FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

A Super Speedy Lunch

by

Turkey Avocado Lettuce Wraps

During the final stretch of hundred degree days, I’ve had constant a craving for cold food.  Sandwiches, salads, seafood, juices – they’re all I want.  So when I found this giant (bacon variety) avocado, I swooped it up and went on a hunt for what I could wrap around it.

Bacon Avocado

Nitrate-free turkey breast, dill havarti, and crisp romaine.  Good solution.

Turkey Havarti Avocado Lettuce Wrap

And a fast solution.  I was able to run home during lunch today, quickly prep these wraps, and then spend the rest of my hour laying out potential outfits for ACL. Priorities!

Carbs And A Makeover!

by

Bow Tie Pasta with Sauce

“What’s this about you not liking arugula?”, Molly asked as she plopped down on a bar stool.  Our conversation continued as we munched on raw greens and I articulated my exact dislike, which ended up being the pungent tasting stem.  The plan is to let this taste grow on me.  We’ll see how that plays out.

Arugula Marinara Sauce

Knowing that tonight was the night FoodFash was getting an impromptu make-over, I opted to keep it simple by jazzing up some jarred tomato sauce with copious amounts of arugula, ground turkey, crushed red pepper, and parmesan.  After all, a hardy/carby meal is totally necessary to power this brain for things like html code, rgb colors, widgets, and sidebars.

Bow Tie Pasta with Fork

It had been a while, weeks maybe, since Molly and I caught up over the dinner table. And as we chatted about our day, I didn’t mind that the night was growing old and my to-do list long.  We were enjoying our Tuesday time and that was all that mattered.  And then I successfully launched FoodFash 3.0 and was even more thankful I didn’t stress my way through dinner.

Take a look around and tell me what ya think!

Zucchini & Tomato “Lasagna”

by

Zucchini and Tomato Lasagna

Purchasing a mandolin slicer and making zucchini lasagna are two things that have been on my list for an unbelievable length of time.  And I’d like to say that I purchased a mandolin slicer this weekend which allowed me to finally whip up zucchini lasagna, but that’s totally not the case.  In reality, I bought the slicer about five months ago and it took five months to remember to put these five ingredients on my grocery list.  I used to be much better at lists…

Mandolin Sliced Zucchini

My intention for this recipe was something extra simple that involved lots of fresh stuff and minimal packaged stuff.  Oh!  And to make something that sorta kinda resembled lasagna.  My intention was not slicing off the top of my middle finger, which most definitely happened.

Zucchini Lasagna 1

FoodFash Zucchini Lasagna (Yields 4 servings)

3 large zucchini, sliced lengthwise on a mandolin slicer

3 large tomatoes, sliced

15 ounces part skim ricotta

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/3 cup fresh, chopped basil

1-1/2 teaspoons garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  In a medium bowl, mix ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, and basil.  Add the garlic salt and pepper, to taste if you prefer.  Once the seasoning is added, mix in the beaten egg.  In an 11-ish-inch round pan (I used this one), layer the bottom of the pan with sliced zucchini.  Gently spread 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the zucchini and then top with 2 layers of sliced tomatoes.  Spread the remaining ricotta over the tomatoes and then top with a final layer of sliced zucchini.  Sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup of mozzarella cheese.  Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until cheese is golden brown.  Let cool for about 15 minutes (until liquid sets) before serving.

Zucchini Lasagna 2

I was a little nervous when I pulled the super bubbly pan out of the oven, but once the cheese cooled everything held together quite nicely.  And as far as the taste, I couldn’t believe how much this dish satisfied my lasagna craving.  I’ve been eating the leftovers this entire week and my only complaint is that it only made four servings!

Buffalo Vehicle

by

As much as I wish I favored a cooler hot sauce, I don’t.  Crystal is my number one and I prefer it ten times out of ten.  And anything that acts as a vehicle to get this good stuff into my belly becomes my number one as well.

As soon as I ordered a slow cooker, I went slow cooker recipe crazy on Pinterest.  I found this pulled buffalo chicken recipe from Skinny Taste and knew I was going to be blown away.  I modified the recipe a bit by using two bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, 4 cups of chicken broth, 2 celery stalks, and an entire onion, but followed the rest of the prep instructions to a tee.  The bones and skin made for a broth worthy of saving for soup later on this week.

So this Crystal vehicle was exclamation point amazing!  It was better and more satisfying than any buffalo wing, buffalo sandwich, buffalo anything I’ve ever had.  To say I’ll be making this dish on the regular is an understatement.  So. Darn. Good.