Home-Made Balti with a little help...

I have been digging deeper into the world of food sense becoming a Pescetarian. (no, it's not for humanitarian reason's, totally personal and working on going full vegan) I want to start blogging my food to help me remember and give people a place to go and see what I have been working on.

Today, I made Indian for Dinner. Balti! I feel in love with Indian food when i moved to England and decided it would be good to try making at home. So, here is what i used.


A whole medium zucchini.
Two handfuls of fine beans.
A third of yellow and red bell peppers.
A whole medium parsnip.
One can of Black Beans.
One can of Patak's Balit sauce. (one of the Helpers)
Store bought/Pre-made Nan. (the other Helper)
Extra virgin olive oil.
Sesame oil.


I cut up all the veggies into relatively small chunks and put them in a big hot pan with EVOO and sesame oil. Tossed it around a bit and added the beans. Then it sat a few minuets in between tosses. Once all the veggies were tender and beginning to brown I added the Balti sauce. Don't forget to cook your Nan according to the direction on the package.


This meal should feed four adults. I didn't time myself to see how long it took but give yourself about 45 minuets to get it done. I bought organic when I could but that isn't necessary. This is simple and can be changed up as needed. Experiment and find out what works for you. That's what i did. Good luck!

Vegetarian? Oh Look! Bacon!!!

"That's no Fun" or "That sucks".
     The common response i've got when telling my friends and family that i have decided to become a vegetarian. This has been a long and hard decision to make. Even with the mixed "Good for you"'s and "better you than me"'s I've made a firm choice and plan to stick to it.
     This has nothing to do with saving the cows or the inhuman treatment of pigs. This is me trying to be heathy. I've allergic to more things than i care to remember. All the chemical's in meat, the so called 'fillers' don't like me much or i should say, my body doesn't like them. Being sick all the time or not feeling well because of the meat i ate was starting to get old and the enjoyment of eating meat was beginning to be out weighed by the day or two of feeling icky that would follow.
     I haven't gone full vegetarian yet. I am still working on cutting dairy and eggs out of my diet. Once i find a suitable replacement for protein, something else to put in my coffee and a cheese replacement, then i will be good to go.
     I never realized that eating a bunch of raw veggies could keep me as full as it does. I find my self eating much less and i stay fuller longer. The same is not true when i saute' or roast the veggies. Mushrooms, wheat germ, bell peppers and parshnip make a great breakfast saute'. I currently scramble eggs into that a few times a week but i am cutting that down.
     I'm trying out lots of great veggie saute's for lunch and dinner that even my hubby likes! (that's saying a lot coming from a man that didn't eat veggies when we first got married) So, I'll find some super yummy Veggie Saute' and let y'all know about it and how to do it.
   

A little cookie twist

First post in my quest to have a more positive blog. I hope you enjoy!

Some thing most of my friends know about me is that I Never follow a recipe. I'm always adding or adjusting. I love to experiment with food.

Recently I made an all-time classic Quaker Oats Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. Of course I tweaked it a bit.

I followed the recipe on the bottom of the lid, but changed a few things. For starters I didn't add the Raisins... this changes the cookie altogether. I added an extra 1/2 tsp of Cinnamon. Then I chopped up an apple into little cubes 

(not looking for perfection here)

(notice my totally awesome Wolfgang Puck Knife)

;)

Fold in the apple bits and bake as normal.

It's also fun to sprinkle the top of the cookies with a little cinnamon sugar mixture right before popping those bad boys in the oven.

The finished product!

A sweet and tasty alternative to an ordinary classic and it only takes a little extra effort!