Dinner for two

I had an old friend over for dinner the other night. We haven't seen each other in a while--a while dating back to before I started making just about everything from scratch and before I became a vegetarian. It was her idea that we get together for dinner so she could try one of my dishes. The only problem was, my mind has been in leftover mode for the past four weeks--which has been incredible for my pocketbook, but not so great for my imagination. It was time to break out the recipe book I've been keeping. I wanted to make something good, something simple, and something new. My stepmom had given me a recipe a while back for Pilaf Stuffed Acorn Squash. It looked good, so I thought I'd give it a try. But, having never had an acorn squash before, I decided to use butternut squash, instead. It ended up being pretty, simple, delicious, and oh-so-filling! Next time I plan on trying it with acorn squash, now that I know what it looks like...I'll let you know which way is better--although I'm sure both ways are worth a try.

Here's the recipe:

Stuffed Butternut Squash

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, halved

1/2 cup water
3/4 cup uncooked wild rice
1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 c golden raisins
2 tablespoons chopped pecans
Salt (to taste)
2 oz shredded cheese (I used gouda) 


Directions:
Heat oven to 400.
Place squash halves cut side down in ungreased shallow baking dish, adding 1/2 cup of water; bake at 400 for 40 to 50 minutes, or until tender.
Meanwhile in medium saucepan, cook the wild rice, adding a tablespoon of olive oil. When it's tender, remove from heat and add raisins and pecans. (I'm going to be honest. I used a rice cooker--I have never made rice without one before and, therefore, have no idea how to make it in a sauce pan--either way you feel comfortable cooking the rice, great! Just as long as it's cooked.) Salt to taste. 
Turn squash cut side up in baking dish. Empty the shell of the squash, leaving just enough for it to keep its shape. Mix the squash with the rice mixture and then spoon it back into the shells; sprinkle with cheese. 
Bake at 400 until cheese is melted and rice mixture is hot.

There you have it. Dinner for two. And it cost less than $10!

That's all for now,

Rosalyn

Quick & Easy Veggie Soup

We are to that point in the month where we are waiting on payday to go buy groceries and we are trying to eat up what we have left over from the past few days meals. What I had lying around was: a few celery stalks, half a bag of baby carrots, half a cucumber, half a package of udon noodles (I know, not from scratch!) and some vegetable stock.

I have started a pretty rigorous work out regiment and after a hard workout all I can think about are veggies!

So... I threw what I had together and made a crunchy, slurpy, hearty, spicy soup that filled me up and made me feel great too.

This is by far the easiest recipe I have ever made. 

1. Chop the veggies you have on hand. Like I mentioned before, I had carrots, celery and cucumber. I roughly sliced and chopped my celery and cucumber and tossed the carrots into my food processor for a few pulses.

2. Boil your pasta. When its nice and tender, drain it and place heaping spoonfuls into serving bowls.

3. While your pasta is boiling heat your vegetable stock. Set it aside.

4. Add your chopped veggies to your bowls of noodles and then pour the steaming hot broth over it. Fill it to your preference. I personally prefer less broth.

5. Garnish with a sprinkle of parsley and a little red pepper (if you need some spice... I do!)

6. Eat it and enjoy how healthy you are! Yay!

Happy Sunday!

Megan

What's-left-Fritatta

So, I've found that since I've changed my diet, I've learned a lot about my body--what it wants, what it needs, what it doesn't like...

A couple of months ago, I would have openly admitted that carbohydrates were my biggest dietary weakness. Bread, pasta, bread, french fries, bread, white rice, bread--really, potatoes of any kind, bread. Yeah--in case you haven't caught on, I love bread. With butter. Dipped in oil. To scoop up spaghetti sauce. To clean my plate of any left over gravy. With jelly for breakfast. In roll form for dinner. With cinnamon and sugar for dessert. French, sourdough, focaccia, baguette, rye, sweet and baked with bananas or pumpkin or zucchini--I could go on. But, I won't.

Now that I'm making as much as I can from scratch, I've come to realize that I don't crave any of the things that I used to eat every chance I got. That's partly true because I've become particular about what ingredients--and how much of said ingredients--I'm willing to consume. But, also, I realize that I like more variety to my diet. I don't want to make the same things over and over--a habit I used to keep. I'm having such a good time trying new recipes that it's been weeks since I've made the same dinner-dish twice. Furthermore, because I have to work for my carbs--i.e. bread--I find that I don't need it, or even want it, to round out my meal.

Don't get me wrong; it's not that I'm too lazy to make what I want; it's more that because  I'm listening to my body, I know I don't need what I used to call my staples for every meal. Instead of french fries with my veggie burger (which, by the way, I'm still hunting for the perfect meatless-burger recipe!) I'm content to have a side of vegetables. One of these days, french fries will be a real treat--not simply because I will allow myself to indulge in the starchy goodness that is my favorite variation of a cooked potato, but also because I will have made it myself--the healthy way. And while making pasta is time consuming, that's not what's keeping me from making Italian dishes every night; I simply crave a more well-rounded menu. Variety is key to an exciting diet. At least, that's true for me.

Anyway--now to the point! Since I've been trying to eat less carbs and starch and more vegetables, I've neglected the potatoes that have been chilling in my fridge for weeks--maybe even months. (I'm thankful that keeping them cold has enabled them to last so long without sprouting. I don't care what anyone says, that just grosses me out!) After taking inventory of what I had remaining from my previous grocery trip--my potatoes ranking at the top of my priority list--I realized that I had enough ingredients to throw together my first frittata!

 I remember that fried rice used to be what my mom made when she was getting rid of left over vegetables--but I think frittata is going to be my new go-to recipe. I found the idea for my frittata here--but, just like Katie promised in her blog, it was perfectly adaptable to what I had laying around. It turned out to be the best scrapes meal I've ever made! This one is definitely a keeper.

My What's Left Frittata:

Ingredients:

3 small potatoes

1 yellow squash

1 red bell pepper

1/2 onion

3 spring onions (I really like onions! But, this adaptation would be just as good with only one kind of onion)

1 garlic clove

7 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced

1 cup ricotta cheese

2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Wash and dry the potatoes. Slice them as thin as you desire. Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a heated skillet and add the potatoes; allow them to cook until they are soft. 

Combine the eggs, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Beat until well mixed. Stir in the parsley. Set aside while you chop and slice the squash, onions, bell pepper, and garlic.

Remove the potatoes from the pan and set aside. Saute the squash, onions, bell pepper, and garlic. Combine the contents of the skillet, plus the potatoes with the egg mixture. Stir until evenly distributed.

Pour half of the mixture into a baking pan (I used a 9x9 square baking dish) and sprinkle with half of the cheese; pour the rest of the mixture into the dish, sprinkling the rest of the cheese over the top.

Stick it in the oven and bake at 375 degrees F until the top is set. (About 30 minutes, give or take. I was impatient and took it out before it was completely set; I stuck it in the microwave for a minute to speed up the process. Shameful, I know--but I had someplace to be!) Once it's out of the oven, serve it with a vegetable of your choice and you've got yourself a tasty dinner.

That's all for now--Rosalyn

Lesson learned

For all of you who don't know, let me set the record straight: you don't have to do all of your grocery shopping at expensive health-food stores in order to maintain a healthy-food diet. For all of you who didn't know, I feel that it is my responsibility to fill you in on that little known (or maybe not so known) secret. Why? Because I don't want you to experience what I experienced today.

Whole Foods is probably the most beautiful grocery store I have ever been in. That being said, it's also the most expensive grocery store I've ever been in. Now, granted, I sort of knew that walking in. Sort of. Knowing that the prices were a bit steep, yet wanting the experience of shopping there, I did half of my shopping (mainly produce) where I usually do--the Sunflower Market. I figured, the few other things I wanted to pick up, I could grab at Whole Foods; I also figured, because I didn't need crazy-out-of-the-ordinary things, that my bill wouldn't amount to much. Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, WRONG! Even with my half-sized shopping cart that was only half full, I spent over double what I did at the Sunflower Market and about fifty dollars over what I had budgeted.

Now, I could have freaked out, but I didn't. Instead, I took a deep breath, reminded myself that what I paid for I would be able to take home and use, and slid my trusty plastic debit card. As I was walking out of the store, I bid Whole Foods the kindest farewell; while it was nice getting to shop at such a beautiful establishment, I realized that it's just not worth it. Why? Because everything I bought, I could have grabbed at King Soopers for cheaper. For one afternoon, however, I wanted that ambiance. Well, I got it and I don't think I'll be hunting it down again any time soon.

Here's the truth of the matter: I can eat healthy and shop frugally as well. The whole reason I go to the Sunflower Market for my produce is because they always have fruits and veggies on sale. Everything I can't get there, I can usually find at a regular super market--and you probably can, too. Don't get me wrong--you may have to be more label-conscious when you aren't in a health-food store because the shelves at regular grocery stores are filled with falsely advertised nutritious goods, but your wallet will appreciate the extra effort you put in. Trust me!

Anyway, I plan on enjoying my Whole Food purchases as much as I can! In fact, I've already started to do just that. My grandparents got me a beautiful blender set just because (Just because they are awesome! When they found out I didn't have a blender, they promised me one when I came down for Thanksgiving. I was sure they were going to give me one of their old ones, at least, that's what they made it seem like--but then I walked out with this wonderful-brand-new-exceeding-my-expectations blender. They love me! And, oh, how I love them!) and I was super anxious to break it open and use it today.

I made a delicious, nutritious smoothie with the almond milk and frozen fruit I got from Whole Foods this afternoon. My Ninja worked just as effortlessly as it promised and I can definitely see myself making many more fruity (or maybe even veggie--since my grandma assures me they are pretty good and a great way to get in another serving of vegetables) frosty beverages in the future.

I also used my Ninja to make marinara sauce--more on that when I write about the lasagna I plan on making tomorrow.

That's all for now--Rosalyn

My first fruit smoothie recipe (in case you were wondering):

Ingredients:
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/3 cup frozen peaches (about 4-5 slices)
1/3 banana
1/4 vanilla almond milk

Directions:
Throw everything in the blender and vuala--you've got yourself the perfect little snack. Add a tasty English muffin or double the recipe and you've got breakfast!