Take Me To The River

I had an incredible hike today with a great guy and three crazy, yet adorable dogs. The place we went hiking has a river that you can basically hike through. The water is low enough for you to walk across the rocks and feel the water rush across your feet. I will admit it, my small 14 pound dog had to be picked up a few times, for she fears even the sight and sound of water. I could hike all day through a river. I might have prune-like toes, but that's okay with me! Before I headed out on my hike, I wanted something pretty substantial to hold me over until I had a late dinner. First, I had to have some sort of sandwich to keep the tummy happy.

Tomato Basil Mozzarella Sandwich
Serves 1
Ingredients:
2 slices of whole grain bread
1/2 tomato, sliced
4 basil leaves
4 slices of fresh mozzarella
Handful of Arugula
Sprinkle of Parmesan Cheese
Roland Balsamic Glaze
1 Tbs. of Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
In a medium saute pan, add the olive and bring to medium-high heat. Once hot, place the bread into the pan. Cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side or until the bread becomes a nice golden brown. Once the bread is ready, remove from heat and place the arugula on one piece of the bread. Then, layer on the basil, tomato and mozzarella. Top with the Parmesan cheese and the balsamic gaze. Finish off with salt and pepper.

The Roland Balsamic Glaze came in handy again today! Love this stuff so much. The perfect topping for the sandwich. This sandwich was perfect for me. Great flavor and kept me satisfied.
Now, right before I went hiking and running I had one these:

This thinkThin Chocolate Fudge Bar was incredible! As you know, I have been on a sweet kick lately, but I felt better about my sweet indulgence when I had this instead of ice cream. Coming in with 20 grams of protein, I certainly had less of a guilty conscious.

And, I also had one of these: (You can't tell, but the can is already open because I could not wait to sip on it before I took the picture).

I love, love, love Steaz Iced Teaz. I had the Lime Pomegranate Tea today, and this flavor is one of my favorites, although, I do adore the Blueberry Pomegranate Acai Tea too. The Lime Pomegranate Tea is a white tea that has such an incredible flavor and is also organic and fair trade. They make all different flavors of teas with green tea, white tea and black tea.

So glad tomorrow is Friday. Looking forward to the weekend, everyone! Have a great night :)

Thanks for the Technique Tip

I watched the movie Julie & Julia tonight and it was so cute! I had no idea it was about a woman blogger who decides to dedicate her blog to recreating Julia Child's dishes. It was a woman blogger's dream to see this movie! And, I used a cooking technique from Julia Child tonight in my dish. I worked with mushrooms and learned that you must separate the mushrooms in the pan or they will never brown! How interesting, huh?!
So, what did I use those mushrooms for tonight anyway, you ask?

Mushroom, Shallot & Goat Cheese Pizza
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 Whole Wheat Tortilla
1 cup Baby Bella Mushrooms
1 cup Shitake Mushrooms
1 large Shallot, cut into fine, long pieces
3 Tbs. of Mackenzie Creamery Black Truffle Goat Cheese
Roland Balsamic Glaze
Pinch of Black Truffle Oil Sea Salt from Whole Foods
Pinch of Fresh Thyme
Directions:
First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Once the oven is ready, place the whole wheat tortilla in the oven for about 6 minutes or until a light golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside until ready to top with ingredients. Keep the oven going. Then, in a large saute pan, add the olive oil and bring to a medium-high heat. Once hot, place the mushrooms and shallots into the pan. Let cook for about 6 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and slightly golden brown. Meanwhile, spread the goat cheese onto the whole wheat tortilla. Then, top with the mushrooms and shallots. Place back in the oven for an additional 8-10 minutes. Keep your eye on the pizza so it does not burn. Once the pizza is done, top with the Black Truffle Oil Sea Salt and Fresh Thyme. Finish off with the balsamic glaze.

The Black Truffle goat cheese I got from Mackenzie Creamery is an Ohio farm that produces all different kinds of goat cheeses. The Black Truffle goat cheese had an incredible flavor and texture.

I wanted to make a Balsamic Glaze myself, but it is really time consuming and I found a great substitute that has quality ingredients and is pre-made! Roland balsamic glaze had great flavor and great texture.

This pizza was an incredible dinner. The mushrooms and shallots with the goat cheese and Black Truffle Oil flavor was incredible. The hint of thyme and balsamic glaze on top really complimented the rest of the pizza and pulled it all together nicely.


Have a great night, and if you have not seen Julie & Julia, rent it! It is so cute, funny and heart warming.