Potage

Not sure what the weathers like where you are today but here in NYC it's another cold and grey day. You know the kind that makes you long for something hearty and warm in your belly.
Not feeling like doing much of anything, especially not grocery shopping, I made do with whatever I already had in the fridge and pantry. Served by itself or with a leafy green salad and chicken sausage (which is how I had it) it was just what the Dr. ordered!

Quinoa Potage
4 small new potatoes, diced
3 cups of chicken broth (or bullion)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small brown onion, finely chopped
1 large leeks (or 2 small), chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
½ cup quinoa
1 medium zucchini, diced
2 large white mushroom caps, diced
Salt and pepper

Bring 1 cup of broth to a boil add all of the diced potatoes along with a pinch of salt and pepper and simmer for five minutes. Then with a slotted spoon remove half of the potatoes and set aside. Keep the remaining potatoes and broth boiling for another five minutes. Remove from heat and blend the contents of this pot so that you have a smooth opaque liquid. Set aside.

Heat one teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat in a large sized pot. Add the onion and cook for a couple of minutes until translucent. Next add the leeks and again cook for a couple of minutes until they have softened a little and become green. Now add the garlic, bay leaf, carrot, celery, ½ cup of quinoa, ¼ teaspoon of salt and couple of grinds from your pepper mill. Give this a couple of minutes to cook together and stir it a couple of times.
Next add the blended potato broth liquid followed by the two cups of plain broth. Lastly toss in the reserved par-boiled diced potatoes that you saved in the beginning along with the diced zucchini and mushrooms. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Mexican Lasagna

This recipe might appear a little intimidating but I assure you that after you have made it once you’ll see it’s not that difficult. Essentially you are preparing each layer separately and then you can begin to build your Mexican lasagna. For the vegan version omit the chicken and use soy cheese instead.

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into arpox ½ inch thick pieces
1 red onion, medium sized, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch cilantro chopped
1 lime, juice and zest of
1 green jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
2 Tbs taco seasoning
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs orange juice
2/3 cup yellow bell pepper, chopped
2/3 cups green bell pepper, chopped
2/3 cup frozen corn kernels
14.5 oz canned diced tomatoes, liquid drained and reserved
16 oz can of fat free refried beans
6 Tbs salsa
4 scallions, chopped, trim and discard 2-3 inches of the green ends
6 oz grated part skim mozzarella
4 small corn tortillas, cut into 1/8’s
salt and pepper for seasoning throughout
8” square baking dish


To marinate the chicken combine the following ingredients together in a bowl.
½ of the chopped red onion, 1 clove of minced garlic, ½ of the chopped cilantro, the juice and zest of 1 lime, 1/2 of a chopped jalapeño, 2 Tbs orange juice, 1 Tbs taco seasoning, 1 Tbs olive oil, salt and pepper.

Pour this mixture into a Ziploc bag, add the pieces of chicken to the bag and seal it. Once sealed give the bag a little shake to make sure the marinade is mixed and has evenly coated the chicken. Allow the chicken to marinate in the refrigerator for anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours or overnight if you have time. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking and allow the chicken to come to room temperature.

Heat non-stick pan over medium flame. To the pan add ½ Tbs of olive oil, the remaining half of the chopped red onion and 1 clove of minced garlic, sauté for about one minute. Next add all of the yellow and the green peppers, the corn and the tomatoes to the pan. Lightly season with a little salt and pepper and cook all together for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and place cooked veggies into a bowl and set aside.

Using the same non-stick pan heat again over a medium flame. To the pan add the remaining ½ Tbs of olive oil, the remaining 1 clove of minced garlic and the remaining ½ of the chopped jalapeño. Cook together for about a minute then add all of the refried beans and the salsa. Stir together and cook for about five minutes. Remove from heat and place refried beans into a new bowl, stir in remaining half bunch of chopped cilantro and all of the chopped green onions. Set the bowl aside for later.

Again using the same non-stick pan heat over a medium flame. Spray the pan with cooking spray and add the marinated pieces of chicken to pan. Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of taco seasoning over the chicken and a splash of the liquid you reserved from the tomatoes. Cook the chicken for about 2mins each side. You want the chicken to be cooked through but just barely, remember it’s going into the oven and will continue to cook in there. Once cooked remove from the pan and let it cool for about 5-10 minutes. Then shred or chop the chicken into smaller pieces and set aside in a new bowl.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spray the bottom of a baking dish with cooking spray.
Layer corn tortilla down in the baking dish, next spread a layer of refried beans followed by a layer of vegetable mix, then add a layer of shredded chicken followed by a layer of cheese. Repeat once more only this time leave off the last layer of cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil and cook in the oven for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

I wait to add that last layer of cheese until the very end. When the cooking time has ended remove and discard the aluminum foil. Scatter the remaining cheese across the top of the dish and place it under the broiler for about a minute or two so that it gets a little bubbly and gets a little browned and crispy.

Let it cool for a couple of minutes and then cut into squares and serve.

GIN GINS WIN

I am having a little bit of a love affair with ginger at the moment. Last night I made a bunch of triple ginger cookies and today I was introduced to these lovely little bites called Gin Gins Boost. They are soft and chewy and taste like ginger infused caramel. I like them because they have a nice clean taste and are quite satisfying for that perfect after meal sweet that I am constantly searching for. Their catch phrase is "little potion for the motion" because it's supposed to help with motion sickness.

GET YOURS

Wick Fowler's

I am a big fan of spices, rubs and seasoning mixes. It's the easiest way to add flavor with out extra fat and calories. Last week I went on a hunt for a Mexican type seasoning mix that wasn't full of all kinds of weird hard to pronounce ingredients. There aren't many out there but luckily I did end up stumbling upon this one and it wasn't at a specialty food store either.
I think they have made some recent changes to the design on their package because the one I just bought didn't look like this.

Ingredients: Ground Chili Peppers, Salt, Onion, Comino, Garlic, Oregano

Wondering what comino is? It's just a fancy way of saying cumin in Spanish.

GET YOURS

Chocolate Almond Coconut Bites

I love Let's Do Organic reduced fat shredded unsweetened coconut.

I add it to my oatmeal in the morning, use it when cooking Indian inspired soups, and of course in macaroons. It's 40% less fat than regular unsweetened shredded coconut. They reduce the fat though a process of steam evaporation. For cooking purposes you can always use this as a substitute. In doing so you'll cut a few calories and fat with out sacrificing the flavor. But, when it come to a fresh piece of coconut meat that's eaten bite by bite all on it's lonesome, well there's just no replacing that.

When I am feeling lazy and want something sweet after dinner I make chocolate almond coconut bites. They literally take less than five minutes from start to finish. There's no measuring going on here just eye ball it. For all intents and purposes the chocolate is the "glue" in this recipe so make sure there is enough chocolate to coat everything.

Here's what you'll need...

Chocolate Almond Coconut Bites

chocolate chips, dark or milk whatever you like

shredded unsweetened coconut

sliced natural almonds, roughly crushed up

piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper

Throw some dark baking chocolate in a bowl and put it into the microwave for about a minute or two. You don't want it completely melted, just about half melted. Give it a stir and the heat will melt the rest of the chocolate pieces. Once it's all smooth and melted stir in a handful of crushed up sliced almonds and pour in a good amount of shredded coconut. Stir all of this together until thoroughly mixed. Place a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper onto a dinner plate and use a spoon to portion out the chocolate mixture into blobs on the plate. Place in the fridge or freezer for a couple of minutes so that it has a chance to harden up. Eat and enjoy!

You can always stir in other things too like raisins, dried cranberries, etc..

Shake Shack

These shakes are not exactly the nutritional path I long to follow but every now and then you just have to say what the heck. I have not been to shake shack before today but have only ever heard great things from those who have. I happened to be in the neighborhood with my boyfriend this afternoon so we decided to hit it up. Though it was insanely cold here in New York City today we decided to go for the frozen treats. He ordered a vanilla malt shake and I opted for the "healthy" shake called the vitamin creamsicle. Danny Meyer, the owner of this joint, is one of the city's greatest restaurateurs. He is also a devotee of well-known celebrity fitness trainer David Kirsch. This shake combines frozen vanilla custard with David Kirsch vitamin-mineral orange super juice. It tasted just like an orange creamsicle should but as an added benefit was in some way good for me too. The shake shack is a green operation. They also have a well edited wine selection including half bottles of stags leap, frogs leap and opus one to name a few. I plan on returning when the weather gets a bit warmer.

Ike & Sam

These two little guys make my favorite popcorn. I am generally not a fan of pre-bagged popcorn because it usually has a sorta stale taste. Maybe it's because they are based in Brooklyn that it's so fresh? They make a few different flavors but original sweet and salty is my personal fave. It's not too sweet not too salty, it's light and well it's just perfection! I like that there are a few ingredients. If ever you see this at the store (and I am seeing it all over the place lately) buy some and give it a try.
Most people think that kettlecorn means that the popcorn will be that sweet and salt flavor. In the case of Ike & Sam kettlecorn actually refers to how they cook the popcorn, similar to kettle potato chips. Each bag of Ike and Sam's says kettlecorn followed by the specific flavor.
To my knowledge they have only four flavors.
Light and fluffy = naked popcorn with a touch of salt
Sweet and salty = "kettle corn"
Crunchy caramel = exactly what it sounds like, yum
Kickin' cayenne = I haven't tried it yet, if anyone has please let me know your thoughts