pank you very much

Yesterday for lunch my sister Suzanne and I made these delicious stuffed avocados, jam-packed with salsa, cheese, and Panko breadcrumbs. "Panko" is Japanese for breadcrumbs, and is made from a Japanese style, crustless bread. My mom buys a great chipotle seasoned Panko and we use it when cooking fish and sometimes chicken. But in this recipe the chipotle seasoning really gave the avocado a kick and was the perfect "crunch" to the lunch. 

Our panko!

Plus this lunch was super filling and a good variety of good nutrients from the vegetables in the salsa to the protein and calcium from the cheese! 

Here's what you need:

yields 2 servings

1 ripe avocado

2 tsp breadcrumbs

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tbsp mozzarella cheese (or any cheese you desire)

1 tsp basil, chopped

lemon juice from half a lemon

1/4 - 1/2 cup salsa (to your liking)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut up cheese in small pieces and combine in a bowl with bread crumbs, garlic, basil, and lemon juice. 

2. Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. Then scoop out some of the avocado to widen the hole for salsa. Add salsa, and top with breadcrumb mixture.

Personally, I think I should have added more salsa to mine

 3. Bake for 5 minutes (so that the top is brown and crispy).

4. Enjoy!!

crepe-y weather for MDW

So it's Memorial Day weekend (MDW) and I am not at the beach, which is not the usual case. By this time of the year, heat is usually a constant climate and I usually feel completely ready for summer. I guess everything's been a little equivocal lately though. My oldest sister Jenna graduated from college last weekend (yay!!), but as my family sat down for the 2 hour, outdoor commencement ceremony, winds picked up really quickly and it was freezing! I guess Boston isn't expected to be the first location to feel the hot weather, but for a mid-May graduation for it to be that cold? The only reason why it feels really close to summer now is because my sisters both are done with the semester and are home when I get home from school saying "Let's do something fun!". Too bad I still have a month left of school and homework...

This weather is also a little confusing because my seasonal allergies just started to bother me the other day. I'm a little late I guess; my mom's started bothering her about a month ago, when most others with allergies were suffering. At that point, I thought this was just a good season for me, but turns out the quick change in weather from super cold to super humid and sticky was the trigger my allergies needed. So I spent the day today doing some homework and playing Candy Crush (which I advise everyone to get on their iPhones with the disclaimer that it is addicting), but mostly sleeping and sneezing.

My appetite is still completely unaffected though, and although I decided to stay in tonight to sleep some more, I made a great dessert for my mom, my sister Suzanne, and myself. I decided to make us crepes, because the recipe I had found looked super easy and I have been wanting to try a crepe for a while anyway. So this was the perfect dessert: a mix of chocolate and fruit all held together with a very light crepe. And usually Suzanne isn't shy to tell me when it's obvious that I used whole wheat flour for a recipe and it doesn't taste as good. This time all three of us agreed that the whole wheat is totally inconspicuous and is a great, healthy alternative to all-purpose flour!

Here's what you need:
yields 4 crepes
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 egg whites
1/2 cup skim milk
1 pinch salt
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup mixed berries (I used raspberries and strawberries)
1 tbsp confectioners' sugar for dusting (I ran out in my house, so I drizzled melted chocolate instead)

1. Whisk together flour, egg whites, milk, salt, and oil in a mixing bowl until you reach a smooth and slightly liquid consistency.

2. Lightly coat a skillet with cooking spray and pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the skillet. Tilt the pan in a circular motion so that the batter can spread to the edges. Cook until the bottom is lightly browned (less than 2 minutes), then flip the crepe for another minute or two.

3. Fill crepe with berries and chocolate chips (and let the chocolate melt in the still-warm crepe) and then fold in half. Or drizzle melted chocolate and confectioners' sugar on top of the folded crepe. Enjoy!!

                                               or...

my first date

First impressions are always important, with food as well. But sometimes giving something a second chance proves to be better than how it seemed at first. That's how it was for me with dates. I'm more of a prune girl, which I know is weird but I really do love them. And a little bit ago one of my friends asked me if dates and prunes are the same thing. And I knew they weren't but I didn't know really anything about dates. So my mom bought a tub of them and I tried one. I was not a huge fan. It was sweet, but a weird consistency and sort if sticky.   But the other day I saw Lauren Conrad posted a recipe on Pinterest for cocoa date "fudge" and I remembered I had a whole tub of the dates in my cabinet. So I decided to give the fruit a second try, and I looked into what a date really is, since I didn't know! 

This powerhouse fruit is fat and sodium free, with very few calories, and a lot of fiber and potassium. There are antioxidants and others minerals packed into the little fruits, too.

And what's cool is that this "fudge" really does taste delicious. The texture of the dates provides the compact texture for the snack and it really isn't unhealthy! With very few ingredients, this is a good pick me up snack for when you're not really hungry but just in the mood. And what's good is that just one little bite (at least I found) is perfect! 

*For best results: refrigerate!! 

Here's what you'll need: 

Yields 16 bite-sized squares 

1 cup pitted dates

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup walnuts

2 tsp vanilla 

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and mix until homogeneous.

I'll be honest, I think they look awful!

2. Make into small bars, balls, or squares (or whatever shape you wish - they're very easy to mold!) Enjoy!!

Resource: http://www.livestrong.com/article/518315-the-calories-and-benefits-of-dates/

grate[d] food

Mostly everyday for school, I bring the same lunch. I'm not complaining because I choose that lunch anyway, but I love on weekends being able to make something more exciting and to vary up my lunches. Which is why the other day I was happy to make myself and my mom grilled cheese filled with kale and tomatoes. The sandwich tasted delicious and it was something different than what I normally eat!

If you've been keeping up with my posts, you see I'm into kale these days. It's a total "superfood" that I like to sneak into all of my meals, and there's really not much of a taste to it in the sandwich, only a bit of a texture. Also, out of all the foods out there, one of the few that I really do not like is tomatoes. But I try and put them in sandwiches and salads, where they're sort of bearable, and I'll admit the tomato slices actually tasted pretty good in this grilled cheese. Plus the two types of cheese added a nice gooey texture and grate taste.

With an apple and some almonds on the side, this was an extremely well-balanced meal. It tackled all the main food groups: dairy, whole grains, vegetables, fruit, and protein!

Here's what you'll need:
yields 2 grilled cheese sandwiches
4 pieces whole wheat bread
8 slices Monterrey Jack cheese (or whatever cheese you want)
1/4 cup kale, washed and chopped
1/2 tomato, sliced
1/4 cup grated Mozzarella cheese 
Smart Balance butter substitute to grease the pan

1. Preheat the griddle pan. Slice pieces of cheese and chop kale.

2. Add cheese, kale, and tomatoes to the pieces of bread. Coat the girddle with Smart Balance and place sandwiches on the pan.

 3. Flip the sandwiches when the bottom side is ready.

4. Press the sandwiches down with a plate for best results.

5. Enjoy!!

what does a nosy pepper do?

Disclaimer: A nosy pepper gets jalapeno business, and it also gets jalapeno sinuses. These jalapeno poppers may be very hot, so eat with caution.

But don't get me wrong, they are delicious! I made them last night to eat with dinner, and my parents and I found that some were hotter than others (since they were all different peppers and I guess you just never know), and then when I offered one to my friend at lunch today she got the spiciest one I think there was (between the two of us we didn't have enough water or bread to tame the fire that she claimed was on her tongue). After the heat subsides though, you can really enjoy the taste of these poppers. Just keep them in the oven a little longer (without burning them) if you want the heat-factor to go down a bit because the longer they're in the oven, the less heat that they'll have.

As a filling snack or side with dinner, these poppers are easy to make and are loaded with good nutrients. The beans are high in protein and fiber and low in fat, the canned corn also has protein and is a good source of carbohydrates and nutrients (more so than other forms of corn). The jalapenos are a good source of vitamin C, flavor, and potassium, which is crucial for your muscles. And the cheese is a pretty good source of dairy, supplying your body with calcium!

 Here's what you'll need:
yields 12 poppers
6 jalapeno peppers
1/3 can black beans
1/3 can canned corn
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
chili powder to flavor

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wash and cut peppers in half and scoop out seeds (be careful because the seeds are the hottest part of the peppers!!)

2. In a bowl, mix together corn, beans, and chili powder.

3. Fill pepper halves with corn and bean mixture and sprinkle cheese on top of each pepper.

4. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes. Enjoy!!

http://www.livestrong.com/article/548295-nutrition-information-for-boiled-jalapeno-peppers/