Rachel McCarthy, Author at A Blonde's Moment

buffalo tofu salad

February 6, 2015 by Rachel McCarthy

Happy Friday! Today I am sharing a healthy spin on buffalo chicken. You may remember my buffalo tofu sandwiches that I made a few months ago. I thought, in an effort to eliminate some calories, why not use the buffalo tofu and make it into a salad! As I did with the sandwich version of this recipe, I replaced the egg with low fat milk for the breading process. This is another great way to save some calories! Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Buffalo Tofu Salad

14 ounces extra-firm tofu {1 block}

2 cups panko

1/2 cup milk {I used low fat}

1/2 – 1 cup cayenne pepper sauce {I used Frank’s Red Hot Sauce}

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

Romaine lettuce, chopped {I used about 1.5 Romaine hearts}

Ranch dressing {I used low fat}

Non-stick cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Drain and press the tofu dry with a paper towel. Slice the tofu into four square pieces. Place the milk in a shallow bowl and the panko on a plate. Carefully soak the tofu in the milk and transfer to the plate with the panko, pressing the panko into the tofu on each side. {It’s best to use your hands for this step! My tofu began to come apart when I used tongs the first time!} Place each piece of tofu on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Cook for 10 minutes, flip the tofu, and cook for another 10 minutes. If you want the tofu to brown slightly more, you can increase the oven temperature to broil and toast each side for a minute or two. Meanwhile, place the cayenne pepper sauce in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 10 seconds, just until warm. Brush each side of the cooked tofu with the sauce and cut into strips or cubes, whichever you desire. To assemble salad, place Romaine lettuce, tomatoes and red onion in large bowl. Dress with desired amount of Ranch salad dressing and mix well to combine. Transfer salad to dish and top with buffalo tofu pieces. Serve and enjoy!

leopard

February 5, 2015 by Rachel McCarthy

Dress: J.Crew, old {similar here} | Leggings: Express | Boots: Unisa | Bag: Tory Burch | Necklace: Ann Taylor, old {similar here} | Watch: Kate Spade | Bracelets: David Yurman: here, here, here, Nordstrom | Ring: BaubleBar | Earrings: David Yurman | Sunglasses: Prada | Lipstick: Bobbi Brown {Pink Blossom}

It’s no secret I have a leopard obsession. But when I purchased these over the knee leopard boots, I think I took it to a different level. I’ve had these boots for a few months now, trying to find the perfect way to wear them. I knew it had to be styled with black and gold accessories, but I wanted the “perfect” dress. After searching and searching, I finally decided to look in one of the best places: my own closet! I have had this dress from J.Crew since college and it was always one of my favorites. It’s so simple but can be accessorized so many different ways! I realized that the “perfect” dress that I had spent months looking for was right under my nose! **Side note: I also haven’t worn the boots before now because of this wintry weather! As you can see with snow on the ground, I had to be super careful when walking!!**

I am so excited to continue to style these boots before winter is over, but I think two lessons were learned from this outfit: sometimes your closet can be the best store and basic pieces are easy to style with different accessories to create totally different looks!

Thanks for stopping by!

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valentine’s day date night

February 4, 2015 by Rachel McCarthy

1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. | 6. | 7. | 8.

Today I am sharing a little Valentine’s Day date night outfit inspiration! Don’t feel compelled to wear red next Saturday; shades of pink are perfect for the occasion too 🙂

Pink has always been my favorite color and when I saw this skirt I knew I had to add this to my inspiration board! This pink is so vibrant and by adding the soft pink, feminine accessories, it makes this skirt pop even more and adds more glamour to an already fabulous outfit! I also love this YSL Rouge Volupté lipstick in No. 7. I have a few light pink lipsticks but I might have to add this to my collection as well. I think it’s a great everyday lipstick!

I’ve included some “save” alternatives below, so be sure to check those out as well!

Have a fabulous day and thanks for dropping by!

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red pepper pasta

February 3, 2015 by Rachel McCarthy

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed I am training for a half marathon in March. This week is my second highest mileage week of training so I am really feeling the lack of energy! With 19 miles this week, I have been craving pasta {I feel like I could probably eat a pound myself!} Two of my favorite ingredients to combine with pasta dishes are tomatoes and spinach. There are so many ways to incorporate vegetables into pasta dishes and I had a lot of fun experimenting with this recipe! Instead of a traditional red sauce or pesto sauce, I used another favorite sauce: pepper sauce! This is such a simple sauce to try and I have found so many uses for it.

As you may know, I use piquillo peppers a lot in my recipes. They are a sweet pepper with no heat and I have found them at my grocery store packed in water, which is a huge plus! I love roasted red peppers, but they always seem to come packed in oil, which isn’t the healthiest way to eat a pepper! If you can’t find piquillo peppers at your store, you can definitely use roasted red peppers, I would just recommend draining and rinsing them first.

Another one of my favorite additions to a pasta dish is chicken sausage. I am not a huge fan of meat, but Richard LOVES meat. **As a side note, I have been cooking a lot of vegetarian dishes as of late: tofu, kale, chickpeas, quinoa…you name it. Richard told me last week before I headed to the grocery store that he thought he was going to turn into a vegetable! haha I sometimes get on a kick and I just can’t stop myself! So we are having slightly more meat in our weekly menu ;)** Anyways, chicken sausage is one meat I can tolerate, and the spinach and feta chicken sausage mixture is the perfect compliment to this pasta dish!

Red Pepper Pasta
12 ounces canned piquillo or roasted red peppers, roughly chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
16 ounces penne pasta
12 ounces fully cooked spinach & feta chicken sausage, sliced into bite-sized pieces
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cups fresh spinach
1/3 cup feta cheese {I used fat free}
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Begin by cooking the pasta according to package directions; reserve up to 1/2 cup cooking water to thin the sauce if needed. Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat; add the bite-sized sausages and cook until brown on each side, about 10 minutes. Transfer cooked sausage to clean plate and set aside. In the same skillet, add the onion and garlic; saute for about 3-4 minutes. Add the piquillo or roasted red peppers to the onion and garlic mixture, stir to combine and cook for another 2-3 minutes, just to warm the peppers. Transfer pepper mixture to blender and pulse until completely combined and smooth. In the same skillet, turn down the heat to medium-low; heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and add the halved cherry tomatoes. Allow to cook for a minute or two and transfer the pepper sauce to the skillet; stir to combine. Stir in the pasta and spinach followed by the cooked chicken sausage. Allow to cook another 1-2 minutes just to allow the spinach to begin to wilt. Garnish with feta cheese.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day!

transitioning to spring with CAbi

February 2, 2015 by Rachel McCarthy

Blouse: CAbi c/o | Leggings: CAbi, last season {similar here} | Jacket: CAbi, old {similar here} | Shoes: Tory Burch | Bag: Chanel, similar here | Bracelets: David Yurman {here, here, here} | Necklace: Bauble Bar, similar here | Watch: Kate Spade | Sunglasses: Prada | Lips: Lipstick: MAC {Creme Cup}, NARS {Turkish Delight} | Nail polish: Essie {Fiji}

Happy Monday, everyone! I cannot believe that January is already over; it went way too fast! Since now it is officially February, I am obsessing over spring colors! Although we still have a few weeks to go {and we still have snow on the ground here in Northern Virginia!} I find myself thinking of ways to incorporate spring colors into my wardrobe each day.

CAbi’s Grosgrain Top is the perfect blouse to add to your closet to start spring now. The possibilities are truly endless with this fun print: pale pink, hot pink, yellow and white pants will all compliment this fabulous shirt. To make the Grosgrain top more “season fitting” I paired it with two other favorite CAbi pieces from past seasons: the faux leather leggings and moto jacket. I love that the moto jacket is short enough to still show off the gorgeous print, and it matches back to the grosgrain ribbon perfectly! And faux leather leggings are always a must in my book 🙂

Hope everyone has a wonderful week! Stay tuned for more spring CAbi pieces on A Blonde’s Moment. It’s one of my favorite CAbi collections yet! Thanks for stopping by!

quick quesadillas

January 30, 2015 by Rachel McCarthy

Happy Friday! Today I am sharing a super quick dinner that I just made last night for dinner. I got home late from work and needed a quick meal to throw together and this was the perfect dish! Quesadillas are always a great weeknight dinner, but this was super quick because of the short cooking time ingredients I decided to use. You can customize your quesadilla anyway you like, but this combination was so delicious you should give it a try 🙂

8 ounces mushrooms {I used baby bella}

6 ounces roasted peppers {I used piquillo, but roasted red are good too!}

6-7 ounces fresh spinach

8 ounces shredded pepper jack cheese

10 flour tortillas {I used 8″ tortillas}

2 tablespoons olive oil

Cooking spray

Guacamole, sour cream, salsa to serve

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté the mushrooms and peppers until the liquid begins to evaporate, about 10 minutes. Stir in the spinach and cook until just wilted; remove from the heat. Place a separate skillet on the warm burner where you were cooking the mushroom, pepper and spinach mixture. Spray the fresh skillet with cook spray and place a tortilla in the skillet. Spoon about 2 tablespoons {depending on the size of your tortilla} of the vegetable mixture to cover just about the entire tortilla, leaving a very small edge. Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of cheese on top of the vegetable mixture. Once you can see the cheese is starting to melt, place another tortilla on top of the vegetables and cheese and lightly press down. Carefully flip the quesadilla over with a spatula making sure the one side is golden brown. Allow the other side to brown for 2-3 minutes, lifting the edge up to check the coloring. Once brown on both sides transfer to baking sheet and place in the oven while making the rest of the quesadillas. Once you are finished, remove the quesadilla from the oven and cut into fourths. Serve with guacamole, sour cream, salsa and any of you other favorite toppings. Enjoy!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I have some exciting posts planned for next week so stay tuned 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!

winter blue

January 29, 2015 by Rachel McCarthy

Shirt: J.Crew {similar here too} | Skirt: J.Crew, old {similar here} | Bag: Tory Burch | Jacket: Betsy Johnson, old {similar here} | Sunglasses: Prada | Shoes: BCBG Paris {expensive version here} | Earrings: Bauble Bar | Rings: David Yurman, Nordstrom | Lipstick: MAC {Creme Cup} | Nail polish: Essie {Fiji}

Happy Thursday, everyone! Today, I am mixing animal print with a pop of color, which is one of my favorite ways to style an outfit! I think this is the perfect office chic look. You can be office conservative and still add subtle colors, patterns and textures. One of my favorite parts of this look are the shoes! I have been obsessing over the Valentino Rockstud shoes for a long time now. But, I cannot justify paying that amount of money on what seems like a pretty trendy shoe. I found these at DSW the other weekend and I think they are a great alternative. These fabulous shoes also come in red, blue and black with nude. I really like the all black shoe though because I think they look great paired with or without tights. Seems like this could be an all season shoe 🙂

Have a wonderful day!

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winter neon

January 28, 2015 by Rachel McCarthy

Save: 1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. | 6. | 7. | 8. //// Splurge: 1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. | 6. | 7. | 8.

Happy Wednesday! Last week, I shared my favorite pastels for winter, and today it’s all about the exact opposite: neons! I’ve always loved hot pink, but there are so many other vibrant neon colors that I have been seeing and I am absolutely loving it! If you have been following the Australian Open {it’s literally been on 24/7 in our house with ESPN2 and Tennis Channel coverage} you will notice Nike is also embracing the neon trend by dressing their athletes in these blinding colors!

Finding something in the neon color family doesn’t have to cost a fortune either. I have selected some of my favorite neon items in both the save and splurge categories. Personally, I think the best match has to be the sunglasses. They are like carbon copies of each other!

Have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by!

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Save:

Splurge:

kale caesar salad

January 27, 2015 by Rachel McCarthy

I have been on a real “kale-kick” as of late. I feel like every week when I go to the grocery store, I am buying at least one {sometimes two!} of those huge 10 cup bags of kale! Kale is a great vegetable that can be used in so many different ways: smoothies, soup, kale pesto {see my spinach pesto here} and even salads. I have made plenty of kale salads, but was recently inspired by a salad I have seen on a few restaurant menus as of late: Kale Caesar.

Caesar dressing can be pretty high in fat {and I always opt for the dressings without anchovies} but by using low fat or light mayonnaise, you can really cut down on the calories. I also like to combine the kale with chopped Romaine {you can use any amount you would like, but I used about 1-1.5 cups} since kale can be rough on it’s own. Another fun spin is roasted chickpeas instead of croutons. I am totally obsessed with roasted chickpeas and I love to flavor them with different spices, but the simplicity of olive oil, salt and pepper is so perfect with this salad and it adds the best crunch! If you are looking to add more protein to this salad you could add chicken or even tofu {another one of my current obsessions}. And don’t be afraid to add other favorite Caesar salad ingredients such as tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs or anything else you like!

Plates: Juliska | Flatware: Kate Spade | Salad Bowl: Crate & Barrel | Salad Servers: Crate & Barrel, similar here | Citrus Squeezer: Crate & Barrel | Nail Polish: Essie {Fiji}

3.5-4 cups kale, de-stemmed

1-1.5 cups Romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

15.5 ounces garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 lemon

Olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Additional Parmesan cheese for garnish, if desired

For the dressing:

1/4 cup low fat or light mayonnaise

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the garbanzo beans with olive oil and salt and pepper; bake for 30 minutes until crispy. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the kale, chopped Romaine, and red onion; set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients until smooth. Add the crunchy garbanzo beans to the kale and Romaine mixture and squeeze the other half of the lemon over the salad; toss with the dressing. Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day!

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leather + fur + leopard

January 26, 2015 by Rachel McCarthy

Blouse: J.Crew | Vest: CAbi, similar here | Leggings: CAbi, similar here | Clutch: Mark & Graham | Sunglasses: Prada | Boots: VanEli, similar here | Earrings: Nadri | Watch: Burberry | Bracelets: crystal bracelet, similar here, name bracelet | Rings: Ariella via Nordstrom | Lipstick: YSL {#7} | Nail polish: Essie {Fiji}

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a great weekend! Today, I am wearing all black everything, but with a pop of leopard and pink. The faux fur vest and the faux leather leggings have been two of my favorite and most worn pieces from CAbi’s Fall 2014 Collection, I just love them! The vest is so cozy and it can be styled with jeans for a more casual look and dressed up with heels for the perfect date night outfit! I am also obsessed with this clutch. It’s actually a laptop case, but I have been searching for a leopard clutch for so long, I thought it work perfectly! And last, but not least, my “Rachel” bracelet. I have been obsessing over this bracelet for several months now. Is it not perfect?!

Hope you all have a fabulous week and thanks for stopping by!

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