Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Quinoa

Ask anyone at my office where I'm going for lunch & they'll usually say one of three places. The first would most likely be Pret A Manger.  I love Pret because they offer fresh food that's satisfying but doesn't make me feel stuffed to the brim after I eat it.  They also offer a lot of organic ingredients which is important to me.  One of my favorite go-to Pret items (besides coffee) is the quinoa pot they have available during breakfast. I could eat it at any time of day - I think it would make a great breakfast, lunch or dinner.  On that note I recreated it for brunch this past weekend.

What's your favorite versatile meal that works for breakfast, lunch or dinner?

Zucchini Noodles with Tomato, Garlic & Parmesan

I have this veggie peeler that makes me look like I have chef-like knife skills. It can be used like a regular vegetable peeler & in minutes you have finely julienned (fancy world for thinly sliced) vegetables. I use it to make zucchini noodles (read: thin strips of zucchini that look like spaghetti noodles). If you don't have this particular peeler you can use a regular peeler & call make wide noodles or call them fettuccine or pappardelle if you like - it will still make for a delicious dish.

I tossed mine with tomatoes, garlic, olive oil & parmesan cheese but they're great with pesto or even just a light drizzle of olive oil with salt & pepper. What's even better about zucchini noodles is you don't have to cook them. Nope, no cooking. 

Spicy Homemade Tomato Sauce

The other day Chris was out for dinner with the guys & I was home left to my own devices. I opened the fridge & looked long & hard for something to make for dinner for one.  As I reached for the leftovers from the night before I noticed a jar - A JAR OF SAUCE. I immediately texted Chris to ask him what this jar of sauce was doing in our house, let alone fridge. He responded that he needed it for his meatball hero he planned to eat. I let him get away with it but honestly I didn't grow up with jarred sauce & I prefer the homemade stuff. Yes that probably makes me a sauce snob - but I've been spoiled by the cooks in my Italian family - I learned by watching them (kudos to you if you remember the frying pan commercial this references).  By watching them I also learned how to make my own sauce, which is in fact super easy, inexpensive & well just delicious. So before you reach for the jarred sauce give yourself a vote of confidence, click through & make this super easy recipe.

Whipped Feta & Tomato Crostini

Tonight I am heading to wine club with some of my best girlfriends hosted by my friend Rose.  With wine you always need cheese, so I'll be bringing these whipped feta & tomato crostini. I prepared all of the components last night.  Chris taste-tested for me & confirmed that he "would order it again." So I packed everything up to-go.  I hope the girls like it.

Click through my recipe I adapted from Ina Garten's Tomato Crostini with Whipped Feta Recipe.

Mozzarella, Avocado, Tomato, Arugula & Mustard Toast

I really love toast. I think toasted bread  makes every sandwich better.  My brother is actually the one who schooled me on toasting my bread for sandwiches & layering the topping just so, so that when you cut through it there is a pretty cross section to display. This also feeds my need to make all of my food pretty. Chris will call it "fancy" but really I think it's just an  occupational hazard because I'm always picturing how it would look in (well) a picture.  I also think every meal deserves attention to how it looks, therefore breakfast, lunch & dinner may take a few minutes longer in our house.

Find out how you can start a toast addiction with this gateway version after the jump!

Tomato, Cheese & Egg Crêpe Squares

I love finding inspiration from fellow bloggers, mostly because I like to think they're just like me, a real person who probably lives, eats, dresses & sleeps in an apartment. I've had the pleasure of meeting the creative mind behind Downtown Romantic in the past through my friend Christine. Although I haven't seen Laney in quite some time I enjoy checking in on her blog & chic lifestyle every now & then. Besides her luxe taste in clothes, the girl knows how to eat & everything seems so decadent.  So this past weekend I tried my hand at the crepes recipe on her blog with my own twist with some spicy sriracha salt my sister-in-law gifted me for Christmas.

Click through for my version of Downtown Romantic's crepe squares recipe & photos of how I did it.

Mussels Marinara

When I was younger my parents used to order pizza from this place in town that had free mussels in marinara sauce on Thursday nights (or some night of the week).  I never ate them then, but boy do I love them now.

I pretty much love mussels any way you cook them, in cream sauce, in curry sauce, in marinara sauce. The options are really endless.

A handful of years ago my girlfriend, Ashley, & I were visiting her mom (Sandy McGee!!) in Houston. Sandy took us to this quaint little French restaurant that served up the absolute best mussels. Ever. I can't wait to go back there. In the mean time I'll live vicariously through Ashley who got to enjoy those heavenly mussels in the most delicious broth ever while she was home for Thanksgiving. I'm drooling just thinking about them.

In any event, I was inspired at the grocery store this weekend where I snatched up a 2lb. bag of mussels for $3.99!  I haven't yet mastered mussels in cream sauce (YET) but I've got marinara down pat (thanks to my mom!).

Click through for a quick marinara sauce you can steam your mussels in & serve over linguini or with some crusty bread. Yum!

Tomato Toasts

I served these tomato toasts up with broccoli cheddar soup for dinner.  They'd make a delicious & quick lunch or an easy appetizer.

Ingredients:

• 6 slices of hearty bread
• 1 large heirloom tomato
• olive oil for drizzling
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons fresh taragon
• salt & pepper

Make it!

1. Drizzle bread with olive oil.
2. Toast the bread under a broiler until golden brown, be careful not to burn them(!).
3. Slice the tomato into 1/4 inch slices.
4. Lay the tomato slices out on a cutting board & pour vinegar over all of the tomatoes.
5. Sprinkle each slice with salt & pepper.
6. Place the tomato slices on top of the toast.
7. Top with fresh tarragon.

Wild Mushroom Agnolotti with Tomato Sauce with Carrots & Onions

This weekend I managed to squeeze in a couple of chapters of My Berlin Kitchen.  The one thing The Wednesday Chef brought to the surface for me was how she feels when she cooks for other people.  She finds joy in making others happy with what she's prepared in the kitchen for them.  Call it an epiphany or an a-ha moment, but this hit the nail on the head for me. I guess I always knew I liked to cook & share it with others but I never verbalized that I do it because it makes me happy to see others happy because of something I cooked. Thanks for the wake up call Luisa Weiss!

And thank you my reader for joining me on this journey, I sure do enjoy your comments (hint, hint). Click through for the tomato sauce recipe  I snagged from My Berlin Kitchen that I served with Wild Mushroom Agnolotti* with Tomato Sauce with Carrots & Onions.


*Agnolotti is just like ravioli. If you want the real difference between the two check it out here.

Tomato Bites

I wanted to make these little munchies while we watched the JETS game but Chris doesn't care for olives to make these tasty apps more home team I substituted grape tomatoes for the olives.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup grated Cheddar
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 20 grape tomatoes

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and butter until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Mix in the Cheddar and Parmesan and knead lightly to combine. Form the mixture into a disk. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Unwrap the dough, take a small piece and cover a tomato, making sure the pastry surrounds the olive and there are no gaps. Flour your hands and roll the tomato-encased pastry into a ball; put it on an ungreased baking sheet. Repeat the process with the remaining pastry and olives. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. (Can be made a day ahead and held in the refrigerator.)
3. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Put the baking sheets on the middle shelf of the oven and bake until the pastries are light golden, about 10 minutes. Remove the bites from the oven and arrange on a serving platter.

Fresh Guacamole

Everything I learned about guacamole roots back to Trader Joe's & table side restaurant guac prep.  Trader Joe's sells a great little kit with everything you need to make your very own fresh guacamole at home.  After you've used that kit enough you don't even need a recipe & you're able to fly on your own at other grocery stores to buy the ingredients for fresh guacamole all by yourself.

The one & only ingredient that can really make or break your guac is (clearly) the avocados.  Avocados need to be firm yet impressionable (so when you press your thumb into the side of it it should have a little give -not be rock hard or super mushy but just right).  So if your avocados are too hard no amount of mashing is going to make a great guacamole, post pone it or go on a hunt for some more avocados & in the mean time leave your avocados to ripen in a brown paper bag. If they're the other end of the spectrum & are super mushy use them fast before they brown.

Ingredients:

• 1 large (or 2 small) avocado(s)
• 1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 shallot (chopped)
• 1 jalapeno pepper (ribs & seeds removed, chopped finely)
• 1 lime (zest & juice)
• 2 tomatoes (or 1 large) (seeded & chopped)
• salt & pepper
• red pepper flakes (optional)

Make it!

1. Cut the avocado(s) in half & scoop out the yummy goodness, discard the seed & shell/skin.
2. Mash avocado, garlic, shallot, jalepeno, lime zest & juice together (use whatever works for you, I used a fork, but a spoon for muddler will work too).
3. Stir in the tomatoes.
4. Season with salt, pepper & red pepper flakes.
5. Eat this with everything & on anything. Store in an airtight container (if there is any left).

Tangy Hot Chickpea Salad

Change up your salad routine with this hearty chickpea salad that's equal parts refreshing, healthy & hot! Simply combine all the ingredients in a large serving bowl.

Make it!
Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.  Toss it all together. This salad is great served right away & only gets better the longer it sits in the dressing & chills in the fridge. 

Ingredients:

• 2-8oz cans of chickpeas (rinse & drain)
• 1 jalapeno pepper (seed & dice)
• 1 cup baby spinach (chiffonade)
• 1 cup arugula (rough chop)
• 2 tomatoes (seed & chop)

Dressing:

• 1 tablespoon agave (or honey)
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 limes (juice & zest)
• 1 tablespoon hot pepper flakes

Crab Stacks

Inspired by the tasty crab stack we enjoyed in San Francisco I attempted my own version. I'd say it was a success! Oh and I should mention there's no cooking involved in this one either (just chopping and smooshing)! 

I got a little photo happy, so make sure to check out the photos & my recipe after the jump!