Garam Masala Baked Stuffed Eggplant... YUM!

Last weekend was a BLAST!  The hubby & I flew to Albuquerky to visit family and to experience the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta.  If you've never been... GO!!!!  What an amazing sight!  Lots of pics will be on my photography site soon, so be sure to stop by!!  http://tinsquirrel.zenfolio.com/ :)

So this weekend, I wanted a yummy, stay at home, hot in my belly meal; full of veggie-love ingredients and easy to prepare.  Stuffed eggplant totally fit the bill!  My recipe is a combination of one I found years ago, with added ingredients that I thought would be tasty, and an Indian twist!  Ready?

What you'll need:
* 1 med to large eggplant - cut in half lengthwise & hollowed out, leaving 1/4" in skins. Cube up the eggplant flesh.  I leave the top attached because it looks pretty, but DON"T eat it, lol!!!
* 3 tbsp Grape seed oil (or olive... which ever you like)
* PAM (or some type of spray oil)
* 1 med or large carrot - medium chop, tip & top removed
* 1 lg sweet or Vidalia onion - medium chop
* 1 med zucchini - medium chop
* 1 med yellow squash - medium chop
* 4 - 6 baby bella mushrooms - chopped
* 1 tbsp minced garlic (about 4 cloves?)
* 1 1/4 cup water
* 1 cup Israeli wheat pearl couscous, not the small Mediterranean style (found in most grocery stores in ethnic aisle)
* 1/4 cup craisons
* 1/4 cup shredded cheese (any kind you like AND optional)
* Balsamic vinegar (the thick, sweet type AND optional)
* 1 tsp Garam masala, powdered spice form
* Salt & pepper
* Cookie sheet with aluminum foil
* Baking dish (I like a square glass dish, the kind you'd use for brownies)
* 1 tall gin & tonic with fresh lime :)

1) In a large saute pan (or pot, whatever you have handy that's a decent size), heat 2 tbsp of grape seed oil and the carrots over medium heat; cook for 5 minutes and pre-heat your oven to 400.  The carrot is the densest veggie in the recipe, so it needs to cook a bit longer than the rest!  Sip your cocktail.

2) Add the onion and let sizzle away with the carrots for another 2 - 3 minutes.

3) Add the rest of the veggies (zucchini, squash, mushrooms, & garlic), and the remaining 1 tbsp of oil.  Fold it all together in there and let it cook for about 10 - 15 min, stirring occasionally.  Sip your cocktail.

4) Lightly coat the inside of the halved eggplants with oil (I like PAM organic olive oil, or you can rub with your regular (messy!) oil), and sprinkle with salt.  Place face down (skin up) on a foil covered baking sheet.  Oil and salt the skin as well, and pop them in the oven for 15 minutes.  Wash your icky hands... and have a delicious sip of your G&T love.

5) After the veggie medley has cooked up for 10 - 15 minutes, stir in the Garam Masala, and about 1/2 tsp of both salt & pepper (more if you like).  Add the water (filtered please!) and pearl couscous.  Yup, just toss it right in there and fold into the veggies!  Adjust the heat to low and let cook down for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  This should not boil, sizzle, or get stuck to the pan... hence the LOW setting ;)  I don't cover the pan either, for fear it will get too mushy with all that steam.

6) Remove your eggplant 'shells' from the oven, and leave the oven on.  With a wooden spoon and tongs (or whatever you feel will work), transfer the baked eggplant skins to a baking dish (lightly PAM'ed or oiled), this time skin down, so you have two beautiful veggie boats.  Set aside.  Have a sip of that refreshing beverage calling your name from the other side of the counter.

7) Okay!  Veggie-couscous mixture done?  Great!!  Turn the stove-top heat off, fold in the craisins (trust me), and fill your eggplant boats!  (You WILL have extra filling,  about 1/3 of the pan.  Let it cool, jam it in a Tupperware. and smile about tomorrow's lunch!).  Now top each half with a little cheese.  I like shredded, as it melts nicely!

8) Bake these suckers for 15 minutes in your already heated 400 oven, and have a sip of that drink that's accumulating way too much condensation on the glass.  When the eggplant (...eggplants..??) are done, remove from the oven and carefully transfer each to a plate.  Drizzle with a rich thick balsamic vinegar.

9) Step back and take a look at what you've created!  A MASTERPIECE!!  Finish the last of that terribly watered down drink, so you can enjoy a fresh one with your meal ;)

FYI, I have no idea how healthy, fattening, or otherwise this recipe is, and I actually don't care.  It's full of healthy veggies and fats (and a little naughtiness like craisins & cheese), and I LOVE how it tastes.  Hope you enjoy it too!

Peas out!

An Atheist's tired ears

After hearing Joel Osteen promoting his new book today, I felt the urge to post about it.  I'm hoping that soon they'll have a guest that offers words of encouragement in the 'positive energy' sense too, rather than in the "words of god".   Now I feel the need to share it on my Blog, lol.  Too sensitive a subject?  Nah, we should be able to talk about anything, right?  :)  

From my personal FB page...

I'm always in awe at how strongly so many people believe that there is an actual god.  Seriously, one all knowing supernatural entity that created everything... planets, mankind, animal kingdom; the whole shebang.  The realist in me is completely unaccepting that this even a possibility, outside of a good sci-fi movie.  I can only relate this 'being' to an alien.  I believe in those.

On the flip side of religious beliefs, I love the passion that believers have; in their faith, in their houses of worship, in their gods.  I love praying.  I feel it's the same as meditation and requesting positive energy from the universe for our lives, our community, our future.  And that's where this realist stops.  How can people not appreciate that it's us, ourselves?   We are our god and our devil, our positive energy and our personal demons.  Want to be a good person?  Do good things and make positive choices in life. 

Sorry to gripe here on my personal soapbox that is Facebook, but it can get a bit overwhelming when you're a part of the "religious minority" that is Atheism, and you hear an extremely preachy person on his nationally televised soapbox telling everyone about "God's will" and that "He will tell you what to do" and "He will lead the way".... .  WANT TO BE HAPPY??  BE A GOOD AND DECENT PERSON.  BE KIND TO HUMANITY, LIVING CREATURES, AND EARTH.  RISE ABOVE THE BAD DAYS AND KEEP A POSITIVE ATTITUDE WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH.  SMILE, EAT HEALTHY, STAY ACTIVE, KEEP GOOD FRIENDSHIPS, MEDITATE (hope/pray).  LIFE IS ENERGY.  POSITIVE ATTRACTS POSITIVE. 

That's my belief; not an invisible immortal deity.  I believe it's US.  WE are our past, our present, our future.  WE determine which path to take, good or bad.  I have no animosity towards people in any religion, no prejudices, and am not looking to anger anyone or 'be saved', but for Christ's sake (ha ha) turn it down a notch.  WOW, it felt really good to get that off my chest.  I might even blog this, lol.

And so I did.

Thrift Store SCORE! Creating Distressed Beachy End Tables

I'm so excited to share this with you!!  I finally tried my hand at distressing a piece of furniture.  I have been buying lovely pieces at thrift stores near and far, with dreams of painting, distressing, and embellishing them!  I had been fearing the sandpaper and put off the distressing projects until recently.  All I can say is WOW!!  It's fun, easy, and very fulfilling, lol.

I wanted to start small, on a piece I wouldn't mind having to do over if I messed up (who ME? Mess up??  NEVER... ), so I chose a lovely little end table I found for $10.  Solid wood is the key, and an imagination, lol.  I fell in love with this the second I found it.  The scrolled feet, detailing on the legs and edges, and the Victorian-style pulls, which were in GREAT condition!

Okay, so the reason this is such an easy and beautiful project, is that you WANT the finished product to look worn and loved, and in no way 'perfect', which means you don't have to do a perfect job while working on it.  It's also a very cheap project with an amazing finished result!  Almost everybody has some sandpaper and some leftover white interior/exterior house paint laying around in the shed or closet.  Grab it.  Satin finish works best, but anything will work except high-gloss... too shiny for a worn, weathered look.  If you only have flat, you can always add a light coat of lacquer.  Remember, this is a meant to be an inexpensive project so keep it that way :)  Side note: Check Home Depot and Lowe's paint departments for their 'whoopsie' cans.  Quarts are usually a buck or two and a gallon is around $5!!  Perfect to have on hand for fun decorating projects :)

When it's a smaller, easy to handle piece like this, I'm a big fan of laying out a fabric/plastic backed tarp right in the living room, turning on the television, and having the pleasure of working while indulging in a good movie or binge show.  When harry Met Sally and some True Blood got me through three tables, lol.  So, find your show of choice, pour a glass of wine, and lets get started!

What you'll need:  Ugly piece of wood furniture in need of a face-lift, tarp, screwdriver, sandpaper, damp towel, paint, paint brush (or mini-roller & tray for a larger piece of furniture), patience & wine.  You may need lacquer & additional brush... see step #6 and decide :)

Steps are boring, but I'm a BIG fan of lists... so it's steps you're getting, lol...

1) Remove any movable parts (i.e. drawers) and any hardware.  If there are doors, it's your call if you want to remove them or not.  Personally, I do, so I can keep the hinges paint free and get a good sanded edge.

2) Do a quick all over sanding of the piece just to rough up the surface a bit, so the paint sticks nicely.  Seriously quick, like 5 minutes depending on the size of the furniture you're working on.  Then wipe it down with a damp towel to remove any dust from sanding.  Let it dry completely before moving on.

3) Start painting!  Yep, grab that brush and get to it.  I use satin finish (personal preference) and I like to apply 2 coats, so the color is solid (especially when I'm using light paint over a dark wood or pre-existing paint color like mine was).  Artist's choice if you want to get right into the cracks and crevasses.  I like to do a 'sloppy' job on those areas, so there's more of a old, worn look.  Let it dry over night or if you're anxious wait at least 6 hours.  Don't get over zealous and only wait a couple of hours.  It needs a good hard surface.  That's what she said :)

4) Grab your sandpaper (I like 80 - 100 grit), take a deep breath, and start sanding those corners and edges.  Press lightly at first, so you get a feel for how much elbow grease you need to use to take off your desired amount of paint.  And the deep breath was to get over the fear of messing it up.  You want to mess it up.  Believe me, you'll be happy in the end, lol.  Don't be afraid to really work those corners!  You get a very cool look when you get down to the wood; letting the layers of old, darker paint & varnish show through.

5) Keep sanding!  Yes, sand the hell outta that thing!  Get all the edges; more in some places, less in others!!  Focus on the spots that the piece would be handled/picked up/moved and sand those spots!!  Take breaks, step back, pour yourself a glass of wine and look at it from all different angles and distances (not the wine, the piece of furniture).  You'll start envisioning what you want it to look like... and then you'll sand some more, lol.  Once you've gotten it to your desired level of distress, wipe it down again with a damp towel and let it dry.

6) To lacquer or not to lacquer... If it's a piece that has a table top or will be used a whole lot (i.e. chairs), then you'll want to put a clear coat on the top (or any part that will be handled or have things placed on it).  For my end tables, I only lacquered the tops (two coats), but not the sides or legs.  I prefer using a roller over a spray can.  Spray cans are messy and can leave you with ugly streaks.  Bleck.

7) Let that sucker dry over night again (yes, over night this time for sure), reattach your hardware and moving parts, and VOILA!

8) Sip your wine, and enjoy your beautiful personalized piece of furniture-art :) 

I hope you have as much fun as I did working on my end tables.  I actually ended up distressing 2 end tables and a coffee table!  Lots of fun, lots of True Blood episodes and lots of wine, lol.  My next distress project is a gorgeous drop down secretary desk.  I'll be sure to post the finished photos and details of how it went.

Just remember, there are no rules!!!
Peas out :)

Tuesday's Veggie Burger Adventure!!!

I felt that today was the perfect day to try out a couple more recipes that I found online! Their pictures are delectable and I'm sooo hoping they're as delish as they look :)  They offer 8 different bean burger recipes and I'm chomping at the bit to get started.  Here goes!!...

Nice, simple ingredients!

Okay, so I ended up making the Black Bean Oat Burgers and a variation of the Curry-Spiced Veggie Burgers.  You can find them here:
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/veggie-burger-recipes#

The Black Bean Poo

The Black Bean recipe was good, but needs to be jazzed up... a little bland for my taste.  The mixture turned out a bit on the wet side and I couldn't really form a patty, so I added another 1/4 cup of oats, pulsed, and tried again.  I couldn't stop giggling because it looked like I had made a lovely batch of poo, lol.  No, seriously.  It looked like poo.

Black Bean Oat Burger!

I cooked up one burger and had it for lunch on a big ol' deli style bun, so it would look nice in the photo for you all.  Oh the things I do for you :)  I will definitely make this again!  Simple ingredients, simple cooking method, healthy lunch.  Perfect!  Next time I think I'll add some minced jalapeño, for a little WOW factor :)

Curry-Spiced Burgers!  YUM!

The Curry-Spiced burger was a different beast all together, lol. I'm unsure if I messed up along the way or if the recipe is just not user friendly.  The poo came out too wet again, but there wasn't really a binding agent ingredient in this recipe, so I didn't have anything I could add more of, and any decent 'burger-type thickness' was impossible with this batch.  It ended up cooking like a potato pancake instead of a burger, but HOLY CRAP (or poo) it was delicious!  

I didn't have all of the ingredients that it called for (whoops!), so I improvised.  YAY ME!!  Instead of curry, fennel, & coriander, I just used garam masala powder.  Also, I didn't have any cilantro, so I just left it out.  What a great flavor these little suckers have!!  I'm going to work on making a 'meatier' mix, but even if I don't figure it out, I may just use this recipe as a burrito filler... YUM RIGHT?!?!?!!  Side note: this was not near as simple as the Black Bean Oat Burger, but way more tasty.

Onion, shroom, carrot love!

So, my mistakes:
* I think, in both recipes, I mixed the ingredients in the food processor for too long (it made the poo concoction too wet), and in the black bean one having added the extra oats at the end caused me to pulse them into the mix, hence the over processing of the poo. Otherwise, all was good.

 
My tips for both recipes:

* Let the mixture sit and 'gel' for a few minutes before handling it.
* Don't actually make a patty, but roll it into a ball first, drop it in the pan (literally, so it flattens out a bit), and press & form it with your hand.  It will not have the same texture as ground beef, and will seem 'loose' to work with.  You've been warned.
* They only make 4 - 5 patties... the recipes say 6.  They would be miserably teeny of you tried to squeeze 6 out of these recipes!
* Have a hot pan when you start.  Don't go lower than medium heat or it won't get a nice crispy edge to it, and it'll stick to the pan.
* And lastly, don't mess around with them while they're cooking!!  They'll need every bit of the 4 minutes on each side to firm up, so you can flip them.  If you mess with them, they crack & split apart and all hell breaks loose.

The next ones I'll be trying my hand at are the Southwest Black Bean Burgers and the Black Bean Burger (last recipe given).  Wish me luck!!!

Peas out, my peeps :)

Trying out a new recipe... One Pot Pasta

Tonight I decided to try a recipe I saw on a FB link.  It had no actual name, but it looked too good to be true.  I'm calling it 'One Pot Pasta' for the sake of this conversation.  Basically, you take a bunch of goodness, toss it in a pot and VOILA!, dinner is served.  I got my ingredients together and got started!

Here are the instructions word for word, from the post/link I found... 


Pasta, Tomatoes, Veggie Broth, Olive Oil, and Seasonings (details below)

Throw it all in the pot, INCLUDING the uncooked Pasta, and cook! - Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. The starch leaches out of the pasta and makes a rich, warm sauce for the noodles. The other ingredients cook right along with the pasta

Ingredients

12 ounces pasta (I used Linguine)
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes with liquid ( I used zesty red pepper flavor)
1 large sweet onion, cut in julienne strips
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
2 large sprigs basil, chopped
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth (regular broth and NOT low sodium)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions:
Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, in a large stock pot. Pour in vegetable broth. Sprinkle on top the pepper flakes and oregano. Drizzle top with oil.  Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and keep covered and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so. Cook until almost all liquid has evaporated – I left about an inch of liquid in the bottom of the pot – but you can reduce as desired .  Season to taste with salt and pepper , stirring pasta several times to distribute the liquid in the bottom of the pot. Serve garnished with Parmesan cheese.




Their website before and after photo is here, in the big, cool, side-handled pot.  Looks tasty!

Mine didn't come out as tasty, or tasty looking.  I changed a couple of things... I used gluten & wheat free spaghetti (not 'white' linguine), I used low-sodium veggie broth (as she specifically instructed against), and I didn't have fresh basil, using Italian Seasoning to balance out for both the oregano & basil.

 I don't think my minor changes should have made too big of a difference, but I can't confirm that until I make this again with 'real' pasta, which I hate.  And with 'full-sodium' broth, which I will not use.  Soooo, here are my before and after photos...


So, not terrible, but not great... and not great tasting either.  Using only broth as the cooking liquid as instructed made for a weird tasting sauce.  Kind of bland, but I'll take some responsibility for that since I opted for low-sodium.  It thickened up quite a bit from the starch from the cooked pasta, but really was lacking in any specific taste.  The kick from the red pepper was there, but just blah; not enhanced or married to anything else.  The amount of tomatoes (or lack of veggies) was not enough for the amount of pasta given or for my taste... nor was the garlic, but that's just me.

I ended up broiling a piece of salmon to split with the hubby,, and a piece of naughty, cheesy garlic toast to balance out the bland-ish meal.  The wine didn't hurt either...Seven Deadly Zins... one of our FAVS!!

Over all, I did not like this recipe, BUT I will use it again.  Why you ask??  Because it's a GREAT idea that just needs a little tweaking to my personal standards.  A little less broth, a little water... some spinach &  mushrooms... maybe some shrimp added towards the end... and a whole lot of seasonings to jazz things up!!

Next time I make this I'll be sure to post the pics, the comments, and exactly what I used to make it more delish :)  Until then, wish me lots of luck and imagination for the leftovers, lol.

Peas Out...

Ingredient Swap!!!

Note to self:  Swap the craisins for organic raisins!  I always forget how much added sugar they put in dried cranberries (although they ARE scrumdiddlyumptious!) and now I want too add more to yesterday's salad, lol.  I add raisins and/or craisins to just about everything, even regular foodie-food recipes like Stuffed Eggplant (Oooo, I have GOT to share that with you!), so I try to be cautious of sugary items I might be adding to my meals.  They taste wonderful and give dishes a little extra sumthin-sumthin that makes them POP!!

Wow, I talk too much... even when I type!  I just wanted to advise about swapping organic raisins for the little red sugar wrinkles.  Then then again, I don't ever think I can get my thought across properly without a babbling explanation... as noted in this second paragraph were I'm babbling about my babbling...  :)

Taboule Salad... sort of ;)

Today was a day to go through the cabinets and check the dates on 'non-perishable' foods and decide what tasty treats I could use them in before they expired!  I'm a big fan of the funky little "salads" they have by the deli counter (tabbouleh, couscous, soybean, etc), and am always mixing stuff together to make my own :)  Here's what I came up with today...

* A box of Near East Taboule; just use the wheat, minus the seasoning packet
* 1/2 can of black olives, cut up (rinsed well)
* 1 can of organic shelled soybeans (again, rinsed well... always on canned stuff!)
* 1/4 cup of Craisins (or about that... whatever was left in the bag)
* 1/2 cup of black beans (I had just soaked and rinsed a bag last night... YUM!)
* 1/2 of a cucumber, diced up, peel on (another leftover!)
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 2 tablespoons each of grapeseed oil and balsamic vinegar, and black pepper & a little table salt (iodine is good for the system!)

1. Cook the wheat as explained on package, without the seasoning packet (normally I LOVE traditional tabbouleh flavor, but the packet looked a little old, so I doctored other flavors around not having those in the mix). 

2. Let the wheat cool to room temp.

3. Mix all other ingredients in.

4. Enjoy!!

Yup, that's it.  And to think, grocery stores charge upward of 5 bucks for a teeny container.  It tastes better after it's sat & loved on itself for a while.  This makes 8 heaping 1/2 cup servings, with the following nutritional values...

Per serving: 220 calories, 8g fat, 10g protein, 31g carbs, 15g iron, and 250g of sodium (highish sodium due to olives & canned soybeans). 

Healthy calories, healthy fats, healthy carbs, lots of protein & iron... Awesome mid-day mini meal!!!

NOM NOM NOM

I have to share my guilt free sweet treat with you all, but little history first...

I'm a stress eater and at times a compulsive eater.  I'm not proud of that, nor do I think I've ever admitted it to anyone other than my BFF, but there it is.  And when I'm super stressed, I will eat pretty much anything in the house.  As most stress eaters, I tend to lean towards the fatty, salty, carbie foods to get that awesome endorphin rush... especially when I'm bored or lonely.  Typical so I read.  Nice to know I'm not a freak alone in the corner... there are a BUNCH of us in the corner, lol.

And it does make sense.  I'm a pretty 'compulsive-type' person over certain things... goes hand in hand with my self-diagnosed mild OCD, lol... but I digress...

So, there's this treat that I found a while ago, and I had forgotten about it for a because I've been eating some real crapola while on a binge.  It's an ice cream substitute that's actually pretty tasty, called Arctic Zero.  Now, I have to stress this: it is not ice cream.  Nothing is ice cream, except ice cream.  This is faux ice cream, got it?  Okay, now that we agree that NOTHING tastes like ice cream except for the real deal (filled with calories, fat, sugar, and dairy that kicks my sinuses ass), I have to say that in a pinch (or on a binge) this stuff is awesome!  It's tasty, creamy-ish, and tricks your brain enough to curb a sweet cold urge to inhale a pint of Ben & Jerry.

The ingredients aren't terrible either, and the best part is that it's only 37 calories per serving!  SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!!  Yes, you read that right.  There's also zero fat and very low carb/sugar content.  This is a nice change from the "Fat Free" hook that most food companies use to reel us in, just to find out that their product has an astronomical amount of carbs/sugar, that will soon metabolize into a shit-ton of fat in our bodies... jerks.  So, even on one of those days where things just seemed to have sucked, and you feel the need to couch surf and eat an entire pint of ice cream, you would only be eating 150 calories.  Nice.

So go!  Be free to curb your craving to eat creamy, cold, sweet love... on the couch... while indulging in vampire shows (wait, what?), and be guilt free of ruining your body with zillions of calories, fat, and sugar!!   Enjoy!!!  

Is you is or is you ain't my baby...

It's funny how thoughts come to you while you're doing menial chores; the hum of the vacuum, or in my case rug cleaner, causing my mind to drift into an almost meditative state.  My mind's topic yesterday?  How fascinating and bizarre it is to me that none of my friends or myself have kids.  I mean my true, old school, known for over 30 years and are still close, forever friends.  There are four of us in my most absolute tightest circle of friends.  It's not that none of us had opportunities, loves in our life that would have allowed us to, or some of us that had a child that didn't make it into the world.  And even stranger, when I expand that circle of friends to my newer, yet still close friends... it is vary rare to see one with kids.  Weird, right??  Things you think of while cleaning.  Time to hire a maid, lol :)