Fallen Souffle

This breakfast is so good! Seriously, it is the best of all possible worlds. Bread, cream cheese, sweet blueberry…it’s awesome. This french toast reminds me of the blueberry cheesecake bread I used to make at the bakery, sort of the same idea, dough wrapped around a mixture of cream cheese and berries with some brown sugar. Next time I may whip up the cream cheese and sweeten it with some sugar but this wasn’t a bad start at all!

I didn’t use a recipe, I used more of a technique. I smeared some cream cheese on some slices of french bread, sandwiched two together and dunked it into a mixture of about 3 eggs, a splash of cream, about a tablespoon of sugar and a sprinkling of cinnamon. I cooked these on a medium high griddle until golden then flipped. In a small saucepan, I added half a bag of frozen blueberries, about 1/2 water, a couple tablespoons o sugar and some vanilla. Brought it up to a boil and allowed to thicken a bit. I let mine cook too long and didn’t have a ton of syrup so if it looks too thick add some more water. Drizzle the blueberry sauce over hot french toast. YUM!

Next I will try this with nutella and a bananas foster sauce

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So the Abs Diet is going well. I have lost 12 pounds since I first weighed myself at the Restoration Hardware in Crabtree mall earlier this month and realized I had to do something. I have been working out 5 days a week, 3 days weight lifting and 2 days of cardio. Sometimes I don’t get in 2 days of running like I would prefer, but I get at least one in and then take Bella for a long walk on the weekend. I increased my lifting weight this week and am feeling the pain! I am eating better, taking in 3 meals and 2 snacks a day, I just can never seem to get in that snack before bed but I don’t think that’s hurting anything. I try and cheat at only one meal a week, and the past two times have been wings and I have felt miserable after eating, so I may retire the chicken wings for a while. I am cooking alot, packing alot of lunches (which is helping me save some money) and am loving the smoothies.

I make a few of the recipes in the book but don’t follow it strictly just because the recipes tend to get boring, but I do get the gist of what I’m suppose to eat. I made this soup this week after realizing I had a huge jar of roasted red peppers from my sister. I also wanted to try and re-create a roasted red pepper soup I had at a local deli. This isn’t quite the same but it super easy to make and is really tasty.

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 quart jar of roasted red peppers, drained and chopped into large chunks
2- 14 ounce cans of diced tomatoes, undrained (you can also use whole tomatoes that you crush in your hands)
2 teaspoons chili powder (can add more if you like)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup or so of fat free half and half
1/2 cup shredded gouda, white cheddar etc (pretty much whatever you have on hand)

1. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add chopped red peppers, tomatoes, and spices and allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
3. Blend with a stick blender or in a standard blender until smooth.
4. Add half and half and cheese and allow cheese to melt and soup to heat back up.
5. Serve with a grilled ham and cheese (whole wheat bread please!) and enjoy!

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The Money-Free weekend was a success. I was able to accomplish just about everything I wanted to do and some extras like taking Bella on a 3+ mile walk and setting up/organizing the 3rd bedroom. The pantry isn’t as full and I was able to try a few new recipes!

I found this recipe on The Nest message board which came from Eating Well. It uses tahini which is a sesame seed paste. It is used in place of most of the oil/butter and adds a slight nuttiness to the cookie. These were great out of the oven but were a tad crunchy the next day, which could be due to over baking. I will certainly make these again as I have a full container of tahini and a girl can only make so much hummus.

I only made half of the recipe as I was limited on rolled oats, so I just used one whole egg. You could also make these with chocolate chips and walnuts instead of the raisins which I may try next.

Tahini Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Makes about 45 cookies

2 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup tahini
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2/3 cup granulated sugar or ½ cup Splenda Sugar Blend for Baking
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 raisins

1. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Whisk oats, all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat tahini and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until blended into a paste. Add granulated sugar (or Splenda) and brown sugar; continue beating until well combined-the mixture will still be a little grainy. Beat in egg, then egg white, then vanilla. Stir in the oat mixture with a wooden spoon until just moistened. Stir in raisins.

3. With damp hands, roll 1 tablespoon of the batter into a ball, place it on a prepared baking sheet and flatten it until squat, but don’t let the sides crack. Continue with the remaining batter, spacing the flattened balls 2 inches apart. (I just scooped these with a small ice cream scoop)

4. Bake the cookies until golden brown, about 16 minutes, switching the pans back to front and top to bottom halfway through. Cool on the pans for 2 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Let the pans cool for a few minutes before baking another batch.

Per cookie: 101 calories; 5 g fat (2 g sat, 1 g mono); 7 mg cholesterol; 13 g carbohydrate; 2 g protein; 1 g fiber; 45 mg sodium.
Per cookie with Splenda: 97 calories, 12 g carbohydrate.
1 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1 other carbohydrate, 1 fat

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I am taking on the challenge. After an expensive Christmas, an unexpected vet bill, new ski boots and a sofa bed…it’s time to stop spending money. I have a freezer and pantry stuffed with food, my closets are in disarray and I still have a box of paperwork that need to be sorted through. It’s time to get my butt into gear! So after I pick up a prescription at lunch, it’s no more spending until Tuesday! Yes Tuesday because I have Monday off and I figured why not go that extra day. I am secretly excited about this challenge because I plan to do things I haven’t had time to do because I was too busy shopping!

On the list include:
-Make Bella new dog beds
-Bake bread
-Make cinnamon rolls
-Organize outside utility closet
-Get clothes ready to donate/consign
-Steam clean carpets

There will also be some working out, dog walking, house cleaning and movie/DVR watching.

So there will be lots of cooking and lots of new recipes coming your way!

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This chicken is REALLY good. It so simple to put together with ingredients that can be stored in your pantry or freezer and it is healthy for you! A winning combo! You dirty one pan as all the mixing and baking are done in one baking dish which I always appreciate. I tweaked this recipe from a Martha recipe in which she uses peaches and some other ingredients but I loved the simple taste of these few ingredients. I also had frozen mangoes instead of peaches so figured that would be just as good. The mangoes get soft and the onions carmelize…ooo so good. Definitely a keeper. I added some leftover brown rice and steamed broccoli for a perfect well rounded meal.

Ginger and Mango Chicken
1 bag (1 pound) frozen mangoes, unthawed
1 onion, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (I used the crushed ginger from Trader Joe’s)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 bone-in skin-on chicken breast halves, (10 to 12 ounces each)
Cooked rice, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place mangos and onions on a large rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with ginger, soy sauce; toss to coat.

2. Spray chicken with Pam/olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Arrange chicken skin side up among mangoes and onions.

3. Roast until chicken is opaque throughout and registers 160 degrees.on an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of breast (avoiding bone), 30-40 minutes. Serve chicken with white rice, mangoes, and onions.

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I LOVE beef stroganoff. I think I could actually do without the beef and just double up on the mushrooms, but that may be a different dish all together. Regardless, beef stroganoff is not the healthiest dish as it has sour cream, egg noodles, and butter to saute the mushrooms but is so good I crave it. I don’t have the nutritional facts on this but it came from the Ab’s Diet book so it must not be that bad.

This is so easy to throw together and tastes sooo good. I used whole wheat egg noodles and found I could not even tell the difference. I did throw the noodles in the beef and sauce and let it soak up the goodness a bit so I don’t know if that helped.

I steamed some brussel sprouts (I don’t know why I always crave brussel sprouts with stroganoff) and had quite a nice little meal.

Healthier Beef Stroganoff
1 1/2 pounds lean sirloin steak, cut into 1″-long strips 1/4″ thick
1 medium onion, sliced
2 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 14 1/2-oz can nonfat beef broth
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
1 cup fat-free sour cream
4 cups cooked whole wheat egg noodles

Brown the beef and onion in a large nonstick skillet. Add the flour to the skillet and stir the beef until coated.

Add the mushrooms, broth, mustard, paprika, and sour cream to the mixture, stirring constantly until the sauce develops a creamy consistency.

Serve over noodles.

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Back before the holidays I was treated to a dinner at Bin 54 in Durham. This is most definitely a special occasion restaurant. In fact, I was rather shocked when I walked through the restaurant and saw a family with their teenage daughter in a hooded sweatshirt, to each his own I guess but this is a place to get dressed up for.

Bin 54 boasts an extensive wine list and the sommelier will visit your table to check and see if you have any questions. I honestly don’t remember what we ordered but I know it was very nice. Upon reviewing the menu, we were confused as to how to order. All steaks and sides are served a la carte, traditional steakhouse style we were informed. However I have been to very few steakhouse that included no sides with the steak. Regardless, we were told that each side serves about two people so I felt a little better, but it is still very hard deciding between all of the scrumptious sides.

We started with an appetizer of tuna tartare served with wasabi crackers and creamy soy. The soy didn’t carry much flavor but I don’t think it was needed as the crackers pack an initial punch of wasabi and then once they melt a bit you can taste the fresh tuna. I really loved this combination.

There are a variety of steaks to chose from ; porterhouse, hanger, and even hamburger and french fries (seafood is also available, but come on, go with the steaks). We both chose the small filet mignon seared to a medium rare temperature. We each chose a different “sauce,” red wine and a bleu cheese butter. After much toil, we chose sauteed spinach and arborio risotto as our sides. Our steaks were cooked perfectly, tender and juicy in the middle and a crunchy sear on the outside. I think we both agreed that the bleu cheese butter was the best of the two, not to say the red wine sauce was bad. The sides were very generous, so much so that neither of us were able to finish them completely but they were both perfect accompaniments to our steaks.

Against my better judgment, I ordered dessert. I was full as it was but how much damage could a trio of sorbet do? We were presented with a cranberry, caramel and green apple sorbet with a few butter cookies. (Caramel was the best!) It was the perfect ending to the meal, not at all a disappointment like some other places.

Overall, this was a fantastic experience. The service, atmosphere, and food were right on and it is definitely a place I would recommend for a really special dinner.

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One of the best things about having a food blog is being able to connect with other food bloggers and being inspired to try new things. When I saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen I had to make it. Now, granted its been 3 months and this produce isn’t exactly “in season” but that’s what Trader Joe’s is for right? My sister recently moved home after graduating from college (yey!) and while we were in Greenville celebrating her graduation I was able to clean our her pantry :). Since she is vegetarian this meant lots of black beans, chickpeas and pasta. So now I am faced with an even more bulging pantry so it was time to get creative. I could easily make some roasted red pepper hummus but I really need to be in the mood for that, otherwise it just sits in the fridge. So I was looking through my book marked recipes and saw the ingredients for this recipe I knew it would be perfect. I quick run through the produce department and I was set to go.

This is a really filling meal, I just had one pepper and was full. So I wrapped two up and froze them for lunch later on, hopefully they will be as good I also had leftover filling as I only bought a few peppers, but actually ate the filling as a regular cold salad. So good! You could even heat it up a bit for a different change of pace.

I am going to link to the original recipe, as my changes were very minor. I used all zucchini and left out the fennel seed, because I really don’t think I like fennel seed. Ahh the beauty of cooking for yourself

So check out this recipe for a healthy, filling, vegetarian meal!

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Happy New Year!

So much has happened during the last year and I am excited to have a fresh clean start with this new year. My resolution list is hefty but I really think it will lead to an overall happiness and a healthier life.

1. Take care of myself. I’ve started the Abs Diet which I am loving because I don’t feel guilty about eating snacks during the day I want to get my body back, with all of the stress of life I have let myself go so I want to be bikini ready again, even if it is 35 degrees outside now. I started working out again a few weeks ago so I am happy that’s on the right track. I do think I may start training for a half marathon. I have contemplated this in the past but have decided I just need to do it. I am looking at the Shamrock Half Marathon in Va Beach in March, you get free beer when you finish…how fun! I think I could work in a massage the next day before heading home!

2. Stop caring about what other people think. I think this has held me back in the past but I am at a point in my life where I don’t need to prove anything anymore. I have done a lot with my life so far, I haven’t screwed up too much and I have shown that I am pretty strong. So I just need to go with my gut on things and do it, regardless of other’s opinions.

3. Cook more. Duh, I had to include something cooking related But not only cook more, but blog more! I have been trying more recipes now I just need to post them. more to come, I promise.

I hope your 2008 is off to a great start! Looking forward to a great year!

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