get me dressed/saturday night bbq

Saturday evening our friends decided to throw an impromptu bbq, which was awesome because Darrell & I had no sitter planned, and it's always easier for us to bring Claire with us to a friend's private home.  Not so easy?  Getting dressed for the night.  I think I spent 30 minutes tearing my closet apart, because so far summer has been really mild & I've been able to stay more covered up; Saturday it was over 100 degrees!  After convincing my husband I'd totally lost it, I managed to pull together this incredibly basic but comfy outfit, which is actually a dress I deemed too bare on top combined with a simple black tee.  On a side note, why do all the clothes you used to think were downright conservative suddenly seem too short, too tight, too revealing once you become a mom?  

Since this style post isn't too instructive, I thought I'd better tell you about the cocktail I'm drinking.  It's a super refreshing low calorie sipper that's perfect for this late summer heat wave.  

Strawberry Basil Prosecco

1 bottle prosecco

15-ish strawberries

10 basil leaves

In a blender or food processor, combine the strawberries and basil until pureed.  Mix together the puree & prosecco, and add to the top several "smacked" basil leaves (clap the leaves between your hands to release the flavor!)  When pouring for guests, serve over ice.  

linguine with tomato cream sauce

Pasta is kind of my jam lately (okay, and all carbs) and last week I sort of invented this sauce to make it more than just "spaghetti dinner" because we had all these things in our kitchen.  Actually, we had 50% linguine & 50% fettucine, a combination I don't really recommend at all because they cook for different lengths of time, so I'm choosing to guide you towards 100% linguine.  You're welcome.  

Linguine with Tomato Cream Sauce (serves 4)

what you'll need: 

1 box of linguine

1 28 oz can san marzano tomatoes (ideally, but any whole tomatoes are fine)

1/2 tbsp of minced garlic

1 small yellow onion, diced

4 tbsp butter

1 tsp red chili flakes

handful of torn fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup of cream

salt & pepper

how to make it: 

1. In a large saucepan, combine all the ingredients except the pasta and cream. Bring it to just a boil, then simmer for 45 minutes.  Season with salt & pepper about halfway through the cooking time, tasting to make sure it's how you like it.  

2.  Towards the end of that 45 minutes, cook your pasta.  Before you drain it, save about 1/4 cup of pasta cooking water.  

3.  Add the pasta cooking water & cream to the tomato sauce mixture, and stir it up.  Let it cook for about a minute more, just to thoroughly warm the cream.  Taste for seasoning one more time and make any needed adjustments.  

4.  Toss the pasta with the sauce and serve with a generous sprinkle of parmesan cheese.  It's allllll about the cheesy creaminess here.  

two things i want to make

pain au chocolate/sauteed gnocchi in simple garlic butter sauce

Since Pinterest has become so popular, it's gotten to where it's sometimes a bit cumbersome to wade through.  I thought it would be fun to start a new series highlighting just two recipes I want to make, both found on the inspirational site.  

This week, I'm actually going to attempt making my own Pain au Chocolat.  It's a time consuming process (mostly making the croissant dough) but I've enjoyed baking bread so much that I'm wanting a new challenge.  I'll let you know how this one turns out.  

I don't know if I'll actually get around to making the gnocchi (I'd love to, but Darrell will probably chide me for making such an unhealthy dinner) but I think it's worthy of a Saturday night in!  Plus, I've never made gnocchi before so that could be a fun thing to tackle as a pair.  

easy homemade bread

I've been itching to do a post about my bread making adventures for a while, but wanted to make sure my methods were thoroughly tested before I sent you into your own kitchens on a hope and a prayer.  I think at this point I've got a pretty foolproof method for baking bread at home - and here's why I think it's important: 

Everywhere you look is a diet book or blog telling you "bread is evil."  Yes, bread as we know it in the store today is total crap.  It's full of preservatives, has ingredients like antibiotic & growth hormone treated milk, and that's not even the worst part.  Bleached flour?  Why do I want to eat bleach?  No one wants to feed their family bleach.  But because the task of baking it ourselves sounds insurmountable and old fashioned, and because Ezekial bread (the only really acceptable form of pre-made sliced bread in the market) costs $5 a loaf and tastes like, well, Ezekial bread, we keep buying things like "Healthy Life" bread.  Which, by the way, only has 45 calories per slice for a reason: it's not real food.  

Eventually you decide that either you'll have to give up bread....which is no life to live at all.  Bread is delicious.  Alternatively you can try out this recipe and eat better bread than you ever have before - and I promise you won't be instantly transported back to the kitchens of Downton Abbey.  This whole process has an active work time of about 30 minutes, I kid you not.  This sourdough recipe is my current favorite.  

Sourdough Bread

3 1/2 cups of flour 

(this can be bread flour, whole wheat flour, all purpose unbleached flour, etc.  Just please don't use bleached flour. I haven't tested any gluten-free flours yet but I don't see why an all-purpose gluten free flour wouldn't work.  Let me know if you try it!)  

1/4 cup sourdough starter*

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 cups very HOT water

(many recipes call for purified, but I personally just don't think you need to have a Brita pitcher to make homemade bread.  My tap water worked just fine.)  

*On the note of the sourdough starter - I purchased mine via Amazon here.  It shows up at your doorstep and you add a little water and flour to it every day for a week.  Then once you've decided it's big enough, you store it in the fridge and "feed" it once a week.  It's basically like a very low maintenance pet that keeps you from ever having to buy yeast.  I was very intimidated by it until I actually tried it, and realized how simple it is to keep one.  

Making Your Bread

1. In a big bowl, mix the flour and salt together.  Fill a separate bowl with either 1 1/2 cups hottest water from your tap, or if your tap water doesn't get very hot just microwave it.  Add to that 1/4 cup of your sourdough starter (which will very likely be the consistency of taffy.)  If your water isn't hot enough, your starter won't dissolve well, and then when you mix it into the dough some parts of the bread will be more "sour" than others.  After I remove 1/4 cup of the sourdough starter I feed it again with 1/3 cup flour & 1/4 cup hot water.  Then it goes back into the fridge until you need more bread.

2.  Pour your water & starter mix into your flour mixture and stir to combine, but don't overmix it.  It doesn't need to look like a perfectly round ball of dough at this point.  Cover it tightly with plastic wrap, and let it rise for 18 hours.  I'd like to point out that I totally understand many of us don't have time to schedule our lives around a dough-rising schedule, so if your dough only rises for 16 hours or as many as 22, it will turn out just fine.  Just maybe don't start at a time that will make it impossible for you to continue the process 16-22 hours later.

3.  When you come back to it, your dough will be considerably larger (like the photo above.)  Flour a work surface generously - I just spread out parchment paper to avoid a mess.  Flatten your dough out a bit, flour it well, and then fold it onto itself until it forms a ball.  Cover that with plastic wrap and let it rest on your counter for 15 minutes.  

4.  This is the final proofing step - I swear you will get to eat eventually!  It's a lot of prep steps, but fortunately most of them take 5 minutes.  Line a bowl with a heavily floured towel, set your ball of dough in, and fold the towel over the top.  Let rise for two more hours.  

5.  An hour and a half into the proofing stage, preheat your dutch oven.  I used a cast iron soup pot, but any really large heat resistant pot with a lid will be just fine.  Set the oven to 500 degrees, and place your pot inside for 30 minutes.  

6.  Remove your heated pot from the oven, and then gently place your proofed dough inside.  Your dough does not have to reach the edges of the pan - it will spread as needed, just make it a nice shape in the center.  I frequently burn myself during this step, be really careful!  

My bread didn't stick at all, but if you're really nervous about it you can line your pan with parchment paper.  If you decide to do this, your dough may not have as nice of a crust.  Definitely don't grease your pan, it will smoke.  

7.  Cover your pot and place it in the oven for 30 minutes at 500 degrees.  After 30 minutes, remove the lid and reduce your oven temperature to 450.  Bake for another 10-15 minutes - keep an eye on it, mine was done after 10, some ovens may take longer.

8.  Remove your bread from the oven, pop it out of the pot, and place on a wooden cutting board to cool.  Make sure you share while it's fresh out of the oven, that's the best part!  I eat it plain with butter or jam, it's wonderful with soup, and also makes great sandwiches and French Toast.  The bread will last 4 or 5 days before getting too hard.  Possibly more if you keep it in a Ziploc in the fridge!  

sunday morning oatmeal

I know what you're thinking.  

"Oatmeal...on Sunday morning?  Nope, oatmeal is for Monday, when I feel bad about all the food I ate during the weekend.  Sunday is for pancakes."  

I would've agreed with you, before I tried my oatmeal this way.  But this oatmeal is worthy of a Sunday morning.  This oatmeal is like toasty cobbler topping, without all the guilt.  It takes a little more effort than microwaving the oats and water in a bowl, but it's still incredibly easy and you even get a 10 minute break to savor your coffee and finish up your makeup.  

The Best Oatmeal Ever (serves one)

What You'll Need:

1 tbsp butter

1/2 cup whole oats (not the instant kind)

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup milk

1/8 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp cinnamon

optional (these are just the toppings I like, but use whatever you want!)

1/2 sliced banana

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp peanut butter

1 tbsp granola

splash of milk

Instructions:

1.  In a small saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat and swirl it around to coat the bottom of the pan.  

2.  Toss in the oats, and toast them until they're nice and fragrant, about 3 minutes.  Stir them every minute or so.  

3.  Dump the oats into your bowl, and then remove the pan from heat to cool it a bit.  Cool it enough so that when you drop in a bit of your milk, it doesn't immediately burn off.  

4.  Set the pan back on the burner and pour in your milk, water, sea salt, cinnamon, and vanilla.  Bring this to a low simmer.  

5.  Pour the oats back in and stir.  Put a lid on the pan and remove it from the heat.  Let the oatmeal steam for 10 minutes, or until the liquid is almost completely absorbed.  

6.  Go finish your makeup, or since it's Sunday just sit and read the paper for a bit.  

7.  Dump the oats into your serving bowl and arrange your toppings.  Enjoy!  

Drinking Chocolate with Nutella

I really had planned to call this recipe just "Perfect Hot Chocolate" because it is, to me.  For everyone else, who likes their hot chocolate like Swiss Miss, it may be a bit much.  That's why I ended up going with drinking chocolate - because this is as close as you're going to get to actually drinking chocolate.  This is a "Christmas movies with the family, snow falling outside," serious hot chocolate.  Plus, there's Nutella in it, and Nutella makes everything 10x better.

What You'll Need: 

2.5 cups whole milk

4 tbsp cocoa powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 a vanilla bean

4 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp Nutella

a generous amount of marshmallows!

To make it: 

In a small saucepan, heat milk over medium heat.  Add the cocoa powder and whisk it in as thoroughly as possible.  Then add the cinnamon, sugar, and the scraped out the inside of the vanilla bean.  Keep heating the cocoa until it's to optimal serving temperature (to me that is just before boiling).

Stir in the Nutella quickly, and serve immediately.

Don't be stingy with the marshmallows - as many as everyone wants, even if that means adding more mid-mug.

On a related note, the holidays can be really stressful, so if you feel like replacing that Nutella with Bailey's (I wouldn't recommend using both) you go right ahead.  Just make sure you don't end up on the naughty list!  

*photography by danny robinson

vegetarian football chili

If your husband is anything like mine, this time of year you are pretty sick of sports.  We're usually still playing baseball in October (because the Cardinals are so awesome) and then of course there's football!  I try to get excited when I care - I do love the Cardinals, and I like to cheer on my alma mater, the University of Illinois.  Mostly though, I stick to cooking the game time food.  Chili is my specialty, and if you're looking for a still-hearty vegetarian version, this is my favorite!  

Vegetarian Crockpot Chili

What you'll need: 

1 lb of frozen veggie crumbles

1 giant can Brooks hot chili beans

2 minced jalepeno peppers (I don't de-seed mine, but I like it spicy!)

1 can of rotel, original

1 yellow onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 28 oz can of tomato sauce

1 tsp cumin

1 tbsp chili powder

Make it: 

I keep this pretty simple.  No pre-sauteeing, no fancy slice and dicing.  It all cooks perfectly in the crock pot, so it isn't really necessary!  

Thaw your veggie crumbles in the microwave, and then add EVERYTHING to the crockpot.  

Keep it on low/simmer all day if you're throwing it together before work.  Just make sure it simmers for at least 4 hours.  

Ladle into soup mugs, top with cheddar cheese, and serve!  

100 calorie pumpkin bars

I got the itch to bake something today, and since it really felt like autumn when I stepped outside with the pups this morning, I went for something seasonal.  

These were really yummy, but not in a decadent dessert kind of way - more like you would feel okay eating them for breakfast!  Which I will most likely do tomorrow morning.  

What You'll Need: 

1 1/2 cups Whole Grain Unbleached Flour
1/2 Cup Almond Flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp coconut oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened
2 tbsp agave
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups canned pumpkin

3 tbsp brown sugar

1/3 cup baking stevia or 6 stevia packets
Cream Cheese Frosting 

(take these measurements x 1.5 for thicker frosting, but they jump up to around 150 calories then)  
8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Directions
1.  Set out the cream cheese to soften, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  

2.  Whisk together flours.  Mix wet ingredients, including pumpkin.  

3.  Add 3 tbsp brown sugar and stevia to wet ingredients.  

4.  Mix wet ingredients into dry, and spread into a baking pan.  I used a 9x11, but honestly I think a 9x13 would've worked better. 

 

5.  Bake for 18 minutes.  You'll know they're done because your house will start to smell like Christmas.  

6.  For the icing, whip together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and softened cream cheese.  

I like to spread the icing over the bars when they're still  a little warm, that way it melts a bit and spreads out evenly.  

Stick them in the fridge for an hour to firm up, and then serve!  

kung pao tofu

I know, it's been pathetically long since I've last posted a recipe!  I cook every night, but sometimes like any bad blogger, I forget to take pictures.  Not today, though - this my friends, is a really good one.  

I'm sure some of you have husbands who can cook, yes?  Well, mine really can't.  I mean, he can boil veggies and put a salt & peppered piece of fish on the grill, but I tend to feel a little guilty about letting it come to that.  With all the STL Fashion week events happening, I'm not home during dinnertime much lately so I was on the hunt for a foolproof recipe I could make and leave for him.  

Kung Pao Tofu

What You'll Need

1 package extra firm tofu

1 tbsp canola oil

1/2 cup diced onion

2 tbsp ginger, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp mirin

2 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp fish sauce

4 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sriracha

2 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp red pepper flakes

2 1/2 cups cooked brown rice

1 lb bag mixed asian veggies

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Get Cooking!  

Press your tofu.  I have a very scientific method of laying the tofu between paper towels and plastic wrap, and piling heavy books on top.  If you own a tofu press, by all means use it!  

Preheat the oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Once pressed, cut the tofu into cubes and toss with 2 tbsp of the soy sauce and the sriracha.  Bake in a single layer on the sheet for about 15 minutes.  

The tofu should come out looking about like the second picture.  Nicely browned on the edges.  

Set the veggies to steaming.  I use a stovetop method, but you can always use a steamer or simply microwave them with a little water.  

While that's going on, warm the oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion, ginger, and garlic and sautee until it's all soft, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the mirin & vinegar and simmer until they start to reduce a bit.  Then add the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, and fish sauce.  

Once the sauce begins to thicken up again, add the tofu and toss to coat.  

Here, you have two options.  If you're making this at dinnertime, divide the rice and veggies between 5 serving plates and top it off with the tofu & peanuts.  If you're making it at 3 in the afternoon so that your husband will have something to eat for dinner, separate the rice, veggies, and tofu into Tupperwares and leave reheating instructions on the counter!  

creamy asparagus soup

So, I wasn't the only one who overindulged on BBQ & beer this weekend, was I?  

Yeah, I wasn't too terribly happy about my holiday-weekend eating choices.  To get myself back on track yesterday, I decided to make something with asparagus, which is one of those magic foods that makes you shed excess water weight.  It's also delicious, so yay for health food!  Well, if you don't count the heavy cream & butter.  Moderation, people!  

What You'll Need: 

3 tbsp butter

1 bunch of asparagus, woody ends snapped off

1/2 bag of frozen leeks, or 3 fresh leeks trimmed & chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups of vegetable broth

salt & pepper

1/2 cup heavy cream or greek yogurt

1/2 cup shredded parmesan

Directions: 

1.  Turn your burner to medium high, set on a medium saucepan, and melt the butter.  

2.  Add the garlic and leeks, and stir until the garlic is a little browned up.  

3.  Add the vegetable broth, bring it to a simmer, and let it get infused with the garlic and leek flavor for about 10 minutes.  Season well with salt & pepper to taste.  Don't be shy!  

4.  Toss in the asparagus, and boil for 8 minutes.  

5.  Throw the soup in a blender along with the cream or yogurt, and blend to the consistency you want.  Since there's no real thickener here (i.e. no potatoes) I left it a tad chunky, but whatever you like!  

6.  Divide into bowls and top with parmesan, and serve.  

no guilt pancakes

So I know that around the internet right now, there are about 1000 versions of this recipe.  In experimenting with a lot of them, I've figured out that many of the recipes have flaws, and don't really tell you the tricks to getting them to turn out well.  They're sort of easy to screw up, because they AREN'T just like real pancakes.  What they are though, is totally delicious, and call me crazy but I actually prefer them to the real thing!  

So below, my foolproof recipe.  

Protein Pancakes

1 scoop protein powder, roughly 3 tbsp (I use Perfect Fit by Tone It Up, but I've also had GREAT results with Trader Joe's chocolate whey protein, and you need 2 scoops of that brand)

1/4 cup egg whites

1/2 mashed up banana (don't sub applesauce)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp ground flax seeds

2 tbsp milk of your choice

2 tbsp oats

1.  Heat up a pan greased with a little canola spray or Pam to medium heat.  No higher, you don't want to rush the cooking with these!  

2.  Thoroughly mash the banana, then combine all the ingredients, adding the banana last.  

3.  I find that making one big pancake works the very best.  If you're dead set on making a few little ones, use a VERY wide pan.  These are a bit harder to flip than the real thing.  Once you've poured out the batter, drizzle in your mix-ins, whether it's a few blueberries, some pecans, or chocolate chips.  Flip the pancake once it seems pretty firm on one side - as in, almost cooked completely through.  It will take a bit, about 5 minutes, but if these cook too fast on the outside they'll be raw on the inside, and the texture won't be any good.  

4.  Flip it over and cook for another 1-2 minutes, and then serve.  I like to top with 1/4 cup real maple syrup or some vanilla greek yogurt!  

what i'm loving this wednesday

1.  Glass bottles, of all shapes and sizes!  Whether it's from vinegar or olive oil, honey or simple syrup, you'd be hard pressed to get me to throw out a glass bottle of any kind right about now.  I've been dishwashing and saving them all for future storage or floral opportunities.  You never know how pretty they are until you've cleaned off the paper label - even a ketchup bottle.  

2.  Vintage blue china.  I'm a little obsessed with this one - I've got my eye on a set I sort of "hid" on a shelf in an antique mall in my town.  I hope to bring it home soon, much to the chagrin of my husband, who says we already have too much of our kitchen storage taken up by an excess of dishes!  

3.  This stone fruit bake; I haven't gotten around to making it yet, but peaches + balsamic + ice cream?  How can that be bad?  A weekend dessert that's in my plans, for sure.  

4.  The Bee's Knees = gin, honey simple syrup (just use the honey like normal syrup), and lemon juice.  Simple and perfect.   

drink photo: not without salt   dessert: cookie & kate

Spicy Panzanella

So I realized as I opened this post, that I am planning to eat three salads today.  No, I'm not on some crazy diet.  It's just that hot.  This one is definitely my current favorite!  I would like to congratulate whoever came up with the idea to put bread in salad.  That's true brilliance.

Make it stat, while the tomatoes are still good enough to eat like apples.  The fancy salt is crucial.  A summer tomato with table salt is just a tomato with table salt.  A summer tomato with Maldon salt is what I figure God snacks on year round.

Spicy Panzanella

Dressing Ingredients
1/2 serrano chili - seeds left in, or removed if you aren't a spice person
2 garlic cloves
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp agave nectar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Blitz all these in a small food processor or blender!

Salad Ingredients

5 or 6 large assorted tomatoes.  Beefsteak & Roma were my favorites for this, but mixing in green and yellow ones looks pretty.
1/2 loaf of sorta stale french bread.  3 days old is just about perfect.
8 oz fresh mozzarella.  Buffalo is better, but I couldn't find it!
1/4 red onion
Handful of basil leaves
Maldon salt
Fresh cracked pepper


1.  Cut the tomatoes and bread into 1-2 inch chunks.  Slice the onion super thin.  Tear the mozzarella into smallish bites.
2.  Mix tomatoes, bread, mozzarella, and onion together.  Douse with the vinaigrette and get it all mixed up well, with your hands.
3.  Let sit in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
4.  Remove from the fridge, shred the basil leaves by hand and scatter over the salad, and douse the whole mess with a large pinch of Maldon salt.  Crack pepper over the top, not too much.
5.  Serve, with a bowl of extra Maldon salt on the side for anyone who likes a little more.

watermelon pizza

This is probably the simplest recipe I'm ever going to post, if you can even call it a recipe!  

Here in the south (Missouri counts as the south, right?), we do something people elsewhere consider a bit funny.  We eat our watermelon with salt.  Not like a drizzle of salt, more like a large pinch of kosher or coarse sea salt.  

I can't even imagine eating watermelon just on its own, sweet as can be.  This recipe is, ideally, how I'd eat watermelon every day all day in the summertime.  As far as I'm concerned, it's the perfect lunch.  

Watermelon Pizza

One whole (small-ish, unless you want to lose a hand) watermelon, cut with a BIG knife into rounds.  

Feta Cheese - any kind, fat free, whole milk, whatever you like.  

1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar

Handful Fresh Basil

1. Make the balsamic vinegar into a reduction.  Put it into a small saucepan on the stove, and turn up the heat until it boils.  Immediately at that point reduce the heat to a simmer, and stir until it thickens slightly.  Do NOT leave this alone - 5 seconds is all it take to turn balsamic reduction into balsamic paste.  Also, it will continue to thicken as it cools, so don't take it quite to that syrup point.  Remove from heat and set aside.  

2.  Sprinkle watermelon with feta crumbles, torn basil leaves, and then drizzle on the reduction.  

4.  Cut, serve, and enjoy!!!

motorino brussels sprouts pizza

This is my current favorite pizza recipe!  I went to the famous Motorino pizzeria when I was in New York a couple months ago, and it was honestly the best pizza I've ever had in the US.  (Nothing will ever top Gusta Pizza in Florence, Italy.  For all my stateside searching, it's a sad fact I've had to accept.)  I knew I wanted to recreate their famous brussels sprouts pizza, so when I found a basic method for whipping it up I went for it!  It turned out to be so delicious.  This may be sacrilege to New Yorkers, but I actually think this version was better than the real thing!   

Here's what you'll need for the crust: 

1 package active dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 cup warm water

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

and for the pizza: 

6-8 large brussels sprouts leaves.  Rip them off individually, don't chop!  

fresh mozzarella or mozzarella slices

3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 cup parmesan shreds

olive oil

sea salt

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 450.  To make the crust, combine the yeast and water and let sit for 10 minutes.  Stir in flour, salt, and oil until well combined, and then let sit for 10 minutes.  Transfer crust to a lightly greased pan or pizza stone, and roll into a rectangle or circle.  

Lay out mozzarella to almost cover the pizza, then sprinkle on brussels sprouts, garlic slices, and parmesan.  Drizzle olive oil lightly on all of it, and then sprinkle with sea salt and crushed red pepper flakes.  

Bake for 20 minutes, until the edges are nicely browned and the cheese is a little browned as well.  

The leftovers are exceptionally good reheated the next day and topped with a poached egg!  

poached mahi mahi with ginger and cilantro

Sometimes, after a long weekend (like when your brother-in-law's girlfriend turns 21 and you totally tried & failed to keep up with the celebrating) you need some realllllly healthy food.  Some really healthy food that is crazy fast, easy, and also somewhat cheap, because you don't know what you spent all that money on, but it is definitely gone from your bank account and you aren't getting it back.  

Okay, I digress, but when those sort of things happen, I make this.  

Poached Mahi Mahi with Ginger and Cilantro

1 1/2 cup dry white wine or vegetable broth

1 tbsp finely chopped ginger

4 green onions, halved long ways

dash of soy sauce

2 tbsp lime juice

2 mahi mahi filets - any white fish is great, but particularly mahi and halibut

salt and pepper, to taste

12 cilantro sprigs

1 lime, sliced into wedges

1/2 avocado, sliced

Put wine or broth, ginger, green onions, soy, and lime juice into a deep skillet and simmer over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.  Season mahi with salt and pepper on both sides, then arrange in skillet.  Toss the cilantro all over the top, cover the dish tightly, and then simmer until the fish is cooked through, about 10 minutes.  

Put a filet on each plate, then squeeze lime slices over each piece and layer avocado on top.  Top each with a spoonful of poaching liquid.  I love to serve this with green beans, lightly steamed and sauteed in sesame oil and a squeeze of sriracha.  

roasted radishes

When we were at home in Mt. Vernon, IL this weekend we were greeted with summer full force, including pretty much all the vegetables we could ever want.  My husband comes from a family of farmers, and although they don't operate large scale farms in the way they used to, they still have overflowing gardens.  

But, I asked myself, what does one do with 2 pounds of radishes?  I can't eat salad that fast!  

So I did a little research, and made up this yummy recipe.  It was so good my husband ate it faster than the fish I served it with (recipe HERE), so I had to share.  

Lemon Butter Roasted Radishes

1 lb radishes, cleaned, trimmed, and cut in half for the bigger ones

2 tbsp olive oil

sea salt

fresh cracked pepper

juice of half a lemon

zest of the same lemon

1 tbsp butter

1.  Preheat oven to 400 F.  

2.  Toss all the ingredients except zest and butter together in a bowl.  

3.  Spread radishes on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes.  They should be fork tender when finished.  

4.  Adjust seasonings as needed, and toss with lemon zest and butter to coat.  Serve!  

summer salad series/watermelon basil feta

If you're lucky enough to have good watermelon this early in the season, then it's pretty much required that you make this salad.  

I'm from southern Illinois, and we have a very distinct way of eating watermelon around here.  We salt it.  I know, it sounds crazy, but if you like chocolate dipped pretzels and candied peanuts, you might get where I'm coming from.  Salted watermelon is the ultimate in salty-sweet, and so is this salad.  

Watermelon & Feta Salad

serves 2

1.5 cups watermelon, cubed

3 cups arugula

handful fresh basil leaves, shredded

2 oz feta cheese

olive oil and balsamic, whisked together

plenty of salt and pepper

Basically, you toss everything but the dressing together, then mix in the dressing and season to your liking.  Pretty simple, really delicious.  

my favorite kale salad

There is a time for brownies, but that time is not today.  After a few weeks of pretty indulgent food (Jazzfest and all the Cajun, Cinco de Mayo and soooo many margaritas) I need to step up my healthy game this week.  Which means kale salad.  

I actually looooove kale salad.  I have no issue eating it instead of a sandwich and french fries, and it takes very little work to put together.  

Here is my favorite recipe: 

Serves 2

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp champagne or white wine vinegar

3 mashed garlic cloves

1 minced anchovy (not required, but I like them!)

dash of coarse salt

pinch of red pepper flakes

1 bunch of kale, any type

1/4 cup shredded parmesan, and a few shavings for the top

1 tbsp breadcrumbs

1.  In a large bowl, whisk olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic cloves, anchovy, salt, and red pepper flakes together to make the dressing.  

2.  Add kale and toss to coat it.  Let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes or so.  This softens up the kale and takes some of the bitterness out.  

3.  Add grated cheese and breadcrumbs just before serving, topping with a few shavings.  

Note: you can refrigerate this until it's cold again before serving after step two, but I don't mind it a bit warm.  This also keeps in the fridge for about two days.  

and now, back to our regularly schedule programming

Well, I would love to say we've been so busy I haven't had time to post, but really I've just been taking a little break.  And it has been SO nice, especially having my husband at home with me the first week we have our new puppy.  He is SO cute, but quite the handful.  

Oh and uh, he does things like fall asleep like that - see his little paws over Darrell's legs?  

There have been lots of naps, lots of tea, and lots of movies.  I'm the weirdest girl ever and I went to Django instead of Les Mis, but it's on my list!  However, Django Unchained was AWESOME.  

Also, there have been lots of cookies.  Until yesterday, when I went for a great run, and made a really delicious and very healthy dinner.  

Lettuce Wrap Veggie Tacos 

(I tried hard to think of a way to make that sound more appealing.  I came up with nada, so just trust me on these.)  

ingredients

a few sprays of cooking oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1 package yves ground veggie beef, or morningstar veggie beef crumbles, or match ground "beef" (you get the idea, you can use real lean beef as well if you aren't vegetarian)

1 can of rotel tomatoes, with about half the liquid drained from the can

head of lettuce, peeled apart into cups - the key is the pull from the base of the leaf

1/2 cup fat free cheddar cheese

1/4 cup fat free sour cream

1/2 cup salsa (jarred is fine)

1.  Spray the pan with cooking spray, and heat over medium-high heat.  Add garlic cloves and sautee until fragrant.  Add the "beef," and cook until either warmed, or browned. 

2.  Add cumin, coriander, a little salt, and the half drained can of tomatoes.  Stir and cook until all the liquid from the tomatoes is absorbed.  

3.  To assemble your tacos, fill lettuce cups with beef mixture and topping of your choice. 

Each serving of three tacos has about 200 calories, so feel free to make this dinner for two if you're really hungry!  I found it pretty filling and we had leftovers.