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A Little Hot, A Little Cold May 4, 2012

Posted by cirellih in Food, Health, Lunch.
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I really appreciate my neighborhood. I love that it’s residential with lots of trees, parks and trails nearby. I enjoy the fact that we have a library and shopping center across the street. And I particularly like that the shopping center includes a grocery store.

One of the greatest purchases that I can make in said grocery store is in the produce section. There is a bulk bin of salad greens and baby spinach. I love that I can purchase the perfect amount of flavorful greens for a salad. I don’t always manage to eat a whole head of lettuce before it goes bad, so this is the perfect solution for me.

Recently, I have been on a couscous kick. In salads, I find it particularly delicious to have warm couscous on a bed of cool baby greens. Add in some carrots, peppers, and tomatoes… you’ve got yourself a fantastic salad!

Doesn’t this just scream summer? So refreshing and comforting at the same time. The couscous is garlic and olive oil flavored, so I sprinkled a small amount of olive oil, salt, and pepper over the lettuce for a cohesive flavor.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Quirky Quinoa August 27, 2011

Posted by cirellih in Food, Lunch.
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I have come to the realization that grains are not particularly easy to cook.

My first attempt at quinoa was salty.

My first attempt at wheat berries was an epic fail as you may have guessed… no appearance on the blog means that I burnt the entire pot after 45 minutes of simmering. Sadness all around.

My latest attempt at quinoa was a little overdone and bland. However, when I added in all the rest of the ingredients, it made for a delicious salad.

I decided to go in a Greek-ish direction for this salad. Lots of chopping was involved, but it was so worth it. Cherry tomatoes, carrots, cashews, and kalamata olives were all chopped up and added to the quinoa. Put a little feta cheese on top; have a little gingerberry kombucha on the side and you are in business.

The cashews and carrots added in a nice crunch. The feta cheese and olives gave it just the right amount of salt. It was a nice light summer salad all around.

Hopefully my next attempt at cooking grains will go perfectly… although I thought the third time was supposed to be the charm!

Nachos Nachos Everywhere August 19, 2011

Posted by cirellih in Food, Lunch.
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What to do with leftovers?

Make them into nachos!

After a morning filled by searching and applying for jobs, I decided that a hearty lunch was in order. There is nothing so draining as the job search. I also find that there is nothing so therapeutic as putting together a meal. Definitely a good way to counteract my morning of drudgery.

 

On the nachos: black beans sautéed with onions, a bit of ground beef, and melted colby jack cheese over the top. In the middle: chopped tomatoes, green bell peppers, and a dollop of sour cream. Delish!

I find it hard to be stressed while munching on homemade nachos and watching Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. Lovely!

When the Moon Hits Your Eye April 27, 2011

Posted by cirellih in Craving, Dinner, Food.
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Coming from New York I am often disappointed by pizza just about anywhere else.

I love the thin crust and the perfect cheese to sauce ratio of New York style. No other pizzas compare.

Every once in a while though a good pizza will come along and dazzle my taste buds.

Enter: zpizza’s Italian Pizza

Every topping is my favorite. Olives, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, pesto and mozzarella. They got the crust to be delightfully light, airy and crisp. As an added bonus, zpizza’s mission is to have sustainable, organic ingredients to create delicious pizzas that people will want to try again and again. They have so many specialty pizzas that I would love to try. Mediterranean, chicken sausage, Provence, Thai, Mexican… they all sound delicious!