Heathy Timez

Hey y'all.

Isn't great tomato sauce just the best? Well here's the easiest most tastiest recipe ever. Courtesy of Smitten Kitchen, one of the greatest food blogs.

All you do is put an onion into a pot with some butter. Easy. Peasy.

Then, add a can of whole peeled tomatoes. San Marzano are the best, but I couldn't find any :(

(thanks, Instagram)

Wait 45 minutes and occasionally mash the tomatoes into the side of the pot. It's magical.

Then take out the onion and whataya know, you've got tasty tomato sauce!

Here's the recipe

Can't wait to have this tomorrow with my frandzzz!

OMG THIS.

Ok, so, I absolutely have to share this immediately. It. Is. Amazing.

As some of you may know, I've recently been obsessed with kale. I've actually been meaning to do a post about it, but this gets precedence. Maybe I'll get there.

ANYWAY. KALE.

(Yum!)

with:

CHERRIES!

A weird combo, maybe, but I took a risk. And it totes worked.


First, wild rice.

Then, bake tofu*

Saute kale in about a tablespoon of olive oil on med heat, turning occasionally. Once kale has shrunk down a bit, add a splash of balsamic vinegar and the the cherries. Turn heat to low.

(It's like Christmas in July!)

Once the rice has finished cooking (you could def make it ahead of time), drain it and add to the pan, tossing with the kale and cherries and balsamic. Let it sit on low for a few mins to get all the flavors soaked up. Then serve topped with the baked tofu. Viola!

I honestly cannot believe how delicious and flavorful this came out. AND so healthy. Wins all around. The balsamic just goes perfectly with the sweetness of the cherries and the chewey-ness of the rice. The outside of the tofu gets just a little bit crispy while the inside is still soft, which I love, especially because it's covered in salt. Sometimes I think I'm a genius. Anyway, sorry I don't have a pic of the final product- I ate it too fast. Aaand am only slightly embarrassed to say I mayy have licked the plate.


PS. I had this for dessert the other day and it was the greatest idea I've ever had.

Ok, back to TV binging. Does anyone watch Scandal?






*To bake the tofu I slice it into pieces about 1/2" by 1" and lay on a baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray (I use Smart Balance) and add a liberal amount of salt and pepper, turning to coat. Bake for about 30 mins at 350, turning every 10 mins. I loove making it this way. So easy and delicious.

Friendzgiving

Hellooooooo! Long time, no talk. My apologies. But I have something amazing to share with you. Granted, as you can probably infer from the title of this post, it's from Thanksgiving. Yes, I know, I know- I'm bad at getting things done. Again, I'm sorry.


ANYWAY, this is (kind of) healthy, full of texture, and just perfect for fall. So, save it for next year. Or, if you live on the edge, make it now. It came from my favorite place to find recipes, How Sweet.

I made this salad (yes, it's a salad) around this time last last year when I threw a fall-themed dinner party. That was also the first time I ever roasted a chicken. It's safe to say my life was forever changed that day. Although the salad came out great-- and was a hit-- I did several things differently.

First, I bought a butternut squash and subsequently came home and had no idea what to do with it. Yes, I could have Googled "how to peel a butternut squash" (isn't Google-ing things how everyone in our generation obtains information?) but I was so intimidated I just didn't bother. Intimidated by a squash, it's embarrassing! And my, how times have changed.

Second, I left out the pomegranate arils. Don't ask why. It was a rookie mistake.

ALSO, I left out the bread. It was practically heresy.

And lastly, I didn't make my own dressing. Perhaps I was a bit overwhelmed- making this salad, roasting a chicken and baking rolls all in the same day.

This time, though, I did it right. For some sixteen people, I had to modify the quantities from the original recipe, and of course did so to suit my own tastes (aka lots of bread and fruit). Feel free to use as much squash, sweet potatoes, apples, and bread as you see fit.

Disclaimer: Although I am no longer intimidated by the squash, peeling and cubing them are A TON of work. So, I used part pre-peeled and cubed squash. The recipe below reflects exactly what I did, so it may seem odd.


Roasted Autumn Panzanella Salad 

(adapted from How Sweet)

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 2 lb bag of pre-peeled and cubed butternut squash
3 sweet potatoes
3 Tbs olive oil
3/4 t salt
3/4 t pepper
3/4 t garlic powder
3/4 t cinnamon
3/4 t chili powder
6 apples, chopped
1 loaf of multi grain bread, thickly sliced
> 1 c pomegranate arils

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel and cube the squash. This is hard, hence the additional of pre-peeled and cubed squash. Thank goodness for that. Peel and cube the sweet potatoes. This is much easier. Place these in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil.

In a small bowl, mix together the spices.

Toss about 3/4 of this mixture into the bowl with the squash and sweet potatoes.

Spread onto a baking sheet. (I had to use a few- for some reason I don't have a proper sized baking sheet). Bake for about 10 min, turn over, and then bake for another 10.

While these are baking, cut the apples and toss with the rest of the spices.

Add the apples to the baking sheet, and bake for another 25 min, tossing once or twice. Let cool.

Cut the bread into chunks, again add to the baking sheet, and drizzle with some additional olive oil.

Put back in the oven, and bake for 10-12 min.


Now for the dressing:

1 t honey
1 t dijon mustard
pinches of salt, pepper, nutmeg
1/4 c pomegranate juice
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1/2 olive oil
* this is triple the original recipe, except for the olive oil, which I left the same because I like my dressings more vinegar-y.

Add honey, mustard, spices, pomegranate juice, and vinegar to a bowl and whisk. Add in olive oil while constantly whisking.

Tadaa!!

Summer Status

First, I apologize for this summer's blogging hiatus. In a nutshell: I moved to Brooklyn (finally), went on vacation, partied a lot, set up my new apartment, and hardly cooked anything (sad face). I did make one great meal, though, more about that later.

Now, to update, this is what summer looked like according to my iPhone:

Summer Salad: greens, goat cheese, green apple, and pecans in a raspberry vinaigrette.

Reeses cup in a cookie. Mustgohere.

Vacation hors d'œuvres: Eggs Two Ways. The best vacation days are those in which I am in charge of the pre-meal snacks.

Have you ever had South African food? UH.MAZE.ING.

Vacation not complete without some fried clams. Sand included, of course.

This food:

At this place:

= Just the beginning of the best Monday FunDay.

Did someone say vodka watermelon?

Oh, yeah, THIS is my backyard:

Belgian beer and mussels at Monk's in Philadelphia. Plus french fries? Yes please, thankyouverymuch.

Then......

And fun. ensued

Brunch at Aperitivo. Go there. Immediately. Bottomless mimosas for $4. This is not a joke.

(Plus, the omelets are incredible. Shown is prosciutto, mozzarella, and basil. Also delicious: goat cheese and mushroom.)

Oh! And this is what the new place looks like!

And fiiiinally, here is the ONE meal I cooked!

BBQ spiced salmon with pineapple jalapeno salsa, beer risotto, and goat cheese stuffed tomatoes.


Oh yeah, AND I WENT TO ROCKAWAY BEACH. Labor Day weekend was sufficiently the end of summer.

Now, back to real life. Who's excited?


PS. This blog was intended to include mostly recipes, and I know that the past 3 posts have included everything but. This will change. Soon. I promise.

PPS. Can you tell I've been obsessed with Instagram?

Trip to Portland, OR

As many of you know, my brother Greg graduated from Lewis & Clark College about a month ago. So, I trekked across the country to Portland, OR. I flew out on a Friday- arrived in time for dinner- and left Sunday morning before the commencement ceremony, where MARTY SELIGMAN was the guest speaker. I figure the important part was being there with family for the weekend, right?

Anyway,

Saturday we spent here:

touring the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.  

Here:

Where I bought this:

And here:  

Seriously, I thought winter had ended.

The day ended with dinner at this place called Truss in the Marriott Downtown Waterfront. It was fabulous.

I LOVED the socials we shared:

Smoked salmon, capers, arugula…

And

A jar of goat cheese with tomatoes and fresh basil to spread on toasted crackers.

I obviously also would have loved to try their Bacon Bacon Bacon: house glazed pork belly, bacon jam, and sweet & spicy strips, but I think it would have been slightly too much for my family. My obsession supersedes that of most. 

In between this and the main course, the waiter brought us a palette cleanser consisting of tonic water with rhubarb and grape:  

I am not sure I can describe how amazing it was. A little fizzy, slightly sweet, yet a tad tangy and soo fresh tasting. I have never had anything with grape in it taste so incredible! I wanted to add some vodka and drink it all day.

The menu was full of delectable entrees as well, including lamb shank with tomatoes and toasted hazelnut polenta, rib eye steak with blue cheese butter and duck fat fried shoestring potatoes, and what I ordered: salmon with horseradish mashed potatoes and beets.

It. Was. Exceptional.

All in all, a quick and successfully tasty trip.

On The First Warm Day in May

These past few beautiful days have got me thinking of summer. The following are some summer things. 

1. This hat:

2. Ever had fruit that looked like this?

Seriously, they call it dragon fruit for a reason.

Texture like a kiwi, but sweet and light and oh so summery. I want to put it in a salsa. With jicama. And strawberries. Or something.

3. Speaking of strawberries, I made my first fruit salad of the season. Simple and somewhat random: Asian pear, strawberry, and plum. It was crisp and sweet and juicy and perfect.

(PS. How much do you love that Essie glitter nailpolish?! I'm obsessed.)

4. I ordered these shoes from Madewell over a month ago.

They finally arrived and I was so excited, only to put them on and realize that they are SO small. I’m totally bummed. I had reeeallyy been looking forward to wearing them with white cropped denim.

5. Hipster jokes are no longer warranted considering the preppy nature of #5.

6. Doesn’t this song just scream sunshine? Check out Gaby Moreno here too. 

Anyone wanna come over and make sangria? And pretend it’s really summer? And sit outside in shorts? Good, see you soon. Bring snacks.