Shrimp and Orzo Bake

I made this in advance of a week of running. Last Sunday I ran my first ever 5K in DC’s The Color Run. Yesterday, I ran my my first ever 10K at the Marine Corps Marathon. The Color Run was a ton of fun – I ran with my roommate and some other friends and it is not lying when it bills itself as the happiest 5K in the world. Though the washing machine in my apartment complex wasn't quite as happy…

The 10K was more challenging, namely because Hurricane Sandy is bearing down on the entire East Coast. Luckily there wasn't much wind and no rain during my run, but the hour and a half waiting for the race to start in my shorts and tee shirt in 50 degree weather wasn't too fun. However, I finished at my goal time and have stocked up on the necessities (Oreos. I had planned on doing a big cook on Sunday of three different soups, but with massive power outages expected in my area, I didn't want to take non-perishable food and make it perishable. So Oreos, pasta, and plans to eat all the frozen food I can in case of power outages. I'll let you know how it goes).

I wanted to have a dish I could eat throughout the week that would be filling, but not too heavy, would have protein, but wasn’t a cooked chicken breast, and if it could use most of the ingredients I already owned I would consider it a bonus. This one hit all those points – orzo to stick to your bones, shrimp and feta for some protein, onion and garlic because they are a basic necessity of any dish I cook, and white wine because it’s awesome.

I’ve mentioned previously that I tend to stock up when I see a great deal on dried goods, so I always tend to have pasta hanging around as well as canned tomatoes and frozen shrimp. So I only had to buy minimal ingredients to make a dish that will likely last me multiple  meals – so overall, cheap as well!

Is it any wonder I couldn’t wait to share?

Broccoli White Bean Soup

Well, that didn’t take long before I moved away from the meat, meat, chocolate recipe pattern now did it? While I would love to include another meat recipe to give you that stick-to-your-bones warmth that’s starting to feel like a necessity as the cooler air moves in, I can’t do that. But I can offer you a soup that'll make you think it's cream based.

My father always likes to joke about his first time seeing cheese and broccoli soup on a restaurant menu and thinking it was a joke. Because how could cheese be the base of a soup? While this doesn’t reach that level of sublime dairy, it does provide a healthier alternative when you’re craving a thick and hearty soup but don’t want to deal with dairy. Using pureed beans or veggies is a great alternative to thicken up sauces and soups and this one uses cannellini beans to make a really tasty broccoli soup that’s pretty much the easiest thing to make since box cake mixes were invented.

Hope you enjoy!

Broccoli White Bean Soup

From Gen Y Foodie

Surprisingly, this soup freezes and reheats nicely. I get about 5 servings from this recipe and just ladle them into plastic containers to store for later. I also tend to use chicken broth in place of vegetable broth, if only because that’s what I tend to have on hand most frequently, so feel free to do the same if you aren’t a vegetarian. Additionally, I think you could probably add an additional can of cannellini beans if you really like thick creamy soups – just the one tends to get overpowered by the broth.

Ingredients
4 garlic cloves
1 medium onion
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large head of broccoli (approx. 4 cups) washed and cut into florets
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed
4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
optional: parmesan cheese

Equipment

Food processor, large pot, whisk

Instructions

This recipe is basically shredding ingredients in the food processor and then adding them to the pot. Don’t bother rinsing or clean the bowl after each ingredient – they’re all ending up in the same place anyway!

Heat pot over medium heat and add olive oil. Shred the garlic gloves and onion in the food processor and add to pot. Saute for 4 -5 minutes. While garlic and onions are cooking, shred the broccoli florets in the food processor and add to onion and garlic mixture. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes. While broccoli mixture is cooking, puree cannellini beans in food processor then add to pot. Season vegetable and bean mixture with salt, pepper, and paprika. Slowly add vegetable broth and whisk ingredients together to combine.

Cover and simmer on medium-low heat for 12-15 minutes until the soup reaches your favorite thickness. Serve with Parmesan cheese and black pepper.

Serves 5-6.

Spicy Salmon Burgers

I don’t really like reheated fish. For some reason, that’s where the dreaded “fishy” smell hits me and suddenly what was delicious the night before is inedible. Which leads me to the point that I tend to only buy enough fish to for a single meal – pretty much the antithesis of the rest of my grocery strategy.

So I’m always on the lookout for seafood recipes that are a) single meal, b) not too complicated, and c) don’t require a ton of work or ingredients. I mean, why go to all that trouble if you’re only going to eat it once?

So I like this recipe because if I’m really hungry I can simply eat both burgers. And if I’m not, I can freeze the extra. Win, win!

Lemon Caper Tilapia

I’m not a huge fan of red meat (or sausage) and chicken breasts can get boring if eaten enough times, so I’m always on the lookout for new fish and alternate protein recipes. If you have any favorites, please let me know!

This recipe got me from the get go – lemons, tomatoes, capers, and garlic, oh my! Is there anything better, especially in the last gasps of summer we’re now experiencing? Grab some fresh tomatoes while they’re available. Plus the fact that this is the seafood equivalent of slice and bake - slice veggies, bake fish in aluminum. Perfect gateway recipe for people who want to add seafood to their diet but haven't made it at home before. 

As I’ve mentioned previously, I’ve recently been experimenting with freezer cooking. One of the more useful resources I’ve found has been Once a Month Mom – a website with a large collection of recipes that have freezing instructions already spelled out for you (they also sell memberships to buy their monthly and mini meal plans). This was one of the first recipes from them that I made and I think you’ll enjoy it as well!

Tomato Soup

After my first year in college, I worked a variety of jobs over the summer – intern at an environmental NGO, babysitter, and in retail. It was the first summer I’d ever worked like that (at one point I estimated 60 hours/week was probably a conservative estimate) and about halfway through I just got tired of bringing my lunch. In some ways I was lucky – I was working at Nordstrom in the costumed jewelry department, so I could just grab something at the Café and eat it in the employee break room.

In fact, I’d go so frequently, I wouldn’t even have to beg to get them to serve me the children’s tomato soup special – a cup of their tomato soup and half a grilled cheese sandwich. If you’ve never had the tomato soup at the Nordstrom Café, you are missing out. It’s deliciously chunky, actually tastes like tomato, and has a fabulous mixture of herbs.

This soup doesn’t replicate the soup. I’ve found that I like a bit of spice in my soups, so instead of aiming for the sweeter, almost Bolognese flavor of the Nordstrom soup, this version is chunky with a hint of a kick. And I think I’ve succeeded nicely in this version.

Double Chocolate Yogurt Pancakes

I know there is a great divide in the world between people who are pancake eaters and people who are waffle eaters, but I still don’t understand it. Seriously, the batter is almost identical and both taste amazing smothered in butter, maple syrup, or chocolate hips. So waffle lovers of the world, forgive me. I don’t have a waffle iron so I haven’t tested and recipes for you yet. But I honestly think you’ll like this one.

Pancakes with Greek Yogurt at the base, who would have seen that one coming? I’d heard of ricotta pancakes but haven’t tried them yet. But since I always have Greek Yogurt on hand this recipe called my name. It also told me to add cocoa powder and chocolate chips. I tried to say no, but honestly it was very insistent. It said it would be sad if it wasn’t a double chocolate chip recipe, and well, who wants to see a sad pancake?

I don’t.

So double chocolate yogurt pancakes it was. These are less fluffy than traditional pancakes, which only makes sense when you think about how little flour is actually in these things. I’d like to try it again with a non-traditional flour – maybe spelt or whole wheat pastry – but only because I’m interested in playing with new flours. These tasted great as is, slightly tangy but super delicious. I’d only planned on eating 2 (one serving) but somehow all 4 were inhaled faster than I’d like to admit in public.

In any case, you should try these too. And make sure to add the chocolate or your pancakes will be sad.

Good thing I posted this on a Friday afternoon, huh? You have plenty of time to run to the supermarket before the weekend!

Healthy Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

I love muffins, but I get confused where the line is between muffin and cupcake. The chocolate-chip muffins with frosting? How isn’t that cake?

Personally, I prefer a heartier muffin because I like to eat them for breakfast. While I’ve also never had a problem eating cake for breakfast, I first tried this recipe back in January aka the month of good intentions. While I’ve clearly fallen off the healthy eating wagon once or twice since then, these have been a great find. Crunchy peanut butter + banana + no added sugar? And they actually taste good?

I tend to make a batch of these, keep ‘em in the fridge for the week, and bring them in for a mid-morning snack at work. Does anyone else have the problem where no matter what they eat for breakfast, or even if they skip breakfast, ten o’clock rolls in and your stomach is rumbling so loudly people two cubicles over can hear it?

Just me then? Oh well, these muffins definitely hit the spot right around them. I hope you enjoy them too!

Ginger-Sesame Chicken Wrap for Two

What makes wraps so amazing? Seriously, I sometimes think they must be made with unicorn blood or baby tears because I can eat the same ingredients on bread or in a wrap and I’ll usually prefer the wrap.

These wraps are really dependent on a good salad dressing. It provides the marinade for the chicken and is added to the wrap just before eating. If you never had Sesame-Ginger dressing, you’re in for a treat. I love Newman’s Own brand because it’s low-calorie, great tasting, and the proceeds go to charity, but use your favorite brand.

I tend to over stuff my wraps as you can see below, so feel no shame in doing what I do – hold them once you’ve finished rolling with one hand while wrangling the aluminum foil. This method also serves as your cardio for the day while you accidentally hold your breath while trying to work fast enough so the filling doesn’t fall out.

Enjoy!

Eggs in Southwestern Spicy Tomato Sauce

I love breakfast, but it’s often tricky to make it fresh every morning. Don’t get me wrong – unlike 98 percent of the world, I have enough time most mornings. I just get distracted. I need to catch up on my emails, see how Matt and the crew from the “Today Show” are doing, and spend a few minutes staring blankly at my closet trying to figure out what I’m going to wear to work.

You’d think I’d manage to squeeze in making a great breakfast in that hour, but I tend to default to a smoothie or toast too frequently. Recently however, I’ve been trying my lunch strategy on breakfast – make a big dish that can be portioned out throughout the week so I have a hot meal that comes together quickly.

This was adapted from SmittenKitchen because I had an extra can of black beans and the only canned tomatoes in my pantry had chilis in them. So southwestern style spicy tomato sauce instead! Still, really tasty though – I hope you enjoy!

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos

I love tacos, but sometimes I don’t love buying hamburger. So when I found this recipe for a veggie taco with two of my favorite veggies, I was sold. Joy’s tacos might take longer than simply browning hamburger and adding a packet of taco seasoning (which don’t get me wrong, can be delicious) but it’s cheap and tasty. I think my total costs came out under $5 for all the ingredients at Whole Foods. And really, how often can you brag about that?

I hope you enjoy!

Egg Drop Soup with Veggies

Egg Drop Soup was the first soup I made from scratch on my own. I had been paging through the Joy of Cooking (the only cookbook I owned at the time) to try to figure out what I could make with a limited budget and a limited trip to the grocery store (it was hovering around zero outside and I didn’t want to leave my dorm if I could help it). Luckily, I stumbled upon a recipe for Egg Drop Soup and the rest, as they say is history.

This version derivates from the original quite a bit – I added sliced mushrooms, garlic, and spinach to beef it up. This recipe is low-fat but stuffed with iron, protein, and taste.  It's the perfect soup with a cold wintery day as well as the morning when you wake up with a pounding headache and no amount of tea is making you feel better.

Baked Oatmeal

I have a sad confession to make. As much as I rave about oatmeal in cookies, I hate it as breakfast on its own. I’ve tried and tried to eat it – with raisins, brown sugar, maple syrup, instant, steel cut, microwave, stove-top, slow cooker – you name it, I’ve tried it. The problem comes down to texture; oatmeal is mushy. And I’m not a huge fan of mushy (see also: why I don’t like mashed potatoes).

So this recipe was a treat. It combined my love of crispy oatmeal from cookies or granola, fruit, and maple syrup without being terribly mushy. I actually enjoyed oatmeal for breakfast! That Heidi Swanson is a smart chick. This isn’t what I would call an easy breakfast – there’s too long a baking time for that – but it is relatively simple and would work great for a large crowd to feed.

Onion Soup with Apple Cider

Welcome to 2012! The world didn't end, so I guess the Mayan's had that part wrong. Hope none of you made any silly decisions expecting the Apocalypse to arrive. If you did, here's a soup recipe to cheer you up. 

Onion and apple cider might not sound like a good pairing to the rest of the world, but those people are what I what call wrong. Possibly even crazy if they dismissed the idea out of hand. Both are in season right now and play off each other wonderfully – the sweetness of the caramelized white onions is great next to the tartness of apple cider. Plus one-pot recipes are always a bonus when you don’t fell like doing dishes (which in my case is always).  You have to babysit the onions at the beginning to make sure they don’t burn, but after about 20 minutes of stirring occasionally, the hard work is done and you can sit back and enjoy until it’s done simmering.

Mark another tally in my checklist of things that make a recipe amazing (other categories include: taste, easy availability in the grocery store, and inexpensiveness).

Rice with Almonds and Raisins

You know those days when you have nothing in your fridge but it’s cold outside and you don’t want to leave to go get more food and you don’t have the budget for takeout? Just me? Well, you should like this rice recipe in any case. I found this recipe after a couple minutes of googling all the ingredients I had in my pantry in hopes that I’d find something appealing. Luckily the internet gods smiled down on me (seriously, what did people do without Google?) and this New York Times recipe popped up. Rice + raisins + almonds + coriander? Party in my belly.

I also appreciate that it’s one pot. One pot means far fewer dishes for me to remember to wash in the morning when I stare at my empty fridge and try to figure out what to eat for breakfast (Hint: it rhymes with mice with balmonds).

This made my apartment smell like oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (fair given it shares two important ingredients) and for that alone, I will love this recipe forever and ever.

Chicken Stuffed with Almonds, Spinach, and Feta

I made plans with my friend Alisha to meet for dinner a few weeks ago. The plan was for her to come over to my apartment and I’d cook us dinner. I started to panic the Saturday before because I realized two important facts: 1) because of things such as this blog, people think I actually eat well every day, and 2) dinner parties suffer dramatically when the host serves Kraft mac ‘n cheese. Clearly some advanced planning was required.

I started searching for a recipe that would convey the image of sophistication and skill while also being relatively cheap and easy to make. This fit the bill perfectly. It looks impressive – stuffed chicken breasts with fancy sounding ingredients! – while actually taking under 20 minutes to prepare. It’s pretty healthy to boot. Served with some couscous, an apple-spinach salad, and a few black bottom cupcakes, the meal tasted and looked impressive.

Of course, our mini-dinner party never actually occurred due to illness, so I ended up with some very fancy leftovers to enjoy for a week. Still, worth it to know I have this in my back pocket next time I have a guest over for dinner!

Cauliflower Soup

Cauliflower is one of those vegetables I enjoy eating, but never think to buy for myself. For some reason, my eyes always move right past them and towards broccoli when I’m meandering in the produce aisle. Embarrassingly, this was the first time I’d ever prepared cauliflower (though I did have some fun hacking away at the core and leaves with my giant kitchen knife).

I ended up trying this recipe because I knew I wasn’t going to want to eat chickpea soup every day of the week for lunch and wanted another option. Given that I had every ingredient save for cauliflower already in my kitchen made this a very attractive option.  

Emma's Super Delicious Broccoli!

My sister Emma asked me to figure out how to make pork meatballs, which I did in this post. As a thank you she sent me her recipe for Super Delicious Broccoli, which I had to share with everyone (without her permission. Luckily it'll be another two years before she's a lawyer and can sue me for IP infringement). I've included both her pictures and the pictures I took when I made the recipe myself. Hope you all enjoy!

Roasted Eggplant Soup

Sometimes you just feel like soup, even if the weather is conspiring against you. When I made this soup, DC was a bit confused - instead of inching towards fall like most locales in the country, DC had decided it wanted to be a temperate rainforest. It was grey, drizzling, and overall dreary for a good part of the week. It also had 95 percent humidity. 

In a word, gross.

If I couldn't have a lovely fall day, at least I could have a tasty soup (served with awesome cornbread). This recipe combines the last of the available fresh tomatoes with eggplant, onions, and garlic. How could it go wrong?

Beef and Bean Chili

There’s a constant battle in my house when the topic of chili comes up. No, not the traditional Texan chili (no beans) versus other states’ chili (beans); rather, it’s over how much spice we’re allowed to use. I like my chili spicy – if I can’t taste cumin in every bite it’s not worth it – but my family seems insistent on eating versions that mostly taste like tomatoes (though they would claim they simply like having feeling in their lips, to which I reply, “whimps”).

When I first started cooking on my own after realizing that I could cook anything I wanted to for any meal (I can have quiche for all three meals today!), the second most important culinary realization I had was that I was in control of the spices. I could add cumin, cayenne, chili powder, and jalapenos if I wanted to – and I do.

This recipe is one of my favorite comfort foods; it’s easy to make, relatively cheap, and fills you up. In other words, the perfect antidote for a cold, gray, rainy day. Sorry for the lack of pictures - chili is remarkably tricky to photograph!

Black Beans and Yellow Rice

When I first tried making black beans, I had no clue what I was doing. I bought a can of Goya and made some rice. Then I opened the can of beans onto the rice and tried to figure out why so many people raved about black beans. They were mealy, kind of cold, and super bland. Then I checked the Internet and it turns out you cook canned black beans and season then before eating. And my parents thought I didn’t learn anything in college.

Additional life lesson? Spices make everything better. I like my beans spicy, so you’ll see a variety combined in the recipe but for some reason I wasn’t feeling my traditional white rice accompaniment when I started making these beans for dinner. I could pretend that it was a culinary yearning to expand my palette, but in reality I just wanted to experiment with turmeric again. I bought my first container for my lentil soup, but it was just sitting in my cabinet begging to be used.

Fun fact about turmeric: it’s also called the poor man’s saffron. Very apt in my situation.

So beans and yellow rice it was, and the turmeric was a very nice addition to a staple of my diet. Give it a shot!