I'm BACK!!

Hi There!!!

I sincerely apologize for my recent absence, but BOTH of my computers decided to kick the bucket on me at the same time! Ironic? I think not.  I have thoroughly missed blogging,  and  the act of sitting down to compose this post is bring up some anxiety as I just don't know where to start! The past two weeks have been jam-packed with work obligations interspersed with some fun activities with friends. I unfortunately ceased my paparazzi- like tendency to chronicle each event via photo as I knew I wouldn't be able to share it all in one blog post. Retrospectively, I wish I captured more of the yummy food I ate and events I attended so that I could have sporadically shared them over the next week. Oh well! Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda, Right?

This week was particularly hectic for me as I was in Pittsburgh for business Monday and Tuesday, and both Tuesday night and Wednesday night I had events to attend. Wednesday after work, I battled rush-hour traffic and headed across the city to enjoy a dinner for Solae, which is the world leader in developing soy based technologies and ingredients. As someone who has significantly decreased meat consumption through substituting soy protein, I was pretty psyched to attend this dinner and learn some new and innovate ways of incorporating soy protein into my diet. I was shocked to learn how many of the products that I currently purchase utilize Solae's soy protein! For example:

I am a big fan of adding this protein powder to my green smoothies, protein pancakes, or even oatmeal! I have it in my pantry as we speak!

 LOVE this soymilk!

 

So, Let's get to the good stuff: THE DINNER!

The meal started with hors d'hourves- each containing soy protein.

Soy bacon (AMAZING!) lettuce wraps. I will be buying soy bacon stat! The bacon in this appetizer is by Morningstar Farms.

Bad pic, but in my defense I was juggling the appetizer, my iphone, and paperwork. This is a soy nugget (also Morningstar Farms) with some type of phenomenal aioli. Delish.

Beautiful table setting.

The FABULOUS dinner was created by chef Peter Berley, who is the author of The Flexitarian Table (which I scored a copy of! Wheee!) . I love the concept of Peter's book as it completely aligns with my philosophy of eating. While I have cut down on my meat consumption, I won't refer to myself as a vegetarian. I eat meat and fish in moderation. Similarly, I enjoy dairy such as cottage cheese and greek yogurt, but I also regularly purchase almond and soy milk. If you are a flexitarian and you want to learn more about Peter, you can check out his website here. 

Ok, back to the wonderful chef himself. First off,  Peter is one hell of a chef. Each dish he created for the dinner was expertly prepared and presented. Secondly, he is such a down to earth and personable guy; a fantastic combination if I do say so myself! Part of what made the Solae event so unique and fun was Peter's invitation to help him create some of the recipes we would be sampling. Here I am (not my best photo!) sauteing veggies for the chili!

This was the menu.

First Course: Lemon Tofu Ricotta with Parmesan Mint

Second Course: Romaine Hearts with Creamy Miso vinaigrette.

Main Course:  Three Bean and Bell Pepper Chili with Chipotle Soy Sour Cream

This dish was amazing. It did contain meat, but Peter substituted half the meat with Morningstar Farms veggie crumbles. Seriously, this dish could fool even the most carnivorous person you know (aka my boyfriend!). The beauty of substituting half the meat for the veggie crumbles (soy protein) is that you still get the great chili flavor and consistency, but you cut down on the fat! SCORE. I will definitely be making this soon!

My camera died after the main course, so I wasn't able to photograph the dessert. I promise, it was equally fantastic.

Here I am getting my cookbook signed while clearly trying to charm the chef juding by my batting eyelashes. Do you think it worked? 

I also scored this awesome swag bag from Solae (pardon my leg in the photo!). It's packed with some VERY awesome goodies, including a copy of The Flexitarian Table :) . Please keep your eyes peeled over the next week as I will mostly likely be doing a giveaway of this wonderful bag!

I do have to share a pic of the most adorable thumb drive that I received in the Solae bag! It's in the shape of an edamame.... I mean, come on....could a flash drive possibly BE any cuter? I think not.

In summary, the event was completely awesome. I learned some new facts about soy, picked up a few new recipes, met an awesome chef, and feasted on some exceptional food. It was SOYYYY delicious ! Ok.. bad play on words. I'm guilty.

With that said, I'm off to dinner with PJ. I'll be back tomorrow to update you all (y'all... ughh how I want it to be ok for me to say this!) on a few other things that have been happenin' over the past couple of weeks!

Ciao!

xo

Sarah