summer is for salads

i don't know if anyone else noticed, but we seem to be experiencing a heatwave. i drive to and from work and i can feel my shirt sticking to me and i know once i get out of the car i'll have that very embarrassing back sweat spot going on. 

it's too hot to bake let alone turn on the stove, so that's where salads come in. the one above was super quick and easy and required no stove or oven, just a knife and cutting board. you can jazz it up w/ your own favorite toppings

Tomato, Avocado and Bean Salad

Throw together grape tomatoes sliced in half, avocado, your favorite beans (or grilled chicken chopped up), onions, and lemon juice with salt and pepper. Toss together. I put it all on a bed of arugula and enjoyed it immensely at work!

some other recipes i'm eyeing if this heatwave continues:

• Santa Fe Tuna Salad
• Pesto Pasta Salad
• Arugula Salad with Lemon Parmesan Dressing
• Summer Bean Salads
• Tricolor Salad with Fresh Cheese and Honey-Lime Vinaigrette

Happy melting! (stay hydrated, hang out in my favorite place- the library for some a/c)

fake fattoush (great for lunch!)

packing lunches can be no fun. esp doing it every day. so a great way to avoid that morning panic and spending $ everyday at the food court you can make something every week or every 2-3 days to pack for lunch. this is a fake "fattoush" or at least the version i'm going with :) i took great liberties but i'm enjoying it (maybe not the amount if made, but def like how it tastes. it's also very easy to modify to your own tastes.

Fake Fattoush (gluten free)
(makes 6 two cup servings)

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cucumber, chopped into bite size pieces
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup wild rice, cooked and cooled
1/4 red onion, diced
1/4-1/2 c olive oil
paprika, to taste
cumin, to taste

Combine all ingredients. Cover and chill.
 

quick meals!

let's be honest, sometimes hunger and time get in the way of making a balanced meal, which can, after the chips and chocolate are inhaled, lead to more eating, looking for that meal you were craving. i'm as much guilty of this as the next person, and just because i'm a dietetics major doesn't mean all my meals are colorful and balanced. sometimes i'm hovering over the kitchen island table tearing a bagel into pieces and swiping it into the cream cheese (b/c of course, getting a knife and even toasting my bagel is out of the question).

since this month is NNM it's a nice reminder that there's always room for improvement in your diet. here's some quick ideas:

i love eggs- hard boiled, over easy, fried, poached, you name it, i'll eat it. this breakfast literally takes minutes (less if you have two skillets going, one for the veggies and one for the egg). since we keep our bread in the freezer, i popped a slice in the toaster and started sauteing an onion in some oil and then added the kale (or spinach or whichever leafy green vegetable you have a liking for) until everything was nice and wilted. top on your toast then fry up your egg and lay it on top. wha-la! oh, and the oozing yolk over the veggies is the best ever. eum. can i have breakfast again?

 it's always fun having a day off during the week to do some experimental cooking. i can't remember where i got this idea but i'll get you the link to the original soon (i made my blog with my old hotmail account and now can't access both my gmail and my blog at the same time, any ideas?).

this entire meal took me under 30 minutes start to finish (after a whirlwind grocery stop at costco). and the great thing is that it can be spiced and topped with ingredients to your liking (want a more asian flare- go ahead and saute and add tamari and ginger, etc and top with bean sprouts and slivered carrots, etc.)

Cauliflower Rice Southwestern Lunch

(serves 3)

1 head cauliflower

1 onion, diced

oil

1 T garlic*

2 tsp black pepper*

1 tsp paprika*

1/2 tsp cumin*

1/2 tsp red chili pepper flakes*

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 avocado, sliced

1/2 c diced tomatoes (or salsa if you have it on hand)

hot sauce*

1/4 c Plain or Greek yogurt

sprigs of cilantro

Rinse cauliflower and cut into smaller florets to fit into your food processor. Food process the cauliflower (I had to do it in two batches) til it's the size of rice (but not mushy). Sauté onion and garlic in oil until caramelized in a large skillet. Add the "rice" cauliflower and spices until cooked. Plate a third of the cauliflower for each person. Top with beans, avocado slices, salsa or tomato and yogurt. Sprinkle with cilantro and/or hot sauce.

*All spicing is to taste or optional.

happy experimenting, try something new this weekend!

bean me up!

sorry, very corny title, but it's all my brain power can give right now. 

since exams are coming up on monday (eek!) it's time to bake my heart out and pretend, as M likes to say, that i'm about to take an exam in baking. i think i would pass with flying colors!

this is adapted from Oprah by Rocco DiSpirito. i'm all about using stuff in my kitchen and i'm not a fan of splenda, so behold-

Double Chocolate Chip White Bean Cookies (right up there w/ the black bean brownies, eum eum)

Makes about 20

·         Nonstick cooking spray

·         1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

·         1/3 cup sweet cocoa powder (Ghiradelli), sifted

·         1 cup canned white cannellini beans , rinsed and drained

·         2 T maple syrup

·         3 large egg whites

·         1/2 cup granulated sugar (can probably decrease to 1/3-1/4 c)

·         1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1/2 of it chopped

Preheat the oven to 375°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray (Make sure to spray even on silpat b/c it will stick!). Set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine vanilla, cocoa, beans, and the maple syrup, and blend the mixture until smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping down the side of the bowl halfway through blending.

In a separate bowl whip the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Gradually beat in the sugar. Continue to beat the whites until they are creamy and nearly stiff. Add one-third of the egg- white mixture to the cocoa bean mixture in the food processor. Blend to combine, about 30 seconds. In 2 batches, fold the lightened cocoa mixture into the egg whites until they are almost fully combined. Add chopped chocolate chips to the batter. Fold batter until chocolate are evenly dispersed and cocoa mixture is completely incorporated.

Drop mounded spoonfuls of batter onto the prepared sheets. Spread batter out to form cookies about 2½ inches in diameter. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the cookies.

Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the pans one turn halfway through baking. Using a metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.

bfast- really fast :)

quick and dirty breakfast egg cup-

all night trying to sleep and all i could think of was making this...clearly i tend to hyperfocus on the randomest things. so when my alarm went off at 6 this morning i got dressed for work and went about preparing this quick, healthy and oh so easy to fiddle with breakfast egg cups

Egg Cups
Makes 5

3 eggs, beaten
1/2 c broccoli, small florets (mine were frozen so i zapped them for a minute in the microwave)
1/2 c black beans (precooked)
dash of spices you like (i used black pepper, garlic and oregano)
optional additions- chopped up ham, pine nuts, other veggies, sun dried tomatoes, shredded cheese, etc. go crazy.

Combine all the ingredients and pour into a well greased (or sprayed) muffin tin. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until the edges are a golden brown.

On top of those additional items, you can always make each egg cup specific to a persons requests by adding in more ingredients to individual cups once they are all scooped out and before going into the oven.

This all took from start to finish about 30 minutes, so totally do able. I'm going to try it w/ some salsa for lunch today. happy eating!

food pics to tide you over until the real meal

i love fall. fall means the leaves are changing, hot apple cider, corn mazes, and baking. tons and tons of baking. pumpkin desserts, muffins, cakes, you name it, and i'll want to make it. having the time to actually get around to all of it is an entirely different topic. but i've decided since thursdays are my one day off i'm going to make them my cooking day. a full out meal and dessert. and guess what, today's thursday:) while the food cooks here's some pics i've taken this fall.

a friend of M's brought over fresh beans still on their vine (is that what it's called?) so i got to spend an afternoon shucking beans. which was really fun. when the lady first brought them over i got really excited because they looked like edamame, but once you popped them out they were this kidney bean-esque color. we steamed them, cooked them into rice cakes, i think i even tried to roast them (still working on that one...)

first time i ever saw a chestnut in it's plant shell. it's seriously spikey and then you have to wonder about the first person who thought to wait for it to open (that also makes me think of lobster and crab and their tough exoskeletons, plus creep legs).

the spikes are really sharp and stiff, but luckily, if you wait long enough they crack open and inside are two beautiful chestnuts. makes me want to try making chestnut bread or some sort of chestnut pastry. any good recipes?