Red Curry Stir Fry

I love a good stir fry, and there really isn't anything easier to cook up. All you do is chop up some of your fav veggies (sugar snap peas, onions, broccoli, peppers, mushrooms, etc.), add a protein (beef, chicken, shrimp, tofu, etc.), and finish it off with some stir fry sauce (these can easily be found in your "ethnic" foods section of your grocery store). I discovered a new sauce to add to my stir fry, and that is Trader Joe's Red Curry sauce. It's a little spicy, creamy from the coconut milk, and adds a delicious flavor to your meal. An entire meal takes 10 minutes - TOPS!

Pesto Veggies

I love traditional pesto! I sometimes find pesto on pasta to be a bit heavy, so I cut zucchini thin like pasta, sauteed onions, peppers, and mushrooms, then tossed it with some traditional basil pesto, a sprinkle of feta for a salty bite, and I gotta have red paper flakes. Now pesto isn't healthiest thing for you, but at least I found a way to enjoy pesto without all the guilt.

BBQ "Chicken" Salad

Wheat meat. What a funny nickname for seitan. If you don't know what seitan is, it's a meat substitute made from wheat gluten. It's definitely an acquired taste, but when prepared right, it can be used in just about any recipe with chicken. I usually use seitan in stir frys, "chicken" salad, lettuce wraps, and now BBQ'd.

BBQ Seitan
- Package of seitan
- Whole Foods "Texas" BBQ sauce (apparently Texans have mustard-colored sauce?)
- White mushrooms (chopped)
- Vidalia onion (I chop up a lot of onion bc I love it)
- Sweet corn
- Saute the above veggies then add the BBQ sauce

Salad
- Baby spinach
- Yellow bell pepper (chopped)
- Heirloom tomatoes (chopped - I love all the different colors)
- Medium cheddar cheese (shredded)
- Hard-boiled egg (chopped)
- Homemade honey mustard vinaigrette (a few hefty splashes of cider vinegar plus a spoonful of honey mustard)
- Freshly cracked black pepper (to top)

I put the BBQ seitan atop the salad, and boy oh boy was it scrum-trulescent!

Quinoa Salad

My roomie got some beets thinking they were radishes the other day, and lucky for me, she doesn't like beets. Sooo what to do? I boiled the beets, cooked up some quinoa, and came up with a delicious summer salad.

Quinoa, Beets, and More
- Cook up some quinoa (depending on if you want extras or not, I made about 2 cups - cooked)
- Boil some beets (about 30 minutes - or until fork-tender)
- Chop some fresh baby spinach
- Take the cooked beets (dice them) and quinoa - add the spinach
- Add pecans and dried cranberries
- Toss in some feta cheese
- Pour in some balsamic vinegar
- Mix it up, and voila!

Supper Club!

Unfortunately, my friends and I have not had a Thursday Night Supper Club in a few months. However, my friends Courtney, Megan, and I still enjoy getting together to make a delicious meal. This past weekend, we had a slumber party in Brooklyn and made a feast for the Latin Kings themselves.

APPS:
- Whole grain/seed chips and corn/black bean salsa
- Avocado/onion/pepper soup

ENTREE:
- Arroz verde (made with garlic, peppers, and cilantro)
- Baked sweet plantains
- Mango/bean/corn/avocado/red onion salsa

DESSERT:
- Brooklyn Blackout Cake
- Pint of B&J Half-Baked

DRINK:
- Malbec Mendoza 2007

Mandarin Beet Salad

I love beets and I love mandarin oranges, why not put them together? I saw a similar recipe online and decided to try my own variation.

Tasha's Mandarin Beet Salad:
- 1 package of prepared beets or 1 can (whatever you can find)
- 1 can of mandarin oranges
- 1/2 cup of red onion
- A few dashes of apple cider vinegar (depending on how sour you like it)
- Fresh ground black pepper
- A few dashes of cumin (this is what makes this salad stand out)
- Chop the beets into smaller pieces
- Mix all the above ingredients together
- Let it mingle for 15 minutes in the fridge

Now you have a yummy salad!

What Can I Do With These Brussels Sprouts?

I buy veggies that are on sale, thus buy a lot, then I get home and I'm not quite sure what to do with them. I just got done with a plethora of brussels sprouts, and ended up eating them for 3 nights in a row. One night I boiled them and put them with my pasta (not so good); then the second night I sliced them and cooked them with mushrooms, craisins, pecans, and a splash of balsamic vinegar. This was so good that I made them again the third night. Nonetheless, 3 days in a row of anything will keep you away from it for awhile.

Yummy Quiche

I made a quiche for dinner the other night, and I will admit that it was pretty good for my first time. This is how I did it....

- Ready-made whole wheat pie crust (found in freezer section at Whole Foods)
--> Set oven to 450 degrees and bake crust by itself for about 10-15 minutes (this is to avoid from crust getting soggy when you pour in egg mixture)
- One little carton of Nulaid Real Egg Product Reddi Egg (equivalent to 8 eggs, but I probably used 2/3) - I bought egg beaters since I had to carry all my groceries back home and didn't want to crack whole eggs....so that is my little way of cheating
- 1/2 cup of soy milk (blended into egg beaters)
- 3 cloves of garlic (I looovvvee garlic)
- 1 can of artichoke hearts
- Handful of chopped broccoli
- A few chopped mushrooms
- Some shredded cheddar cheese (I used sharp cheddar because it has a lot of flavor and a little goes a long way)
- Saute veggies and garlic in olive oil
- Pour veggies into egg mixture then add fav seasoning (I added rosemary and thyme)
- Mix in shredded cheese
- Pour entire mixture into pre-baked crust
- Bake in 450 degree oven for about 30 minutes
- Take out of oven and let rest for about 10-15 minutes

I ate my quiche with a side salad made of mixed herbs and greens, dried cranberries, pecans, grape tomatoes, and a dash of balsamic vinegar. It was easy and soo delicious!

Love Those Lentils

I purchased some red lentils because I read that they are very good for you - high in fiber, protein, and many other vitamins and minerals. I decided to prepare my beans in a Red Lentil Coconut Curry and here is my recipe:

- 1 can of coconut milk (regular - because it has better flavor)
- 1 cup of red lentils (boiled in water)
-- Boil lentils until they begin to get soft, then drain the water, and add the coconut milk
- While coconut milk and lentils are simmering, add curry powder, cumin, and curry seasoning (contains turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, etc)
- Add chopped garlic and red onion (save a little red onion to sprinkle at the end)
- Let simmer until all the flavors get to know each other
- In separate pot, boil 1 cup of brown rice
- When done cooking, pour lentils over brown rice
-- Garnish with fresh cilantro and cucumbers for a cool and yummy crunch to the smooth and creamy lentils
-- I also like to add a little dash of Sriracha hot sauce

So easy, good for you, and delicious!

Chili on a Cold Day

I love chili and decided to make my own one Sunday. The pic doesn't do it justice, but it was sooo delicious. I didn't follow any recipe, just winged it (like I normally do)

My recipe:
- 2 large cans of diced tomatoes with jalapeno
- Can of black beans
- Can of red kidney beans
- Sliced portabella mushrooms
- Half a red onion (yes, that is red onion flipped over in the pic, not a foreign object)
- Pack of Yves Meatless Ground (instead of ground beef)
- Frozen corn
- Cumin
- Chili powder
- Curry seasoning
- Put tomatoes, beans, and seasoning into pot to simmer for 20 minutes
- Saute meatless ground, mushrooms, and onions together and put into pot
- Let simmer for a little while longer (maybe 20-30 minutes)
- Put in frozen corn at the end
- Serve with fresh onion on top and a little cheddar cheese

It was pretty darn tasty if you ask me!

"Chicken" Pot Pie

I had a HUGE craving for chicken pot pie, but I know these guys can be VERY bad for you. I decided to make a "chicken" pot pie using seitan (wheat meat), lots of fresh and frozen veggies, organic portabella mushroom soup, and whole wheat pie crust (pre-made). Of course this wasn't low-fat, but at least I knew exactly what was going into the pie, it was meatless, and it was organic. With the addition of rosemary, basil, whole black peppercorns, and a little hot sauce...the result was delicious! Overall, it took about an hour to prepare and bake the pie. Mmmmmmm!

Stir-Fry

One of my food staples is a good stir-fry. I always have brown rice, a protein (either tofu or seitan - "wheat meat"), fresh veggies (zucchini, carrots, red onion, and red peppers), and frozen veggies (corn, peas, edamame, and broccoli). My fridge is stocked with soy sauce, Sriracha (Asian hot sauce), and hoisin sauce. My favorite secret ingredients are dried mushrooms (cooked to rehydrate) and chunky peanut butter (to add a slightly sweet to my savory meal...as well as a crunch from the peanuts). I mix a combo or all of these together and I have a quick and delicious meal. It also reheats well so I make enough to bring for lunch the next day. Not only is it yummy, but easy on the wallet also!

EZ Mac

I know many ppl oppose the infamous blue box macaroni, AKA Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, and say it is crap. Although I agree it is sub par mac, I will say that it is a quick and easy meal to make... I just jazz it up. Here are few quick additions that turn your boxed mac n cheese to "home-made".

1) Add your favorite cheese: cheddar, pepper jack, feta, goat...one or all!
2) Saute onions and peppers and mix-in before eating
3) Add frozen peas (stir in right before you turn the heat off to defrost quickly)
4) Hot sauce!
5) Add seasoning: Italian blend for a bright taste, curry powder for something exotic, cumin for smokiness

You can make a quick and delicious mac in under 20 minutes!

Ohhh Risotto

As you can see, I love food! Not only do I love food, but my friends love food also! So much in fact, that we could spend hours looking through cookbooks, giving each other tips, and best of all cook with one another. This past Sunday, my friends Courtney and Megan decided to make a lovely dinner. For $20 a person we were able to make a tomato-basil-olive bruschetta, butternut squash and mushroom risotto, baked asparagus with freshly grated parmesan, and a couple bottles of wine. To top things off, it was a beautiful evening and we were able to enjoy our dinner on the lovely patio. Oh...but I cannot forget our trip to our favorite tea joint, Teany, where we sipped delicious tea and indulged in a vegan chocolate macaroon and carrot cake. Mmmmm!

I Love Pizza!

Pizza is probably my all time favorite food, and I could probably eat it every day of the week. I like deep dish, stuff-crust, thin crust, french bread pizza, pita pizza, and pizza bagel. I love it all!

I do however, like to mix up my ingredients. Sometimes pepperoni, sometimes sausage, sometimes all veggie, or sometimes a combo of everything. I think you get the point by now. 

So after my shopping adventure, I went home and made myself a pizza. This is one of my most favorite recipes (and it is sooo easy). I buy the Pillsbury pizza dough from the refrigerator section in the grocery store, pop it open and roll it out onto a greased pan. I stick it in a 425 degree oven for five minutes to rise a bit and then take it out to put the sauce and toppings on. Today I put mushrooms, red onion, sliced cherry tomatoes, and goat cheese on my pizza. After putting on the toppings, I stick it back into the oven for about 10-15 minutes. Presto pizza...I think that is what I should call this recipe. 

Not Dog

In light of my at-home-vegetarian diet, I decided to feed my hot dog crave with some Not Dogs, veggie hot dogs. They look like hot dogs, they have the texture of a hot dog, but they most certainly do not have the full flavor of a hot dog. I didn't mind it though. I decided to top them off with some spicy vegetarian chili (365 Organic brand), chopped red onion, and some bread and butter pickles. With 0 gms of fat in the hot dogs, 2.5 gms in the whole wheat bun, 5 gms in the chili, and some additional calories from the pickles and mustard... this veggie-version was a pretty low fat, low cal dinner. 

Duh...I Must Mention My Meals

Food positively consumes my life. I guess you can say it is my one true passion. I always thought I never had one hobby or interest I really enjoyed, and then I realized that I love food! While some people go gaga over running into a Gossip Girl set or the cast of the Real Housewives of NYC. I get giddy over the possibility of running into Bobby Flay or Masaharu Morimoto while eating at their restaurants. I'm constantly thinking of new recipes throughout the day, and I consider my weekly grocery trip a "night out". My girlfriends (who equally love food as much as I do) enjoy meeting at Whole Foods on Houston St. just to get some dinner and go shop together, where we share new recipes and seek out new foods.

Wednesday's Dinner (8/20/08): Roasted Red Pepper Brown Rice and Meatballs

So when I said I haven't purchased or cooked raw meat it, I meant it. However, a co-worker of mine was given a few bags of Cosco (bulk shopping store not found in NYC) meatballs, of course I offered to take a bag off her hands. These tasty licks have been useful in pasta dishes, but I decided to switch it up a bit and use them with some brown rice I had. While the rice was cooking, I sauteed some red onions, chopped carrots, and spinach. When the rice was just about done, I threw in a few frozen meatballs to thaw out (since they were already cooked), and then I combined the veggies, rice, and meatballs with roasted red pepper sauce (365 Organic brand from Whole Foods) and voila! Just to add a little richness, I threw in some shaved parmesan. "Yummo" as Rachel Ray would say!

Thursday's Dinner (8/21/08): Freeman's

I went to Freeman's tonight (located on Freeman's Alley off Rivington) with my friends Stephanie and Sue from work. They have both been there a few times, and I have been meaning to, but there has always been a crazy wait. We went after work, thinking it wouldn't be crowded, but little did we know everyone must have gotten off work early because this place was packed at 7PM. However, we were lucky to score a little table up front and we gladly took it (See photo of Freeman's above).

The ladies raved about the Hot Artichoke Dip, so we started with that, and it was definitely delic! Being from Indiana, the artichoke dip is mostly cheese, but this had tons of artichoke in it, which I liked. We each got a drink, Sue and Steph got a little concoction with fresh raspberries, and I got a glass of the house Sauvignon Blanc. Sue ordered the Mac n Cheese and a house salad, while Steph ordered the truffle mashed potatoes and the salad, and I ordered the fried chicken with chive waffles, pickled green tomatoes, and lavender honey. OMG....delicious!! It's meals like this that make me realize I could never become a full-time vegetarian.

"I'm a Half-Vegetarian?"

So as much as I enjoy going out for my meals, I equally enjoy conjuring up new recipes in my oh-so tiny kitchen (picture of mi cocina above). Because I have limited preparation space, I have decided to not purchase, prepare, or cook raw meat at my apartment. Call me a slight germaphobe, but I think putting raw meat on my kitchen table (even on a cutting board) is a bit disgusting. Don't get me wrong, I still eat meat, but I now choose to enjoy it on the weekends....already cooked.

With that said, I have turned into a half-vegetarian where I only eat meat on the weekends. I discovered the alternative meat section at Whole Foods.....seitan, tempeh, flavored tofu, even fake bologna! To my great surprise these new found proteins are quite delicious, and I have figured how to incorporate them into dishes that usually contain meat. So I am taking the opportunity to share my simple vegetarian dishes for all of you meat-eating or non-meat-eating people.

Sunday's Dinner (8/17/08): Seitan Summer Rolls

Boy do I love summer rolls (called 'goi cuon' in Vietnamese). I bought a pack of rice paper (called 'banh trang') in Chinatown for $1.25. To bring these round pieces of hard rice paper to life, all you need is a bowl filled with about an inch of water, then place the piece of rice paper in the water and let soak for about a minute. It will get softer in the water and is ready to blanket any tasty licks you have. I decided to fill my goi cuon with chicken-like seitan (wheat protein), cilantro, cucumber, fresh spinach, and white nectarine. Yes people, fruit is a great thing to wrap in these savory bites (peaches, mango, nectarine, etc). To roll the paper to keep your filling on the inside of the roll and not on your plate is to place your filling to one side of the paper, take both ends to make an envelope for your filling, tuck and roll...then you are good to enjoy!! Dip them in a little hoison sauce/Sriracha hot sauce mix, and Mmmmmm!

Monday's Dinner (8/18/08): Coconut-Curry Rice Noodles

I am Vietnamese and am fortunate to be knowledgeable about rice noodles. When purchased in Chinatown, these easy-to-make noodles are super cheap at less than $1 a bag. Also purchased during my Sunday stroll through Chinatown was cilantro, cucumber, sliced bamboo shoots, summer squash, and coconut-curry paste (Lee Kum Kee brand). I combined all of these tasty ingredients with some dried mushrooms (cooked at the same time with the noodles to re-hydrate), sweet soy sauce (also purchased in Chinatown), toasted sesame oil, and my secret...peanut butter... to make a delectable sweet and savory noodle dish. I don't use any form of measuring, so a dash here and spoonful there works for me.

Tuesday's Dinner (8/19/08): Refried Pinto Bean Nachos

I looovveee taking something unhealthy as tex-mex and making it a bit more healthy by adding lots of veggies, and using low fat dairy items. First off, Whole Foods' brand Organic 365 has awesome refried bean varieties. I usually get vegetarian refried black beans with red jalapeno, but decided to try the pinto beans with smoked chile and lime. I chopped up some red onion, tossed it in a pan with olive oil, added some frozen corn, then put my refried beans in the mix. I took this bean mixture and put a large spoonful on a plate, topped it with fresh cilantro, salsa, cheddar cheese (full fat), and topped it with some non-fat plain yogurt (tastes just like sour cream, but sooo much better for you). I had some three-pepper blue corn nacho chips to dip, and enjoyed my mini Mexican fiesta (all of which took about 10-15 minutes to make).