Beans, Bacon, Beagles.

Quick dinner post from last night:



Pasta with Kale, Bacon & Great Northern Beans!

Serves two. You will need:

• 4 oz pasta (I used Ronzoni Smart Taste thin spaghetti)
• 4 slices of bacon, diced
• 1/2 medium onion, sliced or diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cups kale, rinsed and chopped (could also use spinach)
• 1 can Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed (could use any preferred white bean)
• salt & pepper to taste
• crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1-2 tbsp lemon juice (optional)

Get some water boiling for your pasta. While you wait, prep the bacon, onions, garlic and kale.

In a large pan, cook the bacon. Toss it onto a plate with paper towels and set aside. Drain *some* of the grease from the pan, not all of it. If your pasta water is ready, go ahead and drop the pasta at this point.

Add the onions to the bacon pan and if necessary, deglaze with a bit of water. Once the onions are sweating, quickly add the garlic, kale and a bit of salt & pepper. Stir continuously until the kale starts to cook down. You may need to add a more water to move this process along. Once the kale reduces significantly in size, add the beans. Feel free to add more salt, crushed red pepper and lemon juice at this point. Add the bacon bits back into the pan, stir, remove from heat and cover with a lid until the pasta is done.

Drain the pasta, divide into serving dishes and top with the kale/bacon/bean mix. Sprinkle on grated parmesan if you'd like and enjoy!

Lastly, a random Randal pic for the dog lovers:



Sleeping, as usual. I always said I would never own a cat because of the hair, but Randal sheds so much, it doesn't even matter. Ah, well. He's cuter than most babies and a total goofball when he's awake, so I can't complain too much.

Larabros and Roasted Randomness.

Ever since I saw Chocolate-Covered Katie bust out homemade Larabars, the idea struck me as too easy to be true... But, hesitation aside, I picked up some pitted dates in bulk and decided to experiment with some mix-ins we had around the kitchen. The result?

Almond Joy LaraBros.



Yes, I'm completely aware of what these resemble. Har har.



And yes, you read the name right; I can't afford to get sued! I'm known to say "bro" (or, if I'm feeling sassy, "brah") on a regular basis and to be honest, I do have bro-like tendencies, so the name just seemed to fit. No idea what I'm talking about? Do a little more research on these types of guys:



Minus the date-rape, but maintaining the ability to lift weights and throw down some tequila shots.

ANYWHO, here's my version of the recipe, which yielded 10 mini-bros:

• 1 cup pitted dates, packed
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (I used the reduced-fat kind by Let's Do Organic)
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup raw almonds

Throw everything in a food processor and blend until well-mixed and you can form the mixture into bars or balls. Each bar has about 135 calories.

Not much to look at of course, but hot damn, they tasted good and did indeed mimic an original Larabar almost 100%. Had I known how easy, fast and cheap these were to make at home, I would've tried it months ago. I still have plenty of dates left, so next time, I think I'll experiment with some fruit flavors.

After making my bars bros, I proceeded to make dinner. I knew I had some broccoli and asparagus that needed to be used, as well as one of 3 jumbo zucchini that my grandma brought me, so I started by roasting them all in a little bit of olive oil, salt & pepper. After a few minutes of brainstorming, I settled on Roasted Veggie Pasta:



Whole-wheat linguine topped with the aforementioned roasted veggies, fresh diced tomato and, wait for it, cottage cheese (mixed with grated parmesan, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt & pepper).

Definitely one of the more random dishes I've slapped together, but I found it to taste quite good. I often replace ricotta with cottage cheese, so my idea wasn't totally insane. Plenty of protein, fiber, complex carbs and vitamins, so from a healthy point of view, I think I hit all of those nails on the head. Hooray for leftovers for lunch!

Hope everyone is having a great week.

Treats in the heat.

Last night's dinner was another specialty a lá Doug. There was brief talk about taking advantage of a special at Domino's Pizza, but remembering how much cake I ate over the weekend and into Monday, I quickly shut that idea down. So back to healthy meal planning we went.

We ended up with a Quinoa salad, topped with grilled chicken and homemade vinaigrette dressing:



For the salad mix, Doug tossed together diced tomatoes, sliced radishes, green onion and cooked quinoa. For the dressing, he whisked together:

• Minced garlic
• Lemon juice
• Olive oil
• Dijon mustard
• Apple cider vinegar
• Cayenne pepper
• Ancho chile powder
• Dried cilantro flakes
• Salt & pepper

The chicken was cooked on the grill and brushed with Famous Dave's Texas Pit BBQ sauce. If you want to go meatless, this salad would go great with black beans and corn.

Fresh, clean flavors and a great summer dish that required minimal use of the stove. Works for me! And apparently it also worked for Randal, who did a great job of cleaning up some quinoa that spilled on the floor:



Before dinner, I already had dessert on the brain, so I decided to try a couple of recipes I had seen in the latest issue of Oxygen Magazine, both of which featured whey protein powder.

The first recipe was a batch of Almond Butter Whey Cookies:



Bite-sized, of course:



For this recipe, you'll need:

• 1/2 cup Oats
• 1 tbsp creamy almond butter (I used Barney Butter; it's so smooth!)
• 1 scoop whey protein powder (I used Designer Whey's chocolate variety)
• 1 egg white (or 1/4 cup liquid egg whites)
• 2 packets Stevia (or sweetener of choice; I used a generous tablespoon of granulated Splenda)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 cup carob chips (optional; I used semi-sweet chocolate chips)

(I also added about a tablespoon of cocoa powder for extra flavor, along with a dash of salt.)

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl, then stir in the wet ingredients with a spoon. The dough will be really sticky and kinda difficult to work with, but mix as well as you can.

Use a teaspoon to make the dough into golfball-sized portions. Bake in a 350˚F oven for 10 minutes. I ended up with 10 cookies instead of 12, but whatevs. Each cookie is about 30 calories!

Things to do differently next time: While the chocolate flavor in these cookies was spot-on, Doug and I both agreed that they were DRY. Like really, really, I-need-copious-amounts-of-milk-stat! dry. I'm already planning to make another batch, but I will definitely play around with adding milk and/or unsweetened applesauce to give them some much-needed moisture. A little softer, and these could be a pretty satisfying, guilt-free treat when the chocolate craving hits.

The second recipe I tried was for Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups:



In a blender, add:

• 4 oz water
• 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder (I used Designer Whey)
• 1 tbsp peanut butter (I used Peanut Butter & Co's Dark Chocolate Dreams)
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1-2 packets of preferred sweetener (I used a generous tablespoon of granulated Splenda)

Blend until well mixed, pour into a muffin tray and freeze for 1-2 hours. (I used a mini muffin pan and ended up with 10 cups total.)

Things to do differently next time: As far as the recipe goes, I don't think I'd change much because they tasted pretty darn good. But they're also super-messy to eat because it's basically like eating pieces of a frozen fudge bar without the stick. That said, I think this recipe would work as a really great base for a low-cal ice cream. I'm going to try mixing it with a few cups of almond milk, freezing it and seeing what I end up with. Given the creaminess of the cups, I think the ice cream would turn out pretty good.

Q-Q-Q-Q-Quinoa.

I'm pretty terrible at post titles. Whatevs...

So, I'm a new fangirl of Oxygen Magazine. I was about to give up on women's health/fitness magazines, but Oxygen seems to know what's up. It's great to see ripped, fit women doing tough workouts as opposed to the usual underweight bikini model pretending to be disappointed by what she sees on the scale in an article about weight-loss. ANYWHO, rant aside, I found a great Spanish-style quinoa recipe on the Oxygen site and decided to give it a try last night.

I opted for the version that used pinto beans instead of peas. I also left out the green onion because we were out.



Turned out great! I sometimes (well, all of the time) find myself stuck when thinking of new ways to jazz up quinoa and this recipe was just what I was looking for. It reminded me of really well-seasoned, hearty Spanish rice.

To boost up my protein intake, I served it with some salmon:



I seasoned the salmon with taco seasoning (we likes to keeps it classy like dat) and topped it with my new obsession:



There are only a billion different jarred salsas out there, so I don't usually buy it, but I'm officially a whore for Frontera. One of my new goals in life is to eat at a Rick Bayless restaurant, based on this salsa alone. There's also a red pepper-garlic variety that's pretty great too.

Turned out to be a tasty meal, no thanks to my lazy sous chef:



Oh well. Being cute does give one a lot of free passes in life.

This dish would also great with grilled chicken, pork, ground beef or turkey. And to keep it meatless, add more beans (black or kidney, perhaps?) and/or tofu. Looking forward to trying the leftovers with cheese & sour cream.

Hope everyone's having a great week!

Vegetable Curry, New Belgium-Style.

Yesterday's Meatless Monday dish combined two things that I enjoy: Curry and beer. But last night was the first time I enjoyed the two together. It was quite the tasty experiment.

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a stipend to purchase New Belgium Brewery products and ingredients for a meal made with and/or paired with the beer.

I chose the Trippel Belgian Style Ale.



Since the main spice is coriander, Doug suggested a curry of some sort.

And so, New Belgium Vegetable Curry was born:



Ingredients:

• 1 bottle of New Belgium Trippel style beer
• 1 head cauliflower, chopped
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 can diced tomatoes (14 or 15 oz, I believe)
• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 bag of frozen peas & carrots (12 oz)
• 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 1-2 tsp of garam masala
• dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 cup basmati rice, uncooked

Add the oil to a large pot, set to medium heat. Add the onions and allow them to sweat for about 10-15 minutes. You're not trying to caramelize them, but rather slowly sweat and tenderize them. Add curry powder and stir for a minute or two.

Add the garlic and ginger and stir for a couple of minutes. Stir in tomatoes, salt then the beer. Let simmer for about 10 minutes.

While the base is simmering, prepare the basmati rice according to the package instructions (to save some time, we did the microwave option; place rice in a 2 quart microwaveable dish, add 2 cups water, cover and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Remove, stir and microwave for an additional 15 minutes on 50% power. Let sit for 5 minutes.)

Add the cayenne (if using) and additional salt, if necessary to the base. Stir in cauliflower and peas/carrots. Cover and continue to simmer until cauliflower is tender, about another 10 minutes or so. Add garam masala during the last few minutes of cooking. Serve with rice.



Great, flavorful dish. We sipped the beer by itself in between bites and aside from cooling down the effect of the cayenne, it also had a crisp finish and a smooth aftertaste, thanks to the coriander and the complementing spices in the curry.

Living in Colorado, I've been familiar with New Belgium Brewery for quite some time and have had a few of their beers in the past, but never really considered myself a huge fan. It wasn't until this Foodbuzz opportunity that I decided to give New Belgium another shot. I was pleased to discover how much I enjoyed the Tripple variety and even more impressed with how well it worked with our recipe. Warm curry, cold beer… What more could I ask for on a Monday night?

At least they're still good for something...

I must admit, I'm becoming less and less attached to typical women's fitness/health magazines. I suppose I'll save my rant on why for another day and in the meantime, suggest you check out this Hollaback Health post.

Anywho, that said, I still have a few active subscriptions and despite my reservations, I was still a little excited to get the new issue of Shape with Jillian Michaels on the cover. The issue itself was pretty "meh," but there was a hidden gem of a recipe: a Spinach & Egg Pizza.

I can't seem to find a link to the recipe and I don't have the magazine with me right now, but it was a pretty basic ingredient list.

For the pizza:
1 pizza crust (I used pre-made dough from a local market)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp grated ginger
3 cups baby spinach
salt/pepper to taste
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
about 3 tbsp grated parmesan*
3 eggs (I used 4)

For the "Hollandaise" sauce:
3 tbsp reduced fat sour cream (I used about 4 tbsp)
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp chopped parsley flakes
black pepper
dash of salt*

Misc:
1 tbsp chopped chives (I used one green onion)

*= Not listed in the original recipe; my own personal addition.

Pre-heat your oven to 450˚F.

The original recipe said to blanch the spinach, but I hate taking the time to blanch things, so I just gave my spinach a rough chop, threw it in the microwave for a minute and squeezed out some of the excess moisture with a paper towel (make sure to let the spinach cool before handling. Duh, I know, but I totally didn't and almost scalded my hand).

In a bowl, combine the spinach, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Roll out your pizza dough onto a pan and top with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Next, add the spinach mixture.

Before cracking the eggs onto the pizza, the original recipe says to create little wells in the pizza first so that the eggs don't slide all over the place. HIGHLY recommend this tip; I failed to read it until after I added the eggs and baked the pizza.



Bake pizza for 7-10 minutes until crust is golden brown and eggs have set. (I ended up increasing the baking time to ensure the crust got cooked through. Consequently, some of the eggs got a bit overcooked...)

Meanwhile, combine ingredients for the "Hollandaise" sauce. I ended up having to add more sour cream because there was way too much lemon juice and the sauce was super-thin. I would suggest adding the lemon juice in increments until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. (It's possible the magazine suggested this too and I probably failed to read that as well).





Once the pie has cooled, slice, serve and top with sauce and sprinkle on chives (or green onions).



Busted the yolk to spread the yolk-y goodness all over the pie.

The verdict? Incredible! I wasn't sure how well pizza would go with ginger, eggs and a sauce loaded with lemon juice, but the result was an incredibly clean, refreshing and delicate-tasting dish. Whoever came up with that recipe definitely knew what they were doing! I'm excited to make it again; tastes of spring and summer while still satisfying your craving for pizza. I cut this into 8 medium-sized slices and assigned 2 slices per serving. The original recipe said to slice the pizza into 12 slices and listed one slice as a serving. Whatevs.

Things to do differently next time:
-make the wells for the eggs.
-bake the pizza *without* eggs for a few minutes so the crust has more time to reach [my] desired texture and also so the yolks don't get overcooked.

I'm really pleased with how well this meal turned out. A unique blend of ingredients and simple assembly made this a fast-favorite!

Meatless Monday.

Last night's dinner was simple, delicious and meat-free, so of course I had to share in case you're still looking for some Meatless Monday ideas.

Last week, I downloaded an awesome Real Simple recipe app for planning meals based on ingredients and time. It came in handy last night, seeing as it had been the ultimate Lazy Sunday with no real desire to cook in sight. Still, I thought it wouldn't hurt to look for some inspiration and a few taps later, I came across Fettuccine with Artichokes and Beans.



My modifications: significantly less oil (less than 1 tbsp for cooking the garlic and about the same for tossing with the pasta at the end), added crushed red pepper flakes, used about 1 tbsp Italian-style breadcrumbs (instead of making my own) and used 9 oz. of Ronzoni Smart Taste spaghetti. Also added my preferred amounts of salt, oregano and black pepper.

I was glad we decided to pick up some canned artichoke hearts at the store the other night! This meal really was a breeze to make and so delicious. Goes great with a little grated parmesan cheese sprinkled on top!

Relationships and Roasting.

Ah, love and cooking; with time, patience and the desire to improve (and impress), the collision of these two worlds can be a beautiful thing. When Doug and I first started dating almost 5 years ago, his kitchen skills were far more advanced than mine. I could certainly make more than toast, but didn't shy away from pre-mixed boxed or frozen entrees. Doug on the other hand was already an avid Alton Brown fan who grew up in a family of cooks. I was pretty intimidated by him when it came to cooking meals together because there were a lot of basic skills I lacked and flavors I hadn't experienced.

After years of learning from Doug, watching a shitload Food Network and taking my palate out of its comfort zone, my appreciation for the world of cuisine has changed dramatically. Cooking together has really become a deeply ingrained facet of our relationship; instead of feeling intimidated, I now feel totally comfortable collaborating with Doug on meals and rarely question whether or not the results will taste ok. Last night's dinner was one of those successful collaborations that ended with lots of "Mmmm!"s and a high-five.

We started with a roasted beet & spinach salad:



Topped with orange segments, roasted walnuts, reduced-fat bleu cheese and Doug's orange vinaigrette dressing.



The main course involved some hot foil bag action and yielded tender, delicious results:



(I know, I need to find more appealing plates than these blue ones my grandma gave me years ago. Someday.)

Pork chops and red onions slathered in orange marmalade and BBQ sauce, wrapped in a foil pouch and baked until cooked through; diced potatoes, olive oil and a couple of garlic cloves baked using the same method.

Once the pork and potatoes were cooked through, I opened the foil and cooked them both under the broiler to add some nice crunch along the edges.

Not pictured is a loaf of sourdough bread that was marked down to 59 cents (!!!). Toasted a few slices and rubbed with the roasted garlic cloves from the potatoes. The mix of textures in this meal was spot-on. Great way to end the weekend!

Catchin' Up.

It's been a while since my last post, so on with the catching up, eh?

I've been keeping a separate, for-my-eyes-only journal where I record my meals, activities, set goals and conduct regular reviews of my progress (Yes, all of the types of things that sound like they should be on THIS blog, but I update it multiple times a day and sometimes it's messy and rant-y. You're not missing much, trust me.) I had reached a point where I wasn't happy with how I was feeling (heavy, slow, pudgy and depressed) and the only way to get back to my ol' self was a kick in the pants and some added structure to my eating and exercise habits.

One new goal that I'm hoping will turn into a regular occurrence is planning weekly dinner menus. I guess I previously avoided it because I thought it would take too much time and cause extra grocery trips, but it's actually really friggin' easy and effective. And even if I or Doug change our minds at the last minute, it still works out ok because at the very least, we have a plan to cook at home instead of opting for pizza or trying to wing it with sandwiches (not always bad options by the way, it was just starting to occur more than usual).

Probably the best tool I found to get me started is Ready Set Eat. You pick your main ingredient (chicken, fish, meatless, etc.) and it offers up a bunch of meal suggestions, complete with recipes and nutritional information. I've tried a couple already, including their Black Bean Pasta Bowl!

The original recipe needed to be jazzed up with some flavor, so here are some changes I made to my version:

• Used 1 can black beans and 1 can kidney beans
• Added one sauteéd onion (chopped) and 2 cloves of minced garlic
• Used 2 heaping tablespoons of Famous Dave's Rich & Sassy BBQ sauce
• Added one 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
• Added about 1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
• Used much more cumin
• Garnished with diced avocado
• Added salt & black pepper

It probably doesn't look or sound like anything special, but this was hands down a delicious, FILLING meal! And full of health too; packed with protein, fiber, antioxidants, healthy fat and even some omega-3s since I used Barilla Plus Pasta.

Subtle heat and sweetness from the BBQ sauce and nice crunch from the corn. Doug was skeptical when I showed him the recipe, but after tasting the finished product, he definitely approved. Great meatless meal that takes well under 30 minutes to get on the table!

While Ready Set Eat is a great resource, I would caution that their meals tend to be on the bland side, so don't be afraid to add your own flavor enhancements.

As for fitness, I've kind of been all over the place. Still rocking the Nike Women NTC app, but have also been mixing in stuff by Jari Love, Jackie Warner, Bob Harper and good ol' Jillian Michaels. It had been ages since I last did her Banish Fat/Boost Metabolism DVD; I forgot how much of an ass-kicker it is, especially in the second half!

I'm also running a anywhere from 3-7 miles a week and throwing in some sprint intervals for "fun." My pace isn't as great as it once was, so I'm slowly trying to work my way back. In terms of overall fitness though, I'm making pretty rad progress. I'm having more of an athlete attitude and being more present during my workouts. Instead of daydreaming about looking good in a bikini, I'm focusing on the mind-muscle connection and how much stronger it's making me.

Also eating up some of my time & thoughts these past couple of weeks is deciding on what to do with my income tax return. The following ideas have come to mind:

• Save it.
• Buy an incline trainer (which technically I did, but then canceled the order minutes later).
• Get a dog.
• Buy boxing gear.
• Go to Vegas.
• Finally go for my personal trainer certification.
• Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer.

After many distracted days and a few sleepless nights, I've narrowed my choices down to saving the money, dog or personal training, the latter being the top choice. I've been talking about getting my trainer certification for a few years now and given my current job satisfaction (or lack thereof), I need a more productive outlet for my fascination with fitness and health. I'm not expecting to be the next Jillian Michaels or even train full-time, I just want to help people realize their potential, one session at a time. I also believe that studying the material will help me realize my own potential as well; I've spent several years thinking I couldn't achieve certain things and it's caused a lot of missed opportunities and regret. I'm done questioning what my body is capable of doing and ready to just do it (damn you, Nike!).

For Cho'.

Last night, Doug was in class late so I started to brainstorm some dinner-for-one ideas. It started with pasta and spinach and just grew from there.

• Small butternut squash, cooked in the microwave for about 6 minutes
• 1 large clove of garlic, minced (I'm really digging the fork method these days for garlic mincing)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp grated parmesan
• about 2 cups frozen spinach
• about 1 cup of chicken broth
• 6 oz of uncooked penne pasta
• salt & pepper to taste
• dash of ground nutmeg
• about 1/4 cup 1% milk
• 1 individual cup of plain Greek yogurt

Judging by the amounts of my main ingredients, I ended up going for 3 servings instead of just one.

Boiled the pasta and got started on my "sauce." Heated the olive oil and added the frozen spinach. Once the spinach was thawed, I added the garlic, squash, salt and pepper. I started to mash the squash with a spoon and added the chicken broth in 1/4 cup increments (since I was wingin' this, I wasn't sure how much broth I would need at the time). I also stirred in the milk.

Since I wasn't getting the desired creaminess at this point, I searched the fridge and snagged a cup of this:



Stirred it in, along with the parmesan and nutmeg. Desired creaminess achieved! (And added some extra protein too.)

Final result:



The verdict? Success. It's pretty rare that a) I make up a meal on the fly, b) It doesn't take long to prepare and c) Tastes damn good. I'm not sure what happened to the penne; somehow, the shape was annihilated. But it wasn't overcooked, so whatevs.

The sauce ended up turning out exactly how I wanted- a bit chunky, but still thin enough to coat the pasta when stirred together. The dash of nutmeg came through too; not overbearing, but just the right amount of subtle warmth.

I was so excited with how well the dish turned out that I decided to celebrate with a glass of this:



A while back, I got a good Groupon deal for Barclay's Wine and this Riesling was in the mix. Quite good! I tend to opt for drier wines, but the slight sweetness of this variety complemented the slight sweetness of the squash.

Another slam dunk, á la Tam.

Meatless Monday.

Yesterday's Meatless Monday dish was full of excitement and experimentation. Why was I so excited? Because I won a special, special jar of peanut butter from my favorite folks at Peanut Butter & Co.!



Why was it so special? Because The Heat Is On is the only PB&Co. flavor that I can't seem to find in local stores. The spicy nuttiness demanded a kitchen experiment:



(crappy camera phone shot)

Tofu & Veggie Stir-Fry with Quinoa and Spicy Peanut Sauce.

For the Stir-Fry:

• 1 block firm tofu
• Broccoli
• carrots
• oyster mushrooms
• minced garlic

For the tofu: Marinated in soy sauce, a bit of teriyaki and garlic powder. Drizzled with canola oil and then baked at 400˚F for about 40 minutes, flipping about halfway through.

I sauteéd the veggies together with the garlic, canola oil, some salt & pepper and a bit of soy sauce.

For the sauce:

• About 2 or 3 green onions, chopped
• 3 tbsp. The Heat Is On peanut butter
• about 2 tsp. rice wine vinegar
• about 2 tbsp. water
• 1 tsp. minced ginger
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• about 2 tbsp. pineapple tidbits w/ juice (I would have definitely used more pineapple, but I was finishing off what we had left in the fridge.)
• 2 tsp. honey

I whisked all of the sauce ingredients together. Added it to the veggies, threw in the baked tofu and stirred until evenly coated. Serve over quinoa (or rice) and you're all set!

This meal yielded 4 servings and was super-filling. I sampled the sauce before adding it to the stir-fry and had mixed feelings, but after tasting it with the the quinoa, tofu & veggies, it really came together quite well. And even though it took longer to bake, I was really pleased with how the tofu turned out; I liked the drier texture and it seemed to hold the flavors from the marinade a lot better.

I LOVE this flavor of PB. It's plenty spicy on its own, so I didn't need to add any other heat to the sauce. It's also pretty good with carrots, celery and even bananas! There's no sweetness in this particular variety, so it lends itself to both savory and sweet/spicy applications.

Cooking With the Stars.

Yesterday, I came home early to complete Day 1 of the Yoga Journal 21 Day Challenge. I decided it would be good to twist, stretch and relax before taking on dinner, most of which was inspired by Jamie Oliver and Bobby Flay:



Diced pork with Famous Dave's Rich & Sassy BBQ sauce, Jamie Oliver's Perfect Roast Potatoes (I did the olive oil/rosemary option) and Bobby Flay's Sauteéd Kale.

As usual, I used less oil than the recipes called for, but I wouldn't skimp too much on the potatoes because it really boosts the flavor and increases the crunchy edges. I didn't peel the potatoes or cut them into same-size pieces like Jamie instructed, but will be sure to do so next time. Well, I'll cut them into equal sizes anyway; it's really hard for me to take the skin off of potatoes because I love the texture so much. Despite my lack of peeling and uniform chopping, these were still pretty much the best-tasting roasted potatoes I've ever made. Rich flavor, excellent crunch factor, soft interior. Love, love, love. And although they take a while to prepare, I think I prefer them over my usual baked fries now.

Since I already went a bit overboard with garlic cloves in the potatoes, I used only 1 clove for the kale and used the last bit of red onion we had. Still a really great flavor. And adding the splash of red wine vinegar at the end really seemed to cut through any remaining bitterness of the kale, while also adding some brightness.

I haven't bothered to buy kale since my failed attempt at kale chips, but I'm glad I decided to give it another shot. I definitely dig it sauteéd and look forward to adding it to soups as well.

Doug approved, which made me happy. He's kind of my at-home version of an Iron Chef America judge, heh.

You had me at "pudding."

I'm trying really hard to come up with an enticing, witty intro to this post, but my head cold just won't allow it. I must warn that said cold demands strong cold medicine, so I won't be holding myself responsible for any weird, wacky nonsense that makes its way into this post. Just so ya know. Moving right along to the tasty bits, eh?

Let me first say that Real Simple is changing my life. I can't help it. I just started getting their magazine and was sucked in immediately. I've been browsing their recipes online for a while now and had a bit of a food porn moment when their Butternut Squash Bread Pudding recipe landed in my inbox the other day.

I have a special place in my heart for bread pudding. And butternut squash. And cheese. And eggs. In fact, I'd like to think that it's because of all the special things taking up space in my heart that I have trouble shopping for button-up shirts. Yeah, yeah, that's the reason...

Anywho, I had the intention of making this dish myself, but Doug felt it would be better if he made it so I could rest on the couch and continue my battle of the mucus.

He scaled the recipe down a bit so we wouldn't end up with 8 servings. And 1% milk was used instead of whole. Aaaand dried sage instead of fresh. Other than that, no other substitutions were made.



All mixed and ready to be baked.



One (seemingly l-o-n-g) hour later.





Hubba, hubba. This dish was so flavorful that I was still able to taste everything, despite my cold. We both agreed that adding some kind of smokey meat like ham or bacon would have been the cherry on top. In fact, I confirmed this theory by adding bits of ham to my leftovers this morning. And yes, it was even more awesome than the night before. This recipe is great for dinner, but would also make a great holiday side dish or brunch item as well.

That's all for today. I have all sorts of baking plans lined up, but they may/may not come through thanks to these damn germs taking over my upper body. Ah well. Hope everyone has a safe and restful holiday, filled with lots of good food and booze. Seriously. Drink to the Holiday Spirit! Drink to [forget about] the annoying relatives! Drink in my memory! That's all I ask of you, dear readers. That's all I ask. Happy Holidays!

Chile=Comfort.

FANTASTIC dinner tonight! Thanks to Serious Eats, I came across a recipe that made my inner New Mexican sing along with a chorus of angels: Green Chile Hominy Casserole with Chorizo.

I hauled ass on my lunch break to one of the farmer's markets here in town that still had some roasted green chile for sale and stocked up. The recipe calls for 2 poblanos, but I couldn't resist replacing those with several Anaheim-style peppers. We also used turkey chorizo to cut back on the insane amount of grease that tends to accompany the regular pork varieties.



One-pan mix. Hungry Friday nights demand simplicity.



Transferred to baking dish...



Topped with the remaining cheese...



Baked to bubbly, browned perfection.



On my plate (which may or may not be sitting on legs covered in Super Mario pajama pants... Did I mention I'm an 8 year old boy?)





Ultimate southwestern comfort food. I love posole, I love green chile and I love cheese. There was pretty much no way this could turn out bad. We left out the cayenne pepper because there was already enough heat in the chile. And the chorizo had more of a smokey flavor versus spicy, so it went really well with the roasted peppers. Served with a little red wine and we are now spent with delight.

Perfect Friday meal. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

New twist on tacos!

Today, I came across a recipe on the Athenos Facebook Page for Chicken & Feta Salad Tacos! (Well, technically the recipe says "Tostadas," but tostadas always strike me as a lame version of a taco that's way too much of a hassle to eat.) It called for radishes and since I actually had some on hand (a rare occasion), I thought, "Heck yeah! Why not?"

I ended up not following the recipe 100% though (of course).



For the salad mix, I used green cabbage, radishes, red onion, about 1/3 cup chopped cilantro and Kraft Light Balsamic Vinaigrette salad dressing. Just toss everything together and set aside.

Cook the chicken breast in a pan, chop it up and assemble:



We built ours with soft white corn tortillas (which, I have to brag and note that I snagged them fresh from the Rancho Liborio bakery, complete with warm pillow-y goodness), avocado slices and feta cheese.

Awwww yeah.



Definitely a success! I loved the fresh taste of the cilantro, the crunch of the cabbage & radish and the creaminess from the feta and avocado. I'm also glad we went with the balsamic dressing instead of Italian; it seemed to brighten up the chicken quite a bit. Lots of distinct flavors that went well together!

I love experimenting with tacos at home and look forward to making these again (hmm, tomorrow perhaps?). Give 'em a try!

Just Beet It.

After finishing last night's dinner, I found myself whistling this song:



Why? Because I ate delicious beets. And I'm a huge dork.
I tried my first beets a few months ago and instantly became a fan. So I was super stoked when my grandma brought me some fresh beets from her garden last month.

When I got home after work, I immediately turned on the oven. I wasn't 100% sure what I was going to make at that point, but I knew roasted beets had to make an appearance somehow. I sliced them up, tossed them in olive oil, salt and pepper and stuck them in the oven.

I also had a couple of acorn squash and decided to roast one as well. While the veggies roasted, I started brainstorming and ended up with this:



Roasted beet salad, made with: arugula, red onion, dressing (a simple whisk of lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder) and tomato-basil flavored feta cheese.

On the side, mashed acorn squash, mixed with butter, salt, cinnamon and splenda (or your sweetener of choice).



AHHHH! This instantly became one of the best meals I've thrown together. How do I know? Because I was literally giggling with delight after the last bite (seriously? I need to keep track of these rhymes and just start rapping about food).

The salad was perfect in so many ways... The sweetness from the beets complemented the bitterness of the arugula; the red onion added a nice bite; the lemon juice in the dressing provided a fresh, clean taste and the feta cheese added a delightful creaminess. Best. Salad. Ever. The only thing that was missing was some hot walnut action. I think walnuts would have been the cherry on top. Oh well. Next time.

And the mashed acorn squash? Delicious, as always. I never get sick of acorn squash prepared like that. It's a treat every time. And so warm and filling.

Yes, I have leftovers for lunch. And yes, it's going to be just as amazing as it was last night. I can't wait.

I'm sure I'm probably late in the game when it comes to eating beets, but if you still haven't given them a try, roast some! I noticed that some of the smaller slices roasted in beet "chips" and that flavor with an added crunch was amazing. Hello new favorite food!