Curried Chicken Salad

Chop rotisserie chicken, mix with mayo, curry powder, cucumber, red pepper, S&P.  Serve on Triscuits with fresh avocado and chives!  Yum!!

It's chili time!

Tis the season for stick-to-your-bones home cookin...so I broke out the crockpot! 

This wasn't anything fancy.  Just your normal chili ingredients: 

1 1/2 C. Dry Black and Great Northern Beans (I was out of Kidney Beans)- soaked overnight

1 Sm. Onion and 4 Cloves of Garlic - sautéed in EVOO

1 Lg. can of Crushed Tomatos + 1 can of Water + 1 TBLS of Sugar

1 Red Pepper - finely chopped 

1 1/2 lbs. Cubed Venison (Beef or Pork) - browned in EVOO and a generous coat of seasonings:

Chilli Powder

Ancho Chili Powder

Chipotle Chili Powder

Cayenne Chili Powder (in moderation) 

Garlic Powder

Black Pepper

Salt

Cumin

Oregano

Add everything to the crockpot and cook on low all day. 

Remove and shred the meat, if you desire. Return to the pot and season to taste.  I usually need to add more chili powder, garlic powder and salt at this point. 

Serve with your favorite toppings: cheese, onions, sour cream, etc...

Or over macaroni noodles (these were gluten free)

Stay warm! 

More photo experiments...

Bowl-O-Pistachios with a side light (unedited)...

Adding a little pattern and a cool little square picture setting I found on my iPad (also unedited)!

I have been obsessed with food photography technique sites lately.  So much so that I have successfully procrastinated on completing my final projects, for my final courses, to finally be done with school, FINALLY!  Oops!

I'm going to have to take tomorrow off of work now to get my paper done.  Oh well!  

A 3 day weekend sounds delightful...

P.S. I may have also been completely enthralled in the live broadcast of The Sound of Music tonight, just maybe.   

Take 2

Pasta Carbonara with a few different angles...

I think I need to stick with the close-ups until I get some tabletop props. 

Light Box Testing

Take 1

I don't have a "normal" tomato picture to compare this to but I think it looks pretty good.  

More testing to follow! 

Roasted Red Pepper, Shawarma & Feta Pasta

One of my favorite Lebonese dishes, Chicken Shawarma, inspired this dish.  While it has no meat, it has all of the flavor (because I cheated).  

Simmer cooked pasta in just a bit of water flavored with Shawarma seasoning with a dash of chicken bullion.  Add roasted red peppers and feta cheese.  Top with more feta and crushed, dried mint. 

This is my favorite Shawarma seasoning...

Enjoy! 

Roasted Red Pepper Guacamole

In a desperate effort to use all of my roasted red peppers, I have been adding them to nearly everything.  They should, without a doubt, be standard fare in guacamole from now on.  

Keep it simple!  

Avocado

Roasted Red Peppers

Shallot

Cilantro

S&P

A squeeze of lime

Viola...

Enjoy!!

Roasted Red Peppers

Simply that!  

Roast the whole peppers at 500 degrees for 40 mins on a cookie sheet.  Turn over every ten mins.  

Place roasted peppers in a bowl, cover with foil and let them sit for at least 1/2 hour. The skin will pull away from the meat.  When they are cooled off you can pull apart, peel and remove the seed.  Add a little olive oil and store in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. 

Add to any and every dish!  

Enjoy!!

My new box!

I am one step closer to much better food blog pictures.  This is my homemade light box.  It's super high tech!  Now I just need the right lightbulbs and a couple of lamps.  

School will finally be over soon and blogging can be more often. 

Better pictures coming soon.....

Black-N-Blue Buffalo Buck Burger

My obsession with creating delicious dishes with venison is growing daily.  I may have to start a blog dedicated entirely to venison.  We shall see! 

This one was a real winner! 

1 lb. Ground Venison

4 Chopped Shallots

1/4 C Blue Cheese

2 eggs

1/4 C breadcrumbs

Season with Blackened Seasoning and S&P

Tip: I always cook a little piece of the meat in a pan to make sure the seasoning is perfect before I cook the burgers.  I do this with all ground meat dishes.  

Patty and sprinkle with a little more blackened seasoning 

Sear in a pan or cook on the grill!  

Top with more blue cheese and some buffalo mayo (mayo mixed with buffalo wing sauce) 

Add a side of oven fries and ancho chili ketchup......Dinner is served!! 

Enjoy! 

Cream of Mushroom Soup (minus the cream)

Soups are on my mind.  Yes, soup!  It's getting cold.  I don't like cold.  Soups make me warm! :) 

This little crock-full of mushroom bliss was inspired by a $10 for $10 special at Meijer on Baby Bella mushrooms.  How can you pass that up? 

This recipe was super easy and super delicious!

1. Finely chop 4 shallots and 1 1/2 packages of mushrooms

2. Sauté in a little EVOO (don't add seasoning yet) 

3. VERY thinly slice the remaining 1/2 package of mushrooms

4. When shallots are translucent and mushrooms are golden brown, season with S&P

5. Pour 1% reduced fat Organic Milk (or whatever kind you use) into the pan.  Use as much as you want, depending on how much soup you want.  I used about 6 cups of milk for 2 servings.

6. Throw in 6 fresh sage leaves and the rest of the sliced mushrooms. Let simmer for a couple minutes. 

7. Season to taste with salt and pepper as it simmers. 

8. Thicken! You could use corn starch slurry or flour slurry, I used a gluten free rice starch.  I just sprinkled it in as it simmered and it thicken right up.  

9. Remove sage leaves and serve! 

Enjoy! 

Caprese Salad

A local Italian restaurant, La Scola, has created the most delicious "salad" ever.   Really, EVER!

It's beyond delicious!

Starting my Christmas wish list...

This would be much safer than my stemless wine glasses! 

Pepperoni and Feta Stuffed Mushrooms

That's it!  Chopped venison pepperoni, Feta and Porcini Mushrooms. 

Amazing! 

Zucchini Pizza Crust

Pizza can be healthy! 

Shed zucchini, squeeze the ever living crap out of it in a dish towel, mix with egg whites, a little flour (I used gluten free baking mix) as a binder and season.  

Cook extra well done in a skillet like a pancake.

Top with anything you wish....

Enjoy!

Maple, Almond & Cranberry Pancakes

These gluten free pancakes are by far our favorite pancakes EVER!  Instead of making eggs with mine I added the protein right in.  

A perfect breakfast for a chilly fall Saturday morning! 

A Chef in Training

My daughter cooked me dinner tonight. 

She chopped all of the veggies and made her own Vinegarette.  

Baked spaghetti and garlic bread were the main course.

So yummy and so proud of my little chef! ❤️

Sweet Potato & Brat Boat

Compromises are not only for children.   I was really, REALLY craving a brat but thought I should somehow make it healthful.  This was my compromise!  A baked sweet potato, grilled bratwurst and sautéed sweet peppers and onions.  The savory-sweet combo was perfect.  This would be fantastic with extra spicy Cajun brats! 

Caesar Salad Dressing (made with 0% Greek yogurt)

I love Caesar salad but not all of the calories that it packs, so I decided to try to make my own dressing with Greek yogurt.  I will be making more dressings with this idea. 

1 Cup of 0% Greek Yogurt

2 chopped garlic cloves

2 TBLS Worchestershire sauce

3 TBLS Red Wine Vinegar

1TBLS Dijon Mustard

1 tsp dry ground mustard

Salt and Pepper to taste

A small drizzle of olive oil

Lots of grated Parmesan cheese 

Mix in a food processor or by hand

(These are my best guesses on measurements.  I'm horrible at writing things down when I'm in the kitchen) 

It's thick but leaves a nice creamy coating when mixed with the salad in a bowl.  It could probably be thinned a little with milk if you prefer.  

Watermelon Heaven

Never, ever, ever think twice about buying produce from the back of the farmer's pickup truck on the side of the road.  I have never had a watermelon as good as this.  Yum!

Sunday Night Food Prep

Breakfast this week will be :

Venison, Mushroom and Spinach Egg Muffins...

Fill each cup with -

Ground venison sautéed with onion.  

Sautéed mushrooms and spinach.

Chives and tomatoes

Ladle each cup 3/4 full of eggs whisked and seasoned with S&P, cayenne pepper and ground mustard

Bake 30 mins. @ 350 degrees 

Cool and store in a zip lock bag

Warm up for a quick breakfast on the go 

Lunch this week will be:

Albacore Tuna Pasta Salad

High fiber rotini pasta

Albacore tuna

Cucumber and chives

Greek yogurt

Mix and season with Old Bay and pepper

I will probably serve this on top of fresh spinach or fresh tomato slices or just spring mix lettuce.

Dinner this week will be:

Ground Venison something....

I browned a pound with onion and will use it for quick dinners all week.

Tonight I made Black-N-Blue Venison Pasta

Penne and Ground venison

Tomato and chives

Blackened seasoning 

A splash of milk and handful of blue cheese

Mix and melt and enjoy! 

Now the most important part of my week, food, is all ready for me!

Mexican Pasta Salad

A full meal all in one! 

Pasta, black beans, sweet corn, tomatoes, shallots, cilantro, lime juice, blackened seasoning, cumin, salt n peppa! 

If only I would be so organized to make something like this for lunches all week.  Maybe some day I will be!! 

Homemade Pho

I made this broth with a rotisserie chicken carcass.  With thinly sliced beef tenderloin, it was still healthy and super satisfying! A great end to a stressful work day. 

This happened...

And I need to replicate...

Carolina Eggs Benedict 

English Muffin

Lump Crab Cake

Poached Egg

Hollandaise 

Irresistible... 

Fresh Beef Tenderloin Spring Rolls

Marinated (dark soy sauce, mirin, sweet chili sauce), seared beef tenderloin slices....in rice paper layered with lettuce, cilantro, bean sprouts, cucumber, jalapeño, and beef.

Roll, dip in sweet spring roll sauce! 

Enjoy! 

Heirloom Tomatoes

Meijer had all different shapes and shades. They were delicious! Especially delicious served with bacon, lettuce and mayo! 

New Favorite Pizza Topping

Mini pepperoni!  Every pizza needs just a little pepperoni grease.  I found these mini pepperoni.  A couple scattered around a veggie filled pizza is perfect!  You won't feel like you are missing a thing! 

Dinner is served!

Ohio sweet corn and home grown tomatoes w/ basil...my life is complete! 

Summer Tomato

I wait all year for this! 

Coconut Tequila Shrimp and Scallop Pasta

Marinate shrimp and scallops in tequila, lemon and lime zest and juices with a dash of salt.

Strain off juices and save.

Sauté shrimp and scallops in a little bit of olive oil.  Remove from pan and set aside. 

Add 1 can of light coconut milk and marinade to the pan and reduce. Season with salt to taste. 

Add in cooked pasta of your choice to soak up the liquid a little and then return the seafood to the pan. 

Serve garnished with chopped sweet peppers and chives! 

Enjoy!!! 

Stewed San Marzano Tomatoes and Olives over Shirataki Noodles

1 can of Whole San Marzano Tomatoes stewed with a little sautéed garlic and onion.  Add 1 bay leaf, a handful of fresh chopped basil, S&P, and sugar.  Instead of meat I added black olives. This was a tasty, satisfying super low cal meal by using the Shirataki noodles.  They are calorie free!  Bonus! 

Ebi-Su

This was interesting!  Thinly sliced cucumber wrapped around shrimp and crab on top of julienne cucumber in a vinegar based sauce! Yum! 

iHeart Indian Food

Goat Saag, Basmati Rice and Naan....Un-Be-Liev-Able!

Bruschetta Chopped Salad

Spring Mix

Spinach

Basil

Yellow Tomatoes

Fresh Mozzarella 

Balsamic Vinegar

Olive Oil

Sea Salt

Chop it!

Mix it!

Love it! 

Albacore Tuna Salad on Rye & Caraway Triscuits

After a hot, sweaty day, a light dinner was much needed. This was a nice break from our usual on-the-go week night dinners. 

1 Can Albacore Tuna - drained

2 TBLS Fat Free Greek Yogurt

2 TBLS each of fresh chives and cucumber

A squeeze of fresh lemon

A sprinkle of salt and pepper

And a dash of Old Bay 

Serve on Rye & Caraway Seeds Triscuits 

Enjoy! 

Greek Pasta Salad

It really makes total sense....

Parsley

Mint

Garlic

Green onion

Tomato

Cucumber

Fresh Lemon juices (Lots! This is the base of the dressing) 

S&P

A drizzle of EVOO

(All ingredients of tabbouleh)

And...high fiber or gluten free pasta

Can of garbanzo beans 

Container of part skim, reduced fat feta cheese

Mix it, serve it, LOVE it!!

P.S.  I ate this all week for lunch.  It was perfectly satisfying.  I want to start making some sort of low fat, high protein, full of veggies salad of Sundays.  Goal set...probably wont happen!  We shall see!!

Mediterranean Venison Pita Burger

Eat as many as you want.  These are so low cal it's ridiculous! 

The burgers are made with ground venison, red inion, garlic, egg, bread crumb, s&p, shawarma seasoning and feta cheese.

The mayo is not mayo! It's Greek yogurt, mint, dill,parsley, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt. 

Lightly pickled cucumbers and whole wheat pita finish it off. 

EAT UP!!

Greek To-Go

My cousin, Ashley, had a sweet little baby boy that I needed to visit, but I couldn't go without some food in tow!  I was trying to keep the spice level down. 

 I decided on:

- Grilled Chicken Shawarma Kabobs

- Safron Rice

- Mediterranean Pasta Salad 

- And Chocolate Chip Cookies 

She didn't have to cook a couple meals and I got some good baby lovin' in!  

Win, win!!!

 

Puttin' on the Gloves

I am NOT a germ-o-fobe (sp?) but DO spend too much $$ on my nails.   So...I have decided that keeping the raw chicken juices and other such nastiness out of my fingernail crevices reduces my desire to over scrub and ruin a perfectly done manicure. 

Vinyl medical gloves to the rescue...I bought 50 pair! 

My nails are happy!