Healthy
Mediterranean Vegetable, Bean, and Feta Penne
I saw this recipe in my Clean Eating magazine (page 41 of the February 2011 issue) and it looked pretty good. But the fact that it didn’t have meat had me worried, for I am an unabashed carnivore. The recipe seemed easy, quick, healthy, and potentially great-tasting so I thought it was worth a try, especially since I’ve been craving summer flavors. [You might have seen it on the news, but WI is buried under a few feet of snow and I for one, absolutely hate it. For a sunnier view of our weather, check out Sofia's take on it.] So, off to the kitchen I went, though, as always, I did deviate slightly from the original recipe. Ingredients: 6 oz. of whole...
Read MoreWhole Wheat Bread
There is nothing more satisfying than making bread. Taking such simple ingredients, like flour, yeast, and water, and turning them into something nourishing and fabulous is just so rewarding and self-affirming. It’s immensely satisfying knowing I can whip up a loaf of bread with practically no effort, make it dense, chewy, and nourishing, and save a bundle in the process. I think I’ll have a bread-related goal for 2011. I used the same recipe and process here as I did in my first attempt (Bread based on My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method), but I made changes to the flour mixture. Instead of 3 cups of white bread flour, I used 1.5...
Read MoreChicken Stew with Chickpeas
We’re in the grizly clutches of winter here, though, technically Winter hasn’t started yet. But since it is so cold, it’s perfect weather for a stew. And since I’ve been eating a lot of lamb lately (made Lagman, (an Uzbek soup) a few times), I thought it’s time to make something with chicken. I also wanted to use up some of my pantry items. So, I had chicken on hand, and I wanted to use Montreal Steak Seasoning (I read a great recipe by Sofya on her blog) but that was the end of my idea, until I started cooking. Initially, I considered making this with potatoes, something like the chahohbili-style stew I made last year. But then, I...
Read MoreVika’s Pepper Salad
This is one of my absolute favorite salads! It’s great warm or cold, as a salad, a side to a meat or fish dish, or piled hungrily on a piece of toasted baguette as bruschetta. In addition to its versatility, this salad is very healthy and easy to prepare. You really can’t beat that. You can also switch things up by adding other veggies, eggplant being my favorite add-in. But this time I went “traditional” since this is the first time I’ve ever made it (I’ve been after the recipe for a loooong time and finally got it). Ingredients: 1 medium-large onion (diced) 2 medium-large bell peppers (sliced the long way; I used red and yellow,...
Read MoreA Healthier Thanksgiving
I absolutely love Thanksgiving. It’s my favorite holiday. Not only do I get to cook up a feast, but people come and eat it and take food home too! But I also like the idea of having a day to get together with the family and count our blessings and all the positive and good things in our lives, no matter how small, for attitude is frequently half the battle. And this year, I wanted to keep the dishes on the healthier side so we wouldn’t feel quite so guilty for indulging. Come to think of it, it was quite a vitamin C and veggie feast. I had lots of red bell peppers and other veggies, used mostly healthy fats (olive oil) and banished soda from the table. Though...
Read MoreTabouleh
One of my currently favorite places has great Tabouleh. I like how fresh and flavorful it is, not to mention how healthy it is. So, I decided to try making it myself. I looked online and all recipes were a little different; some had onions and some didn’t, some had more bulghur (cracked wheat) some less, some some had mint, some didn’t. But overall, a few things are consistent: bulgur, tomatoes, and cucumbers. And my goal was to try to replicate the tabouleh of the restaurant where I usually get it. That version doesn’t have mint or onions, so I omitted those ingredients. Most versions have the cracked wheat soaking for a while (1-2...
Read MoreBlueberry Muffins (breads)
I found a recipe for Blueberry Muffins on Lola’s website and they looked really good. So good and easy (read: I had all the ingredients) that I decided to give these a try. But I wanted to make these a little bit healthier and so I made a few substitutions. The main one is that I took out all the butter, not that there was too much to begin with. I used applesauce instead and used a little more buttermilk. The other substitution I made was the flour. Instead of all-purpose white flour I used whole wheat pastry flour. This is what gives these muffins a bread-like feel. They really do feel like individual little breads. A perfect healthy breakfast...
Read MorePasta Pesto and Grilled Shrimp
Today was one of those busy days when I really didn’t have the energy or the time to cook after work. On top of that, it’s been really, really hot here lately and I didn’t want to stand in my tiny kitchen in front of the stove. And since my grill died, the stove is really the only cooking device I have. So in an effort to avoid heating up the kitchen and wanting a really quick and tasty dinner, I made pasta pesto with grilled shrimp. Yup, the same shrimp I made for Independence Day, and I took a shortcut with the pesto – I bought it a while ago and it’s been in my pantry so I figured I should use it. Ingredients: 1/2 lb of pasta (any...
Read MoreIndependence Day cook-in
I usually try to have a cook-out of some sort for Independence Day. This year I actually managed to have people over and serve them food. The original plan was to cook out on my balcony, enjoy the lovely day, grill some food, have fun. But, things rarely go according to plan. When I was cleaning my little electric grill (we’re not allowed to have real grills on balconies where I live), the non-stick coating came off in huge chunks. Not wanting to take any risks, I decided to chuck it. Which was fine because it gave me a chance to really clean up my balcony (I was planting plants earlier and haven’t cleaned up all the stuff yet) and it looks pretty good...
Read MoreBread (no-knead)
Bread! I finally had time to give baking bread another shot. I tried it a few months ago and it turned out OK, but something just wasn’t right. I think I got the yeast a little wrong. So I had to try it again. And since I have no room to actually work with dough, it had to be the no-knead kind of bread. And after searching on all sorts of blogs for a recipe, I found a great explanation on Steamy Kitchen. This is the recipe I managed to ruin. I hang my head in shame, since even her 4-year-old had no problems. And with that, I decided to go to the source and ordered Jim Lehay’s book “My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method“. I...
Read MoreShrimp and Pasta
I bought this great shrimp (from Fabian Seafood Company) a while back and have been wanting to make something with it. But being perpetually busy, all I could do the first day was just clean it and freeze it. So the other day I finally had some time to think about what I wanted to do with it. Because this shrimp is so good I didn’t want to drown it in sauce, I wanted the shrimp to shine in the dish. It’s also great that this recipe comes together in about 15 minutes or so; perfect for a busy day. Here’s what I did. Ingredients: 10 or so pieces of shrimp 8-10 pieces of scallops 3 cloves of garlic Olive oil, smoked paprika, chipotle powder, chili...
Read MoreOrzo with Veggies and Feta
I’ve been thinking about making something with orzo for a while, and saw a good recipe on Tasty Kitchen and thought I’d give it a try. But you know me, I can’t follow directions when it comes to food, so, as always, I added my own touch on the recipe. The asparagus I had was already roasted (LOVE! roasted asparagus) so that was one variation from the original recipe. Another was the tomatoes. I love tomatoes, and Sendik’s had cute little cherry tomatoes on sale. These aren’t good enough to eat on their own yet, but are good enough to cook with (the added spiced and other things in the dish help out the paper-like taste of winter...
Read MoreFood-related goals
I’m a big fan of goals. I love New Year’s resolutions, personal goals, career goals, reading goals, traveling goals, etc. This year, I’m adding a food goal to my list. This might sound funny to some of you, but yes, I’m adding a culinary goal to my life. You see, I have an absolutely unnatural and irrational fear of baking. I know, strange. No good reason for it. Other than perhaps the fear of the mess I’d make, but my kitchen always looks like a tornado went through it after I’m done cooking. But baking towering cakes doesn’t really appeal to me and I’ve never been a dessert person (well, until a few years...
Read MoreBeef Stroganoff
After making the Mushroom Stroganoff I wanted to make the real thing. Especially considering that I haven’t had beef stroganoff in at least ten years. Yeah, I couldn’t believe it either when I started thinking about it. I actually don’t remember the last time I had it. And after I made the mushroom stroganoff, I started searching for recipes. But as you know, I have a hard time following a recipe. So, I decided to combine a few and the ones I liked were the Paula Dean version and a Cooking Light version. Here is what I came up with: Ingredients: 1 lb of beef (I used the already-cut-up beef that you can find at your local grocery store) 3 TB of...
Read MoreMushroom "Stroganoff"
I was reading a few yummy recipes, some for beef stroganoff and some for a mushroom and pasta dish, and the wires must have gotten crossed and this creation emerged. I had a rather large packet of mushrooms from Costco and I’ve been trying not to waste them (again). So I figured I’d saute them and server with ribbon pasta and some sort of sauce, but that’s not exactly what happened. Here is what I did: Ingredients: 24oz packet of mushrooms (thinly sliced) 1 cup of low-fat sour cream Roasted asparagus (optional; I just had some in the fridge so decided to use it) 1 large onion (diced) Salt, freshly ground black pepper, sweet paprika, smoked...
Read MoreChicken Soup
I’ve never made chicken soup before. Mainly because I don’t really like it. It’s an odd confession as an opening for a chicken soup recipe. But…. The soup I made wasn’t like the chicken soup I grew up with. What never appealed to me was the rich, clear broth that had little pools of chicken fat floating on top, the kind you eat when you’re sick. So I figured that instead of throwing a whole chicken into the pot with a carrot and an onion, I’d do something differently. I used a chicken breast, a chicken leg, and a bone in, skin on chicken thigh. As usual, I tried to remove as much fat as possible. I also added a lot more to...
Read MoreThanksgiving 2009
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I consider myself to be richly blessed and thank God for my blessings regularly. Having a nationally recognized holiday to do so is wonderful. In my family, I have taken over Thanksgiving responsibilities in the last few years and relish the opportunity to cook up a feast. And a feast it truly is. This year our menu was as follows: Appetizers: Baked Salmon Roasted Shrimp Cocktail Pickled tomatoes (store-bought) Hummus (store-bought) Smoked fish (store-bought) Goat cheese bruschetta Seafood Salad Roasted Red Pepper Salad Roasted Asparagus Main course: Vegetable Soup Mashed potatoes Turkey Dessert: Spice cake Puff Pastry...
Read MoreElla’s Borsch
Finally! A recipe! My family has been blessed with phenomenal cooks. My grandma and her sister make absolutely different but fabulously sumptuous borscht. That’s right, borscht. The funny thing is, as ubiquitous as borscht is and as fundamental to “Russian” cuisine, I’ve never made it before today. Usually, this is how the conversation about borscht goes: Me: Grandma, how do I make borscht? Grandma: When would you like it? I’ll make some for you. Me: No, thanks Grandma, I’d like to learn how to make it. Grandma: Well, you’ll need beets and other things. Me: Ok, I’ll call you this evening for a complete...
Read MoreDirty Rice
I was looking online for a rice, sausage, and beans dish and stumbled upon a Dirty Rice recipe by the Neelys on Food Network. It looked easy, quick, and I had all the ingredients. But I’m sure you noticed that I have to add my own touch to recipes. The Neelys’ recipe didn’t have beans and I switched out a few of the ingredients. Instead of the pork sausage they used, I used buffalo hot dogs from Lakevew Buffalo Farm. I tried the hot dogs earlier in the summer and really liked them; they’re more like brats or sausages than hot dogs and a lot healthier too, probably. Here is what I had. Ingredients: 1 cup uncooked rice 2.5 cups of stock (2...
Read MoreRoasted Salad
I am so thrilled that it’s finally summer, but it seems I can’t give up my oven. Though I do have a grill, it’s an electric one. My local fire department does not allow grilling on balconies. But I still love summer veggies and have a tendency to buy too much. So, today, I decided to put some of those veggies to good use and make a salad. Since roasting is so easy and brings out the flavor so much, I decided to sacrifice personal comfort in my caricature-worthy tiny kitchen for the benefit of the salad. Ingredients: 3 bell peppers (I used red, orange, and yellow) 1 bunch of asparagus 1/2 red onion diced 1 tb basil Salt, pepper, olive oil,...
