I have never made any kind of tagine before but have always wanted to. Those weird, cone-shaped, clay-like dishes always piqued my interest, and I was curious as to what on earth was made in there. While I unfortunately don’t have a tagine cooking vessel of my own, I do have a large braising pan that worked well enough. I’m sure the long, slow-cooked flavors of a traditionally cooked tagine is out of this world, but this recipe is actually one of my new favorites! With the cooler weather coming around the corner, this is definitely the kind of recipe you’ll want to gather family and friends, cuddle up, and sit together at cozy kitchen tables with good food and conversation. (more…)
September 10, 2010
July 25, 2010
Buitoni Pasta Party
This weekend is already flying by! It always goes by way too fast, especially when you’re trying to balance work and play 🙂 How was your weekend? I had the wonderful opportunity to host a Buitoni Pasta Party for some of my friends Saturday evening, which included lots of good food, conversation and vino to wash it down. Join me for a tasty re-cap! (more…)
February 24, 2010
mangoes are not in season
After studying for a bit, and having a nice chat with my mom, it was time to get dinner started! This is really one of our favorites and is pretty easy to make. I also served it with a mango and black bean salad.
I’m a big fan of summer squash and many vegetables can be the perfect vehicle for stuffing practically any kind of filling you can imagine inside. I use lean ground beef in this recipe, but there is also quinoa, brown rice, cous cous, oatmeal, barley, lentils, and the list goes on and on. Grains and such have such a wonderful natural binding ability that using them as stuffing can be the perfect compliment to something as neutral and naturally sweet as summer squash.
Plus summer squash cooks relatively quickly which is always a plus! (more…)
January 29, 2010
soups on!
When Chris and I both got home tonight we were pooped! Chris was feeling less than stellar from a crazy day at work, and we were really contemplating just grabbing something to eat out, but with a few days still left for the Eat In Month Challenge we just decided it would be better to stay in. Plus, I had ingredients ready to go for some (more…)
September 2, 2009
this one’s a keeper
Yay for midweek! I don’t think I get really excited for the weekend until Thursday evening when my classes for the week are over. But, then that just means more studying and work for the weekend, boo! But I am excited for the 3-day weekend! Woo-hoo! That extra day just makes all the difference. Have any fun plans?
Not all too much going on this week, I’m still trying to decide on a project topic for sports nutrition. I’m very indecisive with pretty much everything. I asked the green valley cyclists group on Yahoo! groups and they had some interesting ones too, including Quercetin, Optygen, and Hypoxico. I’m actually interested in the altitude training, but I don’t think that would be considered a supplement? I guess blood doping and EPO are pretty well-known in the cycling world, but of course they are illegal. Living at high altitudes and training low has been shown to improve performance. One must live at least 12 hours/day at a high altitude for 3-4 weeks, along with training, to see improvements. Can you imagine sleeping in a altitude tent? Very interesting! I appreciated all your suggestions, it’s too hard to choose which one I’d like to do. It’s amazing to me how many performance enhancing agents are out there, kind of scary and boy are they expensive!
In other news, Chris is still really enjoying his job so far! This makes me happy too because there is just a different feeling in the house, and a more positive vibe. I’m one of those people that can ‘feel’ the emotions of others. Have you ever talked with someone that just sucks the energy right from you? Or someone that just makes you feel calm and happy? For some reason, I’m really in-tune with little things like that and I can almost ‘feel’ it. Weird!
He also started biking to work yesterday. I think once the weather cools down here a little bit (we are still averaging 103 F days), I’m going to try my hand at it. I could really only do it on Tuesdays or Fridays since I can’t ride to school from work. That might be kind of fun, but I’m sure I would forget something and have to walk around work in spandex bike shorts, oh no!! It’s only about 15 miles one way, but may be a way to sneak in some extra training/exercise. I can’t seem to find time to get a ride in before work since I have to get ready by 5:30am. We’ll see how it goes!
Oh the life of a Basset! Buster is doing well too, and is as stubborn as ever. His ears haven’t been too bad and we clean them at least 3-4x/week.
I have an awesome recipe to share with you! This is just one of those meals that I keep making time and time again because it’s a real keeper. It has a bit of clean-up in the kitchen, but is really great to make the components ahead of time on the weekend and then savor the flavors during the week!
Walnut-Crusted Chicken and
Summer Squash Baked Couscous
(adapted from CookingLight and FOOD)
For the Couscous:
- 1 (14-ounce) can less-sodium chicken broth, divided
- 3/4 cup uncooked WW couscous (you could also use quinoa)
- 2 cups sliced yellow squash (about 3 small) – used the ones from the farmer’s market!
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions
- 2 tbsp fresh basil (1 tbsp dried)
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano (1/2 tbsp dried)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/3 cup shredded fontina cheese
- 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1/4 cup egg substitute (or 1 egg)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 400°.
Bring 1 cup chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan; stir in uncooked couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with a little olive oil. Add squash, onions, basil, oregano, and garlic; sauté until slightly golden. Set aside.
Combine fontina and Parmigiano-Reggiano; set aside. Combine couscous, squash mixture, and half of cheese mixture in a large bowl; stir in remaining chicken broth, egg substitute, salt, and pepper. Spoon mixture into an 8 x 8-inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray. Top with remaining cheese mixture. Bake at 400° for 25-30 minutes or until golden.
For the Chicken:
In a food processor, pulse about 1 – 1 1/2 cups of toasted walnuts, 1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used TJ’s garlic ciabatta) and 1/2 cup grated parmesan – place this mixture in a large shallow pan, like a baking dish.
In another shallow pan – combine about 3 egg whites.
Take about 1 pound of chicken breasts, make sure they aren’t too thick and pound them down first. Place the breasts in the egg white mixture then dredge in the walnut mixture, pressing down. Shake off excess and place in a large skillet coated with a few good glugs of olive oil. Cook over medium-high heat until slightly firm and cooked through (about 4-5 minutes per side depending on thickness); drain them on paper towels.
We really enjoy this recipe and it’s great for leftovers, especially salad toppers 🙂 Sorry for the lack of pictures with this post!
Oh and remember when I posted about perfection a little while ago with Jessica Setnick’s take on the topic? I would recommend you read it if you get the chance, very eye opening. She also wanted to tell those of you who would like to work with individuals and eating disorders to check out her new site www.eatingdisorderjobs.com The site’s re-launch includes information for students and new graduates who are interested in the field, including Advice from the Experts – stars in the field and how they got into eating disorders, and advice they would give to others interested in the field. All this in addition to job postings and upcoming events. Any readers are welcomed and encouraged to sign up as members at the site to access all the info!
Hope your week is going by fast!
What’s one recipe you could make time and time again?
March 19, 2009
get stuffed
Stuffed Squash that is! Many vegetables can be the perfect vehicle for stuffing practically any kind of filling you can imagine inside. I use lean ground beef in this recipe, but there is also quinoa, brown rice, cous cous, oatmeal, barley, lentils, and the list goes on and on. Grains and such have such a wonderful natural binding ability that using them as stuffing can be the perfect compliment to something as neutral and naturally sweet as summer squash. Plus summer squash cooks relatively quickly which is always a plus.
Another great vehicle for stuffage is bell peppers. Check out my bell peppers stuffed with quinoa, chicken sausage, walnuts and fontina on this post. These are a yummy package. Gotta love that ooey-gooey cheese!
Tex Mex Stuffed Squash
(adapted from Everyday FOOD)
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 4 yellow summer squashes (try to look for ones more conducive to stuffing)
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper (ribs and seeds removed), diced
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon mild chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 pound extra lean ground beef (96% lean)
- 1 cup canned corn (no salt/sugar added)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus more for sprinkling
Directions
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Halve each squash lengthwise; slice a sliver from the rounded part of each half so it sits flat. Leaving a 1/4-inch border, scoop out halves with a small spoon; roughly chop flesh, and reserve. Place squash halves, skin side down, in a shallow baking dish. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add reserved chopped squash, bell pepper, scallion whites, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until bell pepper begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add spices. Add tomato paste to the center of the pan; cook for at least 5 minutes to intensify the tomato flavor. Add beef; cook until no longer pink, breaking up meat with a spoon. Cook everything together for about 15-20 minutes so the flavors really develop and deepen. Remove from heat. Stir in corn and 1/4 cup Parmesan; season with salt and pepper.
Dividing evenly, spoon mixture into squash halves. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Place a little bit of water in the bottom of the pan to help steam the squash. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake until squash is tender, 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake until top is browned, 10 minutes more. Garnish with scallion greens, a dollop of non-fat greek yogurt and a side salad.
If you have any of the filling left over, use it for a quesadilla/tostada, in an omelet, as a layered casserole or in a taco salad. Lots of possibilities with this easy filling!
Stuffed squash = stuffed tummy 🙂
