The Law Student's Cookbook

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2011-10-20T19:36:00.000-07:00

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Zucchini Carrot Bread

2011-10-19T21:46:00.001-07:00

I had never baked a sweet recipe with a vegetable before. I've never made zucchini bread or carrot cake, or whatever other recipes rely on vegetables as opposed to the sweetness of fruits.

I was skeptical about how this bread was going to turn out. I mean, I know what carrots taste like and I know what zucchinis taste like, but in a quick bread? I just had no idea what I was getting myself into.

And really, what I was getting myself into was delicious. With this loaf sitting in my kitchen, I had a hard time not picking at it when I was walking through the kitchen. It lasted through about 3 days of breakfasts before it was no more.

This is definitely not a recipe I would throw away. I will make this again and again.

Zucchini Carrot Bread

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup sugar

6 tbsp egg substitute

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup shredded zucchini

1/4 cup shredded carrot

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

pinch nutmeg

pinch cardamom

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup chopped pecans (or other nut - or just leave it out)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a loaf pan by spraying it with Pam.

2. Beat the egg substitute until frothy. Combine the oil and sugar with the egg substitute and mix well. Mix in the vanilla, zucchini, and carrots, and then set aside.

3. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Slowly add the zucchini mixture until blended. Fold in the nuts.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spoon. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

* makes 1 loaf - 8 slices per loaf

* 326 calories per slice

Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi

2011-10-18T21:51:00.000-07:00

I'm kind of half-considering moving to Wordpress, because I think I like the layout and functionality more than Blogger. By my next entry I'll know for sure what I'm going to do about that.

It's been awhile since I've posted, but I still have been cooking most every night. With homework though, it's hard to find the time to post on here. I'm seriously like 2 weeks behind in sharing what I've cooked. But as this journal is called "The Law Student's Cookbook", it does have to be expected that I don't have all the free time in the world to be posting on here. I guess it's a surprise in itself that I actually do cook almost every night.

This meal was super easy and was also the first time I've tried orzo. I really enjoyed it and will be trying different orzo recipes in the future!

This entry will be submitted to Presto Pasta, hosted this week by The Life & Loves of Grumpy's Honey Bunch!

Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients

1/2 cup uncooked orzo

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1/4 tsp kosher salt

3 1/2 tsp Brummel&Brown

3/4 lb peeled and deveined shrimp

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/8 tsp black pepper

Directions

1. Cook orzo according to the packaging. Drain and place in a medium bowl. Stir in parsley and 1/8 tsp salt. Cover and set aside.

2. Melt 1 tbsp Brummel&Brown in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the shrimp with remaining salt. Add the shrimp to the pan and saute 2 minutes, or until almost done. Transfer the shrimp to a plate and set aside.

3. Melt the remaining Brummel&Brown in a pan. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in shrimp, lemon juice, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute or until shrimp are done. Serve the shrimp over the orzo.

CALORIES: 366

Shepherd's Pie

2011-10-12T18:23:00.001-07:00

I love potatoes. I could eat them all day and all night. When I was a little girl I used to get in trouble because of potatoes actually. At dinnertime, I'd just want potatoes, potatoes, and more potatoes. I would just want potatoes. I wouldn't eat anything else, because all I wanted was that starchy goodness.

My mom should have fed me shepherd's pie every night. While it isn't a substantial vegetable source, there at least is some vegetable in it and a protein source.

Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

1 lb potatoes

1 tbsp Brummel&Brown

2 tbsp milk

1 1/2 onions

1/2 lb ground beef

5 oz frozen peas, thawed

5 oz frozen corn kernels

1/2 tbsp paprika

1 pinch ground nutmeg

1 pinch salt

1 pinch ground black pepper

Directions

1. Boil the potatoes until tender. Mash with milk and Brummel&Brown. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

2. Saute the onions with paprika. Add the ground beef and cook until browned.

3. In a sauce pan blanch the frozen vegetables for 5 minutes in boiling water. Drain.

4. Spread a thin layer of potatoes in a baking dish. Add half the peas and corn and top with potatoes.

5. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes, until golden brown.

* serves 4

* 252 calories per serving

Beer Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Spicy Green Beans

2011-10-01T20:41:00.000-07:00

How crazy is this? I make a post yesterday about how while I normally make chicken, pork chops were calling to me and then today I also post another pork dish.

This meal was absolutely delicious. While it may not photograph extraordinarily, I really wish there was a way to transfer flavors via the internet. The flavors of the beer, onions, mushroom, and pork melded together so well with the spicy taste of the green beans.

I served the meal with just a plain noodle. It was definitely good to do that, because there was lots of sauce going on that soaked up in the noodles.

Beer Pork Chops with Mushrooms

Ingredients

4 pork chops

1 10-oz can cream of mushroom soup with roasted garlic

1/2 cup beer of your choice

1 cup mushroom pieces

1 onion, finely chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In a skillet brown the pork chops on both sides. Place in a baking dish.

3. Mix together the cream of mushroom soup and beer. Pour over the pork chops.

4. Arrange the mushrooms and onions over the pork chops.

5. Bake for 45 minutes.

* serves 4

CALORIES: 202 calories

Spicy Green Beans

Ingredients

4 slices bacon

1/2 onion, diced

1 tsp adobo sauce

1 lb fresh green beans

1 8-oz can petite diced tomatoes

1/4 cup water

1 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

2 tbsp lemon juice

Directions

1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat and cook until the bacon is crisp. Remove the bacon and place on paper towels to drain. In the bacon fat, add the onion and garlic, cooking until fragrant. Add the adobo sauce and tomatoes, cooking for 2 minutes. Stir in the green beans, water, honey, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover the pan, lowering heat to medium-low. Simmer until the green beans are tender, 30 to 40 minutes.

2. Crumble the bacon. Sprinkle the bacon pieces and lemon juice over the green beans.

* serves 4

CALORIES: 89 calories

Pork Chops with Mushroom Bourbon Cream Sauce and Mushroom Pasta Salad

2011-09-30T20:42:00.000-07:00

My meat of choice is usually chicken. Ever since I was a little girl, chicken has been my go-to. I went to New York once with my mom when I was in high school and for the week I was there, every meal I had was chicken.

I have very little variation in my diet, clearly.

But I made a change with this dinner! I actually really like pork chops, but for some reason I just don't make them very often. I don't really have a reason for my lack of pork in my diet, except that I just am drawn to chicken most of the time.

This dinner was such a success though that I think I need to change things up!

The biggest success of the dinner wasn't the pork itself actually. It was the fact that the breading on the pork was the best breading I've ever had on a piece of meat that I cooked. It didn't flake off, it didn't stick to the pan, it didn't leave spots of exposed meat.. It just worked.

The pasta salad was a nice accompaniment (though it seems to be upstaging the pork in the picture).

Pork Chops with Mushroom Whiskey Cream Sauce

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 lb sliced mushrooms

2 tbsp chopped onions

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup white cooking wine

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 tbsp Jameson Irish Whiskey

Salt and pepper to taste

1 egg

2 tbsp water

2 pork chops

all-purpose flour

2 cups bread crumbs

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

Directions

1. Saute onions, garlic, and mushrooms in 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet until the mushrooms are browned, about 15 minutes.

2. Increase the heat to high and add the white wine. Boil for about 4 minutes, until the liquid creates a glaze. Add the chicken broth and whiskey. Boil and reduce by 2/3. Add the cream and simmer, allowing the sauce to thicken.

3. Whisk the egg and water together in a shallow dish. Sprinkle both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper. Dip the pork in the flour, the egg mixture, and then the bread crumbs. Make sure the pork is thoroughly coated in bread crumbs.

4. Heat the 1 1/2 tbsp oil in a skillet. Add the pork chops and cook for about 4 minutes on each side, until brown. Place the pork chops in a preheated oven set at 400 for 8 minutes.

5. Serve the pork chops with the sauce on top.

* serves 2

CALORIES: 518 calories

Mushroom Pasta Salad

Ingredients

4 oz dry pasta

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 oz mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup snow peas, chopped

1/4 red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 yellow bell pepper, chopped

Directions

1. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. Rinse in cold water and drain.

2. In a large bowl mix the vegetable oil, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, oregano, thyme, and mushrooms. Add snow peas, peppers, and pasta. Mix to make sure everything is covered in the flavors evenly.

3. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

* serves 3

CALORIES: 100 calories

Curried Chicken on Toasted Pita

2011-09-27T21:34:00.000-07:00

Lunches tend to me my hardest recipe of the day. I like to keep the meal small enough so that I can eat a bigger dinner (because I love feeling full in the evening), but at the same time I like to mix it up and eat something more than a ham and cheese sandwich on an orrowheat roll.

There are times I fall into shitty-lunch-slumps. But lately I've began meal planning my lunches as well as my dinners. My lunches typically use an ingredient from the dinner before, so if, for instance, I thawed out chicken and knew I was going to have too much chicken for dinner.. the chicken gets used for lunch the next day. Or if I cut a tomato, knowing I'll only be using half of it for dinner, that tomato is the basis for lunch the next day.

This dish was killer and was a keeper.
I have a confession about it actually.

I had made mine and I ate it.
I had enough to make a second one, so I made it for Matt. Unfortunately, before Matt could get there I had eaten half of it because I just couldn't stop munching on it. The incredibly crispy pita was definitely the way to do it.

Curried Chicken on Toasted Pita

Ingredients

1/2 lemon
1 garlic clove, crushed

3 sprigs cilantro, chopped

1/2 jalapeno, quartered

1 boneless skinless chicken breast

3 tbsp nonfat plain Greek yogurt

1/2 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tsp curry powder

1 tbsp thinly sliced green onions

1/2 tbsp sliced toasted almonds

1/4 tsp salt

ground black pepper, to taste

2 pitas

Directions

1. Fill a pot with water. Add the lemon, garlic, cilantro, and jalapeno. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add chicken and continue to simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon remove the chicken and place it on a plate. Once cool, cut chicken into small pieces.

2. Stir yogurt, mayonnaise, curry powder, green onions, almonds, cilantro, salt, and pepper together in a bowl. Stir in the chicken.

3. Toast the pitas in the oven to your desired crispness. Put 1/2 the chicken on each pita.

CALORIES: 328 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 42 milligrams
FAT: 4 grams

Curried Swai and Curried Mashed Sweet Potatoes

2011-09-25T21:08:00.000-07:00

In regards to my last post, I feel like there might be something I need to clear up about the foods I post in this blog. Or maybe it isn't, but I'm going to anyway.

The food I make in this journal is Americanized. Each and every thing I serve is in no way authentic of anything, other than this food is authentic Americanized food. Everything is cooked in California. Nothing is intended to be authentic ethnic food. Everything is just the food I eat.

With that being said, I made curried swai and sweet potatoes. The curry with the sweet potatoes was amazing! It always surprises me when I combine sweet potatoes with a flavor I wouldn't think sounds like it would mesh at all... And it just does. Like my sweet potato tacos, for instance.

Curried Swai

Ingredients

2 swai fillets

1 green onion, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

pinch of curry powder

pinch of red pepper

1/2 tbsp flour

1/4 tbsp Brummel&Brown yogurt spread

Directions

1. Rinse the fillets in cold water. Pat dry and place in a shallow baking dish.

2. Combine the green onions, garlic, curry powder, and red pepper. Rub over the surface of the fish. Cover and refrigerator for an hour.

3. Remove the fish after an hour and coat with flour.

4. Melt the yogurt spread or other margarine or butter in a baking dish in a 350 oven. Add fillets, turning once. Bake at 350 for 5-10 minutes.

CALORIES: 82 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 49 milligrams
FAT: 9 grams
SODIUM: 71 milligrams

Curried Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

3/4 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered

1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil

1/2 onion, chopped

1 tsp curry powder

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 tsp salt

Directions

1. In a boiling pot of water, cook the sweet potatoes until tender - about 15 minutes.

2. In a skillet with the vegetable oil cook the onion for about 4 minutes. Add the curry powder and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Mash the sweet potatoes with the sour cream and salt. Stir in the onions.

CALORIES: 156 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 7 milligrams
FAT: 4 grams
SODIUM: 238 milligrams

Thai Breaded Chicken Fillets

2011-09-23T23:24:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated this in awhile. It isn't for a lack of cooking, because trust me, I have been cooking. But it's just a lack of free time mostly. I try to update in the evenings, but lately my evenings are filled with homework. Unfortunately, as this blog is so aptly named, my law work is important to me and has to take precedence over things that I just do for fun.

So I still am cooking, because that is a matter of survival... but updating is just going to be slow as I find time to do it.

This chicken recipe is delicious. I served the Thai chicken fillets with stir-fried mushrooms and corn and a cold noodle salad. I won't be sharing the noodle recipe though, because I didn't like it all that much. The chicken on the other hand will be making a home in my recipe box.

Thai Breaded Chicken Fillets

Ingredients

8 oz boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into nugget sized pieces

1 jalapeno, chopped

1 green onion, chopped

1/2 tsp grated lime zest

1/2 lime, juiced

2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

1 3/4 tsp fish sauce

1/4 lemon grass stalk

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp white sugar

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

3 tbsp bread crumbs

1/2 tsp grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a food processor combine jalapeno, green onion, lime zest, lime juice, 1/2 of the cilantro, fish sauce, lemon grass, salt, sugar, and mustard. Blend until smooth. Place the chicken in a bowl with the blended sauce. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for an hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 350.

3. In a shall dish mix together the bread crumbs, cilantro, cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Remove the chicken from the marinade and roll in the bread crumbs, until evenly coated.

4. Place chicken in a greased pan. Rub a tiny bit of olive oil on top of the chicken. Bake for 20 minutes.

CALORIES: 151 calories

CHOLESTEROL: 60 milligrams
FAT: 2 grams

Spicy Chicken Spaghetti and Green Bean Casserole

2011-09-15T22:33:00.001-07:00

Like the title indicates, this spaghetti definitely has a kick that most spaghetti's are missing. This spaghetti not only has an array of goodies hidden in the sauce, has chicken to add to the substance, but also has a spice that is really pleasant amongst the other flavors. I made this dinner one night and Matt's initial response was: I hate olives. Blarrgh.

But you know, when dinner was done he had eaten all his black olives, so I guess he didn't mind them too much. Then he asked if I'd make this recipe in the future. Maybe I broke his olive hatred?

Spicy Chicken Spaghetti

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper, to taste
24 oz spaghetti sauce with mushrooms
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 jalapenos, diced
1 10-oz can sliced black olives
2 cups frozen corn
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
16-oz spaghetti noodles

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Once the oil is hot add the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the juices run clear.

2. In a saucepan add the pasta sauce, tomatoes, red bell pepper, jalapenos, black olives, and corn. Bring to a boil. Once boiling season with garlic powder, onion powder, and ground black pepper. Add the chicken and cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

3. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain.

4. Toss the pasta with the sauce.

CALORIES: 393 calories

CHOLESTEROL: 23 milligrams
FAT: 10 grams

The vegetable dish, the green bean casserole, is a classic. I mean, it's based on a classic. For Thanksgiving every

year my mom makes the classic green bean casserole, consisting of cream of mushroom soup to give the green beans an unhealthy cream delicious. When it comes to Thanksgiving I could eat green bean casserole and mashed potatoes and whatever dessert there was and be in heaven. Oh wait, and the stuffing, I need that too.

But Thanksgiving lacks something my body has been craving, which is the health factor.

This green bean casserole provides a great side dish either for a Thanksgiving meal or just a normal day (like today!) The cornstarch adds the creaminess to the dish without all the actual cream. I'm going to suggest my family go with the lower cal style green bean casserole for Thanksgiving this year.

Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients

2 cups frozen green beans
4 oz sliced mushrooms
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground mustard
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp Brummel&Brown
3/4 cup french fried onions

Directions

1. In a greased baking dish, combine the beans and mushrooms. In a small bowl combine cornstarch and mustard; gradually stir in the broth until smooth. Pour over vegetables. Dot with butter. Bake uncovered at 375 for 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle with onions and bake 5 minutes longer.

CALORIES: 235 calories

CHOLESTEROL: 0 milligrams
FAT: 13 grams

Coconut Pancakes

2011-09-09T22:54:00.001-07:00

For the girl who never makes breakfast, I definitely have been all into posting breakfast foods lately.

Granted, the tops of these pancakes look a little black... The insides though were perfect.

Click here for the recipe.

* 2 pancakes for a serving

CALORIES: 310 calories

CHOLESTEROL: 72 milligrams
FAT: 15 grams

Gingered Pork Chops in Orange Juice

2011-09-06T20:35:00.000-07:00

I hadn't cooked pork in a really long time before a few nights ago. When I was in college I made pork chops a lot. I find, like chicken, with pork chops there are so many things you can do to change the dish. I'm not sure how come pork fell off my radar for so long - but it is back on it!

In the past I have had some experiences with the pork chops being too dry. But this was not the case with this dish. I paired it with orange mashed potatoes, really playing up the orange flavor in both of the dishes all the while not being overpowering.

Gingered Pork Chops in Orange Juice

Ingredients

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tsp ground ginger

salt, to taste

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

2 pork chops

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

1/2 tbsp whiskey

3/4 cup orange juice

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place the flour, ginger, salt, and pepper in a ziplock plastic bag. Put the chops in the bag and shake to coat. Heat the oil in a skillet and once hot, brown both sides of the pork chops. Transfer the chops to a casserole dish.

3. Put the onions in the hot skillet and cook until limp. Pour the whiskey into the pan and scrape any bits off the bottom of the pan. Pour the onion and juices over the pork chops. Pour the orange juice into the casserole dish.

4. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Serve with the orange sauce in the dish.

* serves 2

CALORIES: 356 calories

CHOLESTEROL: 55 milligrams
FAT: 19 grams

Lemon-Lime Chicken Broil with Bean Salad

2011-09-05T19:27:00.000-07:00

Simplicity is sometimes key. There are certain flavors I associate with simplicity. The taste of lemon does this for me. It is clean tasting, fresh, and while a strong taste is not overpowering. It doesn't need much to make it special. Lemon is just pure goodness.

Lemon-Lime Chicken Broil

Ingredients

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp olive oil

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into strips

Italian seasoning and salt to taste

Directions

1. In a small bowl mix together the lemon juice, lime juice, and olive oil. Place chicken pieces in the marinade and refrigerate for an hour.

2. Preheat the broiler of your oven. Fill the roasting pan with water.

3. Remove chicken from the marinade and arrange on the pan. Season with Italian seasoning and salt. Pour the marinade in a saucepan.

4. Broil the chicken for 10 minutes, basting often. Turn and broil for 10 more minutes.

* serves 2

CALORIES: 244 calories

CHOLESTEROL: 60 milligrams
FAT: 16 grams

Bean Salad

Ingredients

1 14-oz can black beans

1 14-oz can red kidney beans

1 14-oz can chickpeas

1 14-oz can pinto beans

1 10-oz bag frozen corn, thawed

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp cumin

2 tbsb chili powder

1 tsp lime juice

1 8-oz jar salsa

1 pinch dried parlsey

Directions

1. Pour beans in a large colander and rinse under cold water.

2. In a large bowl combine all the ingredients. Stir well. Put in the refrigerator until ready to use.

* serves 8

CALORIES: 123 calories

CHOLESTEROL: 0 milligrams
FAT: 2 grams

Pound Cake French Toast

2011-09-04T21:49:00.001-07:00

I have been pretty good about making sure that one day a week (usually Sundays) I make an actual breakfast. I've never been a big breakfast lover in my life, but when I do eat breakfasts I prefer them to be sweet. This lends itself well to pancakes, crepes, and french toast.

I don't think I've made french toast since Mother's Day many years ago. I have a feeling I burnt it also, because that's how me and the kitchen used to communicate - I would try to cook something, it would burn miserably, and then I'd just be pissed and hungry. I'm really glad the kitchen and I learned to get along better, because I really don't like the taste of charred anything.

I mean, is anyone?

Anyway, I was inspired to make this french toast while reading A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg for Cook the Books. I really enjoyed the book and how Molly connected stories with her recipes, stories that reminded her of the recipes or were the inspiration to those recipes. Because really, everything we cook tells a story - even the shrimp over ramen noodles I made for dinner tonight. The story with that was, I didn't have anything planned and was trying to just use stuff in the house that wasn't promised to other dinners for the week.

While I was reading Molly's book, she talks about a delicious pound cake that her mom would make. In the notes, she writes, "the next morning,their friend warmed leftover slices on the grill for breakfast." As I read that I thought NOMMMMMMMM!!! And then I thought OOOOHHH FRENCH TOAST POUND CAKE.

As I continued to read I found that Molly's dad, Burg, loved to make french toast. And then I knew, I'd do it.

Of course, this isn't a breakfast for anyone dieting. But it is hearty!

I made the bread the night before and let it sit out overnight. Then I made french toast of it in the morning.

Pound Cake French Toast

Ingredients - for the bread

2 cups + 8 tbsp cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

5 large eggs

1 2/3 cups sugar

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, diced at room temperature

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 cup blueberries, rinsed and dried well

Directions - for the bread

1. Preheat oven to 300. In a loaf pan, spray with Pam and then dust with flour.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups plus 6 tbsp of flour, the baking powder, and the salt.

3. In a food processor, blend the eggs and sugar for 1 minute. Add the butter and lemon juice and pulse for another minute, until fluffy.

4. In a large bowl toss the blueberries with 2 tbsp of flour. Pour the batter over the berries and fold gently until combined, main sure that all the flour is absorbed. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean, about 1 and a half hours.

5. Cool over night.

Ingredients - for the french toast

3 large eggs

1 cup milk

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp kosher salt

pinch of nutmeg

canola oil for frying

6 slices of the blueberry pound cake bread

Directions - for the french toast

1. Break the eggs into a wide, shallow bowl. Whisk the eggs. Add the milk, sugar, vanilla, salt, and nutmeg. Whisk to blend.

2. Place a heavy skillet over medium-high heat and pour in enough oil to completely coat the bottom of the skillet. Let the oil heat.

3. Put 2-3 slices of bread into the egg mixture, resting 30 seconds per side. Place the slices on a skillet. Cook until the underneath of each slice is golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and repeat on the other side. Remove and place on a paper towel and sit for a minute before serving.

Spicy Peanut Butter Chicken over Rice

2011-09-03T19:34:00.000-07:00

I have all these old Cooking Light magazines that I pull out occasionally and make something out of. It's always hit or miss whether I'm going to find a dish I like in the magazines or not. This dish was a definite hit.

The Cooking Light recipes are so full of flavor without being full of fat and other bad stuff.

Check this recipe out on Cooking Light's website.

Curried Turkey Burgers

2011-08-31T22:12:00.000-07:00

I am so incredibly behind on sharing my meals. I mean, hell, this dish was cooked on the 17th of the month - 2 weeks ago!

School has started and unfortunately (but predictably), homework overwhelms almost every second of my breathing life. If I'm not doing homework I'm in class. If I'm not doing either of those, I'm at work. And such is life. The good news is that even with school in session, I still have found time to cook myself dinner.

This burger was another request from one of my MFP friends. I really love turkey burgers. Because ground turkey can be so bland, I love all the different variations on a burger it can create with just a few shakes of spice jar.

I am sharing this burger with Kahakai Kitchen's Souper Sundays! Yeah, yeah, it's not a soup, but they accept sandwiches and salads as well.

Curried Turkey Burgers

Ingredients

8 oz ground turkey

2 tbsp egg substitute

2 tbsp red onion, minced

1 tbsp cilantro, chopped

1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp curry powder

olive oil, for brushing

2 hamburger buns

tomato slices

Directions

1. In a large bowl combine the turkey, egg substitute, red onion, cilantro, ginger, garlic, bell pepper, cumin, and curry powder. Make 2 patties out of the meat mixture.

2. Brush the patties with a little bit of olive oil. Heat a skillet and cook the patties 5-8 minutes on each side, until no longer pink and cooked all the way through.

3. Place each patty on a bun and top with tomato slices (or whatever else goes on your burgers!)

CALORIES: 318 calories

CHOLESTEROL: 127 milligrams
FAT: 11 grams

Honey-Lime Fish Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa

2011-08-24T22:07:00.000-07:00

One of the meals I was asked to make by my MFP friends included fish tacos. I'm a big supporter of tilapia, so that's what I decided to go with.

I mean, I like other fish too. But for me, salmon is typically too strong of a flavor (though sometimes I will play around with it and try something out anyway). Tuna is another favorite of my mine, but I'll be honest - I've never actually cooked tuna before. I mean, I've composed dishes that have used canned tuna. But I've never seared a tuna, or grilled tuna, or done whatever else you might do with tuna.

But like I said, I'm a strong supporter of the tilapia. So I decided that because I had some in the refrigerator and because I typically have good luck with it, it's the fish I opted for.

Last time I was in San Francisco my dad shared with me a bag of baby tomatillos. I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to use them. They were about 1/8 of the size of a normal tomoattilo (or maybe 1/4...) My dad was telling me the lady he bought them from in San Francisco's Mission district told him the baby tomatillos were the way to go. It's been a long time since I've used tomatillo before this dish, so I can't really compare if I like the bigger tomatillos more than the small ones.

I can tell you though, this was SO good.

On a side note: the cookbook has not been sent out yet, but will be on Friday. UGH - I hate being busy during the work days!

After I get that book sent out, start looking out for another giveaway..

Honey-Lime Fish Tacos with Tomatillo Sauce

Ingredients

1 lb tilapia

6 corn tortillas

4 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp olive oil

honey

salt and pepper

garlic powder

2 tomatillos (or 2 handfuls of baby tomatillos)

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup cilantro

2 cloves garlic

3 tbsp lime juice

1/4 cup sweet onion, diced

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp dried red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Cover each side of fish with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place in a shallow dish and add lime juice and olive oil. Drizzle honey over fish. Place in refrigerator and marinate for 6+ hours.

2. For the salsa combine the tomatillos, sour cream, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, sweet onion, parsley, and red pepper flakes in a food processor. Pulse until smooth.

3. Add a small amount of olive oil to a pan. Once warm cook the fish until flaky and completely white.

4. Place on top of tortilla and cover with the salsa. I added avocado for garnish.

* serves 2

CALORIES: 503 calories

CHOLESTEROL: 106 milligrams
FAT: 22 grams

Spinach, Mushroom, and Goetta Scramble

2011-08-21T22:28:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy lately with school starting again, continuing working at my internship, and trying to maintain a social life in the midst of all of that. This of course has greatly limited by free time that I'm on the computer, so I'm kind of behind on my meals. I have a queue going on now. Who knows if I'll ever get caught up.

This dish was at the request of another of my MFP friends, who requested I make a dinner omelet. Unfortunately for me, my cholesterol is high. And unfortunately for me, eggs are jam packed with cholesterol. I opted for this dish to use an egg substitute, as to not have a cholesterol overdose only a week before I'm supposed to go in and get my blood checked again for both my cholesterol and vitamin D levels.

Oh, and then I failed when making the omelet and it became a scramble instead.

Now, for people who aren't from the Cincinnati, Ohio area - I'm not either. But that wasn't my point. My point is, if you aren't from Cincinnati, you probably don't know what goetta is. There's only two things I can say about this:

1. You are utterly deprived and when I go to Ohio in October for a wedding I need to make sure to bring enough home for myself to keep in my freezer for a nice day, and

2. For the sake of this recipe you can replace the goetta with breakfast sausage, bacon, ground beef, or really any protein choice of your desire.

Spinach, Mushroom, and Goetta Scramble

Ingredients

1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1 pinch black pepper

1 pinch dried thyme

1/2 cup fresh spinach, chopped

4 oz goetta

1/2 cup egg substitute

3 tbsp Mozzarella cheese

ground paprika

Directions

1. In a skillet over medium heat, add cooking spray. Season the mushrooms and goetta with pepper and thyme, and then cook until the goetta is cooked all the way through and crispy on the outsides and the mushrooms are tender.

2. Add spinach and cook for 30 seconds. Remove the mixture to a small dish and set aside.

3. Respray the skillet with cooking spray. Add the egg substitute and allow to get firm. Scramble the eggs and mix in the spinach mixture.

4. Sprinkle with paprika.

* serves 1

CALORIES: 536 calories

CHOLESTEROL: 69 milligrams
FAT: 29 grams

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

2011-08-17T21:25:00.000-07:00

I've said in here before, breakfast really isn't typically my thing. But I sometimes I feel like I maybe cereal isn't going to cut it everyday of the week. Really I need to get back into my smoothie-making-frenzy that I participated in last year, where almost every morning I made a smoothie of sorts. I definitely have the time for that now that I don't have to be in the office at 8:30 every morning. Instead I have to be in class, but I have a lot longer in the mornings now to make things for myself, like smoothies. There's been a lot of Kix lately though. Oh well.

Anyway, over the weekend I decided it was necessary for both my boyfriend and myself to enjoy something other than processed grains in milk.

Chocolate chip pancakes remind me of being a little girl. I've never been big on breakfasts. But my mom used to make me chocolate chip pancakes and I could eat them for days. When we didn't have chocolate chips in the house sometimes I'd get M&Ms in them. I am such a chocoholic that it's no surprise that I loved them.

In my adult life my control for eating chocolate has increased greatly. I don't get the cravings for it that I used to. But I could never turn down the pancakes.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Ingredients

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

6 tbsp chocolate chips

Directions

1. Whisk together the egg, buttermilk, butter, and vanilla until combined. Add in the dry ingredients except for the chocolate chips and mix together until well combined and no dry spots remain. Mix in the chocolate chips.

2. Melt a small amount of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Drop 1/4 cup batter into a pan and cook until until golden brown on one side, or until the side facing up begins to bubble. Flip the pancake and cook until golden on the other side.

3. Repeat step 2 until all the batter is cooked.

* serves 3, 2 pancakes per serving

CALORIES: 309 calories

CHOLESTEROL: 56 milligrams
FAT: 12 grams
SODIUM: 555 milligrams

Citrus Shrimp with Vegetable Slaw

2011-08-16T21:23:00.000-07:00

One of my MFP friends asked me to make a dish that included both grilled protein and vegetables. Upon some recipe explorations I found this recipe, a shrimp dish that included a cold vegetable slaw.

Here's the thing. I really really am not fond of raw vegetables. I hate the crunch so much. I initially was going to just eat the slaw cold and try to change my taste buds into loving the raw veggies, but when I was standing there cutting up the onion and the squash I couldn't bear to think that my teeth were going to be tearing into the hard flesh of the raw vegetables. So I changed it up a little and put the vegetables over heat long enough to soften a bit.

And then it didn't gross me out anymore.

Citrus Shrimp with Vegetable Slaw

Ingredients

1/4 cup lemon juice + 1/2 tbsp

1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tbsp sugar
1 sprig of rosemary
a pinch of cinnamon
1/2 lb peeled and deveined shrimp
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
1/2 carrot, cut into circles
1/2 yellow squash, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp ground black pepper flakes
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup uncooked rice

Directions
1. In a rice cooker combine the rice and 2 cups of water. Cook.

2. In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup of lime juice, the orange juice, pineapple juice, sugar, rosemary, cinnamon, and sugar. Stir to combine and then toss the shrimp in the liquid. Set in the refrigerator.

3. In another small bowl combine the olive oil and cilantro. Mix with the vegetables.

4. In a small skillet cook the vegetables until they begin to soften. Place in a bowl and set aside.

5. Remove the shrimp from the marinade. Pour the marinade in the skillet and cook until it is reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 8 minutes. Let boil briefly. Pour into a clean bowl.

6. In the same skillet cook the shrimp 3 minutes on each side. Put the shrimp into the cooked marinade and toss well.

7. Fill the bottom of a bowl with rice. Top with shrimp and then with the veggies.

CALORIES: 355 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 204 milligrams
FAT: 6 grams
SODIUM: 275 milligrams

Sweet Potato Tacos

2011-08-14T20:34:00.000-07:00

I promise, this is my last sweet potato/spinach combo in the near future.

Once again, I was unsure about this combination (sweet potatoes and SALSA?!) But it really ended up being delicious. For being a meat-free meal it was more filling than had I made a wrap with ham on it and some vegetables.

The sweet taste of the sweet potato was not overpowering, which could have been weird given the nature of this meal. The salsa and sweet potato at first thought made me squeamish, but when I put it in my mouth I realized there was no reason to worry.

Sweet Potato Tacos

Ingredients

1 small sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1/2 cup kidney beans

1 tortilla

small handful of spinach

salt and pepper, to taste

1 tbsp Brummel&Brown yogurt spread

Directions

1. In a small pot boil the sweet potato. When soft mash with salt, pepper, and Brummel&Brown. Mix in the beans.

2. In a skillet heat up the tortilla.

3. Place a handful of spinach on the tortilla and top with the sweet potato.

* garnish with salsa and sour cream if you desire (I suggest it!!), though I did not include those in the calorie calculations

* serves 1

CALORIES: 356 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 0 milligrams
FAT: 10 grams
SODIUM: 942 milligrams

Sweet Potato Smoothie

2011-08-13T21:28:00.001-07:00

I wasn't lying when I said that sweet potatoes and spinach have been a huge part of my diet as of late. I think there's still a sweet potato sitting in there waiting for me to use it. I know for sure that there's a bag of spinach in there too. I could probably do a week of sweet potato/spinach recipes and not get sick of it.

I said recently that I used to make smoothies for breakfast almost everyday. I need to get back into that again, especially since school starts for me on Monday. It's an easy breakfast that sustains me until lunchtime.

This absolutely was not a normal smoothie for me. Despite my current love of sweet potatoes, I have never used a sweet potato in a smoothie. And I have used spinach in my smoothies before, but in the past I was also using strawberries or something equally colorful, so my smoothies have never come out this interesting color of green that the sweet potato/spinach smoothie created.

Despite the bizarre pigment, it was absolutely delicious and I ended up making it two days in a row.

You can thank my MFP friends for this recipe being here. I was asked to make a smoothie, and a smoothie I did make!

Sweet Potato Smoothie

Ingredients

1 cup almond milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tbsp honey

1/2 cup peeled, cubed, and boiled (until soft) sweet potato

1/2 banana

handful spinach

ice cubes

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in the blender. BLEND!

* serves about 1 and a half

CALORIES: 150 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 0 milligrams
FAT: 3 grams
SODIUM: 153 milligrams

WINNER

2011-08-12T07:12:00.000-07:00

The winner of the cookbook challenge is nybor101! Congratulations and be on the look out for another giveaway once I have something else to share.. :D

Roasted Sweet Potato, Black Bean, and Shrimp Salad

2011-08-11T21:45:00.001-07:00

One of my MFP friends this week asked that I make a high protein salad. Not really knowing what that meant, I decided to make a sweet potato and black bean salad. Unfortunately this combo only resulted in being 8 grams of protein. Clearly I have no idea on protein or something.

But this salad did magically become a high protein salad.

The night before I had made coconut shrimp for dinner. Thing is.. I didn't end up eating it, because I had forgotten I had dinner plans. But I didn't want the shrimp to go bad, so since they were thawed out I cooked them up and decided I could find a use for them later. Their use became apparent the next morning when I was throwing this salad together. In the shrimp went and up the protein increased to 23 grams!

I've really started to love sweet potato, so this is also a plus. I think the next two recipes you'll see after this one involve the sweet potato. It seems like sweet potato and spinach are the two staples as of late in my recipes.

This recipe is definitely going to be entered into Kahakai Kitchen's Souper Sundays!

Roasted Sweet Potato, Black Bean, and Shrimp Salad

Ingredients

2 egg whites

1 1/2 cups panko

1 tsp ground cumin

3/4 cup flaked coconut

24 large shrimp, shelled and deveined

3 large sweet potatoes

1 large onion, chopped

3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp kosher salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp fresh lime juice

1 14-oz can black beans

1 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 500.

2. Beat egg whites in a small dish. Combine the bread crumbs, coconut, and 1/2 tsp of cumin in a ziplock bag.

3. Dip the shrimp in the egg whites and then shake in the dry mixture. Add to a baking sheet.

4. Bake for 6 minutes. Flip over. Bake for 6 more minutes. Set the shrimp aside.

5. Reduce the oven temperature to 400. Place the sweet potato and onion in a baking dish. Toss with 1 tbsp olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and mix with the shrimp. Add the black beans as well.

6. In a small bowl mix together 2 tbsp of olive oil, salt, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, and 1/2 tsp of cumin.

7. Pour the dressing over the sweet potato and shrimp mixture. Toss well.

* serves 4

CALORIES: 566 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 71 milligrams
FAT: 18 grams
SODIUM: 851 milligrams

Cottage Cheese Fruit Bowl

2011-08-10T21:42:00.001-07:00

I was doing breakfast really well until the summer started. Once it hit summer, I had to wake up a lot earlier than I was having to during the school year in order to get to work on time. When school was in session I had a smoothie or oatmeal every single day. Since the summer has started I force down either a bowl of cereal or a Carnation instant breakfast drink. Neither of these choices are substantial and both have far too much sugar in them then any reasonable human needs at 6:30 in the morning.

One of my MFP friends asked me to make something for breakfast when I asked for requests of what people wanted to see. I decided to make this.

I never have liked cottage cheese. Actually, just scooping it out made me feel sick. The smell.. blah. The texture.. blah. And really, the taste doesn't help the scenario. The good thing about this breakfast is the cheese is blended with honey. Because of that, it kills all of the issues I have with cottage cheese. It killed the smell issues, the texture issues, and the taste issues. Therefore, this is good.

Of course I normally don't eat my breakfasts out of wine glasses, but basically I was just ready for my close up.

Cottage Cheese Fruit Bowl

Ingredients

1/2 cup non-fat cottage cheese

1/2 tbsp honey

1/4 nectarine, chunked

1/4 mango, chunked

1/4 banana, chunked

2 tbsp Honey Bunches of Oats cereal (or other cereal or granola)

Directions

1. In a blender combine the cottage cheese and honey. Blend until smooth.

2. Pour the cottage cheese into a dish. Top with cereal and then layer with fruit.

* serves 1

CALORIES: 202 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 5 milligrams
FAT: 1 grams
SODIUM: 445 milligrams

Hoisin Noodles with Turkey and Green Beans

2011-08-08T21:41:00.001-07:00

If I had actually followed the recipe for tonight's dinner, the calories in this meal would have been significantly lower. Also, if I had followed the recipe, this dinner would have qualified as a dish requested by one of my MFP pals: a meal involving pasta and chicken.

Here is where the problem lay.. My grocery store didn't have ground chicken and I really wasn't in the mood to travel around to different stores to find a place that did. I decided to settle for turkey, because I figured it would be closer in calories to chicken than like.. beef. I mean, that's still probably right, but holy shoot did it rocket my initial estimate really high.

I use the website myfitnesspal and I asked my friends over there to tell me what they wanted to see me cook. Every suggestion I got has been worked into my meal plans for the next two weeks. Every day I'll be posting at least one dish. At least one dish will be something I made per the request of an MFP friend.

Today's dish.. well, just pretend there's chicken in it instead. If you can find ground chicken that is. It's obviously not the easiest thing to find in the whole world. The flavor was really yummy, kind of spicy, but generally just good.

Today's dish is going to be entered to Presto Pasta hosted by Simona of Briciole.

Hoisin Noodles with Turkey and Green Beans

Ingredients

1/2 lb green beans, trimmed and cut in half

3 packages ramen noodles, with the spice pack discarded

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

juice from 1 small lime

3 tbsp garlic chili paste

1 tsp olive oil

1 lb ground turkey (or chicken)

4 cloves garlic, minced

8 stalks green onion, chopped

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the green beans for 6 minutes. Add the ramen and boil for 4 more minutes. Drain.

2. In small bowl combine the hoisin sauce, lime juice, and chili paste.

3. In a skillet heat the olive oil. Add the turkey and cook until no longer pink. Add the garlic and cook until tender. Add the green beans and ramen and stir to combine. Add the green onions and combine more.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake w/Carmalized Bananas

2011-08-07T20:23:00.000-07:00

My brother's birthday was on the 4th of this month. Sadly I wasn't able to celebrate on Thursday with my family and go out to a fancy steak dinner, because it was my last week of work and I needed to be in the office on Friday. And my family lives about 2 hours away.

I did go home though on Saturday morning, so I could at least make my brother a cake.

Every year my brother asks me for some variation of a banana cake or a cheesecake. This year his request was for me to make a banana peanut butter chocolate cheesecake. I plotted and planned and finally found the perfect recipe.

Ingredients

CRUST
18 chocolate graham crackers
10 tbsp unsalted butter, diced
6 tbsp packed brown sugar

FILLING
24 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup creamy natural peanut butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1/3 cup sour cream

TOPPING
1/2 cup unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup brown sugar
7 ripe bananas, cut in half and then into 1-inch pieces

Directions
1. Position rack in the center of the oven. Preheat to 350.

2. Combine the ingredients for the crust in a food processor. Blend the crumbs until they stick together. Press the crumb mixture in the bottom of a springform pan. Bake for about 12 minutes and then set aside and let cool. Maintain the oven temperature.

3. Rinse out the food processor. In the processor place the cream cheese and peanut butter. Pulse until smooth. Add the sugars and pulse until fluffy.

4. Pulse in each egg, one at a time followed by the vanilla. Scrape the cheesecake batter on top of the crust.

5. Wrap the sides of the springform pan with three sheets of aluminum foil. Place a springform pan in a roasting pan and fill the roasting pan with enough water, to reach about half way up the sides of the springform.

6. Bake in the water bath in the oven for 1 hour and 25 minutes. Place the hot cheesecake directly in the refrigerator and chill for approximately 6 hours.

7. After the cheesecake is thoroughly chilled, heat the butter for the topping in a skillet and mix with the brown sugar. Stir over medium-low heat until the mixture is bubbly, for about 4 minutes. Add the banana pieces to the skillet and coat with the caramel sauce.

8. Carefully transfer the bananas to the top of the cheesecake. Let sit at room temperature for an hour before serving.

I'm not even going to try to figure out the calories. This is one of those things you just have to indulge yourself in. I can't always be perfect.

White Chili with Hot Dog Crescent Rolls

2011-08-05T19:56:00.000-07:00

First for an announcement:

before my giveaway ends I need 6 more followers! if you want a chance to win the cookbook, COOK YOURSELF THIN, help me get more followers by promoting my journal and the giveaway. you can gain more entries by doing so; check it out here.

This white chili dish was not my own creation. I cannot claim the genius behind this dish. Actually, this chili comes from one of my favorite food bloggers: The Pion eer

Woman, Ree Drummond.

This white chili from The Pioneer Woman was incredibly tasty and incredibly filling. I really enjoyed the consistency of it, the ease in making it, and the flavors that exploded on my tongue.

I also made these hot dog crescent roll things, which I'm not going to share the recipe for... just wrap hot dogs in crescent rolls and bake, if you want to replicate them. My actual intention for the night was to make corn muffins with hot dog chunks in the middle. But unfortunately, when I opened my corn flour there were bugs all up in there. I've never had bugs in my food before, so I was less than pleased (luckily I had a tiny bit in another container for what was needed in the chili that didn't have the added protein.) I then opted to use a boxed mix for corn muffins that I so conveniently had in my pantry. But.. those little weevils made it into the factory sealed mix also. So I threw it all away, sat there confused for a minute on what else to cook, and then remembered I've had some crescent rolls in my refrigerator for awhile. I wrapped them around the hot dogs I had chopped up, baked them for about 12 minutes, and then served them with the chili. It was definitely a nice side.

Now, with that being said I'm not sharing Ms. Drummond's recipe. But if you want it, click that link above. I will however share my calorie calculation for the dish.

Chili Breakdown

CALORIES: 206 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 50 milligrams
FAT: 7 grams

Mustard Crusted Tilapia, Potato Salad, and Grilled Asparagus Salad

2011-07-31T20:18:00.001-07:00

I told you yesterday, I really love spinach lately. I'm all about it. Typically I don't make such involved dinners, because I work all day and I'm tired all night and frankly, who has the time?

When you look at this dish you probably think it's involved and time consuming, because hey, it's three freaking parts! But you know what? This was actually one of the quickest meals I've made. It was also one of the lowest calorie dishes. Take a guess. How many calories do you think this entire meal has in it?

Well, if you guessed 358 calories you were right. Yes, that's right. This entire meal, the potato salad (WITH MAYO - but obviously this depends on WHAT mayo you use!), the spinach salad, and the fish has less calories than most one-piece meals I make.

To save time I boiled the potatoes and put them in the refrigerator as soon as I got home from work. Then I changed my clothes, sat on the couch, and watched some TV for a half hour. Then I made the rest of the meal in less than a half hour.

Also, my normal potato salad recipe usually has both hard boiled egg and celery in it. This version is missing both of those ingredients because I was out of celery and if I included the egg, my cholesterol would have been too high for the day. So here is my simplified (perhaps too simple?) potato salad.

Mustard Crusted Tilapia

Ingredients

2 tilapia fillets

1 tsp mustard

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp shredded Parmesan

enough bread crumbs to create a crust

Directions

1. Preheat oven the 375 degrees. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Combine the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, garlic powder, oregano, and Parmesan in a small dish. Smear the tilapia fillets with the mustard combination.

3. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with the bread crumbs. Bake for 5 more minutes.

* serves 2

CALORIES: 107 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 58 milligrams
FAT: 1 grams
SODIUM: 147 milligrams

Potato Salad

Ingredients

1/2 lb red potatoes, diced

1 1/2 oz sweet pickles, cubed

1/4 tsp mustard

1 1/2 tbsp mayonnaise

1/8 tsp sugar

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add potatoes and cook for 15 minutes. Drain and pour into a big bowl. Place in the refrigerator until cold.

2. Stir the pickles, mustard, mayonnaise, sugar, salt, and pepper in with the potatoes.

* serves 2

CALORIES: 140 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 3 milligrams
FAT: 3 grams
SODIUM: 181 milligrams

Grilled Asparagus Salad

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

6 asparagus spears, cut into inch-long pieces

3 cups fresh spinach leaves

1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Combine lemon juice and olive oil on a plate. Roll the asparagus around in the liquid.

2. Grill the asparagus for 5 minutes, coating with the lemon and oil mixture.

3. In a large bowl combine the spinach, Parmesan cheese, the remaining lemon and olive oil, and the asparagus. Toss to combine.

* serves 3

CALORIES: 111 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 1 milligrams
FAT: 10 grams
SODIUM: 54 milligrams

Grilled Mozzarella "BST"

2011-07-30T21:24:00.000-07:00

Rather than the beloved BLT sandwiches that are filled with bacon, lettuce, and tomato this sandwich features my favorite green: spinach.

When I was a little girl I hated spinach. I think part of this had to do with the fact that I really just loved potatoes and bread and would have preferred to eat starches over vegetables and secondly my mom used to buy this gross frozen spinach puree that I think looks like baby food. My brother was the lover of this spinach that made me want to hurl.

As I grew up I understood this as I just hated spinach period. Even when my mom would make dishes that involved fresh spinach, I was so repulsed at what I thought spinach was that I wouldn't even try it. It wasn't until I started cooking that I realized spinach was a lot more than some over processed frozen dish in the grocery store's freezer section.

In terms of my greens, I really don't like lettuce. I find it boring, flavorless, and I would just much rather eat something else. It also doesn't hurt that spinach is full of healthy ingredients to keep a girl strong and healthy (that girl being me of course).

Obviously this delicious sandwich will be submitted to Kahakai Kitchen's SOUPER (and sandwich and salad...) Sundays.

Grilled Mozzarella "BST"

Ingredients

6 slices bacon

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups baby spinach

salt and pepper, to taste

1 dutch crunch roll, sliced and cut in half (to create 2 smaller rolls)

4 oz mozzarella

1/2 tomato, sliced

1/2 tbsp olive oil

Directions

1. Cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp (or cook in the microwave according to the directions on the package.) Set aside on paper towels to drain.

2. Keeping the oil from the bacon still in the pan, cook the garlic for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Arrange the spinach on the two bottom pieces of the roll. Top with bacon, mozzarella, and tomato.

4. Heat the oil in a skillet. Cook the sandwiches until golden brown on each side.

* serves 2

CALORIES: 402 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 38 milligrams
FAT: 22 grams
SODIUM: 611milligrams

Giveaway Reminder

2011-07-27T06:14:00.000-07:00

Three weeks ago I posted about a giveaway I am hosting. The winner of the giveaway will be receiving a copy of my favorite cookbook, Cook Yourself Thin.

I just picked the winner's copy up at Border's yesterday. This also makes me incredibly sad, since Border's is going out of business and I just don't really like any other bookstore..

But anyway - before the giveaway ends, I need 9 more followers! This is just a reminder!

Strawberry-Buttermilk Gelato

2011-07-22T18:41:00.000-07:00

I bought an ice cream maker for my KitchenAid mixer some years ago, but I haven't gotten much use out of it. Back when I was in college I made mint chocolate chip ice cream, and vanilla ice cream, and one time I even made jalapeno ice cream. Since my jalapeno attempt (which was a joke, by the way, for a friend's birthday) the ice cream attachment to my KitchenAid has just been chilling (quite literally) in my freezer.

I watched Letters to Juliet recently, starring Amanda Seyfried. The movie was a romantic chick flick, based in Italy. Amanda played the role of Sophie, a woman on a pre-wedding trip to Italy with her fiancee. While in Italy she learns about a wall where women write letters to Juliet, from the ever-loved story of Romeo and Juliet. Sophie finds a group of women known as Juliet's secretaries and finds herself swept up in the romance of it all.

Watch it for yourself to see what I mean.

Sophie enjoys gelato in the movie and I can't deny how jealous I was when watching. I'm not only jealous of the gelato, but I want to go to Italy so bad and enjoy all the food.

I brought a little bit of it into my house when I made this gelato. It definitely could have been creamier, but the flavor is amazing and so refreshing for this 95 degree weather I've been experiencing as of late.

Letters to Juliet was the movie chosen for July's choice for Food 'n Flix. This month's movie and round-up is hosted by Stirring the Pot.

Strawberry-Buttermilk Gelato

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

2 pints quartered strawberries

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

Directions

1. Combine sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar dissolves. Pour into a large bowl and place in the refrigerator, until cooled completely.

2. Place the strawberries in a food processor, and process until smooth. Add strawberry puree to the simple syrup. Add the buttermilk as well and stir to combine.

3. Pour the strawberry mixture into an ice cream mixer and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Chicken Coconut Soup and Stir-Fried Mushrooms and Corn

2011-07-20T19:50:00.001-07:00

YUM YUM YUM.

I just moved this weekend and while I made something the second night in the house, it was a repeat sandwich. Obviously it's a much loved sandwich if I am repeating recipes (actually, anything that gets posted on here will eventually be made again because I'm not posting my fails), but this was the first brand new, never tested recipe I ate in my new house.

The kitchen is already unpacked. It's the first room so far that is functioning. But I'm such a food lover. I love to eat. And I really don't like eating out all that often. So I really needed to get my kitchen functioning instead of digging through boxes every time I needed a spatula.

This first untested meal was absolutely delicious. Despite how hot it is outside, the soup was really refreshing, probably because of the coconut.

I apologize the picture isn't more appetizing and that I didn't spoon the soup into the bowl without getting it all up the sides. I am not the neatest person in the world. But forget the picture and make the soup. And the corn/mushrooms.

And of course, this soup recipe is going to be entered into Kahakai Kitchen's Souper Sunday!

Chicken Coconut Soup

Ingredients
1 14-oz can coconut milk
2 cups vegetable broth
6 quarter-size sliced ginger
1 stalk lemongrass, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped into 1-inch chunks
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp chili paste

1. In a saucepan combine coconut milk, vegetable broth, ginger, and lemongrass. Bring to a boil.

2. Add chicken, mushrooms, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, and chili paste. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked all the way.

3. Remove the lemongrass. Enjoy!

* serves 4

CALORIES: 208 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 63 milligrams
FAT: 8 grams
SODIUM: 629 milligrams

Stir-Fried Mushrooms and Corn

1 tbsp cooking oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, diced
1 cup frozen corn kernels
4 oz sliced mushrooms
1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp flour
1 1/2 tbsp water

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Cook the garlic until browned, for about 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the mushrooms and corn and cook until the corn is warm all the way through. Pour the fish sauce, soy sauce, and oyster sauce into the mushroom mixture.

2. Whisk the water and flour together until the flour has dissolved into the water. Pour into the mushroom mix and cook until the sauce has thickened.

* serves 2

CALORIES: 146 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 0 milligrams
FAT: 8 grams
SODIUM: 670 milligrams

Vegetable Biryani

2011-07-14T22:09:00.001-07:00

Indian is my favorite cuisine. I always try to make it myself and unfortunately, regardless of how yummy the dishes I make are they never quite compare with true Indian food.

I am sure this has to do with the subpar quality of my spices. Or my lack of the ingredients available in India. Yeah, I've been to India and the food there is better than India food in the US. That seems like a given though.

This has been linked up with Midnight Maniac's Meatless Mondays.

Vegetable Biryani

Ingredients
1 tbsp Brummel&Brown
1/2 red onion, diced
1/4 tsp cumin seed
1 cinnamon stick
4 peppercorns
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 inch ginger, minced
1/2 tomato, diced
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup carrots
1/4 cup diced potato
1/4 tsp chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp red chile pepper
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/8 ground turmeric
2 cups water
1 cup uncooked basmati rice

Directions

1. Melt the Brummel&Brown over medium-heat in a deep pot. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in cumin seed, cinnamon stick, and peppercorns, cooking until fragrant, about 3 minutes.

2. Stir in the ginger, garlic, tomatoes, and 1/4 cup of water. Bring to a simmer, and cook until the water has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in the peas, carrots, and potatoes. Season with bouillon, salt, red chile, black pepper, garam masala, and turmeric. Stir well. Cover and cook for 3 minutes.

3. Pour in 2 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in rice and reduce to medium heat. Cover and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook for 10-15 minutes more.

* serves 2

CALORIES: 411 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 0 milligrams
FAT: 3 grams
SODIUM: 834 milligrams

Tilapia Tostadas w/Roasted Corn Relish and Mexican Sour Cream Rice

2011-07-13T22:23:00.000-07:00

Tostadas may becoming one of my new favorite things to play with. Empanadas are also on this list. I like dishes that can be the same like.. a tostada is something on that fried tortilla. Or an empanada, something stuffed inside that little pastry crust and baked. But I love how they can be so different.

For instance, with the empanadas I originally made a chicken one. From there I moved to making a potato and pesto empanada. And most recently I made an empanada stuffed with jambalaya.

I feel like tostadas have that similar element; it will ALWAYS be a tostada but there's so much I can do with it. Last week I made a ground beef tostada with beans and cheese. This tostada, with breaded tilapia, corn, onions, and sour cream was an entirely different twist on the dish.

What other kinds of tostadas could I make? What do you suggest?

The original recipe actually called for avocado mixed in with the corn relish. This would have been delicious and had I just been cooking for myself I totally would have included the avocado. However, this was a meal for both my boyfriend and me and he has the worst allergies ever. By "worst" I don't mean symptomatically worst, but he's just allergic to weird stuff: avocado, peaches, mango, cherries, and apples to name just a few. He's only allergic to these things in their raw state, but have you ever heard of cooking avocado?

By the way, make sure you're following me to be entered in my giveaway. I need 19 more followers before I announce the winner!

Tilapia Tostadas w/Roasted Corn Relish

Ingredients
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup green salsa
1/2 cup frozen corn
2 tbsp chopped red onion
3/4 tsp minced jalapeno
1/4 tsp salt, divided
1 tsp lime juice
3/4 lb tilapia fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1/3 cup cornmeal
3/4 tsp vegetable oil
4 tostada shells
1/2 cup shredded cabbage

Directions

1. Combine sour cream and salsa in a bowl. Set aside.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, coating with cooking spray. Add corn, onion, jalapeno, and a pinch of salt to pan. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove mixture from pan. Stir lime juice into the corn mixture.

3. Sprinkle fish evenly with remaining salt and black pepper. Place cornmeal in a shallow dish. Dredge the fish in cornmeal. Heat 1/4 tsp of oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add half of fish to pan and cook for 3 minutes. Carefully flip the fish and cook for 2 minutes, or until done. Repeat procedure with the rest of the fish.

4. Place 2 tostada shells on each plate. Arrange 2 tbsp of slaw on each shell. Divide fish evenly. Top each serving with about 3 tbsp of the corn relish and about 1 1/2 tbsp of sour cream mixture.

* serves 2

CALORIES: 427 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 93 milligrams
FAT: 16 grams
SODIUM: 821 milligrams

Mexican Sour Cream Rice

Ingredients
1/2 cup uncooked white rice
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 jalapeno, seeded, deveined, and minced
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1/2 cup frozen corn
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced

Directions

1. In a large pot bring the rice and broth to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to low and cover, cooking for 20 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a casserole dish.

3. In the pot with the cooked rice, mix the sour cream, jalapeno, 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese, corn, and cilantro. Transfer to the casserole dish and top with remaining cheese.

4. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

* serves 6

CALORIES: 102 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 13 milligrams
FAT: 4 grams
SODIUM: 76 milligrams

Vegetable Lasagna

2011-07-10T13:45:00.001-07:00

Eggplant typically is not my favorite ingredient to work with. I'll admit, I hadn't had much experience with it in the past, but last time I made eggplant I ended up throwing it away. I was totally grossed out by the texture of the thing. Someone told me that it must have been the recipe because eggplant isn't gross.

I'm still not about to stand on a pedestal and say I love eggplant or something, because I really don't. But I did like this recipe (and I did think it hid the eggplant well).

It was kind of messy to make. I dirtied plenty of things that needed to be washed and I managed to get tomato and cheese all over the stove top when I was trying to cut the first piece, but it was a recipe I would definitely make again.

Today's recipe is going to be submitted to Presto Pasta Nights being hosted this week by Tandy of Lavender & Lime. It will also be linked up with Midnight Maniac's Meatless Mondays.

Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients
1 eggplant, diced
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 cucumber, diced
1 red onion, diced
1/4 green bell pepper, diced
1/4 red bell pepper, diced
4 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 tbsp black olives, sliced
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tbsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsp Brummel&Brown yogurt spread
3 tbsp flour
5 cups milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 package lasagna noodles
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a colander put the eggplant and the salt. Let sit for 20 minutes. In the meantime, cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions.

2. In a skillet heat the oil. Add the ginger, garlic, and onions. Cook until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the eggplant, cucumber, and bell peppers and cook for 4 more minutes. Add the mushrooms, olives, tomatoes, tomato paste, rosemary, oregano, and vegetable stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, then let simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside.

3. In a small saucepan melt the Brummel&Brown. Add the flour and stir together until it forms a ball. Remove from heat and whisk in the milk. Place back on heat and bring to a boil, until the mixture thickens. Add the cheese and stir together, letting the cheese melt.

4. In a 6-cup baking dish pour about 1/3 of the cheese mixture. Top with 1/3 of the pasta noodles. Top with 1/2 of the vegetables. Continue.

5. Over the last layer of noodles pour the rest of the cheese sauce. Top with the Parmesan cheese.

6. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 for 50 minutes.

* serves 6

CALORIES: 575 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 16 milligrams
FAT: 16 grams
SODIUM: 811 milligrams

BBQ Chicken Sandwich

2011-07-09T22:10:00.000-07:00

My Friday lunch was delicious. I had chicken for dinner the night before and had just enough chicken left over to make this sandwich.

I originally was going to put it on a hamburger bun, but when I pulled the buns out they looked really small and also were getting kind of stale. I decided instead to cut one of the Dutch Crunch rolls in half, toast it, and use that instead. I have to say, I'm happy I didn't make it on the bun because I really love bread and I really love Dutch Crunch and I think if it was made on a hamburger bun it would have been far too messy.

This easily could have been a dinner and not just a lunch.
YUM YUM YUM - I'm definitely sharing this one with Kahakai Kitchen's Souper Sundays!

BBQ Chicken Sandwich

Ingredients

1/2 cup shredded cooked chicken
1/4 cup shredded carrots
2 tbsp Montgomery Inn barbecue sauce
2 tsp light ranch dressing
1/2 Dutch Crunch, toasted

1. Combine chicken, carrots, and barbecue sauce. Spread the ranch on the bread. Spoon the meat mixture onto the bread.

2. ENJOY!

Giveaway

2011-07-06T21:52:00.001-07:00

I'm not going to make things sound like they aren't. The only reason I am doing this is because I want more followers. I mean, this is also my favorite cookbook and one that I think everyone should have in their kitchens. The meals in it are fairly simple, packed with flavor, and REALLY low in calories.

This is actually the cookbook I first started using when I began my weight loss journey. Can you even believe that just a year ago I was carrying about 50 pounds more on my body? I can't.

Whether you're trying to lose weight or not, this cookbook provides delicious meals that can be prepared simply, easily, and healthily.

But how do you win a copy? All of my followers will be entered into the giveaway without doing anything. The key is, I will not be ending the giveaway until I have at least 25 followers. If you want an extra entry, if you either link this post to a blog entry or shout me out in any other way (facebook, twitter, or even myfitnesspal) you'll get an extra entry in the challenge. Remember, doing this will allow the giveaway to come to an end quicker and give you a chance of winning my cookbook! If you do announce this giveaway elsewhere, tell me where so I can give you that extra entry!

GOOD LUCK!

Olive "Pizza"

2011-07-06T21:22:00.000-07:00

The only complaint of this recipe was it was a little too lemony.

It's not that I don't like lemons, but for what this was some of the acidic taste of the lemon was fine, but the amount that this recipe called for was overpowering.

This is a recipe from the June 2009 Cooking Light, with some variations made (though I should have varied the lemon as well.. too bad I didn't know beforehand!)

I have a shelf of cookbooks and old magazines full of recipes, though I don't actually have a subscription to any food magazine nor have I ever. I have contemplated it, but there's not always something I want to cook in a magazine and I worry that a subscription could end up not bringing me many new things I want to try. The magazines that I do have, I cook out of regularly. Most of them are Cooking Light. Because of this, I'll be submitting tonight's dinner to Cream Puffs in Venice's Magazine Mondays.

My picture tonight is hardly worthy. It doesn't really demonstrate at all what the meal looked like (besides that the "salad" was dismal). I was having lighting issues and the flash proceeded to white everything out, but despite what I did, I couldn't get it in enough light without the flash.. So I proceeded to blind the whole thing.

Oh well. I am not a photographer.

Olive "Pizza"

Ingredients

2 tbsp black olives
1 1/2 tbsp fresh basil leaves
1 1/2 tbsp drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 tsp grated lemon rind
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 clove minced fresh garlic
1/2 tsp water
1 (8-oz) loaf Italian bread, split in half horizontally
1 cup cooked shredded chicken breast
3 tbsp feta cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450.

2. Combine the first 7 ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Place bottom half of bread, cut side up, on a baking sheet (reserving the top half for another use). Spread olive mixture over bread. Arrange chicken over bread and sprinkle with cheese.

3. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes. Cut in half.

* serves 2

CALORIES: 239 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 48 milligrams
FAT: 4 grams
SODIUM: 732 milligrams

Ground Beef Tostadas and Spanish Rice

2011-07-05T21:33:00.000-07:00

Dinner tonight was very filling and very tasty.

I haven't made tostadas in the past. And really, the recipe I followed actually had me making my own tostada shells by either baking or deep frying a tortilla.

While I do want to make tostadas from scratch completely one day, today was not the day. Buying pre-made tostada shells from the Mexican market was a lot easier than trying to create my own shell and potentially ruining it and then not having a shell to work with at all. That's the kind of mood I was in today.

As for the rice, I had never used saffron before. Time to change that!

Ground Beef Tostadas

Ingredients
6 tostada shells
1/2 lb ground beef
6 tbsp refried beans
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt, pepper, oregano, and cumin to taste
3 tbsp sour cream
1 tomato, chopped

Directions

1. Cook ground beef in a skillet with the spices. Cook until cooked all the way through.

2. Heat the refried beans. Spread the beans on the tostada shells.

3. Top with meat, sour cream, tomato, and cheese.

* serves 3

CALORIES: 642 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 96 milligrams
FAT: 44 grams
SODIUM: 767 milligrams

Spanish Rice

Ingredients

1/2 cup uncooked rice
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup tomato juice
1/4 cup green bell pepper, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
1/8 tsp saffron
pinch of oregano

Directions

1. In an oven preheated to 400, put the rice in a dish and cook for about 5 minutes until brown. Stir frequently.

2. In a casserole dish combine all the ingredients.

3. Cover and bake in an oven at 350 for half an hour.

* serves 3

CALORIES: 126 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 1 milligrams
FAT: 0 grams
SODIUM: 423 milligrams

Paprika Roasted Salmon over Wilted Spinach and Orange Mashed Potatoes

2011-07-02T20:03:00.000-07:00

Tonight's dinner was actually fairly atypical. The flavors weren't ones I would normally put together (like.. potatoes and orange, for instance). But I'm really glad I jumped out of my comfort zone a little and made this recipe.

Tonight's dinner was really just full of flavors. Matt was kind of put off by the cinnamon, but how was I to know that he didn't like one of the best spices known to man? He has some growing up to do!

:D

Paprika Roasted Salmon over Wilted Spinach

Ingredients
2 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp olive oil + 1/2 tsp olive oil (divided)
1 tsp thyme
1/2 lb salmon fillets
1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp orange zest
1/4 tsp kosher salt
5 oz spinach leaves

Directions

1. Mix the orange juice, 1 tbsp of olive oil, and 1/2 tsp of thyme together in a small bowl. Place the salmon in a large bowl and pour marinade over the top. Put in the refrigerator for half hour.

2. Mix brown sugar, paprika, cinnamon, zest, 1/2 tsp thyme, and salt in a small bowl. Remove salmon from marinade and place in a greased foil-lined baking pan. Rub top of salmon with paprika mixture.

3. Roast salmon in a preheated oven at 400 for 15 minutes.

4. Heat remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add spinach and cook for 2 minutes, until wilted. Serve salmon over spinach.

* serves 2

CALORIES: 280 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 73 milligrams
FAT: 16 grams
SODIUM: 1 milligrams

Orange Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients
2 tbsp Brummel&Brown yogurt spread
1 onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 lb red potatoes
1/4 cup light sour cream
6 tbsp orange juice
1/2 tsp kosher salt

1. Cook the chopped onions in the melted yogurt spread until soft.

2. Skin the potatoes and chop into quarters. Boil a pot of water and cook potatoes for approximately 15 minutes, or until soft.

3. Mash the potatoes with sour cream and orange juice.

4. Mix in the salt and the onions.

* serves 3

CALORIES: 327 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 7 milligrams
FAT: 5 grams
SODIUM: 707 milligrams

Red Onion Steak Sandwich

2011-06-22T21:22:00.000-07:00

I rarely make sandwiches. I should more, because they can be SO filling. They can also be really tasty. This sandwich was "all of the above". I was actually going to make this and bring it for work, but I had a lot of leftovers from the night before which I figured would be more suited for lunch and then instead of making the empanadas for dinner that I had planned (which would have also meant having to go to the store and getting pie crusts, since I was out of them), I decided to have the sandwich for dinner instead.

In the end, that was probably the most practical decision because these sandwiches were not neat in the slightest. I mean, I probably could have put less goodies on them, but the filled up aspect of it definitely made this a hearty meal. I don't think it would have been as good if there weren't a few onions and pieces of steal laying on my plate at the end. It was definitely a sandwich that creates an experience, that's for sure.

The slaw I made to go along with it on the other hand was sub par. I did eat it, but let's pretend like it's not even in the picture. Just focus on the dutch crunch roll stuffed with cream cheese, steak, and onions.

Tonight's sandwich is being submitted to Kahakai Kitchen's Souper Sunday, which features not only soups but also sammies and salads.

Red Onion Steak Sandwich

Ingredients
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
salt and pepper, to taste
2 oz light cream cheese
2 6-inch dutch crunch rolls
1/2 lb steak, thinly sliced (I used a carne asada cut I get from the local Mexican carniceria)

Directions
1. In a large skillet over medium high heat, heat 3/4 tsp olive oil. Add the onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

2. In the same skillet heat 3/4 tsp olive oil over medium heat. Cook the steak until no longer pink.

3. During this time, toast the rolls in the oven. Once toasted and the rest of the ingredients are done, spread 1 oz of cream cheese on the bottom of each roll. Top with onions and then with the steak. Cover with the other half of the roll.

* serves 2

CALORIES: 492 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 95 milligrams
FAT: 19 grams
SODIUM: 911 milligrams

Cheesy Turkey Penne

2011-06-21T20:18:00.000-07:00

Pasta is just easy. And you can do so much with it. This pasta dish was super simple. I used jarred sauce. All I really had to do was boil the noodles, cook the turkey, and mix together with the rest of the ingredients. By no means was this a difficult dish.

By no means was it a plain dish. This is definitely a meal that will make its way into my recipe box of all my repeat dishes. It was perfect to make this pasta after work, when I just want to eat and eat quick.

Like I said, simple. But good.
The bread doesn't need a recipe. Spread pesto on a piece of bread, sprinkle with garlic, and bake!

I'm submitting this recipe to Presto Pasta, this week hosted by Simona of Briciole. After Thursday go check out all the other pasta dishes!

Cheesy Turkey Penne

Ingredients
1/2 lb ground turkey
2 1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta
1/2 jar spaghetti sauce - I used Classico's Spicy Tomato and Basil
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Italian seasonings
1/4 cup grated mozzarella
1/4 cup low fat sour cream
2 tbsp Parmesan

Directions

1. Boil the penne noodles per the directions on the box. Cook the turkey over medium heat in a skillet sprayed with Pam.

2. Drain the noodles. Mix the cooked turkey and the rest of the ingredients into the pasta.

3. ENJOY!

CALORIES: 632 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 76 milligrams
FAT: 15 grams
SODIUM: 1010 milligrams

Lemon Verbena Cinnamon Rolls

2011-06-20T19:04:00.001-07:00

Making cinnamon rolls when the temperature is getting close to 100 degrees probably wasn't the smartest idea I ever had. Because of the heat, the dough was sticky, the filling melted, and I had a really hard time getting the log to hold together. I've never lived somewhere this hot before, so I had no idea how the heat could effect baking. I mean, it makes sense but I never had experienced it firsthand until last night.

I made these rolls because of Cook the Books and the book Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. I'm not going to lie, this book wasn't something I would have picked up on my own. The magical aspect of it just isn't something I typically get into. But really, things like this, like Cook the Books, force me to read things I wouldn't otherwise read.

And to quote my goodreads account:

I read this book for a foodie event called Cook The Books. Basically, the gist is you read a book and make a recipe inspired by the book, blog about it, take a picture of it, post it, etc. This isn't a book I would have picked up on my own, as the genre isn't typically what I'm interested in.

There was obviously much mention of food in the dish, with one of the main characters making magic in her kitchen through her meals. The main characters are notorious in their town for being part of a rather eccentric family.

The characters in the book are drawn out pretty well. The storyline is easy to follow. The mentions of food make me drool.

I am giving it a 3 not because it's not a good book, it really is, but because I still probably wouldn't read it or anything like it again as it's just not the type of book I usually gravitate towards.

What I did like about the book though was all the delicious food references. The book included a lot of references to different floral and spices to use in cooking. I've never really experimented with either of those, so it seemed like a good opportunity. So I mixed lemon verbena and cinnamon rolls.

Why the two?

"Claire stayed up late to make her regular order of six dozen cinnamon buns, which she delivered early to the Coffee House on the square every Sunday morning."

From what I know about Claire, she didn't just make cinnamon rolls. There was something more to them, just like there was something more to mine:

"Lemon Verbena – produces a lull in conversation with a mysterious lack of awkwardness. Helpful when you have nervous, overly talkative guests. "

Lemon Verbena Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

DOUGH
4 1/2 cups flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup skim milk
1 tbsp dried lemon verbena + a pinch
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 large eggs

FILLING
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 tbsp half and half

GLAZE
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp half and half
1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions

1. In the bowl of your electric mixer combine 2 1/2 cups flour and the yeast.

2. Fill a tea ball with the dried lemon verbena. Place in the milk and let sit for about 10 minutes. In a small saucepan combine the milk, sugar, butter, and salt. Heat, stirring constantly, until the butter is melted.

3. Gradually pour the milk mixture into the flour, beating slowly and consistently. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl with each addition. Replace the paddle with the dough hook and knead in the rest of the flour until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add a pinch of the lemon verbena.

4. Shape into a ball and place in a greased bowl. Cover with a towel and put in a warm spot for an hour and a half, until the dough doubles in size.

5. Punch down. Place on a lightly floured surface and let sit for 10 minutes. During those 10 minutes combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and the butter. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients to get a granulated crumble.

6. On the lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 12-inch circle. Sprinkle with the filling. Roll the dough into a log. Slice the log into 8 pieces and place in a greased baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 45 minutes.

7. Brush the dough with 1 tbsp half and half. Bake for 25 minutes, until lightly brown. Brush with more half and half.

8. To make the glaze combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Drip over the cinnamon rolls.

Mixed Berry Pancakes

2011-06-18T12:40:00.000-07:00

I rarely make breakfasts. There are two reasons for this:

1. I don't really like breakfast. This is probably the biggest of my two reasons, because since I don't typically enjoy breakfast food I don't really see a reason to make it.

2. I don't really have time in the mornings. During the week I do force myself to eat, but I usually only have time for either a bowl of cereal, oatmeal with some fruit on top, or a smoothie of some sorts.

What inspired my breakfast this morning?

One of the things I've been trying to do in this blog is participate in different events put on by different foodies across the blogging universe. Today's breakfast was inspired by the movie that Food 'n Flix has picked for the month. The idea of Food 'n Flix is to make a dish based off of a chosen movie. This month's movie was No Reservations. AND this month's Food 'n Flix event is being hosted by Kahakai Kitchen.

Why pancakes?

The movie is totally NOT about pancakes. No Reservations is about a gourmet chef who has to learn how to feed a child, her niece who moves in with her due to unforeseen circumstances.

At the end of the movie she FINALLY figures it out. And then, there are pancakes and happy people across the board.

And me personally? I would much rather eat pancakes.

Mixed Berry Pancakes

Ingredients

PANCAKES:
3/4 cup milk
2 tbsp white vinegar
1 cup flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
2 tbsp butter, melted

SAUCE:
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup frozen mixed berries
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp water

Directions

FOR PANCAKES:

1. In a cup mix the milk and vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes.

2. In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.

3. Mix the egg and butter into the now soured milk.

4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Stir together until there's no lumps.

5. Heat a skillet over medium high heat and spray with Pam. Take 1/4 cup scoops and pour onto skillet. When the pancake starts bubbling, flip and cook until brown on the other side.

FOR THE SAUCE:

1. In a saucepan combine the water and sugar. Stir frequently, bringing to a boil for 5 minutes.

2. Add the berries and boil for 5 more minutes.

3. Combine the tbsp of water and the cornstarch in another small bowl. Mix well. Pour into the berry mix and stir together, cooking over low heat until the sauce is thick.

4. Pour over your pancakes and enjoy!

* serves 4

CALORIES: 414 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 102 milligrams
FAT: 11 grams
SODIUM: 835 milligrams

Peanut Nugget Wrap

2011-06-15T21:50:00.003-07:00

Since the doctor told me I need to watch my cholesterol, I've been eating more and more meatless dishes. This is hard for me, as I'm quite carnivorous. I absolutely love chicken, steak, and pork.

My doctor actually told me to completely cut red meat out of my diet and in terms of meat, to only eat chicken and turkey. This really is not practical for me. In the last year I have made tremendous strides and have lost 50 pounds. Those 50 pounds didn't just fall off without any work. Rather, I've had to change my lifestyle completely, really considering and watching what I eat and when I eat it. The thing is, I went into this weight loss goal knowing this wasn't going to be a temporary diet. I didn't want to do things faddish, I wanted to do it right. I wanted to make a life change for myself; a change that will continue to follow me.

In doing so, I knew I couldn't completely cut anything out of my diet. I want to be able to continue this forever, not set myself up for failure. Yeah, I could tell myself no chocolate and no ice cream for as long as I live, but would I do that? No.

The same is true about the cholesterol. I could tell myself that I would cut cheeses, eggs, and meats out of my diet almost completely, but I know I wouldn't actually do it. Instead I've just been watching the total amount of cholesterol intake a day. This does result in fewer meat based dishes. It doesn't totally limit me however to poultry.

My lunch today had no cholesterol in it. It was very filling and delicious. The only thing I would change is, I wish I had eaten it warm. Eating it cool wasn't bad by any means, but I had a piece of the nugget last night when it first came out of the oven and it tasted soo good warm.

My lunch today is being shared with Midnight Maniac's Meatless Mondays.

Peanut Nugget Wrap
from here

Ingredients
2 tbsp onion
2 tbsp green bell pepper
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 tbsp dry roasted peanuts
2 oz extra firm tofu, drained
1 tbsp peanut butter
1/2 tbsp fresh cilantro
1/8 tsp sriacha
2 tbsp bread crumbs
1 handful shredded red cabbage
1 tortilla

Directions

1. In a food processor combine the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and peanuts. Don't pulsate too much, but leave coarse. Add in the tofu, peanut butter, and sriacha. Pulse more until well combined.

2. Form patties out of the tofu mixture. Coat in bread crumbs.

3. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 for 30 minutes total. After the first 15 minutes flip the patties over and cook for 15 more minutes.

4. On the tortilla place the shredded cabbage. On top of that place the tofu patties. Roll the wrap.

* serves 1

CALORIES: 451 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 0 milligrams
FAT: 23 grams
SODIUM: 912 milligrams

Chicken Tikka Masala and Sweet Potato Roti

2011-06-14T19:41:00.000-07:00

I'm a sucker for everything Indian. It's definitely not the easiest cuisine to perfect. The flavors are different, they're strong, and they're not always easily available.

When I see a curry recipe (or any Indian recipe) I am always inclined to try it. Unfortunately the dumb boyfriend isn't excited about Indian food, but this is why I cook things I like, even when he's around. Tonight it didn't matter though.

During college I went to India with my mom for a 2 week excursion. In India (despite eating some of the tastiest food of my life) we participated in an event put on by WAGGGS (World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts). The 2 week session involved planning and running a 4 day summer camp for some of the poorest children in India. These children all were the children of construction worker families. I learned so much in India, things I never could have learned from a textbook. I learned about the beauty of other cultures. I experienced true culture shock. I saw that things that I find normal are not normal everywhere and that some things that I find atrocious are not universally seen as such. I learned about the spirituality in India, learning about both the Hindu and Buddhist religions. I became even more aware of the caste system and saw more oppressed people than I've seen in my life. I befriended a beautiful little girl, Prema, despite us not speaking the same language. I learned how to communicate beyond words. I saw the biggest smiles on the faces of these children.

I miss it so much and I really wish I could go back, but I doubt I'll ever have that opportunity again.

When I eat Indian food though, it reminds me.

Chicken Tikka Masala
from here

Ingredients
2 tsp canola oil
1 small onion, minced
1 tbsp ginger, peeled and minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
4 oz fat free plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup skim milk
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp chili powder
16 oz boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size chunks

Directions

1. Heat oil in a skillet. Add the onions and cook until golden. Add the garlic and ginger until fragrant.

2. Mix in the spices and cook for less than a minute.

3. Mix in the tomatoes, milk, and yogurt. Bring to a simmer and add the chicken. Simmer the sauce with the chicken for 15 minutes.

* serves 4

CALORIES: 226 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 60 milligrams
FAT: 4 grams
SODIUM: 437 milligrams

Sweet Potato Roti
from here

Ingredients
1 sweet potato
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp brown sugar
salt to taste
1/2 tsp cardamom powder

Directions

1. Peel potato and cut into chunks. Place in a pot of water and cook until soft.

2. In a food processor pulse the sweet potato until mushy.

3. Mix the rest of the ingredients together to create a soft, pliable dough. If the dough is too dry add water. If it's too sticky add flour.

4. Pull the dough into small ping pong size balls. Flatten with your hands and roll thin with a rolling pin.

5. Cook in a skillet covered with Pam, butter, or oil until golden brown. Flip and repeat.

* makes 10 rotis

CALORIES: 115 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 0 milligrams
FAT: 0 grams
SODIUM: 5 milligrams

Pistachio Cake

2011-06-12T21:03:00.000-07:00

Over on livejournal there's a baking community called BakeBakeBake. Over on BakeBakeBake there's a monthly challenge, with some sort of theme. This month's theme is GREEN. I thought long and hard about what I could make and I considered for a little bit baking something with spinach or some other green leafy vegetable. But I decided I needed something less healthy in my life. And you know, I just really enjoy baking cakes and other treats.

But I'm going to admit, this was a super easy recipe because it's a cake box mix that was altered. I usually don't take such an easy route to baking, but the simplicity of it definitely wasn't negative. So here it is - a green cake.

In terms of taste, I really enjoyed it. It's not too sweet in the least. Matt said it could have used some frosting, but I think if anything maybe a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

Pistachio Cake

Ingredients
1 box yellow cake mix
1 box pistachio pudding mix
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp almond extract
7 drops green food coloring

Directions

1. In a bowl mix together all the ingredients. You can either beat with a mixer or mix by hand. I did the latter. Mix until there's no lumps.

2. Pour into a greased tube pan. In a preheated oven, bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees.

3. Let cool and remove from pan and place on a wire rack.

Ground Turkey with Potatoes and Spring Peas

2011-06-10T20:04:00.001-07:00

I've found the best blog ever. It's called Skinny Taste and is full of recipes that are tasty and low in calories. This recipe today came from that wonderful website. For as simple as I felt like this recipe was, it really was packed with flavor. Sometimes turkey can be so bland, but the cumin and the salt (which I used very very little of) really made a difference.

On top of that, sometimes I love cilantro and sometimes I hate it. I'm not sure what makes the difference, but sometimes I just find it over pungent. Sometimes though it adds that little kick that the dish needed. This was an instance like the latter. The cilantro gave it a kick, but didn't make it overwhelming cilantro.

So for the record, I am not the genius behind this dish. And because of that, I don't even want to post the recipe (since I didn't make any changes either) because I don't think it's fair for me to take credit for something that grew from the tastebuds of someone else.

But don't feel deprived. Just go here for the recipe.

CALORIES: 188 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 55 milligrams
FAT: 2 grams
SODIUM: 388 milligrams

* The picture is showing 1/2 cup of rice with 2 servings of the turkey.

Vegetable Lo Mein

2011-06-03T21:07:00.000-07:00

I told you I was going to be participating in foodie blogging stuff! I wasn't lying! But really I don't even know who I'm talking to. I only have one follower. How pathetic is that?

This dish was served with Spicy Ginger Cashew Chicken, which wasn't horrible but at the same time it wasn't my favorite thing ever and it's why I'm not including the recipe beyond the link in this post. The noodles however were a different story. First off, that picture of my plate is actually 1/2 serving of the pasta. There was SO much. And it was SO good. This pasta was so full of veggies, having edamame, red pepper, mushrooms, and onion. The original recipe also included mustard greens, which I'm sure would have been good but I didn't have any. I think spinach would have made a good replacement for that though and actually, when I make it again I think I would definitely include spinach.

So anyway, I'm submitting the lo mein to presto pasta. Once a week there's a roundup of all kinds of different pasta dishes. This week's Presto Pasta is hosted by From Kirsten's Kitchen To Yours.

Vegetable Lo Mein

Ingredients
10 oz angel hair pasta
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced
2 inch ginger, thinly sliced
3 garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 cup frozen edamame
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
6 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil

Directions
1. Prepare the noodles per the instructions on the package. Toss with 1 tbsp sesame oil.

2. In a skillet heat 1 tbsp sesame oil. Add the garlic, ginger, and onions until lightly softened.

3. Add mushrooms and bell peppers until lightly softened.

4. Add the noodles and the frozen edamame until heated through.

5. Add soy sauce and hoisin sauce and toss through.

* serves 4

CALORIES: 398 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 0 milligrams
FAT: 9 grams
SODIUM: 841 milligrams

Beef and Broccoli

2011-06-03T20:30:00.000-07:00

This dish is very meaningful for me. I know it might sound silly, but I think food and memories can oftentimes be very closely related.

This was the first meal that I cooked Matt. I remember my thought process when I was trying to decide what I should cook for him. I didn't want it to be something too weird, because I didn't know if he was picky or not. All I knew was that he ate meat, but I didn't know what else he would eat. But at the same time, I didn't want it to be too easy. Anyone can throw a pot of water to boil and make some pasta and pour some sauce on top. I know this dish wasn't incredibly hard at all, but if you take it to someone who has no idea their way around the kitchen, the flavors make it deceiving.

This has been one of my regular meals for the past year. And whenever Matt requests I make something, it's usually this.

Beef and Broccoli

Ingredients
9 oz thin cut beef, I use carne asada I get from the Mexican market
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp dry sherry
1/2 tbsp cornstarch
6 oz broccoli florets
2 tbsp peanut oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1-inch piece ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1/8 tsp chili flakes
1 tbsp oyster sauce

Directions
1. Bring 2 quarts of water to boil.

2. Slice the steak in half lengthwise and then cut crosswise into thin slices. In a medium bowl stir 1/2 tbsp of soy sauce with the sherry, and cornstarch. Add the steak, toss to coat, and let sit for 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile blanch the broccoli in boiling water until it softens to a tender crunch (about 2 or 3 minutes). Drain and then rinse under cool water.

4. Set a large skillet over high heat for 1 minute. Pour in 2 tbsp of oil and when it starts to simmer, add beef. Cook beef until it loses most of its raw color, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large plate. Add the 1 tbsp oil and add the garlic, ginger, and chile flakes. Stir fry for 30 seconds. Add the broccoli and 3 tbsp water and cook, stirring to incorporate any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, until broccoli warms through, about 1 minute. Stir in the beef, oyster sauce, and remaining 1 tbsp of soy sauce; cook stirring for 1 minute.

5. Serve immediately.

* serves 2

CALORIES: 399 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 109 milligrams
FAT: 22 grams
SODIUM: 657 milligrams

Black Bean and Corn Salad

2011-05-31T21:18:00.000-07:00

I started an internship last week, like I've been mentioning. Besides just learning a ton about the law and the process, I also have to learn to pack a lunch. During the school year I live(d) right on campus and would be able to come home and make myself something yummy to eat and I would sit and watch something like Judge Judy or People's Court or something. Now things are different and I either eat at my desk, eat in the conference room, or sit outside and watch the rain and eat. Thing is, doing this is 40 minutes away from where I live, so there's no possibility of coming home for lunch. So... now I have to pack my lunches.

When I went home to San Francisco this week I made a point to go to Japantown and get a bento box. Obviously I'm not doing the whole "bento" thing, but I like how it portions your food and I like the separators so my fruit doesn't get covered in something else.

For lunch today I had a black bean and corn salad and some sliced apples, which I made last night and just grabbed this morning. Easy lunch! Healthy lunch! Flavorful lunch! OH and transformable lunch! Guess what's for lunch tomorrow? Empanadas stuffed with this salad!

I'm watching cholesterol now too, so that will be added into all my new nutrition counts.

ALSO, I am finally participating in a foodie.. thing. Souper Sunday hosted by Kahakai Kitchen features different soups, salads, and sandwiches submitted by all blog users. I definitely feel that this bean and corn salad definitely should be shared so people can eat it up! But, I can't take full credit for this delicious dish. I found this recipe on Clean Green Simple, a blog full of many good recipes!

Black Bean and Corn Salad

Ingredients
6 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp salt
pinch cayenne pepper
1 tsp chili pepper
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup frozen corn kernels
1 avocado, peeled and cut into small cubes
20 cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions
1. In a small bowl whisk lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, cayenne, chili pepper, and cilantro.

2. Over medium heat, combine the beans and corn in a pot. Stir occasionally until heated through.

3. Gently mix in the tomatoes and avocado.

4. Pour the liquid over the vegetables. Toss. Put in a refrigerator until cool.

* serves 2

CALORIES: 488 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 0 milligrams
FAT: 22 grams
SODIUM: 1113 milligrams

Cajun Chicken Pasta

2011-05-27T19:30:00.001-07:00

I have lost an exorbitant amount of weight using the website myfitnesspal. On the forums I run a weekly challenge, revolving around a certain food choice. The winner of the challenge chooses the next challenge.

This week the challenge was bell peppers. Sometimes I like them, sometimes I don't. This was one of the occasions where I really really did. It was also one of the occasions where the boyfriend who never likes bell peppers liked them.

I'm not really sure what made it different this time, but they definitely were cooked enough to weird me out and the flavor of the Cajun spice definitely complimented the peppers.

That being said - this dish was super high in sodium like wow.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Ingredients
4 ounces pasta
4 oz skinless, boneless chicken breast, diced
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
2 tablespoons Brummel&Brown yogurt spread
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
4 fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 green onion, chopped
1 cup 1% milk
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook the pasta. Drain and set aside.

2. Place the chicken and Cajun seasoning in a ziplock bag. Shake to cover.

3. In a large skillet sautee the chicken in the yogurt spread for about 5-7 minutes.

4. Add the peppers, mushrooms, and green onion. Saute 3 minutes. Reduce heat.

5. Add the cream, basil, lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder and ground black pepper. Heat through.

6. Add the cooked linguine, toss and heat through. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

* serves 2

CALORIES: 460 calories
CARBS: 63 grams
PROTEIN: 29 grams
SODIUM: 1383 milligrams

Shrimp Shells + Sauteed Garlic Asparagus

2011-05-24T21:02:00.000-07:00

Tonight's dinner was pretty simple, but pretty tasty. Upon cooking I came upon the harsh realization that my half-and-half had soured since I last checked (around Thursday). It was unfortunate because the sell by date on the carton says July and it's obviously not even June. But that is the way it goes. I replaced the half-and-half with milk, so I'm sure this sauce was supposed to be creamier. But honestly, I'm not even sure if I'd want it to be creamier. It was delicious.

The only thing that could have made this dish better would have been more shrimp. I stupidly weighed out my shrimp when it was still frozen and the frozen shrimp weighs more than the thawed shrimp due to all those ice crystals. Finding the shrimp in the pasta was like finding some delicious treasure (if treasure was delicious).

Thanks to allrecipes.com for the pasta recipe.

The asparagus is something I've made in the best and is super easy for a tasty green.

Shrimp Shells

Ingredients
12 oz shell noodles
4 slices bacon
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp fresh oregano
2 tbsp fresh basil
3 tomatoes, chopped
6 green onions, chopped
1 cup 1% milk
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 pound shelled and deveined shrimp
1/4 cup pine nuts

Directions
1. Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the pasta until al dente.

2. Place bacon in a skillet and cook until crispy. Place on a paper towel until cool. When cool, crumble.

3. With the leftover bacon grease, saute the garlic, oregano, and basil for a minute. Add the tomatoes and green onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add the bacon, milk, and cheeses until the cheese has melted.

4. Add the shrimp and cook until

* serves 6

Sauteed Garlic Asparagus

Ingredients
1/2 tbsp Brummel&Brown yogurt spread
9 asparagus stalks, trimmed and cut in half
1 clove garlic

Directions
1. Mince the garlic.

2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and asparagus. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.

* serves 2

Nutrition: Shrimp Shells
CALORIES: 491 calories
CARBS: 46 grams
PROTEIN: 33 grams
SODIUM: 415 milligrams

Nutrition: Sauteed Garlic Asparagus
CALORIES: 60 calories
CARBS: 4 grams
PROTEIN: 2 grams
SODIUM: 68 milligrams

Cantonese Chicken Bok Choy Stir Fry

2011-05-23T19:21:00.001-07:00

Dinner tonight didn't look particularly pretty and for some reason it came out a whole lot more liquidy than it should have. BUT, the flavor of the dish was excellent.

Today was my first day at my summer internship at a public defender's office. I was a little unsure about how cooking was going to go after working all day, but it went well. I'm eating an hour later than I would if I weren't working, but at least I'm not eating fast food... Like I did when I last had a job. And got really fat.

Tonight's dinner recipe comes from Food Network Magazine's December 2010 edition.

Cantonese Chicken Bok Choy Stir Fry

Ingredients
1 1/4 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into small chunks
1/2 cup oyster sauce
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp vegetable oil
6 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 thin slices peeled ginger
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
10 oz sliced mushrooms
12 oz bok choy, cut crosswise into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tsp sesame oil

Directions
1. Toss the chicken with the oyster sauce and set aside. Mix the cornstarch with 3 tbsp water in another bowl and also set aside.

2. Heat a skillet over high heat. Add the oil, then add the green onions, ginger, and garlic. Stir fry for 20 seconds. Add the chicken mixture and stir fry until the chicken is no longer pink. Add the mushrooms and bok choy and cook for 3 minutes.

3. Add the broth and sesame oil and bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch mixture. Return to a boil and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Serve over rice.

* serves 4

Nutrition (without rice):
CALORIES: 303 calories
CARBS: 12 grams
PROTEIN: 38 grams
SODIUM: 415 milligrams

Chicken Empanadas

2011-05-11T16:56:00.000-07:00

Not everything I cook is for dinner, obviously. A few days ago my boyfriend asked me if I'd make some sort of finger food for his English class's potluck today. Sometimes having a boyfriend is like having a child; I am just envisioning my future of baking for bake sales and the like. But since I enjoy cooking I agreed. The empanadas were kind of time consuming and perhaps not the best thing to make when I'm trying to study, but I would definitely make these in the future because they are so yum. I followed a Paula Deen recipe (that didn't involve any butter) and just found the process to be so simple (but like I said, consuming - I did make 40 empanadas that all have to be hand-stuffed). I would definitely try to make a dessert empanada in the future. Or an Italian empanada. Ohhh or an Indian empanada stuffed with curry. I mean, it would just work with anything.

Studying is kind going okay. I got enough done today to pat myself on the back. I'm going out to get sushi tonight and when I get home it will be back to studying.

Chicken Empanadas

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked chicken, diced
8-oz Mexican mix shredded cheese
4-oz 1/3 less cream cheese
1/8 red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded, deveined, and diced
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 15-oz packages pie crusts
Water

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients except for the pie crust in a large bowl. Mix with your hands.

2. Roll out one of the pie crusts on a clean, lightly-floured surface. Cut out circles in the dough using a 3-inch round cookie cutter. Roll the dough out flat to make the best use of the dough. I got 10 rounds per pie crust.

3. After your dough rounds are cut out, with your fingers dipped in water, run your fingers around the edge of a round. Place about 1 tsp of mixture (it might need more than) in the middle of a round. Fold the dough in half and press softly shut with your fingers. With a fork, press the edges closed to seal.

4. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 400 for 25 minutes. Let cool before eating.

* makes 40 empanadas

CALORIES: 117 calories
CARBS: 11 grams
PROTEIN: 4 grams
SODIUM: 223 milligrams

Baked Shrimp w/Feta

2011-05-10T21:22:00.000-07:00

I had the 3rd of my 4 finals today at 6PM. I knew I needed to eat before the 3 hour long test, but I also knew that it would need to be something tasty as well as filling. Tonight I pulled out a recipe from the trusty Cooking Light magazines. Actually, I haven't purchased a Cooking Light in years. This is recipe from the April 2009. But something about the magazine changed since then and they just don't excite me like they used to. But I do still have several of my old magazines and cook out of them quite regularly. I don't think anything I've made from Cooking Light has ever disappointed. Tonight was no exception. The taste of the feta with the shrimp and the tomato was just really pleasant. I served it over rice to sop up some of the tomato juices. It was good! The magazine suggests serving it with orzo, which I have no doubt would be good too but that's not what I had in the house.

One thing I've decided about this blog is I'm not going to post any of my kitchen flops. I mean, for as much as I like cooking delicious food, I don't like everything I cook. In my last blog I pretty much posted everything I cooked. But since this is my "cookbook" I really should only be filling the pages with yummies I would make again and not gross stuff that won't get made in my kitchen again. So you can take my word for it: everything in here is good.

Baked Shrimp with Feta

Ingredients:
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined
Cooking spray
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp claim juice
1 tbsp white wine
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 (14.5-oz) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450.

2. Combine the lemon juice with the shrimp in a bowl and set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. Add oil to the pan. Add the onion and saute for a minute. Add the garlic and saute for a minute. Add the clam juice, wine, oregano, pepper, and tomatoes, bringing to a boil.

3. Reduce heat and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add shrimp mixture.

4. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and place mixture in the dish. Sprinkle with feta cheese.

5. Bake for 12 minutes.

* serves 4

Nutrition (without rice):
CALORIES: 276 calories
CARBS: 11 grams
PROTEIN: 39 grams
SODIUM: 732 milligrams

Turkey Mini-Meatloaves w/Roasted Root Veggies

2011-05-09T20:00:00.000-07:00

Now that we have the welcome out of the way and now that I'm taking a break from studying for my Criminal Law test, I can post my first homecooked meal! I actually cook to relieve stress, so high impact times in my life are just generally going to produce more entries, because I get such a satisfaction from standing in the kitchen, mixing, baking, stirring, and sauteing. I also love sitting down with whatever I made and indulging in it. But above all, I love to share my food (which is why my boyfriend is so great). Even though I lack capacity to create my own recipes and follow most recipes exactly the to tee, cooking is like an art. There was one day and I accidentally dropped my cooked cauliflower on the floor and I just fell down and cried, because that was my labor, my work, it's my creation.

Anyway, I guess in each of these posts you'll get to know me a little more. I don't really want to do a "HEY MY NAME IS ELIZABETH" kind of entry, because it's weird to me and I just would rather not. But anyway, I got this cookbook last year when I decided I needed to lose weight. I just found low-calorie foods to be so bland. But after some careful review I got the best cookbook ever. I really recommend it as it's one of the cookbooks I've used more than twice. Maybe if this all works out and I get lots of followers I'll host a giveaway with this cookbook, since it is my favorite and all. Because really, if I have giveaways I'm only going to give you the best of the best.

But I am getting so ahead of myself.

Turkey Mini-Meatloaves with Roasted Root Veggies

For the Meatloaf:
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup 1% milk
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
5-oz bag baby spinach leaves
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
2 tbsp grated Parmesan
1/4 cup egg substitute
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg

For the Glaze:
3 tbsp ketchup
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Tapatio

For the Veggies:
3 medium carrots, cut into chunks
2 New Potatoes, chunked
6 stalks asparagus, chopped
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Put the breadcrumbs and milk in a bowl and let sit.

3. In a skillet with the olive oil, cook the onions over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until golden and soft. Add the spinach and stir until wilted. Transfer to a bowl with the breadcrumbs. Add the turkey, cheese, egg substitute, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Combine the mixture using your hands.

4. Pack 1 cup of the mixture into a 1-cup measuring cup. Invert the cup onto a rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining mixture. Bake for 40 minutes, until golden.

5. On a baking sheet toss all the vegetables with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add to the oven and cook for 30 minutes.

6. While the meatloaves are cooking, making the glaze by mixing the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce in a small bowl. When the meatloaves are complete, brush over the top.

* the veggies serve 2, the meatloaf serves 6

Nutrition: Meatloaf
CALORIES: 203 calories
CARBS: 12 grams
PROTEIN: 27 grams
SODIUM: 515 milligrams

Nutrition: Root Veggies
CALORIES: 112 calories
CARBS: 19 grams
PROTEIN: 3 grams
SODIUM: 45 milligrams

Welcome

2011-05-08T10:22:00.001-07:00

I'm a 24 year old female living in Sacramento, CA just completing my first year of law school. This blog will be where I post recipes and pictures of food I make, create, and copy. Since I've been in law school I've intentionally lost over 50 pounds (with about 20 more to go). Not only will the food in this blog be DELICIOUS, but it will also give a nutritional break down of what I cook.

I plan to participate in blogger cooking challenges and the like. And here it goes!