oscar night and tacos!

a few weeks ago, my friends sarah and tony decided to invite themselves over to my place for the oscars. i had also made a promise to my friend travis that i would invite him over for tacos at some point, so i decided to kill two birds with one stone and have a small oscars get-together with tacos! sarah and tony thought ahead and brought oscar ballots so we could play along. unfortunately, most of us got our asses handed to us by leila, who predicted the majority of the oscar winners correctly. [sidenote: how awesome was hugh jackman? give me him in a tux (or wolverine gear) any day. mmmm hmmmmm. okay, moving on...]

my goal was to make dericious (yes, i'm spelling it like that - it's so much more fun to say!) and healthy tacos. i think it turned out pretty well, and it gave me an excuse to make my guac again. :)


errrca's award winning (someday) tacos - ayayayayaya!!!

2 lbs. ground turkey
1 yellow onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapenos, seeded & finely chopped
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 yellow squash, finely diced
1 zucchini, finely diced
1 bell pepper, finely diced (any color works)
1 tbsp chipotle chili powder
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp coriander
1 tsp cinnamon
couple pinches cayenne
1 tbsp honey
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
salt & pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

6 avocados
4 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 red onion, finely diced
4 limes
1 cup sour cream
corn tortillas
salsa
shredded sharp cheddar cheese

preheat the oven to 400. heat up the olive oil in a large deep skillet. when the oil is hot, add the ground turkey, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. while the turkey is browning, you can make the guacamole. combine the avocados, tomatoes, red onion, half the jalapeno, juice of 3 limes, and half the cilantro. mash everything together, leaving it a bit chunky (i use my hand, but that's because i like playing with my food). salt & pepper to taste.

when the meat is browned, add the yellow onion, garlic, the remainder of the jalapeno, and crushed red pepper. stir and cook for a few minutes, then add the squash, zucchini, and bell pepper. cook for another few minutes until they just start to get tender. then add all the spices (chipotle chili powder through cayenne) and stir into the meat mixture. cook for another 2-3 minutes so the spices get distributed through the mixture. then add the honey and the chicken stock and allow to simmer until the liquid has mostly evaporated.

while the turkey mixture is working, combine the sour cream, juice of 1 lime, pinch of cumin, and a small handful of the cilantro. mix together and set aside. wrap the tortillas in foil and put in the oven to warm.

when the stock in the turkey mixture is mostly evaporated, fold the remainder of the cilantro in. serve the tacos with the warmed tortillas, meat, sour cream mixture, cheese, salsa, and guacamole.

OLE!

protein overload

in an effort to make the most of my dieting nonsense, i've been incorporating more protein into my daily caloric intake. i've come across a goldmine that's helping me accomplish this:

[enter SHIRATAKI NOODLES] (cue heaven music)

these bad boys are made from soybean and yams. they're only 40 calories per serving and can be used as a substitute for regular noodles in just about any dish. that includes stir-fries, pasta dishes...you name it! i ended up making the most protein-licious dish ever with these.

protein-o-rama stir-fry

16 oz. shirataki noodles, fettucine style
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp sriracha (or more; i like it spicy!) - i call this cock sauce, but it's the asian hot sauce with a green top
1 block firm tofu, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 inch ginger, grated
3 garlic cloves, grated or minced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup broccoli, cut into florets
1/2 cup frozen corn

in a large, deep nonstick pan or wok, heat up the vegetable oil over high heat. while the oil is heating, drain the noodles in a colander and rinse with hot water. allow it to drain while you're preparing the rest of the dish. when the oil is hot, carefully put in the tofu in a single layer. do not disturb the tofu for at least 2 minutes - allow it to develop the oh-sooo-yummy golden crust. it generally takes about 5-7 minutes to get most of the sides nice and golden brown.

while the tofu is cooking, make your sauce. mix together the peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sriracha until combined. set aside.

when the tofu is golden on most sides, put in the crushed red pepper, garlic, and ginger. increase the flame to high again. cook for a minute. put in the onions and peppers and move them toward the bottom of the pan. allow them to sit undisturbed for a minute so they caramelize. put in the rest of the veggies and stir frequently. cook the veggies for about 2-3 minutes, then add the drained noodles. cook the noodles for a minute, then turn off the heat and add the peanut sauce. incorporate the sauce through the noodles and veggies thoroughly. serve and feel buff!

*update: i've been told that this is actually a vegan dish! look at how inclusive i am.

S'Mac-down!!

monday nights bring two great things: heroes and mac & cheese throwdown! cmoore makes some of the best mac & cheese i've had. this is partially due to the copious amounts of butter and cheese. unfortunately, that doesn't fit very well into my "don't be a fatass" diet. my goal for this throwdown was to make a tasty mac & cheese, but without the artery clogging side effects.

result? i think i did pretty darn well. i added some protein (diced grilled chicken), and lightened up the base of the sauce with 1/2 chicken stock instead of using all milk/cream. to go along with the mac & cheese, i made some green beans so we wouldn't feel so bad about eating such large amounts of cheese. i hope you like this meal as much as we did!

"don't be a fatass" mac & cheese (and green beans)

1 large boneless skinless chicken breast

1 lemon, juiced & zested

2 teaspoons rosemary, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, smashed plus 2 cloves, minced

2 tbsp olive oil, plus 2 tbsp for the sauce base
salt & pepper

1 lb. whole wheat elbow macaroni, or other short pasta (i only had semolina that day, so i just went with that)
1 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 onion, diced
2 cups chicken stock

2 cups 1% milk
3 tbsp dijon mustard
1 cup reduced fat extra sharp cheddar, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
1 cup provolone

for the green beans:
1 package green beans, trimmed (or you can trim them yourself if you're not lazy)
1 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon

butterfly the chicken breast. combine the lemon juice, zest, rosemary, smashed garlic, 2 tbsp olive, and salt & pepper (to taste) in a large ziploc bag. put the chicken breast in and let it marinate for 45 min. after the 45 minutes, bring a grill pan to high with a medium high flame. grill the chicken breast until it is cooked through (about 4 minutes on each side). allow the breast to rest (look, i rhymed!) for about 5 minutes. dice into small chunks.

preheat the broiler and bring a large pot of water up to a boil. when it gets to a rolling boil, salt it heavily and dump in the macaroni. cook until al dente. drain and set aside until cheese sauce is done.

to start the cheese sauce, add the butter and remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a deep ovenproof skillet. when it is melted, add the garlic and onions and allow it to sweat out. when the onions are translucent, sprinkle the flour in and cook for about a minute. then add the chicken stock and milk and allow it to thicken up a bit, for about 5-6 minutes. after the sauce base has thickened, add in the dijon mustard and tangy cheese. you can add more cheese if the sauce doesn't look thick enough, but you shouldn't need too much more than that. (remember, this is a "don't be a fatass" dish.) when the sauce is finished, add in the pasta and the diced chicken. mix it together well. sprinkle the extra 1/4 cup of cheese over the top and pop it under the broiler for about 3 minutes. bring it out and enjoy the yummy creamy goodness!!!

for the green beans:
using the same pot the pasta was cooked in, bring water up to a boil. add the green beans and cook for only 30 seconds, just to blanch them. drain them and put them immediately into an ice bath. heat up the 2 tbsp of olive oil and add the garlic. saute for a minute, then add the green beans to the pan. season with salt & pepper to taste and cook for about 5-6 minutes until the beans get slightly charred along some sides. take off the heat and squeeze the lemon juice over all the beans and toss. something healthy to make you feel not so bad about eating mac & cheese!

not yo mama's tuna melt

my boyfriend/workout slavedriver has been lecturing me on eating more protein. i figured that the best way to do this was to add cheese and bread to it...hence, tuna melt!

i didn't want to have anything with mayo, so i decided to upgrade my tuna melt. instead of going the old school mayo route, i made my tuna a little fancier with capers and artichoke hearts. throw some provolone on that bad boy and butter it up...hot damn, that was a good sandwich!

not yo mama's tuna melt

1 can tuna, in water

1/4 small red onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp capers, drained

1/4 can artichoke hearts, drained & chopped

1/4 cup roasted red peppers, chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tbsp olive oil

salt & pepper

2 pieces of bread

1 slice provolone

1 slice mozzarella

1/2 tbsp butter (i used butter spray)

mix all the ingredients (tuna through olive oil) in a bowl. salt & pepper to taste. heat a small frying pan or griddle under medium heat. place the prepared tuna between the bread & cheese, using the cheese as glue for the bread to melt onto the tuna. spread the butter on both sides of the sandwich and place in the pan/griddle. cook until the sandwich is golden brown on both sides.

mmmmmm, tuna melt.

weekend brunches rule

i woke up saturday morning and asked kiran what she wanted for breakfast: sweet or savory. after waffling between the two for 5 minutes, i finally made the decision for her and decided to make both! i had read a couple different recipes for egg crepes online and decided this would be a good time to try it out.

sweet or savory egg crepes

(this makes about 14-15 little crepes in a small frying pan)

3 eggs

6 tbsp water

salt

cooking spray

for sweet:

5 tbsp granulated sugar

2 tbsp cinnamon

for savory:

filling from stuffed eggplants

shredded mozzarella

beat the eggs, water, and pinch of salt together. beat them well, until they are completely incorporated together. make sure the whites are fully mixed in. you may need to beat them while making the crepes if they start to separate.

heat a nonstick pan with medium heat. don't allow the pan to become scorching hot. spray the pan with the cooking spray before each crepe. take the pan off the heat and pour enough of the egg mixture to just coat the bottom of the pan. swirl the mixture around to coat the bottom in a thin layer with the eggs. allow to cook slowly over the medium heat. after it has solidified a little bit, carefully loosen the edges with a spatula. when the top of the egg layer looks set, shimmy the mixture in the pan and slide off onto a plate. repeat for as many times as needed to use up the remainder of the egg mixture. you may need to wipe out the pan after about 4-5 crepes.

you can them roll them up with whatever stuffing you choose. i stuffed some of them with the eggplant stuffing and shredded mozzarella and rolled them up. for the sweet ones, i mixed the cinnamon and sugar together (to make cinnamon sugar - who'da thunk it) and sprinkled it on the inside of the crepe and on top after it was rolled up. the cinnamon sugar ones were awesome because there was this great mix of salt and sweet in it.

a little labor intensive, but so good!

i love the weekend!!!

is it just me, or did this week just drag on forever? i was SO happy that friday finally rolled around. not only is it a long weekend, but i had a bunch of produce to use up! my roommate kiran and i have lived together for almost 4 years now, and during that time, i have converted her to enjoying (working on loving) vegetables. she now buys random vegetables for me to cook for her. her choices this week? eggplant and asparagus. my friend cmoore came over for dinner too, so it became an awesome girls' night in (dessert included)!

girls' night in

stuffed eggplant, grilled asparagus, and roasted garlic shmear (drooling yet?)

dessert: nectarine-blueberry crumble

2 heads (whole) garlic, plus 2 cloves, chopped

olive oil

1 1/4 lb ground turkey

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1 bunch asparagus, 3 stalks chopped, rest reserved whole

6 mushrooms, chopped

1/4 cup roasted red peppers, chopped

7-8 greek olives, chopped

2 carrots, grated

1 tbsp honey

1 large eggplant

1 lemon

1 french loaf

for the dessert:

3 nectarines, pitted & chopped

1 small pack of blueberries

1 1/2 cups instant oatmeal

2-3 tbsp butter, softened & chopped

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 dashes of cinnamon

preheat the oven to 400 degrees. take the 2 heads of garlic and chop off the top 1/4-1/2 inch of them so the cloves are exposed. put each head of garlic in foil and drizzle 1 tsp of olive oil over each head and wrap them individually. place on a baking sheet and put in the oven for 30-45 minutes until they are soft and buttery. when they are cool, squeeze them out into a small bowl and mash with a fork into a shmear.

while the garlic is cooking, cut the eggplant in half lengthwise. scoop out the insides of the eggplant, leaving a 1/4-1/2 inch of flesh on the skin. chop up the inside flesh of the eggplang. heat up 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet. brown the ground turkey in the hot oil, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. add in the chopped garlic and onions and allow to sweat out for a bit. then add in the peppers, chopped eggplant, asparagus, mushrooms, olives,

carrots, and honey. cook everything together until the mixture is all heated through. (at this point, i think i would have added a 14 oz can of tomato sauce, but i didn't have any on hand. next time!) fill the eggplant halves with the turkey mixture. (you'll have extra that you can use as leftovers...check out the next post.) place the halves on a baking sheet. drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt & pepper over the eggplants and put into the oven for about 15 minutes.

heat a grill pan on medium high. toss the whole asparagus in olive oil, salt & pepper. place on the grill and cook for about 5-7 minutes, until it is grilled and cooked through.

split the french loaf in half and toast in the broiler. serve with the roasted garlic shmear.

when the eggplant is ready, cut into sections. squeeze lemon juice over the eggplant and grilled asparagus.

for the dessert, combine the nectarines and blueberries in 3 small, individual pyrex bowls with the cinnamon. in a separate bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, and oatmeal. mix them with your fingers. portion out the oats over each pyrex bowl and place into a 450 degree oven. cook for about 15-20 minutes, until the oats are crispy and bubbling. serve with ice cream (if you have it). yeeeeeah. :)

nom nom...leftovers!

i was watching the rachael ray show the other day (yes, i dvr it and watch it - bite me), and she had a segment on a family that hates leftovers and refuses to eat them. first of all, if that had been me as a child (or that husband - shame on you!), i would've been smacked. second of all, i friggin' love leftovers! it basically becomes another ingredient for you to use in a dish.

as you may remember, i made a buttload of pot roast last week, and ended up with a lot o' extra meat. i also went out to eat at wood ranch that weekend (i <3 garlic rolls), and had a giant portion of roast chicken left over. what did i do with all this leftover meat? smother them in bbq sauce...ooooh yeah.

volv wants bbq...RAWR.

i started making my own bbq sauce last year as an experiment. it's become one of my new favorite things to experiment with! you can make it sweet, tangy, spicy...whatever your pleasure. here's (one of) my recipes:

it'll make ya feel better bbq sauce
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp ground mustard
1/2 tbsp cumin
1/2 tbsp ground coriander
1 pinch cayenne
1/2 tbsp brown sugar
2 oz (2 shots) of whiskey (that's what'll make you feel better)
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp worchestershire sauce

throw it all into a saucepan. mix and simmer.

while the bbq sauce was simmering, i sauteed up some mushrooms and onions in olive oil and threw in the leftover roasted chicken (shredded) and leftover pot roast (shreeded). i poured the bbq sauce over the whole thing and there it was: delicious leftover goodness. HOLLA!