It's not cooking, per se, but my friend Jacquie and I were discussing our juice/smoothie recipes today, so I thought I would put them on here too...
My current smoothie recipe (I assume there will be more once I start incorporating her tips):
1 banana
1-2 cups frozen berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries or any combo thereof)
1/2 small block of tofu
1 tsp or so ground ginger (or use fresh ginger to your discretion)
1 cup milk (soy milk or almost milk for the non-dairy types)
(optional add in, great for flavor: 1 packet Emergen-C or electrolyte packet)
Blend and serve. Makes about 2-4 servings depending how much you want.
Super high in protein, antioxidants, potassium, etc. Ginger is awesome for many things, not the least of which is your digestion. Emergen-C is what I add for an immunity boost.
Look for updates as I figure out how to grow my own wheatgrass...
Monday, December 28, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
There are few things you can't do in an omelette... Why not pizza?!
My friend EB asked me about a week ago what she could have made with black beans and no tortillas... "Southwestern omelette," I replied. There are really not that many things that you can't put in an omelette... similar to the way there aren't many things you can't put in a sandwich, or a calzone, as proven by my college favorite, D.P. Dough...
This morning, as I climbed out of bed at the crack of noon (Friday is my day off, and it's raining, much to the chagrin of my half marathon training schedule...), I wondered what to make for "breakfast". As always, pizza was on my mind...
My ridiculously delicious concoction of the day is a "Veggie Pizza Omelette". It is so delicious I started writing about it, and I'm not even done eating it (note: that means it's ridiculous). Every other sentence I am savoring another bite of its greatness. Bonus: It only took ten minutes!
Step 1:
Chop and sautee veggies. Small pieces are best for this use.
My veggies of choice today were mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, red bell pepper and garlic stuffed olives (Dekalb Farmers' Market, $1.50 per can/jar. Go there immediately. I cannot sing the praises of stuffed olives enough.)
I chopped up some "fresh" basil,(I keep my fresh basil in my freezer in a piece of foil so it won't go bad. It is also easy to chop when frozen) and sprinkled garlic salt on the veggies.
Step 2:
Eggs. I used three eggs, two yolks. I throw away one to two yolks per omelette to reduce fat and cholesterol, but the yolks also have nutrients you need, so lately I only throw away one.
I removed the veggies from the pan, turned down the heat, sprayed it, and added the beaten egg mixture. Then I put the veggies in the middle.
Step 3:
Pizza it up!
On one side of the veggies I put some tomato sauce. All around and on top of the veggies I put strips of white cheddar sliced from a block (about one serving size is enough). Let sit for about 2-3 minutes. Then I folded and sprinkled dried basil and more garlic salt on top.
Step 4:
Enjoy the goodness and write a blog about it...
This morning, as I climbed out of bed at the crack of noon (Friday is my day off, and it's raining, much to the chagrin of my half marathon training schedule...), I wondered what to make for "breakfast". As always, pizza was on my mind...
My ridiculously delicious concoction of the day is a "Veggie Pizza Omelette". It is so delicious I started writing about it, and I'm not even done eating it (note: that means it's ridiculous). Every other sentence I am savoring another bite of its greatness. Bonus: It only took ten minutes!
Step 1:
Chop and sautee veggies. Small pieces are best for this use.
My veggies of choice today were mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, red bell pepper and garlic stuffed olives (Dekalb Farmers' Market, $1.50 per can/jar. Go there immediately. I cannot sing the praises of stuffed olives enough.)
I chopped up some "fresh" basil,(I keep my fresh basil in my freezer in a piece of foil so it won't go bad. It is also easy to chop when frozen) and sprinkled garlic salt on the veggies.
Step 2:
Eggs. I used three eggs, two yolks. I throw away one to two yolks per omelette to reduce fat and cholesterol, but the yolks also have nutrients you need, so lately I only throw away one.
I removed the veggies from the pan, turned down the heat, sprayed it, and added the beaten egg mixture. Then I put the veggies in the middle.
Step 3:
Pizza it up!
On one side of the veggies I put some tomato sauce. All around and on top of the veggies I put strips of white cheddar sliced from a block (about one serving size is enough). Let sit for about 2-3 minutes. Then I folded and sprinkled dried basil and more garlic salt on top.
Step 4:
Enjoy the goodness and write a blog about it...
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
In case you aren't reading the "comments" section, an additional note on the chili recipe below...
Another use for the chili I forgot to mention:
Chili mac! Make a box of mac and cheese as directed, stir in one serving of chili (about 1/4 of recipe). I am especially a fan of the organic boxed mac and cheese with wheat mac. (Annie's organic, currently on sale for $1 a box at Kroger. Stock up!)
I plan to make this for dinner tonight...
Chili mac! Make a box of mac and cheese as directed, stir in one serving of chili (about 1/4 of recipe). I am especially a fan of the organic boxed mac and cheese with wheat mac. (Annie's organic, currently on sale for $1 a box at Kroger. Stock up!)
I plan to make this for dinner tonight...
I like my 3-bean chili so much I don't even miss the meat!
Don't let the recipes fool you, I like meat. But this chili is, in my opinion, better than meat. Because beans are cheap and meat is not, I have a lot of beans in my apartment right now. The day I craved chili a few weeks ago, I happened to have no meat and three types of beans, so I gave this a shot!
I have a very specific recipe for chili: Whatever happens to be in my pantry and refrigerator that seems chili appropriate! Therefore, I have come up with several very different versions of the same dish, all of which I love and will likely post at some point.
Ingredients:
-Three beans. My choices were black, great northern (white) and red, but whatever fits your texture profile will work. (I also had chick peas and lentils, but chose to leave them out.)
I use dried beans, which I boil for about 45-60 minutes. Another option is canned beans, but make sure to rinse so you don't get the flavor of the can residue in your cooking. For quantity, it depends how much you want. I use about 1/2 cup of each type dried for about 4 hearty servings. I would say this is 1-2 cans of each bean, because they get significantly larger when you boil them. Another note for the slower, cheaper dried bean option is that I boil them in 3 different pots because different sized beans cook at different rates. So, if easy is your desire, canned is the best bet.
-Tomatoes. For this sized batch, about 2 cans of tomatoes is good. I buy the store brand diced tomatoes with jalapenos. This adds a slight kick to a lot of my cooking. (Since I read that canned tomatoes have more lycopene, I have used them more than fresh.) Since I was also preparing some curries, I was short on canned tomatoes this time and threw in some fresh diced tomatoes as well. (About 3 romas with 1 can.)
-Other vegetables, diced. In this week's batch, I threw in red bell peppers, mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, asparagus and olives. I will generally use whatever is handy. You can't go wrong with diced veggies!
-Minced garlic. I hate onions. I never use them for any reason. I don't even like them to touch my food. Where recipes normally use onions, I use minced garlic. If you like onions, I suggest both, but don't use so many onions it overpowers the other ingredients. This is a flavorful recipe without them. 1 to 2 tsp of the minced garlic is usually good.
-Chili powder. I use a lot of this, but do it entirely by taste, so I can offer no guidelines as to how much you use. Personal preference.
-Hot peppers. I use pickled jalapenos and banana peppers, diced. I also pour in some of the juice from each jar. I am a particular fan of banana pepper juice and use it in my cooking quite a bit as a "secret" extra ingredient that adds a mild kick. When I have chilis in the apartment, I use them too.
-Whatever else I have that is spicy and delicious. Sometimes I use salsa, taco sauce, etc. Any kind of hot sauce you like will do. This particular batch did not contain salsa or taco sauce. I did use Louisiana hot sauce. If the batch is too mild for your taste, add more chili powder. If you are a glutton for punishment, ground cayenne...Paprika and fiesta seasoning are other spices I have used, and I often add garlic powder on top of the minced garlic because I think it has a slightly different flavor. As I will often note, I season by taste. If I think it needs something, I add it. This is completely subjective.
-My favorite extra ingredient when all is said and done: Wing sauce! I use a spicy garlic wing sauce from Kroger (store brand) that I just LOVE the flavor of. I will typically use anywhere from 2-6 tablespoons of this, depending on my mood. (IMPORTANT NOTE: Read the ingredients on sauces! My favorite wing sauce has anchovies in it, so it is neither vegetarian nor vegan friendly.)
How to make it:
Prepare everything as above and mix it in a big pot. Leave on medium heat on your stove for 1-3 hours. Stir in seasonings and sauces gradually, so you can make it to your own specifications. Stir and taste frequently. Add more chili powder. Add more sauce. Add more tomatoes if something else is overpowering.
How to serve it:
If you have used all spiciness options mentioned above, as I often do, it is often not edible without sour cream...Reduced fat is better than fat free, for you health nuts. I also put some avocado on top, both for its monounsaturated fatty acids (translation: healthy goodness) and for its general deliciousness. Another cooling option I learned from my buddy Cole in law school is ranch dressing...
Note: Keep the Tums handy if you make it as spicy as you can...
I have a very specific recipe for chili: Whatever happens to be in my pantry and refrigerator that seems chili appropriate! Therefore, I have come up with several very different versions of the same dish, all of which I love and will likely post at some point.
Ingredients:
-Three beans. My choices were black, great northern (white) and red, but whatever fits your texture profile will work. (I also had chick peas and lentils, but chose to leave them out.)
I use dried beans, which I boil for about 45-60 minutes. Another option is canned beans, but make sure to rinse so you don't get the flavor of the can residue in your cooking. For quantity, it depends how much you want. I use about 1/2 cup of each type dried for about 4 hearty servings. I would say this is 1-2 cans of each bean, because they get significantly larger when you boil them. Another note for the slower, cheaper dried bean option is that I boil them in 3 different pots because different sized beans cook at different rates. So, if easy is your desire, canned is the best bet.
-Tomatoes. For this sized batch, about 2 cans of tomatoes is good. I buy the store brand diced tomatoes with jalapenos. This adds a slight kick to a lot of my cooking. (Since I read that canned tomatoes have more lycopene, I have used them more than fresh.) Since I was also preparing some curries, I was short on canned tomatoes this time and threw in some fresh diced tomatoes as well. (About 3 romas with 1 can.)
-Other vegetables, diced. In this week's batch, I threw in red bell peppers, mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, asparagus and olives. I will generally use whatever is handy. You can't go wrong with diced veggies!
-Minced garlic. I hate onions. I never use them for any reason. I don't even like them to touch my food. Where recipes normally use onions, I use minced garlic. If you like onions, I suggest both, but don't use so many onions it overpowers the other ingredients. This is a flavorful recipe without them. 1 to 2 tsp of the minced garlic is usually good.
-Chili powder. I use a lot of this, but do it entirely by taste, so I can offer no guidelines as to how much you use. Personal preference.
-Hot peppers. I use pickled jalapenos and banana peppers, diced. I also pour in some of the juice from each jar. I am a particular fan of banana pepper juice and use it in my cooking quite a bit as a "secret" extra ingredient that adds a mild kick. When I have chilis in the apartment, I use them too.
-Whatever else I have that is spicy and delicious. Sometimes I use salsa, taco sauce, etc. Any kind of hot sauce you like will do. This particular batch did not contain salsa or taco sauce. I did use Louisiana hot sauce. If the batch is too mild for your taste, add more chili powder. If you are a glutton for punishment, ground cayenne...Paprika and fiesta seasoning are other spices I have used, and I often add garlic powder on top of the minced garlic because I think it has a slightly different flavor. As I will often note, I season by taste. If I think it needs something, I add it. This is completely subjective.
-My favorite extra ingredient when all is said and done: Wing sauce! I use a spicy garlic wing sauce from Kroger (store brand) that I just LOVE the flavor of. I will typically use anywhere from 2-6 tablespoons of this, depending on my mood. (IMPORTANT NOTE: Read the ingredients on sauces! My favorite wing sauce has anchovies in it, so it is neither vegetarian nor vegan friendly.)
How to make it:
Prepare everything as above and mix it in a big pot. Leave on medium heat on your stove for 1-3 hours. Stir in seasonings and sauces gradually, so you can make it to your own specifications. Stir and taste frequently. Add more chili powder. Add more sauce. Add more tomatoes if something else is overpowering.
How to serve it:
If you have used all spiciness options mentioned above, as I often do, it is often not edible without sour cream...Reduced fat is better than fat free, for you health nuts. I also put some avocado on top, both for its monounsaturated fatty acids (translation: healthy goodness) and for its general deliciousness. Another cooling option I learned from my buddy Cole in law school is ranch dressing...
Note: Keep the Tums handy if you make it as spicy as you can...
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
What am I going to do with all this pancake mix???
First off, I am addicted to grocery shopping, I ALWAYS go to the grocery store hungry and I am a hoarder... If something is on sale at Kroger, I buy five. I store it in the pantry like a squirrel preparing for winter hibernation, and then I go to the store and buy more stuff without ever eating the stuff I already bought. It is this, along with a botched attempt at bringing breakfast for a group of friends camping (I forgot the syrup) that left me with 5 boxes of pancake mix in my apartment...
Today on the way home from yet another trip to the grocery store, I decided that I was going to cook a massive quantity of pancakes, to be stored in the freezer and grazed on throughout the next week or two, as is my custom. (I like to cook meals for an entire week when I am in a "cooking mood", then put it all in the freezer for consumption when I am NOT in a "cooking mood".)
I made two batches of pancakes:
1. Cinnamon. I made these half as directed. I put the (Hungry Man) powder into a bowl and added milk. I skipped the eggs and just added extra water, stirring to the texture I thought pancake mix should be. Then I added a whole bunch of cinnamon and made a big batch of mini cinnamon pancakes.
Serving plan: Each one will be served with about half a teaspoon to a teaspoon of pumpkin butter. Nutella is also an option...
2. Indian. It occurred to me about halfway through making the batch of cinnamon that I should make a savory pancake option as well. I'm just not that into sweets. Then, remembering that I bought a whole bunch of packaged Indian meals at the Dekalb Farmers' Market last week, I settled on adding Madras curry powder into the mix. For this batch I did not use any milk, only water, and I used extra water to make the pancakes a thinner texture. I added the powder and tasted until it was to my liking (which I would say was maybe half a teaspoon to a teaspoon, but the recipe was made up on the spot so I would also say it's pretty discretionary). I made these mini as well. (By "mini", I mean about three in the pan at once, which was approximately two tablespoons of the prepared mix per pancake.) Upon tasting, it reminded me of a roti I tried at a modern, fusion style Indian joint in Decatur about 4 or 5 years ago...
Serving plan: I plan to use these in place of naan with the prepared Indian meals, as well as with the super easy eggplant and chick pea curry recipe I made up last week (to be posted later along with a number of other random eggplant recipes I threw together in the aftermath of my massive eggplant addiction).
Today on the way home from yet another trip to the grocery store, I decided that I was going to cook a massive quantity of pancakes, to be stored in the freezer and grazed on throughout the next week or two, as is my custom. (I like to cook meals for an entire week when I am in a "cooking mood", then put it all in the freezer for consumption when I am NOT in a "cooking mood".)
I made two batches of pancakes:
1. Cinnamon. I made these half as directed. I put the (Hungry Man) powder into a bowl and added milk. I skipped the eggs and just added extra water, stirring to the texture I thought pancake mix should be. Then I added a whole bunch of cinnamon and made a big batch of mini cinnamon pancakes.
Serving plan: Each one will be served with about half a teaspoon to a teaspoon of pumpkin butter. Nutella is also an option...
2. Indian. It occurred to me about halfway through making the batch of cinnamon that I should make a savory pancake option as well. I'm just not that into sweets. Then, remembering that I bought a whole bunch of packaged Indian meals at the Dekalb Farmers' Market last week, I settled on adding Madras curry powder into the mix. For this batch I did not use any milk, only water, and I used extra water to make the pancakes a thinner texture. I added the powder and tasted until it was to my liking (which I would say was maybe half a teaspoon to a teaspoon, but the recipe was made up on the spot so I would also say it's pretty discretionary). I made these mini as well. (By "mini", I mean about three in the pan at once, which was approximately two tablespoons of the prepared mix per pancake.) Upon tasting, it reminded me of a roti I tried at a modern, fusion style Indian joint in Decatur about 4 or 5 years ago...
Serving plan: I plan to use these in place of naan with the prepared Indian meals, as well as with the super easy eggplant and chick pea curry recipe I made up last week (to be posted later along with a number of other random eggplant recipes I threw together in the aftermath of my massive eggplant addiction).
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