A meeting of the minds - Confidence and food prep

Over the past few weeks I have been going back and forth on what to write about. I didn’t feel like I had much to contribute these past few weeks. There have been some things going on but nothing worth writing about in my opinion. Luckily though life has a way of throwing us those little ah-ha moments and it really puts things in perspective so I thought I would share my experience.

Last week I went for drinks with a friend. We go drink margaritas every so often and have a “meeting of the minds” as we like to call it. Basically we drink and talk about all sorts of shit and really work a bunch of crap out. This time we talked mainly about weight loss and things we could do to help ourselves. Probably drinking margaritas could’ve been on that list but it wasn’t. They never will be.

Mmmm... Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Growing up some of my most precious memories are at my grandma's house. She always had fun stuff to do and she made the best food. My favorite thing that she would make was her homemade spaghetti sauce. It was always a treat to be there when she made it fresh but it was also delicious when she canned it and we could enjoy it during the cold winter months. To this day it is still a special treat.
When my cousin Michael was wounded in Afganastan we had a fundraiser for him that included a auction and a spaghetti dinner. We all made sauce from my grandma's recipe and used that instead of store bought. We had so many people tell us that it was the best spaghetti dinner they have every had. It was the sauce that they all loved so much.
Last Tuesday after I went to Gloria's funeral I was surprised to see my aunt Kally at my grandma's house. We all three went to lunch and after that we all went to grandmas to make spaghetti sauce. It was a really great day and a nice end to what started out as a sad day.
Normally I would post the recipe of what I have cooked but I don't have it with me today. Besides when we made it my grandma just told us what to add not really following a recipe. It is very simple ingredients but the true secret is letting it simmer all day. You can make it quick but it just won't taste the same. Sorry I don't have quantities for the ingredients.

Cook onions, garlic and mushrooms (optional) in some olive oil

Add tomato paste and tomato sauce

Here she is ordering us about. Lol!

Add tomatoes and Italian seasonings

Here is the finished batch after it simmered all day. Yummy!

Dinner is served! Oh the memories this brings back!!

Purple Cauliflower Soup

pretty!

Last week while grocery shopping I went to grab a head of cauliflower and noticed that they had purple and orange as well as the regular white. I immediately grabbed the last of the colored ones and couldn't wait to make something yummy with them. I didn't want to just steam or roast them either. I searched online and finally found a recipe that was simple and one that I had all the ingredients for. Purple Cauliflower Soup! It was delicious and very easy to make. It took about 40 minutes from start to eating. Click here for the original recipe. I really didn't stray too far from the original recipe. I used low sodium broth and unsalted butter because I like to control the salt in my food. I'm not a huge salt fan. I also did not garnish the soup with a drizzle of olive oil. It didn't really need it. I highly suggest garnishing with smoked paprika if you have it. It gives it a nice smokey taste that I can't really describe. It is also good without it too so it doesn't matter too much if that is something you don't have in your pantry. I din't puree mine to a completely smooth consistency. I liked having a few chunks of cauliflower in every bite.

Purple Cauliflower Soup

1 head of purple, orange or white cauliflower (They all taste the same BTW)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter (I  used unsalted)
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
4 cups chicken broth (I used low sodium and 1 can was fat free)
smoked paprika
good quality olive oil (optional)

Clean and break up cauliflower into small florets.

In a large pot or dutch oven, heat up the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sautee for 5 minutes.

Add minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.Be careful that the garlic does not burn. Add cauliflower florets, stir to cover with oil and cook uncovered for about 5 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken broth and bring to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes. Puree soup using an emersion blender, food processor or blender and return to pot. Check seasoning. Garnish soup with smoked paprika and a drizzle of good quality olive oil.

Enjoy!

Asparagus Fries

I'm trying to get out of a rut of eating the same foods the same way all the time. I have branched out this week and bought some veggies that I normally don't eat but I also bought some I love. Asparagus is one I love. I could eat it at least twice a week. It makes me sad when it is no longer in season but I try to eat as much as I can when it is in season. I found a recipe that looked really good and it satisfied my veggies that I need to eat with my love of fried food. Of course this is not fried and it doesn't need to be. It was delicious! Click here for the original recipe. I omitted the zest of lemon since all I had was bottled lemon juice and I also omitted the red pepper flakes. I actually forgot to put it in by mistake. Next time I will not forget. I bet it would be even that much better. I also did not make the Aioli sauce. I'm sure it is good but I just didn't want to add those extra calories on.

Asparagus Fries

• 1 bunch of asparagus, washed, ends trimmed 
• 1 egg (I used 1/4 cup of eggbeaters) 
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with baking spray. (I use stoneware to cook everything so I skipped lining the pan)
2. Combine egg, dijon and lemon juice in a shallow bowl, whisk together.
3. Combine breadcrumbs, salt & pepper in a dish and mix together.
4. Coat asparagus first in egg mixture and then in breadcrumb mixture. Line up on baking sheet.
5. Bake for 15 minutes until breadcrumbs have turned golden brown and asparagus still has some “bite” left to it.
6. Serve warm out of the oven.

They won't be completely coated in panko which is good because you will have more of the asparagus taste than just breading taste. You get a nice mix of both. 

Enjoy!

Pizza Lasagna

I had some pizza toppings left over and decided to make something a little different. I thought about making lasagna cups but decided in the end to make a flat lasagna. I didn’t have any ricotta cheese so I decided to experiment using some greek yogurt that I had. Any toppings would be great in this. Below is what I had on hand.

Pizza Lasagna

8 whole wheat lasagna noodles

½ cup greek yogurt

2 cups low fat mozzarella cheese + ¼ cup additional for top of lasagna

¼ cup parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 small jar pizza sauce

1 shallot- sliced thin

1 can mushrooms (can use fresh but canned was all I had)

Turkey pepperoni

Sundried tomatoes- cut into bite sized bits

Preheat oven to 375

Cook the noodles until they are al dente. Strain and let cool. In a small bowl mix the yogurt, Italian seasonings, mozzarella and parmesan cheese. The consistency will be sort of a paste texture. In a small deep dish baker (mine was about 8") or small pan spread a thin layer of sauce in the bottom then add a single layer of lasagna noodles. I cut the noodles in half to fit better in my baker. Add some more sauce, a third of the cheese mixture and a third of the toppings. The cheese might be a little hard to spread with a spoon. I just used my hands to break little pieces and sprinkle over the sauce. Continue the noodle, cheese, sauce and toppings in three layers. Once all the layers are done sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup cheese on top and put in oven. Cook until cheese is melted and lasagna is cooked through. I cooked it for about 30 minutes.

I was able to get 6 servings out of this. They are small servings but they will freeze well and I plan on eating them with a fresh salad or veggies for lunches.

This is the first layer

All the layers just going into the oven

The finished product

one serving (this is a teacup plate just to get an idea of size. They are small portions) - I cut each serving out and put in a  plastic container and froze them. This way I have dinner or lunch when I don't have time to cook

Crockpot Chicken Teriyaki

Since my experiment to try a new recipe each week, this is the best I have made yet. I used chicken breasts instead of thighs and also added steamed broccoli and green beans as well. Next time I make this I will also add more veggies just to amp it up even more. I got 6 servings out of this recipe and served it on rice.
Here is the link for the original recipe. Below is how I made it.

CROCK POT TERIYAKI CHICKEN

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
6 tablespoons cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 1/2 teaspoons cold water
1-2 lbs steamed vegetables
Hot cooked long grain rice

Place chicken in a 4 qt. slow cooker.  In a large bowl, combine the sugar, soy sauce, cider vinegar, ginger, garlic and pepper.  Pour over chicken.  Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or until chicken is tender.  Remove chicken and shred or cut into bite sizes pieces. Transfer to a serving platter and keep warm.  Skim fat from cooking liquid.  Place liquid in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Combine cornstarch and water until smooth.  Gradually stir into liquid and stir until sauce is thickened. In the meantime, steam the veggies until tender. Once the sauce is thickened, toss in the chicken and the veggies and stir until everything is coated.  Serve with and rice and top with sesame seeds.

This is when I decided to add the veggies. There seemed to be too much sauce. 

Here it is with just broccoli. I added the green beans when I ate it for another meal. 

Finished product. Doesn't it look yummy?!?!

Enjoy!!

Baked Southwestern Eggrolls with Avocado dip

I didn't count my roasting veggies as my new recipe of the week. That would be pretty lame even for me. This week I decided to make something new for Super Bowl. Baked Southwestern eggrolls with avocado dip. They were really delicious and since they were baked a lot healthier than fried. I used the wonton wrappers for this since the Super Bowl is kind of a food grazing activity. It was a lot easier to eat than big eggrolls. When I was done making them there was some filling left which I thought that if heated in the oven would we a good dip on its own. For the avocado dip I didn't have buttermilk so I just used fat free half and half. Its only 3 tablespoons and I didn't think it made that big of a difference. It was still good. Next time I just might use only Greek yogurt and no mayo.
Here is the link for the original recipe.

Enjoy!

Roasting Vegetables

Sorry this is late getting posted but I took 5 days off (more on that later) and I don't have Internet at home. I am working towards getting it so my posts will be more frequent.
For a while now on Pinterest and Foodgawker I have seen a lot of posts about roasting veggies instead of steaming or sauteing them. I really haven't roasted anything except potatoes so I thought I would give it a try. I can not believe how delicious they turn out! The flavor that roasting brings out is something you can't get with spices. The week I roasted green beans and baby portabello mushrooms that I covered in a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar and then I did some peppers and onions only in olive oil. Both times I did this I only used about 1.5 tablespoons of oil but you could probably do less. I don't know how much of the veggies I had but it filled a gallon size plastic bag. I got two veggie servings out of each roasting.

Put the veggies, oil and vinegar in a gallon zip
lock bag

Mix it all together so its all well covered

spread out on a baking sheet making sure not to crowd the pan

I don't know how long I cooked them. Just watch them. I may have cooked them a little long but they were nice and crispy!

I sprinkled a little Parmesan cheese on them when they were done. 

Enjoy!

Chicken Gyro Sandwich

Sorry this is late getting posted. I was not 100% on my game last week but I will get to that in my next post for my weekly recap. Last week I made Chicken Gyro Sandwiches for my new weekly meal. Let me just tell you that they were so yummy!!! I love the traditional gyros but I am a little intimidated to try cooking lamb. Also the cost is a little high and chicken is healthier and I had it in my freezer. I originally found the recipe on foodgawker.com. Another great time sucking website next to pinterest.com. It will make you incredibly hunger but might also inspire you to try some new meals. For the original recipe here is the blog "the girl who ate everything. The original recipe says to either cook the chicken in a skillet or broil it. I used a skillet to cook mine. Next time I make these though I will cut the chicken into bite size pieces before I marinate and cook it. I found that the Greek yogurt marinate started to burn before the chicken was done and the smaller bite size pieces will allow the chicken to cook faster before it burns. I ended up cutting the chicken into pieces anyways to get them to fully cook. The end result was delicious! I also made the tzatziki sauce which is a definite must for this meal.

Just looking at that makes me want to make these again! I used some flat bread that I had in my freezer from my last trip to Trader Joe's but I am sure that a pita would be just as delicious. The whole recipe made 4 servings of chicken so I was able to bring these to work for lunch. I know that my side dish of french fries is not very healthy but that is just too bad. I only had one serving (per package instructions) and that is a good for me considering I used to eat twice that amount of fries (anything made from potatoes are my weakness). For my lunches though I just paired the sandwich with cooked veggies. I would definitely recommend that you try this recipe. It was super simple and super delicious!!

Homemade Ravioli

For Christmas my sister got the pasta attachments for her KitchenAid mixer and we have been wanting to make pasta so we decided to do that on Sunday. Instead of making plain pasta we made ravioli. We have made it in the past but the experience was not good. This time we were able to see what worked for us and what didn’t. You could say though that we got a little carried away with our fillings. We made 3 different kinds – Italian sausage, spinach and mushroom and butternut squash. We didn’t really follow a recipe for the fillings we just threw cheese and spices in until it tasted good. There was too much filling so we ended up making little lasagna cups with the Italian sausage filling. We also ended up having too much butternut squash filling so I froze most of that and will make soup out of it in a couple weeks. Here is our attempt….

Here we are making the dough. We made two batches total. 

The fillings- Italian sausage, butternut squash and spinach and mushroom

Here we are making the traditional shape for the ravioli with the butternut squash

We had two different cutters and this is what we ended up with.  We weren't very happy with the size or the amount  of dough waste. 

Lasagna cups! Italian sausage filling inside wonton cups, pasta sauce, topped with cheese and baked.

The finished product. Super Yummy!!!

We finally found a way to use all the dough with no waste. Cut squares, put some filling in the center, then roll into a "pillow" shape. Seal the edges with a little water, 

Our pillow shaped pasta. 

We didn't get as much stuffed pasta as we would have liked but we did figure out what to do next time to make the process much easier! We froze the pasta so that we can enjoy these yummy little morsels for the next couple months.