Package Deal

YJDKIY told you to switch on Google Reader! I've been busying myself elsewhere lately. But that doesn't mean dinner has suffered!

Even though I haven't made it to a grocery store in a couple of weeks, it's easy to make healthy fast dinners from the freezer. Trader Joe's breaded cod, at only 300 calories per (hearty!) serving, plus frozen green beans, and Annie's whole wheat organic shells & cheese make an excellent choice. Plus ketchup.

And speaking of red. Here's a hint on what I've been up to lately. More on that in a 11 days, but a big thank you to ingenious friend who found the perfect shoes for a foodie. :)

Tuna Casserole and a PSA

The previous switch to nayo was first tested with my tuna casserole redo.

Most tuna casseroles involve some unhealthy ingredients, and I've been trying to do a makeover for a healthier version.

I'm still working on it a bit, as the end result had good flavor, but was a little dry. Any suggestions?

Tuna Casserole Makeover
1/2 package no-yolk egg noodles
2 cans tuna (no sodium added)
5.3 oz plain oikos (maybe I just need to increase this amount)
1/2 c chopped sweet yellow onion
2 c chopped broccoli
1 c green peas (thawed if frozen)
1 egg/substitute
1 c grated cheddar
1/4 c breadcrumbs
garlic powder
celery seeds
kosher salt

Prepare noodles as directed. Combine all ingredients except 1/2 c cheddar and breadcrumbs. Mix  well and transfer to baking dish. Top with breadcrumbs and remaining cheddar. Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes until bubbly and crispy.


Public Service Announcement
YJDKIY recommends switching to Google Reader or subscribing to the RSS because posts are going to be few and far between over the next few weeks!

Redo

Last week was a little crazy, but at least I get to recycle some meals that didn't happen!

SUNDAY: Tofu-Ricotta Stuffed Shells & Spinach, Broccoli 
MONDAY: Farmer's Market Quesadillas
TUESDAY:  Tangy Tempeh Kitchen Sink Salad
WEDNESDAY: Beet salad, Lemon-Baked Salmon, Roasted Potatoes
THURSDAY: TJ's veggie burger with spinach, avocado & green pepper

Come gather round people

Low and behold, Nayonaise (with it's clever name from Nasoya), just happened to be on sale, $1 off.

With imitation food products, I'm always concerned about not-real igredients. This one fares pretty well.  INGREDIENTS: Soymilk (Water, Organic Whole Soybeans), Sunflower and/or Soybean Oil, Cane Juice (dried), Vinegar, Salt, Mustard (Distilled Vinegar, Water, Mustard Seed, Salt, Turmeric, Paprika, Spice, Garlic Powder), Apple Cider Vinegar, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Alginate.

Egg free, cholesterol free, vegan, 35 calories. Upon popping the top, the smell was 100% mayo, but the texture left something to be desired. Neither really mattered though, because the taste was spot on! The times they are a changin!

Remembering This Week

This week, everyone is talking about what they were doing 10 years ago. We all remember and no one will ever forget. Do you remember what you were doing last year this weekend, though? I was hoofing it around Boston, one of my favorite long weekend getaways ever...decidedly better memories.

SUNDAY: Broccoli-Tuna Casserole
MONDAY: Tomato-Zucchini Bake
TUESDAY: Grilled Cheese, side salad
WEDNESDAY: Salads, baked tofu (other cooker)
THURSDAY: Farmer's Market Quesadillas
FRIDAY: Beet salad, Lemon-Baked Salmon, Roasted Potatoes
SATURDAY: on your own

Chicken & Bok Choy with Soba

THIS

turned out delicious. I may never fix chicken any other way.

Poach it for about 15 minutes in water/garlic powder/kosher salt/pepper. Let it cool and shred with a fork. Meanwhile, prepare (local!) baby bok choy, carrot matchsticks, and green onion. Toss with 1T tamari. Mix 2T tamari and 1/2 c prepared sweet & sour sauce. Saute greens until tender, add shredded chicken and sauce mix and simmer. Boil soba noodles according to directions, drain and mix all together.

And in other news...

TUESDAY: Pulled (organic) Chicken & Bok Choy
WEDNESDAY: Farfalle with Chard & White Beans
THURSDAY: Rainbow Veggie Wraps
FRIDAY: Stuffed Acord Squash
SATURDAY: Tomato Eggplant & Olive Pizza

that is all.

Local Undecided and PSA

Oikos. It has it's own tag over there in my word cloud of labels. It USED to mean the fantastically healthy breakfast made by a company I adore. If you've been to a grocery store recently, you may have noticed something odd in the "oikos" section.

via

There is a new game in town and as of yet (typical) YJDKIY is undecided on the verdict. Dannon, owned by the same parent company, Groupe Danone as Stonyfield (although Stonyfield has retained its own leadership), has launched a line of yogurt also called oikos. But not all oikoses are created the same.

1. Dannon oikos is not organic
2. Not all Dannon oikos is fat free

via

3. Dannon oikos is not quite as healthy with the protein, sugars or ingredients (there are a LOT of them and several I don't really want in my yogurt)
4. The packaging is similar and could be easily confused
5. There is an obvious marketing benefit for Dannon and they are embracing their Stonyfield rip-off, but I wonder how Stonyfield really feels about it, and is this just the beginning of more food conglomerate shinanigans?
6. Alternatively, Dannon oikos is still probably better for you than many, MANY, sugar filled, low protein yogurts, so it is good exposure at a lower price point.
7.  The key lime is HEAVENLY and I would rather eat it than ice cream, and I half the serving size for a treat.

screen shot via

8. This is exactly the crazy antics of the food business that get consumers in trouble when trying to make healthy choices. I have no doubt its all about the bottom line and I'm not sure I want to support that. Stonyfield's CE-yo always says, vote with your food dollars, afterall.
9. So what's a Oikos-proper loving girl to do?
10. Did I mention it's like dessert but slightly healthier? Clearly, more research is needed. 

PS: If you want to check it out and make the decision for yourself, visit this site: http://www.oikosyogurt.com/faq/

Gadget Love

YJDKIY lives in a 91 year old house. Insane right? And although the Green Kitchen was redone just a couple of years ago, we're still lacking one common modern convenience:

The garbage disposal. I don't really miss it, since I never had one growing up, and certainly not in those college apartments. But that doesn't mean we don't have our fair share of well, food-related garbage. Enter my latest $7 Stein Mart find!

The most ingenious invention from OXO.  It's not just any sink drain strainer. It's flexy! So, when you're ready to empty, just flip, press the bottom, and poof!

All the sink goo flips out an into the trash without you ever having to touch it. Plus, there are no weird edges for stuff to get stuck on. I've tried the cheap $2 basket/mesh ones (bent/broke, never got clean), a nice $4 (melted with a hot pan placed in the sink, and stained) plastic one, so the $14 to outfit our sinks was well worth it in my opinion.

In case you are jealous, you can order your own from Amazon!

Fall Preview

There was a bit of a nip in the air this morning. It made me think fall. And that, of course, means pumpkin. I love the butternut version of this, and I had a can sitting in the pantry.

Saute some baby spinach and most of a sweet yellow onion. Add in 1/2-3/4 can of pumpkin and reduce heat to low. Prepare a white sauce using 1 t butter, 1/2 c light soy milk, and some flour to thicken, mix in a little of the cheddar until melty. I also always add in garlic powder. Mix 1/2 the sauce in the pumpkin-spinach mix and set the rest aside. Meanwhile, cook 9 whole wheat lasagna noodles as directed.

Cool the noodles and spread the mix evenly over the length of one noodle.

Roll'em up and place in a greased baking dish.

Top with remaining white and cheddar.

Bake ~ 30 minutes at 375-400 (YJDKIY is the worst recipe instruction giver ever huh?).

These were funner to eat than they were to taste. Def love the butternut lasagna better...the pumpkin, although providing a nice creamy ricotta-like (healthier) consistency, is just bland and there isn't enough cheese or other flavor to really kick.

Perhaps topping with tomato based sauce instead of white would have been good. They did make a nice and easy packable leftover lunch for the next day though!

Laboring Toward Labor Day

For $10 at the Farmers Market I got: 3 peppers,  a bag of stringless green beans, a green pepper, a sweet onion, 2 cucumbers, 3 summer squash, and 3 asian pears (SO happy those are back at the FM).

SUNDAY: Pumpkin & Spinach Stuffed Shells
MONDAY: Pineapple Chicken, Green Beans
TUESDAY: Quinoa Summer Vegetable Salad
WEDNESDAY: Red Beans & Rice with Shrimp & Chips
THURSDAY: Tofu Veggie Quiche
FRIDAY: on your own
SATURDAY: Taragon Tuna Toasties
SUNDAY: Black Bean Sweet Potato Boats
MONDAY: Corn, Notdogs, Coleslaw (oops, that is Memorial Day isn't it?)

You're Welcome

You can thank me for this post! Since I knew I liked Good Housekeeping's Pasta Sauce, I thought I would give this one a try.

I even sliced up the tofu to marinate for a couple of hours.

Fresh local green beans.

Basmati rice from the Earthfare bulk bin

Pan seared.

Add red pepper slices and boiled green beans and lid-it to simmer for a while. Add some more of the sauce.

It looked like it should taste good, and it wasn't bad, I guess. But after my last curry, this was disappointing. I found the simmer sauce to just be spicy hot with no real flavor.

So, save your $4 (it was on sale!) and make it from scratch.

Hot Potato

This was SUCH an easy twist on twice-baked potatoes.

Microwave them for about 8 minute each. Then scoop out, combine with artichoke hearts, a LOT of garlic powder and some grated parm. Restuff and bake for about 15-20 minutes on 375 until melty. Served with  my perfect collards. This recipe is now officially tried and true (I even used veg stock this time).

Rockin & Rollin New Recipe

Literally! More on that (clicky) in a minute though...

Totally awesome recipe coming at you. And I mostly just invented in my little YJDKIY bobble head. Hold on, I'm getting to that (different clicky).

Un-cob the fresh, local, sweet white corn and microwave it for about 1 minute.

Thin slice 2 zucchinis and dice half an onion.

Saute those three ingredients in EVOO with some cumin and cilantro until tender, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, wrap corn tortillas in damp paper cloth and microwave for a minute.

Pam the pyrex (fun expression, no?) and layer a bit of salsa, 4 tortillas and the corn-zuch mix.

Ignore the cheesemongrel.

Top with cheddar, salsa, and olives. Repeat, finishing with a layer of tortillas and a bit of salsa.

Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

This was such a good combination. Sweet fresh corn is the key. The look on their faces sums up the day...

HUH?! What was that? Is that ... an EARTHQUAKE?! I was in a meeting at 1:50 when the loud rumbling started. We all talked over it for a few seconds and then quickly realized there wasn't a lawn crew outside the door. The beverages on the table were sloshing and the door joints were very squeaky! It felt like driving over the rumble strips on the side of the road. The weirdest thing was that I suwannee (so worth-it clicky) it lasted about a minute despite reports of 20-30 seconds. The funnest part, of course, was the social media flurry for the next 2 hours (I'm pretty sure no one was actually doing work this afternoon). It made me slightly more endeared to Twitter.

That was the second quake I've felt in Winston, the first was in 2006 at like 5 am and was just a loud noise and quick rattle, enough to wake me up. My very first quake experience was like a 2.1 in Boonetacular in high school. Who knew?! And as one of my favorite local reporters said: "stop rolling your eyes at us, Cali!"

Obligatory: Did you feel it?

Green and White Pizza

YJDKIY had some store bought (whole wheat) pizza crusts sitting around. After making my own dough with the quick rise yeast, it's hard to justify ever using these. They kinda taste and feel like cardboard, and don't expire for 2 months. Never a good sign.

At any rate, I didn't want them to go to waste, so I invented an alternative to red sauce. Hey if it turned out bad, at least I wasn't wasting good dough! The green ingredients.

And the white.

Four cubes of frozen pesto mixed with half a container of fat-free ricotta (plus I added extra fresh garlic because the pesto maker doesn't use as much as I do).

Spread across the crust just like sauce and top.

Bake for about 10 minutes at 405.

It was kind of like green cheesy toast. Good, but not great. The second one got a little tomato sauce added to the pesto-ricotta mix and that helped significantly! Overall, can't complain about this 20 minute dinner.

The Week Ahead

SUNDAY: Cheesy Butternut Bake
MONDAY: Green & White Pizza
TUESDAY: Zucchini-Corn Enchiladas
WEDNESDAY: Nocream Creamy Broccoli Bake
THURSDAY: Seared Tofu with Green Beans & Asian Coconut Sauce over basmati
FRIDAY: Artichoke-stuffed Baked Potatoes & Kale (didn't happen last week!)
SATURDAY: tbd

Totally Honest Tempeh Wraps

YJDKIY has one gorge looking tempeh wrap to share with you.

Pretty simple ingredients. More plastic than I'd like, though.

Slice the tempeh in triangles and then thin it in half.

Do the same to the apple and cheddar.

Saute in a cooking spray'd pan. Notice that weird moldy looking piece?

(clicky the pic to enlarge if you can't read...that doesn't really make me feel better)

They'll start to get golden and crispy. 

Prepare your wrap with a base of apples and spinach. 

Top the tempeh triangles with some cheddar and lid-it to melt. 

Nom! Doesn't that look delicious? I couldn't wait to take the first bite it was so gorge.

And then I promptly recoiled in horror. All my previous dislike of tempeh came flooding back. It. Was. Gross. Bitter, bland, and well, moldy tasting.  Apparently I don't like this kind, I only like the high-sodium masked by other flavors tempeh. I told you it was Totally Honest.