Sometimes I just want a gooey enchilada without any fuss. So I bust out the shredded cheese and canned enchilada sauce and I have myself a gooey enchilada without any fuss. Observe.
Easy as hell enchiladas recipe:
Slap some Mexican blend cheese onto flour tortillas. Roll and place in baking dish. Smother with Old El Paso enchilada sauce and bake at about 400 degrees until cheese gets bubbly. Top with fresh cilantro, jalapenos, diced tomatoes and sour cream. Eat with a margarita.
I’m not a huge fan of eggplants, but we got a couple in our CSA box so I threw together this easy dip/spread with lots of garlic and chickpeas. I made it spicy so it appealed to my taste buds. It’s good as a leftover too. I spread it on pita, added some lettuce, tomato and cucumber and called it lunch.
Recipe from Design Love Fest
And if you haven’t already, enter the House of Harlow giveaway stat!
Guess what I did this weekend? Besides get drunk. Absolutely nothing. And sometimes, that’s the way I like it.
So in lieu of a regular post-weekend post, I’m going to steer you in the direction of Ms. Twirly Skirt’s blog to find out exactly what I got drunk on. It’s a good one. So go visit me there and leave a comment so it looks like I have lots of friends. Thanks friends!
Image by me.
Have you ever had watermelon and feta cheese together? If not, do so immediately. Even if you’re not a fan of feta, there’s something about the sweetness of watermelon that cuts the sourness in the cheese and suddenly there’s a party in your mouth. Ask my brother, who will only eat feta if it’s paired with watermelon.
Randomly, I found this recipe in a Weight Watchers booklet a friend passed along. I think a serving is like 3 points or something. I don’t know much about the point system but I think 3 points is low right? It was really easy and the Husband even said “it’s an adult take on mac and cheese,” which I’m assuming has to do with the orzo, which is a type of Italian pasta that looks more like rice and is delicious by the way so try it immediately.
Watermelon feta orzo recipe:
2 cups seedless watermelon cubed
1 cup orzo, cooked and cooled
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup chopped parsley or basil
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook orzo like you would any pasta, drain and let cool. Toss with watermelon, cheese and parsley. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Last weekend was a hot one and the Husband and I decided we would take most of our meals outdoors. Most of our meals consisted of sandwiches and champagne cocktails, but I did manage to bust out a quick, relatively light pasta dish courtesy of Barefoot Contessa (who I have a secret crush on even though she cooks with a lot of oil and butter. Or maybe I’m just jealous I can’t cook with the same abandon). Anyways, I didn’t have cherry tomatoes or capellini so I adjusted the recipe a bit and the result was a smashing success. We wined and dined and then spread out on the couch and watched the third Twilight movie on demand. Ladies, they can’t deny your movie choice if you feed them. This goes for men too. How do you think the Husband got me to watch Jackass 3.
½ cup good olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
4 pints small cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes (or regular old tomatoes)
18 large basil leaves, julienned
2 tablespoons chopped fresh curly parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves (I used dry thyme)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¾ pound dried capellini or angel hair pasta (I used Trader Joe’s garlic basil linguini)
1½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Extra chopped basil and grated Parmesan for serving
Boil large pot of water and add two tablespoons of salt and a splash of oil. Meanwhile, heat the ½ cup of olive oil in a large (12-inch) sauté pan. Add the garlic to the oil and cook over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, basil, parsley, thyme, two teaspoons salt, the pepper, and red pepper flakes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for five to seven minutes, tossing occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to soften but don’t break up. While the tomatoes are cooking, add the capellini to the pot of boiling water and cook for two minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water. Place the pasta in a large serving bowl, add the tomatoes and Parmesan, and toss well. Add some of the pasta water if the pasta seems too dry. Serve large bowls of pasta with extra basil sprinkled on top.
Sometimes I try to bake. I only ever succeed when I follow recipes exactly, which is why I’m not very good at it. I’m usually more unconstrained in the kitchen and this works well with almost anything that doesn’t involve flour. Unfortunately, muffins involve flour and I was in the mood for muffins.
I used this recipe. To keep from overdoing it in the calorie department, I made a lower fat version, substituted white flour with whole wheat flour and downsized the muffins with a mini muffin tray.
Vegas post to come as soon as I get some of the photos. Wait for it!
Sounds appetizing huh? The sacrifices I make for my farm animal friends. These veggie balls are time consuming and almost worth the afternoon I spent slaving over them. I adapted the recipe from my current fav cookbook, Fresh From the Garden. The recipe calls for frying the balls. I changed up some of the ingredients and baked them instead. Then I whipped up a special sauce (also from the cookbook) and served with whole wheat spaghetti. Although it probably would’ve been better with spiced basmati rice. You live and you learn.
Zucchini “meat” balls:
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 medium zucchinis
1/2 tsp salt
1 hot green chili, chopped
2 tblsp chopped cilantro or flat leaf parsley
1 egg
1 cup breadcrumbs
Mix all of the above together and roll into little balls. Bake at 375 degrees until browned. Add to the sauce (recipe below), cover and simmer for 6 to 7 minutes spooning the sauce over the balls as they cook.
Sauce:
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tblsp olive oil
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp coriander
cayenne pepper to taste
1/2 lb tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup non fat greek yogurt
1/2 tsp garam masala
Brown onions in oil, add spices. Stir and add tomatoes. Bring to boil and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper.
Thank you all for confirming my doubts about the bubble chandelier yesterday. I won’t throw it away, but there aren’t many other places to hang it in our tiny townhouse. In the meantime, I’m on the hunt for an alternative light fixture and may have to buy a temporary, cheapy version until I find something I really love, which could take decades with my schizophrenia.
Now let’s talk about food…Here’s an easy peasy summer pasta dish I threw together recently. I adapted the recipe from Martha and made it a tad healthier — substituted butter with extra virgin olive oil and used whole wheat pasta. Then I drank a lot of wine to make up for the calories lost.
Recipe:
1 lb asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths
1 lb snap peas, strings removed
whole what pasta
2 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 rip avocado, pitted, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint, parsley or basil
1/2 cup shredded parmesan or pecorino cheese
Cook asparagus in large pot of salted boiling water until bright green (about 2 min.), add snap peas and cook additional 30 seconds. Scoop out veggies and transfer to bowl.
Return water to boil, add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water.
In pasta pot, heat olive oil, add asparagus, snap peas and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables are crisp-tender (about 2 minutes). Add cooked pasta, avocado, herbs, cheese and reserved pasta water. Toss to combine. Serve with extra cheese if you so choose.
I’ve reintroduced myself to the oven again since I swore off anything starchy last month, and this was one of the first delicacies I attempted out of my new favorite cookbook Fresh From the Garden, which divides recipes by season. I’m cooking my way through the Spring section. (last recipe attempted here). Garlic, chilis, cilantro and bread top my list of favorite foods. I substituted real butter with Earth Balance to make it slightly less heart attack-inducing and served with corn chowder. This would also make for a perfect party hors d’œuvre if you slice the bread all the way through and top with the garlic, chili and cilantro — a different take on traditional bruschetta.
It occurred to me that I haven’t done a recipe post this week, which is ridiculous since food is all I can think about. We had this rosemary potato fritatta for brunch prior to my deprivation diet and I just never got around to sharing. I used this recipe, but left out the cream. Oh how I long for a potato.
It’s been nearly two weeks since Operation Fiji Body and I’ve been pretty good — mostly stayed away from carbs except that one night; mostly stayed away from alcohol except red wine; and mostly worked out other than that one weekend. Do I feel skinnier? Eh…My mom mentioned something about my chin looking leaner, but she’s obligated.
I should probably also confess that I haven’t weighed myself once since starting this diet. When I’m really unhappy with my weight (which I currently am), the number is too depressing. Instead I’m keeping track based on how my clothes fit, which works pretty well for me. My clothes fit a tiny fraction better than before. I have two more weeks to turn that fraction into a whole.
Don’t forget to enter my giveaway!
Lonely Wife Project 
