Mixed Bean Croquettes and Lulu's Waldorf Salad (remixed)

I found a Black-eyed peas Croquettes recipe in Alicia SIlverstone's "The Kind Life". Since I didn't have all the ingredients in my home, I made a few changes like changing up the beans and the dipping sauce from rice syrup to tamari.Hope you enjoy it!
Mixed Bean Croquettes
Ingredients

• 1 cup of tri-bean mix
• 1 cup of garbanzo beans
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp tamari
• 2 tbsp cilantro
• 1 tsp cumin
• oil for frying

DIPPING SAUCE

• 6 tbsp tamari
• 1 tbsp mustard

1. Put the beans in a food processor and add cilantro, salt, tamari and cumin. Process it until mixed well, but NOT mushy.
2. Form into balls/egg-shaped (about 12).
3.Heat your oil and fry your croquettes (about 4 minutes on each side). Let them drain on a paper towel.
4. Mix sauce ingredients in a small sauce pan over low heat until bubble.
5. Serves four people
THANKS ALICIA!

So I don't know where you live, but we have a grocery store here called Publix. Every couple of months they mail out a magazine that contains a bunch of healthy tidbits and recipes. One of the recipes in this latest issue was a Waldorf Salad. Now, I've never had one before, but it looked really good, but I didn't have all those ingredients and it wasn't vegan so I decided to give it a twist. Well, this is what I came up with.

Lulu's Waldorf Salad

• Bob's Red Mill TVP, 0.75 cup
• Celtic Sea Salt Fine Ground, 0.75 tsp
• Nasoya Nayonaise, 6 tbs)
• Lemon juice, 1 tbsp (remove)
• Brown Sugar, Dark (Domino), 0.25 tsp
• Tomato, grape (3oz = appro 12 tomatoes), 3 oz
• Apple, Gala (medium), 1 serving
• Bunny-Luv Organic Shredded Carrot, 1 cup
• Almonds, 0.25 cup, whole
• 
  
Soak the TVP according to directions anding 1/4 tsp of salt. In a separate bowl mix sugar, lemon juice, remaining salt, and nayonaise. Add barley, tomatoes, apple, and carrots. Spoon mixture over lettuce leaves to serve (serves 8).

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake- Veganized!

So my friend N sent me this email for a chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake. Well, it was fabulous, but as I've decided to give this vegan diet a try, I was now faced with the challenge: How to make this cake vegan... and taste good? Oh, and I had to make it healthy because I am on this never ending quest to lose 5 lbs (the same 5 lbs I've been trying to lose my 27 years of life). Hahahaha, Lulu is the next Iron Chef! Well I did it and I'm going to show you how.

Chocolate Chip Cookie dough Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Filling-

Vanilla extract

Mori-Nu soft silken tofu

1/3 cup agave nectar

2 T flour

32 oz Tofutti "cream cheese"

Crust-

1 pgk of Joseph's Sugar free Pecan Walnut Brownies (bite size)

2 T Earth Balance "butter"

Truffles-

1/4 cup agave nectar

4 T Earth Balance "butter"

2 cups flour

1/2 cup Sunspire non-dairy chocolate chips

1/4 cup soymilk

1/4 cup Mori-Nu silken tofu

1. Make the truffles but combining all ingredients in the food processor and MIX WELL. Put the dough in an air tight container and let it sit in the fridge for 3 hours. After 3 hours roll the batter in mini balls and lightly roll in flour so they're not too sticky.

2. Preheat your oven at 350 and combine the brownie bites and Earth Balance together in the food processor to make the crust. Press the mix tightly on the bottom of a spring-form pan (preferably 9") and bake for 10 minutes.

3. While the crust is baking, mix the filling ingredients in a mixer or food processor (I just find it easier to rinse to food processor each time instead of using so many bulky appliances). Drop in 3/4 of your truffles and stir into your batter. Then your batter into the cake pan and drop the oth

er truffles in.

4. Bake 45- 60 minutes (the original cake is for 90 minutes, but vegan cream cheese cooks faster so keep an eye on it and watch for cracking).

5. Cool overnight.

So I like to slice my cake into 16 slices because it is sweet and creamy so a small piece definitely goes a long way.

I hope you enjoy!

Khichuri

Khichuri is an Indian dish commonly made with rice and lentils (which we call dal). Commonly we Bengalis make it during puja (a religious celebration) as we aren't supposed to eat meat during these times. There are all kinds of variations to this dish so I decided I'd give it a try and put a Lulu twist on it. I'd love for those who try to re-create it to tell me how it comes out and what other variations you've tried or may try.

Khichuri

Ingredients:

1 onion thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves minced

1 tsp minced ginger

masala spices

1 cup channa dal (or use what yellow lentils you can find)

1 cup rice

1 14 oz can vegetable broth

1 can roasted tomatoes (diced tomatoes)

2 cups fresh spinach

1 cup shredded carrot

Boil the dal in about 4-41/2 cups of water. Once its boiled, reduce the heat and cover letting it simmer for 10-15 minutes. In a frying pan, cook the onions in oil. Once they soften, add the garlic ginger, carrots, and rice and cook for about 3-4 minutes (when you can smell the flavours developing and the rice is getting coated in oil). Next you want to add the canned broth and tomatoes and about 1/2 cup of the warm lentil liquid (if you use brown rice like I do, you'll want a little more liquid). Add the lentils and give everything a good stir then let it come to a boil. Once the dish is boiling, reduce the heat and cover until all the liquid has been absorbed. My khichuri took about 90 minutes to make.

Season it with as much salt and pepper and you like and enjoy it.

Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Today marked the start of blizzard 2009. What else is there to do stranded in a condo but BAKE! I had all the essential ingredients to make a simple dough. I looked on Foodgawker and found a recipe from America's Test Kitchen, Chocolate Chip Cookies. Although, I didn't use chocolate chips. The only thing I had in the pantry close enough to chocolate chip cookies were Trader Joe's Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups.


The recipe makes ~30. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

• 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups Trader Joe's mini chocolate peanut butter cups

- Fold the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.
- Beat the butter and sugars in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed or in KitchenAid mixer on level 2 until combined, ~ 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Mix in the mini chocolate peanut butter cups until incorporated.

- Working with 1/4 cup of dough at a time, roll the dough into balls and lay on two parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced 2 1/2 inches apart. Baking until the edges are golden but the centers are still soft and puffy, 15-18 minutes, rotating and switching the baking sheets halfway through baking.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool and then serve.

Mac & Cheese - Vegan Style

Ok so I was looking @ Alicia Silverstone's site The Kind Life, and she posted an entry challenging people to come up with their own vegan mac & cheese recipe after she posted one that she really enjoyed. Me, not one to back down from a cooking challenge (I totally should be on Iron Chef) decided to give it a go. So this is my version of macaroni and cheese.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup whole wheat elbow pasta

dash of salt

black pepper

3-4 dashes of tamari

1 oz vegan mozzarella

1/4 cup soy milk

chili flakes

dried thyme and cilantro

Boil pasta is water. Once cooked, drain and put pasta back in pot with milk. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the dried herbs) as much as suited to your palate. Once the milk has reduced and the mac & cheese is at the thickness you desire add the herbs. Plate the pasta in the bowl. I just bakes some broccoli florets in the oven with a lil' olive oil, salt and pepper and placed them around the mac & cheese.

So I think it turned out pretty well. Yes, I am the only one who ate it, but I liked it and I'm not one to eat nasty food, even if it comes from my kitchen.

Chocolate Cake w/ Mint Whipped Cream

Like most of you know my now, I'm trying to cut out as much animal product out of my daily diet because I'm doing my best to live a healthier lifestyle. So today I decided to experiment with chocolate cake on my venture of making my favourites healthy. I've to admit it totally took well.

Lulu's Chocolate Cake

• 2 1/2 cups of flour sifted with 1t salt
• 3/4 cup apple sauce
• 1/4 cup vanilla silken tofu
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 T dark cocoa powder
• 1 t baking side
• 1 cup milk
• 1 t pure vanilla extract
• 1 tub whipped cream
• 1 t vinegar
• 1 t pure mint extract

Preheat oven @ 350 degrees. In a mixer, combine the apple sauce, sugar, and tofu. Then add cocoa powder. Once mixed well add the flour/salt mix alternating with the milk. Next add the vanilla, baking soda, and vinegar.
Pour mixture into a cake pan and bake for 30 minutes.
Once the cake has cooled cut it in half. Add the mint extract to the whipped cream and mix well. Use 1/2 the tub of whipped cream and spread over bottom layer. Put the top layer of cake on and then top with remainder of whipped cream.

I'd love for you guys to try it out and let me know how it goes. And if you have any suggestions (like, frosting suggestions, or toppings or different flavours...). I'd love any new cake recipes to try out too. Thanks much!!!

Oh Goody... GRANOLA!

Hehehe, so yeah I made granola again. If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm addicted to this stuff. Its the perfect breakfast, snack, or any other meal. My favourite way of eating granola is chopping an apple, dumping it in a pot with a cup of soy milk and cooking it down then pouring it into a bowl over 1/2 cup of granola.
So what's in this week's mix?

Lulu's Granola Part 2:

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup craisins
• 1 cup fresh cranberries
• 1/2 chopped dried apricots
• 1/2 chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1/3 cup maple syrup

So I just dumped all this stuff in a mixing bowl and mixed VERY well. Then I spread it on a baking sheet and popped it into a 350 preheated oven for 24 minutes, stirring the mixture every 6 minutes. Then cooled it down and stored it in an air tight container. Mmm, granola!

Meat in a Box

KStead and I were craving kebabs for dinner tonight. We usually go to our spot in Arlington but didn't feel like going out that way. We found a place located in Falls Church, VA called Meat in a Box. Clever name, yummy meat!

The menu is pretty simple. You choose either shish, beef, chicken or combo (beef + chicken) skewers in either 2, 4 or 10 in a box. It comes wrapped in bread with tomatoes, onions and parsley. I got the shish, which comes with green peppers, zucchini and onions grilled with the meat and KStead got the chicken.

The staff is really nice and friendly. Kitchen is spic and span. The menu also includes other options such as a veggie wrap, soup de jour (minestrone soup is home made by the mother-in-law), ice cream sandwich (home made saffron and rose water infused ice cream served in between wafers), dolma, baklava, and ayran (Persian yogurt drink).

If you're in the Falls Church area we highly recommend this place.

Meat in a Box

312 S Washington Street

Falls Church, VA 22046

(703) 533-9070

Lulu's Vegan Attempts- Turned out pretty nice :o)

Ok, so for reasons explained log before, I've been cutting meat out of my diet. Well I'm trying to take the next step and cut out animal products. Now I'm not saying I'm going to be a devoted vegan, but I'm definitely going to do my best when possible. So today I made my first vegan banana cheesecake and granola (well that's always vegan though).
So here are my recipes. ENJOY!

Lulu's Banana Cheesecake
Ingredients:

• two 8oz Tofutti cream cheese
• 1 box of silken tofu
• 2 mashed bananas
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 pack of graham crackers
• 2 tbsp Earth Balance melted

Set the oven at 350 degrees. Make crumbs of your graham crackers and mix well with the melted Earth Balance. Press in the bottom of a 9" greased springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes. In a food processor mix all the other ingredients until its creamy and well blended. When the crust has cooled down pour the batter in and bake again for 90 minutes. Let the cake cool down before cutting into it.

Lulu's Granola
This is just so simple. In a bowl I added 3 cups of rolled oats, 1/4 cup craisins, 1/4 chopped dried apricots, 1 chopped up apple, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, 1/2 cup maple syrup, 1/4 oil. Mix it all together and spread it onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Put in the oven for 18-24 minutes @ 350 degrees stirring it occasionally. Cool down and place in an air tight canister/container.

1/2 a cup of granola with some milk make a great breakfast! I hope you guys try it out and if there are any vegans reading it, I'd love your feedback. Thanks bunches.

Spruce up your pancakes

So you wake up one morning, open the pantry and find a box of pancake mix but as much as you want pancakes, your mouth is craving tons of flavour. So what to do? The other day I was in the same predicament so I decided to accessorize the pancake mix. I added some dried cranberries, raisins, chopped pecans to the mix and soy milk instead of water. Well the final product was muito delicioso. So next time you get bored @ breakfast, just throw in some of your favourite fruits and. It's give that same ol' same ol' a new look.

xox remember, breakfast is an important meal so DON'T SKIP IT!

Thanksgiving @ Lulu's

So I hope everyone had a fabulous time yesterday filled with good food, football, holiday movies, family, friends, and WINE :o) There's nothing like a glass of red wine to go with that turkey. So like I promised, here are the yummy goodies that were set at my table. First I'm going to start with what I believe was the best part- THE CHEESECAKE. Mmm really what's better than dessert? I found this recipe for pumpkin-chocolate swirl cheesecake from vegetariantimes.com.

The ingredients were pretty easy to find:

I love using Libby's Pumpkin filling because there are no preservatives or added sugar. Just pumpkin.

The crust was graham cracker crust with melted butter. I couldn't find chocolate graham crackers like the recipe asked, but hey, regular ones are just fine. I baked the crust for 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

I mixed the remaining ingredients (minus the chocolate) in the Kitchen-Aid. I used fat free cottage cheese and cream

cheese because I knew there would be people at the table (myself included) that'd be like, "oh no, calories I can't eat dessert. At least not a whole slice". So I tried to take care of that problem. I also used brown sugar rather than white.

I took about a cup of the batter and mixed it with chocolate, which I melted in the microwave. After that I poured the non-chocolate mixture over the crust and then the chocolate mix was spooned onto and swirled around with a knife.

And the finished product was FANTASTIC and DELICIOUS and just a party of itself in the tummy of me and my guests :o)

Ok, so what else did we eat? Well I saw this broccoli with pecan brown butter recipe on Down Home With the Neely's and decided to make this as one of the sides.

So I couldn't get a picture of the turkey because it was torn up and inside people's belly before I could pull my camera out. So the other sides? Because broccoli isn't enough. I made stuffed acorn squash. Kima actually emailed me this recipe. Stuffed Acorn Squash:

In a 350 degree oven bake a squash cut in half (pulp and seeds removed) for 30 minutes in a baking dish filled with 1/4" water cut side down

In a bowl mixed 1-2 chopped apples (skin removed) with 1/2 cup dried cranberries, some cinnamon, salt and pepper to taste and two tbsp butter (chopped up in pieces makes it easier to mix).

Remove the squash and fill each half with the apple mixture then bake for another 30 minutes or until cooked.

Et voila...

We also had steamed asparagus, green beans with fresh cranberries and potato wedges. And in the end, it was one of the tastiest Thanksgivings I've ever had. I hope you guys give these recipes a try, and I can't wait to see what Kima had on her table yesterday.

xox Lulu!

Thanksgiving-all kinds of yummy goodness to put your spoon into!

What's up everyone?! Two days until turkey, tofurkey, and/or ham day. If you're like me then you've up-ed your workout intensity to make room for that extra spoon of stuffing and the whipped cream on top of the slice of pumpkin pie (or cake). Well I wanted to give you the heads up- by the end of the week Kima and I will have posted up various recipes and pictures of the colourful tastiness coming out of our kitchens (and the kitchens of loved ones) so that you may add them to your collection for next year's dinner (or to your Christmas meal plan or for dinner next week when you realize leftovers are getting, well old).

S0 HAPPY THANKSGIVING and bon appetit!

Pumpkin Cupcakes

My pumpkin cupcake recipe was recently added to the Trader Joes Fan recipe collection. You can check out the post here http://www.traderjoesfan.com/Trader_Joes/pumpkin_cupcakes/details/.

I've been making these for years and it's the talk of the office when I bring them in for my co-workers. It's super easy to make and people will think you spent hours working on it! Happy pumpkin trails!

Pumpkins- good for Jack O' Lanterns and Tofu Sandwiches?

Mais oui! So I decided because Halloween is coming up I wanted to cook something "autumn-y" this week and what denotes fall and Halloween better than a pumpkin? So I found this basic pumpkin bread recipe off Vegcooking.com and and threw in some toasted pumpkin seeds (from the pumpkin I carved) into the batter. Et voila, pain de citrouille! So, now the tofu? Well, so maybe for those that didn't read the previous posts, I've kinda stopped eating meat. We don't know how long it will last as I have been having dreams of goat, but for now I'm trying to be as creative with tofu as I can.

Ok, so I cut the loaf into 8 slices. I took one slice of pumpkin bread, spread a VERY thin layer of cream cheese to act as a glue then placed alfalfa sprouts on top. On top of the sprouts I layered tofu (extra firm) and chives. With a side of oven roasted veggies, its a great vegetarian dinner. Even if you're a meat eater I think you should definitely try it out (tofu won't kill you, I promise!).

Pumpkin Bread Recipe from VegCooking.com

1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup pumpkin purée
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Egg replacer equivalent to 2 eggs
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. cloves


• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda in a large bowl. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin, oil, egg replacer, water, and spices.
• Pour into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
• Pour into a greased 9- x 5- x 3-inch loaf pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the pan and let cool on a rack.
• Keep wrapped in the refrigerator.

Makes 8 servings

The Coffee Underground- Really it is!

So I was recently in Greenville, SC for a residency interview. The drive from Savannah, GA was about 3.5 hours so when I pulled into town, the first thing I did after dumping my bags in my hotel room was get out and about and look for something good to eat.

Ok let me give a backdrop. At the beginning of this month I decided to give up meat. My reasoning was, I don't believe in clenses and detox diets. I think they're insane and dangerous so I decided to just take meat out of my diet and consume tons of fruits and vegetables. Well, as I was looking for vegetarian recipes I cam across various articles about American farming and the cruelty to animals that goes on in these farms. I DO know what cruel free farming is as I lived in the Caribbean for two years and witnessed it there. I know animals don't need to be caged, they don't need to be clusterd and tortured and abused and pumped with antibiotics and hormones. So I've decided I am not eating meat or animal products unless 1. I can guarantee that they came from cruel-free farms and 2. I'm out at a restaurant and I really don't any alternative option (but that's a very unlikely situation).

Ok, so here I am walking around downtown Greenville thinking "I'm hungry, but I don't want to eat something that's going to pit me to sleep". So as I came to Coffee St, I see this sign saying Coffee Underground. It was a chilly day so I thought a nice cup of coffee would do me good and I don't like Starbucks (that's right, I don't). But where was this cafe? I didn't see it, just the sign pointing to a staircase. So like Alice in Wonderland I followed. Well At hte end of the stairs was this door that led to a dim lighted warm and cozy cafe. The smell of chocolate and coffee just swept throw the air. So I get to the counter and am greeted by the sweetest girl and she asks what I want. Well. my eyes caught the words "Mexican Mocha" and I figured, well I bet it as a kick because I know hispanic people put chili in the chocolate so I asked her for one. She asked if I wanted something to eat (OF COURSE I DO!) so I asked what wer ethe vegetarian options. She suggested the Thai Tofu Wrap with peanut sauce.... ok so when my name was called up (lol it never gets old how they compare it to a Disney character's) I got my coffee and wrap and sat at my table and started surfing the web while I let my coffee cool a little so I wouldn't burn my mouth. Seriously, one of THE BEST cups of coffee I ever had. So good that I actually started putting cocoa powder and chili and cinnamon in my coffee ground. Ok so yes, great coffe- now the wrap. The tofu was marianted in soy and the flavours just soaked into it. SO GOOD. The wrap stuffed with the tofu, sprouts and other greens with that warm peanut sauce (with nuts in it), PLEASE ef go there. I told you there's always vegetarian options wherever you go, and sometimes they're even better than the meat!

Coffee Underground

1 East Coffee Street

Greenville, SC 29601

864-298-0494

OMG- This lamb dish is to die for!!!

So my friend Dr. Haque has a great lamb recipe which she has agreed to let us post on our blog. Being of the South Asian background, lamb and goat are definitely part of our dining experience. I hope you all give this one a try. Thanks for the contribution chicky!

Have the butcher cut a leg of lamb into two small pieces osso bucco style- 1.5 pounds

You will need:

grated carrots

fresh oregano

fresh basil

1 cup white wine

2 small baking potatoes

2 cans diced tomatoes italian style 12oz

dry rosemary

10 pieces fresh garlic cut into slivers or chunks

shallots

Place in bottom of slow cooker garlic, shallots. Rub all sides of lamb with rosemary and a little salt. Sear on highest heat top and bottom of lamb pieces on the stove- no more than 1 min per side. Add meat to slow cooker, Add herbs, generous garlic, grated carrots, potatoes whole or chunks, finish off with splashes of a white wine keeping the free liquid level to a minimum. Cover and cook for 6 hours on low. At this point you may add diced fresh eggplant if you wish. Cook the last two hours on warm. Let this cool and sit in fridge overnight. Serve warm the next day over rice or orzo pasta...absolutely divine.

Enjoy.

C is for COOKIE

So I've been trying to crave my sweet tooth without 1 lb of sugar. Actually, I kinda am backing away from animal products as much as I can just to try and live a healthier lifestyle and keep a cleaner body (on the inside. Not to say I'm not clean on the outside, which I so am).

So I found these two cookie recipes which I had to try out. One came from Wholefoods.com which is a Chai Spiced Cookie and the other is from goveg.com and its a peanut butter ball cookie. I'm a big fan of chai tea. Well of course I am, I'm Indian. So I was totally interested by the fact that someone decided to incorporate the chai spices (which includes cinnamon and cardamon) into cookie batter. Once again I took the liberty to make a few changes to the recipe. For instance, in the chai cookie I placed a small piece of chocolate in the cookie to give it a gooey centre. Its so good when you take a bite and that warm chocolate just oozes out.

With the peanut butter balls I used raspberry extract instead of vanilla. I think both cookies came out great. Definitely go check out the recipes. Its a def tasty alternative to the regular peanut butter cookies. When you take a bite they melt into your mouth.
I think next time I'm gonna try the sugar cookies. I wonder what I can do to jazz it up some...

Lasagna Soup for the Soul

Cooked Kstead's favorite tonight...lasagna soup! Today really felt like Fall and what a perfect meal to have on a chilly day. You can choose any small pasta you would like. I started off making this about a year ago with farfalle but Kstead suggested ditalini tonight. You can find it at any grocery store.

Lasagna Soup
Serves ~6
1 large onion, diced
5 links of mild Italian sausage, remove casing
2 cups dry ditalini pasta
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 dried basil
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
4 cups chicken broth
Grated Parmesan cheese and/or provolone cheese to garnish

In a large pot over medium-high heat, add sausage and cook until browned - crumble the sausage as you go with a wooden spoon. Add the onions and cook for 3 minutes. Mix in the garlic, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Pour in broth, tomato sauce, and fire roasted crushed tomatoes. Bring to a boil and add in the pasta. Simmer soup until the pasta has cooked - about 12 minutes.


To serve, place diced provolone cheese in the bottom of the bowl and pour soup over top. Or sprinkle with Parmesan cheese over soup.

 

Okay...this picture may be a year late but the fact that I am still making this after a year's post means that this is still damn good ;)

Mmm MIAMI!

So we're back!! After four fabulous days in Miami, Kima and Lulu have returned to the Blogspot.com. I hope everyone had a wonderful Labour Day weekend: we did! So where to begin? Well after being stuck in the plane for an hour and half Saturday afternoon because of the rain, we finally got to our hotel. Well lunch already passed so we needed to figure out what to eat for dinner. So being the tourists that we are, we asked the guy @ the front desk where he suggested for some "home-cooked Cuban food that's worth every penny". And so we made our walk from the 20th block to the 7th for dinner at Puerto Sagua. So its definitely NOT the high heels sparlking dress restaurant you may be expecting to be eating at in Miami (no paparazzi at the window) but if it is delicious, mouth-watering Cuban food you're looking for, this is the place. A nice sized diner/cafe, Puerto Sagua offers a menu (in English and Spanish) that covers Cuban cuisin from chicken, fish, beef, pork, and eggs (so yes, vegetarians can enjoy a bite or two as well). and items range from 8-14$ approximately. With the amount of food put on your plate, you can't help but eat here.
Let me start with the plantains. OMGCBin3D!! Sweet plantains that are still warm (and I say this because the food comes out within 5 minutes of ordering which makes you wonder if they have huge vats of stew and vegetables in the back- eh, who cares!) are some of the tastiest things on the menu. LOL I even suggested that nex time I'll just order a large plate full. Ok, so Kima chose the beef stew while I chouse the ground beef. For someone who is a meat lover, and doesn't like the overwhelming taste of spice, these are dishes for you. Both meat dishes were on the milder side. I can't be sure of what, if any seasoning besides s&p, is in there, but the taste was definitely on the light side so there was no problems tasting the olives and vegetables mixed in the beef. And pour in on top of the MOUND of rice given to you and you're set.
Puerto Sagua
700 Collins Avenue
Miami Beach. FL 33139
305.673.1115

Well, the next day we decided we deserved a fancy, beautiful dinner after our relaxing day @ Lapis Spa @ the Fontainbleu (I know this is not a spa blog, but seriously, if you're in Miami, I must suggest that you mae a stop at this spa if even only for one service). So we went to Ola Miami, a Latin-Fusion restaurant (mixing Colombian, Cuban, and other Latin flavours). While we were in Miami there was a food fest going on called Miami Spice. Basically, several restaurants were offering a set menu which displayed the tastes/flavours of Miami. Yeah, we didn't do that. We chose to just order off the menu. Let me tell you first- THE NICEST STAFF. The guy who seated us (who I believe is the owner) is great for helping you pick out the right wine. I wish I could remember what he suggested for me, but it was definitely one of the best red wines I've ever had. I just remember it being from Spain. So I can't tell you much about the duck Kima ordered (girl, please feel free to FILL THIS IN) but my plantain crusted mahi mahi was delicious and EXTREMELY filling. The fish was mildly seasoned and then coated in mashed plantains and fried to form a hard crust on top. OMGCBin3D so good! So, so good but it took me almost over to finish it, and when I did I was pretty sure it was bed time (but maybe that was partly due to the wine?). The fish was placed over a spoonful off oxtail stew (the first time I've had oxtail and I'll never hate on it again. Oddly sweet and savoury at the same time) and tomato escabeche. Ok and the bread they serve. So its called pandebono which is a Colombian cheese bread. There is a hint of sweetness in the bread which is from the sugar and tapioca, but its the mild queso in the dough which makes you go, mmm! After dinner Kima and I Googled the bread and found various recipes for it, but the waiter was the sweetest man and gave me four raw dough balls so that I could have some @ home. In the end dinner for two and wine for two came to smething like 85.00$+ tax, but an experience totally worth it.
Ola Miami
1745 James Ave
Miami Beach, FL 33139

SEE YOU MIAMI!

So Miss Kima and I are heading to Miami, FL (South Beach actually) for the Labour Day weekend and I promise we're going to be trying a lil' bit of everything (especially the mojitos) so look forward to a bunch of reviews for some of what he hope are Miami's best (on our budget). And don't worry, we're def still on the cooking boat. I'm actually gonna try out this peanut butter cookie recipe soon. I'll let you know how it goes. And if there's anything you'd like us to make, let us know.

xoxoxo

CHARCOAL KABOB!!!

So this is the happiest place in Herndon, VA. Charcoal Kabob!! I don't even know where to start. I started eating here since what, senior yr of high school so that's like nine years ago. Dude, I don't think I've ever been so faithful to a restaurant. But the food is so beyond delicious here, how can I resist coming back over and over again. Ok, so yeah the prices have definitely gone up since I first started going (from 6-something a plate to around 8.50$) but for the amount of food that they serve, its definitely worth it.

So lets start with the Kabobs. I'm sure you all already know the lamb kabob is my favourite, but I will admit, the vegetarian kabob (made of a potatoe mixture) is really good too. All the kabobs are make in a hickory charcoal oven so it has that truly smoked meat feel. Not that "made in a conventional oven" flavour. You know what I'm talking about. You just don't get that true meat flavour in a regular oven. That rustic, deep flavour that makes you want to sink your teeth into that piece of meat and tear it apart like a lion to a gazelle. Did I mention I love to eat meat? Ok, so they also have chicken kabobs- pieces and chapli as well as keema kabobs and beef lamb ribs and fish.

Now that your kabob is on the plate, what else are you getting? Well, after you are topped with a oven baked naan (can it get any better?) you get some basmati rice and your choice of vegetables (chickpeas spinach, mixed veg).

There are some new changes to the menu since my VA days like gyros are now on the menu along with hummus, kaharis, and low-carb options (but really, why would you substitute naan for a salad?).

So where is it?

Charcoal Kabob

394 Elden St Herndon, VA

703-435-2400

Who Says Butter Makes Everything Better?

Just when I was convinced that it was law in Savannah for a meal to have a 50% fat content and calories over 1000, I came across two restaurants that restored my faith that people everywhere do believe in healthy eating. So let me start with my friend's restaurant: Caraway Cafe & Market. Definitely a place worth eating. On Paulsen St, this lil' hideaway is definitely the spot if work in mid-town and want a pick-me-up lunch that not only gives you that energy boost to get through the rest of the day, but it won't weigh you down or make you feel like nap time should be coming up. And if the work day ends up to be longer than thought, you won't be consumed with how long/fast do you have to run when you get home so that you can still have dinner and catch "The Bachelorette" (don't lie, you KNOW you watch it). So what do I recommend? Well, I definitely love the Portabello Pita- a warm pita stuffed with mushrooms, feta, sun-dried tomatoes....mmmmm! And for about 8.00$ the sandwich comes with a side of house salad, pasta, or potatoe salad. Ok, are you drooling yet? Are you becoming a fan or organic yet? Uh huh, you know you are :o) But if you want meat then go ahead, order meat. There are different sandwich choices and wraps like the Baja Fish Taco and the Fajita Steak sandwiches which will totally satisfy the carnivore in you. Oh, and if you're not a fan of chicken, but love apple in your salad, ask for the "Kelly Salad" and they'll switch out chicken for Turkey.

Caraway Cafe & Market

5002 Paulsen St, #105

Savannah, GA

912-691-1266

So let me now tell you about Firefly Cafe. So I first saw this place-well heard of it, when I was flipping through Urbanspoon.

Then I saw it on an episode of "Ruby" (this show about an obese woman in Savannah who is trying to lose weight the RIGHT way with diet and exercise). So my friends and I decided to go check it out and 3 of the 4 of us ended up ordering the same thing: The Mediterranean Tofu Sandwich. Baked tofu with eggplant, feta, tomatoes and olives on toasted baguette- OMGCB so good! With your choice of side (yes, I picked the house salad) its definitely a dish worth every penny. Oh, let me tell you. I'm not a fan of sweet tea (yeah I know, what am I doing in GA then?) so I asked for half and half (sweet and un-sweet) and I've to tell you- so refreshing. As for it with a slice of lemon. Firefly Cafe is kind of hidden, but if you look closely, its on Habersham St on the corner where it intersects with Harris St.

Firefly Cafe

321 Habersham St

Savannah, GA

912-234-1971

Ok, so these are just two of the hidden secrets of Savannah. I promise I'm going to do my best and track down as many healthy spots in this city as possible. And stay tuned for upcoming posts- Kimi has some chocolate brownies coming up and we're going to hit Miami in 3 weeks, so you know there's going to be some uber deliciosos goodies coming up.

xoxoxo Ate Lago!

Yoplait Whips are .60$ a cup- I can do better!

So I'm a yogurt freak. An absolute yogurt freak. Its everything from savoury to sweet. I love the creaminess of European and Greek yogurt. I can't stand that watery-excuse of of dairy they sell at most super markets. I mean, there's the gelatin like mass with some liquid floating at the top and on the occasion something that kinda resembles fruit. As Greek yogurt is over 1.00$ PER CONTAINER (and that's single serving) I turned to something different. I found Yoplait Whips and to quote a kinda annoying tv food personality: "YUM-O". Well, not that .60$ is much, I mean its basically 4.20$ a week + tax, I decided to make my own whipped yogurt. Well, Googl-ing whipped yogurt wasn't helpful when looking for recipes so I did the next best thing" Yogurt Mousse. Well, that definitely produced results. My favourite recipe contained kiwi and a lot of sugar, so still trying to get Miami ready, I took the liberty to make a few changes. For instance, the recipe was a cake and yogurt mousse, and as I didn't want cake, I just used the mousse part. Next, I eliminated the 70 gm of sugar and I used 1 tbsp of sugar in the whipped cream. Now, I know, you're like, "WTF! No sugar, how can it taste sweet?" Simple. After I made the mousse I layered it in a glass with fresh strawberries.And for a ta-da. drizzle a lil' honey. Now how is that not a great, healthy dessert? Plus umm, The tub of yogurt was 2.00$, the whipped cream was 1.00$ and I had sugar and gelatin at home. So yeah, say it all came to 7.00$, but its definitely enough ingredients to make more than one week. Enjoy!

Put A Spoon In It Before You Leave For Work

Yes breakfast truly is an important meal of the day. SO EAT IT. Don't think you ate a large dinner that it'll get your through lunch the next day. It won't. Sweeties, your body is breaking down the foods you ate and is using it for all different purposes to keep your body function. By morning that fuel has been used up. You need to have breakfast to get glucose going to the brain in the morning so you can function again. So you don't get sleepy and dizzy behind the wheel, so that you can concentrate on your work and not lose your job, so that your body doesn't collapse due to low blood sure. Oh, and did I mention that it helps you lose weight? For instance, eating a well balanced breakfast gets all the right things in your body, keeps you full until the next meal time, and keeps you from snacking on crap (no, Cheeze-Its are not considered a part of your daily dairy intake). If you don't believe me, and maybe its because I'm a new doctor and you'd rather get advice from old docs that have been around the block a few times about this topic, then here are a few links that will back up my reasons.

MayoClinic

WebMD

Beyond The Bend

So now you hopefully realize that yeah you have to eat in the morning, so what are you going to eat? I'm guessing there's no convincing you to get up a lil' earlier than normal to cook yourself something, and perhaps the cold cereal thing isn't your deal. Its ok, I found this link with some helpful ideas. BTW: Pancakes don't really go bad so you could just make a whole bunch at one time and warm them up in the morning. I'm a huge fan of "protein pancakes" which basically is just adding more protein to the pancakes via the tasteless product known as cottage cheese. Yes, that's right. That curdly stuff that no one wants to eat (myself included). So here's how I deal with it.

Lulu's Protein Pancakes

Recipe makes 2

1/4 cup of fat free cottage cheese

1 full tbsp of whole wheat flour

1 tsp ground flax seed

1 full tbsp of pancake mix

1 egg white

milk

So I mix the first five ingredients in a bowl until smooth and then I slowly add milk until its at the consistency I like.

When the pan is hot (I use a nonstick with a lil' butter 'cause nonstick is never really is it?) I pour half the mix. When its covered with air holes I flip it over and let cook for about a minute. Remove from heat and make the second the same way. I'm a lover of PURE maple syrup. Now for a twist, sometimes when I pour the batter in I add a few thinly sliced strawberries, or chocolate chips, or nuts and bananas. Add whatever you want.

So here are quick b-fast recipes.

iFoodtv

Mr. Breakfast

Can You see What I See?

So last night was the first night in a LONG time that I got to go out with my girls and just have fun. So after getting all dolled up we hit the road for downtown Savannah. After driving in circles (so yeah, if you want to park on River Street on a Saturday night, I suggest you get there early, otherwise its street parking homefries) we managed to get back onto River St and decided on some seafood for dinner (well, when in Savannah...). So where did our hungry bellies take us? To One Eyed Lizzy's of course! So lets start off with the drinks. So I'm off to Miami in a month which means its "beach body diet time" and we all know that yummy cocktails are evil calorie adders, but its ok 'cause Lizzy's has a Skinny Margarita.

And hey, its actually very fresh and clean tasting with that crisp tang taste of lime. There's two pages of drink concoctions to chose from, but if they don't please your palate, the bar tender is pretty awesome at creating something for you as he did for my friend. This pretty lil' pink palate pleaser has SoCo, cranberry, and some other liquid goodness :o) Now food. Trying to find the healthiest thing on the menu I opted for the Char Grilled Salmon Salad.
So basically it was salmon on a Caesar salad. First of all- YUM! The salmon was delicious. It was grilled to perfection and wasn't over powered with tons of seasoning which was great because their salad dressing was probably the best Caesar dressing I've ever had. It definitely had a kick. The garlic and black pepper were very bold flavours which I definitely enjoyed. And of course, like everything in the south, the portion was HUGE. So yeah, Dinner was great. I'm not going to say it was the best seafood restaurant ever, or the best in Savannah, but if you're looking at fair prices (8-18$) with casual fare (po' boys, salads, grilled chicken, peel & eat shrimp, snow crab legs...) its definitely a place to eat at. And if you get there early enough as for a table on the balcony. Nothing better than eating dinner with a view of the water front.

Samosa Wraps

So I was in the mood for samosas, but I really didn't want to eat anything deep fried (and I wasn't in the mood to making dough) and I needed to figure out what to do for lunch. Searching online I came across a pretty cool looking recipe for samosa wraps. Being on this health kick (you know how it is, bikinis telling you that KFC is a nono) I decided to make a few changes to the recipe. For instance, I used sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes and I used Ezekial Wheat Free tortillas. And since I had no tomatoes, I just used eggplants. In the end, I've to admit it was a pretty tasty sandwich which I really hope you guys try.

Magical Nutella Goodness

I haven't baked in a while and thought it would be nice to bake something for KStead that included 3 of his favorite foods; Nutter Butter cookies, Nutella, and cheesecake. Behold...Nutella Cheesecake Bites!

Yields 24
Ingredients

8 Nutter Butter cookies, crushed
2/3 cup Nutella
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
16 oz cream cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line miniature muffin tins (tassie pans) with miniature paper liners.
In a zip lock bag, crush the Nutter Butter cookies and place 1/2 teaspoon of the crushed cookies into each paper cup.
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. I used my Kitchen Aid for this but a hand mixer will do the same job.
Melt the Nutella in the microwave for a few seconds for better handling. Place 1/2 teaspoon into each paper cup.
Fill each miniature muffin liner with cream cheese mixture, to the top.
Bake for 15 minutes. Cool and enjoy!

Ay ya ya Mexico!

My older sister, BLT, and I went on our first vacation together to Cancun, MX. No we don't have the swine! We stayed at Ambiance Villas which was the 2nd to last hotel on hotel zone. Very quiet and relaxing. The staff were wonderful and we would definitely stay there again. We decided not to get the all-inclusive and to venture the local cuisine.

Our first night, we strolled into Mextreme! Apparently, Tom Cruise's movie Cocktail was not filmed here. haha we had to take a picture.

Our next night we went to a restaurant which I don't even know the name of. We walked by the restaurant and it smelled so good we had to eat there. I ordered bbq pork buritto. It actually tasted like Vietnamese bbq pork (thit xa xeo). It was really good and I like the fact that before we ordered they gave us a bowl of homemade chips with 2 different sauces, fresh tomato and a cilantro sauce.


On our last morning, we walked to a local cafe/sandwich shop. It was actually a French/Mexican cafe. They served sandwiches in french baguettes. They had pretty good traffic so we knew it was good. I ordered una croissant con jamon y jugo de naranja. I ordered in Spanish because the waitress didn't know English. The food was delicious! I wish I knew the cafe's name though. If I go to Cancun again I'll definitely take note :)

Two Smart Girls find Two Smart Cookies ... Plus Some!

The diamond in the rough... Kimi and Lulu's adventures in Savannah, GA, lead them to Savannah's guilty pleasure: Two Smart Cookies. Honestly people, these are some of the best cookies I have EVER had (well, M/ Felix and Mr. Norton back in Canada def takes the cake). On White Bluff Rd right before the intersection with Stephenson, is this lil' white house with a green sign on the roof hidden behind some trees. The smell... OMG! The smell when entering the bakery is more than heavenly. What makes a grown-up regress back to childhood faster than the smell and warmth of freshly baked cookies? Missing those hugs from mommy yet? The first things you see in the glass case are the adorable sugar cookies shaped as seahorses, fish, and even a lil' bikini frosted in pinks, greens, and yellow (well, it is beach season). Can we say adorable. What marvelous treasure do we see on top of the glass case but a tray of samples! Now Kimi is gonna tell you that the oatmeal cookies with craisins and toffee are da bomb diggity, but umm, Lulu here says YAY SMART COOKIE! How can you go wrong with a warm, soft chocolate cookie with pecans? You just can't. I mean, my tummy was singing "Just Dance" as that cookie made its home in my stomach :o) Ok, so here's their website: http://www.twosmartcookies.com, but unfortunately this treasure chest is only open Mon-Fri from 10 am to 5 pm so I guess if you work you better make most of your lunch hour. Oh! btw- you can even ask for milk for your cookie! Now really, how cute is that?!

Turkey Kibbi w/ Sweet Potato Fries

So what happens when Kimi and Lulu are in the same house? One very busy kitchen! Second night of Kimi's visit to Savannah, the two of us were inspired to make healthy variations to our favourite items after vegetating on the floor while staring at the tv when "Cook Yourself Thin" was on. Hey! We can make our food healthy too ... and if we actually needed it, we could lose a dress size - but we'll take just being healthy and not clogging our arteries.
SO: I love kibbi and she loves fries. I don't eat beef and potatoes are very starchy which, if not burned, gets converted into sugars in your body and stored as FAT! There's no need for that. So we bought one package of ground turkey and a sweet potato. Ground turkey is almost fat free (better to use 95% fat free than 99% because the meat is a lil' more moist) and sweet potatoes are a complex carb that's high in fibre.
AIIGHT! So this is what we did.

KIBBI:
1 package o ground turkey meat
1 cup of bulgar wheat
whatever seasonings you like (we did salt, pepper, dried herbs, and a lil' cumin)

Preheat oven at 350.
Pour the bulgar wheat in a bowl and add water just to barely cover the bulgar and let it soak until the water is absorbed. IT usually doesn't take more than 30 minutes, but its just easier to do it in the morning, through it in the fridge, and take it out when you feel like cooking kibbi.
Divide the ground meat and put half in a hot pan w/ oil. Cook the meat adding whatever seasons you want. Make sure the meat is thoroughly cooked. Add the other half to the bulgar and mix well. Then form into balls- I make mine somewhat large-say round enough to fit in the palm of your hand.
Deeply indent a ball and spoon in a teaspoon of cooked meat filling into it. Close up the ball and roll in your hands to make sure there are no cracks and its smooth. line on a baking sheet. Keep on doing it with all the balls you made. Once they're lined up on a baking sheet, coat with olive oil and throw them into the oven. Ours took about 45 minutes, but every oven is different o periodically check and remember it is ground turkey so it can dry up if kept too long in the oven.
As for the sweet potato fries- just cut a sweet potato into slim sticks and season anyway you like, coat in olive oil, spread evenly on a baking sheet and throw in the oven. keep an eye on them again, but I'd say about 30 minutes.

What to eat with kibbi? Hummus of course!

Chicken Tangine and so healthy too!

So I'm on a total health kick a well more than normal a since beach season is coming up so I've been looking for recipes that are filling, but light on the fat/kcals. I was going through www.FitnessMagazine.com and I found a recipe for Chicken Tangine. With only 405 kcals, 10 g fat, 49 g carbohydrates, and 32 g protein, the meal was definitely tummy delight. Now I did make some alterations to the dish. I didn't have any chopped cooked chicken on hand, and I was not about to start cooking chicken so I boiled up chicken tenders and then chopped it up. I didn't have olives, so I took a healthier route and substituted it with edamame. And instead of diced canned tomatoes, I used fresh grape tomatoes. I totally loved this dish and I hope to all the ladies out there getting bikini ready (and the guys who want to show some skin) y'all definitely need to try it out.

So here's the ACTUAL recipe. Go ahead and make your own modifications to suit your taste buds.
Chicken Tangine from www.FitnessMagazine.com
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup coarsely chopped pitted kalamata olives
1/3 cup raisins
10 ounces cooked chicken breast, diced (2 cups)
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, ginger, cumin and cinnamon; cook, stirring frequently, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, broth, peas, olives and raisins; simmer 7 to 8 minutes. Add the chicken and chickpeas; cook 3 to 4 minutes, until chicken is heated through.