My Ridiculous Schedule. Because...life.

I'm a little stressed right now. It is a little after 8:30 pm, I need to go to bed in 45 minutes.

Tomorrow my alarm goes off at 4:30 AM so I can teach Bodypump at 5:45. From there I'm going to my first day of summer school to set up my classroom and write my lessons for the summer. I'm there until 1:00. At 2:00 I have a curriculum writing meeting until 4:00. At 7:00 I have my summer training program for the fencing team.

Basically, I'm going nonstop for 14 hours.

This is the one pro about ketogenics...my breakfast and lunch is prepped and ready to go, all I need to do is pack it up. My dinner is also prepped, so I just have to reheat it when I get home from fencing.

I will admit, Christian and I both cheated a bit yesterday. From what I've read, most dieticians agree that a cheat meal is more acceptable than a cheat day, and that's what I allowed myself at my friend's bbq. I've been focusing mostly on staying hydrated this week for two reasons: 1) it's really hot out, and 2) I've been teaching bodypump all week. I did have a beer at the bbq (couldn't resist...my friend was drinking one and it just looked so good), but other than that I stuck to water. Other than the beer, I had a veggie burger, some chips and dip, and dessert - specifically, a slice of the peach blueberry pie I brought. It was delicious, no regrets.

This brings me to my point. People have been asking why I'm dieting. I'm not doing this to lose weight. I'm doing it to see more results from my workout regimen. My core is definitely where I struggle with muscle tone, and I really hope this will help.

On Friday I'm going to post a recipe!

New lifestyle, new diet!

*tap tap* "Is this thing on?"

It's been a long time since I've updated this blog. Mostly because life has been all sorts of crazy for the past two years.

To recap: yes, I'm still teaching ESL in the same high school. That's the one thing that didn't change. I've also become a fencing coach. Most recently, I've added Les Mills Bodypump instructor to my resume. For those of you who are unaware of Bodypump, it's low weight/high rep strength training. I've been a loyal participant since 2012, and this past March I finally attended a training, then submitted a tape of myself teaching about a month later. The taping was beyond nerve-wracking, but I passed and now I'm teaching every Thursday morning!

After Day Two of Bodypump Training. This was one of my favorite weekends (yes, I'm wrapped in a snuggie). These are some of the strongest women I've met, and I'm so happy to call them my friends.

Screenshot from my Bodypump assessment tape.

Right around the time of my last post, I also met Christian. I'm lucky to have met someone who not only puts up with my crazy schedule, but will also wake up at 4:30 in the morning and go to Bodypump with me (and help me mid-class when the mic starts acting up).

We are goofs and life is good.

In short, things are going well, but life is crazy.

In the midst of all this, Christian and I have decided to start following a vegetarian ketogenic diet. We're doing this for different reasons. Christian is doing it to lose weight. I'm doing it to aid my workout regimen. When I'm not careful about my diet I find my post-workout recovery time is longer and I reach muscle fatigue faster during my workouts. Also, we are planning a vacation for mid-August and I want to rock the crap out of my Victoria's Secret bikinis.

The new focus of this blog will be the ketogenic diet we are following. This will include meal plans are recipes. I'm very excited to blog about this, because I think it will help keep me on track with my progress.

Our current plan is to review our progress by the end of the summer and then revise or continue the diet from there.

If anyone else has done or is currently doing ketogenic and has any tips, please let me know!

Next post will have this coming week's meal plan.

Adventures in homemade bread crumbs and roasting veggies

Most of you know how much I love farmers markets. Going to the one in Montclair is one of the highlights of my weekend because it usually sets my menu for the week.

This year I've noticed one of the market hilights is green tomatoes. A friend once made tried green tomatoes for me last summer and I've been dreaming of then ever since, so I've started eating them as a side dish for lunch. The difference is that I've taken to roasting instead of frying them.

I've done the same with eggplant recently. I bought two eggplants at the farmers market this past Saturday. Yesterday I breaded and roasted one of them to eat with penne arrabiata.

Why roast? Well, for starters, I kind of suck at frying food. I don't know why, but whenever I try to fry something it either burns or doesn't fully cook. Plus, cleanup with roasted vegetables is a little easier. Also, its a little healthier. That all being said, I'd love to try grilling green tomatoes in the near future.

The real trick I've learned with these recipes is that good breadcrumbs are key. This past week I've started making my own from scratch. Its beyond easy to do and I highly recommend doing this with stale bread instead of throwing it out. If you don't have stale bread on hand, all you have to do is toast some bread until it's crispy. Rip the bread into pieces, then chop in a food processor until you have crumbs of equal consistency. Some bread might produce bigger crumbs than other. I recommend using sandwich buns for a finger crumb. Next is seasoning. The seasoning is entirely up to you. For the green tomatoes I used salt, pepper, and cayenne. For the eggplant I used salt, pepper, basil, and oregano. Just be sure not to overseason!

To roast green tomatoes or eggplant, follow these steps:
1. Preheat the oven to 425. Grease a baking tray.
2. Slice the vegetable (you should get 6 slices out of the tomato and 8 out of the eggplant). Prepare two bowls by putting the breadcrumbs in one and an egg whisked with a tablespoon of water in another.
3. Dip each slice of the vegetable in the egg, then the breadcrumbs. Coat evenly and place it on the baking tray.
4. Roast for 10 minutes, then flip each slice over and roast for an additional 10 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

If you have any other favorite breadcrumb or roasted vegetables recipes, please share!

recipe: whole wheat sweet potato gnocchi

Full disclaimer, I've only tried to make pasta once before in my life. I made an attempt at making pumpkin ravioli in 2009. To call it a disaster would be an understatement. Not to say that my first attempt at gnocchi wasn't a slight disaster, but I'm chalking that up to the fact that I was on my third glass of wine by the time it was ready. No regrets, it was hot in my apartment, the wine was chilled, and I was getting a little frustrated! That all being said, the end result was incredible.

To make this recipe gluten-free and paleo friendly, simply substitute the whole wheat flour with one cup of arrowroot powder.

Whole Wheat Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes

2 cups almond flour

5 tbsp whole wheat flour, plus more for dusting

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

pinch of garlic powder

1 egg white

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Poke the sweet potatoes with a fork and place them on a baking sheet. Bake for 50 minutes or until soft. Remove from the oven and let cool.

2. Peel the potatoes and place into a large bowl. Mash well (Side note: if you don't have a potato masher, a sturdy metal whisk will do the trick). Add the almond flour, whole wheat flour, salt, baking soda, and garlic powder. Mix well to combine.

3. Whisk the egg white until frothy. Gently fold it into the sweet potato mixture. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

4. Dust a work surface with whole wheat flour. Roll out a handful of the chilled dough into a long, thin rope. At this point, if you know that you will not be eating the entire recipe's worth of gnocchi in one sitting (it serves four), separate the dough into four equal ropes, wrap whatever you want to save in plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge. It keeps better this way. Cut the dough into one-inch segments. Use a fork to slightly flatten each segment.

5. Prepare a pot of boiling water.Working in small batches, drop each piece of gnocchi into the water. Let cook for about one minute. When they float to the top, remove with a slotted spoon. Place in colander to drain.

At this point, your gnocchi is done. If you'd like to take the recipe one step further, I recommend pan searing it. You can use butter, ghee, or olive oil for this. I chose a tablespoon of olive oil and seared each piece for about two minutes on each side. I then browned some garlic in the oil to make a quick aioli sauce to put on top of the gnocchi. For added protein and iron, I threw in some chickpeas and wilted spinach, then topped it all with some grated parmesan.

If anyone tries this recipe, please let me know how it turns out!

The Deception of Processed Food

The FDA posted a letter to their website yesterday (04/14/2015) declaring the packaging for Kind bars are misleading and need to be changed. The packaging for these bars claim that they are healthy and use a "+" sign for the names of certain bars.

Unfortunately, the nutritional content of four of types of Kind bars do not stand up to the claims made by their packaging. According the FDA, food cannot be considered healthy unless it has less than 15% of calories from saturated fat. This is violated by  Kind Fruit & Nut Almond & Apricot, Kind Fruit & Nut Almond & Coconut, Kind Plus Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate + Protein, and Kind Plus Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew + Antioxidants, all of which contain 2.5 grams of saturated fat, which exceed the percentage of calories from saturated fat. Furthermore, the FDA does not support the claim that these bars are rich in protein or antioxidants, let alone the use of the "+" on the packaging. Using this sign suggests that the bars contain at least 10 percent more of the daily recommended intake for vitamins and minerals as compared to an appropriate reference food, or that the food is fortified with vitamins and nutrients in accordance with certain FDA policies.

What this really brings up, though, is how oblivious we are as consumers when it comes to processed, packaged food. For the most part, unless you see a nutritionist or study nutrition, it is easy to ignore that handy nutrition fact label and just believe whatever claims a company makes on the front of the packaging. As more companies have made the move to put nutrition labels on the front of the product, they're still giving you the bare minimum (and can you blame them?) The problem is that every time we as consumers become hip to how food is packaged, the very smart marketing teams hired by these ridiculously large companies still find ways to sneak unnecessary sugar and fat into their foods without the majority being aware of it. Think about it...how many people fell victim to the "all-natural" scheme from a few years ago? Sure, your chips are just made of potato, oil, and salt, but it's still high in fat and sodium.

Really, the only way to avoid falling victim to these schemes is to give up processed food altogether. I know people who do this, and more power to them. I'll be honest, I am not one of these people. The difference is that I'm aware of what I eat by reading nutrition facts carefully and keeping portions of processed food under control. My point is, we as consumers need to make a more conscious effort to read nutrition facts and be more aware of portion control when it comes to processed food, especially those that contain high levels of saturated fat.

You can read the warning letter from the FDA here: http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/ucm440942.htm

five year reflection and the importance of comfort food

Today is the five year anniversary of this blog. Though it's been updated sporadically for the past few years, this blog has shown just how much I've grown since 2010. When I first started this blog, I was a year out of college, supporting myself financially for the first time, and dedicating myself to my year of service as an Americorps*VISTA and my love for cooking. Since then, I've experienced a lot. I've been a graduate student and a substitute teacher. I've lived in apartments with tiny galley kitchens and apartments with incredibly spacious kitchens. I've worked my arm to no end beating cake mixes before my mom handed down her kitchenaid mixer.

This blog has also been there as I've experienced loss. Halfway through my first year of graduate school, I lost my dad. It was very sudden, but I took comfort in the therapeutic aspect of cooking. Despite my ridiculous schedule with work and class, I found time to take care of myself by cooking from scratch as often as possible.

And when the grief was still too much, I found myself in Israel.

I had two clarifying moments: one on Mount Masada, and another in an open market in Jerusalem, Both of these moments reminded me that grief is part of life and that I needed to find something meaningful from the experience. 

I found the meaning in my grief by volunteering for a bereavement camp for children who have lost a sibling or parent. Volunteering with this camp led me to discover running by training for their fundraising 5k. I found myself back at camp last year a few weeks after losing two family friends to a car accident. Being there has reminded me that like cooking and running, being there is one of the constants in my life I've come to depend on.

This coming weekend will be my return to camp in the first time in almost a year. It's caused me to reflect on what I've experienced in the past few years. Since 2013, I've started my full time teaching job, moved into my own apartment for the first time since 2010, and found the time to rediscover my love for cooking. I did most of this reflecting when I went out on a solo hike in the Palisades. 

I've gone trail running by myself before, but always at the same park. This was my first real solo hike and the first time I've ever been to the Palisades. My clarifying moment was looking down the steep incline I was moments away from creeping down, and all I could do was reassure myself that it was nothing I couldn't handle. I feel like I've been doubting myself lately, and it was what I needed to remind myself to stop doubting myself so often and trust my instincts.

I find that this happens to me when I'm cooking, too. As fun as it is to try a challenging new recipe, I sometimes find myself unsure of what I'm doing. Whenever this happens, I can't help but feel like I need to go back to comfort food.

For me, comfort food is rooted in its simplicity. It's simple to make and tastes so good without being complex.

Recently, my go to for comfort food is usually lentils. It's hard to screw them up and with the right amount ginger and spices it feels so good to eat. This week I've been eating red lentil curry with brown rice, which is exactly what I need right now.

I wish I could say that I'm going back to frequent updates, but my schedule still doesn't allow that. I'm planning on gardening again over the summer and plan on focusing on meals made with the vegetables I'm growing (still has not been determined as of now). Regardless, my focus will still be cost-efficient healthy meals that most people can enjoy. Though I've changed in the past five years, the purpose of this blog will be the same as it was in 2010.

Recipe: whole wheat pumpkin honey muffins

The recipe I used for these muffins is unintentionally vegan. I only had two eggs left and had already gone grocery shopping, so I had to make the decision to either use my last two eggs for the muffins or make the scrambled eggs I was craving for brunch. I don't regret my decision...the eggs were delicious!

If you feel strongly about making these with eggs, simply cut the amount of oil in half and beat in two eggs with the liquid ingredients. You can also use half the oil and a 1/2 cup of applesauce. I've been told you can use pumpkin puree, though I've never tried that so I can't vouch for it.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup raisins

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup honey

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan or line with paper liners.

2. Place the raisins in a cup and add enough hot water to cover. Let stand for a few minutes to plump.

3. In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. Make a well in the center and put in pumpkin, oil, and honey. Mix just until the dry ingredients are absorbed. Drain the excess water from the raisins and stir in.

5. Spoon into muffin cups so they are about 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops spring back when touched.

Yields 1 dozen muffins

Recipe: teriyaki tofu and veggie stir fry over brown rice

I love to make stir fries! It took some trial and error, but I've figured out the correct cooking time for tofu and various vegetables. It's easy to buy marinades and sauce to use, but for this recipe I decided to make my own teriyaki marinade in order to reduce the amount of sodium in the marinade.

A good wok is key in making stir fry. I'm lucky enough to have an electric wok that was handed down from my mom. If you don't have a wok, I suggest getting an electric one. If you can't afford one, a stovetop wok will work just fine.

Teriyaki Marinade

Ingredients:

2/3 cup mirin (if mirin is unavailable, dry sherry is a good substitute)

1 cup soy sauce

4.5 tsp rice vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil

1/3 cup granulated sugar

7 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp minced fresh garlic

1 dash red pepper flakes

black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Bring mirin to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour in soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar. Season with garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, and black pepper, simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Store in a tightly sealed container in the fridge.

Stir Fry

Ingredients:

1 block extra firm tofu, drained and pressed

2-3 heads broccoli

1.5 cups snow peas

12 baby carrots or 3 regular carrots, peeled

1 large red bell pepper

Directions:

1. Cube tofu and marinade in 4 tablespoons teriyaki marinade

2. Heat wok to 300 degrees. Chop vegetables.

3. Cook tofu in wok for 6 minutes, stirring constantly.

4. Add broccoli and snow peas, along with 4 teaspoons marinade. Cook for another 4 minutes.

5. Add carrots and bell pepper, along with 4 tablespoons marinade, then cook for an additional 5 minutes.

6. Divide among 4 plates with one cup of brown rice on each plate. Add one tablespoon of marinade to each plate before eating.

Recipe: Green Bean Curry

 

This recipe was my first time making yellow curry. I will say now that if you plan to make this or any other yellow curry dish, finding yellow curry paste is anything but easy. I had to go to three grocery stores before I found it. Once I found it, though, it was super cheap - I bought a huge bottle for a couple of dollars!

 

Consider yourself warned that this recipe is not for those who cannot handle spicy food. You can try to alter some of the spices, but I wouldn't try it if spicy food isn't your thing.

 

The original recipe called for a Yukon gold potato. However, I opted to use a sweet potato since I already had one laying around. The contrast of sweet against the spiciness of the curry was wonderful, so I recommend making it this way.

 

Ingredients:

• One pound sweet potato (or Yukon Gold potato), peeled and cubed
• 3 medium carrots, cut into half moons
• 1/2 pound green beans, cut into one inch pieces
• 1 Tbs canola oil
• 2 shallots
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 1/2 Tbs yellow curry paste
• 1 Tbs peanut butter (if you're allergic, you can replace it with any nut butter)
• 1 13.5 oz can light coconut milk
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 Tbs thinly sliced basil leaves
• 1 Tbs lime juice

Directions

• Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook potatoes 7 minutes; remove with slotted spoon, and drain. Add carrots, cook 10 minutes; remove with slotted spoon, and drain. Add green beans, and cook 5 minutes; remove with slotted spoon, drain, and set aside.
• Heat oil in pot over medium heat. Add shallots, and cook 7 minutes, or until starting to brown. Stir in garlic, curry paste, and peanut butter; cook 
1 minute. Add coconut milk, 1/2 cup water, and sugar; bring mixture to a simmer. Stir in potatoes, carrots, and bell pepper; simmer 10 minutes. 
Add green beans and basil, and cook 2 minutes more. Stir in lime juice just before serving.

 

Serve over rice. Serves 6.

Recipe: Spice Market Sweet Potato and Lentil Packets

I came across this recipe in an attempt to work through the abundance of sweet potatoes I recently accumulated after the fourth of july. My mom and I grilled a bunch of veggies, and she bought too many sweet potatoes so she gave the extras to me (on a related note, grilled sweet potatoes are ridiculously good. Slice them 1/4" thick, brush them with sesame oil, and grill 10 minutes on each side. They have the consistency of sweet potato fries, but the taste is incredible).

The most difficult part of the recipe was the lentil part. First, you pretty much have free range over which kind of lentil you want to use. I went with French green lentils, but yellow or regular green lentils would work just fine. To make 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils, boil 1/2 cup dry lentils in 1 cup water. When the water begins boiling, reduce heat and simmer for roughly 20-25 minutes. To speed up the cooking time, I recommend soaking the 1/2 cup of lentils in the 1 cup of water overnight (or even for a few hours) before cooking.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups diced sweet potatoes
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup fresh green beans, sliced
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 2 Tbs sesame oil
• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 2 Tbs minced fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Place 4 16-inch lengths of foil on work surface. Fold foil in half from short side. Unfold. Shape corners and edges of one half into semicircular “bowl” with 1/2-inch sides. Coat insides of foil with cooking spray
• Combine sweet potato, bell pepper, green beans, and raisins in medium bowl. Add sesame oil, and toss to coat.
• Whisk together broth, ginger, garlic, and curry powder in small bowl.
• Divide sweet potato mixture among packets; top with 1/3 cup lentils. Pour 1/4 cup broth mixture over lentils, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Fold other half of foil over ingredients, and crimp edges in overlapping folds until packets are sealed. Transfer packets to baking sheet. Bake 25 minutes.
• Open carefully - escaping air will be hot!

There's many ways to serve this dish. I recommend serving it over couscous, quinoa, or rice, depending on whether or not you eat gluten. I'm trying to lower my carb intake a little, so I'm eating it over wilted spinach.

I chose to use a mild curry powder for this recipe, and it think it worked perfectly. It didn't overpower the other flavors, so the ginger still has a strong presence. I would consider putting some cloves in there next time.

New Project

After making dinner last night, I didn't have the energy to post the recipe I made. Instead, I snapped a picture on Instagram and shared it on Facebook. This got me thinking that even though I repeat recipes that I feature on here occasionally, there's no reason why I can't provide some food amusement. From now on, I will take pictures of my dinner every time I make something - regardless of whether or not it's a new recipe - and share it on Instagram.

I can be followed on Instagram at foodiefotos.

New recipe tomorrow!

Recipe: Crispy Quinoa Cakes

As the sun stays out longer and the temperature gets warmer, I like to eat foods with a lighter taste. Ideally, I'd be out grilling pretty much every day, but I'm still in an apartment that doesn't allow legitimate grills. I have a Panini press that doubles as a grill, but it blew half the outlets in my kitchen the last time I tried to use it - most of which are still out of commission. My mom and I used her griddle yesterday to grill veggies and tofu indoors (she does have barbecues in the courtyard in her apartment, but it was just too hot out). Today, I decided to go for something different.

I like this recipe because it can be modified in so many ways. The feta cheese and pine nuts I included are completely optional. You can substitute the feta with goat cheese, the pine nuts with a different kind of toasted, chopped nuts, or just omit them altogether. I included them to give a more Mediterranean taste to the cakes.

As for topping, there's plenty of options for that, too! The original recipe suggests roasted red pepper sauce, but I opted to drizzle lemon juice over it to keep the flavors light.

Ingredients:
1 large egg
2 Tbs all-purpose flour (to make gluten free, substitute with almond flour)
1 1/2 Tbs tahini (can be substituted with nut butter)
1 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa* (see note if you're unfamiliar with cooking quinoa)
1/2 cup finely grated sweet potato
6 ounces spinach, wilted and drained
1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (oil packed sun-dried tomatoes are best)
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 ounces feta cheese
2 Tbs finely diced onion
1 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro (can be substituted with parsley)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F and coat baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Combine egg, flour, tahini, and vinegar in bowl.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients, then mash together until mixture is firm enough to shape into cakes. 4. Shape mixture into 1/4-cup patties with wet hands.
5. Bake on prepared baking sheet 25 minutes, turning once, or until cakes are browned.

This yields about six servings, with one serving being two cakes. Serve with grilled zucchini or squash, or steamed broccoli.

What I like the most about this recipe is how easily it can be modified! You can add a variety of spices to your taste, change the cheese and nuts or omit them, or use one cup of lentils instead of one cup of quinoa. If you make this recipe with modifications, please let me know how you modify it and how it works out!

Bon Appetit!

* note on quinoa: to yield 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa, boil 1 cup water, then add 1/2 cup quinoa. Once the water returns to a boil, set it to simmer, cover the saucepan, and allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the majority of the water has been absorbed. Let the saucepan sit, covered, for 3-5 minutes before using in recipe.

directions

Today is our National Day of Service. On this day in 2010, I worked with two other VISTAs in my program to volunteer at a nonprofit that provided housing for people with family in the hospital. This year, I spent MLK Day running and buying furniture. It made me look at how my life has changed so much since my year of service in Milwaukee.
-
When I started this blog, I was a very different person than I am today. I started my year as a VISTA as a driven person with goals and bit of naivete. I worked long hours at my site, but never let it get in the way of taking care of myself (well, except for that one time I worked myself so hard that I ended up sleeping for an entire weekend).

The goal of this blog was to prove a point that so many people argue against, which is that nutrition and budgeting cannot go hand-in-hand. With my EBT card in one hand and shopping list in the other, I set to make a point that the critics are wrong about this - just because you're living at the poverty level doesn't mean you can't do so while eating whole grains and vegetables. And I'd like to think I made that point in a compelling manner.

My life has changed since then. I moved back to New Jersey for graduate school. I no longer qualify for foodstamps, because despite the balance in my checking account, I make too much money.

I'm also cooking at a different level, too. My apartment consists of an amazing kitchen space that I have utilized to its capacity. I don't have to chop vegetables on my dining room table anymore - I actually have more than one countertop, unlike the studio I lived in during my time in Milwaukee. Cooking is no longer a challenge.

Bearing all of this in mind, I cannot help but feel like this growth has inhibited the point of this blog. I went through my phase of posting baking recipes, which completely defeated the purpose of this blog. Furthermore, I have an overall different quality of life from then. I have gadgets in my kitchen that I could only dream of owning back then. In fact, it felt like a splurge when I bought a blender in 2009.

By no means does of any of this mean that I will end this blog. It just means that I feel like I lost my original intent of maintaining it. And with that in mind, I am going to strive to provide more budget-friendly recipes in the future that require only tools and ingredients that are affordable.

Recipe: Vegetarian Paella

My introduction to paella was unforgettable. I was studying in France for a semester, and one weekend I took an impromptu trip to Madrid by myself. I felt tunnel-visioned in regards to political history paper I was writing (I did a comparison between the German and French Resistance during World War II, which is a difficult topic to deal with before you consider the fact that I had to write it entirely in French), so I decided to best way to relax would be to get out of town for a long weekend. The hostel I stayed in was a little hole-in-the-wall on a quiet street in the downtown area of the city. After my first full day in the city, which I spent going to museums and taking long walks through parks, I went down to the bar in the hostel's basement to unwind. I walked up to the bar to get a drink, and was given said drink, along with a bowl of vegetarian paella. It was so incredible, and to this day I always think of that trip whenever I see paella on a menu.

Recently, I've been on a soup kick for almost a month, so in order to mix things up a bit, I decided to make vegetarian paella for the first time. Not only was it tasty to me, but the omnivorous friend I shared it with one night practically ate his entire dish in two minutes flat.

The nice thing about vegetarian paella is that its complex flavors don't involve complex preparation. Once the vegetables are chopped and other ingredients are measured, there's a lot of waiting around. Furthermore, it's pretty budget-friendly. The most expensive ingredient is saffron, and any good chef will have that in their pantry already.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped (yields 1 cup)
6 green onions, sliced
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp crumbled saffron threads
1 cup short-grain brown rice
3 cups broccoli florets
1 cup baby peas (I used frozen, since I already had them in my freezer)
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
1 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

directions:
1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper and green onions; cook 5 minutes. Stir in broth, garlic, and saffron; bring to a boil. Sprinkle rice over ingredients, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, 10 minutes.
2. Sprinkle broccoli, peas, tomatoes, mushrooms, and artichokes over rice. Cover, and cook paella 8 minutes, or until rice is tender. Remove from heat, and let rest, covered, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
3. To serve, spoon paella into 6 bowls, and garnish each with lemon wedges and parsley.

Serves 6

I miss my kitchen.

I am one of the 1.7 million PSE&G customers that lost power during hurricane Sandy. As I write this at 1:30 pm on Saturday, November 3rd, I am one of the remaining PSE&G customers that has not had power restored to my home. For me, this means that since approximately 6:00 pm the night of the storm, I have had no electricity, heat, or functioning stove/oven.

I'm sure there are people who have had it far worse than myself while dealing with the aftermath of the storm. I consider myself fortunate to still have my home intact and all of my belongings with me. My mom and brother in Jersey City are also safe with power completely restored and no flooding in their building.

That being said, I have not been enjoying living life as a temporary drifter. I have been waking up to go to the mall for breakfast (thank you to the crews at Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks for dealing with my uncaffeinated attitude), then I hang around my gym to work out and use their electricity/hot water, followed by hanging out at the mall/working at my retail job. I've been eating at DD and Starbucks for breakfast, then eating a foot long sub from Subway for lunch and dinner.

Yesterday I cleaned out my fridge. Anyone who knows me knows that I hate to waste food, so to throw out all the fruit and veggies that I just bought last week bothered me so much. I didn't throw it all out, though...I found a bell pepper and some broccoli that still looked good, so at least I can put those to good use when I can cook again.

With tonight's real feel low of 23 degrees, I am unsure of what to do if my heat is not turned back on in time. I hesitate to go to Jersey City because of the gas shortage. I feel at a loss.

Any of you compelled to make a monetary donation for hurricane relief, please contact the American Red Cross. To donate goods, contact any fire department in Monmouth County.

Recipe: Red Curry Eggplant, Kale, and Tofu

This is probably one of the easiest curry recipes I've ever made. I used my electric wok, but it could easily be made in a large frying pan or saucepan.

Ingredients:
2 Tbs Thai red curry paste (I prefer Thai Kitchen)
1 Tbs sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbs vegetable oil
1 package extra firm tofu, cubed
1 8oz eggplant, cut into 1 inch thick chunks
1 shallot, minced
1 lb kale, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup light coconut milk

Directions:
whisk together curry paste, sugar, garlic and 2 Tbs water in a small bowl. set aside.
heat oil in wok or pan over medium-high heat. add tofu and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly browned.
add eggplant and shallot, then cook for another 5 minutes, or until eggplant is browned. stir in curry mixture and cook for 1 minute, or until tofu and vegetables are fully coated.
add kale and cook 1-2 minutes or until leaves are wilted. stir in coconut milk at 1.5 cups water, then season with sea salt, if desired.
reduce heat to medium-low, then cover pan or wok. simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until eggplant is tender.

serve over brown rice

Recipe: Chickpea and Spinach Stew

One of my favorite tapas dishes is spinach with chickpeas. I love it because while the dish itself is so simple, the flavors are intense and complex. That being said, short of eating a large version of the tapas dish, it is difficult to make a meal out of it. This stew was the perfect solution!

I forgot to stock up on vegetable broth (pun intended) when I made this, so I used what little I had and combined it with water. The original recipe also called for pear tomatoes, but I used roma instead.

ingredients:
8 cups vegetable broth
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp paprika (I chose to use smoked paprika to add a little flavor)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 pinches saffron threads
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, minced
2 roma tomatoes, stemmed and diced
2 cans garbanzo beans
1/2 cup golden raisins

instructions:
1. place vegetable broth in a stockpot over high heat. add the garlic, paprika, cumin, saffron, and cloves. cover and bring to a boil
2. place a medium sized skillet on medium0high heat and add the olive oil. stir in the shallots and tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes. set aside.
3. When the broth has come to a boil add the spinach and cook until it wilts, about 1-2 minutes.
4. place the beans in a colander and rinse/drain thoroughly. stir into the soup along with the shallots and tomatoes and raisins. continue to cook over medium-high heat for three minutes.
Serves 6

No, Really...I'm Back

I know, I know, it' been a while. But I really am back this time. And I'm doing these things differently this time.

After much reflection, I realized that the way I ate when I started this blog was unhealthy. I was so driven to look healthy that I sacrificed my eating habits in the process. But I was losing weight while staying in the healthy part of my BMI, so it never occrred to me that I wasn't eating correctly. Unfortunately, after hitting my weight loss goal, my weight spiked back up.

Since the summer of 2010, I've put on a total of twenty pounds. Now I want to take it off and keep it off...the right way.

I recently started seeing a nutrition major at my university. She told me that I wasn't making it to 1200 calories every day and too much of what I was eating were empty calories. Plain and simple, I needed to make positive changes to my lifestyle.

Following my nutritionist's meal plan, I'm not only eating better, but I'm exercising differently, too. When I'm not taking a fitnes class, I was just doing thirty minutes on the treadmill and two sets of ab work. I'm now doubling my time on the treadmill, spending several minutes doing floorwork between thirty minute sets on the treadmill/bike.

Since making all of these changes, I have managed to drop eight pounds. Though through all this weight gain and loss I have stayed within my healthy BMI range, I am living proof that BMI is not the most accurate way to measure whether or not a person is overweight. My tiny frame shows gain and loss this dramatic in an obvious way, and I was tired of having a gut.

No, this blog is not going to become a weight loss blog. I want to continue to focus on healthy eating, but in a way that emphasizes eating the right way. I won't just feature a recipe, but I'll also include the vegetables to eat on the side.

If anyone has feedback on these changes, please share it!

Recipe: Couscous with chickpeas and fresh vegetables

Now that my summer classes are over, I have a lot of free time on my hands. This can only mean one thing as far as I'm concerned...more time to cook for myself! I decided to put my box of whole wheat couscous to work. The original recipe calls for cucumber, but mine went bad so I just omitted it. I'll still include it in the recipe, though, since I'm sure it's good with the addition.

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup uncooked couscous
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
2 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
1/4 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
garlic powder to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in couscous, and remove from heat. Cover, and let stand about 5 minutes, until liquid has been absorbed. Fluff with a fork.
2. In a large bowl, mix couscous and garbanzo beans. Toss in tomatoes and cucumbers. Stir olive oil and vinegar into the mixture. Season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper

My New Favorite Gadget

This is a bench scraper. I was first introduced to this amazing tool by Carole Walter during her baking class. She used it for everything.

Bench scrapers can be used in the following ways:
1. level off dry goods when measuring them

2. making slits in dough

3. transferring delicate dough/flipping said dough over

4. cleaning the flour off your workspace during and after kneading dough

Bench scrapers are fantastic tools and far from expensive-I bought a large one for myself for $7.

Off topic, but I recognize that I should have preceeded my last post with an explanation for my hiatus. Well, here are the reasons:
1. grad school sucks. no, really. I have no life now because of my classes. I'm registering for my summer and fall classes soon, so I'm hoping for an easier schedule before I lose my life to student teaching.

2. work. I'm still working twenty hours a week at my retail job, which sucks away my free time during the weekend.

3. vacation. I just got home about a week ago from a ten day trip to Israel. It was amazing and I cannot wait to go back.