FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Breaking In The Stove

by

So…  If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen the pictures of charred pajamas on Saturday.  The movers accidentally set a box and my new stovetop on fire.  Total disaster.  But my spirit refuses to be broken.  And after I cleaned up fire extinguisher dust and finished unpacking boxes, it really didn’t seem that bad.

In fact, it seemed like the perfect time to get back to it in the kitchen.  I decided to put one of the three working burners to use by making a veggieful omelet.

I sauteed asparagus, spinach, crushed red pepper, garlic, and a little butter until the veggies were fully cooked and then set them aside.  I poured two beaten eggs onto a well-greased pan, added the veggies to one side, topped with fresh mozzarella, and waited for the egg to cook all the way through.  When all signs of raw egg were gone, I folded the other half of the egg over the veggies and cheese.

The omelet seemed large enough for two at first, but it turns out it was just large enough for me.  After two weeks of sketchy bottom-of-the-freezer meals and take-out…  I can’t tell you how glorious eating this many greens for breakfast was.  It was also the perfect fuel for a the most errand-filled day ever.

Calzone With A Kick

by

Now that I, in my oh so humble opinion, have completely mastered pizza making, it only made sense to move on up to calzones.  Spinach, artichokes, and crushed red pepper?  Done and done!

No pre-shredded cheese for this girl, mozzarella di bufala all the way.

I used Jenna @ Eat Live Run’s pizza dough recipe again.  This recipe is spot on, no-fail goodness.  At some point I’d like to test out a less whole wheat, more authentic Italian recipe, but for now her dough is a staple in my kitchen.

FoodFash Spinach, Artichoke & Red Pepper Calzone

Yield: 3 calzones

1/2 Eat Live Run pizza dough

marinara for dipping

Stuffing:

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1 cup chopped fresh mozzarella

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 artichoke bottoms, chopped

2 handfulls of spinach, chopped

1 teaspoon of garlic salt

1 to 2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper

Egg Wash:

1 egg

1/4 cup water

Prepare the pizza dough.  While the dough is rising, preheat oven to 375 degrees and mix stuffing ingredients together in a medium bowl until well blended.  When dough is ready, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough until it’s large enough for three calzones.  Cut the dough into three sections.  Dollop 1/3 of the stuffing onto one side of each piece of dough.  In a small bowl, make an egg wash by beating together 1 egg and 1/4 cup of water.  Brush the edges of the dough with the egg wash, fold the dough over to completely cover the stuffing, and press edges with a fork to seam the calzones.  You may have to press twice to make sure that the edges have a strong seam.  Place the calzones on a greased and floured pan.  Brush the calzones with the egg wash.  Using a fork, poke holes in each calzone.  Bake for 30 minutes or until calzones are golden brown.

W-O-W!  As I removed these beauties from the oven, I had a perma-smile and a total feeling of accomplishment.  The egg wash ensured firm and toasty crust.  The contrasting brightness of green spinach and red pepper flakes made for a soft-on-the-eyes filling.  The red pepper flakes added a uniquely awesome kick.  I was 100% pleased and 110% stuffed.

What’s your favorite calzone combination?   

Filled Up Fillo

by

One of the Healthy Living Summit swag bag items I had the pleasure of stuffing was the package of mini fillo shells.   From the second I unpacked the first box, I couldn’t wait to use them.  And as I tossed a box in each bag I contemplated the perfect fillo filling.

Well the perfect fillo filling other than the obvious nuts and honey combo that’s responsible for one of my all time fav desserts, baklava.  Once visions of sweetness passed, the first savory ingredient that came to mind was spinach.

I went to the market with every intention of finally recreating Emily of Daily Garnish’s spinach and artichoke dip, but for reasons having nothing to do with her recipe (like Rollin’ Oats doesn’t have canned artichokes?) my plan morphed into something different.

FoodFash Fillo Cups

12 mini fillo shells

1/2 bag of frozen, chopped spinach

1/2 zucchini, shredded

1-1/2 tablespoons minced garlic

2/3 cup dairy free cheddar

1 egg, beaten

salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Thaw frozen spinach in the microwave for about one minute (do not add water).  Add shredded zucchini, garlic, “cheese” and salt to the bowl of spinach and stir.  In a small bowl, beat the egg and then mix with the bowl of veggies.  Fill each fillo cup as full as you can with veggies, place on a cookie sheet, and bake for 20 minutes or until the egg is fully cooked.  Let them cool for a few minutes before serving.

There’s nothing like having a crunchy, gooey, bite sized, party-like, veggie filled dinner on a Tuesday – yum, yum, yum!!

Some Grossness

by

How can a fridge be so full of nothing?  So full of stuff and the only create-able meal would be a peanut butter, salad dressing, almond milk, and old fruit sandwich.  Honestly, that might have been better than what I ended up eating tonight.

A can of black beans, frozen spinach, and some random spices is what I came up with.  As a side note, I obviously have no brand loyalty when it comes to spices.  Store brand, name brand, organic, non-organic – apparently I drive blindly down the spice aisle.

I even had to scrape the sides of the chili powder container.  I’m telling you, tonight was rough!

I mixed it all together, ate a brownie, and wondered how bad it could be.

Sadly, it wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever made for dinner.  I ate the whole thing and I’ll probably eat the rest tomorrow for lunch – that’s how anti-grocery store I’m feeling at the moment.