Happy New Year!

2010 is at our doorstep.  May your new year be filled with health, happiness and love.

  Happy New Years Eve from Florida!

What is your New Years Resolution?
Mine is to eat fish twice a week.

The Secret to Weight Loss

I have come to this realization.  If you want to lose weight effortlessly eat really spicy food and you won't be able to eat it all and you will have gotten about a gallon of water down over the course of one meal.

This is the magic recipe that brought me to this realization.  Blackened Cumin-Cayenne Tilapia.  I realize there is butter and oil in it but you won't end up using it all.

Is-that-a-fire-in-my-mouth? Tilapia.

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 Tbsp EVOO

1 Tbsp light butter (I used Land O' Lakes light butter with canola oil)

2 tilapia fillets

Spice Mix:
(You will have a little left over, but it's good so use it on your eggs or something.)

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cooking spray

Juice of 1/2 lime (optional)
 

Directions
 

1. Preheat the broiler and mix your spice mix together in a small bowl.

 

2. Melt the butter and oil together in the microwave for about 25 seconds or until liquidy.  (The light butter I used was pretty soft anyway so it didn't take long.)  Dip the fish fillets in and then rub both sides with about half to 3/4 of the spice mixture.

 

3. Spray a baking pan with EVOO spray and place the fillets in.  Broil for about 5 minutes, flip and broil another 5 minutes.  (Keep an eye on them because depending on how far your fish is from the heating element it will cook faster or slower accordingly.)

 

4. Remove from broiler, and pour lime juice over fillets.

 

Prepare to lose weight and be really hydrated my friends.

Lunch and a Round Two Recipe

For lunch today I decided to make a round two recipe from that slow cooker London Broil I made the other day and paired it with some butternut squash I picked up from Whole Foods. 

I wasn't planning on blogging about it but it looked so good and I just got my new phone that actually has a decent camera on it I said what the hey!  I'll just fly by the seat of my pants and post it.  Woo what a crazy woman I am.

 

London Broil Sandwich with Asiago

Ingredients

2 pieces of whole wheat bread, toasted

1 cup Smoky London Broil

1 nice slice of fresh Asiago cheese

1 cup fresh baby spinach

1 Campari tomato, sliced

Directions

1. Layer a piece of bread then the London Broil, cheese, spinach, tomato and then the second piece of bread.  Serve with some yummy soup.  (Preferably butternut squash soup with cashews from Whole Foods)

Banana Bread

I was thinking about the definition of "healthy" because I was going to call this Healthy Banana Bread.  It's such a subjective term.  Some people might think whole wheat is healthy while others with gluten allergies might see it as terribly unhealthy.  Some people think low fat dairy is healthy, others think only soy is healthy.  Your diet can be vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, high protein/low carb, low fat, organic only and on and on.

There is so much conflicting information out there how is a person supposed to know what to eat and what not to eat? 

My thought is to try to eat as many fresh veggies, fruits, whole carbohydrates (unrefined) and lean proteins as you can. 

What do you consider "healthy"?

Banana Bread

Altered from Cooking Light's Classic Banana Bread 

Yield: 1 loaf, 14 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

Ingredients


1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup turbindo sugar
1/4 cup light butter, softened (I used Land O' Lakes light butter with canola oil)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/3 cup French vanilla low-fat yogurt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Cooking spray


Directions


1. Preheat oven to 350°.


2. Whisk together the first four ingredients until evenly combined.  (Flour through salt).


3. In a mixer beat the sugar and butter at a medium speed for about a minute.  Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

4. Add banana, yogurt, vanilla and cinnamon; beat until blended.

5. Add the flour mixture and beat at low speed just until moist and then fold in the pecans with a spatula.

6. Pour the batter into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray.

7. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Smoky Slow Cooker London Broil with Mashed Cauliflower

I have a confession. I do not like my slow cooker. I WANT to like it but it does not like me because I tend to use lean cuts of meat.


Does anyone else have problems with slow cookers when you try to cook a recipe with fairly lean meat for eight to ten hours on low? Everything that comes out tastes exactly the same. Like it's been cooked for ten hours. Cooked to death. I keep trying it over and over expecting a different result. I think this means I'm insane.


But in my defense I think I figured out a new secret. Cook the meat but then make a sauce to put on the meat after the cooking process is complete. Shoot, you could probably season and sear the meat (step 1) and then throw it in the slow cooker with some beef broth and then just skip to step 4. Maybe I’ll try that next time and let you know how it comes out. When I tasted the ROOSC (right-out-of-the-slow-cooker) meat I was bummed I couldn't taste all the ingredients I had added.


In the crockpot’s defense, if you make pot roast with the fattiest cut of meat you can find it will be really good. I used to do pot roast with a can of cream of mushroom and Lipton onion soup mix. That’s it. It didn’t even need broth because the fat creates it’s own “fat juice” and boy is that good. Who doesn’t like fat juice?

Smoky Slow Cooker London Broil with Mashed Cauliflower


Ingredients


Group 1.
1 1/2 to 2 lb London Broil (I chose this cut because it's so lean)
EVOO spray
Salt and pepper to taste


Group 2.
One sweet onion, peeled and chopped
1 heaping tsp minced garlic
2 chopped chipotles in adobo
2 tsp adobo sauce
Dash of Ancho chili powder
2 tsp of tomato paste
1 Tbsp maple syrup, honey or molasses
1 lime, juiced
Dash of salt
Group 3.
3/4 cup strong coffee
1/2 cup red wine
3 cups beef stock
1 Tbsp Cocoa powder for baking
1 (8 oz) package of fresh slice Portobello mushrooms


Group 4. (My new secret slow cooker weapon….sauce)


1 (8 oz) can no salt added tomato sauce
1 chipotle pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp cocoa powder (I use the Hershey Special Dark)
Agave to taste (I used about 1/4 cup)
Dash of chili powder
1 packet of instant coffee


(Cauliflower recipe to follow)


Directions


1. Spray a large skillet with EVOO spray and heat over medium high heat. Season the meat with salt and pepper then sear each side for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Place meat in slow cooker.


2. Puree the Group 2 ingredients in a blender or food processor and then pour into the heated pan. Stirring constantly cook for about 5 minutes.


3. To the skillet add the ingredients from Group 3 and bring to a boil then pour the mixture over the meat in the crock pot. Cook on low for 7 hours. Remove the meat and mushrooms and shred the meat with a fork. Pour the desired amount of reserved liquid from the crock pot over the shredded meat and discard the remaining.


4. Mix the ingredients from Group 4 and bring to a boil in a small skillet, stirring constantly then pour this mixture over the shredded meat. Serve over mashed cauliflower.


Mashed Cauliflower


Ingredients


1 head of cauliflower
Garlic Garlic, to taste
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
Butter spray (I use the Smart Balance), to taste
3 Tbsp light cream cheese
1/3 cup chicken broth


Directions


1. Cut the cauliflower into florets and steam for 20 minutes. Place them in a food processor and then add the remaining ingredients. Puree until smooth.

My contribution to Christmas Dinner: Butternut Squash Soufflé

My goodness this is late.  Things have been crazy here in FCC land. I had today off and after a particularly vigorous power yoga class my mom and I went to lunch and then shopping.  Back to work tomorrow!

So let's see, where was I?  Oh yes, my Christmas Soufflé.  I was trying to think of something different and light to make for Christmas and I came across this Carrot Souffle recipe from cooking light. 

I changed it up by using a butternut squash I had instead of the carrot and used organic Agave nectar and a sprinkle of Splenda and brown sugar for baking instead of the sugar and the powdered sugar. 


Butternut Squash Soufflé
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)


Ingredients


2-3 lb butternut squash, halved and seeds scooped out
Just under 2/3 cup organic Agave Nectar
1/4 cup light sour cream
3 Tbsp organic whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp light butter, melted (I used Land O Lakes light butter with Canola oil)
1 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
1 tsp Splenda with brown sugar for baking

Directions


1. Preheat oven to 350° and place the squash in a small baking dish, cut side down.  Pour water about half inch up the side.  Bake for about 50 minutes or until the squash can be pierced easily with a fork and the flesh is soft.  Cool a bit and scoop out the inside then puree with a food processor. 


2. Add Agave and next 7 ingredients (granulated sugar through eggs); pulse to combine.



Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until puffed and set. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

p.s. Due to extraneous circumstances I had to prep it the night before and have my mom cook it the next day.  Since it had been refrigerated it could have used a few more minutes in the oven so just be sure to cook until the center isn't jiggly.

Back to Egg White Sandwich

Working out for 40 minutes on my lunch break and doing an hour of P90X at night has helped me shed a whopping pound.  My problem is (on top of Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner) all that chocolate bark I made for the holidays.  And my addiction to foodgawker and tastespotting that fuels my sweet tooth. 

I needed to get back on the egg white wagon to save a few calories.  One of my old weight watcher tricks is to add low fat cheese and lots of veggies to both visually add more volume and get another veggie in.  This is one of my good ol' standbys with my favorite Arnold Sandwich thin.

Back to Egg White Sandwich

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

2 Campari tomatoes

Handful of fresh, organic baby spinach leaves
1 tsp mince garlic
1 Arnold Sandwich Thin (AST), toasted

1/3 cup egg whites

EVOO spray

Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning, to taste

1 slice reduced fat cheddar or American cheese

Directions

1. Spray a small skillet with EVOO spray and heat over medium heat. 

2. Cut the tomatoes in half and place cut side down to cook for about 2 minutes or until they start to get a nice caramelization.  Flip once and add the spinach and garlic and sauté until the spinach wilts then set veggies aside. 

3. Beat the egg whites, add some Cajun seasoning.  Wipe out the skillet and spray with additional EVOO spray then add the egg whites.  Cook until the edges set and middle begins to firm.  Flip once and let sit for about 30 seconds and then fold. 

4. Place the egg white on the AST, top with the veggies and then top that with the cheese.  

Merry Christmas to All!

Just a quick post to say Merry Christmas! 

We had a wonderful meal last night at my Mom and Dad's house after making this gingerbread houce.  This morning we woke to temperatures in the 70's and sun when went back over there to do gifts this morning. 

It's raining now and we are back at the house for nap time and to regroup and then off to my husband's parent's house for dinner.

How are you spending your holidays?

My contribution to Christmas Eve Dinner: Cranberry Peach Chutney

Is everyone ready for Christmas?  I am almost done.  I just have a few more stocking stuffers to wrap.  For my contribution tonight I decided to do something with the bag of cranberries I've had in my fridge.  I thought reducing them with some organic Agave nectar would be really tasty. 

Did you know Agave has a much lower glycemic index than white sugar which means it's more slowly abosorbed by your body and won't cause your insulin to spike and then drop which will lead to hunger.  Just a little tidbit for ya.  I've been reading a lot about the glycemic index and how it can effect us. 

Cranberry Peach Chutney
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

6 ounces of water (just under a cup...you don't have to be too exact)
2/3 cup organic Agave nectar
1 (12 ounce) bag of fresh cranberries
1 pinch of salt
2 Tbsp crystallized ginger, minced
2 cups fresh or frozen sliced peaches, diced
2 packets Splenda with fiber
Sprinkle of Craisins and golden raisins for garnish

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan bring the Agave nectar and water to a boil.  Add the cranberries and salt, bring back to a boil then reduce heat to Medium Low and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

2. Remove this mixture from heat and stir in the minced ginger.  Let sit for about 5 minutes.

3. Add the peaches and Splenda, stir to combine.  Cool then top with Craisins and golden raisins. 

This will also freeze well if you have leftovers. 

Recipe Swap Day and Hamburger Buddy with Balsamic Mushroom Reduction

Last night was recipe swap night again..woo hoo!!!  My friend Justine chose Eating Well's Hamburger Buddy.  We are both trying to get away from the tomato sauce so this was a nice change and something kids will love.


I asked Justine how her son liked it and if she changed anything up.  Here is her response:


"Carson (her son) ate the ground beef part of the Hamburger Buddy. He likes spaghetti noodles and elbow macaroni. I couldn’t find whole wheat elbow so I had to use penne."


"What I (also) changed…."
"The reviews stated it was bland, so I sautéed the onions with the ground beef instead of pureeing it with the mushrooms and carrots. Added to extra cloves of garlic to the mushroom puree. I also grabbed my opened bottle of red wine and kept adding a few splashes of red wine and letting it reduce. When it came time to mix the flour with the beef broth I added another splash of wine to that. I also sprinkled in some reduced fat cheddar cheese and let it reduce to give it the hamburger helper feel I was going for. "

Last night while balancing my daughter on my hip and fatally burning a grilled cheese (and almost a second grilled cheese) I popped the HB in a casserole dish, cranked the oven to 350 and baked it for 30 minutes covered.  I added the cheese and then baked an additional 7 minutes.

While that was baking I had some fresh Portobello mushrooms I needed to cook up so I decided to reduce those with some Garlic Garlic and Balsamic vinegar.  It was a nice sweet savory taste alongside the beef and wine added into the recipe.  My husband Chris and our friend Jim went back in for seconds.

Balsamic Mushroom Reduction
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

EVOO spray
1 (8 oz) package of pre-sliced baby Portobello mushrooms
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Garlic Garlic, to taste
2 packets Splenda with fiber (or sweetener of your choice)
2 Tbsp of chicken broth or water

Directions

1. Spray a small skillet with EVOO spray and heat over medium heat.

2. Pour the mushrooms in the skillet and season with Garlic Garlic.  Pour the vinegar and Splenda over that mixture.  Stirring frequently reduce for about 15 minutes or until the vinegar is absorbed. 

3. Pour in the chicken broth or water and scrape up the brown bits on the bottom.  Let the most of the liquid reduce down and enjoy! 

p.s. They are SO good I was licking the spatula and the caramelized mushrooms almost tasted like candy.  Mmmmm.

Crispy Asiago Tilapia

Fish night redo!  My last post was also a fish post but since I failed miserably at creating any sort of workable recipe this was my redo attempt.  I had to buy fish this time though (Dad, I hope you aren't reading this.  I know it is sacrilege to BUY fish). 

Crispy Asiago Tilapia

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

2 Tilapia Fillets

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumb (I ran out of my usual home-made whole wheat so I had to use the store bought kind this time)

1/4 cup grated fresh Asiago cheese

Tony Cachere's Cajun seasoning (or whatever seasoning blend you like), to taste

EVOO spray

1 lime

Directions

1. Preheat the broiler and set the rack about four levels down.

2. Season the tilapia and then create a fish assembly line. 

• 
  
  Dish 1: beat the milk and egg together,
  
  
  
• 
  
  dish 2: bread crumb and cheese,
  
  
  
• 
  
  baking pan covered in foil and sprayed with EVOO.
  
  
  

3. Dip both sides of the fish in the egg mixture, then the bread crumb then place on the prepared pan.  Spray the top of the fish with EVOO spray.

4. Broil 16 minutes (time may vary according to the size of the fish) and flip half way through and spray the top with EVOO again.

5. When cooking is complete slice the lime and squeeze one half over each fillet.  Serve with steamed veggies.

Fish Wraps in Florida

I have to hand it to those of you in northern cities that are getting all the cold.  Yesterday here in Florida I had a chill all morning. I thought, it must be in the 30's or something.  Brrrrr.  I ran out to my car at lunch to go to the gym and the car said the temp outside was 60.  I am a complete wimp.  I grew up in Milford, MA and now have moved to Florida and become a wimp.  And I love it. 

And what can we do all year round in Florida?  Fish!

This would be my hubby...bringing home the bacon (aka Redfish).  And what tasty bacon it was. 

I baked/broiled the fish and was originally going to post the fish recipe but for some reason my cooking times were off. After a very confusing mixture of both broiling and baking at 350 and flipping, somehow it still came out great.

Instead I'll post the recipe for the fish wraps I made with the last fillet we had left over.

Fish Wrap


Ingredients


1 fish fillet breaded with whole wheat breadcrumb and Asiago cheese, broiled/baked (you could use any left over fish here), sliced
1 low carb, whole grain wrap
Handful of spinach leaves
Slivers of fresh Asiago cheese (YUM)
Slices of red onion
2 Tbsp plain hummus (instead of mayo)


Directions
1. Re-heat your fish in the toaster oven.


2. Spread the hummus on the wrap and top with the spinach, cheese, onion and finally the fish.


3. Wrap and enjoy!

Happy Toast and my Great Weekend

Why is this toast so happy?  Because it has a steaming hot cup of peppermint coffee standing right behind it and because this past weekend was so wonderful.

Holiday preparations so far have been really crazy so all week I had looked forward to this past weekend where we had nothing planned.

It was such a productive weekend.  Here is my list:

• 
  
  Played with my daughter,
  
  
  
• 
  
  my husband Chris and I made stuffed pork chops together,
  
  
  
• 
  
  made it through a killer yoga class,
  
  
  
• 
  
  got the house vacuumed,
  
  
  
• 
  
  the kitchen cleaned,
  
  
  
• 
  
  presents wrapped, 
  
  
  
• 
  
  made a casserole for a friend with a sick little boy,
  
  
  
• 
  
  took TWO baths,
  
  
  
• 
  
  sat on the couch with a magazine and some Candy Cane Lane tea, and
  
  
  
• 
  
  (on top of the delicious Happy Toast) ate a hot, crispy, peanut butter and jelly sandwich on raisin Ezekiel bread with a side of Greek yogurt and blueberries for dinner last night.  I savored every bite.
  
  
  

What is your idea of a wonderful weekend?

Happy Toast

Ingredients

1 Egg

EVOO spray

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

1 slice whole grain bread

Directions

1. Preheat a small skillet coated with EVOO spray over medium heat.

2. Spray both sides of your bread with EVOO and cut a shape out of your choice. (Cookie cutters would work really well here).

3. Toast one side of the bread a bit then flip.  Crack the egg in the center, season with salt and pepper and let it firm up a bit.  Slide your spatula under the egg and toast and flip.  (Both the bread and the middle cut out if you saved that).  Let that side cook to desired done-ness. I usually do about a minute.

4. Slide on to your plate and garnish with two blueberries for eyes (optional).  Enjoy!

Pork Chops Stuffed with Sun Dried Tomato, Spinach & Goat Cheese and a Fresh Spinach Salad

What do you do if you have pork chops, fresh spinach, a generous hunk of goat cheese and a new jar of tangy sun dried tomatoes? 

Make a Giada recipe of course!  I googled the ingredients I had and came across her recipe.  Imagine that!  One of my favorite Food TV stars.  I love her Everyday Italian show.  She uses fresh ingredients and tends to err on the lighter side but isn't afraid of a little Nutella splurge every now and then. 

Since I had some fresh spinach handy I said why not double up and make a spinach salad with goat cheese to mirror the pork?  It was so simple yet so pretty.  The color was just gorgeous!  See below.  Secretly, this was my favorite part of the meal.  I love the combination of nuts, goat cheese and spinach with just balsamic vinegar. 

Pork Chops Stuffed with Sun Dried Tomato, Spinach and Goat Cheese

Based on this recipe by Giada De Laurentis. I pretty much followed her recipe exactly so I won't reprint it. 

Fresh Spinach Salad

Ingredients

(Estimated)

4 cups fresh organic baby spinach

Slices of purple onion

1 ounce fresh goat cheese

Handful of walnuts

Drizzle of good quality fig balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. Mix everything together.

Tip O' the Day

To busy to make lunch?  Sometimes in the morning I have nothing prepared for lunch at work.  If it's a gym day I eat at my desk.  For backups I try to have a few options in the freezer just in case.  I try to choose either Kashi meals or Amy's Kitchen meals as they seem to be the least processed.  Do you eat frozen meals?  If so what are your favorites?

This morning, for me, was one of those mornings so I grabbed an Amy's Kitchen Indian Mattar Paneer. I LOVE her Indian dishes. This one has such a nice balance of curry on the veggies, rice and cheese.  It is one of my favorites. Now here's my tip.  These little meals never fill me up so I always bring either steamed broccoli left over from dinner the night before or fresh spinach to pour my frozen meal over.  This way you both get in an extra veggie for the day and you are nice and full (on veggies).  This also keeps me from scouring my office for anyone who might have chocolate at around 3:00. 

Today's was so pretty and I happened to have my point and shoot in my purse so here's a photo. 

Toastnut with Egg Filling

There is a commercial on TV that shows a mother serving up toast with a heart cut out of the middle and an egg in the center.  My husband Chris actually mentioned it.  I said I had seen it and then happened to come across how to make it on a foodgawker post but I can't remember who it was so if you are out there and you read this let me know who you are so I can give you kudos. 

It was much easier than I thought it would be.  I was having one of those mornings where my daughter slept in a little so I could experiment with a new breakfast and have time to photograph it.  I took the first few bites and realized I could do something a little extra with the toast cut out so I spread some Naturally More and no-sugar-added jelly on there. YUM!  Now that I'm posting it what the heck do I call this recipe?  It reminds me of a donut so how about Toastnut with Egg Filling.  So technically the middle would be a toastnut hole?  Can you think of a better name? I am not the most creative today.

Toastnut with Egg Filling

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 pc Arnold Double Fiber bread (100 cal and 6 grams fiber!)

1 egg (here I go again, the queen of egg whites using a yolk...now I'm addicted)

EVOO spray

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat a skillet over medium heat and spray with EVOO spray.

2. Cut the center of the bread out.  (I used the top of a glass) and place both pieces in the skillet.  Flip when it just begins to brown.

3.  Crack the egg in the toastnut hole and sprinkle salt and pepper and spray EVOO spray over the toast and egg. 

4. When the egg begins to firm flip both the toast/egg and the hole so everything gets cooked on both sides.

5. Cook the egg for a minute or so on that side and slide onto a plate.  Serve with seasoned tomatoes or fruit. Spread some jelly or topping of choice on toastnut hole.

Recipe Swap Day and Pork & Plantain Chili with Beans & Rice

It's that time of week again....recipe swap day! As promised last week I decided to do a version of Pork & Plantain Chili from Eating Well and Easy Black Beans and Rice from Simply Recipes.  For my swap day I felt like I kept doing the same sort of casseroles...chicken, spinach and tomatoes so I wanted to change it up.  Granted it's not a casserole but it makes so much that you will be glad to give half of it away and still have a ton of delicious leftovers and you can freeze the leftovers for up to two months. 

I know these recipes sound pretty easy, which they are, but I felt like I had every bowl in the kitchen out trying to coordinate.  If you make these two together it's best to prep all the ingredients first.  Then, to each different bowl, adding the groupings of ingredients you will add at the same time. I had gotten the chili prepped but then trying to get the stuff for the beans and rice together was rather haphazard.  I can't believe I didn't burn anything!

Pork & Plantain Chili

Ingredients

EVOO Spray

Bowl 1:

1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat, cut into 1-inch cubes
Bowl 2:
1 large onion, finely diced
1 very ripe plantain, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Stop here and these will be separate, just get the OJ and broth measured and cans opened:
1/2 cup orange juice
2 cups chicken broth
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed
2 4-ounce cans diced green chilies
1 15-ounce can refried black beans


Directions

1. Spray a Dutch oven with EVOO spray and heat over medium-high heat. Brown the pork (from bowl 1) for about three minutes and then wash that bowl and add the pork back to bowl 1 to set aside.

2. Lower the heat to medium and spray the pot with EVOO again.  Add everything in bowl 2 and cook for about five minutes then add the orange juice.  Increase the heat to high and cook for a minute to reduce the amount of liquid.

3. Stir in broth and black beans and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 14 minutes and stir it a bit occasionally. Add the chili and refried beans as well as the pork and its juices back to the pot. Increase the heat a bit from here and cook for about two minutes.

Red and Black Beans and Rice

Ingredients

2 packets of yellow rice (the ones that say 2.5 servings per bag. Perfect for you, your significant other and that half other person), cooked to package directions and set aside
EVOO spray
1 small onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers
1 tsp minced garlic
1 16-ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 16-ounce can of red beans, rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
A few dashes of Louisiana Hot Sauce (in my case the stopper top was not on so quite a bit came out. No worries. We love it when we can't feel our mouths)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Spray a large skillet with EVOO spray and heat on medium high. Sauté onions and peppers for 3-4 minutes, until just beginning to soften, then add garlic and sauté a minute more. Add the beans, vinegar and hot sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

2. Stir in rice and oregano. Add salt and pepper to taste.

No Longer a Yoga Virgin

Have you heard of P90X?  It's an extreme workout series focused on muscle confusion and one of the days focuses on yoga.  My husband Chris has never done yoga and I was very excited for him to try it. (If only through the manly outlet of P90X.) I was very sad that we both decided this was our least favorite P90X day so far.  Bummer!

Here is a photo of his first yoga encounter. 

He apparently does not appreciate photos being taken of his first yoga experience.

I do not feel the gratitude for the opportunity to grace my blog here.

p.s. As a review of the P90X yoga, I personally did not think it was a good representation of what I expected to be Vinyasa Flow Yoga.  It was very slow and there were not a lot of modifications shown for those who have never done yoga including binds and arm balances that are three to five year postures.  However, as far as the abdominal, weights and plyometrics series I have been exceptionally impressed. 

Peanut Butter Bark

My final installment of holiday bark is this peanut butter bark.  I put one of my favorite Christmas ornaments in the background.  Did you ever see the little marshmallow men? They are the cutest things ever!

I had to take another photo of him in focus cause he's just so cute.

Peanut Butter Bark

Ingredients

1 bag semi sweet chocolate morsels
1/2 bag of bite size Reese's Peanut Butter cups sliced in half

Directions

1. In a heat safe glass bowl over a pot of simmering water add the chocolate. Stir constantly until it melts evenly. 

2. Remove from heat and spread on a pan covered in parchment paper with a spatula.

3. Place the PB Cups sliced side down in neat rows.

4. Cool and slice into squares.

Grilled Chicken & White Bean Sauce with Chayote Squash

This past weekend was quite a weekend. Friday night was wonderful. I had dinner with Chris and my daughter at a local restaurant called Picasso’s. It’s one of those hole-in-the-wall places in an older strip mall you would never know was there but when you get there it’s packed. I’ll do a restaurant review of that later (along with the thin crust caramelized onion, grilled chicken and goat cheese pizza that causes you to hear angels sing when you bite into it...haaaaaaallelujah).

Saturday was a bit stressful as we had family holiday photo time. My 15 month old daughter was on the road to sickness (which would be pinkeye, ear infection, fever and cold on top of her usual eczema) but she was a good sport for at least a little while in her holiday dress. Later that night I went out for a girl’s night to go dancing with my friends. I was a bit nervous on the way out to the beach as it was torrential downpour but getting the girls together has been quite a feat especially when half of us are moms so we didn’t cancel.

Somehow we powered through it and I’ll just say I overdid it a little apparently thinking I was back in my college days at FSU. Don't worry, our responsible selves had a cab and stayed the night at Justine's aunt's house right down the street.  However, this is what led to my half hearted day of grocery shopping on Sunday with an unfortunate hangover and now full blown sick toddler in my cart. Typically I like to be a coupon clipping bargain hunter. I was lucky I even made it to the grocery that day and saved a pitiful $1.50. 

So where did the Chayote squash come in then?  That was from last week.  Most women like to splurge on shoes.  I splurge on vegetables I've never cooked with (okay and shoes too).  This one luckily was pretty inexpensive but it was most definitely not on my regular grocery list.  I googled a recipe for Chayote on line and it looked pretty easy!  I just threw it in to brown with the onions.

Grilled Chicken White Bean Sauce with Chayote Squash

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts
EVOO Spray
1 onion, diced
1 Chayote Squash, sliced
1 tsp garlic
1 Tbsp light butter (I use the Land O’ Lakes with Canola Oil)
Juice of one lemon
Dash of white wine
1 can Great Northern or other white beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp rosemary

Directions

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and grill until cooked through.

2. Meanwhile, spray a skillet with EVOO spray and heat over medium high heat. Add and melt the butter and then add the onion and squash, season with salt and pepper and brown while the chicken cooks. Lower the heat and add the garlic and sauté for a minute. Add the lemon and white wine to deglaze the pan.

3. Blend the white beans with salt, pepper and rosemary. Add to the onion mixture and heat through.

4. Serve the bean and Chayote sauce over the grilled chicken breasts.

White Chocolate Cloud Bark

I had trouble putting labels on this one. White chocolate is technically not chocolate, right?  I went ahead and put it as "chocolate" anyway.  This is my fourth attempt at bark and I didn't expect much with this one after my dark chocolate debacle where the next morning there was unsightly discoloration (although still tasty, my mom and I polished off a few pieces while watching the movie Julie and Julia). 

I must say the white chocolate didn't get as smooth and creamy as the others.  When it came to spreading it on the parchment paper I had to ditch the spatula and press it down with my hands.  Is there anyone familiar with white chocolate out there who can tell me what I did wrong?  Maybe it was because I didn't melt it enough. I was so afraid to overheat it.  I figure all that matters is it tastes good and it was fairly photogenic. 

White Chocolate Cloud Bark
Ingredients

1 bag white chocolate morsels
1 tsp canola oil
Handful of marshmallows
8 candy canes crushed up
1/2 package of Andes Mints, sliced

Directions

1. In a heat safe glass bowl over a pot of simmering water add the oil and chocolate.  Stir constantly until it melts evenly.  (Or in my case until just before you are scared to get it too hot) 

2. Remove from heat and stir in the marshmallows and most of the crushed candy canes.

3. Spread it on a pan covered in parchment paper and then top with some additional marshmallows, crushed candy canes and the Andes mints.

4. Let it cool and cut into pieces.  I liked mine square but you can cut it any which way.

Snowball Bark

I worked into the wee hours of the night on my chocolate bark. Not going to bed until 10:30 (that would be wee for me). I made three kinds of bark, two batches of snowball bark, dark chocolate with cranberries and chocolate roasted almonds and finally chili dark chocolate with cranberries and chocolate roasted almonds.

I put all the batches in the cold oven to cool over night and woke early at 5:23AM so I got up and chopped up my bark. The two snowball batches were on the top. They were perfect.

I took photos of them and congratulated myself smugly on how I'm the chocolate bark master. I couldn't believe how easy it was. I wondered why people have all these problems with making chocolate recipes. As I removed the second tray to reveal my dark chocolate trays below I realized how mistaken I was. As perfect as my snowball bark came out the dark chocolate was the opposite. There were unsightly white blooms all over it. So now I have two batches of dark chocolate bark in my freezer because I couldn't bring myself to throw it out. It still tastes good, it just doesn't look pretty.

I'll spare you the dark chocolate and just show you the pretty one.

Snowball Chocolate Bark

Since I didn't measure exact amounts I won't do a printable recipe

Ingredients

1 bag of milk chocolate morsels
1 tsp vegetable oil
Mix-Ins:
1 handful of mini marshmallows
1 handful of quartered bite size Reese’s peanut butter cups
1 handful of peanuts
1 handful of Heath bar crunch
1 handful of mini rod pretzels broken into small pieces
Plus about 1 cup of additional mix-ins to put on top

Directions

1. Over a simmering pot of water, place the chocolate morsels in a heat proof bowl and add the vegetable oil. Stir constantly until melted.

2. Remove from heat and add the mix-ins.

3. Spread the mixture on a baking pan lined with parchment paper and top with the cup of additional mix-ins.

Fattoush and Mandaloun Mediterranean

The elusive Fattoush.  Very hard to catch a photo of one.  My first attempt to fix up my leftovers at home did not do it any justice at all.  Granted the photo was taken with my Nikonosaurus.  I now snuck my brand new (new is a relative term here, it's actually a refurb) Canon 30D into Mandaloun Mediterranean with me.  My problem this time?  No tripod in my purse and REALLY low light...therefore, camera-shake so I had to take this with (the horror) a flash.

See the results below. 

Could this be the best salad ever? I have tried to recreate it at home with an alteration of this Fattoush recipe and was not able to match the perfection of the one made at a local restaurant called Mandaloun Mediterranean. The fresh flavors of the aromatic parsley and mint, the tartness of the lemon (and pomegranate!) paired with good quality extra virgin olive oil and the CRUNCH of pita chips is sublime.


I vow to keep trying to get the perfect shot that will do it justice.