When in Rome...

Well, I haven't been to Rome yet, but I have been living in Naples, Italy for almost a month now (Gricignano to be exact). This saying in it's full  context ("when in Rome, do as the Romans do") has provided a good guiding principle that I've adapted for my time in Italy. Basically, (according to the ever-reliable Wikipedia) St. Ambrose's advice was to immerse oneself in the culture around them; to accept it and learn it and enjoy it. Well, for a dietitian who writes a blog about food, this of course applies to eating! I decided before I left for Italy that for the next 2 years (at least) I am going to eat real food. Like the Italians. I will abandon Splenda and low fat milk and turkey bacon and I will eat pasta and gelato and drink wine with dinner (and lunch too if I want to), and I will like it! In 3 short weeks here, I think I'm well on my way to eating like an Italiano. I've had pasta in some form almost daily, pizza at least twice a week, I am practically on a first name basis with the woman at the wine store, and I realized with amusement that I think I've eaten bacon more times in the last month that I have in my whole life prior to being in Italy (and married). I saw my dad's eyes glisten with pride when I told him this on skype. (AND I still fit into all my skinny jeans in case you're wondering).

Granted there are some traditions that my American body and mindset just can't adjust to. For example, I am and always have been a breakfast eater. I still believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but in Italy if your breakfast is anything more than a chocolate-filled pastry and cappucino- then you're really pushing it. I would likely pass out if I tried to survive on sugar and caffeine alone until mid afternoon (which is when they eat lunch). I also am not quite sold on their dinner schedules. Dinner usually doesn't begin until 9 or 10pm, by which point it would become unsafe to be within a 10 foot radius of me because I would likely try to eat your arm off. A lot of the restaurants don't even open until 7pm, and IF there's anyone there at that time, you can 100% count on them being American.

I look forward to writing about my Italian adventures and the wonderful food. I told Chris semi-seriously after the first week that if I had to choose between traveling Europe or staying in Naples and just eating yummy food, I would choose the food. It's that good! Among my personal food-related goals for the next few years: master homemade tomato sauce (they have the best tomatoes here!), learn to make biscotti, and learn to drink espresso (caffe) without milk-straight up. Chris desires for me to become a little bit more of a wine critic, because so far I just say "I like it!" about every wine we've tried. I say, maybe every wine in Italy is good! Until next time, Buon appetito!

Pantry Party

I have a confession: When my roommate and I are cooking, we like to talk about which Foodnetwork personality we are most like, and sometimes (ok-often) we pretend that we are that particular chef. Our identities always change depending on what we're making. For example, if one of us is using butter, we are automatically Paula Deen. If we don't measure anything, we are Rachel Ray, and when we just feel like speaking with a southern accent then we are the Nealys (except we never make anything BBQ). Well tonight, I was undertaking another pantry clean-up recipe and felt very much like our new favorite TV chef Claire Robinson from 5 Ingredient fix. 

I used a few more than 5 ingredients, but my new rule is to not purchase any more than one ingredient (that way I don't add to the current stock I am trying to get rid of.) So tonight I created an Apricot Chicken Quinoa salad. I don't want to brag, but it's my blog so I suppose I can- it was GOOD! This was another that I made up without a recipe, and therefore slowly contributing to my growing self-confidence in my cooking creativity. I had everything except the dried apricots already! Here it goes:

Apricot Chicken Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup dry quinoa ( you could also use rice, or any small grain)
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/4 of a large red onion, chopped
6 oz cooked chicken
3/4 cup canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup water
Dried thyme
Salt

Directions:

1. Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. Mix with broth, water, onions, and a few dashed of thyme in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Reduce to medium low and simmer for about 15-18 minutes.
3. When there are about 3-5 minutes left of simmering, add the dried apricots.
4. When the liquid is absorbed after 15-18 minutes, remove from heat. Add cooked chicken and chickpeas, and season with salt. Cover and chill. It is best served cooled.

Serves 4

Everything-but-the-kitchen-sink Stuffed Peppers

Project "Eat through my pantry/freezer/misc-non-perishable foods" is still underway. Tonight was a success because I didn't use a recipe..which makes me feel like a real chef! And for the record, I like anything that is stuffed, or in individualized portions (like the Lovebird Chicken I made a few months ago). I don't know why- there's just something about knowing that it's just for me! Although with my upcoming marriage, I'm thinking dinners will look something like "2 for Chris, 1 for me"..or maybe even "3 for Chris..". The boy can EAT!

So here's what I started with that led to the vision of stuffed peppers: Frozen leftover quinoa, frozen leftover black beans, matchstick carrots, a zucchini, and about a 1/4 c salsa.  I purchased a few additional ingredients and viola! You can really use anything- but I like to use a whole grain as the base and other vegetables on hand. Here's the breakdown:

Ingredients:

2 large bell peppers
1-1.5 c cooked quinoa (or rice or any grain)
1 c black beans
1/2 c shredded carrots (matchstick)
1/2 c shredded zucchini
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 c salsa
1 tsp cumin
Salt & pepper
1-2oz cheddar cheese
A few dollops of plain Greek yogurt or sour cream (pretty sure dollop is a scientific measurement)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Clean out peppers and cut in half (to make 4 halves total)
2. Mix the quinoa, beans, vegetables, garlic and spices in a bowl. Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Boil pepper halves for 4-5 minutes.
3. Drain and reserve some cooking water to add to bottom of baking dish. Fill pepper halves with quinoa mixture.
4. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes. Then top with a few Tbs of shredded cheese and bake for another 10 minutes.
5. Remove and let cool for a few minutes. Add a big spoonful of Greek yogurt or sour cream before eating.

Makes 4 Half Pepper servings.

*I thought this needed something else...and usually when I say that I mean salt. So taste the mixture before stuffing peppers!

And she's back...

Well- it's been over 3 months since I last blogged, and with good excuse. I got engaged just before Christmas and it has been a whirlwind ever since. With so much to do before our May wedding, my culinary adventures have taken a back seat. (I've said before, I'm not the greatest multi-tasker). So instead I did a lot of my favorite recipe repeats (Lovebird chicken anyone? Chris LOVED it!) But I have a good feeling I'll be able to make up for lost time...I am moving to Italy where I can take my cooking (and eating) to a whole new level!

I did get a cooking itch this past week, as I felt myself slipping into a rut of the same-old same-old. (And I got a not-so-subtle nudge from my sister-to-be telling me I was neglecting my blogging duties.) So- I searched my beloved Whole Foods site for something creative, different and healthy. I mean I have a wedding dress to fit into and all. So what do you get? Quinoa loaf! It's a vegetarian meat loaf that uses a bean puree as a binder, combined with quinoa and veggies. Although I'm not a vegetarian, I find vegetarian recipes to be extremely creative and very flavorful. (There is also a part of me that is not sure if I'll get away with a recipe like this with my husband-to-be...at least not until I break him in). These kind of recipes always remind me of moms who try to sneak vegetables into their kids' food. Anyway, I made a few modifications:

I cooked the quinoa in vegetable broth instead of water.
I think the quinoa should be cooled before making this.
I used canned mushrooms to save a step (and a pan). Rinsed and drained.
I cooked it for nearly 1 1/2 hours, and it was still pretty moist in the middle (but I think this is why the quinoa should be cooled.)

See the recipe here: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2672#comments 

And just for fun: 

Don't we look Italian??

Soup Kitchen in Full Swing... (White Chicken Chili)

After my Carrot Dill Success I decided to try #37 Carrot Ginger, which seemed like a more natural pairing. It tasted, well, like carrots and ginger. It was good, but I was not as thrilled as I had hoped. (However, if anyone needs a good baby food recipe..I recommend!)  In this recipe, which was precisely like the Carrot Dill except using ginger, I omitted the 2 tbs brown rice because my roomie doesn't eat rice. What a difference in texture it made! I will never underestimate the importance of thickeners/starches in a soup recipe (i.e. keep the 2 tbs rice)

My camera is currently broken, so I have been unable to take pictures- which significantly impairs my motivation to blog. BUT I am pressing on...(the above pic is courtesy of google images-don't sue me!)

This weekend I made a White Chicken Chili recipe which a friend promised was the "best chili recipe ever." Sure enough, it was darn tasty! It uses lots of canned ingredients, which I modified a bit to lower the salt content. But after refrigerating overnight as she suggested to allow flavors to blend..it truly was a great white chili recipe!

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked chicken, cubed or shredded (I shredded)
• 1 10 oz can Rotelle tomatoes with green chilies
• 2 cans White Northern Beans (I drained and rinsed)
• 1 can white shoe peg corn
• 1 can chopped green chilies
• 3-4 cups Reduced Sodium Chicken broth (depending on how thick you like it..I do less)
• 1/2 large yellow onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Chili powder or cayenne pepper (a couple dashes, to taste)
• Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Directions:

1. Saute onion and garlic in cooking spray or oil about 5 mins, then season with chili powder
2. Add tomatoes, beans, corn, green chilies, chicken and broth to pot. Bring to a boil. (I added chicken just after boil because it is fully cooked).
3. Simmer for 10-15 mins. Remove from heat. (I think it is best the next day..so make ahead of time or in the morning to serve later in the day).
4. Top with tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream or plain non-fat Greek yogurt. De-lish!

Dietitian on a Mission...not always in the Kitchen

This is just an "FYI" post, but there was an article in my local newspaper by a dietitian in town who did a great job breaking down the job description of a dietitian as well as addressing a lot of the misconceptions. I can relate, that in a typical day's work, I am referred to as everything from "doctor" to "the food lady," and even as- wait for it- the "poop lady." (As one of my professors used to say- you can tell a lot about a person's eating habits by their poop; "what you eat is what you excrete."...That saying is a personal highlight from my college career, and I ask people about their poop all the time). Anyway, there are a lot of misconceptions about what we do and how we help people, and any registered dietitian will tell you it makes our skin crawl a little bit when we are called "nutritionists" (the article explains why).

http://jacksonville.com/news/health-and-fitness/2010-11-17/story/what-registered-dieticians-do-and-how-we-can-help-you

Some fall favorites: Pumpkin Oatmeal

We are in the midst of autumn and although the blogging has been slow, the cooking has not! I've been trying to fully embrace all of the wonderful fall flavors and seasonal foods, and I keep finding myself wondering why I don't eat some of this stuff all year round. I now could package and sell my pumpkin oatmeal, which I humbly feel I have perfected; and I am also on a personal mission to convince my Resident Expert/roommate about the wonderful-ness of soups. She is not a soup lover and I'm committed to making one new soup recipe per week (so naturally I've renamed our kitchen The Soup Kitchen). I've done this for the past 3 weeks, and each recipe is better and better! Last week I made a creamy cauliflower soup which required me to pull my food processor out of the garage and get it in working order! I received the creamy cauliflower soup recipe as a part of an online recipe exchange, and am so glad I made it. I will share in a separate post, and below is my pumpkin oatmeal recipe.

As I am writing, I am making a simple carrot dill soup, courtesy of the Food Network which has a 50 Simple Soups section on their website. I'm overwhelmed with options! I am making #34 carrot dill soup because I happened to have all the ingredients on hand, and figured if I'm going to make some of these then I need to get started. (This particular one happens to be Gluten Free as long as GF broth is used!) Here's the link: www.foodnetwork.com/recipes-and-cooking/50-easy-soups-1--10/index.html.

Pumpkin Oatmeal a-la-Heather
(Makes 4 servings)

• 1 cup steel cut oats
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1/4-1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup golden raisins
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• dash of ground cloves
• pumpkin pie spice (be generous!)

Bring water to a boil and add oats. Immediately reduce to a simmer, stir for a minute or two (I recommend a non-stick pot). Add vanilla extract and spices. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 15-20 minutes. Add raisins and maple syrup cook for an additional 5-10 minutes. I stir in canned pumpkin during the last 5 minutes, but it can be added at any time. Let cool before serving or refrigerating.
This will stay good for several days! Just add a few tablespoons of water or milk before re-heating in microwave. I also top mine with 1 tbs of ground flaxseed and 1 tbs chopped walnuts.
*Side note: spice measurements are estimated- I probably use double by the time I'm done shakin' and playin'!
Can you see why breakfast is my favorite meal of the day?? It is my favorite meal of the day...until lunch :)