Vegetarian. Runner. Yogi. Foodie.
Treats…
Eats…
(Leftover Red Wine Risotto stuffed in a sweet dumpling squash)
Costume making…
Football game…
Now it’s time to finish the costume and hit the par-tay scene!
Any guesses as to what the costume is?!
Have a lovely evening!
After the 1/2 marathon, my mom and I found a lovely market in a Gruene, Texas – A small texas town with a dancehall, shops and a few restaurants. They had gorgeous displays of pottery and ceramics.
We then happily wandered into a store that displayed “free samples” in bold, block letters on their front steps. And samples there were! Rows and Rows. Everything from garlic infused olive oil to spicy black bean salsa.
I was also excited to try pumpkin butter and apple butter for the first time in my life. Really good, but almost too sweet for me. I see a kitchen experiment coming 
After our appetizers, we crossed the street to a free wine tasting. We tried a few and finally decided on a glass of Llano Estacado Signature Red, produced in Lubbock, Texas.
Two wine barrels, cut in half, were stacked to make a table. Such a great idea.
Then we went a coffee shop down the street and I got something I’d been craving ALL day – A pumpkin scone!!
That was the cherry on top of a great day. 
****
Fast forward two days…
What do you do when you get back to school, have a half empty full bottle of red wine and shouldn’t drink it because you have a paper to write….
You make red wine risotto!!!
….But not just any risotto. This is healthy, fast and tastes great. I’ve made this recipe a couple of times to get the ratios just the way I want them. It packs colorful vegetables into a somewhat-creamy pile of brown rice. Brown rice, “in risotto?!” you ask. Why yes, because instant brown rice can attain the starchy texture that you get from white, nutritionally void, arborio white rice when cooking. I also use extra virgin olive oil instead of butter and cream. I always make four servings to grab for lunch and dinner as I scurry around on hectic weekdays…it’s another one of my one-pot wonders. It reheats great too, but you might want to add more parmesan after doing so.
1 T. EVOO
1 Medium Onion, diced
4 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 C. Instant Brown Rice
1.5 C. Vegetable Stock
1.5 C. Red Wine
2 C. Frozen/Fresh Asparagus, sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1 C. Frozen Peas
1/4 C. Parmesan Cheese (+ more to taste)
2 Scallions, diced (+ more for toppings)
S&P to taste
In pictures:
And Voila!
It’s paper editing- and red wine risotto-eating-time….
Now where is my red pen….
What I’ve learned:
It is an amazing feeling to accomplish a big goal. For me, it was finishing my first 1/2 marathon.
I drove home from school yesterday evening and got to spend some time with the family before waking up at 5:30am, meeting the best friend and heading out to the race course.
It was overcast, muggy and lightning could be seen in the distance. The countdown began at 7am, as I stood in line for a porta-potty. There was, I kid you not, 3 lines over 50 people long waiting as the race started. When you have to go, you have to go. I started the race 4 minutes late and my friend, who had lost track me, saw that I was coming and ran really slow for me to catch up.
We ran the whole race side-by-side. She pushed me, speed-wise, in the beginning and I pushed her in the end. She is training for her 5th marathon, so I though I would hold her back, but we kept a good pace together.
It was a there-and-back style race. The first, and last three miles were brutal. It felt as if I was climbing mountains compared to where I’ve been training at school. Dang you, Texas hill country. My hip flexors were getting tight and it was definitely a challenge the last three miles when fatigue was setting in.
I’ve noticed that distance runs seem to be more mental than physical (some of the time). You have to believe that you can do it and your body will always follow through. Fun, upbeat music also helps. I jammed out to Akon, Kesha, Lady Gaga, T.I., and I’ll admit, Brittany Spears.
Final Time: 1:59:21
…hills and all. Yeah, baby!
I looked like felt like a million bucks after crossing the finish line.
Amazing!
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