Food In Many Forms

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 &...