Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Wordless Wednesday: Happy Birthday to my 4 Year Old Joshua!!

Monday, August 29, 2011

Steal of the Week: Mexican Coleslaw for Meatless Monday

Labor Day weekend is coming up and you may be thinking about a side you can bring to your upcoming cookout. Try this recipe from Jillian Michaels that was made for me by a friend one of my last pot-luck parties. It is a delicious low-fat and low-calorie coleslaw that beats the old mayo version in terms of freshness and taste! I'll be making it this weekend for my church's Labor Day cook-out!
Mexican Coleslaw
Recipe by Jillian Michaels
Ingredients
  • 6 cups cabbage very thinly sliced
  • 1 1/2 cups carrots peeled and grated
  • 1/3 cup cilantro chopped
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking Directions
  1. Rinse cabbage and carrots thoroughly with cold water in colander and let drain 5 minutes (or use a salad spinner like I do!). 
  2. Whisk cilantro, vinegar, oil and salt in a large bowl. 
  3. Add cabbage and carrots. 
  4. Toss well to coat. 
  5. Once prepared, serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Toss again to refresh just before serving.
Happy Meatless Monday!

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Hurricane...and unfortunately not the drink!

So here in Hampton Roads we have been preparing for Hurricane Irene which we are feeling the effects from now but as this blog shows, as of now we have power! But since we are riding out the storm in a hotel (our neighborhood floods and hubby has to stay in town for his job) I am not doing any cooking! What I found fun was a local blogger's recent post about Recipes for Disaster and I started thinking about what we would do should we lose power. To the hotel I brought Nutella because well, I think we always have Nutella and of course peanut butter, crackers, bread, muffins...quite the carb party up in here folks! I did also bring in single serve containers of fruit, cereal and Kashi bars as well as some yogurt for as long as we have power. I am now craving a Nutella and peanut butter English muffin! But as far as recipes, canned chicken combined with mayo packets and relish packets from the hotel kitchen make yummy chicken salad, maybe even add to it some of my son's beloved Craisins to really class it up! I am allergic to canned tuna so that's out but I love deviled ham sandwiches. I am reminded of a few Top Chef challenges in which the chefs didn't have anything but fire, or a gas camping stove or no power at all. And I suppose if you need to get rid of some shrimp and/or scallops you have in your fridge...ceviche is always a show stopper! (Can you imagine, yeah, the power went out but we had ceviche and wine and peanut butter and Nutella for dessert!) Whatever you whip up, pay close attention to food safety guidelines and don't light an outdoor grill inside your house! See you on the other side of Irene!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Quick Meal: Bacon Wrapped Filet and Balsamic Green Beans

I don't think people believe me when I say an elegant and delicious meal can take only a few minutes to prepare and just a few ingredients.
This dish was two slices of thick cut bacon, one thick cut prime filet crushed black peppercorns, salt, olive oil, fresh green beans and Balsamic vinegar. It was all cooked using one pan on my stove top....and just as delicious as it looks. 

Using a mortar and pestle I ground the pepper corns and kosher salt together and coated both sides of the meat, pressing the peppercorns in like I would for steak au poivre. The steak was then wrapped in the bacon and secured with toothpicks. I heated a small amount of olive oil in my non-stick grill pan on medium-high heat and seared the steak on both sides. Then I turned down the heat and covered the pan, and continued cooking the steak 2-3 minutes on each side (I like mine medium rare to medium). I removed steak from pan to let rest and added the green beans into the pan. I sauteed them a few minutes and then added about 2 tablespoons of the Balsamic vinegar, tossing the green beans to ensure they were coated. I cooked them another few minutes and served them along side the steak.

Served with wine and crusty bread....better than a steakhouse I say!

Monday, August 22, 2011

Meatless Monday: Recipes Around the Web

I am making it a mission in the next meal planning month to include a few meat free dishes for the family. Eggs have always been a huge staple of mine when cooking without meat but with hubby's cholesterol I have needed to check out other options. I am a veggie lover as is my husband but our palates differ when it comes to the types and combinations of vegetables. He is a no mushroom and sometimes tomatoes kind if guy where as I love both...and don't get me started on his on again off again like of beans! Therefore I am on the hunt for more meatless options the whole family will love and hope to share the results on the day many food blogs have termed "Meatless Monday".

For now, enjoy these links to today's meatless recipes from some of my favorite sites and the one that started the movement:

Meatless Monday

Foodista: Red Quinoa and Lentil Burger

 Recipe of the Day: Zucchini Patties 

Eating Well : Healthy Vegetarian Recipes You Must Try

Feel free to share your favorite Meatless recipes! Share recipes and photos and I will choose some to feature on a future Meatless Monday post.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Lower Guilt Meatball Parm Sandwich

Sometimes minimizing the impact of ingredients on caloric content takes very easy substitutions. Sometimes those substitutions are intentional and other times they are accidental. My hubby loves what he calls “meatball parm grinders”  which for me being from "The South" equates to a meatball sub. One of the items I often pick up in large quantities when on sale are Harris Teeter’s fresh made and precooked turkey meatballs. I freeze them until I am ready to use them and either quickly heat them in olive oil before adding to a prepared sauce for a quick meal or add them frozen and allow to slow cook in the sauce I have prepared for all day cooking.

The night I had meatball subs on the menu, we were strangely without bread, rolls or buns of any kind (I blame a week in which 3 members of the household had to take packed lunches every day). I had pasta on the menu for the week already so I wasn't going to go that route either. As I searched fridge for more ideas I came across my package of Flat-Out flatbread. We typically use these for deli-meat or chicken wraps and the occasional quick and healthy pizza but why couldn’t I use them for a meatball "sandwich"?

I decided to brown the meatballs in a little olive oil and then halve them before laying them out on one half of each of the flatbreads which I had laid on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
I added just a little bit of jarred pasta sauce (because I was worried about sogginess and leakage) and then added 2% mozzarella cheese. 
I folded the other half over and sprayed that also with the cooking spray. I popped them into a 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes until cheese had melted and the flatbread had browned and gotten a little crispy. I halved the sandwiches and served them with a side of the sauce. 
Hubby declared he’d eat meatball parm like this anytime and said he was sad that I only made him one! I actually see a lot of potential using these for more hot sandwiches especially since they are pretty healthy as well as tasty! The Flat-Out folks also have recipes on their website if you don't know where to start! Happy wrapping!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Link to Love: Better Recipes Mixing Bowl

The internet is a great source of recipes, yes, and there are a ton of sites out there...but I am really enjoying the newly updated Better Recipes mixing bowl which is hosting and encouraging an online food community. The groups are very diverse  as there seems to be one for everyone and their interests. I just signed up for the food bloggers group (surprise!) and the Girl Get-togethers group. I am still finding my way through the new site but it's been fun and I am looking forward to sharing more as I get inspired more from other cooks out there!

Monday, August 15, 2011

Busy Cooking but NOT Blogging???

Have you missed me? I can honestly say I missed blogging and ironically the preparation of food is what kept me away! Some words of wisdom: the phrase “ I love to cook so if you need some help with church camp….” can result you being in charge of the meals for 75-125 people for four straight nights! Top that on full days in the office from 7:00am-3:30pm and well, a girl’s gotta sleep sometime!

However, I did have to share the beautiful ravioli that came out of some practice cooking rounds in preparation for the Cooking with Passion competition. I wanted so badly to photograph the other things I worked on and the dishes I made, but my episode was filmed yesterday and won’t air until October soooo no spoilers here folks!

I have such respect for the reality TV cooking competitions after this experience. I stayed up last night watching the next Food Network Star finale and tried to imagine myself in their shoes. I am comfortable in front of a camera but I am human too and all it took was the producer to tell me not to begin my sentences with “so” and that was then the first thing coming out of my month! The pressure was intense even on this small local scale so I am impressed that more reality chefs don’t crack under the circumstances. I think I was probably on the verge of tears a few times!

But like most people involved in these sort of efforts, I wouldn’t go back in time  and not enter because it has been such a rewarding experience. I love having people I don’t really know taste and critique my food. I like the creative outlet and the fast-pace and it’s been a joy cooking with one of my dear friends. If you are in Hampton Roads, turn to Cox 11 on Sunday nights and watch Cooking with Passion to see how it all turned out! Reruns of the 1st six episodes start from the beginning this Sunday the 21st and lead up to the semi-final rounds which air in October. In the meantime, I owe my family some home-cooked meals…and you the readers more cook crookery!! Stay tuned…..

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Steal of the Week: Baked Mozzarella Bites

I am always on the lookout for healthy versions of my family's favorite foods. One of our guilty pleasures is mozzarella sticks. I have never bought them frozen at the grocery and made them at home but on occasion when we are at a restaurant that has them on the menu, we indulge. So I was very excited to receive my August Cooking Light magazine and find one of their Super Fast 20-Minute Cooking recipes was one for Baked Mozzarella Bites! I decided to whip them up as an appetizer one night when I was serving pasta for dinner.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
  • (1-ounce) sticks part-skim mozzarella string cheese
  • 3 tablespoons egg substitute
  • Cooking spray
  • 1/4 cup lower-sodium marinara sauce (such as McCutcheon's)

Preparation

  • 1. Preheat oven to 425°.
  • 2. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1/3 cup panko to pan, and cook for 2 minutes or until toasted, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, and place the panko in a shallow dish.
  • 3. Cut mozzarella sticks into 1-inch pieces. Working with one piece at a time, dip cheese in egg substitute; dredge in panko. Place cheese on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 3 minutes or until the cheese is softened and thoroughly heated.
  • 4. Pour the marinara sauce into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, stirring after 30 seconds. Serve with mozzarella pieces.
  • David Bonom, Cooking Light  AUGUST 2011
  • I used my usual Bertolli tomato sauce that I always have on hand for dipping and these were gobbled up in a minute! I am looking forward to making them again as the magazine suggests for an after-school snack. I also thought these would be a fun little garnish on a salad for us grown-ups although I ate my fair share of these too.