New Recipes: March

No, that's not a typo in the title. Yes, I am a whole month behind in posting new recipes. So without further ado, the new recipes I made ate and photographed in March:

Sage polenta bowls with roasted brussel sprouts
This recipe is the least memorable of the bunch.  I am pretty sure it was good, but even with the addition of some shrimp and parmesean cheese, the bowls lacked pizzazz. Lots of fiber from those sprouts, but I don't know if I would make this one again when standard shrimp and grits taste so good.

Glowing skin smoothies
This recipe, on the other hand, has been on repeat! Despite enjoying many a smoothie for breakfast, I have always been wary of adding leafy greens to my first meal of the day (except in omlette or quiche form). I am not quite sure what convinced me to take the plunge, but this recipe has shown me that spinach actually works in a smoothie. I am still skeptical about whether or not I could make spinach taste good in a smoothie without following a recipe, and I don't know that I feel the urge to level up to kale for breakfast anytime soon.

Baked tofu
Another winning recipe from March! Keizo gets all of the credit for putting it together, but he says it was pretty easy and we both enjoyed the results. This meal was all sorts of healthy and was consumed in large quantities without any regrets. I am looking forward to making this again when it's time for another round of tofu (at least once a month around here).

I am going to go get started on April's new recipe post right away. Hopefully it won't take a month for me to finish it!

New Recipes: October

It is no longer October, which means I have officially passed the two month mark in my new apartment and at my new job!  Whatever feeling of being settled I alluded to in the last post was a lie, or at the very least, fleeting.  I am definitely still adjusting to life in a new place--which has its fun parts, like a bike ride to sample beer throughout DC with friends a few weeks ago--but it has been hard for me to get a routine established that includes important things like exercising regularly and pursuing hobbies that aren't Netflix centered.

One routine that I have been able to establish fairly well is weekly meal planning and grocery shopping.  I have used my Sundays the past few weeks to pick out some new recipes, procure ingredients, and make enough food for several meals throughout the week.  Read on for some of the new things I tried this month!

Recipe 1: Bone Builder Smoothie

I'm not sure how I came across this recipe, but Nutella and raspberries in a smoothie?!?  I even went out and bought raspberries just for this purpose.  I also added a banana when I made it and a little bit of almond milk to help things blend.  My one problem with this recipe is that 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese and a dollop of Nutella aren't exactly low-cal.  I never in a million years thought I would be someone who counts calories, but I started using the My Fitness Pal app earlier in the summer, and guess what?  When you burn more calories than you take in, you look/feel better in your clothes/skin ;-)  

This is especially important for me to remember in lieu of my confession above at how hard its been to re-establish an exercise routine.  My hilly 20 minute bike ride to work in Charlottesville has been replaced by a 10 minute-if-I-add-a-few-blocks walk to work in Silver Spring, so exercising in addition to my commute is key!

Recipe 2: Chipotle Roasted Kabocha Squash and Kale Salad

This is another superb recipe from An Avocado A Day.  A few months ago, I tried a recipe for lentil "meatballs" and with a lemon-pesto, which was well worth a bit of extra effort in the kitchen.  This recipe was easier (once I tracked down the canned chipotle chiles) and contains one of my very favorite vegetables--kabocha--aka Japanese pumpkin.  If you follow the link above, you can read about all of kabocha and kale's super food properties, but I think all any fellow squash lover really needs to know is you can eat the skin!  No more almost losing a finger trying to peel a stubborn butternut or scraping out the insides of a spaghetti squash (although I will still do those things on occasion).  I had chiles left over, so I made another batch of kabocha this past weekend.


Recipe 3: Garden Minestrone

I made several substitutions in this recipe based on what I had on hand, but I don't think that subbing kale for spinach or spiral pasta for "very short tube-shaped macaroni" had any ill effects on the final product or preclude me from pronouncing this a good basic soup recipe.  I may have forgotten the salt and pepper, so it sorely needed some cheese to help bring out the flavors, but let's be honest, I would be adding cheese anyway so no harm, no foul.


Recipe 4: Roasted Broccoli Enchiladas

This recipe came about because I bought some overpriced enchilada sauce when I went into Whole Foods looking for the chipotle chiles called for in Recipe #2.  I was looking for adobo sauce, and didn't realize until I opened the can that the chiles are packed in it.  Live and learn.  I also follow the Relay Foods recipe blog, and they happened to have a recipe for enchiladas last week.  I liked the filling, but perhaps there was not quite enough sauce to cover and cook everything as the end product was a tad dry.  Like the soup and cheese combo above, this recipe was made better with a simple addition--creamy avocado.

Recipe 5: Salmon Waldorf Salad (similar recipe here)

I don't have too much to say about this recipe, but that doesn't mean it wasn't quick and tasty.  I did most of the prep between work and meeting up with my apartment building's newly formed "running group" and only had to mix everything together and put it on a bed of greens when I got back.  One drawback is that I am hesitant to take the leftovers in for lunch due to the aroma, but after sitting in the fridge the salmon does not seem as "fishy" as tuna.

Recipe 6: Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

And lastly, another smoothie.  I've made something similar before, but this is a new recipe which does not call for protein powder.  When looking up the link to share here, I just noticed it says it serves two, or more accurately, one of me for breakfast.  Although this version is looking sadly plain, I look forward to making this again and adding some Reddi-whip and cinnamon on top.


As soon as I hit publish, I will have one blog post in the books for November!  And with all the foods of the holiday season on the horizon, let's hope it won't be the only one.  Thanks for stopping by!

New Recipes: June

What happened to June!?!?  The month really flew by, but by some small miracle I tried three new recipes amid the whirlwind that was family, work and saying good-bye to a friend starting a new adventure in the Big Apple.

Recipe 1: Strawberry Mint Smoothie

I followed the recipe as closely as I could with what I had on hand the first time, halving it to serve one person.  But my smoothie came out pretty chunky (gross).  The flavors were good though, so I made it again but skipped the raw almonds in favor of some peanut butter, used a whole banana and a little less almond milk.  I want to say that I really like the strawberry mint combination, but more likely it's the chocolate that makes it so tasty.

Recipe 2: Mini Party Quiches 

I earmarked this recipe for a potluck, not thinking about how long they would take to put together.  I arrived more than fashionably late, and there was a lot of other food, so I ended up bringing home several leftovers.

The recipe turned out fine, but wasn't anything remarkable.  Plus, with all of the frozen mini-quiches out there, I don't think I will be making this again any time soon.

Recipe 3:  Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Another great recipe from Joy the Baker.  I will admit I was not sure browning the butter would be worth it, but it was, even for the smell alone!  The brown butter also gave the cookies a subtle flavor boost.  I liked the cookies so much I made this recipe twice in one week; once to take into work and a half recipe to bring with me to share with my extended family as we continue to work on my aunt's estate.  My family was very appreciative, one of the many reasons I love them so much ;-)

Two out of three during a busy month isn't too bad!  More potlucks on the horizon for the Fourth, plus some prolific zucchini plants will help keep me creative in July.

Flavor of the week

I wasn't aware of it until sitting down to write this post, but I was on bit of a pineapple kick this week.  In addition to the meals pictured here, I also enjoyed the "The Pina Loco Margarita: Sauza Conmemorativo Tequila, Grilled Pineapple. Grilled Jalapenos & Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice"  at Mono Loco on Thursday night.  

My first pineapple dish was Asian Style Fried Rice with Beans for dinner on Wednesday.  After a few days of leftovers, I was pretty proud of myself for cooking--on a weeknight no less!  I had made this recipe once before, and was a bit disappointed in the the results.  This time, I started by browning the pineapple, removed it, and then thought better of it, and threw it back in the pan with the vegetables in the hopes of imparting more flavor.  I also used only about 1/3 to 1/2 of the soy sauce called for in the recipe, which made it taste much better (as in, taste like something other than soy sauce.)

With the chickpeas, this recipe could be a one-pot meal, but since I went for a run after work and it was nearing 8 o'clock by the time I ate, I added a fried egg and a 1/4 of an avocado on top.  Something was still missing, so I added a few dashes of Tapatio hot sauce.  I am glad I tried this recipe again; it's quick and easy and much more appealing with less soy sauce.

Pineapple meal number two was one of my breakfast smoothies.  This not only fit this week's unofficial theme, but was the first smoothie I have ever made that is worth sharing the "recipe" for!  It was tropical and delicious.

Put the following ingredients in the blender, add the lid and blend away!

• 1 banana
• 1/4 c frozen pineapple chunks (Trader Joe's)
• 1/4 c frozen mango chunks (Trader Joe's)
• 1/2 c plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 c oatmeal
• 8 oz orange juice
• 1-2 dashes of cinnamon

This week was also the first time I tried adding raw oats to my smoothies.  They blended well, and weren't too noticeable aside from making the smoothie a bit thicker.  I am looking forward to replicating this again next week!

Perhaps inspired by that yummy smoothie, I picked up a mango today at the store.  I think my taste buds are telling me it's time for a beach vacation somewhere...

Insomnia

Since New Year's, I have had a hard time getting back to a regular sleep schedule. Catching a cold from Keizo and sleeping until 1 PM on Friday didn't help things either. What's a girl to do after she reads until 1 AM and still can't fall asleep for another hour or so? My solution so far is to wake up around 10 or 11, which really isn't solving anything and makes me feel like I am already a few hours behind on my day before I even can find my slippers and make it to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. Super.

One small consolation however has been a few delicious brunches over the past week. 11 is too late for breakfast, and I am too hungry to wait an hour to eat lunch. So in addition to my routine breakfast of coffee, toast and yogurt, I've been adding eggs, meat and smoothies.

That's a pinapple-orange-banana smoothie on the left with toast and a sunny side up egg. Not too shabby, but hardly worth comparing to the highlight of the week:

French Toast and Sausage Skillet adapted from a tajine cookbook recently borrowed from the library. In a word, hearty.

Maybe to help me get to sleep earlier I should be spending my evenings immersed in hot water like this adorable monkey tea bag, courtesy of Keizo's sister. Now there's a thought...