Well, hellooo. I've definitely been away for a while. I'd say a lot has happened since I last wrote. I was busiest with my part time travel job this summer/fall but it's been quiet more recently. I am also 5 months pregnant and we found out yesterday that it's a girl! For a month or two I was in no way interested in cooking, but I am now mostly back to eating my healthier groceries. Last night I made fresh veggie spring rolls and wanted to share the recipe.
As with most of my favorite recipes, these are easily adaptable to what you have on hand. Also, vegetables seem more exciting to eat when they're all cut into thin strips.
What you will need:
1 package of rice papers
1 container of warm water (I used an 8x8 dish) to dip rice paper in
1 cup rice noodles (I found mine in the tofu/hummus/dip section of Trader Joe's)
1 red bell pepper
1 avocado
1 cucumber
1 carrot
1 tomato
3 green onions
fresh basil, to taste
Cook rice noodles according to package. Mine only took 90 seconds. Drain, rinse, and set aside. Take rice paper and dip in warm/hot water for 15-20 seconds. Then, lay on a wet tea towel and fill with noodles and vegetables (or with whatever you want in the spring roll). Put the ingredients toward the bottom center of the paper. Roll bottom of paper over ingredients, roll in sides of paper, and then roll up the rest of the way. Repeat!
I made 10 spring rolls this way, with certain ingredients left over. Since they are so easy to make, I plan to put the rest together today or tomorrow - I believe there are 15 rice papers in each package.
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And, on to more exciting things, we've been doing lots of planning for the baby. I have a nursery theme picked out, but unfortunately Ikea is three hours from me so I have to plan wisely (the crib, dresser, and a few other things I want are from Ikea). I also have to learn how to sew because I bought two really cute fabrics that would make fun dresses (or anything, really). I've also learned very quickly that registering for baby stuff is overwhelming (do I want an ergo, moby, boba? If I want an ergo do I want the original, organic, sport, performance?) and I know, first world problems, but there are almost too many options for anything out there. Anyway, I'll try to be better about posting recipes and adventures in getting ready for baby.
Another pasta dish, I know - but this is a great one for summer. The combination of the fresh vegetables and spices is great, and topping it with feta at the end makes it even better (as cheese usually does).
What you will need:
12 ounces whole wheat spaghetti
2 tablespoons olive oil
1.5 cups chopped bell peppers, assorted colors
2 cups arugula
4 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper *omit if you don't want a bit of a kick
salt and pepper, to taste
feta, to taste
Cook spaghetti according to directions. While spaghetti is cooking, place peppers in strainer in the sink. Drain noodles onto peppers to warm them slightly. Place noodles and peppers in a large serving dish. Add olive oil, arugula, garlic, and spices. Toss to coat. Top with crumbled feta when ready to serve.
You may have gathered by now that I love pasta - and probably eat way too much of it. That's why I like to bulk it up with healthier ingredients (as I've mentioned before). This pasta dish includes swiss chard, which is full of vitamins and other health benefits, plus, it loses its bitter flavor when cooked. This pasta also includes my favorite ingredients such as fresh lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and garlic.
What you will need:
8 ounces whole wheat spaghetti
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 lemon, juice of
3 cups baby arugula
2 cups swiss chard
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
pepper, to taste
Cook pasta according to the directions and drain. In a medium sauce pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and capers. Stir frequently for 1 minute. Add swiss chard, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Combine mixture with pasta and add arugula. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and toss to combine. Garnish with parmesan cheese and pepper, if desired.
This pizza is completely amazing. The sweet dates and creamy goat cheese go very well together - and you can't go wrong with pesto. It was also an exciting lunch because I had all the ingredients on hand.
What you will need:
1 pizza crust (I made a half whole wheat/half white flour one)
6 tablespoons pesto
2-3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
8 medjool dates, quartered (you can also use fresh figs)
a few small handfuls of arugula
Pre-heat oven to 425 and roll out pizza crust as you usually would onto an ungreased baking sheet. Top with pesto, goat cheese, and dates. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Top with arugula, serve, and enjoy!
Well, between an increasingly busy schedule, a lost camera cord that is keeping me from uploading any decent pictures, and a lack of motivation ...I've let over two months go by without writing in the blog. Woops. It doesn't help that every time I come back to it I decide I hate the font and layout. I should probably learn more about blogger...
Anyway, despite the lack of posts, I've still been doing a decent job cooking new, healthy recipes. I'll share an easy one with you that I made last night. I'm trying to do a week of healthy/vegan dinners (might have to make a few vegetarian towards the end because I'd rather not go shopping).
I love this recipe because it has all my favorite ingredients - garlic, lemon, avocado... plus it's very easy to whip up.
What you will need:
2 tablespoons olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
1-2 cloves garlic
1 ripe avocado
salt, to taste
6 ounces pasta (I used whole wheat)
1 cup sliced/peeled zucchini
Cook spaghetti according to package. While it is cooking, blend olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic in a food processor. Add avocado and salt and blend again until smooth. If you don't have a food processor, you can whisk it together by hand.
Drain and rinse spaghetti, but reserve a small amount of water to put zucchini into. I'm not sure how long zucchini really takes to cook, but I put it in the pot I had the spaghetti in for a few minutes, until it was tender.
Combine sauce, pasta, and zucchini. You're welcome to omit the noodles and just use zucchini, or vice versa. The sauce is really the best part here.
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All in all, May has been a very good month. I am working on another project with my old company which will have me traveling all over the United States! I also got to see a bunch of friends and family at a Cinco De Mayo party I had (I'd post the recipe for the tres leches cake but I don't think it belongs on a health food blog). Plus my first nephew is due any day now. I'm sure you will be seeing pictures of him soon enough - I won't wait another two months to post!
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| cinco de mayo fun, excitement over a new dress, and as usual - a sleepy dog |
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