Hey, everyone! Again, I'm sorry I'm not finding the time to post as often as I'd like but let me try to explain just a little bit so you don't think I gave up blogging or I'm just some big slacker. I think I told you last month that a restaurant wanted to feature a dish of mine. Well, scratch that. I made ONE dish for the owner and they decided they wanted me to reinvent their ENTIRE MENU!!! Umm...pressure much?! Basically, I'll be responsible for the success or failure of their business. This is not a restaurant that's having a hard time keeping their heads above water; the owner is just sick of the menu and wants "something fresh". So, I'm working a full time job, going to school, AND working on a restaurant's menu. I think since my last post, I've eaten half an apple and a bowl of cold noodles and I've slept maybe 4 hours. OH! I did get to go buy a new outfit though so I'd look both cute and professional while delivering my proposal to the head honchos. I got the cutest dang shoes on the planet (5 inch heels!..HELLO!) and when I wear them, I'm the tallest woman alive (not really but let me have my moment)! I bought white pants and I rock the snot out of them! I've never owned white pants before so this is going down in my baby book. The head honchos are currently out of town on vacation while I'm diligently working on running their restaurant into the ground, but when they return and I strut on over there with my ridiculously over-the-top presentation and my obsessively anal-retentive organization in my adorable new outfit, I'll try to remember to snap a pic and post it for you. If I forget, just picture me looking fantastic, okay?
I've been absent so long I can't even remember what recipes I've posted for you! Let me jot down two recipes I eat ALL THE TIME just so you've got something new to try. If these are repeats, just nod your head and smile and you can roll your eyes and talk bad about me when I leave the room.
Hot Veggie Sammich
Dash of olive oil (I always use extra virgin cuz it makes me feel like I'm conducting some sacrificial ritual)
1/4 red onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper (any color you like but I try to go with red or yellow), chopped OR 3 or 4 strips/chunks/blobs..whatever.. of roasted red pepper (usually in a jar found near the pickles or the canned veggies..depending on the store)
1 Tbs capers
3 button mushrooms, sliced
handful of fresh spinach (I leave mine whole but you could chop it if you like)
3 or 4 pieces of canned artichoke (usually found near the roasted red peppers and capers)
Heat the virgin over a flaming pit of soul-hungry demons or in a frying pan on med heat. Add onions and fresh peppers (if using fresh) and cook until they start to soften. I like my veggies still crunchy even after being cooked so I don't cook mine long at all, maybe a minute or two. I know a lot of people like them squishy so if that's you, I hope you're patient enough to saute onions for 5-6 minutes..cuz I'm not. After your onions are done to your liking, toss everything else in the pan and let it cook long enough to turn your spinach into that weird almost liquid-like wilty state it turns into when cooked. This is probably enough for two sandwiches so either be hungry or have a friend. I use Artisan dinner rolls for my bread (found in the freezer section). They're whole wheat, super nummy, bake in 7-9 mins, look fancy, and are big enough to fill me up when I'm not starving but small enough I can eat two when I am and not feel like a fat girl. Oh, and they aren't devastating calorically. You could also add vegan cheese (I'm quite fond of the pepper jack variation) but watch yourself because, even though it's not real cheese, the calories will add up quick! With the cheese left off and using good sense on the bread, this sandwich should run around 200 calories or less.
Salad
Handful of fresh spinach..okay, make it two handfuls
Handful of Romaine or red leaf lettuce (Iceberg has practically no nutritional value..it's basically crunchy water. Pick something darker green.)
Handful of fresh broccoli
1/4 red onion, chopped
Some of that fresh leftover bell pepper from the hot veggie sammich, chopped
Carrots, shredded (I use three baby carrots)
Radishes, chopped (I use two or three)
Tomatoes, grape or cherry (cuz they're cute and one less thing I have to chop)
1/4 cup dried cranberries (watch the calories on this item!)
1/4 cup (or less) of your favorite nuts. Peanuts, almonds, and cashews are my favorite. (high calorie warning!)
Any other vegetable on the planet, chopped
Wash, chop, and toss all that in a big bowl. Now let's talk about dressing options. Bottled dressings are evil. I'm crunched for time this morning (shocking, I know) so I won't be able to go into detail on why they're evil and show you the scientific research to back up my statement; you're just going to have to either believe me or do your own research. If you aren't into research but need more proof, here- "Bottled salad dressings are evil. Listen to Pif." That statement was taken from Dr. Fictitious from the Pseudo Research Laboratory in Spurious, California. There. Believe me now?
So what are your options? OH! OH! *raises hand and jumps up and down* I KNOW! PICK ME! You actually have more options than you realize. Let me share my two favorite with you (cuz I don't have enough time right now to share more). Pickled dressing and Salsa dressing. Don't look at me like that..they're good! Really!
Pickled Dressing
Jar of your favorite pickles (I use butter pickles that have jalapenos in the jar..they're called sweet and spicy something-or-other)
Jar of Banana peppers
Anything else pickled that comes in a jar that you like. I also use a jar of jalapeno relish.
I dump all this in a mixing bowl, mix them together, sometimes leave the pickles in slices and sometimes I chop them. That was absolutely a horrible sentence structure which included a comma splice but I don't really care. Let's move on. After I mix that together, I then refill the jars in which they came (but I pull the labels off so I don't get confused), making sure I also bottle the juice. I now have three jars of the same pickled salad dressing mix. I like pickles and I like spicy so I'll dump 1/3 or even 1/2 of a jar in my salad at a time (depending on the size of the salad). Tip- divide your salad into your serving before adding the topping. That salad is probably too big for most people to eat in one sitting so use the rest for tomorrow's lunch.
Salsa Dressing
Deep red juicy tomato (buy a tomato from the store and let it sit on the counter for a day or two..it will ripen)
Red onion, chopped
Cilantro
Squirt of lemon or lime juice
Dash of Turmeric (it's a spice..I didn't just make up that word)
Jalapenos, diced (wear gloves and wash your hands half a dozen times when you're done)
Chop your tomato directly over a bowl because you want all your tomato juice. Add all your ingredients (jalapenos are optional if you don't like spicy...but know that spices and food with "heat" actually raise your metabolism) and mix well. Turmeric and lemon juice help to cleanse your liver. Learn to love them.
You now have Salsa which goes deliciously over our salad. Again, I store the dressings separate from the salad so my salad lasts longer in the fridge and doesn't get all soggy from the dressings.
You could eat that entire salad, complete with either of our dressing options, for well under 300 calories (depending on how much nuts and cranberries you add).
Okay, I gotta run out the door! See ya soon!!
xoxox
