http://foodfancy.tumblr.com/

Welp, this is just what I ate for dinner. During the work week,...

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 20:34:00 -0400

Welp, this is just what I ate for dinner. During the work week, I come home too hungry, impatient, and tired to make a decent meal. But I work 2 jobs and my current schedule is to work 13 days in a row, so I decided to treat myself to some pork chops tonight, dammit.

After rushing around the kitchen whilst drooling, I whipped up: ranch & peppercorn boneless pork chop, rosemary & olive oil brown rice and quinoa, sauteed zucchini, summer squash, and onion.

-Kara

Stuffed Pepper Jack-O-Lanterns! Category: Lunch,...

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 17:52:00 -0400

Stuffed Pepper Jack-O-Lanterns!

Category: Lunch, dinner
Vegetarian: Yes/vegan
Price: $$ (silly orange peppers are pricey ‘round here! This is definitely made for less than $10 though.)

This is a super easy and super festive Halloween meal. (Click here to see the recipe I modified.)

I didn’t have carrot ginger juice, so I used plain carrot juice by Bolthouse Farms with a little ground ginger added. I also added a healthy dose of cinnamon, which compliments the sweetness of the carrot quinoa quite well. I also didn’t have black quinoa, so I used plain, and it came up almost as festive. :)

You probably modify this recipe to include whatever else you may want, but just keep the black beans in the mix for the festive feel.

Never forget to have fun with your food! Happy Halloween!

xx, Christina

I made a lazyman’s version [macaroni in lieu of flat...

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 22:11:48 -0400

I made a lazyman’s version [macaroni in lieu of flat noodles] of this special lasagna because it would be more “scoopable” for the potluck I was bringing it to. I made a large dish for work, a medium dish for my aunt & uncle, and a small dish to freeze. Lasagna all day everyday.

TURKEY, SPINACH, AND JALAPENO LASAGNA

Category: Lunch, dinner, or potluck dish!
Vegetarian: Nope!
Price: $$ [It is 2 in case you have to buy every ingredient - I already had the pasta and sauce]

Ingredients:

Uncooked pasta [I used pipettes, you can use anything like elbows, penne, etc]
Fresh spinach [not baby]
Ricotta cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese
Eggs
24+ oz tomato sauce
Ground turkey
Onions
Garlic cloves, italian seasoning
Fresh jalapeño peppers

Per usual, I didn’t measure any of the ingredients. In this case, it was because I made 3 different sized servings. But it’s a casserole that does not need precision, so you’ll be able to feel it out [I hope!]

Bring pot of water to boil, and add pasta to cook el dente. Make a double boiler/steamer by putting a strainer on top of the boiling pasta, add spinach in the strainer, and cover [see photo].
When pasta is el dente, rinse in cold water, and set aside with the steamed spinach.
De-seed, de-stem, and chop peppers
Brown ground turkey in olive oil on medium-high heat
Add onions, fresh minced garlic, and jalapeños to the turkey. Cook for another 3 minutes.
Add pasta sauce and allow to simmer together for about 10 minutes
In a separate bowl, add a whisked egg to the ricotta. Add italian seasoning to taste.
Layer in a casserole dish: pasta, sauce, chopped steamed spinach, ricotta mix, mozzarella cheese. Depending on how thin you make the layers, you may repeat.
Cook in oven at 350degrees for 25-30 minutes
I broiled it for an additional minute or two to brown the cheese topping mmmm.

-Kara

PUMPKIN PIE MILKSHAKE Category: Beverage, snack, lunch,...

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:25:04 -0400

PUMPKIN PIE MILKSHAKE

Category: Beverage, snack, lunch, breakfast, dessert, dinner, 4th meal
Vegetarian: Yes, not vegan
Price: $

This is so freakin’ delicious, it needs no introduction. Minus this one, obviously.

1 cup vanilla ice cream
1/3-1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1+ cup milk
1/3 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
Whipped friggin cream

I threw this all [minus the whipped cream] into my handy dandy Magic Bullet and topped with the WC and autumn sprinkles. And then I cried.

-Kara

MANGO CHICKEN CURRY w. Coconut Milk Category: Lunch,...

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 14:44:00 -0400

MANGO CHICKEN CURRY w. Coconut Milk

Category: Lunch, dinner
Vegetarian: No
Price: $$ [Not too expensive, but I made a ton which used a lot of fresh meat & produce]

It’s really hard to stop eating Indian food once I’ve started. I require curry. So I made a huge batch of THIS recipe. It came out quite well - especially for my first time making my own! There was even enough to freeze, but keep in mind that if you do, prepare for the turmeric to stain the container. This is a delicious aromatic dish that is rich in flavor. It’s got a great balance of sweet, spice, and creaminess!

-Kara

Making breakfast on the weekends makes up for the whole...

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 14:06:00 -0400

Making breakfast on the weekends makes up for the whole week.

[“Eggs in a basket” and cheesy potato hash]

-Kara

Holiday Soup It’s that time of the year again—soup...

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:44:40 -0400

Holiday Soup

It’s that time of the year again—soup weather! This was my first soup-making of the season. Hearty, easy and tasty… my kind of meal! It has a different broth than I’m used to, flavored with curry, cinnamon, and a bit of nutmeg. I liked the change. It definitely made it live up to the holiday-ness of its name! I also love this because it uses quinoa, a grain I’ve been trying to use more of because it’s so good for you!

Category: Lunch, dinner
Vegetarian: Yes (and vegan!)
Price: $

You can find the recipe here!

I would maybe add more carrot, spinach and zucchini because I found that the last couple of bowls were lacking.

Grill up some bread for the side (I love grilled hamburger buns!) and it’s a great fall meal.

xx, Christina

Pumpkin Bread with Spiced Buttercream (vegan) Okay, so this was...

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:10:00 -0400

Pumpkin Bread with Spiced Buttercream (vegan)

Okay, so this was just as delicious, if not more so, than a non-vegan version. It was out-of-control good. I actually got a little sad when it was gone :’(

Click here to view the recipe/an amazing vegan site that I have been drooling over!

The only difference is that my molasses wasn’t ‘black-strap’ so the bread isn’t as dark as they pictured. Other than that I stuck to the recipe, and it was so amazing. Non-vegan dessert lovers would never believe it there was no milk or butter involved.

xx, Christina

Apple Crisp! Okay, so after I went apple picking, I made five...

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 20:28:52 -0400

Apple Crisp!

Okay, so after I went apple picking, I made five apples crisps. Five. One every day until I ran out of apples. I even had one for dinner. Needless to say, apple crisps are amazing. Here’s a great recipe that I’ve been using. :)

3/4 cup brown sugar, light or dark
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup cold butter, margarine, etc.
3 medium apples (about four cups), peeled and cut into slices

1. Pre-heat oven to 375F. Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Then, cut butter in with a pastry blender until crumbly. It takes a good deal a patience for this part. Also, the topping tastes delicious. Try not to eat it all before you.

2. Peel and slice the apples. Spread them in an even layer in a greased pie plate. Sprinkle topping over apples in an even layer.

3. Bake for about 30 minutes. The top should be golden brown and the apples soft when you stick a fork in. Often times, it is done before thirty minutes, so keep an eye on it! You don’t want the apples to get overly mushy.

I recommend this for any time of the day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner… or all of the above ;)

xx, Christina

Apple Cake! Tis the season for apple everything! Yum! This year...

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 10:13:00 -0400

Apple Cake!

Tis the season for apple everything! Yum! This year around here, the hurricane ruined our apple crop (huge bummer), but the orchard still had some local apples shipped there to buy. This cake is easy and delicious and quite apple-y! :)

3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I put a little more because I love cinnamon!)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups diced peeled apples
1/4 cup nuts (I used walnuts.)

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt cinnamon and nutmeg; add to creamed mixture. Stir in apples and nuts. The batter will be very thick and it’ll seem to be not enough… but it is!
2. Spread into greased 8x8 greased pan. Bake at 350 for 35 to 45 minutes.
I made a quick icing to drizzle over the top. I took confectioner’s sugar, a couple tablespoons of milk and maybe a half teaspoon of vanilla extract. Just add more or less sugar or milk to reach a consistency you like! I think maybe next i’d sub apple cider for the milk to give the icing an apple-y flavor!

This cake tastes sooo good right out of the over. It tastes good cold too, but warm is better. Enjoy! :)

xx, Christina

Chickpea burgers (sister recipe to Chickpea Ragout!) Category:...

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 16:40:00 -0400

Chickpea burgers (sister recipe to Chickpea Ragout!)

Category: Lunch, dinner
Vegetarian: Yes
Price: $

2 cups cooked chickpeas or 1 1/2 cans (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained
1/2 cup leftover chickpea ragout
2 eggs (I use egg whites.)
1 teaspoon salt
Black pepper, to taste
1 cup dry bread crumbs (I use whole wheat)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I like basil better, so I use that instead. Plus, we have a basil plant.)
3 scallions, trimmed and chopped (I sometimes omit this.)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons olive oil

1. In a food processor, combine the chickpeas and ragout. Pulse until chopped. (Don’t use more ragout or the patties will be too soft to hold together.)

2. Add the eggs, salt, and pepper and pulse a few times until the mixture is like thick, chunky hummus.

3. Add the bread crumbs, cilantro, scallions, and Parmesan. Pulse a few times just to mix well. Transfer the mixture to a shallow bowl and shape it into 4 patties, each about 1 inch thick. Note: the patties will be HUGE. You could definitely stretch this to six.

4. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Set the patties in the oil and cook for 8 minutes or until the bottoms brown. Turn and cook the other sides for 5 to 7 minutes or until brown.

I use whole wheat buns, lettuce and home-grown garden tomatoes, served with a side of veggies! Some people add a little mayo as a sauce. I usually just do ketchup. It’s a great summer burger alternative. They can get dry and break apart if cooked for too long, so keep an eye on them!

xx, Christina

I love chickpeas. They are a vegetarian staple, with their high...

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 16:16:00 -0400

I love chickpeas. They are a vegetarian staple, with their high protein & low fat. My boyfriend found this recipe in his couple of the Globe last year. It’s great—filling, delicious, easy. And it comes with a sister recipe! You set aside a half cup of the leftover ragout (pronounced ragu by the way, not rag-out), and use it for chickpea burgers the next night! Win-win!

Chickpea Ragout Over Couscous from The Boston Glob’s Lisa Zwirn

Category: Lunch, dinner
Vegetarian: Yes/Vegan if you don’t use cheese
Price: $

Size: 4 Servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 28-ounce can whole or diced tomatoes and juices
2 14-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Plain couscous (I use Middle East.)
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over moderate heat.
Add the onion and cook for about 8 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Stir in the tomatoes and their juices. Raise the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes.
Start your couscous. Prepare as box says.
Add the chickpeas & pepper and simmer for 6 minutes. I like to add some crushed red pepper to turn the heat up a notch.
Serve over couscous & garnish with parsley & parmesan cheese.
Make sure to save 1/2 cup of the ragout for the burgers!

Voila! Delish. And you have a head start on tomorrow’s dinner (which I will also post)!

xx, Christina

Here’s a simple cold side dish - I made a large batch to...

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 21:01:12 -0400

Here’s a simple cold side dish - I made a large batch to bring to work throughout the week. It’s just:

Spinach spaghetti
Fresh mozzarella pearls
Tomato
Fresh basil
Oregano
A splash of italian dressing

-Kara

For the last couple of nights, I’ve been making vegan...

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 18:28:00 -0400

For the last couple of nights, I’ve been making vegan dinners. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m reading Eating Animals or maybe I’ve just found some awesome recipes lately.

Tonight was Chickpea & Potato Curry with Fire-roasted Tomatoes. You can find the recipe here. Sorry for the crappy cell phone photo.

Category: Lunch, dinner
Vegetarian: Yes/Vegan if you use vegan butter like Earth Balance or Smart Balance Light
Price: $

It was super easy. The hardest part was cutting the potatoes and onions—that’s how easy. You throw everything in a pot and cook it for 35 minutes and voila! Yum!

It made enough for probably five good portions. I also used brown rice because I didn’t have any jasmine on hand. Make sure you have the spices before you decide to make this. I had to get coriander.

xx, Christina

Here is an original recipe that came to me while I was hungry at...

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 20:26:00 -0400

Here is an original recipe that came to me while I was hungry at work. It’s not based off another recipe I’ve seen, and it doesn’t even suck!

SWEET & SAVORY STUFFED CROISSANTS

Category: Lunch, snack, side dish
Vegetarian: Yes
Price: $

Ingredients:

1 yam/sweet potato
1 tube Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
1/2+ cup goat cheese [I used crumbles]
3-4 tablespoons honey
Fresh rosemary
Olive oil, sea salt, milk

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
Cut yam into quarters [widthwise then lengthwise] and microwave for 2 minutes to soften
Lay yams face-up on a cooking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and top with rosemary and sea salt. Roast for 25-30 minutes.
Remove yams from oven and allow to cool
While the yams cool, give that crescent roll tube a smash [my favorite part] and unroll and separate the dough triangles
Slice the yam quarters lengthwise into 3rds, and then scoop the sections out with a spoon [see photo]
Per each crescent, add a section of yam [along with the rosemary!], goat cheese, and a drizzle of honey to the fatter end
Roll up the crescents. It is easy to make the filling fit when you stretch and pinch the dough
Brush milk on each rolled crescent and a dash of sea salt
Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees, or until golden brown. [I put them right on the same pan that I roasted the yams on]
And hey, ya done!

-Kara

This is just a quick post to say that everyone should try...

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:50:40 -0400

This is just a quick post to say that everyone should try VitaCoco. Super delicious and super nutritious!

More later!

xx, Christina

A tribute to the grilled summer burger. -Kara

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 20:14:19 -0400

A tribute to the grilled summer burger.

-Kara

A Dominican woman that I work with loves to share recipes and...

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 21:09:33 -0400

A Dominican woman that I work with loves to share recipes and food with me, and she is right by my side when I want lobster after work. She has recently given me some Goya Seafood Sazon. Here’s the quick, easy, and wonderful meal I conjured with it:

Goya Sazon [seafood]
Tomato paste
Fresh scallions
Bay leaf
Fresh parsley
Water
Uncooked shrimp

Combine and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Serve over rice, eat, digest.

-Kara

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES Slice green tomatoes in 1/3” thick...

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 22:56:28 -0400

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES

Slice green tomatoes in 1/3” thick slices
Coat each in flour
Dip slices into whisked egg + milk
Dredge in seasoned cornmeal [salt, pepper, light italian seasonings]
Fry in 1/3” of canola oil, browning each side lightly
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese
Consume

-Kara

PS. Does anyone have a suggestion for what to dip these babies in?

One of my best guy friends is leaving for golf college in CA...

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:11:41 -0400

One of my best guy friends is leaving for golf college in CA this Friday. He had a going away party on Saturday, and I decided to make these golf-themed Devil’s Food Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream!

The recipe for the Devil’s food Cake I got from the book Easy Cupcakes.

The vanilla buttercream frosting is super easy and delicious.

3 cups of confectioner’s sugar
1/3 cup of butter
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
A few tablespoons of milk

Combine the sugar and softened butter in a mixer. Use a hand mixer if you don’t have a stand mixer. Once blended, add the vanilla and milk. If the frosting looks too thick (mine did), add a touch more milk until you reach a consistency you like. I added a few drops of green food coloring to mine for this particular cupcake.

For decorations:

Grass = shredded coconut and green food coloring. Tip: shake the coconut together with the food coloring in a covered tupperware.
Sand = crushed vanilla wafers
Pole = pretzel stick
Flag = fruit-by-the-foot, trimmed with scissors
Hole = upside-down chocolate chip
Ball = gumball

The decorating is fairly quick and easy to do! It’s totally worth the extra time to see the reactions. :)

xx, Christina