End of Farm Season...

So I'm driving to work this morning and I said to myself, "Wow, all the trees are changing colors. Weird." Then I realized ITS OCTOBER! Can you believe how fast this summer/this year has flown by? I cant!

Well with the end of the warm weather comes the end of my amazing farm share from Red Fire Farm. Hubby and I enjoyed so many amazing types of vegetables and fruits this year and most recently have been enjoying fall flavors with root vegetables, different types of squash, potatoes and apples.

Below are some yummy treats I have made with them!

 

Microwaved Potato Chips - thin and crispy just like the bag, with no added fat! Slice potatoes thin, sprinkle with salt, lay flat on a microwave safe plate, microwave for 3 minutes, flip over and microwave another 3 minutes.

 Homemade Cinnamon Spiced Apple Sauce

"The Bean Pizza" - Idea stolen from a pizza place in Belmont. Crunchy crust with a white bean spread, ricotta cheese, thin sliced beef topped with a spinach salad.

Homemade Tomato Sauce

Banh Mi

So I had the pleasure of recently trying a new food. I am always up for a food challenge and for trying new things so when my sister told me about this new Vietnamese sandwich shop in West Roxbury I just had to try it. When I snooped online to look at the menu it seemed very limited and vague about what exactly they served. It has about 6 different sandwiches, some noodle dishes and drinks, all priced at less than 5 bucks!

My Homemade Version of Beef Teriyaki Banh Mi (Vietnamese Style Sandwich)

Pesto Brushed Biscuits

As I sat around this afternoon torturing myself watching Diners, Drive-ins and Dives I wasn’t really sure what to do for dinner. After watching about 2 hours of the show I decided that I could not end the day without a southern style biscuit!

Not that biscuits went well in any way with the left over eggplant parm and pasta with fresh pesto sauce I planned on serving, but why not whip up a batch, eat one and then force the rest on my co-workers tomorrow.

As I was preparing this evening meal I thought, “I wish I had some jam, or something to dip my biscuit in.” Then, sitting next to me on the counter, the fresh pesto..woolaa, a match made in kitchen heaven.

Biscuits, pie crust, dough’s, all kind of seem intimidating but if you have a little bit of patience they are actually extremely easy to make fresh.

Traditional Biscuit Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons butter, cubed

3/4 cup milk

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Cut butter into flour mix until it begins to look like wet sand. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and slowly add milk. Lightly mix dough with your fingers. Dump dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to desired thickness. Cut with biscuit cutter.

Pesto Brushed Biscuits  

The Makings of Eggplant Parm Soup

Eggplant Parmesan Soup

8 Cups Chicken Stock
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large eggplant, diced
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
salt to taste
1 cup garlic croutons
1/2 mozzarella cheese or Parmesan cheese 

In a large soup pot, heat oil on medium heat, add onions and garlic and saute for 5 minutes, add eggplant and herbs and saute another 10 minutes, until eggplant is soft and starting to break down. Add crushed tomatoes and chicken stock, stir and allow to simmer on medium heat for 1 hour. After one hour and soup is thick and reduced. Serve topped with croutons and cheese. Serves 6 people

Tasted just like eggplant Parmesan without the high calorie steps of frying the eggplant and layering with cheese! A must try :)!

Inspired Vegetable Soup

A long time ago, when I was about 12 years old, my family took a trip to Portugal. We have some family that lives there so part of the trip was spent with them. I remember seeing and experiencing many new things, I remember the food and in particular I remember a soup that was prepared for us by a friend of my cousins, Donzilia. All it was was a simple vegetable soup, but the way that the flavors melted together was so comforting and satisfying. I was recently thinking of our trip to Portugal and possibly going back someday and though I would try to recreate this simple, yet so yummy, vegetable soup.

Simple Vegetable Soup garnished with Fried Okra

8 cups prepared chicken stock, I used homemade

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 medium potatoes, cubed

4 carrots, diced

1 tbsp salt

½ tbsp black pepper

2 cooked chicken breasts, finely shredded.

 

In a large pot add oil, heat on medium for 1 minute. Add onions, garlic, carrots and potatoes, stir and saute for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper and Saute another 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and allow to boil until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat and blend soup until pureed (I used an immersion blender but you could easily transfer vegetables into a regular blender). Bring soup back to a boil, reduce to low and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes, until a little bit thick. Add shredded chicken and serve.

 

 

Happy National Tequila Day!

I was informed late this afternoon that today is in fact National Tequila Day.

I love a good margarita, fresh squeezed lime juice and a salted rim…that’s my drink of choice.

Recently Hubby and I were having lunch at Legal C Bar and they had a special summer margarita made with a habanero pepper syrup…they told me it was spicy but I thought I’d give it a try…let me tell you, it was spicy, sweet and tangy in the most perfect way that I had to try to recreate it at home!

Spicy Rimmed Rita

1 cup diced watermelon

2 limes

2 tbsp agave syrup (or splenda)

2 shots Silver Tequila (my favorite is Milagro) - click link for recipes using tequila

1 tbsp salt

1 tsp cayenne pepper

In a blender add watermelon, blend until liquid and pour into a strainer to remove pulp. To watermelon juice add agave nectar and juice of 2 limes.

Rim each glass with salt and cayenne mixture, add ice, pour 1 shot of tequila and finish with watermelon juice. Stir and serve cold. Garnished with lime slice and watermelon. 

Back in Action!

Hello All, I am back!

I can’t believe how fast the past few months have flew by me. So much is going on in life I kind of stepped back from writing this blog, but that does not mean that I haven’t been cooking!

I was inspired today at work; we held a Nutrition Group which focused on shopping at a local Farmers Market. I printed all of the pictures that I took of my CSA fruits and vegetables from last year and my plan for the group was for everyone to share a healthy recipe that they prepare at home using a fruit or a vegetable that can be found at the Farmers Market. It went amazing; I learned so many new recipes and discovered so many different ways to use common vegetables.

My CSA is on week 8; I’ve already bulk ordered garlic and pickled some stuff!

See below for a quick update on what I’ve been up to food wise!

My First Trip To Restaurant Depot!

Watermelon and Feta Cheese Salad with fresh mint and oregano

 Strawberry Bread

 Red, White and Blue Whoopie Pies for 4th of July

 Buffalo Chicken Meat Balls

Welcome back to me. Stay tuned for lots of recipes to come!!



The Share Your Sweet Tooth, Great American Bake Sale is just 2 weeks away! My friends and I have been collaborating ideas, testing recipes, shopping and getting really excited for the event!

Hope you can make it!

Visit our Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/371099226268422/ 

Vietnamese Pho..Noodle Bowl

I have a lot of favorite foods, too many to really name. I think it would be easier for me to name the things that I don’t like. Well this past week I added another dish to my favorites list. Vietnamese Pho. Pho is the traditional name for an amazingly enormous bowl of noodle soup.

I had to attend a training last Friday and I was less than excited to find out that I couldn’t bring my own lunch because the facility had nowhere for us to eat. Anxious about finding a yummy place to chow down was on my mind all morning until we found Pho Hoa Restaurant where I order Pho Ga, which is a chicken based noodle bowl. This noodle bowl was literally the size of one of my mixing bowls and was filled with rice noodles, shredded chicken, and a delish broth. Along side my Pho Ga came pieces of basil, bean sprouts, cilantro and limes; all to add to the dish table side. YUUUMMMY! A must try!

On my way home I stopped into the Vietnamese supermarket and bought me some noodles and Pho broth spice…so stay tuned for my homemade Pho recipe in the near future.

Baking a Difference..

Did you know that 1 in 5 kids in America face hunger every day..

SAVE THE DATE

  

Please Join Team Share Your Sweet Tooth and Food Fashionista for an amazing dessert Buffet! Buy a ticket and enjoy all aspects of this event, including samples of mini desserts, cookies, cupcakes, whoopie pies, traditional pastries and more. Extra's include raffel prizes from local businesses, desserts to purchase, music and more!

Event Date: Saturday, May 19th at 5 pm
Place: Harry's Breakfast and Lunch, 1420 Centre Street, Roslindale, MA 02131
Tickets: $5 dollars per person, will be sold at the door *if you wish to purchase tickets in advance, please do so by making a donation to this page and sending an e-mail to foodfashionistamv@yahoo.com to confirm receipt and contact information.

Check out our team page! http://join.strength.org/goto/shareyoursweettooth

Catering...Featured Mini Appetizers!

Simple Pie Crust Recipe

Simple/All Purpose Pie Crust Recipe

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup cold butter, cut into cubes

1 tsp salt

6 to 8 tbsp cold water

Combine flour and salt in a food process, pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse again until butter is cut into pea sized pieces. Add water 1 tbsp at a time pulsing until mixture begins to come together. Dump dough on a floured surface, gently knead and shape the dough into the disk. (Be careful not to over knead). Use right away or save for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.

Mini Blueberry Pies

Brunch Quiche with Mushrooms and Onions

Popcorn Balls

Did you know that popcorn was a whole grain?

Just like whole wheat, quinoa, barley, brown rice and oats, popcorn is loaded with dietary fiber, has benefical antioxidants and can be eaten as part of a healthy diet!

When it comes to healthy snacks, plain popcorn is at the top of my recommendation lists. Popcorn is low in fat, crunchy and tasty and so easy to make. One cup of popcorn has only 6 grams of carbohydrates which translates to about 25 calories.

I'm not talking about microwaved popcorn here, I'm talking about good old fashioned air popped popcorn. Now usually pop my corn in a big pot on the stove top but I recently bought myself a new kitchen gadget..an air popper. You simply pour in the kernels, plug it in, wait for the popcorn to heat up, then the popped popcorn comes flying out of the machine into the bowl, all of the counter and onto the floor...I guess I needed a bigger bowl, but Basil didn't mind cleaning up.

We have been enjoying fresh popcorn as an after dinner snack for the past few days but tonight I decided to make something a little bit special, Ooie-Gooie Popcorn Balls. I simply popped the corn, melted some marshmallows, mixed them together and waaalaa!

 Ooie-Gooie Popcorn Balls

Back!

Hello All!! Long time no Blog. Things have been crazy and busy and might I admit somewhat lazy in the Food Fashionista household. It's hard to sit in front of the computer when there are so many good TV shows this time of year...the Voice, Glee, American Idol and my new fav, New Girl...that show is hilarious.

Anyways we are still eating healthy things..I promise (although right now for breakfast I am munching on left over pizza..but that's OK!) and I will be posting some pictures starting very soon!!

So whats new with me..Well Hubby and I went on a great vacation with our family in the beginning of February, I tried and LOVED Brazilian BBQ for the first time, Food Fashionista Specialty Desserts and Catering is expanding and coming along great, and I am planning a Great American Bake Sale Charity Event with my friend Megan to raise money for Share our Strength (details to come).

Hope all is well with you. Hang tight for my Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipes!

Valentine's Day

Valentine's day...traditionally a day on which people in love celebrate and express their love for one another. This year send your sweetheart a sweet treat from Food Fashionista! We offer an assortment of decorated cookies, specialty cookies, homemade candies, cupcakes, pastries and more!

Check out my facebook page for more pictures! http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Food-Fashionista/252727471457348?bookmark_t=page

Easy Homemade Frozen Yogurt

Some friends and I recently took a trip to the mall to do some shopping for our upcoming trip (9 days away..woohoo!). Smuthered with the smell of mall Chinese food, Annie's pretzels and fresh baked pizza we decided that we needed a little snack.  Doing our best to stay within our healthy guidelines we decided to go to Red Mango for all natural frozen yogurt. This self serve frozen yogurt bar was amazing, you chose your flavor, then chose your topping, then you enjoyed. Their flavors included plain, vanilla, peach, mango and key lime. I mixed the plain and key lime and topped it with fresh blueberries, raspberries and graham cracker crumbs..delish!

I haven't been able to stop thinking about this yummy dessert so I decided to try to re-create it and I have to say..it turned out pretty darn good.

Raspberry Frozen Yogurt

1 (12 oz) bag of frozen raspberries

1 cup of plain yogurt

1/4 cup agave nectar (or honey)

1/8 cup raspberry or lemon liquor

Blend all ingredients in a food process until smooth..adding more liquid as needed.

Serve right away or transfer to a large bowl and freeze overnight for "hard ice cream" texture.

Raspberry Frozen Yogurt

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year and here's to a healthy start!

I joined a gym...over the past few weeks I have sporadically been going and sporadically making up excuses on why I can’t go. This week I decided was going to be the kick off; the week that I made a schedule and packed my clothes in the morning to bring with me to work with no excuses on why I cannot make it! The attempt was a failure as the Zumba instructor of the much needed Latin exercise class did not show up. So I went tanning instead L..Which was also much needed (he he).

When I got home the chore of making dinner approached me. A healthy and hearty Barley and Red Bean Soup will hit the spot and wash away all guilt from not working out today.

Barley and Red Bean Soup
1 tbsp olive oil

2 carrots

2 stalks celery

1 onion

½ cup frozen corn

1 tsp dried rosemary

1-cup pearl barley

1 can of red beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup crushed tomatoes

8 cups chicken stock (or beef)

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot add oil and heat on medium. Add carrots, onions and celery and sauté for 5 minutes. Add corn, rosemary and salt and pepper, stir and sauté another minute. Add tomatoes, barley and red meats, stir and sauté another minute. Add chicken stock, reduce heat and cover for 50-60 minutes or until barley is tender. Serve with a sprinkle of Romano Cheese.