Omelette with avocado

A very easy and surprising good recipe.

omelette with avocado

3 eggs
Salt and pepper
Half avocado sliced longwise
Olive oil
Some mozzarella cheese (optional)

Beat 3 eggs in a container. Add salt and pepper. Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a skillet and pour the eggs. Cook on low heat. Adjust the omelette so it cooks evenly. When it looks almost dry add some cheese on the center and flip the omelette. First flip the right side, then the left side.
Place the omelette on a plate with on the side the avocado sliced topped with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Fresh tomato sauce on wheat penne pasta

For this recipe I used heirloom tomatoes and whatever other tomatoes you had in the house, preferably medium round size.

I finally learned how to make a good tomato sauce for wheat pasta.

Chopped very well 3 tomatoes. Place in a skillet or even better pressure cooker olive oil 3 garlic clovers chopped, half onions, a couple of fresh basil leaves and cook until transparent. Add the tomatoes cover with a lid (if you use the pressure cooker follow the specific directions) and cook at high-medium heat for 10 minutes. At this point if it is too liquid keep cooking, otherwise grab your hand mixer and smooth the big chunks of tomatoes. Keep cooking on low heat until all juice is absorbed.

If you want more flavor add cappers or pancetta when cooking the onions.

Cook the wheat pasta penne according to package direction. When drained add to the skillet with the sauce and stir. Add olive oil and grates parmigiano cheese for each plate-

Artichoke sauce for pasta

artichoke sauce for pasta
recipe for one person
One thick slice of diced onion
One clove garlic minced
One fresh medium size artichoke
Wine, olive oil, salt and pepper

Brown the onion and garlic in olive oil. Clean the artichoke. You should only use the soft leaves. Chopped the artichoke and add right away to the skillet. Stir for 5 minutes then add wine or broth when needed. You will know because if the artichoke is dry and about to get burned you will need to add some liquid;)

It will probably take 15 minutes. At this point place everything in a bowl and with a hand mixer mix everything until you get a creamy sauce. Stir pasta cover in Parmigiano and you got a fancy delicious dinner!

Eggplants

Eggplants- I love eggplants in any way you can possibly cook them. They are easy to cook and you can’t screw them up.

This recipe is inspired by my trip to Turkey where I had the best stuffed eggplant with minced beef- I obviously can’t replicate it so I made something up.

Eggplants with minced beef
For one person use half large eggplant diced.
Diced one thick slice of onion and brown in olive oil with one clove of garlic- Add the #eggplant and more olive oil because eggplants will absorb liquids quickly- add dry herbs (oregano, thyme, tarragon, etc.), salt and pepper. Stir frequently. Add half cup of beer (IPA) or cooking wine. Continue stirring. If the eggplant seems to dry up add broth but do not cover the vegetable with too much. Cook until soft and creamy.

What you have here it is a good base for multiple dishes. At this point you can add tomato sauce and serve on pasta. You can leave it like that and still serve on #pasta with fresh parsley. You can use a mixer and make a dipping sauce. The choices are endless.

I added ground #beef which had been cooked in #Mexican dry herbs. My husband had some left over from his tacos and I just stole it to put it on my eggplants:)

It was delicious:)

Indoor Gardening for everyone

Gardening can be hard, time consuming, and frustrating if you live in cold environments. While the snow is melting down in Montana or Minnesota, Florida is already on the way to have the first harvest ready to pick. So what can you do to still benefit from growing your own produces in cold places? Here some tips that I like to share with everyone.

1. Start small. Pick few items to grow indoor. Herbs do very well. I started with basil and parsley. Parsley literally grows everywhere. It is very resistant. Oregano too is very resistant.

2. Do some research. Find out what climate conditions your plants are resistant to. For example, rosemary and lavender do not do well in humid, high-watery environments like Florida. They like dry climates and a lot of sun. I found out that cucumbers grow very well in FL and you only have to plant them one time. They grow back every year.

3. After you get your seeds (you can also buy a plant that has already been grown), you need to buy some soil. Mushroom based soils have a lot of nutrients. If you have your own compost awesome, but most people living in apartments will not. NOTE: you might be able to get #freesoil or #mulch. Check your city. #Tallahassee recycling center offers free mulch that gets delivered to your house. For free vegetable soil you need to drive to the facility. NOTE: the #mulch and soil is not treated and might contain weeds. If you want to grow organic, you need to ask questions. Don’t assume what is free is good. You will never know what you are getting unless you ask.

4. If you buy plants already grown, when you plant them in a bigger pot make sure you gently cut the roots so that they are not compacted. This is because the roots need to be free to spread. Don’t compact the plants too much with more soil. Let the roots on the top breathe.

5. If you plant seed, follow the direction on the package. Start planting each seed in a recycle, biodegradable pots like this one. There are reasonable priced. Follow the direction on the package. Plant in each pot more than just one seed, because I have noticed that the probability of getting something to grow out of one seed is low. You can always transplant later.

6. If you don’t have money to buy the degradable pots use your imagination. Plastic bottles are good because they keep the soil moist, but drill a hole on the bottom. Also plastic is really toxic when exposed to heat. Plastic is made out of petroleum, when exposed to heat it spreads toxics that go into the water you drink or the soil. So I guess don’t use plastic bottles? You want the water to drain. If you water your plants too much they will die. One of the signs is yellow color leaves on the bottom. More signs are explained here. For more creative ideas please visit this website. They really do a good job in terms of designing indoor gardens with odd objects. This is another website with other tips for indoor gardening.

7. Find a location in your house that gets the most of the sun during the day. Plants need a lot of sun to grow. I keep few small vases on the kitchen window. When it gets warmer you can always put your pots outside and put them back in at night when the temperature drops drastically.

8. Water early in the morning. Water only when needed. Use your finger to test the soil. If it is moist the plant probably does not need water. Water the roots, not the leaves;)

9. Like humans plants need care-a lot of it. They need nutrients. I can’t even name all of the nutrients plants need. You can buy organic fertilizer (e.g. fish emulsion, blood meal) or you can rely on old fashion methods, but I can’t guarantee results. Homemade methods (e.g. ash from the fireplace, any scraps from dinner that are organic, coffee you brewed, tea bags. You get the point). Don’t exaggerate with the nutrients. Read the instructions carefully. You don’t want to burn your plants with fertilizer. I can’t stress enough, but you should ONLY use organic fertilizers. Conventional fertilizers are toxic. During 1950s they were made with nitrogen used during WWII for bombs. For more information visit this website.

10. I can’t think of a 10 point.

Cod and Tilapia healthy cooking

I had a filet of cod and one of tilapia I had to cook. This recipe turned out to be delicious; very tasty and super healthy, low calories. It’s amazing how you can put some herbs together and get something so flavory. On a side note, I have been super busy with #FSU3DS, this event I helped organizing at FSU. It’s a 3 day workshop for students to start their own tech business. No joke!. It has been amazing and really motivated me to look into having my own business. But with business you need fuel for your brain so eat some fish!

I had some left over capper sauce which I used to marinate the fish. What you want to do get a cup of big or small cappers, add a cup of fresh parsley, add olive oil and one or two lemon juice. Mix everything with the hand mixer and place in a skillet with a spoon of olive oil and some toasted garlic. Add some water so the sauce does not stick and burn. At that point add the fish (you can use any type of fish). Cover the fish with oregano. Cover with 1/4 of orange juice. Cover with a lid and let cook for 20 minutes. Done.

This was truly a big surprise. The fish gets to be boiled in water and juice. It is tender and very light. Delicious.

Again, I have no time to take pictures so you get a tomato. Ahahahah

Spaghetti with mussels and clams

I have not posted in a while. I have been more than busy, super busy, yet I found time to cook, work out and enjoy the long days. Sitting in front of a computer after 12 hours has not being my priority. So since summer is coming up (at least in FL) I am cooking dishes that are very light and juicy. Today’s recipe is spaghetti with clams and mussels.

Spaghetti with mussels and clams x 4

a box of barilla pasta (wheat or regular)

about 8 clams

about 8 mussels

5 cherry tomatoes

3 garlic cloves

1/2 cup of bread crumbs

olive oil

dry chili red pepper, salt, pepper

one lemon

1/2 cup of parsley

dry fish eggs

white wine

Clean under running water the shells of the mussels and clams. make sure they are sealed. If they are semi open or opened they are bad and you need to throw them away. In the mean time heat olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, chili red pepper, lemon juice and parsley. When everything starts getting gold and cook add the clams and mussels pour some white wine and cover with lid. Pretty much you are steaming them until they open. This should take 15-20 minutes but keep checking. You will notice the color of the mussels changing.

Cook and drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the fish mixture and make sure to amalgamate all ingredients. Serve in four different bowls. Sprinkle with olive oil, dry fish eggs and bread crumbs. The bread crumbs absorbs excess oil or liquid.

I love this recipe. It NEVER tastes fishy, it is light, refreshing and yummy.

(Healthy) Food Blogs I Love

These are some of the healthy food blogs I love to read and replicate recipes.

Lunch Box Lunch: This blog offers vegan recipes that are actually tasty for non-vegetarian eaters. They are also quite simple to make. I don’t usually try recipes often from other sites, but so far this blog has impressed me. The best recipe so far is the mushroom risotto. I swear it is the best thing ever. I have also tried the mac and cheese but it did not turn out the way it looked on picture. I might have messed up the recipe. The fact is that vegan cheese has a very pronounced taste and I am not sure I like it. I tried to use it in the French onion soup and it worked.

Foodimentary: This blog caught my eye because it is concise. It gets to the point with few lines. It highlights food history based on the day (e.g. 2/29). Today it’s National Pistachio Day. The author of the blog, John-Bryan Hopkins also likes to add quotes at the end of each post.

AlternativeEating: This is a blog that it is literally very similar to mine, in the sense that I think and do like the author of this blog. I love all her recipes, her stories of her walks through the snow of Sweden, and her working out routine. And it happens that she is also my age. Check her recipes. They are just so yummy.

Today I have surpassed the master of Banana Bread maker. My friend Brigette is well-known to make great banana bread that I can never replicate. Not until today. I made the best banana bread. Amazing.

Suck it up, don’t suck it in!

I have not really talked about working out or being physically active.  That’s because it is just more enjoyable talking about food and eating. Though, I do enjoy being active. I am not a big fan of the traditional concept of the gym advertised by Gold’s Gym or any of these types of business-oriented gyms. I feel uncomfortable and I can’t stand the smell of rubber.  When I think about working out I see fresh air, mountains, and the beach. Now, the gym is good because it provides structure and organization. The gym at school is awesome and the membership is included in tuition so that is one of the primary places in which I work out. I also jog by my house and do heat yoga at this cute place 5 minutes away from my house. Sometimes I do rock climbing, mountain bike, 5Ks, bricks and whatever I am exposed too. I like diversity because I get bored easily. I also noticed my body easily adopts to the same routine and hence I risk not seeing improvements.

For the first month I really concentrated on muscle building by doing Body Tone, steps, and abs classes. Those classes have been great. I am strong, have built resistance, but did not help me lose the 5 pounds of Christmas cookies that are comfortable sitting on my belly.

As a result, last week I finally decided to add cardio even thought it requires a lot of motivation because I am very lazy. I tried jogging for 20-30 minutes 3 times a week. On Sunday I do hot yoga. If you are not familiar hot yoga is a 90 minutes class of yoga in a room heated at 105 degree with humidity at 40%. It is not recommended for beginners. Actually it is very dangerous. I tried many years ago and almost puked and passed out. The only reason why I can handle it now it’s because I have built endurance by taking other yoga classes and body tone classes. What I like about hot yoga is that it detoxes you and RELAX you. I have never being that relax in all my life. Yes, you sweat and burn 900 calories if not more, but be smart: you are primarily losing liquids.

My goal is to do some kind of cardio 3 times a week and do body training twice a week. So far I have lost 1 pound since January 1, 2012. I lost a Santa Claus xmas cookie;) ahahhaah Damn you Santa:) I think it’s pretty good and healthy.

ps. I am sick. Drinking a lot of ginger tea, fresh orange juice, and soup. Let me show you the earrings I bought from this amazing artist from Chicago. Her name is Laura Lombardi. Reasonably priced. Check her website.

Wheat pasta

I have been trying to find the most suitable condiment for wheat pasta. Traditional condiments tend to be too dry. The wheat pasta absorbs a lot of liquids. I also find wheat pasta to work better with fresh veggies and green veggies. So I went to the New Leaf market to shop for herbs or some interesting veggies. I found and got one fennel, fresh big spinach leaves, garlic (3 cloves), one artichoke and a small fist of pecans.

I washed very well all the veggies and dried them. I cleaned the artichoke, chopped it in 4 halves and put it in a bowl full of lemon juice and water. If you need to learn how to clean an artichoke please google it. It is not an easy job.
Cut the fennel in small slices and place in lemon juice with the artichoke. In a skillet place garlic olive oil. Then add artichoke and fennel. Pour/cover with sherry or Asian wine rice for cooking and a table spoon of soy sauce. Let cook for 15 minutes. Then add spinach chopped in half. Cook for other 5 minutes or until artichoke is cooked. Add pepper. Cook and drain the pasta and pour in the skillet. Stir everything. Add at the end for each portion homemade bread crumbs. If you dare add bottarga: dry fish that looks like bread crumbs. The more spinach you put the better.
I think this recipe would be good with muscles and fish broth.