confessions of a food whore

Meatless Monday: No-Noodle Manicotti

2011-08-16T01:59:00.000-05:00

One thing I love about Fresh Picks is that they always send a list of recipe suggestions for the foods they've delivered. So even when I get something like kohlrabi and I have no clue what it is, I have a quick little reference sheet that suggests how to prepare it.

For a few weeks, I had some random ingredients piling up in my frige. I knew it was time to finally use them or lose them. I shuffled through all the FP's recipe sheets and found a common thread: the recipe suggestions all seemed to be Italian-esque. So I merged all the general ideas into one and created No-Noodle Manicotti! Unintentionally, this recipe is also gluten-free, so be sure to share it with your gluten-adverse friends.

The recipe I came up with is not one for a quick week-night dinner. It was a little more involved and took longer than most people want to spend cooking on a Monday evening. But the leftovers held up well. Four days later, I nuked the last of it, and thought it was perhaps even better than the first night (as Italian dishes usually are). So feel free to make this one on a weekend and munch on it all week. The quantities in this recipe yielded one 9 x 9 pan. We got about 4-5 servings out of it.

This recipe also uses some less conventional ingredients. But it also is easy to substitute. If you can't find kohlrabi, try cauliflower (which has a similar taste and texture, in my opinion). Use garlic instead of garlic scapes; and toss in spinach in place of the amaranth.

Ingredients:
1/2 white eggplant
1 kohlrabi
1/2 cup garlic scapes, chopped finely
2 cups amaranth leaves
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 tbsp chopped parsley
2 cups cottage cheese
3/4 cup parmesan cheese, divided
2 cups mozzarella, divided
1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves, diced
5 large cabbage leaves
2 cups tomato sauce
3-4 basil leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Slice the eggplant about 1/4" thick. Toss in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast on a pan at 400* for 20 minutes (10 minutes on each side). Chop into bite-size pieces and set aside when done.

2. Boil the kohlrabi for approximately 20 minutes or until tender; you should be able to easily poke it with a fork. When it's done, drain the water and rinse it under cool water so that it's cool to touch. Slice it in half and using a melon-baller, scoop out the inside. Toss the shell and chop the flesh into smaller pieces. Reserve.

3. In a large sautee pan, heat some olive oil and saute the garlic scapes. Add in the kholrabi and cook for a minute or two longer. Toss in the amaranth, parsley and tomatoes and cook until amaranth leaves are wilted.

4. While the amaranth is cooking, combine the cottage cheese, 1/2 cup of parmesan and 1 cup of mozzarella in a small bowl. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper and oregano.

5. Once the amaranth has wilted, gently stir in the eggplant.

6. In a large sauce pan, bring water to a boil. Salt lightly for taste. Gently place the cabbage leaves in the water and boil for 2-3 minutes. Remove from water, rinse to cool and drip dry.

7. Grease a 9 x 9 casserole dish, and pre-heat oven to 350*. Pour 1 cup of tomato sauce into the casserole dish.

8. Scoop 1/5 of the cottage cheese mixture into one of the cabbage leaves. Top with 1/5 of the amaranth mixture. Roll the leave up, like a manicotti roll and place seam-side down in the dish. Repeat until all the cabbage leaves are done.

9. Top with remaining sauce and cheese and sprinkle with fresh basil. Bake at 350* for approximately 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Cucumber Basil Spa-cktail

2011-08-12T14:22:00.004-05:00

Last night I had a few girlfriends over for a spa party. We went Greek-themed with the food, but none of us was too excited at the prospect of drinking ouzo. And we also wanted to stay away from our typical beer. While Cosmos are great for a girls' night, they are so 2003, so they were also voted out. So I poked around in the liquor cabinet and got a bit creative.

The recipe below makes one cocktail.

Ingredients
2 oz basil and cucumber infused gin
1 lime wedge
1/4 tsp strawberry syrup (daquiri mix will work)
ice
ginger ale
cucumber slice (optional)

Directions
1. To make infused gin: in a sealable container combine 1/2 of a sliced cucumber, 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves and gin (as much as you want for the drinks). Shake vigorously and place in the frige for 3 days. Shake once a day. Strain out the cucumber and basil, and voila: infused gin!

2. Pour the infused gin into a cocktail shaker. Squeeze the lime wedge into the shaker and toss in the wedge.

3. Add the strawberry syrup and ice and shake.

4. Strain into a martini glass. Fill the rest of the way with ginger ale.

5. Garnish with a cucumber slice.

Cheers!

Note: this recipe makes a great summer cocktail and would also work with vodka if you prefer or over ice to keep it chilled on a hot summer day.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Meatless Monday: Creamy Zucchini White Pizza

2011-08-01T16:45:00.001-05:00

When I made Creamy Baked Zucchini last week, Mr. Foodwhore loved it. During dinner, he commented that the ingredients would make really good toppings for a pizza. I agreed. And since I had leftover ingredients, I decided to give it a go. He was right. It was a delicious alternative to the usual pizzas we make.

Creamy Zucchini White Pizza

Ingredients
2 garlic cloves
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
4 oz cream cheese
2 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
1 large zucchini, thinly sliced
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 cups kale leaves
prepared pizza dough
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded parmesan

Directions
1. Prepare pizza dough according to recipe and pre-bake it in the oven. While the dough is cooking, combine the garlic, basil, olive oil, cream cheese and 2 tbsp of parmesan in a small food processor. Blend until you have a creamy pesto blend.

2. In a small sautee pan, cook the zucchini for 3-5 minutes over medium heat. You don't want to cook it completely, just get it started. When done, remove from heat, and set aside.

3. In the same small pan, heat more olive oil and lightly sautee the onion. Add in the kale and cook until the leaves are all wilted.

4. When the crust is done pre-baking, remove it from the oven. Spread the cream cheese mixture on the crust.

5. Add the kale and onions, spreading evenly over the pie.

6. Arrange the slices of zucchini around the pizza and top with the mozzarella and remaining parmesan.

7. Bake at 350* for 10-15 minutes until cheese is all melted and bubbly.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Meatless Monday: Creamy Baked Zucchini

2011-07-25T07:31:00.026-05:00

I love summer squash, so when I saw this recipe (suggested by Fresh Picks), I knew I was going to try it. Growing up and as I first started to cook for myself, I often ate veggies as a side item. But learning to use them as a main course has been a lot of fun. This was one of those main courses that provided lots of flavor and was a filling meal without being too much for a hot summer night.

Creamy Baked Zucchini

(inspired by Fresh Picks' recipe)

Ingredients
2 medium zucchini
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup onion, diced
2-3 cups kale leaves, chopped into small pieces
4 oz cream cheese
2/3 cup parmesan cheese, divided
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Clean your zucchini, cut off the ends, and slice them longways down the middle.

2. Hollow out the two halves. I found that a melon baller worked best for this. Be careful to leave the sides and bottom in tact. Chop the zucchini flesh into slightly smaller pieces and reserve.

3. In a sautee pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sautee onions and garlic until translucent.

4. Add in the kale and zucchini flesh and cook until kale leaves are wilted.

5. Stir in the cream cheese and half of the parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper and mix well until cream cheese is melted and kale is coated.

6. Carefully fill the hollowed out zucchini pieces with the creamy filling. Top with remaining parmesan cheese and bake in the oven at 350* for approximately 10 minutes.

Serves 2

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Baked Kale "Chips"

2011-07-19T08:03:00.000-05:00

I've heard a lot about kale "chips" lately. It seems to be one of the trendy new health foods to be eating these days. I'll admit my interest was piqued when I heard that this was a healthy, tasty alternative to potato chips. I am a savory snacker. I prefer a crunchy, salty snack to a sweet one anyday. But I was never moved to go out and buy kale and try this recipe.

Then Fresh Picks delivered kale to me TWO weeks in a row. I had two large bags of it in my frige and no thought as to how I would incorporate it into meals. I figured I would finally give these "chips" a go . . . and if they sucked, the remaining kale would become compost. (I hate how wasteful that sounds, but I'd rather compost it than let it rot in my produce drawer.)

So I googled a bunch of recipes and they all pretty much said the same thing: tear into small pieces, toss with olive oil and seasonings and bake at a low temp. And that's what I did. So how did they turn out? Well, they smelled awesome when they were cooking, which is always a plus. They were a savory treat with some texture to them. It's a tasty way to eat kale and incorporate more greens into your diet. But as far as a substitute for chips? No way! As the kale bakes, it gets papery thin. There is no satisfying CRUNCH when you bite into them, and for me, that's why I love chips so much. (Hence the quotation marks around chips in this post.)

Here's the bottom line: I'll definitely make these again with the kale I have in my frige. And if FP sends me more kale, I'll keep making these. But I wouldn't go out and buy kale just to make these again. Hope that helps!

Baked Kale "Chips"

Ingredients
4 cups kale leaves
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chipotle chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Using a small paring knife, cut the "ribs" out of the kale leaves. Basically, you don't want the big stem running down the middle--you just want the leafy part.

2. Rinse leaves and allow to dry, using a salad spinner, collander or just lay them out on paper towels.

3. Toss all the leaves into a large plastic baggie with the olive oil. Shake to coat the leaves, then kind of "massage" the oil into the leaves.

4. Dump the leaves out onto a baking sheet, making sure they are in a single layer--they won't crisp up right if they are stacked. You can bunch them in tight, just keep them single layer.

5. Sprinkle with the spices and seasonings.

Note: As for baking temps and times, the recipes I found varied quite a bit. Here's what I did (with good results):

6. Bake at 275* for 20 minutes. At the 10 minute mark, stir and flip the "chips" and bake for 10 more minutes. At the end of 20 minutes, stir and flip one more time, then turn off the oven and leave the "chips" in there for 5 more minutes.

Makes 3-4 servings; Enjoy!

Note: I have a pasta spoon which worked really well in stirring and flipping the hot chips.

What I really like about this recipe is that there is room for variation. I saw a lot of combinations of seasonings online that produce different flavors of chips. Since we have 2-3 meals worth of kale left, I'm looking forward to trying different flavors of "chips."

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Southern Dill Potato Salad

2011-07-17T07:38:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure why cold potatoes coated in mayonaise is delicious, but it is. On paper it just doesn't make sense. But at a picnic or summer barbeque, it's perfection. What I like about a recipe like this, is that you've probably already got 90% of the ingredients on hand--so what are you waiting for?

Southern Dill Potato Salad

Ingredients
4 medium potatoes, chopped bite-size and rinsed
2 eggs
3/4 cup white onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
2 tbsp brown mustard
3/4 cup mayo
2-3 tbsp dill, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Add a bit of salt for flavor and toss in your potatoes. You can peel your potatoes or not. I prefer not to, mainly because I am lazy.

2. While your potatoes are boiling, chop your onion and celery and toss it in a medium to large bowl.

3. After your potatoes have been boiling away for about five minutes, gently place your eggs in the pot too so they can hard-boil. Boil for another 7-10 minutes or until potatoes are tender and a fork easily goes through them. (Be careful not to overcook, you don't want a mushy salad.)

4. When the potatoes and eggs are done, run them under cold water so you can handle them.

Note: I'll eat warm potato salad. Mr. Foodwhore prefers cold. If you have time to make this ahead (even the night before) and chill it, that's great. But if you're pressed for time, you can rinse your potatoes under cold water even longer to cool the salad completely.

5. Peel the eggs and dice them. Add to the bowl along with mustard and mayo and stir. Toss in the potatoes and mix well. I prefer a drier salad, so I go a bit lighter on the mayo. Feel free to add more if needed.

6. Season with salt and pepper and gently stir in the dill to coat. Dill is a fragile herb so it's best to add it at the last minute so it's not totally crushed by the potatoes.
Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Zucchini!

2011-07-16T06:17:00.000-05:00

The History of Our Summer Favorites

2011-07-13T11:16:00.001-05:00

Found this the other day and thought it was pretty interesting. I like reading about the various versions of our favorite foods as they progressed through the generations to become what they are today. I can't imagine life without some of these summer staples.

The History of Our Favorite Summer Foods

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Wow!

2011-07-12T10:01:00.000-05:00

So I don't know how many of you are Blogger users, but Google just updated their Blogger site, and there are all sorts of fun new tools out there for free! I can now see where all my readers are from (just countries--don't worry) and which of my posts are most popular and how my readers got to my site. It's been pretty neat to look at. Here's a couple fun things I discovered about my blog and my readers!

*The most popular posts on my blog are Morning Tailgate Menu, R2D2 Cake and Grilled Sweet Potato Chips--interesting mix of topics there!
*Most readers are getting to my blog by seaching for various combinations of those words above, but quite a few are coming because of links on other blogs. So thank you to other bloggers who have included me on your site. : )
*The majority of my readers are in the USA, but I also have readers in China, Russia, India, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, and the UK! And shockingly enough, Russia(!) leads the pack of my international readers. Wow!

I really am blown away by all of this. I started this blog as a place to store and categorize my recipes and to also have an easy way of sharing my recipes with friends. I really had no idea my blog had reached so many different people. If you're visiting my blog, leave a comment if you'd like. I love getting comments from readers.And thanks for reading . . .

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Meatless Monday: Three Bean Salad with Chipotle Lime Dressing

2011-07-11T07:34:00.004-05:00

The other day I really wanted to make a three bean salad. I was at the store and beans were on sale, so I grabbed a few cans and headed home. Then I decided to look up a recipe for three bean salad because I've never made one and wanted a little guidance. Well, I wasn't thrilled with the recipes out there, and I had no idea green beans were one of the three beans in three bean salad. I like green beans, but not in a cold salad. I'd bought pinto, black, and red beans. Whoops.

So of course I just made something up as I went along . . . and I'm totally gonna toot my own horn and say it was awesome.

Three Bean Salad with Chipotle Lime Dressing

Note: this recipe uses partial cans of beans because I didn't want a lot of leftovers not knowing if it would be good or not. Feel free to adjust the ratios and use full cans if you'd like, or just freeze the leftover beans for another recipe.

Ingredients
salad:
2/3 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2/3 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2/3 can red beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup corn (frozen is fine, just thaw it out first)
1/2 cup white onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp jalapeno, minced

dressing:
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chipotle hot sauce (I really like Cholula's)
juice of 1/2 lime
1 tsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions
1. In a medium bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients and mix well. Be sure to stir gently so you don't crush the beans.

2. In a small container with a tight-fitting lid, combine all of the dressing ingredients and shake vigorously.

3. Pour dressing over the salad, and stir. Serve immediately or refrigerate for later. This salad is good chilled or at room temp.

Makes 4-5 servings

Note: this salad was awesome as a side dish, but totally works as a vegetarian taco too. Just sprinkle some cheese, shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes into a small tortilla shell and scoop in some of the bean salad and voila: instant veggie tacos! Or crumble the taco shells into a good-sized bowl with more lettuce and make a veggie taco salad!
Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Quick and Dirty Salsa

2011-07-08T12:05:00.000-05:00

When I'm in plan-ahead mode, this is my go-to salsa recipe. But sometimes I'm not in plan-ahead mode. Sometimes it's 5:00 on a Friday, and I want some chips and salsa to go with my beer. My laziness inspired this quick and dirty salsa recipe, which is quickly becoming my favorite.

Quick and Dirty Salsa

Ingredients
1 large or 2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh jalapeno, minced
1/4 cup white onion, diced
1/2 tsp fresh cilantro, chopped (if you have it)
3-4 drops of your favorite hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. If you're really impatient, go ahead and eat it now. If you can wait, it's best to let it all marinate for 30+ minutes to get a bit juicy.

Note: this salsa is great for tacos and other dishes where you want a chunkier, less liquid salsa.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Garden Update #4

2011-06-13T09:05:00.000-05:00

Lately the weather has been perfect for my garden. Hot, sunny days followed by a deluge of rain, then more hot sun. I swear, everytime I go outside, the plants have gotten bigger and stronger--even the ones I was certain wouldn't make it.

my lone surviving squash plant

oregano

two of my three carrot plants

lettuce looks a little thin because I harvested some last week

tomato plants might be plotting to take over the world--they are noticeably bigger every day

Rhubarbarita!

2011-06-08T06:50:00.003-05:00

"Rhubarbarita!"

That's just fun to say. Especially after you've had a rhubarbarita or two.

Last week we got rhubarb in the FP box. The only dish I've heard of with rhubarb is rhubarb pie. But I didn't want to make a pie. I was at a loss until I saw Fresh Picks' suggestion of making a rhubarb simple syrup for cocktails (and non-alcoholic drinks). I love finding recipes like this. It's a fun new twist on a margarita and makes me feel a little more grown-up than if I'd gone to the store and bought that bottle of bright greenish-yellow "margarita" mix.

I followed the recipe above, although I scaled back as I only had about 1 lb of rhubarb. It was enough to make 2-3 cocktails. Once we had the syrup in hand, here's the cocktail I made:

Rhubarbarita!

Ingredients
2 oz your preferred tequila
1 oz triple sec
2 oz rhubarb syrup
juice of 1-2 lime wedges

Directions
1. Mix all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously so you get a nice frothy beverage.

2. Rim a glass with sugar or salt.

Note: we went with sugar this time to counteract the bitterness of the rhubarb, but it was too sweet for my taste. I much prefer salt on the rim.

3. Fill your glass with crushed ice. If you don't have crushed ice, toss some ice cubes in a plastic bag and pound out some of your rage with a small kitchen mallet.

4. Pour the mix over ice and go sit in a nice sunny spot in the yard. Be sure to shout "Viva la Rhubarbarita!" when you toast your friends.

Note: that last part is optional, but I think it makes the drink taste better.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

From the Garden

2011-06-07T08:46:00.001-05:00

Last week we got our first harvest from my little urban garden. It wasn't much, just a bowl of lettuce, but I was still excited to see that all my work wasn't for naught.

Since it wasn't enough to make a whole salad, we mixed it in with some other ingredients from Fresh Picks. We added more greens, pea shoots, tomatoes, carrots and feta cheese crumbles.

Food tastes better when you grow it yourself!

On a side note: everything in the garden is really growing now. My tomatoes have trippled in size and the zucchini squash is finally getting some motivation from the sun. And the carrots are about to take over the buckets they are growing in.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Chard Out the Wazzoo!

2011-05-18T07:10:00.000-05:00

A couple of months ago, I signed up for a program called One Seed Chicago. If you've ever heard of the idea of a whole city reading the same book at one time, it's basically the gardener's equivalent of that. So I signed up and voted for chard as this year's seed. I promptly forgot all about it. Until a couple weeks ago when I opened my Fresh Picks box and found a little envelope that said "One Seed Chicago: Open to see this year's winner." I opened and discovered it was a handful of chard seeds.

I happily planted my chard. A few days later, another little One Seed Chicago envelope came in the mail--with more chard seeds! Apparently this envelope was the one I'd signed up for. The one in my FP box was a bonus. So I planted more chard.

Then last week, I opened my FP box and discovered a THIRD little envelope with more chard seeds. Holy cow! I haven't planted this packet yet. I'm hoping to space them out a bit so we'll have plenty of chard for a while. This was way more than I expected when I signed up for One Seed Chicago--not that I'm complaining. I love it!

Also, as a side note, the past two weeks, my FP box has included living basil! So I've added all 4 plants to my garden. I'm so excited that now we have some basil to sustain us until my plants start producing. I cannot say enough good things about Fresh Picks. Seriously, check them out if you're in the Chicago area.

Meatless Monday: Quinoa Salad

2011-05-16T07:51:00.000-05:00

I first tried quinoa at a local place back in Florida. I'd never had it or heard of it, nor did I have any idea what I was ordering, but it was the side dish with the special and up to that point, everything I'd eaten there was amazing, so I figured I'd go with it. It didn't disappoint. It was red quinoa with an herbed garlic butter. Um, you had me at butter.

Since then, I've prepared quinoa as a hot side dish a couple times, but Mr. FoodWhore wasn't as enthusiastic about it. It lacked the flavor for him. This time, I hesitantly created a cold quinoa salad as a side dish. I loved it. But what would Mr. FoodWhore think? I hit the jackpot. He also loved it. Against my better judgement, I had made a huge portion of it, but it was gone in just two days. Now I wish I'd made more.

Quinoa Salad

Ingredients
1 cup quinoa (uncooked)
2 medium broccoli florets
3/4 cup corn (frozen is fine, just thaw it out)
2 medium carrots, shaved or shredded
3 tbsp feta crumbles
1 bundle fresh ramps (wild leeks)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
chopped fresh basil (optional)

Directions
1. Prepare quinoa according to the box. You'll want the quinoa to be cool or at least room temp, so I'd suggest preparing it the night before if you won't have a lot of time the day of to let it cool. But if you need to chill it fast, spread the hot quinoa on a plate in a thin layer and place it in the frige. It should cool pretty quickly.

2. Chop the broccoli, removing the stalks--you pretty much just want the heads. Toss in a bit of olive oil and roast for 20 minutes at 400*.

3. In a medium size bowl, combine corn, carrots and cooked quinoa. Set aside.

4. To make the dressing, finely chop the ramps, using the white bulbs and a bit of the purplish stalk. If you don't have access to ramps, you can use leeks or green onions.

5. In a small container with a tight fitting lid, combine the ramps, olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice. Set aside.

6. Once the broccoli is done and cooled, mix it gently into the quinoa.

7. Right before serving, add the feta and dressing. Top with fresh basil and serve.

Note: unlike a traditional green salad or pasta salad, the quinoa holds its texture in the dressing. This kept for a couple days in our frige and still tasted great.

This salad was super easy, very adaptable, and a great way to add protein to any diet. It can be served as a side dish or a pre-meal salad or in a larger portion as the main course. I'm already thinking of other ways to use it: in a tortilla wrap, stuffed into peppers, sprinkled over a green salad . . . . I'm also excited about adding other veggies to it: grape tomatoes, roasted squash, nuts, red onion, etc . . . .

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Garden Update #3

2011-05-11T08:55:00.000-05:00

My little urban garden is thriving. My lettuce seems to be getting bigger and bigger while I watch.

And almost everything has been transplanted to the 5-gallon buckets. A few of my basil plants did not survive the few rainless days we had last week. I had them in a bright and sunny part of the yard and it was just too hot. I've moved the survivors to an area that gets a little more shade.

Orange

2011-05-10T08:44:00.000-05:00

Last week, Mr. Foodwhore and I celebrated our 4th anniversary. We played hookey from our jobs, went to brunch and spent the day walking around downtown, looking at the Tulips and all of the other beautiful things in bloom. It was a lovely day.

We started things off by eating at Orange. The menu looked delicious, but we were sold on the two specials: an omelet with apples, brie, onions and ham, and a pancake flight. What is a pancake flight, you may be thinking. It's a sample plate of four different kinds of pancakes: raspberry cheesecake, blueberries and cream, apple cranberry, and sweet potato and coconut. I'm usually a savory breakfast person, but the flight looked just too good to pass up. And it didn't disappoint. I didn't even need syrup!

Orange has several locations, but we went to the one on N Clark Street. It was just a short walk from there to the Water Tower in the heart of Mag Mile. While this location is BYOB, they didn't even charge us the advertised $3 fee. We brought our own champagne and ordered a large OJ to make our own mimosas. (I love this city!) The atmosphere was nice, the service was friendly. I only wish they'd had their patio open so we could have enjoyed the beautiful morning. We'll definitely be back.

Meatless Monday: Roasted Portabella Mushroom Sandwich

2011-05-09T15:41:00.000-05:00

I guess I'm kind of an enigma when it comes to portabella mushrooms. For some reason or another, I can't stand mushrooms, but I love portabellas. When we got a couple in our Fresh Picks box, I knew this was a recipe I wanted to make. I often order vegetarian meals when I go out to eat and a portabella sandwich is a pretty common menu item. I've had it many times in restaurants, but I'd never attempted to cook one myself. For this recipe, I only had two portabella caps. For future attempts, I think I would use a third or even fourth to make this a heartier sandwich. But as it was, it was quite tasty.

Ingredients
1 bulb of garlic
2-3 portabella mushroom caps
1/2 cup (plus drizzle) olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp marjoram
3 sundried tomatoes, sliced
6 basil leaves
handful of fresh spinach
1 tomato, sliced
2-3 whole slices of red onion
your favorite sandwich bread
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
crushed red pepper

Directions
1. Heat oven to 400*. Slice the top off of the garlic bulb (to expose the cloves). Drizzle with olive oil. Wrap in foil. Roast garlic in the oven for 30 minutes.

2. On a baking sheet, place the portabella mushrooms (top side down). Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and marjoram. Add to the portabellas to the oven after the garlic has been cooking for 10 minutes. They will finish at the same time.

3. In a small food processor, combine basil, sundried tomatoes and 1/2 cup olive oil. When the garlic is done roasting, let cool for a few minutes and remove the cloves from the bulb. Add the garlic to the processor and pulse until minced and combined.

4. For this recipe, I used a large, soft French loaf. But you could also use ciabatta or panini or any other hearty sandwich bread. Switch the oven over to broil. Slice the bread and toast it lightly.

5. While bread is toasting, sautee the onions for just a couple minutes to soften them. Add the spinach to the pan and cook until wilted slightly.

6. Remove bread from oven. Spread all slices with the garlic pesto. Add the spinach, tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, onions and cheese. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper. Put back into the oven until the cheese is melted.

7. Place the top on the sandwich and enjoy!

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Meatless Monday: Why I Do It

2011-05-02T07:37:00.009-05:00

I explained briefly before why I chose to eat a meat-free meal at least once a week. I recently discovered a website that explains the benefits way better than I could. Personally, I started it because I wanted to be a more conscious consumer (about the impact on my health and the environment). I don't have any intention of cutting meat out of my diet completely. Nor have I made a complete switch to all organic, local foods. But I do want to be more aware of the consequences of my actions and that includes what I choose to eat. Our food is what sustains us. It is the basis of our existence and what provides us with the energy to do all of the things we do in our lives. Little by little, I am incorporating better consumer practices into my life, starting in the kitchen. It's not a major over-haul, but if each of us took one little step, think of the impact it would make overall.

For more on the benefits of eating a meat-free meal every week, check out MeatlessMonday.com. The site has tons of resources, articles, recipes, and more.

Another resource that changed the way I look at food and the things I consume is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. Kingsolver is one of my favorite authors, and I recently read her book on being a locavore for a year. Her family's experience changed the way I view food and inspired me to start my urban garden. The book was a little bit slow to get into, with lots of facts and scientific background at first, but past the first couple chapters, I couldn't put the book down. I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in food, gardening, farming, agriculture, the environment, cooking, etc . . . .

For more info on her book, please visit AnimalVegetableMiracle.com.

Note: I'll admit, when I first started thinking about all these changes, I balked at what it entailed. I envisioned wiping my pantry out and starting fresh. I cringed at the increase in our grocery budget if we switched entirely to organic local foods. I am NOT doing that. While I have switched to almost 100% organic produce, and we are buying a local, farm-raised cow this summer, I still buy Stove Top stuffing and factory-farmed chickens when they are on sale. Baby steps, people, baby steps.

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

2011-04-28T10:29:00.001-05:00

I have to admit, I was pretty proud of myself for how these turned out. I know I'm a good cook, but I am not one of those badass food stylist/photographers who makes food look stunning. But I was quite pleased with how these looked on the plate, as well as with how delicious they tasted. I made Mr. FoodWhore just sit and admire them with me for a minute before we dug in.

I made these for dinner one night, served with some fried rice on the side, but they given their single-serving, finger-food capabilities, I think these would be great as an appetizer or for entertaining too.

Ingredients
juice of one orange
1/2 tsp corn starch
2 tbsp soy sauce
olive oil
1 bunch pea shoots
2-3 green onions, sliced
1 carrot
1 large chicken breast, cooked and pulled
boston lettuce
sesame seeds (optional)

Directions
1. Mix the orange juice, corn starch, soy sauce and 1 tbsp olive oil to make a marinade for the chicken. We used a chicken breast from a roasted chicken the night before. If you're using single chicken breasts, you may want to use two. Cook and pull the chicken and toss it in the marinade and set aside for now.

2. In a small skillet, heat some olive oil and sautee the green onions. As they become softer, add the pea shoots. Sautee for 2-3 more minutes. Don't overcook the pea shoots...they are better when still crispy.

Note: Pea shoots were a food I had never cooked with before. Recipes online were not very clear on what part of the shoots you ate. We received the pea shoots in our Fresh Picks box, with roots and all. Finally, I made a decision and cut off the peas and roots at the bottom and we just used the actual stems/shoots and leaves. Delicious!

3. While the onions/peas are cooking, rinse 6-8 Boston lettuce leaves and arrange on a plate.

4. Using a vegetable peeler, slice off 3-4 pieces of carrot for each piece of lettuce.

5. In the final minute of cooking the pea shoots, add in the chicken and marinade and mix well.

6. Scoop chicken and pea shoots onto the lettuce leaves. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

Note: we had extra chicken that I served alongside the wraps. We ate this with the rice and piled the wraps a little higher than pictured.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Meatless Monday: Roasted Radicchio and Eggplant Pasta

2011-04-25T07:28:00.001-05:00

This was one of those "everything but the kitchen sink" kind of dishes. I had a plethora of veggies on hand and I needed to get rid of them fast--before they spoiled. Plus, I had radicchio--a veggie I had never cooked with before, so I started googling some recipes and found a ridiculous amount of delicious ideas. I threw a few of them together and came up with this.

Roasted Radicchio and Eggplant Pasta

Ingredients
1 box of pasta (I used penne, but any kind of small noodle will work)
1 leek, sliced
1/4 stick of butter
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 medium-large tomatoes
1 eggplant
balsamic vinegar (just a drizzle)
olive oil
1 head of radicchio
1 bunch of chard
2 cups fresh spinach
fresh parmesan (optional)
fresh basil (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400*.

2. Slice the eggplant lengthwise and place cut-side down on a lightly olive-oiled pan or baking stone. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the skin starts to look wrinkled.

3. Cut the radicchio into quarters and remove the thick white core/stem. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper lightly. After about 10 minutes of the eggplant roasting, add the radicchio to the pan so they will finish cooking at the same time. Radicchio will start to look crispy and browned on the edges of the leaves when done.

4. While the veggies are roasting, heat some olive oil and the butter in a large skillet. Toss in the leeks and garlic and sautee until translucent.

5. Core and coarsely chop the tomatoes and add them to the skillet. Cook for a few more minutes over medium heat and then lower heat to simmer, cover pan and let the tomatoes cook down. Stir occasionally to help the tomatoes break down.

6. Put the pasta on to boil. When done, remove from heat, drain and set aside.

7. In another skillet, heat some olive oil and begin to cook the chard stems. After 3-4 minutes, add the chard and spinach leaves and cook until wilted (4-5 minutes more).

8. Everything should be done cooking. Chop up the eggplant and radicchio into chunks when it comes out of the oven and mix with the chard and spinach.

9. Scoop some pasta on to a plate. Top with the tomato sauce, then veggies and finally sprinkle with fresh basil and parmesan.

Note: this is a wonderful light spring pasta dish. The tomato sauce coats the pasta without the heaviness of a typical marinara.

Another Note on Radicchio: the white leaves are much more bitter, while the red ones are sweeter. I liked the combination of tastes, but Mr. Foodwhore was not a fan of the bitterness, especially without a warning. Feel free to omit more of the white pieces if you aren't a fan of the flavor. It's easy enough to pull some out when chopping the radicchio.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

(swoon)

2011-04-24T19:43:00.001-05:00

Being that there aren't any (naturally occuring) turquoise foods, I haven't mentioned my love affair with the color turquoise on this blog. But let me just assure you, I am obsessed with the color. I can't get enough of it. And now I have another item to lust after:

Be still, my beating heart!

Weekly Meal Plan

2011-04-21T10:09:00.002-05:00

This week's delivery included: Navel Oranges, Bananas, Strawberries, Yams, Curly Parsley, English Peas, Yellow Onions, Collards, Spinach and Boston Lettuce.

Roasted turkey with roasted yams and collard greens
Leftover turkey salad wraps in Boston lettuce
Strawberry and banana smoothies

. . . and I think we're going to try take two of eggs in a nest because I still have some chard leftover and I want to try poaching eggs again. But this time, I'm going to serve it over quinoa.

Since we got a HUGE bundle of parsley, I'm going to dry some of it to keep for future meals, as well as freeze some too. If you've never frozen herbs before, it's super easy. Just chop up the herbs and place small amounts in an ice cube tray. Cover herbs with water and freeze. Once frozen, you can store the cubes in a tupperware in the freezer. When you need some, just let a cube thaw in a small dish or toss the cube into the pot, the water will cook off.

Frozen herbs still maintain a great flavor, but are not good for garnish, as they've lost their bright color and shape.

Weekly Meal Plan

2011-04-14T09:16:00.000-05:00

This week our FP box included:

Tangerines, apples, spinach, green onions, asparagus, butter lettuce, pea shoots, green chard, and yukon gold potatoes.

Here's what we'll be cooking/eating this week:

spring rolls and shrimp stir-fry with pea shoots, green onions, and carrots in citrus soy sauce
roast chicken with new potatoes and sauteed chard/spinach blend
chicken and spinach quesadillas with salad served with beet salad
feta, bacon and asparagus fritata with potatoes and fruit salad
pasta primavera with asparagus, peas, carrots, sundried tomatoes, green onions served with beet salad

Our FP boxes have exceeded our expectations and the produce is lasting even longer than I thought. I still have two beets leftover from last week which will go into salads this week, and the peas from last week were frozen so they will last much longer. I am beyond happy with our decision to start purchasing our produce this way. Each week is a pleasant surprise and I'm being forced (happily) to try new recipes and cook healthier with better ingredients. While we still eat meat on a regular basis, we are branching out and eating 1-3 meatless dinners a week because of the abundance of fresh vegetables we now have on hand.
Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Garden Update #2

2011-04-12T11:50:00.001-05:00

Everything but my peppers has sprouted up and has been transplanted! My garden is a little ghetto looking right now. I didn't want to buy a ton of 5 gallon buckets if half the plants didn't survive, so for now, they are all planted in a hodge-podge of containers that I've been saving/collecting. Once they get bigger, they will be transitioned (again) into 5 gallon buckets and spaced apart more. So far the plants are all thriving--our "yard" is going to be full of buckets soon!

The tomatoes and basil are still inside, per the instructions on the seed packet, but all other plants have been placed outside, as the weather is past the point of freezing!!!! Hooray for spring. I am keeping an eye on the temps though as it's been known to snow in June! For now though, we are in the clear.

seed start-up supplies (seeds, organic feed, and seed starter kit): $27
organic potting soil: $30
TOTAL: $57

Meatless Monday: Eggs in a Nest

2011-04-10T23:54:00.001-05:00

I meant to try this recipe last week, but like I said, time got away from me. But fortunately we got chard again our Fresh Picks box, and I still had some of the eggs leftover from last week too. This recipe made me super happy. I was a little wary about poaching eggs and the way this would taste all together, but this recipe exceeded my expectations. It was super delicious and super healthy, and I love the possibilities for making variations of it. Carnivores--this is a delicious filling meal. Give it a try!

Eggs in a Nest

(based on a recipe from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver)

Ingredients
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup leeks, sliced
olive oil (for sauteeing)
1/2 cup carrots, sliced
3-4 cups spinach and chard (I used about half and half)
1/2 eggplant, chopped
2 servings rice, prepared
2-4 eggs
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat and sautee the garlic and leeks.

2. Add the carrots, eggplant, and chard stems (chopped) and sautee for 3-4 minutes.

3. Add the spinach and chard leaves and sautee until wilted, approx 3-4 minutes.

4. Make small indentations in the leaves and crack an egg into each "cup." Be careful not to break the yolk. Put a lid on the skillet and let the eggs poach. The recipe I was reading says 3-4 minutes. But after that time, the eggs were still very much raw. I let them cook a few minutes longer, which turned out to be too long. Our yolks were solid, which was tasty, but not what I was going for. 4-5 minutes will probably do it. Make sure the whites are set, but the yolk is still runny.

5. Spoon rice on to a plate and scoop the veggies and egg (carefully) on to the rice.

*Note: The original recipe calls for two eggs per person. With all the veggies and rice, I ate one egg and half the veggies and Mr. FoodWhore had two eggs. I'll leave it up to you to decide. This recipe yields enough for two servings.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing

2011-04-10T12:22:00.003-05:00

I really love this lemon vinaigrette dressing, especially for the roasted beet salad. Combined with the feta and onions and sweet beets, it's a perfect complement. This recipe is another twist on my standard vinaigrette dressing recipe. While this recipe is portioned to make 2-3 servings (perfect for the beet salad), it's very easy to make more or less, adjusting the ratios. Just like I mentioned in my standard recipe, I like a more acidic dressing. If you prefer a mellower taste, increase the oil portion slightly.

Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing

(makes 2-3 servings)

Ingredients
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
pinch of dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Combine all ingredients in a small container with a good lid.

2. Right before serving, shake vigorously to mix and pour over salad.

How easy is that!?

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Roasted Beet Salad

2011-04-09T11:41:00.003-05:00

I loved beets as a kid. I loved that they stained everything on my plate purple (my favorite color). But somewhere along the way, I just stopped eating them. Maybe my mom stopped cooking them, who knows. But I would guess, probably 15 years went by before I ate beets again. No particular reason why . . . it just happened. And then I moved to Chicago and ordered a beet salad at this local brewpub and it was one of the best salads I've ever eaten. Seriously. So of course I had to try to make it myself.

Roasted Beet Salad

Ingredients
2 small beets
2-3 cups greens, chopped (I used red leaf lettuce)
1/3 cup red onion, diced
1/3 cup feta crumbles
1/2 carrot, shredded or thinly sliced
lemon vinaigrette dressing

*Note: beets will stain your hands very quickly. Wear gloves. I had to wash my hands three times and take a shower before the stain went away.*

Directions
1. Slice the ends off of the beets, so they will sit (and not roll) on a pan. Clean them and pull off any root strings. Then roast for 20 minutes at 400*.

2. While the beets are cooking, combine the lettuce, feta, carrots, and onions and mix well. For the carrot, I like to use a vegetable peeler to get pretty curled pieces of carrot--fancier than just shredding it and easier than trying to slice it super thin.

3. When the beets are done, slice them and cut into quarters and place in the frige to cool.

4. Add beets and dressing to the lettuce right before serving.

serves 2-3

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Fresh Picks Menu Planning

2011-04-08T11:41:00.002-05:00

This week we got oranges, Fuji apples, strawberries, red potatoes, peas, beets, napa cabbage, chard, raddichio and eggplant. Here's what's on the menu this week:

beet salad and eggs in a nest (finally getting around to this one)
salmon cakes with roasted potatoes and peas
eggplant and raddichio parmesan over pasta primavera
apple tart (still have some apples leftover from last week)

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Rainbow / Swiss Chard

2011-04-04T20:45:00.000-05:00

[source]

Chard is one of those foods I have repeatedly heard about, but had never tried. To be honest, I don't think I could have picked it out in my produce section without a big obvious label. But lately, I have heard more and more and more about chard. My interest was finally piqued when I read in Animal Vegetable Miracle that chard is the one vegetable that Barbara Kingsolve (the author--and one of my favorites) could not live without. Then a few days later, I found out chard was going to be in our first Fresh Picks delivery box. While I wanted to try the Eggs in a Nest recipe found in Animal Vegetable Miracle, I didn't get a chance this week. Our schedules just got away from us, so I opted to just sautee the chard and serve it as a side with roasted chicken.

Sauteed Chard with Leeks

Ingredients
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 cups leeks, sliced
1 bunch chard
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Toss in garlic and leeks and heat until leeks are soft and slightly translucent.

2. While garlic is cooking, rinse and chop chard. Both the stems and the leaves are edible. Toss in the stems first, and let them cook for 2-3 mintues before adding the leaves.

3. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the leaves are wilted, it's done.

4. Season to taste and serve. Makes 2-4 servings.

served with roasted chicken and baked sweet potatoes

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Chewy Granola Bars

2011-04-02T15:13:00.001-05:00

Since Mr. Foodwhore is working now, he likes to have a lot of snack food on hand to munch on at his desk. But store-bought snack food is full of sugar, empty calories and can be expensive. So I'm always looking for healthy, easy options to make at home. I tried this chewy granola bar recipe, tweaked from a combination of recipes found on all-recipes.com.

This recipe gave me delicious granola bits, easy for snacking on and delicious to crumble up and eat with yogurt or as cereal, but it wasn't exactly a granola bar. So I'm still on the search for a good granola bar recipe.

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups oats

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup margerine, softened

1/2 cup peanut butter, softened

1 cup almonds, sliced or crushed

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2/3 cup raisins

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325* and lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan.

2. In a large mixing bowl combine all of the ingredients except the raisins. Mix well.

3. Gently stir in the raisins.

4. Lightly press mixture into the pan. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.

5. Let cool completely before cutting or removing from the pan.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Garden Update #1

2011-04-01T12:47:00.001-05:00

My little urban garden is sprouting up nicely. Almost every plant has popped up so far. In a few more days, I'll start transitioning it outside.

1st Fresh Picks Delivery

2011-03-31T12:43:00.001-05:00

We got our first Fresh Picks delivery yesterday. I felt like a kid on Christmas when the delivery guy knocked on our door--I couldn't wait to rip open that box and admire all the delicious foods. The delivery even came with a reference guide telling us where each of them items came from, offering tips to enjoy our produce at its peak, and even suggesting recipes!

Our first delivery included: tangelos, apples, grapefruit, sprouts, leeks, chard, sweet potatoes, eggs, spinach and cilantro. Of course, I had to work yesterday, but today I've had time to do some meal-planning. Here's how I plan to incorporate all these delicious foods into this week's meals (recipes to follow):

Home-made pizza with spinach, sausage, onion, garlic and cilantro
Eggs in a nest (includes the eggs, chard, and leeks)
Roasted chicken with sauteed chard and sweet potatoes
BBQ chicken sandwiches with sweet potato fries

Throughout the week I'll top off our salads with sprouts and snack on the fruit between meals!

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

The Farmer's Market, Delivered

2011-03-27T17:24:00.001-05:00

I'm really excited about a new service we just signed up for from a local company called Fresh Picks. Each week we'll get a box of local, organic, in-season fruits and vegetables delivered right to our door! It's like the Farmer's Market is coming to us. A couple of friends recently recommended it, so we signed up--and we're expecting our first box this Wednesday. We opted for the Veg/Fruit box for a little of each, but they have tons of options, even prepared foods!

I'm super excited because of all the fresh organic produce we'll be getting and also because we don't pick what we get--it's a big surprise. Well, it's not a total surprise becuase they post the list on their website, but it's sort of a surprise because each week it varies. This week we're expecting: Tangelos, Gala Apples, Grapefruit, Eggs, Spinach and Spring Mix Sprouts, plus Chard, Sweet Potatoes, Cilantro and Leeks.

I'm really looking forward to meal planning with our new Fruit/Veg box. I've never cooked or eaten chard before. And I imagine we'll be getting new (to us) stuff each week. I can't wait to try new foods and new recipes.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Urban Gardening

2011-03-24T15:45:00.001-05:00

As the weather turns warmer (even if it's just for a day or two at a time), I've been thinking a lot about doing an urban garden. We have a modest backyard that we share with our neighbors. Though it's mostly concrete, we do have bits of greenery and lots of sunlight. When I was a kid, my dad had a big garden in our backyard and I loved helping him with every aspect of it. In my adult life, I've grown herbs and flowers, but urban gardening seems to present a new set of challenges.

You're probably thinking, why even bother? Well, having a garden is in line with several of my food goals this year: eat healthier, save money and eat more seasonal/local/organic foods. Gardening will help me with each of those goals, so today I got my start. I'm not sure how successful I'll be, but I've decided to log my process here so others may be inspired to do a bit of gardening (urban or otherwise).

I got started with some supplies from Home Depot, but I imagine any home goods store like that will have what you need. I bought a 72-plant starter kit which has 72 little dehydrated peat pockets and a green-house dome to keep the moisture in. I planted the seeds today and after they've sprouted and the last of the cold weather is gone, I'll slowly transition them to outside. I planted basil, oregano, tomatoes, onions, carrots, zuchhini, peppers, and lettuce. Hopefully this will be a success and I'll have a summer filled with fresh food from my backyard!

In order to see how lucrative this endeavor is, I've also decided to keep track of the costs compared to the fruits (and vegetables) of my labor.

seed start-up supplies (seeds, organic feed, and seed starter kit): $27

What about you? Have you done any urband gardening before? Any tips for an amateur?

Sausage and Roasted Tomato Thin Crust Pizza

2011-03-08T09:50:00.000-06:00

We've been super in to thin crust pizzas lately. It took us a few tries to perfect the crust, but I think we might finally have found our favorite crispy thin crust recipe. Now that we have the crust down, we've been experimenting with a variety of toppings. This one has been one of my favorites for the roasted tomatoes.

Ingredients
pizza dough
1 cup grape tomatoes
olive oil
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup chopped sausage
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
garlic powder
oregano

Directions
1. Prepare the pizza dough and let rest for 30 minutes.

2. While the dough is rising, roast the tomatoes. Lay the tomatoes on a greased baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and bake for 20 minutes at 400*.

3. To make a thin crust pizza, cut the dough in half. The other half of the dough can be saved in the frige for up to 3 days. Roll out half of the dough until it's approximately 12" across.

4. Place the dough on a pizza stone or baking sheet. Spray lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with oregano and garlic powder. Bake for 20 minutes at 400*.

5. When dough is done baking, top with sauce, ingredients and cheese and bake for another 10 minutes (or until cheese is bubbly and slightly browning) at 350*.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Meatless Monday: Buffalo Chick(pea) Sliders

2011-02-28T11:44:00.001-06:00

Mr. Foodwhore and I love spicy foods. Buffalo chicken sandwiches are one of our favorites. But they are hardly healthy. As part of my efforts to incorporate more meatless meals into our diet, I went back to a trusted favorite food blogger, Ashlee, at Veggie By Season. Ashlee has written a few blogs over the years with some great recipes that I have enjoyed. This is another one of hers and another favorite of mine! One thing I loved about these patties is that they were substantial and held their shape well throughout cooking and eating--both of which are rare traits in veggie patties.

Buffalo Chick(pea) Sliders
adpated from Veggie By Season

Ingredients
1 15 oz. can chick peas, drained

1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup buffalo sauce (Franks Red Hot is my favorite)
1 egg white, beaten
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. In a food processor, combine 3/4 of the chick peas, buffalo sauce, oats and 3/4 of the onion. Pulse until mixture is well blended and no large piece remain.

2. Add the remaining chick peas and onion and pulse just once to break up the peas, but not puree them like the rest.

3. Dump the mixture into a bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Note: the patty mix can be stored in the frige over night if you prefer to make it ahead of time.

4. Form patties from the mixture. (I made four large patties, which was a bit much for us. Next time I will probably make five or six and save the leftovers. Plus, these are pretty big patties to be called sliders!)

5. Heat the griddle to medium and coat with non-stick spray.

6. Add the patties and cook for approx. seven minutes on each side.

7. To serve, we made sliders out of french rolls, lettuce, tomato and onion (and more Frank's Red Hot) and served with steak fries. Next time, I definitely want to add some bleu cheese crumbles to the sandwich for extra flavor.

Nutritional Info: this recipe makes four large patties at 154 calories each

UPDATE: I've since made this recipe a few more times and changed it up just a bit. I now add 2-3 tbsp bleu cheese crumbles to the mix for an extra bit of flavor. And I've also made smaller nuggets with this recipe to serve as an appetizer (be sure to serve some bleu cheese dressing for dipping)!

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Chicken and Dumplings Pot Pie

2011-02-22T18:55:00.000-06:00

Mr. FoodWhore and I both love chicken pot pie. It's a great winter meal and great for freezing leftovers. I also like that it's really easy to make this a healthy meal. I've made chicken pot pie the traditional way, with pie crust, and in less-traditional ways, topping it with corn bread. This time I wanted to try topping it with biscuits. This was equally delicious, and turned out to be a little more like chicken and dumplings, hence the name: Chicken and Dumplings Pot Pie!

Ingredients
4 potatoes, chopped
olive oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
4 carrots, sliced
3 1/2 cups skim milk
mushroom soup mix
2 large chicken breasts, chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas (no need to thaw)
1/2 cup frozen corn (no need to thaw)
1 tube of ready-to-bake biscuits
salt and pepper
paprika
parsley

Directions
1. Bring a pot of water to boil and add the potatoes. Cook until softened, but not mushy.

2. While the potatoes are boiling, heat a small amount of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and sautee until soft.

3. Add the carrots to the skillet and continue to cook for about five minutes.

4. Add the milk and soup mix to the skillet, stirring to mix well.

5. Add the chicken pieces, corn and peas and cook for five more minutes.

6. Add in the potatoes and mix.

7. Pour the entire mixture carefully into a greased 9 x 13 pan.

8. For the top layer, you'll need to pull apart seven raw biscuits. There should be a bit of layers to the biscuit to guide this. I used my hands, but you could try a knife too. It was relatively easy. Most tubes have eight biscuits. I only used seven.

9. Season the top of the biscuits with salt, pepper, paprika and parsley.

10. Bake at 350* for approximately 15 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits are a light golden brown.

This recipe yields 8 servings at 360 calories each.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Meatless Monday: Stuffed Tomatoes

2011-02-21T08:36:00.001-06:00

I'm kind of surprised that Mr. FoodWhore has embraced the whole meat-free meal idea. He even told me last night that it's okay if I want to cook more meatless meals each week! These stuffed tomatoes, based on a recipe from Frugal Fun and Fortune, will definitely be in our regular rotation. They were super easy, low-hassle, and made almost entirely from stuff I already had on hand, which is always a bonus.

Note: From this recipe, we each had two medium tomatoes. It was a bit much with a side and a salad also. I think next time I will only make three tomatoes for us to share.

Ingredients
4 medium (or 2 large) tomatoes
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup black beans, drained
1/4 cup corn, frozen is fine (no need to thaw first)
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/3 cup white onion, diced
1/4 your favorite shredded cheese
2 fresh basil leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350*.

2. Using a small sharp knife, cut out the stem part of the top of the tomato; cutting a cone-shaped chunk out is easiest. Reserve these pieces.

3. Scoop out the seeds and inner pulp of the tomato. If there's good tomato flesh, save it. Toss the seeds. A melon baller works great for this, but a spoon should also do the trick. The tomato should have a good sized hole on top and be about 1/4" thick in order to retain its shape and hold the stuffing well.

4. Chop up any good pieces of tomato flesh that you reserved from the tomato and toss in a medium mixing bowl.

5. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

6. Scoop a couple of spoonfuls of the filling into each tomato. Using a spoon, press down lightly to compact the filling and top off each tomato until the filling is gone.

7. Place the tomatoes on a greased cookie sheet or baking stone and cook for 15-20 minutes.

Note: What I love most about this recipe is that its super adaptable to a variety of tastes. If you don't like an ingredient, use another one. I'm looking forward to trying this with other combinations of ingredients, like: bell peppers, red onions, olives, mushrooms, chick peas, jalapenos, carrots, broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, squash, feta, peas, artichoke hearts, and more!

Nutrtional Info: based on the above recipe and portions, two stuffed tomatoes contain approximately 225 calories.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

My Stonyfield Yogurt Endorsement

2011-02-18T14:05:00.000-06:00

[source]

Lately, I've been searching for a really good Greek style yogurt. I've had some good ones in the past, but I couldn't remember the brand. So I've been testing out different types. Well, I've hit the jack-pot: Stonyfield's Honey Vanilla Greek Yogurt! It's the perfect blend of tart and sweet. It's thick and creamy . . . wonderful for icing the world's most perfect dessert! Right now, my grocery store only offers the flavored varities, but I'm hoping to get my hands on the plain kind so I can use it as a dip for raw veggies.

If you haven't tried this yogurt yet, I highly recommend it.

*Stonyfield did not compensate me in any way for this endorsement. In fact, I don't think they even know I wrote this. But if someone at Stonyfield does read this and would like to thank me with copious (or even minimal) amounts of free yogurt, that would be wonderful!

Quite Possibly the World's Most Perfect Dessert

2011-02-17T17:02:00.001-06:00

I know that's a bold statement, but hear me out before you protest.

These little cupcakes have only . . . drumroll, please . . . 15 calories each, and, wait for it . . . they are delicious, moist, rich, chocolately, gooey and amazing! Seriously, 15 calories each. I'll give you a minute to let that sink in.

And now for the recipe.

The Perfect Low-Cal Chocolate Cupcake
Ingredients:
12-20 oz diet Coke, approx.
1 box Devil's Food cake mix
1 6 oz Stonyfield Greek Yogurt, Honey-Vanilla flavor
sprinkles, optional

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350*. Grease cupcake tins (you'll be making 30 cupcakes).

Combine the cake mix with approx 12 oz of diet coke in a medium bowl. Add more coke as needed until batter is well blended.

2. Scoop 1 tbsp of batter into each cupcake compartment. It doesn't have to be exact--some of mine were heaping tbsps. But you should be able to get 30.

3. Bake according to directions on the box, taking into account that these cupcakes are a bit smaller than the box calls for, so cooking times may be slightly shorter.

4. Cool completely.

5. Ice with approx. 1 tsp of Greek yogurt on each cupcake. 1 6 oz container will ice about 20 cupcakes. I left some plain.

Note: some cupcakes may rise more and thus be thicker. Cut these in half and fill with "icing" to make a sandwich cookie. Feeling creative? Top with sprinkles or berries!

Nutritional Info: If you portion the cupcakes and icing according to the above directions, the cupcakes will each be only 15 calories!

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Meatless Monday: Spicy Black Bean French Bread Pizza

2011-01-31T09:15:00.000-06:00

Having a sister who is a vegetarian has exposed me to a new type of cooking and the impact of being a carnivore. Countless studies lately have shown the impact that eating meat has on the environment and humans around the world. By eating just one meat-free meal a week, we can make a huge impact (in a good way)!

Becoming vegetarian (or vegan) is a personal choice, and not one that I am trying to push on anyone. I tried it once, and it wasn't for me (meat is just too tasty!). But I do propose that you step outside your comfort zone and get creative in preparing meatless meals on a regular basis. I've found that it's fun and inspiring to create meals that provide good protein and are filling without being centered on a meat. You may even surprise yourself (or your meat-loving man) with new foods.

I've already created a section of vegetarian recipes, but I'm going to try to post more frequently as we try to eat at least one meatless meal a week.

Here's this week's recipe: Spicy Black Bean French Bread Pizza.

Ingredients:
your favorite french bread loaf (we actually used ciabatta bread this time)
1 cup spicy black bean dip
1 cup salsa
1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
hot sauce (optional)

Directions
1. Slice the loaf of bread in half long ways. Spread half of the black bean dip on each half.

2. Top each half with salsa, pepper, avocado, and cheese.

3. Sprinkle with hot sauce (optional).

4. Place in oven at broil until cheese is bubbly and browned slightly.

5. Cut loaf halves into pieces and serve!

Serving Suggestion: Serve with tortilla chips and leftover salsa and black bean dip on the side. Or slice up the remaining half of the avocado to cool your mouth after the spicy pizza!

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Garlic Chicken Pasta Bake

2011-01-17T12:01:00.000-06:00

I have to give myself mixed reviews on this one. I was going for a lighter pasta dish (without a heavy sauce). That's what I got, but it was definitely lacking something. I think next time I would definitely add more veggies--the proportion of veggies to pasta was not as high as I would like. For the leftovers, we poured on some spaghetti sauce to add a little more flavor and to prevent the pasta from drying out. For those of you attempting to make this recipe yourselves, I would suggest mixing in a jar of pasta sauce instead of just the juice from the tomato can. And perhaps increasing the portion of veggies.

Ingredients

3 large garlic cloves, chopped

olive oil

2 large chicken breasts

1 bag fresh spinach

1 box your favorite pasta

2 cups shredded mozzarella

1 medium floret of broccoli

1 can whole tomatoes (and juice)

garlic powder

salt and pepper

fresh parmesan

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350*. Cut broccoli pieces into small florets without much stem. Toss in olive oil and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

2. While broccoli is roasting, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil and sautee garlic until tender.

3. Chop chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook until done.

4. While chicken is cooking, boil pasta to al dente, approximately 7 minutes. Drain, toss in olive oil to prevent sticking and set aside.

5. Add spinach to the chicken mix and cook until wilted. Remove from heat.

6. Chop the tomatoes and add to chicken mix.

7. Stir in pasta and broccoli and mix well.

8. Grease a 9 x 13 pan. Pour 1/2 of the pasta mix into the pan. Pour half of the juice from the canned tomatoes over the pasta. Sprinkle on half of the cheese. Repeat layer with the other half of pasta, cheese and juice.

9. Top with salt, pepper, fresh parmesan and oregano (optional).

10. Bake immediately (30 minutes at 350*), refrigerate to bake the next day (45 minutes at 350* if cold) or freeze for another time. Let thaw for 24 hours in the frige before baking.

Bon Appetit!

The Food Whore

Fajita Lasagna

2011-01-16T21:58:00.000-06:00

Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too? My favorite part about Mexican dishes is that they are basically all the same ingredients, they just take a different form. So, I thought, why can't there be fajita lasagna? The answer is, there can be!

This was super freaking tasty and is at the top of Mr. FoodWhore's "please-make-that-again-soon" list. I might add some avocado or sour cream to the layers next time to make it a little "creamier."

Ingredients
2 small onions, diced
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey / beef
2 bell peppers, sliced and chopped
taco seasoning
2 cups salsa
4 tortillas
2 cups shredded cheese (I used the premixed Mexican variety)

Directions
1. In a large skillet, heat some olive oil and sautee the onion until soft.

2. Add the ground meat and cook completely.

3. Mix in the taco seasoning and peppers. Mix well. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for a few minutes to soften the peppers slightly.

4. Grease a 9 x 9 pan.

5. Place one of the tortillas in the bottom of the pan. Layer in 1/4 of the meat and pepper mixture. Pour on 1/2 cup of the salsa and 1/2 cup of cheese.

6. Repeat layers until all ingredients are used.

7. The "lasagna" can be baked immediately (30 minutes at 350*), refrigerated to bake the next day (extend cook time by 15 minutes if it's cold), or freeze to bake another time. If you freeze the lasagna, thaw for 24 hours in the frige before baking.

Serve with rice.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Banana Nut Carrot Bread

2011-01-15T14:11:00.003-06:00

As I've mentioned before, it's my goal to save money this year, especially in the kitchen. To do that, I'm trying to cut down on the food waste we toss out. This week I made both banana bread and carrot cake cupcakes, and I had remaining ingredients laying around preparing to go bad. So I put on my creative cooking hat and mixed up a new concoction: Banana Carrot Nut Bread!

It's a little bit Banana Nut Bread and a little bit Carrot Cake. And a lot delicious. It's good with coffee for breakfast or as an afternoon snack. I prefer it warmed up with a little butter, but it's moist enough that you don't need to add anything.

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
2 eggs, beaten
1 overly ripe banana, mashed
1 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup of your favorite baking nuts, finely chopped (I used almonds)

Directions
1. Grease a loaf pan with non-stick spray. If you don't have a loaf pan, you could use muffin tins or a 9 x 9 pan.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.

3. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar and honey.

4. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended.

5. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture. Add carrots and nuts. Mix well.

6. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake at 350* for 50 minutes. Cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then transport loaf to a baking rack to cool completely.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Freezer Meals

2011-01-14T13:47:00.002-06:00

One of my overall goals this year is to be healthier, both physically and financially. Both of these goals can be met by eating out less. Of course, we're still going to dine out for special occasions, but for day-to-day meals, the FoodWhore household will be dining in. In order to do that, we had to take a good look at our budget and our past failures to see why we eat out so much. For us, there were a couple big reasons:

1. We're feeling lazy. We don't want to cook dinner, so we end up ordering take-out.
2. There's "nothing" to eat in the house. Sure we have a pantry and frige full of foods, but nothing that screams "this will be a great meal!"
3. We made a big meal, but we're sick of eating leftovers for the 5th straight day.

So what's the solution? Freezer Meals. For us, freezer meals are larger scale meals (usually casserole-type dishes) that we can eat fresh for a day or two, then freeze individual servings. That way, we don't feel pressured to eat leftovers of the same thing for a week (or let it spoil in the back of the frige). And it's easy to pull something out of the freezer for Mr. FoodWhore to take to lunch or for dinner if we're feeling lazy.

We've been doing this for about two weeks now, and we have eight individual servings (five different meals) in our freezer. This hasn't cost us any more in grocery budget because it's usually cheaper to buy/cook in bulk. And it's certainly easier. It takes just as long to cook two portions of a meal, as it does to cook six or eight.

Be sure to check out the new "Freezer Meal" label to see all the meals you can cook and freeze to save time and money!

*Note: I've found it's easiest to stick to this routine if you portion out the meals into freezer-safe containers the night you cook it. If you shove the whole casserole dish in the frige, you're not as likely to deal with it later.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Scalloped Potatoes

2011-01-13T11:14:00.000-06:00

Scalloped Potatoes is one of those meals my mom used to cook that I loved. It's pretty easy and can be served as a side dish or a main course. We often served it as the main meal. It can also be made vegetarian by omitting the ham.

Ingredients:
1/2 dozen potatoes, rinsed and thinly slice (peeling them is optional)
2 1/4" thick slices of ham, diced
1 cup heavy whipping cream mixed with 1 cup milk
2 cups shredded cheese (I prefer a cheddar mix)
quick mixing flour
salt and pepper to taste
paprika

Directions:
1. Grease a 9 x 9 pan. Place a layer of potatoes on the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle on 1/4 of the ham, then 1/4 of the cheese. Sprinkle a fine layer of flour. Season with salt and pepper. Pour on 1/4 of the cream/milk mix.

2. Repeat layers until the pan is full. (You'll probably get about 4 layers, hence the 1/4 portions above.)

3. Top with a sprinkle of paprika.

4. Bake at 350* for 45 minutes.

Chicken Enchiladas

2011-01-08T19:59:00.001-06:00

Mr. FoodWhore is always requesting Mexican food. I think it's because it gives him yet another excuse to use his beloved Cholula hot sauce. He's addicted to it. Seriously. I can't keep enough of it in house.

I'm also trying to make one meal a week that will yield a lot of servings (casseroles, etc), so we can eat a few meals and then freeze leftovers for later. One of my food goals for 2011 is to eat out less and stick to a budget, so this really helps.

Anyway, this week I opted for Chicken Enchiladas. And since I was feeling ambitious (and had all the ingredients in-house), I decided to make the sauce from scratch too. The sauce was a bit hotter than I would like, although it was quite tasty. Next time, I will cut back a bit on the chili powder. In the end, this got two thumbs up from the FoodWhore household and will definitely be a recipe we make again and again.

Ingredients:
sauce:
1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup diced onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp crushed red pepper
1 tbsp chipotle powder
4 cups chicken broth
1 oz square semi-sweet chocolate

enchiladas:
2 bone-in chicken breasts
8-12 whole wheat tortillas
3 cups shredded white cheese (I used mozzarella, but use your favorite)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 can diced tomatoes
1 green bell pepper, diced

Directions:
1. Salt and pepper the chicken breasts. Drizzle lightly with olive oil (optional) and bake on a cookie sheet for 45 minutes at 350* or until they reach an internal temperature of 175*.

2. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the onions and garlic until soft and transulcent.

3. Add in the spices and herbs. Mix well until onions are coated.

4. Stir in chicken broth and reduce to medium low heat. Stir in the flour and continue to simmer until sauce reaches desired consistency. Mix in chocolate until melted. Remove sauce from heat and let sit.

*Note: I added about 2 more tbsp of flour here. The sauce thickened a bit, but it thickens much more when the enchiladas bake, so don't worry if it's thin.

5. When chicken is done cooking, allow it to cool for a few minutes. Then remove chicken from bone and pull or chop to bite-sized pieces.

6. Heat the tortillas (nuke in a microwave with a damp paper towel). And prepare to assemble the enchiladas.

7. Grease a 9 x 13 pan.

8. In each tortilla, sprinkle a small handful of chicken, about 1/4 cup of the sauce and a 1/4 cup of white cheese. Roll tightly and place in the pan. Repeat until the chicken, tortillas and white cheese are gone.

9. Pour remaining sauce over the tortillas.

10. Sprinkle with diced tomatoes, peppers and shredded cheese.

11. Bake enchiladas in the oven at 350* for 30 minutes. If you refrigerate the enchiladas before baking, they will need to bake for about 45 minutes.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Garlic Lemon Roasted Veggies

2011-01-08T19:26:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:
1 medium floret of broccoli, chopped
1/2 can of artichoke hearts, coarsely chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 lemon

Directions:
1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all veggies.

2. Add olive oil and stir to coat.

3. Spread veggies on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.

4. Season veggies with salt and pepper and sprinkle on garlic.

5. Bake at 400* for 15-20 minutes.

6. Toss veggies with lemon juice right before serving.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Tomato, Cucumber and Feta Salad

2011-01-08T19:16:00.000-06:00

This is a great easy salad to make for a summer afternoon or anytime. It can be served on its own or over a bed of lettuce or pasta. It's light, cool and flavorful.
Ingredients
1/2 cucumber, sliced and quartered
1 large tomato, sliced
1 medium red onion, chopped
1/3 cup feta cheese crumbles
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
juice of one lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. In a small mixing bowl, combine oil, vinegar, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Mix well.

2. In another bowl, mix cucumber, onion and feta. Pour on the dressing and stir gently to coat, but make sure not to "bruise" the cucumber.

3. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

4. Slice tomatoes and arrange around the edge of the plate. Scoop the cucumber mixture into the center of the plate. Top with fresh ground pepper (optional) and serve.

*Note: cucumber mix in dressing will stay good in the frige for up to 2 days, but is best when it's served the day of.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Mediterranean Menu

2011-01-03T15:54:00.002-06:00

I've mentioned before that most of my recipes come from friends and family (even the internet), but another source of my inspiration is dining out. Countless times, I have enjoyed an amazing meal at a restaurant, sat back in my seat and declared to Mr. FoodWhore, "I could totally make this!"

Well, it happened again. Mr. FoodWhore and I had lunch recently at a new-to-us place downtown near his office. It was Mediterranean fare and by the end of the meal, I knew I would be trying my hand at some similar recipes in the near future. Here's what I included in my Mediterranean-Inspired Menu:

Hummus with Pita, Carrots and Cucumbers

Tomato, Cucumber and Feta Salad

Garlic Lemon Roasted Veggies

Quinoa with Herbed Butter

Okay, so quinoa isn't exactly Mediterranean, but I wanted the meal to be meat-free and I needed something high in protein. I probably should have used cous-cous to be a little more Med, but I had quinoa on hand and I went with the simple choice.

Over the next few days I'll post the recipes that I used.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Spicy Peas and Pasta

2010-12-16T16:04:00.000-06:00

Ok, so that's probably the worst descriptive title ever, as I don't think it gives you a great idea of what this post or recipe is about, although spicy, peas and pasta are all part of the recipe. I liked the alliteration though, and for lack of a better name, I went with it. I can also blame it on the name of the dish that inspired this . . . which is simply "rigatoni" on the menu of a local restaurant. I love said rigatoni, but it's like $14 which seems absurd for some pasta and peas . . . and spiciness/spicyness(?).

So I decided to make it myself last night, and I'm going to have to pat myself on the back with this one. This is a perfect meal for the weather we've been having lately (cold and wet). It's hearty, warm and filling. And not as unhealthy as it may sound.

Ingredients:
olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small-medium white onion, chopped
1 lb meat*
3/4 cup peas (frozen are fine and you don't even need to thaw them)
red pepper flakes
oregano
dash of salt
6 oz low fat cream cheese
1 jar tomato sauce

Directions:
1. Heat some olive oil in a large skillet (medium heat) and add the garlic and onions. Sautee until soft.

2. Add the meat and brown.

3. Toss in the peas and cream cheese. Stir until the cream cheese has melted into the meat and there are no more large clumps of it.

4. Season lightly with salt, oregano, and red pepper flakes.

Note: you'll notice I don't put a lot of specific measurements for spices and herbs. I don't like following recipes ver batim because everyone's tastes are different. If you like spicier foods, add more red pepper flakes. I was quite liberal with mine. If you think ketchup is spicy, like my mom, then it's best to stay away from things like red pepper flakes.

5. Pour in the pasta sauce and mix well. Cook until sauce is heated to desired temp. Remove from heat and spoon over your favorite pasta.

*I say "meat*" because the original is made with this amazingly delicious spicy sausage from a local deli, but I'm a simple girl and a girl from Florida who up until recently has been living in a one income home. So what does this mean and what does it have to do with "meat*?" It means that . . .

a) when I have perfectly good ground beef in the house, I am not going to create another errand just to get some sausage, even if it is amazingly delicious.
b) it's freaking cold outside and I am not leaving the house unless I have to (ie. work, going to a bar, boot shopping).
c) amazingly delicious sausage is not cheap.

So the moral of the story is, any sort of ground meat will do unless you are feeling a bit bourge-y or want to impress someone. In which case, I suggest you have directions to a local deli with amazingly delicious sausage on hand.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Cookbooks

2010-12-13T15:14:00.000-06:00

Do you use cookbooks?

I'm wondering because I have a stack of beautiful, coveted cookbooks, some brand new, some food-bespeckled family heirlooms, collecting dust on a shelf in my kitchen. Not to mention the two or three dozen glossy and slick food magazines also slipping and sliding out of their neat and tidy stack everytime I even look in their direction. Sure, I pull them out from time to time to browse their pages. I'll plop down on the kitchen floor and before I know it, I've wasted an hour flipping through recipes, long having forgotten what I was originally researching.

But for the most part, I do not use cookbooks. I love them. I want them. I collect them. But I don't use them. Most of my recipes come from my mom or from the internet. I'll see something posted on a blog or forum, and I have to cook it. Or if I'm in search of a specific recipe, I am more likely to search allrecipes.com or my favorite food blog before heading to my stack of cookbooks. Perhaps it's a generational thing. Whenever I have a query, I lunge for my laptop and google it. In seconds, I have 354,937 websites at my disposal to inform me that Judd Nelson is not dead, the Belmont bus picks up at 9:14 am, and pentatonic scale is the five notes commonly used in music. (What did we do before the internet?!)

I've only recently realized my cookbook-collecting-but-not-using tendencies because I am reading Julie and Julia and she constantly, of course, talks about Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It has made me envious. I want a copy of MTAOFC. Why? I'm not sure because it will certainly end up on the dusty shelf with my other neglected cookbooks. Nonetheless, I want it.

I think it's because cookbooks are like porn for me. I get all excited about looking at new recipes, seeing the way other foodies combine ingredients or complete recipes to create a delicious meal. And the pictures . . . well, those are just the bee's knees. I could look at food pictures all day. Now, of course I could get all those recipes and pictures online, but it's just not the same. I like the idea of holding a book in my hands (and the smell--which is why I will never own a Kindle), especially a cookbook, especially the Joy of Cooking that I own that once belonged to my grandmother that was a gift from my mom to her. I like the history of that book. And though you can easily browse your internet history, it's just not the same as opening a book and seeing a hand-written Christmas greeting from your mom to your granny on the inside cover, dated years before you were born.

So anyway, those are my thoughts on cookbooks. I'm wondering if you use cookbooks or feel about them the same way as me or if you have a favorite cookbook?

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Roasted Carrots and Parsnips

2010-12-10T21:13:00.002-06:00

With the leftover carrots and parsnips from the soup, I decided to just roast some as a side for dinner one night. It was simple and easy. Although I think it's key to make sure the pieces are all the same size. I wasn't as concerned, and as a result, some pieces were crispy, while others were softer.

Ingredients:
1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into thin strips

1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips
4 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
pinch nutmeg and cumin
salt and pepper
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375° F.

2. In a large bowl, toss the parsnips, carrots, oil, spices, salt and pepper.

3. Spread veggies on a roasting pan and cook for 45-50 minutes.

4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.

Bon Appetit! The Food Whore

*Original recipe from realsimple.com

Roasted Carrot and Parsnip Soup

2010-12-08T21:10:00.000-06:00

I mentioned before that I've wanted to start cooking with new foods. Parsnips is one of the first foods I wanted to try. I'd never eaten parsnips until a couple of weeks ago when my restaurant featured a special with whipped parsnips. I really enjoyed them and knew that I wanted to find a couple good recipes. The first was Roasted Carrot and Parsnip Soup.

Ingredients:
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds

1/2 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds
1 yellow onion, sliced
5 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
pinch of cumin, nutmeg, and ginger
vegetable or chicken stock (optional)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400° F.

2. In a large bowl, combine the carrots, parsnips, onion, oil, salt and pepper, and spices. Mix well to coat the carrots and parsnips with seasoning.

3. Spread the vegetables on a pan in an even layer and roast, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden brown, about 45 minutes.

4. Put the veggies in a blender, along with 2-3 cups of stock or water. Blend until smooth and well-mixed. Add more water as needed, 1/4 cup at a time.

5. Put the soup in a pot on the stove and reheat to serving temperature.

Note: I was really looking for a smoother soup, but the blender was still leaving the tiniest bits of carrot. To remedy this, I strained the soup once, and then added in about 1/2 of the bits strained out to add a little more texture, but still preserve the smoothness I was looking for.

Serving Suggestion: Serve this soup with a couple slices of toasted baguette brushed with olive oil.
Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

*Original recipe found on realsimple.com

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

2010-11-28T15:34:00.000-06:00

I love carrot cake. I've made carrot cake before, but I wasn't thrilled with the recipe. It was very dense and heavy. This time around, I used a different recipe and was very pleased. The cake was light and fluffy and the icing was perfection.

Ingredients:
cake:
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp table salt
1 lb medium carrots (6 to 7 carrots)
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
4 egg whites
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup applesauce

icing:
8 oz cream cheese, softened but still cool
5 tbsp unsalted butter softened, but still cool
2 tbsp plain greek yogurt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 c confectioners sugar

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Spray your muffin tins with baking non-stick spray. You can use muffin liners, but I prefer not to.

3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in large bowl; set aside.

4. In food processor fitted with large shredding disk, shred carrots (you should have about 3 cups); transfer carrots to bowl and set aside.

5. Wipe out food processor workbowl and fit with metal blade.

6. Process granulated and brown sugars and eggs until frothy and thoroughly combined, about 20 seconds.

7. With machine running, add oil/applesauce through feed tube in steady stream.

8. Process until mixture is light in color and well emulsified, about 20 seconds longer.

9. Scrape mixture into medium bowl.

10. Stir in carrots and dry ingredients until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain.

11. Pour into prepared pan and bake until toothpick or skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 50 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking time.

12. Cool cake to room temperature in pan on wire rack, about 2 hours.

13. When cake is cool, process cream cheese, butter, yogurt, and vanilla in clean food processor workbowl until combined, about 10 seconds, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula as needed.

14. Add confectioners' sugar and process until smooth, about 10 seconds.

15. Remove cupcakes from tin and ice.

If you want to add the icing carrots, follow the directions found here.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T16:05:00.000-06:00

Hope your day is filled with friends, family and delicious food.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Cranberry Sauce

2010-11-25T16:02:00.000-06:00

There's nothing special about my cranberry sauce. It's the kind right out of the can. You know, the kind with the ridges still in it. I love this cranberry sauce. Everyone loves to tease me about my "white-trash" side dish, but I'm ok with it.

There's no ingredients list or recipe here. Just open the can and slice it. I like to garnish it with mandarin oranges. There's no real reason to have an entry for this, except I felt bad that every other dish got its own post. So here's my cranberry sauce:

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Sauteed Green Beans with Shallots

2010-11-25T15:52:00.000-06:00

Katie, at Good Things Catered, is one of my go-to food bloggers. She has some amazing recipes that I have used over the years and this is another one of hers. I haven't tried it before, but I'm sure it won't disappoint. I love green beans at Thanksgiving, but I also wanted something lighter than the typical green bean casserole with heavy cream of mushroom soup and fried onions.

Ingredients:
1 lb fresh green beans, ends trimmed
1/2 lb shallots, peeled, halved and sliced thin
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
pinch herbs de provence
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. In large pot, over medium high heat, boil water and steam green beans.

2. Meanwhile, in large skillet over medium high heat, heat oil until almost smoking.

3. Add shallots to pan, stir well and turn heat down to medium low.

4. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and tender, about 15-20 minutes.

5. Stir in garlic and herbs and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

6. Stir in steamed green beans, remove from heat and stir until beans are coated.

7. Place into serving bowl and serve immediately.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Corn Casserole

2010-11-25T15:48:00.000-06:00

Corn Casserole is super easy and tasty. This is one of my sister's favorites at Thanksgiving since she's a vegetarian and corn is one of the five foods she eats. : )

Ingredients:
1 stick butter
1 cup sour cream
1 can creamed corn
1 can regular corn with juice
1 egg, beaten
1 box Jiffy cornbread

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients just before baking and pour in a casserole dish

2. Bake for 45 minutes at 350.

Note: the middle may still be soft/jiggly in the middle. Remove it from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes and it should set nicely.
Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Apple Pie

2010-11-25T07:02:00.003-06:00

My mom makes the best apple pie. And of course, she makes her own crust, which is a family recipe. Mr. FoodWhore says my mom makes the best apple pie he has ever tasted. Hopefully mine is just as good!

Ingredients:
Pie Filling

4-5 cups of sliced rome apples
2 tbsp instant tapioca
3/4 cup sugar
sprinkle of nutmeg (plus some)
sprinkle of cinnamon (plus some)

Pie Crust
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
12 tablespoons butter, sliced thin
1/4 cup crisco
1/2 cup ice water

Directions:
Note: keep the crisco and butter in the fridge when not using it. It should be very cold for this recipe.

1. Mix the apples, tapioca, spices, and sugar and let sit for about 90 minutes to get juicy. I like to let it set for closer to 2 hours minimum. If you have time to spare, it just helps it get juicier.

2. In a food processor, combine the dry ingredients for the crust and pulse a few times until mixed.

3. Add the crisco and butter and pulse 8-12 times until the butter forms in pea-sized balls. I've never had balls form. Basically you want to make sure there are no large clumps of butter left.

4. With the food processor running, pour in the ice water and process until a ball of dough forms.

5. Remove dough, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

6. Preheat oven to 400. Cut the dough in half and place half on a floured surface. Roll the dough out very thin in a circular shape. Flour and turn the dough often to prevent sticking.

7. Fold the rolled dough in half and lay over a 10 inch pie dish. Unfold to cover the dish. Press into place.

Note: Dough is best when handled the least. The less you roll and handle it, the better it "behaves."

8. Fill the crust with the apple mixture. Sprinkle on a bit more cinnamon and nutmeg.

9. Roll out the other half of the dough and cover the filling.

10. Press the edges of the dough together to seal and cut slits in the top crust with a knife.

11. Bake for 50 minutes on a baking sheet. Allow to stand for 4 hours before serving.

Serve warm or room temperature with vanilla ice cream and whip cream!

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Double Layer Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie

2010-11-24T21:18:00.001-06:00

This pie was a favorite of my granny's. She loved it because it was lighter and creamier than normal pumpkin pie. It's not a secret family recipe . . . in fact, I think she got it from the back of a package of cream cheese. But it's delicious either way.

Ingredients:

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1 tbsp milk

1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 cups whipped topping
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
1 cup cold milk
2 (3.5 oz) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
1 (15 oz) can solid pack pumpkin puree
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together cream cheese, 1 tablespoon of milk, and sugar until smooth. Gently stir in whipped topping. Spread into bottom of crust.

2. Pour 1 cup of milk into large bowl, and thoroughly mix in pudding mix, pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. When thickened, spread over cream cheese layer.

3. Refrigerate 4 hours, or until set.

Bon Appetit!

The Food Whore

Sweet Potato Casserole

2010-11-24T21:14:00.002-06:00

Sweet Potato Casserole is probably my favorite side dish at Thanksgiving. So many of the dishes are savory, and I love to balance that out with some sweet. Plus sweet potatoes are just delish! Since I had to work on Wednesday (a double shift . . . boo!), Mr. FoodWhore was kind enough to be my soux chef and help out with the cooking. The sweet potato casserole was one of the dishes he prepared.

Ingredients:
Filling
1/3 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 cups sweet potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed
2 eggs, beaten slightly
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Topping
1 cup pecan pieces
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 stick butter, melted

Directions:
1. Mix topping ingredients together and set aside.

tastes better than it looks

2. Then mix all casserole ingredients together and put in sheet cake pan or casserole dish.

3. Spread with topping.

4. Bake for 40 minutes at 350.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Thanksgiving Shopping

2010-11-24T10:07:00.000-06:00

I wanted to take a minute to ~~pat myself on the back~~ share some money-saving tips when it comes to grocery shopping. As I've mentioned before, I'm a couponer. I worried that my budget would be affected when we moved from a very affordable city to one of the most expensive in the country. But our grocery budget hasn't changed that much.

One thing that has changed is the size of my kitchen. It's infinitely bigger now! And I have a pantry! All this means that I can stock-pile more ingredients when they go on sale.

my wonderful pantry

But what does this all mean for Thanksgiving? I only spent $50 on all the stuff I needed to cook this entire meal, including a 14 lb turkey and wine! By couponing, shopping sales, and stock-piling items at their bottom prices, I managed to pick up all the perishables and random items that I needed without breaking the bank. I have to admit, I was feeling pretty good about my total, but even more so when a co-worker (who is only cooking for 3) told me she spent $300!

So I urge you all to consider couponing. It doesn't take that much time once you learn the ins and outs. And think of what you can do with all that extra money!

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Mama Food Whore's Stuffing

2010-11-24T09:54:00.003-06:00

I have a love / hate relationship with stuffing. Part of me loves the deliciousness of it, and part of me thinks it's just filling bread and why waste my precious stomach space on bread when I could be stuffing myself with turkey and gravy and all those tasty casseroles. Plus, my mom always put mushrooms in her stuffing, so I spent most of dinner picking around them since mushrooms are one of the few foods I just don't like.

But of course Mr. FoodWhore loves stuffing and it's tradition, so I'm making stuffing this year (without mushrooms!).

Ingredients:
1 stick butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped mushrooms (optional)
Chopped giblets, optional
loaf whole wheat bread, dried out and cubed
8oz pkg. cornbread stuffing
Approx. 2 cups herb stuffing
2 eggs, slightly beaten
Parsley, sage, rosemary, & thyme
Salt, celery salt, poultry seasoning, & pepper
4 cup turkey stock

Directions:
1. Melt butter in a large pot. Saute vegetables until tender. Remove from heat.

2. Stir in bread, stuffings, eggs, herbs, seasonings, and giblets (optional).

3. Add stock and stir until it is moist. Adjust seasoning; be sure it is fully flavored.

4. Put in sheet pan or casserole dish and heat for 30-45 minutes at 350.

Note: It doesn’t really have to cook, but you want it hot all the way through.

As I said before, I was never really a big fan of stuffing. But this year I am a convert. This recipe is light and delicious and was a perfect addition to the menu.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Turkey and Gravy

2010-11-23T14:22:00.006-06:00

*I'm going to start posting my recipes today in case you need any last minute ideas for Turkey Day. I'll be updating these posts with pictures and tips as I prepare each item.

Even though this is my first Thanksgiving, I have helped make almost all of the dishes over the years. One thing I have never cooked is a turkey! My dad is usually in charge of the bird and seems to use a different recipe every year. So I went in search of my own recipe and of course, thought of Martha Stewart first!

This year, I'll be using Martha's Perfect Roast Turkey and Gravy recipe. I'm following this recipe almost exactly. Instead of stuffing the bird with the chestnut stuffing, as suggested, I'm going to stuff it with veggies and herbs and cook my stuffing separately.

The Fabulous Ms. Stewart's recipe calls for brining the recipe, something my family has never done. But I decided to give it a try. Brining takes 24 hours, so it required us to get a head start on preparations. We made the brine Tuesday night so it can chill completely before adding the turkey on Wednesday morning.

the brine

in the oven

poultry perfection

This is the first turkey I have ever cooked. I am sold on this recipe. It is amazing. The turkey is perfectly moist and seasoned. I highly recommend this method of brining / roasting a turkey.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Thanksgiving 2010 Menu

2010-11-22T11:21:00.008-06:00

my Thanksgiving table

Here's the big reveal . . . what I'll be cooking for Thanksgiving 2010!

Martha Stewart's Perfect Turkey and Gravy

Mama Food Whore's Stuffing

Sauteed Green Beans

Sweet Potato Casserole

Corn Casserole
Cranberry Sauce with Mandarin Oranges

Apple Pie

Double-Layer Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie

Did I mention I'm just cooking for the two of us this year? Stay tuned for recipes!

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

I am a Nerd! (Thanksgiving Prep)

2010-11-22T11:14:00.001-06:00

I love Excel Spreadsheets. And I love cooking. So any chance to combine the two makes my nerdy heart skip a beat. Since I'll be cooking my first Thanksgiving Dinner this year, I wanted to be extra prepared. So I turned to my trusty spreadsheets to help keep me organized.

For those of you who are in the same boat as me, or who just want some extra help preparing for Thanksgiving (or any big meal), here's what I did:

I created an Excel file with a tab/spreadsheet for each recipe. Then I created a shopping list page with all of the ingredients I needed for each recipe. Once that was done, I used the "data sort" feature to group the ingredients so I could combine them into total amounts of each ingredient. (click on the images below to see a larger version)

I used this as my shopping list so I could check off what I had in my pantry and what I would need to buy. Next, I created another page with my schedule of prepping and cooking. I broke things down into time segments on Thursday and had side-by-side columns for things that would happen in the same time-frame.

The great thing about Thanksgiving is that it's typically the same menu year after year. So, while this was kind of time-consuming this year, next year will be a breeze.

Feel free to email me or leave a comment if you have any questions about Thanksgiving preparations. And don't worry, I'll be posting my menu and recipes in the coming days.

Bon Appetit! The Food Whore

I'm Back!

2010-11-22T10:43:00.000-06:00

I know it's been a lonnnnnnnng time, but I am back at it! I figured Thanksgiving would be the perfect time to jump back into my food blog since it's the ultimate Food Whore's holiday! So get ready for a heaping helping of Turkey Day-related posts as I prepare to cook my first-ever Thanksgiving Dinner. Yep, that's right: I have NEVER cooked Thanksgiving Dinner! Mama Food Whore always took care of it for the fam, and boy, did she do it up right! But now I live many many miles away from home, and I am cooking dinner for me and Mr. Food Whore.

I've got two other new features I'll be focusing on now. The first is all the amazing food here in Chicago, my new home. Part of the reason I've been so absent from this blog is that Chicago offers an overwhelming amount of delicious food, and we have been indulging quite a bit. The second new feature is that I'm going to be experimenting with new foods. Don't worry, I won't be using obscure ingredients and complicated recipes--instead I want to focus on cooking with ingredients that I haven't used before. I'm really looking forward to this. Being in a new region of the country, I've been exposed to new cultural foods (my neighborhood has a large Polish population), and different types of local foods.

Thanks for sticking around during my hiatus. And Happy (early) Thanksgiving to you all!

Bon Appetit! The Food Whore

Taking a Break

2010-05-08T15:04:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to take a minute to tell you all that I am taking a temporary break from my food blog. Mr. FoodWhore and I are getting ready to move in a couple weeks from Florida to Chicago! We're both very excited and can't wait to get up there. But it means that blogging will have to take a back-seat to cleaning, packing, organizing. I'll be back once we get settled in up there.

Moroccan Chicken Pizza

2010-04-25T19:05:00.004-05:00

Ingredients
1 red bell pepper
2/3 cup cilantro
2 chicken breasts shredded
3/4 cup red onion, diced
2 tbsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp water
Pinch crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste
pizza dough
1 1/2 cups low-fat mozzarella cheese

Directions
1.Place red peppers, 2/3 cup cilantro, 1/2 cup onions, 1/4 cup oil, paprika, cumin, garlic, tomato paste, water, and crushed red pepper into blender; blend until smooth.

2. Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Season chicken with salt and pepper then place in pan with 1 tablespoon oil; cook and stir 3–4 minutes or until thoroughly cooked.

3. Reduce heat to low and add sauce; cook 1–2 minutes or until warmed. Top pizza crust with chicken mixture. Stir 1/4 cup onions into yogurt; spoon lightly over top of chicken. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup cilantro.

4. Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350* for approx. 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown.

Based on 8 slices in a pizza, this recipe is 421 calories a slice.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Pizza / Calzone Dough

2010-04-25T18:52:00.001-05:00

Note: over the years I have tweaked this recipe little-by-little. I think I've finally found the perfect pizza crust (at least for my household). I've amended this recipe to what I now do.

My friend A shared this delicious pizza dough recipe. It's so easy, and only takes 30 minutes to allow the dough to rise. I've used this for thin and thick crust pizza...haven't tried it for calzones yet, but I bet it works great.

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 pkg regular or quick active yeast (2.25 tsp)
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup very warm water (120 - 130 F)

Note: while healthier, it does affect the density of your crust. I like to include at least a 1/2 cup, sometimes more. All white flour will be a much lighter crust. To make a more flavorful crust, sprinkle in some garlic powder and oregano.
Directions
1. In a medium bowl, mix 1 cup of the flour, sugar, salt and yeast.

2. Add oil and warm water.

3. Mix the ingredients well with a spoon or fork.

4. Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead 5 - 8 mins. or until dough is smooth and springy.

6. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes. Continue as directed below for thin or thick crusts.

Note: we usually divide the dough in half and make one thin crust pizza that night and reserve the other half for later in the week. Dough will keep in the frige for 3-4 days.

Thin crusts: Heat oven to 400*. Grease a cookie sheets or pizza stone. Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll out half the dough until it's approximately a 14-16" circle. Place dough on stone. Brush lightly with olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes. Add toppings and cheese and bake at 350* until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Thick crusts: Grease 2 9" square pans or 9" round pans with oil. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Divide dough in half. Pat each half in bottom of pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place 30 - 45 mins or until almost doubled in size. Move oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 375, partially bake 20 - 22 mins or until crust just begins to brown. Add toppings and bake at 345 for 20 mins.

Calzones: make Pizza Crust disregarding thin/thick and let dough rest 30 mins. Heat oven to 375 and grease 2 cookie sheets with shortening or spray with cooking spray. Divide dough into 6 equal parts. On lightly floured surface, roll each part into 7" circle with floured rolling pin. Top half of each dough circle with desired toppings within 1" of edge. Sprinkle with pepper or basil, if desired. Carefully fold dough over filling; pinch edges or press with fork to seal securely. Place calzones on cookie sheets and brush with egg (1 large egg, slightly beaten). Bake 25 mins. until golden brown.

Makes a large pizza when rolled out for a thin crust pizza. Based on 8 slices per pizza, this crust is 300 calories per slice.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Cake

2010-04-21T11:05:00.001-05:00

So last week I hinted at a food competition I was entering . . . and then things got a little hectic, as I was out of town and this is my last week of school, so it took me a while to get around to this post. But here it is: The Very Hungry Caterpillar Cake.

Last week my local university library hosted an edible cake contest. I missed it last year, since I didn't find out about it until a few days before and it was really too late to put together an entry. So I was on the look-out this year. I debated between a few books, but in the end went with one of my childhood favorites. Here's how I made it.

Materials
1 1/2 sheet cake, baked and removed from pan
cardboard cake sheet
2-3 batches of buttercream icing, divided and dyed (more on this later)
lady fingers or vanilla sandwich cookies (the oval kind)
gummy fruit wedges
icing spatula
lots of toothpicks (for mixing icing and fixing mistakes)
containers for separating and dying icing
a sharp knife
a large/fat straw (one will work, but multiples will be easier)
lots of patience
a copy of the book helps a great deal (but you can probably find most of the images online)

Directions

1. Bake your cake, allow it to cool, and remove from the pan. I suggest placing it face down on the cardboard mat, with wax paper under the edges so it's easy to get rid of an icing mistakes.

2. I wanted my cake to be of a caterpillar on a leaf, so the next task was to carve the cake into a giant leaf. This was actually really easy, except for the stem, which never actually broke off, though it threatened to on multiple occasions. I had the book open right next to me and drew a faint outline in the cake with a toothpick before carving with a knife.

3. The next step is to spread on a crumb layer of icing. The crumb layer is basically a thin layer of icing that catches all the crumbs so when you do the top layer, you won't see any flaws or pieces of cake crumbling up. I wasn't too concerned about crumbs showing since it's a leaf and brown crumbs could be interpreted as "dirt," but I still did a crumb layer so it wasn't too crumby.

Icing--This is the basic icing recipe that we were taught in my Wilton class. Two changes, though: 1. use all crisco shortening, not margerine/butter also. 2. Use water instead of milk so it doesn't have to be refrigerated.

4. I used about 1/2 of one batch of icing, dyed light green to do my crumb layer. This icing could be left white, since it shouldn't show through, but I went ahead and made it pale green just in case. Allow this layer to dry for about 15 minutes, or until you can touch it lightly without icing coming off on your finger.

5. To make the caterpillar, I had one idea and ended up going a different direction. On the cover of the book, you cans see that the caterpillars body is distinctly in segments and I really wanted to feature this in the cake. I decided to use cookies, iced in different shades of green to give this affect. So I lined cookies up on the book cover (with a wax paper layer to protect it), and cut them by eye to make the curves. Then I iced them three different shades of green. This took less than a cup of icing total.

6. At this point, the cake should be ready for the top layer of icing. I added more green dye to the crumb layer icing leftovers and spread on a thick top-coat. Again, I wasn't worried about perfection as this is supposed to be a watercolor leaf. The stem was the tricky part. I really have no sound advice other than to be careful when icing it.

7. Next, transfer the caterpillar's body onto the cake. This is where I got off-track with the caterpillar. I really wanted to maintain those distinct segments, but I was having difficulty blending the icing along the edges so the cookie didn't show through. In the end, I swirled the different shades together and got a decent blend that still showed the segments, just not as distinctly. For this part, I used the various greens that were left over from the body segments.

8. For the head, I used straight red icing. For the feet and antennae, I mixed the red with a bit of brown and orange. All of this together was a very small amount of icing.

Note: leftover icing will keep for weeks in the freezer and thaw very quickly. I've found it's easy to blend already mixed colors to create new colors you need. I used frozen icing in pink, yellow, mint green and white to make some of the colors I needed for this project.

9. Finally, using a straw, I poked holes in the cake to show where the caterpillar had eaten. I also poked holes in the fruit slices used to decorate the board. And I used the leftover brown icing from the feet to dye a darker shade of brown for the top of the stem.

I didn't win the contest, but I was very happy about my entry. There are things I would do differently next time, but overall I was pleased with my final cake. It was a lot of fun to make and I can't wait to do something like this again.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Sneak Preview

2010-04-14T17:34:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow I am entering my very first food-related competition. I'll be sure to give you all the details tomorrow. But for now, here's a hint . . .

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Blackened Tilapia Sandwiches/Wraps

2010-04-13T02:11:00.001-05:00

This recipe is so tasty and easy that we've had it many times in the past few weeks. Plus our grocery store has had Tilapia on sale quite a bit, which certainly helped!

"But it's fish!" you say. "I don't know how to cook fish. And it always tastes so fishy!"

Tilapia is a great fish for people who (just think they) don't like seafood. It's my belief that if you don't like fish, it's because you haven't had it cooked properly. Seafood is wonderful. When I was a kid, we didn't eat red meat. We were poultry and seafood people all the way, and we ate a lot of seafood. So here's an easy, affordable, and tasty recipe to get you on your way to liking fish.

Ingredients

2 3-5 oz Tilapia filets

2 of your favorite wraps or sandwich buns

2 pieces leaf lettuce

sliced tomato

sliced onion

sliced avocado

blackening seasoning

3 tbsp mayo

1 tbsp pickle relish

dash of salt

Directions

1. Heat a large skillet or grill-pan over medium-high heat. (I prefer the grill pan because I like to grill, but fish on a grill can be tricky.) Coat with non-stick spray.

2. Generously sprinkle blackening seasoning on one side of the fish and place that side face-down in the pan. Coat the side facing up, as well.

3. Cook 3-4 minutes on each side. Cook times will depend on the thickness of the filet. To test if it's done, just cut into it. Fish will be solid white all the way through when done. It's very important not to overcook fish. Overcooked fish is nasty . . . and I will have failed you because you will still hate seafood after this.

4. While the fish is cooking, prep your other veggies and make the tartar sauce.

5. To make tartar sauce, combine salt, mayo and relish in a small dish and stir well. Et voila! Nothing fancy, but is a perfect complement to the blackened fish.

6. Spread the tartar sauce on the bun/wrap. Add the lettuce. Top with the fish and pile on the rest of your veggies.

7. And you're done. Roll up that wrap or slap on the top bun and you're ready to eat!

Makes 2 wraps/sandwiches. Depending on the bread you use, this recipe has 350-425 calories per sandwich.

Bon Appetit!
The FoodWhore

Chicken Sausage Pasta

2010-04-12T02:12:00.001-05:00

Mr. FoodWhore works a couple nights a week, so that leaves me on my own for dinner. This was one of those nights when I had no set plan, and I turned to the fridge for some inspiration. I was going to just make pasta and veggies when I remembered I had found some chicken sausage in the freezer the day before. This was a great, easy meal for a weeknight. And so full of flavor too!

Ingredients
2/3 cup penne pasta (or your favorite kind)
6 asparagus stalks (ends chopped off, cut in small pieces)
1 carrot, shredded
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 chicken sausage, sliced thinly
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Boil water and cook your pasta; When done, drain and set aside to keep warm.

2. In a large skillet (or grill pan), heat non-stick spray to medium high and toss in the garlic and onions. Cook until slightly softened/browned.

3. Add the carrots, tomatoes, and asparagus. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

4. Add the sausage and the herbs and spices and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes, or until sausage is done. (My sausage was pre-cooked and just had to be heated through. Cook times may vary if your sausage is uncooked.)

5. Place the pasta in a bowl and top with sausage and veggies.

Serving Suggestion: You could easily substitute the chicken sausage with shrimp or chicken breast or no meat at all. Rice could also be used in place of the pasta. This is an easy dish that can be tweaked based on what's in your kitchen that night. I've made several variations over the past few weeks.

Makes 1 serving; Approximately 475 calories

Bon Appetit!
The FoodWhore

Spicy Curry Veggie Burger

2010-04-11T08:53:00.000-05:00

I love a good veggie burger. For simplicity, we usually eat Morning Star's Black Bean Burgers, which are so delicious and make for a really easy weeknight meal. But when I found this recipe for a Spicy Curry Veggie Burger, I knew I wanted to try the home-made version. Plus, my sister is a vegetarian, so I thought this would be a great meal to cook for her. She does not cook anything more complicated than spaghetti, so I enjoy finding tasty vegetarian meals so she can have a home-cooked me from time to time.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive or canola oil

1 red onion, chopped
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp crushed fennel seeds
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 carrot, grated
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
3 tbsp cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
flour

Directions
1. Heat a medium skillet to medium high and coat with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Add the onion, curry powder, coriander, and fennel. Cook until the onions soften, about 2-3 minutes.

3. Cover and cook for about 4 minutes longer.

4. Transfer the mixture to a food processor. Add the chickpeas and pulse until well mixed.

5. Add the carrot, walnuts, cilantro, salt, and pepper and pulse again.

6. Lightly dust hands with flour. Shape the mixture into six patties.

7. In a large skillet over medium heat, add more non-stick spray. Place the patties in the pan. Cook for about 4 minutes, or until browned on the bottom. Flip and cook for about 4 minutes longer, or until heated through.

Note: make sure the pan is heated thoroughly before adding the patties. Also, do not handle the patties unnecessarily. They will hold their shape well, but can be difficult if flipped too often. I also found that the patties cooked better when they were thinner.

Makes 6 patties; each one has approximately 160 calories.

Serving Suggestion: top with low-fat cheese, lettuce, tomato, avocado and onion. Try on a hamburger bun or in a wrap for something different.

Bon Appetit!
The FoodWhore

*adapted from a recipe by Women's Health Magazine online

Sweet Potato Latkes

2010-04-08T09:16:00.003-05:00

Mr. FoodWhore and I love sweet potatoes. Our favorite side dish is sweet potato chips from the grill. But this time around, we were looking for something a little different. I had a couple of huge sweet potatoes, and Mr. FoodWhore suggested doing something like hash browns with them. I was pretty shocked, considering Mr. FoodWhore doesn't really get into the whole creative side of cooking too often. So I headed online to see if anyone else had attempted such a thing. I found a great recipe for Sweet Potato Latkes on All-Recipes. I modified it a bit. Here's my version:

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes (medium sized)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 tsp ground cloves

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil for frying

Directions
1. In a food processor or with a grater (I highly recommend the processor), shred the potatoes.

2. Place sweet potatoes in a colander to drain the excess liquid. Place a cheesecloth (paper towel will work fine too) over the potatoes, and squeeze the potatoes to release as much liquid as possible. Let the potatoes sit for a few minutes, then squeeze them again.

3. In a large bowl, combine sweet potatoes, eggs, brown sugar, flour, cloves, cinnamon and red pepper. Mix well.

4. In a large skillet, heat oil to medium high.

5. Form mixture into pancake size cakes and fry in hot oil. Fry for 4-5 minutes (or until browned) and flip to cook the other side.

Note: make sure the oil is hot enough. Our first batch took much longer to cook because I don't think I'd heated it enough to begin with.

6. Line a plate with paper towels and place cooked latkes on them to soak off excess oil. And enjoy!

Serving Suggestion: These can be served with just about anything. We topped them with low-fat sour cream and served them with omelettes.

Makes around 8 medium sized latkes; 70 calories each.

Note: these are best served fresh out of the pan. If you aren't going to serve/eat all of them at once, the sweet potato mix will stay in the fridge for a about a week. You may need to drain excess liquid if you do this, though.

Bon Appetit!
The FoodWhore

Corn and Tomato Salsa

2010-04-05T21:36:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups corn (fresh or canned)
1 can diced tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
1/2 red onion diced
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. In a large skillet, heat the garlic and onions with a splash of olive oil or non-stick spray.

2. When onions are soft, add corn and tomatoes. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When well heated, add vinegar and cilantro.

3. Reduce heat to low/simmer and cook for another 10 minutes.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with chicken or over rice. This can also be great for a mexican bean dip or to top tacos or burritos.

Makes about 3 1/2 cups. Roughly 70 calories in 2/3 cup serving.

Bon Appetit!
The FoodWhore

Roasted Corn Chowder

2010-04-03T10:40:00.002-05:00

I love this recipe for a couple reasons. One, it's a lighter soup that's perfect for spring and summer nights that get a little cooler. Two, roasted corn is so delicious, especially in the peak season when it's so flavorful. Three, this is a pretty simple soup to make. It's not full of complicated steps. It's something you could easily throw together at the last minute. And it's healthy too!

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
2 large yukon gold potatoes, diced
2 carrots, shredded
1 tsp chili powder
4 cups chicken / vegetable stock
4 ears of grilled corn, sliced off the cob
splash of skim milk
salt and pepper to taste
chives (optional)
sour cream (optional)

Directions
1. In a large stock pot, combine olive oil, onion, garlic, bell pepper, potatoes and carrots over medium heat.

2. Season with chili powder and salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes.

3. Add half of the stock, bring to a boil, and cover. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 7-8 minutes longer.

4. Add half of the cooked vegetables, half of the corn, and 1 cup of reserved vegetable stock to a blender. Blend until smooth and thick, add more stock if necessary.

5. Pour the puree back to the pot with the unblended vegetables.

6. Add a splash of milk and the rest of the corn.

To serve, top with a dollop of low-fat sour cream and chives.

Bon Appetit!
The FoodWhore

Adapted from A Year in the Kitchen

Strawberry Shortcake

2010-04-01T10:55:00.001-05:00

Continuing with strawberry week, the other night I made strawberry shortcake. This is a healthier version, that I adapted from a Cooking Light recipe. But it was every bit as delicious as the original.

Ingredients
4 cups sliced strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup skim milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 egg whites
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp turbinado sugar
light cool whip

Directions
1. Combine sliced strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar in a bowl; stir well. Cover and chill 2 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 375°.

3. Line a 9-inch cake pan with wax paper. Coat pan with baking spray. (I prefer the kind that comes with flour mixed in.

4. Mix margarine and sugar together in a medium size bowl.

5. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; stir well.

6. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in extract.

7. Add egg whites into the flour mixture, stirring gently until well-mixed

8. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan, and let cool completely on wire rack.

9. Slice the shortcake into 8 wedges. To serve, slice each wedge in half horizontally. Top the bottom half with strawberries and juice. Replace the top of the wedge and top with more strawberries and cool whip. Enjoy!

Makes 8 servings; Roughly 260 calories per serving.

Bon Appetit!
The FoodWhore

Spicy Hummus

2010-03-31T17:59:00.003-05:00

I love hummus. It's so delicious and healthy, and it's a great way to add some extra protein into a vegetarian meal. I've already tried (and loved!) one hummus recipe, but one of things I love most about cooking is trying different versions of recipes. The other day we had some spicy hummus from the grocery store, and I went in search of a new recipe to try.

Ingredients
2 cans chick peas, drained (reserve the liquid)
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp tahini
3 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp olive oil
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
dash of crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. In a large food processor, combine garlic, parsley, and the jalapeno. Pulse until well chopped

2. Add in the rest of the ingredients and pulse to mix. The hummus should be somewhat dry and may not mix well. Add the reserved chick pea liquid until the hummus has reached the desired consistency. I added about 8 tbsp, and my hummus is pretty thick and creamy.

Makes approximately 3.5 cups; about 21 calories per tablespoon

Adapted from a recipe by Branny Boils Over.

Bon Appetit!
The FoodWhore

How to Make Home-Made Strawberry Preserves

2010-03-30T14:38:00.003-05:00

It is strawberry week in the FoodWhore household. Last week a local agricultural club was selling strawberries, and we bought two flats. Holy cow, that's a lot of berries. We litterally had a sink-full of 'em.
(Don't let the picture fool you . . . they were like six layers deep, and that was after we'd eaten a couple pints!)

So, of course we had to do something with all of those berries. We definitely did not want to let them rot. So we bagged a bunch in the freezer for smoothies. We made strawberry pancakes. We've had heaping cups of strawberries on our cereal each morning. We eat them just straight out of the fridge. We are going to be berried out by the end of this!

Today, I tried something new. I made strawberry preserves for the first time. Mr. FoodWhore loves PB&Js, but I'm looking forward to making french toast and slathering it with home-made preserves, yum!
I've never made preserves before, but I followed the directions found here.

It seemed easy enough, but it was a bit sticky. I would suggest having a cup of water to put your sugary utensils in. I started to lay them on the counter, but then that got messy. Then I used a paper towel, but the spoon kept sticking to it. The kitchen was a sugary mess when I was done.

I haven't tried it yet, but it sure smells good. I'll be sure to let you know how it turns out. Here's a few pictures from my efforts.

boiling sugar

strawberries cooking down

not sure why, but it said to cool the jars upside down

Makes about 4 cups; Preserves have approximately 40 calories per tablespoon.

Bon Appetit!
The FoodWhore

Getting the Most for Your Money

2010-03-29T07:29:00.001-05:00

In December, I decided to start couponing for my groceries. I had contemplated it before, but it seemed like such a hassle, and it seemed like I would only be eating packaged foods from those dreaded middle aisles at the grocery store. Well, I came across a great blog that helped me learn the ins and outs of couponing. In a couple of weeks, I felt like an old pro and I can proudly say that I have cut our grocery bill almost in half. Our savings average around 47%.

Since grocery shopping is a crucial part of any food whore's life, I figured that I should share this info with you so that no one's culinary creativity is restricted by budget. I use Frugal, Fun and Fortune as my main couponing blog. I live in Florida and shop at Publix. (Florida Publixes are different from others in the chain, so if you're in Florida, it's important to follow a Florida-based couponing blog for that reason.) She also does other southern/national chains like Kroger, Food Lion, Winn Dixie, CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid. (Maybe a few others.) Another blog I use is Southern Savers. It's great for anyone in the south. (I'll be really sad when I move this summer and have to find a new grovery store and new couponing blog.)

FFF does a great job of explaining the details of couponing. I would suggest reading her "store basics" posts before getting started. It's easy to get overwhelmed at first, but I promise, after a couple weeks of couponing, it will seem like second nature. Last week was one of my best couponing weeks to date. FFF even featured my savings on her blog. Check it out here.

We have changed our eating habits a bit. Before I used to come up with menu ideas and then go buy everything I needed. Now, I look at what I have in my kitchen and what's on sale and then come up with meals. A lot of the savings can be on the middle aisle items, but I've found some amazing deals on orange juice, eggs, meat, produce, yogurt and more. Mr. FoodWhore and I are eating healthier than ever, and for a lot less $$$. And my toiletries closet is packed to the brim. I probably won't have to buy personal care items for us for a year. Seriously! And I stocked it for a fraction of the retail price . . . $.30 for toothpaste, $.75 for Dove Body Wash!

For those of you who think it takes too much time, consider this: It takes me about one hour to prepare for my weekly shopping (groceries & drug store). One hour saves me an average of $53 a week on my groceries. One hour = $53. How much do you make in an hour at work? I'm not working right now, but when I was, I earned a lot less than $53 an hour. So I'd say it's definitely worth it.

If you have any questions, I'd be happy to help. Just leave me a comment. Happy couponing and happy saving!

Dad's Baked Beans

2010-03-28T14:30:00.000-05:00

FoodWhore Dad makes some mean baked beans. I loved watching him make these because he put so much into a simple side dish. Most people just dump the can in a pot and heat it up. But not FoodWhore Dad. He puts a lot of love into it.

Ingredients
1 big can baked beans
1 small can baked beans
1 bottle KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce
1 green apple diced
1 cup raisins
1 red onion diced
1-2 tbsp brown sugar (depending on how sweet you want it, if you get a sweeter BBQ sauce, I'd omit the sugar)

Directions
1. Drain the beans.

2. Toss all the ingredients in a large casserole dish. Mix well.

3. Cover and bake at 350 for about an hour.

Bon Appetit!
The FoodWhore

Breakfast Burrito

2010-03-19T21:49:00.000-05:00

The black bean dip I made the other day was so good and I was looking for new ways to incorporate into our meals so we weren't just sitting around eating dip and chips. Mr. FoodWhore is a big fan of breakfast for dinner, so I made breakfast burritos the other night! They were a big hit. So tasty and easy and quite filling.

Breakfast for dinner is one of my favorite winter-time meals because it's a warm hearty meal and it's easy to make for busy weeknights and best of all it's cheap! Two eggs cost around $.30 instead of chicken breast or steak or seafood that cost much more than that. And one final reason I love breakfast for dinner so much: a lot of times, we're rushed in the morning. We barely make time for cereal, let alone frying bacon and cooking up home-fries. So getting a delicious hearty breakfast is a treat no matter what time of day!

Ingredients
4 tbsp spicy black bean dip
4 eggs
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/8 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 tbsp low-fat sour cream
2 of your favorite wraps (I am loving Flat-Out right now!)

Directions
1. In a medium sautee pan, heat some low-fat margerine and sautee the tomatoes and onions until the onions are softened and translucent.

2. Scramble the eggs in a bowl and toss into the pan, cooking until done.

3. While the eggs are cooking, nuke the bean dip briefly so that it's warm. Spread the dip on the wraps.

4. Split the eggs between the two wraps and roll tightly. Sprinkle with cheese and pop in a toaster oven on broil until the cheese is melted...just a minute or two.

5. Top with a dollop of sour cream and enjoy!

Makes 2 burritos. Depending on the specific products you use, this burrito has approx. 395 calories. Add 2 strips of turkey bacon and home fries for another 220 calories.

Spicy Black Bean Dip

2010-03-14T18:19:00.000-05:00

A few weeks back I picked up some Chipotle Black Bean dip at Publix. It was on sale and I thought I'd give it a whirl. Well, this stuff was delicious. It was great in a breakfast burrito and it was great just with plain pita chips. Unfortunately, we're on a bit of a tight budget lately, so splurging on a tiny container of dip is just not an option lately. So I went in search of a recipe so I could replicate this myself at home. This recipe is based on one I found on Cooking Light's website. I tweaked it a bit, of course, because that's what I do.

This is super tasty. It's got a mild kick to it, but it's not very spicy at all, despite the peppers added. If you want to make it a bit hotter, I'd suggest adding a little more spice to the actual dip or sprinkle your favorite hot sauce on top before serving so you swirl your chips through it when scooping it.

Ingredients
1 can black beans
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 1/2 tbsp chopped jalapeno
1/4 tsp cumin
2 cloves garlic
dash of crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Combine all ingredients except the black beans in a small food processor. Pulse to mix.

2. Add the black beans and pulse until well-blended and relatively smooth and creamy.

Makes 1 1/4 cups; 47 calories per 2 tbsp

Serving Suggestion: Spread the black bean dip in a disposable pie tin. Top with a mixture of equal parts low-fat sour cream and guacamole. Sprinkle with salsa and cheese and pop in the oven until cheese is bubbly for an easy and healthy Mexican dip!

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Creamy Avocado Vinaigrette Dressing

2010-03-10T13:51:00.000-06:00

Okay, so go ahead and add this to my "looks gross, tastes great" list. I have been on an avocado kick like nobody's business lately. I've probably had a bit of avocado every day for the past two weeks. The other day, I bought a bunch of them at the store. I noticed yesterday that a couple were reaching that too-ripe stage, so something had to be done. I was hesitant to make guacamole because that would mean consuming a lot of unhealthy tortilla chips. So I opted for a salad dressing.

While this isn't a true vinaigrette dressing, it does satisfy the urge for a creamy dressing without all the fat and calories of ranch. The avocado adds a delicious healthy/natural fat in lieu of olive oil. I promise: this tastes great! And it could also be used as a great veggie dip, or as a spread in Mexican meals. Honestly, I might even try this on an English muffin for breakfast tomorrow . . . that's how much I love it!

Ingredients:
2 avocados
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup fat free sour cream
4 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2/3 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
dash of hot sauce

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a small food processor and pulse until well blended.

Note: this is a thicker, creamier dressing. To thin it down, you could add more water, red wine vinegar, and/or lemon juice. Play around with consistencies. But just add a little at a time and see how it turns out. Remember, vinegar or lemon juice will affect the acidity of the dressing and the flavor. Water will likely make it more bland and may increase the need for more seasoning.
Makes about 2 1/2 cups; 1 tbsp is 10 calories!

A Lazy Pantry Dinner

2010-03-07T18:03:00.000-06:00

It's 7 pm. You're tired and feeling lazy about cooking. You have no plan for dinner. What do you do? There was a time when this meant picking up the phone and a pizza flyer and calling for delivery. But as part of my efforts to eat healthier, this is not really a good option any more. Let's face it, we all feel lazy sometimes and cooking is just not on the agenda. Instead of turning to unhealthy delivery options, I've started stocking my kitchen with "easy dinners." Some of this includes frozen meals or cans of veggies or microwave sides. Fresh is better. So is home-made, but when it's between pizza and a microwave dinner, the microwave dinner is the better choice.

I was in this lazy mood this evening and turned to the cupboards and the freezer for an easy meal. I threw this together in under 10 minutes! It was easy, healthy and filling!

Lazy Tuna Surprise

Ingredients
1 packet of tuna
1/2 bag of egg noodles
2 boxes of frozen veggies (I'm really into the Health Blends, especially since they were only $1 the other day)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp parmesan cheese

Directions
1. Boil water in a medium pot and add the pasta. While the water is getting to a boil, microwave the veggies.

2. When the pasta is done, combine it with the tuna and veggies in a large bowl. Add the olive oil, herbs and spices and mix well.

Note: the veggies I used already had a light sauce and seasoning. If yours are plain, you may want more seasoning and olive oil.

3. Scoop onto a plate and top with parmesan cheese.

Makes 2 servings; calories will depend on the frozen veggies you use; my meal was 522 calories. To lower the calories a bit, you could probably use a light Italian salad dressing instead of olive oil.

Wilton Cupcakes

2010-03-05T18:00:00.000-06:00

Our second hands-on class taught us how to make flowers and shell borders. This class was much more challenging for me. I struggled to get my flowers to look right. I think I had a problem with the consistency of my icing. I'm not doing something right and it was affecting the flowers. Oh well, I'm going to keep practicing. Instead of making a cake this time, I opted for cupcakes with a spring feel. Here's the result:

My First Wilton Cake

2010-03-03T11:22:00.000-06:00

As you know, I'm in the midst of Wilton-Course 1. Our first week, we just listened and learned techniques for baking and icing a cake, as well as an introduction to the tools and supplies needed. It was a bit overwhelming, but it was good to know what we need everything for so we could determine what we wanted and what was optional.

In our second class, we got to do hands-on work. We learned how to do stars and how to do an icing-gel transfer, which is an easy way to transfer a design/pattern on to a cake. We also practiced writing--mine was atrocious at first...and my cursive is definitely better than print. You can see in the picture, I'm still shaky with my writing. But overall, I'm very proud of my first effort at cake decorating. I'm really looking forward to our next lesson!

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Wilton Cake Decorating Classes

2010-03-01T11:00:00.000-06:00

For my mom's birthday, I wanted to give her a one-of-a-kind gift. I racked my brain for a few weeks and finally decided on a Wilton Cake Decorating class that we could take together. Mama Food Whore loves to cook and bake as much as I do, and I knew it would be a fun experience to take the class together. Fortunately, she loved the idea as much as I did and a couple of weeks ago we had our first class.

So far, I really love the classes. I consider myself a little beyond "beginner" status, but I've still learned several new techniques in these first two classes of Course 1. I definitely recommend taking these classes. I think even experienced bakers can learn a thing or two.

My only reservation about the course is the amount of supplies needed. As part of my mom's present, I bought her the Wilton Cake "tackle-box" of supplies (I think it's the 50 piece set). The label on the caddy says that it includes everything needed for Course 1. So I thought we were all set. Boy, was I wrong!

I still definitely recommend getting one of these caddies because it's a good start and a great place to store all your supplies. Grab a 40% Michael's coupon in your Sunday paper and you can save a good amount on this caddy. But keep in mind there's a lot of other little things you will need. I didn't mind because I plan to continue on with other Wilton courses, but I did feel bad because I thought I'd bought my mom everything she needed for the class and we ended up buying quite a bit of other stuff.

If you really didn't want to buy all the stuff, you might be able to get away with it, but I figure if you're in the class, you probably are very interested in cake decorating and want all the proper equipment to be successful. Just keep clipping those 40% coupons and stock up on things little-by-little. It also helped that Michael's recently had a big President's Day sale with additional coupons for 60% off one item and 20% off the whole bill. If you're considering taking one of these classes, let me know and I can send you the whole supply list so you can stock up on your supplies with coupons so you don't have to break your budget buying it all at once.

What really encouraged me to take these classes is the amazing desserts created by Katie of Good Things Catered. I can't wait to be at her level of decorating. Check out her Wilton posts and be inspired!

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Taco Surprise Stew

2010-02-27T18:18:00.000-06:00

A friend passed this recipe along to me. I tweaked it a bit. At first, I did not like the flavor of the ranch dip seasoning at all. It just didn't taste right. It was too overwhelming. So I added hot sauce to kick it up a notch and to mask the ranch flavor. Problem solved. Next time, I might not even use the ranch dip mix at all.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey
1 can corn
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
3 cans no-salt added diced tomatoes
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1 envelope ranch dip/dressing mix
1 minced onion
1 can chicken broth
hot sauce to taste
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp crushed red pepper
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Sautee the onions in a pot. Add the meat and cook.

2. Pour the tomatoes and corn into a large pot. Add remaining ingredients and stir thoroughly. Bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and allow soup to sit for at least 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Calories: 185 per heaping cup
add 1/4 cup low-fat mexican cheese, 80 calories
serve with Stacy's bagel chips, 130

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

My FREE KitchenAid Mixer

2010-02-27T16:37:00.000-06:00

You may have noticed two new things about my blog. 1) There's a picture of a KA Mixer in the left-hand column.

What a beautiful piece of hardware!

And there's also a new Swagbucks widget at the very bottom of the page. Now, the KA Mixer is obviously food-related, but what does Swagbucks have to do with this? Well, Swagbucks is a free web-search site where you earn points (Swagbucks) for searching the web. There are also other ways to earn points, but the most important part of this is that you can redeem these Swagbucks for Amazon gift-cards. (In about 6 weeks of using Swagbucks, I've earned $25 in Amazon gift-cards.)

Now, getting back to the KA Mixer . . . I'm saving up my Swagbucks in order to buy a mixer at absolutely no cost to me (well, I may have to pay shipping). I heard about Swagbucks from another blog I read. I was skeptical at first. I figured it was a waste of time, that I wouldn't earn points fast enough. But I finally gave it a try, and I'm loving it . . . especially now that I have a goal to work towards.

Wanna give Swagbucks a try? I can earn up to 100 Swagbucks if you sign up through this link. So give it a click and see how soon you can start earning amazing free stuff like a KA Mixer!

Chicken Taco Bowl

2010-02-25T17:59:00.000-06:00

This recipe was born of a lot of leftovers in my fridge. We'd had tacos earlier in the week and the shells had gone stale. So I ate my tacos naked (without the shell . . . I was fully clothed).

Ingredients
1 cup rice, 170
1/2 cup shredded chicken, 65
1/4 cup 2% shredded cheese, 80
2 tbsp low-fat sour cream, 40
3 tbsp salsa, 14
hot sauce, 0
1/3 cup avacado, 132

500 calories
*To cut down on calories, increase amount of chicken and decrease the amount of rice.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Chicken and Dumplings

2010-02-23T18:10:00.000-06:00

The first time I made dumplings was a disaster. I made them in a pot on the stove and then burned the stew on to the bottom of the pot. And then the whole damn thing tasted like burnt stew...gross! But this time was very successful. Very delicious!

Chicken Stew
Ingredients:
8 cups chicken broth
2 chicken breasts
1 can corn
1 cup peas
1 cup broccoli
1 cup carrots
season with salt, pepper, basil, parsley, and bay leaf

Directions
1. Slow cook chicken and broth over night in a crock pot. Shred the chicken.

2. Add the other ingredients and cook on high for another hour.

3. Scoop in dumpling batter and cook for 15-20 minutes or until done.

126 calories per 1 1/2 cups (roughly 6 servings)

Dumplings
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 tablespoons margerine
3/4 cup skim milk

Directions
1. In a bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, thyme, parsley, and oregano. Cut in margarine until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually add milk, using just enough to form a thick batter.

2. Use 1/3 cup to scoop batter into your simmering soup or stew, cover, and allow to cook 15 minutes.
Makes 7 dumplings; 132 calories each

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Baked Potato Soup

2010-02-21T18:09:00.000-06:00

As part of my efforts to lose weight, I am trying out new healthier recipes. Most of these are just lower calorie versions of the original. Since I'm a self-proclaimed food whore, I'm not usually big on "diet" food. I don't like fake tasting food. I hate bland stuff. And I detest the taste of fake sweeteners. So rest assured, if the recipe is here, it is food-whore approved. While nothing can replace heavy whipping cream and butter, I think these healthier recipes are pretty damn good. And good for you. I'll also be posting nutritional info along with these recipes so you can see for yourself how it compares to the real thing.

Yes, even with all that cheese and bacon, this is still a healthy recipe!

Ingredients:
10 creamer potatoes
1 bundle of leeks
6 cups broth
2 1/2 cups skim milk
turkey bacon, cooked and chopped
low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
chopped chives
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Chop potatoes and leeks and place in slow cooker on low. Add broth and cook for 6 hours.

2. Strain out the broth. Set aside one cup for use, and feel free to do what you want with the leftovers. You can freeze it or toss it.

3. Place the potatoes back into the crock pot. Add the broth and the milk and mash the potatoes until it's a soft, chunky "soup." It will resemble the texture and color of applesauce.

4. Top with cheese, bacon and chives to serve.

Makes 5 servings; 142 calories each; add 2 slices of chopped turkey bacon (add 50 calories) and 1/4 cup 2% shredded cheddar (add 80 calories)

*Note: I originally posted that 2 slices of Turkey Bacon = 100 calories. This was an error. 2 slices is only 50 calories. Sorry!

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

I'm Back

2010-02-21T18:05:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the long absence. Life has been a bit crazy lately. To make a long story short, and to totally contradict myself, there have been two food-related developments in my life. One, I'm trying to lose weight . . . for real this time. So far, I'm down 15 lbs! And two, I've started taking a Wilton cake decorating class. I'm really excited about both and will definitely be posting about both developments over the coming weeks.

Chicken Pesto Flatbread Pizza

2009-12-03T19:06:00.000-06:00

Yum, yum, yum! A delicious and easy pesto pizza.

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded/sliced
1/4 red onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut in half and seeded
2 cloves garlic, minced
ready-made pizza dough
sun-dried tomato pesto
4-6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
2-3 cups mozzarella

Directions
1. Grease and pre-heat grill to 350. When it reaches temp, place the bell pepper and slices of onion on the grill. Flip after 3 minutes and cook the other side.

2. When onions and pepper are done, sliced them into thin strips.

3. Roll out the pizza dough on a greased piece of tin foil.

4. Spread the pesto evenly onto the crust. Make sure you don't have too much concentrated in the middle or it will sag a lot when you pull away the slices.

5. Sprinkle the crust with garlic and basil.

6. Top with mozzarella cheese. We usualy go with 2 cups since we like lighter cheese on the flatbread pizzas, but feel free to go for 3+ cups if you're a big cheese-lover.

7. Top with chicken, onions, and peppers.

8. Transfer to grill to cook. I slide the foil onto a large cutting board. I've found that's the easiest way to carry it from the counter and slide it on to the grill. Cook for around 12 minutes. It's done when the crust is a light golden brown and the cheese is bubbly and melted.

Bon Appetit!
The FoodWhore