tofu lettuce wraps

In the spirit of eating healthy, I concocted a pretty delicious and low-cal recipe for tofu lettuce wraps... plus the ingredients are relatively cheap to buy! Bursting with flavor and nutrients, this dish is deliciously satisfying and great the next day for leftovers.

Ingredients:

tofu, butter lettuce, soy sauce, garlic-chili paste, 

onion, zucchini, peanuts, olive oil, mushrooms, garlic

Two hours before begininning your meal, dice tofu into small cubes and marinate in soy sauce and garlic-chili paste in the refrigerator. Once marinated, chop garlic, zucchini, mushrooms and onions and sautee in a bit of olive oil until soft and lightly browned. Then set aside. Sautee tofu with marinade in a little olive oil on medium heat until tender and lightly brown on the edges. Add cooked veggies, peanut halves and a splash of soy sauce to the tofu and toss together. Serve in a cup of lettuce and top with crumbled peanuts.

{Now feast!}

tomato-basil spaghetti squash

With the help of my healthy friend Johanna, I created this new low-cal recipe... since the amount of weight I've gained from covering all of these feastly feasts is really not even funny, but I'll pretend it is to make myself feel better. Anyways, for being so healthy, it was actually really satisfying and flavorful. I've come to realize that although not a friend to whomever you're kissing, garlic is definitely your friend when it comes to cooking. It easily spices up any dish without adding the extra calories.

Plus, this dish was super easy to cook. I'd say the hardest part was cutting the squash in half. It took two knives, 30 minutes and all of my strength. Quite the task but well worth it.

Ingredients:

spaghetti squash // fresh basil // trader joe's everyday seasoning // 

cherry tomatoes // parmesan cheese // olive oil // garlic

First, cut spaghetti squash lengthwise and place face down in a glass pan. Fill pan with water so that it covers about 1/2 an inch of the squash. Cook on 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Once cooked, flip over so the "cut side" is face up and cook for 15 more minutes.

While you're waiting for the squash to cook, in a bowl mix olive oil, chopped basil, tomatoes and about four cloves of crushed garlic in a bowl. Mix until everything is coated in olive oil and set aside to allow the flavors to meld.

When the squash is finished, remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Once cool, scoop out the seeds and throw away. Then with a fork, take the squash out from its shell and put in a large bowl. Toss with tomato-basil mixture, top with parmesan cheese and serve. 

finished product! 

&& in other news... 

me and my amiga from college, rachel

{How was your Fourth?}

happy thursday!

Hi nuggets! Today I'm over at Shannon's blog sharing a recipe I concocted this past weekend: Gruyere and Spinach Bakes. They were perfectly savory and pretty dang delicious if I do say so myself... so you should pop over to her corner of the blog-o-sphere, say hello and start creating your own version of "the bake." Nomnomnom.

{Yum dood.}

a pretty day (and a great cafe)

Holy guac I'm behind. Maybe because it's because I'm so absurdly excited to see my bestestestest friends this weekend (oh yeah and did I mention we'll be attending that music festival... don't know if you've heard of it... I think they're calling it...'Chella these days...?) So I guess my mind has been elsewhere (DR. DRE ON THE MAIN STAGE SUNDAY...okay I'm done I swear). But I've had some pretty fabulous days lately.  A few weekends ago, co-worker Amanda and I explored Solana Beach, a town I pass every single day but have never explored. It's a haven for anyone interested in design, it's quiet in the best way possible and it's home to the cutest boutiques ever. 

the store/backyard of my dreams

any chance to cuddle with a pup [i need a tan]

zinc

curried lentil + coconut soup, gouda, artisan bread and a yummy salad

Clearly, it was a good day plus I made a few spontaneous purchases that I can't really afford {click here except mine is in mint green and here to see} and we had an incredible lunch at zinc, my new favorite cafe. The soup [featured above] was really pretty amazing and reminded me a LOT of India. Wah.

nutty tacos

continuing on with "inspired veganism," I whipped out an old favorite, an influence from one of my best friends, Hillary. when i visited her hometown, we went to an adorable all-natural food stand called Sunflower Drive-In. known for their nutty tacos, Hillary swore on her life that they'd change mine. skeptical, I agreed to try them. Turns out she was right... they did change my life. I have tried, time and time again, to recreate them. They'll never be quite like sunflower makes them, but I think I've gotten pretty close.

{p.s. it's almost Friday!}

the veggie with the worst reputation

Brussels sprouts, which before this post I thought they were called brussel sprouts, probably have the worst reputation ever, besides maybe meatloaf. Growing up, my mom never made them, thus they were never a part of my life. Little did I know, I had been missing out. Not only are they filling, but when marinated and tossed with other delicious ingredients, they can be an entire meal, a late night feastly snack, and even a food that I crave on a weekly, sometimes daily, basis.

With the help of a few recipes, I have created my own brussels sprouts that will change your life [okay that's a bit dramatic, but they'll definitely change your opinion on them].
*disclaimer: they smell like...well... not great... when you're cooking them; but don't be deterred! 

Ingredients:

Brussels sprouts, olive oil, thyme,

everyday seasoning [Trader Joe's], salt,

diced onion, sliced toasted almonds &

parmesan cheese

Wash and cut brussels sprouts in half. Blanch brussels sprouts in boiling water for two minutes. Put 1/4 cup olive oil in a bowl and add everyday seasoning, thyme and salt to taste. Dice onions and add to olive oil mixture. When brussels sprouts are slightly soft from the blanching, put on a cookie sheet and generously spread olive oil/onion mixture so that each sprout is coated. Cook on 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Add sliced almonds to the top and cook for five more minutes. Once finished, top with parmesan cheese and serve.