LA Du Jour

I have a confession. I love the Ritz.

Not the just the Carlton… The Cracker. It has depth and crunch that most other crackers lack and tastes good with anything. Sweet or savory, this guy has it covered.

Granted its not the “whole” foods I normally try to eat… But it will gladly serve as the vehicle to wholly fresh goodness (yes I just said that). Sometimes the simplest combinations are the most delicious. For example: Peppered marscapone cheese, salted cucumber, buttery Ritz. Its even sweeter that these cucumbers were grown in the soil I was raised on.

Now how’s that for farm to table?

I’m so over oatmeal.

Luckily, quinoa makes a wonderful substitution in a healthy breakfast for champions (or a busy hair stylist).

I made a double batch, but would recommend doubling that to get you through the week.

• 1 c quinoa
• 2 c low fat milk
• 1 tbs brown sugar or honey
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Bring milk to a boil, add quinoa and simmer until all liquid is absorbed. Add cinnamon, sugar or honey (or both, yum!) and top with fresh fruit.

It’s delicious, full of good carbs and protein and will stick with you well until lunch time.

I love when miracles happen in my kitchen. Not the turn-water-into-wine kind (although, let’s face it…that’d be amazing) but the dinner-in-twenty kind when you have absolutely no plan.

I found myself dismally staring at the contents of my pantry waiting for something to jump out at me. Oatmeal? Meh. Quinoa? So last Tuesday. Thin Mints? Yummmm. (No really… If I wasn’t trying to feed a 6’3” human garbage disposal, they would have totally been a part all of my “balanced meal”). Anyways… behind the cookies there was a box of quinoa pasta I had obviously forgotten I’d purchased. Bingo! It’s truly the best of both worlds.

This is when I thanked myself for having such random ingredients in my fridge. Lemons, onions, grape tomatoes, frozen broccoli & peas, boiled chicken breast, mascarpone cheese. All these randos make quite a yummy meal. Here’s how it happened:

• Start you water for your pasta
• Chop 1/3 of a medium sweet onion and sauté until golden in separate pan.
• Add as much broccoli & tomatoes as you’d like. Season with salt, pepper & garlic powder. Add chicken.
• Place frozen peas in colander over sink & when pasta is ready pour over peas (this keeps them crispy and sweet).
• In empty pasta pan combine juice of two lemons, a dollop of Dijon mustard, two dollops of honey, 1/2 container of mascarpone, some fresh basil & a healthy sprinkling of Parmesan/Romano.
• After cheese has melted, combine all ingredients and toss to coat.

Mmmmmmmazing. It’s flavorful, light and oh so quick. Did I mention it tastes good? The BF gave two thumbs up and went back for seconds. (I made sure to portion myself some for lunch the next day… Or he would have gone for thirds.)

So, next time you find yourself in a pinch, remember that sometimes a little experimenting really pays off!

Coconut Curry Peanut Sauce.

Click here to see the recipe. What you put it on is totally up to you.

I made a quinoa-chicken-pea-carrot-tomato combo and there were NO leftovers.

Trust me. Just do it.

There is nothing more southern than a big batch of fried okra. However, my southern self is always searching for an alternative to “fried” anything. Here’s the secret…

Everything tastes better roasted.

Seriously. I’ve yet to find a veggie that I haven’t loved even more after a short little time in my roasting pan. Not only does it shave calories, the flavor is incredible. And lucky for you, it’s ridiculously easy.

Olive oil, salt, pepper. That’s it. Toss veggies in that mixture and roast in a 425 degree oven. My okra stayed in there for about 33 minutes, but your cooking times will vary based on how crunchy you’d like them.

Roasted okra for breakfast? Sounds like a southern Sunday to me. :)

When life gives you lemons…

Well, you know how the story goes. Lucky for me, my wonky kidneys and the stones they like to make allow for one lovely little indulgence.

Lemonade.

However, I refuse to pay $9.00/half gallon (HALF, people!) for the diet lemonade at my local Chic-fil-a. Don’t get me wrong. That golden gulp is worth every penny on a hangover Saturday… but daily? Ain’t happening.

Enter my Sam’s card and a 3lb. bag of lemons for the low low price of $3.29. :)

You’ll get roughly 16oz. of juice from all those lemons and depending on how tangy you like you’re lemonade, you’ll need anywhere from 3/4-cups to 1 1/2 cups Splenda. Double or or triple the recipe by adding water and you have yourself some serious kidney cleaning power.

Or if you’re one of those “normal” people with perfectly functioning organs, you’ll have yourself a refreshingly diet beverage you can now enjoy.

As a diehard Gamecock fan, there is little reason for me to travel to “God’s Country” to see the Clemson Tigers play. However, times have changed since this thing called “love” came into my life. It’s true… It’ll make you do crazy things. So imagine my surprise when I found myself packing a quick overnight bag, cranking some Pandora & riding shotgun up I-26.

I must say this… It is beautiful. I’ve always loved the upstate, but have never really spent any time in Clemson. While I will say that the facilities can’t even compete with those of South Carolina’s, the scenery is ri-dic-u-lous. So after an absolutely gorgeous spring weekend, I’ll have to thank Mother Nature for making me a little less of a “hater”. But never fear, I still bleed Garnet & Black.

But back to the real story. You know my loves are travel & food. There is nothing I find more frustrating than traveling to a different city and eating at an Olive Garden or Moe’s. I mean really… I want to eat local. Thankfully, the world we live in is filled with iPhones, Yelp & UrbanSpoon, so this task isn’t really such a task anymore. Thank god! We found this amazing cafe that serves a buffet brunch (not like you’re thinking) that is to die for. From quiche to pork tenderloin to every pastry your little tummy could crave. They even have bacon and eggs, but why even bother when there’s so many options? Not to mention, for two coffees and two plates our bill was only $20. Surely that isn’t right, right? My guilty conscience left a 50% tip because even I know that food made with such loving hands should cost more than that. So if you ever happen through the quaint little town of Pendleton, SC you should check out The Village Baker. And if your senses aren’t satisfied after you leave (let’s face it, you’re just plain rotten) take a look at what the Garden Club has planted in the courtyard right down the street.

God Bless & Go Cocks! :)

Lasagna. Mmmmm. Melty, cheesy, noodley….

Whoa… Hold up, Garfield. It’s 80 degrees outside. Not that it’s too warm for comfort food, but bathing suit season is upon us. I don’t know about you, but for me that means I’m watching my carbs. If you are too, this recipe’s for you.

It all started when the local veggie man came by the salon last Friday. I loaded up on eggplant and zucchini thinking that surely they would make an excellent side dish. Then Monday rolled around and I realized that this is the last week of Lent (praise Jesus!) and I needed a vegetarian meal for Friday. Hence… The veggiesagna.

This is hardly a recipe. It’s more or less what I had in my fridge.

What you’ll need:
Marinara sauce
4-5 zucchini (sliced with mandolin)
1 eggplant (sliced with mandolin)
1 c. Ricotta
1 egg
Parmesan/Romano

I chose to grill my veggies prior to layering. This helped to remove excess water and allowed me to drink a glass of wine… Or two. Who’s counting? After all of the veggies were nice and charred around the edges, I whisked an egg into the ricotta and began the layering process. Veggie, sauce, cheese, repeat.

Bake in oven for 30ish minutes at 375 and what the hell… Pour yourself another glass of wine while you wait. Surely at this point it will have to taste delicious. :)

Salute!