The Eye Eats First

Hello Friends!

There is a reason so many people sit down at a table and snap a photo of their food before they eat it. Annoying? Sure. Am I one of those? Yep, sometimes. But there is something to be said for a well presented dish.

When I want to learn something I completely immerse myself in it. Which was what I did when it came to pretty food plating. The best part is that it’s all about having fun! If you mess up just wipe it off and try again. I found an amazing chef who talked about food plating and followed along.

What you need:

A pea, garlic, and olive oil puree in a squeeze bottle

Peas and edamame

Thinly sliced radish

Herbs, and diced cucumber and red pepper

Cumin

What you do:

Step 1: Make a circle with your puree and swoosh.

Step 2: Do some dots but stay on the right side.

Step 3: Make tiny piles of pea and edamame.

Step 4: Lean radish on piles for height.

Step 5: Throw in some herbs. I used dill.

Step 6: Randomly sprinkle cucumber and pepper.

The final step: Sprinkle Cumin and Ta Da! You’re done!

Then just add your protein. That is all it takes to create this beautiful dish. It’s isn’t hard and it doesn’t even take that much time to do.

Here is to being fearless in the kitchen! And also staying warm today because it’s like really cold here.

Your Pizza Fix

Hello Friends!

How the new year new you going? For me, no new me. I’m ok with current me. But I do however, try very hard to workout more and eat better when the new year hits and I’m usually pretty successful with it.  

Like most people there is no denying the love for pizza and also no denying it’s typically a “cheat day” kind of food. In my experience, when you’re craving a not so good for you food, its better to try and find a substitute. That’s what I’m doing today. 

I’ve never worked with Fillo dough before and one of my “resolutions” is every month, at least once, to cook with something I never have. There’s no reason I’ve never used it, I suppose I just never came across a recipe that called for it. Today I’m changing that.  

Fillo Dough Pizza

with Pesto, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and Basil

What you need:

Frozen Fillo dough, thawed

Pesto

Tiny fresh mozzarella balls

Capri tomatoes

Fresh Basil

What you do:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, put your toppings on however you like your pizza. I’m much more of a pesto person than red sauce so that’s what I chose. Bake for 15-20 minutes and enjoy!

The best part about this recipe is that you don’t hate yourself for eating three pieces. For every 5 sheets of fillo dough it’s only 170 calories and I used eight. I had intentions to use five but it just didn’t seem like enough. This is also perfect to whip quickly up for a gathering!

 Enjoy your day!

I hope it’s full of delicious things be it food or otherwise.

What Every Good Cook Needs

There’s snow on the ground, Eartha Kitt is playing, and the smell of onions and garlic cooking waft through the air in my kitchen. Now, this is what I call a perfect morning…

I think in every kitchen there should be cookbooks. I have a ton, I collect them. One time, I left a store with five. I love to sit down on Sundays and pick out recipes for the week. Being that I cook so much, I wanted to share my favorite series with you. 

A couple years ago, my Mom got me the cookbook “Skinny Taste” by Gina Homolka. Needless to say it became a quick favorite. The recipes were easy and low cal. The easy is a big factor now because I’m usually cooking with a baby on my hip. I’m currently writing this with a Theo on my hip, in fact. I’ve shared a lot of recipes from this over the years. A second book was released “Skinny Taste Fast and Slow”. Again, loved it. Recently, and to my emenace happiness a third came out. “Skinny Taste One and Done”. These are the three cookbooks I use most in my kitchen and if you’re in the market for easy, healthy recipes then head to Amazon right now and check them out! 

https://www.amazon.com/Skinnytaste-Cookbook-Light-Calories-Flavor/dp/0385345623/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1547571001&sr=8-3&keywords=skinnytaste+cookbooks

https://www.amazon.com/Skinnytaste-Fast-Slow-Knockout-Quick-Fix/dp/0553459600/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1547571049&sr=8-5&keywords=skinnytaste+cookbooks

https://www.amazon.com/Skinnytaste-One-Done-No-Fuss-Dinners/dp/1524762156/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1547571069&sr=8-4&keywords=skinnytaste+cookbooks

One thing you may not know about me is that I have a deep love for soup. And nothing is more cozy then a hot bowl of soup on a cold winter day. So today I am sharing Gina’s Creamy Cheddar-Broccoli Soup. Not only is it easy and delicious, it’s only 210 calories per cup.

What you need:

1 tbsp. butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, chopped

1 celery stock, chopped (I skipped this because I hate celery so much)

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 cup fat free milk

2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

4 cups chopped broccoli

1 tbsp. parm cheese

1 3/4 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese

What you do:

In a Dutch over or large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the flour, salt, and pepper to taste and stir until smooth. Add the chick broth and milk, and potatoes. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until potatoes are soft, 10 to 15 minutes.

Stir in the broccoli and Parmesan. Cook, stirring occasionally until broccoli is tender, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat, add cheddar, and stir well until melted.

Using an immersion blender, blend the soup for a few seconds, leaving some chunks (or transfer about three cups of the coup to a regular blender, and puree and add it back to the soup. This is what I did.) Ladle one generous cup into each of six bowls and serve hot.

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This recipe was so easy and so delicious. Perfect for a winter day. Plus, you don’t even have to feel bad about eating it! Do you have a favorite cookbook? Tell me all about it! I’m always looking to add to my collection!