31 Days of Adventure ~ Day 5

Day 5 | January 5

Get foodie with it

The colors and aromas of ethnic cuisines from around the world can open us up to all kinds of adventure.

For today's adventure, try a new food.

Maybe it's one you've never heard of. (Quinoa? Kim chi? Let's give it a go!) Or how about a food or spice you're used to avoiding. Hot salsa? Chili paste? Wasabi? Or you can simply order a different item from your favorite restaurant instead of the regular.
Now is the time to give your palate a little extra adventure. You never know what you might fall in love with.

I love to cook...sometimes. Spurts of creativity overcome me on occasion which sends me pouring over recipe books and foodie blogs like Iowa Girl Eats and Peas and Thank You. My husband (insert giggle, because that still seems so odd to write) has been spoiled with dishes he would have never had the pleasure of trying such as Homemade Chipotle Burrito Bowls and Yoshinoya Beef Bowls along with some vegetarian/vegan dishes like Cinnamon Toast Cereal, which is made without wheat flour AND I can eat a whole batch by myself...in one sitting, Red Wine "Beef" Stew and our favorite General Tao's Tofu. You see, I like to be fair and try to accomodate his meat-eating tendencies while subtly introducing yummy meat-free alternatives...what ever you may think of this approach it at least got him to marry me! 

Ain't we cute!

So, when I received the prompt for the Day 5 challenge I was excited because I am not afraid to try new foods but then realized I am still in lazy mode (thanks 17 day vacation/honeymoon).  Therefore, my day 5 challenge is being posted on day 6.

I actually cooked something new 2 days in a row starting with The Joy of Clean Eating's Vegetarian Paella Stuffed Eggplant followed by Skinny Bitch in the Kitch's Penne with Butternut Squash, Sage Pesto and Almonds (minus the almonds as I was out of stock).

But wait...there's more...I also made a Raw Food meal! Yep, so I 'uncooked' something too, kinda. I cut celery, cucumber, carrots, radishes and mushrooms into tiny slivers. I then cleaned several collard green leaves, de-veined them, spread a small amount of hummus on each leaf, topped with my chopped veggies and rolled them into delectable fresh veggie spring rolls. It may seem like a lot of work but if you chop your veggies in large batches you can make enough for several lunches or snacks. Simple, delicious, healthy and inexpensive...I don't know why I didn't try it sooner.

So, there's my food adventure. I'm also happy to report that the hubby loved everything I made, except the veggie rolls...he wouldn't even try them, but that's okay...more for me!