PB&J French Toast

Friday was my boyfriend's birthday. Unfortunately, it's been raining here in the ATL since Wednesday, and today the storms are going to be particularly bad. Even though we were "tranquillo" last night, we had a great time with friends over dinner and staying in. This morning, the gloom let us sleep in a little. Now that we're up, there is only one thing to do- green tea and PB&J French Toast.

This recipe was adapted from a recipe out of the book Simple Meals: Bring Your Family Back to the Table.


PB&J French Toast

Ingredients
(to serve 2- this can be doubled)
4 slices Glutino Corn Bread
2 eggs
1 teaspoon butter
GF peanut butter
4 tablespoons GF jelly of your choosing
cinnamon, to taste
maple syrup

Instructions
1. Toast the bread in a toaster. While the toast is toasting, whisk eggs in a bowl.

2. Once toasted, cut them in half, diagonally. Spread peanut butter on 2 of the triangles, and jelly on the other two. Make mini sandwiches.

3. Heat a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add butter to the pan.

4. Dip the mini sandwiches in the egg, making sure they are evenly coated. Place in the pan, and allow them to cook for 1-2 minutes, or until they are slightly browned. Remove to a plate for serving.

5. Sprinkle with cinnamon* and drizzle with maple syrup. Enjoy!

*the alternative is to put the cinnamon in the eggs. I did not, so we could scramble the excess eggs.

Ginger Chicken Noodle Bowl

When I first was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, I had no idea how to put foods I found in my refrigerator together to make something palatable. One day I "invented" fried rice- peas, rice, leftover chicken, some odds and ends to make a sauce, and whallah! I thought it was the best thing in the world. Fried rice was easy. It was tasty. I went back to see Bernadette, my CD food guru, and handed her my food diary. Page after page she found entries with "Dinner: _____ (insert country name) fried rice." (By this point, I had "invented" Italian fried rice, South American fried rice, Caribbean fried rice, Chinese fried rice, Japanese fried rice, and Inidan fried rice. I was a genius.) While Bernadette was excited that I'd figured out how to cook something, she now spent her session explaining why diversifying your daily intake of nutrients was healthier.

Now that I'm "all grown up," sometimes I still get into a cycle of inspiration foods. The purpose of this blog is to publish simple, healthy recipes. Right now pasta is a simple, delicious food that can be served 1,000 different ways. So here's to healthy carb-containing recipes, and here's to my former love, fried rice.

Ginger Chicken Noodle Bowl*
2 Tablespoons very finely chopped scallion
1 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 teaspoons sesame oil
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 lb)
2 ounces Pad Thai-style rice noodles
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lime peel
1 tablespoon lime juice
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons peanuts, coarsely chopped

1. Heat your oven broiler while you are prepping your ingredients. Start a saucepan of boiling water for your noodles.

2. In a prep bowl, mix the scallion, ginger, garlic, 1 teaspoon of oil, and salt. Coat the chicken with the mixture, on both sides. Place the chicken on a broiler-safe pan and cook about 4-5 inches away from the heat for 12 to 15 minutes (until the chicken is cooked). When they are finished, thinly slice the chicken breasts and set aside.

3. While the chicken is cooking, cook the noodles until they are tender. Drain. Rinse with cold water. Drain again. Snip noodles into short lengths.

4. Combine the lime peel, lime juice, and remaining oil in a medium-sized bowl. Add the noodles, cilantro, and chicken. Toss together. Serve, garnishing with peanuts.
*Inspired by a recipe in Fitness Magazine

Nacho Nacho Nacho!

Some days indicate fast- but delicious- meals. Right now, I am in a place in my life where I need lots of those. Hopefully, by the end of the summer things will simmer down. Until then, here is a last-minute creation I made. It's customizable to everyone at the tables' tastes, and lots of fun.

Yumolicious Nachos 1 lb (+ or -) low-fat ground beef
1 teaspoon corriander
1 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper
1 jalepeno pepper, deseeded and minced
1 clove or garlic
1 teaspoon EVOO
salsa
shredded lettuce
diced onion
black olives, cut into fourths
package of Mexican 4 cheeses, finely shredded (it melts faster)
tortilla chips

1. Warm the EVOO in a large skillet. Add the jalepeno and garlic, cooking for about 3 minutes. Place the meat, cumin, corriander, salt, and pepper, in a large skillet and begin to brown the meat.

2. While the meat is cooking, spread the tortilla chips over a plate, and put together an assembly line for your nachos.

3. When the meat is done, pout some of it over your nachos. Add the cheese to taste. If it doesn't melt to your desired specifications, cook for about 30 seconds in the microwave. Garnish your nachos with the above "fixins" for an amaing creation.

Amanda's Farewill at Taverna Plaka

I realized Amanda was truly moving when we gave each other a final goodbye hug on Friday night. Amanda is packing up and moving back home to Toledo, OH to be closer to her family and to finish her nursing degree. Her BFF arranged a party at Taverna Plaka, a Greek restaurant complete with Ouzo and belly dancers.

Being a Friday night in Lent, Nick and I ordered a cheese and olive plate to share as an appetizer. The ample plate contained firm and slightly crumbly feta cheese surrounded by salty black olives. For dinner, I ate a salmon, served with lemon potatoes and spinach. Each sweet flavor married perfectly, and each piece was perfectly cooked. My friend Jamie and I split a bottle of Tsantali Merlot. Usually I am not big into Merlots, but this wine was light and peppery. I enjoyed every bite, each sip, and every dance by the belly dancer.

The resturant has the dimmed lights of a Greek tavern, with music getting you revved up for a dlicious meal and grea comraderie. Us girls even got to enjoy a little table dancing ourselves, but without the belly dancer accompianiment. Ompa!

Pasta Vino

I would have eaten anywhere after a grueling 2-hour shift. It just so happened that the Monday Night Dinner Crew arranged a rendezvous near my hospital of employment. Pasta Vino is tucked into the Peachtree Battle shopping center, next to the sports bar. They serve standard Italian fare- pizza, pastas, a few other dishes.

I was in the mood for chicken, and a few dishes sparked my interest. I ended up ordering chicken and broccoli because of the waiter's suggestion, but I really wanted the chicken that involved goat cheese. Instead of a side of pasta, I got more broccoli. When it was served, I got a plate of broccoli covering the chicken breast. The dish was not bad, but it was very boring. The butter-lemon sauce kept me from noticing any dryness in the chicken. I was unimpressed by the service. The rest of the crew gave it middle of the road reviews as well- very average and slightly pricey food.

Where I've Been

Once I got home from vacation, I was in a bit of a hurried fog. I have been rushing to finish a class, work has been extremely busy, and do a long list of things I swore I'd do after the New Year. And then all of a sudden it dawned on me that it's mid-March. To be honest, I haven't really been cooking anything noteworthy. There are a few things I've done:

1. Made the best GF brownies in the whole wide world of chocolate cravings from a mix made by Namaste. I am a big fan of their mixes, but this brownie mix was truly to die for- moist, chocolaty, and delicious.


2. Re-discovered the magic and convenience of sandwiches made from Boar's Head deli meats. Today my amazing sandwich creation involved:
- 2 pieces of flax seed bread, one with a "shmear" of a new delicious Kosher mayo I discovered and the other with a layer of garlic hummus.
- a layer of smoked turkey
- a thick slice of a ripe red tomato
- a side of plain potato chips

3. Last week, while it was in the 70's, I reconnected with hamburgers over the charcoal grill.

4. Re-introduced small amounts of cow-dairy cheese into my life, with success. It will be nacho night, with a side of Lactaid. We'll see how this one goes. ;)