Throwback: My First Original Recipe

When I first moved out into my own apartment I decided to really commit to cooking my own food. For the first few months I followed many recipes very strictly, never straying from the directions. One day in the spring I decided to make my own recipe using some of my favorite ingredients. I have worked on it over the years and it really is a big hit with my family. You can add other ingredients you might like to it as well.

Also while making this dinner at my parents house after my mom's last surgery I got to use her awesome camera to get the pics. For Christmas I think Santa is going to bring Casita Cory an awesome camera like that so that the images on my blog can be more professional!!!

Three Amigos Casserole

In cooking I have found that there are three ingredients I use more than anything else: beans, corn, and onions. Expect no less in this recipe.

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper

1 tbsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 can low sodium black beans, rinsed and drained

1 ear of corn, shucked, slice kernels from the ear

2 cans of either diced tomatoes with green chilies or fire roasted

1 package of Trader Joe's frozen brown rice, or 1 bag of 10 min brown rice (in a bag)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 F.

In a large skillet add 3 tbsp olive oil and preheat to medium heat.

In another deeper skillet at 2 tbsp olive oil and preheat to medium heat.

Grease a clear baking dish with a spray oil or rub olive oil on the inside of the pan

Pat down the chicken breast with a paper towel.

Cut them into 1 inch cubes and season with salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin.

Place in the first skillet and cook, rotating occasionally until all of the pieces are cooked through.

Remove and let cool, about 10 minutes.

Cut into smaller pieces and set aside.

In the deeper skillet add the onion and green pepper and cook until they start to become tender.

Add the fresh corn kernels and cook until they become tender.

Add in the the black beans and the tomatoes.

Season with salt and pepper.

(if you want to kick it up a notch add in tsp cracked red pepper)

Lower to a simmer and cook for about 7 minutes.

Cut off the heat and mix in the chicken.

Prepare your rice...however it is you need to do it just follow the box directions. (I cheat here and use TJs frozen rice because it is so much easier)

Mix the rice into the deep skillet with all of the other ingredients then transfer to the baking dish.

Top with the cheese and bake at 425 until the cheese starts to brown and form a delicious crust.

You will love it!

Berry Delicious Smoothie

Smoothies are just plain awesome. I love having them for breakfast or after a workout. Primarily I should say that if you enjoy smoothies or think that you might enjoy smoothies you should invest in a Magic Bullet. You get about 6 individual cups that attach to the blender-piece and make it so much easier to clean. Also it is much smaller than a traditional blender. For about 50 dollars you just can't beat it.

Berry Delicious

1 scoop Aria Women's Soy/Whey Protein Powder (Trader Joe's) You can replace this with one tbsp almond or peanut butter

1 tbsp old fashioned oats

1 cup frozen berries (strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries)

1 cup rice milk (or almond or soy milk)

1 large spoonful of plain nonfat greek yogurt

Blend until smooth and enjoy :)

Grilled Pork Tenderloin and Summer Quinoa Salad

Sorry it has been so long since I have blogged. We have been running around like crazy enjoy the beautiful outdoors...waterskiing, wakeboarding, surfing and sunsoaking. I must admit it has been awesome, but I am glad to get some time this week to get back into the kitchen! Last night's dinner was super delicious and also very healthy.

I got the recipe for the Summer Quinoa Salad from a friend who found it on the NY Times online Health section. I am not a member so I can't access it anymore, but I remember it. Also I changed quite a few things in this recipe because it just so happened to be what I had around the house. I used red quinoa, persion cucumbers, lemon juice (instead of lime), cherry tomatoes and white wine vinegar because it was what I had on hand. Also for the avocados for garnish I doused them with lemon juice to keep them beautifully yellow-green longer.

Summer Quinoa Salad

1 cup red quinoa

2 cups water

1 small yellow onion, minced

2 cups cherry tomatoes, finely chopped

1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 avocado sliced (for garnish)

Cook the quinoa according to the directions: rinse and strain the quinoa until the water runs clear, add to water and bring to a boil. Lower temp to a simmer and cover. Cook until all of the water has been absorbed by the quinoa and they have broken open. Set aside and let cool.

In a small bowl whisk the lemon juice, white wine vinegar and olive oil. Set aside.

Place the diced cucumber into a colander, add salt and toss. Let sit for about 3 minutes then rinse with cold water.

Add the diced cucumber, minced onion, chopped tomatoes, and cilantro to a large bowl.

When the quinoa has cooled add it to the bowl and mix with the lemon juice dressing.

Garnish with avocado slices.

What's so great about that dish is that you can take it to an outdoor BBQ and because it has a vinaigrette style dressing you don't have to worry about it like you would a mayo based dressing. Plus SOOO much healthier for you than a pasta salad or potato salad :)

Grilled Pork Loin

Marinade:

1 cup red wine (you choose a flavor you like)

3 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 shallots, minced

salt and pepper

2 tsp Italian season mix

1 tbsp vinegar

Add the above ingredients in a gallon ziplock bag and shake until well mixed. Add in the loins and put in the fridge for about an hour.

Preheat the grill to medium heat and take out the pork loins and let them sit at room temp until the grill is ready.

Grill the pork loins for about 5 minutes on each side or until an internal temperature of about 150 to 160 F.

Remove and cover with aluminum foil and let stand for about 5 minutes.

Slice the tenderloin and serve with the Summer Quinoa Salad.

The tenderloin was perfectly tender!

I hope you enjoy!!!

Put Your Man (or Teenager) to Work in the Kitchen :)

Tuesday is a very busy day for me. I start off at 6:30 in the morning with my bootcamp class, then I pass a few hours at the pool, spend some time working on homework, catch a nap, then off to the gym to teach my step class. After that I shower quickly at the gym and head straight to church for my women's Bible study. I get home way too late in the evening to cook dinner. And let's be honest, I'm not giving up my nap time or pool time to make dinner in advance. Also Forrest and I really try to avoid buying prepared foods or anything prepackaged or over-processed. So, the wonderful husband that I have has offered to cook dinner on these hectic days...under one condition...that I make sure we have the ingredients and leave him some pretty easy to follow directions. Last week he actually picked up chicken and asparagus and grilled them and baked up some delicious sweet potatoes. He is becoming quite the sous-chef.

Anyhow this week I had an idea for a Southwest Pizza so I left him the following directions and we had a super healthy and delicious dinner...and I didn't have to make it...which sometimes is just awesome :)

Southwest Pizza

1 can black beans

1 ear of corn

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tomato, seeded and chopped

1 red onion, chopped

1 green onion, chopped

2 tsp cracked red pepper

salt and pepper

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 large whole wheat pizza crust

1 1/2 cups Lite Mexican Cheese (Trader Joe's)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Preheat grill pan to medium-high heat

Shuck the ear of corn and remove any "hairs", drizzle with olive oil and place on the grill pan, rotating until all sides are slightly charred

Remove and let cool, then cut the kernels off

Rinse the can of black beans and drain them. Gently roll them in a paper towel to make sure they are dry.

Place the whole wheat pizza crust on a pizza stone and drizzle 2 tbsp of olive on the top and spread evenly

Add salt, pepper, and cracked red pepper

Pile on the black beans, corn, green pepper, red onion, and tomato

Top with the cheese

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and browned on top (light brown...no burning here)

Remove and let cool a bit before slicing and serving.

Chop up the cilantro and top the pizza with it for extra flavor. Scallions would work well here too.

If you want to make sure your sous-chef is successful in the kitchen leave them these directions, and probably pull out all of the tools they will need. If you have time you can pre-chop the onion, green pepper, and take care of the corn earlier too. If you leave them the chopping to do....some directions like "remove the skin from the onion" might also be helpful.

This pizza was fabulous. You could serve it with guacamole, sour cream or for a healthier dish with pico de gallo (Trader Joe's has an awesome pre-made Pico that is a big hit!) We ate it straight up and loved it!

Let me know how you like it.

P.S.: This is all that remains....

Grocery must-haves

I really enjoy grocery shopping. Most women head off to their favorite retail store to grab a new bag, some stylish shades, or a sexy pair of heels. After a rough day at work you can find me wandering through the aisles at Trader Joe's. Sometimes I worry they are going to ask me to leave because I have spent around an hour and a half there on numerous occasions.

Food comforts me. I grew up in my grandmother's kitchen helping her cook my grandfather breakfast, preparing lunch, getting the supper ready, and almost every holiday and Sunday I would put in extra hours learning to cook like her. I know it may sound cliché, but ever since she passed in 2007 I cook more often because I feel connected to her when I am in the kitchen. My grandma was allergic to milk products and I think now about how I use almond milk to make so many delicious desserts and how she could have enjoyed food so much more if I had known about it then.

Anyhow back to the shopping, something about looking through foods, touching and smelling fresh produce and imagining what amazing meals the raw ingredients can turn into really inspires me. Sometimes I think I enjoy the grocery shopping almost as much as I do the actual cooking.

Today I thought I might let you in on a few things I almost always include on my weekly grocery list. Also as a side note...Forrest is a human garbage disposal, so all of the things I will list here I usually buy in doubles and sometimes triples. For example: there are 2 1/2 dozen eggs in our fridge right now...we will clear through them in approximately 6 days (and that is if I do no baking...which I cannot promise!)

I am a huge bargain shopper...so I do compare prices between stores, but some ingredients I can only find at Trader Joe's.

The Casita Cory Grocery Favorites:

cage free eggs (sometimes Organic)...like I said, when you go through 2 dozen in a matter of days organic starts to get a bit pricey so I try to alternate weeks...one week organic the next simply cage free...and check out this note on eggs

almond milk here are two articles: the first is a comparison of soy, almond and rice milks the second is about 10 Benefits of Almond Milk

almond Butter we here at Casita Cory really use both peanut butter and almond butter...so here is a comparison...I actually prefer the taste of almond butter with my mom's homemade strawberry preserves :)

almonds are you starting to notice a trend? haha Almonds are my mid morning snack and here are some of the many health benefits of adding almonds to your diet

onions I usually buy a bag of sweet red onions and a bag of yellow. Onions add so much flavor to everything and also are good for your health...read here about how

garlic again an ingredient I add to tons of dishes to add flavor and see how it works for you

spinach we add spinach to our omelets in the morning, salads or sandwiches at lunch, and often add them to pasta dishes or serve sautéed as a side for dinner...now here is what spinach can do for you...

tomatoes I always buy a few vine tomatoes and then a pint or quart of grape or other miniature tomatoes. Here are 10 Health Benefits of Tomatoes

mushrooms Throw them into an omelet, a salad or a pasta dish and find out how they are good for you here...

greek yogurt We started replacing our regular yogurt with greek yogurt just recently. Read why you might want to here...

frozen berries Forrest makes a PowerSmoothie every morning. Frozen and fresh berries work hard to fight those free radicals reducing your risk of cancer and other diseases...read here about it

frozen yogurt Forbes.com writes about how it is all the new rage in desserts...Trader Joe's has a great nonfat plain frozen yogurt...just add your favorite fresh berries and some melted dark chocolate for a delish and healthy dessert...

honey add to a hot mug of green tea or a peanut butter or almond butter sandwich...or top some of that greek yogurt with it for a snack...and while you are at it read how it's working for you!

avocados Obviously this is a guacamole staple, but slice it up into salads or on a sandwich, or take that guacamole and slap it on a turkey sandwich...and here is why the avocado is making a comeback...

Well I think that is it for now. Believe me...that's never all I buy at the grocery, but those are some of our favorite things to throw in the cart :)

Healthy Cooking that Tastes SOOO Good!

Today a Calphalon store opened in the outlets. Who is in love? This girl. My sweet friend invited me in for the friends and family sneak peak...AWESOME! I picked up a grill pan and a stock pot. Of course it's just like when I buy a new piece of clothing...I HAD to cook using at least one of them tonight. I picked up some tuna steaks at the grocery and headed home. Here is how my imagination ran with a few random ingredients I had around the house.

Here are the recipes:

Grilled Sweet Onion Vinaigrette (Bobby Flay's Grill It)

2 medium red onions, sliced into 1/4 inch slices

3 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp honey

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped

Preheat the grill (or grill skillet) to medium high heat

Brush the red onion slices with olive oil and then salt and pepper

Cook the onions for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until slightly charred

In a medium sized bowl whisk the balsamic vinegar, honey, olive oil and thyme

Once the onions are charred, set them aside to cool

Roughly chop the onions and add them to the sauce and let stand for at least 15 minutes before serving on top of the tuna steaks

Tuna Steaks

2 tuna steaks

salt and pepper

olive oil

Preheat grill (or grill skillet) to medium high heat

Brush the tuna steaks with the olive oil

Season with salt and pepper

Cook on the grill for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side until they are well browned on the top and bottom, but still pink in the middle

Tomatoes Stuffed with Spinach and Feta

1 bag of organic spinach

2 shallots, chopped

1 clove organic garlic, chopped

2 tbsp organic olive oil

1/4 cup organic low sodium chicken stock

salt and pepper

1/8 cup of Feta cheese

2 tomatoes

Preheat a large skillet to medium heat

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Add the garlic and shallots and cook until tender

Add the spinach and the chicken stock and cook until the spinach is dark green and tender

Cut a small circle on the top of the tomato (where the stem attaches to it) and use a spoon to remove the seeds and insides

Layer in the feta and spinach until the tomatoes are full then top with the feta

Bake for about 12 minutes

Rosemary and Garlic Infused Organic Red Quinoa

1 cup organic red quinoa

2 cups organic low sodium chicken stock

2 sprigs rosemary

1 clove garlic chopped in half

salt and pepper

In a medium sauce pan add the quinoa, chicken stock, rosemary, garlic and salt and pepper

Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cover

Cook until there is no more liquid and the quinoa grains fall apart

I hope you enjoy this meal. It is super healthy and comes from mostly organic and locally grown ingredients (minus the tuna). Forrest and I both loved it!

Holy Guacamole!!!!

My brother-in-law, sweet man that he is, believes that his gaucamole is better than mine. Here is my recipe for guacamole...and I would wager that my experience with guacamole in Spanish-speaking countries is my automatic trump card, but we will see if this recipe out shines his.

The Best Dang Guacamole Out There

2 ripe avocados (these are the key..but them about 3 or 4 days early you want them to be slightly tender..but

not too mushy...if you are making this for other people and you cut open an avocado with brown spots...throw it out!)

2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 small white onion, chopped

1 jalapeño, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

1 lime, juiced

salt and pepper

Slice the avocados in half and pop out the seed (whack it with your knife and pull it out)

Then use a spoon or an avocado peeler to pull the meat out of the shell

Pour the lime juice over the avocado hunks

Add the onion, garlic, jalapeño, cilantro, salt and pepper

Using a knife, roughly chop the avocado hunks while mixing in the other ingredients

Add the chopped tomatoes and mix in with a spoon

Serve with tortilla chips (I really like the jalapeño scoops or the hint of lime chips)

Enjoy :)