Foodie on the Loose

My inner foodie has been running rampant these last two days! Probably because the weather has been brutally cold! The thermometer that hangs on the outside of my kitchen window actually read -22* yesterday. Insane! My hair froze as I was running in from my car parked in the driveway to the front door when I was done at the gym. People have been posting videos throwing boiling water into the air outside and it turns to steam/snow before it hits the ground. It is nasty outside. The area schools have been closed for the past two days and some even closed tomorrow for a third day. I have ventured out each day to make necessary trips, aka the gym and the grocery store :) two of my favorite places. I have been reading a lot of cooking blogs online and wanted to try a few recipes of my own. Or at the very least put my spin on them! Instead of the normal training entry or post about my workouts this one is going to be all about delicious food! mmmmmm!

The first item on my "menu" was dinner for my family Monday night, since they were all coming in from the cold what better way to warm up than with a nice hot bowl of chili? A vegetarian chili of course and I absolutely LOVE spicy food! I mean bring on the heat! For those of you who know me well know how much I love Sriracha hot chili sauce! It is a staple of my diet, I think I can but it on just about everything I eat. Take that as a warning that this chili is spicy, delicious of course but HOTTTT! but delicious... but spicy. OK you get the point, that its hot!

There was a time when I was out for Mexican food with some girl friends and had asked the waiter for some really spicy salsa. He asked me how spicy? and I replied the spicier the better. He brought me back a dish of salsa and warned me to be cautious. While he was standing there I took a chip and a big scoop and dug in. He asked how it was. It was quite wimpy salsa so I told him just that. He laughed and said alright I'll be right back. He returned with another bowl of and a glass of milk. This time though I think half the wait staff was watching our table and laughing to themselves waiting for me to try this next salsa. This along with the milk was kind of intimidating. There was no backing down now, so once again I grabbed a chip and dug into the salsa expecting not to be able to taste the rest of my meal. The looks on their faces when I grabbed the bowl and dumped the rest onto my meal was priceless. They had been expecting tears or something! It ended up being the perfect amount of kick that I needed! I'm not looking to do any Man vs. Food spicy challenges anytime soon but I can handle a lot of the hot stuff!

"Meatless" Chili

• 1 c. onions finely chopped
• 1/2 c. green pepper finely chopped
• 1 fresh jalapeno seeded and finely chopped
• 1 12oz. package meatless "crumbles"- I used Morning Star Grillers Recipe Starter Crumbles
• 1 can whole kernel corn
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can tomato paste
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 1 T. oregno
• 1 T. basil
• 1 T. garlic powder
• 1 T. cayenne pepper
• 3 T. chili powder
• 1 T. Sriracha hot sauce
• 1 T. cumin
• 1 T. unsweetened cocoa powder

In a large pot heat onions, green peppers, jalapeno and crumbles, just until onions begin turning clear. Drain corn, then add to pot. Drain and rinse beans, then add. Add tomatoes and tomato pasta but do NOT drain tomatoes. Add in spices. Heat through and serve.

I served ours with a cheddar cheese, sour cream and more chopped onions. I had a beer bread mix that I made to serve on the side of the chili that was a hearty bread with it's baked edges and soft middle. SOOOO good! This was my first time making chili solo and my own recipe!  Judging from the reactions and the number of second helpings it's safe to say it was a success!

I have totally been on a tea kick lately so at one of my necessary stops to the grocery store today I had to pick up some tea. I bought a herbal tea sampler box for my night time tea cravings and I picked up a box of double spice chai black tea! Yum! 

My breakfast for lunch! Scotheroo Oatmeal with some added banana slices, a recipe I found on http://undressedskeleton.tumblr.com/  I cannot get enough of her blog! She has the best recipes. I will definitely be trying some more of her meals in the future!

I couldn't wait to try this skinny version of a creamy spinach "dip" on a piece of toast. It's really really simple but totally hits the spot. One Laughing Cow cheese triangle mixed with 1/4 c. steamed spinach on a piece of light whole wheat toast. Sometimes the best things in life really are that simple!

That's all for tonight BUT I am in the works of perfecting my own skinny version of brownie in a mug so with these next few days looking to be below zero still stay tuned for something equally delicious!!