The Joy of Cooking

While I was deployed, one of the thing I missed most was being able to cook for myself!  Don't get me wrong, having three meals a day prepared for me in the chow hall was also nice.  All I had to do was show up and there was a buffet of choices waiting for me...the biggest issue was that the vegetarian fare was somewhat lacking.  The typical Marine wants meat to be a part of EVERYTHING!  

So now that I'm back my kitchen awaits me!  Last week I made a whole-wheat, green bean, and kidney bean salad that lasted me all week (I love to pack my lunch and save some $$$).  Today I decided to try something new - Black Bean and Chickpea Chili with Veggie Crumbles - a recipe I found on allrecipes.com.

My favorite part of cooking is actually the prepping of vegetables!  I love to lay them all out and chop away, I find it to be very relaxing.  This recipe called for an onion, two green bell peppers and five sliced carrots.  

It took me approximately 1.5 hours from start to finish.  And I had a delicious and healthy meal waiting for me for lunch!  According to the website, each serving has 147 calories, 5.3g of fat, and 16.5g carbs.  (That might be if it has ground turkey in it, which is optional.  The nutritional content might change with the veggie crumbles.)

And the final and delicious result!!!

    

A New Favorite Recipe

Since getting married, I have learned a LOT about cooking, and I actually enjoy it now. My husband never complains about my cooking, in fact, he'll eat just about anything. However, he never raves about anything either:( Thus, it's sometimes difficult to decipher wether or not I should make a meal a second time. 

Over the last three and a half years, we've developed somewhat of a system. If he just consumes the meal without mentioning anything, I put that recipe in the toss pile. If he asks for seconds, it goes in the keep pile. And if he asks for leftovers, it goes in the you-better-never-lose-this-one-and-make-it-once-a-month pile! Hey, it works for our family:)

So here's a recipe I made last night that rates being taken today for his lunch!! 

Source

Spanish-Style Noodles w/ Chicken and Sausage (Found in Food Network Magazine) Serves 4

Ingredients:

-3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2 in chunks

-1/2 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, cut into 1/2 in chunks

-Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

-1 tsp dried marjoram or oregano

-1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

-2 medium onions, diced

-3 cloves garlic, chopped

-2 bay leaves

-3/4 cup tomato puree

-12 ounces spaghetti, broken into 3-in pieces

-Grated Manchego or parmesan cheese, for garnish (optional) 

Directions:

1. Bring a large kettle or pot of water to a boil. Season the chicken and sausage with 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and the marjoram. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Add the chicken and sausage and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon.

2. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, and tomato puree to the pot. Reduce the heat and cook, stirring, until the oil turns deep red and the onions are tender, 6 to 8 minutes. If the onions are sticking, add a splash of water and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.

3. Add the spaghetti to the onion mixture and stir-fry until golden, about 6 minutes. Add the chicken and sausage and enough boiling water until the pasta is al dente and the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with cheese, if desired.

Per serving: Calories 776; Fat 36g (sat 8g); Cholesterol 102mg; Sodium 1,600 mg; Carbohydrates 76g; Fiber 5g; Protein 30g)

I realize this isn't the healthiest meal, but with a few tweaks, you can definitely cut some of the calories and fat. Swap the chicken thighs for chicken breast and the Italian sausage with turkey sausage. Leave the cheese off as a garnish. I'm sure it would still be delicious! And I honestly wish I had tried this recipe last week, because leftovers would have been perfect for carb-loading on Friday or Saturday!

What is one of your favorite, go-to recipes (share the link please!).