Red Lentil Soup

Happy January 2nd!!  Or should I say Happy 1-2-12.  Ha!  I crack myself up.  How did I start off the day?  With a visit to the dentist.  Ugh.  What was I thinking scheduling an 8 a.m. appointment on a holiday?  And I got some great news at the dentist - I get to go again tomorrow at 7 a.m. to get my chipped tooth fixed.  Double ugh.  But at least it will be fixed.

I really enjoyed the Butternut Squash soup I made last Monday, so I decided to take another recipe out of my Whole Living magazine.  And by happy coincidence, this recipe involved a turnip which means I can cross off #12 from my 34 Things list.  It's also part of my continuing quest to try and like vegetables more.

I wasn't sure how exactly to chop up a turnip, or if I would really like turnips.  But I figured it out and I did enjoy this soup.  And what better on a cold day than a hot bowl of soup?

And now back to the bowl games with my bowl of soup! :)  I really do crack myself up! :)

What the Kale?

In my quest to try (and like) more vegetables, I thought a green smoothie was a fantastic idea.  Fruit & veggies, but you only taste the fruit - sign me up!  My Whole Living magazine had a recipe for a Green Machine Smoothie which had kale, lettuce and pineapples, among other things.  Shouldn't be too bad right?  Wrong.  This was not the recipe for me.  I gritted my teeth and tried to drink some of it.  But I did not drink all of it.  But at least I tried.  And while I can't completely cross off #11 off my 12 by 2012 list, I at least made progress.

Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

After a chilly run this morning, I was ready to warm up.  And what better way than a nice bowl of soup?  Another good thing about being off at the holidays is the time I can take to actually make something.  I had been wanting to try a butternut squash soup for awhile (hence #22 on my 34 Things list to try a recipe with a squash).  When my Whole Living magazine arrived with a recipe for a Spiced Butternut Squash Soup, I knew I had to try it!  And the result?  Delicious!  And two birds with one stone!  Not only did I knock off #22 off my 34 Things list but I also knocked off #2 off my 12 by 2012 list.  Yay for me!

Mental Health Day

It doesn't happen often, but every once in awhile I take a "mental health day" and today was one of those days.  I slept in.  Until 7.  Really, 7?  But 7 is at least a little sleep in.  And then I dozed off and on until I finally got up in time to go to hot yoga.  It wasn't my best yoga class, but it was still good. 

And then I went to to the grocery store (don't judge - I don't usually go anywhere after hot yoga, except home and shower but I thought I could quickly go through the grocery store).  I have one more recipe to make to complete #1 on my 33 Things list.  And while I was at it, I brought in my own bag!  Smelly, sweaty but with my own bag!  Check #31 off the list!  Best purchase of the day though was chocolate milk.  I have been craving chocolate milk for the last few days.  You'd think after the Easter candy I wouldn't need any more chocolate but you would be wrong.

The recipe for April?  Still feeling lazy, so I went to my old stand-by of pizza.  This time it was Fig and Goat Cheese Pizza.  Of the pizzas I've made, this was probably my least favorite.  It wasn't bad, just not my favorite. 

And now?  I'm sorting through pictures.  Or at least trying to.

Brie, Cranberry & Chicken Pizza

Oh snap!  How did it get to be the end of the month already?  Whose idea was it to try and cook a new recipe once a month?  Oh, that's right.  It was mine.  Okay then, what is easy and quick and simple?  Pizza!!  What to put on my pizza?  Once upon a time when I was working in London I would usually have lunch at the sandwich place in my building.  One of my favorite sandwiches was cranberry & brie (my other favorite was a chicken & hummus on a brown bap - I just love saying bap!).  So how about a brie, cranberry & chicken pizza?  Yum!  It turned out pretty good.  Start with pizza dough, cranberry sauce, throw on some chicken, a little bit of brie and some mozzarella.  Pop it in the oven and there you go!

ETA: Once again I rolled out my pizza dough using a glass.  Maybe I should add rolling pin to my birthday wish list??

Black Bean & Pumpkin Burger

Happy President's Day!!  And happy day to sleep in, which I did quite happily.  Although I could have slept in a little more, except I decided to go to yoga.  Yoga at 9:30 is much better than 8:30! :)  As I signed in, the teacher (who is one of my faves) tells me that I am looking really good!  The old Emily would have felt really uncomfortable and undeserving of the compliment because I have so far to go on this weight loss journey.  But the new Emily accepted the compliment and said thank you very much.

And in honor President's Day I decided my February recipe would be a burger, because what's more American than a burger?  Oh wait, I think that's hot dogs.  Oh well.  And really I landed on this burger because when I looked at the recipe (discovered on fANNEtastic food and even better she spells her name with an "e").  I realized I had all the ingredients!  Yes!!  It was actually a quick, easy recipe and tasted pretty good.  I stuck mine on a bun with ketchup and a smidgen of mustard because a burger isn't a burger without ketchup.  Yummy!  I will be making this again.

Snobby Joes in the House

I'm usually on the lookout for a good recipe, especially since I came up with the goal of cooking once a month as part of my 33 Things list.  I first saw this recipe at Travel Eat Repeat and was intrigued and put it in my memory bank.  And as usual lately, I realized it was quickly coming up upon the end of the month so time to try another recipe.  I remembered this had caught my eye and did some searching to find an "actual" recipe.  Plus I just like the name Snobby Joes.  The lentils and I had a little bit of trouble coming to an understanding, but once I finally moved the pot to the bigger burner, we seemed to do much, much better.  And the result was delicious!!  This is one recipe I will make again (and again).    Only 3 more recipes to try!

Pizza Pizza Daddio

Here we are nearing the end to another month (not to mention the year!) so it must be time to check in on how I'm doing on item #1 on my 33 Things list.  I may have mentioned once or twice before that I hate to cook.  This is to motivate to try new things in the kitchen.  Last month, I discovered the goodness that is Whole Foods pizza dough.  So feeling slightly on the lazy side this month, I decided to try a new pizza recipe (or two). 

First up, BBQ Chicken Pizza...

I don't have a real recipe for this - but basically take some BBQ sauce, chicken, mozzarella, Gouda, and red onions and bake for awhile.  Top with cilantro and enjoy!  Yum!

Not too bad.  So let's try Thai Chicken Pizza!  Start with some peanut sauce, chicken, mozzarella, Gouda (starting to sound familiar?), green onions (and a few red ones for the heck of it), and bean sprouts and bake for awhile.  Top with cilantro (and peanuts if you have them which I realized too late I did not) and enjoy!

Check cooking off the list for December!  Only 4 more recipes to try...

Gruyere & Chives Flatbread

While we are knocking things off lists, let's go for trying a new recipe for November!  I wasn't feeling too adventurous, and scrolling through my recipes that I have collected I found one that seemed fairly simple from The Kitchen Sink Recipes.  And it was made even more simple by the fact I picked up pizza dough from Whole Foods, instead of actually making the pizza dough myself.  I overdid the olive oil, probably could have used a few more chives and I'm still not sure what exact shape my pizza was, but other than that it went smoothly and was quite yummy!  Now that I have found the goodness that is Whole Foods pizza dough, I'm excited to try more pizza recipes! 

To be a Princess

Well folks, it is time to test my new “cleansed” eating habits. We are entering a two week stretch where I will be at work for most of my waking hours. Ah, the joys of being an accountant. I can plan for it, so it isn’t too bad. But the downside is that the gym, training, and normal eating are usually thrown out the door for walking the stairs, coffee and pizza (and sometimes diet coke and/or diet dr. pepper). So we’ll see how it goes. Jessica and I are planning on taking turns making and bringing in quinoa for at least one meal.

Speaking of quinoa – I tried a new recipe (from Epicurious).

Quinoa Risotto with Mushrooms and Thyme
 • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• 1 8-ounce package sliced crimini (baby bella) mushrooms
• 6 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, sliced
• 3 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, divided
• 1 cup dry white wine (substituted vegetable broth)
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Bring 2 cups salted water to boil in medium saucepan. Add quinoa, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender and water is absorbed, about 13 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until onion begins to brown, 5 minutes. Add garlic; stir 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and thyme. Sautée; until mushrooms are tender, 6 minutes. Add wine; stir until wine is reduced and liquid is syrupy, 2 minutes.

Mix quinoa into mushroom mixture; season with salt and pepper. Pass cheese separately.

It turned out good (if you like mushrooms!) but maybe not as risotto-y as I would have thought. Alas, no pictures – I wasn’t at home and didn’t have my camera.

So, registration opens today for the 2011 Disney Princess Half Marathon. I had been gung-ho to run it again, and then my knee started giving me problems (and really I think it is my hip more than anything). The doubts started plaguing me – do I have it in me to do another? Do I want to put my body (especially my hips & knees) through that much stress again? And while I had an absolute blast, it was a time commitment.  But all of these thoughts really go by the wayside for several reasons - it is an excuse to visit Disney World, and I can wear a tiara!  Sold!  I will be signing up.

And one random thought for today – my 2010 World Cup boyfriends?  Wesley Sneijder and Manuel Neuer

Pad Thai

As you might remember, a while back I attended a cooking class with my sister.  And this weekend I decided to try out the recipes from the class.  First up, Pad Thai.  I love Pad Thai!!  Well, I love Pad Thai from a restaurant, I wasn't sure about Pad Thai from my kitchen.  My quite frequently bare part of the kitchen has been slowly accumulating different ingredients so I didn't have to buy the entire recipe for once!  My first stop was the grocery store.  I decided quite early on to buy the sauce instead of try and make it on my own.  Next time I think I will actually try to make the sauce.  I also didn't quite follow the recipe exactly, even though it was actually a fairly easy recipe, but it turned out okay.  Not nearly as good as Nit Noi (my fave Thai restaurant in Houston!), but not bad at all.

And for the actual recipe:

Two handfuls soft Chantaboon Rice Noodles

3 tablespoons oil

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup prawns or chicken (optional)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 to 1/2 cup Pad Thai sauce

1/3 cup diced fried tofu

2 tablespoons sweet radish, optional

3 tablespoons chopped chives or green onion

1/4 cup ground roasted peanuts

1 cup bean sprouts

Sauce:

2/3 cup tamarind concentrate

2/3 cup white vinegar

1/3 cup light soy sauce

1/3 cup fish sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup palm sugar (or brown sugar)

3 tablespoons garlic powder

1/4 cup Sriracha chili sauce

• To prepare the sauce - place everything in saucepan and bring to a boil on medium heat for 15 minutes or until the sauce becomes thick.
• Soak the rice noodles in a large bowl of warm water for 30 minutes, or until soft.  Drain and set aside, covered up with a dishtowel.
• Pour 1/2 tablespoon of oil into a large skillet, and add eggs. Scramble into medium-sized pieces, and transfer to plate. Set aside.
• Add in garlic and cook for about 10 seconds. Add chicken; cook, stirring constantly until chicken is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.
• When the chicken is almost cooked through, stir in noodles, followed by the pad thai sauce.  Let the sauce boil and cook the noodles at the same time; mix well until the sauce is absorbed.
• Stir in the tofu and radish.  Check the noodles, if they are not done add some more sauce.  When they are done, stir in chives, sprouts and peanuts before removing the pan from the stove.
• Serve with fresh sprouts, limes wedges on the side, and extra peanuts on the top.

Black Beans & Quinoa

One of my goals (it even made the 32 Things List), was to cook more. Slowly but surely I am trying out new recipes. And after hearing from several people the benefits of quinoa, what better recipe to try than one that involves quinoa? I found this fairly simple recipe and it turned out pretty good. I topped it off with a bit of sour cream and salsa. Yum!!


1 teaspoon vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

Mele Kalikimaka

As Christmas Day draws to a close, I'm watching one of my favorite Christmas movies - White Christmas. Diane & I share a love of White Christmas and saw the musical earlier this week. I enjoyed the musical, but the movie is still my favorite.

Christmas morning began at the reasonable hour of 7 a.m. My brother had been threatening 5 or 6 a.m. so I was happy with 7 a.m. Chloe was very excited and enjoyed helping everyone open their presents. Her favorite? A stuffed Husky dog, which was actually one of my presents until Chloe got hold of it. For the brief seconds the Husky was mine, I named him Jake Locker. My favorite gifts - an alarm clock for my iPod, Up on DVD, and a painting.

With presents done, I braved the cold-ish weather and headed for the park. While we did not get a real White Christmas, the frost on the ground gave the impression of a White Christmas. The park was fairly active for Christmas morning. I even saw a few muskrats enjoying the sunny Christmas morning. The sun was so bright - who would have thought I would have needed sunglasses?

8 miles later it was time to head home for what has become a Christmas tradition for my family - heading to the movies. On my way, I stopped at an open Starbucks on the way home to get a hot drink to help warm me up! In line, I decided it was a good day to buy the coffee of the person behind me in line.

The movie we saw was The Blind Side, which was very good.

One of my co-workers made a really good sausage stuffing for Thanksgiving and an early Christmas dinner and brought in the leftovers. It was so good so I attempted to make it for Christmas dinner. While it was not as good as my co-worker's it didn't turn out half bad! And it also fulfils #6 on my 32 Things list! Woohoo!!

And there you have it - Christmas 2009! Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Kitchen Adventures

So lately I've been in a cooking mood so when I saw Mandi had tried a recipe for kung pao from Everybody Likes Sandwiches I thought I would also give it a try! I modified it just a bit to remove the broccoli because let's face it, Emily does not like broccoli. I also added in chicken. Since it isn't often I actually try and cook, I ended up buying most of the ingredients, but at least they'll be on hand if I decide to make it again. I think it turned out okay, for the most part. I had a problem with the tofu - it ended up being more of the consistency of scrambled eggs as opposed to cubed. I'll have to work on that for the next time.

kung pao vegetables (+ tofu + udon) - broccoli + chicken
1 t sesame oil
1 T canola oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 small head of broccoli, broken into florets (or leave it out!)
2 carrots, sliced on the diagonal
1 rib of celery, sliced on the diagonal
1 small packet of prepared udon noodles
1/2 block tofu, cubed
1/4 c peanuts, chopped

sauce:
1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 c orange juice
1 T cider vinegar
1 T ginger, minced
1 T chili paste or asian hot sauce (the one with the rooster on the bottle)
1 T brown sugar
1 T bottled peanut sauce
1 T cornstarch

1. Mix sauce ingredients in and set aside.

2. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet. Add onion and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add carrots, celery and broccoli and stirfry until crisp-tender. Add the sauce and the udon noodles and combine well so everything gets saucy.

3. In a separate pan, fry up tofu in a bit of oil until brown on all sides. Add tofu and peanuts to the vegetable mixture, stirring gently to coat with sauce. Serve in deep bowls.

Before

After