The last couple of months have been a whirlwind of working my buns off, and when not working, partying my buns off. Let’s just say, being healthy and exercising have taken a back burner. My schedule these days rarely allows for my nightly spin class/yoga, so instead I signed up for a month of basic training (bootcamp) at 7am Monday-Friday. Today began week two. Although I still haven’t completely gotten back to my lovely routine of staying in and cooking healthy dinners, I have gotten a couple in here and there. Last night I made Fattoush, a Middle Eastern salad that I am obsessed with. I have written about it here before, but I have made some changes to my Fattoush. I now add artichoke hearts, leave out the pita, keep the kalamata olives, add sumac, subtract cilantro and parsley, keep the mint and feta, substitute English cucumbers and baby heirloom tomatoes, and keep the chopped hearts of romaine, lemon vinaigrette and wild Alaskan Salmon.
Big Mouth Strikes Again
Travels and tales of an ex-vegetarian's culinary discoveries in a very meaty world.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Back in the Swing
The last couple of months have been a whirlwind of working my buns off, and when not working, partying my buns off. Let’s just say, being healthy and exercising have taken a back burner. My schedule these days rarely allows for my nightly spin class/yoga, so instead I signed up for a month of basic training (bootcamp) at 7am Monday-Friday. Today began week two. Although I still haven’t completely gotten back to my lovely routine of staying in and cooking healthy dinners, I have gotten a couple in here and there. Last night I made Fattoush, a Middle Eastern salad that I am obsessed with. I have written about it here before, but I have made some changes to my Fattoush. I now add artichoke hearts, leave out the pita, keep the kalamata olives, add sumac, subtract cilantro and parsley, keep the mint and feta, substitute English cucumbers and baby heirloom tomatoes, and keep the chopped hearts of romaine, lemon vinaigrette and wild Alaskan Salmon.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Asparagus soup is my favorite thing
When I see beautiful bunches of asparagus in the grocery store I always end up snatching them up solely because I know that I can make 100 different things with them. Last year I was obsessed with shaved asparagus salad with pancetta and a poached egg. Now I can't stop making this soup. My roommate, Katie, said it's the best soup she's ever had. And it's ridiculously easy and insanely flavorful. I think I have made this soup at least five times in the last couple of months. Total crowd pleaser ;)
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Meat Soup
I was looking for something to do with all of this leftover corned beef and I think I found it. I figured split pea soup usually calls for ham, but corned beef is pretty similar cuz it’s salty and I think it tastes better than ham. I love big hunks of meat in my soup and haven’t had yellow split peas in a while so I came up this little number. And don't worry, there is still plenty left to make Reubens for days. And I'm not talking about Paul.
Yellow Split Pea Soup with Corned Beef and Carrots
1 cup yellow split peas, rinsed and discolored peas discarded
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into ½ inch thick half moons
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 cup cooked corned beef cut into bite-sized pieces
1 32 oz box free-range low sodium chicken stock
2 cups water
2 tsp cumin
A splash of olive oil
S+P to taste
Chop up the onions and garlic. Heat olive oil in large pot. Add onions, garlic, carrots and cumin and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add split peas and corned beef and stir to combine. Let mingle for another couple of minutes then add the broth and water. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer over med/low heat for about an hour. Add S+P to taste. Enjoy!
Friday, March 18, 2011
Excessive Meat
Last year when I made corned beef and cabbage it was gone immediately and I had no leftovers with which to make hash, sandos, ect... So this year I thought that I'd better make extra, plus I guess I assumed that everyone would eat more than they actually did. Irish car bombs are pretty filling, after all. Plus, we started out with an assortment of cheeses and salami, including Sharp Irish Cheddar, Toma Trifulera (a soft, creamy cheese with a hint of truffles), and an awesome raw cow's milk cheese from Virginia called Appalachian that had a mild, buttery flavor with a hint of mushroom. So after a healthy amount of booze and cheese, I brought out about 10 lbs of corned beef, along with 3 loaves of Irish Soda Bread, and a massive amount of carrots, red potatoes, and cabbage. Even the dogs had their fill, and I am still left with a crap-load of food today. I made a really tasty hash for breakfast. I am planning on making something corned beef inspired for dinner too, like maybe split pea soup with corned beef instead of ham. We'll see. Any ideas?
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Irish Soda Bread
This was the first thing I made for myself when I moved into the dorms in college. I was probably trying to win friends, and if I remember correctly, it worked! My mom has made this recipe every St. Patty's Day since I can remember. She did not however make Corned Beef and Cabbage because my grandpa used to make it all the time and she hated it. I don't understand how anyone could hate corned beef; it's so salty and fatty. I'm not huge on cabbage anymore since I started this blood type diet, but for one night I'm going to go crazy. I bought three huge slabs of corned beef, two heads of cabbage, a huge bag of both red potatoes and carrots. This is going to be good. Bring on the Jaime!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
GTS: Gym, Tan, Soup
Ok, so I don’t tan, but I do make soup. However, not all soups are created equally. I tend to avoid tossing starches into the mix because it can become too heavy and by the next day your leftovers have turned into a thick stew or a pasta dish. But my friend Rose has been talking about this hearty, couscous-laden soup she made the other day that she claimed was still healthy. And so tonight, after an especially grueling day at work (and after plying her with some tasty Moscow Mules from Tipsy Pig), I convinced her to give me the recipe. Turns out she was right, it’s extremely satisfying, and if you use whole wheat couscous, you get a complete, healthy meal in one steaming bowl.
Rose’s Bomb Ass Soup
2 leeks, green parts discarded, white parts chopped (be sure to clean thoroughly)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Olive oil
1box of chicken broth (or veggie if you want this to be vegan)
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed.
1 bay leaf
2 tsp cumin
1 cup packed spinach
½ cup whole wheat couscous
¼ cup homemade hummus (optional)
S+P
In a large pot, heat about 2 tsp olive oil and sauté the onion, leeks and garlic until softened, about five minutes. Add the cannellini beans, bay leaf, cumin, and broth and bring to a boil. Add the couscous and spinach and turn down heat to low. After five minutes, turn off the heat, add S+P to taste and stir in the hummus. Turn on the latest episode of The Jersey Shore, plop down on the couch and enjoy!
Homemade Hummus
Juice of one lemon
1 tsp tahini
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
S+P
Put everything into a food processor and pulse until desired consistency. Add more olive oil and S+P to taste.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Soup's On!
I love this time of year when I don’t have to feel weird about eating soup all the time. I’m constantly cold in our drafty old house, and even when I’m bundled up in my new, hideous, fleece socks from dad and sexy UC Davis sweatsuit, all I can think about is warm, hearty soup. Last week, for example, I made asparagus soup one night, went out for ramen at Suzu in Japantown the next night (get the spicy miso ramen), and when I was sick again on Sunday I decided to brave the rain for Little Chihuahua’s Chicken Tortilla Soup. And so this morning, another rainy one, I perused the aisles of the new Whole Foods that just opened up on Haight, and decided on a beautiful head of cauliflower which turned into quite a lovely and velvety soup today. Even though I am usually the one who will throw an entire stick of butter into a soup, I am trying to do things a little healthier these days, and so I am cutting back and only using olive oil to sauté the onions and shallot and garlic in. Trust me, it’s still really tasty. But feel free to use as much butter as your heart desires.
Silky Cauliflower Soup
1 stick of butter (or 3 tbsp olive oil)
1 onion, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
4 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
1 head cauliflower, cut into medium-sized florets
Water
Salt
1 lemon, cut into fourths
In a soup pot melt the butter or heat up the olive oil. Add the onion, shallot, and garlic. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the cauliflower, thyme and bay leaf and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 more minutes. Add enough water to cover the vegetables and season with salt and pepper. Simmer over moderately low heat until the cauliflower is softened, about 25 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaf.
Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until very smooth. Squeeze a fourth of a lemon into each bowl . Enjoy!