Coming Clean: Strawberry-Quinoa Salad

They say the truth hurts.

I can attest to that.

Sometimes it's a stinging feeling, like you fell and scraped your pride. Sometimes it's a dull ache. The kind that alarms you enough to go to a doctor and get it checked out.

At least that's the kind that I experienced recently. Nothing serious, just a little reminder that at 31, I need to be on top of things pertaining to reproduction and eventually attempting to create offspring.

NOTE: This post discusses things of a personal nature. If you feel uncomfortable reading the word "ovary" on a food blog {which, I wouldn't fault you for}, this would be your cue to scroll down to the recipe or click to another post. I won't be getting too graphic, but I thought I'd give you a heads up just to be fair.

Anyway, I recently went to my annual lady parts appointment {And OH MY GOSH, I am sort of in disbelief that I'm actually telling you this here. All of you. Wow.}, and had the same conversation that I have with my doctor every year. It went something like this:

Doctor: "So, how are you doing?"
Me: "Fine, thanks!"
Doctor: "Good. Any important changes to report? Or questions you might have?"
Me: "No. Well... actually, there's this one thing..."

And so, just to be certain that the "one thing" was, in fact, nothing new to report, my doctor set up a follow up appointment to check out a few more things and make sure all was well.

It's never a good thing when you overhear the doctor say, "No, I want to talk to her for a sec.", and then close the door behind her. It's the kind of thing that makes your stomach churn and your palms sweat. And in the few minutes leading up to that "talk", your imagination can seriously run wild.

Long story short {And saving you LOTS of unnecessary details. You're welcome.}, I was told that I have a cyst on one of my ovaries.

It's actually not a big deal. In fact, it wasn't "news", exactly. The first time I heard about it was a few years ago when my doctor initially discovered a few of them. Upon my most recent visit, they found that the original ones had disappeared.

But those aren't the current problem. The problem is this new addition which is larger than my doctor feels comfortable leaving to resolve on its own. Which means surgery. Which means I'm a basket case. Which means, I can't think about anything but this damn thing.

I can imagine that you're wondering, "And what exactly, Dianna, does this have to do with food?? You know that's why we come here, right?" {And yes, I do.}

But it has everything to do with food. Because food is the fuel that we run on. And I, my friends, have been doing a poor job of fueling myself properly.

Don't get me wrong... I'm careful about what I eat. I read labels. I eat my veggies. I cook { and bake} from scratch. I limit my bad fats. I don't even eat red meat. My husband is a super healthy eater, and by default, I don't get away with a whole lot.

That being said, I have a vice. A few of them, actually. Namely dairy {cheeeeese}. And sugar. And coffee {with sugar and dairy}. And wine. Mmm, wine.

These things that I love so much... they're {sadly} inflammatory. And I know that. I do. But this little thing called blogging has given me just enough reason to consume way more of them than I need to. Even though I give away the majority of the things I make. Even though I'm all about "moderation". I've eaten far more goodies than I should in the name of the blog.

It's what happens when you notice that your cupcake posts get about 10 times more views than your roasted vegetable posts, and as a natural result, you have cupcakes in your house 10 times more often than you normally would.

But that's not your fault. And it's not the blog's fault.

No excuses, no finger pointing... I'm coming clean.

Here's the thing: I cannot live a life without the aforementioned items. Well, ok. I can. I just don't want to. And I don't think anyone should have to if they don't want to. So, I don't plan on eliminating them completely, because quite frankly, that's just cruel.

But something's got to be done. And since there isn't much I can control in this situation, I figured the least I could do was try to aid my body in healing itself so that I can avoid surgery. Perhaps the food isn't the direct culprit, but it can't hurt to investigate.

So... I'll be writing some posts in a new series: Coming Clean.

I debated writing about this in such a public forum. It could make people uncomfortable. It could stir up controversy. I've already had these talks with friends {and family} who have different opinions about diet and medicine and holistic approaches. I respect all of them.

I'm just not a "Here, take a pill." kinda gal. And I feel like I need to take some responsibility for my own health. I'm not suggesting this is the only route, or the right route for you, but it's the route I'm taking.

So, since this is going to affect what you'll be reading, I decided to share. You might have suspected something was up anyway when you started seeing less frosting and more fruits & veggies. ;)

For your sake and mine, I'm going to to do my very best to share only the tastiest things I come up with. And don't worry... there will still be cheese. And sugar. And wine. Just not as much as before.

I've got six weeks before my next appointment... six weeks to shrink this little sucker and show it who's boss. And if eating stuff like this Strawberry Quinoa Salad is the solution, then I don't think I'll mind it one bit.

This dish is a perfect combination of flavors - savory, sweet, crunchy, refreshing. And yes, there's even a little cheese involved.

Strawberry Quinoa Salad
Adapted from PureWow via Mette Williams - Culina, L.A.

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar {or champagne vinegar}
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped
Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
6-7 strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds, toasted {or regular almonds, chopped}, plus extra for garnish
3 scallions, finely sliced
1/4-1/3 cup reduced fat crumbled feta cheese

1. Make Quinoa: In a medium pot, combine quinoa and 1 1/4 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-low heat and cover. Simmer until most of the water is absorbed, 8-10 minutes. Stir once, then reduce heat to low and allow to sit and steam {covered} for about 6-8 minutes more. Fluff with a fork and allow to cool. {You can speed this up by spreading it out on a cookie sheet.}

2. Meanwhile, whisk together olive oil, white balsamic, lemon juice, parsley, mint, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.

3. Transfer cooled quinoa into bowl with whisked mixture. Add cucumber, strawberries, almonds, scallions, and feta. Gently toss to combine and coat the entire mixture with vinaigrette at the bottom of the bowl.

4. Garnish with extra toasted almonds if desired. Enjoy at room temperature or as a cold salad. Both are equally delicious!

Food Blog Forum Orlando Recap {Part 4}

{Click here for Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of my FBF Orlando Recap!}

As if we had not been completely pampered the entire weekend with oodles of food and fun and gifts, we were invited to an evening dessert reception complete with a VIP viewing of Hollywood Studios' Fantasmic.

They escorted our group through a special entrance and this is where we ended up:

A large, elevated deck set up with glow-in-the-dark tables, a hot chocolate/coffee/liqueur bar, and some very creative {and mouthwatering} desserts.

Chefs making s'mores spheres.

More Mickey-shaped goodies & Rice Krispie pops.

Oh, we fancy, huh?

The two "show stoppers" were the Chocolate Risotto & the S'mores Spheres. I wish I could have gotten a better picture but there was a lot of weird lighting with the color-changing tables & stations. The S'mores dessert was a delicious little brownie, marshmallows, and graham cracker dust encased in a spherical chocolate shell. {It was dipped in a vat of liquid nitrogen and topped with warm chocolate sauce to help "crack" it open.}

The chocolate risotto was equally as delightful... and I think I may have to try to recreate it at home.

Yes, there is chocolate risotto underneath that mound of vanilla ice cream.

I was in such a tizzy over all the food, and so busy chatting with Vijay from NoshOn.It and Jen from Balancing Beauty & Bedlam that I hardly even noticed this was going on:

Mickey fighting off the dragon.

Just kidding. It was kind of hard to ignore.

After the reception, Sloane convinced me to go on the Hollywood Tower of Terror ride... one I had never been on in my many previous visits to the park. Lucky for her, it wasn't as bad as I thought. ;)

Exhausted {and on a sugar high}, we headed back to the hotel for a nightcap at the Grand Floridian's lounge and called it a night. We had more eating and mingling to do in the morning!

.....................................................................

For our final Food Blog Forum event, Whole Foods Orlando hosted a beautiful Sunday brunch at their store's outdoor patio for the attendees and their families.

Though it is hard to outdo a weekend spent surrounded by Disney magic, Whole Foods totally stole the show with their menu. 

I'm not even kidding. I was super impressed -- the presentation, flavor, and creativity was on point. {Confession: If pressed, I'd have to admit that the food I ate at Whole Foods was the tastiest I had all weekend.}

Just look at this cuteness.

Perhaps they knew that gelato is the way to this girl's heart. 

Hey look! That's Christine from Cook the Story! And my tasty Bananas Foster Gelato. Mmm.

It obviously doesn't take much to weasel your way into my affections. ;)

We ate, chatted, and listened to final words from our organizers. I made my way around to each table to make sure I got one last chance to meet some of the bloggers I still hadn't spoken with throughout the weekend... there's just not enough time when your mouth is chewing for 90% of your visit!

I got to thank Scott and Jaden {I totally pulled a fan-geek and told her about how she linked to one of my recipes a while back and sent me into a swoon-fest. :::blushing:::}, and had an impromptu career counseling pep talk from Jeff Houck {The guy is a hoot. Read his stuff!}. 

And then, just as quickly as it began... it was over. 

I felt a little bit like kids do on the last day of summer camp. I didn't want the fun to end.

Since it was still early in the day, Sloane, our new blogger buddy Heather {from Heather Likes Food} and I went to the Animal Kingdom park to squeeze the last bit of Disney fun out of our weekend. We were pretty efficient and got to ride a few of the key attractions including this:

Expedition Everest.

When it started pouring rain, we knew it was our cue to head home.

I can't put into words how wonderful the weekend was for me. It was my very first food blogging conference and I think all others will have a hard time living up to its greatness. It's so refreshing to feel like you finally found your true passion, and equally as incredible to connect with people who feel the same way you do.

The whole FBF Orlando crew.

If you are a food blogger, I highly recommend looking into attending Food Blog Forum next year... it will be held in Asheville, North Carolina, so start making plans. ;)  I hope to be able to have this magnificent experience all over again!

Food Blog Forum Orlando Recap {Part 3}

{For Parts 1 and 2 of my Food Blog Forum experience, click here or here.}

In my last post, I left off at breakfast, where we were greeted with glowing fruit salads & swag galore! We were all so amped to hear the speakers -- Jaden & Scott Hair of Steamy Kitchen and Diane Cu & Todd Porter of White on Rice Couple -- during the morning sessions. The excitement in the air was palpable.

Not the best pic, but it's what I got! ;)

The first session was called Redefining Success, and within the first 10 minutes, I knew they were speaking to my heart. As Scott & Jaden {and their 2 adorable boys} talked about on stage, we tend to chase the idea of success as defined by others rather than stopping to think about what emotion we are trying to attain by getting our hands on "that thing".

Getting down to the root of what you consider success is integral because most of us are really seeking the feeling that we think we'll have once we get "there". And, really, how can you get "there" if you don't know what "there" is? {I think I've maxed out my ""'s for one paragraph.}

Todd & Diane also shared some thought provoking messages in their session, Taking Your Visual Ideas to Flight. It was hard not to be completely swept away by their incredible talent: Creating stories with pictures. {If you have not checked out their stuff, do yourself a favor and DO.}

I'm not gonna lie... I may have gotten teary-eyed {um, multiple times} during their presentation. Not many people can convert simple photos into raw emotion as beautifully as they do. {Their adorable dog chasing bubbles in the garden. The pictures of those children playing together after a tragedy. Puddles, y'all.}

Photography tips & suggested tools were sprinkled throughout their presentation {not a ton of "how to" but a lot of "why to"} for practical application, but what I most took away from their session is a renewed sense of commitment to practicing my photography and storytelling.

And then... there was LUNCH!

Can I just tell you how giddy I was to make my way around the stations that were set up just for us? The theme was Disney Kid's Cuisine and they showcased some of the new, healthier options offered by the park for the wee ones as well as sumptuous comfort classics.

Not that it was any less elegantly presented just because it was "kid food".

I'll let the pictures do the talking.

We got back to work after a more than satisfying lunch break, and went straight into Technology Talk, moderated by Eric Deutsch of Excel PR Group and presented by Elise Bauer of Simply Recipes & Babette Pepaj of BakeSpace. It's easy to get lost in the food realm when you have a passion for, well,   food as we bloggers do. But it's important to remember that technology plays a huge role in sharing what we create. Between Pinterest, Google Hangout, YouTube, and a variety of other up and coming platforms, there is constant growth and change in how to reach audiences, and it's important to stay up to date and relevant.

I absolutely loved the session, Grassroots Community Building presented by Julie Deily of The Little Kitchen, Lindsey Landis of Love & Olive Oil, David Leite of Leite's Culinaria and Jeff Houck of the The Stew. We were offered tips and best practices to growing our community and keeping said members around.

Believe it or not, it can get kinda tricky being on this side of the screen. There's a fine line between entertaining and showboating, having a clear persona and becoming a "character". As bloggers, we're putting ourselves "out there"; to be loved, to be criticized, to be judged.

But the thing is, we're just regular people. Our feelings get hurt. We cry when people leave hateful comments. {"Your recipe sucked!", etc., etc.} Most of us worry what you might think. We stress about making sure we're giving you good, useful content. And sometimes, we have to check and make sure that we're staying authentic to who we really are... myself included.

See, when you read this blog you see the side of me that's intended for an audience; the side that likes to be goofy and put on a bit of a show. The part of me that has a funny story or a recipe to share with you, and unabashedly tells the world my business. {To be honest, I often forget anyone sees what I write. For so long, I'm pretty sure it was just my mom.}

Disclosure: Sometimes, I'm terribly frightened that you'll all stop reading. Or that this blog will stop growing and wither away. I get scared that if I don't work with cool brands, you won't respect my opinion. And that if I do, you'll think I'm selling out.

I wonder what opportunities will come to me from blogging -- Who I will meet, where I will travel, how much I'll get paid -- just like many of you wonder about the same things with respect to your profession.

In the end, it all comes down to one thing: My passion for doing what I do here. For encouraging you to cook and taste and experiment in the kitchen. For showing you some of the things I've made that I'm proud of. For getting to speak my mind, and many times, my heart right here in this tiny little corner of the interwebs.

When it comes down to it, it's about "feeding your soul, and not your ego" {thank you, Scott Hair, for that phrase}.

All the rest of the stuff? The perks, the freebies, the paid posts... they're pretty cool, too. But it isn't what this place is about for me. And I hope you'll help me remember that if it ever seems that I wander too far from center.

As a wonderful wrap up to the day of fabulous presentations, we were fortunate enough to have Tim Warzecha, a Disney Imagineer, speak to us about the creative process of bringing the Kidani Village and Sanaa restaurant to life.

To say I was impressed would be an understatement. I always knew that Disney had a knack for detail, but after listening to Mr. Warzecha describe the painstaking labor of love that it took to bring this creation to fruition, I was inspired {and floored}. Every little piece, down to every last pebble on the grounds, has a story and a purpose. It was a pleasure to get a rare behind the scenes glimpse at the amazing feat of producing a piece of Disney property.

The day was long, yes, but we still had an evening of dessert and Disney magic ahead of us at the closing reception, which I'll be giving you the low-down on in the next {and final!} recap post.

I thought long and hard about what I recipe I wanted to share in conjunction with this post... but we had SO many dishes that I couldn't decide! So instead, I'm sharing a recipe that we've been loving in my house: Kale Pesto.

We used it over the weekend as the "sauce" for a veggie pizza {Sans cheese. Big deal around here.} and loved it. Like a Disney Imagineer I like to innovate ways to incorporate healthy things into our diets in delicious and unexpected ways, and this pesto hits the nail on the head.

This recipe is one suggested method, but you can definitely add your own twist {Add Parmesan for a salty, cheesy bite. Sprinkle some red pepper flakes for a little kick, etc.} to make it your own.

Now, doesn't this make you want to eat your veggies??

Kale Pesto

4 large kale leaves, washed & dried
1 small bunch {about 10 leaves} fresh basil
2 small cloves of garlic
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1/4 - 1/3 cup olive oil {I like mine more chunky & less oily, but you can add as much oil as you need.}

1. Place the first 6 ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until just chopped & incorporated. {You may need to use a spoon or spatula to scrape from the sides of the blender and push down between pulsing.}

2. With the blender or processor running, stream in olive oil and continue to blend until you reach desired consistency.

3. Store in the refrigerator in a air-tight container for use on pizzas, in sandwiches, on pasta, on chicken, fish, etc. etc. Get creative!

Food Blog Forum Orlando Recap {Part 2}

{For Part 1 of my Food Blog Forum recap, click here.}

How do you deal with meeting new people for the first time? What's your reaction when you find yourself in interesting social situations? {i.e. Meeting people you've already read all about.}

Me? I'm a babbler.

{I know what you're thinking. Me? Babble? Never.} ;)

I start talking and then I can't shut myself up. I talk to fill the silence with timid people. I talk to "put it all out there" and be open. I talk because I want the other person to feel like they're not the only one sharing. Or oversharing as the case may be.

So, even though I consider myself quite social, I can also be quite socially awkward. At least, that's what it feels like when it's happening.

You can imagine how I felt going into Friday evening's welcome reception with 125+ of my closest "friends" that I've never met.

Disney did their best to make us all feel at ease... beautiful little bites of food circulated the room, an open bar served up some liquid encouragement for flowing conversation, and the surroundings weren't too shabby, either.

Within the first few minutes, I found myself chatting with Elise Bauer from Simply Recipes {one of the very first food blogs I ever stumbled upon}, Megan from Wanna Be a Country Cleaver {one of my more recent favorites! I totally hugged her. I'm a nerd.}, Julie from The Little Kitchen {whom I had the privilege of meeting last year at Central Florida BlogCon}, and Lindsay from Love & Olive Oil.

Can I tell you what I said to these lovely folks? Nope. Not a word of it.

I was tuned into the Babble Station. All babble, all the time. I proceeded to yammer on for the rest of the hour with various other bloggers.

Fun Fact: I spoke with Tina from My Life as a Mrs. and we discovered that we're practically next door neighbors. Like, we shop at the same grocery store and everything. I also got to meet 2 more local bloggers -- Denise from Creative Kitchen and Michelle from The Domestic Mama & The Village Cook . South Florida Bloggers represent! ;)

By the end of the reception {which, by the way, was signaled by a woman walking around the room playing a xylophone-type contraption... Oh, Disney.}, I had made my way around the room and spoken to quite a few people but still had so many more I wanted to chat with!

We quickly changed into comfier "play clothes", and made our way to the Magic Kingdom in hopes of getting to ride a few of the highlights and catch the fireworks display & the parade.

Did I tell you we recruited a new park-hopping friend to our group at this point? Erin from Eat Drink Bake Cook {For the life of me I cannot remember the order of these words. I say it differently every time.} ... she was a doll!

It was just a tad windy waiting for the boat on the dock.

So, the three of us took on the Magic Kingdom after dark. As we discovered, there were a lot of changes to the park since the last time I visited, which made it sort of difficult to navigate. {Read: We got lost. A lot.} But we still managed to get to ride a couple of the "Mountains", and even some of the attractions in the new and improved Fantasyland.

Over by the new Beauty & The Beast area in Fantasyland.

Most importantly? I got a Dole Whip.

That is one happy Dole Whip-eating girl. 

We called it a night after the parade since we knew we had to be at breakfast by 8:00 a.m. and before I knew it, my alarm was going off and it was time for the conference!

..................................................

I'm SO not a morning person. But I have to say, the whimsical breakfast spread presented by Disney definitely made losing some sleep a little less painful.

How often do you get to start your day with a light-up fruit salad?

As if glowing breakfast items weren't enough to wake us up, we also received our swag bags around this time... oh, the swag! Our sponsors and friends really spoiled us rotten. I'm pretty sure I've already gained a few LBs from exploring all the edible goodies we were given.

Swag, unloaded from the bag at home. I'm pretty sure some of the stuff isn't even pictured here.

Guess what I'll be talking about in the next post??

You guessed it: More FBF, and more FOOD! 

I'll be sharing some of the insights I gained from listening to the wonderful presenters, as well as our Disney-tastic lunch. Can you believe everything I've shared all happened within the first 24 hours of the conference weekend?? No wonder I'm still recovering!

Since I've been busy getting back into the groove this week, I haven't had too much time in the kitchen, so I'm sharing an older recipe that was popular at a 4th of July party last year that you can bust out at your Memorial Day gatherings. 

It's a Strawberry-Peanut Butter Tart, and I'm pretty sure there's no way to mess it up. Not even if you're tired from a weekend of Disney fun. It's pretty, can be made to look "patriotic", and basically tastes like a big PB&J flavored cookie. How All-American is that?

Click over to the recipe here.