Sunday Feast!

I basically did everything except raise and butcher Sir Salmon for this meal. No joke, it's all from scratch including the tortillas. I got a fantastic arm workout rolling out these homemade groud wheat/flax seed tortillas. They were DE-VINE!

Underneath that rotund piece of fish is a homemade southwestern combo of tomato, corn, black bean, and cilantro seasoned with cumin.

A Pop of Protein *Ka-Pow*

For those of you who have spent any time with me, you know about my jekyl and hyde routine when it comes to a drop in the ol' blood sugar. Yep, I'm all hypoglycemic and whatnot. Normally, I eat every 3-4 hours max to ensure that I stay fed and sane, but sometimes when I'm out running errands or super busy it hits me out of no where. Anyone who experiences hypoglycemia knows this feeling: the sudden onset of intense hunger, the dizzy-hot-fuzzy feeling, and the utter and complete panic that you will not find food in time before you collapse to your demise....yeah, things get dramatic when I'm overhungry. Normally, I carry around peanuts or an odwalla bar to inhale and then go about my business, but that's not always the case. It's especially important to get a good dose of protein when feeling a drop in blood sugar. Protein will stay with you much longer than a carb and it will also help even out your levels.
Here is a SUPER tasty (and low calorie, if you're into that kinda thing) snack for between meals. It's sooooo simple: canned tuna, a tablespoon of light mayo, diced tomatoes, and cracked pepper all hanging out on top of a cucumber slice. Everyone's having a good time!

Honey Mustard Tilapia with Redskin Garlic/Herb Smashed Potatoes

Tilapia isn't the heartiest of fish, so it's important to pair it with a side that will keep your gullet full. Any form of root vegetable should do the trick. Here we have a simple gourmet-style smashed redskin potato and tilapia with a homemade brown mustard/honey marinade.
Tips:
-If you don't have buttermilk to make mashed potatoes from scratch, use 1 cup of lowfat milk with a tablespoon of vinegar mixed in. I never buy buttermilk and use this substitute for everything that calls for buttermilk.
-if you let the potatoes boil long enough, you don't have to invest in a potato smashing device. I like to use the tried and true fork.
-briefly sauteing your herbs for the potatoes will bust out some nice flavor combos and is recommended before adding the mixture to the potatoes.
...I think that's about it. Here a are some pics of the process and outcome. Voila!

Tacos with Ground Gobbler

That's right, ground turkey is a hell of a replacement for that greasy, grisly ground beef often found in tacos. These were excellent. Ortega started making whole grain hard-shells and I jumped on the bandwagon. I used ground turkey, spanish rice, grilled bell pepper and onions, and a touch of shredded cheese. De-lish!

It was a lonely Saturday night...

...and I had a fridge full of sweet Italian sausage, a counter full of red peppers, and a bottle of my favorite Hungarian Merlot...not so lonely after all.

Anyhow, this is one of my very very very favorite meals. It's simple, but extremely hearty. The sausage is cooked alone with roasted garlic, the tomato sauce is homemade and chunky with a bit of sweetness, and the peppers are carmelized. It takes a little time, but the end result is outstanding! You like?

YES...my kitchen is still alive

I'm sorry, I know I always say I'm busy...but I am. So there's that. Anyhow, I figured since I can't take time away from writing about 'sociolinguistic disparities in rural american health care' to write in my blog, the LEAST I can do is post pictures of what's been strolling through my kitchen. So...here ya go!

bought out Eastern Market's supply of bell peppers and poblano peppers to freeze for winter use

Monstrosity of a vegetarian breakfast, Mexican-Angie infused (note the whole wheat tortilla and use of egg whites)

This is what happens when you only have a few ingredients left and no money, but need to eat for days. Take your frozen veggies, brown rice, can of black beans, and onion, and seasonings. Voila! I am fed :)

Double-decker turky/swiss burger on one of those super thin wheat buns. I won't try to describe the taste....tooooooo goood!

Be patient. I WILL be back. I've got tons of recipes to try and am determined to make more time for blogging this winter. I prooooomise! xoxo

Edible Derangement

If you're anything like me, you are in udder shock and disgust at the price of edible arrangements (if you're not, this will change your mind: http://www.ediblearrangements.com/fruit-baskets.aspx?CategoryID=35&ArrangementID=16&Section=3). So, now that you know they charge 90 bones for a few slices of cantelope, I think we're on the same page. I won't get started on how sick it is to make a healthy gift so inaccessible to those who aren't Daddy Warbucks...it's just sick.

Well, I put an end to the madness. My very good friend, Kate, wanted an edible arrangement the months leading up to her bday. Knowing me and my comical salary, that wasn't gonna happen. But I did what I always do when I need something I can't afford. I freaking made it...so that is what you're seeing here, Kate's happy bday homemade edible arrangement. Let it be inspiring to you to get creative and stick it to the man!

as promised...Wonton Fruit Cups!

First things first, I have to thank my favorite website http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/ for this fan-freakin-tastic recipe. They are soooo fancy looking but soooo simple. Can't wait to make them again!

Two wonton wrappers for each cup. brush a tiny bit of melted butter over the wontons, place them in cupcake tins, bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Pull out and let cool a bit. Insert flavored yogurt (i added honey and berries to the yogurt) and top off with gorgeous berries. VOILA!

I will admit that they're difficult and a bit messy to eat, but most fancy desserts are. The taste is outstanding and each is only 100 calories (for those of you who count them). Enjoy!

RIP Billy D. Basil

The last of my basil plant, Billy D. Basil, has sacrificed himself to make this enticing dish. It's not really a pizza and it's more than a focaccia. I don't have a name for it, but I can promise you it's is nothing but DE-LISH! My genius friend, Lisa, suggested I use pesto for a pizza sauce and ever since then, i've been stalking Billy, urging him to grow grow grow!

Whole wheat flaxseed crust, pesto spread on the crust (artichoke hearts, basil, lemon, garlic, and olive oil), and sauteed squash and red pepper. I didn't have the right cheese in the house so I made this sans the cheese. I was pleasantly surprised and will probably be skipping cheese on many of my pizzas from now on...depending on the toppings of course.

What would you call this dish?

Let Them Eat Carrot Cake!

I love the idea of eating carrot-cake, such a novel concept to me. I could never have it growing up because people littered it with walnuts and well....tree-nuts are my cyanide. Anyhow, even better is relatively bite-sized servings of carrot cake so that it lasts foooorrrreeevvveerrr! Wheeeeee!

So, my ma gave me this recipe for clean carrot-cake cookies that she found in the newspaper. I went a step between cookies and cake and made carrot cake muffins. they have pineapple and currants and carrots and honey and oooohhh so much good stuff. Let me know if you want the recipe, but for now...bask in the glory of their pictures.

Bonkers for Brunch!

One of my very favorite things to do while vising NYC is walking in the morning til i get super hungry and then sliding into one of their THOUSANDS of awesome brunch spots. Seriously, New Yorkers know how it's done. For Detroiters, imagine clean and relatively healthy Coney Island restaurants on every corner and they somehow ALL look like the Seinfeld restaurant...but alas, no Seinfeld.

Meanwhile, sometimes on the weekends I like to make giant healthy brunches if I have time in the morning. This time, I did something extra good. Egg white omelette which contains sauteed onion and spinach, thyme, swiss cheese, and sea salt. Seriously, excellent flavor and the egg whites and cheese have so much spinach I was full for soooo long.

Peach yogurt with a peach chopped on top of it and wheat toast is the rest of the meal, but that's a given with any brunch, right? Seriously, skip the hash browns and grease and get creative with your omelettes, you'll be so pleased :)

Luuuunnch!

I have a few peeps asking about what I bring to work for lunch. For those of you who don't know me, it's a rarity to see me eating lunch from a restaurant. Number 1, I rarely have time at work to leave for lunch. Number 2, I always feel far too heavy and my wallet feels far too light after going out to lunch. I bring a variety of things to work for lunch. Some days it's just two pieces of fruit and an odwalla bar (if you've yet to discover the godliness of the odwalla bar...click here and become familiar. $.99/each at Kroger in the organic section).

Anyhow, sometimes I bring in a can of healthy select, low sodium soup or a frozen Amy's burrito ($2.14 in the frozen organic section at Kroger) but usually it's leftovers from the night before. I LOVE leftovers.

However, many of you have families who actually eat the leftovers so pictured is an idea that's full of flavor but just the right combo to keep you full. Whole wheat tortilla (you can use wheat bread, of course), swiss cheese, salami, lettuce, brown mustard. It's a great combo of good fats, protein, and whole grain carbs to keep you full all afternoon. And of course, an orange is a surprisingly sweet and nutritious ending to this wrap.

I hope this is helpful and you consider bringing your lunch to work too!

Heart-healthy and Wallet-friendly Pasta Dish

This Italian NEVER thought that subsituting an oil-based, tomato-based, or creme-based pasta sauce with reduced-sodium chicken broth would cut the mustard, but I've been schooled. This is quite possibly one of the most fresh and satisfying recipe I've made thus far and I've got plenty of leftovers to enjoy it for days to come. I ate a large portion last night (far too large, couldn't help myself), then I put the remainder of the meal in three separate tupperware container and off they went to the freezer for quick easy lunches that aren't housed in a chemical-laden box. Tip: always freeze leftovers in portions that you can easily snag and take to work. Sometimes we waste leftovers cause we're sick of them or we just eat them cause their there...make use of your food and be wise about not wasting. I assume everyone reading this is smart enough bring your lunch to work (unless you travel for work or if you're rich and can eat out daily), so make it easier on yourself by freezing leftovers.

Recipe:

8 oz whole-wheat angel hair pasta
sliced grape tomatoes (they go in very last)

4 cups spinach

1 large yellow onion

1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth

2 large chicken breasts

oregneno

garlic

Sautee the onions in a bit of oilve oil until transparent, add bite sized chicken pieces, seasonings, and finally spinach. Once the spinach has been sauteed, add 1 cup of chicken broth, 1 tbs butter, and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add the broth combo to the cooked angel hair pasta and mix together well. Add grape tomatoes at very end. Most importantly, squeeze fresh lemon over your serving...it absolutely completes the package.

This entire meal (which divided into many meals) cost approximately $7.20...you can't even go out to one lunch for less that that these days, PLUS you have tax/tip....but this $7.20 made me one giant dinner and three lunches. SO, $3.00 dinner and three $1.40 lunches. You gotta use your melon, peeps. :)

minimalist approach to dinner

This particular evening, I was craving very specific foods. When I crave something, i almost always listen and follow through. I find that if I don't, I end up eating far too much of something unhealthy out of frusteration. Plus, I truely believe that the body will tell you what it needs and I am all ears.

I know you're gonna ask, and the answer is YES...the steak is cooked. I eat my meat fairly rare so I'm sorry if the image bothers you as it often does for vegetarians or those who are adament about eating their meat well done.

So this dinner is very very simple. A small serving of steak pan cooked with lemon-pepper and garlic, kale sauteed with lemon-pepper and sea salt, and a bowl of cucumber/tomato salad with balsamic vinegrette.

You can see in the very last picture, how I portion my selections. I'm always very heavy on the produce, medium on the meat, and medium on the carbs...no carbs for this dinner, but plenty in other meals :)

I hope everyone is doing well. Check back for my angel hair whole-wheat pasta tomorrow...I'm using chicken stock and dry wine instead of oil or sugary sauce. I've never tried this, but the recipe looks fantastic so I look forward to sharing it with you.

Ay de mi!...Mexican-Style Casserole

The inspiration? A monstrosity of a zucchini from my dad's garden. I'm not a huge fan of stand-alone zucchini so i had to come up with something tasty to polish this beast off....the zucchini, of course ;)

Meanwhile, this took a bit of time, but the finished product was more than worth it.

First things first, the marinade for the chicken: 1 tbs vinegar, 1tbs chili powder, 1 garlic clove, 1 tbs cinammon, 1 tbs cumin, 1 tbs olive oil. Cut up chicken pieces and let marinate in this concoction while you prep the rest.

Sautee 1 medium-large spanish onion in olive oil until transparent. Add diced tomatoes, corn, and zucchini pieces and chili powder/garlic. Let sautee until cooked to your liking. In the meantime, start pan-cooking that chicken and get your spanish rice started.

When everything is cooked, transfer all ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix in 1/2 cup of shredded cheese (your choice, i go with muenster since that's what most mexican dishes are made with...and because the flavor is unbeatable in a dish like this). Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 9x13 pan, add a thin topping of shredded cheese and bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes just until the cheese is fully melted.

Good times, people. Good times. I felt really satisfied after eating this. Not too full but not craving anything else. This meal has it all and the leftovers will freeze nicely to grab for quick lunches.

There is a first and last time for everything...

...and this is the first and last time that I will make Cake Pops. Holy mother of devil's food, it was madness. First you bake a two layer cake (I chose devil's food). Then you destroy the cake in a giant mixing bowl and mix in (with your hands, not a spoon or else you have devil's food-parts flying all about) 1.5 cups of double fudge chocolate frosting. Once it becomes the consistancy of playdough, you scoop out relatively small spheres and set them on a baking sheet. Then you dip one end of a sucker stick in melted chocolate and spear the cake balls with the chocolatey end to adhere them. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for at least 45 minutes to make sure that the stick and cake ball are well adhered and then bring em out fot the grand finale. Melt any type of chocolate you like ( i did milk chocolate...my very favorite, and mint-flavored white chocolate). Dip the cake balls into the chocolate and use a spoon to help cover the uncovered parts so that you don't risk losing the cake from your stick (it gets really heavy and difficult to manage). Then leave them on wax paper to dry and then transfer them to a platter and you're ready to wow your audience.

But whatever you do, don't forget to leave time to clean up your kitchen, post cake-balling. Mine was a MESS! I had devil's food all over, frosting everywhere, tons of dishes with hardened chocolate and sprinkles covering my whole world. I'm telling you, this was fun once, and the people at the dinner party like them...but man alive, that was some serious work.

P.S. I made 20 originally and only 13 made it out of the final chocolate dipping alive and well. Total challenge!

Tiny Tuna Tostadas

This is what happens when you only have a few ingredients left. Not bad though, i must say I will make these again. Tons of protein, fiber, and healthy as heck.

1 can of tuna in water

1/4 cup shredded provolone

1 tomato

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 whole wheat tortillas

Bake at 350 for two shakes of a lamb's tail and voila!

Mid-Summer's Night Snack

I've found that if I've got a bad case of the snacks (just wanna eat something...anything...feed me!) that veggies are my best bet. Especially if I'm snackish at night. It used to be cereal but cereal is dangerous to me...can't seem to get enough, it's just so tasty and perfect. Then it was blue corn chips and hummus. I had to end that relationship immediately. I found myself booty-calling the irrestistible combo late nights, waking only to find that my pantaloons were too tight and all that were left were the crumbs of our scandalous affair.

Anyhow, let's not relive that sad tale of loss and codependency. Onto the good stuff...SUMMER SQUASH! I will be honest, i'm not a huge fan of the spongey texture so I have to slice those bad boys super thin. Then I drizzle olive oil on a baking sheet, rub the slices onto the oil front/back, sprinkle crushed sea salt, garlic, pepper, and the squeeze a lemon liberally over the whole thing. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes (i like my well done, bake to your liking) and voila! Perfect snack packed with flavor. Almost makes me not miss the days of blue corn chips and I...but I digress. Enjoy!

Billy D. Basil (my basil plant, in case you're new here) has once again been sheared. He needed a hair cut and I needed a caprese-style pizza. You know the story.

Sorry for the delay in posts. I have been a busy little socialite without an appetite. Also, I haven't been grocery shopping since God was a boy so the cabinets are pretty bare. I road-trip in two weeks so I promise to get more posts up beforehand.

Have excellent days, dear readers!

Busy-Bee, Braiding Bread

How do you do? I stumbled upon this recipe and thought it was such a fun idea. However, it needed serious adaptations. For starters, it was originally named the "taco braid". I was disturbed. Secondly, and more disturbing, was the crust was made from Pillsbury ready-made pizza crust. Fine, if you want a crust with 18 ingredients...yep, you heard me. I was able to pronounce about 5 of the 18...anyway, no thanks. The point is that I wanted to make this stuffed braided bread but I wanted to do it my way. So here's what happened:

Crust: 1 cup of whole wheat flour, 2 tablespoons ground flax, 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 tablespoon of honey, 1/2 teaspoon of yeast mixed with 1/2 cup of warm water...so that gives us five ingredients plus water. Take that, Pillsbury dirtbags...filling my friends with chemicals and using that rotund white character to make it seem alright. You should be ashamed of yourselves.

Filling: Turkey, provolone cheese, sauteed spinach and onions.

Baked for 15 minutes (just enough time to get in a quick set of pilates) at 400 and voila! Incredibly tasty and my body is super happy to process such unprocessed vittles. Mmmmm!

indecisiveness paid off!

After biking this evening, I was ravenous! I purposely never keep "handy", "quick", or "ready-made" foods in the house. I find that if I don't have to work for it, I'll toss it down the hatch without thinking twice, hungry or not.

Next comes a Sophie's Choice situation. Pizza or Fajitas. My oh my, life can be impossible at times (yes, sarcasm). Meanwhile, unlike poor Sophie, I didn't have to choose. I made both! Introducing....STEAK FAJITA PIZZA!!!

Crust:

whole wheat, yeast, agave nectar, and ground cumin

Sauce:
tomato, corn, and chile salsa with a bit of tomato paste mixed in to thicken things up

Toppings:

Tri-colored peppers, black beans, read onion, and steak strips, a touch of cheese (shown on top picture, bottom picture is pre-cheese)

Gobbled up the first few pieces and the rest is in the freezer...where it's safe from my spontaneous consumption.

Persimmon Passion!

I've tried, and tried, and tried...but I am a wordless woman. It is incredibly difficult to describe to you these flavors. I'll tell you when this cake consists of, and you draw your own conclusions. But just know, it's better than you can ever imagine.

Persimmon bundt cake:

3 large Fuyu persimmons

1/2 cup raisins

2 cups whole wheat flour

cinnamon, nutmeg

1 tsp baking powder

8 oz agave nectar (sans sugar)

juice of 1/2 a lemon

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 eggs

I never imagined a cake without sugar could be this sweet. Behold, the power of the persimmon.

I like it cheap and quick

On days when I do spin class after work, my rabbit is lucky if I have the energy to even wash my parts (yes, I realize how sad and lonely that sounds and YES my home is that empty). Anyhow, It's usually about 7:45 by the time I shower and unpack my gym clothes. After such effort, I'd hate to eat something awful for me just to save energy so I have to make a choice to work hard for just 15 more minutes before I collapse, stuff my face, and remain horizontal.

Tonights quick, smart, and CHEAP choice was an excellent surprise. I bought a new Kroger-brand of frozen pizza (click to see which one) and I cannot believe how perfect it was.

First of all, the ingredients were ALL clean. Only whole wheat, water, olive oil, and yeast for the crust. Two different types of white cheeses, and all the roasted veggies you can imagine! No chemicals, no dyes, no sugar, no preservatives...SCORE!!!

So, the pizza was $4.50 and a bag of frozen broccoli was $1 so.....doing the math? I got TWO meals for a grand total of $5.50. (Two because I saved half of both items for my lunch tomorrow). What a steal and they were both beyond easy to make. Hooray for Kroger!!!

Old School Vittles

When I was little, my favorite meal was breakfast. I had two favorite breakfasts, neither of which I could get enough. 1. Rasin Bran 2. My ma's fried potatoes/onions.

Since I refuse to do away with meals I love so dearly, I found a way to make each fit my clean lifestyle. Introcuding: Baby-Angie's favorite breakfasts...revamped! (and easy, easy, easy)

What you're seeing here is Organic, sugar-free bran flakes with 1/3 cup of plain raisins. After adding 1% milk, I was in HEAVEN. Tasted so much better than I remember Rasin Bran ever tasting.


Next, are the glorious potatoes. I have no idea how my ma made them, but I suspect it wasn't good. Here you are seeing 4 baby redskin potatoes sliced and tossed into already-simmering red onion. 2 tablespoons of olive oil and pepper and sea salt to taste.


Go easy on the salt, peeps. Everything edible has a great deal of sodium which occurs in it naturally...learn to ween yourself from the salt lick slowly and I promise you won't miss it. You may even taste your food again....but PLEASE go easy on the salt. (side note: If anyone came to my home to eat and they asked for salt, I could go one of two ways- crazy/violent or inconsolable sobbing...I'd rather you call me ugly than self-season my cooking...end side-note).

Ay! Ay! Ay!

VICTORY IS MINE! Say hello to my homemade wheat/flaxseed tortillas. If you've forgotten how Chicano-food obsessed I am, please reread this post. Anyhow, steak fajitas are way-way-way high on my list of favorite Mexican foods but they're always far too greasy when i buy them in Mexican Town....what's a clean-eating girl to do? That's right, I took matters into my own hands. May I present to you, clean Steak Fajitas with homemade tortillas. Ta-da! (side note, my kitchen appears as if it was hit by a twister and I've just found flour in my bangs...this was some serious work, my hungry friends).

Dear IHOP, you got nothing on me.

Best. Pancakes. Ever.
Ingredients: whole wheat flour, multigrain oats (tossed in food processor for 30 seconds), ground flaxseed, diced strawberry (use any fruit you wish) honey, 1 egg, "buttermilk" (1 cup skim milk with 1 tbsp of vinegar mixed in), and a dash of vanilla.
Tip, for a sweet little crunch, used canola oil on your cooking surface...same goes for your whole wheat french toast. It creates this crispy super-sweet layer on the outside that is outstanding.
Always "no high fructose corn syrup" maple syrup and you're all set for a clean, sweet, and VERY filling breakfast.

Chorizo is my boyfriend

this needs no explanation....oh, except that I'm gonna start making my own tortillas since I avoid the white flour ones and the wheat ones that aren't processed beyond belief are FAR too expensive. It's a shame that people who want to remain healthy and make good choices are charged a higher price. I will not comply, I'm just waiting on my tortilla press to get the fiesta started :)

One more thing, the salsa verde is homemade as well. 5 tomatillos, 1 poblano pepper, 1/2 onion, adobe spices, garlic, and love. <3