a marketing term, but it basically means getting recipe inspiration from home cooks. Two of my favorite sites are AllRecipes.com and Taste of Home. I love the fact that you can rate recipes, leave comments and share what works for you.

Well my food loving friends, the culinary experts at KitchenAid have jumped on the bandwagon with their own community recipe tab on Facebook.

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Not only can you access hundreds of KitchenAid-owned recipes, but you can add your own family favorites as well, in addition to liking, commenting and sharing. Playing around with the tab, I already plan on adding these recipes, which were made possible using some of my favorite KitchenAid applainces (My stand mixer is like my second child. My pup Oliver is my first!)

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Cranberry Swirl Bread

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Ginger and Pear Butternut Squash Soup

Since I love my stand mixer so much, Brenton actually surprised me with their Pasta Roller Set for my birthday on Saturday. Last winter we made homemade pasta for a DIY article I wrote for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. This pasta was the BEST I have ever had in my life (and better than anything I’ve tried in a restaurant). You can’t beat the freshness of homemade. Next on my list in ravioli.

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Do you have a recipe that others should know about? Check out KitchenAid’s Facebook tab and share it!

Fun in the Florida Sun

Alysha — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 01:47:38 +0000

She’s alive! I just got back from the most relaxing vacation in Port Saint Joe, Florida (about 90 minutes away from Panama City). Here are some of my favorite pictures from our trip:

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Our view from the condo we rented.

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We watched the sunset almost every night…with a drink in hand of course.

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Brenton’s dad completely photo bombed us, and I had no idea until I looked back at our photos!

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We fished a ton down there and ate our catch if it was big enough. In total, I caught 4 fish!

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We ate our fill of oysters, shrimp and soft shell crab.

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Moscato

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The condo across the street that I was lusting over.

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I was inspired by this craft project in our condo. Cute!

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Exploring the cape

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The bird that shat on me. Not kidding! At least it hit my shoulder and not my head.

I’m so behind on everyone’s blogs, but I’ll be back shortly! I hope y’all are healthy and happy.

Question: Where’s your favorite vacation destination?

Vegan, Dairy-Free Pumpkin Muffins

Alysha — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:39:42 +0000

I know. I know. You’ve never seen me post a vegan recipe. Ever. To be honest, whenever anyone bakes vegan, I immediately think whatever I’m about to eat will taste terrible. Why is that?! For some reason, cooking without any animal products has a stigma of being hard-as-a-rock, tasteless and sub-par to the real thing.

Well, my friends, these muffins will convert you. I promise.

I don’t know if I’ve ever shared my journey into cooking and baking on the blog, but one of the first things I started making by myself in college were quickbreads. I’d make banana bread constantly and learned a lot about baking (like the correct way to measure flour and the importance of letting the bread cool before you wrap it up in plastic and give it to a guy you like, instead of giving him a hot, sticky mess. Yes, this really happened).

After banana bread, I found a recipe for Pumpkin Flax Quickbread that seemed really healthy. It used ingredients like whole wheat flour, canned pumpkin and flaxseed. It didn’t even occur to me that there were no eggs in the recipe. I didn’t know at the time but vegans make eggs using flax and water. It just so happened when I made these that I didn’t even have eggs in the house. I guess it was fate!

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Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

2 tablespoons ground flax
6 tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup diced prunes
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped small

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line 18 muffin cups.

Whisk together flax and water. Mix in sugar, pumpkin and applesauce. In a large bowl, stir together flours, baking soda, salt, baking powder and spices. Add prunes and walnuts.

Fill muffin cups about 2/3 of the way full. Bake 22 minutes or until golden on top.

Tell me: Are you a fan of vegan cooking/baking? What’s your favorite recipe? Links welcome!

Noodles & Company Whole Grain Tuscan Linguine + Giveaway!

Alysha — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 13:42:00 +0000

Pasta + Healthy. Yes, there is such a thing. At our Noodles & Company tasting a few weeks ago, we tried some of their new menu items, including some of their healthful salads. But if you’re looking for something that won’t break the calorie bank, you have more options that just soup and salad. Their Whole Grain Tuscan Linguine has less than 500 calories per serving.

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Here is the EXACT recipe for the Tuscan Linguine they serve in their restaurants. Feel free to add additional vegetables as you wish (like broccoli) for added nutrition.

Whole Grain Tuscan Linguine

From Noodles & Co.

Serves 4-6

1 lb whole grain linguine, cooked al dente
3 Roma tomatoes, sliced into ½ moons
1 red onion, cut into julienne strips
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bunch fresh baby spinach leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil (includes enough to coat the cooked noodles & chicken)
1 white wine ( or white balsamic vinegar)
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon each fresh chopped basil, oregano, rosemary leaves and Italian parsley
Cracked black pepper
½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Shaved Asiago cheese
4 chicken breasts, marinated & grilled

Cook the pasta to al dente. Drain, then toss with 1 T olive oil and set aside.

Chop the garlic, cut the tomatoes, slice the onions, de-stem the herbs, chop and set aside.

Marinate chicken breast with lemon juice, salt, pepper, rosemary leaves & garlic, place in fridge for 30 minutes. Grill just before you prepare the pasta. Let rest, slice and toss into pasta.

Put the olive oil in a large sauté pan. Heat pan to hot, but not smoking. Add garlic and onions. You should hear a sizzle. Stir and deglaze with white wine or white balsamic vinegar. Add pasta and chicken, toss to coat. Add tomatoes, toss then add fresh spinach. Add herbs, lemon juice and salt & pepper to taste. Place on platter and garnish with shaved Asiago cheese.

Giveaway!

If you thought restaurant secrets were enough, I have another surprise for you. Noodles & Co. has offered to give 1 lucky She’s on the Run reader 2 vouchers for FREE Noodles/Salad/Soup — whatever you want! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment telling me what you’d order (may I suggest their Japanese Pan Noodles? This is my new fav). I’ll choose a winner on Sunday, April 14, 2013.

Good Luck!

Disclaimer: Noodles & Co. gave me 2 vouchers for my review. I was not given the product in exchange for a positive review. All opinions are my own.