Jigsaw's Galley

New home!

2011-08-20T18:38:00.000-05:00

Hi there! I have decided to relocate my cooking blog and combine it with my crafty adventures blog. You can now find my cooking exploits here:

http://jonesygetscrafty.blogspot.com/

This page will remain here, but won't be updated.

Makin Whoopie!

2011-08-18T20:45:00.000-05:00

MAD BAKIN SKILLZ UP IN HEA, FOOLS!!

Banana Pecan Whoopie Pies with Chocolate Buttercream Filling

Whoopie Pies (From my new Whoopie Pie book)

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
large pinch of salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3/4 cup light (I used dark, actually) brown sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1/3 cup buttercup (I used 3\4 cup soy milk and 2 tbsp lemon juice, because I didn't have buttermilk)
1 large ripe banana, peeled and mashed
3/4 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray your whoopie pan pan with Baker's Joy (or put parchment paper on a cookie sheet). Sift together all dry ingredients. Set aside.

Beat butter and brown sugar until well combined. Add egg and banana, then buttermilk. Add the dry mixture a little at a time. (I actually had to use about 1/8 cup of water to this batter because I got paranoid that it was too thick. It worked.) Beat until well mixed. Stir in pecans.

Spoon onto your sheet or into your whoopie pie pan. This batter is pretty thick, just a warning, but it turns out nice! Bake for about 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Let them cool completely. Sandwich some delicious butter cream in the middle...

Chocolate Buttercream Filling (From Martha Stewart's Cupcakes)
This makes a TON of frosting!

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp boiling water
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
2-3 cups confectioner's sugar (add as needed to stiffen the frosting)
a pinch of salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Combine cocoa and boiling water, stirring until cocoa has dissolved (yes, it will be THICK). Beat butter, sugar and salt until fluffy. Reduce speed and add both chocolates. Beat until well combined. Keep adding confectioner's sugar to make the frosting thicker (I don't even know how much I used.)

New fun things!

2011-08-17T20:03:00.000-05:00

Look out, bitchez. I gots some new stuff and I'm about to melt faces, Indiana Jones style.

The bottom thing is a brownie/cake pop pan. I'm looking forward to many fun times with it!

Lemon Almond Meringues (or Yum Yum Paradise)

2011-08-14T18:05:00.001-05:00

UGH I really wish I could take pretty pretty pictures. But I just can't. It is not my forte. Anyhow, here are some DELICIOUS Almond Lemon Meringues!

Lemon Almond Meringues
Makes about 24
From Joy the Baker
http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/

1/4 cup finely ground almonds (I ground up some sliced almonds in my food processor)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 large egg whites
pinch of salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
sliced almonds
powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Use a spice grinder or food processor to finely grind slivered almonds. Measure out 1/4 cup of ground almonds. Place ground almonds on one of the lined baking sheets and toast in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Place in a small bowl, toss in the cornstarch, and set aside to cool.

In the bowl on an electric stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites and pinch of salt on medium speed. Make sure that the bowl and whisk are completely clean and dry, egg whites are sensitive. Beat until frothy peaks form. Increase the mixer speed to medium high, and gradually add sugar. Add lemon juice. Neat until mixture is glossy white and holds stiff peaks. This took me about 6 minutes.

Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and add ground almond mixture and lemon zest. Gently fold together until mixture is thoroughly incorporated. Transfer meringue into a large pastry bag fitted with a star tip, or you can simply use a large soup spoon to dollop meringue onto lined baking sheet. Create 2 inch circles either using the pastry bag or spoon method.

Generously sift powdered sugar on top of the meringues. Top with slivered almonds.

Place sheet trays in the oven and bake for 50 minutes. Turn off the oven, open the door a crack, and leave meringues in the oven until they’re completely dry. When cool, remove meringues from the baking sheet and enjoy. Cookies can be stored, in an airtight container, for up to 1 week.

Cheddar Bacon Corn Muffins

2011-07-17T10:47:00.000-05:00

I'm making up for my lack of posting! ha!

I was thumbing through some of my cooking magazines trying to find some new recipes for dinner and lunch. I love sandwiches, but I'd like a little more variety in my lunches and I'm bored cooking the same old stuff for dinner.

I came across an article about muffins. I've made ham and cheese muffins for breakfast in the past and they turned out pretty good. The only thing is, even if you freeze them, a few days later, they're just not that good. I like nice fluffy muffins and these got dry and just not as good when I reheated them. I even tried wrapping them in a damp napkin to help with moisture.

I found a recipe for bacon cheddar jalapeno corn muffins. PERFECT. So I cheated and got some Jiffy corn muffin mix and went to town. I omitted the jalapenos because I didn't have any, but will definitely add a crap ton next time! The good thing about the Jiffy mix is that it only makes like 6 muffins. I can eat them all at once. However, I won't. I only ate two today.

Cheddar Bacon Corn Muffins
1 box Jiffy Corn Mix (or any other kind you like)
1 egg
1/3 cup milk (I used soy milk because that's what I had)
4 pieces bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled or chopped (I used turkey bacon)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar (I used extra sharp)
pepper if you want

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare the mix according to the box. Mix in the cheddar, bacon, and pepper. Let the mix sit about 4-5 minutes. This will make your muffins crown better. I don't know why. Spoon into muffin cups (or make sure to grease your muffin tin if you're not using cups), filling them about half way. Bake for about 15 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test (you know, sticking a toothpick in and having it come out mostly clean).

Now, when you add the extra ingredients, keep in mind that it will make a few more than 6 muffins. I got 8 out of my batter. Here is how pretty the batter looks.

And here is how pretty they look after they're baked.

And this is how you should eat them. Do not forget the butter/margarine/whatever.

Vanilla Pound Cake

2011-07-17T10:35:00.001-05:00

Hi, all! It's been a while, hasn't it? Well, due to all the business in my life the past month and a half, I haven't had much time to blog, much less to try many new foods!

We just moved into a new apartment and it has a gas range. This makes me happy beyond belief. It cooks food more evenly, and I can actually bake cakes and breads in it! My last oven was a crappy old electric one, and the burners were all off kilter and uneven, and I couldn't fix it. The oven wouldn't bake breads and cakes right, so I always came out with a freaking mess that was all burned on the bottom and sides and watery in the middle. Infuriating!

Well, we've been here two weeks, and I decided I'd try the oven out for a bread. So I made my first pound cake!

Vanilla Pound Cake

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 6-cup (8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch) loaf pan; set aside. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; add vanilla and salt. With mixer on low, gradually add flour, beating just until combined. You don't want to over mix it. Bake for about an hour. I checked on mine about 45 minutes in to make sure it didn't burn. It took mine an hour and 5 minutes, actually. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 1 hour (tent with aluminum foil if browning too quickly). Let cool in pan 15 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack, and turn upright to cool completely.

I found that this recipe made a very dense and not vanilla-y enough cake, but it's pretty good! I'd like mine a bit more spongy and next time, I'll add a crap ton of vanilla, maybe even some vanilla bean scrapings. But for my first pound cake, it was pretty good!

Culinary Adventures- Mushroom and Goat Cheese Quesadillas

2011-06-04T23:29:00.001-05:00

I went to the fancy pants HEB store in Westlake on Thursday since we were in the area and we have only ever been once. They have a nice little Central Market deli inside. I saw something I thought would be amazing- mushroom and goat cheese quesadillas! Yes, please.

I bought one with plans to eat it on Friday for breakfast. I heated it up in the oven, took about four bites, and felt nauseated for three hours. It was deep fried, apparently, in animal fat. Now, I'm in no way vegetarian, but I don't care for much deep fried in lard. I can taste the lard, it's got a sourish taste to me, and it makes me sick to my stomach. It was also loaded with some stalky vegetable that I was not diggin on. And cilantro. I don't like cilantro.

Well, needless to say, I was disappointed. Then my lovely and way too much faith in me having friend Elizabeth said "Well, you can just make your own!" Yes, I do believe I can. Now, this isn't the goat cheese a lot of people have in mind when they think of goat cheese. It's not like feta, it's like block cheese made of goat's milk rather than cow's. Anyway, here's what I tried:

1 cup cremini mushrooms, chopped but not too small
2 cloves garlic, chunked up (not too fine, not too big, you know what I mean?)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and 1 more tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup some onion (not sure how much, I should really start measuring it), diced
1/2 jalapeno, diced with seeds in
2 tbsp refried black beans
goat cheese- I used Drunken Goat cheese that I got at Whole Foods. It's a semi-soft cheese that is not very pungent and tastes amazing.

Process mushrooms, garlic, onion, jalapeno and beans in food processor (I recommend using a small 3 or 4 cup processor) until well blended. Heat oil in a pan and spoon the mixture into the pan. Cook on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes. Spread the mixture onto half of a tortilla of your choice. Add cheese. Fold the tortilla over to make it look like a taco. Grill the quesadilla for a few minutes. I like mine kinda burnt and crispy.

Sorry I don't have a photo. I kinda do, but it's not very good. I may add it later...

Sea Monster

2011-06-04T12:24:00.000-05:00

Looking for a refreshing and not really strong summer cocktail? The cute lil lady over at Sweet Toothed shows us how to make this Sea Monster drink! And it's fantastic. I'm drinking one now. It's REALLY hot in Austin, and this is super refreshing!

Pic courtesy of Sweet Toothed
http://sweetoothed.com/

Pour 1 ounce spiced rum over ice cubes in a glass, add 3 ounces grapefruit juice, stir and add 2 ounces ginger beer and top with 1/2 ounce grenadine. Enjoy!

Meringue cookies

2011-03-29T19:49:00.000-05:00

I visited my family this past weekend and while visiting with my Granny, she gave me a recipe for Meringue cookies. To be honest, I was a little intimidated by them. I've never beat egg whites for a meringue, what if they fell? What if I made a disgusting mess? Well, I decided if I never tried them, I'd never know! So, I made a batch and took them to work. I thought they were a little too sweet for my taste, but everyone else seemed to like them. They didn't go as fast as my cupcakes do, but I'll say I took a whole batch to work and there are none left, so they can't have been that bad. I took a photo of them, but it was with my phone at work and it didn't come out at all, so sorry about that. Here's the recipe, though!

Meringue Cookies

2 egg whites at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

2/3 cup sugar

½ tsp cream of tartar

nuts and chocolate pieces

Preheat oven to 350 F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until foamy. Add cream of tartar and beat until fluffy but not dry. Gradually add sugar a little at a time and continue to beat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is shiny and holds together. Gently fold in nuts and chocolate. Spoon the mixture onto the parchment paper, leaving an inch between each piece. Place the sheet into the oven and immediately turn off the oven. Allow the cookies to remain in the oven for at least two hours but preferably overnight. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN! I know it's hard, but don't.

Green Chile Almond Cream Sauce

2011-03-28T21:55:00.000-05:00

So, so bad on updating, yes, I know. But I do have a new recipe for you! I found it on www.veganchef.com and used it for a potluck at work. It is REALLY good and we ate it on chips and, of all things, falafel, which I also made! You could use this sauce in place of sour cream and probably on a taco salad if you were so inclined. Other uses suggested by the Vegan Chef: a condiment or spread on sandwiches, a dip for raw veggies or chips, or as a sauce for steamed vegetables and grains.

A few things I want to say here- DO NOT let the nutritional yeast gross you out or deter you if you have never used it. It comes in a flake form and sort of, at least to me, lends a SLIGHTLY cheesy taste. It's a great little additive to foods, and I'm so glad I was introduced to it. Also, despite the almonds, the sauce is not sweet at all. I guess the almonds are there to give it a more substantial texture. And I think my favorite part, besides blending it all up, was blanching and skinning the almonds!

Green Chile Almond Cream Sauce

1/2 cup raw almonds
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup safflower oil
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice or lime juice
1 - 4 oz. can diced green chiles (I used an 8 oz can and it was still really good)
2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro (optional- I don't eat cilantro but it may add a good flavor for those who do!)
Begin by blanching the almonds: in a small saucepan, place 2 inches of water, and bring to a boil. Add the almonds and cook for 1 minute. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside for 3 minutes to cool. Remove the almonds from the water, squeeze each almond between your thumb and forefinger to remove the skin, and set them aside for 5 minutes to dry and cool. Place the almonds in a blender or food processor and process for 1-2 minutes to finely grind them. Add the nutritional yeast, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, and salt, and process for 30 seconds to combine.
In a small measuring cup, combine the oil and water, and add the mixture to the blender in a slow stream while the machine is running. Scrape down the sides of the container, add the vinegar and lemon juice, and continue to process the mixture an additional 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Transfer the mixture to an airtight container and stir in the green chiles and cilantro. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or more, to allow the flavors to blend.

Garlic Butter Roasted Mushrooms

2011-02-13T17:27:00.000-06:00

HOLY GOD I HAVE TO TRY THIS.

(Photo courtesy of SmittenKitchen.com)

Garlic Butter Roasted Mushrooms

1 pound mushrooms such as cremini or white, halved lengthwise if large
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle. Toss mushrooms with capers, garlic, oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper in a 1 1/2- to 2-qt shallow baking dish. Top with butter and roast, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and golden and bubbly garlic sauce forms below, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Serve immediately, with crusty bread on the side for swiping up the juices.

Quick Pickled Cucumbers

2011-02-13T17:14:00.002-06:00

Oh, and here's something else delicious I made today!

(photo courtesy of iFood.tv)

Quick Pickled Cucumbers

6 tbsp white vinegar
4 tsp coarse salt
2 cucumbers (the English hothouse cucumbers work best, but I could only get regular cucumbers today)
1/4 cup dill weed
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Stir vinegar and 4 teaspoons coarse salt in small bowl until salt dissolves. Place cucumbers and dill in heavy resealable plastic bag. Add vinegar mixture; seal bag. Turn several times to coat. Refrigerate overnight, turning bag occasionally. Pour cucumber mixture into large sieve set over bowl. Drain at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours. Discard brine.

You can also use a cup of sugar. However, I loathe sweet pickles. So I did not.

Easy Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

2011-02-13T17:06:00.000-06:00

Hey, wanna know something REALLY good to make that's super easy? Snickerdoodle Cupcakes!

I cheat. I use the Duncan Hines white or vanilla cake mix and vanilla icing, but I doctor it up to make it Snickerdoodly. I add 2 tsp of vanilla extract and about a tablespoon of cinnamon.

Bake the cupcakes according to the directions on the package. Let them cool for about half an hour or so.

THEN, ice the cupcakes however you want. For these, I like to make them look a little fancy so I put the frosting into a baggie, snip a corner off, and squeeze the icing to make a swirly little dollop.

Sprinkle each with just a little cinnamon. These really are amazing and you don't have to tell anyone you cheated. Although, I guess I just told the whole internet...

Potato and Corn Chowder

2011-02-13T16:51:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, we went to lunch at Blue Dahlia Bistro in East Austin. It's one of my very favorite places for a soup and sandwich. Their bread is baked fresh and most of their ingredients are organic and purchased locally. Not to mention, they have THE best fresh squeezed pomegranate lemonade!

Yesterday, their Soup du Jour was potato and corn chowder. I'd never had it, so we ordered a big old bowl and it was SO good! I decided to make my own. Now, it's not as good as Blue Dahlia's, because I'm sure they use butter and heavy cream, but mine is pretty darned tasty and even picky old Allen liked it! I got the recipe from Epicurious.com. I've also seen recipes calling for sweet potatoes. I may try that next...

(Photo courtesy of harvardfarmersmarket.org)

Potato and Corn Chowder

1 can corn (Sorry, I can't find fresh ears right now)
2-3 cups water
1 pound red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (2 1/4 cups)- don't peel em!
1/2 cup chopped white or yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 thyme sprigs or 1 tsp ground thyme
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup soy milk
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 tsp course salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne or paprika

Put the cubed potato pieces in a large pot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add water to boil. I think I put about 2 or 3 cups, probably up to about half an inch above the potatoes. Boil the potatoes for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the onion and garlic in olive oil on medium low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until they're a golden translucent color. When they're done, add the corn, thyme and paprika. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Turn the heat down on the potatoes to about medium. Add the corn mixture to the potatoes (the potatoes should be pretty soft and mushy, which is what you want, and your water should look pretty starchy or cloudy). Add the bay leaf and soy milk. Cover and simmer on medium for about 10 minutes, making sure not to let the potatoes stick. I know my stove is crazy hot and I have to watch it sometimes, or stuff will stick even on medium or low!

Lower the heat to medium-low and check on the consistency of your soup. It should be creamy looking from the potatoes and starchy water. If it's too thin, you can add a dash or two of cornstarch. Simmer another 10 minutes. Remove from heat and serve!

Today, breakfast rules.

2010-07-04T08:45:00.000-05:00

I have a love-hate relationship with breakfast. I grew up not eating it, and so that carried over into my adult life. I only started eating it every day like last year. Part of it being because I grew up in a non-breakfast household, the other reason is because I don’t like breakfast food, and apparently, it is a mortal sin in this country to not eat eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, waffles, biscuits, hash browns, or cereal for breakfast. Those foods upset my stomach in the morning. And I don’t normally care much for them anyway. Sometimes, I’ll just make a sandwich for breakfast, or I'll make a nice black bean and avocado thing, and if I eat it at work, someone will INFALLIBLY make a stupid comment like “A ham sandwich/blackbeans/whatever for breakfast???” Grr. I hate it when people comment on my food, unless it’s “That looks good.” Haha. But I don't like that so many people think you can only have gross food for breakfast!! And, frankly, just eating cereal or fruit does NOTHING for me. I'm hungry like an hour later. AND, if I eat something like toast or an english muffin, even with peanut butter or something on it (because I don't eat bacon and breakfast sausage on them), I get horrendous heartburn that will just NOT go away all day! Soooo, grrr to breakfast, usually.

Well, today, I had a very, very nice breakfast. I was looking around on food blogs and nesting blogs this week, because I like to see what other people eat, and I also, like looking at how people decorate their homes, and I like to drool over amazing architecture and furniture. One couple has a blog, The New Domestic, and aside from all the baby stuff, it’s really nice. They’re fancy pants people, but don’t seem stuck up in their writing, and I enjoy reading about their times in Provence or their amazing lives in, I think, Vancouver. And their photos are amazing. And, okay, their baby is freakin ridiculously cute, and I really don’t mind reading about her! But don’t tell anyone.

I was looking at their blog, and there was a picture of their breakfast one day. They had assembled light cheeses and meats, bread, black olives, small bread slices, and some sort of spreads for breakfast one morning. I thought that was absolutely brilliant, so I copied them. I got some pesto jack cheese, some Mediterranean cheddar (I suppose they're not really light cheeses, but I have them sliced real thin!! haha), some hard salami, whole black olives, Neufchatel cheese (it’s kind of like cream cheese, but not as tart), and a sliced boillo roll, and I made a REALLY nice breakfast today. I should have gotten a photo! Ah well, maybe next time, as I WILL be eating this again!

I also made some iced coffee. Here are some tips for iced coffee that I learned from the blog The Kitchn (No, there is no "e" in the name). First off, brew it the night before you plan to drink it. You COULD do it right before you plan to drink it, like, if you want some NOW, and if you do, I suggest you put it in the freezer for about 5 minutes and then refrigerate for another half hour or so, or else you won’t be able to get it ice cold, not even using ice. The ice will melt and it’ll be all watered down. Eww. So, I make it the night before.
Secondly, brew it doubly strong. I have a four cup coffee maker, because Allen doesn’t drink coffee, and we don’t really need a huge coffee maker. So, when I make coffee normally, I use three scoops of coffee grounds and I pour in water just past the three cup mark on the coffee maker (keep in mind that usually, a “cup” of coffee is supposed to be 6 ounces. I have no idea why that is, but that’s how most coffee makers I’ve used measure a “cup”. Pshaw!!). That makes a pretty good cup of coffee, just a tad on the strong side, which I like. Anyhow, for iced coffee, I put six scoops of coffee grounds in, and fill the maker to the 3.5 cup line, and brew it the night before I plan to drink it.

After the coffee has brewed, I put it in a big cup and add the sugar (and creamer if you like) while it’s hot. You can also add flavor, like vanilla or almond extract. Hmm, I wonder how adding some vanilla and some rum extract would taste…Then, I just stick it in the refrigerator overnight. Now, when you first make it and taste it to see if it’s sweet enough, it’s gonna taste WAY strong. However, it’ll mellow out a bit after it’s been sitting in the refrigerator overnight. I love drinking coffee, but find that sometimes, it gives me one hell of a heartburn. But when it’s cold, it doesn’t. So, I prefer to drink it cold in the summer when I can remember to make it ahead of time.
So, that was my amazing Fourth of July breakfast. I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday!

Empanadas

2010-07-03T13:04:00.000-05:00

Sorry I've been lax in updating the blog. It seems every time I sit down to do so, Allen is watching some streaming Netflix stuff, and so the photos won't load. Oy vey.

Well, I made a pretty good emapanada. And, it was very easy. Here is how.

Emapanadas

refried beans of your choice
cheese of your choice
onions
garlic
ready made pie crust (I used Pillsbury, but found it to be extremely salty. Ick.), or make your own (I suck at the pie crust making.)
taco meat
olive oil
margarine

Chop your garlic and onions, and sautee them for a few minutes on medium heat. Roll your pie crust out onto a floured surface. I used a big old cereal bowl for a "cutter", and put it open side down onto the crust. I mashed it down a little and then just pulled the rest of the crust away. That left a perfect empanada circle of crust.

Then, I put in my beans. You have to be careful not to overfill these, so just sort of eyeball it. I added my onions and garlic, and then my taco meat and a lot of cheese. Fold it over to it makes a half circle, and using a fork, or dampened fingers (use water, and not your mouth, gross face.), press the dough down around the edges to seal.

I'd also suggest melting some margarine or butter and brushing the dough before baking. Then, bake according to the instructions on your pie crust box. I did 15 minutes at 450 F, I think.

Then, eat it up!

Shepurds Pah

2010-06-23T20:05:00.000-05:00

...or Shepherd's Pie. I tried the Shepherd's Pie at Fado here in Austin, and I must say, it was amazing, and I vowed that I would make my own and gobble it up and make myself as happy as I had at Fado. For less than $11.99. Because that is what the pie cost at Fado.

Now, I will freely admit that the Shepherd's Pie at Fado is better. However, I did a pretty good job. Even the picky Allen loved it. Wanna know how I did it? I thought you may.

Shepherd's Pie

Makes 2

6 small yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly
1 large baking potato, peeled and cubed
half a pound of ground turkey
salt
pepper
basil
1 tbsp olive oil
onion, chopped (as much as you want)
2 carrots, thinly sliced.
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1/2 cup canned green peas
1 tbsp margarine
2 tbsp sour cream

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Boil the baking potato chunks for about 15-20 minutes, or until tender. Drain and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a pan. Add the onion and garlic, salt, pepper, and basil and cook on medium for about 4 minutes. Add ground turkey and cook until brown. Remove from pan and set aside.

Heat more olive oil and cook the potatoes and carrots until tender. Add canned peas and the meat mixture and stir gently until well combined.

Mash the boiled baking potato chunks with the margarine and sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.

In a oven-save dish (I used 2 lasagna boats because that's all I had!), put down the pie filling. Spoon the mashed potatoes over the top and spread like icing.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the mashed potatoes are slightly browned. DEVOUR. And here is what will happen:

Let's try to pick this up again. Also, Channa Masala.

2010-05-11T21:24:00.000-05:00

Hello! Long time no food blog, eh? I intend to change that. I don't know why I got out of the food blogging, really. I had a lot of good healthy recipes. But never mind, I think I may start up my food blog again. I may make the same things over and over, but I can still blog about food- restaurants, foods I try, pictures of food we take, etc!

To be perfectly honest, I had sort of lost my passion for cooking. I got into a routine, and we just started eating whatever was easiest, and we had the same things over and over, or we'd go out to eat. Recently, I went through my old cook book that I made back when I was vegan, and remembered coming home every night and cooking something new. I had a meal plan, and I usually stuck to it. And I learned so much and tried so many new things doing that!

Well, it's sort of hard to try new things when the other person in your life is picky. I stopped making so many things because Allen doesn't like them. So, I'd just make things he liked and never try anything new. I don't mean to sound like I blame him, because I totally do not. We sort of talked about it, and decided that I will make whatever I want, and if he doesn't like what I am making, he'll make his own dinner. So, it was through the old cook book I went!

I am really excited to pick this back up. I may not have a blog entry every day, but I will definitely update more often!

Tonight, I made some Honey Mustard Chicken. You can find the recipe in this blog somewhere! It was amazing. I also made some curry. It's Channa Masala, but I changed it up a little. Wanna know how I did it?

Channa Masala

1 can of ready-boiled chickpeas - rinsed in a colander
1 large onion chopped into long thin strips
3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite-sized chunks
1 tbsp garlic
1.5 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp garam masala
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1/2 cup soy milk (you may need more as this cooks down)

Get a large large pot in which to pour 2 or 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Heat the oil in the pot until hot. Add the onion and cumin seeds and watch them pop and fizzle for around 20 seconds. Then add the chopped onions and fry until they are lightly browned. Add garlic, stir fry on medium heat for a few minutes - and then add the salt, garam masala, and turmeric. Stir it all thoroughly on medium flame.

Then add the chunks of potato and stir until well coated in spices. Then add about half a cup of water and the soy milk into the pot. Put the lid on and bring to boil. Let it simmer on a very low flame for around 20 mins with the lid on. This will soften the potato. After about 20 mins - check to see that the potato chunks are soft. Add the chickpeas. Stir it all up and more soy milk if needed. Bring to a fierce boil and then turn the flame down to simmer the pot for a while, with the lid partially on. Simmer for about 15 more minutes. Remove from heat, secure lid, and let it it stand for around 15 mins before serving. I serve mine over brown or jasmine rice.

I don't have a photo of this yet. I made it for lunch. So, tomorrow, I will try to remember to get a photo with my phone!

Creamy Paprika Chicken

2009-03-09T19:35:00.002-05:00

Yes, I know, make with the blogging!

As I posted earlier, I've changed my eating habits, and I'm working on revamping my older recipes to make them healthier. As a result, nothing really new has come up, and there's no point in blogging about old shit again. I've lost 8.6 pounds since I started this on February 2.

I did, however, make a fantastic dish tonight. And it was so easy. This makes 4 servings.

Creamy Paprika Chicken

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
a dash of salt
1 can 98% fat free cream of chicken and mushroom (if you can't find this, use a half can of cream of chicken and a half can of cream of mushroom)
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
2 tablespoons fat free creamer
2 tablespoons paprika

Generously spray a pan with cooking spray. Throw the chicken chunks in and sprinkle some salt over it. Cook until well done. Add the soup (undilluted) and sour cream. Mix well. Add the creamer and the paprika. Stir well and let it simmer for about 3 minutes. Serve over brown rice (or egg noodles if you aren't watching what you eat).

Spinach and Mushroom Quesadilla

2009-02-16T12:22:00.005-06:00

I'm so bad. I haven't updated in almost a month. :(

I have put myself on a calorie-restrictive diet, so I haven't really been eating anything exciting. I've only been revamping old recipes. It's not as hard as I thought it would be.

Here is a recipe I used to eat all of the time when I was a vegetarian. It's pretty healthy and very filling.

Spinach and Mushroom Quesadilla

3-4 large mushrooms, chopped
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
2 slices red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 small whole wheat tortillas
1/2 cup cheese ( I used Kraft Fat Free shredded cheddar)

Spray a medium sized pan with cooking spray. I used Pam Organic Olive Oil spray. No calories. Yay! Heat it over medium heat. Throw in the mushrooms, spinach, onion, and garlic. Cook until the spinach is wilted and the rest of the vegetables are cooked through. Put the mixture in a bowl and set aside.

Spray the pan with more cooking spray. Place one tortilla in the pan. Put all of your vegetables and then cheese on the tortilla and top with the other. Cook the quesadilla until it's nicely browned on both sides.

I ate a couple of tablespoons of low fat sour cream and some black beans with mine. This is a very healthy and filling meal.

Honey Mustard Chicken

2009-01-19T17:27:00.005-06:00

My New Year's resolution was to try one new recipe per week and blog about it. Well, I didn't get to last week because it was my birthday week and I was busy doing birthday things. This week, I will fulfill half of the resolution- I have made this dish before, but never have blogged about it. It's incredibly easy and very tasty. Sorry in advance for the bad photo. I'm better at the cookin...

Honey Mustard Chicken

1/4 cup dijon mustard
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons tarragon or basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cream
A dash of salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 6 or 8 ounce chicken breast, cubed

To prepare the sauce, combine the mustard, honey, salt, cream, and tarragon or basil in a bowl. Set aside. Heat the oil in a pan and cook the chicken. When the chicken is done, leave it in the pan and pour the sauce over. Stir in until the chicken is coated and the sauce is warmed.

La-la-la-la-la-lasagna

2009-01-05T20:13:00.001-06:00

I bought some lasagna boats at World Market last Monday. I have been wanting them forever. So I had to try them out.

Lasagna is a really nice meal that is quite simple to make. It looks hard, but it's not. Here is my version. Keep in mind I just made it for me and Allen, so this is only two servings.

Lasagna
Serves two

3 uncooked lasagna noodles, broken in half (I find this makes a nice manageable portion)
1/2 lb ground beef or turkey (I used turkey)
pasta sauce (I like Ragu tradtional)
1 egg, beaten
about 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
2/3 cup mozarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Brown meat and add pasta sauce. Stir until well combined and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella and egg. Stir until well combined. Pour a little pasta sauce in the bottom of whatever dish you are using. Put down your first noodle (you don't even need to precook them!). Spread the ricotta mixture on the noodle. Top with pasta sauce and meat. Do this with the remaining noodles, then top the whole thing off with more cheese. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes.

I forgot the foil like an idiot on mine, so in the photo, you can see the top noodle didn't get done on the edges.

Chicken with Mushroom Cream Sauce

2009-01-05T19:55:00.005-06:00

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful holiday.

The reason I don't update this blog very often is that I have about 50 recipes that I cycle through. I don't create something new and exciting every day. However, I would like that to change, and one of my New Year's Resolutions (which I rarely do, but found myself having two this year) is to make something new to blog about every week. We'll see how long that lasts.

I got a new cookbook from EatingWell, so I should be able to find something at least once a week to cook from there. I have tons of cookbooks, but really I just buy them to read them. A lot of the recipes in my cookbooks are a bit too complicated, something that would be hard to make one serving of (since Allen doesn't really eat my cooking), or are just way too fancy. But I'm going to try to do this at least once a week.

Tonight is the Tostito's Fiesta Bowl football game- University of Texas v. Ohio State. Allen will be watching, which means I will be watching it as well. While I don't really go for football, it's always fun to watch with Allen. But since my shows aren't on, I took some time to look through my recipes, and found this one. I made myself a Chambord margarita and got to work. I altered it a little by adding garlic powder and parmesan cheese.

Chicken with Mushroom Cream Sauce

1 boneless chicken breast, cubed
1 tablespoon extra virgin oilve oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 medium shallot, minced
1/2 cup or so thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps
2 tablespoons dry vermouth or dry white wine
1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives or scallion greens

Method:

Toss chicken in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add to a skillet and cook through. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm. Add shallot to the pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2 minutes. Pour in vermouth (or wine); simmer until almost evaporated, scraping up any browned bits, about 1 minute. Pour in broth and cook until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cream, parmesan, garlic powder, and chives (or scallions); return to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan, turn to coat with sauce and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Serve with rice.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-11-25T18:51:00.006-06:00

One nice autumn day in Austin, back in 2005, I received a very special package from my friend, Stacey. In the package- cute tiny barrettes, recipes, and a tub of these amazing vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. They were delicious.

We had a bake off at work, and I tried my hand at the cookies. I won second place in the bake off. My friend Dylan lost his mind and asked me if he brought the stuff, would I make some for his family for Thanksgiving. I gladly obliged. I have been baking these fuckers for the past 3 years now, and this will be the 4th.

Seriously, they're fun, and I don't mind, and it's sorta cool that someone likes something I make SO MUCH that it's become their family tradition. Well, in case you wanna try them, here's the recipe. And NO, I will not make them for your family. Dylan's got that market cornered, and I don't have the energy. ;)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (Makes about 20 depending on size)

1 cup applesauce
1/2 cup regular sugar
1 can packed pumpkin
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chunks or chips
1 egg (or egg substitute for one egg)
1 cup unbleached flour
1 cup spelt flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup rolled oats

Mix pumpkin, applesauce, and sugar. Add egg or egg substitute. Beat until well mixed. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well combined. Drop on a greased cookie sheet and bake 10-15 minutes.

Oven-Baked Risotto with Mushrooms

2008-10-13T19:09:00.005-05:00

As you can see, I'm playing with the layout on this blogger. I can't quite figure out how to get the music player full sized, though. I got so mad about it last week that it gave me a headache. Allen did it for me because he's rad.

The meal plan for last week did not work out. I was in the mood for what I listed when I listed it, and then it turns out, I really wasn't for the rest of the week. So maybe I'll scrap that idea, which means I'll probably erase that entry, or at least the list part.

Tonight I'm trying my hand at a baked mushroom risotto dish. I've only ever made risotto a few times, and it's never turned out quite right. And I misread these directions, so I thought it would be gross, but in the end, it didn't matter, because this is really, really good! But read the directions carefully. Maybe I'm an idiot, but I put the risotto in too soon. But it did turn out lovely.

Oven-Baked Risotto with Mushrooms (I halved this recipe tonight and it still made a fuckton of it)

5.5 cups chicken or vegetable broth (I used veggie broth)
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 oz pancetta or thick-cut smoked bacon, diced
14 oz chopped mushrooms (or as much or little as you like)
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 5/8 cup risotto rice
2 tablespoons tarragon or parsley
3/4 cup parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (or 180 C). Bring the veggie broth to a boil, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer while preparing the risotto.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons in a large skillet over high heat. Sautee the mushrooms, onion, and garlic. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Add the pancetta to the skillet, cook and set aside with mushroom mixture.
4. Reduce heat to low and add the remaining oil. Add risotto and stir until it's coated in oil. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly or until the grains are translucent.
5. Gradually stir the broth into the rice, then add the mushroom and pancetta mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
6. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer everything into a casserole or oven-safe dish.
7. Cover and bake for 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and all liquid is absorbed.
8. Remove from oven, and stir in parmesan. Return to the oven and bake another 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with parmesan, and serve immediately.

I served mine with garlic bread. Yummmmmm.....

Meat Pies

2008-10-12T19:46:00.004-05:00

Allen has been telling me all week how much he loves Boomerang's Meat Pies. He brought a menu home, and they sounded good. So we decided to go and have one today.

These things are amazing. They're lke $5.50 each, but really filling. You can also order them frozen to take home. They have a 6 for $20 deal, I may have to do that when I get paid. There are meat pies and veggie pies. They're like little pot pies filled with goodness. I got the Guinness Steak and Potato Pie.

Sorry I didn't get a photo before it was almost gone, but it was just sooooo good. Next, I'm trying the Spicy Mexican- beef, beans, jalapenos, and cheese in a TINY PIE!!!

The place is called Boomerang's. It's on 31 1/2 Street, right off of Guadalupe Street here in Austin. They're open from 11-8 Monday through Friday and only from 12-6 on Saturday and Sunday. You should go tomorrow.

Chicken soft tacos with black bean puree

2008-10-07T20:12:00.005-05:00

I did 3.3 miles in 35 minutes today on the elliptical today at the gym. And I'm crazy sore from yesterday, so I didn't feel like doing anything fancy for dinner. When I work out, I crave beans, probably because of the protein, so I decided to make tonight the night of chicken tacos with black bean soup. I know I called them "refried" before, but its more like soup, and so I will, going forward, refer to them as black bean soup. Although it's kinda not. But whatever.

So, here was my dinner tonight, and the super easy instructions follow.

I cut up a chicken breast into very small pieces. I simmered the pieces in some water and taco seasoning. I spread some low fat sour cream on some flour tortillas, then put on the chicken, cheese, and olives.

For the black beans, I threw the whole can into the blender, added a teaspoon of kosher sea salt, a teaspoon of garlic powder, a dash of paprika, and a teaspoon of onion powder, and then squeezed some lemon juice in. I then blended them until smooth. I put some in a small bowl and popped them into the microwave for one minute. Then I topped it with a dollop of sour cream.

A big dose of YUM.

Chicken Stuffed Avocados

2008-10-06T16:32:00.008-05:00

I have actually never had one of those deep fried stuffed avocado beauties that they serve at some Tex-Mex restaurants here, although I will have to try one someday, just because. However, they sound delicious. And since I don't like to fry stuff very much (because it's messy, hot, smelly, not that fun to do, and horrible for your health), I thought I'd try my hand at an non-fried version of this delicious dish. Here is the result (again, I have still not figured out how to get the entire photo to show up on this blog, no matter what size I make it. Grrrr):

Chicken Stuffed Avocado Halves

1/4 cup cooked shredded chicken
1/4 package taco seasoning
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 package taco seasoning
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup minced onion
1 haas avocado, halved and pitted
Shredded cheese
Black beans

1. Place the shredded chicken into a small pan and add a little water and the taco seasoning. Cook over medium heat and keep adding seasoning and water as needed until the chicken is coated.
2. Heat olive oil in a pan and sautee the onion.
3. Add to the cooked rice along with taco seasoning and a small bit of hot water. Keep adding seasoning to taste.
4. Take the avocado halves and scoop out about half of the avocado. Mix the scooped avocado with the chicken and about a tablespoon or so of the rice.
5. Place the chicken mixture in the avocado half, and serve with the remaining rice and black beans.

My avocado was not quite all the way ripe, but this was good regardless. Now I must try the fattening fried version...

Rice Cooker Bread

2008-10-06T12:43:00.003-05:00

WHAT????? Yes, it's true. Apparently, you can make bread in a rice cooker!

Here's how (from wikihow.com):

350 grams flour (2.5 cups)
5 grams yeast (about 1.25 teaspoon)
21 grams sugar (about 1.5 tbsp)
6.5 grams salt (about 1.5 tsp)
21 grams butter (about 1.5 tbsp)
30ml milk (1 oz.)
180 ml water (6 oz.)

1. Put 5g yeast into a bowl or cup and add a pinch of sugar and about 1/4 cup warm water. The water needs to be between 110 - 120°F. Allow it stand for approximately ten minutes.

2. In the meantime, pour the flour, along with salt and sugar directly into the rice cooker.

3. Pour the milk into the flour that is now in the rice cooker.

4. Pour the yeast mixture from the first step directly into the dry ingredients.

5. Form the dough into a ball after kneading for 8-10 minutes, adding a little more flour if it seems too wet. If the dough feels very sticky, then dip your hands into some flour so that the dough will not stick as you roll it.

6. dd butter to the dough ball. It might be easier to cut the butter into small pieces. Also the butter should be soft and at room temperature. The butter will also help to grease the rice cooker bowl, so that the bread will not stick to the sides. Knead the butter into the ball until the butter is completely absorbed into the dough and has no lumps.

7. Allow to sit for an hour in the rice cooker bowl in a warm area or on a warm setting. This is the first dough rise.

8. Notice that the dough, as it sits undisturbed doubles in size. This is because the yeast in there is eating up the starch and sugars in the flour and breathing out carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide dissolves into the dough, and either escapes, or expands the air bubbles in the dough that were there from mixing causes dough to get bigger!

9. Lift the dough from the bowl and with some force, toss it back. Do this a few times, until the dough returns to its original size. Once again allow it to sit in a warm area. This is now the second and final rise.

10. Note that the second rise will be the same as the first. Just leave it alone for one hour, and it will puff back up to double its size. Yeast works this way.

11. Bake for an hour, but check after a half hour to see if it is done. Make sure it does not burn on the bottom. Temperatures differ with each rice cooker, so you will have to learn what is best for you. Write down the times and steps, so you will remember it for the next bake.

12. Flip your bread out and turn it upside down. This is the second baking period. It is also supposed to be 1 hour, but may not need that long. The cooker you use probably makes all the difference here.

13. Flip it and bake it one more time, for the same length of time as the first two bakes.

Let the bread cool a little before eating it.
Bread is done when it sounds hollow if you tap it.
If your rice cooker stops cooking before the bread is done, you can jam an eraser into the switch to keep it on the "cook" setting. Only do this if you will attending to the cooker as this is a real fire.

I must try this on a boring and slow Sunday. Maybe this Sunday... I'll let you know how it turns out.

A few things I learned this morning...

2008-10-05T11:40:00.003-05:00

1. Nature's Own Honey Wheat sandwich bread is good for sandwiches. It is not, however good for toast. It doesn't get crunchy enough, and it tastes a little doughy in the middle.

2. NEVER put onions in an omelette made with Egg Beaters. That is foul. And a very bad idea.

3. My "herbed skillet sweet potatoes" recipe is not that great with red potatoes.

4. I need a new and better toaster.

5. I miss real butter.

So yes, I had a terrible breakfast. Oh well, lessons learned!

Stuffed Portabellos

2008-09-29T19:40:00.005-05:00

I'm back! Well, I really never left, I just haven't been very inspired lately. I've been making a lot of the same stuff, so there hasn't been anything to blog, since it's been blogged before. I have tons of cookbooks, and I've looked through them all, and I haven't been able to really find anything that I want to try. Nothing jumps out at me.

So, I looked at a cookbook that I made back in the summer of 2005, when I was vegetarian and living with my parents. I did a lot of recipe research at the place where I was working because there was nothing else for me to do most of the day. So I collected a ton of vegetarian recipes, and I was so adventurous with what I made. About 95% of the recipes turned out really good. I looked at the book and decided that it will now be my goal to make three vegetarian meals per week. That way, I can get all of my vegetables and not get burned out on chicken and black beans, which is mostly what I've been eating for the past three weeks. And all of those recipes were so good! I don't know why I haven't been cooking them since I stopped being vegetarian.

Tonight, I decided to make stuffed portabello mushrooms. This is such a good dish. It's not really heavy, but it fills you up, and it's healthy. Everything in the recipe is very good for you. Sorry about the crappy photo.

Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms

2 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
5 mushrooms, washed and diced
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 cup cooked brown rice
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese
2 portabello mushroom caps

Method:
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in nonstick pan over medium heat.
Add onion, mushrooms, and garlic.
Saute until crisp-tender. Stir in basil and oregano.
Remove from heat and combine with rice.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add tons of Parmesan.
Wash portobello mushrooms and remove stems and gills.
Place portobello caps in lightly oiled casserole dish, stem side up.
Top with rice mixture, packing down slightly.
Brush lightly with remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil.
Bake at 400 F for 15- 20 minutes.

Foodie Blogroll

2008-09-09T21:27:00.002-05:00

Yay me! My little (and not so oftenly updated, I know, I know!) blog made it onto the Foodie Blogroll. Look to the right and you'll see the widget. Click on it, and it should take you to another food blog. Not that you'd wanna leave mine... ;)

Okay, again, lack of funds has forced me to make the old stand-bys, and nothing new for the blog. But please stay tuned, soon, I shall be a bloggin again. Thanks for reading :)

Chicken Curry with Brown Bismati Rice

2008-08-26T18:28:00.005-05:00

Sorry, sorry, so sorry for not updating like normal. Life's been happening, no other excuse, and I've not been making many new dishes for lack of fundage.

I've also been feeling under the weather. I have a head full of crud, so I thought the cure for that MAY just be a nice lightly spicy curry dish. I love curry A LOT. It has a strange effect on me. Not much makes me quite as satisfied and comforted as curry. It's sort of my comfort food. I love how it smells and looks. And it can be very healthy for you when served with brown rice. I used brown Bismati rice to keep with the Indian tradition. I also love to eat this with Naan bread, but I couldn't be bothered to make any and I don't feel like going out to buy any. This is how I make my curry.

Chicken Curry

Makes about 4 servings (for yummy lunches later in the week and late night noshing as well)

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cardamom pods
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp tomato paste
2 skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 tbsp sour cream or plain yogurt
1 cup coconut milk (or regular milk)

Heat the oil in a frying pan and saute onion and garlic for about 3 minutes on medium heat. Add cardamom pods, fennel seeds, turmeric, coriander, chili powder, tomato paste, and curry. Stir until the onions and garlic are well coated. Add chicken, sour cream or yogurt, and milk. Turn the heat up high and bring to a boil. If it gets too thick, add a bit more milk. Turn it down to low heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is tender. If the mixture seems a bit thin, add a little flour.

Serve atop a bed of rice. Oh yeah, and I put a handful of frozen carrots and broccoli in before the chicken this time. I was in the mood for veggies too.

Brief Tostadas and Chinese Black Bean Chicken

2008-08-18T20:30:00.006-05:00

I have not been in the mood to cook lately. I think it's because I've been so busy, or just so tired with this oppressively hot weather lately. When I get home, I wanna just flop down on the couch and not move for the rest of the night.

I did make some tostadas on Friday- I cut up some chicken, simmered it in some taco seasoning and a little water, and then I spread some refried beans on a tostada, then some sour cream, then some Frito Lay Jalapeno Cheese sauce, then chicken, then shredded cheese. I ate two of these and while they're not healthy, YUMMMMMMMMM were they delicious.

Tonight, I decided to get back on track with cooking. While we did eat out, I need something besides a sandwich for lunch tomorrow, and I don't want to spend all of the rest of the money I have on eating junk for the rest of the week for lunch.
So, what did I make for tomorrow's lunch? Something I wish I had the appetite to eat right now...

Chinese Black Bean Chicken (I halved the recipe since the boyfriend is picky!)

1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoon peanut oil
4 tablespoon black bean sauce
1 lb. chicken breast or thigh meat - cubed
1 large onions - peeled and diced
1 bunch green onions - green tops cut into thin rings
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
4 teaspoon cornstarch
4 garlic cloves - peeled and minced
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Heat a wok or large skillet over medium heat until it's quite hot. Add the oil and heat for 30 seconds. Add the salt, garlic and black bean sauce. Cook, while stirring, for 30 seconds.
Add the chicken and cook, stirring, until it is no longer pink. Stir in the broth, cover and cook for 6 minutes. Add the onion, soy sauce and black pepper. Cover and cook for another 8 minutes.
Mix the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water and add it to the pan. Stir the mixture until the sauce thickens. Taste and add more salt and pepper if preferred. Serve over steamed or fried rice, garnished with scallions.

Black Bean and Cheese Quesadilla on a Corn Tortilla

2008-08-04T19:46:00.005-05:00

This recipe is simple, but very, very good. We had a few things to do tonight before dinner (Wal-Mart is a madhouse anytime after 6 pm), and I have a busy night ahead of me as well, so I wanted to make something simple., so I made a very simple dish- a quesadilla. Quesadillas are one of my favorite meals when I'm pressed for time, when I'm just in the mood for a small meal or snack, or when I just don't feel like cooking anything.

I don't have any more flour tortillas, and right now, I'm broke (what a surprise), so I thought I'd try them with corn tortillas instead. I have been eating those rather than flour more often lately. I had actually never had a quesadilla made with corn tortillas, but they give it a nice flavor. I actually like them better than flour tortillas. I think they're a little better for you, too. I only made one, so this is a small recipe. And I think it's pretty healthy, as black beans are insanely good for you, and I used low fat hormone-free cheese and Smart Balance, which is low in fat and trans-fat free.

Black Bean and Cheese Quesadilla

2 small corn tortillas (I used Mission brand)
2 tbsp chopped onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp Smart Balance (or butter if you don't care)
1/4 cup black beans with their juice from the can (I used the Ranch Style brand of black beans)
as much low fat cheese as you want

Sautee the onion, garlic, and black beans until fragrant. It is very important that you don't drain the beans. juice makes the filling creamier as it melts with the cheese. Melt the Smart Balance in another pan. Assemble the quesadilla and put it into the melted Smart Balance. Cook until slightly crispy on each side.

Eggs and the Omelette

2008-08-03T15:03:00.003-05:00

When I was a child, I would only eat eggs if they were scrambled like my granny made them. There could not be any visible whites in the egg. And they had to be really salty with a little pepper thrown in. Otherwise, I thought they were absolutely disgusting and I would not eat them. My granny has since taught me how to make eggs her way (her secret is a little milk and to constantly stir them once in the pan with a rubber spatula), but I'm still not the greatest fan of eggs.

I remember a good friend of mine coming over to spend the night when we were in the 2nd grade. She told me about The Omelette. She said her granny made them for her and she loved them. I told her that her granny was crazy for putting stuff into eggs. All you need is salt and pepper, why would you put VEGETABLES in? Needless to say, that lead to a terrible fight, and she didn't speak to me for a week. And I would never eat an omelette until I was about 25 years old. I ate one at Ihop. It was impossibly big, although delicious, and gave me a stomach ache. So that was the end of my omelettes. For a while...

In keeping with trying to eat healthy, I realize, as I've said before, that I must eat breakfast. I cannot skip this meal once we're working out, or I'm just wasting my time and money at the gym. I decided to try "Egg Beaters-with yolk!", because they have less fat and cholesterol than regular eggs. I got a small carton in case they totally sucked.

I decided to try my hand at an omelette today. Allen said he'd have one with just a little cheese. So I sprayed the pan with cooking spray and poured in the Egg Beaters. They didn't set properly, because our stove SUCKS and the fucking burners don't lay flat, so I ended up just making scrambled eggs. I was irritated. An omelette cannot be THAT hard to make.

So, I set up the pan for the next one. I sprayed it with the spray, poured the Egg Beaters in, and got out the rubber spatula rather than the regular one (I've never made one, don't call me an idiot for using a regular spatula!). I held the pan level and waited for the bottom to set. Using the rubber spatula, I loosened the set edges, and VIOLA! flipped one side over! It was beautiful. Too bad I didn't add lots of goodies into it. I finished cooking the omelette and ate the scrambled eggs while Allen ate the omelette. He said it was really good.

HURRAY!! I made my first omelette, successfully, this morning. I was so happy. I've tried before and they just never worked. I felt very accomplished. It looks like I may have found a new love with the Egg Beaters. They are DELICIOUS. I shall be buying more and making more omelettes and breakfast casseroles, which I will be taking photos of and posting.

Shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwich

2008-08-02T18:13:00.001-05:00

I was really in the mood for a barbecued chopped chicken sandwich yesterday. I’ve actually never made one, so I thought I’d give it a go. The chicken is actually more shredded than chopped, and I used some barbecue sauce I had at home rather than making my own, just in case it turned out gross. It turned out to be absolutely delicious. So delicious, in fact, that I ate it before I could get a photo. When I make them again, I’ll come back and post a photo. I have a feeling I’ll be making a lot of these.

Basically, all I did was put a good sized boneless skinless chicken breast in a small saucepan. I just covered the chicken with water and threw a pinch of salt into the water. I boiled the chicken for about 15 minutes, just to make sure it was cooked through. I drained the chicken, skimmed the fat and gunk off of it, and let it cool. I then used two forks to shred the chicken. I put the shredded chicken back into the saucepan and poured some barbecue sauce over it. I simmered that for about 10 minutes, then put it on a hamburger bun and MAN, was it tasty.

I would estimate that the chicken breast was about 8-10 oz, and it made enough for two sandwiches.

Salsa is a fun word to say.

2008-07-21T14:13:00.005-05:00

It's hot. Very hot. And I really wanted some nice cool salsa. So Allen and I went to the supermarket at 11:30 on Saturday evening to get the stuff for salsa. I personally prefer smooth salsa to chunky salsa. I'm not a huge fan of chunky vegetables unless they're in a salad or a soup, so here is my version of a nice salsa.

Basic Salsa

4 roma tomatoes
1/2 cup onion
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 serrano pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt to taste

Boil the tomatoes for about 10-15 minutes, or until very tender. Peel the skin off. Cut the tomatoes into, I'd say 8 pieces each. Chop the onion into large chunks until you have about 1/2 a cup of chopped onion. Put the tomatoes and onion into a blender. Add the garlic, serrano pepper, and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Puree until smooth, but not too smooth. Add salt to taste. If this isn't spicy enough for you, or not enough onion taste, etc., you can alway add more. This salsa freezes well, but it's so good that you'll probably eat all of it before it has a chance to spoil.

La Dolce Vita

2008-07-14T14:25:00.004-05:00

Saturday was my surrogate Momma's birthday. Since I had to work and all, so I wasn't able to go see her. I also don't know what to get her. So in lieu of a present, I made her some Italian Creme Cake Cupcakes from scratch, minus the coconut because I don't think anyone in her house likes coconut. They turned out really really nice, and these were the first I'd ever made!

Italian Creme Cupcakes

1 cup flour
1/2 cup pastry flour (sifted)
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup canola oil
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 tsp coconut extract (I left this out)
coconut shavings to top off cake (left this out too)
1 cup milk
1 tsp cinnamon
chopped pecans or walnuts for topping (more if you want to mix them into the batter)
cream cheese icing (I cheated.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a cupcake tin with non-stick cooking spray or line them with cupcake cups. Set aside. In a large bowl whisk together the milk, lemon juice canola oil, and vanilla until completely combined. In a separate bowl, mix white flour with pastry flour, baking powder, salt, nuts if you're putting them in, and baking soda. Dig a well into the center of your dry ingredients and pour in the wet. Gently stir the two together until it looks combined and until all lumps are gone. Be sure not to overmix! Let stand 5 minutes.

Pour batter into prepared cups. Bake approximately 35 to 40 minutes or until done.

Cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then dump out of pan and allow to cool until it's ready to be frosted. After frosting, you can top the cupcakes with more nuts.

On a very brief hiatus...

2008-07-08T18:29:00.003-05:00

The part where I make dinner and take a photo is on hiatus until next week, as I am broke like a joke. For the rest of the week, it will be simple stuff like spaghetti (which I just had and yuummmmmmmm was it good), beans and rice, grilled sandwiches and the like. I will go to the supermarket on Friday or Saturday and then I'll be back on Monday with some more delicious recipes and photos. I have plans for Monday night, but I still gotta make lunch, so I'll post a nice lunch.

Until then... :)

Quick and Healthy Enchiladas

2008-07-07T10:39:00.004-05:00

As I've said, I love enchiladas almost more than any other food. They just taste so good, and they're so gooey and delicious and filling and... not so good for you.

I figured out how to make yet another healthier enchilada. These are also quicker than my previous enchilada recipe, and you can even use a microwave for this. They're good any time of the day, even for a quick snack, and they really hit the spot. Sorry I don't have a photo, I may get one later. These were too good and my camera battery was dead...

Quick and Healthy Enchiladas

2 large corn tortillas (like Mission Super Size)
Low fat shredded cheese of your choice
2/3 cup enchilada sauce
1/3 cup fat-free refried beans
1/4 cup chopped onions
Optional toppings: fat-free sour cream, chopped scallions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a pan sprayed with nonstick spray, cook onions over medium heat until they begin to brown (about 2 minutes). In a small dish, combine the onions with the refried beans, taco sauce, and taco seasoning. Mix well. Spray a small baking dish with nonstick spray, or line the dish with foil. Heat tortillas in the microwave until slightly warm. Lay the tortillas on a clean, dry surface, and then spread about 2 tbsp. of the enchilada sauce onto each one. Place cheese on each tortilla. Then, evenly distribute the bean mixture into the center of each tortilla. Wrap tightly and put in dish seam down, or just fold them over like a taco (that's what I do.) Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese and remaining onion. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes (until the enchiladas are melty). Remove dish from the oven, sprinkle shredded cheese over the enchiladas, and then return it to the oven for about 5 minutes (until the cheese is nice and melty).

Irish Potato Soup

2008-07-06T20:59:00.006-05:00

Although it's very hot outside, I really wanted to eat some Irish Potato Soup. This recipe was inspired by some potato soup I had at an Irish pub here in Austin last autumn when Allen and I went out one night to whoop it up on 6th Street (yes, yes, tourist trap, but he loves it down there, and I love him, so I oblige). It was so delicious that I had to try to duplicate the recipe. Here is what I came up with. Sorry for the picture, I realize that it actually looks pretty gross in retrospect. But MAN is it good...

Irish Potato Soup
This makes 4-6 servings

2 large baking potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
3/4 c peas and carrots mix
2 tbsp Smart Balance spread or butter (Smart Balance is tons better for you, though)
1 cup low- sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup low fat milk
1/4 cup Bacos or whatever bacon bits you like
basil
bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup low fat sour cream (optional)
1/2 cup low fat cheddar cheese (I like the sharp variety)

Boil about 3/4 of the chopped potatoes in a large pot. Put the rest in a pot of water with the peas and carrots. Bring the larger pot to a boil, and heat the smaller over medium heat. When both pots are done, turn both off. Drain the larger pot. Melt 2 tbsp of butter in the pot and sautee onions until soft but not brown. Add the drained potatoes, and stir well. Add bay leaf, basil, salt, pepper, broth and milk. Bring to a light boil and add flour. Simmer for about 5 mintues. Remove bay leaf and pour into a blender. Add sour cream and puree. Return to the large pot and stir in remaining potatoes, bacon bits, peas and carrots. Top with cheese.

Chicken a la Queen

2008-06-30T17:15:00.005-05:00

I don't know why this is called Chicken a la Queen. I found this recipe on Rachael Ray's website. She said it's a meal fit for a queen, so I suppose that's why it's called that. Either way, it's very good. It's sort of like a pot pie, but not a pie. Using the puff pastry as a base is easy and makes it really nice and flaky.

Chicken a la Queen

This recipe makes one serving, and it's fairly healthy.

4 pastry shells (I actually used 2/3 of a pastry sheet as there were no shells in the supermarket)
1/2 small can of peas and carrots
1 small yellow potato, peeled and cut into small pieces
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp butter
1 c broth
1 tbsp EVOO
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp flour
1/2 c cream
3 tbsp basil
Cubed cooked chicken (about 6-8 oz)

Fill a small pot with water and add a tsp of salt. Add potato chunks and cook for about 10 minutes, or until they are tender. Bake pastry shells according to directions. Heat oil. Add onion, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Saute until soft. Add butter, whisk in flour. Whisk in broth. Add chicken. Reduce heat, simmer 8 minutes. Stir in cream. Bring to a boil. Add peas, carrots, and potatoes. Cook 2 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Place pastry shells in a bowl and pour chicken mixture over them.

Tortilla Soup

2008-06-29T19:04:00.006-05:00

I used to not be a big fan of soups. But over the past year, I have amassed a nice collection of hot soup recipes. Cold soups don't really appeal to me, but I'll probably try some anyhow and end up loving them, and end up posting some recipes here.

newly-found love for soups started with a cauliflower gorgonzola soup recipe that I happened upon on Yahoo! Food. I made it, loved it instantly, shared it with friends, and decided that maybe soups aren't so bad. I love soups now. They're relatively easy to make, light, and versatile. When I'm in the mood for something light, I'll make a soup and pair it with a sandwich, or sometimes, eat only the soup.

There are many different recipes I've found for tortilla soup. They usually contain some sort of meat and tomatoes. I prefer mine without meat, and I do not care for tomatoes. Instead of tomatoes, I cheat and use enchilada sauce. The house brand for H. E. B. and the Old El Paso are the best. I do not recommend the thicker sauces that Gebhardt, for example, makes. They make the soup too thick and if you thin it down, you end up with more soup than goodies and it's just not as good.

I usually like soups in the autumn or winter months, but I was just really craving some tortilla soup. I had this on Saturday night before going out. It was super hot out, and there was a lot of dancing and walking around to be expected, so I wanted something light on my stomach so that I wouldn't be miserable later.

Tortilla Soup

1 cup veggie broth
1 small can corn
½ small red onion, chopped
½ can black beans
2 spoonfuls minced garlic
1 can enchilada sauce
1 small jalapeno, chopped
taco seasoning to taste
½ cup cooked brown rice
sour cream
tortilla chips
avocado
grated cheese

Saute onion, garlic, jalapeno in a bit of oil and enchilada sauce. Add broth, remaining sauce, beans, corn. Bring to a boil, and boil for one hour. If soup is too thick, add water. Scoop the rice into a bowl, and add the soup. Top with tortilla chips/strips, cheese, avocado, and any other sort of thing you'd like (green onions and sour cream are nice additions).

Oh My Yum.

2008-06-26T21:34:00.008-05:00

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And as mentioned in my black beans for breakfast post, I hate breakfast. I rarely eat it, and if I do, it's always something bad, like chips or a fried burrito or something. However, it's true- it's the most important meal of the day. In listening to an NPR food podcast, (I'm addicted to podcasts) in which they interviewed my favorite chef Nigella Lawson, I learned that one of the ways they make sure Sumo wrestlers put on weight is by stopping them from eating breakfast. I also learned that if you do not eat anything for breakfast, the food you eat later in the day takes longer to metabolize, and it contributes to people being fat, and hinders those trying to lose weight. So, I do understand the importance of eating a good breakfast, but there are three reasons I shun it.

1. I can't eat a big meal that early in the morning.
2. Bread gives me heartburn if I eat it in the morning.
3. I hate breakfast food.

Breakfast bars- ICK. As I get older, I find my sweet tooth is dwindling to an almost non-existent state. I tried Luna Sunrise bars- yuck. Too sweet. Special K- too gritty AND too sweet. Morning shakes- I may as well drink a Wendy's Frosty with the amount of sweetness that's in those damned shakes. I don't really care for eggs, and cereal makes me ravenous by 10 am. Fruit is nice, and even okay with the sweetness, but it doesn't fill me up for long, and then by 9, I'm contemplating digging out some change and going for a breakfast burrito from our cafeteria at work. Not exactly conducive to a healthy way of eating, is it?

The point of this babbling is that I finally found something besides black beans that I can eat for breakfast. Muffins. With nothing sweet in them! The good thing about these is that you can make them with whatever ingredients you want, healthy or not, sweet or not, meats, veggies, cheeses, etc. And you can also freeze them and heat them up in the microwave (I'd suggest wrapping one in a damp cloth before putting it in the microwave just to keep it moist)!

Breakfast Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 large eggs
1 .5 c buttermilk (I added a tbsp of lemon juice to 2% milk)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp melted butter (I used Smart Balance because it's healthy)
1 c diced scallion (or green onions)
3/4 c diced lean Canadian bacon or ham
1/2 c low fat grated cheese

Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Combine whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, basking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper. In a seperate bowl, whisk eggs, butter, oil, and milk. Fold in the scallions, bacon, and cheese. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ones. Mix just until the flour is moist. You don't want a batter consistency. Spoon into muffin tins. Bake for about 20-22 minutes or until done.

Like I said, you can put whatever in these. I think the next time, I'll put some turkey sausage and cheese in.

Indian Beans and Potatoes

2008-05-20T10:49:00.003-05:00

I am a huge Indian food fan and will probably be posting more Indian and Middle Eastern food recipes soon. Curry does funny things to me, and not in a gross way. I love curry. I love the way it smells and the way it tastes. Allen really hates it, and that sucks, because I would make so much more Indian food if he'd eat it.

I think curry with lots of nice chunky vegetables and some rice is very pretty. I mainly use yellow curry in my dishes. I like the red and green varieties, which I can get really cheap at the local Indian market, but I mostly use the yellow for some reason. I think it has the best flavor and it's not overly-spicy (although I do love spicy foods). I got this recipe from a vegetarian website called vegweb.com. If you are vegetarian an need new recipes, or if you just like to sometimes not pack your colon with meat, like me, then you should check that site out.

Indian Beans and Potatoes

1 can garbanzo beans
1/2 c yellow onion, chopped (sweet onions also work well)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper (I usually add a whole tsp)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 potato, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoon vegetable oil

Fry the onion in oil until slightly brown. Add slightly drained garbanzo beans, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper to pot on medium high heat. Let cook for 20 minutes. Add chopped potato. I usually add a little bit of red pepper and chili powder here, but its not necessary. Let cook for another 20-25 minutes. Add red pepper, cumin, and chili powder. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for another 5-7 minutes.

Ideally, the final product should be a very thick mixture and not runny at all--if it is, drain some of the water.

Serve with rice, naan, or a pita. This should make 3-4 servings unless you're an eat pig like me.

Jessica's Vegan Casserole

2008-05-19T15:40:00.003-05:00

Hi, everyone!

Back to one job again! I'm working nights this week but will be back to my 8-5 next week, which will give me more time to blog!

I visited my Austin family last night, and my friend Jessica, who is vegan, was making this delicious looking casserole. I asked if I could watch, and here is what she came up with. I don't have a picture, but this just looks too damned good. You can also, of course, use regular sour cream and regular meat.

As I think I've mentioned, I used to be vegetarian, and I even did the vegan diet for a while. I just found it wasn't for me, so I went back to meat about 2 years ago. I wish I'd had this recipe then. The best fake meat to use, in my opinion, is the Morning Star Farms brand. Quorn is also good, but I find that many grocery stores in the U.S. don't carry that big of a variety of Quorn products (it's an English brand, I think), save the massive Whole Foods Market down on 5th and Lamar here in Austin. Anyhow, here is the recipe.

Jessica's Vegan Casserole

1 tub Toffuti sour cream
1 package Morningstar steak or chicken substitute
1 package onion soup mix
2/3 cup veggie broth
1 package broccoli or mixed veggies
bread crumbs or french fried onions

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a small casserole dish, empty the tub of sour cream. Add onion mix and veggie broth. Mix until completely combined. Add steak or chicken substitute and vegetables and stir until coated. Top with bread crumbs or french friend onions. Bake for 20 minutes.

I haven't tried this, but I plan to very soon. Probably for a pot luck, since I can't eat all of this by myself. Well, I probably could, but it would probably end very badly for me if I did.

Black Bean yumminess

2008-04-21T16:20:00.005-05:00

Hi, everyone!

It's been a very long time since I blogged. I just got really busy and now I am working two jobs, so I don't even have time to cook. However, I can still post now and then when I make a delicious snack or dinner, so I'll try to do this more often.

Black beans are one of my favorite things to make. They're really tasty, filling, and very healthy for you. And they're versatile, which as you can see from my previous posts, is a very important quality for me.

I really hate breakfast food. I like the potatoey goodness people have with breakfast, and sometimes I like French toast, but I hate the rest. So I go for unconventional stuff when I do eat breakfast. I made some really nice black beans for breakfast yesterday. I ate half of it in the morning, and was good until lunch. I just devoured the other half. YUM.

Black Bean Concoction

1 can black beans, slightly drained
2 tbsp minced garlic
2-3 packets of Taco Bell hot sauce, or a couple tablespoons of salsa if you prefer
2 handsful reduced fat shredded cheese
low fat sour cream (optional)
1/2 Avocado, diced (Avocado should never be optional)

Preheat oven to 425 F. Pour the black beans into an oven-safe bowl. Spoon in the garlic, add the taco sauce or salsa, and sprinkle the cheese. Stir well and then top with more cheese. Bake for about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and give it one more good stir to melt the cheese all through. Top with avocado and sour cream if you want. Enjoy as much as you want!

Chicken Quesadilla with beans and rice

2008-02-07T18:44:00.002-06:00

The battery in my camera died. Seriously. And I'm starving so I'm gonna go ahead and eat my tasty dinner while the battery is charging. I really wanted to try and get photos and blog everynight, but lately, that's not happening, so I'll just have to go easy on myself and blog when I can.

Tonight, I made a chicken quesadilla with beans and rice.

For the beans, I just took a can of Old El Paso fat free beans, added a teaspoon of canola oil, 3 packs of Taco Bell hot sauce (everytime I go there, I get as much of that stuff as I can), and about a tablespoon of garlic. Then I stir it up really good and let it cook. These are the best beans I have ever eaten other than at a Mexican restaurant. They're creamy and they don't taste of lard.

For the rice, I chop up a bit of mushroom and onion, and saute that. I cook the rice and add that plus about 1 tsp of oil and 1 tbsp of taco seasoning. I stir that up really well. I often use this mixture in my stuffed avocados, too.

I cut up one small thinly sliced chicken breast and browned it in some olive oil. When it was done, I added 1/2 cup of water and about 1/4 cup of taco seasoning.

For the quesadilla, I took 2 low fat flour tortillas and spread the beans on one. I added some low fat cheese and the chicken, and then cooked it with Smart Balance spread. It's delicious and low fat.

I really wanted to make some salsa, too, but I didn't have the stuff. I thought I did and was very disappointed when I came home to a pantry with no tomatoes! Boo to that.

This was so delicious and so filling. I actually only ate half of the quesadilla, and I'm saving the rest for lunch tomorrow. Right now, I'm off to play some more Guitar Hero!

Red Wine and Bleu Burgers

2008-02-05T14:32:00.001-06:00

I don't make burgers at home very often. To be honest, I was never very good at it. The meat would always end up too small for the bun, or too thick, or it would be too greasy. However, I learned a few secrets and I made these burgers using those secrets. They turned out really nice, actually. These are good to grill indoors or out, and also just as good on a skillet indoors during any time of the year. Although, grilled burgers seem a little better during the summertime...

Red Wine and Bleu Burgers

(I got this recipe from Rachael Ray's TV show)

Serves 2 - 4, depending on how big you make the patties

There really aren't many measurements to this. It's pretty much as much or little wine and bleu cheese as you want. I'll eat one tonight and have the other tomorrow!

1 lb ground turkey (or beef)
1 handful chopped onion (I used scallions)
1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce or steak sauce
red wine (I used Little Penguin merlot)
salt and pepper to taste
Bleu cheese (as much as you'd like in the burger or on the burger)
tobasco sauce
buttermilk (or add 1 tsp of lemon juice to each cup of milk)- there's not really a measurement to this, it just depends on how much bleu cheese spread you want on your burger
Hamburger buns/rolls
2 tbsp olive oil

Chop onions or scallions very finely. Place ground meat in a large bowl and throw in the onions. Add Worchestershire sauce and the wine to taste. If you want, you can also add a little bleu cheese. Add a dash of salt and a couple dashes of pepper. Mix well with your hands.

I learned how to make your patties sort of the same size from Rachael Ray. Put your meat into a large bowl, and score it with the side of your hand. Do it down the middle for two patties, and in a cross formation for four. This makes them roughly the same size. After you’ve separated your meat into which ever size you want, form it into patties. Form meat into patties as large or small as you want. After each patty is made, hold it in the palm of your hand and then press the palm of your other hand into the center to make a large indentation. This will prevent the patty from bulging.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil on your griddle or in a pan. Place patties in and cook. Heat the rest of the oil in another pan and grill the buns.

Dump as much bleu cheese as you want in a bowl. Add a dash of pepper, tobasco or paprika, and the buttermilk. Mash and stir until you've made a thick paste. Spread this onto the buns, or spread it onto the burgers once they're in the buns. Garnish with lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, whatever.

Chicken Portobello and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

2008-02-01T19:02:00.002-06:00

A busy week and feeling a tad bit under the weather has made me a slacker in the food blog area. I fully intend to make up for this next week. We will be having company this weekend, so I will try to get photos for the blog, but can't promise anything. Here is what I made tonight. I'm very proud of it because I sorta winged it. Sorry about the awful photo, for some reason, I can't keep my hand still today. Additionally, I only own black plates, so it's hard to see the portobello chicken. I shall have to buy some white plates soon.

This dinner was absolutely delicious and filled me up just enough. Healthy portions, I keep telling myself.

Chicken Portobello with Garlic Mashed Potatoes

1 thin boneless skinless chicken breast (if it's thick, place it between two pieces of foil and beat it like it owes you money until it's thin.)
1 portobello mushroom cap, sliced or chopped to your liking
2 small red potatoes, cubed
about 3-4 tbsp bread crumbs
1 tbsp reduced fat parmesan cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 cup vegetable broth (to make the sauce thick, I added 1/2 cup of the boiled potato water to a cube of vegetable bullion)
1/2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp Smart Balance
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 F. Put the potatoes in a pot over high heat and boil for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, rub the chicken with olive oil on both sides and press bread crumbs and parmesan cheese into it. Pop it into the oven for about 15 minutes.

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan and cook the mushroom and 1 tbsp of garlic. When the potatoes are ready, add the vegetable broth and slowly add in the flour. Stir until thick.

When the chicken is ready, remove from the oven and pour mushroom sauce over it. Drain the potatoes, leaving a small bit of water. Mash the potaotes with a tbsp of Smart Balance, 1 tbsp minced garlic, and a little olive oil. It will look soupy at first but the starchy water will thicken up and that's less fattening than putting milk in.

Oven Fried Chicken and Mashed Potatoes

2008-01-29T19:36:00.003-06:00

I didn't cook last night, as I went to my surrogate "sister" Haylan's bday dinner. Tonight, however, I'm back on track.

As my birthday was recent, Haylan gave me two wonderful cookbooks for my birthday- "Comfort Foods" by Rita M. Harris, and "Three Rivers Cookbook", which, as far as I can tell, was put together by the Child Health Association of Sewickley in Pittsburgh, PA. Both are really great. Since I'm sort of trying to eat a little healthier, the Comfort Foods one will be fun to experiment with, and the Three Rivers Cookbook has some very interesting recipes that look absolutely delicious.

I've been in a sort of needy mood lately. I need hugs. I need coffee. I need happiness. I need compliments. I need fried chicken. The first 4 I'll allow myself. However, after eating a total of 8 deep fried (but OH MY GOD were they delicious) egg rolls last night, I do NOT need anything fried for a very long time. To the point, I really wanted fried chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner. I looked in the Comfort Foods book, and, of course, there it is. But how can I make it not make me feel guilty? So I used the recipe from Comfort Foods, and lightened it up by using egg whites, chicken breast with all the fat trimmed, and I baked it instead of frying it.

Fried Chicken (actually, this is oven baked)

1 6-8 oz boneless skinless chicken breast, all fat trimmed
1 egg white, beaten
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
3 tbsp flour

Mix all of the dry ingredients on a plate. Dredge your chicken through the egg white, then the flour mixture, and then spray with non-fat cooking spray. Bake at 425 F for about 30 minutes.

My dad eats ketchup on everything, and true to being a Jones, I love ketchup on MOST things. The best ketchup ever, besides the kind you get at Whataburger, is the Heinz organic ketchup. It's SO tasty. Just sweet enough, just salty enough, and it was PERFECT on this chicken.

Oh, and I also made mashed potatoes! I sort of made this one up. I used one large russet potato. It made a good bit of mashed potatoes, so I'll have some for lunch tomorrow! I got the sour cream and cheese idea from an actual baked potato (which I also add all kinds of weird stuff like olives and onions to). If you don't have any sour cream, or if you just don't care for it, low fat ranch dressing is also good in these.

Basic Mashed Potatoes

1 large russet potato
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Smart Balance light spread
salt and pepper to taste
low fat sour cream
low fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Wash the potato but do not peel it. Chop it up into small pieces. Boil it in a large pot of lightly salted water for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Drain all but about 1/2 of a cup of the water from the potatoes. Add the Smart Balance and olive oil. Mash the potatoes. They will look a little soupy at first, but give it about half a minute or so and they'll start to thicken up from the starch in the water. Add salt, pepper, and as much sour cream and cheese as your heart desires.

Enchiladas with "Refried" Black Beans

2008-01-27T22:25:00.002-06:00

Enchiladas are one of my very favorite things in the world to eat. I love to make them at home, as it's much cheaper than going to a restaurant for them. Usually, if I don't care about eating healthy, I'll pile a ton of cheese into tortillas, smother them with cheese, and dig in once they're baked. However good those may be, I always end up feeling sluggish and a little sick afterwards.

Here is the solution to the delicious but deadly enchilada. These are much healthier than the kind you'd get in a restaurant, and while I do love those, these are just as tasty and I don't feel so bad about eating them afterwards! And the black beans are really good for you as well.

This recipe makes about 4 enchiladas. I made two and put the rest away for later.

Enchiladas:

1/2 lb extra lean ground turkey or beef
1/2 cup or so of reduced fat shredded cheese
1/2 packet taco seasoning
4 low fat flour tortillas (I'd say to be healthier, use wheat, but I can't stand those.)
1/2 can enchilada sauce (Old El Paso- stay away from Gebhardt. That stuff is way too thick, and I think it has animal lard or some other unnecessary ingredient that makes it extra gross)
1/2 cup chopped red onion

Preheat oven to 350 F. Brown and drain the meat. I personally like my taco beef finely ground, and not in big chunks. A trick I learned is to use a potato masher when you put the meat in, mash it down and let it start to brown, and then stir it from there. Keep using the potato masher while it cooks. Add the taco seasoning and about 1/4 cup water. Simmer on medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. Add a little bit of cheese and mix it in.

Pour a little enchilada sauce into a baking dish. Spread it around to cover the bottom. Fill four flour tortillas with meat, cheese, and onion, but don't over-fill them. Roll the enchiladas and put them rolled side down in the dish. Brush on a little enchilada sauce, but not a lot, because that will make them soggy. Top with cheese and onion. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. While they're cooking, heat up the remainder of the enchilada sauce in a small pan. Remove enchiladas from oven and if you like, top with more cheese, meat and onions.

"Refried" Black Beans

They're actually not refried, but souped up in a blender.

1 can Black Beans
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced

Put all of the above into a blender. Puree. Pour into a saucepan and heat over low heat.

Banana Avocado Bread

2008-01-26T14:45:00.001-06:00

We're going to go to the Alamo Drafthouse tonight to see Cloverfield again. That movie was amazing. At the Drafthouse, they also serve really good food, so I will not be cooking tonight. I'll probably be overindulging in a delicious Bleu Cheese burger and a cold iced tea, or maybe I'll do their chicken strips. Since I'm not cooking, I'd like to share with you a recipe that my good friend Brandi and I baked one night. Brandi is an amazing cook, and I learned a lot from her. She taught me that it's okay to love food and she taught me a lot about cooking. This is one of my favorite things to bake- Banana Avocado Bread. Don't let the name scare you off- this is surprisingly yummy. The Avocado serves as a moistening agent rather than using eggs- this is a completely vegan recipe if you use soy milk and soy margarine. You can't even taste the avocado.

Banana Avocado Bread

1 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
2 large avocados
2 tsp lemon juice
½ cup buttermilk (or add 1 tsp of vinegar to ½ cup soy or regular milk)
2 bananas (the riper, the better)
2 cups flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp baking powder
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp cloves
1 c walnuts

Beat sugar and margarine until creamy. Mash avocado, add sugar and butter, and then mix all ingredients together until well blended. Pour into 2 smallish loaf pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 F.

Grilled cheese and bacon sandwich with tomato basil soup

2008-01-25T18:49:00.002-06:00

Today, it’s only going to get up to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s cold to a Texan. It’s also rainy and overcast. I love cold days like this. And the perfect meal for a day like this is a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup.

Grilled Cheese with Bacon Sandwich

2 slices light wheat bread

2 slices low fat cheese slices (I use Kraft 2% milk slices)

2 slices turkey bacon (or vegetarian bacon)

Smart Balance light spread

2 tbsp reduced fat parmesan cheese

Cook the turkey bacon until crisp. Break it up into smaller strips. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, melt the Smart Balance and add the parmesan cheese. Brush one side of each slice of bread with the mixture. Place cheese on the unbuttered side of one piece of bread and place it in the skillet. Put your bacon on. Cook the bread until the cheese is a little melty, then top it with the other piece of bread, unbuttered side down. Press down with a spatula, then flip the sandwich over. Cook until well done.

Serve with…

Tomato Basil Soup- Cookinglight.com

This makes about 2 1 cup servings at 121 calories each! You can freeze this and eat the leftovers on another cold day.

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tbsp basil
Basil leaves (optional)

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in the broth, salt, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes. Stir in basil. Place half of the soup in a blender; process until smooth. Pour pureed soup into a bowl, and repeat procedure with remaining soup. Garnish with basil leaves, if desired.

Nachos

2008-01-24T18:31:00.001-06:00

I love nachos more than just about anything. They're really not good for you, but whatever. Life is too short not to eat what you want (within reason). I made these a little more healthy than your usual nachos.

Nachos that aren't so bad for you

1/2 cup low fat nacho cheese sauce
1/2 cup low fat shredded sharp cheese
1/2 package Boca crumbles (or if you don't like those, 1/4 lb extra lean ground beef or turkey)
1/4 package taco seasoning
chips

In a small saucepan, brown the crumbles or meat and add a small bit of water and the taco seasoning. Meanwhile, heat the cheese sauce in another pan over low heat. When both the meat and cheese are done, spread some chips out on a plate or in a bowl. Put a little bit of the meat on top, and cheese sauce. Make another layer of chips and meat, then pour the rest of the cheese on and top with shredded cheese.

Avocados

2008-01-23T11:50:00.001-06:00

Avocados are one of my very favorite foods. I can eat them straight from the shell, I put them on sandwiches, I grill them inside quesadillas, and I often top my black beans with avocado chunks. I love to make guacamole and sometimes put a scoop of it at the bottom of a nice cup of queso dip. They are also a delicious addition to salads. While avocados are not necessarily a skinny food, they are very, very good for you, as they have the fat we actually need, the "good fat" that you also find in olives and nuts.

Tonight, a friend of mine is holding a late birthday dinner for me (surely there will be avocados there, as it's Mexican themed), so I will not be cooking. However, I don't want to skip a day of blogging already, so I'll just post one of my very favorite recipes. I got this one from vegweb.com and added my own touches to it.

Stuffed Avocado:

1 large avocado

1/2 cup or so of cooked brown rice (I like the Uncle Ben's long grain brown rice in the orange box)

3 mushrooms, chopped

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/4 pkg taco seasoning

1 clove garlic, chopped

olive oil

shredded sharp cheddar cheese (optional)

Heat the oil and cook onions, garlic and mushrooms for about 3 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Remove from heat. Add about 1/4 packet of taco seasoning to the rice, and add a tiny bit of oil if you find the rice is too dry. You can add more seasoning to taste. Add the onion mixture to the rice and stir mixture until well mixed. Cut avocado in half and remove the pip. Scoop out some of the avocado and mix in with the rice. Scoop the rice mixture into the avocados and top with shredded cheese. You can eat these straight from the avocado shell.

Note: You can also put taco meat in with the rice, but I prefer it without.

1/22/08 eats- Vanilla Cake

2008-01-22T22:41:00.002-06:00

I got a sweet tooth and made this vanilla cake, with which I drank some English black tea my English friend at work gave me.

Vanilla Cake- recipe by Martha Stewart

1 ¾ cup cake flour (not self rising)
1 ¼ cup unbleached flour
2 cups sugar
½ tbsp baking powder
¾ tsp salt
1 cup butter or margarine
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla (or to taste)

Preheat oven to 325 F. Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl, all wet in another. Form wells in dry ingredients and pour wet over. Beat until well combined. Bake for about 30-40 minutes. Wait until the cake is cooled before frosting.

1/21/08 eats- Chicken Divan

2008-01-22T22:39:00.001-06:00

I was supposed to take photos of my food, but to be honest, I was too busy playing Guitar Hero. I also was so hungry I didn't get a photo, so I'll use an older photo of the same thing I took a while back. It was so delicious, and this photo really does not do it justice!

Chicken Divan- Eatingwell.com

2 chicken breasts, cubed
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp flour
1/3 cup cream
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tbsp basil
2 handsful broccoli (fresh or frozen)
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 leek chopped (white and light green parts only)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup veggie broth
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup parmesan
2 tbsp sherry or white wine
2 cups water

Heat oil in a skillet and brown chicken. In a separate skillet, lightly sautee leek in another pan. Meanwhile, boil broccoli in water. Add flour to leek skillet and stir to coat. Add broth, cream, sherry or wine, thyme, pepper, and basil. Bring to a simmer, stirring often. Add parmesan cheese and dijon. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Drain and add chicken and broccoli. Lower heat and simmer 5-10 minutes. Serve immediately over pasta or rice.

Herbed Skillet Sweet Potatoes

2008-01-22T22:34:00.003-06:00

I really love cooking and sharing the recipes with people, so I started blogging about food on my Live Journal and also on my MySpace. My friend John also loves cooking and food, and, taking a page from my book so to speak, he started a blog here. I actually like this format better, so I'm taking a page from HIS book and making one here, too. I'll do some catching up here, I've only done three so far.

I got up early so I could make Allen and me some breakfast and take a shower and stuff before I go get tattooed. I made him some pancakes with cinnamon and vanilla, and I made this for me, along with some turkey bacon:

Want the recipe? I thought so...

HERBED SKILLET SWEET POTATOES- derived from my friend Stacey's recipe

This makes about 2 servings, or one if you really really love sweet potatoes (I actually had a bit left over and I'm an eat pig.)

1 sweet potato
1 teaspoon smoked (or regular) paprika
1 teaspoon salt (I like freshly milled sea salt)
1 tbsp basil
1 tbsp sage
Fresh black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced

Wash the sweet potato but don't peel it. Dice potato. Toss with paprika, salt and a little black pepper. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil. Add the sweet potatoes and garlic. Let cook without stirring for about three minutes, then stir and turn them over. Let cook for another few minutes - until they are quite golden and seared. I think I cooked mine for about 10-12 minutes in all. You may have to keep adding a little oil. Just as they get tender stir in the sage and basil and cook just until fragrant. Taste and add any additional salt or pepper. I ate these with ketchup but am told that they are delicious served with a little yogurt and parsley stirred in too.