February 26, 2012

Lion or Lamb

It looks like March can't decide which, with severe storms and then sunny and 67 all in 24 hours. Either way, I'm ready for it to march on by! We got some great greens in the WH basket this week, and they are featured here, and designated with a * below.

SUNDAY: Falafel with Cucumber Sauce, Tomato*, Lettuce*; Veggie Sticks; Squash Saute

MONDAY: Broccoli Rab* with Pasta & Beans

TUESDAY: Baby Collards*, Sweet Potato (*from last basket) Baked Fries, Grilled Fig-glazed* Chicken Tenders

WEDNESDAY: Black Bean & Spinach Quesadillas

THURSDAY: Shrimp Jambalya, broccoli

FRIDAY: Creamy Cauliflower Soup, kale, beet* chips


February 24, 2012

Asian Chicken Lettuce Boats

YJDKIY hasn't picked up the DSLR in quite a while. Something about rushing home (late) from work and walking the dog (late) and starting dinner (late) has not been conducive to meal blogging, so you're stuck with the solitary iPhone snap.


Last week, a friend ordered these at a Chinese restaurant and I decided I could replicate them pretty easily. I hardly ever get chicken at Chinese restaurants because I'm always excited to order tofu. These would work just as well with that. Anyhoo...

Marinate chicken chunks in mix of rice vinegar, low sodium tamari, and sweet-n-sour sauce. Heat a large wok with EVOO and toasted sesame oil. Add chicken and cook 8-10 minutes until done. Add edamames, grated carrots, and green onion. Cook until tender. Add sesame seeds and serve in romain lettuce boats (sweet-n-sour dipping sauceontheside).

February 22, 2012

Drunken Tofu Salad

Who says you can't marinate tofu just like shrimp?



Prepare a salad of choice. Cube tofu and marinate in 2 T tequila, 1 T EVOO, 1/4 c lime juice, cumin, and garlic powder mix. Saute until golden and add finely diced tomatoes and fresh cilantro, cook 1 minute. Top salad with tofu mix. For dressing, combine lime juice, EVOO, cumin, cilantro, and agave.

February 20, 2012

Deception

Upon first glance, you might assume the following contains something akin to Velveeta. You'd be wrong, of course. It *actually* contains two superfoods and very little of anything that isn't actually good for you!



Creamy Pumpkin and Kale Pasta

1/2 c light plain soy milk
1-2 T Earth Balance (or butter)
2 T flour
garlic powder, nutmeg, pepper
dry white cooking wine

1 c pumpkin puree
1/2 c non-fat ricotta cheese

2 c torn kale leaves

4 servings of whole wheat pasta

Begin a roux by melting butter, adding flour and milk gradually, and stirring often. Add spices and wine to taste. Add pumpkin and cheese and mix well, continue simmering. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil and add pasta and kale leaves, cook as directed on package. Draine and combine with pumpkin mix, top with parmesan and serve.




February 19, 2012

Entering the Twenties

The twenties of February that is!

S. Sweet Potato Curry & Kale
M. Mediterranean Tuna Wraps
T. Southwestern Salad with Tofu Lime Ceviche
W. Sesame Chicken Lettuce Bowls
R. Chickpea Tacos
F. Crock Pot Minestrone

February 13, 2012

Crustless Succotash Quiche

This was ohso easy to make, it just took twice as long to bake!


Combine 1 c thawed baby lima beans, 1 c thawed corn kernels, 1 can drained diced tomatoes, 1 diced shallot, 3 diced cloves of fresh garlic. Mix well. Separately, combine 1 c egg beaters, 1/4 c soy milk, 2 T flour, 1/4 c tomato-basil feta, some spices (basil, oregano, dash of cumin and sage). Transfer veggie mix to greased pie dish. Pour egg mix over top and stir to evenly distribute.


Top with a bit extra feta and bake 45 mins at 400, or until middle is set.




EFSA takes on the Grammys

These left lots to be desired, but I suppose these people aren't really in the business of fashion anyway, so you can't fault them too much?

Steve Martin & Steep Canyon Rangers looked especially cute and very down to earth-like. B+ 

I don't really know what happened to Alison Krauss, at least I think that's her it doesn't really resemble her at all, but for a Grammy pro, she sure missed this boat. The shoes, the dress, the make up, what? And dude, tuck your shirt in. D

A first for Ms. O. LOVE this dress and it fits her perfectly, plus she even chose the perfect skin color to go with it. If we could just do something about that awful hair color this would be a best dressed. As it is,  A-

And in related hair color news. I actually wanted to like this, it looked better in person than in photos. Love the color choice agains the red carpet, but it just didn't jive. C 

See Kelly, this is what you would look like if you fix your hair. Out styled by an older woman! She looks A-mazing.

There is nothing nice to say here so I'll just move on, F

and Kings they are! Love everything about all three. A

I guess this dress is everything about who she is and her music, but for all the metal she took home, I would have liked to have seen a little more effort. It's not bad at all, just boring. B

As much as it pains me, Paris was perfect. Not trashy, not over the top. A

Again, not bad, just boring, and just, why? B

The men of Mumford looked, well, like you would expect them to look. B

Can't say this is boring! But I'm not sure what you can say about it, except, really? F
She looks fantastic. This is how you do plain and simple. A

Love everything about this. A+
Oh wait, that's not Gaga. Halloween? What?
Hrm. As influences on teenage girls go, I'll take this over Nicki Minaj, but bless her heart, someone help Taylor. D 
Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz (I really wanted to type Swiss Beets, but you know this isn't a food post), perfectly paired. A+ for both, and bonus points for coordinating.  
How old is she? Again, looking great. I'm undecided on the matching of hair to attire, although something about her pants was kind of working. So, C, average.



And, even though I was always more of a Madonna fan back in the 20th Century, for good measure:

February 11, 2012

Shorty

Only cooking four meals this week!

S. Tofu, Bok Choy & Onions with Sesame Soba
M. Succotash Crustless Quiche
. Pasta with Kale and Creamy Punkin Sauce
W. Freezer raid
R. Leftovers take two
F. Fend for yo'sef
S. Sweet Potato Curry 

February 6, 2012

Crunchy Nut Dinner Muffins

Let me tell you a little story. I went to make some bread for the soup scheduled this week. Mainly because I don't really care for grocery store bread. That and I forgot it. So, I called in a request of a non-yeast bread, because I only stock pizza crust quick yeast in my pantry. That eliminated a lot of bready options. But, I acquired a recipe that seemed reasonable, not too many ingredients. Yet, low and behold, I didn't have any eggs either. And, since it was pouring rain, there was no way I was heading back to the store. So, I did what I always do: concoct.



1 1/4 c old fashioned oats
1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
2 t baking powder (that expired a um, year ago)
1/4 t salt
1/2 c slivered almonds
1/2 c raw sunflower seeds
2 T canola oil
2 T honey
1 c milk

Mix the dry ingredients. Separately, combine the oil and honey. Mix in the milk and combine with the dry ingredients. Spoon into well-greased muffin cups and bake for 18 minutes at 400.

February 5, 2012

febphotoaday week 1

In case you missed it, here's the wrap up for week 1.


The One about Two

Two points that is. First, we got this lettuce in our Bread Riot basket three weeks ago. The lettuce is STILL extra crunchy and fresh (these photos were take on 2/3 and the baskets were 1/14...WOW!). I'm not sure if that is indicative of how fresh picked it was, or how it was kept. 




Which was in this plastic container, second. It wasn't all "misted" by grocery store sprinkler systems, and it was in an airtight package. 




Looks like a regular take out box, doesn't it? 




Most household recycling programs don't allow number 7 plastics. Do you know what the numbers in the little recycle symbol mean? (via http://www.guvswd.org/symbols)


#1 - Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE) or (PET). Polyester is its nickname.
Used for: soft drink and water bottles, beer bottles, mouthwash bottles, peanut butter and salad dressing containers, ovenable film, ovenable pre-prepared food trays.
Recycled into: Polar fleece clothing, fiber, tote bags, bottles, clothing, furniture, carpet.

#2 - High Density Polyethylene (HDPE).
Used for: milk, water and juice containers, trash and retail bags, liquid detergent bottles, yogurt and margarine tubs, cereal box liners.
Recycled into: liquid laundry detergent containers, drainage pipe, oil bottles, recycling bins, benches, pens, doghouses, vitamin bottles, floor tile, picnic tables, lumber, mailbox posts, fencing.

#3 - Vinyl (Polyvinyl Chloride or PVC)
Used for: Clear food packaging, shampoo bottles, medical tubing, wire and cable insulation. There has been increasing concern over the potential toxicity of PVC, watch the media for developments.

#4 - Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)
Used for: Bread bags, frozen food bags, squeezable bottles (e.g. honey, mustard).

#5 - Polypropylene (PP)
Used for: Ketchup bottles, yogurt containers and margarine tubs, medicine bottles

#6 - Polystyrene (PS)
Used for: Compact disc jackets, food service applications, grocery store meat trays, egg cartons, aspirin bottles, cups, plates.

#7 - Other: Use of this code indicates that the package in question is made with a resin other than the six listed above, or is made of more than one resin used in combination.


Other, huh? Well good thing this box had more information describing itself. 




PLA stands for Poly Lactic Acid and is the chemical name of a plastic made from corn, an annually renewable resource. The look and act just like regular take out boxes, but at the end of use, PLA based products can be recycled or composted under commercial composting conditions 90% within 60 days and the balance within 90 days. 


I'm not sure how much regular clam shell containers cost food service professionals, but I found cases of 250 PLAstic clam shells for $65. That seems like a very reasonable cost to avoid petroleum based plastics. 

February 4, 2012

Five Full Days

That's how many I have to actually go, as in drive, to work this week. Blekch!

SATURDAY: Tamale Pie & Kale


SUNDAY: Stupid Bowl Favorites tbd but possibly including Texas Caviar, Bacon Cheddar Potato Skins, Warm Spinach Artichoke Dip, and surely lots of Guacamoles

MONDAY: Butternut Risotto, Green beans (thanks to the awesome loot the other eater scored at the Thursday Kannapolis Indoor Market)

TUESDAY: Pasta with chicken sausage & broccoli

WEDNESDAY: Garlic Chickpea Spinach Soup

THURSDAY: Pita Pizza

FRIDAY: Not dogs, cole slaw

SATURDAY: Chicken Hash

February 3, 2012

ICBTAW

I can't believe this actually worked! Not only did it work, it was pretty tasty, y'all.


For the grits:
Finely dice one shallot. Heat a drizzle of EVOO in a sauce pot and add shallot. Cook on medium-low heat 2-3 minutes until translucent. Add 2 c. chicken broth (I used granules to make my own), and bring to a boil. Add 1/2-3/4 c grits (not instant). Boil 5 minutes, continually stirring. Add in 1/4 c grated cheddar cheese, 2 T nutritional yeast, and a dash of garlic powder.

For the bok choy:
Chop leaves and stems in 1/2" pieces. Heat EVOO in saute pan and add 2 cloves minced garlic and bok choy. Add 2 T rice vinegar and cook 10 minutes. Stir into grits once cheese is melted.


For the shrimp:
Peel shrimp and marinate 10 minutes in straight-up Cuervo Especial. Add a dash of Old Bay. Using a grill pan, cook 2-3 minutes on each side until done (white and pink with a nice seared edge). Serve topping grits-bok choy mix.

February 2, 2012

Sprinter

Punky may have declared six more weeks of Winter, but given the absence of Winter thus far, I've moved on. If it's not going to snow, time to bring on Spring and Spring clothes! Did I mention how many Winter clothes are just hanging in my closet dying for some love?


Navy and Kelly Green are my official color choice (despite not really owning ANY) for this weird season I'm now calling Sprinter. Maybe a pop of red, yellow, pink, or orange to go with.

Here's hoping June, July, and August aren't equally record setting!

Housekeeping PS: We're two days in to the #febphotoaday challenge. You can follow mine over there on the right side bar, and check out others by searching #febphotoaday on Twitter. I'm thinking a weekly recap will happen on Sunday, so get excited about that!?

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...