This week I decided it was time to use up as many items as I can from my freezer. First off, I don't know exactly what's in there and second, I need more room. I've been shoving things in hoping the won't fall out whenever someone opens the door. I also wanted to keep our grocery list small because we seemed to over do the shopping last week (we needed to replenish our spice rack!).
Sunday 2/26/12:
We are going to do the nachos we were supposed to do last night. Last night friends took us to dinner for the hubbies birthday (and mine too...a little late, yay!). We'll have chips and salsa as well. I have some beets to make so I'll roast those for a side.
Monday 2/27/12:
I found a bag of stir fry mix in the freezer I had bought from Trader Joe's. I'll make that with some rice and whatever veggies I have left from the CSA. We also have salad left over.
Tuesday 2/28/12: The hubby's birthday!
He said he still wanted salad so I'll make a big ole salad and then a chocolate mousse for dessert. Yum!
Wednesday 2/29/12:
"Chicken" sandwiches with sweet potato fries and green beans.
Thursday 3/1/12:
Spaghetti and meatballs for us and meatball subs for Joe. I do love those meatless meatballs from Trader Joe's. We try and stay away from the fake meats but it seems my BK really likes them so we'll give in when necessary so he'll eat. :)
Friday 3/2/12:
The hubby's family is taking us to dinner for his birthday. Goes with the no cook Friday theme!
Saturday 3/3/12:
I'm going to ransack the freezer and make what we have, whatever that may be. I'm pretty sure we'll have stuff from the CSA to eat up as well. It will be more like a potluck...all made by me!
Cheers and happy eating!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
A great summer or spring salad
This salad was super easy and to be honest with you I did not make it up on my own. I have to thank Trader Joe's for giving me this great salad idea!
All it took was some multi-colored quinoa (bagged from Trader Joe's) some veggie confetti (also graciously cut up and in a bowl from Trader Joe's) and champagne dressing, again Trader Joe's. After making the quinoa according to package directions I mixed what I thought was a good combo together and threw it in the fridge for a bit. Wow, so tasty and so easy!!!
I think I'll make this simple salad for my daughter's first birthday for sure!!
Cheers and happy eating!
All it took was some multi-colored quinoa (bagged from Trader Joe's) some veggie confetti (also graciously cut up and in a bowl from Trader Joe's) and champagne dressing, again Trader Joe's. After making the quinoa according to package directions I mixed what I thought was a good combo together and threw it in the fridge for a bit. Wow, so tasty and so easy!!!
I think I'll make this simple salad for my daughter's first birthday for sure!!
Cheers and happy eating!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Tamale Pie
So, the first time I made tamale pie (last week) it was NOT a success. It was quite horrible, actually. It was a big mess! We ended up ordering out. I followed a recipe exactly and it was not good!
Oh yes, it was THAT bad!
I'm not one to give in to failure so I tried again tonight. Huge success! Why? Well, I'll tell you why. I didn't follow a recipe. I read up on tamale pie from several different websites and made my own. It was a hit, a success, we all loved it!
So much better!!!
This is what I did. This, so I remember and if you would like to make it you can. I'm thinking it will be great for a cookbook entry. :)
Tamale dough:
2 cups masa harina
2 cups room temp vegetable stock
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup oil (I used canola)
Mix all these ingredients in a bowl, it will become like a paste. Cover with foil or saran wrap and let sit at room temp for 15 minutes. This will allow all the water to absorb.
Tamale filling:
1 medium or half a large onion, chopped
1 yellow, red, or green bell pepper, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5 oz can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5 oz can refried beans
1 pablano pepper, roasted and chopped
1 cup frozen corn
For seasoning I used the taco seasoning you can get at Trader Joe's then added about 1/2 tablespoon of garlic and 2 teaspoons oregano. (you can make this up as you want or use your favorite taco seasonings)
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oven to broil. Move a rack to the top. Roast your pepper until it turns brown/black on all sides. Take it out and place it in a ziploc bag for a few moments. Rinse the charred bits off the pepper under running water. Small dice the pepper.
Heat a sauce pan with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil (or veg broth 1/4 cup if you prefer) and saute the onions, bell peppers, and garlic until translucent about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, beans, and corn and mix well. Let cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the seasoning and let cook for 10 minutes or until the mixture becomes thick. Be careful to not have too much liquid for baking.
Heat an oven to 350 degrees. Spray a rectangular baking pan with cooking spray. Put the bean mixture into the pan and spread evenly. Place the tamale dough on top as evenly as you can. I made little patties with my hands and pressed it on top of the filling. Bake for 45-60 minutes with foil on top. Remove the foil during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Remove from oven and let cool for a moment before serving.
If you make this let me know if this recipe is easy to use. :)
Cheers and happy eating!
***I edited this recipe, I forgot to add the roasted pepper***
Oh yes, it was THAT bad!
I'm not one to give in to failure so I tried again tonight. Huge success! Why? Well, I'll tell you why. I didn't follow a recipe. I read up on tamale pie from several different websites and made my own. It was a hit, a success, we all loved it!
So much better!!!
This is what I did. This, so I remember and if you would like to make it you can. I'm thinking it will be great for a cookbook entry. :)
Tamale dough:
2 cups masa harina
2 cups room temp vegetable stock
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup oil (I used canola)
Mix all these ingredients in a bowl, it will become like a paste. Cover with foil or saran wrap and let sit at room temp for 15 minutes. This will allow all the water to absorb.
Tamale filling:
1 medium or half a large onion, chopped
1 yellow, red, or green bell pepper, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5 oz can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5 oz can refried beans
1 pablano pepper, roasted and chopped
1 cup frozen corn
For seasoning I used the taco seasoning you can get at Trader Joe's then added about 1/2 tablespoon of garlic and 2 teaspoons oregano. (you can make this up as you want or use your favorite taco seasonings)
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oven to broil. Move a rack to the top. Roast your pepper until it turns brown/black on all sides. Take it out and place it in a ziploc bag for a few moments. Rinse the charred bits off the pepper under running water. Small dice the pepper.
Heat a sauce pan with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil (or veg broth 1/4 cup if you prefer) and saute the onions, bell peppers, and garlic until translucent about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, beans, and corn and mix well. Let cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the seasoning and let cook for 10 minutes or until the mixture becomes thick. Be careful to not have too much liquid for baking.
Heat an oven to 350 degrees. Spray a rectangular baking pan with cooking spray. Put the bean mixture into the pan and spread evenly. Place the tamale dough on top as evenly as you can. I made little patties with my hands and pressed it on top of the filling. Bake for 45-60 minutes with foil on top. Remove the foil during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Remove from oven and let cool for a moment before serving.
If you make this let me know if this recipe is easy to use. :)
Cheers and happy eating!
***I edited this recipe, I forgot to add the roasted pepper***
Meatless bolognese...no way!
I love bolognese sauce. It's always so meaty, so thick, so delicious. Topped with melted mozzarella it's the best!
Well, yeah we don't eat meat and cheese anymore so I had to figure out how to make a tasty bolognese vegan style!
I do think I could work on this sauce a bit more but I must say, it was quite good. It took 12 hours in the crockpot, 6 hours on high and 6 hours on low. I split it up between two days. What I was surprised about was the lentils still had a bite to them, they were not soft as I thought 12 hours would make them. There was carrots, onions, celery and tomatoes in this sauce. Some seasoning and a long cooking time and you've got a hearty dish. I made a veggie pasta to go with. The one thing I forgot that I will definitely add next time, vegan cheese! I would love the melted goodness on top.
As a side I made a gynormous salad, as I do every Tuesday. I usually put just balsamic vinegar on mine but this week I got a champagne vinagrette from Trader Joe's and used that. I also made the cole slaw, kholrabi/fennel slaw because I wanted to use up some of my CSA stuff. I wasn't sure it would go with dinner but it actually went quite well. Very tasty and makes a great snack the next day.
I'm going to work on this recipe a bit more so I can add it to my future cookbook. This and chili so far are candidates for entry. Perhaps it will be a vegan comfort food cookbook. Any thoughts on your end? Would love to hear!
Cheers and happy eating!
Well, yeah we don't eat meat and cheese anymore so I had to figure out how to make a tasty bolognese vegan style!
I do think I could work on this sauce a bit more but I must say, it was quite good. It took 12 hours in the crockpot, 6 hours on high and 6 hours on low. I split it up between two days. What I was surprised about was the lentils still had a bite to them, they were not soft as I thought 12 hours would make them. There was carrots, onions, celery and tomatoes in this sauce. Some seasoning and a long cooking time and you've got a hearty dish. I made a veggie pasta to go with. The one thing I forgot that I will definitely add next time, vegan cheese! I would love the melted goodness on top.
As a side I made a gynormous salad, as I do every Tuesday. I usually put just balsamic vinegar on mine but this week I got a champagne vinagrette from Trader Joe's and used that. I also made the cole slaw, kholrabi/fennel slaw because I wanted to use up some of my CSA stuff. I wasn't sure it would go with dinner but it actually went quite well. Very tasty and makes a great snack the next day.
I'm going to work on this recipe a bit more so I can add it to my future cookbook. This and chili so far are candidates for entry. Perhaps it will be a vegan comfort food cookbook. Any thoughts on your end? Would love to hear!
Cheers and happy eating!
CSA Week 1 Round 2
Lot's of great stuff from the CSA yet again. I'm really liking that we have this option in our food diet.
This week we got black radishes, lettuce, cauliflower(the pretty green one), garlic greens, rapini, red potatoes, chard, and turnips! Yummy!!
I just made a fennel kohlrabi slaw from one of our CSA baskets. Wow, so tasty. I added some carrot and green onions. J didn't like it much but she's not really a sweet fan. The hubby likes a dressing that's on the sweet side so that's what I made.
I will have to figure out what to do with rapini...I have no idea!
Cheers and happy eating!
This week we got black radishes, lettuce, cauliflower(the pretty green one), garlic greens, rapini, red potatoes, chard, and turnips! Yummy!!
I just made a fennel kohlrabi slaw from one of our CSA baskets. Wow, so tasty. I added some carrot and green onions. J didn't like it much but she's not really a sweet fan. The hubby likes a dressing that's on the sweet side so that's what I made.
I will have to figure out what to do with rapini...I have no idea!
Cheers and happy eating!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Menu for the week of 2/19/12-2/26/12
It's menu time again. I do need to remember to go through my cabinets and freezer to use up that food for next weeks menu. I'm running out of space in my kitchen!!
Sunday 2/19/12:
Chili. Yes, chili again. I'm working hard at perfecting it so we'll be eating it a lot! Cornbread on the side!
Monday 2/20/12:
Bolognese sauce with pasta. Now, I've only every had bolognese sauce with lot's of meat so this will be different but why not give it a try. I'm also going to make a quinoa vegetable salad!
Tuesday 2/21/12:
Is it Fat Tuesday? I have no idea. But, if it is I may make vegan etouffe instead of salad. But, what's planned is salad.
Wednesday 2/22/12:
I'm going to give Tamale Pie another go. Wish me luck. New recipe...it's gotta be good. Chips and salsa.
Thursday 2/23/12:
Falafel (pita sandwich), curry rice and green beans. I'm going to make the falafel myself. First time for everything.
Friday 2/24/12:
No cook Friday night. We'll see!
Saturday 2/25/12:
Ultimate Nachos! BK's mom told us of a "meat" that's super tasty so we're going to give it a try too. Yum!
Cheers and happy eating!
Sunday 2/19/12:
Chili. Yes, chili again. I'm working hard at perfecting it so we'll be eating it a lot! Cornbread on the side!
Monday 2/20/12:
Bolognese sauce with pasta. Now, I've only every had bolognese sauce with lot's of meat so this will be different but why not give it a try. I'm also going to make a quinoa vegetable salad!
Tuesday 2/21/12:
Is it Fat Tuesday? I have no idea. But, if it is I may make vegan etouffe instead of salad. But, what's planned is salad.
Wednesday 2/22/12:
I'm going to give Tamale Pie another go. Wish me luck. New recipe...it's gotta be good. Chips and salsa.
Thursday 2/23/12:
Falafel (pita sandwich), curry rice and green beans. I'm going to make the falafel myself. First time for everything.
Friday 2/24/12:
No cook Friday night. We'll see!
Saturday 2/25/12:
Ultimate Nachos! BK's mom told us of a "meat" that's super tasty so we're going to give it a try too. Yum!
Cheers and happy eating!
Saturday, February 18, 2012
General Tao's Tofu and some other stuff...
I'd like to start off by talking about the fact that I have not blogged much this week. I find that cooking is sort of a therapy for me. It brings me, mentally, to a calmer place. I find a bit of solace in it. It hasn't always been this way though. I started out telling my mom and sister, both of which cooked often, that I would never learn because I would marry rich and have a cook. Well, many years later I became that cook after attending culinary school. I went for my BS in Microbiology and Chemistry and when I felt I was bored with that field I moved on to culinary school. It was that or massage school(the thought of touchy excessively hairy bodies of those I did not know grossed me out so culinary school was my choice). I basically taught myself to cook because of my food issues, not being able to eat processed foods and all. But, I went anyway and it turn learned more than I went in with.
So, since then I've used it as a form of therapy. I feel good when I cook. Even when I'm running around the kitchen like a chicken with its head cut off and ranting and raving I still enjoy every minute of it. It fuels me, it excites me. This week, however, I just didn't even have the energy to muster to cook. My mood was pretty low and I didn't even want to use cooking to perk me up. I had quite the stressful week.
In August of last year I was involved in a car accident. I was hit from behind which then pushed me into the truck in front of me. I was far enough behind him that I didn't expect to be moved that far ahead to hit him. I basically became a Beetle sandwich. Initially only my neck and back bothered me but by late that evening my left arm near my elbow really started to bother me. A few days later it felt as though my arm had fallen asleep and nothing I did would wake it up. So, fast forward to now. I have nerve damage(found by surgery) which had to released so to speak. I had one of my nerves, the ulnar nerve, relocated in my arm and my medial nerve was released as well. I've been through physical therapy, acupuncture, and pain medications. It's been a long tough road.
This week after going through this since the surgery(November of last year) I was told that I wasn't giving my short term disability people through my work the information they actually needed. The problem is, I was told(this whole time) that I was. So, my claim has been denied which puts me in deep trouble with work. Because I have not been then quite a year nor have I worked 1250 hours I do not qualify for FMLA so my job is not secure. All this time I thought I was doing the right thing because I was told that I was. Anyway, I'm going to appeal the decision and hope for the best. But, in the meantime this week has just been rough. I'm in pain every day and have been since August. This can wear on ones mind, hence the therapeutic cooking sessions. And now this. On top of it I'm going through, ironically, painful pain management therapy and I have to pay for it out of pocket. This too wears on me quite a bit.
I will do my best to get to Valentine's Day dinner, it was a tasty evening. After that I hadn't cooked until tonight.
Just throwing some non-food blog out there because I feel it's something that needs to be said.
As for tonight:
I made General Tao's Tofu. I must admit I really enjoyed it. I'm not generally one for sweeter sauces but this one was quite good. The hubby, however, thought the "breading" on the tofu was too chewy. Next time I will coat it better with the coating mixture and fry a bit longer. I think that may satisfy his palate. The recipe I used was from vegweb.com. I used egg replacer and water to coat the tofu then threw in some cornstarch. It made a thick paste. I then fried it in vegetable oil. I removed it from the pan and cooked up garlic, ginger and green onions. To that I added veg stock, soy sauce, sherry, white vinegar, red pepper flakes, and sugar. I mixed up some cornstarch and water and threw that in to make a thick sauce. Tossed the tofu back in and served over rice. I also steamed up some broccoli for a side. Again, I thought it was great!!
I'll definitely make this dish again but modify to my own liking.
And, I'll do my best to get back to what I love, cooking. My therapy, my solace, my peace. One day I'll write a cookbook. I think that will be the ultimate!
Cheers and happy eating!
So, since then I've used it as a form of therapy. I feel good when I cook. Even when I'm running around the kitchen like a chicken with its head cut off and ranting and raving I still enjoy every minute of it. It fuels me, it excites me. This week, however, I just didn't even have the energy to muster to cook. My mood was pretty low and I didn't even want to use cooking to perk me up. I had quite the stressful week.
In August of last year I was involved in a car accident. I was hit from behind which then pushed me into the truck in front of me. I was far enough behind him that I didn't expect to be moved that far ahead to hit him. I basically became a Beetle sandwich. Initially only my neck and back bothered me but by late that evening my left arm near my elbow really started to bother me. A few days later it felt as though my arm had fallen asleep and nothing I did would wake it up. So, fast forward to now. I have nerve damage(found by surgery) which had to released so to speak. I had one of my nerves, the ulnar nerve, relocated in my arm and my medial nerve was released as well. I've been through physical therapy, acupuncture, and pain medications. It's been a long tough road.
This week after going through this since the surgery(November of last year) I was told that I wasn't giving my short term disability people through my work the information they actually needed. The problem is, I was told(this whole time) that I was. So, my claim has been denied which puts me in deep trouble with work. Because I have not been then quite a year nor have I worked 1250 hours I do not qualify for FMLA so my job is not secure. All this time I thought I was doing the right thing because I was told that I was. Anyway, I'm going to appeal the decision and hope for the best. But, in the meantime this week has just been rough. I'm in pain every day and have been since August. This can wear on ones mind, hence the therapeutic cooking sessions. And now this. On top of it I'm going through, ironically, painful pain management therapy and I have to pay for it out of pocket. This too wears on me quite a bit.
I will do my best to get to Valentine's Day dinner, it was a tasty evening. After that I hadn't cooked until tonight.
Just throwing some non-food blog out there because I feel it's something that needs to be said.
As for tonight:
I made General Tao's Tofu. I must admit I really enjoyed it. I'm not generally one for sweeter sauces but this one was quite good. The hubby, however, thought the "breading" on the tofu was too chewy. Next time I will coat it better with the coating mixture and fry a bit longer. I think that may satisfy his palate. The recipe I used was from vegweb.com. I used egg replacer and water to coat the tofu then threw in some cornstarch. It made a thick paste. I then fried it in vegetable oil. I removed it from the pan and cooked up garlic, ginger and green onions. To that I added veg stock, soy sauce, sherry, white vinegar, red pepper flakes, and sugar. I mixed up some cornstarch and water and threw that in to make a thick sauce. Tossed the tofu back in and served over rice. I also steamed up some broccoli for a side. Again, I thought it was great!!
I'll definitely make this dish again but modify to my own liking.
And, I'll do my best to get back to what I love, cooking. My therapy, my solace, my peace. One day I'll write a cookbook. I think that will be the ultimate!
Cheers and happy eating!
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