Comfort Food

So maybe I'm not the typical American when it comes to my choice in comfort food. My stomach wasn't feeling very well today (maybe it was that root beer and Reese's I had at lunch...) Not a good choice.... I've discovered that lots of sugar, like a full sized candy bar or soda triggers my migraines. So I tried to wash that down with a bunch of water! It didn't hit too hard. Anyways, my stomach hasn't been that great the last few weeks and well the last 2 years on and off. I've found this meal is always appetizing even when I don't want to eat much. Because it has potatoes! GF dream land!

-Deli sliced Black Forest Ham
-steamed broccoli
-microwaved potato with Earth Balance Butter

Quick, balanced and yummy!

Quick Weekday Dinner

I'm behind on blogging because I cooked all new things this week. So #2 for the day. I made Tilapia! A friend made some for me last summer so I knew it wasn't as scary as some seafood is. I wanted something quick and easy and cheaper than salmon and that's what I got! Talapia is Green on the seafood scale of sustainability by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. And what's super great is it is farmed right here in Colorado so it's a local food too! And it tasted good! Not too fishy!

Lemon Garlic Tilapia
(1 tilapia fillet for each person)

4 tilapia fillets
3 TBS fresh lemon juice
1 TBS butter (I used Earth Balance)
1 clove garlic
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
pepper

1. Preheat over to 375 degrees. Spray baking dish with non-stick cooking oil or line with parchment paper.
2. Rinse fillets under cool water, pat dry with paper towels.
3. Place fillets in baking dish. Pour lemon juice and melted butter on top.
4. Sprinkle with garlic, parsley and pepper.
5. Bake in preheated oven until fish is white and flakes when pulled apart with fork. About 30 minutes.

I served with asparagus and roasted potatoes.

Enjoy!

Loaded Quesadilla

Yum yum. One good thing about my boyfriend not being home for dinner, well actually there's two good things. One, I don't have to eat meat. Two, I can make Mexican food for every meal! I've been making these quesadillas lately because I can put whatever I have around in it and it's easy and yummy! It's not really a quesadilla because there is no cheese. I used refried beans instead of cheese. Here's what I used:

2 Corn Tortillas
Refried Black Beans (Whole Foods Brand)
Chopped Onions, Tomatoes, Lettuce
Guacamole (Wholly Guacamole--when I want to keep some around without it getting brown) (rhyming in a food blog; 10 points!)
Hummus

1. Pre-heat a mini fry pan over medium-high heat.
2. Layer beans, onions, tomatoes and whatever else you want on the inside between 2 tortillas.
3. Put sandwiched tortillas into pan. Brown each side for a few minutes. If you smell burning, it's burning.
4. Take out of pan, layer toppings. Lettuce, guacamole, hummus and others you choose.
5. Cut, serve, enjoy!

Teriyaki Stri Fry

mmmm Woodchuck Cider too!

This is a very quick and simple recipe with all the food groups! Easy to make after work and fills you up. I make this about every 2 weeks as one of my staple meals. Great as leftovers too. Not much else to explain. You either like teriyaki or you don't.

Gluten Free Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry
(2.5 servings)
1 cup brown rice (make as directed on package)
1 cup frozen stir fry veggies
1/2 cup cut up pineapple
1/2 cup gluten free teriyaki sauce (see the bottle in the picture)
2 chicken breasts

1. Get the rice cooking as directed on the package.
2. Cut up chicken into bite sized pieces.
3. Place chicken in gallon ziplock bag or glass dish.
4. Pour about 1/4 cup on the chicken and let sit for 30 minutes to marinate.
5. Take out frozen veggies to defrost.
6. Once the chicken is marinated, fry in pan on stove with teriyaki sauce.
7. When chicken is cooked, add pineapple and frozen veggies.
8. Cook for a few more minutes until veggies are warmed up.
9. Serve with brown rice.

Soup!

Wow, have NOT blogged in a while. Been busy and unmotivated to write. But I've made some amazing things lately so I just have to share. Soup. I have a love/hate relationship with it. Love it cause it's easy and can be well balanced meal. Hate it because it's salty and not enough substance. This soup I made conquers all. I control the salt content and how much stuff is in it. It was a really well balanced mix of veggies, beans and broth. My first time cooking with white beans and kale so super exciting. It made about 5 servings and I froze some of it for a busy night. Highly recommended and enjoy!

PS-Recipe is from Whole Foods so you can find most of the packaged stuff (365 Brand) there for cheap.

Tuscan Kale and White Bean Soup

3 TBS olive oil

1 C diced onion

4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 (32-ounce) box vegetable broth

4 cups packed chopped kale

1 (14.5-ounce) can italian-style diced tomatoes

1 (14.5-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 (14.5-ounce) can sliced carrots, drained; or two large carrots, peeled and sliced

1. In large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat.

2. Add onion; cook 3 minutes.

3. Add garlic; cook 2 minutes.

4. Add broth, kale and tomatoes (and fresh carrots, if using) and cover; cook 5 minutes or until kale is tender.

5. Add beans and canned carrots; heat thoroughly. Serve hot.

Colors!

I love the colors of this meal. Pretty sure I need to get a white plate like this because it just makes the food stand out so much more. I was at my boyfriend's and we were deciding on what to do for dinner. We thought about going out to P.F. Chang's, Maggiano's or Beau Jo's Pizza, or we could just make our own. Haha usually what I opt for, him the other. So he had these great salmon burgers from Costco that are so versatile. I thought of putting fruit on it because my friend and I did that over the summer. And we both love asparugus and it's pretty cheap right now again. And then we need some gluten free carbs and potatoes are yummy! So there's the meal. It was great and super healthy and my stomach felt wonderful afterword!

-Cut up pieces of rasberries and pineapple. (Could also use mango, peach, blackberry, lemon)
-Grilled Salmon Burger from Costco
-Steamed Asparagus
-Wash, cut off ends, place on plate, put 1/4 cup water onto plate. Microwave for 3 minutes.
-Could put tamari or lemon juice on. I didn't have any.
-Roasted Red Potatoes
-Cut up potatoes into about 8 pieces each.
-Saute in olive oil until brown on a few sides. Can also cover for faster cooking. Makes them softer also.