Seattle Update + Saffron Red Pepper Salad Recipe

Tags

eat to live, kalamata olives, mint, red peppers, saffron

Sorry! Just wanted to start off with that to anyone reading this blog. I took a few months hiatus – it turns out moving cross-country was quite the feat. Seriously. Having lived in Ohio my entire life – moving across the country was hard – seriously hard – both physically and mentally….more mentally if I am being honest.

4 weeks in and I am feeling much better – I am feeling like I know what I am doing at work, like I have my bearings and know where to go and how to get to the grocery store. We are living near the city in a cute neighborhood — it has a lot of life – and traffic noise. Another thing I am trying to get used to. Oh, and little tid-bit of information about the oddities of Seattle — it’s rare for houses here to have air-conditioning! How weird is that! Yesterday was a record breaking temperature – it got up to 87 here. And guess what? That’s hot! So our home was hot as he** — but no A/C. Ah, just the little idiosyncrasies of Seattle!

So onto the good stuff. Here are some pics of food we’ve eaten & some scenic pictures. I haven’t been good about taking pictures of my food here – but so far it’s been fun to explore. I was talking to a friend of mine from Columbus today – and she asked “how’s the food” and my response was “we have barely scratched the surface!”. The truth is — there are restaurants EVERYWHERE here. Like – everywhere. So the hard part is trying to know what’s good versus just ok. Some have been serious hits: like this pho. It is good. Like – really good. And some awesome sushi and a delicious mango salad with grilled tofu.

Other than the food – the scenery here is pretty beautiful. Everything is just so…lush.

 And green. And vibrant.

And now – finally onto a recipe. I am attempting to be more health-conscious as of lately — trying to be more aware of eating high nutrient dense foods versus foods without any nutritional value. So – what does that mean? Lot and lots of vegetables. Thank goodness I like veggies. This recipe is pretty fantastic – easy and healthy – a very good combination. I found this recipe on pinterest — the original is from Martha Stewart: http://www.marthastewart.com/341884/roasted-red-saffron-peppers  – I’ve modified the recipe to make it easier and eliminated the oil.

What you’ll need: red peppers, an onion, garlic, saffron, kalamata olives, fresh mint leaves, apple cider vinegar, and pepper.

What to do: slice the peppers and onions into thin ¼” slices – length-wise. Slice the onion into half-moon size slices as well. Peel 6 garlic cloves and slice into thin slices. Arrange the pepper, onion, and garlic slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

Note: I am using no oil in this recipe. If you want to add some extra oil to this recipe – feel free. It would add some extra richness to the dish.

While the peppers and onions are cooking – julienne 20 mint leaves & prepare the kalamata olives. The olives from Trader Joe’s that I bought are relatively small – so I didn’t slice them in half. If they were large I would probably slice. In a large bowl, add 3 T. apple cider vinegar (I like a lot of vinegar – so if you want less, add less), 1 t. saffron and allow the saffron to dissolve into the vinegar. Mix together with the olives and mint leaves. Once the pepper, onion, garlic mixture has cooled to room temperature – add to the bowl and mix to coat with the saffron vinegar mixture.

This is a great side dish to make — it would be great with grilled meat on the side or if you’re keeping it veggie-conscious – then a black bean burger. Yum yum.

Saffron Red Pepper Salad
Click here for recipe

Ingredients:
4 red peppers
1 sweet onion
6 garlic cloves
1/4 t. saffron threads
1/2 t. pepper
1/2 cup kalamata olives
20 fresh mint leaves

Directions:

1. Slice the peppers and onions into 1/4″ slices. Peel and slice the garlic cloves into thin slices. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line large sheet pan with foil. Spread peppers, onions, and garlic slices onto sheet pan in one layer. Bake for 20 minutes – until soft and slightly charred in places.
2. While peppers are cooking, mix 3 T. apple-cider vinegar with the saffron in a large bowl. Julianne (or mince) the mint leaves and add to the vinegar. Add the kalamata olives. If the olives are large, slice in half. Add the pepper and mix to incorporate all ingredients.
3. Once vegetables have cooked – allow to cool for 10 minutes. Add pepper/onion/garlic mixture to the bowl and mix to incorporate. Enjoy!

Karen’s Outrageous Brownies

Tags

brownie, cookie dough, cupcake tin, reeses peanut butter cup

Admission: I love brownies. And cookies. And peanut butter. And then I tasted this at my mom’s house and I lost my mind over how delicious they were! I blame my mom, Karen, for this recipe. That picture below is my mom when she came to Columbus and we made cake pops….so fun!! And I couldn’t resist – here’s a finished picture of the cake pop display she did (I did help a little though!).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok – let’s start with the facts. Here’s what you need: brownie mix, Reese’s peanut butter cups, and pre-made cookie dough. Oh, and 2 eggs, water, and canola oil. Supplies: 2 cupcake pans, cupcake liners, and cooking spray.

And then you assemble….break the cookie dough apart and press each cookie into the bottom of the cupcake pan and liner. Then lay a Reese’s cup on top. And then ladle on some of that delicious brownie batter. And then bake – for about 18 minutes at 350 degrees. Half way through I turned and switched locations of the 2 muffin pans in the oven to allow for even cooking.

That’s it. Yes…for real. And what you get is one of the easiest, most delicious desserts around. Don’t judge. Just make them and be happy.

Mediterranean Couscous w. Chicken

Tags

couscous, eggplant, feta, mediterranean, rotisserie

The countdown to moving cross country is quickly passing by – which means I need to get my butt in gear and start figuring this stuff out. One thing I am doing is beginning to clean out my fridge and cabinets of food. Which is where this recipe came from. I had half of a bag of couscous – and a hankering for a rotisserie chicken. And then this recipe was created. Yum.

Here’s what you’ll need: rotisserie chicken, couscous, eggplant, tomatoes, basil, feta, olive oil, chicken bouillon cubes, and salt and pepper.  Just FYI – I have now eliminated the couscous and bouillon cubes from my cabinet – mini progress!

And here’s what you’ll need to do: cut the eggplant into small-ish squares – probably about ½” cubes. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat with 2 T. olive oil — preferably use a pan with a tight fitting lid – this will be beneficial later on in this recipe process. Once the olive oil has come up to temperature add the eggplant. Also add ¼ cup of water to the pan – then cover with a lid. That is a trick I learned from watching Rachael Ray – she made a really good point – eggplant sucks up olive oil – so if you want to keep the vegetable moist – adding more and more olive oil will result in a super greasy dish. Adding water then covering with a lid will allow the eggplant to steam and sauté without the additional oil. The eggplant will cook for 4-5 minutes, stir a few times to ensure the eggplant is not sticking – after eggplant is cooked through remove from the pan and add into a bowl.

Next – cooking the couscous: measure out the couscous and add to the same sauté pan with 1 T. of olive oil. This step is simple – you’re just toasting the couscous to help the flavor and to ensure that the couscous is fluffy. Basically – continually stir the dry couscous for 2-4 minutes over medium/low heat until you can begin to smell the couscous. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Next – same pan – measure out and place 2 cups of water in the pan – add 2 chicken bouillon cubes and 1 t. salt and 1 t. pepper. Bring to a boil. Once boiling – turn off the heat and add the 2 cups of toasted couscous. Stir into the water then cover with the tight fitting lid for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes remove the lid and using a fork, fluff the couscous.

 

While couscous is steaming – begin to prep the rest of the ingredients. Slice 16 basil leaves into thin slices – cut 8 ounces of feta (French is my personal favorite) into ½” pieces – and remove all the chicken from the rotisserie chicken. Slice into bite size pieces. And finally – slice 2 roma tomatoes into bite size pieces.

Time to assemble: Mix the couscous, chicken, basil, tomatoes, and eggplant together. Once that is mixed – add in the feta (I don’t add it in too soon b/c it will break up). Add salt and pepper to taste and you’re good to go! Also – it’s also pretty delicious to add a sprinkling of extra virgin olive oil as well…..if you want.

This dish is really good and really easy. Like – super easy. The dish makes a lot and is very tasty. The flavors are light and filling at the same time. And makes for great leftovers. Enjoy!

Mediterranean Couscous with Chicken
Serves 4-6
Click here to print recipe.

Ingredients: 
2 cups couscous
2 cups water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 rotisserie chicken – meat removed and shredded
1 medium eggplant
8 ounces feta
16 basil leaves (about 1/2 cup)
2 tomatoes – 1 – 1.5 cups)
4 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper

Directions:

1. Dice eggplant into 1/2″ pieces. Add to large saute pan (with tight fitting lid). Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat with 2 T. olive oil.  Once the olive oil has come up to temperature add the eggplant. Also add ¼ cup of water to the pan – then cover with a lid. The eggplant will cook for 4-5 minutes, stir a few times to ensure the eggplant is not sticking – after eggplant is cooked through remove from the pan and add into a bowl.
2. Next – cooking the couscous: measure out the couscous and add to the same sauté pan with 1 T. of olive oil. This step is simple – you’re just toasting the couscous to help the flavor and to ensure that the couscous is fluffy. Basically – continually stir the dry couscous for 2-4 minutes over medium/low heat until you can begin to smell the couscous. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Next – same pan – measure out and place 2 cups of water in the pan – add 2 chicken bouillon cubes and 1 t. salt and 1 t. pepper. Bring to a boil. Once boiling – turn off the heat and add the 2 cups of toasted couscous. Stir into the water then cover with the tight fitting lid for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes remove the lid and using a fork, fluff the couscous.
4. While couscous is steaming – begin to prep the rest of the ingredients. Slice 16 basil leaves into thin slices – cut 8 ounces of feta (French is my personal favorite) into ½” pieces – and remove all the chicken from the rotisserie chicken. Slice into bite size pieces. And finally – slice 2 roma tomatoes into bite size pieces.
5. Time to assemble: Mix the couscous, chicken, basil, tomatoes, and eggplant together. Once that is mixed – add in the feta (I don’t add it in too soon b/c it will break up). Add salt and pepper to taste and you’re good to go! Also – it’s also pretty delicious to add a sprinkling of extra virgin olive oil as well…..if you want.

Enjoy! 

Asian Beef Tacos with Cucumber Slaw

Tags

asian, beef, crockpot, cucumber, slaw

This recipe was inspired from a post I found on Pinterest. Ah….pinterest….how I love thee. Seriously – what did I do before Pinterest? Every night I lay in bed and play on the Pinterest app on my iPhone – there is nothing better than it. Seriously. I get so many ideas for recipes, decorating, fitness (which I never do….but I still get inspired) and so on and so on. This recipe is adapted from the blog “Confessions of a Foodie Bride” http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/8582 – great blog and recipes btw!

I made this dish last week on a night I knew I was going to be at work late – so when I got home from work I would have easy dinner prep. Love a crockpot meal – so incredibly convenient.

First things first – this is what you’ll need: beef shoulder (the original recipe calls for short ribs – which I love – but I don’t think that high of quality of meat is best used in a crockpot meal), soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, sesame oil, brown sugar (I had dark on hand so that’s what I used), seedless cucumber, onion, ginger and garlic (or ginger garlic paste like I had), salt, and small flour tortillas.

Get the marinade started by combining the 14 ounce bottle of soy sauce, 2 t. sesame oil, 1/4 c. rice wine vinegar, 2 t. crushed red peppers (less if you like it less spicy), 2 T. ginger garlic paste (or 1.5 T. garlic and .5 T. ginger) and 1/4 c. brown sugar. Use a whisk and mix the marinade together.

Cut the meat into larger size chunks – mine were probably 3/4″ or 1″ each – and place into the marinade in the crockpot. Cover with the lid and place on low for 6-8 hours.

Next: slice 3/4 of the cucumber into thin slices, slice 2 small white onions into thin half moon slices – and combine in a large Tupperware. Combine with 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, 1 t. red pepper flakes, and 1/2 t. salt – mix and cover with a lid and let sit in the fridge until ready to use.

Fast forward 8-10 hours – and dinner is ready! Shred the beef in the sauce and place onto small flour tortillas. Top with the cucumber slaw and eat.

The flavors are really good – actually – the beef is really delicious. I love beef cooked like this – typically I prefer it cooked in the Dutch oven – but the crockpot is so convenient. The beef in combination with cucumber slaw is savory, sweet, and refreshing at the same time. Really delicious. And different – which is always nice to try.

One thing I really loved about the slaw – the onions weren’t very “onion-ey” because they had become pickled in the vinegar – which is great because the slaw then did not overpower the beef.

Highly recommend if you are looking for something different, something easy, and something delicious – enjoy!

Asian Beef Tacos with Cucumber Slaw
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

For crockpot beef:
2.5 lb beef shoulder
14 ounces soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1/4 cup brown sugar
For cucumber slaw:
1 medium english cucumber (seedless) slices – about 1.5 cups
2 small white onions (1 cup)
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 t. red pepper flakes
1 t. salt
Additional:
Small flour torillas

Directions

1. Spray the crockpot with cooking spray to avoid anything sticking. Make the marinade by combining the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and brown sugar. Use a whisk to combine the ingredients in the crockpot. 
2. Cut the beef into 3/4″ – 1″ pieces and place into the marinade in the crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, until tender and able to easily shred the beef.
3. Make the cucumber slaw by thinly slicing the cucumber and onions and combining in a large Tupperware with the rice wine vinegar, salt, and red pepper flakes. Cover and refrigerate anywhere from 1 – 8 hours.
4. To assemble the tacos: shred the beef in the asian sauce; place shredded beef on small flour tortillas; and top with 1/4 cup or more of the cucumber slaw.

Enjoy!

Nigella’s Spaghetti Carbonara

Tags

beef bacon, nigella lawson, parmesan, spaghetti

I’m back. Sorry about the 2 month long accidental hiatus. There is no real excuse – just that I am overwhelmed with work and such — which makes me incapable of completing additional tasks and my brain just shuts down. Ever had one of those weeks where you are overloaded and you feel like you can’t do anything 100%? Well – that’s been me for 2 months. Ugh, I just realized what a cry baby I am! Oh well – moving on!

Big-ish news — we’re moving cross country to Seattle! I started a new job (same company) and part of that involves a move to our Seattle office — very exciting — very scary at the same time! Any one that knows me knows what a baby I can be about change – so thus the reason I haven’t mentally been able to process all the stuff going on lately. But this change will be good – it’s a new adventure and something that I think I need. Being so far from my family is going to be really, really hard. Right now they are 2 hours away – and it’s such a nice feeling to know that they are that close. Good thing there are airplanes so I can get them to visit a lot! I found this picture on pinterest – and it made me laugh (because it’s from the Hobbitt) but I also need to remember that this is a fun adventure and not get too stressed. N is a great comfort during this entire process – he’s so calm under pressure – that he forces me to calm it down!

A few weeks ago N and I went out to Seattle – it was a work trip – but we did go out a few days early and stayed an extra few days – to get to explore the city. Here are a few pictures from the famous Pike’s Place Market:

And now – onto a recipe. When I was up in Cleveland last weekend for my dad’s 60^th birthday celebration (History themed!) my brother, Lindsey, brought me a few packages of beef bacon – which I love him for! Last night I made N and I spaghetti carbonara – from Nigella. I have a few words I need to describe this recipe: delicious, creamy, decadent, quick, and from one of my favorite cook’s – Nigella!

The original recipe calls for vermouth – which I didn’t have – so I left that ingredient out. And I obviously replaced the pancetta with the beef bacon. Other edits are below in italics. So delicious. And  yes — N and I did eat the entire thing. Whoopsie.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/spaghetti-alla-carbonara-recipe/index.html

Ingredients (my edits are italicized) 

1 pound spaghetti
2 cups cubed beef bacon
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 eggs (large)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (more to top the pasta)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 t. Freshly ground black pepper
1 t. salt 
Freshly ground nutmeg (about 1/8 t.)

Directions

Put a large pan of water on to boil for the pasta.

In another large pan that will fit the pasta later, cook the sliced beef bacon in the oil until crispy but not crunchy.

In a bowl, beat together the eggs, Parmesan, cream, and pepper. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, but since you want it kept al dente start checking it 2 minutes before end of the recommended cooking time.

 

 

 

 

When the pasta is done, remove approximately 1/2 cup of the pasta water before draining. Put the pan with the bacon cubes back on the heat and add the drained pasta, tossing well to coat with the delicious beef bacon.

Take the pan off the heat again and add the eggs and cheese mixture, swiftly tossing everything to mix. Thin with pasta water, if needed. Grind over some more pepper and grate over the nutmeg to serve.

Enjoy!