Sharing my knowledge!

The end of February already??? yes indeed. So far my year of RAK (random acts of kindness) is going great. It feels so good to put a smile on someones face that I think this can become a way of living. To give without expecting to get anything in return is one of the most beautiful things in life you can achieve. I can only put it out there and hope other people catch on... it is time for the world to slow down and start caring for the simple things in life.

Recently I reached out to a friend who is on a mission to complete this bucket list he made, and as a birthday gift to him I gave him 2 cooking lessons of the cuisine of his choice and we had our first one a few weeks ago. He chose Italian food, and I must say- it went pretty well. I opted for a dish that was simple to make so that not only I could teach him how to put a healthy meal together but it would show him easy simple techniques. According to him, I did just that...and he has used some of his new culinary knowledge already.

With that said, here is the recipe...

Butternut Squash and ham Pasta

What you will need:

2 C cubed butternut squash
12 Oz whole wheat pasta
1/2 C Italian flat leaf parsley
1/2 C Pecorino Romano
4 Oz smoked ham, julienned
1 C mascarpone cheese
1 C chicken broth
2 Cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp evoo
Salt & Pepper

How to make:
In a large pot, boil water. Add plenty of salt once the water boils, and add pasta. Let it cook at least 10 minutes..whole wheat pasta takes longer than regular pasta, if you do not like it al dente then let it cook a little longer. You can continue with the rest of the recipe while it boils, otherwise once it is done drain and set aside. Make sure you save about 1 cup of the pasta water.
Sautee ham with evoo until brown on medium high heat. Add garlic, sautee for about a minute, add broth and bring to a simmer. Stir in squash and allow it to soften for about 15 mins. Stir in mascarpone cheese and set on low heat. Once melted, add half of the italian parsley, stir gently and add the pasta. If it is too dry you can add a little of that pasta water that you saved. Season with salt and pepper. When you are ready to serve, add the pecorino romano and top with the rest of the parsley.

Enjoy~

On to the next month...

I have survived my first month of this year with mostly good things happening around me. I am firmly following some of my resolutions and so far all is smooth sailing. One of the biggest things I have accomplished other than dropping 10 lbs, is having been able to participate in an amazing event. Feed My Starving Children is an organization that is faithfully trying to eliminate starvation in children throughout the world. They have different locations throughout the country where people can volunteer to pack meals of dry foods and then they ship these to places like Haiti, Angola, Colombia, India etc...

  http://www.fmsc.org/ <<check them out here!

My place of employment is very involved with the organization and when they come to town they pass word to all the employees to volunteer. Well, I managed to get a group of about 15 people, from friends to co-workers and even my sister to do a shift. As a team we packed 23 boxes, as a whole we prepared meals for about 300 kids. What an AMAZING feeling!!!  Nothing is better than giving to those in need. I encourage you all to look into this organization, they just may be packing meals in your neighborhood.

Now time for some comfort food that is healthy and will be one keep around for when you are sick, or on a cold day... This is one of those that I just cannot get enough of!

My mamas lentils-

What you need:
16 Oz Dry Lentils
2-3 Medium size potatoes, peeled, cubed to about 1 inch size
3 Lb piece of pork tenderloin
1 heaping tbsp of sofrito or guizo (as mentioned in previous recipes)
1 Tbsp EVOO
Salt & Pepper
Ketchup
1 Beef Bouillon cube

How to make:
Soak the lentils in water the night before you make them in a container. The next day gently remove all the skins that are floating in the container. Slowly grab a handful of lentils and rub them with your hands to take off all (or almost all) the skins. This may take a few minutes, but trust me it is well worth it- wash them with water as you go until you see that most of them look a shade lighter. Rinse completely and place them in a pot with just enough water to cover them set on med-high heat and just when you start to see them boil add the potatoes. Allow to boil until the water has almost evaporated making sure the potatoes are soft but not falling apart.

In a separate pot cook the pork in water with salt and pepper until you can pull it apart with a fork. Set aside.

In a large pot on med-high heat, sautee the guizo with the evoo and the beef bouillon for a couple of minutes, add the pork and mix well and cook for another couple of minutes. Add this mixture to the lentils, add about 2 tbsp of ketchup and mix everything. Lower heat at this point. If the consistency is soupy, allow to simmer for a few minutes. Taste and adjust with salt, pepper and ketchup as desired. You can add a dash of powdered color if you would like.

Serve this on top of white rice.

Enjoy!

 

Hello 2013!

Ahh that time of the year yet again...Resolutions, new outlook on life. Why is it that we must wait until January to re-evaluate our lives? It is so important to do this often so that we can recharge batteries and set new goals for ourselves. Oh and apparently the world did not get the memo from the Mayans about becoming extinct so what more can we ask for???? This year I plan on doing so many amazing things, that I just may have to share them all with you guys who take the time to read this blog. I have already started on 3 of my resolutions but until they are completed they won't be disclosed so stay tuned.

All I know is that we are truly blessed to be able to be alive, and that alone calls for celebration. I urge you all to take some time to enjoy the simple things in life. Laugh often, love more, and give whenever you can. Remember that you are the only one who can make that change happen. With that in mind- here is something that happened to me a couple weeks ago that keeps me pushing myself to "pay it forward". I went to celebrate a friends birthday and had to pay for parking. I didn't take out cash because I knew the machine took credit cards...well the machine was only accepting cash, and as I struggled to get my card back from the machine a couple drove by me and gave me their ticket with almost 3 hrs of parking paid already. All he said was "have a nice day" and I smiled and told them that I would for sure "pay it forward". And so my journey began January 1st, 2013 to do one act of kindness all 356 days of the yr. Crossing my fingers that it can be accomplished.

Cheers to a new year!!

****Even if you only do one favor or one act of kindness...that is all it takes to start the pay it forward movement!!!*****



Moist Banana Nut Bread

What you will need:

1 C regular sugar
1 C dark brown sugar
2 1/4 C flour
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 Tsp salt
3/4 C vegetable oil
3 Large eggs
1 Tsp Vanilla
1 1/3 Tsp baking soda
1/4 C buttermilk or sour milk
1 C chopped pecans
5 bananas (must be black or almost black)
1 C dried cranberries

  

How to make:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If you do not have a nonstick silicone gel cake pan grease 2 loaf pans and set aside. In a small bowl dissolve the baking soda in the buttermilk and set aside. In a large bowl, mash bananas and combine with all the ingredients and add the buttermilk last. Pour into your container of choice and bake for 1-2 hrs depending on your oven or until toothpick or knife comes out almost clean.

Tips: Don't want to buy buttermilk? then make sour milk by adding 1 Tbsp of white vinegar to 1 C of milk. Also, dust the pecans and the cranberries in a little flour before adding them to the mixture so that they do not sink to the bottom while baking.

Fall has arrived?

It is a shame that here in Miami we do not get to see the seasons change...The only way we know fall has arrived is when Starbucks begins to sell pumpkin spice latte among many other scrumptious pumpkin derived heavenly concoctions. Luckily for me, I am surrounded by friends and family who appreciate all the yummy fall veggies and they do not mind when I start using them in my cooking and baking. Recently I had the pleasure of hosting a dear friends bridal shower who is slightly obsessed with all things fall/pumpkin so in her honor I made this wonderful lasagna. The original recipe came from the queen, Martha Stewart...But I added my own little spin on it and it came out super delish.

 

A girl can wish!!!

Veggie Lasagna

What you need:

1-2 C of your favorite tomato sauce
2 Tsp dried oregano
4 garlic cloves (use micro plane to turn into paste)
1 medium butternut squash and 1 medium acorn squash. Peeled, seeded, sliced about an inch thick
1 C baby portabella mushrooms
1-2 bags of spinach, trimmed and washed
1 (15oz) ricotta cheese
1 C Parmesan cheese
1 packet of Mexican blend shredded cheese
1 egg
1/4 Tsp ground or freshly grated nutmeg
9-12 no boil lasagna noodles
Salt and pepper
EVOO

How to make:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a baking sheet, toss the squash, oregano, and half the garlic with enough evoo to coat lightly. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until tender, about 20 minutes, rotating sheet half way through.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of evoo over medium high heat. Add the remaining garlic and saute lightly for about 30 seconds. Gradually add the spinach and toss until wilted, about 4-5 minutes or less. Transfer spinach to a strainer and press to release liquid. When cool, chop and season with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, half of the Parmesan, the egg, and nutmeg until smooth. Add the spinach to this bowl and set aside.

Spray square baking dish with non stick cooking spray. Spread some of the tomato sauce in the bottom of the dish, line with noodles, break if needed to cover sauce but do not overlap. Top with some of the ricotta mix, then squash, and mushrooms. Repeat in that order until veggies are done.The last layer should be noodles and tomato sauce. Top with the Mexican cheese blend and the rest of the Parmesan cheese.

Bake on a baking sheet until golden brown, 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees (time will vary with different ovens, so keep a close eye). Allow to cool 10-15 minutes before cutting.

**You can add mozzarella, more of the Mexican cheese blend, or Parmesan in between layers as well for extra cheesy goodness. Also, you can make this is with Alfredo sauce...yes it is just as good!

~Enjoy!

Dinner in a snap!

If you have ever read my posts you know that I am a firm believer that everyone we come in contact with can teach us something new. Perhaps it may seem like some people have nothing to offer but even those not so nice encounters can teach us valuable lessons in life. Just the other day I exchanged words with someone, and mind you she had never met me but the second I approached her everything she had to tell me was 100% negative and angry. To her disbelief, the following day I had to not only speak to her, but care for her for my whole shift and I was determined to kill her with kindness. Come to find out she was coping because she was concerned about the outcome of some things she had going on and she was terrified of being in the hospital. Perfect scenario to take a moment and step back and see the picture from outside the box. This is why a lot of times I tell people that we should never judge and just take nice slow deep breaths...you just never know what others are going through.

So...with that said let's talk about food!!!
What to do when you have no clue?! Doesn't that sound familiar?? That is because it happens to all of all more often than not. You are home and you there's really no dinner planned out, you haven't thought of what to make, you don't want to go out to buy anything...Well I think that the following recipe can be put together in a jiffy and you probably have everything in the pantry already. I put this together a couple of days ago when I was asked to make something but hadn't defrosted anything. To my surprise, it came out soooo good I had to share.

WARNING: this recipe does NOT have exact measurements. But that is what makes it fun. IF you are afraid to do it like this, just go easy with the condiments so that you can adjust to taste.


Kitchen sink pasta:
What you need (give or take):

1/2 C of farfalle
1/2 C bow ties
1 C of macaroni *yes I used all three, I had a little bit of each in opened boxes so I just mixed them
1 C shredded mozarella
1/2 C parmesan cheese
1 C of diced tomatoes
1/2 C ketchup
1 C Sweet corn
1/2 C whipped cream cheese
1 Tsp Cumin
1 Tsp Dry Basil
Salt & Pepper

How to make:
Boil pasta and set aside (if you want it al dente, test it at about 8-9 minutes).
In a separate pot on medium high heat, add the tomatoes, cream cheese, ketchup, cumin, salt & pepper, and corn. Mix until cheese melts and add to pasta. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine well. Taste to adjust seasoning. If it is too dry, you add more ketchup, and a little bit of milk.


~Enjoy!

Give a little..or a LOT!

You know you do something right when people ask for more. So what can you give? Here is a thought; how many times do you bump into people randomly in the street, or at work and miss a chance to smile or simply say hello? That is your opportunity to give a little ...or a lot! I have recently experienced how a "hello" can change someones life and I must say, it has made me so incredibly happy I felt the need to make this special post so that others can be inspired to do the same. This particular person told me that a short conversation made all the difference on a really bad day, and that it was exactly what he needed to realize that perhaps there are good things in the world after all.

So I put it into practice at work in the past few weeks and the reactions vary from funny, to amazing, to simple gratifying. A lady in the elevator turned and looked at me like I was crazy simply because I had said "hope you have a wonderful day". When I asked what was wrong after my comment, she said "I have not heard anyone ever tell me that since I have been coming to this hospital", I looked at her and said "Remember this day, and please pay it forward."

With that said, I am about to share my version of a broccoli salad that was shared with me. I usually do not give this recipe but I am in a giving mood...Feel free to adjust the flavors, that is the beauty of this particular salad.



What you need:
1 bag of broccoli florets- defrosted
1/2 C of dried cranberries
1/2 C of raisins
1/2 C of peanuts
1 C of shredded cheddar cheese
1 small bag of bacon bits
White vinegar, sugar and mayo- for the dressing

How to make:
Combine all the ingredients except the sauce in a large bowl. In a smaller cup, add 1/3 C of mayo, 3 Tbsp of sugar, and 3 Tbsp of vinegar. Mix well, and taste. The catch of this dressing is to have a bit of tang, and sweetness to it. It should not be too runny or thick. You can add more of any of these 3 ingredients depending on what you like. Pour over the rest of the ingredients and combine everything well. You can serve this room temp, of you can chill it for about 30 mins in the fridge.

~Enjoy!