Seven Sundays Mango Almond Breakfast Bars

We recently had the pleasure of hosting the first ever Floyd Piano Company Yoga and Brunch Club! It was great fun and so nice to have yoga, piano, and delcious Seven Sundays breakfast under one roof in a absolutely beauftiful space. Lori Floyd made these delicious Seven Sundays Muesli bars that were a big crowd pleaser. Since so many people asked for the recipe she was kind enough to send it my way! Thanks Lori! 

Looking for Seven Sundays near you and cannot find it? They do $5 flat rate shipping for as much muesli as you care to order 🙂 Order here.

 

Serves:

Several depending upon how you cut them up.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 box favorite Seven Sundays Muesli (She used Cherry Vanilla Pecan).
• 1 cup almond/peanut butter
• 1 cup dried fruit of choice
• 1 cup whole roasted almonds
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 cup coconut flake
• Pinch salt

Instructions:

1. Warm almond butter and honey in small saucepan and add extracts and salt.
2. Soak dried fruit (She used mango) in water for 15-20 minutes if not already gooey in texture. This will ultimately help hold bars together.
3. Strain and add fruit to food processor and pulse until nearly a fine chop.
4. Add muesli, nuts, coconut and fruit to large bowl and pour butter mixture over. Mix well.
5. Place plastic wrap on bottom of 9×13 baking dish. Pour mixture into pan and press until evenly distributed.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and place in freezer for at least 20 min or place in fridge for at least an hour.
7. When bars are set, move to cutting board and cut into portion size of your choice. She likes to keep in freezer for a little more of a firm bite. Will keep for 2-3 weeks.

Obviously the nut, fruit and butter choices are endless, but she used almond, mango and coconut with the vanilla cherry pecan muesli. Coconut and honey is also optional. Super easy and delicious. Enjoy!

Asian Style Chicken and Rice

 

Prep: 20 min

Cook Time: 1-1.5 hrs

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken (fryer works well), about 3.5 lbs
• .5 Cup Dried dates, chopped roughly (pitted)
• .5 Cup Roasted peanuts
• 1 Cup Whole wheat rice
• 8 Cups Chicken stock
• 3 Cups water
• 1/2 Cup ginger, peeled and chopped into inch x inch cubes (remove after cooking)
• 2 Cloves of garlic, peeled and split in half (remove after cooking)
• 1/2 Cup Soy sauce, light
• Cilantro

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix uncooked rice, dates, and peanuts together. Stuff washed chicken with mixture. Tie legs together with twine.
2. In large pot add broth, water, ginger, and garlic. Bring to a boil.
3. Add chicken breast down making sure broth and water mixture goes into the cavity where the rice mixture is.  Bring back to a boil.
4. Reduce to simmer, for 40 min. Flip and cook for at least 20 more min. At and of an hour check rice texture for doneness. Cook longer if needed.
5. Remove chicken from broth, and set aside. Strain broth and reserve broth adding the soy sauce to it.
6. Remove rice mixture and quarter chicken to plate serve with a garnish of cilantro and side of broth.

Enjoy cheers!

Random pic! Here’s a cute nursing fawn in our neighbors yard on Cinco De Mayo!

Kiwi and Mango Nigiri : It’s Easy Being Green : Marx Food Contest!

ZestyBeanDog has entered another Marx Foods Contest!  They are just too much fun to not partake in! Marx Foods send you a box of sample sized goodies and the rules are simple:  You have to use at least two ingredients and then blog the recipe. This time around there will be 2 winners, one from internal vote and one from public vote (that me means YOU, my dear friends). Voting will begin on Tuesday at which point I will add the new link to my blog. Then you can check out all the recipes and vote for your favorite one!  The winners get $100 in Marx Food Store Credit and you know I need that BAD!!! I’m all out of  YUZU juice! 😉

I chose to use the Bamboo Rice, Cardamom, and the Mint Herb Crystals to create a Kiwi and Mango Nigiri. This was a tasty and whimsical play on dessert and sushi that I will be making it again for sure, probably for a dinner party. The cardamom infused bamboo rice was subtle yet alluring and the slight crunch of the crystalized mint paired surprisingly well with the mango and bamboo rice.  I couldn’t resist doing kiwi not only because it’s green but also because I love it and the little seeds gave a great texture to the nigiri. The nigiri was then served with a orange honey marmalade and rice wine sauce. Overall it was a fun dish, to eat and to make!

Prep Time: 60 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Serves: Makes 8 Nigiri

Ingredients:

• .5 Cup Bamboo Rice
• 1 Cup Water
• 1 tsp Rice wine vinegar
• 5 Cardamom pods broken crushed with seeds
• 1 Kiwi
• 1 Mango
• 1 tsp Crystalized Mint
• 4 Mint leaves, small
• Marmalade

Instructions:

1. Boil 1 Cup of water add crushed cardamom pods and seeds, let sit for 10 min on simmer. Strain and reserve water for rice. 
2. Add rinsed bamboo rice to water bring to a boil, add 1 tsp rice wine vinegar, cover and simmer for 20 min or until done.
3. Cut up kiwi and mango thinly to arrange on top of rice.
4. Let rice cool for about 20-30 min.
5. Make 8 nigiri mounds with your hands and place fruit on top and garnish with crystalized mint and real mint.
6. Serve with honey orange marmalade with a splash of rice wine.

Enjoy with a glass of wine!

Check it out! Show some LOVE!

Hello Fellow Foodies!

Today is kind of a hodgepodge post… As you know from the last post I entered another contest via Marx Foods! It was a lot of fun because I got to experiment with cocktails and mocktails! I think the Pimmentine Cocktail is now a favorite drink of Evan and I’s! The clementine ice cubes are HIGHLY addictive! I have juiced over 35 clementines in the past 3 days to make more 🙂 Anyhow I would love it it you would be so kind to cast a vote for Zestybeandog! No email registration required, which is always nice, just a click! 🙂

VOTE HERE

Here is a peak into some food that’s been made in the ZestyBeanDog kitchen lately! Enjoy!

Chicken Bacon and Kale Roll Ups

Yard Bird with Bacon Mustard Glaze

Homemade Pasta Sauce

Escargot and Portabella Pizza

Quail Egg Pizza

Paella with Vegan Sausage

Spider Roll

Sushi

Caper and Tomato Trout with Crab Cake

Bibimbap

Eggplant Parm

Cucumber Yuzu and Lavender Granita

This is the perfect little frozen treat to make at home. It’s so refreshing and so simple to make.

Serves: 6

Prep Time: 20 min

Set Time: about 2-3 hours or so, or until mostly frozen.

Ingredients:

• 3 large organic cucumbers peeled and chopped into chunks
• 1 C. White sugar ( I would like to try this with agave nectar next time).
• 3/4 C. Water
• 1/4 C. Yuzu Juice
• Fresh basil
• Sea Salt (if desired).
• 2 sprigs of fresh lavender

Instructions:

1. Juice cucumbers if you have a juicer, if not blend in a blender and strain through a mesh strainer or cheese cloth, reserve juice.
2. Heat water and yuzu juice to a boil, adding lavender sprigs. Stir in sugar and create a simple syrupy substance, once sugar is melted take off heat and let cool. Remove lavender sprigs and discard.
3. Combine juice and syrup in a shallow plastic plan.
4. Freeze until mostly frozen, scrape icy mixture with a fork to “fluff” up.
5. Serve with a basil and salt garnish.

Enjoy and cheers!

ZestyBeanDog’s Fridge Snap Shot

We gotta install ovens
Custom kitchen deliveries
We gotta move these refrigerators
We gotta move these color TV’s… (when I started writing this post for some reason I got this song stuck in my head)… Ha!

I was inspired by Tandy over at Lavender and Lime a while back to do a fridge post and I never did it… So when she posted her latest I decided I finally do one 🙂  Here’s a few snap shots of our kitchen fridges and more. 🙂

We have 2 fridges, one for food and one for beer (and food run off). I also like to buy spices in bulk so I have a huge spice drawer (not pictured) and then I put them into the small containers that are labeled.

Happy cooking and blogging everyone! 🙂

Everything you need to know about Austin’s Farmers’ Markets

I truly feel blessed to live in a city that has so many great farmer’s markets at my dispose. Just about any day of the week there is a market open to get those farm fresh goodies you have been craving…rain or shine I might add! What’s your favorite market?

I’m going to list and talk about these by area, enjoy!

Photo Courtesy of: Johnson’s Backyard Garden

♦South Austin’s Markets:

Barton Creek Farmers Market 

Hours: Saturdays

9:00am to 1:00pm rain or shine.

Location: On the back side of the Barton Creek Square mall parking lot overlooking the city—at the intersection of S. Loop 1 (Mopac) and S. Capital of Texas Highway (Loop 360). 

Details:

This is a great market that’s fun for the whole family and your pups! They carry a wide range of locally raised meats, locally grown produce, internationally prepared food, artisan breads and baked goods, as well as artisan crafts and gifts.

SFC Farmers’ Market at Sunset Valley 

Hours: Saturdays

Open Year-Round, Rain or Shine
9 am to 1 pm September – April

8:30 am to 12:30 pm May – August

Location:

3200 Jones Road, at the Toney Burger Center
Plenty (17 acres!) of free parking
Off Hwy. 290/71 eastbound access road, just east of the intersection of Brodie Lane and Hwy. 290/71 East Follow signs for the parking area (plenty!)

Details:

• Dog freindly
• This market has plenty of great finds, a few of my favorites are:

Austin Sea Veggies

Oma’s and Opa’s Farm

Pate Letelier

Photo Courtesy of :Rebeccamendations

South Austin Farmers Market

Hours: Saturdays

8am-1pm, year round

Location:  Parking lot of El Gallo Restaraunt on South Congress Avenue, across the street from St. Edwards University.

♦Central Austin’s Markets

Hope Farmers’ Market

Hours: Sundays

11am-3pm

Location: 414 Waller St. They are located in the heart of East Austin at the historic Pine Street Station. You can find them at the corner of East 5th and Waller St, just north of the train tracks.

Details:

The Sunday HOPE Farmers Market is a weekly gathering space for the Austin community to share:

• fresh vegetables and healthy prepared food
• artistic creations and live music
• wellness workshops
• community organizations and volunteer opportunities

SFC Market Downtown

Hours: Saturdays

9 am to 1 pm September – April

8:30 am to 12:30 pm May – August

Location: 400 W. Guadalupe, Republic Square Park
Plenty of free parking at surface lot next door and State Parking garage across the street.

Details:

• Meats, produce, prepared foods, and artisan goods
• Dog Friendly
• Live music

Photo courtesy of: Melanie Haupt

Photo Courtesy of: From Maggies Farm

♦North Austin Markets

SFC – Triangle

Hours: Wednesdays

Open Year-Round, Rain or Shine
March – September, 4 pm to 8 pm
October – February, 3 pm to 7 pm

Location:

4600 Lamar (46th Street and Lamar), Triangle Park at The Triangle
Plenty of free parking at surface lot next door and The Triangle retail parking garage down the street.

Details:

• Meats, produce, prepared foods, and artisan goods
• Dog Friendly
• Live music

Photo Courtesy of: SFC Owner

SFC – East Austin

Hours: Tuesdays OPENS MARCH 20th 2012

Open Year-Round, Rain or Shine  10 am to 1 pm

Location:

51st and Hwy 183 – YMCA East Communities Branch – 5315 Ed Bluestein
Plenty of free parking in the Y Parking lot and overflow parking near the golf center.

Details:

This market — and only this market – has a Double Dollar Incentive Program/Doble Dolares Programa. Come purchase $10 in fruits and vegetables with your SNAP – Lone Star Card, or your WIC Lone Star Card cash benefits f/v, and the Market Information booth coordinator will give you $10 DDIP / Doble Dolares money to spend on more fruits and vegetables. We will match your fruit and vegetable purchases every week!

There will be at least 10 fruit and vegetable farmers at this market on a regular basis, along with meats, eggs, cheese, honey, plants, and breakfast/lunch food vendors for a quick coffee and scone, or healthy lunch.

♦Cedar Park and More

Cedar Park Farms to Market

Hours: Saturdays

9am-1pm year round rain or shine

Location:

Lakeline Mall Parking Lot – Behind Sears and Dillard’s

Details:

This is my market (I live in Lago Vista). I love the variety here, it’s really great.

Some of my favorites are:

Johnson’s Backyard Garden ( I do a CSA with them and it’s great).

Smith and Smith Farms

CountrySide Farm Products

K & S Seafood

Razor Sharp will be there sharpening knives and tools.

Round Rock

Georgetown Farmers Market

Hours: Saturdays

8am- Noon the first Saturday in April, (4-7-12), through the week before Thanksgiving, November,(11-17-12), in the Scott & White Hospital Parking Lot at the corner of Oakmont & Univ.

Locations:

SEE WEBSITE FOR CURRENT LOCATION

Here are some great recipes using local farm fresh ingredients, enjoy! 

Versatile Blogger Award :)

I am so excited to have been nominated this week for the versatile blogger award.

Thank you so much to :

http://ediblesubstance.wordpress.com/

for nominating me. I’m so grateful. I really enjoy blogging and its great to know that other people enjoy reading and creating the recipes in my blog too.

The rules for the award are:
1) Thank the person who nominated me and link back to them in my post.

2) Share 7 things about myself

3) Pass the award on to 10 (it said 15 but I only did 10, make it your call) more bloggers that I enjoy

4) Contact the bloggers I have chosen to let them know that they have been selected!

Seven things about me:

1. In college I majored in Sculpture and graduated with a BFA, Bachelor of Fine Arts. So I did a lot if welding and wood work 🙂

2. My Dad taught me how to cook when I was younger and got me interested in creating new things.

3. A year ago I married my best friend Evan! We had known each other since Jr. High and were great friends all through high school. We ended up going to the same college and started dating our Jr. year of college. 🙂 (Yes this picture is from then…)

4. I rarely use recipes anymore, I have been doing a lot of experimenting this past year 🙂

5. I love to compete (especially in cooking challenges). So far I have 3 wins under my belt: 3rd place in The Food Experiments : Pork Experiment with my cuban sliders, 2nd Place in a Chili cook off with my Bison Chili, and Reader’s Poll Pick for the Fregola Dessert Contest, with Bacon and Vanilla Fregola Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. I can’t wait to compete in some more!

6. While I love to cook and blog, I keep busy with a plethora of odd (but mostly fun) jobs…to pay the bills. I’m a certified personal trainer so I have a handful of clients that I love training, I dog walk, I do social media marketing for a small local business, and I do some personal assisting for a good friend of mine that’s handicapped. I’m also going to night school once a week at Yoga Yoga to become a yoga teacher, I’ll be certified in June 🙂 and cannot wait!

7. My dream is to one day live out in the country on a small farm with a nice sized garden. I’d like to produce all of the food I consume and just maybe…. have a very small restaurant. Nothing fancy, just a set menu each day with a handful of options that are all farm fresh and grown/raised by me and maybe some friends.

10 Bloggers I enjoy and find most versatile are :

http://tandysinclair.com/

FiveEuroFood.com

http://sports-glutton.com/

thecompletecookbook.wordpress.com

http://thekalechronicles.com/

http://muchomuchobuenobueno.blogspot.com/

rufusguide.wordpress.com

http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/

http://lonelygourmet.com/

http://coffeewithcaroline.wordpress.com/author/chicagolawfirmmarketing/

Grilled Chicken Club with Sweet Potato Chips AND Give-Away Winner Revealed!

I’ve been on a sandwich kick lately, it’s easy and the possibilities are endless. I knew there was a slight chance we would have some trick-or-treaters last night so I didn’t want to get too busy in the kitchen just in case… Well we had 2 groups, about a total of 8 kids so it wasn’t very eventful. Evan and I ate more candy than we gave out… as suspected 🙂 Below I’ll post what we dressed up as over the weekend!

Prep: 15 min

Cook: 15 min (depending on thickness of chicken).

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 2 Free range chicken breasts, pounded flat with a mallet to desired size.
• 4 Slices of cooked natural bacon, nitrate free.
• 4 Slices of nice bread, your choice ( I used a 9 grain).
• 1 Sweet potato
• 2 TBS Olive oil mayo
• 1 Lemon, juiced into mayo
• 1 tsp ZBD Fine Herb Blend
• 1 – 3 TBS butter for bread toasting and cooking chicken
• Purple onion (however much you like)
• Roma tomato (however much you like)
• Spinach (however much you like)
• 1 TBS Olive oil to brush on potato slices
• 2 Slices of sharp cheddar

Instructions:

1. Pre-Heat oven to 400 F. Slice sweet potato on a mandolin, very thin into rounds. Line rounds on a greased foiled tray and lightly baste with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt. Cook for about 15-20 min or until done. Once almost done add cheese to melt onto chicken.
2. In some butter cook chicken breast in large skillet on medium, season with salt and pepper.
3. Slice produce that goes on sandwich.
4. Toast bread lightly then add sliced to a large skillet with a bit of butter to finish the bread off.
5. Mix up a quick aioli with mayo, lemon juice, and ZBD fine herb blend.
6. Assemble sandwiches bread, chicken, cheese, onion, tomato, spinach, bacon, bread. Stick a tooth pick in it and there you have it!
7. Pull chips from oven and serve with sandwich, we like to dip our chips in a yogurt based dressing like caesar or ranch.

Cheers!

The Random Subscriber Winner is…

Rufus’ Food and Spirits Guide!  Congrats!

You won a jar of ZestyBeanDog Fine Herb Blend before you can buy it! Message me with your shipping address, jendaugherty2010@gmail.com

Halloween Fun… can anyone guess who we were? I sewed Evan’s costume from scratch very last min…about 5 hours before the party, talk about last min!!! 🙂

Fancy Pants Capicola Grilled Cheese with an Arugula and Kale Salad

So I’m on a grilled cheese kick if you haven’t noticed, so simple and so good… How could you not LOVE fancy pants grilled cheeses (I guess if you didn’t care for cheese *GASP*)? 🙂

Prep: 3 min

Cook: 5 min

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

• 2 Slices of 9 Grain bakery bread
• Butter, or substitute like Earth Balance
• 2 Slices of cheddar cheese, I did use 2% milk cheese, regular cheddar is great too! 😉
• 1 Slice of Capicola
• 1 Pinch ZestyBeanDog Fine Herb Blend (coming VERY soon for purchase 🙂 ).
• 1 Handful of kale (stems removed) and one handful of arugula
• Your favorite dressing, I made a lemon herb cesar to go with mine.

Instructions:

1. Heat small skillet to medium high, butter bread on one side of each slice, layer : Bread, cheese, capicola, cheese, bread. Cook for 2 min on each side or until golden, sprinkle with ZBD fine herb blend and kosher salt.
2. Enjoy with your kale and arugula salad!

Cheers!