must buy earplugs!

/

This morning I severely compromised my hearing.  But it was worth it!  Time to give broken farro a go for breakfast.  I started by grinding 1c of farro in my food processor. 

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It took SO long.  Minutes!!  It didn’t even get to the exact texture I wanted.  I think a coffee grinder is the way to go.  I really wanted it to be more powdery.  It still worked, but not quite the same creamy texture.

It’s hard to describe how insanely loud this is.  If you’ve ever tried grinding almonds for almond butter it’s 5x LOUDER than that. 

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My lovely $8 bag of farro, from Costco.  Pretty sure we’ve eaten close to a pound of this stuff in 2 days. 

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Somewhat powdery, with some big chunks mixed in.  Coffee grinder is going on my x-mas list!!

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I cooked this differently than the original bowl I ate in San Fran.  I mixed 1/2 thinly sliced banana into it, about half way through cooking.  It thickened up the consistency, but almost too much.  I think with farro I would enjoy banana on top more than mixed in.

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I topped it with currants, almonds and my pumpkin spice almond butter.  I’m thinking of renaming that almond butter.  It’s more like “molasses cookie almond butter” than pumpkin spice. 

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Is it okay that I’m still obsessing over the detail of using a tripod???  I just can’t help it.  I’m getting much more used to moving it around and adjusting the head + legs.  It WILL be traveling with me to Oregon!!

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Lunch today also included farro.  Go figure.  I told you we’ve eaten nearly a pound!!!  Now, this lunch wasn’t anything super exciting but it was super delicious.

It started with leftover boxed soup.  I really like the brand Imagine for their soups and veggie broths.  They have a broccoli soup that is outstanding but I think I liked this Corn Chipotle Bisque even more.  It definitely didn’t have a chipotle flavor, just so you know.  The flavor was very similar to corn meal.  It was extremely thick and creamy and the nutritional breakdown and ingredient list are impressive as well.

So, here is how you take a delicious tasting soup and beef it up a bit, for a warm, delicious + filling lunch. 

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Before heating the soup, I cooked about 1.5 servings of organic, extra firm tofu, in a pan.  I added about 1T of oil and cooked the cubed tofu over medium heat for ~10 per side, or until golden brown.  Before cooking the tofu, I also pressed out the liquid between kitchen towels with a few heavy books stacked on top.

Once the tofu was almost done, I started to heat the 1.5c of soup I had leftover.  To the soup, I added about 1/2-3/4c pre-cooked farro [leftover from dinner].  Then I added the tofu, until everything was heated through.

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Ignore the mucky color and just imagine a thick and creamy flavorful soup, studded with chewy farro and crispy sautéed tofu. 

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Extremely filling and packed with protein + fiber.

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On the side, a large spinach salad with carrots + avocado.  I drizzled on balsamic, hemp oil, apple cider vinegar and a little s+p. 

This was a winner of a lunch!

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I wanted to say a quick thank you for all of your amazing comments from yesterday’s BIG NEWS!!  The excitement has not gone away, but maybe even increased after seeing the lovely things you all had to say.  I’m completely flattered.  Thank you all so much for your continued support with any and all of my ventures.  This week is about to get crazy!!  I leave Thursday morning at 3:30am.  I take a shuttle to the Denver airport, then hop on a plane at 6am to Phoenix.  Really?  Phoenix?  So not the right direction!!  Then, I arrive in Portland mid morning.  I’m hoping to sleep a lot on the plane rides because after I step off the plane, I have no idea what to expect!  It’s going to be bizzzzy but OH.so.much.fun.  I’m only packing stretchy pants…there is going to be a LOT of eating going on.

We both have no idea how blog posts are going to happen, but not to worry, we’ll figure something out.  :)

Mama Pea and I had a long phone convo about every recipe that is going to be cooked.  I told her how I was planning to shoot each dish, etc.  I may or may not be starting to get a little nervous!! 

You know I’m packing some of my kitchen up with me.  You can never have too many photo props!!

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I was non-stop today from 8am-midnight.  My to-do list is shrinking but still a ways to go.  I’ve been working out at home with my bike set up on an indoor trainer [more on that soon].  I’ve also still been swimming about twice a week and lifting free-weights at home, as well as doing push-ups, crunches, and walking the doggies. It’s so nice when you can do a full workout at home!!

BEd.bed.bEDDD.

<3 Ashley