October 12th, 2009
Well I hate to say it but fall is officially here, and we better make the most of it by taking advantage of the season’s delicious root vegetables. Although this one came from a box, so does that really count as seasonal? At least it tastes like fall…
We picked up a box of pumpkin spice pancake mix from Trader Joe’s a little while ago, and have been waiting for an excuse to cook them. So while I was waiting for Kate to wake up the other day, I whipped up a batch of these pumpkin pancakes for us.
First off I was a bit dismayed that I actually had to venture out of my apartment and get milk to make them. I’ve been spoiled by Snoqualmie Falls Lodge pancake mix, which is very yummy and only needs water.
But these pancakes turned out to … Read more…
Tags: breakfast, butter, eggs, fall, milk, pumpkin, sweet, syrup, Trader Joes
Posted in Fall favorites
October 7th, 2009
Quinoa is an amazing grain-like protein source that we have been using in our cooking very regularly. The best part about quinoa is that it’s a complete protein, meaning that it has all the essential amino acids, or in layman’s terms it fills you up super nice. Since quinoa is such a good protein source and much lighter than soy products, we have been using it extensively to “beef up” our veggie dishes (forgive the pun…). So believe the hype: quinoa dishes are great for staying healthy and with all that protein quinoa helps reduce your portions, which is a problem all passionate foodies face…
A super awesome quinoa bowl (recipe)
Serves 4
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 large green pepper, chopped
- 1 small to medium red/yellow pepper, chopped (optional)
- Half a carton of cherry tomatoes, halved (about a cup)
- One medium sized sweet onion, diced (preferably Walla walla, yum 🙂 )
- 1 can of black beans,
… Read more…
Tags: avocado, black beans, bowls, cherry tomatoes, green peppers, healthy, lime juice, protein, quinoa, sweet onions, vegan, vegetarian, yellow peppers
Posted in Recipes
October 7th, 2009
When at a friend’s the other night we were pleasantly surprised by this prosecco. For those who don’t know, prosecco is a generally sweet and slightly sparkling white wine which originated in Italy. This particular bottle was only slightly sweet with a subtle dry after-taste, without the syrupy sensation some sparkling whites (and especially prosecco) can have. It was also exciting to learn it came from Trader Joes for a low price. A good find!
Tags: prosecco, sparkling, Trader Joes, white wine
Posted in Wine
September 28th, 2009
Today at Fred Meyer they had a sale on organic green peppers: $1.49 each. That’s right—not per pound but each.
There were three enormous and perfect-looking ones so we bought them all, it’s like a week’s worth of veggies for $4.50.
If you want to know more about Fred Meyer’s sales, you can follow them on Twitter (Yep, a twitter for the Hawthorne Fred Meyer – isn’t that silly?).
Tags: Fred Meyer, green peppers, groceries, in season, organic, vegetables
Posted in Produce
September 28th, 2009
This veggie chili is one of the easiest and most versatile recipes we know, so we make it often. There are a few base ingredients that you’ll always want to include which we always keep on hand, and then you can add lots of other items to suit your taste.
This particular batch of chili was really made fantastic by the harvest of green peppers grown in my mom’s garden (thanks mom!).
Base ingredients:
- 1 can (14 oz) black beans
- 1 can (14 oz) red kidney beans
- 1 can (14 oz) pinto beans
- 1 can (14 oz) stewed tomatoes
- 1 small can (4 oz) green chillies
- 1 medium onion (any yellow or white kind will do, sweet ones are especially good in this recipe), diced and fried
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
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Tags: black beans, chili, chili powder, green chillies, green peppers, jalapenos, kidney beans, pinto beans, stewed tomatoes, sweet onions, vegetarian
Posted in Recipes
September 13th, 2009
I found this recipe just over a week ago after getting an anaheim pepper and some tomatoes from a co-worker’s garden, and since then we have already made it three times. We’ve brought it to two potlucks and everyone agrees, it’s amazing.
I made a few changes to the original recipe I was working from—I prefer to skip the blender and chop everything to keep the salsa chunky (unless I’m in a rush) and I added some fresh yellow cherry tomatoes for color and extra flavor. I’ve also tried it with green pepper and sweet peppers, both of which worked well. Read more…
Tags: anaheim peppers, appetizers, avocado, cilantro, guacamole, jalapenos, lime juice, Mexican, pot luck, salsa, tomato
Posted in Recipes
September 12th, 2009
In Portland, it seems there’s always a rush for breakfast – even at the mediocre spots. So if it’s after 10 and we want breakfast, we’ve been getting in the habit of making it ourselves.
Egg sandwiches are a delicious way to whip up a quick breakfast, and can usually be made with what you have on hand. Best of all, they really cut through a hangover ;).
Egg sandwiches with Avocado
15 minutes start to finish – Serves 2
- 4 eggs
- 4 pieces of bread
- 2 pieces swiss cheese
- Half an avocado
- Seasoning to taste
Read more…
Tags: 15 minute, avocado, bread, breakfast, eggs, quick recipes, sandwiches, swiss cheese
Posted in Recipes