Curry Peanut Soup

This soup took a little prep time, but was worth it!  It was my first time cooking with curry so I was a little nervous, but Dave and I both loved it.  I was very excited to eat leftovers all week and was so upset to find that I forgot to put it in the refrigerator overnight and had to throw the rest out.  :( 

This is yet another Oxygen magazine recipe.  This came from an article which showed the cost per serving.  They say this recipe cost $1.12 per serving!  It says it makes 12 servings.  As a main meal, I think it was going to end up being about 8 servings or so.  I used chicken instead of shrimp and next time I might skip the meat altogether.  It was very filling.

Ingredients

2 T low sodium soy sauce
1 onion, chopped
2 small sweet potatoes, diced
1 large carrot, sliced
1 celery stalk, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 lb small shrimp, cleaned and deveined (I used shredded chicken instead)
1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes
32 oz low sodium veg stock
1 15 oz can low sodium garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 T natural peanut butter
2 t curry powder

Preparation

1. Heat 1/2 c water, add soy sauce in large pot
2. Add onion and sweet potatoes. Cook for 5 min over high heat, stir occasionally
3. Add carrot, celery, pepper. Cover and cook 3 min
4. Add shrimp and cook until no longer white, about 5 min
5.Stir in tomatoes, stock, beans, and cilantro
6. Blend peanut butter with 1/3 cup water and curry powder. Add to soup
7. Stir to mix well. Cover and simmer ten minutes (I ended up simmering about 20 minutes to get the sweet potatoes to cook all the way)   

Nutrition –140 cal, 3g fat, 0 saturated fat, 0 trans fat, 55 mg cholesterol, 400 mg sodium, 15 g carbohydrates, 3 g dietary fiber, 3 g sugar, 13 g protein, 2 mg iron (1 cup serving)

Steel Cut Oats

I finally made Melissa’s Steel Cut Oat breakfast recipe she posted in September.  It was delicious.  I followed her advice and made extra for breakfast tomorrow.  I added flaxseed, blueberries, shaved almonds, and honey to mine.  All the extras make it hard to really see the oats in the picture though.

Super Easy Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

Thanks to Dave’s cousin, I rediscovered cauliflower.  After trying her salad, I realized I like cauliflower and broccoli much better uncooked.  And an added bonus is you get more nutrients when eating the veggies raw!

Mix together – broccoli, cauliflower, cransins, cashews, and poppy seed dressing. 

Shredded Chicken

In an attempt to eat more greens and veggies, I have been trying to eat a spinach salad for lunch more often.  I was having trouble getting good protein for the salad...until now!  I buy a bunch of chicken breasts and cook them in the crock-pot with water.  Once the chicken is done, it shreds easily with a fork.  I divide it into bags to store in the freezer for soups and salads.  I just break off a small portion of chicken from the bag the night before to put on the salad.  The chicken is thawed by lunch the next day. 

This week I also added black beans to my salad.  I have been reading more about the many health benefits of beans and why it is important to incorporate them into your diet.  Check out this link for information on why beans are so good for you!  http://www.buzzle.com/articles/the-incredible-health-benefits-of-beans.html

Does anyone have any healthy time saving they tips use?  I would love to hear them!

In Defense of Artichokes

OK.  So I feel like I was a bit hard on artichokes in my last post.  Especially after Melita's comments in defense of them.  I can see how they'd be a fun food and I even thought that as I was eating it.  I just CANNOT do the mayo.  But if I could find another dip, I might be more likely to cook them.  I feel like I should offer some of the good things about artichokes that I left out last night in my haste to hit the hay:

Artichokes are very good for you and low in calories.  According to internet sources that 25 Calorie artichoke provides 6% of the Recommended Daily Value of phosphorus, 10% of magnesium, 8% of manganese, 10% of chromium, 5% of potassium, 4% of iron and 2% of calcium and iron. In addition to all these important minerals, artichokes are a good source of fiber (12% of the RDV), vitamin C (10% of the RDV), and folate (10% of the RDV). 


So, I hope my gross post didn't discourage you too much from eating these- they actually could be a very fun group appetizer. 

Have a great weekend!

NEW FOOD FRIDAY- Artichoke

Simply Recipes 

Hello Again!  How was your TG?  Mine was lovely, thanks.  So, I have to admit this weeks New Food was not actually eaten this week but a few weeks ago so I'm doing this from memory a little bit.  Second admission is that this technically isn't a new food for me- HOWEVER- I have never made it, nor have I ever hunkered down and properly tackled a real, whole artichoke.  Kind of a strange experience, I have to say.  I bought one whilst hopelessly perusing the veggie section, thinking of ways to shock and awe you with my food prowess- or lack thereof.  I was clueless how to prepare it, or even how to eat it since I've only had it in dip and on veggie pizza (hmmm- thinking of that is making me hungry).  So when I read on Simply Recipes that you actually eat the leaves, but only part of each leaf, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion.  So, you're telling me that I cook this ginormous thing but throw half of it out?  I said to myself. Wasteful. But, I went on with my research because I'm hopelessly and tirelessly dedicated to you. sigh... forehead swoon.

I followed these directions to a T (although, now that I think of it, I think I boiled it instead of steaming it).  I'd show you pics but its rather boring.  A pot of water.  No thanks.  Me standing there watching the pot until it FINALLY boils.  Double no thanks.  A splash of lemon some salt and garlic powder (which made a really gross film on my pot by the way)- eh, I'll pass.

But here it is all boiled and arranged.  See that stuff popping out of the top of the leaf like Guido's chest hair?  THAT's what you're supposed to eat.  

So, its weird.  Its kind of like something I can see cheesy people eating when they want to be romantic.  Eww.  That just makes me uncomfortable.  Its right up there with the word panties.  So, I had to get over that.  The dip too- I just felt wrong eating mayo with a little vinegar in it.  The thought of it now makes me wanna barf.  But anyway, I dipped the leaf into the mayo and pulled my teeth across the leaf as directed.  A little meat came out and I ate it, then discarded the remainder of the leaf on my designated trash plate.  Hmmm.  Appetizing. Repeat 1000 times.  So, here's the thing.  I thought it tasted o.k. while I ate it but it haunted me all day after I was done- not in a physical way but a mental one.  Every time I smelled evidence of it I cursed the day I let artichoke into my house.  I think it was the mayo mix that really put me over the edge.  Ug.  I think I'm gonna stick to canned artichoke hearts and I'll leave the real deal to the love birds.

over and out.  k.

My Favorite Fall Food...

is spaghetti squash!  I love the sweet taste of the squash instead of noodles and enjoy getting the extra veggies!  To prepare, cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and place face down on a dish in the microwave for about 10-15 minutes.  I usually just keep checking until the outside of the squash feels like it gives a little when pressing on it.  The all you do is use a fork to pull the squash apart.  It comes out looking like spaghetti!  It is good with a meat sauce (as in the picture), with grilled chicken and tomato sauce for a healthier chicken parmesan, or as a side dish with a little butter, pepper, and parmesan cheese. 

Alright ladies, Emily and I have reached the half way point of Insanity. We are officially done with the first month of workouts. Don't worry, the first month only took us six weeks. However, that is actually a good thing because we decided to take a more realistic approach and decided that 4 days a week was our goal. We have achieved that goal and actually once we both each had a 5 day workout week.

Now we are currently in our Recovery Week. Starting next week is the crazy second month. We are a little intimidated but ready to kick butt!!

NEW FOOD FRIDAY- Chard!

 

It Friday! again and today I'm all set to go with a very clean digestive tract (ew.  too much info) after eating a little of the CHARD last night (no really, it hasn't been bad at all, I just thought I'd make a little joke.  Funny?  No? Oh well.) .  But anyway.  It went down like this:  Last night I re-read the tips given to me from June and Melita noting again that their recommendation was to buy the bright lights variety and also noting for the first time that the CHARD should have brightly colored stems.  When I went to the store, there were no bright light CHARDS (what exactly is the plural of chard?) to be found so I stood there for awhile with two choices in my hands.  I chose green CHARD with white stems and upon re-reading my directions, promptly kicked myself, then asked Jason to pick up the Rainbow variety (which has the multi-colored stems that CHARD is famous for... Maybe its the same as bright lights?).  

I also had two different recipes I wanted to try- one from June and one from a poster I found  (long story).  So, for this New Food Friday I have a few comparisons....  

Rainbow VS. Green Chard and...

Grill VS Steaming.

First of all, whats so great about CHARD?

Just a quick search on the internet tells me its and excellent source of vitamins A, K and C and a good source of magnesium, manganese, potassium, iron, vitamin E.  Dr. Gourmet says:

Like other greens Swiss chard is really good for you. Eight ounces is only about 40 calories but contains 4 grams of fiber and over a full RDA of Vitamin C. As with other greens and high fiber foods it is going to be really healthy and help lower cholesterol. It is, however, very high in Vitamin K, so those taking Coumadin® (warfarin) should avoid eating it.

Alright, alright, its a pretty good veggie.  

So, back to me:)  I knew I wanted to prepare it two ways which I knew would be pushing it for me- I'm a one task at a time kind of person.  But, it was all VERY, VERY easy.  That's one big huge gold star in my book.  

STEAMED CHARD

I honestly didn't do anything to the steamed CHARD.  I found later that I could have washed it a little better- gritty dirt taste is never appealing- but I'm woman enough to admit I was lazy and merely passed it through the faucet a time or two.  So, that problem would be easily solved.  I cut of the stems, and broke it up.  Boiled some water and used a steaming basket (thanks Melita).  It only takes a few minutes- first batch I cooked too long- second one I did for five minutes or less and it seemed about right- still could have been less I think.  Still, I didn't do anything to it.  The result:

GRILLED CHARD

For the Grilled CHARD I used Pam 100% olive oil spray (I'm still trying to decide if this is weird.  Is it better to brush on olive oil from the bottle?  It certainly isn't easier.  Your call)  A little salt (be careful with this- my husband thought I went a little overboard- not me though) and a little pepper (tip- don't try to put the pepper on at the grill (like I did)- what if a big gust of wind comes or you dump a little to much on??? ahem.  Cook directly on the grill for 2-3 minutes.  The result: 

RESULTS

The difference between green and rainbow CHARD is almost insignificant- in fact, Jason said he couldn't tell the difference.  I personally thought it was just a little sweeter. Overall, CHARD tastes very much like spinach however, if I had to choose between the two, I'd choose CHARD every time.  I always have to smother my spinach in balsamic vinegar to sweeten it up (If you haven't tried this, the combination of spinach and vinegar is incredible- not that it tastes amazing but the way the vinegar changes the flavor of the spinach is super surprising).  I ate the steamed CHARD plain!  Nothing added to it at all.  I found it to be slightly sweet and mild.  

 So, here's how it worked out:

	GREEN CHARD	RAINBOW CHARD
GRILLED	GOOD/PRETTY	BETTER/ PRETTIEST
STEAMED	BETTER/OK LOOKING	BEST/A SMIDGEN BETTER THAN OK LOOKING

The breakdown:

As I said, green CHARD, rainbow CHARD, Ah same diff.  Grilled CHARD- now that's different.  Jason and I both looked at each other immediately after eating and said- "taste like cheeseburgers".  That's because it picks up the flavors on the grill- is this a good thing or a hint that I need to clean my grill?  I'm not sure.  But I REALLY liked it!  Jason didn't like it at all.  He said the full stalk was difficult to handle and the leaves were not soft enough.  I liked the smokey flavor, a lot.  But since we both really, really liked it steamed- I deem that the winner.  Steamed is softer (I think its kind of slimy)  and more what you'd think of as a traditional way to eat it.  I've seen several recipes that look great- some call for a bit of honey or maple syrup (Dr. Gourmet again) (hmmm that sounds interesting)  and here's one I found in a quick search that looks interesting

• 1 lb Swiss chard, chopped
• 1 medium clove Chopped Garlic
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
• salt and black pepper to taste
• Optional:
• 6 kalamata olives
• 1/2 cup feta cheese
• 1 tsp tamari soy sauce

from Worlds Healthiest Foods.  

phew.  I'm tired now!  Hope you enjoy.  If you try it, give me a shout.  I'd like to know what you think...

PS.  Sam was happy to hold a piece in his hand for a very long time

but the minute he put it in his mouth it was over- he even scrapped his tongue to make sure it was off.  He does that with every new food.  Except for cupcakes.  

Have a good one!

OK Kelly that is to great! I give you props for trying it. I'm not going to lie looking at it made me feel a little sick. By the way Andy's brother regularly eats sardines out of the can and right in front of us sometimes.....it is NOT appealing at all.

I tried Kelly's Italian beef recipe, it was very good and it had a little kick so I liked it.

Very simple recipe which I loved!

Secrets inside Salmon In a Can- Revealed

So, as promised I'm here on Friday (yea! by the way) with my new food to share with you all.  Its a doozy. 

Let me start from the beginning.  My husband, whom some of you know, is a wonderful man not without a few lovable quarks.  One of which is when he, no doubt after a trip to Burger King, goes full health mode.  He's a man on a mission.  These health frenzies have been known to produce a few VERY strange orphans in my pantry and after a few lonely months in there they end up in the trash.  The last food adventure (or should I say mis-adventure) happened to be SARDINES in a can.  I could not stomach eating a slimy fish from head (yes, the eyes, too) to... well fin, I guess.  Jason tried one and that was that.  I don't blame him. 

It was just such a health frenzy that led Jason to buy a couple of cans of salmon.  I gave him the "I know where this is going" glare as he put them in the cart, but kept my mouth shut- humoring him only costs a few cents....  And here we are a couple of weeks later and the cans of salmon still stare at me every time I open the door of my pantry. 

Why won't you eat me?  They say.

I'm an excellent source of Omega-3s.  It says and flashes the badge to prove it. 

My salmon is premium quality. See.  Wild caught, not farm raised....

There are some good things packed in here.... and 560 calories (yea, a little more than I thought at first - there are 7 servings in this thing..... I think they mean for a mouse...)  And finally I gave in- and that's how salmon in a can became this weeks NEW FOOD. 
This morning I reluctantly pulled out my can opener, hoping and praying for the best.  It can't be worse than tuna- I kept saying.  Questions were running through my head-

1. Is it cooked? 
2. Do they leave the skin on?
3. What kind of juice do they keep it in?
4. How bad is this going to smell?

Question #4 answered.  Already the smell is choking me. 

And then a strange pink, jelly like juice comes oozing over the lid and answers Question #3 (sort of- i still don't know what it is)

Off with the lid and here it is.  I just can't make this look pretty people.  So sorry if you're eating this over lunch.  Can you believe it?  The bones are still in there! But, at least is cooked.

Out of the can it looks like a giant salmon log.  A tower of salmon.   And, Eww.  The skin is on it.  I was about to give up here.  Its just not worth it, I said.  But something inside me kept me going.

I kind of mashed it up a little.  Pushed the skin to the side and dove in.  First of all, I don't recommend eating it for breakfast.  I had no choice.  I've got deadlines, people.  But don't you make this mistake, too.  Here's the thing though, bones aside its not ALL bad.  The flavor is extremely mild.  With a little prep- maybe some lemon and pepper- it could actually be kind of good.  OK, not great.  But tuna good.  You know what I mean?  You could put it in a salmon salad- or maybe stuff something with it-like mushrooms or something..... I just wish that there weren't bones in it.  Totally a mood killer.  Definitely don't serve it to friends or you'll have that awkward break in convo whilst your guest digs for the hard jabby thing in her/his mouth. 

So, do with this info what you will.  I most likely will never have this again but I kind of liked it.  The darn bones ruined it! 

Oh, and have a really good weekend!

New Food Friday

Hi there everyone!  Its been awhile for me but I'm still here, I promise.  And I always read your posts.  In fact, I loosely used your stuffed pepper recipe, Jodi, just the other day.  It didn't turn out that well b/c I was using what I had in my pantry and I forgot the rice (wahhh!).  But at least I got the baking times correct (kind of- I rushed it and Jason's meat was too rare. wah wah) :)

Anyway, I have another blog that I write called Project Cottage- some of you are familiar:)  I started something on that blog called New Food Friday.  The idea is that I try a food I've never tried,  that's considered healthy, every week (although, I'm not afraid to add butter!).  I have been thinking, from now on, I think I'll post it on here and direct my readers here to check it out.  What do you think about that?  My first post was on Spaghetti Squash.  Go here to check it out.  I was thinking of trying canned Atlantic salmon next.  Sounds absolutely disgusting to me but I happen to have some in my pantry (that Jason bought to try, but its been sitting there for awhile now- I don't think he's going to do it!) 

Well, let me know what you think.  Anyone have any ideas for healthy food to feed my little one?  He's 11 months old and I'm struggling to find things he'll eat. 

Talk to ya later folks!

An Alternative to Ice Cream

I love ice cream but the dairy usually leaves me feeling bloated and the ice cream itself (atleast the kind I choose!) doesn't offer much nutritionally.  But, the other day I used a hand blender and whipped up the following:

1 1/2 frozen bananas (peel before freezing)
handful of pitted frozen cherries
1 cup of almond milk
2 heaping spoonfuls of cocoa powder
a sprinkle of sugar

The end result and chocolatey, tangy, creamy, and delicious!  Experiment with the proportions to get the consistency you want!

If you like brussels sprouts...try this "Slimming Spaghetti" recipe

I also got this "Slimming Spaghetti" recipe from Oxygen.  I can’t remember the last time I ate brussels sprouts so I figured it was time to try them out.  They were good and I thought they went well in this dish. 

8oz whole wheat spaghetti
olive oil
2-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lb brussel sprouts sliced
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 c low fat parmesan cheese grated
1 tbs crushed red pepper
sea salt and pepper to taste
1 lb shrimp cooked

Cook pasta, reserve 1 cup of water
Heat oil in skillet, add sprouts and nutmeg cook until sprouts are brighter in color about 5 minutes
Add reserved water from noodles and all other ingredients except for pasta and cook 5 minutes on med heat
Add drained pasta, heat, then serve.

Nutrition – Calories: 400, Fat: 5g, Sodium: 350mg, Carbohydrates: 56g, Dietary Fiber: 12g, Sugars: 5g, Protein: 38g, Iron: 6mg  

Also, this says it makes four servings, but this made a decent amount more than four servings.  I am still not sure how many yet, just that we have a big bowl in the frig for tomorrow andthe next day!

Baked Apple Crisp

I got this recipe from Oxygen magizene.  It was a good and perfect for this time of year! 

Directions: Put a quartered apple with a bit of water into an overproof pan.  In a bowl, mix 1/4 cup of dry oats with 2 tablespoons of water.  Top apples with the oat mixture and sprinkle with cinnamon.  Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until topping is crisp.  A double batch is pictured above and it was more than enough for two.  I also cheated and added a little brown sugar to the mixture.   

Quinoa with Roasted Garlic, Tomatoes, & Spinach

My second time cooking with quinoa was also a hit!  I added shredded chicken and plan to add more crushed red pepper next time.  The recipe makes four ½ cup servings, however, we found that to be too small of a serving if having as a main dish.  Nutrition info below is based on ½ cup serving.

Ingredients

·         1 whole garlic head

·         1 tablespoon  olive oil

·         1  tablespoon  finely chopped shallots

·         1/4  teaspoon  crushed red pepper

·         1/2  cup  uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained

·         1  tablespoon  dry white wine

·         1  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

·         1/2  cup  baby spinach leaves

·         1/3  cup  chopped seeded tomato (1 small)

·         1  tablespoon  shaved fresh Parmesan cheese

·         1/4  teaspoon  salt

        

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Remove papery skin from garlic head. Cut garlic head in half crosswise, breaking apart to separate whole cloves (but leave some of the papery skin on). Wrap half of head in foil; reserve remaining garlic for another use. Bake at 350° for 1 hour; cool 10 minutes. Separate cloves; squeeze to extract garlic pulp. Discard skins.

3. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and red pepper to pan; cook 1 minute. Add quinoa to pan; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add wine; cook until liquid is absorbed, stirring constantly. Add broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; stir in garlic pulp, spinach, tomato, cheese, and salt. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 130

Fat: 5g

Protein: 5g

Protein: 4.1 g

Carbohydrate: 16.6g

Fiber: 1.8g

Cholesterol: 1mg

Iron: 1mg

Sodium: 305 mg

Calcium: 49 mg

OK ladies, Emily and I are challenging ourselves to workout four days a week. We are using Insanity as our workout. It is highly challenging and we hope it will kick our butts into shape!! Our goal is to work out together but due to life and work if that is not possible we are still challenging ourselves to four days a week. We are motivating ourselves with a reward if we can follow through with our plan. Our rewards will include a massage and a pedicure. I welcome any of you to join us!!!

In Defense of Food

I just finished the book, "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan.  I really enjoyed it.  He talks about how food used to be and how it is now.  He discusses nutritional research on food and on different culture's diets over the years.  His theme which is on the front of the book is simply, “Eat food, not too much, most plants.”  He adds other suggestions later in the booked, for example, “Don’t eat anything incapable of rotting.”    

I would be interested in reading another book like this if anyone has any good ones they have read.  Let me know!

Breakfast

Hi there!
I thought I would just contribute my 2 favorite healthy breakfast options. Both I love because I can make them on the weekend and then just heat them up each morning. Both are low cal, high fiber, and good protein.

1. Steel Cut Oats - Available everywhere! These are just oatmeal but not pressed like your normal Old Fashioned Oats. Barely any nutrtional difference, but they have a chewier texture and are not clumpy when you reheat.

1 cup oats to 3 cups water - pinch of salt optional
Bring to boil - Simmer for 20 -30 minutes depending on how you like the texture (I cook mine 20)
Divide into containers (remember you should reheat in in a non-plastic container)
I add 2% milk, ground flax seed, nutrtional yeast (also known as brewer's yeast), and brown sugar. Adding things like Almonds to eaither of these dishes adds texture and even more nutritional benefits.
Note: the serving size is less than old fashioned oats

2. Amaranth - Available at Whole Foods in bulk. Where I live I have to order it from a local organic farm market, but it's definitely out there. I know you can order it online as well. This is a very small grain, nutty/earthy flavor. People either like it or they don't so start off with a small quantity.
1/2 cup amaranth to 1 cup water
Bring to boil - Simmer for 20 minutes
Divide into containers
I add organic 1/2 and 1/2 and organic maple syrup to taste

Background: I went to HS with Emily. I am currently finishing up a degree in Nutrition from OSU and a SAHM. We eat a highly vegetarian diet but like to incorporate fish and grass-fed and organic meats. I am a canner as well if anyone is interested in those types of recipes. I am HUGE on non-processed foods which is very exciting with a blog like this!

OK ladies, I did it, I ordered Insanity. I found out it is a 60 day work out program and it comes with its own nutrition guide. Hopefully this one will have some great recipes. The stuffed peppers we make came from P90X so I am sure that Insanity will come with its own great recipes. I ordered it today so hopefully by next week I will be doing my first Insanity workout.

Any of you are welcome to join me!!!

Homemade Hummus

I chose an easy recipe with only five ingredients.  All you do is combine them all in the food processer.  I used olive oil instead of vegetable oil and used less (about ½ of what the recipe calls for below) after reading one of the reviews.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 cups garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Last week I read that pairing chickpeas with red peppers helps boast energy.  The vitamin C in the red peppers acts as a key and helps your body unlock the iron in the chickpeas so your blood cells can get to it.  I plan on taking the red peppers and hummus to work for an afternoon snack.  Hopefully they are right about boasting energy!  :)

NY Times Recipe Contest

Hey everyone, its Kirstin again. I just saw this contest on the NY Times and thought I would share it. I am definitely going to enter, and will absolutely post whatever recipe I enter on this site as well. I challenge each of you to enter, see below for the details!

http://submit.nytimes.com/potluck-recipes?WT.mc_id=GN-SM-E-FB-SM-LIN-WYS-091410-NYT-NA&WT.mc_ev=click

What's Your Signature Potluck Dish?
Are you known for your killer potato salad, your succulent pulled pork or your cinnamon-scented apple cake? Submit a photo and recipe of your go-to potluck dish for a special, community-themed food issue of The New York Times Magazine.Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs of food52.com will test and post a curated list of the very best on Oct. 6. The deadline to get your entries in is Sept. 24, noon E.S.T.

Make your own Pizza night!

Hey Everyone, its Kirstin. First, I want to thank Emily for inviting me! I think this is such a great idea and I am so excited to participate.

Just to give you a little background on myself since i don't know most of you. Emily and I went to High School together and are friends on Facebook (isn't it the best way to keep up with people). After college I moved to New York City for job in Advertising (I have been in NYC for almost 6 years now), met my now husband, got married, we recently just bought our first apartment in Brooklyn and have a 2 year old French Bulldog puppy named Sophie. We love NYC so much that we are never leaving (unless we get a better offer overseas). That's me in a few sentences, now onto the food!!!

I am really into cooking nutritious/delicious foods, so most of my foods will reflect some kind of nutrition (more to come on that in later posts). Now on to make your own Pizza night (this you can make as healthy or unhealthy as you want)!

Pizza Dough

Makes four 8- to 10-inch pizzas (each ball serves 1 to 2 people, we usually do one per person)

Ingredients -

• ¼ cup whole wheat flour
• 3½ cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for rolling
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 2/3 cups lukewarm water
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons active-dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
  

Directions

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
• Place the flours and salt in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. (Or knead by hand. I have done both and its simple to do by hand but easier to do in the Kitchen Aid.)
• Combine the water, sugar and yeast in a separate small bowl and let sit for five minutes until the mixture bubbles slightly. Add the olive oil and stir.
• With the mixer on low, gradually add the oil-water mixture into the bowl. Knead until the dough is firm and smooth, under 10 minutes. The dough will be very wet and sort of difficult to work with. I liberally coat my hands with flour before attempting to remove
• Divide the dough into four balls, about 7½ ounces each. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. (Be sure to oil the parchment paper.) Place two balls on a sheet. Lightly rub the balls with olive oil, then cover loosely with plastic wrap. The dough is very sticky and wet, so, be sure to coat the balls or the plastic with oil (or you can use cooking spray if you don't want the oil). Let the balls rise in a warm spot until they have doubled in bulk, about two hours.
• Liberally (you need to have a lot down) coat your counter with flour and take each dough ball and roll out to desired consistency. I LOVE thin crust pizza, so I choose to roll out really thin. (I don't get too caught up with the shape, I let the pizza take whatever shape it wants).
• Place on a foil lined (oiled or cooking sprayed) baking sheet.
• Choose your favorite toppings (see below for topping suggestions)
• Bake for aprox 10 minutes (until crust is slightly golden brown)
• ENJOY!!!!

Topping Suggestions

• Healthy Meat Lovers - pizza sauce, turkey pepperoni, turkey bacon, turkey sausage, basil, mozzarela
• Super Healthy - pizza sauce, spinach (pre-cooked), sun dried tomatoes, goat cheese
• Delicious - caramelized onions, grapes, gorgonzola and mascapone cheese
• Medditerian - pizza sauce, chopped olives, sun dried tomatoes, feta cheese
• Margareta - pizza sauce, sliced tomatoes, basil, mozzarela

This meal is super easy, its great for everyone eating to participate in the meal once the dough is done!

Note: This dough freezes beautifully. After the initial rise, punch down the dough, wrap it in plastic and place in a Ziplock bag. Freeze for several months. When ready to use, let sit at room temperature for about an hour, then proceed with rolling/topping/baking.

PS - pictures to come next week (I am on vacation and then traveling for business so don't have access to pictures right now!)

Hi Girls,

Well I don't have any new recipes as of right now, however I am considering trying a new workout program. As a few of you know I did P90X and loved it. It really worked for me and the best part was that I was able to work out from home. P90X focused a lot on free weights, which personally I really liked. It is a a 90 day program and I did it once all the way through pretty strictly in order to lose the initial weight that I wanted to. I am currently using P90X but this time around I am really just trying to work out 3 to 4 times a week.

I love P90X but I want to incorporate a little more cardio into my routine and heard from multiple ladies at work about a program called Insanity. I believe it is through the same company as P90X, which is Beach Bodies, but that this one focuses more on cardio. I think that I am going to purchase Insanity and hopefully will have the "perfect" combination of weight lifting and cardio.

I'll let you know when I order it and how it goes! :)

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Hey, this is Emily.  Hope everyone had a good Labor Day!  I tried out my first Chocolate Chip Banana Bread.  I got the recipe from our newest author, Kirstin! 

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (substitution, use whole wheat flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
3 egg whites , at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup apple sauce (unsweetened)
1/2 cup splenda (or ½ cup sugar)
3 very ripe bananas , peeled, and mashed with a fork (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (or more to taste)

Directions
Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl, set aside. Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a liquid measuring cup with a spout, set aside. Lightly brush a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with butter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with an electric hand-held mixer, cream the apple sauce and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually pour the egg mixture into the apple sauce while mixing until incorporated. Add the bananas (the mixture will appear to be curdled, so don’t worry), and remove the bowl from the mixer. With a rubber spatula, mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips and transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Turn the bread out of the pan and let cool completely on the rack. Wrap in plastic wrap. The banana bread is best if served the next day.  Substitution – instead of making bread, make muffins or mini muffins.

Southwestern Quinoa Salad

Hi all, this is Emily.  Today was my first time cooking with Quinoa and Dave and I loved it!  I also love that it included a pepper, jalapeno and tomatoes from my garden.  I looked around online for a recipe that sounded good.  Dave loves line and cilantro so I decided to give this one a try.  It has lots of good veggies and the nutritional facts say it has a good amount of protein, fiber, vitamin C and a bunch of other good stuff.

I did end up skipping the adobo seasoning (not sure what it is and Trader Joe's didn't have it) and added a jalapeno for some kick. 

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/southwestern-quinoa-salad/Detail.aspx

Please share your favorite quinoa recipes if you have them!  :)

Spaghetti Sauce

Hi all, my name's Megan, and Em and I used to work together (and drink together and bitch together, etc, etc). She got me started on the South Beach diet, and while we have both moved on to less restrictive plans, I still have some staple recipes from SB that I really enjoy. The one I am sharing is my favorite. It is really versatile, freezes well and is good on just about anything. I was shocked when I had regular jarred spaghetti sauce after having this - it tasted super-sweet and salty, not in a good way. This recipe is also a good use of eggplant, something that I always buy and then struggle to use. I have tweaked it a bit for taste and texture. Feel free to play it fast and loose with the measurements. As you will probably notice, I hate to measure things and prefer to just estimate. Why dirty any more dishes than you absolutely must?

I frequently double or triple this recipe and freeze it in 2-3 portion containers.

1 eggplant, cut lengthwise into slices

1 tbs olive oil

1 onion, chopped

cloves of garlic, minced (calls for 1, I usually use several)

1 can (28 ounces) plum tomatoes

2 tbs tomato paste

2 tbs chopped fresh basil (or use trader joes frozen cubes -both garlic and basil are great to keep on hand - very close to as good as fresh)

Coat eggplant slices with olive oil cooking spray, place on a broiler safe pan, and broil in the oven, flipping once, until both sides are browned. Remove from the oven, let cool, and then chop roughly.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan (I need to get a bigger one so I can make triple or quadruple this recipe). Add onion and garlic, stir frequently and cook until tender (4 or so minutes). Add tomatoes, tomato paste (I usually just use the whole small can - what are you going to do with the leftovers?), and basil. Allow to boil and then reduce heat to low and let simmer for a long time. Add eggplant once it has cooled and been chopped. The recipe I have only calls for a total cooking time of 25 or some minutes, but I like to let it cook longer to really combine the ingredients. When you run out of time, let the sauce cool a bit and then process in batches in the blender or food processor until it gets to a sauce-like consistency. I like it a little chunky.

One note of caution, because there are no binders or additives, the sauce does tend to separate, so this doesn't always make the prettiest dishes. However, it is really delicious IMHO.

Freezing and/or Canning

Hi everyone!  I was thinking about trying to freeze or can some things for the first time this year.  My mom cut up and froze peaches which were always very good.  I think I am going to do that, but I am struggling to think of other foods to freeze or can.  Does anyone have any experience in this or have recommendations of things to try?  

Emily

Hi! That Spicy Cabbage sounds yummy!! So with all the meat we have from the cow Andy and I decided we want to make some meals that we freeze and are able to eat whenever. So tomorrow we are devoting the day to cooking. We are going to make two batches of stuffed peppers. We are NOT going to cook them, instead we are going to freeze them and when we want to eat them we will simply take them out of the freezer and then bake them as normal.

Stuffed Peppers (this is actually a super healthy meal, we got it from P90X and Andy added his own style to it)

Green, yellow or red pepper (your choice, I like yellow it adds a little sweetness to it)
pound of ground beef
onion
minced garlic
brown rice
ketchup
Dijon mustard
Worcestershire sauce
Salt and Pepper
cheese- we like sharp cheddar the most

Cook the brown rice (we use the brown rice from Trader Joe's.....thanks Emily. It cooks in the microwave and only takes a couple of minutes and it is delicious and not bad for you)

Cut out the middle of the peppers.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the uncooked ground beef, chopped onion (use as much or little onion as you want), garlic (again to your taste), one serving of brown rice, 3 to 5 shakes of Worcestershire sauce, a few squirts of ketchup, and one squirt of Dijon mustard, salt and pepper (to your taste), one cup of sharp cheddar. We found it best to mix it with your hands....really dive in there :)

Add mix into middle of pepper, fill to the top of the pepper. Top it with just a little bit of cheese. Put peppers on to a cookie sheet.

Bake for 1 hour at 350.

Happy Cooking!

Spicy Stuffed Cabbage

Oh, I'm REALLY digging the blog- you did a wonderful job, Emily.  My name is Kelly and I'm excited to get started....  Anyone mind if I kick this thing off?  No?  OK.

As Emily mentioned, there is a group of us in Dayton that took the plunge and bought a cow.  I'll admit, I was slightly hesitant.. not completely on board... But, I'm already three meals in now and I'm sure it was a good decision.  Tonight I made spicy stuffed cabbage.  I'd show pictures but I wasn't aware that this blog existed until too late.  Its not pretty anyway, but it tastes good. 

Spicy Stuffed Cabbage  
1 green cabbage
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb hot italian sausage
some chopped onion
some chopped green pepper
1 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
3/4 c. cooked rice
salt
pepper
1(6oz) can tomato paste
1 (10 oz) can tomato paste

Brown Italian sausage** and combine with ground beef.  Remove 10 outer leaves of cabbage and cook in boiling water 5 to 8 minutes.  Drain and set aside.  Combine next 8 ingredients.  Place equal portions of meat mixture in center of each cabbage leaf.  Fold opposite ends over and place rolls, seam side down in lightly greased 13"x9"x2" baking dish.  Combine remaining ingredients and pour over cabbage rolls.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. 

**Now, I'm not sure about this step....  I think you could get away without cooking it first but I'm afraid to tell you that and then have someone get sick from uncooked pork... but really how could it not be cooked after and hour of cooking? 

Its a little more time consuming than I like but its pretty good if you like spicy things.  To make it healthier take out the sausage and replace with lean ground beef. 

If you try it, let me know what you think. 

Hi Girls,

Well I am very excited about this blog! I am hoping this blog will help me become a more confident and creative cook. I'll be honest my wonderful husband does most of the cooking and I have always just been ok with that but I want to change that! I want to at least be able to contribute some of the time.

Well as Emily stated a few of us went in on a cow, so I am going to share the first two recipes that we used.

Pot Roast in a Croc Pot
-rump roast
-carrots
-celery
-red potatoes
-onion
-minced garlic
-1/2 can beef broth
-water

Basically we put the whole rump roast in the crock pot, cut the red potatoes in fourths, chopped the onion and celery (we left everything in decent size chunks) and added that in the crock pot. Last we added minced garlic to our liking (we love garlic) and added 1/2 can beef broth and 1/2 can water ( we used only a half can of broth to cut down on the sodium) and set it on high for a couple of hours.

We just ate it tonight and loved it!!

The other meal we made using the beef was fajitas, yum!

That's all for now. :)

Here we go!

I am hoping this will be a place where friends can come to discuss food, share what they are preparing in their kitchens, ask questions, and inspire each other to cook creative and wholesome meals. For instance, I know a few of us in Dayton have purchased a share in a cow for the year and will need to share ideas and recipes. I know some friends in Columbus started sharing a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) this year and will be cooking with some different fruits and veggies. I know you are all great cooks and would love to learn from everyone as I work on improving my skills in the kitchen. Please help me! :)