I had a wild Saturday in DC. WILD. First, I went to La Boum brunch at L'enfant cafe with some friends and friends of friends, and strangers :) This place is so popular you have to make reservations months in advance... there is a waiting list.
You might be wondering - are those clothes hanging from the ceiling fan? And you would be correct. (don't worry, I kept mine on)
This was the wildest afternoon party i've ever been to. Basically from about 2:30 to 5pm I danced on a chair, sweat my ass off (literally. through my entire
dress), ate delicious brunch food, and drank a fair amount of champagne.
At first I was bummed because I felt like I was going to drink and feel guilty about ruining my hard work from all my workouts last week - but no. The DJ was awesome and I danced hard for at least 2 hours - no guilt trip here. This place is teeny tiny and was packed so it was hot as hell. But with crazy props, a tambourine, and awesome dance music - I was a happy girl. Not happy when I got the bill though $$$$.
Afterwards we spent the evening in Adams Morgan where we ate dinner at Smoke and Barrel. I was skeptical of finding anything vegetarian-worthy at a BBQ place, but MAN is this the place to go!
This was the wildest afternoon party i've ever been to. Basically from about 2:30 to 5pm I danced on a chair, sweat my ass off (literally. through my entire
dress), ate delicious brunch food, and drank a fair amount of champagne.
At first I was bummed because I felt like I was going to drink and feel guilty about ruining my hard work from all my workouts last week - but no. The DJ was awesome and I danced hard for at least 2 hours - no guilt trip here. This place is teeny tiny and was packed so it was hot as hell. But with crazy props, a tambourine, and awesome dance music - I was a happy girl. Not happy when I got the bill though $$$$.
Afterwards we spent the evening in Adams Morgan where we ate dinner at Smoke and Barrel. I was skeptical of finding anything vegetarian-worthy at a BBQ place, but MAN is this the place to go!
Supposedly the previous owners were vegan/had a vegan restaurant so to keep people coming back when the restaurant changed, they have a ton of vegan/vegetarian options on the menu. I got the sweet potato and oat burger with jalapeno cheddar grits on the side. Then we had sweet potato donuts for dessert - hot and freshly made, i was in heaven. It was really really good and reasonably priced - Vegan/Vegetarian or not, I highly recommend it!
Needless to say, after a day full of partying I needed recovery and comfort food on Sunday. In my quest for a vegetarian source of protein that isn’t high in fat or sugar and is minimally processed if not unprocessed I have come across my new bff...
Lentils <3
Lentils have 30% of their calories coming from protein – the third highest source of protein from any nut or legume. Hemp and soybeans are above that – but I’m not eating straight hemp and I have very little patience for seeding edamame pods.
Lentils <3
Lentils have 30% of their calories coming from protein – the third highest source of protein from any nut or legume. Hemp and soybeans are above that – but I’m not eating straight hemp and I have very little patience for seeding edamame pods.
Most recipes I find online have some type of indian influence. In my effort to be more cultured, I bought a bag of garam masala at the international grocery store after seeing it in recipes about 5,000 times and saying “well, don’t have that – so can’t make this” . My eyes were completely opened when I saw a bag of “garam masala mix” which showed a bunch of whole seasoning/spices. Hold the phone – so garam masala is just a mix of other spices? It’s not just its own thing like pepper or salt or garlic? Nope! I could have made Garam Masala by grinding my own spices all along! Cardamom, pepper, coriander, cloves, cinnamon, nutmed, anise, fennel, bay leaves <<< I HAVE THOSE THINGS! Mind. Blown. Google also could have told me this... go figure.
Well, knowledge is power, and I don’t own a spice grinder – so I bought the pre mixed stuff. Magic.
Here's the Indian Lentil Stew I made for my meal prep this Sunday. Vegetarian, Vegan, Low Fat, High Protein (for being vegetarian), Delicious! Adapted from this recipe at the daily green
Here's the Indian Lentil Stew I made for my meal prep this Sunday. Vegetarian, Vegan, Low Fat, High Protein (for being vegetarian), Delicious! Adapted from this recipe at the daily green
Indian Lentil Stew
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced, peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons garam masala
1/2 t cayenne pepper (omit if you don't want it spicy)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon
1 garlic clove, chopped
4 cups water
2 yellow
squash, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes
1.5 cups green lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 large cooked sweet potato, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 bag (9 ounces)
fresh spinach or 1 package (10 ounces) frozen leaf spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
Salt & Pepper to taste
1. In a 6-quart saucepot, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add onion and cook 8 to 10 minutes or until tender and lightly browned.
2. Stir in ginger, garam masala, and garlic, and cook 1 minute.
3. Add water, lentils, squash, tomatoes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; heat to boiling over high heat.
4. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 25 minutes or until lentils and squash are tender, stirring occasionally.
5. Add spinach and cooked sweet potatoes; heat through. Serve stew over brown rice.
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced, peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons garam masala
1/2 t cayenne pepper (omit if you don't want it spicy)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon
1 garlic clove, chopped
4 cups water
2 yellow
squash, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes
1.5 cups green lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 large cooked sweet potato, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 bag (9 ounces)
fresh spinach or 1 package (10 ounces) frozen leaf spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
Salt & Pepper to taste
1. In a 6-quart saucepot, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add onion and cook 8 to 10 minutes or until tender and lightly browned.
2. Stir in ginger, garam masala, and garlic, and cook 1 minute.
3. Add water, lentils, squash, tomatoes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; heat to boiling over high heat.
4. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 25 minutes or until lentils and squash are tender, stirring occasionally.
5. Add spinach and cooked sweet potatoes; heat through. Serve stew over brown rice.