Food In Many Forms

I was sitting at home at 4 o'clock in the afternoon today contemplating what to do with some leftover corn tortillas, when I found a cooking light recipe for "Smoky Potato and Greens Tacos". Although the resulting tacos were a bit different, they were quite tasty. Cooking Light recommends potatoes, radishes and greens with fresh cheese. I substituted sweet potatoes and used lightly cooked onion instead of radish to give me the same crunch. The queso blanco was also delicious as an appetizer all by itself until I could pull everything together.  Ingredients 2 corn tortillas 1 medium sweet potato 1 cup spinach/ arugula/ your favorite greens 1/2 cup sliced onions 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro 1 oz queso blanco Salt and pepper, to taste Fresh lime juice (optional) Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Poke holes in the sweet potato, and bake for 45 minutes. Dice sweet potato and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute onions and mix in greens prior to taking it off...

I'm in week 2 of meal planning for the new year. But I realize after week, that I really only need two or three recipes to hold me over for the week. Last week it was tuna antipasto, French lentils, and homemade hummus. This week, I have quinoa salad and avocado sandwiches planned, which may be plenty since it's also restaurant week :) This Mediterranean edamame salad was super delicious - but maybe next time I will buy the pre-shelled edamame. Ingredients 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained 1 cup water 1 package frozen edamame 2 medium tomatoes, chopped 4 cups fresh arugula/ spinach mix 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 Tbsp lemon juice 1/2 cup crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese Dried basil, salt, pepper, to taste Directions In a medium saucepan, combine quinoa and water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer on low for about 15 miutes or until quinoa is tender and liquid is absorbed, adding edamame the last 4 minutes of cooking  In sm...

I didn't have all the ingredients for the original recipe from Kitchn - "Tomato-Braised Lentils with Broccoli Rabe" - so I just made the lentil part and served them with brown basmati rice. I would have liked more tomato flavor, and I think next time, I would add more tomato paste, and even maybe some canned diced tomatoes. This year, I'm also going to change the way I estimate cost. Since I love to shop at Aldi, and their prices are amazing, I'll be saving my receipts, and using their prices whenever I buy from them. So the prices may seem a little lower, but they are completely realistic. Ingredients 4 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 medium onion, finely chopped 1 1/2 cups green French lentils 1 tablespoon tomato paste 3 cups stock (chicken or vegetable) 5 cloves garlic, crushed 3 medium tomatoes, chopped Salt and pepper, to taste Directions Heat two tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Sweat the onions over low heat...

I'm easing my way into a more vegetable, fish and legume focused-diet. This recipe can serve a family of 4 or become lunch for a few days during the week. As long as you wait to add the salad greens, the tuna salad should only grow in flavor. Ingredients 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed 2 6 oz cans of chunk light tuna, drained and flaked 1 large bell pepper, diced 1/2 cup onion, diced 1/2 lemon, juiced 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil Ground pepper, to taste 8 cups mixed salad greens Directions Combine beans, tuna, bell pepper, onion, parsley, lemon juice, and olive oil. Season with pepper. Divide the greens among 4 plates. Top each with the tuna salad. Adapted from : http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/252451/mediterranean-tuna-antipasto-salad/ Allergens : fish Nutrition (1/4 recipe) : 264 kcal, 12 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 8 g monounsaturated fat, 30 mg cholesterol, 334 mg sodium, 362 mg potassium, 17 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 22 g protein, 69% vitamin A, 82% vitamin ...

Looking back at 2017, I had so many financial goals, and food just became an obstacle to them. I ate foods that were not the best for me in the interest of cost-savings. I became a believer in Aldi, and I ate whatever Aldi provided (which was not much, sometimes). I stopped trying to follow recipes because you could never find all the ingredients there, and instead just improvised.  When my favorite Mexican spot next to my office closed, I cooked canned black beans with cumin and garlic and layered them over shredded lettuce and Mexican cheese on tostadas. When my guy came over for dinner, I covered naan bread in caramelized onions, sauteed spinach, shredded parmesan, and fresh mozzarella, and baked it until golden brown. But when I decided to take a graduate class this fall, I realized why I loved to cook so much in college. It was an escape from homework, and tests, and a time I could socialize with my roommates. When the pressures of school returned, so too did my desire...

I had a mental shift recently. The whole adulting thing is hitting me pretty hard, and although nutrition will always be a concern to me, cost has become a much larger factor in my decision-making a the grocery store. That means shopping at cheaper stores, using coupons, and eating in a whole lot more.  It also means I'm less likely to choose recipes with fancy ingredients I don't have, and more likely to just use what I've got in the pantry. This may be why I have been blogging a lot less - because my meals are so run of the mill and don't always seem worth sharing. But I have an ever-growing pile of recipes that I have carefully annotated.When that pile gets too large, I find myself wanting preserve all that work so I can continue to make my cooking better. Ironically, my grocery bill is 1/3 to 1/2 of what it used to be since I started being more budget conscious, but my restaurant spending is right in line with the typical millenial. According to on...

EatingWell Roasted Eggplant Dip I am a lucky dietitian. I now have a farm truck coming to my work every Wednesday morning in addition to the cute farm co-op down the street. They are just the gentle nudge I need to increase my variety of fruits and vegetables. This week, I tried Fairytale Eggplant (see picture above). It cooked up into a delicious dip along with fresh mint from my roommate's herb garden. My only complaint is that I didn't make more of it!  It also worked out very well that today is Meatless Monday, and we got to promote it our webpage at work! I love when things work out that way.  Ingredients: 1 large head garlic 1 eggplant (1 1/4 lb), cut in half lengthwise 1 small onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices 1 ripe tomato, cored, sliced in half and seeded 3 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 teaspoon salt Fresh ground pepper, to taste Directions: 1. Set oven racks...