Roasted Carrots with Feta and Mint

I hardly did any cooking this week somehow, but on Tuesday evening for vampire night, it was my turn for salad. I went outside the box a bit with my definition of salad, and made Michael Symon's roasted carrots with mint and feta.

I followed the recipe pretty much exactly, but I allowed the carrots to completely cool and served it as a room temperature salad. Also, I used some all goats' milk feta-- I think it might be one of my new favorite cheeses! The dish was pretty fantastic, and accompanied Mandy's greek chicken gyros perfectly!

The sweetness of the honey, the tang of the vinegar, and the savory cumin really made the carrots pop. They would have been great alone, but with the feta and mint , this dish was fabulous!  The only negative is that while roasting the carrots, my pan got basically destroyed-- no matter how much scrubbing I do, I cannot get the burned cumin honey off. I guess it was worth it? If I did this again, I think I would omit the honey from the initial roasting phase, and actually, I might parboil the carrots and try to finish them on the grill instead of in a hot oven.

Tim is going to be planting a lot of carrots in his deck garden this summer, so I can't wait to try this again with some home grown beauties!

Weekly Wrap- Up 3/11-3/17

Wednesday 3/14/12: Corn Chowder

One of my favorite restaurants is a place in North Liberty called Red's. They have amazing food (including a burger that my father claims is the "best he has ever had"!), an incredible beer selection, and the most glorious patio. But, the greatest thing about Red's, at least according to Tim and me, is their amazing bacon and corn chowder. It is sweet from the corn, salty from the bacon, creamy (from what I assume to be cream), and has just enough bite in the form of fresh scallions. I have been promising Tim that I would try to recreate the chowder at home, and on Wednesday I decided to give it a shot. I also decided that I would try to make a healthy version (i.e., less bacon, and milk instead of cream). I started by crisping the bacon, and sauteeing garlic, scallion, and a chopped poblano pepper in the rendered fat. Then I added in some yukon gold taters, and covered it with chicken stock and brought to a boil, then reduced to a simmer. Once the taters were soft, I threw in a bag of frozen corn (this would be SO MUCH MORE AMAZING with fresh corn), enough 2% milk to make it creamy, and then I added a few tablespoons of polenta (b/c I don't have any corn meal) to thicken and bump up the corn goodness. I served it with scallions, cheddar cheese, and greek yogurt to garnish. 

At least it looks pretty! 

This would have been pretty good (not as good as Red's, but pretty good), but I was an idiot and walked away from the kitchen for a few minutes and when I came back the chowder was boiling, the milk was scalded, and the bottom of the pot was burned. I was so mad I couldn't even enjoy it... but Tim liked it, so that's good!

*Note, this is gluten free, and if the bacon was omitted entirely, it would be vegetarian and honestly it would still taste good! 

Thursday 3/15/12: Spicy Stir-Fried Tofu with Kale and Red Peppers

Last week for "vampire club" I decided to make a recipe that I had been eyeing on Pinterest for awhile. I followed the recipe pretty closely, except I doubled the "sauce", and I used this amazing marinated tofu that I get at the Coop. Also, I'm not sure what type of kale they used in the original recipe, but I used red kale which is just a bit more delicate than the other varieties, and it is super gorgeous (it should be called "purple" kale, but whatever). I only slightly wilted it, so it still had a ton of texture which is visible in the photo. I served the stir-fry with some rice noodles, but it would be amazing on its own too. 

This recipe was so amazing that I'm actually going to make it again this week, and I think I actually might succeed at getting (tricking) Tim to eat tofu! He is officially not afraid of kale anymore, and he likes red peppers, so I'm hoping if I jut call this "Stir Fry" and put it in front of him that he will be a happy camper. 

* Note,  I used chicken stock, but if I had used veggie this would be completely vegan, also it is gluten free! 

Friday 3/16/12: Fettucini with Shrimp and Bell Pepper

Friday evening, I threw together a quick dinner that turned out pretty great. I had a red bell pepper leftover from the stir fry, and some frozen shrimp leftover from last week's scampi, so I sauteed them up with some garlic and spring onion, and then tossed them with fresh fettucini noodles, some lemon infused olive oil, and fresh parm. It doesn't look that special in this photo, but it was pretty delish.

Weekly wrap-up 3/4/12- 3/10/12

Monday 3/5/12: Whole Wheat Pasta with Anchovy-Walnut Sauce

See, no anchovies in site.

I know a lot of people are utterly afraid of anchovies, and I honestly don't know why. Nothing is tastier than the oily salty yumminess that anchovies offer (though as a kid I had sardines as an afternoon snack, so perhaps I'm biased). Anyway, in this recipe, like most that include the feared fishy, you would never even know it contained something so "yucky" because it just melts down and adds lovely depth of flavor. However, it also adds an insane amount of saltiness, so beware! In fact, I might not even salt the pasta water if I made this again...



Wednesday 3/7/12: Barbecue Turkey Meatloaf

For Wednesday night dinner, I made a barbecue  turkey meatloaf that included homemade barbecue sauce (ketchup + vinegar + dijon + brown sugar + cayenne+ onion + garlic+ cumin) along with some other yummy stuff like parsley and oatmeal (to keep it nice and moist). The end result was pretty yummy but it looks gross. So, I'm not showing a photo. Oh, also I forgot to take a photo, so that is also part of the reason. Tim gobbled this down and claimed dibs on all of the leftovers too, so I guess it was a winner winner turkey meatloaf dinner!


Thursday 3/8/12: Spiced Quinoa

yum yum yummy

This recipe was recommended to me by my good friend Jamie last year when I was collecting heart healthy recipes for my friend Rachel. I was just searching through my pantry the other night and realized I happened to have all of the ingredients (except for pine nuts, darn) on hand, so I decided to try it. It was pretty good -- though if I were to make it again, I would increase the quinoa to chickpea/raisin ratio, and I would also add more spices, and maybe some fresh cilantro. The flavors were good, but I like to be really hit in the face with curry. I ate the leftovers cold as lunch a few days later and they were spectacular. So, next time I make this, I will probably serve it cold as a salad or side as well... It's a nice mix of sweet and savory and spicy, and  has amazing textures too. I bet it would be even more awesome with the pine nuts for some crunch



Saturday 3/10/12: (vegan) Cinnamon Cupcakes with (not vegan) Brown Sugar Butter Cream

cupcake art?

It was my turn for dessert on vampire night, and I decided to make cupcakes. For some reason cupcakes seemed like a big task. Even though they are somewhat plain in flavor, design, etc., the process seeemed so tedious! Plus, I have to follow recipes. What a drag. I much prefer chopping up fruit, throwing it in a crust, and just seeing what happens. Anyway, I was inspired by one of my favorite blogs (love and olive oil) to try out vegan baking. I was pleasantly surprised! The cupcakes had a great light and fluffy texture. They weren't too sweet either, which was nice. I didn't love the flavor of the butter cream, but I think it wasn't anything wrong with the recipe, it just tasted like my butter was old (it wasn't, so that was curious). I sprinkled some cinnamon sugar on top to disguise the flavor and it ended up fine.

Edamame Hummus

I was inspired to make a hummus like dip out of edamame after trying one at my brother and sister-in-laws house a few months ago. Theirs used white beans, not chickpeas, and thus was incredibly light and creamy and fresh in both flavor and texture. I only had chickpeas in the house so this was more like hummus with some green flecks in it (and some added nutrional value). Not the greatest creation of my life, but oh well.

- one can chickpeas, rinsed
- juice of one lemon (I think a lime would be even better in here!)
- two cloves garlic (more or less to taste)
- dash of cayenne
- 1/2 cup frozen edamame (just the beans)
- s & p
- olive oil (around 1/4 cup, but more or less depending on your desired consistency)

***photos to come later

Broiled Zucchini

Wow, going on vacation (twice) and moving do not a consistent blogger make. I have barely cooked in the last six weeks, but everything I have cooked is very far behind in being blogged about. It's my mid-August resolution to get caught up before the semester begins, so here we go!

My friend Jamie grew an over achieving zucchini plant this year which produced jumbo-fruit at an alarming rate. Luckily, Jamie likes me and is generous and gave me two of these beauties. Oh, and I guess I traded her for a grocery bag full of swiss chard... I had big plans to bake chocolate zucchini bread or try something new and exciting (zucchini fries anyone?) but in all the craziness of the last month I just lacked the ambition. So, one night, between packing boxes to haul out to my car, I quickly whipped this up. It could not have been easier and would be a super yummy side dish for a summer meal.

• thinly sliced zucchini
• olive oil 
• S&P
• herbs of choice
• parmesan cheese

Turn on the broiler. Arrange zucchini slices on a baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with seasonings and cheese if you are using it. Put under broiler for 5-10 minutes (depending on heat of broiler and thickness of zucchini) until cheese and edges of slices are golden brown. 

Baby Swiss Chard, White Bean, and Tomato Soup

Remember last week when I went on and on about how great soup is? Well, today was another "yay soup" day. I was down in the dumps, it was gray and rainy outside, I was super hungry after the gym, I was out of town for the weekend so I had no groceries.... and magically, with a few moves of my knife and turns of a can opener I had delicious, nutritious soup in front of me!

Luckily, I went out to my garden today to do some weeding. In addition to pulling out a garbage can full of creeping charlie (how do I get rid of that stuff?) I also decided to do some thinning of my Swiss Chard. To quote my friend Lisa, thinning is "psychologically difficult". It was getting obvious that I had let the difficulty get the best of me because every other plant was still baby tiny. I pulled them all out and was just about to throw them in the compost when I realized that they were probably just as delicious is full grown chard. So, in the house they came, and in the soup they went!

• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• 2 cups baby Swiss Chard leaves and stems
• S&P
• something spicy-- I used cayenne and chili powder
• 1/2 can northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 small can diced tomatoes (juice and all)
• enough chicken broth to cover it all in the pot

First, I sauteed the onion in the canola oil. Then, I threw in the chard. Most of the pieces I threw in whole, but one or two were big enough that I tore them into bite sized pieces. I stirred everything around to coat the leaves in the little oil I used. I also added sea salt and black pepper at this point, and my "something spicy" after a few stirs. The salt will draw the moisture out of the leaves and help them wilt faster (I was all about "fast" tonight-- the whole meal took ten minutes to make). As soon as the leaves were tender and the onions translucent, I added in the beans, tomatoes and broth (obviously if you used vegetable broth this would be vegetarian-- vegan, really). Then, I brought it to a boil, and served it!

I had three little crostini to dunk in my soup, and I actually ended up garnishing it with a dollop of Greek yogurt (not pictured because I ate it too fast). The soup was great. It was flavorful and had great textures. The beans were creamy, the tomatoes juicy, and the chard had just enough crispiness to make a difference. Plus, I just felt good eating this. It is full of vitamins and low in fat. After a weekend full of graduation party food, I was craving anything without frosting.

I don't know that I'll make anything exactly like this in the future, but that is the beauty of soups-- each one is special.

Crispy Quesadilla with Spinach, Black Bean, and Tomato

This was a super quick lunch I made about a week ago. Basically, I assembled the quesadilla  in the following order: corn tortilla, cheddar, spinach, black bean, tomato, cheddar, corn tortilla.

This looks like Pac Man...

Instead of trying to flip this bad boy in the pan, I actually put both tortillas in the pan (just sprayed them with cooking spray first) on high heat. I piled the layers on to one, and just cheddar onto the other. After the tortillas started to crisp up, I put the loaded one on a plate, and topped it with the other. The melty cheese acted as glue, and the veggies got just warm enough to get tender. I garnished it will my favorite-- some Greek yogurt. The crispy texture of the tortillas was really good, though they were difficult to eat without making a mess. Luckily this meal was just for me, and not part of a date night :)


**oh, I remember this not being bland, so I'm pretty sure I had some cayenne or chili powder sprinkled on the black beans....

Warm tomato, olive, and chickpea salad

A month ago (or more- who knows, I am so behind), I made a quick dinner for myself that was inspired by a warm olive salsa that I saw someone making on food network. They were putting it on fish, but I just added a bunch of other stuff and ate it like a salad. It was a decent meal, but nothing I feel strongly about making again-- mostly I just enjoy how pretty it was!

Warm tomato, olive, and chickpea salad

• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1/2 vidalia onion, diced
• 3 small garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can chick peas, drained and well-rinsed
• 1/4 cup pimento stuffed green olives, rough chopped
• 3 small vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped (it was about a cup I'd say)
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• zest and juice of half a lemon
• 1/4 rough chopped parsley, plus a handful for garnish

Warm Red Cabbage Salad

*** a week overdue, and out of order. 
What does one do with an entire head of red cabbage? One googles "red cabbage recipes" and finds a zillion different slaws and salads... and then one chooses the recipe that most resembles the contents of one's fridge.

Okay, I need to stop. Anyway, I had most of a giant head of cabbage left after last night's fish tacos and I am really against wasting food, so I decided to make something resembling this recipe from 101 cookbooks this evening for dinner.

Warm Red Cabbage Salad

• Most of a head of red cabbage; quartered, cored, and thinly sliced
• 1/2 white onion, finely diced (also leftover from fish taco night)
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup great northern beans from a can; drained and rinsed (this was a last minute addition because I used the rest of the can earlier this week for a quick tuna salad lunch)
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped almonds
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• S&P
• fresh rosemary and parsley
• 1 TBSP balsamic vinegar
• 1 oz chevre goat cheese, crumbled

Saute onion in oil and season with S&P. After a few minutes, throw in the garlic, raisins, almonds, beans, and fresh herbs (keeping some for garnish) and continue to saute. Add more S&P as necessary. As onions are becoming tender, put cabbage on top. Slowly and carefully toss cabbage with toppings. Cook about five minutes until cabbage seems to lose some of its edge, but so long it turns flimsy. Drizzle with balsamic and toss in serving dish. Garnish with herbs and goat cheese.

This salad was better than expected in flavor; however, it was quite difficult to eat. The cabbage was difficult to get with my fork. If I ever find myself with a large abundance of this veggie again, I would chop it into very small pieces, or even shred it so I could avoid this annoying situation. I might go for the balsamic/onion/rosemary/raisin/chevre flavor combo again though, because yum!

Sweet Potato and Chard Gratin

Last week, my friends Lisa and Mandy came over for a discussion of the latest Sookie Stackhouse book (see my other blog for details). When the three of us hang out, we always have a-ma-zing meals (and are each responsible for the entree, salad, or dessert). This time, I was responsible for the entree. I was ready to go with fish tacos when I found out that neither Lisa nor Many like them! So, I saved the tacos for another day and scrambled for a new idea.

As usual, I went to my trusty smitten kitchen for advice. Even though a gratin seems kind of wintery, this Sweet Potato and Chard Gratin sounded great! My version is fairly similar bar a few changes:
1. My chard looked way different and the stems were thick and tough so they went straight to the compost instead of in the dish.
2. I used my food processor to chop the taters (and onions... and shred the cheese) so they were a little on the thin side-- I just used two layers instead of one.
3. I used 1% milk instead of whole milk and I think the bechemel tasted just fine! (I also added ground thyme to it)

I made everything the night before, so it was all in a casserole dish in my fridge just waiting to be popped in the oven (400 degrees for an hour).

It was absolutely delicious! Sweet, savory, creamy, and filling. And very light! Each of six servings (fairly large since it was our main-dish. If you were serving this as a side you could probably serve 10-12) only had 290 calories so it is definitely a guilt free dish.

"Vegetarian" Tortilla Soup

I love soup. It can take on many flavors, textures, and temperatures but it is always soothing and comforting. Soup makes you feel like home, no matter where you are or how lousy you feel. This is why I love not only making and eating soup, but taking soup to my friends who are feeling ill or down. No other food has magical healing and cheering powers like soup! And I especially love soup because it is so easy to make.

Thursday night was a perfect soup night-- it was a chilly and rainy day, at the (almost) end of a frantic shortened week, and most importantly I was hungry and needed something fast! As I said, soup is incredibly easy to make, especially when you cheat and use lots of canned ingredients as I did (see below); but with the inclusion of just a few fresh ingredients you can make each pot of soup special and unique. Plus, you can use up leftover produce with soup before it goes bad!

"Vegetarian" Tortilla Soup serves two (or one with lunch the next day!)
 First off, a note-- I call this "vegetarian" because I did not actually use chicken in the soup, but I used chicken stock (because I had it on hand). This could easily be made with vegetable stock to make it truly vegetarian, or you could make it truly chicken tortilla soup by adding diced or shredded chicken.

• 1/2 a red (because that's what I had) onion, diced
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can Rotell tomato & chile (you could also use a can of tomatoes and a can of green chiles... or fresh tomatoes and fresh chiles... or some combo of any of these things)
• Enough chicken (veggie?) stock to make the soup as broth-y or chunk-y as you like (I am a chunk person)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, rough chopped, plus more for garnish
• 1/2 avocado chopped (the other half of my avocado was all black and rotten)

Garnish:

• cilantro
• poblano yogurt I made yesterday
• tortilla strips (I don't like limp tortillas, so I pan fried them in a teaspoon of oil for about 90 seconds)
• 1 TBSP shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

The base of most soups is some combination of onion or celery. In this case, I had half a red onion and no celery so I just went for it. I sauteed the onion for about 5 minutes and then I dumped in the corn, beans, and tomatoes, and poured broth over it all. Typically I add a lot of seasonings to my soups, but the rotell tomatoes have decent flavor and spice so I honestly didn't add anything. I brought the soup to a boil, then I removed it from the heat and stirred in the cilantro and avocado (I wanted the flavor but didn't want to cook it too much). To serve it, I garnished it with the leftover cilantro, a dollip of my poblano yogurt from yesterday (which promptly sunk to the bottom, whoops!), tortilla strips, and a bit of cheddar cheese.

Despite taking only 10  minutes to prepare and requiring hardly more than a can opener, this soup was flavorful, filling, and definitely made me feel warm and cozy inside just as soup should!

Mini Pizzas: Tomato and Scallion

As much as I love to cook, there is something about the work and love that goes into preparing a meal (or even just a dish) that makes it almost mandatory to share with others. I find it difficult to cook for one, not just because my portion sizes get screwy, but because cooking and eating are communal activities to me.

But, sometimes I have to cook just for myself. Though I occasional indulge in something fancy or try out a new recipe (so I can perfect it before I feed it to my friends) usually I just opt for something quick, easy, and healthy. This is a perfect meal for one-- especially if that one is rushed for time. This could also be an appetizer for a group!

A few weeks ago I had another mini-pizza entry, and now I'm coming back for more! This time I was using up an overripe tomato,basil from my garden, some scallions that were on their last day, and the last bits of goat cheese and parmesan (I used about an oz of each). I mixed and matched these ingredients on two of my favorite little sandwich thins. Then I lightly sprayed them with olive oil and popped them under the broiler until golden and gooey (about five minutes).

Bruschetta three ways

***First off, I need to be better about blogging because this post is a good two weeks late.

Sometimes I am overly proud of myself for creating meal ideas out of thin air. This was one of those days. I had a produce drawer with a half a tomato and a verrrry overripe red pepper, and one of those baguette portions that Panera gives you as a side dish on my counter. And it just came to me!

Tomato: I diced up the tomato and threw it in a dish with a little EVOO and the juice of half a lemon. I added fresh basil (which I always have on hand, but dry would be fine), garlic powder (because I didn't have fresh on hand... embarrassing), a few red pepper flakes and some S&P to taste.

Red Pepper: I sprayed the pepper with cooking spray and then broiled the crap out of it (about 10 minutes a side) until it was almost entirely black. I put it in a baggie to cool, and then used a paper towel to wipe off all of the charred skin and get the seeds out. Then I roughly chopped the flesh and added probably 1/4 tsp of olive oil and some sea salt.

Goat Cheese: this one was tough. I opened a package of goat cheese and dumped it into a ramekin. Whew!

The bread: I sliced it as thin as I could, sprayed lightly with cooking spray, threw on a baking sheet and put it under the broiler after the peppers were done (probably 2-3 minutes?) just until crisp

Goat Cheese + Red Pepper on the left, and Tomato Basil on the right.

spinach and tomato quesadilla

Monday night, I was a hungry girl. The kind of hungry where I couldn't make decisions, including what to eat for dinner. So I kept putting it off as I ran around the house whining about being starving. And then I went to the grocery store. Disclaimer- I do not under any circumstances recommend going to the grocery store while hungry because you will spend ten times more than usual. Except... I was still so indecisive that I this time I some how did not spend more money than usual. And I came home with ingredients for last night's sweet potato gratin and tonight's fish tacos and still nothing to satiate my crazy hunger. And then out of nowhere, as if my body took over, I was wilting baby spinach leaves with some garlic and a drop or two of EVOO and slicing a tomato and putting them on a corn tortilla with a little bit of sharp cheddar and before my eyes a quesadilla was forming. By even more of a happy accident, I accidentally made it into a crispy quesadilla as the tortilla fried in the tiny bit of oil (smart balance + omega 3) I had in the pan. I topped it with a dollop of greek yogurt and some cilantro (but this wasn't needed)

lousy photo... but I'm honestly surprised I took a photo before I jumped in.

It was delicious. And not just because I was so hungry I'd think anything was delicious. It really was. The veggies were so fresh, and the tiny bit of cheese was so melty against the crisp tortilla. Other bonuses were the fact that it took five whole minutes to make, and it was actually quite healthful.  Yippee.

Shaved Asparagus Pizza and Strawberry Goat Cheese Spinach Salad

Shaved Asparagus Pizza

What a disappointment. I think I just had too high of expectations going into this dinner. I saw this recipe on smitten kitchen ages ago and have been drooling over it, and then when my friend Lisa sent me a very similar recipe and sang her own praises, I thought, "I have to try it!" It was definitely something that was outside of Tim's comfort zone, but I was hopeful he would adapt since he likes pizza crust, cheese, and asparagus separately...

Anyway... it was okay at best. I was just really disappointed. I feel like it was bland and the textures creeped me out. But man oh man, is it pretty!

Strawberry Goat Cheese Spinach Salad

• 1 bag baby spinach
• 1.5 TBSP poppyseed dressing (I just use store-bought)
• Sliced strawberries
• chopped pecans
• crumbled chevre goat cheese (about an ounce)

My salad totally stole the show-- It was a little twist on my go-to salad and it is one I will re-create again and again. My rule for salad is to toss it til you think you are done and then toss it three more times. The more you toss, the less dressing you need to use. So, for both Tim and I, I was able to use less than one serving of dressing. The flavor is still there, but the calories and fat are not. Another trick I use, is I first toss just the leaves. Then, I throw on half the mix-ins and toss a few times, and then throw the rest of the mix-ins on top.  For this salad, I only put the goat cheese on top. It was insanely good. 

Parsley, Pistachio, and Parmesan Pesto

As much as I love alliteration, this "perfect" masterpiece was a total accident, I swear! Yesterday I whipped up this pesto mostly out of boredom, but partly out of a craving. I spread some on a piece of toast for a snack of crostini yesterday afternoon, and tonight I'm going to use it with my dinner!

My basil plant is looking a little thin right now so I decided to leave it alone and instead use up the parsley I have in my fridge. In true Katy style, I didn't keep track of amounts, but I will do my best to remember.

Terrible photo. You know what pesto looks like, though, so oh well.

Parsley Pistachio and Parmesan Pesto

• Half a bunch of parsley; ripped leaves off (a few stems made it in, but that's fine)
• 3 or 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• Half of this little package of pistachios that I had. I'd say two palm-fulls? 
• a couple TBSP of shredded parmesan
• 2 TBSP warm water
• olive oil
• lemon zest (half a lemon's worth
• salt and pepper

Put all ingredients (except for oil and water) into food processor. Pulse until smooth and then add water and oil until it resembles pesto. Obviously change amounts, or ingredients to your taste.  This pesto is sharper than a basil/pine nut pesto. The parsley gives it an almost spicy bitter flavor that I am loving. The pistachios also give it a grittier texture than pine nuts would in a typical pesto. I am a fan, and I can't wait to try other pestos soon (arugula, cilantro, pecan.... the options are endless!)

poached eggs on toast

Working from home sometime has its benefits. Forgoing microwaveable meals or over-priced and likely unhealthy sandwiches on the go is probably one of the best!

Mondays I always try to start my week off right with some delicious high protein and high fiber meals. Today's lunch (which resembles a breakfast) was no exception.

Poached eggs on toast -- serves one:

• two eggs (I use farm fresh organic because they are so much richer and creamier, but any old egg will do)
• two slices crusty whole grain bread (mine is a take-and-bake batard from the grocery store)
• ~8 leaves baby spinach
• 1 TBSP parmesan
• black pepper
• 2 basil leaves for garnish

I don't have a poaching pan, so I just use a large skillet; fill it about 3/4 of the way up with water and bring to a boil. When the water starts simmering, pop the bread in the toaster (I do this first so they finish before the eggs). As soon as the water boils, crack the eggs right into the water. Obviously, the goal is for the egg to stay relatively in one piece, this sometimes works and sometimes does not. One of mine was fine, and the other practically exploded. Oh well, it still tasted good. Boil the eggs to your desired consistency. I don't like my yolks super runny so I let mine go until a healthy skin is formed over the yolk, and I help it out by spooning the boiling water over the top.

While they are cooking, get the toast out of the toaster, put some spinach leaves on each. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon, making sure that you allow excess water to drop back into the pan, and place the egg on top of the spinach. Crack some black pepper over the top, and sprinkle with parmesan. I added a basil leaf for garnish, but it added a lot of flavor too.

This is a very quick and easy meal that is filling (thanks to the fiber and the protein) but light. Perfect way to energize me for my Monday afternoon!

Heart Healthy Fun!!!

This week, I got two pieces of big news from one of my college roommates. First, was that she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, and second, was that she has some rare condition that landed her in the Cardiac ICU. Otherwise healthy 28 year old women are not supposed to have heart attacks-- especially when they have a tiny newborn to hold and love waiting at home for them, so this was obviously incredibly distressing. While Rachel, her lovely husband, and adorably sweet little one are now at home in St. Louis surrounded by an incredible support system of family and friends, I want to do my part to help out. Rachel is being put on a preventative heart-healthy diet and asked for some yummy recipe ideas. I'm taking this request completely overboard and putting together an entire cook book for her. I'm asking my mom, who cooked for my step-father after his heart attack, my aunt Julie who suffered a mini-stroke a few years ago, and all of my food-loving friends for recipes to include. I'm really excited about the project, and have spent the weekend testing and re-creating recipes that I want to put in the book.


Spicy Broccoli and Potato Stir-fry

Friday night, I made a spicy broccoli and potato stir-fry that was a stand-by in my house when I was growing up. My mom used to include marinated tofu in the mix, but I wasn't sure how excited Tim would be about tofu (it's all about baby steps with him), so I left it out, and instead served the stir-fry next to a piece of salmon that I marinated in the orange-soy glaze and broiled for seven minutes. It was juicy and delicious! It was a nice contrast to the crisp and spicy vegetables.

serves 4 as a side, or 2 as a main dish.

• 1 head broccoli-- chopped into same-size florets
• 4 B sized red potatoes, thinly sliced and half way cooked (micro or parboiled; enough so the potatoes will finish cooking at the same time as the broccoli)
• 3 TBSP olive oil
• 3 TBSP low sodium soy sauce
• 3 cloves of garlic (more or less, to taste), minced
• zest and juice from one orange
• 1 tsp ground ginger (I might play around with this in the future, either using more, or using fresh ginger instead)
• red pepper flakes to taste

In a small sauce pan over low heat, add the soy sauce, orange juice and zest, and ginger. Bring to a simmer so the mixture reduces enough to thicken. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil and garlic over medium high heat; be careful to stir enough that the garlic does not burn. When the oil is hot, throw in the potatoes and broccoli allowing vegetables to quickly sear before tossing. Once seared, pour glaze over vegetables, add red pepper flakes to taste, and toss.

Spinach and Goat Cheese Fritatta

Saturday morning, I continued the heart healthy trend with a breakfast that was high in both protein and fiber. This was another giant risk for my (formerly?) picky eater boyfriend. He loves eggs, but he wants them plain and scrambled. I have ever-so-slowly been adding things (like Penzey's garlic powder, salt and pepper, fresh herbs, or cheese- really crazy stuff)  to his eggs over the past two years, and he has been incredibly receptive of this, but I knew that changing adding a vegetable was going to be pretty epic. Luckily, he is a great sport and ate it all-- spinach and goat cheese included! I was very happy. Fritattas are great because you can really add anything to them. I picked the ingredients that I did merely because they were on hand.

serves two

• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• (1 TBSP water)
• 2 eggs and 2 egg whites, beaten (I like to beat the two whites separately for more fluff, then fold back in to other eggs)
• 1 oz goat cheese (I normally would probably use two oz. but I only had one in the fridge)
• salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Preheat the broiler. Heat oil and garlic in small saute pan until garlic is softened. Add spinach to pan and toss to wilt. If necessary, add up to a TBSP of water to the pan to quickly steam the spinach; this is not necessary, but helps speed the process along. Pour egg over wilted spinach (make sure all water is gone) and garlic and crumble goat cheese evenly across top. If you are me, this is also where you added a ton of fresh cracked black pepper. Cook on stove top for 2-3 minutes, and then put under the broiler for 3-4 minutes more. If your pan's handle is not oven safe, wrap it in aluminum foil before putting it under the broiler. When you take it out, you should be able to slide the fritatta right out of the pan onto your plate. Enjoy!


Roasted Garlic on Crusty Whole Grain Bread 

• 1 head garlic
• 1 tsp olive oil

Yep, there are really only two ingredients in this yummy little treat! (Well, I suppose three if you include some whole grain bread to spread it on.) Roasting garlic is insanely simple, but you end up with something complex in flavor and incredibly elegant-- it is only reminiscent of what the garlic used to be. While roasted garlic is great for adding to mashed potatoes, sauces, or soups, it is also a fantastic spread on its own. When it spends long enough in the oven, it completely softens to the point that you can spread it right onto bread or a cracker and enjoy it's spicy sweetness as a finger food.

right out of the oven

The steps for roasting garlic are easy. First, you cut the garlic open so that some of the flesh is exposed. Side note-- most people say to cut the top off of the garlic, but I have found that cutting the roots off works way better. When you go to squeeze the gooey cloves out later, they aren't stuck to any roots and pop right out! Second, you drizzle olive oil onto the garlic and rub it in. Third, you wrap it up in aluminum foil, and then you pop it in the oven (I did 325 degrees for 40 minutes, and then let it sit in the foil once I took it out of the oven).

after I squeezed 'em out; they spread like buttah!

Once you are ready to serve it, you can either leave the bulb whole, or you can squeeze out all the cloves (see below). I usually squeeze them out because I'm typically throwing them into a pot of mashed taters, and I did that without thinking this weekend. 

Anyway, with barely any olive oil and all of the nutritional benefits of garlic, this is a tasty appetizer that is 100% heart healthy! Just make sure to brush your teeth before smooching your special someone...



Apple Latkes
Sunday I had book club. I love book club (you can see my other blog for proof). Not only do we discuss books, but we have incredible pot lucks. This Sunday was no exception. I made apple latkes, using the recipe found at Smitten Kitchen. I didn't take any photos, because everything was eaten too quickly (read: I forgot), but competing with the photography on Smitten Kitchen would be silly anyway. I followed the recipe for these little cuties exactly, and they were.... just okay. I think that my apples must have been too juicy, because the end result was a bit chewy for my taste. Next time I will either wring them out more (though I did so much that I got almost 2/3 a cup of juice!!) or add a bit more flour. Anyway, any sort of desserty item that includes no fat (animal or otherwise) and barely any added sugar is worth noting!

Whole wheat penne with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Sometimes after yoga, all I can think about is the incredibly delicious and healthy meal that I am going to carefully make for myself, savoring every moment. Other times, such as tonight, I am so hungry that I would eat any combination of crap that I happened to pull out of my fridge. Luckily, this evening, those things sorta went together.

I just made a serving of whole wheat penne and threw the red pepper sauce that I made on Saturday on it. I added a handful of parmesan, several shakes of cracked black pepper, and a palm-full more of fresh basil.

Not the greatest thing I've ever eaten, but it did the job!

Namaste.

Mini-pizzas in a flash

It is hot outside. Legitimately. I spent the day working in the yard and sweating, and the last thing I wanted to do was spend a lot of time in a hot kitchen making dinner. So, I opted for a super easy and quick meal that ended up surprising me with how good it was.

Mini and fast pizzas -- serves 1

• 1 "sandwich thin". I've been using these instead of bread for my lunches lately and really like them. The whole bun is the same amount of calories as a normal piece of bread, but it tastes the same! Anyway, open up the sandwich thin so you have two little round flats. These will be the pizza crusts. 
• 1TBSP goat cheese. Spread half on each "crust"
• Toppings-- I used a few thinly sliced golden tomatoes on one and some baby zucchini on the other.
• Brush everything with olive oil (probably used less than 1 TBSP total)
• Sprinkle on parmesan
• Pop under broiler for 5-6 minutes (until parm is golden)