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Sunday, September 20, 2009

Introducing…

the newest member of the Rachel ♥s Food team:

Shelby!

Scott and I decided last week that it was time to open our home to a new puppy. We found her on the website for Red Dog Farm, a rescue facility here in Greensboro. We applied Thursday, spoke to the director that night and picked her up on Saturday.

Shelby’s story is sad – she and her litter mates were found wandering near the road after their mother was hit by a car and killed. Luckily someone out there was nice enough to pick them up and take them to the adoption facility! All seven of the puppies were eventually adopted, but Shelby was returned because the owner’s older dog did not get along with her. I’m sorry the previous owner had to give her up, but happy at the same time because we got her!

So far she is adjusting well. Shelby was very shy at first but really opened up today. She is very smart – she learned how to sit very quickly and is trying hard to let us know when she wants to go outside. We’re still working on housetraining, but for the most part she has it.

And of course, since this is a food blog after all, Shelby enjoys Purina One Puppy and an occasional Milkbone or Snausage.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

CEiMB: Mexican Tortilla Pizza

CEiMB


This week’s CEiMB recipe was Mexican Tortilla Pizzas, hosted by Joanne of Apple Crumbles (who has a beautiful new site, check it out!).

I wasn’t sure how this one would go over with Scott, who cringes when he hears the words Mexican or beans. However, he eats at Taco Bell like it’s his job. He’s weird.

After I read the recipe, though, I realized how similar the toppings are to the ones I use on my fish tacos. For the first time, I decided to modify the weekly CEiMB recipe completely in order to satisfy both myself and Scott. Instead of baking them as pizzas in the oven, I turned them into soft tacos and added some grilled tilapia for extra protein.

I made the bean dip with only two modifications (left out the cumin and mashed it with a potato masher instead of using the food processor). I grilled the tilapia with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and chopped the toppings. It was very easy and very good!

Bean dip:

The toppings (onion, tomato, red cabbage, and cilantro):


My favorite tortillas:




Even though I have tried them several times, I just do not like corn tortillas. I think they have a raw flavor or something – I can’t pinpoint it but I just don’t enjoy them. These flour tortillas are great, however, clocking in at only 80 calories with 2 grams of fiber each. Pair that with an ingredient list with nothing suspicious, and I think they can’t be beat.

Thanks to Joanne for another great CEiMB pick!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

CEiMB: Waldorf Chicken Wraps

CEiMB

This is actually the CEiMB recipe from September 3, but as I said in my last post I got a little behind with my posting. This recipe is for Waldorf Chicken Wraps and was hosted by Jessica of Johnstone’s Vin Blanc (who is also my “neighbor” since she is another North Carolina blogger. Hi Jessica!).

I had a hard time getting together on this recipe. I had all of the ingredients on hand, I just couldn’t get motivated to actually make it. I finally finished up around 8:00 on the night of September 3, then discovered my computer would not read my camera’s memory card. I ended up going to bed frustrated because I finished the recipe just in time to post, then I couldn’t do it!

My thoughts on this recipe:

- I liked the dressing very much, although I found there was too much of it. I don’t like chicken salad that is really wet – I prefer just enough dressing to hold the other ingredients together.

- I loved the addition of grapes and apples. I always put grapes in my chicken salad but I’ve never tried other fruit before, but the apples added a very nice crunch.

- Chicken salad is not photogenic AT ALL.

- I was disappointed to find the next day that the dressing had separated and it was very difficult to mix back together.

I am not sure if I will try this exact recipe again, but I will probably continue adding extra fruit to my normal chicken salad mixture. Also, since I like only a small amount of dressing, I will keep the amount of mayonnaise the same but omit the Greek yogurt – I think the mayonnaise is such a small amount it doesn’t make the dish completely unhealthy, and it will be thick enough to hold the salad together without separating.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Update

Hi everyone, I just wanted to let you know I am still around!  It’s been awhile since I posted, but I have had some computer issues and haven’t been feeling well for several days.  Hopefully the computer will be fixed this weekend so I can put up a real post!

I did participate in CEiMB last week and made the Waldorf Chicken Wraps, and I will post about that this weekend even though it will be late.  I decided to sit out this week, however, partially due to the computer reasons but also because Scott and I ate ribs earlier in the week.  I thought having the Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches only two days later would be overkill!  I will probably make it later, though, because I have enjoyed most of the Ellie Krieger recipes so far and want to keep trying them.

On a side note, if you are looking for a new twist on chicken and rice, I recommend this recipe from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food:  Chipotle Chicken and Rice.  I made it Tuesday night and it was fabulous!

I hope everyone is doing well, and I’ll be back soon.