Roasted Potatoes, Asparagus and Onions with Rosemary

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Well friends, Joe and I officially made it through an entire week of our yoga cleanse! I know I created an entire blog for the sole purpose of not talking at length about the cleanse on Espresso and Cream, but that’s becoming more difficult than I had expected. Since our new way of eating (no gluten, animal products, processed sugar, alcohol or caffeine) is permeating everything we do and all the food I make, the recipes that I share on Espresso and Cream over the next two weeks will most likely reflect the meals that Joe and I have been enjoying on the cleanse.

At this point, I can’t imagine baking up treats that we can’t enjoy. I’m afraid the temptation would be a little too much to handle at this point. Although I don’t miss gluten or animal products much at all, I would kill for a piece of dark chocolate right about now. And maybe a cup of coffee, too!

This roasted potato and asparagus dish Joe and I ate for dinner last week was one of my favorite meals of the week! Probably because it was incredibly easy, but also because it was filling and satisfying, too. In order to make it a little more balanced, I added in some cubed seasoned and marinated tofu before serving. And although Joe is still not a huge fan of tofu, he still ate it when it was mixed with all these other flavorful roasted veggies.

My mom has been in town this weekend and we haven’t stopped going all weekend! I think that may be why it’s 8 pm and I’m already about to crash and head to bed. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and are ready for a great week to come!

Roasted Potatoes, Asparagus and Onion with Rosemary 
Makes 2 to 3 servings
Ingredients
2 pounds Trader Joe’s Teeny Tiny Potatoes (you could also use fingerling potatoes)
1 bunch asparagus spears, ends trimmed
1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise; cut asparagus into bite-sized pieces.  Place potatoes, asparagus and onion in a large roasting pan. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the rosemary, salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly.

Roast for 15 to 25 minutes or until potatoes and onions are golden brown and asparagus are tender. Serve immediately. (Also: highly recommended to serve this dish with a little salsa on the side.)

Happy Cooking!
Madison

Sweet Vegan Cashew Cream

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Since I can’t enjoy my nightly dark chocolate fix while we are doing our yoga cleanse, I have been looking for creative ways to satisfy my sweet tooth after dinner. Not an easy task considering that the “sweets” can’t contain any sweetener other than agave or stevia and they also can’t contain dairy, gluten or eggs. Basically, my options are seriously limited.

I’ve seen recipes for cashew cream, both sweet and savory, on blogs and websites quite a bit, but I had yet to make any myself until this week. I think I’m going to have to restrain myself from making another batch because I had no control with this stuff. It’s crazy good. Something about the nutty taste of the cashews whirled into a creamy pudding-like dessert satisfied my sweet tooth perfectly.

Fair warning: this is not a low calorie dessert. Although the ingredients are wholesome, the cashews are also pretty calorie dense. Hence, I’m not going to allow myself to make another batch for at least a week since the first batch lasted me about six days. Yikes!

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Sweet Vegan Cashew Cream
Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients
*3 cups unsalted cashews
*2 cups water
*1/4 cup agave
*1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
*Additional stevia to taste

Directions
*Place cashews in a bowl and completely submerge in water. Soak for 3 hours to soften cashews completely.
*Drain cashews. Combine cashews, 2 cups water, agave, cinnamon and stevia to taste in a blender and blend until smooth. If you do not have a high-powered blender (personally, I don’t) I suggest that you run the mixture through a food processor first to get it as smooth as you can and then run through a blender to make it truly creamy and delicious.
*Refrigerate until completely chilled. Serve with fruit, nuts or other desired topping.

Happy Cooking!
Madison

Cocoa Oatmeal

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We are only halfway through the weekend and already our weekend has felt so full! Our good friends, Luke and Jenny, were in town from Iowa this weekend and made time to have dinner with us on Friday night. It was so good to spend time with friends that we already know so well. And while we have been making a lot of great friends in Minneapolis, making deep, comfortable relationships takes time. Being able to just sit back and enjoy a casual night of conversation was a great reprieve from actively trying to make new friends.

The fun continued on Saturday when Jake and Amber make their first big trip out of the house as a family and spent some time at our house Saturday afternoon. Joe and I even got to do a little babysitting while Jake and Amber ran a couple errands sans-kiddos. And, contrary to what Baylen’s face in the photo below may suggest, we all had a really great time! But I have to say, I have a new appreciation for Amber. When Joe was outside playing with Baylen and I was inside with the girls, I had no idea what I would have done if both girls started crying at the same time. Thankfully, Mckinley was sound asleep most of the time Jake and Amber were away.

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I suppose I should get to the food we ate, right? Since Joe and I are preparing to start our cleanse this afternoon, I’ve been thinking about new foods and recipes that will fit into our new, temporary way of eating. Thankfully, I realized that the Cocoa Oatmeal we have been enjoying every morning for the last couple of months already fits within the confines of the cleanse. Using cocoa powder is one of my favorite ways to get a lot of chocolate flavor without the sugar and calories of a chocolate bar. Stirring a couple tablespoons of cocoa powder into our morning oats gives breakfast an ultra indulgent taste without the ultra-indulgent calorie load.

I’m excited to spend some time in the kitchen this evening preparing a few different quinoa and gluten-free pasta salads that will make for easy lunches throughout the week. I think the biggest key in regards to successfully sticking to our cleanse will be preparing foods in advance so we always have meals on hand.

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Cocoa Oatmeal
Makes 2 servings
Ingredients
*1 cup old fashioned rolled oats (gluten-free for us on the cleanse)
*2 1/4 cups water
*2 to 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
*1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
*Stevia to taste (or brown sugar, if desired)
*Natural peanut butter and/or bananas (optional)

Directions
*Combine oats and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, allowing mixture to simmer and bubble, stirring occasionally. Once water is absorbed and oats are softened, remove from heat and add in the cocoa powder, cinnamon and stevia to taste. Serve with peanut butter and/or bananas, if desired.

Happy Cooking!
Madison

Espresso and Cream Eats

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If you follow along with me on Instagram (madisonjanemayberry), then chances are you saw my photo yesterday of the food journal I’ve started keeping. Over the next 21 days (starting on Sunday) I am taking part in a program called the “Evolve 21 Day Yoga Cleanse” which is a program through our gym that is part cleanse and part yoga workshop. We will be meeting every Sunday for a combination of yoga class and group discussion and nutrition information. I love that I’ll be doing the cleanse with other people to provide support and encouragement. And I’m looking forward to going deeper into my yoga practice, too.

I’ve said in the past that I’m not a big fan of juice cleanses and things that are ultra calorie restrictive since I need food to a) be a kind and pleasant person and b) fuel my active lifestyle. And that is still very true. The thing that drew me to the program was the fact that it is absolutely not calorie restrictive. Although I’ll be limiting the types of food I eat for the next 21 days, I can still eat a lot of food, just as long as its healthy and falls within the program’s confines.

We have been encouraged to journal what we eat a week before the cleanse (normal eating patterns), during the cleanse and after, when we start to introduce foods into our diets that we cut out. Since I can hardly keep track of a piece of paper to save my life, I decided to document my eats and experiences online. But, since I know many of you have no interest in a yoga cleanse and just want tasty recipes, I’m going to keep the cleanse information limited on Espresso and Cream. For those of you who are interested in following along, you can visit Espresso and Cream Eats (espressoandcreameats.wordpress.com) for daily updates and my complete food journal for the next month. It’s not beautiful or fancy by any means, just a basic journal format to keep things in one place.

Madison

Blueberry Oat Biscuit Cobbler

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One of the best parts about having a house with plenty of space is that we finally have the room to comfortably entertain friends on a regular basis. Now, when I say “entertain” I don’t mean elaborate dinner parties. It’s more of a casual rotation of everyday meals that Joe and I would normally eat throughout the week. We usually dress things up by eating in the dining room, opening up a bottle of wine and serving a dessert, all things that we don’t usually do when it’s just the two of us on a weeknight.

If you are one of our friends who has shared a meal in our new home with us, the chances are you have been served this Blueberry Oat Biscuit Cobbler. I think I’ve served it almost a dozen times since we’ve moved into our house, mainly because it’s easy, tasty and semi-healthy. Something about serving a fruit-based dessert seems more appropriate on the weeknight that, say, a chocolate cake.

I’ve found over the numerous times that I’ve made this cobbler that it’s incredibly adaptable based on what you have on hand. Sometimes I cut back the sugar a bit depending on the sweetness of the berries I have on hand. Other times I’ll sub in a little almond meal or use 100% whole wheat flour in the cobbler if I’m feeling extra healthy. And I’ve played around with mixed berries, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries. All yield delicious results and can be used in frozen form for added ease and affordability. Can you tell I love this dessert?

When I’m making this for friends, I usually time it out so that this is coming out of the oven at the same time friends are scheduled to arrive. That way the cobbler has time to cool and set while we enjoy our meal and it’s still a little warm when its served, always with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a strong cup of decaf coffee.

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I can hardly take credit for the recipe, although I wish I could. Instead of posting it here, I would encourage you to hop on over to the blog Sprouted Kitchen to get the recipe. The recipe can be found HERE!

Happy Wednesday, friends!

Madison

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