Food In Many Forms

Happy Chrismahannakwanzakah! Cookies are a great holiday present for those on a budget - they require time and effort and most of the ingredients are cheap if you don't already have them at home.  These cookies taste like the real deal, but have 75% less sugar because of the Stevia blend I used. I also chose a cookie icing from Betty Crocker that was really easy to use and had 0 g of fat. Ingredients:  1 cup unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup baking Stevia 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt Optional Garnishes: decorative candies and colored sugars Directions: Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer in a medium mixing bowl until creamy. Gradually add baking Stevia, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to baking Stevia blend...

I didn't pick this recipe, but if you knew my friends, you would know who did. This one friend in particular is a HUGE fan of anything with sour cream, buttermilk, cream cheese, whole milk - you name a dairy product that would scare a dietitian and she keeps it in her fridge. The good thing is that otherwise she eats extremely healthy and is a normal weight. She also is a fan of "Colorante", a spice often used in Spain to give food the appearance that it has been seasoned with saffron, which explains the distinct yellow color of our fish.  If I did it again, I would probably add some extra spice to the fish, it needed a little bit more kick. I could definitely see putting paprika, taco spice or Cajun seasonings, especially since I am not a big fan of jalapeno peppers. HEALTHY FISH TACOS WITH BUTTERMILK AVOCADO PUREE - PUREE OPTIONAL Start to finish: 40 minutes Servings: 4 Ingredients: Guess which one was made by a chef, and which one I made? 1 large Ha...

Didn't I just say I would cut back on the alcohol in my last post? Well, I guess I'll keep trying. These delicious clams and mussels were just too perfect with a few glasses of white wine.  Maybe wine doesn't count... Anyways, I really lucked out with these little sea creatures because out of the 48 total clams and mussels I bought, only 1 was bad and didn't open up. It was probably because I bought them and cooked them on the same day and the lovely seafood lady at Whole Foods sent me with two heaping bags of ice to keep them cool. Although the mussel experts say you can store mussels in the fridge for several days, covered with a damp cloth. Giada, from the Food Network, is one of my favorite chefs. Every recipe I have made from her has been outstanding. This one was great because the crushed red peppers spice up the entire broth and give all of the seafood that little bit of kick. The recipe is supposed to serve 6, but the two of us ate all of the mussels...

Hey y'all, I know it's been a while since I've posted, but I'm done socializing and soul-searching for the time being and I'm ready to focus on health, wellness and exercise - hooray! After partying my way through the months of July, August and September (and gaining at least five pounds), I am exhausted and ready to refocus on my well-being in the winter months. Concerns about my health also play a factor, because with my condition, good nutrition is a big contributor to improved quality of life.  So what does this refocusing involve? A lot more grocery shopping, upping the gym visits, less alcohol, more sleep. Pretty basic I think, but some how I had lost sight of these important basics when I was too busy having fun all summer in Atlantic City, the Jersey Shore, New York City and my hometown of Washington D.C.  Atlantic City I know exactly what people mean when they say, "I don't have time to cook" - I am one of the worst offenders - but...

It's nurse's week this week, so on my day off, I decided to bake the nurses on my floor a cake. This banana cake is one of my favorite ways to use up overripe bananas, but it was also great with the fresh bananas I bought at the store today. I made it healthier by using Splenda in the cake and only using 2/3 of the recommended amount of oil. I also made cupcakes with the caramelized bananas on the bottom to keep for myself :) Caramelized Banana Loaf Cake  Rachel Ray Magazine, December 2009 Ingredients: 3 to 4 large bananas 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup baking splenda 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, in 1 piece 1 large egg plus 1 large egg white 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 cup flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 1/2 oz vegetable oil Directions: 1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Grease a 5-by-9 loaf pan. Trim both ends off each of 3 bananas to fit crosswise in the pan; reserve the...

As you can probably tell by now, I make all my friends bake with me. Even when it's passover and the friend in question is observant. I do love a challenge after all. Before we even started, we were grilled by her mother about what ingredients were in the cookies, just to be sure we weren't pulling a fast one on her. After some debate, we carefully combined two recipes from "Couldn't be Parve". They turned out awesome considering the restrictions we were under, but your patience will be rewarded if you can wait until the filling hardens up before you eat them.  Ganache-Filled Almond Cookies Makes approximately 20 cookies For Cookies 1 cup almond butter 1 cup dark brown sugar 1 egg 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon cinnamon Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir until well combined. Scoop out teaspoon sized balls of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Space the cookies at least two inches apart since th...

It was just a matter of time before Pinterest entered my life in food form , and this recipe was too easy to resist. It took 10 minutes to prepare after I got home from the gym, and 25 minutes to bake. The original recipe had too many egg whites , and too few whole eggs for my taste, so the modified version below has twice as many whole eggs and half the egg whites. There are four servings after all, I think one egg yolk per person is okay. And that is my professional opinion ;) Healthy Breakfast Frittata Makes 4 Servings Ingredients: 1 Cup Eggwhites (I use eggwhites from a carton to make my life easier) 4 Whole Eggs 1/2 a Small White Onion Finely Chopped 2 Cups Spinach (not packed) 1/4 Cup Reduced Fat Feta Cheese Black Pepper, to taste Crushed Red Pepper, to taste Salt, to taste Directions: Preheat oven to 425 F. Place all ingredients in an 8×8 previously oiled baking dish sprinkling your spices on top. Using a fork fold ingredients together....

I had a little soup mishap, and it didn't turn out quite as delicious-looking as this one. But it was still pretty tasty, and I'm confident that if I could learn to follow directions, I could make some legit potato leek soup. I made this recipe even shorter and quicker than it already is by not mashing the potatoes or pureeing the leeks. So it actually looked more like the soup pictured. But I would definitely have chopped up the potatoes and leeks into smaller pieces if I had known I was going to go the lazy route. Potato Leek Soup From Eatingwell.com Makes 6 1-cup servings Active Time: 25 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes Ingredients 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil 3 leeks, trimmed, cleaned and thinly sliced (3 cups) 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth 1 1/4 pounds all-purpose potatoes, (about 3 medium), peeled and cut into small chunks 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream Salt &...

It's a tradition in my family to celebrate holidays at our convenience . Jewish holidays? Ehh, Saturday works better with my schedule. Christmas? I can wait til the weekend to see that side of the family. Valentine's Day? As long as it's in the same week...   I feel the same way about St. Patrick's Day . So although it was on Sunday this year, we made Irish food Friday night and ate green bagels Saturday before going on a mini pub crawl :)  Looking at traditional Irish recipes got me pretty discouraged, since I wasn't going to take 4 hours to make corn beef and cabbage, Irish stew, or shepherd's pie . But some how this equally long-winded recipe did not have the same effect, probably because of the beer :) But seriously, it did take four hours to make.  In fact, we had to break out the extra Irish cheddar and crackers to balance out the wine we were drinking. I kept telling myself that it was only about 45 minutes per serving - and t...

Monday night, after the gym, I was inspired to pick up some sliced almonds and nonfat Greek yogurt, and make myself a fruit parfait for dinner. It took about 10 minutes to assemble, and it made for a healthy, satisfying dinner. A few Google searches later, I found this recipe for a Chicken, Pesto, Celery, Walnut, and Spinach Wrap . It's just as easy to assemble, and made for plenty of leftovers! Ingredients: 6 Fiber One garden vegetable wraps 1 1/2 pounds rotisserie chicken  4 stalks celery, diced 2 Tbsp pesto 3 cups spinach, fresh 3/4 cup walnuts, chopped Directions: 1) Pull the meat off the rotisserie chicken, remove the skin, and divide it into smaller pieces.  2) Mix the pesto, walnuts, and celery in with the chicken. 3) Sprinkle 1/2 cup spinach on a vegetable wrap and cover with approximately 3 oz chicken 4) Roll it up like a burrito and enjoy! Adapted from:  http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/quick-recipes/dinner/qui...

... you can dip almost anything into it, including coconut macaroons.  In an effort to use up my shredded coconut leftover from Valentine's Day, one of my good friends from college proposed baking up some coconut macaroons . Right as I was walking out the door on my way to her house, I sent a quick text, "anything else you need before I head over?". "A double boiler ," she replied, "I want to dip the macaroons in chocolate ." It was like music to my ears. Ingredients 2/3 cup all-purpose flour 5 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon salt Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, coconut and salt. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla using your hands until well blended. Use an ice cream scoop to drop dough o...

... it's delicious. And difficult to do well. Here's what I've learned: 1) Add butter to the melted chocolate to improve the consistency for dipping.  2) Toppings are delicious and add variety (ever seen  Shari's Berries ? Good source of inspiration). Also use different types of chocolate, like dark and white chocolate.  3) Keep your chocolate-dipped creations in the fridge , especially when you are OCD, like me. Just try to keep the moisture level down in the fridge, and wipe off any condensation that appears.  4) Buy twice as many wrappers as you think you need, some will get messed up.  5) White chocolate does not like to cooperate . My white chocolate would not stay melted for more than 15 seconds, and then I had to stir it again vigorously. From all the forums I read, there is a small consensus that Trader Joe's makes the most meltable white chocolate. Also see rule #1.  6) Keep the double boiler dry and free of excess water - any...

For the past couple of years, I have always stayed in and cooked for Valentine's Day. I never wanted to face the crowds or the extra expense, and in college these things just don't seem as important. When I would go to the grocery store on February 14th, I always laughed at the poor husbands and boyfriends struggling to find that last ingredient, or agonizing in front of the spice rack for 20 minutes before finding what they need. I love grocery stores, and learning how to cook new foods.  It will be nice to take a year off and go out to dinner tomorrow night to celebrate, but since I can no longer pretend that my gift is the dinner, I actually had to think of a gift. Luckily, I had an extra night to plan and prepare. I ended up making mostly milk chocolate and dark chocolate strawberries because the white chocolate was not cooperating. I had no idea white chocolate was so difficult to work with!  I'll be sure to post the recipe after I've been thoroughly romanc...

I count myself lucky that I don't have any allergies, don't have to "count carbs" or "watch my salt". And even though I will try anything once, there are a handful of foods I won't be trying twice. For whatever reason they just don't agree with me.  During my internship, the hospital where I worked had an Au Bon Pain, and my partner and I would often split a pastry after a long day. It was so interesting to me how both of us would have GI symptoms with the same certain pastries. I have noticed that processed foods, saturated fats and hydrogenated oils in particular, are more likely to cause problems. Just one more reason to  eat healthy, fresh foods !  Unfortunately, these  lemon poppy seed bars  are in the second category of "never again", however delicious they might be. My friend actually used the wrong recipe when she went  grocery shopping , and I thought we could go ahead and make it since we had the ingredients. But now that...

There is a lot to be said for a recipe that cooks up quick and requires minimal prep time. Even more so if it is also healthy, cheap, and uses nonperishable ingredients. So even though this is not my favorite Giada recipe, it is definitely worth keeping the ingredients around in case I ever need to cook up  a good amount of food in a short amount of time. I promise you, it will grow on you as you eat, especially if you are generous with red pepper flakes and the parmesan ;) Ingredients: 1 pound farfalle pasta - I had gemelli so that's what I used 2 heads broccoli, trimmed to florets (about 4 cups) - I used frozen 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 3 garlic cloves, chopped 5 anchovy fillets, diced 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup grated Parmesan - I used Romano cheese Directions: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally. Cook the bro...

Look Familiar? I last posted about this recipe in March 2010. This Spinach Artichoke Dip recipe from Juan Carlos Cruz has served me well over the past few years, so it is too bad that they took down the recipe from the Food Network website. Luckily, one of my fellow bloggers shared her version of the recipe, and I tend to agree with most of her revisions. Thanks, "Tiny Kitchen Cooking" .  Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe courtesy Juan-Carlos Cruz & the Food Network Ingredients: 1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed 1 cup light sour cream 1/2 cup grated Parmesan 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella 8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, softened 4 cloves garlic, crushed 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, plus more as needed 1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained Carrot sticks, celery sticks or baked tortilla strips, for serving Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Squeeze all excess liquid ...

 This week was my turn to work the weekend, which meant I had Thursday off, so I spent the day grocery shopping, prepping veggies, making dip and baking lasagna. With the thermometer stuck below 20 degrees, it was too cold to do much else.  I was inspired by a roasted root vegetable lasagna that I had at Kramerbooks in Dupont Circle a few years ago. You wouldn't think that radishes, squash and leeks would make for delicious lasagna, but it did. So I had high hopes for this recipe from "The view from great island" blog. Ingredients: 1/2 butternut squash, peeled and sliced (I used the pre-cut squash) 1 leek, sliced 1 fennel bulb, sliced a couple of handfuls of Brussels sprouts, quartered about a cup and a half of thickly sliced mushrooms 3 garlic cloves,whole with skin on olive oil 1 package of no cook lasagna noodles (I used a little more than half the box) 1 large jar of your favorite tomato sauce, or tomato puree 1 1/2 lb of whole milk ricotta cheese ...

" Waking up too early Maybe we can sleep in I'll make you banana pancakes Pretend like it's the weekend now And we could pretend it all the time "  - Jack Johnson This recipe makes me think of Jack Johnson playing in the background on a quiet Sunday morning, the early morning light poring into the still dark kitchen, as I meditatively combine ingredients and wait for my macadamia sauce to thicken. It is a nice thought, but very far from the reality.  In reality, it was 12:45 in the afternoon, and the football game was going to start soon We were starving hungry and popping turkey sausage links, waiting anxiously for the macadamia nut sauce to thicken. Pretty soon, he was splitting his time between watching the pancakes and watching the game for the most part, but once the sauce started to thicken up and fill the air with delicious smells, neither of us could stay away from the stove, and we stood arms around each other, proud of our success. ...

I'm a fan of just about every thing Giada makes, and I had my eye on this recipe for quite some time. A perfect healthy date night meal. Ingredients 4 skinless chicken breast halves, with ribs 2 skinless chicken thighs, with bones 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1 teaspoon 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1 teaspoon 1/4 cup olive oil 1 red bell pepper, sliced 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced 3 ounces prosciutto, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes 1/2 cup white wine 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves 1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves 1/2 cup chicken stock 2 tablespoons capers 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves Directions Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In a heavy, large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, cook the chicken until browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside. Keeping the same pan over medium heat, add the peppers and pros...

I took a bit of a break from blogging while looking for a job, but I am excited to jump back into it now that I am gainfully employed. When I don't have time to cook every day, or every week, cooking is a special treat to share with those I care about - and can be a lot of fun. Plus, it's healthier and cheaper than going out.  This simple combination of pasta, sauteed onions, grape tomatoes, basil, feta, olive oil, garlic and Italian herbs was a great success when my old college roommate and I wanted a quick lunch to share on the patio on one of the last warm days in September.   Giada's Roman Chicken recipe made for a delicious date night with the new boyfriend. After a long, busy week full of not the best food choices, it feels good to sit down and enjoy a homemade meal for a change. Just remember to leave plenty of time to prepare the meal, so you're not stressed out or tempted to snack while you wait. I don't how I got it into my head th...