Vegetarian Meatballs With Masala Sauce!

I saw this recipe via video on Facebook, courtesy of awesome blog/site Pinch of Yum! I was immediately on board with the concept - a veggie base for the "meatballs", and a sauce made from tomatoes, coconut milk and Indian spices? Delish!

These were quite a hit in my household. I used a mix of cauliflower and broccoli florets for the base, so the "meatballs" were a little bit green at first, and I chose to bake them versus cook them on the stovetop, but these were minor changes, and the overall dish was fantastic. The sauce was silky smooth and so flavorful!

Find the complete recipe here!

Bento 1

I am joining the latest trend in lunch box fare - the "bento" style lunch box. Apparently, this is a thing.

I always struggle with what to eat for lunch during the workweek. I need variety, instead of routine, which quickly gets boring! Ordering delivery is not always an option because it can get expensive, and be unhealthy.

Enter ... the Bento Box!

The concept is simple. The lunch box is divided into 5 different sized compartments. Each compartment represents a "food group", so to speak, such as protein, carbs, fruits, veggies, etc.

Plus, I figure this will give me a few years to practice before Giuliana goes to school with her little lunch box!

If you want to read more on parents taking it to the next level with their kids' lunch boxes, check out this article here.

Here's a link to purchase your very own Bento style lunch box on Amazon!

A breakdown of the different food groups, and suggested options.

My pretty box ... comes with it's own carrying case!

First lunch: saltines, cubed Cheddar cheese, sliced rotisserie-style chicken deli meat, sliced hard boiled eggs, cucumber slices, and Greek yogurt.

Second lunch: saltines, Babybel cheeses, blueberries, slices cucumbers, sliced hard boiled eggs, baby carrots, and cottage cheese.

*Edit* Added on 3/13/17:

Making baby cheesy quiches is something I do at least once a month, when I have various leftover cheeses in my fridge. They make the perfect addition to my lunchbox, along with some roasted broccoli leftover from dinner the night before, and some cottage cheese for dipping in carrots. Yum!

Good Eats!

I can't believe it's already August! This summer has truly flown by. Between my new job and summer class, I haven't had as much time as I'd like to spend in the kitchen. In the past two weeks I did manage to get in there and cook a bit. One night for dinner, I made chimichurri sauce to go along with skirt steak I picked up at WholeFoods.

Chimichurri sauce is a very versatile marinade and sauce, made with lots of fresh parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, and a hint of red pepper flakes. It is simple but flavorful, with a lovely vibrant green color. I used a recipe from Gimme Some Oven and it came out great. To accompany, I sauteed some diced butternut squash, yellow squash, and zucchini rounds in a pan with lots of olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and white wine. I added some garlic bread and a healthy serving of a Merlot-Sangiovese blend of red wine to finish off the meal.

A few nights later I had some time for dinner, and picked up some gorgeous tilapia filets on my way home from work. I seasoned them simply, with salt and pepper, before dipping them in eggwash (two beaten eggs) and tossing in a bowl of Italian breadcrumbs. I baked them on an olive oil-greased baking sheet until the fish flaked when poked with a fork. I served it with rice pilaf and green beans tossed with sliced almonds and balsamic vinegar (sides not pictured).

This past week was the last day of one of my co-workers, who LOVES Spiderman so naturally, I tried my hand at Spidey-themed cupcakes! The cake part was chocolate with milk and white chocolate chips, and the frosting was a vanilla buttercream mixed with a little cheese cream to cut down on the sweetness.

And last but not least, we are throwing a birthday party today for one of our very good family friends, so I made two savory appetizers - mini corn cakes with sour cream frosting and pea garnish, and brie and jam filled phyllo cups (blackberry, raspberry, and apricot jam).

Mini Corn Cakes!

Brie Jam Phyllo Cups!

Fresh Orzo Salad!

I rarely come up with my own recipe, at best I come up with interesting takes or little tweaks on recipes I pull from other foodie blogs or Food Network chefs. Last night's dinner came completely out of nowhere. I had just finished work (8 hrs) and calculus class (3 hours) and was in no mood to pick up takeout or make a sandwich. I still had the urge to make dinner, but I was too tired to go through the motions of seasoning and baking a protein. I decided to make a simple but fresh and colorful pasta salad using orzo. Orzo is a lovely rice-shaped type of pasta, typically found in soups or casseroles.

I cooked up a small bag of orzo in boiling water and chicken stock, and then drained and seasoned it with olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, dried parsley, sea salt, and black pepper. To accompany it, I added diced avocado, diced cherry tomatoes, mozzarella pearls, sweet corn, and white cannellini beans, and tossed it all together. This orzo salad took fifteen minutes to make, as most of the ingredients were already prepared (I used canned corn and beans, and chopped the veggies). This is a great vegetarian and vegan option, and both filling and satisfying. I made a big batch and served it Italian family-style in a lovely rustic ceramic platter. This is the perfect summertime dish, light yet hearty, colorful and fresh.

While at the store, I picked up some mini treats to enjoy with the Chianti I had picked up at the farmer's market over the weekend. PS: I never get tired of that gorgeous Italian granite as my background ;)

Spring Veggie Quinoa & Biscuits!

I love lazy Sunday afternoons, especially in our Floridian summer, where there is always a hint of a thunderstorm outside. Is there anything better then dancing around the kitchen, wooden spoon in hand, with clouds and rain outside?

For today's late lunch, I loosely adapted a recipe from Annie's Eats, Veggie Quinoa. I really liked quinoa the first time I cooked it, which was in the form of Quinoa Cakes, so I was eager to cook with it again. First I started by roasting four different vegetables, halved cherry tomatoes, sliced white mushrooms, and diced rounds of yellow squash and zucchini. I poured copious amounts of EVOO, salt, and pepper over them and let them roast for 40 minutes.

LOVE the pop of colors here!

Cooked quinoa...

Everything put together!

Served with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of shaved Parmesan cheese.

Later on I had a craving for a buttery biscuit, so I whipped up a quick batch of cheddar garlic biscuits (a play on the ones served at Red Lobster). I used a recipe from Gimme Some Oven.

Variations: I added 2 tbsp more melted butter (oops!), used a mix of shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, and topped with parsley instead of oregano. Yum!

Ricotta Tarts!

I am in the middle of reading Tamar Adler's An Everlasting Meal, which I first heard of from Joy the Baker. I really love it; it's a combination between a cookbook and a novel about food, it's incredibly refreshing and makes for a fun read. After reading chapter after chapter about vegetables and the proper ways to treat them, I was anxious to try my hand at roasting some. There are quite a few recipes in the book, and the first one that really caught my attention were savory tarts made with ricotta cheese and roasted veggies. The recipe for the crust was good, it made the crust seem more like a cracker versus the type of crust you would find on a quiche. The dough was a little hard to work with initially, but it came through in the end. The ricotta filling tasted like an olive oil cream - it was so yummy!

Roasting zucchini and yellow squash rounds...

Rolling out the dough...

Ricotta filling ....

Topping with roasted veggies...

The final product! More of a rustic-looking tart.

They tasted even better the next morning with my latte ;)

Juice Day 7 & Macarons!

Inspired by my work ladies who make far more superior juices/smoothies then I, I packed my grocery cart with feel-good fruits and veggies after work today. I made an easy one to sip on before dinner, using 1/2 pint of blueberries, 2 bananas, and 1/3 cup of vanilla almond milk.

My dad came back from a business trip to Manhattan today and brought me back macarons from my favorite NYC bakery, Maison Laduree! There are two coffee, two chocolate, and one pistachio. The coffee is my favorite.

Buona Festa Della Mamma!

Happy Mother's Day! I am so lucky to have such a wonderful, supportive, and loving mommy. This pic was taken in Portugal (more specifically, at Bom Jesus do Monte) back in February.

I finalized my mother's day brunch menu a week ago so I was anxious to get to the kitchen bright and early this morning!

First I made peach sangria. I had peach sangria at Carraba's a few weeks ago, and knew I wanted to re-create it at home. I loosely adapted a recipe from Epicurious. I used 3 peaches (sliced into wedges), half an orange (sliced into wedges), peach schnapps, a bottle of Chardonnay (of the Cupcake variety, of course), a split (about 1/4 of a regular bottle) of Martini Asti (Italian champagne), white sugar, and a can of pineapple juice. I mixed it all together and let it chill in the fridge, and then served with peach wedges on the rim of the wine glass.

And my new chalkboard makes it's blog debut :)

Next, I made individual baked french toast (served in ramekins), a recipe I adapted from the lovely Annie's Eats. The only additions I made were to add orange zest and a bit of orange liqueur!

Topped with diced strawberries, blueberries, powdered sugar, and a drizzle of maple syrup!

The final part of brunch were omelets with shredded cheese, cherry tomatoes and avocado! This was my first attempt at omelet making so they didn't turn out perfectly but they did taste delicious!

The complete meal....

For our late lunch I decided to keep it healthy and simple, and made oven-roasted salmon filets with roasted broccoli florets and asparagus spears. The fish, I roasted simply in olive oil, lemon juice, lemon slices, salt, and pepper. I then made a sauce to go along with the salmon, which I got from Test My Recipes. I loved the lemon creaminess of the sauce, it is very rich since it contains mayo, sour cream, and heavy cream (which I substituted for milk). I don't care for dill, so I used fresh parsley instead, which helped cut down on the richness of the sauce.

This was a simple yet refreshing, light yet hearty lunch - perfect for any lazy Sunday afternoon! I highly recommend it. 

I had picked up some delectable French pastries over at Bakery of France and they became our post-lunch time dessert.

Italian Chicken with Asparagus!

Since I made my Pomegranate Balsamic Chicken last week, I have been thinking of other marinades I could make for chicken breasts (as well as fish, and other meats). I remember last year my friend made chicken marinated in Italian dressing and wanted to try it. Normally I am wary against anything that comes in a bottle or box, especially salad dressings and vinaigrettes, simply because its often easier (and 100x healthier) to make it yourself at home. Even the simplest dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper is delicious, healthy, and super easy to whip up at home.

However I was pressed for time on Saturday, having baked Margarita Cupcakes in the morning (after first going out to buy a bottle of tequila and telling the dumbfounded cashier it was for baking), and then went to Miami to go on a booze cruise with friends, so I needed to make a quick and substantial lunch to keep me going through the aforementioned cruise. I marinated the chicken breasts in a whole bottle of Italian dressing in the morning and then when it was time to put it in the oven, I added diced shallots, garlic, and white wine. The trick is to let it cook for a long time in the oven, the longer it roasts in the heat, the more tender it becomes as well as the more it absorbs all the flavoring liquid it is basting in. (This chicken tasted even better the next day when I served leftovers!) To accompany the chicken, I roasted asparagus on a baking sheet with olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon. The combination made for a simple lunch!

Balsamic Chicken and Caramel Cookies!

My parents just got back from a week long trip to California. They traveled to Napa Valley, Sonoma, Sausalito, and San Francisco (I know I'm jealous!). They visited gorgeous wineries and stores, specifically this incredible one called Olivier. They brought me back a lovely pomegranate balsamic vinegar and lemon olive oil (preserved lemons inside the bottle - so cool!). I wanted to use both the liquids in a dish and found the perfect recipe from my friend's blog Test My Recipes.

The pretty bottles....

I adapted her Balsamic Chicken recipe to incorporate the pomegranate and lemon flavors, and substituted dried thyme and oregano for fresh thyme and rosemary. I am not a mustard fan, so I swapped the Dijon for some Portuguese white wine (otherwise known as 'vinho verde'). I served the chicken breasts with a side of creamed spinach and it made for a very flavorful dinner!

For dessert, I made chocolate caramel sea salt cookies from Gimme Some Oven! I added some instant espresso to kick up the chocolate flavor. These cookies are a total game-changer! I have always been a total salt fiend in my savory foods, but never gave it a second thought with baking. I have thus been converted! A sprinkle of sea salt over anything chocolatey - sold! Love the idea.

Kale, Soup, and Muffins!

This weekend my goal was to cook healthy, using plenty of fruits and veggies. I spent all of yesterday in the kitchen, dancing around to Cheryl Cole and Rihanna, since it was cloudy and raining outside. I was also studiously avoiding thinking about my upcoming Microeconomics final. Oops!

Kale Chips!
Salty, crispy, good-for-you, what's not to love?

Butternut Squash Crab Bisque!
This is a great soup for rainy weather, it's creamy and hearty and goes great with a kale chip and crouton garnish. I used shallots instead of onions for a sweeter taste.

Finally, for Sunday brunch, and using the blackberry jam I made last month, blackberry jam mini muffins (with walnuts)! I adapted a recipe from Cook Bake Nibble

Avocado Pesto Pasta!

I was browsing through my new favorite blog, Gimme Some Oven, and found a recipe for Avocado Pesto Pasta that I knew I had to make soooon. Avocados, basil, whole wheat pasta, and toasty pine nuts? Sold. Throw in some creamy spinach and Parmesan shavings and Friday night dinner is looking pretty good.

All the pesto ingredients in the food processor: avocados, lemon juice, basil, pine nuts, walnuts, salt & pepper, garlic, and olive oil to be added.

Boiling pasta, sauteing spinach, toasting pine nuts ...

Gorgeous bright green pesto.... There is nothing as lovely as the color and smell of homemade pesto! I love the color of the avocados in this too. Topped with toasted pine nuts ... for that added crunch factor!

Summer 2020:

Juice Day Five!

I went back to juice-making last night and whipped up a wholly citrusy-acidy yellow-orange concoction that would knock back any cold, for sure! It contains oranges, clementines, limes, lemons, and carrots.

Juice Day Four!

One of my lovely co-workers made awesome juice for today using kiwis, granny smith apples (nice tartness), green grapes, and pineapple. Yummy!

Juice Day Three!

Okay, technically it's not my juice day three, but my co-worker made juice using kale, swiss chard, honeydew, cataloupe, and green apples, and even though it is a most robust shade of green, it tasted great, mostly like melon!

Feeling Salty?

I am a total salt fiend. In my spinning spice rack, you will find no less than four types of salt: kosher salt (best for cooking), table salt (to top any already cooked foods), sea salt (dessert topping, anyone? Don't knock it till you've tried it!), and seasoned salt (of the lemon & pepper variety, I use this sparsely, if ever). Salt makes the world go 'round (or at least my world!). In fact, I proudly consider myself to be a supertaster! (Or at least, reading that Yahoo article made me feel better about my salt lovin'.) My lovely chef-boyfriend rarely uses salt in his cooking, choosing instead to flavor his meats and veggies with olive oil, butter, and herbs. To each his own. I use all of those, but pay particular attention to salt. My friend (blog: Test My Recipes) wrote a great post on what types of salt are good for what types of dishes here.

But did you know that many of America's beloved and popular restaurants are throwing everyone's daily sodium intakes out of whack? Many dishes at places like Macaroni Grill, Olive Garden, P.F. Chang's, and TGIF's feature a variety of entrees that can double, or even triple, your DAILY sodium intake! The U.S. Dept of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Information Center maintains a diligent and up-to-date website that lets you know what your daily intake should be for various vitamins and minerals, specified to gender, age, and weight type. A typical female between the ages of 19 and 30 (aka my category) should be taking in no more than 1500 mg of sodium per day (source). This may sound like too much already, but consider this: the average pasta and sauce dish at your local Italian eatery is bound to contain that much alone!

*Update* This article points out a more generalized sodium intake for typically healthy adults, saying one should have no more than 1500-2400 mg of sodium daily.

This article demonstrates some of the worst offenders in America's food industry. There are even some sneaky ones, like Macaroni Grill's whole wheat fettuccini entree - sneaky because the name alone implies healthiness and when paired with broccoli and chicken - takes on a seemingly innocuous nutritious appearance. WRONG! There are a whopping 1630 mg of sodium in this dish, along with 1060 calories.

The more I get into cooking, baking, and blogging, the more I learn about food and nutrition. It's fascinating, and sometimes even scary. It's also easier than you think to make so many things at home, versus buying super processed versions in your local supermarket (i.e. jams, marinades, salad dressings, etc). The more I go grocery shopping, or bakeware/cookware/cupcake liner shopping on Amazon, (and the less often I go online to Forever21.com or Nordstrom.com), the more I learn and love food and cooking in all their glory. But I am still learning and nowhere near uber-healthy; I still don't really exercise, and eat a healthy amount of dessert on a weekly basis - but I believe it's all about having the knowledge. Knowledge is power!

Quinoa Cakes!

Today I made Joy the Baker's Quinoa Cakes! Made using cooked quinoa, parsley, lemon, garlic, Parmesan, and bread crumbs, these small and tasty veggie patties are delicious and nutritious.

Variations: I boiled the quinoa in chicken broth (instead of salted water) for more flavor, and left out the onion, olive and zucchini completely. Instead I added more Parmesan, minced garlic, lemon zest, and dried parsley, making flavorful cakes.

As always, I pair my dinner plates with a healthy serving of full-bodied red wine, in this case a lovely Tuscan red.

Juice Day Two!

I am getting more adventurous in the juice-making-department (and by that I mean I added a vegetable) and today's juice was lovely both in its deep orange color and varied ingredient list. Included:

• watermelon
• pineapple
• baby carrots
• lemons
• red apples
• bosc pears
• oranges

Juice Day One!

My girls at work are interested in Join the Reboot, a nutrition plan by an Australian named Joe Cross, who also directed the documentary "Fat Sick and Nearly Dead", which is about making dramatic changes in diet for a healthier way of living. I am the latest one to jump on the bandwagon, nonetheless the ladies and I have started with plenty of fruits and veggies and our fancy juicers. My first attempt last night included: 1 pint strawberries + 1 pint blueberries + 1 pint raspberries...

Made on 03/28/2012.

+ 4 red apples + 2 pears...

Together with my (daddy's) lovely juicer...

Yay!

And voilà!

Here is what I learned .... berries make beautiful colors for juice ... berries do not make much juice themselves ... berry juice is not very sweet ... adding apples to any juice will make it very sweet and delicious and thus making it unnecessary to add anything other than fruit! I am very much looking forward to adding different types of fruit and slowly incorporating veggies, starting with a citrus-carrot blend.

Chicken Piccata and Couscous!

One of my favorite chefs is Giada De Laurentiis, who never steers me wrong! The woman is beautiful and can cook, is there a better combination? Last night I made Giada's Chicken Piccata!

Made on 02/07/12.

I also ventured out of my comfort zone and made my own accompanying side. I've had a bag of Israeli couscous in my pantry for longer than I care to admit, and finally decided to make it last night. First I sauteed two diced shallots with three minced garlic cloves in olive oil over medium heat, and then added two diced zucchinis. After cooking the couscous in boiling, salted water and fluffing it with a fork, I added the veggie mix and topped with sea salt, black pepper, and lemon zest. The dish was bright and fresh, and went great with the lemony/garlicky Chicken Piccata. :)