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Margaritas and Grilling

May 15, 2012 in cocktail, Food by traveleatlove | 7 comments

Summer definitely paid us a visit this past weekend, and I was lucky enough to be home in NJ with my family to enjoy it. Celebrating three moms (my own, my sister, and my sister’s mother-in-law) along with my brother-in-law’s birthday called for a great dinner, margaritas, and cake. Perfect sunny weather was an added bonus that allowed us to enjoy dinner outside.

Over Cinco de Mayo weekend, we made a quick stop at Bin Ends in Braintree and ended up buying their margarita “kit” a bottle of Reposado Tequila, 12 limes, and a bottle of agave. The recipe was included on the bag, and we discovered a new favorite, easy, at home cocktail.

My sister loves margaritas, and the weather was perfect, so I mixed up a batch of these.

2 ounces Tequila

1 ounce lime juice

1/2 ounce agave

1/2 ounce water

ice

Mix up and enjoy! My sister thought the drink was a little too strong, so she added some orange juice to hers.

Dinner was better than any restaurant. I picked up some fresh tomatoes and ended up eating them raw, topped with the sour cream/horseradish cream sauce we made for the filets. Yum.

My nephew, who is just learning to talk, kept grabbing tomatoes and saying “ball”. He’s too cute.

My brother-in-law also grilled up a ton of vegetables including red onions, yellow peppers, zucchini, and eggplant.

We also had filets and grilled scallops, corn on the cob, and baked potatoes.

It was an outdoor feast!

I love nice weather eating because it is so simple. Other than a little steak seasoning and the horseradish cream, all of the food was pretty much plain, allowing the freshness to shine through. As much as I love recipes, I find it kind of refreshing to enjoy bright colors and flavors of nature and high quality ingredients.

How have you celebrated the nicer weather (fleeting as it may be!)?

Technorati Tags: agave, family, grilling, margaritas, scallops, tequila, vegetables

Tags: agave, family, grilling, margaritas, scallops, tequila, vegetables

Peanut Tofu Quinoa

May 10, 2012 in Food, recipe by traveleatlove | 5 comments

Things are very busy around this household, and to cut back on prep time everyday, I have been trying to make extra large dinners that will last for at least two or three lunches. Plus we’re both trying to get a little more fit, so the focus has been on healthy, generally vegetarian meals with lots of protein.

Sunday night I pulled together a bunch of random ingredients to make a delicious quinoa dish with crumbled tofu and peanut sauce.

This dish was super simple and ended up being delicious. Here’s the scoop:

Ingredients

3 cups quinoa, cooked according to package instructions

1 package extra firm tofu, thoroughly drained and crumbled into small pieces

1 cup natural peanut butter

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 medium purple cabbage, chopped finely

8 large carrots, chopped finely

1 tsp red curry paste

4 tsp grated ginger

juice of one lime

While the quinoa cooked, I prepared the vegetables, chopping them to tiny bits together in my Cuisinart.

Once the carrots and cabbage were ready, I mixed them and the tofu in with the quinoa. I thinned out the peanut butter by adding some warm water and poured that in as well. I then added the coconut milk.

Once all of the vegetables, quinoa, tofu, and peanut butter were mixed, I added in the curry paste and ginger, stirred some more, and let it simmer until heated all the way through. Right before serving, I added a squeeze of lime to each bowl.

This no-fuss meal was a perfect dinner and an even better lunch with a little extra coconut milk and some leftover sweet potato added to it. The quinoa and tofu gave it a hefty protein kick, and the veggies added some extra nutrients.

It was definitely not a fancy meal, but the flavors and the little prep worked involved made it a new favorite. We’ve been making chilis, curries, and other big batches of food to get us through the week.

What are some of your favorites?

Technorati Tags: dinner, Lunch, quinoa, recipe, tofu, vegan, vegetables, Vegetarian

Tags: dinner, Lunch, quinoa, recipe, tofu, vegan, vegetables, Vegetarian

Almond Meal Pizza Crust

April 25, 2012 in Food, recipe by traveleatlove | 8 comments

I’ll be honest. It has been quite awhile since I cooked anything new or exciting. First I was away in New Jersey and then I was eating loads of pasta and other carbs plus lots of kale smoothies, prepping for the Boston Marathon. Once the marathon was over, I had almost no appetite, and when I did, I was starving and eating pretzels, chips, pudding, and other snacks or takeout.

After a week of that, I not only started to get bored with my eating, but I also realized that without the training, I need to adjust the way I eat. I am also going to be in and out of a new office for awhile, so eating real meals and planning is going to be key.

On Monday night, I decided to get back in the kitchen with a new ingredient I picked up at Trader Joe’s, Just Almond Meal. My original plan was to add it to yogurt for an extra boost of protein, and I did that for breakfast. After spending some time googling, I also decided to make a pizza crust.

Pizza crust made with almond meal is gluten free and has a nice amount of protein. Making the crust is easy, just 2 cups of almond meal, 3 eggs, a few drops of olive oil, and a pinch of salt. I added some garlic powder for seasoning, mixed it all up, and then formed it into a pizza on an oiled pizza pan.

To dry the dough out, I baked it for about 6 minutes in a 425 degree oven. The recommended temperature is 350, but I was roasting perfect Brussels sprouts at the time too.

While the dough got nice and dry for the toppings, I chopped leeks and melted them down in some nice brown butter. I also made a quick pizza sauce with canned plum tomatoes with basil, salt, and a pinch of sugar.

When the dough was dry, I topped it with the sauce, goat cheese, and leeks. I cooked it for about 15 minutes, until it was brown at the edges and the cheese was melted.

I served the pizza with roasted Brussels sprouts that had been drizzled with honey. I was trying to recreate the Russell House Tavern sprouts. Mine were good, but not that good.

The pizza? It was delicious. It definitely had a hefty crust that filled me up quickly, but I really enjoyed how buttery it was and how easy it was to make. The toppings were perfect. You can’t go wrong with leeks and goat cheese! I didn’t tell my husband about the crust until he finished and was raving about the pizza. We were both pleasantly surprised at how good this nutrient-rich option was. I’ll definitely be using almond meal to make crust and other baked goods in the future. But don’t worry, I am not going all Paleo on you, just mixing things up a bit.

Have you tried any new-to-you ingredients or cooking methods lately?

Technorati Tags: brussels sprouts, dinner, Food, leeks, pizza, vegetables, Vegetarian