Light Turkey Meatballs

Tip: if you're grossed out by digging into raw ground meat with your hands, wear latex gloves - that way it doesn't get into your fingernails.

You can eat these plain, glaze them with your favorite sauce, or toss them in some whole-wheat pasta and tomato sauce and you're good to go. I thought they were really good, and for someone who usually doesn't get enough protein, it's worth the initial prep time for a good, hearty go-to dinner.

Light Turkey Meatballs

modified from Everyday Food

makes about 35 meatballs

3 slices whole-wheat sandwich bread

1/4 cup skim milk

1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey

3 scallions, finely chopped

2 small cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp dried parsley or basil

1 large egg OR 1/4 cup egg beaters

Coarse salt and ground pepper

Place bread in food processor; pulse until fine crumbs form. In a small bowl, mix breadcrumbs with milk; set aside at least 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine turkey, scallions, garlic, parsley or basil, egg, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and breadcrumb mixture; mix gently with a fork.

With hands, form mixture into balls, each equal to a little less than 2 tablespoons; arrange in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

To freeze, transfer baking sheet to freezer. Freeze for 1 hour to set shape; transfer frozen meatballs to an airtight container or resealable plastic bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. 

Cooking options: (I prefer baking)

Cover a cookie sheet with foil, spray it with Pam, and bake meatballs in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until cooked through. 

OR

Heat a few teaspoons of olive oil in a large skillet and cook meatballs for about 5-6 minutes, until browned nicely on the outside and cooked through.  

Enjoy!

Chicken Asparagus Pasta Bake

This casserole is pretty easy to make, and you can honestly make a version of it with just about anything you have on hand. I happened to have whole-wheat spaghetti and asparagus, but I would imagine you could use almost any kind of pasta and vegetable. It's a pretty healthy recipe, and tastes great!

Chicken Asparagus Pasta Bake

1 cup pre-cooked chicken breast, chopped

12 asparagus spears, cut into 2-3 inch pieces

3-4 oz. whole-wheat spaghetti, uncooked

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced finely

1/2 cup reduced-sodium, fat-free chicken broth

1 can Healthy Request cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup cheese

Preheat oven to 350F and coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Combine onion, garlic, chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk until completely combined, then add chicken breast and asparagus spears.

Break uncooked spaghetti into 2-inch pieces and add to chicken mixture, mixing slowly to make sure all spaghetti pieces are covered so they absorb moisture.

Put mixture into prepared pan and sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese evenly over top. Cover with foil, and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes until bubbly.

Serves 4-6.

Bon appetit!

Creamy Black Bean Enchiladas

This dish is vegetarian-friendly or not (depending on the use of soy crumbles or beef), but either way I love them! If you decide to use ground beef, it will add some extra time because you'll need to cook and drain it beforehand. The soy crumbles are easier and my family actually didn't notice that it wasn't real meat - they are still delicious, despite the trepidation from meat-lovers (including myself). Add some chopped spinach at the end of cooking the mixture to make it a bit healthier - it doesn't change the taste at all, but adds some nice color.

The bit of cream cheese adds a great extra taste and texture to the mixture. I have used fat-free and regular and honestly couldn't taste the difference - I also reduced the shredded cheese to 2/3 cup, but it's up to you. The wonderful thing about recipes (with the exception of baking) is that you can play around with them and reduce what you don't like and add what you do.

Speaking of, the chili powder does give it a bit of a kick, so if you like things milder, you can reduce it and make sure to use mild salsa.

Enjoy! 

Black Bean Enchiladas

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2 enchiladas)

Cooking spray

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (12-ounce) bag frozen soy crumbles, thawed (such as Morningstar Farms) or ground beef (cook and drain beforehand)

3/4 cup bottled salsa

1/3 cup (3 ounces) block-style cream cheese, softened

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese, divided

12 (6-inch) corn or wheat tortillas

1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce

Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Stir in cumin, oregano, chili powder, garlic, beans, and soy crumbles/beef, and cook 2 minutes, stirring mixture frequently.

Stir in salsa, and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat, and add cream cheese and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, stirring until cheese melts.

Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spread 1/3 cup enchilada sauce in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spoon about 1/3 cup black bean mixture down center of each tortilla, and roll up. Arrange enchiladas, seam sides down, crosswise in dish. Pour remaining enchilada sauce evenly over enchiladas, and sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheddar. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Enjoy!

Food Fact Friday

Because I'm always coming across strange and interesting (to me) facts about food, thought I'd share some here. Since it's my blog. About food.

Fun fact for today:

1 cup of peas has more protein than a large egg.

Weird, huh?

Pork Chops with Lemon-Caper Sauce

I love this dish...capers are one of my favorite things to cook with. It's a simple recipe and hard to mess up!

Pork Chops with Lemon-Caper Sauce

modified from Cooking Light

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/8  teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs

2  tablespoons pre-shredded fresh Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick*)

Cooking spray

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3 teaspoons capers, rinsed and drained

Combine flour and salt in a shallow dish. Place breadcrumbs, cheese, and pepper in a shallow dish; place egg white in another shallow dish. Dredge pork in flour mixture, dip in egg white, and dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Coat pork with cooking spray.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan; keep warm. Add broth and remaining ingredients to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook 2 minutes or until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 2 minutes). Serve with pork.

Make sure you use a meat tenderizer to pound the pork until it is fairly thin, then you won't be as worried about it cooking through.

This doesn't make for great leftovers - it's much better right after cooked. But it is truly delicious served with some asparagus and brown rice. Enjoy!

Yoga Muffins

Ok, guys, be prepared. After making/eating these muffins, you will wonder why you ever made any other kind of muffin.

Although we live in a world of giant chocolate Costco muffins which have (don't look if you want to keep eating these without fear of imminent death) about 690 calories, a whopping 38 grams of fat, and 48 grams of sugar, we deserve better. Talk about diabetes-inducing food. Terrible. And delicious. Terribly delicious.

Luckily I found this version of muffins - perhaps not as dessert-y, but much more appropriate for a breakfast and much more filling. I actually thought they were sweet enough that I could eat them for dessert!

I'm telling you, these are amazing. And healthy. And super easy. Can't get much better than that!

 

Yoga Muffins
modified from Tasty Kitchen
makes 12 regular-size muffins, or 6 jumbo muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 heaping tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
3/4 tsp table salt
1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar
1 large egg OR 1/4 cup egg beaters
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup mashed ripe banana, about 2 small
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 12 or 6 cup muffin tin with cooking spray. 

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. In a separate large bowl, mix together brown sugar, egg, applesauce, and mashed banana.

Add flour mixture to creamed mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in blueberries.

Fill each muffin cup completely with big spoonfuls of batter. Bake for about 30 minutes. Do some yoga in the meantime, then eat one warm from the oven and smile. :)

Enjoy!

*Notes: On the Tasty Kitchen version, she suggests adding chopped apples and walnuts to the recipe, but I don't love either so I just used the blueberries. It's a pretty flexible recipe, so you can use different kinds of flours or fruit.

These also freeze really well - I usually make a dozen, then freeze half the batch and take them out one by one at night for breakfast the next morning. Delightful!

Berry Buttermilk Cake

The cake is very light and airy, and the use of berries (I would have liked fresh berries, but they weren't on sale) gives it a tangy sweetness that somehow makes things...sunny.

Berry Buttermilk Cake

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar, plus 1 Tbsp sugar, divided

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 large egg

1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
6 oz. frozen or fresh berries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in the middle. Butter and flour (or spray with Pam) a 9-inch round cake pan.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes, then beat in vanilla. Add egg and beat well.

At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined.

Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter berries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon sugar.

Bake until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm. Invert onto a plate and serve!

*tip: if you don't have buttermilk (which I never do), you can substitute it with regular milk and lemon juice, mixed in a ratio of 1 Tbsp to 1 cup of milk. Let it sit for about 5 minutes before using in recipe.

Chicken and Broccoli Pockets

If you followed my personal blog, then you might start seeing repeat posts from there. At some point I want all my recipes on here, so hopefully you don't mind. It's been a good chance for me to re-make some of my old favorites!

Chicken and Broccoli Pockets are so easy to make and look really pretty when you serve them - and they provide for endless combinations of foods. Next time I might go for spinach instead of broccoli and throw in some bell peppers, too.

These are really incredibly delicious, although they don't hold up well as leftovers unless you refrigerate the remaining crescent dough and filling separately, then stuff and bake it again each night as you want one... which actually wouldn't take that long. Try them out!

Chicken and Broccoli Pockets

1 can refrigerated crescent rolls (I use reduced-fat and they're great)
4 oz. shredded cooked chicken
1/2 cup chopped broccoli florets
2 oz. fat-free or Neufchatel cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup Healthy Request Fat-Free cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
Dash of pepper, to taste

Mix cream cheese, cream of chicken soup, chopped onion, minced garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Stir shredded chicken and broccoli into the mixture.

Separate crescent rolls into 4 rectangles. When unrolled you will be able to see 4 rectangles - pinch together the perforated line that runs diagonally down the rectangle to make sure none of the mixture oozes out.

Spoon as much chicken mixture into the center of each as you can, then close the pocket by pulling all 4 corners together at the top and pinch closed.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 4.

Enjoy!

Creamy Barley Salad with Apples

Creamy Barley Salad With Apples

Serves 2

1/4 cup pearl barley

3/4 cup water

Kosher salt and black pepper

1/4 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 stalks celery, sliced

1 small apple, thinly sliced

2 cups fresh spinach

In a medium saucepan, combine the barley, water, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the barley is tender and the water is absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain and spread on a rimmed baking sheet to cool.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, oil, lemon juice, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few dashes pepper to taste. Add the celery, apple, and cooled barley and toss to combine. Top spinach with mixture and enjoy!

I'm actually not a huge salad eater...I will usually order anything but a salad at a restaurant, and I rarely make them at home - although I will add spinach to almost anything. 

However, since I had some greek yogurt and celery to use up, I was looking through some random recipes for ideas, then threw together my own concoction that turned out to be a success.

I wish I had made this last month, when I was doing my 30 Healthiest Foods challenge, because this recipe has 4 of the foods on the list: nonfat greek yogurt, barley, extra-virgin olive oil, and spinach. It's disgustingly good for you and still delicious!

Pumpkin Cinnamon-Chip Cookies

 

Pumpkin Cinnamon-Chip Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 whole egg

½ cup sugar

¼ cup canola oil

½ cup canned pumpkin

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup cinnamon chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and butter (or spray with Pam) the paper.

Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in a medium bowl and set aside.  In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar until smooth and lightened in color, about 1 minute.  Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing.  On low speed, mix the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla until blended.  Mix in the flour mixture to incorporate it.  Mix in the chips.

Using an ice cream scoop or a 1/4-cup measuring cup, scoop mounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies at least 2 1/2-inches apart. Use a thin spatula to smooth and flatten the rounds.

Bake the cookies until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 15 minutes.  Cool them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then use a wide thin spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Dust the cooled cookies lightly with powdered sugar.  The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Makes about 12 large cookies.

I'm just going to throw this out there: I think these may be the best cookies I have ever made and/or tasted. The cinnamon chips seriously put it over the edge. Our apartment smelled so incredible Cassie and I were both on our knees the last few minutes of baking time, just looking through the oven door and inhaling the delicious aroma.

I haven't been able to find cinnamon chips here in Salt Lake, although I'd imagine they are probably available somewhere in the valley that I haven't looked yet. You can order them online, but they're pretty expensive. Tori, my delightful and genius best friend at Stanford, kindly brought me a package she found in Palo Alto - bless her, my fellow cinnamon-loving friend.

Pumpkin and cinnamon. I can't talk enough about the magic that is contained within these cookies. It's like the best of homeyness, comfort, holiday novelty, warmth, and love wrapped up into one perfect treat.

I'm not exaggerating. 

I know - it just occurred to me that I might be missing something more significant in my life if I can talk about cookies like this. 

Stromboli and Homemade Alfredo Sauce

General Conference weekend was great this year - we had a bunch of family over and it was full of good food, good company, and some wonderfully spiritual direction from our church leaders.

On Sunday between sessions I caught a "hankering" for something with homemade dough. We were just so lucky that we had a nice signed copy of the Our Best Bites cookbook full of good, doughy recipes. So I started the dough and let it rise during the second session, then cooked my little heart out so we had a gourmet dinner. The Alfredo sauce from scratch was done on a total whim. I actually used some of the new Philadelphia cooking creme that's been all the rage lately, and it was seriously delicious!

My nephew also just submitted his papers to serve a mission for the church, so in his honor (since his dad went to Italy and there are some bets going on that he might go, too) I thought it was appropriate to go Italian.

Spinach-Chicken Stromboli

modified from Our Best Bites Cookbook

Dough:

1 1/2 cups warm water (105-115 degrees F)

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp active dry or bread machine yeast

1/2 tsp salt

3 - 4 cups flour, divided

In a large bowl (or bowl of your mixer), combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes until yeast bubbles. Add salt and stir, then add 1 1/2 cups flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (between 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 cups) until dough starts to pull away from sides of bowl and barely sticks to your finger.

Spray a metal or glass bowl with cooking spray and place dough in - cover and let rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in size. 

Remove from the bowl and place on a floured surface. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, then roll dough into a rectangle about 12x15 inches. 

Filling:

2 tsp olive oil, divided

1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 cup shredded mozzarella

2 cups fresh spinach leaves

8 oz shredded, cooked chicken

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Brush 1 1/2 tsp olive oil over the surface of rolled out dough. Evenly sprinkle Italian seasoning and 2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese on top. Keeping remaining toppings one inch away from edges, evenly spread spinach, chicken, tomatoes, and mozzarella over dough.

Working from the long end of the rectangle, roll up from one end to the other and pinch seam shut. Place seam-side down on prepared baking sheet, brush remaining 1/2 tsp olive oil on top and sprinkle with remaining 1 Tbsp Parmesan. Gently cut 3 slits along top of roll. 

Bake in oven for 15-12 minutes until top is golden brown. Cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing into 1-inch slices. Serve with marinara...or homemade Alfredo sauce!

Homemade Alfredo Sauce

1/4 cup butter

4 oz Neufchatel (or 1/3 less fat) cream cheese

1 tsp garlic powder

1 cup milk (I used skim and it worked fine)

1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Sprinkle of black pepper to taste

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic powder, stirring with a wire whisk until smooth. Add milk, a bit at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in Parmesan and pepper. Cook gently until sauce reaches desired thickness and remove from heat. Sauce will thicken quickly so add more milk if too thick. Serve in a dipping dish with Stromboli slices and enjoy!

Asparagus-Gruyere Tart

One of the things I love about my roommate is that she indulges some pretty random food fantasies I have - and will often split the cost with me. What kind of crazy people buy cheese for $18.49/lb, you ask? We do! And we're NOT ASHAMED! Luckily you only need to buy a few ounces of it, and not a whole pound.

I saw this recipe on Martha Stewart years ago, but for some reason never had enough gumption to actually put the specialty cheese and puff pastry in my cart at the grocery store. Are you ever intimidated by certain things that look too fancy for you to make or buy? I am.

Well, surprise, surprise - it's as easy to throw a mini block of specialty cheese and a frozen puff pastry into the mix as it is your usual bananas and English muffins. And just as easy to make it into a fancy-schmancy tart. Especially when asparagus is in season and comes every week in your Bountiful Basket!

Asparagus-Gruyere Tart

modified from Martha Stewart.com

1 sheet frozen puff pastry

3 oz grated gruyere cheese

1 pound asparagus spears, washed and trimmed

1-2 tsp olive oil

salt and pepper

Defrost frozen pastry sheet according to package directions, and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. When thawed, place pastry sheet onto a foil-lined baking sheet prepared generously with cooking spray. 

Layer half the grated cheese onto the pastry, then place asparagus spears in a single layer over the tart shell, alternating ends and tips. Brush with oil, then sprinkle with remaining cheese and salt and pepper as desired. Bake until spears are tender and edges of shell are browned, about 20 minutes.

I used quite a bit less cheese and oil than Martha called for, and I didn't miss it. This was a super-rich and wonderfully indulgent treat. A bit high in calories, but hey, how often are you going to buy cheese that costs $18.49/lb?

Chunky Cauliflower Cheese Soup

I rarely eat cauliflower. Not because I dislike it, but rather because I have a hard time choosing it over the vibrant vegetables that just scream out "I'm good for you!" in a much more obvious way. 

But when you get two full heads in your produce basket for the week, you need to be more creative than steaming it every night. 

So, after looking at a few different recipes, I threw together a concoction that I was pretty happy with.
 

Chunky Cauliflower Cheese Soup

Servings:  4

1 tsp olive oil

½ tsp minced fresh garlic, about 2 small cloves

1/3 cup white or yellow onion, chopped

3 medium stalks celery, chopped

8-10 baby carrots, chopped

2-3 cups cauliflower florets

2 ¼ cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

¼ cup shredded cheese

1 oz fat-free or Neufchatel cream cheese  

Heat the oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, carrot, and celery. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.

Add the broth and cauliflower; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the cauliflower is very tender, about 30 minutes. You should be able to mash it slightly with your spoon. Stir in the cheeses until melted.

Remove the soup from the heat. In a food processor or blender, puree about half the mixture* until smooth, then add back to pot. Return the soup to the saucepan, reheat thoroughly, and serve! Yields 1 cup per serving.

*You can puree the whole thing if you want - I just enjoy a few chunks in my soup. Either way, it's delicious!

South African Pumpkin Fritters

Are they very pretty? Maybe not. Are they incredibly delicious? Yes. 

Really, what other criteria matters? Beauty has diminishing returns, anyway. I measured out the ingredients the night before so all I had to do was mix them together and cook in the morning - very fast and convenient, but more home-y than a pancake mix.

South African Pumpkin Fritters

modified from a Weight Watchers recipe

serves 3, two fritters per serving

1/4 cup all-purpose flour  

1 tsp baking powder  

1/4 tsp table salt, or to taste  

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon  

7.5 oz canned pumpkin  

1 large egg    

1 tsp olive oil, divided

2 tsp unpacked brown sugar  

In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

In a larger mixing bowl, combine pumpkin with egg and sugar; mix until well-combined.

In batches, add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, stirring after each addition.

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray; set over medium-low heat. Add half teaspoon oil; heat until oil shimmers and swirl around pan to coat. Drop large spoonfuls of batter (it's very thick) onto skillet to form three 3-inch fritters; cook until bubbles start to form along sides, about 2-3 minutes – it will take longer to cook through than you might think. Flip fritters and cook until lightly browned, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes more; remove fritters to a serving plate and cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining half teaspoon oil and batter. Top with a sprinkling of powdered sugar and/or maple syrup and enjoy!

This was one of the best breakfasts I've had in a long time - usually I require at least one warm item to really make it seem like a filling meal, and a plate full of steaming pumpkin fritters certainly did the trick for me!

And used up some of that huge tupperware of canned pumpkin waiting for me in the fridge.

Moving

into the official world of food blogging. I never really thought about trying to compete with those women who have enough time and resources (and mouths to feed) to really create beautiful blogs about cooking. I just enjoy it, and my blog became a natural place to document my food adventures. Even more, it's become my own personal recipe book that I refer back to when I want to find that recipe I loved for asparagus, or my favorite yoga muffins, or find out when the heck I actually used tofu in something and liked it.

And since I noticed that I had starting posting recipes almost everyday on my personal blog, I thought it might be high time to separate the two.

So this won't be Our Best Bites, The Pioneer Woman, or 101 Cookbooks. I leave the real food blogging to them - my pictures will sometimes be mediocre because I don't have special lighting in my kitchen, and I don't have a plethora of cute serving dishes or anything. I work full time and I'm in grad school. My posting might be sporadic and I certainly will not be marketing a cookbook to anyone anytime soon.

But I love it. So I'll keep doing it.

I'm just keeping it real. Follow if you like!