Fajita Tacos

Boring week at work? Too broke to go out? Not to worry! Here is a cheap meal that will spice up any evening and keep a few dollars in your pocket. I used the leftover ingredients on tortilla chips the next night with some leftover spinach I had from the previous night's meal.

Fajita Tacos
1 Red bell pepper
1 Green bell pepper
1 Can Annie's Black Bean Chili
1 Avocado
EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
Cheese- goat or Mexican mix shredded
Sour cream or plain yogurt (optional)
GF Salsa (optional)
Corn Tortillas

1. Heat EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and saute them until they are soft, about 8 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat the can of chili in a small saucepan. Slice the avocado. Heat the corn tortillas on a separate skillet. This will allow them to be pliable.

3. When the peppers are done, start assembling the fajita tacos. Enjoy!

Baraonda

I bought my father two tickets for the King Tut exhibit at the Atlanta Civic Center as a birthday present. We made it a Koranda Family affair, and Aunt Lee, Nick, and I all went with Dad and his girlfriend. We spent a few hours gawking at the marvels of Egyptian artifacts, then planned on getting "treats" somewhere afterwards. In the end, my aunt and I lobbied for Baraonda, an Italian restaurant near the Fox Theatre. I've been wanting to try out Baraonda for a long time, despite it being Italian.

The decor and service were all I'd hoped for. Doors open with the warmth of spring, stucco walls, Italian wine posters, rustic wooden tables, everything just as I imagined. Our waiter was accomodating to my father and I's GF needs, my aunt's garlic-free needs, and my Dad's girlfriend's need for fish. We started with an antipasto plate of fresh meats, olives, and greens. Next, Nick and I tried the gorgonzola salad. Divine. In the end, four of us ordered the organge ruffy special, and Nick got a cheese pizza. Usually I am not a lover of steak-like fish, but this ruffy was amazingly good. The was laid upon a bed of spinach and topped with a tomato vegetable mixture. I enjoyed my experience so much, I would love to go back again. Maybe next time I'll go for appetizers and wine.

Eye Surgery

Over a month ago, I signed myself up a Friday morning SBK procedure (like LASIK) with Dr. Woolfson (http://www.woolfsoneye.com/). So on Thursday, the barkers and I packed up my Fit and headed for my boyfriend's house to camp out for my long weekend of vision correction surgery. My boyfriend happens to live 5 minutes from Dr. Woolfson's office headquarters, and volunteered to be "my person" for the surgery.

To say thank you, I cooked Nick dinner on Thursday night- his favorite "comfort" food of pork chops, rice, and applesauce. I warmed up Imagine brand's creamy broccoli soup on the stove for the "veggie" portion of the meal, adding fresh broccoli florets for an added veggie bonus. If you haven't tried Imagine's soups (http://www.imaginefoods.com/), you should. They are quite tasty, especially for work-week meals and good food in a pinch.

Friday we spent most of the day at Dr. Woolfson's. Since my eyes are so small, Dr. Woolfson had trouble getting the little suction cups placed over my eyes. After 3 tries, lots of deep breathing, and Nick holding my hand, we got the suction cups placed, and eyes lazered. Dr. Woolfson is a great surgeon with a comforting bedside manner, making the discomforts of surgery bareable. After the post-op proceedings, Nick and I went home. Following my post-op instructions, I took my happy sleepy pills, ate some lunch, taped on my eye protectors, and was happily off to sleep.

Nick cooked us a late dinner, since we ate a very late lunch. He woke me up to a delicious surf and turf- flank steak cooked in malbec with peppers and onions with a side of shrimp. I have no idea how exactly he went about cooking it, but I hope he remembers and cooks it again. I enjoyed every bite of my dinner in bed before drifting back off to never-neverland.

When I woke up on Saturday, my eyes were quite puffy. I have red spots on the whites of my eyes (bruising) from the suction pressure, reminiscent of vampire eyes. Over the weekend, I had an hourly drop schedule. Now it's tapering down. Today is my first day sans protective eyewear. I see halos around traffic lights at night and have a little dry eye, side effects which may subside over the next few weeks as my eyes heal. Seeing 20/20 definitely makes up for the weekend of eye drops and sleep. I donated my 3 sets of frames on my way out the door of Dr. Woolfson's (post-24-hour follow-up), and tossed that last set of contacts this morning. I am thrilled that I won't have to look back on planning life around being able to see.

Food seduction? Possibly.

More funny videos like the "Chicken Tetrazzini" at Heavy.com

Hummus Egg-Salad Sandwich

We have plants to meet friends at one of the picnic areas of Stone Mountain, hike up the mountain side, grill out, and watch the laser show. I’m freshly home from yoga, running around and tidying up my loft before friends meet here when it dawns on me that I should eat lunch. I open my refrigerator and realize I only bought food to grill out. I pull out the mostly-eaten jar of hummus, the carton of eggs, basil, lettuce, and my beloved mayonnaise. Things remaining in my refrigerator: PB&J, soda, OJ, grapefruit juice, dill, and parsley. I boil 3 eggs- 2 for now and one for later for egg salad and run off to clean the bathroom. I feel inventive.

Hummus Egg-Salad Sandwich
Serves 1, with a few extra bites.

2 hard boiled eggs
1 tablespoon hummus (I used Athenos garlic hummus)
1 teaspoon mayonnaise
1 lettuce leaf
Basil leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
1-2 pieces of GF bread (depending on your preference for open-faced or closed sandwiches)

Peel the shell off the egg. Fillet your egg into salad-sized pieces. Add hummus and mayonnaise, salt, and pepper. Mix it up. Place lettuce and basil leaves on base of sandwich bread. Add egg salad. Enjoy!

Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta

Everyone has a few odd things that they do. My dad is full of little things that make him, well, Dad. He has predictable slapstick-like one liners that go hand in hand with specific situation. Dad has little Buddha-isms. For instance, when my college-age nephew got a facial piercing, he told me first and swore me to secrecy so he shock the family members one by one. When my father saw the piercing, I asked him what he thought. His response went something like this: "In this life, we all have different paths to walk. Mine may be difference from his. If this piercing is part of walking his path, than that is okay with me."

For some reason, Dad subscribed to tons of magazines. He started getting women's fitness magazines, men's fitness magazines, gossip magazines, national geographic magazines, music magazines, Buddhist magazines, and on and on and on. I am gifted the cast-offs and the magazines Dad has read. I started to thin out my stash, plucking the recipe sections out of the fitness magazines. I was also hoping to aquire something seafood-related for the last few weeks of Lent. Amoungst other things, I aquired a few shrimp recipes. I chose this one for Friday's dinner.

This Friday is the last Friday in Lent. Why not enjoy this delicious shrimp dish? Found in January's Fitness magazine, it claims shrimp to be "incredibly low in fat and rich in protein and important minerals like zine, which helps support a healthy immune system. " They recommend serving it with rice or orzo. Why not over rice pasta elbows?


Baked Shrimp With Tomatoes and Feta Makes: 4 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 14.5-ounce cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1/4 cup finely minced flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh dill
1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic; cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and let sauce simmer for about 5 minutes, until tomato juices thicken. Remove skillet from burner. Stir in parsley, dill and shrimp, and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle feta over the top. Place skillet in oven; bake until shrimp are cooked through and cheese has melted, about 12 minutes.

* Nutrition facts per serving: 295 calories, 34 g protein, 12 g carbohydrate, 11 g fat (4 g saturated), 2 g fiber

Midnight Snack

I've never been a before bed snacker, a midnight snacker, a dreamwalking snacker. Last night, I woke up to the sound of my stomach grumbling. In my fog, I remembered I had salami and mayo and bread. Nothing could have been more satisfying. than an open-faced salami sandwich. This mayo that I've been using by Gefen is so light and fluffy, I could eat it out of the jar. (No joke!) And it's Kosher, ready for Passover.

Season's 52

Nick's birthday brought us to Season's 52. We'd been talking about "checking it out" for months, and finally had a reason to go. We visited on a dreary Friday; I found the woods and warm lighting to be warm and soothing. We had a table for 12 in the center of the restaurant, giving me a good view to visually eavesdrop on the other restaurant-goers. We had two doting waitresses to serve our party. I listened passively as one waitress explained how flatbread is Season's 52 a house specialty, and perked up when they mentioned that each dish has less than 475 calories.

While I perused the menu, I enjoyed the Escape Sweet Shiraz. This wine is like no other I have tried before- the sweet shiraz was the perfect blend of candy-fruit and rich red. Since it was a Lenten Friday, I headed for the fish portion of the menu. (Then, distracted by the wine's goodness, the words of a close friend came to mind: "I could get into some trouble with that." Focus.) I decided on the grilled boneless rainbow trout. The fish was tender and moist, and the potatoes and asparagus on the side complemented the fish well. I was very happy. Once we finished, Nick blew out a candle on his shot glass desert. We each tried one of the desert glasses Season's 52 offers. The only GF desert was a fresh fruit cup. Each of the shot glasses is just the perfect "sugar fix" after a good meal.

My only complaint was the service at the end of our experience. Once the table was cleared, we waited about 25 minutes for the check before 2 of the men at our table asked the hostess and waitress if we could have our check. We all waited, watching a party of prom kids larger than ours, who arrived later than us, leave. Forty-five minutes passed by before we actually received our bills. I talked to a few other foodie friends who have been to Season's 52 and have never had a problem with the service, so I will not be holding it against them. All considered, the food was fresh, healthy, and delicious- 3 reasons I will be going to Season's 52 again.