Carnitas Tacos From Heaven

Yesterday I visited the human roommate who was conducting a food demo at Whole Foods.  I went to the hot foods bar to get lunch and saw a taco bar.  I grabbed two carnitas tacos and went on my way.  They were pretty good, but I wanted more tacos with my own seasoning.  Both the human roommate and I had to work today, so slow cooked carnitas tacos needed to happen

Ingredients:

For the meat:
1.5 lbs of a very cheap cut of beef (if you are slow cooking it why spend big bucks)
1 tbsp of taco seasoning
1 yellow onion
1 cubanelle pepper (a bell pepper would work too)
3/4 c of salsa
salt and pepper

 Place all the ingredients in a slow cooker on low for 8 hours

For the shell:
12 soft corn taco shells


For the toppings:
Avocado Tomato Heaven (see recipe below)
Pickled tomatillos
Shredded cheddar, as always, buy the block of cheese and use a grater, it is worth it


Avocado Tomato Heaven:
2 cloves of garlic
1 ripe avocado diced
1 Roma tomato diced
1 tbsp garlic hot sauce
2 green onions diced
salt and peppper

mix all ingredients in a bowl and serve


Oh yeah, and for dessert we are having grilled peaches with balsamic.  The human roommate forgot to buy ice cream.  :(

Dandelion Pizza???

Why yes, that was what was for dinner and it was awesome.

In our CSA this week we received dandelion greens.  Last year I remember not liking them at all.  They are a very bitter green and they remind me of the weeds we try to get rid of not of dinner.

This year I was determined to enjoy them.  I couldn't find any recipe on-line that was similar to what I was looking for so I came up with one on my own.

I didn't have time to determine a serving size as the human roommate ate about 3/4 of the pizza before I could take a bite.


Ingredients:
1lb  Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
4oz Goat Cheese
1/2 bunch Dandelion Greens
1/2 medium White Onion
1/4c and 1 tsp of Balsamic Vinegar
1/4c Sun Dried Tomatoes
2 tsp Sriracha Sauce
salt and pepper

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 500.  If you are using a pizza stone place it in the oven and let heat for at least 30 minutes.
2) Role out the pizza dough to the desired crust thickness. If not using a pizza stone roll the dough onto a baking sheet.
3) Combine the balsamic vinegar and the sriracha sauce in a small bowl .  Pour into a small pan over medium heat.  Once the balsamic is reduced pour it over the crust as the sauce for the pizza.
4) Spread the crumbles on top of the balsamic vinegar.
5) Dice the sun dried tomatoes and spread over the cheese.
6) Thinly slice the onion and caramelize in small pan.  While I was cooking the onion I added a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar.
7) Chop the dandelion greens and place over the pizza.  Don't worry that it looks like a lot of greens, they will cook down in the oven.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
8) Place the pizza in the oven and cook the pizza until cooked through.  It took about 7 minutes with the stone.  It may take about 20 minutes with a baking sheet.

Garden State Stuffed Peppers

This is a great time for produce in the state of New Jersey.  Zucchini, green peppers, corn, string beans, and tomatoes are all in season.

For dinner tonight I used the zucchini and green peppers and made a dinner that the human roommate says almost makes up for the craziness he endured earlier in the evening.

Grad school has been causing me to have less gym time than I would have in years prior, so I have to make up the difference by eating lower calorie food.  However, I am a foodie and cardboard just won't do.  These peppers taste amazing and are less than 350 calories each.

 Makes six servings:
Ingredients: 
6 Jersey Green Bell Peppers
1 lb Ground Bison (Lean ground beef would work as well, but bison has less fat and is so yummy.)
2 cups Quinoa cooked
3 cups Pasta Sauce divided
1 very large Jersey Zucchini diced
2 cloves of Garlic miched
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 tbsp of Hot Sauce (less if you like things medium or mild) 
1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack (Do yourself a favor and buy the block of cheese and grate it, it tastes so much better.)
Salt and Pepper
Cooking Spray

Preparation
1) Preheat oven to 350

2) Brown the ground bison over medium high heat in a large skillet. Remove from skillet and place into a large mixing bowl.

3) Cook the zucchini over medium heat until somewhat soft but still firm, about 8 minutes.  Add the zucchini and quinoa to the mixing bowl.

4) Stir in 1c of pasta sauce, garlic, onion powder salt and pepper.  Mix well.

5) Cut the tops off of the peppers and place off to the side.  Remove the seeds and membranes from the peppers.

6) Place the bottoms of the peppers in a 9 x 13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Fill the peppers with the bison mixture.

7) Mix the remaining two cups of pasta sauce, Italian seasoning, and hot sauce.  Top each pepper with 2 tbsp of the mixture and then place the tops back on the pepper and place in the oven.  Set the timer for 1 hour.

8) The remaining sauce mixture should be used to baste the peppers periodically throughout cooking, every 15 minutes or so.

9) During the last 8 minutes of cooking sprinkle with the Monterrey Jack cheese.

10) Eat and enjoy.



Nutrition info (given based off of the ingredients I used)

Calories: 345
Carbs: 28g
Fat: 15g
Protein: 24g
Sodium: 550mg (You can reduce the sodium by using homemade or low sodium sauce.  I used jarred.)
Sugar: 12g

Mediterranean Spiced Turkey Meatloaf

Today was one of those days where I wanted to bring something amazing to the table.

I succeeded.

1/2 c whole wheat bread crumbs
1 tbsp dried basil
1/8 c chopped garlic
2 eggs- lightly beaten
1 tbsp low fat milk
1/2 goat cheese
salt and pepper
1 small bunch arugula- chopped
1 tbsp Mediterranean spice blend (I used Za'Atar Seasoning from the Savory Spice Shop)
1 lb ground turkey
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
2 tsp orange
1/4 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice




Preheat the oven to 375.
In a large bowl combine the bread crumbs, basil, garlic, eggs, milk, goat cheese, salt, pepper, arugula and the spice blend.
Gently mix the ground turkey into the mixture.
Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and pack the mixture into the pan.
Place into the oven for about 45 minutes until it is cooked through.
While the meatloaf is cooking mix the remaining five ingredients with salt and pepper.
When the meatloaf  is done removed from the oven and pour the topping onto the meatloaf and let sit for five minutes before serving.

Showcase of the meal....Leeks

So I made pesto chicken and pasta for dinner, but according to the other person who lives here the showcase of the meal was the leeks.


I had never roasted leeks before.  I generally have used them as an ingredient in a larger dish such as potato leek soup.


Tonight I had two leeks and decided to try and roast them.  They turned out amazing.



Ingredients: (recipe can be doubled, tripled etc)
2 leeks
1 1/2 tsp melted butter
1 tsp olive oil
salt
pepper
1 tsp Parmesan cheese 


Preheat the oven to 375.
Place the leeks in a baking dish
Cover with the melted butter, olive oil, salt and pepper
Cover with aluminum foil
Bake for 40 minutes
Carefully remove from the oven
split the leeks and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top

Ocho De Mayo Potatoes

Hi everyone!
Today was one of those days that I went on a cooking binge.  I wanted to cook all of the food in the kitchen and make it somewhat healthy.


I had half a bag of potatoes, some jalapeno peppers, shallots and an idea.


So, Ocho De Mayo Potatoes were born.  The other non-feline living in my house adores them.


Here is what you need-
6-8 small potatoes (I had Trader Joes Organic Gold Potatoes) - sliced into small wedges
4 Jalapeno peppers - diced
3 shallots - peeled and diced
1 tbsp Olive Oil
2 cloves of garlic - minced

Preheat oven to 450
Spray 13 x 9 pan with non-stick cooking spray
Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl
Spread the potato mixture in a single layer in the pan
Cook for 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are slightly crispy

Serve with salsa.

Best Apple Chips

This recipe did not come out of culinary genius.  It came out of me trying to save money and not having enough hours in the day to accomplish all I need to.

I had been searching online for recipes for apple chips.  All of the recipes were relatively similar.  Most of the recipes called for two apples.  Over the past few weeks I have made apple chips a few times, and they were eaten within minutes. 

This week, apples were on a great sale, but only if I bought the 3lb bag.  I came home from work at around 7 pm and sliced up all of the apples in the bag with cinnamon and sugar, before I realized that in order to make all of these apple chips, I would be up until 6 am. 

So, I made two batches and placed the rest of the sliced apples in the refrigerator.  The next day when I came home, I made the rest of the apple chips.  Because the apples in the fridge had time to marinate with the cinnamon and sugar, the batches I made the next day were amazing.

Here is the recipe:

3lb of apples sliced very thin
1 tbsp of sugar (more or less to taste)
1 tsp of cinnamon (more or less to taste)

 Mix the cinnamon and sugar.
Lightly coat all of the apples in the cinnamon and sugar mixture and place in a sealed bag in the fridge overnight.
Preheat the oven to 225 degrees.
Spread the apples on to baking sheets
Cook for 90 minutes and flip the chips
Cook for another 60 minutes


 

Cool Spring Night Soup

It has been a long time since I posted here and a lot has happened. I hit my goal weight, started a Master's program, and took on more responsibilities at work. I am working a lot of hours recently and found myself eating more food that I did not cook, some of it even came through the window of my car....

As we prepare for summer, I wanted to cut out the junk food and make the time to focus on my health. Sadly, time doesn't allow me to cook the way I did a year ago. But if I can cook every 2 or 3 days, the boyfriend and I can eat healthy and I can get some work done. I might even have time to watch an episode of the Big Bang Theory.

 Here is the recipe I made last night. It didn't take too much prep work, and I was able to get some reading done for class while it cooked.

• 1 turnip cut into 1 inch strips 
• 4 cups of chicken stock 
• 3 cups of water (for a thicker soup, only use two) 
• 4 cloves of garlic minced 
• 4 celery stalks sliced 
• 4 carrots peeled and sliced 
• 2 yellow onions, peeled and sliced thin 
• 4 oz of watercress 
• 1 oz of ginger minced 
• 2 tsp salt (more or less to taste) 
• 1 tsp pepper (more or less to taste) 
• 3 cooked chicken breasts (I used left over pesto chicken from the night before) 

  Place all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 35-40 minutes. Serve immediately. Serve with whole-grain crackers, bread or dinner roles.