I managed to not eat anything with meat, eggs, or fish.  Luckily, some of my family was pretty good about it and offered up recipes and pointed out foods I could eat.

I also brought two dishes of my own, just in case there wasn’t anything vegetarian.

Stuffed green peppers:

I made made quinoa and sauteed it with onions, garlic, spinach and corn.  I stuffed it in the green peppers and then baked it for 30 minutes.  Pretty good, if I say so myself.  :)

I also made an onion soup I got off a vegan website, but not very good.  I added a lot of salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to make it better.

Then later that evening I OD’d on pie.  Hey!  It was vegetarian pie!

This recipe was called “Quick Spanakopita”– I’ve never made ‘regular’ spanakopita, but I would not call this recipe “quick.” That hasn’t stopped me from making it several times to fulfill my Greek food obsession (I could do without all the grape leaves and mint in everything). The time consuming part is buttering each phyllo layer. Serve with falafel, a greek-style salad, hummus, tzatziki and pita bread. A really simple dessert would be Greek yogurt with berries and pine nuts or pistachios. Recipe and photo from Martha Stewart Food:

Photo from Martha Stewart Food

Ingredients
Serves 4

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound baby spinach
1 large egg
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
10 sheets phyllo dough (each 17 by 12 inches), thawed if frozen
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Prep
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Gradually add spinach, and cook, stirring often, until wilted, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in egg, herbs, feta, salt, and pepper.

Lay 1 sheet phyllo on a parchment-lined baking sheet (cover remaining phyllo with a damp towel), and brush with butter. Repeat twice. Spread spinach mixture on center. Top with 3 more buttered sheets. Fold in sides. Butter remaining 4 sheets; crumple over top. Bake until dark golden, about 40 minutes.

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone and I have been loving some new recipes! First of all, I am happy to say I made it through the holiday without even sniffing gluten or sugar! Yay me I was a little lot worried that I would not be able to resist all the traditional food. So, I made sure to take my own and basically stayed away from the large table of food at my mom’s. I have been learning more about the anti-candida diet and really prayed hard that God would help me stick to it! He answered my prayer

My Thanksgiving day started off with a yummy HOT breakfast–southwestern style. I have realized that I do much better with a BIG HOT breakfast–not cold and raw (more about that later). Here are a few I have been enjoying.

1 egg + 2 whites, cooked peppers, onions and black beans over spinach

More eggs, peppers, onions and black beans over spaghetti sqaush

Coconut flour pancakes with Sweet Almond Sauce--OMG!!

Did I mention I have a new BFF? I don’t think she knows it yet, but Ricki at Diet, Dessert and Dogs is saving my life with this Anti-Candida thing!! Thanks a million Ricki! I still have SO many more recipes to explore! The recipe for the Sweet Almond Sauce is here and it is to die for!!

Lunch on Thanksgiving day was:

Kale Salad with Sweet Potato Fries

These recipes were also on Ricki’s blog I’m afraid sweet tators may be out for me for a while though–they make me crave sugar! UGH!

Dinner on Thanksgiving:

Anti-Candida Stew

Yet another wonderful recipe from Diet, Dessert and Dogs! I used quinoa instead of rice and I did put the sweet potato, but will probably leave it out next time. I took this with me to my mom’s and didn’t touch anything else. I KNEW if I took even ONE bite of the traditional food, my taste buds would go BONKERS and I would be in trouble!

Dessert on Thanksgiving:

Tofu Carob Pudding (sugar free:)

I’m still not sure that tofu works for me, but it was certainly better than eating sugar and gluten. Tofu doesn’t make my stomach hurt, but I have noticed some unpleasant reactions to it. I think it is worth eating occasionally, but I couldn’t eat it every day.

So, basically, Ricki saved my Thanksgiving. I LOVE the blogging world. We have never even met and yet blogs are SO helpful!

Just a quick note about the raw diet in my life. I went to the ND the other day and she and I both think it is best if I just concentrate on staying away from sugar and gluten. With my past eating history, too many rules was REALLY freaking me out! Food was VERY quickly becoming my enemy and I just can NOT go there again. So, I will eat raw when I want (like kale salad) and cooked when I want. I’m sure it will be more cooked than raw and that has to be okay–if for no other reason than to keep my sanity! Eating disorders are a powerful form of bondage that I don’t want any part of–EVER AGAIN!! I have to see food as fuel and as my friend,and I wasn’t seeing it that way when trying to follow so many rules. I am feeling MUCH better emotionally since coming to this place with my diet I know there are rules to follow on the anti-candida diet, but I think it is easier than trying to do mostly raw. I’m not much into raw eggs, but have been loving them scrambled for my breakfast!

Better run now. I think my daughter and I are going to try to go to a movie today and maybe do a little window shopping Hope you have a blessed weekend!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 cups baby spinach (about 198g )
• 425g  ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg

Click here to view the full recipe…
http://www.sevafrica.com/HealthWellness/Spinach-CheeseRavioli.shtml

Tonight we are featuring one of our 3 Fabulicious first dishes:

Spinach Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing & Candied Beats

from “Food People Want” Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, by Ina Garten

The spinach pie is in the front, and behind it is the ever popular squash galette
I made this as part of our fun vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner – I was nervous about working with phyllo, but it came out well. I think the key to making it even better would be to choose the best spinach possible (I really need to figure out how many pounds of fresh spinach it takes to equal a box of frozen – anyone know?) and the yummiest feta you can find (I didn’t love either of those two ingredients this time around, but it still came out great. The near disaster of this meal was that I stupidly didn’t think about thawing the phyllo until right when I was ready to use it (duh – too distracted by all of the other dishes I was making to think about this), and at 2 pm when people are coming at six is not the best time to read, “thaw in refrigerator for 24 for hours and then thaw on countertop for additional 2 hours before using. Most folks on the internet say it’s absolutely impossible to thaw phyllo in a microwave, but I lived to tell the tale. I did it very carefully, a few seconds at a time on defrost, moving it around every time, and then left it on the counter for 45 minutes or so, and it was just fine.My backup plan would have been to whip up a quick pie crust, which I think you could also do.

When you are planning on cooking with frozen spinach, it’s imperative to remove as much water as possible from the defrosted package before cooking. One of the best ways to do this is in an old, clean dish towel. Place the thawed spinach in the center of the towel and bring the corners together to create a tight bundle. Squeeze and twist the spinach with everything you’ve got until it no longer releases any juice.
INGREDIENTS
3 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3 (10-ounce) packages frozen, chopped spinach, defrosted
6 extra-large eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons grated nutmeg (I used less)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons plain dry bread crumbs
1/2 pound good feta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 pound salted butter, melted
6 sheets phyllo dough, defrosted
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a medium sauté pan on medium heat, sauté the onions with the olive oil until translucent and slightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the salt and pepper and allow to cool slightly.
Squeeze out and discard as much of the liquid from the spinach as possible. Put the spinach into a bowl, break it up if it’s packed together and then gently mix in the onions, eggs, nutmeg, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and feta.
Butter a quiche pan or pie pan and line it with 6 stacked sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with melted butter (a natural bristle brush would work best – my silicone one sucked for this, so I used my fingers to wipe it all over – worked OK!) and letting the edges hang over the pan. (I laid out a piece of parchment to put the stack of phyllo on, and another one for the sheet I was working on. Cover the phyllo stack while you’re working, and just work quickly and they won’t dry out – it’s handy to have a helper to uncover your stack so you can pull off a sheet and then they recover it for you, so you can devote yourself to buttering. I alternated the sheets so they pointed different directions over the pan, so I’d have a lot of edges to fold up and over. Pour the spinach mixture into the middle of the phyllo and fold the edges up and over the top to seal in the filling. Brush the top with melted butter.
Bake for 1 hour, until the top is golden brown and the filling is set (don’t know how you’d determine this from looking at it – I think the hour will do it and during the cooling time it will continue to cook itself for a while). Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Serve at room temperature.
Serves 6 to 8

Menu:

Spanakopita: spinach, feta, garlic, filo, swiss chard, scallion, red pepper

Salmon: parsley, brown sugar, cinnamon

Spinach Salad: Parmesan cheese, lemon vinaigrette

Jicama Spinach Appetisers: puree of avocado and spinach, jicama, lemon, cherry tomato

Popeye Brownies: spinach, chocolate, oat flower, egg

Tonic:

Cinnamon Decoction: boil cinnamon sticks in water for 20 minutes. add cream and honey.

Nutritional/Medicinal Benefits:

Cinnamon is the number one spice used for Diabetes (in western culture! For anyone trying to cut back on Insulin; they can try Herb Pharm “Cinnamon” tincture. Therapeutic dose: 1 tsp. in 4 oz water. (ask an herbalist if you have any concerns and talk with their Doctor.)However, Cinnamon can be very warming… so you want to watch it in anyone that gets overly heated easily. (watch for red tongue, flushed cheeks, and heavy pulse.)Cinnamon is a hemostatic (stops excesses bleeding), so it can be used for internal and external bleeding. Try it out for any cuts or scrapes. Cinnamon was once seen as the “Spice of the Goddess!” Because of it’s potent effect on men. When asked men what their favorite scent is, they have always answered “cinnamon or vanilla.”Women used to seduce their men by cooking with cinnamon (to get their way), or bathe in it!Also, Cinnamon was used to embalm people after they died! It is used a s natural preservative!

Holiday leftovers don’t last long in our homes. Especially the Very Tasty Turkey Salad. (Chicken works well, too.) The trick is starting with a well-seasoned turkey. Stacey’s husband is from the island of Puerto Rico and taught us to make “pavochon,” a turkey seasoned Puerto Rican style that consists of ground garlic cloves, Sazón spices, salt, and extra virgin olive oil. Grind those ingredients with a mortar and pestle, cut slits in the bird and rub the seasoning under the skin, atop the skin and inside the cuts. Let that sit for a day or two before slow roasting the bird in a self-basting turkey oven bag. The key here is LOW and SLOW.

Take leftover pieces of the bird and rip them apart or chop. To taste, add a bit at a time of the following: Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, chopped scallions, a sliced hard-cooked egg or two, diced tomatoes, pepper and salt. There are no rules with Turkey Salad; get creative!

What are you doing with your leftovers? Please share your ideas with other readers!

How Stacey Got the Shot: On the dining room table with natural light and foam core set up to bounce light onto the subject and fill in shadows. ISO 100, focal length 50mm, f/4, 1/100 second exposure.

Today did not start out well. I was having the WEIRDEST dream ever, and must have turned my alarm off during said dream, because when I actually woke up and figured out where I was, it was 6:15 am, and I had to be out the door in 15 min! ACK!

I threw on some clothes, washed up, and put some food in containers and was out the door. I even made it to class on time, but had to wait until after class to dig into breakfast. Boy was I hungry!

In the thermos I had yogurt, the last of the quince, and pomegranate arils. The other container was just some Kashi Honey Almond Flax cereal to combine with said yogurt & fruit.

Yogurt close up!

It was horrendous weather all day. It just rained, and rained, and rained. Good thing I had my new fancy boots – they kept my feet dry and warm! But to warm the rest of me up, I had to hit up the Sbucks.

Do I even have to say what’s in there?

My last volunteer shift at Agora later, and I was on my way home. First thing on my mind when I walked in the door? What’s for lunch?

I made a grilled ham & cheese sandwich with baby spinach and red pepper jelly. Too bad my cheese didn’t want to melt.

I also heated up a bowl of broccoli soup my sister had made on the weekend.

Topped with a little more cheddar. What’s better than broccoli & cheddar?!

Rainy day food, for sure!

With a Werther’s Original candy for dessert

I spent the afternoon at home, expecting an important phone call. Of course, my mom then ended up on the phone all afternoon, and we don’t have call waiting, so I figured they called and got a busy signal. But, low and behold, and 5 pm I received my call. Looks like I’ll be working with a dietitian on a project at Children’s Hospital. Alas, it is only volunteer, but still – it’s all about boosting that resume, right?

Dinner was served way too early for my hunger, so I only had a bit.

Meatloaf, green peas, and apple/craisin/pecan salad. There were baked potatoes as well, but I wasn’t feeling it. And wouldn’t you know it, all my close ups turned out poorly. So this is all you get!

I made a quick trip up to the store to get a couple things (I was all out of good peanut butter), then had a sweat session with the dvd’s. Then it was time for me to satisfy my baking desires!

I had a hankering for muffins. I thought oatmeal and apple should be involved. I searched out some recipes, decided on this one as my inspiration, concocted a variation in my head, then assembled the required ingredients.

Some mixing, grating, scooping, and baking later, and I was presented with this:

Apple Carrot Raisin Oatmeal Muffins

makes 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup oats
• 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour (would have used whole wheat, but we had none)
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1 tbsp ground flax seed
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tbsp molasses
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 small apple, chopped
• 1/2 cup raisins

Method

1. Combine dry ingredients (oats through salt) in a large bowl.
2. Combine wet ingredients (milk through vanilla) in medium bowl.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry, then add carrot, apple, and raisins.
4. Mix until just combined – don’t over mix! (you know how muffins go).
5. Divide equally between 12 greased or lined muffin cups.
6. Bake at 375 F for 20 min, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

These turned out really well. I was a little worried that my wet to dry ratio would be off, but it was perfect. They are hearty, moist, slightly sweet, with a nice balance of spices. Both of my parents tried them out, and gave them the thumbs up. I think they would be a great breakfast muffin, pairing nicely with your favourite nut butter.

Obviously, I had one as my evening snack, with a another cup of chamomile tea.

I still have another project on the stove, but it’s totally time for bed, so I guess I’m calling it done. I’m sure you’ll get to see it tomorrow. Night!

Cooking Time: 20 minutes | Originally enjoyed on: 11/22/2009

This past Sunday, the Foodies gathered for one of the most epic Foodie Fridays ever: Thanksgiving Pre-Party. With over seventeen guests in attendance, we approached this one differently by making it a potluck. We had a ball stuffing ourselves full of delicious food and enjoying the fantastic view from Paul/Mark/Neil’s fantastic apartment.

The courses had an approximate $10 budget and included: dinner rolls, chips and dip, sautéed mushrooms, green bean casserole, garlic mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, salad, baked spaghetti with olives and cilantro, ham, turkey, salmon, vegetable stir-fry, home-made cranberry sauce, stuffing, candied yams, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, ice cream, and roasted squash.

View from the apartment of our wonderful hosts, Mark, Paul, and Neil. True story.

Oh, and for the over 21 crowd, “Indian beer” and wine.

In honor of remembering that dinner and the holidays, I’m posting one of the dishes I made for the potluck: cranberry almond salad with a sweet cider and vinegar dressing.

Cranberry almond salad with sweet dressing; picture from allrecipes.com.

I first had this salad one year ago when I attended a smaller pre-Thanksgiving gathering with Anna S. and friends. It was the best homemade salad I had ever tasted, and  I’ve reproduced that dish several times after. You can find the recipe at the original site.

The recipe is very simple, but the ingredients tend to add up. I recommend buying the poppy seeds and sesame in bulk (a la Whole Foods or Berkeley Bowl). You can also find dried cranberries and pre-roasted almonds at Trader Joe’s for an extremely reasonable price. Lastly, I usually use more cranberries and almonds in my salad than the recipe calls for, so don’t be afraid to vary the proportion of dry ingredients to salad to match your taste.

As of 3 minutes ago, it’s officially Thanksgiving! I’m cozy at home in my bed, surrounded by my stuffed animals, Polaroids from high school, and hundreds of books, among other things. What was your childhood bedroom like?

Speaking of childhood, I got a fun e-mail from my friend Jenny at 8 this morning while I was sipping on my coffee. Jenny is hands-down my oldest friend; our mothers grew up together, and although Jenny and I have been separate by half a country for our entire lives and only get to see each other once a year, we’ve always been close. When my grandfather was still living, my parents and I visited him in Indianapolis every winter between Christmas and New Year’s; this photo is from the winter of 1988. (That’s me on the right, with the bowl cut.)

Here we are this past summer, in Lake Michigan.

I miss her so much during the year. We look forward to our week on the lake so much!

After my trip down memory lane, I made a quick breakfast: Ezekiel English muffin with almond butter and a banana, raspberry jam on one side and pumpkin butter on the other.

I went to the post office to mail something; it didn’t open until 10 (which seems a little later) but there was a machine that got the job done. Then to physical therapy I went! It as a particularly good appointment. I learned some new exercises to stretch my hips; I can easily do them from the hotel room in Russia. After PT I raced back home to eat lunch before I had to turn right back around and go to an interview. I made a quick salad:

In the mix:

• romaine
• celery
• tofu
• leftover roasted veggiesM

It was one of the rare occasions where I could not finish my meal. Usually, once I’ve dished a certain amount of food out, I will eat every last scrap even if I’ve long since reached capacity. (Last night’s pasta plate was an example of this.) However, today I started getting a stomachache about partway through, and just picked out what I wanted (roast vegetables, tofu, hummus), leaving a fair amount of spinach.

I felt guilty about throwing the rest out (I won’t be back at the house for two weeks), but it was better than making myself sick. As it was, my tum hurt for the next two hours. My eyes are bigger than my head sometimes, and I think the most important thing I need to remember to do is slow down while I’m eating. I’ve been so rushed these past few weeks that although I’ve been eating foods I love, I’ve barely tasted them as I’ve had to practically inhale them to get from appointment to appointment on time. It’ll be nice to have a little break

There’s always room for sweets, though! I had a couple of these strawberry gummy candies from the Japanese grocery store in our neighborhood. Not bad!

I was starving after my interview. Luckily I had about four different snacks in my bag, so I ate one of the apple-flavored Heart Thrive bars that I was sent to review. I’ll do a formal review once I’ve sampled all of the products, but I liked this a lot!

When I got home I folded laundry and did some preparatory packing for my trip to Russia. I am one of the worst packers ever. I always take too much and forget crucial items, like spare contact lenses or pajama pants. Do you have any fool-proof (or LVP proof!) packing tips?

I snacked on some Concord grapes that were about to go bad while I waited for my dad to help me pack some things up. These grapes are really addicting. There are seeds, which I thought I wouldn’t like, but are actually kind of fun to work through and take longer to eat. Plus, these are the kind of grapes used to make grape juice, so they’re the perfect combination of sweet + tart.

While my dad was at a holiday party, my mom and I had dinner at watched Hannah And Her Sisters. Not only is this a really good Woody Allen film, but it’s told between two years’ worth of Thanksgivings! I ordered a bento box for dinner, which came with a spicy tuna roll, tempura, sashimi & shrimp shumai. (It came with rice, salad & miso soup as well, but I’m saving those for tomorrow.)

I also had a glass of Black Box Wine’s Sauvignon Blanc.

My mom brought home dessert from Billy’s Bakery, the same shop she ordered my birthday cupcakes from.

She bought one pumpkin cupcake and one pumpkin bar; we split them three ways. De-lish.

I’m off to bed. There’s a lot on the agenda tomorrow! Have a great night, a happy holiday, and safe travels wherever your day takes you.

Last Friday when I went to Sushi Zushi, that was my first time eating udon noodles in two years!!! I had a heavy meat dish for lunch so I settled for something light and super healthy for dinner.

[100% organic & wild Gulf shrimp]

Ingredients:

• 4 cups water
• One 4-inch strip of dried kelp/kombu, soak in water for 10-20 minutes
• 4 TBS soy sauce
• 1 TBS mirin
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 0.5 cup beach mushrooms, separated
• 0.5 cup enoki mushrooms, separated
• Shrimp
• 1-2 green onions, sliced diagonally
• 1 raw egg
• 8 oz. udon noodles

Instructions:

1. To make the dashi (broth), heat pan with 4 cups of water, the dried kelp/kombu, soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and salt
2. Once the dashi boils, kept it on low-medium heat and let it cook
3. In another pot, boil enough water to blanch the spinach and mushrooms then set aside
4. In the same pot, cook the udon noodles until al dente, depending on the thickness of the noodles, time varies
5. When the noodles are ready, rinse under cold water and set aside
6. In the same pot, boil the shrimp and set aside
7. In a bowl, place the noodles at the bottom, then add the vegetables, place the shrimp over the noodles, and sprinkle the green onions over everything
8. Turn on the heat to high for the dashi
9. Once it boils again, pour the hot soup into your bowl, without the kelp/kombu, and immediately break the raw egg into the hot broth with the noodles and everything else

[100% organic & wild Gulf shrimp]

Note: consuming raw or undercooked animal foods may increase your risk of contracting a food borne illness.

In light of my great respect for the fine art of Kaiseki, Yuki’s mom decided that she wanted to take me out for another style. That woman loves me! Frankly, I can’t blame her. At any rate, a friend of hers had recommended Ushiyama in the Meguro neighborhood of Tokyo, so we gave it a shot last night. And what a shot it was! Slam dunk!

It started off with a plate of carrots, shiitake, and mibuna with grated apple. Who would have thought of putting grated apple on mushrooms? Ushiyama, that’s who. I’m damn he did, it was amazing!

After that came a dish of four. I ate them clockwise from bottom left. Ama ebi (sweet shrimp), raw sardines with thinly sliced onion that’s been soaked in cold water to remove the sharpness, warm salted ginko nuts skewered on pine needles on top of seitan (wheat gluten) cakes on top of grilled sweet potato that was shaped like a ginko leaf, and uni in a lily blossom. No, I did not eat the maple leaf in the center of the plate nor the pine needles.

Next was the soup course. I heavily bonito flaked dashi broth that was nice and smokey with a rinkon (lotus root) and mochi dumpling and a bok choy leaf with some yuzu zest. It ranks right up there with the best soups I’ve ever eaten, next to the one I ate a few years ago at Iron Chef Michiba’s restaurant.

After the soup course was the sashimi course. It consisted of suzuki (sea bass), melt-in-your-mouth tuna, and ika (squid). It must be ika season because the ika I’ve eaten on this trip is by far the softest and sweetest I’ve ever had.

Then they served us home-made soba noodles in a light soy-dashi with some thinly sliced negi (green onions) on top. I’m telling you, there is absolutely nothing like top quality freshly made soba noodles. I don’t know if I can go back to store-bought dried soba when I get home. I mean, of course I can, but it just won’t be the same. So chewy and clean tasting.

Next up was the grilled course. Sawara (a cousin of the spanish mackerel) grilled with yuzu-miso and served with yuzu-miso konnyaku and daikon that was cut into a flower with a small slice of red pepper. I’ve never had yuzu-miso before, I’m a huge fan!

After that was the simmered course which was kinmedai (splendid alfonsino) in a ginger sauce. It was served with spinach and daikon radish with chawanmushi in the middle.

For the fried course we got a dish with some tempura. Shishito pepper and ebi imo (a kind of yam) served in a light dashi with momiji oroshi and chopped chives.

Then came the rice and miso course. The rice was a glutinous rice with chirimenjako (baby sardines simmered in saltwater, dried in the sun, and covered in a sweet soy marinade), sliced shiso, and served on top of a cherry leaf. The miso had mizuna greens in it. There was also some lightly pickled cucumber and daikon on the side (yes Nick, I even ate the pickles!).

Finally, for dessert we got sweet potato mousse. It was so soft and lightly sweet, it was really more like a light sweet potato cheesecake. Served with a sweet potato chip on top.

This Kaiseki was Kyoto-style which is considered to be the most sophisticated and delicate of all styles. Hard to argue as the food was simply magnificent! Plus, all of that food for only $50 per person! I challenge anyone to find a deal half that good for a meal of that quality prepared with that caliber anywhere in the states. Thanks so much for bringing me here Tamiko!!!

Hello, hello!!

Ahh, I’m at home. Home sweet home. It feels faaabulous. Currently, there is a log in the fireplace and I just finished up a glorious home-cooked meal. Let’s start from the beginning though…

I got to come home to this face:

She literally sat ON TOP of me while I was laying on the couch last night. haha Her feet were up in the air and everything!

I think she might have missed me? …just a smidge. hahahaha

I love my pup. haha So I spent the night cuddling with her …she literally didn’t leave my side.

My brother got home last night, too. So we got to hang out a little before we both crashed.

When I got up this morning, I automatically thought “CUPCAKE!” haha My red velvet cupcake was downstairs waiting for me…and who is to say that you can’t have a cupcake for breakfast?! haha Not me! I got downstairs and gobbled it up!! Only after I had finished it…it was delicious!…did I realize I had forgotten to take a picture! boo.

Well, I took a picture of the pumpkin cupcake that my brother hadn’t eaten yet…so just imagine that this is a gloriously red cupcake, and you’ll get my experience. haha However, the pumpkin is equally as glorious!

Throughout the morning, I helped my mom with some preparations for tomorrow. I helped her bake cookies, and make a cheese sauce for pearled onions tomorrow. I’m a huge fan of this cheese sauce! Plus the fact that it is completely homemade…major perk. I’m so fortunate to have a mom who is a fabulous cook.

My brother and I did some afternoon errands…and he got a muuuch needed haircut. I walked around in Barnes & Noble while he got his hair cut, and I ended up making a purchase that I am very happy with.

The recipes in this book look fabulous, and I love that the recipes are categorized by seasons! Plus, there is just so much information in the book about all sorts of foods and their nutritional values. I’m excited to learn! That might be something to save for winter break though — these next 2 weeks will be crazy.

For lunch, I had a few small squares of a spinach and portabella white pizza, and a chocolate and toffee pretzel stick.

For dinner, I had a fabulous home-cooked meal of sweet potatoes with hot sauce, spinach and sausage. Mmmm. Seriously, I rarely have sausage, but this stuff is just so good. A sweet one and a hot one. Yum. My mom and I sat around the kitchen table and just talked. It was great.

So suffice it to say, I’ve eaten well today — with only better things to come tomorrow! Tonight will be spent helping my mom ready for tomorrow, and awaiting the late arrival of my aunt, uncle and two cousins. It is so nice to be home and surrounded by family. It’s just so fulfilling.

I hope everyone is having a great week. And Happy Thanksgiving to anyone in the States! I’m so thankful for so much, including all of you!!

Peace, Love & Munchies.

This meal was created off the top of my head and it was a great one! 

Whole Wheat Pasta Shells with Spinach, Roasted Tomatoes, Artichokes, & Chicken in a White Wine Reduction.

Ingredients:

• Whole Wheat Medium Pasta Shells
• Can of Artichoke Hearts (in water)
• Grape/Cherry Tomatoes
• Spinach
• Chicken
• Garlic
• White Wine
• Dried Basil & Parsley
• Parmesan Cheese
• Olive Oil

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Wash & cut tomatoes in half.  Place on baking sheet and toss with a little olive oil and kosher salt.  Place in oven until tomatoes are juicing–10/15 minutes.
• Meanwhile in a deep saucepan, saute olive oil & garlic.  Saute sliced pieces of chicken in pan (seasoned with salt & pepper).  Once the chicken is cooked through, add some wine (1/2  cup?).  The heat should be on pretty high at this point. 
• Add the roasted tomatoes, chopped artichokes, parmesan cheese (about a handful) & dried parsley & basil to the pan.  Allow to cook for a little bit…10 minutes or so.  Add handfuls of spinach and place lid on pan to allow the spinach to wilt down.
• In a seperate pot, boil water.  Add salt & the pasta shells.  Cook as directed by the package.
• Once pasta is cooked, drain the pasta and place the pasta back in pot.  Add the mixture from the pan and mix all around.
• Serve and top with parmesan cheese if desired!

When we were really little, my grandmothers hosted Thanksgiving, trading off every other year. Eventually a broken hip and other ailments got the best of them. For a year or two they took us all out to a noisy, over-crowded restaurant. It didn’t take long for my mother to declare that SHE would now be cooking Thanksgiving dinner. No one argued.   

Since my grandparents didn’t like to drive after dark, the feast was mandated to start at the stroke of one. To meet this deadline, my parents were up and in the kitchen early, stuffing the turkey before the dawn. Snuggled under the covers, I could hear them having what could have been misconstrued as an argument.  Within the family, we considered it to be nothing more than an enthusiastic discussion.

And what critical question could possibly merit so much predawn attention? Without fail, year in and year out, they engaged in an intensive debate on how long to cook the bird. In those days, my dad spent almost zero time in the kitchen but was surprisingly opinionated on this matter. Eventually they came to some kind of agreement, gave the turkey a kiss and pushed him into the oven.

Hours later the topic was revisited when they poked and prodded and opined if the bird was done. This second debate was even more interesting because at least one of my two grandmothers was more than apt, ready and able to pipe in with an opinion. 

Eventually some kind of consensus was reached. Beautiful and golden brown, Tom Turkey was pulled from the oven. At that point, the activity in the already busy kitchen was turned up a notch.  After everyone had given the requisite oooh or awww, my dad went to work carving the bird. My mother and grandmothers bustled around at top speed getting everything else ready and on the table.  In short order, the sideboard groaned under the weight of the huge turkey and all the fixin’s.

Ours was a traditional New England feast and the menu remained more or less unchanged for decades. As in 1621, the vegetables were hardy and local. A salad never graced our Thanksgiving Day table but the spread always included a huge mound of mashed potatoes, a big pot of butternut squash and a bubbling casserole of creamed onions. Lots of gravy, homemade cranberry sauce, two kinds of stuffing and Nana Nye’s Cape Cod turnip completed the meal. Nana insisted and the rest of the adults seemed to agree that Cape Cod turnip was something special. I thought it tasted like bitter baby food. But then again I thought the squash tasted like bland, slightly sweet baby food. The meal ended with a trio of pies, apple, pumpkin and pecan, served with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. No one ever felt the need for change; it just seemed right to have the same menu year in and year out.

My mother happily retired as Thanksgiving’s head cook several years ago. I now have that honor. Mom is more than delighted to peel a few potatoes but otherwise stay out of the fray. In spite of a few grumbles, I have made a change or two to the menu. (Blame it on all those years I lived in Europe!) The meal is a little simpler now. We make do with one stuffing instead of two. The squash is no longer boiled and mashed but roasted for soup. I’ve switched out the onions and turnip for broccoli and a salad. My sister-in-law Jennifer and her three girls bake beautiful apple and pumpkin pies. And my dad. Some things never change. He leads the annual Thanksgiving Day debate on how long to cook the bird.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. Enjoy!

Bon appétit!

 Roasted Butternut Squash

Roasting squash is a delicious alternative to the boiled and mashed dish of my childhood. It is great on Turkey Day and wonderful in leftovers so make a little extra. Enjoy!

Serves 6-8

2 large butternut squash (about 2 pounds each), peeled, seeded and cut into bite-size pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon dried sage

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large onion, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place squash in large roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, sprinkle with herbs, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Roast for about 15 minutes. Add the onions, toss to combine and continue roasting, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly browned about 45 minutes total.

Cheesy Gratin with Thanksgiving Leftovers

Use the leftover squash in salads, soups or baked in a cheesy gratin.

Serves 6-8

12-16 ounces dried penne pasta

1 pound baby spinach

About 2 cups leftover turkey cut into bite-sized pieces

About 2 cups leftover roasted butternut squash

4 ounces grated cheddar cheese

2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons unsalted butter plus more to butter the baking dish

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Pinch nutmeg

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Butter a large baking dish.

Cook the pasta according to package directions, less 1 minute.  Drain and return the pasta to the pot. Combine the spinach with the hot pasta; let the spinach wilt. Add the turkey and squash and combine.

Heat the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour, herbs, paprika and nutmeg and whisk for 30 seconds. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Add about 2/3 of the cheddar and Parmesan cheeses and cook over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the sauce to the pasta, toss to combine and transfer to the baking dish. Sprinkle the top with remaining cheeses. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until the gratin is piping hot and golden brown.

Feel free to make a comment; I’d love to hear from you. Just click on COMMENTS below.

For a printer-friendly version of this posting visit my website: www.susannye.com/id6.htm. You can find lots more recipes on my website: www.susannye.com.

©Susan W. Nye, 2009

This is a great and healthy vegetarian dish, full of aromas, the way I prefer it, but so versatile you can give it any twist you want picking different spices.  My husband loves it and the kids are happy.

Recipe

Ingredients

• olive oil for the pan
• 1 onion finely chopped or  5-6 shallots cut in pieces
• 1-2 cloves garlic finely chopped (or 1-2 frozen cubes)
• 1 approx. 1/2 kilo bag frozen spinach
• 1 1/2 cup Jasmine or Basmati rice
• salt, pepper, oregano, mint (dry if you must)
• juice of one lemon

How to make: In a big, deep pan, saute the onion until tender. Saute the garlic for a minute or two. Add spinach and saute until soft. Add (rinsed) rice and saute a few more minutes. Add salt, pepper, oregano optionally, fresh mint if you have it else dry (sprinkle generously). Add about 2-3 cups water, add lemon juice to taste, cover  and cook for about 15-20 minutes or until rice is soft. While it’s cooking, keep an eye to be sure there’s enough liquid for cooking. That’s it!

Notes and tips: I prefer this dish served at room temperature.  You can use any kind of rice you want really but you can’t beat the aroma of Jasmine. The mint gives the dish wonderful freshness. It’s a versatile dish. When you become tired of the fresh, mint and lemon taste, use other spices. Give it an Indian twist ( and yellow color) with cumin or a Mediterranean twist with tomatoes.  Make it more or less hot, more or less “soupy”, more or less “ricy”.  Lots of possibilities but try this one first!

Photo courtesy of Bryan Applegate

Like a mighty lioness with a gazelle in her sights, I lie in waiting.  Hidden among the bushes, I bide my time patiently, hungrily.  My elusive prey stands unawares, with its aluminum sides gleaming in the midday sun, its aromas seducing me, taunting me mercilessly.

With a mighty roar I pounce, and find my target!

The Fojol Bros. of Merlindia are not amused.

With $9 cash and a sheepish grin, I walk away with a feast fit for a queen.

This is urban hunting.

My three-part series covers a growing trend that’s sweeping D.C.–lunch trucks.  These colorful, mobile kitchens offer something new, something different, and ultimately satisfying.  They alert followers of their changing locations through Twitter and Facebook, and hungry customers eagerly withstand long lines to sample their unique offerings.

Photo courtesy of Bryan Applegate

First in the series is Fojol Brothers of Merlindia. This quartet of friends (two are actual brothers) serve up tasty Indian cuisine in a carnival-like silver trailer that blasts tunes from the Beatles and John Denver.  (Their turbans and bushy moustaches make me giggle.)

I choose the Pick 3 Feast with Spinach & Cheese, Cauliflower & Potatoes, Chicken Curry, accompanied by basmati rice.

Dingo (Justin Vitarello) hands me a hefty tray with enough food for a whole brood.  My favorite is the spinach–creamy, flavorful, firm with big chunks of paneer cheese. The cauliflower and potatoes are stew-like, cooked in a sauce with curry and cumin.  The fragrant chicken curry has a bite that sneaks up on you, but is manageable.  All very tender, all very good.  Clearly, Dingo’s been cooking all morning.

The Fojol Bros. of Merlindia help out not only the hungry, but kids and the environment, too.  They set aside a portion of proceeds from their sales to fund at-risk youth programs for children in D.C.  In addition, they use biodegradable, compostable trays and flatware, thus helping to save Mother Earth.

Now, that’s food you can feel good about.  Stay tuned as I chase down my next meal…

I really need to get back to healthy cooking.  But who wants to read a blog post about some calorie-free dish of blah?  Not me for sure.  I “ooooh and ahhh” when something is decadent and rich.  This quiche is both of those things.  I went through a phase where I would not touch eggs, they would just gross me out.  I think it had to do with the smell of the yolk, something I still have not come to terms with.  Now, I like omelets, quiches, and the like but will not touch a runny yolked egg.  I know, I know, culinary faux pas on my part, but let me have one.  Otherwise, I am not picky at all.

The story of this quiche comes from my grocery trip last week.  I picked up leeks with no inkling of what I would make out of them; a soup was the most obvious thing that came to my mind.  But then again, I thought, “Boring!”  So I sifted through my cookbooks hoping to find the perfect leek tart recipe.  Not much luck.  Booooo.  Then I went to Google and typed Leek and Mushroom Tart and I was led to Deb (whose site I love) from Smitten Kitchen’s recipe for Leek and Mushroom Quiche and alas I had some inspiration.  I used her recipe as a starting point and wanted to add my own flair to it clean out my fridge.

I used a mish mash of cheeses, sour cream, light cream, herbs and the outcome was good!  My husband rolled his eyes at me when I said I am making a Leek and Mushroom quiche for dinner, probably because he knew he was going to have be vegetarian tonight.

*Oh!  Don’t worry about the dough, if I can do it you CAN do it too.  Plus, I don’t even have a rolling pin and used a glass to roll out the dough.  (I know, I can spend on other things but I’m stingy when it comes to a rolling pin, only God knows why, )  It was simple to make, probably because I have a food processor, if not the story would probably be a rant furthering my hate for dough making.  Fortunately, I succeeded!  But, if it’s easier for you do get a pre-made pie crust or use puff pastry.

Empty out the Fridge Quiche

Inspired and Adapted from Smitten Kitchen’s Leek and Mushroom Quiche

Tart Crust from Martha Stewart and Baking Technique from Joy of Baking (Makes 2 crusts, so halve the recipe or save the other crust for later)

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 tart crust rolled out in a 9 inch pan and pre half-baked

2 cups chopped leeks, rinsed thoroughly

1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms, I used half shiitake and half baby bella

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

4 sprigs of thyme

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

3 large eggs

1/3 cup low-fat sour cream

1/4 light cream or milk

1 cup grated cheese of your choice, I used a mixture goat cheese, fresh mozzarella, and manchego

1/2 chopped baby spinach

1/2 cup chopped baby arugula

1/4 cup chopped parlsey

12 sprigs of chives, chopped

Method

Caramelize the leeks and mushrooms with salt, black pepper, and thyme in the olive oil on medium low heat for about 20 minutes and allow to cool slightly, discard the thyme stems.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a medium sized bowl crack the eggs and whisk.   Add the sour cream, light cream, cheeses, baby spinach, baby arugula, parsley, and chives.  Next, add the cooled leeks and mushrooms.  Add extra salt and black pepper if necessary.  Pour the egg mixture into the pre half-baked tart crust.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly, do not serve it right out of the oven, it tastes better warm.  I served it with a mixed green salad like on Smitten Kitchen, and with a dijon vinaigrette.

Well, this afternoon I emailed Angela from Oh She Glows about some natural ways to have healthy, happy skin.

I asked her if Green Monsters have any benefit and she said yes, they are fantastic. I explained about my not-so-successful first time with a Green Monster in which I was unable to finish it because of my utter disgust.

She emailed me back with a recipe for a fool-proof Green Monster. I was skeptical, but gave it a shot.

Here’s how it went:

Firstly I copied out the main points of the recipe I took off the Green Monster Movement website so I would know what to put etc.

Next, I went and picked two big leaves of Spinach from our vege garden.

Then I chopped up the Spinach and a banana and put it all in together, followed by 1.25 Cups of Vanilla Bliss Soy Milk.

The result/Verdict?

SUCCESS!!

I was very happy and pleased to find that Angela was right, this was foolproof. Not only did it taste good, but it was drinkable! haha. Last time I made a green monster, the texture was so foul, I swallowed one mouthful and then gagged…

This time round it was good! It actually kinda tasted like my Banana + Peanut Butter smoothies, only this one’s better for you

Thank you so much Angela, you have converted me to a Green Monster fan!