Adventures of a healthy-ish pseudo-foodie

Woah yum. In case you haven't noticed, I've become a fan of oat bran muffins. Today, I wanted to use up some leftover chopped pears, and I came across  this Farmgirl Fare recipe  that would not only use the pears and oat bran, but also the candied ginger leftover from my (thankfully over) days of morning sickness. I made a couple of changes in the recipe, just for convenience: -I had no wheat bran, so I used 2 c oat bran and 1 c Fiber One cereal, ground in the food processor. -I was short on honey, so I used 1/3 c honey and 1/3 c brown sugar. -I was a little short on pears, so I filled it out with some applesauce. It was delicious, but I'll go 100% pear next time. These will be made again. They're delicious, hearty without being too heavy, and the pear and ginger flavors make them stand out from your ordinary muffin. I'd serve these for house guests or bring them to a brunch potluck... they're a winner. The Recipe: 2 c oat bran 1 c...

Like big pumpkin cookies. These are maybe a little bit too good. I want to snack on them all afternoon. They're fluffy and just the right amount of sweet, and they remind me of oversized pumpkin cookies. Next time I make them I'll have to add more healthy stuff - lots of ground flax seed and maybe some whole oats in addition to the oat bran? - just so I'm not as tempted to devour them all as unnecessary afternoon carbs. They're super easy and certainly healthy-ish in their current form, which I got from  this recipe . My only change was that I doubled it and then increased the amount of pumpkin by about 1/2 cup, so it would use up a 15oz can. Because although pumpkin lattes sound like a great idea, any leftover pumpkin in my fridge would likely go forgotten. I also used 2 whole eggs instead of 4 egg whites, again to avoid having any waste leftover. The Recipe: 3 c oat bran 1 c whole wheat flour 1 c brown sugar 4 tsp baking powder 2 tsp pumpkin...

It took me until day 3 of leftovers to finally take a picture. Imagine 3-day-fresher-looking tomato sauce on top, but it was delicious in this state too. First, I must brag that I made from scratch the ricotta cheese , the mozzarella cheese , and the tomato sauce (from fresh tomatoes that I'd canned) before assembling this casserole. I'd say that for a normal day in the future, the ricotta and the tomato sauce were definitely worth it to make from scratch. The mozzarella is slightly more of a project, so I'm more likely to buy that unless I'm really in the mood to make cheese. I should have written down what I did for the tomato sauce, because it was really good this time. My memory is that I sauteed 1/2 an onion in olive oil until translucent, added 3 cloves of garlic and stirred, then immediately added 2 pints of tomatoes with some salt, basil, and oregano. I thought it would need a little bit of sugar, but I tasted it and it was plenty sweet, probably just...

Must. Not. Eat. Toasted. Marshmallow. Until. After. Photo. Is. Taken. In the next display of Winter Baking Season, I really wanted to make brownies but I didn't want something so decadent in the house because I'd eat them all right away. I settled on these black bean brownies and they're perfect - more nutritious if I do binge-eat several in a night, but also so rich that I really am satisfied with just one. Well, one really big one. The toasted marshmallow topping is not in the  original recipe , and the brownies would be perfectly good without it. But I don't pass up an opportunity for toasted marshmallows. The Recipe: 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed 1/2 c dark chocolate chips 3 tb canola oil 3 eggs 2/3 c brown sugar 1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/8 tsp salt 1/2 bag marshmallows Pulse beans, 1/4 c of the chocolate chips, and oil in a food processor until well blended. Add the eggs...

I want to eat you. This is exactly the kind of baked good I crave - sweet and rich without being too sweet or rich, airy yet substantial-feeling because of the oats, and it has chocolate. And it's not terribly unhealthy, either. I mean, it's not a nutritious breakfast item, but it's not bad for a snack or dessert, which is when I want to eat them. I found this recipe  here  by searching Pinterest for ways to use up some sour cream. I followed it exactly except I decreased the cocoa powder to a tablespoon because I didn't really want them to be solid chocolate, this time at least. I also used all white flour instead of a white/wheat blend to make sure they were light and fluffy. I'm sure it's the sour cream that makes these so delicious, but I will definitely be trying them again with yogurt since I always have yogurt on hand and I foresee myself craving these someday and feeling the need to make them RIGHT NOW. The Recipe: 1/2 c sugar 1/2 c honey ...

If it looks like there's a lot of pesto caked onto those gnocchi, that's because there is. I ended up with a spare jar of artichoke hearts recently, and Pinterest pointed me to  this pesto recipe  as a solution. If we didn't love  spinach-avocado pesto  quite so much, I'd say this recipe would become a new favorite. But when life hands you lemons and artichoke, this is a delicious way to use them. The lemon I got was gigantic. In fact, I almost broke into it a few times over the course of the week, thinking it was a navel orange. Somehow it didn't occur to me that maybe I should only put half of it in this pesto; I was just excited about how much juice was coming out of this thing. As a result, our dinner was VERY lemony. I'd fix that next time. As a side note to this recipe, this is my favorite way of preparing shrimp. I got it from Ina Garten and I rarely do it any other way - it's easy and delicious. Olive oil, salt, pepper, bake at 400 for ...

I cannot make a taco beautiful enough to photograph. Imagine this in a taco. Starting in about middle school, I developed three cooking specialties: fat-free cakes with green food coloring (they tasted just as good as they sound), tofu stir-fries, and taco meat. My taco meat method used to be to combine a little bit of every liquid condiment in the refrigerator: ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce, hot sauce, and perhaps an odd salad dressing or other specialty item. The adult version is more subtle, but it still has ketchup. I've tried working from fresh tomatoes instead, but the tomato+sugar+vinegar+smoothness of the ketchup wins. Through my various periods of vegetarianism, I've usually maintained a taste for two meat items: pepperoni pizza and my homemade taco meat. However, the taco meat has gradually gained more non-meat items and I really like this version which is about 50% beans and vegetables. Adjust the meat to bean ratio to your liking; it works fine with al...

Not pictured: drooling husband. One of the great mysteries of life is why Eugene STILL does not have a Panera. I feel confident that it's only a matter of time. But in the meantime, I decided to fulfill my craving for a Turkey Bacon Bravo without necessitating a road trip. And turning it into a panini just seemed like a good idea, because why have gouda cold when you can melt it? I've been obsessed with the Turkey Bacon Bravo since before Panera was called Panera. (It'll always be St. Louis Bread Company in my heart.) Even through my various periods of vegetarianism, any time I found myself at a Panera, I made the exception and had turkey and bacon.  One concern I had in the recreation process was the bread. It's supposed to be on this deliciously sweet tomato basil bread, and I couldn't find anything like that at the store. So I decided to put the tomato-basil flavor inside the sandwich instead, by sprinkling basil (and sea salt) on my tomato slices ...

I like the look of vegetables in cornstarch-enhanced sauce. UPDATED 9/12/15 with improvements! The recipe went from a B+ to an A-. The picture is of the old recipe; disregard the carrots and imagine smaller chunks of tofu. Mu Shu was my favorite Chinese take-out dish growing up. And then I moved to Oregon, where if a restaurant even HAS mu shu on its menu, it's generally terrible (with the notable exception of  Lotus Garden , where it is delicious). So I've experimented with making it myself, and this recipe is the best of the fast-and-easy versions I've tried. It's not authentic - I haven't had tortillas in a Chinese restaurant, even in Oregon - but it comes together in minutes, it's healthy, and it's close enough to fulfill this New Yorker's mu shu cravings. I took cues from  this recipe , though I changed the cooking method to cook the cabbage with the mixture, because I've never had mu shu with uncooked cabbage. I also added rice vineg...

It kind of looks like ice cream on top. I promise it's not. From the next installment in Amy's- Pinch-Of-Yum -Fan-Blog, I present Fish Taco Bowls. My only real deviation from  the original recipe  was using pickled jalapenos instead of a bell pepper, and I'll definitely do that again next time. And there will be a next time. The Recipe: (Serves 2) 2 tilapia filets 1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp cumin salt, to taste 2 c cooked rice (I use a mix of black and brown) 2 tb olive oil 3/4 c corn 2 tb pickled jalapeno slices, chopped 1 garlic clove, chopped 1/4 red onion, chopped 1 avocado, chopped 4 tb green salsa 3 tb sour cream Mix chili powder, cumin, and about 1/2 tsp salt. Pat onto tilapia filets and let marinate while preparing vegetables. In a skillet with olive oil over high heat, add onions, corn, jalapenos, and garlic (in that order, so the garlic sits on top and doesn't burn). Sprinkle with salt and let sit until the onions and ...

Jess added more bacon after I photographed his sandwich with this respectable amount. Sad story: We recently went to  Cornucopia , prepared to order our usual matching Crab Salad BLT's, and the menu looked suspiciously different. I opened it, which we never do, because we always order the same thing. I went straight to the sandwich section, with a sinking feeling in my stomach, and my fears were confirmed: No more Crab Salad BLT. So, I have taken matters into my own hands. And I dare say, except for the lack of delicious crispy french fries and thoroughly buttered bread, my version is at least as good as the original inspiration. I strongly recommend splurging on good crab for this sandwich. Fresh crab is expensive and sometimes hard to come by, but it really makes the difference in this sandwich.  This sandwich showcased my very first ripe tomato of the season, as well as home-grown lettuce, shallots, and parsley. Now if only I could start raising dungeness...

Taking a picture helps force me to let it cool for a minute before digging in. I have always insisted on baking without recipes, despite knowing that the proportions actually do matter in baking. Usually it turns out pretty well. And when it doesn't, it's usually just a texture issue - the flavors are good, even if I need to eat my bread from a bowl. This bread is something that I've been improvising for years, gradually evolving it to be as nutritious as I could get it. I'm pretty happy with this version, so I forced myself to pay attention to measurements so I could write it down. The ground almonds and flax seed give it a real richness, so you definitely won't miss the oil or butter. Also, today I didn't have raisins so I substituted dried cherries. If you have dried cherries around, it's not a bad idea. The Recipe: 1.5 c whole wheat flour 3/4 c almond flour (I just grind almonds in the food processor) 3/4 c oat flour (I also grind oat...

And now I want more. As much as I love my  banana frozen yogurt , I've been cutting back on dairy and I wanted to see if I could create a dairy-free version. Having been underwhelmed with substituting various non-dairy yogurts, I scoured the internet and consolidated my newfound knowledge into this experiment. And it was perfect. Well, actually, it melts too fast. But other than that, it's perfect. The Recipe (serves 4): 4 bananas, peeled and frozen (optionally in halves or chunks to make blending easier) 2 tb almond butter 1 tb almond milk, plus more if needed 1 tsp vanilla extract pinch sea salt 1 tsp honey, optional depending on how ripe the bananas are chocolate chips, cherries, or other mix-ins, optional Blend all ingredients in food processor. Add more almond milk if necessary to get things moving, but it's best to keep it as thick as possible. The Verdict: Overall grade: A+ Overall reason: So so good, and legitimately healt...

Can you spot the purple rice? I've been cooking my way through the excellent blog  Pinch of Yum , and yet again, it's led us to a super delicious and healthy dinner. I might need to turn my blog into a Pinch of Yum fan site. This sweet and sour sauce tastes just like I wanted it to... a fresher version of the sweet and sour sauce you'd get at a Chinese restaurant. And who needs fried fish? I mean, I guess now that I think about it, fried fish here would have been kind of amazing. But I'll stop thinking about it, because this pan-seared version was great too. I'm excited to keep making this with vegetables from the garden throughout the summer. All I grew in tonight's version was the kale, but my zucchini and bell peppers will be here soon enough. Update: Sometimes you cook for people and they do unintended things with the leftovers. My dad put his leftover fish on a pumpernickel bagel. He claimed this was a good idea. The Recip...

Charred cheese! Unintended and wonderful. Jess and I often get joint cravings for a few specific things: sushi, ice cream, and the jalapeño poppers at  Cafe 440 . Today was our first effort at re-creating the poppers, and I must say, it was a success. They were at least as good as the restaurant version. Maybe better, because I like our turkey bacon better than their prosciutto.  Their sauce is listed in the menu as "mango-lime coulis." So I took out the mini food processor and blended up a mango with lime juice, garlic, honey, and salt. I imagine they cook the sauce down and/or strain it, because theirs is smooth, but ours tasted great. We think it would be good on smoked-salmon sushi, too. About to become sauce. Some important things unless you enjoy pain: 1) Wear gloves while working with the jalapeños. 2) Be thorough about removing the ribs and seeds from the jalapeños, and also rinse the insides to remove any hiding seeds and mouth-burning residu...

The closest I've gotten to meatloaf in about 23 years. I don't think I've figured out the best way to serve this yet, but it has definite potential. I found the recipe  here  and was curious. Having now made and eaten it, I'm still curious. I was expecting something that would fulfill the function of a main dish, and would be good served with mashed potatoes. Like meat loaf. Instead, the taste and texture were an awful lot like Thanksgiving stuffing. And while I have certainly eaten stuffing with mashed potatoes as a meal before, it doesn't feel totally meal-like. Next time I think I'll serve it on the side, accompanying a protein. But it's sweet, which I think limits what it would go well with. And then there's the fact that it's a loaf, so it wouldn't fit seamlessly on a plate with, say, a piece of chicken on top. Perhaps I could make it more like stuffing, not as a loaf... perhaps without the glaze? That said, it was tasty, it'...

I should use sesame seeds more often. With a package of tempeh in the refrigerator and some leftover  ridiculously delicious dressing , I decided to make some sort of crunchy tempeh fingers for dipping. These worked great and they were super easy. I was afraid that the lack of seasoning would leave them too bland, but the touch of salt and the sesame seeds were just enough flavor, while keeping them neutral for sauce. We ate these with a healthy portion of  avocado salad . I recommend this pairing. The Recipe: 8 oz tempeh, sliced into strips 1 egg 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 c panko 1/8 c sesame seeds Beat egg in a shallow bowl. Mix in salt. In a separate shallow bowl, combine panko with sesame seeds. Dip tempeh slices in egg, then panko/seed mixture, and place on greased baking sheet. Spray the coated tempeh with baking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then flip and bake another 8 minutes. The Verdict: Overall grade: A Overall re...

A light coating of mushed avocado makes everything better. Two incredibly delicious salads in a row. I'm ready for summer. This one came from a friend who brought it to a potluck. My first reaction was puzzlement at the discovery of each component. The avocado was obvious, and combining it with peppers was intriguing but also apparent. But then I took a bite... is that a pear? There's pear in this salad, and it belongs perfectly. And what's this completely different texture in the next bite? Fresh mozzarella? No, it couldn't be. But oh yes, it was. The contrast of flavors and textures makes this salad addicting... I could eat a very large portion of it in one sitting. I made it for dinner with a side of tempeh, and it was perfect. The Recipe: 2 red/yellow/orange bell peppers, chopped 2 green-skinned pears, chopped 2 avocados, chopped 2 egg-sized balls of fresh mozzarella, shredded 1 tb fresh parsley, chopped 1-2 lemons, juiced 2 tb olive oil salt and...

Heavenly. This is my favorite salad. I make it a lot. I've been eating it since 2014, and I am not yet over how amazingly delicious this dressing is. I get SUPER excited when I unscrew the Magic Bullet container and taste it. This dressing is an important part of my life. I got it from  this recipe  from my favorite blog, Pinch of Yum. I have made no changes to the dressing, and seriously, I never will. I've made various modifications to the actual salad ingredients, depending on what I have; see suggestions below. Another sign that this is an amazing salad? The first time I made it, I included feta cheese as recommended in the  original recipe . But I didn't actually finish all of the cheese from my bowl, and I have left it out since then. A salad that is NOT improved by cheese? That's one special salad. The Recipe: Dressing: 3 tb almond butter 1 tb olive oil juice and pulp of 1/2 of an orange 3 tb water 1 tb stone-ground mustard 1/2 tsp honey ...

Smell the sesame oil. For fried rice, I pretty much follow  Emeril's recipe . My only modifications are generally leaving out the ham and adjusting the vegetables to whatever I have in the house. It has really great flavor - sesame oil and ginger come through, and I have a knack for overdoing it on the garlic, so the garlic flavor tends to be predominant as well. I love the complexity of flavor that this recipe has, without being too salty or greasy like take-out fried rice. I had a helper today. He cooked the eggs and the shrimp, and then he took over the final mixing process because I wasn't getting the clumps of plain rice broken up to his liking. Showing me how it's done. The Recipe: 1 tb canola oil 1 tb sesame oil 5 cloves garlic, minced 2 tb fresh ginger, grated 4 green onions, chopped 1 tsp red pepper flakes 1 onion, chopped 2 c cabbage, chopped 2 ribs celery, chopped 2 carrots, chopped 1/2 lb shrimp, sprinkled with cajun ...

There's feta cheese hiding in the upper right corner, in case you didn't notice. A few years ago, I was inspired by that part in "Eat, Pray, Love" when she's eating an Italian meal that just has separate components on a plate together... I remember that there was asparagus, and I think there was a hard-boiled egg, and I can't remember what else she had. But that idea of just putting several good things on a plate without necessarily integrating them has stuck with me, and it kind of guided this meal. My plate consisted of: grilled chicken, grilled zucchini, slices of feta, hummus, arugula from the garden, and grilled pita. Jess's plate also had a lamb patty. If one liked olives, that would probably be good here. We ended up wrapping some up some bites in pita and eating some bites on their own. It was delicious and felt like a very leisurely way to dine on a warm, sunny day. Jess's lamb. We're pretty proud of our growing skil...

Jess says this picture is upside down. Tilt your head if you wish. GUEST POST! This is the husband's specialty recipe. He says: I grew up in Brazil and my mom used to make this. It's the staple food of Brazil. It started as a food that the slaves would cook, using the cheapest parts of the cow, and then it became kind of a national dish.  It's very tasty. The Recipe: 4 15-oz cans black beans, including the liquid your choice of meat (I like sausage and pork, but traditionally there's beef) 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 onion, chopped 2 bay leaves salt and pepper, to taste 2 c rice, cooked creole seasoning (we use Chachere's) - not traditional, but we like it 1 bunch kale or spinach, sauteed 1 orange, sliced Put beans, meat, garlic, onion, bay leaves, salt, and pepper in crock pot. Cook for as long as possible to let the juices sink into the meat. Add water if necessary to make it like a stew. Serve over rice with kale/spinach, orange sli...

Must. Resist. Picking through to eat all of the mango immediately. Mission eat-more-protein took a step forward today... I found a way that I really like chicken! Turns out if I shred it and mix it with a bunch of crunchy things, tossed in a delicious sauce, it's pretty good. I pretty much followed  this recipe , making a few substitutions for convenience/availability and then adding the rice cake crumbles on top, because apparently cabbage and carrots and peanuts weren't crunchy enough for me. Big pile of crunchy things. The dressing is excellent. I will be using it again, not just on this salad. In fact, there's some leftover in the fridge, so I will be using it again soon. Maybe as a stir-fry sauce? The Recipe: 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded 1/2 head white cabbage, shredded 15 baby carrots, quartered length-wise 1/2 c green onions, chopped (I used red onion today, but green would be better) 1 mango, sliced into slivers 1/2 c peanuts, choppe...

With your protein of choice. In an attempt to eat more protein, I'm trying to get myself to like chicken again. So I made this with ground chicken, but I'm thinking it would be great with tempeh. And I'm sure it would be good with beef, if you're into that sort of thing. I pieced this together from several recipes on the internet, and settled on this version because it was easy and didn't require many ingredients. This works well for a tired weekday dinner. Aside from my uncertainty about eating chicken, this was delicious. I'll be making it again with tempeh soon. The Recipe (serves 2):  1/2 head green leaf lettuce, leaves separated 1/2 lb ground chicken, tempeh, or other protein 1 tb canola oil 1 red onion, chopped 5 cloves garlic, chopped 1 tb fresh ginger, grated 2 tb hoisin sauce 1 tb soy sauce 2 tb rice wine vinegar 1 tb chili-garlic paste 2 ribs celery, minced 4 green onions, sliced 1 tsp sesame oil Saute onion in canola oil fo...