The Fresh Beet

New Look, Same Great Taste...

2012-12-27T10:12:00.002-08:00

Hello All!

This is a friendly notification that my new and improved blog site can be found at:

www.thefreshbeet.com

I will no longer be posting recipes to ashleysomnoms.blogspot.com.

Please enter your e-mail address on the new website to keep receiving e-mails. If you need any assistance, please comment!

Cheers,
Ashley

Quinoa + Veggies

2012-12-27T06:55:00.002-08:00

As a vegetarian, this is one of my go-to meals for something quick, tasty and nutritious. If you don't know already, quinoa contains all essential amino acids needed to be considered a complete, high quality protein; one reason why it's praised by many vegans and vegetarians who don't (always) obtain their protein from animal sources. It's also a good source of B vitamins and is loaded with several minerals (iron, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium). I often cook my quinoa in vegetable broth to add a little extra flavor.
Read more »

Farro Likes to Party...

2012-12-17T19:10:00.001-08:00

With other vegetables, that is. This time, my farro meshed quite well with some asparagus, mushrooms and peas. It also enjoyed being surrounded by a scarf of raw mustard greens, and being lightly sprinkled with some freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Read more »

Breakfast Quinoa

2012-12-06T09:05:00.002-08:00

Time to switch up the typical bowl of oats and use quinoa instead. As one of the few complete protein sources from plants, quinoa tastes just as good with milk, cinnamon, fruit and nuts. A 1 cup serving of this nutty tasting grain nourishes your body with 12g of high quality protein and 20% of your daily value for Iron.
Read more »

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

2012-12-05T15:51:00.001-08:00

Oh how I love these sweet little potato dumplings. Gnocchi isn't terribly difficult to make, it just takes some time. A little olive oil (or butter!) and some herbs finishes them off nicely.
Read more »

Spice Up Your Salad

2012-11-30T12:09:00.001-08:00

Last night for dinner I threw together an arugula salad with pears, toasted pecans and blue cheese. It was so lovely I wanted it again for lunch today, but this time I added some red onion and topped it all off with a sprinkle of cinnamon and cayenne pepper. SO good.
Read more »

Tasty Baked Tofu {+ Lemony Kale)

2012-11-29T12:46:00.001-08:00

Throw out all your preconceived notions of tofu, and give this guy another chance. Marinated and baked, tofu can be flavorful and seriously satisfying. Baking slightly dries out the tofu pieces giving them a rather meaty and chewy texture. Soy is packed with high quality protein and these tofu pieces are sure to fill you up quickly.
Read more »

Healthy Obsession at it's Best

2012-11-27T13:00:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin Cranberry Oats!

My parents stopped in Greenville on their way home to Florida from Michigan, and my mom delightfully brought us a loaf of her famous pumpkin-cranberry bread. She makes a ton of these breads during this time of year and gives them to friends and family. It is truly amazing bread. Moist, sweet and pumpkin-y. I absolutely love it. I'll have to get the recipe and share it with you all.
Read more »

Apple Butternut Squash Soup {+ Ginger}

2012-11-26T12:03:00.000-08:00

Apples and squash marry beautifully in this soup topped with slightly salty goat cheese, crunchy pepitas and sweet grape must. I could eat several bowls of this velvety squash slosh. It's great as a starter to a meal, or as a meal itself, paired with a nice salad and crusty bread.
Read more »

Pistachio Pear Cake + Ginger Butter Cream

2012-11-23T08:44:00.003-08:00

A friend of mine found this recipe in Garden and Gun Magazine and had the wonderful idea to make it for her Thanksgiving desert. She decided to make it a two-tier rather than three-tier cake, and use the leftover batter for cupcakes so we could put an end to teasing our taste buds.
Read more »

Spiced Cider and a Walk Down Memory Lane

2012-11-22T11:53:00.002-08:00

Thanksgiving is by far one of my favorite holidays. It's wonderful to come home and visit with family and old friends. My mom seems to always dig up something from my childhood, and this year, it was a children's cookbook she gave me for my 6th birthday:

{Recipe ReDux} Vintage Dishes: Waldorf Salad

2012-11-21T04:54:00.000-08:00

Ah, waldorf salad. Apples, grapes, celery and walnuts all melded together with some of that good ole fashioned glue we call mayo. I ~~used to~~ love this stuff. But my taste for mayo has changed and I can't bear to eat things covered in it. [Well, except maybe egg salad-but I'm modest with the mayo]
Read more »

What a Delicious Mistake!

2012-11-19T20:44:00.001-08:00

During my endeavor to create the Spanish Potato and Spinach Tortilla recipe from this months Cooking Light magazine, I quickly realized it was going to be a bust.
I knew from the beginning that I didn't quite have all of the necessary ingredients, but I thought I would improvise. I had purple sweet potatoes, not red skinned white potatoes; parsley, not spinach; and I wasn't planning to make the accompanying red pepper sauce either. Oh, and I added tomato. Not to make excuses, but I was also trying to multi-task; which, I'm usually pretty good at, however, prepping hummus and butternut squash soup all while cooking this tortilla was just a bad idea for the sake of properly executing this recipe.
Read more »

Banana Cherry Oatmeal and a Suspected Oatmeal Thief

2012-11-16T10:52:00.000-08:00

First morning back home from our little vacay in Kiawah and I couldn't wait to have my morning oatmeal! Today it's bananas, dried cherries, pepitas and almonds. Mashing up a banana into oatmeal adds sweetness without having to use other sweeteners. Fruit is nature's sugar - take advantage of it. My friend Riley here would if you let her...
Read more »

Super Quick Lunch on Kiawah Island

2012-11-14T13:04:00.000-08:00

I know, I know... I'm actually blogging about a processed, store bought meal. But hey, I don't eat this stuff very often and something about warm soup on this cold 50 degree day sounded extremely appealing.
Read more »

Salad Nicoise

2012-11-13T20:17:00.000-08:00

Pronounced "knee-swah", this French salad is not your typical light fare. Salad Nicoise is a mixture of tomatoes, green beans, onions, olives, tuna, hard boiled egg and potatoes tossed in a vinaigrette and placed over salad greens. The potatoes, tuna and hard boiled egg give this salad a nice heartiness.

Read more »

Salmon with a Raspberry Balsamic Reduction

2012-11-03T07:55:00.000-07:00

Salmon is my favorite fish by far. In addition to its heart healthy fat profile and its beautiful orange color, Salmon is a mighty fish, able to swim hundreds of miles upstream fighting against strong currents. Its strength makes me feel strong.

Read more »

Olive Tempeh Burgers

2012-11-02T11:19:00.000-07:00

Every now and then I love me a good veggie burger. I'm pretty picky with my burgers, as we all should be. MorningStar makes a pretty good burger, as does Monk's Grill in Tallahassee, FL. Let me rephrase: Monk's Grill makes a killer veggie burger. You have endless cheese, topping, sauce and bread choices, giving you the option to create a different burger every time. It really is perfect.

Read more »

Daisy: The Newest Member of the GMO Family

2012-11-01T08:45:00.003-07:00

Self-labeling shenanigans at the grocery store.

The more I read about GMO's, the more confused I become. While there may be detrimental long term health effects from consuming such products, there are also some positive environmental outcomes. I listened in on a GMO specific webinar last week featuring the Director of International biotechnology from UC Davis in California. She demonstrated a good amount of propelling evidence in favor of using this technology, but she also stressed that there's a time and a place for its use.That hit home for me. There is a time and a place for the use of this technology; however, the majority of authority figures in the US do not comply with this perspective. We want instant gratification. Convenience. Money. We want a lot of things and we want them NOW.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

2012-10-30T13:29:00.000-07:00

I love the simplicity of grain salads. They can be made in large quantities ahead of time and eaten throughout the week. It makes lunchtime a little easier and you are still guaranteed a flavorful and nutritious meal.

Read more »

Oh My Succulent Pears

2012-10-29T22:30:00.000-07:00

Pears. Another gift of autumn. Ripe, grilled, and covered in blue cheese, honey and basil. A complete party in my mouth. The sweetness of the fruit itself and the light drizzle of honey pairs so nicely with the pungent, salty blue cheese. The basil adds another depth of flavor and pistachios lend an additional texture.

Read more »

Carrot. Apple. Ginger. Lemon.

2012-10-28T10:39:00.003-07:00

Simple ingredients. Fresh food. Clean flavor.

Read more »

Pumpkin Quinoa Bars

2012-10-26T11:06:00.001-07:00

Great for a quick breakfast or snack, these pumpkin quinoa bars are moist and chewy. They offer a nice balance of carbohydrates, fats and proteins to keep you feeling satisfied. And...they have pumpkin in them! Feel free to substitute with whatever nuts and fruit you prefer or have on hand.

Read more »

Recipe Redux: Butternut Squash and Black Bean Burritos

2012-10-20T22:05:00.001-07:00

It's that time of the month again. Well, recipe time anyway. The Recipe Redux ingredient this month is our choice of any orange antioxidant rich veggie! Right away I thought pumpkin. But I decided to give my pumpkin obsession a rest and let butternut squash take the show this time around.

Read more »

Autumn Roasted Brussels and Apples

2012-10-19T12:57:00.002-07:00

Although available year round, brussels and apples are seasonally considered fall specific foods. This simple recipe allowed me to introduce them to each other, and I think it’s safe to say that they will now be friends to the end.