Raw Corn & Cauliflower Soup

I made this new raw soup tonight... it was pretty good, tastes summery! Next time I might skip the avocado and use less garlic...

1/2 an Avocado
1 Tomato
2 cloves Garlic
1/2 cup-ish Sweet Corn, frozen or fresh
Cilantro, raw (however much you like)
1/4 head of Cauliflower
1 cup Water
Olive oil

I drizzled the cauliflower with olive oil and let it sit for a few minutes before blending. 

Liquify in blender. 

Topped with green onion, red pepper flakes and turmeric.

Enjoy!

Gotta try this!

Not sure what to do with fresh veg juice pulp? Mix it with fresh hummus for an amazing meal! #juiceon @joethejuicer twitter.com/RobTrains/stat…
— Rob Moore Fitness (@RobTrains) April 4, 2013

Easy Kale and Quinoa Salad with Mustard Dressing

I was inspired by the sweet meghanlivingstone to make this kale and quinoa salad... and. I'm. obsessed. So, in hopes of paying it forward with inspiration, I'm going to share my version of her recipe here! (Click here to watch Meghan's video.)

Ingredients:

Salad
-Kale
-Olive oil
-Quinoa
-Apples

Dressing
-Mustard (your favorite kind!)
-Olive Oil
-Apple Cider Vinegar


Just tear up some kale and massage with a little olive oil. Then add some quinoa (I like to add it warm)... and put some cut up apples on top! Drizzle with the dressing and viola! Super delicious and super easy. The dressing is just mustard, olive oil and apple cider vinegar. I use about equal parts olive oil and mustard and a few dashes of vinegar... just smell it to make sure one doesn't overpower the other. I posted this on Facebook and many people suggested adding bacon, so if you are a bacon lover, that sounds like a good tip!

Let me know if you make it, and enjoy!

 

What is Kale?

What is Quinoa?

Tips for buying good olive oil.  

Organic Foods You Should Never Skip

I requested this article from http://www.article-writing-services.org/ and I think it's well written, so I thought I'd share it here. Enjoy!

Americans are more conscious than ever of the food they are consuming. The obesity epidemic has made more shoppers aware of the health and medical consequences of the food they’re eating. But with all the health and political issues surrounding food, such as sustainable farming, pesticides, organic vs. conventional, and local food, it can be difficult to know what you should prioritize when you’re at the grocery store or farmer’s market. To make it a little easier, we’ve put together this list of organic foods you should never skip, when planning your next culinary experiment.

The Rationale

What exactly is organic food? The University of Wisconsin explains:

“Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled "organic," a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards.”

Pesticide residues from conventionally grown foods end up inside the bodies of those consuming the food. Although this residue is rarely high enough to produce visible side effects, the long-term consequences of consuming pesticides is not known. Many consumers prefer to err on the safe side, when it comes to ingesting pesticides.

Organic Must-Buys

• Baby Food: It’s wise to choose organic for any produce or baby food you’re feeding an infant. This is because the immune response in infants is weaker than it is in adults, and smaller amounts of harmful chemicals can have more pronounced effects. Pregnant women should also consider ingesting primarily organic foods.
• Meat & Dairy: Animals are exposed to a variety of agricultural chemicals and pesticides while they are being raised. When they ingest these chemicals, they become stored in the animal’s fat. When you consume conventionally raised meat or dairy products, you’re eating the animal fat and this chemical concentrate. (Emory)
• Peaches & Nectarines: These stone-bearing fruits incorporate more pesticides inside their flesh during the growing process than many other fruits and vegetables. In tests on these fruits, 86-90% raised the conventional way tested positive for pesticides. (Tsakiris)
• Bananas: As you might imagine, it takes some serious chemicals to get these fruits from Central and South America to markets around the world with that golden hue. The amount of pesticides and herbicides used on banana crops is particularly dense; in fact, workers on banana plantations have been experiencing health problems from working with the chemicals. (Wesseling)
• Strawberries: These small red fruits are particularly delicate, and those raised conventionally are sprayed very densely. Most U.S. strawberries come from California; they had the highest ratio of pesticide use of all California crops.

Hooked on Kombucha

Recently, I was introduced to the wonderful world of the tea-based beverage, Kombucha, and I have to say, I'm hooked.

From Wikipedia:

Kombucha is an effervescent tea-based beverage that is often drunk for its health benefits or medicinal purposes. There is limited scientific information supporting any health benefit and few studies are being conducted, although there are several centuries of anecdotal accounts supporting some of the health benefits attributed to the tea.

Obama appoints Monsanto's VP to Senior Advisor to the Commissioner of the FDA

Obama appointed Monsanto's former Vice President to Senior Advisor to the Commissioner of the FDA. If you are wondering why I care about this or why anyone should care, here's the deal:

The person who may be responsible for more food-related illness and death than anyone in history has just been made the US food safety czar. This is no joke.

Wine Time Wednesday: Trader Joe's Organic Zinfandel Wine

I love wine time! This week I'm enjoying a 2010 Trader Joe's Grower's Reserve Zinfandel made with organically grown zinfandel grapes. At $6.39, it's not a bad price for cheap wine snob!

From the bottle:

Trader Joe's Growers Reserve Zinfandel was made with organically grown Zinfandel grapes. We believe in working with nature to produce outstanding wines. The Trader Joe's Growers Reserve Zinfandel has mouth-filling flavors of ripe berry and plum. Full-bodied with peppery overtones, this excellent red wine compliments full flavored spicy dishes.

What I think (and have no training or qualifications to even think)...

This wine is delish. It reminds me of a carmenere wine from Chile. It's smooth going down and it has a kick at the end. This is the perfect relaxing, before, during and maybe after, dinner wine. It's flavorful, smooth and tasty. I'd recommend it for anyone who loves a good red wine that is more cabernet than merlot. Wines with organically grown grapes are getting better and easier to find. At $6.39 a bottle, you are getting a great tasting wine at a great price. Cheers!

Trader Joe's Spicy Jalapeño Chicken Sausage Pasta

As a pasta fanatic, I'm always looking for new and healthy versions of my favorite dish. I recently made chicken sausage pasta and it was delicious. If you like sausage in your pasta, you have to try this! It was quick, easy and bit healthier than most recipes.

juicing queen

Celery, lemon, red onion, cucumber, tomatoes,
carrots, green pepper and spinach.

In my quest to continue to eat what God put on this Earth for me, I got a juicer.

warning: I may become a health freak...

... this juicing thing, is amazing.

Last night I made my first juice: apple pear. So delicious! 2 apples, 2 pears. yum. Then, I decided to juice 2 peaches and drink those as well! I was feeling pretty full after all that fresh fruit juice! It really was the best tasting juice I've ever had. I'd say my Dad's fresh squeezed orange juice is a close second ;)

Tonight, I bought us some organic veggies. The idea was to make a salad for dinner and use the same veggies to make a juice. So far, I just made a juice. I haven't felt hungry for dinner yet! (Kev and I did have some organic cheese and crackers for a snack---but that's not unusual,  and I am normally still starving at this time of night). So, apparently when you eat healthy, you also don't starve!  I guess organic, natural, God-made nutrients really do nourish! Who would have thought?!

The verdict: This juice didn't taste great, but it's definitely did NOT taste bad. I think it's an acquired taste that comes with the desire to be healthy.

Cheers!

hr@emicmg.com

getting healthy!

Well, I have been neglecting my blog for no reason other than I’ve been spending my time getting healthy. Well, at least I’m starting to get healthy. I knew I wasn’t the healthiest person, but I never realized how bad things really were until I changed my lifestyle 3 weeks ago and have seen amazing results.

Here’s my background (aka the old me):

I ate too many processed foods, refined carbohydrates and vending machine junk. I got in the horrible habit of buying a $0.60 vanilla cappuccino coffee from the vending machine every morning. [It was the yummy kind of coffee that you’d get at a gas station in the middle of the night to get you through a long drive.] For breakfast I’d have a banana, yogurt or oatmeal. Lunch was usually a sandwich from home or somewhere fast like Jimmy John’s, Potbelly or Chipotle. (all what I considered to be pretty healthy fast food!). For a 3:00 afternoon pick me up…I’d always visit my BFF, the vending machine. Coke Zero with Swedish Fish, Hershey with Almonds and Ruffles Cheesy Sour Cream and Onion chips were my favorites. Dinner usually meant eating out at one of Kevin and my favorite spots: Keystone, Indian Restaurants, Sushi Restaurants, Skyline…you get the idea. We eat at home a lot too and usually made pasta or turkey burgers with some salad on the side. I knew I wasn’t being as healthy as I could be, but I never really considered this lifestyle to be a major problem. I figured if I wasn’t ingesting too many calories, I was okay. My exercise is always walking…and taking a few walk breaks at work seemed to be enough walking for me!

I’ve started to take a closer look at my lifestyle, and I’ve realized how unhealthy I really am. Counting calories doesn’t really do anything if you are ingesting toxins all day!

Welcome the new Sarah:

I swapped out the vending machine coffee for the [occasional] coffee brewed at home, or more frequently, tea. This week I’m enjoying Trader Joe’s Organic Ginger and Pear White Tea. Its amazing and $1.99 for 20 bags of tea… I’m not a math person, but I’m pretty sure that’s cheaper than $0.60 a day. (I’m also not an idiot and know that’s a $0.50 savings or $120/year). I still have an organic banana for breakfast…or organic Greek yogurt or whole grain oatmeal. Lunch is now a salad or fruit salad with more fruit on the side. My afternoon pick me up no longer resides in the vending machine. It’s always fruit or protein (or both). I like apples or bananas with peanut butter or a handful of nuts: walnuts, cashews and almonds are my favorites. I've replaced any pop consumption with sparkling flavored water or tea. I’m working on cutting out caffeine completely. I picked up Organic Dark Chocolate from Trader Joes last night that is 73% pure cocoa. It is rich and yummy and filled will all the good stuff you only find in real cocoa and not the processed Hershey’s. Dinner is now chicken or whole grain organic pasta, and lots of salad and fruit, with the occasional whole grain sourdough slice on the side. I’m working on incorporating fish and other lean meats and still eat a lot of vegetarian dinners. I’m taking work walks (usually 2, 15 minute walks since that’s what my work encourages)…and I’m finally getting use out of my gym membership! I walk Bella about 2 miles every morning weather permitting, and do another 3-4 miles at the gym. Add that to the walking I was already doing it and it’s anywhere from 7-10 miles a day. I FEEL AMAZING.

This lifestyle change hasn’t been easy. I’ve searched for motivation to do this for years and I’ve also been trying to lose the same 15 pounds for years…only to lose some and gain it right back and then some. 

We all know the truth: diets don’t work, it takes a lifestyle change.

But WHY would anyone WANT to do that?

Well, I found the key and it's a spiritual thing for me. I realized that I deserve to feel great everyday and look good in the process. I ask God daily to give me the strength to go to the gym, to select healthy foods at the grocery store and then to actually eat them. I also thank God everyday that I have this amazing opportunity to be healthy. I’m thankful for the iPad challenge at my work as it really jumpstarted this transformation in me. I knew that an iPad itself wasn’t going to be enough motivation for me to get in shape, but it could be a part of something bigger. 

I’ve been reading and watching documentaries about healthy living. So far, I highly recommend Candace Cameron’s book Reshaping It All: Motivation for Physical and Spiritual Fitness and watching Food Matters as well as Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. I’ve always loved food documentaries and while I always try to implement what I’ve learned, I never feel any healthier…until now.

I turned my wants and desires to live a healthier life over to God, and He delivered. I absolutely love the gym and look forward to going during my day (for the record, this has NEVER, EVER happened). I find myself craving healthy food and actually feel repulsed by the bad stuff. It’s almost too easy. 

I’ve been praying that Kevin will get on board with my new health plan and join me in the lifestyle change.  Two Sundays in a row he’s joined me walking. Once he got up early to walk Bella with me before church and this week, I had him in the gym, next to me on the treadmill. He’s never worked out before. 

I’m sharing this very long story for several reasons. I want to remember how awful it felt when I was filling my body with junk every day. More importantly I hope to motivate at least one person to seek out God with starting a lifestyle change. He really has made it easy on me.

The results: I’m about 11 pounds lighter than the most I’ve ever weighed. [I would like to lose about 10 more.] I used a belt notch today on the belt I’ve been wearing for over 2 years that I have never used before. I’m noticing little things like my rings are too big for my fingers (I had to stop wearing them because they kept falling off!) and I realized my calf felt “hard” while shaving the other day…umm is that muscle?! I am more productive and alert at work. I am more confident in everything I do. I feel better than ever and I must look better too as I’m getting a lot of compliments lately! 

I know for a fact that I only look better on the outside as a result of what’s going on in the inside.

I’m using the pure food that God intended for me to eat to nourish my body and I’m keeping the man-made toxins out. “They” (whoever they is!) say it’s takes 21 days to change a habit/form a new one and I’ve reached that mark and I feel great! 

Here's to a life-long journey of health. Cheers! 

p.s. don't think for a second that I've given up all the junk: I just frequent the fast food (Jimmy John's, Chipotle) and dinner's out (Indian food, Skyline) A LOT LESS. And when I do go to these places, I order less and eat less. I do hope to eventually cut those out all together, but this is America people, it's going to take some time.

Local Love: Keystone Bar & Grill

The Santana Mac 'n Cheese: Spicy Sausage, Black Beans and Tomatoes 

★★★★☆

This is some amazing mac 'n cheese! The spicy level is absolutely perfect. Enough to give the rich mac ‘n cheese a bit of a kick, but nothing too overpowering. The fresh tomato is soo refreshing to bite into! The black beans make this dish feel somewhat healthy, but it's hard to feel guilty while eating something so tasty! The leftovers are just as good as the first time around! Unfortunately, this was a special and it is not on the regular menu. However, I have yet to try a Keystone mac 'n cheese that I don’t like! A great time to try them is on Mondays when they are all half price!

Keystone Bar & Grill

313 Greenup St. 

Covington, KY 41011

859-261-6777

http://www.keystonebar.com/

Wine Time Wednesday! Wine Reviews from a Cheap-Wine Snob.

La Granja 360, Tempranillo 2009

$4.99 at Trader Joes
★★★☆☆

From the bottle:

La Granja 360, means in Spanish, "The Farm 360". It is located in a traditional Tempranilla grape wine growing region in the north of Spain. The little pig is flying because it expresses a song which the Spanish children sing when somebody has asked for something which is impossible to realize, has a dream or says something absurd. 

An everyday drinking soft rounded juicy red wine, with rich ripe raspberry flavors. A great match for barbeque roasted pork chops, spare ribs, sausages, grilled vegetables and cheeses. 

ALC. 13.5%, Product of Spain

If the flying pig on the front of the bottle isn't enough to get your attention (especially if you are from Cincy), then the price tag will grab you. $4.99 (at Trader Joe's) is hard to beat when trying a new, good wine.

This is my first Tempranillo, and honestly, it had me pretty nervous. The words "juicy" and "raspberry" got me thinking this was going to be a very sweet and fruity wine. (I did think a fruity red might be good today, since it's pushing 100 degrees outside). After opening the bottle, I was pleasantly surprised when I immediately smelled the earthy tones. The wine has a light body with a pretty full look. It has a bit of a sweet berry taste when it first hits your tongue, some herbal tastes in the middle and and it leaves you with a dry fruit taste.

It's a great casual-type wine, that gets better after exposure to air. It would be fun to enjoy outside, with friends in the summertime. I think it would go well with any type of casual meal or to just enjoy by itself. I would probably buy this wine again, but I'd more inclined to try another La Granja 360 first. Cheers!

Wine Time Wednesday wine quote: Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy. -Benjamin Franklin

Tasting Cincinnati

Kev and me walking through the massive Taste crowd!

Kevin, myself and friends ventured over the Ohio River twice this weekend to attend Taste of Cincinnati. I actually didn’t eat a whole lot, but I did try some new and tasty food! On Saturday I opted for the Montgomery Inn Pulled Pork sandwich. I have to tell you, this was the best sandwich I’ve had in a long time. As an on-again-off-again vegetarian this sandwich will keep me off-again for a while. It was amazing! I also had a bite of Kevin’s Gyro (from I forget where--it was gross). If I ever want to go vegetarian again, I’ll just try that again--lamb is definitely not my cup of tea.

On Sunday I was full from dinner with the family, so I decided on a Graeter’s dessert that I had my eye on from Saturday night. It was Chocolate, Chocolate chip ice cream in between two chocolate chip cookies with chocolate sprinkles around the side. It was amazing! I could eat 10 more right now. Absolute heaven.

The food was great, but the entertainment was better even. We caught the Pomegranates playing on Saturday night and Walk the Moon on Sunday night. (Both on the Metromix stage). The Pomegranates are a great local indie band who recently played a string of dates with one of my new favorite bands, Young the Giant. They are always fun to watch, check them out as soon as you get a chance! Walk the Moon was also amazing, as always. They really do get better every time I see them. You can catch them this summer at Bonnaroo or Lollapalooza. I can’t wait to tell people that “I remember when they got their start” because this band is going to be big. They were recently named Esquire Magazine’s top band of the summer. (You can read more about that here.) In case you aren’t on the Walk the Moon bandwagon yet, now’s a good time to hop on!

Also, on Saturday, after we walked back to Covington, we caught the Zachary Burns Band playing at Down Under! That band is always a great time. Lots of fun was had by all ;) I leave you with a few iPhone pictures until next year's Taste of Cincinnati...

Pomegranates on the Metromix Stage at Taste of Cincinnati 5/28/2011

Walking back to Covington from downtown via the Roebling Suspension Bridge

Zachary Burns Band playing at Down Under in Covington, KY 5/28/2011

The crazy crowd at Taste!

Walk the Moon playing on the Metromix Stage at Taste of Cincinnati 5/29/2011

Walk the Moon playing on the Metromix Stage at Taste of Cincinnati 5/29/2011

food rant

Apparently everything causes cancer these days (click here to read about how caramel color found in pop can kill you). This shouldn’t be a huge surprise to the world since almost everyone is GETTING cancer these days. Are we going to just kill ourselves off as a species? Or will people start to give a damn about what they eat and drink? When will we stop exposing ourselves to so many toxins?

I don’t think I’m a very paranoid person; I’m not very OCD about anything. But reading something new everyday about how what I’ve been eating and drinking for the past 26 years is going to kill me, well that’s just depressing.

Recently, California added caramel coloring to its list of "chemicals known to the state to cause cancer," noting that "levels above 16 micrograms per day pose a significant risk." (See a pdf of the list here.) A can of cola contains 130 micrograms—a little less than ten times the daily allotment—says CSPI.

I’m getting to the point where I don’t want to eat anything anymore. I feel like my only option is to move to a farm and grow my own food or just submit to society and eat the crap the government says is ok. Cincinnati needs to catch up with cities like San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, etc. We need more healthy options and more locally grown produce stores (not just in the summer at the farmer’s market). We need options year round. Until then, I’ll be shopping at Trader Joes, eating as many organic whole foods as I can get my hands on.

Seriously though, I’m tried of reading about how everything we ingest is going to kill us. Maybe I should read less! (yeah...riiiight).

Adventures in the Kitchen: (Vegetarian) Chicken Salad

In my never-ending quest to live a healthier lifestyle, I’m trying to cook more at home. This week I made vegan wheat bread and “chicken salad". It is delicious. I don't eat 100% vegetarian, but I like to make veggie meals often...

I found two super easy recipes online, stocked up my grocery cart with things like molasses and nayonaise and embarked on my first chicken salad journey. The bread took very little time to prepare. The only complaint I have about the bread is that the recipe made too much, next time I will cut the recipe in half. The chicken salad tastes a lot like…chicken salad. I honestly don’t know if I could have told you it was fake if I hadn’t known! It’s nice to have healthy lunch. I wonder what I will make next….

Chicken Salad


    1 (12-ounce) package mock chicken (I used Quorn--which is not vegan. Find vegan chicken to make this recipe completely vegan).
    1/2 cup vegan mayo (or more if your obsessed with it like me)
    1/4 cup diced celery, chopped
    1/4 cup diced onion, chopped
    1/4 cup raisins, chopped
    1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions: 

1. Cook  "chicken" according to package directions, then cut into bite-sized pieces. Place in freezer to cool.
2. In a bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well. Serve like a sandwich or just eat plain!

 
Easy Vegan Wheat Bread

    2 1/2 cups warm water
    3 cups whole wheat flour
    2 tablespoon of yeast (or two packets)
    1/2 cup molasses
    1/4 cup vegetable oil
    1/4 cup soy milk
    3 to 4 cups unbleached white flour
    1 teaspoon salt

Mix water, yeast and 1 tablespoon of the molasses together in a large bowl. Pour in the 3 cups of wheat flour and mix well.  Cover the bowl with a towel and place in a dry place. Let it sit for a minimum of 20 minutes.

Pour in the rest of the molasses, oil, soy milk and salt.  Mix together. Begin adding white flour, a 1/2 cup at a time. Knead it for 5 to 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.

Cut the dough into two, equal parts. Shape them into loaves and place them into two, 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 greased bread pans. 

Cover pans with a towel in a warm place and let the dough double in size. This will take at least an hour to an hour and a half.

Baking: Bake loaves at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes.  Rolls should be baked at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Makes: many servings!, Preparation time: 1 hour, Cooking time: 20-40 minutes

grill fail.

I attempted to grill for the first time ever tonight.

I bought a portable grill for my deck a few weeks ago, and so far--Kevin and his friends have been the only ones to use it.

Tonight, I thought I'd try to grill pizza.

I prepared dough in the oven, sliced fresh tomato, picked fresh basil, and sautéed it all in olive oil and added some mozzarella cheese.

It caught on fire.

We ate it anyway.

It wasn't a complete loss, but it was definitely a first grill fail. Next time I think I'll stick to hot dogs ;)

[at least my homemade organic popsicles were a hit...thanks Al J for the recipe!]

new [spicy] wine.

I am definitely not a wine snob by any means, but as I try more kinds of wine...the more I realize that some are just a lot better than others. A little of my wine history (to prove I am cheap, and not a snob...in case ya didn't know).

I acquired a taste for wine while studying in Luxembourg. Wine is cheaper than water in most places in Europe. I am not joking...good wine comes at a low cost and pure water at a rather high one (if my memory serves me right). Anyway, I learned to love good wine. When I lived in California my love of wine grew as I was once again exposed to great wine at little cost.

I don't spend a lot of money in one place ever, so I can guarantee I am not going to spend $20 on a bottle of wine that will be gone in a weekend (or a really good Tuesday night). That being said, I think I am getting really good at finding great wine, for less than $10.

Tonight I was drawn to a new bottle at Kroger...one with a chili pepper on it. I had a Malbec in hand (my new favorite) and put it back on the shelf to read about the Carmenere from Chile.

The description read: A unique Chilean wine variety, that is almost black in color. Aromatically it shows exotic spices together with fruity and juicy blueberries. On the palate, round tannis that succumb in a long velvety chocolate finish. Then it goes on to say it goes well with Tex-Mex, spicy food and burgers. Anyway, I was sold at "exotic spices" and I can say...that's definitely what I taste. It's a spicy wine that I am hesitant to recommend to anyone, because it's definitely a unique taste. I was pleasantly surprised for a random $5.99 pick.

I just Googled the wine and apparently it is similar to the Malbec...which is not surprising since they are close in region (Malbec is from Argentina). I am glad I tried something new...and if you are into spicy flavors, I say give Carmenere a shot. Cheers!

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

I am absolutely obsessed with this show. However, I think it's scary how messed up our country's eating habits are. I've eaten a lot of processed food in my lifetime, and the more whole foods I eat, the better I feel. I just don't know what I was thinking before!

I did pick up some good eating habits when I was in Europe...they do know a thing or two about eating over there. One thing I am worst at, is that I eat alone a lot. I need to get better about eating with others, having people over to eat, and cooking for other people. I tend to eat A LOT more when I eat alone and no one can see me pig out. haha...seriously.

Anyway, this show is definitely a step in the right direction. I wish it had never gotten this bad, but we are where we are America. Maybe if we threw out the high fructose corn syrup and words we can't pronounce we wouldn't have shows like The Biggest Loser. Cheers.

FREE Starbucks day!

Who doesn't like anything free? I am enjoying a nice cup of free coffee this morning courtesy of Starbucks. Take in your reusable mug and get a free cup today! Then remember to take in your reusable cup everyday (I'm working on this one). Cheers!

Portobello Success

My first attempt at making portobello mushrooms was a great success. I looked at a few recipes online but ended up making up my own...

All I did was make an olive oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper mix and then spread it on the top of the mushrooms. I cooked them at 350 for about 15 minutes, then flipped them and added sauteed peppers and basil (sauteed in olive oil with red pepper flakes) along with a few scoops of goat cheese (I LOVE goat cheese) and voila.

It was so good, and really filling. I probably put a tad too much goat cheese, but I love the stuff, so it was fine by me.

I used my leftover pepper and basil in my pasta last night and that was really good too...I love cooking. Cheers!

p.s. if you want to make this...ask me about it, I have a few good tips, like scoring the mushrooms to allow the mixture to seep in better.