Authentic Indian Daal (Lentils)

Making Indian food seems so daunting to me...maybe because of all the exotic spices that are used in dishes.  This is the first Indian dish I learned how to make and it's a great one to start with because it's super easy--and super delicious!

I find red lentils at Asian markets

The Ingredients: (serves 2...double the ingredients for 4)

1/2 cup red lentils
1/4 of an onion chopped
1 Tbsp oil
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp tamarind
1/4 tsp salt
1/8-1/4 tsp of chili powder (depends on you spice tolerance!)
pinch of pepper

Rinse lentils and drain lentils a few times and then add 1.cup of water.  Add all the spices, mix, and heat till boiling, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Brown onions in oil and then add to the lentils, mix then cover and let it continue to simmer.

I buy naan from Trader Joe's (you can find it in the frozen section), but you can also use pita bread or tortillas to eat with.  Great as a main dish or as a side!

Lowbrow Mini Pizzas!

I looooooooove pizza, but I don't love all the fat and calories that come with it.  I saw this idea at Trader Joe's--they actually passed out samples of this and it was really tasty! 

First pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Here's what you need:

Flatbread
Shredded cheese
A yummy pizza sauce
All your favorite toppings

This flatbread at Trader Joe's is only 150 calories a piece and when it cooks it crisps up just a bit so your pizza isn't flimsy.  Spread on some pizza sauce (I find the Trader Joe's pizza sauce to be pretty darn delicious) and sprinkle on your favorite shredded cheese and toss on your toppings.  I fogot to buy pineapple for my mine...but it was still yummy! 

 

Let bake for 6-8 minutes.  I topped it off with red chili pepper flakes for some kick!

 

Basil Pesto Eggs and Cheesy Toast

I could eat eggs at every meal; this morning I wanted to fancy up my usual eggs and toast breakfast without trying too hard.  All I did was add a spoonful of premade basil pesto into my eggs and voila! Fancy, schmancy eggs!  I should've added more pesto...and sprinkled in some parmesan to the eggs--I'll do that next time.  For the toast I just layered some shredded cheese I had on top and stuck it in the toaster oven for a bit.  Simple, easy and sure to please!

Low Brow Thai Curry

I know, I'm obsessed with Trader Joe's and all their yummy pre-made concoctions.  I've walked passed the Red Thai Curry sauce for years and finally bought it.  I was craving curry, and the consensus:  DELICIOUS--and uber easy.

Here's what you need to serve about 4:

3 red potatoes cut into large chunks
6-7 mushrooms sliced
2-3 green onions sliced lengthwise
handful of raisins
1 lime
1 jar of Thai Red Curry Sauce from Trader Joe's

Directions:
Boil potatoes for 7-8 minutes until tender
Saute mushrooms in an oiled pan, add green onions and potatoes. 
Pour jar of Thai Red Curry Sauce into pan and let simmer for 5-6 minutes. 
Toss in handful of raisins and mix.
Add over rice and squeeze a wedge of lime over meal...the lime really adds zest, don't neglect this ingredient!
I'll definitely not pass up this sauce the next time I go grocery shopping...I look forward to trying the other curry's!

Food For Athletes

I know, I know...It's been awhile.  I had all the excitement about my engagement and then I went on the road to volunteer with the Challenged Athletes Foundation's main fund raising event--the Qualcomm Million Dollar Challenge.  Please check out this organization and what they do for athletes who have lost their limbs.  It is truly an inspiration to see men and women bike 620 miles in 7 days...especially when they have no legs.  It started in San Francisco and had stops along the California coast to Pismo beach, Santa Barbara, San Louis Obispo, Marina Del Rey, Newport Beach and finally San Diego.  Although I didn't bike 620 miles, I got to eat the same yummy food the cyclists did!  Unfortunately I didn't get to burn the calories off!  When you're cycling all day...you definately need the right fuel for your body!

Engagement Dinner

Yes ladies and gentleman, I'm engaged!  And the meal my man whipped up before the proposal couldn't have been tastier.  Not to mention it was eaten by candlelight in a VW bus surrounded by mountains and water.  You can read about the proposal here. 

He prepared this on a camp stove outside, but I'm sure it's even quicker and easier on a kitchen stovetop!  Here is what you'll need for this tasty Italian dish:

Fettuccine
1 large chicken breast or 2 small chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 onion
5 mushrooms thickly sliced
1/2 cup artichoke hearts
2 Tbsp sun dried tomatoes
1 tomato chopped
1-2 Tbsp capers
2 garlic cloves minced
1 lemon
Olive oil

While pasta is boiling, pan fry cubed chicken.  In another pan saute onions, garlic and mushrooms.  Add sun dried tomatoes, capers, and artichoke hearts (with a couple of tablespoons of the artichoke juice) and mix well.  Add the chicken to the vegetable mix until chicken is coated.  Spoon over fettuccine and drizzle olive oil and lemon juice on top!

Light the candles, enjoy the view and bon appetit!

Oh Yeah....I'm getting married!  Woohooo!

5 Minute Nachos!

I love food blogs.  I love seeing the new recipes and pictures and reading all about people's experiences cooking.  What amazes me is how often food bloggers post new blogs!  I don't know about you, but I often eat the same two or three meals for breakfast and often rotate about 5 or 6 different meals for lunch.  I wish I didn't have to work...I would love for my days to revolve around a stove, a kitchen table and new recipes.  Maybe that's when you'll see daily posts from me--until then, if you're like me and often find yourself with only 5 minutes in the kitchen, then this is the recipe for you! Here is a super duper quick and easy meal to whip together for one or two people...you can easily modify this recipe for more people.  Sometimes life and food gets too fancy.  This is for my simple, lowbrow peeps!

What you'll need:
Tortilla chips
1/4 cup frozen or fresh corn
1/4 cup black beans
1 avocado
salsa
shredded cheese
lime
garlic salt

Directions:
For Guacamole--Halve a ripe avocado and remove the seed.  Squeeze a wedge of lime and add a dash of garlic salt.  Mash with fork until it's the consistency you prefer.

Pre-heat oven .  Set to 350 degrees.  Spread out the tortilla chips on a cookie sheet or convection oven sheet.   Evenly toss shredded cheese over the chips and bake for about 3-5 minutes.
While that is cooking, in an oiled pan add corn and black beans with dash of garlic salt--Mix until heated.

When cheese is melted remove tortilla chips and add black beans and corn.  You can use the guacamole and salsa as a dip, or just dump on top.  That's it!

Spaghetti Squash and Vodka Sauce

I discovered spaghetti squash a couple of years ago--it's awesome.  I just love the fact that I can eat a huge bowl of this stuff and not feel like I need to run a marathon the next day to work it off! This can be used just like spaghetti minus all the carbs.  It's chock full of nutrients and only about 75 calories per 8 oz serving.  Oh yea...you can definitely help yourself to seconds!  This a super simple recipe which you can modify and add all sorts of your favorite goodies.  Here are the basics of what you'll need.

This serves 3
1/2 spaghetti squash
Jar of marinara or vodka sauce
6 or 7 mushrooms
1-2 tbsp of sliced sun dried tomato (optional)
5-6 quarters of artichoke hearts (optional)
Other great additions:  spinach or onions

Instructions:
Cut the squash in half and scrape out the seeds.

Once you've scraped out the center, fill a tupperware about 1/4 of the way full with water.  Place the squash flat side down.

Heat on high in the microwave for about 10-12 minutes.  

While the squash is in the microwave, grease a pan with olive oil and toss in sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and mushrooms.  (I was originally just going to sautee mushrooms until I found a jar of sun dried tomatoes and artichokes in the back of my fridge...woohoo!)  

 Once the squash is done, drain the water and scrape the insides with a fork to form spaghetti like noodles.

 Add the squash to the pan, mix everything well and then add your favorite sauce!

ENJOY!!

Lowbrow Chicken Masala

I was wandering through Trader Joe's yesterday looking at the variety of ethnic sauces and marinades. I wanted to try something new and picked up the Simmer Masala Sauce. You never know with bottled stuff...but it wasn't bad...I just added a little more chili pepper to spice it up a bit! If you have a Trader Joe's nearby, this is a seriously easy dinner to whip up in 20 minutes. Here's what you need:
Serves 2-3

1-1 1/2 lb of chicken breast or thigh. (I used thigh)
1 jar of Masala Simmer Sauce from Trader Joe's.
Any kind of rice (I used basmati)
Optional--Naan

I'm not kidding...that's it.

While the rice is boiling, add simmer sauce and 8 oz. of water to a pan. Cube chicken and add to sauce. Let simmer on medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Add chili pepper to taste if you like it a little spicy!