Thursday

Tabouli (Trial Run)

While cooking some food for the rest of my work week last night, I had some tomatoes and parsley that were gonna be going bad soon, so I decided to try making Tabouli. I personally enjoy it with a lot of different things; on a salad, with a chicken breast, or on a pita chip for example.

Traditionally Tabouli is made with tomatoes, onion and/or chives, parsley, mint and wheat bulgur. Then seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice and/or zest, salt & pepper. Some variations add garlic and lettuce. And either quinoa or couscous will sometimes be used instead of wheat bulgur.

I didn't have any mint or chives this time around and I opted out of using garlic in fear that it would be too potent. When I make it again I will definitely use chives, and maybe try a little mint and garlic.


Tabouli



First I started by getting my Wheat Bulgur cooking. This takes approximately 30 minutes to make. Follow the instructions on the packaging. 


Then while that cooked, I chopped up all my veggies, which included approximately two small bunches of flat leaf parsley, 2 1/2 tomatoes and 1/3 of a red onion.

              
Once I was done chopping all that up, my wheat bulgur was ready! Yes, it took me almost 30 minutes to chop up parsley, tomatoes and onions! You gotta make sure to de-stem your parsley, and I pitted the tomatoes so there weren't any seeds in there.
I mixed all that business together really well and then added my seasonings and juices. 


I just added the salt and pepper to taste and used about a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon and a half of lemon juice. But even the lemon juice I did to taste. Some of you may be more in to the bitter lemon taste than others.


Here's the breakdown of ingredients and cooking instructions ...


Tabouli

Prep Time: 30 Minutes   Cook Time: 30 Minutes   Servings: 2 Cups

Ingredients

2 bunches               Parsley (Flat or Curly Leaf)
2 1/2 - 3                  Roma Tomatoes
1/3                          Red Onion (chopped)
1/2 Cup                  Wheat Bulgur
1 Cup                     Water
1 1/2 Tbsp              Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp                    Olive Oil
A pinch of Kosher Salt & Pepper (add to taste)

Instructions

Bring to boil 1 cup water, then add wheat bulgur, cover, remove from heat, and let sit for 30 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Finely chop up approximately 2 bunches of parsley. Dice 2-3 roma tomatoes and approximately 1/3 of a red onion. Add all of these ingredients to a bowl.

Once wheat bulgur is tender add to bowl with vegetables and herb.

Add in your lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and mix well.


Nutrition Information --->  Total Calories: 123  Fat: 4g  Protein: 3g


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I hope you enjoy my trial run recipe! Please feel free to contact me with your thoughts, modifications or your own recipe!! I would love to hear from you.


Thanks for letting me share!


Crista





Broiled Brown Sugar & Soy Sauce Glazed Salmon w/ Fried Rice

Yay! I get to share my first recipe!! And, this is one of my favorites too!

I make this often because it's easy and I love salmon! The fried rice is probably not the best for you if you're watching your caloric intake, but I choose to pick my battles some days.

I like to cook meals for the work week ahead of time. Often I will do this on my Sunday, and I'm usually cooking at night. At this time of the day I find that I'm not as hungry and I'm less likely to snack on what I'm cooking. My mind also tends to unwind when cooking and I feel like I get a little "me" time in.

This meal will last me two days and it's very filling, so it counts as my "late lunch early dinner" meal and I usually just snack on some fruits and veggies throughout the day on top of this and the breakfast I likely had earlier that day.


Broiled Brown Sugar & Soy Sauce Glazed Salmon w/ Fried Rice



I like to make small variations to this recipe, based on what veggies I'm planning to add to the rice. This time I went pretty low key and just added in some left over frozen peas and carrots that I had on hand. In the past I've added things such as mushrooms, broccoli, asparagus or water chestnuts. **Trader Joe's sells what they call a 'Harvest Hodgepodge' .... 


... and this is a GREAT addition to your fried rice if you are a Trader Joe's shopper!** I wouldn't suggest adding much more than 2 cups of vegetables though.


I made my marinade/glaze first, using sesame oil, soy sauce and brown sugar. I usually just pour all of my ingredients in to a sandwich or freezer baggie (depending on how much meat I'm marinading) and then add the meat in. This time I had approximately 10 ounces of salmon and just cut it in half.


While that sits in the fridge for approximately 20-30 minutes I make my rice! I like to use Rice-a-Roni's Fried Rice because it's quick and easy to make. I have yet to make my own fried rice, and I will someday, but this will suffice just fine for now.

            

When I'm done with the rice, I ration it out 50/50, which usually turns out to be about 2 cups/serving. 
**Just remember (if your counting calories and logging your food) you added 1 1/2 - 2 cups of veggies, so realistically, you're meal contains 3/4 - 1 cup of veggies and approximately 1 1/4 cups rice.**



Now, for your salmon. This doesn't take long if you are going to broil it. Max 10-15 minutes! I like to flip my portions halfway through so all the glaze hardens and cooks on both sides of the fish. but you certainly don't have to do this. It will cook through within 15 minutes. 

I use a piece of tin foil (easy clean up) on a cookie sheet and fold all four sides of it up to create a little nest for my salmon. I like to pour all of the leftover marinade/glaze on the foil so it just permeates into my pieces of salmon while it cooks!




Here's the breakdown of ingredients and cooking instructions ....


Broiled Brown Sugar & Soy Sauce Glazed Salmon w/ Fried Rice

Prep Time: 5 Min or Less   Cook Time: 30 Minute Total (Rice & Fish)   Servings: 2

Ingredients

10oz                    Fresh Alaskan Salmon
1 Box                   Rice-a-Roni Fried Rice
2 Cups                Water
2 Tbsp                 Butter or Margarine
1 1/2-2 Cups         Vegetables (Frozen or fresh & slightly saute'd)
2 Tbsp                 Brown Sugar
3 Tbsp                 Sesame Oil
3 Tbsp                 Soy Sauce


Instructions

Combine your sesame oil, soy sauce and brown sugar in a sandwich bag, making sure the brown sugar dissolves in the liquids. Then add your salmon to the sandwich bag, seal it tight and place in the fridge for approximately 20-30 minutes. 

Using 2 tablespoons of butter in a non-stick skillet, add your rice and vermicelli from the Rice-a-Roni box. You're butter will start to melt, as this happens mix the rice and vermicelli so that the melted butter is coating everything. Continue to do this until your vermicelli starts to brown. Once brown, while stirring, slowly add 2 cups of water and the provided package of seasoning. Bring to a boil, turn heat down, cover and let simmer for approximately 15 minutes or until rice is tender. Just before your rice is deemed tender, add your vegetables** and turn the head down to low for approximately 2-3 minutes.

On a cooking sheet, place your salmon (and the remaining juices of your marinade if you'd like) on a piece of tinfoil. Place cooking sheet under a pre-heated broiler (medium/high setting). Cook for a total time of 10-15 minutes, or until the salmon is easily flaked. I recommend turning the piece of salmon over halfway through cook time so both sides get charred and the glaze bakes in to the piece of salmon. 


**If you're using frozen vegetables, running warm water over them so they thaw a little is recommended**
**If you're using fresh vegetables, saute them in a separate skillet while your rice is simmering**

And if you like a little heat, my favorite hot sauce to add to this is some good old Sriracha!

Nutrition Information ---> Total Calories: 690   Fat: 20g   Protein: 50g

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Like I mentioned before, this isn't the most nutritious meal out there. But I sure think it's delicious and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! So if you do decide to make it, I would love to hear from you and how it turned out, and what you thought. Post a comment or send me an email! 


Thanks for letting me share!

Crista




Wednesday

A Guide To Herbs & Spices


I LOVE cooking with different herbs & spices and I'm always up for trying something new! I stumbled upon these guides on Pinterest and I found them to be very helpful and informational, so I thought I would share!



**Two of my favorite herbs to use when cooking are Basil and Cilantro - I LOVE Italian and Mexican dishes! Some of my other favorites are Mint for my Mojito's, Chives with my potatoes and Dill with my eggs!



**Two of my favorite spices to use when cooking are Cayenne Pepper and Oregano - Again, I'm in to heat and Italian foods. A few spices that I would love to cook more with are, Ginger and Rosemary.


If you have any tips or guidelines that you like to use when cooking with fresh herbs and spices, please feel free to share! I'd love to hear from you!


Crista




Pinterest = LOVE

Oooh how I love thy Pinterest...

If you are a lover of food and cooking and aren't on the same page as me or don't even know what Pinterest is...then let me enlighten you!!

What I recommend first is that you create an account and follow me!! :)

Now, let the searching, sifting and inspiration begin! There is so much to do here other than look for recipes (but for me, that's the best part). You can find inspiration for an outfit for that hot date you have next week, a DIY project (my second favorite part) for that coffee table you want to refurbish, links to Etsy crafter's products, home decor ideas, travel hot spots, and SO MUCH more!

So what are you waiting for!? Get out there and pin something!


Until next time,

Crista




Tuesday

Welcome!!

First and foremost, a big WELCOME to any readers!!

Over this past Valentine's Day weekend, I was scouring the Internet for inspiration for our V-Day dinner feast. I started my manhunt on Pinterest and then found myself reading several different food blogs. Once at the grocery store and fully engulfed in my shopping list, I thought ... "Why don't I have a food blog!?!? I should create a food blog!".

And, Voila! Here I am.

I LOVE to cook and I LOVE food!! Most often I am trying to make a low fat and healthier version of something, recreating my favorite restaurant recipe, or modifying an existing one by adding my favorite ingredients to satisfy my taste buds. But I am slowly becoming more adventurous and trying to create my own recipes as well.

What I love even more than cooking and food, is sharing my creations with friends and family and then telling them what I did to make their meal extra special. So what I hope to do, is the same here with this food blog. Create inspiration and share with readers my recipes and enjoy talking food, with lovers of food alike!

A little bit about me personally ... I'm 30 years old, currently live in St.Paul, MN and work by day as a Fire/Medical Emergency Dispatcher for Ramsey County. I have one younger sister, two living and loving parents (my dad loves to cook and try new foods - so watch out for stuff inspired by him!), and an extremely handsome boyfriend - who loves to cook as much as I do, if not more, so definitely be watching for stuff inspired by him!

I encourage readers to contact me if there are ANY questions, suggestions or special requests! I truly would love to hear from you!!

I'm so excited for this blogging adventure!

Until next time,

Crista