FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Back To The Press

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Look what I found!  I haven’t used my tofu press since well before I left Tampa.  And not because I didn’t want to, but because I may or may not have packed up my kitchen gadgets about a month too early.  So I was a little excited…

I stil have a pretty bare fridge since I spent most of last week in Dallas and this week in Portland, but I did have a lone brick of tofu waiting for me when I got back from yoga.  Tofu and a frozen stash of veggies totally equals a finally-back-in-town recovery meal.

I pressed the tofu for about an hour and then submerged it in ponzu sauce.  I let the tofu marinate while I unpacked some suitcase, which was about another hour.

I browned the tofu in coconut oil and then added frozen broccoli.  Solo ponzu sauce seemed a bit on the boring side, so I stared in my spice cabinet hoping something spoke to me.  Red pepper flakes and ground mustard?  Sure, why not?  It ended up being a pretty flavorful and slightly spicy combination – right up my alley.  This is a good recipe for a quick Asian inspired craving, but by no means compares to the thick ooey gooey sauces that typically come with take-out.

Lunch Date Fail

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At 12:20, I grabbed my phone, texted Kim “see you at 12:30!”, and then quickly realized I left my wallet in the purse I took out last night.  Ten minutes from meeting a new friend and… no money.  Thankfully she understood and we’re rescheduling for next week!

But the whole no money thing meant having to rush home for lunch.  I was instantly saved by a short commute and lots of frozen veggies.

FoodFash Veggie Orzo

1/3 cup orzo, uncooked

1/3 cup frozen asparagus

1/3 cup frozen spinach

1/2 tablespoon butter

1 slice of cheese (I used havarti dill)

Prepare orzo per the package instructions.  During the last minute, toss in frozen veggies.  Drain orzo and veggies and place into a bowl.  Add butter and cheese and stir until melted.

I used the 1/3-cup measure for the veggies since it was already on the counter and it ended up being the perfect amount of green.  You could also use broccoli/edamame/peas/any green veggie as well as any variety of cheese that you’re fancying at the moment.

Have you ever arrived somewhere and realized that you had forgotten your wallet?

Gloomy Day Soup

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Rain, rain, go away!  Or, now that I have this soup and a mountain of clothes that need to be hung, perhaps you can stay awhile?

Avgolemono soup is way, way at the top of my list of favorite soups.  It’s creamy and lemony, filled with comfort, and brings back childhood memories of family trips to the Sponge Docks.  I always assumed it was super difficult to make from scratch, but after today it appears that my assumption was super wrong.  This soup is easy peasy!

FoodFash Spinach Avgolemono Soup Recipe (yield: 4 servings)

6 cups faux chicken broth (I used this one)

2/3 cup orzo, uncooked

2 teaspoons lemon zest

juice from 2 lemons

4 eggs

2 cups of frozen chopped spinach

Bring broth to a boil and add uncooked orzo and lemon zest, boiling for 7 minutes.  Beat eggs and lemon juice together and gradually add 1 cup of boiling broth to the mix while beating (I added 1/3 cup at a time).  Reduce heat to low and add the egg/lemon mixture back to the soup, stirring until blended.  Add the frozen spinach and cook until spinach is thawed.

Not only was making this soup way easier than I expected, it was also more my style than the restaurant version that traditionally contains chunks of chicken and zero greens.  This recipe is the perfect balance of light enough to keep you out of food coma zone, but hearty enough to keep you feeling full.

What meals do you crave on a rainy, gloomy day?   

Whooped Pants Pizza

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There were two things that got me through tonight’s workout at H.E.A.T. Bootcamp:

1.  Meeting Andrea.  When Katie found out I was moving to Austin, she introduced me to Andrea, who had recently moved from Atlanta to Austin, via Facebook.  We’ve been chatting up a storm over the past few months and it was great to finally meet her!

2.  The pre-prepped batch of pizza dough that was waiting for me to cover it with a bunch of goodness when I got home.

I’ve been on this crushed red pepper/sriracha/spicy kick for the past few months, so I couldn’t help but purchase this gynorm jalapeno at the market over the weekend.  I was a tad nervous that fresh japs would be too intense, so I sliced them on the thin side.  It was a good move.

As far as the rest of the toppings go, I brushed the dough with olive oil, topped with sliced tomatoes, portobellos, and the thinly sliced jalapenos.  I brushed everything with olive oil again to ensure nothing turned dry or crispy and baked in a 425 degree oven for 8 minutes.

When the veggies were looking good and wilted, I added fresh mozzarella pearls and baked for another 5-ish minutes until the cheese was melted.  I am a huge fan of cooking with fresh mozzarella, but it tends to release a TON of water when it cooks.  I remedied the soggy situation with a paper towel after baking, but I’m wondering if I should squeeze some of the excess moisture out of the cheese prior to baking next time.

And even though my go-to pizza toppings for the past decade have been spinach and artichokes, I’ll happily push those aside for mushrooms and jalapenos.  Spicy umami is where it’s at!