Just thought I would share this article from Yahoo about various sweeteners (which ones are good and which are bad):
http://health.yahoo.net/rodale/RH/the-4-best-and-3-worst-sweeteners-to-have-in-your-kitchen
I know I need to swear off Diet Coke and my diet sweet tea, but I do enjoy them occasionally. Sweeteners I use at home are stevia and raw honey, so at least I'm good to go there! Hope this information is useful!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Island Chik'n and Rice with Peas
I got the idea for this meal from a Publix Aprons recipe. The recipe calls for sweet Thai chili sauce, but I didn't have any. What I did have was a peach, honeydew, and some honey, which I thought might make a yummy glaze!
As much as I didn't want to, I used the Quorn Chik'n Cutlets for this recipe. It really is the best alternative to chicken, even if it does use egg whites. So for now at least I am going to live with it!
I sprayed the cutlets with olive oil using my Misto and place them on the grill to start cooking one side. I also started the yellow rice and put the peach and honeydew in the food processor, then transferred the puree to a skillet over medium heat to see if I could get more of a glaze consistency. It thickened a little, but it really looked like applesauce. I also added a little honey in there.
I took the skillet out to the grill and flipped the chik'n over and spooned a little of the fruit glaze on, spreading it over the pieces. Then I went back inside to check on the rice. After the yellow rice cooked for about 16 minutes I removed the lid and added some jerk seasoning, garlic salt, and Adobo, and then added some frozen peas, mixed well, and put the lid back on. At this point I also raised the temp back up to medium.
I went back to flip the chik'n, added more glaze, and then went back in to stir the rice, cover, and turn off the stove. The rice was done!
All that was left was the chik'n, which I flipped over and added a squeeze of lime. Another flip, another squeeze of lime and it was time for dinner.
The chik'n was good, but the rice was AWESOME!! I think next time I will grill the chik'n, but maybe add some savory seasonings and then coat with the glaze in the skillet. We topped the rice with a little cilantro and topped the chik'n with some green onions. Definitely want to give this one another shot sometime! It was good, but I think it has the potential to be a favorite!
As much as I didn't want to, I used the Quorn Chik'n Cutlets for this recipe. It really is the best alternative to chicken, even if it does use egg whites. So for now at least I am going to live with it!
I sprayed the cutlets with olive oil using my Misto and place them on the grill to start cooking one side. I also started the yellow rice and put the peach and honeydew in the food processor, then transferred the puree to a skillet over medium heat to see if I could get more of a glaze consistency. It thickened a little, but it really looked like applesauce. I also added a little honey in there.
I took the skillet out to the grill and flipped the chik'n over and spooned a little of the fruit glaze on, spreading it over the pieces. Then I went back inside to check on the rice. After the yellow rice cooked for about 16 minutes I removed the lid and added some jerk seasoning, garlic salt, and Adobo, and then added some frozen peas, mixed well, and put the lid back on. At this point I also raised the temp back up to medium.
I went back to flip the chik'n, added more glaze, and then went back in to stir the rice, cover, and turn off the stove. The rice was done!
All that was left was the chik'n, which I flipped over and added a squeeze of lime. Another flip, another squeeze of lime and it was time for dinner.
The chik'n was good, but the rice was AWESOME!! I think next time I will grill the chik'n, but maybe add some savory seasonings and then coat with the glaze in the skillet. We topped the rice with a little cilantro and topped the chik'n with some green onions. Definitely want to give this one another shot sometime! It was good, but I think it has the potential to be a favorite!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Pasta with veggies
Also known as the "we need to go shopping - what can I throw together from what we have" pasta. This is something I throw together when I didn't plan on what to cook. It's just spaghetti noodles with some sauteed veggies. I start with some olive oil and toss in some squash and zucchini (because it takes a while to cook). Season with garlic powder, sea salt, and lemon juice. I like to let them get golden brown before adding in some diced garlic and tomatoes. After straining the spaghetti noodles, I'll toss them in the pan with the veggies and add a little butter and some parmesan cheese. If I have any fresh herbs I'll toss them in, or maybe some dry oregano. Ooh, and capers if I have any of those! Everything is better with capers! : )
Just like regular spaghetti, you can't really mess this up. It's just butter noodles... with a few things added so you can call it dinner! This picture is from another night when I made this, and I added some garlic bread and my vegan version of Capri Salad on the side.
Just like regular spaghetti, you can't really mess this up. It's just butter noodles... with a few things added so you can call it dinner! This picture is from another night when I made this, and I added some garlic bread and my vegan version of Capri Salad on the side.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Chik'n Avocado Tacos
Ever since going to Tacolu at Jax Beach, I have become obsessed with avocado tacos!! Just a couple slices of avocado, some lime juice, lettuce and tomato is all you really need! Oh, and I read that if you leave the skin on and just cut out the avocado slices that the rest of the avocado will keep for up to 5 days! Good to know!
I decided to step things up one day and made chik'n and avocado tacos. Now, I'm not a big fan of fake chik'n. Even Gardein, which I love so much, just has a weird taste. So if I make it, it's usually a recipe that I can cover up with a lot of other flavors.
Then I tried Quorn, and their chik'n cutlets are so juicy and delicious! The only thing is... they are made with egg whites! So, NOT vegan, NOT okay for a Daniel Fast, and just plain weird! I actually can't stand eggs and prefer not to eat them, so I am torn on this one. I didn't read the label until after I bought the cutlets, so we'll see if I buy it again. It's delicious, but I'm not happy that it's made with egg. Seems to defeat the purpose of vegetarian cooking.
These tacos include alfalfa sprouts, field greens, avocado, Quorn chik'n cutlets, and tomato/cucumber salsa with garlic lime sauce. I cooked the cutlets in the microwave before tossing around with some olive oil, lime juice, and Adobo in a frying pan.
I decided to step things up one day and made chik'n and avocado tacos. Now, I'm not a big fan of fake chik'n. Even Gardein, which I love so much, just has a weird taste. So if I make it, it's usually a recipe that I can cover up with a lot of other flavors.
Then I tried Quorn, and their chik'n cutlets are so juicy and delicious! The only thing is... they are made with egg whites! So, NOT vegan, NOT okay for a Daniel Fast, and just plain weird! I actually can't stand eggs and prefer not to eat them, so I am torn on this one. I didn't read the label until after I bought the cutlets, so we'll see if I buy it again. It's delicious, but I'm not happy that it's made with egg. Seems to defeat the purpose of vegetarian cooking.
These tacos include alfalfa sprouts, field greens, avocado, Quorn chik'n cutlets, and tomato/cucumber salsa with garlic lime sauce. I cooked the cutlets in the microwave before tossing around with some olive oil, lime juice, and Adobo in a frying pan.
Hummus with raw veggies
We are hummus addicts in our house! I used to make hummus from scratch (and mine was pretty awesome) but the garlic hummus by Sabra is like crack to us! And only that kind! We've bought some of the others and don't even like them. The garlic one is just delish!
Whenever I'm hungry I usually grab a piece of wheat pita and some hummus, but I had some leftover broccoli chopped up from what I didn't use in my salad yesterday, so I dipped that in the hummus. Yum! I decided to make a little plate with some tomato, squash, zucchini, bell pepper and more broccoli! It was such a great little lunch! I really wish I had some carrots (which I always love with hummus) but at least I found out that just about any veggie goes well with it! I think my favorite was the bell pepper, followed by the broccoli. I threw the tomatoes in there because when I make hummus I like to put it in a large bowl with some olive oil in the center and line it with slices of tomato. Put some hummus and tomato on top of a piece of pita - AHHH!
I think I may be in love with hummus! : )
Whenever I'm hungry I usually grab a piece of wheat pita and some hummus, but I had some leftover broccoli chopped up from what I didn't use in my salad yesterday, so I dipped that in the hummus. Yum! I decided to make a little plate with some tomato, squash, zucchini, bell pepper and more broccoli! It was such a great little lunch! I really wish I had some carrots (which I always love with hummus) but at least I found out that just about any veggie goes well with it! I think my favorite was the bell pepper, followed by the broccoli. I threw the tomatoes in there because when I make hummus I like to put it in a large bowl with some olive oil in the center and line it with slices of tomato. Put some hummus and tomato on top of a piece of pita - AHHH!
I think I may be in love with hummus! : )
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Enchilada Bake
Since we've been gone for almost the ENTIRE month of August, we don't have much in the pantry right now. But instead of ordering something or going out to eat, I decided to see what I could throw together. We had some flour tortillas, so I decided to do an enchilada bake.
I usually make an enchilada bake with corn tortillas, so this is the first time I've made it with flour ones. I have to say, it turned out so much better! I also used fewer ingredients than usual and less sauce because I was limited by what was in the pantry. No green chilies this time and no black beans. Instead I use spicy fat free refried beans, and I think that is part of why this enchilada bake is better than any other one I've made!
I started off by spraying a casserole dish and just placing two tortillas on the bottom (which covered most of it). Usually I would use 4.
Then I started boiling some water for my brown rice while I put a little olive oil in the pan for my Boca crumbles. I used taco seasoning on the crumbles and cooked about 10 minutes. I added a little water to help dissolve the taco seasoning and a little more olive oil as needed. When it was done, I set it aside in a bowl and added more olive oil to the pan and tossed in some frozen corn, seasoned with salt, pepper, cayenne, and some "slap yo mamma" Cajun seasoning. Once this was sizzling I added in the brown rice and cooked it all together, seasoning with the above spices as needed and finally adding in a little enchilada sauce.
While the rice was cooking, I rinsed out the pot I used for the rice and put my refried beans in there with a little water and some fresh lime juice. Because they were spicy refried beans, I didn't need to season them.
My oven was already heated to 400, so I assembled my enchilada bake with the rice/corn layer first, then the Boca crumbles, followed by the refried beans, and topped with flour tortillas. I covered and baked for 20 minutes, then topped with the rest of the enchilada sauce and baked uncovered for another 10 minutes.
Usually I would top with some soy cheese and green onions, but I didn't have any. However, I don't think this really needs anything else. It's really good as it is! I'll see if I can get a pic of it later to post on here (because I KNOW I will be having another helping after Matt gets home!). : )
I usually make an enchilada bake with corn tortillas, so this is the first time I've made it with flour ones. I have to say, it turned out so much better! I also used fewer ingredients than usual and less sauce because I was limited by what was in the pantry. No green chilies this time and no black beans. Instead I use spicy fat free refried beans, and I think that is part of why this enchilada bake is better than any other one I've made!
I started off by spraying a casserole dish and just placing two tortillas on the bottom (which covered most of it). Usually I would use 4.
Then I started boiling some water for my brown rice while I put a little olive oil in the pan for my Boca crumbles. I used taco seasoning on the crumbles and cooked about 10 minutes. I added a little water to help dissolve the taco seasoning and a little more olive oil as needed. When it was done, I set it aside in a bowl and added more olive oil to the pan and tossed in some frozen corn, seasoned with salt, pepper, cayenne, and some "slap yo mamma" Cajun seasoning. Once this was sizzling I added in the brown rice and cooked it all together, seasoning with the above spices as needed and finally adding in a little enchilada sauce.
While the rice was cooking, I rinsed out the pot I used for the rice and put my refried beans in there with a little water and some fresh lime juice. Because they were spicy refried beans, I didn't need to season them.
My oven was already heated to 400, so I assembled my enchilada bake with the rice/corn layer first, then the Boca crumbles, followed by the refried beans, and topped with flour tortillas. I covered and baked for 20 minutes, then topped with the rest of the enchilada sauce and baked uncovered for another 10 minutes.
Usually I would top with some soy cheese and green onions, but I didn't have any. However, I don't think this really needs anything else. It's really good as it is! I'll see if I can get a pic of it later to post on here (because I KNOW I will be having another helping after Matt gets home!). : )
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
MIA
Sorry I have been so MIA lately! June has been an insane month! It started with a trip to Atlanta to shoot two Indian weddings with my friend Rupa. Then I was home for a few days before flying out to Los Angeles to meet with some of our vendors, potential clients, and to attend the baby shower of one of our 2010 couples! Then we spent a week in Jamaica shooting another wedding, and we just got back on Sunday. Matt left Monday for San Diego, and tomorrow we are both flying to San Francisco for a wedding and to celebrate the 4th of July!
Whew!
The insanity ends there (at least for now). After this trip, we'll be home for the rest of July and I am so anxious to cook again! It's very hard to stick to eat well when you can't cook. Restaurants don't really have healthy options. The portions are large and they use a lot of butter and oil in the dishes. Eating vegan is almost impossible and even finding vegetarian options can be a challenge.
But soon I'll be able to put some healthy stuff into my body! Just being home for 3 days I've lost 5 lbs (that is, the 5lbs I gained from traveling). Going to need to detox in July for sure!
Whew!
The insanity ends there (at least for now). After this trip, we'll be home for the rest of July and I am so anxious to cook again! It's very hard to stick to eat well when you can't cook. Restaurants don't really have healthy options. The portions are large and they use a lot of butter and oil in the dishes. Eating vegan is almost impossible and even finding vegetarian options can be a challenge.
But soon I'll be able to put some healthy stuff into my body! Just being home for 3 days I've lost 5 lbs (that is, the 5lbs I gained from traveling). Going to need to detox in July for sure!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)