Seasonal Veggie Wrap

I've been eating this crunchy wrap for lunch often. I use whatever we have on hand from our CSA basket, whatever leftovers might be in the fridge, and a good dressing. I've actually become quite obsessed with dressings lately, but that's a topic for another day.

Let's take a look!

And now . . . the closeup!


SEASONAL VEGGIE WRAP

What you'll need . . .

• A wrap -- I buy mine (multigrain) at Aldi
• A green -- I used spinach
• Something(s) crunchy -- I used carrots and bell peppers
• A spread -- I made some Tahini-Free Hummus*
• A bean or grain -- I had some leftover farro
• Cheese -- this is honey goat cheese**
• Dressing -- this is Brianna's Poppy Seed Dressing
• Drizzle -- I like to use hot sauce or even Inglehoffer Sriracha Mustard

* Tahini-Free Hummus is just 1 can of chickpeas -- drained + rinsed -- blended in your food processor with a clove of garlic, a couple tablespoons olive oil, and then 1/4 to 1/2 cup water (until you reach your desired consistency). Season with salt and pepper.

** Omit to make this "recipe" vegan.

Method . . . 

1. Assemble the ingredients as I did above. There are no rules, so feel free to put them on your wrap in whatever order makes the most sense to you. I find it helpful to cut my crunchy veggies into thin strips for easy eating.
2. Hunt in your refrigerator shelves for more leftovers (rogue beans make a good fit) to toss on. Really, this "recipe" is a great way to eliminate food waste.
3. Dress and drizzle for flavor. Then roll into a loose wrap. Everything will be heaping, so you won't have an airtight seal by any means.

What's your favorite seasonal fruit or vegetable?

I'm most excited for TOMATOES to come into full bloom (here's why!). I love Caprese Salads, homemade BBQ Sauce, slow roasted tomatoes, and quick-to-prepare Pasta Sauces.

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Shabby Apple Giveaway

Hey, everyone! It's a gorgeous day here in upstate NY -- I even think temps today might reach into the lower 60s. I love every minute of it! Still working away at our house. It's looking nice . . . but no nibbles or bites just yet. We're a bit discouraged, but hoping that the nicer weather brings some people by this weekend.

Here's what I'm wearing today. Not the best I've ever put together, but I've packed away so many clothes and have so much laundry to do. At least it's a skirt!

Now, if you like style, keep reading. Shabby Apple (a great site with lots of cute women's dresses) contacted us recently about partnering for a giveaway. Of course, we said YES! And if you don't win, you still get a discount.

That's right: You can enter to win this gorgeous dress, handpicked by us:


To see more photos, click here. And here's some more info from the site . . .

A true gem of a multi-tasker, the Azure Coast dress, with it's playful puff sleeves and no-nonsense shirt collar, is perfect for the office or a weekend getaway at the shore. This ocean-colored beauty sports faux-wrap styling—the skirt closes all the way—giving you the look of your favorite wrap dress without the anxiety of worrying whether or not you're unintentionally showing too much leg.

Wanna win? Here's the scoop:

THE PRIZE: One Azure Coast dress from Shabby Apple. Value: $82.00.
TO ENTER: Leave a comment with the words DRESS ME UP somewhere in the mix.
IN ADDITION: Tell us a little about your spring style essentials.
GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Friday, March 25th at 9:00PM EST
PRIZE SHIPS: USA only.
ALSO: To win, I need your email address -- so please provide it (or your blog link so I can find it -- just some way of contacting you) or, unfortunately, you cannot win.
PS: One entry per email address is allowed. The winner will be selected using Tara's Random Number Generator and announced Monday (3/28) morning.

But you're really ALL winners! All readers can enjoy 10% off at Shabby Apple. Just use the coupon code: neverhomemaker10off. And don't forget to "like" Shabby Apple on Facebook (you can fine 'em here) -- that way, you can enjoy special promotions and exclusive discounts on more women's dresses.

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Our Recipes: Spreads, Sauces, Dressings, and Dips

SPREADS, SAUCES, DRESSINGS, AND DIPS:

• Moosewood Peanut Sauce*
• How To: Create Your Own Sauces
• Cocoa-Raspberry Peanut Butter*
• Ginger-Miso Dressing*
• Chocolate Walnut Spread*
• Easy Guacamole*
• 5-Minute Tomato Sauce
• How to Make Pumpkin Puree*
• Mango Relish*
• Tassajara Tofu Marinade*
• Beer-Cheese Fondue
• Make Your Own Coconut Milk*
• Tzatziki
• Ginger Gold Applesauce*

* means VEGAN

BACK TO ALL RECIPES >>>

OR BROWSE BY CATEGORY:

GRANOLA & OATS	PANCAKES, ETC.	SMOOTHIES
SPREAD, SAUCES, DIPS	SALADS	SOUPS & STEWS
SNACKS & STARTERS	SANDWICHES & BURGERS	PIZZA, ETC.
STIR-FRIES, ETC.	OTHER MEALS	BREADS
CAKES & CUPCAKES	COOKIES & BROWNIES	PIES & TARTS
ICE CREAM & PUDDING	DRINKS	CONVERSIONS

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Tzatziki made with Zucchini

Tzatziki. Zucchini. OIKOS? Lots of weird words flying around, right? Well, when we were shopping at Wegmans the other day, I found this tasty tub of tzatziki in the hummus section. Of course, I've enjoyed the Greek dressing/spread/whatever-you-call-it before while dining out at some local joints. It's good on bread, veggies, and falafel. So, I put it in our grocery basket . . . thinking we'd find a million uses for it this week. Then Stephen looked at me like I was a crazy person. "C'mon, Ashley," he said. "You can totally make this yourself!"

He was right. And now you can make it, too!

Traditional tzatziki is made with yogurt (goat's milk) mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, pepper, and occasionally dill. Sometimes lemon juice and parsley -- even mint -- are added for extra flair. As you know, I don't follow rules and recipes. So, not having cucumbers in our fridge or dill in our spice drawer didn't stop me from creating my own version of the stuff.

I improvised.
I toiled.
I tasted.
I tinkered.


What resulted was slightly thinner than the tzatzikis I've had in the past -- it's a perfect salad dressing and/or sauce that can be used on virtually everything. And now I have yet another use for my favorite Greek yogurt

(I already eat it with fruit for breakfast, put it in chocolate cakes, and throw it in frosting for my ever-so famous Elvis cupcakes!)


TZATZIKI WITH ZUCCHINI
(Makes 1-1/2 cups)

What you'll need . . .

• 10 ounces OIKOS (or other) Greek yogurt
• 1 medium zuchini, peeled and chopped
• 2 scallions, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Pinch of sea salt

Method . . .

1. Put everything together in a food processor and blend until smooth.
2. You may wish to add more or less Greek yogurt to research your desired consistency. We liked ours thin because we used it to top some homemade polenta over a salad.

It's tasty and cheap. And it lasts pretty much all week if you stow it in an air-tight container in your fridge. Now, here's my question for you all: What store-bought item have you made at home? Any good recipes to share???

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DETOX: Day 5 -- Back to Square One

I only wish I could say I ate something this wonderfully healthy in the past 24 hours. To say that I'm on day five of the detox at this point is a bit of a lie. (What's this detox all about? Read about Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, and Day 4!) Unfortunately, New Year's Eve and our party totally threw me back into old habits. And it didn't stop at the party. It continued all day today with all the leftovers. But as today is the start of the new year, tomorrow is the start of a new day, etc., etc., I have plenty of time to get back on track.

One of my new year's resolutions is to stop being so hard on myself if I stray from my resolutions. Being that this diet -- adding whole fruits & veggies -- is one of them . . . I'm not going to let a day of weird eating get me down. The fact is: I've been consuming SO MUCH healthy stuff . . . so, even with the added "bad" desserts, etc. -- I'm still benefiting from enhanced nutrition. I think that deserves a w00t.

Take this beautiful salad, for instance. We gobbled it up a few days ago for lunch. It was so incredibly filling that I couldn't finish my portion -- AND I wasn't hungry for the rest of the afternoon. Magic salad? Maybe. The secret is in the miso-ginger dressing. Because if you know me . . . you know the one dish I absolutely HATE is salad. I hate getting it as a starter. I hate getting it as a side. And I certainly hate getting it as a meal. But honestly, truly, deeply . . . I quite like this one.

The recipe below is one I modified, inspired by the miso-ginger recipe on GOOP.

What you'll need . . .

• 1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 large shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped ginger
• 1 tablespoon white miso (we just used the same barley miso we used for our soup)
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons water
  

Method . . .

1. Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend until fully incorporated.
2. Serve over any salad. Ours included a hefty dose of kale, green apple, carrot, mushrooms, and other mixed greens.

So there you have it. Lush, leafy greens . . . drenched in a relatively guilt-free dressing. A salad this girl will actually eat -- and one her husband will add to his favorites list. I'm excited to get back on track tomorrow. Filling my diet with more whole foods has actually had a dramatic impact on how I feel during the day. Energy is abounding. In other health news at the (never home)maker residence: We're running a 10k tomorrow morning, party of a local "freeze" race series. I'm a bit nervous because the temps are supposed to be around 17 degrees F, but feel more like 1 degree with wind and some snow.

It'll be great! (At least that's what I keep telling myself.)

Speaking of running -- and I'll likely write another post dedicated entirely to our party, so stay tuned -- last night after the ball dropped (which we didn't watch because we don't have TV) . . . a few of my friends and I took a jog around the block to usher in the new year. Exhilarating. Amusing. Tiring in the snow. And, yes -- a little crazy. But I think it'll be a new tradition to add to our growing list.

Tomorrow when I post, I hope to have just taken an immensely hot shower . . . and to be sipping a giant mug of tea. Till then, my friends . . . :)

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