24 Days

The countdown clock is officially ticking.  Exactly 24 days from now I'll be boarding a plane back to Atlanta in preparation for a week-long Western Caribbean cruise.  This month has been nothing short of exhausting, and I'm more than ready to spend a week relaxing, soaking up the sun, and spending time with family.  The next 24 days are going to be rough.  

Not much exciting is happening in my life right now - pretty much either working, swimming/biking/running, or sleeping.  Meals have been scattered and unexciting since I've been switching back and forth between days and night at work.  It's interesting how my appetite is completely zapped on this crazy schedule.  The pictures I've captured are minimal, but I do have a few "meals" to share.

Panko dusted organic chicken bites, steamed asparagus and bean sprouts, and white sweet potato wedges.

Peanut Butter and Banana topped Whole Wheat Pancakes.
I think pancakes pop up on the blog at least once a week.  I think I'm obsessed!

My favorite thing about working nights is enjoying an hour of sunlight on the deck  in the late afternoon before going back to work.  I LOVE my new lounge chairs!

Have you ever heard of Ugli fruit?  I spotted these at Earth Fare last week and decided to give them a try. 

They are a Jamaican fruit that is a cross between tangerine and grapefruit.
They were super juicy and sweet, and will definitely find themselves in my grocery cart again.

A common breakfast/lunch while working nights.  It seems odd to eat breakfast foods when I wake up at 3-4pm, so I typically fix a combination of breakfast-y items paired with veggies.

Toasted Dakota bread, hummus, summer snap peas, spinach, and shaved carrots.

Time for another night in the STICU.  Ugh, I'm tired.  Must . . . find . . . coffee!

Taste of the Nation 2012

Wednesday night I had the incredible fortune to attend Charlotte's Taste of the Nation.  I've mentioned the event in the past, but briefly, it's a culinary event featuring nearly 30 of the Queen City's best restaurants.  Food and beverages are endless, a live band provides the entertainment, and a live auction raises thousands of dollars.  In addition to the money raised by the live and silent auctions, 100% of the ticket sales go directly to Share Our Strength and funds their mission to end childhood hunger in America.

The event was held at the Wells Fargo Center Atrium.  I had just enough time after work to run home, change, pick up my "plus one" (one of my fellow ortho residents) for the evening, and head Uptown to the big event.  

As soon as you entered the atrium, you were inundated with smells of the prepared dishes.  Before digging in to the food though, we started with a drink.  The bartender suggested I model the pink sunglasses that matched my dress as well as the pink-colored liquor in the drink I had selected (a vodka-infused pink lemonade).

I also tried one of these, which was pretty good.  While there seemed to be enough liquor to make drunks out of the whole city of Charlotte, I sipped on water for the rest of the night.  I knew 5am would come all too early the next morning and while I did plan to be in a food coma, a hangover was not in my plans.

You'll see lots of photos with meat and seafood.  While it's rare that venture outside my vegetarian diet, I had decided to fully enjoy the event and try every item that peaked my interest.

Rocky River Grill's Roasted Pork with Caramelized Onion Jam

A Giant Wheel of Parmesan Reggiano

One of my favorite dishes of the night.  The lobster chunks were huge!

The shrimp were perfectly cooked and wrapped in a salty country ham.

Shredded Beef Taco and Watermelon-Feta Salad

I was more than a little excited when I discovered a display of sushi.  I could have planted myself there and eaten all night long.  Yum!

Enso Asian Bistro
Wagyu Beef Tacos and an Assortment of Sushi

Sushi chefs hard at work.

Hot Sauce provided entertainment while we gorged ourselves on food.  Notice they are dressed as chefs.

I didn't try the pork panini in the foreground of the photo, but  the dessert in the back was excellent.
Lemon Souffle Cake with Raspberry Coulis

Whole Food's Zucchini and Squash Salad with Mozzarella and Balsamic Reduction

As the evening continued, the crowds grew larger.  Surprisingly, there were never any lines for food.

Johnson and Wales University provided hand-crafed pastries and chocolates.

Another Johnson and Wales creation
Pork Belly and Crab Spring Roll
(I passed on the pork belly, but enjoyed the spring roll)

This was another of my favorites.
The freshness of the sashimi paired with the  tangy fruits was an excellent combination.

Chilled GA Peanut and NC Ramp Gazpacho with She-Crab Salad
Halcyon Flavors from the Earth

Fern is a locally inspired vegetarian restaurant that has recently opened in Charlotte .  I've really wanted to dine there, but haven't had the opportunity quite yet.  After this unique dish, I'm even more excited to dine there.  Unfortunately, I was enjoying their creation so much, that it went unphotographed.

Amelie's French Bakery brought a variety of sugary treats that were all equally delicious.
I might have even snuck a salted caramel brownie into my purse to enjoy later!

An impressive chocolate sculpture.

What an incredible evening!  While the pictures may seem to display plate after plate of food, more than half of the restaurant's creations went unphotographed.  As those of you who know me well would attest too, this girl loves to eat!  Snapping pictures, while fun, does hamper the speed at which I can get food to my mouth.

If Taste of the Nation comes to a city near you, I would highly encourage you to attend.  Where else do you have the opportunity to enjoy high quality beverages and plate after plate of fine dining dishes, all while supporting a notable cause?  I'll certainly be back next year!

Happy Easter

I hope the Easter Bunny brought happiness to everyone today!

The good news is that despite Bailey's best attempts, I've received report that peter cotton-tail escaped by a narrow margin this morning and will live to see another year.  That dog loves her bunny rabbits!

Looking back through the blog, I came to realize that I've now been blogging for 1 year.  Wow, amazing how time flies!  It's neat to look back at Easter 2011 and relive the memories.  Life is just a little different now.  Last year I enjoyed a lazy morning, fun in the kitchen preparing a feast, and spending quality time with family, all while knowing I was done with medical school and on a 3 month vacation.  Flash forward to 2012 and I spent the night working in the trauma ICU, tossed and turned for 5 restless hours, woke up tired, tried to write an essay that I am totally uninspired to write, and have 2 hours before I'm back at work again.  And, on top of that, I'm missing spending the day with my family and enjoying Easter dinner together.  Oh, the life of a resident.  

As for my Easter dinner, I'm not exactly expecting a great culinary masterpiece from the hospital cafeteria at midnight.  Judging by last night's selections of fried chicken, spare ribs, carrots floating in butter, mushy overcooked broccoli, and macaroni and cheese, it's not looking promising.  Maybe the Easter Bunny will delivery a vegan holiday feast.  A girl can hope, right?!

Night or Day?

Breakfast of tempeh and scrambled eggs, peanut butter english muffin, and banana.  While many might enjoy this weekend "breakfast" at a normal hour of 8am, I was feasting on at 4pm.  

I'm currently living in the land of trauma-drama, a.k.a. a month long stretch in the surgical trauma ICU.  Over the course of the month, I'll work 11 nights and the remainder of the time on days.  The hardest part of nights is getting your body clock adjusted.  It always seems to take me a few days before I can really sleep well during the daylight hours, and by then I switch back to days.    Somehow, though, my body seems to get by on less sleep while working nights and I enjoy a few "extra" daylight hours.  Today I was awake by 3:15pm, enjoyed an hour on the deck, watched The Masters, went for a 6 mile run, and now am sipping a latte and getting ready for work.

When I'm working 14+ hour days, I tend to eat all 3 meals at the hospital.  Or, as in the above picture, I bring hospital food home for dinner.  Sure, I love to cook, but having a decent selection of already prepared food at work is a great alternative.  Here's a glimpse into the non-cafeteria treats I've enjoyed this week.

Starbuck's soy lattes are by far my favorite coffeehouse drink.  There's simply nothing like enjoying sip after sip of heaven to fuel me through a long day.

Most mornings my breakfast ends up being a bowl of cereal and a banana, eaten in a rush while rounding on patients or sitting in morning report.  Breakfast is possibly my favorite meal of the day, and I miss giant yogurt/granola/fruit bowls, omelets, and pancakes.  Friday morning I whipped up a batch of whole wheat banana pancakes topped with a blackberry reduction syrup.  I always make extra pancakes, wrap them up in pairs and freeze them.  Then, on mornings when I'm pressed for time I can simply toss them in the toaster and enjoy a pancake breakfast in a flash.

I combined fresh farmer's market veggies (asparagus, carrots, and bean sprouts) with carrot ginger soup to make a hearty and refreshing lunch.  Served on the side was pretzel crisps with hummus and a fresh pear.

Time to head back to the hospital for another night of trauma-rama!

Kicked Up Vegan Blueberry Muffins

Several months ago I receive a coupon to be used for any Duncan Hines product.  As I browsed the grocery store shelves, I was struck by the unhealthiness of nearly all of their products.  High fructose corn syrup, artificial ingredients, highly processed white flour, saturated fats, and preservatives seemed to highlight every ingredient list of their cake mixes and frosting.  I nearly walked away with plans to throw away the coupon, but then I spotted a new product.

The ingredient list is surprisingly simple:

• Whole wheat flour, blueberries, sugar, wheat fiber, corn starch, baking powder, palm oil, natural flavor, salt, xanthan and guar gums

While these muffins may be good if you prepared them as directed, I was looking for something a little more hearty.  Here's the recipe for my "semi-homemade" muffins.

Kicked Up Vegan Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

Duncan Hines Simple Mornings Wild Maine Blueberry Muffin Mix

Blueberries, rinsed and drained (included in muffin box)

1/2 cup oats

1/3 cup raisins

1/4 cup chia seeds

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp chopped crystallized ginger

3 tbsp flax

5 tbsp water

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup applesauce

1/3 cup shredded carrot

1/2 cup shredded zucchini

3/4 cup water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease muffin tins.
2. Combine flax and 5 tbsp water.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
3. Combine dry ingredients (muffin mix, oats, raisins, chia, cinnamon, crystallized ginger).
4. Combine wet ingredients (flax egg, vanilla, applesauce, carrot, zucchini, water, blueberries)
5. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until evenly incorporated.
6. Scoop into muffin tins.  I used a 12 count muffin tin and filled them 3/4 full.
7. Bake for 19 minutes, or until lightly browned and well set.
8. Cool for 5 minutes and then remove from muffin tins and finish cooling on wire rack.