Holy close-up Batman. My second picture didn’t come out too well - sorry! Tonight I made Indian Vegan Omlettes from Global Vegan and Tiny Morsel’s Rainbow Chard with Cherries and Pinenuts (again). It was my first time making the omelet recipe and I think it came out really well. Next time I will add more water to thin the batter and I’ll try to learn how to properly flip an omelet. I have never used chickpea flour before and it made for a perfect hearty pancake. The omelets needed more flavor so I ate mine with hot mango chutney I had in the fridge. The chard recipe I love and I’ve talked about before on this blog. My grocery store didn’t have rainbow chard so I made it with red swiss and it tasted just as delicious.

So today was Super Tuesday. We also had an ice storm. I didn’t vote today and I regret that I didn’t make it a priority. I am not going to make excuses.

Also, R and I are heading out to California tomorrow for a friend’s wedding. I’ll be sure to take plenty of pictures since I’ve never been to the West Coast before! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Am I the only one with carb cravings? Luckily the benefits of pasta are two-fold, 1) super fast prep time and well, 2) it’s pasta! Two times this week I needed to come up with a quick late night dinner with items from the cupboard and veggie drawer. This first recipe, Linguine with Wild Mushroom sauce, was quite tasty even the two meat-eating males said so! I didn’t have the mushrooms they suggest but used baby bellas and some white buttons.

The second night, pickin’s were slim. I had cabbage and carrots only but luckily I found a package of tofu to create an Asian inspired noodle bowl.

- Press tofu and marinate in bag with bottled Teriyaki Sauce–Prep veggies
- Boil water and get noodles ready
- Heat sesame oil in pan/cook tofu until brown on all sides-remove from pan
- Add a little bit more sesame oil to pan, saute onion and garlic. When translucent add in a bit of soy sauce and bottled ginger.
- Add in veggies, about a cup of veggie broth, and cook covered until veggies are to your liking. More ginger is always good!
- Mix noodles and tofu into pan with veggies and EAT!

My husband and I were talking about our favorite beans last week. (I forget how this came up). We both decided that our favorite bean is the garbanzo bean. This is the only bean that I could eat every day and enjoy it, on a salad, blended into hummus, and of course falafel. I guess I had garbanzo beans (chickpeas) on the mind when I picked this weeknight quickie.

Curried Garbanzo Beans - Recipe Source Unknown

I often print recipes really quickly at home or at work on my lunch-break. I must have printed this one and forgot to note where I got the recipe from. It is super easy - 1 onion, 2 cans chickpeas, 2 cans diced tomatoes, cumin, curry, coriander, mango chutney, vegetable broth. I served it over brown rice and it was off the hook aka delicious. I used Patak’s Hot Mango Chutney. I probably loved this recipe because I love the chutney, it is a perfect mix of sweet and spicy.

I’m a week behind on posting. I realized that this blog is turning almost exclusively into a food blog…which is not good or bad. I think Steph and I will be sitting down at some point to play around with the blog a little more. Cooking just happens to be one of my favorite hobbies recently. I do want to post more about books that I’ve read, movies I’ve seen, and more. But since I’m still behind and I want Steph to see what I’ve cooked lately - here’s more food. These are things I cooked during the week and also over the MLK holiday weekend.

Sichuan Tofu with Garlic Sauce from Fatfree Vegan
I forgot to take a picture - oh well. This was a good weeknight dinner, very simple to prepare.

Babaganoush w/ Baguette

I was craving something creamy. Some of the best ways to satisfy my cravings for creamy stuff are with eggplant dips and hummus. I googled “eggplant dip” and found this recipe. I had tahini so I was good to go. I’ve also broken out the food processor I received as a wedding gift and really enjoy making things in it. So yummy.

Vive Le Vegan’s Banana Oat Bundles

A late night sweet craving hit me. I didn’t have any bananas in the house so I tried to make these using apple sauce and even tried sprinkling in chocolate morsels. I will have to retry this recipe when I have the proper ingredients. Not so good.

Rainbow Chard with Cherries and Pinenuts from Tiny Morsels


I found this recipe using Google Reader - it had become too time consuming to check my favorite blogs for new recipes, so I subscribed to them using Google Reader and now I get notified any time there is a new post that I haven’t read yet. I LOVED this recipe. I made it twice in one weekend. It is the perfect side dish for omni-eaters or main dish for veggie-lovers. It has a taste that reminds me of old fashioned southern greens - one of my ultimate favorite comfort foods. I had never cooked Rainbow Chard before either. It was amazing to me how a huge bundle of chard cooked down to such a small portion in the pan.

R’s Fish Chowder

I blogged about my husband’s fish chowder before (hyperlinked above). He made it again over the long weekend. It was AWESOME, again. He keeps modifying it, adding ingredients and it is better every time. Perfect for a cold wintry weekend. He filled the crock pot so we had lots of leftovers. We brought some leftovers to my husband’s parents and they liked it too.

Beer & Football

What’s football without beer? While we watched the NFL playoffs, I enjoyed Hefeweizen with an orange slice. Representing my hometown team - go skins!

Last weekend was cold and gloomy. I was really tired and worn out probably because I was still recovering from my most recent bout of annoying sickness (rhymes with “mingles”) so I stayed in, rested, read, watched football, and spent some time cooking. I really enjoy cooking especially when I have time to experiment and play with my new food processor.

During the NFL playoff games, I decided to make some football-friendly food - french fries! I made Fueled By Popcorn’s Pesto Fries w/ Marinara Dipping Sauce. These were yummy and satisfied my craving for marinara sauce and french fries. Confession: I ate the remaining Muir Glen marinara with a spoon. I used Cooking Light’s Pesto Recipe but omitted the Parmesan cheese. The pesto was so good. RO used it on his pre-party pasta dish, and Steph ate it as a dip on some flatbread a couple of days later.

During the week, we had a couple of super-fast dishes. I made Fueled By Popcorn’s Coconut Eggplant Curry and served it over brown rice. I loved it except for one thing - I put too much curry paste in and it was hotter than Thai hot, it was burn-your-lips-off hot. I am definitely going to make this again with less curry paste.

On soccer night, RO made Cooking Light’s Curried Chickpeas and Black Beans for Steph and me. This is an old quickie favorite. I put mine on top of spinach because I was feeling healthy. This would be good on rice too.

I don’t usually cook on Thursdays but I got home a little early due to the wintery weather in Northern VA so I made an appetizer for dinner - yum. I made Southeast Asian Inspired Char-roasted Eggplant Dip and Pita Chips that I saw on the Food Network’s “Weighing In” Show. I didn’t use the pita chips in the recipe, instead I used packaged naan I found at Whole Foods. I also had to break out the food processor to get the dip the right consistency. This dip was good, probably the best tasting thing I’ve made in a while. It reminded me of the eggplant dip at the Sorrento Grill that I love, only Asian style. The naan was only so-so.

This picture is kinda gross - I swear it was delicious.

I just have to give a big shout-out to bloggers and the Internet in general. Here comes the 1/3 nerdiness. If I were in person, I would say “I love technology” in Kip’s voice from Napoleon Dynamite. It still so amazing to me that all of this information is available to me for free.

Here’s an interesting tidbit about a new beer cocktail coming out from Anheuser Busch. I used to be a beer drinker until about 5 years ago when somehow for unknown reasons I became a wine drinker, favoring wine over beer at parties and dinners. I’ve never really been able to drink liquor/cocktails without getting a headache, so my choice has always been: beer or wine. Anyway, I really liked a lime-spiked beer my mom had at Christmas (Mom - do you remember what that beer was?) and these new beer cheladas sound like they might be worth a try….

I should be going to bed, but I’m already in front of the computer so I figured I’d post the last of the recipes I made during my absence from blogging. Now I have fully caught the blog up with everything I’ve cooked so I can start 2008 with a clean slate.

Wegman’s Spicy Red Lentil Chili
This is my favorite soup at Weggles. I looked up their recipe and made it at home. I use Earth Balance instead of butter, arrowroot powder instead of corn starch, and less salt. This one is easy to veg/veganize. Good on a cold day.

Cooking Light’s Vietnamese Chicken Salad
I made this recipe when it was still hot outside. Good for a potluck. Once again, a good mix of soft/crunchy combination. This would be super easy to veg/veganize - just omit chicken and fish sauce. I’ll probably pull this one out next summer for a potluck and make a veg and chicken version.

Red Curry Tofu
I can’t remember where I got this recipe from, that’s the problem with waiting so long to post. I’ll research tomorrow and update this post. I’ve made this twice now and it is spicy and tasty.

A couple of my New Year’s resolutions, among others, are to make more time for myself to do the things I enjoy: exercise, cook, blog, oh and I also want to try to save money too. Full of New Year’s spirit, I chose my recipes on Sunday, RO went grocery shopping Monday, and we cooked 3 healthy meals, leaving us with leftovers to eat for lunch. Without realizing it, I chose 2 recipes with Moroccan flavors. Doesn’t surprise me since I love the curry, garam masala, and turmeric flavors. Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s 3 recipes.

Cooking Light’s Moroccan Chickpea Stew
I made this recipe for the first time in November. Steph, RO and I really liked it. I served it over brown rice and the broth/sauce soaked into the potatoes and rice the way I like. Yum. I made it without the yogurt.

Here’s what it looked like the night I made it.


Here it is again for leftovers over sauteed baby spinach with some Sriracha on top. We’re huge fans of Sriracha - even if you haven’t heard of it you may have tried it at a Vietnamese or other restaurant. It’s the hot sauce with the rooster on it. This recipe is even better the next day because the flavors have had time to blend.

Moroccan Eggplant with Garbanzo Beans
No picture because I already posted that recipe here.

Blackened Portobello-Mushroom Salad
I picked this recipe out but I’ve honestly never cooked it. RO’s cooked it at least 3 times and I love it. It has the awesome mixture of hot/cold, soft/crunchy.

Also a big THANK YOU to Mom & Chris for the Christmas gift that keeps on giving: monthly fruit deliveries! We received our first one today - honey oranges - yum!

Orange-Ginger Scallops with Steamed Asian Vegetables (Repeater)
I got this recipe from the “HealthSmart” program at work. AOL has this new thing: if you participate in a HealthSmart program which basically gives you advice on things like how to prevent cancer, get in shape, lower your stress, you get a discount on your health insurance premiums. So I’ve been participating and I’ve used a couple of their recipes. This is the first time I have used my steamer basket for a combo of vegetables and it worked really well. Robby really liked this one. The scallops were pan-seared and I almost was able to hold the pan and flip the scallops like real chefs do!

I just received a newsletter from AOL Body and they had this great article they publish every once in a while. I know most people are extremely busy this summer attending weddings, bridal showers, bachelorette parties, baby showers, barbeques, and you may find yourself indulging in summery cocktails more often than you’re used to. This article explains the Best and Worst Summer Drinks. I think they missed one on the “best” list…beer.

Poor Mother earth, she’s so hot she’s shweaty!
In the words of Mims, “I’m hot ’cause I’m fly, You ain’t ’cause you not.” I saw this New T-shirt from Busted Tees yesterday and it made me laugh.

Braised Kidney Beans & Sweet Potato (Vegan)
I tried this recipe for the first time last night from the World’s Healthiest Foods. I didn’t realize how much time it would take me to chop all the veggies…so we ate pretty late. Robby and both liked it but while I was eating it I realized this dish is strikingly similar to the African Sweet Potato Stew with Red Beans that I made in the crock pot in April. Oh well - I guess I am a creature of habit when it comes to the foods I like.

Steph I can’t wait to hang out this weekend (happy-happy-joy-joy). I have so many stories to tell you.

I’ve neglected the blog but I don’t feel guilty because Steph said not to. I cleaned off my camera so here’s a recap of my recent weeknight dishes. Wephanie - please please take pictures of the yummy things you are making. I’m hearing stories of recipes from other people. I know you’ve made some goodie good ones lately because you’ve been the hostess with the mostest. My next post will be about Herndon Festival last weekend and Cat’s Bachelorette coming up this weekend :). Also check out the O’Hora Family Blog for my update on Kelly & Mike’s Wedding in Philly over Memorial Day weekend.

Moroccan Eggplant with Garbanzo Beans (Vegan)
I made this one a couple of weeks ago and Robby and I both liked it (we both love eggplant). Steph was in town for work meetings and she loved it - we ate it one night with pita chips while we frantically tried to update each other (remember that?). This is one of those recipes that tastes even better the next day after the spices have had a chance to blend.

Caribbean Pork and Plantain Hash
This appeared in last month’s Cooking Light. Robby and I both generally like Caribbean flavors and love yucca, so I figured we’d like the taste of the plantains. I was right - this was delicious. I bought an extra plantain by accident so a few days later for dessert, I made Grilled Plantains - so yummy. The plantain was super soft and sweetened with brown sugar. We used spoons to scoop it out of the peel.

Tempeh-Asparagus Stir-Fry (Vegan)
I saw the May/June 2007 issue of Vegetarian Times while I was in line at Whole Foods. I bought it because it had a great looking recipe on the cover. I ended up making 3 recipes from this issue. I went to their Web site and they have some recipes published, but not the ones from this issue. This dish was new for us - I’ve had tempeh before but never cooked it at home and Robby had never tried it. He liked it!

Black Bean Burrito, Indian Style (Vegetarian/Vegan)
I made this last week and loved it. If you know me or read this blog, you know I have a weakness for Indian flavors - curry, garam masala, etc. Plus I love the sweet potato/black bean combo. I didn’t expect much from this recipe because it seemed so simple. I wrapped the burrito mixture in whole wheat tortillas and topped them with spicy Frontera salsa and a few dollops of the lactose-free (gentle on the stomach) goat cheese Kerry told me about (Thanks Kerry!). Very good the next day, and the day after, and the day after. Most of these recipes make 4-6 servings which means we have leftovers to eat on days we don’t cook and to take for lunch.

Spicy Chicken Posole
This is a regular/frequently used recipe in our house. Robby bought me a Cooking Light book from Costco a few years back called “Quick and Easy Meals”. For some reason, I can’t find this recipe on CookingLight.com, it’s only in my book. It is an extremely simple recipe - you cut up the chicken into small pieces, mix it with a few tablespoons of adobo sauce (smoky chipoltle pepper sauce that gives this dish its spice), brown the chicken, add broth, red peppers, hominy, onions and viola! The first picture is of Robby’s dinner topped with some reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese.

Grilled Ratatouille Salad (Vegan)
This is the recipe from the cover of the May/June 2007 issue of Vegetarian Times that I wanted to try. Very good and great for summer when you don’t feel like eating anything too heavy or hot. I added a little more basil than the recipe called for because I love basil, but that ended up causing a slight licorice flavor that Robby didn’t like. Next time, I’ll follow the recipe exactly. We both liked the pine nuts and the thick balsamic glaze.

Spaghetti with Spinach and Mushrooms (Vegan)
This is the 3rd recipe from the May/June 2007 issue of Vegetarian Times. I made this one last night. Robby and I both liked it. I didn’t have harissa so I used 1 tsp. of red pepper flakes and it was a smidgen too spicy. Is smidgen a word? Other than the heat, this was super yummy. It took about 10 minutes longer for the noodles to absorb the broth than the recipe said.

I haven’t posted in a while. We’ve been busy with birthdays, Mother’s Day, wedding planning, and I’ve been battling allergies. I love the Spring weather but I don’t love the pollen that comes with it.

Here are some recent weeknight recipes:

Skillet Fillets with Cilantro Butter
We buy the big bag of frozen tilapia fillets from Costco and they are perfect for this recipe. I forgot to take a picture, but the cilantro butter comes out looking a lot like pesto with a similar texture.

Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce
I didn’t take a picture of this one either but we both liked it. If you like sun-dried tomatoes, you’ll like it. When the sauce cooks down, it leaves some crunchy bits on the bottom of pan that add to the flavor.

Pitas with Hummus Bi Tahina and Kisir and Balsamic Roasted Asparagus on the Side (Vegan)
Kisir is a lot like tabbouleh. If you’ve never had tabbouleh, you’ve probably seen it in pre-made packages at Costco, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Giant, or Bloom. The weather was pretty hot, so I opted for a cold dinner. I made the Kisir the night before and the day-of I made the hummus and asaparagus. I opened up each pita, slathered it with hummus, and filled it with Kisir. It was refreshing and surprisingly filling.

Skinny Figgy Bars (Vegan)
I made some these for Lauren’s Bridal Shower on Cinco de Mayo (5/5/07). The bars are vegan and I thought she might want a sweet but low-fat treat at her shower. Little did I know, Lauren had made some super delicious vegan chocolate chip coconut cookies that Kelly and I couldn’t get enough of…Lauren if you’re reading this, I need to get that cookie recipe.

We had some leftover chipolte chiles in adobo sauce so I hit up Cooking Light to find a recipe I could use them in. I found Chicken with Chunky Pepper Sauce. I’m a Cooking Light groupie, I know. I have stacks of yummy Cooking Light recipes that I haven’t tried yet. Tonight was my first time trying this particular recipe, and it is another quick and easy weeknight repeater, perfect for cooking on a night you get caught late at work like I did tonight. The shortcut is buying the frozen pepper stir-fry which I’ve never done before…but now I know…and knowing is half the battle. Okay, enough blogging for today, time to go to bed.

Robby says I take my pictures too close - should I back up a bit? He said the cilantro looks likes trees! Also, Steph, I took a picture of this massive bruise I have on my ankle from soccer because I really wanted to show you the swelling and the odd coloring, but it didn’t come through on the camera. Oh well.

I haven’t blogged since Easter! Let’s see, we spent Easter with family in Ocean City (See O’Hora Family Blog), then the next weekend was Cat’s Bridal Shower, then last weekend I hung out at Justin & Missy’s get-together and had a soccer game. Before I give you the goods on those fun events, I figured I’d hit you with the food first. I know some people are thinking “why so much about food?”. Well, the answer is that cooking is my new favorite hobby. I am especially interested in cooking healthy food that tastes good. I like to think that I’m improving the health of my family so hopefully they’ll live a long long time. Plus, food reminds me of family and warm welcoming homes and I just plain love food. I love eating food, I love watching the Food Network, I love reading about food, okay that’s enough!

A few new recipes I’ve tried in the last few weeks…every single one of these recipes is fairly healthy (Cooking Light) and a repeater!

Buffalo-Style Catfish Strips
I was thinking of the catfish-spicy-anything-fried-food-lover in my household when I picked out this recipe.

Ham, Spinach, and Sun-Dried Tomato Calzones
I made half of these sans ham for me aka vegetarian. I also just happened to have some fresh basil that I added too. I’m a huge fan of sun-dried tomatoes.

African Sweet Potato Stew with Red Beans (Vegan)
Peanut lovers rejoice! Ahem - Ry-Ry. This stew was super yummy. In fact, I’ll probably be eating leftovers tonight. It was a little too much PB for R but I’m sure Ryan will approve. Next time I will split it before I add the peanut butter and have one half with and one half without. The sweet potatoes were so good, I gave them two pictures.

Coriander Chicken with Tomato Corn Salad
This was one isn’t new, I lied. I’ve been making it for a while but it is very summery so this is the first time I made it since last summer. R took this for lunch, that means he liked it too! The only thing missing from this is avocado but I could eat avocado on anything