Food Lush

No-Boil Pasta Bake: Easiest Dinner Ever

by Carrie

I came home from work the other night and really wanted some warm, comforting pasta. I remembered this recipe for No-Boil Pasta Bake I had seen recently on The Kitchn, so I adapted it to fit what I had on hand.

 

I used a 15-oz can of tomato sauce instead of a 28-oz can of diced tomatoes and used about half a cup more milk than the original recipe just to have a little more liquid. I also threw in two chopped tomatoes and a chopped red pepper. I baked it in a cast-iron skillet and the pasta was done in about 45 minutes. It tasted great and I barely had to think about it. Amazing. 

Best Lemon Cookies Ever!

by Carrie

I ate these cookies over at an aquaintance's house and begged her for the recipe. I don't even really like lemon-flavored baked goods, but I ate like five of these; they are THAT good. And super easy! Sorry I don't have a picture, I haven't actually made these for myself yet, but I have enough faith in the recipe and HOW AMAZING THESE ARE that I decided to share anyway. I just had a feeling Food Lushers would love these! The cookies are really light-tasting, perfect for eating with a cup of tea for an afternoon pick-me-up. Make these!

Best Lemon Cookies Ever

Ingredients:

1 box lemon cake mix

4.5 cups of frozen whipped topping (Cool Whip)

1 egg

Powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cake mix, egg, and cool whip together. Then, roll about a teaspoon of dough in powdered sugar to coat (this makes one cookie). Continue until all of the mixture is gone, then bake cookies in oven for 12-15 minutes. 

One match probably makes at least 18 or so. 

More Importantly, What Would You Cook?

By Carrie

You know that question "If you could invite anyone, alive or dead, to dinner, who would you invite?" There's variations on it: sometimes it's three people, sometimes it's celebrities, and sometimes it's historical figures.

Tell me who you'd invite. But what I really want to know is: what would you cook?

I'd invite singer Loretta Lynn, birth control pioneer Margaret Sanger, Lady Gaga, medieval queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, and poet Pablo Neruda. I'd serve kale salad with raisins, grilled chicken topped with pesto, some kind of chilled tomato soup, cream puffs and red velvet cake. And a lot of champagne. I think it would definitely be a raucous dinner party, and I hope all of these luminaries would dig my homemade cream puffs.

How about you?

Whole Foods vs Local Food Co-ops: First World Problems

By Carrie

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I recently moved from southern NM to the Virginia suburbs of DC. One of the things I was looking forward to (which were admittedly not many; I loved living in NM and was NOT very happy to be moving to the East Coast) was the greater variety of food options I'd have: more grocery stores, more restaurants, different types of ethnic food.

I'm interested in eating more organically, but the reality is that I just don't have the funds to buy all of my groceries at organic grocery stores. They're expensive, you know? Plus I like regular old store brand stuff once in a while. Anyway, I have a sensitivity to gluten, so I have to visit "health" food stores every few weeks to stock up on GF goodies (I know, I know, more grocery stores are getting GF products ... but not all of them carry the best ones!). When I got to Arlington, I immediately went to Whole Foods, thinking it would be a total food mecca for me. The biggest and most well-known organic grocery store in the country? Can't wait!!

Wow, was I wrong. Not only was the store incredibly expensive (ok, not that big of a surprise), but I was shocked to find that the big deal grocery store didn't carry many of the products I had begun to consider staples of my diet. I eat a ton of quinoa and like to switch it up by using different varieties and different brands, but Whole Foods only carried white quinoa in bulk and the Ancient Harvest brand, also in white. Only a few types of kombucha, not the five or six regularly carried by the co-op I visited in Las Cruces. And, they also didn't carry Seasnax, the incredibly addicting seaweed snack my boyfriend and I are obsessed with. I actually ordered a case of Seasnax on the very first day I went to Whole Foods, about 7 weeks ago, but haven't heard anything about it yet.

The store was also absolutely packed with people (like, running your cart into someone every couple of feet packed), and I could hardly get anyone's attention to help me find what I needed. I guess I assumed that a big deal grocery store in a highly populated area would have MORE to offer me than Mountain View Market, the little food co-op in the small desert city of Las Cruces, NM. But not only does Mountain View have a better selection of the food I want to buy, but the people who work there are kind, knowledgeable and serious about the mission of the co-op store. They know what kind of vitamins to recommend for digestive upset and what specific farm in the area grew the bok choy that just came in yesterday. And their products are actually cheaper than what Whole Foods offers. That seems crazy, doesn't it? That a little store can actually offer lower prices than a big name store? 

I don't know. These differences should probably have been obvious to me. I actually feel kind of naive now that I'm writing this post. But after living in a place where you sort of get used to not having all the big-city amenities people brag about, I couldn't believe that the little-city amenities actually turned out to be BETTER. I will say that Whole Foods did have a rockin' selection of prepared foods. I got a huge salad with all kinds of different veggies and grains and I ate it all, I'm not going to lie. Not a bad wine section, either. 

Still, while I appreciate the idea of Whole Foods and its mission, I think I've learned that I better stick to the smaller stores for my organic grocery needs. I've since started to shop at MOM's Organic Market, a locally-owned chain in the DC/MD/VA area, and I like it WAY better. It definitely has more of a local feel, the employees don't seem so frazzled, and they have at least four different types of quinoa to choose from. Plus, a commendable bulk foods section. First world problems, much? Yeah, I know. 

Anyway, what do you think? Do you shop at Whole Foods, a local coop store, or do you stay away from "organic foods" altogether? I'm not the only person to be a bit disgruntled with Whole Foods, but it's definitely all about your preferences and your perspective, I think.

The Chew: ABC's New Foodie Talk Show

by Carrie

ABC's new food-related talk show, The Chew, premiered on Monday, September 26th. The cleverly named show is supposed to be sort of like a foodie The View, as I understand it. It's hosted by Mario Batali, Michael Symon, Carla Hall, Clinton Kelly and Daphne Oz. 

Have you seen it? It's on during the day, so I haven't caught it. I like the concept, though; it's definitely something I would consider watching, even though I'm not really that into food shows. The website has some good video recipes, as well as a recipe library. The Chew's website also offers coupons, tips and tricks and an Ultimate Food Lovers Sweepstakes. Worth a look, I think!

What Common Foods Do You Dislike?

by Carrie

photo courtesy of foodwithkidappeal.blogspot.com

I've always been a relatively picky eater. Not so much now but definitely so when I was younger. Although I'll try almost anything these days, I still have a lot of "holdovers:" things I just won't eat, things that I've never liked and as an adult, still don't like. Many of these "holdovers" are what people would probably describe as normal or common foods. Foods that people screech How can you not like ___??!!!!! when you tell them you don't like it. Some of them include mayonnaise, sour cream, cream cheese, ranch dressing (I'm not big on white condiments), mustard, relish (or any condiments really), hot dogs, sausage, roast beef, and potato salad. (Don't invite me to your cookout seems to be the theme here, huh?)

I'm also not a big fan of "cream of" anything soups, pork (although I do like bacon), mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, pancake syrup ... I could go on, but I don't want my privileges as a food blogger to be revoked. I swear, there are tons of foods I do like!

So how about you? Tell me about the common or typical foods you dislike so I don't feel like such a freak. 

No Bake Fruit Pie

by Carrie

Excuse the dirty plate ... this was my second slice!

This is my mom's go-to summer dessert. Well, really, it's her go-to dessert anytime, but the nature of this recipe makes it perfect to make in summer, especially late summer when so many delicious fruit is in season. I made this pie with peaches the other day for my sorta-Georgia-boy boyfriend's birthday, and the deliciousness that is this pie is kind of unbelievable when you think how easy it is to make. It's good enough to serve when you're entertaining, but it's also easy enough to throw together for a weeknight when you want something sweet. 

The no-bake part is only technically true if you decide to use a premade pie crust. My mom usually makes this super easy pie crust when she makes this recipe; it only adds about 30 minutes onto the prep, and adds a distinct flavor. 

No Bake Fruit Pie

total time: 3ish hours

total hands-on time: 20 minutes

What you'll need:

For the crust:

1 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 cup of oil
3 tbsps milk
little bit of sugar

For the pie filling:

4-5 fresh peaches
3/4 cup of sugar
1 cup of water
3 tbsps peach Jello powder
3 tbsps all-purpose flour

1. (if you're making the crust) Preheat oven to 350.

2. Mix all of the crust ingredients right there in the pie pan with a spoon. Using the back of the spoon, press the out into the pan, as evenly as you can.

3. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

4. Once the crust is done, let it cool sufficiently before you add the rest of the ingredients. If you want, put it in the fridge to hasten the process.

5. Blanch, peel and then slice your peaches. Put them into the pie crust shell.

6. In a saucepan, combine sugar, jello, flour and water. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and cook until mixture is thick. This should take less than five minutes total.

7. Pour mixture over peaches and crust and let chill, uncovered, in the fridge until gelled, usually about an hour and a half to two hours.

This pie is perfect to make in the late afternoon; you don't even have to think about it again until you want to serve it and by that time it's ready to be eaten. You can easily make this with canned peaches if you don't have easy access to fresh. My mom also makes this pie with strawberries; same directions, just subsitute strawberries for peaches and strawberry Jello for peach Jello. It also works just as well if you use a GF baking mix and also if you want to sub sugar-free Jello or use Splenda. So easy! Also delicious with whipped cream on top and ice cream on the side (but what isn't, really?)

What Do You Eat For Breakfast?

by Carrie

I'm always really interested in what other people are eating. I'm particularly interested in what people eat for breakfast, as it's pretty much my least favorite meal of the day and also one that I know other people don't frequently eat.

In the past two years or so, I've realized that my day goes MUCH better if I eat some protein at breakfast. It's easier for me to concentrate, I have more energy and I don't get hungry for lunch nearly as fast as I did when I was eating only carbs for breakfast. It's kind of a no-brainer, but it took me forever to realize!

Here is a small survey of what I eat for breakfast on a regular weekday:

• GF bread or English muffin, toasted, with SmartBalance, peanut butter or almond butter and a Greek yogurt
• One GF frozen waffle with Greek yogurt spread on top and either blueberries or sliced banana on top of the yogurt
• Small serving of cereal with almond milk and sliced bananas and a Greek yogurt
• Green smoothie with protein powder added and toast or waffle
• Greek yogurt with fresh fruit and granola mixed in
• Microwaved scrambled eggs with spinach, tomatoes and a little bit of cheese

And I always have a cup of black or chai tea with milk. 

I'm not one to eat last night's dinner for breakfast; for me, breakfast has its own flavors and they should be kept seperate from lunch or dinner flavors. If it's a weekend morning or if I have a little bit more time, I'll eat scrambled eggs on quinoa with salsa on top, or maybe a frittata or pancakes. (Here's a nice archive of what other Food Lush writers eat for breakfast.)

And here's an awesome graphic I got from The Kitchn via EatingRules; some great suggestions on there, right?

What do you eat for breakfast? Are you a breakfast protein fiend like me or are you the type to just grab a granola bar?

Evernote Is The Most Awesome Thing Ever (for Recipes)

by Carrie

Although I own and use cookbooks, I generally find recipes that I want to cook on the Internet. Since I read a ton of food blogs, I am always always always bookmarking recipes that I want to eventually make. After about two and half years of doing this, I realized that having a "recipes" bookmark folder with hundreds of recipe pages in it wasn't exactly working. I would have to scroll back through all the bookmarks to find what I wanted, and I usually forgot about the older ones. Enter the most amazing thing ever, Evernote.

You may have heard of Evernote before, or you may already use it for notes and things like that. It's getting to be more and more common as an organizational tool. But I found that it is the PERFECT thing for organizing my virtual recipes! I just "clip" the text of a recipe from the web and then I can tag it with whatever I want, like "dinner," "dessert," or "Italian" and then it gets put into Evernote and is completely searchable. The other night I had an abundance of shrimp, so I just typed in "shrimp" and every shrimp recipe I found interesting on the Internet was there at my fingertips. It's AWESOME. Granted, I haven't gone through and clipped every single recipe I bookmarked, but I'm working on it. 

Another awesome thing is that Evernote is syncable with all of your devices, so you can get the Evernote app for your phone and pull up recipes while you're at the grocery store. Or, you can take a picture of a printed recipe or ingredient list or food product and add it to Evernote to remember later. You can also share with other people who have Evernote, so conceivably you could start a recipe collective with friends. Can you tell how excited I am about this? I THINK IT'S SO AMAZING! If you don't have Evernote, get it asap!

Move-in Chili!

by Carrie

So I completed my cross-country drive largely uneventfully and am (mostly) moved in to my new home in Arlington, VA. I have a day-after-move tradition of making chili, which I made yesterday. I like doing it because it's easy, it doesn't require a lot of attention and it makes the house or apartment smell good and homey and like it belongs to you. You get the added benefit of having a big old pot of chili to eat for the next few days while you're arranging and organizing, so less time and money spent on eating out.

Here is my basic recipe:

Move-in Chili

total time: 1.5 hrs

hands-on time: about 30

What you'll need:

1 package of ground turkey
1 onion, diced
1 can of black beans
1 28 oz can of crushed or diced tomatoes
1 small can of diced tomatoes with green chile (I use Rotel)
1 can of corn
1 tbsp fresh garlic
chili powder
cumin
cinnamon
salt
olive oil

1. Dice the onions and sautee them with garlic in olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.

2. Once the onions are translucent, add in the ground turkey and cumin to taste (definitely a few tsps). Stir the meat, making sure the onions and meat are evenly mixed and distributed.

3. Cook for about 8 minutes. Once the meat has browned, add in both cans of tomatoes, stir, and turn up the heat. Cook for a few minutes, then add in some chili powder (again, at least a few teaspoons).

4. Let the meat, onion and tomato mixture cook for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle in a teeny bit of cinnamon for sweetness and depth of flavor.

5. Drain the black beans and them add them to the chili, stir, cook for another few minutes. If it seems thick, add in half a can of water or broth.

6. Add the can of corn and stir again. Taste the chili; does it need more chili powder? More cumin? Garlic powder? Salt? Add in seasonings according to what tastes good to you.

7. Turn the heat down to low and let the chili simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. This is an optional step, but one I find really melds the flavors and makes the chili taste great.

Chili is easily customizable. Omit the ground turkey for a vegetarian version, or throw in a can of kidney or pinto beans for even more protein. I've also added chopped green peppers and zucchini to this recipe to make it a little bit more nutrient dense. I didn't have any beer on hand yesterday, but I usually like to add in a can of beer just after I've added the tomatoes; this keeps the chili from getting too thick and also adds some great flavor. This chili tastes great by itself, eaten with chips or served over rice. And you'll get a ton of leftovers to freeze for nights you just don't feel like cooking!

Side note: If any of you live in Arlington or surrounding areas, let me know! Where are the good restaurants and bars?