energia vitale/vital energy

I am back from DC and had a really great time.  I forgot how much I enjoyed the city while I lived there many moons ago.  Although the main reason for the visit was to attend job interviews, I did get to get out and about a little.

I posted various pictures to clicked while there, as well as a few others I took, on My Alter Ego.

Happily, leaving in the wee hours of the morning Thursday allowed me the ability to stop at several locations along my southern route home.  Normally, my drives home typically fall on Sundays and the spots I want to hit are closed by the time I pass.  Luckily, this trip was different and I hit the outlets at noon, which gave me plenty of time to shop!  Well, I really only went to the Pottery Barn Outlet since there wasn’t a Williams Sonoma.  While there was lots o’ goodies, I stayed focused.  I did score a (significantly reduced) Galvanized Metal 3-Tier Stand, perfect to display some of my desserts, though.  Fun, huh?!

I also stopped at a James Cooley Farms stand (Strawberry Hill USA), the Gaffney, SC location).  Can you say g-o-l-d-m-i-n-e?!  While I will talk about the pure joy I encountered during my visit in a post next week, here’s a little tease…

And how about these gigantic bites of berryliciousness (yup….another made up word)?

One (1)  flat for $12.  Seriously? $12! I can’t imagine how much these would be in Publix. I actually pondered about how many flats I could actually buy without looking ridiculous!  Ha!  I left with only one, but they are worth a three hour trip back…for sure! To be honest, I don’t know if I have the heart to do anything with these beauties other that simply eat them.  The berries are enormous, juicy and sweet, and (in my humble opinion) it would be a travesty to mess with perfection. Plus, eating them as is goes beautifully with to my return to “clean eating“. Preparing them with refined sugar would not be good for me, and I would have to give the goodies away!

And (sidebar), as I just learned  one of my best friends is getting married, which means the clock has started ticking.  Tick, tock, tick, tock….count down to bridesmaid dress! Bring on the berries, lean proteins and quinoa!

As much as I love quinoa, my first meeting with red quinoa was not until earlier this year when I made Meat(less) Balls while visiting my mother. I quite enjoyed them quite a bit.  But, as with many things I try for the first time, I don’t always go back for more.  I think that’s because the foods I enjoy get shuffled or forgotten while I play with other new items/tastes.

So, I brought it back into my kitchen.  However simple…but clean and delish.

Red Quinoa, Eggplant & Chickpea Salad

1 cup uncooked red quinoa
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup diced zucchini
1 garlic clove – minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 teaspoon turmeric (optional)
sea salt & fresh ground pepper
½ cup chopped Italian parsley

Prepare the quinoa according to package directions and transfer the prepared quinoa to a large bowl. In the meantime, Heat ½ the oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté one minute. Add eggplant and cook until the softened, but still with a little bite. Add the turmeric and chickpeas and stir until well combined.

Toss with the quinoa. Add parsley and salt and pepper to taste.  Drizzle remaining olive oil and toss well. serve cold or at room temperature.