Paradise Found

It is not paradise, per se, but rather man's impression of what paradise should be.  Green and lush, but perfectly controlled.  Safe, and controlled.  Off in the not-too-far-off distance you can hear the hum of the highway, see the metallic frames of poles ensuring our paradise is adequately electrified.  The nature preserve is perfectly coiffed, and wildness is contained in the way only humans can do...clean lines, manicured, pleasing to the eye.  It's no wilderness.  But try telling that to the dozens upon dozens of species of birds that occupy this area.  Green, yellow, crimson, black, white.  Hawkish, flitting, curious, predatory.  They sing songs we know not the words of, but still cast one into a dreamlike state.  A birdwatcher I am.

It's home; relocated, warmer.  It could be anywhere.  In town it is an aural rush, mixed with all the rowdiness and awkwardness of a once quiet village now alive solely for the tourist.  Visitors leave propriety and modesty at home and unleash an inner self seldom shared in public.  Colors abound and the air is thick with native song.  The promenade could be in any beach town.  Our homeland has clearly influenced the culture here. 

But the food, oh the food!  Decadently authentic if you scope the right spot.  A rich chocolatey and fruity mole sauce drowning perfectly juicy pieces of pollo.  Smooth and completely satisfying.  Guacamole unlike any I've ever had.  Silken and creamy, spicy and refreshing. Though, the view from my seat at Mi Pueblo is discomforting.  The lure of quiet shared seclusion is far more appealing to these two weary travelers. 

Tanned bodies lay sleeping under limp umbrellas.  Beach lounges are crammed in side by side in either direction for as far as you can see.  Sardines come to mind.  Every 10 or so yards is a new establishment blaring everything from local sounds to bollywood's finest.  The sand drops off 3-4 feet where the tide smacks up against this man-made wall of sand.  Hand scooped 'stairs' are carved into this wall every so often.  Children woop and laugh uncontrollably as the waves move in and out.  Their smiles are infectious.  The sand is like silk and the light breeze carries coconut and oil on it.  The sea is a dozen different shades of blue and aqua.  It is precisely what you see on postcards.

Gracious ruins hold down the fort, high atop limestone cliffs, the Sea butting serenely up against the walls.  The sun shines hot and sizzles unscreened skin.  History abounds within these walls.  It has held fast to its truth as best it could, but is slowly losing its grip to the strong arm of modern culture.  You would not believe the color of the Sea.  No photo can really do it justice.  Cerulean and  aqua, navy and turquoise.  Crystal clear and welcoming. 

Outside the walls of the ruins you are thrust into the arms of a bustling tourist community.  Brilliant colors, loud music, sweaty bodies, roaming dogs, native children running around giddily and barefoot.  Acrobats dangle precariously by their ankles from a totem pole in the center of the town, spinning with arms outstretched. 

The sunrise and sunset works hard to do us one better but nothing beats the awe of a sunrise over the Lake.  I yearn for home briefly but am re-intoxicated by the warm and relaxed air. 

Sitting on the balcony, listening to the birds conducting their morning symphony, the warm familiarity of a hot mug of coffee resting on my chest, wrapped up in comfort, I squint into the sunrise and look over at my husband engrossed in his book.  I pick mine back up and dive right back into my adventure.  Time passes without a hint, but what does it matter.  We've got nothing to do and all the time to do it. 

This is paradise...

Garlic Herb Bread

I made bread!  And it didn't suck!  Granted, I really only hunted and gathered all the ingredients, read and re-read the recipe 40 bazillion times, and then dumped it all, in the proper order, into the bread machine.  So I guess the bread machine did all the real work :)  But for all intents and purposes, I made bread and it was good. 

I can't believe how easy it was.  We have a West Bend bread machine and it is pretty great.  I have never done anything like this before, and I've never even really seen a bread machine...except for when we moved and I carried it into the kitchen from the old apartment.  That's about it. 

I inventoried our cupboards and determined we had very little on the ingredients list, so to the market we went.  Yeast is weird.  I've only ever seen Kevin stirring it up somethin' fierce at the holidays when he makes these really amazing rolls that go with dinner.  I've never actually participated in the yeast'ing of anything, so I was a touch intimidated, but there was no need to be :)

Basically, just add the ingredients in the exact order below...this is important.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup water (70 to 80 degrees F...I nuked it for 1 minute in the microwave...and yes, the temp of the water is important)
• 2 teaspoons butter, softened (you can also sub with olive oil if you like)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 cups bread flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt (I used kosher sea salt)
• 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (I used one full 1/4 oz. packet and it was just fine :))

Directions

1. In the bread machine pan, place all ingredients in the order listed above. Select Basic bread setting. Choose crust color and loaf size if available (our machine doesn't have these options). Bake according to bread machine directions (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed...I ended up adding 1 tablespoon of water as it looked a little dry).  

The prep was quick and easy, and the total bread machine time was around 3 hours and 10 minutes.                

And that's that!  It was incredibly tasty!  Golden crispy, but not too crispy, crust, and a warm moist center that has a great density to it.  It is perfect :)  We immediately enjoyed a slice with butter...yum.  Then we decided that wasn't enough of a sample size and that we'd better expand our research/tasting efforts, so we dipped it in olive oil with shredded parmesan cheese.  Whoa.  That was a whole lotta yum.  The herb flavors are there, but not in your face.  I could taste more of the rosemary and thyme, but Geof said he could taste the garlic.  I thought the garlic was pretty subtle, but I wouldn't add any more than I did.  This would be perfect with any sort of Italian dish, or just by itself...in excess ;)

I scooped this recipe from HERE in case you want to read any of the reviews and see how others adapted the recipe, including for the oven (instead of a bread machine). 

Enjoy!

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Recently back from a little wintermission in Mexico we were in the mood for a bit of a theme dinner :)

As we descended the escalator into the contained wilderness that is the North Avenue Whole Foods, Geof suggested enchiladas.  Hmmm, now there's something I've never made before.  "Let's do it!"

I pulled up a recipe that sounded good and set about tweaking it, Dunmore style :)  It was another success! Here's how it went down:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped (or cubed) cooked chicken (I used Trader Joe's pre-cooked chicken)
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 4 cups shredded three cheese Mexican blend
• 1 cup low-fat sour cream
• 6 (8-inch) flour tortillas (Trader Joe's has the BEST flour 'tillas!)
• Trader Joe's Enchilada Sauce (I used about half the bottle total)
• 1/2 cup sliced black olives 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350.  Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.

In a medium bowl, mix the chicken, onion, 1 cup of the cheese, and 3/4 cup of the sour cream.  If you want some extra kick, add a 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper to the mix :)  Fill each of the tortillas evenly with the mix and roll tightly.  Arrange in a single layer in the baking dish.

In a saucepan over low heat, melt together the remaining cheese and sour cream, and add enchilada sauce as desired (I probably poured 1/4 cup into the saucepan).  Pour mixture over the enchiladas in the baking dish, and then top with the olives.  Pour light layer of enchilada sauce on top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, or until hot and bubbling slightly.

It was a very tasty dish!  As I mentioned, some cayenne pepper would add some spicy goodness as these are fairly mild.  The cheese sauce was really, really good, and the edges of the tortillas were awesomely crispy.

We ended up having two left over so we reheated them for lunch today and they were just as delicious!

Enjoy!

Ultra Oatmeal

Here's a little somethin' somethin' for those oatmeal lovers out there. 

If you're looking for a change, or have yet to include it in your daily (or somewhat daily) intake, then I recommend giving this oaty delight a whirl.

The cool thing about oatmeal is how versatile it is.  I eat it in desserts, smoothies, plain, in yogurt or just prettied up with some good stuff for breakfast.  Ditch the stuff that comes in a box...you know, the prepackaged stuff with flavors already built into it.  It's processed and full of sugar.  But, I suppse even that is better than a lot of other things... :) 

I was snacking on a lot of walnuts and almonds between meals of late and I decided I needed to reduce the amount of fat I'm getting from those things, and instead fill up on something that will stay with me for longer and help out my aging ticker ;) 

Duh, oatmeal! 

I used to eat it every single day.  My cholesterol dropped almost 100 points in 2010 because of the stuff, but, in 2011, I replaced my daily oats with a daily green smoothie (which is completely amazing and benefits me in a lot more ways).  Heading in for my yearly physical/bloodwork for the health of it recently was a good impetus to revamp an old favorite.  There are so many amazing benefits to eating daily oatmeal, but I won't bore you with all that stuff.  That's what Google is for :) 

In case you were curious, after a year of zero oatmeal, but a TON of greens, veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds, fish and beef, my cholesterol only went up 10 points (but is still considered quite low; hiphiphooray!).  So, oatmeal is not the only way to keep your heart happy, but it sure is one of many tasty ways to do so :)

In any event, here's something I've taken to over the last month or so.  I like to start with plain old fashioned oats (quick oats are fine too, or really whatever kind of raw oats you like).  And this is what I usually come up with:

Approximate recipe:

• 3/4 - 1 cup old fashioned oats
• Handful chopped walnuts
• 1 Tbs. organic raw honey
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric
• Dash of ground cinnamon
• Dash of ground ginger
• Vanilla soymilk (enough to lightly saturate oats)

Heat and enjoy!  It's a small serving, and I eat it out of a small Tupperware doodad (pictured), but it's more than enough to keep away post-run hunger.

This week I've played around with my "recipe" and have added the following:

• 1 Tbs. raw almond butter (no salt)
• 1/2 sliced banana

It's delicious and extremely filling.  I enjoy mine mid-morning, at work.  Keeps the ol' noggin fresh and alert, and helps stave off my excessive post-morning run stomach growling (which can be sort of awkward when it pops up during a quiet meeting...and you know no one believes you when you say you're just hungry...) :)

Play around with that and try out different things; don't be afraid!  And let me know if you try something totally amazing.  Oatmeal can handle a lot of different flavors!  I think fresh ground ginger could be a real winner (great for fighting off inflammation!), and adding some fresh or frozen berries is never a bad idea either.

Enjoy!

Crunchy Kale and Coconut Bowl

It was a new recipe night again last night.  This time, I snagged one from Joy the Baker's blog, Crunchy Kale and Coconut Bowl.  It was incredible!  So easy to make, and so unbelievably tasty.  It was a very new flavor experience.

As I got to work creating it I was unsure of what to expect.  It smelled downright heavenly, but all the stuff going into it made me question how it would turn out.

It turned out awesome!  It was another huge success!

And, now for the recipe (slightly modified by yours truly):

Makes 4 small servings or 2 large servings

• 1 teaspoon seasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sriracha
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 4 cups kale, ribs removed and leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup collard greens, ribs removed and leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup unsweetened finely shredded coconut
• Two cups cooked basmati rice

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside (I used nonfat cooking spray as we had no parchment paper).

In a small mix together or rice vinegar, soy sauce, and siracha. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking as you drizzle it in so that the dressing emulsifies. You can also place all of the ingredients in a small jar and shake to emulsify.

Place the kale pieces and coconut on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle half (or a bit more) of the prepared dressing over the kale and coconut. Toss around to coat. Bake for 12-18 minutes, until browned and crispy. Remove from the oven. Divide farro and crispy kale into bowls and top with a bit more dressing. 

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!  It's a fun twist on traditional "comfort food".

Chicken and Noodles with Coconut Curry Sauce

Another success story!  I was really craving some Thai-inspired fare last night so I decided to dive head first into making my own version of one of my favorite Thai dishes.  I found a great recipe for a coconut curry sauce on RealSimple.com and set about procuring the necessary ingredients.  We also had some chicken from Trader Joes that needed to be used up.

I followed this recipe pretty closely, leaving out only the lemon zest (as we didn't have any), and using dried basil rather than fresh (that's all we had at home). 

I cooked up the mixture in our awesome wok while simultaneously cooking a batch of Udon (13-14 minutes in boiling water) and Geof chopped up the pre-cooked chicken.  Once the noodles were done I added them to the sauce mixture in the wok, as well as the chicken.  Stirring occasionally, without the lid, I let it simmer for another 5-10 minutes. 

And that's all folks! 

Super easy, extremely tasty, a fair amount of spice, and very filling!  This recipe was enough for four meals (two meals each).  I used a full package of Udon.  (This was my first time making Udon and I loved it!  The texture is divine.  Udon is pretty salty, though, so if you're watching your sodium intake I would use a flat egg noodle instead...or really any noodle will work; whatever your preference is!)

Here's the sauce recipe as found HERE:                                             

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 1/4 cups light coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the coconut milk, soy sauce, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.
2. Place a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and heat for 30 seconds. Add red pepper flakes, zest, garlic, and curry powder and stir-fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds.
3. Add the coconut-milk mixture and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce thickens slightly, 1 1/2 minutes. Add basil. Pour into a bowl.

Addictive Sweet Potato Burritos

I found this amazing recipe on Allrecipes.com and put to use a couple of sweet potatoes I had hanging out on the kitchen counter.  This is hands down one of my favorite recipes thus far!  Delicious!

I followed this almost exactly, except that I used black beans instead of kidney and only used two cans of beans (~4 cups), olive oil instead of vegetable oil, and garlic powder instead of fresh (we were still getting over an overdose of fresh garlic from the previous night's dinner, so we opted to play it safe!).

There was enough for about 10 burritos, so it was plenty for the two of us, for a few dinners.  It even tastes great reheated!

And now for the recipe, as found HERE, enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups canned kidney beans, drained
• 2 cups water
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 4 teaspoons prepared mustard
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
• 12 (10 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
• 8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Heat oil in a medium skillet, and saute onion and garlic until soft. Stir in beans, and mash. Gradually stir in water, and heat until warm. Remove from heat, and stir in the chili powder, cumin, mustard, cayenne pepper and soy sauce.
3. Divide bean mixture and mashed sweet potatoes evenly between the warm flour tortillas. Top with cheese. Fold up tortillas burrito style, and place on a baking sheet.
4. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven, and serve