Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

 GRILLED CHEESE & TOMATO SOUP

I thought for a long while about clever recipes to make for Valentine's Day, or typical foods we associate with love.  After sifting through recommendations for pasta, seafood, and chocolate dishes, I decided to go with a simple recipe that is a classic food pairing (and much more exciting than peas and carrots or spaghetti and meatballs).  Of course, I've added some flair to both, and kept the tomato soup as fresh and healthy as possible to counter, ya know, the cheese.

Since I wanted to be a bit playful with the grilled cheese, I attempted two variations.  The first was this smoked gouda dream, and the second was a goat cheese-based sandwich.  To my surprise, the gouda version stole the show and the goat cheese was too rich for more than a few bites.  While I was disappointed that my gouda didn't get melty (which you might argue is a key principle of grilled cheese), the end result was one of the best grilled cheeses I've ever had.  The smokiness of the gouda was important, so make sure you pick up the right cheese.

As for the tomato soup, I kept things really simple and added only a dash of cream.  A colleague of mine recently let me in on a secret for tomato soup, which is to let it simmer with a few slices of white bread, and then blend the bread into the soup as a thickener.  I wish I would have tried that!

Eggs Baked in Avocado with Pico de Gallo

EGGS BAKED IN AVOCADO 
W/ PICO DE GALLO

Upon doing some research it appears that there are quite of a few people who get upset about the idea of baking an egg inside an avocado (see The Kitchn's What's Up With Baking Eggs in Avocados? to get a sense of how many feelings are out there).  Well, I'll tell you what's up with baking eggs in avocados: it's delicious.

It is one of those Pinterest breakfast fads that I've been meaning to try out for a while since it combines my two favorite breakfast foods.  At least twice a week I'll eat an avocado for breakfast at work straight out of its shell, and you all know that if I could top it with a yet-to-be-invented egg yolk condiment, I would.  This would actually be a very good breakfast to make while you're getting ready for work, since it is highly portable once cooled (if you baked the egg to a soft boiled consistency).  You'll see that I accidentally baked the yolks past runny, but ended up glad I did since I realized this could be a good make-ahead grab-and-go snack. 

Yes, it is rich (especially if you add bacon, like so many recipes do).  But that is easily balanced out by topping the egg with a tangy/acidic accoutrement like pico de gallo.  I think smashing the egg and avocado on top of a toast or grilled flatbread also helps cut the richness, but that does defeat the mass appeal of it being a gluten free/paleo breakfast alternative.  

Certainly this is a recipe that you can make your own, but if you love eggs and avocado, you must give it a shot.

Sweet Potato and Avocado Yaki Onigiri

SWEET POTATO & AVOCADO 
YAKI ONIGIRI

Garrett and I are getting up early tomorrow to drive out to Flint, MI for Christmas, so we're going to need some good car trip snacks for the five-hour haul.  Perhaps Japanese finger foods don't immediately come to mind on this occasion (road trips or Christmas), but based on my experience they should.

Onigiri are the perfect to-go food: balls of sticky rice with a tasty filling that comes with a built in seaweed handle.  They are a staple at Japanese convenient stores and food kiosks especially for that reason.  I trained across Japan a few years ago, and always embarked with onigiri of a mysterious flavor.  Since I don't read Japanese, I experienced a wide range of fillings - from just a little teriyaki, to red bean paste, smoked salmon, and once in a while, some offensive fermented root vegetable.  But really, the star of the show with onigiri is the slightly sweet and slightly vingary sticky rice.  Most onigiri from an average market wouldn't be grilled, but yaki ("grilled") onigiri has the extra pleasure of crunchy bite leading to the warm, sticky filling.

Besides road trips or picnics, onigiri makes a great party finger food.  If you've ever been tempted to make sushi but found all the chopping and rolling a hassle, onigiri make an excellent alternative.  The onigiri pictured here would be a little big as party hors d'ouevre, but could be scaled down to your liking.  Try out different fillings (like variations of your favorite sushi rolls) for your New Year's Eve party.

Chicken Burrito Bowl

I've never posted such a blatant imitation of a recipe that is pretty widely known by food-consumers nationwide: the Chipotle Burrito Bowl.  But if we're all going to collectively admit anything as a society, it should be that Chipotle is tasty.  So, I  share with you my scientific recreation of the burrito bowl if only to be able to proclaim "NAILED IT," and then enjoy how tasty it is in the comfort of your own home.  Oh, it's probably much less doused in sodium than the restaurant version.

Chipotle and I actually have a historic relationship that dates to the fall of 2000.  So we're talking pretty early on in Chipotle expansion.  I really lucidly remember my first trip to Chiptole as a sophomore in high school (Schaumburg, IL location, if you're curious).  My friends and I sort of made going to Chipotle our thing before Chipotle was a thing.  So I'm loyal.  

How loyal?  I moved to Ann Arbor, MI for college in 2002 and immediately began emailing the Chipotle company about once a month telling them to get their stuff on campus.  REAL PEOPLE WOULD ACTUALLY EMAIL ME BACK and thank me, telling me they would be in Michigan soon.  They weren't even in the state yet.  I literally had my boyfriend at the time pick up Chipotle in Chicago en route from Madison to Ann Arbor when he would come to visit.  Put that aluminum-swaddled baby on ice.  It wasn't until I was a senior that the chain would open a location near campus, and perhaps by then I was sort of over it.

So, I guess that's sort of my confessional about Chipotle.  I rarely eat there now...but when I do I still think it's good.  And, I think you'll be impressed by how near-to-restaurant taste the recipe here achieves if you're willing to make all the individual components.  I'm sure you could cut out one of the salsas, maybe the guac, and still nail it (but I highly recommend all components).   If you really want to keep things simple, purchase the salsas and guacamole and make the rest at home.

You'll notice I do not include shredded lettuce in my bowl.  Shredded lettuce is offensive.  Also, I don't include cheese (not needed, and keeps this a healthier version). 

portobello black bean turkey burgers

PORTOBELLO BLACK BEAN TURKEY BURGERS

Today Garrett and I leave for Morocco and Portugal, which not only means the next few weeks will be a great adventure, but that I'll return and summer will be over before I know it.  The next few posts will embrace as much summer as there is left to cling to, starting with a great alternative summer burger.

But first, let me mark a milestone for this blog.  As my loyal viewers know, the catalyst for blogging started when one of my best buds, Bree, got engaged last fall.  This weekend I celebrated her wedding day, which reminded me that love and friendships are so much more important that stolen debit cards and $200 parking tickets for expired Chicago city stickers (because that happened to me this weekend, as well).  The bride and groom looked absolutely stunning and incredibly fit, and I hope a few of the recipes on the blog helped them enjoy getting so hot for the beginning of their lives together.  I have to give a little shout-out to Joanna and Chris, another bride and groom whose wedding I was lucky to attend last night.  Both weddings were not only charming, classy, and sweet, but also full of delicious food!

So, if you stuffed yourself anywhere near the extent to which I did this weekend, then here's a good burger recipe that will make you feel good without missing out on any more summer fun.  Really, its all about doing whatever personal things you usually do with your burger, and replacing the bun with some juicy grilled portobello mushrooms.  Yeah, you'll probably need a fork and a knife, but hopefully its of a plastic variety at some backyard summer BBQ.

Fish Taco Salad

FISH TACO SALAD 
W/ MANGO SALSA 

For Chicagoans emerging from an extended winter/cool spring, summer means street food and outdoor dining.  All the sidewalks are crowded as restaurants creatively squeeze a chair on every square inch of outdoor space.  Each weekend there are at least two street festivals that offers sticky and/or drippy finger foods for every palate.  Don't believe me?  Check out this Chicago Festival Guide.

Ironically, my summer of outdoor eating was kicked off in a little town east of Chicago, known as New York.  They may not have a proper hotdog, but New Yorkers know their street food.  I really wish Chicago had more of their halal carts (but not their pizza...I'll stick with deep dish, thanks).  

I was in New York for Bree's bachelorette weekend and we took full advantage of the perfect weather in order to picnic in Central Park, stop for snacks on the High Line, and do lunch at Smorgasburg across the Brooklyn Bridge.  Smorgasburg is more or less a permanent, more intimate Taste of Chicago, but with better cuisine (and an awesome carousel full of young children, their parents, and a bunch of girls having fun on a bachelorette weekend).  In fact, you can check me out at Smorgasburg on the wonderful blog written by the lovely Lydia called "Today's the Day I..." So, I highly recommend a visit if you find yourself in NYC. 

Our various NYC street eats

It worked out perfectly that I made a version of this fish taco salad last week and wanted to improve it for a post, since it goes nicely with the street food theme.  Basically imagine all the traditional condiments on a tilapia fish taco, but without the tortilla and some mango salsa for kicks.   It got two thumbs up from Bree's financé, Brad, who didn't eat seafood until he tried the cilantro ginger shrimp I made last week!  It may seem like lots of ingredients, but it actually comes together pretty quickly once everything is chopped.  Overall, its a really great healthy but hearty summer salad that you should go make as soon as is humanly possible.

Gazpacho

GAZPACHO 
W/ GINGER-CILANTRO 
GRILLED SHRIMP
 

After months of anticipation and teasingly warm weather that seemed to come and go throughout May, summer is finally here.  Its finals week at school, and as academics wind down preparing for travel winds up.  Perhaps best of all, anticipating the change of pace has helped me find the motivation to get my mind and body back in shape.  With a new pair of running shoes, I'm back to running about 16 miles a week.  Since the relationship between my consistency working out and consistency eating healthy is basically a direct correlation, I'm also back to doing really healthy things in the kitchen.  I don't think it could get much more clean and raw as this gazpacho.  Unless you just ate a pile of vegetables.

This was my first time making gazpacho and I was sort of shocked by how easy it is to make.  For something so delicious to be so healthy and speedy, its a wonder we don't eat it more often.  I found lots of fancy recipes for strawberry or mango gazpacho, and I suppose you could really do a twist on gazpacho with any of the salsa fads going on these days.  You could also roast your vegetables first or strain the soup for a more refined taste, but I think that's really unnecessary.  Plus, this would be perfect to make in large batches and ahead of time for summer entertaining.  All in all, its basically a perfect food.  

Oh, and the grilled shrimp!  That was a nice, complimentary addition to the summer latin flavor spectrum.  Sorry vegetarians/vegans, you can just ignore that part and stick to the gazpacho.

Chicken Fajita Salad

CHICKEN FAJITA 

SALAD

Well, folks, it is time for a check up.  I visited my favorite health consultant (myself) in her office (my head) recently, and the diagnosis wasn't good.  Since I set a weight-loss goal of ten pounds back in March, I've done nothing but eat donuts.  Or, at least that's how my body feels.   And really, its not that much of an exaggeration.  Worse than the uncomfortable feeling of wearing slightly-too-tight pants all the time is the psychological trauma of watching myself slowly loose control and motivation when it comes to my health.  I think I need an intervention.

Let me back up, because this isn't really about  weight.  About two years ago I did work my tail off to lose lots of weight, but I sort of found a new identity in health and running along the way.  No doubt, I became addicted to running.  If you have a truly addictive personality, like me, you know what it means to become dependent on the high of any activity as a way of coping and feeling in control.  Luckily, I've always taken to sort of ridiculous and "healthy" addictions - studying, pottery, or in this case, running - which have paid off greatly in full-ride scholarships to fancy schools, lots and lots of glazed mugs taking over my apartment (please, take them for free), and a big drop in my cholesterol score.  Yessss.

But an addiction is an addiction, nonetheless.  Anyone with an addictive personality can tell you that these addictions are an all or nothing deal.   You go from one addiction (or "hobby," as I like to call them) to the next, each one all-consuming, and you try to avoid the really terrible ones (i.e. drugs or cat collecting). 

I suppose in the pendulum swing between all or nothing, I wound up with nothing.  So, I'm taking matters into my own hands by 1) going to the doctor (the real one) to find out what's wrong with my hip so I can start running again instead of looking at cat memes on BuzzFeed (too close to cat collecting for comfort), and 2) eating more salad until I can start burning more calories.  Take this Chicken Fajita Salad, for example.  It's super healthy and tastes good.

avocado egg salad

Last week I took a very alternative approach to egg salad with the Chickpea & Tofu Salad recipe.  It was good, and for vegans I confirm that tofu can definitely substitute for the texture of egg (and ricotta for lighter Italian dishes).  But, it is a substitute, nonetheless.  I don't eat eggs very often because I'm prone to high cholesterol.  This is a real shame because I absolutely love runny egg yolk.  One of my favorite childhood meals was when mom made "dip in toast" (or maybe, "dippin' toast," or just "dippintoast') which was a soft boiled egg perched in a little stand with the top knocked off so we could dip strips of toast in the yolk.  I also love runny eggs on sandwiches, burgers, and well...anything.  In fact, many friends can attest to my entrepreneurial dream to stabilize and bottle runny egg yolk to be sold as a squeezable condiment.  Liquid gold.  

Well, there's absolutely no runny egg yolk in this recipe so let's get back to business.  This recipe is yet another alternative to a traditional egg salad made with mayo and celery.  Instead, it uses avocado, fennel, radish, and chives.  It is creamy and rich, but the fennel and radish offer a slightly bitter, crunchy contrast.  I was really pleased with the flavor and the color combinations make for a great presentation.  If you do prefer a smoother/creamier salad, you can definitely add a touch of mayo or Greek yogurt for that traditional texture.  Just be careful, because this recipe is a little addicting.