Friday, April 30, 2010

Recipe: Baked Falafel

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This was my first time trying this recipe. It appealed to me because as much as I love falafel, I try to avoid fried food (it doesn't really agree with me). When I found this recipe online, I decided to give it a shot. Honestly, I wasn't impressed. I thought it was bland, and you still have to fry it in olive oil before baking it.

I will try making this again, but make the following changes:
1. I will add more spices to it. Maybe turmeric? It was definitely missing something.
2. I will skip frying them altogether and place them on a baking sheet greased with cooking spray and bake for 20 minutes.

I am going to post the recipe and directions I used this time around in this post. Next time I make these, I will post my alterations with the results.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions:
Place garbanzo beans, parsley, garlic, cumin, salt, and baking soda in a food processor. Process until the mixture is coarsely pureed. Mix garbanzo bean mixture and onion together in a bowl. Stir in the floor and egg. Shape mixture into four large patties and let stand for 15 minutes.
Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Heat olive oil in a large, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Place the patties in the skillet; cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side.
Transfer skillet to the preheated oven and bake until heated through, about 10 minutes.

serves 2

I ate these with roasted red pepper hummus, which was good (would have been better if the falafel wasn't so bland, though).

I'm taking a trip to Growing Power to deliver a thank you card and pick up some more fruit this afternoon, so I'm pumped about that!

Thursday, April 29, 2010

herb garden update

after a good amount of internal debate and speaking to a friend of mine who is a self-proclaimed "amateur indoor gardener," I decided to start from scratch with the cilantro and dill plants. Only one of the basil plants was thriving, so I put in an actual pot with some miracle-gro indoor potting soil that claims to specialize in moisture control. I sure hope this is true, because I worry that I committed the crime of over-watering it already.

When I bought the pot and soil at the hardware store, I purchased replacement pods for my indoor greenhouse so I could start over with the dill and cilantro. I'm very glad that I hung onto the seed packets! Hopefully they'll start sprouting in a few days.

some pictures from my adventures with indoor gardening:
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the basil after being repotted. I'm crossing my fingers for this little guy!

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just call me farmer sarah, and ignore my messy apartment in the process

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Recipe: Sweet Potato Burrito

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As you can see in this photo, I sort of failed at wrapping this as a burrito...I think I put too much cheese in it. No big deal, though...I just ate like a tostada instead! I made sure to put less cheese in the others that I made, and that definitely made a difference.

The great thing about this recipe is you can make a bunch of them and freeze them to use for future lunches/dinners, which is exactly what I'm doing. I cut the recipe down to make four of them (I only had enough sweet potatoes to make four) and froze three of them for the rest of this week/early next week. A warning: these burritos are SPICY. To make them milder, I suggest cutting down on the chili powder. I don't mind spice in the least bit, so I kept the recipe as-is when I made them.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups canned kidney beans, drained
2 cups water
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons prepared mustard (I used dijon)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
4 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
12 (10 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Heat oil in a medium skillet, and saute onion and garlic until soft. Stir in beans, and mash. Gradually stir in water, and heat until warm. Remove from heat, and stir in the chili powder, cumin, mustard, cayenne pepper and soy sauce.
3. Divide bean mixture and mashed sweet potatoes evenly between the warm flour tortillas. Top with cheese. Fold up tortillas burrito style, and place on a baking sheet.
4. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven, and serve.

to make this recipe a little healthier, I did the following:
1. I rinsed the kidney beans after draining them. According to research that I've done online, rinsing canned beans for 30-45 seconds can reduce the sodium in canned beans by 35%-40%. It was my original intention to use dry kidney beans, but I didn't realize how long I needed to soak/cook them, so I ran out and bought a can of kidney beans at the deli around the corner and donated the bag of beans that I bought to the food drive at my school.
2. I use low-sodium soy sauce instead of the regular kind. I can't taste the difference, and I figure there's no reason not to go with this option.
3. I use Tumaro's low-carb multigrain tortillas. They are delicious and healthier than most white flour tortillas found at major grocery stores.
4. I opted for reduced fat cheddar cheese made with 2% milk instead of the kind made with whole milk. However, these burritos would probably just as good without cheese, which I might try next time I make these.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Confessions

Ok, it's time for me to come clean...I did not cook for myself last night like I had originally planned. I did not get home until 7:45 last night, and the last thing I wanted to do after being away from my apartment for over 12 hours was cook. I reached for my stash of frozen food that I keep for emergencies and had a Quorn Chik'n Patty. And you know what? It was delicious. I felt no shame in ignoring the half a cooked sweet potato I have sitting in my fridge and microwaving an industrial meatless product instead of making sweet potato burritos from scratch.

The fact of the matter is that I'm only human and can recognize this.

Does this mean I've failed in any way? absolutely not. my logic is that as long as I reach for my emergency stash of veggie burgers/quorn products on emergency situations only instead of a regular basis, it's ok. I work longer hours than any teacher at this school, and they never cook as often as I do.

Actually, this might work out in my favor. The potluck lunch originally scheduled for this friday was canceled, so this means I can just readjust my food schedule a little bit.

I will be making those burritos tonight, and will be sure to post the recipe and pictures tomorrow!

Monday, April 26, 2010

Recipe: Almond Strawberry Salad


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Sorry for the poor photo quality...I took the picture with my phone in the dark staff lounge. I managed to brighten it a little bit on photobucket, though.

I made this as part of a dinner for me and a friend on saturday night and it turned out incredible. I threw in a granny smith apple when I made it on saturday, but this time I threw in half a kiwi (both of these fruits were purchased at growing power). I will not be including these additions in the recipe, but both times turned out successfully!

Ingredients:
3 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup sliced strawberries
1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tsp sugar

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries and almonds.
In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the vinegar, honey and sugar; shake well. Drizzle over salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

serves four

Sunday, April 25, 2010

weekly food shop

I know, I know, I skipped a day...sue me. I took the praxis in french content knowledge, which was painful. that's my excuse. I also went a little nuts at whole foods this week and bought things that weren't on my list (they had a sale on my favorite brand of meat replacement)

anywho, here's my food shopping for the week:

whole foods
quorn chikn patties
quorn chikn nuggets
365 organic spinach ravioli
0.6 pounds of sesame seeds
nature's path chocolate coconut granola bars
nature's path maple pecan granola bars
total: $20.84

metro market:
organic spinach
1 bag of clementines
1 onion
1 bunch of parsley
blueberries
100 calorie packs goldfish
jello pudding sugar free 60 calorie pudding cups
atheno's red pepper hummus
thomas' light english muffins
1 can garbanzo beans
1 package kidney beans
total: $34.55

I also bought some strawberries, sweet potatoes, and coffee at trader joe's but lost the receipt. I think the total was around $15.

I did spend more than I normally do this week, but for a valid reason: on saturday I made dinner for myself and a friend, so I had to buy ingredients for that. I made spinach ravioli with a sweet potato sauce and almond strawberry salad. There were some leftover strawberries, so we dipped those in melted chocolate for dessert. The results were yummy. I've posted the salad recipe already, but I will share the pasta recipe if people want me to (anyone? anyone? bueller?) Shoot me a comment if you're interested!

upcoming recipes include burritos and falafel!

Friday, April 23, 2010

herb garden update

those of you who know me well are aware of my black thumb when it comes to gardening, due to my tendency to over-water plants. in the past, the only plant that has thrived under my care was a bamboo plant. so this time, I fought my urges to water my herb garden multiple times. I also took them out of the indoor greenhouse and placed them on my windowsill.

big mistake.

i think i may have ignored the plants to death. I'm doing what i can to monitor them and make sure they're getting enough water, but i feel like the sudden drop in temperature mixed with the crack in my window may have sealed the deal for their fate. I'm thinking I may start over from scratch with a different approach-actual potted herbs instead of the indoor herb garden may be more beneficial for the plants, especially when i noticed that the roots were sticking out from the planting pods. I'm thinking I may take a trip to the hardware store this afternoon.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

growing power, revisited

Today was an open house at Growing Power. I went towards the tail-end of the celebration in hopes of doing some partnership work with them (which I did). I got there a little early, though, and took the opportunity to pick up some fruit at their market. luckily for me, I had my EBT card on hand!

I walked in and looked in the large cooler they had (the pickings were slim at this point, since they made a lot of sales over the course of the event) and saw exactly what I wanted: a gorgeous cantaloupe. I was craving cantaloupe soo badly last night, and this was the last one in the cooler! I grabbed it without even thinking. I also grabbed a pair of kiwis, a granny smith apple, and a mcintosh apple.

my total: $6.75

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Recipe: Spinach and Mango Salad

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(sorry for the terrible photo quality, I had to take the picture with my phone in the dark staff lounge with no overhead lights or windows at my school)

When I first saw this recipe, I didn't think it was enough for four servings, so I decided to made more sense to make 2 servings for myself. About half way through ripping the spinach leaves, I realized I was wrong. this recipe definitely makes four servings! That being said, it's delicious and I love that I now have a great recipe for homemade balsamic vinaigrette! The original recipe called for maple-infused balsamic vinegar, but I used regular balsamic vinegar instead because I couldn't find any that was maple-infused. I did find some flavored with raspberries and pomegranate, which I'd like to try when I make my own dressing in the future.

the most time consuming part of this recipe is probably dealing with the mango. I'm no professional when it comes to cutting fruit like mangos or melons, so it takes me some time to get it done.

my favorite thing about making this salad? when i eat it right after toasting the almonds. they're still warm, which adds an interesting sensation to the salad. Of course, it works great as leftovers for lunch the next day. The teachers at my school couldn't believe that I made the dressing myself!

ingredients:
3/4 cup blanched slivered almonds
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp mustard (I used dijon, but the orig. recipe called for dry mustard)
salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch fresh spinach-rinsed, dried, and torn into bite sized pieces
2 mangos-peeled, seeded, and cubed

directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Arrange almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and lightly toasted.
In a small bowl, mix red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, mustard, salt, and pepper.
In a medium bowl, toss the red wine vinegar mixture with the spinach and mangos. Top with the toasted almonds.

serves 4

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Recipe: Egg Fried Rice


If you're anything like me, you grew up eating takeout every weekend for dinner. Unfortunately, decent chinese food became difficult for me to find when I was in college in Indiana. I'm still wary of chinese food in Milwaukee, even though the place around the corner from me was given the title of best chinese food in milwaukee by onmilwaukee.com. my solution? make my own chinese food! like most rice recipes, this is pretty easy to make. I make a pretty basic version of this dish, but other vegetables such as onions, mushrooms, bean sprouts, and/or edamame could be added to this dish to add some variety! I'm going to try adding some new veggies next time I make this.

ingredients:
1 cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 cup uncooked instant rice
1 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup peas
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

directions:
1. In a saucepan bring water and soy sauce to a boil. Add rice and stir. Remove from heat, cover and let stand until liquid is completely absorbed (more or less 15 minutes)
2. Heat oil in a medium skillet or wok over medium heat. Saute peas for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in egg and fry for 2 minutes, scrambling egg while it cooks.
3. Stir in the cooked rice, mix well and sprinkle with pepper.

serves 4

Monday, April 19, 2010

Guest Writers?

There will be a weekend in mid-May where I will be out of town for a wedding, which means I will not be cooking/food shopping for three straight days. I'd like to take this opportunity to offer space for people to write as guest bloggers. If you have an opinion piece you'd like to post on here or a recipe that is budget-friendly, please email me at glasssa@earlham.edu

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Recipe: Creamy Tomato Soup

(NOTE: I will add a picture to this post this afternoon)

I've been craving creamy tomato soup since last week, so I finally got around to making some last night. I lightened this recipe by using Promise light spread instead of butter, and I don't think it made a huge difference in terms of taste. Ideally, I would have used low sodium tomato juice, but I couldn't find any at Metro Market. I probably should have looked at pick 'n save, since they have a better selection for that sort of thing.

ingredients:
4 roma tomatoes, chopped
4 cups tomato juice
28 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 cup fat free half&half (I used kemp's, but land o lakes makes this, too)
1/2 cup butter

directions:
Place tomatoes and juice in a stock pot over medium heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. Puree the tomato mixture along with the basil leaves, and return the puree to the pot. Place the pot over medium heat, and stir in the half & half and butter. Heat, stirring until the butter is melted. Do not boil.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

weekly food shop for 4/18-4/23

whole foods:
0.44 pounds of blanced slivered almonds
total: $4.40

pick 'n save:
2 packages green giant just for one peas and corn in basil butter sauce
organic basil
kemps fat free half and half
total: $11.06

metro market:
roundy's tomato juice
100 calorie packs goldfish
success brown rice
dijon mustard
green giant frozen sugar snap peas
2 roma tomatoes
1 bunch spinach
2 mangoes
jello sugar free chocolate pudding
100 calorie strawberry yocrunch
total $22.64

Friday, April 16, 2010

fresh or frozen?

growing up, my mom served salad at almost every dinner we had. my parents would eat all of the vegetables in it, my brother wouldn't eat any of it, and I would limit myself to lettuce, vegetables, and cucumbers (I came around to tomatoes as a teenager). We never ate frozen vegetables, because my mom always believed that fresh is better.

When I started cooking for myself my junior year of college that i discovered the joy of frozen vegetables. my mom was appalled when she went food shopping with me and i headed for the frozen food section. the thing is, frozen vegetables are the best option...for me at least.

first, I'm only cooking for myself, so fresh vegetables won't last long enough for me to stretch to their full potential. Green Giant makes Just for One frozen vegetables, which are individual packages of single serve frozen veggies. My favorite is the peas and corn in basil butter sauce. second, research shows that frozen vegetables are more nutritious than fresh produce. fresh produce is picked before they reach full maturity because they are shipped across the country. frozen vegetables are harvested at their full maturity, which means they contain all of their nutrients.

in a recent issue of Vegetarian Times, there was an article on vegetables that professional chefs recommend buying frozen. I won't post the entire list, but it did include edamame and peas.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Recipe: Goat Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes


Making this was definitely an experiment for me. This was my first time trying this recipe, and it wasn't until I was into the preparation that I realized that I had no bread crumbs and I could not find my dried basil anywhere (the recipe calls for fresh basil, but I didn't think it would stay fresh long enough). My solutions were to make a piece of toast and rip up said piece of toast to work as breadcrumbs and to substitute italian seasoning for basil. It worked and still came out delicious, but next time I definitely plan on using breadcrumbs and basil.

ingredients:
4 large fresh tomatoes
4 ounces goat cheese
1 tbsp chopped bottled roasted red peppers
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp bread crumbs
1 tbsp torn fresh basil

directions:
1. Preheat the oven broiler.
2. Slice the tops off of the tomatoes and hollow out by removing the seeds.
3. In a bowl, mix the goat cheese and chopped red peppers together. Spoon an equal amount of the cheese mixture into each hollowed out tomato. Place stuffed tomatoes upright in a baking dish. Top each tomato evenly with the bread crumbs and torn basil. Drizzle with olive oil.
4. Place under broiler for 5 to 10 minutes until bread crumbs are lightly browned.

serves 4

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Recipe: Lemon Orzo Primavera


I feel like orzo is under-appreciated, mainly because people don't know a lot about it. I ate some leftovers from this recipe for lunch today, and everyone in the staff lounge thought I was eating rice! That being said, orzo is a pasta and can easily be found in the pasta aisle in any grocery store. I ended up buying it at whole foods because I was hoping they would have it available in bulk (they didn't), but I've seen it at Metro Market and Pick 'n Save, too.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
1 clove garlic, crushed (I just chop it, since I dont have a garlic press)
1 medium zucchini, shredded
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 (14 oz) can vegetable broth
1 lemon, zested
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, or to taste

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat.
2. Stir in orzo, and cook 2 minutes, until golden.
3. Stir in garlic, zucchini, and carrot, and cook 2 minutes.
4. Pour in the broth and mix in lemon zest. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes, or until liquid has been absorbed and orzo is tender (NOTE: the original recipe said 10 minutes, but it takes me closer to 25 minutes).
5. Top with Parmesan to serve.

serves 4

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Breaking the Cycle

We've seen this happen in our society before. Something becomes popular and our society quickly becomes addicted to it. By the time we realize how dangerous it is, it's too late. By the time we fully realized the dangers of smoking, we already had a generation that had grown up smoking by the age of thirteen. Ask them to quit, and they'll say there's no point, because the damage has already been done.

We're facing the same issue now, except replace cigarettes with junk food. Obesity is the new lung cancer.

We talk about nutrition and how important it is. But talking about it is not enough. The fact of the matter is, until we incorporate healthy and nutritious meals into the lives of our children on a regular basis, it will never catch on.

The thing is, it isn't as easy as it sounds. We have to want to be healthy to make it happen. Poor nutrition is something that spans several generations. Past generations grew up on greasy, fried food and sweets, oblivious to what we know about these foods now. These are the generations preparing food for our newest generation. If they don't want to cook better food, they won't. They will only perpetuate this cycle of unhealthy eating habits.

We need to break this vicious cycle of unhealthy eating habits. now.

yes, it is possible to break the cycle. I am living proof of this. I grew up in a house where cheese, meat, and fatty foods were pretty normal. We did not eat a lot of red meat, but that hardly makes up for everything else we ate. Weekends were devoted to greasy chinese takeout and pizza. when I became a vegetarian at the age of 15, my mom told me she would no longer cook for me. My view on vegetarian cooking was skewed by my mom's short stint as a vegetarian, during which she would just eat veggie burgers/veggie dogs and pasta. This was my diet for a long time.

It wasn't until my junior year of college that I learned to think beyond the veggie burger. I was living in a house with two other vegetarian girls, both of whom cooked their meals from scratch on a regular basis. I was amazed by the food they made! I started researching things online and found some great resources.

So here I am now, cooking for myself in my little studio apartment on a consistent basis. I've come a long way from my days of eating frozen veggie burgers. But the point is, I did it. I broke the cycle.

For the record, I'm not saying that you need to be a vegetarian to be healthy. There's a lot to be said in how you prepare your food. We've been programmed to think that unhealthy food tastes better than food that is healthy. But that doesn't have to be true.

We need to promote healthier eating for our youth on multiple levels, starting with our schools. Healthier food needs to provided to children at school (also, french fries should no longer count as a vegetable). I'm talking about salad bars and vegetarian options at lunch and serving food prepared in school kitchens-not reheated and served. we also need to teach children how to prepare healthy meals themselves. when they know these skills, they'll want to put them to use.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Recipe: Lentil Quiche


this recipe is not as easy as the majority of the others I've posted on here, but it is so worth the extra work. this is my favorite quiche recipe. as with other recipes involving lentils, soaking the lentils makes a world of a difference. I soaked them all day saturday this time, but even a few hours helps.

ingrdients:
1 pie crust (I cheat and buy them pre-made, but feel free to be adventurous and make your own!)
1/2 cup dried lentils
2 cups water
2 cups broccoli florets
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1 tsp salt
ground black pepper to taste
2 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Place the lentils and water into a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Drain most of the water off, then place the broccoli florets on top of the lentils. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes. This will dry the lentils, and cook the broccoli.
3. Transfer the lentils and broccoli to the pie plate and stir to evenly distribute each item. Stir in cheese. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Pour over the ingredients in the pie plate.
4. Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the center is firm when the quiche is jiggled. Cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

herb garden


I'm not sure if this is true in other states, but you can use foodstamps to purchase seeds to grow your own food in the state of Wisconsin. Because my school was on spring break this week, I decided to start a little project by growing my own herbs inside my apartment. I'm growing basil, dill, and cilantro. My mom actually bought the seeds for me when she visited me, but the most expensive packet was a little over a dollar and i still have plenty of seeds left over.

I planted the seeds on tuesday, and this morning I woke up to find my basil started sprouting! it was so exciting! I think the dill is going to sprout soon, too. The cilantro is a bit of an experiment, mostly because the seed packet said that it doesn't thrive well indoors.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

weekly food shop

this post will be updated tomorrow. I need a few things from pick 'n save to complete my list, but decided I'd rather go tomorrow after yoga class than go to three grocery stores today. I'll post my totals from whole foods and metro market.

EDIT: Pick 'n Save let me down, because they did not have enough of the frozen veggies I usually buy there. They only had one pack of the Green Giant Just For One that I like, so I bought one instead of the two I needed, which came out to $4.50. I should actually be ok, since I had some frozen broccoli left over after I made that quiche. I also bought a bag of clementines at Metro Market for $4.99 after I ran out of grapes on Monday.

Whole Foods:
Kashi 7 whole grains puffs cereal
organic soft goat cheese
0.62 pounds of green lentils

total: $9.53

Metro Market:
100 calorie packs goldfish
Vlasic jarred roasted bell peppers
village hearth light wheat bread
green giant frozen broccoli
edy's no sugar added mint chocolate chip ice cream
2 tomatoes
1 lemon
1 zucchini
1 carrot
jello sugar free pudding cups
half dozen eggs

total: $25.15

I did end up spending a little more than i normally do this week, but i was running low on the basic groceries that i needed.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Recipe: Portobello Mushroom Burgers


This recipe may seem a little complicated when you first look at it, but it is actually pretty simple. The original recipe called for the mushrooms to be grilled, but given the fact that I don't have a grill, I used the broiler setting on my oven instead. serve on buns or whole wheat bread.

ingredients:
4 portobello mushroom caps
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
4 slices provolone cheese

directions:
1. Place the mushroom caps, smooth side up, in a shallow dish. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, basil, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pour over the mushrooms. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes or so, turning twice.
2. Preheat oven to broil.
3. Grease a baking sheet. Place mushrooms on the sheet, reserving marinade for basting. Broil for 5 to 8 minutes on each side, or until tender. Brush with marinade frequently. Top with cheese during the last 2 minutes of broiling.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Recipe: Fresh Asparagus Soup


Today was a perfect soup day for me, since it was cold and gross outside. The great thing about this soup is that it's perfect for this time of year, when it's technically spring but is still cold out.

Fresh Asparagus Soup

ingredients:
1 pound fresh asparagus
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup milk
1/2 cup yogurt
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)

directions:
1. Place asparagus and onion in a saucepan with 1/2 cup vegetable broth. Bring the broth to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer until the vegetables are tender.
2. Reserve a few asparagus tips for garnish. Place remaining vegetable mixture in an electric blender and puree until smooth.
3. Melt butter in the pan that was used for simmering the asparagus and onions. Stir while sprinkling flour, salt, and pepper into the butter. Do not let the flour brown. Allow the mixture to cook only 2 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth and increase the heat. Continue stirring until the mixture comes to a boil.
4. Stir the vegetable puree and milk into the saucepan. Whisk yogurt into the mixture, followed by lemon juice. Stir until heated through, then ladle into bowls. Garnish with reserved asparagus tips. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.

serves 4

i decided to lighten this recipe a little bit by using fat-free yogurt, low-fat goat's milk, and light Promise Spread instead of butter.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Recipe: Peanut Rice


This recipe is amazing! It does work as a side dish, but I find that it's filling enough to be a main course on it's own. It's quick and ridiculously easy to make.

ingredients:
1 cup uncooked basmati rice
2 1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 cup dry peanuts
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

directions:
1. Mix the rice, water, salt, and turmeric in a pot, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes.
2. Stir the peas and peanuts into the cooked rice to serve.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Recipe: Hummus Sandwich


I feel like hummus is one of those foods that you can always appreciate, no matter how much of a carnivore you may claim to be. I once made a red pepper hummus from scratch for a heart healthy luncheon at my school, and it disappeared faster than anyone could imagine! I made up this sandwich based on a recipe I found on the internet for a cucumber sandwich, then modified it so I could cure my cravings for hummus.

Hummus Sandwich

ingredients:
  • 2 slices whole wheat bread (my brand of choice is healthy life)
  • 2 tbsp hummus, divided (I prefer red pepper hummus with athenos as my brand of choice, but any kind will do...it's up to your personal taste)
  • 4 cucumber slices
  • 2 tbsp alfalfa sprouts
  • 2 tomato slices
  • 1 lettuce leaf (either green or red lettuce)
directions:
  • spread 1 tbsp of hummus on each slice of bread
  • place cucumber slices on bottom slice of bread, then layer alfalfa sprouts on top
  • place tomato slices on top of alfalfa sprouts, followed by lettuce leaf.
  • place remaining slice of bread with the hummus facing the lettuce.
that's all there is to it! it tastes great and is easy to make.

also, good news: I found the receipt from sunday's food shopping trip! I'll post the total later this afternoon.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

weekly food shop

First, I'd like to welcome those of you who have stumbled across my blog through Mrs. Q's Fed Up With School Lunch blog. I'm so happy that she's agreed to post a link to my blog! I'd love for you all to subscribe to my blog if you'd like to.

So please don't hate me, but I cannot find today's food shopping receipt! There's a good chance I left it in my car, but I'm not leaving my apartment right now to search for it. If I find it, I will adjust this post accordingly.

Here's what I bought:
  • yo-crunch 100 calorie strawberry/granola yogurt
  • 100 calorie packs of goldfish crackers
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 tomato
  • 1 head of green lettuce
  • red grapes
  • 1/2 pound of asparagus
  • 1 shallot
  • green giant frozen peas
  • 2 portobello mushroom caps
  • provolone cheese
  • 1 small container of nonfat yogurt


total: $26.25

look out for recipes for a rice dish, soup, and another one involving portobello mushrooms!

Friday, April 2, 2010

It's Not All About Food

I cannot stress how important I think it is for people to be active in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. People try to justify their lack of exercise by arguing that they don't have the time or money to join a gym. I say, "when there's a will, there's a way."

I am lucky enough to have a gym membership to Bally Total Fitness as a birthday present from my parents. I like this gym for several reasons: it's convenient between work and home, has a great facility, and my monthly membership includes a variety of fitness classes. This allows me to vary my workout routine between cardio equipment, weight training, pilates, yoga, and tae kwando.

This doesn't mean that you need to go join a nearby Bally as soon as possible in order to be fit. There are many ways for people to stay active, no matter what their budget is.

Here are several ways people can exercise for free:
  • go jogging outside
  • borrow workout DVDs from your local library
  • start a team game outside with your friends/family
Another great resource is the YMCA, since their membership fees are based on a sliding scale.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Breakfast?

Lately I've been struggling with finding a breakfast that is convenient for me on the days I go to Maple Tree. For those of you who don't know, I go to Maple Tree Monday through Thursday. The school is located a good 16 miles away from where I live. Though I don't have to arrive and leave at a specific time, I like to arrive before the students do and leave a little after the bell rings so I can avoid the day care vans and parents picking up students/taking over the parking lot in the process.

School starts for students at 7:45, so I try to get here around 7:30. That means waking up at 6AM, which gives me just enough time to shower, get dressed, make my coffee (which I dont get to actually consume until I get to the school), check my email, and grab everything I need for the day before heading out for my 30+ minute commute. This means I need to eat breakfast when I arrive at the school.

I've tried a variety of breakfast options, but I've gotten bored with most of them. I went through an oatmeal phase for awhile, but it wasn't very convenient for me. I've also tried fruit and cereal bars. Recently I purchased a box of 100 calorie packs of hostess blueberry muffins, which turned out to be a flop. For all the packaging they use, you think there would be more than two muffins! However, I think I've found a solution...

yogurt!

I usually eat yogurt as a dessert for my lunch. This is something I picked up while living in France. However, I recently decided that I can replace yogurt with jello mousse temptations as dessert and eat yogurt for breakfast. I'm finishing off the Fiber one yogurt I have in my fridge as breakfast for now, but once that's gone I'm going to start eating yocrunch yogurt (specifically, the ones with granola stir-in).

My weekend breakfast options are a bit more flexible. Lately I've been eating a light english muffin with either natural peanut butter or Smart Balance and cereal (either Special K or Cascadian Farms cinnamon crunch) with low-fat goat's milk on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.