Thai Lentil Lettuce Wraps

Since cutting back on meat I have relied heavily on beans as a substitute.  I still just can't get down with tofu and soy products yet.  The texture gets me every time. I love lentils and after I had them as the "meat" in my taco salad at Gnome Cafe it got me thinking they would make a great lettuce wrap filler.  I honestly loved these and they are guilt free, nothing bad in them at all! I used dried beans and cooked them but if you are feeling lazy just pick up a box of the pre-cooked lentils at Trader Joes (they are in the fridge section where the produce is).  I use those lentils in salads all the time.  These babies are great alone but drizzle them with some dipping sauce and it really sets the flavors off.  Next time I may even add in some water chestnuts for extra crunch. Save a few extra of the grated carrots and green onions for garnish. The lentil filling part for the wraps and the dipping sauce can be made ahead of time.  Just reheat the lentils or bring to room temperature and serve.

Enjoy.

|| T H A I   L E N T I L  L E T T U C E   W R A P S ||

adapted via Thug Kitchen Cookbook

- 1 cup dried lentils

- 3 carrots shredded

- 3 green onions sliced

- 1 large shallot diced

- 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

- 1.5 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

- 1.5 tablespoon soy sauce

- Romaine or bibb lettuce

- hot sauce for drizzling 

Cook the lentils according to the package.  I used one cup dried lentils to 2 cups water and had to add some more water in while they simmered.  Bring to a boil and then let simmer.  I cooked mine about 40 minutes. 

In a large skillet saute the diced shallot with olive oil for about 5 minutes.  Add in the green onions, carrots, and ginger and cook another 3-5 minutes blending the flavors. 

Add the lentils back to the large skillet with the veggies and stir all together.  Add in soy sauce and rice wine vinegar and season with salt and pepper if needed.

D I P P I N G   S A U C E 

- 2 tablespoons soy sauce

- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

- 1 garlic clove minced

- 2 teaspoons sesame oil

- 1 tablespoons water

- 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce or siriacha

- sesame seeds optional for garnish

whisk all together and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.

How to Style an Orchid like a Pro

I love an orchid, I really do.  I feel like they can really make a room pop.  Every time I see one in someone else's  home I love the look! 

My mom and my sister in law have these beautiful orchids in their homes that a local florist (Jessie Campbell) in Charlotte designed for them.  They are gorgeous and it got me thinking I could recreate that for cheaper. I could not be more thrilled with my results.  

So, it is your lucky day I am dishing all my secrets so you can create a sick nasty arrangement like this too!

First obviously you need to pick up an Orchid.  Trader Joes has great orchids starting at $8.95.  They are my go-to place to buy orchids.  This time I found mine at Costco.  It was around $15 because it is a huge one.   I wanted a larger one to work on our coffee table.  Just pick an orchid according to where you want to keep it in your house.  There are some with just one stem and some with multiples.

 

Next pick a bowl you want to pot the orchid in.  I always love the look of Orchids in glass containers, so I chose this glass bowl my mom gave me.  Other ideas are silver bowls, brass pots,  ceramic bowls etc.  If you don't have one you can easily find something like this at a Consignment store or even Goodwill.

Next you need to trim the plastic around the top of the Orchid so it doesn't stick out in your bowl.  Trim it about 1/2 inch to an inch down.  You want to keep the bottom in the plastic for watering purposes.

 

You will need two types of moss.  The light gray kind I found in our neighborhood.  If you live in the South this stuff is everywhere.   Hanging from trees and piled on the ground.  Sterling and I went on a bike ride and collected it one afternoon. The green moss pieces you can find at Micheals.

 

Place your orchid in the center of your bowl.  And then start spreading the gray moss all around it.  You want it packed in to keep the orchid from moving.

Then layer the green moss all over the top.

 

Then, my friends you are done.  It is as easy as that.   This whole thing cost less than $20.  Pretty great for a fabulous arrangement, that will hopefully last for awhile.

 The final step is to find a home for your sweet new plant.  Ours is pretty happy in our den.

Only problem is my orchids don't live for long.  Supposedly they are the easiest plant to keep alive, but then why do mine always die?  I have a black thumb for real I can't seem to keep anything green living for long.  Any secrets to an Orchids longevity?

Happy Monday.  Its a dreary one here, which means alot of indoor playtime!

xoxo

Obsessions

I am so glad everyone is still digging the Obsessions posts because I sure do love writing them!

AQUA CANYON IKAT TIERED MAXI DRESS
Obsessed with this dress and even more so with the price tag. It is only $118, such a steal for a cute maxi dress. Pretty sure she will be mine soon!

HOUSE OF HARLOW JEWELRY
So of course I had heard of Nicole Ritchie's jewelry line but I had never seen it in person. While I was in Charlotte we stopped in Nordtroms where they had a display set up of her jewelry. I loved every piece I tried on. The jewelry was made so well and even more beautiful in person. I thought it looked like it should cost alot more than it did! My two favorites pictured below. They both come in black as well but I was really digging the neutral color.
Station Leather Necklace

Double Sunburst Pendant

34 DEGREES CRISPBREAD
I am so hooked on these crackers. They’re the thinnest, crispiest cracker around, and they’re baked with no added oil. I bought the multi-grain kind and it is made with only 3 ingredients, so you know they are good for you. One serving of 34° Crispbread is 9 crackers and that is only 35 calories and 0 grams of fat. Seriously go pick up a box of these. I found mine at Costco but I have seen them at Earthfare as well. They pair perfectly with my cheese and wine in the afternoon!

DVF KLEE TOE FLATS
I am in love with these shoes in a major way. They are the perfect nude color with a hint of hot pink.

ALMOND MILK
I have to admit I switched to Almond Milk after I heard Gwyneth say that she drank it. I know alot of regular diary and milk are laden with hormones and Almond milk is not. There is no cholesterol, lactose, or animal products in Almond Milk. It is so good I may not switch back to regular milk. The Silk brand is what I tried and love.

TRADER JOES WILD MUSHROOM AND BLACK TRUFFLE PIZZA
This is the pizza I blogged out yesterday. It is so darn good. You must try this if you love Truffles. You can really taste the flavor in the pizza. I think mushrooms and truffles are quite possibly the perfect combo. I do recommend adding extra cheese.

House Updates + Super Duper Easy Meal

I hope you all had a fabulous Labor Day Weekend.  I know I did.  Much of mine was spent re-arranging and decorating but I love doing that kind of stuff.  We made some great house progress and I will share a few pictures of what we accomplished.

First off, I am pretty happy with my Entryway and how it turned out. I moved the table that our TV was sitting on in the den and switched out the mirror and lamps.  One thing I still want to change is,  I would like two stools instead of the one big one under the table.  Problem is they need to be fairly narrow to fit two, so I am still searching for the perfect ones.

In our den I moved this piece that was in my Dining Room to sit the TV on.  Yes, our TV really is that giant thanks to the hubs.  It is an eyesore to decorate around but great for watching TV:)  Wingback chairs still need to be recovered.  Maybe that will happen one day soon.....

And you might notice my two little friends peeking out.  I finally found the perfect spot for my Foo Dogs I won off Cassie's blog!

Here is our new piece for the Dining Room.  I am not finished with the shelves,  I am sure they will be restyled many more times. 

Here are my thoughts- should I repaint the whole Hutch?  Or just repaint/wallpaper the back area?  Or leave as is?  For now it is staying as is, but since Sterling is starting school back I now have time to tackle some projects and I'm contemplating painting it.  Thoughts?

I finally hung my sweet Silhouette of Sterling that WayWay painted. I was going to hang it in his room but ended up hanging it in the Dining Room and I love it!  Its right by my wine so I can look at that sweet face everytime I pop a bottle.

I made alot of progress in Sterling's Big Boy Room and I will reveal pictures soon when I have it completed. I had hoped to have it done this weekend but part of his headboard got left in Charlotte so I was not able to assemble the whole bed. Currently there is a mattress and box springs just sitting on the ground on his room, but guess what Sterling didn't care! He was so excited to sleep in his big boy bed.  I feel like I really did the switch to the Big Boy bed at the perfect age.   Two nights and two naps in and he is doing great- no late night visits to our room yet!

Here is my sweets sleeping away, so darn cute but it does make me a little sad he is growing up so fast.

Lots of good stuff going but still more work to be done!

 Now onto food.  I made this pizza probably 4 times over the past week.  It is only 5 ingredients and super easy.  I am drooling just thinking about it. 

{Mini Pizzas with Tomatoes, Arugula and Cilantro Lime Sauce}

Thanks to Trader Joes for offering samples while I shopped last week.  I would have normally never bought this Cilantro Lime dressing, but they had samples of it and I loved it!  And if you have never bought their Naan bread you must.  The Whole Wheat version is so good.  Here is what you need for these tasty pizzas.

{MINI PIZZAS WITH TOMATO, ARUGULA, AND CILANTRO LIME SAUCE}

-Whole Wheat Naan Bread

- TJ Cilantro Lime Salad Dressing

-Arugula

-1 Tomato sliced

-any cheese you choose (I had Manchego on hand and used it)

Bake Naan for about 3-5 minutes.  I bake it first so it doesn't get too soggy with the sauce sitting it on it.  Take out of oven and spread Cilantro Lime sauce over it.  Layer with Tomatoes (sprinkle with salt and pepper), Arugula, and Cheese.  Bake about 10 minutes until cheese melts.  Slice and Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Greek CousCous Salad

There is nothing I love more than a good salad for lunch.  I made this a few weeks ago and gobbled it up.  I love the whole wheat Trader Joes Israeli couscous, that is what I used for this but you could use plain couscous too.  Greek ingredients are my favorite so this was pretty much a spin on my Greek Salad but with couscous instead.  It is the perfect healthy, light lunch.

Enjoy!

||  G R E E K  C O U S C O U S ||

- 1 bag or box whole wheat couscous

- diced cherry tomatoes

- diced kalamata olives

- diced English cucumber

- thinly sliced spinach

- diced red bell pepper

- diced red onion

- feta crumbled

- 1/2 cup olive oil

- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

- juice of half a lemon

- 1 garlic clove minced

- salt and pepper

Cook Couscous according to box.

Chop all veggies and place in large mixing bowl.  Add cooled couscous to veggies.  Mis together olive oil and next 4 ingredients.  Pour over couscous mixture.  Add feta and toss all together.  Best served room temperature. 

Feel free to double dressing if you think you salad needs more.

Creating the Perfect Happy Hour Spread + Favorite Wines

I received a request from a reader on how to create the perfect cheese tray/appetizer spread.  Honestly a cheese tray is one of my favorite appetizers.  Sometimes when Matt works late it is what I have for dinner and I secretly love it.  I really enjoy a cheese plate and a glass of wine.  My family jokes that I always make my cheese trays look so perfect.  It is my job at happy hour to put together our nibbles.  There is no real art to making it look pretty I just find the way you group things helps.  I try to keep on hand many of the items needed for a cheese tray so if we have company I can easily whip it together.

\\ A few items that I try to always keep on hand for last minute entertaining:

- pickled okra and/or mini pickles

- pepperoni and/or salami

- truffled dijon mustard (I find this at tjmaxx)

- 34 degrees crackers- I love these so thin and crispy

- pretzel thins

- cheese sticks (harris teeter and trader joes make great versions of these)

- cracker barrel cheese

- manchego, gouda, and brie are favorites

- pimento cheese

- olives

- hummus

- veggies carrots or celery

If you have the above ingredients or at least a few of them it makes throwing together an appetizer easy.

\\ A few tips:

- I always drizzle my hummus with olive oil and salt and pepper.  If I have pint nuts I sprinkle that on top. It makes it look fancy.

- I stopped buying my cheese at Costco because it was just too much and went bad too quickly.  Just buy at your local grocery store or if you live in Charleston check out Goat Sheep Cow- amazing selection of wine and cheese.

- Keep fig or apricot preserves on hand they are great served with brie

- fresh figs, blue cheese, and honey are a killer combo

- check the food section at TJMaxx, this is where I find my favorite truffled mustard, specialty jams, and pickled veggies.

- Carrots and Celery are the best veggies because they last the longest in your fridge.  I always slice my own carrots I swear they taste better than the baby ones.

- Buy the large rolls of pepperoni and salami and slice them yourself.  I also think these taste better then the packaged kind and they will last awhile in your fridge.

- The mini french pickles are the best- you can buy them in bulk at Earthfare or in a small jar at the grocery store

 - I like to keep the softer cheeses like brie or goat cheese whole and slice the harder cheeses.

- Buy a good white serving platter or wooden board- food always looks prettier on white or wood.

West Elm has some of my favorite serving ware but you can often times find a white platter for cheap at Homegoods or TJMaxx as well.

- A cute set of cheese knives is also good to have on hand.

I am obsessed with this gold set from West Elm 

I went thru my instagram and had to laugh about the amount of cheese tray/happy hour posts I had.  This girl loves happy hour:)  Here are a few pictures for inspiration.

 A few new favorite wines because you need a good wine to pair with all your delicious eats.

WACCAMAW

Loved the Chardonnay and red blend pictured below

Charlotte friends this is carried at the Wine Store.

BANSHEE

I love every single Banshee wine.  They are under $20, a great buy.

DRY CREEK VINEYARDS

I love their red blend and sauvignon blanc.  They do a wine club that I am really considering joining.

Would love any wine recs from you guys as well!  TGIF here's to a fabulous happy hour tonight!