A Lil Sushi, So You Say

I'm frequently driven by fierce avocado cravings.  I bet ya couldn't tell it was one of those days...   And I'm not sure what I intended to happen with crab and avocado and little to no other crab complimenting ingredients on hand.  I had no other choice but to turn to my good friend, Google.
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The search resulted in loads of ooey, gooey dips that would have been appropriate if this dish and I were planning to arrive someplace other than my newly purchased placemat (Anthropologie, much respect).  Page two, page three, page ah ha!  Do you know how many sushi rolls have crab and avocado?  Why I didn't think of this sooner, I don't know.  But it turns out sliced avocado, a little lump crab, and ponzu sauce equals a perfect little sushi substitute.  

And Where Have You Been?

Let me just start with...  This was not tonight's original game plan.  A storm blew threw this afternoon and with it came web-like lightning, horizontal rain, and a massive headache.  All I wanted to do was shut my eyes.

Grocery shopping was a challenge.  The full armed elevator ride to the 11th floor was a challenge.  However, cooking was not, as everything else seemed to be, a challenge.  I began sautéing some baby bellas and searing some scallops and all seemed well in the world.  While standing in the kitchen eating, I remembered a few of my sweet purchases.  It was then in my best interest to eat faster.

I've always been a fan of coconut milk "ice cream"; it nears the top of my favorites list on the pantry staples page.  But when I was at the market earlier this evening, a new flavor accompanied the coconut pint my freezer is accustomed to: passionate mango.      

I scooped myself a dollop of mango, scattered sliced strawberries, and sprinkled it with mini chips.  Holy crow.  It's not often, if ever, you scream praise for a food out loud when you're alone.  I just couldn't help myself, kind of embarrassing, glad I was alone. 

Hunky Halibut

I bought this fish for no other purpose than I like halibut (I know stuff like this now).  I figured I could dust it with seasoning, broil it, and call it dinner; however, there's a theoretical limit to how many times I can post about broiled fish.  And likewise, there's a not so theoretical limit to how many times I can eat the "same" fish.

Due to my broiling assumption, I did not recipe hunt for alternatives nor did I purchase any ingredients out of the norm at the market.  Dilemma?  A bit of a dilemma...

Light bulbs and sirens went off simultaneously as I remembered the ridiculous amounts of wine I had recently purchased to stock my wine fridge.  Going only off of ingredients I thought might taste OK, I started mixing.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the smallest saucepan you own.  Add 2 cloves of chopped garlic and 2 stalks of chopped green onions to the melted butter and stir over medium heat for a few minutes.  Add 1 cup of white wine (I used Souv Blanc), salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil.  Add fish fillet and poach, turning mid-way, for 6-8 minutes or until fish is cooked all the way through.  Spoon a small amount of the broth over the fish and disregard the rest.

For the record, poaching is the new broiling in this kitchen!

Dear Blender, I Love You

My mid-year resolution should include blending daily for no other reason than I love it (my blender that is).  It's the one tool in my kitchen that never fails at producing miracles.  And it's the only tool in my kitchen that guarantees vitamin packed-ness with the touch of a button.

I've been randomly craving cream of asparagus soup for too long to have not already posted something.  Perhaps it has something to do with creamy soups and 100 degree weather not jiving.  But more likely, it has to do with forgetting my sporadic craving each and every time I pass through the market's automated entrance.

You'll need:

1 lb Fresh Asparagus, Chopped

3 Leeks, Sliced

2 Garlic Cloves

1 - 16 oz Can of Vegetable Broth

1/2 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt

1 Tbsp Parmesan, Shaved

Boil asparagus, leeks, and garlic until tender (about 15 minutes).   Blend vegetables until 100% smooth.  Add vegetable broth and yogurt and blend again.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Colorful Coverage

Pictured above is my staple go-to dinner.  And while it happens to be super simple, it also happens to have a purpose - greens for metabolism protection, reds for cancer prevention, and both for heart-disease prevention.  Who knew a ten minute meal could have your color bases covered?

Typically, I wilt spinach leaves with heated red sauce and throw in some gluten free pasta, but tonight I was reminded of my frozen food debacle and decided I wanted to "cream" my own greens.  So much better than frozen!  It might even cook faster than the five to seven nuking minutes required by the previously mentioned frozen fare.

Melt 1/4 to 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a pan.  Throw in a couple handfuls of baby spinach leaves until they are fully wilted.  Sprinkle with a tablespoon or so of sharp white cheese, stir, and voila!

Healthy Pants Pizza

Some days you crave fatty pants pizza, some days you settle for lazy pants pizza, and the other days?  Well the other days you just need healthy pants pizza.

A few weeks ago during one of my all too frequent grocery store trips, I stumbled upon a sample stand.  And if you've been with me to the market, you know that by stumble upon, I mean ran to.  Rarely do I 'stumble upon' a sample stand and think "I'm happy I just ate that".  In fact, before that day, it had never happened - a scrunched face and search for the nearest paper towel is more like it.

To create your own healthy pants pizza, you'll need:
- 1 Eggplant
- Pizza Sauce
- Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
- Typical Toppings (I chose spinach, mushrooms, and onions)

Thinly slice eggplant.  Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place eggplant disks.  Broil eggplant on each side for about 4 minutes or until browned.  Watch closely as they burn easily, especially the ones in the back!  Cover with sauce, cheese, and toppings, and broil another minute or two until the cheese is bubbly.

Flopping Flounder

You're not imagining it; I'm partial to seafood these days.  Since the acquisition of my fish cooking skills during 'Technique de la Hanz', I just can't stop.  The thought of cooking chicken has always caused an urge to snooze, there's a limit to how many times you can pretend turkey tastes differently than chicken, and beef?  Beef lost its attraction after living steps from the Bern's Bar.  So fish it is.

And if you thought spending a lifetime within eye shot of water would create a connoisseur of some sort, you'd be wrong.  Beyond salmon, tuna, and grouper...  I'm clueless.  If you can imagine someone spinning me in circles, blindfolded, and telling me to point - that would be a fairly accurate description of tonight's seafood department experience.  And, that would be the only possible explanation for how I ended up with flounder.

Due to my lack of grill, I brushed the filet with olive oil, sprinkled it with Northwoods Seasoning, and broiled it for 5-7 minutes on each side.  I served it atop seasoned and sauteed baby bellas, asparagus, green beans, squash, and zucchini.  The veggie medley equaled "woah!" and distracted me from my new found dislike - flounder.   

Beautifood

Tonight's meal inspiration stemmed from an article that was sent to me a while back entitled '10 Ways to Eat Yourself Gorgeous'.  The article was shelved and I'm not certain why.  But from this point forward, food brain-block or not, I will be referencing it quite often.

My plate consisted of broiled salmon brushed with olive oil and fresh dill and boiled artichoke with dill garlic butter for dipping.  The salmon/artichoke combo created a dish rich in Omega 3 Fatty Acids, Protein, Vitamins B/C/D, Magnesium, Folic Acid, and Biotin.  And chances are, if the last sentence bored you, you're in dire need of a meal like this!

I am beyond pleased.  So pleased, in fact, that I am immodestly giving myself the highest rank on every scale - A+, 5 stars, all 10's.  

Spaghetti? Sort Of...

A few weeks ago, a friend suggested a spaghetti squash recipe she made post kicking butt at the Boston Marathon.  I raided her leftovers and knew I'd give it a shot.

After a weekend of birthday/mother's day glutton, I was craving something veggieful.  And subbing a meal's primary starch with a veggie?  Well, that sounded right about where I wanted to be.  I scribbled down the ingredients and B-lined it to the market on my way home from the office.  

My excitement for the recipe grew as I realized my basket was only lacking two ingredients and I hadn't yet left the produce department.  And feta and kalamatas?  I barely had to brush the processed aisles to scoop those up!

This dish was a delightful main course, but could also be served along side a lean meat for a more "complete" meal.


Side Note:  Tastes even better chilled the next day.

Wokin Wontons

The first blog entry after a brief hiatus better be a good one.  And because of this, the pressure for a blog worthy dish has been rearing its ugly head for entirely too long.  Solution?  A gift from my favorite (and only) uncle.

At first glance, bamboo steamers seem like they could be deceivingly difficult.  Not the case.  Just set atop a wok with shallow boiling water and you've got yourself a deal.

And homemade dumplings?  The closest I've ever come is plopping a few frozen nuggets in a traditional pot of boiling water.  And even though I've always purchased a "natural" brand, their contents have always been a slight mystery.

The following shrimp wonton recipe is heavenly.  They're fresh, and there's nothing mystery about them.

- 1/4 to 1/2 lb of cooked shrimp
- 1/2 cup mushrooms (I used baby portobellas)
- 3/4 cup green cabbage
- 1/3 cup green onions
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon Bragg's Liquid Aminos
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 packet of Nasoya Wonton Wraps
- Ponzu Sauce

Finely chop all of the ingredients up until the ginger.  Use a cheese grater to grate the ginger.  Mix the shrimp, veggies, and soy sauce in a bowl.  Plop a spoonful of the filling in the center of each wonton wrapper.  Wet the edges of the wonton wrappers, fold them, and firmly press the edges together.  Fill a wok with as much water as you can that won't seep into the bamboo steamer and bring to a boil.  Place the wontons on cabbage leaves on each rack of the bamboo steamer (this will prevent them from sticking to the steamer).  Set the bamboo steamer in the wok and steam wontons for 6 minutes.  Serve with ponzu sauce for dipping.

Flavor a la Low Sodium

Rice and chicken, chicken and rice.  I'll eat them, I like them, but if you told me I couldn't have either again, I wouldn't be heartbroken.  And since I don't eat either on the regular, I didn't mind one bit when tasked with providing a flavorful, low sodium, rice recipe.

I can unbiasedly say that boiled bone-in chicken is highly underrated.  It's tasty, healthy, and most importantly, hard to mess up.

1 Carrot

2 Celery Stalks

3 Cloves of Garlic

1 lb of Drumsticks

2 Serrano or Jalapeno Peppers (guts removed)

2 Spanish Onions

Boil in Bag Brown Rice

1-2 Handfulls of Long Leaf Spinach

1 Tbsp Earth Balance "butter" or real butter

Badia Complete Seasoning

Chop veggies into big pieces.  Boil water in a large pot and add veggies and drumsticks.  Reduce heat to medium, cover, and boil for 30 minutes.  Remove drumsticks and add rice bag to chicken broth.  Remove skin, cut chicken off the bone, and set aside.  When the rice is finished, remove the rice and veggies with a slatted spoon.  Add spinach leaves to chicken broth until they are wilted and remove.  Strain excess water from spinach leaves.  Mix "butter", chicken, and rice.  Add seasoning to taste.  

Lazy Pants Pizza

Tonight had potential for serious derailment.  I think most Thursdays do.  You spend all week working, dieting, deadlining, exercising, erranding - by Thursday you're pooped!

I was so close to ordering take-out, but somewhere during the crazy amounts of rationalizing going on in my head, I thought of a quick compromise.  Hooray for pizza!

Lazy Pants Pizza:
- Sprouted Wheat Toast
- Baby Spinach
- Tomato Sauce
- Mozzarella Cheese
- Garlic Powder

While sprouted wheat bread is toasting, heat tomato sauce in the microwave for a minute.  Stir spinach leaves in the tomato sauce and microwave for an additional minute.  Spread tomato sauce on sprouted wheat toast, sprinkle with garlic powder, and cover with cheese.  Toast until golden.

Chop Therapy

I want what you're having.  Not the entire thing, just a bite.  If tonight didn't happen, I would continue to think you're dish earned extra tasty points for one reason only - it wasn't prepared by me.  And I'm not saying that I won't continue to ask for bites, I will, but at least after tonight I'll understand why.

My impatience is not subtle and probably borders on extreme for prior roomies.  I alone can be too many cooks for one kitchen.  And to this "rule", I can only think of one exception - everything salads with Lex.  Everything salads are never the same and always have too many ingredients to repeat in the same order twice.  And apparently one life changing light bulb moment is the limit for tonight, because I can't for the life of me provide a logical explanation for why, in all of my 26 years, there is one scenario in which I prefer to share a kitchen.

Tonight I prepared an everything salad for the first time sans Lex.  It wasn't the same.  I chopped finely, patiently, and with purpose.  And it was as I prepared my plate for its photo opp that my "Aha!" moment occurred - I want your dish because you took your time!

Finely chop the following until you "Aha!", mix in a bowl, and set aside.
-  1/2 green pepper
-  1/2 red onion
-  1/2 cucumber
-  one can of hearts of palm
-  1/2 can of artichoke hearts
-  1/4 cup of green olives
-  1/2 - 1 cup of steamed asparagus
-  1/2 can of garbanzo beans
-  1 lb cubed chicken breast
-  gorgonzola cheese crumbles
-  balsamic vinaigrette

Place baby greens and baby spinach leaves on a large plate.  Spoon chopped veggie mix over greens.  Keeping the veggies separate will prevent soggy lettuce and ensure even distribution of goods.  Top greens with chicken, cheese crumbles, and dressing.  Enjoy!

Souped Up Satisfaction

When someone tells you that a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup is a staple in their diet, you may rush to assume that someone is a third grader.  And although I may resemble a third grader in stature, I'd like to think my palette is a bit more developed.  I'll justify my progression by admitting that my nine year old self would have tantrum-ed at the sight of a green food on my sandwich.

My staple dish hit the spot tonight, it was indescribably perfect for my Monday meal finale.

-  Organic Creamy Tomato Soup
-  Sprouted Sourdough Toast
-  Veggie American Cheese Slices
-  Sliced Avocado, sprinkled with salt

Mangia, Mangia!

I crave red sauce.  Strange craving for a girl that grew up strategically dipping chips into salsa so as not to get a tomato chunk.  And I still won't consume unmarinated/raw tomatoes.  In fact, I specifically exclude them whenever ordering a restaurant meal.  But there's something about red sauce these days that makes my mouth water.

I say these days as if I don't remember the exact moment I became a fan.  But I do.  In 2007, I ordered calamari from a quaint Italian restaurant in Ybor City, Laughing Cat.  From the moment I dipped the first tube, I was hooked.  I thought perhaps I was solely addicted to their red sauce.  Not the case.  I wanted any red sauce, every day, all the time.  Obsessive?  Most definitely.  But that's kind of how I roll.

If you're interested in my super simple, veggie packed sauce...

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 can of organic diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 can of organic tomato sauce
- 6 oz of fresh baby spinach
- salt and pepper to taste

Slightly brown the garlic in the olive oil.  Add the onions and mushrooms and cook until they are tender.  Add the cans of tomatoes and bring to a simmer.  Then gradually fold in the spinach leaves until they are wilted (it'll seem like way too much spinach, but it's not).  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and serve atop your preferred gluten free carb.

If a dish free of meat freaks you out, try adding ground turkey.  Usually, if I add the turkey, I ditch the noodle.

Feel Good Tuna

One of my best pals was in town for a weekend of wedding madness and graced me with her presence today before heading back to capital country.  We managed to cram all of our favorite activities in a seven hour span as we are the most efficient of friends.  Brunch, mimosas, outdoor shopping, online shopping, grocery shopping, green smoothies, and feel good tuna are all deserving of big, fancy check marks on yet another productive Sunday to-do list.

Between her wedding festivities and my, well, Friday festivities, we were both in dire need of some super charged food.  My tuna salad recipe is a sure shot to fixing your bad behavior blues from the inside out.  

-  1 lb fresh tuna, cooked and chopped

-  2 celery stalks, chopped

-  1/2 red onion, chopped

-  1/2 bag of broccoli slaw

-  1 tablespoon of capers

-  light mayo or vegenaise, just enough to moisten

-  salt and pepper to taste

-  baby spinach leaves

-  sprouted wheat bread, toasted

Mix the tuna, celery, onion, slaw, and capers with the mayo until it's a second past dry.  Spread on sprouted wheat toast, top with baby spinach, and enjoy!

Cheese Please?

Among the many tasks that contributed to my uber productive Sunday?  Preparing Chilaquiles for destination freezer.  The recipe that I used from Eatingwell.com is a far cry from the traditionally unhealthy dish composed of Tostitos and God only knows what else.  And, at some point during my extended stay in the produce section, I decided to jazz it up with faux cheese.  What!

I started regretting my purchase as I was cooking, and even more so after I took it out of the freezer and invited a friend over for dinner last night.  It’s a slim to none chance that an all American boy will tolerate the taste of yellow nothing with a hint of weird.

While I was preheating the oven, I hesitantly sampled a shred.  Much to my surprise it was decent.  Much to my surprise it was good!  At that point, I knew that I would be satisfied with my dinner, but was still fairly nervous about how my guest would react.

It was clear that my nerves were unnecessary as he requested a second helping.  I’m three for three this week as far as meals are concerned and I think that calls for a solid “heck yeah!”. 

   

All Hail Kale

With 206 %DV of Vitamin A, 134 %DV of Vitamin C, and 684 %DV of Vitamin K per serving - kale's got it going on as far as veggies are concerned. If you're a spinach lover like me, you might consider swapping out your current leafy goodness for this powerhouse green.

Rushing to toss kale in your next super salad may be a bit of a disappointment; however, adding steamed/boiled kale to pastas and raw kale to smoothies will give you the tasty, nutritional boost you're looking for. Beware of its less than satisfactory fridge life, even though sources claim that it's none the worse for freezing.

The recipe pictured above, "Pasta with Greens", can be found at vegetariantimes.com. Follow my lead and toss the milk, leave the food processor in the cabinet, and replace spaghetti with quinoa elbows for an even healthier fare.

Barley & Eggplant, Oh My!

To aid in sticking with my "high fiber, low glycemic index, minimal animal, minimal wheat" diet, I've created a meal plan for the first week of twenty ten. I spent entirely too much time, especially for a Saturday night, picking out recipes, downloading a blackberry shopping list app, and then using the app for my lengthy grocery list. My shopping cart was nothing short of beautiful - I could feel envious eyes wandering from carts filled with processed cardboard to my cart filled with lush produce. And even if that image was all in my head, I loved it just the same.

Oh what a dish, my first home cooked meal of the new year: Barley Basilico and Garlic Eggplant from "The Flexitarian Diet" cookbook. It was refreshing, hearty, and uncomplicated. I must add that I thoroughly enjoy simple meals, meals where you can understand the purpose of each ingredient in your first few bites. This meal was not only pleasant to the buds, but fulfilled the fundamental plan (as you can see below).