Tag: Food

Review: Ground Beef Casserole

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I was looking for something quick, easy, and with minimal cleaning required. This Ground Beef Casserole was a great option! I found this recipe from EatingWell. It’s intended to have some kick to it, but I opted to cut most of those out. You’ll see my substitutions below!

Rating

10/10

Recipe

Ground Beef Casserole

This was very easy to make. I only wish there was more! Items with an * were omitted in my version and any replacements will be in parenthesis.

Ingredient List:

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 3 cups cauliflower florets
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp chili powder* (2 tbsp paprika)
  • 2 tsp ground cumin*
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground chipotle*
  • 15 oz no-salt-added petite-diced tomatoes
  • 2 cups extra sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1/3 cup sliced pickled jalapeños*

Recipe Directions:

  1. Preheat broiler to high
  2. Heat oil in a broiler-safe skillet over medium-high heat
  3. Add onion and bell pepper cooking until softened, about 5 minutes
  4. Add beef and cauliflower, cooking until beef is no loner pink, breaking into smaller peices. About 5-7 minutes.
  5. Stir in garlic, chili powder* (paprika), cumin*, oregano, salt, and chipotle*, and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute
  6. Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cook until cauliflower is tender. Remove from heat
  7. Sprinkle cheese over mixture and top with jalapeños*. Broil until cheese is melted, 2-3 minutes.
  8. Serve and enjoy!

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Mediterranean Hummus Bowls

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These humus bowls were a fun change up for lunch. They were also delicious cold which meant I didn’t need to wait in line for the microwaves and could eat right away! With the addition of hummus, these bowls have a lot of flavor and are great if you need to pull something together quickly for lunch!

Mediterranean Hummus Bowls

Ingredient List:

  • 1.5 cups brown rice or quinoa
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced
  • 1/4 cup red onion, sliced
  • 1 cucumber, sliced
  • Feta cheese
  • 8 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • Hummus

Recipe Directions:

  1. Coat chickpeas in garlic powder and roast for 20-25 minutes at 425°
  2. Cook rice/quinoa according to package instructions
  3. Prep bowls:
    • Top rice with tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, feta cheese, chickpeas, and hummus
  4. Serve!

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Lemon Blueberry Toast with Ricotta

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I wanted something sweet for breakfast this week and wanted something new. I always have eggs with sweet potatoes and fruit, which is great, especially after the gym, but I felt it was time to switch it up.

Lemon Blueberry Toast

Ingredient List:

Recipe Directions:

  1. Toast bread to your prefernce
  2. Spread ricotta cheese on toast
  3. Top with blueberries, a drizzle of honey, and the basil shavings
  4. Top with Lemon Blueberry Sauce for extra sweetness
  5. Serve

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Baja Mac n Cheese

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This Baja Mac n Cheese is a duplicate of a Mac n Cheese that used to be available at Panera. Funny enough, I had never tried it but I was curious a few weeks ago and decided to try and make a version of it at home. This dish was super quick and easy to make. Great for an easy dinner, quick snack, or lunches for the week. Add some chicken to increase protein.

Baja Mac n Cheese

Ingredient List:

  • Elbow pasta
  • Shredded cheese (I used provolone and mozzarella)
  • Milk
  • Mild salsa (or red onion, tomato, and green bell pepper)
  • Avocado
  • Cilantro to garnish

Recipe Directions:

  1. Cook pasta based on package instructions.
  2. When finished, drain and rinse.
  3. Add 3 tbsp butter, 2tbsp milk, and cheese and mix (continue to add based on personal preference)
  4. Serve and top with salsa mix, avocado, and cilantro.

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Broccoli Salad

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Last weekend I came back from California on Sunday with just enough time to get to the grocery store and get to bed on time. Since I’m not near a major airport, I have split my flight into two and have a layover. For these flights, the only layover available was for 4 hours, which is the length of one of the flights. Needless to say, I was exhausted by the time I was home.

Due to this, my goal was to make something very easy for lunch that required minimal prep work. For this dish, I used full broccoli heads, so that had some prep work, but for the most part, it was really straight forward.

Broccoli Salad

Recipe List:

  • 2 heads broccoli
  • 1 small red onion, diced
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • 1 cup shredded cheese
  • Handful of dried cranberries
  • Handful of roasted walnuts
  • Your favorite creamy/thick dressing
    • I used a Avocado Green Goddess dressing

Recipe Directions:

  1. Cut broccoli heads and stem into bite-sized chunks
  2. Mix ingredients in a large bowl
  3. Add in dressing and mix until well coated
  4. Serve and enjoy!

Other Notes:

  • I added rice as a base to make this a more filling dish (and it ended up being really filling)
  • I would recommend steaming the broccoli. It was delicious as was, but I think softer broccoli would have made it easier to eat
  • I would maybe add some shredded chicken next time to make this fuller

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Shinjuku Ramen

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Disclaimer: Restaurant reviews are my own opinions. They are not done in partnership with any restaurant or company. They do not constitute an endorsement or an approval of any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation or organization or individual.

Manhattan, New York

I recently took a trip to New York with my sister. We had a fun dinner out with my parents and on Saturday we spent a rainy day at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Not everything at the MoMA was really to my taste, but they’ve got some great works by Dali, Van Gogh, Picasso and many more. One artist they have is Claude Monet, who I am a big fan of, but I was a little disappointed that the only works on display were his Water Lily paintings. He has so many other great works! Regardless, it was a great way to spend a rainy day.

After MoMA, we decided it was time for a late lunch and we opted for ramen! We did a quick search and found this great place just a few blocks away called Shinjuku.

Shinjuku is a narrow but long restaurant. They fit so many tables in there for the space, but it didn’t feel cramped at all. Although it was after lunch, it was still peak lunch hour when we arrived. We waited about 15 minutes and then were seated.

Here’s what we ordered:

Shishito Peppers

We started with Shishito Peppers. These are stir-fried sweet green peppers, topped with salt. In my opinion, these are always a great appetizer, especially when you can split them. I find that they’re never too filling but just enough to help ease your hunger a little bit if you’ve been hungry for the whole afternoon. They’re very good!

Tonkotsu King Tonkotsu Ramen

My sister and I both ordered the Tonkotsu Ramen. With the Tonkotsu Ramen you can either get pork belly chasu or chicken with bamboo shoot, egg, scallion, corn and seaweed in a pork bone broth. We both ordered the pork belly chasu and an additional side of corn to add into the ramen.

The ramen was DELICIOUS, and I highly recommend making a stop at Shinjuku if you take a trip to Manhattan. Oftentimes ramen leaves me feeling bloated and stuffed and I usually can’t finish it all because it’s so much food. This place was just enough. I finished everything, but I didn’t feel bloated or stuffed, but felt happily full.

Try it out and let me know what you think!

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Yellow Rice with Lemon Garlic Chicken

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I’ve officially relocated for my new job role! Although I didn’t do much of the packing, it was a bit exhausting seeing how much stuff I have and imagining where it would all go in the new apartment. Thankfully, most items have found their place. There are a few things to put away still, but it’s coming together nicely. The kitchen was my biggest challenge! I was worried there wouldn’t be enough cabinet space for all the kitchen equipment, but thankfully the pantry is quite large, so I was able to keep some things in there.

I’m now living in a state and a city that I’ve never been in before. I was a little nervous at first and didn’t know what to expect, but the area has really grown on me, and I like it a lot. I’m excited to be somewhere new!

Although it was beautiful for my move and a few days after, the rest of the week was cloudy, rainy and cold. So, for April, I thought I’d bring a little color back with my Color Series! For April, we’re doing the color Yellow using a bit of turmeric!

Some suggested health benefits of turmeric include reducing inflammation and neutralizing free radicals in the body.

PULLED FROM CLEVELAND CLINIC

There are 3 aspects to most of my meals: the base, the veggies, and the protein. For the veggies this week, I diced up yellow bell pepper and yellow squash and sauteed them. Check out the recipe below to bring a little yellow to your meals!

Product Recommendations:

  • I use large reusable storage bags which are great for marinades and cutting down on waste – Stasher 1/2 Gallon Bags

Yellow Rice with Lemon Garlic Chicken

Rice Recipe List:

  • 2 cups long grain white rice
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 small/medium onion, diced
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic (4 cloves)
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 3 cups vegetable stock
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • parsley to garnish

Chicken Recipe List:

  • 1 pack boneless, skinless, chicken breast
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic (4 cloves)
  • 1-2 tbsp olive oil

Rice Recipe Directions:

  1. Rinse rice until water runs clear
  2. Melt butter in pot over medium heat. Sauté onion and garlic until fragrant (1-2 minutes).
  3. Add turmeric powder and combine. Stir in rice until lightly toasted and well coated.
  4. Mix in vegetable stock, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes.
  5. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes before fluffing. Add parsley to garnish.

Lemon Garlic Chicken Directions:

  1. Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes
    • If breasts are thick, slice in half to thin
  2. Slice lemon into 4 wedges
  3. In 1/2-gallon bag, add chicken, lemon juice, lemon wedges, olive oil, garlic.
  4. Allow to marinate for 1-hour minimum. Then cook.

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Basic No-Knead Bread

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I am not a baker by any means. Baking cookies, even with directions, is something I find difficult. Although I enjoy cooking, baking is a whole different game to me. With that being said, I really want to learn how to bake, especially bread.

This No-Knead Bread is a great recipe for beginners to try out. I was amazed at how easy and hands-off this process was. The most. hands-on experience I got from this recipe was mixing the ingredients at the beginning. I found this to be much easier to do with my hands rather than a spatula, spoon or whisk.

Overall, this bread was easy to make and was delicious! After baking, I sliced my bread and stored it in the freezer to make toast for breakfast or as a snack.

Cooking Recommendations:

  • Dutch Oven with an oven-safe lid up to 500º – Amazon Basics Dutch Oven is a great choice
  • A sustainable way to cover your dough as it rises – Beeswax Wrap
    • I personally love using Beeswax wrap for almost anything! They’re great to have in the kitchen

Basic No-Knead Bread

Recipe List:

  • 3/4 tsp active dry yeast
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water

Recipe Directions:

  1. Mix ingredients, except water, in a large bowl.
  2. When combined, add water and stir until well mixed
    • The dough will be very sticky and not hold a shape
  3. Cover bowl and let dough rise at room temperature overnight (or 6-8 hours)
  4. Add flour to your countertop or onto parchment paper
    • Transfer dough to surface and fold dough onto itself a few times to shape
    • If sticky, sprinkle more flour
    • Cover with a kitchen towel and let dough rise for another hour
  5. At the 30-minute mark, heat oven to 450º with Dutch Oven inside
  6. Remove Dutch Oven from oven
    • Using parchment paper, transfer dough into Dutch Oven
    • Cover and bake for 30 minutes
      • If you don’t have an oven safe lid, you can use aluminum foil
    • Remove lid and bake for another 10-20 minutes
  7. Remove and transfer bread to a cooling rack for 15-30 minutes before serving

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Kale Potato Soup

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Today’s blog formatting may be wonky as I am currently without a computer to do proper formatting updates. Thank you for your continued support!

It’s been two weeks since my last post and a lot has happened since then.

I received my Capstone project which I’m really looking forward to. I think I have a great team, and a great project, so I’m looking forward to getting started! I also received the details for my next job rotation. I’ll be switching in April and I’m also very excited for that opportunity.

In my personal life, I’m currently in Costa Rica. A friend of mine is celebrating his birthday and wanted to spend a week in Costa Rica I was invited to join. We’ve only been here for one day, but we did a Night Hike last night. Very cool and very interesting. We saw a sloth! And lots of bugs. And now I’m bugged out.

This week I’m sharing a recipe that part of the Color Series for March! For March I picked the color green for St. Patrick’s Day of course. I made a Kale Potato Soup which was delicious. It was topped with bacon and sour cream.

This recipe is from a magazine I had found last year, but recently spotted it again at my local grocery store. I’m unsure of the magazine name, but it referenced Easy Soups & Stews with a big soup bowl on the front of a white background. It’s easy to spot!

Recipe List:

  • 10 cups kale
  • 1 3/4 lbs Yukon potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 3 slices bacon, chopped
  • 1 leek, halved and sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1/4 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp fresh rosemary
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Sour cream

Recipe Directions:

  • Cook bacon until crisp, about 5 mins. Remove.
  • Add potatoes and leek and cook until slightly softened, about 3 mins. Add garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Cook until browned, another 2 mins.
  • Add broth and 4 cups water and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 mins. Add 3/4 of kale, cover and cook for 5 mins. Add Worcestershire sauce.
  • Preheat broiler. Toss remaining kale with olive oil, salt and pepper, and place on baking sheet. Broil about 3 mins. Thin sour cream with water.
  • Purée soup with immersion blender, or working in small batches in a blender. Ladle into bowls and serve with bacon, almonds, sour cream and kale chips!

Red Tomato Salad

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Today is the last post from what has been a very fun February Color Series! Next week I’ll do a regular recipe, and from there we’ll be transitioning into March for the color green!

This was a great side salad to pair with lunch or dinner, and was delicious both cold and warmed up. Prep work was the longest part of making this dish, but overall it was very quick and easy. Save yourself time and purchase pre-sliced roasted red bell peppers!

Red Tomato Salad

Recipe List:

  • 1 small or 1/2 medium onion, sliced thin
  • 3 Roma tomatoes
  • 1 thin jar or 1/2 a large jar of roasted red bell peppers, sliced
  • 3 large purple carrots, halved and sliced thin
  • Basil
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Recipe Directions:

  1. Prep onion, tomatoes, roasted red bell peppers, and purple carrots
  2. Mix veggies with basil, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper
  3. Serve!

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