I went to my newly beloved Costco tonight and bought a giant tub of strawberries...giant tub. Even if my little strawberry loving kid was home, I don't know that we would eat all of these before they go bad. I've found some good recipes to use them in and then I stumbled onto this. It's a recipe for a strawberry salsa. The recipe calls for this to be served over grilled chicken, which we quit eating. Do you all think this would be yummy over a type of seafood?? I would love to make it, but I'm still learning in the ways of food pairing. Thoughts??
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
1/3 cup minced red onion
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Homemade Meals All Day
I was supposed to start my practicum site today, but due to paperwork complications I don't start until next Tuesday. This left me with a free day and I decided to make all of my meals at home today.
Breakfast was a yummy, calorie trimmed version of the lox bagel. I make mine on a bagel thin with smoked salmon, capers, onions, and Weight Watchers Cream Cheese...oooooh so yummy and less calories than the regular way. Other than the decrease in breading, I can't taste a single difference.
Lunch was a crab cake sandwich made with these fantastic Costco crab cakes. CRH and I have been making crab cake items individually all week. They are sooooo good. He made a mayo for his the other night that I copied for mine today and it was fabulous. Eve wanted me to call her in the midst of eating it, so I couldn't quite savor it the way I wanted to, but I missed my baby and much preferred talking to her...really.
Dinner was Crispy Black Bean Tacos! I opted to make these when CRH wasn't home b/c he's not a fan of Feta cheese. Actually, he's branched out a lot on cheeses in the past decade, but he's not going near Feta. I bought a giant thing of it at Costco the other day, so I better find some other recipes for it soon. Here's the recipe for tonight's tasty treat. I made 2 of these for myself, so I cut the recipe in half as this makes 4. Total calories was only 500 for both! I subbed regular onion for the green onion b/c I am not a fan of the green onion.
Ingredients
1(15 ounce) can black beans, drained
1/2-1 teaspoon ground cumin
5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 -1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 cups coleslaw mix
2 green onions, chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro or 1/3 cup parsley
4 corn tortillas (white or yellow ) or 4 wheat flour tortillas
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
bottled chipotle hot sauce or hot sauce
Change Measurements: US | Metric
Directions:
Prep Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 25 mins
1. Place beans and cumin in small bowl; partially mash. Mix 2 teaspoons olive oil and lime juice in medium bowl; add coleslaw, green onions, and cilantro and toss to coat. Season slaw to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Heat 3 teaspoons olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tortillas in single layer. Spoon 1/4 of bean mixture onto half of each tortilla; cook 1 minute. Fold tacos in half. Cook until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Fill tacos with feta and slaw. Pass hot sauce alongside.
I think I need to work on my artistry in the form of food pictures. Clearly, it's not my forte. :)
Breakfast was a yummy, calorie trimmed version of the lox bagel. I make mine on a bagel thin with smoked salmon, capers, onions, and Weight Watchers Cream Cheese...oooooh so yummy and less calories than the regular way. Other than the decrease in breading, I can't taste a single difference.
Lunch was a crab cake sandwich made with these fantastic Costco crab cakes. CRH and I have been making crab cake items individually all week. They are sooooo good. He made a mayo for his the other night that I copied for mine today and it was fabulous. Eve wanted me to call her in the midst of eating it, so I couldn't quite savor it the way I wanted to, but I missed my baby and much preferred talking to her...really.
Dinner was Crispy Black Bean Tacos! I opted to make these when CRH wasn't home b/c he's not a fan of Feta cheese. Actually, he's branched out a lot on cheeses in the past decade, but he's not going near Feta. I bought a giant thing of it at Costco the other day, so I better find some other recipes for it soon. Here's the recipe for tonight's tasty treat. I made 2 of these for myself, so I cut the recipe in half as this makes 4. Total calories was only 500 for both! I subbed regular onion for the green onion b/c I am not a fan of the green onion.
Ingredients
1(15 ounce) can black beans, drained
1/2-1 teaspoon ground cumin
5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 -1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 cups coleslaw mix
2 green onions, chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro or 1/3 cup parsley
4 corn tortillas (white or yellow ) or 4 wheat flour tortillas
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
bottled chipotle hot sauce or hot sauce
Change Measurements: US | Metric
Directions:
Prep Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 25 mins
1. Place beans and cumin in small bowl; partially mash. Mix 2 teaspoons olive oil and lime juice in medium bowl; add coleslaw, green onions, and cilantro and toss to coat. Season slaw to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Heat 3 teaspoons olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tortillas in single layer. Spoon 1/4 of bean mixture onto half of each tortilla; cook 1 minute. Fold tacos in half. Cook until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Fill tacos with feta and slaw. Pass hot sauce alongside.
I think I need to work on my artistry in the form of food pictures. Clearly, it's not my forte. :)
Monday, June 27, 2011
Veggie Goodness and Some Not
I've been slack in cooking lately because CRH has been working a lot and without Eve home, it's just me. I'm not big on cooking for just me unless I know it's something I'll love as leftovers. I have a few things on the menu, but whatever...just haven't been in the cooking mood.
Today was no different and I stopped by one of my favorite island delis (Kalapawai Cafe & Deli in Kailua) on the way home from work for a take out dinner. I bought this yummy goodness, which was Eggplant Parmesan, grilled veggies, and roasted Brussels sprouts. I've wanted to try Brussels sprouts for the longest and I have to say that I'm officially over the urge. It was not love. I ate one of them, but I couldn't manage to get through the second one. To the deli's credit, I microwaved this plate to warm it so I think it toughened them up. I loved the rest of my meal. Their food is awesome, but I won't order the Brussels sprouts again. Blech...
Today was no different and I stopped by one of my favorite island delis (Kalapawai Cafe & Deli in Kailua) on the way home from work for a take out dinner. I bought this yummy goodness, which was Eggplant Parmesan, grilled veggies, and roasted Brussels sprouts. I've wanted to try Brussels sprouts for the longest and I have to say that I'm officially over the urge. It was not love. I ate one of them, but I couldn't manage to get through the second one. To the deli's credit, I microwaved this plate to warm it so I think it toughened them up. I loved the rest of my meal. Their food is awesome, but I won't order the Brussels sprouts again. Blech...
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Ode to Goat Cheese
I cannot even describe how much I love goat cheese. I haven't eaten much of it in the past decade because CRH is not a fan at all and I typically can't eat enough of it before it goes bad. While I love, love, love it...I don't enjoy eating the same thing in mass quantities.
When I went home to NC a few weeks ago, my mom took me to the Farmer's Market in Greensboro. The Goat Lady Dairy was there and I sampled each one of their flavors (just for fun) and ended up buying their Fig and Honey flavor. I almost embarrassed myself by raving over it to their completely personality less workers behind the table. Dear Goat Lady, If that was in fact you selling your cheese that day, please find some personality and customer service skills...you would sell more. Love, Amy.
Flash forward to last night...I've been craving more goat cheese and I stumbled across this recipe for Farfalle with a Tomato-Goat Cheese Cream Sauce a few weeks before leaving for NC but I hadn't tried it yet because again, I'm the only one here that eats goat cheese. Eve has never tried it, but I think the flavor will be too strong for her for a couple of years. Anyway, this pasta is some serious yumminess. It looks a little strange when you're mixing the cheese in and I became skeptical, until I put my finger into the pot to taste and it was instant love. The only things I did differently were omit pine nuts (because I didn't have any) and I used Herb Goat Cheese which added extra flavor. My apologies for the lack of photos, I've been slacking.
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/11432?section=
I will add a picture of my garden, which is coming right along. I'm pleased to report that for the past two nights, I've made myself a salad using lettuce from my backyard garden that my neighbor helps me keep alive. It's grown a ton in the past month and I've also picked 2 strawberries off my little plant.
When I went home to NC a few weeks ago, my mom took me to the Farmer's Market in Greensboro. The Goat Lady Dairy was there and I sampled each one of their flavors (just for fun) and ended up buying their Fig and Honey flavor. I almost embarrassed myself by raving over it to their completely personality less workers behind the table. Dear Goat Lady, If that was in fact you selling your cheese that day, please find some personality and customer service skills...you would sell more. Love, Amy.
Flash forward to last night...I've been craving more goat cheese and I stumbled across this recipe for Farfalle with a Tomato-Goat Cheese Cream Sauce a few weeks before leaving for NC but I hadn't tried it yet because again, I'm the only one here that eats goat cheese. Eve has never tried it, but I think the flavor will be too strong for her for a couple of years. Anyway, this pasta is some serious yumminess. It looks a little strange when you're mixing the cheese in and I became skeptical, until I put my finger into the pot to taste and it was instant love. The only things I did differently were omit pine nuts (because I didn't have any) and I used Herb Goat Cheese which added extra flavor. My apologies for the lack of photos, I've been slacking.
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/11432?section=
I will add a picture of my garden, which is coming right along. I'm pleased to report that for the past two nights, I've made myself a salad using lettuce from my backyard garden that my neighbor helps me keep alive. It's grown a ton in the past month and I've also picked 2 strawberries off my little plant.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Sweet Potato Quesadilla and Portabello Mushroom Burgers - Oh My!
Clearly, I'm never going to lose a pound as a vegetarian, much to my dismay. I've gained about 12-15lbs (depending on the day) in the 9 months and I thought switching to a vegetarian life style would help this, but it's not. I love fatty things like cheese and oils and butter and sugar and well, it doesn't make the fat fall off my ass.
Today included a big meat cheat. A few days ago, I was going through one of my FB friends and former neighbor's food pics on FB. She had posted a picture of a Sweet Potato Quesadilla from Highway Inn in Waipahu. It's this local seafood market that is also a restaurant. Here in Hawaii, Okinawan Sweet Potatoes are big and I love them. It's a purple potato with a great flavor. Highway Inn pairs this with Kahlua Pork (I'm weak for it), cheese, and a papaya salsa. Oh dear lord, it was sooooooo good. In the future, I would ask them to make it without the pork because pigs are filthy animals that live in their own poop, but the one I ate sure tasted good.
For dinner, CRH and I wanted portabella mushroom burgers. I used this recipe and started making dinner, but thankfully CRH ended up taking over the making of the meal. I ate this mayo and he made his own, which was also very tasty and we added melted Havarti slices because what food isn't better with cheese?! (See the aforementioned love of fat that prevents me from losing my fat!)
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/grilled-portobello-with-basil-mayonnaise-sandwich/detail.aspx
Today included a big meat cheat. A few days ago, I was going through one of my FB friends and former neighbor's food pics on FB. She had posted a picture of a Sweet Potato Quesadilla from Highway Inn in Waipahu. It's this local seafood market that is also a restaurant. Here in Hawaii, Okinawan Sweet Potatoes are big and I love them. It's a purple potato with a great flavor. Highway Inn pairs this with Kahlua Pork (I'm weak for it), cheese, and a papaya salsa. Oh dear lord, it was sooooooo good. In the future, I would ask them to make it without the pork because pigs are filthy animals that live in their own poop, but the one I ate sure tasted good.
For dinner, CRH and I wanted portabella mushroom burgers. I used this recipe and started making dinner, but thankfully CRH ended up taking over the making of the meal. I ate this mayo and he made his own, which was also very tasty and we added melted Havarti slices because what food isn't better with cheese?! (See the aforementioned love of fat that prevents me from losing my fat!)
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/grilled-portobello-with-basil-mayonnaise-sandwich/detail.aspx
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Broth Dilemma
I'm having a broth dilemma, of the chicken kind. I'm working on the upcoming 2 weeks of menu planning and a lot of recipes that I keep coming across that initially seem vegetarian all have chicken broth in them! Uggg! What do you do?? Can you substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth in most recipes or does that totally change the flavor of it?
(I'm thankful this is about my biggest problem in life right now!)
(I'm thankful this is about my biggest problem in life right now!)
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Return to Veggies
This week I've been back to vegetarian. I'm considering re-watching Food, Inc. too in an effort to remind myself of the gross. I did eat meat some while I was home, and it was mostly tasty, but I'm just not feeling it. I keep thinking about that movie and the others I've seen and well, it's just gross. So, I'm back. I've had some super yummy foods this week to include
Red velvet pancakes...omg, these are the best things ever...ever.
Earlier in the week, I made some yummy Basil Calzones with soy protein. I loved them, CRH was a little on the fence. He said the flavors were just too distinct with the soy crumbles. Then the following night, I made a crockpot spinach pesto lasagna courtesy of the Crockpot lady blog. I have followed this blog for a long time, but I didn't have a crock pot here until December. So, I made this Thursday night and ate it for dinner. Yesterday, I took it for my co-worker and I to eat for lunch (he loved it!) and then I ate it again for dinner last night. It's just that good. Here's the link...go now and make it. OMG, one of the best meals I've ever cooked and SUPER easy!
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2010/09/slow-cooker-pesto-spinach-lasagna.html
Today, I branched out and went to a local Thai truck here in Haleiwa for lunch. I don't really eat Thai, but people rave about Opal's all the time so I thought it was time to try it. I was not disappointed. I went to order and the guy asked what I like and we talked a little and then he presented me with a tofu noodle dish that was fantastic and super cheap for food around these parts. I will definitely be returning for more!
Red velvet pancakes...omg, these are the best things ever...ever.
Earlier in the week, I made some yummy Basil Calzones with soy protein. I loved them, CRH was a little on the fence. He said the flavors were just too distinct with the soy crumbles. Then the following night, I made a crockpot spinach pesto lasagna courtesy of the Crockpot lady blog. I have followed this blog for a long time, but I didn't have a crock pot here until December. So, I made this Thursday night and ate it for dinner. Yesterday, I took it for my co-worker and I to eat for lunch (he loved it!) and then I ate it again for dinner last night. It's just that good. Here's the link...go now and make it. OMG, one of the best meals I've ever cooked and SUPER easy!
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2010/09/slow-cooker-pesto-spinach-lasagna.html
Today, I branched out and went to a local Thai truck here in Haleiwa for lunch. I don't really eat Thai, but people rave about Opal's all the time so I thought it was time to try it. I was not disappointed. I went to order and the guy asked what I like and we talked a little and then he presented me with a tofu noodle dish that was fantastic and super cheap for food around these parts. I will definitely be returning for more!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Hiatus
I'm on a brief cooking and probably a brief hiatus from my new eating habits while I go visit family and friends in NC. With the exception of my friend, Sara, I think they are all hard core carnivores and if I want to eat without hassle, a little meat shall be had. Plus, there are a few mainland things that I just need to eat one more time. :) No worries though, I'm back at it when I return and will be posting new recipes and pictures as the journey continues around mid-June.
I had a seafood risotto for dinner tonight that was to die for! I really want to limit my seafood a little more when I return and rely a little less on it. It's super yummy and as I've discussed I probably won't ever be cut it out entirely from my diet, but I'd really like to move more toward actual vegetarianism. Seafood feels a little like cheating.
I had a seafood risotto for dinner tonight that was to die for! I really want to limit my seafood a little more when I return and rely a little less on it. It's super yummy and as I've discussed I probably won't ever be cut it out entirely from my diet, but I'd really like to move more toward actual vegetarianism. Seafood feels a little like cheating.
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