Brocca-cheese.

Alas! Back to the blogging world! Sorry for being M.I.A for quite some time, but I have been traveling to Birmingham and the likes for the internship so have been a little preoccupied. We are now onto our pediatric rotation, working with children with special needs such as PKU and Rett's syndrome. Still pretty positive clinical dietetics is not my calling, but still very interesting to learn about. I was away for Halloween, but did get to see Keene on HGTV's Pumpkin Wars, which was so neat! Only wish I could have been there (on my birthday too!) I did however make this awesome scarecrow, which greeted unsuspecting visitors at the front door (scared me almost every time I left in the morning)

 

Impressive, I know.

Last night, I had one of my first nutrition consultations over the phone...ok so it was my best friend, but it was still nutrition advice! I really enjoy when people come to me for advice, knowing that they trust and want my opinion. It always helps that this is my passion, so any way I can help others makes me happy! Amid the catching up and girl talk, we did talk about menu planning and making meals ahead since this is how I stay sane and fed throughout the week. I am a self-proclaimed "Type A", OCD food freak, planning, writing, blogging, calculating anything and everything to do with my meals. I plan my grocery list, look up recipes, write them out for the week..I could go on, but it works for me.

One of this dishes that was on my plan last week came from of course pinterest. I adapted it for my own liking of course, but pinterest does wonders for the foodie in me. It was for a broccoli rice casserole, meant as a side dish, which I just had larger portions of for a main dish. You could make this for a side dish, or add cooked chicken or cooked ground turkey too for a filling main dish. With the addition of cheese, this creamy dish could turn your broccoli hater, into a broccoli debater. ( See what I did there?!)

Broccoli & Cheese Casserole
serves 4 (or 6-8 as a side dish)
 adapted from Salad In A Jar
 
1 1/2 cup instant brown rice, uncooked
1 head broccoli, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup, condensed (I used Campbell's healthy request)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used mozzarella, but use your favorite)

Start by cooking the rice to the package directions, which is usually boil the same amount of water, add rice, and simmer 5 minutes covered. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and spray a 9x9 casserole dish with cooking spray. I used my cast-iron skillet of course, so that would work as well.

While the rice is cooking, add the broccoli and onion to a microwave-safe dish, add a couple tablespoons of water, and microwave for 4 minutes, to cook partially. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, add the remaining ingredients, except the cheese, and heat on medium-low. Whisk ingredients together until heated.

Once the rice is cooked, and soup is heated, add the soup mixture and broccoli to the rice, stirring to combine. Transfer to prepared casserole dish, sprinkle with cheese, and bake for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Add this to your weekly menu plans for a quick dish for dinner!

 

Served up with my favorite, Sweet Potato and PB!

Happy Birthday to the bestest friend eva, Ashley tomorrow!!!! Miss you!

So old, but still one of my favs of us!

 

Once de Abril!

Now you may have heard of "Taco Tuesday", otherwise known as my favorite day of the week, I changed it up with another "mexican" meal. Now I put that in quotes since tacos or this recipe in as authentic mexican as taco bell. Maybe I made taco tuesday up, but if you've heard of "meatless mondays", a slogan to try to decrease your intake of meat for at least one meal a week, it's the same deal. Except eating tacos. Which in my case are always meatless, but you get the point.

This is actually one of my favorite recipes to make and experiment with since it's easy to make and of course is delicious! It's called mexican lasagna, which I've adapted from one of my favorite food blogs again, Oh She Glows. You can use this for a meatless monday or taco tuesday recipe, or have it both nights!

Mexican Lasagna
serves 4
4 Whole Wheat Tortillas, cut in half
2 cups canned black beans, drained, rinsed and divided
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
2 T lime juice
2 tsp taco seasoning
1.5 cups enchilada sauce ( or my version of tomato sauce w/ 2 tsp taco seasoning)
1 cup shredded cheese (I used reduced fat cheddar and mozzarella)

Start out by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. If you haven't already, cut your tortillas in half, and set aside. If you want to, you can even make your own homemade whole wheat tortillas with my recipe here

Next, add the garlic, to a food processor and pulse until minced. Next, add half the beans, 1 tsp taco seasoning, and 1 T lime juice. Process until slightly pureed.

Appetizing I know, but I swear it's delicious!

If you are opting to make your own enchilada sauce, heat the sauce in a small saucepan over low heat, and add the seasoning.

In a medium bowl, combine the rest of the beans, chopped onion, corn, 1 T lime juice, and 1 tsp taco seasoning. Instead of corn, I have also used salsa which is delicious as well, but higher in sodium. If you are watching your sodium intake, the corn would be a lower-sodium option.

Now begins lasagna production! Start by pouring about a third of the sauce to a square baking dish. Top with a layer of tortillas. I tore some of the tortillas to fit the pan.

Now top with half of the pureed bean mix, and half of the bean and corn mixture, and top with about a third of the cheese.

Repeat the process by adding another third of the sauce, tortillas, the rest of both bean mixtures, and another third of the cheese.

For the last layer, add the tortillas first, then top with the rest of the sauce and cheese. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is fully melted to gooey perfection. I opted for a cup of cheese to reduce the amount of fat in this dish, which happens to equal out to the 1/4 cup serving for each! I also am not a big melted cheese fan, but if you can add about another 1/2 cup to the recipe, but don't go overboard!

Layered up and ready for baking!

Break out the sombreros and mariachi band!...and a side salad for some extra veg!

What's your favorite mexican dish?

Sweet Home Alabama.

Cue Lynyrd Skynyrd! My day consisted of finishing my application video for my dietetic internship to the Alabama State Department of Education. From setting up, memorizing, filming, and editing, I can see all of what goes into making a video that's just 3 minutes long! Not that I've spent the last few hours sitting in front of this computer screen or anything, but felt what's another half an hour! And thus this blog child.

After making Oh She Glows' Crispy Breaded Tofu Strips, which took me back to my chicken nugget days, I've been inspired to try new tofu recipes. I adapted this recipe for my own version of parmesan crusted tofu! Yum! Add some angel hair, marinara, and a slab of mozzarella and you'd think you were having a chicken parm dinner. Not having marinara OR mozzarella, I opted for a bed of kale and a herb salad. A nice dinner regardless.

Parmesan Crusted Tofu
serves 3


1 package firm tofu, drained and pressed
1/4 cup milk
1/4 breadcrumbs
3 T grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp italian seasoning


First you want to start by pressing your tofu. I once never bothered to actually do this step in recipes, but after ACTUALLY doing it, I noticed why. The texture, and ability to pick up flavors is much better when you press it. Just drain your package of tofu, remove and wrap in a kitchen towel. Place a heavy book on top, and let it press for at least 20 minutes. I found another great use for my nutrition books!

While your tofu gets a good pressin', you can set up the dredging station. Pour the milk in a shallow dish. Combing the breadcrumbs, italian seasoning, and parmesan cheese in another shallow dish. If you have whole wheat breadcrumbs even better! Or if you have seasoned breadcrumbs you can omit the italian seasoning.

These colors remind me of Easter! With the weather we've been having, it feels like Easter is right around the corner anyway.
Next, preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray.Once your tofu is pressed, slice it lengthwise into 6-8 pieces. I opted for 6, since my tofu wasn't as firm since I bought a new brand. Won't do that again! Then let the dredging begin! Dip each slice into the milk, then fully cover in the breadcrumb mixture. Transfer to your baking sheet.

I'm surprised at how much better these pictures came out compared to my usual. My camera has a mind of it's own, and decides when it wants to take good pictures. Other than that I usually get blurry out of focus crap. I guess I'll just look on the bright side at the way these pictures came out.

Now, bake these breaded slices o' heaven for about 20-30 minutes, until they are golden brown and crispy. F.Y.I your kitchen will smell delicious in the process.

These are good substitutes for chicken if you're trying to limit your meat intake. Serve just like you would chicken. I personally think slathered in a bath of marinara with some crusty bread sounds about right.

Any other ideas?