You do not know me well if you do not know that I LOVE to cook. I just love it. I would cook all day if someone was there to eat, and if someone would clean up after me (I tend to be a really messy chef). Dave loves to cook too, and he is actually a much better cook than I am. We enjoy trying new recipes and new foods and new combinations, so there is always some funky food nights at our home.
I usually make at least one new recipe a week, which is super fun, but recently we have been trying a lot of new recipes, and I was thinking I would be happy to share. For the last three weeks we have been eating mostly vegetarian which has been a blast. We are working on Dave's cholesterol, and I am anxious to see what kind of result it will have, but we are also trying to loose some extra pounds and just be more healthy in general.
I also hosted my neighborhood's Bunco night last night. This is SO super fun, and my neighborhood is awesome. I am SO thankful that the Lord directed us to this house and this neighborhood. It is not at all what we thought we wanted, but it is everything that we needed and had no idea. Our neighborhood is very active and fun and loves to be together. We have several organized parties a year, cook outs, egg hunts, Christmas parties, etc. There is a great wide range of age groups, so we have some older retirees, we have some mid-lifers, and we have some young families with lots of kids. At least 6 families have children under 6, and I love getting to know these other families and children. Anyway, once a month some of the women get together for food, drinks and a little Bunco (really it is more about hanging out, but Bunco is a fun game/activity). We rotate and every month someone else hosts, which is fun because everyone has their own unique personality and style which comes out, of course, in their home, but also in the food they choose to prepare.
For my Bunco night I brought a little European flare with some yummy crepes! We had Chicken, Mushroom and Asparagas Crepes, Mushroom Crepes with Poblano Chile Sauce, Jam-Filled Crepes, and Caramel, Pecan Crepes. Oh there is nothing healthy about any of these crepes, but they are super yummy and a fun splurge. I used the basic crepe recipe from "Joy of Cooking". What a fab basic cookbook, a must have for every kitchen. The nice thing about crepes is although folks tend to think of them as a lot of work (and they can be), they can be done in stages. Fab! So I made all the crepes (a stack of sweet and a stack of savory) on Thursday night. I have two crepe pans which makes it super easy. I also cut up all my veggies on Thursday night. Then on Friday morning I made the filling for the CMA crepes and the MPC crepes. I could also assemble the MPC crepes, which I did. So, 30 minutes before everyone arrived, I filled the CMA crepes and threw them in the oven. I grated cheese over the MPC crepes and threw them in the oven and I was basically set. AWESOME!
I also wanted to link to a couple fun vegetarian recipes. I will say, it is a little frustrating to eat healthy because it is more expensive. I hate that I can feed my family for less when I buy processed foods as opposed to whole foods. Irritating! I do clip coupons and it is helpful for some things (detergents, toilte paper...I got tooth paste the other week for $.75 a tube), but what about coupons for chicken, 7% fat ground beef, vegetables and fruits. I do a lot to keep costs down, I make my own chicken broth and use dried beans, I buy block cheese, but...it is hard! Anyway, that was an aside...here are some fun recipes.
Roast Chicken Breast with Garbanzo Beans, Tomatoes and Paprika I know, you are thinking, wait I thought she said vegetarian. I love this recipe with the chicken, but it is equally as good without the chicken (also a note, I do not use as much evoo as they call for in the recipe, and I use non-fat plain yogurt for the sauce). Serve this over rice...AMAZING!
Shepherd's Pie This was super yummy too, although Dave was extremely bummed that I did not include lamb. Next time!
OK, happy, healthy cooking!
1 comment:
Oh, yum! I wish we lived closer! I just told my mom that I LOVE to try new recipes but I have so many that I couldn't possibly make them all before my hair turns all gray (we are already getting there :) ) I thought it would be fun to split half of them with someone else and then get to sample theirs and they, mine. Too bad! We also have done many vegetarian meals as well as others. I know I need to help M's cholesterol and we go through a period of doing really well with cooking and then not so well.
Post a Comment