Get your (Health) Freak On

It's not an official resolution, but I've decided I'm definitely going to try and eat healthier this year.  I'm not trying to lose weight, I just want to feel good.  I've noticed how my stomach reacts to certain foods and drinks and I don't like it.  :(

For me, cutting back on soda is the hardest part.  It's the one really unhealthy thing I consume.  And, of course, when you're eating unhealthy foods like pizza, onion rings and chips, soda seems like a natural companion...well, at least for me it does.  So, by staying away from unhealthy foods or cutting way back on them, I will be less tempted to grab a soda.

One thing I've been doing is taking foods which might not be as healthy and putting a healthy twist on them.  For this, I love Hungry Girl.  Her website has "food swaps" which take something like onion rings and shows you how to make a healthier version yourself.  The recipes are easy and yummy.

Check out Hungry Girl

Another thing I've been doing is trying to pack a healthy lunch.  I bring my lunch to work anyway because there aren't takeout/fast food places around, but I've been trying to make sure the food I'm bringing is going to get me through the day and taste good.  No one wants to eat something that tastes like cardboard.

I also opt for healthy options of maybe-not-so-healthy things.  Like, for instance, lately I've been having an english muffin with my breakfast.  I will buy the multi-grain ones instead of the regular ones, and I do the same with my tortilla wraps--I get whole wheat.

I always have fruit with my breakfast and/or lunch.  Usually I'll have a yogurt as well.  I really like Activia's yogurts.  Simple things like incorporating fruit into your diet can make a difference.

One of my favorite "treats" are the Skinny Cow candy bars!  They are called Heavenly Crisps, and I love the peanut butter ones.  They are so delicious and only 110 calories.  I'm not a huge sweets person, but these are a nice ending to a meal.  Experience Skinny Cow here.

It's amazing to me how much better I feel when I eat healthier, so I'm definitely hoping to stick to it!

Hungry Girl's Eat Quesadillas

Hungry Girl Healthy Quesadillas!

I made these quesdaillas the other night (minus the avocado and bacon cause I didn't have them handy), and it was delicious!

It's very similar to quesadillas I've made before, but I love her idea of mixing the ranch and hot sauce together!

Photo from Hungry Girl website.

Cooking with Cosmo 3

I've never cooked or eaten tilapia before, and I've been on a kick where I'm trying new ingredients so I thought I'd give it a try.

This is a recipe By Katie Lee from Cosmopolitan Magazine.  I got this one online on Cosmopolitan's website.  http://www.cosmopolitan.com/advice/entertaining-ideas/exotic-warm-weather-dinner-0709

This meal is titled Exotic Warm-Weather Dinner

Macadamia Nut-Crusted Tilapia with Pineapple Salsa

The macadamia-nut crust adds a nice crunch, and the pineapple salsa has just the right balance of spicy and sweet flavors.

For fish:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup crushed macadamia nuts
2 tilapia fillets (about 3 to 4 ounces each)

For salsa:
1 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple
1 tablespoon minced red onion
1/2 jalapeño, seeds removed, minced
1/4 cup minced cilantro
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put flour, egg, and nuts in three separate shallow dishes. Dredge each fillet first in flour, then egg, then nuts. Place on oiled baking sheet. Bake 12 to 14 minutes, until golden brown.

While fish is baking, make the salsa. Combine pineapple, onion, jalapeño, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with fish. The fish is done when it is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.

Speedy Sesame Snow Peas

1 cup snow peas
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
Salt and pepper

Rinse snow peas but don't dry. Place in a microwavable bowl, and microwave on high for 45 seconds. Stir in butter, sesame seeds, and salt and pepper.

Cilantro-Lime Rice

Add 1 tablespoon lime juice to the water when preparing 1/2 cup long-grain white rice (use package directions), then when done, stir in 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro.

Arthur Avenue Burger via Bobby Flay/Fried Zucchini Chips via Katie Lee

I came across this burger and it was so intriguing to me, I just had to make it!  Recipe calls for a spicy ketchup and fried Parmesan topping.  It's just too interesting not to try.

Fra Diavolo Ketchup:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh oregano leaves
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fontina Fricos:

• 1 cup grated fontina cheese, parmesan, asiago, or a combination of any or all
• 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

Burgers:

• 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck (80 percent lean) or ground turkey (90 percent lean)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
• 4 ciabatta rolls or sesame seed hamburger buns, split; toasted, if desired (see below)
• 1 handful of baby arugula leaves

Directions

To make the ketchup, heat the oil in a small nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and chile flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add the ketchup and oregano and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vinegar and basil and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature before serving.

To make the fricos, combine the cheese and flour in a bowl. Heat an 8-inch nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons of the cheese mixture and cook until light brown on the bottom. Turn over with a heat-proof silicone spatula and continue cooking for another 10 to 15 seconds. Remove to a plate to cool. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel and repeat to make 3 more fricos.


Divide the meat into 4 equal portions (about 6 ounces each). Form each portion loosely into a 3/4-inch-thick burger and make a deep depression in the center with your thumb. Season both sides of each burger with salt and pepper. Cook the burgers, using the oil. See how Bobby cooks perfect burgers

Place the burgers on the bun bottoms. Add some of the arugula to each burger, top with the fricos, and then add a dollop of the ketchup. Top with the bun tops and serve immediately.

Toasted Burger Buns
I think the taste and the texture of buns are best when lightly toasted. To toast a bun on a grill, grill pan, or griddle, split the bun open, place it cut side down on the grill, and grill until light golden brown, about 10 seconds. Alternatively, you can place the split bun halves cut side up on a baking sheet and cook them under a preheated broiler until light golden brown, about 30 seconds. Keep a close eye on them and don't let them get too brown or else that texture will take on a life of its own and defeat the purpose of starting with a soft bun.

Now, for the Fried Zucchini Chips!

I'm always up for trying something new, as long as it's not too crazy.  I had fried Zucchini before at Maggiano's and my mom likes vegetables, so I decided it would be great to pair with the burgers.  And it's a little bit of a healthier option than potatoes!

• 2 MEDIUM ZUCCHINI
• 1 LARGE EGG, LIGHTLY BEATEN
• 1 CUP SELF-RISING FLOUR
• VEGETABLE OIL, FOR FRYING
• KOSHER SALT AND LEMONS, FOR SERVING

Use a mandoline to slice the zucchini very thin. (They should look like potato chips.) Coat zucchini slices with the egg, then dredge a few at a time in the flour.

In a large Dutch oven over mediumhigh heat, heat the oil to 375°F. Fry the zucchini in batches until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve immediately.

**Note: burger pictured with zucchini chips in this photo is not arthur avenue burger.  It is a cheese burger I made for my mom.

A toast to something new

Lately, I've been trying to push myself into trying new things in the kitchen.  I love experimenting with new ingredients. 

I've never been a big fish person.  When I decided to try making salmon cakes, I thought I would take a risk--i've never cooked fish before!  That's the same day I cooked quinoa for the first time.

There's a list of new foods i've been interested in trying, and I look forward to cooking them and reporting on the experience.  Some things I want to try are mahi mahi, lemon risotto, tilapia, and butternut squash.

Hopefully I'll get to try one of these in the next few days.  I will also have a post up soon on an amazing burger I perfected last week!

Cooking = love

Cooking with Cosmo--2

This is from a past issue of Cosmo, and I actually found it online.  It's a delicious and easy lasagna fake out!  This one's a vegetarian meal,  but you could always add meat if you prefer.  The arugula salad featured is the same one I made with my salmon cakes.  I posted a photo in the previous Cooking with Cosmo blog entry, but I will post again so you can see it with the recipe!

Lasagna Spirals

Lasagna can be time-consuming, but these spirals are done in a snap! Even better, the individual servings look so elegant.

1 teaspoon olive oil
10 lasagna noodles
1 pound ricotta cheese
1 10-ounce package chopped frozen spinach, thawed (squeeze out water)
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
6 basil leaves, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon each salt and pepper
4 cups tomato sauce
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add olive oil. Cook noodles 7 to 8 minutes. Drain. Mix ricotta, spinach, mozzarella, basil, egg, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Spread 1 cup tomato sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Spread each noodle with a layer of ricotta mixture, then roll up and place seam side down into the dish. Top spirals with 1½ cups tomato sauce and ½ cup Parmesan cheese. Bake 20 minutes. Serve with extra sauce and cheese on the side.

Arugula Salad

The tender arugula has a peppery taste that is nicely tamed by the tangy lemon vinaigrette and rich Parmesan shavings.

4 cups baby arugula, washed and dried
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and pepper
¼ cup Parmesan shavings

 

Place arugula in a salad bowl. In a dish, whisk oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste. Dress salad, and top with Parmesan.

And remember, Cooking = Love!

Cooking with Cosmo--1

Yay, my first blog entry of Cooking with Cosmo! 

This meal from the July 2011 issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine was a huge success!  In honor of my mother's coworker, Meredith, who loved the meal and wants the recipe, I've decided even though I don't have any photos I have to post it!

This meal consists of Salmon, a homemade tartar sauce, a side of quinoa, and a spinach salad.  I substituted the spinach salad for an arugula salad (which I do have photos of) because I had that handy.  I will be making the spinach salad in the future and posting more on that later.

Salmon Cakes
1/2 pound salmon
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 celery stalks, diced small
1 red bell pepper, diced small
1 red onion, diced small
1 clove garlic, minced
bread crumbs
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place salmon skin side down in baking dish, and season with salt and pepper.
Bake for 15 minutes, until cooked through.  Let cool completely.  Remove skin, flake with fork, put in a medium bowl. 
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add celery, bell pepper, onion, parsley, salt and pepper.  Saute until tender, about 10 minutes.  Let cool completely, mix with salmon.  Add breadcrumbs and eggs, mix. 
Shape salmon mixture (it will be wet) into about 8 patties.  Place on baking sheet.  Put in fridge for 30 minutes.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Cook patties for about 3 minutes on each side.  Serve hot!


Artichoke Tarter Sauce
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 cup mayo
1 tablespoon capers
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt and pepper

In a bowl, mix all ingredients.  Put in fridge until serving time.

**I personally put all ingredients into the chopper after mixing and just chopped it again lightly.

Lemony Quinoa Cucumber Pilaf
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups quinoa
1 English cucumber
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped dill
1/4 cup chopped mint
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper
**If you wanted, you could add olives to make it even more Mediterraneann!

In small saucepan, combine water and quinoa, bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover, simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until liquid is absorbed.  Let it cool completely.
In a bowl, combined cooled quinoa, cucumber, feta, dill, mint, olive oil, and lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper.  Toss to combine.  Put in fridge until serving time.


I hope you enjoy this recipe!  Let me know if you try it!

And remember, cooking = love.