Saturday, September 17, 2011

Roasted corn salsa

 I've been getting the best organic sweet corn all summer and pretty much just grilling it all up because it brings out the sweetness and seriously, doesn't need a dab of butter or salt - you can eat it plain!  But tonight I was in the mood for something different and had a corn left over so I decided to make the lazy man's roasted corn salsa and it was great!
 I just took the corn off the cob and stirred it in some salsa until it seemed about right.  Then I topped a grilled steak with it and, I swear it was like eating at a 4 star restaurant ;0)
I also had a little coleslaw leftover. I made it with Napa cabbage and it was really a nice variation.  Napa cabbage isn't as strong tasting as others so it lent to a smoother taste.  My recipe for it was a dab here and a dash there, as usual.
I guess I used about 1/2 cup of mayo, 3 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, pinches of salt and pepper, 1/2 cup raisins, 4 green onions chopped and 4-6 cups of cabbage - adding it and stirring until it was nicely coated and there was no more sauce puddling in the bottom of the bowl.
I always say cooking is easy - maybe because I make it that way...
I think that strict measurements are for baking everything else is toss and play!
I also think baking is best left to mixes...easy!  Pamela and Betty Crocker never fail me.
Have a great weekend!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Taco Tuesday

I'm kind of psyched to find a taco seasoning so I can make tacos once in a while - I seem to crave them pretty often.  So, I tried a packet of Ortega Taco seasoning and it was great!  Look at those beauties :)

I actually made them to go with my guac.  I had some fresh cilantro to use up and thought I'd try to make it Chipotle style with some onion, garlic, cilantro and a dash of lime juice.

I also found out that Santitas are gluten free - you can find a list of Lay's brand products that are gluten free here: http://www.fritolay.com/your-health/us-products-not-containing-gluten-ingredients.html  Happy Happy Joy Joy!!!
So, I think I'm instituting a taco Tuesday in my menu rotation.  Probably not every week - but every time I have a little spinach to shred up for them.  Yes...that's spinach on those tacos.  Try it - you'll like it! :)


Saturday, September 10, 2011

Green Juice!

 I bought a juicer!  I'm such a hippie now :)  Let's just say my personal trainer talked me in to it and I went to the store really thirsty so I picked it up for $30 along with 2 cases of pop, 8 boxes of drink mix, 3 bottles of seltzer, 2 bottles of cranberry juice and...
So, who do you turn to when you need a juice recipe?  I turned to Kris Carr (http://crazysexylife.com/because I figure if you're going to make a green juice it might as well be Crazy Sexy.  So, I used a little cucumber, pear and spinach...
 So, the spinach didn't produce much juice but the pear and cucumber definitely did.  This is what I got out of half a cucumber, a whole pear (including the core!) and about a cup of packed spinach leaves. 


The pulp was all over the inside of the machine - which wasn't really that hard to clean out and repack in the chute to re-juice since it was still pretty wet and there were slices of veggies left even.
 pushed it through....
and this is what was left:


 for reference it was about a heaped up tablespoonful
Of course, some ended up on the floor - but that was my repacking and flinging skills! LOL


Clean up was pretty easy, I just rinsed everything off in the sink after I scooped out the pulp.  Now, what do you do with the pulp? I've heard you can bake it in muffins or cake but I'm not really in the mood to bake - shame to throw it all away though.  Know anyone fiber-lacking?

So...I know you're wondering, how did it taste?  Really good!  How did it smell?  Like cut grass, actually.
I'd recommend drinking it with a straw :p

Sunday, September 4, 2011

The last weekend of summer



I knew it was coming but somehow I just didn't believe it until this morning when I went out to the patio to drink my Almond Chai in the warm summer morning and it was only about 60 degrees! Chilly!
It was ok though and I thought I'd share the Chai concentrate I found the other day that goes great with Almond milk. I don't know about you but the milk has enough sweetness in it that when I mix it with the full sweet chai it gets to be a little too syrupy for me. But, this is actually just right!

So, as I was sitting there I noticed how I'd neglected my "garden", if you can call it that, all summer. It was really overgrown and I was suddenly inspired to clean it up.
Even the door mat was looking a little hairy...Yes, that's a bite mark, not just a random hole in the mat ;)

So, I fueled up with some Italian scrambled eggs and Udi's gf toast so that I wouldn't pass out doing what looked to be many hours of hard labor.
They were really easy to make. First, I took a non-stick skillet and dropped the bread in (frozen) and put a bowl on top to make sure it would toast evenly. Flipped them to toast the other sides and then go to the eggs.
I basically chopped up some onion and tomato, minced a clove of garlic and threw them in the pan after a light spray of Pam. After they were looking a little cooked I dropped 2 organic, cage free eggs in and scrambled them up with a dash of basil, oregano, salt and pepper.
I'll admit - I get the cage free eggs because it makes me sad to hear about the chickens being abused and cramped in those horrible factory farms but, I get the organic, vegetarian because they don't make me ill. I used to have serious health issues if I ate more than 2 eggs per week but with the organics I can eat eggs everyday and just be fine fine fine.
 So...how's the patio look now?
I know it's not perfect and that little dirt patch is pretty pathetic, no? At least I know that when spring comes next year and I get the inspiration to build my raised garden bed, I won't have to hack down a bunch of wandering bushes and weeds or dig through a bunch of muck, leftover from the snow and decomposing plants.
Yes, I'm planning to build myself a nice little garden right there so I can grow some of my own little organic delicacies :) remind me come spring, will ya?
I managed to work around the house well until dinner time and George decided to grill up a nice steak and I sauteed some crazy Italian veggies (I was in the mood for Italian, what can I say?)
You can probably tell what's in it but, it was basically a splash of EVOO in a pan, one thinly sliced zucchini, tomato, leek, and some leftover grilled corn. Oh yeah and a couple sliced up radishes.
Please don't judge me on the BBQ sauce - the bottle dumped out really fast!
You know how that happens, right? Shake...shake...dribble dribble...shake...Woooosh!!

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Gluten Free Wraps

Have you ever tried your sandwich salad in Napa cabbage leaves? This was new for me and I loved it! I made canned salmon into salad about the same way you'd do with tuna or chicken and dabbed it into the soft outer leaves of a napa cabbage - no leaks :) Plus, Napa cabbage is very mild tasting - not as musky as green or red cabbage so it makes a lovely wrap.
You know how I'm all about eating gluten free in a really logical, natural way? You don't have to go spend a lot of money on gluten free prepared wraps and breads. Nor do you have to spend your life mixing flours and baking to get the right consistency. Just grab a cheap head of cabbage or leaf lettuce and wrap your sandwich innards up!
I do it with roast beef and mustard in collard greens or red leaf lettuce. You can make little hummus wraps like below, which are super cute and you could stick toothpicks in them and serve them at a party even!
It's totally simple. Just run a sharp knife down the spine of the collard leaf to remove the stem - it will slide along easy! Then drop a dab of hummus on whichever side is the least pretty.
Roll it up and you have a vegan, gluten free treat that anyone would like :)
Cute, right? See why I love collard greens? I get some every time Door to Door has them because they are so versatile and make a nice packable lunch for me too.
Well, darlings I have been up since the crack of dawn thanks to Alarmcat who thinks it is her job to get me out of bed and off to work every morning, Saturdays included. It's just too bad that she doesn't realize that my wake up call was set for 7:00 AM not 6:00 AM :( Every day, I tell ya...every day.
I'm going to go get some stuff done. I'm working on a little more of my remodel and taking down my fairy lights. Then, I'll need to start shopping for new lighting options in my office to replace them. It's amazing how much I get done on weekends now that I'm in a FLYLady cleaning routine.
Tah tah for now!