Chicago Marathon Val

Happy MLK, Jr. Day!  For those of us who have the day off work of course it’s great to have an extended weekend…. but beyond that, please stop for a moment to appreciate what the day stands for. Working with children who live in dangerous and impoverished conditions, I really wish more people would be mindful of Dr. King’s movement of peace and acceptance.

Also, please don’t forget about the #1 easiest way to raise money for Haiti – check out my post about Dress Down for Haiti!

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So, I was recently bestowed with the honor of hosting this week’s Blogger Secret Ingredient!! Thanks so much to Biz for passing the torch!  Since I have been pretty much obsessed with mushrooms ever since making Champagne Risotto with Clamshell Mushrooms, Pine Nuts, and Coconut a few weeks ago, I decided to make MUSHROOMS the ingredient of the week!  While mushrooms are typically in peak season during the fall, they are a vegetable that’s usually high in quality despite the season, and are affordable year-round.

In case you aren’t familiar with BSI, here are the rules:

1. The host picks an ingredient, preferably one that is in season, readily available, and not too expensive.
2. The host links back to all the other previous weekly hosts.
3. Participants create a unique recipe using the BSI and e-mail the host with their recipes.
4. You do not have to have a food blog to participate, and you do not have to submit a photograph (although it is preferred).
5. If you don’t have a blog, you can submit your recipe to the host, and she will post your recipe for you on her blog.
6. The host reviews the recipe submissions by Sunday night of each week.
7. The hosts pick a recipe that is her favorite.
8. The host posts the winner Monday morning and sends the winner a token prize of her choosing.

Here is a list of all the past hosts of BSI:

Week 62: Biggest Diabetic Loser – Cheddar Cheese

Week 61: Peanutbutterfingers- Nutmeg

Week 60: Jenn Eats Nutritiously Now – Garlic

Week 59: homecookedem—Cinnamon

Week 58: The Balance Broad – Flax

Week 57:  CookinFanatic – Bleu Cheese

Week 56:  Foodie In the City – Ricotta Cheese

Week 55: Savvy Eats- Maple Syrup

Week 54: Sound Eats – Dried Fruit

Week 53: MegaNerdRuns – Acorn Squash

Week 52: Healthy Tipping Point – Pancake Mix

Week 51: Live, Laugh Eat – Almond Butter

Week 50: Balance, Joy and Delicias! – Cauliflower

Week 49: Healthy San Diego Living – Chickpeas

Week 48: Thought 4 Food – Yogurt

Week 47: London Foodie in New York – Chocolate

Week 46: Johnstone’s Vin Blanc – Oats

Week 45: Guilty Kitchen – Figs

Week 44: Ordinary Recipes Made Gourmet – Peanut Butter

Week 43: The Sophisticated Gourmet – Brown Sugar

Week 42: My Kitchen Addiction – Lime

Week 41: Nutmeg Nanny – Coffee

Week 40: Chaya’s Comfy Cook – Broccoli

Week 39: Healthy Delicious – Plums

Week 38: Zoe – Feta

Week 37: ChezWhat- Potatoes

Week 36: Cinnamon, Spice & Everything Nice – Blueberries

Week 35: Girlichef -Greens

Week 34: The Ungourmet – Watermelon

Week 33: Bread + Butter – Bell Pepper

Week 32: Burp and Slurp -Corn

Week 31: Say Yes to Salad – Kabocha

Week 31 1/2: Simply Fabulous Now– Cherries

Week 30: Thinspired – Bananas

Week 29: To Be The Whole Package – Almonds

Week 28: Kristas Kravings – Lemon

Week 27: From French Fries To Flax Seeds – Coconut

Week 26: Plentiful Plants – Avocado

Week 25: Training Fuel – Eggs

Week 24: Dinner at Christina’s – Cabbage

Week 23: Hey What’s for Dinner, Mom? – Strawberries

Week 22: One Bite at a Time – Basil

Week 21:  Just Sweet Enough – Black Beans

Week 20: What I Ate Yesterday – Kale

Week 19: What’s for Dinner – Orange

Week 18: Bran Appetit!–Spinach

Week 17: Tales of Expansion -Dates

Week 16: Biggest Diabetic Loser – Zucchini

Week 15: Sweet & Natural –Peppermint

Week 14: bella eats [and runs] – Ginger

Week 13: Coffee Talk – Walnuts

Week 12: For the Love of Oats – Pumpkin

Week 11: Trying to Heal – Sweet Potatoes

Week 10: The Inner Workings of a College Graduate – Eggplant

Week 9: Itzy’s Kitchen – Pears

Week 8: The Fitnessista – Cranberries

Week 7: Tri to Cook – Lentils

Week 6: Rhodey Girl Tests – Polenta

Week 5: Eating Bender – Butternut Squash

Week 4: Care to Eat – Apples

Week 3: On a Lobster Placemat – Mushrooms

Week 2: Hangry Pants – Tomatoes

Week 1: sportsnutritionliving – Quinoa

• Please e-mail  me (ChicagoMarathonVal.com) when you post your BSI recipe on your blog. If you don’t have a blog, send me your recipe and a picture if you took one.
• You have until Sunday, January  24 at 10p.m. CST to enter.
• Recipes will be posted on Monday morning along with the winner.
• Please email me (ChicagoMarathonVal.com) if you’re interested in hosting BSI next week.

I will select the winner on Sunday night.  Don’t worry, I may be vegan, but your recipe doesn’t have to be! Although if you are an omnivore that wants to get creative, I do encourage you to try your hand at making a vegan recipe just to have fun and think outside the box!  I will announce the winner on Monday, who will receive a prize:

* Inkeeka Organic Green Mint Melody tea

* Casarecce Bronze Cut Organic pasta

* February 2010 issue of Vegetarian Times magazine

* A Whole Foods gift card!!

I am so excited to see what everyone makes

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Don’t forget to head over to Chocolate Covered Katie’s blog for an amazing giveaway!!

I'm hosting BSI this week!

This entry was posted on Monday, January 18th, 2010 at 2:00 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.