Spicy Beef Sliders

Well, I'm afraid I failed regarding this recipe --- but only in terms of writing it down :-(

You see, often times I just take quick photos if something turns out good so that I can write what I did down quickly, and therefore not forget.

Well I took the photos, but failed to write down what I did. But these turned out SO good, I can at least attempt to remember what went into these little lunch-sized sliders!

Ground beef.
Berbere.
Cinnamon.
Garlic.
S&P.
Coconut Aminos? Maybe?

Perfect for Bento lunches! Or for eating all at once immediately! Yay!

That's all I remember. The Berbere goes a long way, though! They were so spicy and flavorful. I just ate one reheated from the freezer with homemade Southwestern Mayo, and it was a success!

Banana Chocolate Mint Chia Pudding

So, turns out you can turn chia into pudding.

I am such a fiend when it comes to eating while working. Does anyone else have this problem?! 

I know, I know. It's common knowledge. But I finally tried it! And it turned out pretty yummy. It all started when I had a banana that was going bad, and didn't feel like putting it in a pancake or making it into ice cream.

So I decided it was time to give chia pudding a try! I've had a crazy sweet tooth lately. Not sure why, as it's really quite unlike me. So to sate my appetite for said sweetness, I figured it was a wiser option to make something with at least some health benefits.

Those little flecks are remnants of chia!

I think I soaked 1/3 cup chia seeds with 1 cup milk (those measurements could be wrong, I fear) in the fridge for a few hours. It really only took about 1.5 - 2 hours for the seeds to fully puff up and get all gooey-weird.

I threw it into a blender with the banana, a lot of maple syrup (seriously, I don't even know how much I put in there. It was probably a lot), some special dark cocoa powder, and A TINY LITTLE BIT of peppermint extract.

That cookie was sacrificed first.

Blending the seeds after soaking them made the pudding creamier.

I just ate some with some Scottish Shortbreads I made from scratch, and that was probably the best idea ever. Next time, I'm going to omit the banana, or actually make a banana caramel or banana foster or banana pancakes version, and stay away from the chocolate peppermint. It was good, but I think the banana is best left to it's own devices.

Lazy-as-Hell Mexican Pantry Casserole

I don't go into work every day, but when I do, it's typically an 10 hour experience. Meaning, I leave my apartment in the morning, and arrive back home at the end of the day about 10 hours later.

So, on these days, I definitely don't want to cook when I get home. But today I was STARVING, due to the fact that I forgot my lunch :-(

Actually, that's not entirely true. I thought a banana and a vegan/raw meal replacement bar would be enough. Ugh. WRONG. The meal bar was so gross, I couldn't even eat it even though I was so hungry.

Let's just say I have really been looking forward to dinner tonight.

But, being financially challenged can make acquiring a quick, delicious, healthy meal very difficult.

ENTER - Lazy-as-Hell Mexican Pantry Casserole.

This dish is smaller and shallower than it looks. This really only serves 2 really hungry people. Or...just me.

Do you have rice?
Mexican Spices?
Salsa?
Some form of canned bean?
Cheese?

Well, then you're set. Set the oven to 350ºF. Here's what I did next:

I took a half a cup of white rice and dropped it in the pan.

Added half of a large jar of salsa.

Added 3/4 cup vegetable broth (that's just what I had. You can use water or whatever broth you like.)

Added half a can of leftover chick peas.

S&P, Cumin, Chili Powder, Smoked Paprika, and a little Cayenne.

Put it in the oven for 45 minutes or so. Toward the end, add a layer of cheese, and turn on the broiler.

When it's done, definitely add as much cilantro as you can muster. And avocado. And yogurt (or sour cream if you're feeling naughty).

One thing to remember --- rice is a fickle being. You might find that you need to add more liquid, or wish you hadn't added so much. Just be sure to check what's goin' on halfway through.

***And remember . . . as stated in the caption above, this pan is  much smaller than 9x13. It's about half the size, and half as deep.***

Goooooooooey.

Next time, I'm going to refrain from stirring the rice --- I think doing that halfway through prevented it from cooking correctly. Also, hopefully next time I will have black beans or pinto beans. And an avocado that hasn't gone bad. Oh, and I'll probably be adding more spices, including salt. I won't say it was bland, but I'm going to go bolder next time and give it some kick!

Oh, you know what else would be good? Hot sauce. Frank's, of course.

Mexican Mediterranean Turkey Wrap

This recipe is having a bit of an identity crisis --- and that's totally fine with me.

lol @ "plating". I was so ravenously hungry I obviously didn't have time to spread the cilantro around.

For lunch, I wanted to find a way to use up my leftover Creamy Avocado Sauce (aka guacamole) without having something distinctly Mexican. Additionally, to me, lunch = hummus. I don't know why, but I'm always craving hummus come lunchtime.

So, I did what anyone in my position would do: I made guacamole hummus wraps!

Here's what's in this wrap:

~ Large tortilla

~ Pan softened red bell pepper strips (1/4 bell pepper)

~ Sliced deli turkey meat (2)

~ Creamy Avocado Sauce

~ Quick homemade hummus

~ Mixed greens with fresh dill

Simple, right? But the flavor is all in the spreads.

Next time, I'm filling this with more lettuce. Because it's healthy. And healthy is good.

Have you ever made your own hummus? It's just so surprisingly easy! I'm going out of town this weekend, so I didn't want to make a huge batch. What I did is put about half a can of chickpeas into the food processor, and added probably about 2 tablespoons of tahini. That stuff is so delicious, but can be overwhelming, so if you aren't used to working with it I'd recommend to start with 1 T and go from there.

Give it a crank of S&P, half a clove of chopped up fresh garlic (you'd use a whole clove for a whole can of chickpeas, but trust me, a little goes a long way), and a generous shake of smoked paprika. I also added some fresh cilantro to really brighten it up. Squeeze a half a lemon in there (don't use all of it --- retain some juice to sprinkle over the turkey when you're building the wrap!) and start to pulse.

You may find you need a little more liquid. This is where you can add water to cut down on calories, but I added a small glug of extra virgin olive oil to keep it more traditional.

That's it!!! Let it process until it becomes creamy, or at least spreadable.

While you're doing this, sauté the red bell pepper strips in a small amount of oil, juuuust until they become softened. Don't skip the bell peppers. I don't even really like bell peppers, but it added such mediterranean flare and an amazing sweetness!

Then, I added about 2-3 tablespoons to 1-2 tablespoons of my avocado mixture and spread it evenly on the tortilla. Add mixed greens. Add turkey. Add bell peppers. Wrap it up, and devour.

Refried Bean Quesadillas with Creamy Avocado Dip

A good benchmark for kitchen success: When boyfriend claims to be "not hungry" after getting home from work, tries what you've prepared for yourself, and happily eats half of it.

Are quesadillas kind of like Mexican Calzones?

Let's be honest, I do wish I could have eaten the whole thing myself. But it makes my heart soar to know someone I care about likes the food I prepare.

And now, I can share it with you so you can enjoy it too! It's healthy, easy, and budget-friendly.

How come I've never thought of this before??? Be sure you scroll all the way down for this recipe. It's so obvious it hurts.

This will make you 1 large serving that can serve as a meal, or a small serving for 2 people to split (if you feel like sharing). We're looking at about 400 calories here, with the guacamole sauce and all.

Here's what you need:

~1/2 diced onion

~ 1/2 can black beans

~ 1/2 cup salsa (I've had medium heat salsa sitting in my cupboard for a while now, so I busted that open)

~ 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
~ 1 large Tortilla

~ Hot sauce

~ Lemon or lime juice ( I used a little bit of both)

~ 2 cloves garlic

~ Cumin

~ Chili Powder

~ Cinnamon

~ Smoked Paprika

~ S&P

~ 1 Avocado

~ Lots of fresh cilantro

Refried beans are SO EASY. I had no idea!

Start by heating up some oil in a small pan. Once hot, add ~ HALF of the diced onions. Sprinkle with a little S&P.

Once they've cooked for a couple minutes, add a clove of garlic. Cook for a minute. 

Add the beans. You could go with a full can of beans here and make a fatter quesadilla. Half was completely sufficient and although beans are good for you, it cuts down on calories to not use as many.

Add about 1/4 cup of the salsa. You can add a little more or a little less. Typical refried beans do not include salsa, but it's a great way to get some flavorful liquid in the dish to help cook the beans down. If you don't want to use salsa, use a broth.

Add a conservative amount of cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, cinnamon, and S&P. As you know, I never record quantities . . . so start with a little bit (a few shakes each) and be sure to taste test.

I also added a delicious squeeze of fresh lime.

The goal here is to cook the beans down to a chunky paste. You could let it cook for quite a while and do a completely smooth refried bean paste, but I wanted some texture in my quesadillas since I wasn't going to be adding anything else. But I bet adding some sweet corn kernels would be amazing for texture if you did want to go the smoother route! Just remember it will cook down quite a bit if you decide to make the paste.

While that's happening, prepare the guacamole sauce! 

Put an avocado in a large bowl and start mashing. 

Add the rest of the diced onions, the other clove of garlic (be sure it's finely minced), a generous squeeze of lemon or lime (strangely I prefer lemon) and the yogurt. 

You can use more or less yogurt. But I found the more I added, the better it got! And the more I liked the creamy texture to go with the chunky beans.

You really could eat this with a spoon and forget the quesadilla.

Add lots of fresh cilantro, so the mixture is freckled with green. Finally, a couple hefty glugs of hot sauce. I use Frank's. It's delicious and it's Paleo! Of course, add heat to your own liking. But I really thought the spicy / creamy combo was just perfect!

Add another small shake of cumin to the mixture, some salt, and there you have it. Stir it around to get it to whatever consistency you like. You could even throw it in a food processor or magic bullet to make it more like a sauce you can drizzle over the quesadillas.

Once your beans are to your liking, heat up a clean, larger pan to medium heat. Add a spritz of Pam if you have it (I have the coconut oil variety!), or a little oil. Enough to barely coat the pan. This is so your quesadilla does not get burnt.

Place your tortilla in the pan. Add your bean mixture to half, being sure to spread it all the way to the edges! Fold the other half of the tortilla over the beans and press down. Cook until tortilla is slightly crispy and gets pretty brown spots on both sides.

Once ready, remove, cut into quarters (or as many pieces as you like!) with a pizza cutter, and serve! I ended up serving the guacamole dip alongside the rest of the salsa. It ended up getting all mixed together which was also very good. But you can omit the salsa if you like.

Don't worry!!! If you actually make this dish, it will be in focus.

And there you have it. Spontaneous healthy Mexican feast. Just keep away from hungry (or "not hungry") boyfriends!

Doro Wat (Ethiopian Chicken Stew)

Heaven help my Samsung S5's camera. I think it was dropped on it's head one too many times as a baby. The photos it takes turn out perfectly OUT OF FOCUS. ALL. THE. TIME.

I digress.

Hey! Have you tried Ethiopian food? I LOVE IT. And guess what? It's pretty healthy. How cool is that?

This chicken stew is really easy to make. This is the second time I have made it, and was completely blown away the first time. Even though I was following the same recipe, this time turned out a little...lackluster. So I'm just going to leave this post here to remind me to revisit it again.

The internet deserves more Doro Wat love.

Justice has not been served. I'll be back.

Simple Salmon Protein Breakfast

Okay, let's get a few things out of the way here.

lol @ sloppy plating. Just lol.

First, I am painfully aware of the lackluster photos.

Second, I am also aware that this isn't really a "recipe". 

As far as the photos go...yeah, yeah. I should do a better job of making what I eat look pretty. Or at least shove all the crap on my kitchen table aside so we don't have to judge at my breakfast based on my lack of organization (or laziness...). And is it really my fault that my hard boiled egg turned out super deformed? Don't answer that.

But I don't feel too bad about posting something that doesn't require any work. Because, well, there's nothing wrong with doing minimal work. Moreso, however, I like to have a visual log of meal ideas. Just because there's basically no prep, doesn't mean I'll completely forget I put together this delicious combo and never eat it again. 

Cilantro's purpose in this photo --- color. Purely for color. But it was so good with the salmon! Cilantro surprise.

The goal is to peruse my blog when I'm not sure what to do for a meal, see this photo, and be all like "Ohhh yeah! That was good! I think I'll pick up some smoked salmon next time I am at the store and eat this again."

Poor broken, deformed eggs :( Still yummy, though.

As you can see, I used smoked salmon, hard boiled egg (with a few cranks of fresh S&P), and cottage cheese with cilantro to build two yummy open faced sandwiches on top of sourdough wheat.

Delicious! Cottage cheese went on first, then the egg, then the salmon.

I got the idea from Le Pain Quotidien (sp?!?!), a little french inspired cafe nearby to where I live. It's probably a chain, but let's pretend it's super local and hipster-y. They serve a softboiled egg, toast, ricotta, capers, and smoked salmon in a similar fashion. 

I had no ricotta, but cottage cheese was a great substitute! This meal is packed with protein. Eggs, salmon, and cottage cheese are all great sources of it. Omit the bread and you've really got a healthy meal on your hands (and in your belly)!

Next time though, I probably will try a softboiled egg, maybe pick up some capers, and will either try ricotta or use full-fat small curd cottage cheese (the kind I had was a bit runny).

You should try this! It's so simple but it is soooo very fancy. And who doesn't want to eat fancy every once in a while?