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Posted by the Captain
at 10:54 PM CDT
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This recipe is based on a recipe I originally got from the SparkPeople site (great site for those trying to lose weight or just change to a more healthy lifestyle) but has evolved into something more, as do most recipes I get my hands on. Not to say it is better (I think it is, though) or worse, just different from the original. As a matter of fact, I have made this recipe twice now, different each time, of course, and it has come out really well both times. I don't think the differences in the versions are enough to warrant two different versions of the recipe so I'll just relate what I consider to be the definitive version of the recipe here (but you can just throw out my suggestions and do whatever the hell you want, it is your meal after all). The ingredients:
Ok, so here's how it all comes together:
Prepare pasta as directed on package. Next, in a large skillet over high heat, add olive oil and argali salad. Cook until slightly wilted. Add tomato, and cook for a minute longer. Then, add cooked pasta and in with mixture in skillet. Next, add feta cheese, one half, stir it in, then the other half, stir it in. Finally, season to taste with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cook until the cheese is a bit melted, then remove from heat and let sit for a few minutes (like five maybe) and serve warm.
Tags: dinner, food, feta, pasta, tomato, fun, meal, low calorie, recipe
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Although the temperatures in this area may not reflect it, Autumn is fast upon us and as the seasons change, I always feel the desire for soups and stews. Something about a warm soup on a brisk day that always makes me feel good. Granted yesterday was far from a brisk day, but I felt like soup anyway, so I went through my pantry and came up with the following recipe. This one is wife approved, so we will surely be enjoying it again as the Autumn and Winter drag on. One thing about this recipe is that it takes a while to cook due to the brown rice. Adding pasta or white rice would reduce the cooking time, but the brown rice is better for you. Do what you want. Here it is:
The nice thing about this recipe is that there really isn't much in the way of preparation time. It is pretty much ready to go, but here is the way I did it anyway. First, take a large pot and add the vegetable broth (it doesn't have to be organic, that's just what I used because it's what I had) and begin to heat over high heat. While heating, add tomato juice and tomato paste. Stir until tomato paste has incorporated into the sauce and broth mixture.
After the tomato paste has dissolved into the broth, add the two packages of frozen mixed vegetables and stir until they have mixed into individual pieces, as opposed to the frozen blocks they usually start as. Add seasonings to taste. Bring to a boil while stirring occasionally.
When the broth hits a boil stir in the brown rice, cover, and lower heat to a simmer for 45 to 55 minutes. After simmering, test rice to make sure it is cooked, taste for seasonings and adjust as necessary, then serve. As an aside on the seasonings: It is important to taste for seasonings on this recipe to make sure it comes out as you would like, and not as I like it. Feel free to experiment. That's what cooking is all about anyway. I estimate the nutritional data on this dish as the following:
8 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Keep in mind that these nutritional numbers may or may not be accurate, depending on the accuracy of information provided on the labels of the foods involved. I have no way to judge label accuracy. There are just a best guess.
Tags: recipe, soup, vegetable, curry, rice, brown rice, fun, food, eating, dinner, lunch, winter, tomato, spicy, dish, food
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I've actually been meaning to post this second nacho recipe since I posted the first one, especially since I made both only about twenty-four hours apart anyway, but I have been remiss in my duties to this blog. So, without further ado, the second nacho recipe:
While heating the oven, on bake, to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, heat the refried beans according to the instructions on the label. It is important to note that it is not overly important to heat the beans up to a blazing temperature. At this point, the only reason to heat the beans is that they are infinitely easier to work with when they are warm. They will get plenty of cooking in the oven. Next, acquire an oven safe casserole dish or cookie sheet large enough to hold the number of nachos you intend to make. After this is done, get all the ingredients near your work space, and begin assembly.
You may notice that this recipe is very much like the last, and there are reasons for that. First of all, we are making nachos here. It isn't exactly brain surgery. Secondly, I make food the way I like it the majority of the time, and since that is the case, this is really more of a fine tuning of the original recipe, but I hate not to share the first one for those who may find it preferable to this one.
Now, there are a couple of ways to go about this: complete each nacho individually, or use one ingredient at a time to build an entire sheet of nachos. I employed the one ingredient at a time method, but you can do what's right for you. There really isn't one "right" way to cook, no matter what anyone says. Taking one of the tortilla chips at a time, place a small amount of refried beans on/in it, then set it on the dish that you will be placing in the oven. Repeat until the dish is full of chips with beans in/on them. You can add as much or as little bean as you wish to your nachos, but try to leave room for cheese as well. For these nachos, I used vegetarian style refried beans, but any will do.
Next, take the cheese and tear (or cut, your choice) it into nacho size pieces and put one piece on each nacho. Be careful not to overlap the cheese, or all your nachos will be stuck together when they come out of the oven. When done adding the cheese, add one or two slices of jalapeno to each nacho. Next, put the nachos in the oven for around five minutes, or until the cheese is melted to your liking. I prefer a little color on it, but that's just me.
After the cheese is nice and melted, remove the nachos from the oven and place on a serving plate. Top with a little sour cream and you are ready to enjoy your hot, fresh nachos. Beats the heck out of anything you'll find at a convenience store.
Tags: nachos, tail-gating, cheese, beans, refried, jalapeno, food, fun, snack, tv, game, salsa, corn chips, chip, Mexican, Tex-Mex, quick, easy, recipe
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A couple of weekends ago, I decided it was time for some nachos. Not the kind that you find at convenience stores and sporting events, mind you, but some good, old fashioned nachos. Of course, having decided this, it was time to scout around the kitchen to see if I actually had the proper ingredients for nachos (always an important detail). The following is what I came up with:
This recipe is simple and to the point. It is actually all about construction. First, preheat the oven, on bake, to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, then set to making the nachos. This is done by first acquiring an oven save casserole dish or cookie sheet large enough to hold the number of nachos you intend to make. Second, heat the refried beans enough that they are usable, by which I mean that you can stir them and spoon them and so forth, not just look at them in their can shaped form. After this is done, get all the ingredients near your work space, and begin assembly.
There are two ways to do this: make each nacho individually, or use one ingredient at a time. I employed the one ingredient at a time method, but you can do what's right for you. Since this is my recipe though, I will tell you how I did it. Taking one of the tortilla chips at a time, place a small amount of refried beans on/in it, then set it on the dish that you will be placing in the oven. Repeat until the dish is full of chips with beans in/on them. You can add as much or as little bean as you wish to your nachos, but try to leave room for cheese as well. It is important to note here that I used refried beans with jalapeno because I like spicy nachos, but you can use whatever you prefer.
Next, take the shredded cheese and add as much as possible to each nacho. Be careful not to go way too far with the cheese, or all your nachos will be stuck together and stuck to the pan via the cheese. For the cheese, I used shredded cheddar jack with jalapeno, again because I like spicy food, but you can use your favorite cheese. When done adding the cheese, pop the nachos in the oven for about five minutes. The purpose is to melt the cheese. Check after five minutes, and if the cheese is melted to your satisfaction, then the nachos are ready to come out of the oven.
Finally, take the salsa and put a small dollop on the top of each nacho. I used a habanero salsa that was surprisingly hot. Most hot salsas aren't, but this one was. Which is good for me, since I like spicy foods, but it wasn't as good for the wife. Poor wifey. Anyway, now the nachos are ready to eat. I enjoyed the way this recipe came out, and I hope you will too.
Tags: nachos, tail-gating, cheese, beans, refried, jalapeno, food, fun, snack, tv, game, salsa, corn chips, chip, Mexican, Tex-Mex, quick, easy, recipe
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Well, finally back in the same month that I'm posting about. That's progress, if you ask me. Here is how it all went down on that eventful Friday:
Let's face it. I have no excuse to eat this poorly, but sometimes I do. Actually, from looking over the history of these posts, I seem to eat poorly quite often. Guess we all have challenges in life. The calorie count was 3,747 with 39% of the calories coming from fat. Not good at all, but what can I expect when I eat all that fried food.
Tags: burger king, chicken, fried, french, potato, lunch, dinner, breakfast, oatmeal, beef stroganoff, frozen, meal, eat, eating, recipe, review, chicken, spicy, tendercrisp, extreme, healthy, choice, fat, free, organic, chocolate, milk, vitamin
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Well, I am almost caught up with my food confessions, if you will, as I'm only a week behind with this post. Anyway, on to the food:
So, needless to say, the calorie count on this day went a little high. It was 3,146 with 30% from fat, so that's a bit more than I like to get, and quite a bit more from fat than I like. I'll have to try harder in the future.
Tags: diet, dinner, lunch, chinese, food, meal, healthy choice, frozen, chicken, oatmeal, organic, no, fat, powder, protein, vitamin, calorie
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I finally figured out why this is my favorite of the Healthy Choice frozen meals: It tastes exactly like the now impossible to find Grilled Chicken Caesar. Now, my theory is that this is the Grilled Chicken Caesar meal, renamed. I don't have any hard proof, but on the box, in small letters, the Garlic Parmesan Chicken meal says "Caesar sauce". Either way, the two meals taste the same, and I like it. Another point worthy of notation is that the pasta doesn't get as soft as most pasta in frozen meals. I would imagine it has a lot to do with the shape. Besides the sauce and pasta, this meal includes grilled chicken and some vegetables, mostly carrots and broccoli. Overall, I rate this meal very high amongst all the frozen meals I've eaten. It may be the best of them all.
Tags: lunch, frozen, meal, tv dinner, chicken, caesar, sauce, vegetable, carrot, broccoli, fun, food, mealtime, eating, foodie
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Ah, the joy of each day. Everyday a new opportunity to improve oneself and do something of value, not to mention have a great time. Or at least eat all of this:
This was one of those special occasion days that sometimes get out of hand. The calorie count ended up at roughly 2,899, but that is just a estimation based on the makeup of the foods since there was no nutritional information available for some of the food. I estimate the calories from fat at 29%. I hate to do the estimating thing, but sometimes that's the way things go.
Tags: ramen, noodle, pasta, lunch, dinner, breakfast, fun, food, eating, out, restaurant, soup, vegetable, organic, milk, chocolate, oatmeal, vitamin
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