Cooking Inspiration

Lately I have been feeling a little bored in the kitchen. I feel like I make a lot of the same dinners over and over. I've been searching around Pinterest lately for some new recipes. But I think I need to invest in a good cook book!

I whipped up a batch of the Pioneer Woman's salsa this week. I stopped using the cans of Rotel that it calls for (really high in sodium and I don't think the cans are BPA free). Instead of use Muir Glen organic tomatoes. This week I used the fire roasted variety and added some jalapeño. I also used red onion instead of white. Yum!

I made veggie "slaw" as a side this week. The idea came from the Proud Italian Cook. I used zucchini, carrot, red bell pepper, lots of basil, and shredded parmesan. For the "dressing", I just added a little olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. 

For dinner one night, we had BBQ quinoa salad. I have to say, this was only the second time I've ever made quinoa. I'm not sure why because it's super easy to make and adds a protein to the meal. This salad had cherry tomatoes, black beans, corn, chopped red onion, and quinoa over greens. I added BBQ sauce for a dressing. 

Classic tomato, basil, and mozz here. One of my favorite food combos! I added this to some penne pasta. I also added a can of drained canned tomatoes. I added the canned tomatoes in with the pasta, so it would be hot. I added the tomato, basil, and mozz later. I was a big fan, Gil was not so much. He really hates when I make pasta (which is not often). I think he only likes it when his parents make it at home...they are the experts on sauce and pasta!

I tried to make root chips yesterday. I was pretty excited about this at first, but they ended up being a huge pain. The recipe called for them to be in the oven for an hour and a half, turning them every 20 minutes or so. It was probably closer to two hours and I ended up turning the heat up because they just weren't getting done. In the end, some were burnt, while some were still way too raw. Next time, I'll prob just try one kind of veggie at a time. 

Anyways, I like cooking but need some new things to try out. My favorite kinds of recipes are those that aren't too fancy-shmancy and don't use 1,000 ingredients. I also need pictures! Does anyone have any suggestions for good {preferably vegetarian} cook books? Thanks!

You Should Make This Salsa...

I have been reading the Pioneer Woman blog on and off for a while now.  I tried one of her recipes on Monday night for restaurant style salsa and loved it!  I'm a bit picky about what salsas I like, but this one really did have the consistency of a restaurant salsa.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking

It's a bit spicy, as the recipe calls for a whole jalapeno with seeds included, but I like that.  I really don't like cilantro, so I only used a little bit and it came out great.  For some reason, I forgot to put in one of the cans of diced tomatoes and green chilies but I couldn't tell anything was missing.

This recipe made a really large batch of salsa.  She recommends using a 12 cup food processor.  I've been wanting a food processor for a while, but wanted one that wouldn't take up too much room.  I bought a little 3 cup food processor the other day that I liked because it didn't come with too many parts, seemed easy to clean, and didn't take up tons of storage room.  It worked well for this salsa, although obviously I couldn't chop all the ingredients at once. I just filled the processor, chopped the ingredients, and poured into a big mixing bowl until everything had been chopped. Then I stirred it all together and it came out fine.

Hope you try this recipe and like it!

Not Missin' Meat...

Well it's a week later & I haven't been missing meat. In fact, being a veg is going great! Last night we went out to eat & I thought that for the first time, I might be tempted to eat something w/meat in it. But I have to say, I haven't felt like I'm keeping myself from eating something I want yet. I had an awesome grilled veggie foccacia sandwich...it was so yummy!

I've tried some really good veg recipes for dinner & it's been really nice not having to prepare meat! We do have some meat left in the fridge, so this morning I made pancakes and made Gil

eat the bacon that was left. I thought for sure I'd miss having bacon, but...nope, not really. So this tells me that maybe I really am meant to be a veg! It helps that Gil is willing to try all the recipes I've made so far!

I have to say, although I think I'm eating more veggies and fruits lately, I feel like I've been eating extremely badly. Can you say Halloween Candy!?!? Get me away from the chocolate...I can't control myself!!

This week I made sweet potato and lentil chili, using the recipe from Daily Garnish.

It was pretty good! I made it in the pumpkin bowls from this recipe. The pumpkin gets roasted in the oven and you're supposed to be able to eat the insides. Mine didn't go that well, but it was still cute!

On another note, we made our poor pup dress up again this year. Needless to say, her costume does not fit like it did last year. This was Laila last year:

This was Laila this year! She definitely has fluffy Newf elbows and paws now!

We could barely fit her ears through the hat this year. I think she was pretty mad at us again. The trick or treaters thought she was cute though!

P.S. I'm getting prematurely excited about being finished with my Masters program in May. I forgot what it's like to have free time!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a great week!

Healthy Un-Fried Rice from Daily Garnish

Tonight I made this for dinner. It was quick, it was easy, and it was good! I also added diced onion and a red bell pepper. I thought the stir fry needed a little kick...Gil & I always prefer a little spice to our food. I would've added red pepper flakes, but we were out. Next time I make this, I'll be sure to add some spice.

Roasted Butternut Squash & Black Bean Enchiladas

dailygarnish.com

I tried this recipe from Daily Garnish today. You can find the recipe here. I also made the enchilada sauce that Emily Malone included. I thought the recipe was great...Gil gave it 4 out of 5 stars. The enchilada filling is a combo of roasted butternut squash, sauteed onions, and black beans. The spices were really great in this recipe, with some nutmeg, cumin, and cinnamon. The enchilada sauce was great and had a little zip. You should try it!

In total, this meal probably took about an hour and a half to make. I made it today since I tend to have more time on the weekend. There are also a lot of quick and easy recipes on Daily Garnish that would be easier to make during the week. We will be trying this and this later in the week. I'll let you know how those go!

Four Eyes

My new glasses came in. I'm not going to be wearing them much, but for driving- yes. Grocery shopping? Probably. It's hard to see the signs!

Dorky? Yes. I like them though.

On an entirely different note...does anyone do freezer meals? I was thinking that it might be a good idea to have some meals prepped and frozen for the beginning of the school year. That time of year is so exhausting and I don't usually feel like cooking. Rather than eating out all the time, I thought it would be good to prep meals while I have time. Any good website or cookbook suggestions for freezer meals?

Yummy Recipe

I made this pasta earlier this week & thought it was really good. You should try it! Instead of parmesan, I added a little mozzarella on top.

myrecipes.com

• YIELD: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups pasta mixture and 3 tablespoons feta)
• TOTAL: 40 MINUTES
• COURSE: Main Dishes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces uncooked farfalle pasta
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 cup vertically sliced yellow onion
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 5 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 3 tablespoons shaved fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Preparation

• 1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt. Add pasta, and cook according to package directions; drain.
• 2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and oregano; sauté 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Add garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and vinegar; sauté 3 minutes or until tomatoes begin to soften. Add pasta and spinach; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat, and stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with feta.

David Bonom, Cooking Light
JULY 2010