This is my Hungry Face

Moving to WordPress

2010-08-19T08:35:00.001-07:00

I've decided to continue/restart? my blog over at Wordpress... so come check me out at www.thisismyhungryface.wordpress.com!

Thanks :)

Four Ingredient Fix: Chicken Apple Sausages

2010-05-22T16:29:00.000-07:00

In college, the weekend begins on Thursday evening, regardless of what is happening during the day on Friday. I'm reminded of this fact almost every Friday morning at my office, when the student employees stumble in wearing sweatpants and t-shirts, and spend a majority of their morning monitoring when the Friday morning bagels will arrive in the break room. Even though it hasn't been that long since I was in my undergrad career, my Thursday night celebration used to go a little differently.

A friend and I had a standing date on Thursday evenings so that we could catch up with each other, get our grocery shopping done for the week and watch our favorite NBC shows. We'd shop at the grocery store, head back to my apartment, and then one of us would be in charge of making dinner. We attempted to be both health conscious and mindful of the other ones likes and dislikes. While she made me so many things that I enjoyed, the following recipe has become a tried and true meal in my arsenal. It fits the requirements I have for a weekday dinner: fast, inexpensive and delicious.

Apple Chicken Sausage and Onions

You only need 4 ingredients for this recipe:
*Apple Chicken Sausages (4, sliced on a bias into several strips each)
*Onion (1-2 small, chopped)
*Soy Sesame and Ginger Dressing (I use Trader Joe's brand, but I've also seen different brands of it at my local grocery store)
*Whole Wheat Pasta, cooked and drained (or really any pasta you like)

Cook the onions over medium heat in a pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. As they start to cook down, add a splash of chicken or vegetable broth if you have a container in the fridge (I always seem to), but if not you can ignore that step.

As the onions continue to cook down, reduce the heat and add about 1/4 cup of the dressing. Once the onions have absorbed some of the dressing and it has reduced down into a syrupy consistency, remove the onions from the pan and set aside.

Bring the heat up again and, in the same pan that you cooked the onions in, spray with a little more cooking spray; add the sausage. Let them sear on the outside.

Once the outsides have seared, reduce the heat. Add in your onions and more dressing. *There is no specific measurement for this, so I'll just say: add until it looks right!

Let the onions and sausages cook together until the sausages are heated through. Serve over whole wheat pasta.

I usually just add a vegetable to serve alongside this dinner and I'm finished! The whole process takes less than 30 minutes and is perfect for nights where I'm hungry and cranky (read: pretty much every night after work). I love the way that the onions get soft, but the sausage remains firm and the casing crisps up. The contrast between those textures is so satisfying. With the dressing going from liquid to syrup, it becomes sweeter and provides the perfect background for the other ingredients. Plus, serving it over whole wheat pasta gives the marinade somewhere to go without it going to waste at the bottom of your bowl.

See, there are plenty of things to learn in college outside of the classroom; I guarantee when you try this recipe you'll believe me!

Have you tried chicken sausages? What is your favorite flavor?
*Along with the Apple Chicken Sausages, I'm also a huge fan of the Portabella Mushroom flavor. They are really hearty and have a distinct flavor.

Dinner for One

2010-05-12T15:54:00.000-07:00

Most nights, I enjoy cooking. I love the sound of knives chopping against a cutting board and of vegetables slowly simmering in a pan. I relish the time in the kitchen preparing dinner; it relaxes me.

Tonight was not one of those nights.

After a long day at the 9-5 and a workout, I was hungry with a capital H and wanted something quick and satisfying. While the boy sat through an evening work meeting, I was left to fend for myself. Although I've been blessed with the least picky eater in the world to feed on a nightly basis, there are certain meals that I save for nights when I only have to please my taste buds.

Tonight was one of those nights.

This meal was inspired by a recipe for Spicy Black Beans and Zucchini from Green Lite Bites. I've made this recipe dozens of times, but each time I make it, I do it a little differently depending on what I have on hand. Some nights I make the recipe pretty mild, and some nights I make it spicy.

Tonight was one of those nights.

I bulked up the recipe with an extra zucchini and onion. I added extra spices for kick, a 1/2 can of diced tomatoes with green chilies, and a few additional spoonfuls of salsa. This batch made about 3 cups of the mixture.

One cup was served over brown rice for dinner, one cup will be eaten with more rice tomorrow for lunch, and the last mixture has a fate yet to be determined. The longest part of dinner was waiting for the rice to cook. I love this recipe because it is versatile, inexpensive, and tasty. From this one recipe with minimal ingredients, I'm getting three different meals.

While I've discovered a lot of resources online for healthy recipes, Green Lite Bites was my first "find" for delicious and healthy recipes. It continues to be a valuable resource and cooking inspiration for me.

What are some of your favorite healthy recipe websites?

Planning

2010-05-06T16:26:00.000-07:00

I've been planning to start this blog for months, really I have. The problem became that I pressured myself into making it a perfect product from the start and I kept putting it off. But I decided to stop wasting time and just start and see what happens.

I'm planning to go home this weekend to celebrate my best friend's 25th birthday, my other best friend's first home with a housewarming party and my mom by taking her out to dinner for mother's day. It is going to be a busy weekend but a fun one. This weekend will be a true test in keeping a healthy balance regardless of all of the temptations and celebrations.

I've got some interesting posts planned, so check back soon.